Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that his countrys potential for trade will increase exponentially once bilateral relations are normalised with India and Iran. Imran Khans remarks come almost five months after the neighbours downgraded relations with each other, following the Pulwama terror attack perpetrated by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, and New Delhi's decision to revoke Article 370 that provided special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. We are hoping that peace with Iran will also open up as a market. Even with India in the region, the moment our relations become normal, the trade potential for the region will grow exponentially, Prime Minister Khan said while speaking at an event of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meet in Davos. READ| Pakistan 'spews venom', takes to hate speech like fish takes to water: India at UN Imran Khan also stressed that if the governance in the country gets on the right track, then it may help in resolving a lot of issues. The way our governance deteriorated, in the past, is one of the main reasons why we have not been able to realise our potential, he said. With our strategic location and a young population, if we improve our governance and our institutions, nothing can stop us from realising our potential, he added. Showing signs of progress in trade and connectivity projects, the Prime Minister talked about focusing on skill development, empowering the youth, encouraging young startups and entrepreneurship programmes. Weve got help from China under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We have got China to help us in developing the productivity of our agricultural sector. This is one area where Pakistan can make strides quickly, Khan said. On one side there is China, one of the worlds biggest markets. On the other side Central Asia with its resources and markets to open up once there is peace in Afghanistan, he told the forum. READ| Donald Trump and Imran Khan meet in Davos, discuss Kashmir issue The United States, last November, had warned Pakistan that it faced long-term economic damage with little return if China keeps pursuing its giant infrastructure push. Top US diplomat for South Asia Alice Wells has said the CPEC has heralded as a game-changer by both Asian countries but this would profit only Beijing. She has said the corridor is going to take a growing toll on the Pakistan economy, especially when the bulk of payments are to be paid during the next four to six years, according to media reports. (With ANI inputs) Following the ceremony, Algerian President Tebboune and Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum hosted a reception for the newly-appointed ambassador, during which the President warmly welcomed Vinh to take over the new position. The President pledged to provide all possible support for Vinh to fulfill his mission in Algeria and voice his hope that the diplomat will actively contribute to the development of the bilateral cooperation. President Tebboune also took the occasion to highly evaluate Vietnams achievements in national development, particularly in the field of economy. Algeria and Vietnam boast a long-standing friendship, he said, adding that Algeria wants to learn from Vietnams experience in economic development. He suggested that the two countries should make greater efforts to beef up their friendship and multi-faceted cooperation. Vinh, for his part, said it is an honour for him to be appointed as the ambassador of Vietnam to Algeria. He reiterated that Vietnam always treasures and wants to strengthen its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the African country. The diplomat vowed to do his utmost to further consolidate the bilateral relations, especially in economy, trade and culture. A day earlier, Ambassador Vinh presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum. In the meeting, Boukadoum said he has good impression on Vietnam, noting that he will work with relevant Algerian ministries and agencies to further bolster economic cooperation with Vietnam in the coming time. DAVOS, Switzerland U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose high tariffs on imports of cars from the European Union if the bloc doesn't agree to a trade deal. Trump has previously made threats to place duties on European automobile imports, with the intent of receiving better terms in the U.S.-Europe trade relationship. Trump has delayed imposing the tariffs a number of times. "I met with the new head of the European Commission, who's terrific. And I had a great talk. But I said, 'look, if we don't get something, I'm going to have to take action' and the action will be very high tariffs on their cars and on other things that come into our country," Trump told CNBC's Joe Kernen in an interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Former German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen succeeded Jean-Claude Juncker at the end of 2019 as the EU's top official, becoming the first woman to hold the post. The United States has also threatened duties of up to 100% on French goods, from champagne to handbags, because of a digital services tax that Washington says harms U.S. tech companies. Trump told CNBC that the European Union had to make a deal on trade. "They have no choice," Trump said. In a separate interview in Davos with Fox Business News, Trump said the tariffs on EU cars could amount to 25%. "Ultimately it will be very easy because if we can't make a deal, we'll have to put 25% tariffs on their cars," Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo in an interview. The United States struck a Phase 1 trade deal with China in January, soothing some of the worries which have hampered the world economy in recent time. Asked if a trade pact with Britain could come next, Trump told CNBC he was ready to make a deal with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "Boris and I are friends, and he wants to make a deal, and that's ok with me," he said. Story continues Britain is due to leave the EU at the end of January, the Johnson has stated that one of the main advantages of being outside the bloc would be the ability for Britain to negotiate its own trade deals, including with the United States. "We're starting. We've already started negotiating" with Britain, Trump said. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> Canadian Channel Partners Conference 2020 - West Coast The Canadian Channel Partners conference was an excellent platform to network with the partner community of Canada and to be part of the evolution of this ecosystem, said Bernard Breton, Chief Executive Consultant for Adaptiv Networks. Xeo Marketing & Strategic Consultancy Inc. announces their next Canadian Channel Partners conference to be held at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver on April 23rd, 2020 making it the first official West Coast event for telecom, IT, cloud & cybersecurity channel partners. This event gives telecom, IT, cloud & cybersecurity professionals in the channel community a new opportunity to network, gain knowledge, and share experiences about the telecom & emerging tech, VoIP, SD-WAN, cloud and cybersecurity field. Xeo has been supporting the Canadian channel partners community MSPs, VARs and consultants for the past four years by helping them elevate their business prowess and network through these annual Canadian channel partners conferences. The telecom and cloud marketplace is evolving to include all global players and the Canadian Channel Partners conference is an excellent way for me to learn what's new and exciting in the Canadian telecom & IT world. Any telecom reseller that wants to survive this fast-changing world must attend these conferences, said Nathan Hashman, VP, Bus Dev for Integrated Telecom Solution Sourcing Inc, Managed Service Providers from Calgary. Stringent laws and regulations surrounding the Canadian business segments while protecting the consumers and businesses from misuse of digital technology also make it cost-prohibitive for technology vendors to make that initial contact with potential channel partners and prospects. Canadian Channel Partners conference aims at providing technology vendors with a channel-specific avenue where they can meet and engage with prospective MSPs, VARs and cloud & cybersecurity consultants without facing the repercussions of anti-spam laws & regulations. The Canadian Channel Partners conference was an excellent platform to network with the partner community of Canada and to be part of the evolution of this ecosystem, said Bernard Breton, Chief Executive Consultant for Adaptiv Networks. Xeo Marketing works extensively to enable the Canadian telecom & IT channel and to support emerging technologies in Canada. From conducting industry surveys to providing analyst reports on emerging technologies, Xeo is continually striving towards delivering value to the entire ICT community channel partner and technology vendors alike. While there were several customer/end-user facing events in Canada, we found that there was an evident gap for channel-facing events in the Canadian telecom & IT segment. Canadian Channel Partners conference is our attempt to address this gap and to bring the ICT channel community under a single umbrella for information exchange and peer networking, said Monali Supramanyam, Strategic Marketing & Communications Director for Xeo. Do not miss out and join Xeo and the extended telecom & IT channel partner community at the Vancouver Canadian Channel Partners West Coast event in April! About Xeo Marketing & Strategic Consultancy: Recognized as the top technology marketing company in Canada, Xeo Marketing is a B2B strategic consultancy and marketing organization. Powered by experienced industry experts, Xeo Marketing works with businesses in the fast-paced, high-tech sector and tech & AI start-ups of all sizes. Xeo helps the organizations in the B2B tech-sector capture the market share and grow their revenue, by providing them with affordable growth strategies and marketing services through innovative ways to leverage the modern marketing channels like social media and mobile. About Canadian Channel Partners Conference Canadian Channel Partners conference and Xeo.ai is the brainchild of Xeo Marketing. Working as a catalyst that connects different user groups of the ICT community, Xeo struggled with the lack of transparency within these user groups. Xeo quickly realized the need for a smart, connected platform that would provide a seamless service to buyers, channel partners and technology vendors alike. Xeo recognized the need for various users to connect instantaneously and efficiently to make informed decisions, saving them valuable time and resources. With that in mind, Xeo launched the xeo.ai ICT platform that connects multiple users on a single platform to provide a simplified buying experience for an end-to-end cloud, telecom and emerging tech solutions. Canadian Channel Partners conference is yet another avenue to help connect the channel partners with technology vendors. For information Xeo Marketing, please visit http://www.xeo.marketing. For more information on the Xeo AI platform, please visit http://www.xeo.ai or follow @xeo_ai on Twitter. For information on the Canadian Channel Partners conference visit http://www.canadianchannelpartners.com It is noted that a political decision has already been made The authorities of Ukraine want to give Deutsche Bahn AG, the national railway operator of Germany, management of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) for a period of 10 years. Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk said this at a breakfast in Davos, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reports. "Yes, we want to hand over Ukrzaliznytsias management to Germans for a period of 10 years," Honcharuk said. He added that while there was still a need to negotiate and agree on the details of the decision and documents, "a political decision has already been taken and this is already a huge step." It is worth noting that, on January 22, Ukraine signed the Memorandum of understanding with the railway operator of Germany Deutsche Bahn. It was reported that this memorandum could improve the efficiency and quality of rail transportation in Ukraine. "After meeting with the Deutsche Bahns leadership last week in Kyiv, we came to an understanding of the cooperation format, to be exact - Ukraine will fully retain control over Ukrzaliznytsia," Ukraines PM wrote. He added that German specialists will be working on reforming the management mechanisms of the enterprise. Ukrzaliznytsia will not be leased or sold. As we reported earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin during the World Economic Forum in Davos. He announced this on his Facebook page. Arrived in Switzerland. And the first meeting in my two-day working visit in Davos was with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Moreover, the meeting of the two Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Finland of this format is the first in 5 years, he said. An employee walks past a Boeing 737 Max aircraft seen parked at the Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Washington, U.S. Photo: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson Boeing's new chief executive has sent the aerospace giant back to the drawing board on proposals for a new mid-market aircraft, effectively shelving in their current form plans worth $15bn-$20bn (13bn-18bn) that had been overtaken by the 737 MAX crisis. A decision on whether to launch a New Midsize Airplane (NMA) seating 220-270 passengers, which seemed imminent barely a year ago, had already been postponed as Boeing gave all its attention to the grounding of the smaller 737 MAX after two fatal crashes. But days after taking the helm with a mandate to lift Boeing out of its 10-month-old reputational crisis, chief executive Dave Calhoun said the competitive playing field had changed. "Since the first clean sheet of paper was taken to it, things have changed a bit ... the competitive playing field is a little different," he told journalists on a conference call on Wednesday. "We're going to start with a clean sheet of paper again; I'm looking forward to that," Calhoun said. He also spoke of a fresh approach to the market. A Boeing spokesman said Calhoun had ordered up a new study on what kind of aircraft was needed. New aircraft typically take six-seven years or more to bring to market once a decision is made, though Boeing aims to shorten that in part through digital technology and new business models designed around the NMA. Calhoun "has asked the team to do an assessment of the future market and what kind of airplane is needed to meet the future market," spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. Noting that the original assessments on the NMA were made about two and a half years ago, he said the new study would "build upon what has been learned ... in design and production." In further evidence of a change of pace, people familiar with the matter said a meeting between Boeing and a major potential supplier, originally scheduled for next week, had been abruptly cancelled with no new date set. That contrasts with the approach just weeks ago when Boeing was still presenting new details of the NMA to some airlines, including a working logo - "theNMA" - and details of an "advanced composite" structure, according to a slide seen by Reuters. The NMA had been designed to address a slender gap between single-aisle workhorse jets like the 737 MAX and long-haul wide-body jets like the 787. But most of the effort revolved around a new production system designed not only to support the NMA but to lay the groundwork for the next single-aisle aircraft after the 737 MAX. Calhoun said he expected the MAX, whose return to service was delayed again earlier this week, to resume its previous place in the market and remain in service for a generation. Traditionally toe-to toe-with Europe's Airbus SE, Boeing has fallen behind in sales for the largest category of single-aisle planes, such as the 200-240-seat Airbus A321neo, which overlaps with the niche being targeted by the NMA. By delaying a decision on the NMA, Boeing already risked losing the sweetest part of the market, especially after Airbus seized contracts with two major US airlines, analysts said. Analysts have also questioned whether Boeing, facing costs equivalent to a new programme to repair the MAX crisis, as well as delays on its large new 777X jet whose maiden flight is set for Friday, would have appetite for such a costly project now. After the considerable success of the Hector five-seater SUV, MG Motor India has launched its second product for the Indian market; the all-electric MG ZS EV. The EV had registered a lot of interest even before the launch. In fact, in just around a months time, MG Motor India was able to collect over 2,800 bookings for the ZS EV; which is nothing short of impressive. Two variants are on offer, Excite and Exclusive. Prices are Rs 19.88 lakh and Rs 22.58 lakh, respectively for the customers who have already booked. For those who book from today, prices are Rs 20.88 lakh and Rs 23.58 lakh, respectively. All prices are ex-sh. The MG ZS EV is powered by a 3-phase permanent magnet motor coupled to a 44.5kWh Li-ion battery pack. This is the largest battery fitted in a car in any electric car in India. The powertrain is good for around 141bhp and a strong 353Nm of torque from zero RPM. It has a claimed maximum range of around 340km on a full charge. 0-100km/h acceleration is impressive in typical modern-day EV standards, at just 8.5 seconds. Running cost is less than Re 1 per kilometer. In comparison, a similar sized petrol SUV will cost about Rs 7 per km of running cost. As mentioned before, the vehicle is not available in every MG Motor dealership across the country, but only in certain cities where demand for electric vehicles persists. This includes Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Hyderabad; out of which Bangalore garnered the best interest. The battery pack can be charged from empty to 80 per cent in about 40 minutes using a 50kW DC fast charger while a standard 7.4kW wall charger can do the job only in 7-8 hours. This may not be a serious concern if we do overnight charging. The company is planning to set up a strong network of DC super-fast-charging outlets across the country. As a start, the outlets will be available in and around the select cities in which the MG ZS EV will be initially available. The bookings received for the MG ZS EV of 2,800 units, is higher than the total sales figure of electric vehicles from last year. Around 40 per cent of the bookings were made online while the remaining were registered from the select dealerships at which the vehicle will be available for the time being. Do keep in mind that the bookings were mostly made by customers who had not even driven or seen the vehicle in person. However, the company decided not to rush into things and affect customer satisfaction, by catering to just 2,409 bookings. Bookings for the next batch (with priority to the remaining 391) are welcome and the token amount remains the same at Rs 50,000. MG Motor had promised that the first 1000 customers would be getting exclusive introductory pricing. But thanks to overwhelming demand, they have extended the introductory price offer to all 2,800 customers who have booked the car before today. The Indian automotive market is still at an infant stage when it comes to electric passenger vehicles. For the same reason, the MG ZS EV does not have a serious direct rival, but a few desirable alternatives. The much-awaited Tata Nexon EV would be an excellent smaller alternative while the Hyundai Kona is a premium choice of emission-free driving that has received high praises from all around the world. Nick Cannon says he was initially amused by recent inflammatory comments made by "That's So Raven" actor Orlando Brown, but they've ultimately left him sad and concerned. Brown, who is best known for his role on the famed Disney Channel sitcom, in more recent years has made headlines for erratic behaviors. The latest among them is a selfie video in which he alleges that Nick Cannon once performed oral sex on him. Cannon responded to the unexpected claim with a lengthy Instagram post, saying he at first found the story "hilarious": "But then after putting a little cognitive effort and analytical thought to the situation,I figured what a great opportunity for a 'teachable moment'!" He began, "First off let me say I am praying for the young brother Orlando even though I dont really know him personally, I have always loved and enjoyed his talent and have been a fan of his past work." Brown's antics, according to Cannon, are "a cry out for help." He finds them symptomatic of deep-rooted issues in the Hollywood system: "This is another crucial example of when we allow our young artists to be prematurely exposed by this demonic business and left out to fend for themselves." Above: Orlando Brown, center, on Disney Channel's "That's So Raven." Credit: Getty Cannon, who also got his start in the industry as a child, did not specifically call out any companies or executives, instead targeting the broader implications of difficult "Hollywood circumstances." "I dont know if there are any real leaders or solid individuals in this young mans life but lets embrace him and tighten him up so he doesnt become another lost victim to these hollywood circumstances," he wrote, adding that it "hurts my heart to see that we have allowed Orlando, along with various other young gifted performers we grew up loving, to just dwindle away after these corporations made their billions off of them." Story continues He continued, "Now due to substance abuse and diagnosed psychiatric disorders our loved ones are now aimlessly begging for the attention they were once given, instead of the help they actually need. All while we sit back and just laugh." Cannon then called out several media outlets for capitalizing on Brown's initial post, saying it's particularly "asinine and deplorable" for black-centric outlets to use "cannibalistic tactics" to "tear one another down for click bait." In an apparent response to Cannon's impassioned post, Brown's girlfriend said that he has a tendency to succumb to pressure to be outrageous, "despite it wreaking HAVOC in his real life." She then encouraged fans to support Brown's "personal healing and growth" in part by buying his music. A woman has lost her appeal over an order obtained by a bankruptcy trustee for the sale of her family home in Co Westmeath. The Court of Appeal told Anne Daly she has until early April to deliver up vacant possession of her home, Ballinagore House, Ballinagore, valued at 400,000, unless an alternative agreement is reached with official assignee Chris Lehane. Bank of Ireland had in 2012 secured judgment for some 4.43m, on consent, against Ms Daly and her husband Patrick J. Daly, from whom she is separated. Ms Daly subsequently failed to get an extension of time to appeal the consent order. In 2015, Mr Daly was adjudicated bankrupt. His bankruptcy was later extended for 10 years for non-co-operation with Mr Lehane. In 2016, Ms Daly was also adjudicated bankrupt and was discharged from bankruptcy in June 2017. She lives in the family home while her husband lives elsewhere. Their adult daughter no longer lives at home. Representing herself, Ms Daly had appealed a January 2019 High Court order sanctioning the sale of her home. That order was deferred for six months and further deferred pending the appeal. Today, a three-judge Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal on all grounds. After judgment was given, Ms Daly told the court she was seeking legal advice and she also referred to correspondence with Mr Lehane. Ms Justice Caroline Costello, who gave the courts judgment, said she had until early April to deliver up vacant possession. The fact a sale order was made did not mean the sale had to proceed and the court was encouraging her to engage with Mr Lehane, with or without lawyers, in the interim, including about possibly buying the house herself, the judge told Ms Daly. Edward Farrelly SC, for Mr Lehane, said his client had offered mediation and always preferred if an agreement could be reached. In the judgment, Ms Justice Costello noted Mr Lehane previously secured High Court orders setting aside as void a purported transfer by Mr and Ms Daly of the Ballinagore property to an American citizen and declaring the official assignee was the legal and beneficial owner of the property. The judge said Ballinagore house was jointly owned by the Dalys, who were both adjudicated bankrupt and it followed there was no interest of a non-bankrupt spouse in the family home. She rejected arguments by Ms Daly that she was unable to effectively access justice because the High Court had refused to adjourn the sale proceedings in January 2019. Ms Daly had previously secured an adjournment and discharged her solicitor shortly before the case was due to open, the judge said. It was a matter for Ms Daly whether she discharged her solicitor. Ms Daly had also told the High Court she was seeking legal aid but had been unable to inform the COA whether that application had been decided, she said. Creditors had long waited for realisation of this valuable asset of the bankrupt estates and there was no indication how long an adjournment would be necessary to await a legal aid decision. In the circumstances, the High Court had discretion to refuse the adjournment, she held. Ms Daly could not contest this matter on the basis of her claim she should not have been adjudicated bankrupt and that this amounted to special circumstances, the judge further held. She dismissed Ms Dalys additional claim the sale order was disproportionate, saying the only ground advanced in that regard was disability. While Mr Lehane had said there was no evidence of the claimed disability, the High Court had said it would take the apparent disability into account, she said. The High Court had balanced, in a proportionate way, the interests of the creditors and of Ms Daly, she ruled. Ms Daly had advanced no grounds for the appeal court to interfere with the High Court decision. Russian ombudsman Moskalkova protects rights of convicted Israeli Naama Issachar RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 13:00 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) The warden of a penal colony in the Moscow Region, where Israeli citizen Naama Issachar convicted of trafficking and possession of drugs serves her 7.5-year term, has been reprimanded for unlawfully denying her visitations of her mother, Russias High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova informs on Thursday. According to Moskalkova, last year first deputy mayor of the town of Ashkelon in Israel asked her to protect Issachars rights; the ombudsman promised to sort out the situation. The rights commissioner petitioned the Moscow Region Prosecutors Office to look into the case; at the same time she asked her colleague, the ombudsman of the Moscow Region Ekaterina Semenova, to visit the young woman and inspect the conditions of Issachars detention. Although the Israeli did not complain about the detention conditions, could meet representatives of consular offices, and regularly used email for communication, it was revealed that she had been several times unlawfully denied visitations of her mother, according to a Moskalkovas post on a social network. Taking into account the fact that Issachar is far from her home, family members and friends in an alien country, the ombudsman writes, such actions on the part of officials are in her view inadmissible. The warden of the penal colony has been reprimanded for this, and Moskalkova believes no more such violations occur in the future. A convicted person serving his or her term nevertheless has the rights, including that to meet his or her relatives and dear ones, whereas the society is to care that convicts rights are respected, Moskalkova writes. How did you get the idea for Sunrun? I was at school at the Stanford Graduate School for Business, and went to China for an internship. There was all this building happening in Shanghai, and I thought, Oh my gosh, we need to figure out how to build things more sustainably. When I went back to school, one of my classmates said, Oh, I have this friend who has this solar idea. And I was like, Yes. Love it. Had you been interested in the environment before that? Absolutely. Growing up in the woods and trees, I was a little bit of a naturalist. I love bird-watching, and my daughter and I do that every morning. We mark which birds we see. Its good to actually listen to the birds. How did you get Sunrun off the ground? My husband and I both wanted to be entrepreneurs, and we were just married, and were both in business school. There was a little bit of an agreement that whoever gets their company going first gets to do it, and then the other person has to support them. So we were both pursuing entrepreneurial ideas. When my classmate said solar, I was like, O.K., lets do it. And then my husband went back into private equity and supported us. After Sunrun got up and running for a while, he left and started a company with a classmate, Tatcha. It was so stressful. There were times in 2013 when Sunrun wasnt profitable yet, and Tatcha was needing capital. And so before we really had any real assets to our name, we were taking the money we were making from Sunrun and investing it into Tatcha. So those were some stressful times, but we earned it. We came by it honestly. With Sunrun, our idea was to target residential customers. I went through the Stanford database and used my cold-calling skills to call pretty much anybody I could find that had energy or utility experience. One hundred percent of people said it wouldnt work and gave me this dismissive message. Well, theres a lot of sophisticated people working on that stuff. Go home, little girl. Fast forward to today: We have almost 300,000 customers and $5 billion worth of solar. What were your various roles at the company along the way? Im still figuring it out. I wasnt originally the C.E.O.; my co-founder was. In the beginning, Id literally spend my weekends going to farmers markets and putting fliers on peoples windshields, and doing town hall meetings to explain how you can get solar. It was a hustle. Over the years, it sort of evolved into what our roles would be. I had no ambition necessarily to be a C.E.O. I always thought I would be the chief of staff to the president or something. But I never aspired to be in the limelight. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) heads toward the Senate Chamber before the start of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 21, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Republicans Close to Having Majority Needed to Dismiss Articles of Impeachment: Paul Republicans need six more senators to decide to dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on Jan. 22. Republicans hold a 5347 majority in the Senate, which is hearing arguments for removing Trump from office from House Democrats this week before Trumps lawyers present their case against conviction. There are 45, with about five to eight wanting to hear a little more, Paul told The Washington Post. I still would like to dismiss it, but there arent the votes to do it just yet. Convicting Trump, or removing him from office, requires a 67-vote supermajority for one of the articles. Dismissing the impeachment articles requires a simple majority. Paul didnt name any names. Republicans who are among those still wanting to hear more likely include Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah). Arguments from House impeachment managers, including lead manager House Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), are only serving to unify the GOP, Paul said. He plans to push for dismissing the articles later in the trial. I will push it at some point, Paul said. The more Adam Schiff speaks, the more we become unified. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) holds redacted documents as he speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 22, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) Republicans and Democrats differ over when to call witnesses in the trial, whether any witnesses are necessary, and which witnesses should be called if any are subpoenaed. Republicans won out this week, voting to approve initial guidelines that would delay the question until later in the trial. Both sides will present their arguments to lawmakers, who will then submit written questions. After receiving answers, the Senate will vote on whether to call witnesses. Democrats want four former or current White House officials, including former national security adviser John Bolton, to testify. Some Republicans appear to want no witnesses, while others have said they want to hear from former Vice President Joe Biden, Bidens son Hunter Biden, or Schiff. Trump was impeached on Dec. 18, 2019, by House Democrats, who then held the impeachment articles for about three weeks before sending them to the Senate, triggering the start of the current impeachment trial. Democrats argue that Trump abused his office by asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 2019 phone call to look into allegations of corruption surrounding the Bidens. He noted in the call that Joe Biden in 2018 mentioned that in 2016 he pressured Ukraine to oust Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor who was probing Hunter Bidens employer, Burisma Holdings. Because Joe Biden is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Democrats say Trump was asking a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 election. They have also tried to link a hold on congressionally approved aid to Ukraine to the request for the probe, though theyve failed to produce evidence to connect the two. Trump said he has a responsibility to target corruption in both the Biden case and for the aid and did nothing wrong. The smell of cut grass, freshly baked bread, childhood memories, lost loved ones, Christmas. What happens when it's all gone? A new study from the University of East Anglia reveals the huge range of emotional and practical impacts caused by a loss of smell. It finds that almost every aspect of life is disrupted -- from everyday concerns about personal hygiene to a loss of sexual intimacy and the break-down of personal relationships. The researchers hope that their findings will help motivate clinicians to take smell problems more seriously, with better help and support offered to patients. Prof Carl Philpott, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "Smell disorders affect around five per cent of the population and cause people to lose their sense of smell, or change the way they perceive odours. Some people perceive smells that aren't there at all. "There are many causes -- from infections and injury to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and as a side effect of some medications. advertisement "Most patients suffer a loss of flavour perception which can affect appetite and can be made even worse if distortions in their sense of smell also co-exist. "Previous research has shown that people who have lost their sense of smell also report high rates of depression, anxiety, isolation and relationship difficulties. "We wanted to find out more about how a loss of smell affects people." The researchers worked with the Smell and Taste clinic at the James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston-On-Sea. The clinic opened in 2010 and was the UK's first clinic dedicated to taste and smell. The study involved 71 participants aged between 31-80 who had written to the clinic about their experiences. It was carried out in collaboration with Fifth Sense, the charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders. advertisement The research shows that sufferers experience wide-ranging impairments to their quality of life. These included a negative emotional impact, feelings of isolation, impaired relationships and daily functioning, impacts on physical health and the difficulty and financial burden of seeking help. Prof Philpot said: "One really big problem was around hazard perception -- not being able to smell food that had gone off, or not being able to smell gas or smoke. This had resulted in serious near misses for some. "But smell is not just a life-saving sense -- it is also life-enhancing. "A large number of the participants no longer enjoyed eating, and some had lost appetite and weight. Others were eating more food with low nutritional value that was high in fat, salt and sugar -- and had consequently gained weight. "Participants had lost interest in preparing food and some said they were too embarrassed to serve dishes to family and friends which had an impact on their social lives. "The inability to link smells to happy memories was also a problem. Bonfire night, Christmas smells, perfumes and people -- all gone. Smells link us to people, places and emotional experiences. And people who have lost their sense of smell miss out on all those memories that smell can evoke. "We found that personal hygiene was a big cause for anxiety and embarrassment, because the participants couldn't smell themselves. "Parents of young children couldn't tell when their nappies needed changing, and this led to feelings of failure. One mother found it difficult bonding with her new baby because she couldn't smell him. "Many participants described a negative impact on relationships -- ranging from not enjoying eating together to an impact on sexual relationships," he added. All of these problems led to diverse range of negative emotions including anger, anxiety, frustration, depression, isolation, loss of confidence, regret and sadness. And the problems were compounded by a lack of understanding about the disorder among clinicians. Prof Philpott said: "The participants described a lot of negative and unhelpful interactions with healthcare professionals before coming to the James Paget Smell and Taste clinic. Those that did manage to get help and support were very pleased -- even if nothing could be done about their condition, they were very grateful for advice and understanding." Duncan Boak, Founder and Chair of Fifth Sense, said: "Anosmia can have a huge impact on people's quality of life in many ways, as this research demonstrates. An important part of Fifth Sense's work is giving our beneficiaries a voice and the opportunity to change the way society understands smell and taste disorders, whether through volunteering or participating in research studies like this one. The results of this study will be a big help in our ongoing work to improve the lives of those affected by anosmia." Ouagadougou, January 22: Militants killed 36 civilians when they attacked villages in northern Burkina Faso, the government said Tuesday, appealing for local volunteers to bolster its fight against jihadists. A "terrorist group" killed 32 civilians when they attacked and burned the market in Nagraogo village before killing four more people in Alamou village on Monday, the government said. Three other people were wounded in the attacks, it added. "The Burkina government has learned with consternation and anger of the deaths of 36 Burkinabe in Sanmatenga province, after a terrorist attack," communications minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said. Hundreds of people have fled the area and taken refuge in the city of Kaya, in Sanmatenga province, according to residents contacted by AFP. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore announced a two-day period of mourning, for Wednesday and Thursday, during which flags will be flown at half-mast and festivals will be prohibited. - Volunteer plan - Faced with these "repeated attacks" against civilians, the government launched an appeal for the people's "frank collaboration" with the defence and security forces. The Burkina parliament on Tuesday adopted unanimously a law allowing for the recruitment of local volunteers in the fight against jihadists. According to a document seen by AFP, volunteers aged over 18 will be recruited in their regions in agreement with local populations. They will be given 14 days military training, after which they will be given small arms and other communication equipment. The recruits would be expected to conduct surveillance and provide information and protection for their local communities in the event of an attack while waiting for security forces to deploy, according to Defence Minister Cheriff Sy. Burkina Faso, as well as neighbouring Mali and Niger, has seen frequent jihadist attacks which have left hundreds of people dead since the start of 2015 when Islamist extremist violence began to spread across the Sahel region. According to the UN, around 4,000 people were killed in jihadist attacks in the three Sahel countries last year. The Burkina Faso army is ill-equipped and poorly-trained to deal with the threat posed by jihadists in the country. However, in recent months they have enjoyed a series of successes, claiming to have killed a hundred jihadists in many operations. There are 4,500 French troops deployed in the Sahel region as well as a 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in Mali to fight insurgents, backing up national forces of the G5 -- Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. In the wake of the latest attack European Commission diplomatic spokeswoman Virginie Battu-Henriksson said it was a reminder of the "urgency" of a plan to increase European security and development action in the region. "Thoughts for the families of the victims of this new terrorist attack in a market in Burkina Faso," she said on Twitter. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2020 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Parvez Sultan By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With electioneering in the national capital entering the advanced stage, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to weave its poll strategy around nationalism and Hindutva. Instead of going all out to highlight the Centres decision granting ownership rights for properties in unauthorised colonies and failure of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government as planned earlier, the party leaders will put emphasis on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and construction of Ram Mandir in meetings and padyatras (marches). ALSO READ | Delhi elections: Over 1000 violations of model code of conduct registered so far The Opposition has created a lot of confusion over CAA, which has resulted into violence. It in the meeting held with top leadership, it was felt that BJP need to go to public and explain the repealing of Articles 370 and 35A, triple talaq, as well as the CAA. These are achievements of our government at the Centre, said a senior party functionary. Previously, the saffron party had planned to corner the AAP government on the issue of delay in regularisation of illegal colonies built on government and agricultural land and redevelopment of slum clusters. ALSO READ | 'Worked just like an elder son in family': Kejriwal in Delhi roadshow Senior party leaders have already started discussing these issues with people in public gatherings and door-to-door campaign, said the party functionary. According to party leaders associated with poll preparations, around 5,000 small rallies are planned over the next two weeks. On Thursday, Amit Shah will address two similar gatherings and attend Padyatra in Matiala, Uttam Nagar and Nagloi Jat assembly segments, said a Delhi BJP leader. According to the list of 40-star campaigners released on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda, party general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh, the Union home minister, and CMs Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana), Trivendra Singh Rawat (Uttrakhand) and Jai Ram Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) will lead party rallies. 15-20 meets on BJP anvil A BJP functionary said, We are planning 15-20 meetings or padyatras featuring Shah and Nadda. The PM will address one big rally, which is being planned in a constituency home to illegal colonies Scattered showers persisted across northern California through early this morning, and fog was an issue in some northern areas early on today. Dry weather and clearing skies then returned for your afternoonand temperatures warmed up to several degrees above average. Valley areas topped out in the mid 50's to low 60's this afternoon and mountain areas mostly ended up in the low to mid 40's. Winds have been moslty light and out of the South this afternoon. Fog is expected to develop overnight tonight and could be dense in some areas on Thursday morning. The break from the rain will continue through around mid day on Thursday and then the next wet system will move into northern California between the afternoon and evening. There are models hinting at showers returning to the mid valley before noon, but those seem to be the outliers. Snow levels will be high and moisture amounts will be limited with this wet system. Snow levels will be above 7000'. The current outlook brings around a tenth of an inch of rain to the valley and up to around a third of an inch of rain to the mountains through early Friday afternoon. Temperatures will stay warm and will be similar to what we had outside today through Friday. Another warm system is expected to arrive in our region late Friday night into early Saturday. Showers will mostly impact areas closer to the coast on Saturday morning and will then spread through the remainder of northern California through Saturday afternoon. This system will be much wetter than the Thursday into Friday system, and is expected to persist through Sunday. Most of the showers are expected to be in the form of rain as snow levels will be above 6000' on Saturday. On Sunday snow levels are projected to drop to around 4500', so snow is in the forecast for the latter part of your weekend. Up to around an inch of rain can be expected in the valley this weekend and mountain areas can expect up to around 2 inches of rain. Between 4 to 8 inches of snow will be possible down to around 7000', with more limited amounts below that. High temperatures are not expected to change much if at all through your weekend, but overnight low temperatures will be warmer. Valley areas may even stay in the low 50's on Sunday morning. We're expecting to dry out in the valley early next week, but some mountain showers could very well linger into your Monday forecast. High pressure will build back into the West Coast Monday into Tuesday and that should bring the return of dry weather to most areas early to mid week. Temperatures are projected to stay above average through your extened forecast, but may end up slighty cooler than your weekend early next week. One of main tasks of Armenia peacekeepers in Kazakhstans Almaty is to prevent water supply system poisoning About 80 Americans cannot fly from Afghanistan Turkey parliament ex-deputy speaker: Armenia must fulfill 4 preconditions Border situation in Armenias Gegharkunik Province was calm at night French FM says talks on Iranian nuclear deal are progressing slowly 289 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Gold slightly rises in price North Korea says it successfully tested another hypersonic missile OSCE calls on Azerbaijan, Armenia to refrain from the use of force Oil is trading without a single dynamic US State Department welcomes announcement on CSTO forces withdrawal from Kazakhstan Newspaper: Ex-ministers are summoned to Hayastan All Armenian Fund parliamentary inquiry committee MOD: Armenia soldiers dead body found at midnight after Azerbaijan provocation Newspaper: Casualties of Armenia PM Pashinyan's 'era of peace' US concerned about EastMed natural gas pipeline project Giant fish sold at auction for over 16 million yen German Marshall Fund: It Is not too early to think about political change in Turkey Armenian Foreign Ministry: We call on Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from provocations Armenia's Geghamasar community head: The situation is stable now Queen Elizabeth II's favorite fast food revealed Human Rights Defender: Azerbaijani troops open fire on Armenian sovereign territory World Economic Forum: Cybersecurity and space pose new risks to the global economy Defense Ministry confirms Armenian side has 2 victims Satanovsky on sending Armenian servicemen to Kazakhstan Unofficial data: 2 servicemen killed as a result of Azerbaijan provocation CSTO and Kazakh Defense Ministry developing plan WHO thinks it's too early to consider COVID-19 pandemic European Commission to require Poland to pay fine of nearly EUR 70 million White House announces $308 million humanitarian aid for Afghanistan Erdogan angry at minister after efforts to strengthen lira failed Armenian FM has phone call with US Assistant Secretary of State India imposes one-week quarantine even for vaccinated tourists Armenian ex-president expresses condolences on poet Razmik Davoyan's death Traction Programme to showcase 8 startups during the Digital Demo Day Azerbaijan uses artillery and UAVs, 3 Armenian soldiers wounded NEWS.am daily digest: 11.01.22 Austrian Chancellor confirms plan for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in February Armen Sarkissian and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discuss situation in Kazakhstan Gulf, Iran and Turkey FMs to visit China 20 pregnant women with COVID-19 die in Azerbaijan in year Armenia hands over wanted US citizen to United States Economy ministry: Organizing of accommodation and public catering increased by 61.1% in Armenia Armenia parliament speaker expresses condolences on European Parliament President death Azerbaijan opens fire toward Armenia village sector, one soldier wounded Shoigu: CSTO peacekeepers deployed in Kazakhstan thanks to Syrian and Karabakh experience Azerbaijan official pledges to remove Armenian toponyms from Google Maps UN offers two plans to help Afghans totaling $ 5 billion in 2022 Armenia attorney general travels to Moscow on working visit Azerbaijan MOD blames Armenian side for soldiers death Dollar drops in Armenia Shirak Province captives families hold protest outside Armenia government building Rolls-Royce sales rise to record high in 2021 Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis directed gun at Armenia residents car in which his wife, 3-year-old child were ANCA urges President Biden and Congress to hold Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable for war crimes Serbia's Orthodox Patriarch tests positive for COVID-19 Brothers, sisters of 2020 Artsakh war military casualties to get compensation in lieu of their deceased parents Turkish authorities sanction arrest of 33 suspected FETO ties Copper rises in price Erdogan's spokesman, Biden's adviser discuss Armenian-Turkish relations Armenia deputy defense minister: No one can rule out border tension at any moment New commander elected of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia official: Those 100 soldiers absence will not assume any change in terms of border tension Millionaire Robert Durst dies aged 78 Reuters: Over 1.13 million cases of COVID-19 detected in US per day Great Armenian poet Razmik Davoyan dies 2 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Deputy PM Matevosyan: About 1,190 subvention programs implemented in Armenia from 2018 to 2021 243 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia MP: It would be right to put pressure on Azerbaijanis to remove their firing positions Oil is getting more expensive Nearly 10,000 people detained in Kazakhstan in connection with riots Tokayev: CSTO peacekeepers will pull out from Kazakhstan within 10 days Newspaper: Armenia businessmen pay customs duties to Azerbaijanis to go to Iran European Parliament speaker David Sassoli dies Alikhan Smailov appointed Kazakhstan Prime Minister Newspaper: Health minister makes decision full of contradictions in terms of Covid-related restrictions in Armenia Newspaper: Armenia authorities once again showed their being unprincipled, worthless, opposition MP says Germany teacher who had cannibalism fantasies is sentenced to life in prison Israel's military and other security services undergo largest rearmament in years Spain PM calls for a debate to consider COVID-19 endemic disease Flyone Armenia and Pegasus receive permission for Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flights Pope condemns "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines Arab foreign ministers to visit Beijing Azerbaijanis stoned an Armenian car on the Stepanakert-Goris road Armenian FM has a phone call with his Polish counterpart Macron travels to French Riviera to discuss internal security issues Artsakh Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior aims to disrupt Russian peacekeepers' activities US COVID-19 cases reach 60 million European Parliament President hospitalized due to immune system dysfunction Washington and Ankara discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey WHO excludes emergence of deltacron strain In Karabakh Azerbaijanis shelled tractor Indian Defense Minister tests positive for COVID-19 US-Russia talks on security guarantees lasting for seven hours already NEWS.am daily digest: 10.01.22 Pashinyan appoints Hayk Mkrtchyan as Deputy Governor of Kotayk province Blast in eastern Afghanistan kills nine children Pashinyan: One of key priorities of Armenia presidency at CSTO is strengthening of crisis response mechanisms Internet cut off in Kazakhstan Armenia, Kazakhstan ombudspersons confer on Armenian communitys rights E ver considered that your salon-fresh mani could be leaking poisonous toxins into your body? No, nor had we. Traditionally nail polishes have contained all sorts of nasties, including Formaldehyde (recognised by the National Cancer Institute as a potential cancer-causing substance), Toluene (which is harmful to the nervous system), and Dibutyl Phthalate (an endocrine disrupter) - known as the big three. The news is made all the more scary when you discover that chemicals in polish can be absorbed by the body in just 14 hours, meaning your talons really could be toxic. Many polishes also contain Guanine (a pearlescence derived from fish scales), carmine (crushed beetles that create a red hue) and Oleic Acid (a thickening agent derived from animal oils and tallow), making them not suitable for vegans to use. Pleasingly, the increasing awareness and interest in natural, vegan and non-toxic beauty products means a whole host of salons now offer manis and pedis that use non-toxic nail polishes, free from animal products and nasties. Theyre all free from the toxic trio of chemicals, and are therefore branded 3-free, and some brands go further to remove even more chemicals and parabens, meaning youll find 5-free, 10-free and even 12-free on some salon treatment menus. Here are 5 of the loveliest London salons offering vegan and non-toxic nail treatments Still London Still London Still London is an entirely non-toxic cruelty free and vegan nail studio and beauty salon, located on Dalstons Kingsland road. Their non-toxic manicures are not only free from the main nasties (Formaldehyde, Dibutyl Phthalate and Toluene) but Kure Bazaar, the polish brand they use, also eliminates a further 12 potentially harmful chemicals. The Kure Bazaar formula is up to 85 per cent natural based on wood pulp, wheat, cotton, potatoes and corn. For our in-depth review of the salon, click here. 18 for a normal file and polish manicure, 34 for gels; still-london.com London Grace London Grace London Grace has nail salons in 10 light and airy locations around London. All its regular polishes are vegan and made with no nasties (such as Formaldehyde, Camphor, Toluene and DBP) and for gels they use CND Shellac, which is also cruelty-free. All the salons have fully stocked bars, should you prefer your mani with a side of wine. 18 for shape and polish, 32 for gels; londongrace.co.uk Ama Salon Ama Nails Brixtons AMA salon, founded by session manicurist Ama Quashie, exclusively use vegan polishes. The regular treatments use a 5-free brand called Artistic Colour Gloss, while treatments from the salon's special free-from menu use two polishes that are 10-free, Kure and NCLA. Nails in need of some TLC? Even their treatment products, by Pink's Boutique, are also paraffin-free and vegan. Normal polish manicure: 25, gel manicure: 35; amathesalon.com Nails Inc. Salons Nails Inc In addition to a fabulous range of nail polishes, Nails Inc has nail bars in Selfridges, Harvey Nics and Fenwicks where it offer a range of vegan mani treatments. All the polishes - bar the Fashion Fix range (which is only 5 shades) - are 100 per cent vegan. When it comes to gels, they add normal polish to a special clear base layer so theyre vegan too. Normal Polish Manicure: 29.00, Bespoke Gel Manicure in any Nails Inc Colour: 55.00, Speedy Gel Manicure: 35.00. Book a treatment here Linnaean (Linnaean) / Linnean Batterseas one-stop beauty shop opened at the end of last year offer manis and pedis using free-from gels and polishes. The brands used are Fedua and Sundays, both of which are non-toxic and vegan. Fedua is 7-free, non-toxic, green, ethical and vegan, while Sundays is 10-free, non-toxic, vegan and cruelty-free. Choose from a gel manicure for extra glossy nails, stand out with nail art or go for the classic naked mani for healthy hands and nails. For more on the salon, read our full review here We all know Hoda Kotb. But did you know that she was rejected multiple times before she even got her first news job? We all have a job that we really want but can we all push through the rejection that may come with it? Being rejected so much but keep going because you must get a yes? The bubbly, confident and witty Today Show co-host did exactly that and she's speaking up about it. Giving us all hope to keep going. Related: 'Today With Hoda and Jenna' Will Now Be Filmed in Front of a Live Studio Audience Hoda Kotb Announces Engagement On Air; Hid Ring From Co-Hosts In Her Bra Al Roker 'Can't Stop Smiling' After Meeting Hoda Kotb's New Daughter Hoda Kotb Reveals She Adopted Baby #2, Meet Hope! Hoda Kotb Replaces Matt Lauer on 'Today' Kotb's first on-air job was at the then-CBS affiliate. From 1998 to 1998 had been an anchor and reporter for different affiliates such as CBS and ABC. Then Kotb officially joined NBC News in April 1998 as a correspondent for Dateline NBC plus all of the network's News platforms. September 2007 she became the first host of the Today Show first fourth-hour weekday morning broadcast at 10:00 a.m. Eventually in April 2008 Kathie Lee Gifford joined as a co-host. Kotb became a fan favorite quickly. In 2006, Kotb was awarded a Peabody Award for Dateline NBC's "The Education of Ms. Groves. In 2010 she released her New York Times bestselling book. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the time Kotb was a part of the Today lineup, the show won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Morning Program. Hoda was awarded a Gracie Award for her SiriusXM show in 2016 and in 2019, Kotb and Gifford were awarded a Daytime Emmy Award during their time as co-hosts. Even after all of her successful accomplishments, Hoda reveals that she was getting rejected right and left. I remember the news director, he took my tape, he put it in the machine, he played it for a couple of minutes and he stopped it and he said, Oh, Hoda, you are not ready for Richmond, She recounts about a TV job she applied to right out of college. I dont know why somebody sent you here, but youre too green, youre not good. Story continues The now successful co-anchor tried her luck at several other stations only to run into even more rejections. I was in that car driving around for 10 days, Kotb says I got rejected everywhere. Anywhere you can think of in the Southeast, I got rejected. Hoda confessed to being rejected 27 times before her luck literally changed by luck. You know, the whole God gives you a sign I literally got lost in Mississippi because I was listening to James Taylor and sad and driving aimlessly, and I saw a physical sign that said, Greenville, Mississippi, Our eye is on you, she shared, according to CNBC. It had like a CBS eye. News center 15, WXVT. I said, Im gonna go there and get rejected. The particular aha moment even gave her more insight. It just reminded me that you just need one person to love you, she said. You dont need everybody. BURLINGTON, Ontario, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. ( CSE: DOSE ) (RDT or the Corporation) is pleased to announce their newest research partnership program entitled Rapid Delivery of Therapeutics via Dissolution of Polymeric Films with McMaster University , located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This research program, which was successfully awarded a NSERC Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) grant, will receive a total funding amount of $540,000 over three years, effective January 1, 2020. The research collaboration will be led by the principal investigator, Dr. Alex Adronov and co-investigator Dr. Harald Stover , both of whom are full professors in the department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at McMaster University. The project will focus on developing novel biopolymer compositions that can offer enhanced drug delivery performance when formulated in oral dissolvable thin films. The majority of therapeutic drugs are administered as pills, tablets and capsules because dosing can be better controlled compared to taking an oral liquid suspension. However, many patients have difficulty swallowing (children, the elderly, and patients suffering from dysphasia or severe nausea). Moreover, many pharmaceuticals that are swallowed undergo first-pass metabolism in the stomach, which can degrade the medicine over a prolonged period and can lead to liver toxicity. Oral dissolvable film strips are an attractive alternative to pills because they quickly dissolve in the mouth and under the tongue, enabling the therapeutic drug to be absorbed rapidly into the mucosal membranes of the mouth, and transport into the bloodstream. Another advantage of using oral dissolvable film strips is that they bypass the gastrointestinal tract and can reduce liver toxicity. Rapid Dose Therapeutics produces QuickStrip, a proprietary oral dissolvable film strip that was shown in recent research study published in Frontiers of Pharmacology, that QuickStrip can provide greatly enhanced bioavailability and rapid uptake of the active ingredient compared to oral administration into the stomach. RDT is committed to playing a leadership role in the development of innovative solutions for delivering active ingredients to patients and consumers in health and wellness, medical cannabis and pharmaceutical markets. We are proud to be partnering on this project with McMaster University, Canadas most research-intensive and renowned institution, and also grateful for the funding support from the Canadian government to help us advance our collaborative research efforts, said Dr. Rina Carlini, Vice President, Research & Innovation at RDT. I am delighted by the opportunity to partner with RDT on this important project, which aims to significantly expand the drug repertoire deliverable using QuickStrip technology. It is a challenging endeavour, however, one that promises to expand our options for pharmaceutical delivery. said Dr. Alex Adronov, McMaster University. About Rapid Dose Therapeutics Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. is a publicly traded Canadian life sciences company that provides innovative, proprietary drug delivery technologies designed to improve outcomes and quality of lives. RDT offers Quick, Convenient, Precise and Discreet choices to consumers. RDT is focused and committed to clinical research and product development for the healthcare manufacturing industry, including nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cannabis industries. Within the cannabis sector, RDT provides a turn-key business solution which enables RDTs QuickStrip proprietary drug delivery technology to be licensed by select partners. RDTs service-based annuity contracts drive recurring revenue which enables rapid expansion into emerging markets generating value for consumers and shareholders. RDT is committed to continually create innovative solutions aimed at multiple consumer segments and future market needs including humans, animals and plants. For more information, visit: www.rapiddose.com For further inquiries please contact: Kristina Shea SVP, Marketing & Communications Corporate Secretary kshea@rapid-dose.com (905) 876-8003 Social Media RapidDoseTherapeutics.linkedin RapidDoseTherapeutics.twitter RapidDoseTherapeutics.facebook QuickStrip.instagram Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as may, should, anticipate, expect, potential, believe, intend, will, could, are planned to, are expected to or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Statements containing forward-looking information, including, without limitation, in respect of the changes in officers of the Corporation express, as at the date of this news release, the plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs of RDT management as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to RDT management. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; the ability to implement its business strategies; competition; and other risks. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. There can be no assurance that statements of forward-looking information, although considered reasonable by RDT management at the time of preparation, will prove to be accurate as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday postponed the release of film 'Zindagi Tamasha' across the country following a religious uproar, a Pakistani media reported. The movie by Pakistani filmmaker and actor Sarmad Khoosat prompted protests by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party for drawing light on the misuse of the blasphemy law, following which the Sindh and Punjab governments demanded a stall on the release of the film in their provinces. Earlier on Sunday, Khoosat shared an open letter on his social media account and said that he might stall the release of the film as he was receiving "dozens of threat calls". Getting dozens of threatening phone calls and msgs. Should I withdraw Zindagi Tamasha? pic.twitter.com/OJB396B1xq Sarmad Khoosat (@KhoosatSarmad) January 19, 2020 READ | Pak Violates Ceasefire Along LoC In J-K Targeting Villages, Forward Posts In the open letter that he posted on Twitter, Khoosat said that there are attempts to prevent the film's release and he did not make the film with an intention of hurting, offending or maligning anyone. "It is a story about a 'good enough Muslim' - there was/is no mention of a sect/party or faction of any sort. Neither in the uncensored or the censored version," Khoosat explained in the letter. Further adding that he does not want the film to be banned, Khoosat wrote, "I don't want anyone to have the pleasure of BANNING my film because legally, officially and morally, no one can." After describing the hardships that he is facing in Pakistan due to the movie, the 'Manto' actor wrote in all capital letters, "SHALL I RELEASE MY FILM UNDER THESE CONDITIONS? I THINK I MUST NOT." Khoosat ended the letter with a quote, "Apnay Allah ko na batao kay tumhari mushkil kitni bari hai, apni muskil ko batao kay tumhara Allah kitna bara hai (Don't tell your almighty how huge your problem is, instead tell your problem how great your almighty is)." Soon after Khoosat shared the letter on Twitter, Pakistani actor Mahira Khan came out in support of the filmmaker and shared his post. Time and again we are made to realise our power and our influence. A film ( that people havent seen) can make some this scared. Mushkil ko bata ke tera Allah kitna bara hai @KhoosatSarmad https://t.co/AGVeTl8Dfh Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) January 19, 2020 READ | Pompeo Meets Pak FM Qureshi In Washington; Discusses Iran, Afghanistan, Kashmir Issue Earlier on January 16, Khoosat posted another open letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, President, Chief Justice, Chief of Army Staff, and Minister of Information, informing them that he and his team members are "being bullied and pressurised." About the Movie The film has been tangling up in the chain of trouble ever since the release of its first trailer in October 2019. The trailer which was later taken down from YouTube drew light towards the misuse of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. It was re-uploaded on YouTube later with certain changes. The bilingual film 'Zindagi Tamasha', stars Eman Suleman, Arif Hasan, Samiya Mumtaz, and Ali Qureshi in pivotal roles. The film - 'Zindagi Tamasha' (Circus of Life) - which became the first Pakistani feature film to receive an award at the Busan Film Festival in South Korea, might not be able to see the light of the day in its own country, owing to protests and a complaint against the producer, writer and director (Sarmad Khoosat) of the film. The film narrates the story of a Pakistani Muslim cleric and the backlash he faces due to his poetry about the Prophet Muhammad. The bilingual movie received nods from all three censor boards of Pakistan. READ | 'Look At These Cowards': Mum On Pak Trip, Mani Shankar Aiyar Attacks Govt's J&K Outreach READ | 'Pak A Theocratic State,' Says Rajnath Singh; 'CAA Making India Theocratic,' Fires Owaisi (with ANI inputs) Wednesday, January 22, 2020 The message is clear: If you are unfortunate enough to be born with black skin, you are forever a second-class citizen who pays a race penalty. Under this reasoning, the most-affluent blacks rank below the poorest whites when it comes to privilege and opportunities. More than 50 years of affirmative action programs and race consciousness has done nothing to change the trajectory or opportunities of people born without white skin. According to critical theory, every dysfunctional condition in black urban communities can be traced to slavery and its aftermath. There is no place for individual choice initiative. Next to that of the family, there is no influence more potent for good or evil over the lives of individuals than the associations of school days. David Lipscomb (Lipscomb University co-founder). Christian education is in deep trouble when educators adopt the failed theories of the secular world and teach them as superior or equivalent to biblical teachings about how we ought to live our lives as Christ followers. What was once a dangerous trend only in Christian universities has seeped down into private Christian academies. This has been done through the introduction of critical race theory into the middle and upper schools. Woke white and black teachers fancy themselves social justice warriors. Critical race theory is rooted in cultural Marxism; its purpose to divide the world into white oppressors and non-white victims. It uses personal narratives of marginalized minority victim groups (black, Hispanic, female, and homosexuals) as irrefutable evidence of the dishonesty of their mostly white heterosexual oppressors. When it comes to race, there is no way out. Critical race theory assumes that racism is permanent and affects every aspect of our society to include political, economic, social and religious institutions. Being born with white skin is valuable property, and any notion of societal attainment of colorblindness, where race or ethnicity does not hinder opportunities is impossible. Neutrality in law and decision making is a pipe dream that can never be achieved. Therefore, the oppressive system must be dismantled and destroyed. This flawed theory of the world suggests that race and ethnicity will always taint and pollute every decision, the result being that racial minorities will consistently lose out to whites because of structural racism. Critical race theory can create anger, frustration, and despondency among anyone in the victim categories who internalize the destructive message. Messages Matter Fortunately, I reached my formative years before critical race theory and cultural Marxism became as commonplace as they are today. Even though I was born and raised in rural southern poverty during the era of segregation, I was not taught to hate white people or to hate America. To the contrary, my black teachers stressed our need to work hard and excel. I was a proud American who never doubted she lived in the greatest country in the world. Sure, I knew about segregation and the Ku Klux Klan, but I also knew change was coming. My black teachers talked about integration and the opportunities it would bring black people. Although I dropped out of school after finishing the eighth grade, married at age 16 and had three children by age 20, I nevertheless earned a high school equivalency and eventually five college and university degrees. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia while working a full-time job nights and weekends at Virginia Western Community College where I earned my first degree. I have always valued hard work and the promise of the American Dream. When I made my way to college, white teachers and mentors encouraged me to continue my education. They steered me into academia, where I excelled. No one around me encouraged me to see myself as a victim. I never fixated on the fact that I was black, poor, and female in a majority white milieu. I doubt I would have achieved success had I been exposed to the negative messages we send white and black children today. I think it is disgraceful how we teach children to view each other with suspicion and distrust. What takes place now in educational settings is a shaming and emasculation of white children, especially boys. Black children are encouraged to identify as victims and to organize themselves into separate racial categories. That gives us black student unions and organizations such as Black Lives Matter that insist it is hate speech to argue All Lives Matter. It is unfortunate that these negative messages fostering division have not only encompassed university campuses but are now flourishing in K-12 Christian schools. One white student at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville reported to his parents that he was barred from entering the library because the Black Student Union was meeting there. Many of the black children who attend private Christian academies are on scholarships paid for by white people, yet the race agenda and harbingers of gloom and doom tell them that white racism is harming them. There can be no grounds for gratitude and forgiveness. When I look out on the horizon, I view race relations from the perspective of a black woman who believes in Gods providence and the prospect of racial reconciliation that comes from forgiveness and the application of New Testament principles. It is time for us to rediscover the Golden Rule (to do unto others as you would have them do unto you). I believe this would go a long way toward bringing understanding to people of goodwill regardless of their race or religious background. It is important to keep in mind that todays Americans are not responsible for the sins of generations ago. Furthermore, slavery was an institution that blacks, native Americans, and whites participated in as slaveholders. Black slaveholders did not just own family members, some were in the business for profit. Religious organizations and the church world are no longer safe. It does not matter whether it is the Church of Christ or the Southern Baptists. Social justice warriors steeped in Marxism have infiltrated and begun the process of dismantling the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). In summer 2019, the SBC passed a resolution endorsing critical race theory and intersectionality as analytical tools for understanding race in America. This is troubling because of the theorys Marxist roots. Instead of class warfare between workers and owners, Marxism always promises never-ending conflict between victims and oppressors. According to the narrative, all white Americans are guilty oppressors who have benefited from membership in a race we know they did not get to choose. Once the oppressor label is accepted and internalized, a deadly silencing and shaming takes place. The shamed oppressor is not allowed to engage in a conversation with accusers. At younger and younger ages, our children are being taught to suck it up. There is nothing to absolve one from collective guilt or permanent victim-hood. How very sad! But it is not too late for us to choose unity over division. (Natural News) The next great frontier in resource extraction is located deep beneath the waters of our worlds great oceans. But experts warn that the reckless dredging of our delicate, underwater ecosystems could be the straw that finally breaks the camels back, environmentally speaking. In an in-depth piece he wrote for The Atlantic, Wil S. Hylton warns about the impending launch of historys largest mining operation, which threatens to deliver what could potentially amount to a type of final death blow for the health of our saltwater terrain. While its been known since at least 1868 that our underwater sea beds are loaded with many of the same precious metals, gems, and minerals as what exists here on land, the technology to dig it all up is only just now making its debut. According to Hyltons research, oceanographers have identified copper, nickel, silver, platinum, gold and even gemstones hiding within the vast networks of rock and dirt that comprise the varied ocean floor terrain. And very soon, massive mining enterprises will begin to hoover it up all without prejudice, and with minimal government oversight. Thats because most of these mining operations will take place in international waters where there are few restrictions on methods of extraction. While a group known as the International Seabed Authority (ISA), based out of a pair of drab gray office buildings at the edge of Kingston Harbour, in Jamaica, according to Hylton, is the one lone buffer in all of this, the group has very little oversight, let alone power, to ensure that our oceans arent inscrutably raped by greedy miners who couldnt care less about what they leave in their wake. The metals, gems, and minerals these miners are trying to access are not only inherently valuable, but theyre also needed to continue churning out things like smartphones and electric cars, both of which require rare-earth minerals to manufacture. It is thus critical for the future of our tech-driven society that more and more of these natural resources get plucked up in order to continue making cheap electronics, which is why this is all now coming on the radar. Will deep sea mineral mining kill our oceans? The ISA is technically classified as an autonomous regulatory body with its own secretary general who convenes his own general assembly once a year. During this typically week-long event, representatives from 168 member states convene to discuss ideas about how to protect the seafloor against irreversible mining damage. Another reason for this convention is to determine which extraction companies are to receive permits for their operations, as well as where they will be allowed to mine. This process is supposedly in the process of being codified as part of a new underwater Mining Code. But will it be enough? And more importantly, will ISA members ever come to a full agreement about general standards for its regulatory framework? Because as it currently stands, theres only a hodgepodge of recommendations, it sounds like, even as some of the largest and most powerful mining companies in the world prepare to unleash mining hell in the deep sea. At full capacity, these companies expect to dredge thousands of square miles a year, Hylton warns. Their collection vehicles will creep across the bottom in systematic rows, scraping through the top five inches of the ocean floor. Ships above will draw thousands of pounds of sediment through a hose to the surface, remove the metallic objects, known as polymetallic nodules, and then flush the rest back into the water, he further explains. Some of that slurry will contain toxins such as mercury and lead, which could poison the surrounding ocean for hundreds of miles. You can also keep up with the latest news about toxic contamination at ToxicChemicalsNews.com. Sources for this article include: StrangeSounds.org TheAtlantic.com NaturalNews.com Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. A registered sex offender has been arrested after allegedly trying to climb into a woman's car and saying Google had given him permission to do what he wants. William Bastin, 38, reportedly screamed 'let me in' before trying to force his way into the victim's car while she waited at a stop light in Orange County, Florida, according to WFTV. William Bastin, 38, reportedly screamed 'let me in' before trying to force his way into the victim's car while she waited at a stop light in Orange County, Florida He didn't get into the vehicle and was later stopped and arrested by police after telling officers 'it was his day and he could have anything he wanted without paying'. After his arrest Bastin was released on bond. Bastin has been arrested at least 17 times for sex offences, drug violations and thefts. Pictured is Orange County in Florida He was then apprehended again on Tuesday for acting erratically and screaming at Walmart employees. The victim from the car incident, who asked to remain anonymous, told the New York Post: 'He's going to hurt somebody. He's dangerous.' Bastin has been arrested at least 17 times for sex offences, drug violations and thefts. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe School staff learned of the allegations earlier this month and notified police, according to a letter written by school principal Maria Eck that was posted on the school systems website. Spivey has not been in school since Jan. 8 and was on leave when the allegations were made, the letter said. United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross attends during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2020. FABRICE COFFRINI DAVOS, Switzerland The United States could still apply tariffs on European carmakers, despite their aim to put together a new trade deal, the U.S. Commerce Secretary told reporters in Davos Thursday. The U.S. and the EU have been at odds over trade for about four years, since President Donald Trump was elected and ended negotiations for a transatlantic deal. Trump has said that Europe is "possibly just as bad as China" when it comes to trade and called it a "brutal" trading partner. Trump has threatened to impose levies as high as 25% on one of Europe's most important sectors cars and automobile parts. Such a threat, despite recent positive statements from both sides of the Atlantic, is still on the table. "We are eager to make a peaceful resolution with the EU," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said at a press conference. "But the president, as you heard yesterday, also made it very clear that if that doesn't work, he would go a different direction," Ross said. Ross explained that Trump decided that as long as negotiations are beginning to bear fruit he will continue to negotiate. "He has not ruled out putting tariffs if the negotiations fail," Ross said. Trump met the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum (WEF) earlier this week. Speaking to CNBC on Wednesday, Trump said they had a "great talk." The United States wants to conclude a new trade deal with Europe before the U.S. election, later this year, Trump also said during his visit to WEF. When asked if the timeline was perhaps too challenging, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said: "We don't set arbitrary dates on these issues. The president thinks we should move forward quickly." However, a U.S.-EU trade deal might prove difficult to negotiate. The EU has said until now that it does not want to include agricultural goods in the agreement something that President Trump is keen to talk. "They barely take our agricultural products, and yet they can sell Mercedes Benz and they can sell anything they want in our country including their farm products, and it's not fair," Trump said last year. The US wants a deal with the UK too Members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Thursday held a protest against the Karnataka government, accusing it of shielding Aditya Rao, the main accused of planting an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Mangaluru airport on January 20. Meanwhile, the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court has sent the accused Aditya Rao to 10 days police custody. Earlier on Wednesday, the Bengaluru Police said that the procedure is being followed to hand-over to the Mangaluru Police a suspect who surrendered before it two days after planting an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Mangaluru International Airport. The IED was later defused in an open field by the personnel of the bomb disposal squad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TripAdvisor is firing around 200 people as a part of cost-cutting measures after having faced increasing competition from Google, Bloomberg reported. Google, owned by Alphabet, recently changed its search algorithms to compete with the online travel information portal. As at the end of September, TripAdvisor had around 3,800 employees, according to Bloomberg data. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story. A TripAdvisor spokesperson declined to comment when approached by Bloomberg. The spokesperson did highlight that, in a recent earnings conference call, the company said it was prudently reducing and re-allocating expenses in certain parts of our business to preserve strong profitability. Googles changed search algorithms has hurt travel information websites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia and Booking.com by pushing them lower on the search results. This has forced the websites to rely on paid advertisements to show up higher on the search results. In its previous earnings statement, TripAdvisor said its main challenge was Google pushing its own hotel products in search results and siphoning off quality traffic that would otherwise find TripAdvisor via free links and generate high margin revenue in our hotel click-based auction. Google has got more aggressive, TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer said in November. Bright Pattern Omnichannel Quality Management solution monitors 100% of interactions on every channel with real-time AI monitoring SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, the most powerful cloud contact center with AI for innovative companies, today announced the release of Bright Pattern Omnichannel Quality Managemen t (Omni QM). Omni QM is embedded in the Bright Pattern Omnichannel platform, and allows quality management on all channels in a single interface. This eliminates the need for costly integrations, improves useability and manageability, and drastically reduces costs all while delivering unparalleled functionality. Bright Pattern is the first to deliver the power of easy, personal omnichannel conversations together with omnichannel quality management. Most companies only monitor their voice channel, sampling a very small percentage of interactions. Bright Pattern Omni QM is built for a digital world with quality assurance for new digital channels like chat, text, bots, or messengers. Omni QM is native to the platform and does not require expensive bolt-on systems. Industry analysts from Forrester have cited the importance of AI and its future evolution as part of the customer experience platform, and in response Bright Pattern has embedded omnichannel quality management directly into its omnichannel contact center platform: "Increasingly, artificial intelligence will become embedded in contact center applications, leading to the emergence of a cognitive contact center," noted Art Schoeller, Vice President and Principal Analyst of Forrester Research. Bright Pattern's Omni QM provides unique functionality for today's digital world including: Omnichannel quality management to monitor every interaction on every channel "Micro-level" quality monitoring for the scoring and grading of individual interactions "Macro-level" quality management to monitor by channel, journey type, and customer segment AI-powered quality management for automatically identifying key interactions to "act in-the-moment" Automatically detect and route interactions to quality managers for scoring and training Automatically detect and route poor interactions to retention specialists to resolve customer issues in-the-moment We created Bright Pattern to offer the easiest, most powerful cloud contact center platform for businesses of every size.", noted Konstantin Kishinsky, Founder and CTO of Bright Pattern. "Just as we were the first to natively include all channels in a single platform to make seamless omnichannel conversations possible, we are now the only cloud contact center provider to offer omnichannel quality management for every channel and every interaction as part of our platform." About Bright Pattern Bright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful AI-powered contact center for innovative midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform with embedded AI that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business userswithout costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless, personal, and seamless customer experience across channels like voice , text, chat , email , video , messengers , and bots . Bright Pattern also allows companies to measure and act on every interaction on every channel via embedded AI omnichannel quality management capability. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading contact center solutions and today are delivering architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach. Bright Pattern's cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/967243/Bright_Pattern_Logo.jpg Related Links http://www.brightpattern.com SOURCE Bright Pattern Incoming CEO Bernard Looney plans to expand BP's climate targets, and is considering overhauling the structure of the oil and gas major in one of the biggest shake-ups in its 111-year history. The 49-year-old Irishman plans to adopt broader carbon emissions reduction goals that will likely include emissions from fuels and products sold to customers, rather than just the far lower emissions from BP's own operations, according to four sources. The aim is to catch up with, and possibly outdo, rivals such as Royal Dutch Shell and Repsol, as investor pressure over climate change mounts, said the sources. More stringent climate targets could lead to London-based BP selling its most carbon-intensive businesses, such as oil and gas fields in Angola and Canada, they added. As part of the climate push, Mr Looney is also looking at a broad reorganisation of the company aimed at cutting costs, with one idea being explored to merge parts of the upstream oil and gas production division with refining and petrochemical operations, said five sources. The new CEO and his team of close advisers have held an intensive series of closed-door meetings in recent weeks to outline the new strategy, according to three of the sources. They said he would outline his ambitions for the company in a speech on February 12, a week after he takes over from Bob Dudley. It is unclear if Mr Looney has decided to adopt any structural changes at this stage. A BP spokesman declined to comment. Any new strategy would require a fine balancing act though, and is not without risk for a company whose pioneering efforts in the early 2000s to build a large renewables business, branded Beyond Petroleum, ended with huge losses. BP would have to rely on revenue from an expanding oil and gas business to fund its green ambitions, while maintaining the generous dividends that keep investors on board. Some industry experts say that business model may not be sustainable in a low-carbon future. They also point out that BP's emissions are rising, as its oil and gas exploration and production activity expands, while it spends just a fraction of its investment pot on renewables and low-carbon technologies. "Looney is coming in at a crucial moment for the oil sector," said Morgan Stanley's global oil analyst Martijn Rats. "Over the next decade, companies like BP will need to maintain supply of oil and gas, for which demand is continuing to grow. That will require ongoing investment. At the same time, they will need to prepare for a decarbonised future. "All the while, their investors will ask them to keep up these large dividend payments. Balancing these three demands will be the key challenge." Mr Looney, who is known for his energetic management style, wants to go beyond the carbon reduction targets that were set by Mr Dudley in 2019, and limited to emissions from BP's own operations. The new targets will likely encompass, for the first time, emissions from the fuels and products sold, known as Scope 3, which account for nearly 90pc of BP's total emissions, according to the sources. BP's current targets are to reduce emissions from its own operations to net zero by 2025, equivalent to cutting 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 compared with 2016. It also agreed in a resolution adopted by shareholders to align its business with the 2015 Paris climate agreement goals. It is not clear what reduction targets the company could set for its Scope 3 emissions. The goals are, however, expected to be detailed at a strategy day later this year, the sources said. Mr Dudley, who became CEO almost a decade ago following the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, had long resisted setting Scope 3 targets, arguing the company could not control how its fuels were being used. While Mr Looney receives a financially solid company, he faces fierce pressure from shareholders and activists to do more to meet UN-backed goals to limit global warming. In Britain in particular, BP faces regular protests and calls for boycotts. T he US is planning on limiting the kinds of animals that airlines must allow on board free of charge. Proposals to restrict air travel to guide dogs has been put forward by the Department of Transportation. The proposal, which is subject to public comment, was put forward following concerns that passengers were falsely claiming pets as service animals. If approved it would mean that so-called "emotional support animals" would no longer have the same rights as canines helping those with disabilities. Under the plans, guide dogs will still be allowed on flights / Getty Images The proposals would mean that the animals would be required to have training. US airlines welcomed the plans and said an increase in animal travellers had led to complaints. In the past, animals passengers have tried to bring into the cabin include peacocks, squirrels and turkeys. A peacock has been used by a passenger for support in the past / @TheJetSetTV In 2018, Delta said some passengers had tried to board with "comfort turkeys, gliding possums, snakes" and spiders. Nicholas Calio, president of industry lobby Airlines for America told the BBC: Airlines want all passengers and crew to have a safe and comfortable flying experience, and we are confident the proposed rule will go a long way in ensuring a safer and healthier experience for everyone. If the changes are agreed it would bring the US closer to the UK which does not recognise emotional support animals. A Beautiful Crime By Christopher Bollen Harper. 377 pp. $28.99 --- Christopher Bollen's "A Beautiful Crime" invites comparison with Patricia Highsmith's Ripley series and Alan Hollinghurst's "The Swimming Pool Library." What makes the crime in Bollen's stylish new novel so beautiful is that the perps' plan works out even better than they'd hoped - at least for a while. One of Bollen's protagonists, 25-year-old Nick Brink, works for a New York appraiser of old silver. The other, his two-years-older boyfriend, Clay Guillory, inhabits the rundown Brooklyn house of the late Freddy van der Haar, the much older man whom Clay took care of during Freddy's final, harrowing years of battling AIDS. As a reward for his faithfulness, Clay has inherited both that house and half of a dilapidated palazzo in Venice. The deceased, you see, was a scion of one of New York's patrician Dutch families. After they meet at Freddy's funeral, Nick and Clay become an item - and a conspiracy of two. During a recent sojourn in Venice, Clay was the victim of a nasty trick played by his intra-palazzo neighbor, Richard West, a rich American developer who collects and restores old Venetian art and architecture. Clay has whopping college loans to pay off, and he and Nick hatch a scheme to sell West some fraudulent silver objects from Freddy's estate (when Freddy ran low on money to pay his colossal medical bills, he became an occasional grifter himself). Nick's part will be to authenticate these items as an appraiser - though in fact he is little more than a secretary to his boss. Not only does West fall for this ruse; he is hot to purchase Clay's side of the palazzo. Unbeknownst to West, however, Clay shares ownership with Freddy's sister, who lives somewhere in South America and has no intention of letting the property go. In view of the absurdly high prices of Venetian real estate, Nick and Clay set their sights on a much higher sum than the one they scored by passing counterfeit antiques; this time they will forge a new deed that shows Clay as sole owner. Not surprisingly, they get embroiled in trouble and violence. Bollen, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, is a skilled purveyor of suspense. And he knows his overcrowded Venice, the permanent population of which he puts at a mere 53,000, some of whom send "their children ... into exile so their bedrooms [can] be Airbnb'ed for prime weekend rates." In addition, Bollen's wit sparkles on almost every page. "Although Nick had lived in New York City for seven years," we are told, "he'd never developed the talent for rudeness." "The exterior [of Freddy's house] was best described as 'the shade of twenty-eight Brooklyn winters,' although Clay began to think of it as 'rotted snail.'" Catching a female friend nibbling on her nails before dinner, Nick quips, "Don't fill up on cuticles. We have swordfish to share." I wonder, though, if the dishonest and brutal world Nick and Clay inhabit could leave them quite as wholesome and enamored of each other as Bollen would have us believe. I thought of Kate Croy's haunting comment at the end of another novel that takes place in a Venetian palazzo, Henry James' "The Wings of the Dove." Reflecting on her and Merton Densher's treachery toward the dying Milly Theale, Kate says, "We shall never be again as we were." On the other hand, Milly Theale was a near-saint while Richard West is, as Clay rightly points out, "a terrible person." Still, in lieu of going to Venice, which as Bollen reminds us is being "visited to death," you might want to settle for a few cuticle-biting hours with "A Beautiful Crime." --- Drabelle is a former mysteries editor of The Washington Post Book World. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said their allies Congress and NCP are welcome to join Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray when he visits Ayodhya in March to mark the completion of his 100 days in power. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram has got nothing to do with the common minimum programme, on the basis of which the three ideologically different parties came together to form government in Maharashtra. It will be the first visit of Sena chief Thackeray to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh since his party severed ties with the BJP over sharing of power after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared in October last year. "We will invite everybody, including our allies to join. Everyone worships Lord Ram at home. So, they can join us in offering prayers at Ayodhya," Raut told PTI. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram had nothing to do with the common minimum programme decided by the three parties while forming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government. Thackeray earlier put off his November 24, 2019 visit to Ayodhya, after the NCP's core committee resolved to form an alternative government in the state. The Shiv Sena subsequently joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra. Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28, 2019 and recently completed 50 days in office. "The government is working and will complete five years with the blessings of Lord Ram. On completion of 100 days in power, Thackeray will visit Ayodhya to seek blessings of Lord Ram and chart out his future course of action," Raut tweeted on Wednesday. Thackeray last visited Ayodhya in June last year and offered prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with 18 MPs of his party (who were elected after the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May 2019). FULL INTERVIEW: "I have evidence..." Ousted #Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan speaks out on bombshell allegations of vote rigging in the Recording Academy. https://t.co/KIQ3IyMxRG pic.twitter.com/CUanT3XuMO Good Morning America (@GMA) January 23, 2020 Recording Academy president Deborah Dugan addressed the latest controversy surrounding the Grammys on Good Morning America Thursday. Along with her lawyer, Doug Wigdor, Dugan provided insight to the allegations she faces and those she put forth against members of the Academy, which she claims she has evidence for. Three weeks before she was placed on administrative leave, Dugan sent a detailed memo to the Academys human resources department with numerous complaints about the Academy, including instances of voting irregularities. I believe in what the Recording Academy should stand for, for artists, and I was trying at each step to take a deep breath and say Okay, I can make a difference. I can fix this. I can work with this team, she told George Stephanopoulos. In her memo, she claims Grammys general legal counsel Joel Katz conducted himself improperly with her, under the guise of a work dinner. Starting with calling me babe, saying how attractive I was, how pretty I was, she recalled. The evening went on to a kiss, trying to kiss me. All the way through I realized that I was being tested to how much I would acquiesce. Katz has categorically denied this allegation. She also claims to have found multiple voting irregularities due to the lack of a transparent system. Dugan has filed a claim with the Los Angeles Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, detailing allegations and evidence against the Academy. Even with all the chaos surrounding this years Grammy Awards, she still plans on watching the ceremony. I worked very hard on the show, she said. I love the artists that are going to be performing and I love all of those that are nominated that dont get the honor of being on the show. Global climate change has raised concerns that mosquito-borne diseases could become increasingly prevalent in the United States as warmer temperatures lead to increased mosquito activity. The 2015-2016 Zika outbreak, which impacted much of the Americas, prompted efforts to accelerate the development of a Zika vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10 percent of babies born in the U.S. whose mother was confirmed with the Zika virus during pregnancy had associated birth defects. The birth defects, like congenital Zika syndrome, can be devastating, fatal, and costly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in high-income countries like the U.S., the associated costs of caring for a single child with Zika-related birth defects have been estimated to be as high as $10 million. A new study led by researchers at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) and the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine found that routinely giving the Zika vaccine to women of childbearing age could save money if the risk of Zika is around that of other mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya. These diseases have been endemics in many parts of Latin and South America. Both are febrile, cause severe joint pain and could be life threatening if left untreated. According to the CDC, the same mosquito that carries the Zika virus, the Aedes species mosquito, also carries dengue and chikungunya. The team developed a computer model representing women of childbearing age in different countries in the Americas. The model represented what happens to a woman if she becomes infected with Zika, how it varies with pregnancy, and the potential benefits of a vaccine to prevent the Zika infection. As the study demonstrates, it is critical for officials to monitor the incidence of Zika infections in their region to determine whether the risk becomes comparable to that of dengue and chikungunya. This information could help determine whether a routine vaccination would be necessary. "The end of the 2015-2016 outbreak doesn't mean that Zika has gone away as a threat," says Bruce Y. Lee, executive director of PHICOR, headquartered at CUNY SPH. "Cases may still continue to occur in different locations. Plus, future outbreaks are still possible. Therefore, it is important to be proactive about preventing the further spread of Zika." The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, show how computer simulation modeling can help guide vaccine development. Results from the model provide scientists, manufacturers, public health officials, funders, and policy makers targets to aim for when developing the Zika vaccine and deciding when and where to use it. "The study shows that a Zika vaccine doesn't have to offer near perfect protection to be valuable," says Sarah M. Bartsch, project director at PHICOR and lead author of the study. "In fact, the study shows that in many cases a vaccine that only offers protection as low as 25 percent can still produce cost savings in certain situations." The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. On a quiet cul-de-sac in Carlsbad, there is a small Jewish synagogue with a Christmas tree inside. And on Sunday night, this synagogue was hosting several candlelit Christmas Eve services. Four months ago, the Jewish Collaborative of San Diego invited its neighbor, Christ Presbyterian Church, to hold all of its worship services inside its synagogue while the church undergoes renovation. That invitation included the offer to decorate the synagogue for the Christmas season with a yule tree. Out of respect for their hosts, the Presbyterians did bring in a tree, but they decorated it entirely in blue bows and white bulbs, the traditional colors of this months eight-day Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. We kept insisting they put up a Christmas tree and it went back and forth because they didnt want to offend anyone, said Rabbi Gabi Arad, spiritual leader for the Jewish Collaborative. I kept saying that a tree isnt going to offend anyone and if it does, I will educate them. Then when we walked in and saw this humble tree all decorated for Hanukkah; we thought It was such a nice compromise. Advertisement The tree, and the Christmas services, are just the latest example of a three-year, bridge-building relationship between local residents of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. The program started on Jan. 7, 2015, just hours after Muslim terrorists attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others. A few hours later, Issam Lagrichi, a Muslim community leader in Oceanside, and Josh Burrows, the Collaboratives former rabbi, met for coffee to figure out how to bridge the growing gulf of fear and misunderstanding between their people as well as the American public. They recruited Christ Presbyterians pastor, Greg Bostrom, as well as then-assistant pastor Jeremiah Knabe. A week later, more than 110 Jews, Muslims and Christians met on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Christ Presbyterian Church to take part in icebreaker games, a brown-bag lunch and a discussion of faith. In the years since, the interfaith organization has continued to host four to six events a year, including film screenings, author lectures, discussions, community-service projects and an educational series on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This past October on Yom Kippur, a Jewish high holy day that requires a day of fasting, Christians and Muslims came to the synagogue at sundown to join Arads congregation in the breaking of bread to end the fast. Not all the gatherings are church-sponsored. Arad said that a group of men from all three faiths have formed a club that gets together periodically for social barbecues. I think this relationship has broken down a lot of walls, Arad said. We wanted to educate people on the different religions, but at the core of it is just a friendship. We always say that once a relationship is strong, everything else can come in. Bostrom, who joined Christ Presbyterian as head pastor in December 2014, said that the interfaith events have taught him and the churchs 300 members a lot about faith, family and human nature. Weve learned about how our faiths overlap and how theyre different, but more than anything weve learned as people that we have the same desires and aspirations, Bostrom said. We want our children to do well and we hope and work for the best for the communities we live in. A lot of good has come out of this. One of the most lasting results has been the partnership between Christ Presbyterian and the Collaborative. The Collaborative which serves about 120 families was started 3-1/2 years as a post-denominational organization that welcomed Jews from all sects of the faith. We wanted to have a more open door where people from all backgrounds would feel comfortable, Arad said. The premise is, its by the people for the people. Its very member-driven, so its a very organic community. Back in 2015, the Collaborative was leasing space in an industrial park when the building was unexpectedly sold and they had to move with little notice. Bostrom immediately offered them Christ Presbyterians worship space. It was a partnership that worked exceptionally well because Jews and Christians worship on different days of the week, and the members got along exceedingly well. Its been a wonderful partnership, Bostrom said. Our congregrations both go out of their way to accommodate one another. As the Collective grew, it began looking for more permanent space in 2016. The board of Christ Presbyterian had plenty of property on its cul-de-sac, so they invited the Collective to lease a plot right next door at 7805 Centella St. The Collective signed a five-year lease and constructed a temporary building and patio that opened in September. Arad said that to her knowledge this is the first-ever property-sharing project between a Christian church and a Jewish synagogue in the region. Christ Presbyterian was founded 38 years ago and moved to its present location at 7807 Centella St. in 1985. Over the years, the churchs fellowship hall grew outdated and a few years back plans were discussed to remodel the building. By coincidence, the same month the Jewish Collaborative was set to open its synagogue, the renovation at Christ Presbyterian was scheduled to begin. So the Collaborative happily returned the favor and opened its doors to Christ Presbyterian services until church renovations are complete in February or March. You could call it karma, Arad said. I think the universe works in special ways. This was our opportunity to return the favor. Our people are really excited to invite them into our building after they so kindly invited us in to theirs two years ago. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com Michigan capitol Shutterstock Michigan Sen. Peter Lucido came under fire last week for telling a female reporter that a group of high school boys could "have a lot of fun" with her. Fellow state Sen. Mallory McMorrow filed a sexual harassment complaint against Lucindo on Tuesday, Crain's Detroit Business first reported. McMorrow alleged Lucido suggested she only beat an incumbent senator because of her looks and touched her for a long period of time that made her feel "uncomfortable." Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A Michigan senator who came under fire for telling a female reporter that high school boys could "have a lot of fun" with her now faces allegations of sexual harassment from a fellow state senator, as Crain's Detroit Business first reported. Sen. Mallory McMorrow, 33, filed a sexual harassment complaint with the Senate Business Office on Tuesday regarding an encounter with Sen. Peter Lucido, 59, that took place when she introduced herself to Lucido during a new senator orientation in 2018. In her complaint, McMorrow wrote that she hoped to prove that Sen. Lucido's behavior is "not a one-off, misunderstood occurrence... but a pattern of behavior intended to demean women at the workplace and abuse a position of power." MI Senate Democrats (@MISenDems) January 21, 2020 McMorrow accused Lucido of suggesting she only beat the incumbent senator because of her appearance while, at the same time, he held her lower back for a prolonged period of time. "He shook my hand and, with his other hand, held my low back with his fingers on my hips, effectively upper rear, and we had a back-and-forth conversation," McMorrow told Crain's about the encounter that occurred days after the 2018 midterm elections. McMorrow added that she felt "uncomfortable" by the prolonged touch and felt she could not move away from Lucido during their conversation. Story continues When McMorrow told Lucido she had won against the incumbent senator, Marty Knollenberg, McMorrow told Crain's that Lucido "looked me up and down, raised his eyebrows and said, 'I can see why.'" McMorrow said the senator's looks and suggestion that she won because of her appearance "felt really degrading and deflating." "It was shocking," she told Crain's. "It just knocked me off my feet that that was the first interaction. But you deal with it. You try to do your job." Lucido recently came under fire for a sexist remark In response to the news of McMorrow's accusations, Lucido has vehemently denied her account and accused the allegations of being "politically motivated." "I categorically deny this allegation, which I believe is completely untrue and politically motivated," Lucido, 59, told Crain's. Although Lucido has denied the sexual harassment allegations, fellow Michigan state senators have come forward to confirm McMorrow's story. "They were standing there talking together and his arm was reaching around her back," Sen. Rosemary Bayer told Crain's. "This is the age of consent, right? You have to have permission. You can't be touching people." state Sen. Peter Lucido AP Photo/David Eggert The sexual harassment allegations against Lucido come shortly after 22-year-old Michigan Advance reporter Allison Donahue exposed Lucido for making sexist comments to her in front of a group of Catholic high school boys. Donahue spoke out against Lucido in a first-person account of the incident along with a taped recording of Lucido's comments. McMorrow said she was inspired to come forward after Donahue went public with her encounter and felt "guilty" for not speaking out sooner. "Once I saw [Allison Donahue] give an interview and she said 'it made me feel small,' I felt guilty," McMorrow told Crain's. "I felt like had I said something sooner maybe this wouldn't have happened to her." Lucido's comments to Donahue prompted state leaders to launch an investigation into whether the Michigan politician violated the senate's sexual harassment policies. State leaders announced Tuesday that they would be investigating McMorrow's sexual harassment complaint along with Donahue's allegations. Read more: A young female reporter exposed a Michigan state senator who told her a group of high school boys could 'have a lot of fun' with her after she asked him a tough question What is a microaggression? 14 things people think are fine to say at work but are actually racist, sexist, or offensive Women in Japan are being told not to wear glasses in the workplace here are 5 sexist dress codes from around the world A Mississippi GOP candidate for governor cites his Christian faith in barring a female reporter from covering him unless she's accompanied by a man Read the original article on Business Insider Back in 2016, a humble computer science teacher from West Bengal, Chandra Shehar Kundu, made it to the headlines for his unique initiative to fight food wastage. In his initiative, he got his own students to collect food from hostel canteens, restaurants and cafeterias and distribute it among underprivileged children and elderly people four times a week. Facebook Shekhar who is popularly known as the 'food man' in Kolkata went on to set an organisation called Feed (Food, Education and Economic Development), FEED allows volunteers to come, collect and distribute the food to hungry people on the streets. Now, apart from feeding the poor, Kundu under the aegis of FEED started another unique campaign to provide underprivileged kids free medical treatment. Life of people who spend their lives on the streets is highly unpredictable, more often than not they are forced to shift places when police stop them encroaching footpaths, Their quality of life in terms of hygiene is extremely poor and kids are most vulnerable to all kinds diseases. To help the street population to have free medical services, Shekhar started makeshift clinics on the footpath of Kolkatas Southern Avenue in association with the board of doctors from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics. Speaking to EdexLive Shekhar said, "These children are deprived of basic treatment due to their economic conditions. Some of them are even involved in menial jobs to bring in some extra money and food for the family. Most of the time they cannot manage two square meals a day, let alone proper medical treatment or even medicines for themselves or their families." "They earn their wages according to each day's work so they say that even when the treatment might be free, an entire day is wasted if they have to travel to the hospital and get them treated thus losing a day's wage. So, they only rush to the hospitals when their child's illness aggravates," Edex Live quoted Shekhar as saying. Facebook Since its inception in September 2019, the Dispensary has treated over 200 children. Reports state that over 40 doctors run the clinic, who are all well-known child specialists in the city. Child specialists like Dr Atanu Bhadra, Dr Arnab Halder, Dr Rajat Suhra Sen, Dr Nani Gopal Chakraborty, Dr Avijit Rakhit, Dr Mrityunjay Neogi and Dr Indrani Mitra are among the few, reports The Better India. The dispensary also gives free medicine to the patients. In critical cases, the doctors immediately send the child to nearby hospitals and the forum funds their treatment entirely. Shekhar who hopes to expand his Footpath Dispensary service to children across India told the daily, "I want to open more centres across cities so people get inspired. If we think doctors only want money or are businessmen, then we are wrong as there are a lot of them who want to genuinely work for society ." President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia in Davos. They noted that friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia were successfully developing in a variety of fields. The importance of implementation of global and regional energy and transport projects with the participation of the two countries was stressed. The sides touched upon the significance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. It was noted that the importance of this project was emphasized at a session on New Vision for Eurasia - Partnerships for Sustainable Growth held as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, and its special role in establishing a new format of cooperation was mentioned. The sides exchanged views on prospects for cooperation between the two countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The brus made this season so unenjoyable. While I have sympathy for Rhylee trying to deal with all of them, I cant stand her or her out of control temper. Reply Thread Link Yeah, in a group of semi-normal people, she would be the villain. Reply Parent Thread Link Idk, I have nothing but sympathy for her. Im a calm person but I wouldve popped off too. The guys harassed her, bullied and ostracized her, gaslit her, called her a bitch and they tried to get her fired Reply Parent Thread Link Yet she pops off at anyone about anything. Kinda shocked she hasnt done it to Captain Lee yet because she doesnt always seem to have much control over it. Reply Parent Thread Link I so want to loan her that Crucial Conversations book my boss used to pass around to those passionate few at my office who had trouble expressing their side of an argument in a professional manner. Reply Parent Thread Link rhylee works in a very male dominated aspect of yachting and she's always treated like shit, i don't blame her one bit. even last season wasn't great. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Fuck these picks, there have been many assholes over the years, but this deck crew really takes the prize. I want Leslie Jones as a surprise reunion guest. She would murder them. Reply Thread Link I don't even watch the show but I love watching her reactions to it. Yes, please let her be a surprise guest! Reply Parent Thread Link I didn't watch this and i didn't watch the later seasons of GoT but i live for Leslie's tv commentary lmao, i would defs watch that. Reply Parent Thread Link She obliterated Ashton on Jimmy Fallon Show. It was hilarious. She called him a misogynistic biscuit and then said, "Where do you want your pool, Ashton?! Where you want it?" Reply Parent Thread Link This season is zero fun. I miss "June June Hannah". Reply Thread Link Same tbh Reply Parent Thread Link This season is a masterclass in how men band together to sexually harass, physically intimidate and gaslight women into submission. And the scary part is that 2 of them have young daughters. Its just fucking awful all around Reply Thread Link These men are human scabs but I especially despise Kevin. His pompous attitude and confessionals made my skin crawl this season. And I have to admit that I felt there was plenty of misogyny going around in last years Med season too. Reply Thread Link There has been ever since Below Deck started. But people are acting brand new this time around because it's been amped up to 180db. Reply Parent Thread Link Very true. Every season features rude, unnecessary commentary and behavior directly toward or about a member of interior in a confessional by a male - be it the chef, member of exterior, or guest. Why am I still watching this Reply Parent Thread Link this Reply Parent Thread Link That's Mr. Dobson to you. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link Never seen this crap nor do I intend to but just by looking at that screen cap in Kate Chastain's tweet I'd say minimum three of them are closeted. Reply Thread Link im binging this season after not watching since i think season 4 and i remembered why i loved this show and also my issues with it pros -the stakes are SO HIGH in every episode -kate really is a star -its fun to have new guests regularly cons -they get TOO DRUNK. there is a formula for drinking and fighting on reality tv and its between buzzed and very drunk. anytime they go out they are all so blacked out that the fights are nonsensical! its not entertaining to watch. -kate is a star but uh...also an alcoholic and its tough to watch . also she fucked up her face so badly its upsetting -because its shot in such a short amount of time there is too much rehashing of what is going on which makes binge watching it a little annoying Reply Thread Link also courtney is my favorite this season but her narrative of "i hate working ive never worked im a spoiled girl" doesnt track with how she works? like watching her its very obvious she has a lot of serving/bartending experience? Reply Thread Link courtney is SO good at her job but i also think she puts on this persona in a self-deprecating way that doesn't always track Reply Parent Thread Link she said she knows how to make drinks because she likes to drink but come on...most people dont know how to make a strawberry daiquiri because thats just not a drink you make at home, even if it is a pretty simple drink. shes clearly had bar training Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i wish all these men drowned tbh Reply Thread Link mte. Im just so relieved were getting a reunion! I need this. I really thought that 100 episode special on WWHL would be considered reunion enough. We know Bravo is cheap. Reply Parent Thread Link omg like so damn cheap!! still mad we didn't get one for med tbh. but i really hope EVERYONE rips into these shitty shitty men. Reply Parent Thread Link Same but I'm gonna be so let down if they don't address the behavior of those assholes. I could see Andy just glossing over it. Reply Parent Thread Link I've never heard of this show but the sentence "his skeleton cant even support all the shit he talks" is positively sublime and I'm going to borrow it for my own criticisms! Reply Thread Link Tanner looks like he smells and I hate his smug face. These dudes should all be fucking ashamed. Reply Thread Link Tanner looks like a strung out muskrat Reply Parent Thread Link New Delhi, Jan 23 : After Mamata Banerjee alleged Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose critiqued the Hindu Mahasabha on May 12, 1940, the outfit hit back at the West Bengal Chief Minister, calling her "intellectually bankrupt" and "stooping to this level to fight Modi government". "The reality is Hindu Mahasabha and Veer Savarkar were instrumental in urging Netaji to establish the Azad Hind Fauj. We both shared a love for this nation. Today, Mamata Banerjee is stopping so low because she has exhausted all options to fight the current dispensation (sic.). "How dare she malign the Hindu Mahasabha of Lala Lajpat Rai?" asked Swami Chakrapani while speaking to IANS. Using the occasion of Netaji's birth anniversary, Banerjee hit out at the "Hindu Mahasabha's divisive politics". "Netaji had opposed the Hindu Mahasabha's divisive politics. He had fought for a secular India. Now efforts are on to oust those who follow secularism," she claimed. Netaji has always been the sought-after historical figure of political appropriation. After decades of neglect by the Congress, the BJP has usurped his legacy by inaugurating Museum after him in Red Fort, declassifying Netaji files and renaming Andaman island after him. Now, with West Bengal Assembly elections next year, Mamata Banerjee seems eager to wrest back that legacy. But her bringing in Hindu Mahasabha in all this, which appears to be a careful decision, has the saffron outfit enraged. Violence has erupted in Diepsloot township north of Johannesburg where South Africans have blocked highways demanding that all undocumented foreigners should leave the country. They are claiming that some foreigners recently killed a policeman and two community members. The irate South Africans are conducting a door to door search of undocumented foreigners while stoning vehicles on highways. A Zimbabwean allegedly shot and killed a policeman in the area amid concerns of increasing violence perpetrated by foreigners in the country. Several South African newspapers report that 54-year-old Detective Captain Oupa Matjie was gunned down in Diepsloot a few days ago when he was investigating cases of murder. Police have reportedly arrested some of the suspects. Ngabutho Mabhena, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa, says it is "unfortunate that some Zimbabweans are linked to the killing of the policeman.We condemn the killing of the policeman and we sincerely sympathize with the bereaved family. Zimbabweans should desist from engaging in violent activities. We wish to work closely with the police in South Africa to ensure that we stop the violence being perpetrated by some of our colleagues. This must stop now. There have been some cases of xenophobia attacks in South Africa in the past with locals crying foul over lack of jobs which they claim are being grabbed by foreigners who settle for low wages due to serious economic problems in their respective countries. By Park Si-soo INGINE has formed a business partnership with the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) on wave-power generation. Lee Sung-won, head of INGINE's London office registered as INGINE Wave Energy Systems Ltd and his MASEN counterpart Mustapha Bakkoury struck the deal on Jan. 21 at the U.K.-Morocco Business Dialogue in London. INGINE believes the deal will help expand its wave-power generation business in Europe and Africa. Among nearly 200 companies invited, INGINE was the only eco-friendly power generation company that formally clinched a deal with MASEN during the event, which the U.K government hosted to bolster its economy and international trade before Brexit. MASEN is one of the biggest state-run companies in Morocco, operating various eco-friendly power generation projects. Earlier, INGINE attracted a 2.5 billion won ($2.14 million) investment from SK Innovation that will help accelerate the progress of its wave-power generation projects in Vietnam, Canada and France. A state inmate who escaped from his job site Monday in Tuscumbia was recaptured Wednesday morning in Florence, the state Corrections Department said. Xavier Lamont Armstead, 26, was apprehended around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday by U.S. Marshals and Alabama Department of Corrections agents at a home in Florence without incident, the agency announced. Armstead, who is serving nearly three years in prison for multiple burglary convictions in Colbert and Limestone Counties, left his job site Monday. Armstead was with a woman, 23-year-old Kayla Jean Fryer of Florence, when he was recaptured, ADOC said. Fryer will be charged with hindering the apprehension of an escapee, according to the agency. Kayla Jean Fryer Armstead is facing multiple charges in connection with his escape. A Native American group has filed an amended petition in its federal lawsuit claiming the Alamo is a cemetery that merits legal protection. The Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation filed the new document this week that focuses claims against the nonprofit Alamo Trust Inc. as well as its CEO, Douglass W. McDonald and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. In December, a federal judge had dismissed San Antonio and two state agencies as defendants in the lawsuit seeking to slow the $450 million, four-year overhaul of Alamo Plaza in efforts to protect the area as a historic cemetery. The groups amended petition accuses the Alamo Trust and General Land Office of selectively applying and interpreting the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in an attempt to exclude Tap Pilam from participating in the Alamo project. Members of Tap Pilam claim lineal ties to ancestors at the Mission San Antonio de Valero. On ExpressNews.com: Judge dismisses most claims in Alamo lawsuit Tap Pilam executive member Ramon Vasquez said Alamo officials have weaponized NAGPRA by inviting tribal representatives not native to Central or South Texas, with different cultural practices than those of Tap Pilam, to guide the project on an archaeology advisory committee. This approach indicates Commissioner Bush regards all Indians as the same, regardless of their direct connections to those buried at the Alamo, and that having Indians at the table is enough, Vasquez said at a news conference Thursday. The amended petition was filed Wednesday, meeting a deadline set by Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia. Vasquez said his group also plans to file a new lawsuit over the cemetery issue in state district court in Bexar County next week. It will list the city and historical commission as defendants, he said. The move is an effort to address Garcias concerns over jurisdiction, he said. The latest developments in the lawsuit follow recent discoveries of human remains. After finding unattached human bones and bone fragments in the Alamo mission church in August, September and October, archaeological crews uncovered skeletal remains in November and December that were identified as an infant, a teenager or young adult and a large adult. Garcias order last month dismissed the Alamo Trust and McDonald from the suit, but went on to suggest Tap Pilam could amend its lawsuit to better argue its case against Alamo Trust. Along with wanting to be consulted on handling of human remains, Tap Pilam also seeks a comprehensive archival and archaeological study to delineate cemetery boundaries, and access to the Alamo church for its annual religious ceremony in the fall. On ExpressNews.com: Discovery of skeletal remains could complicate Alamo project A similar lawsuit filed by the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association is pending in a state court in Travis County and is set for a Feb. 18 hearing. Mission burial records documented about 1,000 burials of indigenous people, Spaniards and others, and Tap Pilam estimates there were another 300 burials. In addition, the descendants association believes some of the nearly 200 defenders killed in the 1836 battle may have been buried at the site. Attorneys for the Land Office and Alamo Trust have said Tap Pilams demands are unreasonable and would drive up excavation costs so dramatically it effectively would kill the project. The Land Office has said renovation work in the plaza will continue as planned. Relocation of the Cenotaph and closure of streets immediately around the Menger Hotel are planned this year as the first phase of the plaza renovation We will continue moving forward with the plan to restore and preserve the Alamo through careful archaeological assessment, and will continue to work under the previously established human remains protocols as written by the Alamo Mission Archaeology Advisory Committee, Land Office spokeswoman Karina Erickson said last month. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA Eric Adams, holding a picture of his late mother, is sworn in as New York mayor during the New Years celebration in Times Square. (Reuters) In his first 10 days, Eric Adams has veered between swagger and tragedy, praise and criticism, as he begins leading the nations largest city. Libya's neighbours came together Thursday in Algiers as part of international efforts to find a political settlement to a crisis that threatens regional stability. The meeting, organised at Algeria's initiative, began mid-morning with statements from each of the participants and continued behind closed doors, an AFP journalist said. It brought together foreign ministers from Tunisia, Egypt and Chad, as well as diplomats from Sudan and Niger. Mali sent a representative while Morocco was absent from the talks. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who was set to brief the meeting on the results of Sunday's international summit in Berlin, is also attending. Several African countries had complained of being left out of the so-called Berlin process, during which world leaders committed to ending all foreign meddling in Libya and upholding a weapons embargo. But the outcome of the efforts remains uncertain. Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Tripoli-based UN-recognised Government of National Accord, and his rival Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, refused to meet in Berlin and are not participating in the Algeria talks. "The current situation in Libya cannot withstand an escalation," Algeria's Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum told Thursday's meeting. He said neighbouring countries had a role to play in fostering dialogue between the Libyan parties to "put an end to the bloody clashes and avoid leading the country towards the unknown". Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who attended the Berlin summit, said Wednesday: "There are statements from Sarraj, statements from Haftar's side, which indicate that the only power capable of settling the problem is Algeria." The Algiers meeting came as the UN Security Council urged Libya's warring parties to reach a long-term deal paving the way for a political process aimed at ending the conflict. Algeria shares a border of almost 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) with Libya, which has been rocked by violence since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi by NATO-backed insurgents. Mitiga, the Libyan capital's only operational airport, closed again Wednesday evening after threats from pro-Haftar forces. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who supports Sarraj's GNA, is expected in Algiers Sunday. Miles Fairchild (Finn Wolfhard), Flora Fairchild (Brooklynn Prince) and Kate Mandell (Mackenzie Davis) in The Turning, directed by Floria Sigismondi. Floria Sigismundis febrile gothic horror is not the first film to have been inspired by Henry James ghost story The Turn of the Screw, but it is certainly the worst. Mackenzie Davis is Kate, a rather aimless young woman who takes a job as live-in governess to a little girl called Flora (Brooklynn Prince). She lives in rural Maine, in a vast and crumbling mansion presided over by the starchy governess, Mrs. Goose (Barbara Marten). Flora seems sweet, but rather neurotic: she often talks to people who dont seem to be there, and is convinced shell die if she sets foot outside the estate. Things get worse when Floras older brother Myles (Finn Wolfhard) is expelled from boarding school and returns home to take a creepy interest in Kate, who begins having ghostly visions at night. Partly filmed in Ireland, The Turning starts solidly enough but is never in control of its story, and explodes spectacularly in a nonsensical last ten minutes. (16, 94mins) Also releasing this week: Video of the Day She is a multi-talented model and entrepreneur. And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked business chic as she left a meeting at London's plush Edition Hotel on Thursday. Rosie, 32, dressed to impress for her meeting, teaming a tight white top with a complimentary brown coat and trousers. She means business: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked business chic as she left a meeting at London's plush Edition Hotel on Thursday She showed off her statuesque figure in her high-waisted trousers teamed with strappy Jimmy Choo heels. She completed the ensemble with an elegant winter coat in the same shade and a chunky gold necklace added a touch of bling. With her honey blonde locks styled into flawless waves, the finishing touch was a plum coloured slick of lippie. Suits you: Rosie, 32, dressed to impress for her meeting, teaming a tight white top with a complimentary brown coat and trousers Rosie recently spoke about how she was 'humbled' by her year-long struggle to lose the baby weight after welcoming Jack, aged two. The model sat down to talk about the experience with an expectant Ashley Graham, who interviewed Rosie on her YouTube show, Pretty Big Deal. Rosie said: 'I gained a reasonable amount of weight... about 55 pounds.' Model behaviour: She added an elegant winter coat in the same shade and a chunky gold necklace added a touch of bling 'Listen I enjoyed myself, I let the reins go. You know it's a new experience so you're kind of like "well, let's see how this goes."' She added: 'And six months in I was like "What! Like, this is crazy". It was an intense journey and the same thing. It was so magical to see. 'Towards the end I basically walked around naked for the last month. At home, I was in the pool all day and I just walked around and I was like f*** it. Clothes don't fit anymore, they don't look cute.' Theres a very special relationship between not only the City of Chicago, but between our museum and the President and the first lady, he said. Were still, especially in Chicago, very much in the present tense with the President and Mrs. Obama. So, yes, this notion of kind of living history feels very, very powerful to me. Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Republican Pierce Bush is out with his first television ads in the hotly contested GOP primary battle for one of the Houston areas most competitive congressional seats. Up until now, Republican Kathaleen Wall, who is largely self-funding her campaign, has been the only contender on area television in the battle for the 22nd Congressional District. President Donald Trump and his Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh agreed on Wednesday on the need for a continued US military role in the country, the White House said. In Davos, Switzerland, the two presidents held their first meeting since the United States killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, sparking an Iraqi parliament call for expulsion of US troops. The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing the United States-Iraq economic and security partnership, including the fight against ISIS, the White House said. President Trump reaffirmed the United States unwavering commitment to a sovereign, stable, and prosperous Iraq. Tensions between Washington and Tehran boiled over onto Iraqi soil this month, with the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad and Iran striking back at an Iraqi base hosting American soldiers. Furious at the US hit, Iraqs parliament voted January 5 to oust all foreign troops, including some 5,200 American soldiers deployed alongside local forces. A source from Salehs office told AFP he had discussed with Trump the US drone strike as well as the withdrawal of forces. Trump told Saleh that he does not want to stay in Iraq, the source said, and would draw down forces in an unprecedented way. Saleh told world leaders in Davos the parliamentary vote was not a sign of ingratitude or hostility, but a response to a violation of his countrys sovereignty. It is not in our interest to choose to ally with one side at the expense of others, as long as both respect our sovereignty and independence. He added that no country should seek to dictate to Iraq the nature of its relationships. Saleh condemned acts of violence against the months-long protests movement rocking Baghdad and Iraqs Shiite-majority south, which has left hundreds dead since October. He met Trump on the Davos sidelines, hosting a brief press conference but brushing off questions on parliaments vote Trump left the annual World Economic Forum get-together in Davos later Wednesday to return to Washington. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Click here to read the full article. Having nothing to wear is undoubtedly one of the most common problems shoppers face within their respective wardrobes. And thats precisely why Sita, a pared-down womens apparel brand that focuses on minimalist, smartly tailored closet essentials, aimed to solve it. To start, Sita designed a proprietary premium four-way stretch performance fabric, SitaTech, that checks all the boxes temperature-controlled, breathable, moisture-wicking, odor neutralizing and machine washable with nanotechnology, or nano-yarns that are literally a million times thinner than cotton. More from WWD The objective? Create a fabric that women can wear comfortably throughout various daily activities including the gym and transition into nighttime, with styles that are so enduring, theres no need to change. Deemed a luxury fabric, SitaTech is engineered in France and enhanced in Japan, with its nano-yarns knitted in Italy and the final step, its design teams assembling each piece, in New York. And the brand is all about girl power, as its cofounder, Aljohara Almodaimigh was inspired to create Sita named after the Hindu model of the ideal woman, or a goddess of good character, prosperity and happiness after tiring of constant wardrobe changes during her busy work schedule as the owner and founder of Kore, the only woman-owned, womens gym chain in Saudi Arabia. Almodaimigh told WWD, My life as the co-owner of Kore, a leading women-only fitness chain in Saudi, and as a Barre instructor took me from fitness studios to business meetings to social engagements, all in one day. I had trouble finding versatile apparel appropriate to every occasion and activity without having to change. One day in January 2018, I woke up and decided to create a line that can take me from day to night. Story continues Here, Almodaimigh and Gianfranco Zani, a cofounder of Sita, talk to WWD about SitaTech, nanotechnology and the sustainability-led evolution of consumer demand. WWD: Tell me about SitaTech. Why is the fabric innovation so differentiated in the market and how does it compare with other fabrics in the market? Gianfranco Zani: We developed and trademarked SitaTech, an innovative, sustainable performance fabric made of nanofibers, 1 million times thinner than cotton. It is machine washable with permanent features to wick moisture, neutralize odor generating bacteria, four-way stretch, and features a cooling effect. In-depth, nanofibers have several advantages. It has a higher tensile strength of up to 30 percent more than any other fiber, hence each garments life span is considerably extended. The chemical resistance is superior to any other fiber in the market. Our nanofibers have been ionized on a nanoscale level to permanently neutralize all sources of odor creating bacteria: ammonia, hydrogen sulfate, isovaleric acids and acetic acids. What this means for the end consumer is that women will need to wash their clothes when they are actually dirty. For the environment, this has a huge effect, as less washing and no dry cleaning is required. Nanofibers reduce the amount of coloring agents and water by up to 40 percent and its manufacturing uses up to 30 percent less energy at the manufacturing stage. By using nanotechnology and permanently insert active agents into the filament, nano fabrics use 60 percent less energy than traditional surface finishes. WWD: How has consumer demand influenced the sustainable fashion movement? G.Z.: Consumers pose high expectations to the industry when it comes to sustainability. With our approach, we not only diminish water and energy consumption during the manufacturing process, or considerably extend the lifespan of clothes, or make it work in every wardrobe at any occasion. We give every consumer the opportunity to individually contribute to reduce water, energy and consumption. Consumers are as responsible as the industry is, and soon enough it will not suffice to demand sustainable practices and products. Sustainability does not stop after buying sustainably produced items. We are extending sustainability from industrial production all the way to individual maintenance. At a certain point in the evolution of the sustainability debate, consumers will want to know how they can actively contribute without sacrificing comfort and convenience, functionality and fashion. The answer to that is Sita that is where Sita is today. You have to do today what the world will do tomorrow. WWD: Were there any challenges creating a woman-owned brand in Saudi, and did the nations culture influence Sitas aesthetic? G.Z.: Quite frankly, it didnt. Obviously, the social aspect is dear to us, as one of the founders is based in Saudi Arabia. She is a young professional who build a leading fitness club brand exclusively for women, therefore empowering her audience to live a healthier and stronger life. With that state of mind, we wanted to create a brand that gives women around the world the opportunity to adhere to their cultural conditions, without sacrificing dressing codes, comfort and functionality. Aljohara Almodaimigh: There were no challenges facing businesswomen in Saudi. There are many Saudi female-owned businesses across various sectors. Men and women are treated equally in terms of opening up their own businesses, and the Saudi Government has always encouraged female entrepreneurship. WWD: In what ways has the country evolved its policies regarding womens right and female empowerment in recent years? A.A.: Saudi Arabia is going through a ground-breaking transition that has improved the rights of women and given them exciting opportunities. The support that women are receiving in the country is amazing. Sitas success is proof that the governments initiatives to develop the female talent in the kingdom is promising and prospering. WWD: Whats next for Sita? G.Z.: Our proprietary product gives us a considerable advantage to secure the future and growth of the brand. The scalability of the brand is unique and at the same time universal. We offer layered luxury pieces that cover all the basic needs of everyones wardrobe. The educational work that the product requires allows us to grow at a solid and steady pace, leading to an exceptionally loyal, global customer base. We have a sales force in place that is covering the major fashion markets. We are exploring additional opportunities that will greatly expand the brands name through thoughtful and symbiotic partnerships. For more Business news from WWD, see: U.N. Texpertise Event Looks at Fashions Sustainable Development Goals Field Notes: In the Name of Accountability Inspectorio Leads Brands, Retailers to Sustainability, Transparency Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. By Julia Cheever Bay City News SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) PG&E Corp. announced in San Francisco Wednesday it has reached an agreement with a group of bondholders that had a competing plan for the utility's financial reorganization and exit from bankruptcy court. Under the agreement, the bondholders will withdraw their proposal and support PG&E's plan, known as the Restructuring Support Agreement, if U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali approves the plan. PG&E, which faced billions of dollars in wildfire claims, is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allowed it to freeze its debts while developing a financial reorganization plan. The plan includes settlements of $13.5 billion for wildfire victims with uncompensated claims, $11 billion for insurance companies that have paid claims and $1 billion to cities, counties and other public entities for wildfire costs. PG&E CEO Bill Johnson said, "This agreement helps achieve our goals of fairly compensating wildfire victims, protecting customers' bills and emerging from Chapter 11 as the utility of the future that our customers and communities expect and deserve." Montali is scheduled to hold a hearing on the case in his San Francisco courtroom on Jan. 29. The pact moves PG&E a step closer to being able to exit bankruptcy by a June 30 deadline to be eligible for a new state wildfire insurance fund that would be paid for by a combination of investor-owned utilities and utility customers. But in another development Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a bankruptcy court filing that he believes the utility's plan doesn't meet the requirements of AB 1054, the state law that created the wildfire insurance fund. He said the plan needs changes in governance, management and financial structure to enable PG&E to make critical safety investments. Without those changes, Newsom warned, "the governor is pursuing strategies to protect California's interests through further intervention, including a state takeover of the utility." State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, stated, "Gov. Gavin Newsom is absolutely right to object to PG&E's flawed plan. It's clear that while PG&E and its hedge fund backers are acting with narrow self-interest, the governor and the Legislature are going to continue to fight for the public's interest." The $13.5 billion victims' fund in the plan now agreed to by PG&E and the bondholders would compensate victims of Northern California wildfires between 2015 and 2018 that were caused or allegedly caused by failures in PG&E electrical equipment. The fires covered include the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Butte County Camp Fire, in which 85 people died. In another bankruptcy court filing today, court-appointed Claims Representative Michael Kasolas, who was assigned to locate fire victims and help them with claims, reported that 81,131 individuals and entities filed claims by a Dec. 31 deadline. Kasolas said 9,265 were added to the list after Montali extended the deadline from Oct. 21 to Dec. 31. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. At a glance: The changes had been long sought by industry, developers and farmers. Environmental advocates and public health officials fear some communities may lose a clean water supply and that habitat and wildlife may suffer. Real estate developers stand to reap the biggest regulatory and financial relief. The changes had been sought by industry, developers and farmers, but opposed by environmental advocates and public health officials. They say the changes would make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public and would threaten habitat and wildlife.The Trump administration is lifting protections for some of the nation's millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, nearing completion on one of its most far-reaching environmental rollbacks. The changes announced Thursday will scale back which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. President Donald Trump has made a priority of the rollback of clean-water protections from his first weeks in office. Trump says he is targeting federal rules and regulations that impose unnecessary burdens on businesses. Chiefs of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the changes at a builders' convention in Las Vegas. "EPA and the Army are providing much needed regulatory certainty and predictability for American farmers, landowners and businesses to support the economy and accelerate critical infrastructure projects," EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. The changes had been sought by industry, developers and farmers, but opposed by environmental advocates and public health officials. They say the changes would make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public and would threaten habitat and wildlife. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: AP's earlier story follows below. WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration appears ready to move ahead with its plan to remove protections for some of the nation's millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, completing one of its most far-reaching environmental rollbacks. The changes, promised by President Donald Trump in his first weeks in office, would sharply scale back the government's interpretation of which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. Trump says he is targeting federal rules and regulations that impose unnecessary burdens on businesses. An announcement on a final rule was expected as soon as Thursday. The changes had been sought by industry, developers and farmers, but opposed by environmental advocates and public health officials. They say the changes would make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public and would threaten habitat and wildlife. The administration says the changes would allow farmers to plow their fields without fear of unintentionally straying over the banks of a federally protected dry creek, bog or ditch. But the government's own figures show it is real estate developers and those in other nonfarm business sectors that take out the most permits for impinging on wetlands and waterways, and stand to reap the biggest regulatory and financial relief. A draft version of the rule released earlier would end federal oversight for up to half of the nation's wetlands, which provide buffers against flooding and climate change, and one-fifth of the country's streams, the upstream sources of drinking water, environmental groups warned. The rollback would be one of the most ambitious of the Trump administration''s wide-ranging cuts in federal protections on the environment and public health. While many rollback efforts have targeted regulations adopted under the Obama administration, the draft clean-water plan released earlier would lift federal protections for many waterways and wetlands that have stood for decades under the Clean Water Act. That includes protections for creek and river beds that run only in wet seasons or after rain or snow melt the kind of so-called ephemeral and intermittent waterways that provide the majority of water for some dry states in the West. "That''s a huge rollback from way before Obama, before Reagan," said Blan Holman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. State officials in New Mexico have particular concerns given that the Rio Grande, which provides drinking water and irrigation supplies for millions of people in the Southwest and Mexico, depends largely on the types of intermittent streams, creeks and wetlands that could lose protection under the rule draft released earlier. The Rio Grande is one of North America's longest rivers. Jen Pelz, the rivers program director with the New Mexico-based environmental group WildEarth Guardians, said the Rio Grande would be hard hit. "It defies common sense to leave unprotected the arteries of life to the desert Southwest," Pelz said. Trump has portrayed farmers a highly valued constituency of the Republican Party and one popular with the public as the main beneficiaries of the rollback. He claimed farmers gathered around him wept with gratitude when he signed an order for the rollback in February 2017. The federal protections keeping polluters and developers out of waterways and wetlands were "one of the most ridiculous" of all regulations, he told a farmer convention in 2019. "It was a total kill on you and other businesses," Trump said at that time. Environmental groups, public health organizations and others say it's impossible to keep downstream lakes, rivers and water supplies clean unless upstream waters are also regulated federally. The targeted regulations also protect wildlife and their habitats. ___ Associated Press writer Susan Montoya in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report. Leo would have been a terrible Patrick Bateman. I can't even imagine him get to that level Bale did (physically). Reply Thread Link I remember Reese once saying she's never watched the full movie. I wonder if that's still true, lol Reply Thread Link I love this movie, and as a graphic designer the business card scene will never not be hilarious to me Reply Thread Link I think about that scene a lot lol. Reply Parent Thread Link I love how he almost has a nervous breakdown over a fucking business card lmao. Reply Parent Thread Link I had forgotten Theroux was in that. Reply Parent Thread Link would u design a hip business card for me Reply Parent Thread Link That scene is iconic and a work of art, lol. I hated everything else about the movie, even though it had me compelled from beginning to end. Reply Parent Thread Link i also love the Unreleased 10th Anniversary Director's Cut Deleted Scene Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Best Scene in the movie tbh lmao Reply Parent Thread Link The fact that scene got its own song in the musical, it's perfect. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Imagine anyone other than Christian as Patrick. Leo would have been awful. Reply Thread Link "HEY PAUL" Anyway they made the right choice; Leo would've been terrible and such a try-hard. Also looking back it's crazy to me now that Bale was only 26 in this. Reply Thread Link Try getting a reservation at Dorsia how you fucking stupid bastard! Reply Parent Thread Link Bale turned 20 and immediately looked 35 for the next 20 years Reply Parent Thread Link lol mte Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoooo this is so accurate Reply Parent Thread Link lmfao mte Reply Parent Thread Link Christian Bale had never worked out a day in his life until landing the role of Patrick Bateman okay, this is wild to me. imma need the exact diet and workout plan, including "supplements". Reply Thread Link sammmmme during the shower/yoga scene i just wanted to pop my straw from my pepsi into his ass and suck Reply Parent Thread Expand Link this visual is killing me Reply Parent Thread Link honestly Reply Parent Thread Link GURL Reply Parent Thread Link lolll Reply Parent Thread Link This is one of the first movies I mention in terms "film adaptations that are better than the book". This and Devil Wears Prada. Reply Thread Link This is a rare case where the movie is so much better than the book. Christian Bale is incredible as Patrick Bateman. Reply Thread Link I think I'm gonna watch it tonight now! It's been a bit! I first saw it in theaters, I'm old.. Reply Parent Thread Link so true...I found the book to be incredibly lame and overtly violent. The descriptions of how he murdered people, especially women was insane. I got sick to my stomach a few times and had to put the book down. Reply Parent Thread Link Never forget the Broadway musical version. It closed very fast, though. Music was by Duncan Sheik of Barely Breathing fame. The musical is good but the choreography was crap IMO. Edited at 2020-01-23 03:15 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link I also enjoyed this cover. Reply Parent Thread Link I still listen to songs from this regularly! (I probably shouldnt admit that but here we are...) Reply Parent Thread Link It only lasted like 2 months on Broadway haha. But then again, Lysistrata Jones was only open a month but that musical had some bops. Rare to find original musicals these days, even though Lysistrata Jones is like 9 years old now. Now it's all jukebox musicals and remakes. Although Beetlejuice is a modern masterpiece... Reply Parent Thread Link i do too! I also love the spider man turn off the dark songs, is that curse where the musical is shit but the songs are great Reply Parent Thread Link I honestly love the musical and listen to it quite a bit. Reply Parent Thread Link i love the songs tbh. I listen to the matt smith version on spotify and it's weird to picture him as patrick, wish there was a bootleg somewhere Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I love almost all the songs from the musical tbh. There's one line I quote almost daily at work - "if we're dead already then let's keep going". It actually helps me get through our busy days. Reply Parent Thread Link I love the musical. It's one of my favorite Broadway flops. It has 80s music and bops that sound perfect. Also, Matt Smith sounds amazing. Reply Parent Thread Link Fun times Reply Thread Link I cant even fathom Leo in this role and I dont even hate him as an actor. Glad they went with my newsie Christian. Reply Thread Link I think Leo would have been a good Patrick Bateman but it would have been an entirely different movie. Reply Thread Link i rewatched recently for the first time in a couple years, i totally forgot how funny it is. leo and/or stone would've completely butchered it (in a bad way) Reply Thread Link I rewatched it earlier this week and Bales body is just ...i feel faint Reply Thread Link Well, Mandy Moore said he was a real human so checkmate. Reply Parent Thread Link Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday filed a sharply worded defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, claiming Clinton tried to derail her 2020 presidential campaign by describing her as a Russian asset in a podcast interview in October. Asked for comment on Gabbards suit, Clintons spokesman, Nick Merrill, told PEOPLE: Thats ridiculous. Clinton has not yet responded in court filings. What she actually said about Gabbard last fall has been the subject of some dispute. The 72-year-old former secretary of state and presidential candidate suggested that Gabbard, 38, was a Russian asset while she was interviewed on political strategist David Plouffes Campaign HQ podcast. Though Clinton did not name Gabbard, the discussion makes clear it was Gabbard to whom she was referring. Merrill later confirmed that, telling NBC News, If the nesting doll fits Politifact, the fact-checking organization, transcribed the full context of Clintons comments to Plouffe. During the episode, Plouffe said to her that one of the reasons [Trump] was able to win is the third party vote, and Clinton agreed. She later said, Theyre also going to do third party again. And Im not making any predictions, but I think theyve got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. Shes the favorite of the Russians. The she here referred to Gabbard, but the they in grooming referred to Republicans, not Russians, according to Clintons spokesman though others who heard her remarks were initially confused. The Russian asset remark now at the center of Gabbards suit was made during this part of the podcast. Shes the favorite of the Russians, Clinton said, meaning Gabbard. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far, and thats assuming [2016 candidate] Jill Stein will give it up. Which she might not, cause shes also a Russian asset. Story continues If the Russian propaganda machine, both their state media and their bot and troll operations, is backing a candidate aligned with their interests, that is just a reality, it is not speculation, Merrill, Clintons spokesman, said afterward. RELATED: Hillary Clinton Has Absolutely Nothing Nice to Say About Bernie Sanders Nobody Likes Him Rep. Tulsi Gabbard | Ethan Miller/Getty Gabbard immediately responded to Clinton on Twitter accusing her in a series of fiery messages of being the queen of corruption who orchestrated a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. Her lawsuit, filed Wednesday morning in federal court in New York, echoes that same argument. It takes pains to detail Gabbards background of military and civic service but describes Clinton in far more scathing terms: a cutthroat politician by any account. Gabbard claims that Clintons Russia comments peddled damaging conspiracy theories and were an attempt to derail her 2020 campaign. (Gabbard is a longshot to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and has never polled among the top candidates.) In October 2019 whether out of personal animus, political enmity, or fear of real change within a political party Clinton and her allies have long dominated Clinton lied about her perceived rival Tulsi Gabbard. She did so publicly, unambiguously, and with obvious malicious intent, Gabbards complaint states. Shes demanding a jury trial and an appropriate amount of compensatory, special and punitive damages. By way of alleged harm done to her by Clinton, Gabbards suit cites unidentified scientifically conducted opinion surveys that she says prove Clintons podcast comments were believed by millions of Americans and large numbers of battleground state voters. Gabbard further claims the interview cost her potential donors and potential voters and she has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed $50 million. That figure is not further explained. RELATED: Every 2020 Presidential Candidate Celebrities Have Supported So Far Hillary Clinton | NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Russian preference for Gabbard is widely understood to be because of her unusual position on the Syrian civil war and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is supported by the Russians. While al-Assad has been widely shunned and denounced as a violent dictator, Gabbard believes American military involvement in the region is not the answer and she raised eyebrows by choosing to meet with al-Assad in 2017. Gabarrds lawsuit also alleges Clinton sought revenge against her after she backed Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clintons rival in the 2016 Democratic primary. RELATED: Who Is Tulsi Gabbard? What to Know About the Headline-Grabbing 2020 Candidate & Hawaii Lawmaker Brian Dunne, one of the lawyers representing Gabbard, tells PEOPLE Clinton smeared Gabbards reputation and he insists Clinton refused to retract what shed said. One would expect someone of Mrs. Clintons political background to act with a greater level of maturity and responsibility, but her personal hostility toward Rep. Gabbard apparently clouded Mrs. Clintons reason and blinded her to U.S. defamation laws, Dunne argues. He adds: Rep. Gabbard must defend her good name. A Dalit youth who was set on fire by his neighbours in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar city, succumbed to burn injuries at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi on Thursday. The youth who suffered more than 50 per cent burns, died here at the Safdarjung Hospital, officials confirmed. Earlier, the victim had accused his neighbours of pouring kerosene oil on him and setting him on fire after a clash on January 16, confirmed Police officials. According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Sanghi, three of the accused were arrested in the matter under relevant sections of the IPC and ST/SC Act. The search for the fourth person is underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI MUMBAI: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday the state government will decide the future course of action in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case after receiving briefing from senior police officials probing the 2018 episode. He also said state cabinet has not taken any decision on whether or not to implement the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed NRC in the state, ruled by an alliance government comprising the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Deshmukh said his personal opinion, as an NCP worker, is that the CAA and the NRC should not be implemented in Maharashtra. Deshmukh said he will take briefing on Thursday from senior police officials probing the Koregaon-Bhima violence case, in which some human rights activists are facing the charge of Maoist links and booked under an anti-terror law. "We will think about this in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima episode. Demands are being raised about forming SIT to probe the matter. We will take a review of it through our officers and decide future course," he added. The NCP minister said the government is receiving complaints about the previous Devendra Fadnavis dispensation branding as "Urban Naxals" whoever held views contrary to the BJP's ideology. Violence had erupted near Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district on January 1, 2018, when Dalit groups were commemorating the bicentenary of a British-era battle. According to the Pune police, speeches give at a conclave, Elgar Parishad - held on December 31, 2017 - had triggered the violence at Koregaon-Bhima the next day. The police had claimed organisers of the meet had Naxal links. Talking about the CAA, Deshmukh said around 1,250 "peaceful" agitations have been held in Maharashtra so far against the new citizenship law and the proposed NRC. Congress and NCP workers, however, feel the CAA should not be implemented in Maharashtra, he said. "Not as home minister, but as Anil Deshmukh, a worker of the NCP, the CAA and NRC should not be implemented in Maharashtra," Deshmukh added. He said the Shiv Sena-led MVA government is thinking about adopting an Andhra Pradesh-like law to ensure safety of women in Maharashtra. The Andhra Pradesh draft legislation mandates disposal of cases of atrocities against women within 21 days and handing out the death penalty for certain offences. The minister said his department is thinking about modernising police system in view of possible threats from the country's enemies. He said the department is also mulling incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to help improve the efficiency of the system. Deshmukh, who comes from Nagpur, which is also the home district of former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said people ask him how come the Vidarbha city came to be known as the 'crime capital' of the state during the previous BJP-led regime headed by the latter. In the same breathe he cryptically said, the chief minister is "quite busy". "In addition to that, he (Fadnavis) had held the home department. It is possible he could not pay attention as some minister with independent charge can. "You (the media) also have written about the law and order situation there (in Nagpur) being serious," Deshmukh added. [January 23, 2020] Bill Olsen, Recognized Leader in Forensic Advisory Services, Joins AGG's Growing D.C. Office and Expands Anti-Corruption Practice Bill Olsen, the former National Practice leader for Compliance and Investigations at Grant Thornton (News - Alert) LLP, recently joined Arnall Golden Gregory LLP's Washington, D.C. office as Managing Director of Forensic Advisory Services. He will work with the firm's Anti-Corruption, Government Investigations, and White-Collar Crime practices. Olsen is the sixth experienced professional to join the D.C. office in the past 12 months in connection with the firm's expansion of its Global Anti-Corruption practice. "Bill is an important addition to our D.C. office and to our Global Anti-Corruption practice. His extensive experience and credibility as a forensic professional will further enhance our business integrity practice as we continue to expand the firm's expertise in these areas," states the firm's managing partner Jonathan Eady. Olsen has more than 25 years of forensic advisory experience including violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), False Claims Act, and Economic Espionage Act. He is a frequent lecturer on bribery and corruption matters, and authored "The Anti-Corruption Handbook" during his time as National Practice Leader of Investigations at Grant Thornton. Heis the Past President of the Institute for Fraud Prevention and has deep experience in the Gaming and Hospitality, Energy, Not-for Profit, Government Contracting, Telecom, Health Care and Pharmaceutical industries. "Bill joins our team of former Department of Justice prosecutors and Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement attorneys as a key part of the firm's strategy to develop innovative, end-to-end anti-corruption solutions. His expertise enhances the firm's national and international offerings as a leading practice for government and corporate investigations," says Mike Burke, Arnall Golden Gregory's D.C. office administrative partner. "I have worked side-by-side with attorneys during my entire career, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity of working for an outstanding law firm and with a great team of attorneys in providing our clients with seamless anti-corruption services," Olsen says. Bill has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Villanova University, a Bachelor of Accountancy from Regis University and a Master's degree in Forensic Studies from Stevenson University. Bill is a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Internal Auditor. ABOUT ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY LLP Arnall Golden Gregory, an Am Law 200 law firm with almost 200 attorneys in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., takes a business sensibility approach when advising clients. AGG provides industry knowledge, attention to detail, transparency, and value to help businesses and individuals achieve their definition of success. With our rich experience and know-how, we don't ask "if," we figure out "how." Visit us at www.agg.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005471/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] B ritain and the United States face a showdown within days over Chinese tech giant Huawei being allowed to be part of the UKs 5G network. Security, intelligence and other Whitehall chiefs are understood to have drawn up several options on the controversial issue to be discussed by the National Security Council next week. They are believed to include how Huawei could be permitted to play a limited role in 5G despite fears it could make it easier for China to spy on the West. Experts at a special unit of Britains GCHQ surveillance centre say that the espionage risks can be mitigated. However, US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin was due to launch a last-minute attempt, during talks with Chancellor Sajid Javid in London at the weekend, to persuade the Government not to approve Huawei for the 5G network. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Greta Thunberg's comments about fossil fuels were 'a joke' / AFP via Getty Images But the Government believes that the UK faces a different situation to the US over Huawei, with the companys technology having been used in systems here for some 15 years. British counter-espionage experts have been checking all Chinese equipment in the countrys telecoms infrastructure for around a decade. A Huawei company logo / REUTERS If the Government rejected Huawei, it could increase the cost and hit the timetable for rolling out 5G, which is seen as crucial in the technology revolution, partly due to the dramatic increases in download speeds. Only a few other companies can offer similar packages to Huawei, a situation which is seen as Whitehall as a market failure. Boris Johnson has challenged the US to come up with a rival to the Chinese tech giants 5G offer, if it wants to argue that other countries should not use it. AFP via Getty Images But Donald Trump has taken a hardline on the issue, with Washington even warning that intelligence sharing could be hit if Britain allows Huawei to play a role in 5G, which is expected to be limited to non-core parts of the network if it is approved. The issue is one of three areas of dispute with Washington, alongside Britain pressing ahead with a digital services tax and the US seeking to pressurise the UK to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Asked about Huawei, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The work on the issue of high-risk vendors in the 5G network remains ongoing. When its completed it will be announced to Parliament. Huawei denies its equipment is used for spying. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom today argued that the relationship between America and Britain was strong enough to deal with disagreements and that the US and the UK were committed to entering into a post-Brexit trade deal. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom / AFP via Getty Images Washington argues that current proposed digital taxes discriminate against US firms given that so many of the tech giants are based in America including Google and Facebook, who have denied not paying their fair share of tax. Britain is proposing a two per cent levy on revenues from UK users, which is expected to raise around 500 million a year. Ms Leadsom said Britain would press ahead with the plan. Victor Zhang, Vice President of Huawei, said last week: "We strongly agree with the Prime Minister that the British public deserve to have access to the best possible technology. "That is why we invested more than $15 billion last year in research and development to ensure our customers receive just that. The loss of Special Agent Christopher LaSalle (Lucas Black) on NCIS: New Orleans still lingers. LaSalles search for his brother Cades killer is what got him killed. Cade, played by Clayne Crawford, only physically appeared in a few episodes, but LaSalle spoke of him often enough that his presence saturated many of the NOLA franchise storylines. With both LaSalle brothers gone, NCIS: New Orleans hasnt been the same. Black left for personal reasons while Crawfords exit is a little more mysterious. Why did Crawford leave the series? NCIS: New Orleans killed off Clayne Crawfords character Cade in season 6 Actor Clayne Crawford attends Imagine Dragons fifth annual Tyler Robinson Foundation Rise Up Gala benefiting families affected by pediatric cancer at Caesars Palace | Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images Clayne Crawford may not be a household name but fans of the show know all Cade Lambert/LaSalle. NCIS: New Orleans introduced the character in 2015 and made many mentions of him through the years. Before Cade died, hed gone missing a number of times. This time around, the troubled LaSalle brother vanished after trying to help his girlfriends drug-dealing son. LaSalle traveled to Mobile, Alabama and found Cade had suffered a grizzly death. This began LaSalles quest for the killer(s). Sadly, it ended in LaSalles demise as well. Season 6 of the NOLA iteration has proven its ability to shake things up and do the unexpected. While neither Black or Crawfords characters are likely to return (unless in flashback sequences), never say never. Why did Crawford officially leave NCIS: New Orleans? Crawford only physically appeared on three NCIS: New Orleans episodes. Killing off the character completely closed a few potential doors for a comeback. That said, the timing of Crawfords physical exit came on the heels of other projects. The actor had already starred in Rectify since 2013. He then picked up Lethal Weapon, which premiered in 2016. Crawford played Martin Riggs opposite Damon Wayans through 2018. Its possible Crawford intended to return to NCIS: New Orleans at some point. However, once Black revealed to writers he planned to leave, Cades storyline wasnt necessary. Things took a turn in Crawfords professional life that may have affected any potential projects. NOLA writers may have felt it easier to write the character out rather than bring Crawford back to set after what went down when allegations of drama on the set of Lethal Weapon surfaced. What happened on the set of Lethal Weapon? The Fox version of the film by the same name, Lethal Weapon, followed Crawfords former-Navy SEAL (and loose cannon) character, Riggs, and a senior LAPD detective, Roger Murtaugh, played by Wayans. The show aired for two seasons when reported off-camera drama surfaced. Crawford and Wayans had a contentious relationship. It went public after Variety released an audio clip of the two arguing over an injury Wayans sustained while filming an episode Crawford directed. Crawford later said Wayans made life miserable for me on this show, he didnt take part in any table reads, and wouldnt film in a church because hes a Jehovahs Witness. The show fired Crawford and replaced him with Sean William Scott. More people involved in the series have come forward to report incidents since. Another alleged incident with the assistant director was captured on film and, Crawford said, used for blackmail. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Crawford posted an apology on his Instagram account admitting he was reprimanded twice throughout the series. He elaborated on social media. I absolutely love, respect and care for my crew and cast, and would never intentionally jeopardize so many jobs. I am incredibly sorry if my passion for doing good work has ever made anyone feel less than comfortable on our set, or feel less than celebrated for their efforts. Furthermore, I apologize to all the crew and cast for any negative attention Lethal Weapon is receiving because of these incidents. Clayne Crawford Instagram Lethal Weapon fired Crawford As if thats not enough, Crawford said he was never notified hed been fired from Lethal Weapon and fully intended to continue working. I just didnt think it was possible. I just didnt think they were going to get rid of me, I guess, he said. In an interview with Drinkin Bros podcast, the actor explained he snapped on set. I knew that they had those tapes and they had been blackmailing me with that, he said. Anytime I had a problem with [Wayans]any time I complained, its like, This will come out, and it will ruin your career.' He continued saying, Did I make a poor choice? Absolutely. I shouldnt have lost it and I felt embarrassed in the moment because I was belligerent, I was so angry. The controversy from Lethal Weapon may not have had any part on Crawfords official NCIS: New Orleans exit. Maybe he didnt have the time or wasnt interested in reprising the role on-set after those three 2015 appearances. Regardless, the new grandfather and Alabama farmer has his hands full. Were willing to bet hes not lingering on any past controversy. Still, repercussions from both LaSalle brothers deaths are yet to be seen on NCIS: New Orleans. Pride (Scott Bakula) will inevitably face consequences for his actions. That means Cades tragic story might not be completely finished. Theres always the possibility Crawford (and Black) could return in some way, right? Heres hoping. NCIS: New Orleans returns to CBS on Sunday, February 16. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IntSights , the threat intelligence company focused on enabling enterprises to Defend Forward, announced today the company achieved triple-digit revenue growth and doubled its global customer base. In addition to strong growth in core markets, the company attained 125 percent growth in APAC and LATAM, demonstrating the success of the company's global growth strategy. With a 60 percent win rate versus key competitors, a large segment of the company's new logos displaced incumbent legacy providers. "In 2019, we doubled down on driving innovation and expanding our automation capabilities to capitalize on the growing demand for external threat intelligence across the clear, deep, and dark web. With validation from the investor community in our $30 million Series D raise, led by Qumra Capital, we have the resources necessary to continue dominating this market," said Guy Nizan, Co-Founder and CEO of IntSights. "In 2020, IntSights will continue to focus on driving best-in-class threat intelligence capabilities that can be leveraged by any company, and accessible by anyone." Major Company Milestones: Raised a $30 million series D, led by Qumra Capital, to accelerate worldwide commercialization efforts led by Qumra Capital, to accelerate worldwide commercialization efforts Doubled net new logos: the company now counts 300 Customers, including the top telecommunications providers, the world's largest payments organizations, national insurance payers, and the top global financial services organizations including the top telecommunications providers, the world's largest payments organizations, national insurance payers, and the top global financial services organizations Expansion of executive team with industry veterans: Jason Thompson , COO & CMO; Jay Zimmet , CRO; Brian Costello , VP of Americas Sales and Global Channels; Etay Maor , CSO; Yaron Paryanty, VP of Product , COO & CMO; , CRO; , VP of Americas Sales and Global Channels; , CSO; Yaron Paryanty, VP of Product Doubled head count to drive new product development and expand the global go-to-market team Established strategic technology integration alliances with Carbon Black, Check Point, FireEye, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Swimlane, and Zscaler with Carbon Black, Check Point, FireEye, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Swimlane, and Zscaler Multiple industry awards, including CyberCrime Magazine's Hot 150 and 2020 SC Awards Finalist for Best Threat Intelligence Technology Driving Market Innovation: Vulnerability Risk Analyzer : Arms IntSights External Threat Protection (ETP) users with up-to-date external intelligence along with a risk-based prioritization score for CVEs. This dramatically improves the ability for security teams to patch critical vulnerabilities that have the highest potential to result in a breach and regulatory fines. Arms IntSights External Threat Protection (ETP) users with up-to-date external intelligence along with a risk-based prioritization score for CVEs. This dramatically improves the ability for security teams to patch critical vulnerabilities that have the highest potential to result in a breach and regulatory fines. Alert Profiler: Provide organizations with an easy way to build custom machine learning-driven algorithms tailored for their businesses. Organizations can now implement unique rule sets to define exactly what constitutes an alert based on their specific criteria so they can rapidly identify and respond to the threats that matter most to their business. Provide organizations with an easy way to build custom machine learning-driven algorithms tailored for their businesses. Organizations can now implement unique rule sets to define exactly what constitutes an alert based on their specific criteria so they can rapidly identify and respond to the threats that matter most to their business. Threat Investigation Module : Enables deeper real-time threat research and analysis within the IntSights Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP), allowing customers to quickly identify and take action on IOCs that are most likely to threaten their business. : Enables deeper real-time threat research and analysis within the IntSights Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP), allowing customers to quickly identify and take action on IOCs that are most likely to threaten their business. Integration Support : Customers can leverage our extensive ecosystem of strategic technology integration partners to infuse external intelligence into their existing security solutions for proactive mitigation and orchestrated response. Industry Validation and Presence: Forrester Consulting conducted a study quantifying the Total Economic Impact and benefits of the IntSights External Threat Protection Suite. The study shows that organizations that leverage IntSights can gain $2.5 million in operational and security related cost savings and an ROI of 442 percent over three years. and benefits of the IntSights External Threat Protection Suite. The study shows that organizations that leverage IntSights can gain in operational and security related cost savings and an ROI of 442 percent over three years. Gartner Peer Insights real user reviews rated IntSights 4.8 stars out of 5. About IntSights IntSights is revolutionizing cybersecurity operations with the industry's only all-in-one external threat protection platform designed to neutralize cyberattacks outside the wire. Our unique cyber reconnaissance capabilities enable continuous monitoring of an enterprise's external digital profile across the clear, deep, and dark web to identify emerging threats and orchestrate proactive response. Tailored threat intelligence that seamlessly integrates with security infrastructure for dynamic defense has made IntSights one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies in the world. IntSights has offices in Amsterdam, Boston, Dallas, New York, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo. To learn more, visit: intsights.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Results of the Total Economic Impact of the IntSights External Threat Protection Suite, an October 2019 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of IntSights, are for a composite organization based on interviewed customers. Media Contact: Jonathan Beaton IntSights +1-727-902-8412 [email protected] SOURCE IntSights Cyber Intelligence Inc Related Links intsights.com "A Long Petal of the Sea: a Novel, Ballantine Books, by Isabel Allende Isabel Allende's new novel seeks to spotlight a footnote of history - and to connect the past and present in an epic tale. The goals were high but the results are mixed. "A Long Petal of the Sea" follows a family fleeing the Spanish Civil War and enduring repeated uprooting and upheavals over the course of their lives. They are imagined to be among those who were aboard the real-life SS Winnipeg, an old cargo ship organized by the poet Pablo Neruda to bring Spanish exiles to Chile. The book's title comes from a Neruda poem. The novel is strongest in its depictions of what innocent people endure when caught in the crosshairs of warring political parties. The main characters, Victor and Roser, are held at a French concentration camp before they earn passage on the Chile-bound ship. "In order to survive without going mad, the prisoners organized themselves," Allende writes. "They sang, read whatever they could lay their hands on, taught those who needed it to read and write ... and sought to preserve their dignity cutting one another's hair and checking each other for lice and washing their clothes in the freezing seawater." The prisoners survived their meager rations by creating illusions of "restaurants with invisible food that the cooks described in great detail while the others savored the tastes with their eyes closed." While the Chilean president accepted the refugees, not all Chileans welcomed the idea. Allende captures this split in society, writing that "the right-wing newspapers claimed that other countries offered money, but none wanted to welcome Reds, those rapists of nuns, murderers, bandits, unscrupulous atheists, and Jews, who were bound to put the country's security in jeopardy." It is impossible not to see parallels with the dehumanizing language used these days about Latin Americans, Syrians and others, who are escaping violence in their homelands. Story continues Unfortunately, the book is weighed down by its flaws. To start, the dialogue is often stilted, with phrases and sentence structures divorced from how people actually speak. The novel also spans more than 50 years, and at times it feels like the author struggled with the longevity of the narrative arch. Near the end, time-jumping transitions jarringly appear in the middle of chapters: "Three years after" and "Several years were to go by before he could keep his promise." Finally, Allende's writing is sprinkled with cringe-worthy ethnic tropes: "drooping Arab eyelids," "the quiet acceptance of an arranged marriage in India," "You know what they do to (young women captured), don't you? They hand them over to the Moors." In one particularly flinch-inducing passage, she writes: "no one could doubt his solid Castilian-Basque lineage, with not a drop of Arab or Jewish blood in his veins." Allende, who wrote her acclaimed debut novel, "The House of Spirits," almost 40 years ago and is now 77, grew up in a different era. One could perhaps forgive her dated and inept use of racist language but one of her editors should have intercepted it. It is possible to evoke a time period without embracing its intolerance. PHOENIX, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Uncle Herbs, Arizona's premier line of cannabis-infused products, has introduced an adorable, limited edition Valentine's Gift called "Love Mugs." The thoughtful present includes a beautifully wrapped coffee mug filled with the award-winning 100 mg Big Foot Milk Chocolate Bar. Love Mugs are available at select dispensaries throughout Arizona, as well as at all Curaleaf stores. The initial supply of Love Mugs sold out within hours, and more were quickly produced by mountain elves up in beautiful Northern Arizona. The Big Foot Chocolate Bar in the Love Mug is lovingly made by Uncle Herbs, and was awarded "Best Edible" at the 710 Cup and by the Phoenix New Times, which highlighted the company's products in the "Best of Phoenix 2019." The publication wrote that the company's edibles are "Uniquely delicious," and that "Your first experience is guaranteed to be unforgettable." The publication also noted Uncle Herbs' reliability and quality. "The consistent quality ensures that the only surprise you'll get from them will be the initial reaction to just how damn good these things taste." Andrew Provencio, Founder and President of Uncle Herbs, said that Love Mug makes a great Valentine's Day gift. "The Love Mugs are cute, affordable, easy to purchase, and come pre-wrapped with Arizona's finest infused chocolate bar," he said. "It's the easiest gift ever for the canna lover in your life!" Other products from Uncle Herbs include infused Cherry and Lemon Drops, Vegan Organic Watermelon Rings, Dried Apricots and Pineapples, Mixed Nut Clusters, and its famous Hippy Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. The company also has a unique line of THC soft gelcaps called Chill Pills. The product line includes Day Caps (a sativa formula), Anytime (a hybrid blend), and Evening (an indica formula). Uncle Herbs products are available at finer dispensaries throughout Arizona, including Curaleaf. Learn more by calling Uncle Herbs at: 928-474-2420. Find a Curaleaf dispensary at: https://curaleaf.com/stores/az/ Media: Innovation Agency Inov8.us [email protected] SOURCE Uncle Herbs It was one of the most heartwarming stories that came out of Karnataka last year when the state was reeling under a devastating flood. The video of a boy running across a submerged bridge had gone viral in August 2019. The video was from Hirerayanakumpi village of Devadurga taluk in Raichur district and the boy was 12-year-old Venkatesh. He risked his life and ran across the flooded bridge to guide an ambulance that was stuck due to the floods. BCCL Venkatesh, a Class VI student was playing with his friends on the banks of Krishna when he saw the ambulance stuck on the waterlogged bridge. The vehicle was carrying a dead body and four other individuals. As the driver struggled to find his way, Venkatesh reached out and asked him to follow him. The 12-year-old then ran across the bridge and guided the ambulance and its occupants to safety. Now, the country will honour his courage by giving the National Bravery Awards 2019. The Indian Council of Child Welfare National Bravery Awards 2019 will be presented on the occasion of Republic Day on January 26 where 22 children from across the country will be honoured for their brave acts, and one of them is 12-year-old Venkatesh. Each awardee receives a medal, certificate, and cash, besides a possible education sponsorship till graduation from a philanthropic organization. BCCL It was P Manivannan IAS, Secretary, Labour Department, Karnataka who recommended Venkatesh's name to the Women and Child Development Department for the bravery award. Ever since the videos of his brave act went viral, Venkatesh had been showered with praises. I really dont know if what I did was an act of bravery or not. I just wanted to help the driver, he had then said. Last year, just days after the incident had happened, the boy was felicitated by the state authorities on the occasion of Independence Day. Raichur: Deputy Commissioner Sharat B today felicitated 12-year-old Venkatesh who guided an ambulance out of a flooded bridge. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/YWpyXzTCcI ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2019 According to Venkatesh's brother, Bheemaraya none of the family members were aware of his actions until a video clip was aired on TV. His mother Devamma was shocked and scolded him. But later she appreciated him, he told The Times of India. Venkatesh is the second National Bravery Award recipient from Karnataka this year. 9-Year-old Arati, a resident of Navilagon village, Honnavar, of Uttara Kannada is the other recipient. She was awarded for saving her brother Kartik from a cow that was charging at them while they were playing outside. The psychologist behind the CIA's post-9/11 interrogation program has said that the waterboarding technique was so gruesome even CIA officials cried when witnessing the act. During Wednesday's pretrial hearing in the case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, psychologist James Mitchell claimed that the officials started crying when he performed a modified waterboarding technique. Abu Zubaydah was one of the first prisoners to be waterboarded. The technique was used 83 times on him in August 2002. Mitchell said that once he started cooperating with interrogators at a secret prison in Thailand in 2002, he and his colleague psychologist John 'Bruce' Jessen tried to get officers in the CIA to stop the program. But Mitchell says the pair were met with scrutiny. 'They said that we were p*****s, that we had lost our spine,' Mitchell testified. If another attack were to occur, Mitchell and Jessen were told that they 'would have blood of dead Americans on their hands'. Mitchell told the officials he would only continue with the program if they came to see it in action, telling them to 'bring their rubber bots and come on down.' James Mitchell shared on Wednesday that after waterboarding Abu Zubaydah 83 times, he and John 'Bruce' Jessen tried to get the program to stop Mitchell said a group assembled in Abu Zubaydah's cell where a modified version of the technique was performed. 'I don't want to use the word 'perfunctory' for something that horrible, but, yeah,' Mitchell added. Psychologist John 'Bruce' Jessen Describing how the procedure was carried out, Mitchell shared that a prisoner would be strapped to a board placed on a modified gurney that was tipped so that the prisoner's head was close to the ground. As Mitchell held the cloth over the prisoner's mouth and nose, psychologist John 'Bruce' Jessen' would pour water on the cloth, the Los Angeles Times reports. Guards would steady the gurney as water was poured for 20 seconds, paused, poured another 20 seconds and paused again before going for 40 more seconds. Prisoners would spasm, expel water and snot, sometimes vomit, and squirm as if having a seizure. The practice is heavily regarded as torture. Abu Zubaydah was one of the first prisoners to be waterboarded. The technique was used 83 times on the subject in August 2002 But the waterboarding was enough to make the officials start crying. 'Their decision after witnessing this is that we don't need to do this,' said the psychologist. While he claims to have advocated to have waterboarding discontinued, Mitchell would go on to waterboard two more people. His only worry appeared to be that criminals could potentially stop cooperating if waterboarding continued. Mitchell, who was contracted by the CIA to develop the interrogation program after the 2001 terror attacks, said the techniques he used helped save American lives and insists they were necessary because authorities feared 'another catastrophic attack'. The psychologist was personally responsible for waterboarding the self-proclaimed mastermind, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, at a secret location in Poland after the 9/11 attacks. 'Let me tell you just so you know... If it were today, I would do it again,' Mitchell told the hearing on Tuesday. James Mitchell (above in 2016) defended the CIA and its practices on Tuesday during a pre-trial hearing at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for the five men charged in the 2001 terror plot His techniques - including waterboarding and other methods now widely regarded as torture - have become the focus of an effort to dismiss key evidence against the five men charged in the plot ahead of their 2021 trial. The five men - Mohammed, Ammar Baluchi, Ramzi bin Shibh, Mustafa Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash - are accused of conspiring to murder almost 3,000 people in the terror plot. They were all arrested between 2002 and 2003 and have been in U.S. custody ever since. Mitchell came face-to-face with the five men for the first time since as they listened to his testimony on Tuesday. He is facing questions now because lawyers for the five men are seeking to prevent the government from using statements the men gave to the FBI as evidence against them in the war crimes trial. Defense lawyers for the five men called Mitchell and other CIA contractors, who observed and took part in interrogations at clandestine CIA facilities, as witnesses in an effort to disqualify statements they made after they were transferred to Guantanamo in September 2006. Mitchell and another psychologist, Bruce Jessen, were contracted by the CIA to develop the interrogation program, which also included waterboarding, intense sleep deprivation, confinement in a small box, prolonged shackling in 'stress positions' and being doused with cold water. Mitchell was personally responsible for waterboarding the self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (above), at a secret location in Poland after the terror attacks Mitchell, who was contracted by the CIA to develop the interrogation program after the 2001 terror attacks, said the techniques he used helped save American lives and insists they were necessary because authorities feared 'another catastrophic attack'. Pictured above are prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Mitchell spent the first day of his testimony providing details about the interrogation program, as well as what he said was the 'context' necessary to understand it. The since retired Air Force psychologist told the court that the CIA was the 'tip of the spear' in the months after the terror attacks and they were urgently trying to gather vital intelligence using techniques that had been authorized by the U.S. government. 'We were trying to save American lives,' Mitchell said. Mitchell insisted the CIA feared 'another catastrophic attack,' possibly involving nuclear weapons, and they were trying to stop it. 'My sole focus was stopping the next attack,' he said. Mitchell agreed to come to Guantanamo to testify without a subpoena to give his version of events, which he also detailed in a book, called 'Enhanced Interrogation,' that he co-wrote with a CIA spokesman. 'I'm happy to talk about my role in the program and what the program did,' he told the court. Walid bin Attash, Ammar Baluchi, Ramzi bin Shibh and Mustafa Hawsawi (left to right) were all arrested between 2002 and 2003 and have been in U.S. custody ever since At times, however, Mitchell appeared to bristle at the questioning on Tuesday. When defense lawyer James Connell thanked him for coming to court, he replied, 'I did it for the victims and families not for you.' Mitchell is expected to be followed on the stand by Jessen. Their testimony will likely take up much of a pretrial hearing scheduled to last two weeks. A Senate investigation in 2014 found that the interrogation program designed by Mitchell and Jessen was used on 39 detainees and produced no useful intelligence. They were paid up to $1,800 a day and received $81 million for their work, according to the Senate report. Mitchell and Jessen previously worked at the Air Force survival school at Fairchild Air Force Base outside Spokane, Washington, where they trained pilots to avoid capture and resist interrogation and torture. The CIA hired them to reverse-engineer that training to break terrorism suspects. Mitchell and Jessen gave depositions in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of three former prisoners, including one who died in custody. The case was settled for undisclosed terms in August 2017 and the two former contractors did not testify in court. They defended their work when the lawsuit was settled, arguing that neither contractor condoned or conducted any mistreatment of prisoners and that the overall program was authorized by the government. Under a 2006 law set up the military commission, any statements must be voluntary to be admitted into evidence and the government is not seeking to use at the trial anything the men said while in CIA custody. But the prisoners also gave what prosecutors have called 'clean' statements to the FBI after they arrived at Guantanamo. Lawyers for the five defendants argue that everything the men have said in custody was tainted by the torture they were subjected to while in CIA confinement. The testimony in Guantanamo is an important milestone in the 9/11 war crimes proceedings, which have been bogged down in the pretrial phase since the May 2012 arraignment. All five men face the death penalty if convicted of charges that include terrorism and nearly 3,000 counts of murder for their alleged roles planning and providing logistical support to the hijacking plot. Assisted living centers are regulated by the New York Department of Health, which provides additional protections to residents. But the Riverview, though it marketed itself as a place where seniors could bring private aides, had no such designation. As a result, the seniors, who had only month-to-month contracts, were vulnerable to eviction. Mr. da Costa Nunez said that his organization could no longer afford to run the facility at a loss. We are getting killed with the costs of food, staffing and utilities, he said, adding that part of the issue was that the seniors were keeping the heat too high. The losses, which he said amounted to several million dollars already, had started to threaten the operation of the senior facility in Staten Island, he said. No one wants to shut this down, he said, but Economics 101 is Economics 101. He added that the closure wont happen before April for sure, though the management had not stated the same in writing to the residents. As the losses spiraled, residents said, the nonprofit repeatedly reassured its tenants not to worry and kept signing new contracts. Among the most fragile residents are a 99-year-old Holocaust survivor, who has no family and is looked after by an organization, Selfhelp Community Services, and Mildred Burt, 95, who arrived in March at the urging of a niece. Ms. Burt had come from a public-housing project where she had lived for 60 years. Her niece, Pat Jackson, said: Where does that leave me? With an aunt who is 95 years old who is basically homeless, and not much time to look. This is just heartless. Determined to fight back, the seniors formed a committee and contacted their elected officials. Five local elected officials signed a joint letter to Mr. da Costa Nunez demanding more time and support to the displaced seniors. A British-trained Hong Kong doctor who murdered his wife and daughter by poisoning them using carbon monoxide has been struck off the UK medical register. Anaesthetist Dr Kim Sun Khaw, 54, 'used his specialist knowledge' to carry out the 'abhorrent' murders of his family members in 2015, according to a medical tribunal. Khaw was convicted of two counts of murder and given two life sentences following his trial at the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last year. He has now been struck off by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in the UK. Anaesthetist Dr Kim Sun Khaw, 54, (pictured) 'used his specialist knowledge' to carry out the 'abhorrent' murders of his family members in 2015, according to a medical tribunal Khaw killed his 47-year-old wife Wong Siew Fing and their 16-year-old daughter by filling a yoga exercise ball with carbon monoxide, which he sourced from the university where he worked. He then planted the ball in the boot of his family's yellow Mini Cooper. His wife and daughter were later found unconscious in the vehicle that had been parked at a bus stop about an hour after leaving home. Efforts to revive the pair were unsuccessful and investigators soon discovered the partially deflated yoga ball. Khaw, who at the time was an associate professor at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, was also registered in the UK having qualified at the University of London in 1988. Khaw killed his 47-year-old wife Wong Siew Fing (right) and their 16-year-old daughter (left) by filling a yoga exercise ball with carbon monoxide and leaving it in the family car Investigators discovered the partially deflated yoga ball in the boot of his family's yellow Mini Cooper (pictured) An MPTS tribunal report said: 'Dr Khaw took the carbon monoxide from the [hospital] where he was employed as an anaesthetist after an experiment was conducted. 'The tribunal found the seriousness of Dr Khaw's actions to be exacerbated by his utilising his specialist knowledge as an anaesthetist to conduct the murders. 'A well-informed member of the public would find Dr Khaw's actions abhorrent and that his actions would undermine public confidence in the medical profession. 'He has brought the medical profession into disrepute. Furthermore, Dr Khaw has failed to express any remorse for his actions.' It was heard during the trial that Khaw, who pretended he took the gas to kill rats, had planned to murder his wife but had not intended to murder his daughter. It is thought that Khaw had become estranged from his wife and their four children - although they continued to live together while he had an affair with a student. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) An Agusan del Norte lawmaker supportive of the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN called out the network Thursday for showing a supposedly offensive and unrealistic portrayal of his province as a hub of terrorists in a series. In a statement addressed to the producers of the networks war drama A Soldiers Heart, Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Lawrence Fortun said he was dismayed by the portrayal of Butuan as a hotbed of chaos. As a Butuanon who was born and raised in a city that was and has never been known to be a hub of extremism and terrorism, I am dismayed by the portrayal of Butuan as a hotbed of chaos, he said. The depiction is not only unrealistic, it is offensive because it is destroying the collective efforts of the people of Butuan to promote the Home of the Balangays as a tourist destination for history and culture and a hub of opportunities, Fortun added. The lawmaker was referring to a video clip of the fictional series which was posted on a Facebook page showing terrorists passing over an explosive device as part of their supposed terror attack in a market in Butuan. The next part of the clip showed the bombing of the market. I urge ABS-CBN to immediately air an appropriate disclaimer, review and reconsider the content and story elements of the teleserye in order not to further besmirch the reputation of our historic city, Fortun said. He added that the network should instead depict the real Butuan and feature stories about the city in their news programs. Fortun is a co-author of House Resolution 639 which supports the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise. The resolution specifically urges the House Committee on Legislative Franchises to report out without further delay for plenary action a consolidated version of eight pending bills proposing for the renewal of the network for another 25 years. ABS-CBN says sorry ABS-CBN issued an apology over the issue, claiming that it did not intend to deliberately portray Butuan in a bad light. ABS-CBN would like to apologize to Agusan Del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun and the people of Butuan City if the scenes in the TV series 'A Soldiers Heart' have offended them, it said in a statement in the afternoon. While the incident portrayed in the series was fictitious, there was mention of the city name. We would like to assure them that there was no deliberate intention to portray Butuan City negatively in the show, the network noted. We acknowledge that Butuan is one of the beautiful and peaceful cities in the country, ABS-CBN added. In a chance interview on Wednesday after their special session, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano reiterated that they will hold fair hearings on the issue starting February and they have enough time to cover everything before their session adjourns in a few months. We have enough time. Kung 'yung budget na 4.1-trillion natapos natin ng isang buwan, yun pa kayang franchise na siguro, sobra, 'yung issues, two, three hearings sobrang exhaustive na yun, he said. [Translation: We have enough time. If we were able to tackle the 4.1-trillion budget in a month, how much more about the issues surrounding the franchise, two, three hearings are probably exhaustive enough.] There are only 21 session days left until House adjourns on March 13 for a summer break. ABS-CBNs franchise is set to expire at the end of March 2020. President Rodrigo Duterte had repeatedly called to veto the television networks franchise in the past for its allegedly biased reporting against his administrations war on drugs and for failing to air his campaign advertisements in the 2016 polls. A woman who was jailed for manslaughter after sending her boyfriend text messages urging him to kill himself has been released four months early today, serving only 11 months behind bars. Michelle Carter, 23, kept her head down on Thursday as she left Bristol County jail in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, dressed in black with a grey suit jacket. She was accompanied by three officers, one who appeared to be carrying items in two large trash bags. She was released from jail just minutes after her parents Gail and David Carter had arrived in a black SUV at 9.30am to collect her. She did not address the assembled media as she left. Carter was then taken to the probation office in Taunton, where she also declined to speak. Carter will spend five years on probation. Carter was originally due to be freed in May after entering the jail in February 2019 but earned 'good time' credits for good behavior and attending programs while incarcerated, according to the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. Carter, from Plainville, was sentenced to 15 months in August 2017 after a judge found her guilty of causing the death of her suicidal boyfriend Conrad Roy III in 2014. The then-17-year-old told Roy, 18, in a phone call to get back inside his carbon monoxide-filled truck that he had parked behind a Kmart store in Fairhaven. Roy's grandfather said to the Boston Herald about Carter's early release: 'The sheriff should serve the rest of her time. He lets her go because she's a good girl? She's not a good girl.' Michelle Carter, 23, walked free from Bristol County House of Corrections, in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts on Thursday morning She kept her head down as she left Bristol County jail in Dartmouth, Massachusetts dressed in black with a grey suit jacket She was released from jail this morning just minutes after her parents Gail and David Carter, had arrived in a black SUV at 9.30am to collect her. She was accompanied by three officers, one who appeared to be carrying items in two large trash bags Carter, from Plainville, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 15 months in August 2017 after a judge found her guilty of causing the death of her suicidal boyfriend Conrad Roy III in 2014, telling the 18-year-old in a phone call to get back inside his carbon monoxide-filled truck that he had parked behind a Kmart store in Fairhaven Roy's grandfather said to the Boston Herald about her early release: 'The sheriff should serve the rest of her time. He lets her go because she's a good girl? She's not a good girl'. Pictured: 18-year-old Roy Evidence presented at trial showed Carter had suggested several ways in which Roy could commit suicide. 'Drink bleach. Why don't you just drink bleach? Hang yourself,' Carter said in one text, before adding, 'Jump over a building, stab yourself, idk. There's a lot of ways' Carter had waived her right to a jury trial in 2017 and faced up to 20 years in jail. She was denied parole last September. Carter carried a clear plastic bag filled with documents and books out of the prison on Thursday morning. She ultimately served 11 months and 12 days of her 15-month sentence. It was a short walk from the side door of the prison for Carter to her parents' waiting car which was already in the prison parking lot. Her parents remained in the car as she climbed in the back seat. The black Jeep was driven by her defense attorney Joseph Cataldo while her father sat in the passenger seat and her mother in the back. The 23-year-old lay down in the back of the car and put her head in her mother's lap, who then covered her daughter with her hand. She was then driven directly to Taunton District Court where she went inside with Cataldo while her parents waited in the car. She spent about 20 minutes inside as part of the conditions set out for her probation which runs until August 1, 2022. She was required to attend the court within 48 hours of being released from jail. Her probation monitoring has been transferred to Norfolk County where she lives. Along with general conditions of not being able to leave Massachusetts without a travel permit and notifying the probation officer within 48 hours if she changes residence, school or employment, Carter's probation order also includes specific instructions. She is barred from having any contact with Conrad Roy's family members, directly or indirectly, through calls, email, letters or social media, except only what is necessary 'in conjunction with any civil litigation'. She is also prevented from having any contact with civilian witnesses who testified at her trial with the exception of Dr Peter Breggin. The psychiatrist testified for the defense saying that Carter's mental health problems were made worse by her eating disorder and being prescribed anti-depressants. Carter was then taken to the probation office in Taunton, where she also declined to speak after leaving. Carter will spend five years on probation Terms of her five-year probation include having no contact with the Roy family, no contact with any school friends who testified at her trial and she is barred from making a profit from media interviews, books or films about her story The black Jeep was driven by her defense attorney Joseph Cataldo while her father sat in the passenger seat and her mother in the back. The 23-year-old lay down in the back of the car and put her head in her mother's lap, who then covered her daughter with her hand The document names specifically Samantha Boardman, Alexandra Eblan, Thomas Gammel, Allie Eithier and Olivia Mosolgo. Boardman had received a text from Carter after Roy's death saying that the teenager had 'got out of the car because it was working and he got scared and I f**king told him to get back in'. Boardman also testified to Carter's loneliness and how she complained of having no one to hang out with. Eblan told the court that she had gone to a sleepover at Carter's house with Samantha but didn't want to be there and didn't spend time with Carter socially. Eithier met Carter at summer camp and distanced herself from Carter after she shared details of Roy's death just weeks after they began texting. 'I don't know you very well,' Eithier wrote to Carter in one message from 2014. Mosolgo, who played softball with Carter, also testified that Carter told her she had been talking on the phone with Roy when he killed himself. Gammel, Roy's best friend, told the court how he questioned Carter's decision to hold a fundraising tournament for the late teen in Plainville, despite it being around an hour away from where he had grown up in Mattapoisett. Carter texted Gammel: 'You're not taking credit for my idea, right?' When Gammel's team won the tournament and the teens gathered around for a photo, he can be seen blocking her position in the center of the picture, where she had placed herself. Carter is also required to undergo a mental health evaluation with the Juvenile Court clinic to assess any issues and recommend treatment. The 23-year-old, or any of her representatives, are also barred from doing any movies, books, TV or news publication interviews for 'any profit or benefit generating activity' related to her crime. Carter was originally due to be freed in May but earned 'good time' credits for good behavior and attending programs while incarcerated, according to the Bristol County Sheriff's Office Three officers escorted Carter outside the jail, one carrying two large bags that appear to be Carter's personal items The U.S. Supreme Court declined last week to hear Carter's appeal. Her case garnered national attention as it raised thorny legal questions about free speech and provided a disturbing look at teenage relationships and depression. It also sparked legislative proposals in Massachusetts to criminalize suicide coercion. At her 2017 trial at Bristol Juvenile Court, Judge Lawrence Moniz found that Carter had caused Roy's death when she told him in a call to get back into the cabin of his truck that he had rigged up to fill with the deadly gas. The call was not recorded but Carter subsequently sent a text message to a friend saying that she had instructed Roy to get back in the vehicle. In text messages sent in the days leading up to Roy's death, Carter also encouraged her boyfriend to follow through with his suicide plan and chastised him when he didn't. Carter's lawyers argued in their Supreme Court appeal that the conviction should be thrown out because it was an 'unprecedented' violation of their client's First Amendment rights that suggested 'words alone' are enough to hold someone responsible for another persons suicide. They also argued there was simply not enough evidence to prove Carter urged Roy to get back in his truck to die, or that he would have lived if she had called for help or taken other actions to try and save him. Prior to his ruling, Judge Moniz said that it was the phone calls Carter made to Roy that caused his death. The U.S. Supreme Court declined last week to hear Carter's appeal. Her case garnered national attention as it raised thorny legal questions about free speech and provided a disturbing look at teenage relationships and depression. Massachusetts' highest court already upheld her conviction in February 2019 (pictured) At her 2017 trial at Bristol Juvenile Court, Judge Lawrence Moniz found that Carter had caused Roy's death when she told him in a call to get back into the cabin of his truck that he had rigged up to fill with the deadly gas A Massachusetts judge found Carter guilty in June 2017 (picture) of causing Roy's death by ordering him to get back in his carbon monoxide-filled truck 'She instructed him to get back in the truck which she has reason to know is becoming a toxic environment to human life,' Moniz said. He added that Carter had a legal obligation to call for help and had not. 'Ms. Carter took no action. She admitted in subsequent texts that she did nothing,' the judge said. Carter was depicted by the prosecution as needy and manipulative who revelled in her status as a 'grieving girlfriend'. A week after Roy's suicide, Carter sent a message to a friend appearing to accept blame for what had happened. The message read: 'They have to go thru his phone and see if anyone encouraged him to do it on texts and stuff They read my messages with him I'm done. My family will hate me and I could go to jail.' Psychiatrist Dr Peter Breggin testified for the defense saying that Carter was a 'very troubled youngster' who suffered from depression and was taking anti-depressants at the time of Roy's death which affected her empathy and decision-making process. The teens had met in 2012 while they were both visiting relatives in Florida and despite living an hour apart in Massachusetts, knew each other's families. Following Carter's sentencing, Conrad's mother, Lynn Roy, told DailyMail.com: 'I would give up everything - I would be homeless, sleep in my car for the rest of my life, if I could just get him back. 'I want a law in place that prevents this happening to any other mother and child. The ultimate goal is to have a law passed. It's not going to bring my son back but I would be honored if it would help other children.' Massachusetts lawmakers are exploring a bill, called 'Conrad's Law', which would make the coercion of suicide a crime. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support. Or, to connect with a counselor through the Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741741. Dubai Airport, one of the world's biggest aviation hubs, said Thursday it would carry out thermal screening of all passengers arriving from China amid an outbreak of a deadly virus. The move goes further than other major transport hubs in Europe and the United States, which have limited their screening to passengers coming from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the scare. "Dubai Airports confirms... that all passengers arriving on direct flights from the People's Republic of China must receive thermal screening at the gate upon arrival," a statement said. China has locked down two major cities including Wuhan to fight the coronavirus that has already claimed 17 lives and spread to a number of other countries. Dubai's government said on Thursday that some 989,000 Chinese tourists visited the glitzy emirate last year and that the number was expected to cross the one-million mark in 2020. Some 3.6 million Chinese transited through the airport in 2019. "The screening will be conducted on secured, closed gates at the airport by Dubai Health Authority and its Airport Medical Centre team," the statement said. The coronavirus has caused alarm because of its similarity to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. Like SARS, it can be passed among people through the respiratory tract. Dubai International Airport in 2018 served 89.15 million passengers, retaining its world-number-one spot of welcoming the largest number of foreign passengers for the fifth year in a row. There was no announcement as yet from authorities in the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi which also has a large airport. Dozens of flights operate weekly between Chinese cities and Dubai and Abu Dhabi. China is the UAE's top trading partner and Abu Dhabi is among the 15 top crude suppliers to Beijing. Several hundred Chinese companies have offices in the UAE. The United Arab Emirates' health ministry said Wednesday that the Gulf state with a population of 10 million -- about 90 per cent of them foreigners -- was free of the coronavirus, and that it had taken sufficient measures to face the disease. "The health situation poses no grounds for concern and the ministry is closely following up on the situation to ensure the health and safety of everyone," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Yesterday afternoon, the Guardian broke the news that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had been hacked. Both the extent to which Bezos was compromised and the alleged perpetrator are, to understate it, substantial. According to multiple reports, Bezoss iPhone X was compromised after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (or someone using his account) sent him a malware-laden video file over WhatsApp. The level to which the information on Bezoss phone was compromised is kind of mind-boggling. Since the news broke, Vice has obtained the November 2019 report outlining how the attack on Bezos was carried out and how much data was stolen. The pair first connected and exchanged numbers at a dinner in Los Angeles in April 2018 Bezos opened with the very personable message, Hello MBS. According to the report, put together by Anthony Ferrante of FTI Consulting, Bezos received the malicious video file from MBS on May 1, 2018. Following the installation of the malware on Bezoss phone, egress on the device immediately jumped by approximately 29,000 percent. That means the amount of data being uploaded from Bezoss phone (to somewhere ) spiked. In the six months prior to the video file, his phone transmitted about 430 KB per day, but within hours of the WhatsApp video, egress jumped to 126 MB. What high-flown and important conversations were these two men having over WhatsApp? One message, sent on November 8, 2018, contained one of those sexist boomer jokes about how women are always yappin. The caption of the image reads Arguing with a woman is like reading the Software License Agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree. What a fun joke to send to a technology entrepreneur who built his world-bending fortune by setting onerous and unfair terms for everyone from his users to his vendors to his employees! An image macro sent by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Jeff Bezos. The caption appears alongside a picture of Russian model Vika Levina. The report notes that the photo resembles Lauren Sanchez, whom Bezos was having an affair with at the time, though that is likely a coincidence. The macro is publicly available online and wasnt custom-made for Bezos. A more clear sign that may indicate that MBS had information about what Bezos was doing on his phone came later. According to the report, Bezos was briefed on the infiltration on February 14, 2019 in a couple of calls placed to his phone. A couple of days later, on February 16, MBS sent Bezos the following message: Jeff all what you hear or told to its not true and its matter of time tell you know the truth, there is nothing against you or amazon from me or Saudi Arabia. The next day, Bezoss security chief Gavin de Becker was advised by an intel expert familiar with Saudi Arabia to perform a forensic analysis of Bezoss iPhone. FTIs report hypothesizes that Bezoss iPhone was compromised with tools procured by Saud al-Qahtani, a close friend of MBS and the head of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones. Crucially, al-Qahtani also played a role in the state-sponsored killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for the Bezos-owned Washington Post who was critical of the KSA regime. Bezos, in addition to being one of the wealthiest men in the world, also heads up a multinational company that has the power to move markets, runs a robust network of vital internet infrastructure (Amazon Web Services), and owns one of the most influential news outlets in America. MBS is not the only person alleged to have dirt on him. In early February of last year (just days before the security audit of the phone began), Bezos announced that he was being extorted by David Pecker, who had acquired dick pics that Bezos had sent to Lauren Sanchez. Bezos has also been in a prolonged feud with President Donald Trump, who frequently invokes Bezoss ownership of the Post as evidence of bias, and who steered a lucrative military contract away from Amazon into the hands of Microsoft. Trump has also complained that Amazons delivery agreement with the U.S. Post Office is unfair. Aside from the growing evidence that Bezoss private information was successfully compromised by powerful entities, the way in which MBS allegedly did so is concerning. MBS has also reportedly used WhatsApp to communicate with Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and a senior White House official with a security clearance. It is very much in the realm of possibility that Saudi Arabia has sensitive information about the executive branch as well. The United Nations has called for an investigation into the allegations against MBS. In a statement today, special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said they were gravely concerned by the possible involvement of the crown prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, the Washington Posts reporting on Saudi Arabia. DUBLIN, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The head of aircraft lessor Avolon, which has committed to a fleet of 148 Boeing 737 MAX jets, said he believed the planemaker's new June to July horizon for getting the grounded aircraft back in the air was a "worst case scenario." Boeing said on Tuesday it does not expect to win approval for the return of the 737 MAX to service until mid-year due to further potential developments in the certification process and regulatory scrutiny on its flight control system. "The best news I've heard on the MAX grounding was yesterday, when Boeing said June-July," Avolon chief executive Domhnal Slattery told a conference in Dublin, adding he hoped it marked the beginning of the end of the MAX crisis. (Reporting by Laurence Frost, writing by Padraic Halpin, editing by Chris Reese) Burma Myanmar Court Seeks Arrest of Lawyer and Poet in Militarys Lawsuit Lawyer U Kyi Myint (far left), activist Ko Nay Myo Zin (center) and poet Saw Wai (far right). YANGONA court in Tanintharyi Region issued warrants Monday for the arrest of lawyer U Kyi Myint and poet U Saw Wai for failing to appear in court for a case over their remarks on Myanmars constitutional amendment process. The Myanmar military filed the case in Tanintharyis Kawthaung Township against three prominent political activistsU Kyi Myint, U Saw Wai and former Myanmar army captain Nay Myo Zinfor remarks they made in April about charter amendment, suing the three activists under Section 505 of the Penal Code for allegedly defaming the military and military leadership. The Kawthaung Township Court began hearings in the case on Jan. 20 after sending summons letters to the defendants. On Monday, only Nay Myo Zin, who is already serving a one-year prison term in Insein Prison on the same charge from another military lawsuit, appeared in court. The militarys plaintiff also did not appear in court on Monday. Poet U Saw Wai, a former political prisoner, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the courts decision to issue an arrest warrant goes beyond what is allowed under the law, as he has not received any legal summons letter from the court. There has never been justice and there never will be as the judiciary is in the hands of the military. That is why we talked about supporting amendments to the charter, said U Saw Wai. Lawyer U Kyi Myint told reporters that he did not attend the court hearing because police havent conducted a proper investigation into the case, as required under Criminal Procedure Code Section 202. On Thursday, U Kyi Myint told The Irrawaddy that he had already reported to the Kawthaung Township Court and police force that, due to the warrant, he will appear in court for the next hearing, scheduled for Feb. 3. U Saw Wai added that the defendants will hold a press conference in Yangon on Saturday. Section 505(a) of the Penal Code carries a penalty of up to two years in prison for making, publishing or circulating statements, rumors or reports intended to cause military officers to mutiny, or to fail in or disregard their duties. Anyone sued under Section 505(a) must be arrested and detained, as it is a non-bailable offense. In November, 130 Myanmar civil society groups released a joint statement condemning the militarys attempt to prosecute the three activists and calling on the military to drop the case immediately. Over the past four years, the military has filed 47 lawsuits against 96 people, including 51 activists, 19 individual citizens, 14 journalists, five religious representatives, four artists and three members of political parties, according to a recent report by Athan, a group advocating for the right to freedom of expression in Myanmar. Of the militarys 47 lawsuits, most have been filed by the military as a way to take action against its critics, the report said. Athan has also called on the military to drop its lawsuits and stop suing those that criticize it. A British man has said he was surprised there were not more checks at Heathrow airport for those travelling from the Chinese city at the heart of a deadly virus outbreak. Thomas Crosby said passengers were handed leaflets telling them to call health professionals if they develop symptoms of a new coronavirus that has killed at least 17 people in China. However, he claimed he was not screened on landing. I havent had my temperature checked, Mr Crosby told the BBC while still at the airport. I wasnt questioned at passport control. The passenger said after leaving Wuhan, which has gone into lockdown after with a new strain of deadly pneumonia has infected hundreds of poeple, he would expect more than what happened on arriving in the UK. Public Health England (PHE) said on Wednesday: From today, enhanced monitoring will be in place from all direct flights from Wuhan to the UK. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under 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hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing 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attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty The Department of Health said health officials will check for visible symptoms of coronavirus and provide information about symptoms, and what to do if they become ill, to all passengers. Leaflets would also be available offering advice on what to do if feeling ill, and plans were in place to create a separate area for passengers arriving at Heathrow on a direct flight from Wuhan which has now effectively been placed in quarantine. Dr Nick Phin, the deputy director of the National Infection Service at PHE said: We are working with the WHO and other international partners, have issued advice to the NHS and are keeping the situation under constant review. Some countries have started screening travellers coming from the city at the epicentre of the outbreak, although people who are infected typically do not show any signs of symptoms for five days. A PHE spokesperson said: Most people who develop symptoms will get them after leaving the airport and so our priority is providing UK residents and travellers with the latest information to make sure they know what to do if they experience symptoms. The NHS and PHE have an established plan to respond to someone who becomes unwell. Three flights a week usually arrive at Heathrow from Wuhan, central China. The London airport declined to comment on the measures in place for Wuhan arrivals. The Chinese city, which has a population of around 11 million, went into lockdown on Thursday morning, with all outgoing flights suspended, according to state media. Public transport has also been shut down in Wuhan, as well as in two other Chinese cities on Thursday. More than 500 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed so far, with patients confirmed elsewhere in China, Japan, Thailand and Seattle, Washington. The World Health Organisation currently said: Based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend any restriction of travel or trade. There is an increased likelihood that the UK will see cases of the new coronavirus, and the NHS is ready to respond appropriately, Matt Hancock, the British health secretary, has said. We have been closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan and have put in place proportionate, precautionary measures, he told parliament on Thursday. Additional reporting by Press Association AUSTIN Texas state Rep. Ron Reynolds was running for his fourth term when in early 2016 he abruptly stopped reporting his finances to the state. He didnt file another report for about two years, keeping secret the amount of money he raised during that time and the identities of those who gave it to him. Reynolds, D-Missouri City, is one of about a hundred candidates, lobbyists and political action committee treasurers each year who fail to file mandatory disclosures of their donors and expenses, racking up thousands of dollars in fines as a result, according to an analysis by Hearst Newspapers. Yet candidates with unpaid fines can continue to run for office and the committees can go on operating, thanks to a weak enforcement system that allows them to dodge their responsibility to the state and voters. Reynolds still owes over $74,000 as he runs for re-election this year. The Texas Attorney Generals Office, which handles collections for the Texas Ethics Commission, since 2005 has won the right in court to collect $1.1 million from late filers, including Reynolds, but the office has then written off $800,000 as uncollectible, effectively ending attempts to financially penalize candidates and political committees. Campaign finance in Texas is basically a wild west, no rules system, said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, an advocacy group that seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics. Only in the most extreme circumstances do you see people being held accountable. For subscribers: Gov. Abbott hauls in two $1M checks in Texas, land of unlimited political giving Its rare for office holders like Reynolds to allow their fines to pile up. Elected officials, including judges and legislators, make up a small portion of the total outstanding fines, the majority of which are owed by candidates who lost, lobbyists and PAC treasurers. Still, the states lack of enforcement could give candidates and politicians with unpaid fines little motivation to pay up or account for their fundraising in 2020, a competitive election that could tip the scales of power in Texas for years to come. The campaign finance reports are required by law because they reveal where candidates are getting their money in a state with few limits on contributions, which has meant some have received checks as high as $1 million from individual donors. Reynolds, a personal injury attorney who has been in the Legislature since 2011, has yet to file the missing campaign reports, Texas Ethics Commission records show. Meanwhile, the attorney generals office has gone to court seven times trying to collect fines from Reynolds since 2008. Those court judgments are supposed to act as an incentive for a candidate to pay because they can inhibit a persons ability to get a loan or lower their credit score, the attorney generals office said. Reynolds, however, said the lawsuits havent negatively impacted his credit score or affected his job as a state representative. Just one of the fines for $9,400 has been paid back in full; Reynolds said he is making payments toward the rest of the debt, but he did not respond to a request that he provide proof of payment. The attorney generals office did not respond to a request for confirmation. Reynolds has not missed reporting deadlines in the last year. He said he plans to file the missing campaign finance reports next month, explaining that the fines accrued after he missed filing deadlines when his mother was in intensive care, when he was in the hospital and when he was out of the country. In 2018, Reynolds served nearly four months in jail for illegally soliciting clients for his law practice and was released in time for the beginning of the 2019 legislative session. He has been disbarred in Texas but is appealing the decision. My constituents appreciate the fact that I'm very engaged and responsive to their concerns, he said in a statement. I plan to stay focused on fighting for my constituents and not distracted by old fines that I'm already in the process of paying off. In 2018, 22 percent of people fined actually paid up The attorney generals office said it does all it can to collect the fines, by blocking elected officials from receiving reimbursements from the state or filing lawsuits when fees are hefty enough to justify the legal cost, before labeling them uncollectible. While those facing steep fines are cut off from state contracts and reimbursements, delinquent lawmakers can continue to collect their salaries and per diem checks. Other states such as New York, California and Florida can garnish wages, levy tax liens or even send collections agencies after debtors, but Texas regulators have none of those options. State law provides the civil courts as the only remedy for collecting unpaid fines. Once the Texas Attorney General deems fines uncollectible, the debt stays on the books and could still be paid one day, but there are no enforcement options left for the agency to take, officials said. Dozens of lobbyists, judges and lawmakers have paid off their debts, some of which reach tens of thousands of dollars. But plenty of other candidates and officials representing all political parties have not. Of the cases closed in 2018, about 22 percent of candidates and officials paid their fines in full. The rest were either waived by the commission or otherwise uncollectible at least in part. Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday Chad Craycraft, chair of the Texas Ethics Commission, said he believes the attorney generals office does all it can to collect. I have complete confidence that the attorney generals office takes all referrals made by the Texas Ethics Commission and other state agencies seriously and after evaluating each individually, pursues the course of action that it deems is in the best interest of the State of Texas, Craycraft said. Candidates have several opportunities to avoid a fine levied by the ethics commission. If they fail to report campaign spending on time, candidates can request the ethics commission waive the fine after they turn in the late report. That happens quite often: About 15 percent of overdue fines, or about $535,000, since 2005 have been absolved by the agency after it originally referred them to the attorney generals office for collections, records show. States with tougher laws have no problem collecting State Board of Education Board Member Georgina Perez is one of the more than 300 people whose fines were dropped in the last decade. Perez said she had a technical issue with submitting her disclosure forms that was later resolved. Perez said she was very concerned about having a fine on her record and dealt with the issue immediately, but even if she hadnt, the hold on her reimbursements for board-related travel and other expenses likely would have been highly effective especially since she has to make the 1,100-mile round trip drive from El Paso to Austin many times a year for board meetings. They would have gotten that $11,000, she said. In Florida, the state can recover unpaid fines through salary withholding, wage garnishment or referral to a collection agency, though the ethics commissions deputy executive director Kerrie Stillman said it has not been forced to garnish wages yet. Most cases are resolved before then, though, and the state has a 99 percent compliance rate, according to its 2018 report. Similarly, the vast majority of cases in California are settled through its Fair Political Practices Commission. Respondents can contest a finding of a violation before an administrative law judge. In about a half-dozen cases per year in the state, the respondent either fails to come to a settlement or evades the commission. At that point, the commission can vote to send the unpaid fines to a division focused on collections. By law, that division can levy a property tax lien or garnish tax refunds from the Franchise Tax Board and Internal Revenue Service. The Political Reform Act and FPPC have been in existence for 46 years, said spokesman Jay Wierenga about his states high level of compliance. So the political community at large is pretty well-aware of the requirements and laws and regulations. The majority of cases in New York are also resolved by settlement. A spokesman for the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, Walter McClure, said only a couple cases have been sent to the attorney general in recent years. Asked whether there is more the Texas Ethics Commission could do, administratively or through a legislative change, to collect overdue fines, Craycraft, the commissions chair, declined to comment, saying only that it is not a policy-making agency. Gutierrez, of Common Cause, said there is no political will for creating a more heavily regulated money-in-politics system in Texas. The attorney generals office has been dismissive of the commission, such as in 2018 when it declined to represent it in a court case filed by the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans that seeks to gut the agency. The attorney generals office at the time called into question whether the commission has the constitutional right to enforce state election laws and penalize those who violate them. We take the duty to defend the state seriously and routinely defend agency enforcement actions whenever consistent with our duty to uphold the Constitution, said the attorney generals spokesman Marc Rylander at the time. However, where we determine those two duties are in conflict, our first obligation is to defend the Constitution and the basic rights it guarantees to each and every Texan. That makes it unlikely the commission, which Gutierrez described as one of the most toothless Texas agencies, will see change. To me, it is really a product of state leadership that doesnt want to have regulations on campaign finance, doesnt believe money in politics is a problem, he said, and they have set up a system to reflect that. taylor.goldenstein@chron.com New Delhi : China has once again come out in support of Pakistan over the issue related to terrorism. At a key meeting of the international terror financing watchdog in Beijing, China on Thursday said that Pakistan has made visible progress to strengthen its counter terrorism financing system, which should be encouraged by the world community. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Asia Pacific Joint Group met in Beijing this week to scrutinise Pakistans progress report to adopt stricter laws against terror financing and money laundering. China is the President of the FATF and co-chair for Asia Pacific Joint Group. A Pakistani delegation led by Minister for Economic Affairs Division Hammad Azhar is in Beijing to brief the financial task force about the steps taken by Islamabad to implement the recommendations made by the FATF. "As FATF president and co-chair for Asia Pacific Joint Group, China will continue to uphold an objective, just and constructive attitude and participate in relevant discussions," he said. The FATF in October last decided to keep Pakistan on its 'Grey' list for failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and others. If not removed off the list by April, Pakistan may move to a blacklist of countries that face severe economic sanctions, such as Iran. (With PTI Inputs) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Sleuths of Railway Protection Force (RPF) have zeroed in on a Chennai based 'I-Ticketing' company for massive money laundering in the multi-crore ticketing scandal which has links to an international terror funding syndicate. The racket was busted with the help of a Bengaluru-based girl who "honey-trapped" the mastermind of the pan-Indian racket, Ghulam Mustafa, top sources in the RPF told IANS. On the role of the Bengaluru girl for laying the honey trap for Ghulam Mustafa, RPF Director General Arun Kumar said he cannot share details of the investigation at this stage, but confirmed that one girl had honey-trapped the kingpin of the entire e-ticketing scam which has its roots in Dubai. Sources said the girl arranged a meeting with Mustafa, who had gone underground for several months after RPF swooped down on his syndicate in Bangalore. Mustafa, who led an ultra luxury life, was lured by the girl pretending to be looking for a lucrative job. The sleuths had cracked Mustafa's personal phone lists and identified the girl, who later agreed to help the law enforcing agency in cracking one of the biggest rail ticketing rackets in India. Sources said Mustafa Ghulam and Dubai-based Hamid Ashraf operated through over 250 agents spread across India. The gang used an advanced software to buy e-rail tickets which were sold at premium prices. The ticketing racket was spread almost in every district of the country, sources said. "Every month a profit of more than Rs 15 crore was being transferred to Mustafa's personal accounts. However, this amount seems to be a tip of the iceberg. We suspect that a massive amount was being transferred abroad. Investigation reveals that a Chennai-based company was linked with the syndicate in transferring funds," said a source. The RPF has sought help of Central agencies under Finance Ministry to unearth the international hawala and crypto-currency links of the syndicate which stretches from Bangladesh to Pakistan. Sources said India's external intelligence agency is also looking into the terror links of Ashraf and Mustafa. Ashraf, who operates from Dubai, allegedly has links with Pakistan-based outfits. He was earlier reportedly involved in a bomb blast in Uttar Pradesh. Besides Ashraf, kingpin Mustafa Ghulam had been in touch with several terror suspects in Dhaka and was also in touch with 'jehadi' elements in Pakistan. However, the RPF requires more evidence to conclude that Ashraf and Mustafa were operating with terror outfits and that a part of earning from the ticketing scam was being shared with terror networks. HOLYOKE One of two men charged with murder in the Jan. 10 homicide of Jesus Otero Marrero pleaded innocent to the charge on Thursday in Holyoke District Court. Brian Vazquez-Rivera, 29, of Holyoke, was ordered held without the right to bail pending his trial. He is due back in court on Feb. 24. Vazquez-Rivera appeared in district court for his arraignment on a charge of murder in connection with the shooting death of Marrero. Marreros body was found on the morning on Jan. 10 in an alley next to 593 Bridge St. in Holyoke. He had been shot multiple times sometime during the night. Police previously arrested two other men in connection with the shooting. Jean Carlos Rivera, 30, of Holyoke was arrested Jan. 13 and charged with murder in Holyoke District Court. He had pleaded innocent to the charge and is being held without the right to bail pending his trial. He is due back in court on Feb. 14. A third man, Merkin Andrade, 30, of Holyoke, was arrested and charged with being an accessory to murder and misleading police. He is being held on $100,000 and is due back in court on Feb. 13. Vazquez-Rivera was arrested last week in the Bronx. Holyoke police detectives and members of the state police detective unit assigned to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gullunis office worked with New York City police, members of the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, the FBI, and U.S. Secret Service to locate Vazquez-Rivera in the Bronx. Although officials have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo has publicly characterized the death as a gangland slaying and that Vazquez-Rivera is a known member of the La Familia street gang. Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2020 shows a press conference held by the Hubei provincial government in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. A total of 444 cases of new coronavirus-related pneumonia and 17 deaths had been reported in central China's Hubei Province as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to local authorities. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) WUHAN, Jan. 22 -- A total of 444 cases of new coronavirus-related pneumonia and 17 deaths had been reported in central China's Hubei Province as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to local authorities. Among the confirmed cases, 399 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals, with 71 in severe condition and 24 in critical condition, said Yang Yunyan, deputy governor of the province, at a press conference. A total of 2,556 close contacts had been placed under medical observation, with 863 people released. Among 69 cases newly reported in Hubei on Wednesday, 62 were in the capital city of Wuhan, where the first case was reported. To curb the pneumonia epidemic, Wuhan has introduced a compulsory policy that asks citizens to wear masks before entering public places. Employees of government organs, enterprises and public institutions are also required to wear masks at workplaces, said an announcement issued by the city government Wednesday evening. Public venue operators should set up clear reminders for members of the public to wear masks at points of entry and refuse entry to those who do not comply, said the announcement. Wuhan has also strengthened control of vehicles coming in and out of the city by establishing and improving epidemic prevention and control checkpoints at major junctions. The checkpoints will check temperatures of those leaving the city and inspect any animals carried by vehicles entering the city to crack down on the illegal transportation and sale of wildlife. The Hubei provincial government has activated a level II public health emergency response, the second-highest in the country. A headquarters headed by Mayor Zhou Xianwang has also been established in the provincial capital of Wuhan for the control and treatment of the pneumonia. Tensions run high with stricter Taal danger zone lockdown Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) Hours into the stricter implementation of the lockdown in Taal Volcano danger zones, emotions ran high from evacuees who insisted on visiting their homes. It was a tense early Thursday morning in Tanauan City in Batangas. Several residents wanted to head to Talisay, which is included in the 199 barangays of the 15 municipalities and cities in Batangas and Cavite that were placed in total lockdown, which completely bars evacuees from going back to their homes. They hoped they could be given a few hours to head home, but security forces did not budge. Some raised their voices, trying to reason out to authorities that they will visit their animals or check on their homes. Despite the insistence of the residents, there was no violent interaction. The Philippine government on Wednesday ordered the implementation of stricter measures to evacuate all residents within Taal Volcano's danger zone, which have been identified as vulnerable to base surges and volcanic tsunami in case of Taal's explosive eruption. Philippine National Police spokesperson Bernard Banac said there is a 48-hour deadline starting Wednesday to evacuate all residents within the Taal danger zone. They have started pulling out all security officers deployed in the 14-kilometer radius danger zone. The security forces are setting up checkpoints or "risk control points" 15 kilometers from Taal. Over 459,000 people reside within the 14-kilometer zone. A total of 148,514 people are currently taking shelter in evacuation centers, while some opted to stay in homes outside the danger zone. However, an aerial inspection around the volcano on Tuesday showed that quite a number of residents are still staying right on the shore of the lake facing Taal in blatant defiance of the governments order to stay out of the danger zone. Some residents who evacuated also temporarily returned home to check their properties and livestock. State volcanologists on Thursday said the sulfur dioxide emission and volcanic earthquakes are lessening over time, but this does not mean the threat of a hazardous eruption is no longer possible. Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said there is a new supply of magma on the surface of Taal Volcano. He assured magma won't seep through the cracks or fissures found in several Batangas towns. "The risk will always be there. Base sa pag-aaral namin, kahit hindi masyadong malaki ang pagsabog, pwede pa rin mangyari ang base surge," he said. He also confirmed he said there is a 30 percent chance Taal Volcano will have a powerful eruption, but insisted it is still a "big percentage." CNN Philippines senior correspondent David Santos contributed to this report. We moved in within the first year of the Kentlands, he said. We fell in love because it had everything we could want, all in walking distance. Jogging trails, swimming pools, playgrounds, and performance spaces. There are also bike trails in the Kentlands and in nearby Muddy Branch Creek. Ive actually run from Kentlands to the Potomac on the Muddy Branch trail, which is just gorgeous. A federal judge has referred what may have been untruthful answers given to him by indicted San Antonio oilman Brian Alfaro to the U.S. attorneys office for a possible perjury prosecution. Alfaro affirmed to U.S. District Judge Fred Biery at a bond revocation hearing last Friday that he was current with the mortgage payments on his $3 million Shavano Park home, but records show that on Jan. 13, a bank filed for foreclosure on the property. Because defendants home apparently was posted for (a foreclosure) sale four days before the hearing, it appears defendants answer should have been in the negative, given that foreclosure does not occur unless the mortgage payments have not been made, Biery wrote in the referral. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio oilman Brian Alfaros $3M house heading to foreclosure again The foreclosure sale never came up during the hearing. Michael McCrum, Alfaros criminal defense lawyer, Thursday had no comment on the judges action. Alfaro is scheduled to go to trial next month on eight counts of mail fraud over the alleged misuse of investors money. They had purchased units in oil and gas wells. Following a 2017 trial, a bankruptcy judge awarded nine investors whod sued Alfaro and other parties for nearly $8 million after determining theyd been defrauded. That case is the basis of the criminal charges against Alfaro, who has pleaded not guilty. Biery held last Fridays hearing to consider whether to lock up Alfaro pending the outcome of his trial. Alfaros testimony was under an oath to tell the truth. The judge advised him he could exercise his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, but Alfaro never did. In an order setting the hearing, Biery raised concerns over whether Alfaro had lied to U.S. Pretrial Services officials about his dealings with Mercedes-Benz of Boerne. Alfaro is required to report significant financial transactions to the officials. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox A credit application, filed under seal by the court, listed incorrect figures for Alfaros income and monthly mortgage payments and indicated that he had no court judgments against him. Alfaro told the judge he didnt fill out the application and signed it without reviewing it. So, its all somebody elses fault, Biery said during the hearing. All right, I find that to be rather incredible. But I find it at least credible enough that your bond will not be revoked. The judge, in his referral, said Alfaro tried to explain away the inconsistent and untruthful statements in his application for credit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Surovic informed the judge during the hearing that his office has opened an investigation into whether Alfaro committed bank fraud in connection with credit application. Biery delved into Alfaros finances during the hearing, which led to an exchange about the oilmans monthly mortgage payment. Alfaro said the payment is about $23,000 a month, though it was listed on the credit application as $2,400. Alfaros wife, Kristi, had filed for bankruptcy in September to stop an Oct. 1 foreclosure sale on the home. He blamed a bankruptcy receiver who is charged with recovering assets for the investors for taking the payments made to mortgage lender Karnes County National Bank of Karnes City. On ExpressNews.com: Alfaro and wife not turning over monies, receiver alleges McCrum said an agreement had been reached with the receiver. Kristi Alfaros bankruptcy was dismissed last week. Berry asked, So from this point you will make payments direct to Karnes County National Bank? I believe so, Alfaro replied. The bank, though, already had posted the house for foreclosure. Richard Chapman, a lawyer for the bank, said Thursday the foreclosure still is on for Feb. 4. In an interview earlier this week, McCrum said there was no contradiction between what Alfaro told the judge and whats happening with the foreclosure. Its not as simple as theyre not paying so (the bank) is going to foreclose, McCrum said. Theres a lot more going on. He added, Theres negotiations going on right now between the bankruptcy lawyers and the bank lawyers. Theres a question as to $1 million in extra fees that are unclear, and so theres just a lot of issues pending there. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD Barrister Ndille Ngwese Joseph Screenshot from HiTv Ndille Ngwese Joseph, Barrister-at-Law and outgoing councillor of the Muyuka Council has said he will no longer be candidate to the February 9, 2020 municipal elections. With his name appearing on the fourth position on the list of the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) party for Muyuka, Ndille Ngwese told Buea-based HiTV that he can no longer bear threats from Amba Boys. Armed separatists seeking to make of Cameroons North West and South West regions an independent country christened Ambazonia have since sworn to frustrate the February 9, 2020 municipal and legislative elections in the North West and South North West Regions. They went as far as calling for candidates in the said elections in the restive regions to withdraw or face dire consequences. Apparently sacred of the unknown, Ndille Ngwese said: I think the benefits of becoming a councillor and the benefits of what I have acquired throughout my life my family and my property far outweighs. I think I prefer staying, not being a councillor, than to lose my properties. Because the amount of threats I have, I cant bear them. And I think it is good and time enough for me to say I cannot continue to allow my name to be on that list as a councillor. So, I better drop. I think if I want to be a politician anymore, might be I will give some time. Not now, at this time when my life and my properties are at stake. I wrote a resignation to the Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development. I wrote my resignation and I tendered it. I think when they get it; they will know that I am serious. I think for all intents and purpose, I dont think I want to continue. Writing to the Minister, Ndille Ngwese titled the letter Resignation as would-be councillor from the Muyuka Council list 2020 municipal elections. Ndille Ngwese writes: I hereby tender this letter of resignation today the 21st of January 2020 from the Muyuka Council list. This is as a result of insecurity to my life and my family and my property. Copies of the letter are said to have been sent to the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, the Permanent Divisional Delegation of the CPDM, CRTV Buea, HiTV Buea, the South West Branch of ELECAM and other media organs. Ndille Ngwese in his concluding remarks prays that things will come back to normal and we live as Cameroonians henceforth. And we live as we used to live. I think it all depends on our Head of State. That is all I can say for now. Ndille Ngwese is former YCPDM Section President for Fako II, Muyuka. Advertisement Thomas Markle has shared extraordinary unseen photos and films of his Duchess daughter for a 90-minute bombshell documentary where he spoke of their loving and close relationship before she dumped him for Harry and his 'stiff' royal family. The 75-year-old also described his pride after the birth of his daughter in August 1981 as he opened up to Britain's Channel 5 in a film, watched by 1.2million people last night - just days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex started their new life in Canada. Mr Markle says Meghan's childhood years were 'the happiest of my life' as he shared dozens of pictures of her key moments including on the day she entered the world and as father and daughter bonded while he changed her nappies in the following days. There are also a string of happy photos of Meghan with her mother Doria Ragland, including at family Christmas parties and summer picnics near their home in California, before she moved in with Thomas as a teenager after the couple's divorce. Mr Markle has also shared rare home video footage of Meghan's first school productions where he says a star was born, her high school graduation, leaving for college as well as family photos as she won her first Hollywood parts and secured her breakthrough on Suits. An emotional Mr Markle also said he was 'jealous' and cried as he saw the Prince of Wales walking his daughter down the aisle and justified making the film to defend himself and rebut the 'trashy things' said about him Channel 5 has refused to reveal to MailOnline what Mr Markle was paid, but with Meghan's father known to have been paid 7,500 to appear on Good Morning Britain in 2018 industry sources suggest his fee would likely run into tens of thousands of pounds. Describing meeting Meghan for the first time, he told the documentary: 'When she was born I couldnt have been happier. They handed her to me, I saw her face, her little fingers wrapped around my fingers and that was it, I was in love. I just knew she was going to be special. I was just knocked out by that child. She was just beautiful and I just couldnt put her down'. Talks between the documentarys makers and TV executives in America are ongoing amid rumours of a bidding war over the 90-minute film. A source told MailOnline: Talks are ongoing with the major networks in the US once a deal is done the film could be shown within days, depending on whether they want to change their schedule. Thomas Markle has shared his family album with Channel 5 including this picture of him bonding with Newborn Meghan as she changed her nappy after her birth in August 1981 Mr Markle described meeting his daughter for the first time and how she grabbed his finger in the hospital shortly after birth 38 years ago Meghan sits up on her parents' bed in another extraordinary new family photo shown on the Channel 5 documentary Thomas holds his daughter, who he described as his pride and joy, saying he couldn't put her down when he was home from work Meghan is cuddled by her mother Doria on a sunny Californian day when she is around a year old in a previously unseen photo Meghan's parents split when she was young, initially living with mother Doria who had struggled with caring for Thomas' teenage children from his first marriage. He admits he was not happy and 'not around enough' Doria supports her Duchess daughter on a Californian beach in summer in the mid-1980s Even as she launched her acting career in Los Angeles after university they would see her 'three to four times a week' - but it all changed after meeting Harry, who he has never met. Thomas Markle on Meghan, Harry and the royals In the extraordinary film the 75-year-old American, who has not spoken to his daughter since her May 2018, detailed the breakdown of their relationship and accused Prince Harry of acting like a 'sensitive' 12-year-old. And he defended his decision to speak out in the film and to be paid for the lengthy interview. He said: 'At this point, they owe me. The royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me. I'm in my senior years now it's time to look after Daddy.' The retired Hollywood lighting director, who has never met the royal couple's baby son Archie, described his relationship with his daughter as 'complicated'. He insisted: 'To them I don't exist and now Harry, whether he realises it or not, is part of my family and I'm part of his. We should be talking.' He added: 'He's not 12 years old any more he's got no right to be this sensitive.' He describes Meghan and Harry's behaviour as embarrassing, says they are 'turning into lost souls' and, in a reference to a discount American supermarket giant, adds: 'They are turning it [the Royal Family] into a Walmart with a crown on.' He said: 'Every young girl wants to become a princess and she got that and now she's tossing that away it looks like she's tossing that away for money.' And referring to their refurbished home at Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle, he says: 'Apparently $3 million and a 26-room home isn't enough for them it is kind of embarrassing to me.' He added: 'She's been supported and loved by everybody on both sides of her [American] family. The family that she's joined is far stiffer than the one that she's left'. Advertisement Meghan's mother was her only relative at the royal wedding - her father said: 'She's been supported and loved by everybody on both sides of her [American] family. The family that she's joined is far stiffer than the one that she's left'. Asked if Meghan should be supporting him financially he said: 'She has given me some money - she gave me $5,000 for Christmas once. The money she gave me has been gifts, Only once or twice have I asked for help. 'When she was angry with me she claimed that she had given me $20,000 over two years - but I paid for everything that got her to where she is not. I'm not asking for it back - but it's awfully picky to focus on what she's given me, ignoring what I've given her'. And he defending his decision to speak out in the film and to be paid for the lengthy interview. He said: 'At this point, they owe me. The royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me. I'm in my senior years now it's time to look after Daddy.' The documentary contains at least five home videos of Meghan that have never seen before and Thomas says he knew his daughter would be an actress after seeing her perform as a teenager in high school plays. There are also adorable images of Meghan fishing and joking with her father on various home movies. Mr Markle said he felt 'tremendous pride' watching Meghan act on stage at the private Catholic all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. And a video was revealed in a Channel 5 documentary last night of one of Meghan's star performances aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in the play Into the Woods. The clip filmed in March 1997 showed Prince Harry's future wife confidently walking around the stage and delivering her lines with gusto. Former TV lighting director Mr Markle also told a Channel 5 documentary how he helped build some scenery and rig the lights for plays at the school. He also told a bombshell documentary how he cried as he watched her marry Prince Harry on TV from a 'safe house' after his release from hospital. Intimate home footage filmed on Meghan Markle's last day at high school shows the future Duchess of Sussex mingling with both her mother and estranged father in the years before the family's very public falling out. At his home Mr Markle proudly showed off various royal gifts he had received, such as a mug commemorating the birth of Archie, his grandson. And he even joked that he had heard about Meghan and Harry branded condoms. Viewers were treated to pictures of Meghan on the day of her birth, and he describes her as a 'natural beauty' and the most 'special thing in my life.' There were also pictures of Mr Markle's upbringing, with pictures of him as a young man. In one picture of him as a boy, he jokes: 'I looked like Harry...better looking.' He told the 90-minute documentary about meeting Meghan's mother, and and how he felt about his daughter was born by C-section. 'Not everybody seems to approve of those kind of relationships,' he added with regards to being in a mixed-race relationship with Doria. 'People would look at Doria like she was a housekeeper. It wasn't fair. Of course it wasn't fair. 'I think she's going through the same problem right now with the royals. I don't think they know where to place her. She always looks scared. She always looks like a deer in the headlights.' Mr Markle has defended sharing the photos and speaking out against his daughter claiming she, Harry and the royals 'owe' him Thomas says that he would see his daughter most weekends after Doria decided she wanted to move back to central Los Angeles Mr Markle said that because she was black: 'People would look at Doria like she was a housekeeper. It wasn't fair. Of course it wasn't fair' Doria and Meghan when she was around ten - mother and daughter remain very close and Doria is also said to be very close to Harry Meghan showed a flair for perfomance, especially in high school, and her father said it became clear that she was destined for a career in showbiz Thomas Markle said he knew Meghan would be a star after seeing her perform as a teenager Meghan's father shared dozens of unseen photos of her daughter in her teenage years when they lived together Mr Markle, Doria and their daughter as she started her career and within a few years of this photo she would be earing $40,000 per episode of Suits A glamorous-looking Meghan, who is aged just 17 at the time, is seen surrounded by relatives including Thomas Markle and a beaming Doria Ragland at the private all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'will pay for their OWN security - but only when they are on commercial jobs Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are intending to pay for their own security costs in a model similar to that used by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to reimburse the taxpayer for protection provided on business engagements with no royal connection, sources claim. The arrangement would be like one put in place by ex PM Blair, who has earned millions travelling the world brokering business deals since he left No 10, the The Daily Telegraph reports. The couple are currently on Vancouver Island preparing to forge a new life for themselves and their eight-month-old son, Archie, after stepping back from royal duties. So far it has been unclear who would foot the bill for the family's taxpayer-funded security arrangements when they officially leave the monarchy in the spring. Politicians in Canada say taxpayers in the country should not have to pay - while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far refused to say who would be pick up the tab for protecting the couple. Advertisement The clip, filmed by Thomas in the summer of 1999, shows the future Duchess of Sussex making her way through a crowd of students towards her father, who she greets with a loving 'hi daddy' before tightly hugging a proud Doria. Meghan is then caught enduring an awkward exchange with Doria's father Alvin, who bemoans how he does not see his granddaughter on a regular basis and 'no longer recognises' her, causing Meghan to laugh uncomfortably. In the 90-minute documentary that aired on Channel 5 last night, a visibly crestfallen Thomas Markle described having to watch his daughter Meghan walk down the aisle on television as he recovered from a heart attack. An emotional Mr Markle told the interviewer he was 'jealous' of the Prince of Wales walking his daughter down the aisle was something he 'really wanted to do'. He said: 'My daughter looked beautiful. I wish that I could have been there with her. I was certainly appreciative Charles was there. I admit I cried a bit about that. To this day I can't forget that moment.' Mr Markle, who divorced Meghan's mother Doria in the late 1980s, said the last time he spoke to his daughter was during an emotional series of phone calls days before her wedding. He was due to walk Meghan up the aisle for her wedding in Windsor, but offered to pull out when it emerged that he had made a secret deal with a photographer. He agreed to pose for photos which showed him preparing for the wedding shortly after Kensington Palace appealed for the media to respect his privacy. Mr Markle said his involvement in the deal would 'haunt me for the rest of my life', and detailed a phone call in which Harry reprimanded him over the decision. In addition, it charts Meghan's formative years she lived with Thomas between the ages of 11 and 18. Here a 12-year-old Meghan dances in a California studio close to the time she began living with her father again In this home video from the same year, 1993, Meghan filmed a birthday message for a loved one , possibly for her mother thanking her for 'everything you do for me' A month later a 12-year-old Meghan rolled her eyes at her father who filmed her while fishing on holiday at Big Bear lake in California Meghan was also filmed playing games in the snow while filmed by her proud father who says Meghan would say he was 'good dad' Mr Markle has released unseen footage of his daughter, here as Red Riding Hood in the school production of Into The Woods when she was 15, in March 1997 An excited Meghan speaks to camera after taking part in a dance event as she started her path to stardom and the royal familyu An excited Meghan smiles as her father films her at her graduation at 17 at the private all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles The 90-minute documentary explores the background to what he calls his 'complicated' relationship with his daughter and their dramatic fallout in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. 'Uncomfortable to watch...why didn't the royals help Thomas Markle more?' Viewers feel sorry for Meghan's father Viewers said they felt sorry for Thomas Markle in tonight's bombshell documentary which charted his relationship with the Duchess of Sussex. In a tell-all 90-minute film, he accused his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him and revealed he cried while watching Meghan walk down the aisle on her wedding day. Mr Markle also said that Meghan had promised to look after him in his 'senior years'. He said: At this point, they owe me. The Royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me.' Social media users watching the extraordinary film seemed sympathetic to Mr Markle, with a number of people saying he seemed like a good father and a 'genuine guy'. Shanelle Stephens said: #ThomasMarkle seems like he was a really decent dad to Meghan. It's so sad now she's married into a prestigious family she doesn't want anything to do with him. 'It's not like he wasn't there for her when she was growing up. He was in your life #MeghanMarkle reach out to him. Captain Tykey said: 'Bless #thomasmarkle, so sad watching this. Clearly loves her very much.' Another Twitter user said: '#Thomasmarkle has every right to tell his story. The guy has been slaughtered across the news and social media for two years.' And Meg La Maniac, said: 'The Thomas Markle documentary is a tear jerker. He's a sweet humble man. Both taz and I are crying!' Advertisement Thomas Markle today revealed he doesn't think his daughter will see him again until he is 'lowered into the ground' in a coffin and justified being paid to take part in a Channel 5 documentary saying: ' Meghan owes me - it's time to look after daddy'. In the tell-all 90-minute film he accused Prince Harry of acting like a 'sensitive' 12-year-old and pledged to evidence against the couple in the High Court saying: 'I'm going to defend myself'. Accusing his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him, he said: I don't care. At this point, they owe me. The Royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me. I'm in my senior years now, it's time to look after daddy'. In the extraordinary film he also reveals the details of his last phone call with the Sussexes on the eve of their 2018 wedding as it emerged he had posed for a paparazzi photographer , a decision he says will 'haunt me for the rest of my life. He said: ' Harry said to me : "if you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened to you". I said to him 'it's too bad I didn't die because then you guys could pretend you were sad' and then I hung up on them. I was done'. He has never spoken to them since or met Archie, despite sending texts and letters, and added: I don't think at this point they're thrilled to see me or want to talk to me. The last time they might see me is being lowered into the ground'. Thomas' comments come after the Queen's top aides finalised a deal for the couple, who are stepping back as 'senior' royals in a bid to seek financial independence. Mr Markle is ready to testify against the Duchess of Sussex in court in a legal battle between the duchess and The Mail on Sunday, after the newspaper published extracts from a letter she sent to her father. He told Channel 5; 'To them I don't exist and now Harry, whether he realises it or not, is part of my family and I'm part of his. We should be talking'. He added: 'He's not 12 years old any more, he's got no right to be this sensitive. There are other parts of the letter that I would never put out because they're too offensive and too hurtful to me. And that's where it's at now'. Sitting on a wicker chair at his home in Mexico , Thomas, a retired Hollywood lighting director, is filmed talking thoughtfully about his relationship with Meghan and Prince Harry. He discussed the moment the former Suits actress called to tell him about her new boyfriend, after she met Prince Harry in 2016, but reveals he 'didn't know what it meant' that she was dating a member of the royal family. He explains: 'She calls me on the phone and she said, 'I've got a new boyfriend.' I said, 'Great' and she says, 'He's British'. 'I said 'OK' and she said, 'He's a prince.' I said 'Alright,' and she said, 'He's Prince Harry'. I said, 'Oh, OK'.' 'I didn't know what it meant. She could have been dating a Hollywood star and it would have been just as important to me, because you know either way they are both 'high numbers'.' He continues: 'She said, 'Do you want to talk to him?' and handed him the phone. He said 'hello' in a very British way and we talked a bit and that was nice.' In a Channel 5 TV documentary, Thomas Markle describes Meghan and Harry's behaviour as embarrassing Mr Markle, proudly shows a picture of Meghan on the day of her birth, and describes her as a 'natural beauty' and the most 'special thing in my life.' The opening scenes showed Thomas Markle looking at various royal gifts he has received, such as a mug commemorating the birth of Archie, his grandson. The documentary moves onto his upbringing, and he shows a number of pictures of him as a young boy, in which he jokes: 'I looked like Harry...better looking' (pictured) The documentary also looked at the early parts of Mr Markle's life before Meghan was born, Pictured: Mr Markle as a young man The 90-minute documentary used previously unseen photographs and home videos to chart Meghan's early years She lived with her father between the ages of 11 and 18. In the past, Mr Markle has claimed that he paid for his daughter's education. Mr Markle, who claims he has not spoken to the Duchess since before the wedding, which he missed because of heart surgery, says he believes their relationship is now beyond repair Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 Later, he claims he was told not to apologise to the royal family after he suffered a heart attack which meant he missed the royal wedding. Oprah insists that nobody 'has the right' to question Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's decision to leave the royal family Meghan Markle's close friends Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King have launched an extraordinary defense of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to step down from the royal family. Oprah, 66, who has grown close with both Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, over the past few years, defended the couple after being stopped by reporters while walking with Gayle, 65, in New York last night. In a video published by TMZ, Oprah said that she supported the Sussexes '1,000 per cent' in their decision to step back from the royal family, adding that she believes Prince Harry 'did what he needed to do for his family.' She explained: 'I don't think anybody else has any right to say anything, when a person has sat and thought about what is the best decision for him and his family, and then he makes that decision... none of us have any right to say anything about that.' Advertisement 'I apologise to you,' he says. 'I want to apologise to the Queen and to the royal family. I want to do that and I was told by them, 'don't'. 'And I was scheduled to go to the airport and go fly to England because they still wanted me to come to the wedding and be at the wedding. 'And at that time I got a massive heart attack and was then taken to the Sharp hospital, across the border.' 'It was in the evening, I'm not sure about the time, maybe about 9 or 10. They took me in and said, 'we'll stabilise you, we'll take care of you.' He adds: 'It was bad. The doctors said that would kill me. They put a stent in here, and another one here.' 'I had the procedure, and I asked the doctor, 'can I fly tomorrow?' He laughed at me and said, 'there's no way you can fly anywhere.'' 'So I spoke to Meghan and Harry. I think I rang them at this point, because I'd already told them I would be coming now. I called them and said, 'I can't come.'' 'I'm sure Meghan cried and was very upset, and I'm sure Harry seemed upset.' Mr Markle also told the programme: 'Meghan and Harry said they would protect me from [stress]. Their protection was simply to say, "don't talk to anybody".' Thomas (pictured during the documentary) also reveals he heard about his daughter's pregnancy on the radio while he was driving in his car The American has not spoken to his daughter since her wedding in May 2018, and admitted crying as he watched her tie the knot with Prince Harry A smiling Meghan Markle took Archie (left) and her two dogs for a walk in Vancouver hours before Harry landed in Canada (right) Harry and Meghan's wedding souvenirs are removed from Royal Collection's website The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official wedding souvenirs no longer feature in the Royal Collection's online shop in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to quit royal life. Commemorative pieces including a fine bone china coffee mug, a tankard and a plate were released ahead of Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, nuptials in Windsor in May 2018. Some pieces were still available to purchase as recently as a few days ago, but now searches for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring up no results on royalcollectionshop.co.uk. It comes after it emerged Prince Harry and Meghan trademarked their Sussex Royal brand on more than 100 items including pencils, socks and bookmarks more than six months ago, before declaring they wanted to quit the royal family and work toward 'financial independence.' Advertisement He also discusses hearing that his daughter was pregnant through the radio in his car, rather than over the phone like he had always dreamed of. 'I was sitting in my car waiting to cross the border and I heard the good news from the royals is that Meghan is pregnant,' Thomas explains. 'Which is almost a joke when you tell people, well you heard it on the radio.' 'This is my daughter, talking about my grandchild. She's going to have a grandchild that's mine. 'I'm not hearing about it on the phone, I'm hearing about it on the radio.' He did not hold out much hope of a reconciliation, saying: 'The last time they might see me is being lowered into the ground. I don't think at this point they're thrilled to see me or want to talk to me.' In the film, Thomas Markle: My Story, he said he was embarrassed and disappointed by Meghan and Harry's decision to step back from their duties as senior royals. The 90-minute documentary used previously unseen photographs and home videos to chart Meghan's early years, when she lived with her father between the ages of 11 and 18. In the past, Mr Markle has claimed that he paid for his daughter's education. He said he had sold Facebook shares to pay 15,000 towards her first wedding to producer Trevor Engelson in 2011, but claimed she had given him no financial support since marrying Harry. Mr Markle, speaking from his home in Mexico, also told how he only learned Meghan was pregnant when he heard it on the radio. He added: 'It's almost a joke when you tell people you heard it on the radio. This is my daughter talking about my grandchild. She's going to have a grandchild that's mine and I'm not hearing about it on the phone. I'm hearing about it on the radio.' The 90-minute documentary, Thomas Markle: My Story, explores the background to what it calls his 'complicated' relationship with his daughter and their dramatic fallout in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. Moment 17-year-old Meghan Markle happily greets her mother Doria and grandfather while father Thomas films on camcorder in unseen home video released for first time in documentary Intimate home footage filmed on Meghan Markle's last day at high school shows the future Duchess of Sussex mingling with both her mother and estranged father in the years before the family's very public falling out. A glamorous-looking Meghan, who is aged just 17 at the time, is seen surrounded by relatives including Thomas Markle and a beaming Doria Ragland at the private all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. The clip, filmed by Thomas in the summer of 1999, shows the future Duchess of Sussex making her way through a crowd of students towards her father, who she greets with a loving 'hi daddy' before tightly hugging a proud Doria. Meghan is then caught enduring an awkward exchange with Doria's father Alvin, who bemoans how he does not see his granddaughter on a regular basis and 'no longer recognises' her, causing Meghan to laugh uncomfortably. Doria is then seen warmly embracing her daughter's drama teacher Gigi Perreau, the 1940s film star who is credited as Meghan's first acting mentor. Just a couple of months later, Meghan would move away from Los Angeles for the first time to study for her degree at Northwestern University in Chicago. A glamorous-looking Meghan, who is aged just 17 at the time, is seen surrounded by relatives including Thomas Markle and a beaming Doria Ragland at the private all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles The clip, filmed by Thomas in the summer of 1999, shows the future Duchess of Sussex making her way through a crowd of students before tightly hugging a proud Doria (pictured) Meghan is also caught enduring an awkward exchange with Doria's father Alvin (top right), who bemoans how he does not see his granddaughter on a regular basis and 'no longer recognises' her, causing Meghan to laugh uncomfortably The revealing home video, seen for the first time, was aired during last night's bombshell interview with Thomas Markle on Channel 5, in which he detailed the breakdown of his relationship with his daughter. Moment Thomas Markle KNEW daughter Meghan Markle would be a star when he saw her aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in school play that he built set and lighting for The Duchess of Sussex's estranged father has revealed how he knew his daughter would be an actress after seeing her perform as a teenager in high school plays. Thomas Markle, 75, said he felt 'tremendous pride' watching Meghan act on stage at the private Catholic all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. And a video was revealed in a Channel 5 documentary last night of one of Meghan's star performances aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in the play Into the Woods. Thomas Markle, 75, told Channel 5 he felt 'tremendous pride' watching Meghan act on stage The clip filmed in March 1997 showed Prince Harry's future wife confidently walking around the stage and delivering her lines with gusto. Former TV lighting director Mr Markle also told a Channel 5 documentary last night how he helped build some scenery and rig the lights for plays at the school. He said: 'I think I gave her a sense of pride, I think I gave her a sense of duty and work, I think Meghan would say that I did a very good job as a father. 'She was growing into a very nice young lady. I got involved (in school plays) because I watched a couple of their shows and I knew they needed a lot of work. Meghan performs on stage aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in the play Into the Woods Meghan was a keen actress at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California 'I just offered to come in and put some lights in, build some scenery and make the shows real shows. Meghan was in almost all those shows.' Mr Markle added: 'When I saw my daughter performing on stage, I felt tremendous pride. I knew from the day she was born that she would eventually be doing that. 'It wasn't a surprise or a shock to me. It was just something I knew was going to happen.' Meghan's drama teacher was Gigi Perreau, who met Mr Markle on camera for the documentary for the first time in about 20 years. The clip filmed in March 1997 showed Prince Harry's future wife delivering her lines with gusto Meghan's father helped build some scenery and rig the lights for plays at his daughter's school Mr Markle said: 'I met Gigi through the school itself because she was the head of the drama department and Meghan of course is 'I want to be in the drama department' and very pushy about 'I want to do the show'. 'She learned to be in front of people with you and she learned to get up and have enough guts to sing a song.' Ms Perreau replied: 'Exactly, and boy she was nervous about that. One thing we worked on were listening skills, because I tried to demystify acting, in other words 'it's not that scary - you listen to what the other person says and you respond'. 'I'm extremely proud of Meghan. I think she has really, as far as her role now as the Duchess, I think she's doing an amazing job. Meghan starred in Into The Woods while at the all-girls Catholic school in Los Angeles in 1997 A file picture of the private Catholic all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles 'And they said, well, do you think she's going to miss acting? And all I could do is laugh, as you're laughing now. I said, are you kidding? 'I said she's got the biggest acting job of any human being in the world. I mean from the moment she wakes up in the morning until that door closes and they have, whatever, their private time hopefully, she's out there being the Duchess of Sussex - and that's a big role, that's a huge role.' In Andrew Morton's 2018 book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, he told how Meghan wrote in the programme notes for Into The Woods that she wanted to attend Northwestern University in Illinois, which she predicted would 'be her next stop on her way to Broadway'. As a child, I was taught to tell the truth. Honesty mattered. Today our political atmosphere in America lacks honesty, integrity and truth. Our president and many members of Congress embrace power more than truth. President Donald Trump has been given a green light to break our democracy and wreak havoc on the world stage. His personal history is one of breaking things he touches, then walking away claiming victory. Because he is a loner, when leaving a mess behind, it seems he does not feel responsible to clean up after himself. The Republicans in Congress and his base will find themselves in the history archives as enabling this wrecking ball. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 06:31:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CHICAGO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Fully vaccinating children reduces the risk of hospitalization associated with influenza by 54 percent, according to a study jointly conducted by the University of Michigan (UM), the Clalit Research Institute, and Ben-Gurion University in Israel. The study, posted on UM's website on Wednesday, used data from Clalit Health Services, the largest health fund in Israel, to review the vaccination data of 3,746 hospitalizations of children six months to eight years old at six hospitals in Israel. They were tested for influenza over three winter seasons of 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. The findings reveal that the flu vaccine reduced hospitalizations associated with the flu by 54 percent, and that giving two vaccine doses to children up to age eight who have never been vaccinated or only received one dose previously is more effective than administering one dose. "Young children are at high risk of hospitalization due to influenza complications," said study co-author Mark Katz, a senior researcher at the Clalit Research Institute, the research arm of Clalit Health Services. The findings support health organizations' recommendations, including the Israel Ministry of Health to vaccinate children against influenza every year, preferably before the onset of winter or early childhood. Children under five are defined as having a high risk of influenza complications. Children vaccinated are much better protected from influenza than those who only receive one vaccine, said Hannah Segaloff, a research fellow at the UM School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "This study mirrors a previous study we conducted at Clalit Institute where we found that flu vaccine reduces 40-percent risk of hospitalizations in pregnant women," said Ran Balicer, director of the Clalit Research Institute and professor at the BGU School of Public Health. "It reaffirms that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent both the flu and hospitalization. We hope parents will be aware of these facts and make an informed decision about the importance of vaccinating their children." The researchers hope that this study and additional research will increase vaccination rates among the general public and, especially, children. According to the late father of Seppo Ranki of Glenhaven, that object referred to as "a 'Glasgow screwdriver' (C8) was known in Finland as a 'Russian pump-action screwdriver'." Bob Phillips of Cabarita writes that the Glasgow Screwdriver (C8) has a counterpart in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. "Years ago when I asked my assistant to get me a hammer, he passed me a hefty rock. 'Chimbu hammer,' he said with a huge smile." A hammer by any other name ... still really hurts when you whack your thumb with it. Many readers wrote in to say that in Australia post-WWII a hammer (C8) was usually referred to as either an American or Yankee screwdriver. Lance Rainey of Lanitza offers a possible origin story for this. "At US aircraft factories the aluminium panels on four-engine bombers were fixed by a mixture of rivets and screws. The time to insert the screws was dramatically shortened when a new female worker suggested that banging them nearly flush with one hammer blow followed by a 90-degree twist of the screwdriver would set them perfectly. It was tested, worked, and big bombers rolled off the assembly lines much faster." "If you are below the salt (C8) surely you must be under the table already," posits Andrew Taubman of Queens Park. Be it a joke about Koala Tea or bricks from Watford or Margaret Thatcher and her vegetables (yes, yes, it comes from the TV show Spitting Image) let us all just agree once and for all that there's a very good chance that the person sharing a joke in Column 8 is not the original creator, but has been amused upon hearing a re-told version of it and writes in with the purest of intentions to share the laughter. Or, as Murray Hutton of Mount Colah puts it after reading some of the recent comments, "Why let the truth get in the way of a good yarn and where would Column 8 be if it did?" The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and Karnataka government on Thursday signed a pact to promote cooperation in AI, fintech and other emerging technologies. The Kingdom's investment promotion agency signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Information Technology; Biotechnology; and Science & Technology of the state government on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting here. The agreement aims to build robust fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity ecosystems where startups and technology firms engage in external partnerships with corporates, universities, research institutions, technology experts and government agencies. Besides, it is looking to develop education programmes and curricula relating to fintech, AI, IoT and cybersecurity to benefit the sectors in their respective jurisdiction. This may include facilitating and enhancing cooperation between relevant authorities such as universities/research institutions, technology experts, and government agencies. They will also nurture fintech, AI and cybersecurity startups and centres and collaborate to facilitate their growth through development and support. Bahrain is one of the oldest and most established financial centres in the Gulf region and it has capitalised on its banking expertise to grow one of the most concentrated and advanced fintech ecosystems in Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Karnataka is also known as a leading technology hub in India and has also emerged as the leading R&D and innovation ecosystem for startups. It is home to over 1.2 million software professionals and a large number of Fortune 500 companies. EDB said Bahrain will benefit from Karnataka's expertise in emerging technologies such AI and cybersecurity, while Karnataka will have access to the Kingdom's renowned fintech prowess. Authorities from both sides will also collaborate on facilitating SMEs, including startups, through incubation and ecosystem exposure visits. Economic and trading relationships between India and Bahrain has been shifting increasingly towards service exports, fintech and ICT. Bilateral trade between the two nations currently stands at some USD 1.3 billion. Khalid Humaidan, Chief Executive of Bahrain Economic Development Board, said: "Bahrain and India share historic ties dating back 5,000 years to the Dilmun era, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual bilateral trade. With today's MoU signing at Davos, we look forward to further strengthening those links and welcoming innovative Indian firms seeking to access and scale across the growing $1.5 trillion GCC market. "Bahrain not only offers competitive costs and easy set-up, but the government has implemented a programme of ambitious reforms to encourage investment in a range of sectors. India is an emerging power in fields such as FinTech and ICT, with great experience we can learn from - and as the de facto test bed of the Gulf, Bahrain has positioned itself as the ideal destination of choice for turning knowledge into opportunity." E V Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary at the Department of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka, said: "For the first time, Government of Karnataka is keenly participating in the WEF Annual Meeting with a delegation headed by Chief Minister. "The Annual Meeting is a fitting venue for the signing of this MoU as global leaders have converged here to discuss sustainability. Disruptive technologies such as AI and IoT have the potential to solve this challenge. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Today, King Conservation District officials announced that some 1.2 million residents in the Seattle area will be able to use their smartphones to vote in an upcoming election, a first in American history. Eligible voters can access ballots for a board of supervisors election by using their name and birth date to log in to a customized web page designed for smartphone browsers The mobile web page will record all of their votes and let them submit their completed ballots starting today and going through February 11th. For the first time in a full US election, voters in Seattle and surround King County area will be able to cast ballots through their phones in an upcoming board of supervisors election The project is being funded by Tusk Philanthropies, a non-profit advocating for mobile voting as a way to help boost Americas low voter turnout numbers. This is the most fundamentally transformative reform you can do in democracy, Tusk CEO Bradley Tusk told NPR. Only around 55 percent of the eligible American population cast votes in the 2016 election, and in King Conservation District, only around one percent participate in local elections. If you can use technology to exponentially increase turnout, then that will ultimately dictate how politicians behave on every issue, Tusk said. The actual voting page was developed by Democracy Live, a tech company in Seattle that sells a variety of computer and tablet interfaces intended for elections. In a video promoting an earlier product, called LiveBallot, the company says mobile voting can help people learn more about candidates and issues by having access to online clips of speeches and being able to see up-to-date donor lists, as well as read through comprehensive summaries. Security experts warn that digital voting through a phone could be susceptible to fraud as ballots could be intercepted or manipulated after voters submit them but before the county receives them. 'Until we have a total collapse of some election, I think this sort of thing is going to continue,' Duncan Buell, an election technology specialist at the University of South Carolina, said. Instead of using an app, eligible King county residents will be able to log in to a custom website on their phone's web browser, register using their name and birth date, and then verify their ballots by drawing their signature on the touchscreen The initiative is being funded by Tusk Philanthropies and CEO Bradley Tusk, who believe mobile voting could help solve the US's low voter turnout, which was just 55 percent in the 2016 election, and in King County board of supervisors elections has been as low as one percent 'People want to believe that they can do everything on their phones.' HOW WILL IT WORK? Eligible voters in Seattle and surrounding areas in King County will be able to vote in the upcoming board of supervisors election through their smartphones. Rather than download an app, voters will use their birth date and name to log in to a mobile web page. Once logged in they'll be able to make all their candidate selections and then submit the ballot online. They'll certify their ballots by drawing their signature on the phone's touchscreen. The county will then compare their signature against older documents. Voters can also make all their selections on the phone, then print the ballot and mail it in. Advertisement According to Julie Wise, King County's Director of Elections, says that she's confident in the ballots security. 'Theres a lot of things we do online, banking, health records, that are also of concern for people that are secure,' Wise told the Seattle Times. 'Ive vetted this, technology experts in the region have vetted this to ensure that this is a safe, secure voting opportunity.' Voters who use the mobile option in Kings County will validate their ballots with by signing their signature on the phone's touchscreen. County officials will then print out all the electronic ballots and match the signatures to other signatures stored in their records to verify their validity. The website will also allow users to print their online ballots and send them in through the mail instead of submitting them online. Associated Press Former Sen. Harry Reid will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol as colleagues and friends pay tribute to a hardscrabble Democrat who rose from poverty in a dusty Nevada mining town to the most powerful position in the U.S. Senate. Reid will be honored Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda during a ceremony closed to the public under COVID-19 protocols. The longest-serving Nevadan in Congress and the Senate majority leader alongside two presidents, Reid helmed the chamber during one of its more consequential legislative sessions securing the economic recovery bill during the Great Recession and President Barack Obamas landmark health care law. Imagine trying to hike, bike or ride a snowmobile in your local mountains only to encounter a fence and no trespassing sign every mile or so. That could have been the future for hundreds of thousands of acres in the Blackfoot and Swan Valleys...and beyond. That was also a big reason that The Nature Conservancy took a real leap of faith when it began buying land from Plum Creek Timber more than 20 years ago. Over time, we bought more than half a million acres of this former industrial timber land. But we never planned to hold onto it forever. Our vision was always to see this land conserved for public use for recreation, habitat and its economic benefit to local communities. It's a vision shared by the many citizens and community groups who have lent their ideas and energy to crafting plans for a future that enables both people and nature to thrive on this land. With the dawn of a new decade we are excited to have taken another big step in the realization of that vision, with the delivery of nearly 24,000 acres of our land into public ownership. With recent sales to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land management, the threat of development and loss of public access to this former industrial timber land has been stopped. This land will now be available for the economic benefit of local communities, for wildlife and for use by everyone who loves and values the outdoors. Rancher and semi-retired logger Denny Iverson of Potomac says this success hinges in large part on our engagement with the local community. "This...comes after a deliberate process to get community input, which secured the support of local folks. It means the area will remain intact while still serving as a working landscape." Beginning with our first purchase, in 1997, of Plum Creek land in the Blackfoot Valley, through the Montana Legacy and Clearwater Blackfoot Projects, TNC took ownership of over half a million acres on the Crown of the Continent. This land was part of the so-called "checkerboard" millions of acres that had been carved into alternating one-mile square parcels and divided between the railroads and the public during the settlement of the West. Over time, the land had various owners and was logged heavily in the decades prior to TNC's purchase. But that intermingled public-private ownership remained, making it difficult to manage effectively. Over the years, TNC has moved the lion's share of the land to the public domain. As often as possible, we removed poorly located roads, treated noxious weeds and restored forests coming back after their industrial past, passing on the land in better shape than we'd received it. And the community seems pleased with the results. John Lambing The Swan Valley. "We're always psyched when we see more land conserved and kept in public ownership," says Ben Horan of MTB Missoula, a local biking group. Amanda Tripp Johansson's family has been hunting on this land for generations. "All of the meat that my family eats comes from this land, so it has become kind of sacred to us. There is nothing more valuable than having the security that my family will continue to have this land for more generations to come." Today, TNC remains the caretaker of about 125,000 acres of the old Plum Creek forests. It's continuing to place land in the hands of the public and collaborate on its restoration. Please reach out to us if you'd like to get involved! Contact: Chris Bryant at cbryant@tnc.or or 406-532-4477. A federal judge sentenced John Kapoor, the founder of the opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics, to five and a half years in prison Thursday for his role in a racketeering scheme that bribed doctors to prescribe a highly addictive opioid and misled insurers. The case had been closely watched because it represented a rare criminal inquiry into the practices of a drug company that aggressively sold painkillers while the nation was in the grip of a deadly opioid epidemic that killed thousands of people in the last decade. Beth Wilkinson, a lawyer for Mr. Kapoor, declined to comment on the sentencing but said she planned to appeal. Federal prosecutors have said that Insys, based in Arizona, embarked on an intensive marketing plan including paying doctors for sham educational talks and luring others with lap dances to sell its under-the-tongue fentanyl spray, Subsys, which was federally approved to treat patients with cancer. Basel, Switzerland, January 23, 2020 - Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) reported today that its oncology drug candidate derazantinib showed convincing activity in preclinical models of gastric cancer with FGFR genetic aberrations. The data will be presented at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which takes place January 23-25, 2020, in San Francisco, USA. Dr. Laurenz Kellenberger, Basilea's Chief Scientific Officer, said: "The preclinical data presented at the ASCO symposium show that derazantinib has the potential to provide clinical benefit in gastric cancer with FGFR genetic aberrations. Based on this convincing data we recently announced our intention to start a phase 1/2 study with derazantinib in patients with advanced gastric cancer in the third quarter of 2020." The preclinical data were generated in patient-derived mouse models of biliary, gastric and colorectal cancer with FGFR gene fusions, mutations and amplifications. Derazantinib was well tolerated and led to strong responses in several animal models, particularly in gastric cancer models with FGFR2 gene fusions, where responses included complete tumor regression. Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most lethal cancer type.1 Median survival rarely exceeds twelve months and the five-year-survival is less than 10%.2 Basilea estimates that there are approximately 190,000 new cases of gastric cancer per year in total across the EU top 5 countries, Japan and the U.S. FGFR genetic aberrations have been observed in about 10% of gastric cancers.3 A second abstract at the symposium provides an update on the ongoing registrational phase 2 study FIDES-01 ( F ibroblast growth factor I nhibition with DE razantinib in S olid tumors) with derazantinib in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) patients. The multicenter, multicohort open-label study is planned to enroll 43 patients with mutations or amplifications of the FGFR2 gene confirmed by next-generation sequencing. In addition, the study includes a cohort of approximately 100 patients with FGFR2 gene fusion positive iCCA. To date, FGFR inhibitors have demonstrated clinical activity in FGFR2 gene fusion-driven iCCA. Therefore, assessing the activity of derazantinib in FGFR2 gene mutations or amplifications is important to further define the full therapeutic potential of derazantinib in iCCA. Topline data for the cohort with FGFR2 gene fusion-positive patients and interim data for the cohort with FGFR2 gene mutations or amplifications are expected to become available in the second half of 2020. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer originating from the biliary system. The age-adjusted incidence rate of iCCA in the United States has been increasing over the past decade and is currently estimated to be approximately 1.2 per 100,000.4 Patients are often diagnosed with advanced or metastatic disease that cannot be surgically removed. FGFR2 gene fusions have been reported in 13-22% of iCCA cases.5, 6 Current first-line standard of care is the chemotherapy combination of gemcitabine and platinum-derived agents. The prognosis for patients with advanced disease is poor, with a median survival of less than one year with chemotherapy.7 There is no proven effective treatment for patients who progress on first-line chemotherapy, thus there is a high unmet medical need.8 Derazantinib abstracts at the 2020 ASCO GI Cancers Symposium Thursday, 23 January 2020 - 12:00-1:30 p.m. PST Poster Session A The FGFR-inhibitor, derazantinib (DZB), is active in PDX-models of GI-cancer with specific aberrations in FGFR - Paul McSheehy, Felix Bachmann, Nicole Forster-Gross, Mahmoud El Shemerly, Mila Roceri, Laurenz Kellenberger, Heidi Lane; abstract 421, poster G10 Friday, 24 January 2020 - 12:00-1:30 p.m.PST Trial in Progress Poster Session B FIDES-01, a phase 2 study of derazantinib in patients with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) and FGFR2 fusions and mutations or amplifications (M/A) - Walid L. Shaib, Christoph Gahlemann, Andrea Boncompagni, Silke Friedmann, Stephan Braun, Marc Engelhardt, Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, Mitexh J. Borad; abstract TPS597, poster P10 (ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT03230318) For further information, please visit https://meetings.asco.org/gi/abstracts-posters. About derazantinib Derazantinib (formerly ARQ 087) is an investigational orally administered small-molecule panFGFR kinase inhibitor with strong activity against FGFR1, 2, and 3.9 FGFR kinases are key drivers of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. FGFR genetic aberrations, e.g. gene fusions, mutations or amplifications, have been identified as potentially important therapeutic targets for various cancers, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), urothelial, breast, gastric and lung cancers.10 In these cancers, FGFR genetic aberrations are found in a range of 5% to 30%.11 Derazantinib also inhibits the colony-stimulating-factor-1-receptor kinase (CSF1R).9, 12 CSF1R-mediated signaling is important for the maintenance of tumor-promoting macrophages and therefore has been identified as a potential target for anti-cancer drugs.13 Pre-clinical data has shown that tumor macrophage depletion through CSF1R blockade renders tumors more responsive to T-cell checkpoint immunotherapy, including approaches targeting PD-L1/PD-1.14, 15 Derazantinib has demonstrated antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in previous clinical studies, including a biomarker-driven phase 1/2 study in iCCA patients,16 and has received U.S. and EU orphan drug designation for iCCA. Basilea is currently conducting two clinical studies with derazantinib. The first study, FIDES-01, is a registrational phase 2 study in patients with inoperable or advanced iCCA. It comprises one cohort of patients with FGFR2 gene fusions and another cohort of patients with mutations or amplifications.17 The second study, FIDES-02, is a phase 1/2 study evaluating derazantinib alone and in combination with Roche's PD-L1-blocking immune-checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in patients with advanced urothelial cancer, including metastatic, or recurrent surgically unresectable disease, expressing FGFR genetic aberrations.18 Basilea in-licensed derazantinib from ArQule Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. About Basilea Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development of products that address the medical challenges in the therapeutic areas of oncology and infectious diseases. With two commercialized drugs, the company is committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products to meet the medical needs of patients with serious and life-threatening conditions. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information, please contact: Peer Nils Schroder, PhD Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations +41 61 606 1102 media_relations@basilea.com (mailto:media_relations@basilea.com) investor_relations@basilea.com (mailto:investor_relations@basilea.com) This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com. References 1 F. M Johnston, M. Beckman. Updates on management of gastric cancer. Current Oncology Reports 2019 (21), 67 2 M. Orditura, G. Galizia, V. Sforza et al. Treatment of gastric cancer, World Journal of Gastroenterology 2014 (20), 1635-1649 3 A. Bass, V. Thorsson, I. Shmulevich et al. Comprehensive molecular characterization of gastric adenocarcinoma. Nature 2014 (513), 202-209 4 S. K. Saha, A. X. Zhu, C. S. Fuchs et al. Forty-year trends in cholangiocarcinoma incidence in the U.S.: intrahepatic disease on the rise. The Oncologist 2016 (21), 594-599 5 R. P. Graham, E. G. Barr Fritcher, E. Pestova et al. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 translocations in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Human Pathology 2014 (45), 1630-1638 6 A. Jain, M. J. Borad, R. K. Kelley et al. Cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR genetic aberrations: a unique clinical phenotype. JCO Precision Oncology 2018 (2), 1-12 7 A. Lamarca, D. H. Palmer, H. S. Wasa et al. ABC-06 | A randomised phase III, multi-centre, open-label study of Active Symptom Control (ASC) alone or ASC with oxaliplatin/5-FU chemotherapy (ASC+mFOLFOX) for patients (pts) with locally advanced/metastatic biliary tract cancers (ABC) previously-treated with cisplatin/gemcitabine (CisGem) chemotherapy. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2019 (37), supplement, abstract 4003 8 S. Sahu, W. Sun, Targeted therapy in biliary tract cancers - current limitations and potentials in the future. Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology 2017 (8), 324-336 9 T. G. Hall, Y. Yu, S. Eathiraj et al. Preclinical activity of ARQ 087, a novel inhibitor targeting FGFR dysregulation. PLoS ONE 2016, 11 (9), e0162594 10 R. Porta, R. Borea, A. Coelho et al. FGFR a promising druggable target in cancer: Molecular biology and new drugs. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology 2017 (113), 256-267 11 T. Helsten, S. Elkin, E. Arthur et al. The FGFR landscape in cancer: Analysis of 4,853 tumors by next-generation sequencing. Clinical Cancer Research 2016 (22), 259-267 12 P. McSheehy, F. Bachmann, N. Forster-Gross et al. Derazantinib (DZB): A dual FGFR/CSF1R-inhibitor active in PDX-models of urothelial cancer. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2019 (18), 12 supplement, pp. LB-C12 13 M. A. Cannarile, M. Weisser, W. Jacob et al. Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitors in cancer therapy. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2017, 5:53 14 Y. Zhu, B. L. Knolhoff, M. A. Meyer et al. CSF1/CSF1R Blockade reprograms tumor-infiltrating macrophages and improves response to T cell checkpoint immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer models. Cancer Research 2014 (74), 5057-5069 15 E. Peranzoni, J. Lemoine, L. Vimeux et al. Macrophages impede CD8 T cells from reaching tumor cells and limit the efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America 2018 (115), E4041-E4050 16 V. Mazzaferro, B. F. El-Rayes, M. Droz dit Busset et al. Derazantinib (ARQ 087) in advanced or inoperable FGFR2 gene fusion-positive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. British Journal of Cancer 2019 (120), 165-171. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01752920 17 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03230318 18 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04045613. Tecentriq is a registered trademark of Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Attachments Greece denies healthcare to seriously ill kids, MSF 140 children deprived on Lesbos, living in very poor conditions (ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 23 - In Moria camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, ''the Greek government is deliberately depriving at least 140 children with chronic, complex and life-threatening diseases of adequate medical care. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is calling on the Greek government to act on these grave medical concerns and evacuate all severely ill children to the Greek mainland or other EU member states, where they can receive appropriate medical care,'' Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement released on Thursday. ''"We see many children suffering from medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease, who are forced to live in tents, in abysmal, unhygienic conditions, with no access to the specialised medical care and medication they need," says Dr Hilde Vochten, MSF's medical coordinator in Greece. "MSF is in discussions with the Greek authorities in order to transfer children to the mainland for urgent medical care, but despite the fact that some children were screened, none have been transferred yet." "The government's general unwillingness to find a swift, systemic solution for these children, including some babies, is outrageous - it harms their health and could lead to life-long consequences or even death," Dr Vochten said. ''In July 2019, the Greek government revoked access to public healthcare for asylum seekers and undocumented people arriving in Greece, leaving more than 55,000 people without medical care,'' the statement added.(ANSAmed). Dominica's new embassy in Abu Dhabi was opened yesterday (Jan 22) by the country's Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, a Wam news agency report said. The event was attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Industry; Saeed Abdullah Al Qamzi, Director of the Visits Affairs Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Hubert Charles, Dominicas Ambassador to the UAE, embassy staff, and a number of members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the country. Dr Skerrit affirmed the importance of enhancing Dominica's diplomatic representation in the UAE and developing ties between the two countries. He also praised the UAE's role in assisting Caribbean nations with projects that contribute to achieving sustainable development. ANN ARBOR, MI -- Greeting card and stationary brand Papyrus is closing all its stores, including the Ann Arbor location. Ann Arbor employees confirmed Thursday, Jan. 23, the store is among the nationwide store closures reported by multiple news outlets on Jan. 21. Items in the store are at least 20% discounted. The chain first opened in Briarwood Mall in 2006, according to stories in The Ann Arbor News archives. Other locations in Michigan include Clinton Township, Novi and Troy. Kerrytowns Hollanders paper shop to close after nearly 30 years Most of the 254 closings will take place over four to six weeks, USA Today reported. Despite our Herculean efforts to realign our Papyrus and American Greetings stores to fit todays shopping environment, Schurman Retail Group had to make the difficult decision to close all 254 of our stores in North America," Schurman said in a statement sent to the Indianapolis Star. A spokesman for Papyrus did not respond to request for comment regarding the Ann Arbor store. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Shoppers scramble to Luckys Market ahead of closure in Ann Arbor As scrunchies make their comeback, learn to make your own in Ann Arbor workshop Its time owners say as Treasure Mart listed for sale in Ann Arbor Joshua Collins Joshua Collins for Congress Joshua Collins is a 26-year-old former truck driver running for Congress in Washington State. He's also one of only a few politicians using TikTok, the short-form video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Collins is gambling on the social media like TikTok and Twitter in place of traditional advertising. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Joshua Collins was working as a delivery driver dropping supplies off at a Subway when he made up his mind to run for office. He was listening to a podcast featuring Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and he remembers Sanders saying that young, working class people capable of running had a responsibility to do just that. Now, he's running an unconventional campaign, banking on the free and low-cost publicity he can get on TikTok in place of spending any money on traditional ads. Politico predicts $1 billion in spending in races for the House of Representatives in 2020, but Collins says the money he's raising is going towards paying his staff, and not ads. He started building up his social media at that point, thinking he'd run for local office. Then, he saw the surprising momentum of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her congressional race against a 10-term incumbent, and he told himself that if she won her race, he'd run for Congress, too. He got involved politically, and said he had been in his representative's office many times. "The Green New Deal was probably the number one thing" that he talked to his rep about, he said to the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA). Facing an incumbent would make for an especially tough race, so when the congressman, Rep. Denny Heck, a Democrat, announced he would retire last month, Collins' campaign viewed it as a victory. At the time, he was Heck's only primary challenger. Collins said that he believed portions of Heck's retirement announcement were about Collins challenging his seat. Heck wrote "Success seems to be measured by how many Twitter followers one has which are largely gained by saying increasingly outrageous things, the more personal the better. There are simply too many hyperbolic adjectives and too few nouns. Civility is out. Compromise is out. All or nothing is in." Story continues TikTok hasn't really caught on with politicians for a few reasons. It only recently joined the likes of Twitter and Instagram as major social media apps, launching in the US in 2018. It evolved from video-sharing app Musical.ly, where users lip-synced along to 15-second audio tracks. China's ByteDance bought Musical.ly in 2017 and folded it into TikTok. ByteDance is considered the most valuable private company in the world, worth an estimated $75 billion. The app has also been plagued by security concerns over reports of censorship at the request of the Chinese government. Several senators have asked for investigations into TikTok as a counterintelligence risk, and the Army and Navy have both barred TikTok from government phones. Now, Collins is preparing for his August primary against the three other Democratic candidates who have filed to run. Washington's 10th district was only created in 2011, and has never been held by anyone but Heck. Ballotpedia rated the district as "safely Democratic," so the primary will likely be the effective election. Other Democrats who've announced their candidacies are Kristine Reeves, who resigned from the state legislature to run, and former Tacoma Mayor and CEO of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Marilyn Strickland. On January 15, Phil Gardner, who worked on Heck's campaign and in his office, announced he was running. In articles announcing each of these candidacies, Collins is mentioned mostly as an afterthought, noting that he is "a socialist running as a Democrat." Gardner seems to have the most in common with Collins, as he is also young at 28 years old, and he told the Seattle Times that he would prioritize health care and "getting serious about the climate emergency," both key issues for Collins as well. Collins wants to tell young people that they're 'not crazy.' At 26, Collins is on the young side of congressional candidates (members of the House must be at least 25), and he's passionate about getting even younger people involved in politics. Social media has been a useful tool to do that. Although he has nearly 60,000 followers on Twitter, more than double his TikTok following, he finds he gets "much more enthusiastic reactions on TikTok, and livestreams on TikTok go a lot better" than on other platforms. He said that its audience grew up online and so connected more with his message. Collins' TikTok following is overall younger than his Twitter following, and they're also more radical. While he still gets some trolls in the comments, the reaction is overall positive, he says, and his leftist views don't stand out as much. Last month, BuzzFeed reported on TikTok users who use the short video format to explain socialism, criticize billionaires, or talk about problems with capitalism. Watching these videos, Collins fits right in. He has specifically been posting about a potential war with Iran after the US claimed responsibility for the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani earlier this month. Collins says he sees the way the right and center talk about a war with Iran are like a "national gaslighting," so he wants to assure young people that they're "not crazy" to be scared and think that war might be a bad idea. TikTok has been a source of fundraising and volunteers, and Collins is taking a gamble that it'll work so well he won't need to advertise using traditional methods. The campaign only launched a TikTok in September, but Collins says they receive more volunteers via TikTok than any other platform. "I interact with a lot of people who've never gone to any meetings, they don't know anything except what they see online," so it's crucial to "reach them with good messaging." And it seems to be working. In addition to volunteers, the campaign has raised about $5,000 through the fundraising link on Instagram and TikTok. That figure isn't huge, but it becomes more impressive considering the young age of most of Collins' TikTok following. Collins told Business Insider that the campaign has raised over $128,000 so far, which mostly goes toward his staff. According to the most recent FEC filings, the campaign had raised over $43,000 by the end of September, and spent about $12,000. Aside from repaying an $800 loan, the rest was categorized as "operating expenditures," which Collins says goes toward paying his staff. Collins is hopeful that TikTok will be such an effective marketing tool that it will make up for the campaign's lack of ads and mailers. In the short time he's been using the app, Collins has gotten better at using TikTok. Some of his videos have gone semi-viral, which he believes is good for himself and socialist messaging overall, but he also needs to reach his constituents to win. Collins and his team have focused on using "effective hashtags" on videos, like "Washington state," "Olympia," and "Tacoma." TikTok's own locations data makes videos more likely to be seen by people who live nearby, which can lead to more local views. Collins and his campaign are gambling on TikTok and social media to compensate for a lack of traditional advertising. He made the unusual and potentially risky choice not to spend any money on advertising, which is corroborated by FEC filings. TikTok is still young and untested as an a source of political influence, so it's uncertain whether Collins' gamble will pay off. Though the videos are central to his campaign, Collins says his TikToks are all him, not a group effort "Everything I post is 100% me, there's no conversation with the team," Collins told Business Insider about his popular TikToks. Since the campaign isn't spending money on ads, social media is the main way Collins gets his name out, but he still makes all of his videos himself. The most planning that goes into a TikTok, he says, is that sometimes he'll think of an idea and write it down to make later. Collins says the only help he's had was buying a Ring light, which improves lighting in videos. Posting is easy for him, because he "grew up using memes and the Internet." Before running for office, Collins says he didn't post much, but he used to browse League of Legends and Reddit all the time. Collins told Business Insider that he will keep making TikToks if he's elected. Sitting politicians tell him to "stop wasting time on social media." Collins says most of the advice he gets from politicians tells him social media is "for kids," and that he should stop wasting time and focus on his campaign. He notes, though, that social media is overwhelmingly where he fund-raises and gets volunteers, so for him, it is campaigning. It's not as if other politicians can afford to avoid social media, either. "Every politician is making Instagram stories but me," Collins joked, noting that even presidential campaigns have a presence on the app. But Collins says he tries to max out the benefit off each social media platform. TikToks, crucially, can be reposted on Twitter and Facebook, while Instagram stories cannot. His Facebook audience is mostly older people, and rural young people, a group less likely to be exposed to TikTok, so he says they "think I'm the funniest person ever." In this campaign, Collins appears to be the most active on social media. Gardner and Reeves both have Twitter accounts, but Business Insider was unable to find TikTok accounts associated with any of Collins' competitors. He understands why some politicians with larger followings might be reluctant to join a more casual platform like TikTok, or engage in memes. "Imagine if Bernie [Sanders] or Liz [Warren] posted a cringe TikTok!" he said. Even he has to be careful of what he posts. "I can't even go into a Taco Bell without some 17 year old being like 'I saw your TikToks.'" Read the original article on Business Insider Efforts to combat corruption in more than two thirds of countries around the world are stagnating or backsliding, according to global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, as elections and political financing become vulnerable to the influence of vested interests. Advanced economies such as Canada and Australia have seen a worsening of their perceived levels of corruption, according to Transparency International, a watchdog, which has just released its latest Corruption Perceptions Index for 2019. The scores are calculated annually based on expert assessments and surveys of business executives. Even in democracies, such as Australia and India, unfair and opaque political financing and undue influence in decision-making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups result in stagnation or decline in control of corruption, the organisation said in its report. Globally, people are experiencing frustration with government corruption and a lack of trust in institutions, speaking to a need for greater political integrity, said Delia Ferreira Rubio, chair of Transparency International. Governments must urgently address the corrupting role of big money in political party financing and the undue influence it exerts on our political systems, Rubio said in a statement on Thursday. A vast majority of countries that significantly decreased their CPI scores since 2012 do not engage the most relevant political, social and business actors in political decision-making, the report said. To have any chance of ending corruption and improving peoples lives, we must tackle the relationship between politics and big money. All citizens must be represented in decision-making, said Patricia Moreira, managing director of Transparency International. Countries with broader and more open consultation processes between governments and people scored an average of 61, almost double the score of countries where there is little to no consultation. Countries that showed improvements included Greece (12), Guyana (12) and Estonia (10), while Canada declined by seven points and Australia by eight points. The 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International shows the perceived level of public sector corruption around the world; the darker the shading, the more corrupt those countries institutions are seen as being [Source: Transparency International] But top-scoring countries like Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland are not immune to corruption. While the CPI shows their public sectors to be among the cleanest in the world, corruption still exists, particularly in cases of money laundering and other private sector corruption. Integrity at home does not always translate into integrity abroad, the report said. Despite some high-profile fines and prosecutions, our research shows that enforcement of foreign bribery laws among OECD countries is shockingly low. Large companies which play outsized roles in national economies are often given significant political support, leading to a failure to hold these corporate entities responsible, Transparency International said. Some banks and businesses arent just too big to fail theyre also too powerful to pay. Anti-money laundering supervision and sanctions for breaches are often disjointed and ineffective, it said. The anti-corruption watchdog recommends that governments promote the separation of powers, tackle preferential treatment, and control political financing to prevent excessive money and influence in politics. Governments should also manage conflicts of interest and regulate lobbying activities while strengthening electoral integrity and protecting activists, whistleblowers and journalists, Transparency International said. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 22, 2020 | 02:55 PM | PADUCAH According to the Paducah Police Department, at 12:15 am Wednesday, 40-year-old Andre L. Jackson was arrested after a Lyft driver reported suspicious activity after dropping Jackson off near Park Avenue. The driver told officers she had dropped Jackson off in an alley when he reportedly told her to turn the headlights off and not to call police while he was inside. Officers arrived on the scene and saw Jackson coming out of the building. He reportedly fled from officers, but was arrested a short time later. Officers say he appeared to be under the influence of drugs, and after a search, officers reportedly found methamphetamine on him. While being booked into McCracken County Jail, he allegedly threatened officers. Jackson was arrested on charges of third-degree terroristic threatening, second-degree fleeing or evading police, public intoxication, first degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), and resisting arrest. A Paducah man is facing charges related to drugs and terroristic threatening after a report of suspicious activity. [January 23, 2020] Morgan Stanley Launches CashPlus: A Modern Alternative to Banking that Offers Better Ways to Manage Cash Activities Morgan Stanley today announced the launch of CashPlus, a new brokerage account that offers clients a modern alternative to banking. The CashPlus Account replaces the Premier Cash Management program. CashPlus, the next generation of cash management at Morgan Stanley, puts a client's cash activities front and center, while offering a wide range of benefits and a seamless digital experience. "With a Morgan Stanley CashPlus Account, clients have an alternative to a bank experience designed around their needs. They receive personalized service and advice, exceptional value, enhanced protection and a digital-first experience," said Paul Halpern, Head of Deposits and Banking Services, Morgan Stanley Private Banking Group. CashPlus offers two account types -- Premier CashPlus and Platinum CashPlus - and comprises three categories of differentiating benefits: No Cash Management Fees, Exceptional Access and Benefits Unlimited ATM fee rebates worldwide Unlimited check writing No foreign transaction fees and no cash advance fees 1 Cash access from banks or tellers that accept Mastercard Comprehensive Protection Insufficient Funds Coverage 2 Identity and credit protection from Experian Enhanced benefits from Mastercard 3 including Extended Warranty * , Satisfaction Guarantee * , and Price Protection * with the Morgan Stanley Debit Card including Extended Warranty , Satisfaction Guarantee , and Price Protection with the Morgan Stanley Debit Card SIPC and FDIC coverage4, both up to applicable limits Seamless Digital Experience across a suite of online tools Enhanced display of cash activities Debit card lock and unlock Ability to set alerts for account activity - set customized alerts, such as low available cash balance Online bill pay 5 - pay bills one at a time or set up recurring payments - pay bills one at a time or set up recurring payments eAuthorizations - electronically authorize domestic and international wire transfers on Morgan Stanley Online (MSO) and Morgan Stanley Mobile (MSM) without needing a letter of authorization or additional confirming conversation Send Money with Zelle -- send or receive money with almost anyone you know and trust in minutes from MSO or MSM Mobile check deposit6 - deposit checks remotely using MSM, straight from an Apple or Android (News - Alert) device Premier CashPlus and Platinum CashPlus benefits Premier CashPlus and Platinum CashPlus both offer additional benefits, such as up to two and four enrollments in Experian, respectively. Both account types also offer access to Morgan Stanley Cards from American Express (News - Alert), created exclusively for Morgan Stanley clients. The Morgan Stanley Credit Card from American Express offers rewards on eligible purchases along with the flexibility to pay overtime with interest. With a Platinum CashPlus Account, clients may be eligible to receive a $550 Annual Engagement Bonus7 from Morgan Stanley when they become Card Members of the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley. Platinum Cardholders also enjoy enhanced benefits as well as: An Additional Platinum Card for no annual fee, exclusive to Morgan Stanley clients Invest with Rewards points that can be used for deposits by Morgan Stanley clients into their qualifying CashPlus Account CashPlus Accounts feature fee avoidance criteria8 for clients who don't want to pay the monthly account fee. These criteria include opening and/or maintaining an additional eligible Morgan Stanley investment account, enrollment in Morgan Stanley Online, and: For Premier CashPlus Accounts -- either $2,500 in total monthly deposits or social security deposits of any amount or $25,000 in average daily Bank Deposit Program (BDP) balance For Platinum CashPlus Accounts - both $5,000 in total monthly deposits or social security deposits of any amount and $25,000 in average daily BDP balance For additional information on CashPlus, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/cashplus Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a global leader, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com. 2020 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. __________________________ The CashPlus Account is a brokerage account offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Conditions and restrictions apply. Please refer to the CashPlus Account Disclosure Statement for further details at https: //www.morganstanley.com/wealth-disclosures /cashplusaccountdisclosurestatement.pdf. The Morgan Stanley Debit Card is issued by Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard and Maestro are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. The third-party trademarks and service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services. Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY * Certain terms, conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Please refer to the Morgan Stanley Debit Card Terms and Conditions at http://www.morganstanley.com/debitcardterms for additional information. The qualifying criteria to avoid the monthly account fee for all CashPlus Accounts in an Account Link Group (ALG) is: an additional eligible Morgan Stanley investment account (that may include additional fees), one Morgan Stanley Online enrollment; for Premier CashPlus account $2,500 monthly deposit or social security deposit or $25,000 Average BDP Daily Balance; for Platinum CashPlus account $5,000 monthly deposit or social security deposit and $25,000 Average BDP Daily Balance. For more information, please refer to the CashPlus Account Disclosure Statement at https://www.morganstanley.com/wealth-disclosures/cashplusaccountdisclosurestatement.pdf. 1 While Morgan Stanley does not charge for this service, some banks may charge a fee that is either a fixed amount or a percentage of the withdrawal. 2 There is no cost for this feature; however, interest charges may apply if funds are transferred from available margin in your Active Assets Account (AAA) or from your Liquidity Access Line (LAL). (LAL terms and conditions apply). 3 Mastercard benefits and full Debit Card terms and conditions can be found at https://www.morganstanley.com/wealth/services/pdfs/debitcardstc.pdf. 4 CashPlus Accounts receive SIPC coverage for securities and free credit balances and cash swept into the Bank Deposit Program receives FDIC insurance, both up to applicable limits. 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This insurance comes into play in the event of a bank failure and covers client cash up to a total of $250,000, per bank, for each "insurable capacity" (e.g. each individual, joint, etc.). It does not cover investment products that are not deposits, such as mutual funds, annuities, life insurance policies, stocks or bonds. Refer to https://www.fdic.gov for additional details. 5 Bill payments can take up to 4 business days for the payee to receive. 6 Subject to certain terms and conditions. Checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank. 7 $550 Annual Engagement Bonus for Platinum CashPlus accounts may be received if 1) you are the Basic Card Member of the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley (the Basic Card Member is defined as the primary account holder); or 2) if you spend at least $100,000 during the calendar year across Morgan Stanley Debit Cards associated with Platinum CashPlus Accounts in your ALG. Each ALG is eligible for one bonus per calendar year. 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American Express may share information about your Card Account with Morgan Stanley in support of Morgan Stanley programs and services. For information as to how Morgan Stanley will use your Card Account data please visit https://www.morganstanley.com/wealth/investmentsolutions/pdfs/adv/mssb_privacynotice.pdf The Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley is issued by American Express National Bank. 2020 American Express National Bank. 8 Beginning on or about May 2020, a monthly account fee will be charged but can be avoided if you meet certain criteria. Third party cash management fees may apply View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005037/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A village primary school is set to become the first in Britain to be powered by a thermal underground spring that was used by the Romans. The ancient spring at Taff's Well near Cardiff will provide enough geothermal energy to power lights and computers at Ffynnon Taf Primary School and will also help to cook school dinners for 200 pupils. Engineers will harness the warm waters of the spring at Taff's Well, which runs at a constant 21C and is the only thermal spring in Wales. It will replace the current gas heating system at the nearby primary school - to save cash and cut down on 37 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year. Engineers will harness the warm waters of the Taff's Well spring to replace the gas system at the nearby Ffynnon Taf Primary School The Taff's Well spring runs at a constant 21C and is the only thermal spring in the whole of Wales The spring bubbles up on the banks of the River Taff and is said to have been popular with the Romans over 2,000 years ago when they settled in Wales. It is currently housed within a Grade II-listed building. Local councillor Jill Bonetto said: 'We think it is the first school in the country to be powered by a spring - we certainly haven't heard of it happening anywhere else. 'The school will also have solar panels on the roof so they can replace the gas - it will effectively become an eco school. 'It will be great for the children to learn about how the energy is produced from the spring which is around 5,000 years old.' Cllr Bonetto said the idea for using the spring came from a geologist who was a member of Friends of Taffs Well Park - who thought the park pavilion could be powered by the energy. The spring will provide enough geothermal energy to power lights and computers at Ffynnon Taf Primary School Popular with the Romans 2,000 years ago, the spring was also famous for its healing waters in Victorian Britain She said: 'We had a feasibility study carried out and it showed it had the ability to power more than just the park and could be used for the school as well. 'It's a beautiful park and we're very proud of it so I hope more people come to visit it because of the spring.' In the 19th century the site was popular for its reputed healing properties. How does geothermal energy work? To generate electricity, water is pumped down below the surface, unless it already exists in the form of a spring. The water is then warmed up by natural heat which turns it into steam. This then rises up and turns a turbine for electricity. For heating, it can be even simpler. The heat is used to warm up water in pipes. That water is then plumbed directly into a central heating system via radiators. Advertisement The Victorians believed the well could heal rheumatism and visitors arrived in the village in large numbers to cure their diseases. Council leaders in Rhondda Cynon Taff are being asked to approve a 300,000 scheme. Consultants say there is more than sufficient heat in the spring to meet demand from the school and pavilion and that switching the school and pavilion to thermal energy could save 37 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A spokesman for Rhondda Cynon Taff Council said: 'We are extremely lucky to have the only thermal spring in Wales at the village of Taff's Well. 'As well as being a valuable tourist draw, the Council is now investigating an innovative opportunity to use this natural wonder to help save the environment around us. 'Cabinet will this week discuss plans for the thermal spring to heat two nearby Council buildings - including replacing the gas-fired heating at a local primary school. 'This is a remarkable green initiative at the heart of our climate change drive, using Wales' only natural spring to help prevent tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced.' (Natural News) A year ago this month, a group of young men from Covington Catholic School in Kentucky were in Washington, D.C., attending a pro-life event and sightseeing when they were accosted by a Native American activist named Nathan Phillips. While the teens were taking in the Lincoln Memorial, Phillips approached one, Nick Sandmann, and began banging a drum in his face. Sandmann did nothing except stand there and smile at Phillips; he didnt accost the older gentleman, did not call him a name, did not touch him or try to harm him in any way. But because he and most of the kids in the group were wearing iconic red Trump Make America Great Again hats, the disgustingly dishonest mainstream media fabricated the narrative that Sandmann and his group approached (and harassed) Phillips. Video of the incident that soon went viral clearly showed that Phillips was the aggressor, that Sandmann and the group of Catholic teens were the ones who were accosted and abused. Sandmann and his family sued three media outlets CNN, the Washington Post, and NBC Universal for libel, and this week CNN settled their case with the teen for $275 million. It remains to be seen whether the other two media outlets will do so. But in the meantime, another round of lawsuits has been filed, this time against Leftist press and political figures who attempted to incite violence and threaten the Covington teens over the misinformation that was put out by the #NeverTrump media. As reported by Lifesite News: Following CNN and pro-life teenager Nick Sandmanns settlement of a defamation suit over the formers coverage of the 2019 March for Life, it appears the next round of suits has been filed against media and political figures who falsely accused other pro-life teens of harassment. As video of the incident went viral, many of these media and public figures deleted their nasty condemnations and threats, including one from Reza Aslan, a former CNN journalist who tweeted a picture of Sandmann accompanied by the question, have you ever seen a more punchable face than this kids? (Related: Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against Nick Sandmann, affirms that the Washington Post can lie, smear and defame anyone with malicious fictions.) These lawsuits needed to happen In fact, as The New American reported this week, Aslan only deleted his tweet after the announced settlement between Sandmann and his network. Thats likely because he was served this week with a defamation claim that was filed by Sandmanns attorney, Robert Barnes, over the summer. Aslan, an Iranian immigrant, was fired from CNN because he repeatedly called President Trump a piece of s**t. He wasnt at all apologetic for his threatening tweetuntil now, apparently. Aslan is just one of 12 people whom Sandmann is suing, according to Barnes. In addition to Sandmann, eight other Covington Catholic boys have sued as well. Those being named are 2020 Democratic presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), Ann Navaro of CNN, Maggie Haberman of The New York Times, and Trump-hating comedienne Kathy Griffin. The suits allege that the defendants smeared the boys illegally. False and Defamatory Accusations against the plaintiffs are defamatory per se, as they are libelous on their face without resort to additional facts, and as clearly demonstrated here, [the plaintiffs] were subjected to public hatred, contempt, scorn, obloquy, and shame, it reads. It also states: The conduct of the plaintiffs, based on the false facts the defendants placed and circulated into the court of public opinion, led to these lifetime labels on these minors: display of hate, disrespect and intolerance; heartbreaking; decency decayed; racist; cried for America; infamous; gall; shameful; darker chapters; compared to genocide; laughing and egging on; hurtful behavior; awful; cavemen gestures; taunting; harassing; stalking; mocking; bullies who should be doxed, named and shamed, expelled from school, denied admission to college, be punched in the face, and their lives ruined. Barnes said in an interview with American Greatness he is representing nine of the Covington Catholic families for free and that additional lawsuits are tied up in state court but for one, which is on appeal in the 6th Circuit. This needed to happen. And these people and their media outlets need to be punished. Enough is enough. Sources include: AmGreatness.com LifesiteNews.com USAFeatures.news NaturalNews.com Sher Shah Suri ruled for only a few years, but his huge influence on India continues six centuries later, reveals Farhat Nasreen. IMAGE: An imaginary sketch work of Sher Shah Suri by Abdul Ghafoor Breshna, a prominent Afghan artist from Kabul. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Although Sher Shah's reign lasted only a few years, his impact on the administrative system of north India was lasting. He dewaxed the sluggish and corrupt officials who robbed the government with one hand and the peasantry with the other. The modalities of revenue assessment and collection were reformed. He recommended that raids by the auditors of the revenue collectors' accounts should be surprise checks. The relevant papers of the village should be seized by the auditors before the village headman was warned of such a raid. His insistence on 'daagh-o-chehra' (branding of horses maintained by individuals and nobles and maintenance of descriptive rolls of soldiers) improved the efficiency of the army. Officials were called to account for crimes in their areas and were personally obliged to compensate the victims. Abbas Khan Sarwani informs that the duties of the village 'muqaddam' (headman) went far beyond the management of village finances. He was held accountable for any crime that happened within his village or near it. In cases of robbery or murder of travellers, he was obliged to produce the culprits and the goods stolen. Irfan Habib calls it a 'rough and ready' system of maintaining law and order, which was continued by the Mughals. Sher Shah also commissioned the construction of a network of roads to facilitate trade and commerce. Trees were planted to keep them cool and dak khanas (post offices), 'serais' (motels) and 'thanas' (police check-posts) were made at regular intervals. Free trade was opened between the various provinces of the empire. He refined the coinage system and insisted on the purity of the coins produced from his mints. His silver 'rupiya' continued as a standard coin for centuries after him. IMAGE: The Rupiya silver coin, issued by Sher Shah Suri. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Intermediaries who towed the line of Sher Shah's efficient and honest administration were retained, while those who were found to be habitually contumacious and repeat offenders were given exemplary punishments. Habib informs us that when Sher Shah was managing his father's jagir in Bihar, the rebellious zamindars of that area were ruthlessly eliminated. In fact, the foot-troopers of such zamindars, called the 'ganwaars' (local peasants), were also uprooted and completely new people were settled in such villages to smoothen the flow of obedience. Leniency was shown at the time of assessment of tax, but no concessions were allowed at the time of collection. Every city and fort was equipped with military supplies and treasures. Land revenue assignments were granted to officers for a steady maintenance of troops which could be summoned to service with the royal forces. However, money accorded to the nobility was no guarantee of a competent army. Corrupt officials pocketed the funds allocated for the salary of regular soldiery and hired untrained people as and when necessity arose. Ensuring that as many soldiers were on an officer's payroll as he claimed put the state's efficiency to test. The rigorous implementation of daagh-o-chehra was the only way to check fraud and have a committed army. Thus paraphernalia of officials like 'karkuns' (clerks), 'chihradars' (maintainers of the descriptive rolls), 'aspkhaanadars' (in charge of stables), 'pheeldaars' (in-charge of elephants), 'khazanadaars' (treasurers), 'toofangdaars' (matchlock men), 'kotwals' (officer-in-charge of law and order), 'shiqdaars' (officer in charge of a unit of administration) and 'munsifs' (judge of a unit of administration) etc were employed to work collectively towards good governance. Officers like the Shiqdaar-i shiqdaaraan and Munsif-i munsifaan were appointed for a higher level of review of applications and of the work of officers of subordinate units. Thus a bureaucracy with a reasonably neat system of hierarchy was put in place. His reforms testified to his dexterity in administration and politics and many of his data and systems were retained and further refined by Akbar. The Ain-i-Akbari records the initiation of the gaz-i Ilaahi unit of land measurement in 1586 and the unit used before that is recorded as the gaz-i Sikandari/Iskandari. The latter name is associated with Sikandar Lodi (1489-1519), who had initiated the use of this unit of measurement. However, some documents from Sher Shah's period mention another unit called the gaz-i Sher Shahi, which implies that Sher Shah had made enough changes in the gaz-i Sikandari/Iskandari for the unit to be given his name. The crop rates fixed by Sher Shah have also been mentioned by Abul Fazl. He states that the Sur ruler had brought Hindustan under the Zabt system of revenue management. Rai (crop rates) were fixed for lands which were 'Polaj' (under continuous cultivation) or 'Parauti' (left fallow very rarely). Rai was based on three rates, depending on the quantum of yield: Good, average or low. An average of these was taken to arrive at a general rate of the produce, and a third of that amount was fixed as the tax. In the initial year of Akbar's reign, Sher Shah's Rai rates were used to assess taxes. Given the shortness of his reign, his contribution to architecture is also remarkable. He built the Purana Qila, which was intended to be the sixth city of Delhi. The architecture of the Qila-i Kuhna mosque (1542), which is located within the Purana Qila, is unique. However, it is his tomb at Sasaram which is considered to be an architectural masterpiece. It is set in a tank and can be approached by a causeway. The tomb has five vertical stages and the design changes sharply at each stage. The conception is absolutely free of the influence of any other building. The anecdotes presented here highlight the ruler's pragmatic approach to administration and his zest for excellence. IMAGE: The tomb of Sher Shah Suri. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Whenever possible, Sher Shah supervised the daagho-chehra personally and settled wages of old and new recruits. On one such occasion a youth approached him, riding a high breed-horse and dressed chicly, he was a picture of flamboyance. However, Sher Shah fixed a rather low remuneration for him. Shaikh Khalil, a Sufi, interceded on the youth's behalf and said that he deserved a better salary. To defend his decree the king asked the young man to draw his bow. The fellow couldn't draw it far enough to shoot an arrow. It implied that either he was too weak or out of practice, or he simply didn't know how to do it. Nevertheless, the Sufi argued that the bow was possibly new and stiff, and that is why it could not be drawn properly. In response, Sher Shah ordered his personal bow to be brought. This one was soft due to regular use in practicing. But the man failed to draw this one as well. Now the Sufi interceded that his stifling and heavy suit of armour was an impediment to the test. So the king generously allowed another trial without the suit, but he failed yet again. Sher Shah concluded that military trials should be conducted with a view to establishing a candidate's ability and sincerity. Not only did recruiting incompetent men compromise the cumulative strength of the army, the life of such men would be at greater risk than usual in the battlefield. Well-dressed people, who were suave and deferential, could also turn out to be surprising failures. He warned recruiters that outwardly charming and inwardly shallow men might be able to attract promiscuous women, but before granting a commission they should assess if the candidates were up to scratch, all cosmetic excesses notwithstanding. Thus the king emphasized the idea that the suitability of a candidate is a very critical factor. For example, beautiful looking lips are not essential for delivering a great talk -- however, they might be totally indispensible if one has to sell lipstick. IMAGE: The Qila Kuhna Masjid inside the Puran Qila. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Official Records and Tools of Governance Once, a soldier appeared before Sher Shah and tried to pass muster by cheating. He was one amongst several temporary fillers hired by a noble to act as ghost soldiers. The king picked up the soldier's sly vibes and inquired as to where and by whom had he been recruited. The soldier lied that the king had mustered him himself at Manikpur. The poor fellow was probably unaware that officers maintained detailed muster books, and therefore particulars of the Manikpur muster were, in fact, available. So he was asked to furnish details about the date and name of the village where he was interviewed. Obviously he failed, and begged the king's forgiveness. He was promised amnesty if he disclosed the name of the official who had tutored him to lie. Eventually, all the fraudulent enrollers were apprehended. This particular man was forgiven and properly recruited as a soldier. The deceit was plotted on the assumption that two years had passed since the monarch's Manikpur inspection, and therefore details for cross-referencing would not be available. However, records were maintained and they had duplicates in Persian and Hindawi. The man who gave two rupees to someone to act as a soldier and charged the government hundreds on the pretext of the soldier's salary could not get away with the trick, because someone else had done his homework, and done it well. As noted before, Sher Shah recommended that the person sent to audit the accounts of the village officials (amils) should conduct a surprise raid so that the papers could not be changed or manipulated by the local revenue officials and the village headmen. Medieval records refer to cases where the Kaaghaz-i asli/Kaaghaz-i khaam (original/old records of villages' revenue) were burnt and replaced with new manipulated papers to deceive auditors. Once, when Sher Shah was deciding the selection of candidates for armed services, a rather naive young man appeared for the interview. The monarch dismissed him, calling him a 'nobody' under his breath. The poor fellow overheard him and asked the superintendent what pay a 'nobody' could expect. The superintendent smiled at this and the king, having noticed that, asked him the reason for his smile. When he was informed about the interviewee's enquiry, he couldn't help laughing. Moved by the man's gullibility and innocence, he actually gave him employment. So he loosened the straps of power whenever he could, and walked down the slant of the human side. During one of his inspectorial visits, Sher Shah noticed that a rider looked conspicuously uncomfortable. He asked the man to dismount from his horse. Troubled by the order, the man fell off, awkward and inelegant. The monarch enquired whether he was a soldier or just the groomer of the horse, because his posture indicated that he was not proficient at riding. Scared out of his wits, he confessed that, in fact, he was only the 'charwadaar' (the one who feeds the horse) and had been paid by an official to pose as a regular cavalry man. The perpetrator of the bogus presentation was punished, but the poor man was forgiven. Thus Sher Shah discouraged slipshod surveying methods and was serious about weeding out the parasitic existence of unfair functionaries. Enthusiasm was a key element in his style of management and a very potent catalyst, which mixed with his ability, produced energy -- positive energy. Excerpted from If History Has Taught Us Anything by Farhat Nasreen, with the kind permission of the publishers, Rupa Publications India. Home Just In Trader files proposal to export vehicles from Nepal Kathmandu, January 23 An automobile company in Nepal has proposed importing vehicles to export them to other countries. The proposal was filed by Fords official distributor in Nepal, GO Automobile, to export the vehicles to Bangladesh. Currently, the Ministry of Finance is considering the proposal. If it endorses the proposal, Nepal wil be exporting the vehicles without manufacturing them. According to an official at the ministry, the company has proposed to sell the vehicles in Bangladesh with a hike of 5% in the price. The vehicles, however, will not be entering the Nepali border, and no tax will be charged on them. Beijings iconic Summer Palace tourist resort is the home of a huge new ice rink thats opened just ahead of the Winter Olympics. The rink measures 300,000 square meters and consists of two areas designed for different types of activities. The city has opened seven municipal ice rinks and four snow resorts to the public. Since 2014, ice and snow activities in municipal parks have attracted nearly 2 million visitors, according to the Beijing Municipal Administration Center for Parks Jan 11, 2022 07:26 PM A Michigan bank called authorities on a black Air Force veteran who tried to deposit settlement checks worth $90,000 from a recent racial discrimination lawsuit because they thought it was fraud. Now, Sauntore Thomas is suing TFC Bank for alleged racial discrimination and says the Livonia bank humiliated him by calling four police officers when he attempted to deposit legitimate checks. Thomas, 44, told Detroit Free Press: I didn't deserve treatment like that when I knew that the check was not fraudulent. I'm a United States veteran. I have an honorable discharge from the Air Force. They discriminated against me because I'm black. None of this would have happened if I were white.' Sauntore Thomas (pictured) attempted to deposit three settlement checks he won in a racial discrimination settlement at TFC Bank, but an employee accused him of fraud and called police TCF Bank spokesman Tom Wennerberg said the company abhors racism and that it had nothing to do with how the bank handled Thomas requests. The incident happened on Tuesday after Thomas had reached a confidential settlement with his former employer, Enterprise Leasing Company, for a racial discrimination lawsuit on January 13. That lawsuit, which was originally filed in May 2019, alleged that managers refused to discourage racially charged and harassing comments to employees. While at TFC, Thomas met with assistant manager Erika Mack to open a savings account, deposit three checks worth $59,000, 27,000 and 13,000, and immediately withdraw the $13,000. Thomas was soon informed by an employee that his checks displayed a watermark that read VOID when scanned by the banks systems and the assistant manager Erika Mack, who is black, said that the system was malfunctioning. The checks would need to be 'verified,' 'called in' and Thomas needed to explain how he got the money. At this point, Mack went into the bank location's backroom and called the Livonia Police Department because it didnt look right. Wennerberg added that the assistant manager was also concerned because Thomas only had 52 cents in his bank account at the time and was requesting a new debit card because his old one no longer worked. A TFC Bank spokesman says Thomas' race had nothing to do with the bank's actions and denies engaging in racist behavior Obviously, the customer got upset at that point, Wennerberg said, adding that it was a highly, highly unusual request. Ten minutes later, four authorities arrived to the bank. Thomas was detained by two offices for hours inside the bank lobby while the other officers stood guard outside. Thomas contacted attorney Deborah Gordon, who was his lawyer for the previous lawsuit, to help explain to bank employees and officers that his money came from a civil lawsuit settlement. I got on the phone with the bank. I sent them my federal court complaint, to see that it matched. I did everything, Gordon said, adding that she texted screenshots of the documents. Gordon believes Thomas treatment was due to his race. Obviously, assumptions were made the minute he walked in based on his race. It's unbelievable that this guy got done with a race discrimination case and hes not allowed to deposit the checks based on his case? It's absolutely outrageous, she said. They could have just called the bank that issued the checks, and they apparently didn't do anything because it would have all been verified immediately. Lora Claypool of the Livonia Police Department's Detective Bureau explained some of the TFC Banks concerns to Gordon in an email Wednesday. Do you have a contact person that you were dealing with at Enterprise that would be able to confirm for me that these checks are in fact legitimate? Claypool wrote. The problem that the bank is having is that these check(s) appear different then (the company's) payroll checks so their computer system is telling them that they are fraud. If I can confirm that they are not fraudulent, by getting a hold of Enterprise Leasing Company then I can give that information to the bank, and we can resolve this situation. Gordon says officers at the scene did receive copies of the lawsuit from Gordon, but officers did not leave because they wanted to make contact with Enterprise to confirm. Thomas was not arrested and no charges were filed. Despite confirmation from both Thomas and his lawyer, TFC Bank still refused to deposit the money. Thomas: 'They discriminated against me because I'm black. None of this would have happened if I were white' In response, Thomas closed his TFC account and took his money to a Chase Bank, where he said the checks cleared in his new account in just 12 hours. Thomas said he was intimidated during the ordeal and feared being arrested. I feel very intimidated because I knew that if I would have gotten loud, they would have had me on the ground for disturbance of the peace. But I didn't get loud. I didn't get confrontational. I did nothing, he said. I had a very long journey and I feel like I have to go through the same thing again. It's frustrating, but I do know God is in control. I will be vindicated because I didn't do anything wrong. With the $13,000 he withdrew, Thomas purchased a 2004 Dodge Durango after being forced to walk to work each day because he had no car. In a statement from TFC Bank, the company apologized to Thomas for not meeting his needs. Thomas (pictured) took his settlement checks to a Chase Bank where the money was cleared in 12 hours They said: We apologize for the experience Mr. Thomas had at our banker center. Local police should not have been involved. We strongly condemn racism and discrimination of any kind," the bank said. "We take extra precautions involving large deposits and requests for cash, and in this case, we were unable to validate the checks presented by Mr. Thomas and regret we could not meet his needs. Wennerberg said the checks should have been accepted with the stipulation that there might be an extended hold on the money until it could be validated. However, Gordon and Thomas are unconvinced with TFC Banks response. The checks have never been considered fraudulent, they are proceeds against a settlement written on a check from a large, United States corporation that I received from a major law firm, Gordon said. No one is issuing fraudulent checks. This whole thing is insane. - Veteran actor Pete Edochie has shared his thoughts on getting on one knee to propose - The actor said kneeling down to propose is totally wrong and it is not an Igbo tradition - Edochie added that kneeling for a lady means handing over authority to her Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has condemned the act of getting on one knee to propose marriage. The actor said the western tradition is wrong and it is not a tradition accepted in Igbo. The actor explained that kneeling down in front of a lady in Igbo tradition means handing over the authority to her. He said it means she would become the head of the family. According to him, marriage in the Igbo tradition is when a lady gives her husband-to-be wine while kneeling down. He said this tradition signifies that the man as been accepted as her husband and it is vice versa if the man is kneeling for the lady. READ ALSO: Shatta Wale opens Reign shop; unveils clothing line All Out (Photo) Edochie said it is the duty of the elders to correct the children of this generation who are following the western tradition. He said he did not kneel to propose to his wife and he has been married for 50 years. He added that no one has ever settled disputes for them. He was speaking on a local television programme in Nigeria sometime ago. The timing is not very clear. Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh DAVOS, Switzerland German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned business and political leaders that the ongoing conflict in Libya could have similar ramifications to the war in Syria. Millions of people have fled Syria over the last five years to escape war, with some of them choosing a new future in the European Union. According to the UNHCR, in 2018, 6.7 million Syrians fled the country. That swathe of refugees, alongside a flow of economic migrants from other parts of the world, sparked division within the 28-member bloc, particularly at the height of the inflow in 2015. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Merkel said the ongoing dispute in Libya could result in a similar situation. "We have to be vigilant," she said. "And now if we look at Libya we have to be very careful that the same doesn't happen there again." Libya has seen escalating violence since April, when General Khalifa Haftar tried to take over the country's capital, Tripoli, from the U.N.-recognized government, led by Fayez al-Sarraj. The UNHCR said earlier this month that 46,395 people have been registered as refugees and asylum seekers. Merkel, who was heavily criticized in 2015 for opening the borders to a large number of refugees, said that at the time "the mistake was not accepting these people The mistake we made was that we were not sufficiently vigilant prior to that phenomenon." The German chancellor added that the EU needs to take action to help countries resolving conflict to avoid future problems over large inflows of refugees. "We have to do more preemptively, do good for those countries in order to prevent these enormous floods of migrants," Merkel said. At a summit in Berlin on Sunday, Germany, alongside Russia, France and other countries, pledged to end foreign interference and to work toward a permanent cease-fire in Libya. Since the summit, however, the number of foreign-backed mercenaries in the country has reportedly increased and fighting has continued, leading regional experts to warn that any current attempts at a cease-fire are likely to fail. "We made a first attempt and that's only a first attempt to find a solution for Libya, before Libya itself also falls into this trap of proxy war as we have seen it in Syria," Merkel said. "Let us all get together when those countries ask us to fight terrorism in their part of the world as we have done this with the overall coalition in Syria," Merkel also told the WEF audience. Anne Hathaway and Ben Affleck go head-to-head in the high-stakes, historical fiction drama, The Last Thing He Wanted. The Netflix original, slated for a February 21st release, places Hathaway in the role of veteran D.C. journalist, Elena McMahon, who 'loses the thread of her own narrative' after accidentally acquiescing her way into what would become the Iran-Contra Scandal. On Thursday morning, the streaming platform released the first official trailer for the one hour and fifty-five minute film, directed by Dee Gees, that also stars Oscar winner Ben Affleck, The Lighthouse's Willem Dafoe, and Rise's Rosie Perez. Head-to-head: Netflix released the first official trailer for the streaming platform's original film, The Last Thing He Wanted, starring Anne Hathaway and Ben Affleck Rees, who co-wrote the film's script with Marco Villalobos, based the film off the 1996 Joan Didion novel of the same name. McMahon, played by Hathaway, is torn from the 1984 campaign trail when her ailing father, played by DaFoe, calls on her for help dealing with some precious - and bullet clad - cargo. Her guilt driven involvement in her father's illegal activity 'thrusts her from byline to unwitting subject in the very story shes trying to break.' The journalist: Hathaway plays D.C. journalist Elena McMahon in the crime drama The favor: McMahon's father, played by DaFoe, calls upon his daughter to help him complete an errand On the case: McMahon attempts to piece together what is really going on in Costa Rica 'They're moving surplus arms to the Contras,' relays McMahon as she uncovers the truth behind her father's 'errand.' Knowing that there is no turning back. McMahon uses her accidental involvement to her advantage, in the hopes of exposing the entire operation. She chases down every lead she can get her hands on and finds herself closer and closer to uncovering 'just how these weapons are getting to Central America,' Rolling Stone. The discovery: They're moving surplus arms to the Contras,' relays McMahon as she uncovers the truth behind her father's 'errand' In too deep: Knowing that there is no turning back. McMahon uses her accidental involvement to her advantage, in the hopes of exposing the entire operation Government involvement: The U.S. government gets wind of Hathaway's private investigation The one to take her down: 'The reporter with a moral compass...always one step ahead...,' utters Morrison, played by Affleck Unbeknownst to Hathaway's character, she attracts the U.S. government's attention, which puts top official Treat Morrison, played by Affleck, on her trail. Morrison, who recognizes McMahon's potential to expose the weapons funnel, makes it his mission to stop her - at any cost. 'The reporter with a moral compass...always one step ahead...,' utters Morrison. In a race against time, Hathaway must expose the truth, before Morrison can shut her up for good. On her trail: The more McMahon finds out, the more at risk she becomes Gun slinger: As things start to heat up, McMahon trades in her pen and paper for a gun and bullets Cat and mouse: Affleck's character must put a stop to Hathaway's before she can bring the truth to light 'When he shows up it's usually the end of something, not the beginning,' expresses Perez's character in concern to Hathaway's McMahon during a late night phone call. As an intense montage of fast driving, shoulder peeking, and gun slinging plays out, McMahon ends the trailer with the quote: 'In a perfect world, we'd make perfect choices. In the real world, we make real choices." The Last Thing He Wanted, rated R, will make debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27th before hitting the streaming platform in February. Real: 'In a perfect world, we'd make perfect choices. In the real world, we make real choices' utters McMahon upon the trailer's dramatic close MONTREAL, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over 50 Montreal fashion industry companies and brands are participating in a special commercial mission organized for the February 2020 edition of MAGIC, North Americas largest fashion marketplace, to be held in Las Vegas from February 5 to 7, 2020. This industry-wide initiative is led by mmode , the Metropolitan Fashion Cluster, and will allow organizations to present their fall/winter collections for the very first time. Organized by Informa Markets, the February 2020 edition of MAGIC brings together the most important and influential decision-makers in the retail sector, as well as many major international fashion brands, under the same roof. We intend to leverage this unique opportunity to showcase our industry internationally and reinforce Montreals leadership as a fashion hub, says Debbie Zakaib, Executive Director of mmode. Thanks to the support of the Government of Quebec and to strategic partnerships with Gorski Group, Yoga Jeans, Boulder Denim, Montreal International, Richter, the City of Montreal, Tourisme Montreal, the Montreal Metropolitan Community and Export Development Canada (EDC), the MAGIC 2020 event will give fashion industry designers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers the opportunity to meet key buyers and take advantage of new business opportunities. In addition, mmode is proud to work with precious collaborators, including Informa Markets, Maison 1608, Solisco, Curve, La Vie en Rose, LaSalle College, Logistik Unicorp, Desjardins Capital, Momentis, Primacom and Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED). This mission is also a first exploratory experience for certain brands wishing to penetrate the American market, particularly on the West Coast. Thanks to the support of the City of Montreal, we are proud to support a group of CEOs in their exploratory approaches and enable strategic meetings that will allow them to pursue their growth, says Debbie Zakaib. The Quebec industry relies on two exclusive exhibition platforms under the #mtlstyle signature, strategically positioned at the heart of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, in the PROJECT section (L2 4) and the PROJECT WOMENS section (space #81806). We designed these spaces to create a unique experience for buyers and influencers, and favour relationship building with the actors of Montreals fashion ecosystem, notes Debbie Zakaib. The #mtlstyle Galleries are true showcases for the exhibitors participating in various sections of the show, including womenswear, menswear, footwear, furs and outerwear, denim, intimates, activewear, childrenswear and accessories. Atelier Murri, Beurd, Bilinks, Boro Clothing, Claudel Lingerie, Coo-Mon, Dino Gaspari, Gary Majdell Sport, Fumile, Gorski Group, Joseph Ribkoff, Kuwalla Tee, Laundromat, Lisette L, Lola Jeans, Marie-Michele Larivee, MARKANTOINE, Martino Footwear, Mathilde C, Mitchie's Matchings, Musi Furs, Nathon Kong, Natural Furs, Peerless Clothing, Prysm, SCAPA Lauren Perre, Solios Watches, Splendor Fur, STEPHAN/H, Success Clothing, Trendays, wellDunn, Yoga Jeans and Zallerina are some of the Quebec companies and brands in attendance. On February 6, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Quebec fashion industry leaders will be invited to speak at the DIRECT FROM MONTREAL conference, which is part of the official program of the MAGIC Seminar Series. All the participating Quebec companies will also have the opportunity to attend an exclusive presentation by Chinas giant Alibaba Group, the worlds biggest retailer. Presented in collaboration with Export Development Canada (EDC), this activity will allow them to learn more about this gigantic online market a true gateway to the Asian continent and the best strategies to foster the development of their brands in China. Quebecs fashion industry Montreal is one of the three largest cities in North America in clothing manufacturing, along with Los Angeles and New York. The fashion sector in Quebec accounts for Cdn $8 billion in goods manufactured and sales by wholesaler-distributors. With over 1,850 stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and creators, this strategic pillar of the Quebec economy generates more than 83,000 jobs. The fashion industry is a testament to the citys cultural and linguistic diversity and benefits from a quality workforce, a dynamic educational system, a strategic geographic position, and a community of creators and innovators. About mmode Created in May 2015, mmode, the Metropolitan Fashion Cluster, brings together and mobilizes players in Quebecs fashion industry by acting as the ecosystems main platform for exchange and collaboration. mmode also has a mandate to create business and innovation synergies to help improve the competitiveness and growth of this sector. mmode thanks its public funders: the Montreal Metropolitan Community (MMC), the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada. About MAGIC | MAGIC is the most comprehensive fashion marketplace in the U.S. showcasing Womens, Mens and Childrens Apparel, Footwear, Accessories and Sourcing resources from around the world. Here you will find the latest in apparel, footwear, accessories, and manufacturing. From the height of advanced contemporary luxury brands, to the latest trends in fast fashion, MAGIC fuels the business of fashion. For more information: FreeMove has signed a partnership agreement with Swisscom AMSTERDAM, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FreeMove, the mobile telecommunications alliance between Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia and Telia Company has signed a partnership agreement with Swisscom. The move further strengthens FreeMove's offering to the multinational market and reinforces its position as the alliance of tier one operators in Europe. The partnership allows Swisscom to offer its Swiss multinational customers access to one of the leading mobile networks and services in Europe and globally, while keeping a close relationship with their primary and trusted telco partner. Swisscom's customers can now also benefit from FreeMove's central services, including its detailed Central Report and Central Ordering tools, as well as extensive Global Business Support. In the course of 2020, Swisscom will become FreeMove's preferred partner for international customers with need for state-of-the-art mobile telecommunication services in the Swiss market. "We are very excited to welcome Swisscom to the FreeMove family. This step allows us to strengthen our position in Europe as lead organization of tier one networks and reinforces one of our strategic pillars, which is to deliver high-quality international mobile services to multinational customers," says Lazaro Fernandez, General Manager of FreeMove. "As number one in Switzerland we are delighted to join forces with FreeMove, a top international mobile service provider in Europe, and will continue to offer our customers excellent local and global services," says Urs Lehner, Head of Swisscom Business Customers. About FreeMove: Established in 2003, FreeMove is the mobile telecommunications alliance between Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia and Telia Company. FreeMove's mission is to deliver high-quality international mobile enterprise services to multinational customers by synchronising the know-how and capabilities of its members. It offers best-in-class connectivity across 90% of its footprint via its members' award-winning networks, as well as streamlined commercial arrangements, dedicated account support and value added services in over 80 countries. About Swisscom: Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecoms company and one of its leading IT companies, is headquartered in Ittigen, close to the capital city Berne. To the end of the 3rd Quarter 2019 19,500 employees generated sales of CHF 8,456 million. It is 51% Confederation-owned and is one of Switzerland's most sustainable and innovative companies. File image Backing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on January 23 said he is ready to support the central government in "kicking the Bangladeshis and Pakistanis" out. Addressing party workers at the Maha Adhiveshan programme in Mumbai's Goregaon area, Thackeray said the MNS will also take out a march to support the amended Act on February 9. "It is necessary to give reply to the protest marches that are being taken out in the country," Thackeray said, adding that the "talk of the National Register of Citizens" has seen the Muslim community take out rallies "all of a sudden". "How many in those rallies are from India? And why should we support those Muslims who are supporting outsiders?" Thackeray said. "I will meet the Home Minister or Chief Minister over some issues. Muslim clerics in India go to other countries, nobody knows what do they do, even the police can't go there," Thackeray added, according to news agency ANI. The MNS chief's statements attain significance against the background of his criticism of the Narendra Modi-led central government in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the day, Thackeray had also unveiled his party's new flag, which is saffron in colour. The flag bears, at its centre, a 'rajmudra' (royal seal used during the times of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji), at the party's plenary meeting in Mumbai. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue and green colours. Speculation was rife that the MNS and Thackeray might announce an ideological shift during the January 23 programme, with reports also suggesting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), abandoned by its former ally Shiv Sena, might enter into an alliance with MNS. President Donald Trump previously blamed his former chief of staff, John Kelly, for the critical reception he received following his decision to bail on a cemetery visit to memorialize World War I veterans. Kelly and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, went to the cemetery as part of a US delegation. "I could've f------ gone!" Trump said to aides, according to a new book written by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters from the Washington Post. "I was willing to go! They're killing me for it!" Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump privately blamed his former chief of staff, John Kelly, for the critical reception he received following his decision to bail on a historic visit to memorialize thousands of World War I veterans. As part of a broader tour of Europe to mark the 100th anniversary of World War I, Trump was scheduled to visit the the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery on November 10, 2018. The cemetery is a hallowed ground where over 2,280 troops who fought in the war are buried, and where 1,060 service members whose remnants were unrecoverable are memorialized. Roughly 116,500 US troops died during the war. According to a new book written by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters from the Washington Post, Trump told his staff that he did not want to make the trip to the cemetery, about 55 miles from central Paris. "I don't think I'm going to go," Trump said, Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig wrote in their book, "A Very Stable Genius." The book is sourced from hundreds of hours of interviews with over 200 sources, including White House officials and unofficial Trump advisers. Trump was supposed to travel by helicopter on the rainy and cloudy day, which prompted safety concerns, the White House said at the time, a decision that provoked days of media scrutiny. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine Corps general and a Gold Star father; and his deputy, Zach Fuentes, told Trump that he could defer to the inclement weather conditions and invoke a "weather call" to cancel the trip, according to "A Very Stable Genius." Traveling by motorcade had its own problems, including a one-and-a-half hour commute and creating additional traffic. Story continues Kelly and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, went to the cemetery as part of a US delegation. Other world leaders also attended the event, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Meanwhile, back in the US, Trump received attention for not attending the solemn event. "It's incredible that a president would travel to France for this significant anniversary - and then remain in his hotel room watching TV rather than pay in person his respects to the Americans who gave their lives in France for the victory gained 100 years ago tomorrow," David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, said in a tweet. Then-conservative British MP Nicholas Soames, a grandchild of former prime minister Winston Churchill, also chimed in by suggesting in a hashtag "#hesnotfittorepresenthisgreatcountry." "They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate [Donald Trump] couldn't even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen," Soames tweeted. trump macron france Thibault Camus/AP 'They're killing me for it!' Trump fumed at the critical response he received and the glowing endorsement of Kelly. The president blamed his chief of staff, according to the book, for not taking into account the backlash in him not attending the ceremony. "I could've f------ gone!" Trump said to aides. "I was willing to go! They're killing me for it!" "Your general should've convinced me to go," Trump said to Fuentes, adding that it was "a stupid decision." Fuentes replied, "Sir, we made the best decision we could." Trump later told other advisers that he would have been "happy to go," and that he did not care about the rainy conditions. "It was John Kelly's decision [that] I couldn't go," he said to advisers. Trump would attend another World War I event in Paris the next day. It was raining when he delivered his remarks at the ceremony: "Through rain, hail, snow, mud, poisonous gas, bullets and mortar they held the line and pushed onward to victory." The incident "proved to be the final straw" for Kelly, Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig explained. He would resign roughly a month after the trip. Kelly's 16-month tenure was marked with turmoil within the Oval Office. The lifelong Marine was reportedly brought into the administration to curb the freewheeling antics of advisers during the first year of Trump's presidency. But Kelly's decisions reportedly infuriated other senior advisers, including Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Following the unceremonious ouster of secretary of state Rex Tillerson, a close ally, Kelly was said to have felt defeated in March 2018. "The forces of darkness have won today," Kelly said to aides, according to the book. Read the original article on Business Insider Cover Story With the nation marching towards achieving $1.97 trillion worth GDP growth over the next decade, the need of the hour is to bridge the skill gap that exists within the country. As observed by corporate India, out of the 15 million youngsters that enter the workforce each year, 65 percent to 75 percent are either not ready for jobs or are unemployable. With technology becoming even more pervasive than ever before, there is an evolution in job roles. Due to the changing market scenario, there is an urgent urge from the industry to bridge the skill gap in India. Launched in 2015, Skill India Mission by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is an initiative by the Govt. of India to create convergence across sectors and states in terms of skill training activities and... Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that bringing in resolutions against the CAA is more of a "political gesture" by the states as they hardly have any role in granting citizenships. In an interview to PTI, the lawmaker said that in the implementation of the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed nationwide NRC, the states will have a vital part as it will be their officials who will conduct the exercise because the Centre doesn't have the required manpower. "That's more of a political gesture. The citizenship is given by the federal government only and obviously no states can give citizenship, so it has nothing for them to implement or not implement," Tharoor said. "They (the states) can pass a resolution or go to the court but in practice what can they do? The state governments can't say they won't implement CAA, what they can say is they will not implement NPR-NRC as they will have a crucial role in it," he added. Tharoor's party colleague Kapil Sibal raised a storm last week by saying there is no way a state can deny the implementation of the CAA when it has already been passed by Parliament. Later, he termed it "unconstitutional" and clarified there was no change in his stance. Punjab, where the Congress is in power, passed a resolution against the CAA last week. It also supported a similar move by the Left government in Kerala. In West Bengal as well, Tharoor's party has been demanding an anti-CAA resolution, which will be brought in by Mamata Banerjee's government on January 27. The Congress has hinted that it may pass similar resolutions in other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh where it is in power. Maintaining that the Supreme Court not directing a stay on the Citizenship Amendment Act has "not at all diluted" the protests against it, Tharoor welcomed the top court's decision to set up a five-judge constitution bench. "This Act by naming religions in relation to citizenship has violated the Constitution... But at least the five-judge constitution bench will hear all the arguments and look into the merits of it. That's the only way we can resolve the fundamental disagreement," he said. "There are only two ways this law can be struck down -- one, if the Supreme court declares it unconstitutional and strikes it down and second, if the government itself revokes it. Now, the second option is not viable as the BJP would never accept its mistakes," said the Thiruvananthapuram MP who was in the city to take part in the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. He said the protests are largely spontaneous and if the government makes it clear that no religion is being targeted then many would lose their reason for protesting. However, the diplomat-turned-politician said the government needs to do much more than just removing the religion clause in the CAA. "It needs to say we will not ask questions about place of birth and citizenship and will not prepare the NRC," he said. On the country's opposition, Tharoor said their unity has never been easy in Indian as many parties may have a similar stand at the Centre but may differ in the states. "In my opinion, it would be simply better to present a united front to the nation rather than a divided front," he said, asserting that no one should feel threatened by the Congress. Asked about the Gandhi family and the role of the present leadership in reviving the party, Tharoor said Congress is more than a family, and it is not only a major mass movement but also a set of coherent ideas. "Yes, when we ask people to vote for Congress, some vote for the family, some vote for individuals, but above all they vote for a certain set of principles and convictions," he said. Tharoor said the Congress stands for inclusiveness and is the only viable and reliable alternative to the "divisive politics" of the BJP. "We have just lost the national elections. We have a four-and-quarter year to go before we can prove our qualities on the national stage. In the meantime, there are state elections... So there will be a constant opportunity for referendum against the BJP's non-performance," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) She kicked off 2020 with a sun-soaked beach break in Miami but has been hard at work posing up a storm during Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris. And Winnie Harlow, 25, left very little to the imagination as she hit the runway again for Jean Paul Gaultier's final show on Wednesday. The model looked sensational in a mesh bodysuit which was adorned with several shimmering gold and green leaves. Wow: Winnie Harlow, 25, left little to the imagination in a mesh bodysuit adorned with leaves for Jean Paul Gaultier's final Haute Couture Fashion Week show in Paris on Wednesday Winnie's assets were covered by the strategically placed leaves with a scattering also dotted on her legs and around her neck. The beauty also donned an oversized puffed camouflage coat which had a brown netting on the inside. As she rocked the runway Winnie swept the jacket around her and showed off her model credentials. Winnie also added some extra height to her frame with a pair of green heels which matched her chic ensemble. Work it: The model's assets were covered by the strategically placed leaves with a scattering also dotted on her legs and around her neck Poser: Winnie also donned an oversized puffed camouflage coat with a brown netting on the inside with her mesh bodysuit, which she swished around the runway She wore her long locks down for the fashion show, slicking the front back and off her face before adding a bold eyeshadow. During fashion week the in demand model has also walked for Ralph & Russo's Spring/Summer 2020. Wednesday is set to be Jean Paul Gaultier's final haute couture fashion show as the French designer is going to retire. The iconic creator, 67, revealed via an Instagram video on Friday that he would be bowing out with a big party to mark his 50 years in the business. Sensational: The beauty donned a pair of green heels with her show-stopping ensemble His brand told AFP that his high-end fashion and perfume business would live on, but that Gaultier was stepping back from designing clothes himself. Model Winnie rose to fame in 2014 after competing on the 21st cycle of America's Next Top Model. She was discovered by the long-running show's host Tyra Banks, 46, on Instagram and finished sixth overall. Looking good: Winnie made sure to work all of her angles during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 show Beauty: She wore her long locks down for the catwalk show, but slicked the front off her face Speaking about the model, Tyra said: 'Her skin breaks down barriers of what is considered beautiful.' At the age of four, Winnie was diagnosed with the chronic skin condition vitiligo, characterised by depigmentation of patches of the skin. Winnie modelled in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2018 and has walked the runway in New York and London Fashion Week shows. Incredible: The model exuded confidence in her daring bodysuit and coat combination In demand: As well as walking for Jean Paul Gaultier on Wednesday (pictured), Winnie was also seen in Ralph & Russo's Spring/Summer 2020 show She has become a public speaker about her experiences with vitiligo and also speaks out against bullying. During a recent episode of Success with Moira Forbes, the star said she's focusing on forging her own path. She said: 'I try not to compare myself to anyone else. 'It's inspiring to see my girls in my industry doing the things that they're doing. But I have my own path that I have to walk and you just can't compare.' Party time: Winnie appeared to be in good spirits as she left the Haute Couture show clutching a glass of champagne Time to celebrate: The model looked chic in knee-high brown boots and a fluffy jacket as she stepped into a car An aspiring Independent presidential candidate for the 2020 general election, Mr Joseph Osei Yeboah has backed Electoral Commission (EC) stance on compiling a new voters' register ahead of the 2020 elections, describing the decision as an excellent move. I think the compilation of a new voters register will go a long way to ensure a free and fair election which we always preach. I believe there are ghost names in the register, hence the need for a new one. I dont know why people are contesting this excellent move by the EC, he said. In a statement issued and copied to the Daily Graphic, Mr Yeboah called on all persons against the compilation of the new register to reconsider their decision. Mr Yeboah commended the EC for saving the nation so much money, adding that the funds can be used to complete all the e-blocks started by the erstwhile Mahama administration. Register opposition The Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voters Register and some civil society organisations have kicked against a new register, insisting that it was a waste of time and a drain on the economy. On the contrary, the EC insists that the country will save GH173 million if it opts for a new register and that upgrading or refurbishing the old biometric register will cost more. LPG For his part, the spokesperson for the political parties that support the compilation of a new register, Mr Kofi Akpaloo, said he did not trust the current register and was of the view that a new one would give the country free and fair elections. He said he would win the 2020 election with a new register. I will win the 2020 elections and I want to win the elections genuinely. I dont trust the current register and I believe a new one will give us free and fair elections, he said. EC At a meeting with editors and senior journalists last week Thursday, the EC said the country would save as much as GH173 million with the acquisition of the new Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS). It explained that the total cost of maintaining the old biometric system was $74, 364, 500 while the total cost for a new BVMS system was estimated at $56,000,000. Those, it said, included Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits and the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs). ---graphic.com.gh The European Parliaments Committee on Constitutional Affairs has held an urgent meeting on Thursday to approve the Brexit bill outlining conditions of the United Kingdoms departure from the European Union, Trend reports citing TASS. The committee held a vote where 23 out of 26 members supported the agreement while three members opposed it. Earlier on Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II signed the bill into law, finalizing preparations for the divorce on the British side after 10 months of extensions. Earlier, parliaments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland refused to approve the Brexit bill. All three regional legislatures opposed the divorce between the UK and the EU. Nevertheless, their opposition did not influence the eventual outcome. The United Kingdom was initially supposed to exit the union on March 29, 2019, however, the departure date was postponed a few times as British MPs could not agree the conditions of the exit. Theresa May, former Prime Minister, had to resign in the face of unbreakable deadlock, while her successor Boris Johnson managed to win over support of the House of Commons and get his bill through. To achieve that, he called a snap parliamentary election in December and secured an overwhelming majority in the house which practically rendered all other steps in the process a formality. After January 31, the UK will enter a transition period ending on December 31 without any meaningful changes taking place in the relations between the UK and the EU. However, before that date comes, London and Brussels are supposed to agree a new trade agreement to guide their future relations. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MVMT, a premium watch and accessory brand, partners with Klarna, the leading global disruptor of smoooth shopping and payments, so shoppers can purchase the things they want without worrying about a large price tag. Today, shoppers are often met with restrictions on what they buy and when, based on the cost of an item or other expenses. Accessories like watches, sunglasses, and jewelry are often the things put off buying in order to make purchases for more necessary items first. MVMT delivers premium watches, sunglasses and accessories all over the world at fair price points. Much like the mission of MVMT, Klarna's shopping platform and service allows consumers to indulge in their shopping desires while still getting the things they need, without the financial burden of paying all at once. With Klarna, shoppers in the U.S. can checkout with four equal payments with no interest or fees. "Shoppers are more selective with the brands and the products they shop, since there is such a strong, personal connection between what people buy and what they believe," said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna. "With Klarna, we hope to bring brand's visions to life by lifting constraints between the item and shopper, which is exemplified through our partnership with MVMT." Jake Kassan, Co-Founder and President of MVMT. "We're constantly inspired by innovation, so progressing the watch industry and making our products more accessible was a no-brainer." Klarna and MVMT are changing the way consumers shop and live their lives by offering products that not only enhance their day-to-day activities but also by creating a smooother way to shop and pay. For more information, download the app or check out Instagram at @klarna.usa About Klarna Klarna, the leading global disruptor of online shopping and payments, and provider of smoooth retail services, was founded in Sweden in 2005. Klarna currently holds a post money valuation of $5.5 billion, which ranks Klarna as the largest private fintech in Europe and one of the largest private fintechs globally. Klarna provides merchants with a flexible range of preferred payment alternatives that enable consumers to easily and securely pay when and how they want everywhere - online and in-store. Over 170,000 merchants, including H&M, Adidas, IKEA, Expedia Group, ASOS, Peloton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Michael Kors, Nike, AliExpress, Superdry, Sephora, Spotify, Wayfair, Gymshark, Samsung, Zara, Topshop, The Hut Group, Steve Madden, Boozt, Sonos, Agent Provocateur, Lufthansa, ETSY, Daniel Wellington and many more have enabled Klarna's innovative shopping experience, that stretches beyond the actual transaction and also allows consumers to take control over their personal finances. Klarna has 2,500 employees and is active in 17 countries. Klarna's North American offices are in Columbus, Ohio, Los Angeles and New York. Klarna Credit is issued by WebBank, member FDIC. For more information, visit klarna.com. About MVMT In a tiny Los Angeles apartment in 2013, two college dropouts banded together to create what would eventually become the world's fastest growing watch brand. Their idea was simple yet game-changing: to make quality, good-looking watches that young consumers with big aspirations yet tight budgets could actually afford. MVMT's flagship line of watches became emblematic of a new type of watchmaking: clean dials with big personalities, modern and unexpected colorways, and radically accessible price points that broke all the rules of the longstanding ways of the watch industry. This flagship line skyrocketed MVMT from a grassroots crowdfunded venture into a global brand, with products sold in over 160+ countries, and a thriving social media community of over 5 million strong. MVMT's design catalogue has since expanded into more than 20 unique watch collections, sunglasses, blue light eyewear, and jewelry. The Los Angeles-based company announced its acquisition by Movado Group in 2018. For more information, visit www.mvmt.com. SOURCE Klarna For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. "American tradesmensuch as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, contractors, welders, pipefitters, riggers and hospitality industry workers--perform back-breaking work that keeps our great country running," Steve and Jennifer Czech said. "First responders, including police, firefighters and EMTs, put themselves at risk every day to provide us with the safety and security necessary to conduct our daily lives. This gift is intended to ease the financial burden of college education and enable the children of American tradesmen and first responders to attend one of the nation's top universities." "Providing access to education is an important part of Villanova's mission and the Czech family gift helps to do exactly that," said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. "Tradesmen and first responders are great contributors to the fabric of our societyand our nationso it is critical that we provide this kind of educational opportunity to them. Given the amount of sacrifice they make each and every day, this is a way we can pay it forward and ensure their children get the education they deserve." About Stephen J. Czech Mr. Czech has over 31 years of credit and corporate finance experience as well as a distinguished track record of establishing and running direct lending credit funds. Said experience includes sourcing, structuring, underwriting, monitoring and restructuring corporate loans. Prior to founding Czech Asset Management, L.P. ("Czech"), in December of 2011, Mr. Czech was Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of SJC Onshore Direct Lending Fund, L.P. and the SJC Offshore Capital Finance Fund, L.P. (collectively, "SJC"), a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Mr. Czech joined SJC in January 2010 . Prior to joining SJC, Mr. Czech was a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Gottex -SJC ("Gottex") from May 2009 to December 2009 . Prior to joining Gottex, Mr. Czech was the founder, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Contrarian Capital Finance, L.P. ("Contrarian") from 2003 to 2008. During this period, Mr. Czech created and ran a direct lending fund in a nearly identical strategy to the current strategy he is now managing for CAM investors. Prior to joining Contrarian in 2003, Mr. Czech was employed by Credit Suisse First Boston ("CSFB"), where he was the head of the Mezzanine Finance Group from 2001 to 2003. Prior to CSFB, Mr. Czech was employed by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ") from 1998 to 2001. At DLJ, Mr. Czech was a member of the Leveraged Finance Group. Mr. Czech was also a Senior Credit Officer of ABN AMRO's Leveraged Finance Group and a Vice President at Banc of America Securities. Mr. Czech and his family are significant donors to, and advocates of, causes related to: (i) terminally-ill children, (ii) active-duty and retired Navy SEALs and their families; (iii) first-responders (ie: Police, Fire and EMTs); and (iv) scholarships for underprivileged high-school students throughout the United States. Mr. Czech is the founder and Co-Chairman of The Mikey Czech Foundation, a lifetime member of The Navy SEAL Foundation National Leadership Council, a member of the Advisory Board of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a lifetime member of the University of Chicago's Founders Circle, Maroon Loyalty Society and Chicago Society, a Laureate member of the Dean's Society of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a member of Villanova University's President's Club & Parents Executive Committee, a member of the Aesclepian Society of Harvard / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a member of the Harvard / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's President's Circle and a member of the Harvard / Dana-Farber Presidential Visiting Committee for Pediatric Oncology. Mr. Czech received a B.S. from Marquette University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Steve Czech has over 30 years of credit and corporate finance experience as well as a long record of establishing and running direct lending credit funds. His experience includes sourcing, structuring, underwriting, monitoring and restructuring corporate loans. Prior to forming Czech Asset Management, L.P., Steve was employed by several prominent Wall Street firms, including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse Group AG, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ") and Banc of America Securities LLC. Czech and his family are significant donors to, and advocates of, causes related to: (i) terminally-ill children, (ii) active-duty and retired Navy SEALs and their families; (iii) tradesmen and first-responders (ie: Police, Fire and EMTs); and (iv) scholarships for high-school, college and graduate students throughout the United States. Czech is the founder and Co-Chairman of The Mikey Czech Foundation, a lifetime member of The Navy SEAL Foundation National Leadership Council, a member of the Advisory Board of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a lifetime member of the University of Chicago's Founders Circle, Maroon Loyalty Society and Chicago Society, a Laureate member of the Dean's Society of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a member of Villanova University's President's Club & Parents Executive Committee, a member of the Aesclepian Society of Harvard / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a member of the Harvard / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's President's Circle and a member of the Harvard / Dana-Farber Presidential Visiting Committee for Pediatric Oncology. Czech received a B.S. from Marquette University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. About Czech Asset Management, L.P.: Czech Asset Management, L.P., with approximately $4.3 billion of capital under management since inception, is a Greenwich, CT-based direct lending and private credit investment advisory firm engaged in providing privately negotiated, asset-based and cash-flow first and second lien secured floating rate senior secured loans primarily to U.S. middle market companies. About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six collegesthe College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation's top universities, Villanova supports its students' intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu. SOURCE Czech Asset Management, L.P. Related Links http://www.czechamlp.com I like that Allende pays attention to the lives of women, but I didnt, at any point, forget that these characters were fictional. Though she shared their thoughts constantly, their interiority felt forced, falsified into caricature sketches meant to add emotional heft to scenes quickly overwhelmed by summary. The realest part of these female characters was how they worried about and were criticized for their weight, and I hated that truth, for it revealed everything around it to be either treacle or propaganda, and I had to read to the end regardless. Sorry! This content is not available in your region BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: Azerbaijans Energy Ministry has discussed cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Trend reports referring to the ministry. A meeting was held between Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and an IFC delegation headed by IFC Senior Regional Manager for the South Caucasus and Russia Jan van Bilsen. Jan van Bilsen spoke about issues such as attracting investment in the private sector, increasing the role of this sector in the economy, the report said. Possessing experience in the development and private sector reforms in the energy sector in many countries, the IFC expressed interest in cooperating with Azerbaijan in this direction. While informing about reforms in the energy sector and the preparation of a new legislative framework for this purpose, Shahbazov noted that six regulatory documents should be prepared with the support of consultants to apply these laws. It was also noted that cooperation on the preparation of a new draft law on energy is also possible. The energy minister emphasized that expanding the use of renewable energy sources is one of the priorities of the government and that bidding is planned after test projects, adding that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is cooperating with the ministry for this purpose, the report says. The meeting participants discussed the possibilities of switching to a liberal market model in the electric power industry, creating new production capacities with the attraction of private investments and long-term cooperation on wind energy in the sea. The World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting in Geneva on Wednesday about whether to designate the outbreak of a mysterious, pneumonia-like virus that originated in China as a global health emergency. By Thursday, WHO announced that it would hold off, saying that it's too early to make such a decision. WHO designating the outbreak a global health emergency would help countries coordinate their responses. In the meantime, it remains a scary time for people in China and beyond as the virus and fears of contamination spread. On Tuesday, the United States confirmed its first case: A man who flew from China to Washington state is in stable condition. As the news continues to develop, keep calm and catch up on what is known so far. - - - What is coronavirus? According to WHO, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that range from the common cold to much more serious diseases. These diseases can infect both humans and animals. The strain spreading in China is related to two other coronaviruses that have caused major outbreaks in recent years: Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as MERS, and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Symptoms of a coronavirus infection range from respiratory problems, difficulty breathing, fever and cough, to the much more severe cases of pneumonia, kidney failure, acute respiratory syndrome (when fluid builds up in the lungs) and death. The elderly, the young and those with an already weakened immune system are at a higher risk of developing severe lower-respiratory tract diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials haven't identified this latest strain in humans before. That's why for now it has the generic name of "a novel coronavirus" while they investigate. As it's a virus, antibiotics won't work in treating it. - - - How does it spread? In rare cases, coronaviruses can spread from animals, such as camels and bats, to humans. (Household pets are not a threat.) Health officials report that that's what they believe has happened here. In even rarer cases, that same virus can then start to spread from human to human. That's what happened with MERS and SARS. WHO officials are investigating suspected cases of that now. In a worrying development, Chinese officials said Monday that they have documented cases of human-to-human transmission. Chinese health authorities said they first detected the new strain of the virus Dec. 31 in Wuhan, a city in central China. They initially linked it to a dirty food market where seafood and mammals were sold for human consumption. (Some scientists think the source could have been snakes, though there's no consensus yet.) Officials closed the market the next day. What probably happened, scientists said, is that people ate something infected with the virus and then became sick with it. The next set of patients are those who reported that they did not come in contact with that market but had gone to other markets, or had contact with others in Wuhan. Chinese officials have also documented patients and health-care workers who had no contact with Wuhan. In cases of human-to-human transmission, the disease can spread through coughing and sneezing, personal contact with an infected person, touching an infected surface and then the mouth, nose or eyes, and, in rare cases, through fecal contamination. To protect against infection, the CDC recommends basic hygiene techniques such as constantly washing hands, staying hydrated, and coughing into one's arm or a tissue. If there's a fear of animal transmission, CDC officials urge people to wash hands after contact with animals and thoroughly cook any meat before consumption. - - - What do we know about how it has spread? One challenge to investigating - and stopping - the virus is that public health experts say Chinese authorities have not provided information about how the disease is spreading. To control the outbreak, it's critical to know whether cases being found in other cities are all related to Wuhan. If the disease has been circulating independently in other parts of the country, that information will not only affect how China acts to contain it, but how other public health agencies in the world seek to prevent spread, said Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The Washington Post's Anna Fifield has reported from Beijing on cases of people dying with pneumonia-like symptoms but not being included in the death toll, suggesting "that the coronavirus could be far more prevalent than Chinese health authorities have acknowledged." - - - Where has it spread? As of Thursday evening in China, officials there said at least 26 people have died of the virus and more than 835 have been confirmed infected. That number is way up from the more than 70 infections reported Monday. Experts expect the number to keep rising amid claims that China has been underreporting cases. So far, most cases have been in Wuhan. However, people across 14 provinces in China are being tested for the virus. On Jan. 13, officials in Thailand confirmed what health officials feared: that a Chinese traveler who came from Wuhan to Thailand was infected. On Jan. 17, Thai officials announced that they had another infected traveler from Wuhan, according to the CDC. Days later, there was one more. On Jan. 15, Japanese officials confirmed their own case of an infected traveler from Wuhan. "These cases did not report visiting the large seafood and animal market to which many cases in China have been linked," the CDC reported, raising further concerns among health officials of human-to-human contamination. Australia and the Philippines are investigating suspected cases. By Wednesday, Hong Kong and Macao confirmed their first infected patients, joining South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan, which have each reported cases of the virus. - - - What's being done to stop it in China? On Tuesday, Chinese health authorities initially imposed a quasi-quarantine on Wuhan, limiting travel to the city, which is home to 11 million people. They did so in part because the upcoming Lunar New Year is a time when people often travel to their hometowns. That's also why Chinese authorities may be hesitant to impose a total travel ban; they are reluctant to entirely disrupt the holiday, which is also a time of heavy commerce important to China's economy. Just two days later, however, Chinese authorities announced a more extreme step: As of Thursday there, they are banning all outbound travel from Wuhan, which remains the center of the outbreak. Also on Thursday, Chinese authorities announced the closure of all large-scale Lunar New Year events in Beijing. One of China's top tourist attractions, the Forbidden City in Beijing, said it would close "to avoid cross-infection caused by the gathering of people." WHO has praised China for imposing the quarantine in an effort to contain the disease. But other public health experts have questioned the effectiveness and warned that there could be negative repercussions. "In the eyes of some public health experts, the quarantine could also cost time trying to contain the virus," reported The Post's Marisa Lati and Reis Thebault. "Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said people fleeing Wuhan to escape the restrictions make it hard for authorities to track where the virus may have spread. People who experience symptoms may also hesitate to come forward because of the government's extreme measures to control the illness, she said." Their reporting continued: "Past efforts at large-scale quarantines have been largely unsuccessful. Nurses had to tend to the every need of health-care workers who were quarantined in Taiwan during the SARS outbreak, using a tremendous amount of resources, Nuzzo said. A quarantine in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak in 2014 resulted in mass upheaval, and the government quickly pivoted to a milder approach, Nuzzo said." - - - Why didn't WHO declare a public health emergency? After deliberating, WHO announced Thursday that while there was "an emergency in China," the outbreak did not yet rise to the level of a global health emergency, given the limited places outside of China the virus has so far spread. "The fact that I'm not declaring a [public health emergency] today should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the outbreak is serious or that we're not taking it seriously," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. "Nothing could be further from the truth. WHO is following this outbreak every minute of every day at country, regional and global levels. We're working to prevent human to human transmission." Ghebreyesus also reported that one-fourth of the infected went on to develop severe symptoms, while the majority of those who died had underlying health problems already, such as hypertension or diabetes, which can weaken immune systems. - - - What's happening at airports? Chinese authorities are screening people at airports for coronavirus symptoms. Other airports in Asia are doing the same. North Korea has entirely banned foreign tourists, the majority of whom are Chinese nationals and travel via China, as a precaution. Federal health authorities in the United States announced Friday that they will immediately begin screening passengers for the virus who are flying into three international airports popular with Chinese travelers - Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York's John F. Kennedy. On Tuesday, they added international airports in Chicago and Atlanta to the list. The screening will include taking temperatures; those with high temperatures could be singled out for additional tests. While screening for a common virus usually takes hours, health authorities told The Post's Lena Sun that people with suspected cases could miss their connecting flights as the testing could take up to a day. - - - What about face masks? Masks intended to filter out airborne particles, such as N95 masks, have a limited effect, according to public health officials. "It could be helpful if people who are sick wear masks," said Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Asia, wearing face masks is socially acceptable and common when people don't feel well, he said. But their effectiveness also depends on the pathogen. For tuberculosis and measles, which are spread through very tiny droplets, face masks may not be helpful because the droplets can reach through the gauze or slip in around the mask. For this coronavirus, "it might help," Frieden said, assuming that the disease spreads through droplets in the air, which is something that officials do not know for sure. "There is this concern, though," he said. "If someone coughs on you, and you get a gob of virus on your mask, and then you take off your mask, put it on your finger, and then you touch your nose, you could get infected." Surgical masks are stronger, but they still have only a limited effect. "As you breathe in and out, you're breathing air from outside the face mask," Mark Parrish, regional medical director of the medical and travel security firm International SOS, told the Telegraph. "So it will stop a little bit but not hugely." Surgical masks also need to be changed frequently and disposed of properly. - - - What happened with SARS and MERS? In November 2002, the SARS epidemic began spreading through China: Over eight months, it moved to more than two dozen countries, killed 774 people, and infected more than 8,000 people. Health authorities say the "Patient Zero" came in contact with an animal in China's Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong. The virus was contained in summer 2003. Health-care workers made up about 20% of victims in areas heavily hit with the disease, according to WHO. There's still no cure for the disease, but the initial outbreak was contained by isolating suspected patients and screening passengers traveling from infected areas or those suspected of having symptoms. One factor hindering initial efforts to contain the virus were the limits on coverage of the epidemic implemented by Chinese authorities. MERS started spreading in the Middle East in 2012. Scientists say the first infection moved from a camel to human in Saudi Arabia. The disease is associated with the death of 790 people since 2012, the CDC reported in 2018. The outbreak was similarly contained by isolating patients. Health officials also warned against contact with camels and camel meat during the scare. SOFIA, Bulgaria - Bulgarian authorities on Thursday charged three Russian nationals with the attempted murder of the owner of a Bulgarian arms factory and two other people. The three unnamed Russians are accused of having attempted to kill the victims in a way endangering the lives of many, the chief prosecutors office said in a statement. The alleged assailants are suspected of using a phosphorus-like substance to poison Emilian Gebrev, his son and a company employee in 2015. The three victims fell ill at the time of the poisoning but recovered soon after. Prosecutors have issued European arrest warrants for the three Russian citizens and are working closely on the case with the FBI and British authorities. The investigation into the Gebrev poisoning was reopened at the end of 2018 because of suspicions that the substance used in Bulgaria was similar to that in the poison attack on Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the English city of Salisbury that same year. Bulgarian investigators have established that Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Fedotov, who was involved in the Skripal poisoning, visited Bulgaria on three occasions in 2015. Gebrev has been involved in arms production and trade for several decades. According to media reports, arms produced in his factory have been exported to Ukraine. Captain Tania Sher Gill at 5' 10'' stands tall but when she leads a contingent during the ceremonial parade on the Republic Day, she will stand taller. The 26-year-old officer of the Corps of Signals, had recently created history by becoming the first woman Parade Adjutant to led all-men contingents during the Army Day function. A graduate of the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, asked if she was feeling nervous or afraid of the big day, she said, "We have worked a lot during the parade rehearsals, trying to perfect the moves. There is no fear or nervousness." On January 26, the trailblazer officer will lead the contingent of the Corps of Signals, making her "family of faujis" and the nation proud. Wearing a khaki uniform and holding a ceremonial sword, as she marched down the Rajpath during the full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day Parade on Thursday, she was the cynosure of all eyes. "It was a feeling of immense honour and great pride, a sense of achievement and worthiness, and absolute blessing," said Gill, the fourth generation in her family to serve the Army. Gills says she comes from a family where "Army tales and anecdotes" were part of dinner table talks and morning walks and joining the armed forces came "very naturally" to her. "I had applied while I was in the final year of my engineering course and later got selected. After my training at OTA, I got commissioned into the Corps of Signals in 2017. When the selection was on for the Parade Adjutant, I knew that if I would get selected, I would be the first woman to do that job in the parade's history," she said. The Army Day Parade felt so fulfilling and the R-Day Parade will be "another feather" to her cap, she added. Hoshiarpur-born Gill, who holds a BTech in electronics and telecommunications from Nagpur University, said her great-grandfather had taken part in World War I. "He (great-grandfather) was part of the Sikh Regiment, and he had taken part in the Burma theatre. My maternal grandfather also belonged to the same regiment, while my paternal grandfather belonged to the 14th Armoured Regiment (Scinde Horse) and my father served in the artillery regiment. Army life runs in the family," a proud Gill told PTI. Last year, woman officer Bhavana Kasturi, then a lieutenant, had for the first time led an all-male Army Service Corps (ASC) contingent during the Republic Day parade. Asked what message she had to give to young women who are chasing their dreams, Gill said, "When we don the uniform, we are just 'faujis' (jawans or officers), gender is immaterial, all that matters is merit." "And girls and women chasing their dreams should just believe in themselves. It doesn't matter if some people think they are any less than boys and men. I would tell them just focus on your goals and pursue the goals with passion," she said. The Punjab-born did her schooling in multiple cities and counts photography, travelling and music among her hobbies. The Army will showcase its military might and various state-of-the-art assets during the majestic January 26 parade, with artillery gun systems Dhanush and Short Span Bridge system to make their appearance for the first time, officials said on Thursday. Sixteen marching contingents will take part in the parade from the armed forces, paramilitary forces, Delhi Police, NCC and NSS, along with 13 military bands. At the Army Day function, she had drawn praise from senior officers and loud cheers from the audience, which included members of the diplomatic corps. The Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year to mark Lt Gen K M Cariappa taking over as commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949 from General Francis Butcher, the last British commander-in-chief of India. Battle scenes, from aerial manoeuvres to infantry attacks were simulated during the function with the three services chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Staff in attendance. "These 'battle inoculations', as we call it, fill us with a great sense of thrill and pumps up energy," she said, adding, "on the Rajapth, we 'faujis' draw josh from each other, and march with a common heartbeat". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday that representatives of minority communities had conveyed that they would not mind if his party joined hands with the Shiv Sena, but the Bharatiya Janata Party must be kept away from power in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena and BJP contested the state assembly polls together in October last year, but parted ways following disagreement over sharing the chief ministerial post for two-and-half years on rotational basis. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress then came together and formed government in the state after long deliberations, notwithstanding the Sena's aggressive Hindutva ideology. Referring to it, Pawar, at an event organised by the NCP's minority cell, recalled that no step was being taken (at that time) in the state for three-four weeks (by the Shiv Sena-BJP) towards government formation. Pawar said suggestions were invited about a possible tie-up with the Shiv Sena from people in Maharashtra as well as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. "We were told on behalf of the minorities that if you want to take Shiv Sena along, you can do so, but keep the BJP away. The minorities welcomed that step (of taking the Shiv Sena on board)," Pawar told the gathering. The former Union minister said this development in Maharashtra politics has shown a path to the country, and lauded the minority communities for taking the initiative. Pawar claimed that minorities, particularly Muslims, did not vote for the BJP in the state polls. When the community members make a decision, then it is to ensure the defeat of a particular party, he added. The Maratha strongman also said the NCP had insisted that the minority affairs department in the state government be given to his party to carry out welfare works. NCP leader Nawab Malik is the state minority affairs minister. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the chief minister on November 28 last year along with six other ministers initially, and the council was expanded on December 30. LONDON (Reuters) - The estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has sought to defend his reputation in a new documentary to be broadcast on Wednesday, but said he fears he will never speak to his daughter or her husband, Britain's Prince Harry, again. Thomas Markle, 75, has already accused his daughter of 'cheapening' the British royal family in part of an interview released on Sunday, a day after Buckingham Palace said Prince Harry and his wife would no longer be working members of the monarchy. Harry and Meghan's decision to cut down on official engagements has sparked turmoil in the royal family, and the couple will now give up royal duties entirely in order to pursue an independent future as a result of Buckingham Palace's announcement LONDON (Reuters) - The estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has sought to defend his reputation in a new documentary to be broadcast on Wednesday, but said he fears he will never speak to his daughter or her husband, Britain's Prince Harry, again. Thomas Markle, 75, has already accused his daughter of "cheapening" the British royal family in part of an interview released on Sunday, a day after Buckingham Palace said Prince Harry and his wife would no longer be working members of the monarchy. Harry and Meghan's decision to cut down on official engagements has sparked turmoil in the royal family, and the couple will now give up royal duties entirely in order to pursue an independent future as a result of Buckingham Palace's announcement. Aside from Sunday's clip, the rest of "Thomas Markle: My Story" was recorded for Channel 5 in October 2019 over six days at his home in Mexico, before that decision. In extracts released by the broadcaster, Markle gives his perspective on the rift with his daughter and apologises for missing Meghan and Harry's wedding. Confusion over whether Meghan's father would come to Windsor to walk her down the aisle threatened to overshadow her wedding to Harry in May 2018, and eventually he did not travel after suffering a heart attack. "I want to apologise to the queen and to the royal family," he said in a clip regarding the wedding. TRASHY THINGS Markle said that the portrayal of him in the media had been unfair and that he decided to make the documentary "because I want everyone to know that I'm not all the trashy things that are being said about me." "I want Harry and Meghan to see this video and know that this is not fair," he said. Thomas Markle and his daughter have been estranged since her marriage to Harry. Earlier this month, Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper submitted its defence to court action by Meghan over the publication of a private letter she sent her father. He said that it was "almost a joke" that he heard news of Meghan's pregnancy on the radio rather than directly from his daughter, and said it was possible the couple would not see him again. "The last time they might see me is being lowered into the ground," he said. "I don't think at this point they are thrilled to see me or want to talk to me." (Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said their allies Congress and NCP are welcome to join Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray when he visits Ayodhya in March to mark the completion of his 100 days in power. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram has got nothing to do with the common minimum programme, on the basis of which the three ideologically different parties came together to form government in Maharashtra. It will be the first visit of Sena chief Thackeray to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh since his party severed ties with the BJP over sharing of power after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared in October last year. "We will invite everybody, including our allies to join. Everyone worships Lord Ram at home. So, they can join us in offering prayers at Ayodhya," Raut told PTI. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram had nothing to do with the common minimum programme decided by the three parties while forming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government. Thackeray earlier put off his November 24, 2019 visit to Ayodhya, after the NCP's core committee resolved to form an alternative government in the state. The Shiv Sena subsequently joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra. Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28, 2019 and recently completed 50 days in office. "The government is working and will complete five years with the blessings of Lord Ram. On completion of 100 days in power, Thackeray will visit Ayodhya to seek blessings of Lord Ram and chart out his future course of action," Raut tweeted on Wednesday. Thackeray last visited Ayodhya in June last year and offered prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with 18 MPs of his party (who were elected after the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May 2019). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the spring of 1981, the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke about Jewish unity as an antidote to looming threat of warfare and terror at the time. Specifically, he addressed the power of Jewish children, when united through a Torah scroll. The Rebbe announced his plan on June 6, to have children obtain their own letter in a Torah scroll that would be created for this purpose. On June 7, the Israeli Air Force completed a stunning mission, Operation Opera, destroying Iraqs nuclear reactor. Sadaam Hussein was thwarted and on that same day, thousands of children purchased letters in the new Torah scroll. Many used their own money, and filled out the form themselves, increasing their pride of ownership according to the Rebbes directive. A colorful certificate was sent to each new owner along with the location of their letter. The buy-in, in 1981, was a dollar. Despite the passing of decades, a letter in the Childrens Sefer Torah still costs one dollar. And with an eerily similar threat facing the West, it remains ever relevant. Each Torah scroll contains 304,805 letters. If its missing even one, the scroll is not kosher. The Rebbe correlated that to the Jewish people: each individual is vital and without one, the whole nation is incomplete. Rabbi Shmuel Greisman has been directing this campaign since its inception. From his base in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul in Jerusalems Old City, Greisman has overseen the completion of six Torahs with the seventh scroll in production. In total, more than two million children have purchased letters over the last forty years. When Jewish children purchase a letter in a Torah scroll, they are connecting with the Torah, which is the holiest and most precious gift that G-d gave to the Jewish people, he says. For thousands of years, we have studied it and lived by its laws. When a child of five has a letter in a Sefer Torah, its a very foundational thing, adds Rabbi Zalmy Loewenthal. He knows that he is a part of the Torah and the Torah is a part of him. And he knows that he is connected to Jewish children everywhere. Loewenthal is in the business ofconnecting Jewish children. As director of the CKids Network, a division of Merkos, the educational division at Chabad Headquarters, he creates monthly childrens clubs for Chabad centers in 140 cities around the world. Last year, CKids presented YouScribe, a popular course that introduced children to the Torahs composition and script. After the children practiced writing their names with a feather and ink, each was invited to purchase a letter in the Torah. Some 20,000 new children signed up. We told the students that purchasing their letter is as if they fulfilled the mitzvah to write an entire Torah, says Mendel Perl, a rabbinic student and teacher. Perl is part of a crew of young men who venture into schools across New York Citys five boroughs each Wednesday for the Jewish hour of Released Time. At the end of the past school year, 1,200 children in the program obtained their own letters. When we presented the plaques at our party, Perl says, we told them that every Jew is like a Torah. They were so happy and so proud. As long as Jewish children are being born, Greisman states, we will be writing Torahs. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he would go into government with Fianna Fail (Brian Lawless/PA) Leo Varadkar has accused Fianna Fail of taking credit in areas of government that suits them but said he remains open to working with the party after the General Election. Mr Varadkar said his preference would be to lead the next government with smaller parties including Labour, the Greens and independents. But if the numbers fall a certain way and the only way to form a stable government is for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to cooperate in coming together, I think thats the responsible thing to do for the country, he added. Weve seen in Spain and Israel, where politicians have plunged their country into a second election and third elections, and the results dont change very much. I'm a little bit of a role model and I don't want to be doing anything or saying anything in any way that promotes drug use.Leo Varadkar The Fine Gael leader also declined to go into any further detail about his past illegal drug use. He has previously admitted to smoking cannabis in college. The issue arose during the Wednesday night televised debate when he appeared reluctant to answer whether he had previously taken any recreational drugs. Speaking during a campaign visit to Castleknock Community College on Thursday, Mr Varadkar was pressed on the issue. I answered that question in the past and I answered it truthfully and I am not going to go into any more detail, he said. I am conscious that I am Taoiseach of the country to a certain extent. Im a little bit of a role model and I dont want to be doing anything or saying anything in any way that promotes drug use or suggests to young people or students in here that thats in any way OK. Asked whether he thought the question was unfair, he replied: No, I dont. But I have answered. He made the comments as Fine Gael said it will enact the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill if elected into government. The legislation will establish an Online Safety Commissioner, who will be responsible for drawing up Online Safety Codes. Mr Varadkar explained: The commissioner will be empowered to develop codes of practice, to enforce those codes of practice and there will be particular focus on making sure that we dont have harmful content and that it is taken down. Particularly content that promotes self-harm or suicide or eating disorders. Communications Minister Richard Bruton said the safety commissioner will have the power of issuing compliance notice. He would then issue a warning notice, and he can then impose sanctions, Mr Bruton added. He will establish codes, he designates those who will have to comply with codes and develops appropriate codes for those various designated entities. Then he has the power to issue a compliance requirement, a warning and then sanctions. Mr Varadkar also claimed that Peter Caseys bid for a Dublin West seat is a publicity stunt. The former presidential candidate, who is also running for election in Donegal, handed in his nomination papers on Wednesday. I highly doubt that Peter Casey really wants to spend the next five years representing the people of Dublin 15 and Dublin seven. I do, Mr Varadkar said. Ive done it now for 13 years, its been an enormous privilege, and I hope that theyll give me the opportunity to continue to represent them. Mr Varadkar met a number of students from Castleknock Community College, including pupils from a diversity class. The Taoiseach was asked by pupils to contribute to their hearts of gratitude display in which each student writes down what they are grateful for. Mr Varadkar wrote that he is grateful for his friends, but admitted he doesnt find enough time for them. The Algorithm Series: The Math Behind the CDN For the delivery portion of the overall streaming equation, CDNs use refined content caching and content replication, optimized network pathsincluding ingress, egress, and midgress data transportand strategic server placement at the core (such as the origin server) or at the edge (often referred to as caching content at a point of presence). Underlying the key CDN components are a number of fundamental algorithms used to balance strategic core and edge architecture demands. This article, the first in our new Algorithm Series, dives into the math behind the magic of streaming media delivery to highlight significant mathematical conceptsand even a few equationsthat power the infrastructure to deliver live and on-demand streams on a global scale. If you read my November/December 2019 Streams of Thought column, you'll remember that this article series came about from a discussion at IBC in Amsterdam among me, my fiancee, and one of the several Ph.D. streaming solutions architects. During that conversation, two of the three of us with math degreesMichelle Fore and Yuriy Reznik, head of research and a fellow at Brightcovebegan delving into the math at the intersection of media player performance and multi-codec manifest files. The conversation led to an initial idea to cover four key areasdelivery performance (CDN), player performance (OTT or OVP bitrate and rendition ladder optimization), live event scaling (including authentication and other potential bottlenecks), and DRMand was fleshed out in a subsequent interview I did with Reznik at Streaming Media West 2019 in Los Angeles. Along the way, I was introduced to people in the industry with whom I've had either no or limited interaction over my past 2 decades in the space, but whose contributions to those four areas are essential to the road map of not just how we got to where we are today, but also to the future of media delivery. CDN Math What is CDN math anyway? The most common math for content delivery, at least from the paying customer's perspective, is billing algorithms. These aren't new by any means, having been around during the area of telco-based data networks (think dial-up, ISDN, or even fixed-line long-distance services). Beyond these and other customer-centric algorithms like 95/5 (aka 95th percentile), one key area that all CDNs measure and optimize is caching server utilization, including ways to prevent overloading a single server's capacity, often referred to as "swamping" a server. Server Utilization for Proper Caching(aka Consistent Hashing) There's quite a bit of math that's gone into modern CDNs, but one of the fundamental algorithms for web acceleration and streaming can be found in a design patent filed way back in 1997. U.S. Patent No. 8458259 is titled Method and Apparatus for Distributing Requests Among a Plurality of Resources and is, itself, a continuation of several prior patents dating back to a March 13, 1998, patent application for what became U.S. Patent No. 6430618 in 2002. The original patent, granted to MIT, was based on research presented by members of its Laboratory for Computer Science at the 29th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC97) in May 1997. Their paper is titled "Consistent Hashing and Random Trees: Distributed Caching Protocols for Relieving Hot Spots on the World Wide Web" and can be found on pages 654663 of the symposium proceedings. Several of the paper's authorsDavid Karger, Eric Lehman, Tom Leighton, Matthew Levine, Daniel Lewin, and Rina Panigrahyare now famous in content delivery circles. Leighton, for instance, who has retained roles in both the MIT computer science lab (now called the Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory) and in MIT's department of mathematics, went on to co-found Akamai the following year with the late Lewin. So what was this "consistent hashing" idea that the paper's authors developed and presented? The money quotes from the patent spell it out: Two causes of delay are heavy communication loading a part of a network and a large number of requests loading a particular server. When part of the network becomes congested with too much traffic, communication over that part of the network becomes unreliable and slow. Similarly, when too many requests are directed at a single server, the server becomes overloaded, or 'swamped.' To address both the network congestion and the swamping of the original server, often called the origin server, the patent raises the concept of a caching server: Caching can reduce network traffic if the cached copy is close, in the network topology sense, to the requester because fewer network links and resources are used to retrieve the information. Caching can also relieve an overloaded server because some of the requests that would normally be routed to the original site can be served by a cache server, and so the number of requests made of the original site is reduced. But how many caching servers are needed and in how many locations? More importantly, from a CDN design standpoint, are there other issues that could still cause congestion, even if there are a whole lot of caching servers? It turns out the answer is that just throwing caching servers at the problem is not an effective solution. And that's what consistent hashing attempts to solve. To understand the basis for consistent hashing, we first have to understand hashing. And to do that, we also need to understand modulo mathematics. Modularity in Mathematics Modulo is a mathematical operation to find what whole number (any natural numbers plus 0) remains after division takes place. If you remember high school mathematics, the test of whether any two numbers will have a remainder is called synthetic division or Horner's method. Still don't remember how to do it? OK, here's how modulo works. For instance, 7 modulo 2 (often written in shorthand as 7 mod 2) has an answer that is either zero or some natural number (any positive number above zero). While we might typically write 7/2 as 3.5 when using the decimal to represent half of the divisor, for modulo mathematics, the answer would be 1 (essentially 2 to the power of three with 1 remaining). Since modulo can have a result that equals whole numbers, there are scenarios in which the result of the modulus would be no remainder. For instance, if the formula were 6 mod 2, the answer would be 0. The importance of modulo for hashing is that the remainders help determine which server a given piece of data might be assigned to and retrieved from. More on that in a moment. Hashing It Out The simplest definition of hashing is to chop or divide, but for our purposes, hashing is "a function that maps one piece of datatypically describing some kind of object, often of arbitrary sizeto another piece of data, typically an integer." Put a slightly different way, according to the Wolfram MathWorld site, "A hash function (H) projects a value from a set with many (or even an infinite number of) members to a value from a set with a fixed number of (fewer) members." In other words, it's a way to notate an infinite number of values via a set, more-limited number of values. In practical terms, for content, this also allows variable-length content to be represented by fixed-length representations. Let's use the Social Security number as a form of hashing variable data to a fixed-length number. If you remove the dashes, a Social Security number is a unique, fixed-length-value-of-9-digits natural number (a positive integer above zero). Ignoring the initial limitations of the Social Security numbering scheme (3-digit Area Number, 2-digit Group Number, 4-digit Serial Number) and assuming that the Social Security number starts at 100,000,000 to accurately fill all nine slots, the total number of possible fixed 9-digit values would be 899,999,999. While the number is a fixed length, the name attached to each Social Security number is a variable-length piece of content. It could be Mary J. Blige or Franklin Delano Roosevelt or even John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In our example, the fact that the name itself uses both variable-length and multiple-character types ("varchar" in database terms) means that a global name search requires much more computational power than does the entirety of 899,999,999 integer permutations in our Social Security number example. A final benefit of hashing is how it positively affects more efficient searches and storage in a modern relational database. Most databases use a key structurea unique value in any single field in a database tableas the primary key on which to not just search content but also to join content from multiple tables (the relationship) into a single query of content across multiple database tables. What we've described in our hashing examplea combination of a fixed-length value (the Social Security number) and a variable-length value (any given name)is, at its most basic, a traditional database construct called a key-value store, in which the key (hash) is associated with the value (a string of content, such as any given name). In the case of a hash key that is unique, it can potentially act as the primary key in any given database table. Databases also perform very well with indexed content, which is essentially a road map to a group of key-value stores. The index effectively reverse-engineers an array of content stored in a database, with the index being searched, rather than the entire database. For a grouping of hashes, the hash table acts as an index and significantly reduces search times for the string of content associated with a particular hash. Problems With Hashing The major potential problem with hashing is what's referred to as a collision, meaning two variable-length values share the same defining parameters (e.g., two people named John Reginald Smith Jr., both born in the same part of the U.S. in the same year) that may result in the same fixed-length value representing both (in our case the Social Security number). A rudimentary hashing approach, one that generates a hashing collision due to the fact that two strings of content with the same parameters share the same hash key value, could result in inadvertent swamping. In practice, it could also result in one server holding too much content, with other servers in the cluster holding too little. In addition, a hashing collision could add significant delay in a browser receiving content. In the worst-case scenario, content cannot be served at all or the wrong content could be sent from the wrong caching server to the wrong media player at the wrong time. In our Social Security example, it would almost be like the Social Security Administration sending a check in the mail to the wrong John Reginald Smith Jr., who then might be legally free to cash it. One way to address potential collision errors in a CDN architecture is to add more servers, replicating the same hashing table and key-value store combinations to multiple servers. This works if the content itself has limited collision likelihood; however, if one server in a group of servers fails, the hash table would then be obsolete, since some of the content of the failed server would need to be remapped to all the other servers. The end result would be a massive hit on the origin server whenever any single caching server, even one in a cluster, fails. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Companies and Suppliers Mentioned Health Minister Greg Hunt has denied accusations he interfered in a regulator's decision on whether to review a self-testing flu kit made by a Liberal donor's company. Emails obtained under freedom of information show Mr Hunt's office was "very keen" for the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to review the use of self-diagnosing devices, including for the flu. Health Minister Greg Hunt poses with Jim Darrouzet and an Ellume self-testing kit in September 2017. It followed an enquiry about Ellume, and its flu-test device, to Mr Hunt's office. Ellume's chair is multi-millionaire entrepreneur Paul Darrouzet, who donated $100,000 to the federal Liberal party in 2017 and has also donated to the Queensland Liberal National Party. In May last year, John Skerritt, the deputy secretary at the TGA, emailed colleagues: "Had another call from the MO (minister's office) - they are very keen for this issue to be reviewed." Dublin, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "The Global 5G Testing Equipment Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. 5G deployments are an important trend in the telecom industry. The deployments call for substantial incorporation of network virtualization as the entire 5G spectrum can be split into several virtualized network slices that can be independently owned and managed by any kind of enterprise from any type of industry vertical. 5G will also serve as a platform for connected devices, which range from low bandwidth applications to applications that require high throughput and low latency (and as such need to operate on a network bandwidth spectrum of a range considerably higher than its predecessors). While it will take some time before any carrier can fully deploy a 5G network that addresses all the specified use cases, there is a significant amount of ground that needs to be covered in terms of developing the specified network architecture. Network operators, device manufacturers, and chipset manufacturers require a host of testing solutions that can test and validate the design and power requirements of those components that are a part of the 5G ecosystem. There are many challenges associated with the successful deployment of 5G, which the communications testing industry will capitalize on provided that participants have the right solutions to address the end-user requirements. A key factor that stands out is the affordability of the equipment that stakeholders across the 5G value chain use to address their deployment challenges. Testing equipment is expensive and as the frequency spectrum increases, so does the requirement to procure higher resolution testing equipment that is capable of testing at higher frequencies. The network operators who are trying to deploy 5G networks and the manufacturers of 5G specific equipment, devices, and chipsets require testing solutions that are affordable and have a higher degree of utilization. To enhance savings from procurement costs, prominent communication testing vendors have tried addressing these issues by offering a slew of asset optimizing services, such as leasing out equipment when not in use. They have also strategically acquired other testing companies that offer testing solutions that complement their own. These are just a few of the many activities that communication testing vendors have undertaken to outshine the competition. Radar Scope The Radar reveals the market positioning of companies in an industry using their Growth and Innovation scores as highlighted in the methodology. The document presents competitive profiles on each of the companies in the Radar based on their strengths, opportunities, and a small discussion on their positioning. The author analyzes hundreds of companies in the industry and benchmarks them across 10 criteria on the Radar, where the leading companies in the industry are then positioned. Industry leaders, predominantly in the Innovation Index for this market, are recognized as best practice recipients. Key Topics Covered 1. Industry Overview 2. The Radar - 5G Testing Equipment Market 3. C2A - Market Participant Profiles Keysight Technologies Rohde & Schwarz Teradyne Anritsu Spirent Communications VIAVI Solutions Advantest Tektronix EXFO Infovista Cohu National Instruments Accuver Yokogawa DingLi AFL VeEX Fluke 4. The Last Word Key Takeaways For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4veqn6 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Gambia's Justice Minister Aboubacarr Marie Tambadou (R front) and members of the Rohingya community seated behind him wait for a ruling by the International Court of Justice on Gambia's request to order Myanmar to halt what has been cast as a genocidal campaign against its Rohingya Muslim minority, in The Hague, the Netherlands, Jan. 23, 2020. UPDATED at 5:15 P.M. ET on 2020-01-23 The U.N.s top court ordered Myanmar on Thursday to protect Rohingya Muslims from genocidal acts and refrain from destroying evidence of alleged crimes that could be used in later hearings, prompting an ambiguous response from the government and applause from rights groups. The Muslim-majority West African nation Gambia filed a lawsuit at The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during the alleged expulsion of Rohingya to Bangladesh amid a military-led crackdown on the minority community in Rakhine state in 2017. In response, the Myanmar government issued a statement taking issue with the court's decision, saying the ICJ must still reach a factually correct finding on the charges that genocide occurred in northern Rakhine state, but did not state whether it would comply with the courts legally binding ruling. It is important for Myanmar that the Court reaches a factually correct decision on the merits of the case, said a statement issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The ministry also took aim at heavy criticism from human rights groups over its handling of the Rohingya crisis. The unsubstantiated condemnation of Myanmar by some human rights actors has presented a distorted picture of the situation in Rakhine and affected Myanmars bilateral relations with several countries, the statement said. This has hampered Myanmars ability to lay the foundation for sustainable development in Rakhine. The ministry said that an inquiry commission set up by Myanmar has found that genocide against Rohingya during the 2017 crackdown did not occur. Myanmars military meanwhile said that it would only follow instructions issued by the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government. We are not concerned about the ICJs provisional measures decision, said Major General Thaung Naing, the militarys deputy Judge Advocate General, responding to questions from the media during a press briefing in Naypyidaw. We are following orders from the government. Though the government has not indicated whether it will comply with the ruling, Kyaw Tin Swe, minister of the State Counselors Office who led Myanmars delegation to the ICJ for the ruling, previously told Myanmar media that the country would "face" the courts decision. Kyaw Tint Swe said prior to leaving for the Netherlands that the country would consider its response to a ruling ordering provisional measures. Whatever decision the ICJ makes, we will face it, and I can say we have the capacity to face the case," he told a televised panel discussion in Myanmar. ''If they [the ICJ] decide to order provisional measures, we would think carefully about how to respond to these issues, he said. We would consult with highly skilled legal experts. A distorted picture of Myanmar In an op-ed piece for the Financial Times on Thursday, Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who also serves as foreign affairs minister, criticized rights groups over their stance towards Myanmar on the Rohingya issue, saying it has negatively affected Myanmars efforts to ensure stability and development in Rakhine. Human rights groups have condemned Myanmar based on unproven statements without the due process if criminal investigation, she wrote. The international condemnation has had a negative effect on Myanmars endeavors to bring stability and progress to Rakhine, she wrote. It has presented a distorted picture of Myanmar and affected our bilateral relations, Aung San Suu Kyi wrote. At a hearing in December, Gambia requested that the court order emergency measures to protect Myanmars Rohingya from further rights abuses. Thousands of Rohingya died during the 2017 violence, which included indiscriminate killings, mass rape, torture, and village burnings, while more than 740,000 others fled to safety in neighboring Bangladesh. Many rights groups have condemned Myanmar over its handling of the Rohingya crisis and have extensively documented atrocities that occurred during the violence. A 2018 investigation of the crackdown by a U.N.-backed Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Myanmar found that the country had acted with genocidal intent against the Rohingya and that the roughly 600,000 members of the minority group still living in Myanmar could face an even greater threat of genocide. Myanmars civilian-led government has dismissed the accusations, saying that its security forces were conducting a clearance operation to rid the region of Rohingya militants who carried out deadly attacks on police outposts. Presiding judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (C) and other judges take their seats at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, Jan. 23, 2020. Credit: Associated Press Military reviews report On Monday, the government-appointed Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE), issued its final report concluding that security forces committed war crimes and serious human rights violations in Rakhine, but did not act with genocidal intent. As concluded by the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) in its recent report, there has been no genocide in Rakhine, the Foreign Ministrys statement said. The commission found that war crimes had occurred, and those are now being investigated and prosecuted by Myanmars national criminal justice system. Major General Thaung Naing said the military is now analyzing the findings of the ICOE report submitted to the President Win Myint on Monday and that soldiers found guilty of wrongdoing will be charged and prosecuted by military tribunals. The military has conducted only two rare courts-martial of officers and other soldiers accused of committing grave rights abuses during the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya in northern Rakhine state. In the first case, seven servicemen were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a group of Rohingya, but were pardoned and freed about eight months later. The second case against soldiers accused of killing Rohingya civilians and dumping their bodies in mass graves is in progress. The ICJs ruling lists four points in its provisional measures, mandating that Myanmar must prevent the killing or serious injury of the Rohingya, ensure that the military does not harm the Rohingya or conspire to commit genocide, preserve evidence related to the allegations, and report on its compliance with the measures until the ICJ issues a final decision on the case. The first report is due in four months, with follow-up reports due every six months until the court renders a final decision on the case. The ICJ will transmit its order to the U.N. Security Council as specified in the courts statute. Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the defense team at the three-day ICJ hearing in December, had told judges that the Rohingya exodus was the result of an internal armed conflict started by Muslim insurgents who attacked police outposts, and that government forces responded with a clearance operation to remove the assailants from the area. She had also asked the ICJ to drop the case. Major victory for Rohingya International rights groups hailed the ICJ's ruling as a crucial measure for protecting Rohingya living in Myanmar from genocide and preserving evidence of previous violence. The ICJ order to Myanmar to take concrete steps to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya is a landmark step to stop further atrocities against one of the worlds most persecuted people, said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director at New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). Concerned governments and U.N. bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward, she said in a statement. Nicholas Bequelin, regional director of London-based Amnesty International, said that the decision is a message to Myanmars senior officials: The world will not tolerate their atrocities, and will not blindly accept their empty rhetoric on the reality in Rakhine state today. An estimated 600,000 Rohingya who remain there are routinely and systematically denied their most basic rights. They face a real risk of further atrocities, he said in a statement. Myanmar must comply with the ICJs ruling and take immediate action to cease ongoing violations against the community and to prevent the destruction of evidence, he added. Matthew Smith, chief executive of Southeast Asia-based Fortify Rights, welcomed the courts decision as a major victory for Rohingya everywhere. We encourage Naypyidaw to comply fully with the order, he said in a statement. The [U.N.] Security Council will be seized of this issue and any failure to comply would invite unprecedented international action, including sanctions and more. Charles Santiago, a Malaysian lawmaker and chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), said the ruling signifies that Myanmar can no longer act with impunity concerning maltreatment of the Rohingya. The ICJ decision sends a clear message to Myanmar that the world is watching, and that it cannot continue to restrict the rights of the Rohingya with impunity, he said in a statement. The Rohingya have for decades faced oppression and violence at the hands of the Myanmar state, including restrictions on movement, citizenship, access to healthcare and education, and even the right to marry. Santiago also called on Myanmar to immediately execute the ICJs order. Myanmar needs to imminently implement the measures ordered by the ICJ, including providing a report of its progress to the court within four months, he said. The Rohingya still living inside Myanmar do so under an apartheid system, in close proximity to the security forces who have persecuted them for so many years. Myanmar views the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though many have lived in the country for generations, and subjects them to systematic discrimination, including restricting their movements and denying them access to basic services. Tun Khin (C), president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, reacts outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, Jan. 23, 2020. Credit: Associated Press 'Historic day' The International Campaign for the Rohingya hailed the ICJs ruling and called for more pressure on Myanmar and its military. It is now imperative that the international community apply sufficient pressure on Myanmar to comply with the International Court of Justices rulings and end its genocide of the Rohingya, Simon Billenness, the groups executive director, said in a statement. He called on individual governments and corporations to take targeted action against Myanmars military, which is heavily involved in business and the economy. We urge governments to impose tough sanctions on the Myanmar military and its business empire, he said. We further call on corporations to end any business relationships with companies owned or controlled by the Burmese army. There can be no longer be business as usual with the perpetrators of genocide. Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) said the courts decision marked a historic day. This court ruling is evidence that we are heading towards justice, not just for the Rohingya people, but for all ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. Today is a historic day, because all ethnic minority groups, including the Rohingya, are subject to various forms of cruel treatment and killings in Myanmar. We Rohingya have been subjected to genocidal killings for a long time. Both the military and Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyis government have been telling the distorted narratives to the international community in many ways, Tun Khin added. But we have never been recognized in terms of justice from a world court as we have been today. Myanmar also faces legal action over genocide-related accusations at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and at an Argentine court. Additional reporting by RFAs Myanmar Service, Thet Su Aung, and Wai Mar Tun. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, an epidemiologist at Columbia University who advised the Chinese government and the World Health Organization during the SARS outbreak, said that infected people outside Wuhan would continue to spread the disease. The horse is already out of the barn, he said. An examination of the information provided by the government about the initial deaths show a disease that has thus far largely killed older men, many of who had underlying health problems. Most had gone to the hospital with a fever and a cough, though at least three did not have fevers when they were admitted, according to the health commissions statement. Among the first 17 victims were 13 men and four women. All were identified only by their last names. The youngest was a 48-year-old woman, Yin, who died on Monday, more than a month after her symptoms were first recorded. The oldest cases were two 89-year-old men who died on Saturday and Sunday. The median age was 75. Many had underlying conditions like cirrhosis of the liver, hypertension, diabetes and Parkinsons disease. Most spent more than a week in hospitals, with some undergoing treatment for a month or longer. But two died just four days after they were admitted. While much about the virus remains unknown, medical experts found some positive signs in the fact that the disease did not appear to be killing young and otherwise healthy people. It was a somewhat reassuring sign, Dr. Lipkin wrote, that the majority of fatal cases are elderly and/or have a chronic disease that would increase their susceptibility to infectious diseases. PHILADELPHIA - The Roman Catholic bishop of Cleveland will become the new leader of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Vatican announced Thursday, making him the first Hispanic archbishop to lead the regions 1.3 million-member flock. Nelson Perez, who spent most of his early pastoral career in the Philadelphia area, was introduced Thursday in a news conference at the archdioceses Philadelphia headquarters. He will succeed Archbishop Charles Chaput, a conservative culture warrior who is stepping down after turning 75 last year, the traditional retirement age for Catholic bishops. Chaput welcomed Perez to his new post, which he will assume Feb. 18. He called his successor a man who already knows and loves the church in Philadelphia. Perez shared his enthusiasm for the city, saying, Its awesome to be back in Philadelphia with people who are faith-filled, who love the Lord, love the church. Perez also praised Chaputs tenure in the diocese, saying he faced challenges in Philadelphia with great courage and steadfastness. Perez, 58, attended the diocesan seminary in Philadelphia in the 1980s and served in a number of Philadelphia parishes before being named as an auxiliary bishop in Rockville Centre, New York, and then bishop of Cleveland in 2017. Perez also addressed church sex abuse victims Thursday, telling them, I, and we, continue to pray for your healing and support and hold you deep within our hearts those who have been hurt. It should have never happened, and we are sorry. Perez has had to deal with that issue while in Cleveland. The diocese last year made public a list of 22 previously unidentified priests and other clergy it said had been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. Perez said in a letter announcing the release of the names that a committee assembled by the diocese determined that the accusations against the clerics were more likely than not to be true. Perez had pledged in 2018 to follow the lead of other dioceses and release the names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse, past and present. The Cleveland diocese in 2002 began publishing the names of priests who were accused from that year forward. Chaput, for his part, faced a difficult task trying to restore credibility in the Philadelphia hierarchy following revelations of clergy sexual abuse and coverup by his predecessors that were revealed in 2005 and 2011 grand jury investigations. Appointed in 2011, Chaput was very much in favour under conservative Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, named to participate in important Vatican missions even while being denied the cardinals red hat that his predecessors enjoyed. Chaput, a member of the Capuchin order, has denied he is a critic of Pope Francis, and he hosted the Argentine pope when he visited Philadelphia in 2015. But the two clashed. After Francis opened the door to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion in 2016, Chaput closed the door in Philadelphia by saying they must abstain from sex if they want the sacrament. Chaput was also one several U.S. bishops who praised the integrity of a leading Francis critic, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. The former Vatican ambassador to the U.S. in 2018 called for Francis to resign for allegedly rehabilitating ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, alleging he was part of a two-decade conspiracy of coverup. In his letter, Vigano implied Francis opposed Chaputs conservativism, quoting the pope as telling him in 2013 that U.S. bishops must not be ideologically driven, they must not be right-wing like the archbishop of Philadelphia. Francis has said he doesnt remember details of the 2013 meeting. While Francis quickly accepted Chaputs resignation, this week he formally told another 75-year-old prelate to stay on indefinitely. Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, is a strong Francis supporter and helped draft the final document at the controversial Amazon Synod, where bishops called for married priests in the Amazon. Perez said he learned he would be changing jobs again when he got a call Saturday while visiting his mother in Florida. I was shocked, just absolutely shocked, Perez said. Once a Philadelphia priest, always a Philadelphia priest. I come back really with a sense of great gratitude and joy to serve alongside great bishops. ___ Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writers Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey, and Lisa Cornwell in Cincinnati contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput is a member of the Capuchin order, not the Cappuchin order. MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with the mother of an Israeli tourist who was jailed in Russia for carrying a few grams of hashish, the Kremlin said Wednesday. The Russian leader is set to meet with Naama Issachar's mother while he is visiting Israel on Thursday, Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy Land, are also taking part in the meeting that will focus on the humanitarian aspect of the case, Ushakov told reporters Wednesday. He wouldn't say if Putin, who will be in Israel for a Holocaust forum tied to the 75th anniversary of the Soviet army's liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, might pardon Issachar. Netanyahu has asked Putin to pardon the 26-year-old Issachar, who was arrested in April at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where she was transferring flights while travelling from India to Israel. The Israeli prime minister has expressed cautious optimism about her release. Russian authorities said more than nine grams of hashish were found in her luggage. Issachar was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, and a higher court in Moscow upheld the verdict and sentence last month. Asked about the reported Israeli decision to pass control over the Alexander courtyard in Jerusalem's Old City to Russia, Ushakov denied a link to Issachar's fate and said the move reflected warm Russian-Israeli relations. Legal formalities haven't been finalized yet, but a positive trend is visible, he said about the property transfer. The process is going in the right direction. The Alexander courtyard, which was bought by Russia in 1859, is meters from Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is one of several Jerusalem properties Moscow claims, and the dispute over it has been a source of friction between the usually friendly Israel and Russia. Doctors keeping up with the medical literature and treatment modules find that lower respiratory tract specimen must also be collected. Hyderabad: The 2019-nCOV coronavirus has kept city epidemiologists on their toes as they track the travel history of those returning from China while targeting medical students from Wuhan. Initial reports indicate some medical students from Wuhan have returned to both Telugu states but none have reported to any hospital. Students came for the winter break before the outbreak, health department sources said. We have to keep a tab on those who travelled from China in the past 15 days. It is cumbersome but hospitals have been put on alert. Diagnostic tests for swine flu will now be used for 2019-nCOV. There is no other test, said a senior health official. This is the only way to determine the virus. Throat swabs will be tested to confirm the disease. China also used throat swabs to identify the disease, and the results show-ed that the viruses that cause seasonal influenza, avian influenza, adenovi-rus, severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus and Middle East Respiratory syndrome coronavirus were ruled out. Travellers are suspected carriers: Experts Doctors keeping up with the medical literature and treatment modules find that lower respiratory tract specimen must also be collected. In some cases urine, stool, serum and respiratory pathology specimens have also been collected. Epidemiologists are doubly worried as there is mild swine flu virus active locally. We have a virus in the air that can cause respiratory infections though cases have been mild and less this year, said a senior health official. But the entry of novel coronavirus is a risk factor for co-infection. We are looking at measures for containment. Presently, travellers are suspected carriers and they have to be checked and the asymptomatic have to be counselled. A Hong Kong to Hyderabad flight, slated for midnight, is keeping them on their toes. Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos tweeted a photo from a memorial service for slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was murdered in October 2018, was a columnist with Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post. After conducting an investigation the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince ordered the killing of Khashoggi. The assassination "happened under my watch", the Saudi Crown Prince later said. This is Bezos' first public statement after reports alleging Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's involvement in hacking Bezos' phone. Bezos' phone was hacked in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message from the Saudi Crown Prince's personal account. United Nations (UN) experts, on January 22, asked the US and other authorities to investigate claims of Crown Prince's involvement in the phone hacking. Here is the photo Bezos shared on Twitter: Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 22, 2020 The Saudi embassy in Washington has denied that it had anything to do with the security breach on Bezos' phone that had reportedly taken place in 2018. "Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the Saudi Arabian embassy said on its Twitter account on January 21. In December a Saudi court exhonerated Prince Mohammed's top aides over the murder of Khashoggi, a verdict condemned globally as a travesty of justice but backed by Washington. (With inputs from Reuters) New York: Actor Annabella Sciorra has given emotional testimony that Harvey Weinstein raped her more than 25 years ago as she helplessly tried to ward off his aggressive advances. "I was punching him. I was kicking him. I was just trying to get him away from me, and he took my hands and put them over my head," Sciorra told the jury in Weinstein's sex assault trial on Thursday, her eyes welling up with tears and her voice breaking. "He put my hands over my head like this," she said, stretching her hands in the air to demonstrate for the jury. Sciorra, 59, is the prosecution's bold-name witness; she has appeared in numerous movies stretching back to the early 1990s (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and TV shows including The Sopranos, for which she earned an Emmy nomination. Frances legal system is scrutinized after a teenage girl is murdered in the first trailer for Laetitia from director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who is known for The Staircase and Murder on a Sunday Morning. In the trailer, 18-year-old Laetitia goes missing, and it becomes clear quickly that something has gone horribly wrong. When lifelong criminal Tony Meilhon is arrested, the legal system is questioned when scrutiny arises of how a man like that could have been walking the streets freely. The details of the crime develop, drawing the attention of politicians and the national media. The film is based the book Laetitia, or End of Men, by Ivan Jablonka, based on true events. Also Read: 'The Staircase' Director on Whether an Owl Could've Led to Kathleen Peterson's Death Laetitia has distribution in France and is up for acquisition at the Sundance Film Festival, which will start this week in Park City, Utah. De Lestrade most recently worked on The Staircase, which chronicled the trial of Michael Peterson after he reported in December 2001 that his wife had fallen down the stairs and died. However, there was a lot of blood and lacerations to the head that caused investigators to look into a possible homicide. Peterson was convicted in 2003 of murdering Kathleen Peterson and spent eight years in prison. In 2011, he was granted a new trial, but before it could start, he submitted to an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. He was sentenced to time already served and was set free. Watch the trailer for Laetitia above. Read original story The Staircase Director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade Is Back With Sundance Episodic Thriller Laetitia (Exclusive Video) At TheWrap In 2019, San Francisco police officers spent almost 24,000 hours doing something other than run-of-the-mill police work. Instead, dozens of officers spent the equivalent of nearly 1,000 days at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, standing guard over suspects who had been arrested, but required medical treatment before they could be transferred to jail. Its a job ordinarily handled by sheriffs deputies, but in San Francisco police have been forced to step in to deal with a phenomenon known as hospital watch. And for San Francisco cops, its become an increasingly time-consuming aspect of their duties as city leaders, including Mayor London Breed, call on law enforcement to redouble their attention on bread-and-butter police work and rebuilding fractured relationships with communities. We have officers that really embrace their role of being out there and interacting with community members, said Deputy Chief Greg McEachern. And when they have to be on a hospital watch, they realize that its one less officer out there to engage with the community and keep people safe, and that frustrates them. At a Police Commission meeting last Wednesday, Chief Bill Scott said hospital watches are an issue we struggle with constantly. Police officers have been assigned to hospital watch since 2016 following the closure of a dedicated ward at S.F. General that was guarded by sheriffs deputies, who provide security services at the hospital. The wards closure collided with a chronic staffing shortage at the Sheriffs Department, law enforcement officials said, intensifying the strain on the police and other departments resources. Sheriffs deputies are spread so thinly at the hospital that they arent able to guard multiple suspects in disparate locations. The ward had provided a centralized location where suspects could be guarded while receiving medical treatment. Once that ward closed, (the Police Department) became responsible for the security of the inmates. The ward wasnt open, and the sheriffs didnt have the staffing to sit on prisoners at multiple places, McEachern said. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Sheriffs deputies are already responsible for providing security at the hospital, for the operations of the citys jails and for transporting inmates from jail to the hospital for medical appointments. Guarding suspects at the hospital seems a natural extension of deputies responsibilities, but recruiting difficulties and a lack of funding for Sheriffs Department staffing has forced police officers to cover hospital watches, law enforcement officials said. The Police Department is spending more than just time guarding suspects in the hospital. Last year, the department shelled out $1.7 million on hospital watch, McEachern said, a figure that includes 10,500 hours of overtime pay, or about $946,000. Police said the problem is worsening, but did not track the amount cops spent on hospital watch in 2018. By the end of this fiscal year, the department expects to spend another $800,000 in overtime alone on hospital watch, Scott said. Anyone arrested on suspicion of a crime first has to undergo a medical evaluation performed by a public health nurse to determine whether the person is physically and mentally healthy enough to be sent to jail. If the suspect needs treatment prior to booking, or if a more thorough exam is warranted, two officers will escort the person to the hospital and guard the room until the suspect receives care. Depending on the suspects ailments, that can sometimes take weeks. Dr. Lisa Pratt, medical director of jail health services with the Department of Public Health, said the volume of inmates who need medical treatment prior to being admitted to jail has remained steady, but their conditions on the whole have worsened, sometimes requiring ever longer stays, which in turn keeps police on hospital watch duty longer. The medical and psychiatric (severity) of patients who end up in jail is much, much higher than its ever been, said Pratt. The longest hospital watch stint McEachern could recall in recent years lasted more than two months. At one point this month, there were six hospital watches involving 12 officers at the same time, which McEachern noted was particularly high. The amount of time SFPD officers are spending on hospital watch is rooted in the closure in 2016 of the hospitals centralized, guarded ward, following the completion of a new hospital and trauma center. Chronic staffing shortages at the Sheriffs Department have prevented the opening of a new ward to replace the old one. Health department spokeswoman Rachael Kagan said a secure four-bed unit for people awaiting medical care prior to jail was built at the new hospital, but a lack of funding and staffing are keeping the department from using it. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In essence, there is no ward right now for us to have someone thats in a secure environment where they can get medical treatment, said the SFPDs McEachern. Were one of the few counties anywhere in California that doesnt have a jail ward in a hospital, and thats significant. In an interview shortly before she left office, former Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said shed like for us to do (hospital watch), and the public wants the police officers on the street, doing police work, but I cant do it unless I have the staff to do it. A 2019 report from the Controllers Office on the Sheriffs Departments staffing woes found a large and growing gap between the agencys workload and the number of employees needed to handle it. Despite some progress compared with prior years, deputies spent 28% of their time on overtime when performing services for the health department in the 2017-18 fiscal year. The large amount of overtime stems in part from hiring challenges. Newly elected Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said his department is having difficulties recruiting quality applicants. Recruitment issues have also been intensified by a deluge of new work tied to recent reforms to the bail system. Kagan added that even if the new ward opens, cops or sheriffs deputies will still need to spend time guarding inmates in other parts of the hospital, like the emergency room or intensive care unit. Still, with the recent kickoff of San Franciscos budget process, city officials are trying to find ways to whittle down the time cops are spending guarding suspects at the hospital. SFPD officials have been in talks with the sheriffs and health departments on how to get officers out of hospital watch and back on to the streets, McEachern said. Hopefully, those talks will help to answer some of the questions when it comes to funding. If not, were going to, unfortunately, be in the same position were in now, he said. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa The Trump administration is set to unveil Thursday the final rules that scale back environmental protections for water bodies including streams and wetlands, the New York Times first reported. Why it matters: This is one of the biggest environmental rollbacks by the Trump administration yet. Withdrawing and replacing the Obama-era rule that expanded protections has been a big priority for powerful industries such as the agricultural sector, real estate developers and fossil fuel producers, Axios' Ben Geman notes. The big picture: It's the latest move in decades of regulatory and legal struggles over the reach of Clean Water Act protections. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the formal repeal of the wetlands regulations in September. Per AP, a draft version of the replacement rule released previously would end protections for some waters that had been under Clean Water Act jurisdiction for decades. President Trump has touted that farmers are set to benefit the most from the overhaul, according to AP, which notes farmers are "a highly valued constituency of the Republican Party and one popular with the public." Trump signed an executive order soon after taking office to roll back the Obama-era EPA's Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule to regulate a vast array of minor streams and wetlands in a way that far exceeds what Congress allowed under the Clean Water Act. What they're saying: The president told event-goers at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention Sunday the Obama administration's rule "basically took your property away from you" but he has "terminated one of the most ridiculous regulations of all," according to Courthouse News. Karen Harbert, head of the American Gas Association, told the Times the new rules would "restore proper balance" between federal and state rules to enable safeguards without stifling infrastructure projects. Worth noting: The overhaul comes despite objections from EPA scientific advisers, most of whom were Trump administration appointees, Politico notes. The advisers said last month the rollback was "in conflict with established science and the objectives of the Clean Water Act." The bottom line: Per Axios' Amy Harder: It's not unexpected but still politically significant. Obama's rule had been tied up in the courts like this one will inevitably be as it's almost certain that the Trump rule will be litigated by environmental groups once finalized. Go deeper: White House begins unwinding EPA clean water rule On Wednesday, the army decided Byun could no longer serve in South Korea's military because of "mental and physical disability." Byun, a 21-year-old staff sergeant, recently underwent gender reassignment surgery to become female. Not Byun Hui-su. Byun sought out a specialised, far-from-home high school for future military officers, and in March 2017 joined the ranks of South Korea's army as an officer. Many try to postpone their service, apply for plum assignments or seek to avoid it altogether. Seoul: For many South Koreans, the mandatory two-year military service required of all men is an onerous obligation born of the country's precarious reality of abutting North Korea and its million-man army. The army's swift decision to boot the transgender soldier from its ranks came despite protests from advocates and a national human rights commission recommendation that the case be given more time for consideration. It has ignited fierce debate in a country that remains largely socially conservative, in part because of a vocal and zealous evangelical Christian population, and where military service is a perennial point of contention in gender issues because women are not conscripted. Women who voluntarily enlist account for more than 10,000 members of the military. Byun's unprecedented case in South Korea thrusts the country into the forefront of an issue that has been controversial in the US and other nations. President Donald Trump, via a 2017 tweet, abruptly reversed an Obama administration decision to begin allowing transgender individuals to enlist and serve openly, a move that is being challenged in the courts. The US has 8980 active service members who are transgender, according to Department of Defence statistics cited by the Palm Centre. It's not known how many of South Korea's 600,000 troops - about 464,000 of whom are with the army - may be transgender. Byun and her attorneys said they would file appeals to the human rights commission and pursue legal action to allow her to continue to serve. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi Thu, January 23, 2020 19:06 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b91a1 1 National Jehovahs-Witness,Jambi Free A citizen of the United States and an Indonesian national have been arrested by the Telanaipura Police in Jambi for allegedly spreading the teachings of Jehovahs Witnesses in the Simpang Empat Sipin subdistrict of Jambi city. The arrest was made based on reports from residents who were concerned by the individuals activities in the neighborhood, Telanaipura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yumika Putra said on Wednesday. Both the US and the Indonesian citizens, identified only by the initials J and L, respectively, were currently detained and being questioned regarding their religious activities, he said. The Jambi Police had also assisted in making sure whether the detainees had actually violated any existing laws, he added. During the preliminary questioning, J admitted to having lived in Jambi city for three years. The police had cooperated with the Jambi Immigration Office to look into J's stay permit. Waluyo, a local, said the J and L had given out pamphlets, brochures and books on the teachings of Jehovahs Witnesses from door to door in the neighborhood. They also recommended residents visit the official website of the Jehovahs Witnesses at jw.org. Of course we grew concerned. This is a Muslim-majority neighborhood. What if theres a conflict with local residents? Waluyo said to The Jakarta Post. Residents of Kasang Pudak village in Muarojambi regency of Jambi had had similar visitors purportedly spreading the teachings of Jehovahs Witnesses in February last year, when two Koreans, accompanied by an Indonesian, reportedly handed out reading materials about the faith in the predominantly Muslim neighborhood. The authorities received reports from locals about the activities and proceeded to question them. However, the two foreigners could not show their citizenship documents and later escaped. Following the incident, a local congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses had reportedly made a pact with residents of Kasang Pudak village to submit reports of their activities to village officials in an effort to maintain order and religious harmony in the area. In the past, Jehovah's Witnesses -- a minority religious group in the country -- was banned in Indonesia under Attorney General Decree No. 129/1976 because of a series of legal violations the congregations had been accused of committing over the years, such as their refusal to salute the national flag. However, the decree was revoked in 2001 following the issuance of, among others, People's Consultative Assembly Decree No. 17/1998 on human rights. (rfa) The Duchess of Sussex's estranged father has revealed how he knew his daughter would be an actress after seeing her perform as a teenager in high school plays. Thomas Markle, 75, said he felt 'tremendous pride' watching Meghan act on stage at the private Catholic all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. And a video was revealed in a Channel 5 documentary last night of one of Meghan's star performances aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in the play Into the Woods. Meghan performs on stage aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in the play Into the Woods The clip filmed in March 1997 showed Prince Harry's future wife confidently walking around the stage and delivering her lines with gusto. Former TV lighting director Mr Markle also told a Channel 5 documentary last night how he helped build some scenery and rig the lights for plays at the school. He said: 'I think I gave her a sense of pride, I think I gave her a sense of duty and work, I think Meghan would say that I did a very good job as a father. 'She was growing into a very nice young lady. I got involved (in school plays) because I watched a couple of their shows and I knew they needed a lot of work. Meghan was a keen actress at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California Thomas Markle, 75, told Channel 5 he felt 'tremendous pride' watching Meghan act on stage 'I just offered to come in and put some lights in, build some scenery and make the shows real shows. Meghan was in almost all those shows.' Mr Markle added: 'When I saw my daughter performing on stage, I felt tremendous pride. I knew from the day she was born that she would eventually be doing that. 'It wasn't a surprise or a shock to me. It was just something I knew was going to happen.' Meghan's drama teacher was Gigi Perreau, who met Mr Markle on camera for the documentary for the first time in about 20 years. The clip filmed in March 1997 showed Prince Harry's future wife delivering her lines with gusto Meghan's father helped build some scenery and rig the lights for plays at his daughter's school Mr Markle said: 'I met Gigi through the school itself because she was the head of the drama department and Meghan of course is 'I want to be in the drama department' and very pushy about 'I want to do the show'. 'She learned to be in front of people with you and she learned to get up and have enough guts to sing a song.' Ms Perreau replied: 'Exactly, and boy she was nervous about that. One thing we worked on were listening skills, because I tried to demystify acting, in other words 'it's not that scary - you listen to what the other person says and you respond'. 'I'm extremely proud of Meghan. I think she has really, as far as her role now as the Duchess, I think she's doing an amazing job. Meghan starred in Into The Woods while at the all-girls Catholic school in Los Angeles in 1997 A file picture of the private Catholic all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles 'And they said, well, do you think she's going to miss acting? And all I could do is laugh, as you're laughing now. I said, are you kidding? 'I said she's got the biggest acting job of any human being in the world. I mean from the moment she wakes up in the morning until that door closes and they have, whatever, their private time hopefully, she's out there being the Duchess of Sussex - and that's a big role, that's a huge role.' In Andrew Morton's 2018 book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, he told how Meghan wrote in the programme notes for Into The Woods that she wanted to attend Northwestern University in Illinois, which she predicted would 'be her next stop on her way to Broadway'. In last night's documentary, Mr Markle also defended his decision to speak out against his daughter, saying: 'Meghan owes me... it's time to look after Daddy.' Thomas Markle said he knew Meghan would be a star after seeing her perform as a teenager Mr Markle detailed the breakdown of his relationship with the duchess and accused Prince Harry of acting like a 'sensitive' 12-year-old. Meghan rose to fame in 2010 as Rachel Zane in the popular US legal drama series Suits He accused the couple of saying 'trashy things' about him and said he believed his relationship with Meghan was now damaged beyond repair and she would not choose to see him again. The American, who has not spoken to his daughter since before her 2018 marriage, has become an outspoken critic of the duke and duchess, accusing them of damaging the Royal Family by stepping back from their duties. But he also admitted he had been jealous of Charles and 'cried a bit' as the Prince of Wales walked Meghan down the aisle on her wedding day. Meghan rose to fame in 2010 as the sassy Rachel Zane in the popular American legal drama series Suits. However, the actress left the show and her acting career to concentrate on her charity projects and to marry Prince Harry in May 2018. Meghan's last episode was aired in the UK in April, just a month before she married Harry in Windsor Castle. Raveesh Kumar observed that there was "nothing new" in what Imran Khan had said at the World Economic Forum meet in Davos (Photo Credit: File Photo) New Delhi: India has termed as 'desperate' Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for international intervention powers to help de-escalate tensions between the two countries before things get to a point of no return. India said Pakistan should stop trying to "distract" the global community and work instead on taking verifiable action against terror groups on its territory. Speaking to mediapersons, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar observed that there was "nothing new" in what Imran Khan had said at the World Economic Forum meet in Davos, Switzerland. Khan had urged international powers - including the United Nations and the United States - to prevent a showdown between "two nuclear-armed countries". "You cannot have two nuclear-armed countries even contemplating a conflict," he said, claiming that there was every possibility of India trying to raise tensions at the border to "divert attention from domestic issues". When asked the comments made by Imran Khan, Kumar responded by saying 'we are hardly surprised by the content and tone of his remarks'. "We have seen reports about certain remarks on India and India-Pakistan relations made by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at Davos," MEA said. "We are hardly surprised by the content and tone of his remarks. They are not only factually inaccurate and contradictory, but also demonstrate a growing sense of frustration," he said. "Pakistan has to realise that the global community has seen through this double-standard of playing the victim card in their fight against terror on the one hand, and supporting terror groups targeting India and other countries on the other," Kumar said. "If Pakistan is indeed serious for a peaceful and normal relationship with India as he claims, the onus is on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere. They have to take credible, irreversible and verifiable action against terror groups operating from its soil rather than making misleading and alarmist statements to divert the attention of international community," he added. India also snubbed US President Donald Trump's fresh offer to "help" in resolving the Kashmir dispute on Thursday saying 'there was no role for any third party in the issue'. "Our position on Kashmir has been clear and consistent through the years. These are bilateral issues that need to be discussed between India and Pakistan, and there is no role for a third party in this situation," he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A town in Wyoming has settled a civil rights lawsuit filed by a former town employee who accused his supervisor of allegedly calling him racial slurs before firing him. The town of Evansville will pay $90,000 to former employee Roy Mestas, Casper Star-Tribune reports. Mestas attorney Megan Hayes filed a request with a federal judge to dismiss the case on the basis of the settlement the same day the lawsuit was mentioned in a town news release. The settlement does not require the town to acknowledge wrongdoing, officials said. The alleged discrimination dates to 2013 and the town has since changed its policies to allow workers to make complaints directly to her or the town attorney and appeal firings directly to the town council, Evansville Mayor Jennifer Sorenson said. None of the people involved still work for the town, Sorenson said. The supervisor Dale Brown could not be reached by phone Monday and a person answering a phone number associated with his address last year declined to comment in connection with the case. That number has since been disconnected. Mestas was happy to resolve the case before its scheduled February trial date, he said in a statement. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Julianne Hough has shocked fans by undergoing an exorcism-like healing treatment that had her screaming and writhing on a massage table. The 31-year-old Dancing With the Stars alum joined Gwyneth Paltrow-approved body healer John Amaral on stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday to talk about tapping into energetic intelligence. As part of the discussion, Amaral had Hough lie face down on a massage table so he could demonstrate how waves of stored emotion can be released through movement and the results were jaw-dropping. Say what? Julianne Hough underwent an exorcism-like healing treatment at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday Check this out: As part of the discussion, John Amaral had the dancer lie face down on a table so he could demonstrate how waves of stored emotion can be released through movement In the video, Amaral floats his hands over Hough, and her body starts to move in a wave pattern. The dancer can be seen jutting her backside into the air and arching her back. 'This is spontaneous,' the chiropractor insists. 'It's not a placebo effect. It's reproducible.' Amaral explains that Hough's body is redirecting and dissipating stored energy 'freeing up the system to be more adaptable.' Just when viewers think it can't get any weirder, he mimes pulling something out of the dancer's backside, and she starts screaming. Shocking: In the video, Amaral floats his hands over Hough, and her body starts to move in a wave pattern. She can be seen jutting her backside into the air and arching her back What a release: After he mimes pulling something out of her backside, and she starts screaming and writhing Strike pose: Hough took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of herself posing in front of a scene backdrop. It's unclear if the photo was taken before or after her treatment 'Expression of the emotion may happen when the system moves,' he explains while Hough's body twitches and ripples on the table in front of him. And just like that, the demonstration is over, and a smiling Hough pops up to discuss her experience with the audience, explaining that it was 'stored emotion' that came out of her. 'I feel so much more liberated on the inside that I can speak my truth clearly and stand in my power and not feel overtaken by ... emotion, my mind, and I feel free inside myself to just be,' she says. Jackie Schimmel Haas, the host of the 'B**h Bible' podcast, shared the bizarre footage on Instagram, writing: 'Gonna tell my kids this is the Exorcist.' Getting it out? Hough's holistic healing treatment in Davos comes amid reports of marital troubles between her and her husband, Brooks Laich Workout guru: The strange ritual is somewhat of a natural fit for Hough, who has been on tour with Oprah Winfrey promoting her new 'high sensory activated dance method,' Kinrgy Unsurprisingly, the footage left more than a few people feeling lost for words, with Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder commenting: 'What in the actual...' 'What the literally f*ck is going on,' asked Southern Charm star Naomie Olindo. 'Is he pulling the demonic spirit out of her booty??? So many questions. Calling a priest,' joked comedian Heather McMahan. Amaral may look familiar to fans of Gwyneth's Goop, as he is featured on the lifestyle guru's new Netflix show, The Goop Lab, which premieres on January 24. In previews for the series, Goop's Chief Content Officer Elise Loehnen undergoes the same exorcism-style treatment that Hough went through. Celebrity healer: Amaral may look familiar to fans of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, as he is featured on the lifestyle guru's new Netflix show, The Goop Lab (pictured) Look familiar? In previews for the series, Goop's Chief Content Officer Elise Loehnen undergoes the same exorcism-style treatment that Hough went through The strange ritual is somewhat of a natural fit for Hough, who has been on tour with Oprah Winfrey promoting her new 'high sensory activated dance method,' Kinrgy. Hough's holistic healing treatment in Davos comes amid reports of marital troubles between her and her husband, Brooks Laich. 'Theyve been having problems for months,' a source told People earlier this month. 'Shes very independent and a free spirit, and thats been tough for Brooks and their marriage.' While she was in Switzerland, Laich took to Instagram on Wednesday to share that he is 're-assessing' things in his life in the new year. 'Im redefining my priorities, and putting happiness at the forefront. Im making changes to my daily routine, and prioritizing the things that bring me the most joy,' he wrote. 'Everything else lines up behind those.' Ten years ago, the average gram of meth available in the U.S. was 39 percent pure. Today, it is being sold in a nearly pure state, manufactured in Mexican superlabs and smuggled across the border to feed an epidemic of addiction. The drug is being peddled alongside fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin, and carfentanil, a derivative so powerful that it is used as an elephant tranquilizer and can kill a human with just a speck or two. The purity and potency of the illegal and in some cases legal drug market has seemed to reach new levels. It is a trend that is particularly alarming to authorities as it unfolds against the backdrop of an emerging opioid crisis that has taken an unprecedented number of lives and touches all walks of life. Drug poisoning deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the U.S., surpassing car crashes, suicide, homicide and guns. Advertisement It begs the question: Just how much stronger can drugs get? That could depend on how the opioid crisis pans out, as there are indications that the craving for prescription highs and the introduction of fentanyl into the illegal market have changed appetites. Ive got to believe that the higher potency is to compete with the higher potency of other drugs available on the market, said Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, director of BING Center for Health Economics and a drug policy expert with the RAND Corporation. That shift has hit many users by surprise, as fentanyl is increasingly being cut into traditional drugs of abuse like heroin and meth. People are not choosing these substances, Pacula said. (Fentanyl and carfentanil) have infiltrated our supply chain and pose a serious public health risk because users arent aware. With the stakes higher than ever, Amy Roderick, spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego, hopes the public is taking notice. Hopefully people are educating themselves and realize its safer to stay away. It is devastating when someone in your family is addicted to these drugs, she said. We cant lay our heads down and have society be the walking dead. Heres a look at drug purity levels over time and the current marketplace. Methamphetamine When U.S. laws restricted the sale of precursor chemicals needed to make methamphetamine, its production moved from domestic home labs to massive labs in Mexico run by cartels. But consumption of the drug has kept a strong foothold in the nation and San Diego County. The drug is being sold in nearly pure form these days. Purity in 2016 was around 93 to 96 percent with prices low and stable, indicating an oversupply, according to the DEAs 2017 National Drug Threat Assessment. A 93 percent pure gram was going for $58 in 2016. To counteract the falling prices, organizations are trying to market more to the East Coast and hook new users, authorities said. The Mexican labs are also coming up with new methods to make the drug so they dont have to rely on getting precursor chemicals from China, a supply chain that is being heavily scrutinized, the DEA reported. Survey and treatment data shows demand for meth may be increasing. In San Diego County, deaths, reported usage and reported availability all rose over the past five years, according to the Methamphetamine Strike Force 2016 Report Card. Fentanyl Fentanyl, a prescription drug that has been around for decades, has been used as a painkiller and anesthetic in clinical settings. Most of the fentanyl in the U.S. illegal market is either being made in Mexican cartel labs or is being mailed in much smaller quantities from China. It is not complicated to cut fentanyl into other drugs or make into pills, which can be especially deadly to users in the hands of an amateur mixologist. It is cheaper and easier to produce than heroin, which is produced from poppy crops, and is often deceptively marketed on the street as heroin or oxycodone pills to opioid addicts. The fentanyl being seized coming across the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego is typically 4 to 6 percent pure, already diluted considerably by the cartels, said Roderick. The smaller quantities being mailed from China are much more pure, often 90 percent or higher, according to the DEA. A wholesale kilogram of fentanyl in San Diego County goes for about $31,000, Roderick said. The prices increase the farther from the border. Were seeing more fentanyl than any other DEA lab in the country due to the fact we are at the border, said Roderick. Heroin Heroin in San Diego County comes exclusively from Mexico, and with boosts in farming production there, the country is now the primary source of heroin for the U.S. Lab tests show Mexican powder heroin is extremely pure, especially on the East Coast, more than the typical 40 to 50 percent dilution in that market, the DEA reported. In San Diego in 2015 heroin was testing 35 percent pure, continuing an upward trend over the past few years. Mexican black tar heroin, which has traditionally been the heroin of choice in San Diego, has also been increasingly replaced by refined white or brown powder heroin another result of the opioid epidemic. Prescription drug users dont want black tar heroin, Roderick said. That looks nasty; they want something nice and pretty. A designer drug marketed as China White, a name that used to mean heroin now means fentanyl or perhaps an even stronger fentanyl derivative. The illicit fentanyl and heroin markets are so intertwined it is difficult to gauge how much heroin market share fentanyl has gained, the DEA stated in its 2017 assessment. Cocaine Cocaine appears to coming back into fashion after its 1970s and 80s heyday. Cocaine is really coming back with a bang, Roderick said. I expect purity to go up and prices to start back up. Opioid addicts have been drawn to the drug recently, she said, and speedballing mixing heroin and cocaine to balance the stimulant and depressant effects of the drugs is becoming more popular again. Coca production has been increasing in Colombia in recent years with the end to aerial fumigation and a financial incentive program promising to pay farmers for their illicit crops if they turn to legal ones. While the average purity of a gram of cocaine in the U.S. has remained relatively stable in the past several years around 45 to 49 percent it increased to 56 percent last year. The price has dropped since then, to $165 per gram. Since 2007, average annual cocaine purity in the United States has had a relatively strong relationship with Colombian cocaine production, although the relationship between cocaine production and domestic prices is weak, the DEA reports. This may mean other factors, including competition within drug markets, and changes in the user population, have more influence on domestic prices than previously recognized. Marijuana This isnt your parents pot. Marijuana has gotten increasingly stronger over the decades as the demand for designer crops has grown, the drug is decriminalized around the country and innovation flourishes. Its a phenomenon tracked in part by the University of Mississippis Potency Monitoring Program, which tests law enforcement seizures from around the nation. Mexico is the primary foreign source for marijuana, although marijuana is being grown increasingly in the U.S. as it is legalized in many states. While Mexican marijuana is thought to be lower grade, law enforcement reporting indicates cartels are increasing the quality to stay competitive, according to the DEA. Traditional marijuana, the leafy kind, averaged a THC potency of 11 percent in 2015 three times the amount in 1995, according to the seizure data. (Potency is the dosage needed to affect a person, versus purity, which is the amount of drug in a sample.) The highest level of THC the component that creates a high tested was 37 percent. Concentrated marijuana, known as hash oil, is incredibly more potent, with a national average of 56 percent purity in 2015, according to the universitys seizure data. Concentrated marijuana is found in vaporizers, edibles, tablets and lotions, and is how many new or experimental users might experience legalized recreational marijuana. Some hash oil seizures tested above 90 percent potency, the university reported. The legal market shows even higher typical potency levels 20 percent in traditional marijuana and 60 percent in concentrate being commonplace in Washington state, according to a 2017 study by RAND. Potential users in legal states need to remember that this isnt the same weed they smoked in college, experts say. The purity is so much higher and you run the risk of ending up hurting yourself, Roderick said. Pacula at RAND is part of a group of experts working to identify standard doses of marijuana that can be recommended in its various forms an area of research lacking in the U.S. due to marijuana still being illegal under federal law. 1 / 5 sd-me-g-drug-purity-slide-first 2 / 5 sd-me-g-drug-purity-slide-meth (Thinkstock) 3 / 5 sd-me-g-drug-purity-slide-heroin (Thinkstock) 4 / 5 sd-me-g-drug-purity-slide-coca (Thinkstock) 5 / 5 sd-me-g-drug-purity-slide-mari (Charlie Neuman) kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A move to repeal a pit bull ban in Prairie Village took a step forward on Tuesday evening after discussion among the City Council. The council voted 9-3 in favor of directing city staff to draft an ordinance that repeals the breed-specific language in the existing ordinance. In November, after Prince Andrew's catastrophic BBC interview over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, this masthead predicted that both he and his nephew Prince Harry second sons outside the main line of monarchic succession would be best advised to pursue lives beyond the aegis of the royal family. This month's announcement by Harry and his wife, Meghan, or the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they are known, that they intended to become "financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty the Queen" showed just how difficult it can be for someone occupying a hereditary public role to conceive and execute such a departure. Within days it became clear that the couple's vision of their role was not acceptable to Buckingham Palace and that they could "no longer formally represent the Queen". If that seems final, try to imagine the next time the duke and duchess and their child (or perhaps children) visit this country. It has been announced that neither will use the style "his/her royal highness", though unlike Harry's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, they have not been formally stripped of the title. Does that mean that the Australian government would no longer meet their transport, accommodation and other costs? When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured Australia in 2014, the bill to taxpayers came to just over $474,000, not including security. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Thu, January 23, 2020 13:02 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060a844e 2 Entertainment Fender,guitar,Britain Free Guitar-maker Fender has been fined 4.5 million pounds ($6 million) in Britain after it admitted breaking competition law by preventing retailers from discounting online prices for its instruments, which can run into thousands of pounds. Between 2013 and 2018, the company, founded around 70 years ago in southern California by Leo Fender, required its guitars be sold at or above a minimum price in Britain, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday. This kind of practice means that when customers shop around, they find retailers tend to be selling the same products for roughly the same price, the regulator said, leading it to impose its biggest such fine yet. Aside from its eponymous brand, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation's line-up also includes Squier, Gretsch, Jackson, Charvel and EVH. Its guitars, including the legendary Stratocaster and Telecaster, have been the choice of musicians ranging from Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher. Read also: Guitar maker Fender hopes to rock revenues with digital song-learning app "It is absolutely essential that companies do not prevent people from being able to shop around to buy their products at the best possible price," said Andrea Coscelli, CMA Chief Executive. "This is especially important for expensive and popular items like guitars, and so Fenders actions could have had a big impact on customers." Fender said it cooperated with the CMA and has made changes to its practices. "As a result of the investigation, we have taken additional steps to enhance our compliance procedures and our new EMEA executive team will continue to rigorously monitor the business adherence to antitrust and competition laws," said a spokesman. Topics : Fender guitar Britain By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia must remain a strong presidential republic, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday when asked about a possible transitional period once he steps down in 2024. Last week Putin, who under the constitution cannot run for another presidential term, proposed constitutional changes that would give him scope to extend his grip on power after leaving the presidency. The suggestions include reducing the powers of the presidency and beefing up those of the prime minister, prompting speculation that Putin might be eyeing a return to a job he held from 2008 to 2012. "Our country, obviously, has to be a strong presidential republic. That's the first thing. And then, we have so many ethnic groups, nationalities, ways of life, it is practically impossible to integrate in the framework of a parliamentary republic," Putin said, in comments which seemed to contradict last week's message. Putin, who is 67, was speaking at a televised meeting with Russian students in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Asked by one student whether Russia should consider setting up some kind of transitional institution as happened in Singapore, Putin said this was not appropriate for his country. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore, was named the Minister Mentor, an advisory position, after his retirement from active politics, to help provide stability. "He was an outstanding man... That's true, he was, I don't know, around 30 years in power, and he founded the country, that's true... You want me to be the Minister Mentor?" "What you propose, would undermine the institution of the presidency. I think that for such a country as Russia this is not applicable," said Putin, who has dominated Russian politics as president or prime minister for two decades. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Polina Ivanova; Editing by Gareth Jones) Inhumane Conditions, Violence and Death Represents Everyday Life at Mississippis Parchman Prison The conditions at Mississippis Parchman prison makes it one of the worst detention facilities in the world, according to reform advocates and human rights organizations. Death and violence are rampant, many inmates are without beds, and electricity, plumbing, and fundamental human rights are absent. At the same time, mold, roaches, mosquitos, and rodents far outnumber the more than 5,000 inmates. On Tuesday, January 14, hip-hop superstar Jay-Z sued the head of the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the warden on behalf of 29 prisoners who have complained that officials have done nothing to stop the violence at Parchman. ADVERTISEMENT In the suite filed in U.S. District Court in Greenville, Mississippi, Jay-Z addressed the recent deaths at the prison. These deaths are a direct result of Mississippis utter disregard for the people it has incarcerated and their constitutional rights, the mogul said in the court filing. The suit names Department of Corrections Commissioner Pelicia Hall and Mississippi State Penitentiary Superintendent Marshall Turner as defendants. Earlier this month, hip-hop stars T.I., and Yo Gotti called on the governor to close the prison or to address the issues adequately. This is unacceptable, T.I. wrote on his Instagram page. The conditions in the prisons operated by the Mississippi Department of Corrections are absolutely inhumane and unconstitutional, Yo Gotti wrote in a letter to the governor Phil Bryant, a Republican. ADVERTISEMENT To see this happen so close to my hometown of Memphis is truly devastating. Thats why were calling on Mississippi state leaders to take immediate action and rectify this issue. If they dont right this wrong, were prepared to take legal action to provide relief for those that are incarcerated and their families, Gotti stated. In an alarming 2019 report on Parchman and other Mississippi prisons, The Marshall Project found that gang activity isnt limited to some of the people incarcerated. They discovered that some prison employees, including some high ranking officers and managers, are affiliated with one of two gangs, the Vice Lords or Gangster Disciples. The reasons vary. Some staffers said gang loyalty gives some officers a measure of protection; since gangs have a lot of control, they can prevent certain attacks, The Marshall Project reported. Others say gang affiliation began before employment; according to lawsuits, testimony, and interviews, gangs directly recruit women to apply for correctional officer jobs. In a tweet, Pro Publica officials stated, Understaffed and underfunded, Mississippis #ParchmanPrison recently received media attention for its grisly violence, gang control, and subhuman living conditions. Lawmakers have known about these issues for years and have done nothing to fix it. Earlier this month, five inmates were killed after allegedly trying to escape. Video captured by cellphones, which are routinely smuggled into the prison, surfaced online this month appearing to show inside Parchman and the conditions in which inmates live. One shows individuals in orange and white prison uniforms walking through piles of trash and dirty water. Mold is apparent, and theres no electricity, heat, plumbing, and many inmates sleep on concrete because there arent enough beds. We sleeping on straight concrete. There are no mats, one person on the video states. The individuals than demonstrate that theres no running water by trying to flush toilets and opening faucets and showers. In another video, two inmates also complain about the lack of running water. Please get us some help, they plead. In still another video, an inmate appears to breakdown emotionally as he sits in an area where prisoners have disposed of their feces. In the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the prison, once a plantation that was home to hundreds of slaves, has a long history thats intertwined with Mississippis racist past. In 1901, the state government of Mississippi established Parchman Penitentiary, taking advantage of an opportunity to continue to profit off of cheap Black labor, much like Whites had done for generations before, while also continuing to exercise violent control over the descendants of former slaves. Historians at the University of North Carolina said Parchman was modeled after a traditional southern plantation, for-profit prison in Sunflower County was segregated until 1971. While a small farm held White convicts, Black inmates labored on Parchmans massive, twenty-thousand-acre plantation, where they picked cotton, chopped wood, and plowed fields under the control of armed guards, the historians stated. Today, of the more than 5,000 inmates at Parchman, more than 60 percent are African American. The prison has an 11-to-1 inmate to guard ratio, and no one is safe. I will be requesting that the U.S. Attorney General launch an investigation into the ongoing failures in safety, security, health, and environmental standards within the Mississippi Department of Corrections, stated U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). This is unacceptable, Thompson wrote on Twitter. Customer Data Orchestration with 360 Degree Single Customer View Enhanced with Third-Party Contact Level Intent Data Every marketer agrees that personalized experiences and journeys are the key to success in todays competitive markets...with the right data and tools its possible to anticipate buyers journeys and hyper-personalize at scale. IntentData.io, Inc. today announces the Ed Marsh has been invited by customer data platform vendor BlueVenn to share insights on third- party intent data at their annual User Summit in Raleigh, NC January 27-28. The session, entitled Best Practice: Using Intent Data to Identify, Personalize and Orchestrate will explore how a CDP can empower marketing and sales to integrate multiple third-party data sets along with first-party and enrichment data to deliver a complex and actionable Single Customer View. Every marketer agrees that personalized experiences and journeys are the key to success in todays competitive markets, says Ed Marsh, CRO of IntentData.io, Inc. And nearly everyone will tell you in confidence that its a fantasy. Except it doesnt need to be. With the right data and tools its possible to anticipate buyers journeys and hyper-personalize at scale. Optimizing third-party intent data for personalization and orchestration is built on two elements; the data stack and the customer data platform. Marshs presentation will cover both. Starting with intent data types and definitions, hell help attendees visualize how information from around the entire web can supplement known and anonymous first-party data, and how BlueVenns Unify software can stitch the right data together into a robust single customer view. Next, hell explore interpreting the insights from individual contact golden records and aggregated account perspectives. Contact level third-party intent data often provides details on stage in buying journey, buying team members and competitive challenges. BlueVenns Engage powers an analysis engine to help teams segment and anticipate individual and collective ABM buying journeys at scale. Finally, the group will learn about complex orchestration using traditional and newer marketing and sales approaches including competitor event targeting, paid social nurturing via custom audiences, sales acceleration cadences and even personalized chatbot experiences. Ben Knight, President of BlueVenn USA says Were excited to welcome Ed and IntentData.io to share best practices as theyre actively being written around the integration of customer data platforms and intent data. The uniqueness of their data, and the power of our CDP offer an amazing opportunity for savvy digital marketers. Companies interested in attending the BlueVenn Summit can register here. About IntentData.io IntentData.io, Inc. is a woman-owned marketing technology firm that provides third-party intent data to enhance clients' demand generation and support account-based marketing (ABM). Through a suite of intent data and activation services, IntentData.io closely aligns companies' sales and marketing departments, by offering tailored intelligence pertinent to both. Specifically, IntentData.io provides individual level contact details and granular context, based on competitor and industry engagement. Visit us at IntentData.io. and connect with us on twitter.com/IntentData_io, linkedin.com/company/intentdataio, facebook.com/IntentData.io and instagram.com/intentdata.io/ About BlueVenn BlueVenn provides marketers with all the analytics, predictive insight and omnichannel marketing automation capabilities they need. Powered by its Customer Data Platform, it works to create a real-time Single Customer View of every customer touchpoint, to help businesses utilize advanced segmentation, analytics and personalization to improve the customer experience and achieve acquisition and retention KPIs. More than 400 brands around the world use BlueVenn's omnichannel marketing and Customer Data Platform solutions and BlueVenn has five offices, located across the US, UK and France. AP Actress Annabella Sciorra confronted Harvey Weinstein in court on Thursday after keeping her rape accusation against the disgraced film producer largely hidden for decades. For more than a quarter-century, she told only few friends that the once-revered filmmaker had pinned her to a bed and violated her, until she came forward publicly in 2017. Now, Ms Sciorra has become the first of Weinsteins accusers to testify at his New York City rape trial. I was punching him. I was kicking him. I was just trying to get him off of me after he pushed his way into her apartment and pinned her on a bed in the early 1990s, Ms Sciorra told the jury. She said he overpowered her, seizing her hands and holding them over her head, and raped her. I didnt have very much fight left inside me, Ms Sciorra testified. My body shut down. It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual. I didnt even know what was happening. It was like a seizure or something. When she ran into him about a month later and confronted him about what had happened, he parried, Thats what all the nice Catholic girls say, she testified. Then, she said, he leaned toward her and said menacingly: This remains between you and I. I thought he was going to hit me right there, Ms Sciorra said. Ms Sciorra, best known for her work in The Sopranos, stands to be a key witness in a watershed trial for the #MeToo movement. Ms Sciorra, 59, started acting in the late 1980s and soon drew acclaim for her leading part in Spike Lees 1991 film Jungle Fever and her role as a pregnant woman molested by her doctor in 1992s The Hand That Rocks The Cradle the next year. The New York trial involves just a pair of the dozens of allegations that surfaced against Weinstein in recent years. He is charged with forcibly performing oral sex on former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haleyi in his apartment in 2006 and raping an aspiring actress in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013. Story continues Weinstein has insisted any sexual encounters were consensual. As he left court on Wednesday, he told reporters he felt very confident about the case. On Thursday, the jury of seven men and five women listened keenly and took notes on Sciorras testimony. Weinstein was mostly expressionless, sometimes appearing to purse his lips as he chewed mints. The defence tried to seed doubts about Sciorras allegations, and she gave a slightly different version under their questioning, testifying that when the producer initially pushed her onto her bed, he was kind of, in a friendly way, trying to cajole me into having sex. She testified that she refused and soon found herself trying to get him off of her. Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno noted that Sciorra never went to police or a doctor about the alleged rape. At the time, I didnt understand that that was rape, Sciorra said. A guilty verdict could put the 67-year-old disgraced movie mogul in prison for the rest of his life. Ms Sciorras allegations date back too long to be prosecuted on their own, but her testimony could be a factor as prosecutors look to show that Weinstein has engaged in a pattern of predatory behaviour. Her testimony about events in the mid-to-late 1990s could give the jury of seven men and five women a sense of the breadth of Weinsteins alleged wrongdoing and insight into the power dynamics at play in his interactions with young actresses. Prosecutors previewed Ms Sciorras testimony on Wednesday in a lengthy, at times graphic opening statement that painted Weinstein as a sexual predator who used his film industry clout to abuse women for decades. Shes one of four other accusers that prosecutors plan to call as witnesses during the month-long trial. Ms Sciorra alleges Weinstein showed up at her Manhattan apartment after dropping her off from a dinner, forced himself inside and raped her sometime in late 1993 or early 1994. The evidence will show that despite her protests, despite her fight, despite her body revolting, Harvey Weinstein felt he was entitled to take what he wanted from Annabella, forcing her to live in terror of him for decades, prosecutor Meghan Hast told jurors in her opening statement. That touched off several years of Weinstein tormenting Ms Sciorra, Hast said, culminating in an incident at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 in which he arrived at her hotel door in his underwear, with a bottle of baby oil in hand. A petrified Ms Sciorra ran to the back of the room and started hitting call buttons, at which point Weinstein left, Ms Hast said. Ms Sciorra did not go to authorities because she feared reprisal from Weinstein, prosecutors said. She went public in The New Yorker in October 2017, telling the magazine that for years she had been so ashamed of what happened. I fought. I fought. But still I was like, Why did I open that door? Who opens the door at that time of night? Sciorra said. I was definitely embarrassed by it. I felt disgusting. Weinstein lawyer Damon Cheronis, in his opening statement, made clear the defence intends to go on the offensive. He questioned the validity of Ms Sciorras account, saying she once told a friend that she did a crazy thing and had sex with Harvey Weinstein and that she had a consensual encounter with him. She didnt describe it as rape because it wasnt, Mr Cheronis said. The Associated Press contributed to this report Read more Inside the courtroom at Harvey Weinsteins trial Prosecutor calls Weinstein a rapist in blistering opening statement Rosanna Arquette speaks out as Weinstein trial begins Weinstein jury will be comprised of seven men and five women Mumbai, Jan 23 : Setting political circles aflutter, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday formally launched his 27-year-old son Amit Thackeray into politics at the party's first mega-convention here. Amit Thackeray's name was announced by a senior leader Bala Nandgaonkar and greeted with a standing ovation by the 20,000 plus gathering at the NSE Ground, Goregaon. Humbly acknowledging the 'abhishek' honour, Amit Thackeray folded his hands -- and taking a leaf out of his uncle Uddhav Thackeray's book -- stepped forward on the stage, bowed and prostrated, and expressed his gratitude to the party leaders and workers. He also paid respects before the portraits of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B.R. Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule, Prabodhankar Thackeray and Vinayak Damodar alias Veer Savarkar on the stage. When Uddhav Thackeray was sworn-in as Chief Minister at a mega-function in Shivaji Park on November 28, he had prostrated on the stage to express his thanks to the people of the state. "This is my first-ever address on a public platform in the past 14 years of the party and my 27 years (age)... I am truly overwhelmed. When Raj-Saheb informed me last night that I would move the Education Resolution, I felt the ground slipping from beneath my feet. This would not have been possible without the guidance and encouragement of Raj-Saheb Thackeray. I hope you will continue to shower me with your love and blessings," he said in his brief acceptance speech. There was a loud round of applause from his parents, Raj and Sharmila Thackeray, who basked in the glory, as well as Amit's wife Mitali Borude-Thackeray, his grandmother, other relatives, party leaders and office-bearers and activists. Thereafter, with a party flag around his shoulders, Amit Thackeray stepped forward, symbolically whipped out a sword from the sheath and waved it in the air, indicating he was ready for the political battles ahead. With Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Amit Thackeray becomes another third-generation to rise from the state's pre-eminent Thackeray clan. Amit Thackeray and fashionista Mitali Borude had a high-profile wedding in Mumbai in January 2019 which was attended by the high and mighty of Indian politics, corporate world and film industry and socialites. Until now, he was noticed fleeting in the shadows behind his father and other senior leaders, but in future Amit Thackeray is expected to play the role of the party protagonist. A facial, manicure and pedicure are all that a woman needs to pamper herself from a stressful week of juggling responsibilities at home and work. Some pink nail paint, a dash of top coat and your nails take on a life of their own. Chemical ingredients disguised in pretty colors on your nail polish can be surprisingly harmful and can lead to some serious health risks. Most nail care products contain toxic and hazardous substances that are silently damaging your health as well as that of individuals who work in nail salons. Here is what you must know about effects of nail polish ingredients, before you are torn between the shade of pink and red nail polish you want to buy. The chemicals in nail polish pose health risks that vary from reproductive problems to cancer due to constituent agents such as toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate. This group of carcinogens are often called as the toxic trio. They have been nicknamed toxic trio because the harmful health implications caused due to the constant usage of these chemicals. In addition to these chemicals, there are many others which are not only found in nail polishes, but are a staple of nail polish removers, gel polishes and other nail care products which can be a serious health hazard. Usually, nail salons do not have adequate ventilation which prevents the escape of evaporated chemicals into the air. As a result, these chemicals circulate within the salon leading to constant exposure to these toxic chemicals for the clients as well as the salon workers. Despite being aware of the harmful effects, most nail care products companies use industrial chemicals in their products which go largely unregulated by government authorities. The end result is that most of the nail polishes that are available in the market are hardly tested for safety and are being used by most of us regularly. Many of our kids also apply these silent toxic nail paints that could produce health hazards. Nail polish and Health Effects - Manicurists and pedicurists pay a huge price in terms of their health. Constant exposure to toxic nail paints and other nail care products can produce a number of health effects ranging from minor complaints like skin irritation, allergic reactions, nausea, to more serious troubles like respiratory problems, cancer and reproductive conditions. Recent studies also show that exposure to nail care products can cause uncontrollable muscle contraction and cognitive difficulties. Research shows that certain salon workers complain of breathing difficulties, headaches and irritations due to the solvents present in these products. Cancer and infertility are also becoming increasingly common in workers exposed to toxic vapors of nail paints. Effects of Nail Polish Ingredients -The toxic trio are known to cause seriously toxic effects on the health of salon workers. Toluene This ingredient is a solvent added to create a smooth finish across the nail and keeps the paint from separating in the bottle. This chemical is usually used in gasoline that fuels our car. This harms the central nervous system and damages reproductive organs. Other adverse effects include headaches, numbness and eye and throat irritation. Formaldehyde A well-known carcinogenic agentused as a nail hardening ingredient. The long lasting nail polishes that you love contain this in abundance. Apart from this, it is used as a disinfectant which prevents bacterial contamination. Formaldehyde is also used as a disinfectant for the tools used during manicure and pedicure. Dibutyl phthalate This adds flexibility to nail paints ; however, can cause severe damage to the reproductive tract. They prevent the polished nails from cracking or turning brittle. Use of phthalates is banned in certain countries in Europe. The use of this ingredient is becoming less frequent due to its damaging effects. Other toxic chemical ingredients include camphor which gives nail paints their gloss and strength, but can cause nausea, dizziness and headaches. Butylated hydroxyanisole is present in gel nail polishes. Many nail polishes have Nitro Cellulose which has film forming abilities. Acetone used to remove nail polish can not only dry your nails, but also cause severe allergic reactions and dermatitis. Cancer and Nail Polish Gel nail polishes are becomingly increasingly popular as they last longer without chipping. Researchers recently observed that the nail polish is not the main concern, how these nails are dried in salons pose a greater risk for skin cancer. The recent gel nail polishes consist of a hardening gel which requires exposure to UV light. This repeated exposure to ultraviolet lights is responsible for wrinkles and skin cancer, if used repeatedly. A safer alternative would be the usage of LED lights as the production of UV rays by these is very minimal. How to Choose Non-Toxic Nail Polish Try and opt for products which come with a low rating of toxicity within 0-2. This can be difficult and tricky as most beauty products are not tested or authorized. Neither do have a toxicity index marked out on them. If you are unable to find any rating, a better option would be to check the label to be sure that the nail paint is free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and camphor. Organic nail paints are not yet easily available; however, if you refrain from usage of conventional nail paints gradually, the demand for organic and natural nail paints will increase. This will add pressure on companies to shift to natural, healthy nail care product alternatives. Health Tips ABC News Former President Donald Trump, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry and the estate of his late brother Robert Trump tried on Tuesday to convince a New York judge to dismiss a lawsuit by Mary Trump that accused her family of swindling her out of at least $10 million. Attorneys for the Trump siblings argued Mary Trump's claims are time-barred by a six-year statute of limitations and prohibited by legal releases she signed in 2001 when the family settled the estate of Fred Trump Sr., the former president's father. The Trumps also argued Mary Trump possessed "boxes and boxes of information" about the estate settlement that should have given rise to any claims at the time. For months, Preckwinkles office has been reviewing all of its county boards and commissions and considering how to fill vacancies and determine new appointments and reappointments, a spokesman for her office said. That review led to the dissolution of the countys Injury Compensation Review Committee. It has been recommended that the county kill its Medical Examiner Advisory Committee, since many of the problems that once plagued that office have been resolved. By Park Moo-jong A news item out of Seoul became an interesting topic in a foreign media outlet. The Economist based in London introduced Jeju as "an island off South Korea's southern coast, known for its hiking trails, temperate climate and the tough old women who dive off its cliffs for abalone, a delicacy popular with the glitterati in Seoul, the faraway capital The English weekly's introduction of the nation's most popular tourist destination, however, is absolutely insufficient to show what Jeju Island is all about. Yet, the news story from London was not to introduce the island, but to offer a "quip" on the latest unprecedented reshuffle of senior prosecutors conducted by new Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae apparently in consultation with the presidential office. The Economist reported that Jeju is "also popular with political leaders in search of a spot to sideline troublemakers. The rulers of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), for instance, used to send insubordinate aristocrats there to stop them from meddling in politics." Then the weekly said, "This week Park Chan-ho found himself reassigned to Jeju. Mr. Park's previous job was at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul, where he had been investigating allegations that the government had interfered in mayoral elections in the southern city of Ulsan in 2018. "His colleague Han Dong-hoon, who had been leading an investigation into alleged nepotism and financial irregularities in the affairs of Cho Kuk, (disgraced predecessor of Choo), a former justice minister who resigned in the autumn, was moved to Busan, another traditional place of banishment." The Economist's article reminded us of the notorious four "massacres or political oppression of opposing politicians and scholars by ruling forces that took place in the middle of the dynasty," not to speak of the frequent ostracism of political opponents to remote places." Many people, especially those who oppose the Moon Jae-in government, must think anxiously that history is repeating itself. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist, said, "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience." History shows that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. We repeat what certain ancestors had already done without our knowing and develop their achievements a little more. We learn many from things of the past. The reason why we learn history is to take lessons from its mirror and to cultivate our insight into the flow of the times, to contribute to individual and national development. Most great men of history like Winston Churchill (1874-1965), for instance, made constant efforts to study history. We can be humbled when we study history and are afraid of history, and thus we can get wisdom and courage to overcome hardship. The stubborn discord between Korea and Japan basically stems from the result of Japan's selfish motive not to learn from history by distorting solemn historical facts about what it did during its forced occupation of Korea (1910-45), including the brutal act of forcing Korean women into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers under the name of "comfort woman" during World War II. Our leaders, irrespective of their political affiliation or ideology, have to keep in mind why the Joseon Kingdom collapsed and became a colony of Japan. Any political forces that cling to their invested rights, seeking to gain their own partisan interests, not the national interest, will lost public support. "There is no future for people who have forgotten their history." This is a numerously quoted remark of Shin Chae-ho (1880-1936), who fought for national independence from Japanese colonial rule as a historian, journalist and writer. He met his fate in a Japanese prison in Rushun, China, Feb. 21, 1936. Winston Churchill (1874-1965) also said, "A nation that forgets its past has no future." Those who do not learn from history are unhappy. Couples who do not learn from their fights break up. Those who don't learn from their mistakes don't succeed. The Economist story stung us to the quick. Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974. The victim was an 80-year-old man who had lived in the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, for more than two months, according to Hebeis provincial health department. Wuhan is a major port city of 11 million in the province of Hubei, where all of the 17 previously reported deaths have taken place. The victim died on Wednesday, but officials did not confirm that he had died of the coronavirus until Thursday, the Hebei provincial announcement said. The announcement did not say when the man had returned to Hebei Province from Wuhan, but said that he had developed chest tightness and difficulty breathing after his return. Like many of the other confirmed victims of the virus, he appeared to have other underlying health issues: After being admitted to a hospital, he also was treated for high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the authorities said. World Health Organization decides not to declare a global health emergency yet. After two days of deliberations, an emergency committee convened by the World Health Organization decided not to declare a global health emergency but planned to meet again within 10 days, acknowledging the urgency of the situation. The committee had first planned to issue a recommendation on Wednesday about whether to declare an emergency (the decision ultimately falls to the W.H.O.s director general). Such a declaration would give the W.H.O. broader authority to shape different countries responses. But committee members were split. Press Release January 22, 2020 RIDING PUBLIC SHOULD HAVE A CHOICE - GORDON With monstrous traffic being a perennial problem in Metro Manila and in other cities in the country, Senator Richard J. Gordon said the public should not be penalized for being entrepreneurial in addressing this long-time woe. "According to reports, Metro Manila's traffic congestion problem may be the worst in the world. Traffic is really so bad that when I was in a school in San Francisco Del Monte in Bulacan, I asked a teacher why a young girl was allowed to go home at noon. She told me that the girl had to prepare lunch for her younger siblings since their parents only go home from work during the weekends to save time and money. Our current traffic woes leave the public without or with very limited choices. Hence, they turn to motorcycle taxis - because they are faster and cheaper too. Motorcycle taxis are used in other countries too, like Indonesia," he noted. Gordon said the public must be afforded choice on how they will do their daily commute to ease the stress they suffer, however, he underlined the need to provide a legal framework that would allow motorcycle taxis to work but can be adequately regulated with emphasis on safety, comfort and security of the passengers. He explained that drivers should wear helmets and jackets printed with the driver's name and the company name. Insurance should also be provided. The senator also cautioned that allowing motorcycle taxis to operate is only an interim solution, adding that the focus should be on the real solution to the traffic congestion, which is to decongest Manila. "We can decongest Manila by dispersing industries to the countryside, spreading development and economic opportunities by attracting investors to nearby provinces such as those in Central Luzon, and maximizing the use of available infrastructures such as airports, seaports and a network of highways to expedite movement of goods, raw materials and manpower," Gordon said. "With the vast idle lands in the region, we can create zones for investment, industries, factories, tourism, even improved agriculture or housing for employees, for schools, hospitals, churches, supermarkets and others. It will definitely pave the way for the rehabilitation and urban redevelopment of Metro Manila," he added. In a report released last September, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) ranked Metro Manila, where it takes a motorist around 4.9 minutes to cover one kilometre, as the most congested city in developing Asia. A 2017 data from the Japan International Cooperation Agency also showed that traffic congestion in the capital costs the country P3.5 billion daily, which could rise to P5.4 billion by 2035 if no interventions are made. Washington: President Donald Trump is counting on a strong US economy to seal his reelection victory but the Boeing crisis and ongoing trade frictions could undermine that strategy. Trump on Wednesday criticized Boeing as a "very disappointing company" because of the aerospace giant's recent problems after the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX plane, which is having knock-on effects for the broader economy. He also has lashed out at the Federal Reserve for mishandling monetary policy and keeping borrowing costs too high, which he says is likewise holding back the US economy. Other scapegoats include Europe and China, which he says use trade policies to take advantage of or steal from the United States, and any country with a weak currency against the US dollar. And as the impeachment trial against him proceeds in the Senate, Trump of course has blamed Democrats for a political attack that is distracting from his policy priorities. However, no matter whom he chooses to cast as a culprit, the data show it is the trade wars Trump launched against multiple trading partners that are having the biggest effect, causing investment to screech to a halt amid widespread uncertainty. Still, he is right about the potential damage from the travails at Boeing, which halted production of the top-selling 737 MAX aircraft after it was grounded following a pair of deadly crashes that killed 346 people. Heading into the final months before the presidential elections in November, Trump has repeatedly taken credit for record stock exchange levels and cited his partial trade deal with China as proof of the success of his economic policies. "Nobody has done so much as I've done," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network from the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he also floated the possibility of a middle-class tax cut. But economists warn the partial China trade agreement signed this month is a patch that eases only some of the uncertainty about new tariffs and leaves two-thirds of the products exchanged between the economic powers still subject to punitive duties. And while in Davos Trump also renewed his attacks on the European Union, again threatening to strike back with crippling tariffs on imported cars. Continued uncertainty over trade could drag US growth below 2.0 percent, according to many forecasts. Analysts at Oxford Economics warn "conditions aren't yet in place for an industrial rebound," noting that consumer spending also softened at the end of 2019. Boeing on Tuesday officially pushed back the time frame for the 737 MAX to return to the skies, until mid-2020, and Trump lamented that Boeing's woes have "had a tremendous impact" on the economy. "You know when you talk about growth, it's so big that some people say it's more than a half a point of GDP. So Boeing -- big, big disappointment to me," Trump said in an interview on CNBC." The aviation giant's newly-installed CEO David Calhoun acknowledged Boeing's importance to the US economy. The "criticality to the country just speaks for itself," Calhoun said Wednesday in a call with reporters, his first public remarks and the first interaction with reporters by a Boeing executive since the start of the MAX crisis in March 2019. "Everyone wants Boeing to succeed for the sake of the country and I understand that and I have it on my shoulders." Oxford Economics last month projected that the MAX production shutdown could slash half a point off the US economy's annual growth rate in the first quarter of 2020 due to slower investments and exports. And while Boeing has reassigned its own workers during the production halt, one key supplier -- Spirit AeroSystems -- laid off 2,800 employees this month. Things could get worse if the stoppage drags on -- cutting 0.2 percentage points off growth for the full year, according to IHS Markit. Bishop Nelson J. Perez (center) newly appointed as the next archbishop of Philadelphia, waves to the crowd gathered for his introduction at archdiocese headquarters. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced that Pope Francis has named Bishop Nelson J. Perez as the next archbishop of Philadelphia. Read more As Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez was introduced Thursday as Philadelphias next Roman Catholic archbishop, Catholics across and beyond the region were paying attention. The news stirred a mix of reactions excitement from some who know the homegrown priest, hope from those eager for a leadership change, and anticipation about what it means for the church and its faithful. Its one of the most important appointments of Pope Francis for the United States, theres no question about that, said Villanova University professor and church historian Massimo Faggioli. READ MORE: Who is Nelson Perez, the new archbishop of Philadelphia? Succeeding Charles J. Chaput as the leader of the 1.3 million-member archdiocese, Perez is a Cuban American who attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, was ordained in Philadelphia, and served parishes for more than two decades in West Chester and Philadelphia. That will help him, said Faggioli, saying hed heard Perez was well-liked by local priests. That has been a factor, probably, in his appointment. Philadelphia is a very particular city and diocese because it was one of the most important Catholic archdioceses in the world [and] it has to find its place again. READ MORE: Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez has been named Phillys next archbishop, replacing Charles Chaput The announcement was wonderful news, said Ulises Prudente, 34, a Mexican immigrant and lifelong Catholic who heard about Perez at the morning Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, which has a robust community of Latino parishioners and offers a weekly service in Spanish. The world is better with different ideas, Prudente said of the change in leadership, though he said he had viewed Chaput as like a father. The appointment of Perez by one of the most progressive popes in decades to fill a seat held by the retiring Chaput, a favorite of conservative Catholics, raised speculation about whether Perez would bring any shift in style to the archdiocese. At 58, he is on the younger side, too: He could stay here for almost 20 years, Faggioli noted. The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author who has advocated for a new model of compassion between Catholic leaders and LGBT congregants, heralded Perezs appointment as the citys first Hispanic archbishop and called him a terrific choice for Philadelphia. I generally dont like to use words like conservative or liberal or progressive or traditional, Martin said. Both Archbishop Chaput and Archbishop Perez are focused on the gospel, which unites them both, so I think thats the focus for both of them. Andrew DiStefano recalled listening to Perezs homilies when the priest was a visiting pastor at St. Patricks in Malvern about 15 years ago. The 54-year-old data analyst said he got the impression Perez was a traditionalist, but also very progressive in applying the churchs teachings and history in modern context. In his homilies, the emotion and the passion just came through, said DiStefano, brother of Inquirer staff columnist Joseph N. DiStefano. It seemed like he connected with every person in the church. READ MORE: Our new archbishop is a Philly guy and hes speaking our language | Mike Newall Connie Beraducci, who was raised in South Philadelphia and has been a volunteer at the basilica since 2018, said she appreciated Perezs Philadelphia roots. I think thatll make him more accessible and comfortable with us, she said. Hell know his way around. Kathy Kane of West Chester, a cofounder of the accountability-focused group Catholics4Change, said she hoped Perezs tenure will open up a new line of communication with the archdiocese for discussions about child sex-abuse prevention. My only hope is that with new leadership would come new interest in actually preventing abuse, Kane said, citing arrests this year of a suspended priest accused of raping a teenage girl at his former Roxborough parish and two Catholic-school teachers accused of sexually assaulting students. The state of child protection in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a catastrophe, and I dont know how it can get worse. Hopefully, with Archbishop Perez, it can get better, but thats going to be up to him. In Cleveland, Perez drew attention for advocating for immigrants and denouncing the Trump administrations family separation policy. Many there are sad to see Perez leave, particularly just 2 years after arriving, said Paul V. Murphy, director of the Institute of Catholic Studies at John Carroll University in a suburb of Cleveland. Hes the kind of person that people feel comfortable with. Hes not stern in any way, said Murphy, who said he had met Perez a few times. Several people who have met him described Perez as engaging and warm. Philadelphia Bishop John J. McIntyre, who has known Perez since 1992, said he would bring a joyful, outgoing personality to the role. READ MORE: New Archbishop Nelson Perezs track record should inspire hope | Editorial Martin, the Jesuit author, praised Chaput on Facebook for helping return the archdiocese to a firmer financial footing. He also urged the faithful to pray for Perez. Speaking as a Philadelphian, Philadelphians like other Philadelphians, said Martin, who was born and raised here. And I think theyre happy that someone who knows the city already will be coming to be their shepherd. The Coronavirus has now reached the United States. Here are the things that you should know about the virus, according to an article published in CNET. China's National Health Commission recently reported a never-before-seen virus detected in Wuhan City, China. The virus has ultimately caused the death of 17 people and infected hundreds of Chinese citizens with pneumonia-like symptoms. The virus was first reported to the World Health Organization on Dec. 31 and has since been under investigation. Chinese scientists believed that the disease is coming from the family of viruses known as coronaviridae, which is the same as the SARS and MERSCOV strains. Meanwhile, scientists are conducting in-depth research to determine just how destructive the virus really is, where it originated, how it's transmitted, how far it has spread, and what its symptoms are. The number of people infected by the Coronavirus has skyrocketed to more than 500 as of Wednesday. It was also discovered that Chinese authorities confirmed that health workers were infected by the virus, this means that it has achieved human-to-human transmission. As a result, authorities are now taking steps to guard against the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee to determine whether or not the Coronavirus constitutes a public health emergency. What is the Coronavirus? When viewed under an electron microscope, the virus resembles tiny spiked rings. These types of viruses are typically found in animals ranging from livestock to household pets and some wildlife. Once this virus is transmitted to humans, an infected person may experience fever, respiratory illness, and lung inflammation. This is more destructive to individuals who have a weak immune system such as the elderly and those who have HIV-AIDS and has the potential to cause severe respiratory illnesses. Coronaviruses are assosciated with SARS and MERS. It can be recalled that SARS showed up in the early 2000s and infected more than 8,000 individuals and caused the death of nearly 800 people while MERS appeared in late 2010 and infected almost 2,500 individuals and caused the death of more than 850 people. Where did the virus come from? It is believed that the virus originated from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. The market sells fish and other meats. However, it is still unknown whether the virus emerged from an animal infected with SARS or MERS. Raina MacIntyre, head of the biosecurity research program at the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute, said: "Testing of animals in the Wuhan area, including sampling from the markets, will provide more information." Meanwhile, a report from the Journal of Medical Virology by a team of Chinese researchers suggested that snakes were the most probable animal carrying the virus. Their research suggests that the genetics of a snake is similar to the virus. Other animals sold at the market were examined and tested, but they did not show the same similarity as snakes. How many confirmed cases have been reported? Authorities have confirmed more than 550 individuals infected with the virus from the following countries: 544 confirmed cases in China 4 confirmed cases in Thailand 1 confirmed cased in Japan 1 confirmed case in South Korea 1 confirmed case in the United States Chinese authorities are also monitoring more than 1,300 residents who visited the market and those who are showing symptoms of the virus. The first reported death was a 61-year-old man who frequently visited the market and had chronic liver disease and abdominal tumors. How do we know it's a Coronavirus? It was found that the genetic code of this virus has around 70 percent similarity to SARS Coronavirus. What are the symptoms? The symptoms of this virus are very similar to previously identified viruses. A large number of persons infected with this virus may experience mild pneumonia-like symptoms. While other patients could experience the following: Elevated Body Temperature Dry Cough Shortness of breathing or breathing difficulties According to the WHO, as the disease progresses, an infected person may have pneumonia which inflames the lungs that are filled with fluid and can only be detected through an X-ray. Universities were taking urgent measures to safeguard students and staff last night after the first suspected coronavirus cases in Britain. More than 120,000 Chinese students are at UK colleges, with thousands believed to be from the province of Hubei at the centre of the virus outbreak. Many British academics also work in education projects in the worst-affected city of Wuhan, raising fears that they too may have had contact with the virus. Last night, UK universities began checks on students and staff, who either have connections with China or travelled there recently. Newcastle University revealed it had 300 students from Hubei. A spokesman said: We have arranged a dedicated health event for any student arriving from China in the last month ensuring they register with a doctor. In line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice, the university is advising that staff and students dont travel to this area. An undated file photo shows a general view of Newcastle University. Newcastle University revealed it had 300 students from Hubei. A spokesman said: We have arranged a dedicated health event for any student arriving from China in the last month ensuring they register with a doctor Manchester and Liverpool have the biggest numbers of Chinese students 4,940 and 4,905 respectively, according to 2017/18 figures. University College London has 4,875, while Glasgow University has 2,725 and Edinburgh 2,570. Last night Edinburgh University did not deny reports that at least one of the suspected coronavirus cases tested in Scotland was its student. Professor Jurgen Haas, head of infection medicine at the university, said: We have more than 2,000 students from China... so we are relatively sure we will have cases in the UK from travellers coming back from China. Other universities revealed a raft of measures, with Chester telling its students that if they return home for Chinese New Year on Saturday they will not be re-admitted without a quarantine period. Yesterday, a string of Scottish universities said they had links to the affected area in China and were monitoring the outbreak. A University of Aberdeen spokesman said: The university is aware of five members of staff who have visited Wuhan during the outbreak, four of whom returned to the university three or more weeks ago. The remaining member of staff has a non-teaching role and is working from home as a precautionary measure. Professor Jurgen Haas (pictured), head of infection medicine at the university, said: We have more than 2,000 students from China... so we are relatively sure we will have cases in the UK from travellers coming back from China An undated photo shows a general view of Edinburgh Old College. Last night Edinburgh University did not deny reports that at least one of the suspected coronavirus cases tested in Scotland was its student. A spokesman for the University of Dundee said 34 students from Wuhan were enrolled, having travelled to the UK in September. A spokseman added: Five staff returned from a visit to Wuhan last week. Again, no health concerns have been raised at this time. A spokesman for the University of Glasgow said: The University can confirm that it has a partnership agreement with the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in the city of Wuhan in China. This year there are 23 students altogether studying in 3rd and 4th years at Glasgow; they did their first and second years in China. We can confirm that all our Chinese students on this programme are currently studying at the University and in good health. Meanwhile, Birmingham City University, which runs the Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Art (BIFCA) in Wuhan together with a local university, said of its 44 faculty staff members, only three were currently there and had been moved to alternative accommodation for their own welfare. A general view of the University of Glasgow, photographed in 2014. A spokesman for the University of Glasgow said: The University can confirm that it has a partnership agreement with the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in the city of Wuhan in China A spokesman said: All courses in Wuhan are currently closed as part of Chinese New Year celebrations and, as the health and safety of our community is of paramount importance to us, the return period is now under review while we ensure that it is safe for our staff and students to return to the site before teaching resumes. As well as receiving students in their thousands, British universities have been striving to deepen ties with institutions in China itself. Wuhan, the coronavirus epicentre, is well-known for its education system, and is home to some of Chinas most respected universities and research institutes. Private schools, many of which also have large contingents of Chinese students, also issued guidance. The Boarding Schools Association (BSA) schools might wish to consider planning for the eventuality that some boarders either cannot or choose not to travel home at half-term or, more likely, Easter. The British Council, which offers English language around the world including in Wuhan, confirmed they had suspended operations in the city. Meanwhile, GPs have been told to shut patients in a room and continue the consultation over-the-phone if they suspect they have coronavirus. The stark guidance from Public Health England urges them to withdraw from the room, close the door and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.. Patients must not use communal toilets - although most surgery toilets are communal - and GPs must seek further advice from the local health protection team. An undated photo shows Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England. A letter sent by Powis and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty urged staff to identify cases quickly, isolate them, avoid physical contact and seek specialist advice from an infectious disease expert The memo informs doctors: Advise others not to enter the room. If a clinical history still needs to be obtained or completed, do this by telephone. Receptionists meanwhile should ask about patients travel history when they check in to establish if they have recently visited Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak. If patients have been to this city within the past few weeks and they have symptoms, they should be placed in a room away from other patients and staff. Last night separate advice was issued to thousands of frontline NHS staff warning that the spread of the disease might amplify during the Chinese New Year celebrations. A letter sent by the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England urges staff to follow four key principles. An undated photo shows Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. NHS fears that the annual Chinese New Year celebrations could amplify transmission of the virus These are to identify cases quickly, isolate them, avoid physical contact and seek specialist advice from an infectious disease expert. The letter states: The annual Chinese New Year celebrations are imminent (start 25 January 2020); this typically involves the mass movement of people both within and outside China and may amplify transmission. The Chinese New Year starts on Saturday although the travel season has already begun and will run for 40 days until 15 February. An estimated three billion passenger trips are likely to be made over this period and it has been described as the largest annual human migration in the world. Now in its 23rd year in Ireland, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 programme nominations are officially open. Kilkenny entrepreneurs are encouraged to put themselves forward to follow in the footsteps of well-known Kilkenny business people, Michael Hoyne, Merlyn Industries, and Jane ni Dhulchaointigh, Sugru, who were finalists in 2015 and 2013, respectively, and Andrew Jones, ClearStream Technologies, who was the eventual winner in the Emerging category in 2002. Roger Wallace, new Partner Lead for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland said: The launch of the programme is an exciting time for all of us here at EY. This year we are keen to see an even broader range and diversity of nominees, across industries, age, gender, location and background. Weve seen a steady but gradual increase in the number of women nominated in recent years, but we want 2020 to be the year where we see a more significant jump. Its important to us that the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme accurately reflects the fabric of the entrepreneurial landscape across the entire island of Ireland. Thats why were urging all Kilkenny entrepreneurs to consider putting themselves forward, and for people to encourage entrepreneurs in their families and networks to get involved. The programme is open to entrepreneurs from all sectors and growth stages in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The awards programme is divided into three categories - Emerging, Industry and International - with eight finalists chosen per category. 24 finalists will be selected by an independent judging panel, comprising former winners and chaired by Anne Heraty of CPL Resources plc. Anyone interested can find out more or complete an online nomination form at www.eoy.ie. Those nominating someone else must do so with the entrepreneurs consent. Speaking at the launch, CEO of CPL Resources plc and Chairperson of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Judging Panel said: The launch of the 2020 programme is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate a new group of exceptional entrepreneurs from cities, towns and villages all around the island, who have a huge impact on their communities, on business and on our economies. Over the last 23 years, weve seen nominations from every category of business imaginable, and we want this to continue again this year. The diversity of people and types of business is what makes the programme so interesting, and Im looking forward to meeting a new group of inspiring leaders this year. Sligoman Richard Kennedy of Belfast-based Devenish was named as the overall winner at the 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards, and will go on to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Monte Carlo in June. Galways Pat McDonagh of Supermacs was named Industry Entrepreneur Of The Year, while Limerick woman Triona Mullane of mAdme Technologies was named EY Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year. What finalists can expect This years 24 finalists will engage in a strategic growth programme over a 10-month period which includes a week-long CEO Retreat to South Africa. As part of this international retreat, the finalists will join a group of more than 100 previous finalists and winners of the programme where they will meet a range of world-class entrepreneurs, businesspeople and academics based in Africa. The finalists will also be welcomed into a community of 525 peers in the Irish EY Entrepreneur Of The Year community. To date, more than three quarters of the alumni of the programme have conducted business with one another. The programme will include executive education sessions; networking fora; extensive media profiling; the annual Gala Awards Dinner. An award is presented for each category, and an overall winner will be announced at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in October. The overall winner will represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Monte Carlo the following June. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland programme is supported by Premium Corporate Sponsor Julius Baer International, and Government sponsors Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland. For further information, please visit www.eoy.ie. (Bloomberg) -- A man who fell ill in Mexico on Monday following a December trip to Wuhan, China, is under observation as a potential case of the coronavirus, the respiratory virus that has killed at least 17 people worldwide. The 57-year-old molecular biology professor works for the Instituto Politecnico Nacional university in the city of Reynosa, which borders with the U.S. The man returned to Mexico on Jan. 10 through a Mexico City airport and then flew to the state of Tamaulipas, Mexican authorities said. Tamaulipas State Health Minister Gloria Molina said in a radio interview that the man immediately reported his situation to authorities after feeling sick. He is now in his home under monitoring to prevent any potential spread. His test results are expected on Thursday, Mexicos chief epidemiologist Jose Luis Alomia said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Molina said the man also had layovers at the border city of Tijuana when he left and returned to Mexico, according to journalist Joaquin Lopez Dorigas news site. Link: China Seeks to Contain Virus as Death Toll Jumps to 17 Earlier on Wednesday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that a second possible case in Mexico had been ruled out. The coronavirus is being looked into. If we have more information we will release it later today, he said. Mexico plans to inform daily on the latests developments of the virus around the world. A preventive travel recommendation is in place for the country and passengers arriving from international ports will be checked for any symptoms, Alomia said. Separately, Colombian authorities are also evaluating whether a Chinese man with a respiratory illness, who traveled to Colombia from Turkey, has the same virus, according to Blu, a Bogota-based radio station. The countrys health ministry declined to comment. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he needs to consider all evidence before deciding if the coronavirus that emerged from Wuhan is an international health emergency. Story continues (Adds Alomia comments in paragraphs 3 and 6, and WHO comments in last paragraph) To contact the reporters on this story: Cyntia Barrera Diaz in Mexico City at cbarrerad@bloomberg.net;Lorena Rios in Mexico City at lriost@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ney Hayashi at ncruz4@bloomberg.net, Dale Quinn For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. LONDON, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest and most authoritative research trial of its kind has confirmed that Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) is now a clinically proven, highly effective drug-free alternative to nicotine patches, gum, and e-cigarettes and the study should pave the way for the method being made available on the NHS. Allen Carr's Easyway, which is completely drug free, has today received a major boost as the Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), conducted by London South Bank University, has found that it is at least as effective, if not more effective, than the techniques currently offered by the UK NHS's Gold Standard Stop Smoking Service, which relies on nicotine patches, nicotine gum, and other nicotine products, along with a 1-1 counselling service. The research was conducted by the Centre for Addictive Behaviours Research (CABR) at London South Bank University (LSBU) and St George's, University of London and is published today in the academic journal Addiction*. Allen Carr's Easyway produced an abstinence rate of 19 percent six months after the target quit date, compared with 15 percent for the current Gold Standard NHS Smoking Cessation Service. This independently conducted randomised controlled trial had 620 participants, with 310 in ACE and 310 in the specialist service (NHS). Abstinence from smoking was verified by measuring carbon monoxide in the exhaled breath of participants. The study, published today, concludes that evaluating the effectiveness of the ACE method is important as it offers a drug-free method of smoking cessation that can be delivered in group therapy sessions. As such, it may offer a viable cost-effective additional treatment option in public/funded healthcare settings. Professor Daniel Frings, from the research team, comments: "These findings offer compelling support for the efficacy of the Allen Carr's Easyway method for smoking cessation." The findings of this RCT supplement another recent peer-reviewed, independent study that also proves the effectiveness of the Allen Carr's Easyway method. This was initiated by the Irish Government and recently published in the British Medical Journal's "Tobacco Control" (Keogan S, Li S, Clancy L. Tob Control 2019;28:414419.), which indicated that the method was nearly twice as effective as the existing Quit.ie service**. Detailed here. Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland (TFRI) Director General Prof Luke Clancy said: "Allen Carr is a hugely underused treatment method which has great potential to help achieve our ambitious targets in tobacco control." John Dicey, Global CEO of Allen Carr's Easyway, comments: "This is a landmark day as, for the first time, the programme's performance is presented in not just one, but now two clinical trials. There is no doubt that being a spoken method, rather than a pill, potion, or patch, makes a clinical trial's assessment of the method limited and hugely underestimates its success rate in 'real world' conditions. That said, even in these limiting settings we're delighted that the method was found to be at least as effective or more effective when compared to the drug and nicotine-based programmes currently provided within the NHS, Local Health Authorities, and the health departments of governments all over the world. "Nicotine patches, gum, and other nicotine products cost the taxpayer around 30 million*** a year in the UK alone and an estimated 900 million worth of nicotine has been prescribed in the UK over the past 20 years. These results should pave the way for this drug-free, perfectly safe, quick and easy method to be made available via the NHS, the Irish Health Service, and health services in the 50 countries where we operate." The results of the Irish trial showed that Allen Carr's Easyway quit rates were always superior to Quit.ie, consistently achieving higher quit rates at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months (almost twice as good) and the results of the London trial indicate a 6 month success rate of 19% for Allen Carr's Easyway vs 15% for the NHS Gold Standard Service. John Dicey goes on to say, "Given the ongoing controversy over vaping, which doesn't appear to be dying down anytime soon, these results should give Public Health England and the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) the confidence to provide Allen Carr's Easyway as a nicotine-free, entirely safe, and popular alternative to the methods currently available." Professor Sofia Ravara, Chair of Group for the influential European Respiratory Society Tobacco Control Committee, welcomed the Irish study with enthusiasm, saying: "I found the study very useful and hope we don't have to wait another 30 years for Allen Carr to be a validated smoking cessation method." Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking Seminar Programme does not rely on any nicotine, nicotine substances, patches or other pharmaceuticals. It challenges the reasons why people smoke, and most people report that they not only stop smoking, but actually lose the desire to smoke. Notes to Editors: Allen Carr's Easyway, founded and headquartered in London , is the world's most successful stop smoking method. Over 30 years, Allen Carr's Easyway method has cured an estimated 30 million people of their addiction worldwide. Easyway, founded and headquartered in , is the world's most successful stop smoking method. Over 30 years, Easyway method has cured an estimated 30 million people of their addiction worldwide. Interviews with John Dicey , Global CEO, are available on request. , Global CEO, are available on request. John was an 80 a day smoker before he successfully quit using Allen Carr's method. method. Complimentary sessions for media contacts or test cases available on request. Allen Carr's Easyway has clinics in 50+ countries across the globe and the method is endorsed by a wide variety of celebrities and opinion formers. Easyway has clinics in 50+ countries across the globe and the method is endorsed by a wide variety of celebrities and opinion formers. Case studies available on request. Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking sessions are available throughout the UK and Ireland , at a cost of 299/320.00 per person, including post seminar support and a money back guarantee. Easyway to Stop Smoking sessions are available throughout the UK and , at a cost of 299/320.00 per person, including post seminar support and a money back guarantee. Vitality Health Insurance have provided Allen Carr's Easyway Seminars free of charge to their corporate and individual policyholders for more than 10 years. Easyway Seminars free of charge to their corporate and individual policyholders for more than 10 years. Global corporations such as Google, UBS, Facebook, Vodafone, Sony, Ford, BP, Unilever, Total, Pfizer, IKEA, JCB, Telefonica, BMW, and Nestle have provided Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking Seminars to their employees as part of their wellbeing programs for many years. *Source: Frings D, Albery IP, Moss AC, Brunger H, Burghela M, White S, and Wood KV (2020) Comparison of Allen Carr's Easyway programme with a specialist behavioural and pharmacological smoking cessation support service: A randomised controlled trial. Addiction 115: doi: 10.1111/add.14897. Full findings here. **Source of quote: https://www.imt.ie/news/smokers-twice-likely-quit-smoking-using-allen-carr-method-study-reveals-25-06-2019/ ***Source of NHS NRT cost: Number of people using NHS stop smoking services continues to fall BMJ 2017;; 358 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3936 (Published 18 August 2017) SOURCE Allen Carr's Easyway Related Links https://www.allencarr.com A guide to the key players from House impeachment managers to Trumps lawyers to the witnesses Democrats want to call. The United States Senate trial of President Donald Trump is well under way and names like Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Lev Parnas, among others are expected to repeatedly come up. Trump was impeached on December 18 by the Democratic-led House of Representatives for abuse of power related to his dealings with Ukraine and obstruction of Congress for refusing to participate. Trump is only the third US president to be impeached. Although Trump is expected to ultimately be acquitted in the Republican-controlled Senate, the trial is expected to last at least two weeks, and Democrats are pushing for witnesses. As the trial continues, these are the key players in the coming impeachment saga: The overseer John Roberts Supreme Chief Justice John Roberts, who turns 65 on January 27, will preside over the trial and arbitrate any disagreements among the senators about the process although any decisions he makes can be overruled by a vote of the Senate. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts presided during the US Senate impeachment trial of Trump [Reuters] A conservative appointed by George W Bush in 2005, its Robertss job to keep the trial on schedule by reining in any long-winded speakers. Hes made no public comments about the impeachment prior to the trials start, but publicly rebuked Trump in 2018 when the president criticised an unfavourable ruling as coming from an Obama judge. The Jury All 100 senators make up the jury. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. Mitch McConnell As Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell is responsible for setting the agenda for the impeachment trial. McConnell speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the US Capitol [Senate TV/AP Photo] McConnell, who has called Trumps impeachment toxic, has admitted that he is not an impartial juror and wants a swift trial with no witnesses. Chuck Schumer Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, wants a full trial with testimony from at least four current and former White House officials. Democratic leader Senator Chuck Schumer [File: Matt Rourke/The Associated Press] The candidates Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bennet, all of whom are running for the Democratic presidential nomination, would likely prefer to be out campaigning rather than tied to their Senate seats for an impeachment trial, but they have no choice. US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar [File: Joshua Roberts/Reuters] Senate rules require them to remain silent through much of the process, but expect them to be jockeying for television facetime at the end of each day. The prosecution Seven House managers will make the case against Trump. They include: Adam Schiff, House Intelligence Committee chairman (team lead) Jerrod Nadler, House Judiciary Committee chairman Zoe Lofgren Hakeem Jeffries Val Demmings Jason Crow Sylvia Garcia The Defence Trumps defence team is made up of high-profile lawyers and many who have been loyal to him for years. They include: Pat Cipollone (team lead) Jay Sekulow Pat Philbin Mike Purpura Alan Dershowitz Jane Raskin Ken Starr Robert Ray Pam Bondi Eric Herschmann Potential witnesses John Bolton John Bolton served as Trumps national security adviser until he was forced out last year. A lawyer for Bolton teased that his client has knowledge of many relevant meetings and conversations in the inquiry. Former national security adviser John Bolton has said he is prepared to testify if subpoenaed [File: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press] Bolton has indicated that he would testify if subpoenaed, and Schumer has named him as one of four witnesses the Democrats would like to hear from. Mick Mulvaney Mick Mulvaney is Trumps acting chief of staff. Last year, Mulvaney admitted there was a quid pro quo (Latin for this for that) in the administrations dealings with Ukraine. Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney [File: Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press] Mulvaney stunned reporters when he admitted that Trump partially froze the military assistance for Ukraine in part to pressure the Eastern European country to investigate Democrats. Mulvaney later walked back on those comments, saying he did not make the admission. Michael Duffey The associate director for national security at the Office of Management and Budget, Michael Duffey held up the Ukraine aid despite being challenged on the legality of doing so by career officials in the office. Robert Blair A senior adviser for national security issues to Mulvaney, Robert Blair was on the now-infamous July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Other players Joe and Hunter Biden Some Republicans have floated the idea of calling former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company as witnesses. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens, however. Candidate Joe Biden [File: Paul J Richards/AFP] Rudy Giuliani Rudy Giuliani, Trumps personal lawyer, has been at the centre of the impeachment inquiry since its beginning. Trump pressed Ukraines new president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a July 25 phone call to work with his attorney general, William Barr, and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to investigate the Bidens and also a debunked theory that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Democratic senators asked who was paying the presidents personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, as he worked in Ukraine on the presidents behalf [File: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters] The Democrats case rests in large part on a rough transcript of the July 25 call, in which Trump asks Zelenskyy to do us a favour and work with Barr and Giuliani in carrying out the investigations he sought. Current and former US officials testified that Trump directed them to work with Giuliani on Ukraine issues, despite the fact that the former New York mayor was a private citizen. Nancy Pelosi House Speaker Nancy Pelosi kicked off the impeachment inquiry in September. She handed off the case to the Senate earlier in January, but Trump continues to still rail against her on Twitter. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi [Jim Lo Scalzo/Reuters] Fiona Hill Fiona Hill was a star witness during the House impeachment inquiry. She is the former senior director for European and Russian Affairs on Trumps National Security Council. In her testimony, Hill recalled a conversation she had with Bolton about Giulianis activities. Former White House national security aide Fiona Hill [File: Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press] Bolton, she said, looked pained and basically indicated with body language that there was nothing much that we could do about it. And then, in the course of our discussion said Rudy Giuliani was a hand grenade that was going to blow everyone up. Asked what she thought Bolton meant, Hill replied that Giuliani was pretty explosive and that the former New York mayor was clearly pushing forward issues and ideas that would, you know, probably come back to haunt us and, in fact, I think that thats where we are today. Gordon Sondland The US ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, provided some of the most damaging testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. He said he spoke directly with Trump about the effort to pressure Ukraine and said other top administration officials were involved. He testified that Ukrainian officials understood they would have to announce the investigations in order to get the withheld security aid. US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland [File: Susan Walsh/The Associated Press] William Taylor William Taylor, the former top American diplomat in Ukraine, described in his testimony when he learned that Trumps officials or agents conditioned nearly $400 million in US aid to Ukraine and a White House meeting on Ukraine conducting political investigations. By mid-July, it was becoming clear to me that the meeting [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy wanted was conditioned on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US elections, Taylor testified last year, referring to the Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden served on the board. I think its crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign, Taylor recalled telling US officials. Top US diplomat in Ukraine William Taylor [File: Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press] Taylor stopped short of directly implicating the president, saying he believed the push for political investigations was coming from Rudy Giuliani, Trumps personal lawyer, but had not spoken to Giuliani or Trump about it. I think it was coming from Giuliani, he said, referring to Trumps lawyer. I dont know what was in the presidents mind. Trump has said he did nothing wrong. Marie Yovanovitch Marie Yovanovitch, a widely respected career diplomat and former US ambassador to Ukraine, had spoken out in Kyiv against the oligarchy still controlling Ukraines economy. Yovanovitch was recalled in May after being informed by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan that she had done nothing wrong, but that Trump had lost confidence in her, according to a transcript of her testimony. Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, said Bolton had told him to look into the removal of former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch [File: Andrew Harrer/Reuters] Trump spoke negatively of Yovanovitch in his phone call with Zelenskyy. The former ambassador for the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news, so I just want to let you know that, Trump told Zelesnkyy, according to White House notes of the call. Yovanovitch told House investigators on October 11 that she felt threatened by Trump describing her on the call to Zelenskyy as bad news a transcript showed. I was very concerned, she said. I still am. Other individuals who testified in the House impeachment inquiry: Were going to get back to living life, even if it kills us TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) has priced a ground-breaking transaction for the Israeli financial sector with an issuance of US$750m 11NC6 Tier-2 Subordinated Notes. Demand came from international top-tier institutional investors after completing a roadshow in the USA and the UK, as well as calls into Europe and Asia. The issuance attracted substantial demand in excess of US$4 billion. Leumi is the first Israeli bank to issue debt to institutional investors outside Israel, which will be listed on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TACT- Institutional). As such, Leumi has substantially expanded its debt investor base, previously open solely to Israeli institutional investors. Hanan Friedman, President and CEO, commented: "The amazing results of the issuance, including the demand which surpassed expectations, are a testament to the confidence of institutional investors worldwide in Bank Leumi and in its competitive leading position in the market." Omer Ziv, First EVP and CFO, stated: "After holding dozens of meetings and calls with institutional investors across the US, Europe and Asia, I was highly impressed by the recognition in Bank Leumi specifically, and the Israeli economy in general. Significant demand came from leading Institutional Investors worldwide, following discussions on the Israeli economy and Leumi's performance, strategy and competitive stance. The excellent results are similar to the yields achieved by leading banks across the world - a great success in all respects." The issuance was led by Citigroup Global Markets Limited as Global Coordinator and Structuring Advisor, together with HSBC Bank plc, Morgan Stanley and BNP Paribas as Joint Bookrunners. Bank Leumi was advised on this offering by White & Case LLP, and by Herzog Fox & Neeman. About Bank Leumi: Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) is Israel's leading banking corporation, providing comprehensive financial services and holding nearly 30% of the domestic market share. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Leumi has a presence in key global financial centers, including New York, London, Palo Alto and Shanghai. In 2018, Leumi reported a net profit of NIS 3.3 billion ($880 million), with total assets under management reaching NIS 1,434 billion ($383 billion). This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States, Israel, Canada, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction. The Bank has not registered, and does not intend to register, the Subordinated Notes in any of these jurisdictions or to conduct a public offering of the Subordinated Notes in any of these jurisdictions. In particular, no securities of the Bank referred to in this announcement have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and such securities may not be offered, sold 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 Securities Act) except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws. In the United States, any offer will be made only to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in and in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act or another available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Outside the United States, any offer will be made to persons other than "U.S. Persons" in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. For more information visit www.leumi.co.il or contact Daphna Golden, VP, Head of Investor Relations, at [email protected] SOURCE Bank Leumi New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): A special Delhi court on Thursday reserved its order on a bail plea of former Bhusan Power and Steel chairman and managing director Sanjay Singhal in connection with an alleged multi-crore money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Special CBI judge Arun Bhardwaj reserved the order after hearing arguments from both the sides. Order in the matter will be pronounced tomorrow. Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra and advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing on behalf of Singhal, argued that his client had fully cooperated with the agency and has appeared before it whenever called. Singhal's counsel said that there was no need for his further custody as the ED was already in possession of the documentary evidence and a provisional order of attachment had also been passed by the PMLA Adjudicating Authority. Referring to the Supreme Court's judgement in P Chidambaram vs ED case, the counsel said that even if the allegation was one of a grave economic offence, it was not a rule that bail should be denied in every case. On the other hand, public prosecutor Nitesh Rana representing the directorate, argued that Singal remained evasive and did not cooperate with the investigation. ED said that the proceeds of crime were yet to be identified and that the investigation was ongoing. Singhal was arrested by the ED on November 22 last year in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to an alleged bank loan fraud. The ED has attached properties amounting to Rs 204 crores belonging to Singhal. Recently, the agency also attached immovable properties worth Rs 4,025.23 crore of Bhushan Power and Steel Limited in the alleged bank fraud case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. (ANI) The severity of the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak in China that's claimed more than a dozen lives is still unknown, and the extent of its spread will only be clearer after the Lunar New Year holidays, said David Roche of Independent Strategy said on Thursday. Hundreds of millions of Chinese will be traveling during the week-long holiday period as China celebrates the Spring Festival. "The bad news is that the worst has yet to come, as the number of new infections is still on the rise," warned Larry Hu, economist at Macquarie Capital. Much is still not known about the mysterious new virus that has killed 17 people so far and infected nearly 600 others worldwide. The disease, first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread to Beijing, Shanghai and other populated cities in the country. Cases in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and even the United States, have also been discovered. The World Health Organization will convene again on Thursday, a day after deciding not to designate the outbreak of the virus as a global health emergency. "We don't really know the characteristics of this virus yet," David Roche of Independent Strategy said on Thursday. He pointed out that one important question is whether the outbreak will morph into a pandemic. "In order to get a pandemic, you really have to have a virulent infection to be exponential ... many of these new cases are due to much tighter reporting, not necessarily a rate of infection. So we really don't know to what extent the rate of contagion," he said. "The answer is wait till after Chinese New Year we will know the degree, the speed and the breadth of infections by this virus, and get a much clearer idea on mortality," he said. "It's when people come back (after Lunar New Year), that's the crunch point, in terms of the spread of the virus, the contagion, and the fatality." Another characteristic in question is the mortality rate. "You have to have a very high mortality rate to really create a pandemic. In SARS, it hit 60%, 70%, 80% at one point. So far the mortality rate here is 3.4%, which is low," Roche said, drawing a comparison with severe acute respiratory syndrome a deadly epidemic that occurred between 2002 and 2003. The new coronavirus, which could lead to a type of pneumonia, has sparked alarm as it comes from the same family of viruses as SARS, which killed nearly 800. The new outbreak was first reported in late December and was thought to have originated from a wholesale seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Officials have confirmed the new virus can spread between humans, and the World Health Organization said it appears the outbreak began in an animal source. A U.S. resident who returned from China was among those diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus. Speaking to CNBC's Joe Kernen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, U.S. President Donald Trump said: "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It's going to be just fine." The number of new infections is set to rise further given that the virus has a two-week incubation period, Macquarie's Hu said in a note. "The lesson from SARS suggests that the turning point for sentiment will come only after the number of new infections starts falling." Furthermore, the "largest people movement on the planet" is underway, Hu said referring to the extensive travel during the Lunar New Year celebrations. The number of travelers has increased multiple times in China, as compared with 17 years ago during SARS, Hu added, further compounding the risk of even more infections. [January 23, 2020] Arrivalist Announces New Hires Arrivalist, the leading location intelligence platform in the Travel industry, has expanded its Western U.S. team, today announcing two new senior level hires. Nevo Waintraub has been hired as Senior Director, Business Development and Brooke Burnham has been hired as Senior Account Director and. Burnham and Waintraub will be expanding Arrivalist's position in the DMO and airport industries. Cree (News - Alert) Lawson, Founder and CEO, said, "We're excited to welcome Nevo and Brooke, two highly respected and successful travel and tourism industry leaders, to our growing team. Nevo joins us as a solutions-focused business development professional who will be crucial to the expansion of our airport focused offering, Departurist, while also deepening our relationships with DMO's throughout the Central and Western U.S. Brooke's track record and deep experience as a DMO marketing executive will be instrumental to our continued ability to produce reliable, timely and actionable location-based visitation intelligence while maintaining our reputation as a company built for clients, by clients. I am so pleased to welcome these two outstanding professionals to Arrivalist and look forward to all that I am sure they will achieve hee." Nevo Waintraub has been hired as Senior Director, Business Development. Nevo returns to the travel and tourism industry, where he established a successful track record as a sales executive with HomeAway (now Vrbo), Trip Advisor and VirtualTourist.com. Waintraub was twice recognized as the top overall sales representative during his career at HomeAway. He will be focused on developing the client portfolio for Arrivalist's new airport focused Departurist product and expanding the company's strong position within the DMO industry. Nevo received his B.A. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Brooke Burnham, previously at Visit SLO CAL, has been hired as Senior Account Director. She is an established destination marketing executive with 12 years experience in the DMO industry. Brooke has previously held marketing leadership positions at Visit SLO CAL, Visit Estes Park and Travel Waterloo where she built and executed integrated marketing strategies and advertising campaigns while managing award-winning marketing teams. Brooke's extensive experience in the travel and tourism industry, coupled with a proven ability to build marketing strategies via a data driven approach will greatly enhance the company's ability to provide insights to more than 150 current clients. Brooke earned her B.A. from Colorado State University in public relations and an MBA from the University of Northern Iowa. About Arrivalist Arrivalist is the leading location intelligence platform in the Travel industry. The company uses mobile location datasets to provide actionable insights on consumer behavior, competitive share, media effectiveness, and market trends. Over 200 travel marketers, including 100 Cities, 40 US States, and 4 of the top 10 US Theme Parks, use these insights to inform media strategy, operations, and destination development. Arrivalist is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and Toronto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005008/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Its 100 seconds to midnight. Nuclear war, cyber threats and climate change are putting the world in more danger than it has been in over at least the last 70-plus years. The hands of the Doomsday Clock are now closer to midnight than at any point since its creation in 1947. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists during an international news conference today announced the minute hand of the iconic Doomsday Clock has been adjusted, and to underscore the dire situation, the time on the clock is now being expressed in seconds rather than minutes. The decision to put the clock so close to the doomsday midnight hour was made by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board in consultation with the Bulletins Board of Sponsors, which includes 13 Nobel Laureates. The clock did not move in 2019. The minute hand was set forward in 2018 by 30 seconds to two minutes till midnight. That was the closest it has been to apocalypse since 1953, the early years of the Cold War. The clock was moved from three minutes to midnight to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight in 2017. Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangersnuclear war and climate changethat are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts societys ability to respond, a statement issued today by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists explains. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode. Speakers on hand for the clock announcement included former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who is now executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. The moving of the Doomsday Clock hand highlights three worsening factors as called out by the group: Nuclear weapons. In the nuclear realm, national leaders have ended or undermined several major arms control treaties and negotiations during the last year, creating an environment conducive to a renewed nuclear arms race, to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and to lowered barriers to nuclear war. Political conflicts regarding nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea remain unresolved and are, if anything, worsening. US-Russia cooperation on arms control and disarmament is all but nonexistent. Climate change. Public awareness of the climate crisis grew over the course of 2019, largely because of mass protests by young people around the world. Just the same, governmental action on climate change still falls far short of meeting the challenge at hand. At UN climate meetings last year, national delegates made fine speeches but put forward few concrete plans to further limit the carbon dioxide emissions that are disrupting Earths climate. This limited political response came during a year when the effects of manmade climate change were manifested by one of the warmest years on record, extensive wildfires, and quicker-than-expected melting of glacial ice. Cyber-based disinformation. Continued corruption of the information ecosphere on which democracy and public decision making depend has heightened the nuclear and climate threats. In the last year, many governments used cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns to sow distrust in institutions and among nations, undermining domestic and international efforts to foster peace and protect the planet. McKinsey on Climate A new report suggests that many assumptions about the nature of the risk and the potential damage a changing climate could cause should be revisited. McKinsey Global Institute in partnership with McKinseys Sustainability and Risk practices released a report titled, Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts, which finds that physical climate risk is present and growing. The research uses climate science and socioeconomic analysis to examine case studies across regions, sectors, and asset types to understand the mechanisms through which physical climate change leads to increased socioeconomic risk. It shows that physical climate change could put millions of lives, trillions of dollars of economic activity, physical capital and the worlds stock of natural capital at risk. Key findings from the report include: A greater understanding of climate risk could change risk recognition, including making long-duration borrowing unavailable, reduce insurance cost and availability, and reduce terminal values. In Florida, for example, losses from severe flooding could not only damage housing but devalue exposed homes by 15% to 30%, or $30 to 80 billion, in 2050. In Ethiopia, where crop production is projected to be at risk, crop insurance may be an option to manage these climate-related risks. The report shows that climate change is already having substantial physical impacts at a local level in regions across the world, and that the affected regions will continue to grow in number and size. As the climate continues to change for the next decade and probably beyond, the number and size of regions affected by substantial physical impacts will continue to grow, the report states. The report outlines direct effects on socioeconomic systems in five areas: livability and workability; food systems; physical assets; infrastructure services; and natural capital. The report finds that all of the 105 countries examined could experience an increase in at least one type of risk to their stock of human, physical and natural capital by 2030. The number of people at risk of experiencing lethal heatwaves, for example, could rise to between 250 million and 360 million by 2030, with a 9% annual probability of occurring, and to between 700 million to 1.2 billion by 2050 with a 14% annual probability of occurring. Impacts from climate hazards could affect employment, incomes and connected sectors, according to the report. Financial markets could bring forward risk recognition in affected regions, with consequences for capital allocation and insurance, the report states. The Climate According to GARP The Global Association of Risk Professionals is launching a new certificate in sustainability and climate risk, or SCR, designed to help professionals understand and manage the potential economic and operational impacts of a changing climate on their organizations. The group said the decision to launch the so-called GARP SCRTM certificate was supported by a worldwide study of risk professionals that GARP recently conducted: Of the studys 943 respondents, 85% indicated they would need greater SCR knowledge in the future; 82% of respondents expected their own organizations focus on SCR would increase in the long term. GARP is a non-partisan, not-for-profit membership organization. The group calls the new SCR certificate the first truly global climate risk management program. The SCR certificate will include modules on: Policy and regulation; green and sustainable finance; the science, effects and measurement of climate-related risks; scenario analysis; and emerging issues such as health effects and geopolitical impacts. As businesses start to recognize climate change as a financial risk, managers will increasingly need to add climate risk management to their skill sets not only those working in finance but also in disciplines such as supply chain management, operations and technology, Jo Paisley, co-president of the GARP Risk Institute, said in a statement. Its estimated that candidates will need to spend 100 to 130 hours reading material and preparing for the final three-hour exam, which will be offered at selected times throughout the year. Candidates can take the multiple-choice test at designated Computer-Based Testing centers worldwide or they can be remotely proctored. Registration begins June 1. The SCR certificate will cost $650, and is expected to be available online globally. Those interested can sign up or get more information on the program on GARPs website. Davos The leaders of Zurich Insurance Group AG and Citigroup Inc. want their clients to do more work too to battle climate change. I say to our clients, I dont want to be the sharp end of the spear,' enforcing industry standards, Michael Corbat, chief executive officer of the New York-based bank, said this week in a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. You should set those, you get proper buy-in and we will be here to support you. Mario Greco, the CEO of Zurich Insurance, agreed with Corbat that carbon was mispriced, and said insurance firms are having a tough time deciding what to underwrite as a result. Insurers are underwriting based on ethical standards, and compliance with the Paris agreement, but its not fast enough and its a tough job, Greco said. We dont know exactly how an industry should restructure itself, and we are not supposed to do that, so the only thing we can do is stop funding. Stopping funding is a brutal reaction to market displacement. This years meeting of the global business elite in Davos has focused on sustainability, with teenage activist Greta Thunberg criticizing a lack of action on climate during her appearance, according to a Bloomberg story appearing this week on Insurance Journal. Financial companies are under pressure to retreat from funding industries including coal-fired power. Numerous insurers have restricted insurance services to coal projects in the past two years. Roughly a dozen insurers have adopted policies to stop all direct insurance coverage to new coal projects among them are Allianz, AXA, Generali, QBE, Zurich, SCOR and Swiss Re. And seven have restricted their insurance services to existing coal projects, according to the climate change activist group Sunrise Project. Lawrence Fink, who runs BlackRock Inc., last week pledged to incorporate environmental concerns into the asset managers investment process for both active and passive products. Corbat created the new role of chief sustainability officer at his bank in September, but said that governments should create incentives for companies to adopt sustainable practices, rather than relying on punishments like carbon tariffs, according to the Bloomberg story. Greco was pessimistic that there will be more effective global agreements on matters like carbon pricing, calling the prospect almost unthinkable. Global companies will go wherever there is the best financial opportunity short-term for them, and they will follow what prices tell them to do. This is what makes me scared, or pessimistic, that we will achieve the right speed, Bloomberg reported. Past columns: Topics Cyber Climate Change By Other News The Ottawa County Agriculture CommUnity Breakfast funds an annual scholarship for a deserving student who has chosen to pursue an agricultural degree. The scholarship criteria include: The applicant must be attending a high school in Ottawa County. Within the next year, the applicant must be an entering freshman to an accredited college, university or technical school in any field of agriculture. The scholarship will be awarded at the Ottawa County Agriculture Community Breakfast on March 20. Apply Download and complete the application: Agriculture CommUnity Breakfast Scholarship Application Pakistan's medical authorities are on alert to combat the possible spread of coronavirus from China due to frequent visits of Chinese workers employed on various projects in the country. The coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, has already killed 17 people in China and infected more than 541 and reports of it spreading to other Asian countries have also begun to emerge. The health ministry on Thursday directed the officials to be on tiptoes while establishing an emergency operation cell to monitor the situation. Though, there was not case of the infection detected so far but Pakistan was taking steps before time to control the situation in case of any outbreak. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza, chairing a meeting of senior officials on Wednesday discussed the measures and a response mechanism after the recent cases of coronavirus in China, The Express Tribune reported. "I am writing to all chief ministers to ensure necessary arrangements in all the provinces," said Mirza. "I am establishing contact with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) while we will also be working closely with the Embassy of China in Pakistan to deal with the crisis." The PM's aide told the participants of the meeting that the directorate of the health ministry dealing with airport and port health services had been asked to maintain strict vigilance at the points of entry and check travellers coming in from affected areas. "The directorate has been advised to strengthen health desk and quarantine arrangements at the ports of entry," he added. On the directions of the PM's aide, the National Institute of Health Islamabad has issued an advisory and alert to all provincial health departments especially at points of entry at all airports and ground crossings in Pakistan to remain vigilant. The purpose of the advisory is to alert and sensitise the health staff across the country to detect suspected cases of the viral infection and take preventive measures. There are 41 incoming flights from China to Pakistan every week, mostly taking away and bringing the Chinese. Thousands of Chinese nationals who are working on projects in various cities in Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) regularly travel between the two countries, raising fears they could spread the disease. The CPEC project is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road project. The virus has spread to five countries, including the US. Chinese authorities have warned that the disease could spread further in the ongoing holiday season during which millions travel at home and abroad amid official advisories to people of Wuhan, the epicentre of illness, not to leave the city. The coronavirus has caused alarm because of its similarity to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China in 2002-2003. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The successor to the Iranian commander killed in a U.S. drone strike would suffer the same fate if he followed a similar path by killing Americans, the U.S. special representative for Iran said, according to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. Washington blamed Qassem Soleimani for masterminding attacks by Iran-aligned militias against U.S. forces in the region. US President Donald Trump ordered the January 3 drone strike in Iraq after an escalation that began in December with missile strikes that killed an American contractor, which Washington blamed on an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq. Esmail Ghaani, who was appointed leader of the Quds force after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani earlier this month, could face the same fate as his predecessor, US envoy warns Iran responded to the killing of Soleimani by launching missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq on Jan. 8, although no U.S. soldiers were killed. After Soleimani's death, Tehran swiftly appointed Esmail Ghaani as the new head of the Quds Force, an elite unit in the Revolutionary Guards that handles actions abroad. Ghaani has pledged to pursue Soleimani's course. Brian Hook, special representative to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Iran, said Ghaani could be struck if he kills Americans 'If (Esmail) Ghaani follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate,' U.S. envoy Brian Hook told the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat. He said in the interview in Davos that Trump had long made it clear 'that any attack on Americans or American interests would be met with a decisive response.' 'This isn't a new threat. The president has always said that he will always respond decisively to protect American interests,' Hook said. 'I think the Iranian regime understands now that they cannot attack America and get away with it.' After his appointment, Ghaani said he would 'continue in this luminous path' taken by Soleimani and said the goal was to drive U.S. forces out of the region, Iran's long stated policy. The Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander said four U.S. military bases in the region were used to deploy aircraft and drones that played a role in the Jan. 3 attack that killed Soleimani, including two bases in Iraq and another in Kuwait. Soleimani was killed on January 3 just moments after he climbed off a private plane at Baghdad airport after President Trump ordered a drone strike 'Most of the drones' had taken off from Kuwait, Amirali Hajizadeh, who heads the Guards' aerospace unit, told state television, although he did not say if a drone from Kuwait was ultimately responsible for attack on Soleimani. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have steadily increased since Trump withdrew from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and imposed tough news sanctions that have hammered the Iranian economy. This month's military flare-up began in December when rockets fired at U.S. bases in Iraq killed a U.S. contractor. Washington blamed pro-Iran militia and launched air strikes that killed at least 25 fighters. After the militia surrounded the U.S. embassy in Baghdad for two days, Trump ordered the drone strike on Soleimani. Interim leader of the PSD (Social Democratic Party) Marcel Ciolacu on Wednesday stated that the Social Democratic Senators will be the ones to decide who will be the next candidate of the party for the office of Senate President, since there is no such supreme forum in this party anymore "to decide everything." "We made a decision in the National Standing Bureau. We have already anticipated this, as it is normal. The PSD Group in the Senate will decide who will be the candidate. It will truly be a decision of the PSD. We won't propose Mr. Melescanu again, because he is not a member of the PSD. He is just an affiliated person. (...) We really try to change things around and even try to change the logic. There is no such forum anymore who decides everything. If we were to decide instead of the Senators (....), I believe it would have been a big mistake of the party. The decision must belong to the Senators," Ciolacu told Realitatea Plus private television broadcaster.The PSD leader specified the Constitutional Court's decision regarding the Senate President, Teodor Melescanu, is not up for discussion, but it's the latter's right to see the reasoning before stepping down."We took note of the decision of the Constitutional Court. It's not up for discussion. No decision of the Constitutional Court should ever be up for discussion and, after the reasoning is published with the Official Journal, it must be implemented. (...) Constitutionally, there is a decision. The reasoning is to follow. It's Mr Melescanu's right to see the reasoning, why precisely his appointment was unconstitutional or what legal conflict was established by the Court, and this is his right under the law to see the reasoning," said Ciolacu. AGERPRES She filed for divorce from husband of 22-years, Kevin Hunter, 48, in April 2019. And as of Tuesday, Wendy Williams, 55, is officially a single lady with their divorce now officially finalized. It was also reveled via official legal documents who got what in the settlement after the pair didn't sign a prenup all those years ago. Done and dusted! Wendy Williams had lots to celebrate on Tuesday after it was revealed that she had finalized her divorce from ex-husband Kevin Hunter (pictured 2012) Wendy's New Jersey home that she and Kevin recently put up for sale be will be split 50/50 when it sells. As for their place in Florida, the legendary talk-show host will keep the home as it's where her mom currently lives. Kevin won the rights to their second New Jersey home in Morristown, which he recently sold. For sale! Wendy's New Jersey home that she and Kevin recently put up for sale be will be split 50/50 when it sells Adult child: There will be no child support or custody battles as their son, Kevin Jr. Hunter, is 19-years-old The documents also stated that their production company will also be split down the middle with 50/50 ownership. However, Kevin wants out so Wendy will pay him a lump sum for his share as well as a severance package. The specific amounts have been left confidential. There will be no child support or custody battles as their son, Kevin Jr. Hunter, is 19-years-old. Wendy dumped her former long-term husband after his affair with massage therapist, Sharina Hudson, 33, was exposed back in April. Buying him out! The documents also stated that their production company will also be split down the middle 50/50. However, Kevin wants out so Wendy will pay him a lump sum for his share as well as a severance package Mistress: Wendy dumped her former long-term husband after his affair with massage therapist, Sharina Hudson, 33, was exposed back in April They were reportedly together for 10 years and it was revealed shortly later that she was pregnant with his child. Wendy previously revealed that she was pushing for a divorce ever since she found out he was cheating. 'I wanted a divorce like yesterday, I wanted a divorce two months ago, three months ago. Whenever I found out, four months ago,' she explained to Sway Calloway, in August 2019. 'I want a divorce and I want to be friends with Kevin. I mean, and not because we have a son but because that was real love.' Dad-to-be: Kevin and his mistress were reportedly together for 10 years and it was revealed shortly later that she was pregnant with his child (2019) She continued: 'I still love him just not in that way. You either in or you are out with me. I still have love for him and I wish him the best in his new life with his new family.' After Wendy filed, Kevin released a statement apologizing for his actions. 'I am not proud of my recent actions and take full accountability and apologize to my wife, my family and her amazing fans.' 'I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs.' Kevin and Wendy married in 1997 and welcomed their son, Kevin, in 2000. She currently lives in Manhattan with her two rescue cats, My Way and Chit Chat. San Francisco Mayor London Breed endorsed Mike Bloomberg for the Democratic presidential nomination, boosting the billionaires chances in a delegate-rich state where he got off to a late start but is now spending millions to try to win. Breed, who backed California Sen. Kamala Harris until she withdrew from the race in December, told The Chronicle exclusively Wednesday that she thought long and hard before deciding that Bloombergs track record of what hes done as New York City mayor and what hes done afterward has been significant. Breed added, He has the ability to beat Donald Trump this November, and that is of the most concern to me. Endorsing Bloomberg, who made his $54 billion fortune off his eponymous media empire, carries political risk in San Francisco, where rising wealth inequality has reshaped the city. Breed also will undoubtedly hear from the citys progressive community about Bloombergs long support for the stop-and-frisk policing policy during his 12 years as mayor. As for the other Democrats in the race, Breed said, If there was someone else who could (beat Trump), I would be supporting them. She added that she, like Bloomberg, would support whomever the Democratic nominee is. Breed said she will advise the Bloomberg campaign about jobs, homelessness and housing, and climate change. She said she has reached out to Bloomberg for advice on homeless issues, and he has shared ideas on how best to acquire land for low-income housing. When it comes to endorsing a billionaire in a campaign where progressive candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have higher taxes on the wealthy at the center of their platforms, Breed makes no apologies. Instead of being selfish and just thinking about New York, Breed said, Bloomberg has tried to use his fortune to improve the climate and the quality of life in other communities. Breed joins San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs as former Harris backers who are now behind Bloomberg. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, another former Harris backer, have endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is not endorsing a candidate in the primary. Voters re-elected London Breed by a wide margin because she is taking on the biggest and toughest issues and she puts progress over politics, Bloomberg said in a statement. Im honored to have her support and look forward to working with her not only to win this election, but to help make San Francisco and all of California stronger, fairer and greener with more affordable housing, more good jobs, and health care for all. Bloomberg, who has swamped his Democratic rivals with $200 million in TV advertising since he entered the race in November, has pulled into a virtual fourth-place tie nationally with former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, according to the Real Clear Politics average of major polls. Biden, Sanders and Warren are ahead of them. Doing well in California is key to Bloombergs unorthodox strategy of skipping early-voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. He is focusing first on the 14 states including California that hold contests March 3. Breed said she was impressed by Bloombergs championing of climate change issues and how the high school graduation rates for African American students increased in New York while he was mayor. She said his Greenwood Initiative plan, which would invest $70 billion into low-income communities with the goal of increasing African American home and business ownership, is better than any plan Ive seen to help the community. Yet Breed said that of course she had concerns about Bloombergs support as mayor for stop-and-frisk police policies, under which New York officers detained people they thought might be engaged in crime and searched them for weapons or other contraband. Bloomberg apologized at a Brooklyn church last month for his past support of stop-and-frisk, under which the vast majority of those detained were African Americans and Latinos. Breed said she and Bloomberg had conversations about it. ... It was a failed policy. He made it clear that it was a mistake. Tubbs, the Stockton mayor who endorsed Breed, told The Chronicle last month that for people like him, a 29-year-old African American man, stop and frisk is terrible. He recalled having a spirited discussion with Bloomberg, but that he was satisfied with the candidates apology. Thats a sign of a good leader, Tubbs said. Im sure the mayor will put forth policies that will reflect his new criminal justice perspective. Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who is African American and serves as a top surrogate for the candidate, said Bloomberg slowed the pace of the program toward the end of his term. New York recorded 649 homicides in 2001, the year before Bloomberg became mayor, and 335 in 2013, his last year. Nutter said he didnt think it was cynical of Bloomberg to apologize for the program at a predominantly black church just days before launching his campaign. I think it would be cynical to think of it as anything other than a heartfelt apology, Nutter said last week while accompanying Bloomberg on a campaign stop in Oakland. You will rarely see, anywhere at least in America, that a current or former official, having realized that they made a mistake ... (going) directly to the people who are most affected by that damaging aspect, standing up in public and saying, Im sorry. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Gov. Noem lauds state economy, but big legislative fights are coming Noems speech flowed between business and economic development, lifestyle issues and social issues that were united by their conservative themes. Luxembourgers who feel like foreigners in Luxembourg City now have a helpful guide that gives insight into the city, and it also offers practical advice and information to make getting by in the capital a piece of cake. The 474-page book, published by Editions Saint-Wurst, is called Dat ass dStad and covers topics ranging from the basics of English to how to fake sympathy when someone complains about the weather in Luxembourg yet earns a salary bigger than the GDP of most island nations. Many Luxembourgers are perplexed by the culture, languages, and customs of the city, and others live elsewhere in the country but dream of travelling to their capital, but theyre hesitant to visit a place that bears their name yet has little to do with them, said editor Jempy Wagner. This book will tell them everything they need to understand this exotic destination. Among the thousands of tips, tricks, and tidbits the book offers: When an inhabitant of Luxembourg City finds out youre Luxembourgish and responds with oh wow, thats cool, shes not being sarcastic. Youre probably the first Luxembourger shes met in her five years here. (p. 23) Luxembourg City suffers from split personality disorder. Half the people desperately want you to smile at them, and the other half desperately dont want you to smile at them. Get in the habit of half-smiling. (p. 84) Dont be afraid when a server greets you in a language you dont understand. Its helpful to know a few useful phrases like A glass of port, please and Ill take a steak and my lady friend will have the chicken salad to make your restaurant visits more pleasant. (p. 99) Be patient if someone mistakes Luxembourgish for German. Its rumoured that the high level of sulfates in the citys water supply has turned many of the residents into imbeciles. (p. 116) Drivers in Luxembourg City drive like theyre blind. This is because many of them are blind. (p.224) If you order beer in a pub and the barman asks you for 10 euros, you will assume hes joking and slide him two or three euros. Hes not joking. Pay the money or you might find yourself in trouble with the police. (p. 288) The residents of Luxembourg City love Land Rovers, Porsche Cayennes, and other SUV-style vehicles. This may lead you to believe they spend the weekends off-roading in the Eislek, but nothing could be further from the truth. The most action those cars see is going over speed bumps in the City Concorde parking lot. (p.345) Dat ass dStad is available at most bookstores for 19.99 and in city bookstores for 39.99. Read more at wurst.lu Photo credit: Pixabay / JP Gomez No joke: Switzerland has minted a gold coin so small you'd need to look very closely to see Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue at you. State-owned Swissmint said Thursday that the 2.96-millimeter (0.12-inches) gold coin is the smallest in the world. It weighs 0.063 grams (1/500th of an ounce) and has a nominal value of 1/4 Swiss francs (USD 0.26). Swissmint said the coin, of which just 999 have been made, will be sold for 199 francs with a special magnifying glass so owners can see the famous physicist on its face. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: (Photo : Pxhere.com) Parents need to be very attentive especially to their toddlers. Toddlers tend to be more active and energetic compared to other kids at an older age and they are most prone to dangerous and cautious acts whenever they are eating or playing. It's important to look after your toddlers keenly, because circumstances may arise at anytime that could put your kid in danger. Last April 2019 in Jiangxi, China, a 3-year old girl was hospitalized due to a mere playful act of the child running around the house holding a chopstick while her family was having dinner. The chopstick was said to have pierced through the side of the little girl's mouth and went through her skull. The chopstick went in so deep that you could feel the tip of the chopstick at the back of her neck. The little girl's parents immediately rushed her to the nearest hospital, she was immediately transferred to Central South University's Xiangya Hospital. The chopstick was shown in a CT scan conducted by the little girl's doctors and it revealed how deep the piercing was. The good thing was the chopstick did not pierce any vital parts, such as the brain stem, carotid artery, and the neck vertebrae. However, the bad news was around 10 centimeters of the chopstick was dug deep into the child's head. The doctors had to perform surgery despite the risk it contains regardless of the anesthesia used. Fortunately, the chopstick was successfully removed by the doctors and the child became stable. A lot of similar cases like this happen. Another case like this happened two years ago in the same country when a chopstick was removed from a little boy's skull that again, entered through his mouth. Just like the little girl from 2019, the little boy was running around the house with a chopstick in hand. Parents should always look after their children and avoid letting them play and run around with something sharp in their hands. The cases indicated are just a reminder for parents that it is important to be careful and cautious towards their children. Prohibit them from using sharp objects and do your best to keep them away. Also, let them practice eating their meals, they should always sit down in the dining table and eat first before playing. To further understand some of the precautionary measures and safety tips you can take to keep your children from accidents, here are some things that you can do: Keep sharp items such as knives, scissors, and other utensils in a safe drawer that cannot be reached or put a safety lock or latch on it. Glasses, bowls, plates, and other fragile objects should also be stored away from children's reach to avoid breaking. When you work around the kitchen, make sure your children are out of the way or far from the kitchen area to avoid accidents. Always tell them to not come near you if you're handling sharp and fragile objects. You can tell them to wait in the living room or their rooms until the meal is fully prepared. If you happen to have razors in your bathroom, store it in your bathroom cabinet that is far from the children's reach. Lock the dishwasher always. If you are planning to buy other appliances, make sure it has a built-in child lock. Most important is caution and vigilance. Teach your children, protect your children, because it only takes a split second and your child's life could be in danger. House managers to outline constitutional rationale for impeachment, removal from office as they resume opening arguments Washington, DC Managers for the US House of Representatives impeachment case against President Donald Trump plan to present the constitutional grounds for removing Trump from office on the second day of their opening arguments before the Senate. We will go through the law, the constitution and the facts as it pertains to the presidents abuse of power, said Adam Schiff, the lead House manager prosecuting Trumps impeachment trial in the Senate. Abuse of power lies at the heart of House Democrats allegations against President Trump, who they say violated his oath of office by leveraging US military aid and a potential White House visit to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations in a political rival. During the House impeachment inquiry, three leading US constitutional scholars told the Judiciary Committee that Trumps conduct amounted to an impeachable offence. House managers are expected to argue on Thursday that Trump abused his powers as president by using the levers of the office to improperly pressure Ukraine to announce an investigation of Democratic politician Joe Biden and advance a debunked conspiracy theory about Russian interference in the 2016 elections. This artist sketch depicts impeachment manager Schiff presenting an argument in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump [File: Dana Verkouteren/The Associated Press] Democrats say Trumps offences, which includes elements of bribery, extortion and misuse of office, amounts to a crime against the United States and the American people. The US Constitution, adopted in 1789, provides that a president can be removed from office by impeachment for bribery, treason or other high crimes and misdemeanours. Under the Democrats theory of the case, abuse of power is a high crime. All 100 senators 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and 2 independents are sitting as jurors in the trial of Trump which is expected to last several weeks. Senators are required to be present for the proceedings and must leave mobile phones and other devices outside the chamber. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presides. Shaken our democratic system On the first day of opening arguments, some senators took copious handwritten notes as Schiff and his House colleagues presented. Others sat listening attentively. As proceedings wore on, a number of Republicans, unable to remain in their seats, got up and left the room temporarily. In making their case to the Senate, the House managers are expected to cite the words of the USs founders who wrote extensively about impeachment in an 18th-century collection of public letters called the Federalist Papers'. The consequences alone of [Trumps] actions have shaken our democratic system, Schiff said in opening remarks on Tuesday. If we dont stand up to this peril today, we will write our own decline with our own hand, he told senators. The shift to legal and constitutional theory follows eight hours of Senate proceedings on Wednesday in which House managers detailed the timeline of Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine. Its the first time our Republican colleagues have heard the whole argument eloquently, completely and concise, said Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat. Not a conventional politician Even as House managers seek to prove Trump pressured Ukraine, a number of Senate Republicans say they do not believe what the president did amounts to an impeachable offence. If it doesnt go beyond the information that weve got, it would be like what most Republicans have said, I would not have done it, its inappropriate,' said Senator Mike Braun, a Republican. I give even a little more latitude in the sense that his style is not that of a conventional politician, Braun told Al Jazeera. Lead manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff delivers an opening argument in the US Senate Chamber [US Senate TV/Reuters] The American public remains sharply divided over impeachment, according to recent opinion surveys. A new poll by the Pew Research Center showed 51 percent of Americans say Trump should be removed from office, while 46 percent say Trump should stay. The poll was conducted by a self-administered web survey of 12,638 US adults between January 6 and 19. About 11 million TV viewers watched the start of the impeachment trial on Tuesday when legislators sparred for hours over calling witnesses and documents, according to Nielsen ratings data. In addition to abuse of power, Trump faces impeachment for obstruction of Congress. We have all the material As the impeachment inquiry began, Trump issued a blanket order to officials in his administration to refuse to cooperate with the House, in effect stonewalling the House investigators. Trumps refusal to cooperate has become a major point of contention in the Senate trial. The second article of impeachment was for obstruction of Congress: covering up witnesses and documents from the American people. This morning the President not only confessed to it, he bragged about it: "Honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material." pic.twitter.com/DPAEFHIDjS Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) January 22, 2020 Much of the debate in the Senate has revolved around Democrats demands that the White House and other agencies turn over documents and make key witnesses available. Despite being thousands away, Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing, appears to be keeping a close eye on the proceedings, breaking his own record for the most Twitter activity in a day while in office. At a news conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Trump appeared to acknowledge that his administration has withheld documents and testimony to the disadvantage of House managers now trying the case before the Senate. Honestly, we have all the material. They dont have the material, Trump told reporters. Samsung on Monday introduced a high-end Galaxy Chromebook at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. The new model could serve as an extension of the companys smartphone lineup and spawn a premium device demand in the category. Samsung aims to position it as the companys flagship Chromebook to meet potential demand for a more useful and powerful multipurpose premium mobile device. That could amount to little more than wishful thinking, suggested Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. Demand for ultra powerful Chromebooks has yet to develop much traction. Every couple of years, some vendor rolls the dice in hopes that the healthy business for Chromebooks in education and other markets will result in demand for premium products, he told TechNewsWorld. So far, that has not panned out. See the modest commercial success of Googles Pixelbooks for proof points. Adding Name Recognition Samsung has used the Galaxy brand name for a variety of top-end and discount phone and tablet offerings. Marketing a pricey new Chromebook under the Galaxy umbrella might be a winning option to separate this computer from in an already-crowded field of cheaper Chromebooks. This is an interesting move, noted Arle Lommel, senior analyst at CSA Research. Chromebooks long have suffered from a reputation as bargain-basement machines with lackluster performance. Google has been steadily pushing up the enterprise chain, and this seems to be an enterprise-level notebook, he told TechNewsWorld. The marketing seems to be aimed at professionals who want a single machine for both work and personal use that has enough power for more than basic office use. Demand issues aside, Lommel said, the marketing suggests Samsung wants to create a new presence in a market segment Apple traditionally has dominated: hip urban professionals. The inclusion of a 4K screen at this price point will be attractive to those who want to work with higher-res video. Meet the Galaxy Chromebook The Galaxy Chromebook is an ultra premium 2-in-1 laptop running Googles Chrome OS. It ships with a durable aluminum body, the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, and a 13.3-inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) touchscreen. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook will be available in the first quarter at a starting price of US$999. Expect to pay much more if you fully upgrade its RAM and storage. Available in two colors a brilliant Fiesta Red or more subdued Mercury Gray it will ship in an unspecified number of variants with up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage. Standard configuration starts with 8 GB of RAM and a 256-GB SSD. The premium 2-in-1 Chromebook combines sleek design and next-generation productivity features with a seamless user experience. Built from durable aluminum, the Galaxy Chromebook is made to withstand the everyday wear and tear of life on the move. Notable High-End Features Samsungs Galaxy Chromebook has a near-infinite screen and slim 0.15-inch bezel that offers true-to-life visuals for immersive gaming as well as sharp photo viewing and editing. It soon will gain an additional high-end feature other manufacturers will find hard to beat. HDR400 will deliver high-contrast graphics, along with Ambient EQ capabilities for a viewing experience that is vivid while easy on the eyes to reduce eye strain. Samsung will add this feature later through a software update. The Galaxy Chromebook sets a higher standard in mobile computing, redefining what a Chromebook can be, the company maintained. The new device offers users new ways to take advantage of a Chrome OS experience that is simple, fast and seamless. The notion that we do everything stationary at a desk is a thing of the past, and people need premium devices built for our new reality, said Alanna Cotton, general manager of Samsung Electronics America. By offering a seamless, premium user experience, Galaxy Chromebook helps you effortlessly switch between streaming, creative projects, word processing and more. More Good Stuff The Galaxy Chromebook comes packed with productivity tools to rival what is available on mobile devices running other operating systems. For instance, the built-in pen lets you write, draw and navigate Galaxy Chromebook quickly and efficiently, much like the user experience with the Samsung Note smartphone. The flip screen and attached full keyboard are secured with a hinge that allows 360-degree movement. This provides multiple options: traditional clam shell laptop, tent-stand viewing platform, and tablet mode with vertical and horizontal viewing angles. The Galaxy Chromebook is co-engineered with Intel as part of the Project Athena innovation program. The Galaxy device passed rigorous testing to achieve the programs experience targets and hardware specifications, according to Samsung. This ensures that the Galaxy Chromebook consistently delivers reliable responsiveness, instant wake and long battery life. A D V E R T I S E M E N T For years, students have come to love Chrome OS in classrooms around the world but today, Chromebooks are being used for so much more, by the younger generation and working-professionals alike, said Kan Liu, senior director of product management at Google. As we see the demand for premium Chromebook experiences rise, we are investing more and more with partners like Samsung to build the next generation of flagship Chromebook product innovations and offerings. Other Notable Features The Galaxy Chromebook comes with support for Wi-Fi 6, fingerprint security verification, and a built-in stylus pen stored in the edge of the device. It also supports Google Assistant, rather than Samsungs own Bixby virtual assistant software. The new Chromebook is ready to work in conjunction with Samsungs own smartphones as well as phones made by other manufacturers. For example, with instant tethering support the Galaxy Chromebook can connect automatically to a users mobile device to maintain connectivity where WiFi is not available. Another example is click-to-call support, which lets users tap a hyperlinked phone number on their Chromebook to place a call on their Android phone. Impressive Specs The Galaxy Chromebook measures 11.9 inches x 8 inches x 0.39 inches. It has the security fingerprint feature and keyboard backlighting. It has an 8-megapixel webcam on the top left corner of the keyboard that functions as a rear camera when the device is held in tablet mode. A 1-megapixel camera above the screen is handy for conference calls. Battery capacity tops off at 49.2Wh. The outer edges of the keyboard contain numerous ports for external connectivity, including two USB Type-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack and a MicroSD/UFS combination port. Given the Chromebook computers design around the Chrome OS operating system and its ability to run Android and Linux applications, models with this higher-level performance capability and higher price could attract more than just a niche base of users who opt for high-end performance. However, without aggressive marketing, it is doubtful that will happen, observed Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Android apps are mostly designed for smartphones, and they dont play well on larger screens. Nor are they designed for the larger form factor, he told TechNewsWorld. This edition of Chrome is reminiscent of the old OS/2 effort with a Windows compatibility layer, Enderle said. Such dual-mode efforts historically have not done well, he noted, adding that Steve Jobs killed Apples similar effort before it was released. Demand Possible Demand for personal and business Chromebooks could be growing, said Pund-ITs King. There is a generation of people in their 20s who grew up with Chromebooks in school and could see them as good options for complementing the smartphones they tend to use, he reasoned. Last September, Dell introduced a new Chromebook in its Latitude line that offers the kinds of services and support that businesses depend on. That could well increase demand for commercial Chromebook solutions, noted King. Samsung is betting on a substantial number of Chromebook customers who prize premium materials and video quality, he added. The continuing growth of streaming media and the advent of services like YouTube TV might help spark demand too. The Galaxy Chromebook is one of the better high-end offerings, but Chromebooks have had trouble breaking out of the cheap Microsoft alternative education space, according to Enderle. More players in a segment drives an increase in interest level, he pointed out. The combined marketing of all the firms could allow this premium effort to grow, Enderle said, but a product that is a premium cheap product where the Chromebook image resides is very difficult to sell. Color Somewhat Counts Samsung has learned that design matters. The Galaxy Chromebook is not just a boring gray box. The marketing really emphasizes it as a premium product in look and feel, noted CSA Researchs Lommel. The other selling point is the 4K screen. At an MSRP of $999, this is at the cheap end for that resolution, he said. Most of the competition with 4K displays none of which are Chromebooks is 50 to 100 percent more expensive. Samsungs marketing really wants you to see this as an ecosystem machine. As Apple has done with the iPhone, the iPad, and the Mac, Samsung is trying to build a continuity of experience, said Lommell, so that you can pick up your phone or your computer and feel equally at home. More Than Netbook Mentality Chromebooks have grown up in recent years. They are really a much better option than when they were essentially netbooks, Lommel noted, but they still suffer from some reputational problems. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook may be one of the next class of devices to change attitudes, he said. The press release is clearly chasing Apple features such as iCloud and continuity. I can see this having a lot of appeal for users of Samsung phones and the anti-Apple crowd out there who still want that sort of integration. The Chromebooks cloud-based operating model mirrors what the vast majority of smart users are used to, agreed King. It is also capable of supporting mainstream applications and suites, such as Office 365. While the audience for Windows PCs and notebooks is still pretty solid, most of those same Windows users also own and work with devices that leverage other operating environments. Chrome is not the barrier that some thought it once was, King said. Drawback Factors The Chromebooks one big drawback is the lack of support for traditional software applications, King noted. If you need them, a Chromebook can be a tough fit. Other drawbacks are tied to the operating system and brand image of a Chromebook. Plus, an AMOLED thin design probably means questionable battery life, according to Enderle. However, the big issue is that folks dont really think of a Chromebook as a premium offering. Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo saying that the Portuguese international is in the extraordinary physical condition and added that he wants to help the star striker win the sixth Ballon d'Or. "Ronaldo is in extraordinary physical and mental condition. He is continuing at an impressive pace and has extraordinary skills," Goal.com quoted Sarri as saying. "He is very well physically. In terms of explosiveness, he is good. He takes great care of the details. Ronaldo is a champion, we want to help him win the sixth Ballon d'Or, it would make us all happy," he added. Barcelona striker Lionel Messi claimed his sixth Ballon d'Or award last month and surpassed Ronaldo to have won the most number of Ballon d'Or awards as before that they both had five awards each. Juventus is also in a sublime form as they thrashed Roma by 3-1 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Thursday. This was the club's fifth win in a row in all competitions. Reflecting on the victory, Sarri said: "Winning is becoming normal. But we don't have to look at the numbers because it will be more difficult this year. We will certainly have to do better than previous years if we want to be competitive in the league. Juventus top the Serie A table with 51 points, four points ahead of the second-placed Inter Milan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two children were killed and five more were seriously injured when a school bus slipped off an icy road into a ditch in east central Germany. Two children, both eight years old, were killed when the bus toppled from the road over an embankment and landed in a ditch. Contrary to initial reports, the driver was not injured but did suffer from shock. The bus was carrying 22 children to their elementary school when the accident happened near the town of Berka vor dem Hainich in the state of Thuringia. The upturned school bus which slipped off an icy road in Berka vor dem Hainich in central Germany on Thursday Two children were killed and 20 more injured when a school bus skidded off the road and landed on its side A police officer looks into the school bus that crashed on Thursday, with school children inside It is believed the bus slipped on the ice because of a dip in the road, before toppling over an embankment and into a ditch. According to German newspaper Bild, driving conditions were made worse by 'thick fog'. Officials said the other 15 children on the bus were treated for light injuries and received psychological assistance. In a statement on Twitter, Thuringian state president Bodo Ramelow said he was 'dismayed' by the news. Police officers and firemen hold up blankets as a sight protection for undertakers loading a coffin into a hearse at the accident site on Thursday Members of the local fire brigade work at the site of the bus crash on Thursday In a statement on Twitter, Thuringian state president Bodo Ramelow said he was 'dismayed' by the news Police officers work at the accident site where a school bus slipped off the icy road Thuringia's interior minister Georg Maier said that there would be a 'detailed investigation' of the incident, but added that 'today was not the day for speculation'. Separately on Thursday, nine children were injured in a similar incident near the Bavarian-Austrian border. A police spokesman in Rosenheim said that a school bus had crashed into a tree in nearby Traunstein, for still unknown reasons. He added that the driver had been seriously injured, while the children had sustained light to medium injuries. Jaipur, Jan 23 : Bringing literature lovers face to face with some of the best-known names in writing in 15 Indian and 35 international languages and public speaking, the 13th annual edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival kicked off here on Thursday. Following the theme of 'learning each other's stories', the fest will celebrate different perspectives as well as embrace differences, the organisers said. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the fest at Diggi Palace, and launched a book 'Bijji: Timeless Tales from Marwa' by Vishes Kothari on the occasion. He stressed that the Festival motivated a new generation of readers, writers and literature lovers. It had put Jaipur on the world map as the pride of India, he pointed out. Festival Producer Sanjoy K. Roy, in his welcome address, pointed out the importance of literature and art as a platform to push back the narrative of hatred. "We need to speak in one voice, which is filled with empathy and love for each other, and for the common cause of humanity," he said. Namita Gokhale, Festival Co-Director, said that the Festival was an act of faith in life, ideas and in the human spirit under the guiding light of Rajasthani heritage and culture. She mentioned the festival highlights for the next five days, ranging from 'Kathasaritsa' to 'Premchand ke Phatte Jutey' to a galaxy of eminent speakers, including Magsaysay Award winner Ravish Kumar and Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor. Festival Director William Dalrymple recalled only 16 persons had turned up for a session during the first edition of the Festival, including 10 Japanese tourists who quickly walked out when they realised that they had landed up at the wrong place. About the overwhelming success of the festival down the years, he said: "The tradition of spoken literature is deeply-rooted and celebrated in India, and it is very much alive and loved here." British mathematician Marcus du Sautoy quoted Indian scholar Srinivasa Ramanujan who he said believed that every number had its particular character in the story of mathematics. "For me, it's 13. Thirteen is a prime number, indivisible. And the Jaipur Literature Festival is certainly in its prime," Sautoy remarked. Indian classical musician Shubha Mudgal highlighted the significance of interdisciplinary arts in the Indian context. "Hierarchies should have no place in the arts and as long as art exists in its richness, we can dream of a better tomorrow," she asserted. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan started U.S.-monitored talks on Wednesday in the Sudanese capital to try hammer out a draft deal to resolve their dispute over a Nile dam that Ethiopia is constructing, an Egyptian spokesman said. The $4.6 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project on the Blue Nile, which promises to provide much-needed electricity to Ethiopias 100 million people, has been a contentious point among the three main Nile Basin countries. The issue is critical for Cairo as Egypt seeks to protect its main source of freshwater for its large and growing population, also about 100 million. The Blue Nile flows from Ethiopia into Sudan where it joins the White Nile near Khartoum, to form the Nile River. Eighty-five percent of Nile waters originate in Ethiopia from the Blue Nile, which is one of the Niles two main tributaries, along with the White Nile.- According to Muhamed el-Sebai, a spokesman for Egypts irrigation ministry, technical and legal teams from the three countries are to prepare a draft deal on how the dams reservoir would be filled and how the dam itself would operate. The meeting in Khartoum would last two days, he said. There was no immediate indication on whether it would succeed after several previous rounds of talks failed. But at the talks in Washington last week, the three countries said they had reached a preliminary agreement. And President Donald Trump met with the foreign ministers and those in charge of irrigation from the three countries at the White House, to push for the deal. The U.S. and World Bank are acting as observers at the Khartoum talks after Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi last year pleaded with Washington and the international community to mediate a solution for the years-long dispute. Egypt claims that filling the dams reservoir too quickly could significantly reduce its share of the Nile water, which is a lifeline for its people. A joint statement after the Washington meeting said the filling should occur in stages during the rainy season, which generally runs from July to August, thought it did not give details on how long it would take to be completed. Another two-day meeting in Washington is planned for next week, with the goal of reaching a final agreement. The mega-dam, now about 70% complete, will generate about 6,400 megawatts once its finished, more than doubling Ethiopias current production of 4,000 megawatts. Ethiopia said the dam will not be completed until 2022, more than four years behind schedule, because of faulty parts in the hydro-electrical plants equipment. SOURCE: AP | PHOTO: AP Queen Elizabeth II gave her formal assent on Thursday for Britain to end its decades-long involvement in the European Union and seek a more independent but uncertain future at the end of the month. The head of state's ceremonial approval of the withdrawal legislation allows Britain to leave its closest neighbours and trading partners after years of bickering and three delays. Two top EU officials in Brussels are expected to sign the separation treaty on Friday and Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- the pro-Brexit figurehead of Britain's seismic 2016 referendum -- will put his name on it in the coming days. "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it," Johnson said after both houses of the British parliament ratified the withdrawal bill on Wednesday. "Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future." The January 31 split caps a remarkable political comeback for Johnson at one of the most difficult points in Britain's post-war history. He quit former prime minister Theresa May's government in 2018 in protest at what he viewed as her pro-European separation terms. Johnson returned as May's successor in July last year and has since managed to negotiate his own deal with Brussels and regain the government's control of parliament in a risky early election last month. The rest was a formality. Lawmakers barely debated the withdrawal agreement before passing it -- even though critics called it worse for Britain than the one reached by May. Johnson will celebrate his victory by issuing commemorative coins and chairing a special cabinet meeting in England's pro-Brexit north on January 31. Johnson will now be responsible for defining the terms on which Britain trades and shares everything from data to fishing waters with the remaining 27 EU member states. The formal talks are not expected to begin until March but the war of words is already intense. Johnson rejects EU arguments that the end-of-year negotiations deadline is too short to reach a comprehensive deal. The UK government is also demanding the post-Brexit right to set its own rules on politically sensitive issues such as environmental standards and workers' rights. EU officials say this will give Britain an unfair advantage and are threatening to retaliate with tariffs and quotas that could hit the UK auto and pharmaceutical industries especially hard. European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said the bloc's financial system was ready for the next stage. "There can always be a risk somewhere," she said in Frankfurt. "But I think in good conscience we have covered everything that we thought was necessary." Some analysts believe Johnson is prepared to pay the price of short-term economic damage in order to deliver on pledge to "get Brexit done". He argues that greater flexibility will help him reach a quick post-Brexit agreement with the United States and other nations that are growing much faster than those in Europe. US officials say they are eager to strike a deal with Johnson. An agreement "is an absolute priority for President (Donald) Trump and we expect to complete that with them this year," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said ahead of his arrival in London this weekend. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross added that Johnson would have an easier time with Washington than Brussels because "there are far fewer issues between the UK and US". Johnson is expected to lay out his vision for the post-Brexit agreement with Brussels in a big policy address early next month. "Once we have left the EU in just over a week's time we'll be free to start having discussions with countries around the world including the US," Downing Street said on Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the latest twist in the case of Kristin Smart, a Cal Poly student who went missing in 1996, the FBI says the individual who spoke to her family telling them to "be ready" for imminent news is an ex-agent. Kristin's mother Denise told the Stockton Record she was recently contacted by the FBI and reportedly told, "This is really going to be something you dont expect." Smart also says she was advised to find a family spokesperson and potentially prepare to "get away for a while." Smart told the Record she expected news "within a month." In the world of technology, there's the tech we see and constantly think about, and the invisible tech that, for one reason or another, fades into the background. And in the strangest of situations, that's precisely what happened on Tuesday during the Donald Trump impeachment trial. According to a new report from Roll Call, seven senators, if not more, were caught wearing Apple Watches on Tuesday during the impeachment trial. They wore the smart watches despite Senate rules for the trial dictating no senators use electronic devices in the chamber. Of course, news of six Republican senators, including John Cornyn of Texas, and one Democrat, Patty Murray of Washington, wearing the Apple Watch quickly spread online. And many folks went to their Twitter accounts to see if they had used the Apple Watch publicly during the trial. While it's unclear who might be wearing Apple Watches on Wednesday, the story has broader implications than just senators breaking the rules during a historic impeachment trial. It also points to the impact invisible tech can have on our lives. The fact is, computers and smartphones are relatively easy to police. They take up space, are always on our minds, and always easy to spot. Desktop machines, laptops, tablets, and phones are how the vast majority of us interact with technology. And, in some cases, it's believed that our communication with technology ends there. But in reality, Apple and other companies have expanded our tech usage in very important ways through wearables. And although they might seem to be traditional watches or just fitness trackers to tell us how many steps we've taken, they've become in recent years just as fully functioning as smartphones or computers. And that makes them important tools -- even if they're often overlooked. With those Apple Watches, senators could have done just about everything from their wrists that they could've done if their iPhones had been present in the chamber. They could have used them to place calls, send messages, and communicate over apps. They could also have recorded conversations in the chamber. My guess is that won't be the last time that wearables are seemingly forgotten and used in the wrong places at the wrong times. In a not-so-distant future, many of us will also be wearing augmented reality glasses from Apple and other companies designed to look like fashionable eyewear, but that feature technology that will allow us to snap photos, send messages, and perform other computing functions from our face. In many ways, those augmented reality glasses will be even more useful than smart watches. And if they're fitted with prescription lenses, they might be even more of a requirement. That eyewear, in other words, could prove to be an even more invisible piece of tech. And if overlooked in areas where they shouldn't be (locker rooms, jury rooms, and doctors' offices come to mind), the eyewear could also give those wearing it even more ability to capture what they want. The executive committees third meeting was held on January 21 and 22. Christian leaders re-launch appeal for the release of the two bishops kidnapped in Syria. The political and institutional situation in the area is worrying, from Lebanon to Iraq. Greater support for Christians in Palestine, victims of occupation and isolation. Larnaca (AsiaNews) - Promote "ecumenical cooperation" between the Churches of the Middle East in the theological, social and media fields, with the aim of giving ever greater witness to Christ in a "unitified" perspective. This is what the executive committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) asks, at the conclusion of the third meeting held on January 21 and 22 in Larnaca (Cyprus), chaired by John X Yazigi, patriarch of Antioch and Greek Orthodox primate. In the final release, Christian leaders also asked to pray for the "release" of Yohana Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji, kidnapped in Syria in April 2013 and of whom there is no known information. The political and institutional situation in the various Middle East countries, marked by wars, ethnic-confessional violence and massive exodus are among the concerns of the members of the MECC, which underline the "escalation of tension" in the region and throughout the Arab world. The meeting, held on the island disputed between the Greek Cypriot majority and the Turkish Cypriot minority, was also attended by Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean patriarch, Rev. Habib Badr, president of the Lebanese Evangelical Union and the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church Mar Ignatios Afram II. Delegates from Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine were present at the third meeting of the executive committee. An appointment, the participants note, which comes in the midst of "bloody events and pains" that afflict the nations of the Middle East and in an atmosphere of "suffering, pain and challenges" for the peoples of the region, "including the Churches". For this reason they ask for greater "solidarity and closeness" to the "sons and daughters of the Eastern Churches", the first witnesses of Christ in a growing context of "challenges". In the first of the two days of work, challenges were discussed in the areas of spiritual renewal, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, as well as the strengthening and institutional development of the Council itself. The second day was dedicated to the discussion of the report of the secretary general, Dr. Souraya Bechealany, which includes the results of the Council in 2019 and future prospects, also from a financial perspective. The final declaration paid particular attention to Iraq and the anti-government protest movement which risks destabilizing a country already in difficulty. And again, the "suffering" of the Syrian people demanding an end to the siege and the resumption of a path that leads to the construction of peace and security, combined with the return of the displaced. A thought is then dedicated to the Lebanese people and their peaceful protest, for a dignified life and the end of an endemic and widespread corruption that has fueled discontent. There was also praise for efforts to "restore unity on the island of Cyprus". The Christian leaders call for greater support for churches in Palestine despite suffering "in light of the occupation, apartheid policy and isolation", along with respect for the legal status and status quo on East Jerusalem, the capital of a future Palestinian state . The also addressed an invitation to all the peoples of the region to unite according to a criterion of "full citizenship" which is made up of "rights and duties" in a context of "diversity" which is a source of "wealth". The appointment is now set for the MECC general meeting, scheduled from 16 to 19 September in Lebanon with the motto "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" (Matthew, 14:27). As Andhra Pradesh gets ready for three capitals, the problem staring at the government is the state's weak financials. The finances of Andhra Pradesh government are in a bad shape and need urgent attention. The new government was burdened with Rs 65,000 crore worth of pending bills soon after it took charge in May last year, a senior government official said. "So far, we have managed to clear up to nearly Rs 30,000 crore," he told Business Today on condition of anonymity. Another Rs 35,000 crore is yet to be paid. Total pending bills in the power sector amounted to Rs 21,000 crore, out of which nearly Rs 9,000 crore have been cleared, the official said. The state government apparently has no source for additional revenue. The state needs funds, up to Rs 40,000 annually, to spend on welfare schemes it has promised. But, the burden of debt is too huge. Total debt inherited by the current government amounts to Rs 2.8 lakh crore, according to the official. Factor in interest and another Rs 30,000 crore gets added, taking the total debt to around Rs 3.1 lakh crore, the official claimed. Given the limitations in raising funds, the state government has no option but to cut expenses and explore innovative models to finance projects. In fact, the government is mulling annuity-mode investment model where the party building the project (an infrastructure project or a hospital) makes all the investment and gives the government a long-term repayment schedule. This means that after a moratorium period of (say) a couple of years, the government can make annual payments of around Rs 4,000 crore or 5,000 crore, depending on the cost of the project, much like how individuals do in an EMI. So, are there any takers? "Many people have approached us and discussions are currently on. We need to look at what kind of securities and guarantees they need," the official said adding that the state government was looking to apply the funding model in some key areas such as irrigation, health, education and power. The official also felt the move to create three capitals, other than achieving decentralised administration, was also a more cost efficient option. "If we go to Vizag and spend Rs 5,000 crore, the capital would be ready. Construction costs are much lower in Vizag as the nature of soil differs in the two regions (Vizag and Amaravati)," he said. While the argument is for more prudence in deploying resources, industry insiders seek clarity on how the state intends to deal with stalled projects. Cancelled and stalled projects have hurt businesses, they claim. The official points out that the projects were stalled largely on account of in-progress inquiries. They are gradually getting cleared with the state government taking reverse tendering route, the official said. The official also added that the state government would soon release a new industrial policy. "The state government has nearly finalised a new industrial policy and will announce it soon," he said. Also read: YES Bank will not be allowed to fail, some solution will emerge: SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar Also read: Telcos likely to miss AGR deadline; may ask DoT to wait till SC hearing next week Come late April or mid-May, Laredoans will be able to fly direct to Mexico City, a new offering that city leaders believe will boost quality of life and encourage economic development in the Gateway City. READ MORE: Main Event Laredo announces opening date, scavenger hunt Service will be provided by Aeromar, departing from Laredo three times a week. At a proclamation signing at City Hall on Tuesday, Juan Rossello, commercial director of Aeromar, said promotional fares will begin at $149 one-way. The city has provided the airline a minimum revenue guarantee of $800,000 and pre-purchased 286 tickets for $100,100 to be banked and used by city staff and elected officials on any business trips to Mexicos capital. Plus, the airport has agreed to spend $150,000 in advertising for the new flight and waive 100% of landing and office fees in the first year, then 75% in the second. Negotiations with Aeromar began two years ago and then were on pause for a while. Airport Director Jeff Miller took it up again when he came into the position in June. Miller said they are hopeful the flight will be a success and that the city wont have to draw down from the revenue guarantee. The last international passenger flight out of the Laredo airport was an Aeromexico service to Monterrey in 2013. Aeromexico pulled the flight after less than a year due to low ridership. Mayor Pete Saenz said that this time feels different. Theres more involvement from the business sector, and because of the recent uptick in violence in Nuevo Laredo, people are less likely to fly out of Quetzalcoatl International Airport right now, Saenz said. I think what drives this one today is a big, heavy thumb on the scale (from) the business community, said Co-Interim City Manager Robert Eads. Without that, its a more difficult lift for the general citizen. Theres a lot of business in Mexico City, he said, plus Aeromar connects to 18 other cities in Mexico from the Mexico City International Airport. One of Aeromars selling points is its priority gate space at MEX. Travelers will be bused to Terminal 2 for direct access to immigration processing, Rossello said. Aeromar also participates in United Airlines Mileage Plus program. Now that they have this flight to Mexico, the City of Laredo is hoping that they can secure a pre-inspection program with Mexican customs, along the lines of what they have in place already for cargo at the airport. That way, passengers would go through immigration before they left Laredo and could skip the line upon arriving in Mexico City. If enacted, this process would be unique to Laredo. Although the pre-inspection cargo program is now in effect in several cities, an equivalent does not yet exist for passengers. Weve gone through it and already laid the groundwork ..., Eads said. And having the power that we have, being the No. 1 inland port, we have a lot of abilities in Washington to sit down with individuals who I think will lend an ear. Eads said they hope to accomplish this in a year or so. READ MORE: Laredo celebrates menudo with 25th annual Menudo Bowl at L.I.F.E. Downs Below is the tentative flight schedule. Flights will leave from Laredo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and leave from Mexico City back to Laredo on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. From Laredo to Mexico City: Mondays: Depart Laredo at 6:40 a.m.; arrive in Mexico City at 9:20 a.m. Wednesdays: Depart Laredo at 3:10 p.m.; arrive in Mexico City at 5:50 p.m. Saturdays: Depart Laredo at 8:20 a.m.; arrive in Mexico City at 11 a.m. From Mexico City to Laredo: Sundays: Depart Mexico City at 7:20 p.m.; arrive in Laredo at 10 p.m. Wednesdays: Depart Mexico City at 11:50 a.m.; arrive in Laredo at 2:30 p.m. Fridays: Depart Mexico City at 7:40 p.m.; arrive in Laredo at 10:20 p.m. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 jwallace@lmtonline.com Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal In New Mexico, it is illegal to irrigate cannabis or other crops with domestic well water. But the Department of Health license application for medical cannabis producers does not require proof of commercial water rights, which are necessary to grow an agricultural product for commercial use. Two bills in the Legislature aim to bridge that regulatory gap. House Bill 169, Water Rights for Cannabis Production, would add water protections to the current program. This is a good faith effort to support medical cannabis and ensure that producers are following water use requirements, said bill sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos. Cannabis producers arent the only water users who need to observe these restrictions. But this could come up in other rural communities, especially if we expand to recreational legalization. HB 169 would require current and future cannabis farmers to show that their irrigation water stems from a valid water right. The Office of the State Engineer determines validity and decides whether the water use would impair the community. Chandlers bill was drafted after board members of two water systems in Sandoval County informed lawmakers that domestic well water use had skyrocketed on two cannabis farms. The proposed legislation addresses some of the board members concerns. Even if a valid water right exists, the local system may not be able to support that increase in water use, said John Gurule, president of the Pena Blanca Water and Sanitation District. My questions revolve around when in the application process the local water entity will be contacted, and if we will have the support from the Office of the State Engineer to determine if that water supply is there. Gurule said the Pena Blanca farm owner has been neighborly but is adamant that the property is following water laws. That still doesnt explain why we had those high meter readings for several months, Gurule said. Were hopeful this can be addressed, but were not out of the woods yet. Senate Bill 115, the Cannabis Regulation Act, which proposes to legalize recreational cannabis in New Mexico, also would require proof of water rights and a commercial water supply or another sufficient water source. Protecting New Mexicos natural resources, including water, is of utmost importance, bill sponsor Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, said in an emailed statement. Since recreational cannabis is considered an agricultural crop like chile, hemp or pecans, licensees should follow the same rules and water policy as other agricultural commodities. Under SB 115, the state Agriculture and Environment departments would ensure cannabis production follows existing state laws about water quality, pesticide use and wastewater discharge. Cannabis producers would also include plans in their applications to adopt water-saving strategies such as drip irrigation. Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal. Full coverage of the 2020 legislative session: https://abqjournal.com/legislature Ashley and his mum Julie (Picture: Chris Shorley) A British tourist who was struck down with a flu virus in Thailand sent his mum a text saying Im dying here as he lay sick in the hospital. Ashley Shorley, 32, was initially feared to have the deadly Chinese Coronavirus but this has been ruled out, with doctors diagnosing him with serious flu instead. Ashley messaged his mum Julie from Phuket on December 27 after becoming ill while staying on the Phi Phi Islands. The Brit quickly deteriorated and was placed on a ventilator before his parents arrived from Spain, where they had been taking a holiday. Chris and Julie Shorley from Thorton, Lancashire, were told their son was two days away from death as the virus could have spread to his heart. His condition has now stabilised and he has taken his first steps since contracting the illness. The death toll from coronavirus rose to nine on Wednesday with 440 confirmed cases. Mr Shorley said Ashleys illness was their worst nightmare as parents and the stress has been off the scale. Ashley Shorley was put on a ventilator and was said to be "two days away from death" (Picture: Chris Shorley) He told Yahoo UK: Julie noticed there was something wrong when Ashley started sending garbled text messages and sent a picture from Phuket hospital. First thing he said was I am dying here mum. She was brilliant, she contacted me and got insurance to move him by seaplane to Bangkok otherwise he would have died. The drains in Phuket into his lungs were too small and did not drain fluid hence the infection. Ashley Shorley and his dad Chris (Picture: Chris Shorley) Mr Shorley added his son was still very ill after undergoing a five-hour operation at Bumrungrad Hospital to remove abscesses and puss from his lungs. He said Ashley, who is being treated with antibiotics and other drugs, would not be allowed to travel home until the grade A influenza virus had gone. He currently has a hole in his lung and needs oxygen to breathe. Mr Shorley said: His lungs were covered with a thick plasma, his outer sack filled with poison puss so his lungs could not expand hence he had urgent seaplane transfer to Bangkok. He may undergo an operation when his fever from pneumonia drops to the correct level. Story continues READ MORE YAHOO UK NEWS HERE: China coronavirus: British tourist believed to have contracted virus as infection cases increase European shares dip as Chinese coronavirus concerns deepen Hunt for missing British man 'swept out to sea' in Ibiza as Storm Gloria batters Balearic Islands Mr Shorley, who is now making his way back to the UK, has appealed for donations to help with Ashleys rehabilitation. You can donate to Ashleys Gofundme page here. Mr Shorley said the British embassy had been in touch to offer its support. He also thanked family, friends, nurses and doctors for their help. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson said: Our staff are supporting a British man who has been admitted to hospital in Thailand. We are also assisting his family and remain in contact with the medical team treating him. They are so disrespected by the political apparatus in Washington that if you show them any outreach at all, they will move heaven and earth to give you accommodation, to give you time to really let you tell your story, Bannon said in an interview in his Capitol Hill townhouse shortly after he finished taping his War Room podcast, which got its start on Frederickss radio network. Not only will they have you on, theyll play the clip all day long and theyll talk about it for days. . . . The amazing thing is this platforms out there. It gets massive listenership . . . and nobody pays attention to it. Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Thursday confirmed that an Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia has been infected with the Coronavirus. This is the first case of an Indian getting infected with this virus. China, the epicentre of the virus, is taking measures to control the outbreak. On Thursday, China locked down Wuhan and Huanggang cities in the Hubei province even as the virus has killed 17 people and infected more than 630. Update from @CGIJeddah : About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well. @PMOIndia @MEAIndia https://t.co/jM0u5243GV V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) January 23, 2020 Spoke to @CGIJeddah on Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia due to Corona virus threat. They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign Ministry. Have asked our Consulate to provide all possible support. @MEAIndia @PMOIndia V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) January 23, 2020 The Indian nurse affected, who works at the Al-Hayat hospital in Khamis Mushait, is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well tweeted Muraleedharan, taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter. Al-Hayat Hospital is in Khamis Mushait, some 900 km southwest of the capital Riyadh. Live TV Muraleedharan tweeted, "Spoke to Consulate General of India, Jeddah on Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia due to Corona virus threat. They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign Ministry. Have asked our Consulate to provide all possible support." "Update from Consulate General of India, Jeddah: About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well," he later tweeted. On January 22, the health ministry of Saudi Arabia had said that it will start screening passengers arriving from China and take other preventive measures following the outbreak of the new coronavirus in China. The virus, which can pass from person-to-person, has been reported in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, raising concerns about its spread through international air travel. Nearly 600 people have been infected, mostly in China, but cases have been detected as far away as the US. DAVOS, Switzerland Afghanistan is prepared for a major reduction in United States forces there, President Ashraf Ghani said on Thursday, adding that he had given that message to President Trump, a step toward winding down the costly American military presence as diplomats struggle to finalize a peace deal with the Taliban. About 12,000 American troops remain in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 eight years ago. The eventual withdrawal of those forces has been one of the strongest pieces of leverage American negotiators have in talks with the Taliban to end the 18-year war. A gradual reduction in United States troops in the country has taken place over the last year, despite the absence of a settlement emerging from peace negotiations in the Gulf state of Qatar over the past year. Mr. Trump declared the talks dead in September, just as the two sides were on the verge of finalizing an agreement. They later resumed, but have since stalled. Mr. Ghani has been a vocal critic of the United States negotiations with the insurgents, because the talks have excluded his government. But speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, he said he had told Mr. Trump that the Afghan government was ready for a further reduction of 4,000 American troops, one-third of those remaining. Sir Michael Palin sobbed as he paid tribute to his late friend Terry Jones, and said losing him was like 'losing a limb'. The actor and presenter last night gave an emotional TV interview about Jones, who died on Tuesday aged 77 after a long battle with dementia. Sir Michael described his fellow Monty Python star as 'one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation' and said he will miss his 'putting his arm around his wonderful companion.' In a BBC interview last night, the star choked back tears as he added: 'I shall miss the sociable Terry - sorry - I just miss putting my arm around him and having a drink. 'He was just a wonderful companion, a terrific man and I shall miss our trips to the bar, I'll miss our pints and I shall miss our sessions putting the world to rights.' Last night Jones' wife, Anna Soderstrom, 37, also shared a heartfelt tribute as she posted a picture of them together with the caption, 'Happier times. RIP my love.' Jones in what is believed to be his last picture. Last May, his friend Michael Palin shared the picture of the pair online, saying: 'Moving moment with Terry J.' He described how during a visit to Jones's home in London, he read from Dr Fegg's Encyclopeadia of All World Knowledge, a 'compendium of humorous facts' they wrote together in 1985 Jones' wife, Anna Soderstrom, 37, also shared a heartfelt tribute as she posted a picture of them together The duo met at Oxford University in 1962 before going on to perform together for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival in 1964. Pictured, Sir Michael's tribute yesterday In his emotional interview, Sir Michael recalled how he and Jones met at Oxford University in 1962 before going on to perform together for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival in 1964. He added: 'It's sort of like losing a limb, you know, I've known Terry since I met him at university in 1962...and were inseparable for many many years after that, and through the Python times. 'And even in the last few years when Terry was doing his thing I was doing my thing, we would still meet up. We were very close friends and I valued Terry's opinion probably more than any other; he was very, very astute.' He also revealed how Jones made his characters personable and charming, adding his own unique flair to his work. 'Terry didn't do private particularly; Terry was a very warm man, he'd talk to you about absolutely anything so what you see in the characters that he plays - that slightly manic but always rather warm and enthusiastic characters that he used to play - are very much Terry.' Sir Michael sobbed as he added: 'He was the most wonderful friend and just a terrific person to be with, and I wont be the only person who says this - he had an enormous number of friends who loved him dearly. The star choked back tears as he added: 'I shall miss the sociable Terry - sorry - I just miss putting my arm around him and having a drink In his emotional interview, Sir Michael recalled how he and Jones met at Oxford University in 1962 before going on to perform together for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival in 1964 Terry Jones (right) with Michael Palin holding his Fellowship Award at the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards, 2013 Terry Jones (right) with Michael Palin at the Times BFI London Film Festival screening of 'The Brothers Grimm', London, 2005 Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Eddie Izzard dressed as Gumbies for a sketch for 'Python Night' in 1999 Former Monty Python stars John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Carol Cleveland and Terry Gilliam attending a charity screening of their film Life Of Brian at London's Leicester Square to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 1999 Terry Jones and Michael Palin Arqiva British Academy Television Awards, show, Royal Festival Hall, London in 2013 Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones from Monty Python at a photocall before a series of live performances at the O2 Arena. Jones, who had dementia, has died at the age of 77 Sir Michael described Jones as 'one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation'. He added: 'Terry was one of my closest, most valued friends. He was kind, generous, supportive and passionate about living life to the full. 'He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation, he was the complete Renaissance comedian - writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children's author, and the warmest, most wonderful company you could wish to have.' Jones entered a relationship with Anna Soderstrom, then a 23-year-old modern languages student at Oxford whom he had met at a book signing, in 2005. He left his wife of 26 years, biochemist Alison Telfer, and he and Soderstrom went on to have a daughter, Siri, in 2009. Anna yesterday tweeted a picture of herself alongside her husband and daughter. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made the most controversial decision of their lives when they announced Megxit. Megxit has inspired concern and derision. Oprah is known for commenting on current events. What did she have to say about Megxit? Oprah Winfrey holding an award at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2018 | Kevork Djansezian/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images Does Oprah support Megxit? Like any extremely prominent public figure, Oprah has inspired controversy. Rather than jump on the anti-Megxit bandwagon, Oprah respects Harry and Meghans choice. According to Fox News, Oprah said I support them 1,000 percent. She was moved by Harrys statement about Megxit. So, when youve thought about it for months and what Harry said in that charity statement the other day The last line of his statement where he said that he had to make the decision to back away from his family in order to move forward in peace with his new family. I mean I dont know how they came up with those words, but who doesnt feel that? Oprah said Harry was just looking out for his family. Im saying he did what he needed to do for his family, and thats all I will say about that and I dont think anybody, anybody else has any right to say anything. Thats his decision for his family. Oprah defends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle A picture of Oprah speaking during The Robin Hood Foundations in New York City, New York | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Robin Hood Oprah asked people to reserve judgement for Harry and Meghan. Inquisitr reports Oprah said I dont think anybody else has any right to say anything, when a person has sat and thought about what is the best decision for him and his family and then he makes that decision none of us have any right to say anything about that. Oprah feels the prince made the right choice. According to BET, she said Who doesnt feel what it takes to make those decisions, to give up everything youve known your whole life, to say I am going to choose this new life and what I believe to be the truest vision to myself?. Does Oprah think Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their decision carefully? Oprah in Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America | Fred Watkins/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Oprah does not feel Harry and Meghan made a callous decision. Who are any of us to stand in judgment of that? Thats what I think. Oprahs friend, Gayle King, opined They didnt make that [decision] in a vacuum. There were a lot of conversations, and thats why I thought it was very unfair to say that the Queen was blindsided. According to Inquisitr, Oprah feels Megxit was being planned for months before the public knew about it. She said no one within Buckingham Palace was shocked by the news. This view contradicts those of Harry and Meghans critics, who say their actions were not discussed with other royal family members beforehand and were therefore insensitive. King voiced a similar sentiment. She said Harry consulted with other members of the royal family before making his historic decision. She said There were a lot of conversations. New Delhi: A small, twin-seater aircraft made an emergency landing on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway near Ghaziabad village on Thursday. Indian Air Force officials have reached the spot. Initial reports suggest that the plane belonged to the NCC. Its Zenair CH 701 trainer aircraft, latest reports say. Both pilots and co-pilots are said to be safe. The photos tweeted by news agency ANI showed damages to the left wing of the small plane. The plane made emergency landing after it developed technical snag, latest reports said. An aircraft made an emergency landing on Eastern Peripheral Expressway near Ghaziabads Sadarpur village today, after it faced a technical problem. Y: ANI For more updates, visit https://t.co/FKiTwn4lh5 pic.twitter.com/qnxwRySoAp News Nation (@NewsNationTV) January 23, 2020 Though the plane may have made emergency landing on the expressway due to technical snag, it is not the first time that an aircraft landed on road in India. In 2015, a Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force landed on the Yamuna Expressway that connects national capital Delhi with Agra early on May 21, 2015. At that time, the IAF had also released a statement. The entire exercise was seen as an attempt to develop major roads as landing strips. The air force said in a statement had said that the aircraft flew in from a base in Madhya Pradesh and made a "practice approach on the highway, coming down to a height of 100m before landing off the next approach" in Uttar Pradesh. A 2017 report had said that the Indian Air force has cleared 12 National Highways (NHs) as emergency landing airstrips that will enable rescue operation teams to reach affected areas easily. Although there was initially a proposal to develop a total of 21 NHs into airstrips, for now 12 highways have been cleared, with three of those connecting Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh -- all Maoist-affected areas, which also witness vagaries of nature like floods and cyclones almost every year. Among the 12 NHs cleared for being developed into airstrips are: Jamshedpur-Balasore highway and Chattarpur-Digha highway -- both touching Odisha --, the Kishanganj-Islampur highway in Bihar, Delhi-Moradabad highway in Delhi-Uttar Pradesh, Bijbehara-Chinar Bagh highway in Jammu and Kashmir, Rampur-Kathgodam highway in Uttarakhand, Lucknow-Varanasi highway in Uttar Pradesh, Dwarka-Maliya highway in Gujarat, Kharagpur-Keonjhar highway in West Bengal and Mohanbari-Tinsukia highway in Assam. On January 24, the exhibition 'Unconquered', dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, will be opened at the Victory Museum at Poklonnaya Hill. The curator of the exhibition, head of the Victory Museum's exhibition department Nina Zabarovskaya said that the exhibition will depict the origins of the Nazi racial theory, developed and thought out in the concentration camp system. Visitors will learn about Auschwitz, Dachau, Mauthausen, Jasenovac, Sobibor concentration camps.... The exhibit features personal items, documents of prisoners of concentration camps, as well as objects found at the massacre sites. There will be more than a hundred paintings and graphic works about captivity and the Holocaust. The posters, photographic materials will revive the memory of innocent people who died. Among them are works created by people who went through the hell of the concentration camps. These are sculptor Konstantin Borisov and artist Sergey Rozanov. "Artist Sergei Rozanov, a Great Patriotic War veteran, went through the hell of the concentration camps himself, was a participant in the Mauthausen uprising. The exhibition will feature a series of his works on this topic," Zabarovskaya said. "One cant ignore Gennady Dobrovs works either. He made them after visiting the former fascist concentration camps in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany ... Special emphasis will be placed on the fate of Mikhail Devyatayev, Alexander Pechorsky and Dmitry Karbyshev, The exhibition will present personal items, documents, diaries, memoirs and photographs documenting uprisings in the camps. The exhibition was organised with the participation of the Alexander Pechersky Foundation, but this year the project became international. Several foreign museums have taken part in this project. The exhibition runs until March 4, 2020." Head of the Victory Museum's International Relations Department Anastasia Kretova added that the topic of Auschwitz and the Holocaust is international: "The Victory Museum has organized block 14 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum. We have a permanent exhibition, created with the participation of many museums, including the Holocaust center. The exposition has been constantly open since 2013. We participate in international conferences, we also represent the Funds collection, Auschwitz-Birkenau. On January 27, we will participate in the memorial events in Auschwitz. There will be representatives of the Russian Jewish Congress, the Holocaust Foundation, the general public. Recently, the Victory Museum's exhibition has opened at the UN headquarters... We must discuss, remember those events and pass it on to the next generations. One of the museums tasks is revealing real events that happened during World War II." Head of the Holocaust center archives Leonid Terushkin advocated the development of international exhibition projects: "Four years ago, the Russian Holocaust center, using the materials of the Victory Museum and another 20-30 Russian and foreign, state and public organizations, even private collections, prepared the exhibition 'Holocaust: destruction, liberation and salvation'. This exhibition has traveled to North and South America, France, Germany, Israel, the UK, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Russia has a large number of unique documents about those who were saved during the Second World War, during the Holocaust, about those who died, about those who freed and saved people. This topic, unfortunately, often undeservedly forgotten, still requires educational work ... The Russian Center 'Holocaust' has prepared a new version of the exposition 'Holocaust: destruction, liberation and salvation' for educational institutions. We are preparing an exposition in Polish with an emphasis on the fate of the Polish prisoners of Auschwitz, not only the Jews who died there.... Last summer, the liberation of the Majdanek camp by the Red Army was marked. The 'Holocaust' Center and the Russian Military Historical Society have prepared a collection about Majdanek and its prisoners, Jews, Poles, Russians, Soviet war prisoners ... But there's so much we don't know about the Holocaust, unexplored events, unknown names. Unfortunately, we remember more about criminals, about Holocaust performers, than about its victims or about those who saved people: doctors, soldiers and officers of the Red Army." Director of the Russian Military-Historical Society, professor at the Moscow State University of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Myagkov said that about 18 million people, primarily civilians, were contained in Nazi concentration camps and death camps during the Second World War. Of these, more than 11 million were killed, tortured, shot and executed using gas chambers. One of the worst death camps during the Second World War was the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, also known as the Auschwitz concentration camp. According to various sources, from 1.3 to more than 3 million people were contained there. Even the camp commandant, when questioned, could not give a more accurate figure. He did not count them. People were brought there from different countries. The vast majority of the killed in this camp are Jews brought from the occupied territories of the USSR, Europe, Poland, Hungary, Holland and many other countries." "On January 27, 1945, the camp was liberated, and the UN declared this day as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On January 27, 1944, Leningrad was freed from the enemy blockade. "The severe blockade of Leningrad and what happened in Auschwitz-Birkenau are symbols of the Nazi regime, symbols of the killing of peaceful people, symbols of the fact that we must always remember these victims and seek the absolute truth about what happened during the Second World War, never allow a review of the Nuremberg Tribunal's decisions, which condemned the main Nazis offenders, and subsequent trials of Nazi criminals of a lower rank," Mikhail Myagkov said. Online cannabis retailer Namaste Technologiess (TSXV:N) stock price has apparently doubled in the first three weeks of 2020 after a strong 23% surge on Wednesday raised the year-to-date return to 106% at end of day. This all happened without any company-specific news on the day. This is a strong recovery since trade in the companys shares touched a 52-week low of $0.26 late December last year. Stock in strong recovery mode Namastes share price took a strong beating over the past year in the aftermath of ugly scenes, including the ousting its CEO, an abrupt auditor resignation, and a subsequent delay in filing of financial statements, after which the company reported declining revenues over three consecutive quarters. The closure of operations in Brazil by March 2019, among other segment specific reasons for revenue declines at a time when operating expenses had increased, was indeed a serious concern for investors. That said, the companys subsequent news releases since its last earnings report in October last year were encouraging and could have laid foundations for renewed investor interest this January. The company could soon report strong revenue growth after it broke into the budding recreational marijuana market this month with sales of pre-rolled cannabis joints. The first provincial order from British Columbia could be the first of many and the subsequent provincial agreements in Ontario and Saskatchewan could boost sales going forward, together with newly licensed cannabis oil products. The big announcement in January was the recent licensing of Choklat, an investee that plans to produce cannabis-infused chocolates, drinks, and sugar. This marks Namastes entry into the nascent cannabis edibles market. Choklat is one of the first food processors in Canada to receive its processing licence from Health Canada and we expect their products to be on shelves in March, said Namastes CEO while commenting on the chocolate manufacturers licensing. Story continues Theres indeed some new hopes for revenue growth. Im positive on the companys diversification from mainly a medical cannabis target market into the recreational consumer space through pre-rolls, and this could bring new patrons to CannMart stores. The recent expansion of its artificial intelligence segment Findify into new market territories with a new pricing model could be encouraging for margin growth, too. One more thing: the companys retail business enjoys a very good sales boost during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, and this will be reflected in its upcoming report. The next earnings installment could potentially mark a permanent reversal in the revenue trend for long term growth. That said, I still have a few reservations about this growth stock. Potential risks The company saw its online sales orders at its vaporizers segments fall due to lower web traffic during the August quarter. If this trend persists, there could be some trouble to the growth story, but the strong performance in Australia is encouraging. Negative publicity for vaporizers as well as potential bars on cannabis vapes in select Canadian markets is also of a serious concern for segment revenue growth. Liquidity could be an issue, too. The company incurred $11 million in selling, general, and administrative expenses during the third quarter against revenues of $3.8 million, and $27.7 million was used in operations during the same quarter, yet only $49.1 million was remaining in the bank accounts. Although general expenses included one-time costs relating to settled investor lawsuits, the company is still far from a cash flow breakeven point. Further, revenue cannibalization from recreational marijuana is still a real threat to medical sales, especially if price competition continues to intensify in the consumer market as the likes of HEXO push their low-priced, high-quality offerings to a budget-conscious market. Patients may be tempted to switch over, and the currently high-priced medical offerings may need be reviewed for competitiveness. Investor takeaway Namastes entry into the recreational marijuana market as well as its expected launch of new cannabis edibles products brings new growth opportunities for its businesses, but significant risks remain on its operations and balance sheet, making the stock a speculative buy today. More reading Fool contributor Brian Paradza has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends HEXO. and Namaste Technologies. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 Ted Fox is Director of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Syracuses accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for animal care, wildlife education and conservation. By Ted Fox | Special to Syracuse.com As wildfires ravage the Australian continent, many of us here in the U.S. feel like were standing by helplessly watching the horrible scenes and numbers coming out of this unprecedented crisis. More than 28 million acres of bush (wilderness) destroyed so far. At least 27 people dead. More than 1,300 homes leveled. And most overwhelming, more than a billion native animals killed and more injured or displaced. Nearly a third of all the koalas in the state of New South Wales alone have been lost and a third of their habitat scorched. We at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo are also devastated by the images of burned koalas, kangaroos and wombats, and fearful for the hundreds of other species unique to Australia that are in the path of these fires. Because of our role, we are getting questions from the public and the media as to how people can help. We do have answers to share. As one of 238 accredited members of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), we are part of a global network of zoos and aquariums that collaborate for the shared missions of wildlife conservation and saving species. One of our Australian partners, Zoos Victoria, has created the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund to provide direct assistance to those working on the ground to save animals injured by the fires. Zoos Victoria has deployed veterinary teams to the fire areas and set up triage and critical care facilities for injured animals, said our friend and colleague Dr. Jenny Gray, CEO of Zoos Victoria. We are also concerned for animals after the fires, as even if they survive the fires, there will be no food or shelter available, Gray said. The eucalyptus forests that cover most of Australia provide shelter for hundreds of species and the sole food source for koalas. This will be an enormous challenge for months and years to come. To help our local community get involved, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is mounting a campaign called Aid for Australia, with the hashtag #AidforAUS. Our chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK), the zoos Conservation Committee and zoo staff are launching the campaign to raise money for Australian wildlife and spread awareness about the long-term impact of this crisis. The campaign will kick off this weekend at the zoo, with a sale of T-shirts and hoodies for the cause as well as special keeper chats and information stations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 25 and 26. All proceeds will benefit the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund. Syracuse business The Print Hub generously offered to provide the shirts and hoodies at cost and is taking online orders at themerchspot.com/collections/aid-for-australia. Please stay tuned to the zoos social media and to syracusezooevents.org, as we post updates on the campaign and related events. Australias wildlife is so unique that these disastrous fires are doing irreparable damage. More than half the country's species of birds, more than 80 percent of mammals and more than 90 percent of reptiles, amphibians, flowering plants and conifer species only exist in Australia. With a crisis of this magnitude, it will take a huge outpouring of ongoing support to turn things around. We hope youll join your accredited zoo in doing what we can to help. Meanwhile, if you would like to contribute right away, you can donate directly to the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund here. The Democrats and their lapdog media, led by Adam Schiff, AKA Shifty Schiff, lectured us for the past three years that President Trump must be impeached and removed because they had clear, compelling evidence that President Trump committed impeachable crimes. Now that the impeachment trial has started, Shifty Schiff is arguing that the Senate must subpoena documents and witnesses to prove the Democrats' impeachment articles. What happened to their "evidence"? The premise of the Shifty argument is that President Trump must be guilty of something, so there must evidence somewhere to prove it. Democrats want the Senate to issue subpoenas so they can rummage through documents and question witnesses in the hope of finding something they can use. The logical question is, why and how do the Democrats believe that President Trump is guilty if they have no evidence that proves that President Trump is guilty? If they had such evidence, they would present it instead of whining for subpoenas. The Shifty Democrats know there is no such evidence because they know that President Trump did not commit an impeachable offense. If there were evidence of guilt then the Democrats would have it. President Trump released the transcript of his phone call with Ukraine's President Zelinsky, so we know what he said. There is no obstruction of Congress because President Trump, like every other president, can invoke executive privilege and immunity to protect the powers of the presidency under the separation of powers doctrine. The Shifty Democrats did not file suit in federal court to enforce any subpoenas because they knew they would lose. Their argument now is that they did not want to spend time in court to argue the separation of powers doctrine and executive privilege. The Shifty Democrats would rather spend time in front of television cameras saying President Trump is "hiding" evidence. Who needs the courts to decide when you have the media attacking President Trump 24/7? This is not a trial. It is a political show orchestrated by the Shifty Democrats to defeat President Trump in the 2020 election. The Shifty Democrats know they will lose the impeachment trial. Their strategy is to say ad nauseam that President Trump is hiding evidence so they can argue during the presidential campaign that President Trump won the trial because he hid evidence. The Democrats' problem is that they do not have a presidential candidate who can beat President Trump, so they have to destroy President Trump. The Shifty Democrats are putting our country through the trauma of an impeachment solely to win the election. They will risk a stock market downturn that will hurt the savings and pensions of Americans. They risk weakening the president in his dealings with Iran, China, and other adversaries. The bottom line is that the Shifty Democrats care only about winning the 2020 election and not about the welfare of our country. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr. KOLKATA: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested a 34-year-old man from West Bengal in connection with the Nalasopara arms haul case. According to reports, 34-year-old Pratap Hajara was wanted by the Maharashtra ATS in connection with the case. He was finally tracked down to Nainapur in West Bengal and arrested by the ATS team. Hajra has been accused of training others in making country bombs and preparing other explosives. The bombs, which the other accused were planning to hurl at the Sunburn festival in Pune, were made after they were trained by Hajra. Hajra was arrested on January 20th and was sent to police custody till January 30th. Live TV Arms and ammunition were recovered from Maharashtra's Nalasopara area in August 2018. The Maharashtra ATS had earlier arrested 12 people in Nalasopara arms haul case. The 12 accused in the case are - Sharad Kalaskar, Vaibhav Raut, Sudhanwa Gondhlekar, Shrikant Pangarkar, Avinash Pawar, Liladhar Lodhi, Vasudeo Suryawanshi, Sujit Rangswamy, and Amol Kale. [text message sound] And thats how you jump out of an airplane, babe. He told me just because Im thousands of miles away, I will be so present in your life. Phew, made it safe. Good morning, darling. The cell service here isnt that great. He told me that they were going to not return to that base that night different mission. I told him I loved him. Love you too, darling. Ill talk to you as soon as I get back to base. Ill talk to you later. Bye. And the rest is just a big blur. When Dustin was in Africa, that mailbox was exciting. I would skip to it. He sent four letters. He gave me one at the airport when he left. Every letter after that came with 30 index cards. I was supposed to read an index card every day that I woke up. I saw him from across the crowd with his hat on and his sweaty shirt. I said, Hey! Hes like, Hi. Hes like, Um, want to dance? Im like, Yes, I do. It was a feeling that I never felt with anyone else, of just completeness. I have the original dog tag that he put around my neck before he left for this deployment. This was the week that Dustin would have been coming home. His stuff came back from Africa. I found every receipt from every interaction we had. I found little notes of things he wanted to tell me. I just wanted my lips on his lips. I have all these wonderful memories. This grand love story. But all my heart wants is just him to be on my couch right now, watching Netflix and being normal. I want to make him dinner. And I want ... Thats all we wanted. I would love to hear new words from him. But he gave me a lot of good stuff. Still to this day, that mailbox is my favorite thing, and its what haunts me. Hey, darling. I just read your letter, and I dont know how you were able to put it in words exactly how both of us were feeling. How everything that we do for each other is genuine and real ... Toyota model reviews Dan Cava Toyota World has added two very helpful model review pages to its website to help encourage shoppers to learn more about the new 2020 Toyota Highlander crossover SUV and 2020 Toyota Avalon sedan. With a new year comes new vehicle models, and one West Virginia dealership is helping drivers learn more about some of the hottest arrivals. Dan Cava Toyota World has recently added two very helpful model review pages to its website to help encourage shoppers to learn more about the new 2020 Toyota Highlander crossover SUV and 2020 Toyota Avalon sedan. The valuable information offers a closer look at both vehicles, including their performance specifications, technology features and safety systems. The West Virginia Toyota dealerships review of the 2020 Toyota Avalon offers perspective drivers an incredible amount of information that will help them make an informed buying decision. The 2020 Toyota Avalon model review gives shoppers a detailed look at the offerings of the new sedan and its many qualities, including its available technology features, comfort options, and advanced safety equipment. One of the most popular crossover SUVs has returned for a new model year and its better than ever. The Dan Cava Toyota World review of the 2020 Toyota Highlander gives shoppers the information they are looking for so they can learn more about this versatile and highly capable three-row crossover SUV. From engine specifications and technology features to available comfort options and safety systems, drivers now have the details they need to make a smart buying decision. To learn more about the new 2020 Toyota Avalon or 2020 Toyota Highlander, drivers can visit West Virginia Toyota dealerships website by going to http://www.cavatoyota.com. Shoppers may also contact Dan Cava Toyota World to learn more about any of the models it carries by calling the sales department at 304-366-2720. A western Pennsylvania woman is suspected of keeping her sister "in a wooden cage with only a dirty mattress and little to no medical care," the state attorney general said Wednesday. Click the video player above to watch the full report. Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, Washington County, is charged with neglect of a care dependent person, abuse of a care-dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. The woman's sister was allegedly kept in a "man-made cell that sat in the home's living room," according to Shapiro's office. Below is the full statement from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced neglect and false imprisonment charges against a Washington County woman who kept her sister in a wooden cage with only a dirty mattress and little-to-no medical care. Shapiro says his Office's Bureau of Criminal Investigations has charged Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, Washington County with neglect of a care-dependent person, abuse of a (care-dependent) person, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, and false imprisonment after agents discovered Biser had kept her sister, Loretta Lancaster, 53, in the man-made cell that sat in the homes living room. "This defendant professed to be caring for her sister when, in fact, the home was in deplorable condition, had no running water and the victim was not getting her prescribed medicines," Shapiro said. "We fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves. And our agents have made sure the victim has received needed care and will no longer have to suffer daily living in a cage." After discovering Lancaster, Shapiro said Office of Attorney General agents had her transported to Monongahela Valley Hospital for treatment of a urinary tract infection and rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of muscle that can be caused by infection. During her hospital stay, Lancaster's condition has improved. She has regained some mobility and is working with a speech therapist. Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte, of the Office of Attorney General's Criminal Prosecution Section, and Deputy Attorney General Aaron McKendry, of the office's Medicaid Fraud Control Section, are prosecuting this case. All charges discussed are accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It's almost showtime in Los Angeles and the basement of the Zebulon Cafe is not jumping. George Xylouris opens heavy eyelids and extends a slow hand from his armchair. Jim White quaffs a double espresso on an adjacent couch. "I'm tired," Xylouris (pronounced K-see-loo-rees) mutters to himself, as his mouth and brain attempt a co-ordinated response to the first question. Jim White (left) and George Xylouris return to Australia in March. Credit: It's about Sisyphus. Luckily, it barely requires an answer. The pre-show ritual of yet another weary band room suggests a clear parallel to the Greek legend of a king sentenced to push a rock up a hill, only to watch it roll down and have to start again each day. "We used to talk about it years back," White says. "George had this theory about Sisyphus that every time the rock would roll down, he would carry it back up in a new way. He'd experience it differently; see nature changing, seasons changing. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 20:07:02|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Thursday sacked the Minister for Home Affairs Kangi Lugola, saying the ministry was leading in undertaking fraud projects. Magufuli also sacked the Commissioner General of the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force Thobias Andengenye, for overseeing a dubious project worth some 408 million Euros (about 452 million U.S. dollars). He announced the sacking of the two senior public officials shortly after he had inaugurated a housing project for prisons officers in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam which was televised live by the national broadcaster, Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation. The president said the Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Hamad Masauni and the ministry's Permanent Secretary Jacob Kingu had written to him resignation letters which he had accepted. He said Andengenye was involved in the preparations and the signing of the project for the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said the project was authorized by officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs without the knowledge of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, and without the approval of the National Assembly. He said other officials in the Attorney General's Office and the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force who were involved in the shoddy deal should be accountable. President Magufuli appointed Lugola Minister for Home Affairs replacing Mwigulu Nchemba in a cabinet reshuffle in July 2018. Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said if he was not a minister, he would be bidding for Air India, the debt-laden airline government seeks to divest. If I wasnt a minister today, I would be bidding for Air India. It has some of the best bilaterals the world over... a well managed and efficient Air India with lot more good aircraft put in using these bilaterals is nothing short of a gold mine to my mind, Goyal said in Davos, Switzerland, at a session on Strategic Outlook: India at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual summit. Bilaterals refers to an agreement between two countries that allows each others airlines to operate services with a specific number of seats. ALSO WATCH | Will privatise Air India, no other option: Aviation minister Hardeep Puri Goyal further said that in the first term, the government had inherited an economy which was in pretty terrible shape. Steps were taken to put the economy back in shape and if the government had looked at divesting these jewels (BPCL and other government companies), it would not have got a great value, added Goyal who holds the portfolios of Railways as well as Commerce and Industry. Air India has been in the red for long and the government is now in the process of finalising the contours for its disinvestment. At a meeting on June 28, 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had in-principle approved the consideration for strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries. It had constituted Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) for the purpose, which basically is a Group of Ministers (GoM) to handle the strategic sale of the beleaguered national carrier. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari are its members. The AISAM decided in June last year to go ahead with the process of Air Indias disinvestment. Air Indias disinvestment is likely to be completed in the next fiscal year, beginning April 1, 2020. The other companies government is looking to divest are Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL), Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) and Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI). We expect around Rs 1 lakh crore from the privatisation of BPCL, Air India, Concor, SCI and the rest from buybacks and follow-on public offers in some CPSEs (central public sector enterprises), a finance ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The government plans to privatise Air India by selling its 100 per cent ownership in the airline. On January 7, the group of ministers approved the draft Expression of Interest (EoI) and Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the disinvestment of Air India. Unhappy with the move, Air India employee unions met Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. At the meeting, the minister assured the employees of full payment of their arrears. At his first meeting with the unions on January 2, Puri had said privatisation was inevitable and cooperation of the employees was necessary in carrying out the exercise. In 2018-19, Air Indias net loss was around Rs 8,556 crore. The airline has a debt burden of more than Rs 80,000 crore. Aleppo has been rocked by a relentless barrage of regime and Russian airstrikes that have caused widespread damage across the province reports Baladi News. The villages and towns of the western Aleppo countryside are undergoing an unprecedented air and ground escalation by Russian and regime aircraft, which carried out more than 100 airstrikes on Wednesday. Baladi Newss correspondent in the Aleppo countryside said that, Russian warplanes struck approximately 50 times in the areas of Mansoura and al-Rashideen and in the vicinity of Khan al-Asal in the western Aleppo countryside, damaging public and private property without civilian casualties. Our correspondent added that regime air force warplanesSU 24, SU 22, MIG 21 and MIG 23also struck approximately 50 times in the villages and towns of Shandara, Bashqatin, Khan Tuman, the 46th Regiment, and in the vicinity of the Atarib and Hayyan cities in the Aleppo countryside. Our correspondent added that the helicopters also dropped dozens of barrel bombs on the town of Khulsa in the southern Aleppo countryside and the town of Khan al-Asal in the western countryside of Aleppo. He said that Russian reconnaissance planes and regime aircraft were flying in the western and southern Aleppo countryside. Two women were killed Wednesday by Russian airstrikes that targeted the environs of the city of Atarib in the western Aleppo countryside. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Ulster Farmers' Union has said it will take part in a demonstration in Westminster urging the UK Government to maintain strict standards on food following Brexit. UFU president Ivor Ferguson said it and unions from England, Wales and Scotland are planning to stage a demonstration in March. UFU chief executive Wesley Aston said that the UFU is also concerned that while the Ireland and Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit withdrawal agreement enables farmers here to trade into the Republic and the EU, the process presented barriers to trade in Britain - Northern Ireland's biggest market. And with NI farm products made to adhere to EU standards in future, farmers could find it harder to trade into Britain, if standards there are different in future. Mr Ferguson said that with farmers here operating to strict Red Tractor standards - which impose levels of animal welfare - it could face competition from cheaper goods in Britain if standards were lowered. Mr Ferguson said the UFU and other unions had been lobbying for food standards to be maintained in the UK following Brexit. "Theresa Villiers (Environment Secretary) will say that of course we're going to keep out hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken, but that's only part of the problem. "We want to make sure that if a deal is being done they have to match Red Tractor standards as a minimum. That takes in animal welfare and all these other things, and that would protect us. "We have been campaigning and lobbying hard on this and we haven't had any comfort yet. "We hope to go to set up a demonstration on behalf of the four unions going forward, just to highlight the concerns to the Press and the consumers." While the Brexit withdrawal agreement provides for "unfettered access" to the British market from Northern Ireland, Mr Aston said he was concerned about how that would operate in practice. "There's always been concerns about both the genuine commitment to that and also about Great Britain to Northern Ireland." Mr Aston said that with a deadline of the end of the year imposed by the Prime Minister for securing a free trade agreement, that could mean a deal reached in a short period could be closer to the existing state of affairs. But he added: "Equally, the Chancellor came out the other day and said businesses need to wise up and realise that they need to do things differently after Brexit. So the two don't necessarily add up, so we have real concerns about NI trade in the UK internal market." It was in September 2013 when I first met Aung San Suu Kyi at a summit in Singapore. Wearing traditional ethnic attire in violet and red blossoms in her hair, the Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate delivered a speech about her countrys transition, for which she received a warm round of applause. With a serious and slightly grim expression, the iconic smile was absent on her face at least in my eyes. Suu Kyi was 66 at that time. It was three years after she was released from house arrest. She spent 15 years in custody due to her efforts to bring democracy to then military-ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma. That made her an international symbol of peaceful resistance in the face of oppression. Suu Kyis father, Aung San, was the commander of the Burma Independence Army and helped negotiate Burmas independence from Britain. He was assassinated on July 19, 1947, when Suu Kyi was 2 years old. At age 15, she moved to India with her mother Khin Kyi, who had been appointed the Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960. After that, Suu Kyi spent 28 years aboard studying in Oxford, getting married before she returned to Myanmar in 1988 to take care her dying mother. Suu Kyi returned at a time when her country was rattled by nationwide protests against decades of military rule. Shortly after her return, she co-founded the National League for Democracy (NLD), a party dedicated to nonviolence and civil disobedience, and was appointed its general secretary. Suu Kyi once said she would have preferred to be a writer than a politician. She is widely respected for her battle for democracy under the principle of nonviolence, kindness, love and courage. She gave up her freedom to stand up against the military junta, which separated her from her husband until his death. After she was released from house arrest in November 2010, Suu Kyi was elected to the Myanmar Parliament and stepped onto the international stage. The Singapore summit was her first public appearance at an ASEAN event. After her speech, I took the chance to ask her to comment on the relationship between China and Myanmar. It was a tricky time for the bilateral relationship as Chinese investment in Myanmar had plummeted after 2011, when the new reformist government took over and many China-backed projects in the country encountered criticism. Suu Kyi emphasized her countrys tradition of maintaining good relations with other countries. When the Chinese Communist government came into power, Burma was one of the first countries to recognize it. I do not see why we should not continue this policy of maintaining friendly relations with all countries of the world, she said. Of course there will be more economic competition in Burma. I know that in the last couple of decades, there have been more Chinese investments than Western investments. But I think competition is healthy. It should do us a lot of good and do good for those competing above us as well, she said, adding she would like to visit China if she received an official initiation. In June 2016, Suu Kyi paid her first visit to China by touring Beijing, Shanghai and Yunnan. She also met with President Xi Jinping and other high-level officials. Later that year, her party won a majority in the nations first free parliamentary elections. But Suu Kyi was unable to become president because her late husband and two sons are British citizens. Myanmars constitution prohibits anyone with foreign relatives from becoming the nations leader. In April 2016, Suu Kyi was named state counselor, a role created especially for her, making her the de facto leader of the country. That October, the Rohingya crisis broke in Myanmar as renewed violence compelled hundreds of thousands of Rohingya a Muslim ethnic minority group to flee the country, fueling a historic migration crisis. Despite the militarys role in the crisis, the NLD governments handling of the issue drew global criticism. Suu Kyi has seldom responded to critics over the years. But in December 2019, Suu Kyi appeared at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands, to attend a hearing for a lawsuit filed by 57 Islamic countries against Myanmar, accusing it of genocide. At the hearing, Suu Kyi defended the countrys actions, saying there was no genocide orchestrated against the Rohingya. Calling the conflict intercommunal violence, Suu Kyi argued that action was against Rohingya insurgents. While disproportionate military force may have been used and civilians killed, the acts did not constitute genocide, she argued. Calling the allegations incomplete and misleading, she asked for the case to be dismissed. If war crimes have been committed by members of Myanmars defense services, they will be prosecuted through our military justice system in accordance with Myanmars constitution, she said. Many were disappointed by Suu Kyis defense, saying she had lost moral standing. But supporters countered that she is a pragmatic politician trying to govern a multiethnic country with a complex history and a Buddhist majority. Nevertheless, her image as a widely recognized icon of democracy was somehow tainted. But Suu Kyis presence at The Hague won applause at home. Many in the country, whose population is 90% Buddhist, believe criticism from international communities on the Rohingya crisis unfair. They saw Suu Kyis trip to The Hague as an opportunity to clarify the matter to the world. When Suu Kyi announced the trip in November, people across the country gathered to show their support, a positive signal for NLDs chances in the next election this year. Ethnic issues have long been complicated in Myanmar. I still remembered Suu Kyis remarks on the issue in her 2013 speech in Singapore. Ethnic conflict is one of the great challenges in Burma, she said. But this conflict can be settled and, of course, has been settled in the past. This memory of victory can help us achieve another victory in the form of genuine, ethnic unity. Most people are thinking of the Burmese transition in economic terms. Im afraid there are members of our government also who think of the transition in economic terms, she said in 2013. But I think the success of our genuine reforms will depend on how much inclusiveness we can create in our society. In response to a question from the audience about ethnic conflict and the Rohingya issue, her answer is worth thinking about even today. It is one of the most difficult issues we have had to face in recent years. It is not just confined to Burma because there are Muslims all over the world and one can understand the concern of Muslims all over the world as to what is happening inside our country, she said. I think we have to start with rule of law. That is what I have always said, but people are not satisfied with the answer because it is not exciting enough. As (Singapore) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: peace and security are important in the world today very important for the future; very important for our economic progress as well as reform, stability in general. Without peace and stability, we cannot get people with differences to sit down and work out an acceptable answer. If people are frightened that they will be killed, if people are frightened that their goods will be taken away from them, or their houses will be burned down above their heads; you will not be able to persuade them to sit down to sort out their differences. So I have always said lets talk with rule of law, lets make sure there is no violence in a society where we have people of different religions living together. We want a country that is at peace with itself. We want all our people, all our communities to be at peace. What we would like ASEAN and the world to do for us is to be more understanding of our problem and not see it in I hesitate to use this term black and white again because I used it for South Africa but to be more aware of the nuances of the problem and not to see it as Muslim against Buddhist. Its not that. Its a matter of fear. I believe that hatred is rooted in fear; you hate what you fear. I have always challenged people: prove to me, whatever person or thing that you hate that you dont fear it. Ask yourself honestly, when you hate something, even if its something as simple as spiders, whether at the foundation there is fear. Hate and fear are very closely linked together. To start to eliminate hate, we have to start by eliminating fear. We have to give our people a sense of security. We have to do it within the country through rule of law, through the government taking the right measures. But I think you can help us by giving us your understanding, by understanding the reasons why the communal conflicts are taking place. It is not as simple as this community hates that community or this community wants to destroy that community. No, you have to get at the root of the matter why are the fears there? What can we do we inside Burma as well as all of you outside who wish us as well to eradicate these fears. Please study the situation in depth. Please do not take a superficial look and condemn one community over another. That will not help us achieve the kind of peace and understanding we need so much, Suu Kyi told the audience. About eight year ago when Suu Kyi was still a parliament member representing the opposition party, she was also the chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee for Rule of Law and Stability, which was designated to tackle ethnic issues. At least five members of the committee came from regions prone to ethnic conflicts. I guess at least by then, Suu Kyi had started to reflect on the countrys ethnic challenges. Contact translator Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) For Aung San Suu Kyis full speech at the Singapore summit in 2013, please click here to read and click here to listen. Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it filed a motion in court to pause the U.S. Department of Defense and Microsoft Corp from carrying out an up to $10 billion cloud computing deal until a court rules on its protest of the contract award. Amazon, originally considered to be the favorite to win the award, had indicated last week that it would file a temporary restraining order to require the Pentagon and Microsoft to hold off beyond initial activities for the contract. Known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud, or JEDI, the contract is intended to give the military better access to data and technology from remote locations. In a statement, Amazon's cloud division Amazon Web Services said, "It is common practice to stay contract performance while a protest is pending, and it's important that the numerous evaluation errors and blatant political interference that impacted the JEDI award decision be reviewed." The procurement process has been delayed by legal complaints and conflict of interest allegations. Most recently, Amazon has blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for bias against the company and for improperly pressuring the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has rejected that there was bias and said the Pentagon made its choice fairly and freely without external influence. Shocking footage has purported to show hundreds of people filling a Chinese hospital to the brim amid an outbreak of a deadly new virus. The coronavirus epidemic, which has killed 25 people and sickened more than 800, has led the authorities to quarantine at least 24 million people living in nine cities in China's Hubei Province before the Lunar New Year's Day on Saturday. A leading Chinese virologist who helped tackle the SARS epidemic in Asia in 2003 has warned that the situation in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, 'is already uncontrollable'. Another expert in the country feared that the worst was yet to come, claiming that the peak of the outbreak would be next month. Unverified footage posted by a blogger on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, appears to show the corridor and lobby of a hospital crammed with hundreds of mask-donning patients waiting to see the doctor. At least nine cities in China's Hubei Province have been locked down People queue to receive treatment at the fever outpatient department of the Wuhan Tongji Hospital in Wuhan on January 22. The local government today said that the city was witnessing a surge in the number of its fever patients and that hospitals were running out of beds At least 800 people have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus in mainland China Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province with a population of 11million, has been quarantined since yesterday. The local government today said that the city was witnessing a surge in the number of its fever patients and that hospitals were running out of beds. Authorities have reportedly ordered a state-run construction company to build a dedicated hospital in six days to treat patients diagnosed with coronavirus. The emergency medical facility would be modelled on a centre built in Beijing in 2003 during the epidemic of SARS, the report said. Chinese passengers, most wearing masks, arrive to board trains before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station on January 23. The health crisis occurred just before the Chinese New Year's Day on Saturday when relatives are expected to come together for meals Empty vegetable stalls in a market is seen at a supermarket today as people stock up on food due to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. The city has cut off inbound and outbound traffic A resident wearing a face mask is seen trying to buy vegetables in a supermarket in Wuhan today. The provincial capital of 11million is currently in lockdown, which sparked panic-buying Unverified footage posted by a blogger on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, appears to show the corridor and lobby of a hospital crammed with hundreds of mask-donning patients waiting to see the doctor. Yang Gonghuan, the former deputy director of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, today told the press that the peak of the outbreak was yet to come. Ms Yang predicted that the health crisis would worsen and the number of patients would spike in February. The expert, who helped fought the SARS epidemic in 2003, made the comments to Chinese news outlet Jiemian, which is affiliated to the official Shanghai United Media Group. Nine cities in China are under lockdown as officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed dozens, left hundreds seriously ill and potentially infected thousands. Pictured, passengers arrive from the city of Wuhan - where the virus originated - arrive at Narita Airport in Chiba, Japan, today. One case has been confirmed in Japan In the picture taken yesterday, workers are seen producing face masks at a factory in Handan in China's northern Hebei province. The Wuhan government has ordered all residents to wear the medical product after the virus broke out in the city, leading authorities to lock it down Dr Guan Yi (pictured), director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, claimed that the situation in Wuhan was already 'uncontrollable' Dr Guan Yi, whose team was among the first to identify the SARS virus 17 years ago, shared the concerns. He confessed to Chinese media that the situation in Wuhan - where the virus originated - 'is already uncontrollable'. He feared that the new virus could lead to an outbreak at least 10 times worse than the SARS pandemic, which killed 775 people and infected more than 8,000 worldwide. 'I have experienced so much and never felt scared. Most [viruses] are controllable, but this time I am scared,' Dr Guan told Chinese outlet Caixin. The expert, who was in Wuhan this week, claimed he had to 'escape' from the city yesterday after noticing the 'jaw-droppingly' poor preventative measures enforced by the local authorities. The government of Wuhan has ordered a state-run construction company to design and build the emergency facility in the Caidian District, according to Chinese media. The above picture shows the south wing of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, also known as the Jinyintan hospital, where patients infected with a new strain of Coronavirus are currently treated The emergency facility in Wuhan will reportedly be modelled on a temporary treatment centre in Beijing, which was built in seven days to tackle SARS in 2003 and had 1,000 beds. Above, medical staff of Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology attend a ceremony to form a 'assault team' to fight the new virus At least nine cities in Hubei, with a combined population of 24 million, are now in lockdown. They include Wuhan, Huanggang, Ezhou, Zhijiang, Dangyang, Qianjiang, Chibi, Xiantao, Lichuan. The number of cities is expected to rise. The provincial market watchdog today acknowledged that the city was facing shortage of vegetables and the phenomenon was caused by panic-buying. Chen Zhuan, a representative from the Hubei Provincial Market Management Bureau, demanded all farmers' markets and supermarkets conduct price checks on their products and keep the food prices at a 'stable' level. China's central government has also issued the province one billion yuan (110million) as an emergency relief fund to help the local authorities tackle the alarming health crisis. The province has also ordered all travel companies to halt its business and cancel all tour groups. Experts fear that the new coronavirus may have spread to humans from snakes or bats The widespread lockdown of cities happened amid the country's annual Chinese New Year travel rush, when millions of people are on the move every day to be reunited with families. It also occurred just before the Chinese New Year's Day on Saturday when relatives are expected to come together for celebratory meals. The new fatal virus, which emerged in Wuhan last month, has killed dozens and afflicted hundreds more and spread to nine countries and regions outside of mainland China. Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. Scientists fear it may have spread to humans from snakes or bats. This picture released by the Central Hospital of Wuhan shows a medic donning full-body hazardous material suit looking after one patient who has been infected by a new deadly virus Another medic in hazmat suit is seen checking the medical equipment inside the hospital's intensive care units. Nine people have been killed by the virus since it emerged last month Doctors at the Central Hospital of Wuhan clench their fists to show their determination to fight the virus. 'Salute to the medical workers who fight on the front line!' the hospital said in a post The never-before-seen pictures were taken inside the intensive care units of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of the hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak Major Chinese New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains as well, following the example of Wuhan, the locked-down city at the centre of the outbreak. Footage coming out of Wuhan today shows disastrous scenes, with a man seen disinfecting a neighbourhood with gas, traffic building up on blockaded highways and shoppers scrapping in a supermarket. Two more countries have today announced they have recorded cases of the infection Singapore and Vietnam. In Singapore, a 66-year-old man who had flown from Wuhan with his family on Monday is recovering in hospital. A 37-year-old companion is also in hospital under observation but has not been diagnosed. In Vietnam, a Chinese father a son are in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after flying there from Wuhan and becoming ill. They are in 'good condition', according to Vietnamese authorities. Five patients have been taken to hospital in Scotland and tested for the killer coronavirus after returning from China with flu-like symptoms, it can be revealed. This means the illness has now spread to nine territories, including the US, and European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent where the UK and other nations are already on high alert. It was revealed today that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. The World Health Organisation is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. Senate Democrats will propose legislation in the 2020 legislative session to extend the statute of limitations for civil sexual assault cases. For far too long in our state, our civil court system has denied access to justice for victims of sexual abuse, said Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, adding that the proposal would make sure that all victims of sexual abuse, regardless of how long ago that abuse occurred, can come forward and make their case, and if the evidence is there, they will get justice. Flexer introduced the legislative proposal alongside a slew of other initiatives presented by Senate Democrats Tuesday. Additional proposals include the creation of a new state police department to investigate hate crimes and far right extremists, protections for net neutrality to ensure the internet remains free and open, and increasing voters access to absentee ballots. Flexers measure was first endorsed by a task force that lawmakers created last session. That task force, which was led by Flexer, unanimously recommended lawmakers eliminate the statute of limitations in civil cases involving sexual abuse, exploitation and assault. Lawmakers said it is unclear whether the final legislative proposal will extend the statute indefinitely, as the bill has not yet been written. Currently, the law allows child sex abuse survivors to come forward until age 51, despite that the average age of disclosure is 54, according to the task force. The effort is part of a broader push to ensure Connecticuts civil court system stands with sexual and domestic assault survivors. We have heard for many years the harrowing stories of these victims, people who have come forward, not just to help themselves, but to demonstrate how unjust our current law in Connecticut is, and to ask for a change, Flexer said. The legislation would also charge advocates and judicial experts with creating uniform family court procedures to better protect survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Such a plan would require the Judicial Branch to train judges to be more sensitive to the needs of survivors and their children. Its time for Connecticut to have uniformity in terms of the level of knowledge and competency of all judges, so that when a victim presents herself in a court anywhere in the state of Connecticut, she knows shes going to get the same treatment, said Flexer. The current training system, Flexer explained, can lead to different outcomes in different cases. She said she has heard of judges who question survivors in front of their abusers when they are seeking a restraining order, a problematic practice that can put survivors lives at risk. These uniform practices, I believe, will save lives, Flexer said. And frankly, Im tired of talking about this issue. Weve been trying to reform training for judges for almost a decade and Im hopeful that, thanks to the leadership of the Senate Democratic caucus, that will finally happen this year. The so-called bench book would give judges a template to follow when theyre dealing with cases involving sexual or domestic abuse. Anguish: Teresita and Danilo Valdez, the parents of Jastine Valdez, with family friends at the inquest into the death of their daughter. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin Two families lives were changed irreparably by the abduction and killing of Jastine Valdez, an inquest into her killers death heard. The events were described as exceptional and unusual in society by the coroner, who said the public were very moved by the tragic circumstances of her death. This has been a most difficult inquest for those centrally involved and the Hennessy family in particular. The tragic events that unfolded over a period of a little more than 48 hours in May 2018 were exceptional and unusual in society. The public were very moved by the plight of Jastine Valdez," Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said. The outcome has meant that two families lives were changed irreparably." Expand Close Mark Hennessy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mark Hennessy The coroner commended "brave acts on behalf of the public and first responders, sadly without the desired outcome." The jury returned a narrative verdict and issued a number of recommendations, including the establishment of one central communications radio channel for gardai in emergency situations. Mark Hennessy was shot and killed by a member of An Garda Siochana on May 20, 2018 following an intensive search for Jastine Valdez, who was abducted from Enniskerry, Co Wicklow the previous day. The Hennessy family do not believe there was any malice involved in the shooting of Mark Hennessy, the inquest heard. In relation to Detective Garda A the family are of the view that his view was reasonably held, that there was no malice in this situation. The family wish to express their gratitude to the jury and all parties involved in this investigation, criminal and civil, Dermot Hickey, solicitor for the family said. The inquest previously heard that the Garda who shot Mr Hennessy said he was left with no other option as he believed Jastine Valdez was in the car and in imminent danger. Expand Close Acting State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan at the Coroners Court for the inquest into the death of Mark Hennessy. Photos: Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Acting State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan at the Coroners Court for the inquest into the death of Mark Hennessy. Photos: Steve Humphreys Hennessys family were present in Dublin Coroners Court for the duration of the inquest, which concluded after three days of evidence. Family members met Mark Hennessy in a car park in Killiney at 3.31pm on the day he died. He was alone in the car and the family passed this information to gardai. Mr Hickey asked Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) Senior Investigator Nicholas Harden if this information had been relayed to gardai who attended the scene of the shooting at Cherrywood Business Park at 8pm. I was aware of that interaction with the relative, four and a half hours preceding the incident. By the time the Cherrywood incident happened the situation could have changed, Mr Harden said. A jury member asked if there was any Garda in charge at the scene of the shooting of Mr Hennessy. In a highly stressful dynamic situation as this was, the aim was to get the job done. There wasnt time to sort out who was in charge, Mr Harden replied. The inquest heard that a post-incident manager position is to be created to deal with fatal firearm incidents involving gardai, to act as a conduit between GSOC and the officer involved. The post-incident manager will be a member of An Garda Siochana. The jury endorsed this development as part of their recommendations. Expand Close Jastine Valdez / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jastine Valdez The system not in place yet but has been operating very well in the UK and will be adopted soon here, Mr Harden said. The body of Jastine Valdez was located at 3pm on May 21, the day after Hennessys death, in thick gorse and undergrowth at Pucks Castle, Rathmichael, Co Dublin. Lawmakers in Turkey are reportedly set to introduce a bill in the Parliament where men accused of rape could avoid punishment if they agree to marry their victims. The controversial practice often referred to as Marry-Your-Rapist law will allow men accused of raping girls below the age of 18 to go scot-free if they marry the victim. AFP/ FILE The bill is said to be introduced in the Turkish parliament at the end of January. Incidentally, this is not the first time Turkish lawmakers have proposed such a law. Back in 2016, a similar law that was aimed at pardoning men if they had sex without force or threat was introduced in the Turkish Parliament, but was scrapped after global outrage. This time too the law is likely to face similar resistance from women's rights groups. "I applaud the brave work of womens rights campaigners in Turkey who are taking a stand against this discriminatory bill and pushing back again regressive forces that are seeking to remove current legal protections for girls. Similar 'marry-your-rapist' legal provisions have been on the statute books of countries across the Middle East and North Africa," Suad Abu-Dayyeh, a campaigner who specializes in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for Equality Now, a non-government organization which aims to promote the rights of women and girls told The Independent: As outlandish as it may sound, Turkey is not the first country that has such a law. AFP/FILE Several countries around the world have similar laws were rapists can avoid punishment by marrying their victims. According to an NPR report from 2017, such laws were prevalent in countries such as the Philippines, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Bahrain, and Syria. and Tajikistan. Other countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Lebanon had repealed the controversial law in recent years. Palestine which also had a similar law had repealed it in 2018. However, the most high profile of them was in 2017 in Lebanon where there were mass protests by women demanding an end to the practice. In Lebanon, the fight to repeal article 522, which gave immunity to rapists if they married their victims was led by women, who often took to the streets wearing bandages as wedding dresses. AFP/FILE As far as India is concerned, though there is no such law per se, there have been cases where the rapists were let off after they agreed to marry their victim. In 2005, there was a case in Charthawal village of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh where a woman was forced to separate from her husband and marry her father-in-law because he had raped her. In 2015 there was another similar incident in Odisha where a woman married her rapist who was out on bail 'because they did not have any other option'. The same year there was another shocking case when Madras High Court Judge P Devadass granted bail to a convicted rapist so that he could mediate with his victim and reconcile with her. The order was recalled and the rapist's bail was canceled after outrage. The Trump administration expects to secure trade deals with the European Union and Britain this year, but not India, top US officials said on Thursday. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in several television interviews that they expected to finalize agreements with those allies in 2020. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he hoped to finalize a pact with Europe before he faces reelection in November. "The president is very focused on trade and he's very focused on Europe," Mnuchin, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, told CNBC, adding that a meeting between US and European officials this week was "good." "We're very focused on a UK free trade agreement, which we hope to get done this year as well," Mnuchin added. Ross, speaking on Fox Business Network, echoed that sentiment on the timeline but said it was more complicated working with the EU, given the number of countries involved. "Our working assumption is that it will not fail and that we will make a deal with them," Ross said, referring to the EU. On India, Ross said that while the United States was eager to cooperate with the country and was in discussions, with more talks likely, a pact was unlikely in 2020. "I very much doubt that would occur this year," he told Fox Business Network. A veteran American firefighting crew flew 130 waterbombing missions over Australian bushfires before their plane crashed, killing all three of them. The C-130 Hercules, Zeus, exploded into a huge fireball on impact near Peak View in the state of New South Wales, after losing contact with the ground at about 1.45pm on Thursday. Fire chiefs hailed them as 'remarkable' and well-respected professionals with decades of experience on both sides of the Pacific. They arrived in Australia on November 5 and have since dumped two million litres of water and fire retardant on blazes from Tasmania to NSW, flying up to eight missions a day. Three American firefighters died when their waterbomber crashed while fighting a huge bushfire The flight path of the plane after it left Richmond, NSW, and headed for the fire front before crashing. The altitude tracker shots its sudden descent before losing contact Such hair-raising flying requiring precision manouvering just a few dozen metres off the ground in gusty winds. Thick smoke filling the air was routine. At 12.05pm they set out from Richmond RAAF Base on the outskirts of Sydney on a 40C (104F) day for a two-hour flight to drop 15,000L on a massive 250,000ha megablaze. They never came back. A panicked call came in to NSW Rural Fire Service command from firefighters on the ground who watched in horror as the plane went down and exploded. 'Fire comms message red speak to your captain. Message this is red... Crashed,' the call began. The RFS command responded: 'Yeah fire comms... It's just a ball of flames... over.' Harrowing images of the wreckage have emerged, showing the smouldering remains nestled in the trees Investigators are now tasked with the harrowing task of searching for answers as they attempt to piece together what has happened United States vice president Mike Pence has offered his condolences to the families of the three men who died. 'Karen & I send our prayers & deep condolences to the families of the 3 brave American firefighters who died in AUS yesterday while on their way to battle the terrible bushfires,' she said on Twitter. 'Our Nation will always honor the memory of those lost in the line of duty working to help others.' NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there was not yet any indication as to what caused the crash and an investigation is underway. Aircraft experts believe unless the plane had a mechanical fault, there are three likely ways the plane could have been brought down. United States vice president Mike Pence has offered his condolences to the families of the three men who died Search operations were conducted by helicopters in Peak View, north-east of Cooma Conditions were hellish enough with temperatures above 40C and high winds that prevented waterbombing at all in other nearby fire grounds. Piloting a waterbombing plane is also up to seven times more exhausting than flying an airliner, and takes at least three fire seasons to learn. The decades-old plane may have been placed under so much stress that it simply fell apart and couldn't keep flying. Such a crash that killed three crew members happened in northern California in 2002 when another C-130's wings fell off. The conditions, such as heat from the fire below, could also have created so much turbulence the pilots lost control of the plane. They could also have gotten too close and become so disoriented in the thick smoke that they slammed into the ground. The firefighters were on a plane chartered by American firefighting company Coulson Aviation that was in Australia to help tackle the bushfire crisis. Coulsons grounded its large air tankers after the crash, both as a standard precaution and a sign of respect for the casualties. Devastated RFS staff embrace at Numeralla Rural Fire Brigade near the scene of the crash The three U.S. firefighters were experienced veterans who were well known to RFS volunteers and other emergency services Commissioner Fitzsimmons said the three victims were experienced firefighters who routinely crewed the C-130 for waterbombing missions. 'It is a confronting and sobering reminder of the inherent risks associated with firefighting and we've seen all too often this season,' he said. 'Our hearts are with all those that are suffering what is the loss of three remarkable, well respected crew that have invested so many decades of their life into firefighting.' Commissioner Fitzsimmons said rescuers battled through fire and smoke with terrible visibility for hours to find the wreckage. 'Tragically, there appears to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area,' he said. '[The aircraft] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground.' An RFS member shows the strain of battling the massive fire in addition to the deaths of the three firefighters Commissioner Fitzsimmons said the three victims were experienced firefighters who routinely crewed the C-130 for waterbombing missions A rainbow cuts through the smoke near the crash site over the 250,000ha megablaze formed when at least four different fires joined together U.S. firefighters received a heroes' welcome when they arrived at Sydney Airport two weeks ago, with other passengers cheering and clapping. About 100 firefighters were dispatched to support 159 already in Australia under a longstanding agreement between the two countries. 'I am deeply saddened by the tragic news we received today,' U.S. Ambassador Arthur Culvahouse said. 'The brave Americans who died near Snowy Monaro died helping Australia in its time of need. 'The families and friends of those who we have lost are in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you Australia for your sympathy and solidarity.' The crash caused a fire that crews are still trying to put out before the cause of the crash, which is unknown, can be investigated. Commissioner Fitzsimmons said investigators were looking at all possibilities including trying to rule out a fuel problem that could affect the whole fleet. 'There is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident,' he said. An investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is underway. U.S. firefighters received a heroes' welcome when they arrived at Sydney Airport two weeks ago, with other passengers cheering and clapping NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian offered her condolences to the families of the victims in the wake of the accident. 'Our thoughts are not just with family and loved ones but for anyone who feels impacted by what has unfolded this afternoon,' she said. 'We can't thank enough people who continue, not withstanding the conditions, to put their safety at risk to protect lives and property of others.' 'It demonstrates the dangerous work currently being undertaken and the conditions that our firefighters are working under.' The RFS said the area remains an active fire ground and a number of firefighting crews are currently working to contain and work around the fire. 'As indicated, we've still got more than 80 fires burning around New South Wales and half are not contained,' Commissioner Fitzsimmons said. 'We've seen fires get to emergency warning level today, up to five at any given time. We've backed down to four at the emergency warning level.' An Australian Army water tanker in Cooma heads to the site of a Water Tanker plane crash near Numeralla The army was called in to help locate the crash site and extract any survivors The blaze the downed C-130 was battling is a massive 240,000ha inferno where multiple bushfires joined together. The dangerous out-of-control fire stretching from near Bega in the south to Jinden in the north with emergency warnings issued for more than a dozen towns. Areas where it was too late to leave included Bumbo, Eurobodalla, Bodalla, Wallaga Lake, Akolele, Bermagui, Coolagolite, and everything between Moruya and Tuross Head. Residents in Tilba and Mystery Bay, Dignams Creek, and West Narooma were urged to flee immediately. This fire could even join with another dangerous 98,000ha fire to its north that has encircled the coastal town of Batemans Bay. Residents in Moruya, West Moruya, Mogendoura and Wamban were warned they were at serious risk and needed to protect themselves from the intense blaze. It was also too late to leave areas from Moruya to Tuross Head, and Bumbo, Bodalla and Eurobodalla. The RFS said waterbombers would not be able to assist in dousing the flames because of high winds - which also made the blaze more dangerous. Other fires burning in the area include one threatening homes in near Canberra Airport The fire on Kallaroo road in Pialligo by Canberra Airport remains at emergency level, after being downgraded overnight People affected by the Pialligo bushfire (pictured) have been told it is too late to leave Other fires burning in the area include one threatening homes in near Canberra Airport, including in Mount Durrah, Rocky Hall and Stoves Road in NSW, and Beard, Oaks Estate and West Queanbeyan in the ACT. Residents are on a watch and act warning level and warned to evacuate, and the fire has prompted several emergency warnings since Wednesday afternoon. Due to the conditions Canberra Airport has been closed, with no flights arriving or departing. Meanwhile, the Box Hill and Nelson fire is burning just 40km from the Sydney CBD and remains at watch and act level. Residents in the Hills District have been told there is still a heightened level of threat to homes and to remain vigilant. Shortly before 1pm, the Box Hill and Nelson fire in the Hills District of Sydney was upgraded to emergency level, as well as the Badja Forest Road at Countegany. However the Hills District fire was quickly downgraded to watch and act. Temperatures reached 40C in Nowra on the South Coast on Thursday, 43C in Penrith in Sydney's west, 41C in Cessnock in the Hunter region and 42C in Bulahdelah on the mid-north coast. Increased fire danger is a result of damaging winds in the NSW southeast, with 96km/h at Cooma and Bombala, 95km/h at Nerriga, 91km/h at Goulburn and 83km/h in Canberra. The surge in temperature comes after days of rainfall across the entire east coast of Australia. Due to the conditions Canberra Airport (pictured) has been closed, with no flights arriving or departing January 23 : Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who met with a car accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on January 18 was rushed to the MGM hospital in Navi Mumbai and later shifted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital the same day. Days after the unfortunate accident that severely injured Bollywood veteran actor Shabana Azmi, her husband and popular lyricist Javed Akhtar confirmed that the actress is stable and recovering. Our family would like to thank all the friends and well wishers for their concern and messages for @AzmiShabana. This is to let everyone know that she is recovering well and most probably will be shifted to a normal room tomorrow. Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) January 22, 2020 Javed Akhtar took to his Twitter account to post an update on her health. He wrote, Our family would like to thank all the friends and well-wishers for their concern and messages for @AzmiShabana.This is to let everyone know that she is recovering well and most probably will be shifted to a normal room tomorrow. As per reports, Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar were traveling together, while their car rammed into a truck from behind on the highway on the Mumbai-Pune lane around 3:30 PM. The shocking news of Shabana's unfortunate car accident shocked the entire nation. Several Bollywood celebs, political personalities and fans took to their respective social media handles to pray for Shabana's speedy recovery. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a statement on the unfortunate accident suffered by Shabana Azmi. Russias Human Rights Commissioner proposes to criminalize inadequate medical treatment RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:09 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) Russias ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova on Thursday proposed to include in the national Criminal Code a separate provision defining sanctions for failure to provide adeqate medical aid to patients. In her practice, the rights commissioner said addressing a panel conference on criminal law development strategies in the 21st century, she received complaints where applicants pointed out that law enforcement agencies misinterpreted some actions as concerned substandard medical treatment; therefore, she believes it is necessary to add a separate article to the Criminal Code the subject of which is to be health care professionals. According to Moskalkova, the crimes relating to responsibility of members of the medical profession belong in the category of most complex cases, since in order to establish guilt it is necessary first to detect the cause-and-effect relationship between a healthcare practitioners actions and the patients condition, for what, the ombudsman has stressed, forensic medical examination is required. Starting this summer, Michigan drivers will have the option to lower their levels of personal injury protection coverage or opt out entirely under new laws that overhauled the states auto insurance system. But many currently insured drivers want to keep at least some PIP coverage even if they could save money by switching to lower levels of coverage, according to a survey of 1,005 Michigan drivers released Wednesday. The statewide online survey, conducted by the market research firm Escalent in September and commissioned by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, found 51 percent of insured drivers surveyed would not fully opt out of PIP coverage given the choice to do so. Another 24 percent said they would fully opt out if given the choice, and 25 percent of respondents said they werent sure whether they would or not. The vast majority of survey respondents were insured at the time of the survey, but 58 respondents said they were not currently insured. Of those, 43 percent said they would opt out of PIP entirely, 28 percent would not and 29 percent were unsure. The new law signed last May will allow those with health insurance that covers auto-related injuries and Medicare recipients to fully opt out of PIP, coverage. Other drivers will have a handful of coverage options, including unlimited coverage, $500,000, $250,000 and a minimum $50,000 option for Medicaid recipients. Each level of coverage would come with a guaranteed rate reductions on PIP coverage costs that begins July 1, 2020 and would last eight years. The reductions range between 10 percent for unlimited coverage and 100 percent for those who opt out. Asked what level of coverage they would choose, 43 percent of survey respondents said they would choose unlimited coverage, while 27 percent they would opt out entirely. The survey also found knowledge of the new law still isnt widespread - 12 percent of insured motorists surveyed said they were very familiar with the new law, and 35 percent said they were a little familiar. Michigan Health and Hospital Association officials said they would be launching a marketing campaign this spring in an effort to raise awareness. Related: Michiganders to see $120 reduction in auto insurance fee next year Gov. Whitmer signs bill overhauling Michigan auto insurance Michigan bans on things like zip code, home ownership impacting auto insurance now among strictest in nation DAVOS, Switzerland - President Donald Trump initially described his stop at the World Economic Forum as a sojourn of "hope" and "optimism." But his whirlwind tour ended in further acrimony. In a news conference before his departure, Trump once more aired his grievances with the United States' European partners, leaving open the possibility of new trade tensions to come. "They have trade barriers where you can't trade. They have tariffs all over the place," he said. "They are, frankly, more difficult to do business with than China." Trump's grumbling came after a heated exchange on a Wednesday morning panel between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Sajid Javid, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer. When Javid insisted Britain would still go ahead with a digital tax that would affect major U.S. tech companies, Mnuchin said the Trump administration would consider retaliatory measures. "If people want to just arbitrarily put taxes on our digital companies we will consider arbitrarily putting taxes on car companies," Mnuchin said. Meanwhile, the United States and France appeared to reach a temporary truce over a similar spat on Monday. European governments have grown frustrated with the loopholes used by major U.S. tech firms to minimize their tax exposure on the continent. "The key purpose is to have a solid, fair, efficient, international taxation system for the 21st century," Bruno Le Maire, France's finance minister, told reporters in Davos. "We need to address fiscal evasion." But the Trump administration sees France's approved legislation initiating a tax as an unfair attack on U.S. goods and vowed to raise new tariffs on French products, including wine and champagne. "The threatened tariffs were evidence of the growing rift between the United States and Europe, on clear display as leaders from the two continents appeared to be talking from different scripts," The Washington Post's Heather Long reported. "Trump insisted on discussing a new trade deal, while European leaders kept emphasizing action on climate change and cooperation." That theme carried over to proceedings elsewhere. Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European Commission, took a veiled jab at Trump's bullying style and illiberal politics. "You can either move forward at the exclusion of others . . . fueling nationalism, building the narrative of 'us' versus 'them,' or take an inclusive approach," she said. Other European leaders turned to the subject Trump explicitly ignored. "The climate emergency is a disaster that knows no borders," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a speech. "We're the last generation that will be able to effectively address it." "We need to listen to the scientists," Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told a small group of Washington Post journalists. "We don't have the luxury of time." At home, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam is an embattled leader whose popularity ratings hover narrowly above single digits. In Davos, she was yet another politician accompanying a delegation of trade and business leaders from her territory, mingling with wealthy investors in the Swiss Alps while Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests continue to rage. Lam, who has spoken little to foreign media since the protests flared last year, did a couple of interviews in Davos, including a special session with CNN's Fareed Zakaria. Lam showed little to no sympathy for the protesters' demands for meaningful political change, including the implementation of universal suffrage in the city - as opposed to the current system, which is engineered to give Beijing domineering control over the local government. Lam also specifically rebuffed protesters' calls for amnesty for those arrested in police crackdowns and said nothing of the numerous incidents of armed mobsters attacking protesters. "For the government to provide a political response that the protesters or the rioters want to see . . . will not be a very prudent way of ensuring Hong Kong's future and public interest," she said, speaking in the wooden tone of a Hong Kong bureaucrat. The looming factor that drives much of the protest movement is fear over Beijing's steady erosion of Hong Kong's unique political freedoms. In Davos, Lam insisted that Chinese President Xi Jinping believes Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" model is "sacrosanct." She also congratulated herself for not repressing press reporting of the protests as much as she could. "I face a lot of pressure, not only from the protesters, but also from the anti-protest camp that I should control the journalists," she said. "I would rather not. Because that will undermine freedom of media." It's unclear whether she convinced many onlookers in the room in Davos. "Carrie Lam's fundamental position has always been to deny the protesters any legitimacy," said Arun Sudhaman, the Hong Kong-based editor in chief of the Holmes Report, a publication that monitors the global public relations industry and that first revealed in September how Lam's government had been rebuffed by a number of major PR firms in a quest to dress up Hong Kong's image. "She's trying to reinforce this message that Hong Kong is still open for business, that everything is fine," Sudhaman said in an interview. "It's a charm offensive, but you have to actually have charm for that." For Lam "to fly off to a super elite enclave in a Swiss mountain to tell the super rich that Hong Kong is doing just fine is tone-deaf," Sudhaman added. _ _ _ We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form State authorities are investigating a shooting Wednesday night involving a Walker County sheriffs deputy, the sheriffs office confirmed to AL.com. The sheriffs office deferred comment on the incident to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is probing the deputy-involved shooting. An ALEA spokesman could not immediately be reached by AL.com. Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith told the Daily Mountain Eagle that the incident occurred on I-22 and involved a deputy and a suspect wanted on numerous felonies who fled from authorities. The suspect was eventually arrested after their vehicle became stuck in mud, the Daily Mountain Eagle reported. During the arrest, a struggle ensued for the deputys gun and the suspect was shot in the hand, Smith told the paper. The International Court of Justice on Thursday unanimously ordered Myanmar to implement four provisional measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. The court imposed the measures at the request of Muslim-majority African state of The Gambia, which said a 2017 military crackdown by mainly-Buddhist Myanmar breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. The measures effectively work as an injunction pending a wider case that could take years. Orders issued by the court, the UNs top judicial body, are binding but it has no real way of enforcing them. 1. Prevent acts of genocide Myanmar must take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against the Rohingya, particularly killings or causing bodily or mental harm, the judges said. It must also not impose conditions to bring about the Rohingyas physical destruction in whole or in part a key definition of genocide under the UN convention or measures to prevent births within the group. This measure is not a surprise and is sweeping per the language of the Genocide Convention, Geoff Gordon and Dimitri van den Meerssche of the Hague-based Asser Institute said in an email to AFP. They pointed out however that the ICJ order did little to add specificity or teeth to the general prohibition. 2. Control the military Myanmar must ensure that its military, as well as any irregular armed units do not breach any of the conditions barring genocidal violence, the court said. This could be seen as a slap on the wrist of Myanmar ordering it to control its military, said Cecily Rose, assistant professor in international law at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She pointed out that the ICJs judges had shown a high level of awareness of an explosive 2018 report by a UN Fact-Finding Mission that said Myanmars top generals must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide. But she said it remains to be seen what the court will do with that report when it comes to a full genocide case. 3. Preserve evidence Myanmar must take effective measures to preserve evidence relating to alleged acts of genocide, the court ordered. This is not a typical provisional measure, said Rose. There is persuasive evidence put forward by The Gambia, probably based on the Fact-Finding Missions report, that evidence has been destroyed. 4. Report back One of the most unusual orders was that Myanmar must report within four months on what measures it has taken to comply with the ICJs order, and thereafter every six months until a final decision is given by the court. This is a new development for the ICJ, said Rose, adding that it was a much-needed development because in the past there has been problems with compliance to provisional measures orders. The order to report back makes it just a little more difficult for Myanmar to carried out similar operations in the future, she said. It increases the level of scrutiny on Myanmar. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 16:56:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 617 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Free workshop to provide channel partners, managed service providers, resellers and small businesses with customer acquisition and retention techniques, strategies for mitigating compliance risks, and training for advanced UCaaS platformsFORT LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / Phone.com today announced that it will host Business 2020: A Clear Look at the Future of Communications and Collaboration Services, a free, pre-ITEXPO workshop.Business 2020 will be held from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm on February 11, 2020, at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Attendees will receive complimentary all-access passes to ITEXPO - Register today!The agenda for Business 2020 is purpose-built to provide channel partners, managed service providers and their customers with an insiders look at navigating an evolving marketplace, said Ari Rabban, CEO, Phone.com . Weve recruited the foremost experts to engage and teach attendees how to sell, scale and manage flexible communications tools, and to present use-cases that demystify APIs, artificial intelligence and omnichannel customer interaction solutions. WHAT: Business 2020: A Clear Look at the Future of Communications and Collaboration ServicesWHEN: Tuesday, February 11, 20201:00 pm - 5:00 pmWHERE: ITEXPO 2020Broward County Convention CenterFt. Lauderdale, FloridaRegister now!HIPAA-compliance grows increasingly complex. Data from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicates that 70 percent of the healthcare market is not HIPAA-compliant. Though alarming, these findings show an industry in need of support from channel partners, cloud and managed IT services providers, resellers and agents.At Business 2020, compliance experts will detail the factors solutions providers must consider when selecting a UCaaS partner for regulated markets like healthcare and finance.The agenda for this one-of-a-kind workshop includes:Proven customer acquisition and retention strategiesEffective sales techniques to demystify APIs, AI and cloud services for non-tech savvy customersChannel partner-vetting for small businessesCompliance strategies for digital communications in regulated marketsOnsite training: learn to provision, manage and utilize business communications services efficiently and without complexity.Youve read about 5G, AI and how APIs extend the reach of business communications services with custom integrations for specific use-cases, and now its time to learn how to deploy, added Rabban.For its 32,000 business customers across the United States and Canada, Phone.coms library of open, lightweight APIs makes it easy to extend UC services into third-party portals, middleware, and CRM platforms. In recent years, Phone.com has emerged as a favorite UCaaS provider for VARs, agents and MSPs, empowering over 500 channel partners with the flexibility to customize integrations for their customers, create new applications for specific use-cases and remove interoperability issues that disrupt workflows.Of note is that as a HIPAA-compliant service provider, Phone.com is a de-facto bridge for businesses to the highly lucrative healthcare market. The company has issued business associate agreements to more than 1,000 companies, a requisite for businesses to work with covered healthcare entities such as hospitals, clinics and private medical practices, without violating HIPAA laws.About Phone.com Founded in 2008 by veteran telecommunication entrepreneurs, Phone.com provides more than 32,000 businesses across the U.S and Canada with comprehensive, flexible, and reliable cloud-based communication and collaboration solutions. Phone.coms innovative services, award-winning 24/7 U.S.-based support, coupled with experienced executive leadership and forward-thinking strategic planning, has led to 10 straight years of growth. With over 50 customizable features including audio and video conferencing, call forwarding, voicemail transcription, IVR, vanity and virtual toll-free 800 and local numbers, Phone.coms business VoIP allows you to connect with anyone anywhere at any time. Phone.com has been recognized by the Inc. 500|5000 as well as Deloittes Technology Fast 500 for fastest growing private companies. Connect with Phone.com on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, talk to us at 844-746-6312 or visit us at Phone.com SOURCE: Phone.com courtesy of the artist Sitting at his IBM Selectric and staring at the bright winter sun, August March took in the lengthening day whilst listening to the latest release by Stephanie Hatfield and her hot band. The album is titled Out This Fell and so far, it felt grandly expansive but also dark and mysterious, contrasting features of the high desert in these parts that the local rock critic had no trouble applying metaphor to Hatfields brand of music. It also had something to do with the studio and the players, to be sure, he said as he swung around to face the door where I was standing. That guitar player of hers is one of the premier players and engineers in the state and together they truly are a power rock couple, he continued. And its true, the multi-instrumental work of Bill Palmer is singular. A tried and true studio perfectionist, Palmers sound is big and timeless, a vast blue sky wherein music and voicesespecially those emanating angelically with a Southern sizzle from Hatfieldfly. Out This Fell is more than a clever record. Deeply personal, intricately presented and passionately played, the record also sounds mighty, fecund but not febrileand radio-ready, too, one might add. This record is as beautifully completebut never maximalist, instead demonstrating very tasteful restraintas anything ever recorded in New Mexico. But the main thing that separates this recording from any number of rock and Americana and country releases has to do with its authenticity. From the minute the needle drops onto the vinylmetaphorically speakingand the band gets rolling, its clear that the whole schmear is the creation of a vibrant, professional music culture with deft control of the medium they choose to make art. Hatfields songwriting lends a touch of magic realism to the melodic proceedings. Plus, it rocks out like heck and thats even after playing Sweetheart of the Rodeo beforehand. Dont put that thing in about the Byrds, March screeched. Working musicians hate comparisons. Better yet, he concluded as he rose, you might want to mention that its another unique iteration of the post-war hybridization of folk and popular music traditions peculiar to New Mexico and West Texas. I agreed with March but told him as I left that they might as well just read this interview. Weekly Alibi: Could you tell our readers about who you are, about the music that you make? Stephanie Hatfield: Well, for me its about making people feel something. Thats really the biggest goal I have in music. I would never presume to dictate what those feelings are, what they might be. Describe that kind of music with feelings. Indie anthemic folk rock is what I am going forbig sweeping emotions, drama, not only in the sounds that youre hearing but of course, in the lyrics and through my vocal delivery. Tell me about your band. Ive had a full band for 11 years now. Members have varied but the main creative inspirations have stayed. Mostly its been myselfIve been writing most of the musicand Bill Palmer. He has consistently been in the band all of those years. Hes the longest-standing member of the band, besides myself. Hes a guitarist and a producer. He produced this new album with me. Bill Palmer: I record all of her records. Is that the essence of collaboration? Stephanie: It started off with Bill having more, being more in the drivers seat in terms of production. I really heavily rely on his skill and experience. Now, the project has transitioned into a reeal cooperative, collaborative effort. On the last couple of albums, he has stepped back and given me the space I need to put forth creative ideas during the recording process. Describe your songwriting process please. I come up with lyrics, the melody, chord progressions. Then I bring that to the band and it gets collaborative. Thats when Bill typically comes up with some beautiful signature guitar line. Noah Baumeister, the man who plays bass with us, then comes up with his part. Matthew Tobias played drums; we recorded the main tracks for In Those Woods at his studio. And the recording process? Live recording or overdubs? Were going for bass and drum tracks at the very least. Sometimes well get Bills lead guitar and my guitar. There are a few overdubs. Bill Palmer: We get a lot of the vocals and stuff. That work and the way that Ive worked with a lot of Stephanies music is to realize nothing is a throw-away. When Im recording, Im recording as if this is going to be the album. Then you have the luxury of going in and editing. There is a lot on that record that was cut right on the spot. Is this record going to be a big moment, a push forward for you and the band? Stephanie: There are aspirations for this one. Weve hired promoters in Europe and in the UK. Thats where were putting a lot of our marketing efforts and energy; we want to push into those markets. We hope to tour in Europe, but of course well play wherever and whenever we can. The scene in Burque is wide open right now. What are you doing to conquer Duke City, New Mexico? Im all about that. Were playing at the Monte Vista Fire Station on Feb. 22. Bill is playing with his brother, as the Palmer Brothers, on Feb. 1. Bill: Weve been making weird noises together since 1977. Stephanie: I typically play bass with them. I played bass with them last night at the Mine Shaft in Madrid. Awesome! Ill for sure check those out. And the Mine Shaft rocks. I know a lot of blues guys that play at the Fire Station, too; Jeff Stipe, Jimmy Stallings. Bill: One thing Id like to say about the kind of venues Stephanie likes to play is that the places where she really thrives is in listening environments. Like this CD release at the Jean Cocteau in Santa Fe. The tickets are seated. Loud, roomy environments where the audience is there for something besides music are not the right venue for her music. I can dig that. As Ive gotten older Ive become more apt to see a sit-down concert than a bar gig. Stephanie: Right? Bill: Theres a thing with this album where theres an overarching concept in the music. This isnt something thats just supposed to make you dance, but its still completely entertaining. These are theatrical pieces. They need to be performed in that context or they lose their essence. So this is, like, art music? Stephanie: Yes. Exactly. We used to do the full-on rock band with loud and blazing electric guitars. That was like our first two albums. The transition in the subsequent two albums has been toward a more sophisticated listening experience. Theres something to be said about informed playing, even in rocanrol. We hope with these songs, that people feel something, but also that they catch something new each time they listen. Thats the kind of music that intrigues me. What influences do you draw upon? I love Neko Case. Im really into Lucy Dacus new album. I love Ben Howard and Dry the River, out of England. When I was young, Van Morrison, Nina Simone and Otis Redding. I want to combine that raw energy of Van Morrisonhis shit is not contrivedwith the theatrical performance of Nina Simone. If I could achieve that, I think Ive done something good. Bill: Stephanie is very calculated about how she performs. Shes a highly skilled and trained vocalist. She knows what shes doing with every little movement of her voice. Every take of every vocal, every performance, shes going to deliver. Hers is the sound. Stephanie: I want to deliver the emotional content people are yearning for. Passion and authenticity seem to be watchwords for the music industry going into 2020. Discuss. Bill: There are cuts on this new record that you could swear would work in Nashville. Stephanie: I talk about some hard subjects in some of these songs. I talk about personal struggles. Some of these stories are inspired by things Ive seen and heard or dreamt about. Songs like In Those Woods is about something I went through. And listeners relate to those sorts of intense narratives? I feel like one of my goals, one of the things Id like to be able to achieve is to make people feel that theyre not alone in these struggles. We have an isolating society. With social media, were just seeing the gloss, were not seeing the real shit. Its like were living with Snapchat filters on everything. Bill: So much songwriting is linear, especially in the country realm. The thing about Stephanies writing is that there is a bit of a magic trick to it. Her themes works their way into your blood and you absorb it, like a sort of magic. A new study, published in The Lancet Global Health, highlights the effectiveness of behavioural intervention in reducing psychological distress in conflict-affected regions. More than 125 million people today are directly affected by armed conflict, the highest number since World War II. Although reported rates of mental disorders vary, previous studies have shown that mood and anxiety disorders are common, with high rates for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. As such, scalable interventions to address a range of mental health problems are desperately needed. Self-help Plus (SH+) is a guided self-help intervention developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on audio-recorded material and an illustrated workbook that can be facilitated by briefly trained non-specialists. It is delivered to groups of up to 30 people over 5 weekly sessions of 2 hours duration. As such, SH+ has been developed as a way of rapidly supporting large numbers of people experiencing psychological distress in the context of humanitarian crises. Randomised controlled trial To ascertain the effectiveness of SH+ a research team led by Dr Wietse Tol (Johns Hopkins University, US) and Dr Mark van Ommeren (WHO) conducted the first ever-randomised controlled trial of the intervention. The research team included the University of Liverpool's Dr Ross White (Reader of Clinical Psychology, Dept of Psychological Sciences). Dr White was one of the experts consulted by WHO in the development of the SH+ intervention which is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The trial was conducted in Uganda, which hosts over 1.2 million refugees fleeing conflicts in countries such as neighbouring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The researchers visited 14 different villages in the area and recruited 20-30 female South Sudanese refugees from each village. A total of 694 female refugees with at least moderate levels of psychological distress were recruited into the study. Villages were randomly assigned to receive either SH+ or enhanced usual care. Participants were assessed 1 week before, 1 week after, and 3 months after the intervention. Results The findings of this large randomised controlled trial indicated that SH+, compared to enhanced usual care, was effective at reducing psychological distress (as assessed by the Kessler 6 assessment instrument) and bringing about improvements on a range of other outcomes (including functioning, depression and wellbeing) 3 months after the intervention had stopped. The SH+ intervention was highly acceptable to participants with at least 80% of participants allocated to receive SH+ attending each of the five sessions. Dr White, said: "Our research suggests that SH+ may be well suited as a first-line intervention for large populations exposed to major stressors in low-resource settings. SH+ will complement other intensive forms of intervention for those experiencing more severed difficulties. "Further research is required to explore how the beneficial impact of SH+ can be maintained over longer periods of time." ### The full study, entitled 'Guided Self-Help to Reduce Psychological Distress in South Sudanese Female Refugees in Uganda: A Cluster Randomized Trial', can be found here: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30504-2/fulltext Comcast on Thursday reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded estimates for the top and bottom lines. The company also said it added 442,000 new high-speed internet customers, surpassing expectations for 378,000 net adds. Comcast said that big beat was its best for a fourth quarter in five years. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts announced the company is increasing its dividend by 10% to 92 cents per share on an annualized basis for 2020. Shares of Comcast closed down 3.7% in afternoon trading. Here are the results compared with analyst expectations: Earnings per share: 79 cents vs. 76 cents per share expected, according to Refinitiv estimates 79 cents vs. 76 cents per share expected, according to Refinitiv estimates Revenue: $28.398 billion vs. $28.169 billion expected, according to Refinitiv $28.398 billion vs. $28.169 billion expected, according to Refinitiv High-speed internet customers: 442,000 net adds vs. 378,000 net adds expected, according to FactSet estimates The company has pursued new media assets as other areas of its business, such as video customers, have continued to drop off. After the earnings report, Roberts told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that Comcast has made a "pivot to a broadband-centric cable company." "I think there is a bifurcation in the market. Some people want a real premium video experience and those customers are very stable and we're very satisfied with that business," Roberts said. "At the same time, we needed to pivot the whole company to the streaming world and I think what's exciting is how well our cable company has done that." The heartthrob of Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan has donned many avatars in his movies over the years, however, the one role noticeably missing from his repertoire is that of a cop. At a recent event, Umang: A Mumbai Police Welfare Fund's Initiative, Hrithik expressed his desire to someday, essay the role of a police officer. Acknowledging the efforts of the Mumbai Police, the War star said, "Mumbai is one of the best cities to live in and it is because of the Mumbai police force. I couldn't make it to Umang 2019 last year but this year I made sure that I come here. I am feeling wonderful performing at a stage for all the policemen who work for us day and night and keep us safe." He also said that the role of a cop is one that he has been wanted to play for a long time. "In my entire life, I have essayed all kinds of roles. However, I haven't got a chance to play the character of a policeman. I would urge the filmmakers to write a police officer's role for me because that will be the most challenging role of my life. I am sure I will make it the best role of my life," he added. Don't know about you guys, but we think Hrithik, as a badass cop, beating the crap out of goons and criminals will be a sight to behold. Well, it this happens, looks like our beloved Singham and Simbaa will have some tough competition. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below. By Bahk Eun-ji All 21 patients suspected of being infected with the China coronavirus have tested negative for the resultant pneumonia-like disease and been allowed to leave hospital, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). "We ran tests on all 21 suspected patients and all came out negative. There are no other suspected cases for the time being," KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyung said during a press briefing at government complex in Seoul, Thursday. Separately, the patient who was confirmed to be infected is being treated in an isolation unit and her condition is improving, Jeong said. In addition an epidemiologist from the center will be dispatched to the Korean Embassy in China to monitor conditions of Korean residents there. The new type of coronavirus, which has already claimed 17 lives in China, may have been transmitted to people from snakes, according to a recent report. The snakes may also have caught the virus from fruit bats sold in a food market in Wuhan, the capital of China's central Hubei Province. A new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Virology noted that patients who became infected with the coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization (WHO), were exposed to wildlife at a wholesale market, where seafood, poultry, snakes, bats and farm animals were sold. The researchers concluded that the 2019-nCoV appears to be a virus that formed from a combination of a coronavirus found in bats and another coronavirus of unknown origin. The resulting virus had a mix or "recombination" of a viral protein that recognizes and binds to receptors on host cells, and such recognition is key to allowing it to enter host cells, which can lead to infection and disease, the report said. The research team uncovered evidence that the 2019-nCo likely resided in a snakes before being transmitted to humans. Recombination within the viral receptor-binding protein may have allowed for cross-species transmission from snake to humans. The health authorities said they are remaining on alert to prevent the spread of the virus during the Lunar New Year holiday that runs from Jan. 24 to 27. Early this week, the first incidence of the virus was confirmed here, when a Chinese woman traveling from Wuhan arrived at Incheon International Airport. With the first confirmed case, international airports across the country beefed up the monitoring and checking of passengers from China for signs of the disease. Ahead of Seollal (Lunar New Year), local authorities will also accelerate quarantine efforts to contain the virus during the four-day holiday. Meanwhile, the KCDC said that four highly-suspected cases of the virus tested negative. The four people visited Wuhan and had symptoms of fever and sore throats. JERUSALEM Speaker by speaker, world leaders on Thursday denounced the rising threat of anti-Semitism and vowed never to forget the lessons of the Holocaust at a solemn ceremony in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Auschwitz death camp. But the high-powered dignitaries also tinged their speeches with competing interpretations of World War II and its relevance today, giving a politically charged feeling to the gathering. The World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem, the largest summit of its kind, drew more than 45 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britains Prince Charles, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The three-hour event at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial sought to project a united front in commemorating the destruction of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence. But from the start, it was clouded by rival national narratives of World War IIs major players. Polands president, who has been criticized for his own wartime revisionism, boycotted the gathering even before it began since he was not invited to speak. The president of Lithuania, a country seeking to diminish its own culpability while making heroes out of anti-Soviet nationalists involved in the mass killing of Jews, abruptly canceled his participation days before the event. And the president of Ukraine, another country with a dubious reckoning of its role in the genocide, mysteriously backed out while in Israel shortly before the ceremony began. Putin was granted a central role even as he leads a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions prewar pact with the Nazis and shift responsibility for the wars outbreak on Poland, which was invaded in 1939. In his address, Putin highlighted the role of the Red Army in liberating Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945. For historians, the main message was one of education amid growing signs of ignorance and indifference to the Holocaust. A survey released this week by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organization responsible for negotiating compensation for victims of Nazi persecution, found that most people in France did not know that 6 million Jews were killed during World War II. Among millennials, 45% said they were unaware of French collaboration with the Nazi regime. Aron Heller is an Associated Press writer. US President Donald Trump has hailed Elon Musk as 'one of our great geniuses' and noted that the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX needed 'protection' by comparing him to Thomas Edison. During an January 22 interview to CNBC in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said, You know, we have to protect Edison and we have to protect all of these people that came up originally with the light bulb, wheel and all of these things. And hes one of our very smart people and we want to cherish those people. Trumps praise for Musk came amid the success of Tesla. The market value of the electric carmaker hit $100 billion for the first time on January 22. You go back a year and they were talking about the end of the company. And now all of a sudden they are talking about these great things Trump was quoted as saying. The US President further applauded Musks expertise in aerospace. He noted that Musk has also enjoyed great success with his company SpaceX, and marvelled at the SpaceX's vertical landing launch vehicles. I spoke to him very recently, and hes also doing the rockets. He likes rockets. And he does good at rockets, too, by the way. I never saw engines coming down with no wings, no anything, and theyre landing. I said Ive never seen that before, Trump added. Dublin, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pharmacovigilance Market Dynamics and Service Provider Benchmarking (2nd Edition)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Staying current on market dynamics and trends in the pharma world is a tall order. The publisher surveyed 100 decision-makers in the pharmacovigilance space to gather their insights regarding the market and where it's heading. Survey respondents shared their experience regarding how their companies' pharmacovigilance activities are split between processes, how much of their work is outsourced and to what types of providers, and both in-house and outsourced personnel locations. When the publisher gathers data on selection and performance, two audiences are typically in mind: The first audience is the sponsor companies. The researchers want to help decision-makers at sponsor organizations understand how peers in the industry select providers and how providers have performed for recent customers. The second audience is the providers. The publisher strives to assist providers in understanding how they are viewed through the eyes of their customers so they can better promote their strengths and improve areas where they may be falling short. Study Sponsors Insights on the current pharmacovigilance market and what it is expected to look like in the next three years Trends in technology use for pharmacovigilance activities, including approaches to social media and ways to make pharmacovigilance work less manual How decision-makers in the industry select providers and how providers have performed for recent customers CROs, Pharmacovigilance Providers, and Software Providers Which pharmacovigilance/drug safety activities are most prevalent, and which are most commonly outsourced The most critical capabilities customers are searching for when selecting a pharmacovigilance provider Which providers top the lists for perceived leadership, familiarity, proposal volume, and reported use of their pharmacovigilance services How your company's performance is rated along with a variety of attributes and how competitors perform along the same dimensions Key Topics Covered INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY Respondent Demographics and Qualifications Number of Ratings per Provider Number of Ratings per Software 6 MAJOR SECTIONS PHARMACOVIGILANCE MARKET AND OUTSOURCING DYNAMICS Primary Section Takeaways Pharmacovigilance Activities by Process Pharmacovigilance Activities by Life Cycle Stage The proportion of Pharmacovigilance Activities Outsourced Case Processing Spend by Organization Type Regulatory Reporting Spend by Organization Type Benefit-Risk Management Spend by Organization Type Outsourcing Frequency by Service Location of In-house Pharmacovigilance Employees Location of Outsourced Pharmacovigilance Personnel PROVIDER SELECTION Primary Section Takeaways Preferred Providers Frequency of Use Number of Preferred Providers Use of a Single Pharmacovigilance Provider Most Important Capabilities for Pharmacovigilance Provider PROVIDER PERCEPTIONS AND INTERACTIONS Primary Section Takeaways Pharmacovigilance Provider Leaders, Unprompted Pharmacovigilance Provider Leaders, Prompted Pharmacovigilance Provider Familiarity Pharmacovigilance Providers to Include in RFP Process Pharmacovigilance Provider Usage Summary Table PROVIDER AND SOFTWARE PERFORMANCE Primary Section Takeaways A Note on Harvey Ball Calculations Performance Across Service Providers Provider Performance: Capabilities Provider Performance: Management/Delivery Performance Across Softwares Software Performance: Capabilities Software Performance: Quality/Usability TRENDS IN PHARMACOVIGILANCE Primary Section Takeaways Database Structure Used Adverse Event Sources How to Make Pharmacovigilance Work Less Manual Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacovigilance Technologies Social Media Use of Social Media to Search for Patient Health Concerns Use of Social Media to Capture Adverse Events Effect on Pharmacovigilance Activities and Budget In-house Pharmacovigilance Employees Personnel STUDY DATA Pharmacovigilance Activities by Process Proportion of Pharmacovigilance Activities Outsourced Pharmacovigilance Activities by Life Cycle Stage Location of In-house Pharmacovigilance Employees Location of Outsourced Pharmacovigilance Personnel Use of Preferred Providers Number of Preferred Providers Currently In 3 Years Case Processing Spend by Organization Type Regulatory Reporting Spend by Organization Type Benefit-Risk Management Spend by Organization Type Use of a Single Pharmacovigilance Provider Outsourcing Frequency by Service Most Important Capabilities for Pharmacovigilance Provider Pharmacovigilance Provider Leaders, Unprompted Other Responses Pharmacovigilance Provider Leaders, Prompted Pharmacovigilance Provider Familiarity Pharmacovigilance Providers to Include in RFP Process Pharmacovigilance Provider Usage Pharmacovigilance Provider Performance Drill-downs Accenture Activa CRO Apcer Life Sciences Ashfield Healthcare, formerly Drug Safety Alliance Bioclinica Chiltern, a Covance company Cognizant Covance Drug Safety Navigator ICON IQVIA, formerly Quintiles Kinapse, a Syneos Health Company Medpace MMS Holdings Navitas Life Sciences NDA Group Oviya Medsafe Parexel PharmaLex PharSafer PPD PRA/RPS Premier Research PrimeVigilance ProPharma Group PROSAR Pharmacovigilance Quanticate RxLogix Sciformix, a Covance company SGS SJ Pharma Consulting Symogen Syneos Health, formerly INC Research and inVentiv Health Tata UBC ZEINCRO Use of Safety Databases and Data Capture Tools Database Performance Drill-downs AB-Cube AgilePV Appian Aris Global ARISg (data capture) EudraVigilance Database Management System EXTEDO FAERS (FDA Adverse Event Reporting System) Genpact, including CommonWealth Informatics Individual Case Safety Reports/ICSR Databases In-house developed database My Meds and me Online Business Applications, Inc., IRMS-AE - Adverse Event Software Oracle Argus Safety (database)/Oracle Empirica (data capture) PharmacoSoftware vigiS3 RxLogix SAS Sparta Systems, TrackWise VigiBase Database Structure Used Adverse Event Sources How to Make Pharmacovigilance Work Less Manual Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacovigilance Technologies Use of Social Media to Search for Patient Health Concerns Use of Social Media to Capture Adverse Events Social Media's Effect on Pharmacovigilance Activities and Budget SJ Pharma Consulting Symogen Syneos Health, formerly INC Research and Budget DEMOGRAPHICS Company Type Company Size Headquarters Location Office Location Job Title Decision-making Responsibility Visibility into Safety Activities Pharmacovigilance/Drug Safety Responsibilities Type of Pharmacovigilance/Drug Safety Responsibilities Pharmacovigilance/Drug Safety Responsibilities by Phase For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wxnvrc Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. A month after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar demanded a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the arrests of writers and activists involved in Elgar Parishad, connecting them to the Bhima-Koregaon violence in Pune on January 1, 2018, the state government on Thursday started reviewing the cases filed by the Pune Police. Besides two charge sheets filed by the police, the government has reportedly asked the Pune Police to reveal the source of the letter allegedly found with arrested activist Rona Wilson, which the police used as key evidence against the activists. The government has also begun the probe into the alleged tapping and snooping of Opposition leaders during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections last year. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and home minister Anil Deshmukh held the first review meeting to take stock of the investigation. The meeting held in the Mantralaya on Thursday was attended by additional chief secretary Sanjay Kumar, director-general of police Subodh Jaiswal, state intelligence commissioner Rashmi Shukla, ACP Shivaji Pawar and special inspector general Ravindra Kadam. Pawar was the investigating officer, while Kadam was the joint commissioner in Pune when the arrests took place. Ajit Pawar and Deshmukh reportedly questioned police officers about the evidence and corroborative documents they had collected while booking the activists, terming them urban naxals. The officers were also asked to justify the charges levelled against the accused in the charge sheets. The government has also told the officers to explain the source of the Wilson letter allegedly speaking of ending Modi-raj. The review meeting held today was not conclusive. We have planned to meet again in the next few days. The police have submitted documents and proofs, including discs collected in the case. We met various delegations representing the social activists and heard them. Most of them told us that the previous government in the state acted against the people who were against their ideology or spoke against them. We are checking if there is any substance in it and the way the investigation is going on, said Deshmukh. He refused to speak about the letter by Wilson and said that the governments stance on the entire episode will be clarified after the review was completed. He said that the decision on the SIT to probe the arrests would be taken if they felt the need. According to an official from the home department, the home minister has told them that if the Pune Police failed to substantiate action in the cases, the government will announce a SIT to probe the role of police officers. Sharad Pawar on December 21 last year had alleged that the action against the activists was vengeful and wrong and needs to be probed by a SIT of retired or serving judges. He had also alleged that a few senior officials from the Pune Police commissionerate had misused their power and needed to be investigated. The Pune Police had in July and August 2018 arrested nine activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave, held on December 31, 2017. The police alleged that the conclave was supported by Maoists and inflammatory speeches made at the event had led to the violence at the Bhima-Koregaon war memorial in the district the next day. Meanwhile, Deshmukh has asked the state police to conduct an investigation to find out whether any government officials were involved in snooping, whether government machinery was used for the same and if an Israeli software was used to snoop on the phones of political leaders. Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh had said last week that a few officials in the Maharashtra government had a deal with an Israel firm for phone tapping. Singh had also demanded a probe by Thackeray government into the tapping and snooping. Digvijayji had said that the phones of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena leaders were tapped by the government during elections and even during the formation of the three-party government. Phone calls of Sharad Pawarsaheb and Sanjay Rautji too were being tapped. Using government machinery for such activities is uncalled for. We have begun the investigation and expect to the report soon, he said SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Phuket restaurant staffer claims B200k lottery ticket stolen in violent mugging PHUKET: Phuket City Police are searching for two men who reportedly robbed a woman staffer at a restaurant in Rassada, allegedly making off with a lottery ticket that entitles the bearer to B200,000 prize money. violencecrimepolice By The Phuket News Thursday 23 January 2020, 03:20PM The attack occurred at the back of the Zaab lai der Isarn food restaurant on Pracha Uthit Rd, in Moo 5, Rassada. Photo: Phuket City Police The men apparently stole only the lottery ticket and B420 in cash. Photo: Phuket City Police Pornthip Chanchaksu, 47, shows police how she managed to free herself after the robbers had fled. Photo: Phuket City Police Capt Kraisorn Phakaree of the Phuket City Police explained that officers were notified of the robbery at 7:30am on Tuesday (Jan 21). Officers responded to the call and soon arrived at the scene, the Zaab lai der Isarn food restaurant on Pracha Uthit Rd, in Moo 5, Rassada, to find the woman, Pornthip Chanchaksu, 47, battered and bruised. Ms Pornthip was exhausted and had bruises on her body, Capt Kraisorn said. She explained that around 11:30pm [Monday night], she went to lock the storeroom when a man who was hiding in the room grabbed her and dragged her into the room. Then a second man, who was also in the room, came out of the dark and punched her in the stomach, Capt Kraisorn explained. She said that both men then tied her hands and gagged her with a piece of cloth. They ordered her to lay on the floor, then they tied her feet and beat her hands and head, making her dazed, he added. Ms Pornthip also told police that the two men stole her shoulder bag, which had a mobile phone, B420 cash and ticket number 456371 for the national lottery draw on January 17, he said. Ms Pornthip told police that she spent the night bound and gagged in the room, and by about 5:30am she had finally managed to untie her feet, Capt Kraisorn added.. She said she walked to the restroom, where she said she had heard the robbers empty her bag and go through her belongings, he noted. Amazingly, her phone was apparently left behind by the robbers. She said her phone was left on a table [in the restroom], so she called a staffer at the ice shop opposite her house to ask them to come and untie her. She then called 191 to inform police, Capt Kraisorn said. The only items reported as stolen by the robbers was the lottery ticket and the B420 cash, he noted. No items were reported as stolen from the restaurant. Ticket number 456371 was the winning ticket for the second prize of lottery draw, entitling the bearer B200,000 (See lottery results here.) Capt Kraisorn declined to confirm whether Ms Pornthip had any substantive proof that she was in possession of the winning ticket before the robbery. However, Phuket City Police Chief Col Theerawat Liamsuwan today confirmed to The Phuket News that police have yet to see any evidence to prove that she in fact was. Regardless, police are now attempting to track down the robbers, Capt Kraisorn said, even though Ms Pornthip was unable to give a description of her attackers to police. She said it was too dark to see them clearly, Capt Kraisorn said. We are now continuing our investigation, and checking CCTV footage in the area to find these two robbers, he said. Christian refugee charged with blasphemy beaten by radical Muslims in grocery store Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Pakistani Christian asylum seeker in hiding in Thailand says he was attacked by a group of radical Muslims at a grocery store two days before Christmas as his family has faced years of hurdles in their quest for resettlement. Faraz Pervaiz, a ministry leader who often posted criticisms of Islam online, fled from Pakistan in 2014 after radical Muslims grew enraged by videos he and his father posted. Following pressure from Muslims groups, the Pakistani government filed a criminal blasphemy case against Pervaiz in 2017. Although Pakistan is known for imprisoning more people for blasphemy than any other country, Pervaiz told The Christian Post that his case is the first instance in the history of Pakistans blasphemy law that the state itself registered a blasphemy case against someone. Additionally, Pervaiz is the subject of two bounties that have radical Muslims in Bangkok eager to cash in on the reward. The first bounty is the equivalent of $62,000 issued by the political party Tahreek-e-Labbaik in Pakistan over a year-and-a-half ago. Then last January, a radical cleric who sympathizes with the Taliban placed a bounty on Pervaizs head equal to about $124,000. Since the location of Pervaizs Bangkok residence was disclosed online last July by a Muslim refugee, he and his family have been subject to increased death threats. Despite years of pleading with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to be resettled, he feels the entity and the international community are failing his family in their time of great need. I am in a situation where we are helpless here, Pervaiz explained in a recent phone interview. Actually it's not the fault of UNHCR. This is the fault of my people, my Christian community. They are not taking any serious measures for our safety. The increased threats against his life came to a head last Dec. 23. Pervaiz said that he was on his way to his parents house when he stopped at a local Indian grocery store to buy sweets for his parents and his four siblings detained at Bangkoks Immigration Detention Centre. When he entered the store, he was confronted by a Muslim refugee he knew named Muhamad. According to Pervaiz, Muhamad had come to him last April to be baptized in the name of Christ. Although Muhamad was baptized in front of the Pervaizs congregation, the baptism turned out to be a ploy by Muhamad to get more intelligence on how Pervaiz and his father were running their ministry. Once Pervaiz entered the store on Dec. 23, he said, Muhamad approached him and said that Pervaiz needed to die because he is blasphemous. He said that no one damaged Islam like [my family has] in the 72 years of in the history of Pakistan, he recalled. After a verbal argument, Muhamad used his cell phone to call fellow Muslims to come to the store so they could attack Pervaiz. In little time, three of Muhamads colleagues arrived. Without wasting any time, immediately they approached the shop while I was picking up the stuff from there, Pervaiz said. They started beating me very hard with the punches. They were like hungry lions. They jumped on me. During the attack, the men pressed down hard on his spine and throat. But with the help of two Christian asylum seekers who entered the store and the elderly shopkeeper, Pervaiz escaped. According to Pervaiz, the men chased him to his car. The car, he said, was gifted to him by a friend who was concerned that he needed a safe way to get around the city without being attacked. As the men beat on the car, Pervaiz drove off. He said he kept driving until he was outside the city. They brutally did their best to kill me, he stressed. I think my head bounty attracted that person. After he fled, two of the Muslim men went to his parents house to harass and threaten the family. They banged the door very [loudly] and they called my father to come out, Pervaiz explained. They said, You and your son, Faraz, we will kill you.' Three of the men that attacked him in the grocery store are also registered with the United Nations as refugees, according to Pervaiz. UNHCRs confidentiality policy does not allow the entity to comment or even confirm the existence of individual asylum cases. Pervaiz was treated at a nearby hospital two days later. According to a medical document issued by the hospital that was obtained by CP, he was treated for an abrasion wound and contusion due to body assault. Although he and his family have been registered with the UNHCR for years now, the family is no closer to being resettled to another country than they were five years ago. Meanwhile, other refugee families are being resettled at a much quicker rate, Pervaiz contended. UNHCR, they never ever helped me to save me and my family, he said. The protection officer in the last conversation he said Your case is very complicated. Pervaiz has reason to believe that a high-level Pakistani government official may have spoken negatively about him in communications to the UNHCR. When he and his parents reached out to UNHCR to report the altercations on Dec. 23, not much help was offered from UNHCR except to suggest that the parents should move to a new residence for safety. UNHCR also compelled Pervaiz to remove 474 videos he posted online that were critical of Islam and offensive to some Muslims, he said. That is my identity. Where is my freedom of expression? he asked. Where is my liberty? Pervaiz hasnt had much luck finding help from various international Christian ministries devoted to helping persecuted Christians. There are many Christian groups where I feel like we are begging and they're ignoring, he said. With his family in limbo, he continues to speak out publicly about his case in hopes it will produce better results for those in Pakistan whose blasphemy cases are ongoing. I want to be their voice because their cases are scant like mine, he said. Despite the trials and tribulations, Pervaiz still holds hope that his familys situation will improve. I believe when the Christian world reads this article and pray, God will make a way for me as He did with the Israelites in the time of Exodus, he stated. I believe something is going to happen. We believe in miracles. God is going to do it in Jesus name. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, Raj Thackeray has said that the party will take out a huge rally on February 9 in Mumbai to drive "illegal infiltrators" from Pakistan and Bangladesh, out of India. Thackeray addressed a public meeting during 'Maha Adhiveshan' (mega meeting) at the NESCO Ground here on Thursday. "We will take out a huge rally on February 9 to drive illegal infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh, out of India. There can be a debate on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but why should we shelter someone who has come from outside illegally?" Thackeray said. "I will meet the state Home Minister or Chief Minister over some issues. Muslim clerics in India go to other countries, nobody knows what do they do, even the police can't go there," he added. Raj Thackeray-led MNS yesterday launched its new party flag, ahead of its day-long Maha adhiveshan (mega meeting). The new saffron-coloured flag of the party also features Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's, Raj Mudra. Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray has also been inducted into the party, today. In December last year, Raj Thackeray had said that the illegal immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh should be thrown out of the country irrespective of their religion. He had said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is uncalled for as it will increase the burden on India which is allegedly not able to cater to the needs of its own people. "India is not Dharamshala. People coming from Bangladesh and Pakistan should be thrown out. India had not taken the contract of humanity," Raj Thackeray had said while addressing a press conference in Pune. As per the reports, there has been speculation that the BJP will support Raj Thackeray in rebranding his party after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and NCP to form a government in Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 18:37:53|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian wildlife authorities have captured 11 out of 16 lions that strayed from the Serengeti National Park and wreaked havoc on residents in the areas, an official said on Thursday. Edwin Njimbi, a senior official with the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA), said the captured lions that terrorized the villages were being kept in a special cage. "Game officials with TAWA are still making progress to capture the remaining five lions," Njimbi told the Serengeti district defense and security committee in Mara region. He said the task to capture the lions was being conducted by TAWA in collaboration with the Tanzania National Parks and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute. Njimbi said the lions raided villages neighboring the Serengeti National Park, endangering the lives of the villagers and killing their domestic animals. The official said the wild animals raided the villages from November 2019 to January 2020 when authorities decided to capture them. Alphonce Msigwa, an ecologist with the Burigi-Chato National Park in northwest Tanzania, said the captured lions will be relocated to the park after 14 days of their capture. Nurdin Babu, the Serengeti district commissioner, thanked the wildlife authorities for containing the lions that have been causing sleepless nights to villagers in the areas. Click the picture to watch the video. Strict measures have been taken to prevent and control the spread of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as China strengthens transparency and cooperation with the international community. WUHAN/BEIJING, January 22 (Xinhua) China is going all out to fight against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has claimed nine lives and infected hundreds of people. By the end of Tuesday, 440 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 13 provincial-level regions in the country, said the National Health Commission. Altogether 149 new confirmed cases were reported Tuesday. Li Bin (C), Deputy Director of the National Health Commission, speaks at a press conference on new coronavirus pneumonia in Beijing, capital of China, January 22, 2020. [Xinhua] The virus had resulted in nine deaths, all in central China's Hubei Province. In the province's capital city of Wuhan, the main battlefield, a total of 258 confirmed cases were reported by the end of Monday. Among them, 25 had been cured and discharged from hospitals, while 227 were still being treated in hospitals, including 63 in severe or critical conditions. The pathogen, first discovered in Wuhan in December, has become a major concern during the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush, when hundreds of millions of people travel in packed buses, trains and planes to celebrate the Spring Festival that falls on Jan. 25 this year. Resolute Efforts to Contain Spreading China is sparing no effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus-related pneumonia, rolling out a host of measures. Chinese leaders have ordered resolute efforts to curb the spread of the virus, calling for putting people's safety and health as the top priority and taking effective measures to curb the spread of the virus. The Hubei provincial government activated a level II public health emergency response on Tuesday, the second highest in the country. A headquarters headed by the Mayor Zhou Xianwang was established in Wuhan on Monday for the control and treatment of pneumonia. The city has tightened the control and monitoring of outbound travelers by banning tour groups and conducting spot checks for live poultry or wild animals in vehicles leaving and entering the city, according to the municipal health commission. Free diagnosis and treatment of cases are being offered in Wuhan. A medical worker takes a passenger's body temperature at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, January 22, 2020. [Xinhua] The Chinese government has classified the outbreak as a category-B infectious disease, the same as SARS, but vowed to take preventive and control measures of a category-A infectious disease. "When a new virus comes out, it takes time for scientists to study it. Based on the experience gained from the SARS outbreak, dealing with it with measures used for category-A infectious diseases is more conducive to controlling infection sources and conducting isolation treatment for patients," said Ning Qin, Head of the infection department at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan. Though people-to-people transmission of the virus has been confirmed, Zhong Nanshan, a renowned respiratory expert, said the current outbreak is still in the early stage of rapid change. "The current outbreak is concentrated in the city of Wuhan and is sporadic in other places, meaning it is still a regional outbreak," said Zhong, who also heads a high-level expert team of the National Health Commission. Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and a member of the expert team, said the ongoing outbreak can be reversed if proper measures are taken now. The whole nation has quickly gone into action to stay alert. In about two weeks, scientists identified the novel coronavirus. Kits that help facilitate diagnosis have been given to medical institutions across the country. China has released the whole genome sequencing of the novel coronavirus to help scientists and health authorities worldwide develop diagnostic kits and study the viral pathogenicity. "The information is very transparent," said Gao Wei, who was buying masks in Anhui Province. "I work in a hotel and have contact with many people at work. My family has urged me to buy masks." A thermal detector at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, January 22, 2020. [Xinhua] Chen Fangcui, 55, is a native of Jiangsu Province in east China. Her family has traveled more than 2,000 km to the southern island of Hainan, to celebrate the Spring Festival. They bought some 50 surgical masks before departure following experts' advice. "Most of the passengers we saw at the airports were wearing masks. People's awareness has improved," she said. Despite the dark shadow cast by the epidemic, Chinese people are still celebrating the upcoming Spring Festival in good spirits. "I just bought a new house in Nanjing this year, so I will take my parents there for Lunar New Year's Eve, and we will go back home together the next day," said 29-year-old Yang Anpei in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu. "My greatest wish for the new year is that everyone in the family would be healthy and safe. I also hope that the epidemic will soon be curbed and the patients healed as soon as possible," said Yang. Transparency and Cooperation Hubei provincial authorities said Tuesday it would strengthen information disclosure, make public the epidemic situation, treatment and prevention progress in a timely and open manner, and resolutely eliminate any cover-up, delay or false reporting of infection cases. Besides China, infections of the virus have been reported in the United States, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan. Experts say that the average incubation period of the virus is seven days, with the longest reaching 12 days before symptoms develop. A press conference on new coronavirus pneumonia is held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing, capital of China, January 22, 2020. [Xinhua] Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday that with an open, transparent and highly responsible attitude toward global health and safety, Chinese authorities have promptly reported the outbreak information to the WHO and relevant countries and regions, and shared the information on the gene sequence of the coronavirus. China will attend relevant World Health Organization meetings and is willing to join hands with the international community to deal with the outbreak of the virus, Geng said. (Source: Xinhua) Full Audience as Fireside Event Challenges Gender Stereotyping in Storytelling The Ministry of Equalitys fireside chat event 'Discussing the effects of gender stereotypes in fairy tales', attracted a full audience at the Garrison Library. The event aimed to provoke discussion and encourage submissions to the Modern Fairy Tales short story competition. Introduced by the Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento MP, and moderated by Nicky Guerrero, the event began with presentations before the audience were invited to actively participate in an open discussion. The Ministry of Equalitys Policy Officer, Marlene Dalli contextualised gender stereotyping and its dangers before the Librarian at Westside and Bayside Schools, Kimberly Pecino, gave a detailed insight into the history of gender roles in storytelling. Questions from the audience were then invited before the discussion evolved naturally into an open conversation amongst attendees. The diverse audience included established authors, aspiring writers, teachers and students. A range of interesting insights were offered over the course of an hour, touching on themes such as nuanced character development, avoiding the creation of new stereotypes and the role of storytelling in childrens education. Minister for Equality, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, said: I am delighted by the response to this event which shows that there is an appetite for these discussions locally. I am particularly encouraged by the diverse nature of attendees which included teenagers, young adults and adults and which also saw a healthy representation of men and women. Not only was the event very well attended but the discussion was both meaningful and substantive. Whilst the starting and central point was the effects of gender stereotypes in fairy tales the discussion was quite varied and explored a number of key issues. The aim of this event and of the short story competition is to promote diversity and inclusion and to challenge gender stereotypes which can prevent children from reaching their full potential. I would like to take this opportunity to remind the general public that the deadline for the short story competition is Monday 3rd February. I look forward to reading the winning entries. The deadline for entries to the Modern Fairy Tales short story competition is Monday 3rd February. Australians are being begged to turn down their air conditioning in a desperate attempt to save energy as the blistering heat threatens to cripple the grid. As temperatures hit 41C in Sydney's CBD on Thursday, the New South Wales Energy Minister Matt Kean asked residents to turn off all 'unnecessary appliances'. He issued the alert on Twitter, explaining that extensive fire damage as well as adverse weather had led to a 'tight conditions'. It comes just weeks after thousands of NSW residents were plunged into darkness after fire ravaged key power lines in the Snowy Mountains. Australia suffered sweltering temperatures on Thursday (pictured) with everywhere coloured purple enduring 37C conditions or worse Energy Minister Matt Kean issued the alert on Twitter (pictured) warning NSW residents to reduce their electricity usage 'Alert: weather conditions, fire damage to transmission and mechanical issues at some power stations led to tight conditions in the electricity system,' the MP wrote. 'Asking community to help reduce demand between 4-8pm by turning off pool pumps, unnecessary appliances and turning up aircon to 24C.' The state experienced scorching temperatures on Thursday which were expected to continue throughout the night. Conditions are expected to ease on Friday with highs of 28C, but not before the temperature does serious damage to the bushfire effort. Thanks to the treacherous conditions, the Box Hill and Nelson fire is burning just 40km from Sydney's CBD. NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean (pictured) made the plea on Twitter, asking people not to use unnecessary appliances such as pool pumps Residents in the Hills District have been told there is still a heightened level of threat to homes and to remain vigilant. Firefighters have also issued an emergency warning for a fire at Big Jack Mountain Road in Rocky Hall, an area in the Bega Valley, and the Adaminably Complex, in Snowy Monaro. 'If you're in Mt Durragh, Rocky Hall or Wyndham areas, your plan is to leave or you're not prepared, leave now towards Pambula. Leave only if path clear,' NSW RFS wrote on Twitter. Conditions had eased for several days, allowing firefighters to contain many huge blazes. Sydneysiders took to the water at Balmoral Beach (pictured) on Thursday to try and keep cool The Box Hill and Nelson fire is burning just 40km from Sydney's CBD, and could prove a threat to nearby homes But now many are on alert yet again. An out-of-control fire at Piallago Ave in the ACT and the Clyde Mountain fire at Eurobodalla also reached emergency level. Due to the conditions Canberra Airport has been closed, with no flights arriving or departing. 'Fire activity is increasing in area south of Araluen Rd. If you are in the Merricumbene & Deua Valley area, you are at risk. Seek shelter as fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat of fire,' NSW RFS wrote. NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Ben Shepherd said low humidity and north westerly winds had firefighters bracing for a very dangerous day. The fire on Kallaroo Road in Pialligo by Canberra Airport continued to burn overnight before reaching emergency level on Thursday (pictured) 'There is a broad area of severe and very high fire danger and areas of extreme fire danger,' he said. Temperatures were expected to reach 40C in Nowra on the South Coast on Thursday, 43C in Penrith in Sydney's west, 41C in Cessnock in the Hunter region and 42C in Bulahdelah on the mid-north coast. Increased fire danger is a result of damaging winds in the NSW south-east, with 96km/h at Cooma and Bombala, 95km/h at Nerriga, 91km/h at Goulburn and 83km/h in Canberra. The surge in temperature comes after days of rainfall across the entire east coast of Australia. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) A 24-year-old flight attendant in self-quarantine was discharged from the hospital after being confined overnight. The unidentified cabin crew of Royal Air Charter Service went to a private doctor for checkup on Tuesday because of her cough, Aklan Provincial Health Officer Cornelio Cuachon said Wednesday. The stewardess had a history of travel to Wuhan -- the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus originated. The private clinic then referred the patient to the Aklan Provincial Hospital as part of protocol in handling suspected cases of the new coronavirus, Cuachon said. No other crew and passenger in the flight which arrived Tuesday morning at the Kalibo International Airport exhibited symptoms of a respiratory illness, he added. Cuachon also confirmed that another batch of passengers on board Royal Air Charter Service flight from Wuhan arrived early Thursday. So far, airport authorities did not refer any passenger aboard that flight for hospital care. It means no one was detected by thermal scanner for having fever, the health officer said. The death toll from the novel coronavirus called 2019-nCov has risen to 17, as over 500 more cases were reported across China, the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Macao and Taiwan, sparking fears of a possible pandemic, CNN reported. There is no confirmed case yet of 2019-nCov in the Philippines, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. The gaming company gave $38,500 to the Strategic Campaign Group team through a fake contract for political work, according to court records. That money was then funneled to Waltz through various conduits. ONeil, Mackenzie and Rogers all gave Waltz the maximum allowed individual contribution of $2,700. They wrote checks from the Strategic Campaign Group bank account to reimburse several others who also gave Waltz as much money as possible. A man has been rushed to hospital after he shot himself in the groin. An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia paramedics were called to a property in Mooroolbark, north-east of Melbourne, at 6am on Wednesday. The 35-year-old had been carrying the home-made gun down his pants when he shot himself in the groin area, according to news.com.au. The 35-year-old had been carrying the home-made gun down his pants when he shot himself in the groin area (stock) Only one round is believed to have been fired from the gun. He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting. 'Investigators have been told two men were at a property on Blackburn Road when a firearm was discharged just after 6am,' police said in a statement. 'One of the men, a 35-year-old Collingwood man was shot and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 'The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be determined however police are not treating the incident as suspicious.' This article is part of David Leonhardts newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday. First: House Democrats had another good day at the impeachment trial yesterday. They made a calm, clear case about how President Trump has undermined the national interest. Justin Amash, an independent member of Congress (and former Republican) from Michigan: Based on my experience with Republican colleagues in the House, I suspect that many Senate Republicans are hearing the facts of this case for the first time. Susan Glasser, The New Yorker: To anyone who had followed the House impeachment proceedings, it wasnt new, but it was frequently eloquent, appalling, and dramatic to hear the alarming facts of the case laid out all over again. New Delhi: Bal Keshav Thackeray, popularly known as Balasaheb Thackeray, is remembered today (January 23) on his 94th birth anniversary. Founder of the Shiv Sena- the ruling party now in Maharashtra, Balasaheb was also known as Tiger and Hindu Hriday Samraat (Emperor of Hindu Hearts) among his supporters. Let's have a look at his life and times, and explore some lesser-known facts about him. Balasaheb was born in Pune on January 23, 1926. His father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray 'Prabodhankar' belonged to the Marathi Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu. Bal was the eldest of eight siblings, among them being brothers Shrikant Thackeray (father of Raj Thackeray) and Ramesh Thackeray, and five sisters. A charismatic and powerful leader, Balasaheb Thackeray began his career as a cartoonist in the Free Press Journal in Mumbai, and his cartoons were also published in the Sunday edition of The Times of India. Live TV Balasaheb was inspired by his father Keshav Thackeray, who was a journalist and cartoonist by profession. He was an integral part of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement that advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state of Maharashtra. In 1960, Balasaheb launched the cartoon weekly 'Marmik' with his brother and used it to campaign against the influence of non-Marathi people in Mumbai especially targeting Gujaratis and South Indians. Following the footsteps of his father, he founded Shiv Sena in Maharashtra in 1966. Thackeray used to say that the Shiv Sena was not a political party, but an army of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A vocal supporter of Hindutva, he appealled to all Hindus to break the linguistic barrier and come together to form a Hindu Rashtra. He also appreciated Germany's fascist rule Hitler for being an artist, but criticised him for the killing of Jews. Balasaheb was also a vocal critic of Sonia Gandhis entry into politics, stating that it will be better to hand back the country to British rather than her ruling the country. Balasaheb Thackeray's annual address at Mumbai's Shivaji Park was popular among his followers. He died on November 12, 2012, due to a cardiac arrest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid homage to Bal Thackeray on his 94th birth anniversary, calling him courageous and indomitable. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his Jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare." Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his Jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare. He always remained proud of Indian ethos and values. He continues to inspire millions. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020 The Prime Minister said Balasaheb continues to inspire millions and always "remained proud of Indian ethos and values". PM Modi's tribute to Bal Thackeray comes amid major ideological differences between the BJP and its former ally Shiv Sena. I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star Ryan Gallagher has set hearts racing while braving the terrors of the South African jungle. And fans copped more than they bargained for on Thursday, when a naked snap of the 31-year-old was shared to Instagram. In the raunchy photo, Ryan is seen standing in a waterfall in the jungle completely naked, with a black fedora covering his modesty. Oh, my! IAC's Ryan Gallagher, 31, (pictured) flaunted his bulging biceps and heavily tattooed chest while posing naked in the South African jungle in a shot shared to Instagram on Thursday Ryan's bulging biceps were on full display in the snap, along with his heavily-tattooed washboard abs. The former Married At First Sight star's was beaming, with his medium-length hair soaked from the waterfall. The racy snap was used to promote the reality TV star, with the caption encouraging fans to vote for him via the show's telephone lines. Keep still! IAC viewers will remember the raunchy shot being taken by comedian and co-star Nikki Osborne, while she and Ryan were in the jungle together 'He's just a guy, standing in front of Australia (naked), asking you to save him!' the caption read. The saucy shot was from the jungle, with it taken by comedian Nikki Osborne on Monday last week prior to her eviction. Nikki took the photo in a memorable episode of the series on a Polaroid camera, with her also revealing her 'Bond girl' figure in a skimpy white swimsuit. That's cheeky! Ryan happily posed for the snap for co-star Nikki, who took it on a Polaroid while the pair went for a swim in the South African jungle During the swim together, Ryan joked about his romance with co-star and former Geordie Shore cast member, Charlotte Crosby. Later, hunky Ryan joked to his campmates: 'That photo is going on Charlotte's bed... Charlotte's bedhead.' Despite not even being out of the jungle yet, Ryan and Charlotte have battled speculation they are faking the romance for the cameras. Genuine: 'It's definitely what you see. There's a relationship building, they'll probably come out as boyfriend and girlfriend,' evicted campmate Erin Barnett said of Ryan's romance Newly evicted camp mate Erin Barnett, however, revealed to Now To Love on Thursday that the pair are 'definitely together'. 'It's definitely what you see. There's a relationship building, they'll probably come out as boyfriend and girlfriend,' she told the publication. She said at times the pair's budding relationship gets annoying, especially with other campmates missing their own partners. I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues Thursday at 7.30pm on Ten WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Thursday ended federal protection for many of the nations millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, a sweeping environmental rollback that could leave the waterways more vulnerable to pollution from development, industry and farms. The policy change, signed by heads of the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, narrows the types of waterways that qualify for federal protection under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. Since his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has targeted environmental and public health regulations that he says imposed unnecessary burdens on business. Speaking to farmers in Texas on Sunday, Trump repeated his frequent charge that an Obama-era attempt in 2015 to more clearly define what water bodies qualify for federal pollution protection was one of the most ridiculous regulations of all. Thursdays changes to the clean water rule have long been sought by builders, oil and gas developers, farmers and others. But environmental groups and public-health advocates say the rollback will allow businesses to dump pollutants into newly federally unprotected waterways and fill in some wetlands, threatening public water supplies downstream and harming wildlife and habitat. EPA head Andrew Wheeler told reporters Thursday that states were still free to step in with state protections of newly vulnerable waterways if they chose. Our rule protects the environment and our waterways while respecting the rights of states and property owners, Wheeler said. The rollback of the clean-water enforcement strikes the proper balance between Washington, D.C. and the states, he said. Brett Hartl, a government affairs director with the Center for Biological Diversity conservation advocacy group, called the changes a sickening gift to polluters. The administrations action will allow wetlands, streams and rivers across a vast stretch of America to be obliterated with pollution, Hartl said, contending the rollback would speed extinction for dozens of endangered species. People and wildlife need clean water to thrive. Destroying half of our nations streams and wetlands will be one of Trumps ugliest legacies. The Trump rule narrows the Obama administrations 2015 definition of whats a protected body of water and effectively removes safeguards for some waterways that had been put into place with the 1972 Clean Water Act. The administration says the changes would allow farmers to plow their fields without fear of unintentionally straying over the banks of a federally protected dry creek, bog or ditch. But the governments own figures show it is real estate developers and those in other nonfarm business sectors that take out the most permits for impinging on wetlands and waterways, and stand to reap the biggest regulatory and financial relief. Environmental groups said the draft version of the rule released earlier would have lifted federal protections for roughly half of the nations wetlands and one-fifth of the millions of miles of waterways. The administration challenges that estimate and says it is not possible to come up with a solid figure for how much of the nations surface water will be affected. One of the biggest changes applies to so-called ephemeral waters - creeks and rivers that run only after rainfalls or snow melt. Such streams provide a majority of the water for some dry Western states, including New Mexico. Thats a huge rollback from way before Obama, before Reagan, said Blan Holman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. New Mexico officials have particular concerns given that the Rio Grande, which provides drinking water and irrigation supplies for millions of people in the Southwest and Mexico, depends largely on the types of intermittent streams, creeks and wetlands that could lose protection under the rule draft released earlier. The Rio Grande is one of North Americas longest rivers. In a statement, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called the new rule an absolute disaster for the states water resources. Another key change removes federal protections for wetlands deemed not directly connected to a major waterway. Geoff Gisler, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said it appears millions of acres of the wetlands on the Southeastern coast alone vital buffers against flooding and climate change would lose protections, as would so-called prairie pothole wetlands in the middle of the country, and others. The final rule will be published in the Federal Register in the next few days and become effective 60 days after that. Environmental groups and some states are promising legal challenges. But Gisler fears developers and others will take Thursdays announcement as a signal, and move quickly - get the bulldozers lined up, and day 61 fill in streams amd wetlands, he said. In South Dakota, farmer Arlen Foster said Thursday that many farmers believe that wetlands restrictions went too far even before the EPA adopted the 2015 Obama-era rule. And EPA isnt the only agency that can affect farmers use of their land, he said. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2017 rejected his petition challenging an Agriculture Department system that determined a small tract of his land was a wetland. He had argued that repeated snow melt led to standing water. These issues illustrate that ... regulations got out of hand and have gone too far, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Susan Montoya in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report. As we approach year three of the pandemic, its safe to say weve learned to be more cautious and flexible with our plans. And with the omicro You are here: Business Vendors should not hike prices of masks, according to Alibaba's shopping site Taobao. Taobao sent the message to all vendors on the online marketplace via a notice on Wednesday. The company said it has launched official subsidies to make sure consumers will be able to purchase masks at reasonable prices. Both Taobao and Tmall marketplaces have sufficient masks. Delivery services will continue during the Spring Festival, according to Taobao. New coronavirus-related pneumonia cases have created buying craze for masks in China. The Chinese city Wuhan has taken a string of measures to tighten the control and monitoring of outbound travelers in an effort to curb the spread of new coronavirus-related pneumonia. The Norwegian government can hand out oil drilling licences in the Arctic, a court has decided. The court ruling dealt a second blow to environmental groups that had filed a lawsuit against further drilling in the Barents Sea. Broken sea ice photographed from a plane near Svalbard (David Cheskin/PA) An appeals court in Norway on Thursday upheld a ruling that acquitted the government against charges from Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic that drilling for oil and gas in Arctic waters would violate the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Norwegian constitution. The Norwegian government argued the allotments have been dealt with several times in Parliament and warned against tipping the balance of power between elected officials and the justice system. By Express News Service PATNA: Poll strategist and senior JD-U leader Prashant Kishor challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to go ahead and implement the CAA and the NRC on Wednesday. Why dont you go ahead and implement the CAA and the NRC in chronology? he tweeted. Kishor was the first from the JD-U who had raised voice against the party supporting the CAA. Being dismissive of citizens dissent could not be the sign of strength of any Govt (sic), he tweeted. Later, Bihar BJPs spokesperson Nikhil Anand said Kishors remark was embarrassing, indecent, indecorous and non-political. Kishors behaviour is not political at all but purely commercial, he said. Going a step further, the BJP spokesperson went on to dub Kishor a political broker. The sun sets in Bangkok sky shrouded by thick smog on January 21st. (Photo: bangkokpost.com) The proposal was unveiled by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha following a cabinet meeting in Narathiwat province. Prayut said only public transport services will be allowed to use the roads during a ban. However the draconian measure would only be employed on a case-by-case basis to avoid an unnecessarily negative impact. He stressed that traffic emissions are the primary source of PM2.5, followed by biomass burning and industrial emissions. Therefore, the government has begun working on a long-term master plan to combat pollution which includes the development of electric rail network and replacing diesel-powered public buses with electric ones. Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa, said if measures against lorries emitting black smoke prove to be insufficient, personal cars could be targeted next as 72 percent of the PM2.5 dust particles come from traffic emissions. Thick and unhealthy smog has plagued various localities in Thailand from the beginning of the month. According to the Pollution Control Department, as of 6pm on January 21st, PM2.5 ranged from 71 to 86 microgrammes per cubic metre in several areas of Bangkok, while the highest level nationally was 99 microgrammes per cubic metre in Na Phralan commune in Chaloam Phrakiat district of Saraburi./. A British doctor who failed to return from a hike while on holiday in the French Alps may have died from an existing medical condition, an inquest heard - with investigators finding no evidence of a fall. Robert Bailey, who worked as a GP and senior partner at Minster Medical Practice in Peterborough, had a history of diabetes and high blood pressure and had suffered a mini-stroke in 2016, Thursday's hearing in Huntingdon was told. The 63-year-old's body was found on April 16 2019, four weeks after he went for a hike on his own in Les Houches in Chamonix. Cambridgeshire's Assistant Coroner Simon Milburn concluded the experienced hiker died of natural causes. Dr Bailey's friend Paul Van Den Bent, who is also a doctor, said in a statement to French police that they had been on holiday together. British doctor Robert Bailey, pictured left, and right on the slopes, went missing in March last year after deciding to go on a solo hike in Les Houches, Chamonix, Switzerland The Cambridgeshire assistant coroner said today that Bailey (pictured) likely died due to a previous health condition. The family GP has suffered a mini-stroke and had a history of diabetes He said it was the fifth time they had holidayed together, and that 'experienced walker' Dr Bailey decided to go on a solo hike as others in the group went to ski. Dr Bailey said he intended to complete a hiking route he had previously done, but in the opposite direction, said Dr Van Den Bent. Dr Bailey parted ways from the rest of the group at 9.15am on March 21 2019 and called them in the afternoon. 'He told me he had a magnificent day,' said Dr Van Den Bent. He said he believed Dr Bailey said he would be back in 30 minutes, though may have said he would call again in 30 minutes. A map showing the location of the Col de Forclaz mountain pass where the British medic vanished after setting out on a hike last year After Dr Bailey did neither, Dr Van Den Bent asked the hotel to call mountain rescue and the next day they formed four groups to search the mountain. A French investigation report said Dr Bailey's body was found in water in a 'steep, secluded area' on April 16 with his snow shoes found nearby. It said that neither his body nor clothing had 'trauma or rips that would be the consequence of a fall'. A post-mortem examination concluded that Dr Bailey's medical cause of death was unascertainable, noting that his body was severely decomposed by the time it was recovered. The pathologist found there were no signs of external trauma and that it was 'likely' that Dr Bailey died of natural causes. He said it was impossible to recover samples to see if Dr Bailey had suffered a diabetic episode. Coroner Mr Milburn said that Dr Bailey was an 'experienced walker who was well-equipped on the day in question'. He said that his glasses were in-tact and he was still wearing them. 'The most likely reason for Robert's death is it was a natural event,' said Mr Milburn. 'There's evidence he suffered from a number of medical conditions. 'It's more likely than not that this was a natural event and natural disease or a condition that ultimately led to his death.' Mr Milburn offered his condolences to Dr Bailey's widow, two children and other family members who attended the inquest. Emergency measures must be implemented by Myanmar to end what has been described as a genocidal campaign against Rohingya Muslims, the International Court of Justice has ruled in a first victory for the countrys accusers. Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the court found the Rohingya remain at serious risk of genocide. The panel of 17 judges unanimously supported imposing measures on Myanmar to ensure its military do not commit acts of genocide, and take measures to prevent killings and serious harm to the Rohingya. Myanmar was ordered to preserve any evidence of crimes that could be used by the court in later hearings and to report to the court on all measures it had been ordered to take within four months, and then report every six months as the case moves through the UNs highest court. The court added its order was binding and creates international legal obligations on Myanmar. Rohingya crisis in photos Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya refugees are reflected in rain water along an embankment next to paddy fields after fleeing from Myanmar into Palang Khali, near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh November REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya refugees scramble for aid at a camp in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Betel leaves cover the face of 11-month-old Rohingya refugee Abdul Aziz whose wrapped body lay in his family shelter after he died battling high fever and severe cough at the Balukhali refugee camp near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, December REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos An exhausted Rohingya refugee fleeing violence in Myanmar cries for help from others crossing into Palang Khali, near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh November REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Mohammed Shoaib, 7, who was shot in his chest before crossing the border from Myanmar in August, is held by his father outside a medical centre near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya refugees try to take shelter from torrential rain as they are held by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after illegally crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya refugee children fly improvised kites at the Kutupalong refugee camp near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Smoke is seen on the Myanmar border as Rohingya refugees walk on the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos People gather under heavy rain around bodies of Rohingya refugees after the boat they were using to flee violence in Myanmar capsized off Inani Beach near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos The remains of a burned Rohingya village is seen in this aerial photograph near Maungdaw, north of Rakhine State, Myanmar REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya refugees cross the Naf River with an improvised raft to reach to Bangladesh in Teknaf, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos A security officer attempts to control Rohingya refugees waiting to receive aid in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Hamida, a Rohingya refugee woman, weeps as she holds her 40-day-old son after he died as their boat capsized before arriving on shore in Shah Porir Dwip, Teknaf, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos Rohingya siblings fleeing violence hold one another as they cross the Naf River along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Palong Khali, near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh REUTERS Rohingya crisis in photos An exhausted Rohingya refugee woman touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh September Reuters Human rights activists welcomed the unanimous decision. The ICJ order to Myanmar to take concrete steps to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya is a landmark step to stop further atrocities against one of the worlds most persecuted people, said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director of New York-based Human Rights Watch. Concerned governments and UN bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward. Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty Internationals South Asia regional director, said: Todays decision sends a message to Myanmars senior officials: the world will not tolerate their atrocities, and will not blindly accept their empty rhetoric on the reality in Rakhine State today. An estimated 600,000 Rohingya who remain there are routinely and systematically denied their most basic rights. They face a real risk of further atrocities. Myanmar must comply with the ICJs ruling and take immediate action to cease ongoing violations against the community and to prevent the destruction of evidence. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto leader, admitted war crimes may have been committed but denied genocide in an article published hours before the ruling. In an opinion piece published in the Financial Times, Ms Suu Kyi claimed refugees had exaggerated the extent of abuses against them ans said Myanmar was the victim of unsubstantiated narratives by human rights groups and UN investigators. Myanmars crackdown on the Muslim minority saw some 730,000 flee in just two years, forcing them into squalid camps in across the border in Bangladesh. Gambia, which is bringing the case against Myanmar at The Hague on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), asked for Thursdays emergency ruling in order to immediately halt any ongoing persecution of the Rohingya, and to preserve possible evidence of genocide. At hearings last month, lawyers for Gambia used maps, satellite images and graphic photos to outline what they called a coordinated campaign of murder, rape and destruction designed to drive the Rohingya out of the western Rakhine state, which has been their home for generations. Myanmar does not deny there was some wrongdoing by its military, but it frames them as an unfortunate result of a necessary armed response to repeated attacks on infrastructure by Rohingya militant groups. A report produced days ago by an independent commission set up by Myanmars government found evidence of war crimes but no indication of an intent to commit genocide crucial for such a charge. A full ruling on the charge of genocide could take years and is unlikely to be derailed by the Myanmar commissions report, which Human Rights Watch described as what would have been expected from a non-transparent investigation by a politically skewed set of commissioners working closely with the Myanmar government. Ms Suu Kyi appeared at the International Court of Justice hearings last month to defend the military that once held her under house arrest for 15 years, earning her a now-shattered reputation as a pro-democracy icon and the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She told judges the mass exodus of Rohingya to Bangladesh was to be regretted, but said it followed coordinated and comprehensive armed attacks by militants. She urged judges to drop the genocide case and allow Myanmars military justice system to deal with any abuses. But Paul Reichler, a lawyer for Gambia, cited a UN fact-finding mission that found military clearance operations in Rakhine state spared nobody. Mothers, infants, pregnant women, the old and infirm. They all fell victim to this ruthless campaign, he said. Gambias justice minister Aboubacarr Tambadou, one of the figures instrumental to bringing the ICJ case, had urged the court to act immediately and tell Myanmar to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity that continue to shock our collective conscience, to stop this genocide of its own people. As far as the Rohingya themselves are concerned, the threat from Myanmar is still very much real. They mostly live in the cramped, sprawling tented homes of Coxs Bazar, in what has become the largest refugee camp in the world. Yet despite a lack of education and work prospects in the camps, they have rebuffed repeated attempts to agree terms for them to return to Rakhine, saying they still do not feel safe going back. It is just possible todays ruling might, if implemented, alleviate some of their fears. The key witness against President Trumps former confidant and political mentor Roger Stone has written a highly unusual letter to a federal judge asking her not to sentence Stone to prison. The witness, Randy Credico, a left-wing activist, comedian and radio talk show host, and a one-time friend of Stone whose testimony was crucial to the governments case, told U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson that he had testimony that might have helped Stones defense, but he wasnt asked about it at the trial. In charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, Stone was convicted in November on seven counts of lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering relating to his efforts to find out and report to the Trump campaign what documents WikiLeaks was planning to release during the closing weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. He is due to be sentenced by Berman on Feb. 20 and is theoretically facing more than 50 years in prison, although as a first-time convicted felon he is likely to get far less than that. Randy Credico, a New York radio host and associate of Roger Stone, outside federal court in Washington, D.C., September 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images) The witness-tampering charge, which carries the most serious penalty, was based on threatening text messages Stone sent to Credico warning him not to be a rat or a stoolie. But Credico is asking Jackson not to incarcerate him at all, saying he never actually felt threatened by Stone. I am writing to respectfully yet fervently implore you not to send Roger Stone to prison when he is sentenced before your Honor, Credico wrote in a letter that was delivered to Judge Jackson on Wednesday and was also sent to Stones lawyers and federal prosecutors. A copy of the letter was also shared with Yahoo News. Roger Stone certainly rubs a lot of people the wrong way, particularly those on the receiving end of his wee hour low brow character attacks, Credico added. Stone enjoys playing adolescent mind games and pulling off juvenile stunts, gags and pranks. He shamelessly invents and promotes outlandish and invidious conspiracy tales. Story continues Roger Stone, a former adviser to President Trump, leaves court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15 after being found guilty of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) But, Credico wrote, the bottom line is Mr. Stone, at his core, is an insecure person who craves and recklessly pursues attention. ... Prison is no remedy. Its one of the most unusual sentencing letters Ive ever been involved in crafting, said Martin Stolar, a veteran criminal defense lawyer who represents Credico and helped him write the letter. This is a rare occasion when a witness for the prosecution comes out and says, the guy I helped convict shouldnt go to prison. It also buoyed Stones lawyers efforts to keep their client, a 67-year-old self-styled dirty trickster, from going to jail. We are happy with Mr. Credicos correspondence to the judge, said Grant Smith, a member of Stones legal team. The letter speaks for itself. Credico spent two days on the witness stand last fall, disputing Stones testimony to Congress that he was Stones backchannel to Julian Assange, the source of confirmation that WikiLeaks was about to release documents that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton. WikiLeaks did, in fact, release such material emails stolen by Russian military intelligence hackers from the Gmail account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta beginning on Oct. 7, 2016. But there is no evidence that either Stone or Credico had inside knowledge of WikiLeaks actual plans. Credico was also key to the most serious charge against Stone witness tampering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. (The five counts of lying to Congress on which Stone was also convicted each carry a maximum sentence of five years. Another count, obstruction of proceeding, has a maximum sentence of eight years.) The witness-tampering count was based on menacing messages Stone sent to Credico in April 2018 after the comedian publicly disputed Stones claim that he was his secret intermediary to Assange. You are a rat. A stoolie, he wrote in one email. Prepare to die [expletive], Stone wrote in another. Stone also appeared to threaten Credicos service dog, Bianca, saying he would take that dog away from you. New York radio host Randy Credico with his service dog, Bianca, after appearing before special counsel Robert Muellers grand jury in Washington, D.C., September 2018. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP) Under cross-examination, Credico was asked by one of Stones lawyers, Robert Buschel, if he ever thought Stone was going to steal or harm Bianca the dog. Credico answered, No. He then added: Stone is a dog lover. I dont think he was going to steal my dog. I think he was pretty riled up at that time. While standing by his testimony on that and other matters, Credico wrote in his letter to Jackson that he was hoping Stones lawyer would follow up with a broader question, asking if he had ever felt threatened by Stone at all. The answer would have been the same, Credico wrote. I never in any way felt that Stone himself posed a direct physical threat to me or to my dog. I chalked up his bellicose tirades to Stone being Stone. All bark and no bite! It is unclear how legally significant Credicos point is about not having an opportunity to say he never actually felt threatened by Stone. Michael Zeldin, a veteran former Justice Department prosecutor, noted that the federal statute for witness tampering doesnt on its face carve out an exception if the witness doesnt feel intimidated. Whether Credico subjectively felt threatened is not legally relevant to whether or not Stone intended to intimidate him, he said. However, Zeldin added, Credicos letter is still noteworthy and could help Stones lawyers argue to Jackson next month that their client is not a Mob figure who was preparing to kill Credicos dog or break his kneecaps. Its not normal that your star witness writes to the judge saying, I didnt feel intimidated, he said. It also may not have been all that surprising. Despite his break with Stone over the WikiLeaks issue, Credico and Stone had bonded for years over their efforts to strike down New Yorks drug laws a rare case where Stones libertarian instincts led him to work with a self-styled radical. On the day Stone was convicted, Credico told Yahoo News he was in tears. I hate to see the guy go to jail because of me, Credico said in a phone interview minutes after the verdict. I feel horrible that this happened. This is not a day to rejoice. After those comments, Stones lawyers reached out to him to ask him to write to Jackson, Credico told Yahoo News this week. But he said he already had the letter in the works. In the letter to Judge Jackson, Credico noted that his father spent 10 years in prison and the mental scars of those years never left my fathers soul. Having fought for years to get nonviolent offenders released from jail, Credico said: I dont want to see my worst enemy go to prison. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: French English Press release Paris La Defense, 23 January 2020 Half-year statement of the liquidity contract 31 December 2019 Regarding the liquidity contract managed by Rothschild Martin Maurel, and taking into account a partial reversal of assets of 369,156 at 31 December 2019, Albioma announces that the liquidity account contained the following assets as at 31 December 2019: Shares 5,720 Liquidity (in euros) 2,851,280.00 It is also reminded that the previous half-year statement of the liquidity contract as at 30 June 2019 evidenced that the liquidity account contained the following assets: Shares 500 Liquidity (in euros) 3,327,893.00 Next on the agenda: annual results for the 2019 financial year, on 2 March 2020 (after trading). About Albioma Contacts An independent renewable energy producer, Albioma is committed to the energy transition thanks to biomass and photovoltaics. The Group, which is established in Overseas France, Mauritius and Brazil, has developed a unique partnership for 20 years with the sugar industry, to produce renewable energy from bagasse, a fibrous residue from sugar cane. Albioma is also the leading generator of photovoltaic power overseas where it constructs and operates innovative projects with integrated storage capabilities. Investor Julien Gauthier +33 (0)1 47 76 67 00 Media Charlotte Neuvy +33 (0)1 47 76 66 65 presse@albioma.com Albioma shares are listed on EURONEXT PARIS (sub B) and eligible for the deferred settlement service (SRD) and PEA-PME plans (ISIN FR0000060402 ticker: ABIO). www.albioma.com Attachment Army Chief General MM Naravne accompanied by Lt General Ranbir Singh, Northern Army Commander, on Thursday called on Girish Chandra Murmu, Lt Governor of UT of Jammu and Kashmir at the Raj Bhavan. The Chief of Army Staff discussed the prevailing security situation in the region with the first Governor of the Union Territory. Earlier in the day, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had visited the headquarters of the Northern Command at Udhampur. He was briefed by Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, Army Commander Northern Command, on the prevailing situation along Line of Control (LoC) and also in the hinterland. General Naravane took over as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff on Tuesday, succeeding General Bipin Rawat who has become India's first Chief of Defence Staff. Naravane previously served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Castle Hill Gaming, one of the nation's leading gaming software developers, announced that it has officially signed the lease for its new headquarters at Stonefield in Albemarle County. OPZ Bernstein funded the $45 million ground-up mixed-use development space where Castle Hill will be the anchor tenant. The company is looking forward to its new 20,000 square foot office space. "We are thrilled to be expanding our headquarters where we can attract new talent in data science, software design and development to our new facilities once they are open," said Arthur Watson, CEO of Castle Hill Gaming. "The new facility will be a great place to develop our games and harbor innovation." In June 2019, the Virginia Jobs Investment Program announced Castle Hill Gaming will receive a grant to help hire and train 106 new employees. Shortly after this announcement, the county's Economic Development Authority agreed to provide a matching grant. "Castle Hill Gaming's exponential growth is slotted to advance the commonwealth's leading position in this key sector. We look forward to the company's next chapter and thank them for delivering a jackpot of more than 100 new jobs here in Virginia," said Gov. Ralph Northam earlier this year. Castle Hill Gaming is looking forward to moving into its new headquarter once construction is finalized and continuing to grow in the vibrant Albemarle community. About Castle Hill Gaming Castle Hill Gaming provides quality gaming solutions to Native American Tribal Casinos across the United States. Our Class II and Class III slot games are built for the player, designed to be familiar and delightful. Through hard work and focused energies, Castle Hill Gaming is quickly emerging as an industry leader in Class II and Class III casino gaming. We have assembled a dynamic team of talented game designers, developers, and mathematicians to create the most entertaining slot games in the market, and our growing portfolio provides the richest player experience in the Casino. Castle Hill combines 2D and 3D animated media with great game play and math to create immersive titles with familiar themes that are both beautiful and fun to play. Our winning play and generous bonuses keep players coming back again and again. Media contact: Rachel Savey [email protected] 202-478-3736 SOURCE Castle Hill Gaming Dont touch that dial, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg would like a word during the commercial break. Changed the channel? Thats OK, Bloomberg is happy to reveal his plan to protect the Affordable Care Act while you scroll through Facebook, or perhaps talk about why he can beat President Donald Trump at the start of a Youtube video. Bloomberg has flooded traditional media and online platforms with ads for his self-financed presidential campaign in the last few weeks. Michigans primary wont take place until March 10, but Bloombergs campaign is investing a historic amount to catch the eyeballs of voters here. An analysis by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network found Bloombergs campaign spent $6.6 million on run television ads during the last two months, a record-breaking figure that MCFN noted will quickly become outdated. If you look at 2016 as a comparison, all Republicans and all Democrats through the March primary spent $10.6 million (in Michigan), MCFN Executive Director Simon Schuster said. Hes on pace to outspend that amount by the by the date of the primary. Michigan, which broke a nearly three-decade streak of supporting Democratic candidates when it voted for Trump in 2016, is one piece of an expensive national push. Bloomberg told the New York Times he would not rule out spending $1 billion to oust Trump from the White House. In a year when the Democratic front-runners are railing against the influence of money on elections and policy, Bloombergs entrance into the race has raised some controversy. Theres been a lot of noise out there about is Mike Bloomberg buying an election? and the reality is you cant buy an election, you can buy exposure," said Tim OBrien, a senior adviser for the Bloomberg campaign. Voters are too smart to simply be bought off. Schuster said exposure is still an extremely valuable commodity. Getting your name out into the public consciousness is half the battle of being considered for the nomination, he said. Bloomberg has spent $220 million on radio and television as of Jan. 17, according to data firm Advertising Analytics. Thats supported by huge investments in online media that outpaces any other Democratic candidate, except fellow billionaire Tom Steyer. Steyer is only Democratic hopeful who spent more on Facebook and Google than Bloomberg. While Steyer has qualified for the last several debates, remains mired toward the bottom of national polls. Money does matter if its backing a candidate who can deliver an effective message, said Tom Sutton, director of Baldwin Wallace Universitys Community Research Institute. If you cant deliver an effective message, it doesnt matter how much money you have. Bloombergs campaign has a presence on phone and computer screens too. Bloomberg spent $21 million on Google ads since November, enough to run nearly 15,400 advertisements, and spent $15.3 million on Facebook ads across the country in January alone. The online spending also outpaces Bloombergs opponents, but Schuster said the emphasis on traditional media provides some insight into what kind of voters hes courting. Hes not trying to activate millennials necessarily or reach out to high schoolers on Tik Tok, Schuster said. Hes looking to reach sort of the core demographics of what make up the electorate in the United States. OBrien said Bloomberg appeals to moderates and is a clear alternative for pragmatic progressives who want to make sure Trump doesnt win a second term but arent comfortable with the current slate of candidates. Bloomberg can also cast himself as a self-made businessman and political outsider, Sutton said, which proved to be an appealing attribute for Trump the 2016 cycle. Bloomberg offers a tempting alternative for moderates who may not want to support former Vice President Joe Biden, Sutton said. The message of Bloombergs ads is summed up by the simple tagline Mike will get it done." Many of the ads focus on the Trump administrations efforts to repeal Obamacare and Bloombergs efforts to reduce gun violence. The ad blitz appears to be helping Bloomberg make an impression on Michigan voters who are expected to have a key role in the 2020 election. Bloomberg held a 7 percentage point margin over Trump in a January statewide poll conducted by EPIC-MRA. Only 16% of the 400 voters surveyed did not know who Bloomberg is, slightly more than Democratic primary hopeful Elizabeth Warren. Another poll by Baldwin Wallace University, Ohio Northern University and Oakland University found Bloomberg is the fourth-choice of voters in Michigan and three other battleground states. The poll found Bloomberg performed better than former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Bloomberg was among the first candidates to open a campaign office in the state. The campaign recently unveiled its Michigan leadership team, which includes former state Sen. Ian Conyers, D-Detroit, and strategists for former Gov. Jennifer Granholm and other Democrats. OBrien said Bloomberg plans to use his resources to support whoever Democrats choose to be their nominee. The campaign is creating a machine that is meant to rebuild and reinvigorate the Democratic Party writ large, OBrien said, especially states Democrats lost in 2016 like Michigan. Sutton said Bloomberg had been connecting with potential voters for years through Everytown for Gun Safety, a Bloomberg-financed nonprofit focused on preventing gun violence. He built networks, he put a lot of his own money into it and I think thats a base that he has to work with that recognize him, those grassroots folks that got involved with that and are still very active at the state level," Sutton said. Bloomberg will skip the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Unlike several of his top opponents, Bloomberg wont have to leave the campaign trail to participate in the Senate impeachment trial either. OBrien said Michiganders can expect to see him campaigning in the state soon. Youve seen a lot of Mike Bloomberg on TV, but youre gonna see a lot of Mike Bloomberg in person as well, OBrien said. Read more on MLive: Bloomberg opens Detroit campaign office in battleground state push Poll: Michigan women unlikely to support Trump in 2020 Trump impeachment trial starts: How will it work? Who is running for Congress in 2020? Michigans top races to watch [January 23, 2020] Lima One Capital Appoints Josh Craig as Chief Revenue Officer Lima One Capital, the nation's premier lender for real estate investors, has expanded its executive leadership team and appointed industry veteran Josh Craig as its Chief Revenue Officer. In this newly created role, Craig will lead Lima One's corporate sales and marketing activities to continue the company's national expansion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005605/en/ Josh Craig, Chief Revenue Officer for Lima One Capital (Photo: Business Wire) "As Lima One continues to grow, it was important to find an experienced industry sales leader who understands the private money lending space and has had real success leading and growing national sales teams," said Jeff Tennyson, Lima One CEO. "Josh adds a unique skill set to our executive team that will continue to propel our growth and enhance the Lim One culture." Prior to joining Lima One, Craig was part of the core leadership team for Finance of America Commercial, accountable for the company's exponential sales growth. His management responsibilities were diverse, spanning the organization from sales leadership to product development to strategic planning and competitive positioning. Craig previously worked for Wells Fargo (News - Alert) in various capacities including strategy consulting, project management and consumer lending leadership. Adding to his considerable professional qualifications, Craig is passionate about real estate investing, which includes being an active single-family residential investor. He earned his MBA from Wake Forest University and his bachelor's degree from Kentucky Wesleyan College. "I'm thrilled to join Lima One at this exciting time. Lima One has a clear strategy and solid momentum, and is making a meaningful impact in our industry," Craig said. "As the private lending industry continues to evolve and grow more competitive, the companies that will dominate are those that create innovative lending products, execute flawlessly and deliver a phenomenal customer experience. Lima One recognizes the critical importance of these traits and has spent years investing in its people, products and infrastructure to do that." About Lima One Capital: Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Lima One Capital is a specialty mortgage finance company, founded by Marines, that specializes in providing customized real estate loans to real estate investors across the nation. Lima One's core loan products are Rental30, a 30-year, fixed-rate, fully-amortizing loan for purchasing or refinancing residential rental properties; Residential Transition Loans (i.e. FixNFlip), a 13-month bridge loan for investors who are buying, renovating, and selling properties; and a Multifamily bridge program for the purchase or refinance of 5+ unit multifamily properties. For more information, visit limaone.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005605/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MIAMI/LA PAZ (Reuters) - The United States intends to send an ambassador to Bolivia to help restore a "normal relationship" between the two countries, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale said in a video statement posted online on Thursday. The move, which would mark the return of a U.S. ambassador to La Paz for the first time in over a decade, underscores rapidly improving relations since the current interim government took over after the resignation of leftist leader Evo Morales. The United States has had a lower-ranking diplomat in the South American country since Morales ordered the last ambassador Philip Goldberg to leave in 2008, blaming him for opposition protests against his rule. Morales stepped down under pressure in November after a disputed election sparked widespread protests and led to allies and security forces pulling their support. Morales contends he was toppled in a coup, orchestrated by the United States. Hale said in the video statement posted on the U.S. embassy website that he welcomed the new opportunity to "strengthen our relationship and mutual understanding." "As the next step the United States will once again send an ambassador to La Paz to continue these conversations and restore a normal relationship between our people," he said. Bolivia's conservative caretaker President Jeanine Anez has looked to draw a line under the foreign policies of Morales' administration, shifting away from old allies like Venezuela and Cuba and rekindling ties with the United States. The country is now heading towards new elections in May, with Morales' socialist party looking to run without him for the first time in 14 years against a range of opposition candidates. "This is a critical time for Bolivia and the Bolivian people as you work towards free and fair elections on May 3," Hale said. "This is an opportunity to build a foundation for a stable, secure, prospering and democratic Bolivia." (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Miami and Monica Machicao in La Paz; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker) Financings, drilling and positive project milestones were all positive in December, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, which tracks a variety of junior metrics to make a composite index. "All four exploration metrics significant financings, drilling activity, initial resources and positive project milestones increased in December 2019 as S&P Global Market Intelligence's Pipeline Activity Index, or PAI, jumped to 96, from 79 in November 2019, the index's best showing in over a year," wrote analysts at S&P Global Market Intelligence. S&P noted that gold PAI increased to 149 from 123, while the base metals PAI rose to 55 from 43 over the same period. The number of financings by junior and intermediate companies jumped to 274 in December 2019 from 159 in November. Positive project milestones rose to five from four. The company is a centre of excellence for the production of plasmids and non-viral solutions for genetic modifications Anemocyte, an innovative Italian company working in the field of cell and gene therapies, with special focus on plasmid production and non-viral gene modification approaches, attends Phacilitate Leaders World (Miami, 21-24 January 2020),a leading event for companies, professionals and investors working in the Advanced Therapy sector. "Phacilitate Leaders World is an opportunity to take stock of this sector, which is in constant evolution", states Marco Ferrari, CEO of Anemocyte. "We need to anticipate market demands and offer innovative, effective solutions and strategies". Anemocyte is a key player and the first everBiotech Manufacturing Organization (BMO) operating in the Life Science sector: Anemocyte helps CGT developers to articulate initial ideas, perform clinical trials and engage in commercial production. The BMO also develops technological platform strategies for innovative R&D, HQ and GMP processes. Plasmids Anemocyte is the leading Italian producer of gene therapy plasmids. The brand-new Plasmid Manufacturing Unit dedicated to producing plasmids for viral vectors is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities. The company improved the production capacity (tripled the output since 2018): "In a market where production wait times are extremely long, Anemocyte is able to respond to requests quickly and with the highest quality standards," states Stefano Baila, Director of Operations and Business Development at Anemocyte. "Anemocyte is a dynamic market player equipped with cutting-edge technologies and over ten years of expertise producing recombinant proteins; experience that it now exploits to produce plasmids our core business. We are able to intercept market needs and offer punctual, effective and qualitatively competitive results". Non-viral: excellence in genetic modification Following a strategic agreement with MaxCyte. Inc., Anemocyte is now a centre of excellence for electroporation technology and can support non-viral gene modification projects requiring both process development and GMP production. The ability to modify cells genetically has exponentially increased the clinical use of cell-based medicines. Non-viral gene modification is an emerging trend in the delivery of nucleic acids to cells thanks to its reliability, safety and affordability. Electroporation technology is at the forefront of non-viral gene transfer for ex-vivo cell modifications. The construction of a global non-viral gene transfer hub will see product developers exploit Anemocyte's experience and MaxCyte's technology. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005673/en/ Contacts: Anemocyte press office Mauro Perego mauro.perego@elettrapr.it +39 3938188596 Elena Sabino elena.sabino@elettrapr.it +39 3939079914 A seven-year-old girl was rushed to hospital after she swallowed five magnetic balls she was given as a toy for Christmas. Olivia Fay was rushed to Townsville Hospital in north Queensland by her parents Alex and Rebecca after she confessed she had accidentally swallowed the gift. 'Apparently it's a good game to put one ball on the outside of the cheek and one on the inside of the mouth to see how the magnets attract,' Mrs Fay said. Olivia Fay (right) was rushed to hospital by her parents Alex and Rebecca (left) after she confessed she had ingested five magnetic balls she got as a Christmas gift. Pictured with Dr Donahue Olivia was lucky to have swallowed the balls in a clump, but she was rushed to hospital for safety precaution where she was monitored until the balls passed through her bowels (stock) If more than one magnetic ball is swallowed separately they can damage organs or tear holes in the digestive system. Olivia was lucky to have swallowed the balls in a clump, but she was rushed to hospital for safety precaution where she was monitored until the balls passed through her bowels. She was in hospital for three days before the magnetic balls passed through her system. Mrs Fay said she now knows why they aren't sold in Australian stores. 'I didn't think twice about ordering the magnetic balls online because they were so widely available and popular,' she said. She said she she didn't stop to think why the toys weren't sold in stores and encourages people to check the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission product reports. She said she doesn't want another child to have to go through what hers did. Townsville public health director Dr Steven Donohue said there is a reason the 'lethal' toys are banned by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 'Sites such as eBay must obey their own rules in relation banned products to keep their customers safe,' he said. Olivia wasn't the only child who was brought to Townsville Hospital (pictured) after swallowing magnetic balls 'I strongly caution all parents against buying them; they are a risk to children,' he said. Olivia wasn't the only child who was brought to Townsville Hospital after swallowing magnetic balls. A toddler swallowed 100 of the two-millimetre of the balls and needed them surgically removed. Dr Donohue said the children were lucky their parents acted so fast. Patient groups have criticized medical record vendors, like Epic and its chief rival Cerner , for failing to do enough to support health data interoperability. Both companies have stressed that they're doing more to fix the problem, although progress has been slow. On the other side, patient advocates have spoken out in favor of the rules, which aim to make medical records accessible through application programming interfaces (APIs). The rules are also designed to make it easier for hospitals to share patient records with other medical offices or hospitals. That's been a big challenge for years , and studies have shown that it has a negative impact on patient's health. The proposed rules have pit patient advocates against some doctor groups and companies, like Epic. Critics say they don't have enough provisions to protect patients' privacy. Epic's Faulkner has been vocal in her criticism of the rule, which she believes will result in app makers having access to patient data without consent. The email, which was written by Epic CEO Judy Faulkner and addressed to CEOs and presidents of hospital systems, urges recipients to sign a letter alongside Epic that voices disapproval for rules the Department of Health and Human Services proposed in 2019. These rules aim to make it easy for patients to access their health information at no cost, and make it more challenging for companies to block access to that information. Epic Systems, one of the largest medical records companies, emailed the chief executives of some of the largest hospitals in the U.S. on Wednesday, urging them to oppose proposed regulation designed to make it easier to share medical information. The letter includes an urgent call to action. "HHS needs to hear from you so they understand that you feel these issues are important," it says. "Very little time is left." It also notes that other "healthcare CEOs" have signed the email, which is addressed to HHS Secretary Alex Azar. The email also includes attachments with more information, including the letter that Faulkner hopes that the recipients will sign. Epic confirmed that it sent the letter. A spokesperson for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, which sits under HHS, said by phone that a "lot of energy" went into to making that sure that the proposed rules support patient choice. "We want the public to have computational right of access to health information so they can have control over apps of their choosing," they said. Former White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra expressed frustration over Epic's move. "It is unfortunate to see this much effort placed at stalling the important, bipartisan progress we have made to open up health information -- at a minimum to consumers and institutions they trust." Epic, which has remained private despite getting its start in the late 1970s, has some sway over its health system customers, who sometimes shell out upwards of a billion dollars to buy and deploy the software. The company recently notified some of its customers that it would no longer integrate with Google Cloud. The largest technology companies, who could benefit from easier access to patient records so they could create products for the health industry, have largely stayed silent on the topic. Several of them, including Microsoft and Apple, have spoken out against practices in health care that make it challenging for providers to share medical records, and for patients to access their health data. But they have not issued statements on the data-blocking rules thus far. Here's the letter, without names and contact information: Subject: Your Help Needed on ONC Interoperability Rule Dear CEO / President: ONC's Proposed Rule could negatively affect patients and health care organizations. HHS needs to hear from you so they understand that you are feel these issues are important. Very little time is left. We are concerned that health care costs will rise, that care will suffer, and that patients and their family members will lose control of their confidential health information. Please review the attached information, and if you agree with these concerns, join other healthcare CEOs by signing the attached letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, with a copy to Director of the Domestic Policy Council Joe Grogan. We all fully support helping patients have access to their data. Your patients have been able to download their health information since 2010. Your patients have been able to share their health information with anyone in the world that has internet since 2017. Care Everywhere allows you to interoperate with other health systems and was developed years before Meaningful Use required interoperability. Epic interoperates with thousands of third-party products/apps. Let's prevent the unintended consequences of this rule and make sure the final rule is a good one that is modified to help, not harm, healthcare organizations and patients. ONC may finalize the rule the first week of February, so we must get the message to them right away. Thanks for your help in this very important matter. Follow @CNBCtech on Twitter for the latest tech industry news. - Ruto's allies said they would be attending BBI meetings after weeks of criticising the process - Opposition leader Raila Odinga welcomed the move but warned them against attempting to disrupt the sessions - The DP in a quick rejoinder said BBI was for all Kenyans and no one should issue conditions to others - Leaders from the two camps are expected to meet in Mombasa on Saturday, January 25 Deputy President William Ruto has scolded Opposition chief Raila Odinga and his allies for issuing conditions to those intending to attend BBI meetings. Ruto's sentiments came shortly after Raila addressed a presser on Thursday, January 23, stating he had no problem with those intending to attend the meetings but cautioned them against fanning violence. READ ALSO: Billionaire Strive Masiyiwa pays striking Zimbabwe doctors salaries to end strike Ruto said BBI report is for all Kenyans and no one should issue threats or purport to be deciding who should attend and who should not. Photo: William Ruto. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Take your jokes anywhere else but not Mombasa, Joho warns Tanga Tanga leaders Ruto, in a quick rejoinder, said no one had the authority to give conditions to other Kenyans on when and how they should conduct themselves during BBI meetings. "BBI is not for a specific group, individual or party. It is not for politicians or leaders alone, BBI is for all Kenyans and I want to tell those giving us conditions to stop lecturing us.There is no foreigner in this country, we are all Kenyans and BBI is not someone's property," the DP hit back. READ ALSO: Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga dumps William Ruto Raila who hosted a host of leaders from Central Kenya among them governors and senators told off those claiming he was using BBI to lay a foundation for his 2022 political base, insisting the report was meant to unite all Kenyans and address issues ailing the country. "BBI is an agenda to unite the people of Kenya so that we can move on as one people. It will be very misguided and unfortunate for anybody to imagine he sabotaged this exercise, this is a process that is being driven by the people of Kenya and we welcome everyone to be part of it," said the ex-premier. On Wednesday, January 22, a group of legislators led by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed shared similar sentiments. It is my hope that they are coming to Mombasa ready to focus on whats important and not for sideshows. Because should they attempt sideshows, theyll have themselves to blame. BBI is about national inclusivity. Glad to welcome them to Mombasa," said Junet. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. I have lived without lungs for 7 years because of smoking | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Washington, Jan 23 : One person was killed and seven others injured when a gunman opened fire in a busy downtown area of the US city Seattle, police said on Twitter, adding they were searching for suspects. The police said at least one suspect was being sought in connection with the incident, which took place on Wednesday. Footage from the scene showed officers tending to casualties on the pavement near Third Avenue and Pine Street, BBC reported. Police chief Carmen Best told reporters at the scene that one woman had been killed and several people were wounded. Officials at Harborview Medical Centre, where all the wounded were taken, said seven people were being treated, including a nine-year-old boy, reported Aljazeera. Tyler Parsons, who works at a nearby coffee shop, told the the Seattle Times newspaper that he saw victims suddenly falling to the ground. He said several people ran into his shop to take cover. "The shooting was just kind of terrifying," he told the paper. It was the third shooting in the area in less than two days and the latest in a string of incidents that have affected schools, churches, cinemas and other public places across the US. Police have also ordered people to stay out of the area and have shut down a subway station as they searched for one or more suspects. Approximately 40,000 people have died from various firearms-related incidents, including suicides and murders, in 2017 in the US, according to government figures. As China stepped up measures to control the spread of coronavirus, locking down Wuhan and Huanggang cities in the Hubei province where several Indians live, the Indian Embassy here has set up hotlines for their assistance. Chinese officials assured all assistance, including food supply, to the Indians who stayed put in the province, the Indian Embassy here said in a press release on Thursday. Wuhan and its surrounding area became the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak as the confirmed cases climbed to over 600 mostly from the city and the province with 17 deaths so far. China has virtually sealed Wuhan and Huanggang cities, halting all public transport, including flight services, and advised people to stay at home and follow the precautions. The two cities put together have a population of over 17 million people. Chinese officials said the measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the virus to other cities and the world. Concerns arose for India too as about 700 Indian students, mostly studying medicine in different Chinese universities, resided in Wuhan and its neighbouring areas. While many of them were believed to have left home for the Chinese New Year holidays, others remained in the city to complete their academic work. However, the exact number is not yet known. "The Embassy of India has been receiving queries from Indians in Hubei province as well as their relatives in India in connection with the evolving situation of coronavirus infection in China," the embassy press release said. The embassy is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan as well as Indians in Hubei Province, especially in Wuhan, it said. "We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including the advisories issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO)," the embassy said. According to the embassy, Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply. "At present, it is reported that supermarkets (particularly those that are government-run) and e-commerce services, including food delivery, continue to remain operational in Wuhan," it said. The embassy has started two hotlines for those who wish to get in touch with the Mission in this regard in the following phone numbers: +8618612083629 and +8618612083617. "All are advised to also keep track of the embassy's social media accounts (Twitter:@EoIBeijing; Facebook: India in China) for updates on this evolving situation," the release said. Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign ministry said all assistance would be provided to consular officials of the foreign missions to ensure the safety of the foreigners in the country. Asked whether China would consider any request from the respective countries to move their citizens out of Wuhan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "We always help foreign consular officials in China in their official jobs, we offer them all the assistance and convenience necessary and we work to guarantee foreign citizens' legitimate rights and interest in China." He said while specific detailed would be provided by local officials, China in principle, has always handled issues according to domestic laws, international laws and bilateral consular agreements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WILLIAMSPORT A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by five men in a van last April 16 says she was scared and didnt feel she could escape. That was the response Wednesday of a 19-year-old female when asked why she did not protest and demand that the assailants stop. The woman spent 90 minutes testifying and answering questions during the preliminary hearing for the men accused of sexually assaulting her in the Linden area west of Williamsport. Lycoming County District Judge Jerry C. Lepley did not rule on whether there was enough evidence to hold the charges for court, saying he wanted to review the transcript of the hearing first. This is the account the woman, then 18, gave under oath of the incident: Lynn Eugene Kyle Jr., who she had met through Snapchat several weeks earlier, picked her up in Jersey Shore about 2 p.m. Jahil Harris also was in the car. They went to Kyles home in the Linden area where they were joined by Jordan Michael Hockenberry. Later a bonfire was started in a fire pit. At some point Kyle picked her up over his shoulder and took her to a van. Only the drivers door was operable so he got in and pulled her in by the wrist. She ended up on a mattress in the rear of the van where her pants, underwear and shoes were removed. All three engaged in sexual activity with her. After those three left the van, Rahim Baines and Derrick Dwayne Meads got in and forced her to perform oral sex on them. After getting dressed she sat in the van for a brief time ashamed and embarrassed before returning to the bonfire, retrieving her cell phone and calling for a ride. She went to a hospital until the following day. The defense attorneys asked Lepley to dismiss the charges, questioning whether the acts were consensual. They pointed out the woman never protested or demanded the men stop only whispering once: Its not right. There was no testimony they forced her head down to perform oral sex, they said. Lepley would not allow questions on whether she had previous sex with any of the men. Assistant District Attorney Lee A. Fry acknowledged he had not presented sufficient evidence to support charges of criminal solicitation and conspiracy against Kyle, 21, of Williamsport. The remaining charges against him are involuntary servitude and sexual and indecent assault. He remains jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail. Fry also withdrew charges of involuntary sexual intercourse against Baines and Meads and criminal solicitation against Hockenberry. Charges remaining against Harris, 21, are sexual and indecent assault. Hockenberry, 21, Baines, 32, and Meads, 19, are facing the same two counts plus invasion of privacy. Harris, Baines and Meads have Williamsport addresses while Hockenberrys address is Linden. Only Kyle and Harris are in jail unable to post bail. Harris has been charged in an unrelated case, also. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. -- Other recent John Beauge stories on PennLive Philadelphia man sent to prison for involvement in home invasion that left two dead Pa. township, Amish working through issues on plans for horse diapers, rubber horseshoes Pa. caregiver accused of putting rat poison in couples rolled cigarettes will be mentally evaluated Judge holds Pa. psychologist in contempt, calls her defiance extraordinary in truckers case School district defends discipline imposed for improper behavior by baseball players Federal judge trims suit over hot microwave handles but allows it to continue Sunbury hospital will stop admitting patients, close ER due to staffing shortages Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors) In the wake of the measures being taken by China to control the coronavirus outbreak, the Indian Embassy in Beijing on Thursday set up hotlines for the assistance of those Indians living there. China on Thursday locked down Wuhan and Huanggang cities in the Hubei province even as the virus has killed 17 people and infected more than 630. The Embassy started two hotlines for those who wish to get in touch with the Mission--0861-8612083629 and +8618-612083617. It has asked all to also keep track of Embassy's social media accounts (Twitter: @EolBeijing and Facebook: India in China) for updates on this evolving situation. Live TV Taking to the micro-blogging site, Twitter, the Indian Embassy in Beijing, said, "Mission is in touch with Indians in Wuhan and relevant Chinese authorities. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. We have also started hotlines for those who wish to get in touch with the India Embassy in Beijing." Mission is in touch with Indians in Wuhan and relevant Chinese authorities. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. We have also started hotlines for those who wish to get in touch with @EOIBeijing. @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @SecySanjay @SecretaryCPVOIA @CPVIndia pic.twitter.com/5Pw9tdS9Lg India in China (@EOIBeijing) January 23, 2020 In an advisory, the Embassy said that it has been receiving queries from Indians in Hubei province as well as their relatives in India in connection with the evolving situation of the coronavirus infection in China. It added that is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan as well as Indians in Hubei Province, especially in Wuhan. The Embassy further added that the embassy is closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including advisories issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this connection. "The relevant Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply. At present, it is reported that supermarkets (particularly those that are government-run) and e-commerce scones, including food delivery continue to remain operational in Wuhan," added the statement. A U.S. Border Patrol agent from Oswego has been sentenced to 80 months in federal prison after admitting he used the social media app Kik to trade child porn while on duty, federal prosecutors said. Keith Hook, 55, who went by Capt Hook online, will also serve 10 years of supervised release, must go through a $300 special assessment and pay $9,000 in restitution to victims, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York. Hook admitted he used the Kik messenger app to send and receive child porn from other Kik users from January 2018 to July 2018, federal officials said. The former border patrol agent used an iPod Touch to trade the images on a WiFi connection at his home and while on duty at the Oswego Port of Entry, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. When Hook was arrested, he had 138 pictures and four videos that showed minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, federal officials said. He also had 10 other video files and more than 200 images saved in his iCloud storage account with another three images stored on his laptop, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. At the time of his guilty plea in July of 2018, federal officials wrote in court documents that Hook went by Capthook1064 online. An undercover agent started talking with Hooks account in late April and early May of 2018, federal officials said at the time. Officials used Hooks IP address and tracked him to his home address, according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court. Other IPs used by Capthook1064 led authorities to a Hampton Inn in West Virginia, where Hook was attending training, and the Oswego Marina, where Hook was supposed to be on duty, according to the complaint. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Good morning. (Heres the sign-up, if you dont already get California Today by email.) If you grew up in California, but not in the Bay Area, it is likely that some of your earliest memories of San Francisco involve visiting Pier 39. And whether you enjoyed or feared wildlife, its likely that you remember seeing the sea lions. I assumed theyd always been there, like a lot of things that made a big impression on me as a child. I figured for as long as the pier had been there, there had also been the marine beasts, lounging and yelling arf repeatedly at passers-by. But recently, I learned that the sea lions have not always been the fixtures they are today. Sheila Chandor, Pier 39s longtime harbor master, told me she took the job in 1985 believing it would largely entail running the piers roughly 300-slip marina. Property management, essentially, she said. Donald Trumps longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone remains free at least until late February, after he was convicted in November of lying to investigators, witness tampering, and obstructing Congress. But Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, an outspoken opponent of Trump, now sits in a cold, federal jail cell in a notoriously brutal prison unit, after his bail was revoked on extortion and fraud charges last week. Michael Avenatti has been charged with a number of financial crimes, including allegedly swindling Daniels out of a publishers book advance of nearly $300,000. As Daniels lawyer in 2018, Avenatti rose suddenly from obscure, Southern California litigator to national celebrity, thanks to his months-long media blitz on the back of Daniels hush money lawsuit against Trump. In most of his hundreds of media appearances, Avenatti repeatedly took aim at Trump, and his then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohenwho is himself now in federal prison following convictions stemming from the $130,000 hush payoff to Daniels over a 2006 extramarital sexual encounter. He was arrested last week in the middle of a hearing on his possible disbarment in front of the California state bar association. Prosecutors say that he violated the terms of his bail by continuing to commit financial crimes even during his bail release. His own lawyers now say that he is being held in the same Manhattan federal holding facility that has also housed terrorists and drug traffickersincluding the notorious Mexican cartel boss Joaquin Guzman, better known as El Chapo. In fact, Guzman last year described his stay in the notoriously brutal Manhattan jail as "psychological, emotional, mental torture 24 hours a day." The cell is kept at temperatures as low as the 40-degree range, forcing a shivering Avenatti to sleep under three blankets in the cell, his lawyers say. The Special Housing Unit at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where Avenatti is now held, became the center of controversy last year when accuse multimillionaire sex traffickerand former friend of TrumpJeffrey Epstein died there, reportedly by hanging himself. The MCC warden, M. Licon-Vitale, said that Avenatti was being confined in the Special Housing Unit for his own safety, according to a CNBC report. Photo By Showtime The Circus / Wikimedia Commons The head of Hallmark's media business is leaving the company just weeks after they was forced to backtrack on pulling an ad featuring a same-sex kiss. No explanation was given for his departure. Crown Media Family Networks came under fire in December for pulling four ads for wedding planning site Zola which featured a lesbian couple kissing on their wedding day. Bill Abbot, CEO of Hallmark's media business, initially told conservative group One Million Moms that the ad was broadcast 'in error' when they complained to him personally This kiss caused controversy after Hallmark Channel pulled the ad and then reinstated it Running on the company's flagship Hallmark Channel, Zola pulled their remaining ads as #BoycottHallmark began to trend on Twitter. On Thursday, the CEO of Crown Media Family Networks departure was announced in the brief statement from Mike Perry, President and CEO of parent company Hallmark Cards Inc. Bill Abbot served as CEO over the media branch of the company for eleven years. His replacement was not immediately named. President and CEO of Hall mark Cards Inc. Mike Perry announced the departure In a statement, Perry said that with competition from TV networks and streaming services, it is important for the company to find 'relevant new ways to grow our business' and that he will 'begin a search for Bill's replacement'. Abbott was CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, a company controlled by Hallmark Cards. Crown Media's flagship cable channel is The Hallmark Channel, known for family-friendly programming, particularly made-for-TV Christmas-themed movies. Crown Media also operates the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama networks, subscription streaming service Hallmark Movies Now and e-book publishing division Hallmark Publishing. In December, the Hallmark Channel's decision to pull an ad featuring a same-sex couple kissing led to an outcry online. The channel had faced pressure to remove the ads from conservative group One Million Moms, part of the American Family Association. The group complained about the ads personally to Abbot. who they claim 'reported the advertisement aired in error'. 'The call to our office gave us the opportunity to confirm the Hallmark Channel will continue to be a safe and family-friendly network,' the group added. The company later reversed the decision and reinstated all the ads but not before causing a storm of outrage and causing #BoycottHallmark to trend on Twitter. Ellen DeGeneres was among those to assail the decision to pull the same-sex kiss ad Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and William Shatner also assailed the decision. 'Put the commercials back!' Shatner wrote. DeGeneres asked: 'Isn't it almost 2020?' Claiming that the ads were pulled as the controversy was causing a distraction, Hallmark Cards CEO Mike Perry said in a statement: 'The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we've seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused. Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. 'We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused.' Wedding planning site Zola, who were responsible for the ads, pulled their remaining advertising. Zola had submitted six ads, and four included a lesbian couple. In one of the pulled ads, two brides stand at the altar and wonder aloud whether their wedding would be going more smoothly if they had used a wedding planning site like Zola. The lighthearted ad ends with the just-married couple sharing a quick kiss. After Hallmark pulled those ads, but not two featuring only opposite-sex couples, Zola pulled its remaining ads, the company said. 'The only difference between the commercials that were flagged and the ones that were approved was that the commercials that did not meet Hallmarks standards included a lesbian couple kissing,' said Mike Chi, Zola's chief marketing officer, in a statement sent to the AP. 'All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark.' The LGBT advocacy group GLAAD called the initial decision to remove the Zola ads 'discriminatory and especially hypocritical coming from a network that claims to present family programming and and also recently stated they are "open" to LGBTQ holiday movies.' The group also called on other advertisers with Hallmark to pull their advertising. LGBT advocacy group GLAAD joined the call to #BoycottHallmark over the pulled ad Amid the controversy, former One Tree Hill actress Hilarie Burton also revealed her decision to quit Hallmark for Lifetime over their refusal to include an LGBTQ character or an interracial couple. In a series of tweet, the 'A Christmas Wish' star said she left a Hallmark Channel project in January 2019 when her attempts to add more diversity were rejected. She alleges the company told her 'take it or leave it' when she complained that her requests were not taken on board. 'Just going through some old emails from a #Hallmark job I was let go from back in January,' she said. 'I had insisted on a LGBTQ character, an interracial couple and diverse casting. I was polite, direct and professional. 'But after the execs gave their notes on the script and NONE of my requests were honored, I was told take it or leave it. 'I left it. And the paycheck. Sh***y being penalized for standing up for inclusivity.' A Chinese passenger that just arrived on the last bullet train from Wuhan to Beijing is checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station on January 23, 2020 in Beijing, China. Procter & Gamble said Thursday that it is monitoring the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus as the World Health Organization weighs whether to call the virus a global health emergency. The global consumer giant, which owns brands such as Vicks and Pampers, counts China as one of its two largest markets, along with the United States. Halfway through fiscal 2020, P&G said that it has seen growth of 13% in the Asian country. The virus was first diagnosed less than a month ago and has already killed at least 17 people in China. Roughly 650 cases of the virus have been reported in China, and several other countries have confirmed cases. U.S. health authorities have quarantined one Washington state man with the virus. Symptoms range from a mild cough to fever to pneumonia. Seven Chinese cities near Wuhan are under lockdown in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Lunar New Year's events in Beijing, China, have reportedly been canceled. "I have no idea what the investments are going to be relative to the new virus," Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jon Moeller told analysts. Moeller said the company will monitor the virus as it relates to the health of its employees and the broader community. He also said that the virus could have broad impacts beyond its business in China. "It can also affect consumer confidence and large parts of the market. It can affect travel, which does affect our business, and so it's one of the many pieces of volatility that's just important as we think about the prospects for the future," Moeller said. P&G products like its pricey SK-II skincare line are often sold in airports and are popular with international tourists. The company reported its fiscal second-quarter earnings on Thursday. P&G beat Wall Street's earnings estimates but fell short on revenue. It also raised its full-year outlook. Shares were trading down less than 1% in morning trading. [January 23, 2020] Vietnamese Broadcaster Performed Live at BIGO Awards Gala 2020 Held in Singapore SINGAPORE, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading technology company from Singapore, BIGO Technology (BIGO), the company responsible for popular new age communication platforms like Bigo Live (Live Streaming), Likee (Short-form Videos), and imo (Video Communication) hosted the first ever BIGO Gala Awards 2020 for talented broadcasters, on January 15, 2020, at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore. The event recognized and felicitated live-streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on Bigo Live over the past year. The ceremony was held in a grand fashion with a red-carpet affair attended by some of the biggest names on Bigo Live, who flew in from all over the world, joined by hundreds of their top fans who showed up in support. More than 75 broadcasters were awarded at this ceremony bringing the total number of attendees to close to 1,000. The 4 categories of award winners were "Top Regional Broadcaster", "Top Regional Family", "Top Global Broadcaster" and "Top Global Family"; indicating the best of the best in both the regions and across the globe. Bigo Live is rising fast in popularity around the orld, where it has reached a total of around 22 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs). Live-streaming has become a worldwide phenomenon, as millennials feel the need to be constantly connected, and such platforms such as Bigo Live, allow them to stay connected, meet different people and share new experiences. Many of the award winners also took this opportunity to connect with their fans, even broadcasting live while receiving their award. Other than performing broadcaster Huong Anh, who sang a Vietnamese song to a starry backdrop; Vietnamese winners also lit up the night with their winning smiles as they walked up the stage to receive their awards. They have been awarded "Top Regional Broadcaster" for the Southeast Asian region; indicating that they are one of the most popular broadcasters not only in Vietnam, but in the region. Speaking about awards and live streaming space, Mike Ong, Vice President of BIGO Technology said, "With the proliferation of live streaming around Asia Pacific, we want to hone this space in Singapore by inaugurating the BIGO Gala Awards here, as we believe, no matter where our expansion plans lead us to, Singapore will always be BIGO's home. Despite Singapore being small, it is a highly connected location making it a perfect market to launch this event. As the demand for content increases and mobile penetration rises, the live streaming phenomenon will continue to play a pivotal role in driving the industry. With the company now having over 330 million MAUs in over 150 countries worldwide, it is highly paramount to honour and celebrate the live streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on our platform over the past year. Our community is the very heart and soul of BIGO, and we want to recognize and appreciate their dedication and commitment to their art." The BIGO Gala Awards 2020 Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Howie Lau, Chief Industry Development Officer at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) agreed that the BIGO Awards Gala 2020 marked the growing significance of live streaming, giving credit to the winners who have made a difference in the platform. Snippets of the ceremony will be aired in Southeast Asia, Middle East, U.S.A. Japan and Taiwan. About BIGO Technology BIGO is a fast-growing Singapore technology company established in 2014. BIGO operates products and services in more than 150 countries in the world. BIGO's products include Bigo Live (global livestreaming platform), Likee (global short video creation platform) and imo (global video communication platform). Visit BIGO's website for more information on their brand and products. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200123/2700603-1 SOURCE BIGO Technology [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WASHINGTON In a move aimed at boosting the sale of U.S. firearms and ammunition abroad, the Trump administration has eased regulations on some commercial firearms exports. American manufacturers will have fewer registration requirements in order to obtain an export license, as the State Department moved jurisdiction of certain firearms sales to the Commerce Department. The change, announced last week, was entered into the Federal Register on Thursday. It will be effective March 9. The long-delayed rule change, which began under the Obama administration, is intended to lower costs for U.S. gun-makers such as American Outdoor Brands Corp. and Sturm, Ruger and Co., while refocusing regulatory attention on weapons sales that could pose national security risks. For example, under the Arms Export Control Act, the State Department must disclose any commercial arms sale worth $1 million or more to Congress for review. The Commerce Department has no such requirement. What's more, the State Department requires an annual fee from companies in the industry, whereas Commerce does not require such a fee. "Exports of firearms and related items that do not perform an inherently military function or provide the United States with a critical military or intelligence advantage including many articles that are widely available in U.S. retail outlets will move to the Commerce Department's export licensing controls," assistant secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper wrote in an emailed statement to CNBC. The move to shift commercial gun export licenses to the Commerce Department was nearly complete under the Obama administration when a gunman opened fire and killed 26 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in late 2012. While the proposal is unrelated to domestic gun control, the Obama administration dropped the change. In May 2018, Trump formally proposed streamlining the process for exporting American firearms. Thursday's transfer of oversight sparked concerns that the policy change will improve the bottom line of U.S. gun-makers while jeopardizing long-term global security. "The Trump administration's decision to publish rules that functionally make it easier and faster to export semiautomatic assault-style weapons and select sniper rifles is out of step with the national and global conversation about guns," explained Jeff Abramson, a senior fellow at the Arms Control Association. "This move undermines global security and wiser U.S. arms trade policy," Abramson added. Susan Waltz, a professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, called the change a "terrible decision." "Over the span of a decade-long export reform initiative, this is the only instance where lethal weapons have been recategorized as commercial products," Waltz said in an emailed statement. "At the very time we should be restricting access to military-style firearms, the new regulations aim to normalize them and boost sales," she added. Cooper downplayed concerns last week on a call with reporters saying that the policy change will help refocus regulatory attention on weapons sales that could pose national security risks. "When we are talking about the easing of certain aspects of industry, it does free us up at State to focus on the larger significant systems and platforms that are inherently of a military function and do provide the United States a critical military edge or an intelligence advantage," Cooper said at the time. "Regardless of which department controls the export, all firearms will remain subject to U.S. government export authorization requirements, interagency review, and monitoring of commercial entities involved in export and sales," Rich Ashooh, the assistant secretary of Commerce for export administration, said on the same call with Cooper. (Kitco News) - Bigger isnt often better. In fact, one Switzerland-based mint might argue that good things come in small packages. For Swissmint, really, really small packages. Swissmint announced Thursday that it has created the worlds smallest gold coin. The one-quarter-franc coin measures only 2.96 millimeters and weighs less than one gram. To put the coins size into perspective, its smaller than a match head. Swissmint wanted to push boundaries, stretch the limits of technology and achieve something unique, the company said in a press release. The coin is so small that the image on the face cant be discerned with the naked eye. So Swissmint has commissioned special packaging complete with magnifying lenses and light, ensuring that you can examine the smallest gold coin while still keeping it safely stored, the company said. With the help of the special magnifying glass, the obvers features a cheeky image of Albert Einstein, sticking out his tongue. From 1895 to 1914, Einstein lived mainly in Switzerland, where he also completed his studies in 1900, at today's ETH in Zurich. In 1901, he was granted Swiss citizenship and in 1902 he found permanent employment as a technical expert in the Patents Office in Bern, the mint said. The coin is 999.9 pure gold and only 999 have been minted. For comparison the worlds largest gold coin was created by the Perth Mint. It weighs one tonne and is worth about $50 million. A Japanese student recently uploaded a picture of a small fish he had caught to Twitter, where it quickly went viral because of the creatures likeness to a painting. Featuring unusually large eyes, and blue-ish scales of various shapes and sizes, the unusually-looking fish instantly caught peoples attention. Taking a good look at it, its easy to see why people started referring to it as Picasso Fish, and sharing the picture on various social networks. Eventually, the photo was picked up by Japans Fuji Television, which consulted experts about the creature and learned that it was actually a rather common deep-sea fish with a rather striking appearance. Photo: @sakuya_DomasH/Twitter According to Japanese deep-sea experts, thePicasso Fish is actually a specimen of Polyipnus matsubarai, a species living in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, including Japan and the Philippines. Despite its weird appearance, the so-called Matsubarai candle fish is apparently non-toxic and edible, although none of the consulted experts ever tried eating one. Sakuya, the student who posted the original picture of the fish to Twitter, mentioned that the creature was about 10cm-long and had been caught on the coast of Kozu Island. Since January 12, his tweet received over 42,000 likes and got shared by nearly 10,000 other people. Palantir CEO Alex Karp said he stands by his company's controversial work for the U.S. government, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The secretive Peter Thiel-backed data analytics start-up ramped up its work for governments in 2019, Karp said Thursday. "The core mission of our company always was to make the West, especially America, the strongest in the world, the strongest it's ever been, for the sake of global peace and prosperity, and we feel like this year we really showed what that would mean," Karp said in an interview with "Squawk Box" co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Palantir has reportedly grown its inventory of government contracts to more than $1.5 billion in value by beating out more traditional defense contractors like Raytheon. Last March, Palantir won an $800 million contract to build an intelligence system to aid soldiers in remote environments. Since 2014, Palantir has worked with ICE to identify undocumented immigrants, prompting some employee protests. "We started this contract under Obama, and obviously there's a lot of legitimate concern about what happens on our border, how it happens, and what does the enforcement look like?" Karp told CNBC. "It's a legitimate, complex issue. My personal position is we acknowledge the complexity. The people protesting, whom I respect, should also acknowledge that complexity." The company now has a private valuation of more than $20 billion and is reportedly considering an IPO next year. Palantir is a Silicon Valley paradox: Seen as innovative and forward-thinking like its California counterparts but clandestine and hawkish like its D.C. competitors. While employees for Google, Apple and Amazon have loudly protested to their companies' involvement in government work with private data, Palantir's CEO has embraced the role of big tech companies in Washington. "My house has been protested for many months, almost every day," Karp said. "Our offices have been protested. Many Palantirians, who do not just follow what I say but are critical people, protested against it internally. Some people were so upset by it that they left. These are very hard decisions. I respect the people that that have decided they can't be involved in this, but we have a position." Last month, Business Insider reported that Palantir is working on Project Maven, the Department of Defense program that Google dropped in March following employee backlash. "If this were true, I'd be very proud," Karp said about the reports, but didn't confirm Palantir was working on the project. Palantir's work for the government has drawn the ire of some in Silicon Valley, especially as competitors like Google have turned down government contracts. Employees at Microsoft have protested over the company's $480 million HoloLens contract with the Army. Karp, however, defends his company's public-private relationship. "It's commonly known that our software is used in an operational context at war," Karp said. "Do you really think a war fighter is going to trust a software company that pulls the plug because something becomes controversial with their life? Currently, when you're a war fighter your life depends on your software." -- CNBC's Kate Fazzini contributed to this report State-run Saigontourist on Thursday called off tour trips to Wuhan in China as an outbreak of coronaviruses has killed more than a dozen people and infected hundreds there. The firm has already scrapped tour visits to Wuhan, where a new coronavirus strain has claimed 17 lives and infected nearly 600, said Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing and media director for travel at Saigontourist. There are eight other known cases around the world Thailand has confirmed four cases, while the United States, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have each reported one, according to Reuters. The company was scheduled to operate tours to Zhangjiajie-Fenghuang on Saturday, which is the first day of the new lunar year, which included a trip around Wuhan for one day. But Saigontourist has changed its itinerary and will only let its customers carry out transit procedures in Wuhan in order to go on to another city, amid the coronavirus epidemic causing deadly pneumonia. The change was made after consulting the tourists, Tra said, adding that those having bought tours including transit in Wuhan will be moved to other packages. Saigontourist is monitoring the virus situation and working with its partners in China so as to properly handle other tours to the neighboring country. Some other travel firms on Thursday received questions from customers who had booked tours to visit China on the occasion of the coming Lunar New Year festival. Some tourists asked about destinations and demanded adjustments to their tours, particularly after Taiwan confirmed the first infected case. A few customers have contacted Lien Bang Travelink to alter their tours and the firm has provided options for them to consider, said Tu Quy Thanh, director of the company. Vietnamese tourists mainly visit Zhangjiajie-Fenghuang, rather far from Wuhan, which is the epicenter of the virus pandemic, Thanh added. Hubei, where the pneumonia first broke out, in central China is not Vietnamese visitors favorite destination, Thanh said. However, we are closely monitoring the epidemic and waiting for information from tourism authorities. Domestic travel firms say they are cooperating with partners in China to be informed of the virus outbreak. Vietravel, another leading tourism company, said they do not operate tours to Wuhan but the firm still keeps an eye on such infections. If the situation gets more complicated, the company will be willing to cancel tours, it noted. Authorities at Tan Son Nhat International Airport have been measuring the body temperature of passengers to detect any unusual health signs. Vietnam is closly watching over the fast-spreading virus from China and will issue due warnings, Nguyen Trung Khanh, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has issued dispatches demanding heightened measures to fight acute respiratory infections caused by the coronavirus as well as the distribution of leaflets at border gates to raise public awareness, Khanh said. We are waiting for responses from the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Health Organization in order to issue timely warnings to tourists. Travel companies are now proactive in getting updates on the situation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! STAMFORD - Americares has promoted its executive vice president and chief development officer to the spot of president and chief executive officer, the disaster relief and humanitarian aid nonprofit. Christine Squires will succeed Michael J. Nyenhuis, who is leaving in March to become president and CEO of UNICEF USA. Squires first day as president and CEO will be March 14, the organization said in a release. Americares board Chairman Jerry Leamon said the board unanimously elected Squires because she has the experience and skills needed to lead the organization. The president and CEO oversees all Americares operations worldwide, including a staff of more than 500 in the United States, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Liberia, Malawi, the Philippines and Tanzania. Michael has done an excellent job growing the organization and expanding its health programs. He is leaving Americares even stronger and better prepared to respond to emerging global health threats and disasters and we want to build on that momentum, Leamon said in the release. The board has had the privilege of working with Christine for nearly four years and she was the obvious choice. She has the leadership experience and vision to move Americares forward. Squires, of Greenwich, has spent more than 20 years advocating for humanitarian causes and has held a number of other senior leadership roles. Before joining Americares in 2016, she served as chief operating officer for Physicians for Human Rights, where she oversaw global fundraising, strategic planning, human resources, information technology and an $8.5 million budget. Squires also served as managing director of development and outreach for Human Rights Watch and spent 10 years as vice president of marketing at UNICEF USA. As Americares chief development officer, Squires expanded fundraising efforts and doubled the organizations annual operating budget, to more than $60 million. She previously led the organization as acting president and CEO while Nyenhuis was on a leave of absence for two months last year. I am honored and humbled to be Americares next leader, Squire said in the release. It is a privilege to work for an organization that is saving lives and improving health every day. During his six years at Americares, Nyenhuis expanded and improved the organizations health programs, nearly tripled its cash revenues and more than doubled its global workforce, according to Americares officials. He led the organization as it responded to emergencies, including the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in west Africa; the 2015 Nepal earthquake; Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017; the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela ; Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019; and this months earthquakes in Puerto Rico. Nyenhuis last day at Americares will be March 13. At UNICEF USA, Nyenhuis will replace Caryl Stern, who recently left to become executive director of The Walton Family Foundation. Since its founding 40 years ago, the organization has provided more than $18 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the U.S. In a number of areas, including Puerto Rico, the nonprofit maintains a permanent presence. Following the 2017 hurricanes, Americares established an office in San Juan, Puerto Ricos capital, to oversee recovery programming. Fourteen are based out of the office, with all of them responding to the earthquakes. Since the 2017 storms, Americares said it has delivered to Puerto Rico more than 100 shipments of medicine and relief supplies, repaired damaged health facilities and provided mental-health programs to help residents experiencing stress and trauma. Americares is headquartered at 88 Hamilton Ave., a few blocks from Interstate 95s Exit 9. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott Saudi Arabia is to screen travelers arriving from China after the outbreak of a new coronavirus, Arab News reports. The Kingdom will assess passengers arriving on direct and indirect flights from China to ensure their safety, the health ministry said. The ministry is coordinating with the Kingdoms General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and advised those traveling to affected cities to avoid markets, dead or live animals and animal derived products. The ministry will also closely monitor how the virus evolves by communicating with the World Health Organization (WHO), the statement added. Deaths from the flu-like virus rose to 17 on Wednesday with more than 540 cases confirmed. The virus, which first appeared in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, is suspected of originating from illegally traded wildlife. The virus, which can pass from person-to-person, has been reported in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, raising concerns about its spread through international air travel. Germany's Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, saw its operating earnings fall by half in 2019 as its flagship luxury brand earned lower profits in a tougher global auto market and as the company said it would see more expenses because of regulatory and legal issues with diesel cars. The company said Wednesday in a statement that operating earnings fell to $6.2 billion for all of 2019. Daimler said it would also be hit with 1.1 billion euros to 1.5 billion euros in additional charges for regulatory and legal issues related to its diesel models. Those costs were not included in the operating earnings figures. Mumbai, Jan 23 : The web series "Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega" has intrigued many with its unusual theme of phishing ever since its release on Netflix earlier this month. The brain behind this unique concept, writer and actor Nishank Verma, says creating an original concept from real-life incidents in a realistic space is the most interesting genre for him to crack. "It was not an easy task to write and conceptualise the whole series, which is more or less is based on real people and real events. One cannot just narrate incidents, you need to understand the basic core and circumstances that led individuals to go on such a crime spree, without any fear of getting caught," said Verma. The show brings to light the abject poverty in the region that, according to Verma's research, has traditionally been a hotbed of petty thievery and fraud. The show also reflects on how a corrupt system creates an equally dangerous eco-system, which feeds off the misguided youth. "Realistic dramas are the toughest to crack. This genre requires a tight hand on narration and creating relatable characters and situations. I had to visit the place, talk to people, and understand the socio-political issues. I had to be respectful and understanding of the situations, which ushered these youths on this path," said Verma. He added: "After many re-writes and thorough research, I was able to create the concept. Kudos to writer Trishant and director Soumendra Padhi for taking on beautifully from there and creating this world so skillfully." Jamtara, a small town in Jharkhand, is the epicentre of cyber crime in India, especially mobile frauds. The crime rate is unprecedented in the town. Reading an article about the subject in December 2015, Verma was convinced that here was a story that the world needed to hear. He almost immediately got drawn into this fascinating world, and spent the next two years delving into the phenomenon, doing extensive research about the modus operandi of the 'cyber criminals', the money trails, the failure of state machinery to catch up with the criminals and the rapidly upgrading technology. "I had to equally address the lack of fear from authority. Everyone is involved in phishing, from youngsters to cops to politicians and more. It wasn't easy to get the information, and be true to the subject material. Interactions with local journalists helped," said Verma. The series stars Amit Sial, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aksha Pardasany, Sparsh Shrivastav, Monika Panwar and Anshuman Pushkar. Seven students, woman attendant injured in bus collision India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 23: A school bus collided with a cluster bus on Thursday morning in west Delhi's Naraina area, leaving seven students and a woman attendant injured, an official said. Students and the woman attendant -- Geeta Chauhan -- suffered minor injuries on their hands, legs and face in the incident, they said. Twenty-seven children on board the school bus were rushed to Mehta Hospital and Kapoor Nursing Home with the help of locals from where they were discharged after treatment and first-aid, the official said. "We received a PCR call at about 7.12 am regarding an accident near Sagar Ratna signal. On reaching at the spot, we found that a cluster bus had hit a bus which was carrying children of Salwan Public school in Rajendra Nagar," a senior police official said. On the statement of a witness, a case has been registered under sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code, the official said. The driver of the cluster bus, Parbhat Malik has been arrested and further investigation is underway, the police said. The mother of a class 6 student, who did not wish to be named, said her son had to attend his internal assessment exam on Thursday. "My son was sitting near the window seat, when he saw the cluster bus speeding and all of a sudden, it hit the school bus. The bus toppled and crashed near the footpath. "Children were afraid and started crying. But police and firemen tried to calm them and pulled them out. My son got stitches on head but he is doing fine now," she said. She added that there was only a bus conductor and a woman attendant in the school bus besides the driver. Reeta Singh (29), who has been employed as a marshal in the cluster bus for the last three months, said their vehicle started from Shivaji Stadium for Madhu Vihar and the accident occurred at around 7 am. "Usually, I always sit in the last row of the bus but on Thursday, I sat in the front seat meant for the staff. There were hardly four-five passengers on the bus. The accident occurred near the signal when the bus was coming down from a flyover." "It all happened suddenly. The impact was such that the school bus rolled sideways. I fell down from my seat. One of the woman passenger in the bus started shouting. I calmed her down and went to check the school children. They were injured and were accompanied by a woman. I had pain in right hand, chest and leg. But I called up ambulance and informed the police," said Singh. Tulsi (55), one of the woman passenger of the cluster bus also received injuries while others escaped unhurt, a police official said. Four students were treated at Kapoor hospital while other students were rushed to Mehta Hospital from where they were discharged after first aid. 20 injured after 5 coaches of Lokmanya Tilak Express derail near Cuttack; Helplines set up "One of the female students sustained nasal fracture and a boy sustained a leg fracture. Two other boys sustained minor injuries. All of them were discharged soon after treatment," said a representative of the hospital. A representative of Mehta hospital said,"Most of the students sustained minor injuries and they were given treatment and discharged," the representative said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 18:22 [IST] Ukrainian Ambassador in Bucharest Oleksandr Bankov affirms on Facebook that Volodymyr Zelensky's statement, that Romania had occupied North Bukovina, was incorrectly translated from Ukrainian into English on the official website of the neighbouring country's Presidency. According to the diplomat, "the historical context at the end of 1918, the dismantling of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the national movements in its former provinces created the situation when these historical provinces no longer had internationally recognized sovereignty, so their takeover by other neighbouring states "cannot be considered 'occupation'." The Ambassador claims that President Zelensky "referred to the well-known historical events of 1918-1919 with one purpose, to demonstrate the need for national unity for the consolidation of the Ukrainian state, which at that time missed the chance for sovereignty and independence, but still continues to fight against Russian aggression." He adds that the mistakes in the English translation of the presidential speech published online have been corrected. Speakers: Li Bin, vice minister of the National Health Commission Xu Shuqiang, director of the Health Emergency Response Office (Public Health Emergency Command Center), the National Health Commission Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration, the National Health Commission Gao Fu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Chairperson: Xi Yanchun, spokesperson for the State Council Information Office of China Date: Jan. 22, 2020 Xi Yanchun: Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. Welcome to the press conference. Great attention has been paid these days to the prevention and control of the pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). To help you better understand the issues concerning the prevention and control work, we have invited Mr. Li Bin, vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC); Mr. Xu Shuqiang, director of the Health Emergency Response Office (Public Health Emergency Command Center), NHC; Ms. Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration, NHC; and Mr. Gao Fu, academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They will explain the work surrounding the pneumonia situation and answer your questions. First, I'll give the floor to Mr. Li. Li Bin: Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus-related pneumonia, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have given earnest consideration to the prevention and control work. General Secretary Xi Jinping has concerned himself with the pneumonia situation and the treatment of patients, making important orders and instructions on the prevention and control work. Premier Li Keqiang has also made important instructions. An executive meeting of the State Council was held Monday morning to make arrangements for prevention and control of the virus outbreak. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan listened to related reports and issued guidance on the prevention and control work. She made important arrangements during a telecom conference of the State Council joint task force on Monday afternoon, and convened another meeting in the evening to discuss and make plans. The NHC has conscientiously implemented the important orders and instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, as well as the arrangements made at the State Council executive meeting. We swiftly established a leading group for the outbreak response with the head of the NHC in charge, and held daily meetings to discuss the prevention and control work. We have sent national working and expert teams to Wuhan to give guidance for local response efforts, with an emphasis on localized administration. First, we strengthened efforts to investigate the origin of the infections and offer technical guidance. In just over a week since the outbreak, we identified the new coronavirus as the cause of the pneumonia, and developed plans for medical treatment, emergency monitoring, epidemiological investigation and management, as well as sampling and detection. Second, we have endeavored to reduce severe cases and deaths. In accordance with the principle of concentrating cases, experts, resources and treatment, suspected cases were brought together to designated hospitals. Each serious case was registered in a separate record for special attention. National-level experts stayed in Wuhan to provide long-term guidance on medical treatment. Third, we focused on both information release and international cooperation. We instructed Wuhan authorities to establish a daily information release mechanism and to intensify efforts to inform the public of recommendations on disease prevention. We enhanced information sharing with the World Health Organization (WHO), related countries, as well as China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; timely and regularly organized for experts to communicate with the WHO about the technical details of prevention and treatment; and invited experts from the WHO, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for field inspections of the prevention and control work. Faced with the changing situation of the outbreak, we have further strengthened the arrangements for prevention and control during these days, while continuing the above-mentioned efforts. First, we reinforced the joint prevention and control mechanism. We improved the NHC-led joint prevention and control mechanism, with more than 30 departments jointly cooperating on tackling the new coronavirus-related pneumonia outbreak. The mechanism consists of groups working on overall coordination, virus control, medical treatment, scientific research, logistical services, and front-line work, with the heads of relevant departments as the leaders. Featuring clear-cut responsibilities and close coordination, the mechanism has helped foster synergy to jointly promote the prevention and control work. Second, we enhanced guidance on the prevention and control work in Wuhan. We urged Wuhan authorities to intensify its emergency response. Regarding the "inflow," the city was required to strengthen its regulation of local market places, prohibit the trade of live poultry, and ban wild animals and live poultry from entering the city. As for the "outflow," Wuhan was required to implement strict screening at airports, railway stations, bus stations and ports, keep patients with a fever and their close contacts in quarantine, and minimize public gatherings as much as possible. Third, we took sound preventive and control measures at the national level. The pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus has been classified as a category B infectious disease and a quarantinable disease at the border. Preventive and control measures of category A infectious diseases are being taken to tackle the pneumonia. We have issued diagnosis and treatment plans to health authorities and activated a daily report system for new pneumonia cases across the country. The National Patriotic Health Campaign Committee initiated a health campaign with the theme of "improving the environmental hygiene in markets." As of 12 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 440 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus in 13 provincial-level regions had been reported to the NHC. Nine deaths had been reported, marking an increase of three, all of which took place in Hubei province. In total, 149 new confirmed cases were reported on Jan. 21. Overseas, one case has been confirmed in Japan, three in Thailand, and one in the Republic of Korea. A total of 2,197 close contacts have been traced, of which 1,394 are currently under medical observation and 765 others have been discharged. There has been a rapid increase in the number of cases recently. This is partly because we have deepened our understanding of the disease, improved methods of diagnosis, and distributed optimized reagents for confirming cases across the country. Experts believe that most of the cases are related to Wuhan. People-to-people transmission has been reported, and some medical workers have tested positive for the virus. There is a certain trend of the disease spreading between communities. It is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract, and could possibly mutate and spread further. Meanwhile, population movement has greatly increased as we are experiencing the Spring Festival travel rush. As such, the risk of the disease spreading has increased, making it more difficult to prevent and control the outbreak. We should be on high alert and not take the issue lightly. In the next stage, we will work with members of the joint prevention and control mechanism, implement the policy decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, put people's safety and health as the top priority, and guide various departments to implement concrete and effective measures under the principle of localized management to ensure that people enjoy a peaceful Spring Festival. First, we will stay strictly on guard, and control the virus within Wuhan. We will urge Hubei province and Wuhan city to take the strictest possible prevention and control measures, strengthen the supervision of local market places and control of wild animals, and keep the virus from spreading and further transmitting. We will call on people to avoid gathering in public and reduce public events where feasible to avoid cases caused by large gatherings of people. We will take the strictest measures possible to screen those showing symptoms such as high fever, and keep them under medical investigation to prevent the virus from spreading further. Second, we will resolutely implement disease prevention and control measures nationwide. We will vigorously monitor pneumonia with unknown causes, as well as improve diagnosis and treatment provision at fever clinics. We will be prepared for treatment of the new coronavirus-related pneumonia cases and timely discover and treat them. We will also ramp up efforts in keeping the environment clean, and as more people move around during the Spring Festival, we will carry out ventilation, sterilization and temperature-taking measures in transport hubs such as stations, airports and ports, as well as in vehicles including buses, trains and airplanes. Third, we will spare no efforts in the treatment of patients. We will mobilize the best medical resources and experts, and combine both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medical treatment, in order to reduce the number of deaths as much as possible. We will support patients' medical expenses to ensure they are treated timely, and take care of medical workers, especially in the area of self-prevention to prevent them from being infected at work. Fourth, we will work on information disclosure and international cooperation. We will release information related to the virus in a timely, open and transparent way, as well as objectively report the situation of the virus and the measures taken by the government. We will stay true to facts and spread knowledge about preventing the disease. Also, we will take the initiative to strengthen communications with the WHO, related countries and regions, as well as China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; share the information on the monitoring, investigation, prevention and controls as well as risk assessment in a timely manner; and jointly study and improve measures on the prevention and control of the disease. Fifth, we will increase scientific research into prevention and control of the virus. We will give full play to the role of experts, identify the sources and methods of transmission as soon as possible, and accelerate research and screening of anti-virus medicines. We will keep a close watch on the virulence and transmission rates of the virus, so as to prevent and control the disease in a more scientific and efficient manner. Sixth, we will arrange for necessary health-care personnel to be on duty. The health administrative bodies and medical institutions at all levels should have experienced personnel on duty during the Spring Festival. Hospitals and disease control agencies at all levels should also have enough personnel on duty. All of us are concerned about the situation, and we will do our utmost to curb the spread of the disease. We have the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the institutional strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have established a relatively complete prevention and control systems for sudden and infectious diseases since the SARS outbreak in 2003, and have also accumulated experience in handling other public health emergencies, including the H1N1 flu, bird flu and the Ebola virus. In addition, we have the support of the people and are confident in defeating the disease. Xi Yanchun: Thank you, Mr. Li. Now let's move on to questions. Please identify which media outlet you work for before asking your questions. FILE PHOTO: Tourists stand in queue at the entrance to the Chateau de Versailles By Simon Carraud and Elizabeth Pineau PARIS (Reuters) - French prosecutors investigating a party that former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn threw for his wife at the sumptuous Versailles palace will in the next few weeks ask judges to examine the case, bringing a prosecution a step closer. Prosecutors have been investigating whether Ghosn - now in Lebanon after he last month fled prosecution in Japan on financial misconduct charges - knowingly used company resources to throw a party that was for private purposes. An official with the prosecutor's office in Nanterre, near Paris, which has been handling the investigation, told Reuters a judge or judges would be assigned to pursue the case against Ghosn. The judges have wider powers than prosecutors to pursue a criminal case. They can, in certain circumstances, order the detention of a suspect pending trial, or issue an international arrest warrant if the suspect is abroad. Asked by Reuters to comment, Jean-Yves Le Borgne, one of Ghosn's legal team, said Ghosn had done nothing wrong over the party, but there may have been a misunderstanding between Versailles and party planners working for Ghosn. The lawyer said Ghosn had offered to pay back the 50,000 euros (42,202 pounds) cost of renting the venue for the party. "Carlos Ghosn is ready to answer French justice. Regarding his possible travel to France, things are complicated," Le Borgne added, citing a travel ban imposed by Lebanese prosecutors, and an international Interpol notice requesting Ghosn's arrest, as demanded by Japanese authorities. Renault did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ghosn was once a giant of the global auto industry but is now a fugitive from Japanese justice. He last month slipped out of Japan, where he was subject to strict bail conditions, managing to board a private jet to Turkey and from there flying to Lebanon, his childhood home. He says the Japanese charges were fabricated as part of a plot to oust him from the Renault-Nissan alliance. Story continues HOME OF FRENCH KINGS The party at Versailles, principal residence of generations of French kings until the French revolution of 1789, took place on Oct. 8, 2016. Ghosn said it was to mark the 50th birthday of his wife, Carole. The case revolves around whether Ghosn was aware that Renault would end up footing the bill. Ghosn has denied any wrongdoing. He said the event was never presented as a corporate party, and he believed the venue was being offered free to him personally as a goodwill gesture by Versailles. He said he was later surprised to find out that it cost 50,000 euros and that the amount had been deducted from an allocation for the use of Versailles that Renault had been given in exchange for financing a renovation of the chateau. However, a spokeswoman for Versailles Palace said it was clear at the time the party took place that the event was presented as corporate in nature, and that the ultimate client the venue was dealing with was Renault-Nissan. "There was nothing which would allow us to believe this dinner was anything other than a corporate event." She said that Versailles had documents demonstrating the parties were presented as corporate events, and said that Versailles was ready to share them with investigators. She declined to disclose the documents to Reuters. (Additional reporting by Simon Carraud, Elizabeth Pineau, Gwenaelle Barzic, Sarah White and Gilles Gillaume; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Mark Potter) Microsoft is expanding where few tech giants have gone: the East Bay. The software titan opened a new Berkeley office this month at 1919 Shattuck Ave. The deal is small, spanning the propertys 27,000-square-foot seventh floor. That reflects the scarcity of office space in the city, which has been a challenge for growing startups. The company touted the locations proximity to UC Berkeley, which owns the building. Having a physical presence near UC Berkeley, a renowned institution for research and education, complements the academic nature and learning mind-set of the teams located here, the company wrote in a blog post. UC Berkeley didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Microsofts new office is one of the only major office projects in the city. Local restrictions on development have limited office growth, and UC Berkeleys planned real estate expansion has triggered backlash. The city sued the school over a growth plan last year. Without new development, Berkeley has a minuscule 1.1% availability rate for high-quality offices known as Class A, according to brokerage Newmark Knight Frank. I think the desire to be near a major engineering campus is there. Berkeley just doesnt have the space, said Andrea Arata, San Francisco director of research at Newmark Knight Frank. Big tech companies typically seek offices with hundreds of thousands of square feet which Berkeley doesnt have available and have focused their growth in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, while mostly bypassing the East Bay. Google has a small community coding school in Oaklands Fruitvale district, but no major offices. Apple and Salesforce dont have East Bay offices. To the south, Facebook has a large satellite office in Fremont. Oracle signed a small lease in Oakland in 2017 and has a Pleasanton office. San Francisco tech companies Square and Credit Karma have expanded with additional offices in Oakland. Microsofts office consolidates two artificial intelligence companies in Berkeley that it bought last year, Semantic Machines and Bonsai. There is space for around 125 employees based on average occupancy rates, but a Microsoft spokesman declined to disclose employee count. UC Berkeleys School of Public Health, Graduate School of Education and psychology department occupy most of the building, but the school leased the three top floors to help pay for project costs. Insurance giant AAAs innovation division A3Ventures is also a tenant. Local news website Berkeleyside first reported Microsofts lease. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Berkeleys average asking rents of $40 per square foot annually are lower than those in Oakland and San Francisco, which could make it less financially attractive for developers to build new offices. Microsoft has a bigger expansion under way in Mountain View, Googles hometown. It is building a new 640,000-square-foot campus that will consolidate employees in Sunnyvale. The project will open this summer. A Microsoft spokesman declined to disclose the companys employee count in the region. The company currently has more than 200 open job listings in the Bay Area, including 10 in Berkeley. In San Francisco, Microsoft also has offices at the former Bank of America center at 555 California; at 1355 Market, Twitters headquarters building; and at 680 Folsom St. The companys independent subsidiary, LinkedIn, has a major office at 222 Second St. in South of Market and is headquartered in Sunnyvale. Another division, GitHub, is headquartered at 88 Colin P. Kelly Jr. St. The company has had strong earnings under CEO Satya Nadella, particularly in its cloud computing division. Its revenue rose 13.6% to $33.06 billion for the quarter ending in October. Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf Hundreds of peak-hour commuters were trapped on the $3billion light rail for more than hour after the service broke down. Nine trams stopped running across the CBD after a service at Town Hall broke down about 4pm on Tuesday. There were delays of more than 90 minutes as office workers desperately attempted to get home from the city. Peak-hour commuters were forced to walk or told to catch a train after Sydney's $3billion light rail broke down again. The light rail is pictured on December 14 One tram was locked for 70 minutes with passengers inside, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Chloe Groom was on the light rail with her five-year-old daughter at the time the system collapsed. She said passengers weren't given any information, felt 'abandoned' and were forced to call the police for help after no response came from the emergency button. 'We pressed it over and over and there was no answer ... I don't think they knew there was a tram full of people,' Ms Groom said. 'People stayed pretty calm for a while but ... especially when you're receiving no information, you start to feel a bit panicked.' Commuters were able to exit the tram when police arrived at 5.30pm. Brian Brennan, Managing Director, Sydney Light Rail, Transdev Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia he sincerely apologised to those impacted. 'During this time one tram was stopped between the Bridge Street stop and Circular Quay stop and passengers were unable to be safely disembarked straight away as they had live traffic running on either side,' Mr Brennan said. 'Catch a bus or train instead. Check information displays for service updates.' 'To ensure the customers were safely disembarked, police assisted with traffic control. 'The tram was stopped at approximately 4pm and passengers disembarked shortly after 5pm.' Mr Brennan said what happened to passengers 'wasn't good enough'. 'It is not good enough that passengers were unable to leave the tram quickly and we sincerely apologise to those customers who were not as well-looked after as we expected yesterday,' he said. 'We have systems and processes in place to ensure that customers are safe and well-looked after when there are disruptions, and its our priority to identify where they went wrong on Tuesday night. 'We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and appreciate their patience while we resolve issues as we bed the system in.' Maintenance crews fixed the botched tram but it broke down again at Central while on its way back to the Randwick depot about 6.15pm. Pictures posted to Twitter showed police officers direct the stranded commuters around the stationary tram at Central Train Station. 'Light Rail services are not running between Circular Quay and Central due to urgent mechanical repairs at Circular Quay and Central,' an update about the partial closures said at 6.30pm. 'Catch a bus or train instead. Check information displays for service updates.' Commuters confirmed the delays on Twitter but none were surprised by another break down. 'Just like lite cuisine, lite rail helps you lose weight and say healthy because you have to walk,' one person said. The trams stopped running across the CBD after a service at Town Hall broke down about 4pm on Tuesday 'Well we are going nowhere but at least we now have driverless trams #sydneylightrail,' another person said with a picture of stationary services. The tram eventually left Central about 7pm. Tuesday's delays came as CBD establishment The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room threw a 'tram party'. Owner Fraser Short said he was 'so confident' the tram wouldn't run on time on December 14 that he promised to 'shout the city drinks'. Maintenance crews fixed the botched tram but it broke down again at Central while on its way back to the Randwick depot about 6pm. Pictures posted to Twitter showed police officers direct the stranded commuters around the stationary tram at Central Train Station But the service did stick to its timetable and Mr Short was forced to host his off-the-rails tram party from 5pm on Tuesday - despite the delays. An ALTRAC Light Rail spokeswoman said the maintenance crew is investigating what may have caused the fault. 'Affected passengers were disembarked from trams in the city and advised to use Sydney Trains services to travel between Central and Circular Quay,' she said. 'ALTRAC apologises to customers for the inconvenience and appreciate their patience while we resolve issues as we bed the system in. 'L2 Randwick Line trams are running without major issues this morning.' Agrochemical major UPL declined 1.79% to Rs 553 after the firm confirmed that Income tax Department searched its offices and departments. In its clarification after trading hours yesterday, 22 January 2020, UPL said that it was unable to offer any comment at this juncture. The company is committed to fully co-operate with the authorities in the ongoing search. The company conducts its business in compliance with the provisions of law and shall disseminate further information to the extent and as when it is required to be disseminated. The media reported that I-T department conducted searches at UPL's offices and premises on account of suspicion of tax evasion and account manipulation. The stock slipped 6.10% in four consecutive trading sessions, from its recent closing high of Rs 588.95 attained on Friday, 17 January 2020. In the past one month, the scrip declined 4.25%. On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood at 33.809. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30. UPL's consolidated net profit fell 59.4% to Rs 126 crore on 83.6% surge in net sales to Rs 7,817 crore in Q2 September 2019 over Q2 September 2018. UPL provides crop protection solutions. The firm is engaged in the business of agrochemicals, industrial chemicals, chemical intermediates and specialty chemicals. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese Jingye, which is hoping to rescue British Steel, has reached a deal with trade unions over the terms of workers' contracts The Chinese company hoping to rescue British Steel has struck an agreement with trade unions as it scrambles to seal the takeover by the end of next month. Jingye and the unions have reached a deal over the terms of workers' contracts. Around 5,000 jobs were put on the line when Scunthorpe-based British Steel collapsed last May. Jingye's 50million rescue deal is expected to save around 4,000 jobs but the final number has not been confirmed. Unions will take the proposals to their members, who will be able to reject the offer and take redundancy instead. W inter Love Island fans rejoice: there's a new Instagram filter that tells you which contestant in the Cape Town villa you're most like! While Instagram filters aren't anything new, the social media app has recently enabled users to create their own - which has resulted in a whole range of fun, creative modes. Some of the most popular filters to arrive on the app in the last couple of months include the Disney filter, the 2020 predictions view and the filter that suggested your next vacation location. One of the latest trending filters on the 'Gram tells you which Love Island contestant you are, based on your selfie. For those desperate to find out whether they're more of a Shaugna or a Connagh with a 'G', here's a step-by-step guide of how to find the filter. ITV STEP 1: Ensure you have the latest version of Instagram on your phone, otherwise it's not gonna work Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store on your iPhone or Android device and search for Instagram to double-check you're all up to date. STEP 2: Look up @alloutbeautyuk on Instagram and scroll across to the filter section Visit @alloutbeautyuk to find the Love Island filter (Instagram ) / Instagram The filter menu is sandwiched between the user's grid and their tagged photos. STEP 3: Select the 'Which Love Island Contestant Are You' filter, and this image will appear: You'll then be taken to this view / Instagram STEP 4: You can either 'Try It' or add the filter to your favourites, in order to access it via your in-app camera STEP 5: Get your results and share with your followers - who are obvs dying to know the answer! YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament session has kicked off on January 23. During todays session the lawmakers will debate a number of bills and legislative packages at the first and second hearings. The MPs will vote on the bills discussed at yesterdays session. At the January 22 session the lawmakers held a Q&A session with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Cabinet members. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Matt Hancock insisted the Government would 'not hesitate' to increase measures to protect the UK from the spread of the deadly Chinese coronavirus today amid fears that safety checks at airports were not tough enough. The Health Secretary sought to reassure the public today as he addressed MPs about the killer outbreak that has led Beijing to place a city larger than London in quarantine. Passengers landing at Heathrow Airport from Wuhan - centre of the deadly outbreak - described an easy arrival through the airport as fears grow over the disease. Holiday-makers arriving from the virus-hit city expressed their shock as they were met by a health team and given a warning leaflet before they were let directly though the airport after baggage reclaim and immigration checks. Shadow health minister Sharon Hodgson cited the case saying arrivals seemed to be getting 'virtually no screening' and asked if flights from other Chinese cities would be monitored. Mr Hancock said: 'Currently the evidence suggests the vast majority of cases are in Wuhan. 'Obviously we keep that under constant review and we will not hesitate to take further steps if that's necessary to protect the British public.' The Health Secretary sought to reassure the public today as he adressed MPs about the killer outbreak that has led Beijing to place a city larger than London in quarantine The leaflet tells passengers that if they have been to Wuhan, China in the last 14 days and develop any symptoms - including a fever, breathing difficulties or a cough - they are to contact a healthcare professional Shadow health minister Sharon Hodgson said UK arrivals seemed to be getting 'virtually no screening' and asked if flights from other Chinese cities would be monitored Chinese authorities are quarantining Wuhan - which has a population of 11 million - cracking down on anyone leaving the city except in the case of special circumstances. The coronavirus has now killed 17 people and health experts warn the outbreak may already be in Britain. The UK Foreign Office advised against 'all but essential travel' to the Chinese city. Public Health England said that 'enhanced monitoring' - including a Port Health team who will meet each direct flight aircraft - would be in place for Wuhan arrivals from January 22. Mr Hancock told MPs cases of the virus have also been reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and the US. He said 'most people' affected have experienced cold and flu symptoms, though some cases have proved fatal. 'We have been closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan and have put in place proportionate, precautionary measures,' he said. But passengers, who were handed an advice leaflet advising them to contact health professionals if they display symptoms, described an otherwise regular arrival through baggage reclaim and customs. Eileen, 21, said: 'We came off the plane like any other time. I was in my home of Wuhan just for a month before coming back to study media. Over that month I did not l leave the house, we stayed inside because of the virus. I think more should have been done because the fear of the virus in China is much worse than it is here' One passenger explained how her home city had shut off all public transport because of the growing fears of the killer disease. Ni Yu, 24, said: 'Today Wuhan stopped all public transport, trains, aeroplanes and buses. We were allowed to fly because it was before the deadline. I am worried about it. 'When we landed we weren't segregated. It took us two hours to get from the plane to arrivals because of immigration, they had to check our passports. 'All we were given was the mask and the check of our temperature. We were told to ring the NHS 111 if we start feeling ill and that's it.' Passengers arrive wearing a mask at Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport, London, January 22 Eileen, 21, had been visiting her home of Wuhan for a month before returning to the UK to study media. She said: 'We came off the plane like any other time. 'I think more should have been done because the fear of the virus in China is much worse than it is here.' She added that over the month she spent in Wuhan she did not l leave the house, staying inside because of the virus. Robert Crosby, a security guard from Hull had been visiting his brother Thomas Crosby in Wuhan - a lecturer a Birmingham City University - when the news spread of the contagion. Robert Crosby, a security guard from Hull, holds a Public Health England leaflet advising passengers what to do if symptoms arise Robert Crosby, had been visiting his 31-year-old brother Thomas Crosby, right, in Wuhan People wear face masks as they wait at Hankou Railway Station on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan He said: 'The flight today was pretty much the same as I had on the way to Wuhan except a lot more people had masks, including English people. 'We got our temperature checked at the Chinese airport and they gave us a leaflet from Public Health England when we landed. 'We were told to wait for instructions from immigration controls but when we got off everything was normal, I think the area where we got off might have been more isolated because normally there are toilets straight away but that was it. 'My brother was teaching English in China so I went to visit him. I was there for 12 days but I was in Wuhan for about a week. I had heard rumours before I set off but I had already booked all my flights and I didn't know how serious it was. 'It all started kicking off just before we left. Lots of Chinese people were leaving.' People wearing face masks ride escalators inside Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan today Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport on January 22 as scientists warn up to 10,000 patients may have caught the SARS-like virus in Wuhan Thomas Crosby, 31, added: 'There was an exodus in Wuhan but you wouldn't know if that was for Chinese New Year or because of the virus.' A 25-year-old student who was picking up his mother said: 'I worry abut the virus in Britain. There is news that tomorrow Wuhan will not allow anybody to leave because of the illness.' Leading scientists have also today warned up to 10,000 patients may have caught the SARS-like virus in Wuhan - more than double the previous estimate. Wuhan officials have today ordered all residents to wear face masks in public places. The World Health Organisation (WHO) today provided an update saying they need to know more about the outbreak before declaring an international emergency. An update from Public Health England today said: 'There are 3 direct flights a week that arrive at Heathrow from Wuhan. The enhanced monitoring of direct flights will be kept under continuous review and expanded to other Chinese departure points if necessary. 'Leaflets and information will be made available across all UK airports, advising travellers from China on what do to if they feel unwell. The World Health Organisation (WHO) today provided an update saying they need to know more about the outbreak before declaring an international emergency (pictured: Arrivals at Heathrow Airport) 'Based on the emerging evidence regarding case numbers, potential sources and human to human transmission, the risk to travellers to Wuhan is moderate. 'The risk to the UK population has been assessed as low. This has been raised from very low due to current evidence on the likelihood of cases being imported into this country. 'The UK is well prepared for new diseases and our approach is being kept under constant review. 'In line with our robust preparedness activities for emerging infections, we have issued clinical guidance for the detection and diagnosis of Wuhan Novel Coronavirus and PHE has developed a diagnostic test. 'Thanks to PHE, the UK is now one of the first countries outside China to have a prototype specific laboratory test for this novel disease. 'There are currently no confirmed cases of this new infection in the UK.' The European Union offered a pointedly warm welcome Wednesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is seeking to broaden international support for elections to vote President Nicolas Maduro out of power. Guaido is recognised as Venezuela's interim president by the United States and 50 other countries, though not by the European Commission, which describes him instead as the "legitimate" speaker of Venezuela's opposition-run parliament. Still, the convivial handshake extended by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and meetings with other top officials from the Commission and Parliament underlined the bloc's broad support. Guaido's message, relayed in an interview with BBC radio, was that he was seeking "support to achieve the free and fair elections, support to fight against dictatorship" in Venezuela. In a statement, Borrell's office said he had stressed the EU's willingness to back "a peaceful and democratic resolution of the crisis" during his talks with Guaido. "They both underlined the urgent need for a concerted approach both amongst the actors in Venezuela and within the international community for a meaningful political process," the statement said. The Brussels stop was part of an international campaign Guaido is waging to shore up backing in his bid to succeed Maduro. He defied a travel ban issued by Maduro's administration to go to Colombia and Britain before Belgium, and was to continue on to take part in the World Economic Forum in Davos and then to Spain at the end of the week. In Bogota, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed President Donald Trump's full-throated diplomatic support for Guaido. That was echoed in Britain, which is among the majority of EU countries that have joined the US in recognising Guaido's claim made early last year as Venezuela's temporary leader. While there was no unanimous EU position on recognising Guaido, a European source said "the meeting (between him and Borrell) is a message in itself". - Raid on Caracas offices - Meanwhile, with Guaido out of the country, hooded Venezuelan intelligence agents raided his Caracas offices, underlining the crucial support Maduro continues to enjoy from his security services. Concerned by the unprecedented outflow of Venezuelans fleeing economic hardship, the EU has seen its efforts to help solve the crisis in the South American country go nowhere. The bloc already imposed sanctions on Venezuela, including an arms embargo and the targeting of 25 of Maduro's officials for "human rights violations and undermining of democracy and the rule of law". It has resisted US pressure to ramp up the sanctions. Guaido's status as Venezuelan president for many key countries but not the entire international community has contributed to a political deadlock that has dragged on. "If Guaido wants to break the impasse he needs to count on other allies beyond the traditional support given by the United States and the Lima Group" made up of a dozen Latin American nations and Canada, said Carlos Malamud, an analyst at the Madrid-based Elcano Institute for International and Strategic Studies. Luxembourg ranked ninth in the Corruptions Perceptions Index 2019. Experts and business leaders assessed the perception of corruption in 180 states in order to compile the report for the Transparency International NGO. Luxembourg secured a spot in the top 10. With a score of 80/100, Luxembourg ranks in ninth place, tied for points with Germany. Only the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, New Zealand and Denmark (87 points) do better. Considering the average score is 43, and two out of three countries obtained less than 50, Luxembourg's performance stands out as particularly high. Its score is also well above the European average (66 points). With the exception of some significant increases for Greece or Guyana (+12 points in seven years) and considerable declines for Canada and Nicaragua (-7), the majority of countries saw their situation remain stable. The authors of the report, despite congratulating the countries least affected by corruption, call on all residents to remain vigilant and to take part in the political and economic life of their country to ensure stability and transparency. The Chinese owner of Oceanwide Center, planned as San Franciscos second-tallest building, has agreed to sell the property to another Chinese investor for $1 billion. Oceanwide Holdings said it approved the sale of the partially built property to SPF Capital International Ltd. The deal between the two Beijing companies is one of the biggest real estate transactions in city history. The companies couldnt immediately be reached for comment. Oceanwide Center, which started construction in late 2016, calls for a 910-foot tower at 50 First St. that would be second only to nearby Salesforce Tower in height. A 605-foot secondary tower would also be constructed. The project includes 1 million square feet in office space, 265 residential units and a 169-room Waldorf Astoria hotel. The project is one of the last unfinished pieces of the citys Transbay district, the high-rise home of tech giants like Salesforce, Google and Facebook, which have snapped up buildings as they have swiftly grown into some of San Franciscos largest employers, displacing the financial firms that once dominated downtown. It is the largest office project currently under construction in a market with high office rents and little supply. Only two San Francisco deals come close to Oceanwides size: Boston Properties $1.22 billion purchase of the four-building Embarcadero Center in 1998, and the roughly $1 billion sale of 555 California St., the former Bank of America headquarters, in 2005 to the Trump Organization, which is a limited partner, and a group of Hong Kong investors, who later sold their majority interest to Vornado Realty Trust. However, the price tag on Oceanwide Center is unprecedented because the project still requires years of construction to be completed. Oceanwide bought the project land for $296 million in 2015, and completion was previously scheduled for around 2023. Oceanwide Holdings struggled to finish the project because of the Chinese governments restrictions on foreign investment, which limit how much money companies can spend in the U.S., said Darlene Chiu Bryant, an executive director of GlobalSF, a nonprofit that works with international investors. She initially connected Oceanwide Holdings to TMG Partners and Northwood Investors, which sold Oceanwide the land. Oceanwide Holdings officials told Bryant that it had invested $900 million, including the land purchase, in the project to date, she said. Because of rising construction costs, it could take another $1 billion or more to complete the project, she said. Reuters also reported Wednesday that Oceanwide Holdings Han Xiaosheng was no longer CEO, and Wu Chen, formerly deputy CEO, had replaced him. Han will remain executive director and chairman. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The company has never completed a U.S. project. Numerous Chinese developers have struggled in San Francisco amid rising costs and Chinas investment restrictions. John Blanchard SPF Groups real estate experience isnt clear. In 2018, SPF Group partnered with China Merchants Group and Londons Centricus to raise $15 billion to invest in tech companies, Reuters reported. Oceanwide Holdings suspended construction on the shorter tower in October amid rising costs. The San Francisco Business Times reported in November that the building, along with a project in Los Angeles, was for sale. Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com VINEETUPADHYAY By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Taking a cue from Croatia which catalogued locations where the famous television series Game of Thrones was shot, the Uttarakhand government has decided to design an Android app for a Modi Trail which would give netizens a virtual tour of places visited by the PM. Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj, who recently visited Croatia, has decided to go ahead with the proposal. I came across the mobile app in Croatia. They have done it wonderfully by cataloguing locations where the Game of Thrones was shot. We plan to do the same with our Modi Trails mobile app. The Android app will provide a virtual experience to tourists, visitors through pictures, audio and videos of the places where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited in the hill state. The trail will have also showcase locations from Corbett Tiger Reserve in Ramnagar where Modi featured in an episode with Bear Grylls, as well as the cave where he meditated in Kedarnath last year. Elaborating on details, officials from the tourism department said that tourist guides will be later equipped with gadgets and applications which help them connect to tourists and take them to locations visited by the PM. Later, the plan is to broaden the scope of the app to allow tourist to book their tours and stays through their gadgets. The trail is expected to include the picturesque Ramganga waterways. The meditation cave visited by Modi in May last year is already a hit among devotees and tourists alike at Kedarnath shrine. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vowed to ensure the repatriation of former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from the United Kingdom, for prosecution on corruption charges in Nigeria. EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, had in a media interaction in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday insisted that that Diezani will be repatriated before the end of 2020 to face financial crime charges against her. Magu after an inspection of the ongoing recruitment exercise for the commission in Ibadan, decried that Diezani has been enjoying protection outside Nigeria. He lamented that the country where she resides currently has not established any offence she has committed. This year we must get her because they have no reason to keep her. They have not taken her to court, and we are in the fifth year, why should we be investigating a matter for five years? Its a straight forward case, you know its a financial crimes investigation; its not a murder case, this is a straightforward case, if you dont have any sufficient evidence to establish any offence, bring her back, we have more than enough evidence to take her to court. I dont know why they are protecting her, release her let her come back to Nigeria; they are giving her protection for whatever reason and they are yet to disclose whatever offence she has committed, they are only relying on the evidence we have recovered, Magu had said. PV: 0 File image Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary, saying he never hesitated from raising issues of public importance. Thackeray was born in 1926 in Pune. Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his Jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare. He always remained proud of Indian ethos and values. He continues to inspire millions. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020 "Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare," the prime minister wrote on Twitter. Thackeray always remained proud of Indian ethos and values, and continues to inspire millions, Modi said. The Shiv Sena recently formed a government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and the Congress, breaking a decades old alliance with the BJP. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tania Velazquez Lopez (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 15:51 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060afede 3 Opinion opinions,Cuba,Indonesia,diplomacy,international-relations,diplomatic-missions,diplomatic-relations,bilateral-cooperation,bilateral-relation,bilateral-ties Free The year 2020 marks 60 years of continued friendship between Indonesia and Cuba. It all started in Jakarta in 1959, when then-commander Ernesto Che Guevara arrived in Jakarta as the special envoy of Cubas prime minister. At the end of his visit, an announcement was made: Indonesia and Cuba would establish diplomatic relations. On Jan. 22, 1960, the two states officially opened diplomatic relations. Four months later, Indonesias founding father Sukarno, affectionately called Bung Karno, paid a historic visit to Cuba. He was the first head of state to visit the Caribbean island after the triumph of the Revolution. During his visit, president Sukarno had extensive exchanges with commander-in-chief Fidel Castro. Mutual sympathy between the two leaders was visible. From that time on, Cuba and Indonesia have maintained a friendship and solid cooperation in various fields, including in issues of the international agenda that presidents Joko Jokowi Widodo and Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez have respectively ratified. Cuba recognizes the role of Indonesia as a precursor of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which our country presided over twice. Cuba also acknowledges Indonesias past support of Cubas struggle against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States and appreciates Indonesias customary vote in favor of the United Nations General Assemblys resolution that for the past 27 years has demanded the end of this obsolete practice. One of Cubas most emotive offers of solidarity to Indonesia occurred in 2005, when a team of 25 doctors from Cuba went to Aceh province to relieve the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that affected the region in December 2004. Cuba returned later with the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade (HRIMB), specializing in disaster situations and serious epidemics. The HRIMB arrived in Yogyakarta in May 2006 with around 76 doctors, and other staff, who worked in two field hospitals fully equipped by the Caribbean nation. The links between the two nations have stood the test of time and distance to show concrete results of cooperation in areas such as sports, health, culture, human resources training and epidemiological surveillance. Looking to the past drives us to move toward the future with greater determination. Actually, Indonesia and Cuba are immersed in defeating geographical barriers and promoting a commercial exchange that honors the political ties between both countries. Currently, our nations share the vision of promoting economic diplomacy and seeking new markets for our respective products. In this context, the potential for Cuban and Indonesian companies is greater, mainly in areas such as tourism, agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology. From the approval of Cubas new Foreign Investment Law and the launch of the Mariel Special Development Zone, interesting opportunities have opened up for Indonesian businesses in Cuba, which could also allow them to project toward the Latin American and Caribbean markets. In this regard, the biggest island in the Caribbean (population of 11 million) is very competitive as a result of its highly trained personnel, excellent health indicators, as well as its security and political stability. The 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Cuba is a cause for celebration, but at the same time the perfect motivation to relaunch economic-commercial cooperation between our countries, and thus offers greater opportunities for the development of our peoples. *** Ambassador designate of Republic of Cuba to Indonesia Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Today we'll take a closer look at The Russian Public Joint-Stock Commercial Roads Bank (Public joint-stock company) (MCX:RDRB) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. With a 2.8% yield and a six-year payment history, investors probably think Russian Commercial Roads Bank looks like a reliable dividend stock. A low yield is generally a turn-off, but if the prospects for earnings growth were strong, investors might be pleasantly surprised by the long-term results. Remember though, due to the recent spike in its share price, Russian Commercial Roads Bank's yield will look lower, even though the market may now be factoring in an improvement in its long-term prospects. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Russian Commercial Roads Bank! MISX:RDRB Historical Dividend Yield, January 23rd 2020 Payout ratios Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Russian Commercial Roads Bank paid out 255% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. A payout ratio above 100% is definitely an item of concern, unless there are some other circumstances that would justify it. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Russian Commercial Roads Bank's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Dividend Volatility Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Russian Commercial Roads Bank has been paying a dividend for the past six years. It's good to see that Russian Commercial Roads Bank has been paying a dividend for a number of years. However, the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, and we're concerned that what has been cut once, could be cut again. During the past six-year period, the first annual payment was 8.15 in 2014, compared to 9.85 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 3.2% per year over this time. Russian Commercial Roads Bank's dividend payments have fluctuated, so it hasn't grown 3.2% every year, but the CAGR is a useful rule of thumb for approximating the historical growth. Story continues Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent. Dividend Growth Potential With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Why take the risk of a dividend getting cut, unless there's a good chance of bigger dividends in future? Russian Commercial Roads Bank has grown its earnings per share at 2.9% per annum over the past five years. Still, the company has struggled to grow its EPS, and currently pays out 255% of its earnings. As they say in finance, 'past performance is not indicative of future performance', but we are not confident a company with limited earnings growth and a high payout ratio will be a star dividend-payer over the next decade. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. We're a bit uncomfortable with its high payout ratio. Second, earnings growth has been ordinary, and its history of dividend payments is chequered - having cut its dividend at least once in the past. With this information in mind, we think Russian Commercial Roads Bank may not be an ideal dividend stock. You can also discover whether shareholders are aligned with insider interests by checking our visualisation of insider shareholdings and trades in Russian Commercial Roads Bank stock. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Researchers at Cardiff University have discovered a new type of killer T-cell that offers hope of a one-size-fits-all cancer therapy. T-cells with the new TCR were shown, in the lab, to kill lung, skin, blood, colon, breast, bone, prostate, ovarian, kidney and cervical cancer cells, while ignoring healthy cells. The researchers injected T-cells able to recognise MR1 into mice bearing human cancer and with a human immune system. This showed encouraging cancer-clearing results which the researchers said was comparable to the now NHS-approved CAR-T therapy in a similar animal model. The Cardiff group were further able to show that T-cells of melanoma patients modified to express this new TCR could destroy not only the patients own cancer cells, but also other patients cancer cells in the laboratory, regardless of the patients HLA type. CAR-T and T-Cells T-cell therapies for cancer where immune cells are removed, modified and returned to the patients blood to seek and destroy cancer cells are the current hottest thing in cancer treatments. The most widely-used therapy, known as CAR-T, is personalized to each patient but targets only a few types of cancers and has not been successful for solid tumors, which make up the vast majority of cancers. T-cell therapies have been making slow progress because each type of cancer needs specific modifications that require their own clinical trials. Cardiff researchers have now discovered T-cells equipped with a new type of T-cell receptor (TCR) which recognises and kills most human cancer types, while ignoring healthy cells. Nature Immunology Genome-wide CRISPRCas9 screening reveals ubiquitous Tcell cancer targeting via the monomorphic MHC class I-related protein MR1. How does this new TCR work? Conventional T-cells scan the surface of other cells to find anomalies and eliminate cancerous cells which express abnormal proteins but ignore cells that contain only normal proteins. The scanning system recognizes small parts of cellular proteins that are bound to cell-surface molecules called human leukocyte antigen (HLA), allowing killer T-cells to see whats occurring inside cells by scanning their surface. HLA varies widely between individuals, which has previously prevented scientists from creating a single T-cell-based treatment that targets most cancers in all people. But the Cardiff study, published today in Nature Immunology, describes a unique TCR that can recognise many types of cancer via a single HLA-like molecule called MR1. Abstract Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-independent, T cellmediated targeting of cancer cells would allow immune destruction of malignancies in all individuals. Here, we use genome-wide CRISPRCas9 screening to establish that a T cell receptor (TCR) recognized and killed most human cancer types via the monomorphic MHC class I-related protein, MR1, while remaining inert to noncancerous cells. Unlike mucosal-associated invariant T cells, recognition of target cells by the TCR was independent of bacterial loading. Furthermore, concentration-dependent addition of vitamin B-related metabolite ligands of MR1 reduced TCR recognition of cancer cells, suggesting that recognition occurred via sensing of the cancer metabolome. An MR1-restricted T cell clone mediated in vivo regression of leukemia and conferred enhanced survival of NSG mice. TCR transfer to T cells of patients enabled killing of autologous and nonautologous melanoma. These findings offer opportunities for HLA-independent, pan-cancer, pan-population immunotherapies. SOURCES- University of Cardiff, Nature Immunology Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com Danbury area legislators have sent a formal request to the governor's office to call for a town hall meeting regarding his administration's CT2030 transportation plan. State Representatives Bill Buckbee (R-67), Stephen Harding (R-107), and Richard Smith (R-108) penned a letter to Governor Ned Lamont Jan. 8 asking that a local town hall meeting be held so that Danbury area residents could have an opportunity to hear details of the plan and express their concerns or ask questions. According to the representatives, on Jan. 12, the governor held a town hall meeting in Westport to discuss his state-wide transportation plan. Consequently, there should be similar efforts made by the administration to conduct these meetings in other parts of the state, the representatives said. Having a town hall to shop ideas is a wonderful idea," said Rep. Buckbee. However, conducting a meeting so that only certain Connecticut residents have a chance to hear the plan is not how an open and transparent government operates. That is the exact reason we requested that the governor come to our neck of the woods and explain to residents why implementing trucks-only tolling, or any form of tolling, is a good idea, he said. I certainly have questions, and would love the opportunity to engage with him on this issue. House Democrats recently held a press conference at the Capitol in order to announce details and a potential session date for a vote on the plan. Neither were provided during the press conference, which casts further doubt on the general consensus of the transportation plan. If the governor and legislative Democrats had the votes to call tolls, then we wouldn't still be in the negotiation stage, said Rep. Harding. The fact that Democrats have a majority in both chambers allows them to call any bill at any time, but for some reason they refuse to put tolls up for legislative action. To me, this shows a lack of consensus support on the plan, he said. I have not seen concrete details on what the plan looks like today, but a myriad of varying proposals have crossed my desk over the last year. This ever-changing plan should be discussed and I encourage the governor to visit our side of the state to conduct a town hall meeting." It is critical that residents in my district, and the surrounding towns, have the same opportunities to ask questions about tolls and the impact it will have on them, as those living in the shoreline districts, especially since Rhode Islands truck only tolls plan is currently being litigated in Federal Court, said Rep. Smith. When you think of unwinding, you probably picture a few candles burning nearby. The problem is that traditional candles can produce harmful chemicals, which can cause headaches and allergies. Now you can unwind with all-natural, clean-burning candles, with Serendipity Candles by The Serendipity Candle Factory. As a fortunate stroke of serendipity, Serendipity Candles are in great demand and are even going to be included in the gift bags for Nominees and Presenters at the Golden Globe Awards in early January 2020. However, you dont need to be a celebrity to enjoy these amazing candles - you can create a relaxing ambiance with them whenever youd like in the comfort of your own home. The Serendipity Candle Factory offers plant-based soy candles, with over 175 scents and growing! Naturally scented and environmentally friendly, you can have peace of mind while Serendipity Candles are burning. They burn twice as long as regular candles and come in a variety of sizes, styles, and scents. 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According to an official order, two other high-level committees, one to be headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other to be co-chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, will also be set up for disposal of immovable enemy properties vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India under the Enemy Property Act. Enemy properties were those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China. The order said an Inter-Ministerial Group will be constituted for the disposal of enemy properties and it will be co-chaired by the union home secretary and the secretary of the department of investment and public asset management. Representatives of the ministry of home affairs, department of economic affairs, department of expenditure, department of public enterprises, department of legal affairs, ministry of corporate affairs among others will be members of the inter-ministerial group. A Core Group of Secretaries on Asset Monetisation (CGAM) will be constituted under chairmanship of the cabinet secretary and comprising secretary, department of economic affairs; secretary, department of revenue; secretary, department of expenditure; secretary, department of public enterprises; secretary, ministry of corporate affairs; secretary, department of legal affairs; secretary, urban development; union home secretary and secretary, department of investment and public asset management. The order said the central government may constitute an alternative mechanism comprising Home Minister Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. There are 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals. In 2018, the then union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had informed Rajya Sabha that "The estimated value of all enemy properties is approximately Rs 1 lakh crore". Among the 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals, the highest 4,991 properties are located in Uttar Pradesh followed by West Bengal which has 2,735 such estates. There are 487 such properties in Delhi. Among the 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, the highest 57 are located in Meghalaya followed by West Bengal with 29. Assam has seven such properties. According to the new Act, enemy property refers to any property belonging to, held or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm. By Trend Informing entrepreneurs about sanitary standards is a very important issue today in the framework of food sector development, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business (SMB) Development Agency Orkhan Mammadov said at a business forum on the current state and prospects of food security, Trend reports. Mammadov noted that the SMB Development Agency is cooperating with the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan in this field. Currently, over 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have been registered in the food sector of the country and, accordingly, the development of this sector has very great potential, Mammadov said. The chairman added that more than 8,000 participants underwent training in 2019 and that further effective measures were taken to develop their business. Baku hosts a business forum on the current state and prospects of food security on Jan. 23. The event is attended by representatives of Azerbaijan's SMB Development Agency, Food Safety Agency, Agriculture Ministry, Women Entrepreneurs Fund, National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, as well as food industry entrepreneurs. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Eleven migrants have been picked up by French authorities while attempting to cross the English Channel - bringing the total number trying to reach the UK to 96 in just three days. A boat was detected about four and a half miles north of Calais at about 1.45am on Thursday morning, carrying the 11 migrants. The patrol boat Aramis was dispatched to rescued the migrant vessel, which had suffered engine failure, French authorities confirmed. It comes after 50 migrants were intercepted by UK and French authorities on Wednesday as they attempted to cross the channel. A further 21 were detained in Dover on Tuesday, while 14 were intercepted while trying to get from Belgium to the UK. A boat was detected about four and a half miles north of Calais at about 1.45am on Thursday morning, carrying the 11 migrants. It has been picked up French authorities Today's migrants were picked up after they had contacted French emergency services after they drifted in the sea in pitch darkness. Air temperatures in the region were thought to be as low as 5C and ten of the migrants on board had mild hypothermia, while the other was reported to be in a worse condition. They were taken aboard the Aramis at 2.47am and brought to the port of Calais. All are now safe following the rescue, and French authorities reiterated their warnings about crossing the dangerous shipping lanes. Yesterday, the Home Office said at 7.39am yesterday Border Force were alerted to a small boat near Dover, Kent. A Cutter picked up 13 migrants, all men, who were taken on board and brought ashore. One of the men was taken to hospital for medical assessment. The image above shows an empty rubber dinghy after three boats were intercepted by border force officials on Tuesday Later at 10.40am a second small boat was intercepted by a Border Force cutter with another 13 men on board. Their nationalities are yet to be established but all have been handed over to immigration officials. Tony Eastaugh, Home Office Director for Crime & Enforcement, said: 'We are tackling illegal migrant crossings on all fronts with every agency including Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, NCA and policing teams working in tandem with the French and Belgian authorities. 'We have extra patrols on French beaches, drones, specialist vehicles and detection equipment which has been deployed to stop small boats leaving European shores. 'And it's working. Last year one hundred people smugglers were convicted for a total of 320 years.' Officers were seen giving migrants blankets to wrap around themselves as they got off boats in Dover On Tuesday, 21 migrants were detained by Border Force - the first to arrive on UK shores by boat in 2020. Meanwhile, Belgian authorities intercepted 14 migrants on Tuesday after their boat capsized off the coast of De Panne, Belgium. Local mayor Bram Degrieck said he believed it was the first time smugglers had launched from a Belgian beach, suggesting criminals were moving away from France in search of new routes to the UK. Record numbers of migrants reached Britain from France by boat last year, with nearly 1,900 making the perilous trip across the Dover Strait - one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Children wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus at the Hong Kong West Kowloon High Speed Train Station, in Hong Kong, China January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu The World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared Chinas deadly coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Deaths from the new virus hit 18 on Thursday in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, which is the epicentre of the outbreak. Hundreds of cases have been confirmed both in China and abroad, with the infection reaching the US earlier this week. Making the announcement on Twitter, the WHO said it is too early to declare a public health emergency of international concern given its restrictive and binary nature. READ MORE: Billions of journeys to celebrate Chinese New Year raise fears coronavirus will spread worldwide Only five conditions have ever been declared a public health emergency, the highest alarm the WHO can sound. These include the Zika virus and Ebola, which killed more than 13,000 people across two outbreaks. The previously unknown coronavirus strain triggers flu-like symptoms, including breathlessness and fever. In the most severe cases, victims succumb to pneumonia. PEKANBARU, RIAU, INDONESIA - JANUARY 23: Officers are seen using a face mask to prevent Coronavirus at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Indonesia on January 23, 2020. Coronavirus has killed nine peoples, infected hundreds of peoples and can spread. The new virus originating from Wuhan, China, appeared since December 2019 and has been terrorizing the world. (Photo by Dedy Sutisna/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) I am not declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) today, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said. Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that while 584 cases, and 17 deaths, have been reported to the WHO, others are suspected and under investigation. We know that this virus can cause severe disease, and that it can kill, although for most people it causes milder symptoms, he said. We know that among those infected, one quarter of patients have experienced severe disease. We know that most of those who have died had underlying health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease that weakened their immune systems. We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but for now it appears limited to family groups & health workers caring for infected patients. Story continues At this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesnt mean it wont happen. READ MORE: How did China's coronavirus outbreak start? Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus added there is a lot we dont know about the virus source, transmission and symptoms. For the moment, WHO does not recommend any broader restrictions on travel or trade, he said. I wish to reiterate that the fact I am not declaring a PHEIC today should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious, or that we are not taking it seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth. WHO is following this outbreak every minute of every day, at country, regional & global level. The WHOs international multidisciplinary mission will review and support efforts to uncover the animal source of the outbreak, the extent of transmission and screening efforts. READ MORE: Coronavirus outbreak: your questions answered Dr Adam Kamradt-Scott, from the University of Sydney, said: Based on the information we have to date, the WHO director-generals decision to not declare a public health emergency of international concern is not especially surprising. While we have seen international spread of the virus, which is one of the criteria for declaring a PHEIC, the cases in those countries do not appear to have seeded further local outbreaks. If that was to start to occur, it would constitute a greater concern but at the moment the outbreak is largely contained within China. For the moment, the fact the international community is already on high alert and many countries have put in place surveillance measures may help slow international spread. Others, however, questioned the WHOs decision. I'm personally surprised that a PHEIC hasn't been called given that the [virus] appears similar to SARS, we have 4th generation spread and the proportion of severe cases appears high, Dr Stephen Griffin, from the University of Leeds, said. My hope is that this is not a decision that we might come to regret. How deadly is the new coronavirus? While confirmed cases are in the hundreds, Wuhan is thought to have 4,000 cases, with estimations reaching as high as 9,700, Yahoo UK reported. China's National Health Commission announced today the youngest victim was 48 and the eldest 89. Most were elderly and suffering other health issues, like Parkinsons or diabetes. Based on existing data, the virus is thought to have a 2% death rate, on par with Spanish flu, Yahoo UK reported. Of those in hospital, between 15% and 20% of cases are severe, defined as needing ventilation. The WHO was due to make the emergency decision on Wednesday, but postponed it, claiming more information was required. What does a public health emergency mean? A Public Health Emergency of International Concern is defined as a an extraordinary event that constitutes a public health risk through the international spread of disease. It also potentially requires a coordinated international response to stem the spread of infection. Under the International Health Regulations act of 2005, all 196 countries who are member states of the WHO are legally bound to help control the disease. By definition, the health scare is serious, unusual or unexpected, carries implications for public health beyond the affected states border and may require international action. READ MORE: China's coronavirus could have same death rate as Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50m people A declaration is made by the WHOs director-general, who is advised by its emergency committee. The committee is made up of experts in disease control, viruses, vaccine development and how infections spread. It gives temporary recommendations on the health measures required to prevent or reduce the disease spreading internationally, while avoiding unnecessary interference with trade and travel. Recommendations automatically expire after three months. The committee therefore meets at least every 12 weeks to assess the situation and review whether new temporary recommendations are required or the declaration can be terminated. What measures have been introduced so far? Two Chinese cities have gone into lockdown in an attempt to stop the infection spreading. Authorities suspended planes and trains both in and out of Wuhan, which has a population of 11 million. Outbound flights have been cancelled. Regional airlines, including Malaysia's AirAsia and Singapore Airlines' budget carrier Scoot, are temporarily halting journeys to the city. Within Wuhan, buses, subways and ferries are also on hold. Similar measures will come into play in the nearby city Huanggang, which has more than seven million residents, at midnight. Locals are reportedly being told to avoid crowds and wear masks when out and about. Libraries, museums and theatres are also cancelling exhibitions, while cafes and cinemas are temporarily closed. In response to the US case, President Donald Trump said the situation was totally under control and he trusted the information coming from Chinese authorities. Countries around the world are screening travellers for signs of the infection. Critics argue, however, it can take up to five days for the tell-tale fever to develop, allowing infected passengers to be missed, Yahoo UK reported. A child wears a mask to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus at the Hong Kong West Kowloon High Speed Train Station, in Hong Kong, China January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu What other infections were public health emergencies? The swine flu pandemic of 2009 was the first public health emergency. It is now known to have killed around 284,500 people around the world, about 15 times more than confirmed at the time, Reuters reported. This was followed by the Ebola outbreak in the west African countries Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Between 2013 and 2016, at least 11,300 people died. In 2014, the WHO declared the resurgence of polio a public health emergency. Pakistan made up more than a fifth of global cases, rising from 58 in 2012 to 93 the following year. READ MORE: China's coronavirus 'may be missed at airport screenings in newly infected travellers' Zika, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads, was declared a public health emergency in 2016. Starting in Brazil the year before, it spread to more than 60 countries and territories. By the time the emergency was announced, around 2,300 babies had been born with the tell-tale microcephaly, which can lead to developmental problems. Ebola was once again declared a public emergency when it struck the Democratic Republic of Congo in July last year. By 14 January 2019, 3,406 cases had arisen, including 2,236 deaths. What is the new coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that cause everything from the common cold to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic. The new strain, 2019-nCoV, likely originated at a live animal and seafood market in Wuhan that conducted illegal transactions of wild animals, the BBC reported. Constantly evolving viruses can make the jump over to humans. Most of those who initially fell ill worked at, or visited, the market. China's National Health Commission confirmed the virus can spread person-to-person, via sneezing, coughing or shaking contaminated hands. Cases have arisen beyond Wuhan in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. Fatal pneumonia comes about when a respiratory infection causes the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus, according to the American Lung Association. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. Without treatment the end is inevitable, said the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. Deaths occurs because of asphyxiation. Fellow coronavirus Sars made headlines in the early 2000s after 774 people died across dozens of countries, mainly in Asia. Genetic analyses reveal 2019-nCoV is more closely related to Sars than any other virus within that class. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned there is no specific treatment for coronaviruses. If the infection triggers pneumonia, doctors work to combat the complication. When a virus is to blame like 2019-nCoV pneumonia may be treated via antiviral medication, according to the American Lung Association. Professor Peter Horby from the University of Oxford claims, however, there is no effective anti-viral, with treatment being supportive. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: Informing entrepreneurs about sanitary standards is a very important issue today in the framework of food sector development, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business (SMB) Development Agency Orkhan Mammadov said at a business forum on the current state and prospects of food safety, Trend reports. Mammadov noted that the SMB Development Agency is cooperating with the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan in this field. Currently, over 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have been registered in the food sector of the country and, accordingly, the development of this sector has very great potential, Mammadov said. The chairman added that more than 8,000 participants underwent training in 2019 and that further effective measures were taken to develop their business. Baku hosts a business forum on the current state and prospects of food safety on Jan. 23. The event is attended by representatives of Azerbaijan's SMB Development Agency, Food Safety Agency, Agriculture Ministry, Women Entrepreneurs Fund, National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, as well as food industry entrepreneurs. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili Haiti - FLASH : A truck strucks a school, at least 5 student victims Wednesday morning around 9:00 am, a truck whose brakes failed, struck and destroyed the perimeter wall of the Assumption Mixed College located at Stret Beauvais (Delmas 105, not far from Saint-Jean Bosco church in Petion-ville), when students were on the college courtyard... The partial assessment is heavy at least 6 victims were removed from under the rubble : 1 student died, 4 others were injured as well as an adult. 3 students were rushed to two hospitals by the Haitian Red Cross. Two other victims who were seriously injured, a pupil Pierre Marc Webens (5 years old) and Julienne Chery (70 years old), were transferred to Bernard Mevs hospital. Dominique St Roc the Mayor of Petion-ville went there to talk and tried to comfort the parents of the young victims. TB/ HaitiLibre America's Best Ski Towns and How to Visit Them. 1. Telluride, Colorado. To reach this secluded spot, fly to either the cities of Durango, Montrose or Grand Junction. 2. Park City, Utah. After flying to Salt Lake City, this area is less than an hour away. 3. Stowe, Vermont. The "Ski Capital of the East" can be accessed after flying to Burlington International Airport. 4. Tahoe, Caifornia. Flying to Sacramento or Reno, Nevada, will put you near this scenic West Coast area. 5. Jackson, Wyoming. Located near Jackson Hole Airport, the popularity of this beautiful town has continued to rise The Saudi embassy in Washington has denied that it had anything to do with the security breach on Jeff Bezos' phone that had reportedly taken place in 2018. It is alleged that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible behind the hack that stole data from the Amazon owner's mobile phone. "Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the Saudi Arabian embassy said on its Twitter account on Tuesday. Also Read: Bezos tweets memorial photo of journalist Jamal Khashoggi "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out." Late Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that a United Nations investigation will report on Wednesday that Bezos's cell phone was hacked after he got the WhatsApp message from an account purportedly belonging to Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler. The 2018 intrusion into the device led to the release of intimate images of Amazon founder Bezos, whose newspaper - the Washington Post - employed Jamal Khashoggi as a contributing columnist. The Saudi journalist was murdered later at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul. Soon after the message was sent, a massive amount of data was extracted from Bezos's phone, the Post said investigators concluded. The Guardian earlier reported that the encrypted message from the number used by Prince Mohammed is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated Bezos's phone, according to a digital forensic analysis. The two men were having a seemingly friendly WhatsApp exchange when the unsolicited file was sent, according to sources cited by The Guardian. Bezos hired Gavin de Becker & Associates to find out how his intimate text messages and photos made their way into the hands of the National Enquirer, which reported on the Amazon chief's extramarital affair, leading to his divorce. In March last year de Becker said he concluded that Saudi Arabian authorities hacked the Amazon chief's phone to access his personal data. "Our investigators and several experts concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos' phone, and gained private information," de Becker wrote on The Daily Beast website at the time. But de Becker did not specify which part of the Saudi government he was blaming for the hack, and gave few details about the investigation that led him to the conclusion that the kingdom was responsible. In December a Saudi court exhonerated Prince Mohammed's top aides over the murder of Khashoggi, a verdict condemned globally as a travesty of justice but backed by Washington. Both the CIA and United Nations special envoy Agnes Callamard have directly linked Prince Mohammed to the killing, a charge the kingdom vehemently denies. (With PTI inputs) Giant panda cubs play with decorations during an event to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year of Rat, at Shenshuping panda base in Wolong, Sichuan province. This year, it's the Chinese Year of the Rat, because, according to Chinese traditions, rat is the first of all zodiac animals. In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children (Image: Reuters) A man wears a face mask as he shops for decorations for the upcoming Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, at a market in Fuyang in central China's Anhui Province. China closed off a city of more than 11 million people Thursday in an unprecedented effort to try to contain a deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds and spread to other cities and countries in the Lunar New Year travel rush. (Image: Associated Press) Elsewhere in the world, celebrations are in full swing. In this picture, for instance, Chinese Wudang wushu group members perform a traditional Kung Fu show to celebrate the Chinese spring festival at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman, Jordan. (Image: Reuters) People are seen by an installation with Chinese characters reading, "Welcome Home", at the Zhengzhou Railway Station during the Spring Festival travel rush ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year in Henan province, China. (Image: Reuters) Folk artists dressed up in costumes perform during a Spring Festival celebration to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year in Dunhuang, Gansu province, China. (Image: Reuters) A Chinese tourist wears a mask as she arrives at Suvarnabhumi Airport during a welcome ceremony of Chinese Lunar New Year travellers in Bangkok, Thailand. (Image: Reuters) A staff member hangs decoration for a lantern arch at a park ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Beijing, China. (Image: Reuters) A worker checks lightbulbs in Chinese lanterns ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations on January 25 at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Image: Reuters) Visitors are seen next to a light installation during a light show ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Handan, Hebei province, China. (Image: Reuters) Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Jerusalem as leaders gathered to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum and mark the liberation of Auschwitz. Their brief encounter put Pence in contact with the figure whose election interference campaign is at the center of President Trump's impeachment trial, where House Democrats are making their second day of arguments calling for Trump's removal Thursday. House managers have cast Trump's conduct toward Ukraine as an extension of his 2016 comments when he called for Russia to please get Hillary Clinton's emails. Trump later said he was joking. US Vice President Mike Pence (L) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) as they attend an even at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem on January 23, 2020, to mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz Vice President of the United States Mike Pence (L) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum on January 23, 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel In addition to marking a solemn moment of remembrance at Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum, the gathering marking the 75th anniversary of the death camp provided brief opportunities for networking. An apparent hot mic moment caught Pence saluting the 'unstoppable' constitution of his boss President Trump, while also lauding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has managed to dominate Israeli politics for decades while like Trump fending off investigators who have accused him of corruption. During a greeting, Netanyahu asks Pence how he is doing. Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's prince Charles during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem, Israel, 23 January 2020 U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (R) and his wife Karen Pence attend 5th World Holocaust Forum in West Jerusalem on January 23, 2020. (Photo by GPO / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) 'We're contending. He's unstoppable,' Pence responded, smiling. 'Like somebody else I know,' he said, buttering up his host. Netanyahu has been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, but has managed to remain atop the Likud party. The leaders were joined by Prince Charles and more than 40 world leaders at the event. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was expected to attend. Putin had a meeting scheduled with Netanyahu. The Soviet army liberated Auschwitz in January 1945. The Pence greeting comes days after Putin further consolidated power and his top ministers resigned from government. By law and custom, in 1941, a black man in America was expected to stay in his place. On one of the most infamous dates in this nations history, Doris Dorie Miller didnt do that, and he became a hero. Monday, he became the first African American to have a Navy aircraft carrier named after him. More than 100,000 officers and crew will serve on this vessel, which is designed to operate deep into the 21st century. Miller, a sharecroppers son from Waco, woke up on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, expecting to stay in his rigidly defined and segregated place on the battleship USS West Virginia at the Pearl Harbor naval base. Hed enlisted in the Navy in 1939, when black sailors werent allowed to serve in combat positions, attend officers training or flight school, or even fire guns in training. Millers duties on the West Virginia included doing laundry, swabbing the decks, setting and cleaning tables, making beds and shining shoes. At 8 a.m. Japanese warplanes attacked Pearl Harbor, and the 22-year-old Miller could no longer remain with the laundry he was collecting. He went to the bridge to pass ammunition to the gunners before moving injured men, including the fatally wounded Capt. Mervyn S. Bennion, to safer areas and fighting fires breaking out on the ship. Miller saw an unmanned .50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun and began firing at incoming Japanese planes before he ran out of ammunition and was ordered off the ship, one of the last three men to leave. News of the actions of an anonymous black sailor spread until Miller was identified. In May 1942, fellow Texan Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, awarded him the Navy Cross, making Miller its first African American recipient. In November 1943, Miller, at 24, was among the more than 600 crew and officers killed when the carrier Liscome Bay was hit by a Japanese-launched torpedo. Miller has been celebrated as a hero for decades, and public buildings bear his name. San Antonio has an elementary school, community center and street named after him. In 1973, the Navy commissioned a frigate, which it named after him. U.S. Rep Frank Tejeda of San Antonio, up until the time of his death in 1997, was working to have Miller awarded the Medal of Honor. (For the record, no African Americans were awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II service until after a 1993 U.S. Army study examined the role of racial discrimination in the awarding of medals. In 1997, President Bill Clinton awarded Medal of Honors to seven African American World War II veterans, all but one posthumously.) Racism limited the full expression of Millers talent and scope of responsibilities in service to his country, but not his courage. It limited expectations of what the young Texan could offer, but not the full measure of service he did offer. Twice. The last time with his life. On the day of the announcement of the carrier, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said of Miller: He died as he lived, an American sailor defending his nation, shoulder to shoulder with his shipmates, until the end. Dorie Miller stood for everything that is good about our nation. His story deserves to be remembered and repeated wherever our people continue to stand watch today. Hes not just the story of one sailor. Its the story of our Navy, of our nation and our ongoing struggle to form in the words of our Constitution a more perfect union. Sometimes, a person must leave the narrow place to which hes been assigned so he can do great things. Dundalk woman Dr Niamh Shaw has released a book about her quest to fulfill her childhood dream of going into space. The former St Louis pupils' new book is aptly titled 'Dream Big'. The scientist, engineer, and performer announced that her new book is available on pre-order now for March 2020 on Twitter saying: "Oh my! I spent all of last year working on this book & now its available to pre-order @MercierBooks & @amazonbooks. "Not sure how I did it, but to those who guided, nudged and encouraged me, I am in ur debt. Tks Mercier for the opportunity "https://mercierpress.ie/irish-books/dream-big/ #spacee" The below blurb for the book, published on Mercier Press' website gives readers an idea of what to expect: "What do you do with impossible dreams? When do you let them go? Niamh Shaw, scientist, engineer and performer, had always felt that something was missing in her life. "Stepping away from a full-time academic career, she initially thought that it might be acting. But when in that career, she knew that she still hadn't found what she was looking for. While making her first theatre show, looking at her life choices and childhood ambitions, the realisation that she still wanted to fulfil her childhood dream to go to space, but had done nothing to achieve this goal, was painful and disappointing for her. "Why had she given up on this dream? She realised that if she didn't pursue it, she would spend the rest of her life regretting that she had given up on herself. And so this 40-year-old woman from Ireland began a journey she is determined to finish. Along the way she is also inspiring people to love science as much as she does. An account of her journey so far, Niamh's story reminds us that we must fight to be the person we are destined to be." You can order the book here: https://www.mercierpress.ie/irish-books/dream-big/ Gov't briefs DNC, RNC and campaigns about cyber threats before election originally appeared on abcnews.go.com With the Mueller report fresh in the minds of political candidates, the government confirmed Wednesday it has briefed the Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee and the campaigns of each of those running for president about the cyber threat leading up to November 2020. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the cyber arm of the Department of Homeland Security, told ABC News that the agency has been briefing the groups on the cyber threat ahead with just over 10 months before Election Day. MORE: UN officials implicate Saudi Arabia for hacking Jeff Bezos' phone "We have briefed all the other political campaigns, RNC, DNC. We've also briefed political parties, and we've also briefed all the political campaigns. Some we're providing services [to]," Director Chris Krebs said. "We're in a better posture than we were certainly in 2016," he added. PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidates billionaire Tom Steyer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters) Krebs elaborated that "every single" campaign has been receptive to the departments briefings. "Were getting varying degrees of uptake," Krebs continued. "Were going to continue engaging in this, particularly as the field presumably will narrow at some point, you know, focused resources." MORE: After Mueller report exposed Russian interference 'roadmap,' is US ready for 2020? Krebs also said that there are more resources and awareness both at the state and local level than there was in 2016, and said, like anything, that their efforts could not be 100% effective. "We just have to follow through and make sure we're doing the security elements, the actions needed, but really accepting the fact that 100% security is not a realistic outcome," he said. Special counsel Robert Muellers 448-page report revealed an allegedly "sweeping and systematic" effort by the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 presidential election The Russian government has always denied allegations of hacking and online influence campaign allegations in 2016, calling it anti-Russian hysteria. BERLIN - Researchers say theyve mimicked the voice of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy by recreating much of its vocal tract using medical scanners, 3D printing and an electronic larynx. In a paper published Thursday by the journal Scientific Reports, the authors say the technique allowed them to produce a single sound - somewhere between the vowels in bed and bad. The eerie tone is unlikely to be a precise reflection of the speech of Egyptian priest Nesyamun, whose mummified body the researchers worked with, because the tongue has lost much of its bulk over three millennia. We have made a faithful sound for his tract in its current position, but we would not expect an exact speech match given his tongue state, said co-author David M. Howard of Londons Royal Holloway college. The model alone also isnt enough to synthesize whole words or sentences, the authors said, noting that this would require the ability to calculate the audio output from the vocal tract as its shape is being changed. But this is something that is being worked on, so it will be possible one day, said Howard. Rudolf Hagen, an ear, nose and throat expert at the University Hospital in Wuerzburg, Germany, who specializes in thorax reconstruction and wasnt involved in the study, expressed skepticism. Even cutting-edge medicine struggles to give living people without a thorax a normal voice, he said. Co-author John Schofield, an archaeologist at the University of York, said the technique could be used to help people interpret historical heritage. When visitors encounter the past, it is usually a visual encounter, said Schofield. With this voice we can change that, and make the encounter more multidimensional. There is nothing more personal than someones voice, so we think that hearing a voice from so long ago will be an unforgettable experience, making heritage places like Karnak, Nesyamuns temple, come alive, he said. Russian strikes kill 8 civilians in Syria's Idlib: monitor Beirut, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 Russian air strikes in Syria's northwestern region of Idlib on Thursday killed eight civilians, including five children, a war monitor said. Most of Idlib and parts of Aleppo province are still controlled by factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed regime, including a group that includes onetime members of Al-Qaeda's former Syria franchise. Five civilians from the same family were killed in Saraqeb and three others in the town of Arnaba, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The region is witnessing very intense bombardment by Russian warplanes," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, said. Idlib province is a dead end for people displaced from other formerly rebel-held parts of the country that government forces have retaken. The violence in northern Syria is escalating an already dire humanitarian situation, with aid groups warning of displacement on an unprecedented scale. According to the UN humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, almost 350,000 people have fled their homes since December 1, mainly northwards from southern Idlib, which has borne the brunt of the air strikes. The International Rescue Committee has warned another 650,000 people, mostly children and women, could be forced from their homes if the violence continues. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Groundhog Day is celebrated each year on Feb. 2, when people across the country wait to discover if a small furry rodent will predict an early spring or another six weeks of winter weather. As the tradition goes, if the groundhog sees his shadow, winter will be around for a little while longer. However, if the groundhog doesnt see his shadow, spring is on its way. The boroughs own groundhog -- Staten Island Chuck -- will once again make his Groundhog Day prediction at the Staten Island Zoo, West Brighton, this year. The free event will take place Sunday, Feb. 2. The ceremony will begin at 7 a.m., and Chuck is expected to make his appearance at 7:30 a.m. Here are 7 key facts about the holiday: 1. The tradition can be traced to Candlemas, an early Christian holiday. Those who celebrated Candlemas decided that clear skies on the holiday meant a longer winter. 2. The Germans eventually began to believe that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, a hedgehog would cast a shadow -- predicting six more weeks of winter. 3. When German immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania, they found a large number of groundhogs. So they decided that the groundhog, which resembles the European hedgehog, could predict the weather. 4. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was founded in Punxsutawney, Pa., in 1887 by a group of groundhog hunters. The editor of the Punxsutawney newspaper was a member of the club, and he claimed that Punxsutawney Phil was the only true weather-predicting groundhog. Eventually, the furry Pennsylvania rodent -- known as Punxsutawney Phil -- became famous. 5. Staten Island Chuck has been making his prediction at the Staten Island Zoo for over three decades. 6. According to the Zoo, Chuck has an almost 80% accuracy rate on his predictions. 7. Phil and Chuck agreed last year, with both weather-predicting rodents calling for an early spring. Photo: The Canadian Press Boeing CEO David Calhoun Boeing's new CEO said Wednesday that production of the 737 Max will resume this spring, months before the company expects federal regulators to certify the grounded plane to fly again. David Calhoun also said he believes passengers will fly on the Max when federal regulators say it is safe and they see airline pilots getting on the plane. Calhoun dismissed the idea that Boeing's bestselling jet might never fly again or that the company should change the plane's name. I'm all in on it, the company is all in on it, and I believe the FAA is all in on it, he said, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing changes that Boeing is making to the Max after two crashes that killed 346 people. An FAA spokesman said in a statement that the agency is being thorough and deliberate as it checks Boeing's proposed changes to the Max, and the agency has no timetable for finishing that review. Calhoun, who replaced fired CEO Dennis Muilenburg this month, spoke to reporters on a conference call after meeting with Boeing employees in Seattle. Calhoun defended the company's culture and denied that it had placed profit above safety. He did not defend internal Boeing communications in which employees involved in developing the Max ridiculed the plane and regulators and tried to convince airlines not to use flight simulators to train pilots for the Max. It is totally appalling, he said of the messages. Calhoun's comments came one day after Boeing announced that it doesn't expect the FAA to certify the Max until this summer Calhoun repeatedly referred to June. Boeing forecasts about the plane's return have proven too optimistic several times since the plane was grounded last March. The president of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, said Wednesday that his airline doesn't expect to use the Max this summer. Calhoun said the new timetable was driven by recognition that the FAA was conducting a more rigorous review and by Boeing's decision this month to recommend pilot training on flight simulators instead of quicker computer-based training. ZURICH (Reuters) - Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser said he was seeing a more positive mood among the German engineering company's clients at the start of the year, he told CNBC on Thursday. "They are getting more optimistic for the second half of the year than they have for the first half and actually 2019," Kaeser said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. He said he wanted Siemens, which employs 60,000 people directly in the United States, to be treated equally to U.S. companies when it came to reconstruction projects in the Middle East, and called on Germany's government to increase infrastructure spending. "We have good American workers, working for us in the U.S. If we go to Iraq and if we go to Syria and we help rebuild those countries, I want to be treated as a U.S. company going out to help these people," said Kaeser, who raised the issue with U.S. President Trump at a dinner. (Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Michael Shields) Editor's note: After this article was published in January, the Chinese government removed the court case from their website. The document is available here. A Chinese student at the University of Minnesota has been arrested in China and sentenced to six months in prison for tweets he posted while in the United States, according to a Chinese court document viewed by Axios. Some of the tweets contained images deemed to be unflattering portrayals of a "national leader." Why it matters: The case represents a dramatic escalation of the Chinese government's attempts to shut down free speech abroad and a global expansion of a Chinese police campaign to track down Twitter users in China who posted content critical of the Chinese government. What's happening: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) called on China to release the student. "This is what ruthless and paranoid totalitarianism looks like," said Sasse. Details: According to an official court document dated Nov. 5, 2019, Chinese police detained 20-year-old Luo Daiqing in July 2019 in Wuhan, his hometown, where the liberal arts student had returned after the end of the spring semester. The court document says that "in September and October 2018, while he was studying at the University of Minnesota," Luo "used his Twitter account to post more than 40 comments denigrating a national leader's image and indecent pictures," which "created a negative social impact." After months of detention, Luo was sentenced in November 2019 to six months in prison for "provocation." (According to the court judgment, the time he spent in detention will count toward those six months). A request for comment sent to Luo's university email account received no reply. The images Luo allegedly posted. Axios found that a Twitter account known to belong to Luo was opened in September 2018; the last tweet is from June 2019, one month before Luo was detained. One tweet superimposed Chinese government slogans over images of Lawrence Limburger, a cartoon villain who bears a resemblance to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The account also retweeted several images of Winnie the Pooh, a character currently censored in China after Chinese netizens made an unflattering comparison to Xi. Between the lines: Chinese students in the United States know that they may be subject to surveillance. Many have become increasingly reluctant to publicly criticize the Chinese government or attend pro-democracy events. The bottom line: Chinese police are tracking down and silencing Twitter users who post content critical of the Chinese government even from abroad. Go deeper: American speech puts spotlight on Chinese censorship Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - Appia Energy Corp. (CSE: API) (OTCQB: APAAF) (FSE: A0I.F) (FSE: A0I.MU) (FSE: A0I.BE) (the "Company" or "Appia") is pleased to announce the preliminary findings from an investigation into the element gallium that has been observed within the high-grade rare earth element mineralization system (the "mineralization system") on the Alces Lake property, northern Saskatchewan. High concentrations of gallium oxide were identified in the 2017 Alces Lake prospecting lithogeochemical results. An average of 138.75 ppm (0.014 wt%) and maximum of 348.15 ppm (0.035 wt%) Ga 2 O 3 was calculated from 23 samples (n=23) after applying a cut-off of 4.0 wt% Total Rare Earth Oxide ("TREO") to the full suite of sample results (n=53) (see Table 1). Gallium is one of the few elements besides uranium, thorium, lead, scandium and phosphorus that exhibits a similar positive linear correlation with total rare earth oxides, suggesting not only that gallium is part of the mineralization system but could be directly related to monazite (i.e., the higher the concentration of TREO, the higher the concentration of gallium). Ten samples with a variety of TREO grades from the 2018 Alces Lake exploration program were sent to ACT Labs in Ancaster, Ontario, for inter-lab quality assurance element grade checks. ACT Labs confirmed high concentrations of gallium, but the ACT Labs results returned much higher values than those from the 2017 samples simply due to the different analytical digestion techniques used. The ACT Labs gallium results were as expected, with a range of 21.51 ppm to 1,150.64 ppm Ga 2 O 3 and showing a positive linear correlation with TREO (see Table 1). Five samples with greater than 4.0 wt% TREO produce an average value of 599.78 ppm (0.060 wt%) Ga 2 O 3 . Gallium is one of several elements deemed "critical" by the United States Government (i.e., restricted supply by China, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and in high-demand) that is used in numerous modern technological applications, in wireless communications such as 5G, cell phones, laser diodes, semiconductors, solar energy magnetic materials, and military defense. A significant potential exists for bottlenecks in the gallium supply chain because of rapid growth in areas of green/clean energy technologies. As much as 90% of primary global gallium supply is a by-product of processing of bauxite (alumina ore) with lesser amounts derived from sphalerite (ZnS) production. It takes multiple cycles of bauxite processing before the gallium content reaches its production starting concentration point of approximately 100 - 125 ppm Ga 2 O 3 . Production of gallium is therefore limited by global factors and economics that influence the production of the principal mineral commodities (i.e., aluminum or zinc). Much like rare earth elements ("REE"), gallium is widely dispersed in nature but rarely found in economically extractable quantities. For example, the Apex mine, southwestern Utah, USA, was the only primary mined source of gallium (and germanium) until its closure in 2011 by Teck Resources Limited. The mine operated intermittently over 100 years since 1884. A historic estimate for the average concentration of gallium was 0.032 wt%, with locally occurring grades up to 0.148 wt% gallium. In 2011, the price for low-grade gallium oxide (99%) peaked at US$1,150/kg. In 2017, the average price for low-grade gallium oxide was US$135-$140/kg. Currently, the price of high-grade gallium metal (99.99%) is greater than US$220/kg. Mr. James Sykes, Appia's Vice-President, Exploration and Development, comments: "The naturally occurring high-concentrations of gallium associated with REEs emphasizes the potential value that exists at Alces Lake. The Alces Lake mineralization system is endowed with critical metals that are needed for emerging commercial technological and military defense applications. We observe naturally occurring gallium concentrations that are much higher than those occurring as concentrated by-products from bauxite and sphalerite ores. The grades we have observed are comparable to those of the Apex mine, the only primary mined source of gallium. The gallium extracted during the REE processing stage represents another potential revenue stream for Alces Lake." Appia will continue its gallium studies in the coming weeks/months, starting with re-analysing of high-grade REO samples for the presence of gallium. Positive analytical numbers could result in an advanced study by a Master's student from the University of Saskatchewan to determine the presence/economic potential of recovering gallium at Alces Lake. The 2017 assay results were provided by Saskatchewan Research Council's ("SRC") Geoanalytical Laboratory, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (CAN-P-4E) certified laboratory in Saskatoon, SK, for multi-element and REE analysis. The multi-element analysis, which includes gallium, uses a tri-acid (HF:HNO 3 :HClO 4 ) total digestion technique to dissolve most elements, with the exception of refractory minerals, such as monazite. Since monazite was not fully dissolved, the gallium values are under-represented using this methodology. The REE analysis uses a lithium metaborate fusion to dissolve refractory minerals, such as monazite, but gallium was not reported with this method. The 2018 assay results were provided by ACT Labs, an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory in Ancaster, ON, for multi-element and REE analysis. Both multi-element and REE analysis used a lithium borate fusion to dissolve refractory minerals, including both gallium and REEs using the same digestion method, and shows a better correlation of gallium to REO. All analytical results reported herein have passed rigorous internal QA/QC review and compilation. The technical content in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, P.Geo, Advisor to Appia's Board of Directors, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Appia Appia is a Canadian publicly-traded company in the uranium and rare earth element sectors. The Company is currently focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements ("REE") and uranium on the Alces Lake property, as well as prospecting for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 57,048 hectares (140,968 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest (subject to a 1% Uranium Production Payment Royalty and a 1% Net Smelter Return Royalty on any precious or base metals payable, provided that the price of uranium is greater than US$130 per pound) in 12,545 hectares (31,000 acres), with rare earth element and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario. The Camp historically produced over 300 million pounds of U 3 O 8 and is the only Canadian camp that has had significant rare earth element (yttrium) production. The deposits are largely unconstrained along strike and down dip. Appia's technical team is directed by James Sykes, who has had direct and indirect involvement with over 550 million lbs. U 3 O 8 being discovered in five deposits in the Athabasca Basin. Appia has 73.8 million common shares outstanding, 94.7 million shares fully diluted. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward- looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information, please contact: Tom Drivas, President, CEO and Director: (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) appia@appiaenergy.ca James Sykes, VP Exploration & Development, (tel) 306-221-8717, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) jsykes@uraniumgeologist.com Frank van de Water, Chief Financial Officer and Director, (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) fvandewater@rogers.com TABLE 1 - GALLIUM AND TOTAL RARE EARTH OXIDE LITHOGEOCHEMICAL RESULTS FROM SELECT SAMPLES 2017 AND 2018 To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/51774_appia_orig.JPG *Note: >1.897 wt% TREO represents >75th percentile for global REO deposit grades of advanced stage-projects (excluding Gakara, Steenkampskraal and Mount Weld CLD deposits). The global REO deposit information was derived from publicly available information as of January 31, 2018, from individual company websites, SEDAR technical report filings, and the Technology Metals Research Advanced Rare Earth Projects Index (http://www.techmetalsresearch.com/metrics-indices/tmr-advanced-rare-earth-projects-index/) To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51774 In November 2019, the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival and Chimelong Group formally established a strategic cooperation . The logo representing the collaboration was unveiled at the venue of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival. Kiko and Kika, Chimelong Group's two mascots, gave the first performance and interacted with Monaco denizens, adding a new twist to the traditional local carnival. Su Zhanhang, Vice President of Chimelong Group, who is also a judge of the 44th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival attended the festival and several circus-themed international conferences, events and banquets. Mr. Su pointed out that there is enormous potential for circus cooperation between China and Europe. The European circus industry hopes to enter into the Chinese market while China looks to spread its circus culture to Europe, opening up significant opportunities for collaboration between the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival and Chimelong Group. "Through cooperation, we will jointly promote our circus festivals as well as circus art and culture worldwide. Chimelong also plans to establish a circus academy in China, providing a venue where circus talents from all over the world can exchange ideas," Mr. Su said. Princess Stephanie of Monaco, president of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, said that the efforts made by Chimelong Group to promote the development of circus culture are evident to all and that the cooperation between the two sides will be inevitable and long-lasting. Everyone at the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival is moved by the Chinese delegation's spirit of constant improvement and exploration, which is the key to the excellent reputation that Chinese circus programs have gained in Europe. "Audiences in Monaco and Europe are learning about Chinese culture through the circus, which serves as a bridge for cross-cultural communication." Founded by the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco, father of Princess Stephanie, in 1974, the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival is one of the world's top circus events and is recognized as the "Oscars" of the circus community. With 20 years of experience in the circus sector, Chimelong Group has organized six China International Circus Festivals. In January of 2016, Mr. Su Zhigang, Chairman of Chimelong Group was named Circus Ambassador of the Year by the World Circus Federation at the 40th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival. In November 2019, the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival and Chimelong Group formally signed a long-term cooperation agreement on the integration and promotion of circus art and culture. The Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival and the China International Circus Festival will work together to enhance each other's influence. The circus will play a more significant role in deepening the friendship between China and Monaco. About Chimelong Founded 30 years ago, Chimelong Group is a tourism group integrating theme parks, resort hotels, cultural performing arts, business conventions, catering and leisure. As the leader of the Chinese tourism industry, the Chimelong Group owns the Guangzhou Chimelong Tourism Resort and the Zhuhai Chimelong International Ocean Resort, as well as the Qingyuan Chimelong Resort which is a forest and ecological theme resort under construction. SOURCE Chimelong Group Ramada, one of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' largest brands worldwide, has added the most rooms of any of Wyndham's international brands in the past year and is gaining market share in Europe. The Ramada by Wyndham Madrid Getafe joins Ramada by Wyndham hotels across various European destinations including Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Germany, Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands, amongst others. Located in Getafe, 25 minutes from Madrid's city centre and the city's international airport, the hotel features 96 stylish guest rooms, a lobby bar and restaurant serving Mediterranean delicacies. Business groups can take advantage of the hotel's three versatile meeting rooms accommodating up to 110 conference guests, and an indoor and outdoor car park. The hotel is the perfect gateway to explore Madrid's nearby popular attractions, as well as the captivating sites of Getafe including The Cerro de los Angeles, a famous hill considered to be the geographic centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Christian Michel, Vice President for Development Europe, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said: "With a rich culture, historic cities and many unique destinations, Spain is one of the world's most visited countries, with over 82 million visitors in 2018 alone. We are delighted to have added Spain to the various destinations where our Ramada by Wyndham brand can be found. Hotel Collection International has a strong reputation for managing hotels to high standards, and is the perfect partner to launch Ramada by Wyndham in Spain." Sebastian Lodder, CEO of Hotel Collection International added: "We are delighted to be working on this collaboration to introduce the Ramada by Wyndham brand to Spain. Spain's tourism industry is flourishing and working with the world's biggest hotel franchising company will enable us to further cement our position in the market and attract more international guests." Ramada by Wyndham is part of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with over 9,200 hotels across 20 brands in more than 80 countries. Ramada by Wyndham hotels around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' award-winning loyalty programme giving more than 79 million members globally a generous points-earning and redemption structure. About Ramada by Wyndham With more than 870 hotels in more than 60 countries, global travellers are bound to find Ramada by Wyndham, one of the world's most recognised hotel brands, wherever their travels take them. Guests choose Ramada to not only sample the world around them but for the brand's passionate team members and full-service hospitality as well as functional meeting space, comfortable guest rooms, free Wi-Fi, and casual dining options. For more information visit www.ramada.com. Like and follow Ramada on Facebook and Instagram. If you are interested in developing a Ramada by Wyndham hotel, please visit https://whrdevelopmentemea.com. About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company, with over 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 822,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveller, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate by Wyndham, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, The Trademark Collection and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services, with more than 400 properties under management. The Company's award- winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme offers over 79 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com. If you are interested in developing a Wyndham hotel, please visit https://whrdevelopmentemea.com. About Hotel Collection International Hotel Collection International (HCI) is the pioneer in multi-brand hotel management in Spain and Georgia. HCI is a leader collaborating with leading hotel brands such as Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, IHG, Melia, Best Western and Accor through franchise agreements. The company is based on values and a unique philosophy, based on integrity, respect, trust and excellence. In addition, HCI strives to make a difference in the communities in which it works, seeking simplicity and always providing exceptional service to both its guests and its own team. A group of experts in hospitality with a maximum per flag: always offer excellence in management and maximize the return on investments. In this new phase, HCI expands internationally and moves its headquarters to Luxembourg to meet the growing demand for projects in other European countries such as Italy, Greece, France and Croatia, while serving its existing portfolio. SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Related Links http://www.wyndhamhotels.com Congress MLA N A Harris, who sustained minor injuries in a suspected explosion, on Thursday demanded that the police thoroughly investigate the matter because the object that exploded was not a firecracker as it had ball-bearings inside it. According to Harris' son Nalapad, the incident occurred at about 9.30 pm when the MLA was addressing a gathering in the city organised by party workers. "Someone threw an explosive at him which exploded with a great noise. Somehow, my father escaped. In this incident, three others were injured," he said. He was taken to a private hospital where the doctors kept him under observation for about 12 hours and later discharged him. A family member said Harris sustained injuries in his leg and received stitches. Speaking to reporters after coming out of the hospital, Harris said "The object that exploded was not like a (fire) cracker. It was round-shaped with ball bearings in it. We have seen crackers as we celebrate Diwali but this was not a cracker. The Forensic Science Laboratory team has taken a sample." The MLA said the state Home minister has spoken to him and he has faith in the police. "We want to know the motive behind it," he said. The congress leader said he cannot recall having any enemy but this incident has scared him. Harris said Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress functionaries called on him and inquired about his well-being. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TORONTO, ONTARIO / ACCESSWIRE / January 22, 2020 / CardioComm Solutions, Inc. (TSXV:EKG) ("CardioComm" or the "Company"), a global medical provider of consumer heart monitoring and medical electrocardiogram ("ECG") software solutions, announced the proposed issuance of shares and the issuance of stock options. Under shares for debt agreements, the Company will issue an aggregate of 650,000 common shares of the Company ("Shares") to directors of the Company at a deemed price of $0.05 per Share. The Shares will be provided to settle debt for service expenses and will be subject to a four month hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company also granted 62,500 stock options to a director of the Company, each option exercisable at $0.05 per Share for five years from the date of grant and vesting immediately. The options are subject to the provisions of the Company's Stock Option Plan, the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities laws. The Company also announces the final tranche of shares to AGORA Internet Relations Corp. ("AGORACOM") in the amount of 226,000 Shares, representing a price of $0.05 per Share, for services valued at $10,000 plus 13% HST. AGORA is an online marketing and awareness company that will extend its support and coverage of CardioComm Solutions into the current calendar year, at no additional cost to the Company. Agoracom's market coverage will complement CardioComm's 2020 marketing campaign efforts for the HeartCheck CardiBeat and GEMS Mobile Smartphone app. The campaign will highlight the availability of rapid ECG reading services through the Company's SMART Monitoring ECG reading fee-for-service and connectivity readiness of this solution to hospitals where the Company's GEMS software is licensed. To learn more about CardioComm's products and for further updates regarding HeartCheck ECG device integrations please visit the Company's websites at www.cardiocommsolutions.com and www.theheartcheck.com. About AGORACOM AGORACOM is the pioneer of online investor relations, online conferences and online marketing / branding services to North American small and mid-cap public companies, with more than 250 companies served. More than just lip service, AGORACOM is the home of more than 808K investors that visited 5.6 million times and read 52.4 million pages of information every year (Average 2008 - 2015). AGORACOM traffic ranks within the top 0.5% of all websites around the world. These traffic results are independently tracked and verified by Google analytics. AGORACOM traffic can be attributed to its strategy of maintaining the cleanest, moderated small-cap discussion as a result of implementing the first ever Investor Controlled Stock Discussion Forums. AGORACOM Founder, George Tsiolis, publishes the leading blog on small & mid cap investor relations. His 50 Small-Cap CEO Lessons are a must read for CEO's looking to increase their education and knowledge about online investor relations. About CardioComm Solutions CardioComm Solutions' patented and proprietary technology is used in products for recording, viewing, analyzing and storing electrocardiograms for diagnosis and management of cardiac patients. Products are sold worldwide through a combination of an external distribution network and a North American-based sales team. CardioComm Solutions has earned the ISO 13485 certification, is HIPAA compliant and holds clearances from the European Union (CE Mark), the USA (FDA) and Canada (Health Canada). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Etienne Grima, Chief Executive Officer 1-877-977-9425 x227 egrima@cardiocommsolutions.com investor.relations@cardiocommsolutions.com Forward-looking statements This release may contain certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of CardioComm Solutions and certain of the plans and objectives of CardioComm Solutions with respect to these items. Such statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forward-looking information involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. In evaluating these statements, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements and forward-looking information contained in this release other than as required by applicable laws, including without limitation, Section 5.8(2) of National Instrument 51-102 (Continuous Disclosure Obligations). 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. SOURCE:CardioComm Solutions, Inc View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573909/CardioComm-Solutions-to-Issue-Shares-for-Services-and-Debt Flash The eight crew-members of the Greek-flagged tanker "Happy Lady", among them five Greek nationals, who had been abducted by pirates in an attack near the coast of Cameroon on New Year's Eve, were released on Wednesday, Greek shipping ministry announced. The tanker was attacked while anchored two nautical miles from Limboh port in Cameroon and a Greek mechanic was injured during the incident. The vessel had 28 crew members on board. The abducted were five Greeks, a Ukrainian, and two from the Philippines. "The coordinated efforts bore fruit," Greek Shipping and Island Policy Minister Ioannis Plakiotakis commented in an e-mailed press release. According to the announcement, the Greek nationals were in good health in a Cameroon hospital for general medical examinations, after which they are to immediately return to Greece. The two people struck and killed by separate New Jersey Transit trains on Wednesday have been identified by authorities. Judith Westerman, 62, was hit by a Bergen County line train in Glen Rock, according to a transit spokesman. The train was headed from Hoboken to Suffern, New York when it struck the Glen Rock resident around 10:30 a.m. at the Harristown Road crossing. Then at 11:10 p.m., a Middlesex Borough 17-year-old was struck by a Raritan Valley line train near Cedar Avenue in the borough, the spokesman said. The teen was not named because of his age. The train had no passengers aboard and was en route from Raritan to a maintenance yard in Kearny. The teen is the third person killed by a train near that crossing this month. On Jan. 3, two women in a car were killed when a New Jersey Transit train struck their vehicle. Both incidents on Wednesday remain under investigation by NJ Transit police. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. New Delhi : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has hit back at disgruntled JDU leader Pavan Varma for questioning his stand over extending alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar and said he can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes. The JDU chief also expressed strong displeasure over Varma, a national general secretary of the party, sharing on the social media a letter wherein he had made mention of the chief minister having expressed apprehensions in private about the BJPs divisive agenda. He is a learned man for whom I have a lot of respect even if he may not have similar sentiments for me. But is it proper to share such things in public and not on a party forum? What if I start sharing what he said to me in public?, Nitish Kumar told reporters here. Earlier, in a strongly-worded two-page letter, Varma said he was perplexed by the party's tie-up with the BJP for the Delhi assembly polls, accusing the saffron party of having embarked on a massive, socially divisive agenda. #WATCH Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on JDU leader Pawan Verma's letter to him on CAA&NRC: If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within party or at party meetings, but such kind of public statements are surprising. He can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes. pic.twitter.com/qFXgVSWfKu ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020 JDU having a tie-up with the BJP outside Bihar for the first time This is for the first time that the JDU headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is having a tie-up with the BJP outside Bihar. The BJP had announced on Monday that it will spare two seats for the JDU in Delhi and one for another NDA partner the LJP headed by Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Both the JDU and the LJP had ploughed the lonely furrow in the recent assembly polls in Jharkhand, where the saffron party lost power to the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance. On more than one occasion, you have expressed your apprehensions about the BJP-RSS combine. In my first meeting with you in Patna in August 2012, even before I had resigned from the IFS, you had spoken to me at length and with conviction on why Narendra Modi and his policies are inimical for the country, Varma, one of the most articulate spokespersons of a political party, said. With PTI Inputs For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison. David Mariuz | Pool | Getty Images The Australian prime minister has received praise for his leadership in tackling devastating bush fires that have flared for months. Protestors marched across most of Australia's state capital cities earlier this month, calling for Prime Minister Scott Morrison's resignation and slamming the government's stance on climate change. Morrison has also been forced to apologize to Australians for initially refusing to cut short an overseas family holiday in the U.S. state of Hawaii while the bush fires raged. His approval rating has taken a huge hit amid the crisis. Speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said in spite of the anger, the country's Prime Minister had "led a historically unprecedented national bush fire response effort." Asked whether the crisis would provoke a change in the Australian government's environmental policies, Cormann said the bush fires and climate policies were "two different issues." He added that Australia was ahead of the majority of countries when it came to addressing the climate crisis. "We have a very ambitious climate change policy, we are absolutely committed to effective action on climate change," he said. "We are one of only a handful of countries around the world that will not just meet but exceed its emissions reduction targets agreed to in Kyoto by 2020." The Kyoto Protocol, first adopted in 1997, is an international treaty setting out greenhouse gas limitations for industrialized countries. "Right now our focus is on the emergency response, getting on top of those fires," Cormann said, adding: "But once we are on the other side of all this there will be inquiries and processes to assist, how in the future a fire season of this intensity can be responded to in a better fashion." Cormann claimed that Australia was also on track to beat the emissions reduction targets it had agreed to in the Paris Agreement a landmark deal adopted in 2015 that saw nations sign up to a framework to prevent global temperatures rising by any more than 2 degrees Celsius. Australia has committed to reducing its 2005 emissions levels by 26% before 2030. "We are a large continent with a small population, so considering the emissions reduction targets we've committed to on a per capita basis we will be more than halving emissions and indeed we will be reducing the emissions intensity in our economy by two-thirds," he said. "That is more ambitious than the U.K., than Canada, than New Zealand, than many other countries around the world." However, in a report published in November, the U.N. noted Australian policymakers had done little in terms of designing policies to help deliver on its own projections. "With the re-election of Australia's conservative Government in May, there has been no recent material change in Australian climate policy," the organization said, adding that its 2030 target for slashing emissions looked "challenging." Meanwhile, the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index ranked Australia last out of 61 countries when looking at climate policy. No plans to scrap coal First up, leading Hispanic broadcaster U nivision/TVM has purchased four films titles marking A+Es first Spanish-language sale of Lifetime TV movies.Univision/TVM has already aired Grumpy Cat and Finding Mrs. Claus over the 2019 holiday season and will offer Menendez: Blood Brothers, and Cocaine Godmother in 2020, as part of A+Es mission to provide films that it thinks can resonate with a global audience.A+E International also sold its UnREAL format to Brazilian production unit Floresta Producoes, marking A+Es first scripted format sale in Latin America, speaking to the growth of its format business in the region. UnREAL, a celebration of strong women working in television, became a ratings hit and fuelled conversation about gender politics in the US. UnREAL tells the story of a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a TV dating show. On the surface, it is about a young reality producer pushed by her unethical boss to swallow her integrity and do anything it takes to drum up show content. A+E International is thrilled that our unrivalled catalogue of movies and our ground-breaking scripted formats are being received so well by Latin American viewers, commented Helen Jurado, senior director of content sales for Latin America and US Hispanic at the network. Were looking forward to working with Floresta to recreate the magic of UnREAL for a new audience, and to strengthening our relationship with powerhouse LATAM partners like Univision.In addition to the series, TV movies set for broadcast on Univision/TVM include Grumpy Cats Worst Christmas Ever (1 x 150); Finding Mrs. Claus/FKA Betting On Christma (1 x 150); Cocaine Godmother (1x 120, 1 x 150), starring Catherine Zeta-Jones; Menendez: Blood Brothers (1x 120) starring Courtney Love. The United Kingdoms so-called divorce agreement with the European Union has crossed the Parliament finish line, setting in motion the final stages for Britain's exit from the 28-member economic bloc on January 31. IMAGE: Pro-Brexit campaigners hold placards near the Houses of Parliament in London, England. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Getty Images British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the European Union Withdrawal Agreement Bill has cleared its parliamentary stages and is now awaiting Royal Assent by Queen Elizabeth II before it goes on for EU ratification. "Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on January 31 and move forwards as one United Kingdom. At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it," said Johnson, who won a landslide victory in last month's general election on the platform that he will 'Get Brexit Done'. "Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country," he said. Downing Street said it expects European Council President Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to sign the agreement in Brussels on Friday, following which it comes back for Johnson's signature in the UK. The European Parliament is set to hold its consent vote on the Bill next Wednesday. Once the legal processes have been completed, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will sign the UK's "instrument of ratification", which will then be deposited in Brussels ahead of the exit day. In Brussels, the EU will do the same in order for the UK to formally leave at 23:00 GMT next Friday. From February 1, the UK enters into an agreed 11-month transition period in which it will continue to follow EU rules but without representation at any of the economic bloc's institutions. This arrangement will come to an end on January 1, 2021, by which time the two sides hope to have completed negotiations on their future economic and security partnership as part of a new agreement. The bill crossing its parliamentary threshold marks a landmark moment after the UK voted in favour of Brexit in a referendum in June 2016. A lack of government majority proved a stumbling block to getting any Brexit agreement over the line for Johnson's predecessor Theresa May. The landscape transformed after the December 2019 snap poll, which handed Boris Johnson a thumping 80-seat majority largely on the back of his Brexit agenda. VIRGINIA KEY, Fla.No one lives on them, but a group of atolls in the central Indian Ocean could teach coastal communities and island nations a valuable lesson about how to respond to sea level rise. At least, thats what a University of Miami researcher hopes to prove. Sam Purkis, professor and chair of marine geosciences at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, is studying some 20 uninhabited islands in the Chagos Archipelago, comparing then-and-now aerial images of the islets to see how they have changed over time in response to rising sea levels. His research has already uncovered some surprising factsamong them, that the islands are not disappearing in the face of rising sea levels, but rather are undergoing natural dynamic changes, shrinking in some areas while growing in others. The net change in area over the last 50 years is nearly zero, said Purkis. What weve seen is that the coastlines move a lot, and with that, you can imagine that the freshwater aquifers, which are within the islands, change considerably. So, if you were to try to live on these islands, it would be very difficult. Though Purkiss study will not publish until later this year, it already has important implications for low-lying island nations like the Maldives and U.S. coastal areas like Miami-Dade County, where sea level rise is a major concern. The coastlines of such inhabited regions have experienced changes on top of those that naturally occur. And those additional changes, Purkis said, are caused by humans. Inhabitants of coastal areas often modify the shoreline, building revetments, seawalls, and other structures to prevent erosion. But the practice can have detrimental effects. You wouldnt think that South Beach, for example, is behaving in a natural way just because of the way its been changed, Purkis explained. You might halt erosion in one place, but it might exacerbate erosion somewhere else, because youre actually changing circulation, current, and sand and sediment patterns. So, we need to be cautious about how we intervene; it could make the erosion problem worse. Purkiswho as a boy became enamored with the sea after reading Jacques Cousteaus 1953 book The Silent World and watching the famous explorers documentary film of the same namelikened his current Chagos Islands research to that of a natural laboratory. Few places on the planet remain unoccupied. And, one of them is the Chagos Archipelago, home to more than 60 uninhabited tropical islands, except onein the Indian Ocean about 310 miles south of the Maldives. Five years ago, Purkis and a group of other scientists published the results of a study that focused solely on Diego Garcia in the journal Geomorphology. The investigation documented how the coastline of Diego Garcia, the largest and only inhabited island in the Chagos Archipelago, had changed over a 50-year period from 1963 to 2013. What the scientists discovered, through aerial photographs obtained over that half-century span, is that Diego Garcia had undergone natural dynamic changes to its coastline. The changes were like those experienced by the 20 islands Purkis is currently investigating, with some of the most pronounced changes occurring on the islands northeastern limbwhich had recededand in its southeastern portionwhich had extended. Just as he did for his Diego Garcia research, Purkis has made extensive use of aerial photography to study the shorelines of the 20 islands he is currently examining. How he obtained the images is an adventure. Purkis became more of a private investigator than scientist, tracking down a former high-ranking U.S. military officer who commanded the bomber base on Diego Garcia. The officer had hundreds of aerial print photos taken of the archipelago some 50 years ago. Purkis and his graduate assistant, Mingyue Wu, are comparing those vintage photographs, the resolution of which is outstanding, to current satellite images of the 20 islands. They are examining them closely to detect coastline changes over a five-decade period. Wu, who is compiling most of the data for analysis, agreed with Purkis that the research is vital. Will low-lying areas be inundated by sea level rise, or will they adjust? she asked. Those are some of the questions we hope to answer. Fresh off the news about Bugatti planning more Chiron-based cars and only weeks after Bugatti teased a new supercar, were now learning that Bugatti could actually be focusing on a daily driver as a second model in its lineup. So far, theres no word as to what shape this second model might take as Bugatti continues to insist that no decision has been made. There is, however, a toss up between whether this second model will be an all-electric sedan that wears the Galibier name or an SUV-like vehicle akin to that of the Bentley Bentayga or Lamborghini Urus. The question now is, when will Bugatti finally make the leap, and when will we see it? You Can Probably Expect that Daily Driver to Be All-Electric, Even If Its An SUV In an interview with Autocar, Bugatti boss, Stephan Winkelmann, expressed that a new, second model of the Bugatti family doesnt have to be for the weekend warriors. Instead, the focus would be making something that can be used on a daily basis and would definitely have a different shape compared to the Chiron. Winkelmann even has expressed his interest in this daily driver being of the electric variety: In my opinion, electrification would be the right approach However, this needs to be taken with a bit of unique understanding as Bugatti wont mess around with hybridization. Winkelmann feels that hybridization isnt cutting-edge technology and that the brand will go one way or the other: internal combustion or all-electric. If this news triggers your anxiety a bit toward what this means for Bugatti exclusivity, dont let it. See, daily driver has a completely different meaning for a brand like Bugatti and Winkelmann has explained that a second model wouldnt have any negative effect on the brand as the car be it a sedan or SUV would still be built in limited numbers to the tune of the low thousands, despite the success that brands like Bentley, Lamborghini, and to a lesser extent Aston Martin have from their new SUVs. When all of this will happen is still a mystery, but dont expect it to happen soon. Before Bugatti can do anything, it has to answer to daddy VAG, and the bean counters over there are more focused on clearing the brands dirty name and launching its EV onslaught. Since adding a second model would mean doubling the size of Bugatti or more, allegedly, get the go-ahead from the heads of VAG wont be an easy task. On top of that, Bugatti refuses to use a platform from any other brand, so it would have to build its own new platform. In other words, youll definitely see the Ferrari Purosangue before the second Bugatti launches, and you might even see the second-generation Bentley Bentayga too. Source: Autocar The family of a teenager who lost her battle with cancer thanked everybody who helped raised over 5,000 in a recent event in her memory. Over 400 runners took part in this years Memorial Run in memory of tragic Sarah Swaine who passed away four years ago when she was aged just 19. The event has so far raised 5,600 between the run and sale of t-shirts. All proceeds will go to the chosen charity Make A Wish Ireland. The third annual 5k fun run/walk and 10k event began on the Main Street of Kilcullen. The Swaine family thanked all the volunteers and the supporters who lined the route. A total of 406 participants registered to remember Sarah and support Make A Wish Ireland. Sarah was diagnosed with cancer in her early teens and later got the all-clear after treatment. However, about six months before she died, she started getting headaches and tragically, the tumours had returned. Sarahs aunt, Carrie Swaine said: We would like to thank Gary and Alan McCormack and Robert Kennedy from CarveOn Kilcullen if it wasnt for them sponsoring the medals the run would not have gone ahead as there is a huge financial cost there. They have been very supportive and it was brilliant to get that support from a Kilcullen business. We also would like to thank the Kildare Scout Unit for working as road marshalls. Sarah was very involved with the scouts. Carrie said other businesses who helped included Fyffes Bananas, Aldi Ireland, Peter Behan in Costcutters Castledermot, John Glendon from Virginia Health Foods, Kilcullen Parish Centre, gardai, Joanne OSullivan of Douglas Jewellers for sponsoring the trophies and St Johns Ambulance Service. Ghislaine Maxwell was probably Jeffrey Epstein's closest friend. She may also have been his partner in crime, for she's been accused of procuring and sexually trafficking underage girls for Epstein and his party pals pals who may have among their number many famous men, including Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew. Ghislaine denies the charges. While there's no word about Epstein's little black book, people are looking nervously over their shoulders now that news has come out that someone hacked Ghislaine's personal email account. The Daily Mail is on the story: Ghislaine Maxwell's personal emails have been hacked, and damaging information, including the names of individuals linked to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking case, are at risk of being publicly released. The revelation was made in a letter filed by the British socialite's lawyers in the defamation case brought against her by Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre [sic], DailyMail.com has learned. The letter was sent by Maxwell's attorney, Ty Gee, on December 5 to New York federal court Judge Loretta A. Preska but made public last week. The letter addresses the materials that should remain sealed or redacted in the case. It notes 'the difficulty and complexity' of the process as there are more than 8,600 pages, adding that it is 'difficult-to-overstate importance to the lives of Ms. Maxwell and the non-parties'. Gee's letter says that the project 'could not be accomplished by scanning or speed-reading' as each page had to be carefully analysed to redact, for example, 'a surname or an email address'. Prince Andrew may be especially at risk from the hacked emails, because it's known that he and Ghislaine exchanged emails about Virginia Giuffre (AKA Virginia Roberts), the underage teen who accused the prince of improper conduct. In the email that got leaked, Prince Andrew wrote Ghislaine saying, "Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts." Ghislaine replied, "Have some info call me when you have a moment." That's all very suggestive. As the rich and famous are discovering, being rich and famous may allow you to engage in immoral and illegal behavior without too much fear of legal consequences. What it cannot do, though, is insulate you entirely from legal consequences. And almost worse than that, it leaves you terribly vulnerable to blackmail. Jeffrey Epstein was believed to have kept detailed notes about every one of the people invited to his debauched and depraved pleasure palaces, including his airplane. It's reasonable to believe that Ghislaine knew at least some of those secrets and now the hacker does, too. (Reuters) - Google researchers have found multiple security flaws in Apple Incs Safari web browser that allowed the tracking of users browsing behavior, Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing a soon-to-be published paper. The vulnerabilities were found in a tool specifically designed to protect privacy and could have allowed third parties to obtain sensitive information about the browsing habits of users, the report added. Google disclosed the flaws to Apple last August, according to the report. Apple and Alphabet Incs Google did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Japanese food processing and seasoning company Ajinomoto is looking to expand its market share of MSG (Monosodium glutamate) in India, a company official has said. Ajinomoto India, an entity owned by the Japanese parent company, has also plans to expand its market presence in the northern and western regions in India by expanding sales network. Presently, Ajinomoto products are sold for food service, mainly in the southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and in the north-eastern regions, where average consumption of noodles is high. "We will expand our market presence in parts of North and West India," Ajinomoto India Manager Marketing Govinda Biswas said. Moreover, the company also expects India's global ranking in Ajinomoto's overall business will improve in the coming years. Biswas said that presently it is very low. The top markets in Asia are China, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand. However, it has not shared any financial details regarding its operations in India. Ajinomoto, which entered India in 2003, operates from Tamil Nadu, where it has set up unit at Kancheepuram district. According to Biswas, the Indian MSG market is estimated to be around 10,000 tonnes annually and is almost flat from last five years as it is facing regulatory hurdles. Around 90 per cent of this market is dominated by the unorganised players, mainly from China and rest 10 per cent is with established branded products. "One of the reasons for stagnancy in the MSG market is the regulatory hurdles, which has created misconceptions about the product," Biswas said. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules mandates that all advertisements on food packages containing added MSG must declare it. The food regulator has also fixed the maximum permissible limits of MSG's usage. According to Biswas, MSG is used as a flavour enhancer with umami taste the so-called "fifth taste" -- which is responsible for meaty and savory flavour of food and it is popular in Korean, Japanese and Chinese dishes. He further said the firm is in discussions with FSSAI over it and consumption of MSG is safe as it is sourced naturally. "The problem in Indian market is that more than 90 per cent of MSG found here is fake. However, Ajinomoto's MSG is produced from natural resources like Sugarcane or Tapioca through natural fermentation, which is approved by the FSSAI In India," Biswas said, adding that the group has requested the government and FSSAI to take action. Presently, Ajinomoto India imports MSG for the domestic market from Thailand, which is its one if the largest production hub with three plants. Besides MSG, the company also sell AJITIDE I+G, which is for its institutional clients. Apart from that, Ajinomoto India has also presence in some other category such as -- 3 in 1 premix-Coffee and Masala chai, which is sold under brand name Blendy. The company also produces menu specific seasonings in India under Hapima brand. Also, Ajinomoto India have launched Japanese style instant noodles under the brand name A&M noodles. Its a joint venture between Ajinomoto India and Maruchan company. Founded in 1909, Ajinomoto is global manufacturer of seasoning, processed foods, beverages, amino acids, pharmaceuticals and special chemicals. It operates in 27 countries. Washington: Amazon chief Jeff Bezos's phone was likely infected by spyware hidden in a message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to an analysis released Wednesday, prompting calls for an official investigation. A forensic analysis by technical experts retained by Bezos after a leak of his personal information in early 2019 suggested that the Bezos iPhone was compromised by "tools" procured by a close associate of the Saudi de facto ruler. The suggestion of the Saudi prince's role in the hacking prompted calls for further investigation by UN human rights officials looking into the October 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and contributor to The Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos. "The alleged hacking of Mr Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities," UN Special Rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said in a statement in Geneva. Any investigation should also look at the "continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the Crown Prince in efforts to target perceived opponents," they added. Callamard, the UN expert on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and Kaye, the expert on freedom of expression, said the latest revelation "suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia." The technical experts hired by Bezos concluded "with medium to high confidence that Bezos' iPhone was compromised via malware sent from a WhatsApp account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman," said the report by FTI Consulting, first reported by the online news site Vice. Saudis call allegation 'absurd' Saudi authorities rejected the latest allegations. "Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the Saudi Arabian embassy said on its Twitter account. But FTI, which was retained by the security consultant hired by Bezos, Gavin de Becker, said its forensic analysis pointed to former Saudi court media adviser Saud al-Qahtani, part of Prince Mohammed's inner circle. Qahtani, who was sacked as a result of the internal Saudi investigation into the Khashoggi case, is widely believed to have played a role in the killing of the journalist and to have directed "a massive online campaign" against Bezos and his newspaper. The FTI report said Bezos and the Saudi royal exchanged phone numbers and communicated via WhatsApp after meeting at a Los Angeles dinner in April 2018. It said that a message to Bezos on May 1, 2018 contained a video attachment which the two men had not discussed, but which delivered the malware that allowed "unauthorized exfiltration" of data from the Amazon CEO's iPhone X. The outflow of data increased by 29,000 percent after that incident, according to the report. A failed blackmail effort Bezos, the world's richest man, announced in early 2019 he was the target of a blackmail campaign by the National Enquirer tabloid which threatened to publish lurid pictures of him and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez as he was moving toward divorcing his wife. In March last year, de Becker said he concluded that the hack and leak of the Bezos pictures were led by Saudi Arabia but did not specify which part of the Saudi government he was blaming for the hack. According to a message to Bezos in February 2019 cited in the FTI report, the Crown Prince denied any involvement in the hack. "Jeff all of what you hear or told.. it's not true," the message said. "You know the truth, there is nothing against you or amazon from me or Saudi Arabia." The analysis also suggested that the hackers may have used a type of spyware used in other Saudi surveillance cases, such as Pegasus-3 malware developed by the Israeli security firm NSO Group. The Israeli firm said in a statement it was "shocked and appalled" by the reports linking its software to the Bezos phone hacking. "If this story is true, then it deserves a full investigation by all bodies providing such services to assure that their systems have not been used in this abuse," the company said. "Just as we stated when these stories first surfaced months ago, we can say unequivocally that our technology was not used in this instance." US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main election rival to Washington next week to discuss Donald Trump's long-awaited Middle East peace plan. The White House said the talks would take place on Tuesday. "President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues, as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land", Pence said. Netanyahu told Pence: "I think that the president is seeking to give Israel the peace and security it deserves," adding that he "gladly" accepted the invitation. "Thank you for what your administration does every day... We have no better friend than President Trump," he said at the meeting at the US embassy in Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders have however dismissed the US peace initiative as one-sided. They say it fails to address their wish to end Israeli occupation and the expansion, encouraged by Netanyahu, of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. On Thursday the Palestinian Authority reiterated its rejection of the US peace plan. "We stress once again our categorical rejection of the American decisions," a spokesman for Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas said in a statement. Trump has slashed aid to the Palestinians, while making big concessions to the Israelis, including formalising US recognition of the divided city of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. His concept for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is believed to revolve around encouraging massive economic investment. As caretaker premier Netanyahu faces new elections on March 2. Both he and the White House agreed that his main rival, Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White party, will attend the Washington meeting. Pence said Gantz, Israel's former army chief, had accepted the invitation. Trump, whose team has long been working on the outlines of such a plan, has repeatedly boasted that he is the most pro-Israeli US president in history. After many postponements, Trump's peace initiative to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was expected in the autumn, after inconclusive elections were held in September. Netanyahu said: "With such friends in the White House ... we should get as broad a consensus as possible around the efforts to achieve security and peace for the state of Israel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 23, 2020] Falcon.io Announces First Worldwide Digital Marketing Trends Roadshow The Roadshow, beginning February, will expand on Falcon.io's recently released Digital Marketing Trends Handbook CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Falcon.io, a Cision company, today announced the dates for its inaugural Digital Marketing Trends Roadshow. The 2020 Roadshow meetups will take place in selected cities in North America, Europe and Australia, beginning this February and ending in April. The Roadshow is based on Falcon.io's recently released 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook, an annual report by Falcon.io now in its fourth edition. The handbook lists the 15 digital trends most likely to affect marketers in 2020. The trends were compiled based on industry research, Falcon.io's expertise, as well as input from customers, partners and influencers. At each meetup, an expert panel will discuss the key trends and the consumer behavior driving them, as well as strategies for how marketers can turn these trends to their advantage in 2020 and beyond. Some of the topics explored in the handbook include: How private messaging apps are taking over customer service The latest evolution of social media advertising How the demand for authenticity is changing influencer marketing "Falcon.io's Digital Marketing Trends Handbook has become such a popular piece of content, that we were excited to launch the roadshow to get the opportunity to dive deeper into the trends impacting our industry," explained Dino Kuckovic, Community Marketing Lead at Falcon.io. "We can't wait to see what topics arise in each city, and get the chance to further explore insights and questions with our peers face-to-face." The 2020 Roadshow dates and locations are: Vancouver , February 5 , London , February 12 , Miami , February 27 , Amsterdam , March 5 , Zurich, March 11 Melbourne , March 18 , Hamburg March 26 March 26 New York City , April 1 , Austin , April 7 , Chicago , April 28 Falcon.io's Events Hub at www.falcon.io/events. Falcon.io will also be hosting a webinar on January 23rd addressing the social media trends covered in the report. The webinar will be co-hosted by social media consultant and influencer Matt Navarra, and will be available on-demand afterwards. To download and read the full 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook, click here. About Falcon.io Falcon.io offers an integrated SaaS platform for social media listening, engaging, publishing, advertising, analytics and benchmarking. The company enables its clients to explore the full potential of digital marketing by managing multiple customer touchpoints from one platform. Its client portfolio includes Carlsberg, Toyota, William Grant & Sons, momondo, Panasonic and Coca-Cola. For more information, visit www.falcon.io. About Cision Cision Ltd (NYSE: CISN) is a leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals. Cision's software allows users to identify key influencers, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact. Cision has over 4,800 employees with offices in 22 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information about its award-winning products and services, including the Cision Communications Cloud, visit www.cision.com and follow Cision on Twitter @Cision. Media Contact: Rebecca Dersh PR Manager, Cision [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1080043/Falcon_io_Digital_Marketing_Trends_Roadshow_2020.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/974326/Falcon_io_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Corrections lost track of two sex offenders after they cut their electronic monitoring bracelets off and disappeared. Police confirmed to Stuff they were notified by Corrections on January 8 that two offenders who were being monitored in the community had removed their monitoring bracelets and disappeared from a Hamilton address. The two offenders are Tukere Ngamanu, 33, and Toko Pearson, 35, who are both convicted sex offenders. Police confirmed late Tuesday that they had found Toko and are holding him in custody. Police says in a statement locating the men was a priority for Waikato police and there were dedicated police staff currently following active leads, but members of the public were only notified about the men's disappearance through a post on their Facebook page on January 11. The notice contains no warnings or mention of their extensive criminal history, including indecent assault of a child in Pearson's case, and rape in Ngamanu's. Pearson has a string of convictions being sentenced to seven years in jail with a minimum non-parole period of four years and eight months for charges of injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and burglary. This came from when he terrorised two women just four days after he was released from jail on parole in 2004. It was revealed in court Pearson, who was 20 at the time, had 33 previous convictions. His offending saw him violently assault a woman at a toilet block in Tauranga after he approached her twice in a nightclub and she ignored him and walked away. He became angry and decided to wait for her. Early the next morning, the woman - who had been sleeping in her car with a friend - went to a nearby toilet block. As she came out, he pounced and violently assaulted her until she managed to break free and he ran off. A short time later, he broke into a house in Park St, took off his clothes and wandered around in his singlet and boxer shorts. He went into one of the bedrooms where a woman was asleep. As he stood in the doorway she woke up and turned on the light. After his arrest, Pearson told police he wanted to find women that night and touch them. He had just completed three years of a five-year jail term, after pleading guilty in 2001 to indecently assaulting a seven-year-old girl, seven charges of burglary, two of attempted burglary and one charge of theft. Most of his burglaries were committed while he wandered around women's houses semi-naked and fantasied about touching them, according to media reports of his sentencing. When Pearson appeared in the Rotorua High Court in 2004 a request for preventative detention was declined by the judge, who said it was too harsh because he was only 20 and had a tragic upbringing. Ngamanu pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual violation by rape and two charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection in the Whakatane District Court in 2008. The offending happened when the victim was seven and continued for four years until Ngamanu was arrested. In response to questions from Stuff, Corrections said the GPS Immediate Response Team was notified of a strap tamper at 8.55pm and a field officer was sent to the address, where it was confirmed two offenders had breached the conditions of their supervision order. A man, who knew the pair, but Stuff agreed not to name, says he could not understand why the men weren't receiving more publicity. "We should have [people] watching out for them," the man says. National's corrections spokesman David Bennett says the bigger issue was that Labour wants to reduce the prison population by putting offenders in the community on electronic monitoring bracelets. He says this was putting the community at risk. David says it was inevitable people were going to cut their bracelets off, but they were designed for people who had shown they had an intention to reform and they were being used in a way they were not designed for. "Those people have been shown to have broken the law, they have shown to not be trustworthy. In a lot of those cases prison was the appropriate place for them." Corrections says they encourage anyone with information to contact police on 111 or give information anonymously via CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111. -Stuff.co.nz/Kristy Lawrence. Alabama police are searching for a 13-year-old girl who vanished two days ago when she 'willingly' got into a car while walking to her school bus stop. Amberly Nicole Flores disappeared soon after leaving her home in the Green Park South mobile home community in Pelham, Alabama, Tuesday morning. Police are appealing to the public for information, after the teenager was then spotted on surveillance footage getting into a Mercedes SUV. Alabama police are searching for Amberly Nicole Flores (pictured) who disappeared soon after leaving her home in the Green Park South mobile home community in Pelham, Alabama, Tuesday morning Amberly was last seen leaving her home around 7 am on Tuesday to walk to her school bus stop. The teenager never made it to school that morning. Surveillance footage captured near Green Park South showed the girl getting into a dark Mercedes SUV. Pelham police said they are still working to determine the make and model of the vehicle and are enhancing the surveillance images 'in hopes of being able to read the license plate number'. Surveillance footage captured near Green Park South showed the girl getting into this dark Mercedes SUV (above) Pelham police said they are still working to determine the make and model of the vehicle Amberly, who is described as a Hispanic female with black hair and brown eyes, 5'1' tall and weighing 115 pounds, was wearing a white jacket, blue jeans and carrying a pink backpack when she disappeared, authorities said 'After reviewing surveillance video near Green Park South, we can confirm that Amberly Flores willingly got into the dark SUV you see in this photo,' police posted on Facebook. Amberly, who is described as a Hispanic female with black hair and brown eyes, 5'1' tall and weighing 115 pounds, was wearing a white jacket, blue jeans and carrying a pink backpack when she disappeared, authorities said. Amberly's concerned parents said it's out of character for their daughter to not turn up to school. 'She's very good, a very good girl. This is the first time she go to school and not come back,' Alfredo Flores, the girl's father, told WBMA-LD. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Pelham police have issued an Emergency Missing Child Alert for the girl. Police are urging anyone with information to call 911 or the Pelham Police Department at 205-620-6550 The Taino were organized into multiple polities, each governed by a leader known as a cacique, and each showcasing its wealth and strength through carved stones, wooden and woven furniture and luxuries obtained through trade with societies from Mexico to Venezuela. (Bartolome de las Casas, the Spanish colonist, reported in 1542 that among the Taino on Hispaniola there were five very large principal kingdoms and five very powerful kings, whom almost all the other lords, who were numerous, obeyed.) One portable wooden throne here, dating to the early 15th century and produced by a Taino artisan in whats now the Turks and Caicos, swoops as gently as a hammock (a word borrowed from the Taino hamaka), while the seat features a zoomorphic figurehead with bared teeth. Youll also see finely hewed three-pointed stones, from the area that is present-day Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, that are carved with the faces of humans and animals. While they appear to have some connection to yuca and cassava production, they were probably meant for spiritual rather than practical use. Central to Taino metaphysics was zemi, a spiritual power that circulated from gods and ancestors into the natural environment: the sea, the forest, the stones. A Taino leader would have perceived the presence of a zemi in the tree that was carved into this shows most exquisite object: a ritual vessel in the form of a crouching, grimacing deity, standing a little over two feet tall and meant to hold a hallucinogenic powder known as cohoba. His ears have been elongated with plugs, while on his head he wears a woven skullcap of an intricate geometric design. Look closely and youll see that the artist (or artists) who carved this zemi took care to groove its face with two wide, vertical ridges that extend down from his eyes to his chin. This god is crying his eyes out. It could be a compliment on your hairstyle, a smile from across the room or shooting brief glances at each other in a meeting. Yes, we all have that one co-worker we cant help but make googly eyes at. But cross a line, and its really hard to come back from it. This is especially true in todays corporate world where companies have adopted zero-tolerance policies when it comes to employees flirting in the workplace. Some have gone as far as to issue guidelines on hugs and even a ban on looking at a coworker for more than five seconds. Shutterstock But according to new research by the Washington State University that was released just last month, these policies could be misguided. As per their study, light-hearted flirtation and banter among colleagues is benign and can, in fact, help relieve stress in workers. But one needs to be careful. Theres a fine line between casual flirting and sexual harassment. You certainly dont want to come across as creepy. Its not only about getting yourself in trouble at work. You could put your career on the line. No one wants to work with someone who cant keep things professional in the office. Its a big red flag. It will deter current employers from promoting you and future employers from hiring you, says Vedika Sharma, HR consultant. unsplash That doesnt mean that you cant keep things light at the workplace. If you manage to keep the banter innocent, youll be just fine. Here are a few pointers to get you started. 1. Make a joke. The easiest way to ensure that your flirty comments arent taken too seriously at work is to make a joke about it. Remember the way youd casually tease the girl/boy you liked in college? If it didnt get you in trouble back then, its highly unlikely to cause harm now. Just keep the conversation funny and complimentary. So long as the other person knows that what is being said is harmless and a joke, you should be okay. careeraddict 2. Be appropriate. There can be no innuendos, sexual quips or comments on someones body. If the opposite person thinks that you have crossed a line, there is no way to bring them back from it. And you definitely dont need to be known as the office creep. Also, there should be no touching at all. Most companies already have policies that discourage such behaviour. And even if they dont, it is still best to err on the side of caution. So avoid anything past a handshake, says Sharma. unsplash 3. If you would get upset if someone said the same thing to you or your partner, dont say it. A simple way to gauge if what you want to say will be interpreted in the right manner is to imagine it being said to you or your significant other. If you feel youd be upset or offended by the comment, avoid saying it at all, says Sunaina Khan, a media professional. This kind of double standard isnt acceptable. 4. Never act on it. The most important thing is to remember to restrict the flirting only to the workplace. That way it remains a work-friend thing. If it goes beyond that, things could get complicated. Also, never ever act on the comments and ensure that the person always knows that you arent serious about them. Lastly, avoid flirtatious interactions at parties where alcohol is free-flowing. At such get-togethers, everyone is in the mood to flirt. And alcohol is known to reduce inhibitions. You dont want to do or say something that you will regret the next day. Its a huge no-no. You dont want to ruin a good thing at work, says Aarti Shah, a marketing executive. Lovepanky 5. Watch their response. Each person is different, so the way they perceive things will obviously not be the same. This will be the case when you flirt too. If you get the feeling that someone doesnt like what you say, dial it back a bit. At the same time, if the person starts taking things too seriously, stop. Even if both of you are single, you dont want to lead them on and then disappoint them when they muster the courage to ask you out. It happened to me and a colleague. Things got really uncomfortable after that. And she actually requested for a transfer to another team to avoid running into me. I felt really bad about it, says Arjun Sharma, a media professional. shutterstock 6. Control your own emotions. You could start getting attracted to the person who youve been flirting with. It happens. Should you find yourself in such a situation, stop your interactions at once. You dont want to get emotionally involved with someone from work. Even if your feelings are reciprocated, your office policy could frown on such a relationship. Or if things dont work out, it could get really awkward or weird to be around each other. And you certainly do not want to feed the office grapevine. Your goal should be to be casual and stay away from anything that gets serious. B rexit uncertainty and political unrest in France have resulted in an 18 million (15.2 million) negative impact on the Channel Tunnel operators revenues. Getlink said its Eurotunnel business was disrupted by a number of headwinds in 2019. Truck traffic dropped 6% to 1.6 million vehicles during the year and car numbers were 2% lower to 2.6 million. The firm struggled as would-be passengers delayed trips amid uncertainty about passport rules for when Britain leaves the EU, and some businesses delaying moving goods on lorries until there was more clarity on Brexit. On the French side of the Channel, the company was hit by customs officers striking last spring over conditions, and anti-government yellow-vest street protests deterring some Brits from visits to France. Jacques Gounon, chief executive of Getlink, said: In spite of this we delivered a solid performance. Experts found online an unsecured database owned by THSuite and used by point-of-sale systems in medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries. Data leak continues to be a frequent issue suffered by companies, news of the day is the discovery of an unsecured database owned by THSuite and used by point-of-sale systems in medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries across the United States. The archive was stored in an unsecured S3 bucket, it was discovered by researchers from VPNMentor and impacted 30,000 people. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is legal in some US states and THSuite offers business process management software services to cannabis dispensary owners and operators. The dispensaries collect large quantities of sensitive information in order to comply with state laws. THSuite solutions simplify this process and implement an effective traceability system by collecting many customers private data. Over 85,000 files were leaked in this data breach, including over 30,000 records with sensitive PII. The leak also included scanned government and company IDs stored in an Amazon S3 bucket through the Amazon Simple Storage Service. reads the analysis published by VPNmentor. In the sample of entries we checked, we found information related to three marijuana dispensaries in different locations around the US: Amedicanna Dispensary, Bloom Medicinals, and Colorado Grow Company. Examples of these entries can be found below. Experts pointed out that the data leak might have affected many more dispensaries, likely all THSuite clients and their customers were impacted. Exposed records include full names of patients and staff members, dates of birth, phone numbers, physical addresses, email addresses, medical ID numbers, cannabis used, price, quantity, and receipts. The database also included details about Amedicannas inventory and sales, experts found the list of transactions containing the following data: Patient name and medical ID number Employee name Cannabis variety purchased Quantity of cannabis purchased Total transaction cost Date received, along with an internal receipt ID The leaked data also included scanned government and employee IDs. The exposure for medical marijuana patients, and possibly for recreational marijuana users as well could have serious consequences for the privacy of impacted individuals. Patients may face negative consequences , both personally and professionally. Under HIPAA regulations, its a federal crime in the US for any health services provider to expose protected health information (PHI) that could be used to identify an individual. HIPAA violations can result in fines of up to $50,000 for every exposed record, or even in jail time. concludes VPNmentor. Below the timeline for the THSuite data leak: Date discovered : December 24, 2019 : December 24, 2019 Date owners contacted : December 26, 2019 : December 26, 2019 Date Amazon AWS contacted : January 7, 2020 : January 7, 2020 Date database closed: January 14, 2020 Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs THsuite, data leak) WASHINGTON New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell had a cautionary message for a gathering of mayors Thursday. Its not a matter of if, but when" they will also face a potentially crippling cyberattack in their cities, she said. A month after New Orleans declared a state of emergency due to a cyberattack that shut down City Hall computers for weeks and seriously disrupted city business, Cantrell addressed the issue during a gathering of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. As mayors we know what were up against," she said, revealing little about the details of what happened in New Orleans. At the end of the day I just want to encourage you all to lean forward in this." She said it could be another six to eight months before the city's systems are fully restored. New Orleans has a $3 million cybersecurity insurance policy that the city initiated in 2018, though officials have not detailed what that policy covers or even who provides it. Last week, Cantrell said the city has already spent $7.2 million responding to the attack. 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 She said some officials initially balked when she raised cybersecurity as a risk and questioned whether it should be considered a part of the city's critical infrastructure needs. I said, 'Like hell it isnt,' she told the friendly crowd of mayors. The city is cooperating with the FBI to investigate the attack, but officials haven't revealed who might have been behind it. Cantrell didn't address the source during her address. Cantrell's trip to Washington comes as the city is still working to recover from the Dec. 13 attack. Meanwhile, another of the city's slow-simmering crises boiled over. On Tuesday afternoon, a tarp that was hanging on the side of the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel was blown from its moorings, exposing the remains of one of the workers killed when the building crumpled in October. A new tarp was later installed. The Hard Rock collapse, the recent explosion of a turbine at the Sewerage & Water Board's plant and the after-effects of the cyberattack have taken up much of the city's attention in recent weeks. The cyberattack began after an employee apparently responded to an email seeking credentials to access the city's system. Those credentials were then used to try to inject the malicious ransomware into the city's networks. No requests for ransom were received, though software did try to infiltrate the city's servers. "We didn't get hit with a ransom" demand, Cantrell said, adding that the city had also been spared from data loss because it had begun transferring information to cloud servers. "We were able to not lose any data." Lost Childhood Exhibition Running until Thursday, January 30 Upstairs at the Museum of Free Derry, Glenfada Park An artefact-led exhibition remembering child victims across the North West. Minutes Silence Thursday, January 30, 4pm Bloody Sunday Memorial, Rossville Street. In Conversation with Jimmy McGovern Thursday 30 January, 7pm Nerve Centre Cinema, Magazine Street The Nerve Centre Cinema hosts a unique discussion on filmmaking with BAFTA-winning screenwriter and producer, Jimmy McGovern, creator of Cracker, Hillsborough, and the 2002 drama-documentary Sunday, based on events in Derry. A patron of the Bloody Sunday Trust, McGovern will explore the art of storytelling through the lens of his own critically acclaimed work. Admission free. Bloody Sunday Anniversary Mass St Marys Chapel, Creggan Friday, January 31, 8pm Annual Bloody Sunday Memorial Lecture North West Disability Centre, Destined, Foyle Valley, 1 Foyle Road The Bloody Sunday Trust is honoured to have the Reverend Rev Dr David Latimer as guest speaker at the 48th Annual Bloody Sunday Lecture. Reverend Latimer has proven to be a great friend of the Bloody Sunday families, and has spoken passionately and eloquently at the monument each January. Rev Latimer will address issues critical to the legacy of conflict, remembrance, and our future on this island from his own perspective. Event chaired by journalist and commentator Paul McFadden. All welcome and admission free. Panel Discussion The Road to Justice Saturday, February 1 The Gasyard, Lecky Road An update on Truth and Justice Campaigns, including McGurks Bar, Ballymurphy, the Stardust and Bloody Sunday. Other families/campaigns very welcome to contribute. All welcome. Admission free. Screening: Eminent Monsters (organised by the Pat Finucane Centre) Saturday, February 1, 4.30pm The Gasyard, Lecky Road Eminent Monsters traces the roots of western governments alleged links with torture and collusion, with first-hand testimony from Guantanamo survivors, Irelands 'hooded men' and senior American psychologists and military personnel. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with its director, Stephen Bennett, alongside representatives of the 'hooded men' and victims of waterboarding in Belfast in the 1970s. All welcome. Admission free. Morning Service Sunday, February 2, 11am Bloody Sunday Memorial, Rossville Street Exhibition Launch Queering the North Sunday, February 2, 6pm Upstairs at the Museum of Free Derry, Glenfada Park Guest speakers include Peter Tatchell and Sara Canning. This exhibition will be the first to present the unique LGBT+ history of the North of Ireland from 1967 to the present day. Queering the North will be on display in the Museum of Free Derry throughout February 2020 and will then travel to other venues across Ireland and beyond. Supported by International Outing the Past Festival. All welcome. Admission free. The film captures a fascinating historical juncture. Several Americans, including Dwight D. Eisenhower (David Bianco), aided Quezon (Raymond Bagatsing) in his efforts to save Jews, even as he was negotiating his countrys transition to independence. Yet the real challenge Quezon faced wasnt getting the refugees out of Germany but persuading the United States to grant them visas to the Philippines. His ethical mission became entwined with his quest for sovereignty: In one of the films most forceful moments, Quezon tells American officials that, to Filipinos, there is little difference between a Nazi and an American segregationist. This political back-and-forth is, however, cheapened by the broad, near-hagiographic strokes with which Rosen paints his leading characters, who spend most of the run-time speechifying between stagy puffs of cigars. The stakes of every plot turn are detailed in the most heavy-handed manner possible: A scene in which Quezon and his collaborator, a Jewish-American businessman, Alex Frieder (Billy Ray Gallion), cross names off a visa list is clumsily intercut with glimpses of executions. Amid all the scenery-chewing, though, Bagatsing proves to be a saving grace with a sincere, rousing performance that adds some grandeur to this bare-bones production. Researchers have discovered the oldest ever mushroom fossil to be identified, a finding which pushes back the time when the fungal organisms first appeared on the Earth by about 300 million years. According to the scientists, including those from Universite Libre de Bruxelles in France, the oldest confirmed mushroom fossil until now was dated to 460 million years ago. In the current study, published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found fossilised remains of microscopic mushroom parts called mycelium in rocks whose age is between 715 and 810 million years. The scientists said these rocks were found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and likely formed in a lagoon or coastal lake Putting the discovery in perspective, the researchers said, this was a time in the Earth's history when life on the continents' surface was in its very infancy. "The presence of fungi in this transitional area between water and land leads us to believe that these microscopic mushrooms were important partners of the first plants that colonised the Earth's surface around 500 million years ago," explained Steeve Bonneville, one of the researchers part of the study from the Universite libre de Bruxelles. "This is a major discovery, and one that prompts us to reconsider our timeline of the evolution of organisms on Earth. The next step will be to look further back in time, in even more ancient rocks, for evidence of those microorganisms that are truly at the origins of the animal kingdom," Bonneville said. While previously discovered mushroom fossils were identified based on the morphology of organic remains found in rocks using corrosive acid compounds, Bonneville said this method damaged the chemistry of the fossils, and only allowed analysis of the microscopic structures. He added that this may lead to incorrect interpretations as certain morphological traits are common to different branches of living organisms. In the current study, the scientists used multiple molecular analysis techniques at a microscopic scale with which they could study the chemistry of organic remains in the site, without corrosive chemical treatment. The technique enabled the researchers to detect traces of the complex chemical chitin -- a very tough compound found in the cell walls of fungi. On further analysis, they also demonstrated that the fossil mushroom cells had a prominent nucleus. "Only by cross-correlating chemical and micro-spectroscopic analyses could we demonstrate that the structures found in the old rock are indeed about 800-million-year-old fungal remains," said study co-author Liane G. Benning from GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Call 2 Worship January 23 Holman United Methodist Church hosts the Rev. James Lawsons Nonviolence Workshop on Jan. 25, at 9 a.m., at 3320 W. Adams Blvd., in Los Angeles, said Interim Pastor Paul Hill. Refreshments will be served. For details, call (323) 703-5868. ADVERTISEMENT The United House of Prayer for All People celebrates its Centennial Anniversary on Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, at 1029 E. Vernon Ave., in Los Angeles, said Apostle Rodney Lattisaw. Sweet Daddy Grace founded the organization in 1919. Bishop C.M. Bailey, presiding prelate, will be the special guest. For information, call (301) 943-2457. Yes We Can Worship Center invites donations for their distribution to the homeless on Feb. 1, at HOPICS, 5715 S. Broadway in Los Angeles, said Pastor Sherman D. Manning. Donations such as toiletries, clothing, school supplies, gift cards and financial contributions are encouraged. To participate, call (213) 858-2608 or email [email protected]. The Virtuous Woman, Inc. presents two workshops to assist young adult victims of sex trafficking or sexual assault on Feb. 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., said the Rev. Deborah Manns, instructor. The Rev. Dr. D. Najuma Smith-Pollard will also facilitate. The donation is $40 and after Jan. 20, $50. Call (310) 270-7520 to register or for more information. Second Baptist Church announces that registration for the Health and Wellness Church Challenge ends on Feb. 5, said Pastor William S. Epps. The program starts on Feb. 5. The American Heart Association and WW sponsor the free program, which consists of 12 weekly sessions. The public is invited and there is no charge to join. To learn more, call Helen Starks at (323) 216-0230, or email [email protected] Church Women United Los Angeles Unit meets Feb. 7, at 10 a.m., at Grant AME Church, 10435 S. Central Ave., in Los Angeles. L.A., Christian women and men of all denominations are invited to participate in the prayers, programs and outreach to the underserved. True Friendship Missionary Baptist Church salutes Pastor James and First Lady Evelyn Perkins with the 25th Love Celebration Luncheon on Feb. 8, at 11 a.m., at the Proud Birds Dolittle Room, 11022 Aviation Blvd., in Los Angeles. The donation is $65. To learn more, call Rebecca Kirksey-Weston at (562) 544-1530 or SaraDelois Haynes at (323) 804-7305. Jeff Bezos took to Twitter on Wednesday to remember the slain Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He posted a picture of himself at the memorial service of Khashoggi hours after a United Nations panel accused the Saudi Crown Prince of possible involvement in hacking Bezos phone. Khashoggi was killed in 2018 Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who was living in a self-imposed exile in the US, was murdered in Istanbul in October 2018 by agents of the Saudi Government. Khashoggi was a columnist who had written critical pieces on the crown Prince and Saudi Government for Washington Post which is a publication owned by Bezos. Read: Jeff Bezos's Phone Hacked By Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman? All You Need To Know Read: Report Suggests Saudi Crown Prince hacked Jeff Bezos' Phone, Embassy Denies Elaborating on the phone hack, international media reported that an encrypted message from the personal number of the de facto ruler of the Kingdom was sent to the owner of Amazon and Washington Post, Jeff Bezos on May 1, 2018. Forensic analysts then articulated that the unsolicited file contained malware, which extracted a copious amount of data from his phone, just within hours. Within hours of the encrypted downloader being received, a massive and unauthorized exfiltration of data from Bezoss phone began, continuing and escalating for months thereafter, the report states. The divulgence is likely to mount complex questions for the Kingdom to face the world community over two instances in particular--first, how did the US tabloid National Enquirer acquire and publish intimate details of Jeff Bezos's extramarital affair in March last year, that allegedly led to the most high-profile divorce last year and secondly the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was assassinated five months after Bezos's phone-hack. Upon the news break, Saudi Arabia explicitly denied any role in the phone intrusion. However, the Trump administration, a close ally of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman personally, has not given a statement over the issue. Meanwhile, Riyadh has blatantly shunned the allegations. Calling the reports "absurd" Saudi Embassy in Washington said, "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out." Read: Amazon Unveils Electric Delivery Rickshaws In India, Jeff Bezos Drives It Read: Amazon Founder & CEO Jeff Bezos Visits Taj Mahal With Girlfriend Lauren Sanchez 22.01.2020 LISTEN 22nd January 2020. MTN Ghana has announced a goodwill package for its data customers commencing 23rd January 2020. This is as a result of the recent disruption in data and international outbound call services which occurred last week due to cuts to the undersea cable delivering the service. The CEO of MTN Ghana Selorm Adadevoh said, all data customers on MTN Ghanas network will receive free 2GB data valid for 2 days. The CEO said, We appreciate customers for their patience and support during the period of the disruption. Customers are to note that the goodwill bonus package will be sent to their data account and not through a website. MTN Ghana remains committed to its mission to make the lives of customers a whole lot brighter through continuous investments in network and technology infrastructure. Kivalina joins four Louisiana tribes in a formal complaint to the United Nations about coastal erosion by Wesley Early January 23,2020 | Source: KTOO As climate change hits coastal communities in Alaska, many tribes are being forced to consider moving from their ancestral lands. But its not a uniquely Alaska challenge. Last week, the Native Village of Kivalina joined four Louisiana tribes in a formal complaint to the United Nations. They allege the United States has not done enough to protect the human rights of villagers, as erosion creeps into their communities. Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi Chitamacha Choctaw tribe in coastal Louisiana has advocated for years to get officials to recognize the problems plaguing her community. Our food source is declining. Our health is declining, Parfait-Dardar said. So we have been fighting for many, many years, trying to adapt to all of these changes, trying to get officials to recognize whats been going on. Thousands of miles away in the Northwest Arctic village of Kivalina, tribal administrator Millie Hawley tells a similar story about her home. Our little home is diminishing and losing ground every year, Hawley said. Hawley says that the village has had to adapt to changes, including less access to marine mammals for subsistence. A lot of food I grew up eating, we dont harvest anymore, Hawley said. Im eating mainly what we do get and thats caribou and fish and not much more than the store-bought food. Due to coastal erosion, Kivalina has had to move its clinic, its school and some homes to stop them from being washed into the ocean. The foundation is so bad, the shifting of the ground, Hawley said, when other parts of the island move, it almost caused the home to crack in half. These cross-continental concerns are summarized in a formal United Nations complaint filed by Kivalina and four Louisiana tribes last week. Aside from Parfait-Dardars tribe, the other three Louisiana tribes are the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians of Louisiana, the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe and the Atakapa-Ishak Chawasha Tribe of the Grand Bayou Indian Village. The complaint alleges that the federal government has failed to protect the human rights of Tribal Nations in Louisiana and Alaska, who are being forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands. The tribes hope that investigators with the UN will light a fire under state and federal agencies to do something. Parfait-Dardar says that shes hopeful that the UN will listen because its not just North America that is struggling with climate change. 2020 KTOO Public Media Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. A small agency in Washington state is about to break new ground by letting residents vote by smartphone. Why it matters: The U.S. suffers from chronically low voter turnout, but experts are concerned that internet voting is vulnerable to hacking and manipulation. "There is a firm consensus in the cybersecurity community that mobile voting on a smartphone is a really stupid idea," computer science professor Duncan Buell told NPR, which first reported on the voting plan. in the cybersecurity community that mobile voting on a smartphone is a really stupid idea," computer science professor Duncan Buell told NPR, which first reported on the voting plan. "I don't know that I have run across cybersecurity experts whose mortgages are not paid by a mobile-voting company who think it's a good idea." The big picture: There's a world of difference between federal elections and more local races, and this is definitely the latter. Voters will log in using their names and birthdays and verify their votes with a signature on their device. using their names and birthdays and verify their votes with a signature on their device. Washington state already votes by mail, so election officials have experience with signature verification, the head of the company providing the tech told NPR. Between the lines: The officials plan to make copies of the votes for auditing, but this wouldn't solve manipulation before votes are cast. "If you're doing phone voting or internet voting, it's pretty much 'garbage in, garbage out,'" the former chief technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology told NPR. or internet voting, it's pretty much 'garbage in, garbage out,'" the former chief technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology told NPR. The other side: Concerned voters can also use the portal to fill in their ballots, print them off, and mail them in, NPR notes. Go deeper: A Beatrice man was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for shooting someone in the neck last year. Nathan King, 34, was sentenced Wednesday in Gage County District Court for the 2018 shooting that occurred at a Beatrice residence when King shot a handgun through an exterior door of a residence, hitting Boston Bieler in the neck. Every day I think about what happened and I wish I could go back and change it, King said in the courtroom. I know Bostons life will never be the same and I cant imagine the pain, anxiety and stress that hes gone under. I am truly sorry for that. I wish I could go back and change everything. Bieler was left paralyzed and watched from a wheelchair as District Court Judge Rick Schreiner sentenced King to 10 to 15 years in prison. The facts of this case are tragic, senseless and unnecessary, Schreiner said. In the end Mr. Bieler will never be able to care for himself again, never stand again, never walk again, never hold his children again. He has no ability to act independently whatsoever. King was sentenced to 8-12 years on a charge of second-degree assault and 30 months for terroristic threats. The sentences will be served consecutively, totaling 10 to 15 years. Per a plea agreement, charges of attempted murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony were dismissed. The shooting occurred on March 11, 2018 at 27522 S.W. 32nd Road, on the southwest outskirts of Beatrice. Bieler was found on the front porch by first responders bleeding from the back of his neck and a female was holding his head and applying a towel to the wounded area. Court records state King and Bieler had been arguing on the porch and King threatened to shoot the victim, then went in the residence and fired a shot through the front door, hitting Bieler. Schreiner said Kings level of intoxication was three times the legal driving limit when he submitted a test to law enforcement, and a witness statement indicated the disagreement between the two may have started over a case of beer. The senseless argument, this probably happens a dozen times every weekend, Schreiner said. People get drunk, argue over stupid stuff and nobody gets hurt. This time somebody got hurt. Somebody got hurt terribly. Defense attorney Justin Kalemkiarian requested probation in the case, saying King has a minimal criminal history and that the shooting was not planned. There is nothing to indicate that this was a premeditated shooting, Kalemkiarian said. The facts are pretty clear that Mr. Bieler and Mr. King were friends, at times very close friends. Kalemkiarian added that Bieler was asked to leave the residence multiple times before the shooting and that King may have not known where Bieler was when he pulled the trigger on account of the exterior door having only a small window and it being dark outside. Mr. King fired the shot through the window and that should have never happened, Kalemkiarian said. It clearly should never have happened. But I bring all this up judge to provide some context. Mr. King is not a monster. There is no indication that he has a prior addiction towards violent behavior. Gage County Attorney Roger Harris asked for a prison sentence in the case, saying the severity of Kings actions were too severe for probation. Quite frankly your honor, this case is relatively simple, he said. When the court announces the sentence one of these individuals is going to get up out of his chair and walk out of this room today. Were asking that he be in handcuffs. Love 0 Funny 5 Wow 2 Sad 16 Angry 9 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. So many roads come into and out of Sondland, said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ambassadors role in the trial. Any fair-minded observer, if you looked at what the House developed in its proceedings, so much of what was claimed turned out to be Sondland had said, or insinuated, or believed, or surmised, that had been picked up and passed around by others. On the one hand: civil war, world war, economic turmoil. On the other hand: love, literature, the will to survive. Our recommended books this week take on the big topics, from James Woods collection of literary criticism and personal essays to Ann Napolitanos novel about a plane crash to Daniel Susskinds look at the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor force. Theres also the history of a 19th-century power couple (written by NPRs Steve Inskeep), a debut novel about womens interior lives and a study of everyday citizens in authoritarian Russia. Gregory Cowles Senior Editor, Books Twitter: @GregoryCowles CLEANNESS, by Garth Greenwell. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.) Like his first novel, What Belongs to You, Garth Greenwells second is also about an American teachers sexual and existential journey in Sofia, Bulgaria. Its told in nine chapters that can be read individually, as if they were short stories. In bed is where Greenwells men work out and reveal the essences of their personalities, our critic Dwight Garner writes. The author has an uncanny gift, one that comes along rarely. Every detail in every scene glows with meaning. IMPERFECT UNION: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped The West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War, by Steve Inskeep. (Penguin Press, $32.) Steve Inskeeps revelatory Imperfect Union brings 21st-century vision to bear on a 19th-century story. In telling the lives of the husband and wife John and Jessie Fremont, it covers an era of violent expansionism during which the United States annexed both Texas and California and then had to deal with the consequences. The book is written in a streamlined, occasionally biting style, and sends constant warnings that history can repeat itself, our reviewer Janet Maslin writes. If the books purpose is to illuminate and chill, mission accomplished. SERIOUS NOTICING: Selected Essays 1997-2019, by James Wood. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30.) This latest collection of work by James Wood, the commanding, occasionally contentious critic at The New Yorker, includes pieces about many literary greats: Chekhov, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence. It also includes some potent autobiographical writing. At least three deaths haunt this book: the deaths of Woods in-laws and the death of his mother, our critic Parul Sehgal writes. There is stark personal accounting here; the serious noticing of the title has as much to do with the self as with texts. The credit ratings of homeowners insurer Florida Family Insurance Co. and its subsidiary, Florida Family Home Insurance Co., have been downgraded by AM Best due to a deterioration in underwriting results for the insurer. However, ratings agency Demotech says it has no concerns with the insurers financial condition. In a statement, Best said Florida Family Insurance Co. (FFIC) and Florida Family Home Insurance Co. (FFHIC) would be downgraded to a financial strength rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to bbb+ from a- of Florida Family Insurance Company (FFIC) and its subsidiary, Florida Family Home Insurance Company (FFHIC), which together make up the two pool members of Florida Family Group. Both companies are domiciled in Bonita Springs, Fla. Florida Family had 77,934 policies in force as of June 30, 2019, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). Best said the outlook of Florida Familys FSR has been revised to stable from negative while the outlook for the Long-Term ICR remains negative. These credit ratings reflect Florida Familys balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). According to Best, the downgrades reflect deterioration in underwriting results in recent years that has resulted in performance metrics no longer supportive of a strong assessment. Florida Familys underwriting performance has been impacted negatively by hurricanes, a challenging Florida insurance market, which includes increases in the frequency and severity of water-related claims, and more recently, adverse loss reserve development. Furthermore, Best said, before a slight uptick in 2019, premiums had been declining due to a more competitive environment relative to the groups strategic business platform of selectively offering wind and ex-wind products within Florida. Underlying results, excluding the net impact of catastrophes, have been considered by AM Best. Best said Florida Family has implemented a number of actions to improve performance, including rate increases, nonrenewal of undesirable risks, the closure of new business in specific areas of Florida and the effective management of assignment of benefits issues. Best also cited a new homeowners insurance product recently launched by the company that has produced modest growth in the historical footprint and incremental writings in territories previously closed off to wind business. The negative outlook on the Long-Term ICR reflects recent deterioration in risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). At Bests last review, the group had reported a BCAR that was commensurate of an assessment of very strong; in the current review, the groups BCAR dropped materially to a level assessed as strong. Further pressuring balance sheet strength is elevated reinsurance dependency and above-average net leverage, as compared with the personal property composite. The BCAR deterioration and view of risk-adjusted capitalization reflects higher gross probable maximum losses (PMLs) that are a product of the groups expansion of its new homeowners product paired with less ground-up catastrophe reinsurance coverage due to a lower level of coverage being provided by the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which collectively result in higher net PMLs across value-at-risk intervals. Furthermore, while Florida Family historically has reported favorable loss reserve development, the past few years have trended adversely, Best said, and noted the insurers management has responded with action plans to prevent future development and true-up current reserves. The business profile assessment reflects Florida Familys limited operating territory within a hurricane-prone state. Severe weather events continue to be Florida Familys primary risk, which is a focal point in the groups ERM program. The ERM program, which is considered appropriate, includes a comprehensive catastrophe reinsurance program, strategic placement of coverage and strict underwriting guidelines. The program is documented formally, with policies, procedures and risk tolerances clearly stated. Bests announcement comes just a couple weeks after Ohio-based ratings agency Demotech warned that it will downgrade multiple Florida insurers because of volatile market conditions impacting their financial stability. Demotech monitors a total of 46 Florida-based insurers. However, Demotech President and Founder Joe Petrelli said in an e-mail to Insurance Journal Wednesday that it had no concerns with Florida Family and noted Demotech has reviewed and rated Florida Family, its predecessor and insurance affiliates, since their inception in early 1996. We have watched Florida Familys management team and its functional departments execute their duties at a high level for nearly 25 years. We see no reason for Demotech, producers, policyholders or any other third parties associated with Florida Family, to have concern about the financial stability of Florida Family, Petrelli said. The management team has responded to the operating losses, is well positioned to sustain its business model and they will continue to insure Floridians in the future. Petrelli said Demotechs reviews of Florida Family have included every quarterly financial statement, annual statement, preliminary reinsurance program and final reinsurance program, independent audits, actuarial reports on loss and loss adjustment expense reserves. Although the storms over the past recent years resulted in operating losses for Florida Family, this company and its management team were there through the horrific seasons of 2004 and 2005, Petrelli said. Related: Topics Carriers Catastrophe Agencies Florida Reinsurance Homeowners A section of students of Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce on Thursday alleged that the institution cancelled a talk on the issue of protests in the Northeast citing that there could be violence on campus if the event took place. The panel discussion, organised by SRCC's Northeast cell and scheduled to take place on Thursday in college premises, was cancelled by the college administration, the students alleged. In an emergency meeting held a few hours before the event, the administration and college principal informed the organisers that the event was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances", they claimed. College principal Simrit Kaur didn't respond to messages or calls. "We were told that they received information about the possibility of violence on campus if the event was to take place.We were also told that there was no balance in our panel and all our speakers had the 'same bent of mind'," the organisers said. The college authorities also suggested that this event be conducted at a later time as it was unwise to hold it amid the present political climate, the students said. "We insisted that this was not a politically motivated event and that it was conducted because there exists a complete lack of awareness about the Northeast protests in college," they said. The organisers accused the students' union of making claims that the event would "lead to violence and spread misleading information among the students". The speakers at the event were senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, Pradyot Manikya, editor in chief, the North East Today, DU professor Professor Amrapali Basumatary and two other speakers. The speakers were informed by the administration that the event was cancelled due to a technical issue. The organisers claimed that they had got permission for the event on Tuesday but it was cancelled at the last moment. Some students claimed that communal posters with messages 'Mandir Wahin Ban Raha Hai' have come up inside the college and they have complained about the communal nature of the protests to the college authorities. CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat was on Wednesday not allowed to enter the Ambedkar University here, where he had gone to deliver a talk on the CAA, with the varsity citing the model code of conduct for Delhi elections for denial of permission, according to Left-backed SFI which organised the event. The Ambedkar University is under the ambit of the Delhi government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This is the age of digital transformation. The evolvement of technology year on year has been changing the way businesses operate for the past decade. Today, we speak about Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, CRMs and SFAs to improve sales and marketing effectiveness with the usage of these technologies to get the edge over the continuously evolving markets. The core activity of companies is their sales force activity managed by the multiple CRM or SFAs with various functionalities and features. Many users today are confused between Sales force automation and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and what these enterprise solutions do and how they differ from each other. One of the most fundamental differences between Sales Force Automation and Customer Relationship Management is that, while Sales Force Automation is concerned about the entire sales process and monitors the efforts of salespeople internally, Customer Relationship Management is different. Its all about the customers. Customer Relationship Management has emerged as one of the most prominent types of enterprise software. In its early days, Customer Relationship Management was a bit less sophisticated, and had several core features that all pointed in one direction. Customer Relationship Management has always been a customer-focused tool with its primary focus on the relationship between a business and its customers. One of the most common and fundamental features of CRM is to set or keep detailed customer profiles. CRM systems are available in multiple devices which include hand held devices and have made it easier for the users to have customer profiles in front of them when interacting with the customer or prospect. Another major feature of CRM is historical information about the customer. A repository of information about the customer behaviour and purchase information is stored to help people understand customer motivations, and what their relationship with the business has been like. Sales Force Automation is very different from CRM. Its objective is to look at the sales process, and automate a lot of manual processes which includes order processing, contact management, inventory monitoring and control, order tracking, customer management, sales forecast analysis and employee performance etc. Sales Force Automation tackles logistical and practical issues involved in generating leads, making sales and closing deals and is not necessarily a part of CRM. Its now almost mandatory for all small or big organizations to spend on an effective sales force automation (SFA) tool as SFA today is a powerful tool that increases sales win rates, reduces the sales cycle duration, enhances the sales representatives productivity and improves revenue. Today the challenge for the companies is fragmented customers and sales data, complex products, increased competition, higher customer expectations, longer sales cycles and expanding sales force. There are many SFA solutions available from Software as a service (SaaS model) to complex inhouse builds and regardless of the technology, the key point is that SFA should deliver most of the following benefits: Save time SFA systems automatize time-consuming processes which are automated sufficiently to give the Sales person the ability to quickly generate sales estimates, and in turn convert these estimates to proposals and order immediately when the deal is signed. In addition to that, the sales team has immediate access to order tracking and alerts the customer accordingly with the order details and deliveries. In case customers have any questions and queries about their order, this information should be at the fingertips of the sales person. Improve customer service and satisfaction SFA is an integral part of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and it contains the central repository of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. It helps to eliminate the causes of customer dissatisfaction. In case, the employee handling the customer case is no more with the company, its easier for the new replacement to reach the customer in no time. Increase revenue Freeing sales people from repetitive error-prone administrative work and empowering them to focus on their core activities either on phone or in person allows them to generate more prospective and revenue for the company and for self. SFA also empowers the employee to make the most accurate Sales forecast based on real time figures to prevent unexpected surprises. Track opportunities Another important functionality of SFA is to track the opportunities during the extremely competitive times. It includes a competitive intelligence function which allows the companies to monitor the competitive threats and opportunities. Effectively manage Sales team. On the basis of real time information available to the sales team or the sales manager, they have access to each sales persons activities, opportunities, sales figures, customer complaints and other metrics and as a result, they can act quickly when necessary based on real time information. It also highlights the problematic areas such as underperforming sales persons and thereby allows one to make proactive adjustments early in the process. Gold prices held steady on Thursday, as rising fears over the spread of China's new flu-like virus supported the safe-haven metal. FUNDAMENTALS Spot gold was flat at $1,558.93 per ounce by 0127 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% at $1,561.00. China's new flu-like virus claimed 17 lives and the cases of infection confirmed in more than 540 cases, leading the city at the centre of the outbreak to close transportation networks and urge citizens not to leave. The World Health Organization said it will decide on Thursday whether to declare a global emergency over the outbreak. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Adding to concerns, China will start celebrating the Lunar New Year from this weekend, where hundreds of millions travel to the country for holidays. Asian shares fell over the virus scare, while the yen rose. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is set to launch a broad review of its policy on Thursday that is likely to see her redefine the ECB's main goal and how to achieve it. On the Brexit front, Britain moved a step closer to its Jan. 31 exit from the European Union when the legislation required to ratify its deal with Brussels passed its final stage in parliament on Wednesday. Gold production in Russia rose 16.2% in the first 11 months of 2019 to 337.26 tonnes from 290.3 tonnes in the same period a year earlier, Russia's finance ministry said on Wednesday. In other precious metals, palladium advanced 1.1% to $2,499.44 an ounce, silver remained unchanged at $17.82 per ounce and platinum edged lower by 0.1% to $1,011.15. FORMER Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member and MDC-T Bulawayo senator, Matson Hlalo is at the centre of an assassination plot after two brothers sued him over threats to hire a hitman from South Africa to kill them following a protracted wrangle over a mining licence in Ntabazinduna. Mkhanyeli Masuku and Mbiko Masuku claimed Hlalo threatened to shoot them as punishment for refusing to renew his contract at Chen Mine. The duo claimed the top politician also threatened to enlist the services of some officials from the Presidents Office to decisively deal with them. Fearing for their lives, the two brothers approached the Bulawayo Civil Court seeking a protection order against the ex-senator. In their separate affidavits they alleged that they were now living in extreme fear after Hlalo threatened to teach them a lesson they would never forget. I know Matson Hlalo as someone whom we once contracted to mine at my workplace at Chen Mine situated in Ntabazinduna Khoce A and B. Our contract with him has since expired. He is now threatening to shoot me with his gun because I refused to renew his contract. He is also threatening to hire thugs and a hitman from South Africa to assassinate me. He said he is connected with the CIO and he can use them to deal with me. He said as a respected politician he wants to teach me a lesson as a small boy. He also goes around peddling lies to my brother and father, something which has since destroyed my relationship with them. I now pray for a protection order to stop him from peddling lies against me, coming to my workplace and home in Jabulani Line in Ntabazinduna, reads part of Mkhanyelis affidavit which was also being supported by that of his brother Mbiko. Through their lawyer Dumisani Dube, of Mathonsi Law Chambers Mkhanyeli and Mbiko stated that court officials also received threats from third parties who are suspected to be Hlalos emissaries. These threats to official members are being investigated by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Chief Magistrate as well as by Judge President. The Presidents Office has also been advised of those members of the CIO who could be abusing their authority and there is no harm that respondent should be ordered to keep peace with the applicants, Dube said. He said if there were any differences among the parties due process of the law should be followed so that law and order is maintained and preserved in society. In response, Hlalo through his lawyer Nqobani Sithole of Ncube Attorneys dismissed the accusations levelled against him adding that the two brothers through their application for a protection order they were flagrantly abusing the court process. This is a classic case of abuse of court process. It is clear from the applicants that they have been trying to perpetuate a certain agenda, Ncube said. He added: The first applicant (Mkhanyeli Masuku) has stated that respondent has threatened to shoot him with a gun because he refused to renew the contract. We are being told a lie. He is not part of the Chen Syndicate at all. He doesnt have the power to renew or cancel the licence. He is a stranger from the coast with an inflated ego. As if that is not enough in his prayer, he prays for a protection order stopping respondent from coming to his workplace, residential place and the whole of Jabulani Line in Ntabazinduna and from peddling lies. He is no longer praying that he be protected from the threats of being shot. It is the same thing that happens with second applicant (Mbiko Masuku) who says he refused to renew a contract. Boston: U.N. human rights experts are asking Washington to investigate a suspected Saudi hack that may have siphoned data from the personal smartphone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post. But the forensic evidence they cite comes from an incomplete study of Bezos's phone, raising multiple questions. Here's a quick guide to what's known, and what remains unknown, about their findings. WHAT HAPPENED TO BEZOS' PHONE? According to a cybersecurity firm run by a former Obama administration official, evidence on the phone suggests it was infected by spyware in May 2018 via a WhatsApp message from the account of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That message included a video file that the firm's investigators say likely contained malware. Bezos' personal security adviser had been advised in February 2019 to have the phone examined by an intelligence official who has not been named. Bezos went public with the suspected hack shortly thereafter, saying the National Enquirer tabloid had threatened to publish his private messages and photos. ARE THE FORENSIC FINDINGS CONCLUSIVE? Not at all. Outside security researchers highlighted several issues with the forensics report by FTI Consulting, run by former Obama administration National Security Council cybersecurity official Anthony Ferrante. For instance, the FTI report, dated November and obtained Wednesday by the Vice News site Motherboard, said researchers didn't find any malware on the phone, nor any evidence that Bezos phone had surreptitiously communicated with known spyware command servers. Further, an examination of the crucial root file system where top-flight hackers often hide their malware was still pending when the report was written. iPhone security expert Will Strafach, CEO of Guardian Firewall, said that if the FTI investigators didn't look at the root file system, they didn't do a thorough forensic exam. I think the U.N. intentions are good but the details really matter here and the public reporting falls short of any real firm smoking gun, said Strafach. Other security experts questioned the FTI team's forensic chops, wondering on Twitter and in blog posts why it was unable to decrypt the software that would have delivered the malware payload along with the video file. Alex Stamos of Stanford University tweeted: The funny thing is that it looks like FTI potentially has the murder weapon sitting right there, they just haven't figured out how to test it. Ferrante of FTI did not respond to emails and text messages seeking comment. COULD HACKERS HAVE ERASED ALL EVIDENCE OF INTRUSION? Absolutely, said Strafach. Elite hackers plant malware that erases itself after surreptitiously sending sensitive data to command servers. "It scoops up everything they want and removes itself so there's no trace, no evidence," he said. "Anyone who knows what they are doing are going to cover up their tracks." Sophisticated mobile spyware such as a package called Pegasus, made by the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group is designed to bypass detection and mask its activity. Saudi Arabia i s reported to have used Pegasus against dissidents and human rights activists within weeks of the suspected Bezos hack. On Wednesday, NSO Group unequivocally denied that its technology was used in the Bezos hack. WHY IS THE UNITED NATIONS INVOLVED? One of the two U.N. officials seeking answers in the case, Agnes Callamard. focuses on extrajudicial killings and has already investigated the Saudi government's role in the October 2018 murder in Turkey of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The other, David Kaye, is the U.N. point person on free expression. He focuses on the growing and lawless use of malicious spyware to monitor and intimidate human-rights defenders and journalists. Both are independent experts in the U.N.'s human rights arm, not employees of the international organization. ARE OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES AT RISK? It's difficult to say at the moment. Prince Mohammed has attended gatherings with numerous U.S. entertainers, technology executives and sports-team owners. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said Jared Kushner, a White House aide and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, has communicated with the crown prince via WhatsApp. WHY ISN'T THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MORE INVOLVED? A top U.S. Justice Department official, Adam S. Hickey, would not say whether federal investigators were looking into the allegations. Trump has been reluctant to condemn the Saudi prince over the Khashoggi killing and often expresses satisfaction with his government's purchases of U.S. weapons. SEATTLE - A shootout in downtown Seattle that left a woman dead and a 9-year-old boy injured was the third violent incident this week in a part of the city long known for rampant drug use and street unrest. Business groups implored officials to improve public safety. And while crime rates in Seattle are low compared to other big cities, critics say mayhem downtown from shootings, to drug dealing and the effects of the citys ongoing homelessness crisis makes locals and tourists feel unsafe. The Downtown Seattle Association, a business group, said in a statement the area where Wednesdays shooting happened has been a high-crime spot for years. We call on public officials to devote the resources necessary to improve safety in downtown, the group said. We say enough is enough. Three people, including the boy, remained hospitalized Thursday after police say several people opened fire, killing a woman. It was the third downtown Seattle shooting in two days. We will not allow this to be the new normal, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Thursday at a news conference. We know gun violence is preventable and are taking urgent action. Some of the immediate actions include putting more officers on streets where the shooting happened as well as a mobile police precinct that has been set up there, she said. Authorities began receiving calls of multiple gunshot victims at about 5 p.m., said Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. The person who died was a woman in her 40s, fire officials said. Seven people were treated for gunshot wounds, said Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg. The condition of a 55-year-old woman was upgraded from critical condition to serious and a 32-year-old man and the boy were listed in satisfactory condition. Amazon, which has offices nearby and is the citys largest employer, said two of its workers who happened to be passing by were wounded, but their injuries were not life-threatening. We are deeply troubled by last nights events in Seattle and our thoughts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy, Amazon said in a statement Thursday. Video showed several people firing weapons after the dispute outside a McDonalds. Police including homicide and gang units were investigating. This is not a random incident, there were multiple people involved, said Police Chief Carmen Best. There was a dispute that happened in front of the McDonalds, people pulled out guns, shots rang out, people ran in various directions. Best said Thursday that one person wounded in the shooting is also a suspected shooter who was arrested at the hospital Wednesday night on a charge of unlawful gun possession. She said police were searching for two additional suspects considered armed and dangerous: Marquise Latrelle Tolbert and William Ray Tolliver, both 24. Records show both have lengthy arrest records and Durkan said both have gang connections. Samantha Cook said she was in a nearby train station when she heard gunfire Wednesday. I was on the first set of escalators, Cook told The Seattle Times. There were a lot of gunshots that started going off maybe 10 or 11. It was just rapid fire. Tyler Parsons told the Times he was working at a coffee shop when he saw people drop to the ground. Some took cover behind the cash register and Parsons took five or six customers to a storage area. The shooting was just kind of terrifying. Terrifying its so close, Parsons said. Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that he was horrified and dismayed to hear about the shooting. There were two other violent incidents in downtown earlier this week. Police found a man with a gunshot wound in a mall stairwell Tuesday, and he later died at a hospital. Police shot a person in another area of downtown earlier on Wednesday. Crime is actually down in much of Seattle. According to statistics from the city, robbery was down 9% in 2019 compared to 2018 and aggravated assaults were down 4%. There were also fewer aggravated assaults and homicides (27 homicides in 2019 compared with 32 the previous year). ___ Associated Press writer Terry Tang contributed from Phoenix. ___ This story has been corrected to say Amazon is Seattles largest employer, not the regions. ABOARD THE USS BATAAN - The United States hopes to avert a conflict with Iran but will maintain an expanded military footprint in the Middle East amid heightened tensions, the head of U.S. Central Command said Thursday during a visit to the region. Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie Jr. said that new air, naval and troop deployments were intended to restore deterrence and send a signal to Tehran following a period in which tit-for-tat Iranian and U.S. attacks pushed the region to the brink of war. "The message is, we don't seek war with you. You should not seek war with us. And we would like to de-escalate to a lower level of tensions, if that's possible," McKenzie told reporters after visiting the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship operating in the northern Red Sea. The general's public remarks were his first since an American airstrike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. The U.S. government viewed Soleimani, who was the leader of Iran's elite Quds Force, as the mastermind of years of violence against American personnel. After that attack, Tehran launched ballistic missiles at two sites populated by American soldiers in Iraq, the first time Iran has conducted an overt military assault on a base housing U.S. troops. On the day U.S. forces killed Soleimani, they targeted a senior Iranian official in Yemen Speaking earlier in the day after touching down on board the Bataan, McKenzie told troops they may be asked to remain in the region for an extended period. The Bataan and its sister ships, carrying troops of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were diverted earlier this month from a scheduled mission in the U.S. European Command zone and made a hasty passage toward to the Middle East. "We're in a very delicate time in the Central Command theater as a result of the events of the last couple of weeks," McKenzie said. "What we want to do is we want to convince the Iranians that now is not a good time to do something goofy." The Pentagon has increased its overall Middle East footprint by more than 20,000 troops since last spring amid a series of events blamed on Iran, including the mining of commercial ships, an attack on Saudi oil facilities, the downing of an American surveillance drone and several rocket attacks on bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, including one that killed a U.S. contractor on Dec. 27. McKenzie did not say how long the U.S. military, which is looking to reorient its force toward challenges from China and Russia, would maintain its enhanced presence in the Middle East. But the targeting of Soleimani, a peerless figure in Iran's security establishment who was synonymous with the country's support for armed proxy groups across the region, generated shock waves among allies and adversaries alike who have voiced fears about a destabilizing new conflict. Iranian leaders have characterized the strike as an act of war, and the new Quds Force leader has vowed a "manly" response. The retaliatory actions come as the Trump administration continues its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, applying new sanctions and promising additional measures if Iran should take steps to produce a nuclear weapon. On Thursday, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against four international petrochemical and oil companies whose exports have provided revenue that the United States says Iran uses to fund its military activities and militias in the region. The U.S. action targeted companies based in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dubai. Treasury officials said the firms paid hundreds of millions of dollars to the National Iranian Oil Company to purchase its products. In 2018, President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran, prompting Tehran to take steps that European countries now say represent a violation of the 2015 agreement. The heightened tensions occur against a backdrop of popular protests across Iran linked to economic conditions and, more recently, the government's apparent accidental shoot-down of a passenger jet on the night of its strikes against Americans in Iraq. McKenzie said Iran's Jan. 7 missile strike was an important departure for Iran following what U.S. officials describe as a year-long covert campaign to strike the United States via proxies, primarily in Iraq. "That's something that is going to be very significant," he said. "Having said that, they have shown signs of wanting to de-escalate, of not wanting to continue the conflict, and we certainly welcome that, because the last thing we want to do is have a war with Iran." The attack did not result in any American deaths, but a number of service members who suffered symptoms believed to be associated with traumatic brain injury are being treated and observed, defense officials have said. The Pentagon says Iranian-linked militia attacks killed at least 500 troops following the 2003 Iraq invasion. But those militias fought on the same side as the United States and its allies - albeit at a distance - against the Islamic State in Iraq beginning in 2014. The Soleimani strike has also strained U.S. relations with Iraq, which is pulled between its two chief allies at a moment when the government is facing its own wave of popular protests. McKenzie said the United States would seek to be "coolheaded" amid the current crisis, hoping Iran would do the same, but would respond forcefully if needed. "The ball is certainly in their court to a certain degree, and they know that we have the capability to defend ourselves and to inflict significant pain on them now should they choose to go that route." - - - The Washington Post's Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report. AXISCADES Engineering Technologies hit an upper-circuit limit of 20% to Rs 75.15 crore after reporting a net profit of Rs 8.03 crore in Q3 December 2019 compared with net loss of Rs 0.73 crore in Q3 December 2018. On a consolidated basis, net sales rose 4.9% to Rs 167.23 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Profit before tax soared 804.4% to Rs 12.39 crore in Q3 December 2019 as compared to Rs 1.37 crore in Q3 December 2018. Tax expense rose 27.4% to Rs 2.79 crore in Q3 December 2019 as against Rs 2.19 crore paid in Q3 December 2018. The Q3 results were declared after trading hours yesterday, 22 January 2020. The company recorded the highest ever EBITDA margin of 16% during the quarter, boosted through operational productivity measures and closer alignment to customers with enhanced service lines. During the quarter, the firm renewed its two multi-year contracts; first, a major European Aerospace customer renewed their contract with increased scope of delivery and additional areas of business. Second, the company renewed its multi-year contract with global heavy engineering customer with increased scope and geographic coverage. It also signed a new contract with heavy engineering customer in North America. Amongst other wins, the company also received orders from a European OEM. Speaking on the Q3 performance, David Bradley, the chairman of AXISCADES Engineering Technologies, has said that, "We have done some intensive groundwork to enhance our go-to-market approach and strengthen our relationship with existing clients for repeat business. Considerable steps have been taken to continue fostering high performance and agile work culture that is well suited to meet the stringent demands of the industries we operate in. With a good quarter in the bag, we are looking to end the financial year on a strong note with increased focus on our key strategies." AXISCADES Engineering Technologies provides mechanical, electrical, electronics and manufacturing engineering services. It caters to the aerospace, defense, heavy engineering, automotive and industrial production sectors. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CALGARY, AB and TEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / InnoCan Pharma ("InnoCan" or the "Company") (INNO:CSE) announced today that it is has added Peter Bloch to its Board of Directors. Mr. Bloch is a Chartered Accountant with an extensive record of entrepreneurial and executive successes. He has held senior management positions with Sanofi-Aventis Canada, Intellivax International Inc., Gennum Corporation and Tribute Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Bloch is currently the CEO of Bresotec Inc., a Medical device company developing and commercializing easy to use and accurate technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea and related health conditions through acoustic analysis. Mr. Bloch was previously CEO and Chairman of Bionik Laboratories, a publicly listed company and was a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University. Iris Bincovich, InnoCan's CEO, said, "We welcome Peter to the InnoCan Board. Peter's unique combination of experience as an officer of mature companies and as the leader of start up companies along with his extensive healthcare/biotech background will be an invaluable resource for InnoCan. Also, North America is a top market for InnoCan Pharma and Peter will be a key advisor as we enter 2020 implementing our full commercialization strategy." Peter Bloch replaces Daryl Fridhandler as a director of the Company who resigned from this position on January 22, 2020. Eyal Flom, a current director of the Company, replaces Mr. Fridhandler as Corporate Secretary of the Company. About InnoCan Pharma Corporation InnoCan brings pharmacological knowledge to the burgeoning CBD marketplace. The founders and officers of InnoCan all have commercially successful track records in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors in Israel and globally. InnoCan's business has three distinct operating segments relating to the incorporation in products of CBD in their formulation: (i) research, development, marketing, distribution and sales of InnoCan-branded OTC pharmaceutical products; (ii) research and development of non-pharmaceutical products for third parties in exchange for fees and/or royalties; and (iii) research and development of hydrogels containing liposomes intended for licensing or sale to third party pharmaceutical corporations for manufacturing, distribution and sales. http://innocanpharma.com/ Caution regarding forward-looking information Certain information set forth in this news release, including, without limitation, information regarding the markets, requisite regulatory approvals and the anticipated timing for market entry, is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond InnoCan's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by InnoCan, including expectations and assumptions concerning the anticipated benefits of the product markets, satisfaction of regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions and satisfactory completion of requisite production and distribution arrangements. Forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this news release. The key risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: general global and local (national) economic, market and business conditions; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities; and relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, business partners and competitors. There are also risks that are inherent in the nature of product distribution, including failure to obtain any required regulatory and other approvals (or to do so in a timely manner) and availability in each market of product inputs and finished products. The anticipated timeline for entry to markets may change for a number of reasons, including the inability to secure necessary regulatory requirements, or the need for additional time to conclude and/or satisfy the manufacturing and distribution arrangements. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this news release concerning the timing of launch of product distribution. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact InnoCan can also be found in InnoCan's public reports and filings which are available under InnoCan's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking information. InnoCan Pharma does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward-looking information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. For further information, please contact: For InnoCan Pharma Corporation: Iris Bincovich, CEO +972-54-3012842 info@innocanpharma.com For Investor Relations: Proconsul Capital Ltd. Andreas Curkovic 416-577-9927 NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: InnoCan Pharma Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573943/InnoCan-Announces-Appointment-of-Prominent-Healthcare-Executive-Peter-Bloch-as-a-Director The term Mozart Effect which was first coined by Alfred A. Tomatis who used Mozart's music as the listening stimulus in his work attempting to cure a variety of disorders. Mozart Effect refers to the phenomenon of increased spatial abilities after listening to the musicians compositions. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a German prolific and influential music composer of the Classical era. Many studies evidence that if babies listen to music composed by Mozart then they can become more intelligent. Mozart baby music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of mental tasks known as spatial-temporal reasoning. However, subsequent research also suggests that the Mozart Effect may be an artifactual outcome of mood arousal. Mozart and Social Media The initial study by Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky, in 1993 received widespread attention from the social media. The idea that listening to Mozart might increase intelligence quotient (IQ)scores sparked the development of many "educational" books and classical music products. Eventually, thousands of parents started playing Mozart to their children. It has also been reported that in 1998 Zell Miller, the Governor of the state of Georgia (US), even asked for money to be fixed in the state budget for CDs that have music for baby in womb and newborn babies. Moreover, a quick Internet search will reveal plenty of products to assist you in the task. There are also the books to help you to enjoy the Mozarts music benefits. Mozart Effect and Growing Preterm Infants Preterm infants are often kept with more care and considered to have less weight or growth as compared to full-terms pregnancy infants. So, with this perspective a randomized clinical trial with crossover design was conducted in 20 healthy, appropriate-weight-for-gestational-age, gavage-fed preterm infants. Infants were randomly exposed to a 30-minute period of Mozart music or no music on two consecutive days. Their metabolic measurements were performed by indirect calorimetry. The rate of weight gain in preterm infants who are exposed to music was found to improve. So, from the findings it can be concluded that Mozart reduces Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) in the development of healthy preterm infants. Research at Brigham Young University suggests that music has a positive impact and can even promote calmness in babies. Classical Music and your Babys Brain Brain is considered to be the most mysterious and complex object known to man. And, when it comes to increasing a babys brain power. people are more than interested to know the ways how to boost the babys IQ. While if you talk about a newborns brain, it is only 25 percent of its adult weight, by age 3, it grows and builds its pathways and connections, called synapses. According to Dr. Diane Bales, Ph.D., author of "Building Baby's Brain, the synapses used for classical music are similar to those that are used for spatial and temporal reasoning. Rauscher, in 1998 suggested that if music acts as a sort of pre-language of the brain, certain kinds of music (such as Mozarts) is likely to facilitate brain function, even on a short-term basis. The results of the experiment explain the higher scores on spatial-temporal tasks by stating that such music causes short-term causal enhancement of pattern development. Listening to classical music may soothe your babys ears. Music for kids offers numerous benefits that could alleviate physical and health problems. As you know that the brain has two lobes, the studies show that music involves both hemispheres of the brain. Its creativity and emotion is found to engage the right lobe, while rhythm and pitch engage the left one. So, notions of Mozart music work here, the child who receives musical exposure at a young age more efficiently develops the bundle of nerves that connects those two halves. One of the lead researchers in the original U.C. Irvine study believes that listening to a Mozart sonata can activate the brain to tackle mathematical tasks. In another study, performed by John Hughes, a neurologist at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago, reported that Mozarts compositions triggered the strongest response in the brain. The effect on brain and its wave patterns was 2-3 times more compared to other popular tunes. Prenatal Music Exposure Music therapy during pregnancy also proves to be beneficial. The elements of music such as rhythm intervention & range may affect physiologic function like heart and respiratory rates, activity levels and developmental functions. Music also decreases the parental stress perception. Early exposure to music increases abilities in several other areas, including math and language. Studies show that prenatal music exposure induces long-term neural effects. The approach considered was to use the brain's event-related potentials (ERPs). It provides more specific information on the neural correlation of the types and features of sounds the fetuses can learn. During the last trimester of pregnancy, the mothers in the learning group were asked to play the Twinkle twinkle little star melody 5 times per week. After birth and again at the age of 4 months, the modified melody with some of the notes changed was played for the infants. While at the same time, ERPs to unchanged and changed notes were recorded. The results showed that extensive prenatal exposure to a melody induces long term neural representations and prolonged periods of quietalert states. Even more the infants can categorize auditory stimuli, such as recognizing two or more stimuli that are different. Conclusion For centuries, the science of mind what we call as Psychology is studied differently and independently from the science of brain Neuroscience. Psychologists are mainly concerned with our mental capacities - how we learn, or think while Neuroscientists continue with their studies for brain development and its functioning. Thanks to the musical elements which stimulate a realistic and meaningful environment. Babies who listen to Mozart Music can develop positive attitudes, self-perceptions and cognitive skills. The main sticking points of the talks is the future role of the SDF and the governing of SDF controlled areas reports Al-Masdar. The Syrian government and the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) may meet in the coming days to resume their peace talks and find a solution that leads to a political settlement, Al-Watan reported on Wednesday. Citing a Kurdish politician, Al-Watan reported that fears of ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Turkish forces are at the forefront of the talks. Past talks between the Syrian government and Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) ended with no agreements made, despite the fact both sides agree that there needs to be a political settlement. One of the core issues is the future of the SDF, which both sides have different views on. The Syrian government wants the SDF to be dissolved and incorporated into the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), while the SDC has made a push to have their forces become border guards. Another major issue has to do with the governing of SDF-held areas, which, again, has been unresolved due to differences. The Syrian government wants full authority over SDF-held areas, while the SDC prefers a more decentralized style of governance. Since the Turkish military and their allied militants began Operation Peace Spring in October, the SDF have entered into an alliance with the Syrian Arab Army to prevent the Ankara-backed forces from seizing more territories in northeastern Syria. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Washington: Just after 4pm on the second day of Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, a frisson of excitement rippled through the Senate press gallery on Capitol Hill. Down on the Senate floor, Jerry Nadler, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, was arguing why Donald Trump should become the first president in history to be removed from office by Congress. But it wasn't Nadler's argument that thrilled the purveyors of "fake news", as Trump fondly describes members of the mainstream media. One of the 100 senators - who are serving as jurors in the trial - was drinking a glass of milk on the Senate floor. Republican Senator Tom Cotton caused a stir in Washington by drinking a glass of milk during Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Credit:Bloomberg "TOM COTTON HAS MILK!" CBS News reporter Grace Segers tweeted after rushing out of the gallery to collect her mobile phone. Brendan Flanigan has always been an interior designer, even before he could put words to it. He remembers gathering accessories in his parents' European arts and crafts home in Troy as a 5-year-old and arranging them on the mantle. The youngest of seven children, Flanigan worked as a teenager at Emma Dux, the restaurant his parents owned in Malta. "It gave me an understanding of what service should be from the guest perspective," Flanigan says, and it has stayed with him throughout his career in food service and later as a designer. Years later, as his design business has flourished, he often takes on commercial clients looking to redesign restaurant spaces. Flanigan majored in business at Siena College and worked in restaurants in Saratoga Springs, Albany and Newport, R.I., while he was in school. His first job out of college was in accounts payable for a local company. It was part of his job to check on properties the company managed as the spaces were being updated, and he found himself making suggestions. He discovered he had a knack for colors. Then came the aha moment, when, while he was ordering a large amount of drapery fabric, the person taking his order asked if he was a designer. "'Well, yes,' I thought," Flanigan says. Flanigan started Brendan Flanigan Interiors in 2006. He started with interior design, florals and weddings. Over the years he has lent his talents to raise money for Universal Preservation Hall and the Yaddo artists' colony, both in Saratoga Springs. Referrals led to more work, both locally and downstate. He splits his time between Saratoga Springs and New York City. "This is a passion I enjoy. I never roll in thinking I know everything," Flanigan says. When describing his personal style, Flanigan, 42, describes himself as an art collector. In person, he mixes old with new, from a brown overcoat that belonged to his father to designer shoes and a new blazer from Union Hall Supply Company, a men's clothing store in Saratoga Springs he designed. He also wears a ring his mother bought him and mala beads, a sign of his yoga practice. Modern contemporary dominates his personal space and abstract paintings hang from the walls, including work by Greenfield-based artist Gary Zack. Flanigan's Saratoga Springs home is furnished with mid-century modern furnishings, including antique French leather chairs, plants and driftwood. Flanigan's favorite spaces are "homes in dialogue with themselves," that reflect the owner and their journey. A room that looks collected over time will never look decorated. It's an aesthetic he brings to commercial spaces, because interior design is about more than pretty things, he says. For a hospitality business to succeed, it has to be compelling and captivating enough for someone walking into the room to look away from their phone. "A well-designed taco place is more gratifying than a five-star restaurant that hasn't been updated in 15 years," Flanigan said. He is inspired by the designer David Rockwell, whose credits include Nobu restaurants and hotels, including W and Westin. In 2017, Flanigan was hired to update the Butcher Block restaurant in Plattsburgh. It has a loyal customer base, he says, so he didn't want to start from scratch with a look that would alienate the regulars. "I went to great lengths to update their appeal with innovation, but not do as much with the parts that were working well," Flanigan said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The owners went into the redesign with a profit goal in mind, but tripled the goal without changing the menu or prices, Flanigan says, increasing profits by 33 percent in the first year. In September, Flanigan won an award for kitchen design at the 2019 New York Innovation in Design Awards, competing in a field that included international designers. He relocated a study in a Georgian-style home in Albany, allowing for more room and light in the kitchen. A glass wall pulls in the wooded backyard, matte black cabinetry contrasts with a natural wood counter, and a sleek seating area is centered around a floating fireplace, creating, in the words of the citation, "an effortless cool." "The eclectic mix give the space a timeless quality," said judge Vincente Wolf. Flanigan was the first-ever recipient from the Capital Region and met David Rockwell at the awards ceremony in Manhattan. The award, one of several Flanigan received last year (he was also recognized by the New York and Canada East chapters of the American Society of Interior Designers) was a culmination of a mindset Flanigan says he had been leading with for more than a year, a feeling of clarity that came to him in yoga. "I decided I was going to steer clients in the direction of what their space should be, and not what's on sale, or what someone they know has done or the safe choice. I was going to go with what I believe and know to be right and cut through the static," he said. lhornbeck@timesunion.com 518-454-5352 @leighhornbeck Former State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell exits the Stout Center for Criminal Justice on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, after pleading guilty to theft charges related to her nonprofit, Motivations Education & Consultation Associates (MECA). She will begin a jail term Feb. 6. Seen inside the building behind Johnson-Harrell is her attorney, Jessica Natali. Read more Former Pennsylvania Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell pleaded guilty to theft and related charges Thursday and will spend at least three months in jail in a case in which state prosecutors allege she stole more than $500,000 from her own nonprofit and spent it on family vacations, designer clothing, furs, and personal bills. Johnson-Harrell, 53, did not admit in court to stealing any specific amount of money designated for the nonprofit, Motivations Education & Consultation Associates (MECA), which she had established to help people struggling with mental illness, addiction, and homelessness. Under a negotiated plea deal, she was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in county jail, plus two years probation. Under the deal, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio said that if she has no write-ups or misconducts in jail during her first three months, she can serve the remainder of her minimum sentence, or 8 months, under house arrest. She is scheduled to begin her jail sentence Feb. 6. Johnson-Harrell, a Democrat who represented West Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to three theft charges, two tampering offenses, and a perjury charge. Each of the third-degree felony theft charges relates to a range of $2,000 to $25,000. She also pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges related to campaign or ethics code violations. As restitution, Johnson-Harrell will surrender a Tioga property that will be sold, the proceeds used to pay restitution to MECA, the Attorney Generals Office said in a statement. Johnson-Harrell no longer runs MECA. DiClaudio, who gave Johnson-Harrell encouraging words in court, said she could be a candidate for early probation termination, a common practice in his courtroom. We all make mistakes, he told her. Sometimes, we make them more than once. Youve made many great strides to help many people in the city, but you also made errors in judgment, DiClaudio told her, saying her crimes were serious, but also noting that she has been an advocate against gun violence. He said the outcome of her case was a fair and just resolution. Johnson-Harrell, who wept softly when entering her guilty pleas, told the judge: Id like to apologize to my family for bringing them into the political world. She then looked back at her relatives, including her husband and children, who were in the courtroom, and said: I love you. Although Johnson-Harrell did not admit to stealing a specific amount from MECA, Chief Deputy Attorney General Kirsten Heine, of the Criminal Prosecutions Section, and Deputy Attorney General Philip McCarthy said after the hearing that their office still alleges Johnson-Harrell had unlawfully taken the full amount of more than $500,000 originally alleged. In an e-mailed statement, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said: This Philadelphia community would have been in a better place had this former public official invested MECAs money into the people who needed the care she promised. Instead, the community received no help as Johnson-Harrell spent MECA money on fur coats, Porsche car payments and expensive vacations for herself. MECA received money from Medicaid and Social Security disability funds. Defense attorney Jessica Natali said in an e-mailed statement: Today, Movita Johnson-Harrell took responsibility for some poor decisions she made over the past few years. While these were serious errors, they do not diminish, or erase, her long record of community leadership and service and passion for ending the scourge of gun violence. Movita is an exceptional woman who will serve her sentence, and then return to her mission of advocacy. She remains grateful for the strong support of her community as she accepted accountability for her actions. Johnson-Harrell resigned from her state legislature position after the AGs Office charged her in December with theft, perjury, tampering with public records, and related crimes following a grand jury investigation. The thefts continued even after defendants appointment to a high-level position in the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office and her election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the AGs Office wrote in its criminal complaint. From at least December 2015, Johnson-Harrell repeatedly misrepresented financial transactions to accomplish her theft scheme, the complaint says. Johnson-Harrell spent a little more than eight months in the state legislature after winning a special March election to represent the 190th District. She replaced longtime State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was driven from office by a bribery scandal. The first Muslim woman to serve in the Pennsylvania legislature, Johnson-Harrell made reducing gun violence her top priority. Her father, brother, and 18-year-old son were all killed by gun violence. Johnson-Harrell previously served as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasners supervisor for his offices Victim/Witness Services Unit, starting when Krasner took office in January 2018. She resigned from that position in January 2019 to run for the state House office, which she originally had sought four years earlier. According to the AGs Office, Johnson-Harrell misused MECA funds to pay: About $15,000 for clothing, including $5,500 for four fur coats. $19,000 in vacation expenses for 2017 and 2018 trips to Atlanta; Ocean City, Md.; Orlando; and twice to Mexico. $20,000 for overdue mortgage bills. About $20,000 in overdue water, gas, and tax bills. $7,979 to satisfy her restitution following a 2013 summary conviction for making a false statement involving employer-withheld taxes at a West Philadelphia personal-care home she operated. $4,000 to a criminal defense attorney for a relatives case. $3,830 for her grandchildrens private-school tuition. $2,500 in contributions to Krasner during his 2017 campaign. $2,065 for overdue payments on her Porsche. The AGs Office also alleged that Johnson-Harrell paid herself rent checks of $3,345 a month from MECAs bank account for a personal-care home she operated for MECA on Powelton Avenue even after she abruptly closed it in May 2018 after state regulators found no staff on duty and unsanitary conditions. She also paid herself $50,000 in rent money in 2017 for a Tioga property she used as a MECA group home even after she stopped operating it that February, the complaint says. Top seed Rafael Nadal laboured past dogged fellow left-hander Federico Delbonis Thursday to take another step towards only a second Australian Open crown. The Spanish world number one created 20 break point chances but was constantly denied by the Argentine before he wrapped up a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 win on Rod Laver Arena. The victory set up a third round clash with countryman Pablo Carreno Busta, his doubles partner at this month's ATP Cup. "It was a tough match. I lost a lot of opportunities on break point but found a way to finally win the second set," he said. "In the third I was more relaxed, more aggressive and found better play in that set." Nadal had dropped only 10 games in three previous emphatic wins over 76th-ranked Delbonis, and defeat was never on the cards at Melbourne Park. But the Argentine, whose best Grand Slam result was the third round in Melbourne in 2016, made life hard for the 19-time Grand Slam winner, fending off 16 break point chances. Nadal looked on track for another straightforward victory after racing through the opening set, sealing it with a trademark crosscourt forehand. But he found it tougher going in the second, which went with serve up to the tiebreaker. Nadal, though, came through and Delbonis never recovered as the Spaniard asserted his authority to race home, but not before hitting a ballgirl on the head with a ball. He rushed over to console her and gave her a kiss for good measure. "For her it was not a good moment, I was so scared for her, the ball was quick and straight on her," Nadal said. "I'm very happy she is good. She is brave. Well done." Victory in Melbourne would make Nadal the first man in the Open era -- and only the third in history -- to win all four Major titles twice, after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver. While he has won 12 titles at Roland Garros, four at the US Open and two at Wimbledon, his only triumph in Australia came in 2009 when he beat Roger Federer, with four runner-up finishes to his name. If he does win a second title in Melbourne, Nadal will equal the 20 Grand Slams crowns held by great rival Federer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kenya's music industry is one of the most vibrant, with multiple genres and numerous artists trying to capture a sizeable share of the market. If one plays their cards right, win fans' hearts and, of course, get a high demand, they get good airplay. As a result, the environment is fast-changing, and music genres seem to mutate and fuse. This phenomenon has elevated some artists to a new level, outselling their counterparts by achieving mainstream success. So, what are the latest Kenyan songs that you should jam to in 2021? Sauti Sol of Kenya on the red carpet at the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards on July 18, 2015, at the Durban International Conference Centre in Durban, South Africa. Photo: Frennie Shivambu Source: Getty Images Are you torn between different music genres and often confused when streaming on your favourite platform? Don't worry; selecting a Kenyan playlist will have you listen to music from various genres, which the music industry represents. There isn't a dominant genre, but just good music. But of course, you have to keep yourself updated on the latest releases. The 21st century has seen Kenya musicians take a different direction as they try to reclaim the space they lost in the past few years and regain dominance of the African continent. So, what latest trending songs should you listen to in 2021? 20 latest Kenyan songs in 2021 In the early 2000s, it was Kapuka, which incorporated hip-hop, reggae, and traditional African influences into Swahili and sheng lyrics. However, other genres came about in the years that followed, dominating the Kenyan music scene. Today, the music industry is diverse as artists release good tunes. So, what are the latest songs in Kenya in 2021? PAY ATTENTION: Join TUKO.co.ke Telegram channel! Never miss important updates 1. Bahati & Prince Indah Adhiambo Bahati did it again! Indeed, his transition from the gospel industry to secular music is gradually paying off. This is one of his biggest songs with over 4 million views on YouTube and barely a month old (premiered on YouTube on October 28, 2021). Judging by the views it has so far; it is one of the top Kenyan songs. The song is primarily in the Luo dialect and sings praise to all the beautiful ladies out there. The most exciting thing about the music video is that it brought together big names in Kenya's entertainment industry. These include Eric Omondi, Jalango, MPs Jaguar and Babu Owino, Terrence Creative and others. 2. Bien x Aaron Rimbui - Mbwe Mbwe After Sauti Sol announced that its members were focusing on solo projects under the label Alone Together, people didnt expect Bien to release such good music. Of course, he is known for his fantastic voice, but he killed it in this song with amazing lyrics. The banger was released on November 5, 2021, written by Bien-Anime Alusa, Aaron H. Rimbui and Benson Mutua. The song is part of the Bald Men Love Better album. 3. Kaligraph Jones Champez One thing you would expect with Kaligraph Jones is to release music back-to-back and still be an anthem. The artist is one of the most hardworking in the Kenya music industry, and of course, one of the most successful. Champez is just another one of his hits that makes the list of the new Kenyan songs that you should listen to in 2021. His rapping style is unique, and the lyrics of the song are outstanding. The artist produced the music, and Vince created the instrumental on the Beat Under Blu Ink label. 4. Nadia Mukami ft. Mejja Legeza What do you expect when two of Kenya's most prominent artists collaborate? A banger, of course. And as usual, Mejja brings out his unique rapping style that is interesting and always has a comic effect. Legeza is Nadia Mukamis 17th single and depicts an exciting narrative in Kenya, one of no romance without some financial power. 5. Mejja - Siku hizi ni KuBad It has been an excellent year for Mejja, as his music is ordinarily among the latest songs in Kenya. This song premiered on YouTube on July 23, 2021, attracting an impressive viewership. What most people love about Mejjas songs is that they relate. He often talks about the vices in society, putting everything in perspective using his unique rapping style. And it has worked wonders as he is dominating the airwaves. 6. Mejja - Siskii (Kamote) Mejja is one of the few Kenyan artists who have been unswerving in the industry. The Genge and Kapuka rapper has been known to release bangers on Kenyan airwaves for a long time. Siskii is a hit where the artist shows his storytelling prowess. The song is basically about a toxic relationship where the man cannot leave, making him feel like the girl has used black magic on him. Siskii is one of the latest Kenyan songs you should play. 7. H_art the Band - My Jaber ft. Brizy Annechild Ever since this all-male music band released Uliza Kiatu (Ask my shoes) in 2014, they have never looked back. They have musically evolved and established a propound presence in Kenya's entertainment industry. Jaber is proof that they still got it as it is good music, a trademark that fans are now used to from the talented music group. The song was released on September 6, 2014, but had widely been publicized before its premiere. Of course, it got terrific reception and now has more than 2.7 million views on YouTube, making it one of the top Kenyan hits of 2021. 8. King Kaka - Tunajua Ganji Tunajua Ganji is not the first King Kaka song that touches on Kenya's political setting. Kaka is one of the most prominent Kenyan artists whose music impacts many. In this track, the Swahili Shakespeare artist discusses ordinary Kenyans' opinions and views of the political class. The video's execution was flawless, showing just how frustrated citizens are with those who hold power in the country. 9. Khaligraph Jones - G Like That Hip hop fans in Kenya have never starved, thanks to the work Khaligraph puts in. The rapper is always busy, recording in the studio, shooting videos and dropping cyphers left, right, and centre. G Like That is another addition to Khaligraphs discography that leaves you appreciative of the Kayole-bred rapper. Khali boasts of his rapping prowess and how far he has come in the industry in this track. G Like That is one of the latest Kenyan music that has been played massively across the country. 10. Kaligraph Jones Get High As usual, Kaligraph doesnt disappoint. He sets the bar when it comes to hip-hop music in Kenya and Africa. The song premiered on October 26, 2021, and is primarily rap, where he spits rhymes flawlessly. 11. Gwaash ft Mejja and K4Kanali - Diva wa Insta Diva Wa Intsa is about the flashy lifestyle people portray on Instagram. Mejja and Gwaash use witty lines to share various instances where Instagram girls show how they live offline. The track is a big tune that has been rocking airwaves since its release. Mejja X Gwaash and K4kanali make a great team. Diva Wa Insta is not meant to mock Instagram users but highlight the realities versus pretence peddled on the photo-sharing app. You can download the latest Kenyan music like Diva wa Insta on Mdundo. 12. Mr. Seed Only One (Dawa ya Baridi) ft. Masauti Who wouldn't love this song? It is just amazing. Mr. Seed's vocals are on point, and the song is a heart soother. It was released on September 2021 and features Masauti, another great artist making significant headway in Kenya's music industry. 13. Femi One Balance Femi One is gradually becoming the best female rapper in Kenya, and she proves it every time with her fantastic music. Balance is just one among her impressive collection from Kaka Empire, her production studio. 14. Otile Brown ft. Jovial Jeraha If Otile Brown releases a song, expect it to be on the top. Why? He sings well and has a massive following online and offline. This song is a combination of two incredibly talented artists with unique voices and the result? You guessed it; a significant hit. It seems like fans like these types of songs in Kenya. 15. Otile Brown ft. Jovial - Such Kinda Love This song has been the anthem in the capital ever since it was released. Such Kinda Love is the kind of song you enjoy listening to while thinking about the content. Otile Brown and Jovial are a great combination. 16. Breeder LW ft. Ssaru - Bei Imepanda Ssaru is gradually making a name for herself as one of the finest female rappers in Kenya. Breeder LW and Saru made this radio hit for all party lovers. Among many things, the song talks about confidence and being proud of who you are. Breeder LW is an established rapper, and this collaboration with Ssaru shows how great she is. Are you a lover of Kenyan trap? Bei Imepanda is the song you should have on replay. 17. Nviiri the Storyteller X Bien - Niko Sawa As his name suggests, Nviiri is a remarkable storyteller. Many of his fans love it when he narrates the different subjects in the music he produces. Bien of Sauti Sol is another versatile artist that is adored by fans. In Niko Sawa, the two artists worked together and gave a gem that will remain a favourite for a while. Niko Sawa talks about relationship issues, moving on, thinking about memories made and being at peace. 18. Brown Mauzo - YUMBA ft.Masauti Brown Mauzo is a great artist and has collaborated with another great artist in this song to produce something extraordinary. The Kenyan musicians have elicited various feelings with this song. 19. Krispah ft Kaligraph Jones and Boutross - Ndovu Ni Kuu Ndovu ni Kuu is a fantastic song, especially the beats and lyrics from the three artists featured on the music. The talented artists blessed Kenyans with this catchy, happy song that gets everyone ecstatic on May 21, 2021. This track can change your moods and make your day brighten up. 20. Iyanii - Pombe/Above The Head Iyanii got Kenyans by surprise by releasing this exciting music. It effortlessly made its way to the top of the latest trending music in Kenya because of its lyrics. And it hasn't taken long for people to start demanding a remix from Mejja, renowned for releasing music with such a theme. So far, the music video has over 1.7 million views on YouTube. The best thing about Kenyan musicians is their versatility. This is witnessed with the various musicians who collaborate with other artists from different genres. For example, gospel musicians work with secular musicians and vice versa. New artists are also not shy to ask for collaborations from music legends. The latest Kenyan songs bring happy vibes and get everyone playing them in a cheerful mood. Are you looking for the latest Gengetone songs to listen to and download in 2021? Tuko.co.ke featured an interesting article about the most listened-to Gengetone songs fans love in Kenya, and the list is quite interesting. The most exciting thing is that the latest songs in this genre are adopting new themes such as romance, sharing of good vibes and many more. So, which ones should you listen to? Source: TUKO.co.ke Various state governments are not utilising funds released by the Centre to provide relief from a natural disaster, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sources said. According to the MHA sources, states like Kerala and Assam have not utilised funds released by the Centre. "The Kerala government was given around Rs 3,000 crore after 2018 flood in the state. By April 2019, it was able to use only Rs 900 crore. Again after 2019 flood in Kerala, the state government asked for Rs 2,000 crore. Assam has also not utilised funds given by the Centre," MHA sources said. "As per the procedure, if the state government fails to utilise funds allocated to it, then the Center will not release funds. Also, states have to utilise funds only for the purpose of relief as prescribed in the rule," an MHA official claimed.For recent Cyclone 'Bulbul', the government of India is yet to get memorandum from the concerned state. Last year in October, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief work of all the flood-affected states. Keeping in view the severity of the flood and the fund positions in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) account of Bihar and Karnataka, the Home Minister had approved the advance release of Rs 400 crore to Bihar and Rs 1200 crore to Karnataka from Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) 'on account basis'. He had further approved the advance release of 2nd instalment of centre's share of SDRF amounting to Rs 213.75 crore to Bihar for the year 2019-20. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EBRD considering opportunities for new projects in Ukraine Zelensky's meeting with Chakrabarti Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos met with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti. The press service of the president reported on Wednesday that the head of state thanked the EBRD president for a project portfolio of EUR 1.115 billion in 2019 in Ukraine. "I am very pleased that our constructive cooperation has produced such results. And I hope it will become our new normal level of cooperation. This is the goal we set at our first meeting," Zelensky said. The EBRD president commended the progress of reforms in Ukraine, naming Ukraine among the top three priorities in the region. "The international financial structure is considering opportunities for new projects in Ukraine," the press service said. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Biocon on January 23 reported a 7 percent year-on-year (YoY) drop in net profit to Rs 203 crore in the third quarter ended December 31 due to higher R&D expenses and tax impact of an exceptional item. Profit for the same period last year was Rs 217 crore. Net Profit before exceptional item was up 6 percent at Rs 225 crore. Revenues rose 14 percent YoY to Rs 1,784 crore in the third quarter. The earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at 27 percent for Q3FY20 compared to the previous year's 26 percent. The gross spend on research and development rose 46 percent to Rs 155 crore on YoY basis. The core biologics segment reported revenue growth of 31 percent at Rs 588 crore for Q3FY20, led by higher traction in sales of key biosimilars in the developed and emerging markets. Biocon launched biosimilars of Pegfilgrastim and Trastuzumab in the US with its partner Mylan. The company earns a major portion of its Biologic revenues from Pegfilgrastim and expects sales momentum from Trastuzumab in the coming quarters. In Q3FY20, the company secured approval from the Argentinian health regulator, ANMAT for biosimilar Trastuzumab. The product will be commercialized by local partner Laboratorios Raffo. In addition, Biocon said it won approvals, market entries and tender wins for biosimilar Trastuzumab and Insulin Glargine in Latin America and CIS (Commonwealth Independent States). The company said it also commenced supply of Insulin Glargine to the Ministry of Health (MoH), Malaysia. The Malaysian government has extended the contract with Biocon Malaysia for recombinant human insulin (rh-Insulin) formulations for a year under the government's Off-Take Agreement (OTA) initiative. The small molecules where Biocon supplies active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations related statins and immune-suppressants rose 16 percent to Rs 588 crore. The company said the small molecule APIs business performance was driven by increased sales of immune-suppressants in key geographies as well as stable demand for statins and specialty APIs. We filed for approval of three of our APIs in key regulated markets, the company said in a release. The generic formulations business crossed the Rs 100 crore revenue in Q3FY20, reporting robust growth on the back of consistent client acquisitions and increased market share for all its formulations launched in the US. The branded formulations business reported a 26 percent fall in revenue at Rs 157 crore for Q3FY20, due to pricing pressure and other headwinds in both India and UAE businesses. "We witnessed strong revenue growth of 14 percent to Rs 1,784 crore in Q3FY20, led by Biologics, Small Molecules and Research Services businesses, said Chairperson & Managing Director, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw stated:99 We continued our journey of increasing access to high-quality biosimilars and commercialized our biosimilar Trastuzumab in U.S., Canada and many EU markets this quarter, Mazumdar-Shaw said. Biocon board also announced the elevation of Siddharth Mittal as CEO and Joint-Managing Director of Biocon. Mazumdar-Shaw will continue as Executive Chairperson and Managing Director. Virologist Zhong Nanshan learns about the pneumonia situation at the Jinyintan hospital, in Wuhan, Hubei province, Jan 19, 2020. [Photo by Su Yueming/For China Daily] While many in China are taking high-speed trains back home for the upcoming Spring Festival, Zhong Nanshan, a renowned respiratory expert, rode the rails on Saturday to Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the viral pneumonia outbreak. Zhong, 84, who heads a National Health Commission expert panel conducting research on the new epidemic, was the first to confirm on Monday during an interview with China Central Television that the new coronavirus can be transmitted between humans. He advised people not to travel to and from Wuhan as he worked to combat the outbreak. Two photos circulated widely on social media by Guangzhou Daily showed Zhong taking a short break on the train and rushing to a hospital in Wuhan to learn about patients' conditions. Zhong played a huge role in discovering the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in 2003, and he managed the SARS outbreak in Guangdong province at the time. He was dubbed the "SARS hero", and his efforts made him a household name across the country. Zhong, then 67, was head of the expert task force appointed to fight the disease in the province. When SARS cases peaked in late February 2003 in Guangdong, researchers at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced they had detected the SARS pathogen and identified it as a new type of chlamydia. Virologist Zhong Nanshan inspects the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan, Hubei province, Jan 19, 2020. [Photo by Su Yueming/For China Daily] Zhong and other doctors in Guangdong questioned the finding. With their clinical virology experience, they believed SARS was much more likely to be caused by an unknown virus. The family of bacteria called chlamydia can be contained by antibiotics, yet antibiotics were ineffectual against SARS. On April 12, 2003, Zhong and his colleagues isolated the coronavirus from specimens taken from SARS patients. Four days later, the WHO announced that the coronavirus is responsible for causing the typical symptoms of SARS. Bellow is a poster designed by China Daily website to pay tribute to the virologist. Please feel free to share it. A 54-year-old woman found dead inside a home in Yorks Oakwood-Vaughan neighbourhood earlier this week has been identified as the victim of a homicide, Toronto police say. Police found the woman dead inside the house on Atlas Avenue near St. Clair Avenue West after being called for a wellness check on Monday. A coroner later attended the scene and deemed her death to be suspicious, police said in a Thursday news release identifying the woman as Giulia Matthews, 54, who neighbours said lived at the two-storey red brick house. Her death is Torontos fifth homicide of 2020, police said, announcing they had made an arrest in the case. Thursday afternoon, a forensics van could be seen parked nearby as workers in hazmat suits and blue face masks carried out paper bags from the home, still blocked off with police tape. Shocked neighbours were left wondering what had happened inside. I am so sorry, said neighbour Carmen Sillato, who has lived on the quiet residential street for 23 years. They are very nice people, I am so moved. Sillato said she saw police tape around the house on Monday, but had just heard about the murder on the news. There had never been any trouble there, she said. I always stopped and talked to the lady, she said, calling the family who lived at the home, such good neighbours. Anthony Westenberg, who lives across the street, called them a wonderful and quiet but friendly family, who sat out on their porch all summer. The whole street is left in sadness, he said. Dannis Koromilas, another neighbour, said police had canvassed people nearby, including him, Monday evening. The house had been very quiet since late last year, he said. I weep for her mother, youre not supposed to bury your children. On Thursday, Toronto police said a boy has been arrested in the case and charged with second-degree murder. He cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Including Matthews, two men, two women and a boy have been killed in Toronto so far this year. They are: Ahmed Yakot, 21, was shot near River and Oak streets in Regent Park at 10:30 p.m on Jan. 1. He died the next day in hospital. Paul Anthony DeSouza, 25, was shot in a residence at 367 Military Trail in Scarborough around 2 a.m. on Jan. 11 and was pronounced dead at hospital. Maryna Kudzianiuk, 49, was found seriously injured in an apartment building at 25 Bay Mills Boulevard, near Sheppard Avenue East and Warden Avenue, after a fire at 3 a.m. on Jan. 13. She was pronounced dead at hospital. Safiullah Khosrawi, a 15-year-old Woburn C.I. student, was shot at Markham and Ellesmere Roads on Jan. 20. He died in hospital. Police said he was completely innocent. Another 15-year-old Woburn student has been charged with second-degree murder. Giulia Matthews, 54. On Tuesday afternoon, CBS pulled the plug on covering the impeachment hearing taking place in the Senate. It was getting more revenue running the daytime soaps. This reflects a general feeling that most Americans don't want to sit there and be insulted. And by "insulted," we mean things like Adam Schiff saying something that translates to "You, the People, are too dumb to be trusted with the vote, lest you vote again for Trump": Rep. Adam Schiff: "The president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box. For we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won." pic.twitter.com/l1zTGodANZ The Hill (@thehill) January 22, 2020 Americans understand what's going on: Democrats said the evidence they'd gathered in a handful of secret basement hearings established that it was urgent to impeach Trump. They then frantically came up with two articles of impeachment. The first says, "We, the House Democrats, find Trump guilty of practicing foreign policy in a way the foreign policy establishment finds offensive." The second says, "We, the House Democrats, won't do the normal practice of asking a court to rule upon Trump's claims of executive privilege; we'll just accuse him of abuse of power." Then, contrary to their claims or urgency, the House Democrats sat on the articles for a month. It was only after Mitch McConnell forced her hand that Nancy Pelosi presided over a mock solemn ceremony, complete with souvenir pens, before walking the articles over to the Senate. On Tuesday, the first day of Senate hearings, Democrats insisted that, although they had overwhelming proof that Trump had done bad things, they still needed to call an endless parade of witnesses without whom they could not prove that Trump had done bad things. This led to fiery speeches and a remonstrance from Chief Justice Roberts for those speeches. Also, Adam Schiff lied. Apparently Schiff sent Jerry Nadler a letter last week claiming that Lev Parnas (the impeachment's Christine Blasey Ford, owing to his ever-changing stories) had tried to arrange a meeting with Ukrainian president Zelensky or, as Schiff quoted from a redacted text message, "mr. Z" except that the unredacted version of the full message chain showed that "Z" referred to Mykola Zlochevsky, Burisma's founder. That's why the message referred to "mr.," not "president." Truth and Schiff have, at best, only a nodding acquaintance. The Republicans then voted to fast-track the hearings, just as McConnell had suggested. On Wednesday, there was more of the same. It's impossible to gather all the details in a single post, so this is a swift overview of Wednesday's top impeachment-related stories (with a nod to Schiff's statement at the top of this post): Kimberley Strassel caught Schiff lying again: 1) Why is it that nobody in MSM calls out @RepAdamSchiff for a basic and repeated falsehood in this trial? To wit, that Russia helped Trump win an election (and that Trump was trying to repeat this with Ukraine). Where is there any evidence for this outrageous Russia claim? 2) Even if you buy that Russia's sole aim was to "help" Trump in the election (rather than generally sow discord), numerous congressional committees and the Mueller report itself found that Russia failed. It's hacking/trolling efforts did not effect the vote. 3) The media was forced to report this truth, yet ignores it now. Also ignores even bigger point that Mueller confirmed no collusion. I know that was all a bitter pill for Ds to swallow, but that shouldn't allow them to rewrite history on the Senate floor. #ImpeachmentTrial Paul Sperry revealed that, after Trump's inauguration, co-workers overheard Eric Ciaramella, the Obama CIA analyst turned whistleblower, tell his friend Sean Misko that they needed "to take out Trump." Misko went to work for Adam Schiff right before Ciaramella whistled those hearsay opinions about the Ukraine phone call. Ciaramella is not a unique Democrat. This video sums up the Democrats' mindset from the moment Trump rode down that escalator through to today: New Impeachment Video : The Senate Exists for Moments Like This #HoldTheLine pic.twitter.com/k1Bif5M2JR The Senate Majority (@NRSC) January 21, 2020 Also, Joe Lockhart, a CNN political analyst, tweeted out a bald-faced lie that was quickly retweeted thousands of times: Overheard convo between two Republican Senators who only watch Fox News. "is this stuff real? I haven't heard any of this before. I thought it was all about a server. If half the stuff Schiff is saying is true, we're up s---- creek. Hope the White House has exculpatory evidence Nine minutes later, Lockhart had to tweet that his earlier tweet was just a joke or maybe a mind-reading trick: Ok maybe I made up the convo, but you know that's exactly what they're thinking. The only sanity to come out of the day was a letter from 21 Republican state attorneys general begging the Senate to end the impeachment because it "establishes a dangerous historical precedent": "If not expressly repudiated by the Senate, the theories animating both Articles will set a precedent that is entirely contrary to the Framers' design and ruinous to the most important governmental structure protections contained in our Constitution: the separation of powers," they wrote. [snip] "Even an unsuccessful effort to impeach the President undermines the integrity of the 2020 presidential election because it weaponizes a process that should only be initiated in exceedingly rare circumstances and should never be used for partisan purposes," the letter continued. Amen. Staff / Hearst Connecticut Media On Jan 15, at about 5 p.m. Darien Police responded to the report of a single car motor vehicle accident on St. Nicholas Road where a car left the road and struck a fence. Upon arrival they made contact with the vehicle operator, identified as Daniel Snelwar, 46, of New Canaan. Snelwar allegedly stated he swerved to avoid a cat, causing him to leave the road and impact the fence. Romania has so far attracted 11.04 billion euros worth of European funds under the ongoing programming period (2014-2020), through the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to which other 7.92 billion euros are added in direct payments to farmers, according to senior official with Romania's Ministry of European Funds Carmen Moraru. Thus, Romania's absorption rate reached 36pct, just three percentage points shy of the European Union average, which is 39pct."The total value of the funding lines reached 26.43 billion euros, which represents 96.5pct of the total allocation to Romania under the ongoing programming period. 46.75 billion euros is the value of the projects submitted for these funding lines, and 29.4 billion euros is the total value of the funding contracts signed, which gives a contracting rate of 105pct," Moraru said on Thursday.At the same time, Moraru mentioned that, for the ongoing programming period (2014-2020), Romania had an allocation of 22.4 billion euros under the Cohesion Policy.Regarding the future programming period, 2021-2027, according to the European Commission proposal, Romania would be extended almost 30.6 billion euros.Moraru participated in Brussels in a series of working meetings held at the European Commission (DG ENV) and in the European Parliament, and also visited the Orsi Academy in Ghent, a standard research project funded by European money under the Cohesion Policy.With the motto "Surgery for tomorrow" Orsi Academy aims to achieve excellence in surgery and to develop technologies that lead to practices that are less invasive and yield remarkable results. The new campus of the academy was inaugurated on September 18, 2018, when the official opening of the new facilities took place.Orsi Academy has four clusters and six fully equipped training laboratories. Two clusters are dedicated to training in the field of robotic surgery, with the remaining set for training in minimally invasive procedures. AGERPRES The CBI has booked a Delhi-based food export firm and its directors in an alleged fraud of Rs 819 crore and carried out searches on a complaint from SBI on behalf of a consortium of banks, officials said on Thursday. The agency has alleged that Radikal Foods Limited, which has its office in Saket, and its directors -- Siddharth Chaudhary and Anju Chaudhary -- availed credit facilities to the tune of Rs 732 crore and cheated SBI and other members of the consortium by way of forgery and using forged documents, they said. The CBI has filed an FIR against the company and both its directors, and carried out searches at their premises, the officials said. The consortium comprises State Bank of India (SBI), Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Exim Bank, Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, CSB Bank, Vijaya Bank (now Bank of Baroda) and UCO Bank, an official said. The official said that "an alleged loss of Rs 819.48 crore (approximate) as on April 1, 2018, was caused to the banks." The action has been initiated on the SBI's complaint alleging that the company's account turned into a non-performing asset in 2015, the officials said, adding that the complaint is part of the FIR. The bank conducted the forensic audit of the company's account on August 10 last year and it was found that it had allegedly submitted overstated stock statements and diverted the sanctioned credit limit for other purposes, they said. Based on a report, the account was declared fraud on August 23 last year, the officials said. "The company has an average net profit of 17 per cent during the preceding three years. However, after the account was classified as a non-performing asset (NPA), the company booked a loss of 58 per cent as stated above. "Hence, it appears that the stock was inflated and was sold off at a loss after the account was classified as NPA falling under the definition of fraud," the complaint said. It said the accused used inter and intra firm bogus transactions and disposed of primary security that is hypothecated stocks without depositing the proceeds in the loan accounts. "This way, they all in criminal conspiracy with each other had cheated the bank. Thereby, causing wrongful losses of Rs 816.55 crore to the banks and corresponding wrongful gain to themselves and others," the complaint said. In the complaint, SBI said the criminal role of bank officials has not been investigated in the staff accountability report. Therefore, the possibility of criminal misconduct on the part of bank officials of consortium members may not be ruled out in the case, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko has the ANC and EFF politicians in his pocket, which is why politicians are not fighting against job cuts at the company. Telkom plans to retrench as many as 6,000 employees this year which it said is necessary to become sustainable and adapt to an evolving telecommunications market. The company recently commenced a consultation process with organised labour regarding the staff cuts, but to date the engagements have not been positive. Unions are blaming the companys board and senior management for the job cuts, thanks to their lack of strategic direction, operational efficiency, and technological innovation. Solidarity has also requested a moratorium on Telkom retrenchments, arguing they threaten the companys financial sustainability. It requested an aggressive retraining programme to be implemented to equip workers with new skills to help Telkom grow in a fast-changing environment. Telkom CEO has politicians in his pocket CWU CWU secretary-general Aubrey Tshabalala alleged that ANC and EFF politicians are not speaking against the job cuts because Telkom silenced them with gifts. If you are looking at the ANC and EFF, all of them went to meet Maseko for lunch last year and got cellphones and I dont know what else on top of that, said Tshabalala. They are all quiet about this matter. All we know is that they have not responded to our letters, he said. He said that any political party which claims to have the interest of the working class at heart should have spoken out against the Telkom retrenchments. We find absolute silence [from ANC and EFF politicians] because Maseko has got all of them in his pocket, said Tshabalala. CWU president Clyde Mervin added that they are planning to march to the ANC headquarters at Luthuli House to demand protection for workers. Mervin said the union will fight for Maseko and his cronies to exit Telkom as enough is enough. No comment from Telkom, ANC or EFF MyBroadband asked Telkom for comment regarding the allegations that its CEO silenced politicians through gifts, but the company did not respond by the time of publication. The ANC and EFF also did not provide feedback regarding the allegations that Telkom silenced them. Comments by Tshabalala and Mervin The video below shows the comments by Tshabalala and Mervin during a CWU press briefing. A horrified Argentinian has posted an image of a huge insect after his terrified mother sprayed the creature with bug spray when it flew into their home. Ezequiel Lobo, as he's named on social media, compared the insect - believed to be a mosquito - alongside a regular-sized mosquito in his photo. The enormous bug was reportedly found in a home in the city of Cordoba located in the central Argentine province of the same name. Ezequiel Lobo, as he's named on social media, compared the insect - believed to be a mosquito - alongside a regular-sized mosquito in his photo (left, the large insect; right the regular sized insect) Lobo, appearing to identify the mysterious insect as a mosquito, joked in the caption: 'Look at the size of the mosquito that just came in through my window. 'He came in like a champion, my mother panicked and sprayed it with Raid. I haven't found anything similar online. 'Either it's Chernobyl's new evolution or I just found out that I am in Jumanji'. In the photo the dead bug appears to be dwarfing the mosquito, which is much smaller. Lobo asked for other users to comment if they had seen such an oversized specimen. The enormous bug was reportedly found in a home in the city of Cordoba (pictured) located in the central Argentine province of the same name One user said: 'The small one on the right side is aedes aegypti and it can transmit Dengue fever, Yellow fever and Zika 'The enormous one on the left is psorophora ciliata, and it cannot cause anything like that.' According to insect expert Michael H. Reiskind, psorophora ciliata usually appear after flooding and their bite can cause significant pain. However, they do not usually carry disease so they only pose a risk those who are allergic. It is unclear if the bug has been confirmed as a psorophora ciliata, which is indigenous to the eastern United States. In the fourth special open market operation (OMO) auctions, the Reserve Bank of India on January 23 bought Rs 10,000 crore worth of long-term securities and sold Rs 2,950 crore worth of short-term government bonds. Last week, the RBI had said it will simultaneously purchase and sell government securities under open market operations (OMO) of Rs 10,000 crore each. In the OMO purchase auction, the RBI received bids worth Rs 26,887 crore for two types of securities -- 7.32 per cent-2024 and 6.45 per cent-2029 -- but accepted only Rs 10,000 crore of bids. For 7.32 per cent-2024, it got 157 bids and accepted 40 bids. The RBI got 147 bids for 6.45 per cent-2029 bonds but accepted 105 bids. The cut-off yield for 7.32 per cent-2024 was 6.408 per cent, while for 6.45 per cent-2029, it was 6.5780 per cent. The RBI offered to sell two government securities -- 7.80 per cent-2021 and 7.94 per cent-2021 -- through the OMO. It received Rs 35,375 crore of bids but accepted Rs 2,950 crore of bids. In terms of number of bids, the central bank received 85 bids for 7.80 per cent-2021 and 70 bids for 7.94 per cent-2021 but accepted 3 and 7 bids, respectively. The cut-off yield for 7.80 per cent-2021 was 5.6714 per cent and for 7.94 per cent-2021 was 5.7192 per cent. These special OMO auctions are similar to the US Federal Reserves' Operation Twist aimed at faster transmission of policy rates, an analyst said. The Reserve Bank of India has reduced repo rate by 135 basis points between February and October 2019 but there has been a delay in passing on the cut in the repo rate by lenders. The legislature party of Babulal Marandis Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) is on the verge of a split after two of its three legislators met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. JVM(P) legislators Pradeep Yadav and Bandhu Tirkey met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi along with Congress Jharkhand in-charge RPN Singh to express their willingness to join the grand old party. The move came amid reports that Marandi, a former chief minister, is set to merge his party with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and that he will be appointed as its legislature party leader and the leader of the opposition as well. Marandi won the recently-concluded assembly elections from Dhanwar constituency. A Congress leader familiar with the development said the two JVM(P) legislators were not keen to join the BJP and had been in touch with leaders of both the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress. Soon after the Jharkhand results were out on December 23, Marandi had extended unconditional support to the JMM-Congress alliance. With the joining of these two legislators, the Congress strength in the 81-member House will go up from 16 to 18. The JMM had won 30 seats while the BJP had bagged 25. Chief minister Hemant Soren, who was set to expand his council of ministers on Friday, has now postponed the move. One of these two JVM(P) legislators is expected to be inducted in the cabinet. Marandi had parted ways with the BJP in 2006 and the merger of the JVM(P) will be a homecoming for him. The BJP, too, had been looking for a formidable tribal face in Jharkhand after its state chief Laxman Giluwa lost the assembly elections. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Business Improvement District could be created in Wrexham in attempt to boost town centre trade This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 23rd, 2020 Plans to make Wrexham a better place to do business have taken their first step forward. Wrexham Council is looking into the possibility of creating a Business Improvement District (BID) covering the town centre after inviting a consultant to come forward to carry out a feasibility study. It would see companies within a specified area pay a levy into a central kitty to fund projects to improve the trading environment. A ballot of traders would need to be carried out before the scheme is implemented. However, it has already received a tentative welcome from members of Wrexham Town Centre Forum. Vice chair Andy Gallanders, who runs the Bank Street Social coffee shop, said: The Town Centre Forum supports any initiative that supports local businesses and jobs. We identify with the aims of a BID, its a way of bringing in investment and income into the town to strengthen it. One of the good things about BID is that it will be down to the businesses themselves to decide how the money will be spent. They will decide its priorities, not the council, not the Senedd nor the Houses of Parliament. There are currently more than 300 BIDS operating in the UK, including over the border in neighbouring Chester. Most are not-for-profit organisations set up and run by businesses. The maximum period the levy can be charged is for five years, after which a new ballot would need to be held to decide whether to continue. Wayne Price from AMP Accounting, who chairs the town centre forum, has also given his backing to the idea of introducing a BID in Wrexham. He said: Despite the downturn in retail, Wrexham town centre still has 393 ground floor units occupied, 259 of these are independents and less than the national Welsh average in terms of empty shops. However, the devil is the in detail and should the businesses decide to go forward with a BID, we hope the council will continue with the same level of services in the town as now. There is a long way to go but we are cautiously optimistic about the potential of a town centre BID. Alex Jones, who owns The Bank, said: When I attended the initial discussion on the feasibility of a BID in Wrexham I was excited by it. For a relatively small amount of investment 1% of my business rate we could help generate 10,000s of pounds for the town centre. The key factor of the BID though is it is led by the businesses of Wrexham and that they play an integral part throughout the initial stages and implementation of what I hope will be a successful BID. This is not a bank account for the council to use to prop up services but a funding stream to help boost the town centre and business. By businesses coming together in the formation of a BID we will carry a lot of weight. We can come together and purchase services from contractors at better rates, we can put on events in the town and we can dress empty shops so they dont look abandoned. Chester has a very successful BID and the businesses in the district have welcomed it for another five years. A spokesman for Wrexham Council said: This is a tender to look at the possibility of a Business Improvement District, which has come about through discussions with traders though further discussions will take place as plans for the BID develop. The development of a BID is a partnership process in which the council would be considered a stakeholder. As such, an impartial outside body, with the relevant expertise, would be needed in order to develop the BID. The deadline for tenders to be received is January 31, 2020. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme) Intelligent Waves Awarded Global Satellite Communications Contract Valued At $48M Intelligent Waves LLC, an end-to-end information technology government solutions provider, today announced that it was awarded a competitive, single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The contract called Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) Global Logistical Services Management Contract (ELOG) has a lifecycle value of $48 million and a 1-year base with 4-year options. EMSS provides deployed warfighters and partnering agencies with global communication services through a dedicated, EMSS-controlled satellite gateway that leverages the commercial Iridium (News - Alert) satellite constellation. EMSS services and support iclude the Distributed Tactical Communication System (DTCS), an over-the-horizon, beyond-line-of-sight, "netted" satellite communication capability that employs cutting-edge devices and corresponding systems allowing users to transmit information from unique environments. Intelligent Waves will provide global logistical service management and field service representatives in support of the DTCS and the EMSS program. The contract will ensure operational, engineering and technical requirements are successfully achieved for current and future devices as technologies within the EMSS portfolio rapidly evolve. "For over a decade, Intelligent Waves has proudly supported the warfighter and military operations with sophisticated communication systems," said Chief Technology Officer Marqus Hutchinson for Intelligent Waves. "This award demonstrates our ability to deliver mission-critical solutions in support of our customers." Performance will be at various locations within the Continental United States and Outside the Continental United States. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. About Intelligent Waves LLC Intelligent Waves LLC is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). The business provides enterprise systems engineering, cloud computing and managed services, cyber and security architecture, mobility, and operations and intelligence analytics. For more information visit intelligentwaves.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005156/en/ Republican Sen. Susan Collins was spotted slipping a note to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts prior to him rebuking House Democratic impeachment mangers and President Trump's legal team for misbehaving at the trial earlier this week. CNN reported on the passage of the note, with Collins coyly telling a reporter, 'Who me? I did that?' when asked about it, as the Senate's cameras didn't capture the move. As Tuesday's hearing slipped into Wednesday, Roberts - who is presiding over the trial - tut-tutted the speakers after both House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and Trump lawyer Pat Cipollone had used strong language. Sen. Susan Collins was spotted passing a note to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts before his late-night rebuke of both Democratic House impeachment managers and President Trump's legal team during the opening day of the Senate trial Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts told House Democratic impeachment managers and President Trump's lawyers that they should behave better as 'they are addressing the world's greatest deliberative body' 'I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the president's counsel, in equal terms, to remember that they are addressing the world's greatest deliberative body,' Roberts said, as he looked at notes on the dais. It's unclear if Collins delivered the note herself or handed it over to Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who was captured by the cameras talking to Roberts at 12:48 a.m. EST, according to CNN. Roberts then rebuked the presenters at 12:55 a.m. Collins is one of the most closely watched senators during Trump's impeachment trial as she's historically been a swing vote - and she's up for re-election later this year. Collins' Democratic constituents weren't happy for her yes vote on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She's annoyed Republicans by voting to preserve Obamacare. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, is being closely watched during the president's Senate impeachment trial as she's historically been a swing vote and she's up for re-election late this year, making the political stakes higher Early Wednesday morning, she was the one Republican to vote alongside Democrats on one of the amendments being pitched. Democrats wanted to give House impeachment managers and Trump's legal team more time to file motions. Collins voted not to table that amendment, though voted with the GOP every other time. Collins' note-passing was caught by an eagle-eyed reporter sitting in the Senate gallery. Reporters and members of the public are allowed to watch proceedings in the seats above the chamber, but they have no way to document interactions not caught on camera due to a strict no electronics policy. That policy was in place even before rules are journalists were tightened due to the impeachment proceedings. The only cameras in the Senate are controlled by the body. The feed C-SPAN uses is from those machines. Before and after satellite photos reveal the shocking impact of bushfires over a stretch of Australian coastline. The NASA images, taken six months apart, capture the landscape between Seal Rocks and Byron Bay on the New South Wales north coast. The first, taken last August, shows how the 530km stretch of land was almost completely filled with lush green vegetation. New South Wales' east coast was captured by NASA satellites six months apart showing a once green coast in August (left) now turned into a fire ravaged area (right) The second image was only released on Thursday because it was the first time smoke and clouds had cleared over the area. It showed huge swathes of land completely burned out after months of raging bushfires. Around ten million hectares of land has burned across the country and more than a billion animals have been killed since the crisis began in October. Around 169km of land are seen scorched along the eastern border of NSW and Victoria, passing through Mallacoota and 74 kilometres of land destroyed along NSW's South Coast Meanwhile, Thursday's horror conditions had firefighters on high alert after temperatures soared above 40C in parts of NSW. 'Down through the region it's been very hot, very dry and it's been very windy,' RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. 'It was another very difficult, aggressive fire weather day, which resulted in so many of these fires spreading and breaking out.' Temperatures reached 42C in western Sydney at Penrith and Richmond and further inland at Coonamble and Bourke. Authorities believed they'd braved the worst of the bushfire threat by 5pm. 'We're confident that weather conditions are easing over the next few hours and hopefully we won't see any further concern beyond the fires at emergency level already,' Ms Berejiklian told reporters. A satellite image of Batemas Bay in NSW shows huge plumes of smoke and fire as fires ravaged the area at the end of December Tragically three American firefighters were killed fighting a blaze near Cooma, NSW on Thursday afternoon. The waterbomber they were inside was being used to help fight a massive 250,000ha megablaze but crashed and exploded into a huge fireball. The firefighters had been working alongside Australian fire crews to help in the bushfire crisis. Their bodies are yet to be recovered. Fire crews work to contain a fire in Beard, Canberra on Thursday NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean urged residents to slash power use as the bushfires and high temperatures put pressure on the state's electricity grid. 'The tight conditions in the electricity system this afternoon are largely a result of the state's weather conditions, bushfire impacts on transmission lines and mechanical issues at some of the state's power stations,' he said. Bushfires cut power to more than 7500 customers on Thursday afternoon. Seven NSW fire regions stretching from the Queensland border to the Victoria border were under total fire bans including greater Sydney. All seven regions were deemed to have a 'severe' or 'extreme' bushfire risk. There were around 70 fires burning across NSW at 6pm, with more than half of those uncontained. RFS volunteers and NSW Fire and Rescue Officers battle a blaze near properties in Termeil House Democrats charged with prosecuting the impeachment case against Donald Trump scaled back their fiery language following a scolding from chief justice John Roberts as they began laying out their case for Mr Trumps removal from office for pressuring Ukraine to help him win reelection. But as Democrats softened their tone, if not their message, Mr Trump and his fellow Republicans dialled up their partisan rhetoric, with GOP senators largely ignoring Mr Robertss admonition and levelling scathing attacks against the trials prosecutors. Democrats also appeared to shut down talk of a deal to secure testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton by offering to trade testimony from the son of former vice president Joe Biden, who was the focus of Mr Trumps alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine. Mr Biden himself said he would refuse such an arrangement. The Republican barrage was led by Mr Trump, who in Davos, Switzerland, called the top House managers sleazebags while denouncing his impeachment as a hoax and disgrace to his presidency. I watched the lies from Adam Schiff. Hell stand, hell look at a microphone, and hell talk like hes so aggrieved, Mr Trump said at a news conference from the World Economic Forum in Davos, referring to the House Intelligence Committee chair leading the prosecution. All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Show all 6 1 /6 All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters On Mr Schiff and House Judiciary Committee chair Jerrold Nadler, another impeachment manager and longtime Trump foe, the president added: These two guys these are major sleazebags. Theyre very dishonest people. Very, very dishonest people. On the way to Washington on Air Force One, Mr Trump stirred up a veritable Twitter storm as he tweeted and retweeted messages primarily about impeachment, particularly from his Republican defenders a barrage that marked the most tweets of any day of his presidency, with 131 as of 4:46pm EDT, according to Factba.se, a website that tracks Mr Trumps tweets and speeches. That posturing provided a sharp contrast to the Democratic House managers, who struck a chastened tone in the Senate chamber on Wednesday after the Roberts admonishment issued in the early hours of Wednesday. Saying that the Democrats had adrenaline going through our veins, Mr Schiff began opening arguments on Wednesday afternoon by expressing gratitude for the senators attentiveness. Recommended Three key takeaways from Trump impeachment trial so far And Mr Nadler, whose accusations that GOP senators were engaging in treacherous behaviour angered Republicans, made sure to thank Mr Roberts and the lawmakers for your temperate listening and your patience last night as we went into the long hours. I think that was an attempt to shift the tone, said senator Josh Hawley. A lot of senators were offended last night at saying that a vote against their amendments was treachery, that it was a vote against the United States. The politics of the trial on Wednesday rippled not only in Europe and in Washington but in Iowa, where 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was confronted with questions about whether he would be willing to testify in the proceedings. The former vice president who, along with his son Hunter has been the target of political investigations that Mr Trump had asked of Ukraine said he would not participate in any witness swap as part of the Senate impeachment trial, as some Democrats have been discussing. The reason I would not make the deal, the bottom line is, this is a constitutional issue, Mr Biden said in response to a voters question in Osage, Iowa. Were not going to turn it into a farce or political theatre. I want no part of that. Some Senate Democrats had started grappling with the prospect that they might have to greenlight witnesses desired by Republicans to subpoena key Trump administration officials. Such a decision could be made if a majority of senators agree to call witnesses after listening to opening arguments and questioning the two sides. But Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that any deal with Republicans on a witness trade involving the Bidens is off the table. His remarks echoed those of Mr Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, who said trials arent trades for witnesses. Mr Schiff laid out high expectations for senators as the trial got underway, calling on them to decide what kind of democracy that you believe we ought to be and what Americans can expect in the conduct of their president. As he continued his remarks, Mr Schiff called Mr Trump the key player in the scheme to pressure Ukraine for investigations that could benefit him politically in exchange for a White House meeting and the release of nearly $400m (304m) of military aid. Both coveted items were of great consequence to Ukraine, Mr Schiff said, particularly the funding meant to help the small Eastern European nation guard itself from Russia. Everyone was in the loop, Mr Schiff said. [Trump] directed the actions of his team. He personally asked a foreign government to investigate his opponent. These facts are not in dispute. Mr Trump, who had wanted Ukraine to investigate the Bidens as well as a discredited theory that Ukraine worked with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 election, insists he has done nothing wrong and that a rough transcript of a 25 July call with Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky, exonerates him of any wrongdoing. But if the Senate does not hold Mr Trump accountable, Mr Schiff warned, the damage to our democratic elections, to our national security, to our system of checks and balances will be long lasting and potentially irreversible. Even on the first day of opening arguments, the seats of many Republican senators and a handful of Democrats were empty as Mr Schiff wrapped up his remarks. Some members were standing against the back wall to stretch their legs, but others stayed out of the chamber for an extended period, even though the rules call for senators, like jurors at any trial, to be in their seats the entire time. During breaks outside the Senate chamber, Republicans dismissed the proceedings and said they were learning nothing new as they kept up their attacks on the House managers, particularly Mr Nadler. When asked whether Mr Trumps attorneys had also deserved their admonishment by Mr Roberts, senator John Cornyn responded, No, saying Mr Nadler is embarrassing. And its outrageous, Mr Cornyn added. At some point, you got to call it what it is. The heated rhetoric from some Democrats on Tuesday risked turning off a small slate of influential GOP senators in the centre of the procedural fight over witnesses and documents. Well, I took it as very offensive, Lisa Murkowski said of Mr Nadlers performance. As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended. At a news conference in Davos, Mr Trump said he can live either way with the Senates decision about whether to call witnesses at his impeachment trial, but he argued that testimony by former national security adviser John Bolton could pose national security and other concerns, including that Mr Bolton left the administration on bad terms. You dont like people testifying when they didnt leave on good terms, Mr Trump said. Democrats seized on another portion of Mr Trumps news conference, when he praised his legal team and added: Honestly, we have all the material. They dont have the material. Representative Val Demings one of the House impeachment managers, said that comment provided more evidence of obstruction of congress. But Jay Sekulow, one of Mr Trumps lawyers, responded by defending the presidents executive privilege rights. This isnt nonsense, Mr Sekulow said. This is really what the constitution is about. Meanwhile, Mr Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network that he would like to see an acquittal fairly quickly. He also called the Democrats pressing the case against him totally nuts. But the White House set aside one avenue to end the proceedings quickly, at least for now, deciding against filing a motion on Wednesday to dismiss the charges. That does not preclude his lawyers from filing such a motion later, but Senate Republican leaders have warned that such a move would not have majority support from senators until fuller trial proceedings take place. The Washington Post Though the Cassini Mission ended in September 2017 with the spacecrafts spectacular planned plunge into Saturns atmosphere, the data it collected is the gift that keeps on giving. Recent analysis of some of this data enabled a research team from the Free University of Berlin, led by Nozair Khawaja, to discover new kinds of organic compounds, potential building blocks of life, in the ice particles ejected in plumes from volcanoes on Saturns moon, Enceladus. While its icy crust is extremely cold, Enceladus generates internal heat through the decay of internal radioactive elements, as well as through tidal heating. Because Saturns gravity pulls with different strengths on either side of Enceladus it squeezes the moon, which generates friction and heats it. Some of this heat is released when hydrothermal vents eject material from Enceladus core. This material mixes with water from the moons subsurface ocean, before being released into space as plumes of water vapor and ice particles. These ice particles feed Saturns E ring, a wide band of dust and ice particles that is home to Enceladus orbit. The research team used data from Cassinis cosmic dust analyzer, or CDA, which detected the ice particles ejected from Enceladus into the E ring. The CDAs mass spectrometer measurements enabled the researchers to determine the composition of organic materials discovered in the ice particles. These materials were found to be nitrogen- and oxygen-bearing compounds, similar to ones found on Earth that form amino acids, the building blocks of life. According to the research team, these organic materials first dissolved in Enceladus subsurface ocean, then evaporated from the water surface before condensing and freezing onto ice particles inside fractures in the moons crust. They were then ejected into space through the volcanic plumes, ending up in Saturns E ring. On Earth, hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor provide the energy that fuels the chemical reactions that convert similar organic compounds into amino acids. If the hydrothermal vents on Enceladus function the same way then it is possible that amino acids might form there too, creating conditions conducive to life. According to Khawaja, We dont yet know if amino acids are needed for life beyond Earth, but finding the molecules that form amino acids is an important piece of the puzzle. Hopefully, future missions to Enceladus will tell us more about its potential for life. NASA has twice proposed the Enceladus Life Finder, or ELF, to assess the habitability of the subsurface ocean of Enceladus, but it has yet to be selected. The proposed mission would have an orbiter fly several times through Enceladus plumes to analyze ice samples for evidence of microbial life. And, so, the tantalizing search for life beyond our planet continues. Join the Springfield Stars Club on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Springfield Science Museum for a planetarium show by Jack Megas, The Mystery of the Disappearing Dinosaurs and a tour of the meteorites in the museums Astronomy Hall. Jack is an astronomy educator at the Science Museums Seymour Planetarium and a retired laboratory hematologist at Baystate Medical Center. He is a past president of the Springfield Stars Club and the Naturalist Club. Refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome. The meeting is free for members with a suggested donation of $2 for non-members. Also, on Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m., the Stars Club and the Springfield Science Museum will host Stars over Springfield, an astronomy adventure for the whole family. Jack Megas will repeat his planetarium show and give a tour of the meteorites in the museums Astronomy Hall. A fee of $3 for adults and $2 for children under 18 will be charged. Amanda Jermyn, of Longmeadow, is vice president of the Springfield Stars Club. For details, visit the clubs website, reflector.org, like them on Facebook, call 413-537-4293 or send email to rhs31416@yahoo.com. Paris fashion fortnight began last week with an apocalyptic warning. Our Mother Earth will not be able to support life, we will not be able to breathe... If we dont open our hearts and our minds, its the End, a disembodied voice intoned as hot Hollywood label Rhude made its Paris debut. The very next show, Phipps Treehugger, Tales of the Forest, was teased on Instagram with pictures of rescued koalas from the Australian wildfires. It was another sign that fashion now sees itself on the climate change frontline. But when AFP questioned Rhude designer Rhuigi Villasenor backstage, he admitted there was nothing sustainable about his collection. He had found the stirring speech on the internet the day before, and didnt know who had made it. But he insisted his clothes were timeless and would live through ages and trends. Campaigners say such greenwashing is typical of an industry that is talking the talk but not walking the walk on sustainability. While Rhude is a young brand, it has a starry roster of clients from Justin Bieber to rapper ASAP Rocky and Ellen DeGeneres. Yet some of the most fabled luxury houses in fashion -- even some whose designers are activists for change -- have found themselves caught short. - Luxury labels in dock - Diors last womens show played hard on its eco-credentials. Set amid trees that were later used to create urban parks, it went heavy on eco-friendly hemp and raffia with models in Greta Thunberg plaits. Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri told AFP that nature and humans need to live together if humanity is to survive. It is not just about image but action, she added. Weeks later a damning report by the Changing Markets Foundation on toxic pollution caused by viscose production put Dior and a swathe of other luxury labels including Prada, Versace, Fendi, Armani, Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs in the dock. Dolce & Gabbana came in for particular criticism. The much-vaunted biodegradable fabric -- which often is used like silk, has been seen as a silver bullet for fashions eco woes, a way to wean it off synthetic fibres that come from the petrochemical industry. While some fast fashion groups like H&M, C&A and ASOS -- which luxury labels blame for fashions pollution and runaway overproduction -- were praised for making progress in the in-depth Dirty Fashion Disrupted study, designer labels were excoriated. Three quarters of the luxury brands we looked at were failing to take any meaningful action to clean up their viscose supply chain, its author Urska Trunk told AFP. Viscose, which comes from wood pulp, is now the third most used fibre in the world and genuinely has the potential to be a sustainable, Trunk added. Unfortunately most of it is still produced in a very dirty process, causing water pollution and an alarming array of mental illnesses, strokes and cancer close to factories in India, China and Indonesia. While she lauded British designer Stella McCartney for her transparency and ambition, with most of the other luxury brands it is lip service, mostly hollow words... And that is a major concern. - Spin but little change - The report is the foundations second tracking whether brands were cleaning up their act. With only a handful of firms producing almost all of the worlds viscose, Trunk said pressure from brand could make a massive difference. For Christie Miedema, of the Dutch-based Clean Clothes Campaign, brands have become expert as eco messaging with one-off collections or clever initiatives to make it looking like they are doing something without actually changing the way they operate. Versace, which came bottom only to Walmart in the Changing Markets table, made the front pages by sending Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen to New Yorks Meet Gala in a 100 percent green eco-dress while Prada -- which is also deep in its red zone -- got admiring media coverage for their Re-Nylon eco handbag. Dior is part of LVMH, the worlds biggest luxury group. Unlike its main rival Kering and 24 other major clothing companies, LVMH pointedly refused to sign up to The Fashion Pact on fighting climate change at the G7 summit last year. - They will be found out - Owner Bernard Arnault -- the worlds richest man -- later criticised teenage activist Greta Thunberg for surrendering to total catastrophism even as he appointed McCartney his personal advisor on sustainability in September. Kering -- which controls Gucci and Saint Laurent -- has since said it has gone carbon neutral and has vowed to half greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain within five years. Joel Hazan, luxury goods analyst at the Boston Consulting Group, said the industry had passed a tipping point, and warned those who pretend to embrace sustainability would be found out. The demographics will make the difference, he told AFP. Eight out of 10 millennials expect labels to play a strong part socially and environmentally. Since almost all growth in luxury goods in the next five years is predicted to come from millennials, brands have no choice but to change, Hazan argued. Indeed Vetements, the hot youthful rebel brand which has shaken Paris fashion in recent years, used its mens show to pour scorn on its elders with slogans such as Cutting down the bullshit, Fully sustainable show and It costs $0 to be a nice person. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter UW Department of Music Adds Jazz, Entrepreneurship, Audio Tech Offerings UW Director of Jazz Studies Ben Markley leads a rehearsal of the UW Jazz Ensemble. The UW Department of Music will offer a bachelors degree of music with emphasis in jazz performance starting this fall. (UW Photo) The University of Wyomings Department of Music will offer one new degree program and two new certificate programs, following action by the UW Board of Trustees. The board voted Thursday to approve a bachelors degree of music with emphasis in jazz performance, a music entrepreneurship certificate and an audio technology certificate beginning in fall 2020. All three will be coordinated by Department of Music Head Scott Turpen. We have spent a good deal of time and energy communicating with Department of Music stakeholders, including current students, alumni, faculty and individuals around Wyoming, Turpen says. We asked them what they think we are doing well and what improvements could be made to our department. We learned from our stakeholders that we needed to modernize our curriculum and provide course offerings and programs that help prepare UW graduates for music careers in a 21st century job market. These new academic programs are a direct outgrowth of these conversations. The degree program will prepare students for a performing career in jazz and/or commercial music. Students will be able to be employed as performing musicians or studio teachers, while also being prepared to seek graduate degrees in jazz studies or commercial music. This degree also could be the first in a path to pursue a career as a professor at the university level. Led by Director of Jazz Studies Ben Markley, we have a world-class jazz faculty who are among the best teachers and performers in the field, Turpen says. There are a good number of Wyoming students who will now be able to earn this popular degree without leaving our state to pursue it. Considering the quality of our faculty, we also will be able to attract students on a national and international level. This degree helps to broaden and modernize our entire music program. The music entrepreneurship certificate will prepare students for careers by providing music marketing principles and practical, hands-on experience that allows one to enter the workforce with a marketable skill set in the areas of arts promotion and management. The certificate will be most easily added to the Bachelor of Arts degree, but it also could be paired with the Bachelor of Music Performance or Bachelor of Music Education degrees. Nicole Riner, currently a visiting assistant professor within the department, will teach the online classes, as well as oversee the internship for the certificate. Students do not have to be music majors or be enrolled in larger degree programs, and there are no prerequisites for the certificate, which requires 12 credits to complete. The music world has changed, and our students need to understand how it has changed in order to be competitive, Turpen says. A modern education in music should go beyond fundamental and traditional musicianship skills. The music entrepreneurship certificate will teach skill sets and knowledge of the music business that will help our students succeed. The audio technology certificate will provide students a basic understanding of audio principles and practical, hands-on experience that will allow them to enter the commercial music workforce with a marketable skill set. Students will learn how to record and manipulate recorded sounds, as well as provide live sound reinforcement for concerts and events. The certificate can be paired with the same degrees as the music entrepreneurship certificate and also requires 12 credits to complete. Students across the University of Wyoming are interested in audio technology, Turpen says. An engineering major may be in a country or rock band who wants to learn how to set up live sound equipment for his/her band. Many students play their own music and will be interested in learning how to make quality recordings and how to edit those recordings. Of course, students majoring in music also are interested in these essential skill sets. To learn more about all of the Department of Musics academic offerings, visit www.uwyo.edu/music. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) The Philippines is suspending all flights from Wuhan City, considered to be ground zero for the new coronavirus which has so far killed 17 and infected more than 500 people in mainland China. Flights from other parts of China will also be under strict monitoring, the Civil Aeronautics Board said Thursday. "When you look at the seriousness of the outbreak, Wuhan should be the focus of attention," CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla told reporters. Two airlines, Pan Pacific Airlines and Royal Air Philippines, offer direct flights from Wuhan City to Kalibo, Aklan. Pan Pacific operates charter flights on the route from Tuesday to Sunday, while Royal Air operates charter flights from Monday to Saturday. The country's main air gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, does not service direct flights to or from Wuhan. The Bureau of Immigration said 141 Chinese nationals were onboard the Royal Air flight RW 999 which landed in Kalibo Thursday morning. The Chinese government had put Wuhan on lockdown Thursday morning, barring all forms of transportation in and out of the city south of Beijing, ahead of the Philippines' most drastic response yet to the disease. "Even if they lift it, we have to look at our side first and make our own assessment. So our assessment is different from theirs, I mean, even their decision is different from ours," Arcilla said. Airports across the Philippines, including NAIA, have intensified defenses against the new coronavirus, with thermal scanners to increase their surveillance on passengers coming in. NAIA also has an isolation room in case they need to quarantine a passenger with flu-like illness. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said security measures especially in Kalibo International Airport, which has direct flights from Wuhan -- the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus originated -- are in place to help prevent the virus from entering the Philippines. CAAP Director General Jim Sydiongco said in a statement Wednesday that they have reactivated communicable disease preparedness procedures and advised their airport frontline personnel to wear face masks, maintain proper hygiene, and practice frequent handwashing. Posting of public advisories informing about coronavirus infections and the strict monitoring of suspected passengers are now also being enforced, Sydiongco added. Sydiongco also said airports were told to exercise extreme vigilance in screening arriving passengers possibly infected by the new coronavirus. CAAP, a multi-role government agency responsible for the regulation of aviation, operates seven international airports and manages 35 domestic airports. The death toll from the novel coronavirus called 2019-nCov has risen to 17, as over 500 more cases were reported across China, the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Macao and Taiwan, sparking fears of a possible pandemic, CNN reported. There is no confirmed case yet of 2019-nCov in the Philippines, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. Meanwhile, the Mactan-Cebu airport now requires all frontline personnel to wear face masks for protection since they are the first people who interact with arriving international passengers. Andrew Harrison, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation executive advisor said other security measures which were put in place at the Mactan Cebu International Airport to prevent the new coronavirus from the entering the province. Harrison said that all airlines have been instructed to make a standard announcement, advising passengers experiencing flu-like symptoms to alert authorities of their medical condition so they can be screened after they disembark the plane. There will also be medical teams that will be stationed at both Terminal 1 and 2 of the Mactan-Cebu airport. Manila International Airport General Manager Ed Monreal said that they are waiting for an advise from the Department of Health if their NAIA personnel should have to wear a face mask. Additional thermal scanners Quarantine Officer Paul Longinos said they have added thermal scanners aside from the ones located near the Immigration booth. Handheld scanners were also placed at the aerobridges near the aircraft door. Meanwhile, if authorities detect that a passenger has symptoms of a respiratory illness, the Bureau of Quarantine will instruct the air carrier to disinfect the entire aircraft, Harrison said. They are particularly on the lookout for the 36 flights per week that come from Chinese cities, he added A five-year-old boy from Wuhan was intercepted with his mother upon their arrival in Cebu City on January 12. He tested positive for a still unknown coronavirus. The Department of Health is waiting for results of confirmatory tests done in Australia on a blood sample and a throat swab from the Chinese boy, who exhibited flu-like symptoms upon arrival in Cebu. In Bohol, the provincial government has created a technical working group that will come up with protocols on how to handle the health issue concerning the new coronavirus. Chinese tourists top the list of most frequent visitors in the province, according to the data from the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office. The working group will meet soon to finalize the protocols, officials said, though the scheduled of the meeting has yet to be set. Two suspected cases in Bohol Acting Gov. Rene Relampagos said Wednesday that there are two suspected cases of Wuhan coronavirus infection in two separate hospitals in Bohol. One was a two-year-old Chinese national who was released after samples were taken. The other suspected patient was also tested for the new respiratory virus. Relampagos said in an interview with reporters that the two patients were allowed to go home. Officials in China are racing to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. To stop the virus from spreading, Wuhan's airport and railway stations will be temporarily closed for departing passengers, CNN reported Wednesday, citing an announcement from the city's coronavirus command center. They take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday, it added. Common symptoms of 2019-nCoV include fever, cough and colds, breathing difficulties, shortness of breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases such as such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), according to the World Health Organization. They can be transmitted from animal to person or infected human to others, the WHO said. CNN Philippines' Dale Israel and Dave Albarado contributed to this report tonefotografia/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Travelers may be used to flying with their emotional support animals -- anything from a pet hamster to a baby crocodile -- but the rules are about to change, according to a new proposal from the Department of Transportation. The proposal unveiled by DOT on Wednesday proposes to strictly limit the definition of a service animal to a dog, reversing a policy that permits a wide range of other animals to fly under that framework. DOTs new rule also no longer requires airlines to recognize emotional support animals, with the agency citing a number of reasons for the change. Department officials noted that airlines have consistently complained of fraudulent incidents related to the declaration of certain pets as emotional support animals, even costing the industry millions in unpaid pet carriage fees. The airline industry as a whole is applauding the move as a means of ensuring the safety of every flying traveler. "The increased availability of fraudulent ESA credentials has enabled people who are not truly in need of animal assistance to abuse the rules and evade airline policies regarding animals in the cabin," Airlines for America said in a statement. "This has led to an increase in incidents by untrained animals threatening the health and safety of passengers, crew and passengers with disabilities traveling with legitimate service animals." In one instance, United Airlines denied a passengers attempt to bring a peacock onto a flight out of Newark Liberty International. According to the petition, "passengers have attempted to fly with many different unusual species of animals, such as a peacock, ducks, turkeys, pigs, iguanas, and various other types of animals as emotional support or service animals, causing confusion for airline employees and additional scrutiny for service animal users." The proposal also come with new check-in rules for passengers looking to fly with service animals, requiring them to arrive at the airport at least an hour earlier than passengers flying without animals. "Airlines want all passengers and crew to have a safe and comfortable flying experience," said Nicholas E. Calio, president and CEO of A4A, adding, "We are confident the proposed rule will go a long way in ensuring a safer and healthier experience for everyone." There is a 60-day public comment period before the agency can move forward on next steps and implementation. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. NIPSCO said the drones may need to be flown over some public and private properties, but added that Orbital will not take video of the selected routes, nor will it sell any of the information it collects to outside companies. Call it luck, but not dumb luck. Just three days into Wolf Cukiers summer internship with the American space agency NASA, he found a new planet. The 17-year-old high school student was tasked with looking through data from a telescope in search of evidence of planets outside our solar system. I was pretty much spending my summer looking at graphs on a computer screen. And on his third day with NASA, Cukier found it -- a previously unknown planet orbiting two stars. Cukier was looking at data produced by NASAs Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, known as TESS. Although he did not see the physical planet, he saw clear evidence of it. I couldn't say that I was confident it was a planet because it was day three on the job. And I couldn't say anything with confidence quite yet. But out of the hundred different targets that I looked at, I remember I put about 10 asterisks next to this one, saying this one looks good, we should look at this one first. The planet is 1,300 light years from Earth. What Cukier had found was evidence of changes in the light of the two stars, called binary stars. The way scientists see such a distant planet is by changes in light. If a planet is moving between the telescope and the star it orbits, it produces an effect similar to an eclipse that we see here on Earth. In other words, the planet blocks some of the suns light from the telescope. In graphs and other data, this shows up as a dip -- a line that moves down and then up again. Later that day, Cukier met with his boss, Veselin Kostov, to go over his find. The high school student was working with a team of scientists at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, not far from Washington, D.C. NASA has about 2,000 interns across the country each year. Kostov told VOA that Cukier came into his office and told him he had something that looks interesting. It was a really exciting couple of hours to make sure what they saw was real, Kostov said. Once we were pretty confident that they were mostly real, we reached out to the rest of the team, Kostov said. Other team members found more transits of the planet, giving them more evidence. Because the planet is so big, NASA scientists believe it is made of gas, like Saturn or Jupiter. Even if it had been rocky, like Earth, the planet seems to be too close to one of the stars to be able to support life. A team of NASA scientists, including Cukier, submitted the finding to a scientific journal. The work will be published soon. Reading scientific journals in his classes at Scarsdale High School in New York is what brought Cukier to his internship at NASA. Under the supervision of two high school teachers, he and other students in the program study a science field of their choice. Cukier settled on the field of astrobiology. He contacted people at NASA to help him gain an internship. While at NASA in the summer of 2018, he studied Goldilocks zonesplanets that have conditions that could support life. NASA invited Cukier back the following summer. And that is when he found the planet. NASAs Kostov holds a doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University. Both he and Cukier have advice for students wanting to study the stars. First, study physics and math. Other than that, Cukier says it was both luck and putting in the hard work that led to his discovery. Yes what I did is impressive, but it also didn't take that many special skills. So, if someone is interested in science, like my age, and even if they don't have training, they should still just reach out to researchers and find something that they can do because almost anyone can look through data looking for dips. It just happened to be me, who saw this one. Since the news broke earlier this month, Cukier has told his story to many media organizations. He says that even though it has been fun, the attention is a bit overwhelming. As for his future, Cukier plans to study either physics or astrophysics in college. He hopes to attend Stanford, Princeton or M.I.T., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology next autumn. But first comes his high school graduation this spring. Im Anne Ball. Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What do you think of this story? Would you like to study the stars? Write to us in the comments section below. Quiz - Teen Discovers Planet on Day Three of Internship Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story dumb luck n. informal saying meaning something good happens completely by chance without being planned or deserved internship n. a position as an intern to learn on the job solar system n. our sun and planets moving around it graph n. a drawing that uses a series of dots and lines to show how much or quickly something changes confident adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something : having confidence asterisk n. a symbol * that is used in printed text that can signal importance eclipse n. an occasion when the sun looks like it is completely or partially covered with a dark circle because the moon is between the sun and the Earth impressive adj. deserving attention, admiration, or respect : making a good impression overwhelming adj. very great in number, effect, emotions or force The behind-the-scenes still cut of the movie 'The Man Standing Next' directed by Woo Min-ho was revealed. In the still cut of Lee Byung-hun, who was unveiled on the 21st, it tells us what Lee Byung-hun's attitude when he is acting. Lee Byung-Hun is still on scene monitoring, even though all the staff was dressed raincoat to avoid the rain. In particular, he finished a difficult shot wearing only a suit at temperatures near zero. Subsequently, Lee Byung-hun, who was constantly reading the script, was captured at the US shooting site. Lee Byung Hun, who reads and memorizes the script to wear out, is famous as an actor who makes constant efforts in the field. The final scene has not been started yet, but still keeps track of emotions. You can check the serious attitude of Lee Byung-hun who always tried to understand Kim's psychology. Currently, Lee Byung-hun is evaluated as having renewed his acting as 'The Man Standing Next'. He acts in each scene with craftsmanship. Meanwhile, the movie of 'The Man Standing Next' has gained the support of the explosive bookings of the family audience during the Lunar New Year holidays. In 1979, the Central Intelligence Director played by Lee Byung-hun, who was called the second power, depicted a 40-day story before the assassination of the president of the Republic of Korea. It will be released on the 22nd. Proper structures must be instituted to ... 2 New Jersey Teens Fall Through Ice and Die in Separate Incidents: 'It Has Been a Tragic Night' Two New Jersey communities are mourning the loss of teenage boys after both fell through the ice while walking over frozen ponds in their Middlesex County hometowns, officials announced. David Tillberg, 15, and Yousef Khela, 13, were the two victims who tragically lost their lives in Wednesdays separate but eerily similar pond incidents, the East Brunswick Police Department and the Carteret Fire Department & EMS Division confirm in respective press releases. Lieutenant Frank Sutter of East Brunswick said in a statement that officers arrived at the frozen pond on Civic Center Drive just before 5 p.m. after receiving reports of juveniles that fell through the ice. First responders were able to determine that three male teens had been walking on the pond when they accidentally fell into the icy waters. Two of the teens were able to escape, but the other remained stuck in the freezing pond, Sutter said. In an effort to save Yousef, officers formed a chain and entered the pond, but the lieutenant explained that they were unsuccessful and the teen slipped under the ice before they could reach him. East Brunswick Fire Districts were then called to the scene to assist with the rescue efforts. Their teams were able to recover the 13 year old from the icy water and immediately transported him to the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in critical condition. Yousef Khela RELATED: Michigan Father and 4-Year-Old Son Tragically Drown After Falling Through Ice: He Dove Back in to Save His Boy However, less than three hours later, Sutter confirmed that the boy was pronounced dead at the hospital. He also noted that six officers and two firefighters were treated for hypothermia three of whom were transported to the hospital. Another officer who was responding to the scene was also transported to the hospital after he was involved in a motor vehicle accident, the lieutenant said. Victor Valeski, the superintendent of East Brunswick School District, addressed Khelas death in a statement on their website, though he did not directly name the teen. Story continues Last evening our East Brunswick School Community suffered the tragic loss of one of our male, 8th grade Churchill Junior High School students in an accident on the frozen pond located at Civic Center Drive. Two other male Churchill students also fell through the ice but were able to self-rescue themselves, Valeski wrote. The superintendent added that counseling services and areas of support would be available at all three middle schools throughout the day for students and staff. Please keep these students, their families, our first responders and the East Brunswick community in your thoughts tonight, Valeski said. David Tillberg Another tragedy unfolded across the county in Carteret. The Carteret Fire Department & EMS Division, along with the Carteret Police Department, confirmed in a statement that they responded to a report for two teenage males who had fallen into the ice at Carteret Pond. The rescue operation happened around 7:45 p.m., according to Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, who tweeted as first responders were working to save the boys. Carteret authorities explained that one of the boys was able to escape the waters, but the other found himself trapped in the ice. Despite making several attempts, they were unsuccessful in their rescue efforts and required the assistantance of water rescue crews. Within an hour, the teens body had been recovered and transported to University Hospital in Newark, officials explained. Unfortunately, the teen died in the early morning hours on Thursday, Reiman confirmed in a statement. Our small community is saddened and shocked over this tragedy; we take solace in knowing that our emergency services responded and did all they could in an attempt to rescue him, Reiman said. The mayor attached a GoFundMe below his statement, which was created by the boys aunt, who identified him as 15-year-old Tillberg. Superintendent Rosa L. Diaz of Carteret Public Schools also confirmed the teens identity in a letter to the community. There are no words to describe the great sadness our students and staff are feeling right now, Diaz wrote, noting that grief counselors would be available at their schools. As Ramblers, we will rely on our resilience as we work together to cope with this terrible tragedy. David Tillberg | GoFundMe Tillberg documented his final moments in a photo on his Snapchat, according to WNBC in New York. The teen captured a photo of himself, which was obtained by KABC-TV reporter Derick Waller, standing on the pond in the dark and captioned it, On the ice baby. Following the deaths, the New Jersey State Policemens Benevolent Association expressed their condolences in a tweet. It has been a tragic night around the State with young people falling through ice. Some officers have been injured and hospitalized in heroic attempts to save lives, the New Jersey State PBA wrote. Pray for all families and communities tonight. #prayers. RELATED VIDEO: Teenagers Rescued After Falling Through the Ice in Central Park On the GoFundMe, Tillbergs aunt said the family was distraught and called the teen the nicest and funniest person Ive ever known with a smile that was everything. He loved to sing and he was kind of shy about it. I always said he could be the next Justin Bieber, she said. I always thought he would grow up to be an engineer, he loved building and designing things. He had his whole life ahead of him and I am beside myself as I type this message. He just went out to play with his friend and tragedy struck. We will never get to hear his voice or see his smiling face again. All we have now are memories, she added, encouraging parents to speak to warn their children about ice to prevent additional deaths. While 'natural' beauty trends have been challenging cosmetic retailers in the US as of late, the understated look has always been popular with the royals - and now Princess Diana's makeup artist has revealed exactly how they achieve it. 'Its all about creating a polished, timeless look,' royal makeup artist Mary Greenwell revealed to DailyMail.com, while spilling her secrets on how to achieve the same regal glow as Diana and Meghan Markle. Mary, who began working with Princess Diana in 1991, reveals to DailyMail.com how she created the late royal's flawless complexion, the secret to the Duchess of Sussex's golden glow, and how to recreate their no-makeup makeup looks at home. Classic beauty: Royal makeup artist Mary Greenwell, who worked with Princess Diana for years, said royal beauty 'is all about creating a polished, timeless look' Iconic: While all of the looks Mary created for Diana were memorable, the 1996 Met Gala (pictured) stands out. Diana wore a dress by John Galliano, his first Couture collection for Dior While there isn't anything critical to royal beauty, 'the preference is to allow their natural beauty to shine through,' said Mary. 'Using buildable formulas, sheer colors and products you can layer work best to create a seamless finish that looks fabulous on and off camera.' While all of the looks Mary created for the iconic Princess were memorable, the 1996 Met Gala stands out in her mind. 'We were so happy to be in New York, getting ready around the corner at The Carlyle. Everything about the look came together so beautifully, the navy blue dress (by John Galliano, his first Couture collection for Dior) paired with the soft eye shadow and lip looked so glamorous. She looked divine.' To create a classic Diana look, Mary suggests using: A beautiful, flexible concealer to build coverage only where needed . She recommends the ICONIC London Seamless Concealer, using one perfectly matched shade for blemishes, and another slightly lighter shade to brighten under the eyes. . She recommends the ICONIC London Seamless Concealer, using one perfectly matched shade for blemishes, and another slightly lighter shade to brighten under the eyes. A soft, buildable blush to add a soft-focus color and warmth to the face . Mary suggests the ICONIC London Sheer Blush. . Mary suggests the ICONIC London Sheer Blush. And mascara, a lways ! 'With all of my clients, I like to work the product in with my hands first, especially when Im working with liquid and cream formulas. 'It really allows you to massage the product in and create a second-skin finish.' Just like her late mother-in-laws: Whether she's at a formal event or lending her time to charity, Kate Middleton's appearance is understated chic Not too much: Mary also worked with Meghan Markle on her engagement photo for Vanity Fair. 'It was all about keeping her makeup as natural as possible,' shared the artist Mary also worked with Meghan Markle on her engagement photo for Vanity Fair. 'It was all about keeping her makeup as natural as possible,' shared the artist. To do this, 'softly layering sheer formulas such as a liquid blush and highlighter like ICONIC Londons Sheer Blush and Illuminator, and only using a small amount of highlighter on the highpoints of the cheekbone and brow bone is essential.' 'Building coverage only where needed with a flexible, creamy concealer like the ICONIC London Seamless Concealer allows her natural beauty to shine through.' While dark contouring, big false lashes and intense eyeshadows have become pop culture favorites in the US, heavy makeup that completely transforms the way you look, is a royal no-no, according to Mary. Kate Middleton, her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, has her beauty look down. Whether she's at a formal event or lending her time to charity, the mother of three's appearance is understated chic, just like her late mother-in-laws. Want to look like a princess? Dismiss makeup fads and enhance your natural beauty. Kate's got it: 'Its not about trends with the royals, its all about timeless, classic looks and enhancing natural beauty' Iconic London Seamless Concealer, $41; iconiclondoninc.com By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/22/2020 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Anna Campisi has revealed she recently had a health scare in which doctors discovered multiple blood clots in her body."I've had a scary week. I've been having calf pain for a couple of weeks...Last weekend my leg started swelling. My right calf was double the size [of] my left and I was in severe pain," Anna wrote in her Instagram Stories this past weekend, according to a screenshot of her post captured by Instagrammer John Yates."I went to see my doctor and was sent to the ER. After an ultrasound was done, multiple blood clots were found. I was [given] blood thinners and sent home. The next night, I woke up with pain in my chest."Anna continued in her post, "I went back to the ER. I had a CT scan and blood clots were found in both of my lungs. I'm now on bed rest for the next few days. This is the scariest thing I've gone through. Everything I've read... is really scary.""It could happen to anyone. If you feel like something isn't right...Take time to get it looked at," Anna concluded. "It could save your life."Anna, a 38-year-old mother of three from Bellevue, NE, is currently starring on 's seventh season with Mursel Mistanoglu , a 38-year-old from Antalya, Turkey. The show airs on Sunday nights at 8PM ET/PT on TLC.Prior to meeting Mursel on Facebook, Anna had a relationship that ended badly with a "controlling" man -- the father of her three sons: Joey, 15, Gino, 14, and Leo, 6.Mursel seemed "kind and sweet" compared to her ex, and he and Anna bonded over their shared passion for beekeeping.The couple therefore continued talking and sending photos to each other despite the language barrier between them and cultural differences.Mursel, for example, is Muslim and doesn't drink, but she had faith things would work out.Anna's first meeting with Mursel in Turkey surpassed her expectations, and so she returned to America and applied for his K-1 visa, which was later approved.Anna acknowledged flying Mursel to America was a huge risk and might flip her family's lives upside down, but she was optimistic her family would come together.But when Mursel met the boys, it was a little awkward for everyone involved.A couple of Mursel's comments led the boys to believe he was going to view everything in the United States as inferior to what he was used to in Turkey.Mursel's meeting with Anna's sons "didn't go well," according to Anna, and then he had to meet her mother, Charlene, who didn't like the idea of Mursel being in control of her daughter's household.Charlene also learned Mursel was keeping Anna's three children a secret from his parents in Turkey.Mursel explained he loved Anna so much and felt guilty about the secret, but he knew his family would disapprove of him marrying a wife with kids -- and he didn't want to disobey his parents.As time progressed, the pair struggled with communication issues, and Anna worried Mursel was using their language barrier as an excuse to not talk their problems out. Anna didn't feel heard or understood, and she was tired of receiving "yes" or "no" answers to things.Anna, however, continued with the wedding planning, which included finding a wedding dress."He's The One. It just seems like nothing is going right... [but] we'll get it all figured out," Anna cried when trying on the perfect dress.But Anna's son Joey didn't want his mother to marry Mursel, and Mursel was well aware of that."Your situation does not make me happy," Mursel told Joey while they were being fitted for their wedding tuxedos. "You never give me good energy. You don't try to be nice. If you don't want me, I can go.""It's that easy?!" Joey asked his mom. "Okay, situation solved!"Mursel started questioning why he should stay in the United States if Anna's kids didn't want him around, but Anna was certain they could get through this."The boys mean everything to me. My life revolves around them, but I don't think they appreciate everything I've given and sacrificed for them. And at some point, I want to be happy too," Anna said in a confessional.But Mursel keeping Anna's kids a secret from her loved ones continued eating away at her, so she decided to give Mursel an ultimatum.Anna told Mursel to tell his parents about her kids or she wouldn't marry him."If I had known Anna was going to make me tell my family about her kids, I would not have come [to the United States]," Mursel confessed to the cameras.As expected, Mursel's parents seemed outraged by the news when Mursel told them about Anna's sons via video chat."She took you for a fool!" Mursel's father said, before his mother scolded him as well and demanded he return to Turkey and find a nice girl in his home country.Mursel said his parents perceived Anna as an "incredibly bad" woman, and Anna was devastated to hear her parents would not accept her.Mursel then decided to return to Turkey in order to please his parents, and Charlene accused Mursel of breaking her daughter's heart. Charlene wanted Mursel to get "the hell out of" America.Anna's two youngest boys, Leo and Gino, were also pretty upset by the news because they had just started to welcome Mursel into their lives and appreciate him being around.Joey was happy about the news, as he accused his mother of never thinking things through or considering all possible outcomes. Joey was disappointed in his mom for putting the family through all this.In the days leading up to Mursel's flight back to Turkey, Anna forced him to stay in a hotel. She cried constantly and called him "weak." She ignored his phone calls and texts unless she watched to yell at him."If we really cannot be together, I want you gone," Anna told Mursel via text.Mursel said he felt lonely in a foreign land and wished he could spend his final days in America with Anna, but Anna insisted she no longer liked him and they were finished."I want to kiss her because I love her. I couldn't sleep at all. All the time I am thinking about this," Mursel vented in a confessional.Anna couldn't believe that Mursel wasn't choosing her and putting her first.However, Anna reluctantly decided to drive Mursel to the airport with false hope he would come around and decide to stay at the last minute. She wanted him to man up and prove his love for her.Mursel told Anna he would love her "for a lifetime," but his words meant nothing to her at this point, and Anna just sobbed and sobbed."I want to punch you," Anna said, wiping the tears from her face."The K-1 visa is a one-entry visa, so once you leave, you cannot come back into the United States. So, once he leaves, that's it. He's not coming back," Anna explained to the cameras.At the airport, Mursel confessed he was scared to lose Anna, and the pair got extremely emotional when saying goodbye."Please, Mursel, don't go!" Anna said."I love you," Mursel replied.Mursel then walked away with his ticket, and it was clear he thought their relationship was over."I had good dreams coming to America from Turkey. If I knew this was going to be the case, I wouldn't have come," Mursel said in a confessional."If I could turn back time, I wish I had told my parents about the kids before. I am really regretting that right now."Mursel repeated how he loved Anna so much, but Anna ran out of the airport quickly."I never thought we'd be here. He's broken my heart and I'm not going to go back from this. I don't think I can," Anna told the cameras.To read spoilers on Anna and Mursel's relationship and how things ended up for them, click here Want more spoilers? Click here to visit our Spoilers webpage! Roughly two years ago, nearly half the American population had their personal information compromised by hackers in Equifaxs enormous database. Consumers were outraged, lawmakers upbraided the chief executive and Equifax ultimately reached a settlement with regulators for up to $700 million. Despite the anger, the vast majority of the 147 million consumers eligible for the settlement are sitting it out. As of Dec. 1, just more than 10 percent of the consumers affected had filed for some type of compensation. Wednesday was the deadline for initial claims under the settlement, including requests for free credit monitoring services or the so-called alternative compensation a payment of up to $125 for those who already had some form of monitoring in place. It was also the initial deadline to seek payment for time spent dealing with the inconvenience, and for claims for out-of-pocket expenses or losses incurred because of the breach. In some ways, the initial settlement period was a success: According to a court document, the fund is expected to pay in full all legitimate claims for out-of-pocket losses. It is quite a stir that the building accommodating the headquarters of local lender Sacombank in Ho Chi Minh City is put up for sale at over US$56 million. The building is located at 266-268 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ward 8, District 3. The land plot at that address measures 1,740.8 square meters, 1,700 square meters of which is land for business and production facilities, valid for use until January 1, 2046, according to information available on real estate sale websites. The remaining 40.8 square meters is permanent residential land. The building on the land plot includes a coverage site of 915.8 square meters and a floor area of 18,523.3 square meters. It has 15 floors, two basements, a mezzanine floor, and a rooftop. Sacombank is leasing the building to operate its headquarters for VND5 billion ($216,029) a month. The buyer will keep the lease agreement with Sacombank. The selling price is VND1.3 trillion ($56.2 million) and the seller did not require the buyer to prove their financial capability. The building is managed by Tan Dinh Import Export Joint Stock Company (TADIMEX), which is based at the same address, as understood by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. TADIMEX was established by Pham Huu Phu, former board chairman of Sacombank, but he then transferred the company and the management of the building to Dang Van Thanh, another ex-board chairman of the bank, in 1999. The land was leased from the state on a 50-year term that will end in 2046. A Sacombank executive told Tuoi Tre that the bank provided loans to construct the building at 266-268 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street under the condition that the lender be allowed to lease it long-term, without abrupt termination of the lease. Sacombank had received a notice before the building was put on sale, the executive revealed, adding that the management of the building have retracted their sale because of the said condition. Former Sacombank board chairman Thanh confirmed he had intended to sell the building but he has backpedaled, continuing to lease it to the lender on a long-term basis. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir was temporary and the most important thing is consolidation of the country. The court is hearing a clutch of petitions challenging various aspects of Article 370, which was abrogated by the Centre in August last year. The five-judge Constitution bench comprises of Justices NV Ramana, SK Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant. Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General KK Venugopal said, In the Prem Nath Kaul judgement of 1959, these were the specific words used: On 25.10.1947, the Maharaja signed an Instrument of Accession with India which had then become an independent Dominion. He also read an excerpt from VP Menons book Integration of the Indian States (1956) to highlight the discord between Pakistan and the Maharaja. The purpose for this story of integration of the Indian states is to show the consolidation of the country. I want to show that the sovereignty of J&K was indeed temporary. We are a Union of States, Venugopal said. Menon was an Indian civil servant who was the constitutional adviser to at least three British Viceroys. The Attorney General also said that separatists were trained and sent by Pakistan to create havoc in Kashmir. The Maharaja had entered into a Standstill Agreement with Pakistan and Pakistan had in fact violated this. Truckloads of tribesmen trained in combat were sent by Pakistan to overtake the state. Maharaja had asked for the aid of India due to the insurgents present in the state. There were criminal activities taking place and records even suggest that these separatists trained by Pakistan had been specially sent to create havoc, said the Attorney General. He then referred to the two past judgements of the Supreme Court - Prem Nath Kaul (1959) and Sampat Prakash (1968) - on Article 370 which had been cited by the lawyers of the petitioners to transfer the case to a larger, seven-judge bench. The Attorney General said that there is no conflict in both the judgement (on Article 370) and the case shouldnt be referred to a larger bench. On Wednesday, senior advocate Dinesh Dwivedi, appearing for one of the petitioners, had told the bench that the issue needs to be referred to a larger bench as there is a dispute between two judgements which dealt with provisions of Article 370. Dealing with the Presidential orders of August 5 last year, Dwivedi had said that due to these orders issued under Article 370 (1) and (3), all provisions of the Indian Constitution have been applied to Jammu and Kashmir. This virtually abolishes the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. Its a case of implied repeal where a Constitution has been repealed by an executive exercise of powers, he argued. Dwivedi said the Centre has limited powers to legislate when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir by virtue of the Instrument of Accession. Article 370 was the only tunnel of light connecting the Centre to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Article 370 required that action of government of India should have concurrence of Jammu and Kashmir constituent assembly, which was dissolved in 1957 after framing the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, Dwivedi had said. He had said the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir was not created under the Constitution of India or Article 370 and therefore J&K constitution cannot be repealed in exercise of powers under Article 370. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Thursday (January 23) ordered the suspension of flights to and from Wuhan, China amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. The suspension of flights from Wuhan to the Philippines would be the first step. We will continue to monitor the situation [and] coordination with the Department of Health, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla told reporters. Arcilla said other parts of China will also be under strict monitoring. The CAB also asked airlines to implement standards and other practices on dealing with outbreaks. When you look at the seriousness of the outbreak, Wuhan should be the focus of attention, Arcilla said. We ask airlines to monitor with vigilance. The flight attendants are required to be vigilant in terms of detecting passengers that have symptoms of flu or virus or fever. The Pan Pacific Airlines and Royal Air Philippines have direct flights from Wuhan City to Kalibo, Aklan. The World Health Organization (WHO) Phlippines reiterated there are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country.AAC We reiterate that there are no confirmed cases of 2019 novel #coronavirus in the Philippines to date. https://t.co/Kv27igeA3k World Health Organization Philippines (@WHOPhilippines) January 23, 2020 The post CAB suspends flights to and from Wuhan, China amid coronavirus outbreak appeared first on UNTV News. Renfes new low-cost AVE train. Tickets for Spains new low-cost high-speed rail service, known as AVLO, will go on sale for as little as 5 a ticket on Monday. The cut-price offer from state operator Renfe will last for 10 days, with a thousand tickets available each day. Thats according to the transport and mobility minister, Jose Luis Abalos, who was speaking at the Fitur tourism fair in Madrid on Thursday. Once the initial offer is over, the prices of AVLO tickets will range between 10 and 60 per journey The tickets will cover the popular Madrid to Barcelona route, and will be available for travel between April 6 and August 31. Once the initial offer is over, the prices of AVLO tickets will range between 10 and 60 per journey, depending on the route required, demand and whether the tickets are bought in advance. Young travelers under the age of 14 who are accompanied by an adult will pay just 5 for their tickets. Tickets will be available for purchase on the AVLO website. Renfe chief Isaias Taboas in front of an AVLO train. The president of Renfe, Isaias Taboas, said at the Fitur fair that the company wanted to take advantage of the service to explore the possibilities for low-cost rail travel. Renfe is hoping that the venture will be profitable and that it will considerably increase its passenger numbers, given that it will compete with other forms of transport on the basis of price and journey time. According to a press release from Renfe, each passenger will be able to travel at no extra cost with an item of hand luggage and a handbag. In the style of low-cost airlines, the AVLO will provide extra services at a cost in order to offer the most competitive basic prices possible. In the style of low-cost airlines, the AVLO will provide extra services at a cost in order to offer the most competitive basic prices possible The current price of the high-speed AVE train between Madrid and Barcelona in economy class, without promotions, is between 40.95 and 152, meaning AVLO is offering an average discount of 60%. Renfe has rushed the new AVLO service to market before the liberalization of domestic rail markets in the European Union in December 2020, something that is attracting other major European operators to Spain. AVLO will initially be offering just the service between Madrid and Barcelona, with a stop in Zaragoza. This is currently the Spanish route with the highest number of passengers, and the one that is in fiercest competition with air-travel options. There will be three services each way per day, although just two of these will stop at Zaragoza. Later in the year another service will be added, with a fifth due in September. Renfe has said that it wants to roll out this low-cost train to the rest of the Spanish network. English version by Simon Hunter. PWD Minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will take a call on bringing a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act like Punjab and Kerala. "We met today and discussed our role in the tri-party ruling alliance. Several issues were discussed including CAA, NRC and contradictory statements made by alliance leaders. We have decided to follow the resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on CAA and NRC and will oppose it. About NPR we will see what the CWC decides. About the Maharashtra government bringing a resolution against CAA, our stand is clear. But it is a coalition government and the Chief Minister has to take a call," Chavan told reporters here after a meeting of Congress state-level leaders, ministers and MLAs. The Congress general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Singh also attended the meeting. Speaking about the co-ordination committee of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government the minister said that there will be two members each from the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena. "From Congress, Maharashtra Congress President Balasaheb Thorat and I will be there. I am not aware of names from Shiv Sena and NCP," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tinder is adding a 'panic button' to its app that will allow people to alert the police if they feel unsafe while out on a date. It will be rolled out to users of the dating service from the end of January in the USA, according to a Wall Street Journal report. They will use a technology that tracks the location of users and notifies authorities of any safety issues that is built by company Noonlight. Tinder has not said when or if the service will be rolled out to the rest of the world. Scroll down for video They will use a technology that tracks the location of users and notifies authorities of any safety issues that is built by company Noonlight 'You should run a dating business as if you are a mom,' Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Tinder parent company Match Group, told the Wall Street Journal. 'I think a lot about safety, especially on our platforms, and what we can do to curtail bad behavior. There are a lot of things we tell users to do. But if we can provide tools on top of that, we should do that as well.' A number of online companies already offer 'real world' safety checks including Uber and Airbnb. Uber has an emergency button for people booking a ride as well as the drivers that can send the model, license plate and GPS location to the police. According to the report, when a Tinder user heads out on a date, they will be able to log information such as the time and location. If they feel threatened by the person they've met up with then they can trigger an alert that sends these details to the authorities. Users will be able to add a badge to their Tinder profile that lets others know they are using the Noonlight feature. 'I liken this to the lawn sign from a security system,' Elie Seidman, Tinder's CEO told the Wall Street Journal. 'It tells people I am protected, and that is a deterrent.' When a Tinder user heads out on a date, they will be able to log information such as the time and location Tinder says the location information entered by users won't be used for marketing purposes and will be held by the third party company Noonlight - not the dating app. The company also had to consider the risk of someone accidentally triggering a false alarm that caused police to turn up to a date that wasn't going OK. 'The false positives, believe me, we took them into account,' Ginsberg told the journal. 'If someone doesn't respond, worst case someone shows up and knocks on the door. It's not the worst thing in the world.' Noonlight actually requires a user triggering an alarm to enter a code - if the user doesn't respond or responds by saying they are unsafe then the emergency services will be called and asked to attend. Ginsberg said the company were always looking for ways to improve security for its users - she said 'we should always strive to do more'. By Kirstin Ridley LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Monaco-based oil and gas consultancy Unaoil paid $6 million in bribes to secure Iraqi oil contracts after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a London court heard on Thursday. In the trial, which has just begun, two former Unaoil managers and an ex-sales chief of Dutch-based energy services company SBM are accused of conspiring to bribe top Iraqi officials to secure lucrative projects. The high-profile case revolves around how Iraq sought to more than double oil production after the overthrow of Hussein in 2003. It wanted to install three floating buoys in the Persian Gulf, connected with two, vast pipelines to storage tanks near oilfields so that tankers could load oil offshore. The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which is prosecuting in the case, alleges that Ziad Akle, Stephen Whiteley and Paul Bond plotted with Unaoil's controlling Ahsani family and others to skew a tender process for oil projects between 2005 and 2011. The men, who each face two charges of conspiracy to give corrupt payments, deny wrongdoing. They will lay out their defence later. Opening the case for the prosecution, lawyer Michael Brompton alleged that Unaoil, controlled by founder and chairman Ata Ashani and his sons Cyrus and Saman, aligned itself with other companies and helped ensure they would win contracts by manipulating tenders and bribing senior Iraqi officials. "The purpose ... was to ensure that the tender documents..., the technical specifications and design documents suited the company that Unaoil wished to align itself with ... suited that company and disadvantaged their competitors. "And that, in a nutshell ... is what this case is about," Brompton told the jury at London's Southwark Crown Court. British-Lebanese Akle, 44, was Unaoil's former territory manager for Iraq and Whiteley, a 64-year-old Briton, was once Unaoil's general territories manager for Iraq, Kazakhstan and Angola and a one-time vice president of Dutch-based oil and gas services company SBM (Offshore). Bond, a 67-year-old Briton, is a former SBM senior sales manager for the Middle East. Brompton alleged that after "a long process of manoeuvring and manipulation", SBM and Unaoil secured the contract to supply the buoys and Unaoil and Australia-based Leighton Holdings won the contracts to lay the pipelines and install the buoys. "In all, Unaoil paid bribes totalling approximately $6.0 million in order to secure the two contracts, together worth approximately $800 million," he alleged. The jury was told that co-conspirator Basil Al Jarah, the former partner in Iraq for Unaoil known affectionately as "Captain" because of his former role as a sea captain, had already pleaded guilty to bribery offences in the case and that Saman and Cyrus Ahsani were subject to U.S. criminal proceedings. The trial is scheduled to last for four months. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad Editing by Susan Fenton) J ohn Bercow has categorically denied ever bullying anyone and hit out at the Government for not offering him a peerage when he resigned. The former House of Commons speaker broke his silence on Thursday after Lord Lisvane handed a dossier of allegations to Parliamentary authorities for investigation. Downing Street called the claims very concerning and said they must be investigated fully. But Mr Bercow, a far cry from the reserve required in his former job, issued a stinging attack at Boris Johnsons Government and the Clerk of the House, his former most senior official. He said that, since retiring, it has become increasingly obvious that the Government has no intention of honouring the centuries-old convention that a departing speaker is promptly elevated to the House of Lords. Indeed, it has been suggested to me that the Government actively seeks to block any other attempt to nominate me for membership of the upper house, he continues in a statement. I have seen in the media that Lord Lisvane is formally complaining that I bullied staff. For the record, I categorically deny that I have ever bullied anyone, anywhere at any time. Former speaker of the Commons John Bercow / UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Images Last night, he called the timing of the allegations curious and said Lord Lisvane had ample time to raise his concerns during five years of working together. It comes amid claims Jeremy Corbyn is nominating Mr Bercow for a peerage, after Conservative Brexiteers were so angered by the arch-Remainers agenda that they defied convention when he retired, despite him being a Tory MP. All peers have to undergo a vetting procedure before being approved. The Times reports that a dossier of allegations have been handed to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said earlier: These are very concerning allegations and they need to be investigated thoroughly. Everyone working in Parliament deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. There can be no place for bullying or abuse in Westminster or any workplace and it is important that the parliamentary leadership responds fully and promptly to any concerns which are raised. New York, Jan 23 : Former actress Jessica Mann has been identified as the third woman who has accused disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault in his ongoing New York trial. She has joined production assistant Mimi Haley and former "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra, who have both alleged assault against Weinstein, reports acesehowbiz.com. Mann was not named in court proceedings and documents, but her identity became known in Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast's opening statement in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, according to the New York Post. She claims she met Weinstein at an industry party in Los Angeles when she was 25. She has alleged that he first raped her at a hotel in New York in March, 2013, after injecting himself with an erection drug, according to the prosecutor. The producer reportedly raped her again the following November, when she agreed to cut Weinstein's hair in another hotel room. "Jessica buried her trauma and she tried to move on... until October 2017 when she finally realised it was not her, it was him," Hast said in court. Weinstein faces life in prison for reportedly sexually assaulting the three women. He has denied the allegations. WASHINGTON, D.C. Last week was one of the " best weeks in agriculture ever," according to Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau. The United States and China signed a trade agreement and the Senate gave its approval to a new North American trade pact. Both trade deals are expected to reopen markets that had been closed to American farmers. President Trump and Liu He, the vice premier of China, signed Phase One of the pact in a White House ceremony on Jan. 15. The truce comes after an 18-month trade war that hit U.S. farmers particularly hard. Both countries slapped tariffs on each others products, and China slashed its purchases of U.S. agricultural goods. The first portion of the trade deal was signed Jan. 15. In it, the U.S. has agreed to scale back tariffs on Chinese imports and Beijing has agreed to buy more U.S. products, among many other things. ADVERTISEMENT Paap was in the White Houses East Room for the ceremonial signing. "It was an honor and a privilege to be part of the group representing agriculture at a historic event like this," said Paap. "It's not often you have the opportunity to be in the room with the president and vice president." Also in the room were senior advisers, senators, representatives and other business and industry leaders. Paap described it as a premier networking opportunity, with the chance to visit with not only members of the administration but with Sen. Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate ag committee. But what was especially impressive to Paap was visiting with the delegation from China, who paid greater attention to him after they found out he was a farmer. They rattled off questions about what he farmed and where, and what it entailed. 'We need beans on boats' The day belonged to the overall mission of reopening the trade pipleine. "Farmers would say the downside of Phase One is that people wanted more exact numbers," said Paap of some of the vague language used in the deal. But to Paap, the most important figures in the deal were "the number one and number two biggest economies in the world working together, hopefully having a fair trade relationship." ADVERTISEMENT China's massive population and its increasing consumption of U.S. products are important, said Paap. He said the country's growing middle-class is larger than the entire U.S. population. "We know China is the world's largest pork consumer, and we know that a third of the world's soybeans are consumed by China," said Paap. "And 80 percent of those soybeans have to be imported." Throughout the trade war were times when a truce seemed close, but could not be completed. Paap said that behind the scenes, it took 33 sessions with negotiators to get to the Phase One pact. "That's why I was happy to have the chance to visit and personally thank some of the folks from the office of the United States trade representative," said Paap. "They've been working hard at this for months." China has a history of backing out of commitments like the one signed last week, but Paap is hopeful that the next phase will be another step forward. "Ultimately, as farmers, we really need to see beans on boats," said Paap. "We want to see the actually purchases, not necessarily just the order." One day after Paap watched Trump sign the China deal, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a revised North American trade pact in a bipartisan vote. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaces the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. "Exports are such critical economic drivers in agriculture," said Paap. "We've gotta have them." ADVERTISEMENT Page 4 -- What's in the deal? Rep. John Katko says he will support President Donald Trumps bid for a second term in November, marking a dramatic shift for a House Republican who refused to endorse or vote for Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Katko, R-Camillus, said Thursday at an editorial board meeting of Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that he reached his decision after considering Trumps record as president and the alternative of having a Democrat in the White House. The third-term congressman said hes aware that Trumps non-traditional presidency and actions trouble many voters. I understand the concerns about him from a personality standpoint, Katko said. I do think at times he shoots from the cuff way too much. But I'm looking at the whole landscape, not just his personality. Katko questioned Trumps fitness for office and called for him to drop out of the presidential race in October 2016 over his vulgar comments about women. Katko wrote in the name of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on his presidential ballot. Last time, I had his personality to judge on, and thats it, Katko told the editorial board Thursday. But this time we have to look at what weve been able to accomplish under his presidency and balance that against the field on the Democratic side. Katko said the presidents economic policies, such as his 2017 law to change the tax code, have helped bring unemployment in Central New York to a nearly 20-year low. He praised Trumps work to reach a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, and his ongoing trade war with China. Katko, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he also believes that Trump has helped make the United States a safer place by building up the military and breaking up the Islamic States caliphate that it had carved out of Iraq and Syria. So, you balance all of that against what the Democrats want, Katko said. The biggest concern I have with the Democratic field is theyve been pulled far to the left. The Joe Biden that is running for president now is not the Joe Biden I knew and liked. He has grudgingly been pulled to the far left. Watch: Katko explains decision to support Trumps election Katkos decision comes as he tries to navigate a minefield regarding Trump and his policies in a district that Hillary Clinton carried in the 2016 presidential election. Katko voted against impeaching Trump last month at the same time he criticized the presidents moves to cut food stamps and raid Defense Department funds to build a border wall. In 2016, Katko was among about 25 Republicans to win in a district that Clinton carried. Today he is among only three House Republicans who still represent a district that Clinton won. One of the three, Will Hurd of Texas, has decided not to seek a new term this year. On Thursday, Katko said his support for Trumps in this years election shouldnt be interpreted as an outright endorsement of his style of governing, or blind support for the presidents policies. I definitely am troubled by a lot of his conduct, Katko said. But I look at the total record and what the alternative is, and I just feel comfortable with my decision. Katko said he didnt mind last week when he was the only one of five House Republicans in New York to be left off of Trumps team of honorary campaign co-chairs for the state. He said he wants voters in November to judge him on his record as a congressman, not on his support for Trump. I would love for this race to be about me and what Ive done, he said. You can already see the preview on the other side. Its going to be like, Hes just a sycophant of Trump, and you hate Trump, so therefore hate him. Read more In Trumps NY campaign, one prominent Central New York name is missing For Katko and Brindisi, Trump is a minefield like few in the House face Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Officials and experts attend the launching ceremony of a smoking cessation charity program that encourages expectant fathers in families with pregnant women in Shanghai to quit smoking, on January 2. [sh.chinanews.com] Shanghai launched a smoking cessation charity program that targets smoking expectant fathers in families with pregnant women on January 2, in hopes of creating a healthy environment for pregnant women and their upcoming babies. As one of the first batch of the "Healthy Shanghai Action" projects, the smoking cessation program was sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and the Shanghai Health Promotion Commission. It asks expectant fathers to quit smoking because pregnancy is such a crucial period of time in life and calls on pregnant women's family members to join the smoking cessation health action and keep their families free of the harm of second and third hand smoke. In the program, Shanghai will hold scientific popularization activities on tobacco control and smoking cessation, aiming to strengthen public awareness of the dangers of tobacco smoke and the benefits of quitting smoking. Efforts will be made to form a consensus such as "do not smoke in front of pregnant women, women and children,""do not smoke at home," and "stop smoking as soon as possible." Shanghai will also conduct scientific and effective smoking cessation interventions. For example, hospitals will include asking about patients and their family members' smoking history in daily outpatient consultations. In addition, Shanghai will focus on the management system of the smoking cessation support service. Through the smoking cessation clinics in major medical institutions in the city, the smoking cessation hotline 12320, and official WeChat accounts, Shanghai will provide official, convenient and scientific guidance and support services for people who need to quit smoking. (Source: cnwomen.com.cn/Translated and edited by Women of China) Bankruptcies among U.S. and Canadian oil companies last year rose by 50 percent and could continue rising this year, Haynes and Boon said as quoted by Reuters. The number of warnings about more bankruptcies is growing. Earlier this month, Again Capital partner John Kilduff told CNBC more bankruptcies were on the way for U.S. oil companies. Theres going to be a hatchet taken to these companies in the next year, Kilduff said. There will be bankruptcies and consolidation. The party is over. Shareholders have been getting impatient with oil companies, demanding higher returns and less of a focus on production expansion. As a result of this impatience, oil stocks have suffered one of their worst years in 2019 and the pain will likely continue this year as well, according to Haynes and Boon. The law firm, however, believes the reason for the bankruptcies is the 2014 price crisis, whose effects, they said, are still being felt. Yet, one might argue that U.S. oil companies, at least, are digging their own grave by producing ever more oil. This record production has become the number-one factor moving oil prices or, as it happens, keeping them stable despite geopolitical risk spikes and production outages elsewhere. As Haynes and Boon partner Buddy lark put it to Reuters, Thats why you can bomb a major oil facility in Saudi Arabia or kill an Iranian general or shut in all Libyan oil production and prices dont move. Yet prices are stable at a level where many U.S. shale producers cant sustain their business, especially now that banks are becoming warier of providing more debt financing to the industry. And the reason banks are warier is that wells appear to be underperforming drillers own production estimates. In Canada, the industry is also struggling with falling investor confidence caused by complex and non-industry friendly regulation and a pipeline shortage that is stumping growth in oil production. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Amid the ongoing anti-CAA protests in some parts of the state, the Uttar Pradesh Commission for Minorities on Thursday appealed to the protesters to not be misguided by the anti-social elements and keep away for vandalising public property. "We request you not to pay heed or to get misguided by any anti-social and anti- elements. This country belongs to us and we should all secure its prestige and integrity," it said. In an attempt to dispel rumours surrounding the contentious law, the commission also stated that the amended act will not take away anyone's citizenship. "The CAA is not about taking away anyone's citizenship. Regarding the act, the unsocialised organisations and foreigner forces in India and Uttar Pradesh telling minorities that the aim of CAA is to take away citizenship, in reality, it has nothing to with it," said the Commission. It emphasised that the new act is in favour of minorities, who are facing religious persecution in Islamic countries. Protests had erupted in different parts of the country against the CAA which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Click here to read the full article. SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched A Hell of a Week: Part One, the 11th episode of the fourth season of This Is Us. It was a moment that made actor Sterling K. Brown scream out-loud when he read it in the script: his This Is Us character, Randall Pearson, arrived home from a trip to deal with his aging mothers (Mandy Moore) health, checked on his sleeping wife and daughters, and headed back down to the kitchen, only to catch someone breaking into his house in the act. More from Variety That cliffhanger from the midseason premiere episode, entitled Light and Shadows, paid off in the first-part of the fourth seasons Big Three trilogy episodes, A Hell of a Week: Part One. Randall, who was already stressed out about his mothers unclear diagnosis, took a few solid, deep breaths to steady himself and then did what he does best: He talked to the guy. He told him he was a councilman and the police were already on their way because the guy had tripped a silent alarm. He said the house was covered in cameras, recording his movements as they stood there in a face-off. He tossed him some money from his pocket. He told the guy he didnt want any trouble. And it worked. The guy grabbed the money and ran out the back door without physical incident. But physical harm is only one thing that can happen to a person in such a situation. Already someone living with anxiety, Randall spun out in a way never before seen from him. Outwardly, he remained calm in front of his loved ones and co-workers, and he went through all the right motions of actually calling the cops, getting an alarm installed and sending his family to a hotel for the night. He threw himself back into work and running. But the inside of his mind was far less quiet than his outward appearance, and he stopped sleeping, started obsessively checking the security app on his phone, went off on a mugger (which resulted in HIM getting injured) and eventually broke down behind closed doors. Story continues Id known throughout that the way Randall uses his sense of humor is often to sort of deflect, to sort of be accepted, to be liked, to fit in. Theres always a struggle to find comfort in his own skin. His sense of his own blackness is part of that, but then theres this underlying anxiety that things will not work out. I think its part of the reason that he pursues perfection the way that he does, and it probably is the thing that has inspired him to be an overachiever, Brown tells Variety. Brown has been portraying Randall across a couple of ages for the past four years, but he still manages to find surprises in the scripts and new insights into the character from outside sources. After watching a documentary about Diana Nyad, the journalist and author who attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida four times before finally succeeding in 2013, Brown says he found himself relating her journey to Randalls: Someone that driven is not just running towards something or swimming towards something, theyre also simultaneously swimming away from something, he says. Here, Brown talks with Variety about the physical demands of an episode like A Hell of a Week: Part One, why he thinks Randall has been so reluctant to go to therapy his whole life, and what his new bout of PTSD means for his relationships with his family. Seeing Randall faced with this external threat had to force you into a very intense mindset. How did production work on the last bit of Light and Shadows and the start of A Hell of a Week: Part One? The director of [Episode 4.10] was our director of photography, Yasu Tanida. He shot the ending, and then Kevin Hooks, who directed [Episode] 4.11, they were both on set that day. We shot one scene and then would take a quick pause, thered be a reset of cameras, and wed continue into the beginning of the next episode. So we did cross-shoot so there was continuity in that moment. What were you channeling for this very intense scene that also triggered Randalls anxiety into a much more concerning place than the show has previously explored? Theres conversations with a few people that I had. A couple of friends had had break-ins, and not necessarily coming face-to-face with the home invader, but just the feeling of being violated and thinking that there is one place that is your place that is your safe space and now that safe space has been taken away from you. Those conversations parlayed into, OK so what if you do come face-to-face with the person whos not supposed to be there? Also, theres this level of exhaustion, theres still the What am I going to do about my mom? and the sadness about what could possibly be her future. That, and then youre thrown completely out of your comfort zone, but you still have to protect. Theres a fight or flight thing that happens in us where we revert back to our limbic system, and its like, OK, theres somebody in my home and my wife and my children are here; whatever happens, they have to be safe. And so, you put up a front; you peacock; you make yourself bigger than what you actually feel on the inside in the hopes that that largess will scare that person away. Thats what Randall is doing in that moment. Hes scared out of his fing mind, but he could not live with the possibility of harm coming to his family, so for their sake, hes got to make himself big. But the moment before he does that, when hes just taking those deep, steady breaths to slow his anxiety and let him regain control, was that on the page or was that something you developed as a coping mechanism? That was just me. So where did that come from? I know that there are times in which one feels nervous or stagefright or something of that nature, and the first thing that people tend to do is hold their breath. But the only way that I know to allow something to pass through me is to literally breathe through it. And so I think that there would have been a halt in forward momentum if I stopped breathing. I had to keep going forward. In order to make the whole thing work in order to make this person think the police are on the way, that hes already on security camera I have to keep breathing. Because if he sees too much fear, the jig is up. I dont know but thats really probably one of those unconscious things that you do in the moment that just felt right, and you go with it. Randalls anxiety has manifested onscreen before, but never quite to the level in A Hell of a Week: Part One. How does learning how he experienced these symptoms so young, when he was learning to sleep in his own bed for the first time, change or inform Randall in new ways from how youve already been playing him for four years? We had seen things: Wed seen Lonnie Chavis [as Young Randall] planning how he wanted to attack Halloween and how, when things in his plan are not adhered to it causes him to have a bit of a moment, if you will. If hes not having an attack if its not anxiety hes having a moment. And when he wears his Jordans to impress his school teacher and then his teacher is about to turn him in, again theres a moment. And so when seeing the 5-year-old version of Randall, I actually went into the writers room and told them, I think you guys created this pretty consciously, but what it has evoked in me throughout the course of [Episode] 4.11 is that theres a baseline level of fear that this man has lived with his entire life. And there are times in which it seems quote-unquote managed, and then there are seems when it seems like its barely able to remain under the surface this episode being one of those moments. His mom is sick and he doesnt know exactly what it is, but the prognosis at present is not one that he necessarily wanted to hear. And now his home has been violated. The possibility of something happening to his children or his wife, there is this idea that I think Randall holds onto that as a man and I think that Jack Pearson was probably the model for it [of] if I cannot take care of my family, then who am I? And what worth am I? Throughout the whole episode, he was just exhausted by fear: carrying around the home security app and checking it incessantly, almost not able to not check it, even when he was in the Town Hall meeting it went off a couple of times and he was like, Ahhh. Niles [Fitch] as [Teenage] Randall was dealing with the PTSD of losing his dad in the fire, and the Randall now is dealing with, OK how can I move forward? Hes found a wonderful partner to share his life with in Beth, he takes wonderful physical care of himself and running has been a release for him up until now. Did he do a good thing by accosting that mugger? Yeah he did. But did he have to beat the crap out of him? Probably not. Well, he deserved it. Its not like he was some kid. No not some kid, for sure, but for Randall, I believe or at least what was going on for me was for someone who lives their life with that underlying level of fear constantly just under the surface, it was also an opportunity to not be afraid; it was an opportunity to take all of that fear and turn it into aggression and release it. And I think it scared him. And hopefully it scared him to the point where he recognizes that what hes been doing to survive up until this point may not be enough; he may need to explore some other options. Darnell (Omar Epps) suggested therapy as an option. Historically it has been rare to see African American characters partaking in therapy, but Randall grew up in a family that did so much talking, so what conversations have you had with the writers about why Randall has rejected the idea all these years? I think the easy answer is Jack Pearson. Jack Pearson plays things pretty close to the vest: if ever theres a dude that takes care of this own problems, it is he. I also think he follows his fathers template in that the person that Jack allows the greatest access to his life is the person he chose to share his life with, Rebecca, and I think the the same thing holds true for Randall: Beth is his home base. If he cant talk to his wife about it, then he probably cant talk to anybody about it. I will speak to, from a personal standpoint, the cultural difference for me from Randall is that theres the idea as a black person in this country is that life, of course, is hard: there is racism, there is prejudice, there are things that you have to deal with that other people dont but dont spend too much time whining, complaining, et cetera; figure that s out and keep going. And so the idea of, Well, I might need to see a therapist seems soft, it seems like youre not recognizing that of course life is hard; its hard for all of us out here. Thats not what Randalls template is, per se although Jack, from a socioeconomic standpoint is like, Life is hard. He is Romeo to Rebeccas Juliet: he is from the other side of the tracks and he has found a way to compartmentalize his life that allowed him to live until he ultimately expired in his fire. I think thats Randalls template: to figure it out. Randall became the man of the house and he figured it out. Also, being a highly intelligent individual, I think its sort of beyond his scope that somebody could understand him better than him. And I think thats probably the plight of a lot of highly intelligent individuals: I dont know if this person that Im sitting across from with their legs crossed and their little notepad is actually smart enough to figure me out. So I think those two things Jack Pearson and Randalls own intelligence and reliance on his intelligence may be some of the things that kept him from seeking help outside of his family. All of that sounds exhausting, which you mentioned it is for Randall, but it also sounds exhausting for you as an actor. Between the tension you have to carry in the scenes and then the actual running you had to do, how do you adjust to the physical demands of something like this? Theyre different. Brown is a bit more cantankerous during said episodes. Theres a level of tension in my body that I feel at the end of the day. Theres an exhale; youre waiting literally to exhale at the end of the day. And I realize how fortunate I, Sterling, am, in that there have been times in my life where I have been particularly hard on myself. Now is not one of those times; I feel like I practice grace with self first because you have to be graceful with yourself in order to be graceful with others. But theres a deep level of empathy for friends; for family members that I have that live with anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, other mental disorders. It must be exhausting to be scared all of the time; it must be exhausting to not feel fully comprehended. And so, during the course of this episode, almost on a nightly basis, I had that feeling of, Im tired. The running was probably the most energizing part of the episode because I got a chance to just let go. Theres a wonderful release, theres something meditative, theres something that you feel like youre being productive and you exhaust yourself to the point where youre not exhausted but you cant hold onto unwanted emotion. Thats how I feel, and I think thats how Randall feels for the most part when he runs. Randall called his brother (Justin Hartley) at the end of the episode to admit he wasnt doing well, but the next two episodes in this A Hell of a Week trilogy are not centered on Randall. So how much do we see the trickle effects of what hes going through in the immediate future, and how much of a help can he be for his siblings during their own hell weeks if hes not 100% OK? Well, similar to how they were relatively absent from his episode, hes relatively absent from their subsequent episodes. And then youll see the totality of everybody having some heavy s going on in their lives. What I love about it is that when the three episodes are complete, the three of them get to come together, and you see how they are able to connect and how they are able to help each other through their problems. And seeing that Beth in college was such a steading force and almost a caretaker for Randall put a lot of their relationship into a new perspective. Going forward with Randall still struggling, how much of that behavior is reflected in present day? That question will be most succinctly addressed in Episode 4.15. I wont answer it, I will just refer you to that episode for your answer! This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Most of us find it nerve-wracking enough that we're forced to focus on gathering our piles of paperwork to fill out our tax returns. Now adding to our stress, we must watch out for tax season scam artists, too. The crooks are everywhere from the gym parking lot to the latest emails and text messages. A new trend: Expect an increase in ransomware attacks in 2020 on tax preparers where time-sensitive files may be frozen and only thawed when tax preparers pay a ransom to the hackers, according to Adam Levin, founder of CyberScout, which offers identity theft protection and data security. Levin said sometimes a ransom is paid, the files are released and the hackers still use data that has been stolen to file false tax returns. Fraudsters want your Social Security number and other key personal information in order to file fake tax returns as early as they can in the season to claim inflated tax refunds. Weed at work:New cannabis-based products cause workplace confusion Porsche's revamp : How the SUV boom changed Porsche So, the con artists will be busy long before the April 15 tax deadline. The crooks want to e-file tax returns before you do because they know that the Internal Revenue Service system will reject a tax return when the IRS has already received another return using the same Social Security number. The IRS will first process e-filed tax returns on Jan. 27. One huge red flag for ID theft: You discover that you cant e-file your tax return because of an issue relating to a duplicate Social Security number. (The IRS will also reject an e-filed return for basic errors, such as if you misspelled the name the IRS has on file, but you would be able to resubmit an e-file in many cases if the issue is properly corrected.) The 2020 tax season kicks off Jan. 27 when the IRS will first begin processing e-filed tax returns. But tax scams are already up and running. If you discover that a fraudulent tax return has been filed with your Social Security number, you must first file IRS Form 14039 to alert the IRS that you're a victim of ID theft. In 2018, the 649,000 confirmed fraudulent returns attempted to claim $3.1 billion in refunds, according to the IRS. Story continues The IRS said it stopped 597,000 tax returns filed by identity thieves claiming $6 billion dollars in tax refunds 2017. As part of a Security Summit Initiative, the IRS is working with representatives of state tax agencies, tax preparation firms, payroll processors and others to combat tax refund fraud that hinges on stolen personal information. The crooks get a leg up by stealing key information to make their fake returns look more legitimate. Much financial information is already out there after major data breaches such as those at Equifax, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and Anthem. But cybercriminals are still actively seeking Social Security numbers and other data, too, with tricks as common as a phishing email that targets tax professionals, retirees or business owners. Here's a rundown on some of the latest scams: They're calling about your Social Security Crooks are claiming that there is a problem with your Social Security account. Some may tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended. It's another attempt to scare you into returning a robocall. Many demand action now. Some want you to "verify" your financial information, such as your Social Security account and banking information. Others might demand money on a gift card or Bitcoin. In January, the Inspector General of Social Security warned that telephone scammers may take the next step by sending phony documents by email to convince potential victims that they must comply with the fraudster's demands. The attachments may involve letters that appear to be from Social Security or the Social Security Office of the Inspector General. But retirees and others shouldn't be fooled by official-looking letterhead and government jargon. A new online system was announced in November to report Social Security scams online at oig.ssa.gov. Never provide sensitive information or authenticate yourself to someone who contacts you out of the blue, Levin said. Don't trust caller ID. Does that IRS notice seem weird? ID thieves are increasingly showing sophisticated knowledge of the tax code and even aiming to file fraudulent tax returns relating to a business or partnership, according to the IRS. Business owners are warned that one sign of trouble is that the company may fail to receive routine correspondence from the IRS because the thief has changed the address for the business. Or you might receive an IRS notice that doesn't seem to make sense based on your business or tax situation. Tax preparation software for business-related returns now requests more information to protect the tax filer, including the name and Social Security number of the company executive authorized to sign the corporate tax return. Sophisticated phishing scams are targeting payroll offices, too, and requesting W-2 information. Scammers might pose as the CEO or vice president of the company's payroll organization trick someone with access to data into disclosing sensitive information for the entire workforce. "This scam has emerged as one of the most dangerous phishing emails in the tax community," according to H&R Block's Tax Institute. The W-2 scam has hit all types of organizations big corporations, small businesses, public schools, universities, hospitals, tribal governments and charities. "Never click on a link or open an attachment without independent confirmation of the sender," Levin warns. Cybercrooks are engaging in social engineering to make some emails seem more legitimate. Some may reach out to you directly by name to sound like your boss, such as: "Dear Chris: You really messed up this time. See attached." Or you might receive a text, robocall or email that's supposedly from the security department of your bank or the board of elections to "confirm your information on file." A text may even say your account has been frozen due to suspicious activity and ask you to click on a link and enter your USER ID in order to resolve the issue. Don't be fooled. Contact your bank directly if you're concerned. Levin warned that some of the malware-laden links may include authentic-looking graphics, excellent grammar and no misspellings. "Often the only way to tell something is amiss is by looking at the URL but even that can be misleading," Levin said. Is your tax preparer about to get scammed? Fraudsters have really narrowed their focus on tax preparers, not only to steal client data but also to get their hands on information from the professional, such as e-service passwords, said Andy Phillips, director of H&R Block's Tax Institute. "If a fraudster is able to hack into a tax preparer's network, they may be able to steal personal information of all clients that have filed with that preparer," Phillips said. Some fraudsters, he said, have even found ways to change refund account information to ensure that the fraudster gets the tax refund. No, the IRS isn't emailing you a tax transcript ID thieves are crafting phishing emails to trick users into giving up passwords and other information, perhaps by even impersonating your tax provider. And they're sending attachments hoping that you'll be duped into downloading malware. One scam involves emails that pretend to be from the IRS Online. The scam email carries an attachment labeled Tax Account Transcript or something similar, and the subject line uses some variation of the phrase tax transcript. Phillips, of H&R Block, said other examples of imposter IRS emails include phrases such as "Automatic Income Tax Reminder" or "Electronic Tax Return Reminder." The pitch might look more legitimate because of links that show an IRS-like website and details pretending to be about a taxpayer's income tax refund or e-filed return. Some emails contain a "temporary password" to access the files. "But when taxpayers try to access these, it turns out to be a malicious file," Phillips said. You can forward malicious emails to phishing@irs.gov. ID thieves still steal purses and wallets Crooks can go the old-fashioned route by breaking into unlocked cars in a subdivision or lockers at the local gym to steal personal ID information too, such as a Social Security card or an old Medicare card that includes your Social Security number in your wallet. It should go without saying but you need to make sure that you don't leave tax returns on the kitchen table or sitting on the front seat of your car where crooks could access that information too. Contact Susan Tompor at 313-222-8876 or stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Taxes 2020: Beware of scams like fake letters, phishing emails, calls SUDBURY, ONT.Police in northeastern Ontario say theyre looking for two people suspected of stealing a prosthetic leg. The Greater Sudbury Police Service says the alleged theft happened early Thursday morning when two people entered a home while the occupant was asleep. They allege the suspects took a pair of pants from off the homeowners bed. Inside the pants were the homeowners wallet and prosthetic leg. Police do not have any suspect descriptions at this time. Anyone with information on the suspects or the location of the prosthetic leg is being asked to come forward. 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Kelly of violating the rules while locked up and attempting to secretly communicate with people without it being monitored by officials. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, prosecutors are firing back at Kellys recent motion in his criminal case. Kelly is demanding to know the identities of two Jane Does listed in his criminal indictment. He argues without the names he cant build his defense. In his motion, he argued he is no danger and has no resources to harass or intimidate the alleged victims. His lawyers wrote, At the time of his arrest Mr. Kelly was living in a small condominium, working with his longtime producer, without other employees of note, and effectively without any income. He had no enterprise as the government likes to call his career and his business, RSK Enterprises. Further, he argued, As noted above, Mr. Kelly remains in custody at the federal jail in Chicago. All of his phone calls are monitored. All of his mail is monitored. Other than legal counsel his only visitor is his girlfriend, Joycelyn. He simply has no means or method by which to engage in any obstructive conduct. Related: Trey Songz Sued For $10 Million Over Alleged Sexual Assault in Miami Club Massage Therapist Who Accused Kevin Spacey Of Sexual Assault Dies Florida Authorities Facing New Class Action Lawsuit Over Orchids of Asia Surveillance Video Kevin Spacey's Sexual Battery Accuser Pleads for His Name to Be Kept Secret Nellys Alleged Sexual Assault Victim Accuses Rapper of Intimidation in Legal Battle In newly filed documents, prosecutors trash Kellys motion and lay it all out. They say he has a history of intimidating and threatening alleged victims. Prosecutors point out a letter was written to one of his alleged victims threatening to release nude photos of her. They say Kelly argues he cant read or write but they say that doesnt stop him from having others write it for him. They say, His literacy difficulties, of course, do not mean that the defendant is incapable of directing others to draft a threatening letter on his behalf or of being informed of and approving its specific contents. Story continues Prosecutors say they are in possession of a video showing Kelly rehearsing exactly what he wanted the woman to say in response to questions about the origin of their relationship for the purpose of having her mimic the answers. In regard to Kellys claim he is harmless from behind bars, prosecutors believe otherwise. They say Kelly phone calls and mail are monitored. However, they accuse him of having taken deliberate steps steps on multiple occasions to bypass these safeguards. One incident included, In November 2019, the defendant, in contravention of prison regulations, used an intermediary to smuggle a letter a third party wrote to him into the detention center where he is currently housed. The letter was marked Legal in an attempt to avoid inspection of the correspondence and was provided to the defendant during a legal visit by an attorney who is not one of the defendants attorneys of record in this case (the Attorney) during a visit with the Attorney. Again, it is clear, despite the defendants claims to the contrary, that he has methods of passing messages between himself and his confederates with no evidence of visits or telephone calls between them. Prosecutors accuse Kelly of even avoiding having his phone calls monitored by using a jail officials cell phone. They write, These incidents demonstrate that the defendant has sought out, and likely will continue to seek out, clandestine means of communication. It also demonstrates that the defendant has, at his disposal, individuals willing to assist him in bypassing the traditional methods used to monitor the defendants communications while incarcerated. In these circumstances, the defendants attempt to paint himself as being completely isolated from the outside world and unable to communicate without monitoring such that obstructive conduct would be impossible is simply not credible. Prosecutors even revealed new details of his Aaliyah marriage, in an attempt to make their argument. They are demanding Kelly be shut down. CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Apple , the leading Illinois nonprofit committed to preparing, honoring and supporting great educators who advance educational opportunities for students, today announced the 2020 finalists for the prestigious Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching . Following a highly competitive process, 30 educators were selected as finalists for the award -- just 4% percent of a record-setting 732 nominations received from 64 counties in Illinois. "Now more than ever, it is essential to shine the light on the transformational role outstanding teachers play in the future success of Illinois and our nation. Without exceptional teachers, we cannot prepare our students to thrive in the workforce of tomorrow," said Alan Mather, President of Golden Apple. "The positive impact these finalists for the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching make on their students, schools, and communities is significant beyond measure, and we take great pride in recognizing their tremendous value." The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching honors outstanding teachers for their roles in having lasting, positive effects on students' lives and school communities. Teacher finalists demonstrate -- in their teaching and results -- significant, positive impact on their students' growth and learning. Fellow educators, students, parents and community members nominate teachers for the awards. Teachers may not self-nominate. Complete list of finalists for the 2020 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching "There are few individuals in the state who contribute more to the collective success of our communities than teachers," said Golden Apple CEO Alicia Winckler. "With the growing shortage of educators in Illinois, it is critical that we elevate recognition of teachers like the finalists announced today and the importance of the teaching profession. Each of these educators serves as a powerful example of the outsized impact one person can have when they are dedicated and committed to excellence. In raising awareness of their accomplishments, we seek to inspire others to follow in their footsteps." Award recipients are selected by master educators who understand and recognize instructional best practices and who utilize professional standards to evaluate exemplary teachers and school leaders. Members of the selection committee viewed video evidence of instruction and will observe finalists' teaching in-person in their classrooms - a comprehensive day which includes direct observation of in-classroom teaching accompanied by interviewing finalists' colleagues, school leaders, students, parents, and community members. Award finalists will be honored on Saturday, February 22 at the Golden Apple Celebration of Excellence in Teaching & Leadership at the Q Center in St. Charles. Event details and tickets are available at www.goldenapple.org/celebration . The 2020 Golden Apple Award recipients will be notified in the spring with surprise visits at their schools. Northwestern University, Golden Apple's partner for more than 30 years, generously provides a Spring Sabbatical to award recipients at no cost. In addition, each Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient receives a $5,000 cash award. Award recipients also become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who support current and future teachers and deepen the learning of students. Fellows play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers by providing instruction and mentorship to future teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs - programs dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois. "In honoring and developing K-12 teachers, Northwestern University and the Golden Apple Foundation are committed to improving teaching, learning, and the lives of students across the state of Illinois," said Timothy Dohrer, Ph.D., Director of the Master of Science in Education Program at Northwestern University's School of Education & Social Policy. Over the coming weeks, Golden Apple's social media channels will feature each of the 30 finalists and the announcements of the final 10 award recipients. Follow the news here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram . About Golden Apple Golden Apple's mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. Our leading-edge preparation delivers exceptional teachers who make an impact. We help students thrive in the classroom and in life. Since our beginning, we have recognized master educators annually; and, these master educators help prepare the next generation of teachers. Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher and to realize this, we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage throughout Illinois. Visit http://www.goldenapple.org for more information. Media contact: David Pickard 708-305-1910 [email protected] SOURCE Golden Apple Related Links https://www.goldenapple.org Over the past two months, nonprofits have been stewing over forthcoming changes to .org, the domain term that internet users usually see affixed to the end of web addresses belonging to public interest organizations like UNICEF, the Humane Society, and the ACLU. The Public Interest Registry, the nonprofit that has operated the .org domain since 2003, announced in November that it was being acquired for $1.135 billion by a private equity firm called Ethos Capital. If the deal goes through, the for-profit company will be in charge of a domain that is generally assigned to nonprofit entities, which could have much wider ramifications for the state of the internet. Tech advocacy organizations are now planning a protest on Friday in front of the Los Angeles headquarters for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which helps to regulate web addresses, in an attempt to halt the sale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres a brief explainer on an arcane but potentially very consequential debate. Why is .org so important? In the realm of internet infrastructure, .org is whats known as a top-level domain, which means that its the last section of an address that helps to categorize the nature of the website. The .org domain was one of the first created in 1985alongside .com, .gov, .edu, .mil, .arpa, and .netand was originally intended to signify nonprofit status. The .org domain has become one of the most widely recognized top-level domains over the course of its 35-year existence. There are currently about 10 million websites that have .org in their addresses, making it the third most popular top-level domain in the world, after .com and .net. We have a global community that sees .org as synonymous with nonprofit NGO, do-good work, says Amy Sample Ward, CEO of NTEN, a nonprofit technology network that has been helping to lead a campaign against the privatization of the .org registry.* Its very helpful for organizations. It means that theyre able to be smaller or brand-new and have trust built in because of their domain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who gets to be a .org? Unlike .edu or .gov, .org is whats known as an open domain, meaning that anyone can register for one. So even though .org is technically supposed to be reserved for nonprofits, some for-profit entities like Craigslist do have .org addresses. Astroturf, white supremacist, and climate denial organizations have also been able to attain .org status. The gradual dilution of the .org brand has led some to argue that it is no longer a meaningful seal of approval. However, Sample Ward contends that the internet community has generally been keen to preserve the stature of the .org domain. Its actually the success of the PIRs [Public Interest Registry] work over the last 18 years thats really framed .org as being for nonprofits, says Sample Ward. Folks that are using .org that are actually for-profit are often called out for that. Its a clear conflict that theyve chosen versus internet users thinking thats just the norm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is Ethos Capital? Ethos Capital is a private equity firm that was established in May, just months before the announcement that it would be buying the Public Interest Registry, and appears to have only two employees. Ethos has the backing of several established funds associated with Mitt Romneys family as well as the Johnsons, who own Fidelity Investments. The firms CEO, Erik Brooks, spent the last two decades before founding Ethos at Abry Partners, another private equity fund thats sought to monetize domain registries. Advertisement Advertisement What happens if a private company is in charge of .org? Apart from the symbolic dissonance of having a private company run a system designed to help nonprofits, its not exactly clear. NTEN, Fight for the Future, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and other nonprofits are concerned about a number of potential outcomes. Ethos has spent more than $1 billion on the registry and will probably have to sink about $30 million a year on the infrastructure to run it, so the firm will naturally want to recoup its losses and make a profit. The Internet Society, which created the Public Interest Registry, had in the past reinvested profits from the .org domain into improving the peoples access to the internet. But as a private company, Ethos wont have that same interest in public good projects. In addition, Ethos does not have the same transparency obligations that the Internet Society does, so the firm wouldnt have to publicly disclose its financial data. Advertisement Advertisement How could Ethos try to profit off of .org? According to advocates, Ethoss profit seeking will likely make it more difficult for nonprofits to maintain their websites. Every year, websites that have a .org address have to pay a fee of around $10, though the price can fluctuate based on demand. The Public Interest Registry has traditionally capped fee increases at no more than 10 percent every year. ICANN removed the price cap in 2019, though, meaning that fees could dramatically rise for many cash-strapped nonprofits. Certain groups may also find that they have to pay a premium for domains that are particularly in demand. Theres also the possibility that Ethos could make deals with corporations that are seeking to shut down websites based on copyright claims or repressive governments that want to censor nonprofits that question their power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if organizations do eventually decide that keeping their .org address is financially or ethically untenable, however, there might not be a lot they can do about it. The organizations that currently have a .org domain are essentially locked in; it would be prohibitively expensive to convert web and email addresses to another domain like .com. Brooks, the founder of Ethos, has tried to assuage these fears by promising in a blog post that his firm will maintain the value, integrity and purpose of the .ORG domain. The post further states that Ethos will not exceed the traditional 10 percent average yearly price increase and refrain from using the domain name system to police website contents, except in cases that involve imminent violence and sexual abuse. Yet advocates have not found these assurances convincing, partly because there arent laws forcing the firm to keep its word. Mitch Stoltz, a senior staff attorney at EFF, says that there needs to be very firm guardrails on [Ethoss] behavior that are legally enforceable, not just vague promises. Advertisement How will this affect internet users? Many nonprofit websites offer important resources to people around the world. Allowing a for-profit corporation or repressive government to convince the .org operator to shut down a website could affect how that nonprofit serves a certain population; for example, a nonprofit journalistic outlet might go dark when informing its readers about the misdoings of a particular regime. Theres also a chance Ethos could monetize .org through data collection. In controlling the domain, the firm would be able gather information on users who look up .org websites and send emails to .org addresses. Whether someone is looking for an abortion or seeking spiritual counseling, thats going to be a .org either way, says Bill Woodcock, the executive director of Packet Clearing House, which is a nonprofit that offers technical support to the .org system. Theres a vast amount of very private detail about peoples lives that is handled by nonprofits, precisely because people dont regard that as an area subject to commercialization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is this a done deal? No. ICANN, which regulates all top-level domains, will ultimately have to approve or halt the sale. In fact, ICANN has already expressed some unease about the lack of transparency around the acquisition. The nonprofit community was not aware of negotiations surrounding the sale of the Public Interest Registry and did not have an opportunity to offer their input. ICANN has delayed approval by 30 days in order to review the deal. The review period will end Feb. 17. If ICANN does reject the proposed acquisition, representatives from the likes of the Wikimedia Foundation and Packet Clearing House are instead proposing that multiple nonprofits come together to create a cooperative corporation that would make decisions on the .org domain, thus dispersing power to its members. The top-level domain for German websites, .de, operates using a similar cooperative model. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The news that Ravenbank Surgery is to close its doors in just over three months and the potential collapse of Antrim Road Medical Centre will be a blow to the new health minister The news that Ravenbank Surgery is to close its doors in just over three months and the potential collapse of Antrim Road Medical Centre will be a blow to the new health minister. While Robin Swann is riding high after securing a deal and bringing an end to crippling strike action by thousands of NHS workers, he is now facing a fresh workforce crisis. Of course, GP shortages and resulting practice closures are nothing new. However, until now they have largely been happening in rural areas where it is traditionally more difficult to attract doctors to work. The fact that it is becoming an issue in Belfast is alarming and has the potential to be catastrophic on services throughout the city. The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) advertised the contract for Ravenbank Surgery before Christmas. Clearly this was unsuccessful. Read More Similarly, the partners at Antrim Road Medical Centre have spent more than three years trying to replace a colleague. There are now a number of possible options - the HSCB finds another doctor to take on the contract and the practice is saved, no-one takes on the contract and the practice is closed, or the HSCB takes over the running of the surgery. However, this final option is unlikely as the premises are owned by the current GPs. As it stands, the closure of the practice is a realistic prospect and would have ripple effects throughout the city. Neighbouring north Belfast surgeries would have to take on its 5,243 patients, as nearby practices of Ravenbank Surgery will take on its patients. Unfortunately, this exacerbates the reasons why other GP surgeries have already collapsed. GPs are overworked - an increasing amount of work was shifted into the community under Transforming Your Care, but funding didn't follow. Meanwhile, not enough GPs have been trained to cope with increasing demands on the service. So, the doctors working in general practice have become stressed out and burnt out, resulting in a growing number walking away, either through early retirement, going to work in other areas of medicine, or even leaving Northern Ireland entirely. This obviously places an even greater burden on the remaining GPs. So, while asking neighbouring surgeries to take on patients from collapsing practices might seem like a solution, it is a sticking plaster at best. General practice is an intrinsic part of the health service and Mr Swann is going to have take swift and decisive action to stop its decline. A 2018 military parade in Moscow. Getty Images Being a superpower is not what it used to be. These days, you can do it on a shoestring. A superpower is a country able to project its military power over great distances and, if necessary, fight more than one war at a time and in different continents. That costs a lot of money: military bases, ships, aircraft, tanks, missiles, communications and transportation infrastructure, none of this comes cheap. Also necessary is an expeditionary force of thousands of troops prepared to go to war anywhere on the planet. And, of course, nuclear weapons. Vladimir Putin has proven himself a master at projecting power over other countries on a shrunken budget While the old definition holds to some extent, today there are shortcuts that allow governments to intervene in another country, or in more than one, weakening its international adversaries, or dominating them, without having to make such big investments. Russia is the best example of the phenomenon. Vladimir Putin has proven himself a master at projecting power over other countries on a shrunken budget. He understands that his country cannot compete militarily against its arch rivals, the United States and China. He also knows that the Russian economy and its technology are not on a par with those of its competitors. And while he has nuclear weapons, he knows they can only be used in extreme cases. They are not useful, for example, in any of the armed conflicts in which Russia is currently involved: Syria, Ukraine or Libya. Putin was not the only leader to diagnose the weaknesses of the Russian state. In 2014, President Barack Obama dismissively referred to Russia as a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors. Obama also opined that Russias attacks on other countries were not out of strength but out of weakness. He had it wrong. Two years later, that regional power whose international adventures were, according to the American president, a sign of weakness has somehow managed to intervene in the US presidential elections, thus influencing American politics in profound and unprecedented ways. Whats more, all indications are that Russia will try to do it again this year. We have seen how Russian hackers or hackers sponsored by Russia have learned to sow confusion far and wide. They create doubt about whom to believe, deepen the differences and conflicts that already exist, or invent new ones. They also are adept at promoting some political actors and destroying the reputation of others. Russias renewed ability to influence world politics stems from more than its mastery of information technology All this they can do and, in fact, do not only in neighboring countries but also in any country in the world. Hackers and Russian computer bots have meddled in the Catalan independence conflict, in Brexit in the United Kingdom, as well as in the elections in Germany and France, and in Estonia, Georgia and Ukraine. Whats more, the US State Department recently announced that Russia is behind a major influence campaign throughout South America as it tries to undermine the countries that oppose its strategic ally in the region, Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro. The report shows the Kremlins attempts to foment dissent in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. But it is not only the pioneering use of what the Russian government calls political technologies, they also have the ability to use cyber-weapons to attack a countrys power grids, telecommunications systems, transportation networks, and financial infrastructure. Russias renewed ability to influence world politics stems from more than its mastery of information technology. The Kremlin has no qualms about using traditional weapons, too. Putin not only sent twitter bots to Syria, but also soldiers, planes and pilots. He sent anti-aircraft missiles and financial support to Venezuela. Those are two countries in which Russia has now gained a new and powerful influence. The Kremlin also does not hesitate to use professional assassins, radioactive poisons, snipers, armed drones, and other traditional techniques to eliminate its enemies. Russia knows how to use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but it also uses Unit 29155, the Wagner Group, and the Internet Research Agency. Unit 29155 is the name of a secret Russian intelligence unit whose objective is to destabilize Europe through assassinations and other means. The Wagner Group is a Russian private military company that uses mercenaries to influence the global conflicts on the Kremlins watch list. The Internet Research Agency is another Russian private organization that specializes in using the internet to support its global goals. Clearly, Russia has a disproportionate global influence compared to its precarious economic and social situation. Despite having the largest territory in the world, its economy is smaller than those of Brazil or Italy. Its economic growth is anemic. Ten percent of the wealthiest Russians own 85% of the countrys wealth. Russias population has been declining, and by 2050 it will have 32 million fewer inhabitants. This is a symptom of other serious weaknesses, such as a terrible healthcare system, for example. This is not the profile of a superpower. However, for all its weaknesses, Putins Russia has become a central player in most of the thorniest conflicts of this century. And not only does Putin do this well, but he also does it on a shoestring. @moisesnaim By Express News Service CHENNAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the case in which three persons were arrested from Bengaluru and a suspected IS terror module was busted by the Tamil Nadu Q branch police recently. Sources said, the case of special sub-inspector (SSI) Wilsons murder, which reportedly has IS links, may also be handed over to the NIA. One Kaja Moideen was recently arrested from New Delhi for his alleged involvement in SSIs murder. The Tamil Nadu Q branch team, based on a tip-off, arrested Mohammed Haneef Khan, Imraan Khan and Mohammed Sayed from Bengaluru two weeks ago. Three country-made guns and around 80 bullets were reportedly recovered from them. Investigation revealed that the trio allegedly produced fake identity proofs to obtain SIM cards. On December 28, police arrested five persons, including staff of a cellular network shop and one Liyakat Ali, a suspected IS sympathiser, for allegedly forging identity proofs. Further probe, according to police, revealed that the men for whom the SIM cards were issued were members of an IS module and Liyakat Ali was the link between the module and the gang involved in issuing SIM cards using fake documents. Subsequently, the Q branch personnel arrested 10 people, including five men who are believed to have IS links from Bengaluru, in connection with the SIM card case. Now, the case has been transferred to the NIA. Terrorist killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam Militants with bigoted vision wont be allowed to take country hostage: Imran Khan J&K: Two militants killed in encounter after abducting police constable in Kulgam Security forces gun down three terrorists in J&K 644 militants of eight banned outfits surrender in Assam along with 177 arms, says police chief India oi-PTI Guwahati, Jan 23: A total of 644 militants of eight banned insurgent outfits surrendered in Assam on Thursday along with 177 arms, police said. The members of the insurgent groups -- ULFA (I), NDFB, RNLF, KLO, CPI (Maoist), NSLA, ADF and NLFB -- surrendered in presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme here. Six militants gunned down during encounters in Shopian, Pulwama Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News "This is an important day for the state and the Assam Police. Altogether 644 cadres and leaders of eight militant groups laid down their arms," Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told reporters. He said it was one of the largest surrender of militants in the recent times. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 12:58 [IST] The World Masters Committee (WMC) an international cultural organisation based in Seoul, South Korea has honoured Jonathan Sackitey Quao for his contribution towards artistic and cultural perseveration and advancement in Ghana. This was at a ceremony held in Accra, which was attended by the Ghanaian ambassador to South Korea, Her Excellency Diffie Kusi Dede Agyarko. The WMC is an international culture NGO for world culture exchange which selects 'World Masters' who represent the culture of their home countries from over the world. Since its inception in 2007, the WMC has honoured 338 'World Masters', including artists, artisans and performers from 79 countries who were recommended by the ambassadors and diplomats of the various foreign embassies in the Republic of Korea. Jonathan Quao was selected for nomination by the Ghanaian embassy in South Korea and the Ministry of Culture in Ghana. According to the WMC, Mr. Quao is one of the best to have been honoured. The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region, Simeon Kwaku Tetheh, who graced the event held in Accra, expressed gratitude to the NGO and the Ghana embassy for recognising the efforts of Mr. Quao. He congratulated the 2019 'World Master' winner on his overwhelming contribution to the growth of the art industry in the municipality and the country at large. ---Daily Guide ST-HENRI-DE-TAILLON, QUE.It was an exuberant group of French travellers who set off from Christine Reis inn north of La Tuque, Que., on Tuesday morning, eager for the second day of a multi-day snowmobile trip around the provinces picturesque Lac-Saint-Jean. The eight tourists and their guide had arrived Monday evening, undaunted after a full day of riding from their departure point in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, an hour-and-a-half north of Montreal. While many tourists are wearied by the strenuous journey, Reis said this group of friends seemed in shape and eager to continue their journey. They were very happy. It was their first day, and they were happy to tell (us) they were going to go all around the Lac-Saint-Jean and go to Monts-Valin, a choice destination because theres a lot of snowfall, she said in a phone interview. They had an experienced guide, Benoit LEsperance, whom she described as a kind, conscientious person with years of experience who brought groups there a few times a year. Tuesday, however, would end in disaster. For reasons that remain unclear, the group left the safety of the marked trail through the woods and ventured towards the icy expanse of Lac-Saint-Jean. Between St-Henri-de-Taillon and Alma, the ice gave way, leaving LEsperance dead and five others missing after plunging into the frigid waters. Three others made it to safety. On Thursday, the second day of a massive search effort, snowmobilers, ice rescue specialists, a drone and provincial police investigators scanned the area where the snowmobilers disappeared, about 200 kilometres north of Quebec City. For the families of the missing French snowmobilers identified by police as Gilles Claude, 58, Yan Thierry and Jean-Rene Dumoulin, both 24, Julien Benoit, 34, and Arnaud Antoine, 25 it was an agonizing wait for news. Claude Abel, mayor of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines in northeastern France near the German border, said he knows two of the five missing snowmobilers. He said the whole region was upset and doing its best to support the families. All we can do in this situation of waiting and worry is to bring a little support to the family and loved ones, he said in a phone interview. Abel said the two men in their 20s or 30s were motorsport enthusiasts and experienced snowmobilers who had been to Canada before. They were young people full of plans, who loved life, he said in a phone interview. Meanwhile, French biathlete Fabien Claude, who is the son of missing man Gilles Claude, dedicated his first podium finish, a bronze Thursday in the World Cup event in Pokljuka, Slovenia, to his father following the tragic accident in Canada. The athlete and his two brothers, fellow biathletes Emilien and Florent Claude, posted the same photo to their Twitter accounts, with a caption that read: A special day, and a star that will be with us all our lives. We love you, Papa. For LEsperances family and friends, shock was giving way to sorrow. The 42-year-old Montreal-based guide died in hospital Tuesday night after searchers found him several hours after the accident. Riel Langlais Harvey, a friend and former snowmobile guide, described LEsperance as a calm and funny man, a joker and father, who loved Quebecs wilderness and sharing it with others. Above all, he was an experienced guide with over 15 years experience who had taken a number of safety courses at the company the two of them formerly worked for, his former colleague said. He said his friend knew the Lac-Saint-Jean region well and had been there often, even if he didnt live there. For sure he did not voluntarily go toward the water, he said. Because we all know that this area, at a certain point, doesnt freeze. While he doesnt know what happened, Langlais Harvey said conditions constantly change on the trail, meaning guides have to make split-second decisions on where to go, whether to turn back and how to meet clients requests while keeping them safe. We make the best decision based on what we think in the moment, and if its good or bad, we have to live with it, he said. The search effort on Thursday involved police and Canadian Forces helicopters surveying the area from the air and a side-scan sonar providing images of the bottom of the lake. Police divers used underwater propulsion to cover a larger area, and 30 police officers were pursuing searches on the ground. Six snowmobiles were located under the water by divers Wednesday and Thursday, but there was no sign of the snowmobilers as of late Thursday. In the days following the accident, questions have swirled about why the group would have veered so far off the marked trail in an area that is known to be dangerous due to thin ice and swift currents. On Thursday, Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx announced the Quebec government would require guides and tourists who use off-road vehicles to follow a training course. She said ecotourism companies would have to complete an accreditation process with the province in order to be eligible for funding. Read more about: By Trend Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan and German Deutsche Bahn signed a memorandum of cooperation for the development of Uzbekistan Railways, Trend reports referring to the ministry. The memorandum was signed following the meeting of First Deputy Minister of Transport Ilkhom Mahkamov with the delegation of the Deutsche Bahn company led by Regional director for Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS Vincent van Houten. The document envisages exchange of experience in the development of cargo and passenger transportation as well as transit and logistics potential, the ministry said. Uzbekistan Railways was established in 1994 after leaving the Central Asian Railway and is 100% state-owned. The total length of railways in the country is 4,100 kilometers. The railway of Uzbekistan accounts for about 60 percent of cargo turnover within the country and almost 80 percent of the total volume of export and import cargo transportation. Deutsche Bahn is the largest railway operator and infrastructure owner in Europe. Deutsche Bahn was the largest railway company in the world by revenues in 2015. It carried 4.6 billion passengers in 2017. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 10:56:08|Editor: zh Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and five others injured in a shooting in downtown Seattle on Wednesday, local media reported. Actor and radio jockey Aparshakti Khurana wished wife Aakriti on her birthday through adorable social media posts. The actor took to his Instagram handle on Thursday and shared glimpses of the celebration. He wrote, "Happy Bdayyy Kuckoooooo @aakritiahuja #LifeLine" Apart from these snaps, he also allowed his fans and followers to witness the sizzling romance between the couple with some pictures that attracted likes and comments from the film fraternity. Actor Bhumi Pednekar commented in one of the posts, "Happy birthday @aakritiahuja" The 'Kanpuriye' actor met Aakriti at a dance class back in Chandigarh and the two tied the knot in September 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen A. Orlins, Chairman of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, met with People's Daily Online West USA as part of an ongoing documentary series "A Story Spanning 40 Years." Mr. Orlins was part of the US team that established US-China relations forty years ago, and in his interview with People's Daily Online West USA expresses his views on current relations between the two countries. Chairman of the National Committee on United States-China Relations Member of the Legal Team for the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the US in 1979. Are relations between China and the U.S. at their darkest? On Oct. 18, 2019, People's Daily Online West USA produced a documentary featuring an interview with Stephen A. Orlins, Chairman of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. In the documentary, Mr. Orlins talks about his views on US-China relations, and his belief in the importance of strong cooperation between the two countries. He recalls meeting China's President Deng Xiaoping 40 years ago as a recent Law graduate from Harvard University, working in the Office of the Legal Advisor of the US Department of State. At the age of 26, he was the youngest member of President Carter's special envoy team for the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations. He helped form US-China diplomatic relations, a globally important event, as a member of the Legal Counsel team. In the documentary, Mr. Orlins expressed that US-China relations are at their darkest and that he hoped more people would oppose the current US outlook towards China. "It [the United States] calls China a strategic rival and a revisionist power, that's just not right and it's not good for America. I felt I was the only person opposing that policy. The opposition to these kinds of policies is growing in the United States. It's not shrinking. It's not disappearing," Mr. Orlins said in the interview. Wei Deng Phone: 669.900.2566 Email: [email protected] Related Images stephen-a-orlins.jpg Stephen A. Orlins Chairman of the National Committee on United States-China Relations Member of the Legal Team for the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the US in 1979. Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7iPrr6lPiw SOURCE People's Daily Online West USA Producers of The Bachelor are speaking out about former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Gwozdzs shocking death. We are heartbroken to hear the tragic news of Tylers passing today. Our thoughts are with the Gwozdz family and his friends, they said in a statement. A contestant on Hannah Browns season last year, Gwozdz died Wednesday, just over a week after a suspected overdose. He was 29. According to the Palm Beach Medical Examiners Office, an autopsy will take a minimum of eight to 12 weeks to complete. Earlier on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Boca Raton Police Services Department told PEOPLE that they responded to a medical overdose involving Gwozdz on Jan. 13, adding that the case is an active ongoing investigation. In a 911 call obtained by PEOPLE, a woman could be heard frantically attempting to locate Narcan, a nasal spray that can help reverse an opioid overdose, after breaking down the door to the bathroom that Gwozdz was inside and successfully turning him on his back. RELATED: Tyler Gwozdz: Everything to Know About the Late Bachelorette Contestant According to TMZ, paramedics transported him to a hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. On The Bachelorette, Gwozdz secured the first one-on-one date with Brown, 25, though he abruptly left during the third episode. No reason was given for his departure; Brown simply told the rest of the men that he had to leave. Tyler Gwozdz and Hannah Brown | John Fleenor/ABC He told Refinery29 in a statement at the time, This was a decision that I came to with producers, and something that Ive come to realize what is the best decision that couldve been made. But fans speculated his exit had something to do with an anonymous Reddit thread in which he was accused of being an extreme misogynist and spitting on an ex-girlfriend, according to Newsweek. Gwozdz referred to the anonymous accusations as totally unsubstantiated rumors. The rumors are so far out of the realm of my personality and values that it seems silly to waste time denying, but I suppose I will for the record, he told Refinery29. Story continues Prior to joining the reality franchise, Gwozdz was a psychology graduate student living in Boca Raton, Florida. Tyler G. is a very laid-back guy with a go-with-the-flow kind of attitude. He avoids clubs at all costs and would much rather spend time reading, going to Soul Cycle or relaxing on his boat, his Bachelorette bio read. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. The Madras High Court on Friday will hear the case related All-India Chess Federation (AICF)'s elections. According to a senior AICF official, clarity on the election date would be emerge tomorrow as the High Court would hear a case in this connection. He said a majority of the electoral college has submitted an affidavit in his support. The AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said on Thursday, 43 affidavits have been filed in the Madras High Court saying the minutes of the federation's general body meeting held on December 28 last year were valid. "Forty-three affidavits have been filed with the Madras High Court saying the minutes of the AICF general body meeting held in Bhopal on December 28 last year, circulated by me is valid," Chauhan told PTI. He also alleged that the rival camp led by President P R Venketrama Raja would make attempts to delay the elections by filing more cases. "The rival faction will file more cases in a bid to delay the elections," he said. Chauhan further said there would be clarity on the AICF elections date on Friday as the High Court is hearing the case. The secretary and the Federation president Venketrama Raja have been at loggerheads over various issues. Chauhan claimed the 43 affidavits were given by representatives of 19 state chess associations and six office- bearers of the federation. One of decisions taken at the Bhopal general body meeting was to call a special general body meeting on February 9 in Ahmedabad to elect new office bearers for AICF. He said Ajay Patel, president of Gujarat State chess association would be the presidential candidate from his camp and he would likely contest for the secretary post. Chauhan said the aim was to work for chess and make the federation player-friendly. The Venketrama Raja camp had during a general body meeting held in December last called for a general body meeting to conduct the elections in Chennai on February 10. The two factions have been making allegations against each other on various issues including the controversy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The amended citizenship law and the situation in Kashmir are internal issues of India and the country with its dynamic democracy will find solutions to these "challenges", Brazilian envoy Andre Aranha Correa do Lago said on Thursday. His comments on the two issues comes a day ahead of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's maiden visit to India after he assumed power in January last year following a sweeping electoral victory. Lago told PTI in an interview that over 15 agreements will be signed during the Brazilian president's visit, including one on the investment protection and facilitation treaty. "These (Citizenship (Amendment) Act and Kashmir situation) are two internal issues of India that obviously we are following with great interest. Naturally, in the conversations probably the Indian government will bring elements about this but we see this very clearly as internal questions of India," he said. "India being such a dynamic democracy with such fantastic institutions and civil society, we know that with this very open society, you will discuss and you (will) go ahead with solutions for these challenges," the Brazilian envoy said. He made the remarks when asked if the CAA and the Kashmir issue could be discussed during talks. Brazilian President Bolsonaro will on Friday begin a four-day visit to India, primarily as the chief guest on Republic Day and also to explore ways to boost trade ties at a time both the large economies are hit by slowdowns. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind separately on Saturday. Bolsonaro will be accompanied by seven ministers, top officials and a large business delegation. In my view, it was outrageous to grant early parole to James Forcillo, the Toronto police officer who killed 18-year-old Sammy Yatim. A lot of people feel that many police officers have literally gotten away with murder. Officers who kill someone are rarely charged with any criminal offence. Of the officers charged, only a small percentage are found guilty. Moreover, in the few cases where they are convicted of anything, it is almost always of an offence much less serious than murder and the sentence imposed is lenient. Of course, there are some situations in which officers are justified in killing someone to prevent serious injury to the officer or to some other person. Reasonable people can disagree about some particular cases. Sometimes there are disputes about the facts and other officers protect their colleagues by giving false versions of what happened. In the case of James Forcillo, there was indisputable video evidence. The videos show beyond any doubt that he shot Yatim while Yatim was alone on a streetcar and Forcillo was standing outside. Yatim had a knife in his hand; Forcillo pointed his gun at Yatim. After Yatim failed to respond to repeated orders by Forcillo and other officers to drop the knife, Forcillo fired three shots, all of which hit Yatim. Yatim fell to the floor of the streetcar. About five seconds later, Forcillo fired six more shots, five of which hit Yatim. The medical evidence established that one of the first three shots was the fatal one. There was no justification for Forcillo to fire his pistol at all; it is unbelievable that he fired six more shots as Yatim lay dying from the first three. At Forcillos trial, the jury was instructed that they could find him guilty of any of murder, manslaughter or attempted murder. Forcillo was acquitted of murder and convicted of attempted murder. This outcome seems strange; how could he not be guilty of murder when shots from his gun killed Yatim? We do not know how the jury came to its verdict. (In Canadian law, it is a criminal offence for a juror to disclose any information about what transpired during the jurys deliberations.) It is reasonable to conjecture that there was much negotiating among the jurors. They might have concluded that there was reasonable doubt about whether the first three shots were justified but that the next volley of six shots was clearly unlawful. Some jurors may have felt Forcillo was guilty of murder but agreed to a compromise to avoid the mistrial that would have followed if the jury had been unable to arrive at a verdict. The maximum penalty for attempting murder is life imprisonment. The judge sentenced Forcillo to six years in jail. That is a lenient sentence for someone who acted as shown in the videos. While Forcillo was out on bail awaiting the appeal of his conviction, he broke his bail conditions and also committed perjury by lying in a sworn affidavit that his lawyers submitted to the Court of Appeal. He pled guilty to perjury; two other charges (of breach of his bail conditions and of obstruction of justice) were dismissed as part of the agreed resolution. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment for perjury, to be served concurrently with his sentence for attempted murder. On Tuesday, Forcillo was granted full parole by the parole board, after having served only about 20 months of his six-year sentence. Forcillos perjury should have been a serious obstacle to granting early parole. The parole board should have been skeptical of everything the perjurer communicated to them. In the circumstances, it was outrageous to grant such early parole. It sends a message to police officers that even if videotapes prove they fired numerous shots into a person lying defenceless on the ground they will be treated leniently. TEHRAN, Iran, Jan.23 Trend: Iran has been a safe country and the aviation system in the country indicates that Iran has secure sky, said the Minister of Road and Urban Development. "Iran is one of the countries that first installed all the necessary systems of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and has set up coordination with global aviation system; therefore, the country's sky has always been and will be the safe for flights," said Mohammad Eslami during his visit to the new terminal in Gorgan International Airport, Trend reports citing ILNA. "With commissioning the domestic terminal in Gorgan Airport with the capacity to serve five planes, domestic and international flights will be separated," the official added. "The expected growth of flights served at the Gorgan airport will help to increase the number of passengers by 10 times, while the number of passenger transportation will increase from 250,000 to 2 million passengers a year," Eslami said. "Upgrading the aviation fleet while maintaining necessary safety is on our agenda, as we aim to ensure that flights can be operated in all weather conditions," he added. Major international airlines canceled or re-routed flights in the Middle East after Iran attack on the US bases and the crash of Ukraine plane. Air France, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines and Taiwan's EVA Air said they were avoiding the airspace of Iran and Iraq, and Singapore Airlines said it would not fly over Iran. Emirates canceled flights between Dubai and Baghdad, where the Iranian general was killed by the US air raid. Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines said they were conducting flights as usual. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they were monitoring the situation, but not yet diverted the flights. Miffed over Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's criticism on domestic issues like CAA (the Citizenship Amendment Act) and Kuala Lumpur's refusal to revoke the permanent resident status of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, India has set into motion an exercise that may place more curbs on exports from the Southeast Asian country. In the latest development in the India-Malaysia trade row, the Cabinet Secretariat has written to the Ministry of Commerce, seeking "trade remedial action against restrictive trade practices of Malaysia". India Today has accessed the Cabinet secretariat's directive to look into the scope for enforcing restrictions on imports from Malaysia. These include petroleum crude, refined palm oil, crude palm oil, copper and aluminium wire, microprocessors and other computer and telecom products, turbojets, aluminium ingots, LNG, etc. The Centre had kick-started curbs by restricting the import of palm oil from Malaysia, thus altering the trade relations between the world's biggest edible oil buyer and the key supplier. India imported 4.4 million tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia in 2019. The decision has a 'Make in India' connect. As per the Centre's assessment, the restrictions will boost business for crude palm oil refiners in India, which is one of the world's largest vegetable oil consumers. An average Indian consumes over 20 kg of vegetable oil a year. If India goes ahead with curbs, it'll be a huge setback for Malaysia as its India exports grew 20.1 per cent to $11 billion revenue in FY19 and $7 billion in the April-November period of FY20. In contrast, India's export to Malaysia was $6.4 billion in FY19 and $4 billion in April-November FY20. India has also imposed 5 per cent safeguard duty on the refined palm oil, valid till March 2020. The Centre has also decided the refined palm oil will be shifted to a restricted category, requiring importers to obtain a licence from Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to prevent "harm to the domestic industry", the note from Cabinet Secretariat says. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been directed to notify technical standards for microprocessors by the month-end. To curb unrestricted imports into India from countries like Malaysia, a mechanism for the stringent enforcement of the standards is being worked out. The Customs Department has also been asked to conduct a thorough inspection of microprocessors being imported from Malaysia. The Mines Secretary has been asked to consider establishing an Import Monitoring System to discourage imports of products that can harm the domestic industry. Interestingly, India is also tightening the noose around imports from China, following its steadfast support for Pakistan on various issues. While the Centre's focus is mainly on creating protective barriers against large-scale products coming from China, smaller items like mobile accessories have continued unrestricted, thereby hurting domestic manufacturers. These items escape scrutiny as they are classified under 'others' category during the import process. Also read: Govt imposes restriction on palm oil import after Malaysia's criticism of PM Modi's action on Kashmir, CAA Minor items like 'unsorted waste' and 'scrap' from China also witnessed a 40 per cent spurt in the recent past. The sale of items like 'antennas', used in various sectors, also saw a 30 per cent jump in the last fiscal. Even items like 'mobile phones' were coming in under the 'others' category till recently and raised no alarm bells like 'steel' or 'chemicals' do, but accounted for 20 per cent (about $100 billion) of India's imports. The Centre is now looking into ways to create a licencing mechanism for the 'other' category imports. A large number of items, which make up about 25 per cent of India's imports, can't be ignored, a senior official of the Ministry of Commerce told India Today. "The country needs to know what's being imported. There needs to be a mechanism to set quality standards and enforcement." Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had also flagged the issue recently, saying India, like Germany, might restrict the import of products brought in under the 'others' category. President Trump says he wants to order the end of automatic citizenship for babies of illegal immigrants born in the United States. The U.S. government has traditionally held that section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which contains the Citizenship Clause, guarantees that right for all children born on American soil. WHAT DOES THE CITIZENSHIP CLAUSE SAY? 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.' The sentence that follows specifies citizen rights: 'No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.' HOW DID IT GET IN THE CONSTITUTION? Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment in 1866. It was ratified on July 9, 1868 by three-fourths of the states. The amendment effectively nullified an 1857 Supreme Court decision Dred Scott v. Sandford which had held that people descended from slaves could not be citizens. The amendment's opening sentence, which served to define its vocabulary, has become among the most controversial clauses in the entire Constitution. WHAT WAS THE GOAL OF REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS? The Fourteenth Amendment was proposed and ratified to help blacks, especially emancipated former slaves, have a chance to integrate into society after the American Civil War. Congress wanted to prevent the U.S. states where they lived from sidestepping the efforts of Abraham Lincoln and other Republicans to guarantee their rights to 'life, liberty and property.' By 1868, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had freed slaves in southern U.S. states, but they still didn't have the same constitutional rights as citizens. That legal limbo led to the formation of 'Colonization Societies' that sought to remove them from the country and send them either to Caribbean islands or to Africa. Some southern states also enacted 'Black Code' laws in a bid to preserve the rights of slave-owners by calling their slaves 'apprentices' who couldn't be removed from their 'service.' Ohio Republican Rep. John A. Bingham, a friend of President Lincoln, proposed the amendment to remedy these problems, writing specific language to guarantee that any slave born on American soil would retroactively be declared a citizen. Bingham wrote at the time that his text wasn't intended to create any new legal rights, but was 'simply a proposition to arm the Congress with the power to enforce the Bill of Rights as it stands in the Constitution today. It hath that extent no more.' COULD IT EXCLUDE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS' BABIES? While the amendment was being debated, Michigan Republican Senator Jacob Howard, who drafted the amendment along with Bingham, said that was never his intention. 'This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons,' he said. 'It settles the great question of citizenship and removes all doubt as to what persons are or are not citizens of the United States,' Howard added. But it did not; the legislation made no mention of that, and at the time there was no concept of illegal immigration. WAS THERE ANOTHER SIDE? California Republican Sen. John Conness was concerned that U.S.-born children of the large number of Chinese immigrants in his state would end up without American citizenship. Conness declared in a debate that the amendment 'proposed to declare that they shall be citizens,' adding that 'I am in favor of doing so.' That point wasn't debated, but Howard also didn't object to Conness's interpretation, which twenty-first century immigration advocates often cite as proof that birthright citizenship is constitutional. WHAT HAS THE SUPREME COURT SAID? In 1873 the Supreme Court ruled that the phrase 'subject to its jurisdiction' was intended to exclude children of non-citizen immigrants. That decision answered a narrow question, establishing that the 14th Amendment only guaranteed rights to people who were U.S. citizens, and didn't cover anyone who was only granted 'citizenship' by an individual U.S. state. The majority opinion includes a note that 'the phrase 'subject to its jurisdiction' was intended to 'exclude from its operation children of ministers, consuls, and citizens or subjects of foreign States born within the United States.' Two years later the high court ruled that immigrants can only have automatic citizenship for their children when they the adults owe 'allegiance' to the U.S. and not to a foreign nation. The concept of allegiance means little today but most people at the time were born in monarchies and were subjects, not citizens. The meaning of jurisdiction to some simply meant the ordinary modern meaning - an obligation to follow the law of the land in which you are present - but to others meant the allegiance you owe to the monarch of whom you are a subject, regardless of whether you are in their country or not. Snother senator involved in the 14th Amendment, Lyman Trumbull, interpreted it that way - but once again, that is not in the legislation. In 1898 the Supreme Court ruled that a specific Chinese immigrant's child was a citizen of the United States, citing the 14th Amendment's text. That decision has stood for 120 years, but it was decided decades before the concept of 'illegal aliens' was part of Americans' vocabulary; quite simply there was no concept of lawful or unlawful entry into the country. As a complication, American Indians were excluded from citizenship until 1924 on the basis that their primary allegiance was to their tribe. But that was never challenged in court, it was altered by an act which did not address whether the 14th Amendment should have been taken to cover them. More recently, at a dinner party in 2010, then-Justice Antonin Scalia said he believed Howard's original view was right but for an unrelated reason. He told his fellow guests that purposely including the words 'and subject to the jurisdiction thereof' suggested that people born in the U.S. weren't automatically citizens, especially if they were 'subject to the jurisdiction' of some other nation. He thought the words were included with the intention of ruling out a large number of people. But Scalia, who died in 2016, allowed at the time that the way the modern U.S. interprets dual citizenships could also mean many people are 'subject to the jurisdiction of' more than one country. WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF TRUMP SIGNS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER? If the president orders that the federal government must treat children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. as non-citizens, two things would likely happen. States where Democrats control the legislatures and that have Democratic governors would quickly enact laws doing the opposite. And civil rights groups would sue U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in federal court. Whichever reaches a full boil first the lawsuits or the question of the federal government's 'supremacy' over state laws the whole thing will likely end up at the Supreme Court. Trump has already appointed two justices, creating what some observers believe will be a 5-4 conservative majority. If that holds - and they rule in his favor - Trump will win the debate and his order will stand. In that scenario, a future Democratic president, however, could undo it with an executive order of their own. An Indian national who committed a murder in Abu Dhabi in 2008 will be prosecuted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the request of UAE authorities under the extradition treaty between both countries. The central agency registered an FIR on Wednesday against the accused, Indrejeet Singh, under section 302 (murder) of the IPC so that he can be tried here. Singh was sentenced to death by a trial court in Abu Dhabi in 2009 in absentia for the murder of another Indian, Rama Lengaw Natesan. The court had imposed a fine of 200.000 Dirham (AED) blood money on him. Natesans body was found on the morning of August 28, 2008. The motive behind the killing was a dispute over 300 AED. After allegedly killing Natesan, Singh returned to India. In its May 2016 request, UAE asked that Singh be prosecuted before a competent Indian court based on Treaty of Judicial and Legal Assistance duly signed between the two countries, and intimate the final outcome of the prosecution. Singh had been arrested here. A CBI official who didnt wish to be named said, This means that our investigators will examine the UAE documents and court judgement and present their own case before a Delhi court and our prosecutors will argue it, the officer said. At least 25 students who have returned from colleges in Wuhan to their homes in India are under close watch for symptoms of a deadly new virus that has triggered a global health alarm, officials said on Thursday as authorities around the world stepped up efforts to avert a wider contagion. Known till now only as the novel coronavirus, the pathogen is believed to have begun spreading to humans from a meat market in Wuhan, a city in central China, which on Thursday became one of five in the country to be put under an unprecedented lockdown. We are in touch with the Indian embassy in China and getting details of passengers [travelling from China] on a daily basis. While close to 1,200 students might be studying there (Wuhan) as per our information, so far 25 students who have recently come back to India from the outbreak city have been identified. All of them are being closely monitored. None of the students is symptomatic, said a senior health ministry official who asked not to be named. The virus, which has killed 18 people and has infected at least 600 others in China alone, has reached as far as the United States and is feared it will spread further with millions of Chinese and expats based in China expected to travel over the coming lunar new year holidays. Most Indian students are believed to have begun travelling back home and elsewhere since January 10, days before concerns about the outbreak forced airports across the world to screen and isolate suspected patients in order to curb the spread. India began the screening at some airports on Friday before expanding it to all airports handling flights from Chinese cities on Monday. Their details have been shared with district-level officers; we even have their mobile numbers. They are being counselled and under close watch, said the health ministry official. Health officials had approached the ministry of external affairs and Indian embassies in China for details of students who may be in the affected region -- information that seemed to not have been readily available. According to people familiar with developments, one of the biggest problems is that many of the 23,000-odd Indian students in China arent registered with the embassy in Beijing or the two consulates. The students also arent expected to inform the missions about their arrival and departure schedules, according to officials in Beijing and the MEA who asked not to be named. Indian embassy and consulate officials in China have compiled details of students from Wuhan available with them and sent the information to New Delhi, one of these officials added. The list isnt comprehensive, this person admitted. The number is estimated to be around 600-700. The embassy in Beijing has started two hotlines (+8618612083629 and +8618612083617) and advised Indians to keep track of its social media accounts (Twitter:@EoIBeijing; Facebook: India in China) for updates. On Thursday evening, Chinese officials announced suspension of public transport in five cities Huanggang, Ezhou, Zhijiang, Qianjiang and Wuhan in Hubei province, official media reported. No trains or planes were allowed to arrive in or depart from Wuhan, the city of 11 million people where the virus is believed to have first emerged. In all, nearly 20 million people have virtually been quarantined a number equivalent roughly to Delhis population at present. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses which derives its name from a crown-like shape -- that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a new strain. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the information regarding the virus is still evolving and there is more information required before a decision can be taken on whether or not to declare the outbreak an international public health emergency. Theres not much clarity right now about the overall virus behaviour such as what is the incubation period, severity of infection, or mutability. And there is absolutely no information currently on how the virus will behave among Indian population, so the approach will be direct to treat the existing symptoms, said a senior researcher at the National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi. Since India began screening of passengers on January 17, close to 12,000 passengers have been screened. On Thursday, junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan said a woman from Kerala had tested positive for the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia. Hours later, however, the Indian embassy in Jeddah said the infection was of the MERS coronavirus, not the unknown pathogen associated with Wuhan. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday took umbrage at his senior party leader Pavan Varma for going public with reservations about the Janata Dal-Uniteds support to Citizenship (Amendment) Act and tie-up with Bharatiya Janata Party for Delhi assembly polls, and made it clear that the scholarly" diplomat-turned-politician was "free to go wherever he likes". Kumars blunt remarks came two days after Varma, a former Rajya Sabha member, sent him a two-page letter on the issue and shared screenshots of the same on his official Twitter handle and Facebook profile despite it containing details of conversations the two were claimed to have had "in private". Varma, who had sought "ideological clarity" from Kumar the JD-Us national president had arrived in the city later in the day on a private visit during which he could not meet the chief minister but demanded from him "a full statement" on CAA-NPR-NRC in view of the country-wide movement against the same. Kumar made the comment when mediapersons approached him at the historic Gandhi Maidan, where he had come to attend a function organized on the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses birth anniversary. "He (Varma) is a scholarly person for whom I have enormous, personal respect. But the types of statements he has been giving.. it has left me flabbergasted," he said. "There should be no confusion on the stand taken by the Janata Dal-United on issues. Our stand is always very clear. But if he had any reservations, he could have expressed the same in a party forum. And the reference to conversations made in private! Would I ever go public with what he has said to me in private", Kumar said with obvious displeasure. "Nonetheless, I have lots of respect for him. He can go wherever he likes", Kumar said with smile on his lips, concealing the bitterness caused by the recent development. This is the first time that the Bihar chief minister has chosen to speak about voices of dissent emerging from his party in the wake of the JD-Us decision to support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament in the winter session, less than a year after having opposed the same. Besides Varma, poll strategist-turned-JD-Uvice president Prashant Kishor has also been venting displeasure over the party's stand on the contentious law. Varma, in his letter, had written in detail about the views claimed to have been expressed by Kumar during their "private" conversations about "divisive" agenda of BJP, the leadership of Narendra Modi, who had become a polarising figure in the wake of post-Godhra riots and reminded him of his past efforts at making an "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh mukt bharat". Varma also wrote about Kumar having complained that "the current leadership in the BJP has humiliated him and expressed a "personal" view that there was need for "democratic and socialist forces" to "regroup" against the saffron party and also about having "actually assigned a senior party official" the task. Varma, who had resigned from the Indian Foreign Service in 2013 to take over as the chief ministers culture adviser and got elected to the Rajya Sabha for a two-year period in 2014, had questioned the partys decision to take its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar by contesting the Delhi assembly polls in alliance. He had cited the example of the Shiramoni Akali Dal, one of the BJPs oldest allies, which has declined to contest elections in the national capital despite a sizeable population of Sikhs following differences with the saffron party over non-inclusion of Muslims in the CAA Notably, the Akali Dal is a part of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre which the JD-U is not. Mumbai, Jan 23 : On Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's 123rd birth anniversary on Thursday, filmmaker Kabir Khan opened up on the hero who, he feels, has been 'forgotten' despite playing a major role in India's struggle for Independence. Khan's new web series "The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye" narrates the story of Bose's Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army (INA). "INA is a big subject and, if you talk about Netaji, it is an even bigger subject. Our story is focused on the events that happened between 1942 and 1945, and what happened with the army that was formed. It is the story of Azad Hind Fauj through the eyes of the soldiers," said Khan. "There are accounts looking at Azad Hind Fauj and the entire movement through the eyes of Netaji, but I think this is the first time we will see it through the eyes of the soldiers. Who were these 55,000 men and women who went into battle, what is their story and motivation? This is what forms the canvas of the series," the filmmaker added. Khan also explained why, despite immense contribution to India's freedom struggle, Netaji's INA remains a forgotten chapter in our history. "All these stories are never told in India. The British had put a censorship on anything to do with Azad Hind Fauj because they knew what Netaji was planning to do. Netaji knew that 55,000 people are not enough to take on the entire British empire. His plan was to try and garner support as his army moved towards mainland India. He hoped to fire the imagination of people so that there might be a revolution. Unfortunately that never happened. But the British blacklisted INA and that's a reason why it's called the Forgotten Army," the filmmaker explained. Mystery lingers on over how Bose might have died. There have been speculations that he spent his last days in disguise, as Gumnami Baba. A lot of debate and discussions have happened over the years whether Netaji and Gumnami Baba were the same person. Khan is sceptical on this count: "I feel there is not enough evidence to really believe this. What happens is that in situations of history where there is less information -- which is the case of Azad Hind Fauj -- mythology comes into play. I'm not a great expert on Netaji. I'm just a normal person who has read books on him. But I feel a person like him would never remain gumnam. A person like him would always come out and do something for the country if he was alive and around." The filmmaker, who made a documentary titled "The Forgotten Army" in 1999, is sad that today's youth hardly know about INA or its contributions. "This is a story the youth needs to know. Today's youth hardly know about INA. They know Netaji but they don't what he did, and as far as Azad Hind Fauj goes, they have no idea about it," he expressed. "The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye" stars Sunny Kaushal, TJ Bhanu, Rohit Chaudhary and debutant actress Sharvari in key roles. The web series will stream on Amazon Prime January 24 onwards. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text File photo Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia has suggested that special teams be formed by the Madhya Pradesh health department for the treatment of cancer patients in the state. He was speaking during a visit to the Indian Institute of Head and Neck Oncology here late late Wednesday evening. State health minister Tulsiram Silawat was also present at the institute. "Efforts must be taken right from the state government level to form special teams to treat patients suffering from cancer and other serious ailments," Scindia said. In this campaign against cancer, help can also be taken from specialists working in the non-government sector, he added. The institute's secretary and noted cancer surgeon Dr Digpal Dharkar said Scindia was impressed with the work at the medical facility and donated Rs 25 lakh for the construction of an operation theatre. Scindia has also suggested identifying two to three backward districts in the state to start a campaign against cancer at the grassroot level, Dharkar said. Ride-sharing companies blasted Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers proposal to impose a $1-per-ride assessment, up from 20 cents per ride, and representatives say the fee increase would be passed along to riders. We share the states goals of reducing congestion and investing in mass transit, but we have concerns with any proposal that would result in a substantial tax increase for riders," said Harry Hartfield, a spokesman for Uber. Baker introduced his proposal for Transportation Network Companies, or TNCs, Wednesday afternoon as part of his fiscal 2021 budget rollout, arguing that these services have become increasingly prevalent. When youre talking about 100 million rides that literally permeate the Commonwealth youre talking about a wear and tear on our roads and bridges that needs to be supported through some other mechanism," Baker said after delivering his budget speech Wednesday afternoon. I think this is the right thing to do, and we support it, the Republican governor said. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker unveils his proposed fiscal 2021 budget. Campbell Matthews, a spokeswoman for Lyft, disagrees. Lyft shares the goal of improving public transit in Massachusetts, but a five-times increase on ride-share fees will not solve the transportation challenges in the state, and will hurt those who can least afford it, Matthews said in a statement. TechNet, an advocacy group for technology companies, also opposes the governors assessment hike. We are concerned and disappointed that Gov. Baker is proposing to increase the tax on ride-share riders by five times the current amount," said Christina Fisher, executive director of TechNet in Massachusetts. "Residents and visitors across the Commonwealth rely on apps like Lyft and Uber to get around, but this increased tax threatens the affordability and access of these vital services. We urge the Governor to reconsider. An assessment increase isnt a direct tax on Massachusetts residents, but critics say businesses would pass on the costs to consumers, likely leading to more expensive Uber and Lyft rides. Bakers budget projects an assessment increase would generate about $120 million in ride fees. About 70 percent would go toward transportation funding, and 30 percent would go to the municipalities. About $73 million of the revenue from ride fees would go toward the proposed $135 million funding boost for the MBTA in fiscal 2021. The Department of Public Utilities report in June states that ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft provided 81.3 million rides in Massachusetts in 2018, about 25 percent more than the year before. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation congestion report in August stated that ride-hailing use rose by 25 percent from 2017 to 2018 alone and suggested TNCs are contributing to congestion on local roads. These trips accounted for 4.4 percent of all trips in Boston in 2018, and even less in Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline, though most of the services growth has been outside of the Greater Boston area, according to the report. It identified Palmer, Templeton and Adams as communities where Uber and Lyft use doubled. Lawmakers have suggested revisiting the existing fee structure and the uses of the revenue generated by the fees. House Speaker Robert DeLeo said a proposed assessment increase is being considered by the House for its own revenue debate. It is interesting to see that the administrations budget proposal contains an increase in transportation network company fees directed at funding our transportation system, said DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat. Lawmakers have also pushed for two bills that would tax ride-hailing companies for empty cars or single rides. Marie-Frances Rivera, president of the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, raising TNC assessments isnt unreasonable, but also isnt the only means to generate revenue. There are other ways that we can raise revenue that wouldnt impact low-, moderate- income people as much, she said. Related Content: Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker proposes $44.6 billion fiscal 2021 budget for public education, transportation improvements Gov. Charlie Baker, lawmakers commit to net-zero emissions goal by 2050 for Massachusetts How bad is Massachusetts traffic and what can be done about it? Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, lawmakers push for tax hikes on Uber, Lyft to encourage carpooling It all started with a Google Doc, which outlined the products she uses to keep her skin clear. Rio now writes about beauty products for us full-time. Shes not a professional, shes just crazy. Photo: Rio Viera-Newton A few months ago, I received a series of frantic texts from a friend of mine whod recently gotten engaged. She wanted me to tell her exactly what she should buy to begin to get her skin into shape for her wedding day. I, of course, responded with a psychotically long email explaining what products she should and shouldnt use, what treatments she should get (and how often), and even what makeup artist to hire for the big day (Shayna Goldberg, always). This was not the first nor last time Ive written a long, specifically tailored response to a bride-to-be (whether that bride-to-be is a friend, a friend of a friend, or a perfect stranger who DMd me on Instagram) looking for advice on how to get bright, glowy skin before their wedding day. While each email is slightly different, I find that there are a few products that I always end up recommending to my skin-obsessed brides. Those products, plus my treatment advice, are listed below. (A note: Most brides that reach out to me ask for splurge-worthy skin care, so this list is on the pricey side. Look here for an article on some of my under-$30 skin-care favorites.) Routine Order Morning Cleanser Vitamin C Serum Toner Essence Moisturizer SPF Evening Cleanser Toner Essence Hyaluronic Acid Serum Moisturizer Cleansers Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm $38 Then I Met Yous Living Cleansing Balm and Dr. Lorettas Hydrating Cleanser are two of my favorite cleansers in the entire world. Both are super gentle, hydrating, and brightening. The balm is better for taking off makeup and the hydrating cleanser is a bit more nourishing on the skin. I recommend using them together (balm first to take off makeup, then gentle cleanser to clean your skin). $38 at Soko Glam Buy Essences / Toner Serums Allies of Skin Vitamin C 35% Collagen Rebuilding Serum $118 Photo: Courtesy the vendor People all the time ask me, Do I really have to use a vitamin C serum? I dont see it doing anything! Well, the answer is absolutely yes, you should be using a vitamin C serum daily especially if youre trying to get extra-bright skin for your wedding day. And for any skeptics, this serum is here to prove you wrong. Its an extra-potent vitamin C serum (35 percent), and you just will notice a change in the brightness and overall radiance of your skin if you use it daily. This will help lift any dark marks or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (the spots left behind after zits), making sure youre a clear, super-watt light bulb for your wedding day. If youre sensitive to vitamin C, you might prefer something a little milder, like this serum from Klairs. $118 at Dermstore Buy Moisturizer Augustinus Bader the Cream $289 So this is like the It cream right now. Theres tons of insane science behind its magical, skin-healing properties, and every celebrity in the world endorses it. Its intensely thick and a tiny bit goes a long way dont overdo it. Just to be completely transparent, I know people who love it and I know people who dont really like it (it can make you break out), but its the kind of thing where if it does work for you, its absolutely insanely game changing. Like take your skin to the next level vibe. If you have a while before your wedding I would maybe try it and see if it works for you because if its good, its really, really good. $289 at Amazon Buy From $170 at Saks Fifth Avenue Buy Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream $68 This is my personal go-to moisturizer (and the one Id use if you dont want to spring for the Augustinus Bader). Its really moisturizing but not greasy and heavy, and its really helped my skin a lot this winter. $68 at Sephora Buy Sunscreen Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF 40 $50 Wear sunscreen every single day! On top of sun safety, there are so many anti-aging benefits and also can make sure your skin looks as bright as possible on your wedding day. This wont break you out. Also it even protects you from BLUE LIGHT from your computer (!!!). $50 at Dermstore Buy Face Masks May Lindstrom The Problem Solving Correcting Masque $100 This is one of my favorite fixer-upper masks when Im dealing with breakouts or when my skin just generally looks all-around bad. This is kind of a DIY situation the mask comes as a powder and you mix it with equal parts water (in a cup or in your hand if youre lazy) to create this black charcoal mask. Throw it on, hang out, then hop in the shower (I find its the easiest way to wash it off without making a complete mess). My skin looks glowy, less red and irritated, and ultrasmooth afterward. Use this one about every two weeks leading up to the wedding if you have dry or sensitive skin (once a week if you have oily skin). $100 at Goop Buy Treatments New York For my monthly maintenance I see Sofie Pavitt, who has a charming studio on Canal Street (shes a goddess and her facials are so reasonably priced). But, when Im feeling particularly indulgent I head uptown to Mia Wagner Salon, where skin legend Sofia Visan works (she was formerly at Aida Bicaj, another famous uptown salon). Her facials are expensive, but so incredibly worth it. Trust me when I say her hands are magic. I dont know what it is about her, but after I see her my skin is insanely clear and radiant for weeks. The first time I saw her I was struggling with really terrible breakouts and she completely turned my skin around. This is definitely the kind of treatment you want to indulge in pre-wedding. A friend of mine, Alison Chemla (who runs jewelry company Alison Lou) saw her religiously before her wedding this year and said that she couldnt be happier with the way her skin looked on the big day. Los Angeles Im sure you have a facialist in L.A. already, but there is this one woman called Joomee Song who does really intense facial massages that essentially sculpt the shit out of your face. She was Lady Gagas facialist during the production of a A Star Is Born since she wasnt able to wear makeup in a lot of scenes, she had to make sure she looked snatched all the time, and Joomee helped her do that. This is an incredible pre-event thing. She makes you look so chiseled and awake. I would definitely go in and see her before an engagement party or rehearsal dinner or whatever. She doesnt do deep-cleaning extractions, but anytime Im doing a photo-heavy thing in L.A., I see her. get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. In addition, the campaign had a contract with Kellogg Arena, where the rally was held, which racked up $33,000 in costs. Arena officials have submitted an invoice to the campaign for payment, and city administrators plan to do the same, according to the analysis. Our No. 1 objective is to keep visitors and residents safe, Fleury said. It is certainly, as we called it many times, a logistical challenge. +2 A ticket does not guarantee you access to Trump's Wildwood rally Got a ticket to the Trump rally at the Wildwoods Convention Center next Tuesday? Campaign officials told the city to be prepared for an influx of 20,000 people for the Dec. 18 rally, she said. For Battle Creek, which has a population of 52,000, its police force of about 112 sworn officers wasnt going to be enough, so officials called in mutual aid from the surrounding areas, including State Police and the Sheriffs Office. Wildwood police Chief Robert N. Regalbuto declined in an email to discuss security measures prior to Trumps visit but said he would speak about it afterward. 'Second chance' breakfast proves popular With the New Year, Henderson County Public Schools expanded its Universal Breakfast programming to three secondary schools, and is offering "Second Chance Breakfast" opportunities at no cost to students at Apple Valley Middle, North Henderson High, and East Henderson High. Universal Breakfast means breakfast is available in the cafeteria for any and all students, free of charge, before school begins. For the past decade, the HCPS Child Nutrition Department has prepared universal breakfast at 7 elementary schools (Bruce Drysdale, Clear Creek, Dana, Edneyville, Hillandale, Sugarloaf and Upward) that serve a high population of students qualifying for Free & Reduced meals. On Jan. 6 following winter break, the Universal Breakfast program expanded to Apple Valley, North, and East, and these three schools will include Second Chance Breakfasts as part of their free meal options. This will give students a second opportunity to grab breakfast after their first period class, in case they missed breakfast in the morning before school. Students will be able to pick up grab-and-go breakfasts from carts that are placed strategically in the hallways to serve as many students as possible in each school. Apple Valley rolled out the "Second Chance Breakfast" cart service on Wednesday, North Henderson High starts today, and East will begin Monday, Jan. 27. HCPS Child Nutrition Director said the first day of the breakfast cart implementation at Apple Valley on Wednesday was an instant success, having served 206 breakfasts off three carts in record time. Within 10 minutes, the carts were emptied, said Peggy Marshall, principal of Apple Valley Middle. It was definitely a hit. Second Chance Breakfast is being piloted as part of the Universal Breakfast programs new to these secondary schools that serve a high population of students qualifying for Free & Reduced meals, in an effort to provide a solid foundation for learning in an environment that reduces the social stigma of food insecurity. However, the Second Chance Breakfast initiative isnt limited to schools with a Universal Breakfast program, and other HCPS schools offer the grab-and-go options as part of their regular meal payment programs. Our goal is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to eat breakfast as I believe students are able to study, retain information, and perform at a higher level when they are not hungry, said Superintendent Bo Caldwell. By making these grab-and-go meals available in between classes, students can eat on their own terms and reduce the food insecurity for some students. Landon Durham (pictured), 16, has been arrested for allegedly killing his mom and twin bothers in their Alabama home A 16-year-old Alabama boy who has been charged with murdering his mother and twin brothers headed off to school after allegedly stabbing them to death, it was revealed. Deputies from the Talladega County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence on Roy Lackey Lane in Munford on Tuesday. When they arrived, they found three victims who have been identified as Holli Christina Durham, 36, Branson Durham, 13, and Baron Durham, 13. Holli's eldest son, Landon Durham, left the crime scene and headed off to Munford High School, where he is a junior. Law enforcement officials issued a 'be on the lookout' notice identifying the suspect in the triple homicide and warning that he might be armed with knives and swords. Landon was arrested without incident on Wednesday morning at a store located across from Beans and Greens Restaurant on County Road 71 Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens said the teenager will be charged as an adult. Landon Durham (far right) is accused of stabbing to death his mother, Holli, and brothers, Branson and Baron (pictured on the left) Deputies from the Talladega County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Roy Lackey Lane in Munford, Alabama, on Tuesday. Upon arrival, they found three victims who were identified as Holli Durham (center), 36, Branson Durham, 13, and Baron Durham, 13 (both pictured) Holli's son, Landon (center, with his twin brothers), was arrested on Wednesday and charged with capital murder, Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens said. The teenager will be charged as an adult Giddens did not comment on a possible motive, but said authorities believe the three were killed early Tuesday with some kind of a knife. The cause of death appears to be due to stab wounds. According to the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office, Landon was found at 7.40am while traveling toward Etowah County. The Talladega County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook that: 'Investigators are actively following leads and processing the scene for evidence.' 'I don't mean this bad, but this is the kind of crime that you see on TV or the media or the internet that happens other places,' Giddens said. 'To have it here, really hits home. Munford, like all communities in this county, is pretty close knit, and I know they are hurting and we are too. Holli Durham lived with her fiance (back row) and her three sons in Munford, Alabama Photos shared on Holli's Facebook page paint a picture of a close relationship between her and Landon (pictured together in April and May 2019) Holli got engaged to a landscape architect, Ben Pierce (far right), in 2015 'It's just hard to believe these kind of things can happen,' he added. Landon's mother, who went by the name Holli Swafford Pierce on Facebook, was engaged to be married and lived with her landscaper fiance and her sons in Munford. Her ex-husband, the boys' father, serves as a US Army recruiter and lives in Texas, where the kids would go visit him. Holli's frequent social media posts and photos portray her as a devoted mother who was proud of her children and enjoyed a close relationship with them. According to a status update written by her own mother, Holli had been battling multiple sclerosis since 2011. The mother of three often posted photos of Landon and the twins, and wrote about them with great affection, marveling at how they've grown. The siblings' biological father, Holli's ex-husband, is a US Army recruiter who lives in Texas (Landon, Branson and Baron are pictured with their dad, right) Landon is pictured with his father dressed in uniform during a recent visit Landon (right) is a high school junior, while his younger brothers were freshmen Last May, Holli shared a selfie showing her and Landon displaying his new drivers license: 'Woowww!! Be safe out there with your new found freedom Landon! Cant believe these kids are almost grown!!' That April, she shared a picture of Landon dressed in a hooded sweatshirt that read 'One of a Kind' and wrote in the caption, 'This boy,' followed by a heart emoji. Other photos taken around that time showed the mother and her lookalike son embracing for the camera. Holli's very last Facebook post dated January 6 featured a group photo of her family. In it, the mother stood between her twins, leaning on one of them, with Landon standing off to the side on the far right. Anyone who has any information is encouraged to contact the Talladega County Sheriff's Office Investigation Division at 256-761-2141 or leave an anonymous tip at www.talladegasheriff.com. Cloud ERP company recognizes SPS Commerce Fulfillment as an Acumatica-Certified Application on its latest version MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SPS Commerce, Inc. (SPSC), a leader in retail cloud services, today announced that SPS Commerce Fulfillment has been recognized as an Acumatica-Certified Application (ACA) on its latest version, Acumatica 2019 R2. SPS completed the most recent Acumatica certification process by demonstrating alignment to Acumaticas certification standards and passing Acumaticas test requirements. Acumatica Summit attendees can experience SPS Fulfillment by visiting with our retail experts at booth #21 on January 26-28, 2020, at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. SPS Commerce delivers innovative, full-service solutions so our customers can focus on what they do best, said Mark OLeary, Chief Marketing Officer at SPS Commerce. Our latest certification to Acumaticas ERP demonstrates this commitment. As an embedded solution, SPS Commerce Fulfillment places automation capabilities directly within the Acumatica ERP. Users continue to work within Acumatica to automate interactions between trading partners. SPS Fulfillment has helped more than 80,000 companies handle complex fulfillment requirements for any retail trading partner, across any channel, including stores, e-commerce and marketplaces. The full-service solution offers more than 100 pre-built business system connections to automate the order fulfillment process, including the latest certified integration to Acumatica. Customers who want to stay competitive need flexible, responsive technology to execute their long-term business strategies, said Christian Lindberg, Vice President of Partner Solutions at Acumatica. Our ACA label is built to help customers find applications capable of delivering that. Were proud to recognize SPS Commerce Fulfillment as an Acumatica-Certified Application. It masterfully utilizes the Acumatica platform to meet customers growing business demands. A Canadian guide died and five French tourists were missing after their snowmobiles plunged through ice into freezing water in northern Quebec, Canadian police said Wednesday. The group were riding near where a river exits the Saint-Jean lake, and were outside the approved area for snowmobiles, police spokesman Hugues Beaulieu told AFP. Nine people, including the excursion guide, were on the trip when the ice broke underneath them in the dark on Tuesday evening. Police said they were alerted by two of the tourists who had rescued a third from the water. The 42-year-old guide, Benoit L'Esperance of Montreal, was pulled out by emergency response teams and taken to hospital, but he died overnight, Beaulieu said, adding "five French tourists are still missing." Officials said that details of the accident remained unclear. Survivors were hospitalized in the nearby town of Alma and treated for minor injuries and hypothermia. Ice on the lake is often very thick, but it is thinner where the lake funnels into the Saguenay River. The tourists had hired snowmobiles in the village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, nearly 300 kilometers (185 miles) away by trails, according to Canadian media. - Thin ice - Powerful snowmobiles on skis, which can reach the speed of 140 kilometers per hour, are popular with Quebecers and foreign tourists, but cause numerous accidents each year. Divers and two helicopters searched the area on Wednesday, alongside the police and army. "This sector was not part of a marked trail, they were off-piste," said the police spokesman. Authorities planned to continue searching through the night, while underwater and aerial reconnaissance were to pause until Thursday morning. Earlier, one of the search helicopters crashed into the icy lake, sending the pilot to hospital, police said. France's deputy consul general in Quebec, Laurent Barbot, who visited the site, told reporters that the missing French tourists were from the east of France. The three survivors are "physically doing well, but are in shock," he said. French television said the survivors hailed from Haut-Rhin. The missing tourists, aged 24 to 58, are Alsatian or Vosgian. The daily newspaper Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace said several of the group were friends who flew to Canada on Sunday. "People who know the area know that you should not go on the ice because it is very fragile due to strong currents," Gaetan Gagne, president of the Saint-Jean lake snowmobile club, told public broadcaster Radio-Canada. Quebec's acting public safety minister, Andree Laforest, announced an investigation. However the first priority, she told a press briefing, "is to find the missing as soon as possible." "The government has been in contact since this morning with the French authorities and the families will be notified," she added. Some worry that the tragedy will harm winter tourism in Quebec. Snowmobiling in particular is very popular with foreign tourists. There are 33,000 kilometers of marked snowmobiling trails in the Canadian province, according to the local snowmobiling association. But there are an average of 20 snowmobile deaths each year. In February 2019, two French tourists, a mother and her son, were killed in a snowmobile accident in a Quebec nature park. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox. Not Losing Sleep The first day of President Trumps impeachment trial didnt end until close to 2 a.m. on Wednesday, keeping senators up late. Recording devices are not allowed inside the Senate chamber, but a sketch artist captured some of the lawmakers looking less than invested in the proceedings. The pair's discussion ranged from co-operation in streamlining visa issuance to improving destination visibility through marketing, and strengthening partnerships with the local industry. For the leading international OTA headquartered in China, with 300 million users on its platforms in the country, the talks additionally opened up possibilities for collaboration with Italy in the 2020 Sino-Italian Year of Culture and Tourism. Building on a series of partnerships, ranging from the Italian Government Tourist Board (ENIT) to regional agreements with Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria and industry collaborations with FIAVET, Federturismo Confindustria, Trenitalia, Rome Airport, Milan Airport, and Museo Ferrari, the talks usher in a new phase for integrated collaboration between the country and the leading OTA, serving over 400 million users worldwide via its platforms. According to Trip.com Group statistics, most travelers prefer longer in-depth trips to Italy, with 45% of travelers spending between 8-14 days in the country. 65% of travelers choose 4 star hotels or above, and spend an average of more RMB 10,000 (EUR 1,300) on flights and accommodation alone. While most holiday itineraries continue to include tourist hotspots such as Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice and Naples, Trip.com Group will continue to work with Italy to improve the visibility of less-travelled destinations. Building upon existing partnerships with local governments, tourism boards and industry, Trip.com Group aims to integrate its platforms with in-destination services, such as restaurant reviews and bookings, things-to-do, and shopping. The partners also engaged in initial discussions regarding the possibilities of streamlined visa applications for VIP and corporate users on its platforms. Following the meeting with Minister Franceschini, Ms. Sun also met with Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MIBACT) Ms. Lorenza Bonaccorsi to further discussions, in the margin of the official inauguration of the Italy-China Culture and Tourism Year. "Tourism is an important asset for the Italian economy, accounting for 13% of Italy's GDP and employing 4.2 million people," said Undersecretary of State Ms. Bonaccorsi. "We welcome all efforts of Trip.com Group to bring Chinese tourists -- a growing source of International tourism -- to explore lesser-known destinations and boost new forms of cultural and experiential tourism." "Italy is such a unique destination, and we're excited to be building upon our strong partnerships here to offer better services to our customers, and to help Italy's less-travelled but equally noteworthy destinations to share their charm with the world," said Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun. "We look forward to working more closely together with Italy to deliver the perfect travel experience to our customers." About Trip.com Group: Trip.com Group is a leading one-stop travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group enables local partners and travelers around the world to make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services, through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related information and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of mobile apps, Internet websites and 24/7 customer service centers. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel brands in the world, with the mission of 'making every trip the perfect trip'. SOURCE Trip.com Group T he Duchess of Sussex has received an outpouring of support after an intimate tell-all documentary featuring her estranged father. Many were quick to throw their support behind Meghan, questioning Mr Markle's decision to trash his own daughter and claiming he is not to be trusted. One person condemned him for trying to cash in on the duchess, saying: I would never watch the Thomas Markle interview. The Duchess of Sussex's father, Thomas Markle / Channel 5 Any father who is willing to go on national TV to trash his own daughter is a piece of trash. He has sold his story to papers and is trying to cash in on his daughter. If he was my father I would never speak to him again. Another said they felt bad for both Meghan and Thomas, writing: I don't hate Thomas Markle at all for doing this interview. I don't blame Meghan for not talking to him either. I feel bad for both. Life's too short for pointless tit for tat family feuds. But others were quick to question his thought process behind agreeing to the interview, with one person saying: Thomas Markle really made deals with the paparazzi and is now trying to play victim in a tell all interview and doesnt understand why Meghan has cut him off? Another added: What doesnt Thomas Markle get about why his daughter isnt talking to him? He and Samantha Markle constantly sold stories and gave interviews one after the other .....and now he says she owes him - mate, how can you be surprised?! #markle One person said the interview made clear Mr Markle is not to be trusted, writing: He doesnt care about seeing his grandson or his daughter. "He cares only about cashing in. If he wouldve zipped his lips after his first paid tell-all interview on GMB, he wouldve talked to them by now. But that interview made it clear, Thomas Markle is not to trusted. #Megxit But, some said they supported Mr Markle for speaking out, with one person writing they shed a tear of genuine compassion for him. Another said he had the right to sell his story, writing: The man needed to and has the right to tell his story. Nothing wrong with that. He admitted to not being a saint. It just confirms how cold hearted and selfish Megan has been and still is. A water tanker plane fighting wildfires in Australia is feared to have crashed. Rural Fire Service officials said helicopters were looking for the plane after contact was lost in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales. The service said: Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed. A number of helicopters are in the area carrying out a search. The NSW Rural Fire Service is investigating reports of a serious incident involving an aircraft in southern NSW this afternoon. Contact was lost with a Large Air Tanker which was working in the Snowy Monaro area. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/i6u1mlZsZ0 NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 23, 2020 Meanwhile, Canberra Airport was closed on Thursday owing to nearby blazes, and residents south of Australias capital were told to seek shelter. The fire started on Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations. Please check with your airline for up to date flight details. Please follow ACT ESA to keep updated. https://t.co/V0uMtBAFJs Canberra Airport (@CanberraAirport) January 23, 2020 A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at the watch and act level. Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations, the airport authority said in a tweet. [January 23, 2020] Patriot One to Deliver Its PATSCAN Platform to Ohio School District TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patriot One Technologies Inc. (TSX: PAT) (OTCQX: PTOTF) (FRANKFURT: 0PL) (Patriot One or the Company), developer of the PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Covert Threat Detection Platform, is pleased to announce receipt of a purchase order for its PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Covert Threat Detection Platform from its security system integrator/reseller partner Ginter Electrical of Ohio and Mt. Healthy City School District in Mt. Healthy, Ohio. Were excited with our growing list of deployments of our PATSCAN Platform with schools and universities across the US, including our work with education clients and Ginter Electrical, shared Martin Cronin, Patriot One CEO and President. Through these initial school and university-based deployments, our Platform will provide invaluable data and learnings, which will help each future installation and deployment across a vast array of unique environments and venues. Were honored to have been selected by Mt. Healthy City Schools to begin deploying our covert threat detection platform which will help create a safer campus and community for their students, parents and staff. The PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Covert Threat Detection Platform has been shipped to Ginter Electrical, where they will be joined by Patriot One engineers and Mt. Healthy City School District security and engineering teams to begin testing for deployment of the solution. Specific location of the Platforms deployment will not be disclosed. Were excited to be part of a solution that will help our K-12 schools become safer across America, and working with Mt. Healthy City Schools, an Ohio public school district, makes this even more special to our team at Ginter Electrical, expressed T.J. Dooley, Ginter Electricals Systems Integration Manager. No student should have to walk into a school today and feel like they are walking into a fortress. This can create unnecessary anxiety for students who may wonder if their school is safe. The PATSCAN Covert Threat Detection Platform not only is focused on saving lives, but also saving a way of life for our students, and our community. "Mt. Healthy City School District is excited and proud to partner with Patriot One and Ginter Electrical for a reasonable assurance of the safety of our students and staff, express Dr. Reva Cosby, Mt. Healthy City School District Superintendent. Safety is the most important thing we can provide our students and staff to ensure student success." Following the initial deployment of the PATSCAN Platform at one of Mt. Healthy Schools, Patriot One and Ginter Electrical will work to broaden the deployment of the solution with other schools in the district, as well as with other clients who have expressed interest in the multi-sensor threat detection platform. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Martin Cronin Martin Cronin, CEO About Patriot One Technologies Inc. (TSX:PAT) (OTCQX: PTOTF) (FRA: 0PL): Patriot Ones mission is to deliver innovative threat detection and counter-terrorism solutions for safer communities. Our PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Covert Threat Detection Platform provides a network of advanced sensor technologies with powerful next genertion AI/machine learning software. The network can be covertly deployed from far perimeter to interiors across multiple weapons-restricted facilities. The PATSCAN platform identifies and reports threats wherever required; car park, building approach, employee & public entryways and inside the facilities. Each solution in the platform identifies weapons, related threats or disturbances for immediate security response. Our motto Deter, Detect and Defend is based on the belief that widespread use of the PATSCAN platform will act as an effective deterrent to diminish the epidemic of active threats around the globe. For more information, visit: www.patriot1tech.com ? or follow us on Twitter and Facebook . About Ginter Electrical Contractors: Since 1998, Ginter Electrical Contractors, LLC has been providing high-quality, reliable commercial/industrial services in the Greater Cincinnati/Tri-State area. As one of the most reliable and professional electrical contracting firms in the area, Ginter Electrical Contractors can provide full-service end-to-end, electrical solutions for all kinds of power systems. The companys highly trained, high quality work force has over 200 years of combined electrical experience and committed to providing its clients with the most comprehensive and efficient electrical and security solutions available; at a competitive price. As a family owned and operated company, we are proud of the high-quality workmanship we provide our friends and associates in the Greater Cincinnati area. To learn more, visit ginterelectric.com About Mt. Healthy City School District: Mt. Healthy City School District (CSD) is a culturally inclusive school system located in Hamilton County of southwestern Ohio and consists of three small communities: the City of Mt. Healthy and parts of Springfield Township and Colerain Township. Mt. Healthy CSD has a minority enrollment of 86.9%. The district encompasses comprehensive educational programs that span pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, with college preparatory, advanced placement, college credit plus, gifted programs, and vocational opportunities. These programs, coupled with co-curricular activities, provide the district's students with the voice and choice to develop into well-rounded and knowledgeable citizens. For further information, please contact: Patriot One Technologies Inquiries [email protected] www.patriot1tech.com Investor Relations John Martin, Investor Relations Manager Patriot One Technologies +1 (888) 728-1332 [email protected] Media Contacts: Scott Ledingham, Public Relations Patriot One Technologies +1-613-806-7135 [email protected] Missy Knight, Public Relations & Community Support Liaison Mt. Healthy City Schools +1-513-619-8433 [email protected] CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to system sales, product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects, believes, and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release 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 Company's expectations include counterparty default and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company 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. 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 will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Even on the first day of opening arguments, the seats of many Republican senators and a handful of Democrats were empty as Schiff wrapped up his remarks. Some members were standing against the back wall to stretch their legs, but others stayed out of the chamber for an extended period, even though the rules call for senators, like jurors at any trial, to be in their seats the entire time. NEW DELHI: Sessions court judge Satish Kumar Arora, who recently issued death warrants for all four convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case, has been appointed as additional registrar in Supreme Court of India. A letter sent by Registrar General, Delhi High Court, to the District Judge, Patiala House Courts said that Arora would be initially joining on deputation for a year. Satish Arora had been hearing the petition filed by Nirbhaya's parent seeking to expedite the process of the execution of convicts. The case is likely to be assigned to a new judge soon who will be entitled to entertain any plea related to the Nirbhaya case in the trial courts. Live TV Arora first issued the death warrant for all four convicts - Pawan, Vinay, Akshay and Mukesh - calling for their execution on January 22 at 7 am. After this two curative petitions were rejected by Supreme Court. A mercy petition was filed by Pawan which was also rejected by Supreme Court and later by the President. Jail Authorities informed the court of Judge Satish Arora that mercy petition was rejected by the President and that fresh death warrant be issued. Judge Satish Arora issued fresh warrants for execution for February 1 at 6 am. Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast Chinese coke traffickers. Latin American cartels. Millions in American cash laundered through a Guatemalan casino. According to a wild federal criminal complaint unsealed in Virginia last week, the war on drugs is going about as well as ever. But its still no cinch to hide the proceeds of cross-continental coke dealing. U.S. affidavits and civil forfeiture paperwork describe two men, Xueyong Wu, an alleged Guatemala-based drug trafficker who goes by the nickname Antonio, and Xizhi Li, a Chinese national, as alleged leaders of a drug trafficking cartel that netted millions of dollars in proceeds. According to charging documents in a case against Wu, the duo operated in no small part thanks to two casinos they owned and operated in Guatemala. Part of the alleged scheme was to show regional cartel members that the Chinese nationals had the collateral to pay them back if they were bustedand, of course, make the proceeds appear more legitimate. All told, the feds said, Wu and Li were linked to at least $30 million of illegal drug sales in the United States, which were picked up by a series of couriers up and down the East Coast, and then laundered through Guatemala by the pair of men back to the Colombian cartels. Inside the Networks of Sex Slaves, the Drug Trade, Colombian Cartels and Al Qaeda in Africa Wu was arrested on Dec. 11 in Los Angeles, upon returning from China. Law enforcement searched four of his electronic devices, which allegedly included conversations between him and others about moving large quantities of currency over the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat. His criminal case was unsealed late last week after an indictment charged him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and money laundering. A lawyer assigned to Wu in California when he was arrested stated he no longer represents the defendant after an initial detention hearing. Wu did not have an attorney of record for pending federal charges in Virginia, and could not be reached for comment for this story. Story continues Lis name also surfaced in a civil forfeiture procedure in Tennessee, where prosecutors seized over $600,000 in what they claimed were illicit drug proceeds from a bank account allegedly set up by Li. Li, for his part, does not appear to have been charged with a crime and does not appear to have responded to a federal summons in the case. Li did not immediately respond to Facebook messages and emails sent by The Daily Beast. A Justice Department spokesman with the Eastern District of Virginia, which is prosecuting the Wu case, declined to comment. A spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorneys office in the Western District of Tennessee did not respond to a request for comment. Prosecutors claim the duo bought a casino, named Golden Video Loteria, in Guatemala because they believed that it would help their drug trafficking business, which had been under DEA investigation since 2017, in a number of ways. In an affidavit, federal agents quoted an unnamed confidential witness who said the men, who had previously owned a Guatemalan casino called Golden MGM, went into the gambling business to show drug cartel representatives that they (LI, Xueyong Wu, and others) were wealthy businessmen and were capable of successfully moving drug money, and that if the money was seized they would be capable of repaying. The casino also served as a place for the two men to entertain alleged fellow gangsters, make new drug trafficking and money laundering contacts, and act as a convenient spot to stash weapons, the feds said. Henry Tso, a director at MNP, a Canadian tax accounting firm, and former RCMP superintendent of financial integrity, said he was not surprised by details of the case. Money laundering sees no boundaries, he told The Daily Beast, noting that Canadian officials have seen drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia use casinos as a front for their illegal activities. He added that in Canada, dirty money was loaned out to high-roller gamblers, which converted the currency to chips, gambled a small portion of it, and then cashed out the remaining money. Li and Wu allegedly used a number of methods to help move money for their cartel clients, court documents from the disruption of a drug trafficking network in Tennessee show. In an affidavit, federal agents alleged that Li rented out money laundering services to a Central American cartel run by Marisela Flores-Torruco, known as the Iron Lady. Flores-Torruco allegedly moved cocaine for notorious convicted cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and was arrested in Colombia in in 2017 on drug charges following an Interpol red notice requesting her detention on behalf of federal prosecutors in Virginia. As of 2018, Flores-Torruco was still fighting extradition to the United States, and could not be reached for this story. Investigators found that Li used a number of tricks to launder drug proceeds from Flores-Torrucos business and others, including domestic real estate ventures (including mortgages and loans on these properties) and mirror transfers. Confessions of a Deported U.S. Soldier: Mexican Drug Cartels Are Recruiting Us and The System Is Failing Li allegedly used the account names SUPER KING 99 and JL007 to text one of his alleged underlings, Qiyun Chen (aka Chinaloa), and organize bulk cash pickups and wire transfers of drug money to be laundered from drug sales in the United States. When the cartel linked by the feds to Flores-Torruco sold its cocaine in the U.S. branded with the names Rolex, XXX, and Swastica, Chen would allegedly take the cash and wire it to Li in Central America from locations in California and Colorado, using bank accounts set up with fake Guatemalan passports. Documents in the forfeiture case show federal agents arrested Chen in California in July 2017 following an indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia and charged her with belonging to a drug trafficking organization that had amassed over $62 million in drug proceeds. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment on the investigation of Chen, and The Daily Beast was unable to reach her for comment for this story. Money launderers for drug trafficking organizations, federal investigators explained in the civil forfeiture documents, commonly receive a commission fee (typically between 1%5%) as a result of their money laundering services. In other words, being involved with alleged players like Wu would have been extremely lucrative, to say the least. For his part, Wu is set to be arraigned in front of a federal judge on Friday. The casinos Facebook pages remained live as of this week, happily informing users that only videoloteria golden gives you many prizes. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. LONDON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Commonwealth of Dominica has established a new embassy in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. This becomes the first Dominican mission to the country, but also to the Middle East. Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced at the opening ceremony on January 21st that the embassy also comes to service a 'small but dynamic' community of Dominican economic citizens, which is growing via the island's world-leading Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. His Excellency Hubert John Charles was appointed as the Ambassador of Dominica to the UAE. Prior to his new appointment, H.E. Ambassador Charles served as the Dominican Ambassador to the United States of America and as the Permanent Representative of Dominica at the Organisation of American States. Special guests joined the inauguration of the new Dominican Embassy, showing support for the small Caribbean island. PM Skerrit said during the opening ceremony: "Thanks to the Citizenship by Investment Programme, Dominica already has a small but dynamic population, resident in the UAE and contributing to the dynamism of its service sector and to sustainable development at home." Furthermore, he added that the new Dominican Embassy in Abu Dhabi will serve as "a crucial link between what is in effect the Dominican diaspora here in the UAE and the homeland." As a result of the success and good reputation of the CBI Programme, investors' trust in both, Dominica and its Programme remains unshaken. Dominica grants successful CBI applicants valuable citizenship benefits like family security, visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel to 140 destinations and growing business opportunities. Middle Eastern families and single individuals can obtain Dominican citizenship upon making an investment into the island's economy, but only if they pass all the due diligence checks. Applicants choose from either making a minimum US$100,000 contribution to the Economic Diversification Fund or an investment worth at least US$200,000 in pre-approved real estate, comprising a selection of luxury hotels. With a growing number of economic citizens from the UAE, the Dominican government comes to assist its new citizens. The Dominican Embassy in Abu Dhabi will provide consular services to Dominican nationals, issuance of documentation, emergency notices, tourism advice and other services. The Dominican Embassy is located at 13-B 2F, Plaza 30, 100 Al Ladeem str, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Please visit www.dominicaembassyuae.com for further details. www.csglobalpartners.com [email protected] SOURCE CS Global Partners Related Links http://www.csglobalpartners.com US-based scientists say Chinese krait and cobras may be source of new coronavirus outbreak in China. Snakes including the Chinese krait and the cobra may be the source of the newly discovered 2019-nCoV coronavirus that triggered an outbreak of infectious respiratory illness in China, according to scientists. The illness was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan, a large city in central China, and has spread rapidly, killing at least 25 people and infecting 830 in China as of January 24. Infected travellers from Wuhan have spread the virus in China and other countries including Thailand, Japan, the United States and the Philippines. Scientists in China have been able to determine and document the genetic code of the new virus, leading to its positive identification as a new strain of coronavirus. Further research published by scientists from five Chinese universities presented a study of the genetic code of 2019-nCoV, finding that it was distinct from but closely related to SARS-like coronavirus samples from bats. This means that 2019-nCoV originated as a zoonotic virus, or one that was transmitted from animals to humans, but there is now evidence to suggest human-to-human transmission. Researchers who conducted a more detailed bioinformatics analysis of the new virus found the protein codes in the 2019-nCoV are most similar to those in snakes [File: Mike Clarke/AFP] A more detailed analysis of the 2019-nCoV sequence and protein codes by the Chinese scientists suggested that this coronavirus might come from snakes. There are reports that live animals, including snakes, were being sold in the seafood market in Wuhan where the outbreak is suspected to have originated. While there are no definitive findings, a theory has been posited that 2019-nCoV could have jumped from an original host species bats to snakes and then to humans. It also remains to be determined whether the virus adapted in order to survive in a warm-blooded human host after being in a cold-blooded one. 2019-nCoV is not the first zoonotic virus or bacteria to have caused an outbreak. Here are others that caused worldwide outbreaks: Ebola According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola was thought to have originated from fruit bats. Other animal hosts that could infect a human include chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines. Most of the Ebola outbreaks since its discovery in 1976 occurred in Africa [File: Catherine Soi/Al Jazeera] Transmission of the Ebola virus occurs upon close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or bodily fluids of infected animals found ill or dead in the rainforest. Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, as well as belongings that have been contaminated with their bodily fluids, can also lead to contracting the virus, the WHO said. Most of the Ebola outbreaks since its discovery in 1976 occurred in Africa, based on the study conducted by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So far, Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people. HIV/AIDS HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is believed to have been passed to humans from a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa, according to the US CDC. HIV infects the cells of the bodys immune system, rendering it more susceptible to infections and complications. According to the WHO, the term AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is applied to the most advanced stage of HIV infection, as identified by the occurrence of an infection or HIV-related cancer associated with severe immunodeficiency. HIV/AIDS continues to claim lives, with more than 32 million deaths as of 2019. Approximately 37.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2018, according to the WHO. Transmission can occur after the exchange of body fluids such as saliva, breast milk, blood, semen and vaginal secretions. Antiretroviral therapies can slow the progression of the disease but it is not accessible to millions living with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS continues to claim lives, with more than 32 million deaths as of 2019 [File: Shakil Adil/AP] Plague Plagues have existed for centuries. The Black Death, an epidemic of bubonic plague, killed an estimated 25 million people, starting from China and spreading to Europe, starting from 1334 to the late 1340s. Throughout history, there have been three main forms of plague: Bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic. They are caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis found in small mammals and their fleas. Infection occurs through the bite of infected vector fleas, unprotected contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials, and inhaling another patients respiratory droplets. All continents have gone through a plague one of the deadliest diseases in human history at some point except for Oceania. SARS Identified in 2003, the SARS severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus is believed to have originated from bats and later passed on to other animals such as civet cats. The first report of humans infected with the virus was in Guangdong province of southern China in 2002, according to the WHO. South Korean tourist assistants wear masks as a precaution against the MERS virus that started to spread in 2015 [File: Ahn Young-joon/AP] From November 2002 through July 2003, a total of 8,098 people worldwide became sick with SARS that was accompanied by either pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome (probable cases), according to the WHO. Of these, 774 died. There is no cure for SARS, but there are treatments such as breathing assistance, antibiotics, steroids and antiviral medicines. MERS Identified in 2012, the origins of the MERS Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus are not fully understood, however, the genomes suggest that it originated in bats and passed to camels. Studies have shown that humans were infected through direct or indirect contact with infected camels. The disease, which was reported in 27 countries, was not as widespread as SARS. According to the WHO, there have been 2,494 laboratory-confirmed cases, 80 percent of which were reported in Saudi Arabia. The fatality rate for the disease is approximately 35 percent, with 858 deaths since the outbreak. Rabies About 99 percent of transmissions of rabies is through dogs, though bats account for the majority of human rabies deaths in the Americas. Most rabies-related deaths occurred in Africa and Asia, accounting for 95 percent of world rabies deaths. Approximately 95 percent of world rabies-related deaths occurred in Africa and Asia [File: Firdia Lisnawati/AP] Transmission occurs through deep bites, scratches as well as infectious material, such as saliva, coming into direct contact with human mucosa and fresh wounds, according to the WHO. According to the WHO, there are an estimated 59,000 human deaths annually in more than 150 countries. Influenza A number of animals can transmit influenza, as the world saw with avian and swine flu. Direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments is how these viruses are transmitted, the WHO said. According to the US CDC, symptoms of influenza include fevers, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, body aches, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting. Worldwide, influenza results in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness annually, and about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths. Nipah virus Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus. Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern. Nipah virus was first recognised in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in, Malaysia. No new outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia since 1999. With additional research by Manar Al Adam. Arvind Kejriwal asserted that the assembly elections should not be fought on national issues New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that he has cleared his stand on the CAA-NRC while asserting that the assembly elections should not be fought on national issues. "We have always opposed the CAA-NRC issue, and voted against it in the Parliament as well, but I believe the Delhi elections will be fought on issues which affect the national capital," he said. He also urged people of Delhi, 'especially the workers of BJP and Congress to vote in favour of AAP in the upcoming Assembly elections'. "I want to appeal to the people of Delhi, especially those who belong to BJP, Congress and other parties, to vote in favour of AAP. This needs to be done because we have made the schools and hospitals efficient with much hard work, all that work should not be undone. Do not leave your parties but vote for AAP," Kejriwal told ANI. He also said that his government has worked on different sectors during the last five years and are contesting these elections on the basis of that work. "Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting this election on the basis of the work we have done in the last five years. We worked really hard with honesty and dedication. I have worked like the eldest son of every family in Delhi," Kejriwal said. "Just like the eldest son of the family, I have taken care of all the needs of a family, be it education, health, electricity, or pilgrimage for the senior citizens," he added. Delhi, which has 70 seats, is slated to go to polls on 8 February. The counting of votes will take place on 11 February. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 02:50:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday sent his Chinese Lunar New Year greetings, thanking China and the Chinese people for their support to the UN. In a video message, Guterres said "Chun Jie Kuai Le" (Happy Lunar New Year) in Chinese as the opening line of his greetings. He stressed that 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN and the beginning of a decade of action for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. "At this time of turmoil and divisions, we must work together to find solutions to global challenges and to build a better future for all," Guterres urged. He thanked China and the Chinese people for their support to the UN and multilateralism, and wished the Chinese community "good health, happiness and success." The upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Year of the Rat, which falls on Jan. 25 this year, is the most important festival for the Chinese people. HELSINKI, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Metsa Wood's Open Source Wood is an initiative to share knowledge and innovations in the field of wood construction between construction professionals globally. The platform's first ever Innovation Award has been presented to engineer and architect Paul Esombi Ekema for his achievements in advancing the idea of Open Source Wood. Paul Esombi Ekema, owner of Peekplan Architects located in Hamburg, Germany, first got in touch with Open Source Wood when it was launched in 2017 and has been an active member of the community ever since then. "Open Source Wood has become a meeting point. Interaction there has been really interesting, and I have invited some of my colleagues to join and explore what Metsa Wood offers on the platform." Globally sharing information about wood construction Only a fraction (5-10%) of global urban construction is wood, due in part to the fact that the industry is fragmented and local. Metsa Wood believes that there is a need to share knowledge and innovations to help the use of wood in construction to grow. The goal of Open Source Wood is to make professionals from different sides of the construction industry come together globally and rethink the way wood is used as a construction material. Ekema sees that the change is already happening: "This paradigm shift has been very encouraging," he says. "I am happy to see that people are really starting to rethink which construction materials to use." Open Source Wood is not just about showing blueprints and presenting thoughts: for example, the technical properties of wood are also discussed. Ekema believes that not enough people know how wood behaves as a material and how durable and flexible it is. "Selecting materials for construction sometimes depends on how familiar the architect or engineer is with what is available," Ekema says. "Therefore, the platform further enriches and empowers technicians and the wider community to understand materials better." Award for inspiring performance Ekema has shared on Open Source Wood his own projects. For example, prefabricated Tiny Wooden Houses M4 and M5 are lightweight, ecological and healthy to live in. It is ideal for people who want to reduce their carbon footprint and scale down their living costs. "These are just a few of the ideas I wanted to share with other people. I was very inspired by wood as a material, so I would like to give inspiration and ideas to others as well." Metsa Wood continuously awards Open Source Wood users for their best ideas and actions that promote the platform. How does Ekema feel when presented an award for his activity on Open Source Wood? "I feel very honoured, very pleased. This Innovation Award is like a huge stamp of approval for my work," Ekema says. "I want to thank Metsa Wood for the opportunity to show the world my work and all that Peekplan Architects are capable of achieving. Sharing knowledge in wood construction helps to develop new capacities that ensure quality building alternatives, which I am highly committed to." See all the Open Source Wood Award winners. Watch a Talking Wood video with Paul Esombi Ekema. Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/BnFLMT7qbG55 For more information, please contact: Viivi Kylama, Marketing Manager, Metsa Wood tel. +358-40-820-9850, viivi.kylama@metsagroup.com Kirk Nichols, VP Sales, Americas, Metsa Wood USA mobile: (404)861-1098, kirk.nichols@metsagroup.com For press information in UK, please contact: Matt Trace, Director, Defero Communications tel. 07828663988, matt@deferouk.co.uk This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/metsa-wood/r/open-source-wood-innovation-award-given-to-an-active-member,c3014587 Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has come down heavily on senior advocate, Indira Jaising for requesting Nirbhaya's mother to forgive the convicts. Slamming the veteran lawyer, Kangana said that she should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days. The national award-winning actress further said that such women give birth to monsters. "That lady (Indira Jaising should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days. Women like them give birth to these kinds of monsters and murderers," Kangana told media during an event. Jaising had received a lot of flak after she had tweeted stating that like Sonia Gandhi had forgiven Nalini, Nirbhaya's mother should pardon the convicts, asserting that she does not want the death penalty for them. Nirbhaya's parents had also strongly reacted to it and had demanded an apology from Jaising for her comments. Incheon International Airport. South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday issued a travel alert for Wuhan in central China amid stepped-up efforts to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus that has originated from the city. The ministry applied the alert level of "restraint" to Wuhan, the third highest in the four-tier travel warning system, while issuing the lowest alert level of "caution" for other areas in China's Hubei Province. The Canadian Press LOS ANGELES (AP) Robert Durst, the wealthy New York real estate heir and failed fugitive dogged for decades with suspicion in the disappearance and deaths of those around him before he was convicted last year of killing his best friend, has died. He was 78. Durst died of natural causes Monday in a hospital outside the California prison where he was serving a life sentence, according to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Durst had been held in a hospital lockup in Stockton due to OROVILLE, Calif. Deputies arrested a man after he broke into a home in Oroville on Wednesday. Butte County Sheriffs Deputies said they received reports of suspicious activity after a man was seen jumping a fence into the backyard of a home. It happened on Lower Wyandotte Road in Oroville around 2:10 p.m. Deputies located 37-year-old David Wright inside an unoccupied home. Wright claimed to know the owner of the home. However, deputies got in touch with the homeowner who said they did not know who Wright was. During the investigation, deputies found signs of forced entry in the rear of the home, as well as the garage. Wright was arrested for felony burglary and booked into the Butte County Jail. Nigerias Federal Government has reacted to Transparency Internationals (TI) report which placed the country at 146 of the 180 countri... Nigerias Federal Government has reacted to Transparency Internationals (TI) report which placed the country at 146 of the 180 countries on the 2019 corruption perception index. After more than four years of anti-corruption campaign by the Buhari administration, Nigeria was ranked 146th out of the 180 countries surveyed by the group, one of the worst ranking in the last few years. Nigeria was 144th in 2018. Nigerias score of 26 out of 100 points is below the global average of 43. In Africa, countries such as Botswana(61), Cape Verde(60), Rwanda(53), Namibia(52), Senegal(45), South Africa(44( and Tunisia(43) met the average. Benin(41) Ghana(41), Morocco(41), Burkina Faso(40), Lesotho(40), Ethiopia(37), Tanzania(37), Algeria and Egypt(35), Zambia(34), Sierra Leone(33), Niger(32), Malawi(31), Djibouti(30) and Guinea(29) are ranked higher than Nigeria. Nigeria is ranked higher than Cameroon(25), CAR(25), Comoros(25), Zimbabwe(24), Madagascar(24), Eritrae(23), Chad(20), Equatorial Guinea(16), Guinea Bissau(18) and Somalia, the worst country in the world, with a score of 8 and ranking at 180th. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives. It uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). However, reacting to this development, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami said the facts on the ground did not correlate with the information dished out by Transparency International. Speaking in an interview on Channels Televisions Lunch Time Politics, Malami said as far he is concerned the empirical evidence did not support Transparency Internationals report. The Attorney General said in terms of the governments fight against corruption, more has been done. In terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more, we have done more and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption devoid of any extraneous considerations relating to the rating by Transparency International. Our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations, we will continue to do more and we will double efforts, he said. Malami added that there was nothing that has not been done as a nation in the fight against corruption. In terms of legislation, we have done more, in terms of enforcement we have done more, in terms of recovery of looted assets we have done more, and in terms of political goodwill, we have demonstrated extra-ordinary political goodwill, Malami stated. Malami challenged Transparency International to provide indices and statistics from which the organisation adjudged that Nigeria is not doing enough in its fight against corruption, adding that for a conclusion to be legitimate, then there has to be specific facts and figures to establish a position. (Newser) Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff said during the second day of President Trump's impeachment trial that former White House national security adviser John Bolton should be heard frombut he and other Democrats poured cold water on the idea of a "witness swap" in which Hunter Biden would also testify. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the idea was "off the table," the New York Times reports. Joe Biden also rejected the idea, saying he wanted "no part" of it. "We're not going to turn it into a farce, into some kind of political theater," he said. More: White House didn't file to dismiss . President Trump denounced the Democratic case during a flood of tweets Wednesday and later told Fox he would like to see an "acquittal fairly quickly." But the White House decided against filing a motion to dismiss the charges, reports the Washington Post. Republican leaders have warned the administration that such a move would not have majority support so early in the trial. . President Trump denounced the Democratic case during a flood of tweets Wednesday and later told Fox he would like to see an "acquittal fairly quickly." But the White House decided against filing a motion to dismiss the charges, reports the Washington Post. Republican leaders have warned the administration that such a move would not have majority support so early in the trial. Bolton "knows my thoughts." Bolton has said he will testify if subpoenaed, but Trump told reporters in Switzerland Wednesday that Bolton couldn't testify because he "knows my thoughts on certain people and other governments, war and peace and different thingsthat's a national security problem." Witnesses said Bolton described the alleged White House pressure on Ukraine, which led to Trump's impeachment, as like a "drug deal." story continues below "I didn't hear anything new." The Guardian reports that GOP senatorswho repeatedly voted Tuesday against calling new witnessescomplained that no fresh evidence against Trump has been presented. "I didn't hear anything new today," said Sen. Pat Toomey. The Guardian reports that GOP senatorswho repeatedly voted Tuesday against calling new witnessescomplained that no fresh evidence against Trump has been presented. "I didn't hear anything new today," said Sen. Pat Toomey. GOP voters According to a FiveThirtyEight poll, 54% of Americans now support removing Trump from office, and they are not split entirely along party lines. Some 18% of Republicans support removal, while 17% of Democrats want to dismiss the charges, the poll found. But the partisan divide is widening on the witness question: The proportion of Republicans who oppose calling new witnesses has grown from 41% to 48% over the last month. "Increasingly, rank-and-file Republicans seem to be just fine with a rapid trial that includes no new evidence or testimony," the pollsters say. According to a FiveThirtyEight poll, 54% of Americans now support removing Trump from office, and they are not split entirely along party lines. Some 18% of Republicans support removal, while 17% of Democrats want to dismiss the charges, the poll found. But the partisan divide is widening on the witness question: The proportion of Republicans who oppose calling new witnesses has grown from 41% to 48% over the last month. "Increasingly, rank-and-file Republicans seem to be just fine with a rapid trial that includes no new evidence or testimony," the pollsters say. Senators are growing weary . The AP reports that impeachment fatigue appears to have set in already among "bored and weary" senators, who are not allowed to talk, work on other matters, or drink anything except water and milk in the chamber during proceedings. At least one of them, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, appeared to take a nap soon after Schiff began talking. "It was a long day and the House managers did a lot of repeating the same material," GOP Sen. Mike Rounds told reporters. "Ive got 20 pages of notes, and towards the end, we were basically hearing the same thing over again. It was a diatribe. . The AP reports that impeachment fatigue appears to have set in already among "bored and weary" senators, who are not allowed to talk, work on other matters, or drink anything except water and milk in the chamber during proceedings. At least one of them, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, appeared to take a nap soon after Schiff began talking. "It was a long day and the House managers did a lot of repeating the same material," GOP Sen. Mike Rounds told reporters. "Ive got 20 pages of notes, and towards the end, we were basically hearing the same thing over again. It was a diatribe. What to expect on Thursday. Schiff said Day 3 of the impeachment trial, which will start around 1pm, will focus on the president's alleged abuse of power, which is the first article of impeachment, the Hill reports. "Tomorrow, we will go through the law, the Constitution, and the facts as they apply to Article I," he said Wednesday night "Weve introduced the case, we have gone through the chronology and tomorrow we will apply the facts to the law as it pertains to the presidents abuse of power." (Read more Trump trial stories.) Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh has accepted responsibility for unintentionally shooting down the Ukrainian passenger plane, killing 176 people. General Qasem Soleimani was responsible for killing 600-plus U.S. troops in Iraq. The U.S. Department of Defence said that Soleimani was actively planning attacks on American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. It called the killing of Soleimani "decisive defensive action." Should President Donald Trump have sat by and allowed another Benghazi to happen? The killing of this evil terrorist had nothing to do with the fake impeachment for a non-crime. It's disappointing how some people, including our own prime minister, want to lay the blame for this tragedy on Trump. The blame for the tragic death of 176 people lies solely with Iran. I would be happy to have a leader like Trump, who puts his country first. Shari Gibbons This is the Impeachment Briefing, The Timess newsletter about the impeachment investigation. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every weeknight. What happened today The House managers began to deliver their opening arguments Wednesday afternoon, presenting the evidence and witness testimony they gathered in the impeachment inquiry to an audience the Senate that may not have seen the material before. Representative Adam Schiff, the lead manager, started the session with a dramatic, two-hour presentation that featured historical references, political philosophy and sweeping declarations about what he called President Trumps attempts to undermine the rule of law and American elections. He accused the president of a corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine for help to cheat in the election. Mr. Schiff was followed by a mix of shorter presentations from his six colleagues, who broke down their time by theme and chronology. For example, Representative Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, homed in on the beginnings of the Ukraine pressure campaign, while Representative Jason Crow, a veteran, talked about military aid and Ukraines war with Russia. The managers played dozens of video clips from witness testimony, including from current and former officials like Fiona Hill, Gordon Sondland, Bill Taylor and David Holmes. And they played several from Mr. Trump himself, showing the president in 2016 publicly calling on Russia to hack Hillary Clintons email and last year publicly calling on Ukraine and China to investigate Joe Biden. Republican senators were quick to dismiss the presentations, and many of them were spotted leaving the Senate chamber in the middle of them. So far we havent heard anything new from what he heard yesterday, said Senator John Cornyn. Senator Roy Blunt was harsher: Theres about one hour of presentation that weve heard about 10 times yesterday, and about 6 times today," he said. Its not a very deep case. Heres a collection of Wednesdays biggest moments, video highlights, sketches from inside the Senate chamber and an analysis of the two sides legal strategies. Adam Schiff, leadoff batter Mr. Schiffs presentation was especially well received by Democrats Senator Richard Blumenthal, a former prosecutor, told reporters that it was one of the most powerful arguments he had ever seen. I talked to my colleague Sheryl Gay Stolberg, who visited the Senate chamber on Wednesday, about what made his appearance effective in the eyes of his audience. Sheryl, why do you think Mr. Schiff organized his presentation the way he did? I think he felt he needed to serve up the whole story on a platter at the outset and then let the other managers kind of take bits and pieces of it. He is the person Nancy Pelosi trusts the most. Hes been the leader of this whole inquiry from start to finish, so it was natural that he would take the most time to talk. Hes a former federal prosecutor and is just very adept at speaking to a jury and making a case. I was struck by how he invoked the founders at the beginning and end of his presentation, making lofty appeals to history. But he also did go through, in a very granular way, the scheme that Democrats say Mr. Trump undertook to press Ukraine to interfere with the 2020 election. And I was especially struck by his use of video clips, effectively bringing witnesses into the trial. From Yakub Memon to Afzal Guru: Here is what their last wish was before they were hanged India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: The killers of Nirbhaya are yet to make a last wish, before they are executed. Their execution has been slated for February 1. The authorities at the Tihar jail said that they are yet to hear back from the four convicts about their last wish. Once they give it in writing, the authorities would take a decision on whether the same could be granted or not. Tihar jail seeks service of Pawan, hangman from Meerut, for execution of Nirbhaya convicts on Feb 1 Let us take a look at the some of the last wishes made by prisoners from India and other parts of the world. Dhananjay Chatterjee: His last wish was to touch the feet of the jail doctor Basudeb Mukherjee. Chatterjee was hanged after being held guilty for the rape and murder of a 14 year old girl. Before his hanging, he had also sought that religious songs should be played. The wish was granted. Yakub Memon: His last wish was to meet his daughter. The jail authorities did not allow it, but arranged for a telephonic conversation. Memon was convicted for his role in the Bombay blasts case. Afzal Guru: Convicted in the Parliament attack, Afzal Guru had not made any last wish. He spent most of his final days reading books. Moments before he was hanged, he was offered tea. He spoke with the jail authorities and as he finished his tea, he asked for more. However the man who serves tea in the jail had already left and this last wish could not be fulfilled. Ajmal Kasab: The Pakistan terrorist convicted in the 26/11 case had no last wish. Jail authorities at Yerawada however said that he was extremely scared and struggled before he was hanged. Billa and Ranga: Both had no last wish. The night before the hanging, Billa ate well, but Ranga kept shouting Joh Bole So Nihal. Maqbool Bhat: The co-founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front had no last wish. He was hanged in the year 1984. His hanging happened in quite a hurry and the black warrant had come after the kidnapping and murder of Indian Diplomat, Ravindra Mhatre in the UK group, which had demanded the release of Bhat. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending by companies listed on NSE increased 18 per cent to Rs 11,961 crore in 2018-19, as per a report. During 2017-18, the firms listed on NSE had spent Rs 10,179 crore. "CSR expenditure by companies listed at NSE has grown at a healthy compounded annual growth rate of 17 per cent over the last 5 years," a report by nseinfobase.com, a joint venture between NSE and PRIME Database, said. Reliance Industries, ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation, HDFC Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Tata Steel, ITC, NTPC and Power Grid Corporation of India are the top 10 companies which spent the most on CSR during financial year 2018-19, the report said. "The top 10 companies together spent 36 per cent of the total spend on CSR," the report said. Besides, there were 488 companies which exceeded their prescribed spending and 37 companies spent on CSR despite reporting a loss. "PSU spending saw an increase of 4 per cent from previous year. 57 PSUs spent Rs 3,198 crore in 2018-19, up from Rs 2,710 crore spent by 54 PSUs in 2017-18," the report stated. As on March 31, 2019, 1,786 companies were listed on NSE. However, the analysis is based on 1,132 companies listed on NSE as on March 31, 2019 and obligated to spend on CSR and for which CSR details were available in their annual reports. Of the total funds spent on CSR, maximum spending was on education and vocation skills at over Rs 4,440 crore. Among other areas, hunger, poverty and healthcare witnessed a spending of Rs 3,242 crore, rural development Rs 1,322 crore and environmental sustainability nearly Rs 1,020 crore, the report found. Areas such as armed force veterans, technology incubators, slum development and disaster management saw negligible spends. Giving a state-wise overview, the report said that top 10 states which received maximum CSR funds were Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana. The top 10 states accounted for 47 per cent of the total CSR expenditure. According to Pranav Haldea, managing director of PRIME Database Group, "not all areas of the country are benefitting equally. Since the Act decrees that companies shall give preference to the local area, the more industrialised parts of the country are cornering a larger share." Under the Companies Act, 2013, certain class of profitable entities are required to shell out at least 2 per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The speech delivered by president Putin on 15th of January in the Duma was entirely an unexpected political explosion. by Punsara Amarasinghe The volatile political trajectory and its subtle actions in Russia have always created awe among the political pundits in the West who are immensely obsessed with the geo political space in Ruski Mir. However, history has always aggrandized Russia as a state that cannot be easily fathomed. Just like how a dull and calm plot reaches its most unexpected culmination in a Dostoyevskys novel, the political trajectory in Russia has always been thrilling. The most recent political events followed by president Vladimir Putins annual speech in the state Duma on 15th of January is an epitome for the uncanny political nature of the world largest state. The speech delivered by president Putin on 15th of January in the Duma was entirely an unexpected political explosion. In his speech, he proposed a serious of constitutional changes that would escalate the powers of the parliament eventually leading to an increase of prime ministers power. Article 83 and 84 of the Current constitution in Russian federation have vested considerable power in the hands of the president over the state duma and the proposed changes would inevitably revoke them. A legitimate question appears before any inquisitive person on Russian politics is Why Putin would allow Duma to curtail his power . Political history of president Putin has aptly proven his sharp political acumen as a politician who properly kept his grip. However, this time he opted for rather a completely a different strategy by empowering the state Duma, which is the lower house of Russian parliament to appoint the prime minister who is currently being appointed by the president with Dumas consent. The increasing the power of a national council happens to be the most notable proposition of these recommendations and Putin indicated the need to strengthen the constitutional role as a crucial factor. The state council was a creation of Putin during his first term in Kremlin. Thus far it has served as an advisory body and it is consisted of regional governors, speakers of the both houses in the parliament and the party leaders. The proposed constitutional recommendations will boost its power and it is still unclear the way it would safeguard Putin from a political ebb. It not clear what role president Putin fancies in empowering the national council from nonentity to a powerful tool in Russian state apparatus. The evasive step taken by the former president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2019 seems like a potential strategy Putin determines to implement. The last holdover from the Soviet era Kazakhstan resigned from the presidency and retained the influential job of leading countrys security council as the leader of the nation. Perhaps, Putin will embrace the same strategy of symbolizing an honorable stepdown while keeping his grip in a different way such a making himself as the head of the national council. Yet, making such an arm chair prediction about his possible strategy to remain in power beyond 2024 may be rather futile as Vladimir Putin has always shown a political unpredictability in his actions. The appointment of Mikhail Mishustin to the prime minister post after Dmitry Medvedev stepped down along with his cabinet is the next notable incident emerged after 15th of January. Unlike Putins protegee Medvedev the newly appointed president holds no significant political activism as an ally or at least as a panegyric. He is being described as a technocrat and apolitical figure who was responsible for transforming the aged old Russian tax service into an era of digitalization. From a vantage point, the choice of Putin appears to be a wise move with the meritocratic capability of Mishustin regardless of his lack of affinity with the politics. Since the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, the economy of Russia has been in the doldrums and some economists have described the last decade as a stagnant decade for Russias economy. Given his solid background in economics and practical experience with taxation may prove his competence to become the premier in midst of an economic stagnation. Mishustins appointment reminds of the count Sergei Wittes appointment by Tsar Nicolas II in 1905 whose capacity as an econometrician boosted Russias industrial growth for a shorter period. The democratic reforms have always been sort of tough moves throughout Russian history. Especially the centralization of political power has always impeded Russia from reaching democratization. The confrontation between president Yeltsin and the parliament in the fall of 1993 eventually ended up in Yeltsins outrageous move of sending armed tanks to the parliament building. The current Russian constitution which has placed enormous power under in the hands of the president is an offshoot of the constitution adopted in Yeltsin era. Putins abrupt decision to reduce that will at least theoreticallyundo the damage wrought by 1993 constitution. In principle, the transition of power from the president to the parliament will pave the way to increase the high chances of check and balance in power crating a greater change in Russian political culture. All in all, the ostensible motive of the constitutional reforms will assist Russia to get into better strides as a normal democracy without enabling the centralization of power around one man. But can we believe that country that has never undergone a proper western democracy will be adamant for such a mammothchange? The real politic in Russian history has always shown the rise of lesser known political characters to the zenith of power by taking the advantage of chaos. When Russian state was in a verge of extension MikhailRomanova came out of nowhere and created the house of Romanovs that lasted for three hundred years. When Lenin died creating chaotic power vacuum in 1924, lesser known Stalin exterminated all his foes and tightened the power of newly born USSR and finally made it a super power. The sudden power shift Putin proposed on 15th of January is simply a tranquil sign before a great political storm in Russia and ironically Russians are no strangers for such political storms. (Punsara Amarasinghe is a PhD researcher in institute of law and politics at ScuolaSuperioreSant Anna in Pisa, Italy. He held one-year research fellowship at Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia and holds a LL.M in international law from South Asian University from New Delhi. Punsara is particularly interested in post-Soviet studies and politics of Russia.) When the body was visible to passers-by on Wednesday, a crowd gathered on North Rampart Street to look at it. The mood was somber. How do you have a celebratory spirit at Mardi Gras? asked Tracy Riley, 48. How can you second-line past this corner knowing that this is waving over our city? Ms. Riley, a retired United States Army major, said there had to be a way to extricate the remains. Sure, its complicated, but its doable, she said. It makes me believe that leaving him there was based on profit-loss equations, not on whats best for humanity. The collapse of the hotel sent a frightening hail of metal and debris into the streets on a Saturday morning, killing three people, injuring more than a dozen others and leaving behind an ugly, hulking ruin, the condition of which has deteriorated in the ensuing weeks, city officials said. There were early plans to implode the building, but the developers said in November that an implosion would create a wide debris field that could damage surrounding buildings in one of the nations most storied, and historic, neighborhoods. City officials say the current controlled demolition plan is safer and should not damage surrounding buildings, although three will have to be torn down in the process, said Beau Tidwell, communications director for the city of New Orleans. The buildings are owned by members of the hotels development group, according to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, the citys newspaper. Critics have noted their historical significance and argued that tearing them down could end up benefiting the developers. Several lawsuits have since been filed against the developers. One, filed on behalf of people who say they were injured in the collapse, claims that the developers were negligent and that they failed, among other things, to design the building in a manner that could bear the loads the structure was intended to hold. The lawsuit notes that Praveen Kailas, who is associated with Kailas Companies, which was developing the hotel and owns the site, was convicted of conspiracy and theft in 2013. Mr. Kailas was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to the federal charges, which related to overbilling by one of his companies as part of a federally funded recovery program after Hurricane Katrina. Requesting that the board also promote the signing of witness slips that the group can take to Springfield to take the issue before the General Assembly, Crawford requested school computers be made available to families without access to the internet at home, so they can fill out witness slips digitally. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 21:19:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses a Chinese Lunar New Year reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 23, 2020. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council held the reception on Thursday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed racing against time and keeping abreast with history to reach the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. "Time and history wait for no one as they are both on the side of hard workers," said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. Xi made the remarks while addressing a Chinese Lunar New Year reception held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, all members of the Party, armed forces and people of all ethnic groups must fear no wind or wave, rise up to challenges and keep marching toward the glorious goal of national rejuvenation and the great prospect of building a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said. At the reception, held by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, Xi extended Lunar New Year's greetings to Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese. Party and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan were among the more than 2,000 people attending the reception. Li Keqiang chaired the event. Xi noted in his speech that new and significant progress has been made in the past year toward building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. He mentioned major events during the year, including the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and resolute efforts to safeguard the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, as well as celebrations marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. A campaign themed "staying true to our founding mission" was also carried out to demand the more than 90 million Party members remember to always stay with the people. "In the new year, we must secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and fighting poverty," Xi said, adding that achieving this first centenary goal is a milestone in the process of realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. The results, Xi said, must be recognized by the people and stand the test of time. Xi said the Chinese nation, with a civilization stretching back over 5,000 years, has made indelible contributions to the civilization and progress of mankind. But the nation was held back for too long by various internal and external troubles in modern times. That is why, Xi said, the Chinese people have always had an extraordinary sense of urgency and appreciation of the underlying trend of the times. From now to the middle of this century, the Chinese people will strive to build China into a great modern socialist country. It will be a great era in which a new splendid chapter of the Chinese civilization will be written, he said. Every Chinese person must feel proud of living in such a great era, Xi said. "We must maintain strategic direction and resolve, stay united, work hard and forge ahead against all odds," Xi said. Mother Earth has provided herbs to cope with anxiety and depression diseases as well. Anxiety and depression are the two most commonly reported psychiatric conditions and they generally occur together in a person. Both conditions are recurring or chronic and may require long term treatment. Although conventional drug therapies for the disorders are easily available, financial, cultural, or personal reasons may cause the individual to seek alternative therapies. Herbs and herbal products may be slower acting than conventional drugs but they provide an inexpensive, effective way to treat the root cause of the disease rather than treat just the symptoms. The following herbs are effective to a certain degree in reducing (sometimes curing) anxiety and depression. Holy basil (tulasi, Ocimum sanctum) - Holy basil soothes and calms the nerves, according to the Indian traditional medicine. Research too has confirmed the fact that basil helps with anxiety disorders. For example, a study of 35 people given 500mg per capsule of tulasi twice a day for two months showed not only a significant reduction in their generalized anxiety disorders but attenuation of its correlated stress and depression too. No wonder, tulasi is one of the ingredients in Manasamitra Vataka, an Ayurveda formulation that treats anxiety disorders. Kava (Piper methysticum) - Kava has also been proved effective in treating anxiety. Number of studies have shown anxiolytic (reducing anxiety) effects of kava to be superior to that of placebo. Actually, it is the only herb that is demonstrably effective in reducing anxiety. However, use it cautiously since kava has adverse effects such as liver damage. Kava is also known to interact with levodopa and alprazolam causing extrapyramidal symptoms or lethargy. Lemon balm (Mellissa officinalis) - Also known as sweet balm, this lemon-scented herb is found worldwide. A study published in the 2004 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine revealed that lemon balm administered to people during gave short-term anxiolytic effects to them. A more recent study found that rosmarinic acid in the leaf extract gave the plant its anxiolytic and anti-depression effects. It acted by increasing the GABA levels in the brain thus reducing anxious behavior. The researchers of this study made an interesting observation; they found that the effect of lemon balm extract was significantly higher in female lab animals than in males. Males required the highest dose to have the same effect. Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) - Passion flower has been used since ages to reduce stress and anxiety. The whole plant except for the roots show anxiolytic activity. However, pharmacologic work on this plant are inadequate, so it is difficult to say how the herb acts to relieve anxiety. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) - Chamomile is used as a traditional herbal remedy for its calming effect since the ancient Rome and Greek period. Studies too have established its function as an anxiolytic and anti-depressive agent. The mode of antidepressant action in chamomile is unknown but it is known to be independent of anxiolytic action. Some studies suggest that the flavonoids in chamomile exert an antidepressant effect by modulating the neurotransmission of noradrenalin, dopamine, serotonin, and GABA levels. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) - Also called the maiden hair plant, Ginkgo has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for treating various health disorders. The extract is particularly helpful with concentration problems, depression, anxiety, dizziness, tinnitus and headaches. The herb apparently works by dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow, reducing blood viscosity, reducing free radicals in the body, and also by modifying neurotransmitter systems. Although some studies reported beneficial effects of Ginkgo at doses of less than 200mg per day for 12 weeks with no side effects, big trials showed inconsistent results. Other studies reported no benefits as regards anxiety and depression. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - Yarrow is a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders, inflammation, Anxiety and insomnia. A study done to investigate the effect of yarrow on acute and chronic anxiety disorder indicated that the herb exerted anxiolytic effect at doses that did not alter locomotor activity. Its behavior was similar to that of diazepam. St. Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum) - St Johns wort is the only herb that has shown beyond reasonable doubt to be effective as a treatment for mild and moderate depression. The active ingredient for the herb is hypericin and /or hyperforin that act by inhibiting serotonin reuptake and monoamine oxidase. Five trials involving more than 2200 people showed that St Johns wort acts more or less in a similar fashion as conventional antidepressants. However, evidence suggests that the herb is safe only for people who dont take any other medication. A study even showed that the herb can trigger psychoses in people who concomitantly take SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) - Lavender is also a promising herbal remedy for depression. Trials compared lavender with imipramine and found both to be effective in a similar way. In fact, lavender oil therapy (inhalation or massage) is a very effective way to counter depression. A trial to investigate the anti-depressive effect of lavender found that adjuvant therapy of lavender tincture (1 : 5 in 50% alcohol; 60 drops/day) and imipramine (100 mg/daily) in patients suffering from mild-to-moderate depression led to a better and earlier improvement. Side effects of imipramine, such as dry mouth and urinary retention, were observed less often when lavender was administered with impramine. Trials have also found lavender to improve mood and reduce anxiety. Saffron (Crocus sativus) - Widely cultivated in India (in Kashmir), Iran, and Greece, saffron is a useful remedy for a number of health disorders. The active ingredient, alpha-crocin, present in the red dried stigma of the herb is known to possess not only anxiolytic and anti-depressive qualities, but also has antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and relaxant activities and some studies even found tumoricidal properties. Studies have compared saffron to the antidepressive drug fluoxetine and found that saffron performed as well as fluoxetine in treating depression. Borage (Echium amoenum) - A study in mice has shown that borage flowers have anxiolytic effect with lower sedative effect as compared with diazepam. Further, tolerance to the extract was not observed after one week of its use. A Hillary Clinton hot take is in the headlines again: According to her, nobody likes presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter published an interview with Clinton, a promotional piece for the upcoming Hulu documentary about her political career, in which the former secretary of state was asked about a statement shed made during the documentary. The interviewer, Lacey Rose, asked: In the doc, youre brutally honest on Sanders: He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. Its all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it. That assessment still hold? Hillary replied, simply: Yes, it does. Next, Rose asked Clinton whether or not she would support Sanders if he were to become the Democratic nominee. Clinton said: Im not going to go there yet and then proceeded to attack Sanderss supporters for what she calls their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women, accusing Bernie himself of having not only permitted this culture, but also seeming to really be very much supporting it. Later, continuing the discussion about what Clinton sees as Bernies pattern of sexism, Clinton offered as evidence the fact that Sanders had told her that she was unqualified when they were both running for the Democratic nomination in 2016. (Note: This unqualified comment, made during an April 2016 debate, was in response to Clinton questioning Sanderss own qualifications. It is more than worth noting that, in making this criticism, Sanders stuck to questioning her on her past policy only, pointing out blunders such as her vote in favor of the Iraq War.) So, what came of all of Clintons brutal attacks on Sanders? Did his supporters flee? Did people express their deepest sympathies that Clinton had to encounter him? Nope; far from it. In fact, #ILikeBernie started trending on Twitter. Los Angeles Chargers running back Justin Jackson shared a screenshot showing that hed just donated to Sanders, telling Clinton: Every time you trash him, I will give more. Bernies competitors for the nomination, Representative Tulsi Gabbard and billionaire Tom Steyer, weighed in to say that they also like him. Story continues The backlash was so bad, in fact, that Clinton took to her own Twitter account to backtrack, clarifying that she would, in fact, support whomever became the Democratic nominee. Personally, I am left thinking one thing: Hillary Clinton is not good at this. Despite the fact that Clinton has been in politics for decades, it seems that her political instincts are actually quite terrible. This is not the first time during the primary that Clinton has helped a candidate shed intended to bring down. In October, Clinton made the absurd, baseless allegation that Tulsi Gabbard was being groomed by the Russians. (Note: She offered no proof.) When Gabbard responded harshly which I cant say I wouldnt do if someone were making those accusations about me a Clinton spokesman went after her for doing so, slamming her for her [d]ivisive language filled with vitriol. And what happened then? Well, first, Gabbard got a bump in the polls a significant enough one, in fact, to earn her a spot at the November Democratic primary debate. This week, its also been announced that Gabbard is suing Clinton for defamation over the Russian asset remarks. Like I said: Hillary Clinton is not good at this. Now, I cant help but notice a common theme when it comes to the way Clinton and her team seem to approach the political arena. All too often, they cant resist the urge to make things about her. To Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders is bad because she and her buddies in Congress dont like him. Hes sexist because he told her that she wasnt qualified. After Tulsi Gabbard defended herself against Clintons brutal, objectively unfair attacks, Clintons spokesperson wasted no time aiming to get sympathy for Clinton over them pointing out how Clinton had had to endure Tulsis supposed vitriol. This is, unfortunately for Clinton, more of the exact same thing that we saw throughout her failed 2016 election campaign. The most obvious example, of course, would be that campaign slogan: Im With Her. Rather than choose something that even so much as hinted to the American people what she would do for them, she chose instead to make the focus on them needing to be there for her. She was calling on voters to be there for her against sexism, there for her against the brutal attacks from that evil orange monster, Donald J. Trump. In fact, many people struggled to find any sort of message in Clintons campaign except, of course, for the fact that Trump is mean to her, and that, in order to be a decent person, you had to help her deal with that by being with her, against Trump. Of course, Im not saying that women in politics dont face sexism. They do. In fact, women in anything have to face sexism and if you dont believe me, then Id suggest you try asking one. Whats more, Im also not denying the fact that Donald Trump has his own brand of self-absorption. He does, and thats obvious whether the septuagenarian is calling himself a young, vibrant man or talking about his beautiful head of hair, its really no secret that Donald Trump spends a decent amount of time thinking about how fond he is of, well, Donald Trump. Hillarys self-obsession, however, is different. Unlike Trump, she is quite clearly particularly obsessed with feeling sorry for herself and she wants, more than anything, for other people to feel sorry for her, too. She has a pattern of blatantly seeking sympathy even when its outright ridiculous for her to do so. Hillary Clinton had the backing of the entire DNC during her 2016 run, and yet, after she lost, all she could do was whine incessantly about how many people had wronged her throughout the process and made it so unfair. You know, like James Comey. Or the media. Or white women. Or Russia. Hell, at one point, she even had the nerve to call herself a victim of . . . the assumption that she was going to win. In her memoir which is, in all honesty, nothing more than a glorified pity party on paper she whines that [t]here are times when all I want to do is scream into a pillow. Elsewhere, she complains about how hard it was for her to write the book (which, by the way, broke sales records and made her millions): Literally, at times when I was writing it, I had to go lie down, she said. I just couldnt bear to relive it. Make no mistake: Hillary Clintons attempts to seek sympathy in recent years are endless. Worse, this strategy also isnt new: When she was running against President Obama in 2008, her performance in one of the debates was so drenched in her woe-is-me-attitude that Politico published a piece declaring: Hillary Clinton as the inevitable Democratic nominee didnt work. Hillary Clinton as the front-runner didnt work. So how about Hillary Clinton as the victim? Yes: Hillary Clinton is consumed by feeling sorry for herself. Whats more, she has obviously been operating under the false notion that all she needs to do is get others to share in this obsession, and then that will translate into political support. She must feel this way; theres no other reason shed keep doing it. Here, though, is the problem: Expecting support simply because of the ways you say youve been wronged is just as bad as expecting support simply because you say you are, shall we say, a very stable genius. Actually? In some ways, its kind of worse. Now, its important to point out that Trump, unlike Clinton, has managed to pause his self-obsession long enough to communicate his vision for the country. Yes, he may change his mind at times but hes at least attempted to maintain his focus on what he wants to do for the country. You may disagree with what he says he wants to do (and I, for one, certainly have disagreed at times) but at least Trump talks about his message enough for people to have some understanding of what the hell it is. Even if he hadnt been able to do this though, I think Id still find his brand of self-obsession less obnoxious than Clintons. Trump may consistently be trying to paint himself as a rich, attractive, unparalleled savior of the world, but Clinton is consistently trying to paint herself as some kind of sick, flea-infested, three-legged street puppy and, Ive got to say, I have a pretty hard time feeling sorry for her. When we talk about Hillary Clinton, after all, we are hardly talking about someone who is struggling to make it in the world. Were not talking about someone on the streets or in a shelter; were talking about an Ivy League-educated former secretary of state who is worth tens of millions of dollars. We are talking about someone who earns hundreds of thousands of dollars per speech. (In other words? For an hour of talking.) Given all that, I have to admit that I do find it kind of hard to spend any time feeling bad for such a rich, influential person especially while Im sitting here in my rental apartment. Now, I certainly wouldnt say that Trump necessarily handles any attacks better than Clinton does. He, after all, has a tendency to lash out and insult people, and hes said a lot of things in response to criticism with which Ive definitely had a problem. Whats more, he also certainly does his own fair share of complaining. (Have you ever hear him talk about the media?) The difference, though, is that he seems to aim to do so from a position of toughness. Ive heard him call many things unfair, and yet Ive never once felt as though he wanted me to feel sorry for him. If Trump loses this election, I dont doubt that he will take as little responsibility for his own loss as Hillary Clinton did hers, but I also dont anticipate him expecting an international pity party because of it. Maybe by that time, no matter who wins, Clinton will have finally decided to end her own pity party. I, at least, certainly would hope so. After all (as someone who had to ask a friend what I was looking at in an Instagram photo of the interior of a private jet yesterday), Ive really have a pretty hard time feeling too bad for either one of them and I dont think Im alone. More from National Review The seemingly never-ending series of projectiles shattering car windows and endangering drivers along Highway 101 and State Route 156 in Monterey County may have finally come to an end. On Thursday, the California Highway Patrol announced "a major breakthrough in our investigation." The investigation has covered 69 known cases since February 2019 in which an unnamed projectile cracks a car's windshield or shatters the driver's side window. There would often be six or seven attacks in a single day; once there were seven attacks in just 18 minutes. On Wednesday, CHP arrested Charles Kenneth Lafferty, 52, in connection to the projectile investigation. Lafferty is being held on 21 charges: 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm), 10 counts of throwing objects or substances at a vehicle and one charge for possession of a firearm silencer a felony in California. Bail was set at $250,000. CHP was tight-lipped during the course of their long investigation about exactly what type of projectile was being used, but CHP Chief JD Maples revealed Thursday Lafferty used a slingshot with glass marbles to inflict damage on vehicles. Another interesting tidbit revealed investigators believe he carried out the attacks while driving, aiming from his pickup truck into the driver's side windows of traffic heading in the other direction. Lafferty's vehicle was instrumental in tracking down the suspect, Chief Maples said. The last reported incident was on Jan. 5. Shortly thereafter law enforcement identified the suspect's vehicle as a GMC Sonoma pick-up truck. They linked the truck to several known incidents and identified Lafferty as the vehicle's driver. Most of the incidents were concentrated in a relatively small geographic location, in and around Prunedale (a community in Monterey County near Castroville). CHP emphasized they were only 24 hours into the post-arrest investigation, and more charges could follow if they are able to link Lafferty to any more of the 69 known cases. MORE: Projectiles have been shattering car windows on 101 for 10 months. No one has cracked the case. "When theres a break [in a major case], from here all the way to my commissioner's office in Sacramento ... when we were able to tell them, it was a sigh of relief," Maples said. "We felt it was only a matter of time before someone seriously got hurt. It was great news." There were five minor injuries as a result of the projectile attacks; glass from the shattered windows resulted in cuts to the eyes, hands and arms. One of the people hurt was a child. Law enforcement officials didn't comment on a possible motive for the repeated attacks. They believe he was working alone and the victims appeared to have been targeted at random. CHP Capt. Kyle Foster said Lafferty "appeared to be surprised" when he was taken into custody. Lafferty had at least one residence in Monterey County, Maples said, and worked odd jobs in the area. Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:45 p.m. after more information was made available at a press conference. Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com. Press Release 23 January 2020 IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has announced two new properties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Further strengthening its foothold in the luxury segment in KSA, IHG has signed a management agreement for InterContinental Dammam in partnership with Salem Mohammed Al Qahtani. To cater to the need for more branded midscale accommodation in Riyadh, IHG has also signed a management agreement for Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz in partnership with Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies. The agreements were announced at Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC) 2020 in Riyadh. Opening in 2024, InterContinental Dammam will be IHG's first hotel in the city and will strengthen the company's presence in KSA's eastern provinces. Strategically located in the heart of the new city centre, the hotel will be situated across the street from King Abdullah's Cultural Complex and will be a short drive to the Coral Island. Dammam's most popular shopping malls will be within a few minutes' drive as well. Catering to a range of travellers, InterContinental Dammam will feature 289 thoughtfully designed rooms and will feature world-class amenities including three restaurants, an outdoor pool and deck, an indoor pool, a gym and six well-equipped meeting rooms. Opening later this year, the 121-rooms Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz will be located in the city centre of Riyadh, near government institutions and several ministries. The property will be well positioned to cater to government, corporate and domestic leisure guests. The hotel will be the 5th Holiday Inn branded hotel in Riyadh and will cater to the growing numbers of visitors to the capital city. To further enhance the guest experience, Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz will introduce the concept of an 'Open Lobby', a revolutionary approach which has transformed the traditional hotel lobby format by combining the front desk, lobby, F&B, lounge area and business centre into one open, cohesive space. The hotel will also offer an array of amenities including a pool, a gym, a business centre, meeting rooms and two restaurants. Advertisements Commenting on the announcements, Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said: "Continuing our growth momentum in Saudi Arabia, we are pleased to add two new properties, InterContinental Dammam and Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz to our portfolio. Both brands are well established in the Kingdom and in demand for existing guest segments visiting the country. Furthermore, we are rapidly expanding our presence in Saudi Arabia to cater to an increasing number of guests coming to the country, as a result of vision 2030 and ensuing initiatives by the Government." He added: "In last 12 months, we have signed 10 hotels, across our portfolio of brands in the Kingdom. We will also be opening an office in Riyadh to further drive our growth and performance in the country. These developments are testament to our commitment to the market and to respond to the needs of the travellers coming to the country." Salem Mohammed Al Qahtani, Owner, Salem Mohammed Al Qahtani said: "We are excited to partner with a leading global hospitality player such as IHG, to bring their international luxury brand, InterContinental, to the city of Dammam. IHG has a strong legacy in Saudi Arabia, and with their market understanding and expertise, we are confident that InterContinental Dammam will be a great success and a hotel of choice for our discerning guests visiting the city." Sheikh Saleh Hossain Al-Salamah, Chairman of the Board, Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies said: "With the increasing number of travelers coming to the Kingdom, as a result of Saudi Vision 2030, there is need for more quality branded accommodation. Holiday Inn is a well-known brand internationally, as well as in the Kingdom, and we are pleased to partner with IHG to open Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz. We look forward to welcoming our guests and offer them a great stay experience when we open our doors later this year." Saudi Arabia is a priority market for IHG in the Middle, with a current portfolio of 33 hotels (15,388 rooms) across 6 brands including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites and voco, and 20 hotels (10,028 rooms) in the pipeline, set to open in the next 3-5 years. The company recently announced plans to open an office in Riyadh in March 2020 and appointed new management dedicated to Saudi Arabia. *Numbers as of September 30th, 2019. A Nutley man pleaded guilty Wednesday to drunkenly driving more than 100 hundred miles an hour before crashing into another vehicle, killing the driver. William Dunbar, 26, took a plea bargain in the case, stemming from a 2018 crash in Mount Laurel that killed 34-year-old Christopher Pappas, of Howell. He pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in exchange for a 10-year state prison term, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office announced Thursday. Dunbar had been drinking a concert earlier in the day and was speeding northbound on Route 73 on Aug. 19, 2018 when he slammed into the back of Pappas vehicle. The force flipped Pappas car over and slammed it into a utility pole, authorities said. Authorities said toxicology results showed Dunbar had a blood alcohol level of .16 at the time of the crash. Pappas was a graduate of Monmouth University and had worked in sales for the last two years of his life, according to his obituary. Neither car was carrying any passengers. Dunbar is scheduled to be sentenced May 14. Jenna Wise may be reached at jwise@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JennaRWise. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. 23.01.2020 LISTEN I deem it politically prudent to caution poor-performing Members of Parliament, to abstain from coverting Nana's glory as they go for the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries. As the NPP prepare themselves for their parliamentary primaries in constituencies with seating MPs, I have observed that some Members of Parliament have nothing to tell their delegates as their achievements. As a result of this, they are citing school feeding programme, free SHS and central government projects as their projects. In the case of Awutu Senya West Constituency, the seating Member of Parliament, Hon. Nenyi George Andah has come out with a poster which contains Nana and himself with an architectural work of an astroturf, the Nana Addo led administration is about to construct under his One Million dollar per constituency project. I see this attitude and or strategy of these poor performing MPs as ignorant move to deny the president of his glory which will go against the party in this year's election. Nana promised us that he would allocate One million dollars each for unique projects in every constituency so if we sit aloof and allow these so-called strategists to claim the glory, the constituents of such constituencies will still demand their share when the president goes to then to canvass for votes. It is against this backdrop that I am doing this article to condemn this poor attitude of these MPs. In any case, some Members of Parliament have been able to construct as much as 15 classroom blocks with their common fund. A typical example is the Sefwi Wiawso MP, Hon. Dr. Kwaku Afriyie. This is a clear indication that if these MPs who are now trying to deny Nana of his glory could have done better if they had goodwill. It is unfortunate to observe that in my constituency, Awutu Senya West, you cannot see any tangible project that is made possible as a result of prudent use of the common fund. This is irritating since the seating Member of Parliament belongs to the ruling government and can easily access his common fund if he needs it for such projects. If after failing the constituents in this regard, the only way left for them is to identify themselves with Nana's projects for primaries, then we are endangering their seats. In order not to risk such seats, we have no option than to open up to everyone, especially the delegates they want to deceive. To worsen the situation, such MPs also have serious issues with regards to their relationship with party people. All these boil down to the fact that they must be benched through the primaries lest their faces on the ballot papers create problems for even their presidential candidate. Before I conclude, I will plead with Mr. Sammy Awuku the National Organizer of the party to add his voice to this issue by openly condemning it. Nana's projects are for all and every NPP member should be able to take pride in it. It is not only for self-seeking MPs who only know what they used their common fund for. If they know they are the reason why the primaries were delayed and yet they have nothing to show, they should just bow out. On January 25, 2000, Emirates took off from Dubai International Airport headed for Bahrain. When the B777-200 landed, it marked a major milestone for the airline its first flight to the country. Twenty years later, the route has gone from strength-to-strength, and since the first flight, more than 6.7 million passengers have flown with Emirates on the route to Dubai four times the population of Bahrain. Emirates continues to play an instrumental role in serving the skies and communities in Bahrain, helping passengers seamlessly connect to a network of over 150 global destinations. The airline has progressively grown its presence in the kingdom, going from two daily flights to four daily services, as part of its commitment to delivering the best in terms of network, convenient schedules and onboard products and services to Bahraini travellers. Adil Al Ghaith, senior vice president commercial operations for Gulf, Middle East and Central Asia, said: "As we celebrate 20 years of service in Bahrain, a significant market in this region, we remain focused on delivering the best onboard experience possible for our Bahraini customers, and unparalleled connections through Dubai and beyond. The connectivity Emirates has provided has been, and continues to be pivotal for business and tourism in Bahrain all helping to drive vital economic activity. We are proud to have served Bahrain for two decades and hope to continue growing our operations, sustaining our buoyant performance, and building a footprint of excellence in this market. The UAE and Bahrain have also enjoyed strong ties and mutual understanding, and we hope to continue to strengthen this positive relationship." Bahrain's economy is one of the most diverse in the region, and Emirates helps to play an important role in supporting the country's thriving trade relationship with the UAE, currently estimated at US$878 million in 2018. Emirates' four daily flights, with a SkyCargo bellyhold capacity of up to 23 tonnes per flight on the Boeing 777-300ER, have helped to facilitate carriage of close to 130,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Bahrain over the last five years, transporting goods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, machinery and equipment. Emirates' global network has also enabled local exporters to connect to both developed and emerging markets in the east. Seventy six Bahraini nationals work at the Emirates Group, representing professions like flight deck, cabin crew, airport services, and many other roles. Over 47 per cent of the Bahraini workforce at the Emirates Group have served for 10 years or longer, a testament to Emirates' appeal as an employer. Emirates is the world's largest operator of the A380, with 115 in its fleet flying to 53 destinations across the globe. Emirates has flown its iconic A380 to Bahrain three times on one-off missions to cater to seasonal demand, becoming the first carrier to operate this aircraft to the kingdom. The airline has also brought its flagship to the kingdom to participate at the Bahrain International Airshow for three editions of the event, showcasing its signature products and services on this aircraft to trade and industry stakeholders, as well as the general public. The Emirates A380 has received over 20,000 visits over the course of the three airshows. Emirates' popular loyalty programme, Emirates Skywards, focuses on bringing members value, choice and flexibility, and today there are close to 140,000 Bahraini members enrolled in the programme, benefitting from hotel stays as well as retail and lifestyle experiences supported by the airline. For a limited time, Skywards members based in Bahrain can benefit from Double Miles when they book flights between January 25-28 and complete travel on or before November 30. - TradeArabia News Service After two years of hot development, Vietnams textile and garment industry could not fulfill the target of exporting $40 billion worth of products in 2019. Le Tien Truong, general director of Vinatex, the biggest textile and garment group, admitted that 2019 was a tough year for the group. It had pre-tax profit of VND1.394 trillion, lower than 2018. Asked about the business plan for 2020, Truong said the conditions are unfavorable and the future of the US-China trade war remains unclear, so Vinatex has only set modest targets VND50.992 trillion in revenue and VND1.553 trillion in pre-tax profit. When Vietnam signed CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnershipand) and the EU-Vietnam FTA, analysts all said that the agreements will bring big benefits to Vietnam. However, Truong said it is not easy to enjoy the preferences of FTAs because of the strict rules of origin. To satisfy the requirements on product origin, Vietnam needs to be able to produce fabric domestically. This is a difficult job as Vietnam has to compete with many big producers, including China, which provides 54 percent of total fabric output globally, and India with 20 percent. To satisfy the requirements on product origin, Vietnam needs to be able to produce fabric domestically. This is a difficult job as Vietnam has to compete with many big producers, including China, which provides 54 percent of total fabric output globally, and India with 20 percent. Also according to Truong, the enterprises with complete supply chains all target niche markets and make products with the guarantee of distributors. Viet Tien Garment is an example. To be able to become a partner of Uniqlo and Nike, the company has had to make big investments in equipment and technology. Textile and garment industry remains one of 10 products with the biggest export value, but the industry has to compete with China and India. According to Nguyen Xuan Duong, chair of Hung Yen Garment, by this time of previous years, the company had orders for the second quarter. Now, orders are coming in dribs and drabs. American partners who have been cooperating with us for tens of years dont sign long-term contracts now, but only sign short-term orders, he said. They have to listen to the news about the US-China trade war before placing orders." The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) confirmed that the number of orders enterprises have is just 80 percent of the same period last year. Instead of receiving long-term contracts, they now receive orders monthly or quarterly. Garment companies all complain that they are facing difficulties as they have to struggle to scramble for orders with textile and garment powers such as China, India and Bangladesh. Kim Chi Textile and garment companies need more orders for 2020 The number of orders that textile and garment companies have received for 2020 is just equal to 80 percent of that in the same period last year. Annabella Sciorrra Photo: JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock At 9:48 a.m., Sopranos star Annabella Sciorra entered a packed Manhattan courtroom through a side door, walked toward the witness stand, and sat calmly behind the microphone. She was moments away from testifying against Harvey Weinstein, whom she accused of raping and forcing oral sex on her around late 1993. Weinstein looked at her when she took the stand. Do you see Mr. Weinstein in court today? asked prosecutor Joan Illuzzi. Sciorra started to stand. Yes. Could you point him out? Illuzzi said. Sciorra fully stood and pointed. Hes wearing a black suit and a white shirt and a white tie, she said. She then began to recall the alleged incident. After a business dinner, Weinstein offered to drive Sciorra back to her Gramercy Park apartment. She got ready for bed and heard a knock at the door. Thinking it might be a neighbor or doorman, she opened it. Weinstein was there. He shoved the door open, she said. Sciorras voice wavered, and she became increasingly choked up. A court officer in the corner near the witness stand brought her tissues. He started to sort of walk around looking to see if there was somebody else there, Sciorra said. And then he started to unbutton his shirt, Sciorra continued. He thought we were going to be having sex. I realized that if he was taking off his shirt that in his head, he wanted to have sex, and I did not want to. It was just not going to happen, Sciorra said of her decision. I was not having sex with him. Overpowered by Weinsteins size and unable to flee to her bathroom, she wound up in the bedroom. He shoved me onto the bed, Sciorra alleged. As I was trying to get him off of me, I was punching him, I was kicking him. I was just trying to get him away from me, and he took my hands and put them over my head, she said, holding her hands above her head, one hand gripping her other wrist. He put his penis inside my vagina, and he had intercourse with me, as I tried to fight, she testified. But I couldnt fight anymore because he had my hands blocked. Weinstein stopped and ejaculated on her, Sciorra said. Did he say anything? Illuzzi asked. He said, I have perfect timing. Before Weinstein forced oral sex on Sciorra, he said, this is for you, she testified. I didnt have very much fight left inside of me, she said. I mean, there was not much I could do at that point. My body shut down. It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual, she continued. I didnt really even know what was happening, it was like a seizure or something. lluzzi asked Sciorra if Weinstein physically forced her. Sciorra said yes. Sciorra then said she didnt remember her initial reaction. I just remember feeling disgusting, Sciorra explained. I cried a lot. I had a lot of what I now know is disassociating experiences. I spent a lot of time alone. Sciorra testified that she didnt want to talk about what happened and started drinking and cutting. I had this wall that was white but then I began to paint it like a blood-red color, she said. I began to cut myself, and I would drop blood from my fingers from my hands, into this masterpiece and I would take wherever I would put the blood, and take pieces of gold leaf, and mark it. Sciorra said she later ran into Weinstein and tried confronting him. I tried to talk to him about what happened, she said. And I told him how I woke up, and that I had blacked out, fainted, and he said, Thats what all the nice Catholic girls say. Then he leaned into me and said, This remains between you and I. It was very menacing, the actress continued. His eyes went black, and I thought he was going to hit me right there. When Weinstein attorney Donna Rotunno, who told Chicago magazine that she can get away with a lot more in a courtroom cross-examining a female than a male lawyer does, started cross-examining Sciorra, she tried to undermine her allegations. Ms. Sciorra, isnt it correct that you told your friend that you had awkward sex with Harvey Weinstein? Rotunno asked. No, Sciorra answered. Ms. Sciorra in your movies, youre a professional actress correct? she asked. Yes, Sciorra said. And you act and play whatever role that requires of you? Donna said shortly thereafter. Yes. Rotunno also pressed Sciorra on her claims earlier in the day that she was troubled by a disgusting and inappropriate box of chocolate penises Weinstein sent her prior to her alleged assault. When you received the chocolate penises, how did they come packaged? Rotunno asked? They were in a white box, Sciorra said. Did they have a card with them? Rotunno said. Sciorra said yes; Rotunno asked what it said. I dont recall, but it was from Harvey, she said. What were the size of these chocolates? How big was the box? Rotunno pressed. At that point, Sciorra held up her hands to simulate the boxs shape. Rotunno said that Sciorras hand gestures indicated the box was eight inches by six inches. It was just a box of chocolate penises, Sciorra said. Weinstein appeared more interested and alert during Rotunnos cross examination than he had at almost any other point of the trial. He kept his eyes focused on her throughout much of the exchange. He nonetheless continued his habit of chewing Mentos throughout the proceeding. Diner actress Ellen Barkin, who earlier in the morning tweeted her support of dear friend and warrior Sciorra, was in the back row of the courtroom. After the testimony ended and jurors left for the day, it was revealed that actress Rosie Perez might testify about how Sciorra disclosed the alleged rape to her. Illuzzi revealed that if Perez were allowed to testify, she would say that Sciorra told her, I think something bad might have happened to me. I think I might have been raped. The two women were allegedly on the phone when Sciorra was staying at a London hotel. Weinstein was allegedly banging on Sciorras door. Perez would testify that Sciorra said, I dont want him to get me again. If Perez took the stand, she would also recall remarking, Oh my God, Harvey Weinstein was the man who raped you, Illuzzi said. While Illuzzi was discussing Perezs possible testimony, she complained about Weinsteins behavior. Its hard to hear with the defendant talking so loud, Judge. If he could just stop talking for a second. Weinstein faces five counts in Manhattan Supreme Court; in addition to Sciorra, the charges involve ex-production assistant Mimi Haleyi and former aspiring actress Jessica Mann. In addition to them, three other women are expected to testify, also alleging that Weinstein sexually assaulted them. Weinstein does not face charges in New York related to these womens accusations. Prosecutors also plan on calling Dr. Barbara Ziv, the forensic psychiatrist who testified as an expert witness against Bill Cosby, Friday morning. Ziv is expected to testify about why sexual-assault victims often delay coming forward. This is a breaking news story and has been updated throughout. Update, February 24: Harvey Weinsteins verdict has been announced. India: Manhole work for submarine cable system violating CRZ rules? January 23,2020 | Source: The New Indian Express The ongoing manhole work on Marina beach for the 2,250-km Chennai-Andaman submarine cable system is violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, it is alleged. On December 21 last year, Union Environment Ministry accorded CRZ clearance to Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to execute the project that connects Chennai with eight islands of Andaman and Nicobar. While granting CRZ clearance, one condition by the ministry was that all beach manhole locations must be on landward side and not on the beach. However, DoT is building the beach manhole terminal near Nochikuppam towards seaward side of Marina loop road, it is alleged.Nochikuppam is home for about 1,000 families, predominantly fishermen. It has a street fish market and the site where the beach manhole is being constructed is their fish landing site. Due to sea erosion, Nochikuppam and adjacent Pattinapakkam have lost most of the beach front. K Bharathi of South Indian Fisher Welfare Federation told Express that DoT contractors are doing the construction literally inside the sea. During high tide, the sea water runs over Marina loop road. There is only a narrow strip of beach at Nochikuppam which is used by fishermen for parking their boats and fish landing. This has been encroached by DoT for building beach manhole for Chennai-Andaman cable project. When CRZ clearance condition clearly stipulates that the work should be done on landward side, how can they do it on the beach, he asked. He said he has written to Environment Department, Greater Corporation and environment secretary highlighting the violation and seeking intervention. Officials have not taken any action on the complaint so far. SS Ramakrishnan, Director, Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS), told Express that no construction should be carried out on the beach. Nochikuppam is a hazard-prone area. The manhole terminal should be on the landward side. The beach front falls in inter-tidal zone where no construction can be carried out. Meanwhile, Jayanti Murali, Director, Department of Environment, told Express that she would look into the alleged violation and take necessary action. Project details Initially, cable will be laid from Chennai to Port Blair for which works have commenced. Later, Port Blair will be connected with seven other islands of Andaman & Nicobar viz Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Havelock, Long Island and Rangat. Medidate announced that three flavors of their first-to-market Roasted Date Seed Elixir are now on the shelves at Whole Foods Market locations in the Southern Pacific region. Medidate Roasted Date Seed Elixir is a delicious, rich tasting functional beverage with naturally occurring prebiotics, antioxidants, polyphenols and nutrients that boosts focus without caffeine. The SRP is $3.49 for a 10 oz bottle. Roasted Date Seed Elixir hails from the Mediterranean deserts, where it has been known for hundreds of years to nourish and cleanse the body and naturally boost focus. Medidate Roasted Date Seed Elixir is a fresh entrance to a category of typically high-caloric functional beverages. Their authentic, craft brewed elixir has just 90-150 calories per 10 oz bottle. Its also dairy-free, nut-free, and made with no refined sugars or sugar alternatives like stevia, monkfruit or xylitol. Medidate Roasted Date Seed Elixir has a roasted, coffee-like taste and is a great healthy beverage for many consumer needs: for those who want to nourish their microbiomes with naturally occurring prebiotics; for those who want to maintain their coffee ritual but in a healthier, caffeine-free way; for those who want a delicious, low calorie drink with clean ingredients. Medidate has been embraced by the natural products industry, named as one of three 2019 ExpoWest NEXTY Award finalists for best new coffee/tea beverage. The Medidate Roasted Date Seed Elixir line includes four 10-ounce varieties: Original: Craft brewed with roasted date seeds, as traditionally made by the Bedouin tribes. Cardamom: With its intensely sweet and savory flavor, cardamom adds a distinctive note to this traditional beverage, and is also well known for its many healthful properties. Oat Milk Latte: Roasted Date Seed Elixir is blended with creamy oat milk and lightly sweetened with low-glycemic date syrup. 50/50 Cold Brew: A unique blend of 50% Roasted Date Seed Elixir and 50% award-winning Seaworth Coffees Single Fin Sludge cold brew coffee. For the days that you cant do without your half-caf! Medidate Roasted Date Seed Elixir also has a unique sustainability proposition in terms of its ability to reduce food waste. Date seeds have historically been a waste product that is thrown away by the hundreds of tons a year. Medidate wants to help reduce this waste by turning this seemingly inedible product into a nourishing beverage. It has partnered with several date farmers to secure the entirety of their waste seeds so that we can bring this mission to life. About Tulua Tulua, is a privately-held company that produces and sells a wide range of wellness beverages including shots, and now ready-to-drink beverages under the Medidate brand. All of their products are produced, bottled and labeled in their state-of-the-art facility in Huntington Beach, CA. Tulua is dedicated to developing lines of organic and natural wellness products with simple, straightforward ingredients and functional benefits. The company originally began under the name Ginger Shots, Inc, and has rebranded under the Tulua brand in an effort to expand their offerings. Visit http://www.drinktulua.com or @drinktulua on social media. [January 23, 2020] Valley Networks Hires Marketing Veteran Matt McKernan as Director of Business Development BETHLEHEM, Pa., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valley Networks , the leading technology solution provider in the Lehigh Valley, is proud to announce it has named marketing veteran and IT industry consultant Matt McKernan as its new Director of Business Development. McKernan has a broad-based history of driving effective marketing campaigns, including as a founding associate at Mosaic Advertising, a successful digital advertising company serving both national and regional accounts. Clients marketed under McKernans leadership at Mosaic included Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), Penn State University, The Jaindl Corporation, and The Devereux Foundation. McKernans work for LCCC increased enrollment by 10% during an industry-wide flat year for higher education. McKernan brings close to 20 years of marketing and IT industry expertise to his position, including digital communications and technology-related positions with prominent organizations including Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. He will be in charge of driving new marketing strategies for Valley Networks. This includes business development and sales programs designed to expand the companys work in key verticals such as healthcare and manufacturing, while increasing the capabilities of existing clientele through augmened technology projects. Matt will also lead Valley Networks digital and interactive marketing activities, including its social media and online assets. Ive been following Matts career for many years now, and am impressed with his command of the marketing process and his deep breadth of contacts within the high tech Lehigh Valley business community, said John Mattaboni, president and founder at Valley Networks. Mattaboni led the team that redesigned the New York City Transit Authoritys emergency communications network before relocating to the Lehigh Valley early in the Millennium. Matts skills in driving marketing-based initiatives and his knowledge of the IT infrastructures make him an invaluable asset to the company. I look forward to executing a proactive, dynamic plan to enhance Valley Networks reach and effectiveness. The companys uniquely responsive, customized approach to IT service delivery is sorely needed throughout this business marketplace, said McKernan. Valley Networks ongoing work with historic Bethlehem institutions in addition to a growing base of regional practitioners shows a commitment to both its customers needs and the technological viability of this regions business community. About Valley Networks Founded in 2009, Valley Networks is a major provider of IT solutions, managed network services, connectivity and wiring, business continuity, and back-up solutions, including a full range of HIPAA compliance services. The company serves businesses in the Greater Lehigh Valley area and beyond, from Philadelphia to Stroudsburg, Phillipsburg to Harrisburg. Valley Networks offers unique and flexible service plans to meet the needs of a range of companies, from start-ups to established practices and corporations. Call 610-697-1181 for a free estimate and consultation, and visit www.valleynetworks.us for plan information. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-networks-pa/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Valley-Networks-Inc-131918004241947/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Syracuse, N.Y. -- An animal rights group has put the Syracuse zoo on its list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants. This is the fifth time the zoo has made the list. In Defense of Animals put the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at number 10 on the list. The group singled out the Syracuse zoos elephant breeding program as the main reason. It operates without regard for family or bonded relationships." The group pointed out the recent birth of baby Ajay last year, saying the family has been split apart and shipped around to other places. They said his mother, Mali, was sent to the African Lion Safari in Canada, where she gave birth to Chuck. Both were sent back to the Syracuse zoo, but Chuck was taken from his mother at 6 years old, the group said. The Syracuse zoo recently upgraded its elephant habitat. And, while the animal rights group has been critical of the program for years, other groups have praised the zoos elephant breeding program and credited it with helping to save the Asian elephant from extinction. The zoo also has consistently retained its accreditation from the AZA, the main organization that ensures zoos and aquariums around the world keep their animals in the proper conditions. That group does extensive interviews and site visits periodically. This past year, the animal rights group sent someone to the Syracuse zoo to observe the elephants, they said. They saw Doc, Ajays father, swaying back and forth throughout the day. This, the group said, was an indication that he was stressed from being in an artificial environment and not able to satisfy his normal behavioral needs. The group also said they were told the zoo planned to send Doc to another facility in the near future. The Bronx Zoo also made the list, coming in at number 3. Many zoos have shut down their elephant exhibits or plan to phase them out. In Defense of Animals is renewing its call for these two new York zoos to do the same, In Defense of Animals said in a statement. Marnie Eisenstadt is a reporter who writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter| Facebook | 315-470-2246 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. We know an incident like this can be disturbing, Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said in a letter Thursday to the community. We absolutely will not tolerate physical violence in our schools. Any student who is involved in these types of incidents will face consequences in accordance with District policy and State law. Protesters outside a Canadian court demanding the release of a Huawei executive under house arrest have admitted to being paid actors. Two actresses involved in a demonstration supporting Meng Wanzhou outside the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on Monday say they were duped into attending, thinking they were being hired as extras in a film. Julia Hackstaff, 32, said she was offered $76 for two hours of work, but left the demonstration after five minutes when she realized it was real. A small crowd of protesters gathered outside British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on Monday to support Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou during her extradition trial But several left after just a few minutes, before telling journalists that they had been duped into taking part by being told they were extras in a film She said she showed up for the job, was handed a poster and was then immediately approached by a journalist asking her why she had come. Hackstaff said she left soon after that, and wasn't paid for her time. Writing on Facebook, she said: 'I feel cheated, used, abused, angry, deeply saddened and emotions that I don't even have words to describe. 'It's been a nasty and exhausting 36 hour nightmare.' Meng is accused of fraud relating to US sanctions on Iran and was arrested in Canada in December 2018 Banners included slogans such as 'free Meng' and 'Trump stop bullying us'. She said she had been contacted for the job by an acquaintance she had not met before, but had good reason to trust. Another protester, Ken Bonson, gave an identical account to the Toronto Star, saying she 'had no idea what I was going into.' 'I'm honestly pretty ashamed and embarrassed,' she said, explaining that she had not known about Meng or her legal saga. It is not clear who fronted the money for the actors. Huawei denied any responsibility, while the Chinese embassy in Ottawa didn't respond when contacted. Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, was first arrested in December 2018, accused of fraud and has been under house arrest in Canada ever since. The US alleges she lied to HSBC about Huawei's relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Tehran. Meng has denied the allegations. Her extradition hearing began Monday is scheduled to last until Friday, then adjourn until a second phase scheduled for June. Two protesters say they had no idea who Meng was or about her legal case. They say they were offered $76 for taking part in the protest, but refused the money Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has introduced new legislation that would attempt to reform Section 215 of the Patriot Act definitively. Democratic and Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have co-sponsored Wyden's Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act. While there are a variety of facets to the bill, the most significant aspect of it is that it would prohibit the warrantless collection of cell-site and GPS geolocation data, as well as internet browsing and search history by US intelligence agencies. Additionally, the bill would eliminate the relevance clause that had allowed the NSA to justify its bulk data collection program, and establish a three-year limit for how long federal agencies can hold data that isn't related to foreign intelligence efforts. The bill would attempt to do all this before March 15th. Following the enactment of the USA Freedom Act in 2015, Section 215 would have expired this past December. However, the Senate pushed back the sunset date to March 15th as part of the short-term funding bill it passed in mid-November. "Liberty and security aren't mutually exclusive, and they aren't partisan either," said Senator Wyden. "This bill preserves authorities the government uses against criminals and terrorists, while putting Americans' constitutional rights front and center." Despite the fact that Senator Wyden has managed to build some bipartisan support for his bill, it's likely to face an uphill battle. In the past, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been a vocal supporter of the Patriot Act. In 2015, McConnell attempted to introduce legislation that would have extended the act through to 2020 without making any changes to it. While the Senate eventually passed the USA Freedom Act instead, McConnell is likely to oppose any attempt to scale back the Patriot Act. Getty Images Given that we're sitting in the 10th year of the longest economic expansion in American history, it is not surprising that we are subject to daily discourse between those who think we still have room to grow, and those who fear a contraction is imminent. Commercial real estate (CRE) lives and dies with economic cycles, so many investors feel that they are unable to jump into CRE unless they have a bead on where the market is heading in the near term. This task is even more challenging because of the constant chatter emanating from industry insiders, CEOs, financial analysts and anyone with something to say about the real estate markets. Frequently, market leaders will take diametrically opposed positions. As an individual investor, it can be difficult to understand what they see that you cannot. We live in an information age, but access to information isn't enough. You must be able to mine that information for insights to generate better returns. Today, we'll help you figure out how to invest in CRE by showing you how to make sense of two opposing views in late-cycle commercial real estate investing. We'll also highlight a few real estate investment trusts (REITs) to home in on for growth and dividends. SEE ALSO: 9 Ways You Can Own Famous Landmarks West Coast vs. the "Rest Coast" Getty Images Multifamily REITs - which, despite their focus, are considered commercial real estate, not residential - share an industry, but not necessarily the same goals or strategies. Essex Property Trust (ESS, $309.85), a San Mateo, California-based REIT, is betting heavily on high-dollar markets on the coast. Michael J. Schall, the current CEO and President of Essex, advocates a continued reliance on multifamily buildings in supply-constrained West Coast markets, despite high valuations and a harsh regulatory climate. That's particularly the case in Tier 1 cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, where land-use rules and tenant protections are some of the strictest in the country. Story continues Eric Bolton, Jr., President, Chairman and CEO of Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA, $134.93), is taking a different approach. Instead of focusing on Tier 1 cities in high-end markets, Mid-America is looking to lower-cost-of-living areas in the Southeast, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. These regions tend to have lower acquisition costs, offer more favorable business climates, and have the most room to grow in the long run. Both companies are betting big on the future of the American multifamily housing market, and that future remains favorable at least going into 2020, as Bolton remarked in this Nareit interview. "We all have to recalibrate our thinking a little coming off the historically strong trends of the last few years, but overall I think the apartment business remains in very good shape," he says. "Demographics, social trends, employment conditions and reasonable new supply all combine to provide conditions for apartment leasing that will support steady rent growth." However, both REITs have very different approaches to reaching long-term growth. ESS (yield: 2.5%) is betting big on the continued economic dominance of the West Coast, while MAA (yield: 3.0%) plans to grow through cheaper but more numerous acquisitions in the heartland and elsewhere. SEE ALSO: 7 REITs to Buy Now for Dividend Growth Pay Attention to Fundamental Indicators of Prosperity Getty Images Choosing the right market in which to invest seems like an insurmountable challenge, but there are tried-and-true metrics that investors can use to judge the multifamily market in any given geographic area. The two key indicators you want to look out for are employment and population growth. The reason is simple: If people are unable to find jobs, they will be unable to afford housing. The same idea works for population growth: The fewer people you have competing for apartment space, the higher vacancies will be. Also, markets in areas with a declining population need to spend more on retaining tenants and marketing to new lessees. Just remember: Even if these two indicators are solid, investors still must go deeper to find the true state of a market. For employment, ask yourself questions such as: What employers are working in the area? What are their long-term plans? Could they close or relocate? All of these questions must be answered to determine the long-term health of a market. Markets that rely on one or two sources of employment, such as a major factory or a military post, tend to be more unstable than those areas with a more diverse employment base. Going back to Essex Property Trust: ESS focuses strictly on multifamily properties in West Coast cities with strong employment growth, positive demographic trends and a multitude of demand drivers. "Essex looks to invest in markets with the greatest long-term rent growth," Essex CEO Michael Schall told MultiHousingNews. "Each year, our research group looks more broadly at the housing supply/demand dynamics for many major U.S. metros, essentially to continually challenge our market selection criteria and portfolio allocations. At this point, on-going housing shortages, expensive housing alternatives and the exceptional growth in the technology industries continue to reaffirm our West Coast footprint." Fundrise's West Coast eREIT (a public but non-traded REIT) is another option that follows a similar strategic plan. SEE ALSO: 30 Massive Dividend Increases From the Past Year Where CRE Fits in Your Portfolio Getty Images Commercial real estate provides investors with stable cash flow, appreciation benefits and substantial tax advantages when compared to other popular asset classes. CRE also can help protect investor portfolios from volatility in traditional equities. The counter-cyclical nature of real estate - and multifamily in particular - allows investors to hedge against drops in the stock market. Even during a major housing crash, like that in 2008, multifamily assets in many parts of the country retained the same level or reduced vacancy, primarily because of increased demand for rental housing as people lost their homes to foreclosure or financial circumstances. Over the long term, the value of real property in the U.S. - including commercial buildings - has always gone up. Studies have shown that while the equities market and passive real estate investments reach the same level of growth, managed real estate assets (such as REITs) tend to slightly outperform the stock market in long-term growth. The tax advantages of CRE assets often have substantial positive effects on investor portfolios. Programs such as Opportunity Zones and regulations such as 1031 Exchanges allow for reinvestment of capital that would have otherwise been paid to the IRS. The ability to reinvest that capital helps savvy investors generate higher returns compared to investments without a tax-deferral period. An example of a public REIT that aims to generate returns via Opportunity Zones is Belpointe's OZ REIT (BELP, $100.10). However, it's worth noting that while it's a pioneer in the space, it's traded "over-the-counter" on very thin volume of a few thousand shares per day. Adoption, if it comes, will take time, and this certainly is a play for more aggressive tastes. In the private space, SkyBridge Opportunity Zone REIT is attempting a similar strategy. Skybridge CEO Anthony Scaramucci explained to Bloomberg why his firm is getting into the OZ space: "There are 8,700 opportunity zones throughout the U.S. and we wanted to offer our clients a diversified portfolio across a whole section of that market; we wanted to be able to provide income during the course of the 10 years as we develop and mature properties, which will be cash-flowing; and then the liquidity aspect where at the end of year six we will be able to take the REIT public and people can make a decision if they want to stay and/or sell their shares." SEE ALSO: The 5 Best Stock Funds for Retirement Savers Timing Isn't Everything Getty Images In many cases, investors feel they can create runaway profits by timing the market. However, nothing is promised, and no outcome is certain. For instance, we are currently in the midst of a 10-year bull run that would have been inconceivable a decade ago, during the height of the Great Recession. Despite some negative indicators, such as the inverted yield curve that flashed a few times during 2019, many other positive indicators (such as job growth and consumer confidence) point to continued economic growth. Many investors who waited on the sidelines in Year 7 or Year 8 are kicking themselves for mistiming. Their false belief that the market was overdue for a correction led to a situation where they lagged investors who pulled the trigger on investments regardless of historical trends. That kind of timing isn't helpful. However, knowing where you are in the real estate cycle can help you locate profitable opportunities, and avoid losses. A focus on market fundamentals, and intrinsic value, is a much bigger factor in your long-term success than timing. It also is much easier to study the underlying fundamentals of an investment than to determine exactly when and how the market will go into recession. "Investing is more an exercise in swinging a broadsword than using a surgical scalpel," says Charles Sizemore, principal of Sizemore Capital. "You don't have to time things perfectly so long as you're getting a reasonable price and, in the case of income-producing properties or REITs, getting a competitive yield. You should perhaps always keep a little dry powder around in order to take advantage of any major pullbacks. But if the numbers look good, you shouldn't be afraid to put your capital to work." He also points out that property rents tend to rise over time, and leases often have built-in rent escalators. So in the case of publicly traded REITs, this steady increase in rental income translates to steadily rising dividends. Consider Realty Income (O, $76.89), which is probably the most "bond-like" of any traded equity REIT. Realty Income offers a decent current dividend yield of 3.6%, and it has raised that payout at a 4.6% compound annual rate since going public in 1994. Why CEOs May Have Drastically Different Takes on the Market Getty Images From the outside looking in, it can be puzzling to see two CEOs, of similar background and pedigree, advocating for wildly different approaches in the commercial real estate markets. For instance, when it comes to REITs, an ideological battle is being waged between proponents of big-money capital raises, and those who believe these funds are too cumbersome to generate optimal returns. The difference of opinion boils down to the fact that some leaders believe that carefully deployed "smart money" will generate higher returns compared to large funds that use their substantial capital and position in the market to force yields, rather than picking and choosing the very best opportunities. These differing belief systems lead individual CEOs to "steer the ship" in wildly different directions, but with the same goal: maximizing returns. A larger firm might try to corner a particular property market to drive economic development, while a smaller, more agile firm might pick and choose individual opportunities in high-growth areas across the country. In the markets, nothing is guaranteed, so it should come as no surprise that even the most knowledgeable and capable leaders may have different takes on how to generate the best returns for investors from CRE. As an example of a successful "small ball" approach, consider the case of STORE Capital (STOR, $38.31), which yields 3.7%. STORE has successfully built a portfolio of more than 2,400 properties composed of everything from dental offices to auto shops. A nice aspect of this strategy is that trouble in a single property won't upend the portfolio. It's also worth mentioning that, with its focus on service businesses, STORE's portfolio is about as close to "Amazon-proof" as you can get. SEE ALSO: The 20 Best Stocks to Buy for 2020 EDITOR'S PICKS Copyright 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, has shared a photo of her cosying up to Ed Westwick on Instagram in the latest behind the scenes snaps of her new indie film. Linton, 39, posted the photo of the pair in a clinch to her followers on Wednesday teasing the release of the upcoming independent movie 'Me, You, Madness', which she stars in and directs. In the snap, Linton is pictured in a slinky yellow dress holding a chainsaw while Westwick stands behind her with his arms wrapped around her body and making a kissing pout. Linton captioned the picture: 'Some fun Behind the Scenes filming and shooting the poster! Always a lot of laughs working with the talented @edwestwick'. Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, has shared a photo of her cosying up to Ed Westwick on Instagram in her latest behind the scenes snap (above) of her new indie film A video on the post shows the Scottish actress, donning a red mini dress and heels, laughing and joking around flirtatiously with Westwick, who is more casual in a white t-shirt, jeans and a check shirt Linton captioned the post: 'Some fun Behind the Scenes filming and shooting the poster! Always a lot of laughs working with the talented @edwestwick' The film is about a young thief, played by 'Gossip Girl' actor Westwick, who discovers he is robbing the Malibu home of a serial killer. 'Thanks to my killer crew and cast, the movie is every bit the playful 80's homage I dreamed of when I wrote it,' Linton told DailyMail.com in a statement about the movie back in April. 'It was a joyful set, even under pressure. Ed Westwick is a phenomenal actor, collaborator, friend and creative force who became my co-pilot on many creative aspects of the film,' she added. A video on the social media post shows the Scottish actress, donning a red mini dress and heels, laughing and joking around with flirtatiously with Westwick, who is dressed more casually in a white t-shirt, jeans and check shirt. Other less glamorous, off-camera snaps show Linton at a computer looking at what appears to be stills from the movie and poring over documents with coworkers. Linton shared the snaps as a teaser to the release of the upcoming independent movie 'Me, You, Madness', which she stars in and directs Other less glamorous snaps show Linton at a computer looking at what appears to be stills from the movie and with other coworkers looking at documents and computers (above) The film is about a young thief, played by 'Gossip Girl' actor Westwick, who discovers he is robbing the Malibu home of a serial killer This isn't the first times the Scottish actress has taken to Instagram to try to ramp up attention ahead of her movie's release. Back in April, she shared some steamy new stills with her on-screen girlfriend Shuya Chang. Another photo released then shows Westwick and Linton sitting next to each other on a sofa - him looking bruised and beaten up while she is glamorous in a long yellow dress, high heels and full hair and makeup. The film, Linton's directorial debut, is being made under her Stormchaser Films company and being shopped to distributors. This isn't the first times the Scottish actress has taken to Instagram to ramp up attention ahead of her movie's release. Back in April, she shared some steamy new stills with her on-screen girlfriend Shuya Chang (above) Another photo released then shows Westwick and Linton sitting next to each other on a sofa - him looking bruised and beaten up while she is glamorous in a long yellow dress, high heels and full hair and makeup (above) Louise Linton on set directing Westwick. The film is being made under her Stormchaser Films company and being shopped to distributors Linton has sought to use the movie to prove she is a liberal, who believes in diversity and inclusion. As the Trump administration, of which her husband Mnuchen, 57, is a key part, works to ban transgender people from the military and homeless shelters, Linton said in May she made sure to hire transgender actors in her film. 'I made sure I cast a transgender actor, two African-American women, a gay guy and a gender-neutral person,' she told the Sunday Times. 'This was partly to represent who I am as a filmmaker and how I love diversity and inclusivity.' She also defended the casting of Westwick, who was accused of rape by two women, and sexual assault by a third, at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017. 'I don't believe that he did those things,' said Linton. 'I don't really believe in torpedoing someone's career when they've been absolved of doing something.' Linton has been recasting herself as a serious actress after a series of gaffes undermined her public image with a focus on her acting career instead of her life in Washington D.C. 'I'm a filmmaker, I'm not a politician,' she told the Hollywood Reporter last year. It was some now infamous photos of her that resulted in her being tagged the Marie Antoinette of the Donald Trump administration. The first was an August 2017 Instagram post where she tagged the fashion brands she wore while exiting a government plane with her husband on a trip to discuss tax policy. Critics seized on the post, to which she responded: 'Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? You're adorably out of touch.' She caused an outrage with her August 2017 Instagram picture tagged with expensive designers She was mocked when she posed with husband Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the Bureau of Engraving First Lady Melania Trump, President Donald Trump, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Louise Linton, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence pose at the wedding of Mnuchin and Linton on June 24, 2017, at Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC That was followed by a November 2017 visit to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where Linton, clad in black and wearing gloves, held up a sheet of freshly printed dollar bills in a photo with Mnuchin. She later apologized for the posts and relaunched her Instagram feed in 2018 with a focus on charity work. 'I was so stupid,' Linton told Elle in an interview in February: 'I wish I could take it back.' 'I wasn't thinking about who I am,' she added. 'I wasn't thinking, I am the wife of this person and thus I should act like the wife of this person.' The United States is imposing new restrictions on the granting of tourist visas to pregnant foreign women travelling to the country, citing security concerns over so-called "birth tourism". The new rules were unveiled by the State Department on Thursday, and seek to put an end to the practice of giving birth in the US so that the child can obtain US citizenship. It is not clear how the State Department would determine that people seeking to travel to the US are pregnant, though the rule requires that officials reject visa applications when the individual's "primary purpose" is to obtain American citizenship for a child by giving birth on US soil. "Closing this glaring immigration loophole will combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement, alleging that birth tourism overburdens hospital resources and that it is "rife with criminal activity". She continued: "It will also defend American taxpayers from having their hard-earned dollars siphoned away to finance the direct and downstream costs associated with birth tourism. The integrity of American citizenship must be protected." Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Show all 8 1 /8 Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Mishawaka, Indiana AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Washington DC AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks in Tornillo, Texas alongside the many other US mayors who have called for detained immigrant children to be reunited with their families AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Albuquerque Mayor Tim Kelle leaves a teddy bear as a gift for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti leave sandals as gifts for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy US embassy, Mexico City AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA The State Department does not keep official figures documenting the number of foreigners who travel to the United States specifically to give birth, though the department has said that it has received reports from embassies and consulates that there has been an increase in the practice recently. The Centre for Immigration Studies, a conservative group that advocates for stricter immigration law, has meanwhile estimated that there were 33,000 births to women in the country who were visiting the country on temporary tourist visas in the second half of 2016 and first half of 2017. "The final rule addresses concerns about the attendant risks of this activity to national security and law enforcement, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry, as reflected in federal prosecutions of individuals and entities involved in that industry," the State Department said. The rules, which will go into effect on Friday, will also restrict or deny visas for individuals travelling to the US for medical treatment, unless they are able to establish "to the satisfaction of a consular officer" that they have a legitimate medical reason for entering the US, and that a medical practitioner had agreed to provide it. The rules would also require that an individual have "the means and intent" to pay for the treatment and related expenses. A 24-year old Dalit man, who was set on fire in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar city last week, died at a hospital in New Delhi on Thursday morning, police said. The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP hit out at each other following the incident. While the BJP said police did not act upon the victim's complaints made before the incident because of the state government's "appeasement policy", the Congress accused the saffron party of trying to vitiate the atmosphere by speaking "lies". Dhanprasad Ahirwar, a resident of Motinagar area in Sagar, was set ablaze on January 14 by four of his neighbours who were forcing him to take back a police complaint that he filed after a dispute with them, police said. Ahirwar, who sustained around 70 per cent burns, was initially treated in Sagar and then shifted to a hospital in the state capital Bhopal. He was later taken in an air ambulance to a hospital in Delhi where he died on Thursday, police said. All the accused, Chhuttu, Ajju Pathan, Kallu and Irfan, have been arrested, Sagar's Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi told PTI. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath expressed grief over the death of Ahirwar and assured all assistance to his family. "Received the of demise of Dhanprasad Ahirwar, a resident of Sagar, during treatment in Delhi. My condolences to the family.... Instructions have been issued for all possible help to the family," Nath tweeted. However, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Gopal Bhargava accused the Sagar district administration of negligence and said Ahirwar could have been saved if police had acted "in time". "I met the victim and his family at a hospital in Bhopal. They had gone to police to seek help. The victim's life could have been saved, if police had acted in time. A poor Dalit family has lost its son due to the apathy of the administration and government," the BJP leader said. State BJP chief Rakesh Singh last week said Ahirwar had approached police thrice before the incident, fearing his life was in danger but he got "no help" from the authorities. Singh had alleged that the police did not act upon Ahirwar's apprehensions because of the Congress-led government's "vote-bank politics and policy of appeasement". On the other hand, the Congress accused the BJP of politicising a sensitive issue. "The administration has taken timely action and arrested all the accused. The victim was air-lifted to Delhi for better treatment on the chief minister's directives. Now, the BJP is trying to vitiate the atmosphere by speaking lies," state Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A simple fence post is saving kangaroos and other Australian wildlife from extinction after one billion animals were killed during the bushfire crisis. Marketing Consultant Christine Pitcher praised the introduction of acoustic roadside posts by the Sunshine Coast Council in Queensland on Tuesday. Ms Pitcher shared a picture of an unassuming green post with an electronic unit attached to it on Facebook. 'This insignificant looking post is one of many which have been placed along the road where I live,' she captioned the post. 'We'd had many kangaroos and other wildlife killed after being hit by cars. These posts are activated by car headlights shining on them and emit a loud buzzing sound thereby deterring wildlife from crossing the road.' A simple fence post (pictured) is saving kangaroos and other Australian wildlife from extinction after one billion animals were killed during the bushfire crisis Marketing Consultant Christine Pitcher praised the introduction of acoustic roadside posts that alert kangaroos when it is unsafe to cross the road on Tuesday Ms Pitcher said she and her neighbours complained to Sunshine Coast Council about roadkill and the council 'listened and acted' in response. 'Very impressed so far with no dead wildlife since they (the acoustic posts) went in two months ago. Thank you Sunshine Coast Council,' she said. Each year, four million mammals are killed on Australian roads, according to the CSIRO. Since most native mammals are marsupials, female casualties often have their surviving young in their pouches, which sees 560,000 joeys orphaned each year. The bushfire crisis has put increased pressure on Australian wildlife as an estimated one billion animals have perished in the blazes. On the Sunshine Coast, there have been several bushfires over the current season but the exact impact on local wildlife is not known. Although the acoustic posts were only introduced to Ms Pitcher's neighbourhood recently, they groundbreaking technology was first trialed by her council in 2018. Each year, four million mammals are killed on Australian roads, according to the CSIRO. Kangaroo deaths often result in orphaned joeys Dubbed a 'virtual fence', the electronic signs are designed to change both kangaroo and driver behaviour. 'Most collisions occur because of the surprise element for both the driver and the kangaroo,' a council statement at the time read. 'With this equipment, kangaroos are alerted to oncoming cars or motorbikes before crossing and correspondingly the cars and motorbikes are warned to slow down.' A man wears a face mask as he walks past a display for the upcoming Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, in Beijing, on 22 January, 2020. (PHOTO: AP) SINGAPORE Three more suspected cases with pneumonia have been admitted for further assessment and treatment as well as isolated as a precautionary measure here, as the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus widens across China and other parts of the world. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (22 January) that it was notified of these cases a 3-year-old male Chinese national, a 4-year-old male Chinese national, and a 78-year-old female Singapore resident as of 4pm. The trio all of whom have travelled to mainland China remain in stable condition. Previously, seven suspected cases in Singapore have been declared negative of the new coronavirus strain, which likely originated from a seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus belongs to the same family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002-2003 outbreak and also started in China. Multi-ministry taskforce set up The announcement comes hours after Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong revealed on social media that he will be co-chairing a multi-ministry taskforce, together with Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong, to deal with the eventual spread of the virus here. The Wuhan virus situation has escalated sharply in the last few days and is evolving very rapidly. The MOH is at the frontline dealing with this public health issue. But it requires a whole-of-government, even a whole-of-Singapore, response, said Wong. On Wednesday, Chinese authorities announced that nine people had died from the coronavirus and 471 people across 13 Chinese provinces had been confirmed to be infected. They also warned that the still-unidentified virus, recently confirmed to be transmissible between humans, could mutate. Over the past week, at least 10 cases have been confirmed beyond mainland China, including the US, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan. In his Facebook post, Wong stressed that the government will spare no effort to defend and protect Singapore and Singaporeans, but noted that the most important defence is for the Republic to be psychologically prepared. Story continues We must stay calm and carry on with our lives. We must be prepared that, despite our best defences, it is a matter of time before we see imported cases here and be ready to mount a swift and effective response, said Wong, as he called on for Singaporeans to be socially responsible. If you show symptoms, dont go out and certainly avoid crowded places. See the doctor immediately so you can be assessed early and get treatment. All of us need to continue to adopt good hygiene habits wear a mask if you have a cold and must go out; wash our hands regularly, etc, he added. Issues first public health travel advisory In its first public health travel advisory regarding the situation in Wuhan, the MOH on Wednesday also called on travellers to avoid non-essential travel to the Chinese city. All travellers should monitor their health closely for two weeks upon return to Singapore and seek medical attention promptly if they feel unwell, and also inform their doctor of their travel history, the ministry added. Those who develop fever or exhibit symptoms such as cough and runny nose should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of their visit. Travellers to China are also advised to stay vigilant, monitor developments and heed the advice of the local Chinese authorities while in China, the MOH added. In the advisory, the ministry also reiterated its stepped up precautionary measures, which were announced in the past two days and came into effect on Wednesday. Among them, individuals with pneumonia and have travelled to China not just Wuhan within 14 days before the onset of symptoms will now be isolated in hospital. Individuals with acute respiratory infection who had been to any hospital in China within 14 days before the onset of symptoms will also be isolated in hospital. All travellers arriving from China will also have their temperatures screened. While there have been no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus reported in Singapore as of Wednesday, the ministry cautioned that more suspected cases, and possibly imported cases, are expected to emerge given the high volume of international travel to Singapore. Have a tip-off? Email us at sgnews.tips@verizonmedia.com. In your email, do provide as many details as possible, including videos and photos. Related stories: Wuhan virus outbreak: Scoot still operating flights to China North Korea to ban tourists over China virus: tour operator On the menu at China virus market: rats and live wolf pups Key facts about Wuhan, epicentre of China's virus outbreak The shadow of SARS: China learned the hard way how to handle an epidemic China's recent history of deadly epidemics Al Gore has urged governments and the global elite to take stronger action in tackling the climate crisis, comparing it to some of the greatest military actions in history and the 9/11 terror attacks. The former US vice president made the comparisons during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which was attended by teenage activist Greta Thunberg, Prince Charles, and Donald Trump. He said: The burden to act on the shoulders of the generation of the people alive today is a challenge to our moral imagination. This is Thermopylae. This is Agincourt. This is the Battle of the Bulge. This is Dunkirk. This is 9/11. We have to rise to this occasion. Mr Gore has been an avid environmental activist since he lost the 2000 presidential election and wrote the climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which was released in 2006. Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Show all 50 1 /50 Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent Youth Strike for Climate: London protest in photos Angela Christofilou/The Independent He added that the climate crisis was intensifying way faster than people realised and that the world currently lacked the political will to address the emergency. According to CNBC, when asked if anything made him feel hopeful for the future of climate change, Mr Gore said: The young generation is a source of hope. He praised Ms Thunberg for her activism and said: Once again, I was struck by her potent and sobering call to action. Nobody speaks truth to power as she does. Ms Thunberg gave a keynote address at the event where she pointedly criticised world leaders for inaction over the climate emergency. Without naming names, she said: I wonder, what will you tell your children was the reason to fail and leave them facing climate chaos that you knowingly brought upon them? That it seemed so bad for the economy that we decided to resign the idea of securing future living conditions without even trying? Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fuelling the flames by the hour. We are still telling you to panic and to act as if you loved your children above all else.. Her address came just minutes after Mr Trumps own, in which he called climate activists alarmists and prophets of doom. These alarmists always demand the same thing absolute power to dominate, transform and control every aspect of our lives, said Mr Trump. He said there was reason to be optimistic as he bragged about his administrations economic achievements and announced the US would join an initiative to conserve and restore a trillion trees. Broadband provider TalkTalk appears to be back online after an hour-long 'technical issue' that left many customers across the UK without access to the internet. Problems began at around 08:50 GMT, according to the website Down Detector, which monitors online outages. The issue was caused by a technical issue affecting internet browsing, with 94 per cent of those who reported issues saying they were struggling to access websites. Down Detector's online outage map shows that TalkTalk customers in the North West of England were worst affected. 'We are pleased to confirm that this issue was resolved earlier this morning and we apologise to our customers for any problems they experienced with their internet browsing,' a TalkTalk spokesperson said. Down Detector's online outage map shows that TalkTalk customers in the North West of England are worst affected Problems began at around 08:50 GMT, according to Down Detector, which uses social media to monitor online outages The company admitted earlier in the day that it was experiencing issues in a statement on its service status page. 'We're aware that some customers in the North West of England around the Liverpool and Manchester area are experiencing browsing issues and may not be able to access websites,' TalkTalk said. 'We'd like to apologise for the inconvenience caused and assure you that we're working to restore service as a priority. 'There's no need to contact us about this however you can check back here later for updates as we'll keep you updated on our progress.' Several disgruntled TalkTalk customers in the North West took to Twitter to report the issue and express their frustration: TalkTalk customers in the North West took to Twitter to report the issue and express their frustration Some suggested that it may have been an issue with the TalkTalk's DNS server, which lets internet users connect to websites. This is based on users being able to access some websites such as Google and Facebook, but not others such as Amazon and Twitter. A message on TalkTalk's service status page now reads: 'We're pleased to confirm that earlier browsing issues in the North West area have been resolved.' Where is the best cannabis in the legal industry? It's a contentious subject. Many cannabis industry folks in the U.S. say the best marijuana in the legal industry is grown in Oregon. Why? Oregon is lush, it's home to the Cultivation Classic, a highly-regarded cannabis cultivation competition, and it has over 600 licensees. The state is so abundant in cannabis that legislators passed the Oregon cannabis export bill last year in hopes that Oregon cannabis can be exported and enjoyed nation-wide. RELATED: 20 Bold Predictions for the Cannabis Industry in 2020 One highly-regarded Oregon brand to watch is Oregrown Industries. Founded in 2013, Oregrown is bringing a new retail storefront to Portland. To kick off opening day, progressive cannabis advocate U.S Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic congressman of the state's third district, will be cutting the ribbon. The event is open to the public and ribbon-cutting happens at 6 p.m. on January 23, 2020. Oregrown opened its Bend flagship dispensary in 2015. Its Portland store is the vertically integrated company's second storefront, located at 111 NE 12th Avenue, while stores in both Eugene and Cannon Beach will be coming online in 2020. The Oregrown cannabis store is a lifestyle brand and clothing shop intermingled with cannabis products. Its interior design is sleek, outdoorsy, down-to-earth, and very PNW. Echoing a Patagonia or a North Face, but it's a weed store. The interior of Oregrown's new Portland dispensary and lifestyle brand location. (Image Credit: Nick Grier/Oregrown) Chrissy Hadar, Oregrown's co-founder, President of Retail, and Chief Branding Officer, has sculpted the brand's ideology. Overseeing Oregrown Industries roster of 60 employees and expansion, Hadar fosters the organizations financial and operational growth while "shepherding" the brand from the shadows of prohibition. RELATED: Oregon Has So Much Extra Weed, It Wants To Export It To California Opening any retail store is difficult, and Hadar concedes that. "We easily recognized there would be unique challenges in opening our first Portland flagship," she says. But she has managed to flourish. Green Entrepreneur asked Hadar for advice that cannabis entrepreneurs need to know when it comes to entering and staying atop, especially in such a competitive marketplace. Cannabis on display at the new Portland location of Oregrown. (Image Credit: Nick Grier/Oregrown) Be Authentic "Our customers are our foundation, and Im particularly excited about this endeavor because I was born and raised in Portland," Hadar says. "I really wanted to showcase the best aspects of our maturing brand, our love of Oregon, and take the Oregrown experience to new markets, delivering our award-winning experience to customers throughout the state." Establish Trust With Customers "While many established dispensaries in Portland exist, we are the only well-known cannabis retail brand left in Oregon that is still owned and operated solely by family and friends," Hadar says. "Authenticity -- not having to dilute our vision by conforming to some corporate idea of what Oregrown should be -- empowers us to stay true to our roots." Consumers and employees in the new Oregrown dispensary space in Portland, Oregon. (Image Credit: Nick Grier/Oregrown) Build Team Cohesion Emphasis on employee loyalty is another aspect that sets a company apart in a sea of competition. Staying close-knit, remaining family and friend-owned, as Hadar says, "provides our teams the freedom to create and deliver unparalleled experiences for our customers." "My advice to entrepreneurs coming online in competitive markets: Whatever the endeavor, or whichever part of the industry you choose to enter, strong teams are paramount," says Hadar. "The winning combination involves communication, cohesion, and a vibrant, positive company culture that thrives on kindness." "Be brave and persistent -- the cannabis industry is not for the faint of heart. Oregrown's storefront in Portland, Oregon, opens January 23, 2020. (Image Credit: Nick Grier/Oregrown) Related: How To Stay Atop In A Crowded Retail Market Meet Three Women Who Are Disrupting the Canna-business The Woman Who Invented Cannabis Tracking Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday asserted that Jammu and Kashmir will get its own National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions. The union territory along with Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi-National Capital Region (Delhi-NCR) will get four additional NDRF battalions at an estimated cost of Rs 637 crore. In 2018, the Assam Rifles will raise the four battalions. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the approval for raising the additional NDRF battalions to strengthen India's disaster response set up. The objective of raising it is to reduce the response time keeping in view the vast geographic area of the country. Live TV These four battalions will initially be raised as two battalions in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and one battalion each in Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles (ARs). Later these four battalions will be converted into NDRF battalions. Based on the vulnerability profile, these four battalions will be placed in the above regions. NDRF is a specialized force, created in 2006, for the purpose of specialist response during the natural and man-made disaster or threatening situation. At present, there are 12 battalions in NDRF which are deployed strategically across the country to provide an immediate response. Huanggang, a city of 6 million residents, is on a lockdown. University of Hong Kong virologist Guan Yi warns the new coronavirus outbreak could be ten times worse as the 2003 SARS epidemic. So far 17 deaths have been reported out of 583 confirmed cases, 571 in China and 12 in Thailand, Korea South, Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and Macau. Beijing (AsiaNews) As the coronavirus outbreak spreads from Wuhan to the rest of China and other parts of the world, Chinese authorities are taking more precautions. As of this morning, Wuhan is under a quarantine and no one can leave or enter the city. The authorities also require people to wear face masks when in public places. Even news presenters are wearing masks during their broadcast in studio or on location. Since midnight, the authorities in Huanggang, a city of six million east of Wuhan, suspended the citys bus and rail system, asking residents not to leave. Train stations in the nearby city of Ezhou were also locked down. For their part, Wuhan authorities have come in for criticism over delays in taking action against the outbreak. Virologist Guan Yi, director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Hong Kong University, noted that too much time went by before a travel ban was imposed on the city. Such a delay has allowed people to travel to their home town or village for the lunar New Year. The latter are probably virus carriers on the move, he explained. He warns that the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak could be ten times worse than the SARS epidemic that killed almost 800 people around the world in 2002-03. As of midnight Thursday, 17 deaths and 583 cases have been confirmed; of these, 571 in are in mainland China, 444 in Wuhan alone. The other 12 cases were reported in Thailand, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and Macau. (WZC) In the wake of the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general and Irans retaliatory missile strike, should the U.S. be concerned about the cyberthreat from Iran? Already, pro-Iranian hackers have defaced several U.S. websites to protest the killing of General Qassem Soleimani. One group wrote This is only a small part of Irans cyber capability on one of the hacked sites. Two years ago, I wrote that Irans cyberwarfare capabilities lagged behind those of both Russia and China, but that it had become a major threat which will only get worse. It had already conducted several highly damaging cyberattacks. Since then, Iran has continued to develop and deploy its cyberattacking capabilities. It carries out attacks through a network of intermediaries, allowing the regime to strike its foes while denying direct involvement. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-supported hackers Irans cyberwarfare capability lies primarily within Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the countrys military. However, rather than employing its own cyberforce against foreign targets, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appears to mainly outsource these cyberattacks. According to cyberthreat intelligence firm Recorded Future, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps uses trusted intermediaries to manage contracts with independent groups. These intermediaries are loyal to the regime but separate from it. They translate the Iranian militarys priorities into discrete tasks, which are then bid out to independent contractors. Recorded Future estimates that as many as 50 organizations compete for these contracts. Several contractors may be involved in a single operation. Iranian contractors communicate online to hire workers and exchange information. Ashiyane, the primary online security forum in Iran, was created by hackers in the mid-2000s in order to disseminate hacking tools and tutorials within the hacking community. The Ashiyane Digital Security Team was known for hacking websites and replacing their home pages with pro-Iranian content. By May 2011, Zone-H, an archive of defaced websites, had recorded 23,532 defacements by that group alone. Its leader, Behrouz Kamalian, said his group cooperated with the Iranian military, but operated independently and spontaneously. Iran had an active community of hackers at least by 2004, when a group calling itself Iran Hackers Sabotage launched a succession of web attacks with the aim of showing the world that Iranian hackers have something to say in the worldwide security. It is likely that many of Irans cyber contractors come from this community. Irans use of intermediaries and contractors makes it harder to attribute cyberattacks to the regime. Nevertheless, investigators have been able to trace many cyberattacks to persons inside Iran operating with the support of the countrys Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Cyber campaigns Iran engages in both espionage and sabotage operations. They employ both off-the-shelf malware and custom-made software tools, according to a 2018 report by the Foundation to Defend Democracy. They use spearfishing, or luring specific individuals with fraudulent messages, to gain initial access to target machines by enticing victims to click on links that lead to phony sites where they hand over usernames and passwords or open attachments that plant backdoors on their devices. Once in, they use various hacking tools to spread through networks and download or destroy data. Irans cyber espionage campaigns gain access to networks in order to steal proprietary and sensitive data in areas of interest to the regime. Security companies that track these threats give them APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) names such as APT33, kitten names such as Magic Kitten and miscellaneous other names such as OilRig. The group the security firm FireEye calls APT33 is especially noteworthy. It has conducted numerous espionage operations against oil and aviation industries in the U.S., Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. APT33 was recently reported to use small botnets (networks of compromised computers) to target very specific sites for their data collection. Another group known as APT35 (aka Phosphoros) has attempted to gain access to email accounts belonging to individuals involved in a 2020 U.S. presidential campaign. Were they to succeed, they might be able to use stolen information to influence the election by, for example, releasing information publicly that could be damaging to a candidate. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice charged nine Iranians with conducting a massive cyber theft campaign on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. All were tied to the Mabna Institute, an Iranian company behind cyber intrusions since at least 2013. The defendants allegedly stole 31 terabytes of data from U.S. and foreign entities. The victims included over 300 universities, almost 50 companies and several government agencies. Cyber sabotage Irans sabotage operations have employed wiper malware to destroy data on hard drives. They have also employed botnets to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks, where a flood of traffic effectively disables a server. These operations are frequently hidden behind monikers that resemble those used by independent hacktivists who hack for a cause rather than money. In one highly damaging attack, a group calling themselves the Cutting Sword of Justice attacked the Saudi Aramco oil company with wiper code in 2012. The hackers used a virus dubbed Shamoon to spread the code through the companys network. The attack destroyed data on 35,000 computers, disrupting business processes for weeks. The Shamoon software reappeared in 2016, wiping data from thousands of computers in Saudi Arabias civil aviation agency and other organizations. Then in 2018, a variant of Shamoon hit the Italian oil services firm Saipem, crippling more than 300 computers. Iranian hackers have conducted massive distributed denial-of-service attacks. From 2012 to 2013, a group calling itself the Cyber Fighters of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam launched a series of relentless distributed denial-of-service attacks against major U.S. banks. The attacks were said to have caused tens of millions of dollars in losses relating to mitigation and recovery costs and lost business. In 2016 the U.S. indicted seven Iranian hackers for working on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to conduct the bank attacks. The motivation may have been retaliation for economic sanctions that had been imposed on Iran. Looking ahead So far, Iranian cyberattacks have been limited to desktop computers and servers running standard commercial software. They have not yet affected industrial controls systems running electrical power grids and other physical infrastructure. Were they to get into and take over these control systems, they could, for example, cause more serious damage such as the 2015 and 2016 power outages caused by the Russians in Ukraine. One of the Iranians indicted in the bank attacks did get into the computer control system for the Bowman Avenue Dam in rural New York. According to the indictment, no damage was done, but the access would have allowed the dams gate to be manipulated if it not been manually disconnected for maintenance issues. While there are no public reports of Iranian threat actors demonstrating a capability against industrial control systems, Microsoft recently reported that APT33 appears to have shifted its focus to these systems. In particular, they have been attempting to guess passwords for the systems manufacturers, suppliers, and maintainers. The access and information that could be acquired from succeeding might help them get into an industrial control system. Ned Moran, a security researcher with Microsoft, speculated that the group may be attempting to get access to industrial control systems in order to produce physically disruptive effects. Although APT33 has not been directly implicated in any incidents of cyber sabotage, security researchers have found links between code used by the group with code used in the Shamoon attacks to destroy data. While it is impossible to know Irans intentions, they are likely to continue operating numerous cyber espionage campaigns while developing additional capabilities for cyber sabotage. If tensions between Iran and the United States mount, Iran may respond with additional cyberattacks, possibly ones that are more damaging than weve seen so far. This article was first posted on The Conversation. CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Condor Petroleum Inc. (Condor or the Company) (TSX:CPI) is pleased to announce the receipt of a further US$18.7 million of the sale proceeds for the Companys previously announced sale of its Shoba and Taskuduk oilfields in Kazakhstan. In October 2019 the Company received an initial deposit of US$3.8 million of the total US$24.6 million sales proceeds. The remaining US$2.1 million is due within ten days following the signing of the addendums to the Shoba and Taskuduk production contracts by the Government of Kazakhstan, which is expected in the first quarter of 2020. All other consents and conditions for closing the transaction have been satisfied. Don Streu, President and CEO of Condor commented were extremely pleased that the Shoba and Taskuduk sales transactions are now almost complete. Having received the majority of the Kazakhstan sales proceeds, our strong balance sheet allows us to advance the Companys strategic initiatives that include: completing a production sharing agreement for the five producing gas fields in Uzbekistan; paying down amounts owing under our existing credit facility; conducting additional activities to increase natural gas production in Turkey; and resuming Kazakhstan exploration activities once the 630 day exploration extension is formalized for the Zharkamys Contract. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements and information in this news release constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities legislation. Such statements and information are generally identifiable by the terminology used, such as anticipate'', intend, expect, plan, estimate, budget'', outlook'', scheduled, may, will, should, could, would, in the process of or other similar wording. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, information concerning: the timing and ability to obtain signatures from the Government of Kazakhstan, receive the remaining payment and complete the transaction for the sale of the Shoba and Taskuduk oilfields; the use of proceeds from the transaction including the timing and ability to conclude a production sharing agreement in Uzbekistan; the repayment of amounts outstanding on the Companys existing credit facility; the timing and ability to increase natural gas production in Turkey; possible outcomes regarding the Zharkamys Contract including the possibility that the term may be extended or, conversely, that it may revert back to the Ministry; the timing and ability to resume exploration activities on the Zharkamys Contract property; the timing and ability to obtain various approvals and conduct the Companys planned exploration and development activities; and related and general business strategies and objectives. Forward-looking statements involve the use of certain assumptions that may not materialize or that may not be accurate and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such information. Condors operations are also subject to certain other risks and uncertainties inherent with oil and gas operations and additional information on these and other factors that could affect Condors operations and financial results. These factors are discussed in greater detail under Risk Factors - Risks Relating to the Company in Condor's Annual Information Form, which may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com). The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of important factors affecting forward-looking information is not exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Condor does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. ZHARKAMYS CONTRACT The Companys Zharkamys Contract was due to expire on December 14, 2016. Prior to this date, the Kazakhstan Chamber of International Commerce and subsequently the Kazakhstan Civil Court (Civil Court) confirmed that a force majeure event had occurred which, under Kazakhstan subsurface use law, can be the basis for the Zharkamys Contract validity period to be extended for a period of 630 days. In May 2017, the Kazakhstan Court of Appeal (Court of Appeal), pursuant to an appeal filed by the Ministry, ruled that the force majeure event was not recognized and reversed the decision of the Civil Court. The Company referred the case to the Kazakhstan Supreme Court (Supreme Court) and in November 2017 the Supreme Court ruling overturned both the Civil Court and the Court of Appeal rulings and referred the case back to the Civil Court for further review by a new panel of judges. In March 2018 the Civil Court ruling confirmed that the force majeure event had occurred. In April 2018 the Ministry appealed the Civil Court ruling and in May 2018 the Court of Appeal upheld the Civil Court ruling that the force majeure event had occurred. The Ministry did not appeal to the Supreme Court within the six months permitted by Kazakhstan law. The Company has submitted an application to the Ministry for the 630 day extension and expects the exploration period to the Zharkamys Contract to be extended during the first quarter of 2020. ABBREVIATIONS The following is a summary of abbreviations used in this news release: US$ United States Dollars The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. For further information, please contact Don Streu, President and CEO or Sandy Quilty, Vice President of Finance and CFO at 403-201-9694. Dozens of criminal convictions in Ontario, including for murder and sexual assault, could be in jeopardy and sent for costly retrials following a ruling Thursday by the provinces top court on jury selection changes. Within hours, the impact of the ruling was being felt in Toronto Superior Court as ongoing jury trials were stopped and lawyers scrambled behind closed doors before a judge to reschedule cases. This is a tragedy for everyone in the justice system, including the victims of crimes and the defendants who need to go through this process again, said Daniel Brown, vice-president of the Criminal Lawyers Association. The ruling will undoubtedly spark chaos in an already clogged and under-resourced criminal justice system. Lawyers expressed concern Thursday that cases sent back for retrials will need to be quickly accommodated among hundreds of ongoing cases so that they arent tossed for violating a persons constitutional right to a trial within a reasonable time. The Court of Appeal had been tasked with ruling on the constitutionality of changes made to the jury selection process that took effect on Sept. 19. Among them, the federal government abolished what are known as peremptory challenges, which allowed both Crown and defence lawyers to reject a specific number of potential jurors without having to give a reason. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the ban on peremptory challenges. However, the court also ruled that if an accused person opted for a trial by jury before Sept. 19, they had a right to use peremptory challenges during jury selection, even if it took place after that date. In making that ruling, the Court of Appeal ordered a new Toronto murder trial for Pardeep Singh Chouhan. Even though he had opted for a trial by jury before Sept. 19, he was denied the use of peremptory challenges by Justice John McMahon as jury selection was set to start the day the changes took effect. Criminal defence lawyers say dozens of concluded cases in which judges denied the use of peremptory challenges are now at risk of being overturned and sent back for costly and lengthy new trials, while some ongoing cases will need to be stopped and started again at a later date. Just hours after the ruling was released, Toronto Superior Court Justice Faye McWatt pulled the plug on a sexual assault trial that began Monday in front of a jury. A new trial was set for April, when the accused will be able to use peremptory challenges in jury selection. The Crown was also one day away from concluding their case in the second-degree murder trial of Peter Johnson his third retrial when a mistrial was declared Thursday afternoon. The jury was dismissed after hearing two weeks of evidence about the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Lewis, 31, at a nightclub in 2006. A new jury could be picked as early as next week, or the case could resolve, said Johnsons defence lawyer Anthony Robbins. The defence could also bring a motion to have the charge stayed rather than proceed with what would now be a fourth trial for no fault of the accused. Cases at risk of being retried following the ruling include the high-profile College Street Bar case, in which the bars owner and manager were convicted in November of sexually assaulting and drugging a 24-year-old woman over several hours at the downtown establishment. Another is that of Sinbad Marshall, convicted in December of second-degree murder in the beating death of 82-year-old Stella Tetsos. Marshalls lawyer, Christopher Hicks, told the Star hell be advising his client to appeal based on the Chouhan ruling. Hicks had wanted to use peremptory challenges during jury selection, but was denied by the judge. He pointed out that the challenges would have been beneficial to his client. It was not the jury I would have chosen if I had the challenges, Hicks said. It was Mr. Marshall, a young Indigenous man, accused of murdering a white woman, and the jury was composed of 11 white people and only one person of colour, and there were 10 women and only two males. So the jury was flawed, in my view. The Crown would not comment on Thursdays ruling, other than to say it is reviewing it. The Crown has 60 days to decide whether it wants to seek leave to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada. The jury selection changes were first proposed by the federal government in March 2018 as part of Bill C-75, its massive legislation revamping the criminal justice system. The changes were sparked by the Gerald Stanley trial in Saskatchewan, in which Stanley was acquitted by a jury of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Colten Boushie, an Indigenous man. Media reports at the time said the defence had been using peremptory challenges to keep anyone who appeared Indigenous off the jury. But what the legislation was silent on was whether the changes applied retrospectively to cases already in the system before the bill took effect or prospectively to new cases after Sept. 19. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal found the change to peremptory challenges should apply prospectively. In my view, an amendment which significantly diminishes an accuseds ability to affect the ultimate composition of the jury chosen to try the accused negatively impacts on the accuseds statutory right to trial by jury as it existed prior to the amendment, Justice David Watt wrote for the three-judge panel. For the purposes of determining the temporal scope of the legislation, this loss of one aspect of the accuseds right to participate in the selection of the jury affects in a negative way the accuseds right to trial by jury as it existed before the amendment. Therefore, the amendment is presumptively prospective. Nothing in the language of the amendment or in the material placed before this court rebuts that presumption. The Court of Appeal noted that judges across the country had split on this question. Watt wrote that most cases in Ontario had found the amendments were retrospective and would apply to cases like Chouhan, while most judges outside Ontario ruled the amendments were prospective. Lawyers say this could have all been avoided if the federal government had explicitly stated in the legislation that the changes applied only to new cases. The section itself and the question about whether or not its prospective or retrospective was not an easy question to answer, and would have served the public better if the legislation had been clearer about what intention Parliament wanted to have, said Chouhans lawyer, Dirk Derstine. Derstine said his office alone has four cases, including Chouhan, that may be affected by Thursdays ruling. The federal department of justice has repeatedly maintained in responses to media that there was no need to be specific in the legislation, as existing case law makes clear that the changes would only apply prospectively. A spokesperson for federal Justice Minister David Lametti told the Star that they are reviewing the Chouhan ruling, and pointed out that Bill C-75 was the result of extensive consultations. (The bill was introduced by Lamettis predecessor, Jody Wilson-Raybould.) Juries play a critical role in our justice system and Canadians must have confidence that they reflect the communities they serve, said spokesperson Rachel Rappaport. Through C-75, our government made important changes to the jury selection process, including addressing long-standing concerns that Canadians of minority backgrounds were being unfairly excluded by the previous process. Unlike the federal government, the provincial Crown which is responsible for prosecuting most criminal offences in Ontario took the position that the changes were retrospective. Brown, with the Criminal Lawyers Association, said Ontario should have sought clarity from the Court of Appeal long ago, before the issue got out of hand, using a reference case, in which the government seeks legal guidance from the court. It could have saved a tremendous amount of resources and the challenges that come with having to reprosecute serious and complex criminal cases, he said. The Ministry of the Attorney General declined to comment when the Star asked why it didnt seek clarity from the top court. Specialty Technical Publishers This guide provides a comprehensive audit checklist for conducting all appropriate inquiries to qualify for landowner liability protections under CERCLA or Superfund", providing landowner defense, prospective purchaser liability protection and property owner liability protection for our clients. Specialty Technical Publishers announces the publication of Environmental Site Assessment: All Appropriate Enquiries. Potential liability associated with contaminated property has been a matter of utmost concern to parties involved in real estate transactions since 1980 when federal legislation known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or Superfund came into effect. CERCLA introduced punitive legislation making responsible parties liable for cleanup costsunless they qualified for certain liability protections by conducting all appropriate inquiries prior to a property transaction. . As a result, formal environmental site assessments have become a critical component of the transaction process. Environmental site assessments are commonly used at operating facilities, abandoned lands, and Brownfield sites to determine property conditions for continued use and reuse. This new STP publication is adapted from Site Auditing: Environmental Site Assessment of Property. Environmental Site Assessment: All Appropriate Inquiries provides an audit checklist for conducting all appropriate inquiries (AAI) to qualify for landowner liability protections under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or Superfund. These protections include: Innocent landowner defense Bona fide prospective purchaser liability protection Contiguous property owner liability protection The AAI process must also be followed by anyone conducting site characterization and assessment under a Superfund grant. The checklist covers the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) rule for conducting AAI, as codified under 40 CFR 312, and also incorporates certain criteria from the EPA-recognized standard ASTM E1527-13. This guide uses STPs standard audit checklist format, with a single module including the following: Introduction, providing a discussion of the applicability of the guide, an overview of how it addresses the regulatory requirements for conducting AAI, and key definitions for terms used in the checklist. Rulebook, providing audit criteria based on EPA requirements under specific sections of 40 CFR 312, with detailed Guide Notes to help users assess conformance with the criteria. The rulebook sections cover the different aspects of AAI, as follows: All Appropriate Inquiries General Inquiry by an Environmental Professional (EP) Interviews with Owners, Operators, and Occupants Reviews of Historical Sources of Information Searches for Recorded Environmental Cleanup Liens Reviews of Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Government Records Visual Inspections of the Facility and of Adjoining Properties Specialized Knowledge or Experience Relationship of the Purchase Price to the Value of the Property, If the Property Was Not Contaminated Commonly Known or Reasonably Ascertainable Information Degree of Obviousness of the Presence or Likely Presence of Contamination Disclosure Requirements (Release Notification) Scoresheet, allowing quick recording of the organizations compliance status. Environmental Site Assessment: All Appropriate Inquiries is a valuable resource for those conducting site assessments to ascertain the environmental conditions of property for any regulatory or business purpose. Gail Ankiewicz, President: "The Environmental Site Assessment is a comprehensive audit checklist for conducting all appropriate inquiries to qualify for landowner liability protections under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or Superfund. It provides landowner defense, prospective purchaser liability protection and property owner liability protection for our clients." About Specialty Technical Publishers www,stpub.com [Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) __title__ Specialty Technical Publishers] produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites. The Jersey Village Parks and Recreation Department has begun the process of creating a parks master plan for Jersey Village, allowing the community a chance to provide input for the citys future parks system. Jersey Village City Council authorized City Manager Austin Bleess to negotiate with Burditt Land | Placea design firm for community planning and architecture based in Conroeto create a parks master plan with the parks and recreation department. Jason Alfaro, director of parks and recreation for Jersey Village, said four proposals for a parks master plan were received by the city after the parks and recreation department sent out a request to 10 consulting firms. After careful review and discussions with the review team, Burditt Land | Place was selected as the firm to negotiate terms for work related to the master parks plan, he said during the city council meeting on Jan. 20 at the Jersey Village Civic Center. Their experience working with cities of relative size, their understanding and approach to the citys needs, along with their team of in-house staff and consultants were the main positives that were discussed by the group. James Singleton, council member, said he agreed with Burditt Land | Place being chosen by the parks and recreation department, but wanted to confirm citizens would have input during the planning process. Alfaro said the public will have opportunities to provide input during the planning process. Thats one of the things we would be discussing with them during our negotiation of the contract, really fine tuning how many of these meetings that we would have and what that would actually look like, Alfaro said. There are a lot of surveys that are going to take place, a lot of town hall meetings, if you will, and the recreation and events committee will have them heavily involved with this as well. The city council also decided to table a resolution to enter an agreement for Collaborate Special Projects, the company Jersey Village has partnered with to design Village Center and the new city hall, to construct city hall. The Village Center project was announced by Jersey Village and Collaborate in March 2019. I think its a little bit early with this project because Collaborate has not met some of the timeline that I would like them to meet and there is a working group meeting next week, Singleton said. I would like to see this tabled until the next meeting just to get more solid information from Collaborate. On HoustonChronicle.com: Marriott, Work Lodge may join Jersey Village development Council member Bobby Warren said he was comfortable with tabling the resolution until more information was given out. The meeting packet for the Jan. 20 meeting said the design for city hall had not been finished but was near completion. We could basically, with a seven days written notice, get out of the contract at any time, as long as it doesnt pose any sort of serious problems in terms of timeline, Warren said. Knowing, of course, theres a lot of other lead work to be done before theres any construction and knowing that were not putting shovels in the dirt until theres already other stuff over there I have no problem with (waiting) until another meeting. Jersey Village City Council will meet for a regular meeting on Feb. 17, 7 p.m., at the Jersey Village Civic Center, 16327 Lakeview Drive, Jersey Village. For more information, visit https://www.jerseyvillagetx.com/page/homepage. chevall.pryce@chron.com Australian Reptile Park video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET Wildfires have devastated Australia in recent weeks, scorching vast tracts, leaving more than 20 people dead and snuffing out the lives of more than 1 billion animals, by some estimates. But according to one wildlife park just outside Sydney, the venomous Australian funnel-web spider is flourishing. In the wake of the fires, which are still burning in parts of Victoria and New South Wales, rains have drenched southeastern Australia over the past week. In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Australian Reptile Park - which is in Somersby, about an hour's drive from Sydney - warned residents that "recent wet weather followed by hot days have created perfect conditions for funnel-web spiders to thrive." NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund ("the Fund"), which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "EDF", announced the declaration of monthly distributions of $0.17 per common share, payable on the dates noted below. Based on the Fund's current share price of $13.54 and net asset value per share of $9.05 (as of close on January 21, 2020), the distributions represent an annualized distribution rate of 15.07% and 22.54% respectively. The following dates apply to the distributions declared: Ex-Distribution Date Record Date Payable Date February 13, 2020 February 14, 2020 February 27, 2020 March 13, 2020 March 16, 2020 March 26, 2020 April 17, 2020 April 20, 2020 April 30, 2020 For the months listed above, the Fund's monthly distribution was reduced by $0.01 per share. The change in the Fund's distribution takes into account many factors, including but not limited to, the Fund's current and expected earnings, the Fund's net asset value, the overall market environment, changes in foreign exchange rates, and Stone Harbor's current economic and market outlook. Shareholders should note that because the Fund's aggregate net investment income and net realized capital gains are less than the amount of the distribution, the difference will be distributed from the Fund's assets and will constitute a return of the shareholder's capital. The Fund's distribution rate is subject to change. As of the date of this release, the Fund's shares are trading at a premium to net asset value. When the Fund is trading at a premium, shareholders that participate in the Fund's Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the "Plan") will generally have their distributions invested in newly issued common shares at a discount to the Fund's market price on the payment date, as set forth in more detail in the Plan. Additional information about the Plan is included in the Fund's annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. Shareholders who hold their shares through brokers or other financial intermediaries should discuss with their financial intermediaries whether it would be beneficial to participate in the Fund's Plan. This press release is not for tax reporting purposes but is being provided to announce the amount of the Fund's distributions that have been declared by the Board of Directors. In early 2021, after definitive information is available, the Fund will send shareholders a Form 1099-DIV, if applicable, specifying how the distributions paid by the Fund during the prior calendar year should be characterized for purposes of reporting the distributions on a shareholder's tax return (e.g., ordinary income, capital gain or return of capital). The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that is managed by Stone Harbor Investment Partners LP ("Stone Harbor"). The Fund's primary investment objective is to maximize total return, which consists of income and capital appreciation on its investments in emerging markets securities. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in emerging markets securities ("the 80% policy"), which include fixed income securities and other instruments, including derivatives, that are economically tied to emerging market countries, that are denominated in the predominant currency of the local market of an emerging market country or whose performance is linked to those countries' markets, currencies, economies or ability to repay loans. A security or instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country if it is principally traded on the country's securities markets or if the issuer is organized or principally operates in the country, derives a majority of its income from its operations within the country or has a majority of its assets within the country. Stone Harbor Investment Partners LP is a global institutional fixed income investment manager, specializing in credit and asset allocation strategies. The firm's investment strategies are based on fundamental insights, derived from a combination of proprietary research and the in-depth knowledge and specialized experience of the firm's team. Based in New York, Stone Harbor employs approximately 114 people across its headquarters and offices in Chicago, London, Melbourne and Singapore. Founded in 2006, Stone Harbor is an employee-owned partnership with approximately $20.4 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2019. For more information, please visit Stone Harbor's website at www.shiplp.com. For more complete information, please call 877.206.0791 (toll-free) or visit the Fund's website - www.shiplpcef.com. The Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund is a closed-end fund and closed-end funds do not continuously issue shares for sale as open-end mutual funds do. Since its initial public offering, the Fund has traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EDF. Investors wishing to buy or sell shares need to place orders through an intermediary or broker. SOURCE Stone Harbor Related Links http://www.shiplpcef.com - Strive Masiyiwa offered to pay the salaries of the doctors for six months - Each doctor will get an additional payment of KSh 20, 000 - The medics will also get free transportation to and from work for four days a week - The billionaire will further provide cellphones to the doctors and install free wifi to their work stations Zimbabwean billionaire, Strive Masiyiwa, has temporarily assumed the role of the country's government in a bid to solve a four-month long doctors' strike which has seen several lives lost. The county's junior doctors who have been protesting poor pay and deplorable working conditions agreeded to end the strike after the telecoms billionaire offered them a handsome pay deal which the government had failed to raise for the last four months. READ ALSO: Raila welcomes Ruto's allies to BBI meetings, warns against sabotage: "It will be unfortunate" READ ALSO: Who are you to give us permission to attend BBI rallies? - Ruto scoffs at Raila The UK-based billionaire is set to add each doctor KSh 20, 000 to what they used to earn before the strike commenced. Reports indicated majority of the doctors on strike were earning less than KSh 10,000 a month. In the new package offered by Masiyiwa, each medic will now be receiving KSh 30,000 per month. Misiyiwa will also provide cellphones to the striking medical practitioners and install free wifi to their work stations. The doctors will also get free transportation to and from work for four days a week. Masiyiwa agreed to fund the doctors for a period of six months though it is not clear what will happen after the period. The strike has claimed several lives and left many patients helplessly languishing in their homes with a few resorting to private medication. The senior doctors association in Zimbabwe called the entire development as a "silent genocide". Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Are Kenyans happy with the leaders they elected? | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' mobile reportedly got hacked after receiving a WhatsApp message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2018. The forensic experts hired by Bezos have reportedly concluded with 'medium to high confidence' that the account used by Saudi Prince was directly involved in the privacy breach. The Financial Times has reported that Mohammad bin Salman had also sent a text message to Bezos saying 'Jeff..it's not true' after several months of no contact. The Saudi Prince further clarified that the alleged hacking did not include the Kingdom because 'there is nothing against' Bezos or Amazon. Read - Report Suggests Saudi Crown Prince hacked Jeff Bezos' Phone, Embassy Denies According to international reports, Amazon CEO's phone had mysteriously started sharing huge amounts of data immediately after receiving a video file from the de facto ruler of the Kingdom's WhatsApp account in May 2018. This file was sent a few weeks after the two had met for dinner at Los Angeles and exchanged numbers. Furthermore, the relationship between one of the richest man in the world and Saudi Prince deteriorated after the murder of Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi. The gruesome killing was followed by a report on the newspaper on how a Saudi hit squad murdered the journalist in Istanbul and a Saudi Twitter campaign which targetted The Post and Bezos. Read - Jeff Bezos's Phone Hacked By Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman? All You Need To Know Kingdom denies involvement The alleged involvement of Saudi Crown Prince and his inner circle in the hacking of The Washington Post owners phone gave another direction to Khashoggi's murder. This set back for the MBS comes after it has been trying to show the country in a better image. In December, Saudi Arabia court convicted eight people in the killing of The Post's columnist but exonerated inner circle of MBS. However, with the increasing allegations, the Saudi Arabia Embassy to the United States has rejected the claims and called for an investigation. Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd. We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out. Saudi Embassy (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) January 22, 2020 Read - Amazon Founder & CEO Jeff Bezos Visits Taj Mahal With Girlfriend Lauren Sanchez Read - Amazon Unveils Electric Delivery Rickshaws In India, Jeff Bezos Drives It By PTI NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday attacked the Modi government after India slipped 10 ranks on the Democracy Index, saying democracy has been eroded and democratic institutions debilitated under the 'tukde tukde gang' in power, and this should alarm every Indian. The party said the country has to be vigilant against "diminishing democracy" and it cannot afford to allow democracy to be diluted. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said there are four factors of fear, intolerance, vendetta and attempts at bringing uniformity of food habits, clothing, language, habits etc, which are adding to "diminishing democracy" under the Modi government. Senior party leader P Chidambaram said India has slipped 10 places in the index and "anyone who has closely observed the events of the last two years knows that democracy has been eroded and democratic institutions have been debilitated those who are in power are the real 'tukde tukde' gang". "The world is alarmed by the direction INDIA is taking. Every patriotic INDIAN should be alarmed too," he said on Twitter. Singhvi said it is natural that every proud Indian will deeply feel hurt and pained on finding that India has slipped 10 ranks from 41 to 51 on the Democracy Index which is computed by a well-known renowned and a very objectively known entity. The index for India should be rising as it is one of those few countries which have solid democracy, he said, adding that is the first time since 2006 that it declined to this figure. "This is a red-flag which should remind us every minute of our existence that 'diminishing democracy' is what we have to be eternally vigilant against. This is our proud heritage, it is our proudest possession. We can't allow it to dilute or diminish even by one millimetre," he told reporters. Singhvi said democracy has been vibrant, alive and kicking in a big measure only in India, unlike in several other colonial countries. "Is there not fear palpable in this country? Whether within the ruling party or outside it, whether it is because of misuse of government's power and agencies or of snooping and surveillance. I don't think we need a thermometer to measure that. We all understand and we all know it. Well, that diminishes democracy. This DD factor is what we are talking about -- diminishing democracy," he said. The Congress leader said that besides fear, intolerance, increase in instances of vendetta and bringing in uniformity were the factors leading to the fall in India's position on Democracy Index. "The second milestone criterion is 'intolerance' or 'accommodation'. Whether you see it manifested in students' episodes or in preemptive invocation of Article 144, so that you prevent an assembly which you later call unlawful. But everybody must be painted in my colour. What is my colour will be your colour. That is not the culture of India." "The third factor of Diminishing Democracy is a palpable increase in vendetta -- the feeling of settling scores. This is completely antithetical to the idea of India," he said. Singhvi said India did not have vendetta politics as part of political culture, unlike other nations. He said the feeling that everything should be uniform, be it culture, languages, thought, habit, dress, food, smells, sounds and thinking, is sought to be imposed on everyone. "We should be one grand monolithic uniform nation which is again obviously antithetical to the diversity of India. Lynchings and impositions are only examples, they are manifestations but the route approaches uniformity as it ended itself," he said. "I concede we had it in the beginning in one or two states. As you all know it in one state in South India, you know one in the East, may be one in North. But in this national-level politics, it has never been a factor, never before 2014," he said. Singhvi said the trust deficit in the country is humongous and the politics of digression and diversion is going on and one can see desperation all around when these things happen. "It is not people who should be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of people. Today, people are very scared of the government and when you have such rules that fear increases 10 times each minute. The death of democracy is not an assassination from ambush. The death of democracy is a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, from under-nourishment." The Congress leader also attacked Home Minister Amit Shah over his claim that CAA will not be taken back, saying "that is known as apathy, indifference and under-nourishment". "We will not listen to you, we are the 'Bhartiya Jiddi Party' and our political 'jidd' is paramount. That is not democracy. Democracy is the anti-thesis of the act. Now, when you have a climate of fear, you add up the CAA, NPR, NRC, the six new question in the NPR you get a cocktail of distrust, of suspicion," Singhvi said. California State Capitol Building View Photo Sonora, CA A proposed law in the California legislature is designed to encourage utility companies to conduct smaller, more targeted, planned power outages. The bill, authored by Democrat Scott Wiener, would require companies like PG&E to reimburse people for things like lost wages and spoiled food. This past Fall PG&E was aggressive in its efforts of turning off electricity during times of high fire risk in hopes of preventing large wildfires. PG&E has sent a letter to state lawmakers in opposition to the bill, arguing that the outages are conducted to protect communities. If passed, it would impact all investor-owned utilities in the state and require the company shareholders to create a fund, and provide reimbursements within a couple of weeks of the outage. State lawmakers would also be allowed to fine utility companies if they deem the outages are unreasonable. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sebastian Partogi (The Jakarta Post) Fri, January 24 2020 Collaborative learning: Students visit a job fair at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India. The country takes a practical, hands-on approach to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, equipping students with concrete industrial skills straight from the field. (Courtesy of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi) Many Indian talents now lead prominent global tech companies around the world, including Sundar Pichai (for Google), Shantanu Narayen (for Adobe) and Satya Nadella (for Microsoft). The Invest India National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agencys information technology (IT) sector page also promotes the countrys digital industry as a promising sector, with more than 17,000 digital start-up firms, absorbing about 3.9 million people into the workforce, out of the total workforce of, according to a 2015 World Bank report, 503.8 million. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Forces controlled by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar Wednesday imposed no-fly zone over capital Tripoli and neighborhoods and threatened all aircraft including civilian jets. Ahmed Al-Mismari, spokesman for Haftars forces, in action since April to seize the seat of the UN-backed Government of National Accord, GNA, on social media said no-fly zone expands from Giryan, 120 kilometers south of the capital city, to Terhune city, 90 kilometers southeast and to the Tripoli beach, including Mitiga Airport in the capital, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reports. All aircraft in the declared area will be legitimate target, Mismari noted. The threats came following shelling of Tripolis only operational airport, Mitiga airport. Forces loyal to the GNA said Wednesday that Haftar forces carried out 11 mortar/artillery/missile strikes against the Mitiga Airport. Authorities were forced to suspend flights at the airport and order aircrafts to be diverted to a northwestern city. The air strikes further violated the fragile ceasefire proposed by Turkey and Russia on Jan. 12. The GNA signed Moscow deal but Haftar refused and left the Russian capital. Haftar has accused Turkey of flying in Tripoli Syrian mercenaries to back up the GNA. Ankara has indeed sent dozens of Turkish troops to Tripoli as part of the agreement signed with GNA but has denied Haftars charges. The Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) is pleased to announce Anna Penn, MD, PhD, as the recipient of the 2020 Thomas A. Hazinski Distinguished Service Award, which honors an individual who has provided exceptional service to the society. The award will be presented to Dr. Penn on May 4 during the SPR Member Awards Luncheon at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2020 Meeting in Philadelphia. Dr. Penn is the director of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics and an associate professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University. Before joining Columbia University, she was a neonatologist and developmental neuroscientist at Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C. and an associate professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine, with appointments in the Children's National Fetal Medicine Institute, Neonatology and the Center for Neuroscience Research. Dr. Penn conducts translational work aimed at understanding and ameliorating preterm brain injury. Specifically, she studies the role of placental function in fetal brain development and damage, a cross-disciplinary research area she termed "neuroplacentology". This work started with a 2009 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award focused on the development of new genetic models to assess the impact of placental hormones in fetal brain development. Her laboratory now pursues several lines of investigation into placental hormones that impact neurodevelopment using novel models of perinatal brain injury, supported by both the NIH and foundation funds. "We are excited to recognize Dr. Penn for her outstanding work with the society and her commitment to training the next generation of translational researchers," said SPR President Joel N. Hirschhorn, MD, PhD. "A vital part of our organization, she served tirelessly as Director of Membership for six years and helped simplify and restructure our membership categories. Her tremendous service to this organization has helped further our mission of creating a network of multi-disciplinary researchers to improve child health." At Children's National, she has been director of translational research for Hospital Based Specialties and of the Board of Visitors Perinatal Neuroprotection Program, both of which focused on increasing physician and scientist interactions and research training. She participates in national committees and organizations, including the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Task Force on Neonatal Encephalopathy and Cerebral Palsy, the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the SPR. Dr. Penn received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges. After spending a postgraduate year studying "philosophy of mind" at Oxford University, she joined Stanford's Medical Scientist Training Program in which she received an MD and a PhD in Neuroscience. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of California, San Francisco and returned to Stanford for her neonatology fellowship. She served on the neonatology faculty of Pediatrics at Stanford University prior to moving to Washington, D.C. ### For more information about Dr. Penn and the Thomas A. Hazinski Distinguished Service Award, please visit the SPR website. About the Society for Pediatric Research The Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) encourages and supports pediatric research endeavors by creating a network of multidisciplinary researchers to improve child health. Collaboration among SPR members creates meaningful progress for the future of children's health. For more information, please visit http://www.societyforpediatricresearch.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. A Lee County grand jury has indicted a 16-year-old charged in the crash that killed Auburn announcer Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula. The grand jury on Jan. 16 issued the manslaughter indictments against Johnston Edward Taylor, according to court records made public this week. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictments Jan. 31 and a jury trial has been set for May 4. Procedurally, the indictment comes as no surprise as it is the next step in any criminal case. A body of citizens listens to the states case only, and determines that probable cause exist to charge an individual with a crime based upon the evidence presented,'' said Taylors lawyer, Tommy Spina. "Probable cause is the same standard of proof that allows an officer to arrest someone on a warrant. An Indictment involves the citizenry in that same determination. The case will now proceed forward at the circuit court level. Taylor is charged and indicted in the May 25, 2019 deaths of the Brambletts. His bond in the case was revoked in December and his attorney said he was sent to a treatment facility. The bond revocation came after Taylor got two speeding tickets and one reckless driving citation in the months following the deadly accident. At the time of the deadly crash, Taylor was driving 89 mph, under the influence of marijuana, and still accelerating, authorities said, when he rammed into the back of the couples SUV. It was just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, when the Brambletts were killed. Taylor -- then a Lee Scott Academy student -- was traveling southbound in the outside lane on Shug Jordan Parkway approaching West Samford Avenue in his Jeep Laredo. The Brambletts, in a 2017 Toyota Highlander, were stopped in the southbound outside lane of Shug Jordan parkway at a traffic light. The Jeep struck the Brambletts SUV to the right of center, according to the crash report. The impact caused the Jeep to hit a pedestrian crossing signal and a traffic light pole before coming to a final rest. The Brambletts vehicle was pushed into the intersection and through the opposing lanes of traffic before coming to a final rest on the curb. Johnston Edward Taylors "blood sample contained THC, which is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, and is indicative of recent usage of marijuana at the time of the collision, records state. The teen was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Paula Bramblett, 53, was airlifted from the scene but had to be diverted to East Alabama Medical Center due to the severity of her injuries. She was pronounced dead in the emergency room from multiple internal injuries. Rod Bramblett, 52 and the driver of the Highlander, was airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he later died from a closed head injury. Since then, authorities said, Taylor was cited by Auburn police on Nov. 24 for driving 68 mph in a 45-mph zone on South College Street near the intersection of South Donahue Drive. That incident happened at 7:20 a.m. and the officer observed the defendant accelerating rapidly, the prosecutor wrote. According to a police report, Taylor told the officer he was sorry, and he was speeding because his girlfriend was having an anxiety attack. Taylor told the officer he was the person who accidentally crashed into the Brambletts. Taylor thanked me for writing him a citation and was released from the scene." The following day, on Nov. 25, Taylor was cited by Auburn police for speeding and reckless driving. The teen was observed driving 62 mph in a 35-mph zone on Annaleu Drive near Burke Place. He was also seen spinning tires and fishtailing into an oncoming lane of travel. That incident happened at 9:25 a.m. During the traffic stop, Hughes noted, the officer smelled marijuana in the vehicle and found marijuana residue. "The driver appeared nervous because his hand was shaking,'' an officer wrote. The passenger had a hoodie pulled over his head and would not make eye contact with me. "The driver stated he was sorry, and his paddle shifter had slipped,'' according to the officer. The officer told Taylor he smelled marijuana and Taylor told them he had not smoked marijuana since May. Officers found empty cigar packets and shake, small pieces of marijuana, on the floorboard. Taylor told officers that he had hit a cat with the vehicle and it was nasty and he was trying to get it out from the undercarriage. Taylor asked if officers wanted to see it, and we declined, an officer wrote. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazars USA LLP, a leading accounting, tax, and consulting firm, announced leadership changes in a number of positions as part of the firm's ongoing national expansion. As of January 1, 2020, the firm expanded the Executive Board from five to seven members with the additions of Partner and National Consulting and Advisory Practice Leader Robert Kastenschmidt and Long Island Office Managing Partner Craig Fine. In Chicago, Jeremy Rice is named Chicago Office Managing Partner and in New York City, Robert DeMeola joins Mazars in the role of New York Office Managing Partner. Partners Alan Wohl and Howard Leung also join in New York, the Private Client Services and Real Estate Practices respectively. Mazars USA Chairman and CEO Victor Wahba said, "As the firm continues our national growth, we felt it was important to also increase the membership of the Executive Board. Our Consulting Practice is a significant component to our business and our future, so it was natural to bring Robert Kastenschmidt onto the Board. Similarly, Craig Fine has an important role in our Long Island office's growth and is a key member cultivating our Food & Beverage Practice." Victor continued, "We continue to grow our Chicago office and, with his track record of success for the firm, we feel that Jeremy Rice is an excellent choice to contribute in the upward trend. And, as our largest office, we believe Robert DeMeola's substantial experience leading the New York office of another large national firm makes him a valuable asset. Along with his skilled colleagues, this provides us with a deep bench into the future in this important marketplace." Robert Kastenschmidt has over 20 years of experience providing accounting and management consulting services to clients in a range of industries, both in the US and internationally. He currently serves Mazars as the National Consulting and Advisory Practice leader overseeing the development and execution of the strategic growth plan and operational considerations associated each of the U.S. consulting service lines. Rob also serves Mazars globally as the Global Consulting Leader as well as serving as a member of the Global Leadership Team and Global Services & Sectors Team. Craig Fine has over 20 years of experience in the Manufacturing and Distribution industry with concentrations in Food and Beverage and Pharmaceuticals. He delivers business advisory and financial management services to owner-operated businesses in the manufacturing, distribution, and service industries. Jeremy Rice has over 13 years of experience providing audit and advisory services to a wide variety of local, national, and international organizations, including many US subsidiaries of foreign companies. He has significant experience working with companies in manufacturing, insurance, financial services, higher education, and healthcare. Jeremy currently co-leads the Chicago audit practice and is a leader in the industrial and automotive sectors for Mazars USA. Robert DeMeola has over 30 years of experience in the accounting field, with 15 years of that spent in leadership positions at his prior firm. His background will help Mazars continue growing in the New York market, building on its unique position as a global service leader. He joins New York Office Audit Managing Partner Ron Lagnado and New York Office Tax Managing Partner James Toto. Alan Wohl is a tax partner with more than 20 years of diversified public accounting experience. Joining the Private Client Services Practice, he will continue to serve high net worth individuals, with a focus on developing business strategies and consulting on family wealth and family office matters. Howard Leung has over 20 years of experience in accounting, including time at a Big Four firm. He specializes in serving a variety of real estate clients, including real estate and private equity funds, hospitality and management, and REITs. He also delivers audit services to employee benefit plans. As part of Real Estate, he will leverage this extensive expertise to help us best serve clients in this important, growing market segment. About Mazars USA Mazars USA LLP is a high-performing accounting, tax and consulting firm with significant national presence in strategic U.S. geographies. Since 1921, our dedicated professionals have leveraged technical industry expertise to develop customized solutions for clients, create value, and Optimize their performance. We offer a broad array of industry specialists providing services to growth-oriented enterprises and individuals. As the independent US member firm of Mazars Group, we deliver seamless access to the expertise of 24,000 professionals in 90+ countries. At local and global levels, we are proud of our value-added services, building lasting relationships with our clients and communities. For more information, visit us at www.mazarsusa.com. For more information on Mazars USA, contact: Mazars USA LLP | Beth More, 732-205-2012 | [email protected] Makovsky | Ben Jaffe, 212-508-9646 | [email protected] SOURCE Mazars USA LLP Related Links https://mazarsusa.com (Reuters) - Chinese private equity firm CITIC Capital is actively bidding for a 22% stake in McDonalds Corps (MCD.N) mainland China and Hong Kong businesses, its chairman and chief executive told Reuters on Thursday. The stake is being sold by state-owned CITIC Ltd (0267.HK), which together with CITIC Capital and Carlyle Group (CG.O) bought 80% of McDonalds China business in 2017. Zhang Yichen, talking to Reuters Global Markets Forum participants on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, said the final result of the sale should be known in early February. Getting an additional stake will consolidate the control of the company in the hands of CITIC Capital which will facilitate (the) long-term stability of the company, said Zhang, who is also chairman of McDonalds China and Hong Kong. Reuters reported earlier this month CITIC Capital would be the most likely buyer of the stake. CITIC Ltd is the main listed arm of state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group while CITIC Capital is the groups flagship PE arm. The firm, which raised $2.8 billion last August in its fourth China buyout fund, will launch fundraising for a Japan-focused mid-market buyout fund toward the end of 2020, Zhang said. CITIC Capital plans to raise $200 million for a special purpose acquisition company in a U.S. initial public offering, according to its filing to the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. (This interview was conducted in the Reuters Global Markets Forum, a chat room hosted on the Eikon platform. Sign up here to join GMF: refini.tv/2LbSKPl ) A businessman who mowed down an elderly pedestrian and left him paralysed from the neck down has been spared jail after his lawyer argued that speeding is 'something that happens'. Businessman Arif Ali, 42, had been travelling at 44mph in a 30mph zone when his VW Passat knocked over 80-year-old Akbar Niazi as the elderly grandfather was crossing the road. The victim was left with a broken neck following the impact and was subsequently paralysed from the neck down. He was unable to eat by himself and less than two months later passed away after choking on food he was unable to swallow. Inquiries into the tragedy in Westhoughton, near Bolton, Greater Manchester on New Years Eve 2018 found that had Ali been driving within the speed limit he would have been able to slow down in time and allow Mr Niaz to cross the road safely. He also had previous speeding convictions from 2016 which left him with six penalty points on his licence. At Bolton magistrates court, Ali who helps run his family grocery business pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months. Businessman Arif Ali, 42, (pictured leaving Bolton Magistrates Court) pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months Akbar Niazi was left with a broken neck following the crash and was subsequently paralysed from the neck down. He was unable to eat by himself and less than two months later passed away after choking on food he was unable to swallow He was also banned from driving for two years, as ordered to electronically tagged for 12 weeks and was ordered to pay 200 court costs. In a statement the victim's daughter Rozanna Niazi, a former lawyer and psychotherapist, recalled the moment she heard about the crash. She said: 'I received a call about my dad's accident on New Years Eve. I was at a neighbour's party and everybody was looking forward to bringing in the New Year. 'I had to go outside as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I remember being in a terrible panic and just thinking "dad" and "broken neck" being in the same sentence. 'I was in a state of utter shock and trauma. If he didn't have the surgery, he would have died. 'The following weeks were a battle. My dad was a broken person, he believed he was never going to recover as he was paralysed from the neck down. He couldn't swallow for himself, he could eat or perform normal bodily functions. 'My mother travelled everyday taking four to six buses. She became like a ghost, she is also in her 80s.' In a statement the victim's daughter Rozanna Niazi (pictured), a former lawyer and psychotherapist, said she received the call about her father's accident while at a New Year's Eve party Ms Niazi said her father was now being fed through a tube because of the damage to his neck caused by the cash. It was something he found 'incredibly frustrating', Ms Niazi said. 'He died sadly from choking after the nursing staff attempted to try him with solid food,' she added. Until the crash, Mr Ali had been a paradigm of good health and made great efforts to look after himself. Ms Niazi said: 'Despite being in his 80s, he shopped for himself and looked after himself. 'It was easy to mistake him for a man in his 60s, as he was slim, lean with a full head of hair. He exercised at home and walked outside daily and ate healthy food. 'He was an actively devout Muslim as well and walked to the mosque sometimes three times a day. 'He was mentally agile as well, he read the newspaper at the library everyday, both home affairs and news from Pakistan. He was a non smoker and didn't drink. We expected him to be around until his 90s. 'I am an only child, and felt quite alone in being affected by his death. My parents were devoted to each other and my mother was dependent on my father. 'He was a loving father and grandfather to my three children. He travelled to his home country of Pakistan frequently and he was a respected tribal elder. He was a charitable man.' The tragedy occurred when Mr Niazi was waiting to cross the A676 Wigan Road. Until the crash, Mr Ali had been a paradigm of good health and made great efforts to look after himself (he is pictured in his youth) Prosecutor Richard Greenhough said: 'The victim initially saw the defendant's vehicle and started to cross the road. The defendant sounded his horn and attempted to swerve out of the way but he collided with the victim.' He added: 'Wigan Road has a speed restriction of 30mph. Following the collision a forensic report was done and it concluded that the defendant was travelling at 44.7mph. 'It also concluded that if the VW stuck to the 30mph limit the victim could have crossed the road without the defendant having to take any evasive action.' In mitigation, Ali's lawyer Shahid Ali said: 'He wishes me to apologise in person to the members of the family of the deceased. My client accepts he was speeding and this is something that happens. 'There is no suggestion he was being under the influence of drink or drugs, anything that could said to have impaired him and he cooperated fully with the authorities. 'He was aware the gentleman was injured but at that stage he wasn't aware of the state of the injury. He made regular communications off his own back with the officer in the case as he wanted to know the wellbeing of the man involved in the accident. 'The shock and horror was not only felt by the defendant, but the anguish was also caused to him and his family. 'There was evidence brought to him that he was speeding but it was over a short distance. This has been a very sad, regretful and upsetting journey for my client. There is nothing I can say that can minimise the grief of the sad situation that has arisen. 'He has written a letter to the court expressing upset and remorse at the situation. His wife has written explaining how this has affected their family as a whole.' Sentencing, chair of the bench Mr Manu Mistry said: 'Firstly, I offer my sincere condolences to the family of Mr Niaza. This has been a difficult case for us to sentence and it is regretful that parties have had to attend court in such tragic circumstances. There is no punishment any court can impose that can mitigate a loss of life. ' 'We have had to turn to the sentencing guide to assist us. There are two factors which are important, firstly at the time of the offence, Mr Ali was driving at 44mph in a 30mph zone, he clearly exceeded that road. Speaking after the hearing, daughter Rozanna said: 'The sentence was very fair. Nothing is going to bring my dad back. It's very sad because it's not only for me but also for my extended family. He was funding someone in medical school in Pakistan. 'I personally wouldn't want anybody to be sent to prison, I wouldn't want to deprive someone of their husband or father. My father was a well loved man and we miss him.' The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry! Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now. Location: Waltham, Massachusetts Boston Dynamics is a world-class robotics company with a diverse collection of projects. We build back-flipping humanoids that push the limits of mobility. We sell rugged, customizable quadrupeds for industrial applications. We also are changing the field of logistics. Our project teams are multidisciplinary but united by a passion for advancing the field of robotics. In order to achieve our goals, we rely strongly on collaboration and cross-team communication. At Boston Dynamics, our shared software contributes to the success of our projects, products, prototypes, and engineering staff. Our software engineers work tightly with the entire company. Day to day activities: Design and develop new features and advanced applications for the Android platform using Java and Kotlin. Collaborate with the UX team and Product Managers to understand product needs and recommend the best technical solution. Unit-testing code for robustness, including edge cases, usability, and general reliability. Help define development/design standards and best practices. Responsible for bug fixing and improving application performance. Desired skills: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or a related discipline preferred 2+ years of mobile development experience (Android with Java and/or Kotlin preferred) Experience with OpenGL ES is a plus Who are we a good fit for? We love working with talented people and seek out passionate co-workers with a collaborative spirit. Our work moves quickly and were great at coming together to find creative solutions to some of techs most challenging problems. If that sounds good to you, join us. We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas for this position. Interested? Apply now. About the Gamasutra Job Board Whether you're just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what's out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers. Gamasutra's Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A. Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here. Akita Cloud is the only SaaS platform that has 24/7 security operation centre for Smart Homes and Real Time Botnet and Hijacking detection. Making Smart Homes, safer, BD Software Distribution Pvt. Ltd. (BD Soft), a leading Distributor to Internet security technology companies, brings Akita The Cyber IoT device, to Indian Markets. A Smart Home IoT Security Device which protects all devices connected to a wireless network at home. Protect your privacy, Home and devices from hackers, malware, botnet attacks and cryptojacking with Akita, the IoT watchdog station. Akita brings the Smartest Home Protection possible with three easy Steps Scans > Blocks >Notifies. Akita uses military-grade security protection retrofitted for the Home. Akita scans for unusual activity using a combination of behaviour analysis, machine learning and threat intelligence and immediately shuts it down, without slowing your network. If a threat is found Akita messages you and if you dont recognize it, you can escalate it to experts at Akita, who are standing by you 24/7. The Akita device is powered by the Akita Cloud platform to Detect international security threats in real-time, Monitor IOT behaviour (AI based) and use third party security intelligence sources. Akita also has a smartphone app, available for both iOS and Android. The app allows you to manage all of your Akita devices and all of the Internet of Things devices that your Akita devices protect. Akita Cloud is the only SaaS platform that has 24/7 security operation centre for Smart Homes and Real-Time Botnet and Hijacking detection. AKITA is connected to a LAN port on your router with no access to users personal information. Hence, AKITA provides lifetime security without disrupting your personal privacy. Akita has Continuous Vulnerability Monitoring and sends a weekly update on the security status of your network and issues to fix to keep your WiFi network secure. With a complete DIY set up, the product is available with Amazon and leading retail stores for Rs 9,000. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. This year, Venezuelan Parliament Speaker Juan Guaido is one of the participants in the World Economic Forum in Davos Open source This year, Venezuelan Parliament Speaker Juan Guaido is one of the participants in the World Economic Forum in Davos. Last year, the United States and more than 50 countries recognized Guaido as president instead of the current head of state, Nicolas Maduro, amid ongoing anti-government protests in Venezuela, civil strife and the economic crisis. On the eve of the event, Guaido met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a regional conference in Colombia. The head of American diplomacy emphasized that the ultimate goal of the US strategy in Venezuela is a change of power, and urged the countries of Latin America, Europe and the whole world to contribute to this. American sanctions against individual Venezuelan officials, the country's oil and gas sector did not force Maduro to resign. Guaidos attempts to gain support from Venezuelan senior army officers and organize a military coup turned out to be a complete failure. The Americans are changing tactics in the Venezuelan crisis, realizing that unilateral restrictive measures were not enough to put pressure on Caracas. Change of tactics The Venezuelan oil embargo is imposed on Venezuela, which, together with the effects of the economic crisis, has led to a reduction in oil exports from 3 to 1 million barrels per day. Under the blow of sanctions was the PDSVA state-owned company. The sale of black gold is a key source of replenishment of the budget of Venezuela. In August 2019, the United States imposed an economic embargo on the Venezuelan government: it froze all assets, forbade American firms to make settlements with it. Before the embargo, the US share in Venezuelan oil exports was 38%. Last year, the States called on India, China and other countries to refrain from acquiring Venezuelan oil. The Venezuelan economy lost $ 20 billion in revenue as a result of U.S. actions, a number of customers stopped accepting Venezuelan tankers, but not everyone refused black gold from Venezuela. Pompeos and Guaidos task is to convince other authorities to join the US sanctions against the Maduro regime. There are legal grounds for a change of power in Venezuela. According to Art. 350 of the Constitution of Venezuela, citizens can renounce any regime, legislation that violates democratic values and principles, encroaches on human rights. At a conference in Colombia, they tried to convey this idea to the governments of Latin American states. Brazil accounts for 5% of oil exports from Venezuela. Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro recognized Guaido as president but limited to criticizing the Maduro regime and refraining from sanctions. Venezuelan oil is bought by Bolivia, Colombia and a number of Caribbean countries, including Cuba, a long-standing ideological ally. The Davos Forum is a negotiation platform where business circles, representatives of the political elite, civil society, science from around the world meet to discuss global economic and political processes. It is not surprising why Guaido paid a visit to this event. Most EU member states imposed personal sanctions against Venezuelan officials, recognized Guaido as president, with the exception of Italy, Slovakia, and Cyprus, which limited themselves to supporting the Venezuelan parliament, dominated by opponents of Maduro. Nevertheless, this does not prevent a number of European states from continuing to acquire Venezuelan oil and fuel the Maduro regime. During 2019, Venezuela supplied Europe with over 118 million barrels of oil per day, mainly to the refineries of the Spanish company Repsol, which has a joint venture with PDSVA. Venezuelan oil is bought by Great Britain, France, Benelux, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Last year, 65% of Venezuelan exports came from Asian countries. Despite the fact that the Chinese company CNPC refrained from loading oil in Venezuelan ports, China purchased 319.5 million barrels of oil per day. India, Malaysia, and Singapore acquired a total of over 326 million barrels of Venezuelan oil. Venezuela supplies oil to foreign markets bypassing sanctions through intermediary firms. In this regard, the Russian company Rosneft succeeded. In 2019, Rosneft acquired a third of the exported oil from Venezuela and resold it to Chinese firms and other customers from Asian countries. There are joint ventures between PDSVA and Rosneft and CNPC. Maduros regime will stay afloat until there is a buyer for Venezuelan oil. In early January, socialists even tried to remove Guaido from the post of speaker of parliament in order to enact laws to grant licenses to partners from Russia and China to develop new mineral deposits, including oil and gas. Deputy Luis Parra proclaimed himself a speaker without following the necessary formalities, and the Venezuelan security forces blocked the parliament building. Probably, the former ally of Guaido made a deal with the socialists, who, apparently, made him an offer, which he could not refuse. According to unofficial information, the socialists paid MPs from 500,000 USD to 1 million USD for voting against Guaido. The Russian Foreign Ministry recognized Parra as the new speaker of parliament. US interests The Americans want to achieve a change of political regime in Venezuela in order to gain control of the country's oil and gas sector. Now in Venezuela, only Chevron works from American companies. A reduction in Venezuelan oil exports will entail an increase in world oil prices. In 2020, Venezuela is expected to reduce oil supplies to foreign markets to 800-600 million barrels per day. Under current conditions, it is beneficial to the United States. With the advent of President Donald Trump, the United States has increased oil production and export. On average, the United States exported 2.5 million barrels of oil per day in 2019. The US needs to eliminate a competitor in the global oil market, so they are interested in other countries joining sanctions against Venezuela. Venezuela (300 billion barrels) exceeds Saudi Arabia (260 billion barrels) in oil reserves. The US wants to influence the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Venezuela by tightening pressure on the Maduro regime. American partners from the Round Table of Democratic Unity parliamentary coalition lose initiative in confronting the United Socialist Party and Maduro, who usurped power in the country: falsified the results of the presidential election, initiated the creation of the Constitutional Assembly, which amended the Basic Law and assumed the functions of parliament. In the face of political setbacks, Guaido's popularity declined from 63% to 39%, and a split occurred in the center-right ranks, judging by the recent crisis in the Venezuelan parliament. If other countries join the American oil embargo, the Maduro regime will lose its feeding trough, and dissatisfaction with its policies in Venezuelan society will only grow against the backdrop of a difficult economic situation. Right-centrists led by Guaido can offer Venezuelan voters a "tit in the hand" in the form of humanitarian aid. The Venezuelan military does not pass humanitarian convoys from Colombia by land, but the center-right are considering the option of dropping food and medicine from aircraft over areas of Venezuela, where representatives of the Round Table of Democratic Unity hold the power. The population of the republic is on the verge of starvation. Barriers The mistake of Trump and Guaido is that they underestimate the vitality of the Maduro regime, which has acquired partners who are profitable to work with him. Do not overestimate the diplomatic abilities of Guaido. Convincing foreign leaders to abandon Venezuelan oil for the sake of the ideals of democracy will not be as easy as pulling the Venezuelan military to their side. Unlike Maduro, which controls oil, Guaido simply has nothing to offer. Europe holds a similar position in the Venezuelan crisis, as in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. European countries have limited themselves to personal sanctions and refrain from tightening them since this is unprofitable for economic reasons. The oil embargo is not profitable for Spain, not only because it buys oil, but also because the Venezuelan government repays loans through gratuitous supplies of black gold. According to the same scheme, Venezuelans pay off debts to China and Russia. Even if the EU showed solidarity with the United States, its share in Venezuelan oil exports is substantially less than that of China. China and Russia recognize the Maduro regime, while India is neutral in the Venezuelan crisis. Venezuela will continue to supply oil there. Brussels is unlikely to show solidarity with Washington on the Venezuelan crisis amid disagreements over NATO funding, defense spending, Trump's protectionist policies, and climate protection. In addition to diplomatic support from the influential countries of the world, Guaido and his supporters have nothing else, while the Maduro regime enjoys the military support of Russia and receives funding from China. Without US intervention in the Venezuelan crisis, center-rightists are unlikely to be able to change anything. However, Trump is afraid to take on the role of an international policeman and send troops to change the political regime in Venezuela out of fear of getting stuck in a bloody armed conflict on the eve of the US presidential election. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Geneva, Switzerland Thu, January 23, 2020 09:16 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20609d5ef 2 World US,Saudi-Arabia,media,Amazon,investigation,UN Free Independent United Nations rights experts said Wednesday they had received information that Amazon owner Jeff Bezos's phone was hacked through a WhatsApp account belonging to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The allegations have been rejected by Riyadh, whose embassy in Washington branded them as "absurd". "The alleged hacking of Mr Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities," UN Special Rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said in a statement in Geneva. They said any investigation into the alleged incident in May 2018 should also look at the "continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the Crown Prince in efforts to target perceived opponents". Callamard, the UN expert on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and Kaye, the expert on freedom of expression, said they were "gravely concerned". "The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia," they wrote. Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post, which employed as a contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist murdered in October 2018 at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul. "Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the Saudi Arabian embassy said on its Twitter account. "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out." The UN Special Rapporteurs said the circumstances and timing of the hacking incident also gave grounds for further investigation into "allegations that the Crown Prince ordered, incited, or, at a minimum, was aware of planning for" the operation to kill Khashoggi. The two experts said they had become aware of a 2019 examination of Bezos's iPhone that found it may have been hacked on May 1, 2018 with an MP4 video file sent from an account used by the Saudi Crown Prince. The two had exchanged numbers a month before, they said. The analysis reportedly found that within hours of receiving the video file, Bezos's phone saw an "unprecedented exfiltration" of 126 MB of data. This continued undetected over a period of "some months" with rates of as much as 4.6 GB higher than the baseline. The forensic analysis cited by the UN experts showed that the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia's de factor ruler, sent WhatsApp messages to Bezos in November 2018 and February 2019 in which he revealed information about Bezos's personal life that was not available from public sources. The analysis also suggested that the hackers may have used a type of spyware used in other Saudi surveillance cases, such as the NSO Group's Pegasus-3 malware. Subscriber content preview ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) A worker with anti-government views fatally stabbed his Trump-supporting boss at a highway construction site and placed an American flag next to the body after they got into a political argument, deputies in Florida said Tuesday. Mason Toney, 28, was charged with first-degree murder for the killing of William Knight on Monday, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff's Office. . . . Mr. Bloomberg has benefited, however, from being mostly ignored by his primary rivals, some of whom dont want to elevate him in the race, but also dont want to alienate him and his ability to support the Democratic nominee in the general election. And most Democratic strategists remain skeptical that a candidate who once supported aggressive policing policies, who has switched parties three times and who endorsed President George W. Bush in 2004 will be able to win the nomination. From Mr. Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Brad Parscale, his campaign manager, to his polling team and other advisers, the president has been told repeatedly that Mr. Bloomberg isnt worth his attention. Meanwhile, even for some Democratic observers who are uncomfortable with how much money Mr. Bloomberg is flooding into the system, there is a relief in watching the candidate get into Mr. Trumps head in a way that few have. Trump fears Bloomberg because Bloomberg is actually the guy who Trump played on TV a fantastically wealthy, self-made success with unlimited resources and a willingness to spend it, said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. The Trump campaign played down any worries about Mr. Bloomberg. Its a free country and he can set his money on fire if he wants to, said Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman. Hes still in a statistical tie with the back of the pack in the Democrat field. The Trump campaign is dismissive of the idea that Mr. Bloomberg could be an ongoing threat as anything other than the nominee, despite his pledge to spend to support the Democratic standard-bearer through Election Day. And officials have taken note that Mr. Bloombergs team is trying to mirror the Trump campaigns playbook with online spending. The state of global geopolitical tensions is high, and this is having an impact on the global economy, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, told CNBCs Sara Eisen on Squawk on the Street from the World Economic Forum at Davos on Thursday, CNBC reports. Its the highest I have seen since taking office at the UN, the Secretary-General said, noting there are a confluence of factors at play. These include the U.S.-Iran conflict, terrorism, cyberthreats and the dysfunction between the worlds main superpowers. Recently, We were on the verge of war in the Middle East, he said, referring to the U.S.-Iran conflict. Tensions in the region escalated in early January after Irans top military general, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in Baghdad by an American airstrike. Tehran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq, but both parties appear to have stepped back from further military actions. You can imagine the dramatic consequences this would have had in the region and for the global economy if this escalated, Guterres said. Now its important to create a platform for discussions between both countries to avoid another incident. Already, European countries have announced that they are going to bring a formal complaint to the UN Security Council that Iran has violated the nuclear deal, which could trigger more sanctions, he said. At the same time, we have a dysfunctional relationship among the worlds three greatest powers, which makes it more difficult to find a quick solution to crises that are popping up all over the world in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and other areas in Africa, the UN Secretary noted. He said terrorism is progressing and the risk of nuclear proliferation is rising. We live in a difficult period where geopolitical tensions are also having an impact on the economy because they generate trade tensions, Guterres said. But he is a bit more optimistic with the signing of the Phase One trade deal between the U.S. and China. The deal takes steps to root out several practices that irked the White House and bipartisan members of Congress, including intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers, in exchange for Chinese market access, according to text released by the White House. It also details a $200 billion increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. goods over two years a priority for Trump. Its a good first step, but the problem is not solved, the UN Secretary-General said. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MUFG Union Bank N.A., today announced that receipt of real-time payments is available for its corporate, commercial, and retail clients via the RTP network, operated by The Clearing House. The RTP network provides instantaneous receipt of payments, which increases payment certainty and funds availability, with funds immediately available for use. Real-time payments enable MUFG Union Bank clients to improve cash flow, manage working capital, and streamline processes. "Real-time payments offer our clients the payment processing speed to meet their business needs in a rapidly changing digital commerce environment," said Ranjana Clark, Head of Global Transaction Banking and Transaction Banking Americas, and Bay Area President. "MUFG Union Bank is committed to supporting our clients' movement toward real-time payments in the United States to enhance their experience." The RTP network is the first new core payments infrastructure built in the U.S. in more than 40 years and gives the banking industry a modern platform for domestic payments, complete with rich data capabilities and immediate payment confirmation. The system enables instantaneous settlement and availability, so those funds can be used or withdrawn as cash within seconds. With receipt of real-time payments, businesses will experience improved straight-through processing, automated reconciliation, fraud and risk reduction, rich data reporting and analytics capabilities, partnership integration, and reduced operational costs. "In addition to accelerating the speed and certainty of the transaction, real-time payments provide a standardized message format delivering extensive information throughout the full payment lifecycle. It is a completely new way of thinking about payments," said Managing Director Ray Fattell, Head of Product, Innovation, and Risk Management, Transaction Banking Americas. "We are committed to providing innovative product solutions, utilizing the latest technology, so that CFOs and treasury managers can optimize their business processes to achieve their objectives." "MUFG Union Bank's customers can enjoy the benefits of immediate funds availability now that they can receive real-time payments over the RTP network,' says Jim Colassano, Senior Vice President of RTP Product Strategy and Development, The Clearing House. "We are very excited that MUFG Union Bank has joined the real-time payments revolution." About MUFG Union Bank, N.A. As of September 30, 2019, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. operated 350 branches, consisting primarily of retail banking branches in the West Coast states, along with commercial branches in Texas, Illinois, New York, and Georgia. We provide a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, and retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of our clients. We also offer an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for clients, including investment banking, personal and corporate trust, global custody, transaction banking, capital markets, and other services. With assets of $134.7 billion, as of September 30, 2019, MUFG Union Bank has strong capital reserves, credit ratings and capital ratios relative to peer banks. MUFG Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE: MUFG), one of the world's largest financial organizations with total assets of approximately 314.5 trillion (JPY) or $2.9 trillion (USD), as of September 30, 2019. The corporate headquarters (principal executive office) for MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation, which is the financial holding company, and MUFG Union Bank, is in New York City. The main banking office of MUFG Union Bank is in San Francisco, Calif. About The Clearing House Since its founding in 1853, The Clearing House has delivered safe and reliable payments systems, facilitated bank-led payments innovation, and provided thought leadership on strategic payments issues. The Clearing House continues to leverage its unique capabilities to support bank-led innovation, including launching the RTP network, a real-time payment system that modernizes core payments capabilities for all federally-insured U.S. depository institutions. The Clearing House supports hundreds of banks and credit unions through its core systems and related services. Learn more at www.theclearinghouse.org. Press contact: Jane Yedinak Direct: 415-773-2497 [email protected] 1 Exchange rate of 1 USD=107.9 (JPY) as of September 30, 2019 SOURCE MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Related Links https://www.unionbank.com By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - Real estate developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners has entered into a $240 million agreement to purchase the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) oil refinery, which was the largest and oldest on the East Coast, according to court documents on Wednesday. Chicago-based Hilco submitted the winning bid, which includes an escrow amount of $30 million, in an auction last week for the Philadelphia site, documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware show. The sale still needs to be approved by the bankruptcy court, and Los Angeles-based developer Industrial Realty Group, LLC, was selected as the backup bidder, the documents show. The plan is scheduled to be submitted to the court for approval on Feb. 6, and PES can withdraw the sale plan at any time before then. The refiner filed for bankruptcy in July last year and put its 335,000-barrel-per-day plant up for sale a month after a fire and explosions destroyed part of the refinery. Hilco, which has acquired 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) in North America, specializes in redeveloping obsolete industrial sites, dimming the prospect that the PES complex will be resurrected as an oil refinery. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement the city is optimistic Hilco will develop the more than 1,300-acre site in a way that is more environmentally friendly and contributes to the regional economy, but it expects challenges and years of work ahead. "We welcome the selection of Hilco Redevelopment Partners as the winning bidder for the refinery site," Kenney said. City officials met with bidders during last week's auction and were briefed on the track records of the various parties, but they were not given specific details of the proposals. Hilco did not respond to requests for comment on its plans for the South Philadelphia site, which has been used to store and process hydrocarbons for about 150 years. However, a stakeholder who was briefed by Hilco representatives in the days prior to the auction said the company intended to use part of the site for light industrial purposes, including storage. A sale to a real estate developer, either Hilco or IRG, does not preclude former bidders from leasing space on the site, according to two sources familiar with other proposals for PES. Story continues More than a dozen groups showed initial interest in buying PES, but only one publicly stated intentions to revive the site as an oil refinery at full capacity. That group, led by former PES Chief Executive Officer Phil Rinaldi, was not a finalist. It is attempting to partner with one of the real estate groups in a lease agreement, two sources familiar with the plan said. Rinaldi could not be reached for comment. S.G. Preston Co, a biofuels company based in Philadelphia, is also expected to seek a lease agreement with the next owner, according to a source familiar with the situation. With PES's closure, more than 1,000 workers were laid off, including 640 local United Steelworkers members. Many former PES workers held out hope that the plant would be restarted, said former USW Local 1-10 leader Ryan O'Callaghan. With the prospect of a real estate owner, however, many of those workers are expected to consider moving out of state to find similar work, O'Callaghan said. "Some hard decisions are going to be made by a lot of families," he said. (Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot) DAVOS Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido used an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to demand elections and call for more support from Europe. Why it matters: Recognized as president by the U.S. but locked out of power for the past year by the regime of Nicolas Maduro, Guaido is desperate to change an equation that tipped in Maduro's favor after a failed uprising last April. Guaido defied a travel ban in visiting Europe. He has acknowledged that Maduro could attempt to block his return, and said his presence in Davos puts members of the Venezuelan opposition in danger. Guaido was added late to the forum's agenda, and news of his impending arrival generated speculation of a meeting with President Trump. Trump left Davos yesterday, apparently without meeting Guaido. What he's saying: Guaido laid out the scale of the crisis a 75% drop in GDP, a migrant crisis that rivals Syria's as people flee in search of work and health care, and one million orphans left behind. "There is murder, there is torture, but despite all of that we are here we are united," he said. As for why he had thus far failed to displace Maduro, Guaido said outside powers were propping him up, and "perhaps we underestimated the capability of the dictatorship to do bad." Guaido said he was in Davos to keep the eyes of the world on Venezuela, but also called on Europe in particular for more support, including for Venezuelan refugees. He said the world needed to come together to block the illegal gold trade, which provides critical revenues to the regime. He also called for international backing for elections this year. "Only in a dictatorship do you have to ask for free elections," he said. The backdrop: Venezuela's economic crisis is almost unfathomable given its vast oil resources and former prosperity. The migration crisis has severely strained the resources of neighbors like Colombia. Colombian President Ivan Duque sat in the front row during Guaido's speech, and embraced and conferred with him after it concluded. Driving the news: On Jan. 5, security forces blocked Guaido from entering the National Assembly, which he leads, and a Maduro loyalist was sworn in to replace him. That move was condemned internationally, and the U.S. continues to consider Guaido the president of the assembly and the country. Go deeper: Maduro survives 2019. Move over, ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks. It appears that the real inventor of the wheel was none other than the Red, White and Blue. During his Wednesday morning interview with CNBCs Joe Kernen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Donald Trump went off on one of his trademark stream-of-consciousness rants when asked to weigh in on a number of tech and business heavyweights. After claiming that Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg personally told him he was number one in the world on Facebook, which is 'very nice,' the president was then asked to comment on eccentric Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "Well, you have to give him credit, the president said. He's also doing the rockets. He likes rockets, and he does good at rockets too, by the way." Expressing awe over the fact that Musks rockets dont have wings, Trump explained that the United States needs to protect our geniuses like Musk. We have to protect Thomas Edisonwe have to protect all of these people that came up with originally the light bulb, and the wheel, and all of these things, and hes one of our very smart people, Trump added. We want to cherish those people. Thats very important. Hes done a very good job. The president would then go on to claim that Tesla was on the verge of shutting down just a year ago but the company is now going to be building a very big plant in the United States. He has to, Trump concluded. He has to help us. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Prisoner population in Russia is on decline Rights Commissioner Moskalkova RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 18:03 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) The number of individuals held in custody in Russia has decreased by 40,000 in 2019 as compared with the figures registered in the same period of 2018, and makes at the moment 523,900, according to Russias ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova. The observed dynamics, Moskalkova noted, were a result of liberalization and humanization of the criminal law. In particular, the rights commissioner stressed a role the adoption of a law envisaging that one day of pre-trial detention was to be counted as 1.5 days served in a penal colony, 2 days spent in a penal settlement, or 1 day served in a prison or in high- and maximum-security penal colonies had played in supporting this trend. When addressing the panel conference on criminal law development strategies in the 21st century, the ombudsman cited the statistics of applications she had received: most of them, 30%, concerned criminal and criminal procedure laws, where citizens complained about too long and incomplete investigations (4,961 in 2019); alleged that sentences given were unjustified or unfair (4,301); sought recognition that pretrial measures applied were disproportional (662); other complaints concerned misclassification of crimes, use of inadequate evidence, and unfair punishments. Trump Not Ruling Out Iraq Sanctions By Steve Herman January 22, 2020 U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday did not rule out future sanctions against Iraq, but cited what he called "a very good relationship" when asked about potential plans for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. "We'll see what happens, because we do have to do things on our terms," Trump told reporters in Davos, Switzerland as he met with Iraqi President Barham Salih. Iraq's parliament passed a resolution urging the government to expel U.S. troops from the country, prompting Trump to respond with a threat not to leave unless Iraq reimburses the United States for a U.S. airbase there. He said Wednesday 5,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, and that his administration will "make a determination" about their future. Salih highlighted the United States and Iraq as being partners in the war against Islamic State militants, and said he and Trump share the goal of a "stable, sovereign Iraq that is at peace with itself and at peace with its neighbors." The Iraqi parliament's demand for U.S. forces to get out was a protest against the U.S. drone attack at the Baghdad airport that killed Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani. Trump also held talks Wednesday with the president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, on the final day of his trip to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum. In a speech at the event Tuesday, Trump touted the conclusion of two major trade deals and declared Americans are "winning again like never before." Trump went through a list of what he celebrated as victories for middle class workers and companies, including the first phase of a trade deal with China and the Senate's approval of a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. He also kept track of the historic proceedings in the U.S. Senate where he is on trial on a charge of abuse of power and another of obstruction of Congress. Trump expressed confidence in his legal team hours before the start of opening statements, saying, "We have a great case." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Authorities in central China's Hubei province on Thursday locked down the provincial capital Wuhan and two neighboring cities, leaving some 18 million people with no way to leave amid the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. Outbound trains and planes were indefinitely suspended in Wuhan, while tollbooths were shut down, blocking roads out of the city ahead of Lunar New Year's Eve on Jan. 24. The usually bustling Hankou railway station at the heart of Wuhan, a conurbation of three major cities on the Yangtze River, was sealed off behind barricades and under guard by the People's Armed Police, according to news photographs from the city. Police clad in fatigues were shown checking the body temperature of drivers at a tollgate in Wuhan ahead of the deadline to leave, as the city government told residents not to leave without a very good reason. The neighboring Hubei cities of Huanggang and Ezhou saw similar measures implemented at midnight, while tourist authorities in Beijing shut down the capital's iconic Forbidden City, as well as a number of other tourism hotspots and temple markets usually thronging with crowds during the Lunar New Year break. The lockdowns have left more than 18 million people under restrictions, as international health experts estimated that between 1,300 and 1,700 people in Wuhan have likely been infected with the novel coronavirus (nCoV) that is spreading between people and causing pneumonia. Local residents said routes out of the city were blocked with vehicles trying to flee ahead of the 10.00 a.m. deadline on Thursday. A man who was trying to leave via Hankou railway station said people had been turned away, even if they had tickets. "I am at Hankou railway station, and there are armed police everywhere," the man said. "They're not letting anyone into the station to board trains out of Wuhan if their tickets show departure times after 10 o'clock." Panic buying Panic buying was visible at gas stations, supermarkets, and fresh vegetable markets as people tried to stockpile food and daily necessities, unsure of when supplies would be restocked. "Private cars are rushing to fill up with gas, and the prices in the supermarket have skyrocketed," a resident surnamed Liu said. "Garlic shoots usually sell for a few yuan per pound, but the price in the supermarket is now at 80 yuan a pound," he said. "There is a supermarket in our office building, but everything in it has gone." An employee who answered the phone at a supermarket in Wuhan said they had sold out of surgical masks and disinfectant on Thursday, and confirmed that prices were rising. "Prices have risen in line with market economics, and masks are selling for 10 times their previous price," the employee said. "They used to sell for 10 yuan a pack, but now they are selling for 70, 80, 100 yuan a pack." Sources in Wuhan have indicated that hospitals are now at overcapacity, and are turning patients with flu-like symptoms away. "Family members are saying that many patients haven't been admitted at all because the [hospitals] were at capacity," a resident surnamed Zhao said. "People were told not to go out after 5:00 p.m. today because they were starting to transfer fever patients to designated hospitals at that time." Repeated calls to the Wuhan municipal government rang unanswered during office hours on Thursday. Social stability, practical measures However, a statement on the official website of the Hubei provincial government said there were enough supplies, and that people didn't need to hoard anything. It said the Hubei Red Cross had taken delivery of a shipment of medical supplies to fight the epidemic. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday that 634 cases of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) have been confirmed in China, with 18 confirmed deaths reported. President Xi Jinping has called on government at every level to "strengthen propaganda work ... and resolutely maintain overall social stability." Premier Li Keqiang has apparently been given a different focus: practical measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus epidemic. "[We need] early detection, early reporting, early isolation, early treatment and centralized treatment procedures," Li was quoted as saying by state media on Thursday. The finance ministry said on Thursday it was allocating one billion yuan (U.S.$145 million) in funding to the Hubei provincial government to help with efforts to contain the outbreak. 'Out of control' But veteran rights activist Hu Jia said he believes the epidemic is now out of the control of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, because it is impossible to set up a task force that can assess the situation independently of political considerations. "An independent investigation team is just never going to happen in China," Hu said. "That's because there is nothing in China that is independent [of the ruling party] ... it just doesn't exist." "If such an independent body were to be set up, it would be regarded as subversive, or a rebellious conspiracy." Hu said the mediawhich is generally expected to stick to government-approved, syndicated copy in times of breaking newsis even less likely to carry out any independent investigation. "If any media were to try [it], they would be attacked and shut down," Hu said. Health screening and body temperature scans have been stepped up at airports around the world, with three confirmed cases of nCoV in Hong Kong and Macau, one in Japan, and one each in Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. As of Thursday Thailand had confirmed two nCoV cases, and the U.S. one case, while Vietnam reported the infection of a Chinese father, who had traveled from Wuhan to Hanoi on Jan.13, and his son, who was already living in Vietnam. The two had traveled together widely in Vietnam and are now in quarantine in Ho Chi Minh City, state media said on Thursday. The majority of cases reported internationally were in people who had recently been in Wuhan. Reported by Wong Siu-san, Sing Man, Qiao Long, Li Zhizhi and Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. OTTAWA Manitobans may never know what caused a Via Rail train to derail near Portage la Prairie on New Years Eve. If they do, the answer likely wont come until July. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitobans may never know what caused a Via Rail train to derail near Portage la Prairie on New Years Eve. If they do, the answer likely wont come until July. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The train was headed for Winnipeg from Churchill. Sections of the train left the tracks, sending five to hospital in what the company has so far explained as an "unexpected incident." Brandon Sun A Via Rail passenger train carrying seven passengers and five crew members derailed on New Year's Eve near Gladstone, MB. Train 692 was travelling around 100 kilometres per hour when two locomotives and five cars derailed near Katrime, roughly 120 km west of Winnipeg, causing some diesel to spill. It happened on a track owned by CN Rail. In a Wednesday posting, the Transportation Safety Board classified the derailment as a Class 4 investigation, which means the agency views the incident as having "some important consequences" but likely will not shed light on how to craft safety protocols. The board expects to report back, with limited information, by the end of July. Via Rail refused to specify whether there was employee error or a problem with the tracks. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aadityanath for his remarks that men sitting in the comfort have sent their women and children on the streets to agitate against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take cognisance of his statement. Reacting to Chief Minister Adityanath's statement, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the BJP is 'an anti-women' party and its real character has once again come to the fore. "BJP's real character is that it is an anti-women party and this is being revealed today. They are issuing such dishonourable statements for the same Muslim women, for whom the BJP was shedding crocodile tears during the Triple Talaq Bill," said Singh at a press conference here. "The Prime Minister had said from the Red Fort that the Muslim women are our mothers and sisters. The PM should now take cognizance of these statements (issued by CM Yogi) issued by his party's leaders," added Singh. Addressing a rally in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Kanpur on Wednesday, Adityanath had said: "If anyone will raise slogans of 'Azadi' in the name of protest, it will amount to sedition and the government will take strict action. It can't be accepted. People can't be allowed to conspire against India from the Indian soil." "Now they have pushed women, members of their family, to sit in protest at every crossroads. This is a big crime as the male members are sitting inside their houses, sleeping under blankets while women are made to protest," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 17:51 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b5fe0 1 Business Yenny-Wahid,erick-thohir,Garuda-Indonesia,Women,PKB,SOE-Minister,SOEs Free State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has denied accusations that he is giving out positions based on politics to supervise state-owned flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. Garuda appointed on Wednesday former Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) head Triawan Munaf as its new president commissioner. The publicly listed airline also appointed pluralism activist and daughter of former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, Yenny Wahid, as its new independent commissioner. Other than her activism, Yenny is also known to have close ties to the political world as she is a former member of the National Awakening Party (PKB). Yennys appointment has created suspicion among the public that Erick was giving out positions to political figures in the company. However, Erick denied the accusation, saying that the appointments were meant to improve the airlines treatment of female employees. Bu Yenny is a great woman figure. Hopefully, she can help protect [Garudas] female employees and act as a figure to talk to, he told the press in Jakarta. He said Yennys appointment was purely objective and that it was not caused by cases of flight attendant mistreatment. Garudas flight attendants had come forward to the public over alleged mistreatment they received from its management following a ruckus on Twitter. Given her close ties to the political world and Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Erick also reiterated that Yennys appointment was nothing political. Her position is as independent commissioner. She is not representing anyone in Garuda, she is representing the public, he said. Meanwhile, Erick also hoped that the appointment of Triawan as president commissioner could help to boost innovation in Garuda and promote partnership with the private sector. As it approaches its 52nd birthday, 2001: A Space Odyssey remains one of the most inventive and enduring of all movies. But from the vantage point of 2020, it can be difficult to appreciate the sheer breadth of imagination involved in its making. Enter Envisioning 2001: Stanley Kubricks Space Odyssey, a new exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, that runs through July 19. The show brings together original correspondence, sketches, storyboards, props, video clips and much more to illustrate how Kubrick, the films director, and Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction author who collaborated with him on the screenplay, set about bringing the future to the screen. The museum will show 2001 on 70-millimeter film monthly while the exhibit runs, and several sidebar movie series the first, on movies that inspired 2001, runs through Feb. 2 will complement the showcase. The exhibition, previously presented at the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum in Frankfurt, is technically an offshoot of the acclaimed traveling presentation that covered Kubricks entire career. It toured 19 cities beginning in 2004 but never made it to New York because there was no space big enough to house it, according to Kubricks daughter Katharina Kubrick at the press preview for the 2001 show this month. Those lucky enough to have caught the traveling show will recognize the same strengths (and perhaps a few of the same weaknesses). Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) on Thursday announced a collaboration with the World Economic Forum with a focus on drones. The objective is to co-design and pilot policy principles and regulatory frameworks that maximise the societal benefits or mitigate risks from drones, the Malaysian government agency said. MDEC said it will work specifically with the WEF's Aerospace and Drones portfolio to realise the objectives of this collaboration. MDEC's 30th Implementation Council Meeting, chaired by Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, in October 2019 had endorsed MDEC's proposal to launch its Global Testbed Initiative (GTI) with DroneTech as a pilot. According to a Drone Service Market report, the global drone services market is expected to reach USD 63.6 billion by 2025, with the Asia Pacific region projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the period. Locally, Malaysia's home-grown ecosystem players have been growing at an equally rapid pace. The DroneTech Global Testbed project is aimed at bringing together key industry partners, government agencies, regulators, academia and investors to demonstrate how technology can drive adoption across various industries given a conducive environment for it to operate in. MDEC said it intends to collaborate with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to leverage on its frameworks and case studies, particularly relating the policy development that supports the DroneTech Global Testbed pilot implementation on drone delivery. "The focus of MDEC's engagement with the WEF will be working with Malaysian authorities to develop a policy framework that allows for drone delivery and a potential launch of the first drone delivery service in Southeast Asia. The goal is to create a regulation that can serve as a model for the region and beyond. This partnership firmly establishes Malaysia as the Heart of Digital ASEAN," said Surina Shukri, CEO of MDEC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bristol, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/23/2020 -- Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. is available to guide all dental offices that are considering prescribing a flexible, removable partial denture to one of their current patients. As a full-service denture lab located in Bucks County, PA, Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. offers extensive choices, which empowers doctors to make the best possible treatment decisions for their patients. Flexible Partial Dentures have come a long way and can be fabricated with a variety of different materials to satisfy patient treatment goals, budget, and comfort. What is a Flexible Partial Denture? Let's break it down. A Flexible Partial Denture is a removable prosthetic that is used as a temporary or permanent replacement for missing teeth. Made from super flexible polyamides, these resins are sturdy, long-lasting, and durable. They offer several advantages over stiff, acrylic plastic resins, such as providing a realistic look and feeling very similar to natural gum tissue. Instead of relying on metal clasps that may feel or look unnatural in a patient's mouth, Flexible RDP's have thin extensions that hook into the concavities of teeth near the gum line, which provides patients with an aesthetic and comfortable solution. "The benefits of flexible partial dentures are endless. They're smaller, light, easy to work with, and provide a more natural look for patients who are wary of having metal in their mouths. Most patients think that repairs will be difficult but they are straightforward to add and fix as needed." - Jay Collins, Chief Executive Officer, Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. To welcome the new year, Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. is offering clients exceptional value by discounting their top three selections for Flexible Partial Dentures. Snow Rock - $250.00 Repairable, reliable, easy chair-side adjustments with occlusal rest. Package includes set-up, finish, and teeth. Lucitone FRS - $210.00 Sturdy, dependable, stain-resistant with clear shade. Package includes set-up, finish, and teeth. Valplast - $185.00 Economical, ideal for nesbits, and temporary implant solutions. Package includes set-up, finish, and teeth. No matter what patients need, Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. has the right solution on hand. Contact Dave Grove, Director of Sales, via phone at 800-405-7612 or email: dgrove@cornerstonedl.com, with all questions and inquiries about denture sales and denture repairs in Bucks County, PA. About Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. Established in 1989 by Master Dental Technician, John P. Collins, Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. is a premier dental lab serving the U.S. market with particular emphasis on Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. For thirty years, Cornerstone Bio-Comp Enterprise, Inc. has built a reputation as a leader in their industry, providing top quality full dental laboratory services and unmatched customer relations. They've built the company on three pillars: dignity, integrity, and generosity. And pride themselves on championing these principles throughout each touchpoint in the business. They are consistently making smiles for every one of their customers. Vir Das is quick to admit that he has always seen himself as the outsider. He is just as capable of self-deprecation -- Im five foot eight-and-a-half and I dont know anybody, he told Hindustan Times -- as he is to making self-important statements such as this: Im a comedian who does Bollywood and a Bollywood guy who does comedy. Im an Indian for the Western audiences and Western for the Indian audiences. Hes always had an outsiders perspective, he said. No wonder the comedian Sorabh Pant at a recent event described Das as the Priyanka Chopra of comedy. Pant used to write jokes for Das back in the day, when standup comedy in India was still finding its footing. As someone who has long been considered somewhat of a pioneer, Das said he has learned that the more powerful they are, the cooler they are with the joke. In his latest special, Vir Das: For India, his third for the streaming giant Netflix, the comedian punches up at powerful corporations and personalities, without ever losing the moral compass that he prides himself on having. Ive performed for the biggest people in India and made fun of them to their face from Bollywood to companies and corporations, he said. Im a very small fish in their pond. Das said that he doesnt self-censor at all and that to his mind, The guy who gets upset is never the politician or the businessman, its the guy who loves the politician or the businessman. He does, however, express his irritation towards the uncle community thats running the country and running the world. All I know is that Ive never been screamed at by anybody but an uncle, and Ive never gotten into trouble with anybody but an uncle, Das said. The aunties and young people, however, have always been great to him. We have to get aunties voices out there and we have to get young boys and young girls voices out there. But this is the first time Das has done a special about India and he said he realises that youre not going to get away with doing a show about India and not talk about these things. By these things the comedian is perhaps referring to the transitional phase that Indian is currently experiencing. Das has been very vocal in recent months about issues as wide-ranging as the student-led protests across the country against the controversial CAA-NRC acts, and a rise in the misreporting of facts by mainstream media. But he has a hack. The best way to address it in a way that brings everybody together, he said, so dont make it too one-sided or at the very least dont cushion the fact that this is your opinion. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Career College West Palm Beach campus is proud to present a check for $1,000 to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, a non-profit organization that focuses on creating life-changing wishes for children who are diagnosed with critical illnesses. FCC's West Palm Beach campus was awarded with a $1,000 check to donate to a charity of its choice after winning a contest held between all eleven Florida Career College campuses. Together, students and faculty at the West Palm Beach campus chose to donate to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, with a mission to strengthen and empower children battling critical illnesses. At Florida Career College, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to transform their lives, and we are committed to helping them make it happen." says Gregg Crowe, Executive Director at Florida Career College West Palm Beach Campus. "Our students face many life challenges, so donating to a charity who grants wishes to make lives better personally resonated with them as well as our organization." "The West Palm Beach campus is always looking to make a difference within our community. From distributing food to help those less fortunate to volunteering their time at a nursing home, West Palm Beach students and faculty are continuously striving to help those who are in need. We are honored to donate to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida and help grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses." There were several non-profit organizations that the entire student body across all eleven Florida Career College campuses felt very passionate about. We are so proud of the dedication our students put into raising money for charity. On January 10, the West Palm Beach campus presented the $1,000 check to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. "The wish experience isn't just nice it's necessary to improve the physical and mental well-being of wish kids and their families," said Norm Wedderburn, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. "Thanks to the caring folks at Florida Career College's West Palm Beach campus, we're able to help change the trajectory of the lives of these children." About Make-A-Wish Foundation Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has granted wishes since 1983 and now grants a wish every 14 hours. The non-profit organization focuses on creating life-changing wishes for children who are diagnosed with critical illnesses. Make-A-Wish chapters serve every community in the United States and its territories and has more than 40,000 active volunteers in the United States. To learn more about the South Florida Chapter and how you can donate, go to https://sfla.wish.org/. About Florida Career College Florida Career College provides students with hands-on vocational education and career training in high-demand industries such as healthcare, technology, business, and trades. Each one of the programs offered is designed to provide every student with the skills, knowledge, and training they need to be successful in their futures. If you would like to learn more, go to https://www.floridacareercollege.edu/ CONTACT: Cori Blas International Education Corporation 949-812-7710 [email protected] SOURCE Florida Career College Related Links https://www.floridacareercollege.edu/ January 23 : Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut who is all geared up with her upcoming movie Panga, recently in a press conference on the court verdict of Nirbhaya case said, that no rapist can be termed as minor. When he can reproduce and rape, from no angle he is a minor. He should be handover to public and hanged in front of them. Doing this people will come to know what is the outcome, if they rape anyone. Kangana further expressing her rage on Nirbhayas case said, Its been years her parents are suffering so much. For justice they are just struggling like anything. They are going from high court to supreme court. From where they will get finance for all this. Its high time, even our society should comprehend and oppose regarding this. The rapist should not be at all term as a minor. About the incident, the 2012 Delhi gang rape case involved a rape and fatal assault that occurred on 16 December 2012 in Munirka, a neighborhood in South Delhi. The incident took place when a 23-year-old female physiotherapy Jyoti Singh was beaten, gang raped and tortured in a private bus in which she was travelling with her friend, Awindra Pratap Pandey. On the work front, Kangana will be seen in the upcoming movie Panga. It features Kangana Ranaut, Jassi Gill, Richa Chadda, Neena Gupta and Yagya Bhasin.It is directed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, produced by Fox Star Studios. The film is set to theatrically release in India on 24 January 2020. seattle shooting Screenshot/Michael Spears/Twitter Police on Wednesday night confirmed that a gunman opened fire in downtown Seattle on Wednesday night, killing one person and injuring seven others. The Seattle Times said seven people are being treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds, including a 9-year-old boy, citing police. One person died at the scene. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Police on Wednesday night confirmed that a gunman opened fire in downtown Seattle on Wednesday night, killing one person and injuring seven others. Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said that police responded to reports of a shooting at 5 p.m. local time, according to The Washington Post. The Seattle Times reported said seven people are being treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds, including a 9-year-old boy, citing police. One person died at the scene, and the others were taken to the hospital. A motive for the shooting remains unclear. Both the homicide and gang units were on the scene, according to Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best. Police are still searching for at least one suspect. Best later said that the shooting was not a random act and that an argument had taken place before outside a McDonald's before shots were fired, according to Amy Clancy of local news outlet KIRO7. "There were a lot of people outside, guns came out, and people started running," Best said, according to The Seattle Times. "Our hearts go out to the victims of tonight's shooting in downtown Seattle and we commend the Seattle Police and Fire Departments for their swift response to this tragedy," a spokesman for the Downtown Seattle Association said in a statement to KIRO7."Criminal activity around Third and Pine has been persistent for far too long and too often has led to violence and innocent lives lost." Video taken by KIRO7 reporter Michael Spears shows first responders, police, and firefighters responding to the scene. Story continues Read the original article on Business Insider Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Thursday that Police Day is not only a special occasion for policemen but for all Egyptians. In his speech on the occasion of the 68th annual Police Day, El-Sisi said, "it was a day of pride, dignity and patriotism as feelings of pride were mixed with the sacrifices of men who did not hesitate to offer their souls for the sake of the homeland." "They fought and stood up, setting the most wonderful example in sacrificing their soul for their country," he said. "Today, policemen are re-writing history once again by firmly standing against the forces of evil and those supporting them to foil their heinous attempts to undermine the state," he added. El-Sisi said in his speech that history would look to the Egyptian experiment with great admiration, as Egyptians have proven that they alone can build their future. He paid tribute to Egyptian people who he said had endured with patience the unprecedented tough economic reforms that have been implemented in recent years in light of unstable regional and local conditions. The entire world witnessed how Egypt became a place for stability and security in a few years, he said. They saw the major economic achievements and development boom that were realised on the ground, he added. El-Sisi saluted Egyptian women who supported their families in such conditions, Egyptian men for defying hardships, and promising Egyptian youths, who are leading their country to a better future. The president said the fierce battle policemen are fighting against terrorism is a source of admiration for everyone, adding that such tough duties and responsibilities are only endured by brave people who are aware of national allegiances. He said Police Day coincides with the anniversary of the 25 January revolution, which called for a decent life for Egyptians, and expressed appreciation to all Egyptian people on this occasion. At the end, El-Sisi wished more prosperity, stability and welfare for Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: BETHEL Two controversial affordable housing proposals will go before a public hearing on Monday evening. One plan calls for building 11 apartments on Good Hill Road, while the other proposes constructing a four-building, nine-unit development on Shelley Road. The same resident applied for both proposals through the state statute 8-30g, which allows developers to bypass local zoning laws, with some exceptions, if they promise to build a certain percentage of affordable housing. The Inland Wetlands Commission, which is holding the public hearing, has previously rejected both plans, but the developer has re-applied. He also sued the town in July for denying the Shelley Road plan. The Good Hill Road proposal drew strong opposition from residents, who have said the building does not fit the character of their neighborhood. Developer Tim Draper has said he wants to provide housing for people who otherwise could not afford to live in Bethel. The Inland Wetlands Commission will hold the meeting at 7 p.m in the General Purpose Room of the municipal center. Our two companies have enjoyed a strong relationship for over a decade and this announced expansion allows us to further solidify our commitment to distribute best-in-class PCB materials in Canada. DuPont Interconnect Solutions announced today that it is expanding Insulectros role in North America by adding Canada to its sales territory for DuPont Pyralux flexible circuit materials. Effective January 17, 2020, customers in Canada will be able to purchase Pyralux and Interra through Insulectro. Insulectro will expand their warehouse location in Canada to best serve new customers for Pyralux. "Insulectro is an important partner for DuPont and we are pleased to expand their role in North America," said Andy Kannurpatti, West Business Leader, DuPont Interconnect Solutions. We believe this expansion will best serve these customers while also demonstrating our continued commitment to the circuits industry in this region. DuPont Pyralux flexible circuit materials are part of a comprehensive, industry-leading portfolio of materials and systems designed to meet todays and the next generations design challenges. Insulectros support and warehousing will expedite regional product shipments. Today is a strategic day for both Insulectro and DuPont, commented Insulectro President & CEO Patrick Redfern. Our two companies have enjoyed a strong relationship for over a decade and this announced expansion allows us to further solidify our commitment to distribute best-in-class PCB materials in Canada. The Pyralux portfolio includes a diverse collection of core dielectric materials and customized dimensional constructions that enable the designer and manufacturer of complex circuits to deliver high-performance solutions. DuPont Pyralux copperclad laminates, bondplys, coverlays and adhesive systems offer excellent functional performance and high reliability that allow for the fabrication of thin, solderable, high-density electrical interconnects for single and double-sided, multilayer flex and rigid/flex applications. DuPont Interra embedded planar capacitor laminate is used to make thinner, more efficient power and ground planes within a multilayer printed wiring board. About Insulectro Insulectro (insulectro.com) is the largest distributor of materials used in the manufacture of complex, multilayer circuit boards and printed electronics in North America. Insulectro maintains premiere product offering with local inventory in 11 strategic stocking locations in the United States and Canada. In addition, the company offers fabrication capabilities and expert customer and technical support services. Insulectro serves a broad customer base that manufactures flex, rigid and rigid/flex circuit boards for applications in a variety of end markets including mil-aero, medical, automotive, telecom, data communications, high speed computing and mobile devises. About DuPont Electronics & Imaging DuPont Electronics & Imaging is a global supplier of materials and technologies serving the semiconductor, advanced chip packaging, circuit board, electronic and industrial finishing, display, and digital and flexographic printing industries. From advanced technology centers worldwide, teams of talented research scientists and application experts work closely with customers, providing solutions, products and technical service to enable next-generation technologies. More information about DuPont Electronics & Imaging can be found on our electronic solutions and advanced printing websites. About DuPont DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food and worker safety. More information can be found at http://www.dupont.com. DuPont, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with , or are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted. For further information contact: DuPont Noelle Hagen +1-919-536-9552 noelle.d.hagen@dupont.com Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more The California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) goes into effect in 2020, and other state and federal laws are on the horizon but is it possible that these state laws will really provide us privacy? For instance, how many readers take the time to read the privacy policy (or click agreement) when they download a new version of an app on their smartphone or tablet? Probably none. What are the consequences? Well, we all know that it is great to share our GPS location with the apps so they know where we are to give directions on maps or recommend restaurants, since the apps know our eating preferences. Given the use of cells, tablets and social media, everyone shares all kinds of personal data. New laws will not replace the social needs we have created in using cells, tablets, and social media, because everyone shares that information for their personal convenience. Where Do Laws Come From? Its common knowledge that laws are based on what society thinks is socially acceptable in a particular community. What is socially acceptable in New York City dictates the laws in New York City, but whats acceptable in Beijing, Moscow or London may be different and dictate different laws. The local law makers (think legislatures or dictators) decide the law, and then the local court systems get to interpret the local laws when challenges are presented. Privacy always has been important to people in the U.S., and since the Constitution was enacted in 1789, the First Amendment has allowed for free speech. The courts have interpreted what free speech is and how that relates to privacy, which may be at the heart of any particular dispute challenging the First Amendment. The Federal Trade Commissions Role The FTC is charged with protecting privacy in the U.S., and it regularly files lawsuits to enforce the federal privacy laws under the 1934 FTC Act. For instance, on July 24, 2019, the FTC announced a $5 billion penalty and sweeping new privacy restrictions on Facebook:The $5 billion penalty against Facebook is the largest ever imposed on any company for violating consumers privacy and almost 20 times greater than the largest privacy or data security penalty ever imposed worldwide. It is one of the largest penalties ever assessed by the U.S. government for any violation.Also, on Dec. 18, 2019, the FTC reached a settlement In the Matter of Cambridge Analytica, LLC, although the original complaint filed alleged that Cambridge Analytica employed deceptive tactics to harvest personal information from tens of millions of Facebook users for voter profiling and targeting. Clearly the FTC actively is protecting privacy for U.S. citizens, but as states create their own privacy laws like the CCPA you should expect the courts to be involved in deciding which law applies to a particular alleged violation between the FTC Act and CCPA (and other laws that will be enacted in the future). How Does the European Union GDPR Fit In? The 2018 EU General Data Protection Regulation regulates the transfer of personal data outside of the EU and European Economic Area, and requires controllers of the EU personal data outside the EU to apply GDPR to allow EU citizens to opt out, delete data, and exercise the right to be forgotten. A legal complication is whether the courts in the U.S. will enforce the GDPR for EU residents who happen to be in the U.S. At the time of writing this column we do not know, but at some point courts will let us know. So stay tuned. Will Chinese Lack of Privacy Invade the US? Chinese authorities are spying on nearly 1.4 billion people, The New York Times has reported, using both old and state-of-the-art technologies such as phone scanners, facial-recognition cameras, face and fingerprint databases, and many others to establish authoritarian control. Can this happen in the U.S.? Probably not, given the FTC and state laws, but it is a scary threat reminiscent of George Orwells Big Brother in Nineteen Eighty-Four that keeps many people awake at night. How do people in China feel about the lack of privacy? Does anyone outside the country really know the answer? China is a totalitarian state, not a democracy like the U.S., which of course makes a huge difference. The U.S. is governed by a constitution that provides all citizens rights and privileges, including privacy protection, which is regulated by the FTC as noted above. Still, if people in the U.S. are not careful, they will they lose all privacy. Does Big Data Compromise Privacy? A few years ago, the FTC issued Big Data A Tool of Inclusion or Exclusion,a report that highlights consumer privacy, particularly under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). You may not be aware that there are no laws in place to require data aggregators to verify the accuracy of the data that they buy and sell. So if your private data is included, and it is inaccurate, what can you do? How Does Artificial Intelligence Affect Privacy? AI relies on a machine learning process using big data, and the privacy question is whether the data contains your private information. How will that impact AI? Its a good question. Think about the fact that McDonalds is turning to artificial intelligence and machine learning in the hopes of predicting what customers want before they decide, according to a New York Times report published on Oct. 22, 2019. The article, entitled Would You Like Fries With That? McDonalds Already Knows the Answer includes these comments:Over the last seven months, McDonalds has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire technology companies that specialize in artificial intelligence and machine learning. And the fast-food chain has even established a new tech hub in the heart of Silicon Valley the McD Tech Labs where a team of engineers and data scientists is working on voice-recognition software. At some drive-throughs, McDonalds has tested technology that can recognize license-plate numbers, allowing the company to tailor a list of suggested purchases to a customers previous orders, as long as the person agrees to sign away the data. As the evolution of the McDonalds drive-through shows, the internet shopping experience, with its recommendation algorithms and personalization, is increasingly shaping the world of brick-and-mortar retail. Restaurants, clothing stores, supermarkets and other businesses use new technology to collect consumer data and then deploy that information to encourage more spending.How do you feel about any retailer (no matter what product or service is involved) knowing so much about you and your private life? Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more When the U.S. president was impeached last week, it surfaced the fact that impeachment, and particularly the removal of a U.S. president, is a process that doesnt work. Throughout U.S. history, there have been 45 presidents, and given that no one trains for that job, youd figure several would have been removed for cause. However, impeachment has been attempted three times without a removal. If a process that has been in place for more than 200 years has never been successful, it is a really bad process. So, rather than focus on whether President Trump should be impeached, Im going to suggest a technology-driven process that should be both fairer and more effective. I also think arguing about the impeachment process rather than President Trumps impeachment itself will be a far safer way to spend the holidays. Ill close with my final product of the week: a new Nvidia offering that could make Christmas shopping massively easier, have a better outcome, and allow companies like Motorola to compete more effectively. Removal for Cause Every company has a process to remove an employee for cause from entry-level to CEO. Certainly, you could argue that many of those processes arent fair. Though unacceptable, it is far from uncommon that an employee who rightfully complains about unsafe conditions, or about a superiors harassment, abuse of power, or inappropriate or illegal actions, is still likely to be terminated. Its also likely that a CEO who is terminated will get a huge golden parachute, while a terminated rank-and-file employee often is lucky to get cab fare home. In the gig economy, it isnt even clear whether a worker is an employee in the first place. On this last point, Ive seen abusive treatment of contributors by YouTube and Amazon, and they dont seem to understand they are screwing with peoples livelihoods, which often becomes a foundation for unionization. If that happens, both firms will learn the wonders of collective bargaining, and that is generally the opposite of fun. HR, which was supposed to be an advocate for the employee and a less aggravating alternative to unions, at least in tech companies, evolved instead to become a tool of management, and that is one of the reasons we see signs of unionization at places like Google. Im sure weve all had managers who sucked and put our job at risk. I had a guy who didnt give me my annual objectives until he did my annual review, and then had the nerve to give me my first bad review because I didnt meet objectives Id never seen. In that case, I successfully escalated but then had to transfer out of the department to get away from extended retaliation. Eventually I left the company because using HR effectively got me a reputation for being a problem employee. Like many, you may work for a company that has an employment at will doctrine that allows the firm to terminate you for any reason (likely another cause for what seems to be an upswing in union activity). In a tight labor market, that policy likely is hurting qualified employee acquisition, particularly in areas like data scientist, where there are far more openings than people. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Oh, and covering up problems that employees identify hasnt exactly been a brilliant strategy in or out of government, because social media is a thing, and those stories now have the potential to become national or even worldwide scandals. These scandals damage the firms brand, reduce its competitiveness, harm revenues and valuation, and put the firms boards in bad spotlights. As a result, several companies are developing AI-driven programs that more fairly manage this process, better ensuring that employees who are assets are cared for properly, that problems are discovered and dealt with in a timely way, and that problem employees (and managers) either are retrained or removed expeditiously. For CEOs, there is a very different process. The board of directors must vote out the CEO, and given that CEOs often pick their boards, and too often are the executive chairman (who sets the agenda), this can be problematic. This process is one of the reasons we have CEOs in place who are famous for behavior that would get any manager fired, and why those CEOs can do incredible amounts of damage before being removed. Still, even after damaging their firms, they often get millions in severance pay, which generally sits poorly with employees, customers and particularly, investors. Still, we do remove CEOs, and we have yet to figure out how to remove a president. The Impeachment Process Impeachment works similarly to the grand jury process. The House of Representatives (like the House of Commons), represents the people of the U.S. (think popular vote), to prosecute the case. The problem is that if the opposing party has a majority, it will look like a partisan attack, regardless of evidence, which makes the presidents party feel unfairly treated. If the presidents party holds the majority, impeachment is unlikely because it would substantively reduce its power, and we are a power- and influence-driven race. Once impeachment occurs, which is similar to a prosecutor filing charges after a grand jury hearing, the process then moves to the U.S. Senate (like the House of Lords), which represents the states (think Electoral Collage). Then the Senate holds a trial presided over by a Supreme Court justice who has been nerfed (has a fraction of the procedural power of a regular judge). The Senate acts as a jury of sorts. Removal requires a vote of two-thirds of the senators. This percentage is an excessive threshold; it was not achieved in the two previous attempts, and it is unlikely to be achieved this time. Again, assuming votes along party lines, the process appears corrupt. The senators in the presidents party are influenced by the reduction to their power that the removal would cause, and those in the opposing party appear corrupted by the desire to get more power. A D V E R T I S E M E N T In short, the process not only is inherently unfair, but also ineffective. Instead of preventing a civil war or a misbehaving president from staying in power, it seems to ensure one of those outcomes (fortunately more the latter than the former). The AI Blended Fix First, identification is what AIs increasingly do well, and there have been massive advancements in speech-to-text. Nvidia announced one such advancement at its Asian GTC Conference last week. Most everything a president does is documented. The AI, using machine learning, would be trained to look for bad behavior. If it hears something that crosses the line, it first alerts the president and his core advisors (based on presidential preference) so they can avoid making a mistake in the first place. In short, the AIs first and foremost job is to function as a training tool for the president and his immediate staff, to ensure they learn the lines they can not cross and dont cross them. If enough evidence of bad behavior is collected, the AI issues a recommendation, which may include additional training, censure or removal from office, depending on the problem and frequency. That recommendation bypasses Congress, which has shown itself to be too biased to execute this process. The full Supreme Court (which serves for life and doesnt have the reelection and power problems Congress has) decides on the outcome, which could be training, censure, or removal from office. There might be a fourth or fifth choice, which could include fines and incarceration, depending on the offense. Wrapping Up: Creating Fairness Whether we are talking employees, CEOs or U.S. presidents, the process surrounding the termination of any of these folks isnt optimized or fair. Regarding impeachment, this is particularly true, given how biased Congress is, because as a body it is motivated to be more loyal to party than to country, corrupting the process. All of these groups need better oversight and warnings to avoid problems in the first place and a fairer process when the termination becomes an option. A properly trained AI certainly could perform the duty of warning and fairly starting the remediation process. The Supreme Court is the ideal body to finish the process for the U.S. president, but there is no equivalent body in a company, where the people making the decision wouldnt be subordinate to the CEO whom they might have to remove at some point. The closest might be internal audit, which typically reports through the CFO to the board, but that would require changes. Right now, internal audit effectively is subordinate to both the CFO (who reports to the CEO) as well as the board, (which also may be subordinate to the CEO). Putting your career at risk to do a job is a conflict that should be avoided. This conflict suggests that internal audit also should report to an outside organization that can protect its independence. Another idea would be to create a parallel organization of life appointees to the Supreme Court, which would have investigative responsibility and could build a case against anyone in any of the three branches of government. Staffed with top career investigators, this could provide a better, unbiased approach to removing anyone from office. They could be assisted by an AI that would allow scale without requiring another massive government agency. By the way, talking about how to fix the impeachment process might be a better discussion this week (as in less likely to cause you to leave a family gathering early) than whether the president should be fired just saying. Nvidia launched several interesting things in Asia last week, including improvements to its self-driving platform, that real-time conversational AI I mentioned above, and Orin, which it represented to be the world-leading robotic processor (after watching the latest Terminator movie, I promise to say only nice things about it. The big announcement for me, given the time of year, was its new recommendation engine based on its AI platform. This engine is having a massive positive impact on both Baidu and Alibaba, reporting up to a 10x improvement in click-through and a 100x improvement in throughput. More importantly, it appears to be improving customer satisfaction as well, because customers are finding products that better meet their unique needs. Given that online retailers like Amazon and social networks like Facebook are capturing tons of information about our loved ones and us anyway, why not use that information to make better recommendations? Done right, they would know not only what we like, but also the configuration we prefer. This process could be particularly useful in picking a car, and it could make the broad product lines in companies like Motorola rise to their full potential by allowing the firm to recommend the phone and configuration that would be the best for a prospective customer. This result should overcome the advantage held by simplified lines, like the iPhone, in terms of making a choice easier and removing friction from the sales process. With this tool in place, a big vendor like Amazon could provide a list of recommendations tied to every person you regularly buy for, based on the budget youve provided, tied to what it knows about what each of those people like. Youd then make your selection for each or just hit accept, and the packages would be wrapped and sent automatically (the AI even could recommend what goes on the card in the box). The process could start when the Black Friday sales start and optimize for those products that have deep discounts getting you the most bang for the buck. If it were part of a service like Prime, more people would sign up. I think this recommendation engine from Nvidia could change retail, and so it is my final product of the week for 2019. Next week Ill name my product of the year and product of the decade. You may be surprised by what makes that cut. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network. Human trafficking, one of the worst types of exploitation, is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world -- second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of crime, according to the U.S. Department of State. Earlier this month, I voted to declare January Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Michigan and to bring some light to this important issue that not only affects people in large cities, but also those living in rural areas. Additionally, I was part of a joint committee of the House Health Policy Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services where the focus was solely on human trafficking. We heard from human trafficking survivor Ruth Rondon, the executive director of the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission Kelly Carter, and Todd Reineck and Sue Lucas with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During that committee meeting, we had the immense responsibility of hearing Ruth Rondon's story; Ruth, unfortunately, was roped into human trafficking at a very early age. It was eye-opening to hear directly from a human trafficking survivor about her experiences and how the system continuously failed her throughout her life. She showed a tremendous amount of courage and strength as she shared her story with us. Unfortunately, it wasn't until Ruth was jailed multiple times and started speaking about her experiences with others that she truly realized what her perpetrators had done to her. She was in fact a victim, not a criminal. It has taken her a long time, but through counseling and educating herself on the topic, she has come to a place where she is able to share her story in the hopes of saving others from ending up victims of human trafficking like her. Even though these stories are hard to hear, I can't begin to express the importance of discussion about this tragic topic. My goal is for all families in Midland and Bay counties to be aware of the reality of human trafficking and to help them avoid falling victim to it. As your representative - as well as a mother to one daughter, three daughters-in-law, and six granddaughters - I am passionate about prevention and ending this crisis. Human trafficking and every other crime we face in this state demand the most vigorous, aggressive, and effective prosecution possible. I agree with President Barack Obama's attorney general Eric Holder, who said that not having someone serving as U.S. Attorney for half the state of Michigan is a major impediment to effective law enforcement, that includes ensuring human trafficking comes to an end in Michigan. "Not having a Senate-confirmed head of a U.S. attorney's office is a real major thing," Holder said. "The offices really can't focus in a way that with a Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney they can. Someone that comes in and sets priorities. There's an accountability that a confirmed person has that an acting person does not," Holder added. "The fact that they don't have one for two and a half years... that's just nuts." That is why I recently urged U.S Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow to stop preventing former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard - who happens to have bipartisan support - from being appointed as a U.S. attorney. Leonard's nomination has high-level bipartisan support, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, both Democrats. "I find Mr. Leonard uniquely qualified to serve our citizens as a United States Attorney. He possesses the leadership skills, character, and experience necessary to excel in this position and I strongly encourage the Senate to move quickly to confirm him," Duggan wrote, while Hackel attested to Leonard's "heart for service and seeking justice." With almost 400 reported cases of human trafficking in 2019, Michigan was near the top of the list of reported cases. And, we know there are many more cases that go unreported. It is imperative that we fill the position of U.S. Attorney and that Sens. Stabenow and Peters work diligently to confirm Tom Leonard. Adarsh Nagar Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Adarsh Nagar constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Adarsh Nagar Assembly Elections 2020: Aam Aadmi Party's Pawan Sharma defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Raj Kumar Bhatia by a slim margin of over a 1000 votes. The seat is among the better-off areas of New Delhi, dotted with prime properties and villas. Interestingly, during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, this segment recorded the lowest voter turnout among all Assembly segments in Delhi. The AAP renominated Sharma to defend the seat against a potential challenge from the BJP's Rajkumar Bhatia. The Congress fielded Mukesh Goel as its candidate Here is a brief profile of Adarsh Nagar constituency: Constituency Name: Adarsh Nagar Constituency Number: 4 Total Electors: 157749 Female Electors: 70034 Male Electors: 87706 Third Gender: 9 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Mangat Ram Singhal of the Congress won the seat consecutively between 1998 and 2013. His three-term-long stint was broken by BJP's Ram Kishan Singhal in the 2013 polls. However, Singhal could not defend his seat two years later, when Delhi was rushed into mid-term polls after Aam Aadmi Party's government collapsed due to a rift in its alliance with Congress. The 2015 elections, markedly different with the presence of a more aggressive AAP, resulted in a walkover for the anti-corruption party, and Pawan Kumar Sharma of the AAP definitely benefited from the wave and won the seat with a massive margin. The BJP, the INC and the AAP got 31.64 percent, 14.59 percent and 51.36 percent votes respectively in 2015. Demographics: The constituency, a largely residential area, has a significant population of Purvanchalis, who can play a determining role in the election results here. In fact, in the last election, the BJP brought in several leaders from Bihar to campaign in constituencies like Adarsh Nagar. Azadpur, Bharola village, Sarai Pipal Thala, Dhirpur village, Nirankari village, Gandhi Vihar, Model Town, Rameshwar Nagar, Kewal Park and Majlis Park are some of the areas that come under this constituency. Xerox Corp. nominated candidates to replace each of the 12 members of HP Inc.s board on Thursday, the latest salvo in Xeroxs ongoing bid for its larger rival. Xerox went public in November with a $33.5 billion bid for HP, offering $22 a share. HP, whose stock was trading Thursday at $22.10, says the offer undervalues its company and reiterated its rejection of Xeroxs offer on Thursday. Both companies make printers and related technologies, fading businesses in the digital age. Xerox maintains that HP is underperforming and argues that combining the companies would enable cost cuts and free up resources to invest in new innovation. The fight will determine the future of two of the Silicon Forests largest tech employers. Though Xerox is based in Connecticut and HPs headquarters are in Silicon Valley, both companies have substantial outposts in the Willamette Valley and HP has a key research site in Vancouver. Xeroxs takeover fight has the backing of billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, who has a long history of winning proxy fights. For example, Icahn led a successful bid to put three of his own nominees on the board of Wilsonville-based Mentor Graphics in 2011. In that case, though, Icahn owned nearly 15% of Mentor and had spent months nurturing allies for that fight. He owns just over 4% of HP (he has nearly 11% of Xerox) and its not clear he has broad support among HPs shareholder base. These nominations are a self-serving tactic by Xerox to advance its proposal, which significantly undervalues HP and creates meaningful risk to the detriment of HP shareholders, HP said in a statement Thursday. HP shareholders will formally select board members at the companys annual shareholder meeting. The companys website doesnt list a date for that meeting, but the 2019 meeting was in April. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Jan. 23 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko met with Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Russia Batyr Niyazliev in Moscow, Trend reports referring to Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, topical issues of bilateral cooperation and interaction within the framework of international structures were discussed, the report said. About 190 companies with Russian capital are operating in Turkmenistan. Russias Gazprom renewed the purchases of Turkmen gas this year, after a three-year hiatus. Since 2009, ARETI International Group of Companies (formerly ITERA) has been operating in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan has been actively establishing business relations with the subjects of Russia, including Tatarstan, the Sverdlovsk and Astrakhan regions, and St. Petersburg city. New York: An American national, who planned to travel overseas to join Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and become an "executioner" for the terrorist organisation, on Thursday pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the terror outfit. Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, 30, of New York, who also went by the name 'Jihadistsoldgier' and 'Jihadinheart' pleaded guilty before US District Judge Ronnie Abrams to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced in April. Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said Encarnacion plotted to travel abroad to join and train with the LeT, "infamous worldwide for their brutal jihadist murder of innocent civilians", and to carry out shootings, bombings, and beheadings on their behalf. Federal prosecutors noted that the LeT was responsible for multiple high-profile attacks, "including the infamous Mumbai attacks in November 2008". According to the criminal complaint, indictment, and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceeding, in November 2018, Encarnacion expressed his desire to join a terrorist group in an online group chat, where he met another individual, who introduced him to an individual who was in fact an undercover FBI employee. Encarnacion repeatedly expressed, in the course of recorded communications through a social media service with the individual and through an encrypted messaging service with the undercover agent, his allegiance to and support for LeT, which, since approximately 2001, has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by both the US Secretary of State and the Immigration and Nationality Act. Over several months, Encarnacion discussed his desire and plans to join LeT overseas so that he could receive training and participate in violent acts of terrorism. He told the undercover agent that he was "ready to kill and die" and sought his assistance to help him travel abroad to serve as an "executioner for LeT, stating, "I want to execute. I want to behead. Shoot." Encarnacion stated that he aspired to commit terrorist attacks (a bombing and shooting) in the US, but lacked guidance and guns to do so. By early 2019, Encarnacion and the undercover agent agreed on a plan that he believed would allow him to join LeT in Pakistan. He said he had made arrangements to travel to a particular city in Europe as the first step in travelling to Pakistan to join the terror group. Encarnacion purchased an airline ticket for a flight scheduled to depart on February 7, 2019, from John F Kennedy International Airport here to a European City. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after he attempted to board that flight. During a contentious hearing Wednesday morning in Roseburg, a handful of Douglas County residents called for county commissioners to resign over their lavish spending of federal safety net money. The community protest came days after a story in The Oregonian/OregonLive revealed that county leaders spent the federal money on first-class and premium airfare, banquet awards dinners, conferences around the West, pet travel and dozens of meals without itemized receipts. The commissioners spent $43,000 on their own travel from a Secure Rural Schools safety net program called Title III. The money was supposed to be spent on firefighting, wildfire planning and search and rescue efforts. Instead it was spent on behalf of leaders in a county so broke it shut down all its libraries in 2017. Much of their federally funded travel was to lobby Congress against restrictions on federal logging. Most of the spending covered basic costs -- hotels and airfare. But other expenses drove up the cost of the trips. In the meeting, as well as in a Sunday advertisement in the Roseburg News-Review and a bulletin emailed to Douglas County residents and news media outlets, commissioners have repeatedly questioned the accuracy of The Oregonian/OregonLives story. If you expect to come in here and demand our resignation based on some false garbage that some environmentalist reporter put in the newspaper, its not going to happen, county commissioner Chris Boice told residents during Wednesdays meeting. Here are key parts of what county commissioners said in their newspaper advertisement and email to county residents -- with the newsrooms response below. All the receipts can be found here. First, when asked, we have gladly answered media inquiries openly and honestly. Douglas County did not provide all of its receipts for six months. The newsroom filed three formal requests for the records and had to spend nearly $2,000 to get them. The county released a small number of receipts in June, refused to answer subsequent questions about missing receipts and then ignored another request in August. After the newsroom sent a third request in October and threatened a legal challenge, county officials said they had more records. They charged the newsroom $2,000. The county said in a late December letter the request was closed. After a reporter asked questions, a county spokeswoman said the newsroom owed another $700 because it had taken longer to assemble the documents than expected. The receipts provided clearly show that the hotel pet free (sic) was paid for personally by Commissioner Freeman directly to the hotel and not charged to the county credit card. It does appear that a funding source other than Secure Rural Schools paid the cost of boarding Freemans dog at Sunriver Lodge in 2017. Nowhere do the documents show it was Freeman personally. He said by phone on Thursday that he paid cash and acknowledged that the invoices for the transactions were not clear. Charges on an invoice from Sunriver Lodge show the pet fee as part of a charge the county paid. But separately, the countys credit card statement shows refunds in amounts that collectively appear to match four nights of pet lodging. A handwritten note on the statement says AOC pd. Freeman said he thought that meant Association of Oregon Counties, but didnt know why the organization would have paid. Before publishing its original article online January 15, the newsroom asked Freeman about the pet charge. He did not dispute the apparent use of federal funds, saying he was unapologetic for taking his dog. Based on information that Freeman has provided since publication, The Oregonian/OregonLive is updating this post and past coverage. The recent articles fail to explain the Title III fund spending guidelines. Educational travel is one of only three approved and allowable uses for these particular funds. The other two allowable uses are grants for Communities for Healthy Forests and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services. Federal law says the three current approved uses are: Carrying out activities under the Firewise Communities program to provide education and assistance to homeowners who are building or landscaping homes in fire-sensitive ecosystems; To reimburse counties for search and rescue and emergency services like firefighting that happened on federal land and were paid for by the county; To develop community wildfire protection plans. Before 2008, federal regulations and the countys records show, the money could be spent on a broader range of initiatives including educational after-school programs. County officials say their travel is educational. Their trips are not after-school programs. As much as Douglas County and the other 700 counties that received these funds would like, we are not able to use them for libraries, public safety, law enforcement or basic services as portrayed in the news articles. It is simply; not legal. The stories did not claim the money could be used to fund libraries, which the county defunded and closed in 2017. But it can fund some public safety costs. The money can be spent to reimburse counties for search and rescue and emergency services like firefighting that happened on federal land and were paid for by the county. In 2012 the United States Forest Service issued a report, and then in 2016 performed an audit review on multiple counties Title III expenditures. Both the report and the audit concluded that Douglas County was in compliance with the federal guidelines for the use and spending of Title III dollars." This isnt what happened. In 2012, auditors with the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the Title III program suffered from weak oversight. The GAO reviewed Douglas Countys spending as part of that audit. The resulting report did not render an opinion on whether it was lawful. The audit faults counties for incorrectly interpreting the permitted uses of the money. Without specifically citing Douglas County, the GAO report says counties in Oregon provided federal officials at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management with information describing their Title III projects beyond what was required in the act, but even so, agency officials told us that neither agency has reviewed this information to determine whether those Title III projects were allowable under the act. A 2016 U.S. Department of Agriculture audit also looked at spending in Douglas County and a handful of others. Without specifically citing Douglas County, it also noted problems. Counties used their own interpretations to decide how the money should be spent, it said. The 2016 audit said the money was at risk for misuse. These dollars were never and will never be used for personal travel. Reports to the contrary are false. The story did not say this. Counties that receive Title III dollars have used them for travel to attend conferences, forest land related meetings; industry seminars and responsible forest management education. These are all educational and qualified expenditures. Addressed above. David Cansler contributed to this report. Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657; @robwdavis Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Here's an embarrassing but true revelation: My sense of direction is less than optimal. That has led to many conversations like this one some years ago with my co-pilot, who thought GPS was for sissies, especially in L.A., which he knew well. Him: Where are you going? Me: I'm going to the tile store. Him: In what state? Me (glaring): In California, you (fill in pejorative term here). Him ... January 22, 2020 Transcript In-Flight Media Availability by Secretary Esper Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MARK T. ESPER: Okay, so just to begin, as you guys know, we're heading to Pensacola today. Purpose is going to be for me to get an update on the tragedy that happened here -- there on December 6th. FBI will be -- I'll get an update from the FBI. (inaudible) some of the first responders. And then I've got to get a -- a broader overview on training. I'll be taken (inaudible) international training down here. So it'll be a -- a busy day. I'll have a chance to also check on family housing and do some other stuff. And then we get to SOUTHCOM. And SOUTHCOM will be a full day, as well, focused on what the command is doing. My -- it'll be my first chance to talk about -- to talk with Admiral Faller about this SOUTHCOM review with -- with regard to his -- the disposition of forces in the theater, how he employs them, what he's doing, et cetera, consistency of the NDS, et cetera. And then we'll wrap up and get home on -- tomorrow night. I think I have a busy day Friday, so you guys, looking forward to the trip. It should be good. And I guess we'll open up for questions. Q: What kind of resistance are you expecting in -- in Pensacola to reintroducing Saudis on the base? I know there -- there's been some concern in the community about Saudi military students on (inaudible). SEC. ESPER: Well, that's -- that's the purpose of my trip, is to go down there, take a sense -- a pulse of the community, the command, how people are feeling. And so that's why I want to come down here, to get that -- that granularity. Q: There's -- you know, one of their lawmakers has been on the record talking about his concerns (inaudible) Saudi Arabia. Is that something that's being considered? SEC. ESPER: That's something that we'll discuss with the commander when I get down there. Right now, that's not on direct consideration. Q: You have the SOUTHCOM review. You know, SOUTHCOM's been chronically under-resourced for a long time. They've basically borrowed the Comfort. They don't have their own ships. SEC. ESPER: Yeah. Q: Is one of the things you're looking at adding particular assets to that theater, or where the -- what do you think might come out of this review? SEC. ESPER: Well, it -- it could. Everybody assumes when you do a review that it means a reduction, an elimination, but not necessarily. What I'm looking at first and foremost is how do I ensure our forces' posture around the globe to (inaudible) with the NDS? So in places like SOUTHCOM that's competition with China and Russia. So we'll look at that, and I'll make an assessment based on what the commander tells me. And I have OSD policy, who's been doing a lot of work on this with me. Chairman Milley's been doing a lot of work on this. So that's part of what I want to find out, is what's their focus? What is their resource that they have available to them? What can they do? If they have more or less, what's the return on investment -- those are all the things I'm looking at, just like how do we posture ourselves? Q: How heavily does the instability in Venezuela, kind of, shape the decision right now as to what sort of resources SOUTHCOM might need? SEC. ESPER: Well, I guess the bigger focus is the NDS, for (inaudible) specifically, spotlighting Venezuela right now. China is involved there. Russia is involved there. I think it gives credence to the notion that clearly, Russia and China are in South America. So that's what I want to look at, is to understand what -- what is he seeing on the ground? His -- and his -- his folks are deeper into the -- into Latin America. Q: Yeah. SEC. ESPER: Then, how do we support competition? Again, there's only a finite number of dollars, a finite number of troops, so I've got to figure out, where is the best place to put them? I've articulated in the past that I want to either return forces to the States to improve their readiness, or redeploy others to the INDOPACOM AOR to help us there specifically. But I also know it's a global competition. Q: Along those lines, AFRICOM was, kind of, the first that's being looked at. I don't know if he's going to finalize on that, but we've already seen members of Congress, including the chairmen of the HASC and SASC, come out, at the very least cautioned against leaving troops out there. Are you at all concerned that that reaction is a sign that some of the changes they're trying to (inaudible) are going to be removed? SEC. ESPER: Well, every -- everything -- everything you do has some type of folks questioning and having concerns. And, you know, they're -- we haven't talked to them yet in detail about what we're looking at. Frankly, no decisions have been made. But I said for my nomination, my aim was to implement the National Defense Strategy. Everybody knows what that is, everybody should know largely what that looks like. I've talked to members of Congress several times. And -- now once we get through the reviews of AFRICOM, at the appropriate place and time, I will -- I will update Congress as well. But my next meeting with AFRICOM is Friday, so that will be another chance to -- to, kind of, dig into what they're doing. Again, same thing, questions, what do they see on the ground, what are they sensing, what's the best allocation? Mission number one is compete with Russia and China. So that's one of the things that I'll be looking at for sure. Q: Given the congressional concerns that have been raised already about the processing being done, does that change how you, kind of, talk to Congress about it? Or are you trying to make them understand what you're trying to do here? SEC. ESPER: Well, yeah. We -- you know, I talk a lot to Congress, either -- to the committees or to individual members, and I do try and talk to the ranking members and chairs as often as I can. Like I said, I think they're just expressing their concern, which I appreciate. And like I said, as we work our way through this process, we will consult and let them know what's going on. I hope we meet with chairs and rankings next week, in fact, just discuss the broad array of issues that I'm looking at right now. Q: Kind of off that, I mean, proposals that -- you know, again, they're just proposals, but involve withdrawing from -- you know, scaling down from West Africa. I mean, how do you weigh the -- I guess the fight in West Africa versus the fight in East Africa against Shabaab? I mean, how do you, kind of, confront -- how do you look at the two? SEC. ESPER: Well, that's part of what we're going through right now. One metric I've laid out is, is I want to make sure, as we look at counterterrorism, that I, first and foremost, am addressing threats to the homeland. That's my first priority. So I want to understand that. Q: And then in Afghanistan, we've, kind of, moved along in the peace negotiations there. I mean, I know (inaudible) diplomat-led, but you know, kind of, where -- where do you see it going and how does it sit -- sit with you, going forward? SEC. ESPER: Well, again, our purpose right now is to make sure -- make sure that Afghanistan never becomes a threat or a safe haven for terrorists threatening the United States. And the second part of that mission is train, advise and assist with the ANDSF. We'll continue those missions. I am convinced, because I've talked to commanders, I've visited there, that we can accomplish those missions at lower force levels. (CROSSTALK) Q: What are our force levels? SEC. ESPER: Well, you've heard that 8,600 number out there, that's one number that we've talked about. But I'm confident we can go to that number and not -- and not affect our mission. Q: Are -- are we at that number, or -- SEC. ESPER: No, we're not at that number. Q: Where -- where are we? SEC. ESPER: We're not at that number right now. Q: This one's, kind of, a (inaudible) question, but a few lawmakers sent you a letter last week, asking about the contamination levels at the Uzbek base where forces were after 9/11, because the base itself had radiation, chemical weapons. SEC. ESPER: Yeah. Q: Have you had a chance to begin that review in response, or your staff (inaudible) that response to the lawmakers' questions? SEC. ESPER: I haven't seen that letter yet -- (UNKNOWN): (inaudible). SEC. ESPER: There you go. So. Q: I figured, but. And then separately. SEC. ESPER: I get a lot of letters. Q: I -- I would assume you do. Speaking of a letter, 31 Democrats sent you a letter yesterday about the border wall funding and the $7.2 billion programming. Because you're having to shift resources and, kind of, make hard decisions, how can you make the argument to them that there's $7.2 billion to reprogram for the wall? They're -- they're asking for the justification for it. SEC. ESPER: Well, the first mission of the -- the DOD is -- is protection of the homeland. The -- the mission on the southwest border is a -- is a -- is a security mission, and the president's declared it a national emergency, and as DHS needs support, we will support DHS. So we -- we -- we went through this last year. Congress had the chance to provide DHS with the funding they need to build the southwest border, and they chose not to, but also gave the president -- the president the means by which to -- to do the intra-government transfers. Q: The (inaudible) has been making the argument right now, the president's declaration of a national emergency, if they took that declaration away would this request be justifiable? SEC. ESPER: Well, I -- that's a -- that's a legal question. I'd have to dig back into -- I'd have to come back to you with the answer on that. But again, it's a security issue. We recognize that it's as such that -- Chairman Dunford* recognizes it as such, so. Q: (inaudible) SEC. ESPER: (inaudible) Q: No, I was going to ask, if the Coronavirus still not an issue (inaudible)? SEC. ESPER: It's just -- I just saw it on the news last night, so I'm not tracking that. Q: Thanks. SEC. ESPER: I mean, I'm sure my people, in terms of working it out (inaudible). One person, affected in the United States (inaudible). Q: The budget comes out in a couple of weeks. It's the first budget since you've taken over. I assume it will have a lot to do with the NDS, but can you preview a little bit thematically, and areas (inaudible), like, R&D to increase, perhaps? SEC. ESPER: Sure. I mean, obviously, I -- when I was confirmed in late July -- and, of course, by that time, the services had already built their budgets. Q: Right. SEC. ESPER: So I had -- I had some ability to affect the direction, but not as much as I will have the next go around. So I mean, the bottom line is I -- I think when we look at our defense-wide review, we found over $5 billion. That money is going into -- into lethality and readiness and stuff like that. So I think that's something that -- that we can take ownership of, and I think that's -- I'm not sure that's been done in the past. So the priorities are going to be as we've discussed before. You know, the -- the strategic deterrent is number one. So resources put in there. Resources put into space, resources put into the modern weapons we need for future fights such as hypersonics, A.I., directed energy -- things like that. So thematically, that's what you'll see, is this continued pivot to the capabilities that we need for the -- for strategic competition today and in the future, again, (inaudible) had another question. STAFF: And I'm getting the wrap sign. One more question, because we've got to land. Q: Yeah. Why are you so hesitant to disclose how many troops are in Afghanistan? I thought that's, kind of, like a well-known thing. SEC. ESPER: If it's well known, then you wouldn't need to ask me. Q: Well, that's (inaudible). SEC. ESPER: I -- I don't -- I don't give -- I follow (inaudible). General Mattis had a policy: We just don't talk specific troop numbers where we have, wherever they are, so I follow that. STAFF: So you just (inaudible). We don't give specific numbers. Q: Well, then what's the range? SEC. ESPER: Well, it's -- it's 12 to 13. Q: Okay. That -- all right. STAFF: Is that sufficient? Q: Yeah, that -- that's sufficient. Yeah, I just (inaudible). SEC. ESPER: Okay. STAFF: Then we'll get you guys more time later. I'm sorry. They're (inaudible). SEC. ESPER: Okay, thanks, folks. Q: Thank you, sir. [*Eds. Note: The current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is Army Gen. Mark Milley.] https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2063275/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Authorities said that a man came into a Subway in Germantown and demanded cash. He vaulted over the front counter and threatened an employee with a large kitchen style knife. The employee jumped over the counter to flee the store, according to local police and court documents. A street vendor was killed in a shootout with the police in northwestern Argentina after he stepped out of his home and allegedly confused them with thieves. However, according to Argentina news outlet Periodico Movil, Daniel Salas shot at the police officers multiple times as they chased him through the streets moments after he attempted to knock them off their motorcycles approximately at 2am on Tuesday. A police report indicated the cops were responding to a 911 domestic violence dispute at a home in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman. Surveillance video outside Salas' house showed the moment confronted two cops and threatened them with his weapon early Tuesday at 2:39am. It is is unclear if he fired his weapon. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Daniel Salas (lower left) was died after being shot by a cop Tuesday outside his home in the northwestern Argentine city of San Miguel de Tucuman. Surveillance video registered the moment Salas aimed his weapon at the police, including one who fired two shots at him The police say that Daniel Salas (left) allegedly tried to knocks two cops off their motorcycles after he sped down a street where they were dispatched to attend a domestic violence call. They said Salas engaged the cops in a shooting before he drove home and parked his vehicle Daniel Salas (center) was shot twice and underwent an eight-hour surgery before dying at a local hospital Tuesday morning in Tucuman, Argentina His family told Telefe Tucuman that Salas believed the law enforcement agents were robbers. A witness said she saw Salas parking his vehicle inside his home's garage and that he approached the cops when they attempted to force their way inside. One of the police officers stood several feet away from Salas and fired at least two shots, striking the ice cream vendor in the neck and in right his legs. Several shots were fired at the cop through a window by someone inside the home while Salas was lying down on the sidewalk. A separate video showed the officer responding with one shot. Police officer responds with fire moments after shooting a man outside a home in Argentina After shooting Daniel Salas (picture lying on the ground), the police officer responded by firing his weapon one time after several shots were fired at him from inside the home A group of people (top left) confront the police moments after Daniel Salas was shot. Both officers are being investigated by the Justice department in San Miguel de Tucuman, a city in the northwestern Argentine province of Tucuman A group of people then came out of the residence in the town of La Costanera. The 35-year-old Salas was taken to a local hospital by his father aboard a truck after spending at least five minutes on the ground. Salas underwent an eight-hour surgery and was placed in intensive care. He was declared dead at 8:15am. Both of the police officers, whose names were not released, are being investigated by the Justice department. Authorities confiscated their weapons as well as Salas' truck and surveillance video. Abbotsford, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 22, 2020) - Gatekeeper Systems Inc. (TSXV: GSI) (OTC Pink: GKPRF) (FSE: 1GK) ('Gatekeeper' or the 'Company') a leading provider of video surveillance systems developed to protect people while in transit, reports its financial results for the three months ended November 30, 2019. First Quarter Highlights Revenue for the first quarter ended November 30, 2019 ("Q1 2019") was $ 3,356,397, the highest first quarter revenue in the Company's history and an increase of 82% when compared to $1,839,478 for the first quarter ended November 30, 2018 ("Q1 2018"); Gross profit for Q1 2019 was $1,468,012, the highest first quarter gross profit in the Company's history and an increase of 61% when compared to $911,286 for Q1 2018; Net loss and comprehensive loss for Q1 2019 was $332, which compares to Net Loss and comprehensive loss of $687,379 for Q1 2018, representing an increase in profitability of 100%; As at November 30, 2019 the Company had working capital of $6,218,444, and approximately 87.9 million shares outstanding; The Company announced two significant contracts: a digital video recorder contract for $6.3 million with delivery scheduled to begin spring 2020, and an annually recurring service contract for $2.36 million per year for up to five years commencing November 2019. Management Commentary Doug Dyment, President and CEO, commented, "2020 is already shaping up to be another pivotal year of growth for Gatekeeper and we are extremely happy with these record-breaking first quarter results. The Company performed well in all strategic initiatives during the quarter. We also announced the largest contracts in the Company's history which total over $18 Million CDN. These two contracts not only represent significant growth for us in 2020 but also represent recurring revenue for up to five years from one of the largest transit agencies in North America. It is very exciting for Gatekeeper to experience this growth and our employees are motivated to develop and launch new solutions for our customers across our various markets." Transit Initiative In April 2018, the Company executed a strategic plan to focus on the U.S. transit industry as a key growth initiative by establishing Gatekeeper Systems USA Inc. ("Gatekeeper USA") and purchasing assets of an existing mobile video surveillance service provider to the transit industry. This strategic initiative enabled a business relationship with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority ("SEPTA"), which is the sixth largest public transportation system in the U.S., has an average weekday ridership of approximately 1.1 million, and is actively using vehicle video surveillance to evaluate and defend claims, monitor system safety and security, and protect against fraud. SEPTA has an installed base of more than 27,000 video cameras on vehicles and in stations. On October 9, 2019 the Company announced that Gatekeeper USA had been contracted by SEPTA to supply and install digital video recorders on SEPTA vehicles and trains in a contract valued at approximately $6.3 million. The Company expects to begin delivery and installation of equipment for this contract beginning in the third fiscal quarter of 2020 with projected completion on or before fiscal year end August 31, 2020. On October 17, 2019 the Company announced that Gatekeeper USA had been contracted by SEPTA to provide annually recurring vehicle video system maintenance services for SEPTA's approximately 3,000 vehicles. This annually recurring contract is valued at approximately $2.36 million per year. SEPTA has approved an initial three-year service term beginning in November 2019 for approximately $7.1 million, plus two one-year extension options, for a total potential contract value of up to $11.8 million over five years. The Company is also actively pursuing initiatives with other transit authorities in North America. Student Safety Initiative During the first quarter the Company continued sales and deliveries of its recently-launched SP25 School Bus Vision systems, which have 10-megapixel dual-camera systems for multi-lane viewing license plate capture capability, a high-speed license plate tag reader, and cellular network compatibility ready for remote, and auto downloading of stop-arm violations. Gatekeeper has received increasing interest from school districts regarding the use of video evidence to help protect school children, following the increase in tragic deaths of several school children who have been struck within the past year by vehicles illegally passing school buses in various states. The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that there are more than 15 million school bus stop-arm violations per year in the United States alone. The Company is actively marketing its new SP25 product line and is supportive of the social movements and legislation changes that increase awareness and address the safety concerns for school children. Financial Summary For the three months ended November 30, 2019 November 30, 2018 Revenue $ 3,356,397 $ 1,839,478 Cost of Sales 1,888,385 928,192 Gross Profit 1,468,012 911,286 Gross Margin Percentage 44% 50% Expenses 1,497,217 1,664,260 Operating Loss (29,205 ) (752,974 ) Net Loss $ (15,747 ) $ (687,379 ) Total Comprehensive loss $ (332 ) $ (687,379 ) Earnings (Loss) per share - Basic and Diluted $ (0.00 ) $ (0.01 ) November 30, 2019 August 31, 2019 Total Assets $ 8,917,960 $ 9,249,093 Total Liabilities 1,955,590 2,331,195 Total Shareholders' Equity $ 6,962,370 $ 6,917,898 Full details of the financial reports and operating results for the first quarter ended November 30, 2019 are described in the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements with accompanying notes and related Management's Discussion and Analysis, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Board of Directors of the Company have approved the issuance of an aggregate of 878,000 common shares of the Company (the "Bonus Shares") at a deemed price of $0.135 per Bonus Share to Douglas Dyment, the Company's President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, to recognize his significant contributions to the Company. The Board of Directors of the Company has exercised its discretion to award the Bonus Shares in lieu of a cash bonus payment. Mr. Dyment disclosed his interest in the issuance of the Bonus Shares and abstained from consideration or approval of matters relating to the issuance of the Bonus Shares. The Bonus Shares will be subject to a four month hold period pursuant to applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Gatekeeper Systems Inc. Gatekeeper provides wireless high-resolution video security and safety solutions for in-transit applications, including school buses, municipal transit, first response, and the military. The Company offers wireless live-streaming video surveillance, video analytics, driver monitoring, and incident management solutions to help protect school children, public transit users, and employees on the move. The Company has unique photo enforcement and auto-ticketing solutions to deter stop-arm violations and protect school children. Gatekeeper has installed over 100,000 video devices for more than 3,500 customers throughout North America and provides annually recurring vehicle video system solutions for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority. www.gatekeeper-systems.com Contact Information: Douglas Dyment President & CEO ddyment@gatekeeper-systems.com (604) 864-6187 Follow us: Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. For more exhaustive information on these risks and uncertainties, the reader should refer to the risk factors described in the management's discussion and analysis for the quarter ended November 30, 2019. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our expectations as of the date hereof. We disclaim any intention and assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to obtain a better understanding of our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company undertakes no obligations to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, unless required by applicable law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51759 While Kate Middleton's royal wardrobe is known for its bright and colourful pieces, in recent weeks the Duchess has taken to stepping out in eyecatching printed styles. The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, has stepped out in a number of boldly patterned outfits this year, most recently donning 30 leopard print skirt from Zara while visiting Cardiff today. She has shown how a jazzy style can work when paired with a more laid back trouser - at an outing yesterday in Birmingham - as well as in a dress, such as when she made a royal visit to Bradford alongside her husband Prince William, 37, last week. Speaking to FEMAIL, stylist Susie Hasler, who runs Styled by Susie, revealing: 'For Kate, choosing bold and eye catching patterns is definitely a more daring choice for the Duchess. And it represents just how much her confidence has developed.' Stylists have revealed how the Duchess of Cambridge, 38, has taken a liking to 'eyecatching' prints on royal appearances this year (pictured, visiting Cardiff wearing a bold leopard print skirt) Kate has been seen in a selection of bold and bright colours over the past few years. But while she occasionally opted for a colourful printed dress, it's only more recently that the royal has added the bold prints to her wardrobe. Susie suggested the move could indicate a growing confidence in her abilities and in herself, saying: 'Wearing pattern is a sign of confidence - and Kate can carry off everything, from edgy animal print, royal houndstooth, florals and chevrons.' Susie went on to reveal that the Duchess suited 'smaller' patterns best, which didn't overpower her slim figure. Stylist Susie Hasler said the move to wear bold and bright patterns could be an indication of Kate's increasing confidence and personal style (pictured, yesterday visiting Birmingham) She said: 'She suits smaller patterns best, because she has such a slight, slim frame, but she can pull off any print and pattern with her smile and confidence. 'Kate has a warm and friendly personality and the patterns she wears, complement this well.' 'She seems to have really come into her own this year and found a new found sense of confidence.' Susie revealed the Duchess managed to pull off the bold and bright patterns by keeping the rest of her outfit simple and stylish. Susie said the Duchess managed to pull off the bold patterns by keeping the rest of her outfit simple and stylish (pictured, in an eye-catching houndstooth pattern with plain black court shoes last week) She said: 'I love how the Duchess always looks incredibly relatable in her clothing. 'For a senior royal, she could by all means cover herself in jewels and elegant pieces, but she keeps her looks simple and stylish. 'It was great to see her in leopard print this week, and she kept it simple by pairing it with a roll neck and a necklace. It was a much more "friendly" and relatable look than if she had paired the skirt with a stiff blouse and court shoes.' It comes as the Duchess stepped out on appearances showcasing the 'new royal order' after Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, stepped back from The Firm. While the royal is known for her love of bright colours, the addition of bold prints to her wardrobe is a fairly new addition (pictured, on appearances last year in London wearing more subdued outfits, left, in October visiting the Aga Khan Centre and, right, in March visiting a children's centre in Lambeth) The royal has been in the spotlight over the past week as the Royal Family carries on with life after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals and left for Canada. On Monday, the Duchess stepped out in a trendy smart 89 houndstooth dress from Zara during a royal visit to Bradford. And yesterday Kate cut a stylish figure in a jazzy electric blue 295 blouse by British designer Tabitha Ward, which featured pussy-bow detail. The mother-of-three paired the silk blouse with 130 high-waisted Jigsaw trousers, which she first wore during a visit to the Henry Fawcett Childrens Centre in Lambeth last year. Meanwhile earlier today, the royal teamed a poloneck jumper and 30 leopard print skirt from Zara. From 2008 to 2013, I learned 67 uses for state-issued toothpaste. I learned the lights never go out in solitary confinement, and I learned my son was calling a complete stranger "Mom." While I realized education was the best way to straighten out my life, I also learned higher education is largely unattainable for New York's incarcerated women since funding for education in prison was gutted nearly a quarter century ago. Had I learned something more substantial than toothpaste can also be tape, I would not have returned to prison a few scant years later. Returning to prison was statistically probable because I lacked the single most thing that prevents re-arrest: education. Without education, my probability of being returned to prison was 40 percent. Given that it costs nearly $60,000 a year to incarcerate a person in New York, this is an expensive statistic. In my case, New York spent $300,000 to house me for five years, and with only $40 and a bus ticket to a community that did not want me, to say I struggled upon release is an understatement. Because of those perpetuating conditions, I wound up back in prison for two more years. That means New York has invested nearly a half-million dollars to warehouse me. The second time, however, I attended Bard College through its Bard Prison Initiative. As a result of Bard's investment in my education, it is highly unlikely taxpayers will have to pay for another term of confinement for me: The probability I will return to prison is 4 percent. I am one of the 5 million people New York has released from prison since 1985. We are cashiers, clerks and housekeepers. But with education we can also be nurses, paralegals and architects. We don't want food stamps and Medicaid. We want to be self-sufficient and contribute to our communities. Since 95 percent of the people in prison will return home, as a nation, we must decide who we want as our neighbors. Do we want people coming home who are problems, or do we want people coming home who can solve problems? Because the stark consequences and multi-generational impact on communities and families is now more evident than ever before, the era of mass incarceration is ending. New Yorkers know from experience not to expect transformation by warehousing people without access to resources. That, however, requires money. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Eliminating Tuition Assistance Program funding for people who are incarcerated was a misguided policy decision made without any basis in fact, and it failed to make our communities safer. The cost of restoring TAP would be negligible compared to the $3 billion New York spends on corrections every year. And the Vera Institute suggests that lifting the ban on Pell Grants for those in prison could save more than $365 million nationwide. These types of forward-thinking policies would allow programs like BPI to expand and ultimately change the lives of thousands of New York families. Before I went to prison, I was opposed to college programs for people in prison. I couldn't afford an education, so I didn't believe people in prison deserved something I could not have. Why provide people in prison educational opportunities? The answer is simple: Education is the single best way to prevent criminal activity on both the inside and outside. Right now, New York can make prisons and communities safer by restoring TAP funding so that education is available to this vulnerable population. With a 2020 vision for the future, it is time for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to turn on the TAP. Stacy Burnett, of Queens, is a writer, formerly incarcerated Bard Prison Initiative student and current College & Community Fellowship fellow working on the Turn on the TAP campaign. In a recent speech, Kristalina Georgieva, the new head of the IMF, outlined the possible future crisis of the global economy. Similar forecasts were made by World Bank analysts. But in this case, we are more interested in the mechanism of the expected global stagnation as recipes to minimize its destructive consequences. According to the International Monetary Fund head, such risks include inequality and insufficient financial integration of an economy. I must admit that in the same period (amid a decrease in the stratification of society in Asian countries with high rates of economic development, ed.), inequality within many countries increases... inequality in income and wealth has already reached record levels... We know that this uncertainty of prospects weakens confidence. Therefore, we must learn the lessons of history, taking into account the peculiarities of our time. We know that excessive inequality impedes growth and erodes the foundations of countries. It undermines trust within society and trust in its institutions; it can inflame populism and cause political upheaval. To solve the problem of inequality, many governments primarily turn to fiscal measures the policy. These measures are and will remain critical. As for the financial sector, it turned out that its growth and structure can also dramatically affect the level of inequality in society, not to mention the correlation of indicators such as capitalization of the financial sector and economic growth dynamics. The IMF identifies three aspects of the impact of the financial system on social segregation of society. The first aspect is financial sector strengthening, that is, an increase in its share in the GDP structure. Initially, the growth of this indicator leads to significant achievement in the process of combating poverty, as happened in India and China. But then "at a certain level, deepening the financial market is associated with increased inequality and less inclusive growth." The financial lobby is crystallizing With the growing influence on the economy, this is how an "economy for itself" model is forming. As the head of the IMF (!) noted: "The strong influence of lobbyists and excessive remuneration in the banking industry can lead to the creation of a system that pursues its own interests no less than serves the interests of others." In Ukraine, the decrease in the penetration effect is very clearly seen when comparing indicators such as the ratio of net loans to GDP and household deposits to GDP. The first indicator fell to 44.7% in 2014, to 12.3% in 2019, and the second - from 29.1% in 2013 to 14.1% last year. The second aspect is financial stability. Crises, as a rule, cost the economy about 10% of GDP, and inequality deepens on the eve of another collapse. The third aspect is financial integration, that is, the financial services coverage of the widest segments of the population, including small and medium-sized businesses. The mechanics here are quite simple - if banks do not buy speculative financial instruments and engage in microcredit, they will reduce the risk of another financial bubble, that is, delay the crisis, reduce their risks and reduce the overall level of inequality due to the access of the population to additional sources of financing. And this is also the position of the IMF: "Lending to small companies increases financial stability and reduces risk compared to lending to large firms." The Bali financial technology program adopted by the IMF and the World Bank in 2018 shows that expanding access to financial services for low-income households and small enterprises is one of the most effective ways to reduce inequality. According to the WB, an analysis of the activities of 135,000 companies in 40 countries showed that microcredit directly affects the reduction of income inequality. This creates a new global financial "construct" - a rational financial system. In this context, IMF mathematical models are interesting regarding causal relationships in the process of external debt formation (50 countries over 36 years). There is an inverse relationship between the growth of net exports and net foreign assets. A 1% decrease in net foreign assets leads to an increase in exports by 0.7%, that is, a net inflow of investments leads to an increase in export potential. This model also has correction factors: export response to a positive change in investment flows within the country in developing economies is on average 1.8 years. And the general flow imbalance of external debt, which is balanced by improving export potential, is overcome in 10-50 years. And here we can draw our own conclusions. In the theory of the real business cycle, cyclical fluctuations are not always caused by a supply crisis, when the state should not intervene in the process of "creative destruction" of the industrial core. This might be a crisis of the economic and political paradigm (as it happened in Ukraine) or a combined shock of aggregate supply and demand (as it happened in USA in 2008). The technological shock in Ukraine is explained not by the fact that nobody needs our rockets and planes, but by the fact that the toxic model of state management dominates the economy, which creates a "liquidity preference" in the form of a speculative pyramid of government bonds rather than lending to micro-business, using fiscal measures stimulate the export of raw materials and reduce the efficiency of capital in processing industries with a high level of added value. This is a kind of Keynesianism, on the contrary, aimed not at economic expansion, but at economic restriction, that is, a deliberate limitation of the productivity of its economy, which after a collapse in 2014-2015 by 16% could not be slowly restored at a rate of 2-3% per year, and fully grow by 5-7%. Indeed, only high growth rates are the basis for both overcoming poverty and reducing social inequality. The whole world is preparing for the left political march, turning financial systems towards lending to microbusiness, while in Ukraine the saga on bonuses and salaries of officials only leads to social frustration and an increase in the sense of injustice and inequality in society. And the country's financial system is unfolding "backwards" to the economy and "forward" to the lobby of financial speculators. And the IMF is well aware of this. That's just the current government is so convenient to present the fund in the form of a monster that does not want to lend to Ukraine until it sells its land and scraps of industrial potential for scrap. Popular Nigerian entertainer and Disc Jockey, Florence Otedola also known as DJ Cuppy has addressed people mocking her for not showing some skin like a young person when she dresses and steps out. Read Also: I Regret Asking DJ Cuppy For Marriage, All I Need Is A Wife Material Like Tacha: Nollywood Actor Opens Up On her Instastory, Cuppy said she has the right to dress anyhow she likes. She wrote; Someone said I dress like Im 65and need to show more skin like a young person. I Have the right to dress how I like. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to be on a temple run. Early this week, Patnaik had visited the famous Maa Samaleswari temple in western district of Sambalpur to offer his prayers. Prayers over, Patnaik announced that an expert team will soon assess the requirements of the temple and the devotees and based on that the state government will take further steps. Just about a week ago, Patnaik had visited Puri to lay the foundation stone for seven projects worth over 500 crore to develop the holy town into a top heritage destination. The projects in Puri are part of the 3,200 crore package announced by his government for infrastructure development of the temple town. While Puri remains much of the focus of Patnaik governments efforts to rebuild temples and heritage structures, other temples are also not being neglected. Earlier this month, during his visit to Baripada town of Mayurbhanj district, the chief minister announced a grant of 5 crore for the development of the temple there. In December last year, the Odisha CM had announced 5 crore package each for the Baladevjew temples of Kendrapara town and the 11th century Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar for its periphery development, including the renovation of old water tanks and some other temples. Ekamra Kshetra, Bhubaneswar is a prominent Shaiva Pitha in the country. Thousands of devotees come to Bhubaneswar everyday to have darshan of Lord Lingaraj. The Lingaraj temple built is the best epitome of the Utkal art form. To conserve this, we need to make some sacrifices, Patnaik said. Opposition leaders, however, said Patnaiks focus on renovation of temples was to camouflage his governments failure in solving their real-world issues. As Marx once said religion is opium of masses, it is easy to keep the masses distracted through temples. Anyone who visit the Jagannath temple would now be dazzled by its new look. Besides, Centre has a lot of money for temples. So any state government that spends money for temples is going to be a favourite of the Centre, said former finance minister and Congressman Panchanan Kanungo. BJP leader and partys state general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said the beautification of the temples is a politically motivated move. The chief minister is trying to make the beautification of temples a political agenda and take political mileage out of it. He has no time to concentrate on real issues and taking the shortcut to gain popularity, alleged Harichandan. However, leaders of Patnaiks Biju Janata Dal (BJD) say the beautification of the temples would lead to more inflow of tourists and help the states economy to grow. BJD vice president Debi Mishra said in Tamil Nadu that former chief minister M Karunanidhi was not a religious person, yet he spent thousands of crores in beautification of temples. In Odisha we are proud of our temples. If we can beautify the exterior of our temples then more and more tourists will come. These temples would be our growth engines, he said. Former BJD minister Bijoyshree Routray said a government works simultaneously in all the aspects. Naveen babu was always religious. He is a devotee of Lord Jagannath. To fulfil the aspirations of people of Puri, Naveen babu is taking all the steps, he said. Officials said Patnaiks devotion to Lord Jagannath is nothing new and he always wanted to do something for development of the temple town. Last month, while addressing a meeting to unveil the architectural plans of the places around the 12th century Jagannath temple, secretary (5T Transformation & Initiatives) V Karthikeyan Pandian said he got to know of the deep devotion of the chief minister when he was accompanying him during his visit to Puri on New Years day in 2016. I noticed that he frequently prayed to Lord Jagannath on seeing His images on roadside hoardings. When I saw him closing his eyes and folding his hands while praying to the Lord along the 60-km stretch, I realised his ardent devotion to the Lord. Our CM is the biggest bhakt of Lord Jagannath, Pandian had told the meeting. The state government is on an overdrive in beautification of the area around Jagannath temple in Puri before the Nagarjuna besha in November 27 this year, when the three deities would be attired in the costume of warriors. It was in November 1993 when the last Nagarjuna besha was held. In a record four months, the government acquired 15 acres of land including 12.5 acres from private persons around the temple for construction of the heritage corridor that includes meditation place and market complex. The Juliana 21 Continue On in Biggest Climate Lawsuit in America Eugene, Oregon. On Friday, January 17, 2020, a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reluctantly concluded that the youth plaintiffs case in Juliana v. United States must be made to the Congress, the President, or to the ele... Beng Bock Khim, 41, pleaded guilty to one charge of making an obscene film and 12 counts of public nuisance. (PHOTO: Getty Images) SINGAPORE A 19-year-old student who was relieving himself inside a toilet cubicle at Jurong Regional Library looked up to see a voyeurs mobile phone pointed at him, a court heard. The victim sought help from librarians and the perpetrator, Beng Bock Khim, was caught in the act looking down at another man in the toilet about an hour later. Investigations revealed that the 41-year-old Singaporean had taken one video and 116 photos of 29 unsuspecting male public toilet users last year. At the State Courts on Wednesday (22 January), Beng was jailed for two weeks and fined $12,000. He pleaded guilty to one charge of making an obscene film and 12 counts of public nuisance. Another 16 counts of public nuisance were considered in sentencing. Felt sudden urge to peep On 17 August last year at the Jurong Regional Library, at about 2pm, Beng felt the sudden urge to peep at males, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Yu Chou. He went on to loiter around the male toilets at Jurong Regional Library in order to look out for possible victims, the prosecutor added. At the mens toilet on the second floor, Beng saw a closed cubicle. Inside, a 19-year-old student was relieving himself. Being went into an adjacent cubicle and used the camera function on his mobile phone to view the victim from above. The victim looked up and saw the culprits phone pointed at him. Afterwards, the victim sought help from librarians on duty. A 30-year-old librarian viewed CCTV footage and later saw the perpetrator via CCTV behaving suspiciously by entering and leaving different male toilets of the library multiple times. At about 3.25pm, Beng was seen entering the mens toilet on the second level and the librarian decided to investigate the matter. Caught in the act The librarian stood at the sink area of the toilet and used his mobile phone camera to observe two closed cubicles to avoid alerting Beng. He saw the culprits head emerging from the top of one cubicle and looking down into the other cubicle. Story continues He then waited outside the toilet with another librarian, and they detained Beng and called the police later. A week earlier, on 10 August, Beng had also recorded a video of an unknown man who was using a second-floor toilet at Jurong Point at about 7.10pm. The video, taken from under the victims cubicle for about five seconds, contained a close-up of his penis. In its sentencing submissions, the prosecution noted that for male-on-male peeping or filming cases, the courts have imposed fines of $1,000 for each public nuisance charge. DPP Teo sought a two-week jail term for the charge of making an obscene video, and a $12,000 fine in total for the 12 charges of public nuisance. The maximum punishment for making an obscene film for a first-time offender is a fine of up to $40,000 and up to two years jail. The maximum penalty for public nuisance for a first-time offender who causes annoyance to the public is up to three months jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Other Singapore stories: More than 50 flights disrupted as Changi Airport tower evacuated Li Shengwu: I will no longer take part in contempt of court proceedings, have unfriended Hongyi Wuhan virus outbreak: SIA takes measures to protect passengers and crew Man who molested nursing home patient has acquittal reversed Jacksonville officials see the future as being online, and have started asking people how best to build for the future of high-speed internet in the city. Alderman Brandon Adams said during a committee meeting Tuesday that some businesses especially have expressed having issues with unreliable service and some have had to install secondary internet services to ensure quality. With more home devices relying on Wi-Fi connections, residents have told Adams they would like better residential service for activities such as phone conferences or gaming. To illustrate his point, Adams told the story about Sen. Tammy Duckworths staff trying to connect during a meeting at Jacksonville Public Library. Fifteen minutes after (Duckworths staff) got there, they still couldnt get hooked up to the Wi-Fi, Adams said. When Im asking for a fiber grant, they knew exactly what I was talking about. While high-speed internet is available through different providers in the city, the cutting edge is fiber optic connections. None of the internet service providers in the area is planning on installing a fiber optic network for residential use. The benefit for such a connection is in reliability, functionality and speed. It also comes at a cost, especially to establish the needed framework. Cat Blake, senior program manager for Next Century Cities a group that works with municipalities on getting access to high-speed internet said a fiber optic network is important for Jacksonvilles future. Fiber is the closest thing that we have right now to a future-proof technology, she said. The most expensive part of establishing a fiber-optic network is the construction, Blake said, noting that buying the fiber itself would not be as expensive. Blake offered four common connectivity models: A full municipal network Blake used Chattanooga, Tennessee, as an example. The municipality both owns the network and runs it. Highland, in Madison County, whose broadband director gave a presentation to the council, also uses this model. Such networks often are built by cities with existing municipal electrical facilities, which make the process easier, Blake said. An open-access model. Ammon, Idaho, uses this model, under which the city would build and own the fiber infrastructure but lease access to many private providers. A public-private partnership. Centennial, Colorado, and Westminster, Maryland, use this model, under which the city owns the network and leases it to one provider to run. A conduit network. Lincoln, Nebraska uses this model. A conduit system of empty tubes is built and the space inside is leased to providers, who draw their own fiber infrastructure through the conduit system. Those who attended the meeting expressed support for Jacksonville getting high-speed internet. Jacksonvilles future would be greatly impacted positively by having broadband, said Elizabeth Tobin of Jacksonville, noting that internet access is key to many businesses. I dont think were going to go back to the day when there were a lot of factories in Jacksonville. Tableau of Telangana at Rajpath during the full dress rehearsal for the upcoming Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI) NEW DELHI: Captain Tania Shergill, who will be leading the Indian Army Corps of Signals contingent on Republic Day, said that if women are given a combat role in the Indian army "we are up for it." Shergill, a fourth-generation army officer, is the first Indian woman officer who led an all-men contingent on Army Day on 15 January this year. She points out that women started getting inducted in army since 1993 and "we have come a long way." "Things in army happen gradually and nothing happens overnight. So I am very sure, in the near future, things are only going to get better and we are going to get more opportunities," Shergill told this newspaper in an interaction. On women breaking the last bastion and wearing combat fatigues she said: "It all depends on the seniors in the hierarchy. Whatever opportunities that will be given to us, we are up for it." She said that getting into army was a dream come true. "Ever since I was a little child I have always seen my father wearing a uniform and it has made me very passionate about it. I always used to think that one day I want to earn a uniform for myself," she said. She joined Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, in April 2016 and was commissioned on March 2017. "Made cadets and female cadets are trained equally for one year in our respective academies. The physical standards are something you have to, come up to. The academy makes you mentally tough," said Shergill. On leading the contingent on Republic Day she said that you feel proud whether you are a male or a female officer. "You feel proud when your Corps gives you an opportunity to command a regiment. It gives you a sense of responsibility and you feel worthy. You feel grateful and blessed." About process of getting selected for the army and the Republic Day parade, she said that officers had come to the Signals training centre. Out of which we were selected to lead the contingent." She said that her parents are "very proud" on her leading the contingent in the Republic Day. Shergill's great-grandfather was in the Sikh Regiment and her grandfather was in the 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the Bombay Army. Her father was in 101 Medium Regiment under Artillery. Captain Bhavna Kasturi was the first woman officer to lead an all-men contingent in 2019 during Republic Day parade. The chilling final words of a pilot as he sat beside his wife on a doomed flight have been revealed. The 70-year-old and his 52-year-old wife from Brisbane were on a scenic flight to Moreton Island when their hired aircraft disappeared on Wednesday afternoon. The plane vanished over Queensland waters moments after the pilot made an urgent distress call before losing contact with flight controllers. The chilling last words a pilot sent over the radio as the plane he was flying (pictured) was going down with him and his wife on board have been revealed 'Mayday, mayday, mayday, Whiskey November Romeo,' were the frantic words of the experienced pilot at about 4.30pm on Wednesday as the plane slammed into the ocean. Experienced pilot and TV traffic reporter Ben Mihan was in the air at the time and told The Courier Mail he heard the mayday call on his radio. 'It was a gut wrenching feeling. As a pilot I knew that when a plane goes off the radar like that... something catastrophic had happened,' he said. Authorities have called off the search for the couple, with the chances of survival impossible. 'All evidence indicates the aircraft ditched into the water at high speed,' the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. 'Significant amounts of debris belonging to the aircraft have been recovered to the east of Moreton Island.' The search for the couple, from Brisbane's southern bayside suburbs, will move into a recovery phase. Officials repeatedly attempted to make contact with the man after the mayday call but the audio showed he didn't respond. The couple were due to return to the Sunshine Coast later on Wednesday after hiring the plane from a flight school based there. Michael and Amy Rowe owned and rented the aircraft that crashed to the couple. The plane vanished over Queensland waters moments after a the pilot made an urgent distress call, 'Mayday, mayday, mayday, Whiskey November Romeo', before losing contact with flight controllers (RACQ search helicopter pictured) The 70-year-old pilot and his 52-year-old wife from Brisbane were on a scenic flight to Moreton Island (pictured) when the aircraft disappeared from radar 'We are absolutely heartbroken for the family,' Ms Rowe told the ABC. The pilot was understood to be experienced, and it was not the first time he had flown that particular aircraft. A wheel and sheet metal from the body of the plane are among the scattered pieces of debris found north of Moreton Island about four hours after the crash. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident. A search for the couple, from Brisbane's southern bayside suburbs, will move into a recovery phase after debris was found on the water (Poice helicopter pictured searching for the plane) https://www.hba.org/ Veterans who need legal advice or legal assistance can visit a free legal clinic scheduled in Fort Bend County on Saturday, Jan. 25. The clinic will be at the Richmond VA Outpatient Clinic, 22001 Southwest Freeway, Ste. 200, Richmond, from 9 a.m. until noon. No appointment is necessary. The clinic is a public service of the Houston Bar Association, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Houston Bar Foundation and Fort Bend County Bar Association. Elizabet Estrada, 41, from Pennsylvania, has been charged with aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly starving her 16-year-old son to the point where he weighed just 26lbs A Pennsylvania mother has been arrested for allegedly starving her son after the 16-year-old boy was discovered weighing just 26lbs, which is an average weight of a healthy two-year-old. Elizabet Estrada, 41, was taken into custody last Friday and charged with aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child stemming from a medical appointment last fall. According to a probable cause affidavit, cited by the Chambersburg Public Opinion, the mother-of-four took her 16-year-old son to a doctor in October 2019 for the fourth time since he was three years old. When the teen stepped onto the scales, he was found to weigh 26lbs, having gained just 4lbs over the past 13 years. His height was measured at three-and-a-half feet. An average 16-year-old should weigh about 130lbs and stand at 5 feet 6 inches in height. Scroll down for video Estrada lived with her four children on this block in Chambersburg and home-schooled them Staff at Hershey Medical Center, where Estrada's son was examined by a doctor, contacted Franklin County Children and Youth Services, which alerted the police. Det. Sgt. Jon Greenawalt of the Chambersburg Borough Police Department, said the victim appeared visibly emaciated and malnourished. Medics told police they have diagnosed Estrada's son with a disorder called psychosocial dwarfism, which is caused by extreme deprivation or stress. According to court documents, the child was developmentally delayed, was unable to speak, and could not hold down food without 'ruminating,' which means regurgitating food and then re-eating it. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, rumination syndrome is a condition in which people repeatedly and unintentionally spit up undigested food from the stomach, rechew it, and then either reswallow it or spit it out. Estrada's son was described as 'gaunt, ribs extremely evident, and ravenously hungry.' Police officers found the teen laying in bed 'in the fetal position in a way that appeared as though he didn't have the ability to stretch out,' the affidavit stated, according to Fox43. The boy spent three months between October and December recovering at a hospital, during which time he was able to put on nearly 20lbs. He is currently in foster care, along with one of his siblings. In October 2019, Estrada took her 16-year-old son to Hershey Medical Center, where doctors found him to be severely malnourished and developmentally delayed Police said unlike the 16-year-old, Estrada's three other children appeared to be healthy. ABC27 reported that all four siblings were home-schooled by their mother and had only limited contact with the outside world, according to police. The affidavit alleges that Estrada insisted she did everything for her son and wanted to treat him at home. She had called a geneticist at Hershey Medical Center who was treating her son and argued that the child had 'no medical issues that require hospitalization.' Estrada's arrest came after a doctor at Hershey Medical Health concluded earlier this month that in her medical opinion, the mother was to blame for her son's condition by failing to properly feed him or seek appropriate medical care for more than a decade. Estrada is being held in the Franklin County Jail on $25,000 bail. She is due back in court on Tuesday. Expressing concern over the states critical water situation, an all-party meeting, chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Thursday demanded reassessment of the states water availability and unanimously resolved that the Centre should ensure that Punjab river water is not in any way transferred from basin to non-basin areas of the states three rivers. All parties also unanimously demanded suitable amendments to the proposed Inter-State River Water Disputes Act to set up a new tribunal, to ensure that Punjab gets adequate water in a just and equitable manner in keeping with its total demand and securing livelihood of the future generations. Punjab does not have surplus water and is facing a threat of desertification with declining availability of its river water and fast depleting groundwater. The states groundwater that meets 73% of its irrigation requirements, has declined to alarming levels, threatening the livelihood of farmers, the resolution read. In such a situation, it is unanimously resolved that the Government of India should ensure that Punjab river water is not in any way transferred from basin to non-basin areas of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas as per the internationally accepted riparian principle. Further, alternatives should be ascertained, including amendments to the proposed Inter State River Water Disputes Act to set up a new tribunal for a complete assessment of availability of river waters before the decision, to harness, develop and provide adequate water to Punjab in a just and equitable manner in keeping with its total demand and securing livelihood of the future generations. The resolution was moved by cabinet minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria at the all-party meeting convened by the chief minister to ascertain ways to address the states continuously aggravating water crisis. Though the resolution did not mention the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, leaders of all political parties, including the Shiromani Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party, termed any move to construct the canal fatal for the state. CM CONVENES MEETING Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema (Aam Aadmi Party) extended full support to the government in promoting diversification of crops to enable water conservation. The state should file another suit in the Supreme Court seeking fresh assessment of the available water in Punjab and insist on redistribution of water on riparian laws, he said. The situation in Malwa was bad, he said, citing the growing number of cancer cases resulting from industrial water pollution, especially in Buddha Nullah, he noted. Aman Arora (AAP) urged the state government to form a sub-committee of minister, officers and representatives of all political parties to further work on the vital issue. Shiromani Akali Dals Balwinder Singh Bhunder said the parties should not indulge in blame game but should unite to protect Punjabs water resources. Terming SYL a major issue, he said apart from legal remedies, its important also to pursue the matter politically. Extending his partys support to any step taken by the Captain Amarinder government to tackle the crisis, he said reassessment of the water levels in Punjabs rivers was imperative. SYL SUICIDAL FOR PUNJAB Dubbing SYL as suicidal for Punjab, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal (SAD) endorsed the Chief Ministers oft repeated warning that it would lead to violence and possible revival of terrorism in the state. The Supreme Court, he felt, should hear a fresh petition and stay its decree on construction of SYL. If the Centres fresh legislation for a new tribunal is passed, it would spell disaster for Punjab, he added. Calling for change in Section 12 of the Inter-State River Water Dispute (Amendment) Bill, 2019, to protect Punjabs water interests, he underlined the need to put up a united fight on the issue. The SADs Prem Singh Chandumajra was also of the view that riparian laws need to be followed in water allocation to Punjab. Madan Mohan Mittal of the BJP thanked the chief minister for bringing all parties on one platform on the critical issue. He stressed the importance of breaking the paddy/wheat cycle and ensuring diversification, along with regeneration of ground water, to boost the income of Punjabs farmers, who were reeling under major debts despite their contribution to the nations food security. He agreed with the governments stand for MSP support by the Centre for crop diversification. Bant Brar (CPI) and Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon (CPM) wanted the Longowal accord to be followed in the distribution of water. Sekhon was of the view that the Swaminathan Commission report should be implemented in toto in the interest of the farmers. Jasbir Singh Garhi (BSP) said Punjab had always been discriminated against by the central government, thus denying its due water share. Manjit Singh (Trinamool Congress) said his party was with the state government on saving water, especially through crop diversification. To prevent wastage, the government should stop giving free power for tubewells, and rainwater harvesting should be promoted, along with sewage treatment, to conserve ground water, he added. He suggested that the government should give 100% subsidy for construction of composite pits for recharge of water. Swaran Singh (MCP) also batted for the reassessment of water levels to ensure that Punjab is not cheated out of its due. In his concluding remarks, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar urged all parties to show collective will, leaving their egos aside in order to save Punjab. He suggested an all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister with a mercy petition, given that people would start dying unless the problem is resolved at the earliest. BOSTON - U.N. human rights experts are asking Washington to investigate a suspected Saudi hack that may have siphoned data from the personal smartphone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post. But the forensic evidence they cite comes from an incomplete study of Bezoss phone, raising multiple questions. Heres a quick guide to whats known, and what remains unknown, about their findings. WHAT HAPPENED TO BEZOS PHONE? According to a cybersecurity firm run by a former Obama administration official, e vidence on the phone suggests it was infected by spyware in May 2018 via a WhatsApp message from the account of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That message included a video file that the firms investigators say likely contained malware. Bezos personal security adviser had been advised in February 2019 to have the phone examined by an intelligence official who has not been named. Bezos went public with the suspected hack shortly thereafter, saying the National Enquirer tabloid had threatened to publish his private messages and photos. ARE THE FORENSIC FINDINGS CONCLUSIVE? Not at all. Outside security researchers highlighted several issues with the forensics report by FTI Consulting, run by former Obama administration National Security Council cybersecurity official Anthony Ferrante. For instance, the FTI report, dated November and obtained Wednesday by the Vice News site Motherboard, said researchers didnt find any malware on the phone, nor any evidence that Bezos phone had surreptitiously communicated with known spyware command servers. Further, an examination of the crucial root file system where top-flight hackers often hide their malware was still pending when the report was written. iPhone security expert Will Strafach, CEO of Guardian Firewall, said that if the FTI investigators didnt look at the root file system, they didnt do a thorough forensic exam. I think the U.N. intentions are good but the details really matter here and the public reporting falls short of any real firm smoking gun, said Strafach. Other security experts questioned the FTI teams forensic chops, wondering on Twitter and in blog posts why it was unable to decrypt the software that would have delivered the malware payload along with the video file. Alex Stamos of Stanford University tweeted: The funny thing is that it looks like FTI potentially has the murder weapon sitting right there, they just havent figured out how to test it. Ferrante of FTI did not respond to emails and text messages seeking comment. COULD HACKERS HAVE ERASED ALL EVIDENCE OF INTRUSION? Absolutely, said Strafach. Elite hackers plant malware that erases itself after surreptitiously sending sensitive data to command servers. It scoops up everything they want and removes itself so theres no trace, no evidence, he said. Anyone who knows what they are doing are going to cover up their tracks. Sophisticated mobile spyware such as a package called Pegasus, made by the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group is designed to bypass detection and mask its activity. Saudi Arabia i s reported to have used Pegasus against dissidents and human rights activists within weeks of the suspected Bezos hack. On Wednesday, NSO Group unequivocally denied that its technology was used in the Bezos hack. WHY IS THE UNITED NATIONS INVOLVED? One of the two U.N. officials seeking answers in the case, Agnes Callamard. focuses on extrajudicial killings and has already investigated the Saudi governments role in the October 2018 murder in Turkey of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The other, David Kaye, is the U.N. point person on free expression. He focuses on the growing and lawless use of malicious spyware to monitor and intimidate human-rights defenders and journalists. Both are independent experts in the U.N.s human rights arm, not employees of the international organization. ARE OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES AT RISK? Its difficult to say at the moment. Prince Mohammed has attended gatherings with numerous U.S. entertainers, technology executives and sports-team owners. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said Jared Kushner, a White House aide and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, has communicated with the crown prince via WhatsApp. WHY ISNT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MORE INVOLVED? A top U.S. Justice Department official, Adam S. Hickey, would not say whether federal investigators were looking into the allegations. Trump has been reluctant to condemn the Saudi prince over the Khashoggi killing and often expresses satisfaction with his governments purchases of U.S. weapons. - Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire contributed from New York. By Trend Iran International Exhibitions Company has been appointed to take necessary measures for the presence of export organizations and unions at domestic exhibitions, Head of Irans Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Hamid Zadboum said, Trend reports via ILNA. Zadboum described the presence of export-commodity producing units in the form of unions and export associations at the exhibitions as "valuable". Referring to the existence of more than 40 approved exhibition centers in the country and holding more than 700 exhibition events per year, he called the planning of the presence of export organizations in the exhibitions as one of the major programs of the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization. He went on to announce that ITPO has introduced a 50-percent discount for trade unions and export associations to rent stalls at domestic exhibitions. In order to discuss possible areas of cooperation, an agreement was reached on organizing a visit of a company delegation to Uzbekistan in March 2020. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Published on 2020/01/23 | Source Many Koreans hit the road to their ancestral hometowns for family reunions and traditional rituals, while other holidaymakers travel overseas over the Lunar New Year. Advertisement But for those who prefer to spend the holiday on their own instead of being held up on congested roads traveling to their hometowns or being bothered by stressful encounters with relatives, here are a couple of new films that hit local theaters this week, just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday. Arguably the most-anticipated film during the year's first holiday season would be actor Lee Byung-hun's political drama "The Man Standing Next", which was released on Wednesday. Based on the historical backdrop of the assassination of former strongman Park Chung-hee in 1979, the film recalls power struggles among spy agency chiefs to unfold a hidden story surrounding the assassination. It deals with somewhat heavy and dense themes that probably appeal mostly to middle-aged male viewers. But there are comedies for those looking for something lighter -- "Hitman: Agent Jun" and "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP". Actor Kwon Sang-woo's "Hitman: Agent Jun" is about a top intelligence agent who quits his job to become a webtoon writer. Actor Lee Sung-min's "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP" is about a man who suddenly gains the ability to talk to animals after an accident. The film features a diverse range of animals such as a dog, panda, tiger, gorilla, parrot, hamster and horse in some fun and comic scenes. Disney's animated film "Spies in Disguise" could be a good choice for a family outing, as it seems funny enough to satisfy all family members. It revolves around a spy who transforms into a pigeon after drinking a mysterious liquid. Will Smith and Tom Holland lend their voices to the film. The film will also please many Korean moviegoers as K-pop girl group TWICE's hit song "Knock Knock" is featured on the soundtrack of the film. Tulsi Gabbard continued her defense against Hillary Clinton's comments Thursday morning, claiming the former secretary of State need to be held accountable for calling her a 'traitor.' 'This is really what is at the heart of what we're talking about here is an attempt to suppress freedom of speech,' the Democratic presidential hopeful said of Clinton. 'The freedom of Americans, like myself, who are calling out and being very honest about the damage that policies that Hillary Clinton and others have wielded in positions of great leadership and power in this country,' she said in an interview with Fox & Friends Thursday morning. 'For her to be able to use her position to essentially imply that I am a traitor to the nation that I love cannot go unchecked,' she continued. 'Because if she can do it to me and if her powerful allies can do it to me, they can do it to anyone.' Tulsi Gabbard is suing Hillary Clinton for at least $100 million in damages to hold the 2016 presidential candidate accountable after she indicated she thinks the Hawaii congresswoman is a Russian plant in the current presidential race. Tulsi Gabbard continued her attack against Hillary Clinton on Thursday after filing a defamation lawsuit against the former secretary of State 'For her to be able to use her position to essentially imply that I am a traitor to the nation that I love cannot go unchecked,' she demanded in an interview with Fox & Friends Thursday morning 'I will not stand quietly by as Hillary Clinton or anyone else tries to smear my character and my loyalty and dedication to serving our country. And I've filed a lawsuit against her for that defamation to hold her accountable,' Gabbard told voters during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Wednesday night. She received a round of applause at her remarks. The filing takes a hit at Clinton's unsuccessful 2016 run for president. 'Tulsi Gabbard is running for President of the United States,' it read, 'a position Clinton has long coveted, but has not been able to obtain.' Gabbard has come under fire for filing the lawsuit, with some insisting she made the move in an attempt to rise back to prominence after dropping in the primary polls and failing to qualify for the last few Democratic debates. 'I'm an American. I love my country. I will not allow this kind of blatant smear tactics to go unchecked. That's what this is about,' she told the Fox News morning show, pushing back on that criticism. Gabbard's lawsuit argues the congresswoman has proven her loyalty to America through her military service in the Army National Guard, charges Clinton with hurting Gabbard's presidential bid, and outlines Gabbard's belief Clinton made the comments in retaliation for Gabbard endorsing Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary. 'In February 2016, Tulsi believed the best Democratic presidential candidate for our country was Senator Bernie Sanders. She also knew that Clinton had a stranglehold over the Democratic party and that crossing Clinton (who considered herself the 'inevitable nominee') could mean the end of her own political career. Yet Tulsi put the country before herself, and she publicly endorsed Senator Sanders, becoming the most prominent politician to do so at the time,' the complaint reads. 'Clinton - a cutthroat politician by any account - has never forgotten this perceived slight. And in October 2019, she sought retribution by lying, publicly and loudly, about Tulsi Gabbard,' it adds. Gabbard is suing the former secretary of state for monetary damage and for legal fees - a total of at least $100 million. The suit notes Gabbard has lost more than $50 million in damages. Tulsi Gabbard said she is suing Hillary Clinton for at least $100 million in damages to hold the former Democratic presidential candidate accountable Gabbard's complaint accuses Clinton of retaliating against Gabbard endorsing Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary 'The Defamatory Statements have caused Tulsi to lose potential donors and potential voters who heard the Defamatory Statements. Tulsi has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed $50 million,' the complaint reads. The complaint also argues Gabbard should be awarded at least another $50 million in special damages - bringing the total to at least $100 million. 'Tulsi is entitled to appropriate special and punitive damages of in view of Clinton's malicious and unrepentant conduct. The amount of these damages will be proven at trial, but in no event should they be less than the amount of Tulsi's actual damages,' it reads. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Forbes estimated Bill and Hillary Clinton were worth $240 million - an amount that has likely risen in the past four years. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told CNN the lawsuit is 'ridiculous.' Gabbard, in her lawsuit that she filed in Clinton's home state of New York, charges Clinton with unable to get over the 2016 election and having a 'special hatred and animosity' for the congresswoman. 'Clinton has not gotten over her loss in that election and still dwells on what happened. Clinton blames many persons for her loss,' the complaint reads, adding: 'Clinton reserves a special hatred and animosity for Tulsi - who never endorsed Clinton, did not campaign for her, and to top it off, gave the nomination speech for Senator Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.' The complaint also accuses Clinton for having no basis for making her charge against Gabbard. 'Clinton had no basis for making her false assertions about Tulsi - and indeed, there is no factual basis for Clinton's conspiracy theory. Clinton's peddling of this theory has harmed Tulsi, has harmed American voters, and has harmed American democracy. Tulsi brings this lawsuit to ensure that the truth prevails and to ensure this country's political elites are held accountable for intentionally trying to distort the truth in the midst of a critical Presidential election,' the complaint reads. 'Tulsi has suffered anguish and damage to her reputation, with direct and substantial injury to her positions as United States Congresswoman; Presidential candidate; and officer in the Army National Guard,' it adds. Gabbard's presidential campaign has struggled to gain traction and she did not meet the qualifications for the last two presidential primary debates. She has 1.3 per cent in the RealClearPolitics polling average on the race for the Democratic nomination and is second from the bottom in rankings. Gabbard also has said she won't see re-election to her congressional district in Hawaii so she can focus on her presidential bid. Clinton made her accusation against Gabbard in an October 2019 interview. Gabbard is one of the 12 remaining Democrats running in the primary, vying for a chance to win the nomination to take on Donald Trump in November Clinton, who lost the 2016 election in part because of Russian interference that helped Donald Trump, claimed Moscow was at it again. 'I'm not making any predictions, but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate,' Clinton said in an interview. 'She's the favorite of the Russians.' Clinton did not mention Gabbard by name in the interview with former Obama adviser David Plouffe for his podcast but her accusation appeared directed at the congresswoman from Hawaii, who's been accused in the past of being cozy with Moscow. 'They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far,' Clinton added. Gabbard points out in her lawsuit that no American intelligence agency has said she is a Russian asset and adds she has never lost a security clearance, which she has held both as a member of the military and through her committee assignments in Congress. 'No United States law enforcement or intelligence agencies have claimed, much less presented any evidence, that Congresswoman Gabbard is a Russian asset. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Homeland Security Committee; and as a Major in the United States Army National Guard, with access to highly sensitive and classified information, Tulsi has never had her security clearances challenged or revoked,' it reads. Gabbard's lawyer called the Hawaii congresswoman a 'loyal American civil servant.' 'Tulsi Gabbard is a loyal American civil servant who has also dedicated her life to protecting the safety of all Americans. Rep. Gabbard's presidential campaign continues to gain momentum but she has seen her political and personal reputation smeared and her candidacy intentionally damaged by Clinton's malicious and demonstrably false remarks,' Brian Dunne, counsel to Gabbard and partner at Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, said in a statement. 'One would expect someone of Mrs. Clinton's political background to act with a greater level of maturity and dignity, but her personal hostility toward Rep. Gabbard apparently clouded Mrs. Clinton's reason and blinded her to U.S. defamation laws. She resorted to a damaging whisper campaign founded on lies and when presented with the opportunity to retract her damaging remarks, she refused. Rep. Gabbard must defend her good name and hold Mrs. Clinton responsible. This lawsuit intends to do just that,' he added. Gabbard is an active Army National Guardswoman. Here she is pictured in Syria in January 2017 Clinton's spokesman Nick Merrill doubled down on the former secretary of state's comments at the time. 'If the nesting doll fits,' he told reporters when asked if Clinton meant Gabbard in her interview. Clinton was not the first person to raise questions about Gabbard's ties to Russia and the congresswoman has faced questions about a January 2017 trip to Syria that she made in an unofficial capacity. In the Democratic primary debate in Ohio preceding Clinton's interview last year, Gabbard defended herself from claims she is a 'Russian asset,' calling them 'completely despicable.' She also defended her trip to Syria where she met with its dictator Bashar al-Assad, who is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Just two days ago the New York Times put out an article saying that I'm a Russian asset and an Assad apologist and all these different smears,' she said during the debate. 'This morning a CNN commentator said on national television that I'm an asset of Russia.' 'Completely despicable,' she said of the comments and then promised: 'As president I will end these regime change wars.' In October 2019, The New York Times' published an article entitled 'What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?' and noted her candidacy is supported by alt-right internet stars, white nationalists and Russians. On Tuesday morning, the morning of the debate, CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers had said: 'There is no question, there is no question that Tulsi Gabbard, of all the 12, is a puppet for the Russian government.' Gabbard earns frequently mentions in Russian propaganda and media. She is a regular subject on RT, the news agency backed by the Kremlin. Some Democrats have feared Gabbard could make an independent third-party presidential bid, which would draw votes away from the Democratic nominee and result in Donald Trump's re-election. Clinton referenced those fears in her interview, when she accused Russia of meddling again in American politics. U.S. intelligence agencies also have warned about foreign interference in this November's contest but have not mentioned Gabbard. Trump has defended Gabbard from the charge, saying she is not a Russian agent. Gabbard has defended herself from meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin In her interview with Plouffe, Clinton also accused Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate in both the 2012 and 2016 elections, of being a 'Russian asset.' 'That's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she's also a Russian asset,' Clinton said. 'Yes, she's a Russian asset, I mean, totally. They know they can't win without a third-party candidate.' Congressional reports on the 2016 election found that Stein was part of Russia's meddling effort into that year's presidential contest. NBC News reported Russian operatives boosted Stein's candidacy by targeting voters from key Democratic demographics - a move that would have hurt Clinton in the election. Stein earned nearly 1.5 million votes in the 2016 election and came in fourth. Trump has defended both women against Clinton's charges and did so again on Wednesday. 'And then what happened to Jill Stein of the Green Party, gets called a Russian agent by Crooked Hillary. And then Tulsi Gabbard - I don't know either of them, but I know they're not Russian agents. Gets called a Russian agent. This is what these people do. They demean and the press play in because the press is largely their partner,' the president said Wednesday at a press conference in Davos, Switzerland, where he's attending the World Economic Forum. With only 10 years to go to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a great deal of work to be done if business is to contribute meaningfully to national efforts. Jayne Mammatt, South Africa lead on Sustainable Development Goals, PwC Slow progress Only 38% of those that mentioned the SDGs (i.e. 29% of the South African companies analysed), did so in sections of their reporting that discussed business strategy. Just over one in five leaders referenced the SDGs in their outlook for the year an proxy to demonstrate whether the goals are moving into the forward-looking boardroom agenda. Eight companies mention specific SDG targets: of those, two identify qualitative ambitions, and two quantitative ambitions. The majority of companies identify with the goal of Decent Work & Economic Growth as their focus, but goals related to natural resources or wellbeing, critical to sustaining business, feature less prominently. PwCs annual assessment of public reporting on the SDGs investigates the level of integration of the goals into leadership, business strategy and reporting, as an indicator of business vital contribution to achieving governments stated commitments within the next decade. It's now four years since the Sustainable Development Goals were unanimously ratified by all 193 UN Members states as a universal framework for more sustainable ways of living and operating. While governments around the world have the ultimate responsibility for delivering on the goals, they cannot be achieved without the support of business.Globally nearly three quarters (72%), and in South Africa 77%, of the more than 1,00 published reports from listed, private and public sector organisations (including 48 from South Africa) analysed, reference the goals in their public reporting. However, only 1% (global sample) and 2% (South African sample) reported quantitative measures to show their progress towards the related underlying targets.Despite good overall awareness, progress on the SDGs could be undermined by a lack of specifics on targets, measurement, and wider business integration. Reporting progress towards the targets needed to achieve the ambitions is immature, despite the goals offering a common language and framework to build a more transparent view of the issues, progress and scale of change needed.Of the South African companies analysed:While awareness is high, unless integrated measurement and reporting takes place, progress and relevant policy measures cant be identified at the level of detail necessary to really drive progress on reaching the goals," says Jayne Mammatt, South Africa lead on Sustainable Development Goals, PwC.Companies are starting to prioritise goals they believe are relevant to them, but weve little evidence of joined up thinking on how the goals are approached. Goals related to water, land and energy have strategic opportunities and risks for almost every sector, yet are not widely identified as considerations in future business strategies and investments.The goals are practical. They are both a risk and opportunity management framework from businesses point of view. While companies dont need to specifically reference goals to be acting on them, we should be seeing the identification of issues that underpin them and strategies to address them at scale, and unfortunately were not," she says. Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - CFN Media (OTCQB: CNFN), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry announces publication of an article discussing The Supreme Cannabis Company (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) and the companies simple approach. To view an enhanced version of this graphic [A Simple Approach on the Path to Profitability], please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6612/51763_fed9b1a30496da7b_001full.jpg Many expect 2020 to go down as the shakeout year for the Canadian cannabis industry; the year where winners will make their way to the top and companies with weak fundamentals will be ruled out. Of the potential winners, The Supreme Cannabis Company is one Canadian player that stands out with its simple yet differentiated approach, strong core business and focused growth drivers. In 2019, the company built the infrastructure, developed the brands and attracted the people necessary to establish a winning Canadian cannabis business. In 2020, a few key drivers are accelerating the company forward and setting it apart from other players in the space: Realizing scaled efficiencies with construction on flagship facility complete Transitioning to a high-margin CPG business with consumer-facing brands Gaining recreational market share with new brands and product formats Delivering 2.0 products that showcase high-quality cannabis inputs Relying on a proven team from operations to the c-suite 1. Realizing scaled efficiencies with construction on flagship facility complete With the completion of the company's flagship 7ACRES facility in Kincardine, Ontario, Supreme Cannabis joins the small list of licensed producers with fully built-out operating assets and is first on the list of producers with a scaled cultivation asset capable of producing premium cannabis. This 440,000 square foot facility includes administrative areas, processing space and of course almost 250,000 square feet of cultivation space. In order to maintain a premium product, the company takes a small-batch approach to cultivation, growing in rooms no larger than 10,000 square feet, completing a full plant 2-week dry, and finishing the cannabis with a hand-trim. With construction complete, 7ACRES has the ability to maintain its premium practices while truly benefitting from scale; operating at scale brings about production efficiencies, increases the number of harvests per week and allows for greater automation and other advancements that help both top and bottom lines. From the beginning, the company aimed to build meaningful square feet, not the most square feet. As the industry enters into an anticipated period of oversupply, Supreme Cannabis' approach to premium cultivation is more important than ever. 7ACRES' differentiated high-end product makes the company less susceptible to the pricing pressures the industry is facing. 2. Transitioning to a high-margin CPG business with consumer-facing brands With construction complete, Supreme Cannabis also gains additional packaging capacity at the 7ACRES facility. Since inception, packaging constraints have left 7ACRES dependent on making bulk wholesale sales to other licensed producers. With a desirable premium product, strong consumer brands and greater packaging capacity online, Supreme Cannabis is now able to transition to 100% consumer-facing sales and capture more attractive recreational margins. With 100% consumer-facing sales expected by the company's fiscal Q3 (January 2020 to March 2020), management is on track to transform Supreme Cannabis from a wholesale supplier to a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company. There is nothing subtle about the change and the increased capacity, as the integration allows 7ACRES to sell all products into the lucrative recreational market directly to retailers that currently are having difficulty keeping popular - and award winning - 7ACRES products in stock. After recently inking deals to supply retailers in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, 7ACRES products are now available throughout all of Canada. With additional distribution opportunities, the company intends to install two new bottling lines at the facility during the current fiscal year (which runs through to June 2020), further increasing 7ACRES' output. 3. Gaining recreational market share with new brands and product formats In July 2019, Supreme Cannabis closed the acquisition of wellness cannabis brand Blissco. The company subsequently installed a large-scale ethanol extraction system in addition to the existing CO2-based extraction system Blissco was operating in British Columbia. Blissco is forecasted to have the capacity to produce 7 million tincture bottles annually. In the first half of the calendar year (H2 of Supreme's fiscal year), the company will begin to realize the benefits of these additional operations and new products coming online. Blissco recently launched a new full-spectrum CBD (cannabidiol) oil branded Pur Dew. Supreme Cannabis also introduced Sugarleaf by 7AC, offering a new product format and brand for consumers seeking more convenient and accessible cannabis experiences. 4. Delivering 2.0 products that showcase high-quality cannabis inputs Also upcoming - the company expects to benefit from a full quarter of 2.0 product sales by Q4 fiscal 2020 (May-June). The first 2.0 product to market will be from a partnership struck last summer with vaporizer company Pax Labs, a market leader with over 1.5 million devices sold worldwide. Pax was proactive in penning agreements with select producers ahead of Cannabis 2.0. In October 2019, Canada amended its cannabis regulations, allowing new products, including vaporizers, but with requisite product approvals, the market is only just getting off the ground. Through its agreement with PAX, 7ACRES is one of only four licensed producers chosen as initial partners to create cannabis oil pods for the PAX Era. Supreme Cannabis is in good company, other initial partners include: Aurora Cannabis Inc., Aphria Inc. and Organigram Holdings Inc. 5. Relying on a proven team from operations to the c-suite As Supreme Cannabis and the rest of the cannabis industry mature, attracting top talent is of the utmost importance. Supreme Cannabis' appeal and potential is clearly illustrated by the types of leaders it is attracting at every level. Most recently, John Griese joined the company as Chief Operating Office. This executive has held senior level positions in operations and supply chain with Nestle and Pepsico. In addition to John, Joel Toguri recently joined Supreme Cannabis as SVP Commercial, Joel brings over 20 years of regulated industry knowledge from both the cannabis and alcohol and beverage space. To achieve its vision of operating as a CPG company, Supreme has clearly been building out a strong management team, bringing in seasoned vets with success in the CPG business. On January 6, the company announced the departure of CEO Navdeep Dhaliwal and appointed Colin Moore, Supreme Cannabis director and former President of Starbucks Coffee Canada as Interim President and CEO. Moore will guide the ship while the board conducts a search to hire a new CEO with the background to succeed in its mission for profitable, long-term growth. In the interim, there are few people better positioned than Mr. Moore to take on the role of CEO. Colin has 40 years of experience driving growth and efficiencies in consumer businesses like Starbucks, as well as deep familiarity with the Company and management team as a Board director. Supreme Cannabis trades as FIRE on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: FIRE), SPRWF on the OTC Exchange in the United States (OTCQX: SPRWF) and 53S1 on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: 53S1). Follow Supreme on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Click here to receive a Supreme Cannabis Investor Deck and Corporate Updates Click here to read the full article: http://bit.ly/36njRiF About CFN Media CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) is the owner and operator of CFN Media, the leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the legal cannabis industry. For Visitors and Viewers CFN Media's Cannabis Financial Network (CannabisFN.com) is the destination for savvy investors and business people profiting from the worldwide cannabis industry. Viewers will see breaking news, exclusive content and original programming involving the people, companies and investments shaping the industry. For Cannabis Businesses & Companies CFN Media is a leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the cannabis industry. We help private, pre-public and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada attract capital, investors and media attention. Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a company's message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets. Since 2013, CFN Media has enabled the world's preeminent cannabis companies to thrive in the capital and public markets. Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: https://www.cannabisfn.com/become-featured-company/ Disclaimer The above article is sponsored content. CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, have been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/ The Supreme Cannabis Company Investor Relations Madelin Daviau Info@supreme.ca 416-466-6265 Frank Lane 206-369-7050 Flane@cannabisfn.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51763 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Two groups sued a central Arkansas city on Thursday seeking the release of evidence they say could exonerate an inmate who was executed nearly three years ago. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Innocence Project asked a state judge to order Jacksonville authorities to release fingerprint tests and DNA evidence they say supports claims that Ledell Lee was innocent of the 1993 murder of Debra Reese. The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of Patricia Young, Lees sister. We just want to know the truth, Young said at a news conference. If science can get to the truth, we hope the court will allow the testing so justice can be found. Twenty-one death row inmates have been exonerated since the early 1990s through DNA evidence. If Lee is ultimately cleared, he could be the first person who has been executed to later be proven innocent with DNA and fingerprint evidence, the Innocence Project said. Jacksonvilles attorney said the physical evidence is not considered a public record under Arkansas law. Additionally, should the city release this evidence, there is the possibility that the evidence would be destroyed, further violating evidence retention laws, City Attorney Stephanie Friedman wrote in an email to Jacksonvilles mayor and City Council Thursday morning. Lee was the first of four inmates Arkansas executed in April 2017 before its supply of a lethal injection drug expired. The state had originally planned to execute eight inmates, but four were spared by court rulings. The groups submitted affidavits from forensic experts questioning other evidence that was used to convict Lee, including claims that partial shoe prints found at the scene of Reeses murder matched Lees shoe size. The lawsuit argues the evidence is considered a public record under the states Freedom of Information law. The groups said its in the public interest for them to released, particularly since theres no longer an active criminal investigation. This is the only avenue open to the Lee family. Why not do it and find out the truth once and for all? said John Tull, an attorney and FOI expert representing Young. Other cases where death penalty opponents say innocent men have been executed include Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in 2004 for a fire that killed his children. His guilt has remained in question after his death because the arson science used to convict him had since been debunked. Innocence Project attorneys last year lost a similar bid for DNA testing they said could have exonerated a Tennessee inmate executed in 2006, and are appealing that decision. The groups said theyre seeking to have the DNA evidence tested at a nationally accredited laboratory at Youngs expense to upload the fingerprints to a national database. The time is long past overdue to answer the troubling questions raised by the flaws in the presentation of the evidence in this case, the groups said in the lawsuit. Whether Mr. Lee or another as-yet-uncharged person committed the murder of Debra Reese is a matter of great importance to Ms. Young and the public alike. Arkansas hasnt executed any inmates since April 2017, and the states supply of lethal injection drugs has expired. A federal judge is considering a lawsuit challenging the states use of the sedative midazolam in its lethal injection process. ___ Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo HOUSTON Houston Independent School District officials are exploring options to increase security, including the addition of metal detectors, following a deadly shooting at one district high school. Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan wrote in a blog post Tuesday that adding metal detectors will serve as a screening measure for entry onto campuses at both the middle and high schools in the district, the Houston Chronicle reported. HISD officials have not committed to any district-wide security changes since the death of 19-year-old Cesar Cortes at Bellaire High School. But Lathan stated she will be meeting with community leaders Feb. 7 to discuss increased vigilance and preventative measures in the districts schools. She wrote she will be meeting with students to hear and address their concerns as well. The 16-year-old classmate who accidentally shot Cortes while showing off a semiautomatic pistol has been charged as a juvenile with manslaughter. Hell remain in custody pending evaluation results of his mental health. TUPPER LAKE People of color are not often visiting two major attractions in the Adirondacks, and more than $330,000 in state and federal funding will go toward figuring out why and how to change that. The Adirondack Experience museum in Blue Mountain Lake and The Wild Center in Tupper Lake are partnering in the research project and training program. It will involve diversity training for staff and interviews with people of color in focus groups that are within driving distance from the destinations. The effort is funded by nearly $212,000 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and nearly $130,000 from Empire State Developments Market New York Program. David Kahn, director of Adirondack Experience, said the museum often does research projects, but it has not officially tracked the diversity of its visitors. Staff members at the museum have noticed, however, that very few non-white people come through. Occasionally people of East Asian descent have visited, Kahn said. We figured, well, we really need to go to people and start talking to people to see: Do they know about the Adirondacks; what do they know; what do they think; and what might encourage them to come? Kahn said. Throughout 2020 there will be at least four focus groups gathered to learn from African Americans and Latinos in Plattsburgh, the Capital Region, Utica and Syracuse, Kahn said. People, Places & Design Research out of Northampton, Mass., will assist. Throughout 2020 and into 2021 Donathan Brown and Cindy Rodriguez of Adirondack Diversity Solutions will work with both museums, too, focusing on recruiting and retaining a diverse staff. Experts from renowned institutions will assist with diversity training. They include Ann Hernandez of the Association of Science and Technology Centers out of Washington, D.C.; Porchia Moore of the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina; and Cecile Shellman, who leads diversity initiatives at the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, according to a news release. The Institute of Museum and Library Services noted the grants project summary, which said that African Americans and Latinos are two groups currently underrepresented in the institutions audiences, staff, and boards. Full-time and seasonal staff at the museum will participate in cultural competency training. The museums will establish institutional diversity task forces; update recruitment, retention, and professional development policies and procedures; and create a regional community of practice. This isnt intended to be a dead-end project, Kahn said, referencing expected personnel and recruitment changes to come. Stephanie Ratcliffe, executive director of The Wild Center, said in a news release, Its incumbent on us to make everyone feel as though they belong. This investment is a step forward in identifying where we may fall short of that goal and what steps we can put in place to reach it. Reached by phone, Ratcliffe declined to comment further on the project, saying that the Adirondack Experience museum was taking the lead. While the state and federal funding is specific to Adirondack Experience and The Wild Center, the lack of diversity is a tourism issue that other places, including the whole Adirondack Park, have experienced. Kahn pointed to how the National Park Service noticed its visitors were mostly white, and worked with community leaders to learn how to market to a wider audience. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. In the Adirondack Park, specifically, the state has allocated $250,000 to fund the new Adirondack Diversity Initiative and announced its first executive director, Nicole Hylton-Patterson. The Adirondack Diversity Initiative is not directly involved with this project, but Kahn and Hylton-Patterson said they have had an initial meeting and may be partnering in the future. The states Market New York program is intended to help with projects attracting more tourism to the state. Records show the Adirondacks benefited from $1.5 billion in tourism in 2018, which supported more than 21,000 jobs. The Institute of Museum and Library Services provided funding through its Museums Empowered program, a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program that supports staff capacity building projects that use professional development to generate systemic change within a museum, said Erica Jaros, a communications specialist with the organization. Overall, the institute hopes the project will make both Blue Mountain Lake and Tupper Lake places become, trusted spaces for community engagement that enable people of all backgrounds and abilities to discover and use the collections and resources. Kahn said it will be a great learning opportunity for all of us at the two musuems, and also in the region. He plans to share the results of their studies with others in the Adirondacks. This article originally appeared on AdirondackExplorer.org, a nonprofit news magazine covering the Adirondack Park. New Delhi, India: TalentSprint has announced the expansion of its Women Engineers (WE) Program, with enhanced support from Google. Building on the strong industry acceptance of the first cohort, the second cohort will select, train, and enable 120 talented women engineering students to become world-class software engineers. The program is open to first year women engineering students across India. While women were pioneers in the early decades of programming, the participation of women in the global technology sector today stands at 26% (per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics). The WE program, offered by TalentSprint with support from Google, addresses this gender imbalance by grooming talented young women engineering students to advance and contribute to the field. Prioritising inclusion, the program places special focus on mentoring gifted women engineers from underprivileged and disadvantaged backgrounds. The first cohort of 100 WE students, shortlisted and selected from a pool of 7200+ applicants, began their intensive training and mentoring sessions in June 2019, and have received a very encouraging response from the tech industry. Well before the completion of the program, WE students received 104 internships and full time offers from 54 companies, at compensation levels 86% above the market average as per Glassdoor. Click here for details about the first cohorts success stories. Encouraged by the success of the first cohort, TalentSprint, supported by Google, is announcing the second WE cohort of 120 students to begin their training and mentoring program in March 2020. Aimed at a similar cohort of women students currently completing their first year of engineering studies, this years WE format has been expanded to include coding bootcamps, online classes, full scholarships, stipends, mentoring by Google engineers, hackathons, and projects over the next two years. Commenting on the launch of the new second cohort, Anand Rangarajan, Engineering Director at Google India, said, the inclusion of women at every stage of the process to create universally relevant technology products is critical and we are committed to facilitating gender and socioeconomic diversity among software engineers worldwide. We feel encouraged by the enthusiastic acceptance of the first cohort of talent mentored under this program and the opportunity to drive more gender equality within the tech ecosystem. We are excited to support TalentSprint in this initiative, who have done exceptional work in the area. Dr. Santanu Paul, Co-founder and CEO, TalentSprint, said, the success of the first WE cohort bears testimony to the fact that given the right guidance, environment, and support, young women from non-elite colleges can compete head-to-head with the best software engineers in the world. With enhanced support from Google and an expanded program format, we are fully committed to producing a large pool of gifted women engineers who will shape the next wave of global technology development. Applications are invited from eligible students and the selection will be done through a multi-stage nationwide assessment process. For information on how to apply, please click here. About TalentSprint TalentSprint brings high-end, deep-tech education to young and experienced professionals. It partners with world class academic institutions and global corporations to develop and offer disruptive programs. TalentSprints hybrid platform delivers unique onsite and online experiences that help build cutting-edge expertise, for today and tomorrow. For more information please visit www.talentsprint.com Disclaimer: This content is released by Business Wire India. No HT journalist was involved in the creation of this content. Pastor who pushed to establish communitys only homeless shelter praised by Wisconsin governor Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A pastor who pushed to build a new homeless shelter in Wisconsin after his communitys only one shuttered in 2018 received special mention for his work from the states governor, Tony Evers, this week in his 2020 State of the State address. "I felt like it was something that I could do that my faith compelled me to do," Rev. Dave Mowers, who is rector of Trinity Church in Baraboo, told 27 News. Mowers is also the president of the board for the Baraboo Area Homeless Shelter, which is set to open in the spring after the completion of renovation work on the facility. Last December when he gave community leaders a tour of the facility, he explained to WMTV that there were no homeless shelters in Baraboo or nearby Sauk City and Prairie du Sac. In the entire county, he also noted that there were no beds for men, only spaces for women and children. Jesus cares about those folks, so for me thats been the only motivator that I needed. When it became clear this was a need, I said, I cant really say no to this because this was just so clearly what Christian people ought to be about, he said at the time. Mowers was not immediately available for an interview when his church was contacted by The Christian Post on Thursday. In highlighting the challenges faced by the state in his address Wednesday, Gov. Evers used the pastors work to highlight the issue of homelessness. The struggles we face will test both the depth of our empathy and the strength of our selflessness. But Wisconsinites, I know we are up to the task, because it is the depth of our empathy and the strength of our selflessness that have defined who we are as a people for generations, Evers said before pointing to Mowers. People like Reverend Mowers who, after the only homeless shelter in his area closed a few years ago, worked with the Department of Safety and Professional Services to expedite the new shelter and get it opened so his neighbors would have a place to stay Reverend, thanks for helping make this happen, Evers said. According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, as of January 2018, Wisconsin had an estimated 4,907 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of that total, 660 were family households, 332 were veterans, 246 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 527 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Public school data reported to the U.S. Department of Education during the 2016-2017 school year shows that an estimated 18,592 public school students experienced homelessness over the course of the year. Of that total, 274 students were unsheltered, 2,675 were in shelters, 1,305 were in hotels/motels, and 14,338 were doubled up. Evers, according to WKOW, has been urging lawmakers to pass a series of bills to fight homelessness. Last year, the State Assembly approved the entire package. The Senate only approved one measure this week, which provides $500,000 in each of the next two years for area shelters. Organizers of Baraboo Area Homeless Shelter have been relying on the support of their community, which has so far donated more than $100,000 for the project. Mowers explained to WKOW that he believes the governor's attention to homeless issues will help the greater community better understand what it means to be homeless in Wisconsin. "People think it looks like panhandlers on State Street in Madison. And in rural Wisconsin, it largely does not look like that. It looks like families with kids. And a lot of folks just don't realize that," the pastor said. There could be unsuspecting vectors among the hundreds of Indian students who have left Wuhan, at the core of the novel Coronavirus outbreak in China and abroad, and returned home for the Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays in the past two weeks. More than 600 Indian students study in Wuhan and the majority of them have left the city in the past two weeks during the time when the previously unknown virus was silently spreading across the city. More than 90 percent of the cases so far 18 dead and nearly 700 infected have been directly linked to Wuhan and a seafood and fish market in the city. The Chinese government confirmed earlier this week that the virus could be transferred from one human to another, making it a seriously contagious one. At least 15 medical workers including doctors have also been infected while treating patients. There is no report of any Indian student or for that matter any Indian in China having caught the virus. But the fear of an outbreak in India remains. Experts have said that symptoms of the infection include high fever, difficulty in breathing and lung lesions. Milder cases of the disease may resemble the flu or a bad cold, making detection very difficult. The problem, however, is the incubation period. The incubation period defined as the time from exposure to the onset of the symptoms of the disease is believed to be about two weeks, say doctors. The question Have they become unwitting vectors of an infection that could be transmitted from one human to another? There is no information about the Indian students who have already left Wuhan with the Indian embassy or consulates here. There are 23000 Indian students in China and many arent registered with the embassy or consulates; neither are they expected to inform them about their arrival and departure schedules. The information like their departure and arrival dates would be available with Chinese and Indian immigration departments. The Indian students studying in Wuhan come from across India though a large chunk is from southern Indian states. Many of those who left did so in the past two weeks as the holidays for the Chinese New Year (CNY) and winter breaks set in at colleges and universities. It could become a problem not only for India but also for other countries in south Asia. Wuhan has one of the highest concentrations of foreign students in China including from Pakistan and Bangladesh -- and many have travelled back home like they do any other year for the CNY. President Trump went after former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg for the secnod time in two days, blasting him on Twitter Thursday morning. 'Mini Mike Bloomberg is playing poker with his foolhardy and unsuspecting Democrat rivals. He says that if he loses (he really means when!) in the primaries, he will spend money helping whoever the Democratic nominee is. By doing this, ye figures they won't hit him as hard during his hopeless "presidential" campaign,' Trump said. The president suggested that wouldn't happen. 'That fact is when Mini [loses], he will be spending very little of his money on these "clowns" because he will consider himself to be the biggest clown of them all,' Trump went on. 'And he will be right!' Trump's tweets came as Bloomberg has started seeing success in national polls. President Trump trashed Mike Bloomberg twice in two days, tweeting about 'Mini Mike' Thursday morning President Trump dedicated two tweets Thursday morning to former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, ridiculing his pledge to help the Democratic nominee should it not be him President Trump's attacks come as Mike Bloomberg (pictured) is starting to see some success in the polls, as the Real Clear Politics average has him tied for fourth nationally even though he only launched his presidential bid in late November On Wednesday, President Trump (left) ripped on former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg after CNBC's Joe Kernen asked him about the three Bs: Bloomberg, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders The former mayor, who entered the 2020 primary race late - not announcing his presidential ambitions until November 2019 - is currently tied for fourth place, with former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in national surveys, according to the Real Clear Politics average. Early Thursday morning, Axios put out a complimentary piece on Bloomberg explaining the ex-mayor's campaign mantra: 'To beat President Trump, Mike Bloomberg wants to be candidate Trump.' The piece detailed how Bloomberg's campaign is trying to match team Trump on Facebook. It also described how Bloomberg, like Trump, wants to be everywhere - hence all the television ads. Fox News Channel reported Wedneday that Bloomberg's ad buys were nearing the quarter billion dollar mark. Bloomberg, like Trump, will make use of his billionaire brand. He's also able to point to his successful three terms as New York City mayor, while Trump came into politics without holding elected office before. And, as Axios pointed out, Bloomberg also adoped a catchy slogan. Instead of 'Make America Great Again,' or its 2020 version, 'Keep America Great,' the ex-mayor is going with 'Mike Will Get It Done.' As for what inspired Trump's Thursday morning tweets, the president didn't reveal what, exactly, set him off. On Wednesday, it was the prompting of CNBC's Joe Kernen who asked the president during their interview in Davos, Switzerland, to give his thoughts on the three Bs - Bloomberg, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Trump spent the most time trashing Bloomberg. 'Mini Mike is spending a lot of money,' Trump commented. 'He's got no chance.' Trump then recalled how he and the former mayor of his hometown used to be pals. 'You know, he used to be a friend of mine until I ran for politics and then - he went a little off,' Trump described to 'Squawk Box' host Joe Kernen. 'You should see some of the nice things he said about me before I ran. They're like the nicest.' Trump then made a strange claim that Hillary Clinton, the president's 2016 Democratic rival, had promised Bloomberg the job of secretary of state should she be elected, to keep him from running four years ago. 'He had a deal with Hillary Clinton that he was going to become secretary of State. It was very simple. People knew that,' Trump said. The president then suggested Bloomberg would have been double-crossed. 'Wasn't going to happen. It was giong to go to Terry McAuliffe,' Trump said, name-dropping the former governor of Virginia who's been a close Clinton friend. 'I mean, so they were playing with Michael,' Trump alleged. 'And - it's too bad, but he's spending a fortune.' Trump was likely referring to exchanges that were part of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails, which were hacked by the Russians and then distributed by Wikileaks. The emails showed that Clinton confidante Neera Tanden had been in touch with longtime Bloomberg aide Howard Wolfson asking him, 'Is there something Mike Bloomberg would want to do in his life in an Admin? Is like Ambassador to China way too small.' 'Secty of state Which ain't gonna happen,' Wolfson replied. Tanden thought the message was important enough to forward it to Podesta. 'Is there something Mike Bloomberg would want to do in his life in an Admin? Is like Ambassador to China way too small,' she said. After talking Bloomberg, Trump then turned to Biden and Sanders Wednesday morning, who polls show are at the top of the 12-candidate pack. 'I don't know if Joe's going to limp across the line,' Trump said, adding Biden 'can't put together a sentence.' Trump's former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders got herself in trouble last month when she made fun of Biden's stutter on Twitter. Biden had demonstrated a stutter to tell an anecdote about a young boy who had asked him advice on how to cope with the speech impediment. 'And it could be Crazy Bernie,' Trump also said. 'I don't know who it's going to be,' the president added. 'Whoever it is, I'm ready.' The teenager who was shot in his bedroom last Friday has died, officials confirmed Thursday. The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 15-year-old Danny Hernandez. Hernandez died three days after the incident at the hospital. Police responded to the 5900 block of Eckhert Road on Jan. 17 for a shooting in progress. There, they found Hernandez inside his bedroom suffering from a gunshot wound. Daron Pittman, 17, was later arrested by San Antonio police in connection with the shooting. READ ALSO: Teen in critical condition after Northwest Side shooting Hernandez's parents said they were in another room when they heard a pop and then a door close before they went to investigate the noises, SAPD spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez said last Friday. They called 911, and Hernandez was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Pittman, a friend of Hernandez, was at the residence but ran after the shooting. He returned shortly after and surrendered to police without incident. A weapon was recovered at the scene, but police didn't comment on what kind of weapon it was or where it came from. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Pittman was initially taken into questioning but later charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The district attorney will determine if there will be additional charges now that Hernandez has died. Pittman's bail was set at $35,000. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, January 24 2020 Firm resolve: President Joko Jokowi Widodo (third left), accompanied by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD (center), Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (second left), Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko (third right), Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (second right), Indonesian Military commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto (right), and several high-ranking police and military officials, pose for a picture after attending a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Jakarta on Thursday. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat) President Joko Jokowi Widodo has appeared to fully back his former rival, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, over his effort to modernize Indonesias weapons systems, saying that such a move was necessary to counter wide-ranging security challenges going forward. The President, speaking in a meeting with officials from the Defense Ministry, the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI), emphasized the importance of defense diplomacy amid a wider spectrum of potential conflicts. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The chief of Germany's Christian Democrats aims to assemble her team to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel by the end of this year as uncertainty grows over the leadership in Europe's largest nation. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who as CDU leader is Merkel's presumptive heir, signaled in an interview on Thursday that she opposes a call by a key Bavarian ally for a cabinet reshuffle by the summer. "For 2021, the CDU needs a new team for the future, with new faces, and we'll put that in place this year," Kramp-Karrenbauer, 57, told Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "For me, that's a more important perspective than a short-term change." Ever since Merkel stepped down as leader of the CDU at the end of 2018, the ruling coalition has been plagued by infighting as potential contenders jockey for positions to succeed her and Germany's export-driven economy runs out of steam. Kramp-Karrenbauer herself has struggled to gain traction, garnering less than half the approval ratings of Merkel, who remains the country's most popular politician. AKK, as she's known, will have to reinforce her position within the CDU if she wants to become the party's candidate for the chancellorship in the next election, due in 2021 at the latest. Merkel has said she won't run for a fifth term. Even after she fended off a leadership challenge in the CDU late last year, Kramp-Karrenbauer remains under scrutiny from the party's conservative and business wings. One rival who has emerged is Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder, the chairman of the CDU's sister party, the Christian Social Union. He made the call for Merkel to reshuffle the cabinet, an objective he hopes to deliver by the summer. While AKK initially said the idea could be discussed, on Thursday she pushed back on the proposal. "First we have to ensure that this government that we have now works as well and dynamically as possible. There's room for improvement; we can do even better." Such improvements include streamlining investments and cutting red tape, she said. "The problem is that we are too slow and too complicated in the process. Not enough is invested as a result, and this is the construction site we need to work on," she said. Germany's economy expanded at 0.6% in 2019, its weakest growth in six years. But the government continues to generate large budget surpluses, prompting renewed calls for even larger spending growth and tax breaks. AKK said such surplus cash should be invested "sensibly" in infrastructure and the military. "If we look at our budget and our investment right now, we see that we have no problem with money," she said. Surpluses "shouldn't be tucked away for a rainy day," but instead directed toward "investment in technologies of the future, in our infrastructure," Kramp-Karrenbauer said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 15:23:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Yun Guangzhong, a former senior official of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has been prosecuted on the charge of taking bribes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP). Yun was charged with abusing his various former positions, including former secretary of the Hohhot Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, to seek profits for others and accepting vast sums of money and gifts in return. Yun's case was handed over to the procuratorate of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province for examination and prosecution upon the designation of the SPP after the National Supervisory Commission concluded the investigation, it said. Yun will stand trial in the Intermediate People's Court of Dalian. During the examination and prosecution, the procuratorate authority informed Yun of his litigation rights, interrogated him and heard the defense counsel's opinions. Since 1966 Subhas Chandra Bose has been a point of interest for many filmmakers across the country. His heroic life, philosophy, bravery and mystery around his death have given birth to many cinematic representations over the years. Today being Bose's 123rd birth anniversary, we look back at some of the notable audio-visual depictions around his life and Indian National Army (founded by Bose). Samadhi (1950) The film does not directly revolve around Subhas' life but around one of his INA soldier's life and struggle to give up the love of his life and sister for the sake of his country. Directed by Ramesh Saigal, the film portrays the struggle of freedom fighters and Subhas Chandra Bose's ideologies and political views. Subhas Chandra (1966) The Bengali film by Piyush Bose allows a brief peek into the freedom fighter's life. It presents the bloom of a freedom fighter inside the kid Subhas. His character shift, patriotism and noble intentions for his country blossom slowly but steadily since his childhood days. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004) The 2004 war film focused on Bose's disagreement with Mahatma Gandhi and his escapade act to Germany. Helmed by notable filmmaker Shyam Benegal, the biopic cast Sachin Khedekar as Netaji. Other important characters were played by Jisshu Sengupta (as Sisir Bose), Kulbhusan Kharbanda(as Uttamchand Malhotra), Divya Dutta (as Ila Bose) amongst others. Ami Subhash Bolchi (2011) In this fictional piece, Subhas plays a pivotal role in a Bengali layman's life. Debabrata Bose (Mithun Chakraborty) fights for his mother tongue and motherland. Subhas through Debabrata's own conscience motivates and rejuvenates the will to fight for his motherland. Bose: Dead/Alive (2017) The nine-part television series also delves into the theories around Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's mysterious death circumstances. Directed by Ekta Kapoor, the series is starred by Rajkumar Rao (as Subhas Chandra Bose). Gumnami (2019) The recently released Bengali film talks about the possibility of Gumnami Baba being Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose himself. The film depicts Mukherjee Commission Hearings where Chandrachur Dhar (Anirban Chatterjee) talks about three theories of what must have happened to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The Forgotten Army (2020) Initially released in 1999, Kabir Khan's six-episode documentary is ready to take the OTT by surprise with representing lesser-known facts and struggles by Bose's Indian National Army soldiers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of top news as of 23.01.2020: Shots were fired at Erebuni Plaza hotel in downtown Yerevan on Thursday. There are no people injured. The man who fired shots at Erebuni Plaza hotel has surrendered his weapon to police and been rendered ineffective. He was taken to a police station accompanied by Acting Chief of Police Arman Sargsyan in his service car. The identity of the man has already been established. By the way, Armenian second president Robert Kocharyans office is located at Erebuni Plaza. According to the head of Kocharyans office, Victor Soghomonyan, the office staff were not injured and the office was not damaged. The Dutch FM Stef Blok is on an official visit to Armenia on January 22-23. He has already visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial and paid tribute to the memory of Holy Martyrs. During the joint press conference with Blok, Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said that PM Nikol Pashinyan will visit the Netherlands this year. Armenian FM also noted that our intention and the intention of the EU to work together to deepen relations. Asked to comment on Amsterdams position on the visa regime's liberalization with Armenia, Stef Blok noted this is a European process, the EC should evaluate it, and the Dutch government will take this into account. Armenian FM also touched upon the issue of organizing visits of prisoners' relatives in Baku and Stepanakert. He expressed hope for the possibility of finding formats for organizing such steps. The Armenian government plans to cancel the demand on mandatory slaughter of animals for meat solely in slaughterhouses until July 1, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinayn said in the parliament on Wednesday. The decision was made as livestock farmers and butchers have been holding protests in front of the government building for a couple of days and demanded that the government review its decision. According to PM, the decision, however, would not apply for meat to be sold at supermarkets and food facilities. Armenia is 77th among 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 released by the Transparency International. Armenia has improved its score from 35 to 42 as compared to last year's report. As to Armenia's neighbors, Georgia is 44th, Azerbaijan is126th, Turkey is 91st and Iran is 146th. A brutal murder was committed on January 22, in Armenias Tavush Province. Police and investigators had found that, Chinari resident, 30, had committed suicide by hanging herself with a rope from a baby crib in the bedroom of her home. However, police later found out that Chinari resident, 31, had strangled his wife to death with a string, in the bedroom of their house. The man was detained. Plane crashed in Australia during fire fighting, leaving three people killed, Euronews reported. The New South Wales fire service said that they had lost contact with the plane, which was set to deliver water to extinguish fires. The wreckage of the aircraft was discovered in an active fire zone. Rescuers have already been sent to the scene. A total of 17 people have been killed from pneumonia caused by the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus, and the number of confirmed cases rose to 541. The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak of the coronavirus began, was quarantined Four cases were detected in Thailand, 2 in Hong Kong, one each in Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the US. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, waves as he arrives at the National Constituent Assembly's building during the celebration rally of the 20th anniversary of the Venezuelan Constitution in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Associated Press The US added to its sanctions on the Venezuelan government on Tuesday, designating 15 aircraft as blocked property of the country's state oil firm. In addition to transport, two of the aircraft were involved in unsafe and unprofessional incidents with US military aircraft in 2019, the Treasury Department said. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The US unveiled its latest sanctions against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, announcing that the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 15 aircraft as blocked property of the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA. Several of the aircraft were used to "transport senior members of the former Maduro regime in a continuation of the former Maduro regime's misappropriation of PdVSA assets," according to the release. The US no longer considers the Maduro government legitimate, instead recognizing Juan Guaido, president of the country's national assembly, as interim president. The only Venezuelan official named on Tuesday was Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, the oil minister, who was sanctioned by the US last year. He used a PDVSA aircraft to attend an OPEC meeting in the United Arab Emirates in late summer 2019, the release said. Dassault Falcon900ex US Treasury The aircraft designated on Tuesday were not only used for transportation, however. According to the release, "several of these aircraft have been operated in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in proximity to US military aircraft, while in international air space." In winter 2019, a Venezuelan Bombardier Learjet 45 "flew in close proximity to a US military aircraft over the Caribbean Sea," the release said. In spring last year, a different Bombardier Learjet 45 "attempted to interfere with a US military aircraft in the northern Caribbean Sea" during what the release described as "a joint operation conducted by PdVSA and the Venezuelan Integrated Air Command." Story continues It was not immediately clear when these encounters took place or what US aircraft were involved. The Treasury Department was not immediately able to provide additional information. A spokesman for US Southern Command, which is responsible for military operations in and around Central and South America, said in an email that "for operational security reasons" they would not discuss the details of the specific events mentioned in the Treasury Department's release. "However we acknowledge the seriousness of the incidents," the spokesman added, saying the command "values safety of flight" and expects all air crews to operate professionally and in a safe manner. 'Very unsafe, very unprofessional' Venezuela Su-30 Flanker fighter jet US Navy/YouTube Dangerous encounters between US and Venezuelan aircraft are not unheard of. In July 2019, a US Navy EP-3 Aries II, an intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft, was "approached in an unprofessional manner" by a Venezuelan Su-30 Flanker fighter jet and "aggressively shadowed ... at an unsafe distance in international airspace for a prolonged period of time, endangering the safety of the crew and jeopardizing the EP-3 mission," Southern Command said in a statement at the time. Southern Command said the EP-3 was following international standards and rules. The US Navy also released several videos of the encounter. The US patrol plane "was flying in international airspace as part of our intelligence and monitoring mission, so we can better understand the context, so we can understand what to plan for and what to anticipate and how to work inside the US whole-of-government efforts" to respond to the situation in Venezuela, US Navy Adm. Craig Faller, head of Southern Command, said in October when asked about the July incident. "Those Venezuelan pilots were very unsafe, very unprofessional, flew at a very close distance, and we were quite vocal about releasing the video that showed that happen. We keep an eye on this closely. If there were other instances of unsafe, unprofessional activity by the Venezuelans, we'd report that before they had a chance to spin it in a way that was not accurate." "I think it's representative of their lack of professionalism in some of their forces, unfortunately, and as we go forward we will monitor that closely," Faller added. The Flanker is a Russian-made fighter jet, 24 of which Venezuela ordered in 2006 and now operates alongside US-made F-16 fighters acquired earlier. Moscow has provided support for those jets and other weapons systems used by Venezuela's military, underscoring the international dynamics affecting the situation in Venezuela. This story has been updated with comments from US Southern Command. Read the original article on Business Insider SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maritime trial attorneys FIORE ACHERMANN filed a claim and answer in Truth Aquatic's Limitation Action on behalf of the family of a man killed in the CONCEPTION dive boat fire in September 2019. It was the worst maritime disaster in California history. FIORE ACHERMANN's filing is the sixth against the Santa Barbara-based company. The family alleges that the CONCEPTION dive boat was unseaworthy at the time of the incident. The vessel lacked adequate life-saving and fire-safety equipment, trapping the divers in the hull without a safe means of egress. "Nearly a year before the CONCEPTION's deadly voyage, Truth Aquatics had a fire onboard their sister ship, the VISION, which was reportedly ignited by a lithium battery," said Jennifer Fiore, the firm's leading maritime lawyer. In addition to the duty to provide a safe and seaworthy vessel to the dive-boat passengers, "the vessel owners had a responsibility to know about the potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries being charged onboard before encouraging passengers to charge their equipment. Now, our priority is helping families find answers and making sure the owners, operators and other responsible parties are held accountable," stated Fiore. "We are honored to be representing those harmed by the CONCEPTION tragedy, which was completely preventable," Fiore added. On August 31, 2019, 33 passengers and six crew members boarded the boat for a three-day diving voyage off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA. In the early morning hours of September 2nd, a fire broke out onboard the vessel that resulted in the death of 33 passengers and one crew member. An investigation into the tragedy found that divers and crew would charge lithium-ion batteries on the boat for cell phones and tablets, as well as their cameras and other equipment. Preliminary evidence suggests the fire started in the galley where the batteries were being charged. After the fire, the U.S. Coast Guard for the first time recommended that crews limit the use of unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries to reduce the risk of fire hazards. The plaintiff's trial team includes attorneys Jennifer Fiore, Sophia Achermann and Alexandra Hamilton with the California-based law firm FIORE ACHERMANN. The female-owned boutique plaintiff's firm specializes in serious injury and wrongful death cases - from, burn injuries, fire claims, maritime accidents, sexual abuse, assault and neglect, to product liability and more. https://www.thefafirm.com Contact: Jennifer Fiore FIORE ACHERMANN 415.550.0650 www.theFAfirm.com SOURCE FIORE ACHERMANN Related Links https://www.thefafirm.com A mum-of-two has disappeared without a trace in mysterious circumstances while on a camping trip with her boyfriend. Alison MacKenzie, 43, was on a three-day tour with her partner, aged 58, and a group of 15 people and three crew members on a small island called Rendezvous Caye, in Belize, a small nation on the east coast of Central America. In a statement released by Raggamuffin Tours, the company running the tour, it was revealed the woman was understood to have gone missing early on the morning of January 19. Mum-of-two Alison MacKenzie seemingly disappeared without a trace. Source: Facebook Raggamuffin Tours Limited is cooperating fully with law enforcement officers in their investigation into this incident, the statement read. It said the company had handed over comprehensive details of all passengers and met with our crew to Belize police to assist in their investigation into the womans whereabouts. Ms Mackenzies mum took to Facebook for answers, claiming the institutions involved with finding her daughter had given her inconsistent stories. We have received three different stories about what happened that morning. None of them consistent with the others, Cherie Mackenzie wrote. We are getting no where finding out where she is. It has been 48 hours now, and not only missing, but feared no longer alive. The Rendezvous Caye island is less than an acre in size. Source: Google Maps/Nuresh Maredia She pleaded with others on the tour to get in touch with her in the hope they have some information. We have no idea where in the world they may live. But we are praying if enough people send this around, someone who knows something will contact me, she wrote. My whole family is beyond devastated, it just doesnt seem real. Her two daughters are past being consoled. They have lost their mother and best friend. I want her home with us, no matter how she may be found. I want my daughter back. The island is only about an acre in size and has little in the way of trees and other plant life. Story continues Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Israel on a working visit, met with Governor General of Canada Julie Payette, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. President Sarkissian said the friendship between Armenia and Canada has a good history and the relations of the two countries have much greater potential in the future. Mr. Sarkissian said they are expecting a progress in the opening of the Canadian Embassy in Armenia thanks to which the bilateral ties will be raised to a new level. The officials highlighted the great role and contribution of the Armenian community to Canadas success history, calling it as a reliable bridge connecting the two friendly countries. In this context the President highly valued the warm and human attitude towards Armenians who moved to Canada from Syria. The sides agreed that Armenia and Canada can successfully cooperate in the fields of education, science and latest technologies. Introducing the Armenian presidential initiative ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) on science and technology development in Armenia President Sarkissian said this project aims at bringing leading international technological companies to Armenia to engage them in development of artificial intelligence, math modeling and other areas. He added that Armenia will be happy to see also the Canadian companies in this platform. President Armen Sarkissian invited the Governor General of Canada to Armenia to attend the 6th STARMUS international festival as a specialist-scientist in the field of astronomy. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan In the years following the Civil War, freedmen and freedwomen founded a community close to the Virginia plantations where they had been enslaved. The settlers of Union Hill in Buckingham County, Va., passed down this land over generations to todays descendants, who are now at the center of a fight to stop a proposed multibillion dollar energy project. While Union Hill may represent the remarkable history of resilience from our countrys unjust beginnings, it also reveals the countrys continuing imbalance of power and the decisions about whose histories we choose to honor. Five years ago, Dominion Energy, Virginias biggest investor-owned electric utility, announced plans to build a natural gas-fired compressor station in Union Hill for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The roughly $7.5-billion, 600-mile pipeline is being built by a consortium of four energy companies, with Dominion responsible for its construction and operation, and would run through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. These stations, which compress natural gas so it can flow through pipelines, release toxic emissions such as methane, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter into the air, increasing the health risks for residents who live nearby. Many in Union Hill responded with fierce opposition but appeals to Dominion, state regulators and Virginias governors went unheeded. MANILA, Philippines A lawmaker is urging the government to appoint a disaster czar who will oversee the relief efforts in the province of Batangas for residents displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano. Senator Joel Villanueva made the suggestion following reports that relief goods such as food and hygiene packs, among others, were unevenly distributed in various evacuation centers. Some evacuation centers have more than other places. If people are expected to stay longer in these evacuation centers, we must be able to manage our available resources well so we can cover the basic needs of our evacuees, Villanueva said in a statement issued on Wednesday. For instance, weve observed that theres a lack of portalets to maintain the sanitation around evacuation centers. We need a manager to assess the needs and look after the delivery of relief across affected areas, he added. Villanueva, who chairs the Senate labor committee, also suggested to device ways of spurring economic activity in areas affected by the Taal unrest. He said that one way to jumpstart the local economy is to generate short-term employment to evacuees at shelters. If youre sending relief to certain evacuation centers, why not hire someone there to take charge in the cooking of food for the people there? Or maintain the place for that matter? Villanueva said. We should strive to help our people displaced by the eruption of Taal get back on their feet through employment and livelihood, he added. Villanueva also called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to fast-track its emergency employment programs to support evacuees while waiting out for the crisis to end. The lawmaker noted that under the 2020 national budget, the labor departments programs for emergency employment received a total allocation of P6.8 billion. He also urged the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide assistance in the form of scholarships for evacuees who have lost everything when they were displaced. Story continues The bulk of Tesdas P12.975-billion budget for 2020 funds the various scholarship programs it offers, the senator explained. Villanueva also said that the disaster czar could also fill in the requirement in the meantime as Congress deliberates on proposals to create a department specifically handling the governments disaster relief efforts and resilience programs. The post Senator wants govt to appoint disaster czar amid Taal eruption relief works appeared first on UNTV News. China locked down two major cities in a province at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak on Thursday, banning planes and trains from leaving in an unprecedented move aimed at containing the disease which has already spread to other countries. The respiratory virus has claimed 17 lives since emerging from a seafood and animal market in Wuhan, infected hundreds of other people nationwide and been detected as far away as the United States. Residents in Wuhan, a major port city in central Hubei province with a population of 11 million people, were told Thursday not to leave "without a special reason", and the order was backed by a transport shutdown. Trains and planes out of Wuhan were indefinitely suspended, tollways on roads out the city were closed, leading to fear and panic for those who were trapped. Hours later, authorities in neighbouring Huanggang announced that public transport and train services would be suspended at midnight, while people were told to not leave the city of 7.5 million. All of Huanggang's cinemas, internet cafes, and the central market will close. A third city, 1.1 million-population Ezhou, announced the train station had been temporarily closed earlier in the day. "We are feeling as though it is the end of the world," said one Wuhan resident on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform, voicing concerns about shortages of food and disinfectant. "We really need everyone's help." Another described being on the "verge of tears" when the de facto quarantine was announced, with the misery compounded by it coming on the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday. Wuhan's train station and airport, which should have been packed with people coming travelling for holiday family reunions, were almost empty except for workers on Thursday afternoon. Few people were seen in the streets of the city and all were wearing masks. Taxis in Wuhan tripled their fares, a driver said. "It's very dangerous to be outside at this moment but we need to earn money," the driver told AFP. More than 570 people have been infected with the virus across China -- with most cases found in Wuhan, where a seafood market that illegally sold wild animals has been identified as the epicentre of the outbreak. The coronavirus has caused alarm because of its similarity to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. Like SARS, it can be passed among people through the respiratory tract. The first case of the new virus was confirmed on December 31, and it has since been detected in Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. The 17 people who died in China were aged from 48 to 89, and had pre-existing health conditions, Chinese health authorities said Thursday. The World Health Organization on Wednesday delayed a decision on whether to declare a global health emergency -- a rare instrument used only for the worst outbreaks. The emergency committee will meet again on Thursday, after its chair, Didier Houssin, said the experts were split over declaring a public health emergency. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "more information" was needed but he also praised China's "very, very strong measures" that will help control the epidemic and "minimise the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally". With hundreds of millions of people travelling across China this week for the Lunar New Year holiday, the National Health Commission announced on Wednesday measures to curb the disease nationwide -- including sterilisation and ventilation at airports and bus stations, as well as inside planes and trains. Wuhan's special anti-virus command centre said the quarantine measures were meant to "effectively cut off the virus spread, resolutely curb the outbreak and guarantee the people's health and safety," according to state media. While departures were banned, trains and planes were still allowed into the city. The city's tourism and culture department cancelled all group tours until February 8, according to state media. Wuhan has also cancelled large public events for the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts Friday. Animals are suspected to be the primary source of the outbreak, with Chinese health officials saying the virus originated from the market where wild animals were illegally sold. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Southeast Asian super app Grab on Friday announced the departure of Nguyen Tuan Anh, CEO of Grab Financial Group Vietnam, after six years of contribution to the development of the ride-hailing firm in the country. According to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper source, Nguyen Tuan Anhs exit from Grab will not affect the ride hailer's operations. The source also revealed that Anh will take up a new position at another firm to look for new challenges. Nguyen Tuan Anh was recruited by Grab in 2014, when the ride-hailing firm was finding ways to enter Vietnams market and needed a trustworthy Vietnamese partner who understands technology and local users, and dares to take risks. Anh has since been dubbed a meritorious official at Grab, who laid the first bricks for the companys operations in Vietnam and paved the way for the successful deployment of its ride-hailing services, especially GrabBike. Moreover, he is also a pioneer in bringing cashless payment solutions to users on Grab through establishing a strategic partnership with Vietnamese fintech firm Moca. In a letter sent to all partners at Grab upon his departure, Anh said that he still loves Grab like the first day, and will always follow Grab Vietnam's development. He also expressed his gratitude to Grab Vietnam in particular and Grab in general for giving him the opportunity to contribute to the application of science and technology in Vietnam, and the development of the country's digital economy. Being able to work with talented and dedicated colleagues, in an entrepreneurial environment that encourages creativity and experimentation with new things, has helped me become more and more mature, accumulate necessary experiences to conquer many new steps in my career, Anh said. I am very happy to look back on the past journey, where Grab from a rather strange application has become an indispensable super application in everyones life, he added. Being part of this journey is an invaluable experience that I will always treasure. Earlier this month, Grab also announced the appointment of Nguyen Thai Hai Van, a former Unilever executive, as managing director in Vietnam. Van is set to officially assume office under the new role on February 1. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! It was, Charles Dickens once said, his favourite child, the book he was closest to, arguably his best work and certainly his most autobiographical. David Copperfields struggles closely mirrored his own, from his childhood trials toiling in a bottle factory to his unhappy fascination with an unsuitable female and his struggles to establish himself as a writer. Dickens bled many elements of his own experience into this epic, picaresque story, carefully reworking them to create the kind of life hed like to have had. David Copperfield was close to his heart, and one wonders what he would have made of Armando Iannuccis adaptation. Impossible to say, but Ive a feeling he might have been rather pleased by it, because in The Personal History of David Copperfield, Iannucci has managed to breathe new life and wit into an over-familiar story while remaining essentially faithful to it. Dev Patel is Copperfield, who as the film opens wanders in his mind back to his childhood home in Suffolk to watch himself being born. His father is dead but his mother is a kindly, gentle creature and David has an idyllic first few years in the protective care of their eternally cheerful maid, Peggoty. But dark clouds gather on the horizon when his mother remarries. Edward Murdstone (Darren Boyd) is a cold, callous man who quickly identifies the child as an impediment to domestic harmony and sends him off to London to work in his bottling factory. There David will toil for years unhappily, his misery tempered somewhat by the many adventures of his landlord, Wilkins Micawber (Peter Capaldi), a lovable conman who somehow manages to keep one step ahead of a small army of furious creditors. When David grows up, he runs away to Kent to seek the help of his aunt, Betsey Trotwood (Tilda Swinton), an eccentric but kind-hearted woman who will become his benefactor. She and her still more eccentric lodger Mr. Dick (Hugh Laurie) dote on David and send him to a private school where he finally gets a proper education and makes the acquaintance of the charismatic and compelling James Steerforth (Aneurin Barnard). Things are looking up, but Copperfields fortunes ebb and flow spectacularly, and after Betsy Trotwoods fortune is swindled from under her feet by an unscrupulous legal clerk called Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw), the whole family faces ruin and only Davys pen can save them. There is a confident sweep, a Dickensian gusto to the way Armando Iannucci frames and tells his story. He accentuates the novels humour at times but then again that is not difficult given how many delightfully fruity eccentrics Dickens has placed at the filmmakers disposal. The casting is inspired. Iannucci regular Peter Capaldi is wonderful as the bug-eyed spoofer Micawber, whom we and David Copperfield find strangely impossible to dislike; Ben Whishaw is suitably unctuous as the odious, obsequious Heep; Tilda Swinton gives total commitment to her portrayal of Davids odd, endearing aunt; and Hugh Lauries Mr. Dick is a thing of beauty. This harmless man obsessed with assuaging Davids sufferings is muddle-headed, but capable of sudden emotional insights. I also enjoyed Paul Whitehouses heavy Norfolk twang as the angelic fisherman Mr. Peggotty. The fact that Iannuccis cast has a mixed race element is both relevant and irrelevant: one notes it and moves on. The presence of Dev Patel and Rosalind Eleazer (who plays Agnes Wigfield) does subtly connect the tale to 21st century multicultural Britain, but then it again it somehow feels connected anyway, for Dickens characters are immortally relevant, their flaws and virtues enduringly universal. Iannuccis film has done them justice, and its no exaggeration to describe The Personal History of David Copperfield as one of the greatest Dickensian adaptations of them all. Video of the Day (PG, 119mins) Also releasing this week: She recently enjoyed a luxurious New Year's break to the Maldives with friends Ella Eyre and Nick Grimshaw. And Pixie Geldof cut a casual figure as she attended a party to celebrate the unveiling of the Project Zero art installation on Carnaby Street, London on Wednesday. The model, 29, nailed casual chic at the event where she was joined by pal Lady Mary Charteris. Event: Pixie Geldof, 29, cut a casual figure as she attended a party to celebrate the unveiling of the Project Zero art installation on Carnaby Street, London on Wednesday Pixie sported a grey jumper with a pair of blue skinny jeans and added height to her frame with a pair of knee-high black boots. Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, the musician completed her look with a black cap. Lady Mary, 32, donned a black jumpsuit for the evening which she paired with matching boots and a handbag with her initials on it. The event was held to celebrate a new art mural designed by Boy George, Billy Collins, Mr Brainwash, Bradley Theordore, Henry Hudson, Harland Miller and Zaria Forman. Pals: The model, 29, nailed casual chic at the event where she was joined by pal Lady Mary Charteris, 32, (centre) and Aimee Phillips (left) Look: Pixie sported a grey jumper with a pair of blue skinny jeans and added height to her frame with a pair of knee-high black boots Casual: Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, the musician completed her look with a black cap Career: Although better known for her modelling, Pixie has also fronted band Violet and released debut album, I'm Yours in November 2016 Creative: In an interview with The Guardian , she said: 'What it did was give me something to focus on. It was the best thing for me' Project Zero is a charity and 'global movement' that aims to protect the worlds oceans. It comes after Pixie and her pals jetted out to the Amilla Fushi resort in December to celebrate the New Year. The group kept their fans up-to-date with their trip, posting constant social media snaps during their stint in the Indian Ocean paradise. The friends enjoyed bike rides, boat trips and snorkelling during their island retreat, although it was not clear if Pixie's husband George Barnett was with them. She added: 'Not the music itself so much, but the doing something, something that wasnt sitting in my house staring in the corners' Although better known for her modelling, Pixie has also fronted band Violet and released debut album, I'm Yours in November 2016. In an interview with The Guardian, she said: 'What it did was give me something to focus on. It was the best thing for me. 'Not the music itself so much, but the doing something, something that wasnt sitting in my house staring in the corners.' Her song Twin Thing is about her late sister Peaches, who tragically passed away in 2014 aged just 25 following a heroin overdose. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Moody's Corp. (MCO) said it has agreed to acquire Regulatory DataCorp or RDC, a provider of anti-money laundering and know-your-customer data and due diligence services, for $700 million. RDC is currently owned by Vista Equity Partners, an investment firm focused on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. Located in the greater Philadelphia area, RDC has been a part of the Vista portfolio since September 2016. Moody's noted that the acquisition of RDC complements its acquisition in 2017 of company data provider Bureau van Dijk or BvD. The deal will deepen BvD's information portfolio and analytical capabilities by adding RDC's risk-relevant dataset and technology, including the first-to-market true artificial intelligence or AI screening solution. It will also extend RDC's presence to a broader group of financial institutions, corporations, insurance companies and government agencies served by Moody's Analytics and BvD. Moody's noted that RDC's proprietary Global Regulatory Information Database or GRID helps companies assess counter-parties through more than 60 risk types by examining over 120,000 global sources. These include adverse media coverage, politically exposed persons, government sanctions and regulatory watchlists. RDC's platform incorporates artificial intelligence or AI for compliance screening to help process customer requests at greater speeds and accuracy while reducing false positives. Moody's said it expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2020. The company will fund the transaction with a combination of cash on hand, commercial paper and debt financing. Moody's expects the acquisition of RDC to generate annualized revenue of about $55 million in 2020, and to be accretive to its earnings per share on an adjusted basis in 2022. Due to the estimated impact of amortization expense relating to acquired intangible assets, the company expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings per share on a reported basis in 2024. Including the impact of this transaction, Moody's anticipates its share repurchases for 2020 to total about $1.3 billion, subject to available cash, market conditions and other ongoing capital allocation decisions. The company's share repurchases during 2019 totaled about $1.0 billion. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Last April, the New York State Legislature passed an ill-considered set of criminal justice reforms that were buried in the state budget bill. As those reforms have taken effect, it has become clear that they present a significant challenge to public safety. The New York Police Department favors criminal justice reforms and bail reform, but within a framework that is fair both to the victims of crimes and to those accused of committing them. The time has come to rethink these reforms to achieve the desired goal of a fairer criminal justice system that doesnt undermine, but supports, public safety. New York is not a jurisdiction that overincarcerates. Arrests are down 46 percent since 2013. Eighty-seven percent of arrested persons are released without bail within 24 hours of arrest. The city has the lowest jail incarceration rate compared to the five largest cities in the country, half the rate of Los Angeles and one-third that of Houston. The Rikers Island jail population is 51 percent lower since 2013 and down 74 percent from its high in 1993. New York is now the only state in the nation that requires judges to entirely disregard the threat to public safety posed by accused persons in determining whether to hold them pending trial or to impose conditions for their release. In addition, the new law constrains judges from holding repeat offenders with long records of both crime and absconding trial. It eliminates cash bail and the possibility of detention for a wide array of offenses, including weapons possession, trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs, many hate-crime assaults, the promotion of child prostitution, serial arson, and certain burglaries and robberies. He's openly gay and well known for his advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community. And on Wednesday, Adam Lambert announced via his Instagram that he's launching a new advocacy group called the Feel Something Foundation. 'Mission: to support LGBTQ+ organisations that are moving the needle for communities of all ages and backgrounds,' Lambert, 37, wrote alongside an image of the foundation's logo. Doing good: He's openly gay and well known for his advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community. And Adam Lambert has announced he's launching the Feel Something Foundation News: Lambert announced the news via his Instagram on Wednesday, sharing an image of the foundation's logo and its mission The Feel Something Foundation will work with charities that help the LGTBQ community with issues such as homelessness and suicide prevention, Billboard.com reported. In a statement, it was announced that the organization will also seek to 'abolish 'coming out' as a term used to define someone simply being themselves.' Lambert endured weeks of speculation about his sexuality when he was a contestant on the eighth season of TV's American Idol. He was the runner-up in the talent competition and subsequently confirmed he was gay in an interview with Rolling Stone published in June 2009. Out: Lambert endured weeks of speculation about his sexuality when he was a contestant on the eighth season of TV's American Idol. He subsequently confirmed he was gay in an interview with Rolling Stone published in June 2009 Rocking: Lambert has been performing and touring with Queen since 2012. He's pictured on stage with Brian May in New York in September 2019 During American Idol season eight, Lambert performed with Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen who appeared as guests on the show. In June 2012, Queen played their first full concert with Lambert as their frontman and the collaboration became so successful that Lambert continues to tour with the band as Queen + Adam Lambert. The band kicks off the Australian and New Zealand leg of its The Rhapsody Tour in Sydney on February 15. And on February 16, they'll headline Fire Fight Australia, a concert to aid brushfire relief in Australia. Pakistan on Thursday rejected US criticism of the USD 60 billion CPEC under China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying the project has helped the cash-strapped country to "fill the gaps" in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation and job creation. Senior US diplomat Alice Wells has said there is no transparency in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the firms blacklisted by the World Bank have got contracts under the project, which will increase the country's debt burden. Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia who is on a four-day visit to Pakistan, made the remarks while speaking at a think tank event on Tuesday. The Chinese embassy here also rejected her remarks as a "negative propaganda" against the CPEC. "Although you can never wake up a person who is pretending to be asleep, we have to make our position clear and reject the negative propaganda by the US," the embassy's spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. At the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said China has helped Pakistan to "fill the gaps in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation and job creation". "CPEC was not being financed only through loans or non-concessional financing with sovereign guarantees. The CPEC debt amounts to USD 4.9 billion which is not even 10 per cent of the country's total debt," she said. The CPEC is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang province with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. The project was launched in 2015 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and it now envisages investment of over USD 60 billion in different projects of development in Pakistan. Highlighting the achievements under the CPEC, Farooqui said 7,000 MW power projects worth USD 12.4 billion have reached completion stage. Responding to a question on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the spokesperson said Pakistan has taken a whole range of steps to meet the requirements of the FATF. "We remain closely engaged with the FATF members, including the US," she said. The FATF in October decided to keep Pakistan on its 'Grey' list for failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups LeT, JeM and others. If not removed off the list by April, Pakistan may move to a blacklist of countries that face severe economic sanctions, such as Iran. Pakistan has submitted a 650-page review report to the FATF on January 8. The report was submitted in response to 150 questions raised by the FATF regarding new Pakistani policies on money laundering. The report outlined the steps taken by Pakistan between October 2019 to January 2020 to implement the group's recommendations. Farooqui also welcomed Donald Trump's offer of mediation on the Kashmir issue and hoped that the desire of the US President would be translated into some kind of action. During a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Trump said the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the longstanding dispute between the two neighbours. Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate following India's August 5 decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue. New Delhi has defended its move, saying Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the issue was strictly internal to the country, and the special status provisions only gave rise to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Although President Trump has offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue in the past, New Delhi has told Washington that it is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan and there is no scope for any third-party mediation. To a question on India getting S-400 missiles, Farooqui said Pakistan has repeatedly expressed concerns over the induction of ballistic missile defense system in the region. "Such destabilising systems can undermine regional stability and may lead to an unnecessary arms race," she said, adding that Pakistan has proposed discussion on a strategic restraint regime for South Asia to avoid the induction of the destabilising weapons. Russia has started production of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems for India and all the five units will be delivered by 2025. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) News flash: it shouldn't. In 2018, more than half of Americans failed to use all of their vacation time. We all know that for busy working professionals and multitasking parents, planning can be the key to success. It should come as no surprise, then, that research confirmed that those who plan vacation are more likely to use their time off for travel compared to those who don't. Which is why the U.S. Travel Association's Project launched National Plan for Vacation Day (January 28), meant to encourage hard-working Americans to plan and commit their vacation time for the year. Before you shrug off traveland the day dedicated to planning itas a "luxury", consider this: experts agree that making time for travel can lead to increased happiness, more robust physical health, and a more balanced mental state. Apple Vacations, America's Favorite Vacation Company, knows a thing or two about the many benefits of travel, including (but not limited to): Lowered Instance of Heart Disease A landmark study in the field, the Framingham Heart Study found that women who vacationed only every six years or less were nearly eight times more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack compared to women who traveled at least twice a year. Instant Stress Reduction The Global Coalition on Aging notes stress reduction as one of travel's most significant benefits, especially for older populations. High levels of stress are linked to a host of health problems, from sleep disorders to diabetes. Improved Creativity & Function "Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought, the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms," says Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School. As it turns out, there are many benefits and boosts your brain gets from frequent travel. But before you jump on the internet and book that dream vacation, consider this: travel advisors are trained professionals who can make the planning easier. Travel advisors help cut through the clutter, prioritize convenience and cost, and offer an ongoing relationship you can build for years of travel needs. Much like a wedding planner, a travel advisor is there to make sure your highly anticipated investment goes smoothly. Cut Through the Clutter. Professional travel advisors often have first-hand knowledge and insider tips, and they understand the fine print, so you can book and travel with confidence. They're familiar with hidden fees that could cost you far more than you bargained for. They will help you focus on the places that best match your preferences and provide expert advice on everything from optional resort excursions to the real value of travel insurance. Convenience and Cost. Not only do travel advisors save you timethey almost always save you money. In many cases, especially when booking package vacations, agencies don't charge fees because the supplier pays commission. That means that you're likely to pay the same as if you booked online, so what have you got to lose? Travel advisors help you to stay within your budget. An Ongoing Relationship. Travel advisors have established relationships with travel suppliers, and their clout can work in your favor. From the planning stages until after your return, travel advisors are there for you! And in the event that something goes wrong, you have a professional to go to for help. On January 28, decide to make 2020 your year to travel. The only real question is: where will you go? Ask a trusted advisor and start planning the vacation you deserve! About Apple Vacations: For more than 50 years, Apple Vacations, America's Favorite Vacation Company, has provided affordable, top quality vacation packages from U.S. departure cities nationwide. Vacationers can choose from idyllic sun and sand destinations throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Central & South America, Hawaii , the continental U.S., the South Pacific and Europe. With the support of travel advisors, Apple Vacations is the #1 Vacation Company worldwide to Mexico, and the nation's leader to Dominican Republic. Apple Vacations is consistently voted "Best Tour Operator" in various categories by readers of the leading travel trade magazines. SOURCE Apple Vacations Related Links http://www.applevacations.com WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department plans to issue new guidance that could make it more difficult for some pregnant women to obtain visas to visit the United States, a department official and a congressional aide said Wednesday. The forthcoming regulations are aimed at cracking down on what the Trump administration calls "birth tourism," the latest in a series of government efforts to restrict foreign travelers from reaching U.S. soil. Most people who are born in the United States are entitled to U.S. citizenship, even if their parents are not citizens. It is unclear how many people travel to the United States to give birth each year with the intention of obtaining citizenship for their children; the U.S. government does not publish statistics on "birth tourism." Officials with the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment Wednesday, referring questions to the State Department. The new rule, first reported by BuzzFeed, is expected to appear "shortly" in the Federal Register, according to the State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the rule before it is issued. A congressional aide briefed by the department also confirmed the new rule. The guidelines, which the State Department will circulate to U.S. consular officers, will affect B1 and B2 nonimmigrant visas, otherwise known as temporary visas for business, tourism or medical treatment. The U.S. government issued 5.7 million B1 and B2 visas in fiscal year 2018. The official said the new guidelines will not prohibit pregnant women from obtaining visas but will extend discretion to consular officers, who will have to determine whether a woman is planning a visit to the United States solely for the purpose of giving birth. It is unclear how they would make that determination or whether they will try to verify pregnancies. A congressional staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a regulation that has not yet been published, said the State Department had a conference call Wednesday to tell lawmakers the broad strokes of the policy. The Trump administration is concerned that pregnant women are coming to the United States to give birth and instantly claim U.S. citizenship for their children. Consular officers would use their judgment when screening cases, the staffer said, and would not ask every woman applying for a visa - some of which are valid for years - whether they are pregnant. Consular officers already interview visa applicants about their reasons for travel and are expected to determine that their stay in the United States will be limited in duration before issuing visas. The Center for Immigration Studies, a right-wing think tank that advocates for lower immigration levels, estimated that there are about 33,000 births per year to women who arrived in the United States on tourist visas and then left the country. The organization said its estimate was "based on a combined analysis of birth certificate records and data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Both estimates represent a rough approximation, based on limited data, of the possible number of births to women who came to America specifically to have a child and then left once the child was born." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 3.8 million live births in the United States in 2018. Catina Meggison was becoming frightened. For several days, her 7-year-old son Jaxon, who is severely autistic, had been sick with a fever and was becoming lethargic. With his Pediatrician out of town for the winter holiday, Meggison worried about taking Jaxon to a facility with which he was unfamiliar. An asthmatic, Jaxon has frequented hospitals and emergency rooms his entire life, and the experience is often traumatic for him, she says. Due to his sensory processing disorder, Jaxon does not like to be touched by anyone but his parents, making a medical exam difficult. We were in turmoil, Meggison says when Jaxons symptoms became worse. She turned to a member of her church who recommended Emergency Hospital Systems in Cleveland, TX. The friend then offered to call the facility in advance to explain Jacksons needs. When Jaxon arrived, Meggison says the staff was prepared. They waited less than five minutes before being shown to an exam room, where the lights were already dimmed in an effort to prevent Jaxon from becoming overstimulated. The Physician arrived and spoke to Jaxon in a calming manner, Meggison remembers. Consistency and stability are the best things for him, she says, and the team took time to get Jaxon comfortable. They did not begin their exam or touch him until he gave permission. They listened to all my concerns, then they addressed him, she says. They conversed with him like he was a human being. He doesnt like doctors or nurses or needles or any of that, she says, adding that, in the past, Jaxons medical exams have been interrupted when he has screamed or become agitated. This visit was quick and efficient, and Jaxon remained quiet for the entirety. Ive never been to a hospital where theyve been so considerate of a child with special needs, she says. We werent in there very long, which was phenomenal to me. Kevan Keen, RN was part of the Emergency Hospital Systems team that examined Jaxon. I have learned from past experiences that the best approach when caring for a child with autism is to be very calm from the beginning, Keen, RN says. These children tend to have varying levels of dissociation the more time I spend warming up and building their level of trust becomes very helpful. For patients with autism, Keen, RN says it helps to make them feel like they are helping with the exam, too. By chatting with Jaxon and his mom, Keen, RN and the team determined the best way to check his ears, nose and throat, Meggison says. Thats something that is very traumatic for him, but they did it with extreme care, she says. Even when the staff took cultures from his throat and nose to test for strep and the flu, Jaxon remained calm. Pat Caddick, RN was one of the nurses who helped care for Jaxon. Like Keen, RN, Caddick, RN had previously cared for patients with autism. Her nephew is autistic, and she says she employed tactics to ensure Jaxon felt at ease, including soft speech and gentle touch. With every pediatric patient she sees, Caddick, RN says her goal is to make them feel loved, understood and included. Moving forward, Meggison says shes found her hospital home should Jaxon have another need for emergency care. Im an advocate for my child, and my job is to make him feel safe, Meggison says of the compassion she experienced. Ive never taken him to a hospital where theyve been that attentive to him, she says. It was like a family situation. Berkshire Money Management Welcomes Operations Manager DALTON, Mass. Natalie Wheeler has joined the Berkshire Money Managament team as operations manager. Prior to joining Berkshire Money Management, Wheeler was the director of office operations at Atlas Private Wealth Management for nine years. During her time at Atlas, she helped spearhead organizational goals and procedures to ensure that all general office and personnel operations ran smoothly across multiple offices. Her professional versatility provided all employees with the necessary tools, training and resources they needed to be successful. Wheeler also managed employee benefits and all human resource questions and concerns. "Natalie has significant executive-level experience. BMM is growing faster, we believe, than any other financial service firm in the area because of our depth and breadth of services," founder and CEO Allen Harris said. "She will play a big role in helping us sustain that growth by keeping our operational machine humming as we offer more sophisticated and customized guidance to our clients." On Jan. 29, the Israeli Central Elections Committee will debate three petitions calling for Balad Knesset member Heba Yazbak to be barred from running for reelection on the Joint List. The petitioners Knesset members Ofir Katz (Likud), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beitenu), and the extremist right-wing party Otzma Yehudit charge that Yazbak supports terrorism and rejects Israels right to exist as a Jewish state. Appended to the petitions are a slew of remarks said to prove that Yazbak praises terrorists. For example, the day after the killing of Samir Kuntar in December 2015, she posted his photo on her Facebook page and wrote, I did not return from Palestine [referencing his years in an Israeli jail] only in order to return to Palestine and referred to him as al-shahid al-mujahid, which roughly translates as martyred warrior. In April 1979, Kuntar and another person entered the home of the Haran family in the Israeli-Lebanese border town of Nahariya, kidnapped the father, Danny, and his four-year-old daughter Einat, and took them to the beach. Israeli soldiers surrounded them and Kuntar shot Danny dead and crushed Einats skull with the butt of his Kalashnikov. In 2008, he was released from an Israeli jail as part of a deal with Hezbollah, in return for the bodies of Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser, two Israeli soldiers abducted by the organization. After Kuntar's release, he joined Hezbollah's senior leadership and eventually landed on the United States' terror watch list. In 2015, he died in Syria in an attack on the building in which he was staying. The rebel Free Syrian Army, opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, claimed responsibility, but Hezbollah blamed the Israeli air force for Kuntar's assassination. Kuntar was not the only person Yazbak honored with the designation mujahid (holy warrior). Over the years, Yazbak shared posts and photos of other shahids (martyrs) with blood on their hands. In 2013, for example, she posted a photo of Dalal Mughrabi and wrote, She managed to do so much although she was killed at the age of 20. I salute womens resistance. Mughrabi was a member of a Palestinian Fatah terror squad that infiltrated Israel from Lebanon in 1978 and hijacked a bus near Haifa. Thirty-five Israelis, including 12 children, died in the attack. Many of Yazbaks remarks had been presented to the Supreme Court prior to the September 2019 elections in a challenge submitted by Otzma Yehudit against the Central Elections Committee approving Yazbaks inclusion on the Joint List ticket. The justices made no bones about their opinion of Yazbak. Justice Yitzhak Amit wrote, Samir Kuntar crushed the skull of a baby. Identifying with him is a shame and a disgrace, with three exclamation marks. Identifying with him with a quarter of a finger nail is a disgrace. Chief Justice Esther Hayut held, [Yazbak's] expressions are support for a terror organization. Nonetheless, the court did not disqualify Yazbak's candidacy because the petition had been filed against the entire Joint List, not Yazbak alone. Now, ahead of the March 2 elections for the 23rd Knesset, three petitions have been submitted specifically against her. The petitioners, all on the political right, are expected to receive backing from the center-left. The centrist Blue and White, the current front-runner, backs the petitions, and the Labor Party is inclined to do so as well. The petition to disqualify Yazbak is undeniably justified and must be supported unreservedly, declared Itzik Shmuli, head of the Labor-Gesher Knesset faction. The left-wing Meretz, running with Labor-Gesher in the March elections, is, however, opposed. Knesset member Yair Golan, seventh on the Labor-Gesher-Meretz ticket, tweeted, I am uncomfortable reading Yazbaks Facebook comments, but disqualifying a law-abiding citizen from running is to reward the detractors of Israeli democracy. Let us focus on disqualifying a gang of violent law breakers [i.e., settlers] who have been clashing with police and soldiers their entire life, because in a democracy, people are disqualified over their actions and not over sharing outrageous comments on Facebook. Golan is wrong. Under the Basic Law: The Knesset, Article 7A, a person is ineligible to run if his or her remarks, whether implicitly or explicitly, negate Israels existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incite to racism or support armed struggle by an enemy state or a terrorist organization. Yazbak's denial and those of her Balad and Joint List colleagues, who argue that she did not support Kuntars actions and was only expressing her reservations about his assassination, remain unconvincing. She would not have used the words shahid and mujahid unless she was trying to express regret over the death of a man who murdered members of an Israeli family. This, however, raises another issue. Is everyone who expresses support for acts of terror ineligible to run for the Knesset? That does not appear to be the case. In the living room of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leader of Otzma Yehudit, hangs a portrait of Baruch Goldstein, the Jewish settler who slaughtered 29 Muslim worshipers in Hebron in 1994. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court did not ban his run in previous elections. Not only did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not petition for his disqualification, he whitewashed him as a legitimate political contender and recently offered him an ambassadorial appointment as an incentive for his party to bow out of the elections to avoid wasting tens of thousands of right-wing votes if the party failed to cross the electoral threshold necessary to enter the Knesset. The petition by the racist Otzma Yehudit to ban Yazbak is the height of absurdity. Ben-Gvir argues in the petition that a critical mass of evidence proves that Yazbak supports terrorism, praises terrorists and killers of Jews and tries to justify acts of terror. Balad Chair Mtanes Shehadeh told Al-Monitor that his party vehemently opposes the killing of anyone. We favor a legitimate popular struggle, Shehadeh said. This is a principled position, and Heba Yazbak fully supports it. Shehadeh expressed surprise that Labor and Blue and White had joined the strident calls on the right, adding that when the time comes, the Joint List in determining its position will take into account those who backed the disqualification of their colleague. In other words, if the Labor and Blue and White representatives on the Central Elections Committee do, indeed, vote for Yazbaks disqualification, the Joint List should abstain from actively or passively supporting a future government led by Blue and White chief Benny Gantz. Knesset member Ofer Cassif, a Hadash representative on the Joint List whom the Central Elections Committee disqualified from running but the Supreme Court reinstated, told Al-Monitor, One can agree that she made a mistake, but nowhere did she express support for terrorists. She objected to Kuntars assassination, and that is like me expressing opposition to the assassination of [Iranian commander] Qasem Soleimani [by the United States]. I do not support his actions, of course, but I oppose assassinations in general, just as I objected to the assassination of Minister Rehavam Zeevi [by a Palestinian in 2001]." Cassif said he had spoken with Yazbak and that she in no way supports terrorism. He asserts that the radical Jewish right, whose adherents riot like gang members, and neo-Nazi organizations, like Lehava, have replaced controversial former Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi with Heba Yazbak as the target for their harassment. Cassif is not hopeful about Yazbaks prospects. The chief justice has already expressed her view and opened the door to her disqualification, he said. KRAKOW, Poland, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary General Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa and American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris led today a groundbreaking joint visit of Muslims and Jews to Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi German death camp. Al-Issa, who is based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, led a delegation of 62 Muslims, including 25 prominent religious leaders, from some 28 countries on several continents. The mission is the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to ever visit Auschwitz or any Nazi German death camp. The mission to Auschwitz is a key element of the Memorandum of Understanding between AJC and MWL, which was signed by Dr. Al-Issa and Mr. Harris at AJC headquarters in New York on April 30, 2019. The visit occurred just ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which this year will mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi camp, where more than one million Jews were exterminated, as well as over 100,000 non-Jewish inmates, among them principally Polish Catholics, Roma, and Soviet prisoners of war. "To be here, among the children of Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish and Islamic communities, is both a sacred duty and a profound honor. The unconscionable crimes to which we bear witness today are truly crimes against humanity. That is to say, a violation of us all, an affront to all of God's children," said Dr. Al-Issa. The AJC delegation of 24 people included AJC President Harriet Schleifer, immediate past president John Shapiro and his wife, Dr. Shonni Silverberg, and Roberta Baruch and Steven Zelkowitz, members of AJC's Executive Council. The parents of Schleifer and Zelkowitz were Holocaust survivors. "Visiting this sacred place, understanding what transpired at Auschwitz, is vital to preserving the memory of the Jewish, and non-Jewish, victims of the Nazis and striving to ensure that such horrors never happen again," said Harris, the son of Holocaust survivors. "We are deeply moved to be the hosts for such an unprecedented visit. This creates the chance not only to deepen understanding of the unparalleled crime that took place here, but also to build bridges of friendship and cooperation between Muslims and Jews in pursuit of a more humane and safer world for all." Each member of the Muslim and Jewish delegations carried a memorial candle and placed it at the monument honoring the more than 1.1 million people murdered at the Nazi camp. Following the ceremony and memorial prayers for the dead, Dr. Al-Issa offered remarks in which he said, "By paying tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, we not only honor the dead but celebrate the living. Throughout the visit, stories of our shared humanity showed through the horror. I was amazed by stories of some individual Muslims who sought to save Jews from the Holocaust at great personal risk in Europe and North Africa. These precious men and women represent the true values of Islam. And today's visit by the AJC and MWL is made in the spirit of this noble tradition of brotherhood, peace, and love." The MWL and AJC delegations will continue their joint mission in Warsaw tomorrow. They will visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, meet with the Muslim community of Warsaw and attend a prayer service, participate in a special program at the Nozyk Synagogue, and join together for an interfaith Shabbat dinner at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org We've seen tantalizing clues of what to expect from "Star Trek: Picard," the new CBS All Access series starring Patrick Stewart as the iconic Star Trek Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but it's more than likely been some time since you last sat down and binged all seven seasons of "The Next Generation" or "Voyager." And let's face facts, you probably haven't rewatched "Star Trek: Nemesis" for ages. So while it's not necessary to give up 10.8 days without so much as a bathroom break, we've compiled a more manageable, must-watch guide to essential episodes that will aid the enjoyment and raise your appreciation of "Star Trek: Picard." So ready your away team and set phasers to flashback. Here's our essential Trek viewing guide for "Star Trek: Picard!" Video: Patrick Stewart and Isa Briones Talk Trek with Space.com! Related: 'Star Trek: Picard' Couture: Jean-Luc's 15 Best TNG Outfits The Measure of a Man Commander Bruce Maddox, a Starfleet cyberneticist once tried to have Data disassembled in attempt to replicate him. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "The Measure of a Man" (S02, E09) Premise: When transfer orders demand Data's reassignment for study and disassembly Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) must prove Lt. Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner) is legally a sentient lifeform with rights and freedoms under Federation law. Relevance: This was one of the few episodes that dealt with the issue that not everyone is comfortable with artificial lifeforms. In fact, a cyberneticist called Cmdr. Bruce Maddox (Brian Brophy) was the sole member of a Starfleet special admissions panel to oppose Data's admission to Starfleet Academy, on the basis that Data was not a sentient being. Datalore Lore was a fourth generation Soong android and Data was a fifth, but unlike Data, Lore picked up a flutter somewhere along the way. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "Datalore" (S01, E13) Premise: The USS Enterprise visits Omicron Theta, the planet where Data was discovered by the USS Tripoli in 2338 when it responded to a distress call from the colony following its destruction by the Crystalline Entity . Once there, they find his brother, Lore , and discover his true nature. Relevance: This is Lore's (played Brent Spiner, who appears in "Picard") first appearance, which may turn out to be a significant plot point in "Picard," also we get to learn a little about Dr. Noonian Soong (also played Brent Spiner), the creator of both Data and Lore. The Offspring Data creates a new sentient lifeform that he names Lal and treats as his daughter (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "The Offspring" (S03, E16) Premise: Data builds a new android, which he names Lal and views as his daughter. However, the seriousness of this seemingly innocent act quickly attracts the attention of Starfleet, who wants to separate the child from Data and the Enterprise for study and analysis. Relevance: Another of the few episodes, along with "The Measure of a Man" that dealt with the issues facing artificial life. This episode is also an excellent example of the growing relationship between Picard and Data. Sadly however, Lal suffers a total system failure as a result of a fault in her positronic brain . The Best of Both Worlds parts 1 & 2 The Borg wanted to use Picard as an intermediary for the human race to facilitate the assimilation of Earth with the fewest number of casualties. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "The Best of Both Worlds" parts 1 & 2 (S03, E26 & S04, E01) Premise: Generally considered the best episode of "The Next Generation" after "All Good Things." The Borg begins their invasion of Federation space and along the way capture and assimilate Picard. In doing so, he becomes part of the collective but is unusually given a name, Locutus and the Borg has access to all of the Captains knowledge and experience. Relevance: We know the Borg play a significant part in "Picard," as weve seen that Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) returns as does Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) plus weve seen a Borg cube in the trailer. Family Our very first look at the tranquil setting of the Picard vineyard in La Barre, France. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "Family" (S04, E02) Premise: Following almost directly on from "The Best of Both Worlds," Picard takes some well-deserved leave and visits his family at the Picard vineyard in La Barre, France, near the French/Swiss border as part of his recovery from his assimilation by the Borg. Relevance: Another of the very best "The Next Generation" episodes, we see for the very first time the Picard vineyard, which we know features heavily in the new show. We also meet for the first time his brother Robert (Jeremy Kemp), his wife Marie (Samantha Eggar) and his nephew Rene (David Birkin). Unification parts 1 & 2 Through Spocks attempts to bring peace, Picard begins his close association with the people of Romulus. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "Unification" parts 1 & 2 (S05, E07 & S05, E08) Premise: Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) embarks on an unauthorized journey to Romulus. Fearing he has defected, the Federation sends Picard on a covert mission to determine why. On Romulus, Picard and Data meet with Spock, who claims to be trying to reunite the Romulans and Vulcans. Meanwhile however, powers within the Romulan government attempt to pervert Spocks mission and portray it as an invasion of the Federation. Relevance: Speculation that Romulans and Vulcans are related goes all the way back to "The Original Series," but the idea is explored in much more detail in "The Next Generation." But this excellent two-part episode gives us another insight into Romulan culture, which we know plays heavily in the new "Picard" show. I Borg Three of five, or Hugh, is the first Borg we see separated from the collective, something that happens more in "Star Trek: Voyager." (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "I Borg" (S05, E23) Premise: The crew of the Enterprise find a crashed Borg shuttlecraft and a lone survivor. Taking him up the ship, he is separated from the collective and begins to discover he has an individual identity. He even picks a name for himself, Hugh. Picard is ordered to plant a virus that will spread through the hive mind and could wipe out the Federations most lethal enemy. Instead however, he repairs Hugh and returns him to the crash site where he is recovered by the Borg. Relevance: We know Hugh makes a return in "Picard" so this episode is definitely essential viewing. We also know that returning Hugh to the collective had a damaging effect on the single mind mentality of the Borg as we saw later in "Descent." Descent parts 1 & 2 Data and Lore, both created by Dr. Noonian Soong, stand amongst Borg now separated from the collective. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "Descent" parts 1 & 2 (S06, E26 & S07, E01) Premise: Datas evil twin, Lore, stumbles upon the Borg ship that Hugh is on. His new sense of individuality has spread to everyone onboard and theyre in a state of disarray, not knowing how to function as a unit. Lore seizes this opportunity to rule them. The Enterprise is lured through a trans-warp conduit to an unnamed planet where they find Lore and his new Borg servants. However, not every Borg from Hughs ship has taken to Lore and an underground resistance movement exists. Relevance: Despite the Borg collective separating itself from Hughs ship, the damage done by giving him individuality was apparent. This is another important episode as it both concludes Hugh's origin story, but also sows the seeds of Borg evolution that we'd see more of in "Star Trek: Voyager." All Good Things parts 1 & 2 How much of Picard's future that we saw in the series finale will also appear in the new show? (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode: "All Good Things" parts 1 & 2 (S07, E25) Premise: The mischievous entity Q (John de Lancie) sends Picard travelling to and from three very specific time periods, past, present and future to solve a chicken and egg-style riddle about the destruction of all life in the galaxy. Relevance: We get to see what the future holds for Picard and the bridge crew of the Enterprise but is it the real future, or just one crafted by Q as part of this new puzzle? We know Data doesnt make it this far in the future because he was killed in the movie "Star Trek: Nemesis." We learn Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) died in this future and will Picard actually develop Irumodic syndrome in the new show..? Scorpion parts 1 & 2 Seven was assimilated when she was just six-years old. Once rescued by the USS Voyager, she became an invaluable member of the crew. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: Voyager" Episode: "Scorpion" parts 1 & 2 (S03, E25 & S04, E01) Premise: The USS Voyager flies through Borg space and encounters an alien race (designated by the Borg as species 8472 ) even more powerful than the Borgand naturally determined to destroy all life in the galaxy. This leads Cpt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to form an alliance with the Borg in order to survive and ultimately defeat them. Relevance: This is the episode that first introduces us to the Borg drone Seven of Nine . Born Annika Hansen, she was the daughter of human exobiologists Magnus and Erin Hansen and assimilated by the Borg at the age of six. Seven was freed and joined the Voyager crew, ultimately returning to the Alpha Quadrant with them. Unimatrix Zero parts 1 & 2 Seven has a chance to speak freely to other beings that've been assimilated in a subconscious sanctuary called Unimatrix Zero. (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: Voyager" Episode: "Unimatrix Zero" parts 1 & 2 (S06, E26 & S07 E, 01) Premise: As Voyager approaches an alien outpost decimated by the Borg, Seven begins to dream vividly of an idyllic sanctuary, known as Unimatrix Zero , where Borg drones can gather subconsciously during their regeneration cycles. This represents a threat to the Borg collective in the Delta Quadrant that Janeway wants to exploit. Relevance: This another example of how the Borg were evolving in "Star Trek" storylines, moving on from the mindless automatons we saw in "The Next Generation," they now included a queen and a place where Borg drones could gather and remember their lives before they were assimilated, Unimatrix Zero. Star Trek: Nemesis (Image credit: CBS) Movie: "Star Trek: Nemesis" Premise: Supposedly the Romulans want to negotiate a peace treaty, so the Enterprise is sent to their homeworld, Romulus. However, a coup d'etat on Romulus brings a new praetor, Shinzon, to power. However, hes not a Romulan, but a genetic copy of Jean-Luc Picard and he now plots to destroy the Federation once and for all. Relevance: Prior to "Picard," "Nemesis" was the very last installment of "The Next Generation" and we get a glimpse of the Romulan homeworld, Romulus, we see the marriage of Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi plus the discovery of B-4 and the death of Data. Children of Mars The "Short Trek" entitled "Children of Mars" shows the sneak attack on Mars by a rogue group of synthetics (Image credit: CBS) Series: "Star Trek: Short Treks" Episode: "Children of Mars" (S02, E06) Premise: Two young children, whose parents are away working on Mars, clash spectacularly while at boarding school in San Francisco. The two girls are awaiting punishment when news of the attack on Mars breaks. In light of the devastation and the unknown fate of their parents, they put aside their differences in a touching moment of solidarity. Relevance: This is the first glimpse we get to see of the sneak attack on Mars by a rogue group of synthetics in 2384. An event that we've learrned plays a key role in "Star Trek: Picard." Honorable mentions The episode "The Defector" is the first of several in "The Next Generation" that show Romulan mentality and the secretive nature of their culture. A defector from the Romulan Empire claims to have vital information concerning a renewed Romulan offensive against the Federation and seeks asylum aboard the Enterprise, but Picard has suspicions over whether his claims are genuine. The defector, Setal, (James Sloyan) turns out to be Alidar Jarok, the commander responsible for the massacre at the Norkan outposts. The augments story arc in the vastly underrated series "Enterprise" should definitely get a mention as the talented Brent Spiner plays Arik Soong, the brilliant-but-bonkers father of Dr. Noonian Soong, the scientist who designed and built Data. This three episode-long plot brilliantly links Soong to Khan Noonien Singh (from the TOS episode Space Seed and the movie The Wrath of Khan) and the Eugenics Wars and shows how Arik Soong gave up trying to enhance humans and began instead for the first time to focus on artificial intelligence. Finally, we probably should mention the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot "Star Trek" even though were not particularly big fans of his contributions to the "Star Trek" universe. This was the first time we heard about Romulus being destroyed by the supernova of 2387 . Ambassador Spock used a MacGuffin red matter to create a black hole that would consume the star's energy. However, before he could complete his mission, the supernova reached Romulus, destroying the planet. Among those killed were the family of Nero, who swore revenge against Spock, Vulcan and the Federation for allowing his world to die. During their initial confrontation, both the ships of Spock and Nero were pulled into the newly created black hole, sending them back in time and resulting in the creation of the alternate reality, known as the Kelvin Timeline. Whether or not this is mentioned in detail in Picard remains to be seen. Related: 'Star Trek: Discovery' and 'Picard': A Closer Look at Those New Trailers The 10-episode "Star Trek: Picard" series will premiere on Jan. 23, 2020 on the paid subscription streaming service CBS All Access in the U.S., and in Canada on Bell Media's Space and OTT service Crave. New episodes will air each week. CBS and Amazon Studios have announced that the new show will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries worldwide within 24 hours of its premiere on CBS All Access and Space in the US and Canada, respectively. CBS All Access subscription is the home of "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Discovery" and a host of other original and archival CBS television shows. Subscriptions start at $5.99 a month. You can try CBS All Access for a week free here . Follow Scott Snowden on Twitter . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Wood Raw Material Costs for World Pulp Producers Fell in 2019, Biggest Decreases Occurred in Europe Softwood pulplog prices fell in the key markets of Europe in the fall of 2019. This price decline contributed to a two-year low of the Softwood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) in the 3Q/19, according to the WRQ. With the hardwood fiber price movements having been mixed the past year, the Hardwood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) has not change much year-over-year. Prices for softwood pulplogs and wood chips were down between 1-15% quarter-over-quarter, depending on region, with the biggest price reductions occurring in Germany, France, Sweden and the US Northwest. Jan. 23, 2020 - Wood raw material costs were down for pulp manufacturers in most regions around the world in the 3Q/19 as compared to both the previous quarter and the 3Q/18, according to Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). Prices for softwood pulplogs and wood chips were down between 1-15% quarter-over-quarter, depending on region, with the biggest price reductions occurring in Germany, France, Sweden and the US Northwest. The only region with higher prices in the 3Q/19 was Western Canada, where pulplog prices increased by 10% q-o-q. The Softwood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) fell by 2.2% q-o-q to $89.26/odmt in the 3Q/19, the lowest level in two years, and slightly below its five-year average. In Germany, softwood pulplog prices have experienced a dramatic decline the past year because of an oversupply of low-grade logs from harvests of insect and storm damaged forests. The average price for contracted logs was at the lowest point since the WRQ started tracking prices in 1988. Some spot prices were as low as $10-15/m3 in regions where landowners were desperate to move damaged trees from their lands. With the sharp decline in softwood pulplogs prices in Germany, the country currently has some of the world lowest pulplog prices. The Hardwood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) has been fairly stable at around $90/odmt the past year. In the 3Q/19, the HFPI fell slightly from the previous quarter but was about one percent higher than in the 3Q/18. There were very small price changes q-o-q for hardwood fiber in the 15 regions tracked by the WRQ. Of the major hardwood consuming regions in the world, pulpmills in Russia (+13%), China (+8%), US South (+8%), Germany (-10%) and Indonesia (-8%) have seen the biggest changes in wood fiber costs the past year. With uncertainty surrounding when market pulp prices will rebound, how fast the imbalance in fiber demand and supply in Europe will be corrected, and when the trade negotiations between the US and China will be settled, forecasting of wood fiber prices will remain challenging in 2020. Wood Resource Quarterly is published by Wood Resources International, an internationally recognized forest industry consulting firm. For further information visit: www.woodprices.com . SOURCE: Wood Resources International LLC RoseAnn DeMoro, a close friend and staunch supporter of Bernie Sanders, has been so stinging in her criticism of Sanders's rivals and detractors that his campaign has called her and asked her to "tone it down," she said. The former head of an influential nurses union isn't letting up. "We're not programmed," DeMoro said in an interview. "There's no lockstep here." As Sanders, I-Vt., has risen in the polls and clashed more sharply with his opponents, a dilemma has emerged for his campaign - how to rein in his fervent following and merge it with a Democratic Party he and his supporters have frequently fought. It's become a central question for the Sanders candidacy as many Democrats are desperately seeking a nominee who can unite the party against President Donald Trump - and one his campaign is addressing with new urgency. Campaign officials have been pressing surrogates and other allies not to escalate combustible disputes that have recently become more personal, according to people with knowledge of the situation, including a tense fight with Joe Biden, an altercation with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and a renewed schism with Hillary Clinton. Sanders issued a rare apology this week to Biden after a prominent supporter wrote an opinion article declaring that the former vice president has a "big corruption problem." And after Clinton slammed Sanders, he sidestepped her comments instead of rebuking her. But many Sanders supporters, and even some campaign aides, are inclined to take a more aggressive approach that they say will highlight important differences. DeMoro said Biden has a "character issue," and she sarcastically thanked Clinton for drawing "a lot of neutral people" to Sanders with her attacks. Zephyr Teachout, the Sanders supporter who wrote that Biden had a corruption troubles, defended her op-ed in an email to The Washington Post, suggesting that the issue of corruption remains crucial in deciding which Democrat is best to take on Trump. "We can't let Trump and Trumpism make us stop talking about systemic corruption because he has abused the term, and tried to destroy its meaning, and because his own corruption is so grotesque," she said. Some close Sanders allies acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the passions of his loyal backers, inspired by his calls for a political revolution and his staunchly liberal platform, with the need to demonstrate a broader unity. The task is crucial, they said, as Sanders seeks to woo Democrats in Iowa, where voters are known for rejecting negative politics, ahead of the state's Feb. 3 caucuses. "This is a moment for our campaign to show we are capable of uniting not just our base but the broader Democratic Party and country - and healing a nation that is deeply divided," sad Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a national co-chair of the Sanders campaign. Khanna drew parallels to the test then-Sen. Barack Obama faced in 2008 when revelations about racially charged sermons by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, threatened to derail his campaign. Obama rose to the occasion with a unifying call and by showing leadership, Khanna said, and Sanders has similarly met the moment "by making it clear that everyone in this movement has to live up to his values and standards." Adding to Sanders's challenge are old wounds from his 2016 battle with Clinton that were reopened this week by her scathing assessment of her former rival. "Nobody likes him," she said of Sanders in a new documentary. She followed that up with comments published Tuesday in The Hollywood Reporter, in which she accused Sanders of supporting sexist attacks. Clinton later sought to soften her remarks. Sanders opted not to engage her, instead issuing a brief written statement saying his focus was on serving as a juror in Trump's Senate impeachment trial. Despite being peppered by questions from reporters at the Capitol, Sanders has studiously declined to criticize his former rival. Sanders supporters such as DeMoro, however, are not holding back, portraying Clinton as a has-been. "I think she must be unaware of how low her favorables are," DeMoro said. "It really outraged a lot of people. It activated a lot of neutral people. Thank you, Hillary, thank you." DeMoro said that although Sanders is often reluctant to stoke personal fights, his supporters want him to throw more aggressive counterpunches. "Bernie's thing is he doesn't like the personalization thing - he's too good for that," she said. "In the base, if you will, we often feel like Bernie should hit back harder, because we feel insulted by the fact that they take such swipes at him." Sanders has long walked a careful line with the Democratic establishment. He's refused to join the party, calling himself an independent and a democratic socialist. At the same time, he's worked closely with Democratic leaders in the Senate and almost always voted with them, and in turn, he has received an influential leadership post. Sanders's explosive rise threatens that balance. Many Democrats say he has not moved swiftly enough to defuse his supporters' attacks, which they worry could hurt the party. "I don't think he's done enough," said Rufus Gifford, who served as finance director for Obama's 2012 campaign and has raised money for Biden. "I don't believe, dating back to 2016, that the campaign apparatus has done enough to tamp the negativity down." Champions of Sanders disagree. They note that he has frequently pledged to support whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee. He also sent an email to supporters at the outset of his campaign urging them to be respectful of his opponents. Ben Cohen, a national co-chair of the Sanders campaign, said the campaign recently distributed a note reinforcing that approach. Sanders has often said that he is not in the business of disparaging his rivals in a personal way, preferring instead to draw contrasts over policy. As he put it on the campaign trail in New Hampshire last weekend, "Should we be engaged in ugly personal attacks against each other? I think not." He added, "Why do you run for office if you don't talk about your vision and your record?" But the line between policy critiques and personal attacks is not always clear - especially to his backers - and even as Sanders has sought to tamp down some tensions, he has been stoking others. A fight has intensified this week over Sanders's claims that Biden has not been a strong defender of Social Security, which Biden forcefully disputes. Each candidate put out a video critical of the other. In Teachout's op-ed, which a Sanders aide said the senator did not know of in advance, she argued that Biden is too cozy with big donors from the credit card, health-care and fossil fuel industries, which Sanders routinely attacks on the campaign trail. "I know it seems crazy, but a lot of the voters we need - independents and people who might stay home - will look at Biden and Trump and say: 'They're all dirty,' " Teachout wrote. Sanders adviser David Sirota, who has aggressively gone after Biden on social media, highlighted Teachout's op-ed in his Bern Notice newsletter. Sirota declined to comment. Associating Biden with corruption - an attack also leveled by Trump - did not sit well with Sanders. "It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way, and I'm sorry that that op-ed appeared," Sanders said in a Monday interview with CBS News, hours after the article was published. Biden told the Iowa television station WHO that Sanders also apologized in person, and he thanked the senator. Sanders has also criticized the tactics of other supporters. One Sanders aide publicized a video this month that showed clips of Biden talking about Social Security, which fact-checkers said had been edited in a misleading way. Sanders acknowledged Sunday that the video should have had "the whole context," though he reiterated his case that Biden has not been a strong supporter of Social Security. In the CBS interview, Sanders made a broad request to his backers: "I appeal to my supporters: Please, engage in civil discourse." Still, he said, his partisans were not the only ones crossing the line, and he encouraged everyone to "have a debate on the issues." The clash between Sanders and Warren focused on a more personal matter, involving a private conversation in 2018. Warren says that when she asserted that a woman could defeat Trump, Sanders disagreed; he forcefully denies having done so. Sanders has appeared eager to defuse the matter, but once again the actions of his followers did not always match his message. Scores of social media users identifying themselves as his supporters used snake icons to attack Warren as duplicitous and touted a #NeverWarren hashtag. - - - The Washington Post's Chelsea Janes contributed to this report. Customer experience trumps product and price in 2020 With the new year already well on its way, South African business leaders will be looking to claw any advantage they can over their competitors. Nathalie Schooling, CEO of customer experience specialists nlighten, urges companies to prioritise CX spend this year, and shares five simple steps to get started. Nathalie Schooling that 2020 is the year in which customer experience (CX) will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. So compelling is the appeal, that a joint Econsultancy and Adobe study found that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. As we enter the new decade, its important for businesses to realise that they are going to be left behind if they are product-centric. Investing in smart technology can make for a great product and selling point but boosts in sales will be short-lived if you are not taking steps to consider the holistic customer journey and user experience, says Schooling. #BizTrends2020: Faster and smarter - 8 retail trends for 2020 While budgets may limit the extent to which local brands can take advantage of this shift, here are five areas they can start addressing to win customers affection. 1. You can't manage what you dont measure Measuring how satisfied your customers are is vital, but whats even more important is understanding the context. What this means is that any customer feedback mechanisms should attempt to build your understanding of what your customers want, as well as what they expect. Brands can implement simple direct-feedback mechanisms to harvest customer opinions, or through unbiased third-party providers who offer this service. 2. The devil is in the detail You can only fix what you know is broken in your customer experience. And the best way to gain that knowledge is to understand what its like doing business with you from the start to finish at every single touchpoint. Armed with this information, you can create a customer journey map. This tool should then be used to track customers experience, and constantly refine that experience to ensure that it consistently meets their expectations. 3. Be clear and bold This may come as a surprise, but not all your clients are aware of your unique value proposition. It is therefore essential that you clearly articulate to them why they should rather do business with you rather than your competitors. It should not be taken for granted that your customers are aware of this, and the best way to reinforce this is to communicate this internally first. Armed with this knowledge, your staff are better able to communicate this to clients and thereby win their loyalty. 4. Build a CX culture Which brings us to probably the most effective, and least costly way to ensure that your customers receive a consistently high-quality experience communication. Only if everyone in your organisation understands their role in ensuring that your customers expectations are met (possibly even exceeded) can you be assured of CX success. You can achieve that through ongoing internal communication, training programmes (especially during onboarding of new staff), leading from the front by management and reward and recognition programmes. 5. Keep at it Building great customer experiences and engraining that into your organisations culture takes commitment to continually improving. And it takes time this wont happen overnight. Creating a business that differentiates by understanding what customers want and need is an iterative, ongoing process that adapts as people change and their needs and wants change. Research shows that 2020 is the year in which customer experience (CX) will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. So compelling is the appeal, that a joint Econsultancy and Adobe study found that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience.As we enter the new decade, its important for businesses to realise that they are going to be left behind if they are product-centric. Investing in smart technology can make for a great product and selling point but boosts in sales will be short-lived if you are not taking steps to consider the holistic customer journey and user experience, says Schooling.While budgets may limit the extent to which local brands can take advantage of this shift, here are five areas they can start addressing to win customers affection.Measuring how satisfied your customers are is vital, but whats even more important is understanding the context. What this means is that any customer feedback mechanisms should attempt to build your understanding of what your customers want, as well as what they expect.Brands can implement simple direct-feedback mechanisms to harvest customer opinions, or through unbiased third-party providers who offer this service.You can only fix what you know is broken in your customer experience. And the best way to gain that knowledge is to understand what its like doing business with you from the start to finish at every single touchpoint.Armed with this information, you can create a customer journey map. This tool should then be used to track customers experience, and constantly refine that experience to ensure that it consistently meets their expectations.This may come as a surprise, but not all your clients are aware of your unique value proposition. It is therefore essential that you clearly articulate to them why they should rather do business with you rather than your competitors.It should not be taken for granted that your customers are aware of this, and the best way to reinforce this is to communicate this internally first. Armed with this knowledge, your staff are better able to communicate this to clients and thereby win their loyalty.Which brings us to probably the most effective, and least costly way to ensure that your customers receive a consistently high-quality experience communication. Only if everyone in your organisation understands their role in ensuring that your customers expectations are met (possibly even exceeded) can you be assured of CX success.You can achieve that through ongoing internal communication, training programmes (especially during onboarding of new staff), leading from the front by management and reward and recognition programmes.Building great customer experiences and engraining that into your organisations culture takes commitment to continually improving. And it takes time this wont happen overnight.Creating a business that differentiates by understanding what customers want and need is an iterative, ongoing process that adapts as people change and their needs and wants change. Lucknow, Jan 23 : In an apparent attempt to corner the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh and confront the ruling BJP head on, the Congress will launch a state wide movement for the problems of farmers. According to sources, under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress will organise 'Kisan Jan Jagran Abhiyan' at the village level every month highlighting farmers' problems in the state. Later, a massive rally of farmers will be held in the districts of the state. The strategy for the movement has already been chalked out and the program will be formally announced in the coming week. The program is expected to begin after the Delhi Assembly elections are over. This will be the first major movement under the leadership of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi in the state. A senior party functionary said that the Congress party will take on the Yogi Adityanath government on issues like stray cattle, payment of dues to sugarcane farmers, irregularities in the procurement of paddy, and suicide of farmers in Bundelkhand. "Party workers will reach out to the farmers to fill a form in which they can write about their problems. The forms collected from the farmers will be handed over to the Tehsildar/District Magistrate at the district level and will be sent to the state government," he said. The Congress workers will also distribute leaflets in which the situation of farmers will be compared during the UPA and NDA governments. The party will also seek loan waiver for farmers, waiver of half the electricity bill, cowshed, and watchdog allowance in every village It is noteworthy that, late on Wednesday, Priyanka had taken a dig at Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav when she said in Rae Bareli that some leaders did not stir out of their homes to support the protests against the citizenship laws. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, is in Rae Bareli on a two-day tour where the training of State Congress Committee and District Congress Committee heads is going on. During her stay, Priyanka will give directions to the leaders and workers of the party regarding the farmers' movement. JEROME There is a growing list of books students at South Hills Middle School say would like to see in their school library. A $2,000 grant from the First Federal Foundation will help the school get closer to fulfilling those requests. We started off with a decent library, but its not as robust as we would like it to be said Ryan Ellsworth, principal of South Hills Middle School who was accepting the grant on behalf of the school librarian Whitney Moses. Its one of (Moses) goals to make it that. During a Jan. 22 event at the Blue Lakes Country Club, the First Federal Foundation awarded its millionth dollar since the organizations founding in 2003. Its awards $80,000 annually and typically gives grants of $5,000 or less to help community groups and schools carry out meaningful projects. The foundation also announced that its longtime chairman, Tom Ashenbrener, would step down after years of service and named Lori Ward, a board member for four years, as his replacement. Its a natural segue into a role that Im happy to fulfill, Ward said. Tom is a hard act to follow. The foundation awarded money to 13 groups at Wednesdays luncheon. Rock Creek Firefighter Association $4,800 The money the firefighter association received will go toward an inflatable safety house where children can learn fire safety firsthand. The house is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and can be taken to all schools in the associations school district. West End Senior Citizens $3,010 The senior center will use its awarded funds to modernize and upgrade its facility. It will upgrade its exterior, paint the interior and create a contemporary atmosphere. Living Independence Network $3,841 The group provides assistance, advocacy work as well as wheelchairs and ramps to help people with disabilities live independently. It will use the funds to expand in the Magic Valley and move equipment from its location in Boise to be used here. Filer Senior Haven $1,500 The center will use the money to purchase an air conditioner to be used in the food storage area. It intends to protect food from spoilage a problem the center had last year during the summer heat. Magic Mountain Ski Patrol $2,936.73 The ski patrol is part of a national organization of ski patrols and helps people who are injured or trapped at Magic Mountain every day. With the funds its received it will upgrade its response capabilities, including air and ground assets to help get people faster. Blanket Blessings $2,000 What started as a home operation providing blankets and bedding to those in need has grown. The organization will participate in Sleep in Heavenly Peaces build day. Sleep in Heavenly Peace provides beds to those in need. With the funds its received, Blanket Blessings will participate in a Stuff the Bus event where the group and volunteers fill a bus with blankets, pillows, sheets and more to give to furnish Sleep in Heavenly Peaces finished beds. Valley Recreation District $5,000 The city of Hazelton gave the recreation district a 20-acre parcel that it was able to turn into a park thats become a space for the community to gather. The money from First Federal will be used to put lights in the parking lot. When youve got 45 cars trying to get out of the parking lot at the same time, its actually quite a show, Rob Grant, director of the Valley Recreation District, said. Kimberly School District $2,200 When Sara Tolman, a teacher at Kimberly Middle School, learned that it was not required for all educators or staff to be CPR, first aid and AED-certified in Idaho, she was concerned because a leading cause of death among school-aged children is sudden cardiac arrest. The district then placed six automated external defibrillators within the entire district. Tolman will now be training staff to become CPR, first aid and AED-certified. The grant money will allow the district to purchase mannequins and equipment to carry out the district. I can not only train the staff at Kimberly School District, but other rural schools weve reached out to for help so we can save all precious lives, Tolman said. Hollister Elementary $5,000 The elementary school, which was built in the early 1900s, will use the funds to purchase new cafeteria tables. Magic Valley Arts Council $1,791.98 The arts council will use the funds to gather materials and supplies so more people can have access to its services. The money will go toward buying a trailer that can be loaded with supplies and easily taken to other communities. Burley High School $3,613.45 Art Silva, a social studies instructor, had his students recreate a World War II infirmary at the Cassia County Museum, but neither he nor the museum had the funds to continue the project. With the grant funds, Silva and his future students will be able to continue the project and recreate scenes from other wars Magic Valley residents fought in. Magic Valley Symphony Orchestra $5,000 The symphony orchestra is celebrating 60 years of its volunteer orchestra this year. It will use the money it received to buy a new timpani, or kettledrum, and move it in time for its concert Feb. 21. Megan Taros is a Times-News reporter and Report for America corps member covering the Magic Valleys Hispanic community and Jerome County. You can support her work by donating to Report for America at http://bit.ly/supportRFA. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BMS Group, the independent specialist (re)insurance broker, has appointed Jani Kohonen as senior vice president and Atlanta branch manager, effective on Jan. 29, 2020. He will be based in Atlanta and reports to Pete Chandler, president & CEO of BMS Re US. Kohonen has more than 15 years experience in the insurance and risk market. Before joining BMS, he was vice president at StarStone Insurance in Atlanta, overseeing its ILS initiatives and underwriting strategy in the U.S. E&S property space. Kohonen also worked at Aspen Insurance Group in New York between 2007 and 2017, where he held a number of senior roles, with a particular focus on catastrophe risk management. Kohonen began his career at Arch Insurance Group in 2005. According to Chandler, BMS has seen an increase in demand for its insurance products and will continue to expand its team and further increase its presence throughout the U.S. in 2020. BMS provides products in the fields of wholesale, reinsurance and direct insurance, and capital advisory. Topics USA By PTI MUMBAI: Maharashtra Police on Thursday informed state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh about the status of probe in the case of violence at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune on January 1, 2018, an official said. Pawar, Deshmukh and senior state police officials held a review meeting on the case at the state secretariat here in the morning. The meeting began around 8 am and went on for over an hour. "Senior police officers briefed the deputy chief minister and the home minister about the status of probe in the violence that took place on January 1, 2018," a home department official said. Another round of briefing is expected to take place soon, he added. The meeting assumes significance as NCP chief Sharad Pawar last month demand that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the Bhima-Koregaon case. NCP leader Deshmukh, after taking charge as Home minister, said earlier this month that he would seek a status report on the case and then take a decision. The term "urban Naxal" was used by the Pune Police probing the alleged links between the Elgar Parishad conclave of December 31, 2017 and the caste clashes around Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district the next day. While some rights activists were arrested in the case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. Ekbote was granted bail by the Supreme Court, while Bhide was never arrested. The Pune Police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The parishad, they alleged, instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on January 1, 2018. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. A Windrush man who was told the UK government had no record of him despite having spent nearly a decade serving in the British army says he is struggling to obtain compensation two years on. Paul Nichols, 75, was denied a student loan at the end of 2017 because his details were not on record which he said left him feeling betrayed after having been drafted into the armed forces from Barbados when he was 19 and lived in Britain ever since. Despite going through this, the Caribbean national says he has not yet applied for reparations under the Windrush compensation scheme due to difficulties accessing proper legal support to do so. Mr Nichols is one of many Windrush victims who, nearly two years after the scandal emerged, are struggling to get their lives back together due to a reported lack of state-funded support to help them claim compensation or apply for hardship funds. In some cases this is leading to people submitting very poor quality claims that may be rejected even though they are eligible, while in others it is causing people not to apply at all because the process is simply too complex to do without legal support, according to campaigners. The compensation scheme was announced in April and could pay out between 200m and 570m to Commonwealth nationals who had been in Britain for decades but had been refused their basic rights in the country. The Home Office has not released figures about how many people have applied. Since April 2019, Citizens Advice branches across the country have been providing a service funded by the Home Office to help those who are applying to the compensation scheme to fill in forms and provide support over the phone and in person, but lawyers said this was far from the help that was required. Mr Nichols said that although he knew he was eligible, the advice available for applying to the scheme was inadequate. He said he had already been offered poor legal advice by an independent lawyer, and that when he called Citizens Advice he experienced an absolute nightmare trying to get through to the right person on the phone. Ive spoken to various people and they give me advice and what not, but a lot of the advice given could be a lot better. There could be better communication. It is so complicated, especially for a lot of people who arent able to understand the jargon, he said. I wasted time and money on a particular legal adviser who was not forthcoming. Now I am hoping to get help from my MP. But it should be more open and flexible. The government owes a debt they need to keep up their end of the bargain. Remembering how he felt when told he wasnt eligible for a student loan due to his immigration status, he said: It was unbelievable. Its not just being refused because you havent got the papers, its being told you do not exist. I put my life on the line for Great Britain. To be dealt with in that dismissive manner after that is very traumatic. Immigration lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie, who has helped many to apply for Windrush compensation on a pro-bono basis, said: Theres no money for it to be done properly. Youve got all these little groups that have sprung up, offering legal advice from people without expertise. Were talking about peanuts very small sums of money that would make a difference. She claimed the shortage of funding for the Windrush community when compared to the government money that has gone into helping people apply for the EU settlement scheme which includes 50m on an app and 9m for charities helping vulnerable people apply amounted to racism. I dont want to be divisive between communities because its dreadful whats happening to many EU nationals, but their cases in the main are quite straightforward. I do settled status cases and they take me half an hour. With the Windrush cases Im seeing people five, six times just to get a witness statement to understand the impact on their life and the trauma, she said. Why are they treating these communities so differently? There can only be one explanation for that, and Im afraid I do think its racism. Jamie Beagent, a human rights lawyer at Leigh Day who is assisting around 30 Windrush victims with their compensation applications on a pro-bono basis, said the Home Office was misconceived in its argument that people would be able to present their cases sufficiently enough to be fairly compensated without legal advice. He said he and his team were spending long periods of time on each case due to their complexity, and having to spend large fees on obtaining medical records, Home Office records and other documents to provide as evidence. In terms of preparing a legal case to support complex historical claims of loss, it really is too much for most people to present a strong enough case to have that fairly assessed and be compensated, he said. If there was payment we could help more people, but we cant commit more time unremunerated. Certainly, the cases that were conducting, its taking qualified solicitors a significant amount of time to help clients individual cases and claims. Mr Beagent said the lack of legal support was causing some people who are eligible for compensation not to apply because the process is mind-boggling to them, and warned there would be miscarriages of justice because people wont be able to present their cases in a manner that satisfies the Home Office. Based on anecdotally people not applying when theyre entitled to, it would suggest people are suffering from the financial consequences of whats gone on, without having a prospect of recompense. Martin Forde QC, who devised the Windrush compensation scheme, said the main issue was not the lack of support but a lack of publicity about the service offered by Citizens Advice and a wider distrust in the Home Office among those affected. He said however that he would be in support of the Home Office offering funding to community groups in whom claimants may have greater trust, adding: The scheme must be accessible and financial assistance forthcoming from the Home Office who would no doubt require proper audit and governance as this is taxpayers money. Mother of Windrush man Dexter Bristol who died after months of immigration problems seeks justice Such has been the support throughout the country for the Windrush victims and such has been the feeling of national shame I do not believe taxpayers would be anything other than supportive of funding support for those making claims. A Home Office spokesperson said the department was currently looking at what more we can do on providing support for claimants. They added: We are righting the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation. That is why we established the Windrush compensation scheme, which has been carefully designed with independent oversight so that it is as easy to use as possible. The scheme aims to provide a decision to applicants as soon as possible but it is right that we take the time to ensure these are dealt with properly. There is independent advice and assistance available to anyone who would like support to complete their claim." Jailed WikiLeaks founders extradition hearing to be split into two parts and could continue to mid-year. A British judge warned against any further delay in hearing Julian Assanges fight against extradition to the United States on charges over the leak of classified documents. The WikiLeaks founders full hearing is now likely to continue to mid-year after lawyers on both sides asked for it to be split into two parts. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser agreed to the split, but told Westminster Magistrates Court in London she considered it a lengthy delay and added she was unlikely to look favourably on any further requests for dates to be moved. The case will open as planned at Woolwich Crown Court on February 24 but will adjourn after one week and continue with a three-week hearing scheduled to begin on May 18. A lawyer for the US government described the split as sensible and necessary, and Assanges team agreed, saying more time was needed before their case would be ready. Assange is awaiting the outcome of an extradition request by the US, where he faces 18 charges, including of conspiring to commit computer intrusion. He is accused of working with former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents. Split hearings Assange, who is being held at high-security prison Belmarsh, appeared via videolink on Thursday and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. The 48-year-old wore a grey-brown suit and beige shirt with black trainers and appeared to be clean-shaven. As with previous listings, supporters queued up outside the main building before it opened at 09:00 GMT and it was standing-room-only when court proceedings got under way. Clair Dobbin, for the US, made the application for the hearing to be split, saying various legal issues would need to be ruled on after the case opened next month, including whether to allow some witnesses to be anonymous. She said the US submitted a substantial affidavit to the court already but further defence evidence had since been served that needed to be responded to. She also said the US team had experts described as extremely busy practitioners and academics with very full diaries who still needed to make their own assessments of Assange. The US governments main barrister in the case, James Lewis, was also involved in a trial in Northern Ireland that was of a great deal of substance and importance, rendering him unavailable for almost three months after the extradition case begins, Dobbin said. More time needed Edward Fitzgerald, a lawyer for Assange, said instructing solicitors continued to work night and day over Christmas, but indicated the legal team was still facing difficulties in getting access to their client in prison to discuss the case. We simply cannot get in as we require to see Mr Assange and to take his instruction, Fitzgerald said. Frankly, we require more time before calling the main body of our evidence. Assange, an Australian, was jailed for 50 weeks in May last year for breaching his bail conditions, after going into hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex offence allegations, which he always denied. Swedish authorities later dropped the rape investigation. He has been in custody since he was dramatically removed from the embassy in April. A further case management hearing will take place at Westminster Magistrates Court on February 19. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan today met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Stef Block, who is in Armenia on an official visit, as reported the news department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. At the outset of the meeting, the Dutch foreign minister transmitted to his Armenian counterpart the official application to open the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Yerevan, and in response, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan expressed gratitude to the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for deciding to open an embassy in Armenia. This is what the Media and Public Diplomacy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reported, adding that on the morning of the day of the visit, Stef Bloks delegation paid a visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and respected the memory of the Holy Martyrs. Greeting his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan particularly stated the following: This is the first visit of the foreign minister of the Netherlands to Armenia. We are witnessing positive dynamics in our bilateral ties. We are willing to shape a platform for close cooperation in trade, economy, culture and science. You are visiting Armenia in a period when we are witnessing interesting developments in the region and the world, and this will also be a part of our agenda. I cordially welcome you and look forward to a fruitful discussion. Expressing gratitude for the cordial reception, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Stef Blok emphasized that it was a great honor and pleasure for him to be the first foreign minister of the Netherlands to visit Armenia. The foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with the high level of political dialogue and emphasized the importance of steps for further strengthening of that dialogue. In the context of trade and economic cooperation, the parties benchmarked the steps to be taken to fully use the existing great potential. Touching upon the partnership between Armenia and the European Union, the parties valued the role of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement as a major tool for promoting the reforms being implemented by the Armenian government and regulating relations with EU member states. In this context, Minister Mnatsakanyan highlighted the fact that the launch of dialogue over liberalization of visas to EU member countries is of primary significance for Armenia. During the meeting, the parties touched upon several pressing global and regional issues. Minister Mnatsakanyan presented the latest developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as Armenias fundamental position on and approach to an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict. At the end of the meeting, the foreign ministers gave a joint press conference. The Florida Supreme Court has become a laboratory of judicial conservativism since 2019, and now the justices have given themselves a new tool to clear away remaining obstacles. On Thursday, they issued a decision of extraordinary breadth, overturning a landmark precedent and letting judges once again impose the death penalty without the unanimous recommendation of a jury. Their decision authorizes the legislature to revive a scheme that empowers judges to issue a death sentence when the jury does not recommend it. Advertisement At the same time, the court effectively overruled precedents that limited its ability to reverse past decisions. In all, the decision announces an aggressive new campaign to toss out liberal precedents and move the court far rightward. Thursdays decision in State v. Poole overturns a momentous ruling, State v. Hurst, handed down in October 2016. Hurst dealt with Floridas capital sentencing scheme, a notorious outlier even among states that retained the death penalty. Like these other states, Florida required a jury to determine whether aggravating circumstances exist that justify a sentence of death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike almost every other state, however, the jurys determination was not binding. Instead, jurors issued an advisory verdictapproved by a bare majorityfor the judge to consider. But the judge could then hold a separate hearing, analyze the facts independently, and issue a sentence regardless of the jurys advice. Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated this system in January 2016. It reiterated that the Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find all facts that increase the maximum punishment. Since Florida allowed a judge to find aggravating circumstances that justified a capital sentence, it ran afoul of this rule. The justices returned the case to the Florida Supreme Court to implement their decision, which, at that point, had a 52 liberal majority. But the Florida Supreme Court did more than apply Hurst. The court also considered its state constitution, which declares that the right of trial by jury shall be secure to all and remain inviolate. Interpreting this guarantee, the majority expanded the role of the jury in capital trials beyond the federal minimum. It declared that a judge may not impose death unless the jury unanimously found all aggravating factors to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, sufficient to impose death, and not outweighed by any mitigating factors. Moreover, the majority held that a jury must unanimously recommend a sentence of death before a judge may consider imposing it. Advertisement Advertisement The Florida legislature begrudgingly updated state law to reflect these new rules and bring Florida in line with other death penalty states, which placed these decisions in the hands of the jury long ago. Their revisions left just one state, Alabama, that allowed a non-unanimous jury to impose capital punishment. On Thursday, though, a reconstituted court gave the legislature the greenlight to repeal these reforms and expand judges control over death sentences. In a caustic opinion, the majority blithely threw Hursta 52 decisionout the window. Advertisement Advertisement A lot has changed since October 2016: Four justices in the Hurst majority were forced to step down under Floridas mandatory retirement law. Former Republican Gov. Rick Scott replaced one with the ultra-conservative C. Alan Lawson, who previously served as a lower court judge. Current Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis replaced the other three with conservatives selected by Leonard Leo, head of the Federalist Society, a partisan organization that elevates Republicans to the judiciary. Donald Trump has already placed two of DeSantis three justices on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. So Thursdays decision in Poole was decided by a five-member court that split 41. The one remaining liberal was the lone dissenter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why did the Florida Supreme Court overturn its prior decision in Hurst? Because the new conservative majority didnt like it. Drawing a distinction between facts and sentencing recommendations, the court held that juries need only find one aggravating circumstance to render a defendant eligible for death. It must do so unanimously. But a jury need not decide this factor is sufficient to impose death, and whether it is outweighed by mitigating factors. And it need not recommend a death sentence, unanimously or otherwise, for a judge to impose one. In short, the court rejected Hursts holding that a jury must decide all the findings necessary for imposition of a death sentence. The Florida Supreme Court has, in the past, declined to overrule past decisions without some special justification. It asked if a precedent was unworkable, if many people had come to rely on it, and if the factual premises had changed so drastically as to leave the decisions central holding utterly without legal justification. On Thursday, the court threw out those rules, as well. From now on, the majority declared, when we are convinced that a precedent clearly conflicts with the law we are sworn to uphold, it will overturn that precedent. The majority favorably cited a concurrence by Justice Clarence Thomas scorning faithful adherence to precedent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This portion of Poole may be just as consequential as its central holding. The new majority has already been casually scrapping minor precedents it disliked. Now it has given itself permission to go after bigger targets. Most notably, the courts former liberal majority had protected abortion rightsby, for instance, forbidding the state from forcing minors to get permission from their parents before terminating a pregnancy. Republican lawmakers are already preparing to reinstate that requirement, hoping the court will uphold it this time around. The former court also upheld the states gun control laws, including a ban on open carry, over the conservatives dissent; that decision now appears ripe for reversal. While the court previously enforced a state constitutional amendment barring partisan gerrymandering, GOP legislators now assume that the reconstituted court will abandon this duty. In other words, the Florida Supreme Court is coming to look like SCOTUS in miniature: Personnel changes are leading to a legal avalanche that will smother progressive precedent. Capital defendants may be the first to feel the effects. But the courts conservativesemboldened by their new strike it if we dislike it doctrineappears ready to go after any weighty and controversial decision they detest. Everything is up for grabs. Boutique cruise agency Rainforest Cruises begin the new year and new decade with a significant portfolio expansion to include the most luxurious cruises on the iconic rivers, bays and archipelagos of Southeast Asia. (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - January 23rd, 2020 Amazon River and Galapagos cruise specialists Rainforest Cruises today revealed the significant expansion of its portfolio of exotic cruise destinations to include six of Southeast Asias emerging hotspots for 2020: Myanmars Irrawaddy River, Laos and Thailands Upper Mekong, Cambodia and Vietnams Lower Mekong, Halong and Lan Ha Bay in Vietnam and Indonesias Coral Triangle; thereby adding 25 new vessels and 90 cruise itineraries to its product mix. Demand for cruising in Southeast Asia is booming thanks to a combination of the regions prolific natural wonders, historic sites and cultural experiences, together with the ever-escalating levels of luxury aboard the latest vessels. When you consider the differences to the European waterways, its not hard to see why. Firstly, rivers such as the Mekong are a much more important lifeline for the locals than European rivers, which is culturally fascinating, says Jeremy Clubb, the companys visionary founder. Secondly, the hospitality levels aboard Southeast Asian cruises often surpass those elsewhere thanks to vessels having bigger staterooms, beautiful spa offerings and better service as a result of the unrivalled warmth, openness and positivity of the local crew and guides. Lower Mekong The Mekong, whose name translates to Mother Water, is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, not only for its 70 million human inhabitants of its shores, but its basin is considered one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. The neighboring countries of Vietnam and Cambodia nearest its delta form the destination for Lower Mekong river cruises. You can now visit their famed floating markets, Buddhist wing-tipped pagodas, the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat on 9 different boutique vessels, with 30 itineraries ranging from 4 to 11 days in length to choose from. Currently travelers can save 30% when booking a Lower Mekong cruise departing between 1 May and 6 August 2020 aboard the luxury category Aqua Mekong vessel. Upper Mekong For centuries the Upper Mekong has not been fully navigable and cruise ships stayed away from it whilst the Lower Mekong gained popularity. However the Upper Mekong is now opening up thanks to some pioneering operators in Laos and Thailand offering adventurous itineraries from 4 to 10 days in length. This lesser-traveled stretch of one of the worlds most spectacular waterways is home to serene nature, quaint villages, stunning temples and now the luxurious Anouvong, the newest expedition vessel to cruise the Mekong, scheduled to begin operations in September 2020. Named after the Vientiane Kingdoms last monarch, King Anouvong, it has only eight spacious staterooms and two luxurious suites, all featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto elegant French balconies or a private terrace. Irrawaddy River Flowing from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, the Irrawaddy winds through the heart of Myanmar (Burma), witness to an ever-changing landscape of timeless villages, shimmering stupas, and enchanting ancient sites. From the glorious temples of Bagan to the glittering Shwesandaw Pagoda in Pyay, with Rainforest Cruises you can now explore some of Myanmars most spectacular sights, and experience a culture long cut off from the world, with 10 unique vessels and 40 different itineraries ranging from 3 to 12 days in length to choose from. An early-bird offer is currently available for the luxury category Anawrahta cruise offering travelers 20% off any 2020 or 2021 cruises in her Deluxe, Deluxe Executive or Junior Suites booked before 15 July 2020. Vietnam's Halong and Lan Ha Bays Derived from the ancient Vietnamese-Chinese meaning Descending Dragon, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay, famed for its dragon-like limestone karsts, has always been a legendary day-cruise mecca for locals and tourists alike. However it wasnt until recently that luxury overnight cruise offerings have become available, so now you can discover one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature on a 2 or 3-day cruise aboard either of the luxury junk-style sister ships Jasmine (23 suites) or Violet (6 suites). Just south of Halong Bay is Lan Ha Bay, a new tourist destination consisting of around 300 islets geologically similar to Ha Long but arguably more appealing due to less boat traffic and the popularity of its quiet coves and sandy beaches. Discover this untouched region aboard a 2-day cruise on the luxurious Ginger (12 suites) or a 3-day cruise on her wellness-themed sister ship Ylang (10 suites). A last-minute deal is currently available offering 20% off all 2 or 3-day bay cruises between January and March 2020 in Superior, Deluxe, Junior and Signature Suites. Indonesia With Rainforest Cruises you can now sail to some of Indonesias most prized destinations, including the Komodo National Park, Spice Islands, and Raja Ampat, the jewel of the Coral Triangle, on 10 unforgettable itineraries ranging from 8 to 13-days duration aboard the 30-passenger Aqua Blu, the very first expedition yacht to be permanently based in the Indonesian Archipelago. The vessel has a 1:1 crew-to-passenger ratio and meals on board are a particular highlight, with chef Benjamin Cross having orchestrated over 100 dishes solely for the cruise harnessing the offerings from Indonesia's land and seas to form a narrative that showcases the flavors found throughout the length and breadth of the spice trade route. For more details on these destinations or all of Rainforest Cruises small ship cruises worldwide, itineraries, availability and for 2020-2021 reservations, please call 888 215 355 toll-free or visit rainforestcruises.com. About Rainforest Cruises Founded in 2011, Rainforest Cruises are the worlds leading purveyor of river cruises in South America and Southeast Asia, pioneering experiential travel on the worlds most iconic waterways, from the Amazon to the Mekong, aboard their curated collection of unique cruise vessels. As members of the International Ecotourism Society the company are advocates for responsible cruising, sustainable tourism and rainforest conservation, and their travel expertise has led to recognition in Fodors Worlds Best Cruises, as well as USA Today, NY Times, Travel & Leisure, Bloomberg and the Lonely Planet. ### President Donald Trump touted Americas strong economy before leaving Davos Wednesday, and said negotiating a trade deal with the European Union (EU) is tougher than China. He also urged the World Trade Organization (WTO) to reform its system. Everyones talking about Americas unprecedented economic success. Its really the talk of the town, so to speak, said Trump during a surprise press conference on the second day of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Trump also said the United States will negotiate a trade deal with the EU. We met with the world leadersvarious world leaders, including the President of the European Commission, who were going to start negotiating a trade deal with, because the European Commission was, frankly, in many ways, tougher than China. I say that respectfully, but thats the way it is. Theyve taken advantage for a long time. And so were going to have a deal. I suspect were going to be able to make a deal. Otherwise, well have to do something else, said Trump. In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump said he would impose tariffs on European cars if no fair deal is reached. Roberto Azevedo, director general of the WTO, was also at the press conference. He agreed with Trumps stance that the multilateral trading system needs to be reformed, saying he is committed to do so. I think they understand that the system has not been functioning properly in many areas, said Azevedo. Thats something that were trying to address. He added, We are committed to effect those changes. And this is something that we are serious about. Trump has repeatedly complained about the organization being unfair to the United States, including treating countries like China and India as developing nations. Last December, the United States blocked new appointments to the organizations Appellate Body, essentially crippled its dispute settlement mechanism. The summit in the Swiss Alpine town runs Jan 21. through Jan. 24. The high-profile forum brings together government leaders, business elites, economists, and celebrities from around the world. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 15:57:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), speaks at a press conference in Macao, south China, Jan. 23, 2020. The second case of the novel coronavirus has been reported in Macao, according to Macao's Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center. Ho Iat Seng said at the press conference Thursday afternoon that the SAR government remained vigilant and was determined to preventing and controlling the outbreak of the pandemic. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) MACAO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The second case of the novel coronavirus has been reported in Macao, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government announced on Thursday. A 66-year-old man traveling from Wuhan of central China was sent to Centro Hospitalar Conde de Sao Januario Wednesday afternoon, after the health authorities in the Border Gate checkpoint found he had a fever, with his body temperature reaching 38.7 degrees centigrade. He was tested positive with the novel coronavirus in the hospital and has been quarantined for medical treatment. His four family members traveling with him have also been quarantined for medical observation. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced Thursday to cancel all events scheduled for the Spring Festival celebrations, including the golden dragon parade, the float parade and the float exhibition. The SAR's Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said at a press conference Thursday afternoon that the SAR government remained vigilant and was determined to preventing and controlling the outbreak of the pandemic. He urged the public to stay at home during the Spring Festival if it is not necessary to go out. Meanwhile, the Macao residents in Wuhan were asked to stay where they are, and visitors in Macao from Wuhan were asked not to return to Wuhan. Parag Goswami, CEO and Co-Founder, Clik.ai Clik.ai, an AI-powered workflow automation platform, has been accepted into Forbes Real Estate Council, an invitation-only community for executives in the real estate industry. Parag Goswami was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors. We are honored to welcome Parag Goswami into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Real Estate Business Council. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world. As an accepted member of the Council, Parag has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help him reach peak professional influence. He will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum. Parag will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts. Finally, Parag Goswami will benefit from exclusive access to vetted business service partners, membership-branded marketing collateral, and the high-touch support of the Forbes Councils member concierge team. "We are thrilled and honoured to be accepted into the Forbes Real Estate Council. Our organization values, above all else, fostering community involvement and promoting technological innovation, and as one of Canada's fastest growing real estate technology firms, this opportunity provides us a platform to share valuable industry insights with the Forbes audience," said Parag Goswami, CEO and Co-Founder of Clik.ai. ABOUT CLIK.AI Clik.ai is a workflow automation software platform for the real estate industry that serves over 20 large to mid sized North American mortgage banking and real estate firms and helps companies evaluate over $1 billion in real estate transactions every month. Top 4 of the 10 real estate banking firms use Clik.ai to automate their daily workflow for property valuation and transaction due-diligence. ABOUT FORBES COUNCILS Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive. For more information about Forbes Real Estate Business Council, visit forbesrealestatecouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com. Khan urges the UN to help mediate between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for the United Nations to help mediate between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. This is a potential flashpoint, Khan said on Wednesday during a media briefing at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, adding that it was time for the international institutions specifically set up to stop this to come into action. The Indian government in August revoked the constitutional autonomy of Indian-administered Kashmir, splitting the Muslim-majority region into two federal territories in a bid to integrate it fully with the rest of the country. Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan. The two countries have gone to war twice over it, and both rule parts of it. Indias portion has been plagued by separatist violence since the late 1980s. This is not the first time Khan has sought international intervention. This is just a reiteration of his old position. He had said this in his earlier meeting with President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly [in September] as well, Zahid Hussain, an Islamabad-based security analyst and journalist, said. It seems that since all the doors to talks with India are closed, that is one of the reasons why Pakistan is appealing to the international community to intervene, he told Al Jazeera. Ruling out an all-out war Khan said his biggest fear was how New Delhi would respond to the continuing protests in India over a citizenship law that many feel targets Muslims. Were not close to a conflict right now What if the protests get worse in India, and to distract attention from that, what if Although, he said, the two nuclear-armed neighbours were not close to an all-out war, the international community, including the UN, must act to avert tensions between the two sides from hitting a point of no return. Hussain said Pakistan is desperate to draw the attention of the international community to the problem. What he [Khan] is saying, one can only interpret it, probably he is referring to the situation in Kashmir, where there is a likelihood of things getting out of control once the lockdown is lifted, he said. In this kind of situation, there is always a danger of things spilling over and sucking Pakistan into the conflict that could lead to a wider conflagration. The prime minister said he had discussed the prospect of war between his country and India a day earlier in a meeting with US President Donald Trump, who said he had offered to help mediate between the two countries. But New Delhi has rejected any foreign mediation on the issue that brought the neighbours on the brink of war last February. The Indian position is much more hardened now. It is against any foreign involvement, and now is not interested in talking to Pakistan bilaterally as well, Hussain, the security analyst, said. Khan on Taliban-US talks Khan said Pakistan and the United States were closer in their approach to the Taliban armed rebellion in Afghanistan than they had been for many years. He said he had never seen a military solution to that conflict. Finally the position of the US is there should be negotiations and a peace plan. In a separate on-stage conversation later on Wednesday, Khan said he had told Trump in their meeting that a war with Iran would be a disaster for the world. Trump did not respond, Khan said. Khan made some of his most straightforward comments when asked why Pakistan has been muted in defence of Uighurs in China. China has been widely condemned for setting up complexes in remote Xinjiang province that Beijing describes as vocational training centres to stamp out extremism and give people new skills. The UN says at least one million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained. When pressed on Chinas policies, Khan said Pakistans relations with Beijing were too important for him to speak out publicly. China has helped us when we were at rock bottom. We are really grateful to the Chinese government, so we have decided that any issues we have had with China we will handle privately. Asad Hashim contributed to this report from Islamabad Jeff Bezos remembered slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with a simple tweet, hours after a United Nations panel accused the Saudi crown prince of possible involvement in hacking Bezoss phone. Bezos on Wednesday tweeted the hashtag #Jamal, along with a photo of himself at a memorial service for Khashoggi held in Istanbulin October. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who was living in self-imposed exile in the US, was murdered in Istanbul in October 2018 by agents of the Saudi government. He had written pieces critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post, which Bezos owns. Earlier on Wednesday, a UN panel accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of possible involvement in the hacking of Bezoss phone to influence, if not silence the newspapers reporting on the kingdom. The National Enquirer last year disclosed an extramarital affair between Bezos and a former television anchor in a series of reports that relied in part on intimate text messages sent by Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com Inc. Burundi lawmakers on Tuesday adopted legislation offering a golden parachute to outgoing presidents, including a luxury villa and a one-off sum equivalent to more than half a million dollars. The move comes four months ahead of May 20 elections for which President Pierre Nkurunziza has said he will not run. In 2015, his campaign for a third term plunged the country into violence and led to an enduring political crisis. Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, is pictured in June 2018 after he signed a new constitution to enable him to run for two more seven-year terms The new law states that at the end of the mandate, the president will receive 'a luxury villa built with public funds in the location of his choice within five years, as well as a one-off allocation of one billion Burundian francs' (400,000). This amount is a fortune in Burundi where more than 65 per cent live in poverty and where 50 per cent of the country is food-insecure, according to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP). The legislation, adopted with 98 votes for and two against, differentiates between former heads of state elected via universal suffrage -- of which Nkurunziza is the only candidate -- and those who came to power via peace deal or military coup. 'A president who came to power via the simple consensus of a group of politicians does not have the same regard as one who was democratically elected,' Justice Minister Aimee-Laurentine Kanyana told the national assembly. In this 2018 file photo Nkurunziza speaks to the media after casting his vote in the constitutional referendum in Buye, northern Burundi. Burundi's president indicated in May 2018 that he would not run for another term in the politically volatile East African nation The retired president will also get the same benefits as a serving vice-president for seven years after he steps down, and will for the rest of his life get an allowance equal to that of a lawmaker. The cost and size of the villa that will be provided are not specified. 'The benefits that will be given to a president at the end of his mandate are exorbitant if one takes into account the crisis in the country, but it is a positive measure as it seems to indicate very clearly that Nkurunziza will in fact not run for the presidency,' a diplomat in Burundi said. Nkurunziza surprised observers when he announced he would not seek another term in office, despite a new constitution in 2018, adopted by referendum, allowing him to do so. Gujarat Police arrested Hardik Patel as soon as he walked out of the jail on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@GujWithHardik) New Delhi : Congress leader Hardik Patel was Thursday arrested by Gandhinagar district police soon after he walked out of the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad a day after he was granted bail in a sedition case. This time, Patel was arrested in connection with a 2017 case of addressing a rally without taking prior permission from the police, an official said. "We arrested Hardik Patel as soon as he walked out of the jail today. Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections in December 2017, he had addressed a gathering in Mansa town without police permission. While the FIR was lodged at that time, he was arrested in the case today," police sub inspector of Mansa, SS Pawar, said. Earlier on January 18, Patel was arrested by the crime branch in Ahmedabad district for failing to appear before the trial court here in the 2015 sedition case, after a warrant was issued against him. The Opposition Congress had slammed the ruling BJP for "repeatedly harassing" Hardik Patel. NN Special | Netaji Mystery: Was India's Iconic Leader Subhas Chandra Bose Alive After August 18, 1945? Part-1 Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said that Patel has been fighting for the employment of youth and the rights of farmers and the BJP was calling it "treason". "The BJP is repeatedly harassing young Hardik Patel ji who has been fighting for the employment of youth and the rights of farmers. Hardik voiced the people of his society, sought jobs for them, sought scholarships. He led farmers' movement," Priyanka had tweeted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The national death toll of Australia's 2019/2020 bushfire season was 33 as of Monday, March 2, with 25 confirmed deaths in New South Wales, three in South Australia and five in Victoria. OCTOBER New South Wales: Robert Lindsey, 77, and Gwen Hyde, 68, were found in their burned out Coongbar home near Casino on October 9th. NOVEMBER New South Wales: The body of 85-year-old George Nole was found in a burnt out car near his home in Wytaliba, near Glen Innes. Vivian Chaplain, a 69-year-old woman from Wytaliba, succumbed to her injuries in hospital after attempting in vain to save her home and animals from the blaze. The body of 63-year-old Julie Fletcher was pulled from a scorched building in Johns River, north of Taree. Barry Parsons, 58, was found in a shed at Willawarrin, near Kempsey. Chris Savva, 64, died after his 4WD overturned near burnt-out South Arm bridge, near Nambucca Heads. A 59-year-old man was founded sheltered in a Yarrowitch water tank on November 7. He died of injuries on December 29. Victoria: David Moresi, 69, died after being involved in a traffic incident while working at the at the Gelantipy fire in East Gippsland on November 30. DECEMBER New South Wales: Firefighters Andrew O'Dwyer, 36, and Geoffrey Keaton, 32, died on December 19 after a tree fell on their truck while they were travelling through Buxton, south of Sydney. Samuel McPaul, 28, was battling a blaze in Jingellic, in Green Valley, about 70km east of Albury on the border of NSW and Victoria, on December 30 when a 'fire tornado' caused his 10-tonne firetruck to roll. South Australia: The body of 69-year-old Ron Selth was found in his Charleston home, which was destroyed by the Cudlee Creek blaze on December 21. NEW YEAR'S EVE FIRES New South Wales: Dairy farmer Patrick Salway, 29, and his father Robert, 63, died trying to save their property in Cobargo, near Bega, on December 31. A 70-year-old man, named by local media as Laurie Andrew, was found dead outside a home at Yatte Yattah, west of Lake Conjola. The body of a 70-year-old man was found in a burnt vehicle on a road off the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah on the morning of New Year's Day. The body of a 62-year-old man was found in a vehicle on Wandra Road at Sussex Inlet about 11.30am on New Year's Day. A body, believed to be a 56-year-old man, found outside a home at Coolagolite, east of Cobargo on New Year's Day. An off-duty RFS firefighter, believed to be 72-year-old Colin Burns, was found near a car in Belowra after the New Year's Eve fires swept through. Victoria: Beloved great-grandfather Mick Roberts, 67, from Buchan, in East Gippsland, was found dead at his home on the morning of New Year's Day. Fred Becker, 75, was the second person to die in Victoria. He suffered a heart attack while trying to defend his Maramingo Creek home. JANUARY New South Wales: David Harrison, a 47-year-old man from Canberra, suffered a heart attack defending his friend's home near Batlow on Saturday, January 4. A 71-year-old man was found on January 6. Police have been told the man was last sighted on December 31, 2019 and was moving equipment on his property in Nerrigundah. An 84-year-old man who stayed to defend his home in Cobargo, NSW, dies in hospital three weeks after fire hit. His pet dog Bella, who stayed by his side as fires raged, was also killed in the disaster. Three American firefighters are killed when Coulson Aviation C-130 Hercules water bomber Zeus crashed while fighting fires near Cooma on Thursday January 23. They have been named as Capt. Ian H. McBeth, 44, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr, 43. On January 24, Michael Clark, 59, was found in a Bodalla home destroyed by bushfires near the NSW South Coast town of Moruya. Victoria: Forest Fire Management firefighter Mat Kavanagh, 43, was killed Friday January 3 when he was involved in a two-car crash on the Goulburn Valley Highway. Bill Slade, a 60-year-old father of two from Wonthaggi was fighting fires with Parks Victoria at Omeo when he died on January 11. He has been remembered as one of the longest serving, most experienced and fittest firefighters. South Australia: Well-known outback pilot Dick Lang, 78, and his 43-year-old son, Adelaide surgeon Clayton Lang, died in the Kangaroo Island bushfire after their car was trapped by flames. The Agricultural Science Association (ASA) and the Irish Farmers Journal has announced details of the recipients of the much-coveted PWE (Professional Work Experience) travel bursaries. The sought-after bursaries encourage students to expand their knowledge of the global agri-food sector by gaining practical experience while traveling overseas. Six third-level Agricultural Science students, including Laura Maloney from Birr, County Offaly, will be supported via the award while on work placements in New Zealand, Chile, and Europe this year. Laura is a third-year Animal & Crop Production student at University College Dublin (UCD). She will travel to Wales in February before moving on to Denmark in April and will work across dairy and sheep, assisting with calving and lambing duties along with general farm maintenance and duties. Speaking about the opportunity she said, Im so thankful to UCD and the Irish Farmers Journal for awarding me with this opportunity. Im really looking forward to working in both Wales and Denmark and to gain insights into their respective industries which will build upon the knowledge I have gained through my degree so far. Im excited to gain some practical experience and to apply my learnings so far in a real-life setting. 2020 will mark the fifth year of this joint initiative from the ASA and Irish Farmers Journal whereby students who express an interest in fulfilling the work placement module of their degree overseas are rewarded with a travel bursary. The WIT Bursaries are also supported by Glanbia and Arvum respectively. Seamus OMahony, ASA President said, The Agricultural Science Association endeavours to enhance and support our Agricultural Science students through professional development opportunities to ensure Irelands position as a global leader is maintained, all the while strengthening the future of our agri-food industry. As with previous years, the standard of applications was extremely impressive and we look forward to receiving updates from the six students throughout their time overseas. Odile Evans, Careers & Property Editor, Irish Farmers Journal said, It is brilliant to once again partner with the ASA to award six travel bursaries to agricultural-science students. Undoubtedly, this is an excellent opportunity for third-level students to gain practical experience in the agriculture industry overseas, and to build on their existing knowledge of the Irish landscape which will benefit their career development and ultimately provide students with a unique perspective. We will be sharing individual stories from each student over the coming months. Kangana Ranaut has lashed out at senior lawyer Indira Jaising for her controversial stand that the Delhi gang rape victims mother should follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini. The actor claimed that women like Indira, who have sympathy for rapists, raise monsters. Uss lady ko un ladko ke saath chaar din jail mein rakho. Unko rakhna chahiye. Usko zaroorat hai. Kaisi auratein hoti hai, jinko badi daya aati hai? Aur aisi hi auraton ke kokh se nikalte hai daishi darinde Unhi ki kokh aisi hoti hai jo aisa sochte hai, jinko sympathy aati hai, pyaar aata hai inn daishiyon aur khooniyon pe (That woman should be locked in a jail with those rapists for four days. She needs it. What kind of women are these, who are sympathetic to rapists? Such women given birth to monsters. These women, who are full of love and sympathy for rapists and murderers, are the ones who give birth to them), Kangana said during a media interaction while promoting her upcoming release Panga. The actor added that these rapists should be hanged in public, to deter others from committing such heinous crimes in the future. Mujhe nahi lagta inn logon ko chup-chaap maar dena chahiye. Aise maarne ka kya faayda, jab aap example hi na set kar paaye? Unn logon ko chaurahe pe hang karna chahiye (I dont think these rapists should be hanged silently. What is the point of capital punishment, if you cannot set an example? They should be hanged in public), she said. Watch | Kangana Ranaut slams Indira Jaising, says, she should be kept in jail with the convicts Also read | Kangana Ranaut on Saif Ali Khans no concept of India before British comment: If there was no Bharat, what was Mahabharat? The four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape, who are lodged in Tihar jail, have been sentenced to death and will be hanged at 6 am on February 1. Earlier, Indira tweeted, While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didnt not want the death penalty for her . We are with you but against death penalty. While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didnt not want the death penalty for her . We are with you but against death penalty. https://t.co/VkWNIbiaJp Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 17, 2020 Nalini was sentenced for her involvement in the assassination of Sonias husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. However, in 1999, Sonia requested then President K.R. Narayanan to give clemency to Nalini as she was the mother of a young daughter. Indiras controversial remarks have been slammed by many, including the Delhi gang rape victims mother, who was quoted by ANI as saying, Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion?Whole country wants the convicts to be executed. Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims. Asha Devi on senior lawyer Indira Jaising's statement 'follow Sonia Gandhi's example and forgive convicts': Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion?Whole country wants the convicts to be executed. Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims. pic.twitter.com/k3DfgRQio3 ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2020 Follow @htshowbiz for more Knowledge of multiple languages has long been shown to have lifelong benefits, from enhancing communication skills to boosting professional opportunities to staving off the cognitive effects of aging. When researchers at the University of Washington found that even babies whose parents are monolingual could rapidly learn a second language in a small classroom environment, a new challenge was born: How could they expand their program? One answer, the UW team found, was to create software that would train language tutors online -- allowing the researchers' curriculum and method to be replicated anywhere in the world. A new study by UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, or I-LABS, part of researchers' ongoing work with infant education centers in Spain, not only found that bilingual teaching led to sustained English-language comprehension and vocabulary-building, but also that the method could be scaled up to serve more, and more economically diverse, children. "We knew our research-based method worked to boost second language skills rapidly in infants, without negatively affecting their first language, but the question was, how can we train people worldwide to use it? Here, we show that online training works," said Naja Ferjan Ramirez, the lead author of both studies who is a new assistant professor of linguistics at the UW and a former I-LABS research scientist. advertisement The study, published online Jan. 22 in Mind, Brain, and Education, extends previous research that examined whether and how infants can learn a second language in the context of an early education center, if they don't get that exposure at home. That 2017 study involved 280 children at four infant education centers in Madrid, Spain, and showed the effects of an interactive, play-based English-language program, compared to the standard bilingual program already available in Madrid schools. The new study used the same curriculum but trained tutors differently, using an online program called SparkLing developed by I-LABS researchers. By testing a remote form of teacher training and providing lessons to larger groups of children, researchers explored how to spread the benefits of bilingual education across a wider population. The I-LABS bilingual curriculum emphasizes social interaction, play and quality and quantity of language from teachers. The approach uses parentese, a slow, clear speaking style that often involves exaggerated vowels and intonation. Researchers created the SparkLing software in order to reach language tutors wherever they live. In the 2017 study, for example, tutors were trained at I-LABS. But to bring this method to entire schools or communities online training was essential, researchers said. In the new study, over 800 children in 13 infant education centers participated. The team grouped children, from ages 9 months to 33 months, into age-specific classes and focused on schools with much lower socioeconomic populations than were tested in the previous study. "One of the most exciting aspects of the study is that we did our work in some of the very poorest neighborhood schools in Madrid, and we're thrilled to show that these children learn as impressively as those from more affluent neighborhoods. All children, given the right stimulation at the right time, can learn," said Patricia Kuhl, co-director of I-LABS and co-author of the paper. advertisement Children's Spanish and English skills were assessed at the beginning of the study, midway through the school year and at the end of the year. Older children used a touch-screen based word-comprehension assessment tool in Spanish and English, matching words and pictures, and answering questions. All of the children also wore special vests outfitted with lightweight recorders to record any English words uttered by the infants during the 45-minute, daily language sessions. At the midpoint of the school year, children who received the I-LABS method scored significantly higher in comprehension and word production than their control group peers: an average of nearly 50 words per child, per hour, compared to an average of about 14 words per child, per hour, in the control group. About half of the children continued their lessons for an additional 18 weeks. At the end of that period, assessments showed that children who continued the lessons also continued to rapidly advance their second-language comprehension and production skills, while the group that returned to the original classroom maintained the English skills acquired after the first 18 weeks. "Parents worldwide have a common problem: They want their children to speak a second language, but many don't speak that language themselves. We know that zero to 5 is a critical age, a window of opportunity for second language learning, and our newest study shows that when teachers in early education classrooms are trained online to use our method and curriculum, children's learning seems almost magical," said Kuhl, who is also a UW professor or speech and hearing sciences. The researchers now hope to begin using this method in the United States, where about one-quarter of children are raised in homes where a language other than English is spoken. (Newser) For the first time in the nearly 108 years the Titanic has sat at the bottom of the North Atlantic, an international agreement with broad protections will safeguard the steamship's remains. The US and UK will have to approve any expeditions to enter the Titanic or remove any artifacts, the BBC reports. The treaty was signed by the UK in 2003 but is just now taking effect, after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made it official for the US in November. UNESCO rules had been the main protections since the Titanic's location was discovered in international waters in 1985, per NPR. The new treaty is more specific about how to obtain permission for expeditions, prohibiting commercial exploitation and setting out punishments for breaking its terms. story continues below Already, there's an issue. An Atlanta company has asked a US court's permission to remove the Marconi wireless telegraph transmitter. RMS Titanic Inc. has taken more than 5,500 items from the ship so far, per the Guardian. The company, which argues that time is running out to get more of the deteriorating items, says the new treaty has "no teeth" in US law. US and UK officials said the idea of the treaty is to preserve to the Titanic, for its history and its role as a grave. "It will be treated with the sensitivity and respect owed to the final resting place of more than 1,500 lives," said the UK's maritime minister. (Read more Titanic stories.) Sabita Biswas Text: India has assured Bangladesh, where the migrants are assumed to have arrived from, that it will not impact Bangladesh, which may mean that there will be no deportations there. Detention camps are being built for those whose citizenship is now under question, some being built by the very people who may be housed in them. It is for good reason that Biswas worries about the future of her grandchildren, but she does not know what to do. I submitted my land ownership document which was in my husbands and father-in-laws names, but NRC didnt accept it even though we used to pay taxes for the land which is now under water, she said. In 2017, the Assam government decided to stop taxing land that has been lost due to erosion. So, Biswas was now reportedly told by officials that ownership records of land that has been lost due to erosion do not prove anything. Under the Indian legal system, it is the duty of the local revenue department office to maintain records of homesteads, agricultural land, vacant land, waste land, government land and land marked for industrial development. In the NRC process a person has the option to show pre-1971 land ownership documents with links to the ancestor who figures in the document as the owner. Thus, old documents have become key to establishing citizenship. When these documents are missing, or have small mistakes, or if the land itself does not exist anymore, it can have a massive impact. Brahmaputra We have lost our land in erosion. Earlier we were on the Arakati Char (a riverine island on the Brahmaputra). When our village went under water we migrated to this place, Bhuragaon. Every year flood takes away everything from us, including documents, said Biswas with tear-filled eyes. Thousands of internally displaced climate refugees There are thousands of families who are badly affected by floods and erosion in Assam. This has been the case for centuries, but the rates of erosion and floods have gone up due to climate change, so there are more climate refugees now. Their forced move to new areas has led to these climate refugees being seen as intruders, possibly foreigners. Almost 40 villages in the Bhuragaon circle have been lost due to erosion. When the world is moving forward with technology we are going backward in isolation because of our geographical location, with erosion pushing us towards lack of health amenities, education, transport, and now [having to prove our identity for the] NRC, said Photik Chandra Mondal, a member of the locally elected village body. According to the Economic Survey of India, 10% of the country is flood prone. In Assam, this becomes approximately 40%, or 931,000 hectares. The scale of the problem has grown with massive erosion, which stands at an average rate of 8,000 hectares every year in the state with a total of 427,000 hectares of land having been washed away since 1950, according to Assams minister in charge of disaster management. He also said that from 2010 to 2015, 880 villages were completely lost due to erosion, 67 villages were partially lost, and 36,981 families lost their homes. With the loss of land, and a growing population, the pressure on the remaining land has grown savage, and migrants of whatever sort, whether illegal immigrants, or those displaced within the state, are looked at with suspicion. In a state overwhelmingly dependent on agriculture, those without land have few livelihood options. The economic desperation has led to Assam becoming a hub of child and women trafficking. These are among the people now desperately trying to prove their citizenship. If a family has shifted internally within Assam after losing land, we have seen that the foreigners tribunals have declared them foreigners since the tribunals did not trust documents of different villages. The tribunals in several judgements felt that the people are different despite having the same name, since some of their documents would be from one area and some other documents would be from other area. There is no justice for those climate victims, said Aman Wadud, a lawyer helping people fight their cases in the tribunals. An atmosphere of mistrust The situation has created mistrust between mainlanders and those staying on the chars (riverine islands) or on the banks of the Brahmaputra, the transboundary river that starts in Tibet and flows right through the Assam valley before entering Bangladesh. In the majority of cases poor Bengali speaking people are the ones living on the chars and the riverbanks, and they are easily targeted as Bangladeshis or illegal immigrants. One activist in the area, Santanu Sanyal, the president of the All Assam Bengali Parishad, told thethirdpole.net, Sudden [impacts due to] climate change and floods [coming without warning] in the last few years have done more damage to the poor people staying in riverside areas. And the hot weather [in which temperatures have increased] doesnt allow them to work continuously in their agricultural lands. This has made the poor people poorer and now when they have nothing left, their names are not there in the NRC. Going to foreigners tribunals to fight a case also needs money. But that is the only legal course left to such people. Similar tales can be found in the village of Sarabat Ali, 58. He and his family in Goroimari village of Sarabat Ali Assam located 100 kilometres from Guwahati are extremely worried. They migrated from Belbheli village in Nalbari district of Assam. For almost 12 years they have lived on the embankments constructed by the Assam government on the Brahmaputra riverbank. Now Ali has been denied citizenship status, because when they migrated, his fathers name was listed as Kota Ali instead of Ansar Ali. Now the family is being told that they cannot claim relation to the man. Due to migration from that area to this, this problem arose. Because of the fault in my name 12 members of our family are denied NRC, said Sarabat Alis octogenarian father. Already we are erosion- and flood-hit people, we dont own land. How will we pay lawyers fees for the foreigners tribunal? asked Sarabat. In similar circumstances Mazeda Begum and her husband Kuddus Ali settled on land provided by the government in the Kamrup area of Assam. Their land in Champupara village under Goroimari circle had been washed away. We have provided our previous land document in my husband and sons name but that didnt help, said Mazeda Begum. My husband is a daily wage earner; we dont have the money to go to tribunals now. Easy targets Those people whose land and homes [have been lost to erosion and] become internally displaced, the moment they move to a newer area in search of livelihood they become soft targets and prime suspects. [They are] often branded as illegal immigrants. The strong correlations between climate change, river erosion and flooding has always been underplayed in the illegal migration discourse in Assam, Wadud said. Of the many people struggling to prove their citizenship in Assam are thousands of climate refugees who have been displaced because their lands have been swept away by erosion or floods, says a report in The Third Pole, pointing out, the situation has created mistrust between mainlanders and those staying on the chars (riverine islands) or on the banks of the Brahmaputra, the transboundary river that starts in Tibet and flows right through the Assam valley before entering Bangladesh. In the majority of cases poor Bengali speaking people are the ones living on the chars and the riverbanks, and they are easily targeted as Bangladeshis or illegal immigrants, says the report In Bhuragaon, a small village that lies 103 kilometres east of Guwahati, the capital of Assam in north-eastern India, Sabita Biswas worries about her grandchildren. The 70-year-old has submitted land ownership documents under her husband and father-in-laws names, but these have been rejected, because the land is no longer there, swept away by the mighty Brahmaputra River.A widow who has lost her two sons, Biswas used to work as a domestic helper in Bhuragaon, and is among the marginalised that have neither the expertise, nor the money, to effectively argue their case. The only breadwinner in her family is her daughter-in-law, who works as a domestic helper across the river. Biswas is now going from door to door to find help for her grandchildren.The National Register of Citizens (NRC), an initiative to document those with valid citizenship documents in Assam, has a long history. A series of anti-migrant agitations over six years led to an agreement called the Assam Accord in 1985. One of the main clauses of this accord was that anybody who had entered the state on or after March 25, 1971 would be detected, disenfranchised, and expelled. The NRC was set up to process this documentation, assisted by a number of foreigners tribunals, whose judges pored over the documentation that would prove a person, or their parents, had been resident in the state before the crucial cut-off date.When the NRC came out with its final list this September, having gone over the documentation of over 33 million people, 19 million were found to have unsound documentation. While the people technically have 120 days to appeal the decision, it is a difficult process. By Tessa Vikander and Moira Warburton VANCOUVER/TORONTO (Reuters) - Extraditing Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to the United States based on American sanctions against Iran would set a dangerous precedent and could even undermine Canada's policy towards Iran, Meng's lawyers argued in court documents released on Friday. Meng, 47, was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport on Dec. 1, 2018, at the request of the United States, where she is charged with bank fraud and accused of misleading the bank HSBC about Huawei Technologies' business in Iran. Meng has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition. Canada's attorney general said in submissions released last week that Meng was being extradited because she fraudulently mislead HSBC, and that U.S. sanctions should be taken into account as contributing to the legal environment in which the fraud took place - not as a reason for the extradition. Meng's team called the attorney general's argument "circular," arguing that because prosecutors relied on U.S. sanctions to establish a risk of economic deprivation in both countries, "American law becomes Canadian law. Double criminality becomes single criminality." They wrote that allowing the attorney general to use U.S. sanctions as a reason to extradite set a dangerous precedent, because it would "interfere with the (Canadian) government's prerogative in foreign affairs ... In a democratic society, important public policy choices are best made in the elected legislative assembly rather than by judicial actors." Meng appeared in court on Friday for the first time in several months, for a case management conference to schedule hearings addressing the Canadian attorney general's claims of privilege on releasing some documents requested by Meng's legal team. Wearing dark slacks and sipping from a pink thermos, Meng appeared calm but serious, refraining from waving to journalists as she has while entering the courtroom on other occasions. The first phase of the extradition hearing will begin on Monday in a federal court in Vancouver. (Reporting by Moira Warburton in Toronto and Tessa Vikander in Vancouver; Editing by Marguerita Choy) | By Deborah Kotz Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) developed a new nanoparticle drug formulation that targets a specific receptor on cancer cells and appears to be more effective than a standard nanoparticle therapy currently on the market to treat metastatic breast cancer, according to a study published today in the journal Science Advances. The new DART (decreased, non-specific adhesivity, receptor-targeted) nanoparticles bypass healthy cells and tissues and bind to tumor cells, dispersing evenly throughout the tumor while releasing the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel. The marketed drug Abraxane, a nanoformulation containing paclitaxel that is currently used to treat women with aggressive breast cancer, is an effective agent, but it was not designed to selectively deliver paclitaxel to only the cancerous cells within the body, said study corresponding co-author Jeffrey Winkles, PhD, a professor of surgery at UMSOM. Our DART nanoparticle specifically targets the Fn14 receptor found abundantly on breast cancer cells; it uses this receptor to gain entry through the plasma membrane and deliver the drug to destroy the cancer. Winkles group discovered the Fn14 receptor and described its potential as a target for new therapeutics more than a decade ago. For this study, UMSOM researchers engineered and tested a new therapeutic nanoparticle platform to deliver the drug paclitaxel to treat triple-negative breast cancer. About one in five women with breast cancer have this type of aggressive tumor, which is particularly difficult to treat; these cancers lack receptors commonly expressed by most breast cancer cells, like hormone receptors, for which effective drugs have been designed. But many triple-negative breast cancers express high levels of Fn14; indeed, most solid tumor types, including lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer, overexpress this cell surface receptor. After much initial hype and some disappointments in the field, nanoparticle delivery systems for cancer treatment are starting to show real promise for patients, said study co-author Graeme Woodworth, MD, professor and interim chair in the Department of Neurosurgery at UMSOM. We established a proof-of-concept with this study, outlining the design of an optimized nanoparticle delivery system that balances the specific binding to cancer cells while minimizing non-specific, off-target binding to other cells in a very fine-tuned way. To accomplish this, the research team attached a monoclonal antibody called ITEM 4 to the surface of the nanoparticle because it specifically binds to Fn14, providing a key to unlock entry into the cancer cell. The surface of the nanoparticles also was coated with polyethylene glycol to keep them circulating through the bloodstream and lymph system until they reached the tumor and to prevent them from being quickly flushed out of the body. Many drug delivery carriers exhibit non-specific binding to healthy cells and tissues in addition to the diseased cells they are targeting, which often leads to unintended side effects or toxicities, said study corresponding co-author Anthony Kim, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery and pharmacology at UMSOM. This DART nanoparticle platform has unique capabilities to improve therapeutic delivery to difficult-to-treat locations within the body while also allowing us to potentially increase the maximum tolerated dose of the encapsulated drug without increasing side effects to patients. The researchers filled their optimized DART nanoparticle formulation with paclitaxel and tested it against Abraxane (the marketed nanoparticle that also contains paclitaxel) in animals with triple-negative breast cancer tumors. In one set of experiments, the nanoparticles were delivered to mice harboring breast tumors grown above the natural breast region. They found the DART formulation led to a significantly increased median overall survival (68 days) compared to Abraxane treatment (45 days). They also saw a clear benefit to using the DART nanoparticles when they compared the treatments again in animals that harbored breast tumors implanted in the brain (akin to a metastatic brain tumor). This is a compelling finding and significant step forward in the use of nanoparticles to treat cancer, said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and University of Maryland, Baltimore executive vice president for medical affairs. It fits squarely with our School of Medicines mission to advance the field of potentially lifesaving therapies for patients with the most difficult to treat cancers. The UMSOM researchers are members of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. A former PhD student, Jimena Dancy, PhD, and a former postdoctoral fellow, Aniket Wadajkar, PhD, are listed as co-first authors on the publication. Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., and the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz., also contributed to the work. This study was primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health. Future research includes testing the DART therapy in other cancer types, including an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma and developing a similar version of the nanoparticle designed to work specifically in humans. This would involve using a humanized antibody on the surface of the nanoparticle and scaling up the formulation. The researchers recently received a grant from the TEDCO Maryland Innovation Initiative Commercialization Program to move forward with efforts to adapt their nanoparticle system and eventually test the treatment in cancer patients. CM Yogi also slammed the Samajwadi Party, the Congress, and Left parties accusing them of doing politics at the cost of the nation. (Photo Credit: PTI) New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday took a swipe at Shaheen Bagh protesters saying that men are sleeping under the quilt while women and children have been pushed to stage sit-ins. Addressing a rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that it is shameful that the men are sitting in the comfort of their homes. Now these people (anti-CAA protesters) do not have the courage to participate in the protests themselves. They know that if they indulge in vandalism, their property will be seized, he said. His remarks come as anti-CAA protests led by women continue at Delhis Shaheen Bagh. Such protests have been reported from different parts of the country with this one being at the centre stage. Now what have they done? They started making the women of their houses sit at roads. The children have been made to sit also. Its such a big crime that the men are sleeping under the quilt, while the women folks have been pushed forward and made to sit at various roads. It is shameful, alleged Yogi. CM Yogi Warned Protesters The Uttar Pradesh chief minister had earlier warned protesters indulging in vandalism in his state that their properties would be seized and auctioned to compensate for the damages. On Wednesday, he also slammed the Samajwadi Party, the Congress, and Left parties accusing them of doing politics at the cost of the nation. The tactic of pushing the women forward is being resorted to. Those who do not know what the CAA is are staging sit-ins. If you go and ask anyone as to why are they sitting on a dharna, they will say that the men of the house feel that they have become so incompetent that they cannot do anything, so they want the women to go and sit on the dharna, he alleged. For them, the country is not important. The Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis are not important. Now, for the Congress, even the Christians are not important. And, they have said the protests will continue against the CAA until the ISI agents are given entry in India. This is a shameful statement made by Congress leaders, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 21:19 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060be9eb 1 World Mongabay,Philip-Jacobson,environmental-issues,Fetisov-Journalism-Award Free American journalist Philip Jacobson, who works for environmental news website Mongabay, received an award for excellence in environmental journalism from Fetisov Journalism Award for a collaborative investigative work on environmental issues in Indonesia. He was supposed to receive the award with his colleague at a gala dinner in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Wednesday, but instead he spent the time at an immigration detention center in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, for an alleged visa violation. Jacobson, an editor at Mongabay, was among several journalists from different countries who had worked on the project that won the second prize. Read also: Indonesian organizations condemn arrest of Mongabay environmental journalist "First place was awarded to Isaac Anyaogu [from] Nigeria and Petra Sorge [from Germany] for the series Dying in Instalments. Second place was awarded to Philip Jacobson [US] and Tom Johnson [UK] for the article The Secret Deal to Destroy Paradise. The third prize was awarded to Amos Abba [Nigeria] for How Nestle Nigeria Contaminates Water Supply of its Host Community in Abuja," Fetisov Journalism Award said in a statement on its website on Thursday. Three winners of each category in the award share a prize of 130,000 Swiss francs (US$134,000). Jacobsons article is the third in an in-depth series on deforestation and land rights called Indonesia for Sale. The series is the product of 22 months of investigative reporting across the Southeast Asian country, interviewing fixers, middlemen, lawyers and companies involved in land deals, and those most affected by them, according to Mongabay. Jacobson, however, could not make it to the ceremony as he has been arrested under Article 122 of the 2011 Immigration Law. If convicted of the charges, he faces a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to Rp 500 million (US$36,556). Read also: International journalists, agencies decry Indonesia's arrest of environmental journalist Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett A. Butler said the recognition was a great honor, as a lot of work had gone into producing the series. He expressed regret that Jacobson could not join the awarding ceremony. "Phil was supposed to accept the award on behalf of the group of journalists who worked on the Indonesia for Sale project. Instead he is sitting in prison in Palangkaraya. I want to emphasize that Phil was in Palangkaraya to meet with officials and AMAN, specifically to learn about issues being discussed between the two parties," Butler told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, referring to the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN). "This trip was not related to any work Phil supported in the Indonesia for Sale series," he added. Local and international journalists and agencies have condemned Jacobson's arrest, calling it a violation of the freedom of the press and calling on the Indonesian government to refrain from over-the-top measures. One of the judges for the awards, Aidan White, told the Post that the award for Jacobson and his colleagues was "in recognition of terrific investigative journalism on environmental issues". "The fact that he was unable to attend the ceremony to receive his prize because of harassment by the authorities is a shocking reminder of the risks journalists take to tell important stories and to expose wrongdoing," White, the President of the Ethical Journalism Network, added. (ars/evi) Montreal police say one of Quebecs 10 most-wanted fugitives was nabbed in the U.S. this week after more than 17 years on the lam. Police say Parthasarthie Kapoor was arrested at the airport in Newark, N.J., as he attempted to fly to India on Monday. Kapoor is accused of sexually assaulting five boys between the ages of 7 and 14 at his Montreal home between 1998 and 2003. A permanent resident in Canada, he fled to the U.S. in 2003 upon hearing he was the subject of a criminal probe, triggering both Canada-wide and international arrest warrants. According to details on a Quebec provincial police most-wanted page, he was alerted to the investigation by a relative of one of his alleged victims. The 47-year-old Kapoor appeared in court in New Jersey and is currently in custody pending extradition. Read more about: Meghan McCain has blasted Hillary Clinton for making 'stupid' remarks about Bernie Sanders after the former secretary of state said 'nobody likes him'. McCain made her comments on The View on Wednesday, saying that Clinton's timing 'is bad, I think the language is bad'. 'I mean, as someone who knows what it feels like to have someone say "nobody likes you" in the press, its stupid and its juvenile,' McCain added. McCain's remarks were in response to those made by Clinton during an interview for an upcoming documentary in which she says Sanders has been in Congress for years but 'nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done'. But in an abrupt about-face, Clinton said Tuesday night that she would endorse her 2016 rival Sanders if he wins the Democratic nomination to face President Donald Trump in November. Meghan McCain blasted Hillary Clinton for making 'stupid' remarks about Bernie Sanders after the former secretary of state said 'nobody likes him'. McCain made the remarks during Wednesday's episode of The View McCain's remarks were in response to those made by Clinton during an interview for an upcoming documentary in which she says Sanders has been in Congress for years but 'nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done'. The former secretary of state had earlier refused to say whether she would endorse Sanders in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday, instead telling the outlet: 'I'm not going to go there yet.' She had also offered a broad condemnation of the progressive candidate's style of politics. 'I thought everyone wanted my authentic, unvarnished views!' Clinton tweeted Tuesday night. 'But, to be serious, the number one priority for our country and world is retiring Trump, and, as I always have, I will do whatever I can to support our nominee.' Her initial comments ripped open the scars of the brutal 2016 primary battle between Sanders and Clinton just as Democrats are poised to begin voting on their next nominee. Sanders' loyalists believed the Democratic establishment had rigged the primary in favor of Clinton, who won the nomination but ended up losing the general election to Trump. For her part, Clinton wrote in her memoir 'What Happened' after her 2016 defeat that she felt some of Sanders' criticism of her had helped propel Trump to victory, and she begrudged Sanders for not backing her campaign quickly enough after she sewed up the nomination. In The Hollywood Reporter interview, she accused Sanders of fostering a toxic culture in his campaign. 'We're still in a very vigorous primary season. I will say, however, that it's not only him, it's the culture around him. It's his leadership team,' Clinton had said. Then, referring to a cadre of aggressive, online Sanders backers, she continued: 'It's his prominent supporters. It's his online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women.' She added in the interview: 'I really hope people are paying attention to that because it should be worrisome that he has permitted this culture not only permitted, (he) seems to really be very much supporting it.' Sanders, like other senators who are running for president, was in Washington on Tuesday to participate in Trump's impeachment trial. He refused to comment on Clinton's critical comments, saying only in a statement: 'Together, we are going to go forward and defeat the most dangerous president in American history.' Clinton's claims that Sanders fostered a culture of sexism in politics are sensitive now given that Sanders' top rival in the 2020 race, Warren, has accused him of privately telling her a woman couldn't win the White House. Warren is seen refusing to shake Sanders' hand Sanders has denied that, but Warren refused to shake his outstretched hand (moment pictured) after a debate last week in Iowa and both candidates accused the other of calling them 'a liar' Even before Clinton's evening tweet, her aides had sought to minimize any fallout from her comments. Nick Merrill, Clinton's spokesman, tweeted that 'we all need to work our heart out for the nominee, whoever that is, and @HillaryClinton, as usual, won't be any exception.' Clinton's accusations that Sanders fostered a culture of sexism in politics are especially sensitive now given that Sanders' top progressive rival in the 2020 race, Warren, has accused him of privately telling her a woman couldn't win the White House. Sanders has denied that, but Warren refused to shake his outstretched hand after a debate last week in Iowa and both candidates accused the other of calling them 'a liar'. Warren has steadfastly declined to comment further, but the 78-year-old Sanders said Sunday that while sexism was a problem for candidates, so were other factors, like advanced age - touching off another round of controversy. Clinton said: 'I don't think we want to go down that road again where you campaign by insult and attack and maybe you try to get some distance from it, but you either don't know what your campaign and supporters are doing or you're just giving them a wink. 'I think that that's a pattern that people should take into account when they make their decisions,' she said. His feud with Warren has overshadowed a series of clashes between Sanders and another 2020 rival, Biden, for an op-ed penned by one of the senator's supporters suggesting that the former vice president was corrupt. 'It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I'm sorry that that op-ed appeared,' Sanders told CBS. The op-ed, published in 'The Guardian' newspaper by Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout, claims Biden 'has perfected the art of taking big contributions, then representing his corporate donors at the cost of middle- and working-class Americans'. Kevin C. Cox/Getty The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. case of coronavirus, a respiratory infection first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan that has killed at least six and made hundreds sick. According to Nancy Messonnier, the CDCs national immunization and respiratory disease director, the patient is a man in his 30s who is being treated in Snohomish County, Washington, north of Seattle. The man reportedly traveled to the U.S. from Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. Officials believe the outbreak began in a seafood and poultry market in the city, but the agency said the man has no connection to the market. The patient arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 15 without showing any symptoms but sought medical attention when he became sick on Jan. 19. The CDC confirmed the patient, an American resident, had coronavirus after testing him. He is currently in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, and is in good condition. The agency has deployed a team to the state to help contain the virus, which they are still studying to determine how it spreads. While the risk to the public is still low, Messonnier said health officials expect additional cases in the U.S. and globally. Washington States Department of Health said it is working with the CDC and the Snohomish Health District to identify people the man may have come into contact with so they can be monitored for fever and respiratory symptoms. The CDC says symptoms of the virus may include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, which could potentially lead to more severe respiratory illness. In Wuhan, there is a current outbreak of pneumonia, which was found to have been caused by coronavirus. Janet Baseman, an epidemiology professor at the University of Washington, said pneumonia is a common presentation of coronavirus. She said SARS, a type of coronavirus that spread to over two dozen countries in 2003, accompanied a severe respiratory and pneumonia outbreak. Story continues That tipped the authorities off that they should be testing these people, she said. The professor, a Washington resident, said she is not worried about a single case in her state. If you are not going to be in an airport or airplane, nothing to worry about, she said. I dont feel anyone should be frightened. But for those traveling, Baseman recommended taking extra precautions" like washing hands, using disinfectant wipes, and stepping up general hygiene. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicagos OHare International Airport will reportedly begin screening for coronavirus this week, the CDC said. Screenings have already begun at San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Gordon Crovitz News flash: Trust in media rose in 16 of 26 global markets surveyed last year by Edelmans 20th Trust Barometer. India led the pack as trust in that countrys press jumped nine percent to 73 percent. Mexico and Spain ranked next, advancing six percent to 59 percent and 42 percent, respectively. The Chinese are most trusting as 80 percent of them give a thumbs-up to the state-run media. That high level of trust is probably due to the reluctance of respondents to criticize the Beijing government. Saudi Arabia suffered the biggest drop in media trust, a 17 percent fall-off to 46 percent. The torture, murder and dismemberment of Saudi dissident and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi may have triggered that crash. The UAE ranked next with a seven percent decline to 53 percent, followed by Canadas four percent dip to 53 percent. Despite the steady drumbeat anti-media rants by President Trump, US trust remained at 48 percent The Edelman survey found traditional media are more trusted than social media by a 61 percent to 40 percent margin. The firm also reported that 72 percent of respondents in 28 countries surveyed believe companies should stop advertising with any media platform that fails to prevent the spread of fake news and false information. Only 64 percent of US respondents hold advertisers accountable for fake news on sites on which they advertise. That does not bode well ahead of the presidential election as Vladimir Putins troll farms are expected to spring into action once again. And speaking of propaganda, former Wall Street Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz blasted US companies that rely solely on programmatic advertising, which is the placement of ads by algorithms without consideration of the content or journalistic standards of the sites. In his Jan. 22 New York Times op-ed piece, Crovitz wrote that algorithmic advertisers such as Geico, Best Buy and ETrade help fund Putins Sputnik News propaganda site. Putin's other top disinformation vehicle, RT.com, attracted more than 475 programmatic advertisers during a recent six-month period. That lot includes Amazon, Wal-Mart, Kroger and PayPay. By supporting those sites, US advertisers help Russia promote divisiveness in the US and Kremlin lies such as the one denying that ally Syria used nerve gas on its own people. Crovitz is co-founder of NewsGuard, which helps companies determine what sites are safe for their brands. He said advertisers that restrict programmatic ads to trustworthy sites return ad dollars to publishers that badly need the support. Those advertisers also give Putin a poke in the eye. Canal Calem Periodontics Hosts Pinnacle Study Club in Moorestown, NJ I have the opportunity to bring in speakers from all over the country to lecture and present their philosophy. Respected periodontists in Moorestown and Medford, NJ, Drs. Mario J. Canal and Ben Calem, recently hosted two study club events for their program, Pinnacle Dental Study Club, to provide continuing education to dental professionals. The two courses, Cosmetic Dentistry Update: What, Where, When and How? and Decision Making in Prosthodontic Rehabilitation for Teeth and Implants, featured highly experienced guest speakers and equipped attending dental professionals on how to improve care at their own practices. I have the opportunity to bring in speakers from all over the country to lecture and present their philosophy. We have all these specialties working together to provide the best comprehensive care for our patients, says Dr. Calem. The whole objective is a better patient experience and a better patient treatment outcome, and we have the opportunity to provide a higher quality of dental education. The first course, Cosmetic Dentistry Update: What, Where, When and How? featured speaker Dr. Michael Malone. Attendees learned about cosmetic dentistry including the best materials to use, where to use veneers or onlays versus crowns, when to use composite resin versus porcelain and how to design the materials for each case. The second course, Decision Making in Prosthodontic Rehabilitation for Teeth and Implants featured speaker Dr. Marco Brindis. Those attending learned the steps, materials, preparation and bonding skills necessary to restore dental implants and give patients a healthy, attractive smile again. Drs. Canal and Calem offer implant solutions, including All-on-4 full mouth dental implants, at both their practice locations in Moorestown and Medford, NJ. Dental implants are often used to replace missing or failing teeth with a lifelike and long-term alternative. With the All-on-4 approach, the periodontists can restore a full arch of missing teeth with as few as four dental implants. Attached to these implants are a bridge or denture prosthesis that gives patients a full set of functional, attractive teeth. This procedure is revolutionary because it can be completed in just a single appointment. Patients receive many benefits from replacing missing teeth with dental implants, including: Improved self confidence Ability to eat without restriction Enhanced speech Prevention of jawbone deterioration Stability of the teeth Patients seeking comprehensive dental implant care, or fellow doctors interested in the Pinnacle Study Club, are encouraged to contact the Medford and Moorestown, NJ periodontists. To schedule a consultation at Canal Calem Periodontics visit http://www.canalcalemperio.com or call 609-534-5541 for the Medford, NJ office or 856-203-6588 for the Moorestown, NJ location. About the Periodontists Canal Calem Periodontics offers modern periodontal treatments for patients in Moorestown and Medford, NJ. Since 1993, Canal Calem Periodontics has been a resource in South Jersey for providing comprehensive periodontal and implant therapy. Working closely with the general dentist, Drs. Mario J. Canal and Ben Calem strive to improve their patients oral health and re-develop their dentition, where necessary. Both Drs. Canal and Calem are active in the community through their involvement with Donated Dental Services and The Holocaust Survivors Program. In addition, their strong belief in organized dentistry has led them both to serve as President of the Southern Dental Society. To learn more about the services they offer or to schedule a consultation at Canal Calem Periodontics visit http://www.canalcalemperio.com or call 609-534-5541 for the Medford, NJ office or 856-203-6588 for the Moorestown, NJ location. A woman who allegedly shaved her head and claimed she was dying of cancer to solicit donations has been hit with fresh charges. Lucy Victoria Wieland, 28, allegedly scammed loved ones and the Townsville community out of $55,000 by claiming the cash would be used to treat stage five ovarian cancer on crowdfunding site GoFundMe. Ms Wieland, who was charged with fraud in 2018, is now facing additional charges relating to alleged crimes committed against her ex-boyfriend Bradley James Congerton. Wieland allegedly defrauded her ex-boyfriend Bradley James Congerton (pictured) - who became her full time carer during the alleged illness - between the end of May and mid-October 2018 She has been charged with fraud, possession of restricted drugs and forgery, the Townsville Bulletin reported. Ms Wieland allegedly defrauded her ex-boyfriend - who became her full time carer during the alleged illness - between the end of May and mid-October 2018. Mr Congerton, of the Australian Defence Force, ended his relationship with Wieland when the alleged offending came to light. Ms Wieland is accused of with defrauding barber Kristopher Alan Keefe-Jackson in September 2018. Wieland was also charged over allegedly forging a letter from the doctor between August and November 2018. Police are understood to have found pills labelled 'Letrozole', a breast cancer treatment, at Wieland's house. Lucy Victoria Wieland (pictured), 28, allegedly scammed loved ones and the Townsville community out of $55,000 by claiming the cash would be used to treat her stage five ovarian cancer on crowdfunding site GoFundMe But it will be alleged the drugs were actually an antibacterial treatment for urinary tract infections called methenamine. Ms Wieland was expected to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday but she failed to appear as she now lives in Gladstone. Her absence was excused Magistrate Steven Mosch. The case is expected to be heard on January 29. GRUNDY CENTER U.S. Rep. Steve King, who represents Iowas 4th Congressional District covering much of western and northern Iowa, held a town hall Wednesday in Grundy County to tout recent major legislation and discuss issues ranging from Iran to impeachment. Saying it was a congressional, not a campaign stop, King talked up the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement as U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst participated in the official bill enrollment ceremony in Washington, D.C., advancing USMCA to the desk of President Donald Trump. Every component of the USMCA is at least marginally better (than the North America Free Trade Agreement) except dairy, which is a whole lot better, King told the roughly dozen attendees at Kling Memorial Library in Grundy Center. He also talked up the phase one trade deal with China, as well as the possibility of a bilateral agreement with the United Kingdom should it exit the European Union. All these things are good, and Im happy about where we are on trade, King said. It was a miserable experience for a long time. King also touched on his disagreement with Environmental Protection Agency director Andrew Wheeler on small refinery exemptions for year-round ethanol, his relief that the back-and-forth with Iran hasnt yet escalated to U.S. casualties, and the impeachment trial underway in the U.S. Senate. I believe the intent to impeach Donald Trump began the day after he was elected, King said. I read through that (Ukraine phone call recap) five or six times, and never had that flip in my gut that anything was wrong. King also held a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon in Clear Lake, and will hold another Saturday in Sioux City. But he didnt commit to visiting each of his districts 39 counties this year as he did in 2019. Well have to see how that works, he said after the event, noting he was focusing on counties where he had gaps in communication and this is certainly the No. 1 place. Despite rain turning to freezing rain and then to snow, attendees didnt mind making the drive. That included John Patterson of Waterloo who, despite not residing in Kings district and despite identifying as a Libertarian, agrees with a lot of Kings positions. He showed a reporter his copy of Saul Alinskys 1971 book Rules for Radicals, which he had King sign. I kind of like Steve King, he said. I know hes said some things that people dont like, but I still maintain he told the truth. He said his big issues in the upcoming election are illegal immigration, the national debt and health care. I consider our national debt a combination of treason and child abuse, Patterson said. It could destroy our country and ruin it for our next generation. Patterson asked King about it. King called the national debt my No. 1 priority. He said he asked Trumps team about the likelihood of a balanced-budget amendment. The answer was, We dont think we can get to balance in the first term thats second term, King said. So Im going to hold him to that. Jessica Birch of Dike, a recent University of Northern Iowa graduate who was the lone attendee at Kings last town hall, said even though shes a Democrat she wanted to ask King about issues like mental health, military spending, corporations paying their fair share and the lack of affordable housing. Even though I disagree with him, its still important to show up, she said. I havent found any huge common ground. Its more just showing up and asking. I appreciate Jessica coming back, King said. Even though were on opposite sides, we can have dialogue, and thats important. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (Natural News) The next wave of attack against humanity has just been unleashed. The so-called novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is now spreading across Mainland China, and with the Chinese New Year travel surge under way, Chinas residents are exporting the virus everywhere. Confirmed cases have cropped up in Taiwan, and the CDC has confirmed that at least one patient in the United States has been infected and hospitalized (after being misdiagnosed for a week, during which he most likely spread the infections to others). As covered by Alt Market: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. case of a new coronavirus that has killed six people in China. The CDC and Washington state officials said the man, in his 30s, was in good condition at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. The symptoms presented Sunday, and the diagnosis was confirmed Monday. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, called the news concerning, particularly in light of reports that the virus has begun to spread from person to person. The confirmation of human-to-human spread in Asia certainly increases our concern, Messonnier said. The CDC, which began enhanced health screenings last week at airports in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, said Atlanta and Chicago would be added to the list. All traveling from Wuhan, China where the outbreak began to the USA are rerouted to these airports. Cases have been found spreading to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and now the United States, reports DC Clothesline. Already in Mexico? One case of coronavirus which has been confirmed in Mexico involves a 57-year-old Asian man whose stops included Tijuana, Beijing and Wuhan, where the outbreak is known to be spreading. According to Breitbart News, According to a statement from the Tamaulipas Health Secretariat, a level three health protocol was triggered after a college professor was identified as a possible carrier of Coronavirus. This is serious business, warned Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the Molecular, Virology, and Microbiology Department at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in a Breitbart interview. We are now seeing person-to-person spreading of the virus. Hotez recommends that everyone get a flu vaccine, by the way, even though this years flu vaccine has nothing whatsoever to do with the coronavirus thats spreading in China. Upwards of 20,000 people already infected in China, according to estimates Chinese health authorities announced Wednesday that 440 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been reported in 13 provincial-level regions in the country by the end of Tuesday, reports The Big Wobble. According to Prof Neil Fergusons table, (see below) of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London, 440 confirmed cases is the equivalent of almost 20,000 unconfirmed cases. The Big Wobble goes on to explain, Published 5 days ago 45 confirmed cases was the equivalent of up to 2,000 cases, Today, 440 confirmed cases, is, therefore, the equivalent of almost 20,000 unconfirmed cases according to Prof Neil Ferguson. The conclusion of Prof. Fergusons analysis: It is likely that the Wuhan outbreak of a novel coronavirus has caused substantially more cases of moderate or severe respiratory illness than currently reported. Dave Hodges has also posted more details about patient zero in the United States. A bioengineered, weaponized viral strain What seems obvious from the rapid adaption of this viral strain which has now achieved human-to-human transmission is that it has been engineered as a self-replicating weapon system to achieve the globalists depopulation goals. The long incubation period that seems to be presently observed allows this viral strain to spread in stealth mode, largely undetected until its payload fully activates. The longer the incubation period, the more people are infected and become silent carriers (who may not even know they are infected). Currently this coronavirus is believed to have a low fatality rate, something less than 5%. However, this may change as the viral strain adapts or is altered through transgenic effects emerging from exposure to other circulating viral strains. In other words, viral strains can, in certain cases, recombine their proteins to create whole new strains. All this virus needs is to encounter a more deadly payload and incorporate that genetic sequence into its own. The bottom line? Humanity is now under serious threat from these engineered bioweapons. They are fully resistant to known antibiotics, making them superbugs for which there is no known conventional treatment. This will inevitably cause many people to turn to colloidal silver, chlorine dioxide, essential oils and other natural cures, since natural medicine is the only system of medicine that can stop these engineered bioweapons. Which remedy works best against this particular strain, however, is entirely unknown, and if you are afflicted with this coronavirus, you should seek out immediate help from a naturopathic physician. If the CDC gets their hands on you, they will likely deprive you of any access to natural medicine while they take biopsies and blood samples, turning you into a human lab rat and imprisoning you under Obama-era Ebola quarantine rules. Listen to my latest podcast for more details: BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Chairperson of Public Sector Solutions of Swiss Re Veronica Scotti in Davos. Expressing her gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the meeting, Veronica Scotti noted that the reforms implemented by the head of state in Azerbaijan in recent years had provided good opportunities for the development and improvement of the insurance sector in the country. She expressed the company`s readiness to involve in the reforms carried out by President Ilham Aliyev and contribute to the further development of the insurance market in Azerbaijan. Saying that Swiss Re is one of the worlds leading companies of insurance and reinsurance of mainly emergency events, Veronica Scotti highlighted the projects implemented by the company in different countries. The head of state stressed the importance of effective organization and development of the insurance market in the country, especially in the real estate insurance system. The sides also exchanged views on cooperation with foreign investors, including Swiss Re, which will enable to speed up the application of international experience in this field in Azerbaijan. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School finds that Sen. Bernie Sanders' proposed wealth tax on the richest Americans will generate $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion less than what the campaign claims. The results, if accurate, could undercut the critical funding needed to support his plans to develop public health care, education and hosts of other government-back programs. The analysis also found that former Vice President Joe Biden's plan would raise $600 billion to $900 billion less than his campaign estimates. The study found Biden's plan "would have little effect on the size of the economy" by 2050 as curtailed growth from higher tax rates edge out the benefits of deficit reduction, according to the study viewed by CNBC. The Sanders campaign did not respond to CNBC's request for comment on this story. Sanders shortfall? The Penn Wharton Budget Model assessed the budgetary and economic effects of two proposals from Sanders, I-Vt., to determine how his planned wealth tax and expansion of the estate tax would impact households and the greater American economy. It found that the Sanders wealth tax would raise $2.8 trillion to $3.3 trillion over 10 years, about $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion shy of what the campaign projects. The university said the estate tax expansion, meanwhile, would raise an additional $267 billion over 10 years and increase the percentage of descendants affected by the levy to about 0.5% in 2030. The Wharton figures, if correct, would represent a marked shortfall for the Sanders campaign, which has pegged its wealth tax as integral to its campaign ambitions for proposals like "Medicare for All" and reducing student loan debt. The campaign itself estimates the wealth levy would generate $4.35 trillion over the next 10 years and in an email to CNBC defended the senator's plan. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks during a campaign event at NOAH's Events Venue on December 30, 2019 in West Des Moines, Iowa. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Sanders' wealth tax is progressive, meaning the rate individuals or married couples pay rises in tandem with their net worth. The Vermont senator's wealth tax, which his campaign introduced in September, would require married couples with a net worth of $10 billion or more to pay an 8% annual tax. Those couples with a net worth of $5 billion to $10 billion would pay 7%, and those with a net worth of $2.5 billion to $5 billion would pay 6%. The lowest bracket covered under Sanders' plan couples with a net worth ranging from $32 million to $50 million would pay 1%. The Wharton paper also sought to calculate the estimated economic effects of the Sanders taxes. The paper said average hourly wages in the economy, including those earned by households not directly subject to the wealth tax, would fall by 1% due to the reduction in private capital formation. It also says the tax would shrink the U.S. economy by 1.1% by 2050, depending on how Congress spends the revenues. But the campaign says it plans to put the funds toward an affordable housing plan, universal child care and Medicare for All, one of his longtime policy promises. Though the revenues raised from the Sanders tax would cut into the wealth of the richest Americans and potentially have an adverse impact on business investment, advocates of the Sanders plan say the government programs could also lead to improved worker productivity through a healthier, smarter workforce. That's an important possibility for which the Wharton paper fails to account to date, at least in Sanders' case. The school's prior analysis of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax plan did allow for the revenue spent to add to worker productivity. "The effects are largely the same," said Rich Prisinzano, director of policy analysis at the Penn Wharton Budget Model. "You're reducing the size of the economy as people work less. Investment becomes more expensive, you get less investment, that makes the return to labor less productive." In the current paper, the authors write that "the Sanders campaign does not indicate specific plans for how the wealth tax revenue would be spent" and therefore use the longstanding practice of applying the additional revenue toward federal deficit reduction. But should Congress use the revenues in a way that makes American corporations more productive (e.g., through fewer employee sick days), the adverse impact on economic growth would at least be lessened. Biden's plan impacts more muted The Penn Wharton Budget Model's evaluation of Biden's plan deemed his proposal more modest, both in terms of impact on the economy and revenues raised through proposed taxes, which tend to focus on taxing capital and corporate income. Still, the Biden plan would raise just $2.3 trillion to $2.6 trillion over 10 years, about $600 billion to $900 billion less than the Biden campaign estimates, the Wharton model projects. The paper found that the former vice president's plan would "have little effect on the size of the economy" and reduce GDP by 0.1% in 2030 and 2040 before increasing growth by 0.1% by 2050. Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting at Chickasaw Event Center in New Hampton, Iowa, December 5, 2019. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters The White House candidate announced in December that his planned tax on the wealthy and corporations would pay for $3.2 trillion in promised investment in infrastructure, higher education and health care. Biden's campaign projects his minimum tax of 15% on the income the most profitable companies report on their books would raise $400 billion, which would help pay for a $1.7 trillion investment to pay for proposed climate change efforts and other infrastructure development. "Joe Biden is running for president to build a stronger, more inclusive American middle class and an economy and a tax code that rewards work not just wealth," the campaign told CNBC in an email. "Biden has proposed unprecedented investments that will create good jobs, strengthen the middle class, make us more competitive with the rest of the world, and grow our economy including investments in infrastructure, a clean energy revolution, and education." MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI A building contractor who walked away with $18,000 meant for a garage he never built has been sent to prison. Jared Andrew Mahler, 30, of Twin Lake was sentenced to 14 months to six years in the Michigan Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to contractor fraud, Muskegon County court records show. In the summer of 2018, he had been contracted to build a residential garage in Fruitport Township, and the homeowners paid him $25,000 up front for the job, said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat. He provided $7,000 worth of labor and materials for the job in the 3800 block of Trailside Drive, Maat said. But then Mahler disappeared, and the homeowners were unable to contact him, Maat said. Fruitport Township Police were contacted in September 2018, and they tried unsuccessfully on several occasions to contact Mahler over several weeks, he said. Criminal charges were filed in December 2018. Maat provided several pieces of advice to avoid becoming victims of contractor fraud: Always use a contractor who is licensed. Ask the contractor for references and then contact them. Check with the Better Business Bureau for any negative reports about the contractor. Pay up to 50 percent down up front and the rest after the job is satisfactorily completed. Muskegon County Circuit Judge William Marietti sentenced Mahler in December 2019 as a third-time habitual offender. In addition to the prison sentence, Marietti ordered Mahler to repay the $18,000. His prior felony convictions include being an accessory after the fact to a felony in 2014, first-degree home invasion in 2009, unlawful use of a motor vehicle in 2009 and uttering and publishing in 2007, Maat said. He also has misdemeanor convictions for drunk driving in 2016, attempted resisting and obstructing police in 2009 and shoplifting in 2007, Maat said. Also on MLive: Husband guilty of murder in Muskegon Heights womans shooting death Alleged drunk driver charged in hit-and-run at school bus stop Devoted owner rescues dog from devastating fire After more than a year of disputes among community and district leaders, the Clarke County School District Board of Education now faces a massive test with implications for the districts reputation and students: the accreditation agency is coming. Accreditation agency Cognia, formerly AdvancED and Measured Progress, will investigate potential standard violations filed against members of the board by outgoing Superintendent Demond Means on Jan. 26-28. The education nonprofit assesses and accredits more than 30,000 schools and districts to help them maintain standards through third-party quality control evaluations and assistance, according to Cognias website. It notified CCSD about complaints in August 2019. Cognia does not disclose who files complaints nor the exact nature of the complaints, a spokesperson for the company said. However, Means provided documented evidence about the allegations and formally requested a special review on Sept. 13. The situations involving specific board members demonstrate that the current situation in the district is dire, and intervention from AdvancEd is necessary to make significant and sustainable change in governance protocol, Means wrote to Cognia. After this letter, Cognia noted five standards CCSD may be violating, three of which point directly to strife among governing leaders. The other two violations regard whether or not the district produced equitable opportunities for students and data showing student improvement. In addition to our ongoing training through the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), the members of the Board of Education embrace this opportunity to improve its effectiveness, said LaKeisha Gantt, school board president, in a statement. We will accommodate and support all aspects of the review. A dire situation In his September letter, Means provided evidence to show board violations. In the December 2019 notice of special review, Cognia noted that more complaints had been filed with the agency after the initial one in August, which may explain the two other alleged violations. At no point was I intending to demean or mistreat the Superintendent. -John Knox, Board of Education member Means pointed to District 1 member Greg Davis and District 8 member John Knox for not cooperating with a teacher hearing and District 9 member Tawana Mattox for micromanaging Means authority. Means said emails from Mattox about her concerns of hiring people outside the district were an indirect form of micromanagement. Means said special interest groups in the community have opposed his reforms since he started in May 2017. Means sought to increase student achievement, close racial achievement gaps and ensure educational equity. Means expressed further concern to the board president in May 2019 regarding a meeting he had with Knox. He said Knox made attempts to intimidate me in performance of my responsibilities. Means said this complaint about Knox to the board was never addressed. However, Knox remembers the meeting differently and said he only wanted to take on the role of adviser, refuting the claims of the Cognia complaint. I praised the Superintendent for his decisions regarding several principals, but I felt duty-bound to indicate some possible consequences in the event of another principals loss, Knox wrote. At no point was I intending to demean or mistreat the Superintendent. What is a special review? Representatives from Cognia, who include trained educators and administrators, will come to CCSD during three agreed-upon dates to investigate these violations. CCSD is responsible for all costs, which include a $4,200 fee and all travel costs. The team will investigate any violations to Cognias accreditation standards or the boards own policies by conducting interviews and reviewing evidence, a spokesperson said in an email. If violations to these standards are found to be severe enough, the special review team could withdraw CCSDs accreditation. There were devastating effects for Clayton County in 2008 when the district made national headlines because it lost its accreditation due to dysfunction on the school board. When a school or district loses accreditation, it can make it harder for students to attend college. Applicants from non-accredited high schools can apply to a University System of Georgia institution but may demonstrate certain USG requirements in other ways, per USG policy. Loss of accreditation has a domino effect in the community because parents who are financially able may move away, and the loss leaves a lasting ding to the districts reputation. However, revoking accreditation is a last-resort move. In 2017, the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System faced similar alleged standard violations as CCSD and hosted a special review from AdvancED, which has since become Cognia. The special review report outlined Improvement Priorities and set up a monitoring review to see the standards are met with the districts accreditation remaining intact. Drama in the district Despite Meanss assurance in his September letter to Cognia that his office and the board were in the process of reconciling their problems, the districts current upheaval doesnt reflect any changes. That November, Means publicly complained about how the board handled ethics complaints filed against him to the Professional Standards Commission and indicated he wanted to leave the position. He then retracted his statement, but the board went into closed-door meetings in early December, resulting in him being placed on administrative leave and his chief of staff Xernona Thomas filling his place as interim superintendent. Disagreements spawned over his tenure regarding his hiring picks, implementation of the AVID program and renovation plan for the West Broad Street School property. Means said his Cognia complaints do not capture the totality of the situation the Office of the Superintendent has been subject to since July 2017. Once Cognia reviews the district, the company will release a report outlining its findings and the next steps CCSD should take to get back on track. Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the year Clayton County lost its accreditation. The Red & Black regrets this error and it has since been fixed. During our recent involvement with sales team, what we noticed is, Are salespeople now thinking like scientists A lot has changed, when I involved myself from 2013 in sales CRM software implementation, I see sales people are acting more like a scientist. Sales peoples are no more sales peoples, they talk technology, sell technology and dreaming technology. During our recent interaction with SAP and HCI (Hyper Converged Infrastructure) team, both of the salespersons were quite conversant in technology and also in using it. They were even able to show some demo on their respective technology. Now with the technology to back them up, the best salespeople are putting data first, details of clients, their requirement, technology availability etc. In our business of real estate, our sales team is also talking technology when they are selling our business, flats, commercial tower, etc. Even they are talking like a data scientist with a totally data driven approach. When I joined this company one year back, our sales team was working on some data points manually. After implementation of some CRM tool and BI tool, they are ready with their automated data requirement and we appreciate that our sales team is doing their work on data points solely. Sales organizations that are embracing the idea that how you sell is as important as what you sell are beginning to dominate their competition In my last job, our MD of that company believed in data solely and had created a team for data analysis, data strategy team, as he believed in data points. The importance of data has never been so clear. The digital age has given birth to both opportunities and challenges, and if you are in sales, you are probably in the midst of this transformation. The internet has transformed the world into an interconnected entity, with trade largely defying borders and politics - Somebody sitting in London calling through LinkedIn for our Mumbai Property. They are tracking our property digitally from London which they were interested on investing in. At the same time, the shift to digital only and hybrid business models gave rise to an unprecedented amount of data generated by users daily while they interact with brands websites, mobile apps, Facebook, LinkedIn and call centres. Major Benefits if you know sales technology The gap between early adopters of sales technology and those that still havent fully dove in is widening rapidly. I am already starting to see organizations get left behind. Sales organizations that are embracing the idea that how you sell is as important as what you sell are beginning to dominate their competition. For example, a few organizations I spoke with are still finding contact information manually, some companies have all data online and they are using their digital platform. If the contacts are not available online, they are tracking their social media, etc. They are using a mixture of sales engagement platform and lines of code that crawl the web and embedded screenshots into a sequence of fully automated email campaigns. Sellers are only notified when a prospect shows some intent to purchase, called full automation of leads. Yet data still matters, particularly in Sales and Marketing. These functions are at the core of every business. The typical business concern is geared towards reaching out to new customers, generating leads and converting them. Big data serve as the starting point in this regard. With a timely access to the right kind of metrics, businesses can shape their strategies based on a careful analysis of market trends. Digital sales channels have been gaining in prominence over the past few years. Such data allow businesses to make far reaching strategic choices. In the example above, it is obvious that with the world moving towards the overwhelming adoption of online shopping, the internet is where all brands are intending to penetrate in todays cut throat market. Even in real estate business, customers comes online on several online portals in India. Data Collection is a Typical Task in India for sales people For real estate business data collection or some prospects, leads collection is very typical in India. What Indian companies are doing is they purchase data from market, either from naukri.com or some other portals, so as to collect data and do cold calling, and also collecting technological data by attending several technology events in India. For most people, data collection tends to be a one off process that is soon forgotten following the accomplishment of a particular set of goals. Data scientists, on the other hand, know that data collection is an ongoing quest that aims to find the most useful insights. That is the major reason why all salespeople should start thinking like data scientists. In India, some companies doing market research for the collection of data, the importance of data are not limited to the identification of market opportunities. What you do after launching your products or services often has an equally important impact on the trajectory of our business. The next step in the process of beginning to think along the lines of a data scientist involves using the metrics that are collected on an ongoing basis as a measure of your progress. Even after every launch or every event, companies are tracking investment, how much invested and how much business comes. Ongoing market research in your product or service category helps to identify threats as well opportunities to tap. Overall, we can say that there is no doubt that the sales technology landscape is crowded. Large organizations might work with 3 to 4 different sales technology vendors all serving different functions of their sales process. For years, it has been difficult to bring data from all these systems together and make a proper sense of it. Despite feeling like I was walking through the future of sales, those who were quick to begin using new AI, ML, robotics and BOT, intent data, clever integrations, and focusing on the selling process to maximize efficiency are already on to the next best action. Hence, we can say that sales people are now thinking like scientists. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:48:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DHAKA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Founder of the Yidan Prize Charles Chen Yidan has presented the prestigious award to the family members of Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). Tamara Abed and Shameran Abed, children of BRAC founder, accepted the award from Charles Chen Yidan at a ceremony in Dhaka Thursday. Abed's daughter Tamara, also the managing director of BRAC Enterprises and chairperson of the board of trustees of BRAC University, accepted the award while his son Shameran, also the senior director of BRAC microfinance and Ultra Poor Graduation Programme, read out the acceptance speech which Abed drafted last year after the announcement of the prize. After Abed's passing last month, Charles Chen Yidan decided to visit Dhaka to pay his respect and present the award in person to the BRAC founder's family. The veteran passed away at a hospital in Dhaka on Dec. 19, 2019 night at the age of 83 after battling a malignant tumour of the brain. Abed was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Development for his groundbreaking work on education in September 2019. During a visit to Abed in October 2019, the Yidan Prize Foundation said it learned directly from this iconic figure in international development his visionary approach and pivotal role in changing the course of education in Bangladesh. During his two-day visit to Dhaka, Charles Chen Yidan also visited a BRAC school for slum dwellers and an Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre - Play Lab. BRAC has set up more than 1,400 play-based early childhood development centres across Bangladesh, Tanzania and Uganda, where close to 40,000 children aged 1 to 5 years are presently enrolled. Founded in 2016 by Charles Chen Yidan, a core founder of Tencent, the Yidan Prize has a mission of creating a better world through education. It consists of two awards, the Yidan Prize for Education Research and the Yidan Prize for Education Development. A C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker has crashed while battling wildfires in Australia, killing all three of its crew. All three victims were American citizens, Australian authorities said, adding it was not immediately known why the plane crashed. Tragically, there appears to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area, said Shane Fitzsimmons, the Rural Fire Services Commissioner for New South Wales state. [The tanker] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground. There is no indication at this stage of whats caused the accident. Mr Fitzsimmons said the plane, which was carrying a load of fire retardant, had been leased by Canadian aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation, which has grounded its large air tanker fleet pending a review to ensure there was no systemic issue such as a fuel problem. Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? Show all 21 1 /21 Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-15.JPG Photos Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-19.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-10.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-17.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-16.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-12.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-6.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-13.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-18.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-1.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-11.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-14.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-3.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-9.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-8.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-7.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-5.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-2.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-0.JPG Reuters Australia fires: What's next for towns devastated by wildfires? AUSTRALIA-BUSHFIRES-COMMUNITY-4.JPG Reuters It had a second C-130 Hercules tackling bushfires in Australia. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it was sending a team of investigators to the crash site to collect evidence and would analyse available recorded data, review weather information and interview any witnesses. It said a preliminary report would be released in about 30 days but if a critical safety issue was identified during the course of the investigation it would immediately notify the relevant stakeholders. Coulson Aviation said the plane was on a firebombing mission and was carrying a load of retardant. The company said it would send a team to the crash site to assist in the emergency operations. The accident is reported to be extensive and we are deeply saddened to confirm there were three fatalities, the company said. The deaths take the toll from hundreds of wildfires across eastern Australia to 32 since September. Around 1 billion animals are also thought to have perished, while 2,500 homes have been incinerated. Additional reporting by agencies Since its foundation in 1947, Pakistan has spent more than three decades under military rule. Even when out of power, the military has exerted behind-the-scenes influence to maintain its firm grip on politics and national security. Establishing democratic institutions, including civilian control of the military, has thus been an arduous process riddled with uncertainty, backsliding and reversal. The military has often found civilian politicians willing to do its bidding. Every time civilian politicians bend laws to accommodate the uniformed autocrats, they undermine the trust of the people, damage the long-term prospects for democracy and further enhance the militarys power. On Aug. 19, Prime Minister Imran Khan extended the term of Gen. Qamar Bajwa, the chief of the countrys army, by three more years. General Bajwa was supposed to retire in November, but the decision was made in view of the regional security environment. Two days before General Bajwas extension was about to kick in, the Supreme Court of Pakistan considered a petition challenging it and suspended the extension. Eventually, the Supreme Court gave the general a six-month extension and ordered the government to get the Parliament of Pakistan to decide on such an extension and its duration. Dominic Cummings, the prime ministers adviser, now holds so much power that 16-year-old stories about him are being excavated for clues about the direction of Boris Johnsons policy. The latest is a blog post from the New Frontiers Foundation, a think tank run by Cummings, in 2004. It said that the BBCs credibility needed undermining; called for the creation of a Fox News equivalent to shift the centre of gravity; and urged the end of the ban on TV political advertising. This is relevant in the light of Johnsons difficult relationship with the BBC he refuses to appear on the Today programme the vacancy for director-general, and the doubts over the future of the licence fee. TUCSON, Ariz. A judge indicated Wednesday he may side with migrants in a lawsuit that alleges extreme overcrowding and inhumane conditions at some of the Border Patrols facilities in Arizona. U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury criticized the lack of measures taken by the Border Patrol to address persistent overcrowding and lengthy times in custody. He didnt say exactly when he would rule but indicated it would be the end of next week at the earliest. Nobody has done anything. Is that why a court has to jump in? Bury asked. It just seems like the lack of a response to these numbers just calls for a court order. Attorneys representing migrants who have been held in the agencys facilities in the Tucson sector want Bury to issue a broad order forcing the Border Patrol to improve several aspects of detention. Primarily, they want migrants to have access to beds after a certain amount of time in custody, but also want the judge to require the agency to provide more layers of clothing, access to showers, food thats assessed by a nutritionist and the ability to dim lights in sleeping facilities. Currently, migrants are placed in holding cells with no beds but are given thin sleeping mats. They have derisively referred to the conditions as living in ice boxes. The government says the attorneys for the migrants have not proven any constitutional violations and that the agency has taken steps to reduce time in custody. It says many things are out of the agencys control, such as whether other agencies involved in taking migrants have capacity. Government attorney Sarah Fabian called the requests in the lawsuit a wish list, adding that there hasnt been any funding to build facilities for beds. The power of the court to loosen the purse strings of Congress is limited, Fabian said. The amount of time migrants spend in custody has grown over the years, resulting in extreme overcrowding and allegations of mistreatment in facilities that were built for short-term stays. About 12,000 people were in custody for more than 72 hours in the Tucson Sector last year, or about 20%. The average time in custody was nearly 54 hours. The lawsuit was filed in June 2015, predating a surge of immigrant families who came to the border last year. This is not temporary. They have not cleaned up their act, attorney Jack Londen said. Theres no reason to think that this problem is going to solve itself. The judge appeared to agree on Wednesday. I dont want to get involved in this but it seems like Mr. Londen may be right. Theres no action unless a court orders it, Bury said. In 2016, he ordered the Tucson Sector to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants held longer than 12 hours and to allow them to clean themselves. The agency also must turn over surveillance video and statistics like time in custody, he said. In 2017, Bury said the agency violated court orders by failing to preserve surveillance footage that it was required to turn over. Bury partially granted a motion to hold the Tucson Sector in civil contempt over video files that were irreparably damaged, agreeing the agency knew about the bad files but didnt notify plaintiffs. Forward-looking: Eversheds Sutherland Dublin managing partner Alan Murphy is keen to make the most of new technology, while tapping into his firms international strength. Photo: Mark Condren As managing partner of the Irish arm of global legal firm Eversheds Sutherland for the past 12 years, Alan Murphy had a front seat as the country went through some major changes. With Brexit clouds hanging over Ireland today, the Monaghan native says our culture will serve us well in the future. "Our culture as a country is very important to us now, particularly with Brexit. I think it defines us and I think it will in the medium to long term serve us very well," he says. "It is a very open culture. It's seen as a progressive culture that welcomes diversity and inclusion, and all of that translates into people wanting to come here to do business and to set up business," he adds. Today, there is continued uncertainty over what type of exit the UK will make from the European Union, and over future trading agreements between the two. On the back of this, Murphy sees a greater demand for trade lawyers. "Trade lawyers weren't really that important, let's say. I don't want to insult any trade lawyer in the past because it was all about the EU rules. "But now there are a whole lot of new trade laws going to be introduced and we are going to need trade lawyers to advise clients on those." For now, while the firm's clients may have concerns, "it is very much a wait-and-see approach [to Brexit]". "It is not certain what the position is going to be. But even now you would have a number of concerns: trade, tariffs, finance, things like FX, logistics, which would then feed into real estate. A lot of companies have established warehousing in very different parts, say Northern Ireland, the UK, Republic of Ireland, and they have stockpiled materials, so it is all about general business and how that is going to be affected," he says. The father of three, who worked in Sligo and Wexford before making the move to Dublin, does not have the most traditional legal background. Before coming to Dublin to study law, he did a primary degree at Queen's University in English and history. As he explains: "I did the Leaving Cert at 16. My parents believed in an holistic approach to education; they wanted me to do a general degree first rather than just jumping straight into law. "I never regret doing that degree; it was a brilliant grounding, hugely important in terms of personal development that's necessary to be a good lawyer." Having joined the firm in 2000, Murphy progressed up the ranks, becoming managing partner in 2008, just as the country entered recession. "I have seen every side of the coin in terms of the growth and the development of the firm, the challenges a recession brings and the opportunities that come from a return to economic growth," he says. "Obviously, that all requires a different skill set. One particular economic period requires one skill set and then another economic period will require something else. That's been hugely interesting to me from a personal perspective." During the recession, Murphy says the "significant slowdown" across Ireland affected "all of the law firms". "It was a question of rationalising, concentrating on clients' needs and then growing out of that." The company also invested in areas it found clients needed services in, and to build those areas. "The one huge advantage we had was the international piece. The world, despite what might be happening politically in certain countries, is increasingly becoming more globalised and so clients need to become more globalised. It's all multi-jurisdictional. It is that aspect that is hugely useful for us. "During the recession, clients would have been looking at restructuring, financing [and] project plans to ensure their business could come out of recession and return to growth." With the country having coming out of recession and returning to economic growth, "there is much more M&A activity", he notes. "[Today] there would be much more buying and selling, there is more liquidity in the market. The legal services at a particular juncture reflect the economic cycle at that particular juncture; they very much mirror each other," Murphy says. The Irish arm of Eversheds Sutherland deals with both indigenous clients, who require help in areas such as employment, data protection, cybersecurity, corporate, real estate and pensions - and with international clients operating in Ireland. "[Our clients] would in some instances be clients of the international firm, or US companies would ask us to get involved in something. Or they would be global clients, who know that we are a global law firm in Ireland so, therefore, they can use our services." One of the main areas of business for the company is in tax. "Our US firm has a very strong presence in legal tax and we have a very strong tax team here, so we are able to provide an Irish-US offering. There would be other areas such as data protection, cyber, intellectual property. We have seen accelerated growth in those areas." It also offers bespoke services for sectors that incorporate data centres. "We would have a specialist data centre group here. I had not realised how complex a data centre actually was, but it really is," Murphy says. He is keen to stress the importance of the law firm as part of a much bigger company, something he illustrates with the group's representation of equestrian rider Cian O'Connor. "I was driving up the wilds of Donegal a few years ago and Cian phoned me and said, 'I'm before a tribunal of the Olympic Council tomorrow, can you represent me?' "This was in London. We actually have an equine tribunal expert in the London office. I was able to phone him back and literally the next day, which was a weekend, he represented Cian at that tribunal. "So it is about that ease of access to colleagues across the world and that seamless service if the client has an issue in a particular jurisdiction. It is not just a name at the other end of a phone, it is someone we actually know." Going forward, Eversheds Sutherland will put a lot of investment into its technology capabilities. As well as a new project management system, it has "a couple" of artificial intelligence (AI) projects that it is working on. Murphy concludes: "My view is in a law firm, technology assists and helps innovation. "We have an AI product that can read thousands of documents to find a particular thing and therefore can reduce months of manual reading to a couple of hours." Having witnessed plenty of change so far in his career, it is clear that the history graduate has no intention of keeping the law firm stuck in the past. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed an urgent dispatch, ordering his cabinet and local governments to take measures to fight acute respiratory infections caused by a new coronavirus strain, including the intensification of screening at border gates, in order to stop it spreading to Vietnam. The Southeast Asian country has just reported two suspected cases hospitalized in Hanoi, one of whom returned from Wuhan, China, which is the core of the coronavirus outbreak. The prime minister directs that the Ministry of Health coordinate work to strictly screen those people entering Vietnam through land border gates, waterway border gates, and airports in order to detect any suspicious case, according to the Vietname Government Portal. Any suspected infection has to be put in quarantine and the ministry is rquired to be well prepared for any likely outbreak. Relevant ministries are required to cooperate with the health ministry in warning Vietnamese citizens against visiting the affected areas if unnecessary. Local governments have to provide enough medicines and other medical supplies to fight the disease outbreak, if any. China is locking down Wuhan, a city of 11 million people and the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, which has killed 17 people and infected almost 600 others in the country. There is no known cure for the virus nor any vaccine against it. Symptoms include fever, difficulty in breathing and cough, similar to many other respiratory illnesses, and can cause pneumonia. The disease can spread from humans to humans via close contact or saliva. There are eight other known cases around the world - Thailand has confirmed four cases, while the United States, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have each reported one, according to Reuters. Two patients have been hospitalized in Hanoi over fever symptoms. One is L.P.T., 20, a Vietnamese student studying in Wuhan and having just come back to Hanoi for eight days. The other, 55, is a trader at a market along the Vietnam-China border. He has suffered a high fever for five days for no clear cause. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! While one Ganga Rath will go to Bijnor from where the Ganga enters Uttar Pradesh, the other Rath will go to Ballia from where the holy river exits. Lucknow, Jan 23 (IANS) Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday flagged off two 'Ganga Raths' on Thursday as a precursor to his five-day 'Ganga Yatra' that begins on January 27. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Ganga was not only a symbol of faith but also a symbol of our economy. "The Ganga campaign will give a definite boost to economy and help agriculture," he said. The Chief Minister will embark on his Ganga Yatra from Bijnor and will travel through Muzaffarnagar to Hastinapur. The following day, he will travel from Hastinapur to Hapur to Garh Mukteshwar to Amroha and then Bulandshahr. On January 29, the Yatra will go to Aligarh, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur and will reach Farukkhabad in the evening. The following day, the Yatra will travel to Kanpur through Kannauj and Hardoi. The other Yatra will travel to Ghazipur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh, Unnao and culminate in Kanpur. A government spokesman said the Ganga Yatra will cover 27 districts, 1,038 village panchayats and cover 1,358 km. Meanwhile, in a video conference on Wednesday, the Chief Minister directed district magistrates and police chiefs to prepare a work plan for the yatra. The Chief Minister also asked the officers to ensure that waste was not released into the river. He told them to organise an awareness programme for organic farming, plantation, sports, animal husbandry and environment protection in the villages. The use of plastic will be prohibited. The government spokesman said, "Besides participating in Ganga 'aarti', the Chief Minister will address a public meeting. He will also visit the villages near the Ganga to review development projects. The Chief Minister is likely to make a night halt at Hastinapur." amita/prs Naloxone training coming to Clay Township An angel/naloxone training session is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 4 on the Clay Township Police Departments training room. The training session, which will provide resources for assisting those struggling with narcotics, alcohol and more, will be hosted by Hope Not Handcuffs, an initiative of Families Against Narcotics. As a member of the community, I can see the growing epidemic of dependency, Clay Township Recreation Coordinator Cindy Babisz said. This dependency is destroying families and individuals. This is a new approach to combat that addiction and dependency. I hope many attend this training, she added. Besides participating in the program, higher numbers would tell me that an increasing amount of adults understand the severity of these addictions and are willing to try new techniques to help combat the problems. To register, visit familiesagainstnarcotics.org, go to the programs tab and choose Hope Not Handcuffs, fill out the angel application by clicking Become Someones Angel, and choose the Clay Township training. Not all individuals are experiencing addiction through recreational drug use, Babisz said. Some are dependent on narcotics through prescription drugs because of injuries or medical problems. This epidemic is affecting our communities, schools, businesses, economy and health care systems. The departments training room is located at 4768 Pointe Tremble Road. For more information, call Regional Angel Coordinator Randi Novak at 810-429-0334. Realtor Breakfast to discuss ECSD bond East China School District Superintendent Suzanne Cybulla will discuss the districts upcoming bond proposal during a Realtor Breakfast at 9 a.m. Feb. 4. Area realtors are invited to attend the event, which will take place at the East China Administration Building, located at 1585 Meisner Road in East China Township. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by contacting Dawn Cronce at 810-676-1018 or dcronce@ecsd.us. Bower Rose Funeral Home offers series of free events Bower Rose Funeral Home is offering a series of free events aimed at helping families in various ways, including envisioning their future through the creation of a vision board, helping boost their mood through exercise and answering tough questions about death and death wishes. I believe there is a need for gatherings like this in order to help people through difficult times and offer them tools to help them persevere and grow, owner Paul Merchant said in a news release. We have teamed up with some amazing people to bring a variety of events to our community. The funeral home will pair up with Karen Palka, founder of A Beautiful Me, for a Create Your Vision Board event at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Marine City Lions Club. Joe Polio, owner of Rise Fitness, will be sharing his knowledge about ways to Boost Your Mood Through Exercise; Tammy Ward, owner of Tranquility Spa, will be talking about Pampering Yourself, and Don Jewell, visiting longtime funeral director, will be teaming up with Merchant to Have the Talk about Death Wishes and Demystifying through Ask The Mortician. A complete list of the events can be found online at bowerrosefuneralhome.com. Events usually occur on the fourth Tuesday of each month at various locations. Space is limited. To reserve a space, call 810-765-8700 or email bowerkam@comcast.net. Emily Pauling, MediaNews Group Belfast councillors have given their backing to the long-awaited George Best Hotel in the city centre. Councillors also gave approval for a new 276 bed hotel at Hamilton Dock in the Titanic Quarter at a planning committee meeting on Thursday evening. Planning authorities had recommended approval of the 63-bed George Best Hotel, which has been shrouded in controversy. The approval is subject to a series of conditions and a referral to the Department for Infrastructure as the proposed conversion of the Scottish Mutual Building has been plagued by objections from neighbouring businesses and planning authorities. Read More Outstanding issues with the plans include the need for further details about a proposed new fire escape and a requirement for the window frames to be painted a darker colour than the white suggested in the current plans. The George Best Hotel was first expected to open in December 2018 but has been subject to a series of delays. Developer Signature Living said a date of June 2020 had been set for completion of work at the hotel. Chairman Lawrence Kenwright said that funding is in place to complete construction and that it "will continue apace". Were delighted to have achieved planning permission and finally be on the home straight in the construction of this beautiful hotel," he said. Expand Close What the new hotel at Hamilton Dock could look like / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp What the new hotel at Hamilton Dock could look like "Restoring listed buildings is not always a smooth ride and it hasnt been so with this hotel, but Im excited that we are now close to the George Best joining our stable of successful trading hotels. "We are grateful to our investors for their patience with this development and we will be in touch with them all over the coming weeks to commence the buy-back process. PLANNING: Councillors have resolved to approve planning permission and listed building consent for 63 bed hotel at Scottish Mutual Building - subject to conditions and referral to Department for Infrastructure #BuildingBelfast Belfast City Council (@belfastcc) January 23, 2020 Planners also recommended councillors approve the project at Hamilton Dock, which includes conference facilities, restaurant, cafe and rooftop bar. The JMK Group, who are behind the development, welcomed the approval of plans for the "family-focused" hotel. We are delighted with Belfast City Councils decision to approve this exciting hotel development and are eager to progress our investment in the area," JMK Group founder and chairman John Kajani said. "Belfast has become a destination-of-choice, particularly for families and city-break enthusiasts, and we are thrilled with the opportunity to support the thriving economic growth of the Citys tourism industry. Construction on the hotel is expected to begin in spring 2020, with an estimated opening date of summer 2021. The approved Titanic Quarter hotel will be the group's first in Northern Ireland. JMK curently owns the Holiday Inn Express in Dublin City Centre with three more under construction in the area. The latest part of Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinnis series documenting cities on the brink of change, the photo book Gule Gule (now being crowdfunded) looks at everyday life in Istanbul, Turkey, to explore subjects including migration, religion, and eroding press freedom under president Recep Tayyip Erdoan. The city is rapidly gentrifying, and international events that displaced millions of people, such as the Syrian civil war, have increased migration, changing the social fabric of the city, notes the British Journal of Photography. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 (Bloomberg) -- PayPal Holdings Inc. is taking another step into the giant Chinese payments market, partnering with state-backed China UnionPay Co. in a move that could expand PayPals network in the country. The partnership will allow some UnionPay cardholders access to PayPals network, and eventually, could pave the way for PayPal to be accepted at Chinese locations that take UnionPay. Users of Shanghai-based UnionPay, the worlds largest card company by payment volume, will be able to add their UnionPay cards to PayPal accounts and use them in a number of countries where PayPal is accepted outside of China. There is a lot of room for us to help people visiting from China find a way to pay while traveling, Jim Magats, senior vice president of global payments at PayPal, said in an interview. The companies also said that the tie-up would allow PayPal and UnionPays global subsidiary, UnionPay International, to explore opportunities to expand PayPals reach in China. In a statement, Magats said the new partnership would give the company the option to expand PayPals digital wallet to physical retail locations where UnionPay is accepted in China, or internationally. The UnionPay partnership is part of a string of moves by PayPal to grow its Chinese presence. In September, Chinas central bank granted PayPal approval to buy a 70% stake in a Chinese payment company Gopay Information Technology Co., allowing PayPal to become the first foreign compapny to operate in Chinas payment service market. Gopay has licenses for online, mobile and cross-border yuan payment services. Chinas $27 trillion payments industry is dominated by a few companies, with Ant Financial Services Group and Tencent Holdings Ltd. accounting for a majority of digital payments, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. However, in a recent interview with Bloomberg, PayPal Chief Executive Officer Dan Schulman said that it wasnt too late for the company to stake a claim there. Its an exploding market, he said. Its growing so quickly that theres room for every player in it. Story continues On Wednesday, UnionPay cards will be available to be added to PayPal wallets in Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. The companies said they plan to add the option for more than 30 other markets in 2020. To contact the reporter on this story: Julie Verhage in New York at jverhage2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Anne VanderMey For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. PRISTINA -- The U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo has urged leaders in both countries to overcome their differences and to focus on economic development. Richard Grenell, who also serves as President Donald Trumps U.S. ambassador to Germany, said on January 23 in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, that Kosovo should scrap a 100 percent tariff on Serbias goods and services, while Belgrade should curb a campaign to reverse the recognition of its former province that declared independence in 2008. European Union mediation has looked to increase dialogue between the two countries, but Kosovos move in November 2018 to set the tariff on Serbian goods and services disrupted reconciliation efforts. Im trying to ignore the political fights and to concentrate on economic development. And because of that I asked [Prime Minister-designate Albin] Kurti and I am going to ask every single political leader here that its very important if we want to move forward in economic development, that the 100 percent tariffs be dropped," Grenell said after a meeting with Kurti. Belgrade has said there will be no further talks until Kosovo lifts or suspends the tariff. "At the same time that the de-recognition campaign in Serbia should also be dropped. And I think that both of these things have to happen in order for businesses to grow, for us to create jobs for young people. And so, I'm going to be carrying the same message to Belgrade, said Grenell, who is also scheduled to visit Serbia. Kurtis Self-Determination Movement (Vetvendosje) party won the most votes in a snap October election. His party and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), are negotiating an agreement to form a coalition government, but the two parties have been disagreeing on who will fill the posts of president and speaker of the parliament. On January 22, Grenell said ahead of a meeting with Kosovar President Hashim Thaci that jobs creation for Kosovo's young people "is the mantra of the Trump administration. We are going to push both governments and the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia and say 'look at the people, start moving forward with jobs," Grenell said. Grenell was appointed by Trump as the special envoy for Kosovo and Serbia in October in an effort to bring the two bitter rivals closer together. The European Union has linked Serbias potential membership with its demands that Belgrade normalize ties with Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia following the 1999 NATO-led war. Kosovo's independence has not been recognized by Belgrade, Russia, and five EU nations. The United States and more than 110 other countries have recognized Kosovos independence. With reporting by AP President Trump will attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Friday. He will be the first president to do so. The event is held every year on the anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision in Roe v. Wade. The Trump administration is supporting the pro-life movement in substantive ways as well. The most recent example is the Justice Departments filing of a brief supporting an Ohio law that restricts abortion. The law prohibits abortion providers from performing an abortion they know is sought because of Down syndrome. It expressly shields woman who seek such an abortion from any and all liability. Planned Parenthood challenged the law before it took effect. A federal district court judge enjoined its enforcement. On appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, a panel affirmed the district courts decision by a 2-1 vote. The majority opinion was written by Judge Bernice Bouie Donald, an ultra-liberal Obama appointee. The dissent was by Judge Alice Batchelder, an appointee of George H.W. Bush. Both the majority opinion and the dissent relied on the Supreme Courts decisions in Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. The majority claimed that these decisions confer a categorical right to abortion before viability. The dissent argued that to determine whether a restriction on abortion is an undue burden under Casey, courts must consider the States interests and the benefits of the law, not just the potential burden it places on women seeking an abortion. The district court conducted no such inquiry in this case. What state interest might support the Ohio law? Quoting from a Justice Thomas concurring opinion in another abortion case, Judge Batchelder pointed to a States compelling interest in preventing abortion from becoming a tool of modern-day eugenics. One can see a connection between eugenics and the abortions the Ohio law wants to curtail. The State of Ohio seeks review of the decision by the full Sixth Circuit. That court has six judges who were appointed by President Trump. The Justice Department brief referenced above is a friend of the court (or amicus) brief that supports Ohios effort to have the full court hear the case. The DOJ says the Ohio law affirms that people with Down syndrome have lives worth living and protecting. In addition, the law protects the medical profession from harm to its integrity and protects women from abortion providers who may seek to pressure them into obtaining an abortion because of Down syndrome. The brief was filed by the DOJs Civil Rights Division, which enforces key federal anti-discrimination laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The amicus brief emphasizes the federal governments interest in the equal dignity of those with disabilities. It argues that the unborn should not have life terminated because they have a disability. When Donald Trump began his run for the presidency, I didnt view him as a social conservative. However, he is governing as one, as demonstrated by his attendance at the March for Life and by the DOJs amicus brief. Christian Adams has more on the brief. Jonathan Adler discusses the case here. Ed Whelan does so here. PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a leader in stroke care, Huntington Hospital has partnered with Viz.ai to bring the first FDA-cleared computer-aided triage system to the Los Angeles area. Huntington Hospital has deployed this applied artificial intelligence-based technology to help facilitate early access to the most advanced stroke care. The hospital is the first in Los Angeles County to partner with Viz.ai to bring its award-winning software that utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze images for suspected large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes. "With stroke, time is brain," said Arbi Ohanian, MD, medical director of Huntington Hospital's Stroke Program, Huntington Hospital. "Viz.ai's applied artificial intelligence solutions have been developed by top stroke clinicians and technical experts in the world and we are excited to be able to bring these transformational technologies to Huntington Hospital and our community. It truly changes the way that we deliver stroke care which we believe will result in improved outcomes for our patients." Viz.ai solutions will allow Huntington Hospital to further enhance the power of its stroke care team through rapid detection and notification of suspected LVO strokes and allow stroke specialists to securely communicate to synchronize care and determine the optimal patient treatment decision. Stroke specialists with access to Viz.ai's technology can potentially save critical minutes, even hours, in the triage, diagnosis and treatment of strokes. Combining groundbreaking applied artificial intelligence with seamless communication, Viz.ai's image analysis facilitates the fast and accurate triage of suspected LVOs in stroke patients and better collaboration between clinicians at comprehensive and referral hospitals. Viz.ai synchronizes care across the whole care team, enabling a new era of "Synchronized Care", where the right patient gets to the right doctor at the right time. Viz LVO, is transforming hospital workflow and synchronizing stroke care with a cloud-based artificial intelligence system that automatically analyzes CT scans for suspected LVOs. It alerts neurovascular specialists of a suspected LVOs, enabling earlier imaging review and better collaboration between specialists. "We are excited to partner with Huntington Hospital who has the foresight and commitment to provide cutting-edge applied artificial intelligent solutions to help transform healthcare to improve access to life-changing therapies for its community," said Dr. Chris Mansi, neurosurgeon, co-founder and CEO of Viz.ai. "In this new era of Synchronized Care, Huntington Hospital will provide its community with access to its expertise throughout its entire stroke network." About Huntington Hospital Huntington Hospital, www.huntingtonhospital.org, is a 619-bed not-for-profit hospital in Pasadena, California. We are named among the top hospitals in California and nationally ranked in two specialties by U.S. News and World Report. Learn more about us on Facebook www.facebook.com/huntingtonmemorialhospital and on Twitter @huntingtonnews. About Viz.ai, Inc. Viz.ai, is the leader in applied artificial intelligence in healthcare. Viz.ai's mission is to fundamentally improve how healthcare is delivered in the world, through intelligent software that promises to reduce time to treatment and improve access to care. Viz.ai's flagship product, Viz LVO, leverages advanced deep learning to communicate time-sensitive information about stroke patients straight to a specialist who can intervene and treat. In February 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a De Novo clearance for Viz LVO, the first-ever computer-aided triage and notification software. Viz.ai announced its second FDA clearance for Viz CTP through the 510(k) pathway, offering healthcare providers an important tool for automated cerebral perfusion image analysis. Viz.ai is located in San Francisco and Tel Aviv and backed by leading Silicon Valley investors, including Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, Innovation Endeavors and DHVC. SOURCE Huntington Hospital Related Links www.huntingtonhospital.com Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to take the exceptional step of leading Friday prayers in Tehran this week, according to the country's state media. The occasion marks the first time in eight years that Iran's top religious and political authority will give the weekly sermon himself, rather than pass it off to a trusted cleric. Amid international and domestic pressure, it will allow the 80-year-old supreme leader to present his position to the Iranian people. "Leading Friday prayers in the capital is a symbolically significant act usually reserved for moments when the Islamic Republic's highest authority wishes to deliver an important message to the people," Mehdi Khaliaji, a fellow at the Washington Institute, wrote on Thursday. Despite Iran's ongoing standoff with the United States after the killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the global anger over the Iranian shoot-down of a Ukrainian passenger jet and street protests in which hundreds may have been killed, Khamenei's rare previous sermons show he is unlikely to use the moment as an opportunity to back down. - - - Following a disputed election on June 12, 2009, Iranians took to the streets in some of the largest protests since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Facing unprecedented pressure for change, Khamenei chose to come out from behind the scenes and deliver Friday prayers a number of times. The supreme leader gave a long address days after the vote in June. But he offered little support for the protesters and no sign of compromise. Instead, he took aim at opposition leaders, telling them that "flexing muscles on the streets" is "not right." The protests ended in bloodshed, with the opposition claiming scores had been killed and hundreds arrested. But months later, Khamenei gave another sermon in which he said Iranian security forces could retaliate more. "Resisting the system and taking out the sword against the system will be followed by a harsh response," he said in September 2009. The protests failed to oust Iran's hard line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who remained in office through August 2013. But the crowds in the street were some of the largest seen in Iran until last November, when rights groups estimate hundreds of people died after the government cracked down on mass demonstrations across the country. - - - Though Khamenei opposed protests in his own nation, he welcomed the Arab Spring that shook the wider Middle East from 2011. Speaking at a Friday sermon in February 2011, he spoke of an "Islamic liberation movement" in the rest of the Arab world. "The awakening of people is a war between two wills, the will of the people and the will of the enemies of the people," Khamenei said. The Egyptian army should side with the people and "focus its eyes on the Zionist enemy," he added, according to Reuters. But he warned of Western influence. "They are trying to replace one spy with another. They are trying to focus the spotlight on certain faces to impose the rule of the spies on you. Do not accept anything less than an independent popular regime that believes in Islam," he said. - - - The most recent time Khamenei spoke at Friday prayers was in Feb. 3, 2012, when Iran was facing increasing economic pressure from Obama administration sanctions designed to block an Iranian nuclear program. "[O]ur advances in nuclear technology have become famous, and everybody inside and outside the country has focused his attention on our nuclear technology," he said. Criticizing the influence of the United States and Israel, which he called "the Zionist regime" and described as a "cancerous tumor in this region," Khamenei said sanctions had ultimately strengthened Iran by forcing it to rely on its own scientific and economic advances. The Iranian leader went on to say President Barack Obama's decision to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq showed that its influence was coming to an end. "As it happens, certain western intellectuals said a few days ago that today the situation of America and the west is like the situation of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, which resulted in its collapse," he said. The mystery over the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the question if Bose is in fact Gumnami Baba continues even after several decades of India's independence. While many people believe that he died in a plane crash in 1945, others argue that Bose took the guise of Gumnami Baba and lived in Uttar Pradesh till 1985. Several researchers and scholars believe that Gumnami Baba is in fact Netaji, however, this has not been confirmed by the government so far, nor any concrete evidence has emerged on this matter. Gumnami Baba, who lived in Ram Bhavan in UP's Ayodhya, in his last years, had many similar qualities to that of Netaji--his voice, knowledge, music, cigars, Bengali food are all similar to Netaji. Live TV Seeing the demand of the public, the Akhilesh Yadav government had formed the Justice Vishnu Sahai Commission in 2016 after the order of Allahabad High Court for the investigation report of Gumnami Baba. The main task of the Commission was to find out what is the real identity of Gumnami Baba. After three years, the Commission presented its report in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha which the government has accepted. The Yogi Adityanath government has made the report public and stated that the commission couldn't identify Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwan Ji, however, the Commission has drawn several conclusions about Gumnami Baba. They are--1) Gumnami Baba was a Bengali and he knew Bangla, English and Hindi, 2) He was extraordinarily talented, 3) Books in Bengali, English and Hindi have been recovered from Gumnami Baba's Ram Bhavan, 4) Gumnami Baba had a deep knowledge of war, politics and current affairs, 5) The voice of Gumnami Baba had a sense of authority like the voice of Netaji, 6) Gumnami Baba had as great will and patience, 7) In Ayodhya, he didn't appear in the public sphere for 10 years, 8) Those who used to listen to Gumnami Baba from behind the scenes were hypnotized, 9) Gumnami Baba used to spend time in worship and meditation, 10) He was a lover of music, cigars and food, and 11) Gumnami Baba was a follower of Netaji but the moment it started circulating that he was Netaji he immediately changed his house. The Sahai Commission report, in its conclusion, has written that Gumnami Baba was a brilliant man and people like him are very rare, who prefer death instead of revealing the secret of their identity. But his funeral was organized in such a way that only 13 persons could attend it. The identity of Baba Baba still remains anonymous. Reacting to the Sahai Commission report, author Anuj Dhar said, "We totally dismiss the Vishnu Sahai Commission's report. They just found a letter by a lady who they interpreted that it was not written to Gumnami Baba. Later, a newspaper did a story on the same where the lady confessed to having written the letter to Gumnami baba identifying him as Netaji. They have concluded in the report that Gumnami Baba is not Netaji, then I want to ask them who then is Gumnami Baba? Kindly clear the identity of Gumnami Baba who he was?" Dhar, who has written several books on Netaji also added, "This report is completely in contrast to the Mukherjee commission's report. In that report, it was said that Gumnami Baba was Netaji and enough evidence has been shown to prove that he is Gumnami Baba. We have time and again written to the UP government, but they have not even acknowledged our mails. There were certain documents that we demanded from the CIA which they provided and we forwarded it to the UP government, but they have still haven't written back to us." The author is also the founder of an organisation, Mission Netaji, which campaigns for the declassification of documents concerning Bose. Sepsis claims one life every four seconds. It is the primary cause of death in hospitals, and one of the ten leading causes of death worldwide. Sepsis is associated with the body's inflammatory response to a bacterial infection and progresses extremely rapidly: every hour that goes by before it is properly diagnosed and treated increases the mortality rate by nearly 8%. Time is critical with sepsis, but the tests currently used in hospitals can take up to 72 hours to provide a diagnosis. Many scientists are working on this critical issue, including those at Abionic, an EPFL spin-off. Researchers at the Laboratory of Bionanophotonic Systems (BIOS) at EPFL's School of Engineering have just unveiled a new technology. They have developed an optical biosensor that slashes the sepsis diagnosis time from several days to just a few minutes. Their novel approach draws on recent developments in nanotechnology and on light effects at a nano scale to create a highly portable, easy-to-use device that can rapidly detect sepsis biomarkers in a patient's bloodstream. And their device takes just a few minutes to deliver a result, like a pregnancy test. Because the biosensor uses a unique plasmonics technology, it can be built from small, inexpensive components, yet it can achieve an accuracy on par with gold-standard laboratory methods. The device can screen a large panel of biomarkers and be adapted for the rapid diagnosis of a number of diseases. It was installed at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Spain and used in blind tests to examine patient samples from the hospital's sepsis bank. The researchers' technology is patent-pending, and their findings were recently published in Small. Trapping biomarkers in nanoholes The device employs an optical metasurface - in this case a thin gold sheet containing arrays of billions of nanoholes. The metasurface concentrates light around the nanoholes so as to allow for exceptionally precise biomarker detection. With this type of metasurface, the researchers can detect sepsis biomarkers in a blood sample with nothing more than a simple LED and a standard CMOS camera. The researchers begin by adding a solution of special nanoparticles to the sample that are designed to capture the biomarkers. They then distribute this mixture on the metasurface. "Any nanoparticles that contain captured biomarkers are trapped quickly by antibodies on the nanoholes," says Alexander Belushkin, the lead author of the study. When an LED is applied, those nanoparticles partially obstruct the light passing through the perforated metasurface. "These nano-scale interactions are imaged by the CMOS camera and digitally counted in real-time at high precision," says Filiz Yesilkoy, the study's co-author. The generated images are used to rapidly determine whether disease biomarkers are present in a sample and, if so, in what concentration. They used the new device to measure the blood serum levels of two important sepsis relevant biomarkers, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein. Doctors can use this information to accelerate the triage of sepsis patients, ultimately saving lives. "We believe our low-cost, compact biosensor would be a valuable piece of equipment in ambulances and certain hospital wards," says Hatice Altug, the head of BIOS. Scientists already have possible applications in mind. "There is an urgent need for such promising biosensors so that doctors can diagnosis sepsis accurately and quickly, thereby keeping patient mortality to a minimum," say Anna Fabrega and Juan Jose Gonzalez, lead doctors at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. ### Alexander Belushkin, Filiz Yesilkoy, Juan Jose Gonzalez?Lopez, Juan Carlos Ruiz?Rodriguez, Ricard Ferrer, Anna Fabrega, Hatice Altug, Rapid and Digital Detection of Inflammatory Biomarkers Enabled by a Novel Portable Nanoplasmonic Imager, Small Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 02:09:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Thursday that all parties should jointly defend the international order with international law as its core. "All parties should seize the opportunity of the 75th anniversary summit of the United Nations and related events to jointly defend the international order with international law as its core," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at the 56th plenary meeting of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on the "Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization." "I support the UN in playing a bigger role in international affairs so as to promote the establishment of a more equitable and effective global governance system," he said. Zhang called on the international community to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and firmly defend multilateralism. "Multilateralism represents the desire of the people and the trend of the times. Unilateralism based on exclusivity and based on supremacy of one's own country is neither feasible nor popular," he said. Speaking of development, Zhang said that more importance should be attached to development and accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. "The international community should take this opportunity of the critical decade for 2030 Agenda and implement a people-centered development concept," he said. "It should prioritize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of concerns of developing countries on poverty reduction, hunger eradication, education, healthcare, and infrastructure, among others so that no one is left behind." "This May, China will host in Beijing the second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference. We welcome the active participation of all countries with a view to jointly building a global partnership on connectivity," he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday briefed the member states on his priorities for 2020, during which he said the world is challenged by four looming threats. AMSTERDAM, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FreeMove, the mobile telecommunications alliance between Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia and Telia Company has signed a partnership agreement with Swisscom. The move further strengthens FreeMove's offering to the multinational market and reinforces its position as the alliance of tier one operators in Europe. The partnership allows Swisscom to offer its Swiss multinational customers access to one of the leading mobile networks and services in Europe and globally, while keeping a close relationship with their primary and trusted telco partner. Swisscom's customers can now also benefit from FreeMove's central services, including its detailed Central Report and Central Ordering tools, as well as extensive Global Business Support. In the course of 2020, Swisscom will become FreeMove's preferred partner for international customers with need for state-of-the-art mobile telecommunication services in the Swiss market. "We are very excited to welcome Swisscom to the FreeMove family. This step allows us to strengthen our position in Europe as lead organization of tier one networks and reinforces one of our strategic pillars, which is to deliver high-quality international mobile services to multinational customers," says Lazaro Fernandez, General Manager of FreeMove. "As number one in Switzerland we are delighted to join forces with FreeMove, a top international mobile service provider in Europe, and will continue to offer our customers excellent local and global services," says Urs Lehner, Head of Swisscom Business Customers. About FreeMove: Established in 2003, FreeMove is the mobile telecommunications alliance between Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia and Telia Company. FreeMove's mission is to deliver high-quality international mobile enterprise services to multinational customers by synchronising the know-how and capabilities of its members. It offers best-in-class connectivity across 90% of its footprint via its members' award-winning networks, as well as streamlined commercial arrangements, dedicated account support and value added services in over 80 countries. About Swisscom: Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecoms company and one of its leading IT companies, is headquartered in Ittigen, close to the capital city Berne. To the end of the 3rd Quarter 2019 19,500 employees generated sales of CHF 8,456 million. It is 51% Confederation-owned and is one of Switzerland's most sustainable and innovative companies. SOURCE FreeMove Related Links https://www.freemove.com/ Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Robin Millard (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Thu, January 23, 2020 11:05 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060a3c86 2 Entertainment Terry-Jones,Monty-Phyton,Britain,television,actor Free Monty Python star Terry Jones has died at the age of 77 after a long battle with a rare form of dementia, sparking an outpouring of tributes on Wednesday. "We have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative and truly loving man whose uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humor has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades," his family said in a statement. They said the Welsh-born writer, actor, comedian and director died late on Tuesday at his home in north London with his wife at his side. Jones directed some of the comedy troupe's most-loved works, including the 1979 movie Life Of Brian, about a man mistaken for the Son of God, which sparked criticism from the Church. Playing Brian's mother, Mandy Cohen, he memorably delivered the line: "Now, you listen here! He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!" Fellow Python Michael Palin, with whom Jones also collaborated on the cult series Ripping Yarns, said his friend was generous, supportive and passionate and believed in living life to the full. "He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation," said Palin. Jones appeared as a variety of characters in the BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus, often portraying middle-aged ladies, and also its famous naked organist. His second wife Anna and children Bill, Sally and Siri said he had fought an "extremely brave but always good-humored battle" with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which impaired his ability to speak. They called him a "true polymath", adding: "We lived in the presence of an extraordinarily talented, playful and happy man living a truly authentic life, in his words, 'lovingly frosted with glucose'." Read also: Monty Python fans, handkerchiefs on heads, gather to mark anniversary Spam and Chaucer Born in North Wales on February 1, 1942, his family moved to Surrey, southwest of London, when he was four. He developed an interest in medieval history while studying at Oxford University, where he joined forces with Palin. Jones wrote books and presented medieval television programs throughout his career, and was an expert on the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the English poet and author of The Canterbury Tales. His college, St Edmund Hall, said it was "deeply saddened" at his death. "He studied English here, was an honorary fellow and donated over 700 books to the library. He will be sorely missed." After Oxford, he starred in television shows like Do Not Adjust Your Set and wrote for David Frost before a meeting in a curry house in 1969 gave birth to Monty Python. Jones and Palin teamed up with Cambridge graduates Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle and US animator Terry Gilliam to discuss working together on a new BBC comedy. Monty Python's Flying Circus ran for 45 episodes over four series between 1969 and 1974 and the surreal sketch show broke the boundaries of TV comedy. Jones's much-loved characters included Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson, Cardinal Biggles of the Spanish Inquisition and Mr Creosote, a monstrously obese restaurant patron. Another of his best-known lines was "Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam", playing a waitress running through a menu made up entirely of the canned pork meat product. Jones co-directed Monty Python And The Holy Grail in 1975 with Gilliam, and was sole director on Life Of Brian and 1983's The Meaning Of Life. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, starring David Bowie. Read also: Thai cave divers, Twiggy, Monty Python's Palin on UK honors list 'Dear beloved brother' Jones is the second Python to pass away after Chapman died of cancer in 1989. The remaining members took part in a reunion in 2014 which rapidly sold out 10 nights at London's vast O2 Arena. The three-hour live stage show, which featured an extended cast of dancers, a full orchestra and special effects, delighted thousands of fans. But in 2016 it was announced that Jones had been diagnosed with dementia. Palin called him "the complete Renaissance comedian: writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children's author, and the warmest, most wonderful company". Idle called him "our dear beloved brother Terry", describing his death as a "cruel and sad thing". But he added: "Let's remember just what joy he brought to all of us." The official Monty Python Twitter account posted a black and white photograph of Jones bidding him farewell, signed by the surviving Pythons. Cleese said: "It feels strange that a man of so many talents and such endless enthusiasm, should have faded so gently away. "Of his many achievements, for me the greatest gift he gave us all was his direction of Life of Brian. Perfection. "Two down, four to go." SPRINGFIELD U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, on Wednesday joined state GOP members in calling for a suspension of the state's automatic voter registration system, in which data of 574 people who self-identified as noncitizens were mistakenly forwarded to elections officials to be registered to vote. This issue ... is deeply concerning even to us at the federal level, he said. We hope to get answers. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and newly elected Illinois Senate President Don Harmon also added their voices Wednesday to a growing chorus of state officials calling for legislative hearings. I think its appropriate, again, for transparency, for getting all the information, so we know what went wrong, Pritzker told reporters during a news conference in Carbondale. I dont think we need to be pointing fingers at anybody about blame. I think its just, look, we have to get it right. "We were told multiple times that this scenario would not and could not happen, Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat who was elected Senate president on Sunday, said in an email. The secretary of state's office needs to publicly explain how this happened, what they've done to fix their mistake and convince lawmakers and the public it will never happen again. I think a legislative hearing would be a good venue to get that information." Illinois lawmakers unanimously passed a law in 2017 providing for automatic voter registration whenever anyone applies for or renews a drivers license provided they meet the qualifications for voting, which includes being a U.S. citizen. The bill was signed into law by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, and the program officially went live on July 2, 2018. It was introduced by Springfield Democratic Sen. Andy Manar and co-supported by a number of bipartisan lawmakers, including Harmon. But between that date and Dec. 13, 2019, Secretary of State Jesse Whites office confirmed, as many as 574 people who self-identified as not being U.S. citizens nonetheless had their information forwarded to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Officials in that office said it resulted from a computer programming error and that the problem has since been fixed. A spokesman for the elections board said its not certain all of the individuals actually are non-citizens because some people accidentally check the wrong box on their applications. Of those, however, 545 had their registrations finalized, according to the elections board, and 16 actually cast ballots in Illinois elections in 2018 and 2019. Whites office initially notified the elections board of the error on Dec. 18, 2019. It has sent notices to the affected voters advising them of the error and admonishing them not to vote. It is also working with local election officials to help them remove those individuals from their voter rolls. Republicans in the Illinois House began calling for hearings as soon as news reports about the error were published. And on Wednesday, they called for even more action, suggesting the entire program should be put on hold until officials can be certain such an error wont happen again. I think today we need to start the discussion about suspending the automatic voter registration program until we know for certain that this is being implemented correctly, state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Raymond Republican, said during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday. We've heard about issues at the secretary of state. There were other agencies in the automatic voter registration law that were called on implementing this. It's our understanding that some of the agencies have and some have not. She voted in favor of the bill in 2017. Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, said he wants an immediate legislative hearing. The fact that the Secretary of State kept this a secret for 17 months is outrageous, said Caulkins. When SOS found out they were registering non-citizens to vote, they should have notified the State Board of Elections and county clerks immediately." Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, a Hillside Democrat who chairs the House Executive Committee, said in an email Wednesday that he would agree to hold hearings after lawmakers return to the Statehouse Jan. 28 for the start of the 2020 session. As any mistakes affecting voter registration are very serious, I am calling representatives from the Secretary of States office to come before the House Executive Committee next week in order to provide legislators with answers on how this occurred and clarify what steps are being taken to ensure it will never happen again, Welch said. The Secretarys office has pledged full and transparent cooperation with lawmakers on this issue. Suspension of the program would not prevent people from registering to vote at motor vehicle offices because that is required under a federal law known as the National Voter Registration Act, also known as the motor voter law. Bourne was joined by several other Illinois Republicans at the news conference, including Davis, who said the problems that Illinois experienced could have national implications. He said thats because the Democratic majority in the U.S. House is pushing legislation to take automatic voter registration nationwide. We're seeing in states like Illinois, that have gone through motor voter decades ago, that there are still problems when it comes to implementation that need to be corrected, Davis said. Davis and the other Republicans at the news conference said pointedly they did not believe the errors in Illinois were intentional and that their calls for legislative hearings were not meant as a criticism of Secretary of State White. They also said they still support the concept of automatic registration, but that it needs to be implemented accurately. The standard for AVR should be zero-percent failure and that did not happen here, said state Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican who also voted for the bill. Voter rights groups, which have criticized White's office for a slow rollout of the multi-faceted automatic voter registration program, blamed the office for endangering noncitizens. The registrations were believed to involve green card holders, people who have legal permission to live in the country. State and federal law bars noncitizens from voting. 'We are deeply concerned that this careless and needless set of circumstances has put so many of our neighbors at risk, said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. While we want every Illinois resident to be engaged in civic life, we remind everyone who is not a citizen that even if they are registered by mistake, they cannot legally vote and can face deportation if they do. White's spokesman, Dave Druker, said the office sent letters to all those affected taking ownership of the mistake. He said no one had been fired and there were no plans to put the program on hold. We've taken full responsibility for the error," he said. We think the automatic voter registration program is a good one. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The 24 most unusual town names in Illinois Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 07:42:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close As China's Spring Festival is just around the corner, enjoy some spring poems quoted by President Xi Jinping during gatherings to mark the Lunar New Year. Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC), a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced today that it has signed a mortgage portfolio acquisition agreement with Bank AlJazira. The signing took place in the presence of Minister of Housing and Chairman of SRC Majed AlHogail. SRC will refinance SR250 million ($66.64 million) of mortgage receivables with the bank, with subsequent anticipated transactions in the future under the memorandum of understanding (MoU). Signed by Fabrice Susini, CEO of SRC, and Nabil Al Hoshan, CEO and Managing Director of Bank AlJazira, at a special ceremony held in Riyadh, the partnership agreement is in keeping with the shared commitment to supporting the growing Saudi home finance sector, said a statement. Susini described the transaction as a significant step forward for Saudi citizens helping them realise the dream of owning a home. He said: Todays agreement with Bank AlJazira reinforces our commitment to providing lenders with liquidity while developing innovative finance solutions, and in doing so we help our citizens to climb the housing ladder. Portfolio acquisitions such as these will help us ensure that we are able to refinance at least around 10 percent of the market by the end of 2020, and 20 percent of the market by 2028. Susini also highlighted the impact the agreement has on housing goals attached to the Vision 2030 programme, which focuses on fulfilling the growing needs and aspirations of Saudi citizens especially when it comes to home ownership that is expected to reach 70% by 2030. Since establishment in 2017, SRC has acquired over 20 portfolios from various banks and mortgage finance companies, deployed more than SR2 billion of balance sheet and committed to injecting a few more billions through MoUs signed with its partners, providing liquidity to originators and allowing them to originate more. Al Hoshan said: Since 2008, Bank AlJazira invested in the mortgage business and increasing its portfolio year on year which resulted in being one of the leaders in real estate finance market. We will continue our strong leadership in the real estate finance industry, and our commitment to customers is strengthened and improved by this transaction with SRC. I am especially proud that Bank AlJazira and SRC have joined hands to accelerate the mortgage ecosystem which will provide innovative solutions for the citizens. TradeArabia News Service By Trend Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko met with Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Russia Batyr Niyazliev in Moscow, Trend reports referring to Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, topical issues of bilateral cooperation and interaction within the framework of international structures were discussed, the report said. About 190 companies with Russian capital are operating in Turkmenistan. Russias Gazprom renewed the purchases of Turkmen gas this year, after a three-year hiatus. Since 2009, ARETI International Group of Companies (formerly ITERA) has been operating in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan has been actively establishing business relations with the subjects of Russia, including Tatarstan, the Sverdlovsk and Astrakhan regions, and St. Petersburg city. For the second time in three days, a fire broke out at a Jersey City home and it spread to a home next door Thursday, city officials said. Firefighters responded to 72 Columbia Avenue in the Heights neighborhood, on the west side of Kennedy Boulevard, at 10:41 a.m. and saw flames coming the two-story home. The fire rose to a second alarm and it spread to 70 Columbia Ave., Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said. One firefighter was treated at the scene for burns, Wallace-Scalcione said. The fire placed under control at roughly 11:30 a.m., according to radio transmissions. On Tuesday, Jersey City firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze that inflicted damage on two homes on Orient Avenue, in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood. The European Space Agency's (ESA's) new Sun explorer will be launched from Cape Canaveral on 6 February. Solar Orbiter, an ESA-led mission with strong NASA participation, will provide the first views of the Sun's unchartered Polar Regions from high latitudes, giving unprecedented insight into how our parent star works. This important mission will also investigate the Sun-Earth connection, helping us to better understand and predict periods of stormy space weather. Over the course of its mission, the spacecraft will use the gravity of Venus to slingshot it out of the plane of the Solar System, giving us new perspectives on our parent star. It will follow an elliptical orbit around the Sun, passing within the orbit of Mercury at its closest. Cutting-edge heatshield technology will ensure the spacecraft's scientific instruments are protected as they face up to 13 times the heating of satellites in Earth orbit. Solar Orbiter will use a combination of ten in situ and remote-sensing instruments to observe the turbulent solar surface, its hot outer atmosphere and changes in the solar wind. The mission will also work with NASA's Parker Solar Probe, collecting complementary datasets that will allow more to be distilled from the two missions than either could achieve on their own. Experts will present the mission, its technical challenges and scientific goals ahead of the launch at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 2019, the southern province of Daraa saw multiple assassination and arrests of former opposition fighters, despite the settlement agreements writes Brocar Press. A statistical report revealed that 208 people from the Daraa governorate were killed in 2019, including 56 fighters, who were deployed in other parts of the country. The report by the Martyrs Documentation Office in Daraa, titled, On the Settlements Ruins, stated that most of the 56 fighters dead died during clashes against regime forces in northwestern Syria. According to the report, the number of assassinations and attempted assassinations in 2019 reached 305, resulting in the deaths of 168 people and the injuring 100 others, while 26 people survived assassination attempts. The office pointed out that the majority of the assassination operations and attempts used light firearms. The office documented 228 operations and assassinations that involved gunfire, while 30 operations were direct field executions, including 13 people, on whose bodies traces of torture appeared. Meanwhile 29 instances that used IEDs were documented, as well as four operations that used rocket-propelled grenades, and 14 operations with grenades. The office said that regime forces arrested 391 civilians over 2019, including 13 women and four children, 99 of whom were released later in the same year, while five died under torture or while illegally detained in regime prisons. The arrests included former opposition fighters who joined settlements and received settlement cards. The office documented the arrest of 192 of them, including 40 defectors from the regime forces and security branches who had handed themselves in to benefit from amnesty decrees. Four were killed under torture or unlawfully detained in regime prisons, while four were later released. Hundreds of people from the Daraa governorate were arrested in 2019 for their involvement in assassination operations, including those who had settlement agreements, and some who refused to sign the settlement document. These operations have previously targeted opposition civilians and military personnel, with various entities behind the strikes, most notably regime forces and the Iranian militias loyal to them. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. By Jan. 23, 2020 Located in the ATA Traveling Exhibit Hall, the exhibit features 26 stations that demonstrate how life is lived in space with zero gravity. Guests can test their grip strength in special gloves that mimic the pressurized spacesuit, or they can work together to smoothly launch their own space mission. As partners with teachers in the region, we chose this exhibit because it enhances many of the STEAM lessons students are being taught in the classroom, said Jennifer Wildes, collections and exhibits director for Discovery Park. Parents and teachers will also appreciate the focus on teamwork, problem solving and how to overcome challenges. The education team at Discovery Park has space-related programs to offer school groups when they visit. Additionally, there is a School and Visitors Guide available online that covers key messages and learning opportunities that are included throughout the exhibit, as well as supplemental projects that can be done at home or in the classroom before or after a visit. One of the reasons this is such a great temporary exhibit for Discovery Park is that we have so many other space-related exhibits out at STEM Landing and in the Science, Space and Technology Gallery, said Discovery Parks CEO Scott Williams. When combined with Astronaut, guests will enjoy a unique experience that rivals any space or science museum in the world. The most visible item on display in STEM Landingand the largest artifact in Discovery Parks collectionis a fully restored Titan I Missile that was donated to the park by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and was transported here from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. in 2016. The centerpiece of STEM Landing is the Moon Dome, a 24-foot high geodesic dome, built of galvanized steel, and covered with a giant NASA image of the Moon printed on vinyl. Inside the Moon Dome are many artifacts that catalog the achievements of human space exploration, including artifacts from NASAs Space Shuttle Program. Members of Discovery Park had their first chance to explore the new exhibit on Thursday, Jan. 16 at a members-only event. Astronaut is open to the public through May 3. Tickets for Astronaut are $6.95 in addition to the price of admission to Discovery Park. Special pricing of $4.95 is available for student groups. For more information or to book a field trip, educators should call reservations at 731-885-5455 or email reservations@discoveryparkofamerica.com. The mission of Discovery Park of America, a premier world-class museum and 50-acre heritage park located in Union City, Tennessee, is to inspire children and adults to see beyond. Included is a 100,000-square-foot museum featuring 9 interactive exhibit galleries with additional space for temporary exhibits from around the world and a 50-acre heritage park. Discovery Park of America is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations including its principal funder, the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation. For more information, visit DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. UNION CITY - Discovery Park of America is featuring Astronaut through May 3. The exhibit allows guests to explore the physical and mental challenges involved in space exploration and to discover what life is like outside Earths atmosphere. Description GIS 23 January, 2020: Training is a continued process that involves both learning and unlearning so that one can adapt to the changing technology and needs of our society and country. Government is f ully committed to investing in the training of the workforce so that we may efficiently and effectively reach out to the population in need . The Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo , made this statement, this morning The training is being held at the Renganaden Seeneevassen Building, in Port-Louis, at the opening ceremony of a three-day induction programme for 35 newly recruited Social Security Officers.The training is being held at the Renganaden Seeneevassen Building, in Port-Louis The Minister highlighted that t he key objective of training program me s f o r employees of the Ministry is to improve service delivery and inculcate a culture of excellenc e as c ivil servants are the backbone for the implementation of all policy decisions . According to her, the induction programme will fast - track the process of familiarisation, as well as enabl e them to be more productive, to further sharpen their skills , and to better integrate in the ir workplace . Speaking about the core mission of the Ministry which is to provide assistance to the population, mostly vulnerable groups, Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo underpinned the crucial importance for public officers to deliver excellent services and improved customer care not only in a timely and efficient manner, but also with care and compassion. Moreover, she pointed out that the era of information technology has transformed the concept of space and time, hence there is an increased pressure for the Ministry to deliver services more rapidly, in a more streamlined manner. This, Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo added, require s a paradigm shift with the adoption of innovative ideas and a smarter way of delivering services. The Minister also reiterated the objective of Government to promote inclusive development to ensure economic development and social progress, as well as to improve the quality of life of all citizens. Key measures implemented with regards to favouring the inclusive development for all citizens include : the introduction of a minimum wage, the increase in basic pensions, and the introduction of negative income tax to alleviate the hardship faced by people who are most vulnerable , she added. Social Security Officers The 35 newly recruited Social Security Officers will have the responsibility of dealing directly with the public, through the local offices, hence the importance of focusing on efficient delivery of services and improved customer service. The public has access to a wide range of services through the local offices of the Ministry. This includes application for all basic pensions, application for social aid, application for carers allowance and applications for the Social Register of Mauritius. Lydia, 29, (pictured) is an account director who has been single for 18 months LYDIA, 29 Dating Past? I was in a four-year relationship, but we broke up 18 months ago. Ive got a good group of girlfriends who are all still single we dont understand the rush to settle down. Plus, I find the dating scene strange. Im afraid I dont like the apps at all. I prefer to meet people through friends or when Im out socially. Ive only been on one blind date before, when I was taken to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. I thought it was an odd choice, and I was really hoping this one would be nicer. Pre-Date Nerves? Vital statistics Single for 18 months, no children. Current role Account director in PR. Would like to Meet Someone who is kind and has a good heart. Ideally hell be charismatic, fun and able to laugh at himself. I cant abide stingy or arrogant types Advertisement None, I am someone who genuinely enjoys meeting new people. First Impressions? We met at Taka, a contemporary Japanese restaurant in Mayfair, London. Will was already there when I arrived I came straight from work. He is handsome with a lovely smile, and I thought he was nicely dressed. Easy To Talk To? Will is very chatty. Hes a wonderful raconteur and he regaled me with stories from his life, mainly about how he splits his work between London and Los Angeles, in the U.S. It didnt put me off; I rather fancy the idea of being with someone who travels so much. Embarrassing Moments? None that I know of. Did Sparks Fly? Yes, they did a bit. There was some chemistry between us and I guess I did flirt a little with Will. It was a nice date, so who knows what could happen next? Will is definitely boyfriend material. There was chemistry We had a lovely evening together and, luckily, Will didnt mind waiting 20 minutes for the chocolate fondue I had ordered for dessert. We only said goodbye because Will had to get back to his home in Surrey. Did You Kiss? Not in the romantic sense, kisses on both cheeks only. But Will is definitely boyfriend material. What do you think he thought of you? Lydias verdict: 8/10 Liked: It was a great date. Regrets: None. Coffee or cab? Perhaps a cheeky pudding. Advertisement That I love beer. I couldnt resist ordering a couple of Japanese beers. I dont think he thought it was unusual. Would your family like him? They would like Will because hes a lovely man. Hes definitely the sort of guy I would introduce to my mum. Shes very easy-going anyway when it comes to accepting people you would have to be a hardened criminal to get on the wrong side of her. Will, 37, (pictured) is a PR and events director who has never married WILL, 37 Dating Past? I do ask myself why I havent been snapped up yet. Ive had two long-term relationships: one ended badly after seven years, and the second ended when our careers took us in different directions. Im confident around women and my female friends are protective of me. Anyone I get involved with will have to accept that and enjoy their company. Some women find this hard to deal with, but Im never going to change. Pre-Date Nerves? I was a little nervous. I prefer to plan a first date and do my research about what food she likes and what we should do together. Vital statistics Single, never married and no children. Current role PR and events director. Would like to Meet A Victoria's Secret model! I like glamorous women who arent shallow. they should have good morals and enjoy lifes simple pleasures Advertisement First Impressions? I got there first thats the way it should be. Lydia looked good but I knew immediately that I wasnt attracted to her. We had sushi and finished with a chocolate fondue. Easy To Talk To? Yes Lydia has lived in Cambodia, and I offered stories about life in LA, where I spend a lot of time. There werent awkward silences, but I might have dominated the conversation a bit. Embarrassing Moments? I was a little surprised that Lydia ordered beer. I prefer wine, but I ordered a beer, too, so she didnt feel bad having it on her own. Did Sparks Fly? There wasnt a spark for me. Im black and white when it comes to attraction its there or its not. I dont think we flirted. I do ask myself why I havent been snapped up yet I date more in LA as there are more singles out there, but LA girls tend to want a guy who can financially provide for them. Im a romantic and still believe in flowers and surprising a girl with a candlelit dinner. Such gestures work better in the UK. Did You Kiss? Wills Verdict: 8/10 Liked: Shes great company. Regrets: None. Ladies, Im still single. Coffee or cab? Coffee. Advertisement We did a double peck on each cheek and exchanged numbers. I texted her afterwards and said what a lovely night Id had and how nice it had been to meet her. What do you think she thought of you? That Im a gentleman and a nice person. Would your family like her? My family would get on really well with Lydia. She isnt someone who would be overwhelmed by my lifestyle. They would also like the fact that Lydia wouldnt freak out about pictures of me online hanging out with attractive girls. Would you Like us to find you a Date? FANCY a posh meal with an eligible single like you? Or would you like to play cupid for someone else? Email your or their details and a photo to blinddate@ dailymail.co.uk [January 23, 2020] PowerReviews Appoints Perry Marchant as Chief Technology Officer CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PowerReviews , a software and data company powering the authentic voice of the customer for brands and retailers, today announced the appointment of Perry Marchant as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Marchant, who previously served as CTO of Sphera and VP of Engineering for Relativity, will oversee the continued growth of PowerReviews engineering, product operations and data teams, helping to define and create innovative solutions for customers. Marchant brings more than 25 years of software development experience, including 10 years of managing engineering teams in building consumer and enterprise products to his new role at PowerReviews. He also will join the companys senior leadership team, reporting directly to Matt Moog , CEO of PowerReviews. During the course of our search, we talked to some of the best CTOs in Chicago and acrss the nation, said Moog. In the end, we found Perry to be an excellent leader and someone who will help build a strong engineering and product culture focused on innovation. Perry will play an important role in the overall operations and strategy of PowerReviews. He brings a proven track record as a technology leader and innovator, and he embodies our values of transparency, accountability, learning, collaboration and celebration. In addition to his role at Sphera, a global provider of integrated risk management software, Marchant served as vice president of engineering for Relativity, an eDiscovery software solution, where he was focused on the companys transformation to a SaaS-based platform and led the growth of the engineering team from 20 to 400 engineers. "I'm excited to join a Chicago-based company that is creating innovative products that improve the product and customer experience across the customer journey, said Marchant. PowerReviews solutions are well-positioned to help customers address todays trends and drive sales. Marchant will be based in PowerReviews Chicago office headquarters, and also enjoys making bread from scratch and sailing, which he aspires to do on Lake Michigan. About PowerReviews PowerReviews is a software and data company that works with 1,500+ leading brands and retailers to bring authenticity and transparency to commerce. We collect and manage customer-generated content to improve the product and customer experience across the customer journey. PowerReviews is known for innovation, consultative partnership, actionable insights, supported by our open platform and approach. We help brands succeed by harnessing the authentic voice of the customer to drive sales and brand advocacy. Contact: Leila Goldberg [email protected] 847-452-7093 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8b7d3cdb-e34d-45a6-9f23-47ae43a75193 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] She is currently a single lady following her split from Ben Affleck in 2015. And while Jennifer Garner is fairly quiet on the romance front, she was feeling playful on Wednesday as she took to Instagram to share four images labelled Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder - in the style of Dolly Parton. The country star, 74, became an Internet sensation earlier in the week when images were shared showing how people look on different social media - prompting Jennifer, 47, to do the same while fans joked about the snaps. Rising to the challenge: Jennifer Garner was feeling playful on Wednesday as she took to Instagram to share four images labelled Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder - in the style of Dolly Parton However after Jennifer posted her snaps, one of her fans rushed to the comments section of her post to tell her she had got two of the photos the wrong way around. Jennifer's Linkedin snap showed her looking like a confident businesswoman in her power suit, while she oozed country girl chic in her plaid shirt for Facebook. However the snaps her follower disagree with was her choices for Instagram and Tinder, with the former showing her posing in a stunning white silk gown. They argued that this should instead be her Tinder image, rather than the one of her wearing a rash vest attempting to navigated a paddle board, writing: Wrong choice! However after Jennifer posted her snaps, one of her fans rushed to the comments section of her post to tell her she had got two of the photos the wrong way around Oops! Appearing to note her fan's advice, Jennifer quipped back: 'Shoot, is THAT why no one swipes?', as she playfully hinted at her lack of luck on the dating app' 'I would have switched the Instagram and Tinder pics' Appearing to note her fan's advice, Jennifer quipped back: 'Shoot, is THAT why no one swipes?', as she playfully hinted at her lack of luck on the dating app. Starting the trend, Dolly created mock-up profile pictures of herself adhering to the premise of each different virtual community and joked: 'Get a woman who can do it all!'. The Hollywood icon poked fun at how a person projects different versions of themselves on apps; LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder. Get you a woman who can do it all pic.twitter.com/sG4OHpVgxM Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) January 21, 2020 Dolly created mock-up profile pictures of herself adhering to the premise of each different virtual community and joked: 'Get a woman who can do it all!'. Dolly's Tinder profile picture was the most raciest, with the 9 to 5 hitmaker posing as a Playboy bunny in a black bustier, fluffy tail, pink sparkly bow tie and mesh sequin tights. The songstress also showed herself as a smart-looking businesswoman for LinkedIn, while Dolly decided on a throwback black and white photo of herself holding her guitar for her Instagram profile picture. For Facebook, Dolly wore her signature platinum blonde bouffant and a navy Holly Dolly Christmas jumper. Other A-listers who have jumped on the challenge include host Ellen DeGeneres and Scandal actress Kerry Washington. Beijing, Jan 23 (IANS) Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Wednesday called for all-out efforts to curb the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei Province. During an inspection tour to the city, the center of the outbreak, she visited the entry and exit check points of the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, as well as the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, where she was given detailed reports on disease source detection, outbreak situation, scientific research and the stockpile of emergency supplies, the Xinhua news agency reported. Buses in the largest city in Missouri are on track to offer free rides.Officials with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) plan to phase out the systems $1.50 fare in the coming year, in a move to remove at least one barrier standing in the way of riders choosing the transit system to get to jobs, run errands and more.Public transit needs to be woven into the fabric of the community as a whole, said Robbie Makinen, president and CEO of KCATA. And discussions about improving health care, housing, education and other quality-of-life factors are all intricately linked to transportation and transit.You cant have discussions about solving those issues without public transit, he remarked.If the idea of a fare-free transit system seems radical, Makinen is quick to point out that KCATA has been gradually phasing out fares for certain users. Today, veterans ride free, as do high school students. Also, the agency teamed up with safety net providers such as domestic violence shelters to waive fares for users of these services as well.Fares have also been removed from a newly launched bus-rapid transit line, a 10-mile corridor known as Prospect Max.So when people say, Oh, they made transit free in Kansas City, no weve been systematically and strategically looking at this, Makinen said.It should also be noted that the new Kansas City Streetcar, stretching two miles through downtown, has always been free to ride.Fares make up about 8 percent of KCATAs $100 million budget, said Makinen, and once the costs associated with collecting and counting the money are taken into consideration, its not really $8 million. Its less.A fare-free system would also speed up boarding times, since buses often dwell for several moments while riders feed money into fareboxes. Removing fares would also have the positive effect of removing opportunities for disputes between riders and bus drivers.Before, when there was an incident, 85-90 percent of the time something happened on a vehicle, it was because of ... $1.50. It was a farebox dispute, said Makinen. With this, now our operators are safer because the operator isnt the focus of an incident, if there is one.Transit systems as large as those like Los Angeles Metro have toyed with the idea of waiving fares. At the recent CoMotion LA conference in Los Angeles in November, Phil Washington, CEO of LA Metro, proposed using revenue generated from congestion pricing to replace fare revenue in the areas where congestion pricing is put in place.We havent even scratched the surface, in terms of the benefits that free transit can bring, said Washington in comments at the conference. Free transit in the area, and taking that burden away from families, in terms of the expense of transportation, could mean the difference between affordable housing. It could impact homelessness.LA Metro has not yet released any congestion pricing proposals, and is still studying the issue. About 4 percent of LA Metros revenue is generated from fares, according to financial reports.In St. Louis, a closer peer city to Kansas City, fares make up about 15 percent of revenues, said Jerry Vallely, external communications manager for Bi-State Development, which oversees Metro Transit in St. Louis.The only group of riders we waive fares for are children 4 and under, said Vallely. We do offer half-price fares for seniors, children 5-13 and disabled passengers. We currently do not waive fares for any specific routes or services.The average passenger fare across U.S. transit systems was $1.56 in 2017, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Fares made up 36 percent of operating funding, for transit systems nationwide, followed by local sources (32 percent), state sources (23 percent) and other sources (9 percent). Transit agencies also receive federal and other funding, often earmarked for capital projects.When viewed through the larger economic lens, said Makinen in Kansas City, money that riders would have dropped into fare boxes will be reinvested back into the local economy.The University of Missouri-Kansas City conducted a financial impact study looking at the effects of eliminating fares. The study concluded the $8 million collected in fares goes back into the local economy, generating $17 million in economic activity and $700,000 in sales tax and 100 new jobs.If Ms. Johnson is living on Prospect [Avenue] and shes saving $1,500, $2,000 a year on public transit because shes not putting it in my farebox, wheres that money going to go? Its not going to leave the state. Its going right back into the local economy, said Makinen.To finance an $8 million budget hole formed when rider fares disappear in Kansas City, Makinen said he aims to keep the growth of the administrative arm of KCATA to a minimum, which he believes frees the agency to be more nimble and make it more open to exploring technology and other innovations.And then were also going to work like were doing now on public-private partnerships to say, OK, you want to try something? Come to Kansas City, and lets do a pilot, Makinen added.Ultimately, making the bus free stands to increase ridership within the KCATA system. The free bus rapid transit line serves some 85,000 riders a month. But thats hardly the only goal.Ridership is a byproduct, said Makinen. Its a byproduct of [having] a system that offers something to the customers: easy access, options, control and definitely affordable now. WASHINGTON Efforts to denuclearize North Korea will continue despite a new foreign minister in Pyongyang who is seen as a hard-liner and could take a tougher stance in stalled negotiations, a senior State Department official said Wednesday. The official would not forecast how the new foreign minister, Ri Son-gwon, who succeeds Ri Yong-ho, might approach negotiations with the United States over removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. The official, citing diplomatic protocol to speak on the condition of anonymity, predicted the talks would restart, given what he said was a shared desire for progress on the part of President Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Despite frequent setbacks in the past year, Trump administration officials have publicly said they intend to continue with negotiations to settle on a denuclearization process, echoing Mr. Trumps line. Is STINAG Stuttgart Invest AG (FRA:STG) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. In this case, STINAG Stuttgart Invest likely looks attractive to investors, given its 3.0% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. Before you buy any stock for its dividend however, you should always remember Warren Buffett's two rules: 1) Don't lose money, and 2) Remember rule #1. We'll run through some checks below to help with this. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on STINAG Stuttgart Invest! DB:STG Historical Dividend Yield, January 23rd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. Looking at the data, we can see that 65% of STINAG Stuttgart Invest's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. This is a fairly normal payout ratio among most businesses. It allows a higher dividend to be paid to shareholders, but does limit the capital retained in the business - which could be good or bad. We update our data on STINAG Stuttgart Invest every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of STINAG Stuttgart Invest's dividend payments. The dividend has been stable over the past 10 years, which is great. We think this could suggest some resilience to the business and its dividends. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was 0.41 in 2010, compared to 0.75 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.2% a year over that time. Story continues Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination. Dividend Growth Potential Dividend payments have been consistent over the past few years, but we should always check if earnings per share (EPS) are growing, as this will help maintain the purchasing power of the dividend. Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see STINAG Stuttgart Invest has grown its earnings per share at 58% per annum over the past five years. With recent, rapid earnings per share growth and a payout ratio of 65%, this business looks like an interesting prospect if earnings are reinvested effectively. Conclusion Dividend investors should always want to know if a) a company's dividends are affordable, b) if there is a track record of consistent payments, and c) if the dividend is capable of growing. STINAG Stuttgart Invest's payout ratio is within normal bounds. We like that it has been delivering solid improvement in its earnings per share, and relatively consistent dividend payments. STINAG Stuttgart Invest has a credible record on several fronts, but falls slightly short of our standards for a dividend stock. Are management backing themselves to deliver performance? Check their shareholdings in STINAG Stuttgart Invest in our latest insider ownership analysis. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The land transfer or subleasing would allow the Patanjali Group to set up the food processing facility and entitle it to other incentives under the central policy guidelines. The Uttar Pradesh government will provide land subsidy to the proposed food park in Greater Noida being set up by Baba Ramdev promoted Patanjali Group. Patanjali is estimated to invest more than Rs 6,000 crore in the mega project spread over 91 acres of land in the National Capital Region (NCR). The decision was taken at the UP cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. Subsidies granted to the company includes stamp duty rebate of 25 per cent. Earlier, the state government had given subsidy to Patanjali Ayurved Limited with regards to the setting up of the food park. However, 20 per cent of the total 455 acres of land allotted to Patanjali or 91 acres was later transferred to its subsidiary Patanjali Food and Herbal Park. Now, the Adityanath government has given its nod to extend the same incentives to the subsidiary as well, which was earlier applicable to the parent company. The land transfer or subleasing would allow the Patanjali Group to set up the food processing facility and entitle it to other incentives under the central policy guidelines issued on July 21, 2016. Meanwhile, a state government spokesperson said the setting up of the mega project would spur investment, generate employment, create new markets and facilitate payment of remunerative prices to farmers, thus leading to the overall socioeconomic development. In June 2018, the state cabinet had allowed the transfer of land for the food park between the Group's two entities viz. Patanjali Ayurved to Patanjali Food and Herbal Park. In 2016 under the previous Akhilesh Yadav regime, Patanjali Ayurved was allocated 455 acres along the Yamuna Expressway for the food park under then UP infrastructure and industrial development policy, 2012. At that time, the project was expected to process 400 tonnes of fruits and vegetables per day apart from the production of 750 tonnes of organic wheat to manufacture Patanjali brand flour. Later, Patanjali had demanded that 91 acres be transferred to its subsidiary Patanjali Food and Herbal Park, which would set up the proposed facility. However, the permission was summarily denied by the state government as the standing rules barred subleasing of land even between subsidiaries, although the Group claimed both were sister concerns and came under the same umbrella. In fact, the lingering issue had irked the company with Ramdevs close aide and Patanjali CEO Acharya Balakrishna announcing on Twitter about shifting the proposed facility elsewhere over non-cooperation by the UP officials. Later, Adityanath had personally spoken to both Ramdev and Balakrishna, giving an express assurance to expedite the matter. Other concessions with regard to the food park fall under the purview of the Centre, since the project was granted by the central government under its existing policy. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters Representative Image Mumbaikars can now enjoy the nightlife as the state cabinet, on January 22, approved a proposal to lift restrictions on retail trading hours in the city. This makes Mumbai the countrys first major metro to implement all-night retail. The move comes as India in 2019 registered the slowest pace of growth in 11 years. This is aimed at boosting the local economy, consumer spending and job creation in the city that never sleeps. Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray said he was hopeful the move would provide jobs and revenue to our youth in addition to the existing five lakh people working in the service sector. What is changed? A notification has been issued for the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act, 2017, allowing shops, restaurants, cinema halls, salons, hyper malls and businesses such as banks, medical establishments and tax consultancies, to remain open 24x7 in the state. As per the previous rule, stores and malls were required to shut at 10 pm while restaurants, pubs and bars by 1.30 am. The new plan envisions malls, shops and eateries in the citys commercial districts operating 24x7 from January 27 onwards. The caveat: pubs and bars continue to shut at 1.30 am, Reuters reported. Why Mumbai? A major tourist hub, in April 2019 alone 13.06 percent of all 771,353 foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) to the country landed at Mumbai Airport, data from the Ministry of Tourism showed. Further, the latest edition of Top 100 City Destinations 2019 by UK-based market research firm Euromonitor placed Mumbai at 14 globally in terms of the number of arrivals. It recorded arrivals to Mumbai in 2019 at 12,442,400, up from 10,590,100 arrivals in 2018. The city in fact has jumped up significantly from 30th place in 2015. Further, Thackeray pointed out that Mumbai is a "24x7 functional city". "There are people who work in night shifts. There are tourists, too, in transit. Where do they go if they are hungry after 10 pm?" he asked. Where in Mumbai? As per the state governments plan, in the first phase, malls and restaurants situated in the citys commercial and non-residential districts such as Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Nariman Point would be able to take up the option to extend working hours. As per reports, stores, eateries and multiplexes within gated communities and compounds with adequate security provisions such as CCTVs would also be eligible. "In BKC and near NCPA (Nariman Point), a lane will be opened for food trucks. Food inspectors will keep a watch on them. If rules on solid waste management, decibel limits and law and order are violated, there is a provision of a lifetime ban," Thackeray added. Is it mandatory? Beyond this, the decision of whether they would like to take up the option after factoring in the extra costs involved, job shifts for employees, etc. rests entirely with outlets management. Establishments with fewer than 10 workers will not have to obtain a licence or need to renew their license. Establishments with more than 10 workers will get licences in a time-bound manner. Thackeray clarified that the move was not mandatory. Only those who feel they can do good business can keep their establishments open throughout the night," he said. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) stated that malls and restaurants associated with it have already expressed interest in the 24x7 plan, as per the Reuters report. The body has been pushing for the move in Mumbai for a few years now. Issues raised Thackeray stated that the police force would not be under stress because, after 1.30 am, their job till now was to check if shops and establishments were shut down. "But, now they will be able to focus on law and order only," he said. Thackeray dismissed concerns that the strategy would result in some law and order issue from town. He pointed out that excise rules have not been touched and pubs and bars will close as usual at 1.30 am. Labour minister Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar told Hindustan Times that the expectation is for a boost to women-driven businesses. Establishments keen on extending hours of business will only have to give an online intimation to the ministry, including the number of employees hired. They will have to ensure three shifts of no more than 9 hours each, transportation for women employees post 9.30 pm, and provide overtime, paid leaves, canteen and creche facilities. Violations leading to serious injury or death of employees may lead to imprisonment of six months or a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh to the employer. Violations of other duties towards workers may attract a fine up to Rs 2 lakh. The novel Chinese coronavirus, which has so far claimed 17 lives and infected over 550 people, likely resided in snakes before being transmitted to humans, according to a new study that may help design better defensive strategies against future outbreaks of the deadly pathogen. The researchers, including Wei Ji from Peking University Health Science Centre in China, said patients who became infected with the coronavirus -- named 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization (WHO) -- were exposed to wildlife animals at a wholesale market, where seafood, poultry, snake, bats, and farm animals were sold. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, offers insights on the origins of the most recent outbreak of pneumonia caused by the virus, which started in the middle of December 2019 in the city of Wuhan in China, and has now spread to Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. Conducting a detailed genetic analysis of the 2019-nCoV, and comparing it with those of different coronaviruses from various geographic locations and host species, the study found that the new virus formed from a combination of CoV found in bats, and another of unknown origin. "It is critical to determine the animal reservoir of the 2019-nCoV in order to understand the molecular mechanism of its cross-species spread," the scientists reported in the study. The new virus, the scientists said, developed a mix, or "recombination", of a viral protein which recognises and binds to host cells. According to the study, this recognition is key to allowing viruses to enter host cells, and cause infection and disease. On further analysis, the researchers found evidence that the 2019-nCoV may have resided in snakes before being transmitted to humans. "Additionally, our findings suggest that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV," the researchers said. However, some scientists, not involved in the study, have questioned the conclusions derived from the analysis. David L Robertson from the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in the UK, told PTI, "there's very likely to be an intermediate non-bat host which would have picked up the virus from bats. "So bats are definitely involved it's just a question of whether this was directly or another animal was involved," Robertson added. The researchers in the new study said recombination within the viral receptor-binding protein may have allowed for cross-species transmission from snake to humans. "New information obtained from our evolutionary analysis is highly significant for effective control of the outbreak caused by the 2019-nCoV-induced pneumonia," the researchers said. The new virus is similar to the one which caused the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, infecting 8422 people, and killing more than 900, they said. However, the current study noted that unlike the SARS-CoV, the 2019-nCoV causes a mild form of viral pneumonia, and has limited capability for person-person spread. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. Common symptoms of the 2019-nCoV strain include respiratory ailments such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, according to the WHO. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nirbhaya: Only two convicts wrote a will, one wanted to donate paintings, another his body Squirmed for a bit before going still: The final moments of Nirbhayas killers Bihar man hangs self in quarantine centre: Cops say he was stressed due to TB Nirbhayas killers have no last wish India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 23: The four convicts of Nirbhaya gangrape, who are to be hanged on February 1, have not expressed any desire or replied to questions about their last wish. As per rules, death-row convicts should be entitled to meet family members, lawyers and mental health professionals so that their rights are adequately protected at all stages. Convicts are also asked to state whether they want to leave their property to anyone. Reports say, the convicts - Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh and Pawan Gupta - were silent, hinting that they remain hopeful of buying more time. Observing that heinous crime convicts are taking the "judicial process for a ride", the Centre on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for fixing a 7-day deadline for the execution of condemned prisoners after issuance of a black warrant, amid the delay in the hanging of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case. Tihar jail seeks service of Pawan, hangman from Meerut, for execution of Nirbhaya convicts on Feb 1 Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News The hanging has been delayed due to filing of review, curative and mercy petitions over a period of several months, prolonging the agony of Nirbhaya's parents and other family members. Stressing that the "need of the hour" was to lay down guidelines in "the interest of the victims" rather than keeping the rights of the convicts in mind, the Centre said those punished for "horrible, dreadful, cruel, abominable, ghastly, gruesome and heinous offences" like rape and murder should be not permitted to play with the "majesty of law" and prolong the execution of the sentence awarded to them. The Centre submitted this was necessary for the larger interest of the public and of the victims and their families. English Latvian JSC Olainfarm preliminary consolidated results for December indicate that revenues decreased by 41% compared to the same month the year before and reached EUR 6.5 million. At the same time consolidated results for the entire year show that revenues reached EUR 137.7 million, which is an increase by 12%, compared to 2018. Sales increased in Latvia and Belarus, while other regions experienced a decline. During this period, products of Olainfarm Group were sold in 59 markets worldwide. Consolidated sales in December show a revenue decrease in six out of the eight markets. In the Central Asian region revenues declined by 7%, in the EU countries by 21%, in Russia by 93%, in the Caucasian region by 39%, in the Ukraine by 68% and in other countries by 64%. Sales volumes increased in Latvia and Belarus by 4% and 54%, respectively. December results are in line with the previously planned volumes due to unusually high sales quantities in October and November, 2019 which included certain amounts of final dosage forms that the Group normally delivers in December. For the full 2019, Olainfarm Group revenues were EUR 137.7 million that is 12% more than the year before. The Russian market had the largest share of 32%, Latvia 24%, Belarus 16% and the Ukraine 8%. The most rapid sales growth during the year was achieved in Russia and in Central Asia, where sales grew by 17% compared to last year, and in Latvia where sales grew by 13%. Sales in Belarus improved by 10%, in the EU countries and in other countries by 11%. Amongst the largest sales outlets a decline was marked in the Ukraine (- 4%) and in the Caucasian region (- 8%). Given that the Group regularly achieves significant sales amounts in four countries (Latvia, Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine), other countries are combined in regions Central Asia, the EU countries except for Latvia, the Caucasian countries and other countries. Such division provides a more appropriate picture of sales trends by diminishing the influence of one-time or irregular deliveries on monthly figures. Preliminary consolidated results indicate that the year 2019 was the best financial year in the history of OlainFarm Group: both revenue and profit. Besides a strong in-market performance in our main countries, the result is also positively impacted due to increase of sales in Russia in Q4 to built up stock before serialization becomes into force. When looking at 2020, our sales forecast in Q1 is reflecting a modest sales due to this stock building in Russia in Q4 of previous year. Although the implementation of serilization is delayed to July 2020, it will have no negative impact on the financial projections for entire 2020. We project a further growth of OlainFarm Group that we have started in 2019, says Jeroen Weites, the CEO of OlainFarm Group., says Jeroen Weites, the CEO of Olainfarm Group. Market Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to December 2018 Latvia 3 227 50% 4% Central Asia* 912 14% -7% Belarus 821 13% 54% EU countries** 692 11% -21% Russia 280 4% -93% Other countries*** 209 3% -64% Caucasian countries**** 202 3% -39% Ukraine 171 3% -68% Total 6 514 100% -41% * - the Central Asian region includes Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Turkmenistan; ** - the EU countries region includes all the European Union member states except for Latvia; *** - Other countries includes all of the countries in the world, which are not included in any other groups; **** - the Caucasian countries are Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan 12 months 2019, consolidated sales Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to 12 months 2018 Russia 44 244 32% 17% Latvia 32 658 24% 13% Belarus 21 418 16% 10% Central Asia 11 324 8% 17% Ukraine 10 716 8% -4% EU countries 10 328 7% 12% Other countries 4 883 4% 11% Caucasian countries 2 147 2% -8% Total 137 718 100% 12% Unconsolidated sales December and 12 months According to the preliminary unconsolidated figures, JSC Olainfarm sales reached EUR 3.7 million in December, which represents a decrease by 55% compared to December, 2018. Sales of products in December improved only in Latvia and Belarus by 2% and 80%, respectively. Sales in December declined in Central Asia by 6%, in the EU countries by 23%, in the Ukraine by 65% and in the Caucasian countries by 55%. There were no deliveries to Russia due to the above mentioned reasons. The unconsolidated sales results for the twelve months of 2019 show that JSC Olainfarm sales reached EUR 105.1 million, which represents an increase by 13% compared to the same period last year. During 2019, sales increased in Russia (+23%), Belarus (+9%), Latvia (+5%), Central Asia (+15%), the EU countries (+13%) and in other countries (+10%). Revenues declined by 4% in the Ukraine and by 3% in the Caucasian countries. December 2019, unconsolidated sales Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to December 2018 Latvia 1 442 39% 2% Central Asia 780 21% -6% EU countries 574 15% -23% Belarus 543 15% 80% Other countries 197 5% -65% Ukraine 166 4% -65% Caucasian countries 99 3% -55% Russia 0 0% NA Total 3 721 100% -55% 12 months 2019 unconsolidated sales Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to 12 months 2018 Russia 40 638 39% 23% Belarus 18 255 17% 9% Latvia 11 671 11% 5% Ukraine 10 442 10% -4% Central Asia 9 457 9% 15% EU countries 8 844 8% 13% Other countries 4 343 4% 10% Caucasian countries 1 461 1% -3% Total 105 110 100% 13% Results of subsidiaries December and twelve months of 2019 The pharmacy chain Latvijas aptieka sales reached EUR 2.3 million in December, 2019, which represents an 8% increase compared to December, 2018. 68 pharmacies were operating during this period. Silvanols sales reached EUR 0.7 million in December, 2019, representing an increase by 27% vs. December, 2018. The combined sales of Tonus Elast and Elast Medical in December, 2019 were EUR 0.8 million, which is 2% less than this time last year. Olainmed and Diamed Medical Center sales reached EUR 0.2 million, while the Belarusian subsidiary NPK Biotest reached EUR 0.28 million in sales in December, which is 21% higher than in December of last year. During the entire 2019, Latvijas aptieka sales amounted to EUR 26.1 million, demonstrating an 8% increase in comparison to 2018. Sales of Silvanols reached EUR 5.4 million,which is 1% less than last year. The combined sales of Tonus Elast and Elast Medical during the twelve months of this year totaled up to EUR 9.6 million, which is a 4% drop. Medical Centers Diamed and Olainmed revenues exceeded EUR 3 million during the first twelve months of this year and the Belarusian company NPK Biotest sales were worth EUR 3.1 million, improving the result of last year by 33%. December 2019 12 months 2019 Sales markets of Olainfarm 35 52 Sales markets of the Group 43 59 Number of pharmacies 68 Sales of Latvijas aptieka, thous. EUR 2 291 26 138 Sales of Medical centers, thous. EUR 200 3 074 Sales of NPK Biotest, thous. EUR 278 3 142 Sales of Tonus Elast and Elast Medikl, thous. EUR 801 9 642 Sales of Silvanols, thous. EUR 710 5 431 According to the JSC Olainfarm plans, the unconsolidated sales were set to reach EUR 99 million in 2019, while the consolidated sales were expected at EUR 133 million. According to these preliminary sales figures, in the entire 2019, 107% of last year's target for the unconsolidated sales and 103% of last year's target for consolidated sales have been reached. JSC Olainfarm is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Latvia with more than 45 years of experience in production of medication and chemical and pharmaceutical products. A basic principle of the company's operations is to produce reliable and effective top -quality products for Latvia and the rest of the world. Products made by the Group are being exported to more than 60 countries of the world, including the Baltics, Russia, other CIS, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. The deaths of at least seven babies 'could have been avoided' and East Kent NHS bosses have been forced to apologise over its maternity care failings. An investigation has revealed that at least seven preventable deaths may have occurred since 2016. The BBC spoke to families who had major concerns and problems with the trust but are not willing to go public. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, where Harry Richford was born, only to die seven days later East Kent NHS Foundation Trust admits it has 'not always provided the right standard of care for every woman and baby in our hospitals'. An inquest into the death of baby Harry Richford is likely to conclude in criticism of the trust tomorrow. Harry was born at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate in November 2017. He suffered complications in his delivery and aftercare and died just seven days later. The inquest began with the trust apologising for the standard of care they had given the infant. And an investigation has unearthed a series of other preventable deaths and poor maternity care. Archie Batten died under the trust's care after his mother was taken to hospital by ambulance despite initially being told to drive 38 miles because her local one was shut (file image) Archie Powell died aged four days old on February 14 last year after becoming ill shortly after he was born. Medics treated the twin for a bowel problem but failed to spot he was suffering from the common infection group B streptococcus despite him showing all its symptoms. The delay in treatment sparked severe brain damage and he die at a neo-natal unit in London after transfer. An internal investigation found that the death was 'potentially avoidable'. Tallulah-Rai Edwards was stillborn on January 28 last year. Her mother had become anxious in the 36th week of pregnancy due to her baby's slowed movement and went to hospital. Despite struggling to get a good heart-rate reading on the cardiotocography (CTG) machine, midwives sent her home. They said that they were satisfied with what they recorded. The baby was found to have died two days later when her mother returned to the hospital. An internal investigation said: 'The CTG should have been continued for longer and an ultrasound arranged.' Hallie-Rae Leek died aged four days old on April 7 2017. A midwife had struggled to find a heart-rate and Hallie-Rae was born in a poor condition. She was resuscitated after 22 minutes, by which point irreparable damage had already been done. The trust apologised after accepting the death was preventable. Archie Batten died on September 1 2019, shortly after being born. His mother had called QEQM to say that she was in labour. But she was told the maternity unit was closed and to drive herself to the trusts other hospital, Ashford's William Harvey, which is 38 miles away. Four midwives went to her home after the journey was deemed not feasible but they struggled to deliver the baby. The mother was transferred by ambulance to QEQM, where her son died. His inquest in scheduled for March. There were two stillbirths at the trust in 2016, in March and June. In the first case, the unit failed to recognise that an infant was small given the time he'd been developing. They did not act on suspicious CTG readings and failed to deliver the baby promptly. In the second case, the trust missed risk factors and failed to properly monitor a CTG and a baby girl died. In a lengthy statement to the BBC, the trust did not address any of the cases. Instead it said: 'We have been making changes to improve our maternity service for a number of years. 'Every baby and every family is important to us. We recognise that we need to improve the speed of change. 'We express our heartfelt condolences to every family that has lost a loved one and we wholeheartedly apologise to families for whom we could have done things differently.' The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a surprise inspection of trust sites in response to the investigation and a result is pending. The estimated 2027 completion date for the M28 motorway to port facilities in Ringaskiddy is unacceptable, the Construction Industry Federation has said. The CIF representing construction firms said the motorway is vital in the context of trading routes with continental Europe following Brexit and the unlocking of city centre land in Tivoli for residential development. In its election manifesto for the Cork region, the CIF outlined a range of infrastructure projects it says are needed and said it is vital that commencement dates and project timescales are given for a range of projects including a light rail system for the city, the Dunkettle interchange upgrade, the event centre, the city flood defences, the M20 Cork to Limerick motorway, and the northern ring road. The manifesto points out that the Cork region accounts for over 12% of the output of the construction industry and employs over 16,000 people. Corks population and employment levels have increased significantly in recent years and now more than ever public infrastructural investment needs to keep pace with a growing employment and population base, states the manifesto. The Port of Cork is in the process of moving port operations from Tivoli to Ringaskiddy in the lower harbour. The M28 motorway and Dunkettle interchange projects are considered vital to allowing the moving of freight in and out of Ringaskiddy. The CIF also said the public spending code published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform must be revised so that there are fewer steps in the process of approval and time frames for decision making on major projects. The code should recognise the need for greater investment in regional infrastructure projects and that projects in the regions are not put at risk due to very large proposals in the Dublin region, says the document. Housing in Cork has also been raised by the CIF in advance of the general election on February 8. It said there is an annual requirement for 3,500 residential units in Cork, but only 2,000 are being produced. Most costs are fixed costs with limited ability to achieve reductions or savings. The construction industry will be able to deliver more affordable units in the price range of 240,000 to 320,000 in the Cork region if the variable costs such as taxes and charges are reduced, said the CIF. The CIF also said the next government must invest in water and wastewater infrastructure for zoned lands by directly funding local authorities. Mohamad al Jounde, winner of the 2017 International Children's Peace Prize, at the 2019 ceremony in The Hague last November. Photo: Nacho Calonge/Getty Images A Syrian teenager has warned global leaders are forgetting the struggles of refugees as climate change dominates debate at Davos. Mohamad Al Jounde, winner of the 2017 International Childrens Peace Prize, also said refugees needed education to understand and act on climate change themselves. Al Jounde, who won the awar for launching a school as a 12-year-old in a refugee camp in Lebanon, said climate change was crucial but not the only issue for world leaders. The state of the climate has received top billing at the World Economic Forum (WEFs) annual summit of business, government and civil society leaders at Davos, Switzerland. READ MORE: Voters change their minds easily and rapidly over immigration Some critics see the gathering in the Alps ski resort as a talking shop and a symbol of global capitalism, but organisers say it allows discussion and collaboration among leaders. Al Jounde, now 19, appeared on a panel about migration at the summit on Wednesday, telling his own story. He said he had been forced to flee Syria with his mum after she received death threats for participating in the 2011 protests. He volunteered with other Syrian children in a Lebanese camp before setting up his own school, Gharsah. He said it now educates more than 700 students every six months, allowing them to move into formal schooling rather than child labour. READ MORE: 'Racism isnt just a moral issue. This is a profit and loss issue' He told leaders at the debate: Considering all the emphasis on climate change from business to government, people in a sense are forgetting struggles that refugees face. Like finding education, like finding work. Dont get distractedyes, climate change is important, but dont forget that other sectors still need investment, big investment as well, in order for us to solve climate change. We cant demand refugees care about climate change as they have to receive education first. If we cant lift them up to a certain socio-economic level so they can start caring about climate change, we cant solve it. Everythings interconnected. READ MORE: Expert says humans enjoy a $125tn subsidy from nature PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 22:55:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 787 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / CopperBank Resources Corp. ("CopperBank" or the "Company") (CSE:CBK)(FSE:9CP)(OTCPINK:CPPKF) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 10,000,000 shares at a price of $0.06 per share. The first tranche of the private placement, consisting of the issuance of 5,000,000 shares for a total of $300,000, has closed. There were no finders' fees paid in the first tranche of the private placement.The private placement is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange and the securities will be subject to a four-month and one day hold period under securities laws.The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement to maintain its portfolio of projects as well as general working capital.About CopperBankCopperBank is a Canadian exploration mining company focused on energy-related metal exploration in The United States of America. The Company trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange - CSE- under the symbol "CBK".On behalf of CopperBank Resources Corp."Gianni Kovacevic"Address: Suite 1500, 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2Tel: 604-889-0852E-mail: gk@ copperbankcorp.com Website: www.copperbankcorp.com Advisory Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsCertain information in this release constitutes forward looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws and necessarily involves risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, CopperBank does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management of CopperBank's expectations or beliefs regarding future events. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's ongoing review of its existing portfolio, the involvement of CopperBank in any potential divestiture, spin-out, partnership or other transactions involving the Company's portfolio assets, and the ability of the Company to complete any such transactions, the ability of CopperBank to enter into transactions that will ultimately enhance shareholder value, and potential future work or activities in respect of the Pyramid project or the Contact project. Although CopperBank believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information available to CopperBank. Forward-looking statements are based, in part, on assumptions and factors that may change or prove to be incorrect, thus causing actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking information. Such factors and assumptions include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to identify and complete one or more transactions involving the Company's portfolio assets that enhance shareholder value as part of management's ongoing review of strategic alternatives in the current market conditions. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk that the Company will not be able to identify and complete one or more transactions involving the Company's portfolio assets that enhance shareholder value as part of management's ongoing review of strategic alternatives in the current market conditions. Although CopperBank has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For more information on CopperBank and the risks and challenges of its businesses, investors should review the continuous disclosure filings that are available under CopperBank's profile at www.sedar.com SOURCE: CopperBank Resources Corp Rwanda is considering waiving visa fees for a broad category of visitors entering the country, President Paul Kagame was quoted as saying in London. While speaking at the International School for Government at Kings College in London, President Paul Kagame said the will is to allow all Africans, citizens of Commonwealth nations and the Francophonie to travel to travel to Rwanda without having to pay visa fees. The Commonwealth is a community of values, with continued relevance for todays world. More than one third of its member states are African. These are the reasons why Rwanda chose to join in 2009. In that connection, we are soon considering exempting citizens of the Commonwealth, as well as the African Union and the Francophonie, from paying visa fees when entering Rwanda, President Kagame said. According to the state-owned Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, RBA, Rwanda will host the 26 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM 2020 this year. Rwandas visa openness has earned it top place as one of the most open in the yearly visa openness index publications. Rwanda from January 1, 2018, started a global visa-free entry for all travelers. A communique released by the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration said then all travelers could enjoy 30 days visa on arrival under the regime. 23.01.2020 LISTEN I wanted to go deeper and further into those meanings and discover what our ways of understanding the world were before we were told that they were wrong and wicked. I wanted to help create a bridge between our ways of seeing and understanding which were centuries old and where we were today, to somehow heal the fragmentation brought about by the colonial encounter I feel that that is what culture can do, it can help you look beneath the surface of what is happening to the deeper root causes How have we forgotten how to know ourselves, to heal ourselves, to love ourselves? What systems did we create that united and made us stronger? We are of the oldest culture, the oldest civilisation in the world, and we hold so much wisdom within us. She studied Russian and Politics and worked for the Eastern European section of the Department of Political Affairs of United Nations in New York. She then went on to do a Masters in African Art History. Of her path, she says, I was lucky enough to study when studying in the UK was still free, so could really pursue my passion, which at the time to the puzzlement of many, was Russian literature and Politics. I already spoke quite a few languages and realised that the more languages I learnt, the more I understood different kinds of people, different realities. At the time, I really wanted to go into politics, I spent my teens working in youth advocacy for a charity called Youth Ending Hunger. I joined when I was 13 and by the time I was 15, I and three other girls, Anna from Sweden and Elif from Turkey were asked to lead a conference in Turkey with hundreds of people present, including the then President of Turkey and lots of journalists. I was terrified, but also believed so much that we had the power, even as children, to effect real positive change in the world. We spoke to politicians, we brainstormed policy changes, we cycled from London to Moscow to raise awareness. After university, my job at the UN was to research and create policy propositions, largely on conflict situations, in Chechnya, Azerbaijan etc, I thought it was a continuation of what I had been doing as a teenager, but what I learnt there was quite disillusioning, that politics only had a limited capacity to affect change, because there was so much compromise and in a way, lack of accountability. I moved into the arts, because everything I had done had always been powered by them, by books, films, art, music; they were what transformed me, taught me about the world, about myself, about others. I figured that if I could play a role in shaping the narrative of how I, as a young African woman, and of how my place of provenance, Ghana, and Africa, which were still portrayed as largely negative, were perceived, then that was where real change, real transformation could happen, and that all other things would follow from this. She is a founder of the ANO Institute of Arts and Knowledge through which she has pioneered such projects as The Mobile Museum, and The Pan-African Cultural Encyclopaedia; curating groundbreaking exhibitions such as Ghana's first pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019. I started ANO when I was still at university, she says, it comes from Eno, grandmother, because whenever I went home to Kyebi, it was the old women, the grandmothers, who would tell me the stories, the meanings behind things. I wanted to go deeper and further into those meanings and discover what our ways of understanding the world were before we were told, for the sake of control, that they were wrong and wicked. I wanted to help create a bridge between our ways of seeing and understanding which were centuries old and where we were at today, to somehow heal the fragmentation brought about by the colonial encounter. Thats what Ive been doing with my Encyclopaedia project, with the Mobile Museum that travels the country. Ive come across historical knowledge systems, which are so rich and that give us so much. I feel that that is what culture can do, it can help you look beneath the surface of what is happening to the deeper root causes. How have we forgotten how to know ourselves, to heal ourselves, to love ourselves? What systems did we create that united and made us stronger? We are of the oldest culture, the oldest civilisation in the world, and we hold so much wisdom within us. I think its time that we articulated and shared it as best as we know how. She has made several films, a cross of fiction, travel essay, and documentary, that have been shown at museums like The New Museum, Tate Modern, and LACMA. She tells us, I started making films when I realised writing was not enough, a lot of what I was documenting was musical, performative, and films were an easier way of communicating more widely. I am just about to release a documentary series on Ghanaian TV, Ive been documenting the arts through film since around 2005, so it will be about what the arts can tell us about our country, our surroundings. I first moved back to Ghana in 2005, but I realised I wouldnt be able to make a living here, that I had to secure my career abroad first, which is what I did, and which has allowed me to make connections and paths of income for myself and others internationally, whilst still living here. She has written for publications like frieze, ArtNews, African Metropolitan Architecture; and her first novel, The God Child, was published by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2019. Writing has always been my first love, my way of making sense of the world. I published my first novel this year, which is the most vulnerable thing Ive done so far. It fictionalises aspects of mine and others experiences, in particular, one struggle I had of growing up as part of this big dynasty or legacy, which Im proud to carry, a lot of my Phd research has been researching the history of my family for the last 700 years or so, and how that history was passed down. And on the other hand, trying to find your own path, your own way within it. Even though I grew up largely abroad, I could feel the voices of my ancestors, and this pull, this obligation towards serving my country, that felt so much bigger than I was. I would hear the stories of my great-great-grandmother Nana Dokua, of my great-uncle JB Danquah, of my grandfather Nana Ofori Atta I, I would come home and three of the Big 6 on the banknotes were my family members, and it was exciting, but also daunting, how do I give of myself to this legacy? How will I be good enough, smart enough, strong enough? How do I not fail? Ive learnt through time and with an experience that failure is very much part of the process and that you can only at all times do your best, and hope and trust that it is good enough. She has been asked to speak globally on cultural narratives and institution-building in countries like Ghana, Senegal, the UK, US, Germany, Holland, Denmark, France and Brazil; and this year will speak at both Harvard and Yale. She is the recipient of various awards and honours, having been named one of the Apollo 40 under 40; one of 50 African Trailblazers by The Africa Report; one of 12 African women making history by Okayafrica; and a Quartz Africa Innovator. She was given the 2015 the Art & Technology Award from LACMA; the 2016 AIR Award, which seeks to honour and celebrate extraordinary African artists who are committed to producing provocative, innovative and socially-engaging work; the inaugural 2018 Soros Arts Fellowship, and was a 2018 Global South Visiting Fellow at Oxford University. Of all these international laurels, she says, It is great to be recognised for your work, and I always appreciate when I am in spaces where decisions are being made and narratives are being formed, that I am there, that my voice is heard, that as a young African woman I am represented. She has just been appointed to the Advisory Council of Oxford University from January 2020, which will allow her to shape the agenda for future leaders that pass through that institution, and she says of this, It was always important for me to not be at the margins, to have African narratives and ways of telling be at the centre, and not represented in this backward, underdeveloped way, as they were when I was growing up. But my priority is always at home, here in Ghana, and on the continent. She has a MOMA Curatorial Leadership Fellow this year, which follows her starting an ANO Cultural Leadership Fellowship for others in Ghana last year. Of the fellowship programme she started, she says, it allows me to pass on support to people on the ground. Its supported by OSIWA, and helps me to facilitate training, opportunities and mentorship for six young people every year, so that they can hopefully go on to be leaders in their own fields. People often think that the biggest facilitator or privilege they can have is money, but some of the unhappiest and most damaged people Ive met are also the richest. Of course, every person should have the right to fulfil their needs, - of shelter, food, healthcare, education; and if they dont have this capacity the state should provide the means to support them to achieve this. I think this is something that as a nation we still need to figure out on our own terms, as quickly as possible. But beyond this, to me, the greatest privileges that were handed to me from my parents were: love and support, further education, and mobility. Their love and support meant that I believed in myself; the education they worked so hard to provide me with gave me the capacity to always support and to further myself; and the facility of mobility between different kinds of people, and also places, enabled me to learn so much, to see so much, to understand so much; and it is these privileges that I would like to be able to pass on to as many people as possible because theyve done so much for me. As to her next plans, shes been given a leadership role in the $15 million OSF fund for African Cultural Restitution and is working on how the return of objects to African institutions, and the creation of new institutions can help us create spaces for ourselves in our countries and in the world, that are open to and inclusive of all, and that give us the foundations from which to grow from. Shes also continuing to work on her cultural encyclopaedia and mobile museum projects; on more films, her own and helping to produce other peoples; as well as more books; and most importantly she says, creating a family, which might just be my most important project to date. Prostitution or sexual gratification for money is perhaps the worlds oldest known trade. The changing face of the murky trade has now broadened to include street prostitution, massage brothels, escort services, gigolo outcall services, strip clubs, lap dancing, phone sex, child prostitution and sex tourism. This high risk industry is fraught with violence and abuse but keeps growing by the day, raking in revenues for those who call the shots and with women and children as hapless victims of exploitation. Consensual offence? Prostitution is classified as victimless or consensual offence, because it is generally assumed that in such shady deals services are willingly offered and taken. But research done all over the world in developed, developing and under developed countries shows that may not be the true picture of prostitution. Sexual and physical violence and pornography Most prostitutes have been subject to sexual and physical violence at some point of time in the line of their job. A US survey among adults working in prostitution reported the following: 82% had been physically assaulted; 83% had been threatened with a weapon; 73% had been raped while working as a prostitute; 70% were victims of sexual assault by customers; 50% were reportedly kidnapped by pimps; 76% were beaten by pimps; 79% were beaten by customers; In another study 38% of prostitutes stated that pimps regularly exposed them to pornography. 80% stated that customers used pornographic videos and photographs to demonstrate which activities they wanted the prostitutes to perform, most often for kinky sex. Prostitution causes harm to women and children Melissa Farley who conducted an extensive research on prostitution in the US, observes in her Prostitution: Fact sheet on Human Rights Violations, that prostitution involves sexual harassment, battering, rape, verbal abuse, childhood sexual abuse and a violation of human rights on the whole. Farley writes, "Whether it is being sold by one's family to a brothel, or whether it is being sexually abused in one's family, running away from home, and then being pimped by one's boyfriend, or whether one is in college and needs to pay for next semester's tuition and one works at a strip club behind glass where men never actually touch you all these forms of prostitution hurt the women in it." Statistics in the West Given the clandestine nature of this trade and the social stigma attached to it, statistical data are extremely difficult to gather, but researches suggest that there are more than 1 million prostitutes in the US and 80, 000 in the UK. One survey shows that nearly 50%of men in the US have been with a prostitute at least once in their lifetime. In a study among prostitutes in London, it was seen that 50% of clients were married or co-habiting. A 2004 survey shows that 95% of the street prostitutes or kerb crawlers as they are infamously called, are drug users and many are homeless. Isabel dos Santos, Africas richest woman and the daughter of Angolas former president, is set to be charged with committing crimes to enrich herself, after an investigation into embezzlement of millions of dollars from a state oil company she once headed, Angolan officials said. Angolas attorney general, Helder Pitta Gros, said on late Wednesday that Ms. dos Santos would be charged with money laundering, influence peddling, harmful management and forgery of documents, among other economic crimes committed when she ran the oil company. I can say that from the investigation we conducted, we will now move to criminal charges, Mr. Pitta Gros said, speaking at a news conference in Luanda, the countrys capital. The announcement came days after a trove of documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and shared with The New York Times revealed Ms. dos Santoss efforts to profit on business dealings tied to the Angolan government. Those connections helped her build a fortune worth over $2 billion, according to Forbes. Seven in 10 Americans believe Donald Trump has definitely or probably done unethical things during his time in office or while he was running for president. And 63% think Trump has definitely or probably done things that are illegal. But only 51% believe the outcome of the Senate impeachment trial should be the president's removal from office. Those numbers come from a new in-depth survey by the Pew Research Center of 12,638 U.S. adults that was conducted from Jan. 6 to 19. Overall, the country continues to remain deeply divided and most people appear unpersuadable. The parties are mirror images of each other on the top-line question: 86% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the trial should result in Trump staying in power, and 85% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say he should be removed. But the crosstabs of the Pew poll help illustrate the complexities of Republican attitudes toward the president's conduct that are relevant to consider as House impeachment managers continue to lay out their case this afternoon. The survey shows that 47% of Republicans say Trump has definitely or probably done things that are unethical since launching his 2016 campaign. Another 34% say Trump has "probably not" behaved unethically, and just 18% say he's "definitely" not. On a separate question in the survey, 32% of Republicans say they think Trump has definitely or probably done things that broke the law. Among self-described moderate and liberal Republicans, 48% say Trump has probably or definitely done illegal things since launching his campaign. Only 1 in 5 conservative Republicans say this. But, but, but: Among the 1 in 3 Republicans who think Trump has likely done illegal things, 59% say he should remain in office. Another 38% say he should be removed. These numbers underscore a core challenge for the floor managers. It's not enough to prove that Trump behaved unethically or even illegally. The burden of proof is to demonstrate that his actions were so egregious as to merit removal from office. Despite the steady stream of what lawyers call "bad facts" over the past four months about his role in the alleged campaign to coerce Ukraine, Trump's approval rating continues to be remarkably durable and consistent. Indeed, it appears entirely unaffected by impeachment. This Pew survey finds that 40% of Americans approve of how he's handling his job. That's the exact same percentage as in Pew's previous survey, which was conducted before the House launched its impeachment inquiry in September. Think about how much has come out since then. The fresh polling suggests that the most effective political argument for Trump's acquittal is that the president and his people probably shouldn't have tried to get Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son but that his behavior doesn't pass the constitutional threshold to make him the first of 45 American presidents to be removed from office. Yet, despite the high numbers of Republicans who think Trump has acted illegally or unethically, the president's legal team nevertheless persists in making the less plausible argument that the president has done absolutely nothing wrong at all. Trump himself continues to maintain that the infamous July 25 call, in which he essentially asked for a political "favor" after his Ukrainian counterpart raised his desire to secure antitank missiles to help fend off the ongoing Russian invasion, was "perfect." Most Senate Republicans, either fearing Trump's wrath or possibly looking to ingratiate themselves with his base supporters, continued to stake out that absolutist position last night even after listening to a day of detailed arguments to the contrary. "I haven't heard evidence in there that the president's done anything wrong," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters last night. Several GOP lawmakers claimed that they learned nothing from the presentation of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. "Everyone was in the loop," Schiff told them. "[Trump] directed the actions of his team. He personally asked a foreign government to investigate his opponent. These facts are not in dispute." An exception was Sen. John Neely Kennedy, R-La. "I know the House proceedings were heavily reported, but I think most, if not all, senators are hearing the case by the prosecution and the case by the defense for the first time," he said. "If you polled the United States Senate, 9 out of 10 senators will tell you that they have not read a transcript of the proceeding in the House. And the 10th senator who says he has is lying." The conservative magazine National Review publishedan editoriallast night urging GOP lawmakers to stake out this more palatable position, rather than twist themselves into contortions to say that Trump did nothing wrong or to argue that a president cannot be removed for abuse of power. "Senate Republicans, by and large, have reached an unspoken consensus," the editors write. "He should not have put a temporary freeze on congressionally authorized aid to Ukraine . . . At the same time, his conduct does not merit his removal from office - especially since voters will get to pass judgment on that conduct in a few months. It's a reasonable position, and it's the case that Republicans ought to make in public. They are inhibited from doing so by the president's obstinacy. Instead of sticking to the most defensible case for a Senate acquittal of Trump, Republicans from the president on down are making arguments that range from the implausible to the embarrassing." - Here are three other takeaways from the Pew poll: 1. The college gap has become bigger than the gender gap: Education attainment continues to become an ever-starker dividing line in American politics and culture. Impeachment puts an exclamation mark on this trend. Among whites who graduated from college, 53% say Trump should be removed from office. But only 34% of whites who didn't go to or finish college think the outcome of the trial should be Trump's removal. 2. There's also a gigantic generational divide: 56% of Americans who are 65 and older say Trump should remain in office, but 63% of those under 30 say the trial should lead to Trump's removal. Lest you think that this is just because younger people tend to lean left, consider this: 7% of Republicans 50 and older say Trump should be removed, compared to 26% of Republicans who are 18 to 29 and 16% of those who are 30 to 49. 3. A majority of Americans do not trust this president: 52% say they trust what Trump says less than what previous presidents said while in office. Another 26% say they trust what Trump says more, and 22% say they trust what he says about the same as they trusted what previous presidents said. This credibility gap has proven to be a problem as Trump tried to justify his drone strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Two children are thought to have died when a school bus crashed in Berka vor dem Hainich, near Eisenach, Germany (dpa via AP) Two children are thought to have died and around 20 others injured after a school bus slid off a road into a ditch in Germany. The bus reportedly crashed in thick fog near Eisenach in the state of Thuringia at about 7.30am on Thursday morning. Police said several children were seriously injured after the bus slid down a slope into a stream. Mit groer Besturzung erreicht mich die Nachricht vom tragischen Schulbusunfall in Berka/Hainich. Zwei tote Schulkinder sind zu beklagen und ich trauere mit den Eltern und Angehorigen. Den Verletzten wunsche ich eine schnelle Genesung und den Eltern wollen wir beistehen. Bodo Ramelow (@bodoramelow) January 23, 2020 More information was expected to be released in a press conference later on Thursday morning. Thuringia's prime minister Bodo Ramelow wrote on Twitter: The news of the tragic school bus accident in Berka / Hainich reaches me with great dismay. READ MORE John Bercow has bullying complaint filed against him by former official which 'would impact his peerage' London teenager was killed with 'gun for hire' used in three other shootings There are two dead school children and I mourn with the parents and relatives. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and we want to assist the parents. The bus is believed to have been travelling from Eisenach to Berka when it slid on slippery roads. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): A cluster bus driver was arrested after his vehicle collided with another bus carrying school children, injuring six of them, on Thursday morning, police said. The cluster bus and a school bus of Salwan Public school situated in Rajendra Nagar collided at around 7.12 am in Naraina area. The bus was carrying 27 children out of which six were injured and rushed to the Kapur Medical Centre. Out of six, two students sustained grave injuries. Others were discharged after first aid. "The bus was crossing the green light and was to stop for a student but before it was stopped, it was hit by cluster bus," said Geeta, a school bus attendant. National spokesperson of Aam Aadmi Party, Raghav Chadha, also visited the hospital while he was on way to an election campaign. "I was on the way for the party's poll campaign and saw the accident site. I rushed to the Kapur hospital and took stock of the situation. Two children got a fracture in nose and leg," he said. "The reason behind this accident should be probed. Those who are responsible should be punished. We are ready to offer any help to the family of injured children," he added. Tulsi, a passenger traveling in the cluster bus, said, "The bus was broke and it was moving slow. The road was inclined and bus moved fast there. The school bus was coming from the other end and the driver couldn't control it and rammed into it." A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Naraina Vihar police station, the driver identified as Parbhat Malik has been arrested, police said. (ANI) U.S. Bans Trade And Investment Visas For Iranians 01/23/20 Source: Radio Farda Iranian nationals will no longer be eligible for E-1 and E-2 trade and investment visas, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency (USCIS) announced on Wednesday, January 22. The decision is directly linked with the October 3, 2018 termination of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights with Iran. Tehran and Washington signed the treaty on August 15, 1955 and registered by the United Nations on December 20, 1957. Article 23 gives a timeline for ratification of the treaty and allows for its cancellation by either party after ten years "by giving one year's written notice." E-1 and E-2 Visas are non-immigrant visas available to citizens from countries that maintain a friendship treaty or a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States. The U.S. Department of State holds a list of treaty countries, and the nationals of certain countries may be eligible for either E-1 or E-2 visa status, or both. E-1 Visa has a 5-year duration and may be renewed indefinitely as long as the described requirements, as to the nationality of the company and international trade, are still being met. The initial period of stay is a maximum of 2 years. The stay may be automatically extended for periods of up to 2 years by departing and returning to the United States. Recipients of the E-1 visas may be followed by their family members, i.e., spouses or underage children and spouses might apply for U.S. work permits. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the decision as long "overdue." SEE ALSO: U.S. Terminates 1955 'Friendship' Treaty With Iran After UN Court Ruling E-2 visas allow a national of a treaty country (treaty investor) to work and reside in the United States upon a substantial investment of capital in a United States business enterprise. Given that "E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas are based on trade and investment treaties or specific legislation providing for reciprocal treatment of the respective countries' nationals," USCIS said, "the existence of a qualifying treaty or authorizing legislation is, therefore, a threshold requirement for issuing an E visa." Based on the new US regulations, Iranians carrying E1 and E2 visas should leave the country immediately after their visas expire or apply for other types of visas. The Trump administration had earlier set restrictions for the Islamic Republic diplomats traveling to the U.S. On October 3, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had announced that the United States was pulling out of the six-decade-old treaty with Iran that had provided a basis for normalizing relations between the two countries, including diplomatic and economic exchanges. The announcement came hours after the International Court of Justice ordered the United States to ensure that a new round of American sanctions imposed against Tehran did not prevent food, medicine, and aircraft parts from reaching Iran. During proceedings at the tribunal, Iran had argued that the 1955 friendship treaty was breached by sanctions the U.S. imposed on Iran in 2018. The U.S. immediately reacted by announcing its withdrawal from the accord. The secretary of state insisted that the U.S. had always planned to leave humanitarian exceptions to sanctions intact. However, Pompeo maintained that either way, the international court did not have the power to dictate the makeup of U.S. sanctions on the Islamic republic. Referring to Washington's continued disputes with Tehran, Pompeo said that the decision to terminate the treaty was one that was "frankly--- 39 years overdue." A man known as Joe Exotic, who was found guilty of murder-for-hire and wildlife charges, was formally sentenced Wednesday to serve 22 years in federal prison. Joseph Maldonado-Passage was convicted in April 2019 of conspiring to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin in Florida, killing five tigers as well as selling and offering to sell tiger cubs. Along with being a big cat enthusiast and running an exotic animal park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, he was a self-proclaimed country music star and ran for president in 2016 and then governor of Oklahoma in 2018. In September 2018, Maldonado-Passage was federally charged with conspiring to kill Baskin in addition to several wildlife crimes. He was accused of hiring someone in November 2017 to murder Baskin in Florida and then hiring a person, who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, to commit the murder. Maldonado-Passage also was accused of killing five tigers in October 2017 to make room for other big cats. He also sold and offered to sell tiger cubs. In a phone call to KOCO-TV, Maldonado-Passage admitted that he killed tigers but said he did it for humane reasons. "I put five tigers to sleep because they were in pain," Maldonado-Passage said in November 2018. "They were in pain. They had toenails coming out of their ankles. They had no teeth. They had exposed root canals." In April, a jury found Maldonado-Passage guilty on all charges in his federal murder-for-hire trial. Maldonado-Passage decided to testify in his own defense despite a judge telling him that he had the right to an attorney and instructing the jurors not to hold that against him. Magetankab.go.id scored 43 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 10 May 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the magetankab homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the magetankab homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the magetankab homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if magetankab has a Facebook fan page). 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The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND When veteran actor Patrick Stewart extended an invitation to former "Star Trek" co-star Whoopi Goldberg to join the cast of "Picard" season two, she accepted the offer in a heartbeat. The two actors are considered veterans in the sci-fi franchise, having starred together in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which ran from 1987 to 1994, reported Deadline. Now that Stewart has returned to the fold with "Picard", in which he reprises his fan-favourite character of Starfleet admiral Jean-Luc Picard, he saw fit to ask Goldberg to return for the new series. In an appearance on Goldberg's talk show "The View", Stewart said he came to invite her to join him. "I'm here with a formal invitation, and it's for you, Whoopi. Alex Kurtzman, who is the senior executive producer of 'Star Trek: Picard', and all his colleagues, of which I am one, want to invite you into the second season," the 79-year-old actor told Goldberg. Goldberg, 64, who was both stunned and delighted by Stewart's gesture, embraced the actor and immediately said yes. "I've said this on the show before, but 'Star Trek' was one of the great experiences, from the beginning to the end. I had the best, best, best time ever," the Oscar winner said. "Picard", which is the eighth series in the franchise, recently premiered on CBS All Access. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco prosecutors will no longer ask judges for cash bail as a condition for the pretrial detention of defendants, the District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. The announcement comes just weeks after District Attorney Chesa Boudin took office, delivering on his promise to end cash bail. Instead, whether defendants will have to remain incarcerated will now be based on risk to public safety rather than how much money they can collect to pay bail. "For years I've been fighting to end this discriminatory and unsafe approach to pretrial detention," Boudin said in a statement. "From this point forward, pretrial detention will be based on public safety, not on wealth." According to Boudin's office, the move could save taxpayers money, as taxpayers nationwide spend about $38 million daily to jail people awaiting trial. The organization Human Rights Watch said pretrial release for people who don't pose a threat to public safety results in a more fair court system and doesn't result in more crime of missed court dates. "For too long, prosecutors have used money bail and pretrial incarceration as leverage to pressure people to plead guilty regardless of actual guilt. Boudin's policy favoring pretrial release is a welcome change and will build the credibility of our courts," said John Raphling, Human Rights Watch senior researcher. Boudin's office said the elimination of cash bail will have a positive impact on the city's low-income communities and communities of color. In San Francisco, African Americans pay more than $120 per capita per year in non-refundable bail fees compared to $10 per capita per year for white residents. Back in 2016, former District Attorney George Gascon introduced an algorithmic risk assessment tool to move the court toward a system based on risk and not monetary bail. The tool has helped prosecutors make more equitable decisions during the pretrial phase, preserving the constitutional protection of presumed innocence, city prosecutors said. Although former Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 10 into law back in 2018, eliminating cash bail statewide, a referendum for the November 2020 ballot to overturn the law has suspended it. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Christina M. Morrison, an attorney representing the company, said it would be prohibitively expensive to redevelop the building. So, we need to move forward at this point," she said. We ask the city not place this financial burden on this property in the name of preservation. Kerala Police on January 21 arrested Prabesh, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, on charges of hurling bombs at a police picket near RSS office in Kannur. (Representational Image) Kannur: Kerala Police on January 21 arrested Prabesh, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, on charges of hurling bombs at a police picket near RSS office in Kannur. He was arrested from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The incident took place in the wee hours of January 16. According to police, Prabesh allegedly hurled steel bombs towards the police picket in front of Kathirur Manoj Smriti Kendram, RSS office. He was identified from the CCTV visuals. After the attack, he fled to Coimbatore. Police said he was an accused in many criminal cases. Kannur is a politically sensitive area where the clash between political parties is common. Police have started a police picket near the RSS office a few months back. The Napa Valley Wine Academy was presented with the coveted Riedel Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Educator of the Year Award this week at a ceremony held in the United Kingdom. Academy founders Christian Oggenfuss, Amy Oggenfuss, Catherine Bugue, and Jurg Oggenfuss, with Education Manager Janet Kampen accepted the award on behalf of the local Napa school. Presenting the award was industry luminary, Steven Spurrier. The Napa Valley Academy was one of 10 education providers shortlisted for the award; a number culled from more than 700 WSET educators across the globe. The panel of judges, led by WSET Executive Director Ian Harris, included highly esteemed industry members and Masters of Wine. As part of the nomination process, educators who are shortlisted for the prize are required to write a paper stating their contribution to the beverage industry through education and attend an interview session before the judging panel. We are both humbled and honored to accept this award from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, said NVWA CEO and founder, Christian Oggenfuss, We believe there is no finer curriculum when it comes to beverage education than the WSET. The WSETs depth and breadth of certification courses has long been considered crucial for anyone wishing to enter or advance their careers in the beverage industry, and the Napa Valley Wine Academys educators provide all four levels of the WSETs wine certifications, including the coveted WSET Level 4 Diploma, as well as WSETs Spirit and Sake certification programs. The school recently welcomed Master of Wine Peter Marks to lead advanced education courses and in-class development at the Academy. Director of Education Catherine Bugue said, We have a truly exceptional team of educators at the Academy, and we all take great pride in helping our students reach their goals through education, whether that is to excel in the beverage, food or hospitality industries, or to better appreciate and understand wine, spirits and sake. The awards ceremony, which took place in Londons historic Guildhall, bestows industry-sponsored prizes to top WSET students as well as educators, and also serves as a graduation ceremony for students around the world. More than 800 students and industry members attended the awards events this past week, including other industry luminaries in addition to Spurrier, such as Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson. The Napa Valley Wine Academy is headquartered in Napa and spans across eight states in the U.S. An Alabama teenager is accused of stabbing his mother and twin brothers to death, and then going to school the next day as if nothing happened, authorities said Thursday. Landon Hudson Durham, 16, is charged with capital murder in the deaths of Holli Christina Durham, 36, Branson Durham and Baron Durham, both 13. Investigators have released few details in the slayings but said the victims are believed to have been killed at 3 a.m. Tuesday inside their home. The suspect is believed to have then gone back to sleep for a few hours before going to Munford High School for the day Tuesday. An almost full house at Munford Baptist Church for the community vigil following the triple murder of the Durham family. pic.twitter.com/odjkF5XcLC WilliamThornton (@billineastala) January 24, 2020 A family member had been trying to reach the family all day Tuesday but to no avail. That family contacted another family member and they went to the home where they found the horrific scene. They backed out of the house and called 911. "Its one of the worst things Ive ever seen and Ive been here for 19 years,'' said Talladega County Chief Deputy Joshua Tubbs. Its the worst thing Ive seen in my career. "This really has the community shaken,'' Tubbs said. Authorities are not yet releasing a possible motive. The boys father, as well as relatives of Holli Durham, declined comment. Landon Durham remains held without bond in the Talladega County Jail. He will make his first court appearance Friday morning in a hearing that is expected to last only a few minutes. A March 3 preliminary hearing date has been set. Munford Baptist Church held a community prayer vigil Thursday night. Holli Durham and her twin sons were found stabbed to death Tuesday night at a home in Munford. (Facebook) Deputies responded to the house on Roy Lackey Lane late Tuesday, according to Talladega County Sheriff Jimmy Kilgores office. When authorities arrived, they found the three victims. A lookout bulletin for Landon Durham was quickly issued to surrounding law enforcement agencies. Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said deputies arrested the teen about 8:40 a.m. Wednesday traveling towards Etowah County on County Road 71, near County Road 38. He was taken into custody without incident at a store. This is the kind of crimes you see on TV or the media or the internet that happen in other places and for it to happen here, it really hits home," said Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens. "Munford, like all communities in this county, are pretty close-knit, and I know theyre hurting, and we are, too ... Im not wishing this on somebody else but its hard to believe these things happen. Landon Hudson Durham, 16, is charged with capital murder in the stabbing deaths of his mother and twin 13-year-old brothers. Dr. Suzanne Lacey, Superintendent of Talladega County Schools, sent a statement about the triple homicide. Last night, we learned of a tragedy in the Munford community. Like any small town, when tragedy strikes it effects the entire community including the school community, she said. Our focus is to support the school family during this difficult time. We have additional counselors available to provide a helping hand and listening ear to our Munford students and staff. The warrant against the teen states only that intentionally killed the victims by stabbing them with a knife. A preliminary hearing at which time any evidence against him will be made public is scheduled for March 3. Court records do not list an attorney for Landon Durham. The East Alabama Metro Crime Center, Oxford police, Munford police, and the Munford Volunteer Fire Department are assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information on the incident should contact the Talladega County Sheriffs Office at 256-761-2141, the county E-911 at 256-761-1556, or anonymously at talladegasheriff.com. Eight passengers abducted on Wednesday afternoon along Kaduna-Zaria highway have been rescued by the police. Also rescued were three workers of Airtel Communications Company abducted on Tuesday, and nine others kidnapped on January 14 when bandits attacked the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum. The police, however, said in the Wednesdays attack, two of the bandits were shot dead and all the eight abducted passengers rescued. The victims, according to the Kaduna State police command spokesman, Yakubu Sabo, were travelling to Abuja from Kano when their Sharon vehicle was forced to stop by the bandits. According to Mr Sabo, the police responded quickly after receiving information from its DPO in Mararraban Jos at about 3 p.m. that bandits had blocked the Kaduna-Zaria highway and abducted eight persons. On receipt of the information, the Command mobilized teams of operatives with some Armoured Personnel Carrier to the area, engaged the attackers, successfully gunned down two of the bandits and rescued all the eight victims unhurt while many other bandits escaped with bullet wounds, he said. He identified the passengers rescued as Aisha Umar, Samira Ibrahim Dakata, Safiya Idris, Hauwa Aliyu, Aisha Yakubu, Maaru Adam, Safiya Audu and Yahaya Bello, all of Kano State. He said the police are still on the trail of the hoodlums with a view to apprehending and bringing them to justice. In a separate incident, the police have also rescued three workers of Airtel Communications Company abducted in Giwa Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday. Mr Sabo said the workers, Henry Agim, Kamal Raman and Segun Adejimoh, were abducted from Maidaro village in the local government, but the police were alerted by a good Samaritan. After a fierce gun duel, we successfully rescued all the three workers unhurt, the commands spokesman said. While, on manhunt of the fleeing bandits, our operatives also intercepted nine other captives who were passengers of the Morcopolo luxurious bus that was attacked along Kaduna- Zaria Road on January 14, alongside the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum at Foundation village. The victims are identified as; Abdulhafiz Wakil, Abdul Wasiu Jimmoh, Mujittaba, Hajara Usman, Emmanuela Dimka, Dahiru Isa and three others who were debriefed by the Commissioner of Police and supported to be reunited with their respective families. The Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri sincerely appreciates the cooperation of the local communities who helped the Command to overcome the current security challenges. He further urged for more support to enable the police reduce criminal activities in the state to the barest level. (NAN) A sell-out all-star comedy gig in Dublin's 3Arena has raised almost half a million euro for the Sean Cox trust. The 53-year-old Liverpool fan suffered a devastating brain injury in an assault before a Champions League game at Anfield in April 2018. 8,000 people packed out the 3Arena for the January 10 show, which was organised by comedian and Liverpool native John Bishop. Alongside Mr Bishop, Dara O Briain, Deirdre OKane, Michael McIntyre, Des Bishop, Jason Byrne, Joanne McNally and Tommy Tiernan took to the stage. The event raised 465,000 which ended in the eight performers leading the audience in a rendition of Youll Never Walk Alone. "That night in the 3Arena was a special one for us all, especially Sean," said Mr Cox's wife Martina. "He is a huge fan of John Bishop and of comedy generally. "Sean knew that his comedy heroes along with the 8,000 people in the arena were all there to support him. I havent seen Sean laugh like that since the attack, it has done him such good "On behalf of Sean and I, our children and Seans brothers and sisters, we want to offer our most sincere thanks to John Bishop, the comedians who performed on the night, Aiken Promotions, the 3Arena and the many other people and companies who were so generous with their time and services. "A phenomenal amount of money was raised through the generosity of so many. "We dont take it for granted and it will be used very carefully to make sure Sean has the medical care and support he needs." Mr Bishop, who has met Mr Cox on a number of occasions since he was assaulted, said what happened to Sean could have happened to anyone. "I have been hugely impressed by the strength and dignity of the Cox family," said Mr Bishop. "I just wanted to do something to help and to allow people an opportunity for a good night out, at the same time showing them how much support there is for Sean. "The line-up was amazing and everyone was keen to be involved from the moment I called them. "The audience in Dublin is always special but that night it was another level. The quality of the show mixed with the genuine goodwill in the room for Sean, Martina and the family made it a night that will live in the memory for a long time. Meanwhile, the Cox family have announced that they are to wind-down the public fundraising that has taken place. 2.75m has been raised to help Mr Cox so far. Sean Cox Ms Cox said: "We will forever be grateful for how so many people helped make an awful situation so much better than it might otherwise have been for Sean and our family." She added that there are many other causes and charities across Ireland and the UK requiring public support at this time. "The people of Ireland, Liverpool, Dunboyne and so many other places took Sean into their hearts and gave so generously. "I pray that other families going through very difficult times can experience the same goodwill and love as we have." Westerly, RI (02891) Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 41F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 28F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. A new leadership programme for women was launched by Enterprise Ireland in collaboration with DCUs Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion this week. The programme aims to support women in Ireland in pursuit of leadership and senior management roles in business. Fifteen women working in semi-state bodies took part in a successful pilot of the programme in 2019 and were awarded certificates at an event in the Shelbourne Hotel last Thursday. The next programme is currently open for applications from across the public sector. The programme will commence on 21st of April 2020 and further details are available from Sarita Johnston, DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion, coe.diversityinclusion@dcu.ie. The programme was developed by Dr Melrona Kirrane, Associate Professor of Organisational Psychology at DCU Business School, the Leadership Development Programme for Women 2020 is designed to respond to the current and future needs of aspiring women leaders. Speaking this week, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion, Sandra Healy said, "DCUs collaboration with Enterprise Ireland on this programme is a great example of how we can shift the dial on gender balance by working together. In particular the programme provides a relevant and inspiring approach to leadership development for women." CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Julie Sinnamon added, "We firmly believe that increasing diversity and narrowing the gap between women and men in entrepreneurship, leadership, middle and senior management roles, will lead to increased economic growth in Ireland." Source: www.businessworld.ie Muslim women hold placards during the fourth day of their protest against the CAA and the NRC at Raddi Chowki in Jabalpur on Thursday. (PTI) Hyderabad: There was uncertainty on Thursday over the proposed protests announced by the United Muslim Action Committee (UMAC) and the Telangana-AP JAC against CAA-NPR-NRC owing to doubts about according police permission for both programmes, though a clear picture began to emerge by late evening. Police authorities did not disclose anything about the status of the petitions. Even the organisers could not confirm that they have been accorded permission. Later in the evening, a tweet of MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi confirmed that permission for the Charminar protest was rejected by the police, who advised that the programme be held at Khilwat ground. The proposal, Mr Owaisi said, was accepted by the MIM. The UMAC, backed by the AIMIM, had earlier announced a protest meeting and mushaira on January 25 at Charminar, but the venue has been changed. Now, the protest would will be held at Khilwat ground, while JAC has planned for 48 hours sit-in protest of women on January 27 to register the protest again-st the CAA-NPR-NRC. Mr Owaisi tweeted the poets protest against CAA-NRC would begin on the night of January 25 and they would welcome Republic Day by hoisting the National Flag at 12 in the midnight. For the protest mushaira, renowned Urdu and Hindi poets like Rahat Induri, Lata Haya, Sampat Saral, Manzar Bhopali and Shabeena Adeeb and young voices like Nabiya Khan, Aamir Aziz and Husain Haidry were being invited. The JAC has given a call for a 48 hours sit-in prot-est by women on January 27 and 28 at Darusshifa ground. It was earlier pla-nned for January 25 and 26, but due to poll results of Dabeerpura ward on January 25, it was rescheduled. Social activist Dr Asma Zahera would be in-charge of the protest in the city. Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, said Thursday it will suspend its flights to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of a new SARS-like virus, by the end of this month. The move comes after the Chinese authorities made a decision to not allow most inbound and outbound flights on domestic and international routes at the airport there from Friday. Korean Air currently operates four flights a week from Incheon International Airport to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. "We will inform our customers of the suspension plans and will make a decision on future flights (to the Chinese airport) in accordance with the Chinese authorities' plans," a company spokeswoman said. (Yonhap) By Greg Roumeliotis DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The European Union will not agree to a political solution to Libya's factional conflict unless Turkey and Libya abandon a maritime accord they signed in November, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday. Libya's internationally recognised prime minister, Fayez al-Serraj, said this week that his country will face a "catastrophic situation" unless foreign powers put pressure on eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar to lift a blockade of oilfields that has cut output to almost zero. Serraj inked an agreement with Turkey in November that seeks to create an exclusive economic zone from Turkey's southern Mediterranean shore to Libya's northeast coast. It carves out a slanting sea corridor, potentially clearing the way for oil and gas exploration in the area. Greece, which is at odds with Turkey over decades-old issues ranging from mineral rights in the Aegean Sea to ethnically-split Cyprus, says the accord is void and violates the international law of the sea. Athens sees it as a cynical grab designed to scupper the development of East Mediterranean gas and destabilize rivals. "I have made it very clear to everyone concerned that there is not going to be a political solution in Libya to which the EU will have to agree, where will agree, unless these agreements are scrapped," Mitsotakis told a conference panel at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The EU also opposes Turkey's and Libya's maritime deal. European Council President Charles Michel said this month he told Sarraj that the agreement "infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states and does not comply with the (United Nations) Law of the Sea." Libya has been torn by civil strife since dictator Muammar Gaddafis fall to a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Haftar, who was a general in Gaddafi's army and whose forces hold much of Libyas east and south, has made a renewed attempt to capture Tripoli, the capital located in the northwest. Story continues The stakes are high - lawlessness in Libya has in recent years disrupted the OPEC members oil output, fuelled migrant smuggling to Europe and given space to Islamist extremists. "We all know that this agreement was signed in exchange for Turkey's military support to the Serraj government, and, on top of that, it's an agreement that has not been recognised by the Libyan legislature," Mitsotakis said. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in Davos, Switzerland; Editing by Alexander Smith) MANILA, Philippines The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Thursday (January 23) that a section of Aurora Boulevard in Cubao, Quezon City will be closed for seven nights beginning January 25 to February 1 from 12:01 am to 5:00 am. In an advisory, the MMDA said the closure will cover the westbound lane (going to Manila) of Aurora Boulevard from Oxford to Imperial Streets. This is to give way for the replacement of 11 units of escalators of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 Cubao Station. Motorists are advised to take alternative routes on the duration of the replacement works. Westbound motorists may turn right from Aurora Boulevard-Cubao road to Yale street or Oxford street. From there, motorists may turn right to Columbia Street, then turn left to Imperial or West Point Streets to exit to Aurora Boulevard going to Manila. The post Portion of Aurora Blvd in Cubao to close for 7 nights MMDA appeared first on UNTV News. Amid ongoing controversy over the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio has reportedly cleared its dues to Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The telecom arm of Reliance Industries has paid Rs 195 crore to the DoT to clear outstanding dues until January 31, 2020. The AGR issue involving top telecom companies has intensified in recent past, with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea moving Supreme Court for seeking an extension of the January 23 deadline to pay revenue dues. The Supreme Court had set January 23 as the deadline to pay AGR dues. Meanwhile, rival Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are likely to miss the January 23 deadline to pay the AGR charges due to the upcoming Supreme Court hearing. The operators had filed a petition in the apex court, seeking an extension of the deadline to pay revenue dues. Tata Tele, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, has also moved the court seeking more time to make payment. Also Read: Telcos likely to miss AGR deadline; may ask DoT to wait till SC hearing next week Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court accepted the modification petition filed by telecom operators Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, and Tata Teleservices on giving them more time to pay off AGR related dues. The telecom companies have statutory dues of Rs 1.47 lakh crore that they need to pay to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Of this, the telecom companies owe Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee, and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges. Also Read: AGR crisis: Supreme Court agrees to hear telcos' modification plea As per estimates, Airtel has total dues of Rs 35,586 crore while Vodafone Idea's dues stand at Rs 53,038 crore. In its previous order on October 24 last year, the Supreme Court had asked telcos to pay up their AGR dues within 90 days. The AGR dispute dates back to 2003 when the association of telecom operators filed the first plea with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) challenging the definition of AGR. As per standard accounting practice, companies have to make provisions for such claims. By Chitranjan Kumar H undreds of people have been left without access to the internet due issues with the TalkTalk network. Angry customers took to Twitter to complain about the quality of their service on Thursday morning. Issues included people not being able to access their online banking and services like Netflix. A TalkTalk spokesman said that the service was back running again at around 11am Thursday, but people were still complaining of difficulties. Nicky Marr said: "Any other TalkTalk customers in Inverness struggling with their online connection this morning?" Charlie Hankers said: "TalkTalk seems to be down. Manchester area. Anyone else? Getting very weak internet, ie serach results but not websites." A map of the outages in the UK / DownDetector Earlier on Thursday, the firm said it was investigating a problem with its broadband services, but has not yet specified what caused the incident. Were aware that some customers in the North West of England around the Liverpool and Manchester area are experiencing browsing issues and may not be able to access websites, wed like to apologise for the inconvenience caused and assure you that were working to restore service as a priority, a statement on the companys website said. That message has since disappeared, replaced by one which states there are no reported issues with the internet providers broadband. Many doctors say quitting is not always an easy sell. Dr. Amy Anne Lassig, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Hennepin Healthcare in Minnesota, said about half of her patients continue smoking even after their cancer diagnosis. Some are able to quit cold turkey but for other patients, its such a stressful moment in their life that many feel hopeless, go in the other direction and keep smoking, she said. A case was registered on Thursday against three SFI activists for allegedly manhandling a police officer at a polytechnic institute in Pala in the district. Three local workers of Students Federation of India (SFI) were booked after a video in which they were seen purportedly manhandling the officer on Wednesday went viral. Police said the incident occurred when they reached the spot to pacify two student groups following clashes between them in the campus. In the clip, the student activists were seen pushing and threatening the officer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Libya's neighbours on Thursday denounced foreign interference in the conflict-hit North African country, at talks in Algiers to seek a political solution to a crisis they say threatens regional stability. The meeting organised at Algeria's initiative brought together foreign ministers from Tunisia, Egypt, Chad and Mali, as well as diplomats from Sudan and Niger. The participants insisted on the "need to respect Libya as a united country and to respect the sovereignty of its legitimate authorities," Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum said after the talks. They also rejected "any foreign interference in Libya" and urged all sides there "to solve their conflict by peaceful means", Boukadoum added. "We are confident that the Libyan people will be capable of overcoming their differences through dialogue... and reaching a political solution," he said, adding that the African Union and the United Nations should be a part of a solution. A statement at the end of the talks said the foreign ministers "exhorted the Libyan belligerents to engage in a dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations and with the help of the African Union and Libya's neighbours in order to reach a global settlement away from any foreign interference". "Foreign interference only prolongs the crisis and makes it more complex," they warned. The Algiers talks came days after an international summit hosted by Germany in Berlin during which world leaders committed to end foreign meddling in Libya and to uphold a weapons embargo. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas briefed the Algiers meeting on the results of Sunday's Berlin talks, then made a brief stop in Tunis on his way home. Several African countries had complained at not being invited to the Berlin conference. Boukadoum said the Algiers talks were aimed at "making the voices of Libya's neighbours heard" by the international community. Tunisia, which like Algeria shares a long border with Libya, was not invited to Berlin but Maas, in a statement released by the Tunisian presidency, said Tunis would be involved in future efforts to try and end the Libyan conflict. - 'Algerian mediation' - Libya has been torn by fighting between rival armed factions since NATO-backed insurgents toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Two rival administrations have emerged from the chaos. Since April last year, the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has fought back against an offensive by fighters loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar who draws his legitimacy from an administration based in the country's east. Haftar is supported by several countries including Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France, while the GNA has the backing of Turkey and Qatar. GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj and Haftar refused to meet in Berlin and did not take part in the Algeria talks. On Tuesday the UN Security Council urged Libya's warring parties to reach a long-term deal paving the way for a political process aimed at ending the conflict. "The current situation in Libya cannot withstand an escalation," Boukadoum said as the meeting got underway on Thursday with statements from each participant. Algeria shares a border of almost 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) with Libya. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who attended the Berlin summit, said Wednesday: "Peace in Libya is equal to peace" in Algeria. "There are statements from Sarraj, statements from Haftar's side, which indicate that the only power capable of settling the problem is Algeria. We have their trust," he added. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for a summit of leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to "defend peace" in the face of global instability, and suggested Libya could be on the agenda. On the ground in the North African country, tensions remained high. Late Wednesday, Tripoli's sole functioning airport was closed for several hours following a rocket strike the GNA blamed on Haftar's forces, briefly re-opened and then closed again after their rivals threatened air traffic over the capital. But on Thursday the GNA reopened Mitiga and said it would raise the issue of Haftar's threats at the UN Security Council. [January 23, 2020] New Product Release from XLerant Further Augments BudgetPak's Top-Ranked Budgeting & Planning Functionality with Customer-driven Enhancements XLerant, provider of the leading cloud-based budgeting, forecasting and management reporting software BudgetPak, is pleased to announce a new customer-driven product release with features designed to make the complex process of collaborative budgeting easier for finance teams and non-financial budget managers alike. "Executing our mission requires we have accurate budget numbers we can rely on. Budget managers need to be focused on our strategic objectives and how they will execute tactically," explained Amy Sim, General Accounting Manager, CenCal Health. "BudgetPak gives us a collaborative platform that everyone can easily navigate, whether they have a healthcare, customer service, or finance background." BudgetPak's newest release includes customer driven enhancements to: Advanced Reporting: Augmenting BudgetPak's suite of built-in, out-of-the-box reports - this new advanced reporting interface enables finance executives to quickly slice & dice data across the organizational structure any way they choose. Augmenting BudgetPak's suite of built-in, out-of-the-box reports - this new advanced reporting interface enables finance executives to quickly slice & dice data across the organizational structure any way they choose. Detailed Forecasting: New features provide finance teams with the nuance and flexibility to fine tune the starting point of the forecast, detailed control of cost spreading, and to fully align forecast execution with their philosophy/methodology. New features provide finance teams with the nuance and flexibility to fine tune the starting point of the forecast, detailed control of cost spreading, and to fully align forecast execution with their philosophy/methodology. Flexibility in Budget & Forecast Preparation: Finance can easily start a new budget or forecast from a zero-based or pre-defined target and include historical accont notes, strategic initiatives, or line-item details. Simplified end-user experience quickly guides them to areas that need attention. Top-ranked for budgeting & forecasting functionality, overall customer satisfaction, customer support and ease-of-use - BudgetPak is the leading collaborative budgeting solution in the nonprofit, higher education, faith-based, community-services, insurance, associations, and arts & destination industries. Joanne E. Brunn, CEO explains XLerant's customer-driven product development philosophy: "It's pretty straightforward, really. We believe we have the smartest, most innovative clients who understand what they are doing and want to do it better. And we want them to succeed - so we listen to them." For more information on successfully implementing a collaborative budgeting process, download our Budgeting Brief "When Budgeting is a Team Sport: 5 Winning Strategies for Multi-participant Budgeting." About XLerant XLerant provides cloud-based budgeting, forecasting and reporting solutions designed with easy to use interfaces that make a complex process accessible for finance teams and budget managers alike. XLerant's software-as-a-service (SaaS (News - Alert)) solutions serve mid-size enterprises who value collaborative environments as an effective way to engage employees and achieve their strategic objectives. The company's premier product, BudgetPak, has been recognized for outstanding usability, quick implementation and exceptional support. XLerant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jonas Software USA, LLC. For more information visit http://www.XLerant.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005147/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Securing round the clock emergency medical services at Portlaoise's hospital will be a 'top priority' for Laois Offaly Fianna Fail General Election candidate Sean Fleming. In a statement, Dep Fleming said his "top priority", if returned as TD, will be to secure the retention of the Accident & Emergency (A&E) services in the hospital in Portlaoise on a 24 hour a day/7 day a week basis. The HSE recently conifirmed that 38,500 patients were seen in the Emergency Department in 2019. "I met with the Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee in recent days and had a very productive and constructive meeting. I said the first thing I will do when the Dail resumes will be to ask the new Minister for Health to meet the Hospital Action Committee and interested parties locally to see first-hand the absolute need for the retention and enhancement of services in the A&E Department in Portlaoise. "Also, I will use this meeting as an opportunity to impress on the new Minister the need for other improvements in services in Portlaoise in view of the fact that Co. Laois and surrounding areas is the fastest growing area in the country. "Finally, I have a strong record in defending and supporting the hospital in Portlaoise since the first day I was elected as a TD and if re-elected I will continue to do so and ensure it is my No. 1 priority for Co. Laois into the future," he said. The HSE's Dublin Midland Hospital Group has a plan to downgrade the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise removing, A&E, ICU, paediatrics, maternity and most surgery. It wants to reconfigure the hospital to mainly diagnostic and disease management work though it will retain a local injury unit. Hospitals in Dublin, Kildare and Offaly will be the main facilities to pick up the slack under the plan which was presented to the Minister for Health Simon Harris in November 2017. Minister Harris has not pressed the button on its implementation but promised consultation with locals soon after he received the proposals. He has yet to commence this process but has promised to do so on many occasions in the Dail. During the recent trolley crisis, the chief executive of the HSE said the future of A&Es around Ireland must be examined. Mr Paul Reid did not rule out a downgrade of Portlaoise's emergency department. Michael Brownrigg for state Senate Michael Brownrigg, a Burlingame city councilman, received an enormous financial boost for his nascent state Senate campaign from a familiar face: his mother. On Tuesday, the Palo Alto Daily Post reported that Linda Brownrigg, Michael's 84-year-old mother, had created an independent expenditure committee to support her son's campaign to replace the termed-out Jerry Hill in Senate District 13, which encompasses parts of San Mateo County and Santa Clara County. She funded the committee with $460,000, which has been spent on "polling, ads and a retainer to a political consultant," the Daily Post reported. Fears have been raised that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could have amassed compromising information on dozens of wealthy, famous and powerful figures after he was accused of hacking the phone of Jeff Bezos. Salman is said to have scalped huge amounts of data from Bezos's phone starting in May 2018, after the pair had swapped numbers a month earlier during the prince's schmoozing tour of the US and UK. During that same tour the prince met scores of prominent individuals from tech billionaires Bill Gates and Sergey Brin, to former presidents George W Bush and Obama, to current leader Donald Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner. It comes as UN investigators - who have called for an immediate US probe into the hacking claims - warned attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos against swapping details with Saudi officials over security concerns. Mohammed bin Salman is accused of hacking Jeff Bezos after they swapped numbers on a US glad-handing tour in 2018. On the same trip he met dozens of other prominent figures, including President Donald Trump Bin Salman's first meeting was with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump (right), and it is thought he swapped WhatsApp messages with Kushner afterwards - just as he did with Bezos Aside from Bezos, the Crown Prince also met fellow tech pioneers Sergey Brin (left), who co-founded Google, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates (right) Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) and several other members of Apple leadership receive Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the company's new Apple Park headquarters Agnes Callamard, a UN investigator who has seen evidence of the alleged hacking hacking, told The Guardian that Davos attendees are 'extremely vulnerable' to hacks. 'I am disappointed that organisers did not put any emphasis on surveillance on their agenda,' she said. Speaking about the hack against Bezos, she added that it appears Saudi Arabia was not targeting specific data on his phone - but was on a phishing expedition aimed at gathering a broad range information which might prove useful in future. The tactic is commonly used by Russia - called kompromat - where the government amasses as much compromising material as it can on people it deals with, before using it whenever it needs to gain an advantage. Ahead of his coast-to-coast tour, Bin Salman - also known as MBS - stopped off in the UK where he met with the Queen, then-Prime Minister Theresa May and current Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In total, Saudi Arabia said the prince met with 50 prominent figures during the tour, including celebrities like Oprah, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman. Ahead of the prince's visit to the US, he stopped in the UK where he met then-Prime Minister Theresa May and current Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is also thought to have swapped WhatsApp messages with him The Saudi Crown Prince also met the Queen as part of his visit to the UK British billionaire Richard Branson was one of 50 prominent figures to meet with the prince It is not clear whether any of those people exchanged numbers with MBS or if he subsequently messaged them, though it seems likely that some did given the purpose of the tour was to drum up business for the Arab kingdom. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Kushner, Trump's Middle East envoy and now 2020 campaign manager, has swapped WhatsApp messages with Bin Salman since their meeting. A source also insisted last night that they are '99 per cent sure' that Boris Johnson had exchanged WhatsApp messages with MBS. Another said that Johnson frequently handed his personal phone number over to world leaders while he was foreign secretary. Callamard pointed to four other people around Khashoggi who she believes were targeted by Saudi Arabia. They include Yahya Assiri and Omar Abdulaziz, contacts of the journalist; London-based satirist Ghanem al-Dosari; and an official from Amnesty International. MBS is accused of hacking Bezos on May 1 by sending him a corrupt video file that contained a piece of spyware, likely the Pegasus virus. Bezos pictured during a previous meeting with Bin Salman in Riyadh in 2016. The pair initially had a good relationship, which soured over coverage of Saudi Arabia in the Washington Post, which Bezos owns The first messages between Bezos, in green, and the Saudi prince were in April after they met at a dinner in Hollywood This is the message that Salman sent Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone After Bezos received the file, investigators say the amount of data send by his phone went up 29,000% - though he would have been unaware of this. Five months after the data was transferred, Jamal Khashoggi - a critic of MBS and columnist for the Washington Post which Bezos owns - was killed by a Saudi hit squad in Istanbul. Three months after that, and with the Post publishing hard-hitting reports linking MBS directly to the killing, the National Enquirer published details of Bezos's affair that they said have been 'obtained' from his phone. Bezos tasked security consultant Gavin de Becker with finding the source of the leak, and while clues initially pointed to Michael Sanchez - brother of Bezos's then-mistress Lauren Sanchez - events subsequently took a strange turn. Bezos claims the Enquirer threatened to expose nude photos of him unless De Becker stated that hacking was not involved in their news-gathering for the story. The January 2019 National Enquirer expose which Bezos' team have suggested was an orchestrated take down by AMI and the Saudi Arabian government The Amazon founder also implied in a blog post that the National Enquirer got the story because of publisher David Pecker's links with Saudi. AMI, the company which publishes the Enquirer, has previously denied that Saudi Arabia was the source for the story. Saudi Arabia has called claims that it hacked Bezos's phone 'absurd'. Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killing, and David Kaye, special rapporteur for freedom of expression, say the alleged hack was part of a wider 'intimidation campaign' against Saudi's critics. They called for an 'immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities'. They added: 'The allegations reinforce other reporting pointing to a pattern of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents and those of broader strategic importance to the Saudi authorities, including nationals and non-nationals. 'These allegations are relevant as well to ongoing evaluation of claims about the crown prince's involvement in the 2018 murder of Saudi and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Behind closed doors, Saudi officials told the Wall Street Journal that they were aware of efforts to hack Bezos's phone, but not to blackmail him. According to the Journal, Salman's former senior adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, was also involved in the hacking. 'The alleged hacking of Mr Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities, including investigation of the continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the crown prince in efforts to target perceived opponents.' George W Bush (centre left), his father George Bush Sr (front) and former Secretary of State James Baker (top right) meet with Bin Salman during his US trip Mike Bloomberg, who is now running for the Democrat nomination for president, meets with Bin Salman in a cafe in New York Bin Salman shakes hands with then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis Earlier on Wednesday, screenshots of the WhatsApp message Salman reportedly sent to Bezos emerged. Vice Motherboard published the images after obtaining them from the cyber security firm report into Bezos' phone. The firm - FTI Consulting - had been asked to look at the Amazon founder's devices after the Enquirer expose about his relationship with Lauren Sanchez. They discovered the messages from bin Salman including one which they say likely led to a trove of data being taken from his phone. It was sent in May 2018 and showed a Saudi flag and a Swedish flag with Arabic writing across it. They also found a message from bin Salman to Bezos of a photograph of a woman who the firm said resembled Sanchez. He sent it along with the joke: 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The firm noted in its report that this was pertinent because anyone with access to Bezos' phone would have known about his then secret romance with Lauren and looming divorce from his wife. 'Our investigation learned of at least 2 instances in which texts sent to Bezos from MBS' WhatsApp account may reveal awareness of private information that was not known publicly at the time. An FBI investigation into the hack is ongoing. The bureau declined to comment. Agnes Callamard, a UN investigator, says it appears that when Bin Salman hacked Bezos he wasn't looking for specific information - but useful data that could be used in the future The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who has been detained in Iran for almost four years, says she is being used as a "chess piece" in foreign policy. Speaking on January 23 following talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Richard Ratcliffe said there has been "no breakthrough" in efforts to secure his wifes release and urged the government to be "tougher" with Tehran. The couple's five-year-old daughter Gabriella was also at the meeting. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at Tehran airport in April 2016 after visiting relatives in Iran with her young daughter. She was later sentenced to five years in prison for alleged spying in a case that has been condemned internationally. Her family, employer, and the British government maintain her innocence. Last month, Iran rejected a request that Zaghari-Ratcliffe be released after serving half of her sentence, according to state-run media. Based on reporting by AFP and the BBC It is unclear how officials would determine if a pregnant woman is travelling to US primarily to give birth. President Donald Trumps administration on Thursday published new visa rules aimed at restricting birth tourism, in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. Applicants will be denied tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth, according to the rules in the Federal Register. It is a bigger hurdle to overcome, proving they are travelling to the US because they have a medical need and not just because they want to give birth in the country. Those with medical needs will be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment and must prove they have the money to pay for it including transportation and living expenses. The practice of travelling to the US to give birth is fundamentally legal, although there are scattered cases of authorities arresting operators of so-called birth tourism agencies for visa fraud or tax evasion. And women are often honest about their intentions when applying for visas and even show signed contracts with doctors and hospitals. The State Department does not believe that visiting the United States for the primary purpose of obtaining US citizenship for a child, by giving birth in the United States an activity commonly referred to as birth tourism is a legitimate activity for pleasure or of a recreational nature, according to the new rules, which take effect Friday. A United States flag waving outside the White House, in Washington [Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo] Trumps administration has been restricting all forms of immigration, but Trump has been particularly plagued by the issue of birthright citizenship anyone born in the US is considered a citizen, under the Constitution. The Republican president has railed against the practice and threatened to end it, but scholars and members of his administration have said it is not so easy to do. Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is one way to get at the issue, but it raises questions about how officers would determine whether a woman is pregnant to begin with and whether a woman could get turned away by border officers who suspect she may be, just by looking at her. Consular officers do not have the right to ask during visa interviews whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would still have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the US primarily to give birth. Critics say in addition to a rule that is hard to enforce, such restrictions unfairly target women. Pregnant women. This is administration is now targeting pregnant. women, tweeted US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. When you single out the most vulnerable, the cruelty is the point. Pregnant women. This administration is now targeting pregnant. women. When you single out the most vulnerable, the cruelty is the point. #AbolishICE #BreakUpCBP https://t.co/urb9WdOexV Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 23, 2020 Actress and activist Alyssa Milano called the rules a new low. Just when you thought it couldnt get any worse, she tweeted. This is a new low. Just when you thought it couldnt get any worse. This is a new low. U.S. to impose visa restrictions for pregnant women https://t.co/vOOIWuArRq Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) January 23, 2020 Birth tourism is a lucrative business in both the US and abroad. Companies take out advertisements and charge up to $80,000 to facilitate the practice, offering hotel rooms and medical care. Many of the women travel from Russia and China to give birth in the US. The US has been cracking down on the practice since before Trump took office. An entire birth tourism industry has evolved to assist pregnant women from other countries to come to the United States to obtain US citizenship for their children by giving birth in the United States, and thereby entitle their children to the benefits of US citizenship, according to the State Department rules. A father holds up the US passport of his child [Iuliia Stashevska/AP Photo] There are no figures on how many foreign women travel to the US specifically to give birth. The Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for stricter immigration laws, estimated that in 2012 about 36,000 foreign-born women gave birth in the US and then left the country. This rule will help eliminate the criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry, according to the rules. The recent federal indictments describe birth tourism schemes in which foreign nationals applied for visitor visas to come to the United States and lied to consular officers about the duration of their trips, where they would stay, and their purpose of travel. It's the medical drama starring Rodger Corser that's become a firm favourite with fans. And on Thursday it was revealed that Doctor Doctor will be returning to Channel Nine on February 5. By all accounts, it seems a lot will be going in the forthcoming season, judging by a new teaser trailer. Time for a check-up! Australian drama Doctor Doctor is set to return to screens as Rodger Corser (pictured front, centre) revealed there's still plenty more story to tell Season four will pick up one year after Dr Hugh Knight, played by Rodger Corser, became a single parent, which derailed his plans to move back to Sydney. For the last 12 months the heart surgeon has put his love life on the back burner to focus on being a good dad to his daughter Eliza. However, the arrival of new medical intern Tara, played by Wentworth star Kate Jenkinson, could threaten to lead him astray. The trailer teases alludes to a romantic storyline between the hot doctor and the free spirit, showing them passionately kissing in a hospital supply room. New cast member: Wentworth star Kate Jenkinson (pictured) will be joining the show as free spirited medical intern Tara Which is not ideal, considering his real love Penny (Hayley McElhinney) is still very much on the scene, although she has plans to marry someone else. Will Hugh admit how he really feels before it's too late? Regular series favourites Nicole da Silva (Charlie), Ryan Johnson (Matt), Tina Bursill (Meryl), Matt Castley (Ajax), Chloe Bayliss (Hayley), Belinda Bromilow (Betty), Charles Wu (Ken) and Miranda Tapsell (April) will all be returning. Love triangle: The new season picks up with Hugh's (Rodger Corser) real love Penny (Hayley McElhinney) engaged to another man In November, Roger told TV Week he was excited about the future of the show. 'There's plenty more to do with these characters,' he said. Doctor Doctor will premiere Wednesday, February 5 on Channel Nine BILLINGS, Mont. The Trump administration on Wednesday approved a right-of-way allowing the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline to be built across U.S. land, pushing the controversial $8 billion project closer to construction though court challenges still loom. The approval signed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and obtained by The Associated Press covers 46 miles (74 kilometers) of the pipelines route across land in Montana thats controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Casey Hammond, assistant secretary of the Interior Department. Those segments of federal land are a small fraction of the pipelines 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) route, but the right-of-way was crucial for a project thats obtained all the needed permits at the state and local levels. The pipeline would transport up to 830,000 barrels (35 million gallons) of crude oil daily from western Canada to terminals on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Project sponsor TC Energy said in a court filing that it wants to begin construction on the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Montana in April. Opponents promised to challenge those plans in court. First proposed in 2008, the pipeline has become emblematic of the tensions between economic development and curbing the fossil fuel emissions that are causing climate change. The Obama administration rejected it, but President Donald Trump revived it and has been a strong supporter. The stretch approved Wednesday includes all federal land crossed by the line, Hammond said. Much of the rest of the route is across private land, for which TC Energy has been acquiring permissions to build on. Environmentalists and Native American tribes along the pipeline route say burning the tar sands oil will make climate change worse, and that the pipeline could break and spill oil into waterways like Montanas Missouri River. They have filed numerous lawsuits. Hammond said Interior officials and other agencies have done a thorough review of the potential effects on the environment. He said TC Energy had provided detailed plans to respond to any spill. Were comfortable with the analysis thats been done, Hammond said. Another oil pipeline in TC Energys Keystone network in October spilled an estimated 383,000 gallons (1.4 million liters) of oil in eastern North Dakota. Critics say a damaging spill from Keystone XL is inevitable given the length of the line and the many rivers and other waterways it would cross beneath. An attorney for environmental groups that have sued to overturn Trumps permit for the line said they will ask the judge in the case to block the new approval. We have every confidence that the federal courts will set aside these approvals, said Steve Volker, who represents the Indigenous Environmental Network. Additional approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers are needed for the pipelines impact to Montanas Fort Peck dam. Two utilities must approve power lines that would connect to the projects pumping stations. On Montanas Fort Peck Reservation, where tribal members fear an oil spill getting into water supplies, state Sen. Frank Smith said Trumps strong support for the project appeared to be pushing it through. All we can do is pray from here on in, Smith said. The president said its going through, and its going through. The Democratic lawmaker added that despite TC Energys pledge to operate safely, there can still be human error and another spill would happen. TC Energy spokeswoman Sara Rabern said in a statement that the government approval marked an important step as we advance towards building this important energy infrastructure project. In Phillips County, Montana, where the line would cross the Canada border into the U.S., officials want the tax revenue on the oil that would pass through, estimated at more than $1 million annually. Its a no-brainer for us as far as how the community feels, county commissioner John Carnahan said. Wed go out there and help them if we could. Its not only good for the county, its good for America. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris in Montana initially denied a request from environmentalists to block construction in December because no work was immediately planned. But he also has ruled against the project, including a 2018 decision that stalled the line and prompted Trump to issue a new presidential permit for it to cross the U.S.-Canada border. In Nebraska, the state Supreme Court removed the last major obstacle for the project in August when it ruled in favor of state regulators who had approved a route for the pipeline in 2017. TC Energy intends next month to begin mobilizing construction machinery to areas for worker camps and pipeline storage yards in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, according to its court filings. It also plans to start toppling trees along the route in parts of South Dakota. ___ Associated Press reporter Grant Schulte in Lincoln, Nebraska, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Matthew Brown at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap A Met officer repeatedly struck a handcuffed teenager with his police-issue baton as the boy shouted What are you doing to me? Im only a child, a court heard today. Detective Constable Kevin Rowley, 37, of Southend, is accused of assaulting the teenager during a stop-and-search in Romford on April 22. Video footage of part of the incident went viral online. Hendon magistrates court heard the boy, now 18, was stopped by Dc Rowley in Heath Park Road and is said to have refused to comply with the search. The officer denies assault. Prosecutor Arabella Macdonald said: Mr Rowley was holding his metal baton above his head. "Mr Rowley beat the youth at least five times. He said: What are you doing to me? I am a child. "The prosecution says the force was unlawful. Police said the incident followed the arrest of a 17-year-old male on suspicion of possession of class B drugs. Witness Anthony Bailey told the court: I saw the officer produce a baton and strike the boy three times. Another witness, Teri Vigors said the teenager did allow the police officer to put him in handcuffs but he kept getting back up. "The officer was asking him to stay in one place. If he had stayed seated it wouldnt have escalated. He seemed like he was effectively trying to irritate the officer. He said Dc Rowley hit the teenagers legs. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Once again, there appears to be confusion on the subject of nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States. Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, set a December 31 deadline for talks on denuclearization. The White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien indicated that channels of communication are open but the deadline is over and there is no progress on the subject. That has not gone down well with Kims regime and the country has distanced itself from the talks. It has made its stand clear and it says previous commitments are no longer binding on it. These included calling a halt to the testing of its nuclear weapons and launching of ICBMs. North Korea may 'seek a new path' after US misses deadline for nuclear talks https://t.co/5vrkcA9Y6u pic.twitter.com/Dmh028d12o New York Post (@nypost) January 22, 2020 ABC AU says North Korea announced at the United Nations-backed Conference on Disarmament that further talks with the United States are on hold. It also said that it was no longer interested in talks. Ju Yong Chol, an official said in Geneva, "We found no reason to be unilaterally bound any longer by the commitment that the other party fails to honor." He accused America of applying sanctions that are not only cruel but also inhuman and cautioned that if the US continues with this attitude, North Korea might opt for a new strategy. The US wants North Korea to denuclearize US President Donald Trump has built a good rapport with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea. They have held face-to-face meetings on a number of occasions and have also exchanged messages. However, things are not happening the way Kim would have liked them to. He wants liberalization of sanctions whereas Trumps priority is denuclearization. Discuss this news on Eunomia There is an obvious conflict of interest and a workable solution is necessary. Policymakers will no doubt work at evolving some kind of new dialogue. North Korea ended the freeze on nuclear and missile tests, blaming the U.S. for failing to meet a year-end deadline for nuclear talks https://t.co/uQ7odXP5E2 pic.twitter.com/2EbZPAZsXj Reuters (@Reuters) January 21, 2020 ABC AU mentions that in December, North Korea dropped hints about an unspecified "new path" it could take if the US did not change its stand and come up with a new model for negotiations. It also threatened to take action if the other side did not show a positive response. In the opinion of US military commanders, such action could mean the resumption of testing of a long-range missile, possibly with a nuclear warhead. Pyongyang rejected unilateral disarmament and put forth some proposals. If America implements them, the hermit kingdom could consider surrendering its arsenal. North Korea might modify its strategy According to Global News, an official of North Korea said since the US ignored the deadline for the resumption of nuclear talks, there was nothing binding on Pyongyang. It has the freedom to modify its strategies and seek a new path. He said his country had suspended nuclear tests as a part of its confidence-building measure with the United States. However, there was no corresponding gesture from the other side. Rather, the U.S. conducted joint military exercises with South Korea and imposed sanctions. U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood is hopeful that the North will return to the table and evolve an arrangement to fulfill the pledge of denuclearization made between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. Denuclearization could help North Korea Ever since taking over office, President Donald Trump has wanted to convince Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear ambitions and surrender his arsenal. That would help his country to flourish, bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and joy to his people. The president met Kim on three occasions at different venues. First, it was in Singapore, then in Hanoi and finally in the DMZ in North Korea. Trump has built a special understanding with the leader of North Korea. However, the topic of denuclearization continues to remain an elusive issue. HATTIESBURG, MS / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCeMFiS) has approved over $191,000 in funding for new research projects in 2020. SCeMFiS researchers from across the country will kick off the decade tackling some of the most pressing issues affecting our oceans, including the effects of climate change, marine mammal interactions, and bycatch. SCeMFiS, part of the National Science Foundation's Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program, brings together scientific institutions and their partners in the fishing industry to address urgent needs in finfish and shellfish science. All funding and research priorities are determined on a collaborative basis between SCeMFiS scientists and participating industry members. The following 2020 research projects were approved at the Center's 2019 fall meeting. Evaluation of the degree of co-occurrence of surfclams and ocean quahogs at fishable concentrations - Climate change is beginning to affect how fisheries are managed, and regulators will increasingly need to modify existing rules in order to adapt to it. In the case of surfclams, climate change is pushing them out of their traditional habitats, where they are beginning to overlap with ocean quahogs. Since neither species can be harvested together, this overlap has the potential to negatively impact both fisheries. The study, led by Drs. Eric Powell (University of Southern Mississippi) and Roger Mann (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), will examine the extent to which surfclam and quahog habitats currently overlap, and the extent to which this overlap is relevant for management. ($85,899 in funding) - Climate change is beginning to affect how fisheries are managed, and regulators will increasingly need to modify existing rules in order to adapt to it. In the case of surfclams, climate change is pushing them out of their traditional habitats, where they are beginning to overlap with ocean quahogs. Since neither species can be harvested together, this overlap has the potential to negatively impact both fisheries. The study, led by Drs. Eric Powell (University of Southern Mississippi) and Roger Mann (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), will examine the extent to which surfclam and quahog habitats currently overlap, and the extent to which this overlap is relevant for management. ($85,899 in funding) Evaluation of gray seal-fishery interactions in US waters of the western North Atlantic - Limiting bycatch and interactions with marine mammals is critical to many fisheries in the northeastern U.S. The study, led by Dr. Doug DeMaster (Marine Analytical Consultants), will develop a new, cross-jurisdictional seal population dynamics model to help the National Marine Fisheries Service determine the extent of gray seal fishery interactions, as well as recommending other research priorities for gray seal management. ($57,420 in funding) Limiting bycatch and interactions with marine mammals is critical to many fisheries in the northeastern U.S. The study, led by Dr. Doug DeMaster (Marine Analytical Consultants), will develop a new, cross-jurisdictional seal population dynamics model to help the National Marine Fisheries Service determine the extent of gray seal fishery interactions, as well as recommending other research priorities for gray seal management. ($57,420 in funding) Mid-Atlantic discard analysis - Bycatch remains a persistent issue in several Mid-Atlantic fisheries, and understanding the factors that may contribute to bycatch is a top priority for both fishermen and regulators. The study, from Dr. Robert Leaf (University of Southern Mississippi), will examine four fisheries-scup, Loligo squid, black sea bass, and fluke-and determine which factors may correlate to higher rates. ($43,439 in funding) Bycatch remains a persistent issue in several Mid-Atlantic fisheries, and understanding the factors that may contribute to bycatch is a top priority for both fishermen and regulators. The study, from Dr. Robert Leaf (University of Southern Mississippi), will examine four fisheries-scup, Loligo squid, black sea bass, and fluke-and determine which factors may correlate to higher rates. ($43,439 in funding) Atlantic Menhaden stock assessment review - By weight, Atlantic menhaden is one of the largest fisheries on the East Coast, supporting both a large bait and marine ingredients industry. The study, from Dr. Steve Cadrin (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) will undertake a review of the menhaden assessment by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, providing a non-technical summary for stakeholders in the menhaden fishery to support science-based management of the fishery. ($4,400 in funding) About SCeMFiS SCeMFiS utilizes academic and fisheries resources to address urgent scientific problems limiting sustainable fisheries. SCeMFiS develops methods, analytical and survey tools, datasets, and analytical approaches to improve sustainability of fisheries and reduce uncertainty in biomass estimates. SCeMFiS university partners, University of Southern Mississippi (lead institution), and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, are the academic sites. Collaborating scientists who provide specific expertise in finfish, shellfish, and marine mammal research, come from a wide range of academic institutions including Old Dominion University, Rutgers University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, University of Maryland, and University of Rhode Island. The need for the diverse services that SCeMFiS can provide to industry continues to grow, which has prompted a steady increase in the number of fishing industry partners. These services include immediate access to science expertise for stock assessment issues, rapid response to research priorities, and representation on stock assessment working groups. Targeted research leads to improvements in data collection, survey design, analytical tools, assessment models, and other needs to reduce uncertainty in stock status and improve reference point goals. PRESS CONTACT Stove Boat Communications 202-844-2502 john@stoveboat.com SOURCE: Science Center for Marine Fisheries View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573949/Science-Center-for-Marine-Fisheries-Heads-into-2020-with-191000-in-Funding-for-New-Projects By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development Ali Ahmadov has reiterated his countrys willingness to cooperate with the EU. Ahmadov noted that Azerbaijan is committed to the partnership with EU. He also expressed confidence that the work on a cooperation agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU continues will be completed in the near future, local media reported. He added that after signing this agreement, broader cooperation will be carried out between the parties. He made the remarks in an address to the conference on the results of the EU technical assistance project, Support to the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SSC) to reach European Standards in National Accounts, on observed economy, business statistics and producer price index. Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas also spoke at the event, saying that negotiations on signing a new partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan are at the final stage. The relations between Azerbaijan and the EU will move to a new stage after the conclusion of this agreement, Jankauskas said. Noting that Azerbaijan's economy is developing, the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan added that the EU is Azerbaijans biggest trading partner. EU member states are the countries that invest most of all in Azerbaijan. The EU also supports the implementation of international transport projects passing through the territory of Azerbaijan. On the sidelines of the event, Jankauskas said that another stage of negotiations will be held soon to sign the agreement between Azerbaijan and EU. He stressed that both parties will make every effort to sign a cooperation agreement in a short period of time. Jankauskas emphasized that a number of issues that have not yet been agreed upon regarding cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan are related to the trade and economy, reminding that the second round of the EU-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue was held in Baku in December 2019. "The EU officials participated in the dialogue. A number of meetings were held with Azerbaijani officials. The format of further negotiations between Azerbaijan and the EU was discussed during these meetings, he said. The EU holds the main place in the foreign trade turnover of Azerbaijan. There are more than 1,500 European companies in Azerbaijan. Over the past six years, European countries have invested about $16 billion in Azerbaijan's economy. Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are based on the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1996 (entered into force in 1999), covering many areas from trade to education. The new agreement should replace the agreement of 1996, and should better take account of the common goals and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. Azerbaijan wants an agreement based on political equality with the EU. The EU recognizes the need to choose a differentiated approach to its neighbors. This means that Azerbaijan can benefit from the EU's political association and economic integration offerings at its own discretion. The new agreement envisages for the approximation of Azerbaijan's legislation and procedures to the most important international and trade norms and standards of the EU, which should lead to improved access of Azerbaijani products to the EU markets. The agreement will comply with the principles approved in 2015 in the document of the European Neighborhood Policy and will offer an updated basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. The first meeting to discuss the document took place on April 25, 2017. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz (Newser) The White House said Thursday it has invited Israel's prime minister and his main political rival to Washington next week to discuss the "prospect of peace" with the Palestinians, who have already rejected the administration's long-awaited peace plan. Vice President Mike Pence announced the invitation at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem after addressing an international forum on the Holocaust. He said that at Netanyahu's request an invitation has also been issued to Benny Gantz, a former army chief and Netanyahu's main rival in March 2 elections, the AP reports. The announcement indicated that the White House may be ready to release its peace plan after several delays. The plan is expected to strongly favor Israel, and is unlikely to garner any international support if it is seen as undermining the prospect of a two-state solution. story continues below President Trump later dampened the speculation, tweeting that he looks forward to welcoming Netanyahu and Gantz to the White House, but that "reports about details and timing of our closely-held peace plan are purely speculative." Pence said they would "discuss regional issues as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land." Netanyahu said he gladly accepted the invitation. "We have had no better friend than President Trump," he said. "With this invitation, I think that the president is seeking to give Israel the peace and security that it deserves." Neither Pence nor Netanyahu mentioned the Palestinians, and no Palestinians are expected to attend the talks at the White House. The Palestinians rejected Trump's peace efforts after he recognized disputed Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the US Embassy there in May 2018. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 war and annexed, to be their capital. (Read more Israel and Palestinians stories.) [January 23, 2020] Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market Worth USD 119.00 Billion by 2026 at 8.0% CAGR; High Demand for Compact Products to Spur Growth: Fortune Business Insights Key Companies Profiled are Dainippon Screen Group, Applied Materials, Inc., Canon Machinery Inc., Tokyo Electron Limited, Ferrotec Holdings Corporation, ASML, Lam Research Corporation, ASM International, KLA Corporation & more PUNE, India, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market size is projected to reach USD 119.00 billion by 2026, thereby exhibiting a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period. It is expected to gain impetus from the launch of advanced process technologies and products for end use industries. Nowadays, integration of semiconductors is becoming a very common factor on account of the rising innovations in products, namely, wearables, smart homes, smart devices, medical devices, and vehicles. It would also augment market growth. This information is published in a recent report, titled, "Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Equipment Type (Front-end Equipment, Back-end Equipment), By Dimension (2D, 2.5D, 3D), By Application (Semiconductor Fabrication Plant/Foundry, Semiconductor Electronics Manufacturing, Test Home) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026," by Fortune Business Insights. The report further mentions that the market stood at USD 64.55 billion in 2018. What Does the Report Contain? Elaborate information about the developments taking place in the industry, such as strategic collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, agreements, contracts, and new product launches. List of the emerging and niche applications of the equipment. Extensive analysis of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market trends, growth drivers, barriers, opportunities, and other related challenges. To gain more insights into the market with detailed table of content and figures, click here: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-market-101964 Integration of Semiconductors to Propel Market Growth The market is set to expand in the coming years owing to the increasing usage of semiconductors in the electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles. In today's technology-driven world, semiconductors are often integrated into a single chip for hassle-free usage in smart homes, medical devices, wearables, smart devices, and others. It is occurring as the consumers are rapidly inclining towards compact sized products across the world. All these factors are anticipated to boost the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market growth in the forthcoming years. 3D Segment to Dominate: Ongoing Technological Advancement Will Accelerate Growth By dimension, the market is divided into 2D, 2.5D, and 3D. Amongst these, the 3D segment is expected to dominate the market fueled by persistent technological advancement. Moreover, enhancement of the performance of 3D integrated circuits (IC) would contribute to growth. Also, the 3D ICs are being designed in such a way that they would be able to overcome the obstacles associated with conventional geometrical scaling. The 2.5D segment had held a market share of 39.7% in 2018. Request a Sample Copy: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-market-101964 Asia Pacific to Lead Stoked by the Presence of Many Renowned Manufacturers In terms of region, the market is fragmented into Latin America, North America, the Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Out of these, Asia Pacific had generated USD 34.38 billion semiconductor manufacturing machines market revenue in 2018 and is likely to retain its dominant position in the coming years. This growth is attributable to the presence of several industry giants in Taiwan and China. The International Trade Administration, for instance, stated that emerging countries, such as Korea and Japan, stood in the top positions in terms of exportation of semiconductor equipment in 2016. Europe, on the other hand, is expected to grow considerably owing to the participation of the European Union (EU) in the World Trade Organization Information Technology Agreement (WTO ITA). As per one of our leading analysts, "Numerous institutes and organizations present in the nanoelectronics ecosystem in this region have proposed to invest huge sums by joining hands with the EU for upsurging the worldwide revenue up to USD 224 billion per year." It would also drive the market growth in this region. Apart from that, in North America, there is stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers. Hence, the region is projected to hold a significant share. Nanometrics Teams Up with Rudolph While Plasma & CNF Agree to Develop ALE The market consists of multiple companies that are focusing on joining hands with other reputed organizations to create new products and gain maximum semiconductor manufacturing system market share. Below are two of the latest industry developments: June 2019 : Nanometrics Incorporated, a provider of novel software analytics and process control metrology, headquartered in Arizona , announced that it has signed an agreement with Rudolph Technologies, Inc., an Ameican semiconductor company. The main aim of this agreement is to develop a premier semiconductor process control company. : Nanometrics Incorporated, a provider of novel software analytics and process control metrology, headquartered in , announced that it has signed an agreement with Rudolph Technologies, Inc., an Ameican semiconductor company. The main aim of this agreement is to develop a premier semiconductor process control company. October 2019 : Plasma-Therm LLC and Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) declared that they are jointly developing a state-of-the-art atomic layer etching (ALE). It is meant for nanoscale device fabrication. List of the most prominent companies operating in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market. They are as follows: Dainippon Screen Group Applied Materials, Inc. Canon Machinery Inc. Tokyo Electron Limited Ferrotec Holdings Corporation ASML Lam Research Corporation ASM International KLA Corporation Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation Other key market players Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-market-101964 Table of Content: Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities Emerging Trends of Market Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Factors Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porter's Five Forces Analysis Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts By Equipment Type (Value) Front-end Equipment Silicon Wafer Manufacturing Wafer Processing Equipment Back-end Equipment Testing Equipment Assembling & Packaging Equipment Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts By Dimension (Value) 2D 2.5D 3D Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts By Application (Value) Semiconductor Fabrication Plant/Foundry Semiconductor Electronics Manufacturing Test Home Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and Latin America Request for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-market-101964 (Have a Look at Reports Trending in Machinery & Equipment Industry) Browse Related Reports: Lighting Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Lighting Type (LEDs, CFLs, sLFLs, HIDs, Halogens and Incandescent), By Application (General Lighting, Automotive Lighting, Backlighting, Others), by End User (Residential, Commercial and Industrial) and Regional Forecasts, 2019-2026 Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Basic PDU, Metered PDU, Switched PDU, Intelligent PDU & Others), By Power Phase (Single Phase & Triple Phase), By Application (Datacenters, Laboratories, Commercial Application & Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019 2026 Industrial Robots Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Robot Type (Articulated, SCARA, Cylindrical, Cartesian/Linear, Parallel, Others), By Application (Pick and Place, Welding & Soldering, Material Handling, Assembling, Cutting & Processing, Others), By End Use Industry (Automotive, Electrical & Electronics, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverages, Rubber & Plastic, Metals & Machinery, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019 - 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1-424-253-0390 UK: +44-2071-939123 APAC: +91-744-740-1245 Email: [email protected] Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Press Release- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-market-9523 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/881202/Fortune_Business_Insights_Logo.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081121/Semiconductor_Manufacturing_Market.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Mumbai, Jan 23 : Penelope Cruzs Spanish drama "Pain & Glory" will release in India on January 31. The film is being brought to India by PVR Pictures. "Pain & Glory", directed by Pedro AlmodAvar, sees a robust cast starring popular Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Asier Etxeandia, Julieta Serrano and Leonardo Sbaraglia. The movie follows the life of a film director who reflects upon his choices in the past whilst his reality comes crashing down around him. The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards and was nominated later, as well. PVR Pictures will also release Renee Zellweger's "Judy", which is a biographical film on late Judy Garland. The film has got several nods for nominations of Oscars 2020. The film will open in India on Friday. T he US Treasury Secretary has said Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is in no position to give economic advice until she goes to college and comes out with a degree. At a World Economic Forum press briefing, Steven Mnuchin made a dig at the environmental campaigner for her recommendation that public and private sectors should move away from fossil fuels . When asked how that would affect the US economic model, Mr Mnuchin took a swipe at the 17-year-old, asking if she was an economist. He said that after she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Greta Thunberg's comments about fossil fuels were 'a joke' / AFP via Getty Images Ms Thunberg also faced criticism from the US President at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. Referring to the teen, Donald Trump told a packed room at the Swiss ski resort of Davos that environmental activists could not be so negative. US President Donald Trump has also made comments about Ms Thurnberg / AFP via Getty Images This is not a time for pessimism. This is a time for optimism, he said. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg addresses guests at the World Economic Forum / AP Fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for tremendous hope and joy and optimism and action. He added: To embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse. In a later speech at the forum, Ms Thunberg swiped back at Mr Trump and said: You say children shouldnt worry... dont be so pessimistic and then, nothing, silence. Greta Thunberg arrives at the COP25 Climate Conference 1 /30 Greta Thunberg arrives at the COP25 Climate Conference Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is escorted by police on her arrived at Atocha train station in Madrid Getty Images REUTERS AP REUTERS AFP via Getty Images REUTERS REUTERS AP REUTERS REUTERS Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS AP AP AP Getty Images She added: We need to start listening to the science, and treat this crisis with the importance it deserves. Without treating it as a real crisis we cannot solve it. World number five Dominic Thiem survived a five-set scare after being pushed hard by gutsy home hope Alex Bolt at the Australian Open Thursday. The Austrian, targeting a maiden Grand Slam crown, looked fragile as the crowd got behind the wildcard but ultimately prevailed 6-2, 5-7, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2 in 3hrs 22mins. Thiem is among a clutch of players tipped to win a Major after reaching the last two Roland Garros finals, but he was exposed at times by a player ranked 140 who controlled much of the second and third sets. "It was a tough match, Alex played great and he had the crowd support," said Thiem, who has never gone past the fourth round in six previous attempts. "But I also love to play in such a great atmosphere." He faces another tricky clash in the third round, against either American 29th seed Taylor Fritz or big-serving South African Kevin Anderson. Thiem looked comfortable after racing through the opening set and was serving at 5-4 to go two sets in front. But the crowd was roaring for Bolt and he remarkably broke, with the tide turning as he rallied to clinch the set 7-5. The third set was a tight affair with neither player giving an inch. Thiem had an opportunity at 4-4 with two break points but he failed to convert. The Austrian's best efforts were being met with resistance, with Bolt saving another three break points on his next service game, leaving Thiem frustrated at his missed opportunities. It went to a tiebreaker and Bolt raced into a 6-2 lead, but wobbled as Thiem won three points in a row before the Australian sent down a booming ace to got two sets to one in front. However, Thiem recovered his composure and after a series of long baseline rallies broke twice to take the match into a deciding set. The Austrian's focus and fitness proved decisive in the fifth, with a Bolt forehand into the net giving him a break and he raced to victory as his opponent flagged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BRUSSELS Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms the technological underpinnings of a vehicle will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnt mean to say were not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video: Click here to See Video >> Talking to friends a better source of information on products and services than going online, Nielsen report finds. Ninety-three per cent of consumers still prefer talking over tapping (with 89 per cent) when it comes to sharing their brand experience or seeking recommendations, according to a consumer study released this week in Ho Chi Minh City by global measurement company Nielsen. The obsession around social media creates the illusion that digital reality rules, putting all real-life communications on the back-burner. However, Nielsens Real Life vs. Digital Life report shows that although consumers are actively engaging online, word-of-mouth or real-life conversations have a stronger influence on consumers minds and, therefore, their purchasing decisions. More than half of respondents (58 per cent) confirmed that word-of-mouth influences them greatly (vs. 46 per cent for social media), while 71 per cent indicated that real-life conversations make an impact on their purchasing decisions. Word-of-mouth has always been and remains one of the greatest enablers for marketers in the battle for consumers hearts and minds, and it is crucial to understand the way you can leverage its opportunities for your brand, said Ms. Sue Temple, Vice-President, Global Consumer Insights, at Nielsen. It is easier for us to trust people we know - friends, spouses, and colleagues - than unknown personalities on social media, so to unlock this opportunity for business more effort is needed in ensuring a positive experience, which will encourage customers to share their experience within their personal network. The more they use, the less they trust Global consumers are very much tending to go digital and use social networks more often, but when it comes to trust they still rely on more traditional channels. Newspapers have a Trust to Usage index of 240, outdoor/billboards 178, and magazines 162, against internet/digital medias much lower 78. Millennials happen to be the most loyal audience for all channels, with newspapers being the most trusted channel (with an index of 356) for them, while Baby Boomers are skeptical towards all channels and the Silent Generation has a clear preference for newspapers (with an index of 241). With social networks rising in popularity over the last decade it is no surprise that their use and spread among all generations is leaking into consumers everyday lives, Ms. Temple said. Nevertheless, the quality of digital communications hasnt developed at the same pace, and having been burned too many times when dealing with fake news, frauds, and data breaches, consumers respond with less trust of information shared via new media. Australia, Germany, and South Korea are ahead of the curve with word-of-mouth dominating over social media, with it having the strongest influence level on consumers minds and purchasing decisions. Furthermore, manufacturers and retailers should be mindful when allocating their marketing and advertising budgets between Tap and Talk across markets, as the most trusted media differs by country, skewing towards digital media in Mexico and Turkey (71 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively) versus a more even split between TV and digital media in Australia and Germany (34-35 per cent for each media in both countries). The reasons to go digital vary across the regions, but on the top of the list is when consumers seek recommendations (46 per cent), find it interesting to read something online (42 per cent), or wish to share their own experience (38 per cent). Most consumers express their personal opinions in real life because they are sharing their experience (45 per cent), commenting on exclusive deals and offers (42 per cent), and would like to recommend good products (42 per cent). That being said, consumers are taking on the role of observer when online, Ms. Temple explained. They are on the lookout for information about products, and relevant and interesting content may inspire them to take the dialogue offline. Its crucial to understand the link between the two - digital and real life - and what triggers having a broader discussion about the brand. Clearly, real life conversations remain consumers comfort zone; a way to share true emotions with their community. When impressed by the experience, they can easily become brand ambassadors. At the same time, more consumers prefer to talk about brands in person rather than posting online, and countries dominated by the older generation - Australia, Germany, and South Korea - are at the head of the trend, contrary to Indonesia and Thailand, where consumers prefer to post more about their experience with the brand. These regional differences have a direct impact on the efficiency of marketing campaigns, she said. Knowing who are the most probable influencers will help in sharpening brands social media campaigns. The Nielsen Digital vs. Real Life survey was conducted among more than 3,300 consumers across eleven countries: Australia, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey. The fieldwork was conducted from September 23 to October 4, 2019. The sample was sourced from external sample providers and includes internet users who agreed to participate in the survey, with quotas based on age and sex for each country. It is weighted to be representative of internet consumers by country. Data is weighted at the country level using the total online population. Quotas are reviewed at a country level by Data Science. The Nielsen survey is based on the behavior of respondents with online access only. Internet penetration rates vary by country. Nielsen uses a minimum reporting standard of 60 per cent internet penetration or 10 million online population for survey inclusion. At a country level where the sample is 300, the margin of error is 5.7 per cent at 95 per cent confidence interval, meaning the movement needs to be bigger than this to be noteworthy. VET Nhat Minh SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diamanti, creators of the first bare-metal hyperconverged platform for Kubernetes and containers, today announced the appointment of Christina Monzon-Le to a new position at the company, Vice President, People. In the new role, she will oversee all human resources functions worldwide, reporting directly to Diamanti CEO Tom Barton. Were delighted that Christina has joined the Diamanti leadership team, Barton said. She brings a track record of success in guiding companies through high-growth periods in attracting, retaining and developing top talent in competitive industries. Monzon-Les appointment adds to a number of new milestones for Diamanti in 2019 - the successful closing of its Series C, an overall doubling of its full time staff, the addition of new customers, and the building of its executive team. In 2019 the company also added Chris Noordyke as VP Business Development and Alliances and Andy Wild as Chief Revenue Officer. Its an exciting time to join Diamanti as we enter 2020 and expand globally, Monzon-Le said. Were competing in one of the most vibrant sectors in information technology as more and more businesses embrace Kubernetes and containers in their architecture. Our goal is to continue to nurture a collaborative, high performance culture where our people and their careers will thrive. Monzon-Le joins Diamanti from Guavus where she was head of Global People Operations for the big data analytics company. Previously she served as Vice President, Human Resources at SS8, provider of network security intelligence for enterprises. Prior to that she held senior leadership roles in human resources at Gaia Online, LeCroy and Symantec. She holds an MBA from San Jose State University. About Diamanti Diamanti delivers the industrys only purpose-built, fully integrated enterprise Kubernetes platform, spanning on-premises and public cloud environments. It gives infrastructure architects, IT operations, and application owners the performance, simplicity, security, and enterprise features they need to get cloud-native applications to market fast. Diamanti provides the lowest total cost of ownership to enterprise customers for their most demanding applications. Based in San Jose, California, https://twitter.com/Diamanticom Diamanti is backed by venture investors ClearSky, CRV, Engineering Capital, Goldman Sachs, GSR Ventures, Northgate Capital, Threshold Ventures (formerly DFJ Venture), and Translink Capital. For more information visit www.diamanti.com or follow @DiamantiCom. Editorial Contact Lonn Johnston for Diamanti +1 650.219.7764 lonn@flak42.com Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday alleged that the Citizenship Amendment Act was brought by the Centre to instil fear among Muslims and said the only hope left for the minority community is the Supreme Court. "The CAA violates the basic spirit of the Constitution that is to give equal rights to every person without any religious discrimination. What was the need of the CAA? It has been brought to intimidate the Muslims of the country have to be intimidated," said Singh addressing a press conference here. Hitting out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for delivering different statements on the Register of Citizens (NRC), he said: "These people are confused. Shah says NRC will be implemented across the country while Prime Minister Modi says nothing such has been discussed yet. However, the President also mentions about the NRC in his speech." "If the NRC was not discussed, then was the President's speech wrong. Our question is who was saying correct then," he said. The Congress leader said that every person in this country is a "patriot". He added that there is a need instil confidence in those sections, who "today feel that they are being targeted." Stating that both Hindus and Muslims worked together for the independence of the country, he claimed that today the Muslim of this country is scared and disappointed with the system, political parties and police. The only hope left for them is the Supreme Court. The Muslim community's eyes are on the Supreme Court whether it declines or maintains the unconstitutional citizenship law." "If this act of Modi and Shah is accepted by the apex court then it will be the last nail on the taboo of secularism," he said appealing to the top court to take appropriate decision in the matter. He said that Congress leaders will visit the country to explain to the countrymen about "Hindu-Muslim unity". The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on fresh petitions filed challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act and sought a reply in four weeks. The bench comprising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna which is hearing the matter had said that the court will hold an in-chamber hearing on the procedural issue of the case. Around 144 petitions were filed related to the contentions Citizenship Act, which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) - Mau Forest was among 35 identified forest to be conserved through funding from the Queen - With the admission into the project, Kenya hopes to accelerate the revival of the most extensive water tower - Mau Forest has over 22 blocks and the most affected one is the Maasai Mau which was encroached Kenya's efforts to conserve Mau Forest have been recognised by the international community after the forest complex got admitted to the Queens Commonwealth Canopy (QCC). The admission of Mau to the QCC will heighten efforts to protect, restore and rehabilitate some of its degraded areas while improving the general status of the water towers. READ ALSO: Leaked memo shows how Nairobi Women Hospital exploits patients to meet revenue targets President Uhuru Kenyatta (right) greets Queen Elizabeth II during the UK-Africa summit. Photo: State House Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Gavana Sonko abubujikwa na machozi akimshukuru Mungu kesi yake ikitupwa The message was conveyed to President Uhuru Kenyatta in a letter written by Queen Elizabeth II in which she disclosed she had decided to have the forest admitted to the QCC project which was launched in 2015. The project was launched during the 24th Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta with the aim of marking Her Majesty the Queen's lifetime of service to the Commonwealth. The move will boost the conservation efforts for Mau Complex which is facing tremendous human-induced pressures and destruction. A section of Mau Forest that had been encroached by people from nearby counties. Photo: Daily Nation Source: UGC READ ALSO: KDF denies hiding in grass during Manda Bay terror attack Of the 22 blocks in the forest, the Maasai Mau is the most threatened after people encroached into the area. With the admission, Kenya hopes to accelerate the revival of the most extensive ecosystem and the most critical water tower covering approximately 455,000 hectares of land. In 2019, there was an intensive crackdown against encroachers who had moved into the forest and established their livelihoods there. Tree planting exercise at Mau Forest. Photo: Citizen TV Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kenya turns back 19 lorries ferrying milk from Uganda Although their was a lot of discomfort among the residents and leaders from the region, Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko stayed firm and evicted the encroachers from the water tower. Currently tree planting activities have been taking place in the areas that had been depleted. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly Source: TUKO.co.ke Technavio has been monitoring the global heparin market since 2015 and the market is poised to grow by USD 941.2 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 3% during the forecast period. Request free sample pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200122005479/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global heparin market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 166-page report with TOC on "Heparin Market Analysis Report by Geography (Asia, Europe, North America, and ROW), Product (low-molecular-weight heparin and others), Route of Administration (subcutaneous injection and intravenous/infusion), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/heparin-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions. In addition, the development of drugs to remove heparin after surgery is anticipated to boost the growth of the heparin market. Globally, the prevalence of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease, and inflammatory conditions have been on the rise. This is due to a rise in risk factors such as lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, alcohol consumption, and smoking. In addition, the growing prevalence of obesity has increased the incidences of cardiovascular diseases, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulants, such as heparin are widely used to treat and prevent clots in patients with cardiovascular diseases. This is because heparin decreases blood's ability to clot and also prevents existing clots from getting larger. Therefore, with the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, the demand for anticoagulants such as heparin will increase during the forecast period. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Heparin Market Companies: Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. operates its business through segments such as Commercial Pharmaceuticals and Manufacturing. Some of the key offerings of the company include FRAXIPARINE, Fraxodi, and Arixtra. Baxter International Inc. Baxter International Inc. operates its business through segments such as Renal Care, Medication Delivery, Pharmaceuticals, Clinical Nutrition, and Advanced Surgery, Acute Therapies, and Others. Heparin sodium is the key offering of the company. Eisai Co. Ltd. Eisai Co. Ltd. operates its business through segments such as Pharmaceutical and Others. FRAGMIN is the key offering of the company. Fresenius SE Co. KGaA Fresenius SE Co. KGaA operates the business through segments such as Fresenius Medical Care, Fresenius Kabi, Fresenius Helios, and Fresenius Vamed. Heparin sodium is the key offering of the company. Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc operates its business through segments such as Branded, Injectables, Generics, and Others. Heparin sodium injection and Heparin sodium injection (prefilled syringe) are the key offerings of the company. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Heparin Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 2024) Low-molecular-weight heparin Others Heparin Route of Administration Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 2024) Subcutaneous injection Intravenous/infusion Heparin Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 2024) Asia Europe North America ROW 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 a free sample report Related Reports on Healthcare are: Global Cardiovascular Therapeutics Market Global cardiovascular therapeutics market by geography (Asia, Europe, North America, and ROW) and product (antihypertensive drugs, hypolipidemic drugs, antithrombotic drugs, and other drugs). Global Pulmonary Embolism Therapeutics Market Global pulmonary embolism therapeutics market by route of administration (oral and parenteral) and geography (Asia, Europe, North America, and ROW). About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200122005479/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 www.technavio.com Fears missing Briton Ben Garland is set to become another Storm Gloria victim grew this afternoon after his jacket was found at sea off Ibiza. Spanish coastguards involved in the search operation for the 25-year-old said it had been found around 1,000 ft off the coast at Punta des Gat near to the beach where Mr Garland is believed to have vanished on Tuesday afternoon. A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency services coordinator confirmed: 'The jacket of the young British man who disappeared in Portinatx has been found at sea. 'Coastguards discovered it around 300 metres off the coast from Punta des Gat. Earlier in the day Mr Garland's bus driver dad Mark, who has flown to Ibiza to join in the search, said on Facebook: 'Just a quick update on my son Ben Garland. Worried friends of Mr Garland appealed on social media for anyone who may have seen him Ben Garland, 25, has been missing since yesterday when he went on a motorcycle ride around the island. The bike was found abandoned but there was no sign of Mr Garland 'There has not been any sightings of him as of yet. We have had to come down from the cliff tops as the dogs are now searching a large area. 'There are lots of police, fire and rescue plus volunteers out looking and the lifeboat is scouring the coastline.' In a direct message to well-wishers who have donated thousands of pounds to a JustGiving campaign to raise funds to help find Mr Garland, he added: 'Can we as a family thank every single one of you for your messages of support and prayers being sent. 'Also thank you to everyone who has donated to the JustGiving campaign.' Mr Garland, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, is one of three people who are still missing in the Balearic Islands following the start of Storm Gloria, which began battering many parts of Spain on Sunday. A 34-year-old man named as David Cabrera, 34, disappeared on Monday in Majorca. Mr Garland is one of two people believed to have been swept into the sea in separate incidents in Ibiza. The search for the Briton has focused on the area near Cala Portinax, a beach in the north of the island where his motorbike was found and he is thought to have taken pictures he posted on social media by the sea on Tuesday afternoon. Rescue workers are searching the coastline in Ibiza for a missing British man who is feared to have been swept into the sea during heavy storms The captain of the Ibiza-based yacht Mr Garland is a crew member of raised the alarm just before midnight on Tuesday after he failed to return and his phone went unanswered. Ten people have so far died in incidents linked to Storm Gloria, including three from hypothermia. Worried friends of Mr Garland, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, appealed on social media for anyone who may have seen him. His uncle Kirk Garland wrote on Facebook: 'My nephew Ben Garland has been missing for over 18 hours. Please everybody pray for him to be found safe and well.' He later added: 'Please God let Ben Garland be found safe and well.' Mr Garland, who had been working as a crew member on a boat, vanished in the Portinatx area of the municipality of Sant Joan de Labritja. The northern part of Ibiza has been lashed by Storm Gloria, which has caused an intense swell that has led to the cancellation of all maritime connections from the island. Rescue workers believe the missing Brit could have fallen into the sea. He was one of the crew of a boat which docked in the port of Ibiza. The captain reported him missing after went on a tour of the island on a motorcycle on his day off but didn't return. The bike has been found in Cala Portinatx. Storm Gloria is expected to bring heavy rains to Catalonia today, increasing the risk rivers in areas like Girona could overflow (pictured: a woman enters her home yesterday in Tossa de Mar as foam fills the streets) The search is being carried out both by land, with agents of the Civil Guard, Civil Protection and Local Police, and by sea, with a Civil Guard vessel. Another man is also missing in the Balearic Islands as a result of the freak weather conditions. On Monday, a young man disappeared whilst practiced canyoning in the torrent of Na Mora, in an area of the Serra de Tramuntana between Soller and Escorca . Search work has also resumed today. Mallorca has been smashed by huge waves and another town filled with foam as a storm continues to lash Spain, leaving four dead and 200,000 without power. Videos yesterday showed waves crashing over the seafront walls and sending water cascading down the street towards buildings in Cala Ratjada on Mallorca. While in the Costa Brava holiday resort of Tossa de Mar, locals woke up to the surreal sight of sea foam which had invaded part of the old town. One woman was filmed trying to get into her house in the resort up to her waist in the foam. Storm Gloria is expected to bring heavy rains to Catalonia today, increasing the risk rivers in areas like Girona could overflow. The Interior Minister has described the storm as 'exceptional.' Incoming Westpac chairman John McFarlane has signalled he will seek out an experienced commercial banker to be the next chief executive, and he will not shy away from making tough calls as the lender tries to recover from a money-laundering crisis. As investors praised the appointment of the self-described "battle-hardened" chairman, Mr McFarlane said recruiting a CEO with deep experience in Westpac's core business would be critical. Lindsay Maxsted (left) and his replacement as the next Westpac chairman, John McFarlane. Credit:Peter Braig Mr McFarlane will be responsible for picking a long-term chief to replace ousted former boss Brian Hartzer, who stepped down in November, and some analysts say he should make an external hire to unleash major change in country's oldest bank. "Im nervous about bank chief executives that arent bankers in some form. Running an insurance company, or a funds management company, or an investment bank, is not the same, Mr McFarlane told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market Overview Increase in the number of retail outlets for perishable items has given rise to the global commercial refrigeration equipment market share. Market Research Future, a firm which specializes in market reports related to the Consumer and Retail sector among others, recently published a report on this market. The market is set to develop following an exceptional revenue growth with an outstanding CAGR per cent in the forecast period. Development of retail chains and their outlets have led to development of the market at a rapid pace. Development of commercial kitchens where high capacities of refrigeration devices are required has also been of the sources of demand source. Increase in the investment in the sector has caused the sector to branch out towards different applications. Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Industry Segments The market for commercial refrigeration equipment market is segmented based on: Type: Display cases, walk-in coolers, beverages refrigeration, ice-making machineries, parts and others. Display cases and beverage refrigeration devices are the most growing type of this segment. Applications: Hospitals, bars, food service, hotels, and food and beverages preservation. Food service and hotels are the major sector for this industry. End Users: Food manufacturing industries, hyper market and supermarket. Supermarkets are leading the segment in a major way as compared to other end users. Detailed Regional Analysis The market for commercial refrigeration equipment includes regions such as Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). The North American market dominates the Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment industry with the biggest market share, accounting for millions in revenue and is expected to grow tremendously by 2027. The Asia-Pacific has exceeded North America in 2015 to become the largest market for commercial refrigeration equipment and expected to grow at an optimistic CAGR. The European market for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment is expected to grow at an influential CAGR in the forecast period even though the market in Europe is heading towards the maturity. Access Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/global-commercial-refrigeration-equipment-market-831 Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market Competitive Analysis: With companies aiming to capture a considerable share of the market segment as early as possible, experimentation with various advantage points is being seriously considered and implemented. Due to this, the sector is undergoing considerable transformation which has accelerated the growth pace of the sector. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be harnessed by ensuring ongoing process improvements and maintaining financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. The industry players in the segment are effectively utilizing their primary resources to initiate long lasting growth changes. A trend of volume-driven growth has been observed in the market of late with the development of different varieties of product types. The prominent companies that are involved in industry are United Technologies Corporation, Hussmann Corporation, AB Electrolux, Frigoglass S.A.I.C to name a few. Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Industry Updates: Jan 2018 Filta Group Holdings has recently sold its refrigeration and HVAC maintenance and repair business to Scotia Cooling Solutions. Filta group who is into providing services to commercial kitchens, stated that the sale is for a cash consideration up to 125,000 and comprises Filta Refrigerations net assets of 99,719 and additional payments relating to finance leases. Scotia Cooling Solutions which is a Livingston-basedcompany has also taken on all refrigeration and HVAC related engineers, vehicles and current contracts. File Image BS Yediyurappa-led government of Karnataka on Wednesday invited global business leaders to the 'Invest Karnataka 2020' Summit in Bengaluru in November. The chief minister, who is here to attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting, announced the dates for the summit, November 3-5, at an event in this Swiss ski resort town. A team of senior officials of the state government also showcased various steps taken to make Karnataka a better place to do business and invited global companies to come to the state. Union Minister Piyush Goyal also asked the global companies who are participating in the WEF 2020 to invest in Karnataka and said the Yediyurappa government was working with a single mission of taking the state high. The 123rd birth anniversary of nationalist leader and freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was celebrated on Thursday in West Bengal, where parties cutting across political lines fought over his legacy. Since morning programmes like mass prayers and processions were organised in the state and the city, from where he hailed, to mark the occasion. Paying her homage to Bose, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is away in Darjeeling, said he had fought for a secular and united India and opposed the "divisive politics" of Hindu Mahasabha, an apparent reference to the BJP and its leaders. The country needs leaders like Netaji who can take everybody along, she said and demanded that his birthday be declared a national holiday. The chief minister, who was speaking at an event held to celebrate Bose's birthday, said Bose through his struggle for Independence had sent the message of respect for all faiths and the best tribute to the nationalist leader will be to work for a united India, she said. "Netaji advocated secularism. He was a true leader, who had the ability to lead the country. Only those who have the qualities of secularism can take everybody along, can lead the nation," she said in an apparent dig at the BJP-led government at the Centre. The Hindu Mahasabha (officially Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha) is a Hindu nationalist political party formed in 1915 to protect the rights of the community in British India after the formation of the All India Muslim League in 1906 and the then British India government's creation of separate Muslim electorate in 1909. "Netaji had opposed the Hindu Mahasabha's divisive ... He had clearly said that this divisive is just for the sake of creating a votebank. He had fought for a secular India. Now efforts are on to oust those who follow secularism," she said at an event here to celebrate Bose's birth anniversary. West Bengal PCC president Somen Mitra, who took part in a programme organized by the party to mark the day, used the occasion to lash out at the BJP government at the Centre over CAA and the proposed NRC. "The BJP government at the Centre is unable to understand the principles and ideology of Netaji. So it should stop pretending about respecting Netaji and his struggle. Only those (political parties) who don't understand Netaji talk about about NRC and CAA, driving out Muslims and create communal divide in the country," Mitra told reporters. Netaji throughout his life stood for secularism, he said, adding the Indian National Army formed by him was at a place where all communities and religions came together. BJP state vice-president and Netaji's grandnephew, Chandra Bose said the moral fabric of the nation is at stake and there is still time to follow his inclusive ideology, ideas of equality and economic and social freedom for all. "Paying my respects to a man on his 123rd birth anniversary who fought for #PurnaSwaraj& #Undivided India. Never compromised on his principles! A leader who stood apart from the rest - as he refused to use religious symbols for political purposes. Jai Hind!," Bose said in a tweet. Reacting to the dig by political parties at the saffron camp on Netaji's birthday, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said Congress should stop lecturing on Netaji. "We all know the kind of treatment that Netaji was meted out by Congress leaders before Independence and the systemic method that was undertaken to wipe out his name from the history of India. It is the BJP government that has declassified the files relating to him after so many years," Sinha said. On September 2015, Banerjee had released all the 64 classified files related to Netaji, which were in the possession of Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police. In 2016 on Netaji's birth anniversary, the Narendra Modi government had released 100 files regarding the nationalist leader. Both the ruling TMC and the opposition Left Front had demanded that Netaji's birthday be declared as national holiday and Desh Prem Diwas. The All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), which was founded by Netaji himself in 1939 after he quit Congress, took out processions in various parts of the state to commemorate his birthday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pam's Patio Kitchen. | Photo: Katherine D./Yelp Visiting Whispering Oaks, or just looking to better appreciate what it has to offer? Get to know this San Antonio neighborhood by browsing its most popular local businesses, from a wine bar to a waxing salon. Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top places to visit in Whispering Oaks, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of neighborhood businesses. Read on for the results. 1. Pam's Patio Kitchen Photo: amber l./Yelp Topping the list is wine bar Pam's Patio Kitchen, which offers sandwiches and more. Located at 11826 Wurzbach Road, it's the highest-rated business in the neighborhood, boasting four stars out of 318 reviews on Yelp. The menu features small bites like guacamole salad and shrimp cocktail, along with entrees like Ribeye Steak Bordelaise and Salmon Pomodoro. The bar also has an extensive wine list for customers just stopping by for a drink. (Check out the full menu here.) 2. Tacos n Salsa Photo: marcela f./Yelp Next up is Tex-Mex spot Tacos n Salsa, which offers tacos and more, situated at 11860 Wurzbach Road With 4.5 stars out of 51 reviews on Yelp, it's proven to be a local favorite. The eatery offers tacos, nachos and bowls. Try going in the morning for one of the specialty breakfast tacos like the chorizo & potato or the Trash Can (a little of everything). Lunch options include the fajita bowl, carne asada plate or the quesadilla. Customers can top off their meals at the fresh salsa bar. (Explore the entire menu here.) 3. Rose Nail San Antonio Photo: rachel n./Yelp Nail salon and waxing spot Rose Nail San Antonio is another top choice. Yelpers give the business, located at 11872 Wurzbach Road, four stars out of 22 reviews. The salon offers manicures, pedicures, gel polish, acrylic fill-ins and nail repair. Other services include foot massages, eyelash enhancements, facials, hot oil treatments and waxing. 4. Brows By Giana Photo: gabby c./Yelp Brows By Giana, a waxing spot, is another neighborhood go-to, with four stars out of 14 Yelp reviews. Head over to 11806 Wurzbach Road to see for yourself. The salon offers facial tweezing and waxing, along with eyelash services like tinting and lifting. (Take a look at all the salon's services here.) This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 14:46:01 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 573 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE:XMG)(FKT:1MG)(OTCQB:MGXMF) reports at a meeting of the directors of MGX on October 7, 2019, two of the Company's directors, Lyndon Patrick and Michael Reimann, put forward a motion to remove Jared Lazerson as the Company's President, CEO and signing authority. Messrs. Patrick and Reimann voted in favour of the motion. The Company's other two directors, Andris Kikauka and Mr. Lazerson voted against the motion. Mr. Lazerson also exercised a casting vote against the motion, as authorized by the Company's articles. The motion was declared defeated.Following the October 7, 2019 board meeting, Mr. Reimann issued news releases suggesting that Mr. Lazerson had been removed as the Company's President, CEO, and signing authority. Messrs. Patrick and Reimann took the position that Mr. Lazerson was prohibited under the Company's articles and the "disclosable interest" provisions of the British Columbia Business Corporations Act from voting on the motion to remove him as President, CEO, and signing authority.On December 5, 2019, Messrs. Patrick and Reimann filed a Petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia seeking, among other things, a declaration that the motion of October 7, 2019 to remove Mr. Lazerson as the President, CEO and signing authority of MGX had been duly passed.Lawyers representing MGX, Mr. Lazerson, and Messrs. Patrick and Reimann appeared in court on January 17, 2020 to argue whether Mr. Lazerson was entitled to vote on the October 7, 2019 motion, and by extension, whether Mr. Lazerson is still the President, CEO, and signing authority of MGX.Madam Justice Fitzpatrick of the Supreme Court of British Columbia delivered her decision on January 17, 2020 at the conclusion of the legal arguments. The Court ruled that Mr. Lazerson was not prohibited by the Company's articles or the Business Corporations Act from voting on the October 7, 2019 motion. The Court also ruled that Messrs. Patrick and Reimann must pay legal costs to both MGX and Mr. Lazerson.The Court decision of January 17, 2020 confirms that Mr. Lazerson is, and at all times since October 7, 2019 has been, the Company's President, CEO, and signing authority.The remaining aspects of the Petition filed by Messrs. Patrick and Reimann were adjourned generally.MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource and technology company with interests in global advanced material, energy and water assets.Contact InformationJared LazersonPresident and CEOTelephone: 1.604.681.7735Web: www.mgxminerals.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 release.Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com SOURCE: MGX Minerals Inc. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said that four looming threats endanger 21st-century progress and imperil 21st-century possibilities. I see four horsemen in our midst -- four looming threats that endanger 21st-century progress and imperil 21st-century possibilities, Guterres said at the informal briefing of the UN General Assembly about UN work priorities for 2020, the Xinhau news agency reported. Four horsemen refer to four figures in the Book of Revelation who symbolize the evils to come at the end of the world. The first horseman comes in the form of the highest global geostrategic tensions we have witnessed in years, said the secretary-general. Devastating conflicts continue to cause widespread misery. Terrorist attacks take a merciless toll. The nuclear menace is growing. More people have been forced from their homes by war and persecution than at any time since the Second World War. Tensions over trade and technology remain unresolved, he said. The risk of a Great Fracture is real, the UN chief noted. Second, we face an existential climate crisis, he said. Rising temperatures continue to melt records. The past decade was the hottest on record. Scientists tell us that ocean temperatures are now rising at the equivalent of five Hiroshima bombs a second, he said. One million species are in near-term danger of extinction. Our planet is burning, he said. Our world is edging closer to the point of no return. The third horseman is deep and growing global mistrust, said Guterres. Disquiet and discontent are churning societies from north to south. Each situation is unique, but everywhere frustration is filling the streets. More and more people are convinced globalization is not working for them, said the secretary-general. As one of our own reports revealed just yesterday, two of every three people live in countries where inequality has grown. Confidence in political establishments is going down. Young people are rising up. Women are rightly demanding equality and freedom from violence and discrimination. At the same time, fears and anxieties are spreading. Hostility against refugees and migrants is building, he said. Hatred is growing, the UN chief noted. The fourth threat is the dark side of the digital world, he said. Technological advances are moving faster than our ability to respond to - or even comprehend - them. Despite enormous benefits, new technologies are being abused to commit crimes, incite hate, fake information, oppress and exploit people and invade privacy, he said. We are not prepared for the profound impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the labor market and the very structure of society. Artificial intelligence is generating breathtaking capacities and alarming possibilities. Lethal autonomous weapons - machines with the power to kill on their own, without human judgement and accountability - are bringing us into unacceptable moral and political territory, he added. These four horsemen - epic geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust and the downsides of technology - can jeopardize every aspect of our shared future, the secretary-general warned. [January 23, 2020] Choosing Bigo Live Over Other Apps was the right choice for Taiwanese Broadcaster SINGAPORE, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading technology company from Singapore, BIGO Technology (BIGO), the company responsible for popular new age communication platforms like Bigo Live (Live Streaming), Likee (Short-form Videos), and imo (Video Communication) hosted the first ever BIGO Gala Awards 2020 for talented broadcasters, on January 15, 2020, at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore. The event recognized and felicitated live-streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on Bigo Live over the past year. The ceremony was held in a grand fashion with a red-carpet affair attended by some of the biggest names on Bigo Live, who flew in from all over the world, joined by hundreds of their top fans who showed up in support. More than 75 broadcasters were awarded at this ceremony bringing the total number of attendees to close to 1,000. The 4 categories of award winners were "Top Regional Broadcaster", "Top Regional Family", "Top Global Broadcaster" and "Top Global Family"; indicating the best of the best in both the regions and across the globe. Bigo Live is rising fast in popularity around the world, where it has reached a total of around 22 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs). Live-streaming has beome a worldwide phenomenon, as millennials feel the need to be constantly connected, and such platforms such as Bigo Live, allow them to stay connected, meet different people and share new experiences. Many of the award winners also took this opportunity to connect with their fans, even broadcasting live while receiving their award. Especially in Chinese speaking regions like Taiwan, where competition is extremely intense, broadcasters are usually known for "Jumping Ship" for the latest broadcasting app. Wei En claims that her loyalty has paid off. "Bigo Live is vastly different, they care about you. I've been given guidance and lessons to improve the quality of my broadcast. I've never known of other platforms to show the same type of dedication and care towards my success. Receiving the award today validates my hard work, but also my loyalty." Other Asian Pacific winners shared similar stories about how Bigo Live goes the extra mile for their broadcasters, citing it as one of the reasons why they do not have plans to move to other live streaming apps. Speaking about awards and live streaming space, Mike Ong, Vice President of BIGO Technology said, "With the proliferation of live streaming around Asia Pacific, we want to hone this space in Singapore by inaugurating the BIGO Gala Awards here, as we believe, no matter where our expansion plans lead us to, Singapore will always be BIGO's home. Despite Singapore being small, it is a highly connected location making it a perfect market to launch this event. As the demand for content increases and mobile penetration rises, the live streaming phenomenon will continue to play a pivotal role in driving the industry. With the company now having over 330 million MAUs in over 150 countries worldwide, it is highly paramount to honour and celebrate the live streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on our platform over the past year. Our community is the very heart and soul of BIGO, and we want to recognize and appreciate their dedication and commitment to their art." The BIGO Gala Awards 2020 Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Howie Lau, Chief Industry Development Officer at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) agreed that the BIGO Awards Gala 2020 marked the growing significance of live streaming, giving credit to the winners who have made a difference in the platform. Snippets of the ceremony will be aired in Southeast Asia, Middle East, U.S.A. Japan and Taiwan. About BIGO Technology BIGO is a fast-growing Singapore technology company established in 2014. BIGO operates products and services in more than 150 countries in the world. BIGO's products include Bigo Live (global livestreaming platform), Likee (global short video creation platform) and imo (global video communication platform). Visit BIGO's website for more information on their brand and products. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200123/2700628-1 SOURCE BIGO Technology [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Gebran Bassil, Lebanon's former foreign minister, came to Davos "on his own expenses," he told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Thursday. Bassil's claim came as a defense against a torrent of accusations of public funds misuse by a politician viewed as the face of Lebanon's political corruption and economic disintegration. His presence at Davos has drawn widespread anger among Lebanese, with petitions to ban his participation at the elite event garnering tens of thousands of signatures. Hundreds of Lebanese citizens are reported to have been injured, arrested and hospitalized in nationwide anti-government protests in the Middle Eastern country as the alpine conference got underway. "I came simply on my own expenses," Bassil, who heads the largest political bloc in Lebanon's parliament, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble. "I know rumors and lies circulate always on issues like this, but I am used to this and this is the reality. On my own expenses." The claim raised immediate questions of how someone on a civil servant salary could charter a personal plane. Bassil added that "This was offered to me. You know I was invited here ... Not one Lebanese lira on the expense of the Lebanese treasury. Very simple." Bassil is a target of growing rage across Lebanon and the subject of a popular anti-government protest chant. The son-in-law of Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Bassil is supported by Shiite militant and political group Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Many in and outside of Lebanon accuse him of corruption, pilfering the country's bankrupt electricity utility and proliferating the sectarian politics that stymied an economy now facing its worst crisis since the country's bloody 15-year civil war that ended in 1990. Popular protests have rocked the small country of 6 million since October, and have recently spiraled into violent clashes with police as security forces use rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons on demonstrators. More than 100 people have been injured. The gun used to kill Tanesha Melbourne-Blake is believed to be a gun for hire, police said (PA) A teenage girl killed in a drive-by shooting was shot by a gun for hire used in another murder, police have said. Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, 17, was shot dead from a vehicle in Tottenham, north London, in April 2018. After her death, a Browning handgun with its serial number removed was found wrapped in a towel inside a bag by a member of the public in Highgate, north London. The weapon, which had been used in three other shootings, is believed to be a gun for hire that had been circulating in the local area for at least a year, according to the Met Police. Detectives have released details about the weapon in a bid to find Taneshas killers. Tanesha was murdered in a drive-by shooting just weeks before her 18th birthday (PA) Forensic tests have suggested that the same handgun was used to kill Tanesha as that used in the murder of 20-year-old Joseph Williams-Torres, who was killed in a case of mistaken identity in Walthamstow, east London. Although the Metropolitan Police say there is no suggestion the two murders are linked, the fact the same weapon was used suggests it is a gun for hire. READ MORE North East residents woken by early morning earthquake which 'made whole houses shake' Tory MP says she was forced to use newspaper when she couldn't afford tampons as a teenager Detective chief inspector Neil John, from the specialist crime unit, said: I strongly believe there are people in the local community who know who killed Tanesha and I would urge them to come forward. The killers of Joseph are now serving life in prison thanks to a strong body of evidence against them. Please help us build the case against Taneshas killers and bring justice to her family who naturally are still very much struggling with their overwhelming grief and loss. Joseph Williams-Torres, 20, was shot dead by mistake using the same weapon that killed Tanesha (PA) Joseph was shot dead by the members of the Mali Boys gang as he sat with a friend in a van on Essex Close in Walthamstow on 14 March 2018. His killers Hamza Ul Haq, 21, Loic Nengese, 19, and a 16-year-old were locked up for life at the Old Bailey two weeks ago. The trio were with a group of other males when the same gun was fired at a rival gang member at Hoe Street, Walthamstow, on 9 May 2017. Story continues On 29 September 2017, a 27-year-old man was shot in the leg in Leyton, east London, and a 39-year-old man was shot in Forest Gate, east London, on 30 December 2017, both with the same gun. Detectives believe that following Josephs murder, the weapon was then passed to another gang. Tanesha was shot dead on Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, at about 9.35pm on 2 April by a gunman in a silver Vauxhall Meriva people carrier. Scotland Yard said there have been five arrests made as part of the investigation into her death. A 30-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a 22-year-old man all arrested on suspicion of murder have been released under investigation pending further inquiries. A 50-year-old man and 26-year-old man were arrested and subsequently released with no further action. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a research report "Data Center Rack Server Market by Form Factor (1U, 2U, and 4U), Service, Tier Type (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4), Data Center Type (Mid-Sized, Enterprise, and Large Data Centers), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Data Center Rack Server Market size is expected to grow from USD 52.1 billion in 2019 to USD 102.5 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 14.5% during the forecast period. Major growth factors for the market include an increasing need for high-density servers due to high computation needs and advancement in emerging technologies, such as edge computing, IoT, and big data analytics. Browse in-depth TOC on "Data Center Rack Server Market" 85 Tables 34 Figures 134 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=53332315 2U form factor segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period The 2U form factor segment is estimated to hold one of the largest chunks of the Data Center Rack Server Market shares during the forecast period. This is mainly because it facilitates easy adoption in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The servers require normal coolers and hence are economical. Moreover, 2U rack server solutions enable low-cost deployment for a variety of data center needs. These benefits fuel the demand for Data Center Rack Servers in the Market. Mid-sized data centers segment to record the fastest growth rate during the forecast period The adoption of data center rack servers among mid-sized data centers is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Rack servers used in mid-sized data center provides a facility for storing and computing information at a lower cost, which helps organizations in their personal or private usage. Organizations are rapidly adopting these solutions as they provide increased scalability and easy migration from traditional technologies. Vendors can develop specific solutions targeted toward mid-sized data centers to improve their position in the Data Center Rack Server Market. Furthermore, rising technological proficiency among the mid-sized data centers further compels mid-sized data centers to adopt data center rack servers. Speak to Our Expert Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=53332315 North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period Countries that contribute the most to the Data Center Rack Server Market in North America include the US and Canada; the reason for the dominance of these countries is their well-established economies, which enable investments in new technologies. North America being the most developed region, is home to large industries that are capable of investing in reliable and advanced IT infrastructure for growing data traffic, thereby opening new opportunities for the adoption of data center rack servers. Market Players Key market players profiled in Data Center Rack Server Market report are Hewlett Packard Enterprise (US), Lenovo (China), Dell (US), Cisco Systems (US), Huawei (China), Oracle (US), Fujitsu (Japan), NEC (Japan), Rittal (Germany), Vertiv (US), Schneider Electric (France), Asus (China), Inspur Systems (China), Iron Systems (US), Black Box Corporation (US), and Quanta Computer,. (China). Browse Adjacent Markets: Data Center and Networking Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Data Center Blade Server Market by Data Center Type (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4), by Services (Consulting, Installation and Support, Professional), by End User (Small, Medium, Large), by region, & by Industry Vertical - Global Forecast to 2019 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/datacenter-blade-server-market-33745763.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insights: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/data-center-rack-server-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/data-center-rack-server.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Later that year, Parcon gave the executor a fabricated letter purporting to be from the Illinois Department of Revenue claiming the estate owed the state nearly $13,000 in additional taxes, according to the charge. Again, Parcon told the executor that hed paid the outstanding bill, and in July 2016 he accepted a $12,944 check as reimbursement from the estate, according to the charge. Inspired by Subhas Chandra Bose, a lawyer has been collecting rare photographs of the freedom fighter since three decades, and has turned his home in a dusty lane of this town into a private museum. The leader's broadcast to the nation, Rash Behari Bose handing over the baton of the Indian National Congress presidentship to him, his visit to the infamous Cellular Jail in Andamans and sharing private moments with his family figure in the collection of 56-year-old Mohammad Mustaque at Badahaat area. "It was quite a task to collect the photographs. I had to part with my hard-earned money. A glimpse at the frozen frames in black and white stirs patriotic fervour in me. I feel my labour was worth it. "Since childhood, I was an ardent fan of Netaji. His magnetic personality drew me to know more and more about him. I began to collect everything on him that I could lay my hands on," Mustaque said. Besides the photographs, the collection includes letters, manuscripts, magazines, journals and coins related to the great leader. A 1913 gazette notification of Bihar and Orissa on Bose passing the high school entrance examination in 1913, a handwritten letter of Captain Laxmi Saigal of the Indian National Army (INA), an original copy of 'Forward', a magazine published by the freedom fighter, are part of the collection. "It was three decades of perseverance and hard work that is now paying dividends. I take pride that my personal collection on the great leader is drawing people from various parts of the country," the lawyer said. Two rare coins, which the government minted to observe the centenary of Netaji in 1997, can also be found at Mustaques house. Though the centenary of Netaji was observed in 1997, inadvertently in some coins the centenary year was wrongly mentioned as 1996. Mustaque also possesses three of these coins in his museum. "Right from the street corner book shops at College streets in Kolkata to various individuals in the state, my search for Netaji memorabilia still continues. "I am now planning to turn the private museum into a trust as organizations are showing interest to conserve the collected articles," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Piotr Skolimowski, Jenny Leonard, and Saleha Mohsin The US and Europe looked set for a renewed clash over everything from car tariffs to digital taxes in a sign that a new American focus was emerging following president Donald Trumps trade truce with China. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said the US was still considering slapping levies on European auto imports even as it hopes for a peaceful resolution of differences. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin declined to say if he was still pushing for an optional digital tax after an agreement for a global framework was reached with France this week. Earlier in the week, Mr Trump abandoned his conciliatory approach to his transatlantic allies and lambasted Europeans for having trade barriers and said they were more difficult to do business with than China. Any tariffs on cars would be particularly painful for Germany, whose manufacturing is already in a slump as a result of the US-China trade war. The threat of tariffs has led to people being willing to renegotiate trade deals, said Mr Mnuchin. The purpose is to get free and fair and reciprocal trade. Mr Trump put European leaders on notice this week, renewing a threat to hurt the economies of transatlantic allies if they arent willing to compromise on a trade deal before the US elections. The president has not ruled out putting in tariffs if the negotiations fail, said Mr Ross. We have not abandoned the tariffs, they are still available. We hope they will not be used. Speaking in an interview, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said he discussed the issue of car tariffs with Mr Trump and he believes they will be able to work out a deal. We are united in the European Union on trade, we always have been, its one of the few very successful things we are doing, he said. The EU and US have also clashed over European efforts to tax technology companies. Last year, France introduced a 3% levy on the digital revenue of companies that make their sales primarily online, such as Facebook and Google. The US threatened tariffs as high as 100% on $2.4bn of French goods, saying the measure discriminates against American businesses. The US and France temporarily resolved the issue this week. At a meeting with Mr Mnuchin on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire agreed to delay collecting the digital tax until the end of 2020. In exchange, the US will refrain from imposing the punitive tariffs on French goods it had threatened as retaliation. But the detente is no guarantee that an accord will be reached. Mr Mnuchin declined to say if the US was still pushing for a global digital tax to be optional, a red line for Mr Le Maire. An optional tax is a contradiction in terms, said Mr Le Maire. I know of no one who voluntarily pays a tax. Mr Le Maire said France will only ultimately refrain from imposing its levy in 2020 if there is a global agreement on taxation at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Talks at the OECD, however, have been dragging on for years and involve more than 135 countries. European commissioner for economic affairs Paolo Gentiloni said that if the OECD effort fails then the EU will push for a digital tax of its own. Chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid said in Davos that the UK also plans to go ahead with a tax on digital services in April. A trade war is in no ones interest. Its not in the interest of the US, its not in the interest of Europe, said Mr Le Maire. It reduces growth, it destroys employment and destroys economic activity. Bloomberg Crowd-funding campaign helps Wits students to find large haul of ancient fossils Group of students find a large haul of fossils on the first day of their dig in Oviston Nature Reserve. A crowd-funding campaign driven by a popular French Youtube personality has helped a group of students from Wits University in South Africa to find a large haul of ancient mammalian ancestors fossils in the Oviston Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape. The campaign, launched by Dr Julien Benoit, a Lecturer in Palaeontology at Wits Universitys Evolutionary Science Institute and promoted by the French Youtube personalityCedrik Jurassik, helped fund a field trip for Wits palaeontology students to the Karoo in November 2019. Wits is the only University in South Africa that offers a degree in palaeontology. However, we get really limited opportunities to train our students in practical field work, says Benoit. We organised the trip to provide our students with a deeper foundation in field work. The trip was fully funded by donations in the crowd-funding campaign, helping 15 students to spend 14 days in the field, learning techniques such as to search for, dig and identify fossils, making plaster jackets to protect fossils and using the relevant technology in the field to aid their research. The group spent 10 days in Victoria West in the Central Karoo, getting instruction from Benoit and Dr Rose Prevec, head of the Department and curator of the Palaeontology collection at the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, before they moved to the Oviston Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape, to put their knowledge to the test. On the first day at Oviston, we found a lot of fossil material, including some complete skeletons, says Benoit. At the end of our three days in the area, we have found 26 fossils, including at least four complete skeletons of an herbivorous pre-mammalian reptile, called Lystrosaurus. While some of the skeletons have been taken into the care of the scientists for conservation, the majority have been left on location, under protection of the National Park. Part of the programme involved training the local rangers on the importance of our fossil heritage including the preservation and conservation of the fossils, says Benoit. About 250 million years ago, South Africas Karoo region formed a part of a large floodplain, where many pre-mammalian reptiles and other species roamed. At their death, the remains of these animals got buried in the mud through periodical flooding. This resulted in the Karoo becoming an extremely fossil-rich region. One of the most exciting discoveries of the trip was that we have found samples of lystrosaurus skeletons from both before and after the massive Permian extinction (about 250 million years ago), says Benoit. The lystrosaurus is one of only a few species that survived this extinction. Finding samples of the bigger pre-extinction lystrosaurus and its smaller post-extinction relatives shows that weve got a Permian-Triassic Boundary one of only a few places in the world where this could be seen. The fossils found will be included in further research at the ESI, and further similar field-trips will be arranged, says Benoit. Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud (C) and founder of the Amazon website Jeff Bezos (3rd L) pose for a photo during his visit in in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 9 November 2016. Photo: Getty Images The United Nations has said it is gravely concerned over allegations that Saudi Arabia hacked Amazon (AMZN) and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos mobile phone. According to an investigation by the Guardian newspaper published on Tuesday, Bezoss phone was infiltrated in 2018 via a WhatsApp message that came from the number of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The message from the prince reportedly included an infected file that infiltrated his phone, and stole information for months. Saudi authorities have called the claims absurd. In a statement, independent UN human rights experts Agnes Callamard and David Kaye say the possible involvement of the crown prince in the hacking of Bezos is an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia. READ MORE: Child peace prize winner warns Davos elite 'forgetting' huge global issue Callamard, UN special rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and Kaye, special rapporteur on freedom of expression, called for an immediate investigation by the US and others into the incident. Amazon boss Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013. The newspaper employed the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The Committee to Protect Journalists hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Saudi Embassy to mark the anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Photo: Reuters Khashoggi was killed five months after the Bezos phone hack, which reportedly stole huge amounts of data from the phone within hours and stayed active for months. Experts told the Guardian that Bezos had probably been targeted because of the Washington Posts coverage of Saudi Arabia, and Khashoggis columns about the crown princes crackdown of activists in the kingdom. The allegations will also ignite the debate about whether the Saudi heir was personally involved in leaking private information about Bezos to the National Enquirer tabloid. READ MORE: Surge in approved UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia and war allies in Yemen Bezos revealed that AMI, which owns the National Enquirer, had attempted to blackmail him with intimate photos into dropping his investigation into how it had got access to his text messages the messages revealed he was having an affair. A private investigator hired by the Amazon CEO claimed later that Saudi Arabia had hacked his phone. Bin Salman has repeatedly denied he was behind Khashoggis murder. Armenia ranked 78-79 in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 by Transparency International. The level of corruption in Armenia at the beginning of 2019 was estimated at 42 points. This is an unprecedented success, as in the previous year the level of corruption was rated at 35 points, the project manager of the anti-corruption center Transparency International Varuzhan Oktanyan told reporters on Thursday. According to him, the risks of systemic corruption still remain in Armenia, since such risks are considered to be overcome if the indicators are above 50 points. According to him, the corruption perception index covers 180 countries and territories according to the perceived level of corruption in the country's public sector from the perspective of experts and entrepreneurs. He noted that the world average score is 43, while Armenia scored 32 points on the perception of corruption in the business sphere and political corruption. This suggests that, despite significant progress, the authorities should carry out serious reforms in the economic sphere, which will improve the country's position. Kangana Ranaut has opened up about the completely bizarre things that have been written about her. During a media interaction before the screening of Panga in Mumbai on Wednesday, she said that her sister Rangoli Chandel was worried that the media might think that her son Prithvi Raj was actually Kanganas baby. When my sister gave birth to her child, she sent me a few pictures and she is like, I want to post them. I said, Youre on the hospital bed and they have cut you open. Why do you want to post it? She is like, Because tomorrow, they will say that this is not my child. Looking at the media, I am 100 per cent sure they will say this. Ek toh he is so white and like you, they will say isne yahaan transfer kar diya (you transferred him to me), the actor laughed. Even though Kangana found Rangolis zig-zag thinking funny at first, she later though it was very likely to happen because her nephew Prithvi is fair and has curly hair like her. She is like, Yeh mera bachcha lag hi nahi raha. People will say iska hi hoga, isne isko de diya. (He does not look like my baby at all. People will say it must be yours and you have given him to me). We are constantly living in a certain fear ki kaun kahaan se humein kya bol dega (that someone will say something to us), she said. Also read: Kangana Ranaut slams Indira Jaising for seeking pardon for rapists, says such women give birth to monsters Kangana went on to say that Rangoli was very affected when it was reported that the actor has black curtains and walls in her house for the purpose of black magic. That was the time my sister opened the doors and said, I want magazines to cover your house. I am not a person who will bring magazines into my house. She is like, Now, I will tweet everything. Everywhere you go, what you eat Because how can you go on every platform and be so defensive? Does that happen to anybody who is from the film industry? It does not. Its a very scary thing how outsiders are perceived, she said. Kangana also said that Rangoli has become this active on social media only in the last two years after reading the news about her. Two years ago, she didnt have time for all that. She is so protective also because of the bizarre things people talk about outsiders, the actor said. Follow @htshowbiz for more JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Thursday called on secular regional parties and Congress to fight against the "divisive policies" of the central government like the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens with a Common Minimum Programme. The former Prime Minister also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of fulfilling the "long standing anti-Muslim agenda" of Jana Sangh and Hindu Mahasabha, and leading the country to the margins of danger. Gowda said that during these trying times, regional parties and the Congress still believing in secular principles have to fight with a CMP "to avert the disaster that may explode anytime." It was a matter left for bigger leaders to decide, but the JD(S), being a small party, should be ready to fight these acts at any level and be ready to go to jail if such a situation arose, he said, addressing a JD(S) convention here. Alleging that attempts were being made to treat Muslims as second grade citizens of the country, he accused Modi of "fulfilling the nearly 70-year-old anti Muslim agenda" of the Jana Sangh and Hindu Mahasabha, after his party won over 300 seats in the Lok Sabha in the 2019 parliamentary polls. Pointing to nationwide agitations, he said "this government has led the country to the margins of danger..." Noting that Congress and JD(S) as "secular parties", had formed a coalition government in Karnataka that eventually collapsed, the regional party's national President said he would not discuss who was right or wrong and reasons for the government to fall. "But somewhere we have stumbled," he said. "How the BJP government was formed in Karnataka, how long will it survive, where did we stumble...let's not discuss about it. Let's concentrate on strengthening our organisation...be prepared for everything. Only then will the party survive,"he added. Pointing to his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls and the party getting 15 seats in the assembly polls, Gowda asked JD (S) workers not to be disheartened, fearing the party's poor prospects in the future. "...the strength of the party is you (workers) and it is you who can build and rejuvenate it. You will have to work with zeal. Without your support one Deve Gowda or one Kumaraswamy (his son) cannot achieve anything," he added. The JD(S) also passed three resolutions- against the "weakening" economic situation in the country and growing unemployment and to hold a mass public movement in this regard; agitation against discrimination in allocation of funds to the state by the centre if it is not set right soon; and demand to withdraw Citizenhisp AA to maintain peace in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IT SEEMS like my last article got quite a number of reactions and I feel the need to follow up on my article. That is not meant to put down the Sussexes but rather a view on why I think people are not happy with them. Those are my observations watching first hand their engagement interview, and the recent Africa documentary in which she was teary-eyed and was sullen and totally looked beaten. If I am part of her very expensive public relations team Sunshine Sachs, I might suggest the following to the couple: 1. I would ask them to know what they want. Do they want privacy? Or do they want media attention? It cannot go both ways. It is either you want people to talk about you or forget about you entirely. This has been a confusion in their actions. When they gave birth to Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, they wanted privacy. How can you be private when Archie is 7th in line to the throne? Of course, the public wants to know. They accuse the press of being mean to them and yet does not praise the press for covering their numerous engagements like their world tour in Australia and New Zealand, and their African tours. I think what they want to happen is to only have the media talk positively about them. No negative publicity allowed. First off, that is not realistic. Secondly, they have to change their actions so the media can genuinely see their sincerity in helping out. If you call for climate change and even say you will only have maximum two kids to save the Earth yet take four private jet trips within two weeks that is not even work-related, people will call you out. They took private jets not to fly off to some war-torn country but to holiday in the South of France and Ibiza, Spain. This is what happened and the two cried that the media is vilifying them. The media calls out hypocritical actions and that did not sit well with them. 2. I would suggest to Meghan that she forget her former actress gig. When she is giving interviews, she is not an actress anymore, but a humanitarian wife of a British prince. I would remind her that she is part of a duo now who wants to do good. I would tell her to stop playing the victim on interviews. Her disaster documentary wherein she said "not many have asked if I'm okay." I mean she has a loving husband, a great baby, royalists who love the Royal family, A-lister friends, money and influence at her disposal to actually make a difference in the world then you play the victim and say this. Her marriage to Prince Harry opened doors for her to meet Disney, and other influential people. Story continues She has food, she has a 16 room cottage, all flights, clothes, allowances taken care of. She has seen the poorest of the poor so she has to stop complaining not many have asked if shes okay. Of course, shes okay! Others are dying from poverty and malnutrition, fleeing from wars, and here she is tearily complaining of such. I would gently remind her that Its not all about her. 3. Also, charity begins at home. If she wants to be seen as a true humanitarian, make amends with your dad. She has flown all over but she did not even visit her dad after her dad's surgery. She should be able to forgive her dad after the tabloid fiasco, introduce him to his grandchild and to Harry properly. I mean the dad has not even met the guy even while they were still in talking terms. 4. I would also make amends with the Queen. I still think they should have told grandma first. I mean if I was going to resign from my job, I would not announce it prior to telling my immediate supervisor I am quitting my job. That is just kind of disrespectful. Honestly though? I think they should have also waited. The Queen is old, Prince Philip is sick. It seems they are in such a hurry to carve their own path without regard for their family members, not as the Institution but as family members. 5. They mentioned they want to be financially independent. If that is the case, they should pay for their own security. There is a debate now in Canada on who is paying for their security. I think taxpayers should not be on the hook for this. They should make a press release just like what they did with their website to say that none of their expenses are being paid by anybody else except them. 6. Since they are no longer working for the family business, I think they should also forego the allowances from the Duchy of Cornwall since that duchy is by virtue of Prince Charles being the heir to the throne. 5. Lastly, I think they should make peace with Prince William and Duchess Kate. After all, there is just the two of them. They can go back to being the Fab Four. I would tell them to reassess their roles. Prince William is the heir after Charles, Kate will be queen. The sooner they accept that, the better their relationship will be. There should be no overlapping of roles, or of expectations. Also, as the newest family member, I would suggest to Meghan to humble herself. Much like if you are the new daughter in law in a common family, you would adjust to that family. You should not expect the family to adjust to you. If you love your husband, you have to learn to accept the whole family and their traditions and culture. There are some daughter in-laws who even instigate clashes within the family they are entering. They try to insert themselves in all family decisions whether in the family business or in family matters. That is not your place. If you are entering a family, make peace with that family, humble yourself, be respectful at all times, do not separate your husband or wife from the rest of his family. They came first before you. Manage the new situation with utmost care, respect, and a dose of selflessness. Remember, it is not just all about you. Follow me on Twitter @Missheiding, Instagram @missheiding and website www.sunstar.com.ph. A Longford man charged with fraudulently inducing a student to transfer 1,000 into a bank account believing the money would be used to acquire third level accommodation has been handed a suspended prison sentence. Gabriel Adedej Olusanya (52), 34 Oakland Green, Longford was charged after the four figure sum was paid into an EBS bank account at Main Street, Longford on New Years Eve 2016. Sgt Paddy McGirl told last weeks sitting of Longford District Court the initial advert for the accommodation had been placed online. Money was transferred to an account on the pretense of securing accommodation in Galway, but when she travelled to Galway it was found the address didnt exist, he said. Noting how the offence took place over three years ago, Judge Hughes said: I see it took some time to locate this gentleman. In defence, solicitor Trish Cronin said her client was adamant that while the incident took place, he was unaware of its circumstances. Judge Hughes was quick to question those claims as he turned his ire on the father of four. I have the flu and I will get quite exhausted, he said. He has had three years to prepare his defence. Having stood patiently beside his solicitor throughout, Mr Olusanya said the incident had come about entirely innocently. It was my brother in Nigeria, he said. He sells beads and he has clients in France and Germany. Before being allowed to continue on with his take on what led up to the charge being levelled against him, Judge Hughes snapped: This person was a student who replied to an accommodation advert. Mr Olusanya, however, continued to deny any involvement over what transpired. I never even knew this person (victim), he said. Ms Cronin said her client was a married father of four who, despite being out of work, had been resident in Longford since 2013. Im not working, interjected Mr Olusanya, adding he was currently receiving disability assistance. Keen to see closer evidence of how the 1,000 fraud had been inadvertently assigned to his brothers business, the case was put back for second calling. After an adjournment of no more than 30 minutes, Mr Olusanya returned to stand beside Ms Cronin clutching his mobile phone. In reference to the beads man as he termed him, Judge Hughes was handed Mr Olusanyas phone. Looking puzzled as he stared down at the phone, Judge Hughes said: This is a hat you put on your head, what are you saying? Ms Cronin attempted to shed further light on the images on Mr Olusanyas phone, claiming the hat Judge Hughes was referring to had been made out of beads from her clients brothers business. Judge Hughes brushed aside those claims however, saying: This (hat) is only for anybody walking around in France, not for walking around in Galway. In a question which drew laughter from the public gallery, Judge Hughes asked Ms Cronin about her feelings on the topic. This (hat) would be suitable to wear at a Nigerian wedding, would you wear that? Trying to maintain her composure, Ms Cronin replied: I dont think so, no. I dont believe it would suit me. Still holding onto Mr Olusanyas phone, Judge Hughes continued to browse through a number of images. Id better not go to far or click and swipe anything I wouldnt want to see, he joked amid much amusement. Ms Cronin said the reason the funds may have ended up in her clients account was because it was one which operated under the euro system. Judge Hughes, nonetheless handed Mr Olusanya a four month prison sentence, suspending it for a period of three years. The 1,000 compensation was also handed into court. A married Co Down couple who photographed themselves naked abusing a toddler were warned that they faced significant sentences. Gary and Heather Talbot, were told by Judge Peirs Grant that their case involved very serious offences in which they had betrayed the trust of a very young child and that it was only realistic for them to expect to be given significant jail terms when sentenced next month. In May last year, the paedophiles from Kinghill Avenue, in Newcastle, pleaded guilty to a series of sex offences, committed between 2001 and 2003 against the child then aged, 18 months to when she was three years and three months old. Gary Talbot, a 60-year-old postman and bus driver, admitted 16 charges including two rapes, gross indecency, indecent assault, and taking and distributing indecent images of the child. He also admitted a separate charge of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old teen sometime between July 2012 and July 2014. His 59-year-old wife Heather admitted 10 charges, including aiding and abetting her husband to rape the little girl, indecently assaulting her, committing acts of gross indecency, in addition to three charges of taking indecent images of the youngster. Both sat in the dock just yards from their now grown-up victim, sitting in the public gallery supported by family and friends. At one stage Gary Talbot, who listened to the details of his crimes with eyes closed shut, appeared to shake his head from side to side, while his wife kept looking to the side, her eyes cast down. Lawyers for the depraved pair told Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, that little could be said in their mitigation, save their guilty pleas, demonstrative of their remorse and shame, and for which they were entitled to credit in determining their ultimate sentence. Lawyers also revealed that while Gary Talbot had an enhanced status in prison where he was leading a model existence as a prisoner, his wife in contrast was finding custody hard, self-isolating and living under threat and constant fear. Earlier, prosecution QC David McDowell outlined in detail, too graphic to report, the couple's perverted abuse of the youngster and of internet chats and boasts to other paedophiles, recovered on a variety of computer equipment seized from their home in October 2017. He also revealed an external hard-drive was recovered from a locked bedroom cupboard, the key of which was secreted within the pages of the novel Lolita, on a bedside table. Counsel explained a total of 47 indecent images, apparently recording three separate occasions of abuse, including rape, were taken of the toddler, which also showed the couple naked on some. Mr McDowell said while initially making a "no comment" police interviews, Gary Talbot, also denied any sexual interest in children, before admitting by his third interview: "It is just the wrong road I have taken". And while he initially disputed claims of raping the child, until shown "a clear photograph", and denied knowingly sharing the pictures, he did finally admit to being "totally ashamed", although he claimed he only "looked at the image twice in 15 years, but not for sexual gratification". However, Mr McDowell said Talbot later accepted "going through a phrase where he was sexually attracted to children "and it was "around this time when he abused" the toddler, and "it was he who had introduced children to his and Heather's sexual relationship". He also accepted it was his idea to buy clothes from Dunnes, to dress-up the child especially for "posing", pictured in bed surrounded by pornographic magazines. However, he claimed the youngster had posed with the magazines, "of her own accord". Mr McDowell said quizzed about their online chatroom activities, using the names "Mike and Fiona", he "struggled to explain", and while claiming "he was embellishing for the sake of the chats", later "confirmed" he'd been talking about the toddler "and that he shared the indecent images" of her. When questioned, his wife Heather she said she was "60 - 70% confident" the images were of the toddler, but denied being "aware of the photograph" of her husband raping the toddler. Mr McDowell said Heather "commented that it was, 'just a fantasy that we carried too far', before correcting herself, saying, 'it was his fantasy, not mine really'," before adding it was "not really" her fantasy, and that "she played along". Mr McDowell said by her last interview Heather Talbot "repeated her denials" of taking the photographs, claiming the rape pictures were "taken using a tripod and when she dressed the toddler up, she did not think it would go as far as it did". However, when asked what she would say to the now grown-up toddler, she said she would apologise, "for what he's done to her", whilst still maintaining, "she hadn't done anything". Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure the safety of a Sikh leader, who received threats and tortured by unidentified people in Pakistan. Radesh Singh Tony, who contested the 2018 Pakistan general elections from Peshawar's PK-75 constituency as an independent candidate, recently said that he was "getting assassination threats from Pakistani hardliners". "Urge @ImranKhanPTI to ensure safety of @aoepoeRadesh. I understand he's feeling unsafe in Pakistan, which has seen many Sikhs being persecuted in recent months. The @pid_gov should take immediate steps to protect him & others like him & facilitate their safe passage if needed," Singh said in a tweet. Tony had tweeted a video of himself and wrote, "I am getting assassination threats from Pak hardliners.The life of my family is in danger Living in Pakistan is very dangerous for my family please please extend me help/refuge any further delay would cause serious troubles for my family." In the video, the Sikh leader narrated his plight and sought the help of Akali Dal leader Manjiinder Singh Sirsa. "The knows what has happened to me. I request Manjinder Singh Sirsa to help my family who are facing trouble. I urge you to seek UN's help to take me out from this place so that I can escape from such threats," Tony said. He stated that he should be taken to a place which is safe for him like Europe, Canada or the United States. Tony also sought the support of the Sikh community from across the and stand with him in the hour of crisis. As per a report from Pakistani daily The Dawn, Tony was a "prominent member of the local Sikh community and the president of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Pakistan Minorities Alliance". This is not the first time that incidents like this have come to fore. Last year, a former MLA from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Baldev Kumar, had sought asylum in India along with his family following the atrocities faced in Pakistan. Despite this, Islamabad continues to discriminate against its religious minorities, which is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, abduction, rapes and forced conversion to Islam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite challenges ahead, 40 years of access to legal aid has helped remove barriers to justice for all our citizens, writes Philip OLeary. When then justice minister Gerry Collins appointed the first Legal Aid Board on December 21, 1979, he stressed the importance of the Scheme of Civil Legal Aid and Advice as an instrument by which the concept of equality before the law could be brought substantially nearer to realisation in practice. Equality may always remain an aspiration rather than a reality, however the right to equality should be responsive to those who are disadvantaged, demeaned, excluded, or ignored. Over the past 40 years the Legal Aid Board has played a substantial role in redressing disadvantage by providing access to justice to people who could otherwise not afford to participate fully in the legal process. Irish society has undergone clear and defined changes in the past four decades. There has been an extensive change in Irish social thinking, values, and the expectations of citizens and other residents. The traditional definition of marriage and the family has changed. The 1970s had been a decade of transition which witnessed much debate about traditional Ireland adapting to modern times in relation to the economy, politics, and the status of women. Since 1979 there have been amendments to the Constitution concerning social justice issues such as abortion, adoption, children, same-sex marriage, divorce, the death penalty, and thevoting rights of both immigrants and migrants. The board, through enhancing participation and giving voice to citizens and others seeking to assert their rights, has played an active part as one component of a broader framework in assisting in modifying laws, policies, and practices to better achieve substantive equality. In the foreword to the first annual report of the Legal Aid Board in 1980, chairperson Vincent Landy, SC, pointed out that the growth of legal aid throughout the world during the 20th century reflected an acceptance of the fact that access to justice was a basic human right and acceptance also of the fact that State intervention was necessary to secure that right. He concluded that the introduction of the Scheme of Civil Legal Aid and Advice at the end of 1979 was a significant step towards the aim of securing justice for all in Irish society. The 40th anniversary is a moment to pause and reflect on the degree to which that aim has been achieved. Im conscious that there are legal issues faced by some where there may be legal or practical barriers to them getting access to legal aid services. I will be the first to acknowledge that the civil legal aid system is not without its challenges. Getting timely legal advice or timely access to the court when this is needed are important rights. While more than 50% of persons seeking civil legal aid services will get an immediate or near immediate service, there are waiting times for others, which is an issue that the board, management and I are always anxious to try and pro-actively address. I have listened carefully to the calls made to extend the availability of legal aid in tribunal cases to certain tribunals other than the International Protection Appeals Tribunal. Im aware of concerns expressed by NGOs in relation to the legal supports available to persons at risk of losing their homes and also to categories of people at risk of marginalisation or exploitation, for example, the elderly. Im aware that the basic financial eligibility criteria for legal aid have not been changed since 2006 and I have publicly called for this to be reviewed. Resourcing is inevitably an issue and it is the case that the extent or breadth of a legal aid service is clearly impacted and to a significant extent determined by the level of resources that are available. Im very aware of the call on the part of the Oireachtas joint committee on justice and equality, when reporting on the family justice system, for a full review of the legal aid system and I endorse this call and indeed the content and recommendations in the committees report generally. It is correct that we focus on the challenges but also important that we acknowledge the provision of legal advice and legal representation that has been given to often vulnerable persons in difficult situations on a day in day out basis over the last 40 years and that has allowed those persons to understand their rights and, where necessary to vindicate them through a court, mediation or other process. The availability of a properly funded legal aid system is a litmus test of our democracy and we must constantly strive to strike the right balancebetween those who have and those who need. Philip OLeary, chairperson Legal Aid Board. Queen Elizabeth is a notoriously private person who wont speak ill of anyone in public, regardless of how she feels on the inside. Even Her Majestys facial expressions rarely indicate her true emotions, proving time and time again that the queen is the undisputed master of maintaining a stiff upper lip. However, even though most royal followers have no idea how Queen Elizabeth really feels at any given time, there are enough context clues to determine those individuals she hasnt gotten along with over the years. And even though Queen Elizabeth is unfailingly civil and polite to everyone, there are certain people she just doesnt get along with. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images) Before Meghan, Duchess of Sussex came along, Prince Harry had a perfectly cordial relationship with her grandson Prince Harry. But their marriage and all the drama that followed has put a considerable strain on the relationship between the reigning monarch and one of her more prominent family members. Harry and Meghan carefully worded their resignation post on Instagram, insisting that while they were stepping back as senior royals, theyd still be in full support of the queen. But they violated Queen Elizabeths cardinal rule by causing a rift in the family. Nothing is more important to the queen than maintaining strong family ties and continued unity. It may not be Meghan and Harrys fault that this happened, but it hurt their relationship with Queen Elizabeth just the same. Camilla Parker Bowles Camilla Parker Bowles and Queen Elizabeth | Tom Hevezi WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth gets along fine with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall these days. But there was a long period when she barely tolerated being around her sons former mistress who threatened the reputation Elizabeth spent decades cultivating. The queen had to approve of Prince Charles relationship with Camilla before they could take their romance public and eventually marry. But in the beginning, Queen Elizabeth called Camilla a wicked woman for tempting Charles away from Diana and ruining the perfect image everyone had of the royal family. Eventually, Camilla and the queen found a truce. It just took a lot of time and patience to get there. Kate Middletons family The Middleton family | Ian Gavan/GP/Getty Images Even though Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has settled into her role as future queen beautifully, the queen hasnt been quick to embrace the rest of her family members. For starters, the Middletons are never invited to Christmas celebrations at Sandringham. While royal protocol holds that technically only royals can attend, the queen has bent this rule in the past whenever she felt like doing so. Just not for the middle-class Middletons. Kates brother James Middleton also allegedly faced the queens ire when he made some derogatory comments about the royal family during an interview. An insider claims the interview frustrated Queen Elizabeth, who saw the revelations as tacky. It might be an unconfirmed story, but it sounds believable considering how the queen feels about scandals in general. Princess Diana Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip urged their son Prince Charles to marry a virginal young woman from an appropriate background. Diana Spencer seemed like the perfect choice but the reality was more like a nightmare than a fairytale. She may have had a good lineage, but Diana never felt like she fit in with the royal family. She was prone to emotional outbursts and couldnt control her feelings, even in public. These traits were horrifying for someone as straitlaced and reserved as Queen Elizabeth who wanted nothing more than to maintain a perfect-looking exterior. Sarah Fergusons father Major Ronald Ferguson Ronald Ferguson and Prince Charles | Georges De Keerle/Getty Images After being involved in an erotic massage parlor scandal, Sarah Fergusons father was shunned by the royal family even though he used to work closely with them. Rumor has it Major Ronald Ferguson was forced to enter and exit through a back door for his granddaughter Princess Eugenies 1990 christening because Queen Elizabeth [could] not stand the sight of him. One lesson we can all learn from all this animosity? Queen Elizabeth is exceptionally averse to scandal and drama. The best way to Her Majestys heart is by maintaining the status quo and always portraying the royal family in the best possible light. [January 23, 2020] CytoDyn Appoints Maura Fleming as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary VANCOUVER, Washington, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytoDyn Inc. (OTC.QB: CYDY), (CytoDyn or the Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab (PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, today announced the appointment of Maura Fleming as the Companys vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Ms. Fleming joins CytoDyn with extensive experience in transactional, corporate and commercial law, in addition to experience in governance, securities and compliance. We are excited to welcome Maura to the CytoDyn team, said Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of CytoDyn. Her entrepreneurial spirit, broad legal background and experience in navigating the corporate life cycle strengthens our leadership team at this pivotal time. Maura will assist the CytoDyn team execute its goals as the Company continues to advance its targeted therapy, leronlimab, to address cancer, HIV and other autoimmune diseases. Ms. Fleming added, I am honored to join CytoDyn and look forward to leveraging my strategic and legal insight to advise the Company during this unprecedented period of extensive growth and evolution. I am eager to start working alongside the leadership team and support the continuing evolution of its corporate governance, transactions and other legal challenges. Ms. Fleming has over 10 years of experience working in corporate transactional law. Before joining CytoDyn, Ms. Fleming served as counsel for Holland & Hart LLP, where she was responsible for providing legal expertise and contract management services across technology, natural foods and beverages, manufacturing, natural resources and various other industries. Prior to Holland & Hart LLP, Ms. Fleming served as senior corporate counsel at Shutterfly, a publicly traded company specialized in personal products and services, where she oversaw all aspects of the corporate life cycle and provided strategic insight on corporate risk while ensuring compliance with essential legal requirements. Ms. Fleming also served as director of legal services at Aerohive Networks, Inc., where she was involved in all aspects of the software companys legal processes. Additionally, Ms. Fleming worked as an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, representing and advising private companies as well as supporting public companies at every stage of the corporate life cycle. Ms. Fleming began her career at Yahoo! Inc., where she worked for seven years and held increasing roles of responsibility ultimately leading to her role as senior compliance paralegal. She received her J.D. from Santa Claa University School of Law and her bachelor of arts degree in international relations from the University of California, Davis. About CytoDyn CytoDyn is a biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications based on leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 appears to play a key role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells. The CCR5 receptor also appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and in immune-mediated illnesses, such as graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) and NASH. CytoDyn has successfully completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial with leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients. CytoDyn plans to seek FDA approval for leronlimab in combination therapy and plans to complete the filing of a Biologics License Application (BLA) in 2019 for that indication. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 3 investigative trial with leronlimab (PRO 140) as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients and, plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication, which if successful, could support a label extension. Clinical results to date from multiple trials have shown that leronlimab (PRO 140) can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV with no reported drug-related serious adverse events (SAEs). Moreover, results from a Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that leronlimab monotherapy can prevent viral escape in HIV-infected patients, with some patients on leronlimab monotherapy remaining virally suppressed for more than four years. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 trial to evaluate leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD and has received clearance to initiate a clinical trial with leronlimab in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. More information is at www.cytodyn.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as believes, er the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The Companys forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i) the sufficiency of the Companys cash position, (ii) the Companys ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations, (iii) the Companys ability to meet its debt obligations, if any, (iv) the Companys ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third parties, (v) the Companys ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion, (vi) the Companys ability to achieve approval of a marketable product, (vii) the design, implementation and conduct of the Companys clinical trials, (viii) the results of the Companys clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results, (ix) the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved, (x) the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Companys products, (xi) regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process, (xii) general economic and business conditions, (xiii) changes in foreign, political, and social conditions, and (xiv) various other matters, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form 10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release. CONTACTS Media: Grace Fotiades LifeSci Communications [email protected] (646) 876-5026 Investors: Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D. President & CEO [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Virgin will indefinitely ban boxers, bulldogs and pugs from its flights following the death of two dogs in transit last month. The new rules, which will come into effect on Friday, follow Qantas' decision last week to temporarily halt flights for snub-nosed breeds after two dogs it was transporting died in separate incidents. Snub-nosed dogs, which include pugs, boxers and bulldogs, often suffer from obstructed airways, making them prone to respiratory problems and making it more difficult for them to withstand extreme heat. The RSPCA said it was "simply too dangerous" to transport snub-nosed dogs, even with the highest level of care. Industrials stocks were trading in the positive zone, with the S&P BSE Industrials index rising 38.26 points or 1.27% at 3052.57 at 09:48 IST. Among the components of the S&P BSE Industrials index, Everest Kanto Cylinder Ltd (up 7.25%), H.G. Infra Engineering Ltd (up 5.19%),Nila Infrastructures Ltd (up 4.86%),Sanghvi Movers Ltd (up 4.6%),SpiceJet Ltd (up 3.58%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were Larsen & Toubro Ltd (up 3.35%), Surya Roshni Ltd (up 3.01%), Sintex Plastics Technology Ltd (up 2.7%), GMR Infrastructure Ltd (up 2.61%), and MSTC Ltd (up 2.22%). On the other hand, Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd (down 6.1%), Reliance Naval & Engineering Ltd (down 4.69%), and Mercator Ltd (down 4.11%) moved lower. At 09:48 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 252.79 or 0.61% at 41368.17. The Nifty 50 index was up 57.25 points or 0.47% at 12164.15. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 67.22 points or 0.46% at 14700.38. The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 30.35 points or 0.61% at 5035.06. On BSE,937 shares were trading in green, 446 were trading in red and 56 were unchanged. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (CNN) -- Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that Israel's Prime Minister and opposition leader will visit the White House next week to discuss "regional issues as well as the prospect of peace." The announcement comes as reports suggest a potential reveal of the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan could be imminent. Pence, who was in Jerusalem for a gathering of world leaders to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, extended the invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from President Donald Trump. He also announced that Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz will also attend the meeting at the White House on Tuesday. In a tweet Trump appeared to dash speculation an announcement on the peace plan may be imminent. "The United States looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister @Netanyahu & Blue & White Chairman @Gantzbe to the @WhiteHouse next week. Reports about details and timing of our closely-held peace plan are purely speculative," he tweeted. The unveiling of the plan, which is being spearheaded by Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been delayed amid the months-long period of turmoil in Israeli politics with the country due to hold an unprecedented third national election in less than a year in March. The two previous elections have failed to produce a clear winner and both Netanyahu and Gantz have failed in efforts to form a new government. Seated next to Pence at the US embassy in Jerusalem as he accepted the White House invitation, Netanyahu spoke of an "historic opportunity" for Israel. And he ramped up the pressure on Gantz, saying, "With such friends in the White House, with such backing from the United States, we should get as broad a consensus as possible around the efforts to achieve security and peace for the state of Israel." As well as a third election campaign, Netanyahu also has the prospect of a possible criminal trial hanging over him on charges of bribery and fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing and has asked for immunity from prosecution. An Israeli parliamentary committee is due to start debating his request on Tuesday, the same day he is expected to meet Trump in Washington. The Trump administration released the economic portion of its peace plan during a conference with mainly regional officials in Bahrain last June, but it has yet to unveil the political portion, which will address the most intractable issues -- like the matter of Palestinian statehood, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees -- to resolving the conflict. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Israel's Prime Minister and opposition leader will visit White House to discuss 'prospect of peace' next week" Libya's neighbours came together Thursday in Algiers as part of international efforts to find a political settlement to a crisis that threatens regional stability. The meeting, organised at Algeria's initiative, began mid-morning with statements from each of the participants and continued behind closed doors, an AFP journalist said. It brought together foreign ministers from Tunisia, Egypt and Chad, as well as diplomats from Sudan and Niger. Mali sent a representative while Morocco was absent from the talks. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who was set to brief the meeting on the results of Sunday's international summit in Berlin, is also attending. Several African countries had complained of being left out of the so-called Berlin process, during which world leaders committed to ending all foreign meddling in Libya and upholding a weapons embargo. But the outcome of the efforts remains uncertain. Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, and his rival Khalifa Haftar, commander of Libyan National Army (LNA) who controls eastern Libya, refused to meet in Berlin and are not participating in the Algeria talks. "The current situation in Libya cannot withstand an escalation," Algeria's Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum told Thursday's meeting. He said neighbouring countries had a role to play in fostering dialogue between the Libyan parties to "put an end to the bloody clashes and avoid leading the country towards the unknown". Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who attended the Berlin summit, said Wednesday: "There are statements from Sarraj, statements from Haftar's side, which indicate that the only power capable of settling the problem is Algeria." The Algiers meeting came as the UN Security Council urged Libya's warring parties to reach a long-term deal paving the way for a political process aimed at ending the conflict. Algeria shares a border of almost 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) with Libya, which has been rocked by violence since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi by NATO-backed insurgents. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who supports Sarraj's GNA, is expected in Algiers Sunday. Search Keywords: Short link: Love Island star Ollie Williams has revealed he is officially back together with his ex-girlfriend Laura Nofer. The Cornish hunk, 23, told The Sun that just hours after he quit the Love Island villa he called Laura to say how much he loved her, and they're already planning their future together. Ollie - who quit Love Island after just three days in the villa when he decided he would rather be with Laura - went onto reveal that they've even discussed getting engaged, and they're planning to move in together in the coming weeks. They've reunited! Love Island star Ollie Williams has revealed he is officially back together with his ex-girlfriend Laura Nofer, after he quit the show to be with her Ollie told the publication that he rushed to call Laura as soon as he arrived back in London, and after a tearful conversation they decided to give their relationship another try. He said: 'As soon as I landed in the UK I rang Laura to tell her I was deeply in love with her. We were both crying and she was like, ''Why has it taken it this to realise?' I asked her straightaway to be my girlfriend again.' Ollie and Laura previously dated for 18 months after meeting at Royal Holloway University, but the couple split due to the struggles of a long distance relationship. Reunited: The Cornish hunk said that Laura took him back after he tearfully phone her just hours after returning to London and they're already discussing marriage The hunk explained that Laura wasn't happy when he told her he was going to take part in Love Island just days before the first episode aired, but he insisted show bosses told him he had to keep his involvement a secret. During Ollie's short stint in the Love Island villa he was coupled up with Paige Turley, but he admitted that he struggled to develop feelings for the singer as he constantly thought about Laura. He explained that he went to producers and said he wanted to leave the show, and some of the male Islanders tried to convince him to stay to increase his chances of getting brand deals when he left the show. Brief: Ollie was coupled up with Paige Turley during his three days in the villa, but then decided to quit the show to reunite with Laura Since reuniting Ollie said he and Laura are stronger than ever, and have already discussed getting engaged and moving in together. He said: I now realise that Laura is the girl I want to marry. I'm so grateful she has taken me back. We're going to move in together in London over the next few months. I can't wait to start a life with her.' Ollie was also quick to deny any speculation that he cheated on Laura, having confessed in the villa that he had been unfaithful with a former girlfriend. He's off! Last week viewers saw Ollie's departure from the villa, as he told Paige and his fellow Islanders that he wanted to reunite with Laura Last week viewers saw Ollie's departure from the villa, as he told Paige and his fellow Islanders that he wanted to reunite with Laura. Explaining his reasons for leaving, Ollie said in the Beach Hut on Wednesday's episode: 'I have to be honest with myself, and everyone, that I do still love someone else 'I have to follow my heart in this scenario and it would be wrong for me to ignore these feelings. 'At the end of the day, this is Love Island and it's about finding love. If I carried on anything with Paige [Turley], or any other girl that might come into the villa, it wouldn't be fair on them.' During his villa stint, Ollie also faced huge backlash from viewers when he was accused of being a game hunter. The reality star, who has received 'vile' threats since leaving the show, has insisted that he is 'passionate about conservation' and that he left the show on his own terms because he's still in love with his ex. Ollie said in a statement: 'Having left the Love Island house I have become aware of the press stories circulating in the UK. I would like to make a number of comments on the various claims and accusations. 'I had no knowledge of the stories until I had left the Love Island villa and all cast members are unaware of any news stories while they are on the programme. My reasons for leaving Love Island are as communicated on the show. Shocking: During his villa stint, Ollie also faced huge backlash from viewers when he was accused of being a game hunter 'I did not shoot any of the animals shown in the photographs nor have I ever shot as a trophy hunter. 'I did volunteer to take part in the conservation and anti-poaching programme in Mozambique, a part of which involves old or sick animals being culled. I was there as an observer. 'The Cornish Sporting Agency was set up in 2017 and has never traded. I feel very passionately about conservation and will continue to support sustainable conservation causes around the globe. 'These benefit the natural world and the animals which live within it, even if certain elements appear controversial when viewed out of context. As I am no longer in Love Island, I will comment no further on this issue.' After three consecutive days of losses, the Indian market benchmark Sensex settled in the green on January 23, supported by select heavyweights such as Infosys, Larsen & Toubro and ICICI Bank. Market experts attributed the rebound in the market to the modest fall in crude oil prices and positive Q3 earnings by some bluechip companies, including L&T and Axis Bank. The BSE Sensex rose 271 points to 41,386 while Nifty 50 closed with gains of 73 points at 12,180. "Weekly index options expiry, modest fall in crude oil price and a sharp upsurge in Larsen & Toubro stock post the results helped bulls maintain positive sentiment in the market," said Shrikant Chouhan, Senior Vice-President - Equity Technical Research at Kotak Securities. Chouhan said since Nifty has held the important level of 12,100 on the day of weekly expiry - which is broadly positive - a pullback rally towards 12,230 is expected. A further uptrend may also continue which could lift the index to 12,350 level, he said. We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades: Key support and resistance level for Nifty According to the pivot charts, the key support level for Nifty is placed at 12,119.93, followed by 12,059.57. If the index continues moving up, key resistance levels to watch out for are 12,214.83 and 12,249.37. Nifty Bank Nifty Bank closed 0.99 percent up at 31,004.05. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 30,721.2, followed by 30,438.3. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 31,187.1 and 31,370.1. Call options data Maximum call open interest (OI) of 35.41 lakh contracts was seen at the 12,500 strike price. It will act as a crucial resistance level in the January series. This is followed by 12,300 strike price, which holds 32.8 lakh contracts in open interest, and 12,200, which has accumulated 31.57 lakh contracts in open interest. Significant call writing was seen at the 12,700 strike price, which added 3.98 lakh contracts, followed by 12,200 strike price that added 1.45 lakh contracts. Call unwinding was witnessed at 12,300 strike price, which shed 95,700 contracts. Put options data Maximum put open interest of 41.37 lakh contracts was seen at 12,000 strike price, which will act as crucial support in the January series. This is followed by 12,200 strike price, which holds 27.57 lakh contracts in open interest, and 12,100 strike price, which has accumulated 22.57 lakh contracts in open interest. Put writing was seen at the 12,100 strike price, which added 8.17 lakh contracts, followed by 12,000 strike, which added 5.85 lakh contracts. Put unwinding was seen at 12,500 strike price, which shed 49,125 contracts. Stocks with a high delivery percentage A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks. 67 stocks saw a long build-up Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen. 18 stocks saw long unwinding Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen. 13 stocks saw short build-up An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. 49 stocks witnessed short-covering A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen. Bulk deals (For more bulk deals, click here) Upcoming analyst or board meetings/briefings Allahabad Bank: The board of the bank will meet on January 24 to consider and approve the preferential issue of shares. Birla Precision Tech: The board of the company will meet on January 24 to consider and approve the preferential issue of shares among others. Apollo Micro Systems: The board of the company will meet on January 24 for general purposes. South Indian Bank: The board of the bank will meet on January 24 for general purposes. Stampede Capital: The board of the company will meet on January 24 for general purposes. Wendt (India): The board will meet on January 24 to consider and approve quarterly results and interim dividend. Stocks in news Results on January 24: UltraTech Cement, AAVAS Financiers, Agri- Tech (India), Allsec Technologies, Atul, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, JSW Steel, Mangalam Drugs And Organics, Oriental Hotels, Prestige Estates Projects and Techindia Nirman are among the companies that will release their December quarter numbers on January 24. Muthoot Finance: The company will consider & approve fundraising by way of public issue of redeemable NCDs. GHCL: The company approved buyback of equity shares aggregating to Rs 60 crore. Cholamandalam Investment: The company has approved the issue of equity shares on a preferential basis to the promoter not exceeding Rs 300 crore. Nippon Life AMC: The company has sought SEBI's nod for the seventh tranche of CPSE ETF. The company's Q3 PAT jumped 36 percent. Info Edge (India): The company informed it has set up an alternative investment fund named Info Edge Venture Fund. The objective of the fund is to invest in tech and tech-enabled entities that provide technology to create, market and distribute innovative products and services that benefit consumers at large, said the company. ITI: The company said it intends to raise about Rs 1,400 crore of which Rs 607 crore shall be utilised for repaying loans. FII and DII data Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,352.13 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares of worth Rs 984.56 crore in the Indian equity market on January 23, provisional data available on the NSE showed. Fund flow Stock under F&O ban on NSE Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries does not seem overly concerned about the cord-cutting and phone-streaming era. He thinks the old-guard telecom company holds the "killer app": broadband technology. "There are pros and cons in cord-cutting," Fries told CNBC from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. "We've always been a video aggregator, whether cable or satellite and the industry is moving into OTT [over-the-top] aggregation of Netflix and Youtube," he told CNBC's Squawk Box from Davos. "This is a revenue stream we want to protect and we're launching really advanced versions of the box that can speak to the age of Netflix, Amazon or the BBC, wherever you want to go." Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said during a CNBC interview after its earnings report on Thursday, "We've made a pivot to a broadband-centric cable company, that whether for streaming or gaming or any other app that you're interested in on your television, the best WiFi, that's the No. 1 product." Investors are not entirely sold on the argument from the telecom giant. Liberty Global shares have trailed the market significantly over the past year, down roughly 10%; year-to-date shares have declined 12%. Comcast shares fell on Thursday despite reporting an earnings beat, though the broader market was down as well. Comcast shares have risen by 25% over the past year. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has added Liberty Global in recent years among its stock holdings. Buffett's investment conglomerate also owns a stake in Charter Communications, which is a major broadband player, though the stakes in both companies are of a size where in recent years the investments may have been directed by one of Buffett's investing managers, Ted Weschler or Todd Combs. Buffett's company has bought and sometimes sold shares in these stocks since as early as 2013. Some estimates being floated in the media a former RCMP officer told the Globe and Mail security could run to $7.5 million per year seem unusually high, Berthelsen said. And though it might seem difficult to justify covering costs for a wealthy couple who want to sunder at least some ties with the royal family, he said, Canadians need to seriously grapple with the implications of taking a leave them alone and hope for the best approach. Some ministers of the Israeli government did the same Open source Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian delegation gave their places at the World Holocaust Forum to the victims of Holocaust, as Ukraines President wrote on Facebook. We came to Israel and found out that a lot of people who survived this horrific tragedy cannot visit the World Holocaust Forum due to the tremendous interest to the event and a limited number of places. We decided to give my place and places of the delegation of Ukraine to these courageous, unique people. The press reports that some ministers of the Israeli government did the same, he wrote. Besides, he noted that such action does not mean that the Ukrainian delegation does not honor the memory of the deceased and affected during the Nazi repressions. Ukrainian politicians will participate in all scheduled events. On January 23, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has begun his working visit to Israel. The program of the visit includes negotiations with Israels leadership and a meeting with representatives of Israeli business circles. Earlier, Editor-In-Chief of Echo of Moscow radio station Aleksei Venediktov reported that the presidents of Ukraine and Russia would hold a meeting in Israel on January 23. Ukraines Office of the President stated that Volodymyr Zelensky has no scheduled meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin in Israel. Russia stated that Zelensky and the number of other politicians from different countries filed the requests to Kremlin for a meeting with Putin. No refusals were provided; however, the long meetings are impossible due to the number of requests. Two Chinese nationals in Vietnam have tested positive for the SARS-like coronavirus and are being treated in hospital, officials said on Thursday. A Chinese man living in Ho Chi Minh City was infected by his father who travelled to Vietnam on January 13 from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. The father was hospitalised on January 17 with a high fever, days before his son showed symptoms, health officials said. Both were quarantined and tested positive for coronavirus, a new infection that has already killed 17 people in China and infected more than 570. "The patients have shown signs of good recovery, (their) fever has reduced and they can eat now," Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Sang said Thursday at a meeting at Ho Chi Minh City's Cho Ray hospital. Vietnam's deputy health minister urged all precautions to avoid any further spread. "We should immediately test any suspected cases so that we can detect (the disease) quicker. We don't want it to spread to the public," Nguyen Truong Son said at the meeting attended by reporters. Vietnam shares a long porous border with China and welcomes millions of visitors a year from its northern neighbour. Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and the United States have all reported confirmed cases of the new virus after it first emerged in China on December 31. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SYDNEY Three American crew members were killed Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Coulson Aviation in Oregon said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the accident was extensive but had few other details. "We are deeply saddened to confirm there were three fatalities, the company said in the statement. The accident response team has been activated as well as local emergency services. Coulson Aviation will be sending a team to the site to assist in emergency operations. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three crew members onboard. Coulson Aviation of Portland released this statement. Coulson Aviation (USA) Inc.'s website says it was founded in 1990 as a subsidiary of Coulson Aircrane Ltd. of Port Alberni, British Columbia, and bought its first C-130 Hercules that currently holds contracts within the United States and Australia. A second C-130 Hercules was acquired for the program in 2015 to accommodate the growing need for large air tankers. Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said all three aboard the plane were U.S. residents. The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, its crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash, Fitzsimmons said. The fire service contracted with Coulson, he said. Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors, he said. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she had conveyed Australia's condolences to U.S. Ambassador Arthur Culvahouse Jr. "Our hearts go out to their loved ones. They were helping Australia, far from their own homes, an embodiment of the deep friendship between our two countries," she said in a statement. "Thank you to these three, and to all the brave firefighters from Australia and around the world. Your service and contribution are extraordinary. We are ever grateful," she added. The tragedy brings the death toll from the blazes to at least 31 since September. The fires have also destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 25.7 million acres, an area bigger than the U.S. state of Indiana. Coulson grounded other firefighting aircraft as a precaution pending investigation, reducing planes available to firefighters in New South Wales and neighboring Victoria state. The four-propeller Hercules drops more than 4,000 gallons of fire retardant in a single pass. Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the national air crash investigator, and state police will investigate the crash site, which firefighters described as an active fire ground. "There is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident," Fitzsimmons said. Berejiklian said there were more than 1,700 volunteers and personnel in the field, and five fires were being described at an "emergency warning" level the most dangerous on a three-tier scale across the state and on the fringes of the national capital Canberra. Also Thursday, Canberra Airport closed temporarily because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of the city were told to seek shelter. The airport reopened after several hours with Qantas operating limited services, but Virgin and Singapore Airlines canceled flights for the rest of the day. The blaze started Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at a "watch and act" level the middle of the three tiers. Residents in some Canberra suburbs were advised to seek shelter and others to leave immediately. "The defense force is both assisting to a degree and looking to whether that needs to be reinforced," Chief of Defense Angus Campbell told reporters. "I have people who are both involved as persons who need to be moved from areas and office buildings that are potentially in danger, and also those persons who are part of the (Operation) Bushfire Assist effort," he said. The Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia - A boat carrying 20 Indonesian migrant workers sank on its way to Malaysia, and rescuers have found 10 survivors and were searching Thursday for nine missing. One body was recovered, officials said. The boat began leaking and sank about an hour after leaving Rupat Island in the Bengkalis regency late Tuesday, rescue spokesman Kukuh Widodo said. The 10 survivors, mostly from North Sumatra, were wearing life jackets, Kukuh said. They told police the trip was illegal and the workers undocumented. According to the Indonesian government, there were 6,231 Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia as of December 2019. Malaysia is one of the main destinations for Indonesian workers. Boats and ferries are popular means of transportation in the archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands. Accidents caused by overcrowding and poor safety standards are common. In 2016, an overcrowded boat carrying 101 Indonesian migrant workers and their families home from Malaysia capsized in stormy weather off Batam Island, near Singapore, killing at least 60 people. One of the worst ferry sinking occurred off Sulawesi island in 2009, killing more than 330 people. The board of Salini Impregilo has approved the proposal of "WeBuild" as the new name for the Salini Impregilo Group, which shall be proposed at the next shareholders' meeting. It is a name that very clearly evokes the company's vision, accompanied by such a strong and direct verb, "build" that represents the DNA of a construction company that builds large complex infrastructure in addition the values solidity, quality and partnership which in the word we" express the fundamental role played by people and teams, to create a business environment where sustainability and safety play an increasingly significant role, the company said. These are the characteristics of the new name proposal to reach a new milestone in the evolutionary process of a group that is evermore global, with strong roots in Italy. A growth process created with Progetto Italia and the participation of CDP Equity and of the main financial Italian institutions (Unicredit, Intesa San Paolo, Banco Popolare BPM). This proposal is the result of a long and detailed analyses concerning the brand's value, international benchmarks and consultations with the most prestigious international companies in the brand identity sector, and a survey engaging both internal and external stakeholders. This naming innovation is coherent with the groups will to underpin the solid foundations built over time. The graphic logo with the 5 whirls will, in fact, be kept, it said. The group's promise for the sector, "to build value", has been kept, linking this definition to the already existing heritage of the brand of Salini Impregilo Group, and its payoff, and the name of the proprietary digital magazine "We Build Value", first published in 2015. A new proprietary font, the "We Build type" font, has also been created, representing the continuous evolution of the Group's brand identity. The brand, this way, will gain greater strength and will therefore be immediately distinguishable and more innovative. Today, is a very important day for me. We are taking another step forward in this significant industrial operation that brings growth - said Salini Impregilo Group CEO Pietro Salini. The future of this new Group is and must increasingly be connected to a clear mission of industrial growth and must be the result of the union and enhancement of the expertise of everyone. This is very important for a Group like ours with a global mission that competes with the largest international groups to build large complex infrastructure in over 50 countries. A Group that wishes to continue to grow by uniting companies, so that their significant skills in the sector are united to all aspects of safety and sustainability. We wish to be the best possible partners for clients, communities, institutions and territories. - TradeArabia News Service The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation who doubles as, Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal mining Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has said the committee is waiting for the report from the special prosecutor since the case was referred to his office. This is inspite of the fact that the criminal investigation department of the police service cleared Charles Bissue of any wrongdoing in the Anas Galamsey fraud documentary. According to him, Charles Bissue willingly stepped aside to allow investigations after the documentary and he has since not been part of the committee. He is thus appealing the special prosecutor to speed up its investigations and come up with its final report on the matter. The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, is yet to avail reports of his investigations into corruption allegations levelled against presidential staffer and former secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, in the investigative piece by Tiger Eye PI. Chair of the IMCIM, Prof. Frimpong Boateng says the committee is patiently waiting for the report of the Special Prosecutor to determine the fate of Mr Bissue. The police CID cleared him, that hes done nothing wrong. But the case was referred to the special prosecutor who is doing his investigations. And we dont even have report from the OSP. So hes still not at post. We are waiting for the special prosecutor he explained. The Criminal Investigative Department of the Ghana Police Service after a thorough investigation into the documentary produce by Tiger Eye PI, cleared Mr. Bissue of no wrong doing. The documentary claimed that Mr Bissue was involved in alleged shady deals to facilitate processes for a mining firm called ORR Resources Enterprises. The case, has since been forwarded to the Office of the Special Prosecutor by the Tiger Eye PI. The operations of the IMCIM reported has been on a lower turn following Mr. Bissues resignation from duty. It is expected that a determination would be made on this case, this year. ---Starrfm.com.gh PROVIDENCE, R.I., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Students, teachers, and parents will bring their support of school choice to the capitol on Thursday, Jan. 30 through a showcase of schools. A wide group of schools will highlight the wonderful things happening inside and outside the classrooms of schools in Rhode Island. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will perform at the event, as well as take tours of the State Capitol. The Rhode Island State House is located at 82 Smith St. This event is planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2020, which will feature more than 50,000 school choice events across all 50 states. "Hope is the Rhode Island state motto and hope is what a child has when wishing for the best educational opportunity," said Matt Fitzgerald, board member of Rhode Island Families for School Choice. "Hope, however, is not an action plan to change the old model of education by zip code." This event is organized by Rhode Island Families for School Choice, a coalition of families that support expanded school choice in the Ocean State. As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country. From January 26 through February 1, 2020, more than 50,000 independently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com/rhode-island. SOURCE National School Choice Week Related Links www.schoolchoiceweek.com HCA Healthcare UK is heading to Arab Health 2020, with members of its newly formed International Services Group, dedicated to developing HCA UKs already strong presence in the international market. Joining forces with the Harley Street Medical Area, Nikesh Davda, Vice President of HCA UKs International Services Group, and team will showcase the personalised, expert and high-quality complex care available at HCA UK Hospitals, several of which are in and around the world-renowned Harley Street area. Across HCA UKs network of six flagship hospitals (The Harley Street Clinic, The Portland Hospital, The Princess Grace Hospital, The Wellington Hospital, London Bridge Hospital and The Lister Hospital) and two joint ventures with NHS Trusts; University College London Hospitals and The Christie, HCA UK provide the depth and breadth of care to international patients not available elsewhere in the UK private sector. Working in partnership with over 2,000 consultants with backgrounds in NHS teaching hospitals and research, HCA UK offers specialist and complex care including; stem cell transplants, cancer care including immunotherapy and CAR-T cell therapy, trans-oral robotic surgery for hard-to-reach head and neck tumours, coronary care and the UKs only wholly private hospital for women and children. With unrivalled longevity in the UK healthcare market and over 20 years experience of caring for patients from across the globe, HCA UK also offer tailored services for international patients including a VIP Personal Medical Concierge service, on-site interpreters and dedicated assistance with the admissions process. Davda said: We are proud that every year thousands of patients from across the globe choose HCA Healthcare UK hospitals. Our experience in delivering care across the depth and breadth of specialisms for adults and children has helped establish our reputation as a preferred provider of highly quality complex care. The International Services Group is committed to maintaining and building this reputation, providing care and the improvement of human life to our international patients and their families through seamless patient pathways from in-country, to our HCA Facilities and back home again. Working with the Harley Street Medical Area at Arab Health is great opportunity for us to showcase our offer, and its a privilege to be representing such an iconic location synonymous with pioneering medicine. HCA UK is joining the HSMA delegation at Arab Health 2020 as part of the 17 world-leading clinics and hospital groups showcasing Londons medical excellence at the largest healthcare trade exhibition in the Middle East. The Arab Health Exhibition and Congress is the largest healthcare event in the Middle East. The event takes place from January 27 to 30 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE. - TradeArabia News Service The incident happened when the rally, taken out by some Hindutva outfits including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, reached the Amlatoli Chowk area, police said (Photo Credit: Composite Image) New Delhi: Several people were injured and many vehicles were set on fire in Jharkhand's Lohardaga on Thursday. The violence took place after stones were hurled at a rally being taken out in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC. The incident happened when the rally, taken out by some Hindutva outfits including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, reached the Amlatoli Chowk area, police said. Some two-wheelers were set on fire following the attack, it said. Deputy Commissioner Akanksha Ranjan and Superintendent of Police Priyadarshi Alok reached the spot to control the situation. A large number of police personnel were deployed in the area, official sources said. According to Lohardaga DC Akanksha Ranjan, section 144 has been imposed in the city. In a tweet, the VHP questioned the Hemant Soren-government and police over inaction. In a video shared on Twitter, a security personnel can be heard saying that he and his colleagues suffered injuries during stone pelting. "Police was mute spectator. As soon as Soren formed government with Congress support the Hindus are attacked?" VHP tweeted. Getting cold feet is not as unusual as some people might think, but breaking the news to ones fiancee that they no longer want to marry them can be tough, so some people come up with the most ridiculous scenarios A young man from Shanghai, China, who was due to marry his girlfriend this year, suddenly realized he didnt want to spend the rest of his life with her, so he devised a plan to make sure he didnt have to. The man, surnamed Chen, could have just told his partner that he had had a change of heart, but he couldnt break himself to do that, so he came up with a strategy that he hoped would make the girl break up with him he became a petty criminal and got himself arrested on purpose. Social status and reputation are very important in Chinese society, so Chen thought to himself that his bride-to-be and her family would be so disappointed by the news that he had been arrested for theft that they would cancel the wedding arrangements on the spot, allowing him to walk away with a guilt-free conscious. Earlier this week, Chen simply walked into a dance studio on Huashan Road, in Shanghai, and casually stole a Bluetooth speaker, knowing full well that the place was monitored by security cameras. His goal, after all, was to be identified and charged with theft, only he didnt expect police to show up on his doorstep as fast as they did. When questioned about his motives, the man didnt shy away from telling the officers the truth. My girlfriend wants to marry me, but I dont want to marry her. I knew I would be caught. I actually wanted to walk away, but I was angry, Chen said. I knew you would find me, though I didnt think it would be so fast. The amateur thief added that he chose the Bluetooth speaker which reportedly costs around $290 because he wanted it to be valuable enough to get reported to the police, but not too expensive as not to cause the owner too much heartache. According to Chinese media, Chen is still in police custody, but will likely not remain there for too long on account of such a minor offence. Its unclear whether his plan worked and his girlfriend broke off with him These sort of desperate strategies to get out of wedding plans seem to be very popular these days. Earlier this week we featured the story of a Colombian man who staged his own kidnapping to avoid getting married. Voting to elect 18 members of Nepal National Assembly is underway in the seven states of the country. Nepal National Assembly is the upper house of the Himalayan state and a total of 2,056 voters will vote to elect the new members. According to media reports, 550 out of the 2,056 voters are from state assembly and 1,506 are mayors, deputy mayors, chairpersons, and vice-chairpersons at local levels. Read: Bodies Of Eight Indian Tourists Under Postmortem In Nepal; To Be Flown Back On Thursday The term of 19 members of the 59-seat assembly will end on March 3, 2020. The elections are being held for 18 posts while one will be nominated by the President on the recommendation by the government of the day, Nepal's constitutional provision states. Nepal's Election Commission has assigned district judges as returning officers for the election. The National Assembly election is taking place in district headquarters of seven states where respective high courts are located. These seven district headquarters are Doti, Morang, Kaski, Surkhet, Dang, Dhanusha, and Lalitpur. Read: External Affairs Minister Jaishankar Grieves The Death Of Indian Tourists In Nepal Nepal's election commission has directed all the election officers to take preventive measures in the counting of votes as there should not be any place for mistakes. The more the election is free and fair, credible and acceptable to all, the more the governance system would become responsible, transparent, public-oriented and upright, the Commission stated in a release. Read: 3 Days After An Avalanche Hit Annapurna Region Of Nepal, 6 Trekkers Still Remain Missing 2017 Legislative election Currently, the ruling government of Nepal Communist Party holds the majority in the upper house of the country, which is the National Assembly. The Communist Party of Nepal has 42 out of the 59 seats, while the principal opposition Nepali Congress has 13 seats in the house. Nepal held its legislative election in 2017 that saw Communist party leader KP Oli getting elected as Prime Minister. The voting took place in two phases on November 26 and December 7 to elect 275 members in the House of Representatives. The Nepal Communist Party won 174 seats in the lower house of the parliament while the Nepali Congress won 63. Read: Nepal Lawmaker Says 'Tapping Of Phone Calls Necessary To Check Foreign Intel Interference' Two women who have accused Cuba Gooding Jr of sexual misconduct will be allowed to testify at his trial on charges that he groped three other women at Manhattan bars in 2018 and 2019, a judge ruled Wednesday. An April 21 trial date was set for Gooding, who previously pleaded not guilty to an updated indictment that covers the three accusations of groping. Prosecutors said they had 19 other women who could testify that the Oscar-winning "Jerry Maguire" actor was also inappropriate with them in similar settings - bars, hotels and restaurants - as far back as 2001. Gooding has denied the charges. His defence attorney, Mark Heller, previously called the allegations "incredulous" and assailed the prosecution as a waste of taxpayer dollars. Gooding and his attorneys left Wednesday's proceeding without commenting. The brief hearing at Manhattan criminal court came as opening statements began in the same building in the prosecution of Harvey Weinstein, a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement. Cuba Gooding Jr leaves a court in New York City after a hearing into charges of sexual misconduct against him (AP) Heller has called the charges against Gooding a "distorted overreaction pandering to the current hypersensitive climate where innocent commonplace gestures are now misperceived and mischaracterised as offensive." He has accused prosecutors of amplifying long-ago allegations to bolster an otherwise weak case. Attorneys in the case are expected to return to court next week for a hearing on a protective order governing discovery. Prosecutors wanted an earlier trial date, but Gooding's defence team said it needed more time to examine the evidence. Prosecutors asked Judge Curtis Farber to allow a parade of witnesses to testify that Gooding violated them in bars, hotels and restaurants as long ago as 2001. None of those claims resulted in criminal charges, but state law allows prosecutors to call accusers not involved in the criminal case as witnesses in an effort to show a pattern of misconduct. Recommended Gooding prosecutor Jenna Long said in a court filing that the previous incidents make clear that Gooding's "contacts with (women's) intimate parts are intentional, not accidental, and that he is not mistaken about their lack of consent." Farber, in a written ruling, said "the admission of all 19 uncharged prior incidents would result in undue prejudice." He added that admitting a "limited selection of incidents outweighs such prejudice." Farber also denied a defence motion to dismiss the charges on the grounds that Gooding was not allowed to testify to the grand jury. The judge wrote that prosecutors "had no obligation to inform the defendant that a grand jury proceeding was pending." 'Alone and lost': Family of Canadian killed in Ethiopian air crash says government 'abandoned' them A Toronto mother and father whose daughter died in a plane crash in March say they're heartened by what Ottawa is doing to support victims of the more recent downing of a plane in Iran but they still feel they were abandoned by their government. Clariss and Chris Moore are haunted by the death of their daughter Danielle, 24, in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019. They accuse the federal government of not doing enough to help them and other victims' families through the aftermath. They also question why Ottawa didn't immediately ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 in the wake of another deadly crash in October 2018 off the coast of Indonesia. The two disasters killed 346 people. Just days after the crash in Ethiopia, Canada announced it was grounding all of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and banning the jet from entering its airspace until further notice. "I feel so alone and so lost," said Clariss. "I feel that we were abandoned. It took 10 months for our Canadian government to even have a meeting with us. "We ended up scrambling on our own when the accident happened ... Our government didn't do anything for us." Their daughter was headed to a meeting of the UN Environment Assembly when the aircraft plummeted shortly after takeoff, killing everyone aboard, including 18 Canadians. Chris said he's calling for a public inquiry to learn why Canada didn't ground the 737 Max immediately after the first tragedy. "We want to have some answers and we're not getting them now," he said. "We want to have the same type of transparency for this crash that the prime minister's asking for from the Iranian government. We want to have the same kind of accountability as well." The federal government told CBC News it has learned from the recent tragedy in Iran and is committing to being more transparent and open with families of plane crash victims. The federal director general for civil aviation met with families of the Ethiopian air crash victims on Jan. 8 for four hours to answer questions. Story continues Transport Minister Marc Garneau plans to meet with families of the Ethiopian Airlines crash victims and ask them directly what additional support they need. Chris Langenzarde/CBC 'I feel their pain. I feel their confusion' Canada is handling the loss of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in Iran earlier this month in a manner quite different from its approach to past international plane crashes involving Canadian victims. One of the major differences is the fact that Iran admitted it shot down the plane. The prime minister is publicly pressing Iran to let Canada help actively investigate the crash to make sure it's a thorough and transparent process. And Canada maintains diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, while it hasn't had a diplomatic mission in Iran since the Tehran embassy closed in 2012. Without an embassy on the ground, the government itself has been providing consular support, mental health services and legal aid, and has offered the families of the victims of Flight PS752 $25,000 for every deceased passenger to help cover their expenses. Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, also announced this week the government will match donations made to the Canada Strong Campaign to support victims' families. Chris Langenzarde/CBC The Moores said that, other than consular help, they received none of the support being offered to the families who lost loved ones in Iran. They say they're not looking for money just transparency and accountability. Chris Bittle, Garneau's parliamentary secretary, told CBC News the government will do better moving forward. "If we look at these two tragedies, there are differences, but we know the loss and the pain that the families are experiencing are the same," he said. "We need to be better in terms of openness and transparency with the families." When PS752 went down, Clariss said, it felt like an echo of the day her daughter died. "My whole body jerked," she said. "I feel so sick. I feel their pain. I feel their confusion, their denial, their shattered life, their nightmares." She said she still wonders what was going through her daughter's mind as the plane went down. "Was she calling us? Was she calling me?" Logistical nightmare Chris said dealing with the bureaucracy involved in a loved one's death in a foreign country has been "very difficult." "There's so many different little minor things, but each minor thing is major from our perspective," he said. "Because you have to relive everything again." It took the family at least four months to get a death certificate from Ethiopia. When the document arrived, parts of it weren't in English which meant translators were needed to process government paperwork, book a funeral home and settle Danielle's estate. While the Canadian embassy in Ethiopia helped arrange for the families to visit the crash site, Clariss said it ended in disappointment: they only had 30 minutes on the ground. "They took us from the site," she said. "That was not enough for me, that I fly from so far away and travel so far away." The task of claiming Danielle's belongings was especially painful. The couple sifted through an online database of photos of items recovered from the crash site; to claim each individual item they had to prove to authorities that it belonged to their daughter. On what would have been Danielle's 25th birthday, an envelope arrived with her shoes inside black flats she would have worn to the conference she was supposed to attend. The Moores still can't bring themselves to open that package. 'My heart stopped' The Moores also described the process of bringing their daughter's remains home as "dehumanizing." Clariss said that as she stood at the airport with her son, next to the tiny coffin containing the few human remains that could be found, she was left with almost no time prior to boarding to absorb the moment and collect herself. "My heart stopped," said Clariss. "I wanted to open that coffin to see her face. To lift her up. To comfort her. To hug her." With little government support, the Moores leaned on other 18 victims' families for help and comfort. The Moores said together families started requesting meetings with Canadian officials this summer to learn what the government knew about the Boeing 737 Max before their daughter's death. The government, preparing for an election at the time, went into caretaker mode until the new cabinet was introduced at the end of November. The day after the crash in Iran, Nicolas Robinson, the director general for civil aviation, met with families of the Ethiopian air crash victims for four hours and answered questions. The meeting had been arranged with families ahead of time. Chris Moore said he wasn't satisfied with the answers they got about what Canada knew after the Indonesian crash. "They were very secretive," he said. There are two ongoing safety investigations into the Ethiopian Airlines crash taking place in Ethiopia. U.S.-based Boeing is also facing a criminal probe by the U.S. Justice Department and is being sued by the families of some of the people who died in the crashes. Transport Canada is working with other civil aviation authorities around the world to co-ordinate allowing the 737 Max to fly again. Boeing will be required to make changes to the design of the jet and/or training and procedures of flight crew before the planes can return to service, according to Garneau's office. In a statement to CBC News, Garneau said he "knows that maintaining open lines of communication with families is essential going forward." "That is our priority," he added. "As minister, I will not lift the flight restrictions on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 until we are fully satisfied that all safety concerns have been addressed by the manufacturer and the FAA and that enhanced flight crew procedures and training are in place." Travelers wear face masks as they line up at turnstiles at a train station in Nantong, eastern China's Jiangsu province, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The number of cases of a new virus has risen to over 400 in China and the death toll to 9, Chinese health authorities said Wednesday. (Chinatopix via AP) Medical staff transfer a patient of a highly suspected case of a new coronavirus at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong cnsphoto via REUTERS Director-General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a news conference following the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee for Pneumonia due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV in Geneva, Switzerland January 23, 2020. Christopher Black/WHO/Handout via REUTERS The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is "too early" to declare an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak as six people are tested for the illness in the UK. The Scottish Government has confirmed five people are being examined after presenting with symptoms of the illness. Another patient is being tested to rule out coronavirus at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, it is understood. It is understood a patient arrived at the Royal Victoria in the west of the city showing symptoms which may or may not be associated with the condition but it will be some time before results are returned. He was isolated from other patients after arriving at the hospital on Thursday but is thought to be relatively well. The Belfast Health Trust, which runs services in the city, was unable to make any comment. The Public Health Agency (PHA) also declined to comment. On Thursday evening, the World Health Organisation said: "The Emergency Committee on the new #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) considered that it is still too early to declare a public health emergency of international concern given its restrictive and binary nature." Speaking at a press conference, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said: "Make no mistake, this is though an emergency in China. "But it has not yet become a global health emergency. "It may yet become one." Expand Close Staff at a pharmacy in Wuhan (Dake Kang/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Staff at a pharmacy in Wuhan (Dake Kang/AP) He said 584 cases have been reported to the WHO, including 17 deaths, with 575 of the overall cases and all the deaths reported in China. Other cases have been reported in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam. Dr Tedros said the fact he was not declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) "should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious". He added: "We are aware of media reports of suspected cases in other countries, but those cases are still being investigated." While none of the UK cases has been confirmed as the virus so far, two of those being tested in Scotland had been diagnosed with influenza after travelling to Wuhan, China. A further three people were "undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis". Expand Close Passengers at a train station in the city of Wuhan in southern China wear face masks after the oubreak. Picture: AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Passengers at a train station in the city of Wuhan in southern China wear face masks after the oubreak. Picture: AP A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "As the situation develops we will update should there be any confirmed cases of coronavirus, rather than provide a running update on cases being considered on a precautionary basis. "We are co-orientating with Health Protection Scotland a daily Incident Management Team to continue to monitor the situation as it develops, including on the number of any potential cases going forward." Downing Street said four suspected cases in Scotland were believed to involve Chinese nationals. They all travelled to Scotland from Wuhan - where the outbreak is thought to have originated - within the past two weeks and were showing symptoms of respiratory trouble, a red flag for the virus. Dr Tedros said: "We know that most of those who have died had underlying health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease that weakened their immune systems. "We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but for now it appears limited to family groups and health workers caring for infected patients. "At this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. "There is still a lot we don't know. We don't know the source of this virus, we don't understand how easily it spreads and we don't fully understand its clinical features or severity." Peter Piot, professor of global health and director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said there were still "many missing pieces in the jigsaw puzzle". He said: "We are at a critical phase in this outbreak. Regardless of the decision not to declare this a public health emergency of international concern, intensified international collaboration and more resources will be crucial to stopping this outbreak in its tracks. "National authorities and the World Health Organisation will need to continue to monitor developments very closely. "There are still many missing pieces in the jigsaw puzzle to fully understanding this new virus which is spreading rapidly across China, and most probably around the world. "Over the coming days and weeks we will know much more, but there cannot be any complacency as to the need for global action. "The good news is that the data to date suggest that this virus may have a lower mortality than Sars, we have a diagnostic test and there is greater transparency than decades gone by. And that is essential because you cannot deal with a potential pandemic in one country alone." Prof Haas, head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said he believes there will probably be similar cases in "many other cities" in the UK. He told the PA news agency: "We have currently three cases of suspected Wuhan coronavirus in Edinburgh and as far as I understand one case in Glasgow." He said the cases emerged overnight, adding: "The situation will be pretty similar in pretty much all UK cities with a large number of Chinese students. "It's not too surprising. My suspicion is that there will probably be many more cases in many other cities in the UK. "None of the cases I know of have been confirmed." He said there was only one laboratory testing for the virus, operated by Public Health England (PHE). The professor said the cases had been flagged up through the PHE infection guidelines as they travelled to Wuhan within the last 14 days and were showing signs of respiratory symptoms. The Chinese government has effectively locked down Wuhan, cancelling planes and trains there and in the nearby city of Huanggang. You are here: World Flash French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday agreed to convene a "strategic dialogue" over regional issues, said the prime minister's office. The two leaders held a breakfast meeting at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem, as Macron arrived in Israel to take part in the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp on Thursday. No joint statements were made after the meeting, but the Israeli prime minister's office said the meeting was "warm and friendly." "We have agreed to establish a strategic dialogue between Israel and France to allow us to continue to cooperate over our common interests," Netanyahu said in a video statement. "It can help us for things that are very important for the security of the country," he added. The two also discussed Iran-related tensions. Netanyahu, a vocal opponent of the 2015 nuclear deal, urged Macron to follow the United State and impose sanctions on Iran. Macron arrived at the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv on Tuesday night for a two-day visit. Experts celebrate landmark ruling, but have little hope that govt which denies genocide will prevent further violence. In a ruling that the Rohingya minority have celebrated, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Myanmar to take urgent measures to protect the mostly Muslim minority. On Thursday, a panel of 17 judges unanimously decided that Myanmar should take all measures within its power to prevent genocide, following a case filed by The Gambia in November. Presiding Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said Myanmar has caused irreparable damage to the rights of the Rohingya, referring to a military campaign of violence in Rakhine state that saw more than 740,000 members of the ethnic minority flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2016 and 2017. While academics and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh welcomed the judgement, others have urged caution now, they say, there must be increased international scrutiny on Myanmars treatment of the minority. Following the ruling, the government of Myanmar issued a press release claiming there has been no genocide in Rakhine. Tun Khin, a leading Rohingya activist based in the UK, told Al Jazeera that Myanmar has engaged in denial after denial. He called the ruling a big victory for the Rohingya but warned that a lack of political will from the Myanmar government will stand in the way of the order being implemented. The Rohingya have been persecuted for five decades. The Myanmar government hates the Rohingya and dehumanises the Rohingya, he said. Rohingya activist Tun Khin with Abubacarr Marie Tambadou, The Gambias Minister of Justice, inside the International Court of Justice in The Hague on January 23, 2020 [Courtesy of Tun Khin] The international community now has no choice but to load political pressure on Myanmar following the ICJ decision, Khin said, urging countries to follow the examples of Canada and the Netherlands in showing solidarity with The Gambia in its support for the Rohingya. In her statement before the ICJ in December, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi downplayed the militarys role by describing violence as an internal armed conflict triggered by Rohingya militant attacks. She said the Rohingya exaggerated the abuses against them. Several world leaders, rights groups, international observers and Rohingya survivors claim otherwise; that Myanmar has carried out systematic, violent and sometimes sexual and deadly abuse against thousands of Rohingya, including children, while denying members of the ethnic minority citizenship rights. In the days before Thursdays ICJ order, a Myanmar-appointed commission repeated the governments line, that while the military may have committed war crimes and serious human rights abuses, there was no evidence of genocidal intent. Khin Omar, founder of Progressive Voice, a local research and human rights advocacy organisation, told Al Jazeera she expects Myanmar to now do some window dressing in light of the decision. The Myanmar governments and the military will take the order lightly and will only make cosmetic adjustments or measures domestically, she said. It will, for example, hold trials in military courts to use some who hold lower ranks as scapegoats. She expects increased government targeting of civil society groups, particularly organisations that document human rights abuses, and said there would be an ongoing genocide of the Rohingya who remain in Myanmar. Provisional measure orders by the ICJ are binding, but the court has no means of enforcement. Cases of non-compliance can, however, be referred to the UN Security Council. Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, said: Myanmar has to know that if it does not follow the order there will be consequences. They must know that the world will react if they do not comply. Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has said the country did not require a divisive legislation like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos in Switzerland, Nath called the CAA divisive and said he was opposed to any law that threatened to divide the society. Reiterating that the CAA would not be implemented in his state, the Chief Minister questioned the necessity of introducing legislations like the CAA at a time when the country was facing economic slowdown. Nath, a regular at the WEF, said the buzz in the current summit has been the slowdown of economy and social unrest being witnessed in India. Washington: Democrats began laying out a detailed case on Wednesday for the removal of President Donald Trump, accusing him at his historic Senate impeachment trial of seeking to cheat to ensure re-election in November. Adam Schiff, the head of the prosecution team from the House of Representatives, took the floor of the Senate for opening arguments after lawmakers were told by the sergeant-at-arms to remain silent "on pain of imprisonment." "President Trump solicited foreign interference in our democratic elections, abusing the powers of his office to seek help from abroad to improve his re-election prospects at home," the California lawmaker told a hushed chamber. "And when he was caught, he used the powers of that office to obstruct the investigation into his own misconduct," said Schiff, who headed the probe that led to Trump's December 18 impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House. Schiff shrugged off Republican arguments that American voters -- and not the Senate -- should decide whether Trump should remain in the White House. "The president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won," Schiff said. "The president has shown that he believes he is above the law." Trump is accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to announce an investigation into Democrat Joe Biden. "It was a smear tactic against a political opponent President Trump apparently feared," Schiff said at the nationally televised Senate trial. "President Trump withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to a strategic partner at war with Russia to secure foreign help with his re-election," he said. "In other words, to cheat. "If this conduct is not impeachable, then nothing is." Interspersing his remarks with videos and graphics and references to the Constitution, Schiff appealed to the members of the Senate to put aside partisanship in deciding Trump's fate. "These are politically charged times," he acknowledged. "Tempers can run high, particularly where this president is concerned." But, Schiff said, "the Constitution entrusts to you the responsibility of acting as impartial jurors." Republicans, who hold a 53 to 47 edge in the Senate, have shown little inclination, however, to break ranks with a president who has a history of lashing out ferociously at his perceived enemies. A two-thirds majority -- or 67 senators -- is needed to remove Trump from office and a series of votes on the ground rules for the trial on Tuesday followed strict party lines. Republicans shot down repeated efforts by Democrats to introduce White House witnesses and documents at the start of just the third impeachment trial in US history. Trump, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos as the historic trial got underway on Tuesday, blasted the proceedings as a "witchhunt" and a "hoax" and said he expected the Senate to clear him "fairly quickly." The president defended the Republicans' rejection of Democratic efforts to force former national security advisor John Bolton and others to testify at his trial saying of Bolton, for example, that it would present a "national security problem." "John, he knows some of my thoughts," Trump said. "He knows what I think about leaders. What happens if he reveals what I think about a certain leader and it's not very positive?" House impeachment managers have 24 hours over three days to make their case that Trump is guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. White House lawyers then have 24 hours to present their defense. Senators will then have an opportunity to ask written questions to be read out aloud by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial. Roberts' role is mostly ceremonial but he did warn both sides during heated exchanges on Tuesday to watch their decorum. "Those addressing the Senate should remember where they are," Roberts said. Trump's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, said the White House will "challenge aggressively the case that they're putting forward." "There's a lot of things to rebut and we'll do it in an orderly and systematic fashion," he told CNN. The next few days are likely to be an endurance test for members of the Senate, some of whom are in their 80s. Senators are barred from having their cellphones and computers at their desks and they have been spending their time chatting quietly or scribbling on notepads when not listening intently. The four Democratic senators seeking to challenge Trump for the White House have been forced to take time off from campaigning ahead of the first state caucuses to choose their party's nominee in Iowa on February 3. Reaction to the impeachment trial has been mixed among voters. Also Read: Donald Trump Blasts Impeachment Probe As 'Lynching', Ukraine Envoy Gives 'Damning' Testimony "The general consensus I feel I hear from people is 'Why don't they just freaking do their jobs and quit obsessing over this?'" said Rick D'Agostino, the owner of the Sheffield Lanes bowling lanes in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Flavio Quintela, a Washington businessman, said he thought the impeachment trial was "more theatrical now than anything." "Because, you know, the Senate is most likely not approving it," Quintela said. "It really looks like some electoral move, which I don't think is going to work." For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. T homas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex's estranged father, has given a deeply personal interview to Channel 5 about the rift which has opened up between him and his daughter. 'Thomas Markle: My Story' was filmed from his home in Mexico and was intended to create a "revealing portrait" of the 75-year-old. It covered topics from his dramatic fallout with Meghan and Harry to their stepping back as senior royals. Mr Markle revealed he missed his daughter, adding: "I don't know who she is now." Meghan and Harry are attempting to forge a "more peaceful life" in Canada with their son Archie after British media accused of prejudicial reporting against the royal couple. Many watching on Wednesday night took to social media in support of the ex-Suits star, whose previously "close-knit" relationship with her dad broke down after Mr Markle was paid by paparazzi to stage photos of himself having a suit fitted for the royal wedding. While many details unfurled throughout the 90-minute-long tell-all interview, here are the five main takeaways: 1. Markle admits the paparazzi photos were staged The cyber-cafe, where Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan Markle, admitted to set up staged photos with a paparazzi / Getty Images There was no discussing Mr Markle's notable absence from Meghan and Harry's wedding in May 2018 without the precursor to his fall-out with the couple - the paparazzi photos. At that time, Mr Markle was widely expected to be attending the wedding to take up his fatherly duty of walking Meghan down the aisle. However, in the run-up to the big day photos of Mr Markle appearing in various ways to be preparing himself for his UK visit, hit the newspapers. The staged nature of the pictures, which showed Mr Markle in a tailor shop and reading a British history book, immediately sparked suspicions. Journalists revealed the former TV lighting director had collaborated with a British photographer. During his most recent interview, he admitted they were staged and that he had lied to Harry when asked for the truth about the photos. However, he said he had never intended to make money and wanted to repair the damage done to his image. He also revealed he still makes money from the sale of the photographs, for which he gets a 30 per cent cut. The pictures were reportedly sold for 75,000 to publications around the world, according to the Mirror Online. "I got approached by a guy who spoke to me and said 'I can change your image'. "He said the problem you have is all these photos of you are terrible, he said I can make you look respectable. "He said well go out and take some photographs of you looking like youre getting in shape for the wedding. "The idea was that these would all be candid shots, discreet, no one would know they were posed or anything. It would be just me doing my routine daily." 2. Markle's thoughts on Megxit Mr Markle said he is "embarrased" about the couple's decision to step down as senior royals / Getty Images for Australian Geog It was always going to be a topic for discussion - Meghan and Harry's decision to step back from their royal duties. And Mr Markle did not shy away from the subject, accusing the couple of "cheapening" the Royal Family. He called their decision to step away "disappointing" and said she had thrown away every young girl's dream "to become a princess". Not only did Mr Markle criticise their choice to move away from the royal spotlight, he claimed Meghan was "tossing it away for money". "Theyre destroying it, theyre cheapening it, theyre making it shabby, he said. Theyre turning it into a Wal-Mart with a crown on it. Its something thats ridiculous, they shouldnt be doing this." 3. Money, money, money "It's time to look after daddy" / Channel 5 There was a lot of chat about money during the show. Alongside admitting he earns from the infamous paparazzi shots, he revealed Meghan gave him cash gifts after her success on Suits, and made claims about his daughter's financial future. He also hit out at Meghan for being "picky and small" and unhappy to lend her dad large sums of money. Following these comments, he said he was entitled to be cared for by Meghan. "The royals owe me. Harry owes me. Meghan owes me," Mr Markle said as he spoke about profiting from selling the letter to the newspaper and from discussing his relationship with his daughter. "My daughter told me that when I reached my senior years, she would take care of me." He added: "It's time to look after daddy." What has not been revealed yet is whether or not Mr Markle was paid for starring in the documentary. 4. Markle has never met Harry or Archie Mr Markle criticised his daughter on a number of topics but urged her to let him meet his grandson / Getty Images Prior to the royal couple's wedding, Mr Markle had never met Harry and following the fall-out the two were even less destined to meet up. Mr Markle revealed his pain at having never met his grandson Archie and urged the couple to let him meet the boy. He saw Archie for the first time the same way the world did - via a photo call at Windsor Castle when the young royal was a few days old. 5. Markles and the media The couple have broken away from the media spotlight and moved to Canada / AFP via Getty Images Mr Markle claimed the Royal Family had not given him guidance on how to deal with the media. He said: "Harry, knowing what his mother went through, should be really concerned about whats happening to me because his mother had help around her all the time and was suffering. "He must have had some idea of what I was going through." Reporting on Meghan by the British press has been widely criticised for being racist however, Mr Markle just played down the issue saying race just made it "more exciting" for them to attack her. He also said Harry had "no right to be this sensitive", adding, "he's not 12 years old anymore". Meghan and Harry are suing the Mail on Sunday after they published a letter Meghan is reported to have sent Mr Markle. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Wednesday (January 22) said that 5,000 more anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest sites like Shaheen Bagh will come up across the country in next ten days. Azad made the statement while addressing a massive gathering of women who are protesting against CAA and proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh since December 15, 2019. The young leader said that the CAA, which has been passed by both the Houses of Parliament, is a "black law" and will divide the people of the country on religious lines. "I congratulate those who have participated in this protest. This is not just a political agitation. We have to save the Constitution and unity of the nation," Azad said. He lauded the women protesters for continuing with their protest despite the bone-chilling winter in Delhi. The protesters were spotted singing Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Urdu poem 'Hum Dekhnege' before the arrival of Bhim Army chief. Azad held the Constitution in his hand during his speech and said, "I promise you that in next days there will be at least 5,000 Shaheen Baghs across the country". The Bhim Army chief visited Shaheen Bagh after Delhi's Tis Hazari Court modified the conditions imposed on him while granting him bail. It may be recalled that Azad was arrested in December 2019 for giving "inflammatory speeches" during an anti-CAA protest at Delhi's iconic Jama Masjid. Live TV Azad has been allowed by the court to visit Delhi for medical reasons and election purposes but directed him to register his presence to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Fatehpur police station in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur every Saturday for four weeks. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanick Digital, a PK Company, has been named 2019 Americas Partner of the Year by Google Apigee during an awards ceremony at the Google Cloud Partner Accelerate conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vanick was selected from more than 125 partners that service North and South America. The award is based on the number of value-added engagements completed by company in 2019. "The recognition as a leader among Google Apigee partners is a huge honor for our team," Lou Powell, partner, API Management at PK, said. "We drive transformative outcomes for our clients by deploying Apigee to execute enterprise-level digital technology strategy and architecture development. We value the trust that Google has placed in our partnership and look forward to continuing to deliver top-tier service to our mutual clients." Vanick partners with Google Apigee customers to accelerate app modernization with API strategy, legacy API management, platform migration and Apigee Edge implementation services. Vanick is part of the experience engineering firm PK, which delivers end-to-end capabilities that help forward-thinking enterprises unlock new digital business models. "From digital transformation to business strategy consulting and system integration, PK provides the API know-how to help companies engineer the defining experiences of tomorrow," Vijay Ijju, co-president, PK, said. "This is a great recognition and reinforces our ongoing work in driving digital transformation and business growth." About PK PK is the experience engineering firm. Together with the world's most customer-obsessed companies, we combine great design and strong tech to build pioneering experiences that accelerate outcomes for customers, partners and employees. Vanick Digital, a PK Company, specializes in API strategy and services that drive digital transformation and business growth. PK is over 3,500 people strong in 22 cities across four countries. Learn more at prokarma.com. SOURCE PK Related Links https://prokarma.com/ President Trump broke his personal record for most tweets or retweets in a day Wednesday, reaching a total of 141 by 6 pm ET. Why it matters: The bulk of Trump's tweets are impeachment related and underscore his occupation with the Senate's impeachment trial, even as he attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The tweets and retweets range from attacks on House impeachment managers to cable news clips of Republicans coming to his defense. Go deeper ... Tweet by tweet: Trump praises Trump 2,026 times To debut state's 26th restaurant in Cullman Chicken Salad Chick announced yesterday it will be expanding in North Alabama with its newest restaurant in Cullman. Located at 1817 Cherokee Avenue Southwest, the new company-owned restaurant, which features a drive-thru, will celebrate its grand opening on February 4 and will offer free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests. "A little over a month ago, we debuted a new restaurant in Florence, which marked Chicken Salad Chick's fourth Alabama opening of 2019, and we are thrilled to continue that rapid growth in Cullman," said Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. "Our diverse, made-from-scratch chicken salad offerings that incorporate bold flavors and fresh ingredients have become a favorite for guests across our original home state and it's this unyielding support for the brand that pushes us to expand to more cities, such as Cullman. We appreciate that the Cullman community has been asking for us and we can't wait to open our doors there." During grand opening week, guests will experience the southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, with giveaways and specials that include: Tuesday, February 4 Free Chicken Salad for a Year The first guest will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make a purchase and enter to win free chicken salad for a year.** Free Chicken Salad for a Year The first guest will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make a purchase and enter to win free chicken salad for a year.** Wednesday, February 5 The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 6p.m. to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tote bag. The first 50 guests at and the first 50 guests at to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tote bag. Thursday, February 6 The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 6p.m. to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick hat. The first 50 guests at and the first 50 guests at to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick hat. Friday, February 7 The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 6p.m. to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler. The first 50 guests at and the first 50 guests at to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler. Saturday, February 8 The first 50 guests to purchase two large Quick Chicks will receive a free Chick blanket. The Chicken Salad Chick concept was established in 2008 by founder, Stacy Brown. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu offers a variety of options suitable for any guest. Under the leadership of CEO Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the company now has more than 145 restaurants currently open in 16 states and remains a standout brand within the fast casual segment. Chicken Salad Chick in Cullman will be open Monday Saturday from 10:00a.m. 8p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends. *Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, purchase The Chick and are required to download the Craving Credits app. Redemption will start 2/10. ** Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, must purchase The Chick and are required to download the Craving Credits app. 10 winners will be announced at the end of the day. Redemption will start 2/10. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Restaurant industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Restaurant News Resource Bollywood actor Nana Patekar on Thursday said that farmers were not beggars and they need emotional support along with financial support to resolve the issue of farmers' suicide in Maharashtra. "It is ok if political leaders do not give money to farmers. They do not only need loan waivers, but they also need emotional support and encouragement. We need to talk to them. Farmers are not beggars," he said while addressing a public event in Chinchwad city of Maharashtra. He also stressed up-on fixing the prices of the vegetables and urged people not to bargain with the vegetable vendors. "Everything here has a fixed price but on our tomato and potato, there is no price label. Your fees is fixed, the prices of the cars are fixed...I request you all not to bargain with the vegetable vendors on the streets. We must all think about the problems farmers are facing... (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 15:13 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060ad280 1 City Yasonna-Laoly,tanjung-priok,Indonesia Free Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has apologized for provoking the ire of Tanjung Priok residents in North Jakarta following his negative description of the area. During a speech at Jatinegara Prison in East Jakarta on Jan. 16, the minister stated that Tanjung Priok was an example of a "slum" as well as the source of all sorts of crime due to poverty. At the time, Yasonna drew a comparison between children in Menteng, a wealthy neighborhood in Central Jakarta, and children in Tanjung Priok. According to the minister, crime will not occur in Menteng as opposed to slum areas, such as in Tanjung Priok, because people living there "are poor." His controversial statement apparently angered hundreds of Tanjung Priok residents who flocked to the Law and Human Rights Ministry on Jl. HR Rasuna Said in South Jakarta on Wednesday in protest. The minister offered his apology later on the same day, saying it was not his intention to offend Tanjung Priok residents. Mass media and the public interpreted my words with a different meaning, causing my Tanjung Priok friends to feel offended. Therefore, I would like to deliver my apology, Yasonna said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday. He expressed hope that his apology would settle the matter. Hopefully after this press conference we will be able to unite our hearts and selves to build this nation, Yasonna said, adding that he promised to make time to visit Tanjung Priok residents. (dpk) On January 20, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports unveiled a draft law on combating disinformation and regulating media activity. According to the minister of Culture, Volodymyr Borodyansky, the bill aims to respond to Russian disinformation. However, the journalistic community believes that this initiative is likely to be used as a tool for harassing Ukrainian journalists. In particular, the Nation Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) warns that the law would legalise state interference in the journalistic profession and restrict media workers rights. The International and European Federation of Journalists, together with its affiliate NUJU, reject the bill in its current form. The document outlines new rules on media regulation and journalistic activity. It foresees criminal charges for spreading disinformation with huge fines (up to 350,000 euros) and 7 years in prison. NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko explains the consequences such government control could have on press freedom and the right to be informed: If this law passes, journalists will be required to hold a professional press card from a state-sponsored organisation (Association of Professional Journalists of Ukraine); media content will be monitored by a Special Commissioner who will implement a policy of fines, blocking and sanction; a Trust Index based on criteria developed by the Special Commissioner will be introduced; the status of a professional journalist will be granted and denied in accordance with the Code of Journalistic Ethics; and the media will be required to publish official identification information." The draft law was publicly debated between Tomilenko and Borodyansky during the presentation on January 17. This law is a gateway to state intervention in the activities of Ukrainian journalists. Licensing journalistic activity through the issuance of special press cards has nothing to do with Russian aggression. The priority of Ukrainian officials should be to ensure the physical safety and economic independence of journalists. We have not seen the results of the governments activities in these directions yet, said Sergiy Tomilenko. The NUJU strongly rejects the bill as it currently stands. EFJ General Secretary, Ricardo Gutierrez, reacted strongly against such legislation: The government must strictly respect journalistic self-regulation and autonomy. The state should create conditions for this process avoiding any governmental interference and not depriving journalists of their rights. The EFJ strongly rejects any proposal where the state would regulate journalistic activity and impose any restriction on journalists." The draft law will be tabled by the Ukrainian government in March 2020. By Katrina L. Goodjoint Recently, I spoke with a New Jersey resident who at age 38 still has outstanding juvenile fines from when he was young as 14. Out of desperation, he has asked the court if he can serve jail time in exchange for debt forgiveness. The court has repeatedly denied this request. Without his consent, his state tax refunds have been taken from him two years in a row and put towards this debt leaving him with less money to pay bills and support his loved ones. Unfortunately, this is not a unique story; but thankfully, the state has just passed historic legislation that will end these punitive fines for youth going forward. Juvenile courts across the country originally created to rehabilitate youth regularly impose significant fines on youth. At Juvenile Law Center, we have been advocating against these punitive sanctions on young people, whom we believe should be presumed unable to pay any fines. Until this bills passage, New Jersey had some of the most punitive fines in the country. We have seen families in New Jersey taking on debt because of mounting court fees, and we have heard of others considering criminal activities like drug sales because they lack the money or the job opportunities that would allow them to pay their fees. Unpaid debt can cause youth to incur extended probation, placement in a facility, civil judgment on their record, an inability to expunge their records, and even drivers license suspensions. The historic passage of Senate Bill 48 represents a new chapter in New Jerseys criminal justice reform. This bill, sponsored by Senators Nellie Pou, Shirley Turner, and Troy Singleton, eliminates fines as a penalty for youth in the juvenile justice system. It also allows for the termination of post-incarceration supervision even when a youth has not made a full payment of all outstanding fines and restitution. There is a growing movement around the country that recognizes a justice system that is based on ones income does not provide justice at all. When fines are imposed in the justice system, they disproportionately impact low-income communities, particularly communities of color, and punish individuals for their poverty. They are particularly problematic when imposed on youth, who are uniquely unable to pay and uniquely deserving of our protection. Juvenile Law Center has conducted extensive research on fines and fees. Our work in this area has found that fines and fees harm youth and families. Parents struggling to pay their childrens costs have reported choosing between groceries and paying court fees. This is a choice no parent should have to make. Criminology research shows that fines and fees also increase recidivism, which works against the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system. A recent study by Leslie Paik and Chiara Packard relies on in-depth interviews of youth, families, and victims and finds that costs increase economic instability for families and increases recidivism rates. New Jersey, like other states, has a juvenile justice system designed, at least in part, to provide for the care, protection, and wholesome mental and physical development of juveniles. As the legislature has realized, imposing fines does the opposite. Significantly, fines and fees also cause inequity. Because youth of color are more likely than their white peers to enter the justice system, to stay on probation, and to be placed out of the home, families of color tend to pay more into the system than white families. This creates a system where children whose parents have more resources can quickly pay off any fines and fees, while children from low-income households have their cases open longer. Eliminating fines and fees can help to create a more equitable system. One of the purposes of the New Jersey bill is to combat racial and ethnic disparities by identify[ing] policies and practices that may disadvantage minority juveniles. Eliminating fines does just that. Fines are not necessary for a well-functioning juvenile justice system. A handful of states impose no fines. Washington state recently passed the Youth Equality and Reintegration (YEAR) Act eliminating certain fines. Maryland is considering similar legislation; there is momentum for changes to make our systems more equitable. To return to the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system, states must follow New Jerseys example and eliminate juvenile fines. Katrina L. Goodjoint is the staff attorney for the Juvenile Law Center. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Newscity Group Reviews Pretrial Detention Laws A task force created by the New Mexico Supreme Court to review the state's pretrial release and detention program met last week for the first time. According to KOB, the group is made up of about 15 lawmakers and court officials, representing all three branches of government and headed by retired New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Edward Chavez. They are tasked with analyzing the state's pretrial detention data and recommending any necessary changes. We are looking at potential court rule amendments, said Chavez. We are not looking at any constitutional amendments, and we're also looking to see if, first, is there a problem and if so what in the rules can we do to remedy the problem. Last year, Sen. Jacob Candelariaa member of the task forcesent a letter to the Supreme Court that blamed New Mexico's crime rates on the state's current pretrial detention program and on District Attorneys who do not seek pretrial detention for dangerous or repeat offenders. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reportedly criticized the group, saying that current rules protect citizens who have yet to be convicted of any crime from being held in detention. The group will meet again in February and submit a report to the New Mexico Supreme Court by the end of March. Parts of Australias capital, Canberra, were briefly evacuated on Wednesday after bushfires flared up in nearby suburbs. The fire broke out near the Canberra Airport in the Pialligo Redwood Forest around 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. About 35 minutes later, residents in Pialligo, Brindabella Park, Beard, Oaks Estate, and other nearby areas were told to activate their bushfire survival plans and roads were closed off, according to Canberra Times. By about 5:20 p.m., the fire had crossed the Molongo River and residents in Beard and Oaks Estate were told to immediately evacuate. Properties are under threatleave now if you are able to, an alert said. By 5:40 p.m., about an hour and a half after the fire broke out, residents were told it was too late to evacuate and to seek shelter instead. The fire was under control by 7:15 that evening, the newspaper reported. No injuries were reported and no homes were damaged, but the fire burned about 370 acres by 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Oaks Estate Road remained closed on Thursday as firefighters continue to attempt to control the fire, which Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan told ABC radio could take several days. Despite the smoke, flight traffic to and from Canberra Airport stayed unaffected. Please be advised. No flights have been affected. Please allow additional time to get to the airport and keep an eye on @ACTPol_Traffic for traffic updates, Canberra Airport said in a statement on Twitter. Please be advised, no flights have been affected. Please allow additional time to get to the airport and keep an eye on @ACTPol_Traffic for traffic updates. https://t.co/wfhtwI87lN Canberra Airport (@CanberraAirport) January 22, 2020 Wildfires in Australia have killed 29 people, destroyed more than 2,500 homes, and razed 27 million acres of wildernessan area one-third the size of Germanysince September 2019. In recent weeks, Canberra and the cities of Sydney and Melbourne experienced air quality rated among the worst in the world under thick clouds of bushfire smoke. The air in Sydney is expected to again reach hazardous pollution levels on Thursday as smoke drifts over the city, the New South Wales state government said. Reuters contributed to this report. State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar has said private lender YES Bank will not be allowed to fail and that some "solution" will emerge to straighten its financial condition. Kumar's remarks follow YES Bank's statement last week, wherein it junked reports on the lender's poor financials saying its liquidity and stability was comfortably above regulatory requirements. "YES Bank is a significant player in the market with an almost $40 billion balance sheet. I have a feeling that it will not be allowed to fail," Kumar told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Switzerland. Also read: How is YES Bank really doing? Answer lies in these three key parameters The private lender's shares have taken a beating in the past one year, plunging over 80 per cent, primarily after the sudden exit of promoter Rana Kapoor, asset quality deterioration, NPA divergences and lower capital levels. Divergence in YES Bank's total NPAs stood at Rs 2,299 crore for FY19. The bank is now aiming to infuse more capital to stay afloat. The lender in its board meeting held on January 10 approved raising of funds of up to Rs 10,000 crore in one or more tranches through qualified institutional placement (QIP) or any other private placement of equity or debt. It has also scheduled an extraordinary general meeting of its shareholders on February 7 to discuss fundraising for Rs 10,000 crore and to authorise an expansion in its authorised capital to Rs 1,100 crore from Rs 800 crore earlier. Meanwhile, YES Bank told the stock exchanges today that the lender sold 12,20,001 equity shares of nominal value of Rs 10 each, constituting 2.08 per cent of the paid-up share capital of SICAL Logistics Limited. This will change the bank's shareholding in SICAL by more than 2 per cent. YES Bank share price recovered over 6.11 per cent on Thursday at Rs 40.80 after opening at Rs 38.55. Edited by Manoj Sharma Also read: YES Bank dismisses reports on 'poor' financials; says capital adequacy ratio above norms Yes, impeachment is a constitutional process, but because nobody expects President Trump to be convicted, this impeachment is mostly a television show in the genre of reality TV intended by its creators to influence the November elections for president and Senate. But Democrats forget at their own peril that President Trump is the most successful reality television producer in the history of the medium. He not only understands how drama is played out in a way that satisfies mass audiences, but is a practitioner of the dramatic form of reality TV in which real people react to structured situations and act out their roles without following an actual script. Students of drama realize that successful shows generally follow a three-act structure, with the first act introducing the characters and an "inciting incident" leading to a dramatic situation, usually a confrontation. Trump's election and the immediate move to impeach him constitute the first act of this drama. The second act usually features the protagonist (Trump) trying to resolve the problem introduced in the first act but unable to do so because of rising complications or lack of skills or resources. The media's lies, the power of the resistance, and Nancy Pelosi' unctuous piety ("I pray for the president") are all notable elements of the second act of this show. The third act features the resolution of the problem, following a climax in which new truths are discovered, new actions taken by the protagonist, and elements of surprise lead to a satisfying outcome. In this particular drama, exposure of the lies of Schiff and his media supporters will turn the tables on the attackers, and they will be exposed as the real miscreants and will face their fate: rejection at the polls in November. Rush Limbaugh gets it. In the first hour of his show Wednesday, he advocated making Schiff "the center of this so-called trial." It's painful to watch these people on the Democrat side continue to get away with these mischaracterizations, the outright lies and the out-of-context lies. And one of the biggest ones is their continuing effort to say that Trump wants to act like a dictator, that they quote him as saying, "I'm president. I can do anything I want." And everybody knows that he was talking about firing Mueller in that excerpt. He was explaining to people Article II gives him the power to run the executive branch. Mueller was special counsel. He could fire Mueller any time he wanted. "I can do anything I want." They have taken that and they have been using it for the past number of months to suggest Trump is saying as president he can do anything he wants about anything. And everybody in that Senate chamber yesterday knows exactly what they're doing. Schiff was unmasked. He was undressed yesterday. He was exposed as lying big time on the entire characterization, the transcript of the phone call that Trump had with the president of Ukraine, Zelensky. But the theme yesterday from the Democrats was McConnell wants to hold a trial with no evidence. And they're doing things, saying things that they hope will resonate with whoever they think are average, ordinary Americans. (snip) I really think the Republicans ought to bring Schiff in here and put him front and center and I think they ought to call him. I think they ought to make everything the Democrats are doing related to Adam Schiff. This guy needs to upheld front and center as the energy, the face behind this entire thing, because he'll fold. Folks, he hasn't said much that is the truth since this began. Many people have documented Schiff's lies. Let's start with the White House: 5 times Adam Schiff just totally made it up today Democrats have based their whole impeachment sham on the word and judgement of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who pleaded the left's case for 2 hours before the Senate today. Spoiler alert: That wasn't a good idea. Schiff is the worst choice to put in front of Americans fed up with Washington's partisan circus. His only real priority is attacking President Trump, and he's more than happy to resort to lies, leaks, and whatever else it takes to do it. In September, during a House Intelligence Committee hearing, Schiff made headlines by fabricating a completely made-up version of the July 25th phone call between President Trump and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Then, news broke that Schiff's staff had behind-the-scenes contact with the "whistleblower" at the center of the impeachment probe before that complaint was ever even filed. "We have not spoken directly with the whistleblower," Schiff had claimed before the truth caught up with him. Oops not the best person to stake Democrats' credibility on. Today was no different. Schiff's one-sided impeachment report the document that serves as the basis for Democrats' entire case is nothing but a partisan hatchet job. Rather than draw more attention to their flimsy, fake "investigation," Schiff chose to deflect and make up more lies about President Trump. Here are a few of the biggest ones: Schiff claims that President Trump endorsed the theory that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election. FACT: President Trump has publicly said, very clearly, that he accepts the conclusion of the intelligence community that Russia interfered in 2016. Schiff says that President Trump withheld an Oval Office meeting from President Zelenskyy. FACT: President Trump invited President Zelenskyy to the White House with no preconditions on THREE occasions: April 21, May 29, and July 25. They met at the first opportunity, at the UN General Assembly. Schiff once again brought up claims of a "quid pro quo." FACT: Notice what's not in Democrats' articles of impeachment? Allegations or accusations of a quid pro quo. They couldn't include that claim because no such arrangement existed. BONUS: Schiff completely misrepresented what Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said about foreign policy, Chris Wallace says. For years, Schiff lied about the Russia hoax, claiming there was evidence of collusion only to be proven wrong by the Mueller Report. This time, House Democrats learned their lesson: Why risk letting the facts get in the way? Impeach first, investigate later or beg the Senate to do it for them. As the late night commercials tell us, "But wait! There's more." Chris Wallace of Fox News, no fan of President Trump, yesterday confronted Schiff for totally misrepresenting what Mick Mulvaney said in his now infamous press conference. This video lasts 94 seconds, but The Right Scoop summarizes: ... Wallace notes that Schiff quoted the line "just get over it" from Mick Mulvaney's infamous press conference. But Wallace points out that Mulvaney was only referring to the fact that there is a political bent to their foreign policies, just like there was under Obama and previous presidents. Schiff, he seemed to indicate, was using it to suggest Mulvaney was saying everyone should "just get over it" referring to the quid pro quo. But Wallace said that's not what Mulvaney said and criticized Schiff for "completely misrepresenting" Mulvaney's comments. Matt Morgolis of PJMedia chronicles "The Top Seven Lies Adam Schiff Has Told to Boost Impeachment." Check them out. But what elevates Schiff from a liar into a Bond villain is his (and his allies among the Democrats and the media) intention to delegitimize the election coming in November. Here is the relevant portion of his two and half days hours presentation yesterday (rush transcript via Grabien) On the basis of this egregious misconduct, the House of Representatives returned two articles against the president. First charging that President Trump corruptly abused the powers of the presidency to solicit foreign interference in the upcoming presidential election for his personal and political benefit. Second, President Trump obstructed an impeachment inquiry into that abuse of power in order to cover up his misconduct. The House did not take this extraordinary step lightly. As we will discuss, impeachment exists for cases on which the conduct rises beyond mere policies disputes to be decided otherwise and without urgency at the ballot box. Instead, we are here today to consider a much more grave matter, and that is an attempt to use the powers of the presidency to cheat in an election. For precisely this reason, the President's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won. In corruptly using his office to gain a political advantage, in abusing the powers of that office in such a way to jeopardize our national security and the integrity of our elections, in obstructing the investigation into his own wrongdoing, the President has shown that he believes that he is above the law and scornful of constraint. David Marcus of The Federalist distills the message: Schiff is flat out telling voters that if Trump is not removed from office they should question the fairness of the outcome of the next election. This is the corner the Democrats have painted themselves into. The Mueller investigation failed, this impeachment has failed to gain bipartisan support or even anything approaching a strong polling majority, and now when the impeachment trial inevitably fails, they will resort to arguing that their thwarted efforts have rendered the upcoming election corrupt. This is the madness in all of this. A dispute in the White House as to whether to put a temporary hold on a foreign aid package that was released by the deadline has turned into a vast conspiracy that will the undermine the most important election in America. It is a deranged theory. On the basis of no evidence at all, Schiff is seeking to turn American from a nation proud of its unbroken record of a peaceful handover of power to political rivals into a banana republic in which legitimate elections are disputed by the loser. A rising tide of political violence against Trump supporters, starting with the attempted assassination of a large number of House Republicans, and ongoing Antifa attacks, lends urgency to the specter. Schiff is an unappealing figure with his bug eyes and pencil neck. Twitter video screen grab. He is perfect for a villain. And he has already gone to the casting call and won the part. Chicago, Illinois, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Michael Podgurski, a third-year student at UIC John Marshall Law School in Chicago, has been awarded the C.B. King Award from the National Lawyers Guild. The C.B. King Award is given in honor of Chevene Bowers King, who was one of the countrys most prominent and courageous civil rights lawyers. For more than thirty years, King practiced law in Albany, Georgia, where he was a major figure in the civil rights movement. He was well-known for his courage, courtroom eloquence, and legal skills in the face of tremendous adversity, including violent opposition during the civil rights movement in Georgia. Each year, the National Lawyers Guild selects one student for this honor. Podgurski, who currently serves as co-president of the UIC John Marshall chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and volunteers as a legal observer coordinator for the National Lawyers Guilds Chicago chapter, was selected for the award based on his relentless dedication to community work. Before entering law school, Podgurski led Know Your Rights workshops as a member of First Defense Legal Aids Street Law Corps. During law school, he has interned with the Hamilton Law Office and Uptown Peoples Law Center. The National Lawyers Guild is the nations oldest and largest progressive bar association and was the first in the U.S. to be racially integrated. Its mission is to use law for the people, uniting lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers to function as an effective force in the service of the people by valuing human rights and the rights of ecosystems over property interests. As the Spring Festival approaches, many Chinese families have bought rat-themed decorations to give their homes a more festive atmosphere. You may know that 2020 is the Year of the Rat, but how did such an unpopular rodent become the top symbol of the Chinese zodiac? To answer this question, it is first necessary to have a general understanding of the Chinese zodiac. Like its Western counterpart, the Chinese zodiac is also a classification scheme that assigns animals and its reputed attributes to a certain period of time in a repeating cycle, though for the Western one the cycle is 12 months long, while for the Chinese zodiac it is 12 years. But why does an animal as insignificant as the rat have a place among the 12 zodiac animals? Here is a fun piece of folklore that may give satisfy your curiosity. Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor, the supreme divine being in China, decreed that the years on the calendar should be named for each animal of his selection, but the order should be discussed and decided by the animals themselves. In order to be selected, all the animals had to get up early and reach his palace before dawn. The rat decided to get up early to be part of the selection. At that time, the rat was a good friend of the cat. Because the cat had a very bad habit of getting up late, he begged the rat to wake him up for the selection. Though the rat agreed, he left the cat without waking up him early in the morning, fearing that his friend may steal his glory. When all the animals but the cat gathered at the palace, the Jade Emperor made his final decision: he chose 12 animals representing the sky, the earth and the water: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig. At first, all the animals voted for the benevolent and honest ox to be the first animal of the zodiac, but the rat disagreed. He told the other animals that he was more significant and bigger than the ox, and thus should be the first. The animals then decided that the rat and ox should go to the street together to see which animal was more respected by the humans. When the ox passed along the street, no one paid attention to him, but when the rat did so, people started to scream: Such a big rat! What a horrible and disgusting creature! Shouting, they picked up clubs and tried to kill the rat, who ran away as fast as possible. Despite their discontent, the other animals had to agree that the rat actually drew much more attention from humans, and reluctantly put him in the first spot. When he returned home, the joyous rat woke up the cat and bragged about his achievement. The cat became furious, and asked the rat why he broke his promise. Rat responded light-heartedly, blaming the cat for not hearing when he tried to wake him up. Consumed by rage, the cat jumped on the rat and ate him. And that is why cats hate rats so much. Like the Western zodiac, the Chinese one is also associated with a culture of ascribing a persons personality or events in his or her life to the supposed influence of the persons particular relationship to the cycle. Follow us and find out what your Chinese zodiac animal is! Year of the Rat: 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 Year of the Ox: 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 Year of the Tiger: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 Year of the Rabbit: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 Year of the Dragon: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 Year of the Snake: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 Year of the Horse: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 Year of the Sheep: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 Year of the Monkey: 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 Year of the Chicken: 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 Year of the Dog: 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 Year of the Pig: 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 Bank ABC has won the Best Trade Finance Provider in Bahrain award for the year 2020 by the New York based Global Finance Magazine. An awards ceremony for the winning financial institutions was held on January 15, 2020 during the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT) annual meetings in Frankfurt, Germany. This award is a testament to Bank ABCs continued excellence in Trade Finance and commitment to provide innovative global trade solutions that enhance client delivery and experience. Global Finance has recognised the best trade finance banks in around 50 countries, including the Middle East region. The selection criteria included the volume of transactions, scope of global coverage, customer service, competitive pricing and innovative technology. Commenting on the award, Chris Odam, Trade Head for Bahrain & GCC at Bank ABC, said: We are delighted to receive this recognition once again, which attests to the Banks Trade dominance in Bahrain and continued excellence in the Middle East trade finance market, as well as, its strong commitment to innovate and evolve its services to better serve clients. 2019 was a remarkable year for Bank ABC in Trade as we experienced a significant increase in traditional documentary trade volumes, as well as, increased flows in Open Account trade through Receivables and Payables Financing. We completed several milestone Trade transactions in the Open Account with our clients. In 2020, we will rapidly expand on our digitisation efforts and continue to innovatively disrupt how trade finance is delivered within Mena, and its Trade corridors to the rest of the world, added Sanjay Sethi, Group Head of Transaction Banking at Bank ABC. This award is also reflective of the significant strides the Bank has achieved as part of its five-year transformation agenda for Transaction Banking as a whole, which it embarked on in 2019. This includes globalising and enhancing existing solutions, and importantly, digitising its Trade Finance and Cash Management capabilities and infrastructure across the Banks extensive network to improve client experience and response times. Global Finance reports on international finance issues, covering a wide range of related subjects such as corporate finance, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions, country profiles and capital markets. It also organises annual awards for a range of banking areas. Bank ABC is a leading player in the regions banking industry, with a presence in 15 countries across five continents. It provides global innovative Wholesale Banking. -- Tradearabia News Service Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in a subway station, in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The first case of coronavirus in Macao was confirmed on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The infected person, a 52-year-old woman, was a traveller from Wuhan. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Three cities in China have been locked down in an effort to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus - but the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is still too early to declare a "global health emergency". Eighteen people have died and more than 600 cases have been reported as authorities around the world work to prevent a global pandemic. An 80-year-old patient with coronavirus died in China's Hebei province on Thursday - the first confirmed death outside Hubei province where the outbreak began. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said: "Make no mistake, this is an emergency in China but it has not yet become a global health emergency. "It may yet become one." He added that the WHO's emergency committee had been divided over whether to declare a "public health emergency of international concern" and said China had taken appropriate measures to contain the new coronavirus' spread. Chinese authorities have moved to lock down three cities, with a combined population of more than 18 million people, in response to the virus. In the city of Wuhan, considered the epicentre of the outbreak, the airport and train station have been shut down, while ferry, subway and bus services have been halted. The city's 11 million residents have been ordered to wear masks in public places and at work. People were pictured stocking up on fuel and there were empty shelves in supermarkets ahead of what could be weeks of relative isolation. Similar measures are being enforced in the city of Huanggang, which has a population of six million, as bus and train services were suspended and cinemas and internet cafes were told to shut. Meanwhile, nearby Ezhou has shut its train stations, and the Chinese capital Beijing has cancelled major public events including two new year temple fairs, as part of the action to control the outbreak. The emergency committee on the new coronavirus considered that it is still too early to declare a public health emergency of international concern given its restrictive and binary nature. Story continues Sky's Asia correspondent Tom Cheshire, who has been in Wuhan, said: "What had previously been a quiet, tense atmosphere in Wuhan, is now a lot edgier. "Now the city, cut off, must cope on its own." Millions of people in China are preparing to travel domestically and abroad for its lunar new year celebrations this weekend. Overnight, the Chinese government had released a breakdown of the then 17 people known to have been killed by the deadly virus. All but two of the 13 men and four women were aged over 60. Ten of the victims had a pre-existing condition. There is no vaccine for the new viral infection, which can cause pneumonia and can be passed from person to person . The symptoms include fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. Though the origin of the virus has yet to be identified, the WHO has said the primary source is probably an animal. China has also stepped up its co-operation with the organisation, which is holding an emergency meeting to determine whether the outbreak of the new coronavirus constitutes a global health emergency. The virus originated in the central city of Wuhan in Hubei province at the end of last year and has since spread to 25 provinces across mainland China. Four cases have been found in Thailand, two in Hong Kong and the autonomous region of Macau, and one each in the US , Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. Several people in Scotland are being tested over fears they have the illness. Airports around the world - including in Dubai, Australia and South Africa - have stepped up screening of travellers arriving from affected regions. Measures are also in force in the UK to guard against the virus, including taking aircraft to a special designated area of Heathrow's Terminal 4 . The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Wuhan. :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to severe diseases such as SARS - which killed nearly 800 people during the 2002-03 outbreak. When a new strain emerges that has not yet been identified, as with the current outbreak, it becomes known as a novel coronavirus (nCoV). Dateline: Texas A man is facing charges of aggravated assault after he tweeted a seizure-inducing GIF to an epileptic reporter. The Washington Post reports that author and journalist Kurt Eichenwald wrote articles in Newsweek that were critical of President Donald Trump, leading to some angry online responses from the president's supporters. But authorities say one man took it too far. In December 2016, Twitter user @jew_goldstein identified as John Rayne Rivellosent Eichenwald a tweet featuring a strobing GIF image that set off a violent seizure in the writer. Eichenwald reportedly would have died if his wife hadn't happened into the study shortly after the seizure began. On his computer screen, she found the tweet, which displayed a flashing red, yellow and blue geometric pattern behind the words You deserve a seizure for your posts. After calling for emergency responders, she answered the tweet with her own: This is his wife. You caused a seizure. I have your information and have called the police to report the assault. Last week Rivello was set to appear in a Dallas County District court to face aggravated assault charges, but the hearing was rescheduled for the end of January. Last week, the Epilepsy Foundation announced that it made sweeping criminal complaints against a large group of social media users who have been targeting people with epilepsy and sending them strobing GIFs. The organization has identified 30 instances in which it received a strobing GIF in response to tweets it had published. In a federal civil lawsuit filed against Rivello in Maryland, a judge ruled that sending a GIF counts as physical contact, as light rays do strike the eyes of viewers. Rivello is expected to plead guilty to the assault charge, setting a new legal precedent. Dateline: Iowa A man requested a trial by combat from an Iowa court to settle his divorce. According to Des Moines Register, David Ostrom has asked that his ex-wife or her attorney meet him on the field of battle where (he) will rend their souls from their corporal bodies. He said his ex-wife can choose to send her attorney, Matthew Hudson, into combat as her champion. He also requested to be given 12 weeks to forge katana and wakizashi swords prior to the battle. To this day, trial by combat has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States, Ostrom argued in court records. Ostrom told reporters that he was frustrated with his ex-wife's divorce attorney. He claims the lawyer has been trying to ruin him through the legal system. I think I've met Mr. Hudson's absurdity with my own absurdity, Ostrom said. He said he got the idea when he learned of a 2016 case in which a New York Supreme Court Justice acknowledged that duels are still legal. In response to the request to do battle, Hudson filed a a resistance to the motion. Surely (Ostrom) meant 'corporeal' bodies which Merriam Webster defines as having, consisting of, or relating to, a physical material body, the attorney wrote. Although (Ostrom) and potential combatant do have souls to be rended, they respectfully request that the court not order this done. He also pointed out that potential death at the end of a katana could be construed as being too harsh a reaction in a divorce suit. Ostrom responded that trial by combat did not necessarily end in death. A combatant was allowed to cry craven and forfeit the duel. Respondent and counsel have proven themselves to be cravens by refusing to answer the call to battle, thus they should lose this motion by default, he wrote. The court has yet to rule on the motions. Ostrom told reporters that he does not know how to fight with a sword but still wants an answer from the court. He said he expects the judge to deny his request. Dateline: United States A deaf man is suing a number of pornographic websites for allegedly violating his rights by not offering closed captioning on all of their videos. ABC News reports that New York resident Yaroslav Suris filed a lawsuit against PornHub, RedTube and YouPorn for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the suit, Suris was unable to receive full and equal enjoyment from videos titled Hot Step Aunt Babysits Disobedient Nephew, Sexy Cop Gets Witness To Talk and others between October 2019 and January 2020 due to the websites' lack of closed captioning. It accuses the sites of practicing discrimination against deaf and hard of hearing individuals. In a statement to reporters, PornHub's Vice President Corey Price wrote: While we do not generally comment on active lawsuits, wed like to take this opportunity to point out that we do have a closed captions category. Dateline: Ukraine A man's genitals were saved by doctors after his wife attached a homemade chastity device to him to retaliate against his infidelity. According to Metro, the man woke up with the device attached to his genitals, applied by his wife while he was asleep. According to reports, the device painfully strangulated his penis with a tightly screwed-on metal nut. The man unsuccessfully attempted to remove the device himself before calling for an ambulance. But doctors were also initially unable to remove the nut and had to call in specialists. Rescue team commander Oleksandr Brienko told reporters that the crew used special equipment to do the job. The man was lying on the surgical operating table under anesthesia while we were cutting the object off. A circular saw was used to slice the nut in two. The heat caused by friction had to be cooled with water and the man had to be protected from flying sparks. Eduard Nekhoroshev, a member of the rescue team, told reporters: In this case, we actually saved the mans penis. He will be able to become a father in the future. Doctors said the man is expected to make a full recovery. He is reportedly considering a divorce. The mother of Nirbhaya, Asha Devi on Thursday thanked actor Kangana Ranaut, who slammed senior advocate Indira Jaising for requesting that she forgive those who gang raped her daughter in 2012. "I agree with the statement of Kangana Ranaut. I want to thank her. I am a mother. My daughter died seven years ago and all I want is justice," Asha Devi told ANI here. She accused Jaising of running a business in the name of human rights and supporting the perpetrators. "The way senior advocate Indira Jaising questioned me. This is to deceive the society in the name of human rights. It is to make fun of the heinous crimes against girls and women. They run businesses in the name of human rights and only support the perpetrators," Devi said. Earlier today, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut lashed out at senior lawyer Indira Jaising for asking Nirbhaya's mother to forgive the convicts, saying 'that lady (Jaising) should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days.' Ranaut also said that the convicts should be hanged publicly to set an example for society. Earlier, Indira Jaising had advised Asha Devi to "forgive her daughter's rapists and murderers just like Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi forgave her husband's killer". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Job Title: Occupational Therapist Organization: Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services for people with disability in Uganda (CoRSU) Duty Station: Uganda Reports To: Therapies Manager About US: Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services for people with disability in Uganda (CoRSU) is a private non-profit, non-governmental organization and is supported by CBM (Christian Blind Mission). CoRSU provides Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation, mainly for children as well as adults with disability. CoRSU wishes to recruit dynamic professionals to join its team. Job Summary: Develop and implement appropriate occupational therapy for CORSU clients. These include Activities for Daily living, Upper limb function and control, sensory and perceptual skills, cognition, behavior and social skills training, as well as pre-vocational assessment. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The ideal applicant must hold a Diploma in Occupational Therapy Updated registration and annual practicing licence with Allied Health Professionals Council Good computer knowledge and documentation skills Knowledge of rehabilitation of people with disabilities especially children Knowledge of Protocols of Patient Rehabilitation At least two years clinical experience How to apply: All interested candidates please send applications (detailed CV, covering letter plus relevant copies of academic qualifications) should be submitted to: The Head of Human Resources, CoRSU Hospital, P.O. 46, Kisubi or email to recruitment@corsuhospital.org Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. Note: These job opportunities attract local contracts based on Ugandan labour laws. Capable Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are encouraged to apply. Deadline: 23rd January 2020 by 5:00pm For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline - Floyd Mayweather will be visiting the United Kingdom on a tour in March - The undefeated fighter will charge fans 150 who are willing to take selfies with in Blackpool - It is understood that the billionaire sportsman will lodge in a 35 three-star low budget hotel - Fans have reacted on Twitter to the charges the American boxer is splashing for his visit Floyd Mayweather is on the news again as his proposed tour of the United Kingdom in March that would see him charge fans 150 (over GHC1,000) to have a selfie with him. The undefeated boxer who has a record of 50-0 will also lodge in a three-star hotel in Blackpool which costs just 35-per-night. According The Sun, the low budget comfort zone has been voted as the worst in the United Kingdom's hotel chain. Mayweather who is also regarded as the Money Man is preferring Blackpool for the bright lights of Las Vegas in his Legendary Icon Tour. Despite earning between $700m-$1billion in his glittering career, the 42-year-old will be charging fans who are willing to take photographs with him. It is understood that the event in Blackpool will see tables charged for a whopping 2,500 while a VIP Gold table for 12 costs 1,800. The four-division weight champion's visit with all the charges attached to events he would be attending has come as a huge surprise to many. One fan expressed himself on Twitter saying: "Who told Floyd Blackpool is similar to Vegas?" Another fan could hide his dissatisfaction: "I can't for the life of me believe that Floyd Mayweather is going to Blackpool, seriously?" A third fan added: "I see you are coming to Blackpool, you do realise they say it's the Vegas of the north... can't wait until you realise it's not." Mayweather who is reportedly looking for a rematch with Connor Mcgregor will also be visiting in Derby, Essex, London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Sheffield and Newcastle on his tour. READ ALSO: Emmanuel Adebayor spotted buying roadside coconut (Photos) Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh One of two men who kidnapped a Public Storage warehouse manager at gunpoint in 2017, mistakenly thinking the manager had stolen their stash of nearly 500 pounds of marijuana, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones issued the sentence for Trent Lamar Knight, 31, after he pleaded guilty in May to distributing marijuana and using a firearm in the course of drug trafficking. The judge decided to issue a shorter sentence than he gave Knights co-defendant, Jody Tremayne Wafer earlier this month, noting that Wafer was the ringleader and Knight played a lesser role. Wafer was sentenced to seven years in prison. "You got into this way over your head,'' the judge told Knight. Knight and Wafer, both of Houston, were led to believe that their marijuana had been stolen when it actually had been seized in a secret raid by federal agents. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration had seized the marijuana but made the confiscation look like a burglary, using whats called a delayed-notice search warrant, according to court documents and testimony. After they were informed someone had broken into their Public Storage locker in Southeast Portland and cleared it out, Wafer and Knight forced the on-site manager into an empty unit and held him at gunpoint on Dec. 2, 2017, demanding to know what happened to the drugs, according to court testimony and records. Knight bound the managers wrists with duct tape and was captured on cellphone video telling the manager "it wasnt worth his life and he should tell them where the marijuana was,'' according to prosecutors. Knights defense lawyer Edie Rogoway argued that Knight was acting at the direction of Wafer, and urged the manager to cooperate with the hope of preventing Wafer from doing more harm. Knight, 31, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for using a gun in the course of drug-trafficking and distributing marijuana. Knight told the judge he thinks daily about what he did to the storage manager. "From the bottom of my heart, I want to apologize for what Ive done to him,'' he said. "I know what I did was wrong...I completely hold myself accountable.'' Federal agents were investigating Knight and Wafer as part of a months-long surveillance and broader investigation into black market trafficking of marijuana from Oregon to Texas, according to court documents. Knight, Wafer and other co-defendants were accused of buying large supplies of marijuana in Oregon and smuggling the bundles back to Texas for distribution, according to prosecutors. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A US embassy staffer in Colombia is thought to have died after a boating trip to the popular Rosario Island ended in tragedy as it capsized tipping all 11 on board into the sea on Saturday. Colombian authorities are continuing to search for one of the embassy staff members who remains missing in the Caribbean Sea - five days after the boating accident. The Colombian Coast Guard said US embassy personnel, and other American citizens, were on a boat trip in the area known as Peruquitos, Rosario Island, Colombia. The boat with 12 on board capsized unexpectedly and the passengers were flung into the Caribbean Sea. The Colombian Coast Guard continue to search for the person who fell overboard a boat on a tourist trip of the popular Rosario Island in the Caribbean Sea A member of the Colombian Coast Guard looks out into the choppy waters of the Caribbean sea where a person fell in on Saturday after a boat they were travelling in capsized unexpectedly In a video taken shortly after the accident the boat can be seen floating in the sea upside down as a woman shouts: 'Emergency, emergency, coast guard, oh my God, there are people in the water, there is an upside-down boat.' After a woman, sailing on another boat warned authorities about it, rescue personnel were quickly on scene and managed to pull out 11 of the 12 on board - two were taken to a navy hospital with mild injuries. However, one person was unable to be found. A video taken shortly after the boat capsized shows it hull up in the water. Of the 12 who fell in, 11 were rescued fairly quickly, but one person, an embassy staffer, remains missing, presumed dead United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the person was a staff member based in Bogota as part of the US diplomatic mission in Colombia. He expressed his grief at the 'devastating loss' of the staffer who he said was now presumed dead. The missing person has not been named for privacy reasons. The Colombian Navy said the most likely cause for the boat overturning was a strong swell which became a large wave that overturned the vessel. Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez expressed his condolences and said the Colombian Navy were working with the Coast Guard to find the missing staffer's body. Former Vice President Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden has been ordered to appear in court next week in connection with a contempt claim made against him in his ongoing child support case in Arkansas, PEOPLE confirms. His appearance, at a Wednesday hearing in Independence County, will be his first in the case since it began last May. Lunden Roberts, who first sued him for paternity and financial support, most recently argued he should be held in contempt by the judge for ignoring various court orders. While paternity was settled earlier this month, following a DNA test in the fall that proved Hunter fathered a child with Roberts in 2018, the issue of child support remains pending. Roberts has also asked the court to make Hunter pay her attorney fees. In a motion for contempt filed this week (Roberts second such motion), her lawyers said Hunter has continued to refuse to provide needed discovery materials and financial records as ordered by the judge. On Jan. 6, the judge said both Hunter and Roberts had to comply with all pending discovery by Jan. 16. But Roberts latest contempt motion states that Hunter has failed to provide any additional discovery information of any nature including personal information such as his address and phone number and his previous years tax returns. Hunters conduct is willful and contemptuous, Roberts motion states, arguing he should be found in contempt. The defendant continues to act as though he has no respect for this Court, its orders, the legal process in this state, or the needs of his child for support, the contempt motion states, adding, This is but another example of the defendants unnecessary actions to frustrate prompt adjudication of this matter and increase the plaintiffs litigation costs. On Tuesday, the judge ordered Hunter to appear next Wednesday morning and show cause, if any exists, as to why he should not be held in contempt for any of the alleged violations of this Courts orders. Story continues His team has not yet filed a response to the contempt motion, according to online court records. However, he vigorously denied a similar motion for contempt filed by Roberts attorneys in December, including denying that he had not provided required financial and tax records and said that to the extent possible he had been following the judges orders. In that earlier response, his attorney said Roberts contempt motion included histrionics and contended, in turn, that she had strategically included an exhibit in order to leak Hunters address to the media by putting it into the official record. The two sides sharply disagree on whether Hunters intransigence is a stalling tactic verging on contempt or a reflection of his caution after being the target of all manner of speculation, innuendo and insult. In December, the court ordered both Roberts and Hunter to provide five years of tax returns and five years worth of financial documentation for any money theyd received. Hunter had said in a November filing that he was unemployed since May. Roberts pressed Hunter for more extensive financial records, including about businesses he had owned. She also scheduled a deposition of Hunter on Dec. 23. But Hunter resisted, arguing that some of her requested financial and personal information was beyond the scope of what was necessary to resolve the single issue remaining in the case: how much he should pay to support the baby. He also asked for an order limiting the scheduled deposition and who would be in the room during it. Public disclosure of the deposition can only be for the purpose of continued annoyance or attempts to embarrass the Defendant, Hunters attorney, Brent Langdon, wrote in December. The court documents in the case outline ongoing disputes between Hunter and Roberts, including Hunters concern that his personal and financial information could become public as part of the suit. A judge in the case previously ordered all financial information as well as their childs identity be kept secret. Hunter has some reason to be guarded: In recent months, two unrelated parties have sought to legally intervene in the suit, making explosive and unproven allegations about Hunter in filings with the court, all of which have since been stricken. Roberts suit was first filed on May 28 but did not become public for weeks, when it was covered by a local Arkansas paper. International attention has since followed the case, with both Hunter and Roberts being dogged by the tabloids in different ways. They were already scheduled to return to court on Jan. 29 (the same day Hunter will now answer the contempt claim) for the purpose of addressing temporary child support for the minor child and other matters, the presiding judge wrote recently. Permanent child support will be determined in May. In addition to confirming paternity this month, the judge also granted Roberts primary custody of their child, who is now a toddler, with visitation for Hunter to be agreed upon by both parties at a later date. Hunters tumultuous personal life, including a surprise marriage, returned him to the headlines in 2019 at the same time as his dad launched a presidential bid immediately becoming the leading contender to face President Donald Trump. Hunters past business dealings in Ukraine and China have been heavily scrutinized by conservatives as a result, though no evidence of wrongdoing has emerged. What Trump did with these same theories about Hunter is also at the heart of his historic impeachment. Roberts attorney Clint Lancaster previously told PEOPLE that she was a very, very private person who was focused on her child. Her team has suggested in court filings that she turned to a lawsuit after Hunters earlier support of their child ran dry. My client wants this thing resolved, she doesnt want to be in the media, she doesnt want paparazzi hanging out at her dads place of business hoping to get a shot of her, Lancaster said earlier this month. Roberts original suit stated that she and Hunter were in a relationship and had a child born in August 2018. Lancaster previously said that Roberts, who is in her twenties, met Hunter in the Washington, D.C., area. Her attorneys said in court filings that she worked for Hunter and received money from him between May and November 2018. Lancaster says Hunter has not given her any money since that November. Hunters attorney told PEOPLE he does comment on pending cases beyond what was available in the court record. Britain to leave EU today: A timeline of what happens next January 31, 2020. Thats the date Brexiteers have been looking forward to for some time now. After four years of false-starts and stalled attempts, Britain and the European Union are finally ready to go through with their divorce. Farming, fishing, state aid, banking, trade and tariffs are just some of a myriad of issues that are set to be brought up during negotiations for a new free trade deal after Britain formally exits the EU on January 31. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extending the transition period. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@HoCPress A no-change transition period will run until the end of 2020, during which the two parties will seek to negotiate their future relationship. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extending the transition period and is in the process of making it illegal to do so, leaving only 11 months to seal a deal between the worlds fifth-biggest economy and its biggest trade bloc, with many sceptical of whether it is a realistic timeframe. EU trade chief Phil Hogan warned London last week against taking talks to the wire. We need to wake up to this reality that gamesmanship and brinkmanship are not going to work on this occasion, he said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think-tank conference in Washington, DC. EU trade chief Phil Hogan warned London last week against taking talks to the wire. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@PhilHoganEU If you want to do a deal together I wish you well, but Im hearing messages from the various players in this town that it wont be as easy as the United Kingdom and the United States think, certainly it wont be as easy as the United Kingdom thinks for the United Kingdom to strike a deal that actually meets the objectives of the administration here, he added. An EU-Britain deal is likely to cover security and defence cooperation, energy and transport links, fishing rights, data flows and Britains participation in EU programmes in science, space as well as trade. EU citizens in the UK now have fewer reasons to be worried after Brexit. Find out more about the reassurances the European Parliament obtained @ https://t.co/PnO1U5MFqW pic.twitter.com/8zr24Tlh48 European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) January 21, 2020 So, what exactly is going to happen next? Heres a timeline of what can be expected: 2020 January 29: Members in European Parliament ratify agreement January 31: Britain leaves the EU at 11.00 pm local time February 1: New trade deal negotiations with EU begin February 25: European Commission presents proposals to member governments July 1: Deadline for extending transition period past 2020 November 26: Trade deal must be presented to EU Parliament December 31: Transition period ends and Britain exits the EU 2021 December 31: Final date for extension of transition period The European Commission, representing the 27 remaining EU members, announced plans to prepare its recommendations and put them to the member governments on February 25 before beginning negotiations with the UK in March. The deal effectively needs to be wrapped up by October in order to present it to the European Parliament by the November 26 deadline. In addition, for the new agreement to come into effect by January 1, 2021, it must be checked by lawyers and translated into the EUs 22 other languages and approved before then. The Brexit Bill has passed its final parliamentary hurdle. All that's left is for it to be given Royal Assent. We're leaving on 31 January. Department for Exiting the EU (@DExEUgov) January 22, 2020 Britains deadline for asking to extend the transition is July 1. Obstacles However, things are not as simple as that. There are many potential and actual obstacles to a seamless transition apart from the time crunch. The agreement between the EU and Britain on security cooperation and transportation matters is expected to be passed easily, but the EU fears London may seek to undercut the bloc in areas such as environmental and labour rules.Britain reportedly does not want to commit to keeping EU rules which make it harder to strike deals with other countries, especially the United States which is in a trade cold war with the European body. There are also likely to be disagreements on the exact nature of access to EU markets for British services firms, notably financial services, as well as fishing rights in British waters for EU and UK fleets as well as on import limits in agriculture. Where things stand currently The Brexit bill is one step away from becoming law after completing its passage through Parliament. The EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, which paves the way for the UK to leave the bloc with a deal on January 31, is now awaiting royal assent after MPs in the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected all five changes made by peers to the bill and the Lords let the Bill go forward in the second round despite allegations that their voices were ignored. MPs have voted to disagree with Lords Amendment 5 to the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill by 349 votes to 246. This relates to clause 38 on the Sewel Convention. Read the list of the Lords Amendments here: https://t.co/hch3OAluqR UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) January 22, 2020 Britain has announced plans to strike deals with other countries around the world and leaked government documents revealed extensive preliminary talks with the United States last year as well as potentially ramping up trade with India, discussed in official-level and ministerial-level bilateral sessions. It is clear that the UK is looking to a future when it is free of the EU, but there are many stumbling blocks along the way in ensuring that Brexit happens in the seamless manner they are hoping for. Gold rose on Thursday as scaling concerns over a coronavirus outbreak in China and its impact on global economy soured sentiments for riskier assets, propping up demand for the safe-haven asset. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $1,564.13 per ounce. U.S. gold futures settled up 0.6% at $1,565.40 per ounce. "Coronavirus has led people to gold because there is an anticipation of a lot of potential turmoil in the economies that are affected," said Jeffrey Sica, founder of Circle Squared Alternative Investments. "It is adding a level of uncertainty to the overall market that is forcing people to consider more of safe haven in the event that this does becomes a greater epidemic." The Chinese government put millions of people in two cities in lockdown as the death toll reached 18, and 634 people were infected. Coronavirus fears led to the biggest tumble in Chinese stocks in more than eight months, which in turn weighed on global equity markets. Further benefiting bullion's appeal, U.S. yields tumbled to multi-week lows. Lower bond yields reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-interest bearing gold. "Equities are slightly softer so that is stoking some interest in the metal," said Bob Haberkorn, senior market strategist at RJO Futures. "But absence of any geopolitical risk in the short term is keeping gold prices in check. The European Central Bank meeting did not move the needle too much." The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged at its latest policy meeting and launched a "strategic review" of its inflation goal and tools. Gold, considered a safe store of value in times of political and economic uncertainty, climbed to a near seven-year peak of $1,610.90 on Jan. 8 after an escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions. It has held above $1,550 for the most part ever since. Focus will now shift to the U.S. Federal Reserve's first meeting of the year scheduled for Jan. 28-29. Spot gold is biased to revisit its Jan. 21 low of $1,545.96, looking shaky around a resistance at $1,564, said Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. Among other precious metals, palladium fell 0.6% to $2,457.51 per ounce, silver eased 0.1% to $17.80 and platinum dipped 0.7% to $1,004.83. [January 23, 2020] Bloomberg Law Announces Enhancements to Litigation Offerings: Resource Pages for All 50 States, Federal Court Analytics ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Law today announced enhancements to its litigation-focused resources, including the introduction of state-specific litigation pages for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the expansion of its Litigation Analytics suite to include analysis for all federal district courts. These new features are currently available to subscribers and augment the wide array of litigation analysis, tools, and resources on the Bloomberg Law platform. For more information and to request a demo, please visit http://onb-law.com/A1tE50y2eyT. Bloomberg Law now offers key litigation resources for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in one place. All state and federal litigation resources such as rules, statutes, court opinions, dockets, ethics resources, and statutes of limitations are accessible in one place. The resource pages also include links to key information needed to litigate such as local rules, forms, filing information,and judicial information in state and federal courts, as well as a new Choice of Law practice tool. This content aids attorneys' research of substantive legal issues and helps with logistical issues like complying with local filing requirements, identifying a particular judge's rules, and other state- and court-specific matters. Additionally, Bloomberg Law now offers Court Analytics, an expansion of its Litigation Analytics suite, which includes data analysis for all federal district courts. Court Analytics aggregates motion and appeal outcome rates and length of case statistics for all sitting federal district judges. The new offering also aggregates company, law firm, and attorney appearances before each judge, as well as the case types most frequently handled by each judge. With Court Analytics, attorneys can better understand the tendencies of the federal district courts where they practice. "These enhancements save lawyers time and allow them to leverage our authoritative collection of litigation resources to make more informed strategic decisions," said Joe Breda, President, Bloomberg Law. "We now provide a one-stop shop for litigation resources in all 50 states, as well as analysis of court data that helps firms and corporate counsel understand venues and assess the jurisdictional experience of law firms, attorneys, and companies." These enhancements to the Bloomberg Law platform are available to Bloomberg Law subscribers at no additional cost. About Bloomberg Law Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of comprehensive primary and secondary source material, real-time news, expert analysis, time-saving practice tools including Practical Guidance, market data, and business intelligence. For more information, visit pro.bloomberglaw.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bloomberg-law-announces-enhancements-to-litigation-offerings-resource-pages-for-all-50-states-federal-court-analytics-300992304.html SOURCE Bloomberg Law [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 07:16:45|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close A visitor looks at displayed apparel at the booth of Grit & Zest during China Textile and Apparel Trade Show in New York, the United States, on Jan. 21, 2020. Chinese textile companies have been actively exploring and expanding into the U.S. market through more innovation, upgraded services and bigger global footprints, according to industry insiders. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) NEW YORK, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese textile companies have been actively exploring and expanding into the U.S. market through more innovation, upgraded services and bigger global footprints, according to industry insiders. "We've been investing 7 percent of our annual revenue in our research and development efforts since 2015," said Jiang Nan, executive director and general manager of RomRol Outdoor, a Jiangsu Province-based company committed to developing functional fabric and clothing to serve mostly outdoor brands and brands with fashion outdoor collections. At the just-concluded China Textile and Apparel Trade Show in New York City, RomRol Outdoor presented attendees, namely retailers, designers and brands, a catwalk show highlighting its various cutting-edge technologies. Its light-absorbing fabric and temperature sensor fabric proved to be most eye-catching. RomRol Outdoor is only one of the many Chinese companies that emphasize technology and innovation in order to be more competitive on the global market. "We are still a decade behind our counterparts in countries like Germany and Japan, but that also means we have huge potential for growth," said Jiang. He explained that Chinese companies used to only eye on the already large domestic market, but as the domestic market becomes saturated and communication with international partners becomes ever closer, they are now more eager to compete on the global stage and expand their international market share. The show was held in parallel with the Home Textiles Sourcing, Apparel Sourcing USA, and the Texworld USA expos, all at the Javits Center earlier this week and bringing together more than 300 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions around the world. More than half of the exhibitors came from China, and they produce cotton, functional fabrics, knits, faux fur, embroidery, lace, and more. Headquartered in China's southeastern Xiamen city, the brand Grit & Zest established a branch in the United States in 2012. Specializing in swim, active, athleisure and casual wears, the company is one of the early ones to have presence in the United States in order to communicate with customers more smoothly and respond to their requests more quickly. Mary Chua, president of Grit & Zest's U.S. company, said that with comparative advantages of labor resources and competitive prices, it used to be easy to sell products to the U.S. market. "But not anymore," said Chua, adding that starting from 2015, the company has been offering more value-added products when doing business with its customers. The brand offers design help and expert supervision from sample cycle to production. Its services include collection development, multi-language tech-packs, textile design, print design, graphic design, fabric and trim sourcing, testing, hardware design, label or packaging design, and garment fitting checks. Chua said the company's competitive advantage lies exactly in its ability to offer the whole package. In addition, if a startup only has a design concept for its clothing line but does not know where to start, Grit & Zest can also help. "We have to adapt and transform, following the trend closely," said Chua. An increasing number of Chinese companies are also expanding their global footprints to show their U.S. customers that they are flexible and have enough capacity. Xu Yan, assistant general manager of Jiangsu Guotai Huasheng Industrial Co., Ltd., said she has established quite a few partnerships with manufacturers in southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, and already has three plants of their own in Myanmar. "It all started in the past two to three years when we realized we had to look for alternative manufacturing bases other than China," said Xu. Chinese companies turn to southeast Asian countries or even African countries to meet the needs of their customers, and to move some of their production capacity outside of China so that mid-to-high-end products can still be manufactured in China, industry insiders said. They added that now Chinese companies are truly competing on the global stage as countries like Vietnam have also entered the arena, while those that are already there for a long time such as Japan are still striving to move forward. "That's a challenge we have to face," Xu said. WINNIPEG - The massive investigation and search last summer for two young men wanted for three killings cost the RCMP in Manitoba and British Columbia about $1.5 million. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Security camera images recorded in Saskatchewan of Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, are displayed as RCMP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Hackett steps away from the podium after speaking during a news conference in Surrey, B.C., on Tuesday July 23, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck WINNIPEG - The massive investigation and search last summer for two young men wanted for three killings cost the RCMP in Manitoba and British Columbia about $1.5 million. Cpl. Julie Courchaine said Wednesday that Manitoba RCMP spent less than $800,000 during the 17-day search through the province's northern terrain for Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and Kam McLeod, 19. B.C. RCMP estimate their costs at $750,000, said Sgt. Janelle Shoihet in an email. Those costs include the major crime investigation and specialized support services such as air services and forensic identification. It does not include the cost of the Canadian Armed Forces, whose members were also involved in the nation-wide search. A national RCMP spokeswoman in Ottawa said in an email she was not in a position to give a total amount. The investigation began July 15 when the bodies of American Chynna Deese and her Australian boyfriend Lucas Fowler were discovered near B.C.'s Liard River Hot Springs. Two days later, a burned truck registered to McLeod was found about 60 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C. The body of University of British Columbia lecturer Leonard Dyck was located nearby. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The search continued east in the following days. Dyck's Toyota Rav 4 was found burned near Gillam, Man., on July 23. Mounties descended on the area of dense brush and difficult terrain. Local community leaders said at the time that anxiety was high for residents as police searched for the suspected killers. Items belonging to the suspects were eventually found about eight kilometres from the truck. That led to the discovery of the bodies of Schmegelsky and McLeod in brush near the shore of the Nelson River on Aug. 7. RCMP have said Schmegelsky and McLeod expressed no remorse for the killings in six videos they left behind. Schmegelsky said their plan had been to march to Hudson Bay, hijack a boat and travel to Europe or Africa. But in another video he said they had reached a river that was too large and fast moving, so they planned to take their own lives. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. By Trend A meeting of elections observation mission delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) with members of the parties represented in the Azerbaijani Parliament is being held in Baku, Trend reports. Then, PACE representatives will meet with the leadership of the Azerbaijani Parliament and members of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. Issues of preparation for the early parliamentary elections to be held in Azerbaijan on Feb. 9 are discussed at the meetings. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan met the BJP national president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Thursday morning. Discussions between the leaders of the two parties that entered into an alliance in Andhra Pradesh, are expected to focus on the opposition to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy governments plans to shift the state capital from Amravati. On Wednesday, Telugu actor-turned-politician Kalyan, accompanied by a few Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, had met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to apprise her about the economic and political situation in the state. As per media reports, Pawan reiterated that the central government is not on board with the Jagan governments three-capital move. The Jana Sena has been critical of the YSRC governments claims that the proposal for shifting the capital has been taken in consultation with the Centre. After forging an alliance with the BJP last week, Pawan Kalyan had said the alliance would work towards ending dynasty politics and corrupt, tyrannical rule in the state. The YSR Congress party government has miserably failed to live up to the expectations of the people and destroyed their dream capital of Amaravati, he said. The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly earlier this week passed the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 that intended to give shape to state governments plan of having three capitals--executive capital in Visakhapatnam, legislative in Amaravati and judicial in Kurnool. The legislation was tabled in the assembly on a day that protests against it rocked the Amaravati region, with hundreds farmers and women defying prohibitory orders and breaking security cordon, trying to reach the Legislature complex. Jana Sena leaders said the latest round of meetings between the BJP and their party is the beginning of coordination meetings that will be held every fortnight. CCSO patrol car View Photo San Andreas, CA A new investigative tool being offered to the public by the Calaveras County Sheriffs Office to help deputies track down burglars and their loot is a hit. As reported here last month, the sheriffs office announced it would be making available SmartWater kits, which include a liquid that is invisible, colorless and odorless and a marking device, like a marker, to tag property. The liquid has millions of unique formulas available that can be designated to individuals. It can be seen with an ultraviolet (UV) light only available to Law Enforcement and used to trace items back to a home or business owner. Last Thursday at 8 a.m., the office posted on social media that free kits were available, which according to Sheriffs spokesperson Sgt. Greg Stark brought this response, In about four and a half hours the free kits were exhausted. And the calls have not stopped coming from interested parties wanting to get the kits, which can now be purchased, while supplies last, for $42.50 by using a promotional code obtained by calling Sgt. Stark at 209-754-6783. Once bought, the kit must be registered with the office to activate the tracking ability. Sgt. Stark notes that already an additional 30 kits have been sold, stating, Im happy to see the program has such interest in the county. Its got a tremendous ability to reduce crime and return the property to the property owners. Another way the office is working to deter crimes is by having the UV lights available at the Calaveras County Jail. Sgt. Stark explains, Every person booked into the jail will be screened to see if they have any of the traceable liquid on them. Then well also have an informational video playing once a week inside each of the individual cells reminding them that this product is in the county and we are using it. Isabel dos Santos, the tycoon daughter of Angola's former president, has been charged with money laundering and mismanagement, Angolan prosecutors said, as they launched a bid Thursday to have the billionairess and other suspects return home for questioning. One of five named suspects, a Portuguese banker identified at the weekend in a worldwide media exclusive dubbed the "Luanda Leaks," has been found dead in Lisbon, police there said. The eldest child of ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos is the target of an anti-graft campaign led by her father's successor, Joao Lourenco. "Isabel dos Santos is accused of mismanagement and embezzlement of funds during her tenure at Sonangol," prosecutor general Helder Pitta Gros told a news conference late Wednesday, referring to Angola's state-owned oil giant. "(She) is thus charged in the first instance with crimes of money laundering, influence peddling, harmful management ... forgery of documents, among other economic crimes." Gros said dos Santos was among five suspects, all of whom were currently residing abroad. "At the moment, the concern is to notify and get them to voluntarily come to face justice," said Gros. Gros travelled to Lisbon after his announcement and was expected to meet his Portuguese counterpart later Thursday. Dos Santos is accused of using her father's influence to steal millions of dollars from the oil- and diamond-rich but poor southern African country and stashing it abroad. Investigations into her 18-month tenure as Sonangol head began after her successor Carlos Saturnino raised the alarm about "irregular money transfers" and other suspect procedures. The so-called "Luanda Leaks" trove of more than 715,000 files, published on Sunday by some of the world's top media outlets, suggest the alleged looting was systemic. The mounting scandal has stoked scrutiny of Portugal and some of its major corporations, especially the bank Eurobic. Eurobic banker Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, who was named in the "Luanda Leaks", was found dead in Lisbon, police said Thursday. "All indications point to suicide," a police spokesman told AFP. Just hours earlier, Eurobic said in a statement that Dos Santos -- who owns 42.5 percent of the bank -- had taken the decision to "withdraw" as a shareholder. Dos Santos denial Dos Santos has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and denounced the investigations as politically motivated. The 46-year-old businesswoman has been furiously defending her empire, claiming her fortune was built on nothing but hard work and fruitful investments. "This is what I do!," she tweeted on Monday. "I build companies and enterprises, I invest and create jobs." Angola's ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) said it respected the prosecutor's decision. "The MPLA supports and encourages the continuing fight against corruption and impunity, which is a national imperative," spokesman Albino Carlos told AFP. Dos Santos has been dubbed "the princess" by many Angolans and Africa's richest woman by Forbes, which estimates her assets at $2.1 billion (1.89 billion euros). She stopped living in Angola after her father stepped down in 2017 for his anointed successor Lourenco. Most of the ex-president's family have moved abroad since he stepped down, and are believed to jet-set between London, Dubai and Portugal. Angola is still reeling from dos Santos's 38-year rule during which key positions were awarded to his cronies and wealth amassed by a select few. Lourenco has vowed to crack down on corruption and launched a large-scale purge of the dos Santos administration. He removed Isabel dos Santos from her top job at Sonangol shortly after he came to power. Prosecutors last month froze bank accounts and assets owned by Isabel dos Santos and her Congolose husband Sindika Dokolo as part of the probe. Anti-corruption campaign group Global Witness alleged hundreds of companies, many based in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, helped her "to become Africa's richest woman while millions of Angolans live in extreme poverty". (AFP) World News: 2020 will shape the future of our blue planet January 23,2020 | Source: China Dialogue Ocean Our house is on fire, said Swedish activist Greta Thunberg at the beginning of 2019. Her statement resonated throughout the year, with temperature records broken in many countries, an unusually intense wildfire season in the Amazon, and the ocean continuing to lose oxygen. Millions took to the streets to vent their feelings at governments for not doing enough. In December, protesters inside the COP25 UN climate change conference in Madrid summed up a year of growing boldness, and frustration. While society and many sectors of the economy will continue to take their own action to help protect the environment in 2020, there is still time to accelerate last years slow progress in the international arena, at landmark global summits on the oceans, biodiversity and climate change. The global ocean In June, a UN high-level meeting will be held in Lisbon, Portugal to advance the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 14 on life below water. There is a total of 17 SDGS, designed to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity. Agreed by UN member countries in 2015, each objective has specific targets attached to it. Some of the SDG 14 targets are supposed to be met in 2020. These include putting an end to unsustainable fishing of all kinds; prohibiting fishing subsidies that encourage overfishing; and conserving at least 10% of coastal and marine areas. Several of the goals are far from being met, said Loreley Picourt, director of politics and international affairs at the Ocean and Climate Platform. In addition to evaluating them, we will begin to discuss the next ones by 2020. But we must see what is the point of doing it if many were not fulfilled. This second set of high-level talks, over which Portugal and Kenya will preside, will seek to elicit voluntary commitments to support SDG 14. The ocean will also feature strongly in Novembers COP26 climate conference. Despite it coming up well short, COP25s final decision text did highlight the link between climate and ocean and agreed to begin a dialogue on the matter, starting with a meeting in June. Countries are also expected to include specific mentions of the ocean in their new contributions to fighting the climate crisis, to be presented prior to COP26. Some, such as the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, have already taken the lead here. The COP26 presidency mentioned that it wants the oceans to remain on the agenda, suggesting that discussions on the links between the climate and ocean will continue, said Remi Parmentier, coordinator of Because the Ocean, an initiative joined by 30 countries to incorporate the ocean in climate change policy. Overfishing The World Trade Organisation (WTO) will hold its annual meeting in Kazakhstan in June. Among its various objectives will be the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies. The issue has been under discussion for more than two decades, but progress has been sorely lacking. SDG 14, which will be the focus of the oceans conference in Portugal, includes among its goals the elimination of fisheries subsidies by 2020. The subsidies granted to the fishing industry amount to approximately US$35 billion annually, according to the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament. Fishing subsidies distort world fish markets and hit fish populations. But developing countries want to protect subsidies, which they say support low-income fishers. Around 60% of the worlds studied fish are fully exploited and 30% are overexploited, according to the SOFIA 2016 report, published by the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization. The WTO negotiations on subsidies have advanced too slowly and the WTO knows that. Action at the highest political level is needed. It is no longer enough to leave the discussions in the hands of technical negotiators, Parmentier said. Biodiversity In October, Kunming in southwestern China will host the 15th COP to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a crucial meeting to establish a new plan for biodiversity protection. The conference has been called the Paris Summit for biodiversity, hoping to match the 2015 meeting that resulted in a global pact to tackle climate change. In 2010, the 194 countries that form the CBD approved the Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity 2011-2020. Talks in Aichi, Japan, delivered 20 general objectives, known as the Aichi targets, to end biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems. But most goals have not been met. Chinas stewardship of the talks will look to preserve the Aichi targets as a minimum basis, and add new elements to ensure compliance. Biodiversity is experiencing a decline unprecedented in the history of mankind, said Obdulio Menghi, a biologist and president of the Argentine Biodiversity Foundation. Its not just species of animals and plants, all ecosystems are being affected. Global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles decreased an average 60% between 1970 and 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, according to the WWF Living Planet Index. The decrease affects natures function to provide the world with fresh air, drinking water and other vital services. There are five driving forces behind the decline in biodiversity, according to a major UN report published last year: changes in land and sea use; the direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution; and invasive species. A transformative change is needed, according to IPBES. We cannot continue with the current production and consumption system. It is an emergency situation, said Ana Di Pangracio, deputy executive director of the Argentine Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN). Climate change In November, the city of Glasgow in Scotland will host the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) on climate change. It faces huge challenges in resolving everything left over from previous years and spurring countries to be more ambitious in their efforts. COP25 was meant to advance key points for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, such as the creation of an international carbon market and securing financing from developed countries to developing countries. However, it was a resounding failure with progress made only on a gender action plan. COP had clear mandates in Madrid but unfortunately it did not fulfil them. This year the original objective was to focus on achieving greater ambition. But now we will continue to drag out outstanding issues, says Enrique Maurtua Konstantinidis, senior climate policy advisor for FARN. Diplomats and other observers suggest the UK get to work on building support for the negotiations immediately, going from capital to capital as the French did in advance of the Paris summit. This could help generate preliminary agreements and create a more congenial environment in 2020 than the zero-sum game the talks have become. Through the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries committed to limit global warming to 2C compared to pre-industrial levels. However, based on national contributions (known as NDCs) already submitted, the world is heading for rises of between 3 and 4C. This year, countries are expected to update their NDCs, which should accelerate emissions reductions. However, only 80 countries representing 10% of global emissions have presented improvement plans. FLIN FLON, Manitoba, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copper Reef Mining Corporation (CSE: CZC) (Copper Reef or the Company") is pleased to announce the beginning of a 4,300 metre diamond drill program in the Flin Flon Camp of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Company will start with a 630 metre program consisting of 5 drill holes at its 100% owned Hanson Lake Property in Saskatchewan where Copper Reef has two horizons each at 2.5 kilometres strike length. This is expected to be followed by a $1,000,000 exploration program which will include approximately 3,670 metres in the main Flin Flon Camp of Manitoba. The drill program in Manitoba, anticipated to commence this month and be completed by the end of March, will target 5 separate target areas along existing mine horizons. Three of these targets are newly interpreted, located along key horizons and, according to Copper Reef records, are undrilled. The Company will outline the Manitoba targets in further detail in future press releases. The drill program starting today will concentrate on the 2.5 kilometre long Hanson Lake Mine horizon which realized limited production but high metal grades over a development outline of 420 metre strike length by 140 metre depth (below bedrock surface). The mine operated by Western Nuclear Mines between 1967 and 1969, produced 147,000 tonnes containing 10% Zn, 5.8% Pb, 0.5% Cu and 137.0 g/t Ag. Although gold was noted, it appears to have not been recovered. Of interest, there is no evidence of drilling below 200 metres depth from bedrock surface. This leaves the mine horizon wide open for depth, plunge and strike exploration. In 2008, Copper Reef flew a deep penetrating VTEM airborne survey over the property, which showed that the Hanson Lake deposit extended significantly southward (700 metres) beyond the mined area. In 1986, SMDC completed a drill hole south of the mine that intersected 21.9% Zn, 1.6% Cu, 10.1% Pb and 28oz/t Ag (960g/t Ag) and 0.89 oz/t Au (30.51 g/t Au) over 1.2 metres at a shallow depth, in bedrock. This high-grade intersection was not followed up with further drilling. Copper Reef intends to step back 20 metres and re-test this horizon at the 45 and 100-metre levels and again from a separate set up 50 metres south along strike of the first setup at similar depths. Copper Reef will then step back and drill the horizon with a 5th drill hole at the 200 metre level. Copper Reefs 100% owned Hanson Lake Property lies on strike to the north of Foran Mining Corporations (Foran) large McIlvenna deposit, which presently has greater than 22 million tonnes indicated and 11 million tonnes inferred of copper-zinc-silver mineralization. Copper Reef owns a $0.75 per tonne net tonnage royalty on this deposit and on any other ore found on the property (the McIlvenna Royalty). The McIlvenna property remains completely open with depth. This McIlvenna Royalty, according to Forans projected mining rate, would net Copper Reef approximately $1.6 million per year. Copper Reef also owns a 2% net smelter return royalty on Forans Bigstone copper deposit, as well as the Balsam Cu-Zn Deposit in the same Hanson Lake volcanic center of the Flin Flon Belt. About Copper Reef Mining Corporation Copper Reef is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with a specific focus on mineral properties in Northwest Manitoba and Northeast Saskatchewan, Canada. All of the Issuers properties are currently at the exploration stage. The Company has assembled a portfolio of base metal and precious metal prospects including strategic locations in the Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, all of which are 100 percent owned with no option payments or work commitments to a third party. Qualified Person Stephen L. Masson, M.Sc., P.Geo., President & Chief Executive Officer of Copper Reef, who is the "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 for this project, has reviewed and approved of the technical disclosure contained in this news release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: COPPER REEF MINING CORPORATION. Tel: 1-204-687-3500; Email: copperreefmining@gmail.com Website: www.copperreefmining.com Stephen L. Masson President & CEO No stock exchange or securities regulatory authority has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the Companys exploration programs (including size and budget) and the ability to advance targets and the timing and results thereof. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur", or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is made, and is based on a number of assumptions and is 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, including risks associated with the exploration, development and mining such as economic factors as they effect exploration, future commodity prices, changes in foreign exchange and interest rates, actual results of current exploration activities, government regulation, political or economic developments, environmental risks, permitting timelines, capital expenditures, operating or technical difficulties in connection with development activities, employee relations, the speculative nature of gold exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of reserves, contests over title to properties, and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined. 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 information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Computer & Technology Jorge Pons Vorberg new Managing Director 23.01.2020 12:03:28 - CEO for Time & Security Division of Azkoyen (live-PR.com) - Stetten a. k. M., 21.01.2020. Jorge Pons Vorberg is the new Managing Director-CEO for the Time & Security Division of the AZKOYEN Group. Under his role he is fully accountable for the business of primion Technology GmbH and OPERTIS in Germany, GET in Belgium and the Netherlands, DIGITEK in Spain as well as primion S.A.S in France, which all combined - Stetten a. k. M., 21.01.2020. Jorge Pons Vorberg is the new Managing Director-CEO for the Time & Security Division of the AZKOYEN Group. Under his role he is fully accountable for the business of primion Technology GmbH and OPERTIS in Germany, GET in Belgium and the Netherlands, DIGITEK in Spain as well as primion S.A.S in France, which all combined forms the AZKOYEN Time & Security Division. Jorge Pons Vorberg has been Managing Director-CFO at the Time & Security Division for the past six years and had already led the business of the Managing Director-CEO on an interim basis since September. On behalf of the Azkoyen Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board of primion, the Groups Managing Director, Eduardo Unzu informed: "As per our unanimous opinion, Jorge Pons Vorberg is the best candidate to make Time & Security Division an even more successful business. Furthermore, we are convinced that his high level of personal commitment and vision for the company will enable him to drive forward the strategies currently focused on delivering organic growth and managing the significant investments already approved. Jorge Pons Vorberg himself expressed during an internal announcement to the employees the following: "I am proud and happy to be given this opportunity and will stand behind the company and its employees 100%. All together we want to focus on our goals and face the challenges: For our customers, we automate employee management and security processes, thereby increasing their efficiency and agility; for our shareholders, we achieve long-term profitability; and for all our employees, we create a dynamic, challenging and rewarding environment. In this way we can continue to grow, gain new market share and secure the future of the company". About primion primion - From simple locking systems to comprehensive high-security solutions Access control, time recording (according to EugH) and security technology from a single source For 25 years, primion has been working passionately on intelligent systems for, access control , time recording, security technology , and comprehensive hazard management for 5,000 customers worldwide in more than 10,000 installations. primion is one of Europe's leading companies. Take a look at our references. We take care of you while you take care of your business! Our customers can concentrate on their core business, we take care of the rest: Access control - reliably protecting people and assets Time recording - Plan, map and ensure effective processes Hazard management - All safety-relevant trades at a glance Highest quality and short distances: Our customers benefit from consulting, installation and support from a single source. Software and hardware are developed and manufactured in-house. For every need and every industry. Certified quality: primion has a certified management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 and is currently the only company in Germany with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for information security in the "Time & Security" area. About primion primion - From simple locking systems to comprehensive high-security solutions Access control, time recording (according to EugH) and security technology from a single source For 25 years, primion has been working passionately on intelligent systems for, access control , time recording, security technology , and comprehensive hazard management for 5,000 customers worldwide in more than 10,000 installations. primion is one of Europe's leading companies. Take a look at our references. We take care of you while you take care of your business! Our customers can concentrate on their core business, we take care of the rest: Access control - reliably protecting people and assets Time recording - Plan, map and ensure effective processes Hazard management - All safety-relevant trades at a glance Highest quality and short distances: Our customers benefit from consulting, installation and support from a single source. Software and hardware are developed and manufactured in-house. For every need and every industry. Certified quality: primion has a certified management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 and is currently the only company in Germany with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for information security in the "Time & Security" area. forms the AZKOYEN Time & Security Division.Jorge Pons Vorberg has been Managing Director-CFO at the Time & Security Division for the past six years and had already led the business of the Managing Director-CEO on an interim basis since September. On behalf of the Azkoyen Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board of primion, the Groups Managing Director, Eduardo Unzu informed: "As per our unanimous opinion, Jorge Pons Vorberg is the best candidate to make Time & Security Division an even more successful business. Furthermore, we are convinced that his high level of personal commitment and vision for the company will enable him to drive forward the strategies currently focused on delivering organic growth and managing the significant investments already approved.Jorge Pons Vorberg himself expressed during an internal announcement to the employees the following: "I am proud and happy to be given this opportunity and will stand behind the company and its employees 100%. All together we want to focus on our goals and face the challenges: For our customers, we automate employee management and security processes, thereby increasing their efficiency and agility; for our shareholders, we achieve long-term profitability; and for all our employees, we create a dynamic, challenging and rewarding environment. In this way we can continue to grow, gain new market share and secure the future of the company".About primionprimion - From simple locking systems to comprehensive high-security solutionsAccess control, time recording (according to EugH) and security technology from a single sourceFor 25 years, primion has been working passionately on intelligent systems for, access control , time recording, security technology , and comprehensive hazard management for 5,000 customers worldwide in more than 10,000 installations. primion is one of Europe's leading companies.Take a look at our references.We take care of you while you take care of your business!Our customers can concentrate on their core business, we take care of the rest: Access control - reliably protecting people and assets Time recording - Plan, map and ensure effective processes Hazard management - All safety-relevant trades at a glanceHighest quality and short distances: Our customers benefit from consulting, installation and support from a single source. Software and hardware are developed and manufactured in-house. For every need and every industry.Certified quality: primion has a certified management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 and is currently the only company in Germany with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for information security in the "Time & Security" area.About primionprimion - From simple locking systems to comprehensive high-security solutionsAccess control, time recording (according to EugH) and security technology from a single sourceFor 25 years, primion has been working passionately on intelligent systems for, access control , time recording, security technology , and comprehensive hazard management for 5,000 customers worldwide in more than 10,000 installations. primion is one of Europe's leading companies.Take a look at our references.We take care of you while you take care of your business!Our customers can concentrate on their core business, we take care of the rest: Access control - reliably protecting people and assets Time recording - Plan, map and ensure effective processes Hazard management - All safety-relevant trades at a glanceHighest quality and short distances: Our customers benefit from consulting, installation and support from a single source. Software and hardware are developed and manufactured in-house. For every need and every industry.Certified quality: primion has a certified management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 and is currently the only company in Germany with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for information security in the "Time & Security" area. Press Information: primion Technology GmbH Steinbeisstr. 2-5 72510 Stetten a.k.M. Fon: 0 75 73 / 95 2-0 Fax: 0 75 73 / 9 20 34 Mail: info@primion.de Web: www.primion.de Contact Person: Jittamas Sauer Marketing Phone: 0 75 73 / 95 2-0 eMail: eMail Web: http://www.primion.de 23.01.2020 12:03:28 - Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. In a year when teachers and auto workers mounted lengthy strikes, participation in labor unions in 2019 continued their decades-long decline. Union membership in the American workforce was down to 10.3% from 10.5% in 2018, according to statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday. The continued slide shows how energy and momentum around the labor movement is not translating into equivalent growth for unions, whose membership has fallen sharply as a percentage of the U.S. workforce over the last roughly 40 years. In 1983, unions represented about one out of five workers, now it's one in ten workers. "They're disappointing numbers for workers and unions," said Professor Joseph McCartin, the executive director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University. "The expansion of the labor market in 2019 didn't produce a proportional expansion in union members. Unions would have hoped to make gains in the course of the past year and they didn't." The number of total union members - 14.6 million - is relatively unchanged from 2018. But in a robust jobs market, the number of union workers added has not been enough to replace those who retired or left the workforce. The drop in union representation in the workforce is sobering news for the labor movement, which otherwise saw an eventful year. Major strikes including grocery workers in the Northeast, teachers in cities like Chicago and Little Rock, Arkansas, and autoworkers around the country attracted public attention and became a crucial stop for 2020 candidates on the campaign trail. The 47,000 General Motors workers who brought the company's car production to a halt during a six-week strike that culminated with a contract - and concessions - from the company in the fall, marked one of the largest private sector strikes in the last twenty years. And even non-union workers have taken advantage of the tight labor market to advocate for more workers rights. Employees have circulated petitions around Silicon Valley companies, calling for tech companies to cut ties with immigration enforcement, and gig-economy drivers at Lyft and Uber have rallied for better pay and more rights. The numbers of workers who participated in large-scale strikes ballooned to 500,000 in 2018, up from 25,000 in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Strike participation numbers for 2019 have yet to be finalized. But the broader factors that have contributed to union declines over the last few decades appear to still be in play. "The lack of an increase in union membership points to the fact that there are still so many barriers to organizing," said Heidi Shierholz, the director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute. "When people try to organize at their workplace there is just a relentless, fierce opposition on the part of employers." One reason why union membership may have declined is that 2019 was the first full year since the Supreme Court's decision in the Janus case. The Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to allow unions to require collective bargaining fees from public employees - a decision that was seen as a major blow for unions and their budgets. Local public employees saw a small dip in membership to 39.4 percent in 2019, down from 40.3 in 2018, Shierholz noted. But union membership among state government workers had grown. Public support for unions, appears to be growing. Some 64 percent of people said they approved of unions last year, among the highest numbers the company has collected in the last 50 years, according to Gallop. And nearly half of nonunion workers say they would join a union if given the opportunity to do so - a 40 year high. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes "People look at decline of unionization and think that people don't want unions anymore," Shierholz said. "But its just demonstrably false." The momentum in the labor movement has fostered a political discussion on the left about workers' rights and strengthening the labor movement. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wants to give federal workers the right to strike, ban "at will" employment - which allows companies to fire workers without cause. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has called for banning the permanent replacement of striking workers and strengthening the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces laws meant to protect unions and organizing in workplaces. Both of them, along with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg say they want to undo "right to work" laws that Republicans have championed in states throughout the country that allow workers to opt out of paying union dues. International Association of Fire Fighters has seen growth over the years. The union was at 321,000 last year up from 220,000 twenty years ago. Harold Schaitberger, the union's general president said their success is due to showing their members the benefits the union helped secure for them, including better government codes about fire fighting and success in collective bargaining. "There's a direct connection to what the union does to having tangible effect on their lives," he said. The husband of jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe today told Boris Johnson he 'must be tougher' to secure her release from an Iranian prison saying she is being used as a 'chesspiece' Richard Ratcliffe and their five-year-old daughter Gabriella met the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss her imprisonment in Tehran, which continues after nearly four years. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government, having been arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her then baby daughter to her parents. Any optimism over Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's chances of freedom has been dampened in recent weeks by the soaring tensions with Iran provoked by the US killing of its top general, Qassem Soleimani. Scroll down for video Richard Ratcliffe (pictured with his daughter Gabriella and his mother Barbara) met with the PM at Downing Street this afternoon The husband of jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the Prime Minister he 'must be tougher' to secure her release from an Iranian prison. Pictured: Mr Ratcliffe's daughter Gabriella Mr Ratcliffe last met Mr Johnson when he was foreign secretary in 2017, which came shortly after Mr Johnson had to apologise after wrongly suggesting that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been training journalists at the time of her arrest. She has always maintained she was in Iran visiting relatives. After the meeting and while clutching his daughter's hand, Mr Ratcliffe told reporters: 'In truth, no breakthrough. Sympathy isn't enough to get us out of this. 'I think there remains that gap between my sense that the Government needs to be tougher with Iran, alongside improving relations generally, and the Foreign Office instinct to not have things escalate.' Mr Ratcliffe (pictured with his daughter Gabriella and his mother Barbara) met with the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss his wife's imprisonment in Tehran After the meeting and while clutching his daughter's hand, Mr Ratcliffe told reporters: 'In truth, no breakthrough. Sympathy isn't enough to get us out of this' He added: 'I don't think I have come away thinking Nazanin is coming out tomorrow or even next week and I will think carefully about what I tell her on the phone on Saturday about where the hope is to come.' He said his wife was being used as a 'chess piece' adding: 'That wasn't disputed in there, whatever the terminology. 'The UK obviously is wary of that tightrope it is walking between the US and Europe in Iran relations and the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and the dispute mechanism and so on. 'I was saying 'I think this is different'. This is a global norm, that actually we all uphold universal values where hostage-taking shouldn't be happening.' He also called for progress in the long-running legal dispute between the UK and Iran over a deal for Chieftain tanks struck in the 1970s, which has been seen as potentially hindering her release. Mr Ratcliffe, pictured arriving in Downing Street today with his daughter Gabriella and his mother Barbara said he wants to hold the Prime Minister to his pledge that he would 'leave no stone unturned' to bring her home Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe holds a toy given to her by staff at 10 Downing Street, after attending a meeting with her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Mr Ratcliffe (pictured this afternoon) told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'He needs to take responsibility for Nazanin's case, for upholding the promise he made to us to leave no stone unturned' A two day hearing is currently taking place at the Court of Appeal to decide whether the UK has to pay interest on the debt, which could bring the row to an end. The dispute concerns an Iranian payment in the 1970s for 1,500 Chieftain tanks and armoured vehicles. The contracts were cancelled after the shah was deposed in the 1979 revolution but Iran had already paid for the undelivered tanks and demanded its money back. Mr Ratcliffe added: 'We obviously talked about the fact that there is a court case happening somewhere else in London at the moment and we've been linked to it. 'I think it's important there is progress on that and there's progress in the way that everyone feels it's lawful and following proper process. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 41-year-old mother from London, is serving a five-year sentence after being arrested during a holiday with her daughter and accused of spying 'We'll see where that goes. They said 'listen, I promise you we are doing all we can to try and resolve other issues, it's just complicated.' Gabriella, who recently returned from Iran to live with her father, was present in Thursday's meeting, during which they gave the PM a wallet Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe made. She was happy to see Larry the cat, but declined an apple juice from the PM's aides. Mr Ratcliffe added: 'I don't stand here hopeful, if I'm honest. I stand here with my wife still in prison and things aren't moving.' But he said he would 'keep going and keep pushing'. Ahead of the meeting the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Nazanin's continued detention is inhumane and completely unacceptable. Mr Ratcliffe last met Mr Johnson when he was foreign secretary in 2017 (pictured, at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London) 'We remain extremely concerned about her welfare. The UK continues to take every opportunity to raise Nazanin's case at the most senior levels of the Iranian government. 'The PM called for the immediate release of Nazanin and other dual nationals when he spoke to President Rouhani on January 9.' Ahead of the meeting, Mr Ratcliffe called on the PM to take responsibility after the comments he made when he was foreign secretary were blamed for worsening his wife's plight. Mr Ratcliffe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'He needs to take responsibility for Nazanin's case, for upholding the promise he made to us to leave no stone unturned.' He urged Mr Johnson to be 'brave' in resolving a long-running trade dispute with Iran over the settlement of a 400 million debt. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured with her daughter) is among as many as five people with dual British-Iranian nationality, or with UK connections, believed to be in prison in Iran. He added: 'Nazanin was told way back in 2016 she was being held over it. It has long been in the shadows of our case. 'His (Mr Johnson's) obligation is to protect British citizens. He needs to be brave in doing positive gestures in relation to the debt and other issues that will calm relations down, but also being brave in calling out Iran on hostage-taking. It is not an acceptable way to conduct diplomacy.' Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 41-year-old mother from London, is serving a five-year sentence after being arrested during a holiday with her daughter and accused of spying. Her family and the UK Government have always maintained her innocence and she has been given diplomatic protection by the Foreign Office. Diplomatic protection is a little-used mechanism the Government can use to attempt to help individuals it believes have been wronged by another state. It raises Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's treatment by Iran to become a formal state issue and recognises that the legal proceedings brought against her failed to meet international standards. Mr Johnson has been persistently criticised for wrongly claiming, when he was foreign secretary, that she was training journalists at the time of her arrest. Four days later she was summoned to an unscheduled court hearing during which Mr Johnson's comments were cited as proof she was engaged in 'propaganda against the regime'. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among as many as five people with dual British-Iranian nationality, or with UK connections, believed to be in prison in Iran. There are some hopes that diplomatic tensions could ease between London and Tehran if a long-running 400 million dispute is settled in the Court of Appeal this week. Iran's ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, tweeted that if a portion of the debt is assigned to Tehran then it will mean 'the legal process of the case is coming to an end and there will be no excuse for default' from the Government. The sum has been outstanding since pre-revolutionary Iran paid the UK for 1,500 Chieftain tanks in the 1970s. The deal was cancelled after the Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979, but Britain has refused to heed Iran's demands to hand back the money. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's local MP, Labour's Tulip Siddiq, called on the Government to pay the sum back to Iran so that her constituent can be returned to the UK and reunited with her family. Ms Siddiq said in the Commons: 'This case relates to the 400 million that we owe Iran as a country, and anyone with a passing interest in my constituent's case will know that the debt is linked to her imprisonment. 'The Leader of the House (Jacob Rees-Mogg) said that the behaviour of the Iranian government is unforgivable, and I agree with him, but the behaviour of our Government is also unforgivable because we have not paid the money that we owe them.' Mr Rees-Mogg said the issue is 'extraordinarily difficult'. He said: 'The British Government cannot and must not pay or appear to pay, either in fact or reality, money to allow people who have been illegally detained to be released. 'The risk that would cause to other Britons travelling abroad would be very considerable. 'The law must take its course in relation to the money which was deposited here, but it would be absolutely wrong to connect the two issues.' They call them Gold Star Families. They are the ones left behind. The fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters of service members who lost their lives for their country. Really, its the group that no one willingly joins, said Julie Kink, whose brother, Warrant Officer David Kink, was a helicopter pilot who died in Vietnam in 1969 at the age of 19. There is currently no monument anywhere in Alabama honoring those left behind. That will soon be rectified. It was announced today that a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument will be installed this year at the Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial. The memorial will be almost identical to 59 others already erected across the country a black granite monument with four panels: Homeland, Family, Patriot and Sacrifice. At the center, a silhouette of a saluting soldier, representing the hole the loss of a loved one leaves in a family and a community. On the back will be images chosen by the local Gold Star Families Memorial Monument Committee that will best exemplify Homeland, Family, Patriot and Sacrifice. The Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation is assisting local committees across the country in installing Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments nationwide. Marshall Eubanks is a retired Army helicopter pilot whose father, Master Sgt. Carl M. Eubanks, died in Vietnam in 1967 at age 39. Last year he and Kink saw a story about the Gold Star Families monument effort. Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient who is now 96, was giving a talk several years ago when he asked for recognition for any Gold Star Mothers in the crowd. After the speech, one man remained in the back row, head in his hands. When Williams approached him, the man, who had lost a son in Afghanistan, said, Dads cry too. That inspired Williams to spearhead the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument effort. After reading about the effort, we decided, we need to do this somewhere in Huntsville, said Eubanks, who is chairman of the Alabama Gold Star Families Memorial Monument Committee. So they talked with John Perry and retired Brig. Gen. Robert Drolet of the Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial Foundation and approached the City of Huntsville about getting it done. Less than a year later, Mike and Christine Wicks of defense contractor I3 signed on as the project sponsor, contributing a substantial portion of the needed money, and the monument has been ordered. This will be the first of its kind in Alabama, Eubanks said. Now, a plaza must be built along Patriots Walkway on the Veterans Memorial grounds, and money must be raised for site preparation, benches, placards and maintenance of the monument. The committee plans to raise money through direct donations, and eventually by selling commemorative engraved bricks for the plaza. They hope to have a dedication before the end of the year. Its estimated that more than 6,000 people in Alabama could be considered Gold Star family members, but until this recent campaign, theres been no real effort to memorialize their sacrifice for their country. Thats one of the reasons that this is needed, Kink said. It gives Alabama an opportunity to educate. Want to donate? Visit hmcvm.org and click on Gold Star Families Memorial Monument. Shelly Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud. Rocket fire targeted the Libyan capitals sole functioning airport on Wednesday, dealing another setback to peace efforts a day before regional foreign ministers meet in Algeria to discuss the crisis. Tripolis Mitiga airport was forced to suspend all flights for several hours after it was targeted by six Grad rockets, just nine days after it reopened following a truce. The airport has been hit multiple times since the start of an offensive by forces led by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar to seize the capital from the Government of National Accord (GNA). World powers have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to find a political solution to the grinding conflict, with neighbouring Algeria to become the latest country to host a meeting Thursday to discuss ways forward.- The Algerian foreign ministry said chief diplomats from Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Mali would meet in Algiers to advance a political settlement to the crisis through an inclusive dialogue between all parties. Algeria, which has stayed neutral in the Libyan conflict, shares a border of almost 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) with its neighbour, rocked by violence since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi by NATO-backed insurgents. The meeting comes after a summit last Sunday in Berlin, which saw world leaders commit to ending all foreign meddling in Libya and to upholding a weapons embargo as part of a broader plan to end the conflict. The two sides also agreed form a military commission charged with finding ways to reach a long-term truce. It should include five members each from the United Nations-recognised government in Tripoli and from Haftars forces, which back a rival administration in Benghazi. On Tuesday, the UN Security Council urged the parties to reach a ceasefire deal paving the way for a political process aimed at ending the conflict in the North African country. New violation Despite repeated appeals from the UNs envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, Tripolis GNA-held airport has been the target of several air raids and rocket strikes since Haftars forces launched their offensive. Located east of the capital, Mitiga is a former military airbase used by civilian traffic since Tripoli international airport was heavily damaged in fighting in 2014. GNA forces spokesman Mohammed Gnunu branded the strikes as a flagrant threat to the safety of air traffic and a new violation of the most recent ceasefire. Haftars forces, which accuse the GNA of using Mitiga for military purposes, say they target Turkish drones being launched from the airport to attack their troops in southern Tripoli. The GNA has denied those accusations. Turkey has backed the GNA, deploying troops to Libya since early January under a controversional November deal with the Tripoli-based administration. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected in the Algerian capital on Sunday at the start of a two-day visit also tied to the Libyan conflict. Germanys top diplomat Heiko Maas is also expected in Algiers Thusday, the Algerian foreign ministry said. Algiers has hosted a string of foreign leaders and envoys for talks on the crisis, including Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the top diplomats of Egypt, Italy, Turkey and former colonial power France. Source: AFP | PHOTO: AFP A man wears a mask while walking in the street in Wuhan, China on Jan. 22, 2020. (Getty Images) Chinese Authorities Report Conflicting Numbers for Cases of Viral Pneumonia, Drawing Suspicion As a new form of viral pneumonia has begun spreading across China, different government authorities are reporting different numbers of confirmed casesraising citizens suspicions that they are not being truthful. Chinas cabinet-like State Council held a press conference on Jan. 22 morning, with top officials from the countrys National Health Commission and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention answering reporters questions. Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission, gave the latest official data at the time, saying that in total, 440 people in China have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. They are from 13 different provinces. But state broadcaster CCTV reported that 444 cases were confirmed in Hubei Province alone during an 8 p.m. news segment on Jan. 22. Differing Numbers Chinese media Caixin also reported on Jan. 22 that Zhan Caihong, mayor of Qichun county in Hubei province said during a county level conference that by Jan. 19, there were 109 confirmed cases in Huanggang citythe municipality that Qichun belongs to. But according to the CCTV broadcast, there were only 12 diagnosed cases from Huanggang. Huanggang is about a one-hour drive from Wuhan city. Many people commute to Wuhan for work. As authorities have already confirmed that the virus can be transmitted human-to-human, many citizens are worried about contracting the illness. On Jan. 21, The Epoch Times received a tip from an anonymous reader in Yichang city, Hubei province, about a four-hour drive from Wuhan. She said the Yichang government has designated the citys Third Hospital as the central treatment center for the new disease, and that at least one patient there has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. She said that all patients with pneumonia-like symptoms in the city have been transferred to the Third Hospital, and that the facility is heavily guarded by police. Chinese police officers wear protective masks at Beijing Station in Beijing, China on Jan. 22, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Super-Spreader On Jan. 21, the Wuhan mayor Zhou Xiansheng confirmed that 1 doctor and 13 nurses contracted the coronavirus from treating one patient. Zhou told CCTV that the patient was infected with the virus before he visited the neurosurgery department of the Wuhan Union Hospital. After performing an operation on this patient, the involved doctor and nurses from the neurosurgery department all fell sick one by one. The patient is referred to as a super-spreader, patients who are more infectious than others who have the same disease. But authorities denied that there could be such patients. On Jan. 22, director of the CDC Gao Fu said at the Jan. 22 press conference: We didnt see any evidence that theres a super-spreader. At the press conference, government officials refused to give updates on the number of medical staff who contracted the virus from patients. Some researchers have estimated that the true number of infections in China could be much higher than authorities are reporting. Hong Kong University released their statistical projection on Jan. 22 that Wuhan could potentially have 1,343 cases, with another 359 cases in other mainland cities. Suspected Cases On Jan. 22, state-run media confirmed that Xu Dapeng, a longtime environmental activist, passed away due to a lung infection. Nine days ago, Xus wife died from the same disease. Some Wuhan government employees claimed online that both Xu and his wife died of the new coronavirus, but the hospital insisted that they died of a severe lung disease. The hospital also refused to run diagnostic tests for the coronavirus. A day prior, The Guardian reported that a 65-year-old woman in Wuhan died of the new viral disease, but that the government did not count her into the official number of deaths. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of Procter & Gamble Europe Loic Tassel in Davos. Loic Tassel thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the meeting. He hailed the reforms carried out in Azerbaijan in recent years, especially increasing accountability and transparency in the business area and the positive contribution of tax and customs reforms to the overall competitive environment. It was noted that this is a very important factor for the development of activities of Procter & Gamble Europe in Azerbaijan. Saying that Azerbaijan`s current business environment provides great opportunities for all foreign investors to expand their activities, Loic Tassel highlighted business and social activities of Procter & Gamble Europe in the country. President Ilham Aliyev underlined that further measures will be taken to improve the business environment for foreign investors in Azerbaijan. During the conversation, it was noted that Procter & Gamble Europe intends to expand its activities to Central Asia and the Far East and the city of Baku was chosen as a regional center. It was emphasized that reforms implemented by President Ilham Aliyev and the business environment created in Azerbaijan will provide an opportunity for Procter & Gamble Europe to expand towards the east through the company`s office in the country. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: Locust swarms from Pakistan have laid waste an estimated 3.6 lakh hectares of Rabi crop across ten districts of Rajasthan and are now poised to devastate several districts in Punjab and Haryana. Experts say locust attacks were first reported in May in Rajasthan, but after a brief lull, bigger swarms attacked in December- January laying waste some 6,364 villages. The locusts have devastated everything from leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and bark, plants to trees, leaving nothing in its tracks even as the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) failed to issue alerts. Officials admit a smaller swarm had ruined Kharif season in July. But this attack is huge and spread over Sriganganagar, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jalore, Jodhpur, Sirohi, Churu, Nagaur and Hanumangarh districts. The challenge is huge as the swarms have not subsided and have been entering all the way from Gulf countries, Iran and Pakistan, LWO deputy director KL Gujar said. The Centre and State governments have sprayed insecticide over 3 lakh hectares. Agriculture and revenue departments were assessing the damage. Farmers complained the insecticides had not helped. Ram Singh Bishnoi who has 45 bighas of land said We have tried everything from pesticides to loud music. We failed. The pesticides (Lambada brand) make them unconscious for some six hours, after which, they fly away. They are unhappy that individual losses are not being assessed. Officials allow compensation to such farmers who have sown at least 33% of holdings,said Amar Singh, secretary of Krishi Sangharsh Samiti, Sriganganagar. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had visited Barmer to take stock and sanctioned `31 crore to cover damages in four districts but no measure was taken to arrest the spread of locusts. Officials say they have received submissions for 100% crop damage from several farmers who cultivated wheat, mustard and cumin seeds. Jaisalmer and Bikaner were worst affected, besides Sriganganagar. The LWO is handling operations with 35 vehicles while the state claimed to have provided 450 tractors to convey and spray pesticides. Revenue minister Harish Choudhary has sent an SOS to the Prime Minister seeking an easing of compensation provisions to cover the damage. Presently, a compensation of `13,500 can be given per hectare as per Central rules. It should be Rs 50,000, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:08:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A serious school bus accident killed two children and injured around 20 in Germany's Thuringia. The accident took place around 7:30 a.m. local time when the bus was en route to a primary school in Wartburg district, according to local media FOCUS Online. The vehicle through heavy fog got off the icy road and slid into a ditch, killing two children. Five were seriously injured and 15 others were slightly injured. Local police said there were more than 20 children on board and the present information on the accident was still rough. Further investigation is under way. The affected primary school will still be open on Friday and school psychologists, parents and teachers will work with the students. Pratik Bhakta Want an education loan? Get ready for an aptitude test, and more. Aptitude screening, evaluating education records and gauging borrowers income prospects are among the measures a new crop of lending startups are taking to evaluate students before offering loans. They also are not averse to playing talent scouts, even head hunters, to ensure students get a job and their repayments are ensured. Indias education loan market is worth several billion dollars, say experts. Lending startups want to disrupt the market but also want to ensure that the loan is paid back. If the startups can connect the loan disbursal and repayment to jobs and the employability of students," said Srikrishna Ramamoorthy, partner at Unitus Ventures, which has invested in $2 million in Eduvanz. Quality checks New Delhi-based Credenc is looking for quality students trying to get into courses with high employability. To overcome the challenge of evaluating students who typically dont have a credit background and limited financial data, the startup takes an aptitude test. It is a multiple-choice set that tests students in mathematics, logical and aptitude skills. The test allows it to evaluate if a student is serious enough to see the course through and also gauge her employability, which in turn decides the loan amount. The average ticket size of its loans is around Rs 7 lakh. Credenc is among a clutch of early-stage companies trying to mend the broken education loan market in the country. India has around 800 universities, more than 39,000 colleges and almost 12,000 standalone institutions, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education of 2016, conducted by the human resource development ministry. Since banks primarily do not cater to students joining colleges that are not among the top 500, these startups sense an opportunity there. Burdened with non-performing assets, banks have gone slow on education loans as defaults mount. Reserve Bank of India data shows an 8.5 percent drop in education loans from more than 24.6 lakh loans in March 2018 to 22.5 lakh in June 2019. Unitus Ventures Ramamoorthy says Indias education loan market is worth around $10 billion. To get a play in this market, startups have either applied for a licence to process such loans or have tied up with large lenders, acting as marketplaces for needy students. The biggest problem in the education loan segment is the mismatch between potential earning of the student and the repayment amount, this is the basic reason for the large chunk of repayment failures, said Propelld co-founder Bibhu Prasad Das. Propelld has raised Rs 15 crore from India Quotient and Stellaris Venture Partners. Insuring against default To guard against default, these companies work with the students and their colleges to ensure they get placed. There is a gap between available jobs and talent in the market, if these startups can bridge that, it will open a huge opportunity, said Ramamoorthy. Eduvanz is betting on courses such as blockchain, data analysis, data mining and others which are in demand in the job market. It evaluates borrowers education qualifications to gauge if the student will be good at such courses. It has a loan book of Rs 100 crore with 1,500 loans for which repayment has been done. It currently claims to have a bad asset share of 0.01 percent. Some startups are also using data science and machine learning to fund students going to lower-ranked colleges and skill training institutes. Unlike banks, these platforms lend based on the income prospects of students. They leverage past employment data of the candidate or placement history of the college for this. The ideal EMI should be less than one-third of the future income possibility of the student, said Mayank Batheja, co-founder of Credenc. The Omidyar Network-backed startup has partnered with banks like Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank and other large NBFCs to give out loans to 1,200 students. We meet them once in a quarter to address their requirements, we are going for a community approach to ensure steady repayments, once they get a job they are made to feel part of a network, this has helped us, said Batheja. These new generation tech-enabled lenders are also evaluating colleges before partnering with them. Credenc has developed a scorecard for institutes by analysing their tax returns, financials, placement records, promoter profiles. If an institute measures up, the startup works with it to offer credit to its students. T he much-hyped sequel to surprise Netflix sensation To All the Boys I've Loved Before is set to land on the streaming service early next year. To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You sees Lana Condor reprise her role as Lara-Jean Covey and Noah Centineo return as Peter Kavinsky. The teen Netflix movie was a much-loved hit when it landed on our screens last year, and fans have been clamouring for a sequel ever since. Adapted from Jenny Han's novel of the same name, the movie is credited with helping to resurrect the romantic comedy genre, with the streaming giant saying it was one of its "most viewed original films ever". As the streaming site releases a brand new trailer, here's all you need to know about To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You... Loved up: Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky and Lana Condor as Lara Jean / Netflix When is To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You released on Netflix? The film is slated for release on February 12, 2020 - just a few days before Valentine's Day. A third movie is also in the works, called To All the Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean. Who's in the cast with Lana Condor and Noah Centineo? Netflix confirmed on December 19 that Lana Condor and Noah Centineo would be reprising their roles as Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky. Janel Parrish returns as Lara's older sister Margot Covey and Anna Cathcart reprises her role as Kitty Covey, Lara's younger sister. Trezzo Mahoro returns as Lucas, one of Lara's former crushes, while Madeleine Arthur plays Lara's best friend Christine again. Other returning names include Emilija Baranac as Lara's ex-best friend Gen, Kelcey Mawema and John Corbett as Lara's dad Dr. Covey. Jordan Fisher is making his debut in the series, playing Lara's past love John Ambrose. Is there a trailer to To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You? Family: Anna Cathcart plays Lara's younger sister Kitty / Netflix On January 22, Netflix released a brand new trailer for the sequel, - which you can watch at the top of this article. The teaser sees Lara Jean torn over her feelings for boyfriend Peter, and feeling the pressure of being thrust into the limelight. For those who can't remember, in the first movie Lara Jean had written five love letters to former flames, hoping they'd never see the light of day. But her little sister Kitty posted them on her behalf. Right on cue, Lara Jean receives a letter in response to one of her old love notes, from a certain John Ambrose. John then turns up unexpectedly and revives all kinds of suppressed feelings. The Kashmir issue was raised by Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan during his meet with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday, reiterated its stand, refusing any third-party intervention on the Kashmir issue, stating that it has to be resolved bilaterally. The onus is on Islamabad to create an environment for engagement, the MEA further said hinting towards the state-backed terrorism thriving in Pakistan. The Ministry's assertation came in response to US President Donald Trump's fresh offer to "help" in resolving the persisting Kashmir issue between New Delhi and Islamabad. "There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said when asked about Trump's offer. "Our position has been clear and consistent on Kashmir... It is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan," he said. READ| Pakistan backs Taliban; counters India's support for democratic Afghan Accusing Pakistan of playing the victim card, MEA accused the country of harboring terrorists. In addition, said that if Pakistan intends to maintain friendly relations with India, it should refrain from making such a statement and deal with their internal issues. He said, "They are playing the victim card and at the same time, they are harbouring terrorists. If Pakistan is serious about friendly relations with India, they need to take action on terror groups. I feel that they should refrain from making such statements. They should deal with their internal challenges. I don't think we need their advice." The MEA spokesperson additionally maintained that the World Economic Forum was an inappropriate platform to discuss such issues Trump on Kashmir mediation Donald Trump stated that the US is observing the developments unfolding between India and Pakistan over Kashmir "very closely" and reiterated his offer to "help" resolve the longstanding dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, as he met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum here in the Swiss ski resort. Addressing the media with Imran Khan prior to their private meeting on Tuesday, President Trump asserted that trade and borders were both critical points for discussion, while Imran Khan said that for him, Afghanistan was the top priority. Trump told Imran Khan, whom he referred to as "my friend", that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ongoing Kashmir issue. The US president is expected to visit India in the coming weeks, marking his first visit after taking up his post in the White House. "What''s going on between Pakistan and India if we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely and it''s an honour to be here with my friend," Trump said. "The Pakistan-India conflict is a very big issue for us in Pakistan and we expect the US to always play its part in deescalating the tensions because no other country can," Khan said. Donald Trump back in July 2019 courted controversy by claiming that he was asked by Prime Minister Modi to mediate the Kashmir issue with Pakistan. However, in response, the MEA then asserted that 'all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally' and that India has been consistent with its position in regards the neighbour. READ| "Not like you've got China on your border", says Trump, Modi's reaction priceless READ| Hypocrite Imran Khan refuses to admit China's detention of Uighurs (with PTI inputs) USD/JPY Current Price: 109.88 Japans December Merchandise Trade Balance, seen at -150B, worse than the previous -82.1B. Worldwide equities closed mixed, as sentiment improved, but not enough. USD/JPY could enter a bearish corrective phase on a break below 109.70. The USD/JPY pair tried to recover the 110.00 threshold but failed, ending the day as it started it in the 109.80 price zone. A better market mood during the Asian session helped the pair to recover up to 110.09. However, the sentiment deteriorated during European trading hours, with local indexes posting modest intraday losses. Wall Street, on the other hand, posted a modest intraday advance, while Treasury yields finished the day pretty much unchanged. Early Thursday, Japan will release the December Merchandise Trade Balance, seen at -150B, worse than the previous -82.1B. Imports and exports are seen decreasing yearly basis but improving from the previous reading. The country will also publish the All Industry Activity Index, seen at -0.1% in November, and the final version of the November Leading Index expected unchanged at 90.9. USD/JPY Short-Term Technical Outlook The USD/JPY pair is technically bearish, although its bearish potential remains limited as long as the pair holds above 109.70 a strong static support level. In the 4-hour chart, a bearish 20 SMA provided intraday resistance, while the larger moving averages lack directional strength well below the current level. The Momentum indicator heads marginally lower within negative level while the RSI hovers around 44, lacking enough strength to confirm a downward move. Image Sourced from Pixabay 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Retired Delhi High Court Justice Shiv Narayan Dhingra on Thursday said the transfer of the judge who issued the 'death warrant' for the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case won't be a hindrance to the execution of the criminals. In an interaction with IANS, the retired judge said if no other legal or paper-related issues surface, the death warrants of the perpetrators in the Nirbhaya case would remain intact and valid. Dhingra has also been the chairman of one of the SITs probing the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. He was the one who pronounced the death sentence on Kashmiri terrorist Afzal Guru, the main conspirator in the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. Dhingra was a Sessions Judge at the Patiala House Courts in Delhi when he delivered the death sentence on Afzal Guru. "As far as I can remember, the Parliament attack case was filed in the court in the month of June. On December 18, 2002, I sentenced the criminal to death. I then went to the Delhi High Court. The Appellate High Court then sent the death sentence pronounced by me to the Supreme Court. Afzal Guru was hanged even after I was transferred," he told IANS. Since the Patiala House court judge who pronounced the death sentence for the convicts in the Nirbhaya case has been sent on deputation, will the 'death warrant' of Nirbhaya's rapists and killers be deemed "invalid"? Responding to this, Dhingra said: "No, this is all nonsense. It is also surprising of some media outlets that are saying the death warrant would become worth 'zero' since the judge who issued it has been transferred. "More than death warrant, what's important is the trial court's punishment. The 'death warrant' is a part of the legal process. It is important that the transfer of the relevant judge of the trial court sentencing it is in the middle. It has not happened. In such a situation, the new judge may face problems in understanding the files and the case. However, it is rarely seen," he added. "As far as the death warrant of death sentence of Nirbhaya's killers is concerned, the death warrant has been issued. Its value will remain the same," Dhingra said. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) Barrie, Ont., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research commissioned by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has found that the natural flood-management services of wetlands are a cost-effective complement to traditional infrastructure built to protect communities from flooding. As part of our ongoing science program, DUC assessed how wetlands are currently integrated into flood management in southern Ontario communities, and asked what is needed to remove barriers that are preventing deeper integration of wetland conservation into flood management. Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil, and Lynn Dollin, Mayor of the Town of Innisfil, joined DUC with Allan Craig, Ontario Trillium Foundation volunteer, at the Town of Innisfil today to share the results of the research and priority next steps to continue integrating wetland conservation into flood-risk planning. The research, which advances the science on the use of wetlands as natural infrastructure to reduce flood risks for communities in southern Ontario, was commissioned with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which awarded DUC a Seed Grant of $74,800 in 2018. The study findings indicate a growing understanding of the benefits of wetlandsfor example, among public sector and water-management expertsbut that increased awareness has yet to be fully translated into action. The research showed that standard methods for cost-benefit analysis are needed to support local governments and conservation authorities in building a business case for integrating wetlands with traditional flood- and stormwater-management infrastructure. Across Canada, communities are preparing for more frequent extreme weather events. Watershed-based approaches to flood management that combine multiple mitigation methods to reduce harmful flooding are on the rise. As the leader in wetland conservation, DUC can help integrate Ontarios natural infrastructure into flood-management planning as part of a resilient future. QUOTES The conservation mission of Ducks Unlimited Canada is perfectly aligned with a climate-ready Ontario, said Lynette Mader, DUCs manager of operations in Ontario. Sound science is our business and we have been doing the work to provide the evidence which establishes that wetland conservation and restoration will help communities cope with extreme weather events. I am proud to be working with Ducks Unlimited Canada as they help Ontario to become more resilient against the impacts of climate change, said Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil. Ducks Unlimited has a proven track record when it comes to evidence-based conservation. I look forward to their recommendations on flood mitigation efforts in Ontario so we can continue to enjoy the quality of life we share today for many generations to come. The Town of Innisfil was proud to support Ducks Unlimited Canada with this research, said Lynn Dollin, Mayor of the Town of Innisfil. Recent events have shown us just how devastating the impacts of flooding can be. Research like this helps map out how municipalities, Ducks Unlimited Canada and others can work together to conserve wetlands as natural infrastructure. RESOURCES An information brief can be found here. The report, Municipal Conservation of Wetlands for Flood Resiliency, prepared for DUC by Emmons and Olivier Resources is available on request. ABOUT DUCKS UNLIMITED CANADA Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) delivers wetland conservation that benefits every Canadian. We keep the water in your lakes and rivers clean. We protect your community from the effects of flood and drought. We save wildlife and special natural places. We use science to find solutions to the most important environmental issues of the day and we collaborate with people who are helping create a healthier world. The wetlands we save arent just for ducks; theyre for all of us. ABOUT THE ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canadas leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $108 million to 629 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor LONDON (Reuters) - The London hearing to decide whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to the United States to face charges including spying will be split in two, with the second half delayed until May, a judge ruled on Thursday. Assange, 48, faces 18 counts in the United States including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted. Following applications from Assanges legal team and lawyers representing the United States, Judge Vanessa Baraitser at Westminster Magistrates` Court agreed that his extradition hearing would start on Feb. 24 for a week, with the remaining three weeks taking place from May 18. Live TV Both sides in the case argued that they needed more time to prepare for the hearings and gather evidence. Assange`s lawyers said it was hard to speak to their client, who is currently being held at Belmarsh Prison in east London and appeared on Thursday by videolink. "We simply can`t get in as we require to see Mr Assange and take instructions ... we need time to deal with that," his lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said. The first part of the full hearing in February at Woolwich Crown Court will cover arguments that the extradition is politically motivated and an abuse of process. Clair Dobbin, the lawyer representing the U.S. authorities, said they would oppose allowing Assange to call anonymous witnesses as his legal team intends. The hearing will also hear psychiatric evidence about his mental state. To some, Assange is a hero for exposing what supporters cast as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech. To others, he is a dangerous rebel who has undermined U.S. security by WikiLeaks having published hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. cables. In 2012, Assange took refuge in Ecuadors London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was accused of sex crimes which he denied and which were later dropped, saying he feared he would ultimately be sent on to the United Sates. After seven years, he was dragged from the embassy in 2019 and jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail before the U.S. launched its extradition request. Baraitser was clearly unhappy about the "lengthy" three-month delay to the hearing but reluctantly agreed, telling both sides they would need to stick to the amended timetable. SAN MATEO (BCN) A 32-year-old Redwood City man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence for hitting and killing a woman with his vehicle on U.S. Highway 101 in San Mateo last weekend, prosecutors said Thursday. Ramon Hernandez made his initial appearance in court Wednesday but did not enter a plea to the charges. He will return to court on Feb. 4, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. Ivania Torres, a 50-year-old South San Francisco woman, died after getting out of a Toyota Yaris that a Dodge Charger had rear-ended shortly before 1:50 a.m. Sunday on southbound Highway 101 south of Third Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. Torres was a passenger in the Yaris and got out to talk to the Dodge driver, but a Toyota Camry driven by Hernandez then struck her and the Dodge, CHP Officer Art Montiel said. She died at the scene. Hernandez had been drinking in San Francisco and had a blood-alcohol content of at least .16 percent following the collision, prosecutors said. His girlfriend and someone else in the Yaris were taken to Stanford Hospital with injuries, Montiel said. The Dodge driver was also arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, but Wagstaffe said that driver has not yet been charged and the case remains under review. Hernandez remains in custody with bail set at $300,000. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The man, who is suspected to have planted a bomb at the airport here and surrendered before the police in Bengaluru, has been brought to the city for further investigation, police said on Thursday. A police team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police CP Belliyappa brought the 36-year old man late on Wednesday after medical check-up in the state capital, they said. The suspect-Aditya Rao, had surrendered before the police at the DG & IGP office in Bengaluru early on Wednesday. He resembled the person captured on CCTV footage at Mangaluru international airport on Monday when the explosive device was found in an unattended bag, creating a scare. He had confessed to having planted the bomb, police said. Police said Rao would be produced before a court and they would seek his custody for further investigation. A 'live' explosive device was found in an unattended bag near a ticket counter of the departure gate of the airport here on Monday and later defused at a nearby open ground. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Inside Hook On Wednesday (Jan. 22), Focus Features announced that Irresistible, a new movie written and directed by former Daily Show host Jon Stewart, is slated to hit theaters May 29 of this year, just as the 2020 election season starts to ramp up. The movie is a political satire that follows a Democratic strategist (played by Steve Carell) who sees political potential in a retired, Wisconsin-based Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) after the colonel stands up for the towns undocumented workers and goes viral. Rose Byrne also stars as a Republican strategist named Faith. Irresistible also features Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, Debra Messing and Natasha Lyonne. It would be easy, but futile, to call for an immediate about-face on the Morrison government's climate change policy position. It may be tempting to demand a more aggressive target to reduce emissions by 2030, and a credible policy to meet that tougher target. Yet, the harsh reality in early 2020 is that a complex set of facts, pressures and constraints will frame and constrain the Prime Ministers options. Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit: First are the facts. Subject to any final revisions, the governments latest figures show that Australias emissions have fallen by 13 per cent from 611 million tonnes in 2005 to 532 million tonnes in 2019. The same report projects that emissions will fall to 511 million tonnes in 2030, 16 per cent below the 2005 level. After the bushfires, the governments assertion that this is sufficient to meet its commitment to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent (based on historic overachievement) looks more like creative accounting than a credible claim. Even more significant is the fact that neither Australias target, nor the sum of the targets of all the signatory countries to the Paris Agreement, is sufficient to meet the objective of keeping the global temperature rise this century to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels. The best available science indicates that this task requires net zero emissions by 2050, a position already adopted by Britain, New Zealand and all Australian states. What are nerve agents? Nerve agents are a group of human-made substances that target a certain part of the bodys nervous system. Chemical weapons that use nerve agents like tabun, sarin and VX are known to kill people with gruesome efficiency. Just 10mg of VX, for instance, can kill a human in just 10 minutes. A smaller dose can take up to an hour to be lethal. Any nerve agent can affect a person through the skin, breathing, ingestion, or all three routes, depending on the substance and how it's used. Special bombs can weaponise the agents as a liquid, firing them out as a breathable gas. A nerve agent attack causes a disconnect between the brain and organs, causing your lungs to begin shutting down and triggering uncontrollable vomiting, diarrhoea, and frothing at the mouth. Pictured is a victim of a nerve agent attack in Damascus in 2013 What effect does it have on the body? One of the most terrifying things about nerve agents is that you may never see, hear or smell them coming. The first thing that will happen to you is your mucous membranes will go into overdrive. This means your mouth will create more saliva, you'll begin drooling, your eyes will begin to water and your nose will run. You're likely to start foaming at the mouth. Your pupils will then become pin pricks and won't react to light. You may lose your vision entirely, or at the very least it will go blurry. There will quickly be a major disconnect between your brain and your body. You won't be able to move and may become paralysed. You'll find it hard to breathe and you are likely to vomit violently and begin to sweat all over. You'll have seizures, uncontrollable bowel movements, an erratic heart rate and excruciating pain all over. This is because the chemicals lock the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down a key messenger signal in our muscles that tells them to stop contracting. This means the bodys muscles cannot relax, causing convulsions and death by asphyxiation due to a loss of control of the respiratory muscles. The messenger chemical, known as acetylcholine, also builds up in the brain causing it to rapidly shut down. At high enough doses a nerve agent can kill within 10 minutes. Pictured is a Tokyo Fire Department Haz-Mat team after the 1995 Tokyo subway Sarin attack, which killed 13 people What is the antidote? Nerve agents are damaging to the human body because they cause a build-up of acetylcholine. This causes constant triggering of the neurons and therefore, constant contraction of muscles. These spasms can be treated with antidotes that shut-off acetylcholine receptors in the brain. Usually, two antidotes (atropine and pralidoxime chloride) are used which interfere with the acetylcholine binding to the neuron receptors. These antidotes work in the exact opposite way of anti-depressants which encourage the uptake of neurotransmitters through the synapse. Chemicals like Prozac encourage neurons responsible for feelings of happiness (such as dopamine and serotonin) to be transmitted through these receptors. To work, these drugs must be administered immediately within minutes of exposure. What happens if you are exposed to a nerve agent but don't die? People who have been exposed to very small levels may not die, but they will suffer life-long problems. Previous research has revealed a bewildering array of debilitating conditions associated with nerve gas exposure including chronic fatigue, widespread pain, memory problems, skin rashes, gastrointestinal and respiratory difficulties. Many of these problems can persist for decades. Even at small doses, it is possible to suffer permanent severe nerve or brain damage. However, the exact long-term effects of nerve agents remain uncertain. Tashan Daniel (pictured) was stabbed to death A knifeman has admitted stabbing an Arsenal fan to death after a 'shouting match' at a London underground station. Tashan Daniel was making his way to a game when he was knifed on the platform of Hillingdon Tube station in west London, the Old Bailey heard. The 20-year-old was on his way to watch the Gunners play Nottingham Forest when he was attacked seconds before he boarded a train on 24 September last year. The court heard that he had been given a ticket for the League Cup match two days earlier for his 20th birthday. Alex Lanning, 22, admitted manslaughter and possession of a knife but has denied murder. Jonathan Camille, 19, denied murder and manslaughter and the pair will stand trial in April. A 'shouting match' had erupted between Lanning and Mr Daniel from across the tracks before the pair were captured in a tussle on CCTV, the court heard. Mr Daniel, a talented 200-metre sprinter, was stabbed as he boarded the train with a friend and died in the carriage, despite emergency services rushing to the scene. Lanning, of Cowdray Road, Uxbridge, admitted manslaughter and possession of a knife but denied murder. Camille, of Fulham Road, Kensington, denied manslaughter and murder. The pair, who appeared in the dock wearing prison tracksuits, were remanded in custody ahead of trial on April 1. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Amer Owaida, security writer at ESET, recently discussed bad cybersecurity habits one should avoid in 2020, especially where computers are involved. Today, he's got recommendations for both computers and smartphones, such as being especially wary when connecting to a public wi-fi network. Authentication "Youd think that locking your phone would be a no-brainer, but contrary to popular belief, not all people secure their smartphones with an authentication measure," Owaida points out. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, almost a third of Americans dont use any kind of screen lock. You should always securely lock your device, period. And by locking your device, we dont mean half-hearted measures like an L pattern or a 1234 PIN. Optimally, use a combination of a biometric feature if possible (fingerprint or face recognition) and a password, Owaida suggests. Using the official store As enticing as the prospect of rooting or jailbreaking your device might sound, most manufacturers advise against it. Not without good reason: it opens your device to unnecessary risks. It also sometimes adds an unofficial app store, which isnt as strictly monitored as official stores., Owaida says. Apps arent curated on such alternative stores, nor do they go through an approval process, which means you could download an overtly malicious app that may wreak havoc on your device, warns Owaida. "You have probably surmised that its best to stick to official stores to minimise the risks," he says. Granting apps permissions Apps request a variety of permissions so they can work appropriately. You usually just scroll over them absentmindedly and tap accept. As convenient as that might be, you should always peruse the permission list requested by an application, Owaida says. If you accept them all you may be granting bad actors access to sensitive data or allowing them to scam you out of money, or even to spy on you. After all, does a flashlight app really need access to your microphone or camera? Using security software Most people underestimate the value of using security software to protect their smartphones, which is surprising, to say the least. The reasoning behind it may be that they still consider it to be a phone more than a pocket personal computer. Regardless of the reason, we have seen time and again that smartphones are susceptible to breaches and attacks the same way computers are. Therefore, reputable security software can spare you from a headache in the future, Owaida notes. Remote wiping Expanding on the previous tip, the better security software providers offer the nuclear option of remotely wiping your device if it is lost or stolen. As radical as the idea may sound, it is a good option to have if you store sensitive data you dont want anyone to see. Alternatively, you may be able to set up your device to wipe itself if authentication fails a certain number of times. Encryption, backup, and patching One rule all of us should always follow is to back up our data. In the event you become a victim of a malicious attack that may corrupt or lock your files, at least youll have a backup you can use for recovery. Encryption is also a critical step you should not underestimate. Encrypting the files on your smartphone will give the bad actors a run for their money, making it harder for them to realise their malicious intent. To lower the chance of any of the mentioned things happening, you should always install the latest official updates on your device since they often contain security patches that help keep you protected. Safe disposal of the device You might want to pass along your device or even sell it, but that entails several steps you have to go through so that you dispose of it safely. Depending on the device, that might include anything from encrypting the drive before wiping it to logging out of all the services you use. Whatever the case, dont underestimate the critical importance of conducting the process thoroughly so that your privacy remains intact, Owaida says. Dodgy calls and phishing texts Phishing scams take all kinds of forms and although email is the most popular conduit, by far it is not the only one. Scammers have been known to send out text messages that contain infected links that can contain all types of malware. Recently, bad actors have been engaging in more sinister attempts. You may receive calls from international numbers from countries you have never had any interaction with. By calling the number back you can be charged exorbitant prices, so if that ever happens think long and hard before calling back. It cant happen to me Hopefully, youll never have to deal with the fallout of a security breach or of your accounts being hacked. But admitting that the possibility is always there can help you in the long run. Being prepared is by no means a bad thing. From securing your device, to having backups at the ready, or having the option to remotely wipe your device, you can reduce the damage to a minimum. If nothing happens great; if something does, youre ready to face it head-on. "That sums up our list of 20 cybersecurity tips for 2020. We hope that these tips will help you in having a better, safer year with less to worry about and more to look forward to," Owaida said. - TradeArabia News Service Jones also directed three Python films Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Meaning of Life and was responsible for one of the most grotesque pieces of humour ever committed to screen: the Monsieur Creosote sequence in The Meaning of Life, in which he played a gourmand who explodes after eating a gargantuan meal. Perhaps his most famous creation was the mother in Monty Pythons Life of Brian who yells at her sons devoted followers: Hes not the Messiah, hes a very naughty boy. A swarthy, large-featured man, Jones specialised in the shows cast of bizarre middle-aged women characters in Hilda Ogden-style dresses, though he also became familiar as the nude organist who appeared in interludes between the main sketches. Terry Jones, who has died aged 77, was one of the six original members of the Monty Python team, alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman and the animator Terry Gilliam. Terence Graham Parry Jones, the son of a bank clerk, was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on February 1, 1942. While Terry was still a boy the family moved to Claygate in Surrey, and he was educated at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, where he was head boy, captain of the rugby team and a crack shot in the Cadet Corps. He won a place to read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he soon became involved in the theatre, writing and appearing in revues. It was at Oxford that he met his fellow future Python, Michael Palin, and, after graduating in 1965, both men joined the BBC, writing and performing in shows such as The Frost Report, the childrens show Do Not Adjust Your Set, The Complete And Utter History Of Britain and At Last The 1948 Show alongside the likes of David Frost, David Jason, Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor and the two Ronnies, Barker and Corbett. Loading In 1968 Jones and Palin were working with Eric Idle and the American artist Terry Gilliam on Do Not Adjust Your Set when John Cleese suggested they join him and his writing partner Graham Chapman to work on a new show. Although no one had a name for it or any idea about what form it should take, the BBC obligingly gave them a commission for a 13-episode series of comedies. After debating various suggestions for a title (Joness preferred option was Chapmans suggested Toad Elevating Moment), they eventually decided on Bun, Wackett, Buzzard, Stubble and Boot, only to be told to think again by the BBC, just as the program title was due to go in the Radio Times. They then opted for Monty Pythons Flying Circus. Advertisement Harrowing photos have captured firefighters desperately trying to save a town as embers flew into the air on a 40C day. Blazes tore through the town of Moruya on the New South Wales South Coast on Thursday after a hellish combination of sizzling temperatures and strong winds ripped through parts of the state. Duncan McLaughlin, who lives at Bumbo Creek southwest of Moruya, captured a bushfire tearing through his property in a series of videos posted to Facebook. Harrowing images revealed apocalyptic scenes as firefighters fought desperately to save the town of Moruya on the New South Wales South Coast on Thursday The NSW death toll from this season's unprecedented fires has now climbed to 24 while more than 2000 homes have been razed 'It's phenomenal how hot it is,' he said in one video on Thursday. 'I don't wish this on anybody.' The harrowing footage showed flames ripping through his property after his water system failed. 'We have no water left. Our water systems have failed,' a very emotional Mr McLaughlin said while filming spot fires. After a long day watching helplessly as flames engulfed his once-green paddocks, the man explained he managed to find a tap to store water so he and his family had water to drink overnight. Residents in Moruya, West Moruya, Mogendoura and Wamban were warned they were at serious risk and needed to protect themselves from the intense blaze. A hellish combination of 40C temperatures and strong winds combined to cause fires to tear through whole swatch of the area with charred building and cars left in its wake (firefighters picture putting out a home which was ablaze) The RFS still holds fears over unpredictable wind conditions and are encouraging people to remain in a safe place overnight and have advised people to remain in a safe place if able A Rural Fire Service spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia conditions have eased overnight but property was lost. Horses (pictured) on a property in Moruya as bushfire bared down on the town 'Light showers have fallen over the fire grounds and we're waiting on a cool southerly change tonight,' the spokesperson said. 'But it's still not safe for people to return to areas around Potato Point and Dignams Creek due to fallen powerlines and trees.' The RFS still holds fears over unpredictable wind conditions and are encouraging people to remain in a safe place overnight. Thursday's bushfires threatened the same areas in southern NSW that were scorched in recent weeks. 'Down through the region it's been very hot, very dry and it's been very windy,' RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. 'It was another very difficult, aggressive fire weather day, which resulted in so many of these fires spreading and breaking out.' At 10:15pm there were still multiple blazes active to the west and south-west of the town. As of midnight there were 73 bush and grass fires burning across NSW with 30 not yet contained. 'No fires are at emergency warning. On the South Coast three remain at Watch and Act due to the continuing threat. Conditions are expected to ease tomorrow following a cool change,' a NSW RFS statement read. The aftermath of a bushfire which burned through Moruya in southern New South Wales, a shed on a property along with cars and another building were completely razed A firefighter is pictured in scenes more akin to a war-zone after firefighter valiantly tried to defend the small southern New South Wales township Some of the bushfire in Moruya is seen spreading across open country as firefighters tackled the blaze and residents were urged to find the evacuation centre or any safe place they could after they were told it was to late to leave Fearing power cuts, the Moruya evacuation centre, petrol stations, the water reservoir and aged care homes were supplied with back-up generators, and the local hospital was prepared to evacuate as flames closed in. Thursday saw extreme temperatures across New South Wales with strong winds that fanned blazes. Temperatures reached 42C in western Sydney at Penrith and Richmond and further inland at Coonamble and Bourke. Authorities believed they'd braved the worst of the bushfire threat by 5pm. 'We're confident that weather conditions are easing over the next few hours and hopefully we won't see any further concern beyond the fires at emergency level already,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters. Making things even more dangerous for firefighters Thursday saw extreme temperatures across New South Wales with strong winds that fanned blazes Thursday's raging bushfires were threatening the same large areas in southern New South Wales that were scorched in recent weeks A classic car is seen burnt out alongside a number of other cars and a shed which were razed as bushfire raged on the outskirts of Moruya NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean urged residents to slash power use as the bushfires and high temperatures put pressure on the state's electricity grid. 'The tight conditions in the electricity system this afternoon are largely a result of the state's weather conditions, bushfire impacts on transmission lines and mechanical issues at some of the state's power stations,' he said. Bushfires cut power to more than 7,500 customers on Thursday afternoon. Seven NSW fire regions stretching from the Queensland border to the Victoria border were under total fire bans including greater Sydney. Critical infrastructure have also been equipped with generators including the Moruya evacuation centre, petrol stations, hospitals, the water reservoir and aged care homes (the aftermath of the bushfire burning through a farm is pictured) The NSW death toll from this season's unprecedented fires has now climbed to 24 while more than 2000 homes have been razed Firefighters battled hard to prevent the blaze from growing into a blaze they would have no chance of being able to contain without more loss of property, land and possibly life By Dong Sun-hwa Cable channel tvN's North Korea-themed drama "Crash Landing on You" has been accused of glamorizing the reclusive state, police said Wednesday. The conservative Christian Liberty Party lodged a complaint with police against tvN on Jan. 9 for allegedly violating the National Security Law. It claims the soap opera which is mostly set in a small village in North Korea has only depicted North Korean soldiers in a "peaceful" way. The party released a statement on Jan. 10, insisting South Korean citizens have been "incited" by the TV series that failed to clearly indicate North Korea is the nation's "main opponent." "Our security law stipulates we should not sympathize with an anti-government organization that threatens the nation's existence," the statement reads. "We want the instigators to be promptly investigated and punished." Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has been reviewing the complaint, but reportedly has not yet launched an investigation. Since the TV series is based on fiction, many believe the cable channel is unlikely to be punished. "Fiction-based dramas have rarely been punished for breaking the security law," a police agency official said. The drama's producer Lee Jung-hyo said during a press conference in Seoul in December: "I know some people are uncomfortable about our subject, North Korea, but we don't portray a wholly authentic North Korea in our drama. Most settings are closer to a fantasy, although some aspects do reflect real North Korean life." "Crash Landing on You" is a 16-episode rom-com revolving around South Korean chaebol scion Yoon Se-ri (played by Son Ye-jin) and high-ranking North Korean officer Ri Jong-hyok (Hyun Bin). The pair bump into each other in North Korea after a paraglider carrying Yoon makes an emergency landing there. The soap opera has been gaining popularity in Korea, with its latest episode aired on Jan. 19 garnering 14.6 percent viewership. RENO, Nev., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New data from Synergy Research Group shows that the number of cloud-based contact center agents passed the five million milestone in the third quarter and continues to grow by almost 20% per year. The market remains in its infancy though as the cloud penetration of total contact center agents has not yet reached the 20% mark. The total number of contact center agents is growing by 5% per year, due to the combination of the high-growth cloud segment and the premise-based segment which is still growing, albeit only marginally. In part due to its acquisition of Broadsoft, Cisco is the first vendor to have over a million cloud agents and is now the market leader in that segment, followed by NICE, Genesys, Enghouse and Five9. The lead vendors in the premise-based segment are Avaya, Cisco and NEC. At the end of 2019 there were 29 million contact center agents worldwide, with North America being the largest region, followed by EMEA, APAC and Latin America. In the cloud segment the ranking of regions is the same but the market is considerably more concentrated in North America, reflecting the earlier adoption of new cloud technologies in that region. Currently, North America also has the highest growth rate in the cloud segment. The big shift we have seen in the market is that cloud technologies have enabled smaller enterprises to utilize contact center services without having to make hefty infrastructure investments, said Jeremy Duke, Synergy Research Groups founder and Chief Analyst. This is helping to drive the overall contact center market which continues to grow at a healthy pace. Indeed, vendors like Genesys, Vonage, 8x8, Talkdesk, Five9, NICE (inContact), and Content Guru are achieving strong double digit increases, some of which are well over 30%. About Synergy Research Group Synergy provides quarterly market tracking and segmentation data on IT and Cloud related markets, including vendor revenues by segment and by region. Market shares and forecasts are provided via Synergys uniquely designed online database tool, which enables easy access to complex data sets. Synergys CustomView takes this research capability one step further, enabling our clients to receive on-going quantitative market research that matches their internal, executive view of the market segments they compete in. Synergy Research Group helps marketing and strategic decision makers around the world via its syndicated market research programs and custom consulting projects. For two decades, Synergy has been a trusted source for quantitative research and market intelligence. Synergy is a strategic partner of TeleGeography. To speak to an analyst or to find out how to receive a copy of a Synergy report, please contact Heather Gallo at hgallo@srgresearch.com or 775-852-3330 extension 101. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b325c91-da08-429d-b942-73bcc4c57ca8 Todd McFarlane talks about his first Spawn team book and the culmination of the 'Year of Spawn' The comic book icon looks back at the 'Year of Spawn' and forward to his first-ever team book The Scorched New Delhi, Jan 23 : With the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) announcing a Jamia-to-Rajghat march on January 30, the protest against the amended Citizenship Act is set to spill over the roads again, almost after a month and half. The march will be led by women and the JCC aims to involve people from around the city. To boost participation, the JCC is planning to visit all anti-CAA sit-in sites here, including the Shaheen Bagh and the Khajuri Khas. "We have planned to hire buses for women from Jamia to visit every sit-in site to seek their participation in the march," a JCC member told IANS. On the conclusion of march at Rajghat, the JCC member said, "The government is being run by the killer of Gandhi and yet it pretends to follow Mahatma's values. But actually it follows Godse. "We aim to show that we are the one who actually follow Gandhi. Jamia was founded by Gandhi. We will take back Gandhi from them." A similar march was organised on December 15. But the agitators marching towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan turned violent and set ablaze public and private vehicles, and attacked public properties. The Delhi Police then launched crackdown, entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus and allegedly damaged a library. Since then, the people are protesting against the police crackdown and the CAA outside Jamia's gate number 7. Protests are also on in several areas, including Shaheen Bagh and Khajuri Khas. (Rohan Agarwal can be contacted at Rohan.a@ians.in) Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019 -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The master bedroom is your retreat from the frenzy of the world. Once you enter the space and close the door, you want safety and comfort in the well-appointed room for some me time. Homeowners are looking for convenience, and they want something that allows them to begin and end their days with everything they need right there in their master bedroom, says Michael Sims, president of Sims Luxury Builders, in Sugar Land, TX. That means including all of the usual accoutrements like high-quality sheets, heavenly pillows, and soft lighting. But for a truly luxurious experience, you need to think outside the ordinary. Many homeowners are seeking out modern touchesand leaning on new technologyto make over their master bedrooms. Below, our pick of the innovative items that will make your bedroom that much more enjoyable. 1. Motorized blinds/shades with a virtual cord app Motorized blinds can help make your mornings more pleasant. Graber Not much of a morning person? Motorized blinds ($427, Graber) can help you rise with the sun. "Technology finds its way into every room nowadays, and the bedroom is no exception, says New Yorkbased interior designer Tina Ramchandani. Remote-controlled shades are a luxury that youll never be able to live without once youve had them. Some companies even offer a timer function, which allows you to schedule when the blinds rise. 2. Easy Breather pillow A good pillow is essential to a good night's sleep. Nest Bedding It doesnt matter how luxurious your master bedroom isif you cant get a good nights rest, you might as well be on the basement sofa. And your pillow plays a vital role in the sleep process. The perfect pillow for you is based on a number of factors (e.g., how you sleep, if you prefer foam or feathers, etc.), but choosing one that's adjustable and well-reviewed can help you stop tossing and turning at night. We love the Easy Breather pillow ($99, Nest Bedding) because it's designed to be as soft as down while providing support. Plus, it's adjustable, so you can remove some of the fill if you think its too fluffy. 3. 3-in-1 chair This reclining chair is built for lounging. Coddle One thing that makes your master bedroom a retreat is that it accommodates daytime lounging as well. When you don't necessarily want to relax in bed all day, take a load off in a reclining chair ($599, Coddle). Elevate the back when you want to use it as a chair, or adjust it to lie flat and serve as a bench. The Coddle chair also has two built-in USB ports and an electrical socket, so you can charge your smartphone and laptop at the same time. 4. Wireless record player Tune in and zone out in your master bedroom. TRNTBL Soothing melodies in the master bedroom are a must. However, research shows that the light from electronic devices can detract from a good night's sleep. Fortunately, a record player can free you from the negative effects of blue light. If you want to up the tech factor, go for a wireless record player ($459, TRNTBL) that connects to your smart speakers in the bedroom and throughout the house. __________ Watch: Use These 5 Tricks to Give Your Bedroom a Luxe Look for Less __________ 5. Smart bedside table This smart side table gives you a reason to never leave your bed again. Sobro Ever wanted a cold drink of water in the middle of the night? You dont have to stumble to the kitchen to get it, or settle for bland tap water from the bathroom faucet. A smart bedside table like this one from Sobro ($699, Wayfair) includes a refrigerator! There's also a wireless charging pad for your phone and Bluetooth speakers. This is my favorite item for the master bedroom, says Brandin Johnson, owner and real estate broker at Incisive Realty in Orlando, FL. Nothing can beat an all-in-one refrigerator." 6. Hidden TV You just might forget you have a TV in your bedroom. Best Buy When you retreat to the master bedroom to relax and unwind, the sight of a TV gets in the way of that, says Minol Shamreen, a home stager and interior stylist at Studio M Designs, in Austin, TX. But you may also want the luxury and comfort of being able to watch your favorite show without having to go into another room. The solution? A hidden TV that transforms into a mirror or piece of art when you're not using it. Shamreen recommends a mirror TV ($6,999, Seura) because you can choose from several frame finishes, including silver, wood, black, or no frame at all. We also like the versatility (and price) of the Samsung Frame ($1,099, Best Buy). The post 6 Little Luxuries You Really Need in Your Master Bedroom appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Medical authorities want them banned. A business trade group thinks regulations can make them safe. And caught in between is the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The debate over what to do about padded crib bumpers - which has dragged on for the last eight years - continued Wednesday with a public hearing of medical experts, safety advocates and business officials hoping to influence what the CPSC finally decides to do. A decision is expected to take at least several months. What makes this fight unusual is that the CPSC itself is split over how to view crib bumpers, panels of fabric that wrap inside a crib and are marketed as products that protect babies. The agency's health sciences staff - led by one influential scientist - has repeatedly rejected the medical consensus that padded crib bumpers are dangerous, responsible for the deaths of dozens of infants over two decades. The staff's view for years has undercut any move by the CPSC to ban the product. Commissioners voted 4-1 in 2016 to issue a statement saying they disagreed with staff and thought bumpers were dangerous. But only two of those commissioners are still at the agency. And so this familiar debate faced a fresh audience Wednesday. One of the new CPSC commissioners, Peter Feldman, said he felt something was missing from the day's discussion of the total number of infants killed by crib bumpers - which ranged from just nine to at least 73, numbers that differed depending on the source and were their own source of disagreement. "What I'm not hearing today is much talk about exposure rates," Feldman said. "Is that a necessary part of the discussion?" Kelly Mariotti, executive director of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, agreed. The incidence of deaths associated with crib bumpers appeared to be incredibly low, given that the popular nursery item has been used in millions of cribs for decades. Two officials from the American Academy of Pediatrics had testified earlier in the day. They were not able to respond directly to Feldman's question. But what they had said earlier showed how strongly they disagreed with judging the risk of crib bumpers based on how often they kill. "Their dubious benefit is far outweighed by their clear and present risk," said Rachel Moon, a pediatrician who studies infant sleep deaths and helped write the pediatric academy's safe-sleep guidelines. She compared crib bumpers to cigarette smoking. Most of the officials who spoke at Wednesday's hearing said the CPSC should ban padded crib bumpers - a product, they said, that caused infant asphyxiation deaths and failed to protect babies from getting hurt by banging their head or entangling a limb. (The criticism was not aimed at thin mesh crib liners or vertical crib liners.) Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes "Crib bumpers should not be for sale. Full stop," said James Dickerson, chief scientific officer for Consumer Reports. Dickerson also criticized the agency for taking so long to take action. It was a rare point of agreement between opposite sides of the crib bumper debate. Mariotti, too, thought the CPSC was taking too long. "The failure of the commission to act in a timely fashion is troubling," she said. Mariotti and her group, the JPMA, had first asked the CPSC to regulate crib bumpers in 2012. But they were hoping the agency would just adopt the industry's voluntary safety standard. The doctors and advocates at the CPSC hearing were pushing for something else: a total ban. Close Brexit timeline: From 2013 referendum promise to a 2020 exit Boris Johnsons Brexit legislation has cleared all stages in parliament after it received royal assent. It follows an EU warning of sanctions if Mr Johnsons government fails to implement controversial goods checks in the Irish Sea after Brexit. Opposition MPs warned the government it would be foolish to rush trade deals with both the EU and the US this year. Trump official Steven Mnuchin said Washington expects a US-UK trade deal to be done in 2020 despite a growing row over No 10s planned tech tax. Elsewhere, Keir Starmer paused his Labour leadership campaign after his mother-in-law was admitted to hospital, while a formal bullying complaint has been filed against former speaker John Bercow by his most senior Commons clerk. To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below Bangladesh: Making index-based flood insurance socially inclusive in Bangladesh: Challenges and options January 23,2020 | Source: Relief Web Floods and other weather-related disasters plague farmers in Bangladesh, and climate change threatens to exacerbate these risks. At stake are the livelihoods of millions of small and marginal farmer households that are at risk of becoming further entrenched in poverty. Lack of compensation or other buffering mechanisms means crop losses give rise to deepening cycles of debt, especially when cultivation is financed through loans. While neighboring India has developed strong policy and strategic direction for using risk transfer mechanisms, such as Weather Index Insurance (WII), as a disaster risk reduction tool, policy support in Bangladesh is lukewarm. To date, most WII schemes have been pilots implemented mainly by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and donors. The Index-based Flood Insurance (IBFI) project of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) hopes to adapt the pilot scheme it is trialling in Bihar, India, to Bangladesh. To understand how such a scheme can be made accessible, especially to marginal groups, fieldwork was undertaken in Sirajganj district. Here, a WII pilot project, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which offers insurance for crops during both the Aman and Boro seasons is ongoing. This brief is informed by findings from this fieldwork. - Weather-related crop damage significantly threatens agrarian livelihoods in Bangladesh, potentially undermining progress towards reaching some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those related to poverty reduction, food security, nutrition and health. - Farmers lack safety nets and compensation mechanisms to buffer them against these climate-related risks. The food security of women is particularly affected by crop losses, given gendered norms that privilege males with access to household resources in times of scarcity. - Risk transfer mechanisms, such as WII, may be one solution, but remain nascent in Bangladesh. - Despite several pilot WII schemes in recent years, growth of WII is held back by an unclear business case for private insurers, as well as a distrust of the private sector among farmers and, most importantly, weak policy support. - Lack of access to finance, illiteracy, gender norms and eligibility criteria can undermine the accessibility of WII for vulnerable groups. The complex structure of WII (e.g., how payout is triggered) requires careful explanation to minimize unrealistic farmer expectations. - Partners with extensive knowledge of rural social structures, and institutional capacity and credibility at the village level are needed to overcome challenges through a systematic, multifaceted and time-intensive rollout process. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Thursday said more than Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have 'supported' Muslim women and fought for their rights on triple talaq issue. His remarks came after the BJP criticised Sisodia for his statement that he stands with the people of Shaheen Bagh and that opening of the Kalindi Kunj road does not fall under his jurisdiction. Singh backed Sisodia and said making way for vehicles in Shaheen Bagh was not with the city government. "It is with the administration and the Delhi L-G that the road should be free for school buses and ambulance service as they head the law and order in the city," Singh said. He also said that while the BJP is critical about Sisodia's support, the saffron party should see that more than Sisodia, the BJP had struggled for "giving justice" to Muslim women over the issue of triple talaq. "Entire BJP was pretending to be with Muslim women during the triple talaq issue. They were shedding tears that the Muslim women should be given justice." He added that more than Sisodia "Modi and BJP leaders were standing with Muslim women. Now, if Sisodia says something, that should not be made an issue." Sharing Sisodia's byte, the Delhi BJP had tweeted, with hashtag 'AAP burning Delhi' that "you can see who stood with nationalism and who is with anti-nationals". Singh said the Constitution gives everyone the right to protest in a peaceful way, as he backed Sisodia. The Japanese Yen (JPY) exchange rates edged higher today after Novembers Japanese All Industrial Activity Index rose unexpectedly from -4.8% to 0.9%. The report weakened the GBP/JPY exchange rate which is currently trading around 143.854. JPYs gains, however, were held back after yesterdays Japanese trade reports showed a trade deficit for the second year in a row, due to weak demand from China. Tom Learmouth, an Economist at Capital Economics, was downbeat in his outlook for the Japanese economy, commenting: Looking ahead, we think the recovery in exports will be weaker than many expect. That reflects our view that GDP growth in Japan's main trading partners will remain subdued this year. Meanwhile, US-China trade uncertainty continues to hold back some of the Japanese Yens (JPY) gains today. This follows worries over the longevity of the phase one trade agreement, with further obstacles ahead for the two superpowers placing a wedge between market confidence in the staying-power of the agreement. Yen Exchange Rate Improves as Brexit Uncertainty Haunts British Markets The JPY/GBP also improved on rising concern over the UKs stance on Brexit after Chancellor Sajid Javid said that the UK would not be aligned on the EUs terms. As a result, the Pound eased against the Japanese currency as markets once again being to price in a possible hard Brexit after the 31st January, when the UK is officially expected to leave the European Union. Japanese Yen (JPY) traders, meanwhile, will be looking ahead to todays release of the Bank of Japans (BoJ) Monetary Policy Meeting minutes, with any signs of the central bank being downbeat in its assessment this year being JPY-negative. After the BoJ nudged up its economic outlook this year already, however, we could see the Japanese Yen benefit from further confirmation of the countrys economic growth. Turo Suehiro, Senior Market Economist at Mizuho Securities, commented: Given that the [Japanese Yen] has stabilized and other major central banks are pausing on policy, theres no reason for the BOJ to take action for the time being. JPY Outlook: Could the Japanese Yen Lose its Gains on the Pound? Japanese Yen (JPY) investors will be looking ahead to tomorrows flash Japanese Jibun Bank Manufacturing PMI, with any signs of improvement in Japans industrial sector proving JPY-positive. This week will also see Japanese markets keep a close eye on Chinas economic developments. Any further indication that the worlds second-largest economy could be faltering would have a negative knock-on effect on the Japanese economy and would weaken the JPY exchange rate. We could see the JPY/GBP exchange rate lose some of its gains tomorrow, however, with the UK Markit Services PMI forecast to improve and boost market appetite for the Pound as the UKs largest sector improves in January. This puts Peru on the same level as leading digital nations such as Estonia and Uruguay, thus significantly strengthening digital confidence of citizens. "Within the framework of the urgency decree on digital confidence, Peru has made a significant stride in terms of security surrounding digital identity of citizens," said Marushka Chocobar, digital government secretary at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers "This achievement has a direct impact on international indicators of digital confidence, government, and competitiveness. Plus, it is aligned with the OECD recommendations on digital transformation," she added. According to Chocobar, the process was led by RENIEC and marks a very important milestone for digital progress at the national level. The new hierarchy of digital certification is based on cryptographic algorithms of elliptical curves that provide a higher level of security to digital certificates and identities to be stored in the National Electronic ID Card (DNIe). This technology will enable services to test data integrity or time stamping features, as well as digital identities based on Mobile ID and Digital ID. "In the region, Peru is the leader in issuance of digital certificates thanks to the efforts by RENIEC, in its capacity as the national certification body," she remarked. "In this line and, within the framework of the country's leadership in digital transformation, the Digital Government Secretariat is strengthening the development of secure digital services to develop a unique interaction between citizens and State-run services, as well as encourage the private sector to make progress in the same direction," she added. (END) NDP/JCC/CVC/RMB/MVB With the aim of promoting digital transformation in Peru, the country has implemented a new hierarchy for national digital certification, providing a higher level of security to digital identities and certificates managed by the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC) Published: 1/23/2020 Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Comcast executives confirmed Thursday that Super Nintendo World will be coming to Universal Orlando's new theme park, Epic Universe. Though it won't open until 2023, there will be lots of construction activity next year at the future Epic Universe location. It's being built just north of the Orange County Convention Center and the initial concept art depicted four immersive themed lands. Super Nintendo World had long been rumored to be a land coming to Epic Universe. The confirmation came during a Comcast Q4 earnings call Thursday. When answering a question during the call, a Comcast executive said Super Nintendo Land will be part of the "fourth-gate" in Florida. Universal is slated to open the first Super Nintendo Land this year in Japan. Related video: Epic Universe theme park timeline unveiled JACKSON, MI The guidelines said he should be sentenced to 15 to 20 months in prison. But when the judge gave him four to 20 years Thursday morning, Robert Morley Jr. barely flinched. Morley, 71, was originally charged with 29 counts of felony embezzlement and one count of conducting a criminal enterprise. He pleaded no contest Aug. 16 to one felony count of racketeering and received his lengthy prison sentence from Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson on Jan. 23. Morley, a financial adviser, embezzled $700,000 from an elderly couple who died in a murder-suicide in 2012. The couple trusted Morley, to the point of the woman baking cookies for him before their monthly meetings at their house, nephew Mark Snyder said during a victim impact statement at the sentencing. Failing health may have caused 89-year-old man to feel desperate, neighbor says of Tuesday murder-suicide in Summit Township The couple never had children but saved the money to take care of 15 heirs, Snyder said. He was a World War II veteran and a plumber. She baked hundreds of cookies. They went on long walks together, holding hands. Seven years after couples murder-suicide, financial adviser pays restitution in embezzlement case You stole such a huge amount of money from a couple that were just plain, honest, hardworking individuals, Wilson said. When I look at the harm thats occurred here Im also cognizant of what the guidelines are, and the fact that theyre advisory, but when I look at all the circumstances that are involved in this, I cant say theyre adequate. Morley did not react to his sentence, but signs of relief could be seen on the faces of the victims nephews. There is not a day that goes by that I dont think about what happened and the impact Ive had on so many lives, Morley said. I ache and I take full responsibility for what I did. Morley has a fractured sternum and breathing trouble, which defense attorney Suzanna Kostovksi said causes her concern about whether he will receive proper care from the Michigan Department of Corrections. Wilson said her speech on behalf Morley kept his sentence from being even longer. Under a plea deal, Morley paid $120,000 in partial restitution and has another $580,000 to pay. The money is going to the couples heirs. He stole the money from the couples life savings between 2007-14, according to the state attorney generals office. READ MORE JACKSON NEWS: Man sentenced for sexual assault, strangulation, kidnapping in Jackson Gun, hundreds of fraudulent credit and gift cards seized on I-94, police say Emails not allowed as evidence in Nikki Joly arson case, appeals court says Case of Jackson-area coach accused of sexual contact takes step closer to trial 2 from Jackson injured in Ingham County crash The University of Michigan has placed its provost on leave after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him, the school has announced. Martin A. Philbert, who earns $570,340 a year, was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday, according to a letter from the university. Several allegations were made against the 57-year-old last Thursday and Friday, triggering an internal investigation of sexual misconduct by Philbert, says University President Mark S. Schlissel. Washington, DC, law firm WilmerHale, was then hired to lead the probe since Philbert, who is the school's executive vice president of academic affairs, is normally charged with conducting such investigations, the school said. A spokesman confirmed to DailyMail.com that no students were involved. Former President Barack Obama's youngest daughter Sasha began studies at the school this past fall. University of Michigan Provost Martin Philbert speaks during commencement exercises in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has been placed on leave after several allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him, the school has announced The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Several allegations were made against Provost Martin Philbert on Thursday and Friday, triggering an internal investigation of sexual misconduct by Philbert, says University President Mark S. Schlissel Sasha Obama in an undated photo while visiting Marbella, Spain. The youngest daughter of former President Barack Obama began studies at Michigan University this past fall. No students were among the accusers who made recent sexual misconduct claims at the school The spokesman did not answer whether the allegations came from adult academic staff or other employees from the university, or whether the complaints came from outside. 'We have no further details regarding the investigation to share,' the spokesman said. Philbert, who is a graduate of Cambridge University in the UK and got his doctorate from London University Royal Postgraduate Medical School, did not immediately return a call to his home from DailyMail.com. According to his page on Michigan University's website, he is also a professor of toxicology in the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1984 from the College of Arts and Technology at Cambridge, and his doctorate in 1987 from the London University Royal Postgraduate Medical School. Martin A. Philbert, who earns more than $570,000 a year as provost of University of Michigan and also is a graduate of Cambridge and got his doctorate from London University Royal Postgraduate Medical School, was placed on administrative leave Tuesday His school page says he was later awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in the Neurotoxicology Laboratories at Rutgers University from 1988-90. and that he served as a research assistant professor at Rutgers' Neurotoxicology Laboratories until 1995 when he joined the faculty at the University of Michigan School of Public Health as an assistant professor of toxicology. Philbert rose up the school's ranks after he was promoted as an associate professor in 2000 and to professor in 2004. He was appointed senior associate dean for research of the School of Public Health, a position he held through 2010 when he was appointed as dean of the school. He was appointed as provost in September 2017. The provost isn't the first to come under investigation by the university. The Detroit News reports that renowned violin professor Stephen Shipps of the university's School of Music, Theater and Dance, retired in February after a published report outlined allegations of sexual misconduct that spanned 40 years. The school moved to terminate David Daniels, another music professor, after a Texas grand jury indicted the countertenor and his husband, William Scott Walters, in the sexual assault of an incapacitated man in 2010, the News reports. University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel announced several sexual misconduct allegations were made against Provost Martin A. Philbert, and that the school takes 'allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously' The allegations against Philbert come especially hard, since he has been involved in probing such accusations and is the schools highest-ranking official ever to face such an investigation. Schlissel says he will be following up in the coming days with the name of an acting provost to replace Philbert. 'We take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously, and our policy is clear: Sexual misconduct will not be tolerated in the University of Michigan community,' the president wrote in the letter, which was addressed to the entire Ann Arbor school. He said the school's Division of Public Safety and Security is a part of the investigation. News of the allegations drew concerns on social media from both inside and outside the school. University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker tweeted Wednesday that he was, 'angry and deeply empathetic to the survivors'. University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker tweeted Wednesday that he was, 'angry and deeply empathetic to the survivors' 'Our community healing starts with first understanding the alleged activities and exactly what happened. For me, our investigation must be transparent, with sensitivity and understanding for the survivors and their needs, and work to make sure that something like this never happens on campus again.' Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan also responded on Twitter. 'The University of Michigan is quickly stepping up to investigate these serious allegations. Everyone deserves due process and a thorough investigation. It is still difficult for survivors to come forward in situations like these, and we need recognize their bravery and courage,' she wrote on Wednesday. Israel's Internal Politics Raise Tensions with Jordan By Jacob Wirtschafter January 22, 2020 Jordan is increasingly on edge as Israeli politicians work to outbid each other over who will keep more of the territories captured from the Arab states in the 1967 war. "Israeli governments that spoke of the possibility of returning this area were making a grave strategic and security mistake," said opposition leader Benny Gantz who toured Jordan Valley border settlements on Tuesday, "We see this strip of land as an inseparable part of the State of Israel." The valley comprises 20% of the West Bank's land and extends 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the Galilee in the north down to the Dead Sea. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated his intention to apply sovereignty to the disputed territory before the last Israeli elections in September. Now courting votes from the valley's s 11,000 Jewish settlers, Gantz's Blue and White Party aims to improve on its 33-32 performance over Netanyahu's Likud as Israel heads to its third round of voting in 11 months. . "This leads the vast majority of Jordanians to perceive Israel as one right-wing bloc with no difference between Likud and Blue and White," said Hassan Barari, an international relations professor at the University of Jordan. "Benny Gantz's alliance is led by ex-generals like Moshe Ya'alon. He's even more right-wing than Netanyahu." On Monday, Ya'alon, a former Israeli army chief of staff, insisted both he and Gantz are more serious about annexing the Jordan Valley than their opponent. "He [Netanyahu] has done nothing to invest in the area. But when I served as defense minister, I actively assisted Jordan Valley [Jewish] communities with water and electricity issues," Ya'alon told The Jerusalem Post. Widespread resentment, royal restraint The spectacle of Israeli politicians vying over who is more certain to take more Arab territories nurtures a growing frustration among Jordanians. "This is an Israel that we don't want to see," said Barari, "It's an expansionist Israel denying the Palestinians rights to self-determination. It doesn't believe in the two-state solution, which is a key to Jordan's national security." During Israel's last election campaign, Jordan considered downgrading its diplomatic presence in Tel Aviv after Prime Minister Netanyahu's promises to annex the Jordan Valley. At the time, sources close to King Abdullah II said the 57-year-old monarch concluded that Netanyahu was "just playing to his base." The assessment shifted in November as the two countries sullenly marked the 25th anniversary of their peace treaty. Abdullah declined to renew an annex to the 1994 agreement that had granted Israel the use of two small agricultural areas along the border, and the Israelis were miffed. Then Netanyahu told the Knesset that Israeli security helped the king and Egypt's President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi "prevent the takeover of their territories" by armed Islamist groups. The remarks were hurtful to Amman's security establishment, which has kept both ISIS and Iranian backed terror organizations from staging any operations on Jordanian territory. In response, Abdullah launched an international messaging campaign. With speeches and TV interviews in New York, Brussels, and Paris, he warned of the risks posed by the annexationist drift in Israeli politics and the re-emergence of ISIS close to Jordanian borders in western Iraq. "I hope that whatever happens in Israel over the next two or three months, we can get back to talking to each other on simple issues that we haven't been able to talk about for the past two years," Abdullah told attendees at a November 27 New York event where he was honored by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Israel's future is being part of the Middle East, [but] unless we can solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, we'll never have the full integration that all of us deserve." Meanwhile, the Jordanian street erupted in frustration over continued regular economic ties with the Jewish state even as the king maintained a facade of mild disappointment with the surge Jordan Valley sovereignty declarations from the politicians across the river. Annexation anxiety led thousands to take the streets of Amman, and even quiet provincial cities from Irbid to Aqaba held demonstrations against a $10 billion, 15-year gas deal with Israel. Jordan's government-owned national electricity company and Texas USA based Noble Energy signed contracts in 2016 to import gas from Israel's East Mediterranean Leviathan field. The arrangement may make economic sense for Jordan, which is paying $.30 less per heat unit than the Israeli consumer but with a population that is as much as fifty percent of Palestinian origin the deal is perceived as a sell-out to a nation that has dispossessed them. "It's not Israeli gas, it's actually Palestinian gas that has been stolen by Israel," said Lujain al-Fayez, a protester against the deal. "If the occupation keeps moving forward and Israel annexes more land, we wonder, how much to trust their commitment to the signed peace treaty with Jordan," said 28-year-old human rights organizer Dima Hashim. Just ten days after the Israeli gas started flowing through the pipeline, Jordan's parliament unanimously passed a bill to cancel the contract. "The talk of halting Israeli gas supplies to the country is a sham," said Amman economist Marwan Kardoosh. "Neither the government or the parliament makes these kinds of decisions. They are made within the confines of the Royal Court, in close coordination with the U.S. Embassy and the American administration in Washington." Uncertainty over Washington's Mideast plan President Trump's Mideast peace team led by senior adviser Jared Kushner is expected to arrive in Israel by Thursday to explore releasing the U.S. plan for the region in consultation with both Netanyahu and Gantz. It's unknown if the three-person group will be stopping in Amman to meet with King Abdullah. "Jordan today fears that Israel is not serious about the two-state solution," said Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Amman and a former foreign minister. "They seem to have designs that will solve the Palestinian question at our expense." "Meanwhile, all the indications from the U.S. actions around the yet to be published Deal of the Century suggest that they are fully on board with the Israel position," Muasher said. "The United States might not want to hurt Jordan intentionally, but we have become collateral damage." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE More than 400 out-of-state residents enrolled in New Mexicos medical cannabis program may have their card-carrying days numbered. Thats because Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration is backing a proposed fix to the states medical marijuana laws that would bar Texans and other out-of-state residents from obtaining state-issued ID cards. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 139, is the latest twist in a saga that started last year when the definition of qualified patient was changed partly by removing an in-state residency requirement under a bill that Lujan Grisham signed into law. After the bill took effect, three out-of-state residents applied for medical marijuana cards but were denied. They then filed a court challenge, leading to a state judges ruling that New Mexicos Department of Health must allow participation by nonresidents who have qualifying medical conditions. In just a few months, a total of 421 out-of-state residents, most of them from Texas, had enrolled in the program, according to the most recent DOH figures. But state attorneys have argued the law change was not aimed at allowing out-of-state residents to participate in New Mexicos medical marijuana program, describing that part of the bill as a drafting error. They also argued the judges ruling could eventually cause enrollment in the program to double. The whole intent from Day One was not to throw it open, said Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, the bills sponsor. Lujan Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki said that if the bill wins approval, out-of-state individuals who enrolled after the judges ruling will get to keep accessing medical marijuana in New Mexico but only until their current, one-year ID cards expire. He also said the situation is different from a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use, which the Lujan Grisham administration is also supporting. Allowing out-of-state residents to enroll in New Mexicos medical cannabis program makes it difficult to gauge how much marijuana providers and participants should be allowed to cultivate, Stelnicki said. We cant calculate the need of the entire Northern Hemisphere or the globe, he told the Journal. However, Duke Rodriguez, president and CEO of Ultra Health LLC, a prominent licensed medical cannabis producer, said the Lujan Grisham administrations stance on the issue makes no sense. He pointed out many of the out-of-state residents who have enrolled in New Mexicos medical pot program either work or live part time in the state and spend tax dollars here. It makes no logical sense why they should be punished, Rodriguez said in a Wednesday interview. In addition, Rodriguez pointed out that the proposal to legalize cannabis would not limit use to New Mexicans, but would allow anyone ages 21 or older to purchase marijuana from licensed dispensaries. We continue to be totally confused about justifying the logic for protecting the medical program while the state is also pushing for legalizing recreational marijuana, said Rodriguez, an Arizona resident who was one of the three plaintiffs in last years lawsuit. Meanwhile, the Roundhouse debate on the proposed legislation will play out as the state is still appealing last years ruling by District Judge Bryan Biedscheid. The Court of Appeals has not indicated when it might take up the states appeal. Overall enrollment in New Mexicos medical cannabis program has skyrocketed in recent years as additional dispensaries have been opened around the state and more qualifying conditions have been added. Last years bill also allowed for reciprocity between New Mexico and other states with similar programs, and that would not be affected by this years proposal. There were 80,257 patients enrolled in New Mexicos program as of last month, according to DOH statistics. At BETT 2020, ViewSonic will be exhibiting various solutions via four scenarios that address important trends in education. (Representational Image) ViewSonic will be at the British Educational Training and Technology Show (BETT) in London from Jan. 22-25 to showcase its total educational technology (EdTech) solutions, which include its ViewBoard interactive displays and proprietary myViewBoard software platform. As the solutions operate on a technology-agnostic philosophy, they also support Google for Education, Microsoft Education, and other ecosystems, allowing schools to integrate them easily with their existing platforms and solutions. At BETT 2020, ViewSonic will be exhibiting various solutions via four scenarios that address important trends in education. Through these scenarios, ViewSonic will demonstrate how their solutions can help schools improve the learning environment for educators and students. Interactive Learning Zone - myViewBoard + Google for Education In recent years, interactive learning has become indispensable to improving learning outcomes and fostering innovation. ViewSonics Google for Education-certified solution takes interactive learning to the next level by integrating seamlessly into the Google for Education ecosystem. This allows educators to navigate effortlessly between Google Classroom and myViewBoard Classroom. For example, educators will be able to manage and use all the tools available in Google Classroom right alongside myViewBoards rich whiteboard tools with real-time synchronisation of announcement boards, lesson plans, assignments, and student management. Also through cloud collaboration, educators can bring together classrooms in different locations, whether down the hall or on the other side of the world, for an educational experience that is truly without borders. With its open-platform, web-based nature, this solution is ideal for a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model, whether the devices are laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Virtual Teaching Assistant Zone - myViewBoard for Windows + AI Embedded Sensor To create a teaching and learning environment where participants can interact, communicate and engage with learning resources without physical boundaries, Virtual Teaching Assistant provides the benefits of real-time digital collaboration for learning. ViewSonic will be demonstrating its video-assisted learning feature, myViewBoard Clips, as well as handwriting and drawing recognition, a quiz feature, throw function, and support for Microsoft Immersive Reader. These tools help produce better cognitive and learning outcomes. Whats more, ViewSonic sought to supplement the already versatile functionality of myViewBoard with the power of AI. A new sensor combined with AI algorithms can help analyze students responses, such as their moods, to improve teaching and learning. The SCALE-UP Classroom - Collaborate with Efficiency To make collaboration easier and more effective, a SCALE-UP classroom setup is ideal. These classrooms revolve around the idea that instead of teachers lecturing and students doing assignments in their own time, students learn the core materials in their own time and do reinforcement tasks, such as workgroup projects, during class. Utilising ViewBoard interactive displays with myViewBoard Huddle, educators can group their students into workgroups with ease to initiate group discussions or work. Next with the ViewBoard Cast function, educators can follow up by assigning topics to individual workgroups as well as share reference materials such as documents and images. Workgroups can also share their screens with teachers to consult their opinion or project onto a digital whiteboard for presenting to or discussing with the entire class. Esports Zone Coaching With esports forecasted to become a billion-dollar industry in 2019, the stakes for fostering and developing active and aspiring esports pros are higher than ever. Understanding this development, ViewSonic will also be demonstrating a solution for esports training and coaching. With the help of ViewSonics ELITE gaming monitors and ViewBoard interactive displays, the demonstration will present the future of esports instruction, preparation, and development. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. SOFIA -- Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Russians in absentia for the attempted murder of a weapons manufacturer, his son, and the production manager of the company. The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SGP) said on January 23 that the three unidentified suspects intentionally attempted to poison the victims "by intoxication with an unidentified phosphorus-organic substance." Prosecutors said the crimes were committed between April 28, 2015 and May 4, 2015, and targeted Emilian Gebrev, owner of EMCO Ltd., his son Hristo Gebrev, and manager Valentin Takhchiev. All three survived the attacks. European arrest warrants have been issued for each of the suspects and international arrest and subsequent extradition requests have been registered with Interpol, the prosecutors said. Notices were also filed with the Schengen Information System, the largest information-sharing platform for security and border management in the EU, they added. In December, Bulgarian officials said their investigation into the poisonings was focusing on five alleged Russian military intelligence (GRU) agents, including a Russian general who purportedly oversaw an assassination team accused in the 2018 nerve-agent attack in Britain that targeted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Sotir Tsatsarov, the prosecutor-general at the time, said there was evidence that the Russian general, Denis Sergeyev, had also traveled three times in 2015 to Bulgaria using the same false identity, Sergei Fedotov. His Bulgarian travels coincided with the poisoning of the Bulgarian weapons maker and two other victims. Open-source and online sleuth Bellingcat has identified Sergeyev as a member of an "elite overseas clandestine-operations" team that is part of GRU unit 29155. Western intelligence agencies have said the secret unit has been active in Europe for years -- and remained undetected until last year -- carrying out subversive activities, including coup attempts and assassinations. "At the heart of the Bulgarian poisoning operation was a team of as many as eight GRU officers -- all members of the same unit -- who traveled to Bulgaria in the weeks surrounding the poisoning attempt," Bellingcat wrote in a joint investigative report with Germany's Der Spiegel and The Insider, published on November 23. "Crucially, constellations of teams of three including Major General Denis Sergeyev -- were present in Bulgaria" during both attacks on Gebrev, Bellingcat concluded. The substance used to poison the three Bulgarians may have been a banned pesticide called Amiton (known in Russia as Tetram), according to the Finnish Institute for Chemical Weapons Convention, whom the Bulgarian arms manufacturer had asked to do tests. RFE/RL learned two days ago that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons never received a written request from the Bulgarian authorities to examine the substance with which Gebrev was poisoned. The Supreme Court building in Seocho, southern Seoul. / Korea Times file By Lee Suh-yoon The Supreme Court ruled in favor of retired Jungbu Express bus drivers regarding a wage calculation dispute, Wednesday, saying overtime pay should be calculated using actual working hours. A worker's overtime pay in Korea is calculated by the number of overtime hours and one's hourly rate. Employers are required to pay workers an additional 50% over their ordinary hourly wage under the country's Labor Standards Act. One's hourly rate is determined by dividing one's monthly wage by the total number of working hours that month. Previous court rulings allowed companies to underrepresent an employee's hourly rate in the overtime pay calculation. This was done by inflating the employee's overtime hours by 50 percent synonymous with the pay raise for overtime hours. This artificially increased the total number of working hours that was used to divide the monthly wage (2 hours of overtime work was magically counted as 3 hours under such a calculation scheme). This led to a downplayed hourly rate which was then used to determine the worker's overtime pay. On Wednesday, however, the court overturned previous rulings and said the overtime pay calculation should use the employee's actual number of working hours. The ruling will not affect companies with a constant 9 to 5 schedule but it will affect hospitals, transport companies and other industries that regularly require overtime work from employees. "The ruling will have an impact on workers with fixed overtime schedules," Sim Hui-cheon, a public labor attorney working at Kookmin Bank labor union, told The Korea Times. "All this time, companies have been under-calculating the overtime pay by inflating the employees' number of working hours in their calculation." WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) scientists will discuss Solar Orbiter, the agencies' collaboration set to launch next month on its journey to the Sun, during two media teleconferences on Monday, Jan. 27. A Spanish-language briefing will begin at 11 a.m. EST. An English-language briefing will begin at 2 p.m. During the briefings, mission experts will discuss Solar Obiter's uniquely tilted orbit, how the mission will capture the first images of the Sun's north and south poles, and its ability to tackle major solar mysteries with its suite of 10 different instruments. Audio of both briefings will stream live on the agency's website. Participants in the Spanish-language briefing are: Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla , NASA deputy project scientist for Solar Orbiter at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland , NASA deputy project scientist for Solar Orbiter at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Yaireska Collado-Vega, space weather forecasting team lead, Community Coordinated Modeling Center at Goddard Luis Sanchez, head of development of science operations for Solar Orbiter at ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre in Madrid, Spain Participants in the English-language briefing are: Nicola Fox , director of the Heliophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington , director of the Heliophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Chris St. Cyr , former NASA project scientist for the mission at Goddard , former NASA project scientist for the mission at Goddard Yannis Zouganelis , ESA deputy project scientist for Solar Orbiter at the European Space Astronomy Centre in Madrid To participate in either teleconference, media must provide their name and affiliation to Miles Hatfield at [email protected] by 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27. Please specify which conference you plan to join. For more information on the Solar Orbiter mission, visit: https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/home SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 20:36:06|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- One civilian was killed and six others were injured after a few militants attacked a medical store with grenade in Dawlatabad district of the northern Faryab province on Wednesday, police spokesman in the restive province Abdul Karim Yurash said Thursday. The militants threw a grenade to a medical store in Dawlatabad district on Wednesday evening, killing the owner of the store and wounding six others, the official said. He said police had arrested one person in this regard and the arrested man admitted to his affiliation with the Taliban outfit. Taliban group has yet to make comments. Dawlatabad district in the Faryab province with Maimana as its capital 425 km northwest of Kabul, has been the scene of Taliban-led militancy over the past few years. Sagalassos is one of the best-preserved ancient cities of Turkey and one of the best kept archaeological secrets of the Mediterranean. Its secluded position, nested at an elevation of 1,500 meters (or about 5,000 feet) in the Taurus mountains in southwestern Anatolia, makes it difficult to reach for archaeologists and tourists alike. Laid out over natural terraces on a slope, in wintertime it is often covered with snow, further enhancing its peaceful and picturesque atmosphere. Since 1990, it has been excavated by a mission led by the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. The Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project, which has both Turkish and international members, has, over the years, become a model of interdisciplinary research and interaction with the local community. It is also a fierce battleground between the diverging needs of scientists concerned with preservation and politicians yearning for development. Already established as a political settlement during prehistoric times, Sagalassos was conquered by Alexander the Great and in the 1st century B.C. became part of the Roman Empire, as an urban center rich in wealth and monuments. It became known as the first city of the Roman province of Pisidia, particularly favored by Emperor Hadrian (r. 117 -138) where statues of emperors and gods were worshipped side by side. It was abandoned in the 7th century after devastating earthquakes and erased from memory. When the first European travelers rediscovered it in the 18th century, they found magnificent ruins that still showed their original Roman character: temples, public baths, large-scale fountains, paved open-air markets, a columnated street and a theater for 7,000 spectators that was left unfinished. It was never looted or rebuilt upon. Archaeologists arrived a couple of centuries later. The first survey was carried out in 1985, excavations started in 1990. On the other hand, tourists especially from abroad are very few in comparison to Sagalassos' artistic and naturalistic value. In 2018, it was visited by 48,471 people. Two exhibitions one organized in Belgium in 2011-12, the other currently showing in Istanbul exemplify two different approaches to the study, conservation and touristic development of the archaeological site. "Sagalassos. City of Dreams," hosted by the Gallo-Roman Museum of Tongeren, Belgium, displayed the colossal heads of the Roman Emperors Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius found in Sagalassos and panoramic images of its most spectacular buildings. Indeed, in the first 20 years of activity, the mission, though interdisciplinary from the very beginning, mainly focused on the excavation of the urban center and on the reconstruction of monumental arches, fountains and columns using original stones and marbles (anastylosis). Thanks to grants from the World Bank and the West Mediterranean Development Agency, the Sagalassos team provided the first professional services to tourists, such as guidebooks, a visitor center, a coffee shop, toilets and safe paths. However, the information panels inside the archaeological site still reflect a traditional approach: They give details almost exclusively on the urban area and monumental structures. Sagalassos. Once upon a time in the Taurus," running until May 28 in the Yapi Kredi Bank's exhibition space in downtown Istanbul, testifies to the shift toward more innovative and engaging forms of research and public outreach. Tulay Gungen, general manager for culture, told Al-Monitor that they choose Sagalassos as the theme of the exhibition for two reasons. "First, because it is not well known by the public; and second, because the research conducted there is special," she said. Since professor Jeroen Poblome was appointed director of the mission in 2013, the interdisciplinary team working in Sagalassos archaeologists, architects, anthropologists, zoologists, geologists, biologists and botanists has increasingly switched its attention from the urban center to the surrounding landscape, from the emperors and elites to the middle and lower classes of society. There is more knowledge to be gained from an ancient site than the mere study of its monuments," Poblome told Al-Monitor. Over three floors, the overview exhibition shows how the Sagalassos region has evolved over time, from over 100,000 years ago to today, through panels and objects of everyday life such as prehistoric tools, oil lamps, marble fragments and pottery. It makes visible how the city's inhabitants' used forests for fuel and food and what kind of impact they had on the environment; what vegetables they ate and what animals they used for transport; how they produced and exported their fine tableware; and how they collected and distributed water. Researchers explain their work to visitors through video messages. The exhibition in Istanbul is not only a summary of the research projects carried out over 30 years, but an intermediate step toward a more ambitious goal. Indeed, the informative materials prepared for the exhibition, Poblome said, will be used to enrich the archaeological site with a new set of panels, so as to give visitors a more complete and fascinating picture. Life in the field has not always been easy for the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project. On the one hand, they cooperated with local authorities, developing projects of sustainable tourism through a foundation, the Sagalassos Vakfi, and providing training and jobs to the villagers of nearby Aglasun; a development plan under discussion with local actors in 2016 had to be abandoned after the coup in Turkey due to political turbulences. On the other hand, on a couple of occasions the team had to dissuade the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from taking hasty and ill-conceived decisions. The mission receives from the ministry a permit to excavate every year. In 2012, for example, they were consulted about a pending authorization for a marble quarry on Akdag mountain, which would have irredeemably changed the features of the landscape around Sagalassos. After a survey certified the existence of several human settlements in the area envisaged for the quarry, the plan was later canceled and the protection zone previously encompassing only the archaeological site where such activities are strictly prohibited was significantly enlarged. In 2017, a public tender was announced for the rebuilding of the ancient theater and for a new survey to measure and draw again the whole monumental area, in view of further reconstructions. The Sagalassos team objected that the theater had never been finished in the first place and that its ruins are today in a state of delicate balance with the environment, physically as well as aesthetically. The theater was taken out of the contract, no more rebuildings are envisioned. What best represents those two opposing views is the candidature of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The ancient city of Sagalassos was added to the Tentative List of candidates in 2009, but members of the archaeological mission are not very keen on its joining it. Speaking last December at a conference on world heritage sites in Istanbul, professor Ebru Torun, assistant director of the Sagalassos project, explained that UNESCO would protect and promote only the urban settlement, whilst their approach is indeed focused on the large and complex historical landscape, and therefore incompatible with a traditional and narrow vision of cultural heritage. Being concerned only about the monumental center doesn't make sense anymore, she concluded. USS Gridley Returns from Deployment Navy News Service Story Number: NNS200122-01 Release Date: 1/22/2020 9:09:00 AM From Commander, U.S. Third Fleet Public Affairs EVERETT, Wash. (NNS) -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101) returned to its homeport of Naval Station Everett Jan. 21 following an independent deployment to the U.S. 2nd and 6th Fleet areas of operations. Gridley served as the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) flagship, a maritime task group composed of ships from various NATO member countries including Norway, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium. SNMG1 provided presence, increased readiness and showed unity on the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea and Norwegian Sea. This was the first time Gridley served as a flagship for a NATO mission. "USS Gridley performed superbly as Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Flagship from July to December 2019," said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Edward Cashman, commander, SNMG1 aboard Gridley. "The crew's expertise, dedication, and professionalism ensured the readiness of SNMG1, strengthened relationships, and improved interoperability with our allies. It was an honor and a pleasure to serve with the fantastic young men and women onboard Gridley." Gridley conducted numerous multi-lateral operations, including participation in exercise Cutlass Fury 2019, Canada's largest naval exercise, with personnel and assets from Canada, United Kingdom and Denmark, and Exercise Dynamic Mariner/Flotex-19 with Albania, Bulgaria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey and United Kingdom. Dynamic Mariner/Flotex-19 tested NATO's Response Force Maritime Component and interoperability with NATO forces, enhancing flexibility and interoperability amongst allied nations. "It was an honor to lead the Gridley crew through this unique deployment," said Cmdr. Joel Uzarski, Gridley's commanding officer. "U.S. alliances are critical to ensuring maritime security and stability, and the Gridley crew demonstrated their ability to work cohesively with other nations, and strengthened partnerships over the last seven months. We are excited and look forward to reconnecting with family and friends back home after a very successful deployment." Gridley covered approximately 39,000 nautical miles over the course of its deployment operating in support of NATO's Maritime Commander's high-readiness response force. SNMG1 is one of four standing maritime task groups composed of ships from various allied countries. The task groups form the core maritime capabilities of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. They provide a continuous maritime capability to execute NATO missions across the spectrum of operations, demonstrate solidarity, and strengthen diplomatic and professional links among allied naval forces. U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. U.S. 3rd Fleet works in close coordination with U.S. 7th Fleet to provide commanders with capable, ready assets across the spectrum of military operations in the Indo-Pacific. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address (TNS) New York City lawyers want an appeals court to uphold rules meant to keep e-hail giants like Uber and Lyft from clogging city streets.Rules limiting how much time cars operating for e-hail companies can spend in Manhattan below 96th St. without a passenger were tossed by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank last month.City lawyers hope appellate judges will overturn Franks ruling and let the rules stand.The rules dubbed a cruising cap aimed to reduce street congestion by requiring the companies drivers to spend no more than 36% of their time without a passenger in the zone starting in February. Regulators planned to lower the limit to 31% come August.Uber and Lyft both sued against the rules, and in his ruling Dec. 23 , Frank labeled them arbitrary.There is scant rationale for why the 31% number was chosen," Frank wrote adding that there is simply no indication where the number came from.But acting Taxi and Limousine Commisioner Bill Heinzen said the figures are based on hard data.These anti-congestion rules are based on trip data showing the apps operators in the most congested parts of the New York City, said Heinzen. The record demonstrates the negative effects of 85,000 new vehicles on the citys streets.The citys appeal is the latest turn in a years-long battle between e-hail companies and regulators who want to reduce street congestion in Manhattans busiest areas.Uber in September sued the city over a rule that prohibits the registration of any new app-based for-hire vehicles unless theyre wheelchair accessible or electric vehicles. Frank dismissed that suit in November.And last January Lyft sued to block minimum wage rules for app-based drivers , claiming the law gave an unfair advantage to Uber. That lawsuit was dismissed in May , three months after Lyft representatives falsely claimed the company had won a temporary restraining order in the case.This administration refuses to stand by while big corporations clog our streets with cars," said mayor's office spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie. "Were appealing the court decision to ensure that hardworking drivers and New Yorkers are protected. Representative image Marking a breakthrough in cancer treatment, a new type of immune cell that kills most cancers was discovered by researchers at Cardiff Universitys School of Medicine. The team has published their findings in the journal - Nature Immunology. The accidental discovery was made when the scientists were analysing blood samples for immune cells that could fight bacteria. They instead discovered the T-cell, a never-before-seen receptor that only latches on to cancerous cells, ignoring healthy ones. Serendipity The lead author of the study and Cardiff expert, Professor Andrew Sewell, called the discovery highly unusual and indicated that it could be developed into a universal, broad-based therapy. This was a serendipitous finding, nobody knew this cell existed, Sewell told The Telegraph. The discovery is special as the cell was found to work on most human cancers, such as including lung, skin, blood, colon, breast, bone, prostate, ovarian, kidney and cervical cancer something no present therapies (CAR-T and TCR-T) can claim, the paper reported. Also, Sewell did not dismiss the idea that lots of people could have the cancer-immune cells or that most people have the cell, but the receptor has not activated yet. How does it work? The T-cell attaches to the MR1 molecule on cancer cells. This molecule does not vary in humans, thus allowing the treatment to work across cancer types. Since the treatment can be shared between people, the possibility of banks for the immune cells could be created in the future. Testing on mice, so far, have yielded encouraging results, and Sewell added that the right people are interested in developing the new therapy, which means progress would be quite fast. They expect human trials on terminally ill patients as early as November 2020, once it passes laboratory safety testing. Researchers Lucia Mori and Gennaro De Libero, from the University of Basel in Switzerland, told the BBC that the research had "great potential" but was at too early a stage to say it would work in all cancers. While a professor of immunology at the University of Manchester Daniel Davis, while acknowledging it as an exciting discovery for advancing basic knowledge about the immune system and for future new medicines, added that the research was not close to actual medicines for patients. CLEVELAND, Ohio The owner of a now-shuttered for-profit Ohio addiction treatment company was sentenced Wednesday to 7 1/2 years in federal prison for a scheme that prosecutors said led to $48 million in fraudulent Medicaid billings. Ryan Sheridan, 39, of Leetonia worked with others to defraud the federal government through Braking Point Recovery Center. The company provided detox, outpatient treatment, day treatment and sober-living services. He pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy, health-care fraud, operating a drug premises, money laundering and other charges. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson ordered Sheridan to pay more than $24 million in restitution. Braking Point had facilities in Austintown and Whitehall, near Columbus. The Ohio Department of Medicaid stopped paying the companys claims in October 2017, around the time the FBI executed its first set of search warrants. Prosecutors said Braking Point sent Medicaid 134,744 reimbursement claims between May 2015 and October 2017, often for services that were more expensive than ones staff provided. The claims were for more than $48.5 million in services it claimed to provide, and Medicaid paid out more than $31 million. Sheridan, who made a name for himself in the Mahoning Valley as a flashy businessman and developer, was the companys sole owner. He was known for his collection of automobiles, which included replicas of cars featured in the movies Batman, Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. Authorities seized them in 2018 and Sheridan later admitted he bought the replicas with ill-gotten money. He agreed to forfeit those vehicles, as well as other vehicles, his home, additional property and more than $2.9 million in cash and accounts. Sheridan was one of six people who pleaded guilty to charges related to the scheme and the problems within Braking Point. Others included his ex-wife Jennifer Sheridan, Kortney Gherardi, Lisa Pertee, Dr. Thomas Bailey and Dr. Arthur Smith. Pertee was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation and 60 days of community service. Also on Tuesday, Pearson placed Bailey and Smith on two years probation, gave them $5,000 fines and ordered them to perform six months community service during. Jennifer Sheridan is set to be sentenced on June 16. Gherardi will be sentenced on March 10. Ryan Sheridan, who is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, also has two pending drug cases in Columbiana County. His sentencing memo, written by lawyer Damian Billak, says he suffers from addiction and mental health issues. He failed to properly train and educate himself and staff at Braking Point and did not initially intend to defraud the government for his own benefit, the memo states. Rather, his emotional wounds and substance abuse overshadowed his use of sound judgment, Billak wrote of Sheridan. "This was the first time in his life that anything like this has occurred, both his success and downfall. It is also the last. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments section. Read more: Federal government will soon be proud owners of Batmobile, Back to the Future DeLorean, Ghostbusters station wagon Six plead guilty in $48 million health-care fraud case involving Northeast Ohio addiction treatment company Ohio recovery center owner indicted, accused of buying Batmobile, Ghostbusters car with ill-gotten money Feds want to seize DeLorean, Batmobile, Ghostbusters car in Ohio medical fraud investigation Inspired by the sweating mechanism in mammals, scientists have developed a new coating that can prevent smartphones and laptops from heating up by releasing water vapour. The new thermal management method, described in the journal Joule, could keep electronics cooler compared to existing strategies by dissipating excess heat. "The development of microelectronics puts great demands on efficient thermal management techniques, because all the components are tightly packed, and chips can get really hot," said Ruzhu Wang, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. "For example, without an effective cooling system, our phones could have a system breakdown, and burn our hands if we run them for a long time, or load a big application," Wang said in a statement. Larger devices such as computers use fans to regulate temperature, the researchers said. However, fans are bulky, noisy, and energy consuming, and thus unsuitable for smaller devices like mobile phones, they said. Manufacturers have been using phase change materials (PCMs), such as waxes and fatty acids, for cooling phones, by absorbing heat produced by devices when the materials melt. However, the total amount of energy exchanged during the solid-liquid transition is relatively low. In contrast, the liquid-vapour transition of water can exchange 10 times the energy compared to that of PCM solid-liquid transition. Wang and his team studied a group of porous materials that could absorb moisture from the air, and release water vapour when heated. Among them, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) were the most promising because they could store a large amount of water, and thus take away more heat when heated, the researchers said. Previously, researchers have tried to use MOFs to extract water from the desert air. However, MOFs are still really expensive, so large-scale application isn't really practical. "Our study shows electronics cooling is a good real-life application of MOFs. We used less than 0.3 grams of material in our experiment, and the cooling effect it produced was significant," Wang said. The researchers selected a type of MOFs called MIL-101(Cr) for the experiment because of its good water-absorbing capacity, and high sensitivity to temperature changes. They coated three 16-square-centimetre aluminum sheets with MIL-101(Cr) of different thicknesses -- 198, 313, and 516 micrometers, respectively -- and heated them on a hot plate. The team found that MIL-101Cr coating was able to delay the temperature rise of the sheets, and the effect increased with coating thickness. While an uncoated sheet reached 60 degrees Celsius after 5.2 minutes, the thinnest coating doubled the time, and didn't reach the same temperature until 11.7 minutes, the researchers said. The sheet with the thickest coating reached 60 degrees Celsius after 19.35 minutes of heating, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MicroStockHub/iStock(GRANTSVILLE, Utah) -- The first mass shooting in the country this year was allegedly carried out by a 16-year-old, who skipped school to kill each of his family members as they returned home, prosecutors said. Colin Jeffrey "CJ" Haynie is being charged as an adult for killing his mother and his three siblings as well as for the attempted killing of his father, said Tooele County Attorney Scott Broadhead. Haynie provided brief details to police when he was taken into custody on Jan. 17 at a local hospital. Authorities were able to gather details about the incident that shocked the Grantsville, Utah, community through witness interviews and his father's statements. The murders were the first in the town -- where the population is 11,568, according to the 2018 U.S. Census Bureau -- in almost 20 years, officials said. "The defendant stated that he had killed his mother first at about 1 p.m. He then stated that he killed the others as they returned home," said Broadhead at a press conference on Wednesday. Consuelo Alejandra Haynie picked up her 12-year-old daughter Maylan from school that day and were gunned down when they walked inside the house. The 52-year-old mom's son allegedly used a handgun to shoot them in the head, necks and/or upper bodies, Broadhead said. An hour passed as Colin Haynie sat in their home when 15-year-old Alexis came home from school. Officials said he shot his sister in the head and upper body between 2 p.m. and 5:17 p.m. when 14-year-old Matthew arrived at the house. Colin Haynie allegedly killed his younger brother execution style with a single bullet to the head, the prosecutor said. His father was shot in the leg when he returned home around 6:15 p.m. before struggling with his son and ripping the gun out of his hands, prosecutors said. Colin Haynie told investigators at the hospital that his son allegedly told him that "his mother and other siblings were dead and that his intention was to kill everyone in the house except himself." An online fundraiser for the father's medical costs and funeral expenses surpassed its goal of $100,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Official funeral arrangements have not been announced. The juvenile suspect has been charged with four counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted murder and five counts of felony discharge of a firearm in Third District Court in Tooele County. The maximum penalty for aggravated murder is life in prison without parole. The investigation is still ongoing, authorities said. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. By Gillian Flaccus | Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. Hemp growers and entrepreneurs who were joyous a year ago after U.S. lawmakers reclassified the plant as a legal agricultural crop now are worried their businesses could be crippled if federal policymakers move ahead with draft regulations. Licenses for hemp cultivation topped a half-million acres last year, more than 450% above 2018 levels, so theres intense interest in the rules the U.S. government is creating. Critical comments on the draft have poured in from hemp farmers, processors, retailers and state governments. Draft rules Growers are concerned the government wants to use a heavy hand that could result in many crops failing required tests and being destroyed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency writing the rules, estimates 20% of hemp lots would fail under the draft regulations. Their business is to support farmers and not punish farmers and the rules as theyre written right now punish farmers, said Dove Oldham, who last year grew an acre of hemp on her family farm in Grants Pass, Oregon. Theres just a lot of confusion, and people are just looking for leadership. The USDA did not respond to the criticism but has taken the unusual step of extending the public comment period by a month, until Jan. 29. The agency told The Associated Press it will analyze information from this years growing season before releasing its final rules, which would take effect in 2021. Formal concern Agricultural officials in states that run pilot hemp cultivation programs under an earlier federal provision are weighing in with formal letters to the USDA. There are 46 states where hemp is legal, and Im going to say that every single state has raised concerns to us about something within the rule. They might be coming from different perspectives, but every state has raised concerns, said Aline DeLucia, director of public policy for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Most of the anxiety involves how the federal government plans to test for THC, the high-inducing compound found in marijuana and hemp, both cannabis plants. The federal government and most states consider plants with tiny amounts 0.3% or less to be hemp. Anything above that is marijuana and illegal under federal law. CBD Yet another cannabis compound has fueled the explosion in hemp cultivation. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is marketed as a health and wellness aid and infused in everything from food and drinks to lotions, toothpaste and pet treats. Many have credited CBD with helping ease pain, increase sleep and reduce anxiety. But scientists caution not enough is known about its health effects, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year targeted nearly two dozen companies for making CBD health claims. Still, the CBD market is increasing at a triple-digit rate and could have $20 billion in sales by 2024, according to a recent study by BDS Analytics, a marketing analysis firm that tracks cannabis industry trends. About 80% of the 18,000 farmers licensed for hemp cultivation are in the CBD market, said Eric Steenstra, president of the advocacy group Vote Hemp. The remaining 20% grow hemp for its fiber, used in everything from fabric to construction materials, or its grain, which is added to health foods. But hemp is a notoriously fickle crop. Conditions such as sunlight, moisture and soil composition determine its ratio of THC to CBD. Choosing the right harvesting window is critical to ensuring it stays within acceptable THC levels. No room Under the draft USDA rules, farmers have no wiggle room. They must harvest within 15 days of testing their crop for THC, and the samples must be sent to a lab certified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Samples must be from the top of the plant, where THC levels are highest, and the final measurement must include not just THC, but also THCA, a nonpsychoactive component. Crops that test above 0.3% for the two combined must be destroyed. Growers with crops above 0.5% would be considered in negligent violation, and those with repeated violations could be suspended from farming hemp. In addition, a pilot program for federal crop insurance that would be available to hemp growers in some states specifies that crops lost because of high THC levels wont be covered. Those provisions are causing alarm among growers and states with pilot hemp programs allowed under the 2014 Farm Bill. Some states allow THC levels above 0.3%, and not all include THCA in that calculation. Many permit more harvesting time for growers after THC testing. Farmers are lobbying for a 1% THC limit and a 30-day harvest window to give them more flexibility while remaining well under THC levels that can get people high. The draft regulations dont seem to be informed by the reality of the crop, said Jesse Richardson, who with his brother sells CBD-infused teas and capsules under the brand The Brothers Apothecary. If no one can produce (federally) compliant hemp flower, then there will be no CBD oil on the market. Lab shortage Growers are also worried about the proposed rule requiring that all THC testing be done in a DEA-certified lab because there are so few of them. Some states have only one, which would have to serve hundreds of growers in a short harvest window. Samantha Ford, a third-generation farmer in North Carolina, waited two weeks to get back THC results from a lab last fall and then spent 45 days harvesting her 1 acre of hemp by hand. The 15-day window thats not feasible, and that was on a small scale, she said. I cant imagine farmers who have acres and acres and acres of it. Heavy workload Concerns also have emerged about the workload the draft rules would place on states. Many do random sampling for THC levels, but the USDA would require five samples from every hemp lot a burden for state agricultural departments, said DeLucia, of the national ag agencies group. If federal rules are too onerous and expensive, some states might drop their hemp programs. In those cases, farmers would have to apply for licenses with the USDA, and at this stage its unclear how U.S. officials would manage or pay for a nationwide licensing program, DeLucia said. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, the USDA must approve state plans for hemp programs. Louisiana, Ohio and New Jersey last month were the first to get the green light but those plans might need to be reworked after final rules are written. What we dont want to see is states having to write their rules and then have to change the rules again and rewrite them after 2021, said Steenstra, of Vote Hemp. (2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Amnesty International has condemned the recent forced evictions of some Lagos residents. PREMIUM TIMES reported the Tuesday eviction at Tarkwa Bay in Lagos. In its statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International described the forced eviction as a violation of human rights. Read the full statement by Isa Sanusi, the spokesperson of Amnesty International Nigeria, below. Nigeria: Authorities must end violent forced evictions in Lagos The Nigerian authorities must immediately halt the violent and unlawful evictions that rendered thousands of residents of Tarkwa Bay, a waterfront community in Lagos homeless, said Amnesty International Nigeria today. On January 21, at about 8 a.m., personnel of the Nigerian Navy resorted to assault and shooting during the evictions at Tarkwa Bay. The authorities continued with the forced evictions the next day, in what appears to be a brazen disregard for the safety and security of the affected people, as well as their right to housing among other human rights. There is chaos in Tarkwa Bay, with some residents reporting that many children are missing. What is happening at Tarkwa Bay, Lagos is a violation of human rights. It is unacceptable that the Nigerian government are evicting people in the most violent manner and destroying their homes without genuine consultations, adequate notice, alternative accommodation or access to remedies, said Osai Ojigho, Director Amnesty International Nigeria. The attacks on poor communities of Lagos must end. Throwing many families into endless misery is not the best way of addressing allegations of crime and urban planning failures of the authorities. We call for a halt to ongoing forced evictions. Spate of unlawful evictions have been going on in Lagos since last year. In November 2019, nearly 1500 residents of Second Badagry community in Lagos were forcibly evicted. Similarly, on January 4, 2020, about 3000 residents of Okun Glass Village, Ilaase were violently evicted by personnel of the Nigerian Navy. In defense, the government sited pipeline vandalization as justification for the forced evictions. Several other informal communities in Lagos State live with perpetual threats of forced evictions. Many residents lament how forced evictions throw them and their families into destitution. Nigerias international human rights obligations require the government to respect the right to adequate housing including by refraining from forced evictions. Both the Lagos State and federal governments have a duty to respect, protect, fulfil and promote the right to adequate housing of everyone, said Osai Ojigho. The Lagos State and federal governments must immediately halt the attacks on the waterfront communities and establish a moratorium on mass evictions until there are regulations in place to ensure that evictions comply with international human rights standards. READ ALSO: Amnesty International is urging the Lagos State authorities and the federal government to urgently set up an independent and impartial inquiry into all cases of mass evictions in Lagos State and prosecute all those, including government agents, found to be responsible for human rights violations and crimes committed during the evictions; and the excessive use of force. Authorities must stop hiding behind concerns around pipeline vandalization or other crimes to deprive poor people of housing in Lagos. Governments must ensure that no one is rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of human rights as a result of evictions. Also, relevant government agencies must be mandated to consider all feasible alternatives to evictions in genuine consultation with all people affected. A pedestrian looks at his phone as he walks past a logo for Australia's Westpac Banking Corp located outside a branch in central Sydney (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp is set to appoint former Australia and New Zealand Banking Group chief executive John McFarlane to succeed chairman Lindsay Maxsted, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported on Wednesday. Maxsted, who served as Westpac's chairman for eight years, said in November he would retire in the first half of 2020 after the bank was embroiled in a money laundering scandal involving child exploitation. Financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC filed a lawsuit against Westpac in November, accusing the country's No. 2 lender of enabling 23 million payments in breach of money laundering laws. The scandal saw Chief Executive Brian Hartzer step down after more than seven years with the company, while Maxsted said he would retire in early 2020, sooner than planned. The AFR said Westpac will announce the appointment on Thursday morning. Westpac did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Finance industry veteran McFarlane, 72, was chief executive of ANZ for 10 years until 2007, and stepped down as the chairman of British banking giant Barclays PLC last year. (Reporting by Niyati Shetty in Bengaluru) As the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow in China, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that people coming from the Asian country will have to mandatorily go through a screening process at airports in India. "Advisory has been issued by Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and our consulates in China. People coming from China will have to go through the screening process (at airports)," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a weekly briefing here. "As far as protecting oneself while living in China is concerned, our missions have made an effort for this there. But if you come to India you will have to go through the screening process," he added. At least 17 people have been killed and 570 people are infected with coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million. The authorities have enacted strict travel bans for the central Chinese cities of Huanggang, Ezhou and Wuhan, collectively home to nearly 20 million people, according to the New York Times. So far, the cases of the virus have been detected in the US, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. The virus can spread person to person, though not nearly as easily as viruses such as measles or influenza. The virus, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, is thought to have originated in a seafood and animal meat market in Wuhan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: A meeting of elections observation mission delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) with members of the parties represented in the Azerbaijani Parliament is being held in Baku, Trend reports. Then, PACE representatives will meet with the leadership of the Azerbaijani Parliament and members of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. Issues of preparation for the early parliamentary elections to be held in Azerbaijan on Feb. 9 are discussed at the meetings. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.23 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: ACCIONA, one of the global leaders in the area of renewable energy, is considering the option of development of wind and solar energy stations in Georgia, Trend reports with reference to the press service of the government of Georgia. Rafael Mateo, Chief Executive Officer of ACCIONA, noted that delegation of ACCIONA had already visited the country to explore Georgias existing energy opportunities. He made the remark at a meeting with Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister of Georgia, held within the World Economic Forum in Davos. Head of Government of Georgia noted the favorable investment climate in the country and underlined potential for development of renewable energy sources. According to Gakharia, Georgia is a reliable and credible partner. It has leading positions in the world by the ease of doing business. Furthermore, growing global demand in power energy was noted and the need to develop new sources of energy was stressed. The parties discussed prospects for development of wind power stations in Georgia, rich hydro resources of the country and prospects of power energy transit. Role of Georgia as a transit hub in the region and at the EU market was also underlined. It was agreed that ACCIONA will continue negotiations with the Government of Georgia on possible construction of wind stations with an installed capacity of 200 megawatts. ACCIONA is a world leader in the management of energy and water facilities. It operates exclusively in the area of renewable energy and 20 countries around the world. Company also manufactures wind turbine generators. Annual revenue of ACCIONA is 7.5 billion euros, and the number of employees exceeds 38,000 people. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 FOGSI has announced its partnership with the Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra to improve the quality of care in private maternity services in Maharashtra. The initiative aims to establish a uniform mechanism for care in every private maternity care hospital, nursing home, and clinic and expects to cover all districts and municipal corporations in the state. The initiative has been named LaQshya-Manyata and both the custodians will be jointly promoting and implementing 26 clinical and facility standards in private hospitals (maternity care) in the state. This will entail training and aligning hospitals with labour room & maternity operation theatre layout and workflow basis 'Labour Room Standardization Guidelines' and 'Maternal & Newborn Health Toolkit' issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. The initiative aims to strengthen competencies and knowledge required for life-saving critical care as well as ensure strict adherence to clinical protocols for management and stabilization of the complications before referral. In doing so, it is committed to building simple and effective practices and processes, which can help reduce preventable maternal mortality and enrich the experience of every mother in the state. The components of the program have been carefully identified by renowned private sector OBGYN specialists and partners covering vital areas for delivering quality care. The key approach under this initiative is quality improvement using PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. This would require reorganization of labour room structure (Infrastructure, HR, and Drugs & Equipment) and processes. The process includes online registration of the hospital, initiating a baseline and gap assessment, followed by training for the hospital staff through establish district level training structures of Government of Maharashtra and FOGSI. This would be followed by mentorship support for capacity building. Once the hospital is ready, FOGSI and Public Health Department will jointly assess it. If the hospital is found compliant with the clinical (16) and facility (10) standards achieving a score of 85 per cent and 65 per cent respectively, they would achieve LaQshya-Manyata certification from the Public Health Department, GoM and FOGSI, recognition of the excellence in maternity services. LaQshya-Manyata is a giant leap forward in advancing maternal healthcare outcomes in the state. By addressing quality care in the private sector, the program complements other public sector efforts towards building a holistic health system - such that, no mother dies during childbirth. "Our endeavour, as the private sector, is to complement India's national maternal health priorities. Through LaQshya-Manyata, we are recognizing those providers who consistently deliver quality care during pregnancy and childbirth knowing that better, safer and respectful care will reach mothers. Together, through this partnership, we have come a step closer to providing access to quality care in every corner of the state, through a strong network of National Health Mission and Obgyn societies. We hope this will create a quality care momentum for other states to follow in the same direction", said Dr Nandita Palshetkar, President, FOGSI. While the safety of women is at the core of the program, LaQshya-Manyata is also valuable for other stakeholders in the maternal care ecosystem such as the private maternity providers. It enables them to build capable teams, with improved ability to manage life-threatening complications during deliveries. Furthermore, the program, with flexible training sessions and simplified standards, is designed to meet private providers' diverse needs, making it particularly suitable for small private sector maternity hospitals. "Since the inception of FOGSI's Manyata program, we have recognized that within the geographies in the same region and between different states, there are different strategies that we need to use to influence positive behaviour change in health care providers to ensure the perception and implementation of quality care. Our recent experience with blended teaching on a digital platform has paved the way to fast track this initiative. I have no doubt that in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra; FOGSI can ensure quality care to every woman and every girl - both in the private and public sector", said Dr Hema Divakar, National Convener, FOGSI-NPMU. At a juncture, where the private sector accounts for nearly one-third of the institutional deliveries in the state of Maharashtra - this partnership between the Government of Maharashtra and FOGSI comes at an opportune time. LaQshya-Manyata, while setting an example for other states to follow, aims to lead the way for reducing maternal mortality through continuous innovations, in the state and nationally. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Wednesday, explained why he parted ways politically with his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, describing him as a selfish politician. It is natural to be a bit selfish but I have never seen anyone as selfish as Rabiu Kwankwaso. It was such that he imposed his whims on all and exploited them for his personal benefit as against the collective interest of all, Mr Ganduje said on Thursday. The governor stated this at Government House while receiving the Peoples Democratic Party chairman, Sulaiman-Bichi, and some other members of Kwankwasiyya Movement, who defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. The governor, whose mandate was recently affirmed by the Supreme Court, said, all of us seated here were with him in the past and we made him what he is politically but we had to withdraw from his persistent self-conceit. READ ALSO: Mr Ganduje said that he co-founded the Kwankwasiyya movement to prove his dedication to the course of Mr Kwankwaso acknowledging that their political relationship dated back to the military rule (pre-1999). Mr Ganduje added that he tried to reconcile with his former political mentor. He said that was unsuccessful because Mr Kwankwaso is a wayward politician that believes it is either his bid is done or he destroys everything. In his remarks, Sulaiman-Bichi said he is motivated by President Muhammadu Buharis call for politicians in the state to join the party to help Mr Ganduje build a better Kano. It has become pertinent for us to come and contribute our quota towards the development of the state, he said. We have been forced to remain as opposition for the past 20 years following Kwankwaso even while we were in power, a situation that has not yielded anything good and progressive, Sulaiman-Bichi added. Shehu Sagagi, the spokesperson of Mr Kwankwaso and the PDP in Kano, did not respond to multiple phone calls for his reaction. For better or worse, lumber, oil and hurricanes have helped put Southeast Texas on the map. And Wednesdays gray skies, steady drizzle and cold wind couldnt keep dozens of people from celebrating that history. They gathered first at a home built by a woodworker drawn to Southeast Texas by the lumber industry and later at a former church building constructed during the height of the oil boom both of which were resurrected after being damaged by two of the areas most recent devastating storms. The Tyrrell Historical Library at the corner of Forsythe and Pearl streets and the Sanders-McNeill house at 479 Pine St. both were reopened to visitors who gathered to see the inside of the storied buildings. This is the fifth time the 117-year-old historical library, which previously operated as the First Baptist Church and later as a public library, has been opened. It was closed some two years ago to repair damage from Tropical Storm Harvey and termites, a process that was lengthened by Tropical Depression Imelda and the additional repairs required. More than 120 people attended the event to tour the renovations, hear from speakers and trade stories about how the building touched their own lives. The grand dame has reinvented herself again, Tyrrell Historical Library Association Secretary and former President Judith Linsley said to the standing room only crowd gathered in what once was the churchs sanctuary. She then listed her own connection to the building, from her mom working in the childrens room and her own young years spent reading there, to using the library to research for high school papers and visiting it to check out books during almost every lunch break while she worked downtown as a college graduate. The Sanders-McNeill open house was a more casual affair, with visitors coming and going from the historic home. Built in 1895, the home served as a residence for Robert Washington Sanders and his family. Sanders, a master woodcarver and cabinetmaker, hired contractor James Wellman to build the home itself, but Sanders did the finishing work, carving ornamental details on the exterior as well as the front door, the interior spiral staircase and much of the furniture originally inside the home. An 1896 mechanics lien described the home as a two-story frame with 10 rooms, a two-story circular tower, two brick chimneys containing seven fireplaces with grates, five galleries and two stairways to the the second floor. The Tennessee native also designed the spiral staircases at the Tyrrell and the altar at First Methodist Church. In 1892, he served on the building committee for the Jefferson County Courthouse. Many of the pieces of furniture and cabinets Sanders carved furnished the homes of Beaumont residents. A couple of those pieces have ended up back in the home today. But the inside of the house itself continues to be the largest single showcase of his skills as a carver and cabinet maker. The home first changed hands in 1937, when it was sold to Beaumont Savings and Loan, which 10 years later sold it to Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Monroe, who operated it as a boarding house. The owner in the late 1970s was going to tear it down, before the Beaumont Heritage Society bought it in 1981 and fixed the roof and foundation using a $35,000 federal grant. The society then sold it to Alan and Barbara McNeill for $40,000. Barbara McNeill said she thinks the building, the oldest from the original township still standing, has been preserved for so long because it served a clear function for so long. It was an apartment house and had a purpose for a while, she said. When the owner was going to tear it down, the Heritage Society was able to buy it. We were on the board, so we decided to buy it, restore it, and Alan would have his office here. Alan McNeill, a now-retired attorney, shared the office with an architecture firm for a few decades, although in the past five or 10 years, hes been the only one working out of the building, largely for family business. Because no one was using the space upstairs, Barbara McNeill said, the couple didnt realize how damaged it was after Tropical Storm Harvey and other storms. We needed to either re-restore it or Im afraid it would have been torn down if we didnt, she said. When we finally got a bid for a new roof in 18, we realized we couldnt do anything until what the roof was attached to was stable. That started the more than a year-long process to restore the home rebuilding the turret and the staircase, putting in new sheet rock and replacing rotting wood, among other necessary repairs, said Erica Novak, one of the contractors who worked on the house. We took the entire outside off and rebuilt it from the outside, trying not to mess up all the sheet rock work we did, she said. I think everyone that could work on this house was out here. The house also was damaged by Tropical Depression Imelda, which soaked the ground beneath so thoroughly that the porch almost separated from the rest of the structure. Novak said the differences between how homes are built now and in the late 1800s presented some of the largest challenges. Instead of having studs that are separated by floor and, therefore, relatively easy to replace, studs in the Sanders-McNeill house run the entire height of the home. We had to hold the house up, swap out the rotted pieces and put the house back down on the floor without it collapsing, she said. While the outside of the home is largely brand new, while still using materials from the time period and hand carved with the same gingerbread work, much of the interior is intact. Novak said crews had to replace the floors in two of the rooms and put more lighting in, but the detailed woodwork and other features are all original. That was the goal: If we could fix it, we would do that, she said. If we had to replace it, wed do it with authentic material. Its basically just the sheet rock and the exterior. The rest is all what was originally here. Barbara McNeill even has found a few pieces carved by Sanders, two bookshelves from a woman who found them when disposing of her grandmothers furniture and a table from one of Sanders family members. As for the homes future, she said she loves how quiet downtown is at night and the memories her family has in the home children working at the law office and watching the Fourth of July fireworks over the Neches River from the porch. I could live in this house. I love this house, she said, noting that its one of a few Victorian homes in the area that was built from lumber felled in East Texas. Since were older and both retired, however, we hope to find a loving someone or entity that will care for it and keep it as a historical property, she said later. Its something Beaumont should be very proud of, because it saw all the river traffic before Spindletop. In 1901, Spindletop changed everything, but this house sat so it could see the ships come down with the lumber to the port. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain The leaders of the two main parties in the Irish General Election went head to head in a television debate on Wednesday night (Brian Lawless/PA) The man bidding to lead Irelands next Government has said the country needs real change to help those struggling with the rising cost of living. Opposition leader Micheal Martin is trying to capitalise on positive recent opinion polls indicating a change of administration could be on the cards. Wednesday night marked the Fianna Fail chiefs first televised head-to-head debate of the General Election campaign with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Mr Martin said: Our country needs a new government that will put aside the obsession with party politics. I am looking forward to talking about real change. Expand Close Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin at Virgin Media One studios, Dublin as the leaders of the two main parties in the Irish General Election go head to head in a television debate (Brian Lawless/PA). PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin at Virgin Media One studios, Dublin as the leaders of the two main parties in the Irish General Election go head to head in a television debate (Brian Lawless/PA). Mr Varadkar took a break from campaigning around the country to prepare for the live debate. He leads the largest party in Ireland and a minority coalition Government. The loss of support from independent members of the Dail parliament forced him to call an early election. The Taoiseach said that after Fine Gael came to power in 2011, the party had to get the country back to work. We have started to make plans that make a difference. There are 21,000 families sitting around a dinner table in houses that didnt exist in the last number of years, he added. Fine Gael wants to be in government and we have shown we can work with other parties. We have shown we can put governments together. My preference is to form a coalition. Fine Gael has suffered a difficult start to their re-election bid with two recent opinion polls showing a drop in support for the party and his own personal rating. The figures in an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI survey published on Monday put support for Fianna Fail on 25%, Fine Gael on 23% and Sinn Fein on 21%. Mr Martin has dismissed polls putting his party ahead of Fine Gael and insisted they will fluctuate in the weeks ahead and the gap between the two parties is close. Asked if he would enter a confidence-and-supply arrangement to prop up a minority administration, Mr Varadkar said it is not his preference but if it will form a government, he will do so. Mr Martin accused Mr Varadkar of failing to be grown-up. There are more personal attacks on me than on Fianna Fail policies, he added. We believe there is a need for a new government. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised Wednesday evenings head-to-head debate format on Virgin Media One and said it was unfair that she was excluded as the leader of the third largest party. Wednesday marks day eight of the campaign with pensions, housing and health on the agenda as candidates continue to push for votes. On the campaign trail on Wednesday morning, Mr Varadkar officially handed in his ballot papers in Dublin while his Fine Gael party colleague Simon Coveney went to Co Tipperary to set out the partys plans for rural Ireland. Disrupting Helicobacter pylori's shape could keep it from being harmful to health A new study shows how a common stomach bacterium is able to keep its corkscrew-like shape as it grows. Disrupting the shape could point the way for future, more-specialized antibiotics that prevent the bacterium from being harmful. The study, published in eLife earlier this month by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, revealed that Helicobacter pylori maintains its helical shape by targeting cell-wall synthesis on opposite sides of the curvy-shaped bacterium. The team identified two proteins, MreB and CcmA, that balance cell-wall production in the right areas. "In the case of H. pylori, its shape is key to its success as a pathogen," said Dr. Nina Salama, a bacteriologist at Fred Hutch who led the study. "In our latest study we show for the first time how two proteins are responsible for giving the bacterium its twisty form, and without those proteins H. pylori cannot work." Salama is a member of the Human Biology and the Public Health Sciences Divisions at Fred Hutch. Her team was the first to demonstrate how important H. pylori's corkscrew shape is for its ability to infect its host. The distinctive shape helps it swim through stomach mucus, allowing it to cause an infection that can trigger ulcers and stomach cancer. "Our latest findings take an important step toward understanding how H. pylori maintain their shape and how to design more specific antibiotics to target the infections they cause," Salama said. H. pylori infects about half of the world's population. The bacterium burrows into mucus lining of the stomach and sets up long-term inflammation that can trigger ulcers and stomach cancer. Stomach cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, particularly in Asian countries. The bacterium's shape is dictated by the shape of its cell wall, a strong, flexible meshwork that contains its cellular contents. But how does H. pylori make itself helical? That's a fundamental question that Jennifer Taylor, first author of the eLife paper and a graduate student in Salama's lab, explored. "Bacteria put a lot of effort into maintaining their shapes," she said. "A deeper understanding of how the bacterium creates and maintains its shape even as it grows and divides could spur the development of more cell-wall attacking antibiotics." Taylor examined a variety of cell-wall building mechanism in H. pylori to figure out what strategy it was using to build its shape. It turns out that two proteins coordinated the growth: MreB: a rod-shaped protein that bacteria use to direct wall-building and is known to help straighten out divots in the cell wall in other bacterial species. MreB helps maintain the side of H. pylori that the researchers called the "negative" curve, or the side that is shorter between the two ends. CcmA: balances out MreB's wall-building activities, by directing cell-wall construction on the opposite side of the cell - the "positive" curve that is the longer side. The researchers also saw that H. pylori cells with defective CcmA achieve only a gentle curve, suggesting that disrupting the CcmA protein could help weaken the harm from the bacterium. Though a tiny organism, H. pylori is still very large with respect to the molecules that set its shape pattern. Its shape doesn't just help scientists spot H. pylori under the microscope; the bug's corkscrew form is critical to its ability to escape stomach acid and anchor in for the long haul by swimming through the stomach's mucus lining. Antibiotics are already used to help prevent stomach cancer and ulcers by wiping out H. pylori -- but they have downsides. "Some of these antibiotics that target the cell wall wipe out lots of different bugs," Salama said. "One of the goals of our research is to discover a more specific approach for a bug like Helicobacter. We could target its special shape to create a less-broad, more-specific antibiotic." They're now looking beyond how the cell wall is created to how it is structured and changed over time and how the cell shape contributes to H. pylori's ability to colonize and survive in the stomach. ### The National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Department of Defense funded the research. Note: Fred Hutch and its scientists who contributed to these discoveries may stand to benefit from their commercialization. Amnesty International says a man from Iran's Kurdish minority is at risk of execution after he was sentenced to death last month following what the human rights watchdog called an "unfair trial." During Houshmand Alipours trial, the court relied on a false "confession," which he says was extracted from him under torture and other ill-treatment, the London-based group said on January 23. Alipour was tried before the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, and was sentenced to death for alleged "armed rebellion against the state." He was also found guilty of "spreading propaganda against the system," "membership of a group with the purpose of disrupting national security," and other charges for which he received a total of 16 years in prison. Mohammad Ostadghader, also an Iranian Kurd, was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment in the same trial. Under Iran's Islamic Penal Code, he will be required to serve five years in prison. The two mens lawyer has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against their convictions and sentences. Both were arrested in August 2018 on suspicion of taking part in an armed attack against a security base in Saqqez, an accusation they both deny. Days later, Iranian state media broadcast a "propaganda" video in which the two men were shown "confessing" to the attack. Alipour has said that they were tortured into making the "confessions" during interrogations when they had no access to a lawyer. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Telecom major Airtel's Chief Regulatory Officer Ravi Gandhi has quit his post in the company, it was learnt on Thursday. While the industry is abuzz with his resignation coming at a time when Airtel is facing several regulatory setbacks, company sources here said that Gandhi's resignation has nothing to do with these issues, and that he is moving on to another assignment outside Airtel. Airtel is currently facing many regulatory issues. The most crucial one is its Rs 35,500 crore owed to the government on account of adjustred gross revenue (AGR) dues, against which the company has filed a modification petition in the Supreme Court. After Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal, Gandhi was the most visible face of the company in its dealings with the Department of Telecom (DoT). Informed sources said that Gandhi had put in his papers one and a half months back and will continue with Airtel till March 2020. Earlier on Thursday, Airtel wrote to DoT asking it to await the Supreme Court's directions on the company's modification plea before taking any action on the payment of statutory dues on account of AGR. Open-source and online sleuth Bellingcat has identified Sergeyev as a member of an "elite overseas clandestine-operations" team that is part of GRU unit 29155. Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Russians in absentia for the attempted murder of a weapons manufacturer, his son, and the production manager of the company. The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SGP) said on January 23 that the three unidentified suspects intentionally attempted to poison the victims "by intoxication with an unidentified phosphorus-organic substance," Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read alsoRussia's Duma adopts at first reading bill on Constitutional amendments Prosecutors said the crimes were committed between April 28, 2015 and May 4, 2015, and targeted Emilian Gebrev, owner of EMCO Ltd., his son Hristo Gebrev, and manager Valentin Takhchiev. All three survived the attacks. European arrest warrants have been issued for each of the suspects and international arrest and subsequent extradition requests have been registered with Interpol, the prosecutors said. Notices were also filed with the Schengen Information System, the largest information-sharing platform for security and border management in the EU, they added. In December, Bulgarian officials said their investigation into the poisonings was focusing on five alleged Russian military intelligence (GRU) agents, including a Russian general who purportedly oversaw an assassination team accused in the 2018 nerve-agent attack in Britain that targeted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Sotir Tsatsarov, the prosecutor-general at the time, said there was evidence that the Russian general, Denis Sergeyev, had also traveled three times in 2015 to Bulgaria using the same false identity, Sergei Fedotov. His Bulgarian travels coincided with the poisoning of the Bulgarian weapons maker and two other victims. Open-source and online sleuth Bellingcat has identified Sergeyev as a member of an "elite overseas clandestine-operations" team that is part of GRU unit 29155. Western intelligence agencies have said the secret unit has been active in Europe for years and remained undetected until last year carrying out subversive activities, including coup attempts and assassinations. "At the heart of the Bulgarian poisoning operation was a team of as many as eight GRU officers all members of the same unit who traveled to Bulgaria in the weeks surrounding the poisoning attempt," Bellingcat wrote in a joint investigative report with Germany's Der Spiegel and The Insider, published on November 23. "Crucially, constellations of teams of three including Major General Denis Sergeyev were present in Bulgaria" during both attacks on Gebrev, Bellingcat concluded. The substance used to poison the three Bulgarians may have been a banned pesticide called Amiton (known in Russia as Tetram), according to the Finnish Institute for Chemical Weapons Convention, whom the Bulgarian arms manufacturer had asked to do tests. RFE/RL learned two days ago that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons never received a written request from the Bulgarian authorities to examine the substance with which Gebrev was poisoned. The great-aunt of the three young children who police say were smothered to death by their mother in Phoenix this week says she was in the house at the time but had no idea what was happening until it was too late. Pearl Rebolledo Velazco spoke through sobs at a candlelight vigil held on Wednesday night outside the home where 22-year-old Rachel Henry allegedly killed her children, three-year-old son Zane Henry, one-year-old daughter, Miraya Henry, and seven-month-old daughter Catalaya Rios. Velazco said she and Catalaya's father, Pedro Rios, were in the house when Henry allegedly suffocated them one by one Monday night. It was previously reported that the two older children fought back by kicking, scratching and punching their mother. Scroll down for video Innocents: Zane Henry, 3, baby Catalaya Rios, and Miraya Henry, 1, are pictured with Catalaya's father, Pedro Rios, before police say all three children were smothered by their mother 'I know it's hard to believe, but we were here throughout [the house] as she killed our kids,' Velazco tearfully recounted. 'We had no reason to think otherwise that she was putting them down for naps. Velazco said she was completely unaware of what was going on in the next room. 'I should have taken three steps into the room,' she said during the memorial first reported on by Fox 10. 'I can't change it now. I can't change it now. And that's killing me.' Rachel Henry, 22, was charged on Tuesday with three counts of murder after the bodies of her children - aged three, one and seven months - were found inside their Phoenix, Arizona home. Velazco described how she tried to administer CPR to the baby while urging Henry to call 911. But Henry was 'sitting by me, staring at her phone,' Velazco said. Velazco ended up calling authorities and summoning them to her home. 'They were just kids, they were babies, they were innocent,' Velazco said of her slain great-nephews while showing their photos on her phone during the emotional vigil, which was attended by friends and strangers alike. According to the aunt, she was caring for all three children temporarily. Henry moved to Arizona from Oklahoma in June to be closer to them. 'She missed them. She was on the street, and she wanted to straighten up and everything. She could've walked away at anytime,' Velazco said. The great-aunt has launched a GoFundMe page to help her send the children back to Oklahoma for burial. Children's great-aunt Pearl Rebolledo Velazco (pictured) said during a vigil Wednesday she was in the house Monday but had no idea what Henry was doing Candles and stuffed animals are pictured at a makeshift memorial outside the Phoenix home where the three siblings were killed one by one Henry remains jailed on $3million bond on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder. Her next court date is scheduled for January 31. She allegedly told police that she started with her one-year-old daughter by holding her hands over the girl's nose and mouth until she stopped moving. Miraya, who would have turned two this month, was initially kicking out at her mother while she was being smothered. Her three-year-old brother, Zane, was screaming 'no' as he watched his little sister die and repeatedly tried to punch his mother to no avail. Henry told police that she left Miraya's body at the back of the house and chased her son around until Velazco and Pedro Rios - came in. She caught Zane and took him upstairs on the pretense of putting him to bed as the relatives sat in the living room. Investigators say the boy pinched and scratched his mother but was unable to save himself. She then went to find her seven-month-old Catalaya, gave her a bottle to feed on until she fell asleep, then smothered her as well, authorities say. A probable cause statement filed in court by police and later made public said Henry (center) had admitted to deliberately smothering each child - two girls, aged seven months and a year, and a three-year-old boy - starting with the older daughter Henry said she sung lullabies to all three children while they were dying. She then propped all three bodies on the couch 'as if they were sleeping'. Police were called to the property some time later to reports of unspecified 'trouble'. Authorities offered no possible motive for the killings but court records cited one of the other adults in the house as having told police that Henry 'had a methamphetamine addiction and had been acting strange the past several days'. It was also reported earlier on Tuesday that the children had previously been removed from their family home because Henry's alleged addiction. Henry, pictured holding a young child in 2013, placed all three children 'on the living room couch as if they were taking a nap' without telling either of the two other adults in the house what had happened Henry recounted smothered her three-year-old, straddling him on the floor of a bedroom as she sang to the child A representative from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said late Tuesday that Henry apparently admitted to having a history of addiction to methamphetamine and that her children were previously removed from her care, according to AZ Central. Authorities said the alleged drug abuse likely occurred in Oklahoma because the Arizona Department of Child Safety said it had no previous contacts with Henry. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services, which provides child protective services, declined to say whether it had a method for informing other states about parents who had run into trouble with child-welfare authorities. The agency said it's cooperating with investigators in Arizona and is reviewing any contacts Henry or her children had with child-welfare authorities there. But the agency said state law prohibits the public release of the results of that inquiry. Video shot by AZ Family showed Henry dressed in a white Hazmat suit with her hands restrained behind her back, being brought to the 4th Avenue Jail, where she is being held without bond. Henry said nothing in response to questions from reporters asking her to address her children's deaths. Henry was arrested and charged with murder Tuesday (she is pictured in jail uniform) A makeshift memorial is set up near a home where Henry was arrested on suspicion of killing her three children after they were found dead inside the family home Responding officers found the three children dead in the living room, authorities said. The children were unresponsive and were pronounced dead after officers administered CPR and firefighters provided first aid Police were called to this address on East Vineyard Road after getting a report from one of the parents signaling 'unknown trouble' Those who knew Henry while she lived in the town of Prague, Oklahoma, said she was a pleasant woman who they trusted to look after their own children. Anthony Repsher, whose wife Tiffani Hardy features in photos with Henry, said he had known her for around six years. Speaking to Fox10, he said Henry would be the last person he would suspect of harming her own children. 'As a matter of fact, she'd even babysit my children. I've never noticed any kind of depression or anger or hostility towards children or anyone else.' Henry initially claimed an illness may have been a factor because the youngsters had been sick earlier in the night. According to reports, officers first received an 'unknown trouble call' from one of the parents and when police arrived at the home, they were greeted by three adults. Sgt Fortune described the scene that first responders found as 'very difficult'. First responders who tried to save the children's lives were sent home early after the traumatic event. Queen Elizabeth II gave her formal assent on January 23 for Britain to end its decades-long involvement in the European Union and seek a more independent but uncertain future at the end of the month. The head of state's ceremonial approval of the withdrawal legislation allows Britain to leave its closest neighbours and trading partners after years of bickering and three delays. Two top EU officials in Brussels are expected to sign the separation treaty on Friday and Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- the pro-Brexit figurehead of Britain's seismic 2016 referendum -- will put his name on it in the coming days. "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it," Johnson said after both houses of the British parliament ratified the withdrawal bill on Wednesday. "Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future." The January 31 split caps a remarkable political comeback for Johnson at one of the most difficult points in Britain's post-war history. He quit former prime minister Theresa May's government in 2018 in protest at what he viewed as her pro-European separation terms. Johnson returned as May's successor in July last year and has since managed to negotiate his own deal with Brussels and regain the government's control of parliament in a risky early election last month. The rest was a formality. Lawmakers barely debated the withdrawal agreement before passing it -- even though critics called it worse for Britain than the one reached by May. Johnson will celebrate his victory by issuing commemorative coins and chairing a special cabinet meeting in England's pro-Brexit north on January 31. Johnson will now be responsible for defining the terms on which Britain trades and shares everything from data to fishing waters with the remaining 27 EU member states. The formal talks are not expected to begin until March but the war of words is already intense. Johnson rejects EU arguments that the end-of-year negotiations deadline is too short to reach a comprehensive deal. The UK government is also demanding the post-Brexit right to set its own rules on politically sensitive issues such as environmental standards and workers' rights. EU officials say this will give Britain an unfair advantage and are threatening to retaliate with tariffs and quotas that could hit the UK auto and pharmaceutical industries especially hard. European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said the bloc's financial system was ready for the next stage. "There can always be a risk somewhere," she said in Frankfurt. "But I think in good conscience we have covered everything that we thought was necessary." Some analysts believe Johnson is prepared to pay the price of short-term economic damage in order to deliver on pledge to "get Brexit done". He argues that greater flexibility will help him reach a quick post-Brexit agreement with the United States and other nations that are growing much faster than those in Europe. US officials say they are eager to strike a deal with Johnson. An agreement "is an absolute priority for President (Donald) Trump and we expect to complete that with them this year," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said ahead of his arrival in London this weekend. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross added that Johnson would have an easier time with Washington than Brussels because "there are far fewer issues between the UK and US". Johnson is expected to lay out his vision for the post-Brexit agreement with Brussels in a big policy address early next month. "Once we have left the EU in just over a week's time we'll be free to start having discussions with countries around the world including the US," Downing Street said on Wednesday. (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here. Apple Inc. is pushing back against a European Union initiative that would standardize chargers for all types of smartphones and devices. The European Commission, the blocs executive body, is currently considering legislation to cut back on electronic waste, after a previous voluntary approach didnt meet its expectations, according to an EU official. European lawmakers have been complaining that users are often required to carry different chargers for similar devices. The iPhone makers so-called lightning charging cables for Apple products dont plug into devices made by Samsung Electronics Co. or other electronics companies. Being forced to use a common standard could turn a bespoke product that Apple sells at high prices into a commodity, cutting into its profit. We believe regulation that forces conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, and would harm consumers in Europe and the economy as a whole, Apple said in a statement published Thursday. Apple has butted heads with the EU before. The iPhone maker is appealing an order by the European Commission that the company to pay Ireland 13 billion euros ($14.4 billion) in unpaid taxes -- a decision Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook once called political crap. The commission also is looking into an antitrust complaint by Spotify Technology SA alleging Apple favors its own music service, and is asking questions about its Apple Pay product. The initiative comes as the EU is pursuing a sweeping economic transformation, dubbed the Green Deal, across the 28-nation bloc. It plans to impose stricter emissions standards on industries, energy taxes and tougher air quality standards. Electronic waste is expected to grow to more than 12 million tons by 2020, according to the EU, making it one of the fastest growing so-called waste streams. Story continues The amount of cables and chargers produced and thrown away each year is simply unacceptable, Roza Thun und Hohenstein, vice chair of the European Parliaments internal market committee, said in a parliamentary debate earlier in January. She urged the commission to unveil a legislative proposal within the next six months. The commission is set to release the results of a study it launched assessing the impact of a common charger on consumers by the end of January. Cupertino, California-based Apple said forcing through regulatory changes would disrupt hundreds of millions of active devices and accessories in Europe alone and would create an unprecedented volume of electronic waste.The EU in 2009 settled on a voluntary, industry standards-based approach to try to harmonize chargers after considering regulation. Had the EU mandated that all smartphones use only USB-Micro B connectors, that would have restricted advances leading to todays chargers, which allow for sleeker and smaller gadgets and faster charging times, Apple said.Apple said the industry is also standardizing on its own as companies move toward using USB Type-C through a connector or cable assembly. To contact the reporter on this story: Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Amy Thomson For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Chris Billiar In 2008, Christopher helped us open our first fulfillment center which he ran for eight years and was a huge success, said Jason Wolfe, CEO, Wolfe, LLC. Wolfe, LLC, today announced the return of Christopher Billiar. He will be responsible for the design, build and implementation of the companys fulfillment center for Wolfes subsidiaries including PerfectGift, GiftYa and Gift Card Granny. Christopher previously held the role of Director of Operations for nearly a decade under GiftCards.com, a company formerly owned by Wolfe, LLC before being acquired in 2016. He will work with Uriel Marcovitz, Vice President of Operations, Wolfe, LLC. Wolfes fulfillment center provides next-day gift card delivery to both corporate customers and nationwide consumers. PerfectGift offers reward and loyalty cards including Visa, Mastercard and more than 500 national merchant brands such as The Home Depot, Starbucks or BestBuy. Gift Card Granny offers gift card brands to consumers at a savings. In 2008, Christopher helped us open our first fulfillment center which he ran for eight years and was a huge success. After we sold GiftCards.com, the new buyer shut down the fulfillment center in 2016. Over the last four years we saw a void in the market and decided to re-open our fulfillment center under PerfectGift and Gift Card Granny, said Jason Wolfe, CEO, Wolfe, LLC. Were very excited to have Christopher rejoin us in this journey. ABOUT WOLFE, LLC Founded in 1995, Wolfe, LLC is an innovative Pittsburgh-based investor and incubator. The holding company conceives, invests in and grows innovative financial technology (fintech) and ecommerce businesses. Wolfes past and current company portfolio include GiftCards.com, OmniCard, Direct Response Technologies, JamboMedia, Sentral, MyCoupons and Gift Card Granny. The company holds a broad portfolio of patents in the gift card and card-linked offer arena. Find additional details at https://www.wolfe.com. The International Court of Justice on Thursday ordered Myanmar to take all measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state. Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf on behalf of the ICJ said that the court "is of the opinion that the Rohingya in Myanmar remain extremely vulnerable. The court added that its order for so-called provisional measures intended to protect the Rohingya is binding "and creates international legal obligations" on Myanmar. It also ordered Myanmar to submit a report of the steps taken by the country in accordance with the order. The case that the ICJ was hearing was about the Gambia accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingyas. The case was defended by the de-facto ruler of the country Aung San Suu Kyi. The Gambia in the case accused Myanmar army of carrying out military operations in the Rakhine state in 2016 and 2017, after which almost 800,000 Rohingyas fled the country. Top UN official says Myanmar must follow order on Rohingya What triggered the military operations on Rohingyas? In August 2017, a militant group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility of attacking police and army posts. This prompted action from the Myanmar army, which declared ARSA as a terrorist organisation and allegedly started a brutal campaign in Rakhine state, burning their houses, forcing almost seven hundred thousand Rohingya to leave the country. Myanmar Leader Suu Kyi Aung Given Hero's Welcome On Return From The Hague Who are Rohingyas? Rohingyas are an ethnic minority in Myanmar residing in the Rakhine state of the country. While most of the Rohingyas are Muslims, very few are also Hindus. The Buddhist majority nation of Myanmar claims that Rohingyas are residents of Bangladesh. The Rohingyas trace their origin to the fifteenth century the Arakan Kingdom. However, they say that many others settled in the now Rakhine state in the nineteenth and twentieth-century under the colonial regime. The Buddhist majority govt in Myanmar denied citizenship to the Rohingyas in 1962 even as they recognised 135 official ethnic groups in Myanmar. Moreover, they do not recognise the term Rohingya and call them "illegal migrants" from Bangladesh. however, experts say that Rohingyas gave themselves the term for a distinct political identity during the 1950s, loosely meaning "from Arakan." Nearly 100 Rohingya Face Prison Time In Myanmar As Suu Kyi Defends Genocide Charges UN on Rohingyas As the Rohingyas crisis unfolded in 2017, the UN had called it "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing." UN human rights council High Commissioner Zeid Raad Al Hussein had denounced the brutal security operation against the Rohingya in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. Back in 2019, the United Nations General Assembly had also passed a resolution strongly condemning rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims. In December last year, state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, appeared in the UN's top court and denied the charges that the military had attempted to exterminate Rohingyas. However, she admitted that the army may have used excessive force against Rohingya Muslims. Myanmar: Govt-appointed commission fails to find genocidal intent against Rohingya Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is interviewed following the GOP weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 31, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Key GOP Senator Takes Offense to House Managers Cover-Up Accusation A key swing-vote Republican senator told reporters she was offended by a claim levied by one of the House impeachment managers that Republicans are engaging in a cover-up during the trial against President Donald Trump, and questioned why Democrats didnt go to the courts to obtain more evidence. I took it as very offensive, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told local media on Jan. 22. As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended. Along with Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), Murkowski has widely been seen as a potential swing-vote in the Senate trial after she bucked the Republican party line to vote against confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018. However, it appears House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadlers (D-N.Y.) speech during the trial struck a nerve when he accused Republican senators of voting for a cover-up, voting to deny witnesses, an absolutely indefensible vote, obviously a treacherous vote. In another interview, Murkowski told CNN on Jan. 23 she had concerns about why the House didnt try to seek witnesses or documents in their case by seeking a remedy in the courts. The House made a decision that they didnt want to slow things down by having to go through the courts. And yet now theyre basically saying, You guys gotta go through the courts. We didnt, but we need you to, Murkowski said. House Democrats have said they wanted to move forward with their articles of impeachment without waiting for court orders to be handed down because the process could be too long. Trump and the White House have said he has executive privilege and doesnt need to adhere to every subpoena issued by the House. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) echoed Murkowskis comments about Nadlers accusation, suggesting it was without precedent. I mean, thats an extraordinary thing to say on the floor of the United States Senate, the middle of the trial, and thats what drew the rebuke, and rightly so, Hawley told reporters, referring to Chief Justice John Roberts admonishing House managers and the presidents counsel, according to Fox News. I can tell you, there was an open, open gasping on the Senate floor when Nadler was saying these things. I mean, its really, really extraordinary. If the goal was to persuade, they took a huge step backward last night. Two hours before the Jan. 23 trial proceedings began, Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reiterated the need for witnesses and documents related to the impeachment case against Trump. I think the case for witnesses and documents is so self-evident that many of my Republican colleagues are desperate to talk about anything else, they are so eager to change [the] conversation, Schumer told reporters. He has sought to obtain testimony from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and others. The United States intends to send an ambassador to Bolivia to help restore a "normal relationship" between the two countries, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale said in a video statement posted online on Thursday. The move, which would mark the return of a US ambassador to La Paz for the first time in over a decade, underscores rapidly improving relations since the current interim government took over after the resignation of leftist leader Evo Morales. The United States has had a lower-ranking diplomat in the South American country since Morales ordered the last ambassador Philip Goldberg to leave in 2008, blaming him for opposition protests against his rule. Morales stepped down under pressure in November after a disputed election sparked widespread protests and led to allies and security forces pulling their support. Morales contends he was toppled in a coup, orchestrated by the United States. Hale said in the video statement posted on the US embassy website that he welcomed the new opportunity to "strengthen our relationship and mutual understanding." "As the next step the United States will once again send an ambassador to La Paz to continue these conversations and restore a normal relationship between our people," he said. Bolivia's conservative caretaker President Jeanine Anez has looked to draw a line under the foreign policies of Morales' administration, shifting away from old allies like Venezuela and Cuba and rekindling ties with the United States. The country is now heading toward new elections in May, with Morales' socialist party looking to run without him for the first time in 14 years against a range of opposition candidates. "This is a critical time for Bolivia and the Bolivian people as you work towards free and fair elections on May 3," Hale said. "This is an opportunity to build a foundation for a stable, secure, prospering and democratic Bolivia." Search Keywords: Short link: After years of relative calm, violence resumed at the end of 2017 in Ituri, a region in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It peaked towards the end of 2019. According to a report published on January 10 by the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), the attacks could constitute genocide. Most of the victims seem to have been targeted because they belong to the Hema community, says the 30-page report (at least 701 people killed, 168 injured and at least 142 subjected to acts of sexual violence between December 2017 and September 2019). The violence could contain at least some of the elements of genocide, it says, given the apparent targeting of the Hema community, the high number of civilians killed and subjected to sexual violence, the willingness during attacks to kill the wounded, the attacks on IDP camps and systematic destruction of Hema homes. But the UN report says investigations carried out to date have not sufficiently established the intent to destroy the Hema as an ethnic group. The UN has less hesitation in pointing to crimes against humanity, saying its investigations have found that the human rights violations and attacks documented in the report took place in the context of widespread and systematic attacks on civilians, especially the Hema. Killings, rapes and other forms of violence targeting the Hema community in the Democratic Republic of Congo province of Ituri may amount to crimes against humanity, says the report. Some acts could also constitute war crimes, since they took place in the context of an internal armed conflict. An extermination plan? The Hema community immediately used the UN report to demand justice. There are crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of genocide. There is one community that is being targeted, the Hema people. This is a plan that has long been developed by Lendu extremists. The report of the Joint Office clarifies things, by qualifying the facts, Vicky Ngona, spokesperson for the Hema community, told Justice Info. Congolese researcher and activist Marcel Heritier Kapitene admits the report has the merit of challenging the human conscience on the situation in Ituri. But he does not think a genocide is under way. This analysis presents the Hema as proteges of the international community in a Congo where crimes are being committed everywhere. It gives the impression that the UN only looks at one community and forgets the others who are victims of crimes in neighbouring North Kivu, South Kivu, Kasai, even Katanga, he explains. To talk about genocide is to say that there is one community that wants to exterminate another. It is difficult today to prove the existence of a plan to exterminate the Hema. Xavier Macky, coordinator of Ituri-based human rights NGO Justice Plus, has a similar view. We welcome the report because it draws the worlds attention to the crimes being committed against civilians in Ituri, he says. We are pleased because it already sets the stage for an independent international investigation that we have long wanted. In his view, the report is a strong signal from the UN that crimes must not go unpunished. But he too is cautious when it comes to classifying the crimes: I think it is premature to talk of a possible genocide, because it is still difficult to prove the intent to destroy an ethnic group in whole or in part. Land conflict or ethnic conflict? Most people also reject the UNs analysis on whether this is a conflict over land. Vicky Ngona rejects the idea. Take a plane and fly over the Ituri region, and you will see that there is no shortage of land, she says. There are empty spaces that can accommodate other communities. What is happening here is the execution of a plan to exterminate a people. We need to punish all the perpetrators, even intellectuals, of these crimes. The Hema representative accuses the Congolese state of having failed in its duty. If we are victims of all this, it is because we are in an irresponsible state, which does not know how to ensure the protection of its people. And it is the state we ask to explain why we are victims of these attacks. The Congolese state must not sanction impunity. Marcel Heritier Kapitene agrees. It is not a problem of land because there is no serious lack of land in Ituri, he says. Xavier Macky thinks the same. Its not a land problem. It is rather an ethnic identity crisis that dates back to the colonial era. And it is at that level that I find the UN report a bit incoherent, he says. He believes that the current violence is the result of an inadequate response, in terms of justice, to the conflict that tore Ituri apart in the early 2000s. What is happening now is a logical continuation of the former Ituri conflict, he told Justice Info. That conflict was badly managed. The authorities seemed to focus on the judicial aspect and to sacrifice other pillars of transitional justice. While some alleged perpetrators have been brought to justice, the work of reconciliation and reparation has been neglected. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up at the end of the inter-Congolese dialogue has not worked, even though it was also supposed to take into account the Ituri case. In short, people have never had the opportunity to expose the truth, for a possible reconciliation. It is a fragile context, conducive to the resumption of conflict. He urges judicial and political authorities in the DRC to work together to resolve the conflict in Ituri. As well as prosecutions, there is a huge amount of truth and reconciliation work to be done. We need to complete the transitional justice process, because people have suffered enormous harm. We also need to achieve reparation. This is the way to lasting peace in the Ituri region. Lendu response The Lendu community, which has been implicated in the abuses against the Hema, made a point of reacting at a press conference on January 20. In a statement, Lendu representative Celestin Tawara Angaika denied there was an inter-ethnic conflict in Ituri. He said saying there were only disputes between neighbouring villages, which could not be described as intercommunal conflict, let alone genocide. He claims the UN has chosen to ignore the damage inflicted on the Lendu by the Hema and the army. The report forgets the proven responsibility of members of the Hema community who have allied themselves with the Congolese armed forces, serving as scouts, guides and target identifiers in the Lendu areas. These joint Hema-army operations against the Lendu civilian population have created a climate of mistrust between the Congolese armed forces and the Lendu population. He says this is dangerous, and also denies that the Lendu are in search of land. The Lendu have enough ancestral land, he argues, denouncing allegations of genocide that some individuals want to use against others. Meghan Markles estranged father continues to bash her and cash in on her. Thomas Markle who has not spoken to his daughter since May 2018 appeared in a 90-minute documentary, Thomas Markle: My Story, for the U.K.s Channel 5 on Wednesday for which he sold tons of never-before-seen photos and videos of the Duchess of Sussex as a child. Thomas Markle comes after his daughter and the royal family in a scathing new documentary for which he sold tons of never-before-seen photos and videos of the duchess. (Photo: Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited) The doc featured photos of Prince Harrys wife on the day she was born and throughout her childhood. There were pictures of Christmas parties and picnics some of which also featured her mother, Doria Ragland, who separated from Thomas when Meghan was 6. Rare home videos showed the future Suits star in her first school productions, her high school graduation and as she headed off to college at Northwestern University. There were photos and videos right up to Markle landing her job on Suits in 2011. While the retired Hollywood lighting director offered some sweet recollections of his youngest daughters early years describing them as the happiest in my life he made countless digs at Meghan, his son-in-law and the royal family. Talking about the royals, Thomas said, At this point, they owe me. The royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me. I'm in my senior years now it's time to look after Daddy. He continued, She's been supported and loved by everybody on both sides of her [American] family, clearly ignoring the constant barrage of attacks on Meghan by his other daughter, Samantha Markle. The family that she's joined is far stiffer than the one that she's left. Thomas, who has never met Prince Harry or baby Archie, went on to say, To them I don't exist and now Harry, whether he realizes it or not, is part of my family and I'm part of his. We should be talking... He's not 12 years old anymore he's got no right to be this sensitive. Story continues He said Meghan and Harry were turning the royal family into a Walmart with a crown on and criticized them for giving up their roles as senior members. Apparently $3 million and a 26-room home isn't enough for them, he said, referring to their U.K. home Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle. It is kind of embarrassing to me. Thomas also admitted being jealous seeing Prince Charles walk Meghan down the aisle at her 2018 wedding and said he cried while watching the nuptials from a safe house. He was a no-show at the wedding after having two heart attacks, but prior to that, he staged paparazzi photos of himself to cash in on his daughters fame, causing a rift between them. Ragland was Meghans only family member at the wedding. He also talked about his relationship with Ragland, saying not everybody seems to approve of those kind of relationships, referring to them being an interracial couple. People would look at Doria like she was a housekeeper. It wasn't fair. Of course it wasn't fair. He went on to say, I think she's going through the same problem right now with the royals. I don't think they know where to place her. She always looks scared. She always looks like a deer in the headlights. Thomas said he doesnt think hell ever see his daughter again only after hes lowered into the ground. Among the nicer things he said was recalling Meghans birth. 'When she was born I couldnt have been happier, said Thomas, who now lives in Mexico. They handed her to me, I saw her face, her little fingers wrapped around my fingers and that was it, I was in love. I just knew she was going to be special. I was just knocked out by that child. She was just beautiful and I just couldnt put her down. Thomas was paid to participate in the doc, but Channel 5 hasnt revealed how much. The interview fee and acquiring the rights to the photos and videos are usually two separate negotiations with the media probably earning him a pretty penny. Thomas and Meghans relationship exploded at the time of the wedding due to him staging the paparazzi photos for cash. She later wrote him a personal letter asking him to cease his public attacks on her and Harry and he sold the letter as well. Its now the subject of a lawsuit. Earlier this month, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to step down as senior members of the royal family for an independent life. Theyve been staying on Vancouver Island as they plan their next steps. They will be officially relieved of their royal duties this spring. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyles newsletter. Victoria (Canada): In explaining his decision to give up his work as a senior member of Britain's royal family, Prince Harry laid part of the blame at the feet of the media, which he called a "powerful force." Indeed, in a 2017 BBC documentary, Harry decried the paparazzi who hounded his mother Diana as a "pack of dogs." He surely hoped that with a move to Canada, the family could tame the tabloid scrum. But sure enough, journalists from as far away as Australia have arrived on Vancouver Island, and pictures of Harry's wife Meghan walking the dogs, their son Archie strapped to her, quickly surfaced. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have threatened legal action over the pictures, but the photographers are also under fire from locals who say they are not going to tolerate invasions of privacy. "It is a quiet place here," said Kathryn Sandberg, a long-time resident of North Saanich, the tiny seaside community where Harry, Meghan and son Archie are living, in the greater Victoria area. "I think maybe one of the reasons why Meghan and Harry want to come here is because of this quiet, and because there are people who are respectful of privacy," Sandberg told AFP. "And we wouldn't want to see that change." Meghan was snapped hiking in Horth Hill Regional Park -- local news outlet Chek News published a video of locals confronting one photographer working on the story, Derek Shook. "Do you think a guy like you does anything for this community?" one resident says to Shook, who told a reporter: "They don't get it. (...) They don't understand." Shook said he had been camped out for 11 days in the area. "It's a worldwide story," Shook told Chek News, adding that he felt Meghan had not exactly made it difficult for the snappers. "If she wanted to, she could have put her head down. But she stood up tall and smiled and made sure that, you know, we were able to get the shot." Amelia Brace is the North America correspondent for Australia's Channel 7. She is normally based in Los Angeles but arrived on Vancouver Island late Monday. "The royals in Australia are huge. It's always one of our biggest stories," Brace told AFP from a vantage point near Harry and Meghan's temporary home, where she had just filmed her report. "In the first few days of them starting a new life here, I think it was to be expected that the world would want to see what that looked like," Brace added. "And unfortunately, just because they've stepped back as royals doesn't mean they can completely step out of the public eye." AFP ran into a camera crew working for a Japanese media outlet. They said there was a lot of interest in the royal couple in Japan, but declined further comment. Journalists from Britain and the United States are also on the scene. A mob of photographers camped out at the airport in Victoria to capture Harry's arrival after the crisis talks with his family. Diana, Harry's mother, was killed in a high-speed car crash in Paris in 1997 as her vehicle was pursued by paparazzi. Harry admitted in an interview last year that the sound of cameras was a constant reminder of her and has colored his opinion of the media. One freelance photojournalist -- his gear and binoculars on the seat next to him in his white SUV, parked on the main road near Harry and Meghan's home -- spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, citing the legal issues at play. He said the couple had been "tricky" to capture, mentioning their multiple "different cars." The man said he was not concerned about the threat of court action, citing Canada's media laws, which he believes are more liberal than those in place in Britain and elsewhere. "From what I understand, as long as you are not following them, harassing them, breaking the law... then the press is free to cover it." Christian Leblanc, an attorney who specializes in media law at the Fasken law firm in Montreal, told AFP that Canadian courts were less prone to intervene in such cases than those in Europe. As Harry and Meghan "are well-known people, it will be hard for them, at least at first, to claim any invasion of their privacy" if they are in a public place, Leblanc said. Our labor poverty will only continue to increase and remain the main problem not of the government, but of Ukrainian society The flight of Ukrainians from the country to work abroad is our new reality. Everyone is leaving, including entrepreneurs. Specialists flee from labor poverty, businessmen flee from increasing tax pressure and the arbitrariness of the security forces. And, of course, Prime Minister Goncharuk does not know what to do with the sharp reduction in the current financial operations, which is associated with the deterioration of all three main balance columns: trade, investment income and the balance of services. And when you dont know how to make money and increase your own capital, then, of course, you get into debt or build a financial pyramid. This is what our Cabinet is doing along with the National Bank. And one more remark, which many people suspect, but do not dare to openly say: we might wait as long as we can for a successful solution to debt problems, poverty reduction and increasing real incomes of ordinary citizens, but without the replacement of the National Bank management this Cabinet will not succeed. Therefore, I am afraid that our labor poverty will only continue to increase and remain the main problem not of the government, but of Ukrainian society. Judge for yourself, the average nominal salary in Ukraine in the III quarter of 2019 was 382 euros, while in Latvia this financial and economic indicator is at the level of 1091 euros per month (that is 2.9 times more), in Poland - 1143 euros (3 times more than in Ukraine), in the Czech Republic - 1310 euros (3.4 times more). At the same time, everyone who worked as prime minister in Ukraine, after being fired, turned out to be billionaires (well, with the rare exception of the stupid or honest ones). And the worst thing is that none of the Ukrainians are surprised, especially indignant. In principle, it seems the Ukrainian standard. And then the Russian president abruptly embarked on re-building in his own country, saying that the existing military power will ensure reliable security of the Russian Federation "for decades to come." Therefore, now all the forces and economic potential will be devoted to solving the social problems of the population, in order to subsequently offer the world and, above all, Ukraine a particular model. Isnt it in this connection Petro Poroshenko suddenly came to his senses and said: "This carries direct risks and threats to Ukraine. In these conditions, Ukraine must unite: both the government and the opposition - and adequately respond to the challenges and risks that appeared in 2020." But how to respond? If in previous years the unprecedented rates of the outflow of Ukrainian capital to offshore were set, and our businessmen are even assimilated in Poland and many other countries. Plus, millions of labor migrants seek a better life abroad, as they can no longer put up with poverty at home. Moreover, in the 2020, serious changes are coming in the world labor market, which, according to analysts and experts, will provoke an even greater outflow of Ukrainians to work abroad. Indeed, if earlier our compatriots traveled mainly to Poland, Hungary, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Baltic countries, then from this year their geography will be expanded to Germany, France, Belgium and the countries of Scandinavia. The situation is bad. For example, in order to distract the attention of ordinary people from the huge salaries and bonuses of narrow-minded and sneaky top officials, suddenly all TV channels began to trumpet that the minimum wage in Ukraine now is 4723 UAH (or 198 dollars), which is 2 dollars higher than in Russia - 12 130 rubles (or about 196 dollars). But they are too weak to compare Ukraine with the countries of the European Union or the United States. Or with the countries of Latin America and Africa, where, incidentally, in Gabon the minimum wage is $ 270, in Equatorial Guinea - $ 224. I also note that the strengthening of the hryvnia in manual mode was carried out by our financial authorities exclusively in the interests of speculative capital - carry trade, which indicated the destruction of Ukrainian manufacturing economy. And, unfortunately, not a single minister or MP from the Servant of the People party mentioned that Ukraine today ranks last in the purchasing power of citizens among 42 European countries (for example, the average income after taxes per person Europe in 2019 amounted to 14 739 euros; while the average Ukrainian had an amount of 1830 euros, which is 8 times less than the European average). And for this everyone should be ashamed, and not just the Cabinet of Oleksiy Honcharuk. Juan Orlando Hernandez BGR Government Affairs is working on a $60K per-month effort to provide strategic communications services to Honduras, which has been rocked by corruption. President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Jan. 16 ended an anti-graft panel, Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras, that was created by the Organization of American States. While the OAS bashed that move, Hernandez wrote on Twitter that his government will continue to fight against corruption and for transparency. He became president two years ago in an election that the OAS claimed was rigged. A US jury found his brother, Juan Antonio Hernandez, guilty of conspiring to import cocaine, illegal weapon possession and lying to US officials. BGR's contract is to provide PR and government relations services "to support and advance the interests of the people and government of Honduras. It began Jan. 7 and runs through Dec. 17. VP Jo Maney and senior advisor Hunter Strupp work the business. The Trump administration and Honduras signed an agreement in September to block asylum-seekers traveling through Central America from entering the US. Mexico on Jan. 21 began flying and busing hundreds of migrants back to Honduras. They were part of a caravan that left Honduras earlier this month. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Gardai are continuing to investigate a break-in at the parish church in Milltown as plans get underway to install security equipment. A stainless glass window was smashed and a back door was kicked in during the incident at St Brigids Church in the early hours of Saturday, January 11. An tabernacle, church safe and candle shrine were taken from the church but were later recovered in a field in the Roseberry area of Newbridge. The Garda Press Office confirmed to the Leader this week that investigations are ongoing into the incident and appeals for information were made. Parish Priest, Fr Willie Byrne said that both gardai and the parishs insurance company have urged the parish to install a CCTV system. Fr Willie said yesterday: A CCTV security system has been strongly recommended by the gardai and our insurance company. CCTV system I will be consulting with parishioners and we will be arranging for this. The senior cleric also said a local tradesperson is replacing the back door while the broken stained glass window is receiving specialist repairs. Fr Willie said the tabernacle was damaged by the raiders but has since been repaired and re-installed in its original position on the altar. No access was gained to the contents of the sacristy safe. A private company which supplied the candle shrine is also repairing it. In the raid, priests vestments were thrown around the floor of the sacristy after drawers were searched. The break-in at the church, which celebrated its bicentenary in 2017, was discovered at 8am on Saturday morning, January 11 by a man visiting a relatives grave. Newbridge gardai were called to the scene and carried out an extensive interior and exterior forensic investigation. Locals rallied around and cleaned up the church on Saturday in order that Mass went ahead as normal on Sunday morning. At Sunday morning Mass, parish curate Fr Brian Kavanagh asked for prayers to be said for those responsible for the raid. The Church, which was originally erected in 1817, was renovated and re-roofed in 1961. It also underwent major renovations in 2007 and 2008. Part of the east gable of an older chapel dating from penal times stands nearby the building. The sessions judge who recently issued death warrants against the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case has been transferred. Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora has been transferred to the Supreme Court as Additional Registrar on deputation basis for one year, a letter sent by Registrar General, Delhi High Court, to the District Judge, Patiala House Courts, said. Before his transfer, Arora was hearing the Nirbhaya Rape case, besides other cases. The case is likely to be assigned to new judge soon. The hanging of all the four convicts was to take place on February 1 at at 6 am. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the UAE Federal Credit Insurance Company, continues to provide support to UAE steel manufacturers to expand their export business and Conares is the latest company to benefit from this. Conares is a regional major private manufacturer in the UAE, annually producing one million tonnes of steel products including steel pipes, rebars and pre-painted coils. ECI will be protecting Conares export volume by offering them international trade credit coverage solutions and ease the steel manufacturer to open new markets, said a statement. The business in scope under this agreement includes exports of manufacturing and trading of steel rebar and steel pipes. This will help Conares to strategically identify potential customers in the international markets. Conares has signed up with ECI for a multi-buyer trade credit solution, which will minimise the risks connected to the exports of their products to international markets. This agreement will also provide access to ECIs comprehensive information database platform of 360 million corporates in both domestic and international markets. Conares has a worldwide network and this coverage will help the company to strengthen its expansion plans and enhance its export capabilities. Massimo Falcioni, CEO of ECI, said: It is ECIs mandate to strengthen UAE businesses export capabilities by providing a broad suite of tailored trade credit solutions that helps UAE manufacturers to achieve their goals and expand their business in the international and domestic markets. Conares has established its position in the steel industry and reinforced the regions infrastructure development by providing industry-leading steel products through long-standing partnerships. It is this vision that has encouraged them to access high-growth markets and widen their exporting potential across borders, he said. Also to fulfil their vision, ECI listened to the needs of Conares and created a bespoke trade credit solution that provides risk coverage to their businesses while accessing cross-border markets, he added. Bharat Bhatia, CEO of Conares, said: We are pleased to sign the deal with ECI as it will help us expand our business in new international markets by increasing volume of production and achieve one million tons of production in the next few years. This initiative will open our markets especially in some regions where we hesitated to give open credits earlier. We are targeting 50 to 75 per cent maximisation of our annual production capacity to meet the increased demand with this deal. With the maximised utilisation of facility, our desired turnover is Dh2 billion, which currently is Dh1 billion, Bhatia said. We have received tremendous support from the UAEs federal and local government agencies, helping our products gain market wide acceptance and cater to numerous prestigious projects in the country and beyond. We have a strong presence in the international market as well. We are also in the process of developing new markets for our products, he added. Conares, being the Made-in-UAE steel manufacturer, will have its starting sale of $150 million worth products covered by this partnership with ECI; and more than 10 banks has come forward with investment support. For the first time in the UAEs steel manufacturing sector, the risk of exports to the US and the EU are covered. With this initiative, ECI will support more largescale industries in future by protecting their trade related risks. TradeArabia News Service The Head of Ukrainian State is in Israel, where he was supposed to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Remembrance Forum President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Wailing Wall in Israel and participated in the prayer for peace in Ukraine. This was reported by the President's Office on the Facebook page. "Peace is the most important thing for Ukraine. It is important that prayer for peace is heard in such holy places," Zelensky said. It was reported that Kyiv's chief rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman, rabbi Rav Shalom Arusha and chief rabbi of the Wailing Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch read the prayer. As we reported earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian delegation gave their places at the World Holocaust Forum to the victims of Holocaust as Ukraines President informed on Facebook. We came to Israel and found out that a lot of people who survived this horrific tragedy cannot visit the World Holocaust Forum due to the tremendous interest to the event and limited number of places. We decided to give my place and places of the delegation of Ukraine to these courageous, unique people. The press reports that some ministers of the Israeli government did the same, he wrote. By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration lifted federal protections Thursday for some of the nations millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, completing one of its most far-reaching environmental rollbacks. The changes will scale back which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. President Donald Trump has made a priority of the rollback of clean-water protections from his first weeks in office. Trump says he is targeting federal rules and regulations that impose unnecessary burdens on businesses. Chiefs of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the new rule before appearing at a builders convention in Las Vegas. EPA and the Army are providing much needed regulatory certainty and predictability for American farmers, landowners and businesses to support the economy and accelerate critical infrastructure projects, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. The changes had been sought by industry, developers and farmers, but opposed by environmental advocates and public health officials. They say the changes would make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public and would threaten habitat and wildlife. The administration says the changes would allow farmers to plow their fields without fear of unintentionally straying over the banks of a federally protected dry creek, bog or ditch. But the governments own figures show it is real estate developers and those in other nonfarm business sectors that take out the most permits for impinging on wetlands and waterways, and stand to reap the biggest regulatory and financial relief. Wheeler specified the changes lift federal protections for so-called ephemeral waters creeks and rivers which run only after rainfalls or snow melt. Such streams provide a majority of the water for some dry Western states, including New Mexico. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden hailed the change, saying that hed heard from Oregonians in his rural congressional district that the earlier regulations put in place during the Obama administration were burdensome. For years, farmers and ranchers across Oregon have expressed their concerns to me about the heavy-handed Obama-era definition of WOTUS (Waters of the United States), Walden said in a prepared statement. They stressed that their intermittent stream or irrigation ditch would be subject to the burden of overreaching federal regulation. The EPAs new definition of WOTUS will both protect our environment and our rural communities." Walden went on to applaud Trump for listening to the concerns of Americas farmers and ranchers. The final rule will be published in the Federal Register in the next few days and become effective 60 days after that. The rollback is one of the most ambitious of the Trump administration''s wide-ranging cuts in federal protections on the environment and public health. While many rollback efforts have targeted regulations adopted under the Obama administration, the draft clean-water plan released earlier would lift federal protections for many waterways and wetlands that have stood for decades under the Clean Water Act. That includes protections for creek and river beds that run only in wet seasons or after rain or snow melt. Thats a huge rollback from way before Obama, before Reagan," said Blan Holman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. State officials in New Mexico have particular concerns given that the Rio Grande, which provides drinking water and irrigation supplies for millions of people in the Southwest and Mexico, depends largely on the types of intermittent streams, creeks and wetlands that could lose protection under the rule draft released earlier. The Rio Grande is one of North Americas longest rivers. Jen Pelz, the rivers program director with the New Mexico-based environmental group WildEarth Guardians, said the Rio Grande would be hard hit. It defies common sense to leave unprotected the arteries of life to the desert Southwest," Pelz said. Trump has portrayed farmers a highly valued constituency of the Republican Party and one popular with the public as the main beneficiaries of the rollback. He claimed farmers gathered around him wept with gratitude when he signed an order for the rollback in February 2017. The federal protections keeping polluters and developers out of waterways and wetlands were one of the most ridiculous of all regulations, he told a farmer convention in 2019. It was a total kill on you and other businesses, Trump said at that time. Environmental groups, public health organizations and others say its impossible to keep downstream lakes, rivers and water supplies clean unless upstream waters are also regulated federally. The targeted regulations also protect wildlife and their habitats. ___ Associated Press writer Susan Montoya in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 04:24:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Front) speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London, Britain, on Jan. 22, 2020. Britain's Brexit withdrawal bill was finally approved Wednesday night after historic votes in the Houses of Parliament, paving the way for Britain to leave the European Union (EU). (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Handout via Xinhua) HOC MANDATORY CREDIT: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor LONDON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Brexit withdrawal bill was finally approved Wednesday night after historic votes in the Houses of Parliament, paving the way for Britain to leave the European Union (EU). The House of Lords, which had wanted a series of changes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit Withdrawal Bill, backed down at the final hurdle. It came after lawmakers in the House of Commons used Johnson's 80-strong majority to reject the amendments demanded by the unelected upper change. After a short debate in the House of Lords, peers bowed to the overwhelming support in the Commons and approved the Brexit bill. There was no vote, with peers accepting the bill without any dissent. It now means the Brexit bill will be presented to Queen Elizabeth II for Royal Assent. The decision comes three and a half years after the people of Britain voted in June, 2016 by a 52-48 margin to leave the EU. The passage of the bill was the final piece needed by Johnson to take Britain out of the EU at the end of this month. Britain will continue to abide by Brussels' laws and procedures during 2020 to enable politicians and officials from both sides to work out a permanent future relationship from Jan. 1, 2021. Johnson's bill contains a provision to prevent the temporary implementation period being extended beyond the end of this coming December. Peers in the House of Lords lamented the fact that the House of Commons had refused to accept the changes they wanted. The House of Commons rejected all five amendments put forward by peers in the unelected second chamber. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay called on lawmakers in the Commons to reject the five amendments which covered issues such as child refugees and EU citizens living in Britain. He described the bill as a piece of historic legislation. By Ellen Knickmeyer | Associated Press WASHINGTON The Trump administration lifted federal protections Jan. 23 for some of the nations millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, completing one of its most far-reaching environmental rollbacks. The changes will scale back which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. President Donald Trump has made a priority of the rollback of clean-water protections from his first weeks in office. Trump says he is targeting federal rules and regulations that impose unnecessary burdens on businesses. Chiefs of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the new rule before appearing at a builders convention in Las Vegas. EPA and the Army are providing much needed regulatory certainty and predictability for American farmers, landowners and businesses to support the economy and accelerate critical infrastructure projects, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. Opposition The changes had been sought by industry, developers and farmers, but opposed by environmental advocates and public health officials. They say the changes would make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public and would threaten habitat and wildlife. The administration says the changes would allow farmers to plow their fields without fear of unintentionally straying over the banks of a federally protected dry creek, bog or ditch. But the governments own figures show it is real estate developers and those in other nonfarm business sectors that take out the most permits for impinging on wetlands and waterways, and stand to reap the biggest regulatory and financial relief. Wheeler specified the changes lift federal protections for so-called ephemeral waters creeks and rivers which run only after rainfalls or snow melt. Such streams provide a majority of the water for some dry Western states, including New Mexico. The final rule will be published in the Federal Register in the next few days and become effective 60 days after that. The rollback is one of the most ambitious of the Trump administrations wide-ranging cuts in federal protections on the environment and public health. While many rollback efforts have targeted regulations adopted under the Obama administration, the draft clean-water plan released earlier would lift federal protections for many waterways and wetlands that have stood for decades under the Clean Water Act. That includes protections for creek and river beds that run only in wet seasons or after rain or snow melt. Thats a huge rollback from way before Obama, before Reagan, said Blan Holman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. Farmers Trump has portrayed farmers as the main beneficiaries of the rollback. He claimed farmers gathered around him wept with gratitude when he signed an order for the rollback in February 2017. The federal protections keeping polluters and developers out of waterways and wetlands were one of the most ridiculous of all regulations, he told a farmer convention in 2019. It was a total kill on you and other businesses, Trump said at that time. Environmental groups, public health organizations and others say its impossible to keep downstream lakes, rivers and water supplies clean unless upstream waters are also regulated federally. The targeted regulations also protect wildlife and their habitats. (2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Associated Press writer Susan Montoya in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.) The outspoken, independent-minded Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has hit Hillary Clinton with a $50-million suit alleging that the defeated presidential candidate defamed her by calling her a Russian Asset. Whether out of personal animus, political enmity, or fear of real change within a political party Clinton and her allies have long dominated Clinton lied about Gabbard, her lawyers said in the case filed in the Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday. Gabbard, the first Hindu-American elected to Congress, has had long-standing differences with Clinton going back to the 2016 Democratic primaries when she backed Senator Bernie Sanders for the partys nomination. Gabbard resigned as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 after accusing the party leadership of favouring Clinton instead of being neutral during the primaries. The court paper filed in the case by her lead lawyer Brian Dunne said, Clinton falsely stated that Tulsi - an Army National Guard officer and US Congresswoman who has spent her entire adult life serving this country - is a Russian asset. Clintons false assertions were made in a deliberate attempt to derail Tulsis presidential campaign. Gabbard is a major in the Army National Guard and has served in combat zones in Iraq. She continues to serve and even while in Congress she has been called up periodically for service. Gabbard has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed $50 million - and continue to this day, Dunne said in the court filing that seeks damages from Clinton. The US defamation and libel laws give wide leeway for attacking public figures like Gabbard, a member of the House of Representatives, and sets a higher bar for filing cases. To meet the required standards, her lawyers, therefore, alleged that Clinton acted with actual malice and reckless disregard of the truth. Clinton said in a widely distributed podcast in October that there is somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary who (the Russians) are grooming...to be the third-party candidate. Shes the favourite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far. In response Gabbard had called Clinton the personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party. The court filing noted that Clintons spokesperson had reaffirmed her allegation by saying, If the nesting doll fits and called it a reference to the universally known Russian nesting dolls (Matryoshka dolls). Clinton, who is still smarting from the defeat at the hands of President Donald Trump in 2016, has been trying to settle scores with those who had opposed her in moves seen as dividing the Democratic Party that is preparing to take on Trump. She recently said that nobody likes Sanders and nobody wants to work with him, drawing criticism from several Democrats, including Gabbard. Gabbard told a TV station, Its time to grow up, you know? This isnt high school. She added, There are real issues that people are struggling with and theyre wondering, Why are our leaders not working for us? Gabbard, who supported Sanders in 2016, is running against him for the Democratic nomination this time. Gabbard has only 1.3 per cent support in the party according to RealClear Politics, the authoritative aggregator of polls. Although she qualified for three of the partys national debates, she has since failed to meet the qualifications for participation. In the July debate she launched a stinging criticism of Kamala Harris, the senator of Indian and Jamaican-African descent, alleging that she put minorities behind bars for minor offences like marijuana violations. From about that time Harris, who failed to get the support of African Americans, has tumbled in the polls and withdrew from the race for Democratic Partys presidential nomination. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) --IANS arul/rs While many films have been made about World War I, few films have captured the raw emotion, terror and heroism as shown in 1917. In the spring of Northern France in 1917, two Lance Corporals, Will Schofield and Tom Blake (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman), are tasked with an impossible mission. Communications are down, and General Erinmore (Colin Firth) needs to relay a message to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) of the Second Battalion. The message contains orders to call off a planned attack of the German army. Erinmore has discovered the Germans are planning a trap in said attack, and failure to relay this message to Mackenzie and the Second Battalion would result in the loss of 1,600 soldiers. Why did Erinmore choose Schofield and Blake? As it turns out, Blakes brother is a lieutenant in the Second Battalion. If motivation to save 1,600 soldiers wasnt enough, saving his own brothers life is all the motivation Blake needs. Schofield is greatly hesitant and considers it to be a suicide mission, but Blake wont hear it. Hes determined to reach the Second Battalion by dawn before 1,600 men, and his brother, walk into a trap. In a race against time, the two soldiers embark on a journey that is filled with more than its fair share of danger. While there are a few allies they meet up with along the way, theres plenty of booby-traps, enemy fire and casualties in their path. Together, Schofield and Blake are the only hope in the daunting hopelessness on the horizon. The greatest asset 1917 has in its favor is the action never lets up. The films sense of urgency is both fascinating and heart-pounding. Theres no time for a backstory or subplot: two young men are racing against time and enemy forces for two hours straight. You dont often associate a war film with beauty and aesthetics, but the film has that and then some. One particular scene in which the pitch-black sky is lit up with enemy artillery and gunfire ablaze, while haunting, is also cinematography at its highest achievement. Still, war is war, and 1917 reminds us numerous times how traumatizing and ugly war can be. No one resonates with those emotions of war better than MacKay portraying his Schofield character. The soldiers look of terror is ever-present throughout the entirety of the film, but he also knows he has a job to do with every deep breath he takes. The film is unapologetically intense and in-your-face. There are no intentions of exaggeration, but rather, a focus on the thrilling and harrowing experience that was World War I. Uplifting wouldnt necessarily be a word to describe 1917. Its not a happily-ever-after Disney film, nor is it a team of superheroes saving the world to make everything better. 1917 is the story of two young soldiers, not looking to win the war, but win the day. To live for tomorrow and win the day. What an agonizing, yet gorgeously-crafted, cinematic achievement. Grade: A Blake Kavan works for a technology company in Fremont, NE. In his spare time, he loves to watch and write about movies, primarily of the action and thriller genres. He will contribute reviews for movie enthusiasts to read and enjoy for major motion pictures released. Blake can be reached at blakekavan11@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Switzerland has minted a gold coin so small that a magnifying glass is needed to see each side - one of which shows Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue. State-owned Swissmint said that the 0.12-inches (2.96-millimetre) gold coin is the smallest in the world. It is similar in size to the combined thickness of two pieces of paper. The coin weighs just 1/500th of an ounce (0.063 grams) and has a nominal value of 1/4 Swiss francs (about 20p). Its weight is comparable to that of two grains of rice. You need to use a magnifying glass to see each side of the coin, minted by state-owned Swissmint. One of the sides shows Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue at you The famous image of Einstein sticking out his tongue came on his 72nd birthday on March 14, 1951. United Press photographer Arthur Sasse was trying to persuade him to smile for the camera, but having smiled for photographers many times that day, Einstein stuck out his tongue instead Swissmint said the coin, of which just 999 have been made, will be sold for 199 francs (155) with a special magnifying glass so owners can see the famous physicist on its face. The famous image of Einstein sticking out his tongue was taken on his 72nd birthday on March 14, 1951. United Press photographer Arthur Sasse was trying to persuade him to smile for the camera, but having smiled for photographers many times that day, the scientist stuck out his tongue instead. Swissmint said it wanted to push boundaries with the coin and stretch the limits of technology and achieve something unique. It cited Einstein's determination and patience as reason for its remarkable coin. Einstein lived mainly in Switzerland from 1895 to 1914, where he also completed his studies in 1900, at today's ETH in Zurich. In 1901, he was granted Swiss citizenship and in 1902 he found permanent employment as a technical expert in the Patents Office in Bern. It was in 1905 that he published what is probably the most famous formula in the world: E=mc2. It shows that energy (E) and mass (M) are interchangeable; they are different forms of the same thing. The smallest gold coin in the world comes in specially developed packaging. Neither image on the minted sides can be discerned with the naked eye (pictured, the magnifying glass used to see the coin) The obverse of the smallest coin therefore features the famous image of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue, and the year date 2020. The reverse shows the nominal value of 1/4 franc together with the inscription 'Helvetia' and the Swiss cross, supplemented by the alloy mark 'AU 999.9' and the weight (1/500 ounce). The smallest gold coin in the world comes in specially developed packaging. Neither image on the minted sides can be discerned with the naked eye. It comes with magnifying lenses and light, ensuring that you can examine the smallest gold coin while still keeping it safely stored. Jeff Bezos has tweeted an image of himself attending a memorial to Jamal Khashoggi as a pointed reminder that the journalist was killed by the Saudi state. It will be seen as a direct swipe at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid claims from the United Nations that the Saudi royal hacked his phone as part of an intimidation campaign in the wake of the murder of Khasshogi, who worked for Bezos. The Amazon founder posted a picture which shows him alongside Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz as they placed their hands on a stone memorial outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where the journalist was tortured to death. The picture was taken on October 2, 2019, the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi's death. Bezos included a single-word caption which read: '#Jamal'. Bezos posted the image as two UN rapporteurs called for a US investigation into evidence that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince hacked his phone, as part of a wider 'campaign of intimidation' against critics of Saudi Arabia. Scroll down for video Jeff Bezos has tweeted an image of himself alongside Jamal Khashoggi's fiancee at a memorial to the journalist that was taken on the one-year anniversary of his murder by the Saudi state Khasoggi was working for the Washington Post, which Bezos owns, at the time he was killed and was using his column to criticise Mohammed bin Salman Bezos (left) tweeted the image amid claims that Bin Salman (right) hacked his phone as part of a 'campaign of intimidation' against his critics The tweet followed a day of high drama, where it was claimed that... Mohammed bin Salman sent a corrupt video file from his personal phone to Bezos on May 1, 2018, after they swapped numbers at a Hollywood dinner Bezos's phone then began transmitting data at three hundred times the normal rate, strongly suggesting he was hacked Five months after the hack, the National Inquirer published revelations of Bezos's affair gleaned from data 'obtained' from his phone Saudi officials privately said they were aware of a plan to hack Bezos's phone, but not to blackmail him Screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation revealed what appeared to be a veiled threat sent from MBS to Bezos following the hack Saudi Arabia called claims it was involved in the hack 'absurd' Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said Bezos was targeted as the owner of the Washington Post, the paper that Khashoggi was working for at the time of his death and where he had written columns critical of Bin Salman. The hack happened nine months before the National Enquirer revealed that Bezos was having an affair with Lauren Sanchez, leading to the collapse of his marriage. Bezos has previously accused the Enquirer of blackmailing him by threatening to release nude photos, and suggested that the information was obtained because of links between the magazine's publisher and the Saudi government. David Pecker, the publisher of AMI which owns the National Enquirer, has strenuously denied working with Saudi Arabia to attack Bezos in the past. Gavin de Becker, Bezos's long-time security consultant, said AMI were keen to pin the blame on Michael Sanchez - Lauren's brother - as the source of the leak. 'What was unusual was how hard AMI people worked to publicly reveal their source's identity... they practically pinned a 'kick me' sign on Michael,' he said. Bezos claimed in a blog post last year that AMI then tried to blackmail him with nude photos unless De Becker stated that they had not relied on hacking to get the information. UN experts demanded an immediate investigation by the US and other authorities into the hacking allegations Saudi Arabia has flatly denied that it was behind the hack and that Bin Salman - known as MBS - was directly involved, calling both suggestions 'absurd'. The Saudi embassy in Washington has called for an investigation 'so that we can have all the facts out.' But behind closed doors, Saudi officials told the Wall Street Journal that they were aware of efforts to hack Bezos's phone, but not to blackmail him. According to the Journal, Salman's former senior adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, was also involved in the hacking as part of a broader intimidation campaign against Khashoggi. Forensic analysis of Bezos's phone carried out by firm FTI Consulting concluded with 'medium to high likelihood' that he was hacked after a video file was sent to him via WhatsApp by MBS in May 2018. After the video file was received, the amount of data transferred by Bezos's phone went up three hundred-fold, investigators say. It is not clear exactly what data was taken, nor where it was sent. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of Salman's simultaneous clampdown on dissent. UN special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said on Wednesday that they had reviewed the analysis as part of their investigations, and said it suggests that MBS was directly involved in a hacking attempt. Callamard, the special rapporteur for extra-judicial killings, and Kaye, special rapporteur for free expression, said they believe the hack was carried out 'in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia'. They called for an 'immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities'. They added: 'The allegations reinforce other reporting pointing to a pattern of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents and those of broader strategic importance to the Saudi authorities, including nationals and non-nationals. 'These allegations are relevant as well to ongoing evaluation of claims about the crown prince's involvement in the 2018 murder of Saudi and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The first messages between Bezos, in green, and the Saudi prince were in April after they met at a dinner in Hollywood This is the message that Salman sent Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone In November, he sent this one - a forwarded meme showing a woman with the words 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The cyber firm Bezos hired to look into his phone and whether or not it had been hacked say this suggested bin Salman knew he was getting a divorce - something that was not public at the time. The experts say she 'resembled' Lauren Sanchez A final WhatsApp mesage sent to Bezos by bin Salman within hours of Bezos being told via phone call that Saudi Arabia had launched an online campaign against him. The cyber security experts say the timing of the message was suspicious given Bezos and Salman had not spoken for more than three months and he had just been told over the phone about the campaign UN investigation suggests Israeli spyware may have been used in Saudi hack of Jeff Bezos' phone A report issued by the United Nations suggests that malicious spyware created by Israeli company NSO Group may have been used by Saudi Arabia to hack Jeff Bezos' phone and steal his nude selfies. The report issued on Wednesday by UN Special Rapporteurs suggested that NSO Group's Pegasus spyware was the 'most likely' explanation for data that was stolen from Bezos' phone. A video file that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent Bezos on WhatsApp on May 1, 2018 was identified in the report as the likely source of the malicious code. The report notes that the Saudi Royal Guard acquired the Pegasus-3 spyware from NSO Group in a November 2017 contract. The logo of the Israeli NSO Group company on a building where they had offices in Herzliya, Israel is seen in a file photo. A UN report ties the company to the suspected Saudi hack of Jeff Bezos' phone The firm's wares have been used by governments to target journalists in Mexico, opposition figures in Panama and human rights activists from the Middle East. The U.N. experts said Bezos' phone hacking occurred during a period in which the phones of two close associates of Jamal Khashoggi were also hacked, allegedly using the Pegasus malware. Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi hit squad in October 2018 after writing columns critical of bin Salman in the Washington Post, which Bezos owns. NSO Group said in a statement it was 'shocked and appalled' by the reports linking its software to the Bezos phone hacking. 'If this story is true, then it deserves a full investigation by all bodies providing such services to assure that their systems have not been used in this abuse,' the company said. 'Just as we stated when these stories first surfaced months ago, we can say unequivocally that our technology was not used in this instance,' the company said. In October, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, sued NSO in the U.S. federal court in San Francisco, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of about 1,400 users across four continents. Targets of the alleged hacking spree included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. NSO has denied the allegations, saying it solely 'provides technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime'. Amnesty International will ask an Israeli court on Thursday to order Israel to revoke the export licence of NSO Group, whose software is alleged to have been used by governments to spy on journalists and dissidents. Advertisement 'The alleged hacking of Mr Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities, including investigation of the continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the crown prince in efforts to target perceived opponents.' An FBI investigation into the hack was ongoing. The bureau declined to comment. Earlier on Wednesday, screenshots of the WhatsApp message Salman reportedly sent to Bezos emerged. The January 2019 National Enquirer expose which Bezos' team have suggested was an orchestrated take down by AMI and the Saudi Arabian government Vice Motherboard published the images after obtaining them from the cyber security firm report into Bezos' phone. The firm - FTI Consulting - had been asked to look at the Amazon founder's devices after the Enquirer expose about his relationship with Lauren Sanchez. They discovered the messages from bin Salman including one which they say likely led to a trove of data being taken from his phone. It was sent in May 2018 and showed a Saudi flag and a Swedish flag with Arabic writing across it. They also found a message from bin Salman to Bezos of a photograph of a woman who the firm said resembled Sanchez. He sent it along with the joke: 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The firm noted in its report that this was pertinent because anyone with access to Bezos' phone would have known about his then secret romance with Lauren and looming divorce from his wife. 'Our investigation learned of at least 2 instances in which texts sent to Bezos from MBS' WhatsApp account may reveal awareness of private information that was not known publicly at the time. Sanchez and Bezos in India this week. The pair were in a relationship for months before it was exposed by The National Enquirer in January 2019 along with some of their private messages and photos of Bezos 'The first such text was sent on November 8 2018 and contained a single photograph of a woman resembling Lauren Sanchez, with whom Bezos was having a then-secret personal relationship. 'For context, this was after the relationship would have been obvious to persons with access to private texts, calls, and images on Bezos' phone, but months before the relationship was known or reported publicly. 'The photo and cryptic caption were sent precisely during the period Bezos and his wife were exploring divorce,' the report reads. They also found it suspicious that in February 2019, after more than three months during which the pair did not speak, Bezos received an unsolicited WhatsApp message from the prince within hours of receiving a briefing from someone about an online campaign by Saudi Arabia against him. HOW THE 'HACK' UNFOLDED September 2017: David Pecker, the publisher of AMI, reportedly meets Mohammed bin Salman April 2018: The crown prince attends a dinner in Hollywood hosted by producer Brian Grazer where he meets Jeff Bezos May 1: The video is sent from the prince's phone to Bezos' via WhatsApp October 2018: Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered by Saudi regime November 2018: Bin Salman sends Bezos a text with the photo of the woman resembling Sanchez January 2019: The National Enquirer publishes its expose on Bezos' affair with Lauren Sanchez February 2019: Bezos receives a report that Saudi Arabia has been conducting an online campaign against him. Within hours of getting that phone call, bin Salman - who he has not spoken to for three months - WhatsApped him out of the blue to say there was no attack against him. March 2019: Bezos' private investigator Gavin De Becker says he has proof Saudi Arabia hacked Bezos' phone - Saudi Arabia denies it January 2020: The Guardian reports that the prince's message was the source of the hack. A UN report comes to the same conclusion Advertisement 'The second text that demonstrates an awareness of non-publication information that could have been gained via surveillance of Bezos' phone was sent after more than three months of no communication. 'Bezos was provided a detailed briefing about the extent of the Saudi online campaign against him. The briefing was provided in 2 calls on his phone. 'This text evinces an awareness of what Bezos had just been told.' The message contained a photograph of a woman who closely resembled Sanchez, the Times reports. Along with it, the prince included a joke: It is unclear if Bezos replied. At the time, the National Enquirer had been trailing him and Lauren and were aware of their romance. Bezos' team has suggested in the past that the Saudi government and The Enquirer's publisher, David Pecker, were in cahoots to take him down - a claim both the Saudis and Pecker vehemently deny. After the text with the joke, Salman sent Bezos one more WhatsApp message, according to The New York Times. That text was in February last year and was after Bezos' divorce and affair with Sanchez made global news. It said: 'There is nothing against you or Amazon from me or Saudi Arabia.' Again, it not known if Bezos replied. Saudi Arabia has called the allegations that it hacked the billionaire's phone 'absurd' and 'silly'. American Media Inc, the Enquirer's publisher, has also denied any wrongdoing in its reporting of the Bezos/Sanchez affair. Bezos issued strongly worded statements after the story emerged alleging blackmail by AMI to quash the story. In the end, he and his wife MacKenzie settled their divorce for a record-setting $36billion. His net worth is now an estimated $115.6billion. Bezos and his wife MacKenzie divorced with the world's most expensive settlement - $36billion - after his affair with Sanchez was exposed Billionaires engulfed in cyber hacking sensation: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman swapped numbers at a party. Now they're mired in a scandal involving murder, an adulterous affair, and spying claims, writes TOM LEONARD As a titan of Silicon Valley, Jeff Bezos should probably have known the first rule of internet security never click on anything sent to you by someone you don't know. And yet the Amazon boss thought he knew Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The two 'kings' one the world's richest man and creator of the online retail giant, and the other the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and heir to his family's $100billion fortune had been introduced to each other in April 2018 at a glittering Hollywood dinner. The crown prince was on a charm-offensive tour of America, not only to find possible investors for his desert kingdom but also to clean up his tarnished brand and particularly his controversial track record as his family's merciless 'enforcer'. Pressing the flesh of everyone from Oprah Winfrey to film star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, 'MBS' had received a warm welcome everywhere he went, even getting an invitation to the White House. According to the UN, Mr Bezos received an encrypted video file sent from Mr bin Salman's WhatsApp account during a friendly exchange before spyware took control of his phone. Pictured: A single photograph was later texted to Mr Bezos along with a 'sardonic caption' Amazon founder Mr Bezos, today worth $116billion (87billion) and a man who rarely misses a business opportunity, was interested in opening data centres in Saudi Arabia. The two men swapped phone numbers naturally which led to them striking up a chummy relationship on the online and supposedly encrypted messaging service WhatsApp. But that apparently innocuous encounter, revealed in a jaw-dropping United Nations report yesterday, would have seismic consequences. The crown prince wasn't trying to befriend Mr Bezos, it is alleged. Instead, spyware had apparently been sent from an account of the Saudi heir to the throne to Mr Bezos's phone to steal its secrets. The Saudi government yesterday said it was 'absurd' to suggest it was behind the hacking of Mr Bezos's phone. Its embassy in Washington called for an investigation. The UN, too, has demanded an immediate inquiry into the findings of two independent human rights experts who compiled its report, who call the alleged cyber-spying an 'effort to influence, if not silence' reporting on Saudi Arabia by the Washington Post. The newspaper, which Mr Bezos owns, has been highly critical of Saudi Arabia, chiefly over its coverage of the horrific murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 (the crime at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was reportedly filmed and the victim's body afterwards cut into pieces). Mr Khashoggi, whose slaying was allegedly ordered by Mr bin Salman something he has always denied was a Washington Post columnist who regularly attacked repression in Saudi Arabia. According to the UN, a few weeks after Mr Bezos and MBS met in Los Angeles (several months before Mr Khashoggi's murder), Mr Bezos received and opened an encrypted video file sent from Mr bin Salman's WhatsApp account during a friendly exchange. Investigators now believe the video purportedly an Arabic-language promotional film about telecommunications was anything but helpful. According to the UN report, it was 'later established, with reasonable certainty, that the video's downloader infected Mr Bezos's phone with malicious code'. Within hours, this spyware had taken control of Mr Bezos's phone and reportedly extracted 'massive' amounts of data from it. Some of the information was of a very intimate nature. The image sent to Mr Bezos was of a young woman, apparently a model, who strongly resembled former TV presenter Lauren Sanchez, 49. Pictured: Bezos and Sanchez at the Amazon Prime Video celebration in 2020 Exactly how intimate, says the UN report, was revealed in November 2018 when a single photograph was texted to Mr Bezos apparently from the crown prince's WhatsApp account along with a 'sardonic caption'. The image was of a young woman, apparently a model, who strongly resembled Lauren Sanchez, 49, the busty wife of a friend of Mr Bezos. The sexist photo caption read: 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' Mr Bezos and his wife would then have been discussing their divorce as anyone secretly reading his text messages would have learnt. The photo may have been a crude attempt at blackmail, for Miss Sanchez's significance, evidently known to the sender, wouldn't become general knowledge for two more months. In January 2019 the sensational news broke that, although married for 25 years to MacKenzie Tuttle and the father of four children with her (three biological sons and one adopted daughter), Mr Bezos had been having a torrid affair with Miss Sanchez, a pneumatic former TV presenter and married mother of two. America's gossip tabloid the National Enquirer broke the story, revealing lurid details of how it had reportedly spent four months trailing the couple 'across five states and 40,000 miles, tailing them in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, five-star hotel hideaways, intimate dinner dates and 'quality time' in hidden love nests'. The Enquirer piled on the embarrassment, revealing raunchy text messages and 'erotic' selfie photos that had been exchanged by the lovers. It was all not only personally humiliating for Mr Bezos who almost simultaneously announced he and his wife were getting divorced but also risked devastating his business affairs. Why? Because the couple had been married before he started Amazon from the garage of their rented home in 1994. Under the laws of Washington state (where they lived) all assets of a divorcing couple have to be divided equally and fairly. Analysts warned that Mr Bezos, 56, might even lose control of Amazon if he had to pay too much to his wife. In the event, she took $35billion (26billion) worth of Amazon shares in the divorce settlement, temporarily dethroning Mr Bezos as the world's richest person but not breaking his grip on the retail behemoth. So, his denials notwithstanding, is it possible that Mr bin Salman or his underlings actually put 'spyware' on Mr Bezos's phone, effectively gaining access to all its information, from his text messages to its location? It certainly is. The UN report notes meaningfully that in November 2017 the elite Saudi Royal Guard, which protects the country's monarchy, bought from a controversial Israeli technology firm, NSO Group, sophisticated secret software designed to enable the remote surveillance of smartphones. Analysts say such a decision must have been approved by the crown prince, who has been leading the campaign against political opponents. Within the next few months around the time Mr Bezos's phone was reportedly hacked a string of outspoken critics of the Saudi regime had their phones infected by malicious code via a texted link on WhatsApp, says the UN report. They included human rights activists, Saudi dissidents and even an Amnesty International official. Fiendish mystery at a glance September 2017 - The Bezos-owned Washington Post recruits exiled Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi. A series of columns highly critical of the Saudi regime follow November 2017 - The Saudi Royal Guard buys Pegagus-3 spyware, specifically designed to infect phones through WhatsApp, from secretive Israeli firm NSO April 2018 - At a dinner in Los Angeles, Jeff Bezos and the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, swap phone numbers to communicate through WhatsApp May 2018 - An encrypted video file is sent from the MBS number to Mr Bezos via WhatsApp. Within hours, Mr Bezos' iPhone begins sending out gigabytes of data which it previously had not October 2018 - Mr Khashoggi is murdered by Saudi officials in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. (He is pictured, left, entering the building.) The Washington Post publishes ever-expanding revelations linking the crown prince to the killing. The UN has now concluded that Khashoggi was 'the victim of a deliberate, execution which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible' November 2018 - Unbeknown to the world, Mr Bezos has begun an affair with TV star Lauren Sanchez and is in early divorce negotiations with his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie. A single photo is sent from the MBS number to Bezos, hinting that the crown prince knows of the new relationship. Mrs Bezos' settlement left her with 27billion, making her the third richest woman in the world January 2019 - The National Enquirer, run by a Donald Trump and Saudi ally, make the Bezos/Sanchez relationship public, including intimate details March 2019 - Investigators for Mr Bezos say they are sure Saudi Arabia had access to his phone and leaked the affair story January 2020 - New evidence that a video sent from the MBS number contained spyware Advertisement A common link was that they were in contact with the soon-to-be-murdered journalist Mr Khashoggi. Last year, WhatsApp admitted a major cybersecurity breach had allowed spyware allegedly made by NSO Group to be installed on phones. It said the malicious code could be transmitted even by a voice call that wasn't answered. Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has since sued NSO Group in America. Added to which, this week's UN report also notes that Facebook has confirmed that sending a video file to a WhatsApp user precisely as the Saudis are accused of having sent to Mr Bezos was a method for installing malicious spyware. Appalled that the Enquirer got hold of his text messages and selfie photos, Mr Bezos (who has declined to comment on the UN report) was determined to trace the leak. He brought in an external team of investigators. Speculation initially focused on Miss Sanchez's brother, Michael, who denied selling them to the magazine. But it soon emerged that Mr Bezos was convinced this was about far more than money. In February 2019, he published an article in which he suggested he had been targeted because of the political coverage of the Washington Post, becoming an enemy of Saudi Arabia chiefly over its coverage of the murder of Mr Khashoggi. Mr Bezos, who attended a memorial service for the journalist outside the consulate in Turkey where he was killed, became a target for endless online criticism from Saudi trolls who also called for a boycott of Amazon. Mr Bezos's security chief, Gavin de Becker, later directly accused the government in Riyadh of hacking the Amazon chief's phone. 'Our investigators and several experts concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos' phone and gained private information,' wrote Mr de Becker. However, he was vague about details. Where did this all fit in with the National Enquirer? Mr Bezos has claimed that the Enquirer's owner, David Pecker, has strong ties to Mr bin Salman, having reportedly met the crown prince in Saudi Arabia in 2017. When MBS flew to America the following year, Mr Pecker's company obligingly published a glossy magazine, The New Kingdom, promoting the future Saudi king on the front page as a great leader who would transform the world. (Pecker is also close to Donald Trump, who loathes Mr Bezos due to the Washington Post's attacks on his presidency. The US Justice Department has accused Mr Pecker of helping the Trump campaign 'kill' damaging stories about the President's alleged extramarital affairs by paying to silence the accusers and never publishing their stories.) In his online article from February 2019, Mr Bezos accused the Enquirer and its owner of 'extortion and blackmail', claiming the company had threatened to publish graphic photos of him including what he memorably called a 'below-the-belt selfie' if he didn't affirm publicly that political considerations had nothing to do with its reporting of his affair. For its part, the Enquirer insists that Miss Sanchez's brother Michael had been its source for stories about Mr Bezos's affair. (Michael Sanchez has admitted he helped the tabloid but also insists that it had seen private text exchanges between Mr Bezos and Miss Sanchez's sister before he became involved.) A spokesman for American Media, which owns the Enquirer, said it 'does not have, nor have we ever had, any editorial or financial ties to Saudi Arabia'. The company has previously insisted that the source for its expose on Mr Bezos's affair was 'not Saudi Arabia'. The UN report makes clear that Mr Bezos was hardly the only victim of Saudi cyber-hacking, which one US senator has described as a 'growing trend'. Jared Kushner, Mr Trump's son-in-law and a key White House foreign policy aide, reportedly chats regularly with Mr bin Salman on WhatsApp, prompting speculation that his phone might also have been hacked, if these allegations are true. The new bombshell claims present a conundrum for President Trump and Mr Kushner, who both have close ties to the crown prince even though US intelligence says with 'medium-to-high' certainty that he ordered Mr Khashoggi's murder. It would be astonishing if the heir to the ruling dynasty of one of the Middle East's most powerful countries personally tried to twist the arm of the world's richest man over unflattering coverage in his newspaper. However, Saudi experts alleged yesterday that is precisely how the kingdom's leaders do things personally. Saudi denials notwithstanding, the move has backfired spectacularly. MBS already faced intense criticism over his backing for a devastating civil war in Yemen, the alleged torture of rich Saudis in a Riyadh hotel and the supposed kidnapping of the Lebanese prime minister during a visit to Saudi Arabia. That ugly charge sheet now includes calls for an investigation into his possible involvement in the rather more mundane alleged offence of phone hacking albeit of one of the world's richest men. OPEC Brazil will discuss possible cooperation with OPEC during a meeting with Saudi Arabia authorities later this year, the country's energy minister Bento Albuquerque said on Thursday. Brazil became a net exporter of oil in 2019. It aims to become one of the top five exporters of oil in 10 years, Albuquerque said in a speech at an industry event in Delhi. IMAGE: Medical staff is seen by a window at the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters An Indian nurse working at a hospital in Saudi Arabia tested positive for the novel coronavirus when she and nearly 100 of her Indian colleagues, mostly from Kerala, were screened, the government said on Thursday. The affected nurse is being treated at the Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said. In a tweet, he said, 'Update from @CGIJeddah : About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well.' Muraleedharan said he had earlier spoken to the Indian Consulate in Jeddah on the Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, due to the coronavirus threat. 'They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign Ministry. Have asked our Consulate to provide all possible support,' he said. The Indian embassy in Jeddah clarified in a tweet that the nurse found positive for coronavirus was suffering for MERS-CoV and not 2019-NCoV (Wuhan). 'Dr Tarik Al Azraqi, Chairman, Scientific Regional Infection Control Committee, Aseer Region, has confirmed that d Indian Nurse being treated at Aseer National Hospital is suffering from MERS-CoV & not 2019-NCoV (Wuhan). We request everyone to refrain from sharing incorrect info,' it said in the tweet. The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, while the 2019 Wuhan coronavirus is a novel one, meaning a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to take urgent steps in ensuring expert treatment and protection to those affected from the virus. There were media reports that the affected nurse was from Ettumannur in Kerala's Kottayam district. Kerala Health Minister K K Shyalaja said those who have returned from China should inform district medical officers and instructed officials to step up surveillance in all four airports-- Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur--in the state. The coronavirus has infected over 630 people and left 17 others dead in China, where authorities have locked down five cities, including Wuhan, and suspended all public transport in an unprecedented move to contain its spread. The Union health ministry has said 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for novel coronavirus infection till January 22 but no positive case has been detected in the country so far. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan is reviewing the evolving scenario and the preparedness status. She has asked states and union territories to review hospital preparedness in terms of isolation and ventilator management of critically ill patients, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance and laboratory support, an official statement said. Thermal screening is being done at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin. The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India. A travel advisory was issued on January 17 and put up on the ministry's website and also on the Twitter handle for wider circulation. 'Port and airport health organisations have been sensitised and thermal screening has been initiated at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin airports,' the statement said. China seals 5 cities; Hotlines set up for Indians Meanwhile, China on Thursday locked down five cities, including Wuhan, suspending all public transport in an unprecedented move to contain the coronavirus that has infected over 630 people and left 17 others dead, dampening the celebrations of the Lunar New Year. The Indian Embassy in Beijing has set up hotlines for assistance of people from the country. Chinese officials assured all assistance, including food supply, to the Indians who stayed put in the Hubei province, the Indian Embassy in Beijing said in a press release on Thursday. On Thursday evening, Chinese officials announced suspension of public transport in five cities - Huanggang, Ezhou, Zhijiang, Qianjiang and Wuhan in Hubei province, official media reported. Wuhan, the city of 11 million people where the virus is believed to have first emerged, has no trains or planes in or out. Nationwide, a total of 17 people have died, all of them in and around Wuhan. The victims' average age was 73, with the oldest 89 and the youngest 48. So far 631 cases have been confirmed in 25 provincial-level regions in the country. "The Embassy of India has been receiving queries from Indians in Hubei province as well as their relatives in India in connection with the evolving situation of coronavirus infection in China," the embassy press release said. The embassy is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan as well as Indians in Hubei Province, especially in Wuhan, it said. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including the advisories issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO)," the embassy said. According to the embassy, Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply. 'At present, it is reported that supermarkets (particularly those that are government-run) and e-commerce services, including food delivery, continue to remain operational in Wuhan,' it said. The embassy has started two hotlines for those who wish to get in touch with the Mission in this regard in the following phone numbers: +8618612083629 and +8618612083617. 'All are advised to also keep track of the embassy's social media accounts (Twitter:@EoIBeijing; Facebook: India in China) for updates on this evolving situation,' the release said. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE:XMG)(FKT:1MG)(OTCQB:MGXMF) reports at a meeting of the directors of MGX on October 7, 2019, two of the Company's directors, Lyndon Patrick and Michael Reimann, put forward a motion to remove Jared Lazerson as the Company's President, CEO and signing authority. Messrs. Patrick and Reimann voted in favour of the motion. The Company's other two directors, Andris Kikauka and Mr. Lazerson voted against the motion. Mr. Lazerson also exercised a casting vote against the motion, as authorized by the Company's articles. The motion was declared defeated. Following the October 7, 2019 board meeting, Mr. Reimann issued news releases suggesting that Mr. Lazerson had been removed as the Company's President, CEO, and signing authority. Messrs. Patrick and Reimann took the position that Mr. Lazerson was prohibited under the Company's articles and the "disclosable interest" provisions of the British Columbia Business Corporations Act from voting on the motion to remove him as President, CEO, and signing authority. On December 5, 2019, Messrs. Patrick and Reimann filed a Petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia seeking, among other things, a declaration that the motion of October 7, 2019 to remove Mr. Lazerson as the President, CEO and signing authority of MGX had been duly passed. Lawyers representing MGX, Mr. Lazerson, and Messrs. Patrick and Reimann appeared in court on January 17, 2020 to argue whether Mr. Lazerson was entitled to vote on the October 7, 2019 motion, and by extension, whether Mr. Lazerson is still the President, CEO, and signing authority of MGX. Madam Justice Fitzpatrick of the Supreme Court of British Columbia delivered her decision on January 17, 2020 at the conclusion of the legal arguments. The Court ruled that Mr. Lazerson was not prohibited by the Company's articles or the Business Corporations Act from voting on the October 7, 2019 motion. The Court also ruled that Messrs. Patrick and Reimann must pay legal costs to both MGX and Mr. Lazerson. The Court decision of January 17, 2020 confirms that Mr. Lazerson is, and at all times since October 7, 2019 has been, the Company's President, CEO, and signing authority. The remaining aspects of the Petition filed by Messrs. Patrick and Reimann were adjourned generally. MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource and technology company with interests in global advanced material, energy and water assets. Contact Information Jared Lazerson President and CEO Telephone: 1.604.681.7735 Web: www.mgxminerals.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 release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: MGX Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573938/MGX-Minerals-Announces-Supreme-Court-of-British-Columbia-Confirms-Jared-Lazerson-is-the-President-and-CEO-of-MGX-Minerals-Inc MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on Wednesday directed the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) to hear afresh an appeal filed by filmmaker Ritu Ruhil, challenging the Central Board of Film Certifications (CBFC) order directing her to produce a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Haryana government for granting censor certification for her documentary film, Cheer Haran.The documentary film allegedly depicts true events that took place during the Jat agitation of February 2016 over Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation, and during which 31 youth lost their lives. A division bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and RI Chagla remanded Ruhils appeal for a fresh hearing after advocate Advait Sethna, representing CBFC, said FCAT had agreed to consider the appeal on its merits, although it was filed beyond the statutory limit of 60 days. The documentary, which received accolades from viewers in United Kingdom and the United States of America, has not been released in India. The film is a depiction of true events from a human point of view, said her petition filed through advocate Ankita Singhania. It states that the film is based on research and hundreds of interviews of family members of victims, government officials, political leaders, representatives of social organisations, sociologists, etc. Ruhil had in December 2017 applied for a censor certification for public exhibition of the film in India. A fortnight later, CBFC informed her that the film was viewed by the examining committee, which found it fit for unrestricted public exhibition, but with certain cuts. The committee also asked her to obtain an NOC from the Haryana government, as a precondition for granting the UA certification. Ruhil made the necessary cuts and approached the CBFC review committee and while the matter was pending, she tried to seek an NOC from Haryana government, but failed to obtain one. Eventually, on April 5, 2018, CBFC informed her that the plea had been rejected, compelling her to approach FCAT. FCAT accepted her contention and deprecated the practice of asking filmmakers to obtain NOCs, and observed that the imposition of the condition was not tenable in law. It, however, refused to entertain Ruhils appeal on the ground that it was filed beyond the statutory limitation of 60 days. Ruhil then moved the HC. File image Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that bringing in resolutions against the CAA is more of a "political gesture" by the states as they hardly have any role in granting citizenships. In an interview to PTI, the lawmaker said that in the implementation of the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed nationwide NRC, the states will have a vital part as it will be their officials who will conduct the exercise because the Centre doesn't have the required manpower. "That's more of a political gesture. The citizenship is given by the federal government only and obviously no states can give citizenship, so it has nothing for them to implement or not implement," Tharoor said. "They (the states) can pass a resolution or go to the court but in practice what can they do? The state governments can't say they won't implement CAA, what they can say is they will not implement NPR-NRC as they will have a crucial role in it," he added. Tharoor's party colleague Kapil Sibal raised a storm last week by saying there is no way a state can deny the implementation of the CAA when it has already been passed by Parliament. Later, he termed it "unconstitutional" and clarified there was no change in his stance. Punjab, where the Congress is in power, passed a resolution against the CAA last week. It also supported a similar move by the Left government in Kerala. In West Bengal as well, Tharoor's party has been demanding an anti-CAA resolution, which will be brought in by Mamata Banerjee's government on January 27. The Congress has hinted that it may pass similar resolutions in other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh where it is in power. Maintaining that the Supreme Court not directing a stay on the Citizenship Amendment Act has "not at all diluted" the protests against it, Tharoor welcomed the top court's decision to set up a five-judge constitution bench. "This Act by naming religions in relation to citizenship has violated the Constitution... But at least the five-judge constitution bench will hear all the arguments and look into the merits of it. That's the only way we can resolve the fundamental disagreement," he said. "There are only two ways this law can be struck down -- one, if the Supreme court declares it unconstitutional and strikes it down and second, if the government itself revokes it. Now, the second option is not viable as the BJP would never accept its mistakes," said the Thiruvananthapuram MP who was in the city to take part in the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. He said the protests are largely spontaneous and if the government makes it clear that no religion is being targeted then many would lose their reason for protesting. However, the diplomat-turned-politician said the government needs to do much more than just removing the religion clause in the CAA. "It needs to say we will not ask questions about place of birth and citizenship and will not prepare the NRC," he said. On the country's opposition, Tharoor said their unity has never been easy in Indian politics as many parties may have a similar stand at the Centre but may differ in the states. "In my opinion, it would be simply better to present a united front to the nation rather than a divided front," he said, asserting that no one should feel threatened by the Congress. Asked about the Gandhi family and the role of the present leadership in reviving the party, Tharoor said Congress is more than a family, and it is not only a major mass movement but also a set of coherent ideas. "Yes, when we ask people to vote for Congress, some vote for the family, some vote for individuals, but above all they vote for a certain set of principles and convictions," he said. Tharoor said the Congress stands for inclusiveness and is the only viable and reliable alternative to the "divisive politics" of the BJP. "We have just lost the national elections. We have a four-and-quarter year to go before we can prove our qualities on the national stage. In the meantime, there are state elections... So there will be a constant opportunity for referendum against the BJP's non-performance," he said. Dowling recovering at home after long hospital stay State Rep. Matthew Dowling has returned home after suffering a one-vehicle crash in October. Dowling represents parts of Somerset County. More than a million registered voters in the Seattle area can now cast a ballot for an obscure election using a smartphone or computer. Organizers are calling the pilot program the largest mobile voting effort in the country. Julie Wise, the director of elections in King County, said the election would be a key step in moving toward electronic access for voters across the region, in a statement released on Wednesday from Tusk Philanthropies, the nonprofit partnering with the countys board of elections. The vote in King County, Wash., which includes Seattle, will fill an open spot on the board of the King Conservation District, an agency that manages natural resources. Beginning this week, eligible voters will be able to use a smartphone or computer to log into a portal created by Democracy Live, a Seattle-based company that receives government funding. Theres no special app, theres no electronic storage of votes. Instead a voters choice is recorded onto a PDF, which they then verify before submission, Ms. Wise said in an email on Thursday. [January 23, 2020] Noblegen joins Canadian Government's delegation at Cleantech Forum in San Francisco PETERBOROUGH, Ontario, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Noblegen Inc. (Noblegen"), is excited to announce that they have been selected as part of the Canadian Governments delegation invited to the 2020 Cleantech Forum in San Francisco January 27-29, 2020. Noblegen is a cleantech nutritional ingredient company that produces plant-based ingredients using the sustainable microorganism Euglena gracilis as their source. The company recently announced the launch of their ingredient brand EuniteTM and their first consumer facing product, the egg., a plant-based whole egg powder that features their Protein-Rich Euglena Flour. Protein-Rich Euglena Flour is a complete source of vegan protein that has the ability to be used in many exciting food applications including, egg analogues, meat analogues, protein bars, protein powders and beverages, and any other protein fortified food product. Noblegens ingredients and the egg. are both currently available in the USA. The Cleantech Forum hosts global investors, innovators, corporates and change makers looking for answers to the biggest question: who will lead the transformation were all waiting for? This year, the theme of the Forum is, Welcome to the Chaos of the 2020s: Urgent Actions, Unusual Strategies, Unexpected Allies. Noblegen is honoured to join the Canadian delegation representing cleantech companies across Canada at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, said Adam Noble, CEO and Founder of Noblegen, So many Canadian cleantech companies are working incredibly hard towards finding solutions for some of the worlds greatest problems, and we are proud to be part of the group chosen to represent them. The Cleantech Forum provides an invaluable opportunity to meet and collaborate with like-minded people and companies. Noblegen is looking for investors and innovaors to join them in their mission to sustainably feed the world in a better way. The company is actively seeking investors for a Series C capital raise to support the commercialization of new products including a protein concentrate, a unique hydrocolloid derived from beta-glucan, a protein isolate, and various functional and nutritional oils. The funds will also serve to accelerate the development of advanced non-animal product applications with our unique ingredients. If youll be in San Francisco and youre interested in a meeting with Noblegens team, please reach out to our investment team at https://www.noblegen.com/contact About Noblegen Noblegen is an advanced nutritional ingredients company that makes unique protein, carbohydrate, and oil ingredients from a single microorganism called Euglena gracilis. Noblegen, founded in 2013, is dedicated to increasing global accessibility of sustainably produced, healthy ingredients. The company currently employs over 80 people at its Peterborough, Ontario location. To request a sample of our Protein-Rich Euglena Flour or Euglena Beta-Glucan Isolate visit www.noblegen.com/contact . About EuniteTM EuniteTM (pronounced you-nite), established in 2019, is the food and ingredient brand for Noblegen. All of Noblegens ingredients and food products will fall under the EuniteTM brand. EuniteTM is an idea. It is a movement. It is a chance to change the way we think about food. EuniteTM gives the consumer an opportunity to push back against the traditional food industry as we know it today. Were euniting people that want to take a stand and make a difference. Join the movement. EuniteTM the people. EuniteTM the planet. EuniteTM with us. www.eunitefoods.com Associative Links: www.noblegen.com www.eunitefoods.com www.twitter.com/noblegeninc www.twitter.com/EuniteFoods Contact: Bryan Reid [email protected] Communications Coordinator Noblegen Inc. 705-748-1108 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 12:29 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060a7c9a 1 National Wardah,Cosmetics,feminism,LGBT Free Halal makeup producer Wardah Cosmetics has issued a statement denying its involvement in an anti-feminist and anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event. Wardah's logo was used on a poster of an event held by Majelis Umat Rabbani Nur Islam [MURNI] at the Al-Mukhlishin Mosque with the theme 'The Danger of Feminism and LGBT'. "We as the producers of Wardah want to convey that the use of Wardah's logo on the poster was done without our consent and we knew nothing about it," Wardah said in a statement to the The Jakarta Post on Wednesday night. Earlier on Wednesday, MURNI, a religious organization that holds talks on various topics, uploaded a poster displaying Wardah's logo on its Instagram account. The poster was taken down around noon, but it had attracted enough attention that a number of feminist and pro-LGBT rights activists conveyed their disapproval of Wardah, with some even threatening to boycott the company. A few hours after the poster on MURNI's Instagram account was taken down, the Instagram account of the Al-Mukhlishin Mosque, where the event was supposed to take place, posted a different poster of what seems to be the same event. The poster did not have Wardah's logo and the event was now titled "Feminism and LGBT from the View of Islam." Topics : Wardah Cosmetics feminism LGBT As Australia continues to be devastated by deadly wildfires, residents are being warned by experts of a new danger: increased funnel-web spider activity. Daniel Rumsey, spokesman of the Australian Reptile Park, explained in a recent Facebook video that the current conditions of the country, caused by drought and fires, encourage funnel-web spider breeding. Funnel- web spiders potentially are the most dangerous spiders on the planet in terms of a bite towards a human, so we have to treat it very seriously, Rumsey added in the video. The Australian Reptile Park has a long history working with the deadly spiders, Rumsey said, adding that the park has developed an anti-venom for those bit by female spiders. RELATED: Coronavirus Outbreak May Have Originated in Snakes, New Research Finds However, the park hasnt yet developed an anti-venom for bites from male spiders. Rumsey encouraged adults to, if they can, safely capture funnel-web spiders and bring them to the reptile park. Both male and female funnel-web spiders are often all black or all brown and grow to 1 cm 5 cm in body length, according to the Australian Museum, but females are often a bit bulkier than their male counterparts. Funnel-web spiders are very dangerous, but they are quite easy to catch, Rumsey explained. Because they are ground-dwelling spider, they cant climb smooth surfaces like plastic or glass, so youll need some tools. Rumsey recommended keeping your hand about 20 centimeters from a funnel-web spider at all times, and to use a steel spoon to push the spider into a glass jar or plastic container. RELATED VIDEO: Aircraft Drops Food on Bushfire Ravaged Australia for Starving Animals In addition to the Australian Reptile Park, there are many drop-off centers in Australia that are also accepting captured funnel-web spiders, according to Rumsey. If somebody is bitten by a funnel-web spider, Rumsey said that the treatment is the same one used for front-venomous snake bites. Story continues RELATED: Scientists Fear Platypuses Could Go Extinct Due Droughts in Australia, Study Finds Its pressure immobilization treatment. You immobilize the limb, you apply a bandage and of course you seek immediate medical attention, Rumsey said. He also noted that there has not been a death from a funnel-web spider bite since the early 1990s. A new bill to legalize recreational cannabis in New Mexico was officially filed last week, just after Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham included the issue in her 2020 legislative agenda. This is the big one, kidsthe one we've all been waiting for. Unlike the many previous attempts, this legalization bill has legs, and it means to walk across the finish line. Under identical bills House Bill 160 and Senate Bill 115, both titled Cannabis Regulation Act, private citizens over 21 will be able to possess and purchase cannabis from licensed retailers. If it passes, growing cannabis at home will not be permitted, but it will be decriminalized possessing up to three plants and six seedlings will be punishable by a $50 fine. The bills also include provisions made to appease the medical community. One would end the gross sales tax on medical cannabis. Another would establish the medical cannabis subsidy program, that would provide medical cannabis products or subsidies to qualified low-income patients. The state's Department of Health would be expected to monitor statistical information regarding abuse statistics, child use, road safety, work safety, hospitalizations and other points of public health interest as it becomes available. The Secretary of Health will also be required to appoint a public health and safety advisory committee composed of professionals with expertise related to cannabis through work, training or research in public health,epidemiology, medicine, medical toxicology, poison control,road safety, occupational safety, environmental safety and emergency medicine. An excise tax of nine percent would be placed on all recreational sales, if the bills are passed. Cities and municipalities will also be given the option of adding their own local taxes (not to exceed four percent) on top of that. The bills address equity, guaranteeing that all prior marijuana possession convictions are expunged and providing for microbusiness licenses (for producers with less than 99 plants at a time) to encourage participation from smaller businesses. The bills also cover areas such as advertising, labeling, public consumption, public safety and cannabis production education licensing. The governor is making legalization a priority this legislative session. According to a press release, Lujan Grisham officially announced her support for HB 160, which she said was based on a report by her Cannabis Legalization Working Group. The Legislature has the opportunity to pass the largest job-creation program in New Mexico in a decade, Lujan Grisham said. Skeptics have been right to preach study and patience. I agree with their cautionand thats why we havent rushed into this issue. But if we are clear-eyed about the risks, we have to be clear-eyed about the opportunity. But according to the Albuquerque Journal, the bills face trouble that could keep them from becoming law. In particular, it's unclear if it has support from Senate Republicans. Last year, a similar bill stalled in the Senate after narrowly passing in the House. It should also be noted that the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commercean influential business group that has heavy insider pullopposed legalization last year. It's yet to be seen which side it will take this time around. So while we're looking at the best possible chance this state has ever had to legalize cannabis, we might not want to get our hopes up. Of course, three-quarters of New Mexicans do support legalization, and if we get screwed again, we might start seeing our current leaders being kicked to the curb come voting time. Las Cruces Mayor Opposes Legalization And right on cue, the peanut gallery pipes in. Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima told Las Cruces Sun reporters that legalizing cannabis would be the most irresponsible move he's ever seen in his time in government. During a Las Cruces City Council work session last week, he voiced his opposition after Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis gave a presentation on proposed legalization policies. I'm not supportive of this, Miyagishima said to those gathered. It took me a long time to support CBD. And I finally relented on the medical marijuana. The rest of the council reportedly showed support for cannabis legalization legislation, however. This brings us back to an earlier point about leaders whose convictions don't line up with those of their constituents. Get with the times or fall behind, Miyagishima! DOH Takes Comments Last week, the New Mexico Department of Health held a public hearing covering some proposed changes to the state's Medical Cannabis Program. According to NM Political Report, most of the public comments dealt with testing standards. Some patients were concerned that these standards are too stringent and could lead to higher-priced products. Producers at the meeting reportedly confirmed that the new standards would make testing more expensive. Some also criticized public consumption rules. Under the new law, public consumption areas are allowed, but they must be owned and operated by a licensed producer, and users have to have a safe ride home. Some argued that the opportunity to operate a cannabis consumption area shouldn't be limited to producers. Questions about liability were raised in the hypothetical case of a person who decides to drive themselves home after consuming cannabis at one of these places. Medical Cannabis Program Director Dominick Zurlo said he expects the DOH will finalize this rule in February. The U.S. is the fifth nation to report seeing the illness, joining China, Thailand, Japan and South Korea, AP reports. Wuhan, where a travel ban recently went into effect, is more than 500 miles east of Chongqing, where the Zurek family is hunkering down. But Zurek said hes worried about the return trip home, which is still weeks out on Feb. 18. The concern is as Im coming back. The plane is probably the worst place you want to be to catch something. A virus, a cold, he said. Lets just see how it pans out. Hopefully, theyll have it contained in one area. Zurek said he and his wife heard little about the virus prior to their arrival in Chongqing. On Wednesday, thats when we started noticing people wearing masks, he said. Now, every time I turn around, Im seeing people with masks on. I was thinking, OK, this is pretty strange.'" Zurek said his wife translated warning signs posted by the Chinese government in public areas. The signs urge people with flu-like symptoms to wear masks, seek medical care and rest at home for two weeks. Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity, Thrivent Financial, and local Christian churches will celebrate the completion of an affordable home in Rapid City. The public is invited to the celebration at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at 1320 Wood Ave., in Rapid City. This celebration is the culmination of the ongoing partnership between Habitat and Thrivent, as well as local churches and volunteers. Nicole McNaught is the new homeowner, who said owning a house was a goal that's now been accomplished. McNaught's home is the 18th home Thrivent Financial has helped fund, since first partnering with Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity in 2003. Our partnership with the Thrivent team has been one of our strongest and has allowed us to serve families at a faster rate than we could otherwise, said Scott Engmann, executive director of Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity. Thrivent giving back through Habitat is a direct investment of their profits, creating a more sustainable Black Hills area, which will be felt for generations to come. Thrivent committed more than $12 million nationwide to the 2019 partnership with Habitat. In addition, Thrivent and its members have contributed more than $252 million and more than 5.5 million volunteer hours to Habitat. For more information about the Habitat and Thrivent partnership, go to Thrivent.com/Habitat. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The AAP government on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that unauthorised colonies in forest areas are prohibited from regularisation under the Centre's October 2019 notification to regularise illegal settlements in the city. In an affidavit placed before a bench of justices G S Sistani and A J Bhambhani, the Delhi government said the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Regulations, 2019, clearly states that no rights shall be recognised over land in reserved or notified forests. The Delhi government, represented by its additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose, also said that even under the Urban Development Ministry's Revised Guidelines of 2007 for regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi, settlements which in part or entirely fell in notified or reserved forests were not to be considered for the relief. "It is therefore submitted that the regulations themselves incorporate a bar on conferment or recognition of any right on any land or part of it which form part of any form of forest or protected/reserved area," it said. The affidavit was filed in response to the court's query on December 23 to the Delhi government whether it was going to regularise encroachments on forest lands in the national capital. The bench had raised the query after it was told by the amicus curiae, senior advocate Kailash Vasudev, that while regularising over 1,700 unauthorised colonies in the national capital, those in forest areas might also be regularised. In its affidavit, the Delhi government further said there are currently 170 unauthorised colonies which in part or completely fall in different forest area categories, including wildlife sanctuary, notified reserve forests, morphological ridge, deemed forests and unclassified forests. Deemed forests are those with 250 trees per hectare land and unclassified forests are any patch of land which is shown as forest in any government record, the affidavit said. It also said the Delhi government's Forest and Wildlife department has already identified forests or forest land on 174 maps and the Revenue department was in the process of demarcation of forest-revenue boundary. The affidavit was filed in a PIL initiated by the court in 2015 on the issue of poor air quality in Delhi. The matter is listed for hearing next on January 31. The high court had earlier noted that this matter was pending since February 9, 2015, and detailed orders have been passed from time-to-time for taking steps to curb air pollution in Delhi. However, if the measures suggested from time-to-time had been seriously implemented, pollution levels in Delhi would not have been as alarming as they are now, the bench had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu proposed to set up a NATO working group to make Russias S-400 air defense system compatible with NATO. "The claim is that the S400 and F-35s are incompatible. Thats the claim. Here is our proposal, lets have a working group and NATO can chair this and lets let experts make the assessment and come back to us," he said during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. "We believe the S400 and F-35 are compatible," Reuters cited Cavusoglu as saying. "It does not pose any threats to the NATO system or to NATO allies," he added. Military observer of the TASS news agency Viktor Litovkin, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, said that it's not that hard to make S-400 compatible with NATO. He cited Greece as an example of successful integration, which is a member of the alliance armed with the Soviet and Russian systems Igla, Buk, Tor, and S-300. "This is Russia-made weapon, but there were no problems with making it compatible with NATO. When we talk about the Turkish S-400, its just a factor of competition. The Americans said that the S-400 is incompatible with NATO systems because that they didnt want to allow Russian military equipment to enter the NATO market," he stressed. He noted that Cavusoglu's statement is not aimed at actually creating a mechanism for making Russian systems compatible with NATO, but is part of the recent political game between Ankara and Washington. Boko Haram has killed a student of the University of Maiduguri who was recently abducted while returning to school, according to a loc... Boko Haram has killed a student of the University of Maiduguri who was recently abducted while returning to school, according to a local official on Wednesday. The execution of the student identified as Daciya Dalep, from Nigerias central Plateau State, took place on Tuesday, said Yusuf Gagdi, a federal lawmaker representing that part of the country at the national parliament. Gagdi said the student was kidnapped on January 9, on his way to school two weeks ago, by Boko Haram. In the video distributed by ISIS, the student was executed in a gruesome manner by an eight-year-old boy. The video was released just after the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chairman in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Rev Lawan Andimi was executed by another faction of Boko Haram. In the horrific footage shared, the boy was heard saying "We won't stop until we take revenge for all the blood that was spilled". This is a photo grab from the video circulated by ISIS on the execution of Dalep His killing was inhuman, said the lawmaker who confirmed that Boko Haram had released the video where Dalep was gruesomely executed on Tuesday. I am devastated by the excruciating loss of this promising young man, and more pathetically, in a gruesome manner, one could not wish for his arch-enemy, Gagdi said. The students execution by Boko Haram has, once again, brought to fore the nightmarish experience of people living in the insurgency ravaged northeastern part of Nigeria, he said, calling on governments at all levels to redouble efforts at ending Boko Harams militancy and other security threats in other parts of the country. It is most despicable that despite the resources sunk in fighting the insurgency, the nefarious activities of the insurgents fester, and more precious lives continue to perish in a wanton manner, he noted. Commenting on the video, Rita Katz who is the Director of SITE Intelligence Group which is an organisation which tracks the activities of jihadist groups, said it is not just another piece to ISIS honed-in targeting of Christians of recent years, but also a throwback to its older propaganda from Iraq and Syria of brainwashed children carrying grisly executions. See her tweets below; Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday paid homage to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary and described him as a brilliant intellect of his time who never compromised with his ideals. The Shiv Sena in November broke its decades old alliance with the BJP and formed a government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and the Congress. "Remembering Balasaheb Thackeray Ji on his Jayanti. Balasaheb Ji was a brilliant intellect of his time, always mesmerised the masses with his oratory skills. He always stood firm and never compromised with his ideals, Balasaheb Ji's life and his values will continue to inspire us," Shah tweeted. Thackeray was born in 1926 in Pune and passed away in 2012 in Mumbai. The Union home minister also paid tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "I offer my heartfelt tributes to legendary Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on his Birth anniversary. Netaji founded Azad Hind Fauj and dedicated his entire life for India's freedom. His passion and devotion towards the motherland will always be a source of inspiration for all," he said in another tweet. Bose was born in 1897 in Cuttack in Odisha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Burma UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar Urges China, Russia to Join Calls for Accountability on Rohingya UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee meets Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah in Kutupalang, Cox's Bazar. / Supplied DHAKAThe UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar on Thursday repeated her criticism of China and Russia over their stance on the Rohingya issue and called on both countries to visit Coxs Bazar in order to understand why the refugees fled Myanmar, and to seek justice for them. Yanghee Lee, who was visiting Dhaka as part of her final mission to the region as special rapporteur, said Naypyitaws decision to deny her entry was Myanmars loss, and expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for allowing her to visit numerous times since the latest Rohingya crisis erupted in August 2017. The UN Special Rapporteur was addressing a press conference at a hotel in Dhaka before carrying out her final mission ahead of her report to the UN Human Rights Council, which she is due to deliver in March, when her tenure ends. Its shameful for those states [China and Russia] to not do anythingplease come and look at Coxs Bazar. Thats not fabricated. Thats not fake news, she told reporters in reply to a question over the two countries stance on the crisis. Pointing to China, she added, Especially China, which is attempting to become one of the top global leaders; it cannot be a global leader without respecting human rights. [To respect] human rights, you have to seek justice and accountability. Unlike some Western nations, China and Russia have not condemned the Myanmar military operations in Rakhine State that caused more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, and have supported Myanmar in international forums over the issue. She also expressed disappointment in Myanmars refusal to allow her to return to the country, attributing it to the fact that Naypyitaw did not want to know the truth about the Rohingya issue. Lee said not allowing her to visit was a loss for Myanmar, rather than for herself. Since being denied entry by the Myanmar government, Lee has visited Thailand and Bangladesh to speak to interlocutors and receive information about the situation in Myanmar from both sides of the border. She also suggested forming an international ad-hoc tribunal on the Rohingya issue, whose work she said could complement ongoing efforts to achieve accountability and justice. She said that while there had been some significant achievements in the past two years on that front, More needs to be done. During her visits to Rohingya refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, she said, she had found a deep desire among Rohingyas to return to their places of origin in Rakhine State. During her latest visit to Coxs Bazar, she met Mohib Ullah, a leader of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, among other prominent Rohingya figures, at Kutupalang refugee camp in Coxs Bazar on Jan. 21 for half an hour. On the same day, another Rohingya leader, Abdur Rohim, told the media that at the meeting they had discussed issues including food supplies and repatriation to Myanmar. The previous day, Lee visited Rohingya camps located on the zero-line on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border at Tamru in Bandarban district. She said her mission and the end of her tenure come at a critical time for human rights in Myanmar, adding that she would continue to strive to do her utmost to improve the situation. Lee has held the mandate of Special Rapporteur since 2014. She enjoyed biannual visits to Myanmar until she was denied entry in December 2017, according to a statement released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. TBILISI -- Georgia's government has released a letter written by four U.S. Congressmen expressing concerns over the government's failure to deliver on promises of democratic reforms and a police crackdown on protesters over the issue. Congressmen Adam Kinzinger, Gerald Connoly, Eliot Engel, and Michael McCaul, also wrote in the letter dated January 21 and made public the next day that they are "alarmed by politicization of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project." The U.S. congressmen said it was "unacceptable" that with parliamentary elections approaching later this year, the ruling Georgian Dream party had funded "an extensive networks of accounts" on Facebook "apparently spreading anti-democratic, anti-Western sentiments." "Additionally, we are troubled by reports that prosecutors appointed by Georgian Dream are reopening old legal cases against the party's opponents. While some of these cases may have merits, others are perceived as targeting leading opposition political figures, news operators, international corporations, and civil society members. Respect for the rule of law and an impartial justice system are key to a healthy democracy and to ensuring free and fair elections, which are guaranteed by your party," the letter, addressed to Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, says. The congressmen also expressed concerns over "a sharp decline in foreign direct investments in Georgia as American and European companies have suffered harassment, causing many to reconsider their business ventures." The letter also criticizes the Georgian Dream party for "perceived political targeting of the U.S.-backed Anaklia Development Consortium" that is in charge of Georgia's massive transcontinental port project on the Black Sea, which "deterred or prevented investment from American companies," adding that the situation "could deter future U.S. investment in Georgia." "Decreased foreign investment not only hurts the Georgian people and their hopes for deeper integration with Western institutions, but it also strengthens [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's hand in the region," the letter says. The congressmen also expressed hopes that Georgia's government will work with the United States, the European Union, and NGOs "to strengthen democratic institutions and enhance economic prosperity for the Georgian people so that Georgia can continue to be a strategic partner of the United States for many years to come." Over the summer, several mass protests held in Tbilisi were violently dispersed by police. Opposition parties have complained that Georgia's electoral system unfairly favors the ruling Georgian Dream party. Changing it to a proportional one from 2020 was one of the demands of the thousands of demonstrators who rallied for weeks in Tbilisi in June and July. The Georgian Dream party, including its billionaire founder and leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, backed the reforms but the constitutional amendments still failed to pass in parliament in mid-November. The United States and the European Union have called on the Georgian government, political parties, and civil society to engage in a "calm and respectful dialogue." On a 2-1 vote, the Ninth Circuit Court finally dismissed Juliana v. United States, the lawsuit brought on behalf of child plaintiffs demanding their constitutional right to "a climate system capable of sustaining human life." The children, and the environmentalist group Our Children's Trust that's using them as lawfare puppets, were demanding a court order compelling the U.S. government to "swiftly phase out fossil-fuel use" and develop and implement "a national plan to restore Earth's energy balance ... to stabilize the climate system." The way William Yeatman at Cato boils it down: "If the plaintiffs had their druthers a single federal district court judge would become, after the president, the most powerful official in the country." The majority's opinion (one judge wrote a dissent) correctly recognizes the clear-cut limits the U.S. Constitution places on Article III courts i.e., "[n]ot every problem posing a threat to the American Experiment can be solved by federal judges ... [so] the plaintiffs' case must be made to the political branches or to the electorate at large." Dissenting Judge Josephine L. Staton, writing more in the style we've come to expect from activist jurists, believes that those constitutional limits can be ignored, because...well, this is an emergency! In these proceedings, the government accepts as fact that the United States has reached a tipping point crying out for a concerted response yet presses ahead toward calamity. It is as if an asteroid were barreling toward Earth and the government decided to shut down our only defenses. Seeking to quash this suit, the government bluntly insists that it has the absolute and unreviewable power to destroy the Nation. It goes without saying that the government never "bluntly insist[ed]" any such thing. But because of her own unswerving conviction that, short of immediate enactment of the most draconian sacrifices, we're "doomed, doomed, doomed," Staton can equate unwillingness to decree Green New Deallike measures with a deliberate intention to obliterate the country. She even tries to fine-tune her asteroid analogy into "a scenario in which the government itself accelerated the asteroid towards the earth before shutting down our defenses." With the country at the climate tipping point, Staton contends that the courts are empowered to "enforce the most basic structural principle embedded in our system of ordered liberty," which is "that the Constitution does not condone the Nation's willful destruction." The Juliana majority, regardless of their decision to dismiss the case, also take for granted the imminence of an "environmental apocalypse." They dismissed the kiddies' lawsuit on the strictly legal issues of standing and the court's inability to grant the requested relief, then wrote they decided only "reluctantly." In fact, the majority admit they found "beguiling" the plaintiffs' childish ideas about "simply ordering the promulgation of a plan." According to their opinion, the only problem with decreeing such a sweeping plan (aside from the Constitution) is that: ... it ignores that an Article III court will thereafter be required to determine whether the plan is sufficient to remediate the claimed constitutional violation of the plaintiffs' right to a "climate system capable of sustaining human life." We doubt that any such plan can be supervised or enforced by an Article III court. In other words, even if an (unfit) Oregon trial judge could order herself superior to both other branches of government and impose her will nationwide, compelling obedience would entail judicial meddling in so many different areas of the nation's political, economic, and social activities that it would be too complex to succeed. Dissenting Judge Staton scoffs that such complexity would be a barrier to judicial intervention. She notes the far-reaching enforcement mechanisms required to implement the Supreme Court's order to desegregate schools in Brown v. Board of Education, and says "[m]ere complexity" doesn't place an issue beyond the courts' authority to force "constitutional compliance": [D]ecelerating from our path toward cataclysm will undoubtedly require "elimination of a variety of obstacles." Those obstacles may be great in number, novelty, and magnitude, but there is no indication that they are devoid of discernable [sic] standards. Busing mandates, facilities allocation, and district-drawing were all "complex policy decisions" faced by post-Brown trial courts ... and I have no doubt that disentangling the government from promotion of fossil fuels will take an equally deft judicial hand. The "variety of obstacles" she has in mind undoubtedly include the energy sector, modern transportation, and democracy, but whoever said the job of running the country from your judicial bench was going to be easy? We need only recall the outstanding results wrought by all those "deft judicial hands" who managed busing, district-drawing, and school desegregation in the happy decades of the 1960s and '70s. Staton barely touches on how the courts are entitled to "step into the shoes of the political branches" except to say it's justified "if those branches walk the Nation over a cliff." This is exactly why the Framers of the Constitution placed strict limits on the power of the federal Judiciary. Judicial power going to people's heads is just as real as the threat of the imperial presidency we're forever being warned about. It's probably a greater a threat, because there are so many more mischievous judges to worry about, as seen by the number of nationwide injunctions granted just since Inauguration Day 2017. Judge Staton's argument that federal judges are ideally equipped to weigh the "scientific and prudential considerations" needed to commandeer the nation's energy policy falls flat in light of her own manifest credulity on the issue of climate "science." She believes everything, and questions nothing, of so-called climate experts' highly questionable claims. She states as a matter of fact that the Juliana "Plaintiffs' claims are based on science, specifically, an impending point of no return." She knows that the day is upon us "when the seas envelop our coastal cities, fires and droughts haunt our interiors, and storms ravage everything between." Juliana is only one of a "wave" of climate lawsuits proceeding on the basis "that climate science itself isn't up for debate." Even when a court gets it right as a matter of law, as happened this time in Juliana, widespread allegations that apocalyptic climate theories are "settled science" have a cumulative effect across the Judicial Branch. It's unavoidable to have judges making factual findings, because it's part of the job description. But ill informed and overreaching judges like Josephine Staton prove that, when it comes to something as critical as energy policy, the complex "scientific and prudential considerations" are best trusted to the American people. T.R. Clancy looks at the world from Dearborn, Michigan. You can email him at trclancy@yahoo.com. PIERRE Passing South Dakotas farms on to a new generation wont be easy. That was evident Thursday morning as South Dakota Agriculture Secretary Kim Vanneman discussed her goals with the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Vanneman told the committee that one of her goals as secretary was to plan for the next generation of farmers. Working toward that goal would include a series of meetings with young people to tell them about careers in agriculture, Vanneman said. Rep. Bob Glanzer, R-Huron, told the secretary that bankers are concerned about the future of farms in his area, where some farmers have no future generation waiting to take over. This seems like a big, big obstacle to me, said Glanzer, a former ag loan officer. Where do you see that next generation coming from? Facilitating the transfer of assets from the farm owner to a buyer is not within in the scope of the Agriculture Departments duties, Vanneman said. It does need to happen, Vanneman said. Were seeing fewer and fewer young people coming back to the farm. Rep. James Wangsness, R-Miller, asked if the department has considered a mentor program to match retiring farmers with the next generation. Wangsness said that while he was attending South Dakota State University, many of his classmates would have liked to go back to their family farms, but often those operations were too small. Vanneman said there have been discussions within the department about a mentor program, but she wondered how involved farmers would want the department to get in a transfer of property. They might not like us being in the middle, Vanneman said. Its part of what were talking about. The state of farming in South Dakota was noted in a slide Vanneman presented during her annual overview of the department for the agriculture committee. Before lenders foreclose on a farm, they must file for mediation with the agriculture department. Since 2015, there has been a steady increase in mediation requests. This is an indicator of where we are, Vanneman said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will not attend the Assembly session on Thursday to express their dissent over developments in the state's legislative council on the Decentralisation Bill, sources said. The legislative council of Andhra Pradesh sent the Decentralisation Bill (for setting up of three capitals) to select committee on Wednesday. Earlier on Monday, the Andhra Pradesh state assembly passed the 'Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020'. According to a release, the "Bill provides for the creation of three capital cities to usher in the decentralisation of development." The Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool. (ANI) The UK and European Union are capable of reaching a long-term trade deal covering both goods and services by the end of this year, British chancellor Sajid Javid said yesterday, dismissing suggestions from the EU this was unrealistic. "I've had a number of discussions with my European colleagues ... and there is a strong belief on both sides that it can be done," Mr Javid said in a panel discussion with US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva. "It can be done for both goods - where we want to see free trade with zero tariffs, zero quotas - but also on services," he said during the forum in Davos, Switzerland. The US treasury secretary and his UK counterpart both termed a trade deal between the two countries as a priority. Britain is due to leave the European Union at the end of this month. Mr Javid said a trade deal with the EU will take precedence over other agreements, including with the US. "Having a free trade agreement between the sixth largest economy in the world and the largest economy in the world is going to benefit all our consumers in terms of jobs, prices," Mr Javid said. "It's hugely important." Also at Davos, US president Donald Trump said he had begun talks with World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Roberto Azevedo on changing the structure of the body, which he complained had been unfair to the US. The WTO director-general will travel to the US for negotiations, Mr Trump said yesterday at a news conference to close his visit to the annual business event in Davos. "We're talking about a whole new structure for the deal or we'll have to do something, but the World Trade Organisation has been very unfair to the United States for many, many years," the US president said. He and Mr Azevedo are discussing something "very dramatic", he said. His treasury secretary Mr Mnuchin, meanwhile, dangled the prospect of retaliatory tariffs on car imports if EU countries went ahead with digital taxation plans. "If people want to just arbitrarily put taxes on our digital companies, we will consider arbitrarily putting taxes on car companies," Mr Mnuchin said at the panel discussion. "We think the digital tax is discriminatory in nature." Internet companies have long been the target of complaints that they do not pay enough tax. France has imposed a 3pc levy on the digital revenue of companies that make their sales primarily in cyber space, such as Facebook and Alphabet's Google. Other countries are also taking action. The UK government plans to go ahead with a tax on digital services in April, according to Mr Javid. The British chancellor said the levy was designed to be temporary and to fall away once there was international agreement on the issue. Britain and the US will have private talks on the matter, just as president Trump had with French president Emmanuel Macron, said Mr Mnuchin, who will meet Mr Javid in London on Saturday. The US Department of Justice recently said the White House could use its executive privilege to decline to release a Commerce Department report advising president Trump on proposed tariffs on imports of automobiles and car parts. The study focused on whether to impose tariffs on the car imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which allows for duties without a vote by Congress if imports are deemed a national security threat. It was the same law the Trump administration used to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. Mr Mnuchin, who in the past has taken a more dovish stance on tariffs than others in the Trump administration, acknowledged that they had been useful as leverage. "There's no question the president's tariffs have been a big incentive in all these trade agreements," Mr Mnuchin said. The World Economic Forum meeting in Davos started on Tuesday and will run until Friday. Climate activist Greta Thunberg is among its other high-profile guests. Agencies WASHINGTON D.C., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Wells Fargo today announced the release of the 2020 Request for Proposals for the Resilient Communities program, which provides grant funding to enhance community capacity to plan and implement resiliency projects, and improve the protections afforded by natural ecosystems, by investing in conservation and nature-based infrastructure. Pre-proposals are due February 18, 2020. The full Request for Proposals can be found here: https://www.nfwf.org/resilientcommunities/Pages/2020rfp.aspx. The Resilient Communities program will invest up to $3 million in projects to increase and enhance preparedness by taking advantage of natural and nature-based features like wetlands, resilient shorelines, urban tree canopies, natural forests and healthy watersheds to improve quality of life and sustainability for communities. Specific funding priorities for this program include: High-impact resiliency adaptations to help communities prepare for fire, floods, and droughts as well as sea-level rise Demonstration and capacity-building projects that help communities understand environmental risks and opportunities and organize and take actions to improve local resiliency by enhancing natural buffers and system functions Scalable, nature-based resilience solutions that positively impact housing affordability and/or the ability of small-businesses to thrive in communities vulnerable to impacts from natural disasters Competitive proposals will yield measurable and sustainable benefits for natural habitats while also providing measurable and enhanced community benefits to improve resilience and serve vulnerable low- and moderate-income communities that tend to be disproportionally impacted. Priority is given to projects serving these communities. For additional information about the Resilient Communities program please visit: www.nfwf.org/resilientcommunities About the Resilient Communities Program The Resilient Communities program is a five-year, $12.5 million collaboration between NFWF and Wells Fargo that helps communities take advantage of natural features such as wetlands, resilient shorelines, urban tree canopies, natural forests and healthy upstream watersheds to be better prepared for foreseeable resilience challenges, fortify fish and wildlife resources and habitat, and accrue quality of life benefits for all residents. The program places special emphasis on helping traditionally low- and moderate-income communities build capacity to better prepare for and respond to extreme weather and climate-related events, and supports Indigenous peoples whose livelihoods and economies rely on their self-determined management of water, land and other natural resources. To date, the program has supported 27 projects across the U.S., with more than $8.9 million in Wells Fargo funds which have unlocked $28.9 million in federal funds and local matching contributions, for a total conservation impact of $37.8 million. Together, these projects are restoring and protecting more than 40,000 acres of land and engaging 21,500 people in conservation and capacity building. For additional information, visit: www.nfwf.org/resilientcommunities About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and committed more than $5.3 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargos vision is to satisfy our customers financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,400 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 32 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 260,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortunes 2019 rankings of Americas largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo ### Former state Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell has pleaded guilty to theft and other charges and will serve a jail sentence. Johnson-Harrell, who resigned her seat in December, pleaded guilty after prosecutors charged her with stealing more than $500,000 from a non-profit group known as Motivations Education & Consultation Associates, or MECA. She used the money on vacations, designer clothing, luxury car payments, real estate purchases and other personal expenses, according to the attorney generals office. She will spend three months in Philadelphia County Prison, followed by eight-and-a-half months of house arrest, the state attorney generals office said Thursday. She will then spend nearly a year on parole and then two years on probation. Johnson-Harrell was sentenced Thursday morning in the Philadelphia Courthouse. This Philadelphia community would have been in a better place had this former public official invested MECAs money into the people who needed the care she promised, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday. Instead, the community received no help as Johnson-Harrell spent MECA money on fur coats, Porsche car payments and expensive vacations for herself." The offenses occurred before Johnson-Harrell became a state lawmaker last year, prosecutors said. Johnson, a Philadelphia Democrat, spent less than a year in office before stepping down after her arrest. She was the first Muslim woman to be elected to the state House. The attorney generals office said Johnson-Harrell will surrender a property to be sold. The proceeds of the sale will be used to pay restitution to her non-profit group. According to state prosectors, Johnson-Harrell used money from the non-profit on a $13,000 online shopping spree and bought multiple fox fur coats; spent $16,000 of the charitys money on trips to Mexico, Orlando, Georgia, and Maryland; $2,000 on overdue car payments on her Porsche; $4,000 on tuition for a relative; and nearly $8,000 to cover restitution owed from a 2014 conviction of failing to pay unemployment compensation tax. She pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and perjury and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with public records. She pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges (reporting by political candidates and committees, statement of financial interests). In her short stint in the House, Johnson-Harrell became a prominent voice in the calls for reducing gun violence and fighting for victims rights. Corruption erodes the trust that is built between government entities and citizens," Shapiro said in a statement Thursday. Philadelphia is entitled to honest services and, hopefully, the good people here will begin to receive them now that justice has been served. Johnson-Harrell is the second consecutive representative serving her House district to leave office in disgrace. She was elected in a special election in 2019 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Vanessa Lowery Brown after she was convicted of bribery and other criminal charges. More from PennLive: Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai says he isnt seeking re-election Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Boris Johnsons Brexit deal has cleared its first hurdle in the European parliament after it was approved by a key committee of MEPs. The withdrawal agreement was overwhelmingly backed on the parliaments Constitutional Affairs committee by 23 votes in favour to three against. It means the treaty will head to a vote for all MEPs next Wednesday, just two days before the UK is set to leave the EU. MEPs will meet in Brussels for an extraordinary plenary session where they are expected to also give their blessing to the plan. It is a historical moment albeit a sombre moment for us, said committee chair Antonio Tajani. A member state is leaving the EU. Its not a moment for celebration. Although we firmly respect the sovereign decision of the British people, we deeply reject this outcome. Mr Tajani read out the names of British MEPs who had served on the committee and told them: You will be missed, receiving a standing ovation from other MEPs. Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliaments Brexit coordinator, said of departing British MEPs after the vote: We will miss their knowledge, their energy and their wit. Our doors will always be open for them. Brexit Party MEP Rupert Lowe, who sits on the committee, meanwhile described himself as the first turkey to vote for Christmas. He added: The deal stinks, but with no transition extension and a commitment to non-alignment, it can work. After Brexit the UK will lose all its MEPs, its commissioner, and seat on the EUs council though it will be bound by EU rules for at least the length of the transition period. Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Show all 8 1 /8 Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a JCB through a fake wall POOL/AFP via Getty Images Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes REUTERS Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes AFP via Getty The withdrawal bill completed a parallel process in Westminster earlier this week, where it was finally approved by MPs after months of renegotiations and parliamentary shenanigans. After the UK leaves at the end of this month it will be in a transition period until the next of 2021 under which free movement continues, alongside all EU rules. Negotiators will try and use this time to draw up a new trade relationship with the EU. Boris Johnson has set himself the artificial deadline of the end of this year in order to negotiate a free trade agreement. It is said that more than 10.7m hectares of land was burnt in Australia bushfire. To add a little perspective here, this makes area larger than total area of Portugal or South Korea. The scientists say it will take 100 years to restore this damage. Do you understand the gravity of the situation? Twitter/@MadFckingWitch The condition is only getting worse it seems. The fire dangers have only increased in the recent past because the Sydney is facing scorching heat. The fire danger has returned after the fire at the Snowy Mountains region and one in the Bega Valley on the south coast of New South Wales have flared up. But there are parts of the bushfire affected areas that are seemingly getting better. Australian actor Russell Crowe recently shared pictures how his farmhouse looked like before and after the Australia fire. My place 10 weeks ago after the fire had gone through, and this morning after a big weekend of rain. pic.twitter.com/oOWz0gG5hp Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) January 19, 2020 The images are leaving people horrified to some extent but are also igniting hope. Yes, nature has always helped us to avoid getting the world's attention. Nature always gave a good message You do bad or good to yourself in any case. Stand upright in all things under all circumstances@russellcrowe Sanket Bonde Patil (@sanket_bonde) January 20, 2020 Dont let this fool people who do not live in Australia into thinking that the fires are over - they are still very much burning where it hasnt rained! Billie (@Billie36026466) January 20, 2020 You are a good good man Russell Crowe. God loves you so much, with an outrageous overflowing love. L S W (@Sirenity0) January 20, 2020 Dont let this fool people who do not live in Australia into thinking that the fires are over - they are still very much burning where it hasnt rained! Billie (@Billie36026466) January 20, 2020 We drove out from Coffs to Dubbo today my god its dry out here but its amazing to see the regrowth after the fires pic.twitter.com/TLyPZCHmmg Angelica's mum (@Angelicasmamma) January 20, 2020 We drove out from Coffs to Dubbo today my god its dry out here but its amazing to see the regrowth after the fires pic.twitter.com/TLyPZCHmmg Angelica's mum (@Angelicasmamma) January 20, 2020 Past few months, the fires in Australia were raging so bad that local rescuers were not able to control it. The fire had engulfed most of the country. However, when it started to rain, things changed for the good. Hundreds of fires raged across the country. The smoke was seen all over the world. It destroyed more than 2000 homes, killed at least 28 people and 500 million animals, it is said. In the satellite pictures of the Australia fires, ash clouds could be seen from space. Today, three firefighters died in an aircraft crash in Australia. The plane had crashed in an active fire ground zone two hours south of Australia's capital, Canberra. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian wrote on Twitter, "Heartbreaking & devastating news that three US residents who were crew members operating a LAT in the Snowy Mountains region have lost their lives. Our thoughts & heartfelt condolences are with their families & the tight knit firefighting community." Heartbreaking & devastating news that three US residents who were crew members operating a LAT in the Snowy Mountains region have lost their lives. Our thoughts & heartfelt condolences are with their families & the tight knit firefighting community. pic.twitter.com/fQ5gphfm6A Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) January 23, 2020 Climate change is real and humans are responsible for it. 23.01.2020 LISTEN One needs to make the point, at the onset of penning this piece, that on a purely human level, one respects and admires many traditional rulers in Ghana. One also needs to make the point that it is often said in Ghana that only fools don't change their minds. Fair enough. One can't help but recall that in 2012, Chiefs, who were members of the Akyem Abuakwa State Council, issued a statement reiteratIng their view that turning the Atewa Forest Reserve into a national park, had their full backing, and was the best option going forward, in their opinion. Yet, today, some of them are championing the plan to destroy the Atewa Forest Reserve, by mining it's bauxite deposits. How curious. Consequently, and in light of that 2012 joint statement issued by Chiefs of the Akyem Abuakwa State Council, there is a question we must all now ponder over. The question is: What happened between 2012 and 2020, which has led to this odd and sudden change of mind? Or is it the case that this new statement is fake news - since some of us don't doubt the Okyenhene's commitment to protecting Okyeman's natural heritage: which is why our motto for environmental conservation is, "Okyenman, yen enma, ensei da!"? If true, then it is a most unfortunate development. It is also unfortunate that the Concerned Citizens of the ATEWA Landscape demonstrators, campaigning openly by hitting the streets, in a last-ditch-effort to get Ghana's hard-of-hearing government to rescind the unfortunate decision to mine bauxite in the reserve, are referred to as "non-indigenes" by the said Akyem Abuakwa Chiefs. How come? The legal definition 'Ghanaian citizen', trumps the tribalistic-codewords 'indigenes' and 'non-indigenes''. Always. Anytime. Everywhere. Nationwide. Full stop. The time has come for Chiefs in Ghana to understand clearly that Ghanaian citizens don't have to hail from any particular part of the landmass of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Ghana to take an active interest in what goes on there, and demonstrate in the streets as a matter of priniciple. That right is non-negotiable. And there is nought that any Chief in this country can do about the exercising of that particular right of the ordinary people in the Republic of Ghana, through public street demonstrations. Period. Such arrogance makes one recall how India's nationalist leaders dealt with their nation's Maharajahs, many of whom, incidentally, in India's pre-colonial era, were far more significant historical figures than Chiefs in pre-colonial Ghana, bar none, ever were. Yet, unlike Ghana's nationalist leaders, India's nationalist leaders, moved rapidly to neutralise the power and influence of India's Maharajas, because they understood clearly that inherited privilege, is the greatest enemy of meritocracy. They therefore moved swiftly to strip the Maharajahs of all their powers, and made them completely irrelevant in the scheme of things, in modern India. Today, India is a global power, which has successfully lifted tens of millions of its citizens, out of poverty. Meanwhile, in the name of our rich-cultural-heritage, we, on the other hand, have held on to the Chieftaincy institution - a bastion of tribalism: from the ramparts of which tribal-supremacists venture forth to lord it over their fellow humans. "Utter foolishness for an aspirational people to keep retaining such a Dark-Ages-Institution, without radically reforming it, Kofi!" to quote an old fogey I know. Consequently, and, in sharp contrast to India's place in the comity of technologically advanced nations, we are still a relatively backward (if in doubt, please check the number of rural communities in which according to protesting residents, public lavatories are major public health risks - something so basic for human dignity) and highly-indebted nation, in which vested interests, not the nation's best interests, determine which policies are implemented, in a society that looks on as virtually enslaved human beings, carry their fellow humans, on their heads, in palanquins, in the name of traditional culture. Monstrous. Abominable. Unpardonable. No question. Finally, if it is actually true that this incredibly foolish and arrogant statement comes from some of the Chiefs in Akyem Abuakwa, then, clearly, if we are unwilling to radically reform it, then the time has definitely come for us to seriously consider finally ridding ourselves of this atavistic-millstone around Mother Ghana's neck. Haaba. In our democracy, there can be no sacred cows, oooo, Massa. Yoooo... We must start a national conversation about the place of Chiefs in Ghanaian society in the digital age. Immediately. Yooooo... Hmmm, Oman Ghana eyeasem ooooo - asem kesie ebeba debi ankasa ! Jean Charest is out of the running for the federal Conservative leadership. So is Rona Ambrose. Why is it that the Tories have so much trouble finding credible candidates to replace the unlamented Andrew Scheer? The answer lies in the nature of the party itself. Almost two decades after it was formed to unite the right, the Conservative Party remains a house divided. On one side are the heirs of the old Reform Party Western-based, solidly right-wing and ideologically committed. On the other are those who trace their roots to the Progressive Conservatives, a party that was less doctrinaire and more willing to use the levers of the state in areas of social policy. What united these two disparate wings was a desire for power. By 2003, it had become clear that only by joining forces would the countrys two main right-of-centre parties be able to defeat the Liberals. And so they merged to create the Conservative Party of Canada. Under the iron discipline of its first leader, Stephen Harper, the new party eventually won power and held it for nine years. But the strains within remained. Scheer, the new partys second leader, wasnt able to span the divide. In last years election, Scheers Conservatives swept Reform territory in the West. However, they failed to take enough PC-friendly ridings in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes to form government. Scheer was blamed for this. A new leader, the party bigwigs thought, would fix everything. To that end, they have devised a leadership race that favours candidates who are well-known and whose campaigns are well-heeled. The theory here seems to be that this will prevent the partys grassroots from choosing a leader Canadians wouldnt vote for. Conservatives remember that in 2017 they came within a hair of electing as their leader climate-change denier Maxime Bernier, with his eccentric views on immigration. The point this time was to encourage so-called moderates, like Charest and Ambrose, to run. Im not sure that either would have lived up to expectations. Charest carries a lot of baggage from his time as Liberal premier of Quebec. Ambrose did little that was noteworthy when she served as a minister in the Harper government. She is probably best known for the dignified manner she adopted when she was her partys interim leader. In any case, neither of them is running. Charest, a former PC, says he is too far removed from the modern Conservative Party. Translation: He has no chance with the Reform wing. Ambrose says she likes her life outside politics. Translation: the task of reuniting the right is just too daunting. Peter MacKay is still in the running. A former PC leader and Harper cabinet minister, he presents himself as someone who can bridge the two wings of the party. We shall see how that works out. MacKay won the PC leadership in 2003 only because he promised not to merge with Harpers Canadian Alliance (as Reform called itself then). He then promptly broke that promise. His reward was several senior cabinet posts once Harper became prime minister. As defence minister, he came under criticism for using a military helicopter to fly out of a Newfoundland fish camp where he was holidaying in 2010. But he is probably best remembered for dating auto parts heiress Belinda Stronach, at that time a Conservative MP. That romance ended in 2005 when Stronach crossed the floor to join the governing Liberals. My hearts a little banged up, MacKay said then. Let us hope it survives the Conservative Partys latest effort to unite the right. Thomas Walkom is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Reach him via email: is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Reach him via email: walkomtom@gmail.com Read more about: GRAFTON There was snow on the ground Thursday, and only one RV at the campground at Pere Marquette State Park because it is the slow season. But it will be a lot slower within a few weeks, when the campground shuts down for about six months for refurbishment and upgrades. The campground is expected to be completely closed for approximately 155 days, and reopen in either July or August, depending on when the actual work starts. While work is primarily in the RV campground, it will also close the tent camping areas and the campground picnic shelters. That means the park will lose the spring, and probably a good part of the summer camping season. Were excited, site superintendent Chris Hespen said. The upgrade is long overdue, and Im excited were able to provide that in the region. But theres no good time to renovate a 365-calendar day campground. The $1 million project will include a major upgrade for electrical and water services, an additional watering and grey- and black-water dump station, and general upgrades to the 80-site facility. A major part of the work will be improving the electrical service. Currently most sites are set up for 30- and 20-amp service. The renovation will add 50-amp service to all of those sites. We have very few with 50-amp service, Hespen said. The evolution and upgrading in todays campers require more amperage. A lone camper was sitting on the host site Thursday. The campground host is responsible for overseeing the campground. Because it is a long-term site, it is equipped with electrical, sewer and water. The renovations will include the creation of a second host camper site with those amenities. The project is under the direction of the Illinois Capital Development Board. Hespen said it will begin as soon as the ICDB gives approval, which is expected in the very near future. Until then, he said, they are not taking any reservations at the campsite, but camping will still be available. During the work, the entire campground will be closed because of the hazards created by the construction. Theres going to be open trenches, Hespen said. While there is not much interest now in the campground, he said it usually picks up in March or April for spring turkey hunters and people wanting to get outside. Its not unreasonable at the end of March or April for people to have cabin fever and want to get out of doors, he said. He noted the rest of the park remains open. Upcoming events include the ongoing Bald Eagle Days and the Pere Marquette Lodges Bald Eagle Festival set 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, with music, painting, childrens crafts, wine tasting and a Masters of the Sky presentation by the World Bird Sanctuary at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. The festival is free, but the Masters of the Sky program is $5. For details, call 618-786-2331. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully executed a 620-metre flyover of Nightingale, a site located within a crater high in asteroid Bennu's northern hemisphere, the US space agency said. According to scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in the US, the spacecraft left its 1.2-kilometre safe home orbit and flew an almost 11-hour transit over the asteroid, aiming its science instruments toward the 16-metre wide sample site before returning to its orbit. OSIRIS-REx's primary goal in the Nightingale flyover was to collect the high-resolution imagery required to complete the spacecraft's Natural Feature Tracking image catalog, NASA said. This catalogue, the agency said, will document the sample collection site's surface features like boulders and craters. In August, when the spacecraft would collect samples from Nightingale, it would use this catalog to navigate with respect to Bennu's surface features, NASA noted in a statement. Using the catalogue, the spacecraft would autonomously predict where on the sample site it will make contact. In the recent flyby several of the spacecraft's other instruments also took observations of the Nightingale site -- including the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emissions Spectrometer (OTES), the OSIRIS-REx Visual and InfraRed Spectrometer (OVIRS), the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), and the MapCam color imager, NASA noted. Additionally, the space agency said, a similar flyover of the backup sample collection site, Osprey, is scheduled for February 11, with lower flybys performed later in spring for Nightingale, and in May for Osprey, according to the US space agency. NASA added that the spacecraft will also perform the two flyovers at an altitude of 250 metres which will be the closest it has ever flown over asteroid Bennu's surface. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A detective has been cleared of assaulting a teenager with a metal baton while arresting him over suspected drug possession. Footage that circulated following the event appearead to show DC Kevin Rowley, 37, striking the 17-year-old as he cries out: 'I am a child... this is illegal. You can't do this.' The plain-clothes officer was charged with assault by beating following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. DC Rowley was attempting to search the youth on suspicion of possession of Class B drugs and put a handcuff on one of his wrists in Romford, east London, last April 22. A trial at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Thursday January 23 ended in his acquittal. Footage that circulated following the event appeared to show DC Kevin Rowley, 37, striking the 17-year-old as he cries out: 'I am a child... this is illegal. You can't do this'. The plain-clothes officer was charged with assault by beating following an investigation by the IOPC Commander Catherine Roper, from the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards, said: 'Footage of this incident was circulated on social media and caused concern due to the force used against the male arrested. 'We made a referral to the IOPC to allow an independent investigation to take place into all the circumstances as it is only right to maintain confidence on how we police London. 'Use of force is a tactic police must use responsibly. 'A court has decided today that DC Rowley's actions were lawful. We have received the IOPC's report into this incident and are liaising with them about any misconduct proceedings.' Arabella Macdonald, prosecuting had told Hendon Magistrates' Court: 'The force he used was during a stop and search on a boy. 'There is no dispute that force was used and there could be no dispute as part of that incident was there on camera by the public. 'The question is whether or not that use of force was unlawful, the Crown say that it was, the defence submit the force was lawful. 'DC Rowley beat the youth at least five times with his metal baton, taking full swings at him whilst the youth asked him to stop until the youth was on the floor asking people to call the police. 'You are likely to hear evidence about why Mr Rowley approached the youth. 'The youth's brother ran off and there was a struggle between DC Rowley and the victim, what happened in the course of that struggle is unclear.' In the video played in court the teenager is heard to sob: 'He's smacking me, he's smacking me.' After the baton swings, the youth says: 'You're going to court, we're taking this to court.' Giving evidence, Rowley dressed in a navy suit and tie and blue shirt said he was with another officer when he spotted two boys crossing a zebra crossing in Romford. He said: 'Initially we saw them as they crossed the zebra and the cars paused. One of them had a wad of cash notes in his hands raised to the sky. It looked a bit out of place. Viral footage which shows a plain-clothes police officer beating a handcuffed teenager 'They looked like they had no purpose there. They walked into a fish and chip shop for five seconds, and walked back out again. 'Most people keep money in their wallet, or their bag. I said to the other police officer, keep an eye out on those boys. I thought they looked a bit weird. 'I asked them what they had been up to and I was hit with a strong smell of cannabis. 'It was coming from them. I told them they were going to be detained as part of a drug search. [The youth] said, 'you're not searching me, I know my rights.' 'He then went to put his hands in his pockets. It's part of our training - we don't let anyone put their hands in their pockets. 'I saw he had a mobile phone, a grey Samsung, and it was shining. I didn't know what it was. It could have been a weapon for all I'm concerned. I grabbed his wrist, and [the youth] started to pull away.' Rowley added: 'Straightaway he told me, 'you're not searching me. I know my rights'. 'He's agitated, his fists were clenched. 'It was clear from this immediate reaction he was not going to comply with anything we were trying to communicate to him.' Members of the public in Romford shouted at the officer after he had arrested the youngster for possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply The detective constable then claimed that he tried to get the youth on the floor, as it was the 'safest place', as the other officer ran off after the boy's younger brother. Rowley added: 'I'm now alone with an agitated and aggressive male who is not complying. He's made it clear that I'm not searching him. It's a concern for me as I'm alone with this male.' The officer said the boy said he wanted to see his brother, and that he tried to reassure him. He said: 'All I wanted to get him on the floor and detain him safely. He'd been handcuffed on the floor until further units turned up. 'He went crazy. He was dragging me in between the parked car and the van. I'm telling him calm down, stop struggling. 'I delivered two or three knee strikes to his thigh. It's a use of force to try and get somebody to comply with what you're asking to do. 'I wasn't trying to hurt him. All I was trying to do was detain him. Because he was in such a rage he was not listening to anything I was trying to do. 'He said, 'I'm not getting down'. Every cell in my body was going, 'what's going on?' A plain-clothes officer appears to be beating a teenage suspect who is already handcuffed and offering no resistance 'First of all, we could smell cannabis. But this behaviour was not possession of cannabis. I've had experience of catching people with knives, drugs, guns. 'He was putting up such a fight I didn't know what he had on him. He hadn't been searched at this point. 'He was aggressive, desperate to get away, pulling me, dragging me, pushing me. It was not the behaviour of someone who has a single count of possession on him. 'He might be 17, but he's my height and build, and he was very strong. Because he was so aggressive, he had a lot of adrenaline.' Rowley said the only remaining tactical option he had was to use the baton. He added: 'I said, 'I do not want to use force but I will if you don't comply. I'm pausing to wait to see if he'll react to what I'm telling him to do. 'Before each baton strike, I see what he's doing, and he's not complying. I ask to myself, 'does he understand? Is he still putting up resistance? Yes'.' Rowley claimed he gave him five baton strikes on the thigh 'as per officer safety training'. He said: 'As soon as he's gone down and I'm happy he's compliant, the baton goes away. There are no more baton strikes as he's complied with what he's going to do. 'When he shouted, 'I'm a boy. I'm a boy', that was the first time I was aware of it. He's 6'1, same build of me. I was saying to someone please call 999 as I dropped my radio in the struggle. 'I was alone with an agitated large male and a large crowd that was abusing me. I needed help as I did from the start. 'You can see from the video I'm calm, I'm controlled. I didn't lose my temper. I delivered all over the baton strikes as per officer safety training.' Other witnesses who saw the incident were called to give evidence at the court. Anthony Bailey, who lived directly across the road, watched the incident from the kitchen where he had gone to make a cup of tea. Mr Bailey said: 'As part of my job I use restraint. He was struggling to restrain the youth. 'He was struggling to keep him there from what I have experienced in safeguarding. He said he heard DC Rowley shout: 'Calm down'. Adding: 'He had his baton out, there was a struggle and then I saw DC Rowley produce the baton. Mr Bailey said the officer struck him as the teenager did not respond to his command to 'get down.' He said: 'As far as what I can see it was from the back of the knee to the calf, all to the leg. 'There's more than one strike, from what I remember there was three. The moment the youth had one knee down that was the end of the baton striking. 'From what I saw the officer was just struggling to get the youth to the ground.' He said 'It looked like the officer was trying to get him on the floor, trying to push him down. I heard the youth say 'leave me alone'. 'I heard him say 'you're hurting me' something like that. I saw the officer produce the baton and from the angle I saw him strike him five times. 'People were shouting and the crowd was shouting at them, then back up arrived. I would probably say about 5 or 6 minutes after the youth was on the ground. Witness Teri Vigors, who lives above a shop on the same side of the road, told the court: 'When I looked out of the window there was someone running off down the road. 'It was someone running off at the end of the road, there was two people couldn't tell you what were or looked like and someone down below my flat. 'A young black guy and a white male, he was a police officer and said he was trying to do a stop and search. 'He was a little bit hesitant, he obviously didn't really want to be there, he was a bit edgy but did allow the police officer to put him in handcuffs without any problem. 'He asked the young boy to sit down on the floor, it looked like he was trying to call for backup or speak to someone on the radio. 'The young boy was asking about his brother, I think he was trying to find out about his brother, I can only assume. 'He did get on the floor and kept getting up. The officer asked him to stay seated and he kept getting up again. 'He was getting more irritable, the young guy kept getting up and moving further away. 'He was edging slowly, the officer was effectively following him and asking him to stay in one place, for several minutes. 'He obviously kept getting up and not listening, he kept edging away and getting more and more jumpy. 'Like he was trying to make a way to get away, if that makes sense. He just wasn't following the police officer's instructions, eventually moves past that van and he seems to try to get away. 'The police officer said he would have to use force if he didn't listen. He removed his stick and repeated quite a lot of time he didn't want to use it. 'The police officer stated he didn't want to use force and then struck him on the legs.' She said the boy was 'trying to irritate the police officer' who had been reasonably calm until he used the baton. 'I think I recall him saying he didn't want to use force that was after they moved across to the shop. 'He's obviously got to the point where he was being really nice and really calm and raised his voice and withdraws the baton. In her closing submissions Arabella MacDonald, prosecuting, said: 'In short officers are in certain circumstances allowed to used force but the law is quite clear, it must be necessary and reasonable. 'If it's not necessary and reasonable then it is unlawful, the acts by DC Rowley to use that baton was unlawful. 'You have heard evidence from a numb of witness and indeed other statement which you have read, becomes clear that there are a number of inconsistencies. 'What is consistent is that this 17 year old boy was trying to get away. 'It is not unusual for a boy to try and get away, that's not something unremarkable, whether handcuffed or not. 'DC Rowley knew from the moment the boy was on the floor he knew he was in trouble, he had succeeded in drawing a crowd by shouting 'please stop, I'm a child'. 'He carried on second third and fourth and fifth strike, he gets to the floor says call the police. 'You can hear him say, don't record me. He knows he's in trouble. He knows.' Kevin Baumber, defending, said: 'This was a police officer trying to do his job and in fact doing it in text book fashion. 'He was aware at once that he was under scrutiny, he never had any problem being filmed or didn't welcome that scrutiny. 'Consider the actions based on the honest held belief that that the defendant, even if he were mistaken was trying to do his job. 'What he was doing was executing techniques he was trained to do. What he was not doing, was not a loss of control of temper, this was not a fight, not a brawl, not retribution, not punishment. 'He was executing a technique he was taught, to a legitimate end.' Mr Baumber said the independent witnesses gave evidence that the officer was 'retaining composure, polite and, calm. 'Even when escalation started he took a staged approach. Techniques were limited. Chain cuffs didn't make pain compliance possible. 'Gave verbal commands, raised ferocity, that too didn't work. 'The knee strikes, that was insufficient to achieve the ends. 'The delivery of the strikes do reflect the training that he had revived, both in the ready stance, the targeting of the lower thigh, the use of force that he was trained to do, to achieve an end that was safe. 'There is very strong evidence that what he was doing was what he thought was necessary to achieve his end.' DC Rowley, of Southend, Essex, had denied assault by beating. He is attached to the East Area Command Unit, covering Redbridge, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham. By Pei Li and Brenda Goh (Reuters) - Threatened by a new virus outbreak, many Chinese have been turning to an online plague simulation game and a disaster movie called "The Flu" as part of coping mechanisms. The new flu-like coronavirus has killed nine people and infected more than 400 in an outbreak originating from the central city of Wuhan, spreading fear of contagion globally and rattling financial markets. "Plague Inc.", a strategy simulation app by UK-based Ndemic creations, was by Wednesday the top-paid game on the iOS operating system on China's Apple Store. It allows users to create and evolve a pathogen to destroy the world. "The best way to conquer fear is to confront fear," said one commentator on China's Twitter-like Weibo. "Isn't this actually joining the evil force if you cannot beat the evil force?" joked another. South Korean disaster flick "The Flu" was the most searched-for movie on Chinese media review and social networking site Douban on Wednesday. A documentary on the 2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak topped TV searches. Furthermore, 11 out of 14 top-ranked articles on content platform Toutiao were related to pneumonia, as were over half of the 50 most-read topics on China's Twitter-like Weibo. The virus outbreak has coincided with China's Lunar New Year celebrations this weekend when millions travel at home and abroad for holidays and family reunions. But the usual bonanza for the tourism and consumer industries may be hit as some people were cancelling trips and avoiding public areas like cinemas and shopping centres. Blockbuster movies set to premiere over the holiday have seen sales momentum waning. In Wuhan, moviegoers who had pre-paid were offered refunds, according to ticket-booking platforms Maoyan and Taopiaopiao. "It's understandable the virus could prevent people from coming to cinemas," lamented one manager at a Beijing cinema, who asked not to be named. She encouraged people to still come but to take precautionary measures like wearing masks. (Reporting by Pei Li and Brenda Goh; Additional Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) nazdravie/iStock(DENVER) -- A woman who shared a photo of her negative pregnancy test is inspiring others to keep fighting as they try for the baby they've always wanted. Tara Engelberg, 33, a "mama in waiting" from Denver, Colo., has often shared her infertility journey with over 2,000 followers. But it was her post on Jan. 13 that hit home for thousands more after being shared by the lifestyle brand, Motherly. "It's OK to cry, to be afraid, pray, hope and believe in miracles," Engelberg told Good Morning America. "Your feelings and emotions are so valid and there's so many women and men going through this." "We're not alone," she added. "Together we're stronger. I held in my journey for two years. My husband and I didn't tell a soul, but I couldn't keep it in anymore because it's such a lonely place to be." Last week, Engelberg snapped a photo of her home pregnancy test which revealed one line. She wrote on the stick, "It will be OK" before posting it on Instagram. "I sometimes wish there was a video camera to show the nightmare that is #infertility," Engelberg captioned. "How after the first sighting of a new period that I somehow have to muster up the courage to tell my husband that once again, we won't be pregnant this month." She went on, "It's a scene all too familiar in my home. It is a scene that is followed by grief and utter heartbreak. Where my husband and I hold each other close as we mourn this unbearable journey. It is the part where we allow ourselves to release our pain and then try to figure out how we are going to pick ourselves back up and get through this ... "After each negative pregnancy test, I somehow gather the courage and the hope to try again. But after nearly 1200 days of trying, something inside changes. That hope that use to flow through my body so powerfully diminishes a little more each month." Engelberg, an aspiring holistic nutritionist, married Glenn Engelberg in 2016. The couple has been trying to conceive for over three years, she told GMA. Earlier in 2019, Engelberg underwent surgery to correct endometriosis. She was told she would never be able to have children naturally, she said. Engelberg shared that journey and the pregnancy test on Instagram to let others know this is "real life." Infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after one year of having regular sexual intercourse without the use of birth control, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The time span is shortened to six months without becoming pregnant for women age 35 and older. Over 6 million women in America struggle with infertility, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Thousands of women from around the world commented on the photo of Engelberg's pregnancy test -- many of whom shared stories of their own fertility struggles. "It took us 7 years of negative pregnancy tests and 1 positive test that ended in a miscarriage," one woman wrote. "I struggled getting pregnant for years and finally got pregnant with out little boy that we are welcoming into the world in May," another shared. Many commenters offered encouraging words: "Its worth it, I promise! Keep fighting." Engelberg said she appreciates the sisterhood on social media. "I was in such a bad place, I literally didn't know how I'd continue on and I've been shown [so much] love and support...what a beautiful thing to have women supporting women regardless of race and religion to show the more we stick together, we can get through it." For the next five months, the Engelbergs are turning to holistic alternatives. If it's unsuccessful, they will begin IVF. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Investor group acquires Duff & Phelps for $4.2 billion An investor group led by Stone Point Capital and Further Global has agreed to acquire financial services firm Duff & Phelps for $4.2 billion, the companies said on Wednesday. New York-based Duff & Phelps, which advises clients on valuations, corporate finance, compliance and regulatory matters, said the consortium is buying the stake from Permira Funds, which will retain a significant stake in the business after the deal. As part of the transaction, the Duff & Phelps management team will continue to lead the company and hold a meaningful stake, the company stated in a release. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020. Duff & Phelps advises clients in the areas of valuation, corporate finance, investigations, disputes, cybersecurity, compliance and regulatory matters, and other governance-related issues. With the acquisitions of Kroll in 2018 and Prime Clerk in 2019, Duff & Phelps has approximately 3,500 professionals at its offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firms longstanding clients include nearly 50 per cent of the companies in the S&P 500, 65 per cent of Fortune 1,000 companies and 70 per cent of top-tier private equity firms, law firms and hedge funds. This partnership marks a vote of confidence in the long-term growth of Duff & Phelps. We are grateful to Permira and are thrilled that they will continue to be investors. We are also excited to have the backing of Stone Point Capital, Further Global and a world-class group of investors. Most importantly, I, along with company President Jacob Silverman, wish to thank our 3,500 Duff & Phelps colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make this company a success, CEO of Duff & Phelps, Noah Gottdiener, said. I am delighted to be reunited with Stone Point and the Duff & Phelps management team as we work to continue to build upon the incredible global franchise that Duff & Phelps has become, Olivier Sarkozy, founder and managing partner of Further Global, added. Since the Permira funds 2018 investment in Duff & Phelps, the company has meaningfully expanded its capabilities through the strategic acquisitions of Kroll and Prime Clerk. The transformation of Duff & Phelps, over the last two years, is a testament to the strength and talents of Noah, Jake and the entire executive team. From day one, weve had a deep and collaborative partnership, and we look forward to the teams future success, said Nic Volpi, a partner at Permira. UBS Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs & Co LLC and Evercore acted as financial advisors to Duff & Phelps. The investor consortium has received committed financing, which will be led by Goldman Sachs & Co LLC. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal advisor to the lenders. Discovery reform was not explicitly mentioned in the budget address that Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered on Jan. 21, but it did get some attention within the legislation that the governor proposed alongside his financial plan. Cuomo is pushing for a new discovery compensation fund that would direct $2 million to prosecutors statewide, to help them comply with the newly enacted changes to criminal discovery laws. The new criminal justice reforms, which took effect on Jan. 1, require prosecutors to turn over evidence to defendants within 15 days after arraignment and limit cash bail for most non-violent offenses. The proposal is a response to criticisms that the state has not provided enough money to help district attorneys comply with the new requirements though prosecutors say more money would be needed to assuage such concerns. But there is one local district attorney, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, who stands to lose if lawmakers eventually approve the new fund. The bill requires that the Manhattan DAs office provide the $2 million in funding from the deferred prosecution agreements it has made with defendants. District attorneys in all five boroughs would also have to report to the state how much money they receive from such agreements. The legislation would also limit how much of that money the district attorneys could hold onto moving forward, while diverting the rest into a state-controlled fund. As the district attorney of a county that includes Wall Street and many of the biggest companies in the world, Vance has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to spend largely as he sees fit. A 2015 investigation by The New York Times found that that three banks HSBC, Standard Chartered and BNP Paribas alone paid a total of $808 million in criminal penalties to avoid a trial over their alleged violation of U.S. sanctions against Sudan, Cuba and Iran. Vance has used the money to fund a variety of programs, including grants for rape test kits across the country and seed money for a new institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. A spokesman for Vance, Danny Frost, said that the district attorneys office has sent $2.3 billion to the state and $1.2 billion to New York City in recent years from the funds it has received from such settlements. We will review the proposal, which comes as news to us, Frost said. At a time when the state is facing a $6 billion budget shortfall, this money has attracted the attention of Cuomo, who appears to be killing two legislative birds with one stone. The new reporting requirements and limits on the money New York City prosecutors can hold onto from deferred prosecution agreements would allow Cuomo to say that he is addressing equity concerns surrounding the money that district attorneys such as Vance can acquire from such agreements. The governors office could not provide comment by publication time, however, on why the legislation would not require prosecutors outside the city to also turnover settlement money. The proposal might also help mollify complaints that the new discovery law is financially burdensome for district attorneys without requiring additional state funding. The district attorneys raised concerns over costs and these ill-gotten gains are an available resource for reinvestment into the criminal justice system, said Rich Azzopardi, senior advisor to Cuomo. David Hoover, president of the District Attorneys Association of New York, has suggested that district attorneys across the state would need an estimated $100 million to comply with the new requirements. He did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. Separate from cost, some prosecutors object to the criminal justice reforms themselves. At best the attempt to address this unfounded mandate by taxing Cy Vance is a day late and several dollars short, Albany County District Attorney David Soares, a former president of the statewide association, said in a statement. The poorly drafted and ill-conceived reforms can only be fixed when those with common sense find common ground. The legislation states that the new fund would be jointly controlled by the state comptroller and the commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance. Appropriations for digital evidence transmission technology would be made by the Legislature and allocated by the state budget director. District attorneys of counties within cities with more than 1 million people legislative parlance for New York City would be able to keep 10% from such agreements that total $25 million or less, 7.5% up to $50 million, 5% up to $100 million and 1% of any settlements larger than that. While $2 million from the Manhattan district attorney would go to the fund, counties and the state would split the rest of the funds received from city district attorneys moving forward. It is unclear whether the state Legislature will pass Cuomos proposal. Representatives for state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not respond to requests for comment by publication time. Republicans have sought to reap political gain from the ongoing controversies surrounding the new criminal justice reforms. This is a band-aid on a bullet wound. Spreading $2 million across more than 50 offices will hardly make a dent in the disruptions caused by discovery reform, Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay said in a statement. Weve called for full repeal because new laws werent handled properly the first time around. We need to go back to the drawing board. District attorneys, law enforcement and Republican lawmakers have criticized the new discovery law by claiming that it requires police and prosecutors to move faster in turning over evidence without providing additional funding for compliance. The men and women in my office are working days, nights and weekends to be able to comply with the new discovery requirements, Saratoga District Attorney District Attorney Karren Heggen said at a Jan. 15 press conference in the Capitol. She told City & State on Jan. 22 that complying with new requirements has been challenging from a technological standpoint. Some law enforcement agencies use different proprietary programs to handle evidence. Transferring audio and video files can be challenging with different web browsers. Her office server has a limited ability to handle it all. Whether or not the governors latest proposal will improve the situation remains to be seen, according to Heggen. Some money is better than none, she said. But it should be meaningful amount that should be made available to the 62 district attorneys offices across the state. Conservative solutions to address carbon dioxide emissions do exist. However, new taxes and higher consumer energy costs are neither winning nor workable. Americans routinely reject the idea that carbon taxes are the answer to lowering emissions. Most recently, voters in Washington state rejected a ballot measure to establish an emissions tax. Theres good reason. The cost of new carbon taxes will always be passed to consumers in the form of higher electricity bills and gas prices. Taxpayers can expect little in return on that investment. The idea that Americans would get dividend checks from an insatiable federal government for collected carbon taxes is far-fetched. A carbon tax wont reduce costs, and it wont reduce regulation. A rendering of the memorial as shown on PCTV. Pittsfield Parks Commission Approve New Veterans Memorial Arnie Perras of VFW Post 448 explains the how the memorial concept came about. The entire meeting can be watched here. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Parks Commission has signed off on an Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial monument to be installed in Veterans Way Park. Commander of the VFW Post 448 and Chairman of the Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial Committee Arnie Perras brought a $10,000 check to the commission's Tuesday meeting to help jump start the memorial fundraising. "It has been a long time coming," Perras said, adding that planning for this monument goes back more than five years. The piece will be installed near the World War I Peace Memorial, just off the paved way at the top of the stairs on the South Street side of the park. "Cars traveling south would get a pretty good look at it," Perras said. "We wanted it to be close where people could access it not way out in the middle of a lawn somewhere." Perras showed a rendering of the monument that will roughly be 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide and created by a company in Woburn. It will be made out of black granite and the front will be laser etched with both Iraq and Afghanistan and the names of the five Berkshire County residents who were killed in action during the conflict. "It will be dedicated to all killed in action that are from Berkshire County," he said. "There will be five names on it leaving space for other names because the war is still on." On the back there will be two soldiers etched. It will read "No One Left Behind." Perras said they hope to unveil the monument on Sept. 11. "That is the day that kind of started all of these wars so we thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this monument at this time," he said. He said the monument itself will cost $33,400 -- a bit more than the original goal of $30,000. With installation, the total cost of the project will likely be closer to $45,000. The VFW voted to kick in $10,000 and there will be a fundraising campaign for the balance. Perras said the hope to have a 10-by-15-foot area around the monument to also install pavers, allowing for more donation opportunities. Perras said they also plan to bury a time capsule under the monument. Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath said all donations will go through the VFW, which will largely oversee the project but that will also work with the city to make sure the monument is installed to specifications. Ultimately, the City Council will have to accept the monument as a gift. "There is a fair amount of work to do between now and then and as long as it stays on a positive path I don't see why we can't meet that deadline," McGrath said. In other business, the commission voted to continue working with the Pittsfield Suns contingent upon the execution of a new agreement that would allow the team to continue to lease Wahconah Park. "I think in good faith this commission would want to continue to work with the Suns and come to an agreement," McGrath said. The Sun's lease agreement is currently expired and the city has yet to draw up a new draft agreement. McGrath said the city will probably produce a draft agreement for the next meeting but asked for a vote from the commissioners stating that they were still interested in working with the Suns. The commission also voted to invite Todd Fiorentino, owner of the Poseidon Coffee kiosk near the Common, to discuss a new lease agreement. "Is it a starter or a non-starter?" McGrath asked. "Do you think it was good for the park? He deserves to be here if you want him to come back." He first took the temperature of the commissioners and asked if they were interested in continuing the agreement at all. He said the city does have some concerns about hours of operation and their consistency. McGrath said this could be enforced in new terms in the agreement. He also said a design meeting for the proposed skate park will be Feb. 6 at the Senior Center at 6 p.m. "The designers will be there and we encourage kids that have an interest in biking or skating to come on out and help us design," he said. The hope is to have a design and cost estimate by May. The commission elected Anthony DeMartino as the new chairman. Dublin, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market (by Segments, Payment Methods, Device Types, Average Revenue Per Users, Penetration), Users, Major Trends, Company Analysis, Recent Developments - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This 112 page report with 44 figures and 7 tables has been analyzed from 9 View Points: 1) Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 2) Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Consumers Analysis and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 3) Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market Share and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 4) By Segments - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 5) By Payment Methods - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 6) By Device Types - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 7) Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market - Company Analysis, Recent Developments 8) Saudi Arabia - New E-Commerce Law 9) Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market - Growth Drivers & Challenges Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market is Predicted to Reach Nearly US$ 24 Billion by 2026 The country has experienced a steady shift from offline shopping to online shopping in the recent past. Being the largest among the GCC countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a population of over 34 Million. The population is highly urbanized as more than 84% of the country living in urbanized areas, with super-fast internet connections. With such an affluent population, Saudi Arabia is poised as an attractive market for e-Commerce offering huge potential for industry players. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has an overwhelmingly young and rich population as the country is ranked among the top 20 richest countries by spending power, the high-spending power of the country's citizens is a driving factor in the growth of e-commerce. Realizing the potential of the e-Commerce market in the country, the Saudi Government has taken a number of steps to boost the market. The Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MOCI) has introduced a new Electronic Commerce Law (the E-Commerce Law), effective as of 9th October 2019. E-commerce is recognized as one of the pillars of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 under the National Transformation Program and the government aims to increase the contribution of modern trade and e-commerce to 80 percent in the retail sector by 2030. Also, the Saudi Arabian government is planning an investment of over US$ 100 billion in the development of logistics infrastructure to boost ecommerce growth in the region. Segments On the basis of segments, the Saudi Arabia e-Commerce market is dominated by the Fashion segment. Availability of international brands and presence of trending products on such online platforms with varied offers and discounts are the major factors which have driven sales of fashion products on e-commerce portals. The demand for Electronics & Media products in Saudi Arabia is increasing at a rapid pace. The ability to compare product features, search for low prices and read reviews makes the web a good fit for electronic products. The growing number of real estate development, and increasing demand for residential property along with the governmental initiatives to develop socio-economic infrastructure is driving the whole Furniture & Appliances industry in the Kingdom. Personal Care products are no more restricted to being used on special occasions, but are gaining prominence as part of women's daily regimen. Moreover, backed by growing trend of workplace gender equality in the country, the women workforce is continuously expanding, which in turn, is aiding Saudi Arabia Personal Care products market. Payment Methods Among the various methods of payment, Cash on Delivery is the most widely used method of payment by Saudi Arabian online shoppers. However, Cards and Wallets are expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. During the past few years, several wallets that operate via smartphones were launched such as Apple Pay, Mada Pay, STC Pay, and BayanPay. While, Bank transfers as a means of payment are widely used by buyers who may not have credit cards or simply prefer to transact through a bank. Device Types In terms of devices, Mobiles are the most preferred devices for online shopping as it held maximum share of the Saudi Arabia e-Commerce market. With one of the highest smartphone penetrations in the world, Saudi consumers are looking more towards their phones for product information and purchases. As technological savviness is rapidly growing due to the high mobile and internet penetration rates, a gradual decline in shopping via desktop is being observed in Saudi Arabia e-Commerce market. Company Analysis Amazon is opening up its exports business to enable Indian sellers on its platform to sell for the UAE and other Middle East markets. Souq has raised a total of US$ 460 Million in funding over 5 rounds. Namshi is set to expand to Egypt and establish a logistics base in Saudi Arabia. In June 2018, eBay Inc. joined forces with Noon, an e-commerce venture to sell products online via noon.com. Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary 2. Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market, Consumers Analysis and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 2.1 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast 2.2 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market Penetration and Forecast 2.3 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Users and Forecast 2.4 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Average Revenue per Users (ARPUs) and Forecast 3. Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market Share and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 3.1 By Segments - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market Share and Forecast 3.2 By Payment Methods - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market Share and Forecast 3.3 By Device Types - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market Share and Forecast 4. By Segments - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 4.1 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Fashion Market and Forecast 4.2 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Electronics & Media Market and Forecast 4.3 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Toys, Hobby & DIY Market and Forecast 4.4 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Furniture & Appliances Market and Forecast 4.5 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Food & Personal Care Market and Forecast 5. By Payment Methods - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 5.1 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Bank Transfers Market and Forecast 5.2 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Cards Market and Forecast 5.3 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Cash on Delivery Market and Forecast 5.4 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - E-Wallet Market and Forecast 6. By Device Types - Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market and Forecast (2015 - 2026) 6.1 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Desktop Market and Forecast 6.2 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Mobiles Market and Forecast 6.3 Saudi Arabia E-Commerce - Tablets Market and Forecast 7. Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market - Company Analysis 7.1 Amazon (Souq) 7.2 eBay Inc. 7.3 Namshi (Acquired by Emaar Malls) 7.4 Noon 7.5 Jarir Marketing (Bookstore) Company 8. Saudi Arabia - New E-Commerce Law 9. Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market - Growth Drivers 9.1 Increasing Internet Users and Penetration in Saudi Arabia 9.2 Increased Personalization of Services with Socializing Engagement 9.3 Government Initiatives for Boosting E-commerce Sector 9.3.1 New Electronic Commerce Law 9.3.2 Saudi Arabia to Establish New E-Commerce Council 9.3.3 National Transformation Program (NTP) Objectives 9.3.4 Support from Authorities 9.3.5 Government and Private Partnerships 9.4 Growing Investment in E-Commerce and Socio-Economic Reforms 9.5 Improvement in Digital Payments Options 9.6 Expansion of Logistics Capabilities 9.7 Fast Growing Young Population Contributes Towards E-Commerce Industry Growth in Kingdom 9.8 Affinity Towards Technology and Increasing Social Media Users 10. Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Market - Challenges 10.1 Logistics and Delivery Challenges 10.2 Impact of Value Added Tax (VAT) in the GCC 10.3 Cost of Owning an Online Store 10.4 Payment Challenges For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ls96hz Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday complained that his country has not been "treated fairly" by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), stating that the United States is not considered a "developing nation" while China and India are, by the global trade body. (Photo: File) Davos: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday complained that his country has not been "treated fairly" by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), stating that the United States is not considered a "developing nation" while China and India are, by the global trade body. "But the World Trade Organisation -- as you know, I've had a dispute running with them for quite a while, because our country hasn't been treated fairly. China is viewed as a developing nation. India is viewed as a developing nation. We're not viewed a developing nation," the US President said while speaking at a press conference, according to a transcript by the White House. "As far as I'm concerned, we're a developing nation, too. But they got tremendous advantages by the fact that they were considered "developing" and we weren't. And they shouldn't be. But if they are, we are. And we're talking about a whole new structure for the deal, or we'll have to do something," said Trump. The US President stressed that the WTO has been "very unfair to the United States for many, many years". "But the World Trade Organisation has been very unfair to the United States for many, many years. And without it, China wouldn't be China, and China wouldn't be where they are right now. I mean, China -- that was the vehicle that they used. And I give them great credit. And I also don't give the people that were in my position great credit, because, frankly, they let that all happen. But the vehicle was the World Trade Organisation," Trump said. The US President also chose to highlight the achievements saying that since his election, his country has gained over 7 million new jobs. "The unemployment rate is now the lowest in over half a century. The average unemployment rate for my administration is the lowest of any US President in recorded history, which is very nice; we have some good ones. We have some bad ones too, by the way," said Trump. MPs say the situation in Libya continues to threaten national security after the Berlin summit led to a temporary cessation of military operations The one-day summit held in Berlin on Sunday called for a comprehensive political settlement of the Libyan crisis through consolidating the ceasefire declared on 12 January. It urged the two warring parties the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj to hold a national dialogue under the auspices of the UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame. Egyptian MPs, however, say that though the conference was encouraging the risk of the armed conflict morphing into a regional confrontation remains, with unpredictable consequences for Libyas neighbours. Farag Amer, chairman of parliaments Industrial Committee, said Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogans insistence on deploying troops in Libya heightened the possibility of a dangerous security fallout. Egypts army and security forces were put on high alert last week along its 1,000 km border with Libya to be ready to contain the risk of any spillover from the conflict there, said Amer. The second and third field armies carried out several combat missions last week as part of the Kader 2020 manoeuvers. Troops from naval and air defence forces and commandos participated in the military exercises on the North Coast. In 2016 and 2017 terrorists were able to infiltrate Egypt from Libya, said Amer. The terrorist Islamic State (IS) also killed 21 Egyptian Copts working in Libya in February 2015. While it is true the LNA now controls many of the cities near the border and a number of terrorist leaders have been arrested, dangers remain as long as Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood-led government in Tripoli are intent on turning Libya into a fertile ground for Islamist forces coming from Syria. Two weeks ago Erdogan said he would send troops to Libya. There were Western press reports that Turkey has already transferred jihadists and mercenaries to Libya. The Guardian newspaper last week said 2,000 fighters had moved from Turkey or will arrive imminently to fight on the battlefields of Libya. The UK newspaper also asserted that 650 Turkish funded Syrian National Army fighters arrived in Tripoli at the end of December. Another contingent of 1,350 men crossed into Turkey on their way to Libya and Islamist militants from the Sham Legion are expected to be sent. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the figure of transferred mercenaries at 1,750 and said an additional 1,500 were being trained in Turkey. The Guardian reported that the mercenaries were being paid $2,000 a month and had been promised Turkish nationality. French President Emanuel Macron told France 24 that if this information is confirmed it is very worrisome since it connects two theaters of operations, Libya and Syria, and would facilitate the emergence of terrorist hubs in Africas Sahel region. Al-Sarraj told the BBCs Arabic channel on Monday that his government is ready to receive foreign fighters to defend it against the advancing LNA. Ebba Kalondo, a spokesman for the African Union (AU), warned this week that Libyas neighbours Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Chad and fellow AU members beyond could suffer consequences from the Libyan crisis in the same way Syrias neighbours suffered because of the civil war there. He added, These countries could face an influx of refugees, and terrorists hiding among the refugees might infiltrate Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. Ahmed Badawi, head of parliaments Telecommunications Committee, said the Berlin summit might bring military operations in Libya to a temporary halt but warned the conflict could spiral out of control at any moment, and Egypt should be ready to face this threat. As long as the Muslim Brotherhood is in control in Tripoli and receives huge financial, diplomatic and military support from countries like Turkey and Qatar, it will seek to target Egypts national security regardless of peaceful solutions. In a statement issued on 12 January, parliaments Arab Affairs Committee said Turkish President Erodgans move to deploy troops in Libya and send mercenaries is a ploy to support the agenda of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood. After losing power in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria and Tunisia the Brotherhood is seeking Erdogans help to gain a foothold in Libya and target the security of Egypt, said the statement. Turkish attempts to illegally expand its territorial waters in the gas rich eastern Mediterranean poses another threat. Egypt has beefed up its security measures along the border with Libya, and naval forces ready to stand up to any Turkish incursions into Egypts territorial waters. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said this week that should foreign interference in Libya threaten Egypts national security it would be natural to resort to force to neutralise any danger. He also warned that countries which facilitate the transfer of mercenaries from Syria to war-stricken countries like Libya could face international legal lawsuits. Kamal Amer, chairman of parliaments Defence and National Security committee told reporters this week that we the Egyptian army, police and citizens have to prepare ourselves for all aspects of the conflict in Libya, particularly those relating to security and the possibility of terrorists infiltrating into our borders. We know that Tripoli and Misrata, the cities where the armed conflict is concentrated, are far from Egypts borders but as long as mercenaries and foreign fighters flow into Libya with support from the Muslim Brotherhood in Tripoli they attempt to target Egypt and we have to be ready to stand up to this threat. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Both the countries are also cooperating on agri-tech incubation programmes and start-ups. New Delhi: In a significant move, India on Thursday praised Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who will be visiting the country from January 24 to 27 and will be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade this year, and described him as an elected leader from a democratic country who is committed to strengthening the strategic ties between the two nations. The remarks were made in response to a question from a journalist asking why India had invited the Brazilian leader who is known for his far-right image and controversial utterances in the past. Government sources, meanwhile, indicated that during the upcoming visit and after talks between the Brazilian President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi this Saturday, the two countries may ink about 14 to 15 pacts in various spheres, including cyber-security, oil and natural gas, bio-energy and investment. Both the countries are also cooperating on agri-tech incubation programmes and start-ups. At a special briefing on Thursday, MEAs secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh pointed out that India is giving great importance to engaging with Brazil and its leaders. She also said that during the visit, India and Brazil would discuss the menace of terrorism as well as other issues of both regional and global importance. She also added that both countries have been in discussions over their common quest to become permanent members of the UNSC. In a statement issued earlier this week, the MEA had said, Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro will be paying a visit to India from Jan-uary 24-27 at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. President Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at Indias 71st Republic Day Parade on January 26. Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Thursday slammed his party colleague Pavan Varma for publicly calling him out on his decision to join hands with the BJP for Delhi Assembly election and the party's stand on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Talking to media, Kumar said that Varma's has not expressed his displeasure in the correct manner and he should have not revealed private conversations in public. The Bihar chief minister added that he respects Varma and if he wants to quit JD(U) to join some other party, he is free to do so. This is not the way to express your displeasure... he [Varma] says I told him certain things, should I tell you what he said to me? I respect him... If he want to go to some other party that is his decision... he has my blessings, Kumar said. On Wednesday (January 22), Varma wrote an open letter raising questions over the JDU's alliance with the BJP for Delhi Assembly poll 2020, saying Kumar's decision has left him deeply perplexed. Varma said he was asking him how the JD(U) has formed an alliance with the BJP for the Delhi elections, given his own views on the BJP, and the massive national outrage against the divisive CAA-NPR-NRC scheme. On more than one occasion, you have expressed your grave apprehensions about the BJP-RSS combine," Varma said in the letter. He added, Even after you changed tracks and aligned again with the BJP in 2017, your private apprehensions regarding the BJP did not change. For instance, I remember your confessing to me in private how the current BJP leadership has humiliated you. You maintained, on more than one occasion, that the BJP is leading India into a dangerous space. Varma then asked if these were the real views of Bihar CM and said, I fail to understand how the JD(U) is now extending its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar, when even long-standing allies of the BJP, like the Akali Dal, have refused to do so. Varma asserted on the urgent need for the JDU to harmonise what the party constitution says, what the leader of the party feels in private and what actions the party takes in public. It is to be noted that the JDU is contesting on two out of 70 seats in Delhi Assembly and BJP's decision to give two seats to JD(U) is seen by an attempt by the party to strengthen its alliance with JD(U). Show Up! You Know the Name Look up the concert Jared Houston Weekly Alibi editor August March told a reporter at the newspaper that the past seven days were a premier week for the old alter ego. Folks just couldnt put their phones down, and the aging critic had to field calls from just about everyone, from a homeless guitarist dwelling on the outskirts of Anton Chico to several concerned citizens convinced that March was wrong. Thats fine, he continued, even if it sometimes means taking a few lumps. Because he was in such an ebullient mood on the day we spoke, March was presently singing an old dance hall number as he thought about what shows might rise to the top over the coming week. In case you are interested, here are the lyrics to the song March was half-singing as he sat down at his computer to compose another installment of Show Up! You know my name/ Look, look, look up the number/ You know my name/ That's right, look up the number/ You, you know, you know my name/ You, you know, you know my name/ You know my name, look up the number/ You know my name/ That's right, look up the number. One would have thought the whole lot to have been pure nonsense, he said about the novelty tune written by Johnny Rhythm and Macca, until the part when Brian Jones comes in on the saxophone and saves the day, March intoned gravely as he buckled down and started typing. In what could be termed an important step towards saving crucial wildlife in the country, the state of Jharkhand has chosen to not build the Dhalbhumgarh airport to save forests and animals. The habitat of the elephant, an endangered species and Indias national heritage animal, are regularly threatened by developmental projects. The Dhalbhumgarh airport sought nearly 100 hectares of land from forests in Jharkhand that serve as a corridor for elephants migrating between Jharkhand and the neighbouring state of West Bengal. According to a report by Huffpost India, An expert panel of the Indian governments Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has deferred the project while noting that the project could lead to an increase in human-elephant conflict in the area. It has sought further information for reconsidering the proposal. The Dhalbhumgarh airport site is an abandoned World War II airfield situated 60 kilometres from the industrial city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. Currently, the surface of the runway is not suitable for operations and no other facility is available at the airport. New runway dimensions suitable for ATR 72 type of aircraft will be constructed along with the provision of turning pad at both the ends. Terminal building to handle 75 arrival and 75 departure passengers at any point of time will be constructed, revealed the minutes of the EACs meeting, as reported by Huffpost India. However, it is learnt that the airport project is awaiting Centre clearance, according to a report by news agency PTI. Diversion of forest lands for non-forestry use, under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, is accorded in two stages. They are Stage 1 or in-principle approval which mandates conditions to be complied with for the issue of the subsequent Stage 11 or final approval. Construction of boundary walls will begin after receiving the clearance for Stage-I, he said. Since a major portion of the land for the airport belongs to the forest department, "Elephant movement is there, particularly in areas bordering West Bengal, but it is not an elephant corridor," the DFO said, it said. The project will benefit the people of Jharkhands Kolhan division and areas bordering Odisha and West Bengal, an official release said. "The project will be constructed on forest land and it will begin after getting a letter of no objection (NOC) from the forest department. The district administration is taking all necessary efforts to get the NOC," the release had said on January 3. Mother Nature is adding insult to injury as winter storms continue to make a mess across two regions recently hit. A blizzard blasted through the Midwest-Great Lakes region last Friday and Saturday, resulting in interstate closures and many accidents in several states. Except for last weekend, strong snowstorms have been hammering the Northwest, also closing roads at times. Additional delays are possible in these parts of the country over the next few days. Midwest-Great Lakes A slow-moving storm system is producing snow, sleet and freezing rain in the lower Mississippi Valley, central Great Plains and portions of the upper Midwest. All of this will head eastward across the remainder of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes tomorrow and Friday. SONAR Critical Events and radar, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2019, 11 a.m. EST. Midwest-Great Lakes winter storm threat. It won't be as bad as last weekend's storm that hit these areas, with much less snow (mostly 6 inches or fewer), not as much ice (less than one-tenth of an inch) and less powerful winds (gusts less than 30 mph). Drivers will need to slow down a bit from time to time, but major interstate shutdowns and long delays are unlikely. Since ambient temperatures will hover around the freezing mark, some of the snow will not accumulate on interstates, limiting the storm's impact. This is especially true in the southern and eastern parts of the storm. Shippers should expect some minor disruptions in road, air and rail freight. Minor, short-term disruptions to supply chains and business operations are possible on local and regional levels. Northeast Is Next The Midwest-Great Lakes storm will move into the Northeast this weekend with little impact on major freight markets. SONAR Critical Events and radar, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2019, 11 a.m. EST. Northeast winter storm threat. Snowfall totals of 2 to 7 inches are likely from central Pennsylvania and upstate New York to interior New England. Winds won't be too powerful in most areas, with gusts staying under 30 mph. However, isolated spots of stronger gusts are possible. Story continues This storm will likely not affect major metropolitan cities on the I-95 corridor. However, the outlook could change. Look for forecast updates on the FreightWaves website and social media accounts. Northwest Nuisance The first in a new series of snowstorms has returned to the mountains of the Northwest. Except for last weekend, the Cascades and northern Rockies have been hit with periods of nasty winter weather since the beginning of the year, resulting in occasional road closures. Southern parts of British Columbia, Canada will see their fair share, too. The snowfall has been great for skiers and resort owners but not for some carriers and their drivers. Shippers have likely been dealing with late pickups and deliveries. The on-and-off storms will keep going the rest of the week and possibly into Monday. SONAR Critical Events and radar, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2019, 11 a.m. EST. Northwest winter storm threat. Look for another 6 to 12 inches of snowfall today through tonight in the high elevations of the Washington Cascades and Olympics. Look for several inches in the Rockies of northern Idaho and western Montana, as well as northeastern Oregon. Potential trouble spots include Snoqualmie and Lookout passes on the I-90 corridor, as well as Stevens Pass on US-2. Light snow is possible in spots along I-84 in Oregon. Wind could cause blowing/drifting snow, occasionally reducing visibility in some areas. Temperatures and snow levels will rise tomorrow through Saturday. With plenty of moisture remaining in the atmosphere, heavy rain is possible in the mountains of the Washington Cascades up to around 5,500 feet, as well as the lowlands along and west of I-5. Several inches of potential rainfall could lead to localized flooding and mudslides, including spots on the US-101 corridor. Have a great day, and be careful out there! Image by skeeze from Pixabay 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Anecdotally, I have found it unusual for practitioners to have an orientation session with me upon starting a new practice. It is during this brief encounter that the physician informs the patient what his or her practice principles are about, allowing both parties to see if there is a fit. When a doctor engages a bully patient, it often is best to address that with the patient, basically saying it doesnt appear the relationship is working out. Anything short of that can lead to physician bias and assumptions, leading to errors in patient care. That request was designed to move it up the chain to unlock state and federal disaster money. However, earlier this month, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security denied it, saying that federal disaster assistance wouldnt be available until there is actual loss of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges or public utilities. India's westernmost state, Gujarat will present 'Rani ki Vav Prime Minister Narendra Modi's younger brother named Pankaj Modi is the Deputy Director in the Gujarat government's Information Department and is in Delhi as part of the Republic Day tableau team from Gujarat. "Gujarat will present the 'Rani ki Vav: Jal Mandir' tableau in the parade organised as a part of the Republic Day celebration to be held in New Delhi on January 26," an official statement read. "This 'Rani ki Vav' tableau is going to exhibit the great heritage of Gujarat to become a central attraction for the nation at the parade," the statement further read. 'Rani ki Vav', which was built by Rani Udayamati as a memorial to her husband King Bhimdev I in the 11th century in Patan district, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014. The original grandeur seven storeyed mausoleum monument of 'Rani ki Vav' is located on the banks of historical Sarasvati River at Patan town in Gujarat. The water wells and reservoirs (chiefly lakes) have always been the lifeline of Gujarat; among them, the 'Rani ki Vav' has remained vitally important as 'Jal Mandir' (water temple) since centuries. According to the statement, Gujarat's tableau will showcase the grandeur of the 'Rani ki Vav'. To exhibit the importance of the precious water resources, a large sculpture of rural Gujarat with water-filled earthen pots has been placed in the foreground of the tableau. In the trailer part of the tableau, the sculpture of 'Dashaavtar of Lord Vishnu' as the main theme, along with the idols of women showcasing their different forms of beauties in complete traditional Indian style have also been placed. The original grandeur seven storeyed mausoleum monument of 'Rani ki Vav' has been symbolised with the three-storeyed replica set on the tableau. In the top portion of the 'Rani ki Vav' tableau, 10 artists, including a character of the mother and a young daughter, will simulate a scene of tourists being offered drinking water by women who are on way to Rani ki Vav to fetch the drinking waters. "The guidance and direction in building this tableau were given by Ashwini Kumar (IAS), Secretary, Information and Broadcast Department, Gujarat Government; Ashok Kalaria, Information Director; Arvind Patel, Additional Director; Pankaj Modi, Deputy Director; and Hiren Bhatt, Deputy Director," the statement informed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Could your gas stove become a thing of the past? As cities in California ban natural gas appliances in new homes and the state slashes emissions, gas-powered technology will increasingly become obsolete over the next quarter-century, regulators predict. And theyve started to plan for that future. This month, the California Public Utilities Commission said it will start figuring out how to manage the states transition away from natural gas-fueled technologies while ensuring safety and keeping rates steady. Natural gas is the largest source of energy for California, providing more than a quarter of the states usage in 2017, according to the Energy Information Administration. It gets piped into homes and businesses for heating and cooking and also fuels power plants, ultimately supplying about 30% of the electricity on the states grid. So moving California away from gas would involve a huge change. The big question is what will happen to vast networks of gas plants and pipelines if demand drops to the point that they are not financially viable. That could leave companies with little-used assets and saddle gas customers who remain with high costs. The commissions order said: Planning for the impending demand reduction must be balanced with the need to ensure that existing transmission of gas is delivered in a safe and reliable manner, long-term statewide electricity procurement requirements are met, and rates are just and reasonable. The plan is motivated by a need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, operational constraints in the gas industry and deadly risks like the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion that killed eight people, according to the commissions order. The process formally gets under way in March and wont produce a final decision until 2022. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle David Wooley, executive director of UC Berkeleys Center for Environmental Public Policy, said, The writing has been on the wall as electric technology improves and gas bans sweep the state. For example, Berkeley, San Mateo, Menlo Park, San Jose and Marin County have recently either banned gas appliances in new homes or require the homes to be energy efficient if gas is used. Its timely and very important. Its likely to provide leadership not only in California but other states that are facing the same sets of issues. These issues have not been carefully thought through yet, Wooley said. There are huge consumer implications here because of costs, big investor risk in issues, and there are big planning implications. Everybody in the marketplace needs greater certainty about how this will be treated from a regulatory perspective. Part of the reason for urgency is Californias far-reaching climate goal of going carbon neutral by 2045. That includes making the states energy supply greener and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. Some 64% of households in California used natural gas for heating in 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration, and California accounted for 7% of natural gas use in the country in the same year. Experts say gas, which can be burned day and night, will continue to bridge the gaps in more unpredictable sources like wind or solar. But that will leave operators of natural gas plants with expensive assets that are needed at peak times but used less and less. Another interesting aspect of the transition is that utilities like Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. are pushing to scale up renewable gas made from food waste and other natural sources which could keep gas in the states energy mix longer. The commission is seeking to make sure reduced gas demand doesnt hurt companies, investors or ratepayers. The risk is that if customers leave the system, those remaining who are more likely to be lower-income and the last to go electric could see higher rates. There are important equity questions here, Wooley said. If customers cant make up the difference, companies assets would be stranded an outcome the commission will look to minimize by making sure cost recovery is equitable, according to Michael Colvin of the Environmental Defense Fund. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Moving away from gas will hit major utility companies like PG&E and SoCalGas that have systems worth billions of dollars. PG&E spokesman Jason King said his company, the major supplier of both gas and electricity in Northern California, strongly supports Californias climate and clean air goals. PG&E welcomes the opportunity to avoid investments in new gas assets that might later prove underutilized as local governments and the state work together to realize long-term decarbonization objectives, King said in an email. Beyond new construction, PG&E believes a multifaceted approach is needed to cost-effectively achieve Californias greenhouse-gas reduction objectives, including both electrification and decarbonizing the gas system with renewable natural gas and hydrogen. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes PG&E depends on natural gas for 15% of its electricity supply. The company is seeking offers to use more biomethane, a renewable gas, this year. SoCalGas also wants to purchase renewable natural gas with the goal of replacing 5% of its natural gas supply by 2022. The company filed a request with the PUC to allow customers to voluntarily switch to renewable gas for their homes and hopes for approval this year. The company agrees with the commission that the existing natural gas pipeline system can play a role in reaching environmental goals by delivering renewable natural gas and potentially green hydrogen, spokeswoman Christine Detz said in an email. A SoCalGas-commissioned report predicted renewable gas would continue to be more expensive than natural gas, but the most cost-effective option would be a blend of both. We look forward to delivering on our commitment to become the cleanest gas utility in North America and to continued engagement with state policymakers as we all work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a clean energy future that works for all Californians, Detz wrote. Companies and regulators are eyeing local gas bans rolling out across California. San Francisco barred gas in new and extensively renovated city-owned buildings. Fifteen other communities passed similar laws, pending approval from the state. Some homes or businesses are switching on their own. At James & the Giant Cupcake, which opened a third location four months ago in Oaklands Jack London Square, general manager Caleigh Schrey said the bakery chose to install four electric ovens because it was cheaper than two gas ones. The bakery saved money by not installing a gas hookup and on the cost of the appliances themselves, she said. It has used gas previously. The location that we were based from, this store was old, and gas was what came with it, she said. When we opened the new store four months ago and got to start over, so to speak, and buy all the equipment new and fresh, we did the electric because they were more cost-effective. Not all agree, though: A lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association challenges Berkeleys ban. Some energy-conscious consumers embrace going electric, but others dont want to give up gas appliances. Marin County changed its code this year to allow homeowners to keep gas stoves and fireplaces after meeting resistance. Gas ban advocates and opponents cite conflicting studies amid ongoing debates about whether going electric costs more. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench The delegation included 62 Muslims, including 25 prominent religious leaders from more than two dozen countries. A high-level delegation of Muslim religious leaders has visited Auschwitz along with a Jewish group. Organisers said it was the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to visit the site of a Nazi German death camp. The interfaith visit came four days before the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp by Soviet forces. It was led by the secretary-general of the Muslim World League, Mohammad al-Issa, who called it both a sacred duty and a profound honour. The Mecca-based organisation, which aims to present Islams tolerant principles, posted images of the visit to its social media feeds. The unconscionable crimes to which we bear witness today are truly crimes against humanity. That is to say, a violation of us all, an affront to all of Gods children, said al-Issa. The delegation included 62 Muslims, including 25 prominent religious leaders from more than two dozen countries, as well as members of the American Jewish Committee. A post of the Muslim World Leagues Twitter feed showed Jews and Muslims praying side by side at the site in southern Poland. Al-Issas outreach to Jewish organisations coincides with a broader alignment of interests and ties emerging between the Arab Gulf states and Israel, which share a common foe in Iran. On Friday, members of the delegation will visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and attend Muslim and Jewish religious services there. Meanwhile, world leaders voiced alarm at resurgent anti-Semitism on Thursday as they gathered at Israels national Holocaust Memorial to mark the liberation of the Nazi death camp. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Vice President Mike Pence also castigated Iran in their speeches to the World Holocaust Forum, accusing it of rabid anti-Semitism and of seeking Israels destruction. Leaders of Russia and France looked closer to home in lamenting the killing of six million Jews in Europe during World War II by the Nazis and pledging to combat rising anti-Semitism. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the conference at the Yad Vashem memorial centre that he bowed his head in deepest sorrow [for] the worst crime in the history of humanity committed by his countrymen. Brexit uncertainty will likely continue to weigh on the British economy but the handbrake on growth may come off if the UK strikes some sort of interim trade deal this year, a leading London consultancy has forecast. Capital Economics said the risk of Britain reverting to World Trade Organisation rules which a no-deal outcome at the end of 2020 entails remains a live issue, but some sort of piecemeal deal is likely nonetheless. Some sort of fudge that prevents a step-change in the UK-EU relationship at the end of this year is more likely, said its chief UK economist Paul Dales in a major assessment What to expect as the UK negotiates its future relationships. A piecemeal approach could involve deals in some areas [such as goods] being agreed this year and the status quo being maintained in others [services] until deals can be sorted after 2020, he said. The UK and EU must resolve three trade-offs in the coming months, including the amount of access to the single market and the rules the UK must obey, as well as the shape an eventual UK-US trade deal will take, according to Capital Economics. It believes the UK and the EU will aim to strike a so-called Canada plus, plus deal. If the UK wanted a relationship as close as full EU membership or as distant as operating on WTO terms, that could be arranged very quickly. But something like Canada, plus, plus will be harder and will take longer. This tight timetable may force the UK to give up some ground, it said. Capital Economics projects a piecemeal deal would help remove the threat of a no-deal outcome on December 31 and help the UK to boost GDP growth to 1.8% in 2021. A new law is set to be put to the Turkish parliament that would allow men accused of abusing girls under 18 to avoid punishment if they marry their victims. The so-called 'marry your rapist' bill is set to be introduced to parliament for MPs in Turkey to debate at the end of the month. Critics say the proposed law legitimises statutory rape, child marriage and allows child abuse and sexual exploitation to become rife. Members of Turkish parliament (seen in a file image) will discuss a proposed bill that would see men accused of abusing underage girls avoid punishment The United Nations has warned the law legitimises child rape and would lead to abusers acting with impunity, leaving victims even more vulnerable. Opposition MPs also condemned the bill, warning such a law would lead to girls being forced into marriages against their will as well as encouraging abuse. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is urging the government to drop the proposal. A similar bill was put before the Turkish parliament in 2016 but it was withdrawn after it sparked worldwide outrage. The controversial proposal would have applied to statutory rape cases without use of 'force, threat, or any other restriction on consent' involving girls aged 15 or younger. But Turkey's ruling AK Party is shelved the proposed bill on underage marriage for further consultations. In 2017 Turkey passed a new law to allow Islamic muftis to conduct civil marriage ceremonies. The move was criticised as undermining Turkey's secular constitution and opening the door for and increase in child brides. Women's rights activists and and politicians have fought against similar legal loopholes to be removed in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine in recent years. The Turkish government proposed a similar bill in 2016 but was withdrawn after it sparked worldwide outrage (stock image) Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been accused of sexism in the past after saying women are not equal to men and claiming feminists in Turkey reject the idea of motherhood. Ahead of international women's day in 2018, Turkey's president blamed the media for a rise in cases of domestic violence against women and child abuse, telling journalists to not report such incidents. At Turkey's Women and Democracy Association in Istanbul in 2016, Erdogan urged women to have at least three children, saying a woman who rejects motherhood is 'deficient' and 'incomplete'. In 2014 Erdogan said biological differences meant women and men could not serve the same functions, adding that manual work was unsuitable for the 'delicate nature' of women. The legal age of consent in Turkey is 18, but a government report published in 2018 on child marriage estimates a total of 482,908 underage girls were married over the last ten years. With the start of a new decade, our clear vision is to eradicate the horrific death and injury toll occurring on our roadways. Every day, approximately 100 people are killed and nearly 7,500 more are injured in motor vehicle crashes. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) today released the 17th edition of the annual Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws (Report), finding 395 proven countermeasures which could be saving lives have not been enacted. The Report, A 2020 Vision for Safety, provides a report card on 16 traffic safety laws for each state and Washington, D.C. Opportunity exists in every state to enact laws that combat the widely acknowledged public health crisis of motor vehicle crashes. At a press conference unveiling the Report, Advocates President Cathy Chase said, With the start of a new decade, our clear vision is to eradicate the horrific death and injury toll occurring on our roadways. Every day, approximately 100 people are killed and nearly 7,500 more are injured in motor vehicle crashes. The emotional devastation inflicted on families from crashes also comes with a significant annual economic cost of $242 billion. This results in each person living in the U.S. essentially paying a crash tax of a $784 every year. The status quo is unacceptable. As state legislatures around the country convene, now is the time for attention, activism and action. Advocates Report gives every state and Washington, D.C. a rating in five categories (Occupant Protection, Child Passenger Safety, Teen Driving, Impaired Driving, and Distracted Driving) as well as an overall grade of: Green (Good); Yellow (Caution); and Red (Danger). Seven states (RI, WA, DE, ME, OR, CA, LA) and Washington, D.C. received green ratings with Rhode Island topping the list at 13 enacted laws. Thirty-one (31) others received a yellow rating indicating the need for improvement. Twelve (12) states earned a red rating for lagging dangerously behind in the adoption of Advocates recommended laws (SD, WY, MO, MT, AZ, OH, FL, NE, NV, NH, VT, VA). South Dakota has the fewest number of optimal laws at just two total. Advocates President Cathy Chase also revealed the results of a new public opinion poll conducted by ENGINES CARAVAN SURVEY, finding a high degree of concern about distracted driving and drug-impaired driving. When asked if states should pass laws prohibiting distracting activities such as watching movies or playing video games, the support for doing so was consistent and clear at 90 percent. Anti-distracted driving advocate Jennifer Weaver reflected on the publics sentiment saying, At a time when multitasking and cell phone addiction have become the norm, no one thinks they will be the one to cause a distracted driving crash or even a fatality. No one gets into their car thinking, I am going to answer a call or read a text while driving and kill someone as a consequence. However, I am here to tell you that it can happen to anyone and all it takes is a split-second decision to take your eyes off the road. Lee Fanshaw, Federal Government Affairs Director of American Family Insurance and Insurance Co-Chair of Advocates Board of Directors commented on the drug-impaired driving response. As Advocates newly released public opinion poll demonstrates, more than three quarters of respondents are concerned about impaired driving caused by marijuana use, Fanshaw said. We must better understand the full scope of the threat drug-impaired driving poses on our roads in order to take effective action. He also discussed critical gaps in state highway safety laws. With nearly half of all crash fatalities involving a motorist who was not buckled up, still 31 states are missing an optimal seat belt law protecting all vehicle occupants in all seating positions. Protecting children in age- and size-appropriate child safety seats in the rear seat is a proven lifesaver. Unfortunately, 43 states have not enacted both optimal rear-facing until 2 or longer and booster seat components. A special section of this years Report, 2020 Vision: Issues in Focus, details areas where technological advances could be saving lives today. We are at a transformational time in transportation innovation with the availability of safety technologies in vehicles to prevent or mitigate crashes, said Dr. Deanna Wathington, Executive Dean of Health Sciences at Bethune-Cookman University and Executive Board Vice Chair of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Systems such as automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind spot detection (BSD) and lane departure warning (LDW) have all been proven to significantly reduce crashes; however, they are often only available through luxury add-on packages or in high-end vehicles which many consumers cannot afford. Additionally, there are no minimum performance standards for them, so each one performs differently which can be confusing and hazardous to motorists and everyone sharing the roads with them. Oro Valley, Arizona Police Commander Chris Olson shared his involvement with being on the front lines of traffic safety for nearly 30 years. I have experienced far too many tragedies on roads and highways that could and should have been prevented. Common crash causes including speeding, impairment and distraction afflict our streets and too often result in a needless loss of life or debilitating injury, Olson said. As a law enforcement officer, my top priority is to protect and serve those in my community. This includes educating citizens on unsafe driving practices, ensuring compliance with traffic safety laws, and responding to crashes when they do occur. However, the ultimate goal is always to stop crashes from happening in the first place. Former Emergency Nurses Association President and Advocates Board of Directors Consumer Vice Chair Mary Jagim provided her insights, As a registered nurse with over three decades of experience in emergency nursing, healthcare leadership, public policy and healthcare consulting, I have dedicated my professional life to treating and preventing injuries. She added, While ER nurses are on the receiving end of caring for people after they have been injured, often from motor vehicle crashes, we also advocate for prevention. The 16 optimal laws in Advocates Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws are precisely the types of recommendations nurses endorse to help prevent crashes and fatalities from happening or to reduce their severity. In 2019, 12 laws were passed in nine states and D.C. that meet the Roadmap Reports criteria. Among the states making progress were Arizona and Florida enacting all-driver texting bans; Arkansas and Washington D.C. enacting optimal graduated driver licensing (GDL) cell phone bans; Louisiana, Maine, Washington, and Washington, D.C. enacting rear facing through age two or longer child safety seat laws; Maine upgrading its booster seat law; New Mexico passing a child endangerment law; and, New Jersey and Kentucky passing laws requiring ignition interlock devices (IIDs) for all drunk driving offenders. There are, however, many opportunities in this new decade for improvement: Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Laws: 16 states lack an optimal primary enforcement seat belt law for front seat passengers, while 31 states need an optimal primary enforcement seat belt law for rear seat passengers; All-Rider Motorcycle Helmet Law: 31 states need an optimal all-rider motorcycle helmet law; Rear Facing Through Age Two: 35 states and DC are missing a rear facing through age two child protection law; Booster Seats: 34 states and DC need an optimal booster seat law; Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) for Teen Drivers: 193 GDL laws need to be adopted to ensure the safety of novice drivers. No state has all six optimal provisions of a GDL law; Impaired Driving: 30 important impaired driving laws covering all-offender ignition interlocks, child endangerment, and open containers are needed; All-Driver Text Messaging Restriction: Five states need an optimal all-driver texting ban; and, GDL Cell Phone Restriction: 19 states need a GDL cell phone restriction. The countermeasures detailed in Advocates Report are supported by research, data and experience and when enacted produce significant reductions in motor vehicle crashes, deaths and injuries. Chase underscored the incentive for the Report during her remarks, This is a momentous time in transportation history with break-through safety innovations entering the marketplace and the promises that autonomous vehicles may offer in the future. We are excited to kick off a new decade and intend our 2020 Vision to provide clarity and inspiration to elected officials about the path to improve road safety for all. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make Americas roads safer. Advocates mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs. Cui Zhenguo, an attacker who injured four people at a hospital in Beijing, has been arrested on suspicion of intentional homicide, local authorities said Wednesday. His arrest was approved by the Beijing People's Procuratorate on Wednesday, a day after Beijing police handed him over to the procuratorate on charges of intentional homicide, according to the procuratorate. Four people, including three medical personnel, were injured in the knife attack at the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital on Monday. Their lives are not at risk. The incident happened at about 2 p.m. when Cui, 36, attacked others with a kitchen knife before fleeing the scene. He was later apprehended by police officers and security staff at the hospital. New Delhi: The countrys largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday said its BS-VI compliant vehicles have reached cumulative sales of 5 lakh units ahead of the implementation of stricter emission norms from April 1. The company is now offering ten models with BS-VI compliant petrol engines, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) said in a statement. This achievement reaffirms the growth potential of new engines and technologies in India, MSIL Managing Director & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said. He further said,Early introduction of the BS-VI compliant engine in our popular models represents our commitment to the governments vision for clean and green environment. MSIL introduced its first BS-VI compliant petrol car in April 2019, a full year in advance from the mandatory deadline. The companys range of BS-VI compliant petrol models includes Alto, Eeco, S-Presso, Celerio, WagonR, Swift, Baleno, Dzire, Ertiga and XL6. These contribute nearly 75 per cent of the companys petrol volumes, MSIL said. Upgrading from the current BS-IV, from April 1, 2020 BS-VI will be mandatory and automakers will be able to sell only those vehicles complying with the stricter emission norms in India. Maruti Suzuki Eeco BS6 Recently, the BS6 compliant version of Maruti Suzuki Eeco was launched in India at a starting price of Rs 3.81 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). These prices are for the petrol variants only as Maruti Suzuki is yet to release prices for the CNG version. It is to be noted that BS-VI (BS6) emission regulations are set to kick in India from April 1, 2020. Coming back to Maruti Suzuki Eeco, it is the ninth BS6 offering from the automaker. On the looks front and other features, Maruti Suzuki Eeco remains unchanged. Under the hood, Maruti Suzuki Eeco comes equipped with the BS6 1.2-litre, four-cylinder engine that churns out 73 bhp and 101 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. It is worth mentioning here that there is a CNG variant in the Eeco line-up that delivers a high fuel economy of 21.8 kmpl. Maunakea, Hawaii - An international team of astronomers from the University of California San Diego, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), and the University of Cambridge have detected large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere of one of the oldest and most elementally depleted stars known - a "primitive star" scientists call J0815+4729. This new finding, which was made using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii to analyze the chemical makeup of the ancient star, provides an important clue on how oxygen and other important elements were produced in the first generations of stars in the universe. The results are published in the January 21, 2020 edition of the The Astrophysical Journal Letters. "This result is very exciting. It tells us about some of the earliest times in the universe by using stars in our cosmic back yard," said Keck Observatory Chief Scientist John O'Meara. "I look forward to seeing more measurements like this one so we can better understand the earliest seeding of oxygen and other elements throughout the young universe." Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen and helium, and is essential for all forms of life on Earth, as the chemical basis of respiration and a building block of carbohydrates. It is also the main elemental component of the Earth's crust. However, oxygen didn't exist in the early universe; it is created through nuclear fusion reactions that occur deep inside the most massive stars, those with masses roughly 10 times the mass of the Sun or greater. Tracing the early production of oxygen and other elements requires studying the oldest stars still in existence. J0815+4729 is one such star; it resides over 5,000 light years away toward the constellation Lynx. "Stars like J0815+4729 are referred to as halo stars," explained UC San Diego astrophysicist Adam Burgasser, a co-author of the study. "This is due to their roughly spherical distribution around the Milky Way, as opposed to the more familiar flat disk of younger stars that include the Sun." Halo stars like J0815+4729 are truly ancient stars, allowing astronomers a peek into element production early in the history of the universe. The research team observed J0815+4729 using Keck Observatory's High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) on the 10m Keck I telescope. The data, which required more than five hours of staring at the star over a single night, were used to measure the abundances of 16 chemical species in the star's atmosphere, including oxygen. "The primitive composition of the star indicates that it was formed during the first hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang, possibly from the material expelled from the first supernovae of the Milky Way," said Jonay Gonzalez Hernandez, Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study. Keck Observatory's HIRES data of the star revealed a very unusual chemical composition. While it has relatively large amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen - approximately 10, 8, and 3 percent of the abundances measured in the Sun - other elements like calcium and iron have abundances around one millionth that of the Sun. "Only a few such stars are known in the halo of our galaxy, but none have such an enormous amount of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen compared to their iron content," said David Aguado, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge and co-author of the study. The search for stars of this type involves dedicated projects that sift through hundreds of thousands of stellar spectra to uncover a few rare sources like J0815+4729, then follow-up observations to measure their chemical composition. This star was first identified in data obtained with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), then characterized by the IAC team in 2017 using the Grand Canary Telescope in La Palma, Spain. "Thirty years ago, we started at the IAC to study the presence of oxygen in the oldest stars of the Galaxy; those results had already indicated that this element was produced enormously in the first generations of supernovae. However, we could not imagine that we would find a case of enrichment as spectacular as that of this star," noted Rafael Rebolo, IAC director and co-author of the study. ### ABOUT HIRES The High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) produces spectra of single objects at very high spectral resolution, yet covering a wide wavelength range. It does this by separating the light into many "stripes" of spectra stacked across a mosaic of three large CCD detectors. HIRES is famous for finding exoplanets. Astronomers also use HIRES to study important astrophysical phenomena like distant galaxies and quasars, and find cosmological clues about the structure of the early universe, just after the Big Bang. ABOUT W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY The W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes are among the most scientifically productive on Earth. The two, 10-meter optical/infrared telescopes on the summit of Maunakea on the Island of Hawaii feature a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectrometers, and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics systems. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at Keck Observatory, which is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Maunakea has always had within the Native Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain. 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. India again took on Pakistan at the United Nations for raking up the Kashmir issue at the international forum. Indias Deputy Permanent Representative to UN Nagaraj Naidu said Pakistan spews venom and propagates false narratives. Just like a fish takes to water, one delegation has again taken to hate speech. Every time this delegation speaks, it spews venom and false narratives of monumental proportions, Naidu said at a session of the UN General Assembly on Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization. Pakistans practice of using false pretenses to distract from addressing malaise that afflicts it has run its course. Pakistan needs to reflect that there are no takers for its false rhetoric and should get down to normal business of diplomacy, he added. Naidu further added that instead of putting an end to the vitriolic diatribe, the delegation indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth. The Indian diplomats strong response came after Saad Ahmed Warraich, Counsellor at Pakistan mission to the UN, raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks during the session, saying no other situation reflects the abdication of the UNs responsibility to discharge its responsibilities more than the decades-old Jammu and Kashmir issue. Earlier this month, India had flayed Pakistan for trying to raise the Kashmir issue in the UNSC with the help of his all weather ally China. India said the failed bid was a desperate measure to peddle baseless allegations. Attempt was made by Pakistan, through a UNSC member, to misuse the platform. Overwhelming majority of UNSC was of view that UNSC was not the right forum for such issues and it should be discussed bilaterally, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said. He had also said that Pakistan can avoid such global embarrassments by refraining from such acts in future. China and Pakistan tried, for the third time, to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations but the efforts were thwarted by Indias diplomatic allies who left Beijing isolated, according to officials aware of the development. The attempt failed as other member countries felt Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan. China got a stinging response when it raised Kashmir at a closed-door informal consultation of the UN Security Council (UNSC), Syed Akbaruddin, the Indian envoy to the UN, said on Twitter. The Today Show has announced a We Love Australia: Bushfire Recovery campaign drawing upon Nines television, print, radio and online assets. It will begin on Friday, February 7 from Kangaroo Island, visiting various fire ravaged areas around Australia next month. It will draw upon The Block, The Voice, Travel Guides and Getaway as well as Nine News; Good Food, Traveller, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and the Australian Financial Review plus Nine Radio assets. Nines Director of Television, Michael Healy, said: Nine is committed to a long-term approach to help rebuild bushfire affected areas around Australia. Using the resources right across our broad spectrum of platforms, we stand together with regional communities to rebuild and revitalise. We encourage Australians to collectively wrap our arms around our regional towns and do all we can to support them. Nines Director of Morning Television, Steven Burling, said: Australians have dug deep and given an incredible amount of money. But this national disaster will take more than donations to fix. What these towns need more than ever is our time and attention. Australians need to visit and spend time in these communities. They are open for business and we are proud to help support the towns and regions affected by bushfires. The commitment comes after Nine confirmed a $10 million donation in advertising space in print, radio, television and digital over a sustained campaign to support businesses and communities re-build. Last week, Nine broadcast the Rally for Relief tennis which has helped raise $5 million. Blockheads from The Block will assist in the construction of community dwellings that have been destroyed; Getaway presenters will highlight tourist attractions and how viewers can best explore these towns; the team from the Good Food supplement will show how to enjoy the globally-renowned foodie culture in our affected areas; The Voice artists and coaches will feature, and Nine talent will join Karl and Ally from Today, who will bring local stories to viewers. The outpouring of generosity from everyday Australians to financially help bushfire affected communities has been unprecedented. But what these towns and holiday destinations need now more than ever is for visitors, whether it be for a coffee in a cafe, a weekend getaway or a school holiday trip. State Sen. Kevin Kelly (R-21) joined with Gov. Ned Lamont and fellow state lawmakers Wednesday, Jan. 22, to announce Connecticut's plans to move forward with a health care cost growth and quality benchmark program to reduce the growing costs of care. Connecticut residents deserve healthcare that is affordable and accessible, said Kelly, ranking member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee. Far too many people struggle every day to pay their medical bills or go without needed care and treatment. That is unacceptable. The program will be modeled after a similar benchmark program in Massachusetts that has saved health care consumers more than $5 billion since 2013. Benchmarking works, said Kelly, by setting a target and holding all health care stakeholders accountable to a statewide goal of cost reduction. It increases transparency, data collection and communication between all stakeholders to identify and develop plans to address major cost drivers. The policy was further explored by a bipartisan working group last year including Kelly, co-chairs of the Insurance Committee, the Office of Health Strategy and Lamonts office. Over the last few months, Ive worked in a bipartisan group to further explore the benefits of healthcare cost growth benchmarking policies that have yielded positive results for Massachusetts, said Kelly. Healthcare affordability needs to be tackled with a multi-pronged approach that includes controlling the growth of expenses. I applaud the governors work to advance these bipartisan efforts and get a head start on increasing transparency and get control of rising healthcare costs. The governor's executive orders direct the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) to establish statewide healthcare cost growth and quality benchmarks and a primary care spending target, and the Department of Social Services (DSS) to improve public transparency of Medicaid costs and quality. The orders were signed during a ceremony at the offices of ProHealth Physicians in Middletown alongside OHS Executive Director Vicki Veltri, DSS Commissioner Deidre Gifford, state lawmakers, and business and community leaders. We know how effective this is in other states. Establishing statewide healthcare cost growth benchmarks reins in healthcare spending, said Veltri. Healthcare costs are a major problem for our residents and employers, far outpacing wage growth - over the past 15 years, families saw the cost of healthcare rise by 77 percent while median wage only went up by 21 percent. Taking a broader approach through statewide annual healthcare cost growth benchmarks and ensuring we prioritize primary care spending will help better coordinate care and head off higher cost services - it is good for families, businesses, and the state. As important as controlling the rate of cost growth, ensuring better health care quality for all residents is key to getting better value for our healthcare dollar. Focusing on quality and cost is a critical step in reducing Connecticuts significant racial and ethnic health disparities, said Patricia Baker, President and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. Cost has become a major barrier in keeping people from receiving healthcare when they need it. Measuring and monitoring care quality will allow us to identify the best outcomes and to pinpoint and address disparities. In addition, emphasizing primary care is important as research has linked having a usual source of care to reducing disparities. Connecticut is wise to adopt strategies from other states as we work to make this a state in which everyone can be as healthy as possible. Todays actions will result in bringing all of the stakeholders - private and public - together to work collaboratively to develop and execute a strategy that controls healthcare spending and improves health and healthcare quality, said Paul Grady, principal at Alera Group and board member of the Connecticut Business Group on Health. For now, Chinese willingness to buy American goods could cover a wide variety of industries. The published text of last weeks agreement sets clear numerical targets for large increases in American exports to China in four categories: manufactured goods, agriculture, energy and services. But officials have described an unpublished annex that specifies large increases in a long list of subcategories. Many of the subcategories highlight manufactured goods that China currently imports from Europe and East Asia or many agricultural goods from Latin America. The trade agreement does almost nothing to change Chinas rules to increase its total purchases of foreign goods, instead leaving it to the government to reallocate orders toward American exporters. Over the past quarter-century, China has managed its trade so that it has fairly consistently sold about $4 worth of goods to the United States for each $1 of goods that it bought. Chinas trade with Europe has been more balanced, in part because Europe has often been seen as a politically safer choice in Beijing given Chinas often rocky relationship with the United States. But in the last several months, China has concluded that its huge trade imbalance with the United States has become a source of danger and instability, people familiar with the bilateral relationship said in interviews while insisting on anonymity because of political sensitivities. The imbalance has produced demands from the United States for fundamental changes in the Chinese economy, like an end to many subsidies, that are unacceptable, they said. Beijings conclusion, the people said, is that the trade imbalance with the United States must be narrowed sharply this year and next. While that narrowing may hurt the interests of companies and farmers in Europe and elsewhere, those affected by it should realize that they enjoyed extra sales to China over the past two years during the trade war with the United States, they added. Beijing has already begun ramping up its broad interagency process for managing trade to make sure that American companies receive the extra orders promised under the agreement. In speeches, Chinese officials emphasized that they want to keep commitments to buy imports, although they have publicly glossed over the extent to which the Phase 1 agreement with the United States will divert trade away from other countries. On Wednesday morning, before the political and economic power brokers at an Association for a Better New York breakfast, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams admitted that he made a mistake on Monday when he inveighed against gentrifiers at the National Action Networks Martin Luther King, Jr. Day rally: The sentence was a gaffe, he assured the audience. But were Adams comments a misstep, or do they along with his friendly presentation to a centrist, pro-business organization two days later fit right into his 2021 mayoral campaign strategy? New York City is only 35% white, and there already are two white candidates from Manhattan Comptroller Scott Stringer and Council Speaker Corey Johnson who are well-positioned to appeal to the young gentrifier class, having backed some of its preferred insurgent candidates. Instead of competing with them for that vote, Adams may have a lot more to gain by appealing to working-class and middle-class New Yorkers of color. At first glance, shouting Go back to Iowa! You go back to Ohio! New York City belongs to the people that was here and made New York City what it is, as Adams did on Monday, is an odd look for the ex-Republican former cop. But, in a weird way, it works. While progressive transplants on Twitter derided Adams for sounding like a nativist, he hit notes that might simultaneously appeal to both conservative whites and many black New Yorkers by uniting them around something they can agree on: that the people who came here after them are the worst. Adams mayoral pitch could emphasize the fact that he was here through the bad old days. Born in Brooklyn and raised mostly in Queens, Adams wasnt just here, he was a part of the turnaround. He served in the NYPD while crime rates fell from record highs, and he put down roots, buying homes in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Prospect Heights that have skyrocketed in value. Its a story that could appeal some of the citys older and more moderate Democrats, and Adams hasnt been shy about that. When he famously said, in a private meeting, that he would out-white his mayoral rival, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Adams wasnt talking about about the white progressives, many of them transplants, who helped elect Democratic Socialist candidates like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and state Sen. Julia Salazar. Adams was talking about outer-borough white voters in neighborhoods like Bayside, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst many homeowners like him, who might worry about the crime rate rising or their property taxes soaring. I know Im a New Yorker! I protected this city! Adams said at NAN on Monday. I have a right to put my voice in how this city should run! Voters are going to be intrigued by Adams comments, political strategist Basil Smikle told City & State. Race and class are inextricably connected to gentrification and the changes that were seeing in the city right now. So there may be another way to say it, or another way to spin it, but I think the substance of it is real, Smikle said. It starts a dialogue that, even if unevenly embraced initially, I think it will get traction down the road. While Stringer and Johnson are battling it out for the 2021 support of the growing progressive electorate that seems tied to much of the citys change, Adams comments on Monday are just the latest sign of him potentially ceding that ground to them. Last month, at the opening of a senior center for poor and LGBT New Yorkers Adams said, I cant celebrate a building that is not going to be inclusive. Adams may have little to lose with this rhetoric. Who is it going to turn off? Progressives, who (Adams) is not going to get anyway, one Democratic insider told City & State, referring to Mondays speech to NAN. I dont think it really hurt him all that much. Adams MLK Day comments werent targeted directly at conservative whites, but at a population of longtime residents, many of them black, that may have similar and overlapping anxieties: losing political power, and possibly a home, as the city changes. Taken literally, Adams initial statement mistakes the prime driver of population growth and demand for housing citywide, which is foreign, not domestic, in-migration. Nor do transplants typically come from the Midwest. Domestic migrants come to New York City mostly from its own suburbs, in-state and in New Jersey and Connecticut, and from big states such as Florida and California. But New Yorkers leave for those same places in even greater numbers. As Kay Hymowitz noted in the Daily News, the Department of City Planning estimates that between 2010 and 2018, the city saw a net 768,306 New Yorkers leave the city, while 479,960 arrived from foreign shores. Thirty-seven percent of New York City residents are foreign-born. That number also applies to Brooklyn, Adams home borough. Overall, the city has become less white and more Latino in recent decades. But in specific neighborhoods, including Adams own Bed-Stuy and NANs Harlem home, demographic data or a walk around makes clear that mostly white, white-collar newcomers are driving up the cost of living and changing the communitys character. And the cheers of the crowd at NAN almost exclusively black New Yorkers, most of whom had likely been in the city a long time proved it. Like any politician, Adams knows how to tailor his pitch to the crowd in front of him. The crowd at Wednesdays ABNY breakfast skewed much whiter than at NAN, and likely much wealthier. Adams defended his comments saying there was real pain on the ground and a real concern on what gentrification is doing for this city, but it wasnt about race. Gentrification is not a color. Its a mindset, he said. You cant be Christopher Columbus and believe that you discovered New York. We were here. Like at NAN, the remarks earned Adams loud applause. Although Trump had once hoped to convene face-to-face peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the long- delayed package of U.S. proposals is now expected to serve as a marker for any future talks, perhaps in a second Trump term. Palestinians and Trump critics also expect the administration may now pivot toward an even more pro-Israel stance, since Trump could say that Palestinians refused to discuss ideas that could bring greater prosperity and opportunity to the West Bank. - Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) says the milk was returned to Uganda despite having been cleared by inspectorate authorities - The most affected brand was the Lato Milk whose depot in Kisumu was sealed off - Uganda has threatened to also reject imports from Kenya including juices and household goods The Uganda Revenue Authority has disclosed that Kenyan authorities returned at least 19 trucks ferrying UHT and powder milk from Uganda into the country. The milk trucks were returned to Uganda on different dates after they were seized by Kenyan authorities without any explanation. READ ALSO: US newspaper claims Kenyan soldiers hid in the grass during Manda Bay attack Boxes of seized Lato Milk that the Kenyan authorities claim were smuggled into the country. Photo: Daily Monitor Source: UGC READ ALSO: Pasta awalaani wakazi kususia krusedi yake The trade restrictions could have far reaching implications after the government sealed off Pearl Dairies depot in Kisumu, which is used to supply Lato Milk across the country, Daily Monitor reported. According to an internal memo by URA, Uganda is targeting a number of goods, among them juices, assorted household items and roofing materials. Nyandarua dairy farmers at a joint where they sell their milk. Photo: Daily Nation Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kenya's government on alert following outbreak of mysterious disease in China The Ugandan authorities said the milk products are usually cleared by KRA, Kenya Bureau of Standards and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service but are later seized by the police. Police is removing milk from the market and stopping new supplies. No one is providing an explanation, a source at URA said under conditions of anonymity. Uganda's commissioner for customs, Dicksons Kateshumbwa, said he engaged his counterpart in Kenya, Kevin Safari, and was informed the matter is beyond customs. The move came after KRA introduced a 16% Value Added Tax (VAT) on all milk products from the neighbouring country. READ ALSO: "The devil had me": Kanye West tells students Jesus saved his life It was resolved that the new tax will help cushion Kenya's dairy industry from the influx of cheap milk from Uganda which has dealt a blow on local dairy farmers. Kenyan farmers, especially those from Central Kenya, had been complaining about the low prices of milk before government intervened and raised the price from KSh 25 per litre to KSh 33 per litre. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly Source: TUKO.co.ke Kangana Ranaut Finds Support In Nirbhaya's Mother For Slamming Lawyer Indrani Jaisingh Who Suggested Forgiving The Culprits Be it Shaheen Bagh or other places, till the government withdraws CAA, NRC and NPR, these demonstrations cannot technically be hailed as a success. At the same time, their continuity with increasing fervour and the participation of people from all religions as well as age groups signals a strong message. (Photo: PTI) Aconstitutional dilemma has emerged for power-holders as the country enters the 70th year of its Constitution coming into force. Irrespective of whether the Central government backtracks on its stand regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) or not, most Indians seem firm on continuing their protests against these. A different picture would have surfaced if these protests and demonstrations had gradually fizzled out. They have not. Rather, each passing day is witnessing more and more demonstrations taking place in different parts of the country. Also, the demonstration at Shaheen Bagh in the capital city has prompted Muslim women at other places to come out and voice their stand against CAA, NRC and NPR as well as pronounce their commitment to the countrys Constitution. Be it Shaheen Bagh or other places, till the government withdraws CAA, NRC and NPR, these demonstrations cannot technically be hailed as a success. At the same time, their continuity with increasing fervour and the participation of people from all religions as well as age groups signals a strong message. They have succeeded in pronouncing their message across the country and also globally. It is not their fault if the government refuses to be moved by their message. Significantly, these demonstrations have succeeded in puncturing the basic foundation on which rested CAA-NRC-NPRs promotion. Yes, the government was and is to a degree still hopeful that anti-Muslim communal bias would help it convince people about the necessity of these measures. Just as the government has failed on the Ayodhya front, it has been defeated on its stand regarding CAA, NRC and NPR. True, religion is a sensitive nerve for most people, which in the preceding decades (the 1990s) contributed to the success of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But that is history now. Religion still bears a lot of importance for Indians at large. The same, however, cannot be said about anti-Muslim communal bias. But some extremist elements still remain hopeful of this bias having some impact on people at large. This is suggested by the increasing frequency with which anti-Muslim messages are being circulated through various means of communication, including WhatsApp. In these messages, Muslims are being described as a burden on the countrys economy, with each Muslim having at least a dozen children, terrorists and so forth. Demonstrations against CAA, NRC and NPR are being projected as ones in which people are being paid to participate. In addition, the religious ideals of Hinduism have been highlighted as facing a threat from communal Indians. It is possible these messages are being deliberately propagated to fuel communal tension. There is an uncanny link between the frequency of these messages and the timing of elections. Whenever any election is around the corner, suddenly there seems to be an increase in anti-Muslim communal messages through WhatsApp and other means. Clearly, one motive of those drafting and spreading these may be to unite and gain the Hindu-vote. This also suggests that the present government was probably hopeful of gaining political mileage through CAA, NRC and NPR in the Assembly elections. It was not prepared for the politico-social shock marked by demonstrations against CAA-NRC-NPR. The attempt to spread communal tension has certainly been defeated by the religious unity and harmony being displayed in the anti-CAA-NRC-NPR demonstrations taking place, continuously, for more than a month now. The ladies stationed at Shaheen Bagh are just a minor percentage of these participants. Nevertheless, hijab-clad women have symbolically spread the message that they are protesting to protect the countrys Constitution. It is their democratic right to do so. Supported by men and women of all religions, the secular nature of their demonstration stands out significantly. Though headlines in the country as well as globally read Muslim women at Shaheen Bagh, it would not be appropriate to view their demonstration only through a religious lens. Their success is marked by the numerical count of their supporters exceeding 100,000 almost daily, the majority of whom are non-Muslims. Democratically, this signals a strong defeat of extremist elements still trying their hand at spreading communal tension. Against this backdrop, what can be said about comments made by a distinguished politician and senior lawyer about state governments stands against CAA-NRC-NPR? In his opinion, state governments cannot refuse to implement that which has been passed by the Parliament. Let us consider this issue from another angle. With due respect to whatever be the legal parameters defining CAA-NRC-NPR, at present, most state governments stand against these has been decided by the nature of protests against them. If only Muslims had stepped out, the situation may have been different. Interestingly, Muslim clerics are hardly visible, even at Shaheen Bagh. We are witnessing a New India taking a crucial turn, pronouncing loudly their support for Indian secularism. These Indians are as religious as they desire but without abandoning their secularism. This is a social verdict which several state governments cannot afford to ignore for their own political concerns. At present, the Central government has refrained from voicing any stand (at least openly) against state governments opposed to CAA-NRC-NPR. Here is the catch. Can it afford to? Also, neither of these measures has specific details about how, when and through which authorities would these be pursued. The Centre has been pushed into a tight corner by demonstrations, escaping which is not an easy task. In essence, a crucial dilemma is posed for the Central government and not state governments opposing CAA-NRC-NPR, thanks to new Indias social verdict! The writer is a journalist with specialisation in communication studies and nuclear diplomacy. She is also the author of several books. Srinagar, Jan 23 : Suspended Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh who was caught while allegedly transporting two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists was sent to 15-day National Investigation Agency (NIA) remand on Thursday, sources said. Singh was caught along with two terrorists Naveed Babu and Rafi Ahmed, and a lawyer Irfan Ahmed in a Jammu-bound vehicle on January 11. Police sources had said that the two terrorists and the lawyer had planned a travel to Pakistan after reaching Jammu. Singh was earlier shifted from Srinagar to Jammu on a transit remand where an NIA team questioned him. After his arrest by the J&K police, multiple raids were conducted at his residence in Srinagar. Also, fresh raids were conducted by the NIA on Wednesday. Singh was posted with the anti-hijacking wing of Jammu and Kashmir police in Srinagar, and was part of the security staff that received a group of foreign ambassadors who visited Kashmir earlier this month. After initial investigation by Jammu and Kashmir police, the case was transferred to NIA on the direction of Ministry of Home Affairs. FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canyon Ranch, North America's premier wellness lifestyle brand, today announced Jeff Kuster as CEO. Kuster's arrival ushers in a new era for the privately owned company, which was among the first to introduce an integrated approach to wellness 40 years ago, and remains committed to innovation and increasing its share of this $4.2 trillion industry. Kuster joins Canyon Ranch with a track record of transformational leadership, brand building, and assembling winning teams that drive results. He also demonstrates a passion for consumers and markets, and a strong focus on internal culture and diversity. Kuster brings more than 30 years of global experience, from the Peace Corps in West Africa and Doctors Without Borders in Romania, to leadership positions with McKinsey & Company and executive roles with fashion and lifestyle brands based in Europe. Most recently, he served as the Group President of North America for Ralph Lauren Corporation. "After conducting an extensive search process, I am thrilled with the selection of Jeff Kuster as our CEO," states John Goff, owner and Chairman of Canyon Ranch. "Jeff has a unique history managing large organizations along with brand expertise, and his thoughtful style is clearly influenced by his early experience working with humanitarian organizations. His background, coupled with our mission, makes him the right leader for Canyon Ranch. We look forward to working with Jeff as he brings his leadership and authenticity to our team." Kuster adds, "I was first introduced to Canyon Ranch as a guest at the Life Enhancement Center in Tucson, and the unexpectedly profound and meaningful experience served as the catalyst for my interest in joining the company. I am drawn to iconic organizations that have the power to transform lives, and Canyon Ranch has a history of forging deep connections with those who engage with it. I am honored to partner with this amazing team and the brand's dedicated ownership to create the next chapter of evolution and growth." With a B.A. from Beloit College, Kuster also earned both an M.B.A. and M.P.P. from The University of Chicago, and is fluent in French and Spanish. He begins his role on February 18 at the Canyon Ranch headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and will spend extensive time across the brand's portfolio. This announcement coincides with many recent and upcoming milestones for the group. In November 2019, Canyon Ranch expanded into new territory with its first retreat concept, Canyon Ranch Wellness Retreat Woodside, which opened in the hills above California's Silicon Valley. The flagship resort in Tucson has enjoyed a $30M capital investment to renovate and add guestrooms, with upgrades throughout the property. And at its Lenox, Massachusetts location, Canyon Ranch Living is close to sell-out following the debut of 19 luxury condominiums. The group is also reinventing its culinary program, beginning with its Las Vegas dining concept Truth & Tonic in The Venetian Resort now the first completely vegan restaurant on The Strip. About Canyon Ranch Canyon Ranch has been a trailblazer and an industry-leading proponent of the integrative wellness lifestyle since its founding in 1979, operating one of the most celebrated collections of life-enhancement properties, holistic living developments, and complementary brand extensions. Recently celebrating its 40th Anniversary, Canyon Ranch has imparted integrative expertise to millions of guests on land, at sea and in the air. With established destination resorts in Tucson, Arizona and Lenox, Massachusetts, the company's first foray into California introduces Canyon Ranch Wellness Retreat Woodside, opened in November 2019. In addition, Canyon Ranch operates the largest day spa in North America at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada and Canyon Ranch At Sea onboard luxury cruise ships, including Cunard Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises. Canyon Ranch has also joined forces with the world's most awarded airline, Singapore Airlines, to provide various wellness strategies and culinary offerings onboard North America's ultra-long range flights. Canyon Ranch is a 13-time winner of Travel + Leisure's Best Spa Award, an 11-time recipient of the Conde Nast Traveler Best Destination Spa Award, and both resorts were named in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Hotels rankings. Press Contact: Kelly Lavin Bullfrog + Baum [email protected] 212-255-6717 SOURCE Canyon Ranch Placing an entire city under quarantine to prevent the spread of a virus is inconceivable, unenforceable and ineffective and in Canada would be against the law, experts say. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Placing an entire city under quarantine to prevent the spread of a virus is inconceivable, unenforceable and ineffective and in Canada would be against the law, experts say. Steven Hoffman, a professor of global health, law and political science at York University, said he was shocked when he heard China had shut down Wuhan, a city of 11 million people that is the epicentre of a new coronavirus outbreak. "It's totally unprecedented in public health," Hoffman said. "It reminds me of what we might see in movies." The virus, which is from the same family of viruses that cause the common cold, has so far sickened more than 800 in China and killed 26. Other countries, including the United States, have reported cases of the illness in recent days. Canadian public health officials have said several people in two provinces Quebec and British Columbia are under observation for signs they may have contracted a coronavirus from China, but no confirmed cases have been reported. Wuhan and the nearby cities of Huanggang and Ezhou home to a total of 18 million people were locked down on Thursday in an unprecedented effort to contain the deadly new virus. China later announced it was broadening its lockdowns to five more cities, with about 25 million people affected. Hoffman said such an extreme quarantine measure would never occur in Canada for a number of reasons. "In Canada, such a broad, unspecific quarantine measure like this would certainly violate our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it would be a restriction on people's rights that are not justifiable," he said. "In the Canadian context, it's inconceivable." He pointed to the federal Quarantine Act that gives the government the authority to isolate someone who is a risk to the public. During the SARS outbreak, which killed 44 people in Canada 17 years ago, those who had the illness were quarantined in health-care facilities, Hoffman said, while those who came in direct contact with an infected person were in quarantine at their homes. Plus, travel bans do not work, he said, because people who want to get out will find a way, which undermines the whole idea of a quarantine. "But from a scientific perspective, the travel ban in China is really intriguing," he said. "If people are compliant and if there's way to enforce it and to provide food to 20 million people, maybe it could work I guess we'll find out soon." Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said Thursday the outbreak in China was not yet a global health emergency, but cautioned that the decision "should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious or that we're not taking it seriously." Large-scale quarantines are rare around the world, because of concerns about infringing on people's liberties. "To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science," said Gauden Galea, the WHO's representative in China. "It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work." Daniel Kollek, an emergency physician and a professor at McMaster University with a focus on disaster response research, scoffed at the idea of overarching travel bans, be it in China or Canada. "People are shedding the virus before they're sick this is after the horse has bolted," he said. "If you truly have contained everyone with illness and lock them down, you can shut it off. But that's not feasible, so this kind of isolation doesn't have any value." One of the challenges provinces such as Ontario would be faced with in the case of an outbreak is hospital overcrowding, he said. "Hospitals are overcrowded, emergency departments are overcrowded and we can't get people into isolation rooms because they're already occupied," he said. "If you can't isolate a patient, than the risk of communicating disease to other people is obviously higher." But Ontario's Minister of Health Christine Elliott said current overcrowding in hospitals won't be an issue. "We have specific measures that will be in place," Elliott said. "Anyone who is being tested in the future will be placed in isolation and that staff will be given the necessary protective equipment." Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario's associate chief medical officer of health, said they'll be focused on both quarantine, should someone be infected with the coronavirus, and active surveillance, which means the local public health unit checks in with those who may have been exposed every day. "With SARS our lessons learned were that full quarantine wasn't really that necessary, it was more active surveillance is what we ended up doing toward the end and making sure the person doesn't spread it any further," she said. with files from Allison Jones This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020 Militia fighters massacred seven people in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday in a region where in intercommunal violence has killed hundreds since 2017. The attack came as UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet began a five-day visit to Ituri province where the UN says killings and rapes may constitute crimes against humanity. The seven people were killed in Djugu area and another 15 people were kidnapped by the armed group, Banze Charite, a local district association president, told AFP. DR Congo's army this month said it had killed 16 members of the local Codeco militia after launching a crackdown on the armed group. Eastern DR Congo has been plagued for years by numerous militias, a legacy of the two Congo wars in the 1990s that dragged in neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda. But Ituri province has been caught up in fighting between armed groups from the ethnic Lendu communities and the Hema community over land and resources. Since February last year, nearly 57,000 people have taken refuge in Uganda and more than 556,000 have fled to neighbouring regions, according to UN figures. The UN has documented a range of atrocities, including the raping of women, the killing of school children and looting and burning of villages. In Bunia, capital of Ituri province, local authorities denounced violence committed by the pro-Lendu Codeco militiamen to Bachelet. Tensions between the Lendu, who are sedentary farmers, and the Hema, who are predominantly cattle herders and traders, have a long history. Conflict between the two groups between 1999 and 2003 caused tens of thousands of deaths, ending only with the dispatch of a European force called Artemis -- the first rapid-reaction military mission by the European Union outside Europe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In Los Angeles: Bryan Schellinger joins the company as managing director-Investment Sales, bringing nearly 10 years of investment sales with $1 billion in transaction history, most recently with Marcus & Millichap. Steven Goldstein, associate vice president-Investment Sales, also joins NorthMarq from Marcus & Millichap and has worked with Bryan for the last two years. The Los Angeles team will collaborate with the recently opened debt and equity office managed by Ory Schwartz, as well as coordinate client services throughout Southern California. Central and southwest Florida: Investment sales leader Luis Elorza joins the company as managing director, bringing more than 20 years of investment banking, corporate finance and investment sales experience, most recently with Cushman & Wakefield where he and his team closed over $4.5 billion in multifamily transactions since 2005. Covering Florida from NorthMarq's Tampa office, Elorza will collaborate with Jason Nettles, managing director-Investment Sales, and Megan Thompson, senior vice president-Investment Sales in the company's Atlanta office, and with NorthMarq's debt & equity offices across the southeast U.S. "Our goal when we started this business was to offer investment sales coast-to-coast; the additions in Southern California and Florida truly achieve that for us. We look to continue this business expansion as we move through 2020," said Jeffrey Weidell, chief executive officer, NorthMarq. "We are pleased that our new business is bringing added value to new and existing clients." ABOUT NORTHMARQ As a capital markets leader, NorthMarq offers commercial real estate investors access to experts in debt, equity, investment sales, and loan servicing to protect and add value to their assets. For capital sources, we offer partnership and financial acumen that support long- and short-term investment goals. Our culture of integrity and innovation is evident in our 60-year history, annual transaction volume of $15 billion, loan servicing portfolio of more than $60 billion and the multi-year tenure of our nearly 600 people. For more information, visit www.northmarq.com. SOURCE NorthMarq Related Links www.northmarq.com Chris is a recognized author, podcaster, and speaker on a wide variety of international tax topics, and his knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset to our Firm, said Kevin J. Keane, Managing Partner at PKF OConnor Davies. PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, one of the nations largest accounting, tax, and advisory firms, announced today it has hired Christopher Migliaccio to serve as a Senior Manager in its New York City office. Migliaccio is a dedicated tax specialist and thought leader in the world of international tax law. His hire reflects the Firms ongoing commitment to enhancing its robust international tax advisory services and capabilities. Chris is a recognized author, podcaster, and speaker on a wide variety of international tax topics, and his knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset to our Firm, said Kevin J. Keane, Managing Partner at PKF OConnor Davies. He has a real knack for unpacking complex international tax issues coupled with a passion for providing valuable guidance and better outcomes for his clients. Migliaccio specializes in a variety of international tax matters, including cross-border transactions, business restructurings, and complex compliance issues for multinational corporations, partnerships, private equity funds, and high-net-worth individuals. Prior to joining the Firm, he worked in two of the Big 4 accounting firms international tax departments. He is a frequent contributor to a variety of industry publications, including Law360. He is the co-author of treatise-length discussions on the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT), Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs), and Inversions. He is the host of the World of Tax podcast for Thomson Reuters, on which he interviews guests on important topics in the tax community. Im excited to join the PKF OConnor Davies international tax team at the Firms New York City office, said Migliaccio. International tax law is complex and its always changing. Its rewarding to know Ill be collaborating with some of the top experts in the field who share my commitment to unmatched client service. Migliaccio graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He serves on the Board of Directors for Hour Children, a nonprofit providing services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York State. PKF OConnor Davies has 12 offices in five states and continues to expand through organic growth and acquisitions on the East Coast. It has supported this growth with a strategic combination of promoting from within coupled with tactical external hires. About PKF OConnor Davies, LLP PKF OConnor Davies, LLP is a full service certified public accounting and advisory firm with a long history of serving clients both domestically and internationally. With roots tracing to 1891, 12 offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Rhode Island and more than 800 professionals led by over 100 partners, the Firm provides a complete range of accounting, auditing, tax and management advisory services. PKF OConnor Davies is a top-ranked firm according to Accounting Todays 2019 Top 100 Firms list and the Firm is also recognized as a Leader in Audit and Accounting, a Pacesetter in Growth and one of the Top Firms in the Mid-Atlantic. In 2019, PKF O'Connor Davies was named one of Vault's Accounting 50, a ranking of the 50 best accounting employers to work for in North America and ranked among the top 50 most prestigious accounting firms in America in a complementary Vault survey. The Firm is the 12th largest accounting firm in the New York Metropolitan area, according to Crains New York Business, and the 10th top accounting firm in New Jersey according to NJBizs 2019 rankings. PKF OConnor Davies is enrolled in the AICPA Peer Review Program and has central memberships in the Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS), the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center (EBPAQC), Government Audit Quality Center (GAQC) and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). By consistently delivering proactive, thorough and efficient service, PKF O'Connor Davies has built long-lasting, valuable relationships with its clients. Partners are closely involved in the day-to-day management of engagements, ensuring a high degree of client service and cost effectiveness. The Firms seasoned professional staff members employ a team approach to all engagements to provide clients with the utmost quality and timely services aimed at helping them succeed. Continuity of staffing and attention to detail in all client engagements make the Firm stand out among its competitors. PKF OConnor Davies is the lead North American representative of the international association of PKF member firms. PKF International is a network of legally independent member firms providing accounting, tax, and business advisory services in over 400 locations in 150 countries around the world. With its tradition, experience and focus on the future, PKF OConnor Davies is ready to help clients meet todays ever-changing economic conditions and manage the growing complexities of the regulatory environment. For more information, visit http://www.PKFOD.com. If it weren't for impeachment, the country's biggest story would be allegations that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) hacked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone. Why it matters: This would be the nominal leader of an American ally spying on the head of one of America's largest companies, who doubles as the owner of one of America's most influential media outlets. UN investigators concluded "with medium to high confidence" that MBS sent Bezos a video file via WhatsApp that included secret code developed by Israeli spy software maker NSO Group. The result was a colossal, months-long data extraction, beginning when Jamal Khashoggi was still alive and writing critically about Saudi Arabia for the Bezos-owned Washington Post. Saudi Arabia strongly denies the allegation. It was allegedly done via the same messaging app that MBS has reportedly used to communicate with top White House aide Jared Kushner. Oh, and Michael Flynn, former U.S. national security adviser, was once a paid advisor to Israel-based NSO Group. Flashback: Facebook last October sued NSO Group, for allegedly providing tools that enabled this very sort of hack. Apple and Microsoft have co-invested, or pledged to co-invest, with the Saudi government in SoftBank Vision Fund. Context: At the time of the alleged hack, NSO Group was owned by private equity firm Francisco Partners, whose investors include some of America's largest public and corporate pension funds. One could forgive Francisco if somehow it didn't realize that NSO's technology could be used for nefarious purposes, except that it absolutely knew (at least by 2017, when it was revealed that NSO software was used by the Mexican government to spy on journalists and anti-corruption advocates). Francisco, which also briefly employed Michael Flynn, yesterday continued its years-long practice of hiding behind "no comment" when it comes to NSO Group, which in early 2019 was sold back to the company's founders and European private equity firm Novalpina. Yes, but: Again, the Saudis deny any involvement. And there are some unanswered technical questions from the leaked forensics report, including a lack of malware found on Bezos' phone and no certainty on where the extracted data went. The bottom line: This incident, if verified, touches the highest levels of American power, both private and public. It's impossible to imagine that Twitter denials and buyout baron evasion will suffice. Go deeper: Bezos tweets image from Khashoggi memorial amid MBS hacking allegations DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultimate Ventures, a Dallas-Fort Worth based events and destination management company, is pleased to announce that it has become a member of ECPAT-USA and has signed ECPAT International's Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code). The Code is the world's first and only voluntary set of business principles travel and tour companies can implement to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. "Ultimate Ventures is proud to support The Code, ECPAT-USA, and their efforts to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of children," said Laurie Sprouse, President of Ultimate Ventures. "As a destination management company, our employees are regularly onsite at local hotels, airports, restaurants, and event venues across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We feel it's our duty to be able to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report it." By adopting its principles and signing The Code, Ultimate Ventures has committed to working on six steps to keep children safe which include: establishing policies and procedures; training employees; including a clause in contracts; providing information to travelers; engaging stakeholders; and annually reporting progress. "ECPAT-USA is pleased to welcome Ultimate Ventures as our latest corporate partner and member of The Code," said Emily Becker, Director of Digital Content at ECPAT-USA. "Ending the trafficking and exploitation of children in travel and tourism is a fight that includes every sector of the industry, and we thank Ultimate Ventures for making protecting children a top priority." ABOUT ULTIMATE VENTURES Ultimate Ventures (UV) is Dallas-Fort Worth based events and destination management company known for creating exceptional experiences, saving time, and providing Peace of Mind. Recognized as the 2019 Best Meeting & Event Planning Company in Texas by Texas Meetings & Events magazine and as a Top 25 Destination Management Company worldwide by Special Events magazine, our stellar team delivers a full range of local services including special event management, team-building activities, group excursions, and transportation logistics. For more information, please visit uvdmc.com. ABOUT ECPAT-USA ECPAT-USA is the leading anti-child trafficking organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. ECPAT-USA is a member of ECPAT International, a network of organizations in more than 95 countries with one common mission: to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children around the world. For more information, visit www.ecpatusa.org. Media contact: Val Lenington [email protected] 972-732-8433 SOURCE Ultimate Ventures Related Links http://www.uvdmc.com India on Thursday again targeted Pakistan for trying to create alarmist situation in Pakistan, and said that the world understands its double standards. Pakistans attempt to create alarmist situation in Kashmir failed. The global community understands its double standards, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Speaking about US President Donald Trumps offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue, Kumar said, Our position on the Kashmir issue and third party mediation has been very clear and consistent. Let me reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter. ALSO WATCH | Donald Trump calls Imran Khan good friend, says talking about Kashmir But the MEA spokesperson put the onus on Pakistan to create a conducive environment to hold talks on bilateral issues between the two countries. If there are any bilateral issues between India and Pakistan, that needs to be discussed. It should be done between the two countries under provisions of Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration. But onus is on Pakistan to create such conducive conditions - free from terror, hostility and violence, he said. Indias Deputy Permanent Representative to UN Nagaraj Naidu had earlier attacked Pakistan at the United Nations for raking up the Kashmir issue at the international forum. Just like a fish takes to water, one delegation has again taken to hate speech. Every time this delegation speaks, it spews venom and false narratives of monumental proportions, Naidu said at a session of the UN General Assembly on Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization. Naidu further added that instead of putting an end to the vitriolic diatribe, the delegation indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth. The Indian diplomats strong response came after Saad Ahmed Warraich, Counsellor at Pakistan mission to the UN, raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks during the session, saying no other situation reflects the abdication of the UNs responsibility to discharge its responsibilities more than the decades-old Jammu and Kashmir issue. We are all aware of how important Amazon has become in the e-commerce space, but people in the U.S. are starting to shift their allegiances. For a long time, Amazon has seemed to have little competition as it dominates online shopping both in the size of its inventory and the inventiveness of its service offering. After the acquisition of Whole Foods in 2016, it became clear that Amazon intended to move into the online grocery market, and shareholder confidence seemed to act accordingly. However, over the last three years, Walmart has quietly been evolving their own online shopping experience, and for the first time, they have overtaken Amazon in consumer confidence. According to First Insight, 53 percent of shoppers favored Amazon over Walmart in 2018, but that figure has since dropped to 45 percent, with the majority now favoring Walmart. There are many reasons for this shift in attitude, and one is the success of Walmarts affiliate program. Both Walmart and Amazon have programs that reward individuals for driving people towards products via specially created links and images. Many of these affiliates will be content creators. By creating attractive rates of commission and avoiding program-subscription fees, Walmart has cultivated a strong affiliate culture. But there are several other key reasons for Walmarts success. Related: 6 Steps to Building a Million-Dollar E-commerce Site in 60 Days The Battle Over Online Groceries Amazon wants to take over the online food-ordering market, but Walmart is at a distinct advantage, as its deliveries currently cost 20 percent less than Amazons. Walmart has long championed the concept of keeping prices as low as possible, and its reputation seems to be benefiting them online. After expanding its grocery service in September 2019, Walmart aimed to be in reach of half of Americans by the end of the year. They introduced new Unlimited options that charge a flat annual (or monthly) fee that allows unlimited home delivery, free of charge. Their huge number of physical locations also allows many shoppers to forgo delivery fees by picking up their orders onsite. Amazon, by comparison, charges a $14.99 delivery fee, although deliveries are now free for all Prime members. Amazons Advantages Amazon still has some good reasons to remain confident. The ease of use of their platform and their range of services, including streaming services and e-books, means they are continuing to prove an attractive retailer. Amazon is also using its wealth of consumer data to produce its own range of products -- their Basics range -- that are designed to be perfectly suited and priced for the needs of vast amounts of consumers . Amazon Go convenience stores are also expanding across the US. These stores, originally opened in 17 locations, are hoping to take advantage of cashier-free technology that will allow customers to pick up items locally. However, Walmart is now using its Sams Club locations to mimic this cashier-free model. According to FOODNavigator-USA, Amazon also registers the highest scores when it comes to online grocery-shopping satisfaction. This score includes the ease of use of their checkout process, the smooth working of their website/app, availability of items, the delivery service and item packaging. The Cost of Competition Despite all the reported growth and the many innovations being touted by both companies, this competitive environment could result in a catastrophe for the losing side. In July of 2019, insiders were predicting losses of $1 billion for Walmarts e-commerce operation. Senior executives at Walmart are seemingly frustrated by some of the losses brought on by new e-commerce initiatives, especially when the division is often touted by the media and Wall Street as a driving force behind the company's growing stock price. Much of Walmarts problem is that, while they have many physical locations, they lack the kind of warehousing infrastructure that Amazon possesses. Amazon has spent 20 years building up its warehousing locations and processes, and Walmart is having to spend vast amounts of money to compete. For a company that prides itself on its profitability, this can cause internal frustrations. The company has also recently invested in clothing brands in attempts to become more like the Everything Store," and these labels have failed to take off (ModCloth was sold last year). The picture of Walmarts competitiveness seems less rosy that the mainstream media may be reporting, but Amazon also faces its own problems, from worker strikes to questions surrounding their tax liability. The need to expand quickly will likely exasperate these issues. This kind of competitiveness is breeding both innovation and lower prices, to the great benefit of consumers. While it is unclear if Walmarts recent surge in popularity will mean it dethrones Amazon as the U.S.s best-recognized online retailer, there are strong signs that, at least in the grocery space, Walmart is at an advantage. However, things move quickly in the world of e-commerce, and there are other competitors, such as Costco and Kroger, looking to increase their market share. Budding entrepreneurs could do well to pay attention to how this creative, consumer-first battle evolves. For now, Amazon and Walmart seem to be well matched. Related: 69% Of Managers' Work To Be Completely Automated By 2024: Gartner Unemployment Projected To Increase By Around 2.5 Million In 2020: ILO Report Internship Seekers On the Rise, Start-Ups and SMEs Biggest Gainers Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Millions of HIV patients have been given a ray of hope after scientists moved one step closer to a cure. Currently, the AIDS-causing virus can hide away at 'undetectable' levels in immune cells and avoid being killed off - meaning a patient can never be considered cured. But researchers have successfully managed to force the virus to reactivate, leaving it vulnerable to the immune system and medication. The team used a drug called AZD5582 - which forces open cellular pathways in the immune system - to 'shock and kill' the hiding virus. Researchers were worried the reactivated virus would trigger a slew of nasty side effects on the host. But to their surprise, the drug was a success and caused almost no negative health outcomes. The drug was only tested on animals. A study raises fresh hope for an HIV cure. Scientists believe they may be able to target the virus that lies dormant in cells where it is hidden from drugs and the immune system (stock) It worked even in the presence of antiretroviral drugs, which work by stopping the virus replicating in the body. Patients are given the drugs to allow the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage after infection. Researchers at the universities of North Carolina and Emory in Atlanta - behind the latest studies - said the findings were 'unprecedented'. Medical advances over the past four decades mean patients with HIV can have unprotected sex without fear of passing it on. But the ultimate goal of discovering a cure for the virus, estimated to strike 37million people worldwide, has so far eluded scientists. Even in patients deemed to have an 'undetectable' count of the virus, there are still traces of HIV effectively sleeping inside their bodies. These are called latent viruses and don't cause illness but cannot be destroyed by the immune system or medicines, making HIV impossible to get rid of. But when these latent viruses come to life and try to attack the body, they come out of hiding and the immune system and drugs can target them directly. Experts have for years been trying to find a way to activate the dormant virus from within immune cells and eliminate it, a tactic known as 'shock and kill'. But one obstacle has been finding a safe way to wake it up without overwhelming the immune system. HIV TRANSMISSION AND PREVENTION You can get or transmit HIV only through specific activities, most commonly through sexual behaviors and needle or syringe use. The FDA has approved more than two dozen antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV infection. They're often broken into six groups because they work in different ways. Doctors recommend taking a combination or 'cocktail' of at least two of them. Called antiretroviral therapy, or ART, it can't cure HIV, but the medications can extend lifespans and reduce the risk of transmission. 1) Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) NRTIs force the virus to use faulty versions of building blocks so infected cells can't make more HIV. 2) Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) NNRTIs bind to a specific protein so the virus can't make copies of itself. 3) Protease Inhibitors (PIs) These drugs block a protein that infected cells need to put together new copies of the virus. 4) Fusion Inhibitors These drugs help block HIV from getting inside healthy cells in the first place. 5) CCR5 Antagonist This stops HIV before it gets inside a healthy cell, but in a different way than fusion inhibitors. It blocks a specific kind of 'hook' on the outside of certain cells so the virus can't plug in. 6) Integrase Inhibitors These stop HIV from making copies of itself by blocking a key protein that allows the virus to put its DNA into the healthy cell's DNA. Advertisement University of Emory researchers looked at 12 monkeys infected with SIV, a close relative of HIV, and treated them with antiretroviral drugs. They used AZD5582 to force the HIV virus out of hiding. The drug appeared to be safe, with just one monkey experiencing a temporary fever and loss of appetite. The next move will be to begin clinical trials in humans, researchers say. The team at North Carolina carried out the test on mice transplanted with human immune cells infected with HIV. Researchers stimulated the infected immune cells - called CD4+ T cells - while also depleting another kind of immune cell - called CD8+ T cells - which normally keeps the virus in check. The combination saw the virus re-emerge, without harming the rodents, opening the door to potential new therapies to cure the sufferer. Co-senior author on both papers Ann Chahroudi, an associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for Childhood Infections & Vaccines at Emory, said the studies described in the two papers take different approaches. She added: 'AZD5582 was remarkable in its ability to reactivate latent SIV from resting CD4+ T cells, and to induce continued virus production in the blood when monkeys were still receiving daily antiretroviral therapy. 'The exciting thing about these papers being published together are the concordance of the results in two animal models with both approaches, and the opening up of new avenues for research towards the goal of an HIV cure. HIV progressively damages crucial cells in the immune system, weakening the body's ability to fight infections. Left untreated, this leads to AIDS the collective name for a series of deadly infections which the weakened immune system cannot tackle. Figures estimate around 101,600 people are living with the infection in the UK, while the toll is closer to the 1.1million mark in the US. But in both countries, around one in seven HIV-positive people are thought to be undiagnosed. It comes after official figures revealed the number of new cases of HIV diagnosed in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels since 2000. By IANS BEIJING: Snakes may be the original source of the newly discovered novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has triggered an outbreak of a deadly infectious respiratory illness in China, according to a new study. The finding, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, provides important insights on the potential origins of the most recent outbreak of viral pneumonia in China, which started in the middle of December and now is spreading to Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. ALSO WATCH: "Results derived from our evolutionary analysis suggest for the first time that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV," said study researchers from the Wuhan University in China. "New information obtained from our evolutionary analysis is highly significant for effective control of the outbreak caused by the 2019-nCoV-induced pneumonia," researchers added. The study said that patients who became infected with the virus--which is a type of virus called a coronavirus and was named 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organisation--were exposed to wildlife animals at a wholesale market, where seafood, poultry, snake, bats, and farm animals were sold. By conducting a detailed genetic analysis of the virus and comparing it with available genetic information on different viruses from various geographic locations and host species, the investigators concluded that the 2019-nCoV appears to be a virus that formed from a combination of a coronavirus found in bats and another coronavirus of unknown origin. ALSO READ | Over 500 cases reported, China halts flights, trains out of Coronavirus outbreak city According to the researchers, the resulting virus developed a mix or "recombination" of a viral protein that recognises and binds to receptors on host cells. Such recognition is key to allowing viruses to enter host cells, which can lead to infection and disease. Finally, the team uncovered evidence that the 2019-nCoV likely resided in snakes before being transmitted to humans. Recombination within the viral receptor-binding protein may have allowed for cross-species transmission from snake to humans. Chinese health authorities announced on Thursday that 571 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been reported in 25 provincial-level regions in the country by the end of Wednesday. A total of 393 suspected cases have been reported, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). The pneumonia situation had resulted in 17 deaths, all in central China's Hubei Province. The deaths reported from the disease were aged between 48 and 89, according to the commission. Overseas, one case has been confirmed in the regions of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as in the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea respectively, and three in Thailand. A total of 5,897 close contacts have been traced, the commission said, adding that among them, 4,928 are under medical observation while 969 others have been discharged. Although the ultimate control of emerging viral infections requires the discovery and development of effective vaccines and/or antiviral drugs, currently licensed antiviral drugs should be tested against the 2019-nCoV, the study noted. By Martin Zwilling Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. According to a recent article on Thrinacia, there are now aver 600 crowdfunding platforms in existence, currently estimated to add more than $89 billion to the economy at a compound growth rate of 17% from 2019 to 2022. Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. The primary challenge seems to be that the crowdfunding term is used to encompass so many different concepts that everyone is confused. Stories Continues after ad In fact, perhaps the most important model, equity crowdfunding for non-accredited investors was only legalized via the SEC in 2016, so its impact is still in the early stages. Even with this, crowdfunding today means any one of the following five quite different models: Rewards model. Many platforms, such as IndieGoGo, allow startups to solicit funding commitments from non-professional investors in exchange for a pre-defined reward or perk, such as a T-shirt or other recognition, but no ownership in the company. The crowd gets the satisfaction of helping, with minimal risk, and no expectation of any high return. Product pre-order model. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge. A much-touted early success was the Pebble Watch on Kickstarter, now owned by FitBit, with advance orders exceeding $10 million. Of course, there are thousands of other companies that dont achieve their minimum goal, requiring all contributions to be returned. Donation good-cause model. This model facilitates donations to charities and creative projects, and has been around for a long time via sites such as GoFundMe. No startup ownership or financial return should be expected, but contributors can enjoy the satisfaction of furthering non-profits or causes with a passion to change the world. Interest on debt model. In this model, often called micro-financing or peer-to-peer lending (P2P), people contribute with the intent to create a pool for all to borrow against. This model been popular in many countries for years, where banks loans are not available, via sites such as LendingClub and Kiva. The allure is the ability to get small loans easily, or excellent returns from the interest, but the risks are high. Startup equity model. In the U.S., only accredited investors can use crowdfunding sites such as EquityNet to buy ownership in their favorite startup. In Europe, other investors can buy equity, with platforms such as Seedrs. Equity investing is very risky, but huge returns are possible if you pick the next Facebook, but failure means your entire investment is lost. Beyond these models, the crowdfunding term is often used interchangeably or confused with crowdsourcing idea and open source development sites, such as BrightIdea, to get your ideas off the shelf and give you the wisdom of the crowds, or IdeaScale to facilitate the outsourcing of application development in an open source call to others on the Internet. Other popular sites for startups, including StartupNation and Startups.co are not for crowdfunding, but actually are matchmaking sites between entrepreneurs and professional investors or banks, or incubators. These sites often sponsor pitch contests with small cash prizes for funding, as well as other valuable services to support entrepreneurs. In fact, entrepreneurs can and do gain from any and all of these approaches, either by achieving some funding, or at least testing their approach and the level of public interest in their startup idea. Smart entrepreneurs often learn the most from their failures, using the feedback to pivot their solutions before squandering a large investment from friends, angels or VCs. Concurrently, I am seeing an upswing in the number of entrepreneurs and startups, with the cost of entry at an all-time low, and the new focus on entrepreneurship in every university and every community development organization. Since there is never enough money to feed the startup beast, I dont see crowdfunding replacing or crowding out angels or VCs in the near future. The Writer is a veteran startup mentor, executive, blogger, author, tech professional, professor, and investor. Published on Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, Huffington Post, etc. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Huseyn Safarov Trend: The signing of documents on the opening of an affiliate regional center of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Azerbaijan is a very significant achievement that brings the country to a completely different level, Provost and Academic Vice President, Associate Professor of Political Science at Assumption College, Ph.D. Greg Weiner told Trend. Weiner stressed that Azerbaijan is one of the most stable and politically predictable countries in the region and the opening of the WEF regional center in Azerbaijan will strengthen the country's leadership. "Moreover, this will give Azerbaijan an additional impetus in the process of attracting investments, Weiner added. Of course, this is a very big breakthrough for Azerbaijan in the field of integration into the international economic system. The signing of such documents demonstrates a high level of confidence in Baku and as a result, the international investment community will be much more benevolent towards Azerbaijan and will invest money in the country more confidently, the political analyst added. Azerbaijan, being a leader in the region, may assume responsibility to help other countries to develop, Weiner said. The opening of the WEF regional center in Azerbaijan will give a big impetus to the development of the non-oil sector. "The WEF will attract investments in Azerbaijan, which will have a beneficial effect in almost all spheres of the non-oil sector, and especially in tourism sector, Weiner said. In short, the WEF will open up great opportunities for Azerbaijan." The WEF affiliated regional center will open in Azerbaijan. The corresponding protocol of intent was signed during a meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and WEF President Borge Brende. Azerbaijan is one of the first countries which signed this important document with the Davos Forum. During the meeting, the sides emphasized that such centers are created in few countries. Their main goal is to realize the opportunities which stipulated the Fourth Industrial Revolution. A ripple of panic has spread among the remaining Indian students in Wuhan, which is at the core of the novel Coronavirus outbreak in China and abroad, following the sudden lockdown of the city. Alarm sounded among the Indian students after local authorities announced early on Thursday that entry and exit into the city was being blocked: The city was being quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus that has killed 18 and infected nearly 700 in China. The central Chinese city, the capital of Hubei province and home to more than 11 million people, shut down outbound flights and trains on Thursday as the worlds most populous country battled the spread of the previously unknown virus. The state-owned Peoples Daily newspaper said no one would be allowed to leave; the official Xinhua News Agency said no one would be permitted to leave without a specific reason. Multiple highways across the Hubei province have also been shut down. Around 100-150 Indian students still remain in the city with many planning earlier to leave this week; the plans had to be cancelled. Official sources said it was unlikely that they would be allowed to leave as the city was effectively under a lockdown. They - like many in Wuhan - were taken unawares at the announcement of the shutdown: It was announced at the dead of night, around 3 am. For those who remain in Wuhan, however, its just not the threat of the virus or the uncertainty of the rapidly evolving situation they have to deal with but also rumours that are spreading across social media platforms. A student, who did not want to be named as he is interning to a Chinese government hospital, said a strong rumour on the campus was that from 5 pm this evening fighter jets will spray disinfectant across the city and that we have to remain in our hostels. Senior Indian students, it was learnt, were taking the lead in busting rumours and ensuring that their juniors had access to correct information and taking adequate precautions. A majority of the cases are from Wuhan and the Hubei province but in the past five days dozens of infections have been reported around China as hundreds of millions travel for the Lunar New Year, the countrys biggest festival involving one of the worlds largest annual migrations of people. A handful of infected people who came from Wuhan have also been found overseas. In Geneva, the WHO put off deciding whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency and asked an expert committee to continue meeting for a second day Thursday. We need more information, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. WHO defines a global emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. When asked about Wuhans public transport shutdown, WHO chief, according to the Associated Press, Tedros said authorities were likely acting to prevent transmission and mass gatherings. We cannot say they have done something unusual, he said. Blaine Ruppenthal,17, died after experiencing flu-related complications. Image via Facebook. The number of flu-related deaths continues to climb as Canada enters peak flu-season. Blaine Ruppenthal, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, Man. died after spending more than a month in a medically induced coma due to complications from Type A influenza. According to a Facebook group set up by Ruppenthals family, the Kelvin High School senior went into cardiac arrest twice on Dec. 7, 2019, and was being treated with hypothermic therapy. Blaine Ruppenthal. Image via Facebook/MacKenzie Sawka. He was a beautiful, smart, kind boy, Ruppenthals aunt Mary-Anne Clarkee told CBC News. Ruppenthals passing serves as an unfortunate reminder of how quickly the flu can become fatal. Flu season 2019-2020 Earlier this month, Health Canadas weekly FluWatch report confirmed there have been 560 hospitalizations due to influenza, with 60 admissions to intensive care unit (ICU) and 10 deaths. The report notes a dramatic increase in laboratory flu detections between Dec.15 and Jan. 4, with 9,119 reported cases of influenza occurring, bringing this seasons flu total to 12,547. ALSO SEE: Grade 12 student in Winnipeg dies from flu complications A majority of reported flu cases (69 per cent) have been influenza A, which can be further categorized into two subtypes: H3N2 and H1N1. Although Canadians of any age can contract any strain of flu (A,B or C), experts often associate H3N2 with those over 65, while H1N1 is considered to have a more youthful profile. In Canada and the United States, experts have noticed an increase in cases of influenza type B, which has been linked to a higher hospitalization and mortality rate in children. Image via Getty Images. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a report regarding an outbreak of influenza type B (B/Victoria) that has eclipsed other strains of flu for the first time in 27 years. The CDC noted that the increase in type B cases is occurring earlier than expected, something also noted by infectious disease experts in Canada. So far, the CDC estimates there have been 4,800 flu-related deaths in the United States, up 65 per cent from last year, and nearly 87,000 hospitalizations, with months left to go before the end of the 2019-2020 flu season. Story continues ALSO SEE: A 4-year-old has gone blind from the flu: How often does this happen? Flu shots are recommended for everyone six months old or older, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, to help protect yourself and prevent the spread of illness. Flu shots can be obtained from your primary care physician, nurse practitioner and participating pharmacies. Who is at risk? Anyone can get the flu, no matter your age. There are however, a higher risk of complications for people over 65, people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, children under five-years-old, toddlers and infants. Image via Getty Images. Symptoms The flu is marked by an abrupt onset of symptoms such as fever, fatigue, weakness, chest, discomfort, headache and chills. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea often occurs in children, but can occur in adults. People may experience stuffy or runny nose, loss of appetite or sore throat, which can often cause them to believe they have a cold. What to do The first thing to do is avoid exposing others to the virus, which is highly contagious. Health Canada advises anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms to contact or visit their healthcare provider, and take the proper precautions such as wearing a mask, to minimize exposure to others. Image via Getty Images. Complications and emergency situations As the influenza virus attacks the respiratory system, it can lead to inflammation, making it more difficult for oxygen to reach blood vessels. Common complications include inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), and brain (encephalitis).The weakened immune system can also allow for secondary infection to occur, increasing the risk of sepsis, which can lead to multiple organ failure. Immediate medical attention is required should you begin to experience shortness of breath, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness, confusion, persistent abdominal pain or pressure, severe muscle weakness, high fever or fevers that last longer than three days, low blood pressure, seizures or dehydration (lack of urine). The CDC advises parents seek emergency care should their child develop blue lips or face, dehydration (no urine, no tears when crying, dry mouth) fever above 39C (102F) worsening fever or cough or lack of alertness. Children under 12 weeks of age should be taken for immediate medical attention should there be any sign of fever. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. MUSKEGON, MI Muskegon County officials are considering moving offices into the historic Hackley Administration Building, which Muskegon school officials plan to vacate in a few months. The Muskegon County Board of Commissioners, meeting in a work session on Tuesday, Jan. 21, discussed pursuing assessments of the countys space needs and the condition of the Hackley building at 349 W. Webster Ave. If theres an opportunity for us to preserve it, I think we should take a strong look at it, county Administrator Mark Eisenbarth told commissioners. County officials are preparing for the anticipated addition of a fifth circuit court judge, who would need a courtroom and offices at the Michael Kobza Hall of Justice. The state Legislature will vote on a recommendation to add the judge, who could be in place by 2023, officials said. Some commissioners were more enthusiastic about taking on the 50,000-square-foot Hackley building than others. It has a long history and its a solid building, said Commissioner I. John Snider. I just think it would be a great adjunct to the community. Commissioner Zach Lahring questioned why county officials werent recommending new construction as a way to address space needs. Considering the Hackley building without also looking into building new feels like putting the cart before the horse, he said. The iconic Hackley building, built in 1889 with money donated by Muskegons most well-known philanthropist Charles Hackley, was once home to the citys school. It now serves as administrative offices. However, the building needs expensive repairs and is far larger than what the school district needs, Muskegon Public Schools Superintendent Matt Cortez has said. The district, which has been searching for alternative uses for the Hackley building since 2012, plans to move administrative offices to Muskegon High School by this summer. Commissioners suggested community fundraising and/or a millage could help finance necessary renovations to the Hackley building. To accommodate a new judge, the county boards chambers on the hall of justices fourth floor could be turned into the new courtroom, Muskegon County Public Works Director Matt Farrar told commissioners Tuesday. That would mean commissioners would need a different meeting space, but the hall of justice is full and so is the countys south campus on Apple Avenue, Farrar said. He noted that the county has remodeled the first five floors of the six-story hall of justice. The sixth-floor layout needs to be changed to better protect the public from inmates being escorted to and from court, he said. To accommodate that layout, some offices such as those belonging to the sheriff and the clerk, may have to be relocated, Farrar said. The courtrooms of Muskegon County circuit judges Timothy Hicks and Annette Smedley are located on the sixth floor. The board meeting room that could become a courtroom is on the fourth floor as is the court of Muskegon County Circuit Judge William Marietti. County Board Chairwoman Susie Hughes said the idea of keeping all criminal justice and court-related functions in the hall of justice and having other offices elsewhere is appealing. That way the public doing other types of business with the county wouldnt have to deal with the courts and their clientele, she said. Hughes said it would be nice to move county administrative offices as well as those belonging to such elected officials as the drain commissioner and register of deeds to the Hackley building if thats the direction the county moves. The cost to repair and remodel the Hackley building was concerning to some commissioners, including Robert Scolnik. The Muskegon County Museum, which had considered and then abandoned the idea of acquiring the Hackley building, determined it needed $15 million to $20 million to make it usable for the museum, he said. I dont know how wed pay for it, Scolnik said. Local businessman and developer John Essex in 2018 had offered $200,000 for the building and $70,000 to cover the school districts moving costs, according to terms of a purchase agreement MLive obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. However, Essex later withdrew his offer saying he wanted to allow for a more public process to garner interest in the building. School board member Billie Bruce had called for a more public process for selling the building and an appraisal of it. The administration building was appraised at $400,000 in 2013, according to a document obtained through a FOIA request. Eisenbarth said he was told roof repairs alone could cost $3.5 million. He said he believes many community members would be willing to donate to an effort to preserve the historic building. Snider agreed. We might be able to get a community effort involved in keeping it going, Snider said. Commissioners also floated the idea of a possible millage to pay for repairs to the building. Scolnik suggested a separate entity could be set up to pursue the millage, purchase the building and do the remodeling. That entity could then lease the building to the county, he suggested. Commissioner Gary Foster noted that the county would need funds for an expensive courtroom renovation in addition to any money spent on the Hackley building. He suggested the county board use the MATS bus station in Muskegon Heights for a temporary home for a couple of years until something more permanent can be nailed down. Other commissioners seemed to favor Fosters suggestion. Read more: As school district eyes exit, future of Hackley Building unclear Potential buyer wants to preserve iconic Hackley building More judges recommended for West Michigan, Metro Detroit Liz Truss today dismissed US fury over UK plans to impose a tax on tech giants as the risk of a trade war with Washington increased. The International Trade Secretary said the government's plan to introduce a digital services tax was 'not a matter for the US' as she insisted 'we will make the decisions that are right for Britain'. Her comments come after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned that if the tax is rolled out then the White House could respond with retaliatory tariffs on the UK's car industry. Donald Trump is expected to personally heap pressure on Boris Johnson to drop the levy. But Chancellor Sajid Javid said yesterday that it will be introduced in April this year as a temporary measure until an international agreement is in place on how to deal with big online companies like Google and Facebook. Liz Truss, pictured in Downing Street yesterday, has dismissed US concerns about the introduction of a tax on tech giants US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin yesterday warned that imposing the tax would likely result in tariffs on UK car imports being hiked up The US reaction to the proposed digital services tax was raised in the House of Commons this morning by Labour MP Jonathan Reynolds. He said the row was an 'early test' of how the UK could fare during post-Brexit trade talks with the White House as he asked Ms Truss if Britain will now 'concede to American pressure'. But a bullish Ms Truss hit back and said: 'Let me be absolutely clear. UK tax policy is a matter for the UK chancellor. 'Its not a matter for the US, its not a matter for the EU, its not a matter for anybody else, and we will make the decisions that are right for Britain, whether it is on our regulatory standards, whether its on our tax policy, or whether it is on anything else.' Downing Street appeared to back Ms Truss as the PM's official spokesman said: 'The United Kingdom's tax policy is a matter for the United Kingdom.' Mr Mnuchin was clear yesterday that the US administration remains ardently against the tax. The US believes the levy is fundamentally unfair because most of the companies which it would apply to are based in North America. Appearing alongside Mr Javid on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Mnuchin said: 'I'm sure the president and Boris will be speaking on it as well, as the president did with Macron.' He argued a digital tax is 'discriminatory in nature' and the US is participating in the OECD process to find a solution as he raised the prospect of a trade war over the issue. 'If people want to just arbitrarily put taxes on our digital companies, we will consider arbitrarily putting taxes on car companies,' he warned. The US and France have announced a truce over President Emmanuel Macron's plans to introduce a similar measure after Washington responded with a threat to slap punitive tariffs on products including French cheese and wine. But Mr Javid said the tax - a two per cent levy on the revenues of search engines, social media platforms and online marketplaces which derive value from UK users - will be introduced. He said: 'We plan to go ahead with our digital services tax in April. 'It's important - as we said at the time when we first introduced it to Parliament and legislated for it - it is a proportionate tax. 'It is a tax that is deliberately designed as a temporary tax, it will fall away once there is an international solution.' The UK has been urged to hold back on pressing ahead with the levy by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which called for time to allow the push for an international approach to succeed. The prospect of a trade war with the US is likely to spark major concerns in the UK's manufacturing sector. Mr Trump has previously not hesitated in taking action against countries he believes are treating the US unfairly on trade. In a first, an Indian national who committed a murder in Abu Dhabi in 2008 will now be prosecuted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the request of UAE authorities under the extradition treaty between both countries. The accused Inderjeet Singh will be tried under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The CBI registered an FIR against him on Wednesday. Singh killed Rama Lengaw Natesan, another Indian, on August 28, 2008, and was already sentenced to death by a trial court in Abu Dhabi in 2009 in absentia. According to the case details sent by Abu Dhabi authorities, Natesans body was found on a farm. He was identified by other Indian workers, who said Natesan used to sell international pre-paid SIM cards. The motive behind the killing, according to UAE authorities, was a dispute between Natesan and Singh; the latter killed Natesan in an inebriated state. Singh had lefe the country after committing the crime and returned to India, which prompted the authorities to approach the Indian government. According to a communication by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to the UAE authorities in May 2016, Singh was arrested by the police in India. After consideration, it was decided that instead of extradition, CBI will investigate him under local laws. The UAE court had imposed a fine of 200 Dirham (AED) blood money on Singh. He was also ordered to repay the victim a sum of money 300 AED. [January 23, 2020] Tesco Announced as Finalist in the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards InMoment, the leading provider of experience intelligence (XI), is proud to announce the selection of its client, Tesco, as a finalist in The UK Customer Satisfaction Awards. Tesco is one of the world's leading multinational retailers, with 6,700 stores and serving approximately 80 million customers a week. The awards acknowledge companies and organisations providing the best customer and employee experiences throughout the industry. Tesco has been listed as a finalist for its technology innovation and implementation in partnership with InMoment. Tesco is specifically being recognised in the "Best Implementation of Technology" category, celebrating the retiler's use of strategic tools to facilitate excellent experiences for its customers. "It is an amazing opportunity to provide industry-leading technology for such empowering and customer-centric brands, such as Tesco. Tesco is consistently focused on delivering for customers, and we are honoured to work alongside them," said Simon Fraser, VP, Customer Experience Strategy at InMoment. "Regardless of the outcome, we are excited to see the results of the awards, knowing that Tesco is a great example of using technology to create the best experiences for its customers." The award finals and ceremony will take place on 3 March 2020 at Hilton on Park Lane, London. About InMoment InMoment is the leader in Experience Intelligence (XI), helping organizations deliver more beneficial and memorable experiences in every moment. The company's cloud-native XI Platform is engineered with data science at the core, featuring three clouds that work seamlessly together to give businesses a comprehensive understanding of the most important factors impacting the bottom line: Customer Experience (CX) Cloud, Employee Experience (EX) Cloud, and Market Experience (MX) Cloud. InMoment's technology, coupled with its deep domain knowledge in experience design and delivery, help more than 500 of the world's leading brands in 95 countries attract, excite, and retain their most profitable customers and most valuable employees. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005026/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] There are fears for two people missing after debris was found floating in the water near where a plane they were travelling on disappeared. The search continues for a pilot and the passenger who were on a light plane that vanished off southeast Queensland while travelling from Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast to a resort on Moreton Island, off Brisbane, about 4.30pm on Wednesday. The plane disappeared off southeast Queensland on Wednesday. Source: Flight Radar24/Sky News There are reports the pilot made a mayday call sparking a major search involving water police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, helicopters and local fishing trawlers. Several helicopters and boats searched the area to the north of the island overnight. However the search was called off at about midnight due to rough weather. Debris was found in the water near where the plane vanished, but it is not yet known if it was part of the aircraft. Source: 7 News The search of the 500 square kilometre area resumed at first light on Thursday. Debris has been found floating in the water southeast of Cape Moreton, but it has not been confirmed as being from the aircraft. Queensland Water Police, AMSA's Challenger jet, Redcliffe Coast Guard, Bribie Island Volunteer Marine Rescue, six helicopters and a Queensland Fisheries Patrol Vessel are all involved in the search. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. critic's rating: 2.5/5 Inayat (Shraddha Kapoor) and Sahej (Varun Dhawan) are both passionate dancers and captains to their respective teams Rule Breakers and Street Dancers. He and his crew are NRI Indians living in the UK while she and her friends are of Pakistani origin. The film does display India Pakistan rivalry but thankfully it isn't jingoistic. Both nurse a grudge towards each other -- it isn't explained why -- and want to ultimately prove their superiority. A top notch competition in London gives them the chance to have the ultimate showdown and stamp their authority once and for all. But along the way, both they and their respective crews learn that theres more to life than perfecting dance moves. They learn valuable life lessons which make them grow both as people, as well as dancers and helps them utilise their craft for a bigger cause. Director Remo DSouza has left no stone unturned to make his third dance film -- after ABCD and ABCD 2 -- as opulent and eye-catching as possible. The opening acts of both Varun and Shraddha set the right tone and the dance montages only get bigger and better as the battle progresses. He has used every kind of dance genre there is, be it Locking and Popping, Contemporary, Slo Mo, Jazz, et al. His team of talented dancers comprising Dharmesh Yelande, Punit Pathak, Salman Yusuff Khan and Raghav Juyal, who have made a name for themselves over various dance shows and the previous two films have been utilised to maximum effect. The inclusion of Nora Fatehi and Prabhu Dheva to this mix adds to the sparkle. Nora's character of Mia raises the oomph factor. She really can make the dance floor come alive and Prabhu Dheva shows once more that there isn't a better dancer than him currently. Period. His new age rendition of the classic Muqabala song takes you on a major nostalgia trip. But this is more than just a dance film. The plight of illegal immigrants too gets addressed in the film. The track of Aparshakti Khurana's character lends the film a serious undertone. Remo has tried to mix some great dance choreography with real world concerns and while the film's heart is in the right place the two subjects don't exactly mix well together. At places, it feels like we're watching two films. And that kind of derails the narrative and takes the attention away from dance. Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan look good together and the portions showcasing their rivalry keeps the pace flowing. They have worked hard on their respective characters, perfecting their dance moves and have come out at the top of the class. The 3D effects were kind of unnecessary and the length could have been shortened as well. Street Dancer 3D does offer a visual spectacle when it comes to dance but the patchy story and screenplay dilutes the overall impact. Trailer : Street Dancer 3D Naked but Not Afraid: The Struggles of a Single Parent: a captivating memoir of the authors life as a single parent who triumphs odds with the grace of God. Naked but Not Afraid: The Struggles of a Single Parent is the creation of published author Angela Jeffries, a missionary from Indiana, a teacher in Saipan, and a physical therapist assistant. Jeffries shares, Who is the author that dares to tell the naked truth about her less-than-perfect life as a Christian single parent? Angie was the shy younger sister who grew up in a Christian family in a small Midwestern town of approximately three thousand residents. She accepted the Holy Spirit into her life at the age of ten years old. Angies aspirations after high school were to marry a Christian man, have children, and settle down in her hometown, but instead, she attended college five hours away from home. Taken with homesickness, she returned to her hometown after a year and completed a teaching degree at a community college fifteen miles from home. How did God transform this small-town homebody with average intelligence into a missionary willing to serve God halfway around the world on a North Pacific island? But what caused her to settle for ungodly relationships upon her return home and equipped her to survive an abusive marriage? How did she manage financially on a thirty-two-hour-per-week income, as well as raise her daughter to love the Lord while fighting off the forces of evil? Angie prays the stories in the book will inspire you through difficult times as a single parent. She also believes the time management and budgeting tips will allow you to spend more time with your child(ren) and less at work and chores at home. Do not be afraid to disclose your naked truth to God in prayer. No one is too broken for His healing grace. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Angela Jeffriess new book is proof of the Lords graciousness for people who seek Him, especially during times of despair that dampen the souls will to thrive. Readers will follow a single mother as she painstakingly juggles between being a parent extraordinaire and a devoted physical therapist assistant rehabilitating the injured and sick. View the synopsis of Naked but Not Afraid: The Struggles of a Single Parent on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Naked but Not Afraid: The Struggles of a Single Parent at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Naked but Not Afraid: The Struggles of a Single Parent, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / John Clay Dickinson and Rachel Janea McGinnis are recognized throughout North Palm Beach as some of the area's most knowledgeable marine conservationists and skilled scuba divers. The pair co-owns Florida Scuba Divers, a one-stop-shop for all things scuba. Last month, the shop celebrated its official one year anniversary. Following a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force, which he began at age 17, John Clay Dickinson worked for several years in medical recruiting before deciding to pursue his passion for scuba as a full-time professional venture. John Dickinson has owned two dive shops in Palm Beach County. Florida Scuba Divers carries a broad range of products, from dive suits to gear. John Clay Dickinson and Rachel McGinnis of Palm Beach also offer e-learning and certifications to divers of all levels from beginning to advanced. The shop is an open, warm, and inviting hands-on shop, with hands-on product displays. Each customer is invited to touch and try on everything in the dive shop. In its first year of business, the couple is proud to have served countless customers and inspired a love of SCUBA in numerous newcomers, in addition to sharing their extensive expertise with fellow seasoned divers. With a dedication to quality products, exceptional education, and stellar customer care, it's no surprise the shop has earned 139 well-deserved five-star reviews from customers via Google Business Reviews. Florida Scuba Divers caters to every type of customer - young and old. Their oldest student to date is 72 years young and is loving his weekly diving sessions. There's no one better in Palm Beach to provide the gear and education needed to explore all the mystery and magic Florida's waters have to offer. Rachel McGinnis of Palm Beach explains that Florida Scuba Divers has the largest scuba diving mask wall, where no person leaves the store without a perfect fit and the knowledge of how important it is to have a properly fitting mask. In addition to scuba-ing for several years, Rachel McGinnis and John Dickinson of Palm Beach have organized and participated in various marine conservation and education efforts. This includes removing the invasive lionfish species from Florida shores, for which endeavors the couple has earned several accolades. John Dickinson of Palm Beach was also featured on Shark Week for his find of a population of sawfish in the North Palm Beach area, and the divers have captured rare footage of nurse sharks mating. They also provide how-to videos for Floridians to assist in lionfish eradication. John Clay Dickinson and Rachel McGinnis of Palm Beach are looking forward to another year of serving North Palm Beach and sharing the excitement of scuba. For more information about Florida Scuba Divers, visit the website: https://www.floridascubadivers.com/ or follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floridascubadivers/ or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dive561.270.5788/ CONTACT: Caroline Hunter Web Presence, LLC +1 7865519491 SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573962/John-Clay-Dickinson-Rachel-McGinnis-of-Palm-Beach-Celebrate-Florida-Scuba-Divers-One-Year-Anniversary Representative Image Amid rising coronavirus cases in China, which has infected over 571 people and killed 17, India's health ministry has begun screening travellers at seven international airports and issuing a travel advisory for citizens visiting China. We are on alert and our preparedness is sturdy, Health Secretary Preeti Sudan told news agency PTI. The health ministry has instructed airport health organisations at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin to screen passengers coming from mainland China. As on January 21, a total of 43 flights and 9,156 passengers have been screened for novel coronavirus illness, said Sudan, adding that no case has been detected through these screening efforts so far. Besides screening, passengers travelling from China are being requested to report to the nearest public health facility in case they develop any symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat, she said. Also read | What is coronavirus: All you need to know about new SARS-like China virus The health ministry has also issued a travel advisory asking citizens to follow certain precautionary measures while visiting China. It is put up on the ministry's official website and has been shared on Twitter handle for wider circulation. She stated that the Indian embassy in China has been regularly providing the health ministry with updates on the status of the infected cases in that country. Also, airlines flying in from any airport in China and Hong Kong have been asked to make in-flight announcements requesting passengers with history of fever and cough and travel to Wuhan city in the past 14 days to self-declare at the port of arrival in order to facilitate early isolation. As part of an action plan by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), airlines staff will also guide passengers in filling up the self-reporting forms before disembarking to be checked by staff on arrival. (With inputs from PTI) A York Region provincial offences prosecutor has been found guilty of using her public office to fix traffic tickets for her police officer boyfriend. Caterina (Catherine) Petrolo intended to act in a way tending to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, Judge D.A. Harris wrote in a decision released Friday, finding Petrolo guilty of breach of trust and attempt to obstruct justice in two cases that saw friends of York Region police Const. Richard Senior escape serious consequences for their tickets. Petrolo, a paralegal, fell onto the police radar during a multi-jurisdictional investigation into police corruption that targeted Senior, with whom she had a romantic, sexual relationship, according to Harriss decision. One of the cases involved two traffic tickets against a man named Carlton Wills, the father of Fabian Wills of Markham, a longtime friend of Senior. One ticket was for disobeying a street sign in Markham, the other was in Toronto, for failing to wear a seatbelt; both were dropped after Carlton Wills spoke with Senior about the Markham ticket. Wills got the ultimate deal, Harris wrote. He paid no fine. He acquired no demerit points. He ended up with no blemish on his driving record. He did not have to hire and pay anyone to accomplish all of this. All he had to do was speak to his friend Richard Senior who then apparently spoke to his friend Ms. Petrolo. Petrolo pleaded not guilty. She did not testify in her trial, which took place late last year in a Newmarket court. Evidence at Petrolos trial included intercepted exchanges from the messaging app WhatsApp, including one from around noon on June 1, 2018, which recorded a conversation between Petrolo, Fabian Wills and Richard Senior: Petrolo: Fabian .. your fathers disobey sign tickets gone bye (emoji) Willis: Well hello Petrolo: Im still sweating (emoji) Willis: Omg. You are too good to me and my pops Willis: He wants to meet you Petrolo: Lol he owes me a drink Willis: No. He owes you a full bottle. (...) Petrolo: Rich ur tab is getting big Senior: Lol By 1:15 that afternoon, Petrolo had changed the group chats subject line to Wills ticket specialist, after which the following conversation was intercepted by police: Petrolo: Drum roll pls . Petrolo: Fabian .. pls tell ur dad his seatbelt ticket was withdrawn Petrolo: Total saving of 4 points and $350. There is compelling evidence, in the form of the intercepted communication, that the charge was withdrawn as a favour to the friend of her friend, Harris wrote. Petrolo was also found guilty in a case involving a friend of Seniors named Nicholas Guarino, who pleaded guilty to disobeying a lane light, which brought a far lower fine than that for his original charge of careless driving. That plea also meant no demerit points, compared to six for a careless driving charge. The judge noted that although Petrolo did not prosecute that case or speak with Guarino, police intercepted a conversation between Petrolo and Senior in which she told him she had worked some magic on the ticket and pressed him to tell his friend to go along with the deal to avoid scrutiny. Tell him he better not know me he better not f---ing squawk cause if he squawks theyll look at the deal right, Petrolo says. Petrolos lawyers, Alan Gold and Alex Palamarek, argued this was bravado in an attempt to ingratiate herself with Senior. Harris disagreed. So why did she arrange for Mr. Guarino to be allowed to enter such a plea? the judge wrote. I am satisfied that she did it as a favour to Mr. Senior and to the friend of his friend. No date was announced for Petrolos sentencing. At a hearing after her arrest last year, a Law Society tribunal allowed Petrolo to keep her license to practise as a paralegal, with some restrictions, pending the outcome of her case. Senior was also arrested in the same investigation. In October, he was charged with 30 criminal offences including trafficking cocaine, attempted armed robbery of a quantity of cocaine, assault, obstructing justice and weapons charges. The protests have peaked right during the campaign for the state Assembly election of Delhi, raising the question of whether the national issue of citizenship would have a bearing on state elections and determine the direction of the critical Muslim vote. There are currently eight Shaheen Baghs in Delhi. For more than a month, Muslim women have staged a sit-in at Okhlas Shaheen Bagh in South Delhi, protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register for Citizens (NRC). Disregarding the biting winters, seven other locations in the National Capital have taken inspiration from Shaheen Bagh and began an indefinite protest against these policies of the Narendra Modi-led government. The protests have peaked right during the campaign for the state Assembly election of Delhi, raising the question of whether the national issue of citizenship would have a bearing on state elections and determine the direction of the critical Muslim vote. Sitting quietly with a muffler wrapped around her face, Shaheen, who shares her name with the protest site in Okhla, suggested that the protests and elections are unlikely to intersect with each other. When we vote on 8 February, we will vote on local governance, she said as the chants of azadi reverberated in the back. Arvind Kejriwal has drastically changed the face of schools in Delhi and subsidised electricity as well. He has been the best chief minister and AAP should win all the 70 seats. Shaheen said she picks her two kids up from playschool and comes to the protest site in the evening, where she stays put until midnight. They are young, but I am excited to enrol them in the government school in a year from now, she said. As far as the protests against Modis policies are concerned, we trust neither AAP nor Congress to stand up with us. They are equally useless. More than 13 percent of Delhis population is Muslim. In central and northeast Delhi, the number goes up to around 30 percent. In 2015, when AAP won a landslide victory in the Assembly election bagging 67 out of 70 seats, Muslim vote had overwhelmingly backed the party. Yet, Kejriwal has stayed relatively silent on CAA, which extends citizenship to persecuted communities except for Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Critics have noted that CAA coupled with NRC could spell doom to Indian Muslims. Countless Indians, especially the ones that are poor and marginalised, do not have adequate papers to prove their citizenship. The catch, though, is that among the marginalised, non-Muslims can continue to stay in India as refugees under the CAA even if they lose their citizenship. Muslims would be left in the lurch. AAP voted against the bill in Parliament but has since been circumspect on the nationwide protests. When asked about his stand, he trod cautiously and avoided speaking on the misery it might inflict on Indian Muslims. Instead, he asked if India is in a position to offer jobs to those it intends to welcome from other countries while unemployment in India continues to rise. With the Congress trying to regain their lost Muslim vote share by calling Kejriwal out for not being combative, observers have wondered if this stand would cost the chief minister. If the Muslim vote is split between Congress and AAP, as it did between Janata Dal and Congress back in 1993, it could mean advantage BJP. However, interactions with voters in predominantly Muslim seats like Okhla, Seelampur, Ballimaran and Mustafabad, and in constituencies with significant Muslim population like Trilokpuri and Seemapuri suggest AAP is still the preferred choice for Delhis Muslims. The reason being its welfare policies, and it is the best bet to beat BJP in the Assembly. Rehana Khan, 70, from Trilokpuri, which had witnessed communal tensions in 2015, said her area has changed for the better in the past few years. This has been a volatile area, she said. But after the improvement in schools, kids that earlier loitered around today regularly attend school. There has been a behavioural change among them. Most of the residents here, said Rehana, work as auto-rickshaw drivers or safai karmacharis. Kejriwal has ensured the children of poor get a good education, she said. Plus, he is best placed to beat BJP that is busy peddling communal agenda. Hindu or Muslim, we have the same blood flowing in our veins but the BJP does not understand that. Nodding along, Mohammad Raza Khan, smoking a bidi on the steps of a dilapidated building, said he has been a fan Indira Gandhi, but he would vote for jhadu on 8 February. Many of us voted Congress in last years Lok Sabha elections because we thought it had the best chance of beating BJP, he said. There was a bit of confusion, which is not there this time around. We have to vote tactically, and Kejriwals work speaks for itself. The AAP candidate from Trilokpuri, Rohit Mehraulia, said the electorate doesnt ask about CAA or NRC when he campaigns. They know we stand by them, he said. And this election is about local issues and governance in Delhi. We want to focus on that. However, data suggests it is a tactical call by AAP. The BJP bagged 56 percent of Delhis votes in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019. Over the past five years, a clear pattern has emerged among voters of Delhi: Modi for prime minister and Kejriwal for chief minister. According to Lokniti-CSDS survey, a substantial 24 percent of BJP voters in the Centre said they would vote for AAP in the state. These voters are largely ideology agnostic and vote along the lines of winnability and face. However, an outright anti-Modi stand via CAA or NRC may make them uncomfortable, which explains Kejriwals cautious approach towards the nationwide protests. The strategy, though, may cost AAP a bit in a constituency like Seelampur, where the police had lathi-charged protestors and used tear gas to quell the protests a month ago. And the emotions are running high. In the same constituency, a Shaheen Bagh-like sit-in is on for the past six days. It is ironic that a man who launched his political career through peoples movement is now staying away from it, said Ovais Khan, an activist in the constituency. Kejriwal may have opposed CAA or NRC formally, but he did not step out on the streets when Delhi Police attacked us and the minorities needed a bit of reassurance. Congress, on the other hand, has been more vocal. Naseer Ahmed, one of the influential members in the locality, who runs a clothes shop in the jacket wali gali of Jaffarabad, said it could go either way, and people will make their call two days before voting. No other chief minister has subsidised electricity or ensured water availability like Kejriwal has. But he has betrayed us for political calculations, he said. Agar kaam pe vote kiya, toh AAP jeet jayegi. Lekin agar jazbaat haavi ho gaye, toh phir Congress bazi maar jayegi. (If peopme vote on the basis of work done then AAP will win but if emotions run high then Congress has a chance.) President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday held talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson focused on scaling up the robust ties between Kenya and the UK. At the meeting held at the PMs office on No.10 Downing Street in London, President Kenyatta and PM Johnson discussed a wide range of areas of mutual interest between the two countries including Kenya-UK trade in the post-Brexit era, cooperation in military training and security. The President was accompanied to the meeting by Cabinet Secretaries Ukur Yatani, Monica Juma and Adan Mohammed as well as Kenyas High Commissioner to the UK Amb. Manoah Esipisu. On trade, Prime Minister Johnson said the UK recognized Kenya as a key partner in Africa. He pointed out that trade between the two countries has grown over the years but there was still room for expansion, citing the growing demand for Kenyan products such as tea. The President and the PM also discussed partnerships between the two countries in green technology investments, an area the UK has made significant milestones. PM Johnson said the UK is particularly interested in helping Kenya achieve its objective of attaining 100 percent to green energy sources. We are doing well on renewable energy and certainly we would like to partner with you, PM Johnson told President Kenyatta. On security, President Uhuru and the PM agreed that Kenya and the UK should cooperate more in the fight against terrorism. We would like to partner in combating terrorists. These criminals have continued to cause harm to our people and it is about time we combined forces to fight back, President Kenyatta said. Prime Minister Johnson acknowledged that Kenya has borne the brunt of terrorism and there was need to join forces to curb the menace. PM Johnson said the British military training outpost in Nanyuki will continue to train Kenyan officers as a way of bolstering the military partnership between the two countries. The two leaders also discussed the effects of travel advisories and the PM assured that they will be abolished as they have a negative effect on the economy. President Kenyatta thanked PM Johnson for recognizing the disadvantages of the travel advisories and his assurance that they will not be imposed on Kenya again. What happens when these travel advisories are issued is that there are job losses especially in the tourism sector presenting an opportunity for radicalization of our young people, President Kenyatta said. On the Nairobi regeneration programme, President Kenyatta said Kenya is keen to ensure that Nairobis lost glory as the city in the sun is restored. The regeneration programme is on course but other than that we also seek viable transport solutions for our people. This is also an area that we can partner in, President Kenyatta said. He welcomed the PMs assurance that the UK is keen to work with Kenya on the provision of urban planning and transport solutions. The two leaders also agreed to join forces in the provision of affordable houses in Kenya, one of the key pillars of the Big 4 Agenda. Citing some of the old housing estates constructed in Nairobis Eastlands in partnership with the British Government, President Kenyatta said UKs involvement in the current push to provide affordable housing in Kenya would secure programmes success. -PSCU After a month of treatment, though, Dad contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. When I visited him at the huge Seattle medical center, he fumbled with the straw in his water glass and groaned when a nurse asked him to turn over. Dads infection soon turned into pneumonia. High fever made him slightly delirious, and he claimed to see people we didnt see. He would occasionally gasp with pain. To make things worse, the hospital was renovating the intensive care unit on the floor below my fathers, and our conversation was regularly interrupted by the earsplitting sound of jackhammers and the crash of crumbling plasterboard. This is exactly what I did not want to happen, my father said from his damp, rumpled sheets. Do I want this to be my life? The next morning, my brother and sister called from the hospital. You have to come right away, my brother said. Dad says he has something important to tell us. When I arrived, my father was radiant, sitting up in bed and smiling. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed so he could sit up and command the room. Ive made a decision, he said. We leaned forward. I had an epiphany in the night. He closed his eyes. I was awake, sick of the noise going on below, sick of this hospital. But then I heard singing. Hallucinations? But his story had none of the feverishness of the previous night. I looked up, my father raised his hand. And the night nurse her name was Kristy was singing a spiritual. Dad paused and took a breath. I said to her, Could you sing that louder? She told me shed love to and closed the door. She began singing Amazing Grace, and the sound filled the room. My father stretched his arms out to his sides, his hospital gown draping off his strong shoulder like a Roman soldiers tunic. His eyes glowed not only with tears, but with a clarity we had not seen in weeks. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: In response to our question about when the official meeting of Vladimir Putin-Nikol Pashinyan will take place, our government source said: "Probably in the period from late March to early April." Let us remember that [PM] Nikol Pashinyan has never had an official visit to Russia; all meetings with Putin have been procedural. Ahead of the New Year, Nikol Pashinyan informed that, "We have a preliminary agreement that I will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation in 2020, and the Russian President will pay an official visit to Armenia in the second half of 2020, or in the first semester of 2021." So, the meeting is planned after the Artsakh presidential elections? There is no specific day noted; need for far-reaching conclusions, I think, likewise." Let us remember that the parliamentary and presidential elections in Artsakh will take place at the end of March, and the arrangement of forces in Karabakh will be clear by early April. By Debra Gore-Mann We the people of the United States of America are deeply invested in the impeachment trial now underway in the U.S. Senate, prompted by two articles of impeachment brought by the House of Representatives. But the House, we should remember, omitted several other potential grounds for impeachment, including racism, sexism and what the Dalai Lama aptly called the presidents lack of moral principle. The House sought to simplify the impeachment process in the hopes of successfully removing the president from office. That was a tactical decision. But President Donald Trump could just as easily be impeached for his other offenses. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, introduced articles of impeachment against Trump for racism after tweets in July 2019 telling four young congresswomen of color to go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. This is a president who has referred to African countries as s holes, Mexicans as rapists, and neo-Nazis as very fine people. To be clear: bigotry, racism, and white nationalism are impeachable offenses. They were, in fact, a big part of the reason that President Andrew Johnson was impeached. Trump could and probably should be facing impeachment for his disregard of human rights. Over the past 12 months, at least six migrant children between the ages of 2 and 16 have died in federal custody. U.S. immigration officials have separated more than 5,400 children from their migrant parents at our southern border. Hundreds of those children were locked up in cages, a clear violation of international law. Some experts with the United Nations Human Rights Council believe this Trump policy may have amounted to torture. Trump has also incited violence. On at least eight occasions identified by media sources, he has encouraged his supporters, including members of the armed forces, to attack his political opponents. The president is a threat to law and order. And then theres fraud: In November 2016, Trump settled three different fraud lawsuits related to Trump University for $25 million. Last November, the New York attorney general formally announced that the president paid $2 million for misusing charitable funds for his own political gain and his Trump Foundation was shut down for misconduct. In these trying times, I reached back to listen to the eloquent opening statement made by the late Barbara Jordan, a U.S. congresswoman from Texas, at the House Judiciary Committee hearings considering impeachment of Richard Nixon. Jordan acted as a moral compass during that time of crisis. I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution, Jordan declared, saying that the jurisdiction for her involvement comes from the abuse or violation of some public trust. She added, If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority. The House of Representatives did not let Trumps conduct go unchallenged. But it did not challenge him for all that it could. For communities of color, Trump has long since violated our public trust, and we know that a multitude of possible articles were excluded. It is time to hold the president accountable. We the people demand that the Senate vote to convict and remove this president. Debra Gore-Mann is president and CEO of The Greenlining Institute, www.greenlining.org The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Meghan Markle is certain to have watched her fathers incendiary documentary and will have hated every minute - but she should reach out to him before its too late, royal experts told MailOnline today. The 90-minute documentary for Britain's Channel 5 explores the background to what Thomas Markle calls his 'complicated' relationship with his daughter and their dramatic fallout in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. Phil Dampier, author of Royally suited, Harry and Meghan in their own words, told MailOnline it marks a 'watershed moment' for Mr Markle because he truly believes he'll never see his daughter again - or meet Archie and Harry. He said: 'Meghan will probably be angrier than ever at him for sharing intimate family videos, but he was proving how close they once were. 'Thomas probably now thinks he has nothing to lose by talking to the press so he may as well make money out of it. Some will criticise him for that but he has almost reached a point of no return where he feels he will never see his daughter or grandson anyway'. In the tell-all 90-minute film shown in Britain last night, Thomas Markle accused his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him and revealed he was paid to take part Harry and Meghan biographer Phil Dampier (left) believes Mr Markle is cashing in because he feels so let down by his daughter - royal expert Penny Junor (right) says Meghan must reach out to her father or it will 'will continue to be a running sore' In the film Mr Markle unloads and says he doesn't think his daughter will see him again until he is 'lowered into the ground' in a coffin and justified being paid to take part saying: 'Meghan owes me - it's time to look after daddy'. 'Uncomfortable to watch...why didn't the royals help Thomas Markle more?' Viewers feel sorry for Meghan's father Viewers said they felt sorry for Thomas Markle in tonight's bombshell documentary which charted his relationship with the Duchess of Sussex. In a tell-all 90-minute film, he accused his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him and revealed he cried while watching Meghan walk down the aisle on her wedding day. Mr Markle also said that Meghan had promised to look after him in his 'senior years'. He said: At this point, they owe me. The Royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me.' Social media users watching the extraordinary film seemed sympathetic to Mr Markle, with a number of people saying he seemed like a good father and a 'genuine guy'. Shanelle Stephens said: #ThomasMarkle seems like he was a really decent dad to Meghan. It's so sad now she's married into a prestigious family she doesn't want anything to do with him. 'It's not like he wasn't there for her when she was growing up. He was in your life #MeghanMarkle reach out to him. Captain Tykey said: 'Bless #thomasmarkle, so sad watching this. Clearly loves her very much.' Another Twitter user said: '#Thomasmarkle has every right to tell his story. The guy has been slaughtered across the news and social media for two years.' And Meg La Maniac, said: 'The Thomas Markle documentary is a tear jerker. He's a sweet humble man. Both taz and I are crying!' Advertisement He also accused his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him - and shared extraordinary unseen photos and films of his Duchess daughter from birth to stardom. Penny Junor, Prince Harrys biographer, told MailOnline: 'This whole sorry saga seems to have covered themselves in glory. It is a complete tragedy and unless they all get together and sort it out, this will continue to be a running sore'. Richard Fitzwilliams, royal commentator and former editor of International Whos Who, said he is certain Meghan will have seen the film. He said: 'The sky is more likely to fall in that Meghan reconciling with her father, especially after this extraordinary Channel 5 documentary'. He added: 'I cannot imagine that Meghan wouldnt have watched it and she would have hated every minute of it'. Prince Charles' biographer Tom Bower said Mr Markle is the victim - not Harry or Meghan. He said: 'I sympathise with Thomas. In difficult circumstances when she was a child, he alone ensured that Meghan had a good education and was introduced into the film world, which she embraced. He's now fallen on hard times and instead of helping her father she has shown him no sympathy or understanding. She should have reached out to him before she became engaged to Harry, just as she would hope that in 40 years time Archie may need to help his mother. 'Nothing is more important than your blood relatives. And now - in the same manner - she has driven a wedge between Harry and his family'. 1.2million people watched Thomas Markle: My Story on Britain's Channel 5 last night. The Duchess of Sussex's 75-year-old father described his pride after the birth of his daughter in August 1981 as he opened up just days after Harry, Meghan and Archie started their new life in Canada. Mr Markle says Meghan's childhood years were 'the happiest of my life' as he shared dozens of pictures of her key moments including on the day she entered the world and as father and daughter bonded while he changed her nappies in the following days. There are also a string of happy photos of Meghan with her mother Doria Ragland, including at family Christmas parties and summer picnics near their home in California, before she moved in with Thomas as a teenager after the couple's divorce. Mr Markle has also shared rare home video footage of Meghan's first school productions where he says a star was born, her high school graduation, leaving for college as well as family photos as she won her first Hollywood parts and secured her breakthrough on Suits. An emotional Mr Markle also said he was 'jealous' and cried as he saw the Prince of Wales walking his daughter down the aisle and justified making the film to defend himself and rebut the 'trashy things' said about him Britain's Channel 5 has refused to reveal to MailOnline what Mr Markle was paid, but with Meghan's father known to have been paid 7,500 to appear on Good Morning Britain in 2018 industry sources suggest his fee would likely run into tens of thousands of pounds. Describing meeting Meghan for the first time, he told the documentary: 'When she was born I couldnt have been happier. They handed her to me, I saw her face, her little fingers wrapped around my fingers and that was it, I was in love. I just knew she was going to be special. I was just knocked out by that child. She was just beautiful and I just couldnt put her down'. Talks between the documentarys makers and TV executives in America are ongoing amid rumours of a bidding war over the 90-minute film. A source told MailOnline: Talks are ongoing with the major networks in the US once a deal is done the film could be shown within days, depending on whether they want to change their schedule. Experts said that Mr Markle had used the documentary to prove how close he was to Meghan when she was a child Thomas holds his daughter in 1981 or 1982, who he described as his pride and joy, saying he couldn't put her down when he was home from work Meghan sits up on her parents' bed in another extraordinary new family photo shown on the Channel 5 documentary Meghan is cuddled by her mother Doria on a sunny Californian day when she is around a year old in a previously unseen photo Even as she launched her acting career in Los Angeles after university they would see her 'three to four times a week' - but it all changed after meeting Harry, who he has never met. Meghan's mother was her only relative at the royal wedding - her father said: 'She's been supported and loved by everybody on both sides of her [American] family. The family that she's joined is far stiffer than the one that she's left'. Asked if Meghan should be supporting him financially he said: 'She has given me some money - she gave me $5,000 for Christmas once. The money she gave me has been gifts, Only once or twice have I asked for help. 'When she was angry with me she claimed that she had given me $20,000 over two years - but I paid for everything that got her to where she is not. I'm not asking for it back - but it's awfully picky to focus on what she's given me, ignoring what I've given her'. And he defending his decision to speak out in the film and to be paid for the lengthy interview. He said: 'At this point, they owe me. The royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me. I'm in my senior years now it's time to look after Daddy.' Here a 12-year-old Meghan dances in a California studio close to the time she began living with her father again A month later a 12-year-old Meghan rolled her eyes at her father who filmed her while fishing on holiday at Big Bear lake in California The documentary contains at least five home videos of Meghan that have never seen before and Thomas says he knew his daughter would be an actress after seeing her perform as a teenager in high school plays. Harry and Meghan's wedding souvenirs are removed from Royal Collection's website The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official wedding souvenirs no longer feature in the Royal Collection's online shop in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to quit royal life. Commemorative pieces including a fine bone china coffee mug, a tankard and a plate were released ahead of Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, nuptials in Windsor in May 2018. Some pieces were still available to purchase as recently as a few days ago, but now searches for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring up no results on royalcollectionshop.co.uk. It comes after it emerged Prince Harry and Meghan trademarked their Sussex Royal brand on more than 100 items including pencils, socks and bookmarks more than six months ago, before declaring they wanted to quit the royal family and work toward 'financial independence.' Advertisement There are also adorable images of Meghan fishing and joking with her father on various home movies. Mr Markle said he felt 'tremendous pride' watching Meghan act on stage at the private Catholic all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. And a video was revealed in a Channel 5 documentary last night of one of Meghan's star performances aged 15 as Little Red Riding Hood in the play Into the Woods. The clip filmed in March 1997 showed Prince Harry's future wife confidently walking around the stage and delivering her lines with gusto. Former TV lighting director Mr Markle also told a Channel 5 documentary how he helped build some scenery and rig the lights for plays at the school. He also told a bombshell documentary how he cried as he watched her marry Prince Harry on TV from a 'safe house' after his release from hospital. Intimate home footage filmed on Meghan Markle's last day at high school shows the future Duchess of Sussex mingling with both her mother and estranged father in the years before the family's very public falling out. At his home Mr Markle proudly showed off various royal gifts he had received, such as a mug commemorating the birth of Archie, his grandson. And he even joked that he had heard about Meghan and Harry branded condoms. Meghan was also filmed playing games in the snow while filmed by her proud father who says Meghan would say he was 'good dad' Mr Markle has released unseen footage of his daughter, here as Red Riding Hood in the school production of Into The Woods when she was 15, in March 1997 An excited Meghan speaks to camera after taking part in a dance event as she started her path to stardom and the royal familyu An excited Meghan smiles as her father films her at her graduation at 17 at the private all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles A glamorous-looking Meghan, who is aged just 17 at the time, is seen surrounded by relatives including Thomas Markle and a beaming Doria Ragland at the private all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. The clip, filmed by Thomas in the summer of 1999, shows the future Duchess of Sussex making her way through a crowd of students towards her father, who she greets with a loving 'hi daddy' before tightly hugging a proud Doria. Meghan is then caught enduring an awkward exchange with Doria's father Alvin, who bemoans how he does not see his granddaughter on a regular basis and 'no longer recognises' her, causing Meghan to laugh uncomfortably. In the 90-minute documentary that aired on Channel 5 last night, a visibly crestfallen Thomas Markle described having to watch his daughter Meghan walk down the aisle on television as he recovered from a heart attack. An emotional Mr Markle told the interviewer he was 'jealous' of the Prince of Wales walking his daughter down the aisle was something he 'really wanted to do'. He said: 'My daughter looked beautiful. I wish that I could have been there with her. I was certainly appreciative Charles was there. I admit I cried a bit about that. To this day I can't forget that moment.' Longtime Charleston radio DJ Brian Cleary, of WEZL and Y102.5, was among those affected by hundreds of recent layoffs at iHeartMedia, the largest radio conglomerate in the country. Local affiliates have lost at least two people in this round of cuts, including Cleary and Gary Goldman. Until now, the company's total number of employees was 12,500. Radio Insight has published a running list of those affected. In an email to employees, the company attributed the layoffs to restructuring. iHeartMedia did not respond to The Post and Courier's requests for comment. The layoffs affect popular radio show personalities in small and medium markets, where staffs already have been reduced. In one Iowa town, the sponsors of the local radio station rebelled when hearing of the layoffs, prompting iHeartMedia to rehire all six employees who got pink slips, including two popular talk show hosts, according to Rolling Stone. Cleary said he never saw it coming. "Ive gotten up at 3 a.m. for the last 10 years," he said. "My body still is not adjusting to being able to sleep in." Cleary has been involved in Charleston radio for 12 years, serving as the program director at WEZL and a DJ at Y102.5, where he hosted his morning show "Y Morning Wake Up with Brian Cleary." He started in radio at 18 years old. He's now 58. WEZL and Y102.5 have been owned by iHeartMedia since before he was hired, according to Cleary. The conglomerate was formerly known as Clear Channel, changing its name in 2014 to allude to the company's iHeartRadio platform and growing emphasis on digital media. Cleary said he hopes to continue in radio; it's all he's known professionally. "Radio is still a great medium," he said. "And theres statistical evidence that a lot of people still listen to and use radio. To me, the ultimate success of radio is going to be going back to its local roots. Youve had all these big companies come in and buy up local radio stations and try to run them from hundreds of miles away. Radio success is getting back to the local-ness of it." He will miss the local connections most, he said. Several fans have offered condolences on social media this week. "Thats the difference between radio and Spotify or Pandora: the local talent, the people on there who can make the connection between you and the music," Cleary said. "It's that person talking to you who you get to know, who you feel is part of your family." Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Kelly Golden was said to be a part of the cuts, but she is still employed with iHeartMedia. Chinese boy in Phuket cleared of Wuhan flu PHUKET: The 10-year-old Chinese boy confined to isolation at Vachira Phuket Hospital yesterday on suspicion of carrying the Wuhan flu has tested negative for the virus and will rejoin his parents today (Jan 23), Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) Chief Thanit Sermkaew has confirmed. tourismChinesehealthCoronavirusCOVID-19 By Tanyaluk Sakoot Thursday 23 January 2020, 11:47AM The boy will be discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital today, Phuket health chief Mr Thanit confirmed. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot "A blood sample from the boy was sent to the Health Control Division in Bangkok to test for the virus. The test confirmed that he is not infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, PPHO Chief Thanit told The Phuket News this morning. The boys condition is improving. It is just the flu. He will leave Vachira Phuket Hosital today. he said. However, Chief Thanit declined to identify which strain of influenza the boy is suffering from. The boy landed in Phuket on a direct flight from Wuhan on Tuesday night. He was travelling with his parents on a group tour. Health officers using thermal scanners at the airport identified that the boy had an elevated body temperature, and had him taken immediately to Vachira Hospital in Phuket Town to be kept under observation in an isolated area. (See story here.) The boys parents and other people known to have been in close contact with the boy have not exhibited any signs of infection, Chief Thanit said today. Regarding the World Health Organisation set to decide later today whether to declare the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a World Health Emergency, Mr Thanit said that any such declaration would make no difference to the efforts by health officials in Phuket to prevent the virus from arriving on the island. Even if the Wuhan coronavirus is declared a World Health Emergency, Health Control Division officers at the airport and PPHO medical staff will continue working to international standards in response to any suspicious symptoms, he said. We have checked every Chinese tourist arriving on a direct flight from Wuhan, Chief Thanit added. Mr Thanit also dismissed any concerns about the expected influx of Chinese tourists arriving in Phuket for the Chinese New Year and the recently confirmed ability of the virus to be transmitted from person to person. I am not worried about this case. We are are strictly adhering to protocols, he said. Regardless, Mr Thanit continued to urge people to remain vigilant and to report themselves immediately if they suspect they have been infected. Please call the PPHO Disease Control Division at 076-211330 ext 1330 and 1331 for Thai and English, he repeated. Alternatively, people can call the national Department of Disease Control (DDC) hotline 1422. Read Sandra Hall's full review here. Underwater Underwater's action takes place six or seven miles below sea level in the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot on earth. Its outer space by other means, allowing the movie to function as a direct rip-off of Ridley Scotts original 1979 Alien, writes Jake Wilson. Kristen Stewart in Underwater. Credit:Twentieth Century Fox Or at least, the second half of Alien [since] director William Eubank doesnt have Scotts slow, methodical method of building suspense. Years ago when I watched Eubanks first feature Love: Angels and Airwaves which featured some similarly blatant borrowings from 2001: A Space Odyssey I arrived at the conclusion that he just wasnt a filmmaker. Perhaps that was unfair: he does have talent, despite the various things he isnt very good at, like character and plot for instance. Loading So what does interest him? Sound design, for one thing: the movie bubbles and whirrs like a machine thats heating up but not quite ready for action. The dream-like atmosphere must be partly intentional, if the recurring Alice in Wonderland references are anything to go by though it also seems like a result of sheer indifference to the many gaps in the script. For a monster movie, the monsters themselves are curiously short-changed (the sources besides Alien appear to include H.P. Lovecrafts Cthulhu Mythos anthology, as well as Cloverfield). The bigger threats loom into view only occasionally, as devices to compel the characters to rush around the stricken vessel. These human characters are no more solidly realised, including mechanical engineer Norah Price (Kristen Stewart). Modelled after Sigourney Weavers Ripley, Stewart is entirely two-dimensional by comparison. Indeed, the moments when Norah shows the most feeling are when shes all by herself, or with only a Lovecraftian monster or two for company. More or less retaining his dignity is Vincent Cassel as the nominal leader of the group. Thats just about it for personalities, unless you count sometime Deadpool sidekick T.J. Miller, as usual playing a wise-cracking oaf with a wider vocabulary than expected. But most of what comes out of his mouth only makes respect for the movie sink further, including his description of Norah (or Stewart) as a sweet flat-chested woodland creature. Even at the bottom of the sea, it appears, its impossible for women to avoid being sneered at. Read Jake Wilson's full review here. Just Mercy Just Mercy takes you into the medieval workings of the Alabama justice system in the 1980s. Jocularly nicknamed Yellow Mama, the electric chair is still in use and civil rights is a highly malleable concept. It operates according to the prejudices of the arresting officer, writes Sandra Hall. The script is distilled from a memoir by Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard law graduate who headed south in 1988 to become the leader of a group of activists campaigning for a review of the cases against many of the states death row prisoners. Jamie Foxx plays accused murderer Walter McMillian on death row in Just Mercy. Credit:Warner Bros. Pictures Young Bryan (Black Panthers Michael B. Jordan) eventually settles on Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a timber cutter who has been convicted of murdering an 18-year-old girl. Several of McMillians friends and family members could have shown that he was with them at the time of the crime. But that would have been possible only if the Kafkaesque conditions governing Alabamas court system had allowed them to testify. Stevenson was one of the films producers and its director, Hawaiian-born Destin Daniel Cretton, has fashioned a straightforward, if simplified, translation of his book, resisting any flourishes to concentrate on the facts, which is fair enough since they need no embellishment. Jordan is completely persuasive. The virtues possessed by Stevenson are all on the quiet side. His analytical flair is matched by his patience, his tenacity and his acuity. He knows when to act. He also knows when to hold back qualities shared by Brie Larsons Eva Ansley, who helps him run their organisation, the Equal Justice Initiative. Foxxs performance is as restrained as Jordans. He curbs the cockiness that often colours his work and portrays a man who can still spare a thought for the troubles of those around him while struggling not to be consumed by the deep-seated anger that hes been harbouring since his arrest. One source of black humour lies in the fact that McMillian is from Monroeville, home of Harper Lee. When Stevenson first arrives, people keep suggesting that a visit to the towns museum, with its To Kill a Mockingbird exhibition, will give him an insight into the place. And theyre being serious. Stevenson, however, has had the last word on that topic. If you want to find out more, this film is the perfect place to begin. Read Sandra Hall's full review here. Like A Boss Rose Byrne has a gift for deadpan humour but shes up against more boisterous talents in Like a Boss, says Sandra Hall. Salma Hayek is in Mexican firecracker mode as a cosmetics tycoon and African-American standup comedian Tiffany Haddish is at full volume as Byrnes best friend and partner in a boutique company which desperately needs a cash injection. Salma Hayek, from left, Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne in Like a Boss. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Seven children and a 55-year-old teacher were injured when a school bus here collided with a cluster bus and overturned on Thursday, officials said. The bus was headed to Salwan Public School in Old Rajinder Nagar when the accident took place in Narayana. "A fire call was received at 7.10 a.m. that a school bus collided with a cluster bus in Narayana area near the fire station," Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg said. The injured students, all between 16 and 17 years, were shifted to two nursing homes in Naraina, according to officials from Naraina Police Station. While the teacher and three students are in Mehta Nursing Home, the remaining four students are in the Kapoor Nursing Home. All have sustained minor injuries on leg, hand and face. "The school bus collided and overturned, resulting in injuries to school teachers and students," said assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sushil, who is the investigative officer of the incident. A British lesbian mother who landed in Jersey on a rubber dinghy with her two young children will be arrested the moment she leaves the island, it has emerged. Lauren Etchells, 33, spent more than three years on the run after she left her wife and fled her home in Vancouver in 2016 to start a new life with their sperm donor. The teacher, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, was given a suspended prison sentence on Monday in St Helier for sailing across the Channel in an inflatable boat. But now, despite technically being free to leave Jersey, the mother-of-two will be detained by police as soon as she sets foot in the UK or any other European country - after Canada issued a warrant for her arrest on child abduction charges. Lauren Etchells, 33, pictured in Jersey, went on the run for three years with her two young children after she fled her home in Vancouver, Canada, in 2016, when her marriage collapsed Etchells (left) fled her home in Canada in 2016 with her daughter Kaydance, then one, and four-week-old son Marcus who she had with her estranged wife, Tasha Brown, 45, (right) Canada has issued a Red Notice, requiring countries to detain her at the point of entry. Her lawyer Sarah Dale today confirmed that the Canadian authorities are powerless to touch her while she stays in Jersey, which is not a member of Interpol. She chose the Jersey for that reason as she planned to use it as a springboard to get back to the UK by sneaking into the country having changed her name. Etchells ignored a court order when she left Canada with her daughter Kaydance, one, and four-week-old son, Marcus, whom she had with her estranged wife Tasha Brown, 45. Ms Brown, who shared joint custody of their daughter, had obtained a court order preventing her wife from leaving the country when their marriage collapsed. Etchells disappeared with her parents Brian and Angela and the two children and travelled to Europe with her partner Marco van der Merwe who was the sperm donor for her second child. Etchells, a school teacher originally from South Shield, Tyne & Wear, went on the run with the help of her British pensioner parents Brian and Angela Etchells (pictured) Etchells' parents Brian and Angela, 67, from South Shields, were pictured on the tiny dinghy heading away from Jersey after dropping their daughter off - shortly before being arrested Police believe she stayed in France, the Netherlands, Middle East before attempting to cross the Channel in a dinghy that experts said was totally unsuitable for ocean going travel. Etchells was arrested when she landed on a beach in St Helier after being spotted by an off duty coastguard volunteer. She was convicted of child negligence and given a six-month prison sentence suspended for six months. She was also fined 500 for lying to immigration officials. Her parents were given the same sentence after being convicted at St Helier Magistrates Court. While in Jersey Etchells is not permitted to work as she has to have lived on the island for five years to comply with immigration laws. A spokesman for Saanchi Police in Victoria in British Columbia confirmed Etchells is still wanted on child abduction charges. Etchells, 33, had ignored a court order not to leave Canada obtained by Ms Brown who was concerned her estranged wife would leave the country with the couple's sperm donor A spokesman said: 'There is still outstanding arrest warrant for Lauren Etchells in Canada in relation to child abduction charges. Authorities in Canada are still supporting the charges as submitted by police and there is a Canada wide warrant for her arrest. As the Interpol Red notice is still in effect, if she leaves Jersey and enters the U.K. she will be arrested. Once that happens a process will begin to extradite her back to Canada. Omicron variant of COVID-19 identified in Antrim, Charlevoix counties The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in one Antrim County resident and one Charlevoix County resident. Catholics versus Protestants; Shias versus Sunnis; one sect or panth against another, and so on. Our religious history has been painted red with violence and bloodshed, not just between warring religions, but with internecine battles among followers of the same religion. A Catholic priest, a Protestant pastor and a Jewish rabbi were arguing about God when an angel appeared and said: Ask for anything and it will be granted! The pastor said, May every Catholic disappear and well have peace. The priest cried, Banish every Protestant from Irish soil. The angel asked the rabbi: Dont you want anything? The rabbi replied, No! But fulfil the wishes of these gentlemen and Ill be satisfied. Catholics versus Protestants; Shias versus Sunnis; one sect or panth against another, and so on. Our religious history has been painted red with violence and bloodshed, not just between warring religions, but with internecine battles among followers of the same religion. Dont these so-called religious wars ironically destroy the very gods they claim to defend? To promote peace, an annual Octave for Christian Unity is celebrated worldwide, from January 18 to January 25. Octave means eight referring to the eight days when Christians of all the churches, called denominations collaborate for worship, prayers, singing of hymns and so on. The aim of all these activities is to foster the unity and peace which Jesus prayed for before his death: May they all be one, Father, as you are in me and I am in you. Differences among human beings are a given datum of life. Therefore, wouldnt it be ridiculous to expect everyone else to be like me or us? What would our world look like if everyone belonged to only one race with similar faces, spoke one language with one viewpoint, read only one holy book and all wore the same uniforms? Wouldnt that be a drab, colourless world? In a recent, refreshing initiative in Rome among religionists of diverse religions, the common humanity of all peoples was reiterated as being more important than ones own religious affiliation. Indeed, while respecting our differences in matters of creed, country, culture, class and so on, cant we foster harmonious friendships solely on the basis of our common humanity? Ecumenism referring to the movement towards worldwide Christian unity comes from the Greek oikos meaning family or household. At birth, one is born simply as human into the human family. And, only later is the newborn named, baptised, circumcised or initiated into some religious tradition. However, as we grow, we become more humane: allowing love, peace, joy and our sense of justice to flow out to others. Celebrating events such as the Octave of Unity and the forthcoming Republic Day, let us gratefully and gladly say: We, the People of India We are, and always will be, one. Ultimately, it is our humanity, not religion, that unites us. Let us hope and pray that we become more and more humane. Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com "Over 93 years we've grown from a small local ice house in Oak Cliff, Texas to a global and iconic brand that is 70,000 stores strong," said 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto. "That strength is due to a relentless focus on meeting the needs of our customers. We'll continue to place our customers at the forefront of all we do." Last year, 7Eleven opened one store approximately every 3.5 hours. As 7-Eleven continues to grow, the company remains focused on its role as a good corporate citizen, addressing social and environmental issues important to customers and the communities in which they live and work. Convenience retailing, and 7-Eleven were born in Dallas, Texas, in 1927 when an employee of The Southland Ice Company (now 7-Eleven, Inc.) began selling bread, milk and eggs from an ice dock after local grocery stores were closed. Unlike grocery stores, ice docks were open 16 hours a day, -- from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. With the invention of refrigeration eliminating the need for ice stores, Southland transformed its locations into convenient neighborhood markets. About 7-Eleven, Inc. 7Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 70,000 stores in 17 countries, including 11,800 in North America. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee, Big Bite and Big Gulp, 7Eleven has expanded into high-quality sandwiches, salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings and mini beef tacos. 7Eleven offers customers industry-leading private brand products under the 7-Select brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites, at an outstanding value. Customers can earn and redeem points on various items in stores nationwide through its 7Rewards loyalty program, place an order in the 7NOW delivery app in participating markets, or rely on 7-Eleven for bill payments, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com, via the 7Rewards customer loyalty platform on the 7-Eleven mobile app, or on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc. Related Links http://www.7-eleven.com Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Protests in Lebanon have become more violent in recent weeks, with approximately 500 protesters and members of the security forces injured, according to reports. Lebanese authorities have used water cannon, batons, rubber bullets and, on occasion, fired teargas directly at protesters, according to reports. Protesters have thrown projectiles including molotov cocktails, stones and fireworks, directed lasers at security forces, used aerosol cans as flame throwers, burned tires and tree branches, and used metal bars and sticks to smash windows, according to reports. CPJ has documented how journalists have been harassed, attacked and detained while covering protests, or had equipment broken. With continuing economic and political uncertainty in the country, and January 24 marking the 100-day anniversary of the initial protests, demonstrations are likely to continue, according to news reports. Beirut has been the epicenter of the largest protests to date, with Nijmeh Square and Martyrs Square notable flashpoints. Other protest locations that journalists should be aware of include the cities of Tripoli, Saida, Tyre, and Zahle Nabatieh, and the towns, districts and regions of Zouk Mosbeh, Jal el Dib, Zahle, Nabatieh, Bekaa Valley, and Jbeil. Journalists planning to cover the protests should: Plan all journeys around the country in advance and have a contingency plan in place. Movement around Lebanon can be affected at short notice due to protesters blocking highways including the main ring road around Beirut, the Batroun highway, the Byblos-Tripoli highway, and the Furn el-Chebbak highway. Blockades have been used on roads leading to Minya, Beddawi and Khalda. Bring USD cash with you and do not rely on ATMs. Currency restrictions are in place throughout Lebanon Charge electrical devices at every opportunity: electricity shortages and rationing have struck over the past few months Bring a well-stocked first aid kit Ensure you have personal protective equipment (PPE) on hand at all times, including a full face respirator in case of tear gas. A helmet and bullet proof vest are advisable. Border officials generally allow journalists to bring body armor into Lebanon Engage a local fixer and ensure you have proper accreditation and all necessary permits When covering demonstrations, maintain situational awareness at all times and stay in close proximity to shelter, such as a building or structure with a roof Always have an emergency exit route planned and keep to the periphery of the crowd Be aware of increased security and the potential risk of anti-Western sentiment following the U.S. killing of Iranian General Soleimani Always use discretion when filming, especially around sensitive state sites and infrastructure Always try to work with a colleague and have a check-in procedure with your base, particularly if reporting from protests Ensure all sensitive data and messages are regularly backed up and wiped from your devices, and ensure your digital devices are secure in advance of travel. CPJs digital safety kit has steps and resources to protect you and your team CPJs online Safety Kit provides journalists and newsrooms with basic safety information on physical, digital, and psychological safety resources and tools, including on covering civil unrest and elections. Our brave soldiers live an extraordinary life. To ensure that we sleep peacefully or are safe 24x7, they stay up all night in worse weather conditions, fighting terrorists or external enemies. Despite suffering grave injuries, some of which they know they will never recover from, they continue serving their country with utmost courage and bravery. But, along with our soldiers, there are another set of brave heroes who command our respect for their courage and service towards the country - the animals who serve in the army. These animals like dogs, horses and mules have proved their heroics time and again, be it in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir or during the Kargil War of 1999. Twitter Now, Uttar Pradesh's Meerut will soon host a war memorial for service animals. According to a report in Hindustan Times, it will be India's first war memorial for animals, that will give a glimpse of the bravery and courage the service animals showcased on the battlefield, their devotion to duty, and will also feature their outstanding contribution to military service alongside soldiers. The memorial will be built at the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College, where the army breeds, trains and rears dogs, horses and mules; and will be similar to Delhi's National War Memorial. One of the officers said, "Approval from the defence ministry is expected soon to construct a war memorial to commemorate RVC animals and men who have sacrificed their lives or have been commended for exceptional gallantry or distinguished service. Land has already been identified in Meerut and the preliminary design has been frozen." Twitter The memorial will have granite tablets with the names and service numbers of over 300 dogs, 350 handlers and some horses' mules inscribed on it. Honestly, we feel it's a great step because these brave animals deserve all the respect in the world for their service for the country. A lot more middle school students may be traveling to Mars or navigating the open seas on ancient ships to study math following state endorsement of a Taos companys digital animation and video curriculum. MidSchoolMath LLC has developed a comprehensive math program that uses interactive story telling to engage middle schoolers in virtual worlds where they use math to resolve problems. In December, the New Mexico Public Education Department selected the program for inclusion on its official list of instructional materials that schools and school districts can choose from to teach the states fifth- to eighth-graders core math standards. Its the first New Mexico-based publisher to get its math curriculum included on that list. To do that, a companys product must pass a detailed review by New Mexico math teachers who are selected from across the state by the PED each year to assess all instructional materials proposed for inclusion. MidSchoolMath was the only New Mexico company to apply, said PED Instructional Materials Bureau Chief Anthony Burns. Its pretty rare for us to have a local publisher submit materials, especially for math, Burns told the Journal. Its a pretty rigorous process that our reviewers do. MidSchoolMath, which launched in 2009, aims to replace traditional, text-based math lessons with computer games and live video filmed with real actors to provide immersive, multimedia platforms that make math fun, drawing kids into colorful, fantasy adventures where they wield math tools to solve things. The company developed its program with about $4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation and other organizations. Its already used in about 50 schools in 17 states, reaching nearly 40,000 middle school students. That includes adoption by three school districts in Illinois, California and New Mexico, where Central Consolidated Schools in the Four Corners Area now uses it, said company co-founder and executive producer Jennifer Lightwood. We look for schools that are open to changing the paradigm of a teacher standing in front of the class, Lightwood said. Weve created a full tool set that teachers can use where students in class can directly work through challenges. The company has developed 139 different simulations that together address all of the states 136 core math standards for middle schoolers, with different sets of questions and challenges posed to students based on grade levels, said co-founder and CEO Scott Laidlaw. One game, for example, takes place in the 1600s on a sea vessel, allowing students to learn algebra while navigating the open seas, trading spices and contending with pirates. Others include riding on a spaceship to Mars or dealing with problems in the time of the black plague. We combine film with real actors and software-built simulations, Laidlaw said. We used a green screen to film inside a spaceship, and to create a high-tech doctors office and laboratory. All the videos were shot in New Mexico with New Mexico talent, with dozens of scenarios filmed on location. We shot an avalanche rescue scenario in Taos and we filmed a treasure hunt at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge near Taos, Lightwood said. In another scenario, we used a ranch outside of Santa Fe to create an Old West set with live mules and wagons. For each scenario, the class as a whole watches the video together. Theyre then challenged to resolve problems faced by the video characters with an online math simulator that offers interactive engagement. In the avalanche rescue, students must use perpendicular number lines with a coordinate plane, or grid, system to tell Hattie the rescue dog where she can find a victim buried in the snow. In the treasure hunt, students use a map and basic coordinates to guide hunters to treasure. The simulator shows students the result of their calculations through animation. They can repeat their efforts until they get it right. A teacher dashboard simultaneously provides educators with real-time metrics on student efforts and problem completion. A three-year NSF-funded effort to assess the programs effectiveness showed impressive results in student learning and retention. In randomized control trials involving more than 1,100 students, MidSchoolMaths curriculum scored above all other publishers in student achievement gains and engagement, Laidlaw said. It achieved a 1.24 in effect size, or impact, in one trial, and 1.18 in another. Generally, .2 is considered low, .5 a medium rating, and .8 high, Laidlaw said. Typically publishers achieve a .4, so a 1.24 score is about three times higher than the usual rating, he said. Were in the top 1% of all education research for text curriculum. Teachers who use the system report significant improvement in student success. Turquoise Trail Charter School in Santa Fe has used MidSchoolMath for three years as one of the systems early adopters, said Sharyn Gray, the charters middle school principal. It engages the kids in problem solving, Gray said. They have to think about whats actually needed to solve a math problem instead of just being given a numerical or word problem. And the concept of teaching math through story telling gives context for the students to understand why theyre doing the math. Its also fun, both for students and teachers, Gray added. When we do quick quizzes, the students get competitive, even cheering and talking with each other about the math, she said. Turquoise Trail math teacher Kristin Bruner said it makes math much less intimidating for students. In addition, the seventh- and eighth-grade classes she teaches now remember a lot more of what they learned because theyre not just memorizing formulas and rules but a story line with associated math. We test at the start of the year and again in December, Bruner said. On math growth, almost all the students improved greatly this past semester. Its a brilliant hook to get students engaged and involved. MidSchoolMaths inclusion on PEDs instructional materials list could mean a lot more local schools and school districts will adopt the curriculum going forward. We consider adoption on the list as our biggest achievement to date, Laidlaw said. We expect to work with a handful of school districts this year that are looking to make a change. See MidSchoolMaths curriculum in action Video establishing the problem: Video reviewing the solution: Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has announced an administrative order clarifying the law of Decree No. 41, introduced in 2013 to govern holiday home activity in Dubai. The order outlines regulations for operators, homeowners and authorised tenants who wish to obtain a holiday home licence, and has been produced in collaboration with the Supreme Legislation Committee to further diversify tourism in the emirate and boost competition through safe and transparent operations. The technical requirements, guidelines and processes will be mapped out in a detailed guide issued by Dubai Tourism, which will also provide an overview of the operations of a holiday home, how a license can be obtained and should be maintained, and the rights and liabilities of developers, operators and homeowners. Khalid Bin Touq, executive director, Tourism Activities and Classification Sector, Dubai Tourism, commented: Dubais holiday homes market has witnessed continuous growth over the past few years, driven by increasing demand for a wide range of accommodation options from the emirates diverse traveller segments. Recognising this growing popularity for the Holiday Homes concept, Dubai Tourism is committed to enhancing the product offering, fuelling increased visitation, and making Dubai the worlds preferred destination in line with Dubais Tourism Vision 2022-25, as envisioned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As such, this new administrative resolution will reassure the industry that we are taking steps to regulate the operation of Holiday Homes, providing a comprehensive classification and verification process and ensuring global best practices are adopted to increase competitiveness, transparency, safety and standardisation of the sector." We remain in continuous contact with the industry to ensure the processes and requirements are clear, and as the official governing entity for the Holiday Home sector, we encourage all operators and developers to share their challenges and disputes with us to strengthen our collective efforts in showcasing the citys multi-dimensional accommodation portfolio, he said. Since the commencement of holiday homes operations in 2015, the sector has witnessed on average a 42 per cent yearly growth, with rented housing units growing from 4,738 units in 2018 to 7,005 units in 2019. With Expo 2020 set to attract a record number of visitors, Dubai Tourism anticipates further increases in the number of property owners moving into the holiday homes business. - TradeArabia News Service A long-serving MP has suddenly quit her state parliament months earlier than expected and said depression and bullying forced her to leave. Liberal member for Currumbin Jann Stuckey made the shock announcement to retire on Wednesday night after almost 16 years in parliament. While she did not detail the alleged bullying, opposition leader Deb Frecklington has hit out at what she claimed was a targeted attack by the Labor party against the Gold Coast politician. Long-serving MP Jann Stuckey (pictured) has suddenly quit her state parliament months earlier than expected and said depression and bullying forced her to leave 'It was a relentless orchestrated campaign by the Labor Party no-one should be treated that way,' she alleged according to ABC News. Ms Stuckey received threats from her own party to stop her pre-selection last year after she voted against her party to support abortion before the 22-week mark. But Ms Frecklington said she did not believe the departing member's choice of vote in the bill was the cause of the bullying. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has also said in the wake of Ms Stuckey's announcement the 'meanness needs to stop'. 'I think in the world of Twitter and Facebook, the attacks do become more personal and I think it just needs to stop,' she said. 'We need to set the examples.' Ms Stuckey's (pictured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison) announcement has prompted the Queensland premier to call for the 'meanness to stop' Ms Stuckey said in her retirement announcement the past twelve months had been 'a real struggle'. 'I deeply resent insensitive reporting I am fed up or spitting the dummy - I am unwell and have been for some time,' she said. 'I have always empathised with people who suffer from depression ... I thought it would never happen to me but it got me and it's been overwhelming. Ms Stuckey (pictured) said in her retirement announcement the past twelve months had been 'a real struggle' 'The black cloud just swamped me over and over again when I least expected it. 'It is important to note no other workplace would put up with the level of bullying, personal attacks and insults that take place in politics. It's getting worse and it needs to change.' The Gold Coast MP's resignation will take effect on February 1 and is expected to force a by-election in her seat of Currumbin. LNP leader Deb Frecklington praised Ms Stuckey's contribution to her electorate. 'It is courageous of Jann to reveal her struggle with mental illness and it will hopefully raise awareness of this serious issue,' Ms Frecklington said in a statement. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Queensland Labor Party for comment. For confidential support in Australia LIFELINE: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 As part of a deal first revealed two years ago, Egypt began importing gas from Israel last week. The deal was signed between Egypts Dolphinus Holdings, a private company established two years ago by businessman Alaa Arafa, Texas-based Noble Energy, and Israels Delek Drilling with a view to importing 85.3 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas worth $19.5 billion over 15 years. Noble Energy and Delek Drilling are partners in the Israeli Leviathan and Tamar Fields, which will provide the exported gas. Israeli gas from the 22 trillion cubic feet (tcf) offshore Leviathan Field and smaller Tamar Field will flow to Egypt through the gas pipeline that links the port of Ashkelon to Al-Arish. The deal is the first of its kind since the peace agreement was signed between Israel and Egypt 40 years ago, as noted by Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Stienitz in an interview on Israels public radio. In a joint statement, Yuval and his Egyptian counterpart Tarek Al-Molla said the deal would enable Israel to transport quantities of natural gas to Europe through Egyptian liquefaction plants, enhancing Egypts growing role as a regional gas hub. Importing gas from Israel is a sensitive issue in Egypt and the Arab world. Egyptian officials insist that there are no state bodies involved in the deal as it is a private-sector led agreement. A similar $10 billion deal between a state-owned Jordanian company and Noble Energy to supply Jordan with Israeli gas from the Leviathan Field raised popular opposition in Jordan and the countrys parliament passed a law to ban imports. An end-of-Mubarak-era deal to export gas to Israel triggered debate and resistance in Egypt. The deal was frozen after the popular uprising of 2011, and following the 25 January Revolution the pipeline was sabotaged by militias active in Sinai. Freezing the exports subjected Egypt to international arbitration cases filed by the owners of the pipeline as a result of Cairos breaching supply agreements that resulted in an International Chamber of Commerce ruling obliging Egypt to pay $1.76 billion in fines. However, the case was settled in 2018 in return for the governments approval of the agreement between Dolphinus, Delek, and Noble. This same pipeline, the Al-Arish-Ashkelon pipeline co-owned by the East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) Company, is now 39 per cent co-owned by EMED. Last year, Noble and Delek and Egypts EMG partnered in a venture called EMED to buy a 39 per cent stake in EMG for $520 million. Their being owners in the pipeline is believed to have facilitated the export deal. While the imported gas will be liquefied and re-exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, it is not clear if all the imported gas will be exported or part of it will be used to supply industrial and commercial consumers in Egypt. The deal is seen by many as Egypts first step towards being an energy hub, a real change in its fortunes from where it stood just five years ago. While Egypt boasted huge natural gas reserves in the last years of former president Hosni Mubaraks rule, exporting gas through the pipeline across northern Sinai via Al-Arish to Jordan and on to Syria, Lebanon and Israel, in the years following the 25 January Revolution the political upheaval and economic problems resulted in a decline in foreign currency receipts. The government was unable to pay the dues of foreign companies, which decided to stop delivering their production of gas. As a result, Egypts natural gas production declined by 31 per cent from 2012 to 2016. To satisfy growing local demand, it stopped exports and diverted production to cover local needs in addition to becoming a net importer of gas. It also acquired two floating storage and re-gasification units (FSRUs) in 2015 to process LNG imports from Russia and the UAE to cover local consumption. The shortage led to a power crisis that badly affected the country in the summer of 2015. However, a series of large discoveries, including the Zohr Field, has helped Egypt to achieve self-sufficiency in natural gas and return to exports. Since the discovery of Zohr Field, with estimated reserves of 30 tcf, in 2015, there has been a notable growth in Egypts natural gas supplies. The production from the field, the largest in the Mediterranean, more than tripled in the first half of last year to reach 11.3 bcm. Egypt announced in 2018 that it had achieved self-sufficiency in natural gas. It produced 2.52 tcf of gas in 2018/19, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) said in its annual report. Moreover, last year witnessed 15 gas discoveries and seven gas development projects starting production. Fifty-six wells came on stream during the year, according to EGAS report. Egypts gas production is projected to rise to 7.5 bcf per day by the end of the current fiscal year in June, raising surplus production to 1.5 bcf/d from 1.3 bcf/d currently, according to Reuters. In addition to the extra supply, Egypts infrastructure and location qualify it to be a major regional hub and a link for energy trading between the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Egypt is the only country in the region to have gas liquefaction plants. Most of the current gas exports are liquefied at the Edku liquefaction terminal run by Egyptian LNG, a joint venture between the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and EGAS, as well as Royal Dutch Shell, Petronas, and Engie. This has an annual capacity of 7.2 million tons. The second LNG plant is at Damietta and is co-owned by the Spanish Union Fenosa. It has been out of service since February 2013 after the government diverted gas exports to the domestic market. The Damietta plant has an annual capacity of up to five million tons and can store 130,000 tons of LNG. It is not only Israel that wants to use Egypt as an exporting terminal, since Cyprus and Egypt signed an agreement at the end of 2018 under which the two countries will collaborate to establish a direct underwater pipeline connecting the Cyprus Aphrodite Field to liquefaction plants in Egypt. The construction of the pipeline will be financed by Noble Energy, Delek Drilling, and Shell. While this deal has been threatened as Greece said in December that Greece, Cyprus and Israel might build a pipeline to transfer gas from the Eastern Mediterranean directly to Europe Oil Minister Tarek Al-Molla said in an interview that the lack of commercial feasibility of this project as well as the fact that the pipeline would have to pass through contested waters made it unlikely to succeed. Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and Israel are members of the seven-member East Mediterranean Gas Forum formed in 2019 with the aim of creating a regional gas market serving the interests of its members by ensuring supply, optimising resource development, rationalising the cost of infrastructure, offering competitive prices, and improving trade relations, according to a statement by the Oil Ministry. Other members of the forum include Italy, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Ghislaine Maxwell's personal emails have been hacked, and damaging information, including the names of individuals linked to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking case, are at risk of being publicly released. The revelation was made in a letter filed by the British socialite's lawyers in the defamation case brought against her by Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre, DailyMail.com has learned. The letter was sent by Maxwell's attorney, Ty Gee, on December 5 to New York federal court Judge Loretta A. Preska but made public last week. The letter addresses the materials that should remain sealed or redacted in the case. It notes 'the difficulty and complexity' of the process as there are more than 8,600 pages, adding that it is 'difficult-to-overstate importance to the lives of Ms. Maxwell and the non-parties'. Gee's letter says that the project 'could not be accomplished by scanning or speed-reading' as each page had to be carefully analysed to redact, for example, 'a surname or an email address'. He refers to details that were released in error in the 2,000 pages that were made public in August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Those filings revealed allegations that Maxwell procured underage girls for Epstein. She has denied those charges. The revelation that Ghislaine Maxwell's emails were hacked was made in a letter filed by the British socialite's lawyers in the defamation case brought against her by Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre (center) Maxwell, who apparently staged an image of herself after being in hiding had her email address publicly revealed when documents relating to the billionaire pedophile's case was made public in August Maxwell, pictured in 1995 with Epstein, was accused of arranging underage girls to have sex with the pedophile - an allegation she denies 'Despite the Second Circuit's best efforts, it made serious mistakes. For example, it redacted a non-party's name in one location but not another; so the media immediately gained access to that name,' Gee wrote. 'As another example, it redacted Ms. Maxwell's email address (which linked to her own domain name) in one location but not another; shortly afterward hackers breached the host computer.' Jeff Pagliuca, a colleague of Gee also representing Maxwell, did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on whether her emails had been stolen. The hack may have implications for Prince Andrew after it was revealed in December that the Duke of York exchanged emails with Maxwell in 2015 about Giuffre. In that email, revealed on Panorama, Maxwell and the British royal discussed Giuffre despite denials from Prince Andrew that he had never met the then-teenager and that a photo of them together was a fake. 'Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts,' Prince Andrew wrote in an email to Maxwell. She replied: 'Have some info call me when you have a moment.' Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times at Epstein's home. She said the billionaire pedophile trafficked her while she was underage, and abused her over the course of years. Prince Andrew has denied the claims. Prince Andrew exchanged emails with Maxwell in 2015 after this image of him with his arm around Virginia Guiffre surfaced. The pair discussed Guiffre despite denials from Prince Andrew that he had never met the then-teenager and that a photo of them together was a fake In a disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019, the Duke of York claimed he does not remember meeting Roberts. He said he was at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, celebrating his daughter's birthday on the same night he is accused of going to Tramp nightclub with the then-teenager. The documents currently being debated by the legal teams are part of Giuffre's 2015 defamation suit against Maxwell. Maxwell publicly denounced Giuffre as a liar, leading her to file a civil lawsuit. The email security breach means that 58-yearold Maxwell's emails could be sold or leaked to the public and potentially reveal more details about individuals connected to Epstein. The Daily Telegraph reported that Maxwell used a secret mail server, and not a major service like Google, which can keep emails out of the hands of authorities, but which increased the risk of them being hacked. Maxwell was Epstein's connection to high society, introducing him to powerful and wealthy friends in Hollywood, finance and royalty. Epstein, 66, hanged himself in his New York jail cell on August 10, 2019 while facing charges of child sex trafficking. Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times at Epstein's Manhattan home. Prince Andrew has denied the claims, including in a disastrous interview with BBC's Newsnight last year Prince Andrew was seen waving off a woman at the door of Epstein's mansion in the Upper East Side in 2010 Jeffrey Epstein's mansion (pictured) was raided after his arrest in July - two months before he hanged himself in a jail cell. FBI uncovered a 'vast trove' of hundreds or even thousands of lewd photographs of young women or girls The financier previously received an 18-month prison sentence in Florida in 2008 on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution. Despite the conviction, Prince Andrew continued to associate with Epstein and was pictured staying with him at his mansion in Manhattan in 2010. Last week, attorneys for Maxwell and Giuffre appeared in court to hash out a time frame for the unsealing of more documents in the case which include depositions from more than two dozen people, including a number of new witnesses and potentially Epstein. Those are expected to be released on a 'rolling basis' in the coming weeks. Those who are named in the documents, described as 'non-parties' to the case, will be notified in two weeks and they will get a two-week period to file an objection. Another Maxwell attorney who was in court, Laura Menninger, described the 'non-parties' as 'in positions of means with (legal) counsel' while others 'live out of the country or in remote places without counsel'. In Ty Gee's letter, the attorney also points out the intense media interest in the case, which he defines as everything from 'established newspapers and broadcast media' to 'every person who owns a computer, tablet or smart phone who distributes information to others'. Maxwell (pictured with Epstein in 2005) retreated from public life several years ago and had been living quietly in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts at the home of tech CEO, Scott Borgerson. Her current whereabouts are unknown The letter also complains that Epstein's alleged victims, including Giuffre, their lawyers and PRs 'are actively stoking media interest for their own ends'. By comparison, Gee writes that Maxwell has not sought out media attention and has therefore gained more media attention. Maxwell retreated from public life several years ago and had been living quietly in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts at the home of tech CEO, Scott Borgerson, DailyMail.com revealed in August. Her current whereabouts are unknown with Giuffre's attorneys admitting at court last week that they have no idea where she is. Maxwell and others are being investigated by the FBI as part of the Epstein case, Reuters reported in December, citing law enforcement sources. 'There is no doubt that every word, phrase, sentence and paragraph of any document disclosed to the public will be scrutinized by members of the media with as much diligence as we have - with the exception that they have no time limit and, depending on the media member, with an economy of ethics,' the defense attorney writes. He goes on to request that prior to the unsealing of any new documents, Maxwell's attorneys and the non-parties to the case be notified to allow them to conduct a second review and object if necessary. Israel's embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz have been invited to the White House next week for discussions on President Trump's long-promised Mideast peace plan, Israeli sources say. Driving the news: Trump said on a flight to Florida Thursday that he's "probably" going to release his Mideast plan "a little bit prior" to the meeting on Jan. 28. The meeting is set for the same time as a planned vote in the Knesset over Netanyahu's bid for immunity from prosecution on corruption charges. The timing also comes amid Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate and days before his scheduled Feb. 4 State of the Union address. A meeting now on Mideast peace could give both Netanyahu and Trump ammunition to argue they are trying to accomplish meaningful work even as they are under fire politically. Of note: Trump added that he's spoken to the the Palestinians "briefly," adding, "They have a lot of incentive to do it. Im sure they maybe will react negatively at first but its actually very positive for them." Why it matters: The Trump administration has been considering releasing its plan ahead of Israel's March 2 elections, a controversial proposition because it could sway the election results. The release of the peace plan was postponed twice in the lead-up to Israeli elections, with the White House saying it did not want to interfere with Israel's political process. Details: Vice President Mike Pence announced the joint visit following a meeting with Netanyahu at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. He said Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House meeting, and that at Netanyahu's recommendation, he invited Gantz to the White House too. Pence, traveling in Israel, has met with Blue and White party leader Gantz to discuss the issue as well. Gantz and Netanyahu declined to comment. Jordan's King Abdullah II recently expressed hope that a plan could allow the international community to see "the glass half full," though previously he and other Jordanian officials were wary of the White House presenting it. Editor's note: This story has been updated with Trump's comments. Los Angeles, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hoverink Biotechnologies announced today that CEO Debbie Mae Carter will step down and will be succeeded by Cyrus Sajna as CEO and CFO of the company. Hoverink Biotechnologies board of directors has appointed Cyrus Sajna, currently the companys Vice President, to succeed Carter as interim CEO / CFO. Quote from Cyrus Sajna It is an honor to succeed Debbie, who has had an extraordinary career with Hoverink, Cyrus also said. I am proud and delighted to serve as Hoverink Biotechnologies next Chief Executive Officer. Cyrus is also a Director at Hoverink Biotechnologies and has been instrumental in accelerating the rotation of the company to focus on biopharma and defense particularly with the development of the Body Globe Body Armor The Company has two operating segments: i) Biopharmaceuticals ii) Defense Defense Segment Our Defense Segment consist of our BODY GLOBE BODY ARMOR (BGBA) which consist of our customized laminated polycarbonate transparent complete Body Armor dome solutions intended to be used by the military and law enforcement personnel as bullet and blast resistant transparent armor; the BODY GLOBE BODY ARMOR Uses a laminated polycarbonate molded in a partial dome shape providing protection and dramatically reduces the probability of the military and law enforcement personnel being harmed by a bullet or blast and also provides the ability to safely return fire with a small hole for the barrel of a U.S. Soldiers or Local Law Enforcement officers weapon to safely return fire. Quote from Cyrus Sajna The Body Globe Body Armor is intended to protect American Soldiers and local law enforcement from incoming fire with our polycarbonate domes. Our Preclinical Biopharmaceutical Segment (BPS) consist of our lead drug candidates: LADAVRU , Pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of gastrointestinal and oncological diseases and disorders. LADAVRU a non-opioid product. LADAVRU is a proprietary opioid alternative which is deliverable as an IV injectable, OR solid preparation containing; Citric Acid, Mannitol and Dronabinol, a cannabinoid designated chemically as (6aR-trans)-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro-6,6,9- trimethyl-3-pentyl-6Hdibenzo[b,d]pyran-1-ol. It is estimated that over 11 million people suffer from opioid addiction and over 2 million have used opioids. Physicians desperately seek a non-opioid solution. Our non-opioid product candidate LADAVRU focuses on chronic pain, nausea and discomfort and may treat chronic pain, nausea and discomfort in the following patient populations including leukemias, lymphomas, and breast, stomach, uterine, ovarian, bladder, and lung cancers. https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html KAIYADRU Pharmaceutical preparations, namely, pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of diseases and disorders of the alimentary tract and metabolism, and blood and blood forming organs; pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of diseases and disorders of the cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, genitourinary system and respiratory system; and pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of dermatological, hormonal, infectious, viral and oncological diseases and disorders. An estimated 30.3 million people in the United States, or 9.4 percent of the population, have diabetes. About one in four people with diabetes dont know they have the disease. An estimated 84.1 million Americans aged 18 years or older have prediabetes. Source: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes have prediabetes. MAXKAFLEN antibiotic for cattle and swine; antibiotics With world beef consumption being projected at 60.9 million metric tons in 2018, up 1.3 million metric tons from 2017. The need for reasonably priced antibiotics is ever increasing. Additionally, the nations top 10 states help produce over 94 Million heads of cattle all requiring antibiotics. MAXKAFLEN is intended to be a cost effective solution. The United States is projected to consume 12.59 million metric tons of beef in 2018, up 546K metric tons from 2017. Brazil is projected to consume 7.94 million metric tons of beef in 2018, up 185K metric tons from 2017. http://beef2live.com/story-world-beef-consumption-country-352-106829 Regulatory The sale of animal health products is governed by the laws and regulations specific to each country in which we intend to sell our products. To maintain compliance with these regulatory requirements, we must establish processes, systems and dedicated resources with end-to-end involvement from product concept to launch and maintenance in the market. Our regulatory milestones require we engage in dialogue with various agencies regarding their policies that relate to animal health products. United States United States Food and Drug Administration. The regulatory body that is responsible for the regulation of animal health pharmaceuticals in the United States is the Center for Veterinary Medicine, or the CVM, housed within the FDA. All manufacturers of animal health pharmaceuticals must show their products to be safe, effective and produced by a consistent method of manufacture as defined under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The Agencys basis for approving a drug application is documented in a Freedom of Information Summary. Post-approval monitoring of products is required by law, with reports being provided to the CVMs Surveillance and Compliance group. Reports of product quality defects, adverse events or unexpected results are produced in accordance with the law. Additionally, we are required to submit all new information for a product, regardless of the source. United States Department of Agriculture . The regulatory body in the United States for veterinary vaccines is the USDA. The USDAs Center for Veterinary Biologics is responsible for the regulation of animal health vaccines, including immunotherapeutics. All manufacturers of animal health biologicals must show their products to be pure, safe, effective and produced by a consistent method of manufacture as defined under the Virus Serum Toxin Act. Post-approval monitoring of products is required. Reports of product quality defects, adverse events or unexpected results are produced in accordance with the agency requirements. We must timely collaborate or in- and out-license opportunities. We intend to collaborate or in- and out-license MAXKAFLEN KAIYADRU LADAVRU to biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies for preclinical and clinical development and commercialization. We may initiate the clinical development of our lead product candidate, ; seek to obtain regulatory approvals for MAXKAFLEN KAIYADRU LADAVRU prepare for the clinical trials and potential commercialization of KAIYADRU LADAVRU create manufacturing processes and quantities to prepare for clinical trials and the commercialization of MAXKAFLEN KAIYADRU LADAVRU for any indications for which we receive regulatory approval; establish outsourcing of the commercial manufacturing of MAXKAFLEN KAIYADRU LADAVRU for any indications for which we may receive regulatory approval; establish an infrastructure for the sales, marketing and distribution of MAXKAFLEN KAIYADRU LADAVRU for any indications for which we may receive regulatory approval; continue preclinical development of our product candidates MAXKAFLEN KAIYADRU LADAVRU; expand our research and development activities and advance the discovery and development programs for other product candidates, including novel combination solutions comprised of our own amplifiers, correctors and potentiators; maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; continue our research and development efforts and seek to discover additional product candidates; and add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our clinical development and commercialization efforts and operations as a public company. About Hoverink Biotechnologies We are an innovative preclinical biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery development, manufacturing and commercializing our product candidates. Our website address is in beta at www.hoverinkbiotech.yolasite.com . Our email is info@hoverink.net This press release contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus, including logos, artwork, and other visual displays, may appear without the or symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies. Except where the context requires otherwise, in this prospectus Company, Hoverink, we, us and our refer to Hoverink Biotechnologies, Inc.Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward looking, such as those, among others, relating to the companys expectations for seeking regulatory approval and commercial launch of its products, including any conditional marketing authorization from the EMA, initiation of future clinical trials, data availability from ongoing and future clinical trials, and the companys expectations for its 2017 financial outlook. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include risks that the company may experience delays in the completion of its clinical trial (whether caused by competition, adverse events, patient enrollment rates, regulatory issues or other factors); risks that data from its clinical trials may not be indicative of subsequent clinical trial results; risks. Physical KYC takes anywhere between two to five working days to get done, V-KYC, only a few minutes. Soon, you may be able to open a bank account within minutes. With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expanding the scope of doing Know Your Customer (KYC) procedure through video (V-KYC), there is a possibility that the long process - usually three to five days working days - will be reduced to a few minutes. Says Ankush Aggarwal, founder of Avail Finance: The RBIs announcement of video-based KYC (V-KYC) will provide a boost to the financial services industry. And the good thing is that the central bank has decided to permit video-based Customer Identification Process (V-CIP) as a consent-based alternative method of establishing the customers identity. So, if you are not comfortable, you can always opt out. However, there are several reasons why financial institutions will push this form of KYC. First, it saves money. Says Rudrajeet Desai, founder and CEO, Workapps, which runs the product VideoKYC.com: Physical KYC costs around Rs 250-300 per instance. "V-KYC will cost less than 10 per cent of that amount. Second, physical KYC takes anywhere between two to five working days to get done, V-KYC, only a few minutes. Most importantly, as Aggarwal, puts it, Previously, e-wallet players and non-banks were denied access to the Aadhaar system, restricting their ability to use e-KYC to complete customer verification, increasing their compliance burden. "The decision comes as a major relief to fintech start-ups and digital non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) catering to the gig economy with the new remote customer authentication option. The service providers need not physically reach out to customers in remote locations. It will cut down costs and prove a boon to companies targeting rural customers and millennials with the use of face-matching software and artificial intelligence. V-KYC will also prevent confusion and issues later. You will only need to fill in the online form on your lenders website or app to apply for opening an account or for a loan. You will have to mention your Aadhaar number on the form. Says Desai: The lender will retrieve your details and photographs from the UIDAI database, in the meanwhile. "On submitting the form, you will get an option to complete the video KYC. "This will allow the banks agent to contact you. The agent will initiate a video call with you, which will be recorded live. The bank will pass the photograph and details obtained from UIDAI on the chat screen. Says Desai: The agent will take a screenshot of the customers face from the live video, which will be watermarked with details like date and time stamp. "Also, Geotagging will be done where the live location of the customer is captured to ensure that he is physically present in India. Other details will include customer acquisition form (CAF) number, agent name, and agent code. Says Desai: The agent then compares the customers photo with the photo obtained from UIDAI via face recognition software. "The customer will show the camera his PAN card. The agent will take a photograph, and then validate the PAN as well. "Once this is verified, the agent asks the customer to sign a blank piece of paper, take a screenshot of that, and tag it as the customers signature. The image will also be watermarked with CAF number, GPS coordinates, agent name, agent code, and the date and time stamp. A screenshot of the customers face and a signature will be copied in the online CAF along with the GPS coordinates, and other watermarking. In short, the complete interaction is recorded over the video, and is tagged with relevant details. The entire process takes up to five minutes. Safety and security: Security is a concern for most. Says Desai: All of this has to be hosted on the servers of the bank. "That is very critical data, and hence it cannot be on a third-party server. Says a Pune-based cybersecurity expert: Videos require more space on the server. Banks will need to ramp up their storage capacity dramatically. Ritesh Bhatia, another cybersecurity expert, echoes the same view: Video KYC, while convenient for customers, will put a lot of responsibility and burden on banks and other organisations. "Validating the location, the picture, and authenticating the documents will require banks and non-banks to have the latest technologies. "Before the concerned entities initiate the video KYC, they should test it thoroughly, especially against risk of attacks, and run awareness campaigns. V-KYC process is backed only by facial recognition: Says Joshi: If banks are going to deploy photo-matching tools, it would be interesting to see if current photos and identity photos dont throw false positives. From a security point of view there are many positives. You cannot use the same video for two different KYCs; you will anyway have to do KYC per organisation only once. "The video will be tagged into the banking system for a particular purpose, and it will be straightforward for banks to recognise that this video-recording was done for this particular purpose, says Desai. Concerns galore: Banks will face many challenges. For instance, Live Deepfake is an AI-based technology used to produce or alter video content to look and sound like the real thing. Says Bhatia: Fraudsters will try to call customers for video KYC and could end up defrauding them, as happens currently. "Also, banks now have a big responsibility to safeguard our videos because they could be misused if leaked or stolen. Encryption of data is critical. Mutual funds already have this option. To invest more than Rs 50,000 in mutual funds, you have to complete KYC at a branch, or complete in-person verification through video KYC, according to the Security and Exchange Board of India guidelines. Photograph: Reuters Two families lives were changed irreparably by the abduction and killing of Jastine Valdez, an inquest into her killers death heard this evening. The events were described as "exceptional and unusual in society" by the coroner, who said the public were "very moved" by the tragic circumstances of her death. This has been a most difficult inquest for those centrally involved and the Hennessy family in particular. The tragic events that unfolded over a period of a little more than 48 hours in May 2018 were exceptional and unusual in society. The public were very moved by the plight of Jastine Valdez. The outcome has meant that two families lives were changed irreparably, Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said. The coroner commended "brave acts on behalf of the public and first responders, sadly without the desired outcome." The jury returned a narrative verdict and issued a number of recommendations, including the establishment of one central communications radio channel for Gardai in emergency situations. Mark Hennessy was shot and killed by a member of An Garda Siochana on May 20, 2018, following an intensive search for Jastine Valdez, who was abducted from Enniskerry, Co Wicklow the previous day. The Hennessy family do not believe there was any malice involved in the shooting of Mark Hennessy, the inquest heard. In relation to Detective Garda A the family are of the view that his view was reasonably held, that there was no malice in this situation. "The family wish to express their gratitude to the jury and all parties involved in this investigation, criminal and civil, Dermot Hickey, solicitor for the family said. The inquest previously heard that the Garda who shot Mr Hennessy said he was left with no other option as he believed Jastine Valdez was in the car and in imminent danger. Hennessys family were present in Dublin Coroners Court for the duration of the inquest, which concluded after three days of evidence. Family members met Mark Hennessy in a car park in Killiney at 3.31pm on the day he died. He was alone in the car and the family passed this information to Gardai. Mr Hickey asked Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) Senior Investigator Nicholas Harden if this information had been relayed to Gardai who attended the scene of the shooting at Cherrywood Business Park at 8pm. I was aware of that interaction with the relative, four and a half hours preceding the incident. By the time the Cherrywood incident happened the situation could have changed, Mr Harden said. A jury member asked if there was any Garda in charge at the scene of the shooting of Mr Hennessy. In a highly stressful dynamic situation as this was, the aim was to get the job done, Mr Harden replied. There wasnt time to sort out who was in charge. The inquest heard that a post-incident manager position is to be created to deal with fatal firearm incidents involving Gardai, to act as a conduit between GSOC and the officer involved. The post-incident manager will be a member of An Garda Siochana. The jury endorsed this development as part of their recommendations. The system not in place yet but has been operating very well in the UK and will be adopted soon here, Mr Harden said. The body of Jastine Valdez was located at 3pm on May 21, the day after Hennessys death, in thick gorse and undergrowth at Pucks Castle, Rathmichael, Co Dublin. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 05:13:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHICAGO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures closed mixed on Thursday, with soybean futures edging lower as traders are awaiting a weekly export sales report. The most active soybean contract for March delivery slipped 4.25 cents, or 0.47 percent, to close at 9.095 U.S. dollars per bushel. March wheat gained 2.75 cents, or 0.48 percent, to 5.805 dollars per bushel. March corn added 5 cents, or 1.29 percent, to 3.9375 dollars per bushel. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will release its weekly crop export sales report on Friday. The report is an indicator of demand, and traders are awaiting fresh soy purchases by China after the signing of the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement last week. Brazilian soybean production will be higher than the previous year, according to consultancy Agroconsult. This news also weighed on soybean prices. Farmers in the South American country are now expected to harvest 124.3 million metric tons of soybeans, up from 119 million metric tons last year, analysts from the firm said. CBOT corn futures rose to a three-month high on improved export demand and brisk global demand. Concerns about tightening supplies continued to underpin CBOT wheat futures. Enditem The Trump administration has approved a right-of-way to allow for the building the Keystone pipeline on US land in Montana, moving the controversial $8bn project closer to fruition just months after a damaging oil spill on another segment of the network. The approval which would allow for access on federal lands to construction crews was signed by Interior secretary David Bernhardt, and would let project sponsor TransCanada Energy to build pipeline on 46 miles of Montana land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and the US Army Corps of Engineer, according to officials. The relatively small segment would help complete the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometre) pipeline that would carry as many as 830,000 barrels (35 million gallons) of crude oil from western Canada all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. But it is far from an ending to the ongoing saga surrounding the Keystone pipeline project, which has become one of the most prominent symbols of the battle between legacy fossil fuel companies and the environmentalist groups who warn that the pipeline would lead to more fossil fuel burning, and graver impacts from climate change. The project was first proposed in 2008, only to be rejected by the administration of former president Barack Obama. Donald Trump, upon taking office, revived the project and has thrown his weight behind the effort. Opponents warn that the pipeline could burst, and release crude oil into Montanas Missouri River, in addition to the concerns over climate change. Numerous lawsuits have been filed in response. Officials at the Department of Interior and other involved agencies, for their part, point to environmental impact studies that have already been conducted, as well as TC Energys detailed plans on how to respond to any spills from the line. Were comfortable with the analysis thats been done, said Casey Hammond, the assistant secretary of the Interior. But an oil spill is far from theoretical. Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Smoke billows from multiple fires at the Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia on 14 September Reuters Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Thick black smoke billows from a fire following drone strikes on major oil facilities in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia Planet Labs Inc/Reuters Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures The Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia prior to the drone strikes on 14 September AP Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Damage is seen to the Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia following drone strikes on 14 September, the previous day (Image 1 of 2) AP Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Damage is seen to the Aramco oil field in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia following drone strikes on 14 September, the previous day (Image 2 of 2) AP Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Damage is seen to the Aramco oil field in Khurais, Saudi Arabia following drone strikes on 14 September, the previous day (Image 1 of 2) AP Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Damage is seen to the Aramco oil field in Khurais, Saudi Arabia following drone strikes on 14 September, the previous day (Image 2 of 2) AP Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Smoke billows from multiple fires following drone strikes on major oil facilities in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia AFP/Getty Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Smoke rises from a fire following a drone strike at the Aramco facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia on 14 September Reuters Attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia: In pictures Smoke is seen following a fire at the Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia on 14 September Reuters In October, another pipeline in the Keystone network operated by TC Energy burst and spilled an estimated 383,000 gallons of oil in eastern North Dakota. The segment in question would connect the tar oil fields more directly by cutting through Montana, then through South Dakota, and finally into Nebraska where it would join the previously built oil lines in Steele City. Steve Volker, an attorney who represents the Indigenous Environmental Network, said that they and other groups fighting Mr Trumps permits for oil companies believe they are unconstitutional: We know president Trumps permit was unconstitutional, and we have every confidence that the federal courts will set aside these approvals. US District Judge Brian Morris in Montana has ruled against the project previously, including a 2018 decision in which he stalled the line, and required a new presidential permit to be signed. But, he has also denied requests from environmentalists to block construction, saying in December that he would not do so because no work was immediately planned. The Associated Press contributed to this report A Good Samaritan scorned a racist woman on a Massachusetts bus after she tried to tell a group of Chinese-speaking passengers to speak English. Video filmed in December but recently circulated across social media shows the older white man telling the woman off after she made her offensive comments to the group on a bus in Amherst. The group had been speaking Chinese. 'I love Puerto Ricans,' the woman asserts in the clip as she also vocalizes her love for 'Chinese' and 'Koreans.' 'But when they come to America it would be nice if they spoke English,' she continues. 'That's not racist.' Scroll down for video Video filmed in December but recently circulated across social media shows the older white man telling the woman off on a bus in Amherst The man quickly retorts: 'The United States doesn't have an official language j*****s.' The two continue going back and forth as the woman tries to shame the man for butting in. When she claims to be 'glad' that the man was able to comment, he quickly responds: 'Yeah me too because otherwise nobody would be standing up to your racist a*s.' A cameraman can be heard telling the woman to mind her business as the dumbfounded woman asks if what she has done is actually racism. When she claims to be 'glad' that the man was able to comment, he quickly responds: 'Yeah me too because otherwise nobody would be standing up to your racist a*s' 'Yes and you should learn the definition of it and not to show your a*s in public again,' the man says to the woman. 'So you get to harass me for saying my freedom of speech,' she shouts back. The bus passenger responds: 'Nobody is harassing you, you're talking back to me silly. You stop talking and so will I.' 'I was talking to them and all of a sudden you chimed,' the woman claims. 'He did what you did,' the camera can be heard exclaiming. The two continue arguing before eventually waiting to let police arrive to the scene. The man mocks the woman for making the racist remarks before telling her she is going to go viral. 'I wanted to go viral,' the woman quickly retorts A few more jabs are thrown from the man as other passengers check in on his well being. 'I'm fine,' he says. 'I'm just not willing to let this racist idiot get away with this stupid narrative.' The man mocks the woman for making the racist remarks before telling her she is going to go viral. 'I wanted to go viral,' the woman quickly retorts. Video does show police come onto the bus and ask the woman what happens. She immediately plays the victim and comments on how 'everybody started yelling' at her because of the comments she made. Police eventually come and escort the woman off the bus But the woman quickly becomes upset as the officer asks her to come off of the bus so that they can get a better understanding of what happens. She does eventually get off the bus and eventually storms off after talking to one of the officers, failing to return back to the bus. The Good Samaritan explains that he has lived in the city for 50 years and advocates that no one should be treated that way. One of the police officers goes to talk to the bus driver before turning his attention to the passengers that the woman initially was yelling at. He asks the passengers to provide their IDs so he can document it for purposes as it relates to the incident but other bus riders declare that he is infringing on the people's rights. On his first visit to the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir after assuming charge, Army Chief Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane on Thursday interacted with the troops and asked them to remain prepared for all contingencies. He also met Lt Governor G C Murmu at Raj Bhavan here and discussed issues concerning effective management of internal and external security, particularly in the context of infiltration attempts and the ongoing anti-terrorist operations, officials said. Gen Naravane took charge as Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) on January 1 and arrived here on Wednesday evening on a two-day visit to the newly created Union Territory. Accompanied by General-officer-commanding, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, he visited troops along the LoC to review the prevailing situation and operational readiness of the units of Jammu-based White Knight Corps, a defence spokesperson said. Gen Naravane was briefed by General Officer Commanding, White Knight Corps, Lt Gen Harsha Gupta and some commanders. He also interacted with the soldiers and lauded their unwavering dedication to duty and high standards of professionalism. Earlier in the day, the Army chief visited headquarters of the Northern Command at Udhampur where he was briefed by Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on the prevailing situation along the LoC and also in the hinterland. Gen Naravane appreciated the efforts of the Northern Command to meet the challenges posed by inimical elements, the spokesperson said. "The need to remain prepared for all contingencies was reinforced by the COAS," the spokesperson said, adding that he also expressed satisfaction over the people friendly measures undertaken by the Army. A Raj Bhavan spokesman said during his meeting with the Army chief, Murmu appreciated the synergy between the Army, other security forces and the civil administration in maintaining law and order. The Lt Governor lauded the Army's role in safeguarding the territorial integrity and the internal security of Jammu and Kashmir while conducting successful anti-terrorist operations in coordination with local police and central armed police forces in the hinterland, the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman has been barred from using her fertilized frozen embryos to have a baby over opposition from her ex-husband and under the terms of the contract they signed with a fertility clinic. The Arizona Supreme Court ruling on Thursday ends a case that drew support from social conservative groups for the woman, Ruby Torres, 39, who had her eggs fertilized prior to treatment for an aggressive cancer in 2014 that left her infertile. Torres and her then-husband, John Terrell, split three years later. Terrell did not want to have children together and asked the courts to order that the eggs be donated under the terms of the contract. The case was featured in the episode, 'Whose Embroys?' in the Netflix documentary series, 'Follow this,' which focused on the complications arising from in-vitro fertilization and frozen embryos in the US. Ruby Torres appears in the Netflix documentary series, 'Follow this,' which focuses on complications arising from in-vitro fertilization and frozen embryos in the US. Torres, 39, had her fertilized eggs frozen after she became infertile after an aggressive cancer treatment After Ruby Torres and her ex-husband John Terrell divorced in 2017, Terrell didn't want to have children together and asked the courts to order the fertilized eggs donated under terms of the contract (file photo) An Arizona Supreme Court ruling says Ruby Torres, 39, who had her eggs fertilized prior to treatment for an aggressive cancer in 2014 that rendered her infertile, cannot use the eggs to get pregnant, under the terms of a contract she signed with her now, ex-husband Attorney Stanley Murray, who argued Torres' case, told AZCentral he 'of course' was 'not too happy' about the decision. 'I haven't had a chance to speak to my client yet, but I know how she probably feels after what she's been through,' he said. 'It's disappointing, because we had gotten the Court of Appeals on our side.' A trial court ruled that the contract left it up to the courts to determine the fate of the embryos and then sided with Terrell, saying his interest in not having children outweighed Torres' right to have a biological child. At the time of the trial court ruling, Torres lamented on the Netflix segment that 'there will be a child out there that is biologically mine and I just will never be able (her voice cracks) ... to see them or have any contact.' However, she still decided to take her case to the state's Court of Appeals, which overturned that ruling last March. The court agreed that the contract allowed courts to decide, but also saying that Torres' right to have a child prevailed over Terrell's right not to become a father. Both the trial court and appellate panel got it wrong, according to the Supreme Court. The lower courts ruled that a contract clause allowed courts to determine whether to donate or implant the embryos. Terrell's attorney's had pointed to a contract provision that required the consent of the other person for implantation as controlling. The high court, sitting with only five of seven justices, unanimously agreed with Terrell that the phrase in question 'means that upon divorce or dissolution of the relationship, the parties chose to donate the embryos absent a contemporaneous agreement for use by one of them.' They noted the trial court came to the right conclusion, the only one that the contract allowed if both parents could not agree. Attorney Stanley Murray, who argued Torres' case, said he had not yet spoken with her, but that he likely knows how she she probably feels after 'what she's been through,' he said. 'It's disappointing, because we had gotten the Court of Appeals on our side' 'We are cognizant of the unavoidable emotional fall-out attendant to the disposition of the embryos here,' Justice Ann Scott Timmer wrote in the ruling. 'But the family court was required to enforce the parties chosen disposition of the embryos as set forth in the Agreement.' The eggs will now be donated under terms of the former couple's contract. Murray had argued that the contract was ambiguous and the lower courts agreed, stepping in to apply a balancing test. 'Everybody else had different interpretations of the contract, but both the trial court and the Court of Appeals were on the same page as far as the contract doesn't apply here, it doesn't cover this situation, so we have to apply the balancing of interests test,' the lawyer said. 'But the Supreme Court said, 'No, the contract does cover this'.' A 2018 Arizona law change in response to Torres' case allows a former spouse to use the embryos against their former partner's wishes, but relieves the ex-spouse of parental responsibilities. That would include child support. The change is not retroactive and therefore does not apply to Torres' case. The Center for Arizona Policy, a social conservative group that lobbies for religious freedom and anti-abortion policies, had backed the change in law. 'I'm heartbroken for Ruby Torres today,' Cathi Herrod, the group's president, said in a statement. 'It's a sad day that she will not be able to bring her children to birth and raise them as she so desired.' The accident which sparked public outrage over state mismanagement resulted in the death of three doctors, a driver and a worker, and left 12 wounded The Egyptian Medical Syndicate (EMS) has called on Thursday for an emergency general assembly meeting on 7 February at its Cairo headquarters to discuss the road crash that killed three doctors south of Cairo. The accident sparked public outrage over state mismanagement. The EMS said in a statement that the decision to convene the meeting followed calls by 220 doctors who said the accident was the result of "administrative arbitrariness". Earlier this month, a microbus carrying 15 female medical residents from Minya governorate to Cairo to attend a training workshop crashed on a highway near Cairo, killing three doctors, the driver and a worker. Twelve others were wounded in the crash. It was later revealed that the victims were among a group of doctors who received a surprise notice demanding them to travel to Cairo the following morning to attend a compulsory training as part of a governmental women's health initiative programme, or else face punitive measures. "The EMS is the highest authority for doctors. It is empowered to take all necessary measures to put an end to the administrative abuse that makes doctors prone to such unfortunate events, protect them during the course of their work and defend their dignity," the syndicate said in a statement on Thursday. Screenshots showing a conversation on WhatsApp, purportedly between the victims and their superiors, circulating online showed that the doctors were warned that no apologies will be accepted and that "those who do not want to participate in the programme will be reassigned outside the health administration." Doctors had to arrange for a microbus to take them to Cairo on daybreak as it was not possible for them to find a train reservation or another proper method to travel at such short-notice. Microbus drivers in Egypt are notorious for their reckless driving and ignoring traffic regulations. One of the wounded doctors was pregnant and lost her foetus and had to undergo a hysterectomy. EMS head Hussein Khairy called for questioning Minister of Health Hala Zayed over the accident before parliament, criticising administrative arbitrariness in dealing with doctors. The syndicate's youth committee pledged it will not forego the rights of the victims and said the accident was the result of the Health Ministry's "intransigence and oppression." The class to which the newly graduated doctors belonged called for a general strike at all health units nationwide to protest against the deaths. A matter of 'fate' Speaking to reporters in Luxor days after the accident, Zayed said the accident was a matter of fate, adding that road accidents are outside the jurisdiction of her ministry. The minister defended the travel decision saying that everywhere around the world there are high-tech training centres where people are required to travel to gain experience. She dismissed criticism that her ministry has failed to provide the victims with a safe travel means, claiming that all means of transportation in the country are safe and overseen by the government. The ministry's decision to compensate the wounded and families of the dead sparked further criticism. Social media users opened fire at the ministry's announcement to send the parents of the deceased doctors to the annual Muslim pilgrimage, as one of the late doctors was a Christian. Earlier this week, the syndicate ordered the questioning of five health ministry officials including a minister adviser over the accident. The medical union filed a complaint earlier this week with the country's prosecutor-general demanding an investigation into the accident. It also demanded that prosecutors open an administrative probe. The union said it would pay financial compensation between 10,000 and 100,000 ($633-$6,334) to the victims. Search Keywords: Short link: Church denies trying to push out older members to attract younger worshipers Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Leaders of a Minnesota church accused of trying to get rid of older adult members from one of their campuses in order to attract a younger crowd say the allegations are not true and everybody is welcome. "Everybody is welcome. Our hope is they're not going anywhere. This is their church, Lead Pastor Daniel Wetterstrom of the Grove United Methodist Churchtold KARE 11 of older adult members of the churchs Cottage Grove location, which has been struggling to attract members. Wetterstrom explained that regular attendance at the Cottage Grove campus had been struggling with long-term viability with just 30 members. In consultation with other church leaders, a decision was taken to employ a strategy known as the "relaunch," which had been used by other struggling Methodist churches in Minnesota with positive results. "We, for over the past decade, have struggled," Wetterstrom said. "Struggled to grow. Struggled to reach people." Under the relaunch, the Cottage Grove location is expected to close in June temporarily before reopening in December with a young new pastor named Jeremy Peters to help attract a younger crowd and create an intergenerational church. Thats not the message longtime member and older adult Bill Gackstetter said he and other older members received. He said he and other members were asked to go worship at The Grove's second Woodbury location, if they would like, for 15 to 18 months after the relaunch as the church transitioned to new leadership. "It made me feel sick that they would treat other Methodists like that," Gackstetter told KARE11. "Like, who's gonna wait that long?" Gackstetter added. "I feel that's totally age discrimination, just wanting youth, the younger families." In a letter signed by Wetterstrom, Kelly Lamon, associate pastor, and Betsy Stites, core team chair, the leaders further stated their intent for the offended members. The worshippers at Cottage Grove are beloved members of our church family; their presence and contributions are part of our identity. The Cottage Grove members have been invited to serve on a transition team to identify the traditions and values that are important to them and to explore options during and after the relaunch, the leaders said. We are working to connect them to the existing worship services in Woodbury or help them continue as a group at a different time and/or location after the building closes to prepare for relaunch. We recognize that people may have a range of feelings about the Planting Project. We acknowledge and honor these feelings, and we seek to be a safe space where all these emotions are welcomed and affirmed, they continued. Finally and most importantly, we will continue to remind you that you are precious and beloved children of God. We lament that this media attention has been hurtful to worshippers at both campuses. We grieve the damage this story has caused. We are committed to working through this time of transition in relationship with you all. We invite you to pray for your church and to support one another during this difficult time. [The stream is slated to start at 1 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] The World Health Organization is holding a second press briefing Thursday to discuss the flu-like coronavirus that has killed at least 18 people and infected roughly 650 people around the world. WHO was expected Wednesday to announce whether the new virus was a global health emergency but officials said they postponed its decision to gather more data. It reconvened its emergency meeting in Geneva on Thursday to review that information. Local authorities in China have quarantined the cities of Wuhan and Huanggang, which have a combined population of 17 million. Including Wuhan where the virus was first identified, travel bans were in effect Thursday for at least seven cities. U.S. health officials began screening passengers flying from China at major international airports this weekend, and confirmed the country's first case on Tuesday. A Washington state man is quarantined with the virus in a hospital outside of Seattle after flying back from Wuhan, U.S. health authorities said. WHO doesn't enact the emergencies lightly, health experts say. The last time WHO declared a global health emergency was in 2019 for the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that killed more than 2,000 people. The agency also declared global emergencies for the 2016 Zika virus, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu and the 2014 polio and Ebola outbreaks. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. As many as 42 global organisations including Amara Raja Batteries from India on Thursday agreed on a new set of guiding principles for batteries to power a sustainable energy transition. Announcing the new initiative at its 50th annual meeting here, the World Economic Forum said batteries will be a major driver in reducing the carbon footprint of the transport and power sectors through the use of electric vehicles and renewable energy. To help companies and governments, the Global Battery Alliance has designed 10 guiding principles for the creation of a sustainable battery chain by 2030. These principles are intended as the first step in a responsible, sustainable battery value chain as set out in the Global Battery Alliance's "A Vision for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain in 2030". Implementing commitments will be based on existing standards such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Due Diligence Guidance and economically viable considerations for a circular and low carbon economy. At the Annual Meeting 2020, 42 organisations, including businesses from mining, chemicals, battery, automotive and energy industries, representing annual revenue of close to a trillion dollars, along with global NGOs, agreed on the 10 guiding principles. They include maximising the productivity of batteries, enabling a safe second life use, ensuring progressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, prioritising energy efficiency measures and increasing the use of renewable energy. Other principles are fostering battery-enabled renewable energy integration, high quality job creation and skills development, eliminating child and forced labour, protecting public health and and supporting responsible trade and anti-corruption practices, local value creation and economic diversification. "We all need batteries to power the clean revolution. However, we must ensure violations of human rights do not occur anywhere in the value chain, that local communities benefit and that battery production is sustainable," said Dominic Waughray, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. Organisations supporting the realisation of a battery value chain that meets these principles include AB Volvo, African Development Bank, Amara Raja Batteries, Analog Devices, Audi, BASF, BMW, Groupe Renault, Honda, The World Bank Group, Trafigura, UNICEF and Vokswagen. To realise the full ambition of these principles, the Global Battery Alliance is actively seeking the endorsement of additional organizations to ensure full participation throughout the battery value chain. Amara Raja CEO Vijayanand Kumar Samudrala said his company is fully committed to support the transition to a carbon neutral energy footprint across the globe and recognises that advanced battery technologies have a critical role to play to enable and accelerate this transition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brian Hook (R), U.S. Special Representative for Iran, and Ambassador Nathan Sales (L), State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, speak during a press conference at the State Department in Washington on April 8, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Soleimanis Successor Faces Same Fate If He Kills Americans: US Envoy to Iran The U.S. special representative for Iran warned that the successor to Irans Quds Force, Gen. Esmail Ghaani, will suffer the same fate as his predecessor if he directs attacks that kill Americans. Following the U.S. airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3, Iran appointed Ghaani as the new chief of the Quds Force, which is overseen by Irans Revolutionary Guards and was allegedly used by Tehran to exert control of a variety of Shiite groups in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary Mike Pompeo said Soleimani was killed because he was plotting attacks against U.S. facilities and personnel. Ghaani recently made international headlines when he vowed to exact manly revenge against the United States after his predecessors death. Through endeavors of [those] around the world who want vengeance over his blood, we will hit his enemy in a manly fashion, he said on Jan. 20, Qatar-backed Al Jazeera TV reported. Brian Hook, U.S. special representative for Iran, said that if Ghaani follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate as Soleimani, according to an interview with Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. Hook, speaking in Davos, Switzerland, said that Trump made it clear that any attack on Americans or American interests would be met with a decisive response. Irans Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani attends a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guard commanders in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 18, 2016. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP) This isnt a new threat. The president has always said that he will always respond decisively to protect American interests, Hook said. I think the Iranian regime understands now that they cannot attack America and get away with it. Gen. Esmail Qaani in an undated file photo. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP) In the interview, Hook noted that Soleimani was effectively in charge of Irans proxies in the Middle East, including Yemens Houthis, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a variety of Iraqi militia groups. Prior to the Soleimani airstrike, the United States targeted several militia group positions inside Iraq. Hezbollah and associated groups then rioted and attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Tehran has denied any involvement in managing such proxy forces. We took the worlds most dangerous terrorists off the battlefield. And as a consequence, the region is going to be safer because Soleimani was the glue that held together the proxies, and his death will create a void that the regime will not be able to fill, Hook told the news outlet. In retaliation to Soleimanis death, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, causing no deaths, although some soldiers reported concussion-like injuries. Hours later, Iran shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines plane near Tehrans international airport, killing all 176 people on board. The 150-year-old Kolkata Port Trust, which was recently renamed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, will be showcased in the tableau of the Ministry of Shipping during the Republic Day Parade. The float depicts a sea dock with labourers and engineers working on site in the backdrop of the iconic Howrah Bridge of Kolkata, and the iconic click tower of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), along with containers. The front of the tableau reads 'Kolkata Port Trust' in Hindi and English, with a logo of its sesquicentenary next to it bearing tag line --'150 Years - Glorious Past. Vibrant Future'. The tableau of the Ministry of Shipping is part of the total of 22 tableaux, 16 of various states and Union Territories, and six of various ministries and departments chosen for this year's January 26 parade. The tableaux were unveiled on Wednesday at an event held at Delhi Cantonment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12 had announced the rechristening of the Kolkata Port Trust after Mookerjee, drawing criticism from the opposition camp, which said he was more of a "name-changer" than a "game-changer". Modi, while addressing the 150th anniversary programme of the Trust, had invoked Mookerjee and B R Ambedkar, and said their contributions had led to the development of the country post Independence, but suggestions made by them were not implemented after they resigned from the government. "I announce that the Kolkata Port Trust will now be known as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. He was the father of industrialisation in India, a man who made sacrifices for one nation and one Constitution," Modi said while addressing the ceremony at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. Trade unions at the Kolkata Port Trust protested against the decision, saying the move will hurt the history of the organisation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DNA recovered from four ancient skeletons unearthed in Cameroon points to the existence of a long-lost 'ghost' branch of the human family tree. The skeletons all belonged to children who were buried at a rock shelter at an archaeological site called Shum Laka. Two of the skeletons - one a teenager and the other his four-year-old male relative, possibly a first cousin once removed - are 8,000 years old. The other skeletons, belonging to two young males - possibly second-degree relatives such as half-siblings or an uncle and nephew - are 3,000 years old. DNA has survived in a remarkable state of preservation in all of the skeletons and analysis reveals that, despite living five millennia apart, they are genetically similar. All four skeletons inherited about one-third of their DNA from ancestors similar to the hunter-gatherers of western Central Africa. The remaining two thirds of their DNA came from an ancient West African source, including a 'long lost ghost population' previously unknown to science. Scroll down for video Pictured: the Shum Laka rock shelter in Cameroon. here, remains of four young males were found which contained incredibly well-preserved DNA in the inner ear A graphic showing how the latest study predicts the different populations of people spread throughout Africa. Shum Laka people are shown as a distant relative to the Bantu-speaking people WHAT IS SHUM LUKA? Shum Laka is a rock shelter located in the Cameroon. It was long pinpointed by linguists as the probable cradle of Bantu languages, a widespread and diverse group of languages spoken by more than a third of Africans today. The Shum Laka rockshelter was excavated in the 1980s and 1990s by archaeologists from Belgium and Cameroon. Its archaeological record spans the past 30,000 years. Stone tools, plant and animal remains, and eventually pottery found at the site indicates long-term forest-based hunting and gathering. Analysis also reveals an eventual transition to intensive tree fruit exploitation. Shum Laka is emblematic of the 'Stone to Metal Age,' a critical era in west-central African history that ultimately gave rise to Iron Age metallurgy and farming. During this era, the site repeatedly served as a burial ground for families, with 18 individuals (mainly children) buried in two major phases at about 8,000 and 3,000 years ago. Advertisement Africa's incredible diversity is due to the fact Homo sapiens are believed to have originated there. Researchers compared the DNA of the Shum Laka children to DNA from a 4,500-year-old skeleton from Ethiopia, three ancient southern Africans roughly 2,000 years old, two French individuals, a chimpanzee and a Neanderthal. A computer model was then used to predict how ancient populations in Africa diverged to form the groups seen in the fossil record and alive today. The model claims Homo sapiens slowly out-competed other hominids and then four main lineages emerged at the same time and propagated over several generations. It was previously believed there was only three lineages hunter-gatherers in Central, Southern and Eastern Africa. But the fourth group of the so-called 'Ghost Modern' people can be inferred from the fractious DNA record, based on the findings from the latest study. It is unknown exactly where this 'ghost modern human lineage' fits in human history or where they lived. Dr David Reich , a population geneticist from Harvard University, told Science Magazine this is a group of modern humans that 'we didn't know about before' Theories about the mysterious 'Ghost Modern' people include them being hunter-gatherers that lived south of the Sahara, but no proof has been found. Four skeletons two from 8,000 years ago and two from 3,000 years ago unearthed underneath a rock shelter in Cameroon (pictured) have added to the mystery of how humans spread throughout Africa Shum Laka is emblematic of the 'Stone to Metal Age,' researchers believe. It was long pinpointed by linguists as the probable cradle of Bantu languages, a widespread and diverse group of languages spoken by more than a third of Africans today The researchers now believe a group of the East African hunter-gatherers expanded westward and mixed with with Central African hunter-gatherers. This interaction then spawned the first West Africans. The first third of the Shum Laka DNA may originate from this group, the study claims. These native West Africans, at some point, were muscled out of their territory by a completely separate group which became the Bantu people. These people then began dominating the region with agriculture. Over the course of millennia they forced out many of the hunter-gatherer populations. As the Bantu people thrived, hunter-gatherers were marginalised, and this may have been the fate that met the doomed Shun Laka people, researchers claim. Western Africa has long been identified as the birthplace of Bantu languages which are used by more than 30 per cent of Africans today. A map showing the relative dates at which humans arrived in the different Continents, including Europe 45,000 years ago. All humanity began in Africa, and moved beyond it after dispersing throughout the continent over thousands of years But the DNA extracted from the petrous, a super dense bone that encases the inner ear, of the four skeletons throws the origins into disarray. It was assumed the region's native people developed the language, or it was brought to the region and then spread throughout the continent. 'The consensus is that the Bantu language group originated in west-central Africa, before spreading across the southern half of the continent after about 4,000 years ago,' said Dr Mary Prendergast, a professor of anthropology and chair of humanities at Saint Louis University's campus in Madrid. But the modern-day Bantu-speaking people are of no relation to the millennia-old indigenous people. 'This result suggests that Bantu-speakers living in Cameroon and across Africa today do not descend from the population to which the Shum Laka children belonged,' said Dr Mark Lipson from Harvard Medical School, the lead author of the study. 'This underscores the ancient genetic diversity in this region and points to a previously unknown population that contributed only small proportions of DNA to present-day African groups.' The Shum Laka rock shelter in Cameroon where the skeletons were discovered is a famed archaeological site, which researchers say is emblematic of the 'Stone to Metal Age'. Since its initial excavation in the 1980s it has yielded vast amounts of data on early human history. It was inhabited at a time when west-central Africans began farming and metallurgy. The site was repeatedly used as a burial ground for families, with 18 individuals (mainly children) buried in two major phases at about 8,000 and 3,000 years ago. 'Such burials are unique for West and Central Africa because human skeletons are exceedingly rare here prior to the Iron Age,' said Dr Isabelle Ribot, a University of Montreal anthropologist. 'Tropical environments and acidic soils are not kind to bone preservation, so the results from our study are really remarkable.' The findings of the landmark study are published in the journal Nature. - Alex Gonzaga finally got to choose her wedding gown during her trip to Singapore - The famous vlogger was accompanied by her older sister Toni Gonzaga when she chose her wedding gown - Toni shared on Instagram stories about the big update, expressing her excitement over Alexs dress - Mikee Morada proposed and got engaged to his longtime girlfriend last week in Hong Kong PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Alex Gonzaga was finally able to choose her wedding gown during her family trip to Singapore. KAMI learned that Alex was accompanied by her older sister Toni Gonzaga when she chose her wedding gown. Toni took to social media to post about the big update, expressing her excitement over Alexs dress. Celebrating coz we finalized the wedding gown that she will wear. Yehey! We have a dress na, Toni revealed on her Instagram Stories. Alex got engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mikee Morada last week during a vacation in Hong Kong. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! KAMI reported earlier that Alex finally got engaged to his longtime boyfriend Mikee. Alex Gonzaga was born on January 16, 1988 in the Philippines as Catherine Mae Cruz Gonzaga. She started her career on ABS-CBN's sitcom, Let's Go, where she played the role of Alex, which also became her nickname. Aside from her acting and hosting career, she became one of the most successful vloggers in the country. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh Two Vietnamese nationals are being examined at a Hanoi hospital for pneumonia caused by a coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China. One of them, a 20-year-old Vietnamese student who was studying in Wuhan, returned to Hanoi about a week ago. She has had fever and a painful throat for the last four days. The other, a 55-year-old merchant at a market near the Vietnam-China border, has had a high fever for the last five days. Both are being quarantined at Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology is carrying out tests to determine the cause of her illness. A pneumonia outbreak, suspected to be caused by a new strain of the coronavirus family that caused SARS and MERS, first surfaced in Wuhan City, China last December. By January, the disease has spread to other countries and territories: Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong and the United States. Chinas National Health Commission has confirmed 571 cases and 17 deaths as of Wednesday. It has also said that the virus is capable of spreading from person to person. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that an animal appears most likely to be the primary source of the virus. China says the virus could have come from a market in Wuhan where wildlife was traded illegally. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has warned people to keep their distance from people with acute respiratory infections and wear a mask when talking to them. It has also installed equipment to monitor arriving passengers body temperature in airports in Hanoi, Saigon, Da Nang and Cam Ranh in central Vietnam. If southwestern Pennsylvania is going to pull out of its long population slump, its likely going to happen with people like Khara Timsina. He arrived in Pittsburgh 10 years ago, one of fewer than 300 Bhutanese refugees resettled from camps in Nepal, where they had lived after being driven from their homeland during a period of ethnic strife. Today, some 6,000 Bhutanese live in the city, most having chosen to relocate to Pittsburgh after living somewhere else in America. An increase in people from other nations has emerged as one of the few bright spots in recent U.S. population trends, which show native populations slipping into stagnation and decline. And cities and counties are taking notice, drafting strategies to grow their foreign-born communities in the hope of easing population woes and concerns over their future workforce and economy. Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are among them. Its happened before in southwestern Pennsylvania. In 1910, danger was spelled veszely and pericolo and opasno and nebezpecno on signs inside Carnegie Steels Homestead Works. Still, warnings posted in Hungarian, Italian, Serbo-Croatian and Slovak didnt cover all of the languages spoken in the mill. More than one in five residents had been born in another country. And the foreign-born population peaked that year at 448,000, which represented 25 percent of the total population of what is today the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. But the regions foreign population contracted with the passing of generations as surnames such as Babic, Maravich, Rizzo and DeVita were woven into the community fabric. Today, 88,300 people in the Pittsburgh MSA were born in other countries, accounting for 3.8 percent of the populationone of the lowest rates of foreign-born residents in metropolitan America. Reestablishing the region as a destination for immigrants wont be easy. Word of mouth tends to drive newcomers to regions and positive reviews depend on whether foreign-born residents feel a place is safe, affordable and offers opportunities to succeed, economically and otherwise. Creating such a place demands the attention of not only local government, but businesses and local institutions, to say nothing of the willingness of neighbors to accept newcomers whose customs and languages are unlike theirs. It comes at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment is rising in American public discourse and federal policy is hardening against those seeking asylum, education or a better life in the U.S. And competition among regions is intensifying as more places seek to fill holes in their population with immigrants. We realize if we dont open our arms to our diverse communities, we stand the chance of not having a vibrant city for years to come, said Feyisola Alabi, special initiatives manager for the City of Pittsburgh. People wanted U.S. Census Bureau data suggest the nation has entered an era of population stagnation. The U.S. population grew only 0.62 percent from 2017-2018, the lowest rate since 1937, when financially strapped Americans hunkered down under the weight of the Great Depression. Births are falling, deaths are increasing and the migration of Americans from one region to another has slowed. Nearly half of the nations 3,100 counties have less population today than they did in 2007, according to an analysis done by the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington D.C.-based economic policy think tank. In southwestern Pennsylvania, all of the counties in the Pittsburgh MSA have fewer people today than in 2010, with the exception of Butler County. And no major U.S. metropolitan area has shed more population since 1969 than southwestern Pennsylvania, which lost 400,000 people. The regions migration trends struggle to stay in positive territory. More residents have left for other places in the country than have settled in southwestern Pennsylvania in five of the last 10 years. By comparison to white residents, African Americans represent a much smaller factor in the regions overall population picture. They account for about 24 percent of the City of Pittsburgh population, slightly less than in 2010. About 13 percent of the Allegheny County population is black, the same as in 2010. And black populations are tiny outside the urban core. In Butler, African Americans account for less than 1 percent of population. They make up 4 percent of the population in Fayette County, 3 percent in Washington and 2.4 percent in Westmoreland County. Recent studies report conditions that make it hard to sell African Americans on coming to or staying in the region. They find better income and employment opportunities in most other U.S. cities compared with Pittsburgh. The general health of African Americans is better in most other cities. So are their chances of avoiding poverty. And while southwestern Pennsylvanians as a whole tend to give the region high marks for the quality of life it offers, such perceptions are harder to come by among African Americans. Nearly 74 percent of non-African American residents describe the quality of life in the region as excellent or very good. But only 29 percent of African American residents describe it the same way. And nearly 1 in 4 say theyll likely leave the region in the next five years, according to a 2018 Pittsburgh Today-University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research survey. Only the regions foreign-born population has shown consistent growth in recent years, helping to hedge losses among U.S.-born residents and offering a largely untapped source of hope for turning around southwestern Pennsylvanias chronic population decline. Although their numbers are growing more slowly than they did 20 years ago, people from other countries have become a stable source of residents across the nation. In most counties that have gained population since 2010, immigration accounts for 20 percent to 50 percent of the increase. In more than half of counties that have lost population, foreign-born residents trimmed those losses by 20 percent or more, Brookings Institution researchers report. Allegheny County is one of them. The county experienced a total population loss of 8,200 people from 2014 to 2017, according to Census Bureau five-year estimates. Had the county not added 6,100 foreign-born residents, total population losses would have been that much worse. From an economic development point of view, foreign-born newcomers offer a much-needed infusion of workers and entrepreneurial potential, particularly in places such as southwestern Pennsylvania, where expanding the workforce is a struggle and large numbers of workers are nearing retirement. The regions foreign-born population is well educated. More than 53 percent have a bachelors degree or higher, one of the highest rates among metropolitan areas. In the U.S., immigrants are inventors or co-inventors of about 25 percent of all technologies, the Economic Innovation Group reports. And 43 percent of Fortune 500 companies were started by first- or second-generation immigrants. Competitive disadvantage For decades southwestern Pennsylvania has failed to attract enough immigrants to overcome the regions low birth rates, higher death rates and tepid domestic migration. As a result, total population has declined rather than grown. Changing its attractiveness to immigrants is a tall order. When U.S. immigration began to soar in the 1980s, Pittsburgh was in the throes of an exodus of jobs and people in the wake of the collapse of the regions steel and sister industries, which had been the cornerstone of the economy. The immigrant waves flowed elsewhere, robbing the region of the chance to build a broad base of foreign-born residents, whose success could beckon others to come. Thats left southwestern Pennsylvania trying to catch up with places that have larger established immigrant communities, including many places not among the nations coastal cities. The Minneapolis region, for example, accepted Hmong refugees fleeing war-torn Laos following the Vietnam War, enacted strategies for nurturing them and today enjoys steady population growth fueled by foreign-born residents, whose share of the local population is three times larger than what immigrants account for in the Pittsburgh region. In Philadelphia, where immigrants make up 11 percent of the population, social and family ties to the regions existing foreign-born community are the main reasons nearly half of new immigrants come, a city survey reports. Whether people realize it or not, its a competitive environment. When youre starting from behind, its a challenge, said Rachel Peric, executive director of Welcoming America, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that offers technical assistance and help to cities and counties interested in supporting foreign-born populations. People move to the places where they think theyre going to feel at home. What make us feel at home are things like having family there, having a support network. Coming to America The experience of Bhutanese refugees suggests that rebuilding such a critical mass is possible in the Pittsburgh region, but it will likely take time. Favorable word of mouth is largely the reason why Pittsburghs Bhutanese population is 20 times larger today than when the first wave of refugees arrived in 2008, said Timsina, executive director of the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh. He estimates that 75 percent of local Bhutanese residents came from other U.S. regions where they were first resettled. Timsina came from New York City, where he lived as a refugee for eight months after arriving from a camp in Nepal. I found it difficult to afford, he said. My job was not full time and I had to travel two hours one way to a five, six-hour job. Having to live in the worst part of New York City, I wasnt able to afford the rent. For him, finding a two-bedroom apartment in Pittsburgh for half of what he was paying for a one-bedroom in New York was a powerful lure, as were the ridges and valleys of southwestern Pennsylvania that reminded him of his homeland. For others, it was the opportunity for work for businesses flexible enough to employ newcomers from other countries. Some companies in the food packaging industry offered jobs that didnt require English, he said. When a couple of people found those jobs, word spread to other cities. And as the Pittsburgh Bhutanese community grew, the culture-specific support it offered grew with it, attracting others. We had people coming from Albany and Erie. I asked them why they moved. They said they no longer had priests, who are important for all family rituals. The priests had moved, so they had to move, too. Work in progress Rebuilding the regions immigrant population has gotten considerably more attention in recent years. Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh joined about 100 other U.S. municipalities large and small in 2015 to develop and implement new strategies for making their communities more attractive to immigrants under an initiative organized by Welcoming America. The city is working toward becoming only the fifth U.S. city certified by the nonprofit as having a set of policies and programs to make public safety, local government, education, economic development and other aspects of the community more immigrant-friendly. The strategies being put in place piece by piece include ideas which other places, such as Dayton, Ohio, have explored to smooth the transition of newcomers to life in America. There is a language access plan to help city departments accommodate people who speak little or no English, including a dial-up translation service. Multicultural training is being rolled out for police and other first responders to help them understand the cultural differences they may encounter, including subtleties that can result in misinterpreting even passive behaviors. If someone isnt looking you in the eye, it may be because its not their cultural norm, not because theyre guilty, said Alabi, who directs the citys Welcoming Pittsburgh initiative. As a Nigerian American, its rude to look at an elder in the eye. Its as if you are disrespecting them. The Allegheny County Department of Human Services organized an advisory council to identify and address issues affecting immigrants. Members range from nonprofits and government agencies to foreign-born residents themselves, including Timsinas Bhutanese association. Having a seat at the table, he said, not only gives Bhutanese residents a voice in issues important to them, but sends the signal that the door to community participation is open. Private sector support for growing the regions foreign-born population includes a broad range of stakeholders, from those whove long been engaged, such as universities, businesses, law clinics and refugee agencies, to nonprofits such as Vibrant Pittsburgh and Global Pittsburgh, who work to attract internationals and foster conditions that encourage them to stay. Pittsburgh wants to leverage such strategies to add 20,000 foreign-born residents, which would almost double the size of what the citys foreign-born community was in 2014, the year before the city initiative was launched. Since then, the number of foreign-born residents has increased by 13.4 percent in the city and by nearly 10 percent in Allegheny County, according to the latest five-year census estimates. That still leaves the city with much ground to cover at a time when national debate over how to manage U.S. borders and the flow of immigrants who want to come to America is reaching a boiling point. In Pittsburgh, the citys efforts to stimulate its foreign-born population have included publicly disputing federal policies and proposals restricting immigration. Mayor Bill Peduto, for example, has defended the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, opposed a White House proposal to cut public aid to immigrants, and reassured immigrants they are welcome in the city when the debate over immigration has turned caustic and violent. It is not lost on Timsina that the man charged with murdering 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill last October published hate-singed social media posts against immigrants and organizations that help refugees, like himself, resettle in America. We did feel insecure, he said. In the back of the mind, there is always a fear. It is human tendency, irrespective of ethnic nationality, to want to live in a place that offers peace and security. Places left out Population growth is not evenly spread across the U.S. Nearly half of the nations counties are losing population and the dilemma tends to be worse for those outside urban centers. Many of the same counties, meanwhile, attract few immigrants and are seeing the number of foreign-born residents they do have steadily decline. Foreign-born populations tend to cluster in urban cores, with coastal cities being the largest magnets. In southwestern Pennsylvania, nearly 80 percent of foreign-born residents live in Allegheny County or the City of Pittsburgh. And the gap is widening. Four of the six Pittsburgh MSA counties outside of Allegheny have lost foreign-born residents since 2010. In Armstrong County, where total population has fallen 4.5 percent, the number of foreign-born residents has dropped by 28 percent to a little more than 400 people, census data show. One solution proposed this year is a heartland visa program to direct skilled immigrants to places struggling with chronic population loss and economic malaise. Immigrants would be required to have a job or start a business in a town, city or county and commit to living there for a certain period of time. It would be contingent on both the municipality and immigrant agreeing that is what they want to do. When you think about demographics, there arent that many levers that the federal government has to pull to help more places enjoy that spring in their economic step that population growth provides, said Kenan Fikri, director of research and policy development at the Economic Innovation Group and one of the authors of the proposal. Why not create a new class of visa that would have voluntary matches on both sides and allow people to put down roots and work in local labor markets to bolster the human capital and start new businesses in communities that are experiencing a decline or stagnation in the prime working-age population? Allegheny County can take some solace in that conditions dont appear dire enough to qualify for such a program, despite its recent steady drip of population loss. But other places in the region are possible candidates. Drawing skilled immigrants could help address a number of ills places face when population sags, such as broadening the customer base for local businesses and resupplying the talent pool. A place-based visa could allow companies facing shortages or skills mismatch to still grow in place and remain an economic driver and employer in their communities, rather than go to a place where the people and skills they need are plentiful, Fikri said. And an injection of skilled workers and budding entrepreneurs might help extend the innovation economy to communities beyond urban centers. Having communities buy into the program in order to tap the heartland visa pipeline is one way to prompt them to embark on the kind of soul searching that determines whether any strategy for attracting and keeping foreign-born newcomers succeeds. Policy comes downstream from the public will, Peric said. There may be a deep imperative, but how do the people in the community feel about it? If they cant envision a future that looks different from the present, its going to be difficult to summon the energy to rebuild the community and make it a better place to live for everyone. Press Release January 23, 2020 GORDON TO CIDG: REOPEN COLD CASES OF SLAIN JUDGES Senator Richard J. Gordon called on the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) to reopen and resolve cold cases of slain judges with accuracy and speed to ensure conviction. During the second hearing conducted by the Committee on Justice and Human Rights on bills proposing the creation of a Philippine Marshal Service that would ensure security and protection of the members of the Bench, Gordon said the CIDG should work on resolving the killings, some of which have been committed more than a decade ago. "It would be so inspiring and justice is being made in spite of the years kung nakita natin ang nagpapatay kay Judge Pattugalan, cold case tawag diyan di ba? Pati yung iba din. Di ba 31 judges had been killed? (plus 2 retired judges) include nyo din 'yang mga cases na 'yan," Gordon told PNP-CIDG Director Joel Napoleon Coronel. The CIDG has reported that 33 judges had been killed since 1999, with 23 cases already filed in various courts. Of the cases filed, 15 are still on trial, there were two convictions and six were acquittals. The assassination 13 years ago of Judge Nathaniel Pattugalan while on board a public utility jeepney in Quezon City is among the cases that have yet to be filed in court. His wife, Anastacia is one of the resource persons in the hearing. The committee chairman also underscored that there should be an urgency in the Supreme Court to have a post mortem if a case on a slain judge is dismissed to determine the reason for such. "When a judge is killed, I would imagine na the Supreme Court should make sure na mas speedy yung justice diyan. I don't think I would be biased when I say that because tinutugis mo ang katarungan. Kung napatay yung judge, NBI agent o police, dapat full-press court tayong lahat because you are hurting every citizen in this country. It is like a slap on the face," he added. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration was preparing to add a "couple of countries" to the controversial list of states whose citizens are subject to travel bans or severe restrictions on entry to the United States. "We are adding a couple of countries to it. We have to be safe. Our country has to be safe," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that the names of the new countries would be announced "very shortly". The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the administration planned to add seven countries including Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, and others in Africa and Asia. It said the other nations being considered for new rules were Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sudan and Tanzania. These countries would not necessarily face blanket bans on US travel but could see certain types of visas curtailed, the paper said, quoting administration officials. Some of these countries could see their nationals barred from participating in a visa lottery programme, which Trump has repeatedly railed against, saying he would prefer a skilled immigration policy along the lines of the systems in Canada or Australia. Unlike the nations covered by the current ban, most of these new additions do not have Muslim-majority populations. The paper added that administration officials were still debating whether to include one or two of the countries, and the new list would be announced on Monday. - Broad powers - Trump repeatedly promised during his election campaign to implement a complete ban on Muslims entering the US, and announced his first package of travel bans and restrictions shortly after taking office in January 2017. The move outraged critics and was struck down by a federal court which ruled it amounted to religious discrimination. The administration moved a second version of the policy in March 2017, which was struck down again for similar reasons. But the third version of the policy was upheld by the US Supreme Court in June 2018 in a 5-4 ruling that affirmed the president had broad power to set immigration policy based on national security justifications. The countries currently covered are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and North Korea, and political officials from Venezuela. The administration argued the inclusion of non-Muslim majority countries proved the policy was not driven by religious animus. Speaking to reporters in Jamaica, where he is on a regional tour, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was the administrationas policy "to make sure that we are getting security right, to make sure that we work with every country to have processes in place" that ensured the security of the US. The Journal's reporting, including the naming of seven new countries, ties in with earlier reporting by US media, including BuzzFeed News which said earlier this month it had obtained a draft presidential proclamation about the expansion, but names of the countries were left blank. (Image: Axis Bank) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Axis Bank share price gained nearly 3 percent in the early trade on January 23 after the company turned profitable in the quarter ended December 2019. The company has reported a 4.5 percent year-on-year gain in net profit at Rs 1,757 crore. Higher provisions and high base in Q3FY19 due to recovery in the steel sector supported profitability. The bank had reported a loss of Rs 112.08 crore in the previous quarter. Net interest income (NII), the difference between interest earned and interest expended, grew by 15.16 percent year-on-year to Rs 6,452.98 crore. Also Read - Axis Bank turns profitable in Q3 with net at Rs 1,757 cr, NII beats estimates but slippages rise Loan growth was strong for the quarter at 5.5 percent sequentially and 16 percent (the highest since Q3FY18) YoY, indicating the bank has been gaining market share along with healthy NII. Net interest margin at 3.57 percent was the highest in the last 10 quarters. IDFC Securities | Rating: Outperform | Target: Cut to Rs 830 from Rs 840 per share The research house has cut FY20 earnings to account for higher provisions and slippages. It expects the company to enhance its competitive position in the banking sector and in the worst case, BB pool will rise by an additional 1-1.2 percent. Kotak Institutional Equities | Rating: Reduce | Target: Rs 740 per share The company delivered a mixed revenue performance, while 5 percent YoY earnings growth led by a lower tax rate. The strong NII offset by a decelerating fee income growth, while slippages stubbornly high (4% of loans) this quarter. The provisions are likely to be high in the near term and could be a near-term risk. Citi | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 850 per share The asset quality stress overshadows the pre-provision operating profit growth. The slippage & provision related concerns could be an overhang. The reduction in BB and below book & NPA recovery could lead to better trends in FY21. It lower FY20/FY21 profit estimates by 16%/5% to factor in higher provisions. HSBC | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 930 per share The companys slippages are at an elevated level, but arise mostly from BB & below rated assets. The consistency in delivery should now drive re-rating. Credit Suisse | Rating: Outperform | Target: R 850 per share The stable operating performance and credit costs remain elevated. The capital levels are comfortable with CET at 14.3%. The company should continue to gain market share. It cut estimates by 5-23% on the back of higher credit costs. At 09:17 hrs, Axis Bank was quoting at Rs 728, up Rs 15.25, or 2.14 percent. on the BSE. Disclaimer: The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Toyota Motor Corp. said on Tuesday it will recall 3.4 million vehicles worldwide because of an electronic defect that can result in air bags not deploying in crashes. The recall, which includes 2.9 million U.S. vehicles, covers 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles and is tied to a report of one fatal crash. The vehicles may have an electronic control unit that does not have adequate protection against electrical noise that can occur in crashes, which could lead to incomplete or non-deployment of the air bags. It could also impede the operation of seat-belt pretensioners. In April, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expanded a probe into 12.3 million potentially defective air bags covering a number of automakers, including the vehicles Toyota is recalling. NHTSA said in April it had identified two frontal crash events, including one fatal crash involving Toyota products where (electrical overstress) is suspected as the likely cause of air bags not deploying. Both involved newer Corolla cars. NHTSA said the air bags under investigation were installed in more than 12 million vehicles from 2010 through 2019 sold by Toyota, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and Mitsubishi. They were equipped with an air bag control unit initially produced by TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., which is now owned by ZF Friedrichshafen. In total, NHTSA said as many as eight deaths could be tied to the issue. Hyundai, Kia and Fiat Chrysler previously issued recalls for more than 2.5 million vehicles with the TRW air bag control units in question that might not deploy in crashes. When it recalled nearly 2 million vehicles for air bag non-deployments in 2016, Fiat Chrysler said it had reports of three deaths and five injuries that might be related to the defect. Hyundai and Kia ultimately recalled more than 1 million vehicles for air bag non-deployment concerns in 2018. Hyundai and Kia in 2018 said they had reports of four deaths and six injuries in North America tied to the issue. Toyota dealers will install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness if needed. Toyota declined to say how many deaths or injuries have been tied to the defect. Toyota will notify vehicle owners of the recall by mid-March. (Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris Reese and Tom Brown) KUDO announces integration with Microsoft Teams KUDOs mission is to make meetings more accessible, on every level. The integration with Teams is a major push forward in that direction. KUDO, a cloud-based platform for multilingual meetings with real-time language interpretation, just announced its integration to Microsofts collaboration hub. As a result, enterprise clients relying on Microsoft Teams will now have the ability to join multilingual meetings and participate fully while speaking their own language. The new integration makes meetings more diverse and efficient by removing the language barrier. KUDO accommodates an unlimited number of languages into any meeting, with users being free to select the one they want to listen in and speakat the click of a tap. It also offers support to the deaf and those who are hearing impaired, by superimposing the video of a sign language interpreter straight on the users computer or smartphone. All done on-demand, and through a Teams Tab accessible within Microsoft Teams AppSource. Teams users will have access to a roster of over 1,300 KUDO Certified interpreters spanning virtually every language and time zones around the world. The multilingual platform is also optimized for users in mainland China, and it has been successfully vetted against a vast array of security provisions and compliance program. The new integration has many benefits for end-users. the integration signals an important milestone towards a bigger goal: Inclusion. KUDOs mission is to make meetings more accessible, on every level. The integration with Teams is a major push forward in that direction. Adds Fardad Zabetian, Founder and CEO of KUDO KUDO meetings, with live translation, will make it easy for multinational partners on Microsoft Teams to reach out to global co-workers and partners About KUDO KUDO is a cloud-based solution for multilingual business collaboration. It allows you to meet more effectively across geographic and language barriers. KUDO streams real-time language interpretation to your meetings and live conferences, so everyone can use their own language. Participants can join through their own computers or smart devices. Speakers, attendees and interpreters can be in the room or half a world across. More info http://www.kudoway.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 07:24:46|Editor: ZD Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Four people died in an plane crash incident Wednesday noon at Corona Municipal Airport, 75 kilometers east of Los Angeles downtown, U.S. state of California, local authorities said. The crash was reported at 12:11 p.m. local time, according to Corona Police Department. The plane with four on board crashed to the ground after turning off and burned on fire in the brush at the end of runway of the airport. Corona firefighter John DeYoe told reporters on the scene that there were no survivors in the fatal accident and there was no information about the plane and victim so far. He said the cause of the accident was under investigation, while saying "apparently the plane was taking off and it did strike the fence over there, flipping the plane and striking the land behind me." Witness Dorothe Voll, a pilot, was quoted by the local Press-Enterprise news organization as saying that she saw the plane strike a fence, turn over and quickly catch fire. The plane fell down no more than about 3 feet (0.91 meters) off the ground, she said. "He (pilot) didn't pull back and he was too fast at the end of the runway," Voll said. "And then he flipped and everybody was running and it started on fire. Then you had two explosions. We brought over fire extinguishers but it was all engulfed." Ian Gregor, spokesman of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the agency will investigate the crash. The European Union will advise member states to consider banning some suppliers from parts of their 5G networks, in a policy document that may give them more scope to restrict the activities of China's Huawei Technologies. The proposal is part of a so-called 'toolbox' of measures seen by Bloomberg, to help national governments to mitigate risks potentially arising from 5G mobile technology. The recommendations will help coordinate the policies of member states to reduce the likelihood of espionage and sabotage. While the measures do not explicitly mention China, they will help EU governments decide whether to limit the access of Huawei and other Chinese vendors to 5G, as phone companies accelerate investment in the technology. Member states will act following risk assessments that take into account criteria outlined in a previous report, such as the "democratic checks and balances" in the home country of the supplier, according to the latest proposals. The new document is due to be unveiled by senior EU officials next Wednesday. The proposals will also include bolstering the role of national authorities, audits of telecoms operators, and measures to ensure diversity of suppliers for any single telecommunications company. 5G promises to fix data bottlenecks in busy areas and open up more sophisticated mobile applications, such as augmented reality gaming and mapping. The technology will also be used to connect factories and transportation systems, as well as critical infrastructure. US officials have long urged European governments to exclude Huawei from their networks, arguing the business threatens their national security. Huawei and Chinese officials have repeatedly denied the company poses a spying risk. Despite the US lobbying, the long-anticipated document will not point to a blanket European ban of Chinese companies from lucrative 5G contracts. The proposals do, however, include stricter screening of foreign direct investment in the area of 5G, to avert takeovers of companies deemed critical for network security. The document also proposes anti-dumping duties and other penalties for companies benefiting from state subsidies, in what could pave the way for import levies on Chinese equipment. The European Commission's own powers are limited, as decisions to ban companies for national security reasons rest strictly with member states. The wording of the toolbox and the political agreement leave room for countries to interpret the guidelines as they wish. Telecoms companies in various European countries have already struck agreements with Huawei regarding 5G. Still, the attempt at a coordinated approach among EU members may avoid potential US or Chinese retaliation against a single European country. Many governments are wary of angering Beijing, which is a significant trading partner. China's ambassador to Germany, Wu Ken, warned last month that a Huawei ban would result in consequences, and cited German auto sales within his country. The United States is an important security ally that has said repeatedly it may reassess intelligence sharing with countries that use Huawei within their 5G networks. British culture secretary Nicky Morgan has said the UK plans to keep Huawei out of critical national infrastructure. A final decision is expected later this month. Pakistani Sikh politician Radesh Singh Tony, who was reportedly the first candidate from the country's Sikh community to contest an election for a general seat in 2018, has fled the country along with his wife and three sons because of continued threats against his life. Earlier, the Sikh leader had deactivated his Twitter account after he was assaulted by "unidentified" armed men a few weeks ago. Following the attack, he shifted from Peshawar to Lahore. Now as per reports, Tony along with his family has fled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to threats and is likely to assume asylum in India. On Wednesday, Tony, who is also a minority rights activist, released a video statement from an unverified Twitter account making an appeal to the Sikh community to help him and his family and take them out to some safe place. The tweet was re-tweeted by Zar Ali Khan Afridi, a 'Human Rights Defender working in FATA' in Pakistan. "Radesh Tony a known Human Rights Defender from Peshawar needs to be safe. He is at the highest risk. He and his family must be protected. Pakistani state operatives are killing him," tweeted Afridi. Read: "How is inclusive CAA anti-Sikh?", Capt Amarinder asks Sukhbir Badal; sends 'Mein Kampf' Tony had been the target of Islamist extremists as well as the critic by Pakistan's ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He had not only received threats against his life but also undergone a brutal assault by a group of young men. It was reported that Tony had been doing well in politics and had been turning into a popular leader within the minority community. Speaking about the atrocities faced by Tony, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manjinder S Sirsa said, "Radesh Singh Tony, who had contested the 2018 general elections in Pakistan from Peshawar as an independent candidate, was allegedly tortured by some unidentified people last month. He is receiving threats & is forced to leave the country." Tony had often been critical of the ruling government and complained about the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan. He was the only minority politician from Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to have contested election as an independent candidate last year. The Sikh community has been facing multiple atrocities against them by Pakistan with the recent one being the brutal attack by a mob of 400 on their holy shrine, Gurudwara Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak. Read: Three Sikhs stabbed to death in east London in clash within community India had strongly condemned the incident of vandalism at the revered Gurdwara and called upon the Pakistan government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of the Sikh community there. The main accused in the incident of vandalism at Nankana Sahib has been arrested and charged with a non-bailable section of the stringent anti-terrorism act (With Agency inputs) Read: Pak Sikh girl, allegedly forced to convert to Islam, refuses to go home: Court official Read: India summons Pakistan High Commissioner over attack on Nankana Sahib, killing of Sikh man Singapore Airlines budget carrier Scoot said on Thursday it had suspended its daily flights to Chinas Wuhan after authorities locked down the city at the center of a fast-spreading virus outbreak, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. Due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China, the Chinese authorities have implemented a temporary suspension of all public transportation networks in the city. Consequently, Scoots flights between Scoot and Wuhan will be affected, the airline said in a notice, adding that it was cancelling all flights to Wuhan until at least Jan 26. The airlines scheduled 6.55 p.m. flight to Wuhan had earlier appeared as canceled on the website of Singapores Changi airport. China is putting on lockdown the city of 11 million considered the epicenter of an outbreak that has killed 17 and infected nearly 600, as global health authorities prepare against a pandemic. Wuhans local government said it would shut down urban transport networks and suspend flights from 10 a.m. Thursday, state media reported, adding that authorities were urging residents not to leave, except in special circumstances. CHICO, Calif. New crime statistics are out for the City of Chico and overall crime is reportedly down by 2%. The Chico Police Department said the numbers from 2018 to 2019 are mostly positive, especially considering the 21% population increase after the Camp Fire. However, the crime report also shows a 21% spike in vehicle theft. Action News Now spoke to people about the new data. They said theyre not surprised about the increase in car thefts. In 2018, there were a total of 315 car thefts reported. While in 2019, that number climbed to 381. Action News Now spoke the Chico Police Chief Michael OBrien and asked whats being done about it. We look at a number of ways to mitigate that issue, Chief OBrien said. One is through education, letting people know what not to do, leaving cars running without anyone in the car. Were also looking at technology to arrest more people that are responsible for car theft. OBrien said automated license plate readers are also being used. They scan vehicles that are stolen. He added that theyre looking into other technology to help track down stolen cars. RELATED: Chico crime statistics from 2018 When you look at the Violent crime data chart, it dropped about 9% overall in the City of Chico from 2018 to 2019. But, reports show a 16% increase in rape in the years time. The crime report shows that in 2018 there were a total of 86 cases of rape reported; that number went up to 100 in 2019. Chief O'Brien said they are not sure what led to the spike, but that he takes sexual assault very seriously. "We do spend time educating, I know the university spends time educating the student population on the dangers of different situations and individuals, there's always a concern regarding that," O'Brien said. Chico State students told Action News Now, they're surprised with the increase. I mean, I dont really know what can be done to help it, Chico State student, Caleigh Silva said. Other than increase patrol and make sure people are aware of safety features on their phone, keeping people aware of their resources to know who to reach out to and keep yourself safe. The Police Department is still analyzing the rape increase data. Be Freedom January 23, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The rapid response to US war moves against Iran has been an exciting start toward rebuilding the anti-war movement we so desperately need. Thousands took to the streets in more than 80 cities. Its a great beginning. But, if we want a movement of millions we are going to have to reach everyday people outside of the existing movement, outside of partisan politics and outside of strictly moral appeals. We start by waging peace because the anti-war movement is the main path to anti-imperialist action or so the history of the Vietnam Era would suggest. If we want to grow from a radical movement of thousands to a disruptive movement of millions our job is to help people discover their own economic and political interests for opposing war and empire. In other words, we have to help people see war not simply as a morality play, or electoral politics, or as a separate foreign policy issue but as a power struggle their struggle. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Ten anti-war messages in no special order: We should never have been there in the first place. By the end of the Vietnam War, this straightforward idea was popular anti-imperialism and it challenged the US role as cops of the world. It was stock wisdom among millions of everyday anti-war Americans. We should have never been in the Middle East, or anywhere else, in the first place. Empire abroad means empire at home. War and empire do not defend democracy but destroys it. It was the empire that undermined what little remained of representative democracy once the Executive Branch took over all war-making powers and everyone else fell into line. When the Military-Industrial-Complex and the secret police became major players in the government and media, democracy gave up its last ghost. Proof? We have not had a constitutional declaration of war since WWII. If the highest law of the land is routinely violated for 70 years so much for the rule of law. Stop the Poverty Draft! The lack of decent wages, universal health care, and free higher education are the main recruiters for the poverty draft. The 1.2 trillion we spend annually for war enforces austerity at home by diverting funds and resources. Only the 1% get rich on war. The war machine thrives on and creates poverty. Hate and fear of the other is the culture of war. Hate and violence abroad and the culture of hate and violence at home exist in a vicious feedback loop. Its not a coincidence that the hate demanded by the wars inflicted upon black and brown people abroad find a direct domestic parallel in the militarized penal system aimed at black, brown and poor and the attacks on immigrants of color. And make no mistakes, its war that drives climate change. Not only is the military the largest consumer of fossil fuels, its the enforcer of an oil empire. War captures resources and forces countries to submit to a global regime where the US dollar is the only acceptable currency for trading fossil fuels. Stand outside of the oil empire refuse to pay imperial tribute and its regime change time for you. Defend democracy and national sovereignty. Not only does the US routinely violate the national sovereignty of other countries but also attack legally elected governments. This is not debatable but plain fact know the history. We are sick of being lied to. We have decades of proof that the war-makers lie the Afghanistan Papers being the most recent. Every claim made by every political official should be judged in that light. The public record is clear war is based on lies and deception. Remember: In War Truth is the First Casualty. Listen to anti-war soldiers and veterans. The greatest challenge to war is anti-war soldiers and veterans because they completely upset the empires narratives and are the most effective of all protestors. The peace movement from within the militarys ranks is a bridge between some hard-won, down and dirty knowledge about war and millions of people who do not currently define themselves as anti-war. Support About Face, Vets for Peace and Veterans Power. Empires rise and empires fall without exception. American Exceptionalism has conditioned us to see the US as a moral force outside of history. Exceptionalism is a master narrative of war that blinds us to the dangers of an empire in decline. The liberal aspects of Exceptionalism are the hardest to see but they encourage us to understand war as a morality play with the US acting as a force for good in the world. Imperial wars are unwinnable wars. Eighteen years in Afghanistan and over 25 years of on-again-off-again war with Iraq prove that these wars are unwinnable. Unwinnable wars are just permanent military occupations the hallmark of empire. Sooner or later the facts become obvious to the people under US control and they want their countries back. What should be our most important anti-war narratives? Lets start out right with the goal of bringing the US empire into view as a target for political action. We need stories that help reveal to millions of people the true nature of empire. We need stories that can help us organize actual constraints on the war machine. We need stories that help us to find the beginnings of freedom in the end of empire. This article was originally published by "Be Freedom" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== The chief executive of Volkswagen Group, Herbert Diess has said he appreciates the work that Tesla has done to prove that electric cars are viable as a mass market option. The U.S. electric car maker is set to open a factory just outside Berlin which will make Model Y cars as well as batteries, battery packs and powertrains for use in other Tesla vehicles. The forest site is being sealed off to ramblers as authorities start groundworks and check for unexploded World War II explosives. Tesla's foray in the home of the German auto giants is expected to be up and running in 2021. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Diess said he welcomed the challenge. "I think it's great to have good competition. We think that Tesla plays a very important role in the transition because they are paving the way," he said. "They showed that electric cars are working, that a fully electric car is the right solution. So, we appreciate that," he added. Following a 2015 scandal which saw VW Group caught out for cheating during diesel emissions tests, the company has accelerated its electric car program. VW, which vies with Toyota as the world's biggest seller of automobiles, has pledged to launch eight new electric and hybrid cars in 2020. Diess said that both traditional engine and electric cars are becoming "the most relevant and precious units in the internet." The CEO argued that data streams in and out of the car will be much higher than smartphones, pushing the car of the future into a new role in the internet ecosystem. Despite shrinking global auto markets, VW Group grew its worldwide deliveries by 1.3% to 10,974,600 vehicles in 2019. Its biggest market, Europe, accounted for more than 4.5 million auto sales across the year. Shares in the firm are up almost 25% over the last 12 months and more than 6% higher than the low of the 2015 "Dieselgate" crisis. Volkswagen Group is the umbrella organization for a range of brands that, among others, include Porsche, Audi, Seat, Lamborghini and Ducati. One of the architects of VW Group's recovery is Luca de Meo, who quit as head of Volkswagen's Seat brand earlier this month. Although still officially with VW, the Italian is currently the favorite to take the role of the now vacant position as CEO of Renault. Diess told CNBC that de Meo had confirmed to VW that he was in talks with Renault, adding that it was sad to see him leaving VW. Amritsar (Punjab) [India], Jan 23 (ANI): To mark the 71st Republic Day, which India is going to celebrate on January 26, a government school teacher here has made a national flag with 71,000 toothpicks. Teacher Baljinder Singh, who took 40 days to achieve the feat, said: "Ahead of the Republic Day, I made a national flag with toothpicks." "For a long time, I had been thinking of doing something which no one has done before. So, I came up with this idea. I want this to be the longest flag. It took me 40 days to complete the flag," Singh told ANI. "At the district level, we will have a Republic Day celebration. I will try to present my flag on the occasion," added Singh. Meanwhile, the women bikers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be participating in the Republic Day parade on the Rajpath in the national capital. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will arrive in India on January 24 for a four-day visit. He will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade. He will also hold talks with the Indian leadership to bolster trade and investment between the two countries. Bolsonaro will be the third Brazilian President to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade. (ANI) Haiti - Technology : Inauguration of the MIDAS computer system at the border crossing of Malpasse Wednesday 22 January in the presence in particular of Amos Zephiri, Director General of the Ministry of the Interior, Michele J. Sison, the American Ambassador accredited to Haiti, Joseph Cianciulli, Director of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) and Giuseppe Loprete Head of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM-Haiti) was inaugurated the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) at the office of the DIE in Malpasse. Developed in 2009 by IOM, the MIDAS system collects, process, store and analyses traveler information in real time. People entering and leaving Haiti are now controlled more efficiently through this new computerized system, thus contributing to increased border security. MIDAS facilitates crossing of travelers through the automatic capture of biometric information, as well as the work of DIE officers. According to information shared by the DIE, from 1st to 31st December 2019, 22,551 persons have already been registered. As indicated by the Director of the DIE, Mr. Joseph Cianciulli, "the DIE no longer only produces passports, it now has full control over migration control". For his part, the Chief of Mission of IOM Haiti, Mr. Giuseppe Loprete, stressed that "IOM's support in the installation of MIDAS at the Malpasse border point is only the beginning. As of this year, the Ouanaminthe and Belladere border points will also have MIDAS, and then potentially the international airports of Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince, in order to have an interconnected national migration control system". The Ambassador of the United States remarked, "The inauguration of Haitis first MIDAS installation here in Malpasse represents an important step in modernizing the cross-border travel between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. [It is] an excellent example of cooperation among the Haitian government, the United States government, and IOM." Le's recall that the MIDAS system has been operational in Malpasse since 28 November 2019 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29115-haiti-news-zapping.html thanks to funding from the US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). HL/ HaitiLibre According to Eurostat, average rents in Hungary have increased by more than 60% between 2007 and the third quarter of 2019, writes novekedes.hu. Rents have risen higher only in the Czech Republic and Lithuania, with the former rising by almost 80% and the latter by more than 100% over the last 12 years. Ingatlan.com, on the basis of advertisements posted by more than 10,000 individuals last year and January this year, looked at where the Hungarian sublease market is now. The average rent for apartments in Budapest was HUF 165,000 in January this year, which represents a 10% increase year-on-year. In county areas, the monthly fee increased by 11% to HUF 100,000. Laszlo Balogh, a senior financial expert at ingatlan.com, said that rents are still rising at average rent levels. The rise in prices since January last year is also due to the significant rise in wage levels in Hungary, which may continue this year, albeit to a lesser extent than in recent years. Because of this, owners are able to ask for more money for renting apartments year after year said the specialist. He added that the fact that the majority of people moving to Budapest and other big cities rent in the first few years rather than buy a home, due to high real estate prices also plays a role in the rise in average rent. This, in turn, means a steady supply of demand for rented homes, novekedes.hu explains. The Maharashtra Youth Congress on Thursday launched a campaign against the "unemployment crisis" in the country and demanded the creation of a Register of Unemployment (NRU) instead of CAA or NRC. "CAA and NRC are being brought forward by the ruling BJP to divert people's attention from the government's failures on its economic policies and employment generation. The youth of India don't need CAA, NRC, instead, the Youth needs Register of Unemployment (NRU)," said Maharashtra Youth Congress president Satyajeet Tambe on Thursday, according to a release. It also alleged that BJP is working on the agenda of privatisation and on cutting down government jobs. "Unemployment in India is highest in 45 years according to NSSO figures and at least two out of every five young Indians are unemployed or have no training. BJP is working on its agenda of privatisation and cutting down government jobs," the statement added. It also accused the Central government of withholding the recruitment process on many vacancies. Urging people to come forward, the Youth Congress also released a toll-free number on which any unemployed Indian can give a missed call to show their support and demand the creation of NRU. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Can Christian schools qualify for a state tax credit? Supreme Court hears arguments Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a case centered on whether religious schools in Montana can qualify for a state tax credit on scholarships. Attorneys presented their arguments before the high court on Wednesday in the case of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. At issue was a group of parents whose children attended religious schools, suing the state to allow for the tax credit to be used for private religious school scholarships. Diana Verm, senior counsel with Becket, whose organization filed an amicus brief in the case on behalf of the plaintiffs, told The Christian Post that she thought that the argument went well. It was clear that at bottom, the justices realized that this case is about religious discrimination, and they grappled with the question of whether the state can take away a state benefit just because people can use that benefit at a religious school, said Verm. Verm also noted that the Supreme Court justices appeared interested by the history behind Montanas state constitutional amendment prohibiting government funding of any religious entities, including schools. Known as a Blaine Amendment, Montana is one of 36 states to have such provisions in their constitutions. Critics, including groups like Becket, argue that they are religiously bigoted, having been created to prevent state funding of Catholic schools. At one point, Justice Kavanaugh asked counsel for Montana about the grotesque religious bigotry against Catholics that gave rise to the Blaines, noted Verm. Those are strong words. Verm is optimistic that the high court will do the right thing in this case and rule in favor of Kendra Espinoza and the other parents. Alex Luchenitser, associate legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State who was present to hear the arguments, told CP that the court appeared troubled in various ways by the arguments made by proponents of the voucher program. Some of the justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, expressed concern about whether it would be procedurally improper for the Supreme Court to decide the case, explained Luchenitser. Specifically, some of the justices pointed out that because the Montana Supreme Court struck down the voucher program in its entirety, there was no discrimination between religious and secular private schools, while other justices noted that voucher payments are made directly to private schools, but no private schools are parties to the case. Americans United filed an amicus brief along with 17 other organizations in favor of the Supreme Court affirming a lower court ruling against the tax credit for religious schools. Luchenitser went on to explain that Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer had all expressed concerns about the tax credit for scholarships including sectarian schools. Kagan also emphasized that government funding can impose burdens and costs on religious institutions, lead to religious divisiveness and violate taxpayers freedom of conscience, he recalled. Breyer expressed concern that a ruling in favor of the voucher proponents in this case would be a step toward requiring any governmental body that funds public education to equally fund religious education. Regarding a possible outcome, Luchenitser felt that whichever way the Supreme Court rules, it is likely that the vote will be very close. In 2015, Montana passed Senate Bill 410, which allowed tax credits for donations of up to $150 to either private school scholarships or educational programs in public schools. Initially, the state prohibited religious schools from participating, citing Article X, Section 6 of Montanas constitution, which bars public funds from going to any sectarian purpose or to aid any church, school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other literary or scientific institution, controlled in whole or in part by any church, sect, or denomination. In response, a group of parents filed suit and in 2016, a judge issued a preliminary injunction, allowing students at religious schools to receive the scholarships. In December 2018, the Montana Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the tax credit program violated the state constitution and struck it down. We conclude that Montanas Constitution more broadly prohibits any state aid to sectarian schools and draws a more stringent line than that drawn by its federal counterpart, read the majority opinion. The Legislature, by enacting a statute that provides a dollar-for-dollar credit against taxes owed to the state, is the entity providing aid to sectarian schools via tax credits in violation of Article X, Section 6. Last July, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in the case, with the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom expressing optimism at the granting of appeal. At a minimum, the Court appears ready to say that religious schools cannot be discriminated against in a state tax-credit program, stated John Bursch of the ADF to CP last year. Were hopeful that the Court says that all state actions discriminating against religious schools are unconstitutional. Understanding the demographic factors which affect clinical outcomes following radical cystectomy (RC) is critical for improving oncologic outcomes for all patients. A recent study published in European Urology Oncology examined intraoperative and postoperative differences in outcomes between male and female patients who underwent radical cystectomy.The investigators examined the American Cancer Society National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database for patients who had a cystectomy between 2011 and 2017. They used propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariable logistic regression analysis to evaluate the role of sex as a clinical variable that affects outcomes. The study assessed complications, and reoperation in the immediate postsurgical and differences in reproductive organ-preserving radical cystectomy (ROPRC) and RC groups.After propensity score matching, the investigators found that the the risks of readmission (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.228 [1.0051.510], p = 0.045), superficial surgical site infection (aOR 1.507 [1.0952.086], p = 0.012), and transfusion rates (aOR 2.031 [1.7132.411], p < 0.001) were higher in women undergoing cystectomy compared to men. They found no significant differences in surgical outcomes between women undergoing ROPRC and those undergoing RC.Additional research is needed to understand the reasons behind disparities in clinical outcomes between men and women. Addressing these disparities will lead to improved clinical outcomes.Written by: Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, Director of Bladder Cancer Research, Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, New YorkReference:1. Bukavina, Laura, Kirtishri Mishra, Amr Mahran, Anjali Shekar, David Sheyn, Emily Slopnick, Adoniz Hijaz, Jason Jankowski, Lee Ponsky, and Carvell Nguyen. "Gender Disparity in Cystectomy Postoperative Outcomes: Propensity Score Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database." European Urology Oncology (2019). Brian lived the life of a typical actor on the rise during those years, onstage and in movies and television I remember running lines with him when he scored a small part in the John Candy comedy Uncle Buck, and he had a running gig on the soap opera One Life to Live. After I left New York, I would always brighten when I saw him show up in various movies there he was in Donnie Brasco! Summer of Sam! Ghost Town! If I saw him in a film I was reviewing, I would always try to name-check Brian, not only because he added an indelible comic touch to whatever role he was playing, however brief, but as a sort of smoke signal across the years, to let him know that Annie was still his biggest fan (even if I didnt always love the movies he was in). BOSTON and SAN DIEGO and TAMPA, Fla. and WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Anzu Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in breakthrough industrial technologies, today announced that it has successfully completed fundraising for its second venture capital fund, Anzu Industrial Capital Partners II L.P. and AICP II Limited, at $190 million USD (Anzu Industrial Fund II). Similar to Anzu's first fund, which closed in December 2017 at $128 million USD, Fund II is investing primarily in U.S. and Canada-based private industrial technology companies that innovate in manufacturing, materials, monitoring & measurement, and modeling. Anzu Partners' senior leadership comprises Managing Partners David Michael, David Seldin, Whitney Haring-Smith, and John Ho, PhD, who has been promoted to Partner. The Anzu professional team of 36 staff includes eight PhDs in technical disciplines. The fund's investors include institutions, family offices, and individuals across the U.S. and overseas. The firm has offices in Boston, MA, San Diego, CA, Tampa, FL, and Washington, DC. "We are delighted that the support of our investor community has allowed us to close our second fund well above our original target," said David Michael, Managing Partner. "We have a relentless focus on the breakthrough technologies that will enable tomorrow's industries. Within this theme we continue to see a strong pipeline of investment opportunities, and we aim to be the investor of choice for the best early stage companies in these areas." As part of Fund II, Anzu recently made investments in: BioSkryb ( Durham, NC ) BioSkryb develops genomic amplification technologies that deliver higher coverage and fidelity for various gene sequencing applications, such as single cell genomics. ( ) BioSkryb develops genomic amplification technologies that deliver higher coverage and fidelity for various gene sequencing applications, such as single cell genomics. Boston Microfluidics ( Cambridge, MA ) - Boston Microfluidics develops simple and intuitive blood collection devices designed to enable personalized medicine worldwide. ( ) - Boston Microfluidics develops simple and intuitive blood collection devices designed to enable personalized medicine worldwide. GelSight ( Waltham, MA ) - GelSight develops portable, non-destructive elastomeric 3D imaging systems used to improve quality control processes in aerospace, automotive and other high-value industries. Its systems provide detailed and rapid surface measurements through a technology originally invented at MIT . ( ) - GelSight develops portable, non-destructive elastomeric 3D imaging systems used to improve quality control processes in aerospace, automotive and other high-value industries. Its systems provide detailed and rapid surface measurements through a technology originally invented at . immunoSCAPE ( Singapore ) - immunoSCAPE provides a proprietary immune profiling solution, focused on high-dimensional profiling of T-cell populations by antigen specificity and phenotype, for use in the development of immunotherapies and therapeutic vaccines, and as a companion diagnostic. ( ) - immunoSCAPE provides a proprietary immune profiling solution, focused on high-dimensional profiling of T-cell populations by antigen specificity and phenotype, for use in the development of immunotherapies and therapeutic vaccines, and as a companion diagnostic. NTX Bio ( Santa Fe, NM ) - NTX Bio develops a cell-free process to produce biologics of high purity, stability, and low cost. The firm has the world's first fully recombinant cell-free system based on thermophile strains and using continuous flow bioreactors. ( ) - NTX Bio develops a cell-free process to produce biologics of high purity, stability, and low cost. The firm has the world's first fully recombinant cell-free system based on thermophile strains and using continuous flow bioreactors. Sofregen ( Medford, MA ) - Sofregen is developing an advanced platform of products based on silk protein - also known as fibroin - that has been shown to have unique properties for tissue support and regeneration. ( ) - Sofregen is developing an advanced platform of products based on silk protein - also known as fibroin - that has been shown to have unique properties for tissue support and regeneration. Solchroma Technologies ( Somerville, MA ) Solchroma builds full color, reflective digital displays for the smart cities of the future. Its proprietary system produces a vivid, dynamic, and reflective display that does not require an internal light source and consumes only 1% of the energy of existing LED-based displays. Dr. John Ho has been promoted to Partner after joining the firm in 2016. John received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was instrumental in leading investments in Fund I and Fund II companies, including 6K, GelSight, NTX Bio, OTI Lumionics, Solchroma, TeraPore, and Zeteo Tech. John spearheaded the development of Anzu's presence in greater Boston, where the firm recently opened a 17,000 sq. ft. integrated R&D, manufacturing, and flexible office space for its portfolio companies. To learn more about Anzu Partners, Anzu Industrial Fund I and II, and its portfolio companies, please visit https://anzupartners.com . About Anzu Partners Anzu Partners is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in breakthrough industrial technologies. Anzu teams with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital and deep expertise in business development, market positioning, global connectivity, and operations. For more information, please visit https://anzupartners.com . On Twitter: @anzupartners . Disclaimer Anzu Partners is providing this press release for informational purposes only. This is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation for an offer to buy an interest in any fund managed by Anzu Partners. The interests in the Anzu Industrial Fund have not been recommended, approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or by the securities regulatory authority of any state or of any other U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdiction, including but not limited to Canada, nor has the SEC or any such securities regulatory authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. Investment in any security involves substantial risk. This press release only provides a partial list of the investments made by Anzu Industrial Fund and does not purport to list all investments made by, or that will be made by, it. Anzu Partners is under no obligation to update any of the information set forth herein. Additionally, no guarantee is being given that any investment recommendation made by Anzu Partners will be profitable. This press release includes forward-looking statements that represent Anzu Partners' opinions, expectations, believes, intentions, estimates, or strategies regarding the future, which may not be realized. These statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," "should," "seek," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect Anzu Partners' view and assumptions with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual and future results and trends could differ materially from those described by such statements due to various factors, including those beyond Anzu Partners' ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Anzu Partners does not guarantee that the events described in this press release will happen as described. CONTACT Rob Haralson (202) 674-6679 [email protected] SOURCE Anzu Partners Related Links https://anzupartners.com Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. After China trade deal, Europe and UK next on Trump's to-do list FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump at the NATO leaders summit in Watford WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to rip up international trade deals and rebalance America's global trade relationships. Three years into his presidency, he has done just that, using a slew of tariffs, threats, and bilateral talks to shake up relations with nearly every major U.S. trading partner. With a Phase 1 trade deal in hand with China, and a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) complete at home, Trump is now turning his attention to Europe, post-Brexit Britain, and India. (GRAPHIC: United States top trade partners - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/USA-TRADE-DEADLINE/0H001QXN99RV/eikon.png) Here's what's likely to happen next: EUROPEAN UNION Washington and the European Union remain at odds over aircraft subsidies, trade barriers, and plans by European countries to impose taxes on digital services. Trump this week renewed threats to impose "Section 232" tariffs of up to 25% on auto imports from the EU, even though he missed a November deadline set by U.S. law to decide on the tariffs. The EU will respond to any additional tariffs with duties of its own, Germany's ambassador to the United States, Emily Haber, said on Wednesday. France on Monday agreed to suspend a 3% digital tax on U.S. tech companies in exchange for Washington holding off on a threat to impose tariffs of up to 100% on a $2.4 billion list of French imports, a French diplomatic source said. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Italy and Britain will also face tariffs if they impose digital taxes. Washington has already imposed a 25% tariff on European wines and other goods, and a 10% tariff on aircraft, and threatened to raise those tariffs and expand the list of affected products if the subsidy issue is not resolved. BRITAIN Trump has been promising a "massive" new trade deal with the U.K., the United States' seventh-largest trading partner, since British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's election win in December, but a rift opened between the two countries this week. Story continues After Mnuchin and Trump both threatened to put tariffs on imports from Britain if it proceeds with a planned digital tax, Britain's finance minister Sajid Javid said it would go ahead with the tax in April anyway. Javid also said at Davos that a new trade deal with the EU was Britains "first priority" ahead of a deal with the United States. NORTH AMERICA Trump is expected to sign into law in coming weeks legislation that will implement the new United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement. Mexico has already ratified the deal, which replaces the 26-year-old NAFTA, and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing for the Canadian Parliament to ratify it as quickly as possible. His Conservative opposition wants more time to study the agreement. INDIA The United States eliminated India's special trade status under the Generalized System of Preferences in June, affecting some $5.6 billion worth of Indian exports to the United States, amid a dispute over India's new digital trade restrictions. Both governments had hoped to hammer out a limited trade deal in September, but negotiations fell apart over tariffs on U.S. farm products and approval schedules for Indian pharmaceuticals. Discussions have heated up again ahead of Trump's expected visit to India in February. JAPAN Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September signed a limited trade deal that cuts tariffs on U.S. farm goods, Japanese machine tools and other products, deferring a threat of higher U.S. car duties. The two countries are due to tackle the automotive issue in a second round of negotiations expected to start in April. CHINA PHASE 2 The United States and China are expected to start talks on thorny issues such as Chinese subsidies as part of a Phase 2 trade deal, after Washington agreed in December to roll back some tariffs in exchange for China's pledge to buy $200 billion more in U.S. goods and services over the next two years. Trade experts are sceptical that any agreement will occur before the U.S. presidential election in November. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Heather Timmons; Editing by Heather Timmons and Paul Simao) A second Chinese city has been put on lockdown as officials attempt to halt the outbreak of coronavirus. Wuhan, which is home to 11 million people, has temporarily shut down its public transport systems and residents have been told not to leave the area. Officials have now said that residents should not leave the city of Huanggang - some 50 miles from Wuhan - unless there are "special circumstances", according to local media. The respiratory illness has already spread to other parts of China, and there have been cases detected in other countries including the US and Thailand. Officials say at least 444 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Chinas Hubei province, where at least 17 people have died. Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center / AP Chinese state media said Wuhan had its train stations and airport closed, while ferries and long-distance buses were also stopped. Residents have also been told to avoid crowds and minimise public gatherings. State news agency Xinhua said tourist attractions and hotels in the city had been told to suspend large-scale activities while libraries, museums and theatres were cancelling exhibitions and performances. A Lunar New Year prayer-giving ceremony at the city's Guiyuan Temple, which attracted 700,000 people last year, has also been cancelled. The UK Government announced all direct flights from Wuhan into Heathrow would be subject to enhanced monitoring, while the Foreign Office advised against all but essential travel to the city. Pedestrians wear protective masks as they walk through a shopping district in Tokyo / AP Business minister Andrea Leadsom said the virus was a "huge concern" for the world, adding: "We are now routinely checking all flights from Wuhan - obviously this is a huge concern for the world but in particular for that city in China, which I understand is now in lockdown, and we will of course be guided by all of the advice that comes from the world health authorities and also from the evidence thats coming out of China itself." Experts will meet again on Thursday to decide whether to declare an international public health emergency over the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) was expected to make the decision on Wednesday but said it needed more information, describing the emergence of the disease as an evolving and complex situation. To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science, said WHOs representative in China, Gauden Galea. It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work. A man who died from a respiratory illness had purchased goods from a seafood market in the city of Wuhan / AFP via Getty Images The Peoples Daily newspaper also reported Hong Kong had its first confirmed case of the illness. Following a meeting of an emergency committee on Wednesday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said: There was an excellent discussion during the committee today, but it was also clear that, to proceed, we need more information. Security guards stand in front of the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market where a man with coronavirus died / AFP via Getty Images For that reason, I have decided to ask the emergency committee to meet again tomorrow to continue their discussion and the chair, Dr Houssin, has agreed with that request. The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China (REUTERS) / Reuters He said there is a team in China working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak, and he added: We will have much more to say tomorrow. On Wednesday the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said precautionary measures were being put in place at Heathrow after cases of the virus spread to other parts of the world. There are three direct flights a week from Wuhan in China to Heathrow Airport, landing at around 6pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Medical staff transfer a patient from an ambulance at the Jinyintan hospital / REUTERS Under the new measures, it was planned that planes would be taken to an isolated area of terminal four. The captain of each flight would then tell passengers during landing to let a flight attendant know if they feel unwell, and these details would then be passed on to public health teams at the airport who would carry out further checks. Meanwhile, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice for China, with a spokesman saying: In light of the latest medical information, including reports of some person-to-person transmission, and the Chinese authorities own advice, we are now advising against all but essential travel to Wuhan. The safety and security of British nationals is always our primary concern and we advise British nationals travelling to China to remain vigilant and check our travel advice on gov.uk. Public Health England (PHE) upgraded the risk to the UK population from coronavirus from very low to low. A handful of cases have been identified abroad, including in Japan and the US, but there have been no reported cases in the UK. Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang / AP Professor Neil Ferguson, director of the Medical Research Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, said the estimated number of people infected with coronavirus in Wuhan is around 4,000, with a range between 1,000 and 9,700. Asked whether it was possible the virus had already reached the UK, professor Ferguson said he could not rule it out. He said: We cant rule out that possibility. Border screening, and in this case, in the UK, alerting the health system is not 100 percent foolproof there could be a mild case. The UK is not a major destination of visitors travelling out of Wuhan around the world though. So I would say it was unlikely, but cant be completely sure. Explaining why there is global concern about the virus, Dr Josie Golding, epidemics lead at Wellcome, said it was because so little is known about it. Illegal armed groups in Donbas must first be disarmed, the Ukrainian official says. Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group's political subgroup Oleksiy Reznikov has said the Minsk agreements should be revised in terms of priority of control over the border and the conduct of elections in Donbas. "Ukraine's new position remains unchanged. It was proclaimed during the Normandy Four summit by President Zelensky <...> that at least as regards [the issue of regaining border control], the Minsk agreements are subject to revision," Reznikov told the Novoye Vremya news outlet. Read alsoHybrid war in Donbas: Ex-OSCE envoy Sajdik names actual parties to conflict According to the official, paragraphs of the Minsk agreements must be implemented in the following order: - Disarmament of illegal armed groups in Donbas; - Establishment of complete ceasefire; - Withdrawal of all illegal armed groups from the territory of Ukraine; - Re-establishment of Ukrainian control over the eastern border; - Holding elections. "It is impossible to hold elections if the Ukrainian border with Russia is beyond control of the Ukrainian military. This is evidenced by international experience. <...> The Ukrainian delegation will insist that the Minsk agreements be subject to revision and updating at least in this regard," he said. Andy Serkis, will receive the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the 73rd EE British Academy Film Awards (Bafta) Andy Serkis will be honoured with the outstanding contribution to cinema award at the British Academy film awards. The filmmaker, 55, is currently directing Venom 2 starring Tom Hardy. He previously starred in The Lord Of The Rings and Planet Of The Apes films and co-founded The Imaginarium Studios with film producer Jonathan Cavendish. Serkis said: "I'm deeply honoured and thrilled to receive this award, and count myself extremely lucky to be on such a continually fascinating journey in visual storytelling, one that has given me the opportunity to collaborate with many of the world's greatest artists, technologists and craftspeople, with whom I'd like to share this wonderful accolade." The accolade is one of Bafta's highest honours, and Serkis follows in the footsteps of previous recipients including Ridley and Tony Scott, Film4 Productions, the Harry Potter series of films, John Hurt, Peter Greenaway and BBC Films. Andy Serkis in a motion capture suit (Disney) Marc Samuelson, chair of Baftas film committee said: Andys work on and off screen has been nothing short of revolutionary, inspiring audiences and his peers alike. Read more: Andy Serkis disses Queen at the BAFTAs His pioneering influence as a performer, an educator, a leading innovator and an employer has helped shape the global film industry and the positive impact will be felt for years to come. Hes a truly remarkable ambassador for our industry and a thoroughly deserving recipient of this years outstanding achievement award. Andy Serkis starred in 'The Lord of the Rings' films (Gregory Pace/FilmMagic) He has been Bafta nominated twice, for playing Ian Dury in Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, and for playing Ian Brady on television in Longford. Serkis was credited for helping pioneer the evolving art of performance capture and widen the parameters of what it means to be an actor in the 21st through characters such as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series, the eponymous gorilla in 2005s King Kong and as Supreme Leader Snoke in the recent Star Wars trilogy. As such, Serkis has been integral to the development of performance-capture technology, which enables filmmakers to bring to life characters which would be otherwise very difficult to accurately recreate on screen. Story continues His other film roles include Career Girls, Topsy-Turvy, The Escapist, Deathwatch, 24 Hour Party People, 13 Going on 30, Stormbreaker, The Prestige, Flushed Away, The Cottage, Inkheart, Brighton Rock, Burke and Hare, Wild Bill and The Adventures of Tintin. Serkis made his directorial debut with Breathe in 2017, and has since directed Netflixs Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, based on the Jungle Book. Read more: Serkis teases extraordinary Venom 2 plans In 2011, Serkis founded The Imaginarium Studios, a production company and digital studio dedicated to creating believable and emotionally-engaging digital characters using performance capture technology. He has also consulted on motion capture on a number of films including the 2014 version of Godzilla and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which he also plays the villain Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther, the latter of which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance in a Cast in a Motion Picture. NNPA Urges Better U.S.-Cuba Relations National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. joined experts and academics from the United States and Cuba in Havana to seek strategies, solutions, and projects they hope would help rekindle relations between the countries. The majority of the people of the United States want better relations with Cuba, and that is the will that must prevail, stated Chavis, who counted among the delegation of 30 American scholars who attended the 18th edition of the Series of Academic Conversations on Cuba in the Foreign Policy of the United States of America. Sponsored by the Research Center on International Policies and the Raul Roa Higher Institute for International Relations, the conference highlighted how the Trump Administration has setback U.S.-Cuba relations after former President Barack Obama worked toward a more agreeable relationship. ADVERTISEMENT Heres the text of Dr. Chavis full keynote address: On behalf of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the national trade association of the Black Press of America representing 225 African American owned newspapers across the United States of America, I bring to each of you our expressions of solidarity and comradeship in the ongoing international struggle for freedom, justice, equality for all of humanity throughout the world. Todays conference is very important not only for the people of Cuba and for the people of the United States, but also this dialogue and these discussions over the next days here in Havana will have a positive impact, I believe, on improving the quality of life for all people throughout the world who especially cry out for freedom. I stand before you as a longtime freedom fighter, former U.S. political prisoner, journalist and as the President and CEO of the NNPA, but most importantly, I stand before you as your Brother and as your Comrade in our joint struggle and global movement for freedom and justice. The truth is if we all together can work to improve relations between the United States and Cuba, that success will bring benefits to all people in this region of the world and to all people in all regions of the world. Why is it that still in 2019, the United States is still imposing a Blockade on Cuba? Why? Whose interests are being served in this prolonged and unjust economic, political, and social blockade of Cuba by the United States? It is not in the interests of the people of Cuba for the blockade to continue. And it is not in the interests of the people of the United States for the blockade to continue. Therefore, my first point to emphasize today is that the most effective expression of international solidarity between the people of the Cuba and the people of the United States requires and demands an immediate end to the United States blockade of Cuba. ADVERTISEMENT The U.S. blockade of Cuba is a contradictory relic of the past, but it is a present day reminder of the awful, sinful, counterproductive, and devastating realities of international imperialism, exploitation and racism. I can state without fear of reprisal that the Black Press of America does not support the blockade of Cuba. We demand an end to the blockade immediately. We want to help improve relations between our two nations. I say our two nations because, as a descendant of Africa living, striving and struggling in the United States, whenever I am in Cuba, I not only feel at home, I know that I am at home here in Cuba because of what Cuba has done and continues to do for Africa and for all African people throughout the African Diaspora, as well as what Cuba continues to do today internationally to improve healthcare for all of humanity throughout the world. Several weeks ago, I spoke at the Embassy of Cuba to the United States on November 25, 2019 noting the anniversary when H.E. Comrade President Fidel Castro made his transition to eternal life. I noted then, and I want to repeat it here as part my intervention and statement to this outstanding gathering of colleagues and those who are interested in improving international relations. The Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro was one of the most important and effective revolutions of the 20th Century against imperialism, colonialism and racism. Today at the end of the second decade of the 21st Century, the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castros enduring legacy, government, values, commitments, achievements and vast social and economic transformations continue to set a righteous and transformative ideal for the rest of the world to learn from and to follow. This past November 25th , I reminded the people gathered at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, that when Fidel Castro dispatched thousands of courageous Cuban troops to Angola in southern Africa in the 1980s, it permanently changed and reversed the tragic oppressive trajectory of imperialism, neocolonialism, and the brutal Apartheid South Africas quest to dominate and control all of southern Africa. My remarks today are not just from reading the books of history that are in fact important to read for all who stand for the liberation of humanity from the systems and structures of oppression. But my remarks are from being an actual firsthand witness to history being made and continuing to be made by the contributions and interventions of Cuban to the liberation of humanity. I witnessed and had fellowship with Cuban soldiers in Angola in 1988 in the aftermath of the heroic victory of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola. I vividly remember as an African America Christian clergy going down into the fresh war-zone foxholes with Cuban soldiers who were deployed on the frontlines near Cuito Cuanavale. We broke bead together. We prayed together. We fought for freedom together against the imperialistic enemies. And we won an historic victory together against the racism and oppression of apartheid for the benefit of Angola, South Africa and Namibia that permanently changed the course of history in southern Africa. In fact, that strategic and consequential victory of Angolan, Namibian, and African National Congress soldiers fighting alongside Cuban troops against the apartheid armed forces inside of southern Angola at the battle of Cuito Cuanavale actually led to the eventual release of Comrade Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa. That is a piece of history that sometimes does not get reported or appreciated in the so-called mainstream media in the United States. I am proud that the Black Press of America: African American owned newspapers, digital companies, social media channels, radio stations and other broadcast media does continue today to report and distribute the news about Cuba and about all of our people throughout the African Diaspora. And, of course, the Republic of Cuba is a nation that is a vital and strategic part of the African Diaspora that sometimes is misunderstood, undervalued, and at times not referenced sufficiently in the local, national, and international media. My point here, before moving on, is that history is important. We should learn from history. What are the lessons of history that we all have to remind ourselves of today with respect to success of the Cuban Revolution? What is the lingering relevance of White Supremacy and race in American foreign policy as well as its domestic policy when it comes to Cuba and the rest of the Diaspora? The purpose of this conference goes beyond the articulation of contemporary analyses, new research data, and the stated quest for overcoming the new and old challenges to improve relations between Cuba and the United States. I therefore state the following additional six points to further our dialogue and conversations about the current state of affairs, policies, challenges, opportunities and responsibilities for the conference to outline possible solutions to advance the interests of the people and government of Cuba in the wake of the continuation of the U.S. blockade, as well as the new sanctions and restrictions on this island nation. Cubas national and international contributions to improving healthcare and medical research, in addition to the academic and professional provision of free medical education for thousands of aspiring and evolving medical doctors and post-graduate medical researchers. Cuba has emerged as a world leader in the healthcare and medical education sectors. Thus, the U.S. embargo and new travel restrictions stand as an obstacle to advances in healthcare and medical education for Cubans, Americans and for all of humanity. Hight quality education in Cuba is accessible and affordable to all of its citizens from pre-K through post-graduate school. In the U.S. education is not accessible nor affordable for all of its citizens from pre-K through post-graduate school. Instead of imposing more economic sanctions and social restrictions on Cuba, the U.S. should try to learn from the success of the Cuban educational system. We propose that the Black Press of America and the Cuban Press Agencies find ways and means to work collaboratively to better mutually inform the people of the United States and the people of Cuba on the vital issues that are being outlined in this conference to enhance the policies and relations between the United States and Cuba. We call for the establishment of a Free Trade Zone and free trade policies the United States and Cuba, as well as the repeal of the Helms-Burton Act that targets and discriminates against the economic, political and social interests of the people and government of Cuba. We call for a bilateral focus between the United States and Cuba on the issues and challenges that millennials face with respect to youth leadership development programs and joint projects that have as a goal of increasing mutual understandings and affirmations of the interests of the youth of Cuba and United States to help improve overall bilateral relations. Last but not least, are the opportunities and responsibilities to foster, promote and coordinate cultural exchange programs between the United States and Cuba. Both nations are rich with cultural genius and talent that should be more forthrightly mutually shared and affirmed by both Cuba and the United States. Basta la repression! Basta la imperialism! Basta la racism! Viva Cuba and United States Relations! Viva Fidel! Viva la revolution! A luta continua! Victoria es cert! Thank you for listening. God bless. The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, says it is time the Federal Government arrest the leaders of the Miyetti Allah for allegedly ... The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, says it is time the Federal Government arrest the leaders of the Miyetti Allah for allegedly sponsoring crimes in the nation.Rev. Samson Ayokunle, CAN President, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday said it was said that there had been several killings in the northern part of the country in recent time.According to him, the Federal Government should order the arrest of the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Groups who are sponsoring and perpertuating the crime in Nigeria and prosecute them for all the killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, among others.More to come WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), the Foundation for Rare Blood Diseases (SZB) and the pyruvate kinase deficiency community together made history on September 20, 2019 with patients and families sharing their experiences directly with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other key stakeholders, and first-of-its-kind testimony from the heavily affected Amish community of Belleville, Pennsylvania. The result of this ground-breaking externally-led Patient-Focused Drug Development meeting is a newly published "Voice of the Patient" report giving voice to patients and families affected by pyruvate kinase deficiency, a devastating rare genetic disorder characterized by hemolytic anemia (the premature destruction of red blood cells). An externally-led Patient-Focused Drug Development (EL-PFDD) meeting is an opportunity for patients and caregivers to share details about the impact of a specific disease on their daily lives with stakeholders instrumental in bringing new medications to market. This direct input of their personal perspectives, needs, experiences and priorities is captured and meaningfully incorporated into drug development and evaluation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), researchers, medical product developers and health care providers. As new drug applications are filed by drug developers, the comprehensive "Voice of the Patient" report generated after an EL-PFDD meeting is a critical resource for the FDA, in addition to mandatory safety and efficacy data, and is considered when new medications are evaluated. Pyruvate kinase deficiency is a chronic, lifelong condition with symptoms and complications that can include extreme fatigue, gallstones, iron overload, pulmonary hypertension, and low bone density. It can be life-threatening at birth, or it may mean a lifetime of worsening symptoms, a splenectomy, and blood transfusions. "At NORD, we believe that patient-powered initiatives can change the world. The externally-led Patient-Focused Drug Development meeting was extraordinary primarily because patients and caregivers were able to speak directly to the FDA, but also because it was one of the largest gatherings of pyruvate kinase deficiency patients at any time in history, and the first time the Amish community was engaged," said NORD President and CEO Peter L. Saltonstall. "We are confident the voices of patients and caregivers heard that day will significantly impact the future for all affected by this rare disease, providing real hope for the community." The "Voice of the Patient" report is available for download now, and a recording of the entire EL-PFDD meeting on pyruvate kinase deficiency can be viewed here . More on the Amish Community's Role in the Voice of the Patients Report While pyruvate kinase deficiency is very rare in the general population, there is a concentrated area where it is not. The Amish community of "Big Valley," founded in the late 1700s in Belleville, Pennsylvania, has documented at least 50 cases of pyruvate kinase deficiency. The disease is deemed to be common in the Amish because of the "founder effect" (occurring when a small part of a population moves to a new locale, or when the population is reduced to a small size because of an environmental change, the genes of the "founders" of the new society are disproportionately frequent in the resulting population). Prior to the EL-PFDD meeting, representatives from NORD traveled to Big Valley to engage with the community at the invitation of Dr. Holmes Morton, a top clinician treating a high concentration of Amish patients living with pyruvate kinase deficiency. NORD's Vice President of Development Alexa Moore and Director of Membership Services Debbie Drell spoke during the first pyruvate kinase deficiency patient education day at Dr. Holmes' new Central Pennsylvania Clinic to a room of Amish pyruvate kinase deficiency patients and caregivers. Because cultural practices against technology barred them from participating in the EL-PFDD meeting in person or via webcast, paper copies of surveys were distributed to the attendees. Their responses are featured in the "Voice of the Patient" report, the first time an Amish community has ever participated in such a project. About the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is the leading independent advocacy organization representing all patients and families affected by rare diseases. NORD is committed to the identification, treatment and cure of more than 7,000 rare diseases, of which approximately 90% are still without an FDA-approved treatment or therapy. Rare diseases affect over 25 million Americans. More than half of those affected are children. NORD began as a small group of patient advocates that formed a coalition to unify and mobilize support to pass the Orphan Drug Act of 1983. For more than 35 years, NORD has led the way in voicing the needs of the rare disease community, driving supportive policies and education, advancing medical research and providing patient and family services for those who need them most. NORD is made strong together with over 300 disease-specific member organizations and their communities and collaborates with many other organizations on specific causes of importance to the rare disease patient community. Visit rarediseases.org . SOURCE National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Related Links https://rarediseases.org The message from Buckingham Palace to Queen Elizabeths grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, was clear: Youre in or youre out. There is no part-time work for royals. Harry and Meghan chose out. Thats kind of sad. And surprising. What they couldnt all work this out? I get it that, barely two years into a marriage that was supposed to signal a breathtaking infusion of modernity into the British royal family, the couple was sick of the tabloid coverage. But not all the news coverage of them has been bad. Otherwise, they wouldnt be the international celebrities that they are. I would have advised Meghan to return to England after her and Harrys extravagantly long Christmas break in Vancouver and give it another go, for a year. Then reassess. Instead, they came back, dropped the bombshell that they wanted to work part time as royals and spend half the year outside Britain. And Meghan immediately returned to Canada which she obviously knew she was going to do, because she left their baby, Archie, there (with a nanny and a close friend). But once they did announce they wanted to be royals on their own schedule (what my colleague, Patt Morrison, called having their royal gateau and eating it too), why couldnt the palace figure out a way to do that? It cant be that they just dont want someone doing the job of opening hospitals and visiting community centers part time. Its not like the palace is going to hire someone else to replace them. The queens statement was like a heartbreaking farewell: Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family, she said. She concluded, It is my whole familys hope that todays agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life. However, the palace has made it clear that they cant represent the queen and keep their status and titles while they promote or advocate for whatever they choose. So they are giving up the use of their titles as royal highnesses (something they, reportedly, did want to keep), but they still get to call themselves the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And Harry will give up his honorary military appointments. His work in the military and on behalf of the military has meant a lot to him, so thats got to feel like a big loss. They will no longer be supported by public funds. That makes sense. And the couple is paying back the $3 million in public funds they spent to refurbish Frogmore Cottage, the house on the grounds of Windsor Castle that the queen gave them. They get to keep the crib, by the way. So how will they make a living? Thats been the multimillion-dollar question from the start of all this. They will continue to be supported by Harrys father, Prince Charles, possibly through his Duchy of Cornwall hereditary estate. Considering however many millions they have on their own (from Meghans career or, perhaps, from whatever inheritance Harry got from his late mother, Diana) and the millions that Charles has given them, these kids are not going to live paycheck to paycheck. But if they do want to make money on their own as they have said they do they are going to have to find something more profitable than licensing their pictures on mugs (although I would certainly buy a bunch) or something classier than sitting on the board of some controversial drug company. Where on that spectrum Meghan returning to acting or doing voice-over work fits remains to be seen. According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty. They will still advocate for the charities and the nonprofit groups they have been involved in. Believe it or not, all this would be easier if Harry and Meghan truly renounced all the privileges and royal connections and said to his folks, We want to work for nonprofits in Canada and Africa and live in a townhouse in Toronto, and well see you at Christmas. But thats not what they seem to want. Ideally, they want to leverage the royal family brand and prestige for only the causes they choose on their own schedule and live really well while theyre doing it. Who could blame them? That sounds good to me too. But doing that is inextricably tied to being a working member of a publicly financed high-profile organization that owes the public something in return high-visibility public appearances, in particular. It will be fascinating to see how Harry and Meghan chart this new course. And here is one thing that neither the royal family nor the couple can escape: Harry is still a member of the royal family, sixth in line to the throne. Hes not disowning his family. No matter what they do, we are all still interested in them. My guess is theyre counting on that. Carla Hall is a Los Angeles Times editorial board member. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 STAMFORD Fotis Dulos has been accused of violating the terms of his release by removing items from a memorial for his estranged wife on his way back from the grocery store. States Attorney Richard Colangelo filed a request Wednesday for a judge to modify Fotis Dulos conditions of release on $6 million bond after he was seen last week getting out of his car and removing the items. Sources said the memorial was placed at the end of Jefferson Crossing, a private road in Farmington consisting of homes Fotis Dulos company developed. Fotis and Jennifer Dulos lived there until she left for New Canaan with their five children when she filed for divorce in 2017. Fotis Dulos is on house arrest at 4 Jefferson Crossing since he was charged this month with murder, felony murder and kidnapping in his wifes death. Fotis Dulos was approved to go grocery shopping last Friday when Colangelo said he was seen stopping at the memorial. Colangelo wants Stamford Superior Court Judge John Blawie to modify the conditions of release "as he is not complying" with the court's orders. Fotis Dulos, whose movement is tracked by an electronic monitor, can only leave his home for court appearances, church and other court-approved activities. Colangelo is hoping to get the judge to place Fotis Dulos on full house arrest, which would further restrict his activities, sources said. "He got out of his car on the way home? Seriously?" defense attorney Norm Pattis said. "We need to get this trial on as quickly as possible to put an end to this nonsense." Pattis is expected to waive his clients right to a probable cause hearing when he returns to court Thursday. Pattis said Tuesday the defense strategy has changed and they want to quickly move toward a trial. Fotis Dulos was arrested twice in 2019 on two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of hindering prosecution in connection with the May 24 disappearance. After he was charged this month with murder, arrest and search warrants have revealed a bloody scene was found in the garage of his estranged wifes Welles Lane home the night she was reported missing. Fotis Dulos, 52, and his former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were seen around the same time dumping bags in Hartford that were later found to contain Jennifer Dulos blood and clothing, according to arrest warrants. Fotis Dulos was also linked to a pickup truck owned by one of his employees that police say he drove to and from New Canaan on the day of the homicide, arrest warrants said. Police later found Jennifer Dulos blood on one of the seats, the arrest warrants said. Troconis, 45, is also on house arrest after being charged with conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. Fotis Dulos close friend and former lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, 54, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is being held in lieu of $2 million bond. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. For many Americans, New Years resolutions often include some intention to reduce their waist. However, in 2020 and beyond, the Portage Soil, Water and Conservation District is instead encouraging you to consider a resolution to reduce your waste. Instead of ringing out the old and bringing in the new, wed like to suggest that you wring out the old, that you reuse, repurpose and completely wear it out before you discard it as waste. And when it comes to bringing in the new, well, just stop and take a minute to think about that first. Sadly, our current single-use lifestyle choices do not come anywhere close to wearing things out. Even more sadly, with an average 4.4 pounds per person of generated trash daily, Americans are among the most wasteful stewards of our planet. We waste food, water, energy, money, etc. Additionally, many of the ways we choose to manage our land also leads to additional wasting of our natural resources. Has our abundance made us indifferent to our reliance on natural resources? Food waste The results of a 2010 study by the USDAs Economic Research Service determined that food waste in the United States accounts for over 30% of the food supply. The loss was measured at approximately 133 billion pounds of food, which was valued at $161 billion dollars. These monumental numbers are perhaps so inconceivable that we fail to attribute our daily contribution to the totals. But these are collective numbers and do include your waste. The EPA estimates that each of us is contributing approximately 218.9 pounds annually to these food waste totals. Additionally, the U.S. food waste per capita has increased by 50% since 1974. Reducing waste at the source is always the most effective management strategy and the data indicates that we used to manage our food much better. Far-reaching effects The EPA report also concludes that this amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change: Wholesome food that could have helped feed families in need is sent to landfills. The land, water, labor, energy and other inputs used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing and disposing of discarded food are pulled away from uses that may have been more beneficial to society and generate impacts on the environment that may endanger the long-run health of the planet. Food waste, which is the single largest component going into municipal landfills quickly generates methane. As it relates to climate change, atmospheric methane is 34 times more problematic than C02, and landfills are the third-largest source of methane in the United States. Strategies Simple strategies we can all adopt to reduce food waste include the following: Prepare only the amount of food that will be consumed, or if you are preparing extra, promptly freeze leftovers for use at another time. We know we should eat our fruits and veggies, but produce accounts for nearly half of our food waste. So shop wiser. Consider the week ahead before you choose perishable items. If you will not have the time it takes to clean, properly store and prepare meals using perishable items, then it would be better not to buy them at all. Since inedible food items such as banana peels and coffee grinds are also included in our food waste totals, lets get serious about composting. Composting is a wonderful way to divert waste from landfills while also capturing nutrients that can be returned to our soil. Eat out less. Whether you dine-in or carry-out, restaurants offer extra-large portions. Uneaten food left behind will be landfilled. If you take the leftovers home, think of all that excess packaging (typically Styrofoam containers) that will end up in landfills which leads us to another major waste issue: packaging waste. Convenience packaging Americans have the ability to influence the consumer market with the power of the purse. Our consumer habits are continually analyzed and then used in predictive models and marketing strategies. In a recent interview, Phil Plourd, a dairy marketing analyst with Blimling & Associates made this statement, One of my rules is that I never bet against the laziness of the American consumer. If its convenient, its got a chance. If its asking the consumer to do a lot of work, its really hard to get traction. Ouch! Do we really want to represent this statement? Laziness is a rather harsh judgment and it may not always be whats driving our choice for convenience. Perhaps most of us just dont think enough about the consequences of our habits. Land-use legacy Regardless of our motivations, the fact remains that our landfills are full of individually wrapped conveniences, and that is quickly becoming our land-use legacy. Would any of us want to take our child or grandchild to a landfill to gaze upon it with pride and say, Yep, I helped create this.? Think of all of the other uses that same land could support: agriculture, housing, wildlife, woodlands, meadows, recreational activities pretty much any other use seems better than a landfill. However, if we are honest in our examination of the problem, we will quickly realize that what landfills are really filled with is individual choices. Every single unit of trash represents a choice and many of them are your choices. This should come as encouraging news because it would indicate that we could make different choices, better choices. So what should your choice be? Reduce Think about it before you buy it. Take your reusable shopping and produce bags to the store with you and as you shop, and select mostly items that have compostable, reusable or recyclable packaging. You do realize you are paying for that extra packaging, right? In our Portage County waste education lessons in K-12 school cafeterias we provide a simple demonstration comparing the amount of chips in a family-sized bag with the big bag of single-serving packaged chips. By the end of the demo, students learned that when you buy the single packaged chips, you pay $1 more for the convenience of receiving one less serving of chips while also purchasing over three times the amount of plastic waste than if youd purchased the family-sized bag of chips and packed them in reusable lunch containers. And the absolute worst thing about purchasing the convenient choice is that when we do, we are teaching our children that it is okay to habitually toss away packaging with the drink and food items we consume. This bad habit is not sustainable. Instead, choose to use your hard-earned income to select economical and Earth-friendly options. Demonstrate stewardship to your children by explaining the economic and environmental benefits of this decision. Your children will learn that stewardship is a choice with many benefits! Waste reduction can be difficult to tackle. Contact your local SWCD to find out what assistance is available in your area. To help support waste reduction efforts in northeast Ohio, Portage SWCD is teaming up with staff from Summit SWCD to offer a Reduce Your Waste and Reduce Your Runoff workshop Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. To register for the workshop or for more information, contact Lynn at lvogel@portageswcd.org. OTTAWAChina and Russia face pressure to prevent genocide in Myanmar after Thursdays decision by an international court called on the South Asian country to stop the killing, says Canadas special envoy to the crisis. The unanimous decision by the International Court of Justice is a strong signal to Russia and China, which have blocked the United Nations Security Council from referring the violence to the International Criminal Court, said Bob Rae, who the Liberal government tapped to take part in diplomatic efforts to address the deadly crisis. Rae and Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne both urged Myanmar to fully comply with the ruling from The Hague-based court, which demanded it protect its minority Muslim Rohingya population from genocide. Champagne said Canada will work with its allies to keep the pressure on Myanmar. The 17 judges on the panel called on Myanmar to do everything in its power to stop what it said was a genocide against the Rohingya. The court flatly rejected Myanmars plea put forth by the countrys civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi that the case be thrown out. Suu Kyi, a one-time icon of peace who has since been stripped of her honorary Canadian citizenship, denied there was a genocide. Whats more significant, Rae said, was the Chinese and Russian judges on the court were among those expressing unanimity with their fellow jurists. China and Russia are both permanent members of the powerful UN Security Council, which gives them a veto over its resolutions. China is also a backer of Myanmar. The Security Council is going to have to give its head a shake a bit and understand the evidence that was gathered very assiduously ... is not something that the Security Council can ignore, Rae said in an interview. The crisis was sparked by the August 2017 campaign by Myanmars military in northern Rakhine State that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, amid accusations it committed mass murder and rape while torching thousands of homes. The government appointed Rae, a former interim Liberal leader and lawyer, as its special envoy in October 2017. The appointment was renewed last week. Rae has travelled to the region and written a report urging more action by the government. You just cant turn your eyes away; Once youve seen it, you cant pretend it didnt happen. Weve just got to keep pursuing it, Rae said. Rae said he spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before last weeks cabinet retreat. He said he reiterated Canadas commitment to seeking justice for the Rohingya. Raes job includes co-ordinating Canadas efforts with international allies and meeting with Myanmars Canadian diaspora, including Rohingya here. After speaking with Trudeau, Rae said Canada remains committed to a co-ordinated effort that also includes humanitarian funding, helping provide schools for refugee children and assisting women and children dealing with ongoing violence. The genocide case was filed by Gambia in The Hague on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Co-operation, a group of 57 Muslim countries. We have supported The Gambia in its case, Champagne said in a statement. We will continue to work with our partners, including the Netherlands, to determine the most effective means to support The Gambias efforts. We are considering all options. Oxfam applauded the ruling but said the Rohingya and other ethnic groups in Myanmar continue to face violence and abuse. As a matter of urgency, the Myanmar government should grant Rohingya people full citizenship, freedom of movement and basic human rights. It should also give investigators, humanitarian agencies and the media full access to central and northern Rakhine, Oxfams head of humanitarian campaigns, Fionna Smyth, said in a statement. Human Rights Watch called the ruling a landmark step but said more work needed to be done to force Myanmar to comply. Concerned governments and UN bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward, said Param-Preet Singh, an international justice director with the New York-based watchdog organization. Thursdays ruling was a provisional order that was also intended to preserve evidence for future court action against Myanmar. Advertisement A couple who spent 230,000 on their dream now receive a 150-a-month government grant thanks to their ultra eco-friendly property. Lindsay Berresford, 34, and David Ffrench, 38, receive two quarterly payments of the Renewable Heat Incentive grant based on their energy bills, saving them some 1,500 each year. Their four-bedroom home, in Easton, Bristol, boasts solar panels, which they say heats their water supply for at least six months, as well as a biomass pellet boiler warming the house through the winter. Their four-bedroom home, in Easton, Bristol, boasts solar panels, which they say heats their water supply for at least six months, as well as a biomass pellet boiler warming the house through the winter Lindsay Berresford, 34, and David Ffrench, 38, receive two quarterly payments of the Renewable Heat Incentive grant based on their energy bills, saving them some 1,500 each year Mother-of-three Ms Berresford has made the home fit for their family, and eco-friendly to boot What is the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive? The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (Domestic RHI) is a government financial incentive to promote the use of renewable heat. Switching to heating systems that use eligible energy sources can help the UK reduce its carbon emissions and meet its renewable energy targets. People who join the scheme and stick to its rules receive quarterly payments for seven years for the amount of clean, green renewable heat its estimated their system produces. The scheme is open to anyone who can meet the joining requirements, for households both off and on the gas grid. The RHI has two schemes - Domestic and Non-Domestic with separate tariffs, joining conditions, rules and application processes. Source: Ofgem Advertisement The couple's 230,000 home was a four-year labour of love during which time Ms Berresford gave birth to their son, now six, and discovered she was pregnant with twins, now four, on moving-in day. The couple, who run the campervan business Quirky Campers, bought a plot of land in Easton in 2011, and teamed up with Michael Drake Architects. They wanted to design an eco-friendly home from top to bottom, beginning with the foundations. Mr Ffrench said they now have 'more money coming in than going out.' Ms Berresford added: 'I always knew that it was David's dream to build his own house ever since he was about eight years old when he built himself a little cabin in the woods. 'The idea we could build the kind of house we actually wanted to live in, start from scratch and not use much energy seemed pretty ideal. 'We wanted to be sustainable but to make it easier for ourselves to do so at the same time.' Ms Berresford said they used pile foundations rather than trench, using less concrete, and little to no plastic at all in the materials needed to build the house. She said: 'We have hempline plaster rather than plasterboard, and our insulation uses blown cellulotes. 'The house is so insulated it's basically airtight. It mostly keeps itself warm. 'We have a rainwater system to flush the toilets - the rainwater gathers on the roof and then down through the gutters into a filtration tank underground.' The couple, who run the campervan business Quirky Campers, bought a plot of land in Easton in 2011, and teamed up with Michael Drake Architects to design an eco-friendly home They wanted to design an eco-friendly home from top to bottom, beginning with the foundations The couple have a rainwater system to flush the toilets - the rainwater gathers on the roof and then down through the gutters into a filtration tank underground They used pile foundations rather than trench, using less concrete, and little to no plastic at all in the materials needed to build the house Biomass boilers work by burning biological matter and outputting the resulting heat for use in heating systems WHAT IS A BIOMASS BOILER? Biomass boilers work by burning biological matter and outputting the resulting heat for use in heating systems. Wood pellets, chips, logs or other biological materials are fed automatically, semi-automatically, or by hand into a combustion chamber where they are ignited. The hot gas and air produced by this process travel through a flue, and are then passed through a heat exchanger, which transfers the heat to the water used in the propertys central heating system. The excess heat is also stored in a thermal tank (also called a buffer vessel). Source: renewableenergyhub Advertisement This meant the couple lived in a Portakabin next to the temporary construction site for three years then moved in in June 2015. Mr Ffrench added: 'There's a misconception that it's difficult if you want to build your own home. 'It's quite easy to get permission if you want to build a house within the city - the council wanted us to build this home. 'The architect we chose was aligned with our goals in terms of making it low energy but high performance. 'We had a really good working relationship and he had the same vision as us. It was very much a joint process.' 'We had a scan on the same day [we moved in] and found out Lindsay was pregnant with twins. It was a crazy time'. Ms Berresford said the couple now give others advice on living an eco-friendly lifestyle, which they put into practise every day. 'We don't own a car - we have an electric cargo bike instead, which has space for all of our three kids, plus two other young kids if we're doing playdates. 'The main change I've made is when it comes to clothes shopping - I almost exclusively buy second-hand clothes now. I've become a bit of an eBay professional. 'Buying new clothes has such a massive effect on the environment. 'We've had glass milk bottles rather than plastic for about ten years now, and I try to buy groceries plastic-free as much as possible - although this can be hard, with three young kids.' NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said members of minority communities had told him that they would not mind if his party joined hands with the Shiv Sena, but the BJP must be kept away from power in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena and BJP contested the state Assembly polls together in October last year, but parted ways following disagreement over sharing the chief ministerial post for two- and-half years on rotational basis. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress then came together and formed government in the state after many deliberations. Referring to it, Pawar, at an event organised by the NCP's minority cell, recalled that no step was being taken (at that time) in the state for three-four weeks (by the Shiv Sena-BJP) towards government formation. Pawar said suggestions were taken about a possible tie-up with the Shiv Sena from people in Maharashtra as well as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. "We were told on behalf of the minorities that if you want to take Shiv Sena along, you can do so, but keep the BJP away. The minorities welcomed that step (of taking the Shiv Sena on board)," Pawar told the gathering. The former Union minister said this development in Maharashtra politics has shown a path to the country, and lauded the community for taking the initiative. Pawar claimed that minorities did not vote for the BJP in the state polls. When the community members make a decision, then it is to ensure defeat of any party, he added. The Maratha strongman also said the NCP had insisted that the minority affairs department in the state government be given to his party to carry out welfare works. NCP leader Nawab Malik is the state minority affairs minister. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the chief minister on November 28 last year along with six other ministers initially, and the council was expanded on December 30. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People keep asking if were going to skip winter this year. I dont know. There have been a few snowstorms here and there; rain and high winds have replaced snow and frigid temperatures in many places. Here in western North Carolina at an elevation of 2,000 feet, Ive only recorded one low temperature below 20 degrees, and that was 18 degrees Nov. 13. One result of the mild winter thus far has been a dearth of activity at backyard bird feeders. If you need a feather fix until cold winter weather really sets in, Ive got some suggestions. With a computer and an internet connection, the world is at your fingertips. Around the globe Cornell Universitys Lab of Ornithology serves as a hub for cameras at feeders and nests around the globe. Visit www.allaboutbirds.org/cams to get started. Youll find a series of videos for each site. Just click on Live views or one of the archived video highlight files to begin your tour. A popular feeding station in northern Ontario attracts birds that are less common in the midlatitudes. With views of Canada, jays, pine and evening grosbeaks, redpolls, ruffed grouse, and an occasional flying squirrel, it begins to feel a lot like winter. For something more reminiscent of home, check out the Cornell FeederWatch cam. Here youll find chickadees, titmice, downy, hairy, red-bellied, and pileated woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals, and a variety of finches. Its a great place to test your ability to identify common backyard species. For more exotic species, head south to west Texas, where hummingbirds star. As many as a dozen species visit these feeders throughout the year. And maybe youll get a glimpse of an acorn woodpecker or a canyon towhee. Then head farther south to the fruit feeders at the Canopy Tower in Panama. Here you might see a surprising variety of tanagers and euphonias, orange-billed sparrows, chestnut-headed oropendolas, gray-headed chachalacas, and rufous motmots and collared aracaris (a type of toucan). Northern royal albatross If youre already thinking of spring, travel to the other side of the planet to observe a northern royal albatross nest in New Zealand. The adults, a 21-year-old male and 25-year-old female, are incubating a single egg laid Nov. 14. It should hatch later this month, and the chick will fledge in September or October. The nest, monitored by staff from the New Zealand Department of Conservation, is on a windswept nature reserve. The sights and sounds captured on the video transport viewers to a destination few will ever visit. Bermuda petrels Finally, make one last stop in Bermuda to see a burrow-nesting seabird. Bermuda petrels, also called cahows, nest in the side of a dome-shaped, manmade burrow constructed by the Bermuda Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Nonsuch Island. These burrows are part of a larger translocation project that is essential to the long-term survival of Bermuda cahows. Juveniles from smaller, low-lying islets are translocated to Nonsuch Island, where there is ample habitat protected from hurricanes and heavy surf. Presently, two translocated colonies call Nonsuch Island home. The DENR continues to establish additional safe nesting sites for cahows. Petrels nesting in the manmade burrows have been banded and monitored for years. The parents featured on the cahow cam burrow were both translocated in May 2006 as newly fledged chicks from two separate nesting islets to artificial burrows on the larger and more elevated Nonsuch Island. The chicks were hand-fed daily and monitored until they fledged out to sea. Both of the parents in the featured nest then stayed out at sea for three years until they matured. When they returned to the island, they occupied the burrow since 2009. Since then, they have returned every year to breed. Cahows mate for life and produce just one egg each year for as many as 30 years. Visit the Cornell website to access all these locations. No binoculars required. Victorian universities have suffered a slump in enrolment applications from high school leavers this year, with tertiary education experts saying it was likely many have been lured away from pursuing a degree by the state government's free TAFE program. La Trobe University is one of several Victorian universities that has suffered a slump in applications. Credit:Dianna Snape First-round applications for university courses have fallen by 5.3 per cent this year, data from the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre shows. Some universities have experienced a much sharper decline. Federation University, based in Ballarat, was worst hit with a 22.7 per cent decline compared to last year, followed by Swinburne University of Technology with a 16.5 per cent slump and La Trobe University with 13.6 per cent. Deakin University was the only major tertiary institution in the state to avoid a drop in first-round applications, recording an increase of just 0.1 per cent. The Artemis Fund Diana Murakhovskaya has sold her New York accelerator to focus on the Artemis Fund, a Houston venture capital firm that backs women-led startups. Murakhovskaya co-founded Monarq Incubator in 2017 to assist women-owned startups capable of attracting venture capital money and growing. The program graduated 32 companies that raised more than $10 million in venture capital. Earlier this week, the incubator was acquired by Female Founders Alliance, another program working to accelerate women and non-binary founded companies. Portland Public Schools posted an uptick in its district-wide graduation rate for the 10th consecutive year in 2019. But achievement essentially flatlined for some student groups and declined for others. Nearly 81% of the districts seniors graduated on time last year, up 1 percentage point over 2018. Thats slightly above the state average 80% of Oregons high school class of 2019 graduated on time. Students with disabilities posted some of the biggest gains in the district. Nearly 64% of seniors in that demographic earned a diploma last year, an increase of almost 6 percentage points over 2018. About 73% of the districts black students graduated in 2019, a gain of 2 percentage points over the previous year. The state average was 70%. Regional Superintendent Joe LaFountaine, who oversees the districts nine comprehensive high schools, said those gains are the product of a four-year strategic plan adopted by top brass at Portland Public Schools in 2017. The approach calls for school administrators to become familiar with the student body to catch those who might fall through the cracks. Principals and their staff also nudge students into classes that prepare them for life after high school, LaFountaine said, whether thats taking on Advanced Placement coursework or enrolling in a career and technical education sequence. Those students emerge with career or college-ready skills, he said. Still, the newly released state data was a mixed bag for its largest school district. While overall graduation rates rose, Portland Public Schools posted decreases of nearly 3 percentage points for both homeless students (54%) and for those who were enrolled in English language learners programs in high school (55%.) Were not 100% successful, LaFountaine said. Nobody is. Cleveland and Madison high schools posted the largest drops in overall graduation rates: down 4 percentage points. Fewer students also graduated from Southwest Portlands Wilson High nearly 88%, or 3 percentage points lower than in 2018. Economically disadvantaged students, or those eligible for free or reduced lunch, fared much worse than their peers at Cleveland, where graduation rates dropped by 13 percentage points among that demographic to 73%. In the three years prior to 2018, graduation rates for economically disadvantaged students at Cleveland hovered between 74% and 78%. Two of the three Portland high schools that saw dips in their overall graduation rates experienced more administrative turnover than others in the district, LaFountaine noted. Leo Lawyer is Clevelands fourth principal in six years. Wilson hired its third top administrator in as many years when Filip Hristic took over this fall after five years at Roosevelt. LaFountaine said part of the difficulty in hiring high school administrators was the sheer number of postings on job s boards for the gig. These are hard positions to fill, LaFountaine said. Thats just the reality. Grant and Franklin were the only schools to see a substantial increase in the percentages of economically disadvantaged students to graduate in 2019: 6 points and 4 points. And Portland Public Schools still lags behind the state average in graduation rates for Latino students. In 2019, 72% of the districts Latinos graduated on time versus 76% statewide. Last year, Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero said the district would implement culturally responsive programs to boost those statistics. But the graduation rate among Latinos in Portland Public Schools has remained essentially flat since 2017 as the district trails behind its regional peers. Neighboring Beaverton graduated 77% of its Latino students in 2019. Thats the same rate the North Clackamas district posted, although its a slide of 2 percentage points from 2018. And in 2017, North Clackamas had a Latino graduation rate of 84%. In Portland, the rate of Latinos graduating steadily climbed from 56% in 2014. New Wilson principal Hristics tenure at Roosevelt was marked by a 20-point increase in its graduation rate, from 53% in 2014 to 73% in 2019. He said Wednesday he hadnt seen Wilsons graduation data yet, even though districts graduation rate data was released to them days before. But he said he predicted the Southwest Portland school would have its share of inequities before he set foot in the building. In every school that Ive been in, there have been educational inequities, Hristic said. The question is never whether they are here, but where they are and how Im going to address them. At Roosevelt, Hristic and his staff were constantly on the lookout for students who havent experienced success in school, whether they were freshmen or seniors. With every decision we make, we are asking ourselves: What do our students need? he said. The approach worked, Hristic said, because every adult in the building was on the same page. Theyd set a plan at the beginning of each year and fine-tune it as they went along. And over time, he said, it paid off. Change does not happen overnight, he said. It takes time to build relationships. It takes time to build trust. And it takes time to build systems, to evaluate them and to adjust them. S ir Keir Starmer has claimed another future is possible after winning grassroots backing from Scotland to Devon in the race to become leader of the Labour Party. The shadow Brexit secretary is defying the criticism levelled at him over his pro-Remain position by storming ahead of rivals in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn. The MP for Holborn and St Pancras has already secured himself a spot on the ballot paper after receiving significant backing including that of the UKs largest union Unison. Now he has the backing of at least 18 Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) which is seen as an early indication of the views of local members. Sir Keir Starmer at the head office of Usdaw in Fallowfield / PA Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, seen as the Corbyn continuity candidate, has five CLPs. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has three and backbencher Lisa Nandy has one. Sir Keir said: This is the beginning of the campaign, but Im honoured to be receiving support from CLPs across the whole of the country. From Leave seats to Remain seats, towns to cities, there is hope within our party that another future is possible. Labour MP Keir Starmer takes part in the first party leadership hustings / Getty Images Toby Perkins, the Labour MP for Chesterfield which voted 60 per cent to leave the EU, carried out a survey of local members before he made the decision to back Sir Keir. He described the CLP nominations as incredibly encouraging and added: There has been this suggestion will Keir be able to appeal to areas like Chesterfield and those that were lost? Hes probably the only person that voters who told us they werent voting Labour would refer to as the kind of person they would like to see leading the Labour Party in the future. He said members were looking for someone capable of being a prime minister and added: We havent had that with the last two leaders. Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq said: Ive known Keir for years and I believe he is the best person to unite the Labour Party, take on the Tories and defeat Boris Johnson at the next election. There is a long way to go in this contest, but its encouraging to see Keir getting the backing of CLPs from all four corners of the UK. Ms Nandy has secured a spot on the ballot after getting the backing of the GMB union and an affiliate group yesterday. Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy / Getty Images Ms Long-Bailey is expected to get a place on the ballot as she is tipped for an endorsement from the Unite union tomorrow. Over two years after it was passed by the Karnataka legislature, the BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government has finally notified the much-hyped anti-superstition law that aims to prevent and eradicate 'inhuman evil practices' Bengaluru: Over two years after it was passed by the Karnataka legislature, the BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government has finally notified the much-hyped anti-superstition law that aims to prevent and eradicate "inhuman evil practices". Interestingly, the BJP, which was then in the opposition, had expressed strong reservations about the bill, piloted by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and passed by the state legislature on 16 November, 2017. The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act (RPT Act) 2017, that intends to protect the common people against "evil" and "sinister" practices, shall come into force with effect from 4 January, 2020, the government notification issued earlier this month said. The Act seeks to combat and eradicate other such inhuman practices propagated and performed in the name of "black magic" by conmen with the sinister motive of exploiting the common people, thereby destroying the social fabric in society. Further, it aims to bring social awakening and awareness in society and create a healthy and safe social environment. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah congratulated BJP for enforcing the Act by rectifying its mistake of "condemning, hounding and maligning" his government when they tried to implement the Act with an intention to stop it. He also hoped that things which are beliefs now "don't turn into superstition under pressure". Considered similar to the one in Maharashtra, the Act has 'savings' and 'schedule' categories, which classify practices that could be tolerated and those that need to be controlled or prohibited. The notification said nothing in the Act shall apply with respect to the forms of worship mentioned under the heading 'savings'. These include practices like 'pradakshina', yatras, 'parikramas' performed at religious places, among other normal practices. It also includes advice with regard to 'Vastu Shastra', advice by 'jyothishya' and other astrologers. Practices included under the 'schedule' for prohibition are performing any inhuman, evil act and black magic in search of precious things, bounty and hidden treasures Other practices listed under 16 points for prohibition are facilitating any person to roll over leaves of leftover food by other people in public or religious places or similar practices that violate human dignity; subjecting women to inhuman and humiliating practices like parading them naked in the name of worship or otherwise, such as "betthale seve". Also, forcing any person to carry out evil practices such as the killing of an animal by biting its neck and coercing any person or persons to perform 'firewalk' at the time of 'jatras' (temple/village fest) and religious festivals have also been included, it added. During the passage of the bill, certain amendments sought were made part of the bill, and the practice of 'mudradharane' by Madhwa Brahmins was exempted. As per this practice, 'mudras' (seals) usually made of gold or copper are heated on coal fire and stamped on the body. 'Vashikarana', practised in occult science as an act of subjugation or advertising about it in the name of treatment has been banned under the Act, following the suggestions made by the members during the debate in the Assembly. The legislation was earlier proposed as The Evil, Inhuman and Superstitious Practices Prevention Bill. After omitting the word superstitious, it was titled 'The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017.' Superstitious practices, including black magic, are punishable under the Act for up to seven years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 can be imposed. The act also aims to bring social awakening and awareness in society and create a healthy and safe social environment, and also calls for the appointment of vigilance officers to oversee the implementation of the law. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: A traves de las instituciones del Estado brindamos toda la atencion necesaria a las personas que han resultado afectadas por el accidente en Villa El Salvador. Sin embargo, es necesario investigar a fondo las causas de lo ocurrido. Guwahati, Jan 23 : Vigilance on vital installations and sensitive spots have been intensified in the Assam capital as part of stepped up security measures ahead of Republic day, the police said on Thursday. "Since January 15, police vigilance has been intensified. We are doing naka checking. We are on high alert ahead of January 26," Guwahati Joint Commissioner Debaraj Upadhaya told IANS. He said the heightened security arrangements comprise both "covert and overt tactics". Police sources said that security has been increased at vital installations like railway stations, bus termini, shopping malls, airport as also crowded and sensitive areas in the city. Guwahati had been on the boil last month due to violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Four people had died during the protests. Stringent security measures have also been taken in the districts in the run-up to the Republic Day. A cabinet minister today sought to downplay warnings that rows over a digital tax, Iran and Huawei will hit the prospects of a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom argued that the relationship between America and Britain was strong enough to deal with disagreements. However, Washington was piling on pressure for Britain to back down over its unilateral tax on digital corporate giants, to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and not to use equipment from Chinese technology firm Huawei in its 5G network. US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin raised the issue of the digital tax with Chancellor Sajid Javid at the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday. Sajid Javid at the World Economic Forum / AP But this morning Ms Leadsom gave no sign that the Government was prepared to ditch the levy due to be introduced in April, despite Donald Trump threatening retaliatory tariffs on cars. We are going ahead with that digital tax, she told Sky News. "Britain is ready to ditch its levy once an international agreement is struck, to deal with these huge companies... making vast profits and... simply not paying their fair share of taxes, she added. Later, she told Talk Radio: The US and the UK are committed to entering into a trade deal with each other and we have a very strong relationship that goes back centuries, so some of the disagreements that we might have over particular issues dont in any way damage the excellent and strong and deep relationship. Washington argues that current proposed digital taxes discriminate against US firms given that so many of the tech giants are based in America including Google and Facebook, who have denied not paying their fair share of tax. Britain is proposing a two per cent levy on revenues from UK users, which is expected to raise around 500 million a year. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin / AFP via Getty Images Speaking today, Mr Mnuchin also said he was planning to raise the issue of Huawei during a meeting with Mr Javid in London at the weekend. He described the UK Governments timetable to achieve trade deals with both the EU and US as aggressive but added that Washington expects to complete the transatlantic deal within this year. The Chancellor, addressing a CBI business lunch at the Swiss Alps gathering, said: With the Brexit question settled, we have the chance to move forward and tackle the hard problems facing our economy to level up and spread opportunity; to raise the potential of our country; and decarbonise our economy. Senior EU figures have signalled a willingness to negotiate a new trade deal with the UK but warned that talks would be complex and it would be a challenge to complete them by the end of the year. supremely practical conversations in all facets of the event during the presentations, between the attendees, and on the product exhibit floor DATAVERSITY Education, LLC opened the Call for Presentations for the fourth annual Data Architecture Summit (DAS), which will be held October 19-23, 2020, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Ill. Proposals must be received by March 13, 2020 in order to be considered. For more event details, visit http://dataarchitecturesummit.com. The four-day event will feature a broad range of sessions on how to design and manage a modern data architecture, covering everything from data strategy and governance to analytics architecture, data modeling, graph database technologies, and new data management tools. More than 400 industry professionals attended last years DAS conference, which featured supremely practical conversations in all facets of the event during the presentations, between the attendees, and on the product exhibit floor, says DATAVERSITY CEO and Program Chair Tony Shaw. It was architect-to-architect, talking business, technology, and data design. The conference committee seeks proposals for 60-minute conference sessions and panel discussions, five-minute lightning talks, three-hour tutorials and workshops, and full-day seminars that will take a more in-depth, hands-on approach. Speaker invitations will be sent beginning on April 13, 2020. Visit https://das2020.dataversity.net/cfp.cfm for a full list of guidelines, suggested topics, and deadlines. About DATAVERSITY: DATAVERSITY is a producer of educational resources for business and information technology professionals on the uses and management of data. Our team strives to provide high-quality content to the worldwide community of practitioners, experts, and developers who participate and benefit from our face-to-face hosted conferences, free online conferences, live webinars, white papers, online training, daily news, articles and blog posts, and much more. For more information, please visit http://www.dataversity.net. Amy Schumer is taking the idea of friendly exes to a whole new level. On Wednesdays episode of The Howard Stern Show, comedian Kyle Dunnigan revealed that hes currently living with Schumer, whom he previously dated, and her husband Chris Fischer. We had a moment there, he said of their romantic relationship, adding that it happened a while ago and it was brief. While speaking about his dating life, Dunnigan who won an Emmy in 2015 for the song Girl You Dont Need Make Up, written for Inside Amy Schumer also broke the big news about his unique living arrangement. Ive been there for a month and a half, he told Stern, revealing that he began living at their New York apartment while working on Schumers upcoming Hulu show. Shes been very cool, he continued, adding that he has his own room and bathroom. Kyle Dunnigan, Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty Asking if Dunnigan tried to avoid Schumers husband as much as possible, the comedian shared that the two men actually get along and even play chess together. We bro out, he said. While the living arrangement isnt permanent, Dunnigan joked that he might be extending his stay. All the food is really good and free, he quipped. Im supposed to leave in three weeks, but I dont think Im gonna. RELATED: Amy Schumer Calls Returning to Work After Baby Empowering: You Get a Piece of Yourself Back Dunnigan, who also dated Sarah Silverman, was a writer and performer on Inside Amy Schumer, which ran for four seasons between 2013 and 2016. He also appeared in Schumers 2015 film Trainwreck. Schumer is set to return to television in late 2020 in Love, Beth, a scripted comedy series for Hulu, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Luxury fashion label Burberry upgraded its full-year sales forecast on Wednesday as demand for Riccardo Tiscis new collections in Europe and mainland China offset a slump in Hong Kong. Burberry, famed for its trenchcoats and check scarves, said its sales in Hong Kong halved in the 13 weeks to Dec. 28, its third quarter, as large scale demonstrations in the territory since June have deterred visitors from mainland China. Chinese luxury shoppers are a major focus for Burberry and a recent outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, which has killed nine and infected 440 so far, poses another risk to the luxury sector if travel is affected. Chief Financial Officer Julie Brown said the company was keeping the situation under review at this stage. Hong Kong was a major market for Burberry, and had previously accounted for 8% of sales, Brown said. This quarter weve seen a halving of those sales, weve seen a considerable reduction of Chinese tourists going into Hong Kong, she told reporters. Burberry had not closed any of its stores in the territory, she said, but it was keeping the situation under review and was taking steps to mitigate the impact, for example by reviewing rents. Burberrys Chief Executive Marco Gobbetti is moving Burberry further upmarket in the luxury segment, driven by new designs from Tisci, who came on board in 2018. Brown said the launch of the companys Lunar New Year campaign in China at the end of December had generated a strong early consumer response. Sales in mainland China rose by a mid-teens percentage in the third quarter, Brown said, although the growth was offset by the decline in Hong Kong. The company said it expected total revenue to grow by a low single digit percentage for the year ending in March 2020, compared to previous guidance of broadly stable. However, its shares were down 1.9% at 22.19 pounds at 1000 GMT, as analysts said the sales upgrade was already priced into market expectations. Burberry said its adjusted operating margin was expected to remain broadly stable in the year ending in March despite the impact of disruptions in Hong Kong. Comparable store sales rose 3% in the 13 weeks to Dec 28, led by full-price sales of its mainline collections, Brown said. Tisci-designed products now made up 75% of the offer in stores, Brown said, and the new collections delivered double-digit growth, partially offset by reduced mark-down inventory and the disruption in Hong Kong. In Europe, Burberry said it saw high single-digit growth in sales in the third quarter, helped by tourists spending in continental Europe. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter MADRID A powerful winter storm in Spain has killed at least 10 people after battering the country for days, destroying bridges, cutting off roads and railway lines and flooding vast swaths of farmland. Even as the storm moved north, setting off weather alerts for parts of France, tens of thousands of people across Spain were still recovering on Thursday from driving rains and pounding waves that wreaked havoc in coastal towns and villages. Farther inland, residents began the process of digging themselves out after heavy snowfalls that left villages cut off from assistance. Since last weekend, the eastern coast of Spain has been regularly hit by winds that reached over 60 miles per hour, the strongest in the country since 1992, according to the Spanish weather service. Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday interacted with children who were awarded the 2020 Bal Shakti Puraskar and asked them to form a Whatsapp group to stay in touch. Seven students from Delhi won the award for achievements like launching a mobile-based scouting application, an app to predict floods, bringing laurels in archery and rendering social service in difficult terrains of Kedarnath. The Union women and child development minister advised them to form a Whatsapp group to stay in touch and share knowledge. Raghav Puri won the award for reconstructing broken parts of artifacts by using artificial intelligence, Irani said. The minister said she would present their innovations to the Science and Technology Department for further developing them. Parth Bansal built a utility stick for people suffering from Parkinson's disease after his grandmother was diagnosed with it, Irani said. He has been asked to send a proposal to the Women and Child Development Ministry. The Bal Shakti Puraskar is given to children in the age group of five to 18 years in fields of innovation, social service, scholastic, sports, art and culture, and bravery. It carries a medal, a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a certificate and a citation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fighter who has residency in Germany was killed in Idleb fighting for Liwa al-Quds, when the opposition launched an ambush on Tel Msaitef Zaman Al Wasl. A former resident of Germany has been killed by rebels in northern Idleb province, sources told Zaman al-Wasl Tuesday. Abdul Rahaman Jallad was killed along with 20 other militants when rebels launched a surprise attack on Tel Msaitef in the eastern Idleb region, sources said. The former resident of Germany was operating in Liwa al-Quds, a pro-Assad Palestinian militia. Liwa al-Quds was formed in 2013 and is one of Russias favorite militia groups inside Syria where its fighters get direct aid and military training from Moscow. Most of Idleb province and parts of Aleppo province are still controlled by factions opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The regime attack comes despite a ceasefire announced by Russia earlier this month that never really took hold. Idleb province alone is home to at least 3 million people, many of whom are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. According to the UN humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, almost 350,000 people have fled their homes since Dec. 1, 2019, mainly heading north from southern Idleb, which has borne the brunt of the airstrikes, according to AFP. The International Rescue Committee has warned that an additional 650,000 people, the majority of them women and children, could be forced from their homes if the violence continues. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. As part of the company's Goya Gives initiative, Goya has supported the orphanage since its inception in 2012. Each year, Goya donates food and financial support, and has developed a mentorship program, where Goya employees mentor many of the children at the orphanage all the way through their educational years. The NSA has committed to providing additional support, donations and continued guidance to those children who need it the most. "We have been members of the NSA since the very beginning and proud to further our collaboration with an organization that cares about the welfare and health of their communities. Our mission to support those in need are aligned and we couldn't think of a better way to partner in order to provide the children with even more love, support and gifts during the holiday season and year-round," said Bob Unanue, President of Goya. Goya has been a member of the NSA for 30 years and has collaborated with the NSA to further support the communities both organizations serve throughout the United States and abroad. "The NSA strives to work on projects that give back to the communities we come from and serve, so we are very proud to partner with Goya to bring joy and mentorship to these kids," said William Rodriguez, President of the NSA. For more information, please visit, www.goya.com. About GOYA Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com. ABOUT NSA Founded in 1989 by Hispanic entrepreneurs, the NSA is a trade association that represents the interest of independent supermarket owners in New York and other urban cities throughout the East Coast, Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Beginning in the mid-seventies, these entrepreneurs had the courage of opening supermarkets in areas abandoned by the large chains, as they were economically depressed and mostly minority neighborhoods. These men and women had the vision and the commitment to fill a vacuum in those communities, at a time when the term "food desert" had not even been coined. Currently, many NSA members continue to serve those areas by offering healthy foods and full-service supermarkets. The association has grown dramatically in the last two decades and currently provides its member's hands-on representation in both the private and public sectors and advocates issues that impact the entire supermarket industry. Current membership represents approximately 400 supermarkets. Most members are of Hispanic descent, and their stores are predominantly located in minority neighborhoods. The NSA provides outreach services to corporations that want to capture the booming Hispanic market by providing counseling on marketing strategies to reach Hispanic retailers and consumers, including market and cultural intelligence. For more information & photos: Natalie J. Maniscalco 845.659.6506 / [email protected] SOURCE Goya Foods Related Links http://www.goya.com BANDON, Ore. If you are looking to make some investments, theres one advisor you need to avoid, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation warns. A Bandon man has lost 90% of investors funds in less than a year, the division said. They said Robert Bob Adams has been operating as a state investment adviser without a license. A cease-and-desist order has been issued by the state, but the man may be still soliciting consumers. Adams operates under the business name SimTradePro Inc. and formed a related company called Winning Investments, LLC, in 2017, allegedly to pool investors funds to invest in the foreign currency exchange market. Four investors lost more than $279,000, and an elderly woman lost most of her retirement savings, they said. Each investor was charged a $3,000 origination fee. The money was pooled into a local bank account, the division said. Investments in foreign currency trading programs are extremely risky, and they are not for everyone, said division administrator Andrew Stolfi. Before investing money you cannot afford to lose, and certainly before parting with your life savings, learn as much as you can about the firms and individuals you are considering. Make sure your investment adviser is licensed by the division and works with registered, reputable industry professionals. Oregonians can contact division advocates at 888-877-4894 with questions or concerns about a financial adviser. Those with questions about Adams should contact investigator Rachel Royston at 503-947-7093. All of this means nothing. We all know the numbers are much higher and will get worse but, they will...(Read More) Jeff Bezos, the worlds richest man and the owner of Amazon, had his iPhone hacked after he received a suspicious message over WhatsApp from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman. Both of them were having a friendly chat when the latter sent Bezos the malicious file. The results of a digital forensic analysis claim that the encrypted message from Mohammed Bin Salman contained a malicious video file. The incident took place on May 1, 2018. Jeff Bezos had met the crown prince of Saudi Arabia a few weeks before during the latters trip to Los Angeles where they exchanged phone numbers. The malicious video file contained an encrypted downloader which began transmitting large amount of data from Bezos iPhone after that. The hack led to a huge amount of data being stolen from Bezos iPhone, though what kind of data leaked is unclear. There are, however, theories that this data leak is what provided the National Enquirer with details about the extramarital affair of Bezos, including access to intimate text conversations, a few months after the suspicious message was sent. The malware sent by Mohammed Bin Salman was able to install itself on Bezos iPhone possibly due to a WhatsApp exploit. Below is an excerpt from the forensic report: The amount of data being transmitted out of Bezos phone changed dramatically after receiving the WhatsApp video file and never returned to baseline. Following execution of the encrypted downloader sent from MBS account, egress on the device immediately jumped by approximately 29,000 percent. Forensic artifacts show that in the six (6) months prior to receiving the WhatsApp video, Bezos phone had an average of 430KB of egress per day, fairly typical of an iPhone. Within hours of the WhatsApp video, egress jumped to 126MB. The phone maintained an unusually high average of 101MB of egress data per day for months thereafter, including many massive and highly atypical spikes of egress data. The forensic report was unable to get more information about the malware since Bezos could not remember the password of his iTunes backup. Why Was Bezos iPhone Hacked? So, why did the crown prince of Saudi Arabia hack the phone of the worlds richest man? The latter also owns Washington Post which frequently published articles that criticized Mohammed Bin Salman. In fact, the crown prince is said to be behind the murder of veteran The Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi who wrote articles criticizing the prince. He was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey by agents of the Saudi governments on October 2, 2018. I guess even if you are the worlds richest man and use an iPhone, it does not guarantee that you will not be hacked. [Via Guardian Vineet Upadhyay By Express News Service DEHRADUN: After hundreds of women sat on protest in Haldwani on the lines of Shaheenbagh on Thursday, chief minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat said that these protestors have come from 'Jamia' and 'Kashmir'. "I have received inputs that some people from Jamia Millia and Kashmir have come to Uttarakhand with motives to disrupt the law and order situation by instigating people. I warn such people to not enter Uttarakhand as we will not tolerate this and strict action will be taken against them. "People have the right to hold peaceful protests in a democratic manner but we will not allow people from outside to provoke the people of Uttarakhand," said the CM. Meawhile, protestors in Haldwani said they are not going to budge. Sabina Siddiqui (37), a resident of Banbhulpura area of Haldwani said, "We are going to sit and protest against this draconian law. Our protest is against the divisive policies of the government. We are with our Shaheenbagh sisters." Hundreds of men, women and students sat on protest in the Taj Chauraha area of Haldwani city on Thursday chanting slogans 'Tanashahi Nahi Chalegi', 'Hindu-Musalman Saath Saath' with placards reading rollback of Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens. To support the protests, former MLA from Nainital and Indian National Congress leader Sarita Arya also joined them. State police department officials told that the protestors have permission for 72 hours after which they will be removed if they continue to sit at the said spot. On Tuesday, Uttarakhand police removed hundreds of women who sat on protest on in Dehradun in solidarity with Shaheenbagh women who are protesting for 36 days against Citizenship Amendment Act. Last month, Shahar Qazi of Dehradun Jama Masjid appealed people to keep 'Roza' on Fridays for maintaining peace in the country in wake of protests against CAA. The Qazi, Mohammad Ahmed Kasmi said that people across India should not indulge in violence but present their point of view in a peaceful manner. Uttarakhand had witnessed protests on a scale of thousands taking to streets with national flag singling national anthem. Earlier, last year, the state government had to impose section 144 banning gathering of any sorts fearing violence. However, the state has not reported any incident of violence and death like it's neighboring Uttar Pradesh which fared the worst. WINNIPEGThe massive investigation and search last summer for two young men wanted for three killings cost the RCMP in Manitoba and British Columbia about $1.5 million. Cpl. Julie Courchaine said Wednesday that Manitoba RCMP spent less than $800,000 during the 17-day search through the provinces northern terrain for Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and Kam McLeod, 19. B.C. RCMP estimate their costs at $750,000, said Sgt. Janelle Shoihet in an email. Those costs include the major crime investigation and specialized support services such as air services and forensic identification. It does not include the cost of the Canadian Armed Forces, whose members were also involved in the nation-wide search. A national RCMP spokeswoman in Ottawa said in an email she was not in a position to give a total amount. The investigation began July 15 when the bodies of American Chynna Deese and her Australian boyfriend Lucas Fowler were discovered near B.C.s Liard River Hot Springs. Two days later, a burned truck registered to McLeod was found about 60 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C. The body of University of British Columbia lecturer Leonard Dyck was located nearby. The search continued east in the following days. Dycks Toyota Rav 4 was found burned near Gillam, Man., on July 23. Mounties descended on the area of dense brush and difficult terrain. Local community leaders said at the time that anxiety was high for residents as police searched for the suspected killers. Items belonging to the suspects were eventually found about eight kilometres from the truck. That led to the discovery of the bodies of Schmegelsky and McLeod in brush near the shore of the Nelson River on Aug. 7. RCMP have said Schmegelsky and McLeod expressed no remorse for the killings in six videos they left behind. Schmegelsky said their plan had been to march to Hudson Bay, hijack a boat and travel to Europe or Africa. But in another video he said they had reached a river that was too large and fast moving, so they planned to take their own lives. Read more about: British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat achieved an 11 per cent sales lift in the last quarter of 2019 as the firm was boosted by a strong Christmas period. The firm said an 'encouraging performance' in its new stores and a boost in the numbers joining the VIP-Me rewards scheme enabled it to expand by 14 per cent in the six months to December 29. Its chief executive Angus Thirlwell said the growing popularity of the company's 'Velvetiser' in-home hot chocolate system also drove revenue growth. The machine is said to create 'barista-grade' hot chocolate in your kitchen within a couple of minutes. Hotel Chocolat's chief executive said said an 'encouraging performance' in its new stores and the popularity of the Velvetiser (pictured) helped it to record growth Fourteen new locations were opened by the company over the six-month period, nine of which were in the UK, three in Japan and two in the USA, which the cocoa grower said contributed around a fifth of the 14 percentage point increase. It added that 'inefficiencies in the supply chain' meant the costs of delivering this revenue rise was 'modestly higher,' but are focused on tackling them over the coming year. To cope with international demand, the company said it would be changing the way its supply chain operates, to become more internationally focused. Thirwell, who founded the firm with Peter Harris back in 2004, said the figures showed 'another strong performance from Hotel Chocolat.' He added: 'While much of 2019 was about getting started in these large new markets, 2020 will see us accelerate our supply chain transformation. 'This focus will rebalance us from being a UK-based company operating from owned channels, to one more suitable for multi-channel, multi-territory international supply.' The company said its home hot chocolate machine, the Velvetiser, 'continued to grow in popularity' with customer demand for new recipes exceeding initial forecasts Hotel Chocolat saw its VIP-Me member base expand to over 1.1 million active members, while also experiencing 'strong organic growth' at its existing locations. The company said its home hot chocolate machine, the Velvetiser, 'continued to grow in popularity' with customer demand for new recipes, including dark mint and white raspberry flavours - exceeding initial forecasts. A new 'outrageously creamy new vegan 'milk' chocolate' called Nutmilk was also rolled out by the firm, which Thirwell says has been an 'immediate hit' for them. Hotel Chocolat's boss recently complained that high business rates were 'a penalty for being successful.' He said his company was unfairly subsidising the rents of struggling businesses who resort to Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs). The chocolate maker has bucked the trend of decline on the high street by constantly innovating and making more intelligent use of its shop space. It has brought out new products like vegan chocolate lollies and started evening tasting events and more than doubled its share price since becoming a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange in 2016. Angus Thirlwell: 'When it's a case of exporting to the toughest market in the world for food products - in Japan - it's binary. You'll either get it 100 per cent correct or fail. Behind the scenes we've had to pedal really hard to get up to those standards' He told the PA news agency: 'When we're delivering our freshly made chocolates from our factory in Huntington to Glasgow, if the order isn't 100 per cent what they were expecting, they will know it will come on the next delivery. 'That's what we've built - because we're supplying to ourselves. What goes on in the stockroom can tolerate a certain level of imprecision. 'When it's a case of exporting to the toughest market in the world for food products - in Japan - it's binary. You'll either get it 100 per cent correct or fail. Behind the scenes we've had to pedal really hard to get up to those standards.' Shares in the group fell 2.3 per cent in morning trading to 410.8p. Reduced odds of an interest rate cut next month and continued uncertainty over the impact Chinas coronavirus outbreak may have on the global economy saw Australian shares ease lower on Thursday, pulling back from the record highs struck in the previous session. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 slid 44.7 points, or 0.6 per cent, to close at 7088.0, dragged lower by falls across all sectors aside from information technology and real estate. After posting modest falls in early trade, the markets losses accelerated following the release of Australias December jobs report. Unemployment fell unexpectedly to a nine-month low of 5.1 per cent, scuppering near-term expectations for a rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). The improvement in the unemployment rate will be a welcome development for the Reserve Bank, which remains focused on the intertwined goals of full employment and the inflation target, said Kaixin Owyong, economist at the National Australia Bank. With unemployment falling for two months in a row, there is now greater uncertainty over the probability of a February rate cut. The data saw the odds for a 25 basis point rate cut on February 4 slashed from 58 per cent to below 30 per cent, according to Australian cash rate futures, sending the Aussie dollar and bond yields higher as a result. Along with the reduced rate cut expectations, investor sentiment, not only locally but across the Asian region, was also undermined by continued uncertainty towards the impact of Chinas coronavirus outbreak. The market is focused on the potential impacts of the coronavirus on the global and Chinese, economies, said Kyle Rodda, market analyst at IG Markets. The situation has become a known-unknown with analysts trying their best to pick apart what it all might mean for financial markets. CIMIC Group led the losses on the benchmark index, tumbling 19.9 per cent to $28.03 after announcing plans to exit the Middle East by selling down its stake in BIC Contracting, resulting in a one-off post-tax charge of $1.8 billion. Downer EDI was also hammered after announcing a profit warning, sending its shares down 18.1 per cent to $7.17. Combined, tjose falls contributed to the industrials sector shedding 1.8 per cent, the steepest of any for the session. While 145 of the 200 stocks on the benchmark fell, there were some pockets of buying on Thursday. National Storage REIT jumped 6.3 per cent to $2.19 after announcing it had received a non-binding indicative takeover proposal from Gaw Capital Partners. Continued takeover speculation also saw shares in online travel retailer Webjet climb 5 per cent to $14.38. Buy now pay later heavyweight Afterpay Touch also hit a three-month high, lifting 3.7 per cent to $36.12. Senator Chuck Grassley announced an expanded probe Wednesday into the Department of Defenses Office of Net Assessment (ONA) and its awarding of defense contracts to Stefan Halper, in order to see whether ONA illicitly authorized funds for the former professor to spy on the 2016 Trump campaign. Halper, an FBI source who met with and recorded Trump associates Carter Page, Sam Clovis, and George Papadopoulos, according to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitzs December report, has been awarded more than $1 million in contracts by ONA since 2012. Grassley points to several contracts awarded to Halper in a letter to James Baker, the director of ONA, as examples that clearly indicate weak or non-existent internal controls. Evaluators raised several weaknesses, including a lack of substance, in a 2012 contract proposal by Halper that were ultimately ignored. For a 2015 proposal, Halper listed a Russian intelligence official as an adviser, who was then cited by Christopher Steele as source for his now-infamous dossier. Halpers last contract, awarded in September 2016, mentions unknown third parties paying for Halpers trip to Japan to interview former high-level U.S. and foreign government officials, but Grassley points out that the IG later found none of Halpers 348 footnotes in the subsequent study cited any interviews. Halper also contacted Papadopoulos in September 2016 and offered $3,000 for him to write a policy paper on the natural-gas market in the Mediterranean. Given Professor Halpers intelligence connections and government funding, it is reasonable to ask whether he used any taxpayer money in his attempt to recruit Trump campaign officials as sources, Grassley hypothesizes. The Iowa Senator concludes his letter by asking for a list of every contract ONA has issued over the last five years to review the consistency of its decision-making. The fact that taxpayer money was used to support these projects calls into question ONAs ability to be a proper steward of the peoples money and whether ONA has acted consistent with its mission and purpose, Grassley writes. More from National Review Phu Quoc Island has changed massively over the past seven years, just ask Xavi Pi, one of the three co-founders of Itaca Restaurant & Lounge. AL FRESCO: Itaca offers a large outdoor dining space, perfect for the pleasant winter weather on Phu Quoc Island. Photo courtesy of Itaca Restaurant & Lounge When the Spaniard and two of his friends from university opened the restaurant in late 2012, the island off the southern province of Kien Giang had few paved roads, visitor numbers were measured in the thousands instead of millions and the island still had a degree of serenity. When we opened, we had nothing for 800 metres on either side of us, Pi explained to me when I visited with my partner on a trip to Phu Quoc for Epizode festival. Thats hard to believe today, as Itaca sits amidst the hustle and bustle of Duong Dong Town on Tran Hung Dao Street, where restaurants, hostels, shops and bars do a roaring trade during the high season from November to March. While the island might have transformed, luckily enough some things never change, and Itaca is still one of Phu Quocs top restaurants. Mediterranean roots The restaurants name comes from another island, Greeces Ithaca in the Mediterranean Sea, and it gets the inspiration for much of its fare from those waters, almost 15,000km away. The tapas menu offers Mediterranean bites with a focus on Catalan food, the region the restaurants owners hail from. Itaca also offers wood-fired pizzas and BBQ options. In the past, the menu was more fusion based, with a mixture of Mediterranean and Asian cuisines, but Pi explained the Itaca team moved towards todays offerings to better suit Vietnamese tastes. They also recently redesigned the restaurants layout, putting a large grill for BBQ meat in front of the restaurant to entice diners in, while inside still offers a spacious al fresco dining area, perfect for Phu Quoc's pleasant winter weather. Wide variety We decided to order exclusively from the tapas menu to try as many different flavours as possible, and to make sure we got a range of the seafood Phu Quoc is famous for. First we had tuna tartare, which wasnt on the menu but graciously offered by Pi to get us going. The shot glass-sized bite was a great opening salvo, with the flakes of salt, soft tuna and sour cream offering intriguing and refreshing flavours that hinted at the delights to come. Hailing from the island of Ireland, my eyes and stomach were immediately drawn to the patatas bravas (VND95,000) and my taste buds werent disappointed, as the spicy tomato sauce complemented the strong garlic aioli superbly. BRAVO: Patatas bravas served with a spicy tomato sauce and garlic aioli. Next, we opted for the calamari Andalusian style (VND145,000). The squid couldnt have been fresher, not surprising considering the amount of squid fishing that goes on in Phu Quocs waters, while the crispy batter went well with the garlic aioli and a touch of lemon. Perhaps the only issue with this dish was the generous serving; we had to take a doggy bag of calamari back to our hotel, a first-world problem if theres ever been one! For a spot of indulgence we ordered some of the Wagyu meatballs (VND170,000), which were admittedly a bit rich for my taste, but thats the point of premium, Japanese Wagyu beef. Luckily my partner Amanda took a step further into meatball heaven with each tomato sauce encrusted bite. RICH: Decadent and delicious wagyu meatballs. Photos Amanda Carlea The coup de grace (forgive me, I dont know the Spanish for this phrase) of the meal though was our final dish, the spicy prawns (VND210,000). The large, juicy prawns were marinated beautifully in a lightly oily, spicy sauce, and best of all, their heads came straight off, so there was no risk of contracting fishy fingers in attempting to decapitate the tasty buggers. No time like the present All in all Itaca still offers a fabulous meal all these years on, and while it certainly has a lot more competition when it comes to international cuisine on Phu Quoc than in 2012, iron seems to have sharpened iron. Pi admitted that the rampant and rapid development of the island had certainly been good for business, but he lamented at the damage done to the environment, which is why he and other business leaders in the Phu Quoc Chamber of Commerce organise beach clean-ups and other environmental protection efforts. Rapid development is why virtually every travel piece you read about Phu Quoc will end with a warning that you'd better get there soon, before the island is spoiled. It doesn't seem like Itaca is about to get spoiled any time soon, but that doesn't mean you should delay a visit. VNS By Peter Cowan Phu Quoc night market a paradise for foodaholic While the restaurants of Phu Quoc Island are a delight with their wide range of fresh seafood, no trip to the Kien Giang Province locality would be complete without sampling street food at the night market at the heart of Duong Dong Town. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eva Xiao, Laurent Thomet and Dario Thuburn (Agence France-Presse) Beijing/Geneva Thu, January 23, 2020 11:07 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060a3d5a 2 World China,health,virus,disease,Wuhan-coronavirus,air-travel,WHO Free China banned trains and planes from leaving a major city at the center of a virus outbreak on Thursday, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed 17 lives, infected hundreds and spread to other countries. Authorities in Wuhan, a major transport hub, also suspended public buses and subways, and said residents should not leave "without a special reason". More than 570 people have been infected with the virus across China with most cases found in Wuhan, where a seafood market that illegally sold wild animals has been identified as the epicenter of the outbreak. The coronavirus has caused alarm because of its similarity to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. Like SARS, it can be passed among people through the respiratory tract. The first case of the new virus was confirmed on Dec. 31, and it has since been detected in Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. The World Health Organization on Wednesday delayed a decision on whether to declare a global health emergency a rare instrument used only for the worst outbreaks. The emergency committee will meet again on Thursday, after its chair, Didier Houssin, said the experts were split over declaring a public health emergency. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he needed "more information" but he also praised China's "very, very strong measures" to contain the outbreak. "By having a strong action not only will they control the outbreak in their country but they will also minimize the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally," Tedros said when asked about Wuhan's transport shutdown. With hundreds of millions of people traveling across China this week for the Lunar New Year holiday, the National Health Commission announced on Wednesday measures to curb the disease nationwide including sterilization and ventilation at airports and bus stations, as well as inside planes and trains. Wuhan's special anti-virus command center said the quarantine measures, which came into effect at 0200 GMT, were meant to "effectively cut off the virus spread, resolutely curb the outbreak and guarantee the people's health and safety," according to state media. A long line of cars headed out of the city on Thursday, with officials checking the temperatures of some drivers, according to images from Chinese media outlet The Paper. Police wearing masks patrolled Wuhan's Hankou train station before the suspension came into effect. While departures were banned, trains and planes were still heading into the city. Wang Biao, 28, who works in the advertising industry, was heading to Wuhan to transfer there to another train to Jingzhou, another city in Hubei province. "My family did ask if I would consider not coming home for the Lunar New Year, but I had already bought tickets," Wang, who was wearing a mask, gloves and a hat as protection, told AFP on the train. The city's tourism and culture department canceled all group tours until Feb. 8, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The city had already warned people to avoid entering or leaving Wuhan. Large public events for the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts Friday, were canceled. Authorities in Wuhan also made it mandatory to wear a mask in public places, according to state media. "Those who disregard the warning will be punished according to relevant laws and regulations," the city government warned, according to Xinhua. The hashtag "Wuhan is sealed off" was trending on China's Twitter-like Weibo, with nearly 460 million views. Animals are suspected to be the primary source of the outbreak, with Chinese health officials saying that the virus originated from the market where wild animals were illegally sold. But the WHO has confirmed that the virus can be passed between people, at least those in close contact, and Chinese health officials said it could mutate and spread further. "There are many unknowns to address in this event including clinical severity and the true extent and nature of disease transmission," said Michael Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergencies program. Countries have intensified efforts to stop the spread of the pathogen known by its technical name 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Passengers are facing screening measures at five US airports and a host of transport hubs across Asia. European airports from London to Moscow have also stepped up checks and Nigeria, which has many citizens working in China, said it would start checks at entry points. Chinese authorities on Thursday reported dozens of new infections, bringing the confirmed total to 571. About 5,000 people remain under medical observation. WHO chief Tedros said there was "stability" for the moment. "We don't see any significant variation but at the same time we also believe that we have to be cautious," he said. Tedros also praised China's openness about the outbreak as "commendable". But a senior US State Department official said Washington was "still concerned" about transparency in the Chinese government. During the SARS epidemic, the Chinese government took months to report the disease and initially denied WHO experts access to southern Guangdong province, where it originated. GETTY Privacy and tech experts say that governments must be agile in creating laws to protect their citizens from ethically dubious applications of artificial intelligence (AI). On January 18, The New York Times reported that a company called Clearview AI is working with hundreds of law enforcement agencies in the U.S., including the F.B.I. The company allows users to take a picture of a person, and if the photo matches a face in its three billion image database, it can potentially provide information like names, addresses and other details. The three billion photos are harvested from Facebook, Venmo, YouTube, and other sites. Ann Cavoukian, former information and privacy commissioner of Ontario, said in an interview that none of the images that were harvested were obtained with the consent of users and law enforcement should know better. She said that Canada needs massive major laws to prevent a similar situation occurring. We should have started years ago, we havent; so fine, lets start now, she said, adding that other jurisdictions in the U.S., like San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. have banned the use of facial recognition by law enforcement. Cavoukians biggest concern is whether or not the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is using the software. In an email, a spokesman for the RCMP did not confirm or deny if it was using Clearview AI as a tool for investigations. Generally, the RCMP does not comment on specific investigative tools or techniques. However, we continue to monitor new and evolving technology. Yahoo Finance Canada asked Clearview AI if it works with the RCMP or if it plans to partner with any Canadian authorities. The company did not respond by press time. Stephanie Carvin, a security expert and assistant professor at Carleton University, said in an interview that the technology space evolves quickly and the government lacks agility in creating policy to regulate it. Impulses are always in reactive mode, she said. Story continues Carvin said stories like the Times report on Clearview AI undermines trust in AI and its applications, when it could potentially be used for something good, like finding a perpetrator. The federal governments House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics was studying the ethics of artificial intelligence before the fall federal election. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, a Liberal MP who used to sit on the committee, said in an interview that the government has an algorithmic impact assessment framework established, but it has not been implemented yet. Until it is, he said [police] agencies shouldnt be employing AI where there are obvious [negative] effects on civil liberties. Erskine-Smith said that the Digital Charter, which was introduced by Innovation, Science, and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains last year, will help lawmakers establish rules to regulate technologies like AI. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act states that any organization has to obtain an individuals consent if they are collecting or using any individuals personal information. The act does not clarify rules around the use of AI and collecting data for the use of facial recognition. Ramona Pringle, an associate professor at Ryerson University, said because the government hasnt been able to keep up with the changes and advancements in technology, companies are essentially running rogue. She said it was important for regulations to be put in place fast because without solid regulation, individuals can be vulnerable to nefarious uses of AI. I dont know what individuals are supposed to do once the technology is around. We cant put the genie back in the bottle. We cant turn back time, she said. Our responsibility is regulation. According to the Times, Clearview AI has not made its software available for public use. According to a BuzzFeed report, Clearview AI claimed that its technology helped the New York Police Department capture an alleged terrorist, but the department denied those claims. Pringle emphasized that while AI has great use-case scenarios, like that of trying to catch perpetrators of crime, the technology is not as advanced as it is sometimes presented. AI right now is just snake oil, and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, she said. Theres been billions of dollars poured into AI, so many startups that say this is powered by AI but we havent necessarily seen the great breakthrough. The power isnt necessarily artificial intelligence, but that it is still built upon the infrastructure of a decade or more of data collection by other companies. The Doomsday Clock on Thursday ticked down to 100 seconds to midnight, symbolizing the greatest level of peril to humanity since its creation in 1947 as the threat posed by climate change and a growing nuclear race loomed large. The danger level was compounded by information warfare and disruptive technologies ranging from deepfake video and audio to the militarization of space and the development of hypersonic weapons. "We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds ? not hours, or even minutes," said Rachel Bronson, president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, in announcing the change. The decision on the clock is taken by panels of experts, including 13 Nobel laureates. It was originally set at seven minutes to midnight, and the previous worst -- two minutes to midnight -- held from 2018 to 2019 as well as 1953. The furthest it has ever been is 17 minutes, following the end of the Cold War in 1991. - Scrapped treaty - On the nuclear front, the arms control boundaries that helped prevent catastrophe over the last half century are being dismantled and may be gone by next year, said subject expert Sharon Squassoni. This includes the demise in 2019 of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, with the US and Russia entering a new competition to deploy once banned weapons. The US has suggested it won't extend New START, an arms reduction treaty signed in 2010. "This year could see not just the complete collapse of the Iran nuclear deal," added Squassoni, with Tehran boosting its enrichment efforts. And despite initial hopes US President Donald Trump's unorthodox approach to North Korea may produce results, no real progress ensued, said Squassoni, with Pyongyang instead vowing to press ahead with a new strategic weapon. - Climate hope? - On climate, two major UN summits fell dismally short of the action required to limit long-term warming to the goals laid out by the Paris Agreement that scientists say is necessary to prevent catastrophe. The effects were already apparent in the record-breaking heat waves and floods India faced in 2019, and the wildfires that raged from the Arctic to Australia. "If humankind pushes the climate into the opposite of an ice age," said Sivan Kartha, a scientist at the Stockholm Environmental Institute, "we have no reason to be confident that such a world will remain hospitable to human civilization." Yet the experts took heart in mounting climate activism spearheaded by a youth movement that is spurring some governments to action. Misinformation campaigns and fake news catalyzed by deepfake videos are potent threats to social cohesion, while the rise of AI weapons like drones that attack targets without human supervision create new uncertainty. Russia meanwhile has announced a new hypersonic glide missile and the US is testing its own weapons that severely limit response times of targeted nations. Space, long an arena for international cooperation, is also becoming increasingly militarized with multiple countries testing projectile and laser anti-satellite weapons and the US creating a new military branch, the Space Force. "We ask world leaders to join us in 2020 as we work to pull humanity back from the brink," said Mary Robinson, chair of The Elders leadership group and former president of Ireland. "Now is the time to come together -- to unite and to act." "We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds ? not hours, or even minutes," said Rachel Bronson, president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in announcing the change The Doomsday Clock on Thursday ticked down to 100 seconds to midnight Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. A cultural exhibition featuring more than 170 pieces of historical relics from the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD) will open at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing Thursday. The exhibition is expected to reproduce the historical features of the Three Kingdoms period and showcase the latest findings from the archaeological research of the period. The Three Kingdoms refer to the three separate states of Wei, Shu and Wu in ancient China. The relics have been selected from over 40 cultural heritage institutions by scholars from China and Japan during their three-year exploratory trips to more than 10 provincial-level areas in China. The exhibition is scheduled to run until April 19, 2020. The federal government has told Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Wuhan as the Chinese city is quarantined following the outbreak of a coronavirus. The escalation comes as the death count from the flu-like illness rises to 17 and Chinese authorities shut down outbound flights and trains from the city of 11 million people during Lunar New Year, the busiest travel period on the Chinese calendar. Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australian travellers were advised to reconsider their need to travel to Wuhan. Credit:Penny Stephens Health Minister Greg Hunt said after consulting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, they had requested a review of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) travel advisory for Wuhan. "That advisory has now been upgraded and advises Australian travellers to reconsider their need to travel to Wuhan," he said. NRF said that it advised RMS on all aspects of the transaction, including vendor due diligence, competitive tender auction sale process, transaction structuring and documentation, and property and land transaction matters. The firm also helped secure approvals from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) and the ACCC. The ACCC approved the transaction on 28 November, and corporate M&A partner Ben Smits, who headed the NRF team, said that the firm is pleased to have handled concerns of the ACCC on market concentration. This deal shows a continued interest in Australian land and forestry assets by foreign investors, Smits said. NRF said that it fielded a cross-practice team to work on the deal, which included corporate M&A, property, environment and planning, regulatory, and tax experts from the firms Sydney and Melbourne offices. Smits was supported by partners Stephen Iu, Claire Forster, Greg Reinhardt, Michael McKee and Elisa de Wit; special counsel Stephanie Barnes; senior associates Adam Hunter, Zoe Lonard, Sonali Seneviratne, Duncan Webber and Jacqueline Plant; associates Hugo Gotterson, Edwina Grigg and Andrew Pattinson; and lawyers Andrew Cho, Sassica Hoolahan, Alex Brand, Christopher Goutama and Rachel Murphy. If everything had been going fine in America, there would have been no market for Donald Trump's call in 2016 to 'Make America Great Again'. The French economist Thomas Philippon argues for a surprising conclusion: Europe is making a better job of running a competitive market economy than the home of capitalism. Which is not to claim that the European economy is doing exceptionally well, or that Trump's populist nationalism does not have support in several European countries. But Philippon diagnoses some peculiarly American ailments which Europe, courtesy of European Union policies, has managed to avoid. The American and European economies are broadly comparable in population, technology and level of development. The US has, for several decades, experienced poor productivity growth, increasing inequality and a declining share of labour in national income. It has also, Trump's boosterism notwithstanding, been doing no better than sluggish old Europe in recent years. Philippon, who has divided his career between Europe and America, notes that per capita output growth, the ultimate measure of overall ability to support rising living standards, has been averaging below 1pc per annum in the USA for the last two decades. The poor performance predates the financial crash and most European countries, including Ireland, have managed to do a little better. A principal explanation is that the USA has lost its traditional enthusiasm for keeping capitalism honest, through discouraging concentration in business and industry. Market dominance has been allowed to build up, while Europe has gone the opposite route. Developments in the airline industry illustrate the point. The USA liberalised the airline business, previously a tolerated cartel, in 1978, encouraging new entrants and price competition. Europe followed suit from 1986 onwards, resulting in the emergence of low-cost carriers and a better deal for customers. But the US permitted a spate of mergers which saw the industry consolidate while European regulators prohibited mergers thought likely to weaken competition. The US now has just three big network airlines (American, Delta and United) and many routes now have just one carrier. There has not been a significant new entrant since the 1990s. Airline profits have risen but fares are higher than in Europe, where entry is encouraged, and competition is more intense. If the decline in competition, which blunts innovation and improvements in productivity, had been confined to the airline business, the damage would be modest. Philippon provides evidence that it has been more general and laments a steady dilution of America's antitrust policies that has been under way for 40 years. Meanwhile, the EU has intensified its pro-competition stance, through the single market reforms and the empowerment of the European Commission's oversight role. It has been noticeable that Europe has given the digital giants, including Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, a tougher time in recent years than the US regulators. These industries, now the biggest business corporations in the world, enjoy strong network economies which make them vulnerable to winner-takes-all outcomes. America invented antitrust law at the end of the 19th Century to deal with similar problems in what were then the new emerging industries, including oil and railroads, while Europe to its cost permitted cartels and trusts, including national champions and imperial flag-bearers. The pupil has, since European economic integration was initiated in the 1950s, been learning the lessons that teacher forgot. The diminished antitrust zeal in the US and consequent growth in the market dominance of the biggest firms owes something also to an increased intrusion into business life of state and federal regulation, in contrast to the deregulatory and pro-competitive single market reforms in the EU. Philippon documents the rise of the American regulatory state and the anti-competitive impact, including the effective creation of new barriers to entry. It is a myth that business firms invariably oppose state regulation: they lobby actively for regulations which are in their interest, and in the USA the scale of business lobbying is extraordinary. Total cash expenditure on political lobbying in the US is about three times the European figure and the disparity in campaign financing is even greater. In the 2014 Senate race (for a single seat each) campaign spending in the two most expensive states reached $113m in North Carolina (population 10 million) and $97m in Colorado (population 6 million). It is unlikely that the total spent has reached these levels in Ireland for all Dail candidates combined at all elections since the foundation of the state a century ago. On average the winning candidate alone, in a US Senate or House of Representatives race, spends over $10m directly, roughly what all the Irish political parties will spend between them at the upcoming general election in this country. One consequence is that newly elected members of Congress in Washington are advised to commence fundraising for re-election on their first day in the office: some are believed to devote 30 hours per week to raising finance. The pay-off has come in part through the weakness of climate policy compared to Europe. The oil, gas and coal industries have been major spenders in Washington and climate action in the USA, when inevitably it must be faced, will cost more than it might have done had fewer politicians been beholden to fossil fuel interests. Video of the Day Breaking the link between money and politics is not easy, even if you try. In most European countries, including the UK and Ireland, it is illegal to buy or sell political advertising on radio and television, a huge component of campaign spending in the US. But internet advertising on social media platforms is permitted, including targeted advertising based on the involuntary mining of personal information. Perhaps it is time for the EU to consider restrictions in this area to keep a lid on the intrusion of money into politics which has gone out of control in America. Time also, Philippon argues, for America to relearn the virtues of competitive capitalism from its erstwhile pupil across the pond. After confirming that no coronavirus case has been reported in Peru, Minsa stated that the National Health Institute (INS) is prepared to implement a diagnosis with results delivered in real time, in light of the possibility that a case may be detected in said South American nation. Google, 9mobile, and Kirusa host workshop in Nigeria to promote RCS Business Messaging (RBM) Through this workshop, we want to enhance the usage and adoption of RBM by brands in Nigeria, as it provides convenience and value to consumers. By providing RBM agents, brands are empowered to improve overall customer experience and satisfaction. Google, in association with 9mobile, a leading telecom operator in Nigeria, and Kirusa, a global leader in communication solutions over data networks for consumers and enterprises, hosted a workshop in Lagos for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Aggregators, and brands to introduce Rich Communication Services (RCS), and showcase how RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is revolutionizing enterprise communication with their consumers. The workshop was attended by over 50 attendees, including representatives from MTN, Airtel, Glo, GTB, Zenith Bank, Unity Bank, Accion Microfinance, Interswitch, and Infobip, among others. Touted as the next-generation native messaging evolution for Android users, RCS is an update to SMS, offering features for enhanced smartphone messaging on Android such as high-resolution photo and video sharing, location sharing, group chats, read receipts, etc., all of which are not available on SMS. It is changing Person-to-Person (P2P) as well as Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging. For individuals, RCS opens up the possibility of rich media interactions with any other mobile subscriber using the native messaging app on the phone. Enterprises, on the other hand, are opened to an opportunity to engage with their smartphone customers using RBM, RCSs offering for enterprises which is used for business-to-consumer communication to provide a richer and interactive brand experience, complete with verified senders and brand logos. At the workshop, 9mobile announced that they had chosen Googles Jibe platform for offering RCS, and had chosen Kirusa for managing their RBM services in Nigeria, including directories, onboarding, verification, and APIs to send OTPs over RCS. Google demonstrated their Jibe platform, including their Dialogflow bot creation tool, while Kirusa demonstrated the RCS directory (available at http://www.dotgo.com) and the partners.dotgo.com portal for aggregators to launch RBM bots on 9mobile. "We are excited to see Kirusa and 9mobile leading the way by launching the first RCS agents in Nigeria on Google's RCS MAAP platform. Bringing modern messaging to everyone on Android is important to us and we look forward to supporting Kirusa and 9mobile further," said Johanna Kollar, Partnerships Lead, Communication Products, EMEA, Google. Bola Afuye, Head of Digital Media, 9mobile said, We are glad to be the front-runners not just in Nigeria, but in all of Africa to launch RCS and RBM. RCS opens up newer avenues for brands to communicate with their customers. This workshop demonstrated how carriers can benefit from RCS and leverage it to offer innovative services to their subscribers and have engaging conversations with their customers. We are delighted to be a part of the workshop hosted by Google to showcase the possibilities of RCS for the Nigerian market. Through this workshop, we want to enhance the usage and adoption of RBM by brands in Nigeria, as it provides convenience and value to consumers. By providing RBM agents, brands are empowered to improve overall customer experience and satisfaction, said Inderpal Singh Mumick, Founder, Chairman and, CEO of Kirusa. Google has been playing a significant role in marshaling the adoption of RCS across the globe. Taking the lead to transform enterprise messaging experiences on Android with RCS, Google launched its RBM Early Access Program in 2017. The Program aims to help enterprises build agents that take advantage of RCS features and engage with their audiences better. 9mobile is the first operator in Nigeria to launch RCS, and the first operator in the world to provide an RCS bot, named my9mobile, for providing customer support, and also the first operator in the world to make missed call alert and voicemail available using an RCS Agent. About 9mobile Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (EMTS), trading as 9mobile, is a Nigerian private limited liability company licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to provide a broad range of telecommunication services including voice and data services across the country. Formerly trading as Etisalat Nigeria, 9mobile commenced commercial operations in October 2008. In our over 11 years of operations, 9mobile has established a reputation for best-in-class Quality of Service (QoS), innovation and exceptional customer experience among mobile network operators (MNOs) in Nigeria. 9mobile has been at the forefront of technological innovations, including high definition voice enhancements and digital business solutions. At 9mobile, innovation is not just a buzz word; its about how we make peoples lives more meaningful and devise new ways to solve existing problems. As an environmentally responsible brand, our Environmental Management System (EMS) was certified to ISO 14001:2004 Standard in the first quarter of 2017, making 9mobile the first (MNO) to achieve this certification in Nigeria. In July 2017, we launched our new brand identity 9mobile, reflecting the bold and creative attributes we share with our valued subscribers, especially the vibrant youth segment. Our new name represents our authentic Nigerian heritage, Afro-centricity, and our evolution over a decade of operations. For more information, visit http://www.9mobile.com.ng. About Kirusa Kirusa is reimagining messaging and voice in the data era. Embracing the paradigm shift in enterprise messaging, we are helping enterprises plan and implement IP messaging strategies that create exciting possibilities for customer engagement. Kirusas technology and connectivity to OTT messaging platforms and RCS providers and carriers, including Google, enables carriers to monetize RBM and enables enterprises to build and deploy chatbots to have conversations with their customers with rich media, natural language processing, and machine learning, over OTT messaging apps, and the built-in Android messages app using RCS. Kirusas solutions include Dotgo, an RCS bot directory and partner portal; Kirusa Konnect, an omnichannel Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) for enterprises that helps bolster brand-customer engagement with chatbots, IP messaging, SMS and voice; InstaVoice, a unique call completion solution that provides visual voicemails and missed calls, and helps mobile carriers monetize missed calls in their networks; InstaVoice ReachMe, a smartphone app using voice over data to provide inexpensive voice roaming and virtual numbers; and Kirusa Channels, a platform that allows fans to connect with their favorite celebrities. Thousands of enterprises and over a hundred million users benefit from our solutions. Kirusa has partnerships with over fifty mobile carriers and is also a Jibe Messaging partner. Kirusas solutions are built on its patented technology and highly reliable, scalable multimodal and cloud platforms, which manage over 3 billion transactions and over 100 million active users every month. Headquartered in New Jersey and led by an experienced team of mobile technologists, Kirusa has offices in three continents. For more information, visit http://www.kirusa.com. Madrid's FITUR 2020 focusing on plastic-free trips Event aims to reduce environmental impact (ANSAmed) - NAPLES, JANUARY 23 - Some 918 official exhibitors from 165 countries that will be taking part in the 40th edition of the international tourism fair that kicked off Wednesday in Madrid. They will be presenting new tourism routes, sharing data and sector trends as well as launching the challenge of sustainable, plastic-free tourism. The fair will continue until February 26. From January to November 2019, there were 79.5 million visitors who spent about 87 billion euros in Spain: a 3% rise on 2018. Spain is one of the top world destinations for tourism, alongside France and the US. Ever more South Koreans are visiting Spain - 600,000 in 2019 - and the Asian nation is this year's guest of honor. Among the issues at the center of the discussion in the official sections of FITUR 2020 is the environmental impact of plastic in the tourism cycle, seeing as most plastic products used in the sector are not recyclable and are thrown away, contributing to global pollution. Some 80% of world tourism takes place in coastal areas, leading to plastic accumulating in the oceans and seas. The tourist season in the Mediterranean of the spring and summer leads to 40% more marine pollution during those seasons. On the first day of the fair, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative was illustrated, which asks firms working in the sector to bring in concrete initiatives by 2025 to eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging, shift to reuse, and use packaging that is 100% recyclable or biodegradable. The initiative also aims to convince countries and private firms to combine efforts at the international level. Discussion also included payment using new electronic means. There are many Italian tourist stands as well as the presence of the national tourism board, ENIT. In 2019, the Kerala government had announced that it'll make the entire state, especially its tourist destinations, disabled-friendly by 2021. A program started by Kerala's tourism's Barrier-Free Tourism Project has now received global recognition as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) made a special mention about Kerala for the Emerging Global Destination in the Accessible Destination Awards 2019. Twitter Well, the special mention was in place for Kerala being the first to work as per the UNWTO guidelines for making tourist destinations disabled-friendly and we surely do need these places in numbers, across the country. The recognition though was for the implementation of the project in Thrissur, which is India's first disabled-friendly destination to win the honour. The award is given by the World Tourism Organization and ONCE Foundation that works for people with disabilities. The awards at the Spanish capital were given away as part of FITUR Trade Fair, which is a meeting point for tourism professionals the world over and is the second-biggest global gathering of travel and tourism professionals. In March last year, Kerala introduced the barrier-free project in order to make at least 120 destinations within the state disabled-friendly. In October, Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran had said that 98 destinations out of the 120 tourist spots across the state which were identified for the first phase have already been made completely disabled-friendly. Thrissur was amongst the first only because it's the cultural capital of Kerala, one of the first few destinations in the state, to create the complete infrastructure in all its destinations like Azhikode and Snehatheeram, the hill destination of Vilangankunnu and the scenic dams in Poomala and Vazhani. Twitter The upcoming project include Chavakkad Beach, Peechi and Thumboormuzhi. The facilities include ramps, accessible toilets, lactation rooms, Braille pamphlets, signage, touch-screen kiosks, audio and sign aids, wheelchairs and walking aids. They have been made available in major tourist destinations in the district. Hailing the achievement, Kerala Tourism Minister Shri Kadakampally Surendran said, We deserve this honour. It will enhance Keralas reputation as a global tourist destination. While Kerala tourism is working towards making all its tourist destinations travel friendly for disabled people, we only hope more states in India come forward and implement progressive and infrastructural and viable structures for the differently-abled. This is a great project initiated by Kerala and we hope by 2021 the entire state caters to disabled people through its tourism. BOSTON (AP) U.N. human rights experts are asking Washington to investigate a suspected Saudi hack that may have siphoned data from the personal smartphone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post. But the forensic evidence they cite comes from an incomplete study of Bezoss phone, raising multiple questions. Here's a quick guide to what's known, and what remains unknown, about their findings. WHAT HAPPENED TO BEZOS PHONE? According to a report overseen by a former longtime FBI agent and top cybersecurity official in the Obama administration, evidence on the phone suggests it was infected by spyware in May 2018 via a WhatsApp message from the account of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That message included a video file that the firm's investigators say likely contained malware. Bezos' personal security adviser had been advised in February 2019 to have the phone examined by an intelligence official who has not been named. Bezos went public with the suspected hack shortly thereafter, saying the National Enquirer tabloid had threatened to publish his private messages and photos. ARE THE FORENSIC FINDINGS CONCLUSIVE? Not at all. Outside security researchers highlighted several issues with the forensics report, which was overseen by Anthony Ferrante, who is senior managing director of FTI Consulting's cybersecurity operations and had worked on the National Security Council under President Barack Obama. For instance, the FTI report, dated November and obtained Wednesday by the Vice News site Motherboard, said researchers didn't find any malware on the phone, nor any evidence that Bezos phone had surreptitiously communicated with known spyware command servers. Further, an examination of the crucial root file system where top-flight hackers often hide their malware was still pending when the report was written. IPhone security expert Will Strafach, CEO of Guardian Firewall, said that if the FTI investigators didn't look at the root file system, they didn't do a thorough forensic exam. I think the U.N. intentions are good but the details really matter here and the public reporting falls short of any real firm smoking gun, said Strafach. Other security experts questioned the FTI team's forensic chops, wondering on Twitter and in blog posts why it was unable to decrypt the software that would have delivered the malware payload along with the video file. Alex Stamos of Stanford University tweeted: The funny thing is that it looks like FTI potentially has the murder weapon sitting right there, they just haven't figured out how to test it. FTI's Ferrante did not respond to emails and text messages seeking comment. The company said in a statement that all FTI's work for clients is confidential and that FTI does not comment on, confirm or deny client engagements. Facebook said the outfit did not reach out to WhatsApp to request assistance with its probe. COULD HACKERS HAVE ERASED ALL EVIDENCE OF INTRUSION? Absolutely, said Strafach. Elite hackers plant malware that erases itself after surreptitiously sending sensitive data to command servers. "It scoops up everything they want and removes itself so there's no trace, no evidence," he said. "Anyone who knows what they are doing are going to cover up their tracks." Sophisticated mobile spyware such as a package called Pegasus, made by the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group is designed to bypass detection and mask its activity. Saudi Arabia is reported to have used Pegasus against dissidents and human rights activists within weeks of the suspected Bezos hack. On Wednesday, NSO Group unequivocally denied that its technology was used in the Bezos hack. WHY IS THE UNITED NATIONS INVOLVED? One of the two U.N. officials seeking answers in the case, Agnes Callamard. focuses on extrajudicial killings and has already investigated the Saudi government's role in the October 2018 murder in Turkey of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The other, David Kaye, is the U.N. point person on free expression. He focuses on the growing and lawless use of malicious spyware to monitor and intimidate human-rights defenders and journalists. Both are independent experts in the U.N.'s human rights arm, not employees of the international organization. Kaye said via text message that he received the FTI report in November. He also said he did not know whether FTI investigators have examined the Bezos' phone root file system. ARE OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES AT RISK? It's difficult to say at the moment. Prince Mohammed has attended gatherings with numerous U.S. entertainers, technology executives and sports-team owners. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said Jared Kushner, a White House aide and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, has communicated with the crown prince via WhatsApp. WHY ISNT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MORE INVOLVED? A top U.S. Justice Department official, Adam S. Hickey, would not say whether federal investigators were looking into the allegations. Trump has been reluctant to condemn the Saudi prince over the Khashoggi killing and often expresses satisfaction with his governments purchases of U.S. weapons. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ Group Bertrand Camus in Davos. Expressing his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the meeting, Bertrand Camus highlighted the ongoing projects implemented by the company in Azerbaijan, the progress of these projects and promising programs. Speaking about the activities of the company, the Chief Executive Officer presented SUEZ Group`s future activity programs on the manufacture of chemical products, collection and treatment of household waste and irrigation to President Ilham Aliyev. Expressing his satisfaction with the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said that he was aware of the activities of SUEZ with relevant authorities of Azerbaijan, adding that the results are satisfactory. The sides exchanged views on cooperation with SUEZ in the areas of the manufacture of chemical products, collection and treatment of household waste, as well as application of advanced technologies in the field of irrigation. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Danny Baker has been condemned by social media users after he joked that former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's past cocaine use had caused him to develop Parkinson's disease. It comes just eight months after the radio journalist was sacked by the BBC over a tweet in which the 61-year-old shared a picture of a couple walking a chimpanzee in a suit and wrote: 'Royal baby leaves hospital.' Earlier this week rock veteran Osbourne revealed that he had been diagnosed with the disease after suffering with health issues from a fall last year. In the tweet Baker said: 'Not to be unsympathetic to a genuine hero but when Ozzie Osbourne says his 'mild Parkinson's' is down to a fall he once had I'm thinking it must have been when he fell into a vat full of cocaine in 72 and didn't get out again for 35 years.' Danny Baker has been slammed by social media users this week for commenting on Ozzy Osbourne's health issues Danny Baker tweeted out the above on January 21 and many social media users were outraged Ozzy Osbourne (pictured above) recently revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease The BBC Radio 5 Live host sparked outrage after he uploaded this image of a couple clinging on to a monkey wearing a suit with the caption: 'Royal baby leaves hospital' Twitter users were outraged with many saying he was 'nasty' and were outraged that he could even joke about the disease. One said: 'Parkinson's is a cruel crue duseasel. Bare that in mind', and another user added: 'So wrong. #Parkinsons is not a coke fuelled consequence. It's an indiscriminate pig of a disease that can blight the lives of anyone'. Another user said: 'Really helpful when discussing a situation that tears a) the person and b) their family apart. I'm not being 'woke' but you and I are old enough to remember the phrase 'it's not a laughing matter'. Cruel.' Hinting as his previous issue on social platforms, another user said it was 'becoming harder and harder' to 'respect' him. Social media users replied to his tweet with many branding him 'cruel' for joking about the disease One added: 'Not funny, just nasty and ill-informed.' Osbourne revealed the severity of his condition while appearing on Good Morning America. He said he had had to have neck surgery because of the condition. When Osbourne had been working as an artist he had previously opened up about his cocaine fuelled lifestyle. He is now clean and in 2018 he said if he was asked to pick between a gun or a bag of cocaine then he would chose the gun. WHAT IS PARKINSON'S DISEASE? Parkinsons disease affects one in 500 people, and around 127,000 people in the UK live with the condition. Figures also suggest one million Americans also suffer. It causes muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, tremors, sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, an impaired quality of life and can lead to severe disability. It is a progressive neurological condition that destroys cells in the part of the brain that controls movement. Sufferers are known to have diminished supplies of dopamine because nerve cells that make it have died. There is currently no cure and no way of stopping the progression of the disease, but hundreds of scientific trials are underway to try and change that. Advertisement The province is asking health-care providers to be on the lookout for people who have travelled recently to the Chinese city of Wuhan and are now suffering from fever and acute respiratory illness. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The province is asking health-care providers to be on the lookout for people who have travelled recently to the Chinese city of Wuhan and are now suffering from fever and acute respiratory illness. Resources Click to Expand For more information on coronavirus, visit Infection Prevention and Control Canada. For up-to-date travel advice and advisories, visit the government of Canada travel website. The notice was issued Jan. 17, in light of the new coronavirus, first identified in the 11-million resident metropolis in Hubei province. On that same day, Manitoba required suspected and confirmed cases of the virus be reported to the chief provincial public health officer. "The World Health Organization, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living are actively monitoring the situation," the provincial Health Department said in a statement Wednesday. The Wuhan Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, where a number of people related to the market fell ill with a virus, sits closed in Wuhan, China. (Dake Kang / The Associated Press) "While the risk to Manitobans is low, provincial public health officials are asking health-care providers in Manitoba to be aware of people with a relevant travel history and symptoms that could be related to the novel coronavirus," the department said. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Chinese authorities plan to close off Wuhan, cancelling planes and trains leaving the city beginning Thursday, and suspending buses, subways and ferries within it. The measure could thwart the travel plans of millions of Chinese citizens celebrating the Lunar New Year holiday. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Health providers in Manitoba are asked to watch for people with fever and acute respiratory illness, with or without pneumonia, who travelled to Wuhan within 14 days of the onset of symptoms or have had close contact with an ill person associated with the outbreak in Wuhan. Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope. (Dr. Fred Murphy / Centers for Disease Control) "If concerns are raised, health providers will ensure that a patient is not in close contact with other patients, and will connect with infectious disease experts and public health to consult on next steps," the provincial statement said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Tuesday the first case of the novel coronavirus in the United States. The Washington state patient had recently returned from Wuhan. No confirmed cases had yet been identified in Canada. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca K&L Gates Straits Law has advised on the first-ever green financing of commercial aircrafts. The Singapore office of the international firm helped Aviation PLC secure the loan from Deutsche Bank to finance three low-carbon-emissions ATR 72-600 aircrafts. K&L Gates Straits Law said that the first of the aircrafts was delivered last month to Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA), the Swedish lessee of the aircrafts. It said that BRA operates a fleet of ATR 72-600 aircrafts. The regional airline expects each of these planes to reduce its CO2 emissions by 7,500 tons per year. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the police to file a charge sheet in two months against BJP national secretary H Raja in a case connected to his abuse of the Judiciary and police officials during a Vinayaka Chathurthi procession in Pudukottai district in September 2018. Justice Jagadish Chandra passed the order on a petition by senior counsel S Doraisamy, who is also the vice-president of the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK). The judge directed the Thirumayam police in Pudukottai district to complete the investigation and file the charge sheet before the appropriate trial court within two months. Raja, known for his acerbic comments, which have often landed him in controversies, was caught on camera making scandalous and vulgar remarks against the High Court during a Ganesh Chathurthi procession at Thirumayam. He had made the remarks when the police prevented erection of a stage near a mosque citing a High Court injunction. With the video of Raja abusing the Judiciary and the police with expletives going viral, the demand for action against him has gained momentum. The police filed an FIR but he was not arrested. At this juncture, a Division Bench of Justice CT Selvam and Nirmal Kumar stepped in and initiated contempt proceedings. On October 22, Raja tendered an apology before the Bench, saying that those words were uttered in an agitated state of mind and were not intentional. This was the first time Raja had owned up to his action though he had been at the centre of many controversies. Earlier, his Facebook post in the wake of the razing of Lenins statue in Tripura, advocating removal of social reformer and rationalist leader Periyar EV Ramasamys statues dotting the landscape of Tamil Nadu, had led to a furore. Then, Raja had maintained that the post was uploaded by his admin without his consent. However, pursuing the police case, Doraisamy moved the High Court seeking expeditious action by the police. In his petition, he charged the police with being lax in acting against Raja, since the latter was a leader of the ruling BJP at the Centre. MYBEST GROUP S.P.A. Registered office in Sesto San Giovanni (20099 MI), Viale Casiraghi, 359 Share Capital 3,334,309.50 fully paid Tax code/VAT and Milan Business Registration number 04227580968 NOTICE OF MYBEST GROUP S.P.A. SHAREHOLDERS ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY MEETING The Shareholders are invited to participate in the Shareholders' Meeting of My Best Group S.p.A., with registered office in Sesto San Giovanni, Viale Casiraghi 359, Share Capital 3,334,309.50 fully paid, VAT no. 04227580968, REA no. 1735084 (the Company), for the ordinary session, with a first call on 4 February 2020, at 04.00pm, at Ruben Israel - Elena Terrenghi - Anna Riberti Notary Office in Milan, via Filippo Carcano 47, postal code 20149, and, on second call, on 5 February 2020, same time and same place, to discuss and decide on the following Agenda Provisions of article 2447 of the Civil Code Appointment of the new administrative body and auditor Possible adoption of ancillary instruments to protect creditors SHARE CAPITAL AND VOTING SHARES As of the date of publication of this notice, the subscribed and paid-up share capital of MyBest Group S.p.A., equal to 3,334,309.50, consists of no. 6,668,619 no par value ordinary shares, each of which gives the right to one vote. As of today, the Company owns no. 144,340 treasury shares. RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING AND MEETING REPRESENTATION Shareholders with voting rights are entitled to participate in the Shareholders' Meeting. Pursuant to article 83-sexies of Legislative Decree no. 58/98, the right to participate in the Shareholders' Meeting and exercise the vote of the Company's shares is subject to the receipt by the Company of the notice issued by an intermediary authorised in accordance with current legislation, certifying the ownership of the shares based on the evidence of the accounting records at the end of the accounting day of the seventh open market day prior to the date of the Shareholders' Meeting on first call (that is, 24 January 2020, the so-called record date). Credits and debits recorded on the accounts after that date are not relevant for the purpose of legitimizing the exercise of the right to vote in the Shareholders' Meeting; therefore, the holders of ordinary shares registered as such only after that date shall not have the right to attend and vote at the Shareholders' Meeting. Notice from intermediaries to the Company are sent in accordance with current legislation. Notices from intermediaries shall be sent to the Company by the end of the third open market day prior to the date set for the Shareholders' Meeting, that is 30 January 2020. The right to attend and vote remains unaffected if notices are received by the Company beyond the aforementioned deadline, but before the Shareholders' Meeting on single call begins. Postal or electronic voting procedures are not admitted. PROXY VOTING Any person entitled to attend the Shareholders' Meeting can be represented by proxy, according to the provisions of article 2372 of the Civil Code as well as other applicable provisions, including regulatory provisions. The proxy can be sent to the Company, in advance so that they can be collected, by registered letter to the Company's registered office in Sesto San Giovanni, Viale Casiraghi 359, or by certified email to mybestgroupspa@legalmail.it. Any prior notification does not exempt the delegate, during accreditation for access to the meeting, from the obligation to certify conformity of the notified copy with the original and the delegators identity. Sesto San Giovanni, 15 January 2020 My Best Group S.p.A. Fabio Regolo Chairman of the Board of Directors Attachment The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday categorically said that there is no scope for third party mediation on the Kashmir issue and outlined that any discussion on bilateral matters should be held only between India and Pakistan. Responding to a media question about US President Donald Trump raising the Kashmir issue during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "We have reacted to similar statements in the past. Our position on the Kashmir issue and the third party mediation has been very clear and consistent. Let me reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter." Kumar, who was addressing the weekly media briefing, also said the onus is on Pakistan to hold talks on conducive conditions free from violence and terrorism. "If there are any bilateral issues between India and Pakistan that needs to be discussed, it should be done between the two countries under provisions of the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. But the onus is on Pakistan to create such conducive conditions - free from terror, hostility, and violence," said Kumar. The comments came after Trump on Tuesday said the US was watching the developments between India and Pakistan in relation to Kashmir "very closely" and again offered his "help" to resolve the issue. "We are going to be talking about trade and many other things. But trade is going to be of very, very paramount importance. And we are doing more trade as it turns. We are working together on some borders and we are talking about Kashmir and the relation to what is going on with Pakistan and India. If we can help, we certainly will be helping. And we have been watching that and following it very, very closely," Trump said with Khan sitting by his side on the sidelines of the Economic Forum in Davos. This was the fourth time that Trump had offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue in the last six months. The last time Trump and Khan had met was in September 2019 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The US President had raised the issue of "mediating" between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue following which India had ruled out third party mediation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 18:04:49|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least four Afghan security personnel were killed and seven others wounded, when Taliban militants attacked a checkpoint in northern Baghlan province on Thursday, a local official confirmed. A group of Taliban insurgents stormed a police security checkpoint on the highway linking Baghlan's provincial capital between Pul-e-Khumri to Baghlan-e-Markazi district, killing four police and wounding seven others, Khanzada Mazlomyar, the district chief told Xinhua. Baghlan-e-Markazi district in the northern Baghlan province has been regarded as Taliban hotbed in the northern region. Taliban militants who have intensified attacks against security forces over the past couple of months have yet to make comment. NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carol's Daughter , a leading brand in the natural hair care space, is transforming the way you wash your hair and making "wash day" a little more delightful. At first glance, new Wash Day Delight appears to be water. But, it's actually a unique shampoo that combines the cleansing power of Micellar technology with natural aloe for a fast acting, deep cleanse that doesn't compromise softness on even the curliest and coil-iest of textures. "Wash Day" typically describes the day of the week usually a Sunday- that Black women dedicate to the ritual of washing their hair. With millions of views on YouTube and close to half a million tags on Instagram, #WashDay is part of the conversation for naturalistas everywhere. Often times, it is known to be time-consuming but with the introduction of this revolutionary new water-to-foam shampoo, Carol's Daughter is doing the unexpectedproviding a superior clean, all the while cutting down on time for a more enjoyable wash experience. Wash Day Delight makes this possible with fast-acting Micellar Technologyknown for gentle yet effective cleansingwhich acts like a magnet to attract and lift away buildup for a thorough hair and scalp cleanse, without harsh friction or stripping. Additionally, this unique formula is blended with aloe which prevents tangles, meaning less time detangling later. Consumers who have previewed new Wash Day Delight , can't stop raving about it and how moisturized, defined and clean their hair feels, all in record time! "When I started Carol's Daughter 27 years ago, I took to natural ingredients and created hair and body care recipes from my heart and soul," states Lisa Price , founder of Carol's Daughter. "New Wash Day Delight comes with hair care and self-care at its heart. This formula contains more than 98% naturally derived ingredients and combines them with modern Micellar technology leaving hair thoroughly but gently cleansed and soft." Wash Day Delight transforms into a gentle foam that effortlessly lathers and works through the hair via the targeted applicator. It minimizes tangles and quickly rinses clean so there's no added weight from residue left behind. Simply wet hair and use the pointed tip to target the scalp, then gently massage into scalp and hair working into a lather through the mid-lengths to ends, rinse, condition and done! Wash Day Delight is vegan and contains no sulfates, parabens, silicones or artificial colors. The new innovation is available on CarolsDaughter.com , Amazon.com and retailers nationwide starting at $10.99. Wash Day Delight is just the first of several new launches to come in 2020 for Carol's Daughter. For more information about Carol's Daughter, visit carolsdaughter.com or follow on Instagram, Facebook , Twitter and YouTube . ABOUT CAROL'S DAUGHTER In 1993, encouraged by my mother, Carol, I began creating high-quality products made with love in my Brooklyn kitchen. As family and friends experienced how these products transformed their hair and skin, I knew that I was onto something good. I needed a name for my company, so I made a list of everything I was and everything I wanted to be, and I realized that the most special thing that I am is Lisa, Carol's Daughter. -Lisa Price, Carol's Daughter Founder FOR MORE INFORMATION, PRODUCT IMAGES OR SAMPLES: [email protected] | DOMINIQUE BARCHUS SOURCE Carol's Daughter Related Links https://www.carolsdaughter.com The northside of Cork City has been neglected by its recent political representatives with one Government TD not even bothering to show up for work, said Labours general election candidate for Cork North Central. City councillor John Maher said: For the last four years, the northside has been left down. One guy didnt show up for work but got paid for another job, another went to Europe elected, and another two just make noise. Enough is enough. Mr Maher is hoping to gain a seat in the north Cork a constituency which has seen a lot of recent change after Fianna Fails Billy Kelleher left for the European Parliament and Fine Gaels Dara Murphy resigned to work with the European Commission and whose Dail attendance record and expenses have come under heavy scrutiny. If elected, Mr Maher said that housing and providing infrastructure on the citys northside will be his priorities. We have to solve the housing crisis, he said. My friends are living with their mams and dads. These are working people and they cant afford to buy a house. We all know the solution build more social and affordable houses but its not being done. Mr Maher said that crime is another problem that needs to be tackled by deploying more gardai to Corks streets and he is calling on Garda commissioner Drew Harris to come to Cork to see how bad things are on the ground. The people of North Central are sick of noise, he said. They know it achieves nothing. They want a progressive candidate who is like them, who works with them, volunteers with them, will go for a pint with them. Were knocking on doors, asking people to vote for us, to trust us. People are listening to us and they like what were offering. Mr Maher is one of 16 candidates contesting the four-seat constituency. But his party leader, Brendan Howlin, who was out canvassing with him in Cork, said that he is confident that Mr Maher can win one of those seats. Mr Howlin said: Were very confident of John taking this seat in Cork North Central. Its a seat with a long, long Labour tradition Kathleen Lynch has a distinguished record of service, Jerry OSullivan was much loved, and weve had fantastic Labour councillors and lord mayors from the northside of Cork. That heritage is important. [Mr Maher] our new candidate did terrifically well in the local election and by-election. "From the result of that by-election we think hes reasonably set; we must just garner that vote and supplement it, and I think well do that, said Mr Howlin. Former Labour TD for Cork North Central, Ms Lynch, who was also on the canvass, said that the constituency has a strong Labour heritage. That residue of affection and loyalty still exists here, it buoys you up, she said. A worker wearing protective gear sprays anti-septic solution in a train amid concerns over the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, also known as the Wuhan coronavirus, in Seoul, South Korea on Jan. 24, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Australia Races to Develop Vaccine January 23 coronavirus updates. For January 24 updates, click here. 1:20 p.m. UTCAustralia Races to Develop Vaccine University of Queensland researchers are working round the clock as they race to develop a vaccine to stop people from dying from the coronavirus. The Queensland team is one of three around the world asked to plant their foot on the accelerator and use new technologies to get a vaccine onto the market fast. If the Queensland team can replicate what theyve done in labs with other viruses, including related influenza and ebola, its possible the world could have a shield against coronavirus within six months. The essence of the vaccine will be a protein produced by the DNA sequence of the coronavirus. Read more here. 12:20 p.m. UTCTaiwan Confirms 2 New Cases of Virus Taiwan health officials on the evening of Jan. 24 confirmed two new cases of the virus, bringing the total to three on the island. A Chinese tourist, a woman in her 50s, and a Taiwanese man, also in his 50s, have been quarantined in hospital. Both had entered Taiwan on Jan. 21 and had been in Wuhan, officials said. The Chinese woman went to a hospital with fever symptoms on Jan. 23. The man started experiencing cold symptoms on Jan. 20 and went to a hospital on Jan. 23. Hospital staff wear face masks as they work at a check-in desk at a hospital that reported a coronavirus death in Yichang in central Chinas Hubei Province on Jan. 23, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP) 11 a.m. UTCAt Least Nine Being Tested in Northern California At least nine people are being tested for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in a northern California county, health officials said. Officials with the Alameda County Health Department told KRON4 that there are no confirmed cases out of the nine-plus people showing symptoms. The patients either traveled to Wuhan, China, within the past 14 days or were in contact with someone else who was exposed to the virus. Health officials said the patients had a high fever and a cough and that samples were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing. Read more here. 7:25 a.m. UTCSaudi Arabia Says Coronavirus Case is MERS, Not Wuhan Virus Saudi Arabias Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said on Twitter that the country has no cases of the coronavirus so far in response to media reports that an Indian nurse working in the country had been infected. The Consulate General of India in Jeddah clarified that the nurse was not suffering from the coronavirus from Wuhan, but was sick with the Middle East Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, another viral respiratory infection that was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Dr. Tarik Al Azraqi, Chairman, Scientific Regional Infection Control Committee, Aseer Region, has confirmed that d Indian Nurse being treated at Aseer National Hospital is suffering from MERS-CoV & not 2019-NCoV (Wuhan), the Consulate Generals office said on Twitter. We request everyone to refrain from sharing incorrect info. 7:00 a.m. UTCFacial Masks Are in High Demand as Pneumonia Outbreak Continues Hong Kong media HK01 reported that mainland Chinese have been buying up surgical masks and N95 face masks in large quantities in Mong Kok. In Hong Kong, the number of suspected cases has increased by 66, bringing the total number to 236, according to a noon press conference by the local Centre for Health Protection. In Taiwan, Premier Su Tseng-chang announced a one-month export ban on surgical and N95 face masks, according to the government-run Central News Agency. Su urged the public not to panic over any shortfall of face maks since local factories can produce at least 1.88 million face masks per day. There remain two confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Hong Kong and one in Taiwan. In China, only two provincesQinghai and Tibethave not reported any confirmed cases. A masked vendor sells fish and turtles at a market in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was discovered, in China on Jan. 24, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) 6:30 a.m. UTCNew Jersey Patient Cleared of Coronavirus: Health Officials A 25-year-old patient isolated overnight at New Jerseys Hackensack University Medical Center has been cleared of being infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, health officials have confirmed. The woman was isolated by the hospital following precautionary infection control protocols that are in place. After an evaluation of the patient and consulting with the State Department of Health, experts have determined the patient does not have the Wuhan Coronavirus. Due to patient privacy, we are unable to provide additional information, the hospital said in a statement. The United States has one confirmed case of the virus in Seattle. Authorities in Los Angeles and Texas are investigating two more possible cases of the coronavirus. Read more here. 6:05 a.m. UTCUS Embassy in China Upgrades Travel Warning to Level 4 The U.S. Embassy in China upgraded its travel warning from Level 3 to Level 4 on Jan. 24 asking people not to travel to Hubei provincethe province where the coronavirus outbreak is said to have originated. There is an ongoing outbreak of pneumonia first identified in Wuhan, China, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus, the advisory said. Chinese authorities have imposed strict travel restrictions in the area around Wuhan. Travelers should be aware that the Chinese government could prevent them from entering or exiting parts of Hubei province. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice, it said, adding that, The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province. A worker in protective suits checks the temperature of a passenger arriving at the Xianning North Station on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, in Xianning, a city bordering Wuhan to the north, in Hubei province, China on Jan. 24, 2020. (Martin Pollard/Reuters) 6:00 a.m. UTCChinas State Council Warns Regional Officials The General Office of Chinas State Council announced that it will be sending out officials to supervise regional governments and agencies. The announcement stated that those found responsible for being slow to report, covering up, and failing to report regional pneumonia situations would be harshly dealt with in accordance with the law. A Chinese woman living in Norway told The Epoch Times that her elder brother in Wuhan, who died within 2 weeks of contracting unknown pneumonia, most likely had the virus. However, authorities did not include his death in the official toll as they said he did not show any signs of fever. Chinese media reported that Beijing has shut down many outdoor activities and tourist attraction sites, including the Palace Museum beginning on Jan. 25 and the Prince Gong Mansion beginning on Jan. 24. Additionally, Peking University and Tsinghua University have suspended their campus visits beginning on Jan. 24. 4:45 a.m. UTCChinese Officials Tests Positive For Wuhan Virus Huang Mouhong, deputy bureau chief at the provincial Department of Commerce in Hubei, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Chinese state-run media The Paper. Wang Guangfa, Director of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Peking University First Hospital, also tested positive for the virus. Guanfa is the Chinese medical expert who assured the public that the Wuhan pneumonia is controllable. Read more here. Passengers wearing masks sit on an Air China flight from Sydney to Beijing before takeoff, in Sydney, Australia on Jan. 24, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) 4 a.m. UTCWuhan Announces Hospital Build for 1,000 Extra Beds Wuhan, which has the majority of cases, announced Friday that it will build a designated hospital with space for 1,000 beds in the style of a facility that Beijing constructed during the SARS epidemic. The hospital will be erected on a 25,000 square-meter lot and is slated for completion Feb. 3, municipal authorities said. 3:30 a.m. UTCChina Reports Second Death Outside of Hubei Chinas coronavirus death toll continues to rise as the Health Commission of Heilongjiang Province has reported one death related to the coronavirus. The commission stated that the death occurred in the city of Suihua, which is located in the west-central of Heilongjiang Province. The other death outside of Hubei Provincethe epicenter where Wuhan is locatedoccurred in Hebei, which is located in northern China. Hubei and Hebei do not border each other. 3 a.m. UTCSouth Korea and Japan Both Report Second Case A disinfection worker wearing protective gears spray anti-septic solution in a train amid rising public concerns over the spread of Chinas Wuhan Coronavirus at SRT train station in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 24, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) According to South Koreas Yonhap News Agency, a 55-year-old South Korean man, who had been working in Wuhan, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Before returning to South Korea on Jan. 22, the man visited a Chinese clinic for flu-symptoms, including a sore throat. South Koreas Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) will provide an update on the mans condition later today, according to Yonhap. Meanwhile, a Wuhan man in his 40s who is visiting Japan has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Japanese media. Before arriving in Japan on Jan. 19, the man had twice visited a hospital in China on Jan. 15 and Jan. 17. A day after his arrival in Japan, the man went to a hospital suffering from a fever and sore throat. During a second checkup on Jan. 22, doctors confirmed he was infected with the Wuhan pneumonia. According to Japanese media, the man said he had not visited the wet market in Wuhan linked to the initial outbreak of the coronavirus. Warning From Leading Coronavirus Expert A leading infectious disease expert is warning that the Wuhan virus may be 10 times worse than the SARS outbreak which killed almost 800 people in 2002 to 2003. Guan Yi, director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Hong Kong University who helped identify the first SARS coronavirus, told Chinese financial magazine Caixin on Jan. 23 that the golden time to contain the virus had passed before the travel ban was imposted on Thursday. He also criticized Wuhan authorities for their deficient response after a visit on Tuesday in an effort to track the source of the outbreak, saying that they destroyed crucial evidence at the live market. He said the visit left him shocked by the lack of precautions taken by the city residents and authorities. Poor citizens, they were still preparing to ring in the New Year in peace and had no sense about the epidemic, he said. Read more here. 7:30 p.m. UTCChina Quarantines Five More Cities China has added five cities to the list of cities it has quarantined. China on Thursday quarantined Wuhan, a city of roughly 11 million where the 2019 Novel Corona Virus originated. Near the end of the day officials also locked down Ezhou and Huanggang, which are just outside of Wuhan. A slew of local governments in Hubei Province, where Wuhan is situated, also announced restricted travel. The cities of Chibi, Xiantao, Qianjiang, Zhijiang, and Lichuan are now being quarantined as well. Residents in the cities were told not to leave unless they had special circumstances. Authorities didnt release timelines of how long they thought the travel bans would be in place. In Wuhan, public transportation was shut down as well as the airport. Huanggang, a city of approximately 7.5 million, was closing all theaters, internet bars, indoor entertainment sites, and resorts, officials said in a statement. A security guard sprays alcohol to disinfect areas in Wuhan, China on Jan. 23, 2020, amid a quarantine there. (Getty Images) 7 p.m. UTCTexas, LA Probing Possible Coronavirus Cases Authorities in Texas said theyre investigating a suspected case of coronavirus while a person who landed in Los Angeles was sent for a precautionary screening after displaying possible symptoms. Health care providers were aware of public health guidance on novel coronavirus and quickly recognized that the patient met the criteria for coronavirus testing and is being kept isolated at home, while the precautionary testing is done. If there is a confirmed case, we will promptly announce it, the Brazos County Health District said in a statement. The patient who landed at Los Angeles International Airport had flu-like symptoms and was sent for testing just after midnight. Early this morning, sometime after midnight, that person was transferred to a hospital in LA after the CDC and local health officials decided that that person should go to the hospital for precautionary screening, an airport spokesman said. One case has been confirmed so far in the United States, in the state of Washington. Read more here and here. A Wuhan resident, masked, buys vegetables at a market in Hubei Province, China amid the coronavirus outbreak, on Jan. 23, 2020. (Getty Images) A patient is transferred by an ambulance to the Infectious Disease Centre of Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on Jan. 22, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) 7 p.m. UTCWHO Says Coronavirus Not Yet a Global Health Emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the mystery viral illness that has sickened scores of people in China and claimed patients lives is not yet a global health emergency. Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, in a press conference Thursday. I am not declaring a public health emergency of international concern today, he added. The international agency has received reports of cases in China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States, he said. Read more here. Chinese travelers wear protective masks as they wait before boarding a train before the Chinese New Year at a Beijing railway station in Beijing, China on Jan. 23, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) 5:30 p.m. UTCFirst Death in China Outside Epicenter Chinese authorities reported the first death outside Hubei province, where the outbreak began. The Health Commission of Hebei Province said in a statement on Jan. 23 that an 80-year-old patient died on Wednesday. But testing confirmed on Thursday that the death was caused by the coronavirus, according to the health commissions statement. The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China. 5 p.m. UTCUS Tells People to Avoid Traveling to Wuhan U.S. authorities said on Jan. 23 that people should avoid nonessential travel to Wuhan, China. There is an ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that can be spread from person to person, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a travel notice. Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan, including buses, subways, trains, and the international airport. Preliminary information suggests that older adults and people with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe disease from this virus. The agency expects more cases to be confirmed in China. There is one confirmed case in the United States, in Washington state. The agency did not say to avoid nonessential travel to other parts of China. The State Department pointed to the CDCs statement in its level two travel advisory, telling travelers to exercise increase caution. Noting that Chinese authorities locked down three cities this week, including Wuhan, it told people to be aware that planned travel within China may be disrupted. People who do travel to Wuhan should avoid contact with sick people, avoid animalswhether dead or aliveand wash hands often. If people traveled to Wuhan and feel sick they should immediately seek medical care and avoid contact with others. Medical staff members wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province. (STR/AFP) A Chinese woman wears a protective mask as she leaves a Beijing railway station in China on Jan. 23, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) 4:30 p.m. UTCMexico Rules Out Two Cases, Probing Three Others Officials in Mexico said Thursday that tests for two patients suspected of having the 2019 Novel Coronavirus came back negative. Tests came back for two patients but tests for three others are still pending, officials said. The only confirmed case in the Americas so far is in the United States. Authorities in Brazil, meanwhile, said there are currently no suspected cases of coronavirus one day after they said a woman who traveled to Shanghai was a possible case. Read more here. Monitors of thermal scanners that detect temperatures of passengers are seen at the security check inside the airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala on Jan. 22, 2020. (Luis Echeverria/Reuters) 4 p.m. UTCWorld Airports Taking Precautions Airports around the world have begun taking precautions to deal with an anticipated influx of Chinese tourists taking Lunar New Year holidays, just as the outbreak of a pneumonia-like virus in China has prompted officials there to take drastic measures to prevent its spread. Airports are adding thermal screening and other security measures to screen passengers traveling from China. Dubai International Airport, the worlds busiest for international travel, announced on Jan. 23 that, following government guidance, all passengers arriving on direct flights from China will receive thermal screening at the gate upon arrival and be provided with informational brochures. In Italy, 202 passengers were taken to a special sterile area for a screening of their body temperature. Read more here. Medical workers enter an isolation area to visit the first two cases of the new coronavirus infection, in Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 23, 2020. (Bach Duong/AFP via Getty Images) 3 p.m. UTCSingapore, Vietnam Confirm Cases Singapore and Vietnam both reported confirmed cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus on Jan. 23. A Chinese man and his father both tested positive for the virus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese health officials said. The father traveled to Vietnam from Wuhan on Jan. 13 and infected his son. In Singapore, a 66-year-old Chinese man who lives in Wuhan was put in isolation after arriving with his family on Jan. 20. Health officials isolated his son and were working to find people who were near the man on the flight. Eight others who traveled with them had already left to another country, which was alerted. Read more here. Employees in scrubs talk next to the ambulance entrance at Providence Regional Medical Center after a spokesman from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a traveler from China has been the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus, in Everett, Washington, Jan. 21, 2020. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters) 2 p.m. UTCChinese Officials Quarantine Three Cities Chinese officials said they were quarantining two cities in addition to Wuhan, which was quarantined on Thursday morning. The virus spread widely in Wuhan, which is considered the epicenter. The city has a population of roughly 11 million. The quarantine included shutting down the citys airport and all public transportation. Officials said Huanggang and Ezhou were also being locked down, state media reported. Read more here. Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in a subway station, in Hong Kong on Jan. 22, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo) Chinese paramilitary officers wearing masks stand guard at an entrance of the closed Hankou Railway Station after the city was locked down following the outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on Jan. 23, 2020. (China Daily via Reuters) 1 p.m. UTCAustralia Looking at Possible Case Australian health officials were looking into a possible case of coronavirus after earlier ruling out another possible case. Authorities said the suspected infected person arrived in Sydney on Jan. 22. We have one case that is currently under investigation. We are able to rapidly undertake testing of cases that come to our attention and either exclude or confirm those cases in a very short time frame, New South Wales Chief Health Officer Dr. Kerry Chant said at a press conference. Authorities in other countries are looking into possible cases, including Brazil. Cases have been confirmed in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. Read more here. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A pair of Houston police officers pulling over a car came under fire after the gun-toting driver tucked-and-rolled out of the vehicle and starting shooting at them, Chief Art Acevedo said. Sources identified the suspect to Chron.com as 37-year-old Gregory Calvin Gaines. Houston Police Department spokespersons did not confirm the suspect's identity, citing the lack of formal charges. The officers pulled a car over for a broken headlight around 3:15 a.m. Thursday in the 3900 block of Yellowstone, Acevedo said. The car made a right turn onto a side street, which is when the suspect, who was driving, and his mother, who was sitting in the seat behind him, jumped out of the car, Acevedo said. ALSO READ: Man killed in hit and run in NW Harris County After getting out of the car, the suspect pulled a pistol and shot at the officers as they tried to get out of their patrol SUV, Acevedo said. Neither were struck, but the officer in the passenger seat managed to return fire. A bullet was later found lodged in the drivers side headlight of the SUV, Acevedo said. Several more officers rushed to the area and reportedly found the suspect hiding underneath a car a few blocks away. Why he shot at the officers is unclear, Acevedo said. The suspect was carrying a few ecstasy doses, Acevedo said. The suspect will likely be charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer, although charges have not yet been formally filed, according to HPD . Gaines has a previous conviction for misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2012 and an arrest for illegally carrying a weapon in 2009, although the weapon charge was later dropped, according to court records. In that case, prosecutors dismissed the charge stating they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, court records show. The officer who returned fire is a field training officer with 10 years of service with HPD. The officer who was driving is a rookie and did not fire his weapon, Acevedo said. The training officer will be placed on administrative leave until an internal investigation is complete. This is the fifth time a Houston police officer has been involved in a shooting since the start of the year. Most recently, an undercover officer working a secret operation in a southeast Houston pharmacy parking lot shot a man who approached his vehicle and allegedly made threatening gestures. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com Processed timber in Laos is shown in these pictures taken by a citizen journalist in January 2020. Authorities in Laos are allowing timber companies to fell trees in an area that was flooded after a dam collapse described as Laos worst flooding in decades, much to the ire of residents of the formerly flooded forests. The flood occurred on July 23, 2018, when water poured over a saddle dam at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy (PNPC) hydropower project following heavy rains. It inundated 12 villages and killed at least 40 people in southern Laos Champassak and Attapeu provinces. While the government says it is allowing private companies in because it is necessary to remove dead trees before they rot, the residents are angry that the decision was made without consulting them. I obtained a document indicating that the government had given permission to a wood trading firm to cut down 20,000 cubic meters (about 706,000 cubic feet) of timber, then transport it out of the area for sale, the chief of a village in Attapeus Sanamxay district told RFAs Lao Service Wednesday. As we speak there are Vietnamese [workers] cutting trees, both dead and alive, everywhere, he said. The chief told RFA that on Jan. 6, he and village authorities seized 10 logs that had been cut within the limits of his village. We seized these logs because [the central, provincial, and local] governments gave permission [to fell trees] without consulting us and without our authorization, the chief said. In addition, if they are going to cut down trees here, the wood should be used to build homes for survivors of the dam collapse instead of being sold to [companies] in Vietnam, he added. The chief said that the area where the timber companies are allowed to cut trees is quite extensive. They are felling all the trees on both sides of the Xe Pian River, within 250 meters of the river. Another source sent a video to RFA showing timber being loaded for export. An accompanying text message said the firm behind the operation was Savangxay Company, which owns a furniture plant in Attapeu. Another source, a survivor of the dam collapse asked RFA, What are they cutting all these trees for? For export? Government says felling is necessary Sanamxay District Governor Bounhome Phommasane confirmed to RFA that tree felling was taking place on a massive scale. They are cutting all the dead trees in the area that was flooded by waters from the dam collapse, said the district governor. The [permission] comes from the prime ministers office, not the province. The central government gave [them] permission to cut these trees before they all die and rot, he added. As for the timber profits, Bounhome Phommasane said that they would go toward a good cause. The government will sell the logs and the proceeds will be used to develop our country. Our province [Attapeu] may or may not receive a part of the proceeds, he said. The district governor said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry had performed a damage assessment with the district and the province. They even marked which trees are dead or still alive, and which ones should be felled or not, he said. When asked why the proceeds would not be used to help survivors of the dam collapse, Bounhome Phommasane said it was out of the districts hands. Its all up to the [central] government. We are only following orders. Those orders are to cut the trees as soon as possible, he said. The proceeds will be under the direct control of the central government and the district and province [will] have no rights to them, he added. The district governor also said that the central government issued the permission to fell trees in the affected area in February last year. Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh Written in English by Eugene Whong. (Newser) A former Oklahoma zookeeper and one-time candidate for governor was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot and violating federal wildlife laws. A federal judge in Oklahoma City sentenced 56-year-old Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passagewho is also known as "Joe Exotic"for trying to arrange the killing of a Florida animal sanctuary founder who criticized his treatment of animals. The woman, Carole Baskin, wasn't harmed. Maldonado-Passage, who maintained his innocence, also was sentenced for killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs, and falsifying wildlife records, the AP reports. A jury convicted him last April. story continues below Maldonado-Passages attorneys had argued for lenience, noting he had no previous criminal convictions and that because of his poor health, a sentence within the advisory guidelines would amount to a life sentence. During last year's trial, a jury heard evidence that Maldonado-Passage paid a man $3,000 to travel to Florida and kill Baskin, with a promise to pay more after she was dead. Maldonado-Passage was upset that Baskin, an outspoken critic of his, had won a million-dollar civil judgment against him. After his initial attempt failed, prosecutors say Maldonado-Passage offered $10,000 to an undercover FBI agent to kill Baskin during a meeting that was recorded and played for the jury. In the recording, he told the agent, "Just like follow her into a mall parking lot and just cap her and drive off." (Read more zookeeper stories.) Julien Brun, managing partner at CEL Consulting The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has been validated in Vietnam since January 2019. Meanwhile, the long-awaited EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was signed in Hanoi last June. Thanks to both of these FTAs, Vietnams logistics industry will witness a robust expansion and a rising demand for logistics activities. A report by the World Bank pointed out that the CPTPP will help increase Vietnams GDP by 1.1-3.5 per cent. In addition, the historic deal also helps increase the supply of goods for the retail and distribution sectors. Meanwhile, Vietnams export turnover to the EU is expected to increase by 20 per cent in 2020, 42.7 per cent in 2025, and 44.37 per cent in 2030 in light of the EVFTA. The agreement will remove tariffs on 65 per cent of EU exports the moment it comes into force, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The main objective of these agreements is to increase the two-way trade between Vietnam and its economic partners. The added trade volume may come on top of the currently traded goods or at the expense of other wares whose tariffs will remain high. From a logistics point of view, as the export and import volumes are expected to grow, the demand for logistics services is also projected to rise proportionally. So, we are coming to a time where Vietnam is required to invest in its logistics infrastructure to cope with this extra volume in order to not become a bottleneck to international trade. Thanks to the rising scale of these exchanges, investors are now reinsured that their assets will be fully utilised to serve the upcoming demand, thus generating reasonable returns. There is currently a massive injection of capital in warehousing throughout Vietnam, particularly in cities like Haiphong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang. At the same time though, there is a shortage of available construction space which raises the rents of storage facilities in the country. We will see more advanced, secure, and international facilities on the market. Cold chain storage is an area that will probably grow even higher than the standard dry storage since the export of agricultural products such as fresh produce constitutes an important pillar of Vietnams economy. However, infrastructure alone is not enough to increase cost-efficiency for Vietnams logistics industry. Integration is the second trend that will transform the logistics landscape. There are over 260,000 companies providing some kind of logistics services in Vietnam, with the majority of them being very small companies with limited capabilities and simple transport options. It is critical for Vietnams logistics to further integrate services like custom clearance, storage, freight forwarding, handling, and labelling with each other and sync them to avoid efficiency issues that mostly happen at these interfaces. It is likely that small players disappear progressively since larger companies can combine different services with each other to offer so-called one-stop shop types of services from door to door. This is important as it will further support the fact that manufacturers are now willing to outsource these logistic activities to focus on their core business. Therefore, these important agreements are going to help investors to increase their share by offering more integrated, more straightforward, and more secure services. The landscape will evolve quickly as pressure on cost and time will continue to rise with these treaties. Foreign players are definitely leading the show in Vietnam, in terms of services provided to manufacturers and retailers. The main value they offer is peace of mind. More than half of manufacturing companies still manage their logistics by themselves. However, when someone comes and proposes to take care of it in a similar time and even at a lower cost, only a few companies would not make the move to outsource their logistics. Moreover, currently foreign players are leading in design solutions, integrated services, and customer care. They have also significant capital to invest and start to see Vietnam as a safe market to pour it into. They handle regionally significant volumes that allow them to negotiate better shipping rates than local players. Moreover, they can offer regional distribution centres to multinational companies while also providing local services in various markets, such as in Vietnam. Overseas companies are also present in both shipping and receiving markets which allows them to ensure that goods are effectively reaching their destinations as promised. Vietnams logistics market will face harsh competition with more competitors from the EU. According to the World Bank Logistics Performance Index 2018, Germany ranked first in the world, followed by Sweden, Belgium, and Austria. The competitiveness of local logistics companies is still much lower than those from more mature markets, including those from the EU. Catching up by themselves will be a massive challenge. Chances are that a lot of small local businesses will start to run out of demand because their services are too basic and their technological level is far behind. Hence, local companies may have to reach out further than just Vietnam and start operating from various countries in the world to handle both dispatch and reception. They also would need to seek for technological solutions that will help them to offer headache-free services to shippers. As Edo Japan rolls out fast-food sushi restaurants across the country, Winnipeg will become home to two new locations looking to capitalize on consumers taste for teriyaki and udon. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. As Edo Japan rolls out fast-food sushi restaurants across the country, Winnipeg will become home to two new locations looking to capitalize on consumers taste for teriyaki and udon. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Calgary-based companys Japanese-inspired menu includes bento boxes, rice dishes and assorted rolls. Lighter fares include tempura snacks and soup, as well as other teppan-style grab-and-go items. Vice-president operations Terry Foster said what makes Edo stand out is its selection of menu items are prepared fresh on a 400 F degree teppan grill, which sears the ingredients and "locks in" flavours. As well, he said its an alternative to fast-food grub. There are currently more than 140 locations in shopping centres and food courts across the country. The new Winnipeg location at Fort Richmond Plaza (502844 Pembina Hwy.) is already open, while the Kenaston Crossing (101650 Kenaston Blvd.) one is expected to start serving sushi in the spring. The street-front restaurants join the chains first Winnipeg franchise, which opened in the food court at CF Polo Park in 2018. Foster said the company expects to roll out 15 new stores this year and 15 to 20 in 2021, "and for many years to come." The Pirani Group, which has established itself in the franchising industry across Canada, will oversee the chains Winnipeg operations. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives on Jan. 22 at the Manhattan Criminal Court, where a judge ruled two additional women can take the witness stand in the actor's trial. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) Cuba Gooding Jr.'s groping trial will begin on Apr. 21, a judge declared Wednesday. Gooding has been charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse stemming from three alleged incidents. Judge Curtis Farber ruled that two additional women who have accused the 52-year-old actor of unwanted sexual touching will be allowed to testify. The New York Times reports the Manhattan district attorneys office asked to put 19 witnesses on the stand to show that the actor has exhibited similar predatory behaviour for years. One of the women the judge will allow accuses Gooding of having grabbed her backside and licked her neck at a New York hotel bar in 2013. The other woman claims the Oscar-winning actor groped and forcibly kissed her at a bar in California in 2018. Read more: Reports: Cuba Gooding Jr. accused of sexual misconduct by 3 additional women Judge Farber said in his order that admitting all 19 witnesses would result in "undue prejudice," but that the "probative value of admitting a limited selection of incidents outweighs any such prejudice." Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives at court in lower Manhattan on January 22, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images) One of Goodings attorneys, Mark J. Heller, told the Times he considered the judges ruling to be a "tremendous victory" for the defence. Heller has said that when a celebrity is charged with a criminal offence, people tend to "come out of the woodwork with allegations that are all over the place and, for the most part, arent provable." Gooding arrived late on Wednesday to court the same building where opening arguments began in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial. According to Page Six, the actor was scolded by the judge. "The case was called for 9:30 a.m. Why are you late?" Farber said as Gooding strolled in at 10:02am. Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives at court in lower Manhattan on January 22, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images) "I apologise, we hit traffic," Gooding's other attorney, Peter Toumbekis, explained. "You have to leave early next time," Farber ordered. The Jerry Maguire star was arrested in June 2019 after allegedly groping a woman's breast at a Manhattan club. He has maintained no wrongdoing. Since then, an additional 21 women have come forward with allegations of unwanted touching by the actor. He was hit with additional charges from two other incidents, from 2018, in which he allegedly pinched a woman's behind at the Tao Downtown nightclub and allegedly forcibly kissed a female server at Upper East Side hotspot LAVO. Gooding faces a total of six counts. Each case involves two misdemeanour charges, of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail. The ruling Nepal Communist Party won 16 seats in National Assembly, the Upper House of Parliament, in the election held on Thursday. Its alliance partner Rastriya Janata Party bagged the remaining two seats. The election for 18 vacant seats of National Assembly was held in all seven provinces of Nepal. A total of 45 candidates from six political parties were in the fray. Prominent leaders who won the election includes NCP spokesperson Narayiankaji Shrestha and leader of the party Bhagwati Neupane. Both of them were elected from the Gandaki Province. While Shrestha defeated Nepali Congress candidate Surya Prasad Regmi, Neupane defeated Bimala Gauchan of Nepali Congress. The National Assembly has a total strength of 59 seats. The two-year tenure of 19 lawmakers of the National Assembly will end on March 3. One seat will be filled by the presidential appointment on recommendation of the government. The members are elected by an electoral college comprising lawmakers from all seven provincial assemblies and representatives from local bodies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rithala Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Rithala constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Delhi Assembly Election 2020, Rithala profile: The Aam Aadmi Party's Mohinder Goyal has won the election from the Rithala constituency against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Manish Chaudhary with a margin of 13,873 votes. In the last election, 66.46 percent of the voters had cast their votes, which amounted to 1.65 lakh votes. The Assembly constituency is part of the North West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. AAP's Mohinder Goyal had sought re-election from the constituency, fighting against Manish Choudhary of the BJP, a councilor in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Here is a brief profile of Rithala constituency: Constituency Name: Rithala Constituency Number: 6 District Name: North West Delhi Total Electors: 2,48,480 Female Electors: 1,14,760 Male Electors: 1,33,699 Third Gender: 21 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Kulwant Rana of BJP won the seat in 2008 and 2013 polls. He lost to Mohinder Goyal of the AAP in the 2015 polls. This constituency came into existence in 2008 post the delimitation exercise. Demographics: As per reports, Rithala is a Muslim-concentrated Assembly segment with the community forming 30 to 40 percent of the population. The Assembly segment also has a crucial Jat population, which has -traditionally been a BJP votebank. Middle-class areas such as Sector 17 Rohini, Sector 16 Rohini, Sector 11 Rohini and Sector 6 Rohini are part of the constituency. The EFCC has arraigned a former justice minister, Mohammed Adoke, in court for his alleged involvement in the controversial $1.2bn Malabu oil deal. He was arraigned on a 42-count charge on Thursday alongside six others before Justice Idris Kutigi of the Gwagwalada Division of the FCT High Court. The charges were amended to 42 from an initial 12. The former attorney-general is also being tried at the Federal High Court on separate charges. On Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Adokes trial was stalled due to the failure of the EFCC to serve the charges on some of the defendants. But the former attorney-general had his charges read to him. Those of Aliyu Abubakar and Rasky Gbinigie were also read to them. The fifth, sixth and seventh defendants, which are Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Ultral Deep Limited, and, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company, were represented by their legal counsel. Only the fourth defendant, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, had no legal representation in court. Background The EFCC had been pursuing Mr Adoke for his alleged role in the controversial transfer of Nigerias OPL 245 oil field. PREMIUM TIMES reported how almost half of the $1.1 billion paid by Shell and Eni in a controversial OPL 245 deal brokered by Mr Adoke and some other officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration ended in accounts controlled by Mr Aliyu. The oil multinationals paid the money through the Nigerian government to Malabu, a company then controlled by Dan Etete, a former petroleum minister who is on the run. Malabu, which was illegally awarded OPL 245 when Mr Etete was a minister in 1998, then transferred about half of the money into accounts partly controlled by Mr Aliyu. The EFCC alleges that Mr Aliyu distributed the money to some top officials of Shell and Eni as well as some officials of the Jonathan administration. The EFCC also said Mr Adoke received N300 million from Mr Aliyu in 2013 as his share of the Malabu windfall. Shell, Eni, and their officials are already being prosecuted in Italy for the scandal. Mr Adoke has denied any wrongdoing and said the actions taken in respect of the transfer of the block were based on the instructions of former President Goodluck Jonathan and in the best interest of Nigeria. In 2015, the former minister went on a self-imposed exile outside Nigeria. He eventually travelled to Dubai where he was arrested by Interpol at the prompting of the EFCC. Upon his return to Nigeria, he was arrested at the Abuja airport and handed over to the EFCC on December 19. The EFCC secured an initial court order to hold Mr Adoke for 14 days following his arrest in Abuja. Thursday Court Session All the defendants on trial pleaded not guilty to the charges read to them by the clerk of the court. The lead counsel to the EFCC, Bala Sanga, thereafter, prayed the court to remand Mr Adoke, Mr Abubakar and Mr Gbinigie at the Kuje correctional services facility. Kanu Agabi, counsel to Mr Adoke, objected and asked for the defendants to be remanded in the EFCC custody. He said his client had already filed an application for bail. Mike Ozekhome, a member of Mr Adokes legal team, also pleaded to Justice Kutigi that his client should be kept in EFCC custody instead of the correctional service in Kuje Abuja. Advertisements My lord, the Kuje prison is a fashionable name for prison. I appeal to the court to allow Mr Adoke be kept at the EFCC custody for his health sake, he said. Ola Olanipekun, counsel to the second defendant, Mr Abubakar, also urged the defendants to be kept in EFCC custody. He explained that since it was the federal government that was prosecuting the defendants, there was not much of a difference keeping them with the anti-graft agency. But Mr Sanga objected. He also said the bail applications were filed on Thursday afternoon. Application for the first defendants bail was filed at about 3:15 p.m., the second defendants application was filed at 2:03 p.m., and the third defendants own was filed at 2:54 p.m. The EFCC counsel added that keeping Mr Adoke and the two defendants in its custody would overcrowd the commissions facility. Mr Agabi later asked Justice Kutigi to use his discretion on the issue. Mr Kutigi called for a short recess, urging the counsel to come to an agreement on an adjourned date for the bail application. After the recess, Mr Olanipekun said the counsel had agreed to meet on Monday, January 27. The prosecution counsel affirmed the agreement, adding that it should be subject to the ruling of the court. Justice Kutigi adjourned the case till Monday for the continuation of the trial and review of the bail application. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) The Department of Health said Thursday there is no need to quarantine the family of a Chinese man who tested positive for a coronavirus infection in Hong Kong. None of them are suffering from any illness, walang sakit sila. So wala namang (there is no) need for us to do any tests on them or to admit them or to hold them in isolation, DOH spokesperson Eric Domingo said in a media briefing. Domingo said the four relatives of the 39-year-old man who was quarantined in Hong Kong were tracked down by the Bureau of Immigration and were advised to tell Philippine health officials if they feel any symptoms of infection. He added the DOHs epidemiology agents are also contacting them regularly. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said earlier during the day that the Bureau of Immigration informed him that they are now identifying and tracing the whereabouts in the country of the family from Wuhan the Chinese city south of Beijing where infections from the new coronavirus strain were first reported. We have identified the subjects, as well as extracted their address from our database, Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Thursday. Sandoval said they will forward this information to the Bureau of Quarantine. The Immigration Bureau refused to divulge information about the family as of this time. Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post reported that the family of the 39-year-old man who became Hong Kongs first preliminarily positive case of the new strain of coronavirus called 2019-nCoV flew to Manila onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J111 that landed on the same day. Cebu Pacific said in a statement that no one on the flight needed to be quarantined for exhibiting flu-like symptoms. DOH is still waiting for results from Australia for tests ran on a blood sample and a throat swab from a five-year-old boy from Wuhan who had fever and cough when he arrived in Cebu City with his mother on Jan.12. The boy, who tested positive for a type of coronavirus which is not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, is still currently under observation, along with his mother, who has no symptoms of infection. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said, however, that it is possible that the boy has not contracted 2019-nCoV. Officials in China are racing to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that has left at least 17 dead and infected at least 547 in the mainland. Confirmed cases have also been reported in Thailand, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Common symptoms of the 2019-nCoV include fever, cough and colds, breathing difficulties, shortness of breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases such as such as MERS and SARS, according to the World Health Organization. They can be transmitted from animal to person or an infected human to others, according to the WHO. CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. Lucknow, Jan 23 : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday flagged off two 'Ganga Raths' on Thursday as a precursor to his five-day 'Ganga Yatra' that begins on January 27. While one Ganga Rath will go to Bijnor from where the Ganga enters Uttar Pradesh, the other Rath will go to Ballia from where the holy river exits. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Ganga was not only a symbol of faith but also a symbol of our economy. "The Ganga campaign will give a definite boost to economy and help agriculture," he said. The Chief Minister will embark on his Ganga Yatra from Bijnor and will travel through Muzaffarnagar to Hastinapur. The following day, he will travel from Hastinapur to Hapur to Garh Mukteshwar to Amroha and then Bulandshahr. On January 29, the Yatra will go to Aligarh, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur and will reach Farukkhabad in the evening. The following day, the Yatra will travel to Kanpur through Kannauj and Hardoi. The other Yatra will travel to Ghazipur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh, Unnao and culminate in Kanpur. A government spokesman said the Ganga Yatra will cover 27 districts, 1,038 village panchayats and cover 1,358 km. Meanwhile, in a video conference on Wednesday, the Chief Minister directed district magistrates and police chiefs to prepare a work plan for the yatra. The Chief Minister also asked the officers to ensure that waste was not released into the river. He told them to organise an awareness programme for organic farming, plantation, sports, animal husbandry and environment protection in the villages. The use of plastic will be prohibited. The government spokesman said, "Besides participating in Ganga 'aarti', the Chief Minister will address a public meeting. He will also visit the villages near the Ganga to review development projects. The Chief Minister is likely to make a night halt at Hastinapur." The owner of a Surrey, B.C., business who claims he was defrauded of more than $400,000 is suing one of his former employees and his bank, according to a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court. In the lawsuit, L-M Equipment Co. owner Rick Weihs alleges that Maria Smith made dozens of transfers from the company's Royal Bank of Canada account to her personal account between February 2016 and May 2018. He says the alleged thefts almost sunk the business that he bought from his father in 1996. "We could have had 27 very well-paying jobs that could have gone down the tubes," Weihs said. "For a little while there, it was pretty tough." The lawsuit claims that in her position as bookkeeper, Smith had control of the company's bank account, which allowed her to make several transactions ranging from $824 to $27,800 without being detected. None of the allegations against Smith or RBC have been proven in court and Smith has yet to file a statement of defence. CBC News was unable to contact Smith, who is also facing criminal charges of fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. Christian Amundson/CBC 'It was shocking' Weihs first suspected something was wrong in May of 2018 when he noticed a double payment to one of his suppliers. When he looked into the matter, Weihs found the name of the supplier didn't match the bank account the money was transferred to, according to the lawsuit. Instead of going to the supplier, Weihs alleges the funds went to Smith's personal RBC account. "I just about fell off my chair," he said. "It was shocking." When Weihs brought in an accountant to investigate, they discovered $410,972.29 in fraudulent transactions, according to the lawsuit. Theft over $5,000 The lawsuit alleges Smith would mask the L-M Equipment Co.'s transfers to her personal account by listing the payee on the transaction as a company that Weihs frequently did business with. Smith is also accused of linking her personal account to false company names and previous employees' payroll files that she reactivated. Story continues Smith made 96 fraudulent transactions using those methods, according to the lawsuit. Weihs's lawyer argues that RBC should have security measures to ensure the name of the payee matches the payee's account number. He accuses RBC of negligence and breach of contract, which the bank denies. In its statement of defence, RBC says Weihs should have had a procedure in place to detect fraudulent activity within his company. RBC also claims that L-M Equipment put Maria Smith in a position of trust without investigating her character. "The plaintiff failed to have in place any appropriate safeguard policies and procedures within its accounting system to prevent employees including Maria Smith from committing fraud," RBC argued. Christian Amundson/CBC Restitution The lawsuit claims that in June of 2018, Smith agreed to pay back all the money that was taken from the company, plus expenses, which added up to $450,000. Weihs says he received two lump sum payments totalling $44,647.98, as outlined in the payment agreement. He alleges, however, that Smith hasn't made any of the monthly payments that were agreed to. Lessons learned Vancouver-based technology writer Graham Williams recommends that companies use financial management computer programs or bring in a third party to review documents. "Even if you do have a bookkeeper looking over things, having a second set of eyes who may understand how those systems work, would probably be helpful," he said. "It may have caught something like this." CBC Vancouver's Impact Team investigates and reports on stories that impact people in their local community and strives to hold individuals, institutions and organizations to account. If you have a story for us, email impact@cbc.ca. By PTI KOHIMA: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday said that Nagas are "fully protected" under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Rio, addressing a gathering of students here, said Naga leaders, including civil societies, NGOs, student leaders and political parties were called to Delhi for discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the passage of the bill. The chief minister said Shah had assured leaders from the state that it will be "exempted along with the 6th schedule tribal states, and when the Bill is introduced in Parliament, it will be inserted in the master copy". "We sympathise with those people who have the fear of CAA, but for us, we feel that we are fully protected now," Rio said. On the decades-old Naga political issue, the CM said "every negotiation point has been discussed and now the ball is in our court". "Our Naga underground brothers and factions should come together while all the civil societies, mass-based tribal and public leaders should help to unite the Nagas, otherwise we will miss the golden opportunity again and continue to suffer," Rio said. (Natural News) The same soda companies that are right now pushing the transgenderism indoctrination and mutilation of children used to run full page ads promoting sugary-laden soft drinks for infants in cribs. As part of an investigation into the deceptive, harmful marketing practices of soda companies, Natural News acquired a 1968 LIFE Magazine issue. Inside, a full page ad urged mothers to feed their infants 7-Up as a way to fresh up! (See below.) The ad features promotional text claiming 7-Up was the All-Family Drink that could even be given to toddlers. Really got a grip on that 7-Up, havent you, big boy? Go right ahead, fresh up to your hearts content! Mom knows sparkling, crystal-clear 7-Up is so pure, so good, so wholesome that folks of all ages even little guys like you can enjoy it often! This is how soda companies were brainwashing mothers in the 1960s to exploit their children to feed the corporate profit machine. The ad features a young toddler with a baby crib and childrens toys in the background, implying that 7-Up should be served to infants who are still in the crib. Heres the full page ad, below. Click here for the hi-res file. Same soda companies now pushing transgender mutilations of children Today, these same soda companies are pushing transgender mutilations of children as part of some new, twisted inclusiveness agenda that actually consists of mentally ill transgender mobs threatening anyone who disagrees with their pedophilia and child mutilations. Last year, Sprite released an LGBT / transgenderism ad in Argentina that celebrated mothers binding the breasts of children, a painful form of child mutilation thats essentially an act of sexual violence against children. As described in a Breitbart article we republished: The video captures somewhat playful glances between the mothers and their gender dysphoric children. The mothers of boys are seen in the ad applying makeup and dressing their sons in feminine attire as they smile at each other. The mothers of girls are viewed binding the breasts of their daughters to help them appear as males. A grandmother teasingly helps her grandson dress in drag. Johnston also notes the videos background song Youll Never Walk Alone from the musical Carousel is used to tug on heartstrings and emphasize the narrative that transgender children are victims. The video depicts children preparing a rainbow flag for the Pride event as they embrace LGBT family members. Parents appear to send their LGBT children off to the event in a celebratory manner. Watch the Sprite propaganda ad here: Here are some of the sickening scenes from the ad, which is another twisted example of progressive virtue signaling from a corporation Coca-Cola that now espouses abusing the human rights of children in the quest to push transgenderism indoctrination: So it only took five decades for the evil soda corporations to go from abusing babies with liquid sugars to promoting the abuse of children through transgenderism and gender dysphoria. Of course, this ongoing abuse of children is always framed as some form of love. In the 1960s, loving your children meant feeding babies sugared-up soft drinks while they were still crawling around in their cribs. In 2020, love is now painted as celebrating your child having his penis cut off while hes chemically castrated with puberty blockers and turned into maimed, scarred shadow of a girl. Somehow, no matter how evil, distorted and malicious the progressive agenda becomes, its always packaged as a new form of love. Whats next, will Coca-Cola promote pedophilia and child trafficking as a form of new love, too? Drink a Coke, molest a child. LOVE WINS. In related news, by the way, Twitter is now openly advocating the speech of those who support child rape and child abuse. Under the tyranny of Jack Dorsey, Twitters corrupt, criminal-minded CEO, Twitter now essentially endorses child rape but bans anyone who supports America. Ponder that twisted reality for a moment The Coca-Cola corporation seems to celebrate genital mutilation of children As Robert Bridge writes at Strategic Culture: Whats missing in this corporate-sponsored trip to the far side of insanity? Well, for starters, common sense. After all, is it really wise to award hero status upon pubescent teens over their sexual orientation, which is oftentimes confused at best? Teenagers are already greatly influenced by the myriad messages they are bombarded with daily over social media. Do they really need a Fortune 500 company promoting a lifestyle, namely transgender, which carries with it an entire rainbow of untold risks? The liberal media rarely reports it, but there are thousands of youth right now attempting to reverse the bodily harm they have done to themselves by trying to physically become the opposite sex, which is it needs to be clarified once and for all absolutely impossible. Oddly, Western society has long condemned the practice of genital mutilation in other less civilized cultures, yet now somehow believes it is acceptable for children to sacrifice body parts and ingest powerful hormones in some dangerous quest to eradicate the sex they were born with. In other words, biology and the doctors, who assigned them the wrong sex at birth, got it all wrong. What really matters today, at least for the Cultural Marxist warrior class, is how each individual identifies with their true gender. In truth, the soda giants have always been at war with children. It was always about exploitation for profit. Now its about virtue signaling for profit, even if that signaling requires celebrating the genital mutilation and extreme psychological abuse of children and teens this is what the transgenderism movement inflicts upon our youth. This is the danger the Left cult now poses to humanity. Stay informed on this important issue. Read Gender.news for frequent updates. From the organisers: "Given the coronavirus epidemic, all types of public programs and events on celebration of the Lunar New Year have been cancelled in China. In many European cities, the local Chinese communities have made the same decision. We, the Chinese community in Hungary, feel obliged to follow suit, so we have decided to postpone the Lunar New Year Festival (scheduled on 1-2 February in Budapests Chinatown) until further notice. We feel deeply sorry for the change in a short notice. And we thank you for your understanding in advance." Earlier: This annual "Kinai Tavaszunnep" Festival has become the most well-known Chinese cultural & gastro program in Hungary, welcoming many visitors each year to enjoy a Grand Parade, Street Food, and an Authentic Orchestra. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into which authority was responsible for the demolition of shanties on private land in Kariyammana Agrahara on Sunday. Hearing a PIL filed by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties-Karnataka on Wednesday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar also passed an interim order restraining authorities from evicting the residents of shanties in Bellandur Ward. The bench made it clear that any action the BBMP takes against illegal occupants should be strictly in accordance with the law, under Section 321 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act and directed the petitioner to implead the owner of the property as a respondent. The bench said that the issue started with the police issuing a notice to property owner Chetan (Babu) but the demolition was initiated by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. BBMP counsel KN Puttegowda, however, informed the court that BBMP officials had not ordered the demolition. No BBMP officials were present at the spot, he said. The bench also issued notice to the chief secretary, principal secretaries to the departments of home and housing, police commissioner, Marathahalli police inspector and BBMP. The bench directed the state to produce the file containing the notice issued by the police. It also directed Marathahalli police inspector to file objections explaining the source of the statutory provision under which notice was issued to Chetan and also on what basis he had stated that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were living on the property in question. The bench directed the BBMP and Marathahalli AEE to file statements about which agency demolished the structures, and the local police officer should make it clear as to what transpired. Uber (NYSE:UBER) Eats is shrinking its footprint once again. Following the company's decision to back out of food delivery in South Korea in October, the ride-hailing giant is selling its Uber Eats India business to Zomato, an Indian app-based food delivery company, for $35 million and convertible stock equivalent to a 10% stake in the company. CFO Nelson Chai explained the move, saying, "It is another proof point -- following our decision to exit Uber Eats South Korea in October 2019 -- of our commitment to take a hard look at Eats markets where we do not have a path to leadership. At least some of the investment that we would have otherwise made in India will now be redeployed to other countries we serve where we believe we have a clear path to #1 or #2." Investors cheered the move, sending Uber shares up 7% as they seemed to interpret it as another step on the company's long road to profitability. Following a familiar playbook, at the same time, Uber cut its losses and took a stake in a fast-growing start-up in an emerging market. Less is more Following a disappointing IPO, several quarters of widening losses, Uber is singing a different tune. The company promised to deliver an adjusted EBITDA profit by the end of 2021. The quickest way to get there, it seems, is to sell off many of its loss-generating business and focus on categories and markets where it can be a leader, as Chai said above. That's a significant reversal from the early days when Uber had a grow-at-all-costs mentality and funding from Softbank and others was flowing freely. It also belies CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's frequent comparisons to Amazon more recently. In the third quarter, Uber Eats' adjusted EBITDA loss expanded 67% to $316 million. It was by far the company's worst-performing category, and that realization seems to be in part what has driven sales of its businesses in India and South Korea. On the last earnings call, Chai noted that Uber Eats is profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis in nearly 100 cities, and said that 15% of Eats' gross bookings drive half of its adjusted EBITDA losses. Given those facts, Uber is likely to continue to sell off underperforming businesses, but the exit from India, a huge emerging market, is noteworthy as management has argued so many times that its competitive advantage lies in how apps like Rides and Eats overlay each other and can benefit from things like cross-promotions and sharing the same customer base. Threading the needle Though Uber is still growing both organically and through acquisitions like Careem and Cornershop, the company will likely make changes to its portfolio several times before now and the end of next year as it strives for profitability. Considering its statement that it will exit Eats markets where it doesn't see a path to No.1 or No.2, it's worth remembering that the company is actually No.3 in market share in the U.S., according to data from Second Measure. While I wouldn't expect Uber to abandon its position in the domestic food delivery wars, that market has become highly competitive, and profitability appears to be fast disappearing according to Grubhub's recent results. The cutthroat domestic food delivery market is just one of the many challenges the company faces as it works toward profitability. In order to please investors and fulfill its promise, Uber needs to deliver strong revenue growth and make progress toward profitability. Investors like the latest move with the sale of Uber Eats India, but the road ahead won't be easy. We'll learn more when the company reports fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 6. Troops come under fire from unidentified armed men in Dioungani, in the countrys volatile Mopti region. At least six Malian soldiers were killed and several wounded in an overnight attack in central Mali, the army said on Thursday. The troops came under fire from unidentified armed men in Dioungani, an area in the countrys volatile Mopti region near the border with Burkina Faso, the army said on Twitter. It gave a provisional toll of six dead and several wounded without giving further details. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Two soldiers were killed in the Mopti region on Tuesday when their convoy hit a roadside bomb. Mali has struggled to contain an armed uprising that erupted in the north in 2012 and has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians in the years since. More than 140 Malian soldiers reportedly died in attacks between September and December alone. The conflict has engulfed the centre of the country and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger despite the presence of 4,500 French troops in the Sahel region, plus a 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping force. The Denver Travel & Adventure Show is scheduled to return to the Colorado Convention Center February 22-23, 2020 for its fourth year. The team behind the show is thrilled to announce the full lineup of interactive experiences, celebrity speakers, and all of the incredible exhibitors that will be sure to elate and enhance attendees access to travel and adventure worldwide. For media interested in covering this event, please note that press accreditation is still open. To apply for credentials click here. The Denver Travel & Adventure Show is the ultimate one-stop-shop for attendees to find, plan, and book their next vacation. With over one-hundred-and-fifty global destinations represented this year, show-goers are sure to find unique experiences that fit into their already adventurous lives. The Denver Travel & Adventure Show introduces its attendees to some of the worlds top travel experts and celebrities including: Rick Steves, Cheryl Strayed, Jared Kamrowski, Josh Gates, and Pauline Frommer, as they take to the stage to answer questions on all things travel and adventure. Attendees may also interact one-on-one with many of these celebrities at the show. At the Travel & Adventure Show, we do not only bring representatives from the worlds top travel brands directly to you, but we also create an unforgettable experience for attendees as they are able to engage with a wide variety of travel experiences and garner different cultural understandings, said Travel & Adventure Show CEO John Golicz. Whether youre a travel lover, new to travel, or looking for your next adrenaline-fueled adventure, the Denver Travel & Adventure show promises to deliver. Switzerland Tourism will serve as the Major Sponsor for the 2020 Denver Travel & Adventure Show. The events supporting Sponsor is Rick Steves Europe, and the Contributing Sponsor is the city of San Luis Obispo. Other major exhibitors of note include Cook Island Tourism and Denvers own, The Adventure Project. With Cook Island Tourism, attendees can expect to discover the untouched paradise located in the Pacific Ocean. The Cook Islands provide visitors with an authentic island experience of luxury relaxation outside New Zealand -- a personal paradise where the water is strikingly blue, and no building is taller than a coconut tree. For those attendees seeking less luxury and more adventure, they should be sure to find The Adventure Projects booth. Founder, Matt Appleford, was inspired to start The Adventure Project because he believes that travelers should immerse themselves in local cultures, try amazing food, and find great excitement -- all without breaking the bank. The Adventure Project takes trips throughout the year to: Japan, India, Georgia, and Chile. This year, the travel show will also feature the U.S. Passport Acceptance Program, where the Passport Agency will be accepting new passport applications and passport renewals with appointments, taking place right on the show floor. You can find out all the details about the passport application requirements at travel.state.gov/passports. The Denver Travel & Adventure Show will run from Saturday, Feb. 22 Sunday, Feb. 23 with timing as follows: Saturday, January 19 9:30 a.m. 5 p.m. for media and travel professionals. 10 a.m. 5 p.m. for the general public Sunday, January 20 11 a.m. 4 p.m. for the general public For a limited time, attendees can purchase tickets online at a discounted rate of $11 for a single day pass and $18 for a weekend pass. Please note, on-site tickets can be purchased via cash only at a rate of $15 for a single day and $22 for two-day passes. Military offers are available with valid military ID, receiving 4 free tickets to the show. Children 16 and under are free, an event filled with activities and knowledge for the whole family. For tickets and event information, visit https://travelshows.com/shows/denver About Unicomm, LLC and the Travel & Adventure Show Series UNICOMM LLC is an independent business-to-business communications company specializing in originating and managing world-class trade shows and conferences. Unicomms properties include the nations largest and longest-running series of travel events, the Travel & Adventure Show in Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco/Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Atlanta, new in 2020. For more information on attending or exhibiting at the event, please visit https://travelshows.com/shows/denver. City Council approved Mayor Eddie Morans pick for the citys next managing director. Pedro Cortes was approved by a 6-0 vote at a special meeting Wednesday night in council chambers. Councilwoman Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz was absent. The City of Reading has never had a more qualified candidate for this position, Moran said. I am honored Mr. Cortes agreed to join our team. I am confident someone of Pedros caliber and I will work hard to ensure our city government runs efficiently and ultimately guides our city out of Act 47 successfully, Moran added. Cortes was out of the country and unable to attend Wednesdays meeting. His first day on the job is Jan. 27. I was so impressed, said Councilman Stratton Marmarou. We posed questions to him and there was no hesitation. He didnt even have to sit back and think. Every answer he gave was perfect. Council President Jeffrey S. Waltman Sr. said the appointment is needed for the city to move forward. This is such an important position to fill and I want to congratulate you on your choice, Waltman told Moran. I think you picked an excellent candidate, and we are going above and beyond to help bring Pedro on board. He will help us do two things, Waltman added. Help us run the city with the excellent employees we have and let (Moran) be the advocate (for the city). Council also thanked Administrative Services Director Jamar Kelly, who served as acting managing director. I look forward to working with such a highly talented and experienced municipal professional, Kelly said. Its going to position the city to successfully exit Act 47 and stand on its own two feet. Its going to help the city rebuild relationships with state agencies that have been frayed over the recent years. Cortes replaces Osmer Deming, who was placed on administrative leave during Morans first few hours in office on Jan. 6. Acting City Solicitor Elizabeth Kraft said she would release a statement Thursday on the status of Demings employment. Salary bump proposed Council also introduced Wednesday an ordinance to set Cortes salary at $140,000, $20,000 more than the previous ordinance allowed. Former managing director W. Glenn Steckman was paid $105,000, then received an $11,000 raise during his tenure with the city. Deming, who took over after Steckman was fired by Mayor Wally Scott, was paid $116,000. There was no discussion on the salary increase when the ordinance was introduced at the meeting. There was a lot of discussion, just not necessarily here, Waltman said after the meeting. We had an opportunity to discuss it amongst ourselves on occasion. We understood it was going to be part of the process. It still needs to be supported. For someone like Pedro its probably way below whats expected, he added. On Jan. 13, a separate ordinance to increase salary ranges for the managing director and city solicitor was introduced at councils meeting. The managing directors salary range under that ordinance was set at no less than $90,000 and no more than $150,000. The previous maximum was $120,000. The city solicitors salary range in the proposed Jan. 13 ordinance was set at no less than $85,000 and no more than $105,000. The previous range was between $60,000 and $75,000. Council has not yet voted on either Wednesdays or Jan. 13s proposed ordinances. With hiring the best and brightest we must ensure that we offer competitive wages to attract individuals, Moran said. Funding the increases Kelly said one job in the 2020 budget will be eliminated to pay for the salary increases. Council approved hiring a police evidence analyst, but that position had not yet been filled. Gordon Mann, a director of PFM Inc., the financial administrator appointed by the state to guide Reading out of Act 47, said the Moran administration checked to ensure the increases were allowed under the exit plan. The city has flexibility to increase the salaries for these two positions, Mann said. So long as the total spending across all employees in this group is below the plan cap. Spending for non-union employees is capped at $6.5 million in 2020, $6.7 million in 2021 and $7 million in 2022. For this particular employee group, the city has several vacant positions, some of which were newly established in the 2020 budget, Mann said. So, the city has flexibility to increase the managing director or solicitor salaries and reduce them for the new positions, or eliminate some of the new positions entirely. The Act 47 exit plan council adopted last year does recommend increasing the solicitors salary to bring it in line with other department heads. Cortes resume Moran said Cortes name came to him when he conducted a statewide search for the managing director. My goal was to hire the best and brightest in our community to help me advise on the bigger-picture issues, Moran said. Cortes served as Pennsylvanias secretary of state under Gov. Ed Rendell from 2003-10, and in the same post under Gov. Tom Wolf from 2015-17. He holds a bachelors degree in hotel, restaurant and travel administration from the University of Massachusetts, a masters of public administration from Penn State University and a doctorate from Penn State Dickinson School of Law. In his role as secretary of state, Cortes managed 500 staff and oversaw 20 primary and general elections, launched online voter registration, spearheaded the nations first statewide electronic notarization program and decreased the time it takes to review professional and occupational licensure complaints, according to a biography provided by the Moran administration. Curious exit Cortes left the Wolf administration in 2017 under a cloud of mystery. The administration announced Cortes resignation in October 2017, but did not give any details as to why. However, the Associated Press obtained an email from Cortes to Wolf from a Right-to-Know request. The email suggested Wolf pushed Cortes out. I have done a great deal of soul searching in the last 24 hours, Cortes, 51, emailed after the resignation was announced. I remain at a loss to understand why you would dispense with my services without sharing with me concerns you had about my professional performance or personal life. I wish I had that opportunity. Moran said he looked into the reasons Cortes left the Wolf administration. I did my own research and there was nothing that implied there were any bad feelings or wrongdoing, Moran said. Everywhere that I turned and inquired, people spoke of the respect, the professionalism and ethics he brings. He is highly respected. He doesnt bring politics. Music promoter Peter Aiken later told how his father Jim drove Tom Jones into a ditch the first time the Welsh crooner came to this country. The late and legendary rock promoter, who brought the Rolling Stones to Slane Castle in 1982, had just bought what is believed to be a Ford Zephyr. The car, one of Fords so-called Z-Cars, had what was at the time an impressive top speed of 155 km/h and could go from 0-80km/h in 9.1 seconds. He has been coming here since 1967, Mr Aiken said of Tom Jones arrival in Ireland. My father drove him the first time he came here. The Green Green Grass of Home was a number one and he had bought a new car and the old fella was showing him how fast it could go, when he crashed it. Tom Jones never forgot that. Whether or not either man was injured isnt known, but it led to a friendship between Jones and the Aiken family that obviously endures to this day. More than 1.1m tickets have been sold for Live at the Marquee concerts since the music festival first came to Cork 14 years ago. The former 11.3-acre Ford depot site was on the market for 8.5m after Nama put it up for sale. Peter Aiken made the announcement today The site had been previously earmarked for a hotel and office complex when it was owned by Howard Holdings which bought it for 35m. It was sold to Glenveagh Properties for 15m in 2018. Up to 1,000 homes are expected to be built on the land to tie in with the expansion of the city into brownfield dockland sites. He recalled the anecdote as it was announced that Jones, Dido, Diana Ross and Sinead OConnor are among acts performing this summer at Live at the Marquee 2020. With its rich cultural heritage and vibrant performance scene, Germany is a land of music. Millions of people sing in choirs or play an instrument; hundreds of theatres, orchestras, ensembles and bands ensure an offering of immense density. The new 620-page publication by the German Music Information Centre includes background details and data about music culture in Germany. "Musical Life in Germany" includes 22 articles by well-known authors from the spheres of academia, cultural policy and musical practice. Subjects range from music education and training to amateur and professional music-making and the music economy. Interested readers learn about the conditions in which concert halls, theatres and museums work, the role played by music in broadcasting, how requirements in vocational training for music professions have changed, the financial constraints to which independent ensembles are subject and how individual sectors of the music economy are developing. More than 50 sets of statistics and maps, not to mention many QR codes with links to further sources, provide an in-depth insight into the individual subjects. The articles are amply illustrated and thus also convey a visual impression of the diversity of the musico-cultural infrastructure in Germany. With its publication "Musical Life in Germany" the German Music Information Centre, an institution of the German Music Council, presents a comprehensive English-language medium that provides an overview of data and facts about musical life in Germany for international readers. The book can be ordered online via www.miz.org. It costs 10 for postage and service fees (within Germany), 14.50 (within the EU) and 20 (outside the EU). "Musical Life in Germany" is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). The translation was made possible by the music publisher Hal Leonard Europe GmbH. For your interest the German Music Information Centre has compiled selected data on musical life in Germany from the book. A fact sheet is available online: http://www.miz.org/download/Musical-life-in-Germany_facts-figures_EN.pdf. About the German Music Information Centre The German Music Information Centre (Deutsches Musikinformationszentrum, MIZ) is a contact point and centre of expertise for anyone seeking information and data on musical life. The MIZ online portal www.miz.org is the leading information platform on musical life and provides details of institutions, structures and developments in key areas including musical education and training, amateur and professional music-making, the event industry, media and music industry. About the German Music Council The German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat, DMR) is the umbrella organisation of musical life in Germany. It represents the interests of around 14 million musicians and enjoys the patronage of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The organisation is composed of the Berlin-based association Deutscher Musikrat e.V. and the Bonn-based non-profit project company Deutscher Musikrat gemeinnutzige Projektgesellschaft mbH, sponsor of the following projects: National Young Artists Concerts, German National Youth Jazz Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Germany, German Choir Competition, German Music Competition, German Orchestra Competition, German Music Information Centre, Conductors' Forum, Sponsorship Projects for Contemporary Music, 'Jugend jazzt' Competition, 'Jugend musiziert' Competition and PopCamp. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1062016/Musical_Life_in_Germany_Book.jpg Press contact: Stephan Schulmeistrat, Director German Music Information Centre Dr Christiane Schwerdtfeger, Research Associate Deutscher Musikrat gGmbH * Weberstr. 59 * 53113 Bonn, Germany Tel.: +49 228 / 2091-180 * Fax +49 228 / 2091-280 * Mail: [email protected] * www.miz.org SOURCE German Music Council; German Music Information Centre Related Links http://miz.org Higher education colleges and students have come together to push for a pre-election commitment for politicians for an increased 100m a year for the third-level sector. State funding per student to third level institutions is now 40pc less than it was a decade ago because of austerity-era cuts that have not been reversed. Colleges warn that the level of investment is threatening the quality of education and blame it for the way Irish universities have dropped down international rankings. The Irish Universities Association (IUA), the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have joined forces on the issue. They have begun a series of meetings with education spokespersons of all the major parties to encourage staff, students and parents to ask their candidate to prioritise funding higher education in the election. They want core exchequer funding to third-level by at least 100 million per year over each of the next three years, and say it can be financed from an existing cash pile. They say the National Training Fund (NTF) funded through a levy on employer revenues which will have a surplus of 1bn by the end of 2020, probably growing to 1.5bn can be used. In 2016, the Cassells Report recommended an additional 600m a year for higher education by 2021, but no action has been taken on its recommendations and it has been referred to an EU-funded study group for further analysis. IUA Director General Jim Miley said realistically, we will have to wait until late 2020 to get a Report about a Report. It will take a further year or more for the political and civil service system to act. We just cannot wait that long. In an increasingly competitive global environment, Irelands talent is our future. THEA Chief Executive Dr Joseph Ryan said the NTF was established with the singular purpose of supporting our higher education and skills training and it was unimaginable that such a surplus would be allowed to sit in a government bank account while the crisis in third level funding continues apace. USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick said they were urging people to ask election candidates to commit to addressing the crisis in third level funding when they ask for your support. . - , . , 23 . - , - ... The University of Abuja has suspended the ongoing admission of students due to what it described as irregularities in the process. In a memo to the Admissions Committee on Wednesday and seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the vice-chancellor, Abdul-Rasheed NaAllah, said the committee did not meet up with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) guidelines for uploading all admissions on the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS). It has come to my notice that the JAMB admission guidelines of uploading all admissions on CAPS have not been fully met. This is totally unacceptable, he said. I hereby direct that all admission processes and payment of acceptance fees should be put on hold pending when all shortlisted candidates have been uploaded to CAPS. Also, subsequent admission exercise MUST follow this. The University of Abuja held the 2019/2020 Post-UTME last year September. How CAPS works? CAPS is an admission flow chart through which a candidate can accept or reject admission offers. Candidates can also print admission letter and proceed to the institution for further admission processing. The Market Place feature in CAPS provides flexibility for the Institutions to source for candidates who may not have earlier chosen the institution for admission consideration. Institutions may specify various selection parameters such as UTME score, state/ local, government, gender, and preferred programmes /course of the candidates. READ ALSO: The list of candidates so selected from the Market Place is then pushed to JAMB which notifies the candidates of consideration by Institutions. Candidates may accept/ reject Market Place consideration, subject to a maximum of three. JAMB responds The spokesperson for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said admissions should be ideally be done on CAPS but the University of Abuja did theirs without following due process. UniAbuja VC must have realised that his people are doing the wrong thing and he wants to correct it by taking this proactive step so that it will conform with the law and vision of regulatory agencies, he explained. The spokesperson of the institution, Habib Yakub, is yet to respond to calls and a text message seeking further comments. It is encouraging to hear that these hospital systems are trying to figure out a way to continue to provide quality care or, in some cases, improve the quality of care theyre able to provide for the community, Malone said. I just hope that they actually listen to what the community has to say and incorporate that into their decision-making. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 04:36:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Moscow welcomes the resumption of negotiations between the United States and the Afghan Taliban in Doha, Qatar, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday. "We believe that an early conclusion of a U.S.-Taliban agreement will pave the way for the launch of an intra-Afghan peace process. For this, we believe, there are now all necessary prerequisites," Zakharova said at a news briefing. Zakharova also emphasized that Moscow considers unfounded accusations against Tehran that Iran allegedly supports radicals in Afghanistan, saying that such allegations do not help in reaching a settlement in Afghanistan. The Taliban have reportedly handed over a proposal to U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad for a seven-to-10 day halt in military operations. The offer was handed to Khalilzad in Doha, Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Enditem Page Content During the course of this week Minister of Finance, the honorable Ardwell Irion met with member of the supervisory board of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) Dennis Richardson, and with the board of the CBCS. During these meetings, an update was provided on the latest developments with the emphasis on the solvency of the Giro Bank and actions taken by the CBCS, and the proposal of the increase of the license fee for Curacao in connection herewith. It must be emphatically stated that the consideration to increase the license fee has no bearing on St. Maarten. This is a measure being considered for Curacao by the government of Curacao. To be clear, the 1% license fee currently charged on foreign exchange transactions by commercial banks to clients, is collected by St. Maarten and by Curacao and is deposited directly into the treasury of the respective countries. What is paid on St. Maarten is received by the government of St. Maarten and the same goes for Curacao. Discussions were held on the performance of the economies of both countries and the concerns that are foreseen. While St. Maartens economy grew in 2019 by 5.5% and is expected to grow in 2020 by 3%, the growth is primarily the result of insurance payouts and personal funds that have been used for rebuilding. St. Maarten is running the risk of losing market-share as key areas have not recovered fast enough, thus allowing competitors to capture market-share. This could had been mitigated if more projects had been executed, be it through commercial bank funding or the Trust Fund. Minister of Finance of St. Maarten has requested the CB to finance a conference on Blockchain and digital currency as well as carryout awareness campaigns for the community of St. Maarten on financial education, which includes banking in general. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 00:23:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three people have died following an outbreak of cholera in Cameroon's commercial capital Douala, local health authorities said Thursday. Officials have also announced 14 confirmed cases out of 21 suspected. The outbreak has so affected Manoka, Boko and Nylon neighbourhoods of Douala. On Wednesday, Littoral region's governor Samuel Ivaha Diboua released a statement advising the inhabitants to "drink only clean water, stay hygienic and disinfect" any suspected areas. Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterized in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhea that can lead to death by severe dehydration. Enditem The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said Ghanas latest score on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has yet again exposes President Akufo-Addos failed fight against corruption. Ghana ranked 80 out of 180 countries on the 2019 CPI, which is prepared by Transparency International (TI). According to the report, Ghana scored 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 the same score as 2018. The party in a statement signed by its National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi said the drop by two places on the index is a dent on Ghanas reputation. These latest results of the CPI highlight President Akufo-Addo's failed fight against corruption in Ghana, as the country could not improve upon its paltry score of 41 points recorded in 2018. According to the latest survey, Ghana ranked dropped from an already low ranking of 78 to 80 out of 180 countries, thereby achieving the unenviable feat of being behind countries such as Namibia, Senegal and Rwanda in the fight against corruption. Our drop of two (2) places on the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI), is yet another dent on Ghana's reputation and a testament to the endemic corruption that has engulfed the Akufo-Addo government. This latest CPI confirms the recent Afrobarometer survey findings by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD), that 53% of Ghanaians think that corruption has worsened under the Akufo-Addo-led government. Mr. Gyamfi cited the PDS, visa fraud and PPA scandals as clear examples of corruption cases the government has failed to tackle. Whether it was the PDS scandal, the BOST scandal involving 5 million litres of deliberately contaminated fuel sold under dubious circumstances, or the PPA scandal or the Australia Visa Fraud scandal, the #12 and Galamsey Fraud investigations by ace journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, or the recent Northern Development Authority (NDA) Scandal involving over 400 missing tricycles, President Akufo-Addo has failed to show a genuine commitment to the fight against corruption. Instead of punishing his corrupt officials who have been involved in acts of corruption, President AkufoAddo has turned himself into the chief clearing agent of corruption in his government and has endorsed, whitewashed and promoted his errant appointees who have been engaged in these corrupt acts. His continuous support for acts of corruption in his government is what has emboldened his appointees to entrench themselves in wholesale corruption, thereby eliciting the consistent condemnation of even the diplomatic community in Ghana. Details of CPI In this year's index, Denmark and New Zealand top with 87 points each. Syria, South Sudan, and Somalia were at the bottom of the Index with 13, 12 and 9 points respectively. The highest-scoring region was Western Europe and European Union with an average score of 66, while the lowest scoring region was Sub Sahara Africa, with an average score of 32. In 2015, Ghana scored 47 and in 2016, came down to 43. In 2017, it recorded the worst performance with an average score of 40 out of 100 and rose marginally to 41 in 2018 and maintained that figure in 2019. Even though Ghana performed better than neighboring Burkina Faso as well as Lesotho, the country could not catch up with countries like South Africa, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe that scored better than Ghana in 2018. citinewsroom Faith Trailer for 'Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words' Reveals U.S. Supreme Court Justice Originally Planned to Enter the Clergy Known for his silence during oral argument, Justice Thomas speaks out at length for the first time in groundbreaking new documentary on faith, conviction, and standing up for what you believe. In Theaters Nationwide on January 31st NEWS PROVIDED BY Manifold Productions, Inc. Jan. 23, 2020 WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Manifold Productions, Inc.creator of 15 award-winning films over 30 yearsis releasing the faith trailer for the new documentary, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, which is coming to theaters nationwide as part of a platform theatrical release starting January 31. With unprecedented access, producer/director Michael Pack interviewed Justice Thomas and his wife, Virginia, for over 30 hoursthe longest interview any Supreme Court Justice has ever given. "Justice Thomas' gripping personal story is largely unknown, and his roots as a man of deep faith and religious conviction have never been detailed as extensively as they are in this film. As a teenager, Clarence Thomas entered seminary, intending to become a priest. How that experience changed his life, and how his career changed course is a story that is so compelling and surprising, we believe audiences will absolutely want to take their families to experience 'Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,'" said Michael Pack, Director and Producer of Created Equal. "This is a rare story about standing firm on what you believe no matter what the cost, an example of conviction and courage." To watch the FAITH trailer, click HERE: https://rb.gy/eu7d3a Strong Reviews for "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words:" The film has already garnered rave reviews and buzz from advance screenings in Washington D.C.... The Washington Post said "It is a marvel of filmmaking that two hours pass so quickly. At the end of a screening I recently attended, there weren't many dry eyes in the room." Time Magazine: "Offers viewers rare insight into the mind of a justice known for his reticence on the public stage." Washington Examiner: "Everyone interested in the truth and a great story should go and see it." Key Quotes from "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words:" "My mother lived in one room in an old tenement with an outdoor bathroom. I was six. You were hungry, and didn't know when you'd eat, and cold, and didn't know when you'd be warm again." "And for the first time in my life racism and race explained everything. It became the substitute religion; I shoved aside Catholicism and now it was this: it was all about race." "In the fall of 1980, I had decided to vote for Ronald Reagan. It was a giant step for a black man. Then license is given to others, to attack you in whatever way they want to. You're not really black because you're not doing what you expect black people to do. You weren't supposed to oppose busing; you weren't supposed to oppose welfare." "I felt as though in my life, I had been looking at the wrong people, as the people who would be problematic toward me. We were told that 'Oh it's going to be the bigot in the pickup truck. It's going be the Klansman. It's going to be the rural sheriff.' Ultimately the biggest impediment, was the modern day liberal. They were the ones who would discount all those things, because they have one issue, or because they have the authority, the power to caricature you." About the Creators of "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words:" Michael Pack, writer/producer/director, is President of Manifold Productions, Inc., an independent film and television production company he founded in 1977. Mr. Pack has written, directed, and produced numerous award-winning, nationally broadcast documentaries, as well as corporate and educational films. Some of his earlier credits include: RICKOVER: The Birth of Nuclear Power, narrated by Joan Allen (2014); Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton, hosted by Richard Brookhiser (2011); God and the Inner City, narrated by Phylicia Rashad (2003); and Rediscovering George Washington, hosted by Richard Brookhiser (2002). All have been nationally broadcast on PBS. Gina Cappo Pack, executive producer, serves as the Vice President of Manifold Productions, Inc. She has contributed to a variety of Manifold film projects since 1987, through fundraising, promotion, management, and as an executive producer. SOURCE Manifold Productions, Inc. CONTACT: 323-379-5180, press@inspire.buzz Share Tweet K nife crime in London has risen to a new high amid a nationwide surge in blade-offending, official figures revealed today. The Office for National Statistics said that 15,080 knife offences were recorded in the capital during the 12 months to the end of last September. It amounts to a two per cent rise on the previous year and indicates the Mets efforts to bear down on the problem are having only limited effect. The bleak statistics came as national figures released by the ONS showed a seven per cent rise in knife offending across England and Wales to 44,771 blade crimes, an average of more than 120 incidents a day. Police at the scene of a stabbing in Finsbury Park earlier this month / PA Wire/PA Images In London, the only encouraging sign was an 18 per cent drop in fatal stabbings, which represented 16 fewer blade killings than the year before. But that still left a total of 71 knife homicides for the year. The statistics also show there were 98 attempted knife murders, 805 threats to kill with a blade, and 166 rapes or sexual assaults by a knife-carrying attacker. In addition there were 9,269 knife-point robberies in the capital and 4,671 crimes involving an assault with injury or intent to cause serious harm with a blade. The statisticians said that even without figures for Greater Manchester not included in todays calculations because of previous counting problems metropolitan areas including London accounted for a third of all knife crimes. They added that London once again had the highest rate of offending with 169 offences per 100,000 people. Meghan Elkin, from the ONS, said the latest figure is the highest recorded, but emphasised that the new increase was statistically small and significantly less than the seven per cent increase in blade offences in the capital during the previous comparable 12-month period, ending in September 2018. She added: The change in the number of offences involving knives or sharp instruments varied by police force in the last year, with London experiencing little change. However, London did see an 18 per cent decrease in the number of homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument. In other crime types weve seen increases in vehicle offences, robbery and burglary. Responding to todays figures, Barnardos chief executive Javed Khan said that it was unacceptable that the knife crime crisis continues to destroy so many young lives and reiterated warnings that this was a symptom of a much wider, complex problem. Police at the scene following a fatal stabbing in Walthamstow / NIGEL HOWARD He added: Urgent action must be taken to break the spiral of violence. The Government needs to work with childrens services, charities, social workers, youth workers, the criminal justice system and communities to tackle this crisis. Todays official statistics follow the release yesterday by the Met of its own figures, covering the slightly later annual period to the end of 2019. They showed a total for the year of 15,546 blade offences, amounting to a 5.9 per cent increase in such crimes over the 12-month period. Scotland Yard chiefs, who warned that gang members are hiding knives in playgrounds and other public places in response to increased stop and search, said that an extra 100-strong brigade of experienced officers was being deployed to help to bring down blade offending. They added that existing efforts to address the problem were also being redoubled and pointed to successes in bringing down the number of people injured by knives by 9.3 per cent during 2019. Met Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons added: Every single officer in the Metropolitan Police Service knows that tackling violence is their first priority. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have started their journey to become financially independent from the crown, but Prince Charles has reportedly warned them that there will be some restrictions when it comes to their brand. A source close to the situation claims that Prince Charles told Harry and Meghan that there will be limits on what kind of products they can endorse under their title as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. How will these restrictions affect the couples plan to finance their lives? Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry | Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince Charles issues this one warning to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Last summer, Harry and Meghan applied for a trademark for Sussex Royal, the foundation they launched after leaving Prince William and Kate Middletons The Royal Foundation. The trademark application covered a wide range of areas, including allowing the couple to use their name on merchandise. While Harry and Meghan could probably make a killing using the trademark, Prince Charles reportedly warned them against endorsing certain products. There will be strict instructions on branding, the source stated. For example, no one wants to see the Sussexes name on a tub of margarine. How do you think people in council flats feel about giving them money? https://t.co/dUV8FehiiY HRM Elizabeth ll (@HrmQueene) January 22, 2020 In their shocking announcement last week, Harry and Meghan revealed that they want to become financially independent from the crown. The move has been heavily criticized by royal watchers as the majority of the couples ventures are made possible via public funding. According to Express, Harry and Meghan receive an annual allowance from the Sovereign Grant Fund. This is how the two were able to pay for the renovations of Frogmore Cottage, which cost them over $2 million. The couple hopes to break free from the Sovereign Grant Fund in the near future and start earning a professional income. How will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pay their expenses? Harry and Meghan have considerable fortunes that could pay for the majority of their expenses in the short term. But they will need to find a steady source of income for their long-term plans, especially considering their current needs. Meghan made millions during her acting career and pulled down over $37,000 per episode of Suits. Harry, meanwhile, inherited tens of millions from his late mother, Princess Diana. Prince Charles Will Help Fund Prince Harry & Meghan Markle as Couple Will No Longer Receive Public Money https://t.co/ySoqBCmbIs People (@people) January 18, 2020 While the two sort out the financial aspects of the new lives, Prince Charles is reportedly going to give them money from the Duchy of Cornwall. We do not know how much Charles is willing to give the couple, but they will likely be on a short leash. Part of Harry and Meghans plan is to move to Canada, where they will spend part of the year. Aside from purchasing a new home (which will likely cost millions), the two will also need to provide full-time security. How does Prince Charles feel about Prince Harrys exit? Shortly after Harry and Meghans surprise announcement, Queen Elizabeth called an emergency meeting at her Sandringham estate. Present for the gathering were Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and Prince William. Once the meeting concluded, Queen Elizabeth issued a statement about how she supports Harry and Meghans decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. Prince Charles is 'massively sad' over Harry and Meghan royal split decision https://t.co/USEgR3lGWk pic.twitter.com/nO4Kcb1TXA Mirror Royal (@MirrorRoyal) January 20, 2020 While the royals seemed united, inside sources claim that Charles was livid when he found out about Harry and Meghans announcement. He also reportedly blames Meghan for pushing Harry to leave the royal spotlight and believes they are distancing themselves from the family. Prior to their exit, Harry and Meghan were getting a yearly stipend of around $6 million from Charles. The source says that Prince Charles is still mulling over how much he will give the couple now that they are stepping down. Are Prince Charles and Prince Harry feuding? A lot of royal watchers blamed Harrys alleged feud with William for his exit, but experts believe that Harrys strained relationship with Charles is the real reason he decided to leave. Last month, Harry reportedly talked to Prince Charles about his plans to move to North America for part of the year. Charles allegedly told Harry that he needed a more concrete plan of action before making an announcement, which did not sit well with Harry. #SussexSquad Receipts for when people start hate on Harry and Meghan for the things they attach their Brand to. This is what Prince Charles Duchy is attached to. (Some one tweeted it earlier today) pic.twitter.com/MRxw0v9nDb Petol Weekes (@Petolweekes) January 14, 2020 The Duke of Sussex tried to call a meeting with Queen Elizabeth, but he was blocked by Charles courtiers. Harry then feared that his plan would get leaked to the public, which is why he announced it on social media without warning the rest of the royals. Prince Harry has not commented on the rumors surrounding his relationship with Prince Charles. The latest Brand Finance Global 500 report is out and for the third year in a row Amazon tops the chart as the most valuable brand, its worth estimated at $220.7 billion. This is also the first time a company has surpassed the $200 billion mark and in Amazons case a 17.5% improvement over its 2019 result. Top 10 Most Valuable Brands (Brand Finance) The growth is attributed to the companys expansion in cloud computing, streaming services, consumer electronics and logistics. Skimming through the top 10 list, Google comes in at the second spot with a sizeable $159.7 billion valuation followed by Apple which sits at $140.5 billion after an 8.5% decline compared to last year. Microsoft, valued at just over $117 billion sits just outside the top 3, followed by Samsung at $94.4 billion while Facebook placed seventh with its brand's worth estimated at $79.5 billion. Huawei rounds out the top 10 list slitting at just over $65 billion. As a whole, the tech sector saw the highest combined brand value with a total of $986.5 billion from 46 companies. A notable decrease in brand value is observed in the telecom sector where a majority of carriers saw declines in value as they felt the pressure of IMs like WhatsApp which have been affecting text and voice revenues for a while now. AT&T in particular saw a 32% decrease in its brand value. The expected 5G boom on the other hand is an area of potential brand value expansion for the telco players so we might just see a bounce-back next year. Source What just happened? Huawei has postponed its annual developer conference in China as a precaution against the coronavirus. The event was due to take place in Shenzhen, 600 miles south of Wuhanthe center of the outbreakon February 11th and 12th, but the company has postponed it until March 27th-28th. Based on the prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic situation of the new coronavirus infection, we attach great importance to the health and safety of all the participants, reads a message on the conference website. HDC.Cloud 2020 is described as the flagship event for developers worldwide in the ICT (information and communications) field. Reuters reports that many companies across China are taking precautions against the virus, which has infected over 570 people and killed 17. Firms are handing out masks and telling employees to avoid Wuhan. Huawei has asked staff not to visit Wuhan and avoid contact with animals. The company has set up an outbreak prevention and control team in the city to carry out disinfecting activities, according to an internal note. Foxconn is also warning workers to be careful. Founder Terry Gou advised Taiwan-based employees not to visit mainland China during the week-long Lunar New Year holidays. Colleagues and their families who have come back from Wuhan are all in isolation at home. The infection is spreading very fast, Gou added. City officials in Wuhan, which is home to 11 million people, today announced that it is shutting down transportation within the city, closing all airports and train stations to try and contain the spread of the virus. And residents in Huanggang, 45 miles away, have been told they can only leave the city under special circumstances. **MAJOR BREAKING**: Wuhan, ground zero for the China #coronavirus, to be on public transport lockdown as of Thursday 10am, reports @ChinaDaily. All flights and trains from Wuhan to be cancelled. Our @CBSNews team JUST got out late this evening. @CBSThisMorning @CBSEveningNews https://t.co/iz4Eo972Uh Ramy Inocencio (@RamyInocencio) 22 January 2020 To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science, Gauden Galea, the World Health Organizations representative in China, told The Associated Press in an interview at the WHOs Beijing office. It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work. Main image credit: graphbottles via Shutterstock Lourdes Castro Ramirez, head of the San Antonio Housing Commission, is leaving her post for a spot in California Gov. Gavin Newsoms administration. Newsom, a Democrat, tapped Ramirez to lead Californias Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency on Wednesday. Her appointment requires confirmation by the California State Senate, controlled by Democrats. Shes expected to begin her new role March 2. Ramirez has served as housing commission chair since January 2019. It was unclear Thursday who would replace Ramirez as chair. She defined what it means to be a housing champion in this city, and Im confident that her work will have a lasting impact on San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg wrote in a Facebook post. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio renters could get more prominent voice if new commission gets established Ramirez, also president of the University Health Systems Foundation, has overseen the reconstituted housing commission for the past year. The body has been tasked with implementing recommendations from Nirenbergs Housing Policy Task Force, also chaired by Ramirez, on how to boost the citys supply of low-income housing and tidy up the citys convoluted web of agencies that tackle housing policy. The commission is expected to wrap up its work on a plan to implement recommendations laid out in the Housing Policy Task Force report in June. Ramirez also worked as CEO of the San Antonio Housing Authority from 2009 to 2014, when she left the housing authority to become Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under Julian Castro, then HUD secretary. On ExpressNews.com: Kicked out: San Antonio tenants face harsh increase in evictions Prior to her time in San Antonio, Ramirez had several positions at Los Angeles housing authority. Ramirez did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio city government and politics. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports A mysterious company that has licensed its powerful facial recognition technology to hundreds of law enforcement agencies is facing attacks from Capitol Hill and from at least one Silicon Valley giant. Twitter sent a letter this week to the small start-up company, Clearview AI, demanding that it stop taking photos and any other data from the social media website for any reason and delete any data that it previously collected, a Twitter spokeswoman said. The cease-and-desist letter, sent on Tuesday, accused Clearview of violating Twitters policies. The New York Times reported last week that Clearview had amassed a database of more than three billion photos from social media sites including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Venmo and elsewhere on the internet. The vast database powers an app that can match people to their online photos and link back to the sites the images came from. The app is used by more than 600 law enforcement agencies, ranging from local police departments to the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement officials told The Times that the app had helped them identify suspects in many criminal cases. [January 23, 2020] SheTalksTech Initiative at Xebia for Inclusive Growth GURUGRAM, India, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Xebia, a Netherlands-based global IT services company, is working towards creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. They started SheTalksTech initiative around two years back in 2018 with an aim to have an equilibrium in the diversity ratio. The main objective of this initiative is to make Xebia the go-to place for women by being supportive and offering inclusive growth opportunities. #SheTalksTech campaign is being initiated to inspire, celebrate, and connect more and more women in technology. The initiative is directed towards providing an open and flexible working culture and growth opportunities for women so that more and more women join the organization and become a part of Xebia's growth story. They have ensured that their evaluation process is purely merit based and the best are suitably rewarded. In order to maintain the diversity ratio, SheTalksTech initiative is focusing on increasing the female workforce to bridge the gender gap and create a meaningful and diverse ecosystem. Further, to sustain their existing workforce and upskill them, various internal initiatives are structured and introduced that encourage and help women professionals follow their passion. These programs cater to women and provid them open platform to share their challenges, learning aspirations so that a career progression path can be crafted for them. Mentorship plays a very important role in guiding and helping women take next step in their career. Xebia is running an initiative 'Over a Cup of Coffee' where women professionals are aligned with a mentor to discuss their aspirations, challenges, and areas of interest. The main objective of the program is to identify potential candidates to help them climb the ladder in their professional career and support them to learn and grow professionally. The mentor will guide them and give direction to move forward. This helps them charter a clear path towards their goal and understand ways of achieving it. The young workforce can take guidance from the seniors and can find ways or resolutions to challenges that women face during various stages of their professional life. They can look up to someone as their role model or mentor. It also gives a platform to women professionals to connect, network, and learn from each other's experiences. The first series of the Mentorship program Over a cup of coffee - was conducted three months back in which 15 women professionals were aligned to a mentor to discuss their career goals and aspirations. The second series of the program has started and has received tremendous response. Expressing her views on SheTalksTech initiative Aarti Saxena, Associate Director at Xebia, very rightly said, "The tech industry needs to foster, embrace, and promote women to positions of influence to create a more balanced future for the next generation and this is how success of the digital world must be redefined." About Xebia Xebia is a specialized global IT Consultancy and Services company. Xebia has specialized Centers of Excellence across its offices in the Netherlands (HQ), USA, India, UK and UAE. The services include Digital Strategy, Agile Consulting & Transformation, Robotic Process Automation, Digital Assurance, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Infrastructure, Big Data and Data Science. Xebia works with several partners like Microsoft, Cloudera, Atlassian, Qubole, GitHub, Google, Backbase, AWS, ServiceNow, UiPath, Lightbend, Hortonworks, Qlik to explore, create and grow new frontiers in business together. For more information, visit - www.xebia.com Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1080467/SheTalksTech_Xebia.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] State media says Huanggang is shut down in addition to Wuhan as part of the fight against new coronavirus. Huanggang has become the second Chinese city to go into lockdown following the closure of Wuhan, as authorities step up efforts to halt the spread of a new coronavirus that originated in the latter in December and has now killed 17 people and infected 571. Without a special reason, city residents should not leave Wuhan, the central citys special command centre to combat the virus said on Thursday, according to state media. Hours later, state media in neighbouring Huanggang, a city of some six million people, said it was imposing a similar lockdown. The moves are meant to effectively cut off the virus spread, resolutely curb the outbreak and guarantee the peoples health and safety, the notice said, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Stations and the airport in Wuhan were closed from 10am (02:00 GMT) with buses, the metro system, ferries and long-distance shuttle buses also suspended in Wuhan. All public gatherings were cancelled in the city of 11 million residents. Health authorities in the Huanggang , which borders the central city of Wuhan, said they would suspend public bus and railway operations from midnight (1600 GMT). They also ordered indoor entertainment venues including movie theatres and internet cafes to shut, and asked citizens not to leave the city other than under special circumstances. The decisions came as hundreds of millions of people were travelling across China for the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Friday, and state television said the number of confirmed infections had risen to 571. Most patients are in Wuhan and the surrounding provinces, but cases have appeared elsewhere in China and countries including Thailand, South Korea and the United States. WHO decision delayed In Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) delayed its decision on whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency and asked an expert committee to continue meeting for a second day on Thursday. We need more information, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The agency defines a global emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. When asked about Wuhans public transport shutdown, WHO chief Tedros said authorities were probably acting to prevent transmission and mass gatherings. We cannot say they have done something unusual, he said. Reporting from Hong Kong, Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown said China was keen to show the WHO it had the outbreak under control. If the WHO does declare a global public health emergency then thats going to harm Chinas international reputation, he said. Thats going to mean a big loss of face for China so I think China at this meeting is doing all it can to convince members that it does have this situation under control. Wuhans tourism and culture department cancelled all group tours until February 8, Xinhua said. It is now very clear from the latest information that there is at least some human-to-human transmission of #nCoV2019. Infections among health care workers strengthen the evidence for this. World Health Organization Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) January 21, 2020 Tourist attractions and star-rated hotels must also suspend all large-scale activities until that date, it added. The provincial library and two leading local theatres cancelled exhibitions and performances, while four museums have suspended operations until further notice, it said. The annual prayer-giving at the citys Guiyuan Temple, an important Lunar New Year event that attracted 700,000 people last year, has also been scrapped. The hashtag Wuhan is sealed off was trending on Chinas microblogging website Weibo with more than 30 million views. Once theres a suggestion of a new development, the first thought is to maintain stability and stop rumours, hoping that by muffling it, it will go away, one user said on Weibo. Comments deemed politically sensitive are regularly censored on the social media platform. Others commended the governments response, with one person saying we should spare no effort in supporting all of the countrys policy decisions. The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus, a family of viruses that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses, such as the SARS outbreak that spread from China to more than a dozen countries in 2002-2003 and killed about 800 people. Such viruses are zoonotic and originate in animals the Wuhan outbreak is thought to have started in a now-closed seafood market where illegal wildlife was also sold but there are concerns the infection could now be passed between people. Under control Authorities in Thailand on Wednesday confirmed four cases a Thai national and three Chinese visitors. Japan, South Korea, the United States, Taiwan and Macao, a former Portuguese colony that is a semi-autonomous Chinese city, have all reported one case each. All of those affected were from Wuhan or had recently travelled there. The situation is under control here, Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters, saying there were no reports of the infection spreading to others. We checked all of them: taxi drivers, people who wheeled the wheelchairs for the patients, doctors and nurses who worked around them. Hong Kong confirmed its first case on Thursday. Dr Peter Horby, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at Oxford University, said there were three criteria for the outbreak to be declared an international emergency: it must be an extraordinary event, there must be a risk of international spread, and a globally-coordinated response is required. In my opinion, those three criteria have been met, he said. In Wuhan, pharmacies limited sales of face masks to one package per customer. Residents said they were not overly concerned as long as they took preventive measures. As an adult, I am not too worried about the disease, Yang Bin, the father of a seven-year-old, said after buying a mask. I think we are more worried about our kids. People in Wuhan have been queuing to buy face masks, which are restricted to one pack per customer [Dake Kang/AP Photo] Medical workers in protective suits could be seen carrying supplies and stretchers into Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some patients are being treated. Officials said it was too early to compare the new virus with SARS or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), in terms of how lethal it might be. They attributed the spike in new cases to improvements in detection and monitoring. We are still in the process of learning more about this disease, Gao Fu, director-general of Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the news conference. Gao said officials are working on the assumption that the outbreak resulted from human exposure to wild animals being sold illegally at a food market in Wuhan and that the virus is mutating. Mutations can make it spread faster or make people sicker. One veteran of the SARS outbreak said that while there are some similarities in the new virus namely its origins in China and the link to animals the current outbreak appears much milder. Dr David Heymann, who headed WHOs global response to SARS in 2003, said the new virus appears dangerous for older people with other health conditions, but does not seem to be as infectious as SARS. It looks like it doesnt transmit through the air very easily and probably transmits through close contact, he said. That was not the case with SARS. A CRPF commando deployed outside the bungalow of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani in South Mumbai, died after shooting himself accidentally, according to media report. According to a PTI report, the incident took place around 7 pm on Wednesday at the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) security post outside Ambani's 27-storey bungalow `Antilia' off Pedar Road. He was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment late at night, the report said. The deceased was identified as Devdan Bakotra , who hailed from Junagadh district of Gujarat and had joined the force in 2014. His body was handed over to his family after autopsy. It is yet to be confirmed if the officer committed suicide or if it was an accident. Officials, however, believe that it was a case of suicide. Preliminary investigation revealed that Bakotra stumbled and fell which caused his automatic rifle to fire. He received two bullet injuries in the chest, a CRPF official said. A case of accidental death was registered at the Gamdevi police station and further probe was underway, Mumbai police said. "It was accidental firing. It does not appear to be a suicide," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajiv Jain. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is entrusted with securing Ambani under the top 'Z+' category of VIP security cover. Nita Ambani is also protected by the force under a similar cover but she has a smaller category of 'Y' cover. (With PTI inputs) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (January 23) paid glowing tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 123rd birth anniversary and said that the nation will always remain grateful to him for his unmatched bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. The prime minister hailed Netaji for standing up for the progress and well-being of Indians during British rule. "India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians," tweeted PM Modi. India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians. pic.twitter.com/otUlFanULs Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020 The prime minister also remembered Netaji's father Janakinath Bose and said that on January 23, 1897, he wrote in his diary, A son was born at midday. This son later became a fealress freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life for Indias freedom. "On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, A son was born at midday. This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause- Indias freedom. I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today," said the prime minister. On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, A son was born at midday. This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause- Indias freedom. I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today. pic.twitter.com/wp3UjudKJ4 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020 On January 23 every year, people from across the country pay their tribute to the iconic leader whose famous slogans tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazdi dunga, 'Jai Hind' and 'Delhi Chalo' sparked patriotism in the hearts of many Indians during the struggle for freedom from the British Raj. Netaji's birth anniversary, the mass acknowledgement of which was mostly restricted to the eastern states, was made a national phenomenon last year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a museum dedicated to Subhas Chandra Bose at the iconic Red Fort to mark his 122nd birth anniversary. The museum inaugurated by PM Modi dedicated to the legendary freedom fighter and his Indian National Army showcased various artefacts related to Bose. Renault's engine boss has admitted the French works team was also concerned about the legality of the power unit used by Ferrari last year. Red Bull and Mercedes made no secret of their suspicions about Ferrari's clear engine advantage mid last season, prompting a round of FIA clampdowns. "We are very happy about the clarifications that came through," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Germany's Auto Bild. "Everyone benefits from that." Renault, however, stayed quiet amid the Ferrari engine legality furore, but the French marque's F1 engine chief Remi Taffin admits there were discussions behind the scenes. "Quiet is the wrong word," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "We just didn't talk about it in public. "Our regular enquiries to the FIA were also not made public. But in the case of Ferrari, the teams you mentioned decided differently." Taffin said there is nothing out of the ordinary about teams making enquiries to the governing FIA about how the rules are being interpreted. "Sometimes you have an idea that could give you an advantage, but you're not sure whether you are interpreting the rules correctly. So you ask for clarification," he said. "If the FIA is satisfied with it, we won't make it public. We want to keep the advantage to ourselves." Their faces lined by age and haunting memories, about 100 Holocaust survivors joined political leaders Thursday in Jerusalem to recall the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp 75 years ago. While many of the dignitaries at the sombre ceremony were born after World War II, with no personal memories of Nazi Germany's industrial-scale murder of Jews, for 81-year-old Yona Amit, the event was deeply personal. Just five years old when she and her family escaped Nazi-occupied Italy for Switzerland, she spoke of her remarkable survival, accompanied by her granddaughter at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre. Amit said her family was forced to flee her home by horse and cart, spending much of the war in hiding. "We couldn't travel as Jews, because they collected the Jews and they took them straight to Auschwitz," she told AFP. The escape through the Alps was horrifying, she said: "It wasn't easy, it was the most terrible thing -- the Germans, with their Alsatian dogs looking for us." She remembers one day playing with her cousin, and exchanging shoes, before they were separated and her young relative was betrayed to the Nazis by smugglers. "They were straight away sent to Auschwitz. And of course my cousin with my shoes: straight away up in the chimneys. "My shoes are in that big mound of shoes in Auschwitz ... I am here." - 'People who helped' - More than a million people -- most of them Jews, but also ethnic minority members, communists, homosexuals and others -- were killed at the extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Amit finally reached Israel in 1949, going on later in life to also teach Hebrew in South Africa and Australia. On Thursday she was at Yad Vashem, along with hundreds of journalists and other survivors there to listen to speeches by leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Amit said the event was an opportunity to remember those who took grave risks to save European Jews. "So many priests, and so many monasteries, endangered their lives to save Jews," she said. "I think this is the most important message of this war. Not the horrible things that were done -- we all know about them -- but the simple people who helped." - 'Plague of anti-Semitism' - Yad Vashem chairman Avner Shalev, who had a fall days before the event, reached the stage on crutches, joking that breaking a leg was good luck ahead of such an occasion. He and Moshe Kantor, founder of the World Holocaust Forum which organised the event, both spoke about the importance of continuing the fight against anti-Semitism. But Fanny Ben Ami, whose parents were killed in Nazi extermination camps, told AFP she feared that anti-Semitism will not be eradicated. "I think that the leaders of the whole world have come, above all, to affirm that anti-Semitism is a plague, but ... nothing changes," said the 89-year-old. Ben Ami joined the French resistance at the age of 12, helping children flee to Switzerland, and emigrated to Israel in 1957. Auschwitz survivor Nahum Rottenberg also voiced doubt about what could be achieved at the memorial, dubbed the most important event Israel has ever hosted. The frail 92-year-old talked with tears in his eyes about his family who died at Auschwitz. "I fight against anti-Semitism each time I tell my story," he said. He voiced dismay at present-day wars raging unabated, including in the Middle East. "Today we kill in Syria and elsewhere," he said. "The world keeps quiet. I don't think that things will really change." Holocaust survivors and world leaders attended a sombre ceremony in Jerusalem to mark the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp 75 years ago A visitor stands in front of a pile of victims' shoes at the Auschwitz death camp Holocaust survivors show Auschwitz prison numbers on their arms The ceiling at the Hall of Names at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Deepening the rift with senior party colleague Pavan Varma, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said the former is free to go anywhere he wants. The remark came in response to a second letter that the former diplomat and Rajya Sabha member shot off on Wednesday, seeking ideological clarity in the wake of the partys support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the tie-up with the BJP for the Delhi Assembly elections. In a terse response to Varmas letter, the CM said there is no ambiguity on his partys position on the Act and the alliance with the BJP and decisions on these fronts were arrived at after a good deal of thought. ALSO READ: CAA-NRC attempt to divide Hindu, Muslim, says JDU's Pavan Varma in letter to Nitish Kumar If anyone wishes to go somewhere else, he is free to do so. I wish him well, the CM said on the sidelines of a function organised on Thursday to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Earlier, Varma went public with the content of a private conversation with the CM, during which the latter is claimed to have voiced his misgivings on the alliance with the BJP. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on JDU leader Pawan Verma's letter to him on CAA and NRC: If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within party or at party meetings, but such kind of public statements are surprising. He can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes pic.twitter.com/GjmKOZtquM ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020 The CM said, He is a learned man and I have a lot of respect for him. But I have been dismayed by his public statements of late. He said, If he (Varma), or anyone for that matter, has any issue with it (alliance), he should raise it in party forums instead of going public. Quizzed on his response to the letter allegedly quoting him as advocating a BJP and RSS-mukt Bharat, a visibly upset Nitish said, Should I go public with what he (Varma) told me in private? Later on Thursday, the JD(U) called a meeting of all its MPs, MLAs and top office bearers on January 28. All issues, including the dissent on the partys support to CAA and the alliance with the BJP, are likely to figure in the discussions. The key witness against Roger Stone has issued a plea for him not to be sentenced to prison. Randy Credico, a liberal comedian and radio host, sent a letter on Wednesday to U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, saying that Stone doesn't deserve prison time, Yahoo News reported. Credico was the witness who testified against Stone on a witness tampering charge, after text messages revealed Stone warned him not to be a 'rat' and appeared to threaten Credico's therapy dog Bianca. Stone, 67, faces up to 50 years in prison at his sentencing on February 20, with witness tampering by far the most serious of the seven counts he was convicted of at trial. Randy Credico (left), a liberal comedian and radio host, sent a letter on Wednesday to the judge saying that Roger Stone (right) doesn't deserve prison time 'I am writing to respectfully yet fervently implore you not to send Roger Stone to prison when he is sentenced before your Honor,' Credico wrote in the letter to Judge Jackson. 'Roger Stone certainly rubs a lot of people the wrong way, particularly those on the receiving end of his wee hour low brow character attacks,' Credico added. 'Stone enjoys playing adolescent mind games and pulling off juvenile stunts, gags and pranks. He shamelessly invents and promotes outlandish and invidious conspiracy tales,' he said. But, Credico wrote, 'the bottom line is Mr. Stone, at his core, is an insecure person who craves and recklessly pursues attention. ... Prison is no remedy While standing by his testimony, Credico wrote that he was never asked at trial whether he felt personally threatened by Stone. 'I never in any way felt that Stone himself posed a direct physical threat to me or to my dog. I chalked up his bellicose tirades to 'Stone being Stone.' All bark and no bite!' he wrote. Comedian Randy Credico carries his dog Bianca as he leaves Federal Court after giving two days of testimony in the Roger Stone trial, in Washington, DC on November 8 Stone sent a stream of texts to Randy Credico which prosecutors say threatened the radio host and his 13-year-old therapy dog, Bianca the Coton de Tulear (above) Stone was convicted in November of all seven counts in a federal indictment that accused him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election. Stone has denied wrongdoing and consistently criticized the case against him as politically motivated. He did not take the stand during the trial and his lawyers did not call any witnesses in his defense. Stone left the courtroom holding hands with his wife and clutching a Bible after the verdict was read. As he walked out of the courthouse, Stone was asked if he had any comment on the verdict and replied: 'none whatsoever' before he hopped into a waiting SUV with his wife. Stone is under a court-imposed gag order forbidding him from speaking publicly about the verdict or the case until sentencing. Surkus, a multi-sided experiential marketing platform offering members exclusive access to paid events and offers in exchange for engagement, has made significant strides in providing growth and exposure opportunities to SMEs in the UAE that fit the needs of a new era of marketing. Since launching its Middle East and North Africa (Mena) operations in October 2019, with the UAE being the first live market operating out of Hub 71 in Abu Dhabi, Surkus UAE has on-boarded over 120 new businesses and hosted more than 950 new events, with over 90 per cent of these being SMEs. Working with local business owners to understand their particular business needs is key to Surkus innovative approach, essential in supporting the SME ecosystem growth and success. Through its visionary 360 marketing approach and unique engagement incentives, the platform allows businesses to reach their ideal end audience through cleverly targeting - netting their desired demographic then following them through the entire customer acquisition journey, from start to finish. Surkus also opens up the world of experiential marketing to all businesses no matter their size or budget. The application is designed around the concept that targeted content, with a simple and trusted value exchange, will convert potential clientele at a much higher rate for a much lower cost than traditional digital advertising solutions. According to the Ministry of Economy, the SMEs sector accounts for more than 94 per cent of the total number of companies operating in the UAE and plays a crucial role in the countrys economy, with the sector contributing almost 40 per cent to Dubais GDP alone. With the UAE Government focused on establishing initiatives and programs that support the SME sector, Surkus is committed to providing a solution that answers the needs of SMEs in the region. Stephen George, CEO and founder, Surkus, said: From an SME perspective, our company offers a revolutionary marketing solution thats not only cost-effective and transparent but also delivers real, measurable ROI. We take businesses from online promotion to offline acquisition back to online engagement, all in one campaign. This is the only way to truly close the loop on any marketing or advertising spend. We want to pave the way for direct incentives for consumer-generated and personalised engagement with the business, he said. This approach is lacking in the advertising and marketing industry today, yet it is the future of effective and profitable marketing that is greatly needed over the next decade - particularly for smaller and medium-sized companies, who cant afford to waste a single dirham, he added. Daily Dose, an independent cafe in Jumeirah, joined the platform in November, offering Surkus members the chance to experience their menu for free in exchange for social media engagement. Surkus members enjoyed complimentary breakfast dishes, coffees and smoothies, sharing their experiences with their followers on Instagram in return. Along with the increased daily footfall and social amplification, Surkus members also added an additional 50 per cent in revenue during the campaign. All businesses working with Surkus get access to the user-friendly client portal, allowing them to tweak campaigns and offers depending on their changing business needs. They also get access to consumer data insights post-campaign, providing the tools to measure success and adapt offerings which, in turn, allows them to maximise every dirham spent. As a result, this can help fuel leaner business operations, meaning SMEs and brands have more budget to invest in the thing that matters most - their customers. Mazen Mourad, general manager of Surkus UAE, said: Traditional advertising is no longer equipped to meet evolving consumer wants and needs, especially in a country like the UAE, which has become an immensely attractive regional launchpad for local and international SMEs. Since launching in the region last quarter, our growth and learning have been exceptional, and this has shown us that we are in the right place, he said. We look forward to further supporting the UAE and wider regions bustling ecosystem to help SMEs maximise marketing efforts with minimal waste on marketing and ad spend to help yield more tangible results, he continued. Surkus currently has over 750,000 engaged users of the app around the world and has successfully worked alongside brands such as Netflix, MTV, Samsung, Amazon, Perrier and Live Nation to increase native engagement. The multi-sided experiential marketing platform incorporates powerful algorithms that focuses on delivering 100 per cent ROI on EVERY dollar spent to engage with potential customers. Surkus first launched in Los Angeles, US, in 2015, followed by a second regional headquarters opening in Hong Kong early 2018. The platform is now live across multiple markets around the world with locations such as Saudi Arabia and Singapore next on the list, it stated. TradeArabia News Service TO MAKE the younger generation appreciate the beauty of history, the Cebu City Tourism Board will bank on the development of various tour routes and reinvigorate existing ones. Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) chairperson Joy Pesquera said they plan to work on the structures in Cebu that mirror the citys vibrant and rich culture. We hope that the next generation will adopt it as we have plenty in store for the city of Cebu. We will develop more tour routes like the heritage walk, Pesquera said. She said they will enhance the Spanish era structures and will come up with the American era as well as the Chinatown. A pilgrimage tour will also be introduced, establishing Cebu as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines. Aside from the urban tour routes, the former Cebu City councilor said they will also develop rural tourism assets like farms and falls. We are developing our highland blooms that will promote not only our eco-farms but also the natural spots like falls and caves, she said. A highland heritage tour is also in the works. Pesquera said the budget of the property will depend on whether it is public or private. If it is a private property, the private owner will shoulder the cost, she said. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, four days before the Sinulog Festival, the CCTC launched the Celebrate Cebu tourism branding to promote Cebus tourism jewels. We will never be mistaken with this theme Celebrate Cebu because there is so much reason for us to celebrate Cebu, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said during the brands unveiling. Unesco badge In November 2019, Cebu City celebrated its inclusion in the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Network of Creative Cities. The Department of Tourism said this international recognition in the Design Category affirms the wellspring of creative talents manifested in the furniture, fashion accessories and other sectors, the latest of which is in the global transportation hub sector, evident in the first resort airport in the worldthe MactanCebu International Airport. Story continues 500th year celebration On March 16, 2021, Cebu City will commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the country and the circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellans expedition. Cebu is said to be the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines, where Magellan planted a wooden cross upon his arrival, marking the arrival of the Roman Catholic faith in the country. ( WITH KOC ) LONDON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pax Romana, a British gallery and auction house known for its expertly vetted antiquities and discerning international clientele, will conduct a Saturday, February 1 no-reserve auction of antiquities, and ancient jewelry, weaponry and coins. Each item is accompanied by a professional Certificate of Authenticity signed by Pax Romana's owner/director, Dr Ivan Bonchev (PhD, University of Oxford). Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers. Large and very rare medieval (circa 1200 A.D.) Crusader's solid gold bracelet, 40g, flat terminals displaying Maltese crosses, possibly worn by high-status knight or priest. Estimate: $7,800-$10,400 Rare Greek Hoplite Chalcidian helmet with cheek-guards, circa 400 B.C., mounted on included custom-made stand. Ex collection of London art expert and obtained from old British collection. Estimate: $19,500-$32,500 The auction catalogue is divided into five main categories: Ancient Jewelry, Classical Antiquities, Ancient Weaponry, Asian Antiquities and Ancient Coins. Within the stellar lineup are: a superb collection of ancient wearable jewelry in gold, silver and bronze; many exceptional ancient weapons, including swords, spears, axes and helmets; classical antiquities in marble, glass and terracotta; and a collection of Ancient Chinese and Gandhara figurines of peerless quality. A remarkable 23-inch Gandhara carved panel of grey schist stone is a detailed representation of Buddha life, with The Buddha seated on a pedestal, flanked by adoring attendant figures. Dating to circa 200-300 A.D., this wonderfully detailed artwork is in fine condition and presented on a custom stand. Estimate: $7,800-$10,400 Masterfully sculpted, a rare Gandhara grey schist head of Shayamuni Buddha exhibits sensitively detailed facial features, including an aquiline nose, half-closed eyes, incised pupils and a thin, hemmed mouth. The forehead is adorned with an urna, and the wavy hair is styled in a prominent usnisha at the top of the skull. A pleasing combination of classical carving traditions and Buddhist art, the 16.14-inch sculpture is expected to make $6,500-$9,100. A Chinese Northern Wei or early Tang Dynasty terracotta prancing horse, circa 400-600 A.D., shows impressive size at 24.8 by 24 inches. Fully authenticated by Ralf Kotalla Laboratory, Germany, the handsome equine is estimated at $6,500-$9,100. A rare, circa 200 A.D. Roman sandstone head of Medusa with stylized serpents is of a type that would have been placed at the entrance of a Roman villa or temple to repel evil spirits. Estimate: $3,250-$3,900. Endlessly fascinating, body armor and helmets from ancient times are rarely found in museum-worthy condition, but that is the standard seen in two particular helmets in the auction. A prized circa 400 B.C. Greek Chalcidian Hoplite helmet with cheek-guards is like those used by Alexander the Great's army. Estimate: $19,500-$32,500. A riveted four-plate iron helmet conjures images of 9th-century Danish king Ragnar Lothbrok and his eldest son, the ferocious Viking chieftain Ivar the Boneless. Crafted circa 900-1000 A.D., it is estimated at $6,500-$9,100. A full complement of wearable ancient jewelry includes rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and brooches, many set with precious gemstones. A large, solid-gold circa 1200 A.D. Crusader's bracelet weighing 40 grams is designed with flat terminals marked with Maltese crosses, which suggest prior ownership by a high-status knight or priest. Estimate: $7,800-$10,400. Around 200 A.D., a talented Roman engraver recounted the Greek mythological tale of Leda and the Swan through a carved amethyst intaglio set in a gold Roman legionary ring. It comes to auction with a $3,900-$5,200 estimate. All auction items sold by Pax Romana are accompanied by a professional Certificate of Authenticity. The company ships worldwide and all packing is handled by white-glove in-house specialists. View the fully illustrated catalogue and bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers. Questions: call Pax Romana, London, on +44 7424 994167 or email [email protected]. Online: www.paxromana.auction Media Contact: Dr. Ivan Bonchev +44 7424 994167 [email protected] SOURCE LiveAuctioneers Related Links https://www.liveauctioneers.com TO PROTECT the waters off northern Cebu towns from illegal commercial fishing, the mayors of San Remigio, Sta. Fe, Medellin and Bantayan have formed an alliance with Oceana Philippines. The town mayors signed a memorandum of agreement with Oceana Philippines, an international ocean preservation advocacy group, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at the San Remigio Municipal Hall. According to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) officer-in-charge Alfeo Piloton, illegal fishing is still a problem in the seas off northern Cebu, in Tanon Strait. Some municipal mayors in northern Cebu allowed commercial fishing in Tanon Strait, which Piloton said is a big no-no because it is a protected area. Tanon Strait is a protected seascape as it serves as a marine wildlife reserve for breeding, feeding and resting of marine mammals. The illegal commercial fishing does not not only take away the livelihood of small-time fisherfolks, it also affects the fish population, said Piloton. Fighting illegal fishing, the Bfar promised to provide patrol boats to the local government units in northern Cebu. (RSR) The spokesperson of former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Binta Spikin, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mrs Spikin announced her defection, on Wednesday, from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The development came a day after the state chairman of the party, Rabiu Sulaiman-Bichi, also quit the PDP for the ruling APC. Mrs Spikin told PREMIUM TIMES that her political mentor, Mr Sulaiman-Bichi, influenced her decision to abandon the party and Mr Kwankwaso. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Sulaiman-Bichi and some PDP chieftains in Kano defected to APC following the affirmation of the election of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje by the Supreme Court. READ ALSO: Mrs Spikin, a woman activist and former president of Mass Communication Student Association (MACOSA) in Bayero University, Kano, said she parted company with Mr Kwankwaso immediately after the 2019 general election but only officially announced her defection on Wednesday. Other PDP bigwigs who defected to APC include Aisha Kaita, a zonal woman leader of PDP in Kano; Muhammad Tarauni, a former member of the State House of Assembly; and Idris Bala, a popular Kwankwasiyya promoter. The spokesperson for the PDP in Kano, Shehu Sagagi, did not respond to multiple phone calls seeking his comments on the development. Gail Poole, a lifelong writer and poet whose first novel, Unlikely Heroine, was published when she was seventy-two, has completed her new book To Respect a Man: a compelling and passionate tale of a love that transcends both time and the racial taboos of the not-so-distant past. Dr. Connelly was the first African American man to be allowed to attend Belmont. His dream of becoming a doctor was paramount to his existence. He endured racial slurs, being excluded from group norm of the university, and even physical altercations, yet he never wavered from his dream. Meeting Cathy, a white woman training to be a nurse, was a godsend for him. She refused to let the prejudices of others dictate her life. They became friends in spite of the abuses she endured because of it. This was at a time soon after Martin Luther King was assassinated, and change had begun, but the bigoted society was neither ready to accept blacks as equals nor interracial couples. After graduation, their lives went in different directions only to meet again at the Memphis hospital where he had secured a position. Three years had passed. Both had feelings for one another but had never expressed them until then. They fell in love but had to meet secretly, so as not to hinder Daniels career. He needed to be an example for other young African American men. He made the decision to accept a prestigious position in New York, leaving the woman he loved behind. He later married the African American daughter of the head of Atherton Memorial in New York to advance his opportunities. Yet his love for Cathy was always present. She returned to Atlanta to live with her grandmother until her son was born. She had kept her secret from Daniel, not wanting to destroy his chance to fulfill his dream. They both struggled with the realistic side of life. Their love was so strong. Follow the years of their pain and never-ending love. Life has a way of making a full circle. Published by Page Publishing, Gail Pooles engrossing book is a gripping and potent tale of love, forgiveness, and enduring love. Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase To Respect a Man at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. is likely to skip the 10th annual meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia being organised by the Election Commission here on Friday, senior poll panel functionaries said. They said though is part of FEMBoSA, it is unlikely to attend the event where India will take over as Chair of the body for 2020. To mark the occasion, the EC has organised an conference on the theme Strengthening Institutional Capacity'. FEMBoSA was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies of countries in 2012. The last annual meeting of FEMBoSA was held in Dhaka in September 2018. Besides ECI, the other 7 members are EMBs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. There has been a chill in bilateral ties with the two countries engaged in a war of words over Kashmir. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 18:42:54|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian court on Thursday jailed eight fishermen for three years each after it had convicted them of involvement in illegal fishing in a national park northwest of the country. The convicted fishermen will each serve the jail terms after they failed to pay fines. Chato District Court in Geita region in northwest Tanzania also confiscated three boat engines and one fishing boat which the fishermen used for illegal fishing. The court also ordered the burning of illegal fishing nets that were seized from the fishermen. Erasto Anosisye, a state attorney, had told the court that police arrested the fishermen early this month in the Burigi-Chato National Park engaged in illegal fishing. On Jan. 19, 2020, Tanzanian authorities declared a special crackdown on importers of illegal fishing gear saying the malpractice affected the fisheries industry in the east African nation. REGINA - The owner of a Saskatchewan oil refinery where workers are locked out in a contract dispute says there has been a discussion with Unifor about returning to bargaining, but the union wants the premier to step in. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Co-op Refinery is shown in Regina on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. A Saskatchewan oil refinery embroiled in a labour dispute with a union representing more than 700 workers says it won't return to the bargaining table while Unifor barricades the facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor REGINA - The owner of a Saskatchewan oil refinery where workers are locked out in a contract dispute says there has been a discussion with Unifor about returning to bargaining, but the union wants the premier to step in. Federated Co-operatives Ltd. says it won't bargain as long as union members continue to block access to the Regina plant. "We respect Unifor's right to picket and peacefully protest but they need to adhere to the court's order," a company spokesman said Thursday in a statement. Unifor President Jerry Dias said the company is moving the goalposts as to what conditions need to be met to resume bargaining. He said the union has already done its part. "My guess is if we were to take down the barricades and everybody went home ... they would have another condition the next morning," Dias, flanked by members of Unifor's bargaining committee, said at a news conference. "We are prepared for a major de-escalation of this fight on the condition that they remove the scabs from the workplace." Unifor called on Premier Scott Moe to demand that both sides go to the bargaining table and work with a provincial mediator. "A provincially appointed mediator is already in place, and has been engaging with both parties regularly throughout the lockout period," Labour Minister Don Morgan responded in a statement. "We continue to encourage both parties to return to the bargaining table where the provincially appointed mediator can assist parties in negotiating an agreement." Dias said Unifor's lawyers are looking at a judge's decision to fine the union $100,000 for violating an injunction that limits how long pickets can hold up traffic going in and out of the refinery. He also said he is to meet with Regina police Chief Evan Bray following mischief charges earlier this week against 14 union members, including himself. Dias said he hopes Bray will contact the refinery, request a cooling-off period and urge the company to get back to the table. Bray has said blocking access to a business is illegal and police are deciding whether to lay further charges. The company locked out more than 700 workers in early December after they voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike. The main issue is pension plan changes the company wants to make. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020 Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A quote in a previous version referred to "their scabs" and should have read "the scabs." Over 600 Iraqis were killed since the beginning of anti-government protests in October 2019, Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trend reports Sputnik. "It is devastating and painful, and even shameful, that acts of violence by outlaws have led to the death of over 600 innocent peaceful protesters, mostly young people, as well as many security personnel. Needless to say, I condemn these crimes in the strongest terms, and the perpetrators sooner or later will have to be dealt with in accordance with the law", Salih said. The rallies led to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's decision to resign last November. However, he remains in office in a caretaker capacity until a replacement is found. Salih submitted his resignation last December. Iraq has been facing nationwide protests since October. The Iraqi people took to the streets demanding the ouster of the government, as well as economic reforms, better living conditions, social welfare and an end to corruption. Ukraine's national railway operator to be managed by Deutsche Bahn for next 10 years PM 15:00, 23.01.20 3618 Honcharuk says this is an ecosystemic solution, aimed to show that Ukraine is unprecedentedly open. OTTAWA, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX:CGY) will hold a telephone conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 to discuss the results for the three-month period ended December 31, 2019, which will be released prior to the call on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Interested participants from the financial and media community should call 343-700-0401 or 1-800-367-2403 at approximately 4:25 p.m. The conference ID is 4078396. Following the presentation, interested parties will be invited to participate in a question and answer session. The conference call will be available for a period of 14 days for playback and is accessible by dialing 1-888-203-1112, passcode 4078396. About Calian Calian employs over 3,400 people in its delivery of diverse products and solutions for private sector, government and defence customers in North American and global markets. The Companys diverse capabilities are delivered through four segments: Advanced Technologies, Health, Learning and Information Technology. The Advanced Technologies segment provides innovative products, technologies and manufacturing services and solutions for the space, communications, defence, nuclear, government and agriculture sectors. The Health segment manages a network of more than 1,800 health care professionals delivering primary care and occupational health services to public and private sector clients across Canada. Learning is a trusted provider of emergency management, consulting and specialized training services and solutions for the Canadian Armed Forces and clients in the defence, health, energy and other sectors. The Information Technology segment supports public- and private-sector customer requirements for subject matter expertise in the delivery of complex IT and cyber security solutions. Headquartered in Ottawa, the Companys offices and projects span Canada and international markets. For investor information, please visit our website at www.calian.com or contact us at ir@calian.com . President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Chairperson of Public Sector Solutions of Swiss Re Veronica Scotti in Davos. Expressing her gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the meeting, Veronica Scotti noted that the reforms implemented by the head of state in Azerbaijan in recent years had provided good opportunities for the development and improvement of the insurance sector in the country. She expressed the company`s readiness to involve in the reforms carried out by President Ilham Aliyev and contribute to the further development of the insurance market in Azerbaijan. Saying that Swiss Re is one of the worlds leading companies of insurance and reinsurance of mainly emergency events, Veronica Scotti highlighted the projects implemented by the company in different countries. The head of state stressed the importance of effective organization and development of the insurance market in the country, especially in the real estate insurance system. The sides also exchanged views on cooperation with foreign investors, including Swiss Re, which will enable to speed up the application of international experience in this field in Azerbaijan. An architect who claims Tate Modern visitors aimed 'obscene gestures' at her in her 2million apartment has launched a fresh legal bid to shut down the 10th-floor viewing gallery. Company CEO Lindsay Urquhart says she feels 'completely exposed' and worries about her daughter being in parts of her flat in the exclusive millionaires' block Neo Bankside, an opulent complex just a stone's throw from the River Thames. The 47-year-old claims visitors using the Tate Modern's tenth floor viewing gallery, which allows direct views into her glass-walled home, allows intrusive scrutiny. She says she has experienced visual intrusion and photography, people waving and obscene gestures and claims that when she visited the gallery she overheard one visitor say that the 'rich b***ards' who lived in Neo Bankside deserved the intrusion that the gallery afforded. Pictured: Lindsay Urquhart arrives at the Court of appeal in central London yesterday to fight the High Court's decision Along with four of her wealthy neighbours, she sued the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, seeking an injunction forcing part of the viewing gallery to be shut down or screened to block direct views into their block. But their case was thrown out by the High Court last February after Mr Justice Mann found that the gallery visitors were not committing a legal 'nuisance' by peering into the designer glass-walled flats. The judge suggested that rather than Tate Modern shutting part of the viewing platform - which is a major tourist attraction- the offended neighbours could put up net curtains instead. Owners of multi-million pound flats (pictured right) overlooked by the Tate Modern (left) lost their High Court battle to stop 'hundreds of thousands of visitors' seeing directly into their homes when visiting its viewing platform Now Mrs Urquhart and her neighbours are asking the Court of Appeal to reverse that ruling, with their lawyers arguing that the judge made blunders when he dismissed their claim. The building designer turned boss of multinational HR company Bespoke Career Management Ltd lives in a flat below the level of the gallery. In her witness statement before Mr Justice Mann, she explained that when she bought her flat she knew that the Tate Modern Blavatnik Building was being built, but did not know there was to be a public viewing gallery. A photograph taken from the viewing platform in 2016 shows how visitors can see into the apartments at Neo Bankside (pictured, Mail on Sunday's Charlotte Wallace showing how visible residents are) She assumed the south section - facing Neo Bankside - would be used only for emergency access, and never contemplated the degree of intrusion into the flats which this section gave, she said. She told the court that since then she has experienced 'visual intrusion and photography, people waving and obscene gestures,' and 'upsetting' coverage on social media. She also stated that when she visited the gallery, 'she overheard one visitor to the gallery say that the 'rich b***ards' who lived in the flats deserved the intrusion that the gallery afforded.' Pictured: The viewing gallery at the Tate Modern, from which visitors can peer into the Neo Bankside apartment block Without her blinds being closed, she said she feels completely exposed in her kitchen, will not let her young daughter into the exposed areas and keeps the blinds closed when the numbers are at their worst. Ms Urquhart founded Bespoke Careers in 2004 and he clients in the capital include Allies & Morrison, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Duggan Morris, Stanton Williams and ZHA World (formally Zaha Hadid Architects). Tom Weekes QC, for Mrs Urquhart and her neighbours, asked appeal judges Sir Terence Etherton, Lord Justice Leweson and Lady Justice Rose to rule that the High Court's findings of fact should have led Mr Justice Mann to find that a nuisance was being caused and to grant the injunction. Mr Justice Mann found that the Tate Modern was not 'making an unreasonable use of its land,' adding that Mrs Urquhart and her neighbours should 'expect to have to put up with some give and take appropriate to modern society and locale.' The viewing platform seems to give a perfect view of Neo Bankside apartments (pictured) The neighbours' QC argued yesteday 'the learned judge applied the wrong legal test by asking whether the defendant was making an unreasonable use of its land.' Mr Weekes said the judge's findings of fact about the type of scrutiny and intrusion which the neighbours had been exposed to ought to have led automatically to a conclusion that the gallery was creating a nuisance for residents of the block. The judge's findings had included that 'the overlooking from the viewing gallery was disturbing, intrusive and a material intrusion into the privacy of their living accommodation,' he said. A photograph taken from the viewing platform shows how visitors can look directly into the flats at the Neo Bankside development on London's South Bank The judge had accepted that 'peering into the flats...waving and obscene gestures occurs,' he said, and also that it 'happens to a disturbing extent,' said the QC. The judge also found that the view into two flats at the same level as the viewing gallery was 'clear,' adding 'one can indeed see all sorts of aspects of the daily life of the occupants.' 'The inevitable legal consequence of Mr Justice Mann's findings of fact is that the defendant is committing a nuisance,' Mr Weekes told the Appeal Court. Pictured: The Tate Modern, with Neo Bankside apartments to the left of the art gallery in central London 'Having found that the viewing gallery has a 'disturbing' and 'intrusive' impact on the claimants' enjoyment of their flats and that it is not unduly sensitive of the claimants to feel as they do about the privacy invasion, the learned judge should, without further ado, have concluded that Tate Modern is committing a nuisance,' he argued. 'Tate Modern should not be able to use parts of the platform for a purpose which, whilst not necessary for the ordinary use of Tate Modern, very substantially harms the amenity of the claimants' flats as homes. 'The learned judge made the uncontroversial point that Neo Bankside and Tate Modern are situated in a locality which is an inner-city urban environment with a significant amount of tourist activity, in which an occupier can expect rather less privacy than perhaps a rural occupier might. 'The learned judge held that due to the fact that the design of the claimants' flats makes them abnormally sensitive to privacy invasions, Tate Modern is not committing a nuisance. 'But the claimants had a reasonable expectation of not being subject to dedicated viewing by hundreds of thousands of people even if they had big windows,' he said. 'The learned judge's approach does not adequately protect the claimant privacy rights,' the QC concluded. Lawyers for the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery are arguing that the High Court judge was right and his decision should stand. The Appeal Court have now reserved their judgment to be given at a later date. Sir Terence commented that it was 'a very important case,' adding that it could if Mrs Urquhart and her neighbours succeed potentially open the 'floodgates' for complaints in 'every single case where there's planning permission granted and there's a balcony overlooking.' A man from Utah was arrested this week when police found almost $4 million worth of illicit drugs in his car in Arizona, according to CBS Utah affiliate KUTV. Logan Lewis Pederson, 30, was pulled over on Interstate 15 near the Utah border Monday afternoon. KUTV said Pedersen "appeared extremely nervous" during the traffic stop. The station said a St. George Police Department K9 unit assisted and that's when the narcotics were found inside his white sedan. Logan Pederson Logan Pederson seen in an undated mugshot. Mohave County Sheriff's Office When the vehicle was searched, here's what police found: Six 1-gallon jugs, weighing a total of 66 pounds, filled with a liquid substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine.Six bricks of cocaine which weighed 13.2 pounds.1,000 packages of candy infused with THC that weighed 206 pounds.2.2 pounds of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). drugs-found-mans-car.jpg Authorities found nearly $4 million worth of illegal drugs in a man's vehicle in Arizona. Mohave County Sheriff's Office Authorities said the street value of the drugs is approximately $3,696,720. KUTV said Pederson was arrested and charged with multiple felonies. The station said he's being held at the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility. How Democrats are navigating the Senate impeachment trial Frank Sinatra's gold-seated toilet among items up for auction in New Jersey Politico: Sanders, Warren supporters clash after last debate BP successfully lobbied the Trump administration to dilute a key US environmental law, making it easier to build oil and gas projects with fewer checks on how they affect the climate. After BPs lobbying efforts, Donald Trump announced sweeping changes this month to Americas National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa). The reforms unveiled by Mr Trump significantly narrow the protections provided by Nepa and could allow oil pipelines, roads and other projects to move forward with far less federal review than currently exists. Letters obtained by Unearthed, Greenpeaces investigations unit, show that BP pushed the White House in August 2018 to reform Nepa. BP and the American Petroleum Institute (API), oil and gas industry trade association, sought reforms that drastically reduce the range of fossil fuel projects that come under Nepas scope and the level of scrutiny they are subject to. Environment news in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Environment news in pictures Environment news in pictures Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands practical solutions to combat climate change Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years". On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage. "As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires. "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said. The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders". AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the worlds coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change. The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival. These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods. As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains Alan Schaller Environment news in pictures Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown. More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found. The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate. It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year. Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows Nasa/Getty Environment news in pictures Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry. All of the regions 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a presumption against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced. Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country. Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UKs only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors. But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites Ross Wills Environment news in pictures Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters. However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japans territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts. This means controversial scientific trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019 AP Environment news in pictures COP24: Environmental groups criticise morally unacceptable climate deal reached after major Poland summit Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland. But climate campaigners warned the deal effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action. Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying important progress had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared. But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries. The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran Reuters Environment news in pictures Unprecedented changes needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded. Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately. Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures Africas three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africas elephant poaching epidemic. Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins. Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo. Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continents most prolific smugglers Art Wolfe Under the watered-down rules, federal agencies would not need to factor in the cumulative impacts of a project, which could include its affect on climate change. This would make it easier for fossil fuel projects to be approved. It would also make it harder to mount a legal challenge to halt infrastructure projects that are associated with high levels of emissions. A number of the changes BP lobbied for have now been adopted by the US president. In the letter to the Council on Environmental Quality, which coordinates federal environmental efforts in the US, BP endorsed and elaborated upon APIs proposals to modernise the process for reviewing and approving new infrastructure projects. BP wrote that the changes would directly benefit BPs operations in the US. Fossil fuel companies and other critics of Nepa have grown frustrated in recent years at delays to infrastructure projects such as the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Under Nepa, the US federal government must assess the environmental impacts of a project. Legal challenges can be brought where the effects have not been adequately considered. Under the changes backed by BP and President Trump, downstream emissions resulting from a project would not have to be considered in the assessment. For example, if a company was seeking to extract oil in a new field, the emissions resulting from people burning that oil would be downstream and therefore not considered when assessing the environmental impact of the oilfield. Recommended The battle over the climate crisis will be won by lobbyists Mel Evans, senior oil campaigner at Greenpeace, said: BP knows its business is causing our climate emergency, so it will do all it can to avoid scrutiny from campaigners and regulation from governments. The oil industry insists it has a right to dictate how the world fights the climate emergency, and how quickly change happens. But this shows that for all their lip service to the energy transition, BP and the rest of the sector are focusing their efforts on blocking real action to cut emissions and stabilise our climate. A spokesperson for BP said the companys position on Nepa had been misconstrued by Greenpeace. Neither BP nor API advocated to exclude all indirect greenhouse gas impacts from Nepa analysis. In fact, BP believes the Nepa analysis should include all direct and many indirect impacts, said the spokesperson. BP will continue to advocate for changes through the rulemaking process, but only in a manner that is consistent with our strong support for the Paris ambitions. Canadian-American actress Pamela Anderson, who was once a guest on Bigg Boss season 4, has tied the knot with Jon Peters. Pamela and Jon were wed in a private ceremony in Malibu, California on Monday. Jon is a hairdresser turned Hollywood producer, who has most notably produced A Star Is Born. Shortly after the wedding, Peters told The Hollywood Reporter "Pamela has never seen her full potential as an artist. She has yet to shine in a real way. There is much more to her than meets the eye, or I wouldn't love her so much." He added, "There are beautiful girls everywhere. I could have my pick, but -- for 35 years -- I've only wanted Pamela. She makes me wild -- in a good way. She inspires me. I protect her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated." Pamela and Jon had reportedly dated over 30 years ago, but they hadn't taken the relationship forward. The two had kept their rekindled romance a secret until the wedding. This is the fifth time that the Baywatch actress has got hitched. She was last married to Rick Salomon, whom she divorced in 2015. Not only Pamela's, but this is also Jon's fifth marriage. Pamela wrote a poem for Jon following the wedding - "Jon is the original 'bad boy' of Hollywood - no one compares - I love him deeply like family. His life used to scare me. So much for a girl like me. Now I've seen more of life and realize .. He's been there all along. Never failed me - I'm ready now and he's ready too - We understand and respect each other - We love each other without conditions. - I'm a lucky woman. - Proof God has a plan" Pamela made a guest appearance for three days on the fourth season of Bigg Boss back in 2010. ALSO READ: Bigg Boss 13: Has Asim Riaz Bagged Bollywood Film Opposite Sunny Leone? ALSO READ: TRP Toppers (Online): Bigg Boss 13 Tops Chart With Record Breaking Number; Naagin 4 Witnesses Drop The son of a Normandy village notary, Duchamp followed two older brothers into the realm of artistic expression. He tried, for a while, to play by the rules. But the metaphysics and geometrics of the fourth dimension, among other enticements, proved too strong to resist. Even before Duchamp dismissed much of his contemporaries work as retinal in nature, flattering to the eye but free from meaningful perspective, hed created such works as Coffee Mill (1911), an embrace of industrialized function and strangely compelling form. In this painting, as we learn in Taylors documentary, Duchamp indicated the movement inherent in Duchamps subject by a curved arrow. Suddenly, visual art had welcomed a new aspect: motion, witty and apt. Accused Russian Hacker To Plead Guilty To U.S. Charges; Case Prompted Diplomatic Fight With Israel By Mike Eckel January 22, 2020 A Russian man who was the subject of a three-year diplomatic scuffle between Russia, Israel, and the United States was set to plead guilty to U.S. charges related to the massive cybertheft of credit cards. Documents filed in a U.S. federal court indicated that Aleksei Burkov, 29, will change his plea from not guilty when he makes his next court appearance on January 23. Burkov's U.S. defense lawyer did not immediately respond to a query from RFE/RL. Burkov, who was extradited to the United States from Israel in November, was the latest in a series of alleged Russian hackers whom U.S. authorities have targeted for arrest while they were traveling outside of Russia. The arrests have prompted angry denunciations from Moscow, which accused the United States of "hunting" Russian citizens. He was initially arrested by Israel in 2015, on a U.S. arrest warrant. Indictments unsealed later charged him in connection with allegedly operating two Russian-language chat forums where, according to U.S. officials, members traded stolen credit card numbers and other information worth millions of dollars. Diplomatic Scandal After his arrest, Moscow pressed the Israeli government to send Burkov to Russia and not to the United States. According to court documents filed last week, Burkov oversaw two forums in the early 2010s: Cardplanet and Direct Connection. On Cardplanet, Burkov allegedly advertised more than 150,000 hacked credit cards, many of which came from U.S. banks. Direct Connection, meanwhile, was a Russian-language members-only forum where users could trade stolen credit cards, but also tips, malware, and other cyberscams, according to U.S. officials. The newest filings omit mention of another forum that Burkov had been linked to earlier: a forum where a massive database containing the records of 191 million U.S. voters had been offered for sale in November 2015. The fight for custody of Burkov grew into a public diplomatic scandal last year, when an Israeli woman was arrested at a Moscow airport in April as she was flying through, en route to another country. Bargaining Chip? Police said they found a small amount of marijuana in Naama Issachar's luggage and charged her with drug smuggling. Issachar, who also holds U.S. citizenship, has denied the charges. In October, a Russian court sentenced her to 7 1/2 years in prison. Many Israelis were outraged by the sentence which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized as being disproportionate. Issacher's relatives, meanwhile, publicly accused Russian authorities of holding the 27-year-old Issachar as a bargaining chip to persuade Netanyahu to turn Burkov over to Russia. Netanyahu, who has cultivated good relations with Putin, will meet the Russian leader when Putin travels to Jerusalem on January 23, to participate in a private forum connected to the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The forum is being hosted and paid for by Russian-Israeli oligarch Moshe Kantor, who has been identified by the United States as having close Kremlin connections. On January 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Netanyahu were likely to discuss Issachar's case. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-hacker-burkov --plead-guilty-u-s-charges-israel- diplomatic-fight/30391131.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 49.4 million travellers passed through Rome's airports last year. 2019 was another record year for passenger numbers at Rome's two international airports, Fiumicino and Ciampino, which between them welcomed 49.4 million passengers - up from 48.8 million in 2018 - according to Aeroporti di Roma (AdR). The news was particularly positive for Fiumicino, also known as Leonardo da Vinci airport, which registered 43.5 million passengers, an increase of about half a million from 2018. AdR attributed the surge in passenger numbers to a variety of factors including a successful international campaign to promote Rome as a travel destination, the introduction of a series of direct flights to new countries, and strong growth in air traffic between America, Asia and Russia. Fiumicino, whose official title is Leonardo da Vinci airport, scooped several prestigious awards in 2019 including Europe's best airport with over 25 million passengers, for the second consecutive year. For insights into Fiumicino and Ciampino airports, including how to travel to and from the city centre, see our guide. BOSTON - Federal lawmakers and college professors in Massachusetts are demanding answers after an Iranian student was denied entry into the U.S. despite a court order temporarily staying his removal. U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Thursday saying theyre concerned Iranian students are being targeted for additional inspections and being swiftly removed from the country at airports and other ports of entry. The Democrats want the agency to provide by Feb. 6 any policies or guidelines addressing enhanced screenings and inspections, as well as a breakdown of every instance in which an Iranian visa holder was deemed inadmissible and ordered removed from the country, among other things. The American Civil Liberties Union has said at least 10 students have been sent back to Iran after flying into the U.S. since August, when college students typically arrive for classes. Seven of them were detained at Bostons Logan Airport, the organization said. Markey, Warren and Pressley are also seeking a specific explanation for the removal of Northeastern University student Shahab Dehghani this week. Lawyers for the 24-year-old Iranian national say he was denied entry into the country at Logan Airport despite having a valid student visa and securing an emergency stay of removal from a federal judge. Northeastern University faculty members issued a letter to Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies Thursday expressing support for Dehghani, who is identified in court records as Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi. The nearly 100 signers of the letter say federal officials should re-validate his student visa and allow him to begin his semester at Northeastern. A spokesman for Customs and Border Protection declined to comment, saying the agency will respond directly to the senders of the letters. Dehghanis lawyer Kerry Doyle, meanwhile, also responded to claims her client was denied entry into the country because his family has ties to the Iranian militarys Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Trump administration has deemed the guard a foreign terrorist organization and killed one of its top generals, Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike earlier this month. Doyle, speaking with The Associated Press late Wednesday, dismissed the allegations raised by federal officials as spurious and a shameful attempt at redirecting attention from the Trump administrations xenophobic policies. She declined to elaborate, but noted that Dehghani underwent a nearly yearlong vetting process with the U.S. Department of State before his visa was issued this month. Doyle said she is currently pursuing further legal actions for her client, including requesting a federal judge compel Customs and Border Protection to explain why it didnt honour the court order temporarily halting his removal. New Delhi: Around 45 per cent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups are opposed to the government's right to seek anonymised data of their customers and suppliers under the Personal Data Protection Bill, according to a survey by LocalCircles. The Data Protection Bill defines a framework for handling of personal data including its processing by various public and private companies and gives the Indian government the right to seek anonymised data of citizens from any business or company at any time. The survey by the community social media platform showed 45 per cent said they were against it, 45 per cent said they were okay with it, while 10 per cent of respondents were unsure. On the subject of the government's rights over the aggregate data of businesses, startups opposing the rights say it should only be permitted in the event of a law-order, investigation or enforcement situations. For routine matters, government should have access to neither the aggregate data nor the algorithms used by a business as such an access can be easily misused or compromised, they said. On the data sharing front, many startups operate in new areas and bring about an innovation in product, technology intervention or service and many of the cutting-edge technologies are still developed overseas. The survey showed that many startups need access to overseas resources, expertise, tools and capital because not all of them are available in India and therefore, Indian startups may need to open offices overseas and hire resources there to develop their product or service and, in many cases, will have a need to share aggregate data between resources and legal entities. It becomes imperative, therefore, that aggregate data of Indian startups be permitted to be shared with atleast their entities and group companies they have overseas. "Similarly, if a foreign company acquires an Indian startup, they may have plans to take the product/service developed by the startup and scale it further globally and hence would require access to aggregate data of the startup." the LocalCircles' report said. The survey received 4,923 responses from various startups, SMEs and entrepreneurs. Pune, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global automatic labelling machines market size is projected to reach USD 2.36 billion by the end of 2026. Driven by recent advances in related machinery, the market will rise considerably. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Automatic Labelling Machines Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Self Adhesive/Pressure Sensitive, Shrink Sleeves and Glue Based), By Configuration (Stand Alone and Integrated), By Industry (Food & Beverage, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026, the market was worth USD 1.75 billion in 2018. Driven by the increasing demand clean labelled products, the market will exhibit a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period, 2019-2026. The demand for automatic labelling machines market has risen dramatically in recent years. The need for clean-labelled products has emerged in favour of the companies operating in this market. The use of technologically advanced products will aid the growth of the market in the coming years. The increasing emphasis on the betterment of existing products and introduction of newer products will fuel the demand for the product. The growing use of adhesives such as biopolymers, biodegradable adhesives, acrylics, and silicones will allow improved product applications. The use of automatic labelling equipment across diverse industries will have a direct impact on the growth of the market in the forthcoming years. To gain more insights into the market with detailed table of content and figures, click here: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/automatic-labelling-machine-market-101967 The report offers insights into the ongoing automatic labelling machine market trends. It highlights leading companies in the market and discusses the strategies that these companies have adopted in recent years. Forecast values for the market have been provided for the period of 2019-2026. The market has been segmented on the basis of several criteria including product type, industry configuration, and regional demographics. The competitive landscape scenario has been discussed in detail. Factual figures have been evaluated through trusted sources. The data included in this report has been gathered through interviews and opinions of experienced market research professionals. Increasing Number of Product Innovations to Aid Growth Among all factors that are associated with the growth of the market, the increasing number of product innovations will have a direct impact on the growth of the market in recent years. In March 2019, Herma announced the launch of new machine for the labelling of products. The company introduced a robot-assisted pallet labelling solution. The device was manufactured with aim of enabling flexibility in the labelling of pallets. This device is projected to reduce the print and apply time and enhance the overall labelling process. The report assesses a few of the leading product types of recent years and gauges their impact on the market. Request a Sample Copy: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/automatic-labelling-machine-market-101967 Asia Pacific to Witness High CAGR Driven by the Growth of Packaging Industry The report analyzes the ongoing automatic labelling machine market trends across five major regions including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, the market in Asia Pacific will witness the highest CAGR in the coming years. Recent advancements in the packaging industry will create several opportunities for the companies operating in this market. The growing adoption of these equipment in emerging countries such as India, China, and Japan will have a direct impact on the growth of the regional market. As of 2018, the market in Asia Pacific was worth USD 736.2 million and this value is likely to increase in the coming years. Besides Asia Pacific, Europe will witness considerable growth in the coming years driven by the compelling industrial automation in countries such as France, Germany, and Italy. List of the leading companies that are operating in the Automatic Labelling Machine Market are: Krones AG Sidel Sacmi Imola S. C. Herma Fuji Seal International Inc. Marchesini Group S. P. A. M. A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S. P. A. Salzgitter AG Consolidation Group Barry Wehmiller Companies ProMach Key Industry Developments: October 2018: Krones AG completed the acquisition of W. M. Sprinkman LLC with the aim of enhancing the capabilities of the House of Krones product portfolio. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/automatic-labelling-machine-market-101967 Table of Content: Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Forces Analysis Global Automatic Labelling Machine Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Type (Value) Self-Adhesive/Pressure Sensitive Shrink Sleeves Glue Based By Configuration (Value) Stand Alone Integrated By Industry (Value) Food & Beverage Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Consumer Goods Other (Automotive, etc.) By Geography (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa Latin America Continued..!!! Request for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/automatic-labelling-machine-market-101967 (Have a Look at Reports Trending in Machinery & Equipment Industry) Browse Related Reports: Packaging Machinery Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Machine Type (Bottling Line, Cartoning, Case Handling, Closing, Filling & Dosing, Form, Fill & Deal, Labelling, Decorating & Coding, Palletizing, Wrapping & Bundling and Others), By End User (Food, Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care and Toiletries, Household, Industrial and Agricultural Chemicals and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Food Packaging Equipment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Equipment Type (Filling, Bottling, Case Cartoning, Labelling and Palletizing), By Application (Bakery and Confectionery Products, Meat and Poultry Products, Dairy Products, Beverages and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Food Processing Equipment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Equipment Type (Pre-processing Equipment, and Processing Equipment), By Automation Type (Automatic, and Semi-automatic), By Application (Bakery and Confectionery Products, Meat and Poultry Products, Dairy Products, Beverages, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Food Processing and Handling Equipment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Equipment Type (Processing Equipment, Packaging Equipment, and Service Equipment), By Application (Bakery and Confectionery Products, Meat and Poultry Products, Dairy Products, Beverages, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Print Equipment Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Offset, Digital, Flexo), By End Use (Packaging, Publication, Commercial) and Regional Forecast 2018-2025 Grinding Machines Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product (CNC (Cylindrical Grinding Machine, Surface Grinding Machine, Others (Centerless Grinding Machine, Gear Grinding Machines)), Conventional), By Application (Automotive, General Machinery, Precision Machinery, Transport Machinery, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Lathe Machines Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product (CNC, Conventional), By Application (Automotive, General Machinery, Precision Machinery, Transport Machinery, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Machining Centers Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product (Vertical Machining Center, Horizontal Machining Center, Others), By Application (Automotive, General Machinery, Precision Machinery, Transport Machinery, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Machine Tools Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology (Conventional, CNC tools), By Product (Metal Cutting Tools, Metal Forming Tools), By Application (Automotive, General Machinery, Precision Machinery, Transport Machinery, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Collaborative Robots Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Payload Capacity (Upto 5 Kg, 6-10 Kg, 11 Kg and Above), By Application (Welding, Material Handling, Quality Testing, Painting/Spraying, Assembling, Others), By Industry (Automotive, Electronics & Semi-Conductors, Food & Beverages, Retail, Metal & Machining, Rubber & Plastic, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Facility Management Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Service Type (Hard Services, Soft Services, and Others Services), By Industry (Healthcare, Government, Education, Military & Defense, Real Estate and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Material Handling Equipment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Equipment Type (Cranes & Lifting Equipment, Industrial Trucks, Racking & Storage Equipment), By Operations (Assembly, Distribution, Others), By Industry (Consumer Goods & Electronics, Automotive, Food & Beverages, Pharmaceutical, Construction, Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Injection Molding Machine Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Plastic, Metal, Rubber, Ceramic, Others), By Machine Type (Electric, Hydraulic, and Hybrid), By Clamping Force (0 - 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Feed (Continuous Feed Inkjet, Continuous Feed Electrophotography, Cut-Sheet Inkjet, Cut-Sheet Electrophotography), By Application (Transactional, Advertising) and Regional Forecast, 2018-2025 About us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We therefore offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Press Release- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/automatic-labelling-machines-market-9526 Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (26) After a one year break, Kenyas highflying Afro-pop boy band Sauti Sol is ready to release a new album next month. The bands vocalist and guitarist, Bien Aime Baraza explained that they took a hiatus to restructure and adapt to their new management. Also Read: Why Sauti Sol Dropped Marek Fuchs as their Manager We allowed our signees to be known but now we are good, he said. We also took time and recorded our album in South Africa and now we are good to go. It is going to be a big thing for Sol Generation. While details are still scanty about the project, it is expected to have 20 songs with an infusion of rhumba music a la Extravaganza. The project, which is Sauti Sols fifth studio album, will reportedly feature local and international music acts. In what promises to be a busy year for the Live and Die in Afrika hitmakers, their proteges Sol Generation signees will also release an album. They are also planning to sign more artistes to the fast-growing label. Senators vote on approving the rules for the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump (Senate Television via AP) House Democrats have opened arguments in Donald Trumps impeachment trial, appealing to Republican senators to vote to remove the US president from office to protect our democracy. Mr Trumps lawyers sat by, waiting their turn, while he blasted the proceedings from afar, threatening jokingly to face off with the Democrats by coming to sit right in the front row and stare at their corrupt faces. Democratic accusers say Mr Trump was the one with the corrupt scheme to abuse his presidential power and then obstruct Congress investigation. The challenge before the House managers is clear. Democrats have 24 hours over the next three days to prosecute the charges against Mr Trump, trying to win over not just senators sitting silently in the chamber but an American public, deeply divided over the president and his impeachment. Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appealed to senators not to be cynical about the politics of impeachment, asking them to draw on the intent of the nations Founding Fathers who provided the remedy of impeachment. "We are here today in this hallowed chamber... because Donald J. Trump solicited foreign interference in our democratic elections, abusing the power of his office by seeking help from abroad to improve his reelection prospects at home." -@RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/xiUmeCpdrj House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) January 22, 2020 Over the coming days, we will present to you and to the American people the extensive evidence collected during the Houses impeachment inquiry into the presidents abuse of power, said Mr Schiff, standing before the senators. You will hear their testimony at the same time as the American people. That is, if you will allow it. The proceedings are unfolding at the start of an election year and there are few signs that Republican are interested in calling more witnesses or going beyond a fast-track assessment to bring a quick vote on charges related to Mr Trumps dealings with Ukraine. The trial marks just the third time the Senate has weighed whether an American president should be removed from office. Expand Close House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (Senate Television via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (Senate Television via AP) Democrats argue Mr Trump abused his office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rivals while withholding crucial military aid, and also obstructed Congress by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to give evidence in the House probe. Republicans have defended Mr Trumps actions and cast the process as a politically motivated effort to weaken the president in the midst of his re-election campaign. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research shows the public is slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Mr Trump from office than to say it should not at 45% to 40%. But a sizeable percentage, 14%, say they do not know enough to have an opinion. But there is wide agreement that Mr Trump should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial. About seven in 10 said so, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats, according to the poll. The idea over witnesses, though, seems all but settled after wrangling over rules for the trial stretched late into the previous night, with Republicans shooting down one-by-one Democratic efforts to get Mr Trumps aides including former national security adviser John Bolton, secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, to give evidence as witnesses. Senators are likely to repeat those rejections next week, shutting out any chance of new evidence. Chief Justice John Roberts opened Wednesdays session as senators settled in for the long days ahead. Mr Trump, who was in Davos, Switzerland, attending a global economic forum, praised his legal team, and suggested he would be open to his advisers giving evidence, though that seems unlikely. He said there were national security concerns that would stand in the way. Expand Close Donald Trump has been in Davos (AP/Evan Vucci) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump has been in Davos (AP/Evan Vucci) After the House prosecutors present their case, the presidents lawyers will follow with another 24 hours over three days to mount a defence. They are expected to take only Sunday off. Then there will be 16 hours for senators, who must sit quietly at their desks, no speeches or mobile phones, to ask written question, and another four hours for deliberations. By the end of next week there is expected to be one last vote on whether or not they want to hear from more witnesses, and it appears increasingly likely that will be the end. Haiti - FLASH : Me Claudy Gassant, DG of ULCC revoked Wednesday, The former Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince, Me Claudy Gassant named in the official newspaper "Le Moniteur" N203 on November 29, 2019 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29422-haiti-news-zapping.html Director General of the Unit for the Fight against Corruption (ULCC) has been revoked, 50 days after its installation (December 3, 2019 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29440-haiti-news-zapping.html ). Note that Me Gassant has been informed of his revocation on social networks... He was replaced by Presidential Order dated January 22, 2020 by Me Rockefeller Vincent, originally from Cap-Haitien According to Prime Minister Lapin, this decision taken in agreement with President Moise was due to clashes between the ULCC and the Prosecutor's Office. A vague explanation while many other disturbing files, in the hands of Gassant, may be more the cause of his dismissal, among others : the open conflict with the Chancellery and in particular the complaint filed by the ULCC against Chancellor Edmond and the 2nd Secretary of the Embassy of Haiti in Santo Domingo Kerby Alcante Desormaux https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29613-haiti-flash-the-ulcc-files-a-complaint-against-chancellor-bocchit-edmond.html in the case of the scandal of corruption of diplomatic personnel in the Dominican Republic https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29569-haiti-flash-7-employees-of-diplomatic-staff-suspected-of-corruption-in-dr.html ; the refusal of State lawyers to let the ULCC investigate SOGENER in the case which opposes it with the State (note that this investigation had been requested from the ULCC on the Commission of the investigating judge of the Public Prosecutor's Office) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29670-haiti-news-zapping.html ), the ultimatum and threats concerning the filing of heritage declarations hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29735-haiti-politic-ulcc-ultimatum-for-asset-declarations.html the two arrests of diplomat Kerby Alcante at the instigation of the ULCC, for forgery and use of false https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29793-haiti-flash-arrest-of-the-2nd-secretary-of-the-embassy-of-haiti-in-dr.html and released twice by the Prosecutor's Office etc To be continued... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29613-haiti-flash-the-ulcc-files-a-complaint-against-chancellor-bocchit-edmond.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29586-haiti-flash-the-chancellery-reframes-the-ulcc-in-the-case-of-corruption-of-diplomats-in-dr.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29569-haiti-flash-7-employees-of-diplomatic-staff-suspected-of-corruption-in-dr.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29487-haiti-justice-message-from-the-dg-of-the-unit-against-corruption.html SL/ HaitiLibre German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday said the European Union will engage more with China as well as Africa going ahead and asserted that Europe needs to speak in a clearer and stronger voice. She also urged the world to help countries fighting terror in their own lands. "We all woke up with a start seeing the tensions between the US and Iran. We stand up for keeping the Iran Nuclear Deal, even if it is imperfect," she said. Europe needs to speak with a stronger and clearer voice, she said and pledged to listen more to what Africans countries want when Germany takes up the presidency of the EU. "We should finally understand that cooperation with Africa cannot be handing out charity but that this something that will be benefit us too, she said. She also pledged to cooperate more with China and will convene a special summit to that end. We will stand up for multilateralism, she said. The most effective way of creating global prosperity is the multilateral way. It won't be good for the world to become bipolar again, Chancellor Merkel said. She said, earlier EU had to deal with countries who wanted to come in, but now for the first time it is dealing with a member going out and it has to be respected. She also said UK was anyway never a very willing member. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An AI bot, created by the techpreneur Julian Jewel Jeyaraj has successfully used AI to make significant progress in helping the problem of pollution in the world, for which the founder has been awarded with the South India Technology Innovation Award recently. GOA, INDIA / ACCESSWIRE / January 22, 2020 / JJAIBOT, the artificially intelligent bot, gathers data from multiple environmental sectors to help create models that interpret this data accurately. Jeyaraj's JJAIBOT uses a predictive analytics engine to get information from environmental monitoring stations, weather satellites, topographic maps, economic data, and social media to then create models showing this data. The way this technology gathers this data is truly innovative. Inductive-Loop Traffic Detectors are placed onto streets, and these sensors record when a vehicle has passed, how long it took, and where it was recorded. The air quality is gathered through measuring the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Then analyzes this data and decides which source is reliable, and which is not. When doing this, the end result is an accurate interpretation ultimately outperforming traditional climate reports. The models show air pollution and the risks that certain areas possess. While gathering the data, atmospheric and ocean dynamics, and ocean and atmospheric chemistry are included to further hone in on the specifics of air pollution. The geographics of each area is also taken into accounts, such as the lengths of roads and open spaces. JJAIBOT teaches the models to adapt to conditions such as temperature, wind speed, and geography to optimize the models and stay up to date. They even clean through data that is deemed at unuseable. It is trained to collect and create accurate data models that take into account every aspect of an area. These models can then be used to fight air pollution and inform others of the air quality in areas. People can receive alerts telling them to take the necessary precautions when entering an area. These forecasts are designed to watch emissions also, so governments and businesses have a real portrayal of how vehicles are contributing to air pollution. This technology is specifically targeted to those in New Delhi, which is the capital of India. The air quality has only gotten worse, and the citizens are suffering because of it in many major cities. Certain events can trigger major health problems, and JJAIBOT helps prevent that. Their data analysis tracks dangerous events in air quality that can be harmful to residents. It also brings awareness to the air quality and how each citizen is contributing to it. People and the system in most places do not realize just how bad it is getting. Since JJAIBOT tracks traffic as well as air quality, people are opening up to the emissions they are producing. Even business and government organizations are able to look at the data models and see what they must change. AI is finally expanding to improving the air quality of polluted cities, and they will only expand further. Replacing traditional weather forecasts is long overdue, as there are many flaws and information they cannot process without the help of AI to do so.Name: Dave MVCompany: StartupFortuneEmail: info@startupfortune.comWebsite: https://startupfortune.comJJAIBOTView source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573652/JJAIBOT-Finds-Success-in-Applying-AI-to-Fight-the-Alarmingly-Increasing-Air-Pollution-in-Cities Apple has hit out at an EU proposal to force all phones to have the same charging port. The company says that making all companies use the same type of connector "stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, and would harm consumers in Europe and the economy as a whole". It marks a major intervention from the iPhone maker as European politicians consider the future of the chargers in the bottom of the phones. Apple's statement follows a briefing in which MEPs said that moving towards a common charger would "reduce electronic waste and make consumers life easier". Members of the European Parliament said attempts to encourage companies to use the same charger, and do so voluntarily, had failed. Instead, the European Commission could decide to force them to with new regulation, MEPs suggested. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty "The Commission's approach of 'encouraging' industry to develop common chargers fell short of the co-legislators objectives," politicians said in a recently published briefing. "The voluntary agreements between different industry players have not yielded the desired results." But Apple rejected that characterisation, suggesting that phone manufacturers had actually unified around two different ports. All iPhones have used its Lightning cable for nearly a decade, and most new Android phones use USB-C, it pointed out, claiming that "this approach does work". Apple is unlikely to license its proprietary Lightning port to other phone manufacturers, meaning that any new EU rule would almost certainly mean the company would be forced to switch to a new port. That would mean Apple customers throwing away their wires and other accessories, the company claimed, which "would have a direct negative impact by disrupting the hundreds of millions of active devices and accessories used by our European customers and even more Apple customers worldwide, creating an unprecedented volume of electronic waste and greatly inconveniencing users". Instead, Apple suggested that regulators should focus on the other end of the wire, where the charging cable plugs into the power. Unifying those ports would allow users to plug their charging cables into similar ports in hotel rooms or cafes, for instance no matter what plug was on their phone. "We do not believe there is a case for regulation given the industry is already moving to the use of USB Type-C through a connector or cable assembly," Apple said in its statement. "This includes Apples USB-C power adapter which is compatible with all iPhone and iPad devices. This approach is more affordable and convenient for consumers, enables charging for a wide range of portable electronic products, encourages people to re-use their charger and allows for innovation." The Lightning port was introduced in 2012, with the iPhone 5, as a replacement for Apple's old 30-pin connector. Since then it has been used on almost every one of Apple's portable devices, though the recent iPad Pro uses the industry standard USB-C port. Apple gave no firm indication that it would stick with the existing Lightning port in its iPhones. It has been rumoured that the company is moving towards getting rid of the charging port entirely, and recent handsets have included wireless charging that does away with the need for a wire. MIAMI - Prosecutors announced Thursday that a sophisticated DNA match has led to the cold case arrest of a Florida man believed to be the pillowcase rapist who terrorized greater Miami with a series of assaults on women in the 1980s. Robert Koehler, 60, was arrested over the weekend and was being held without bond Thursday in a Miami jail. He faces charges in one assault though authorities said as many as 25 victims could be involved. The pillowcase rapist was so named because he used a pillowcase or other fabric to cover the faces of his terrified victims, usually after he had broken into an apartment or town home, according to investigators. The assaults, often carried out at knifepoint, took place between 1981 and 1986 and had put South Florida on edge. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that the arrest will hopefully bring some justice and some measure of peace to the victims. Rundle praised what she called the quick work of lab technicians coupled with improvements in DNA technology that broke open the case. They did a phenomenal job, the prosecutor said. Its going to take some time. But we feel confident that there are a number of sufficient cases that we can prosecute. We want to ensure that this man is never, ever free again. According to an arrest warrant, investigators got their breakthrough after they obtained a DNA sample from Koehlers son following an unrelated arrest. That sample was then linked to an assault in 1983, leading detectives to Brevard County where they followed Koehler to obtain DNA samples from objects he touched. It was then, authorities said, that they had a match. Rundle said it now will take time to locate victims, who could be anywhere in the country decades later. A hotline has been set up for victims to call and investigators are expected to begin determining if there is enough evidence to prosecute all of the suspected cases, officials said. Koehler was taken into custody in Brevard County further up Floridas Atlantic seaboard before being transferred to the Miami jail. Authorities said he had worked as an electrician while living in the community of Palm Bay. In Brevard County, investigators found a pit of sorts had been dug under Koehlers house, according to a search warrant. They also said they found several safes containing womens jewelry and other items, including a nail file, that might be linked to some of the crimes. The assault with which Koehler is charged happened in December 1983 and involved a 25-year-old woman, according to an arrest warrant. That woman was stabbed in the midsection with sharp object the wound was not fatal, but more of a puncture wound and then was raped with first a blanket over her head and then a pillow. This was the same type of assault the pillowcase rapist carried out on numerous other occasions, investigators said. A task force launched in the 1980s to search for the attacker was disbanded in 1987, but was recently revived by the Miami-Dade Police Departments cold case squad. The original task force had conducted numerous stakeouts, checked hundreds of leads, passed out fliers and even created a sculpture from one victim who saw his face, the Miami Herald reported. Police at the time said the rapist was likely young, athletic and white and with no discernible accent. From lab tests, they concluded his blood type was O, but with a rare subgrouping characteristic found in 1% of the population. They also knew he wore a size 10 1/2 shoe, according to reporting by the Miami Herald. Among his victims were a schoolteacher, nurse, airline flight attendant, artist, model, health spa instructor, insurance executive, publicist and student, the paper has reported. All but one lived in townhouses or apartments. The attacker usually entered the homes through unlocked sliding glass doors and open windows, threatening the victim with a knife, assaulting them quickly and sometimes stealing cash, investigators said. When Koehler appeared in Brevard County court before his transfer to Miami, he blurted out that he was not guilty of the assaults. He was convicted in a 1990 rape in Palm Beach County and sentenced to probation, which he later violated and served 120 days in jail. That case, however, was never linked to the series of assaults in Miami and elsewhere in South Florida. Rundle said that was mainly because DNA samples were not yet mandatory. Alfredo Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said the renewed investigation was a massive one encompassing much of South Florida. A lot of sweat and tears was put into this case, Ramirez said. Were going to make sure he stays in jail. Of the decades that had passed, the police director added, No matter how long ago it happened, we will never forget. Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (SUAD) will host Dr Jim Kurose, former assistant director for computer and information science and engineering at the US National Science Foundation, former assistant director for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and visiting professor and advisor at SCAI, at the opening of the Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence. During the ceremony, the distinguished professor will deliver a presentation titled Artificial Intelligence: Promises, Challenges and Global Perspectives. He will enumerate the future prospects of artificial intelligence in various fields including health, education and science discoveries. The scholar also will discuss trustworthy AI systems, their working mechanisms and the challenges associated with them. The audience will receive insight into international AI activities, SCAIs significant contributions towards the excellence of interdisciplinary research, education, and various other aspects concerning artificial intelligence. Professor Jean Chambaz, the President of Sorbonne University and Vice Chairman of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (SUAD), commented: We are delighted to host Dr Jim Kurose, the internationally renowned, award winning academic who has specialized in artificial intelligence and its associated science. He added: We are confident that his support for the Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence, modelled after its counterpart in Paris-Sorbonne University is integral, as the organisation aims to host research education chairs here in partnership with Thales Group and Total, in addition to advancing research and literature in the field of artificial intelligence, whilst also contributing towards the sustainable development of the UAE. - TradeArabia News Service Jakarta: Myanmar's government has been ordered by the International Court of Justice to take all measures it can to prevent genocide of its minority Rohingya Muslim population. In a landmark ruling delivered in The Hague, the ICJ dismissed Myanmar's arguments that it did not have jurisdiction in the case - which was brought by the west African nation of The Gambia - and issued provisional measures designed to protect the Rohingya. The court's president, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, said the Rohingya qualified as a protected group and the court was "of the opinion that the Rohingya in Myanmar remain extremely vulnerable". At the conclusion of the hour-long hearing, Yusuf ordered that Myanmar "take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of article two of the convention [on genocide]". Ukraine signs memorandum with Deutsche Bahn 11:00, 23.01.20 1872 The alliance is expected to boost the efficiency of the railway services in Ukraine. Tamil Nadu Police seized books and Islamic propaganda material from the the three. They also had in their possession propaganda materials in 'audio forms' meant to be uploaded on social networking platforms including WhatsApp. Ramanathapuram: Three men with suspected links to the Islamic State and connected to cases being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were arrested in Ramanathapuram on Wednesday, police said. The trio B Mohammed Ali, Pura Gani and Amir was held in the Devipattinam police limits following a tip-off, they said. They were discussing matters including transferring money to Abdul Shamim, one of the accused in the recent killing of SSI Wilson at Kaliakavali in Kanyakumari district near the Kerala border, when a police patrol picked them up. The three were suspected to be having links with ISI and some cases filed by the NIA, police said adding one person, identified as Sheikh Dawood, managed to escape. Police seized books and Islamic propaganda material from the the three. They also had in their possession propaganda materials in "audio forms" meant to be uploaded on social networking platforms including WhatsApp. Police said they registered cases against them under various IPC Sections including 153 A and B, Information Technology Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Laurence Fox has apologised to the Sikh community after he sparked a race row by claiming the inclusion of a turban-wearing soldier in Sam Mendes film 1917 was 'incongruous' - but in a follow up tweet said 'I stand by everything else I said'. The outspoken actor made the comment about the critically-acclaimed film in a podcast on Saturday while being interviewed by James Delingpole. When asked about his remarks by GMB hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid the next day about whether the inclusion of the character was historically out-of-place, he replied: 'I'm not a historian I don't know.' Sikh historian Peter Singh Bance told MailOnline that Fox should 'check his facts', saying: 'Laurence Fox is incorrect with his facts as Sikhs did fight with British forces, not just with their own regiments.' Last night, the Lewis star posted on his Twitter account and apologised for the 'clumsy way' he expressed himself. When asked about his remarks by GMB hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid the next day, he told the hosts 'I'm no historian' and admitted he didn't know Sikh soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the British in World War One Laurence Fox apologised to the Sikh community after his outburst about the Sam Mendes The outspoken actor's apology only extended to the Sikh community for his comments about 1917 Fox is pictured arriving at the Good Morning Britain studios in central London yesterday where he told the programme 'I'm not a historian' He said: 'Fellow humans who are #Sikhs. I am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour. 'Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I have expressed myself over this matter in recent days.' But in a follow up tweet soon after, he said: 'I stand by everything else I said and will continue to do so. Sleep well.' The epic film follows two young British soldiers tasked with traversing no-man's land with a message as the Germans pull back from the Western Front. The Lewis star said that 'forcing diversity on people' is 'institutionally racist' after saying that the inclusion of Nabhaan Rizwan portraying Sepoy Jondalar was not in keeping with the film's surroundings. Speaking on podcast, The Delingpod, Mr Fox said: 'It's very heightened awareness of the colour of someone's skin because of the oddness in the casting. Even in 1917 they've done it with a Sikh soldier. 'Which is great, it's brilliant, but you're suddenly aware there were Sikhs fighting in this war. And you're like 'ok'. You're now diverting me away from what the story is.' Pictured: Ranvir Singh, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid with Laurence Fox Good Morning Britain today Asked if he would be offered 'more, better roles' if he espoused 'different views', Fox agrees that is the case, but adds: 'What's the point? You don't want to go into a work environment and have someone thought-police you'. He is pictured speaking on Question Time This time he's taking aim not at an ethnicity lecturer from a provincial university, but Oscar-winner Sir Sam Mendes and, in particular, the film director's World War I epic, 1917. Director Sam Mendes is pictured above on set The 41-year-old actor questioned the credibility of the storyline and said the casting of Mr Rizwan caused 'a very heightened awareness of the colour of someone's skin' because of 'the oddness of the casting'. He praised the performance of Mr Rizwan himself, saying it was 'great', adding that the inclusion of a Sikh soldier in the ranks 'didn't bother me particularly'. But he added that the inclusion 'did sort of flick me out of what is essentially a one-shot film [because] it's just incongruous with the story'. Sikh soldiers were present at some of the conflict's bloodiest battles, including Ypres and the Somme. Mr Fox was a guest panellist on Question Time last week when an audience member called him a 'white, privileged male' and he called her description of him racist. The actor has also previously said that 'woke' people are 'fundamentally racist'. Fox - who railed against identity politics on Thursday's Question Time - told Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk Radio that the country is tired of being told it's racist in an appearance on Monday. Laurence Fox (pictured, left, with interviewer Julie Hartley-Brewer on Monday) hit back at Lily Allen (right, crying at a migrant camp in Calais) after she told him to stick to acting despite her regular interventions on political issues He also spoke about his dispute with singer Lily Allen who she was 'sick to death' of 'luvvies' like Fox who are guilty of 'forcing their opinions on everybody else'. She added: 'He'll never have to deal with what normal people have to deal with in his gated community.' She concluded the rant by saying that he should 'stick to acting mate, instead of ranting about things you don't know about'. Fox mocked her statement, saying that she had a 'privileged' upbringing herself and pointing out he doesn't live in a gated community. He said sarcastically on Talk Radio: 'She's had a pretty privileged upbringing but she speaks for the common man doesn't she.' Mr Fox also slammed 'woke' culture, a term that originally was used to positively convey an alertness to oppression but is now also used derisively as a term for those who argue that white privilege stops people like Fox being able to see racism. Fox also said that it was the woke who are actually guilty of racism against the white people they accuse. 'What they are accusing you of is what they are,' he said. 'They are everything they accuse you of. The wokist are fundamentally racist.' He added: 'Identity politics is extremely racist.' The truth behind 1917's Sikh soldier: Troops from the Empire DID fight in same regiments as the British in WWI as top historian slams Laurence Fox over claim Sam Mendes' blockbuster was 'racist' for including Indian recruits By Mark Duell and Shekhar Bhatia for MailOnline Soldiers from foreign countries served shoulder-to-shoulder alongside British forces in the same regiments during the First World War, military experts said today. More than three million soldiers and labourers from across the British Empire joined the British Army in their own regiments during the conflict from 1914 to 1918. But other foreign soldiers also fought within British regiments, it emerged after actor Laurence Fox criticised the 'incongruous' inclusion of a Sikh soldier in the film 1917. Sikh historian Peter Singh Bance said Sikhs and other Indians fought with the British Army corps, such as the 1st Manchesters and the 47th Sikhs fighting as one. Sikh soldiers from the Indian Service Corps with British Army soldiers on the Western Front in the war in 1916. ISC members were from all over India and also performed labouring tasks George MacKay plays Lance Corporal Schofield (centre) in 1917, alongside Nabhaan Rizwan, who plays Sikh soldier Sepoy Jondalar. They are pictured trying to push a truck out of mud Mr Bance today told Fox to 'check his facts', saying: 'Laurence Fox is incorrect with his facts as Sikhs did fight with British forces, not just with their own regiments.' He told MailOnline: 'There were definitely Sikhs and other Indian soldiers who fought among the British Army corps, and they wore the same uniform.' The details come after Fox questioned the storyline of 1917 over Sikh soldier Sepoy Jondalar, played by Nabhaan Rizwan, being in the ranks of British forces. Fox, 41, told writer James Delingpole's podcast that it causes 'a very heightened awareness of the colour of someone's skin' because of 'the oddness of the casting'. Around 1.5million men were recruited from India, while Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland gave a further 1.3million soldiers. A Sikh soldier lines up with three British comrades on the Western Front during the war in 1917 1917 director Sir Sam Mendes speaks to Nabhaan Rizwan on set during the film's production Some men from the West Indies served in regular British Army units, but most of the 15,000 involved were in their own regiments and served in France, Italy and Africa. Indian troops fought against the Ottoman Turks in Palestine; African troops helped contain the Germans in East Africa; and Newfoundlanders fought at the Somme. Estimated deaths by British Empire country Australia - 62,000 - 62,000 Canada - 65,000 - 65,000 India - 74,000 - 74,000 New Zealand - 18,000 - 18,000 Newfoundland - 1,000 - 1,000 South Africa - 9,000 - 9,000 West Indies - 1,000 - 1,000 United Kingdom - 885,000 Figures rounded to the nearest 1,000 after being compiled by the Centre Europeen Robert Schuman in France Advertisement Mr Bance said of Fox's comments: 'This has nothing to do with diversity, history is history and we can't distort it for a film. Over 1.5million Indians fought in World War One, over 80,000 Indians died. 'Sam Mendes should be commended as finally World War One films are becoming historically accurate, as earlier films totally ignored the presence of Sikh and other colonial soldiers who fought for the Empire alongside the British 'Laurence's comments are totally out of context as the presence of one Sikh is not to distract the audience but to give historical accuracy which most World War One films lack. 'When over 1.5 million Indian soldiers fought in this campaign, how can showing one Sikh soldier be distracting?' Mr Bance added: 'There were definitely Sikhs and other Indian soldiers who fought among the British Army corps, and they wore the same uniform. A patrol of Indian lancers near Amiens in France soon after the outbreak of war in autumn 1914. The I Indian Corps of 3rd (Lahore) and 7th (Meerut) were part of Indian Expeditionary Force A Indian cavalry after a charge at the Somme during the First World War on July 14, 1916 'For example The 1st Manchesters were fighting with members of the 47th Sikhs brigade as one. 'And the 7th Ferozepur Brigade consisted of 47th Sikhs and the London Brigade. 'Sikhs not only fought from within their own Sikh regiments but they were also in the Punjabi Regiments, cavalry, sappers and miners regiments as well. 'There was also Sikhs and other Indian soldiers who were present in British Army service corps working as labourers too.' MailOnline has approached Sir Sam Mendes's representatives for a comment. Britain started the war with 700,000 trained soldiers, before thousands of untrained volunteers also signed up in 1914 and conscription was introduced two years later. A Sikh regiment marching in France in 1914, where Indian soldiers made a huge contribution Two Senegalese soldiers serving in the French Army as infantrymen, in June 1917. They were part of the Tirailleurs Senegalais and from the Bambara, a Mande ethnic group in West Africa But the size of the military was also significantly bolstered by forces from across the Empire - which later became the Commonwealth - all of which had backed Britain after it declared war against Germany. Laurence Fox (pictured on the BBC's Question Time last Thursday) questioned the Sikh soldier's appearance in the film 1917 The Indian sub-continent of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh had sent two infantry and two cavalry divisions to the Western Front by the end of 1914. In 1915, Indian troops fought against the Ottoman Turks in Palestine and Mesopotamia (now Iraq), and alongside British, Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli. Some 1.27million Indians voluntarily served as combatants and labourers, also helping Allied forces occupy former enemy territory in East Africa and the Balkans. Dr Simon Walker, a military historian at the University of Strathclyde, said: 'The remarks by Fox are very much ill informed.' He said more than 74,000 Indian soldiers died in service in the First World War, and claimed they were of 'paramount importance' at key battles including Ypres in 1914, Neuve Chappelle and Gallipoli. The expert said soldiers from different races were mainly separate at the start of the war, but this changed as huge losses meant men were transferred around the various battle grounds. Indian troops march through France in August 1914. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh had already sent two infantry and two cavalry divisions to the Western Front by the end of 1914 Dr Walker added: 'Therefore by the middle of the war it would not be unusual for sikh soldiers to serve side by side with their British comrades, as was necessitated by the demands of the war and losses. 'This was visible in Britain, as burial practices were briefly changed to allow open air cremation for such soldiers.' Sikh historian Peter Singh Bance (pictured) told Laurence Fox to 'check his facts' African troops were also involved in containing the Germans in East Africa and defeating them in West Africa in an area where Europeans had struggled in the hot climate. By the end of the war, the 'British Army' in East Africa was mainly soldiers from Nigeria, Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda and Nyasaland (Malawi). Some 60,000 labourers came from South Africa, but black South Africans were only allowed a logistical role because the country's government feared arming them. White South African units were sent to the Western Front and 3,153 were involved in a battle at Delville Wood on the Somme in July 1916, with only 750 left unharmed. Around 15,000 men from the Caribbean enlisted, with a few serving in regular British Army units although most were in the West India Regiment and the British West Indies Regiment. African-American soldiers return home from Europe after the First World War in 1918 They served in France, Italy, Africa and the Middle East. Canada also made a huge contribution to the war, with the Canadian Expeditionary Force fighting in most of the major battles on the Western Front from 1915. Descendant of Sikh WWI soldier praises contribution of troops Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill, 40, whose Sikh great-great-grandfather fought alongside British servicemen in the First World War, spoke today about the contribution of Sikhs to the military. Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill with a photo of his great-great grandfather Major Bawa Singh at a Royal Albert Hall Remembrance event He told MailOnline: 'A lot has been done over the last five years to raise awareness of the fact that many thousands of Sikh soldiers fought bravely alongside Western troops. 'My great-great grandfather Bawa Singh was with the 23rd Sikh Pioneers and spent six years fighting in Aden, Egypt and Palestine. 'He told my grandfather of the loneliness of being so far away from home and from his family. There were also language problems with unfamiliar people in unfamiliar surroundings. 'The British and other western troops could go home on leave every three months, but the Indian soldiers carried on as they were a long way from home and that continued abroad even after Armistice Day.' Advertisement They were at the Somme, Passchendaele and in the Hundred Days offensives of 1918. Nearly 10 per cent of the 620,000 Canadians who enlisted were killed in the war. Newfoundland, which only became part of Canada in 1949, fought at Gallipoli in 1915, but was almost wiped out at Beaumont Hamel on the Somme the next year. And more than 410,000 Australians served in the war, suffering about 200,000 casualties in campaigns at Gallipoli, on the Western Front and in the Middle East. New Zealand forces helped Australia capture Germany's colonies in the Pacific and fought on the Western Front, with 5 per cent of the country's men aged 15-49 killed. The Sikh Network, a collective of Sikh activists and professionals in Britain, also hit out at Fox - saying his remarks were 'offensive' and needed retraction. Manvir Bhogal from the organisation told MailOnline: 'Thousands of Sikhs saw battle at the front line and many died. It is highly offensive and inappropriate for Laurence Fox to term the inclusion of a single Sikh soldier in Sam Mendes' production in order to at least represent the extent of war with a microcosm of diversity of historic fact as 'incongruous' . 'It is outrageous and of deep hurt to Sikhs not just in the UK but throughout the world and to the rest of those whose communities were forcibly sent to war. 'His comments should be retracted with an apology immediately.' 'Where this doesn't take place, it marginalizes entire communities that, in this case, made a huge sacrifice and contribution to the welfare and protection of freedoms for all mankind despite the oppression being faced due to European imperialism itself back home.' Earlier this week, Fox told Mr Delingpole's podcast that the Sikh character distracted from what the story was about. He questioned the credibility of the storyline and said the casting of Rizwan caused 'a very heightened awareness of the colour of someone's skin' because of 'the oddness of the casting'. He praised the performance of Rizwan himself, saying it was 'great', adding that the inclusion of a Sikh soldier in the ranks 'didn't bother me particularly'. But he added that the inclusion 'did sort of flick me out of what is essentially a one-shot film [because] it's just incongruous with the story'. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-22 20:57:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A Yemeni student shows his Chinese calligraphy work in Hainan University in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) The Chinese Lunar New Year features family reunion and sharing. In an era of globalization, the efforts China takes to further open up have rendered the holiday extravagance into an opportunity to share its development dividends. BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- It all started months ago when the Canadian fishermen booked tickets for their lobsters to fly to China, and when the largest dairy producer in South Korea started utilizing its full capacity to meet the potential need of their customers during the Spring Festival, particularly those in China. Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner, and the festival is not only celebrated in China but around the world, with various traditional festivities and a shopping spree. Cod from Iceland, red king crab from Russia, tiger prawn from Thailand, Chilian cherries, Australian ugg boots, and Japanese face roller have all found their places into Chinese customers' shopping carts, giving the world supply chains a ride on the "Spring Festival economy." Visitors select decorative items at a Spring Festival fair at the Chinatown in San Francisco, the United States, Jan. 19, 2020. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) China is at once a world factory and a giant global market with the world's largest and fast-growing middle-income group. With consumption upgrading and the development of cross-border e-commerce and logistics, overseas products can reach big cities and small towns across the country. Worldwide places of interest lure Chinese tourists abroad, making outbound traveling a new trend during the feast. A thriving market reflects the vitality of the economy. Despite a cloud of challenges, China's economy wrapped up 2019 with 6.1-percent GDP growth, approaching 100 trillion yuan (14.49 trillion U.S. dollars) and outperforming comparable economies. More excitingly, the country has achieved a new milestone with GDP per capita exceeding 10,000 dollars last year, a threshold that many believe ushers in a new stage for income level, consumption pattern and market size. A lion dance performer interacts with the audience during a Chinese Spring Festival parade in downtown Liege, Belgium, Jan. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) "I really think China is the future," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk in August last year, when he was "astounded" by the fact that his gigafactory in Shanghai could be completed within 10 months. In the past few years, China has constantly been lowering tariffs and facilitating its reform and opening up drive. At the begining of this year, China implemented provisional import tax rates that are lower than the most-favored-nation tariff rates for over 850 commodities, which expedites the flow of global high-quality products directly to Chinese customers. As the most important festival in a year, Chinese Lunar New Year also creates the biggest spending power. A market linking 1.4 billion Chinese people with global supply chains believes that when the world does good, China does good; and when China does good, the world will be better. A woman poses for photos with a lion dancer during a gala to greet the upcoming Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Minsk, Belarus, Jan. 17, 2020. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua) From the first two editions of the China International Import Expo to the Belt and Road Initiative, China has been upholding the idea of openness. New maritime routes have carried exotic fresh fruit from Southeast Asia to China, and the Spanish olive oil companies applaud the Chinese Lunar New Year thanks to the direct freight train service between China and Europe. The Chinese Lunar New Year features family reunion and sharing. In an era of globalization, the efforts China takes to further open up have rendered the holiday extravagance into an opportunity to share its development dividends. Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the United States Congress, has filed a defamation lawsuit against former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeking $50 million (Rs 355 crore) in damages, alleging that she tarnished her reputation by suggesting her to be a "Russian asset" and "favourite of the Russians" in the 2020 White House race. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, has also claimed that Hawaii Democrat Gabbard suffered an economic loss to be proven at trial. "Hillary calling me a 'Russian asset' is not only intended to smear my reputation and derail my campaign for president, it's also intended to silence any voice that dares to speak out against the establishment status quo," Gabbard, 38, said in an email to her supporters explaining the reason for her suing the Democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential elections. Tulsi has been harmed by Clinton's lies and American democracy has suffered as well, according to the lawsuit. "With this action, Tulsi seeks to hold Clinton and the political elites... accountable for distorting the truth in the middle of a critical presidential election," said the lawsuit. Clinton, 72, who unsuccessfully fought the 2016 presidential election against Donald Trump, in an interview in October last year said that the Republican party was "grooming" a Democratic presidential candidate to run as a third-party candidate. Although she did not name Gabbard, her comments were seen directed to the Hawaii lawmaker. According to the lawsuit, "millions of Americans heard (or read about) Clinton's defamatory statements. Scientifically conducted opinion surveys have shown that Clinton's false, malicious statements about Tulsi, including that Tulsi is a 'Russian asset' and 'the favourite of the Russians' were accepted as true by millions of Americans, including large numbers of voters in battleground presidential primary states. "The defamatory statements have caused Tulsi to lose potential donors and potential voters who heard the defamatory statements. Tulsi has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed $50 million -- and continue to this day". The lawsuit alleges that as a direct and proximate result of Clinton's intentional and malicious misconduct, Gabbard has suffered anguish and damage to her reputation, with direct and substantial injury to her positions as United States Congresswoman; Presidential candidate; and officer in the Army National Guard. "These substantial injuries are continuing in nature and will continued to be suffered in the future, unless and until they are remediated by this court," it said. "One would expect someone of Mrs Clinton's political background to act with a greater level of maturity and dignity, but her personal hostility toward Representative Gabbard apparently clouded Mrs Clinton's reason and blinded her to the US," said Gabbard's legal counsel Brian Dunne. "She resorted to a damaging whisper campaign founded on lies, and when presented with the opportunity to retract her damaging remarks, she refused. Rep. Gabbard must defend her good name and hold Mrs Clinton responsible. This lawsuit intends to do just that," he said. But given the US laws, it would be very tough for Gabbard in the defamation case against Clinton. "To prevail in her defamation claim, Representative Gabbard has to prove that Secretary Clinton made a false statement of fact. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that mere 'loose and figurative' expressions, even 'vigorous epithets', don't qualify. And, the courts are especially protective of the right to engage in sharp-elbowed political debate," Jeffrey J Pyle, a Boston-based attorney, told ABC News. "Representative Gabbard will have a difficult time convincing the court that Secretary Clinton's statements were anything other than non-factual 'rhetorical hyperbole' which is thoroughly protected by the First Amendment," said Pyle, who has represented a number of cases involving defamation, libel and First Amendment. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday a post-Brexit trade deal between the United States and Britain is a top priority and will be reached by the end of this year. A UK-US deal "is an absolute priority for President (Donald) Trump and we expect to complete that with them this year, which we think will be great for them and great for us," Mnuchin told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anzu Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in breakthrough industrial technologies, completed its second venture capital fund, at $190m. Anzu Industrial Capital Partners II L.P. and AICP II Limited, at $190 million USD (Anzu Industrial Fund II) has been supported by investors including institutions, family offices, and individuals across the U.S. and overseas. Led by Managing Partners David Michael, David Seldin, Whitney Haring-Smith, and John Ho, PhD, who has been promoted to Partner, Anzu is investing primarily in U.S. and Canada-based private industrial technology companies that innovate in manufacturing, materials, monitoring & measurement, and modeling. The Anzu professional team of 36 staff includes eight PhDs in technical disciplines. As part of Fund II, the firm recently made investments in: BioSkryb, a Durham, NCbased company that develops genomic amplification technologies that deliver higher coverage and fidelity for various gene sequencing applications, such as single cell genomics. Boston Microfluidics a Cambridge, MA-based developer of blood collection devices designed to enable personalized medicine worldwide. GelSight, a Waltham, MA-based company that develops portable, non-destructive elastomeric 3D imaging systems used to improve quality control processes in aerospace, automotive and other high-value industries. Its systems provide detailed and rapid surface measurements through a technology originally invented at MIT. immunoSCAPE, a Singapore-based that provides a proprietary immune profiling solution, focused on high-dimensional profiling of T-cell populations by antigen specificity and phenotype, for use in the development of immunotherapies and therapeutic vaccines, and as a companion diagnostic. NTX Bio, a Santa Fe, NM based company that develops a cell-free process to produce biologics of high purity, stability, and low cost. Sofregen, a Medford, MA-based company developing an advanced platform of products based on silk protein also known as fibroin that has been shown to have unique properties for tissue support and regeneration. Solchroma Technologies, a Somerville, MA-based company that builds full color, reflective digital displays for the smart cities of the future. Its proprietary system produces a vivid, dynamic, and reflective display that does not require an internal light source and consumes only 1% of the energy of existing LED-based displays. Anzu has offices in Boston, MA, San Diego, CA, Tampa, FL, and Washington, DC. FinSMEs 23/01/2020 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0482cf38a0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482d74420)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0482cf38a0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482d74420)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0482d56898)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482d74420)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482d74420)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482272558)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0473505758)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0473505758)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Linda Kudla was living on the third floor of a triple decker in a historic district of Worcester, Mass., where she was working as a psychological assessment coordinator at a mental-health facility. She paid $1,000 a month for a two-bedroom. It was an apartment that had personality, said Dr. Kudla, who received her doctorate in psychology from La Salle University in Philadelphia in 2017. Every room was painted a different, fun color. Dr. Kudla, 37, a Long Island native, had previously lived in various New York apartments, and she was eager to resume city life. So last summer, she took a job as a clinical psychologist in Park Slope, Brooklyn. With more than two months before she started, she began looking for a Brooklyn rental, without the help of an agent. [Did you recently buy or rent a home in the New York metro area? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com] Brokers and landlords told her she was hunting too early. I was all but laughed at, she said. I was anxious. I had a job, and it would make me feel so much better if I also had a place to live. With a budget of up to $2,750 (assuming no brokers fee), she sought proximity not just to the subway but also to plenty of stores. Early on, she declined one place near the Brooklyn Navy Yard that felt too remote. I didnt want to rule out two-bedrooms, because there is nothing wrong with having more space, and I could always have a guest space or more storage space, Dr. Kudla said. I have a lot of gadgets and gizmos in the kitchen. She hoped for some extras, like a microwave, dishwasher or washer-dryer little things that would make my quality of life better. The same went for outdoor space, although she was prepared to sacrifice that. Most of all, she sought an intangible: comfort. It was basically a feeling I got, she said. Hunting long distance proved tough, as landlords often offered viewings the next day. The problem was that the next day was a Tuesday, Dr. Kudla said. It might not be available by the weekend. I was torturing myself, and had to forbid myself from doing searches until Thursdays, so I could drive down on a Friday afternoon if I had to. When she did, she stayed with her mother in Suffolk County. There was no understanding of the fact Linda was 185 miles away and had a full-time job, said Susan Tritell, a friend and colleague with whom Dr. Kudla shared her hunting adventures. It speaks to the market. Dr. Kudla was unwilling to sign a lease sight unseen. Navigating a neighborhood using Google maps wasnt the same as being there, and listing photos were unreliable. Some apartments were craftily photographed, she said. In one photo it looked like a room was gigantic, and in another you could tell the room was the length of a couch. As her move loomed, she wondered whether she should take the first acceptable apartment or hold out for the best one. For one apartment she liked, the decision was made for her: She wasnt prepared with the required documents about her employment and income. She intended to deliver them the next morning, but another party came prepared and signed the lease. So she got her paperwork in order to avoid repeating her mistake. Among her choices: The pledges were the latest in a string of climate-related announcements in recent weeks. BlackRock, the worlds largest institutional investor, said it would place climate change at the center of its investment strategy. Microsoft said it would not only go carbon negative reducing more greenhouse gases than it adds to the environment but also somehow remove all the emissions the company has ever produced. Lloyds, the British financial group, pledged to cut by more than 50 percent the carbon emissions generated by the projects it finances by 2030. Larry Fink, BlackRocks chief executive, showed up to meetings wearing a wool scarf that represented the decades of warming since the industrial age, a Christmas present from a nonprofit organization that works on climate issues. Ive never seen a social issue explode like this, said Paul Tudor Jones II, the investor and founder of Just Capital, which ranks companies based on sustainability factors. Every single C.E.O. and board is having to figure out what their carbon footprint is and what theyre going to do about it. Behind this flurry of corporate commitments is a growing concern about tangible risks to the bottom line, including the prospect that ratings agencies will factor in climate risk, pressure from younger employees, changing consumer preferences and government regulations like a carbon tax. Extreme weather events are already causing economic havoc. The California wildfires last year were estimated to have caused $25.4 billion in damage. Pacific Gas & Electric, the largest energy producer in the state, has filed for bankruptcy. Jesper Brodin, the chief executive of Ikea, said his company was already feeling the impact. Severe flooding in the United States temporarily closed many of its stores. Energy prices in Sweden skyrocketed during a recent heat wave. Fires in Australia have disrupted business there. When Karen Harris turned 18, she learned her biological father's name, profession, and hometown, but it took a few decades and the help of social media to finally track him down. Harris, 56, was adopted as an infant. Her parents were teenagers when she was born, and unmarried. While she is "grateful" to her adoptive family, Harris told The Scotsman she never felt a total "sense of belonging." Now that she's discovered her father, she's "found completion. I've found connection and completion and I'm cherishing it." Harris lives in Cornwall, England, and as soon as she was an adult, she asked an adoption social worker for information on her biological parents. With the limited information, she was able to find her mother about 10 years later, but her dad's whereabouts remained a mystery. She kept searching, and recently, a man with her father's name, Trevor Sinden, appeared on her Facebook page as a person she might know. She clicked on his profile, and the details pointed to this being her dad. She contacted him, and Sinden confirmed she was his daughter. They spoke daily for nearly two months, and last week, finally met. "I have looked on the internet but could never find her," Sinden said. "It's early days but I feel we already know each other quite well." Harris said she sees herself in Sinden, and feels "incredibly blessed to find him now." More stories from theweek.com Democrats walked right into Mitch McConnell's trap Watch highlights from Day 3 of Trump's impeachment trial, in which Democrats argue abuse of power GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn questions patriotism of Purple Heart recipient Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed solving problems facing people's livelihood through development, and continuously improving the living standards of people of all ethnic groups. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during his inspection tour in northwest China's Qinghai province from Tuesday to Wednesday. In his visit to a market in Xining, the provincial capital, Li said measures should be taken to guarantee the supply of food, especially beef, pork and lamb, and stabilize prices during the upcoming Spring Festival. In a village inhabited by Han and Tibetan people, Li checked their living conditions and sent his festival greetings. He said the western region should promote a new type of urbanization and give full play to the leading role of major cities, so as to provide more job opportunities for the farmers and lift them out of poverty. When checking the site of a road collapse accident that had previously occurred in Xining, Li urged local authorities to carefully check and rectify the hidden dangers of public facilities, and ensure the quality of new projects. Regarding the control of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), all localities should further improve and implement detailed prevention measures in time, said the premier while visiting Qinghai Red Cross Hospital. Medical personnel should try their best to treat patients and contain the epidemic, and take precautions themselves, Li urged. During his visit to an old residential community, Li said progress had been made in improving housing conditions thanks to the large-scale shantytown renovation in the past few years. He called for cooperative efforts between government and residents to improve the renovation of old residential communities and enrich public services including elderly care, medical treatment, catering and cleaning to enhance people's livelihood, especially for elderly people and children. When visiting a restaurant, he urged more efforts to guarantee food safety. Li applauded the achievements Qinghai has made in economic growth in recent years and called for new progress. Burkina Fasos parliament has approved legislation allowing the military to use civilian volunteers in the fight against armed groups. Legislators in the West African nation on Thursday allowed the understaffed military to arm civilians, a move that underscores how outnumbered the countrys soldiers are amid rising attacks. Defence Minister Cherif Sy said the civilian recruits will undergo two weeks of training. He said the volunteers must be 18 years old and will undergo a moral investigation before being allowed to serve. It is not a question of making cannon fodder, he said. We want to prevent these volunteers from becoming militias. Burkina Fasos military has struggled to contain the spread of violent attacks despite training and assistance from France and the United States. It has also been criticised for committing abuses during its crackdown on suspected fighters. Corinne Dufka, West Africa director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), said on Thursday the government has failed to investigate a pattern of alleged killings by its own security services. This new plan to subcontract security operations to civilians threatens to lead to even more abuses. The rights group last year said more than 150 men mostly ethnic Peuhl herdsmen were killed by Burkinabe security forces after being accused of supporting armed groups. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Bhopal: Students in government-run schools in Madhya Pradesh will have to compulsorily read out the preamble to the Constitution during their assemblies on every Saturday starting this week, an official said on Thursday. Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government also made it compulsory for the students in the schools across the state to read out the preamble to the Constitution during their morning assemblies everyday from January 26. A Public Relations Department official in Madhya Pradesh said, "Preamble to the Constitution will be recited by students in every government school every Saturday." The state School Education Department on Wednesday issued an order to this effect, the official said, adding that it will be implemented immediately. Live TV "As per the order, students will recite the preamble of the constitution every Saturday under the guidance of the school headmaster or teacher after the prayers in primary and middle schools," the official said. "Similarly, students of high schools and higher secondary schools will recite the preamble under the guidance of the principal during the 'bal sabha', which is held every Saturday," he said. The move to make students read out the preamble to the Constitution comes at a time when large-scale protests are being held against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the likely National Register of Citizens (NRC). PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan Ph.D, CON When Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan graduated from the... VIDEO: I have the confidence, the vision, the capacity to rule Tinubu Videos VIDEO: I have the confidence, the vision, the capacity to rule Tinubu I Agree Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy File image Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on January 23 slammed party leader Pavan Kumar Varma for publicly questioning the Janata Dal (United)'s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Delhi assembly elections. Nitish Kumar said that Varma was "free to go" wherever he likes. Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD(U) chief, expressed strong displeasure over Varma, a national General Secretary of the party, sharing on social media a letter in which he had mentioned of the chief minister having expressed apprehensions "in private" about BJP's "divisive" agenda. "He is a learned man for whom I have a lot of respect even if he may not have similar sentiments for me. But is it proper to share such things in public and not on a party forum? What if I start sharing what he said to me in public?" Nitish Kumar told reporters. Responding to Varmas demand for "ideological clarity", Kumar said, "The JD(U)s stand is very clear...he is free to go wherever he likes". On January 21, Varma had written a letter to Nitish Kumar seeking ideological clarity and questioning the tie-up with BJP. "I must confess that I am deeply perplexed by this development, and look to you for ideological clarity," Varma said. In the letter, also posted on his Twitter account, Varma had written about Nitish Kumar having expressed apprehensions "in private" about BJP's "divisive" agenda. "If they are your real views, I fail to understand how the JD(U) is now extending its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar, when even long standing allies of the BJP, like Akali Dal, have refused to do so, Varma had said. Varma added that the alliance comes at a time when the BJP, through CAA-NPR-NRC combine, has embarked on a massive socially divisive agenda, aimed at mutilating the peace, harmony and stability of the country. As part of the seat-sharing formula, JD(U) will be contesting from two of the 70 assembly constituencies. Another National Democratic Alliance (NDA) member Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will also be contesting one seat. BJP will contest the remaining seats. Voting for all 70 Assembly seats will happen on February 8. Counting of votes will happen on February 11. By Gregory Shupak January 23, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Even when critical of US actions, media commentary on recent US bombings and assassinations in the Middle East is premised on the assumption that the US has the right to use violence (or the threat of it) to assert its will, anytime, anywhere. Conversely, corporate media coverage suggests that any countermeasuresuch as resistance to the US presence in Iraqis inherently illegitimate, criminal and/or terroristic. Iranian puppeteers One step in this dance is depicting US military forces in Iraq as innocent bystanders under attack by sadistic Iranian puppetmasters. Media analysis of the US murder of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani consistently asserted that he was an architect of international terrorism responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans (New York Times, 1/3/20) or a terrorist with the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hands (Washington Post, 1/7/20). According to Leon Panetta (Washington Post, 1/7/20), a former Defense secretary and CIA director, The death of Soleimani should not be mourned, given his responsibility for the killing of thousands of innocent people and hundreds of US military personnel over the years. There is little evidence for this contention that Iran in general or Soleimani personally is responsible for killing hundreds of Americans. When the State Department claimed last April that Iran was responsible for the deaths of 608 American servicemembers in Iraq between 2003 and 2011, investigative journalist Gareth Porter (Truthout, 7/9/19) asked Navy Commander Sean Robertson for evidence, and Robertson acknowledged that the Pentagon doesnt have any study, documentation or data to provide journalists that would support such a figure. Porter showed that the US attribution of deaths in Iraq to Iran is an unsubstantiated government talking point from the Cheney era, one that was exposed at the time when Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno admitted that, though the US had attributed Iraqi resistance fighters weapons to Iran, US troops found many sites in Iraq at which such weapons were being manufactured. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Scholar Stephen Zunes (Progressive, 1/7/20) similarly demonstrated the lack of evidence for the idea that Iran is behind the killing of US forces in Iraq. Zunes noted that the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, compiled by Americas 16 intelligence agencies, downplayed Irans role in Iraqs violence at roughly the same time that the Bush administration was saying that Iran was culpable. As Porter pointed out, there was a much simpler explanation for American deaths in the period: The US targeted Muqtada al-Sadrs Mahdi Army and the Mahdi Army fought back, imposing more casualties on US troops. That the pundits dusted off 13-year-old propaganda to rationalize killing Soleimani is a clear indication that they were desperately grasping for any imperialist apologia within reach. If the American public is led to believe that Soleimani killed hundreds of Americans, large swathes of it are likely to regard his assassination as justified, necessary, or at worst a feature of the tit-for-tat ugliness inherent to war. The narrative also ideologically shores up the US war on Iran in the American popular consciousness by presenting Iranians as primordially violent savages out to spill the blood of Americans, notably those in the military who are in the Middle East, presumably doing nothing but minding their own business. Presenting Iran as the reason for attacks on US forces in Iraq also implies that Iraqis had little objection to the US invasion, legitimizing the USs ongoing military presence in the country. The most obvious point about the deaths of US soldiers in Iraq is that they wouldnt happen if US soldiers werent in Iraq. When violence isnt violence Another media dance move is to condemn anti-imperial violence while naturalizing imperialist violence. An editorial in the New York Times (1/3/20) said that Soleimani no doubt had a role in the campaign of provocations by Shiite militias against American forces in Iraq that recently led to the death of an American defense contractor and a retaliatory American airstrike against the militia responsible for the attack. Having US troops in Iraq, a country in which the US is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, is not a provocation, in the Times perspective; opposition to their presence is the provocation. The December 27 attack that killed the US contractor did not occur in a vacuum. In 2018, the US was suspected of bombing affiliates of Kataib Hezbollah, the group the US blames for killing the contractor. Israel is suspected of carrying out a string of deadly bombings of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, of which Kataib Hezbollah is a key component, between July and September, a scenario at which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted. The US reportedly confirmed that Israel was behind at least one of the bombings, and said it supports Israels actions while denying direct participation. In any case, the USs lavish military support for Israel means that the former is effectively a party to the latters bombing. Thus, the Kataib Hezbollah attack that killed the contractor can be seen as retaliatory, which complicates the notion that the subsequent US attack was as well. Another Times editorial (1/4/20) describes Soleimani as one of the regions most powerful and, yes, blood-soaked military commanders. At no point is Trump or any other US leader described as blood-soaked or anything comparablehere, or in any of the mainstream media coverage I can findeven as he and his predecessors are sopping with that of Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans and Syrians, to cite only a few recent cases. Evidently imperial violence is so righteous it leaves no trace behind. Stephen Hadley, national security adviser in the George W Bush administration, wrote in the Washington Post (1/5/20): What is clear is that one of the PMFs, Kataib Hezbollah, has been behind the escalating violence over the past several months as part of a campaign (assuredly with Iranian approval) to force out US troops. The campaign culminated in the December 31 attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad. (The head of Kataib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed with Soleimani.) By expelling US forces, the Iraqi government would be falling into Kataib Hezbollahs trap: rewarding the militias violent campaign, strengthening the Iranian-backed PMFs, weakening the Iraqi government and state sovereignty, and jeopardizing the fight against the Islamic State. Kataib Hezbollahs actions are called violence twice in these three sentences, with their apex apparently being the December 31 attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad. Remarkably, the author makes no mention of the December 29 US airstrikes on five sites in Iraq and Syria that the US says belong to Kataib Hezbollah, bombings that reportedly killed 25 and injured 55. Those, it would seem, do not constitute violence. Iraqis damaging the embassy of the country whose economic sanctions killed half a million Iraqi children is violence, but the USs lethal air raids are not. And expelling foreign armies weakens state sovereignty! Thomas Friedmans Times article (1/3/20) on Soleimanis murder was bad even by Thomas Friedman standards. He dismissed the protests at the US embassy: The whole protest against the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad last week was almost certainly a Soleimani-staged operation to make it look as if Iraqis wanted America out when in fact it was the other way around. The protesters were paid pro-Iranian militiamen. No one in Baghdad was fooled by this. In a way, its what got Soleimani killed. He so wanted to cover his failures in Iraq he decided to start provoking the Americans there by shelling their forces, hoping they would overreact, kill Iraqis and turn them against the United States. Trump, rather than taking the bait, killed Soleimani instead. That there were thousands of protesters at the US embassy and that the Iraqi security forces stood aside to allow them to demonstrate suggests that what happened at the embassy cannot be reduced to a hoax stage-managed and paid for by Iran. Furthermore, the US did kill Iraqis two days before the protests, and thats what ignited them (to say nothing of the longer term record of the US devastating Iraq). Like Hadley, however, Friedman pretends that the USs December 27 bombings didnt happen. In the imperial imagination, the US has the right to violently pursue its objectives wherever it wants, and any resistance is illegitimate. Gregory Shupak teaches media studies at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto. His book, The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel and the Media, is published by OR Books. This article was originally published by "FAIR" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. The Doomsday clock has ticked forwards 20 seconds and stands just 100 seconds to midnight - the closest in its 73-year history - due to increased nuclear tensions and climate change, bringing us closer to the apocalypse than ever before. The clock was founded by the US scientists involved in the Manhattan Project that developed the world's first nuclear weapons during World War 2. It is a symbolic countdown designed to represent the time to a possible global catastrophe and is maintained by scientists including 16 Nobel laureates. The group say the change - which is the closest the clock has ever been to the end of days - is due to the dual threats of nuclear war and climate change. They said if countries worked to resist arms races, limit warming by restricting fossil fuels and create new 'norms of behaviour', the clock hands could be pushed back. Former California Governor Jerry Brown, Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, and Former United Nations Secretary General Bai Ki-Moon unveiled the new time. It has moved to 100 seconds to midnight due to the worsening nuclear threat, lack of climate action and a rise of cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns are moving the clock hand forward The threats of nuclear war and climate change are compounded by cyber-enabled information warfare, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Officials identified cyber-based disinformation as a major setback for society, saying such campaigns sow distrust in institutions and internationally among nations. They say cyber information warfare also undercuts societys ability to respond in an emergency situation, multiplying the problem. Even during the height of the Cold War in the 1960s the clock was only at seven minutes to midnight - before 2000 it was rarely below five minutes to midnight. Since the turn of the century the clock hasn't gone above ten minutes to midnight and has got closer to midnight almost every year since 2015. The Bulletin identified areas of change that could push the hands of the clock back including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin restraining from an 'arms race'. Globally, all nations should publicly rededicate themselves to the Paris climate agreement,and the US and other parties involved in the Iran nuclear deal should work together to restrain nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Rachel Bronson, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (at podium) says the world is now 'on the brink' of destruction but can be saved through international cooperation 'We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds not hours, or even minutes,' said Rachel Bronson, CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 'We now face a true emergency an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay.' Former California Governor Jerry Brown, executive chair, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said the time to wake up to global problems like climate change is now. 'Dangerous rivalry and hostility among the superpowers increases the likelihood of nuclear blunder. Climate change just compounds the crisis,' he said. The clock has become a universally recognised indicator of the world's vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies in life sciences. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists say that if world leaders like Donald Trump worked together to limit arms races we could see the clock hands go back again For the first time, experts from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists were joined in making the Doomsday Clock change by members of The Elders. Founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, The Elders are independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, deputy chair, The Elders, said there is a failure to address existential threats facing the world. 'From the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the Iran Nuclear Deal, to deadlock at nuclear disarmament talks and division at the UN Security Council our mechanisms for collaboration are being undermined when we need them most.' The bulletin said the countries of the world should publicly rededicate themselves to Parish climate agreement to restrict warming. They also recommend the US and other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal working to restrain nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and creating international 'norms of behaviour' to improve trust. Prince Harry and Meghan Markles decision to leave the royal family was not made lightly. While their announcement may have come as a surprise to many, it was months of conversations before everything was finalized. Prince Harry recently delivered a speech that stated, in part, explained how the couple had no other option. According to a new report, the final straw for their decision has to do with their son, Archie. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Toby Melville WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry shared the reasons behind their exit During a dinner for supporters of Sentebale in London, Prince Harry shared the reasons behind their decision to step away from their royal duties. He explained: I must say that I can only imagine what you may have heard, or perhaps read, over the past few weeks. So, I want you to hear the truth from me. As much as I can share, not as a prince or a duke, but as Harry, the same person that many of you have watched grow up over the past 35 years, but now with a clearer perspective. He shared later: Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful and we were here to serve The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I havent always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. Prince Harry further noted: I hope it helps you understand what it had come to, that I would step my family back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life. Of course, the media scrutiny took its toll on the Sussexes, as Prince Harry shared: You looked after me for so long, but the media is a powerful force. And my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful, because this is so much bigger than just us. Was this the reported final straw for the Sussexes? While the couple endured constant public and media criticism, according to a report from TMZ, their need to protect their son Archies privacy forced them to make this drastic decision to exit the royal family. A source told TMZ that things really began to sour after Archies birth, as their attempts to keep him out of the spotlight were met with criticism. The British press wasnt happy with the way the Sussexes controlled the medias access to their son, from abandoning the typical public photocall after his birth to keeping details of his christening private. TMZ reports that the final straw came after Archies christening, with a source sharing: They think if the British public arent contributing financially then they dont have the same right to comment on their private life. Now that theyve moved to Canada, according to The New York Times, the Sussexes lawyers sent a letter to British news outlets threatening a lawsuit after paparazzi captured personal photos of Markle walking with Archie and their dogs. Slovaks will walk gather in squares a week before elections, on February 21. One of the For a Decent Slovakia gatherings takes place in Bratislava on September 20, 2019 (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Two crucial moments will be happening just a few days from one another next month. One is the second anniversary of the murder of the Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova murders, and the other is the general election. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The For a Decent Slovakia initiative, which launched the first protests after the murder of the journalist and his fiancee in February 2018, has called on Slovaks to come out to the squares again on the second anniversary of their murder, on February 21. Were carefully watching the investigation of their murder, as well as of the scandals Jan Kuciak wrote about, the initiative said in its statement. Nor have we forgotten, and we will walk out to the squares. A fire early Thursday morning gutted The Irish Times Bar at 2 E. Galena St. and the Post Bar and Muddy Creek Brewery just to the east. The police in Lagos on Thursday arraigned an 18-year-old butcher, Sanda-ciddi Sinole, who allegedly threatened to stab a woman with a dagger for underpricing meat. Mr Sinole, whose address was not provided, is facing a two-count charge of threat to life and breach of the peace, before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor, Benson Emuerhi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on December 24, 2019, at 5.00p.m. at Abattoir Cattle Market, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos. Mr Emuerhi said that the teenager threatened to stab the complainant, Fatimo Abubakar. The complainant was at the market to buy meat and had an altercation with the defendant while pricing; he threatened to kill her, the prosecutor said. He said that the defendant also breached the peace when he obstructed police officers from carrying out their lawful duty. Mr Emuerhi said that the offences contravened sections 56 and 166 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (revised). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 56 stipulates three years jail term for threat to life. The Chief Magistrate, Olufunke Sule-Amzat, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N30,000 with two sureties in like sum. Mrs Sule-Amzat ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed with evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. She adjourned the case until February 22 for mention. (NAN) Manhunt underway in Seattle after shooting kills 1, injures at least 6 others: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Authorities in Seattle are searching for suspects after one person was gunned down and at least six others were wounded outside a McDonald's on Wednesday evening More than a dozen police cruisers and ambulances responded to the scene in downtown Seattle at around 5 p.m. local time amid reports of shots fired and multiple victims down. One woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while six others were transported to the nearby Harborview Medical Center with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, according to the Seattle Police Department. The victims suffered injuries to the legs, abdomen and buttocks. Among the wounded was a 55-year-old woman in critical condition who had to undergo surgery and a 9-year-old boy in serious condition, according to a spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center, who said a total of seven victims from the incident were admitted. One patient was treated and released. MORE: 2 dead, including gunman, 15 injured in Kansas City shooting It's unclear why there was a discrepancy between police and the hospital in the number of injured, but police said someone may have transported themselves. PHOTO: Multiple people were shot in downtown Seattle on Jan. 22, 2019. (KOMO) Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said the deadly shooting was "not a random incident" and had stemmed from a dispute outside the McDonald's at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street, just blocks from the famous Pike Place Fish Market. Witnesses told detectives that two or more male suspects were in an argument and began shooting at each other. The suspects fled the scene immediately after. Authorities are searching for "multiple" suspects, according to Best, who didn't specify how many. "Even one incident of gun violence is one too many," the police chief told reporters at a press conference Wednesday night. "We will relentlessly investigate tonights shooting at 3rd and Pine until all those responsible are brought to justice." Story continues (MORE: Police search for missing 13-year-old girl who 'willingly' got into someone's car and never made it to school) A law enforcement source briefed on the investigation told ABC News that the motive for the shooting was possibly gang-related. Best confirmed that gang units were on the scene at the time but would not expressly say the shooting was gang-related. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was assisting the Seattle Police Department in the investigation. ABC News' Marilyn Heck, Josh Margolin, Alex Stone and Jim Vojtech contributed to this report. 23.01.2020 LISTEN Cranes at the Port of Hamburg, because of possible customs duties after the British leaving the European Union (Brexit) on the 31 January 2020, companies from Great Britain are increasingly setting up warehouses in Germany. Never before have so many British companies settled in Germany as in 2019, and the figures rose significantly last year, all because of the approaching date for the British to leave the European Union. Before the approaching Brexit, British companies have registered more new jobs in Germany with the federal agency for location marketing in 2019 than ever before. With 23 new settlements, 680 jobs are to be created, more than in the two previous years combined, according to the managing director of Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), Robert Hermann, "We are seeing a steady increase in the activities of British companies in Germany," he said. He said that the trend was similarly positive for the business development agencies of the 16 German states, but that concrete figures for the overall development were not available until spring. Germany attractive due to large domestic market and many skilled workers Part of the increased interest of British companies in Germany as a business location is due to the EU adoption scheduled for January 31. "For many companies, however, it is not a matter of setting up warehouses here in order to avoid threatening customs duties", said Hermann. For example, about a third of the companies were from the business and financial services sector and almost a quarter from the software and IT sector. The remaining approximately 40 percent are spread across a wide range of industries, from consumer goods to mechanical engineering," said the CEO. In most cases, British investors would not relocate their activities to Germany. Rather they want to expand and that's why they come here, Hermann said. Germany is attractive because of its large domestic market and many well-trained specialists. Even the current economic downturn is not changing this," said the Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) expert. This is almost exclusively due to the problems of the export-oriented industry, while service providers and construction, as well as the domestic economy as a whole, are still doing very well. Francis Tawiah (Duisburg - Germany) The individual who was detained at Midland High School Thursday evening was released later that night, Midland ISDs spokeswoman said in an email. The investigation is ongoing but no charges are pending at this time, she said. The individual was taken into custody during a lockdown at the school. The school was locked down around 3:30 p.m. after a Crime Stoppers tip was received. There werent any injuries to students or staff and no shots were fired, the districts spokeswoman said. Students were released from MHS about 5 p.m. Thursday after the lockdown was lifted. As a group of students was brought out, a Midland Police Department officer said, Everybodys good inside. Its all good. While parents and students referred to the suspect as a shooter, police have not confirmed that a weapon was involved. MPD had blocked off Illinois Avenue near the school after the campus was locked down. Several officers were seen standing outside of their vehicles in front of the school, and one could be seen holding a long-range rifle. Kimberly Gomez, the parent of a student, said her daughter had been texting her throughout the lockdown, and shortly after 4 p.m. the teen texted her that a shooter inside the school had taken hostages. Gomez said her daughter sent her a screenshot from a teachers phone showing the possible shooter from surveillance camera footage. She said the teachers were sent the photo and told to watch out for the student. Gomez said her daughter told her the suspect was located in a second-floor room. Parents waiting for their children said they knew the name of the suspect and he is a student at the school. The Reporter-Telegram has chosen not to disclose the name of the suspect unless he is charged as an adult. A crowd of parents waited across the street from the school to reunite with their children. Several parents had said their children told them that students were being cleared room by room. Several school buses pulled up to Midland High shortly before 5 p.m., and police directed the drivers to the back of the school. MPD assisted MISD police with setting a perimeter around MHS while MISD conducts their investigation, according to the districts spokeswoman. More details are expected to be revealed at a media briefing planned for 10 a.m. Friday. *** Midland ISD communications department released the following statement shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday Out of an abundance of caution, based on a Crime Stoppers tip Midland Senior High is currently in lockdown. Officers are currently on campus securing the building. We are asking parents not to come to campus at this time, as it may slow the investigation. We will update you as soon as more information is available. Parents have been notified. Escondidos youngest residents might not remember back to 2009, when a 14-year-old girl who had been on her way to class at a local high school abruptly vanished. Some probably werent even born yet when the city and all of San Diego County learned the name Amber Dubois. But Escondido police remember. So do most of the regions educators, community leaders and parents. And they got a scary reminder on Tuesday, when news broke that a man suspected of trying to abduct nine young girls in Escondido had been arrested. Advertisement Amber Dubois (Courtesy photo) Ambers disappearance on Feb. 13, 2009, rocked Escondido and sent waves of anxiety even fear through San Diegos North County and beyond. Those feelings were amplified a year later when a second North County teen, Chelsea King, 17, of Poway, went missing. But in the aftermath of those tragedies (both girls were attacked and murdered), lessons were learned and shared, especially with children and parents. Parents were told by police and school officials how to talk to young children and teens about how to protect themselves from strangers. Their eyes were also opened to the dangers that exist even in the safest communities. Parents need to continue to hit that message with their kids, said Capt. Eric Skaja of the Escondido Police Departments investigations bureau. If you dont recognize the person, dont go with them no matter what. Its a simple message, but one that sometimes needs reinforcement. In the years after Amber went missing, Skaja said, the department conducted a handful of operations in which a male officer in plain clothes posed as a kidnapper and with a parents permission tried to coax a child at an elementary school to leave with him. And sometimes, to the parents surprise and dismay, the children agreed to go. The department followed those demonstrations with in-class discussions about stranger danger, as well as social media blasts with information aimed toward keeping parents and children vigilant about their own safety. The police also have a Family Intervention Team, a mentoring program with a component that focuses on self-defense. In this latest, real-world case, Escondido police saw that most girls and young women rebuffed a man suspected of trying to lure them into his red convertible while others got into his car. Police said that on Tuesday they had a surveillance team watching the man identified as 46-year-old Spicer Conant of San Marcos as he tried to coax young girls into his 1994 Mazda Miata. Most were underage, but police said an 18-year-old got into Conants car after he asked her for directions. Concerned that the woman was in imminent danger, police said they stopped the car and arrested the man. Conant came to police attention nearly a year ago after two teen girls in separate incidents 45 minutes apart were approached by a man who asked them to get into his car. One girl said no. The other got in the car but later asked to get out and was allowed to leave. Police traced the car to Conant, but he was not charged at the time. Skaja said that since police became aware of Conant, they know of only one adult and one juvenile who got in his car. Neither was physically harmed. Twenty years ago, it would have been more, Skaja said. It shows me that the message is getting out there, but we need to continue to press it. Conant, who has no criminal history, is being held in county jail. He is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday. In the years since Amber and Chelsea were killed, two foundations have been set up in their honor: the Chelseas Light Foundation, which has worked to change state law to increase penalties for sex offenders, and Team Amber Rescue, set up by her mother to help search for other missing children. John Albert Gardner III, a registered sex offender who kidnapped and murdered the girls, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2010 to two terms of life in prison without parole. Tom Rhee, executive director of the Chelseas Light Foundation, said when thousands gather each year for the Finish Chelseas Run event in Balboa Park, it serves as a reminder to parents to talk to their children about what happened to Amber and Chelsea and how they can keep themselves safe. Chelsea, an avid runner, was abducted during a run in a community park near Lake Hodges. Talking about their kidnappings is almost taboo, and it shouldnt be, he said. Im glad that its being discussed, Rhee said, and that people are aware kids are aware. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield Last fall artist Ronald Llewellyn Jones thought 2020 would be a breakout year for his career. He had opportunities lined up, the most important a residency at Zocalo Apartments in Spring Branch that gave him six months free rent and space to create whatever he wanted to engage the community. Zocalo announced its three winners in November, and Jones planned to move in Jan. 1. His offer was rescinded in mid-December, the day he signed a lease application, leaving him devastated. He assumed the management had screened the winners, knew about his past and decided he deserved a chance. They had not. Jones is one of more than 70 million Americans who have an arrest or criminal record that can show up on a background report, jeopardizing access to housing, jobs, loans and colleges. At Zocalo, his record outweighed a decade of work in the community since his release from prison. Explaining why he served time did not change the managements mind. Jones had kept his record secret to all but a few close friends, but because more than 700 people had voted to choose the residency winners, he felt he needed to explain. This is one of those things where people are either willing to allow you to try or theyre going to make you always live in it, he said in early January. No ones going to look at what Ive done since going to school, creating artwork, doing anything productive, the work Ive done at arts organizations. Theyre not going to look at any of the civic work or community organizing. Theyre just going to force me to be in this box I cant get out of. He teared up describing why he didnt go home to Bay City for Christmas. He thought he had disappointed his family again. He spent four days in bed. After posting the news on Facebook, Jones told the art website Glasstire he had been convicted of manslaughter and tampering with evidence in 2006 and incarcerated for four and a half years. Taking the residency away also embarrassed Zocalos full-time curator, Ileana Jordan. The program is the first for a commercial, multi-family complex in Houston. Ron is a phenomenal individual and artist; its why he was chosen in the first place, Jordan said. Its been heartbreaking for everyone. We recognize we made an administrative mistake by not doing the background checks before announcing the semi-finalists. The whole process was rigorous. We moved forward with no assumptions that anything so severe would happen. It really was a shock. State and federal fair housing acts do not allow discrimination based on skin color, disability, family status, national origin, race, religion or sex; but if an applicant has been convicted of a crime, fewer protections apply. We have a matrix of classifications for convictions. This was a violent crime related to the safety of our community, said Jordan, adding that management also could not accept Jones and deny housing to others with similar backgrounds. Doug Smith, a senior policy analyst with the Austin-based Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, said while Zocalo had the right to deny a lease, its a rather short-sighted policy. The coalitions research shows that addictions can be a predictor of recidivism, but a violent crime history in and of itself just flat-out does not speak to risk, Smith said. After a clean history of seven years, people who have served time for violent offenses are no more of a risk to society than the general public, he added. We really need to move beyond the criminal history and look at new ways of measuring risk: What happens after a person has had criminal justice involvement? Hopefully, thats the way were going. Dumb and scared Jones met with the Chronicle at Bohemeos, an East End cafe where one of his large string art installation hangs. A delicate web of filaments strung between many points and held aloft by tension, it could be a metaphor for his life. This whole time, from that day to today, its like trying to fill in a void, feeling like I lost a part of myself that I cant get back, he said. He says he has not forgotten the victims family, nor does he want pity. But I went to jail, served my time, finished parole, he said. His record since has not been perfect; Jones was convicted in 2015 of driving while intoxicated, a class B misdemeanor. He grew up in Bay City with three sisters and his mother, who worked a succession of jobs to keep the family afloat. Classmates bullied him in high school because he grew so tall so fast, his pants were sometimes too short. (Hes a lanky six-foot-eight.) He was often suspended for disrupting class, he said; and once he was suspended because his shirt wasnt tucked in. To get him through high school, his mother twice sent him to stay with his oldest sister in California. According to Matagorda County court documents, the crime happened in Bay City in 2003 and involved a fatal shooting. Jones was not the gunman, but he was there when it happened, then helped hide the body. I was 19 and dumb and scared, said Jones, now 36. He was into graffiti, skateboarding and video games when he graduated from high school. He didnt do hard drugs, but he smoked weed and was hanging out with a friend hed known since junior high who dealt drugs, he said.I grew up where people were selling crack on the street, and police were cruising every day. I was used to that aspect of it, but not in it. Then one day, he was in it. After his friends place was burgled, tensions flared with members of a gang who lived across the street. Their whole vibe was, like, you didnt feel safe, Jones said. Im not trying to make excuses. But I didnt feel like I could just go home and not associate with these people because they knew where I lived. Jones gave a gun from his friend to the shooter, who was on parole after serving time for aggravated robbery. Its like stuff from movies, right? Jones said. You dont know anyone who does any of this stuff, right? After the shooting, he fled to California but came home in late 2005, knowing he would be caught. The shooter had confessed, and he received a life sentence in 2006 shortly before Jones trial began. Jones was initially charged with capital murder, and the prosecution was seeking a 99-year sentence. Jones was shocked to see a huge file of evidence against him, based on the statements of others. His mother took a job at a chemical plant so she could afford to pay a lawyer, who brokered a plea bargain. A 10-year sentence for manslaughter and tampering looked like the best possible outcome for him. Serving his time in private prisons in small towns across Texas, a dark period that seems surreal to him now, Jones stayed out of trouble and gangs, trying to hold onto his sense of self. Its what you put into it that determines what you take out of it, he said. Art community rallies He was paroled in 2010. He wanted to go to college, but the first place he applied the Art Institute of Houston turned him away because of his criminal record. So he went to Wharton Junior College for more than a year and eventually decided to focus on what he loved photography. He studied two years at Houston Community College and a few months at the University of Houston, quickly making friends with other young, struggling artists. He got his first break with a fellowship at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to videotape programs, a gig he parlayed into a part-time job. Across Houstons art community, people were surprised to learn Jones had any kind of record but rallied behind him, calling him one of the citys most caring, giving artists. Most recently, he had helped organize Creatives for Asylum Seekers and Migrants, an effort that raised about $8,000 for an immigrant-advocacy group. Hes a great person and a great artist. I would love for him to be my neighbor, Art League Houston executive director Jennie Ash said. She often hires Jones to document artist talks, and he is taking the photographs for a project with Art League funding, Catherine Anspons Texas Artist Book: Volume II. My opinion of him has not changed, except that Im very impressed with his courage, Ash said. I love him even more. Another friend set up a GoFundMe account to help make up for the rent Jones would have received at Zocalo. He already had several shows lined up for the year, but other opportunities have appeared, including his first show at a commercial gallery. Mel DeWees, the owner of Gray Contemporary on Lake Street, was not familiar with Jones until he saw the story on Facebook. He could relate. He had a tough childhood and blue-collared his way up, he said. Jones show will be the second he has hung this year for an artist with a criminal record. (Courtney Cone: Processed, featuring sculpture inspired by body searches, is up now.) Im very blessed to have the family and friends I have, the resources I have access to, Jones said. I couldnt have asked for a more compassionate, supportive community. But Im an anomaly. He needs to keep making art, he said. Its not like a hobby. I dont know how to process being alive sometimes, or why Im alive or what keeps me here. Art allows a space for me to figure it out, he said. Jones has another motivation, too: Everything Im doing is to make my mom proud of me again. I need to be able to do something she can hold up high, in contrast to how low I was. He didnt have to worry about that one. He is my hero, Brenda Jones said. Ive always been proud of him. Did he tell you he invited firefighters to stay at his place after Hurricane Harvey, or that he sent home pictures to show people we knew that their families were OK? molly.glentzer@chron.com An appeals court ruled Thursday that the Norwegian government can hand out oil drilling licenses in the Arctic, dealing a second blow to environmental groups that had sued against further drilling in the Barents Sea. The court upheld a ruling that acquitted the government of charges from Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic that drilling for oil and gas in Arctic waters would violate the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and the Norwegian constitution. The Borgarting court of appeal, said "like the district court, (it) concluded that the decision did not violate the Constitution." The lower Oslo District Court ruled in January 2019. Fredrik Sejersted , the lawyer representing the Norwegian government, argued that the allotments of licenses in the Barents Sea have been dealt with several times in the Storting, or Parliament where it was backed by a large majority. He warned the court against tipping the balance of power between elected officials and the justice system. The groups had sued Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in an attempt to invalidate a latest round of production licenses in the Barents Sea on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the environmental groups immediately appealed Thursday's ruling. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 00:29:33|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close GAZA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian factions in Gaza on Thursday called on the participants of the World Holocaust Forum held in Jerusalem to stop the Israeli practices and violations against the Palestinian people. In a joint statement circulated during a demonstration in front of the UN headquarters in western Gaza City, the factions expressed their rejection to the World Holocaust Forum because of Israeli violations against the Palestinians. The factions included Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, as well as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian left-wing parties in Palestine Liberation Organization. The statement also called on the participants in the forum to visit Gaza and the West Bank "to look at the increasing settlement, the Israeli army's roadblocks and its daily demolitions and killing of people in cold blood." The factions called on the United Nations to increase its pressure on Israel to end its 13-year "unfair" blockade on the Gaza Strip and its military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Right from when I started working with the government in 1956, the approach has been that India must adopt labour intensive methods in manufacturing industries. The logic was that our large population and abundance of low-cost labour would help us manufacture goods at low cost. Quite predictably, labour unions opposed any form of automation or use of technology in factories that would lead to additional jobs not being created. Everyone is aware that manufacturing in India has stagnated at 15-16 per cent of GDP while some of the bigger countries in Asia with high economic development are at 35-40 per cent. The expectation that labour intensive production would make products more saleable due to lower cost has not been fulfilled. Our manufactured goods have not found export markets in quantities that can lead to higher growth of manufacturing. Domestic sales have also remained muted. The failure of the manufacturing industry to expand has led to high unemployment levels and is a cause of worry. The number of people dependent on agriculture has been increasing and is a major cause of distress in rural areas. Unless many more jobs are created outside agriculture, it would be extremely difficult to create a just and equitable society and increase incomes of those dependant on agriculture. At first sight, it seems logical that labour intensive technologies would maximise employment. But the fallacy in this lies in looking at job creation in separate silos of the economy. It is necessary to consider this holistically. Creating More Jobs It is easy to see that a large percentage of jobs in the services sector are dependent on the manufacturing sector, and higher the level of manufacturing activity, the greater would be the job creation in services. The transportation of raw materials, components and finished products to markets increases as manufacturing rises. This requires drivers, loaders and unloaders. More use of trucks or railway creates activities for their production and maintenance. The distribution chain needs warehouses, wholesalers and stockists. We need wholesalers, stockists and dealers for sale of goods. Retail activities expand as more and more goods have to be sold because manufactured and agricultural produce constitute the bulk of retailed products. Manufactured goods create employment for maintenance and repair, consumer & production financing, insurance, storage, watch and ward, and so on. Thus, it will not be correct to make policies on the assumption that manufacturing creates jobs only in factories. The truth is that the bulk of the jobs created are outside the factories. Manufacturing can grow either through higher domestic demand or exports. Exports create somewhat less employment than domestic consumption but are necessary at the initial stages of development to generate economies of scale, technological expertise and incomes that lead to the ability to increase domestic consumption. Exports become possible only if manufactured goods are globally competitive in terms of quality and price. In addition, breaking into new foreign markets becomes far more feasible if products can use established channels for sale in those countries. That would usually require large direct foreign investment in manufacturing. In case of domestic consumption, growth rates are directly related to affordability. It should not be forgotten that production for domestic consumption can increase only as fast as the rise in domestic demand. Clearly, lower costs of acquisition and better quality would give higher value to consumers and lead to higher sales. Taxes and Affordability Till liberalisation started in 1991, neither exports nor domestic consumption of consumer goods was encouraged. Taxes on manufactured products were largely determined by the need to raise resources and on consideration that products consumed by the poor should be taxed at lower rates than the products for the more well-off sections of society. There has been little change in these principles. A large proportion of manufactured goods are taxed at comparatively high rates. This has led to manufacturing growth remaining subdued over the years. It still continues to be low as domestic affordability limits increase in consumption. The GST rates are largely based on the tax rates prevailing earlier. There has never been an attempt to consider an increase in affordability of manufactured goods to a wider section of people by lowering tax rates, thereby increasing manufacturing growth with all its attendant benefits. There would undoubtedly be a time lag of maybe three years or so for benefits of manufacturing growth to reflect in revenue growth and so means for filling the gap would have to be found. It should be possible to do so. Growth in export of manufacturing products has remained low because of lack of competitiveness. The exports taking place are to a large extent to developing countries where standards of quality and design are not as high as in developed countries. Foreign manufacturers have not found India to be a suitable base for manufacturing and exporting from here to the rest of the world. One of the exceptions is the automobile sector. About 7,50,000 cars are exported from India in a year, mostly to developed countries. This is because their quality is of a level acceptable in those countries. The automobile component industry has become competitive as a result with annual exports at $11 billion. There is considerable scope for growth because of low use of cars in the country. The industry has linkages to many other technologies and industries such as rubber, electrical, steel, electronics and fabrics would benefit from growth in car production. The estimate is that nearly 30 jobs are created for every 100 cars sold. Robots in Factory One of the reasons the car industry has become competitive is use of robots and low-cost automation in both component manufacturing and car production. It is a high volume activity. The cost of any error is huge, especially if the error relates to safety, environment or customers' perception of performance. Human beings, however skilled they are, would always make more errors than the zero error that results from automation. The cars would not be acceptable in developed foreign markets unless the buyers there are convinced that the manufacturing processes in India lead to acceptable quality levels. In India, despite the taxes being two-three times the rates prevailing in developed countries, sales have been increasing because of high quality and value for money. Workers in Maruti Suzuki factories understand the importance of quality and reducing costs. They realise that robots not only lead to better quality but in some cases also do work that is extremely tiring and cumbersome, and at times even hazardous, for them. They realise that higher sale volumes that flow from better quality is also in their interest. Robots are used in shop floors not to reduce employment but to grow total employment by increasing competitiveness and sales. Robots are not mechanically used in all areas. Their use is determined after carefully considering issues of quality, convenience, safety and cost. No manufacturer would like to use robots unnecessarily as that would almost certainly increase costs and lower competitiveness. Workers happily accept robots if they are explained the logic of their adoption and how their use will lead to higher sales and benefits to all, including them. Good communication with workers, and management policies that actually lead to workers benefitting from higher sales and profits, are required. How to Make Workers Accept Robots Explain to them that robots are used in shop floors not to reduce but to grow employment by increasing competitiveness and sales. Determine robot use after carefully considering issues of quality, convenience, safety and cost. Workers happily accept robots if they are explained the logic of their adoption and how their use will lead to higher sales and benefits to all, including them. Ensure good communication with workers and policies that lead to workers benefitting from higher sales and profits. The use of robots has to be supplemented, to the extent possible, by low-cost automation. The use of robots has to be supplemented, to the extent possible, by low-cost automation. Engineers and workers together have been able to develop many devices that give the same results as much higher cost automation. Component manufacturers are using such devices to reduce the possibilities of human error. Another very necessary use of low-cost automation is increasing safety levels of operations, especially in small scale industry. The accident rates in these units are quite high and workers welcome these safety enhancing devices. All companies have to make the best effort to reduce production cost and improve quality. The use of robots without measures to increase competitiveness in other areas of operation would be meaningless. The leadership has to set an example by its own actions. This would include following all rules and practices required of other employees; maximising internal resource generation by following frugal practices and keeping their own emoluments and perquisites at reasonable levels; and attempting to build a productive partnership with workers so that they trust top management rather than unions. Indian manufacturing industry needs to substantially increase its competitiveness to create much larger employment opportunities in the country. Improvement of quality and higher levels of safety of employees are important objectives. Each manufacturing unit should develop its own strategy of using robots and automation keeping quality, cost and safety as essential objectives. Government policies must encourage rapid adoption of these objectives in all manufacturing units irrespective of whether they are large, medium, small or micro. RC Bhargava is Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Despite potential political opposition, it would make more sense for Bombardier Inc. to sell its business jet division than its railway operations to address its staggering debt, an industry analyst said Wednesday. Given the historic cyclicality of the business jet segment, Transportation is the better stand alone business, wrote Cameron Doerksen of National Bank Financial in a report. The railway operations are a steadier generator of cash flows, its backlog is very strong at nearly US$36 billion and the trends of urbanization and greener transportation are more supportive of long-term growth, he said. The sale of aviation could face opposition from political leaders and employees because it is a major employer in Quebec and Canada, he said. However, with a refreshed lineup of jets, decent margins and a good backlog of orders, it would be attractive for a competitor without larger size planes such as Textron, a large aerospace OEM or private equity, said Doerksen. He said a deal could be announced within six months after the Montreal-based company said last week that it was actively considering alternatives to reduce its US$9.3-billion debt. Doerksen estimates that a sale of its remaining plane operations could generate US$6.6 billion. That would result in Bombardier shares having an equity value of $3.90 per share after repurchasing the Caisses 30 per cent stake in transportation and earning US$949 million from the sale of its 34 per cent stake in the A220 commercial jet program. The companys value would be cut to $1.72 per share under a more conservative scenario with aviation generating US$5.3 billion in proceed and A220 not generating any money. Thats still more than the $1.28 they closed at Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Kevin Chiang of CIBC World Markets pegged Bombardiers equity value as between $2 and $4 per share. We do not view Bombardier as a distressed seller given its current liquidity position provides it with a buffer, he wrote after the companys warning raised concerns about its future. Selling the transportation division may be easier but it could take longer. Potential strategic buyers include Alstom, Siemens and Chinas CRRC. In fact, Bombardier previously explored a combination with Siemens before Alstom sought a deal to merge with Siemens that was ultimately blocked by European regulators. A tie-up between Bombardier and Alstom would have fewer competitive issues because Bombardier is not as big a player in high speed trains or signalling as the German firm, so theres less overlap and fewer job losses, said Doerksen. Berlin-based Bombardier Transportation and Frances Alstom also co-operate on many contracts, including metro cars in Montreal and Paris. Our biggest concern around the sale of Bombardier to another rolling stock OEM is that a regulatory review could take a long time, he wrote, noting that it took the European Commission 17 months to reject the Alstom-Siemens venture. Given what we see as a tight liquidity position and a desire to deal with its debt as soon as possible, we do not believe Bombardier can afford to wait more than a year for a potential transaction to be completed. Benoit Poirier of Desjardins Securities said a sale of Bombardier Transportation to Alstom makes strategic sense by adding scale to compete against larger rivals. The combined company would generate about US$18 billion in annual revenues, compared with about US$34 billion for the China competitor and US$10 billion for Siemens. However, we would expect such a combination to face antitrust scrutiny. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:BBD.B) The Morrison governments handpicked top water cop in the Murray-Darling Basin is backing people power to launch major water reforms that could see South Australias share of river flow reduced. On Thursday Mick Keelty, the interim Inspector General for the Murray-Darling Basin, told a meeting of about 250 farmers in Deniliquin he would support their calls to review laws governing the share of water between NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Junction of the Murray and Darling rivers at Wentworth, NSW. Credit:Justin McManus If you tell me what's wrong, I will call it out, Mr Keelty said in response to a concerns raised by a number of speakers at the forum over rules guaranteeing water supply to South Australia. The speakers argued the current drought highlighted a problem where in dry times a full river was maintained through releases from dams in NSW and Victoria to maintain supply in South Australia, while irrigators in upstream states received no water for irrigation. T he Prince of Wales is set to warn how hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart at an event in Israel marking 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. Prince Charles was set to tell world leaders in Jerusalem how the lessons of the Holocaust remain searingly relevant to this day. Charles, on his first official visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, was delivering a keynote speech at the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre. Guests were expected to include US Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. Prince Charles meets Israeli President Reuven Rivlin ahead of the World Holocaust Forum (via REUTERS) / via Reuters Charles was set to say in his address: The lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. "Seventy-five years after the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, adopt new disguises, and still seek new victims. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin / AP He was set to add: All too often language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanisation. "Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs. Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. "And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect. Prince Charles meets Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (via REUTERS) / via Reuters Polish President Andrzej Duda has refused to attend the event, despite Auschwitz being located in his country. He complained that he had not been allowed to address the audience. Before making his speech, Charles, who travelled to Jerusalem from the World Economic Forum in Davos, met Israels President Reuven Rivlin. He told Charles that Israel deeply appreciates his attendance at the gathering, which he said was aimed at fighting racism and fascism today as well as recalling the past. Charless visit has added significance because the Queen has never made an official visit to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories during nearly 68 years on the throne. Today Mr Rivlin told the prince: We still expect your mother to come. During his two-day tour, Charles will meet Holocaust survivors and be joined by the British Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The NYU Langone Transplant Institute on Monday became the first center in the United States to transplant a heart using a novel method in which, after the heart has stopped beating and death has been declared, surgeons place the organ donor on cardiopulmonary bypass and blood is circulated through the body. This enables transplant surgeons to assess a heart for transplant while mitigating potential injury to all organs. It also holds the promise of significantly increasing the number of heart transplants from donors who have died from cardiac arrest as opposed to the typical donation after brain death. The procedure was performed by a team of cardiothoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, nurses, perfusionists, and others from the Transplant Institute, in collaboration with LiveOnNY, the organ procurement organization. It is the first in an ongoing research study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the protocol. "This groundbreaking transplant procedure is the culmination of nearly two years of hard work to ensure all the ethical, logistical, and regulatory needs and requirements were met," says Nader Moazami, MD, professor of cardiothoracic surgery and Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation & Mechanical Circulatory Support at NYU Langone. Other transplant centers in the country have recently launched clinical trials to study Donation after Circulatory Death, or DCD, using a device which circulates warm, oxygenated blood through the heart after it has been removed from the body. NYU Langone's innovative protocol uses the standard cardiopulmonary bypass used in cardiac surgery to reestablish circulation while the heart is still in the body. "We're thrilled with the success of this first transplant surgery, which has promise to increase not only heart donation rates, but other lifesaving organs as well," says Zachary N. Kon, MD, associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery and Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation at NYU Langone. "One of the advantages of this novel method is that it gives all organs the potential benefit of restoring perfusion prior to procurement." While transplant centers across the country have made great strides to address organ shortages, the demand still far exceeds the supply. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, there were 3,399 heart transplants in 2018, with 3,800 patient remaining on the wait list, resulting in 314 deaths and 330 becoming too sick for transplantation. Most heart donations in the United States are from patients who are declared brain dead; experts hypothesize that the widespread dissemination of controlled DCD could increase the donor pool by as much as 20 percent. NYU Langone developed the new protocol in collaboration with LiveOnNY, New York City's organ procurement organization. "This quantum leap forward in American transplantation is a game changer for those desperately awaiting heart transplants by expanding the pool of suitable donors," says Amy L. Friedman, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at LiveOnNY, which helped NYU Langone identify the organ donor. "It resulted from the generosity and commitment of this one donor and their loved ones who honored the donor's wish to save the lives of others." Drs. Kon and Moazami are co-authors on an article published January 8 in the American Journal of Transplantation, investigating the ethical and logistical concerns for establishing controlled DCD heart transplantation in the United States. They collaborated with colleagues in NYU Langone's Division of Medical Ethics, Brendan Parent, JD, adjunct instructor in the Department of Population Health, and Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics in the Department of Population Health, among others. "The NYU Langone Transplant Institute is constantly seeking to drive discovery and innovation in the field of transplantation, to help all those waiting for a lifesaving organ," says Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, Professor of Surgery and Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. "This is an exciting advancement that will likely have a major impact on transplantation rates in this country." Media inquiries: Annie Harris 212-404-3588 [email protected] SOURCE NYU Langone Health Related Links http://www.med.nyu.edu She's captivated the industry's elite with her head-turning displays during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. And Kaia Gerber proved there's no rest for the wicked as she arrived at St Pancras International station in north London on Thursday, travelling from the French capital via the Eurostar. The supermodel, 18, nailed casual chic as she wrapped up in a black longline wool coat, teamed with a low-cut camisole and straight-leg jeans. On to the next: Kaia Gerber proved there's no rest for the wicked as she arrived at St Pancras International station in north London on Thursday, travelling from Paris via the Eurostar Opting for comfort following her brief time away from the runway, the daughter of Cindy Crawford sported a pair of navy canvas trainers by Converse. The catwalk queen managed to inject some of her signature chic style into her look however, carrying her essentials in a small designer handbag. With her shoulder-length tresses scraped behind her ears, the brunette beauty looked radiant in minimal make-up. Keeping warm: The supermodel, 18, nailed casual chic as she wrapped up in a black longline wool coat, teamed with a low-cut camisole and straight-leg jeans All in the details: Opting for comfort following her brief time away from the runway, the daughter of Cindy Crawford sported a pair of navy canvas trainers by Converse Off-duty: The catwalk queen managed to inject some her signature chic style into her look however, carrying her essentials in a small designer handbag Watch her glow: With her shoulder-length tresses scraped behind her ears, the brunette beauty looked radiant in minimal make-up Away from the catwalk, Kaia has reported split from comedian Pete Davidson, 26, after they were first romantically linked in October. A source told Page Six: 'It looks like Pete and Kaia are over. It got very overwhelming for Kaia. Pete has a certain M.O. and hes very intense to his girlfriends. Kaia is only 18 and its a lot to deal with.' The relationship quickly drew controversy, as Pete had only split with ex Margaret Qualley a week before, and Kaia had only turned 18 in September. Radiant: She's captivated the industry's elite with her head-turning displays during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week (pictured at the Valentino presentation on Wednesday) Lead the way: Fashion's leading stars have been showcasing their modelling prowess during the international event (Bella Hadid pictured on Wednesday at Jean-Paul Gaultier's show) In late December, Kaia's model parents Cindy and Rande Gerber were spotted having an intense chat outside their daughter's apartment. They were reportedly discussing her relationship with Pete (who left the building moments later), claiming someone 'scratched eyes' and was 'freaking out.' The funnyman reportedly first met Kaia last June, when they both walked in the Alexander Wang Collection 1 runway show at New York Fashion Week. A new report has revealed youngsters aren't getting enough sleep [Photo: Getty] More than a quarter of young people arent getting enough sleep, a World Health Organisation study has suggested. The research found one in four 11 to 15-year-olds in England are failing to get enough shut eye, which is leaving them feeling sleepy and unable to concentrate on their schoolwork. The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) in England report also indicates that increasing numbers of teenagers are experiencing periods of feeling low. Researchers quizzed 3,398 11, 13 and 15-year-olds every four years on everything from their physical health to life satisfaction. They found that 27% of young people report not having enough sleep to feel awake and concentrate on their lessons, with teenagers more likely to struggle with the issue as they get older. While 17% of 11-year-olds said they battle with sleep, this rose to 28% of 13-year-olds and again to 42% of 15-year-olds. READ MORE: Scientists reveal why we feel so tired in the morning Typically, girls are having more of a sleep struggle than their male classmates with around a third (32%) of girls not getting enough sleep, compared to 23% of boys. The research also analysed mental wellbeing and found there has been an increase in the number of 15-year-olds reporting feeling low once a week - rising to 50% from 40% in 2014. Worryingly, a quarter of poll participants had self-harmed, with the figures showing a steeper rise in boys admitting to doing so than girls. Its possible that the lack of sleep could be linked to a reduction in physical activity with the report revealing just one in six of the youngsters are physically active for at least one hour a day. And seven in 10 take part in intense physical activity at least twice or three times a week, with girls less likely to do so than boys. Interestingly, however, the WHO study also suggested that children are becoming less likely to take part in risky behaviours such as smoking, drinking, trying cannabis, and having sex. Story continues READ MORE: Schools in California to push back start times: Should UK schools start later? One in four teenagers aren't getting enough sleep [Photo: Getty] Dr Ellen Klemera, senior research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, which hosted the study, said: Research on adolescent health has highlighted how important the second decade of life is for health and wellbeing, which is why this continued decline of emotional wellbeing is really worrying. Although there are far less reported incidences of risk behaviours, young people are facing a multitude of different challenges that other generations have not really experienced, such as the prominence of smartphones and social media. These can have a negative impact on wellbeing, particularly if they are exposed to cyber-bullying or if it affects their sleep. Martin Weber, a WHO programme manager for child and adolescent health and development, said: The mental health of young people is as important as their physical health. The new HBSC report gives us a good insight into the problems young adolescents face and the effect it has on their health. Increase in sleep difficulties, feeling low and self-harm are just some of the issues that need to be addressed. This isnt the first time concerns have been raised about the amount of sleep youngsters are getting. Last year MPs considered calls for the school day to start at 10am to help tired teenagers. The debate came after a petition urging the Government to consider the plea gained more than 183,000 signatures a petition that gains more than 100,000 signatures is considered for debate in parliament. School should start at 10am as teenagers are too tired, the petition reads. Teenagers are so tired due to having to wake up very early to get to school. The Government should require secondary schools to start later, which will lead to increased productivity at school. How much sleep do teenagers need? The NHS says that a minimum of 8 to 9 hours good sleep on school nights is recommended for teens. The Sleep Foundation explains that humans circadian rhythms the body clock that manages the cycle of sleep and wakefulness change in adolescence, when most teens experience a sleep phase delay. This shift in teens circadian rhythm causes them to naturally feel alert later at night, making it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00 pm, the site explains. Since most teens have early school start times along with other commitments, this sleep phase delay can make it difficult to get the sleep teens need. Centre announces Rs80,000-cr development package for J&K The centre on Wednesday announced a Rs80,000-crore development package for Jammu and Kashmir, which is expected to give a major boost to various sectors, including education, tourism, infrastructure in the Valley and create thousands of job opportunities for educated but unemployed Kashmiri youth. The announcement was made by the ministry of human resource development (MHRD). The development package is also intended to uplift the socio-economic status of the people of the area. Announcing the development package, union minister of state for HRD, communications, and electronics and information technology Sanjay Dhotre said the package will enable opening of IITs, IIMs and AIIMs as well as development of highways, power generation and irrigation projects. He said the projects which have been lying dormant for several decades are also being revived in a speedy manner. The minister was addressing the central governments special public outreach programme to disseminate information about the implementation of its policies and programmes for the overall development of Jammu and Kashmir and its people at Kalakote. During his 2 days visit to Jammu & Kashmir, Dhotre visited Kalakote and Naushera blocks of the Rajauri district. He interacted with the general public and also inaugurated many government projects there. He also visited various establishments, reviewed the ongoing schemes and interacted with senior J&K officers along with the senior officers of departments under his all three ministries. Main objectives of the visit were to discuss the various developmental schemes of the central government with the general public being executed under the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP). PMDP aims to execute effective implementation of various schemes targeting the individual beneficiaries, restart long-pending projects by removing the obstacles that have been holding such projects and to ensure effective administration with transparency. Dhotre apprised people of J&K about the various steps taken by the union government for the rapid progress of the region, especially after the abrogation of the Article 370 and creation of the new union territory. An important objective of such special public outreach programme is to take more than fifty central schemes to all the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Effective popularisation and implementation of these schemes will lead to equal opportunities, educational and economic development, employment creation and industrial development in the new union territory. It may be recalled that on Monday, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal had indicated that at least 25 projects will come up in newly-created union territory worth Rs25,000 crore by March 2021. Describing Jammu and Kashmir as the "jewel" of the nation, he added that the government would come up with an industrial package for the union territory, hoping to attract larger investments. At least 36 union ministers are visiting Jammu and Kashmir as part of the centre's outreach programme. The move comes six months after the centre scrapped the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state. Prominent among those who will be visiting the Valley are telecommunications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, minister of state for defence Shripad Naik and minister of state for home affairs G Kishan Reddy. [January 23, 2020] Landis+Gyr Launches Omni-Carrier Cellular Metering Solution for Utilities ATLANTA, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Landis+Gyr (Swiss: LAND.SW) has released an omni-carrier cellular meter and services solution to simplify installation and operation of cellular communications for utility IoT applications. A first of its kind for North America, Landis+Gyr's LTE-M cellular meter is omni-carrier capable, with a single meter model that is capable of supporting a variety of available cellular carriers. The meter can automatically provision the optimal carrier network on installation and provides increased resilience with automatic failover to alternate networks following loss of service. This level of flexibility, which has not been available in grid communications until now, enables utilities to avoid costly carrier lock-in. Part of Landis+Gyr's Gridstream Connect platform for utility IoT, the omni-carrier solution delivers improved network coverage, more efficient installation, and a consolidated head-end system for managing RF mesh and cellular networks in one place. The solution includes services such as hosted data plans that eliminate billing of non-deployed meters and overage charges; metering device management for security and feature advancement; and legacy cellular meter data collectio systems. The omni-carrier solution is offered in both residential and commercial Landis+Gyr meters. "Landis+Gyr is the leader in flexible network options for smart grid and IoT applications, and LTE-M networks are a growing part of this solution," said Tim Weidenbach, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Landis+Gyr. "With our omni-carrier solution, utilities have reliable cellular network access that is easy to manage and deploy." The omni-carrier solution is designed to future-proof cellular communications for utilities, with capabilities to connect to both public and private mobile carriers and transition seamlessly to 5G networks as available, mitigating the risk of cellular technology obsolescence. The meter's wireless modem supports all carrier bands and can operate in CAT-M now or NB-IoT frequencies in the future. SIM cards are factory installed and configured, further simplifying deployment. Landis+Gyr's omni-carrier meters are now available for order and will begin shipping to customers in the second quarter of 2020. About Landis+Gyr Landis+Gyr is the leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions for the utility sector. Offering one of the broadest portfolios, we deliver innovative and flexible solutions to help utilities solve their complex challenges in smart metering, grid edge intelligence and smart infrastructure. With sales of USD 1.8 billion, Landis+Gyr employs approximately 5,600 people in over 30 countries across five continents, with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. More information is available at www.landisgyr.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/landisgyr-launches-omni-carrier-cellular-metering-solution-for-utilities-300991709.html SOURCE Landis+Gyr [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Varian Medical Systems, Inc.s (VAR) first-quarter fiscal 2020 results are scheduled to release on Jan 29, after market close. In the last reported quarter, the companys earnings met estimates. It has a positive surprise of 1.6% for the trailing four quarters, on average. Lets take a look at how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Estimates Picture Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter revenues is pegged at $830.8 million, suggesting growth of 12.1% from the year-ago number. The same for adjusted earnings per share (EPS) stands at $1.21, indicating a year-over-year improvement of 14.2%. Key Catalysts Varians solid Oncology platform prospects are expected to have driven first-quarter results. Not to forget, in the last reported quarter, the segment accounted for 93.3% of net sales. Notably, Varians key radiotherapy solutions Eclipse and TrueBeam are currently seeing robust demand from healthcare vendors. Additionally, the Eclipse Treatment Planning software and ARIA Oncology Information system have been picked by three centers in Serbia. Thats not all. The company won its first big software tender in China at Tianjin Tumor Hospital, which has implemented the ARIA China Clinical Information platform. This is also expected to reflect in first-quarter results. Management is also optimistic about the CTSI acquisition in early 2019, which has been integrated into the Oncology unit and RapidPlan, which is witnessing solid demand. Moreover, through acquisitions of Endocare, Alicon and Boston Scientifics (BSX) microspheres portfolio, Varian has strengthened its Interventional Oncology Solutions arm. Reflective of these, Varian issued a strong view for fiscal 2020. The company expects revenues within $3.52-$3.61 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 9-12% and organic growth of 7-9%. Adjusted EPS is projected between $5.30 and $5.45. Story continues Operating margin is expected between 17.5% and 18.5%, while cash flow from operations is projected in the band of $450-$500 million. However, Varian has been facing headwinds in Japan which impacted the companys APAC revenues in the last reported quarter. In fact, management expects to see continued headwinds in Japan in the first half of fiscal 2020. Earnings Whispers Per our proven model, a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to deliver a positive earnings surprise. This is not the case here as you will see below. Earnings ESP: Varian Medical has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Varian Medical carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Stocks Worth a Look Here are a few medical stocks worth considering as they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. DexCom (DXCM) has an Earnings ESP of +17.07% and a Zacks Rank #2. Baxter International (BAX) has an Earnings ESP of +1.32% and a Zacks Rank #3. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Varian Medical Systems, Inc.s VAR first-quarter fiscal 2020 results are scheduled to release on Jan 29, after market close. In the last reported quarter, the companys earnings met estimates. It has a positive surprise of 1.6% for the trailing four quarters, on average. Lets take a look at how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Estimates Picture Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter revenues is pegged at $830.8 million, suggesting growth of 12.1% from the year-ago number. The same for adjusted earnings per share (EPS) stands at $1.21, indicating a year-over-year improvement of 14.2%. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Varian Medical Systems, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Varian Medical Systems, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Varian Medical Systems, Inc. Quote Key Catalysts Varians solid Oncology platform prospects are expected to have driven first-quarter results. Not to forget, in the last reported quarter, the segment accounted for 93.3% of net sales. Notably, Varians key radiotherapy solutions Eclipse and TrueBeam are currently seeing robust demand from healthcare vendors. Additionally, the Eclipse Treatment Planning software and ARIA Oncology Information system have been picked by three centers in Serbia. Thats not all. The company won its first big software tender in China at Tianjin Tumor Hospital, which has implemented the ARIA China Clinical Information platform. This is also expected to reflect in first-quarter results. Management is also optimistic about the CTSI acquisition in early 2019, which has been integrated into the Oncology unit and RapidPlan, which is witnessing solid demand. Moreover, through acquisitions of Endocare, Alicon and Boston Scientifics BSX microspheres portfolio, Varian has strengthened its Interventional Oncology Solutions arm. Reflective of these, Varian issued a strong view for fiscal 2020. The company expects revenues within $3.52-$3.61 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 9-12% and organic growth of 7-9%. Adjusted EPS is projected between $5.30 and $5.45. Operating margin is expected between 17.5% and 18.5%, while cash flow from operations is projected in the band of $450-$500 million. However, Varian has been facing headwinds in Japan which impacted the companys APAC revenues in the last reported quarter. In fact, management expects to see continued headwinds in Japan in the first half of fiscal 2020. Earnings Whispers Per our proven model, a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to deliver a positive earnings surprise. This is not the case here as you will see below. Earnings ESP: Varian Medical has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Varian Medical carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Stocks Worth a Look Here are a few medical stocks worth considering as they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. DexCom DXCM has an Earnings ESP of +17.07% and a Zacks Rank #2. Baxter International BAX has an Earnings ESP of +1.32% and a Zacks Rank #3. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (VAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Baxter International Inc. (BAX) : Free Stock Analysis Report DexCom, Inc. (DXCM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Upturn in Hardware activity confirmed in Q3 Significant points: Printing Activity confirms its positive momentum for the financial year with +10.4% growth over the 9-month period Hardware activity is growing significantly (+16.9% in 9 months) with strong business activity compared with the previous year Order backlog on December 31, 2019, stands at 9.9 million, up 10% on December 31, 2018 and +14% on September 30, 2019 YTD consolidated turnover (April 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019) April 1 - December 31, 2019 Q3: Oct 1- Dec 31 Non audited 9 Months 9 Months 3 Months 3 Months In million 2019-2020 2018-2019 Var. M Var. % Q3 19/20 Q3 18/19 Var. M Var. % Printing 25.46 23.07 +2.39 +10.4% 8.39 8.16 +0.23 +2.8% Hardware 15.40 13.18 +2,.22 +16.9% 6.41 4.48 +1.93 +43,0% Total 9 months 40.86 36.25 +4.61 +12.7% 14.80 12.64 +2.16 +17.1% Total sales at constant currencies 40.58 36.25 +4.34 +12.0% 14.73 12.64 +2.09 +16.5% The foreign currency impact for the period is mainly due to fluctuations in the South African Rand, USD and CAD. In Q3 2019-20, Prismaflex International recorded total sales of 14.8 million, up +17.1% (+15.2% organic growth). The trend, amplified by a favourable comparable basis, is backed by strong Printing activity and an upturn in Hardware business activity. This quarterly performance takes the Group's total sales for the 9-month period to 40.9 million, an increase of +12.7% (+8.8% organic growth). Q3 Printing activity stands at 8.4 million, up +2.8%, and stable on a comparable basis. For the 9-month period, total sales stand at 25.4 million, up 2.4 million (including 1.4 million from FPI between April and October), despite a drop of 1.0 million in Home Decor activity resulting from reduced orders from a key client. Printing activity for the 9-month period, excluding Home Decor, stands at 22.3 million, up +17.8% (+10.2% on a comparable basis). The Group reaffirms the relevance of the investments made the previous year. Hardware activity for the third quarter is up 43% at 6.4 million. This performance is largely due to LED display sales worth 5 million for the period, including 2.5 million following the delivery of the final part of a major order to Germany that was carried over from the previous year. LED activity continues to perform well in the United States. All other activities for the quarter remain stable overall. With this quarterly growth in Hardware activity, the increase for the 9-month period is +16.9%, or 15.4 million, with 10.7 million for LED Displays (vs 6.7 million for the 2018-2019 9-month period). Outlook On December 31, 2019, order backlog, mainly for hardware, is high at 9.9 million. This includes major orders for LED displays for Brazil and Italy worth over 3.0 million. A large part of the order however will be delivered during the year ahead. Business activity remains extremely active and encouraging for the months to come. Printing activity should also continue to perform well into the final quarter in line with Q3 results. The Group confirms its objective of profitable growth for the 2019-2020 period. Next press release : 2019-2020 annual sales figures, May 14, 2020 after closure. PRISMAFLEX INTERNATIONAL OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS MANUFACTURER AND WIDE FORMAT DIGITAL PRINTING ISIN: FR0004044600-ALPRI - Reuters: ALPRI.PA - Bloomberg: ALPRI.FP EURONEXT GROWTHTM www.prismaflex.com Contacts : Florence Therond - CFO - Phone: +33 (0)4 74 70 68 00 - finance@prismaflex.com Guillaume Le Floch - Contact analysts /investors - Phone: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 70 - glefloch@actus.fr Marie-Claude Triquet - Press contact - Phone: +33 (0)4 72 18 04 93 - mctriquet@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: lJidlJyYZm3JnZpukptnb2mUmm1qmGHJapPIyJabacuVnGmVyGyTl8bGZm9inWlp - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-61843-pri-220120-ca-t3-1920-gb.pdf A woman IPS officer has accused AR personnel of physical assault, molestation, harassment and abuse at Khudengthabi check post along Imphal-Moreh highway in Tengnoupal district Guwahati: Assam Rifles (AR) the oldest paramilitary force guarding the India-Myanmar border in Manipur is in news for all the wrong reasons. A day after Assam Rifles refuted allegations by an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of "physical assault, molestation, harassment and abuse" by 12 AR personnel at Khudengthabi check post along Imphal-Moreh highway in Tengnoupal district, the IPS officer posted as SDPO Yairipok said that she has "full faith in the SIT (Special Investigation Team) investigating the case." "The case is under investigation, an SIT is investigating it, in which I have full faith. I prefer to refrain from making comments as the matter is sub judice," the woman officer said. A written complaint was lodged by the officer at the Tengnoupal police station on 19 January against an Assam Rifles jawan on frisking duty at the check post. In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Assam Rifles stated that "the incident happened in broad daylight (two in the afternoon) in front of multiple agencies. It is unimaginable that a jawan tried to molest, physically assault or beat an IPS officer." "In fact, it was other way round wherein she was shouting on a jawan who was on bonafide duty, and her four escorts trying to force their way through by creating commotion, and avoiding scanning of the vehicle. It is a sheer case of misuse of official position, power and arrogance shown by the SDPO to blatantly flout the rules, and possibly avoid search of suspicious goods loaded in her vehicle," the AR further clarified, terming the officers allegations as "baseless, fabricated, false and malicious" The SDPO in her complaint had stated that despite offering a "self-search and vehicle search", the AR jawan "was not interested in it, and started physically assaulting and molesting" her. The complaint also mentioned that the jawan was "thrashing, beating, pushing" her escort personnel when they tried to intervene. Further, the IPS officer stated that the Assam Rifles jawan even "tried to slap her", but was stopped by her escort personnel. Assam Rifles dismissed the allegations as "fallacious and misguided", adding that the officer "refused to cooperate with the security forces", and was moving with her escort "in civil clothes with their personal weapon, without any escort vehicle outside her area of jurisdiction." The security grid along NH 102 has been further strengthened due to the upcoming Republic Day with instructions to all check posts along the highway to be on extra vigil and high alert. It is pertinent to mention that move of such vehicles with occupants in civil dress with weapons in Counter Insurgency area, and without prior intimation to other security agencies has serious operational ramifications, the Assam Rifles stated, adding that under no circumstances, the dignity and pride of any individual will be bantered or unbraced. The Assam Rifles PRO said that on detailed investigation, it was found that the lady officer "on official duty entered Myanmar illegally, and bought suspicious and unidentified goods from across the border (Namphalong/Tamu)." The official statement said that an investigation is required to ascertain how "a central government servant on bonafide duty can cross over to Myanmar, flaunting all Free Movement Regime (FMR) rules, and then cover her allegations on pretext of official duty. According to the official report, Assam Rifles had made the highest seizure of more than Rs 500 crore contraband in 2019 from the Permanent Vehicle Check Point (PVCP) in Khudengthabi. "The seizures during the year 2019 are more than the combined seizures of last 5 years from Moreh-Imphal axis by Assam Rifles personnel, and especially by PVCP to safeguard the youth of Manipur from the menace of drug abuse," it stated. The paramilitary force mentioned that evidence has been gathered in the form of a video footage of the lady officer entering Myanmar and loading her vehicle with suspicious goods. However, Assam Rifles did not elaborate further on what suspicious goods could be in this case. Your choice of clothing could affect the behavioral habits of wildlife around you, according to a study conducted by a team of researchers, including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Lindsey Swierk, assistant research professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, collaborated on a study with the goal of seeing how ecotourists could unintentionally have an effect on wildlife native to the area. Swierk and her team went to Costa Rica to conduct this study on water anoles (Anolis aquaticus), a variety of the anole lizard. "I've studied water anoles for five years now, and I still find myself surprised by their unique natural history and behavior," Swierk said. "One reason water anoles were chosen is because they are restricted to a fairly small range and we could be pretty sure that these particular populations hadn't seen many humans in their lifetimes. So we had a lot of confidence that these populations were not biased by previous human interactions." The researchers went to the Las Cruces Biological Center in Costa Rica. To collect data, they visited three different river locations wearing one of three different colored shirts: orange, green or blue. The study's focus was to see how these water anoles reacted to the different colors. Orange was chosen because the water anole has orange sexual signals. Blue was chosen as a contrast, as the water anole's body lacks the color blue. Green was selected as a similar color to the tropical forest environment of the testing site. "Based on previous work on how animals respond to color stimuli, we developed a hypothesis that wearing colors that are 'worn' by water anoles themselves would be less frightening to these lizards," Swierk said. The results of the study supported that hypothesis, with researchers with orange shirts reporting more anoles seen per hour and a higher anole capture percentage. Despite predicting the result, Swierk said that she was surprised by some of the findings. "It was still very surprising to see that the color green, which camouflaged us well in the forest, was less effective than wearing a very bright orange!" Swierk said that one of the biggest takeaways from this study is that we may not yet quite understand how animals view the world. "We (both researchers and ecotourists) need to recognize that animals perceive the world differently than we do as humans," said Swierk. "They have their own 'lenses' based on their unique evolutionary histories. What we imagine is frightening for an animal might not be; conversely, what we imagine is non-threatening could be terrifying in reality." Swierk hopes that these results may be used within the ecotourism community to reduce impacts on the wildlife that they wish to view. She said that more research needs to be done before this study can be related to other animals with less-sophisticated abilities of color perception, such as mammals. Swierk collaborated with Breanna J. Putman, Department of Biology at California State University at San Bernardino; and Andrea Fondren, undergraduate researcher in the Iowa State University Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology. President Donald Trump met with Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During their encounter, Trump focused on praising the Kurds of Syria. "As you know, we left Syria from the standpoint of the border," said Trump, seated beside Barzani. "And that's worked out great with Turkey. It's worked out far better than anyone thought possible. They have the so-called safe zone, and I appreciate everything you've done to keep it as safe as possible." Barzani's Iraqi Kurdish regional government has not been involved in plans for a safe zone along the Syria-Turkey border in areas claimed by Syria's Kurds. The Kurds of Syria are geographically and politically distinct from the Kurds of Iraq. Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria are all home to Kurdish populations. Trump's also appeared to refer to his decision to pull U.S. troops from northeastern Syria in October, a move that paved the way for a Turkish invasion of the area and threatened Syria's Kurds, who were key U.S. partners in the fight against the Islamic State. In his brief remarks, Trump thanked the Kurds for holding thousands of Islamic State prisoners and fighting in the coalition that ousted the extremist group from its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. While Kurds in both countries were instrumental in those efforts, Syria's Kurds have borne the brunt of securing tens of thousands of captured alleged fighters and their families. Trump has come under fire before for his characterizations of the Kurds. During a news conference in 2018, he referred to Kurdish journalist Rahim Rashidi as "Mr. Kurd." Rashidi at the time said he actually appreciated the nickname because it asserted his Kurdish identity. A year later, however, after the U.S. troop withdrawal from northeastern Syria, he told the Associated Press that Trump had abandoned his people. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Earlier Wednesday, the White House's official YouTube channel initially listed Trump as having met with the president of Iran at Davos, when in fact it was Iraqi President Barham Salih. The caption has since been corrected. The United States and Iran almost went to war this month after Washington killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was viewed by Washington as a terrorist and was held responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers. The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. Until the museum in Benin City is built, however, nothing is likely to be returned permanently unless it is done by individuals. No one has a firm idea how many looted items are in private hands, but they used to regularly come up at auction. (The record price, set in 2016, is well over $4 million.) Mr. Dunstone said he had hoped that dozens of people would have come forward with items to return by now. The ceremony in 2014 received a flurry of media attention, and he went back to England expecting new Mr. Walkers to appear. It didnt happen. He got one email from a man in South Africa who claimed to have fished a Benin Bronze out of a river. He was willing to mail it to Mr. Dunstone for $2,500. Mr. Dunstone, ever the police officer, suspected a scam and didnt write back. Im less proactive now, he said. But my hearts still open. Mr. Awoyemi said he was disappointed, too, that no one came forward, but was excited by the museum plan. He was even willing to help with security, he said, if the oba would let him. Mr. Walker cant put the Benin Bronzes behind him, either. A few months ago, he was looking online at Benin Bronzes held by the Horniman Museum in London and came across an intricately carved wooden paddle. It was almost identical to two he had in his home, which he thought his parents had bought on vacation. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- About 5,000 hydrogen FCVs (fuel cell vehicle) are expected to be offered in 2020 in China, with the total number likely to reach 10,000 units by the end of the year, according to statistics provided by a reporter from the Shanghai Securities News on the basis of some local governments' plans for FCV. Besides, the three major cost problems of hydrogen production, storage and transportation are likely to be gradually solved amid the issue of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry development plan (2021-2035) and the upcoming national hydrogen FCV scheme. According to the FCV plan of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), the region plans to build more than 40 hydrogen filling stations by 2021, 200 by 2025 and 500 by 2030. The FCV parc is set to reach 5,000 units by 2021, 50,000 units by 2025 and 200,000 units by 2030 in the area. Shanghai, the core city in the YRD FCV plan, intends to operate 20,000 hydrogen FCVs and construct 50 refueling stations by 2025, while Wuhan, proposes to make 30-100 stations and have 10,000-30,000 hydrogen FCVs operated by 2025. By 2020, the capital of Hubei province sets out to build 5-20 stations and see demonstration operation of 2,000-3,000 FCVs. At present, the two cities target most FCV population. By the end of 2020, if Shanghai, Wuhan, Suzhou (800 units), Shanxi (700 units) and other governments can meet their targets, the total number of hydrogen FCVs in operation in China will double from nearly 5,000 units at the end of 2019. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the sales of hydrogen FCV from 2016 to 2019 totaled 6,168 units, with 2,737 units sold in 2019, 1,527 units in 2018, 1,275 units in 2017 and 629 units in 2016 (photo source: Sinopecnews.com). STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A Great Kills man accused of stabbing and wounding an acquaintance in the neck last year in his community has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge that spared him jail. Cops busted William Volkes, then 32, on Nov. 4 in connection with the Sept. 28 episode that left Victor Torres bleeding from the neck. Volkes was charged then with assault, attempted assault, criminal weapon possession, harassment and criminal mischief, said police. However, he was later indicted only on the criminal mischief charge. In an interview with the Advance after Volkes arrest, Torres said the events unfolded when he confronted Volkes on the 4000 block of Hylan Boulevard. The location is on a commercial strip near Nelson Avenue which includes a bicycle shop, hardware store and deli. Torres, then 35, said he believed Volkes had possession of his girlfriends phone after she lost it the previous day at a restaurant. The couple said they knew Volkes before the stabbing. The situation escalated, and a criminal complaint alleged Volkes slammed the windshield of the couples 2018 Honda CRV, causing it to shatter. Volkes then took a long bone knife," and lunged at Torres, stabbing him in the lower neck, said the complaint. The defendant then fled, said police. In video obtained by the Advance, Torres can be seen walking down the sidewalk after the confrontation, wearing a blood-stained shirt. Torres was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries, which included a puncture wound requiring 12 stitches to close. The case was presented to a grand jury in November. The panel indicted Volkes on a sole count fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, for damaging the windshield of Torres vehicle. Volkes was not indicted for assault, criminal weapon possession or menacing. The defendant pleaded guilty to the criminal mischief charge Tuesday in state Supreme Court, St. George. In exchange, he was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. A five-year order of protection was issued in Torres favor. Defense lawyer Lance Lazzaro did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment on the case. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Russia's parliament has approved a package of constitutional amendments in a move widely seen as an attempt by President Vladimir Putin to stay in power past the end of his term in 2024. Mr Putin submitted the amendments to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, on Monday, just days after presenting them in the annual state-of-the-nation address last week. He suggested that politicians could name prime ministers and Cabinet members, proposed a greater role for the State Council, an obscure consultative body of regional governors and federal officials, and sought to prioritise the primacy of Russian laws over international law. The proposed changes, he argued, would bolster democracy. Deputies of the State Duma vote during a plenary session of the first reading of Putin's amendment of the constitution in Moscow on Thursday Russian lawmakers applaud after unanimously voting for Russian constitutional amendments Pavel Krasheninnikov, lawmaker and co-chair of the constitutional reform working group speaks during the session The Kremlin-controlled Duma unanimously voted for the amendments on Thursday, after discussing them for two hours. Mr Putin, a 67-year-old former KGB office, has led Russia for more than 20 years - the longest since the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. According to the Russian Constitution, he will have to step down in 2024, having served two consecutive terms. The bill submitted to parliament empowers the State Council to 'determine the main directions of home and foreign policy', its specific authority yet to be spelled in a separate law. Pavel Krasheninnikov peaks during a session at the Russian State Duma on Thursday State Duma member attends the plenary session on Thursday It gives the parliament more say over Cabinet ministers' appointment, but emphasises that the president should retain the power to dismiss the prime minister and Cabinet ministers and remain in charge of the Russian military and law enforcement agencies. Commentators see these proposals as a strategy for Mr Putin to stay in charge by becoming the head of the State Council. The draft also modifies the constitution to limit a president to two terms altogether, unlike the current version containing a limit of two consecutive terms. Russia's President Vladimir Putin submitted the amendments to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, on Monday, just days after presenting them in the annual state-of-the-nation address last week The second reading of the bill is scheduled for February 11. Politicians and the working group created by Mr Putin have already come up with a variety of proposals in addition to what the draft law outlines. Mr Putin said that the constitutional changes need to be approved by the entire nation, but it remains unclear how such a vote would be organised. Russian opposition members condemned the reform as a 'constitutional coup' and called for a rally against it on February 29. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (MOTA.CN)(FSE:1WZ:GR)(PEMTF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Ihuana S.A.S ("Ihuana") has entered into a research cooperation agreement (the "Agreement") with La Fundacion Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud (The University Foundation of Health Sciences) (the "University") located in Bogota, Colombia. Pursuant to the Agreement, the parties intend to engage in research and formulation of medicinal products made with non-psychoactive cannabis and cannabis byproducts. The University is a not-for-profit private educational and health care university founded in 1976. Between their two locations, including a Children's Hospital in San Jose, the University has the necessary technology for highly specialized medical and surgical treatments including an automated clinical laboratory, diagnostic imaging, neurological sciences, internal medicine and outpatient care. Additionally, the foundation offers laboratories in biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, genetics, immunology, histology, microbiology and clinical stimulation. Ihuana and the University will cooperate in the development of scientific investigations related to the medical use of products made with cannabis. The research teams from both groups will work closely to design and execute studies, with the University providing the infrastructure and connections to different researchers and Ihuana supplying various resources, including testing materials. Cost of the research will be negotiated between the two parties for each individual research product and intellectual property from the study will be divided based on capital input from each side. The University agrees to enable access and interaction with partner hospitals and research centers that will take part in clinical studies and trials and will allow access to institutional resources to finance research through existing relationships. Story continues "This partnership gives us an immediate foothold in the medicinal market in Colombia. We are very fortunate to partner with one of the leading universities in South America. This will allow for rapid development of new products for the domestic and international markets," stated Joel Shacker, CEO of the Company. About Mota Ventures Corp. Mota Ventures is seeking to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand. Its plan is to cultivate and extract CBD into high-quality value-added products from its Latin American operations and distribute it both domestically and internationally. Its existing operations in Colombia consist of a 2.5-hectare site that has optimal year-round growing conditions and access to all necessary infrastructure. Mota Ventures a seeking to become a vertically integrated, revenue-producing CBD company with operations in both Europe and North America. Mota is looking to establish sales channels and a distribution network internationally through the acquisition of the Sativida and First Class CBD brands. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures. About the University Foundation of Health Sciences The University Foundation of Health Sciences is a modernized private educational and health care university founded in 1976. Between two locations, including a Children's Hospital in San Jose, the University has the necessary technology for highly specialized medical and surgical treatments including an automated clinical laboratory, diagnostic imaging, neurological sciences, internal medicine and outpatient care. Additionally, the foundation offers laboratories in biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, genetics, immunology, histology, microbiology and clinical stimulation. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MOTA VENTURES CORP. Joel Shacker Chief Executive Officer For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President & CEO at +604.423.4733 or by email at IR@motaventuresco.com or www.motaventuresco.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 Statement All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to research and development projects with the University, its plans to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand, its plans to cultivate and extract cannabis to produce CBD and high-quality value added CBD products in Latin America for distribution domestically and internationally and its plans to acquire revenue-producing CBD brands and operations in Europe and North America. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law. SOURCE: Mota Ventures Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/573898/Mota-Ventures-Forms-Research-and-Development-Partnership-with-Leading-Colombian-University-Research-Hospital Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release, publication, distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 23, 2020 -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSX.V: VLC) (Velocity or the Company) announces a non-brokered private placement (the "Financing") of up to 7,500,000 units of the Company (the "Units") priced at $0.40 per Unit for total gross proceeds of up to $3,000,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a Share) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant), with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $0.55 per Share for a period of 18 months from the closing of the Financing. The proceeds of the Financing are intended to fund ongoing work at the Companys gold projects in Bulgaria and for general working capital. Subject to the exercise of shareholder pro rata participation rights and higher than expected investor demand for the Financing, the Company may increase the size of the Financing. All securities issued in connection with the Financing will be subject to a hold period of four-months and one day in Canada. The closing of the Financing is subject to TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) and other regulatory approval. The Company may pay finder's fees on a portion of the Financing consisting of a cash commission equal to 7% of the total gross proceeds raised and finder's warrants equal to 7% of the total number of Units issued, where each finder's warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $0.40 per Share for a period of 12 months from the closing of the Financing. This news 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 news 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 Velocity Minerals Ltd. Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on southeastern Bulgaria. Velocitys strategy is to develop a low cost centralized Hub and Spoke operation whereby multiple projects within this emerging gold district produce gold concentrates for trucking to a central processing plant for production of dore. The Company envisions staged open pit mining of satellite deposits and processing in a currently operating carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant. Velocity has a 70% joint venture interest in the Rozino gold project and has entered into option agreements to earn a 70% interest in the Obichnik, Makedontsi and Sedefche gold projects, with Gorubso Kardzhali A.D., an established and respected mining company in Bulgaria. Velocitys management and board includes mining industry professionals with combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Keith Henderson President & CEO For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Phone: +1-604-484-1233 E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com Web: www.velocityminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release includes certain 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 regarding the amount of the Financing (and any potential upsizing thereof), the intended use of the proceeds from the Financing, the payment of finder's fees, and 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. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as will, plans, expects, may, should, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes, potential or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, 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 gold demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Bulgarian gold projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Companys Bulgarian gold projects, the completion of the Financing, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to 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 and mine development activities for the Companys Bulgarian gold projects, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, lack of investor interest in the Financing, requirements for additional capital to fund the Companys business plan, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, the inability to or delay in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSXV for the Financing), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading. Risk Factors in the Companys annual managements discussion and analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Companys profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. Flash The United States should stop spreading fabricated cliches repeatedly rejected by China and Pakistan about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement on Wednesday. On Tuesday, during her visit to Pakistan, Alice Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the U.S. State Department, made groundless negative comments on CPEC again, questioning the transparency in CPEC projects and the so-called debt issue. "Although you can never wake up a person who is pretending to be asleep, we have to make our position clear and reject the negative propaganda (made) by the United States. We must not let the truth be distorted and the lies run wild," the statement said. According to the statement, China and Pakistan have been firmly committed to the principles of mutual consultation and cooperation for shared benefits under CPEC. With 32 CPEC projects having achieved early harvests, local transportation infrastructure and power supply have been significantly improved and over 75,000 direct jobs have been created, it said. "All projects strictly follow the market-oriented and internationally accepted business model, and adopt state of art technology and strict environmental protection standards. The entire process is open and transparent and is in line with international norm. We keep in touch with the relative accountability agencies of Pakistan and it is agreed that the CPEC is clean," the statement added. The statement quoted the statistics released by the State Bank of Pakistan as saying that the loan for CPEC is about 5.8 billion U.S. dollars, which accounts for only 5.3 percent of Pakistan's total foreign debt of 110 billion dollars. "If the United States truly cares about the development and prosperity of Pakistan and this region, it should bring cash and funds, and promote win-win cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, fairness, and justice, rather than act as a world policeman, spreading rumors and provoking China-Pakistan relations," the statement said. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday did not rule out future sanctions against Iraq, but cited what he called "a very good relationship" when asked about potential plans for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. "We'll see what happens, because we do have to do things on our terms," Trump told reporters in Davos, Switzerland as he met with Iraqi President Barham Salih. Iraq's parliament passed a resolution urging the government to expel U.S. troops from the country, prompting Trump to respond with a threat not to leave unless Iraq reimburses the United States for a U.S. airbase there. He said Wednesday 5,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, and that his administration will "make a determination" about their future. Salih highlighted the United States and Iraq as being partners in the war against Islamic State militants, and said he and Trump share the goal of a "stable, sovereign Iraq that is at peace with itself and at peace with its neighbors." People wearing masks are seen on a subway in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 23, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters) Passengers Screened at Boston Airport for China Virus A group of nine passengers who traveled from China to Boston were screened at Logan International Airport on Jan. 22 for a new virus that first appeared in Wuhan, according to officials. The passengers arrived on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong and were medically evaluated out of precaution, the Massachusetts Port Authority said, reported WCVB. Massachusetts State Police said they were examined by Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Massport Fire Rescue personnel, and a nurse in direct contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The remaining passengers were able to deplane. Both the Boston EMS and Massachusetts State Police found the nine passengers showed no signs of sickness, however, and they were allowed to exit the aircraft and continue on to their final destinations. It comes as fears grow that the respiratory disease could become a global epidemic and as the United States this week became the fifth country outside of Chinaand the first outside Asiato confirm a case of infection. A patient, who is in his 30s, is understood to have traveled around Jan. 15 to Seattle from Wuhan, where the outbreak originated. He remains in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington. Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in Hubei Province considered the epicenter of the outbreak, has been put on lockdown. Wuhan city authorities announced on Wednesday they would begin quarantining the city in order to contain the diseases spread, shutting down the airport and all public transit there. Chinese authorities said that starting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 23, public transportation, including the subway and ferries, would be suspended. Unless there is a special reason, citizens should not leave Wuhan city, the Wuhan municipal government said in a statement, a state-run media outlet reported. Airports and train stations that can be used to leave the city will be temporarily closed. The closures will continue until further announcement. China on Jan. 20 admitted that the disease could be transmitted human to human, and it is estimated that the virus has already reached 20 mainland cities other than Wuhan, according to a study by the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Chinese authorities believe the outbreak is linked to a fresh food market in Wuhan which sold seafood and wild animals. The market, which was linked to all SARS cases seen in Wuhan in 2003, has been closed since Jan. 1. Li Bin, vice minister of Chinas National Health Commission, told reporters Wednesday the new strain of coronavirus is mainly spread through respiratory transmission, warning that China must now urgently work to prevent and control the spread of the disease. The virus may mutate, and there is a risk of further spread of the virus, he said, according to The Guardian. The World Health Organization (WHO) was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the virus and whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern, but it postponed making the call saying physicians need more information. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked his committee to reconvene on Thursday. Today, there was an excellent discussion during the committee meeting, but it was also clear that to proceed we need more information, Tedros told reporters, reported CNBC. The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has upgraded its precaution levels for traveling to China from level one to level two on a three-tier scale, warning travelers to exercise enhanced precautions. The WHO has urged people to avoid unprotected contact with live animals and avoid close contact with those with cold or flu-like symptoms, as well to as cook meat and eggs thoroughly. Reuters contributed to this report. A vehicle assembly plant invested by Nissan Vietnam Ltd - a joint venture between Nissan Motor Co Japan and Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad Malaysia in Da Nang.- Photo baochinhphu.vn Of the total, about $440 million was invested in 132 newly-licensed projects during the year, eight times higher than one year ago, while $120 million was added to 16 operating projects, 63 times higher than 2018s figure. During the year, foreign investors also spent $135.3 million on capital contribution and share purchase in domestic enterprises, nearly triple that of 2018. In addition to foreign-invested projects, the city last year also granted in principle approval for nine domestically-financed projects, worth VND8.82 trillion. That brought the number of projects in the locality up to a value of more than VND104 trillion. The positive figures were attributable to local authorities great efforts in accelerating administrative reforms to better facilitate domestic and foreign investors, the departments director Tran Phuoc Son told online newspaper enternews.vn. This year, the city will concentrate on developing technical infrastructure of industrial zones and clusters and fostering investment promotion targeting foreign businesses who will invest in the citys key sectors, such as IT and supporting industries, Son said. In order to continue luring investment, the city will deploy a number of key projects such as an overall development plan for Da Nang Hi-Tech Park; one-stop shop model for the preparation, licencing and management of investment projects outside industrial parks and hi-tech zones and the improvement of hi-tech innovative features and hi-tech start-ups, the online newspaper nhandan.com.vn cited vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee, Ho Ky Minh, as saying. The city also focuses on promoting activities and events which effectively approach strategic investors in key markets, such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the US and Europe, he told the newspaper. Le Tri Hai, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang Young Entrepreneurs' Association said in order to improve the investment environment and enhance investment attraction, Da Nang needed to accelerate investment procedures, develop environmental impact assessments and issue investment guidelines. Morgan County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Ronald S. Burton, 61, of 422 Pine St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at midnight Wednesday on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, illegal possession and transportation of liquor, and squealing or screeching tires. Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS ACCIDENTS Colby M. Williams, 20, of Roodhouse was cited on charges of disobeying a stop sign and operating an uninsured vehicle after the vehicle he was driving and one being driven by Anne M. Correll, 19, of Jacksonville collided at College and Clay avenues at 10:23 p.m. Tuesday. Leslie J. Musch, 67, of Springfield was cited on a charge of failure to yield after the vehicle she was driving and one being driven by Mary E. Flowers, 88, of Jacksonville collided at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday at Westgate and West Lafayette avenues. South Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Joshua T. Melendez, 34, of 621 Pine St., Roodhouse, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 1:09 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended. Greene County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Zachary M. Richey, 18, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:04 p.m. Friday on a domestic battery charge. Michael S. Davidson, 36, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:05 p.m. Jan. 16 on a petition to revoke probation and on a St. Louis County, Missouri, warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court. Cheryl M. Avery, 50, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:41 a.m. Jan. 16 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended. Franklin C. Griffith, 24, of Lovington was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:15 p.m. Jan. 9 on theft and burglary charges. Greenfield Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Robyn D. Roberts, 36, of Greenfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on charges of harassment of a witness, criminal trespass to a vehicle and disorderly conduct. Julian E. Meza, 24, of Rockbridge was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:05 p.m. Friday on a charge of driving while license is suspended. Roodhouse Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Jordan D. Shaw, 48, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:15 p.m. Jan. 9 on a possession of a controlled substance charge. White Hall Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS William F. Atwood, 57, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:20 p.m. Friday on charges of riving under the influence and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Lisa R. Sprague, 41, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:20 p.m. Jan. 15 on a charge of driving while license is suspended. Alyssa J. Outlaw, 22, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:39 p.m. Jan. 9 on a Morgan County petition to revoke probation. Compiled by Marco Cartolano, David C.L. Bauer and Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree Panaji, Jan 23 : The North Goa District and Sessions Court in Panaji on Thursday refused anticipatory bail to Wilson, a brother of Goa Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho, in connection with a suicide case. Last week, former village sarpanch Prakash Naik shot himself after sending a WhatsApp message naming Wilson and businessman Tahir for allegedly harassing and blackmailing him in connection with a real estate deal. Police had opposed grant of anticipatory bail to Wilson, whose lawyer Rohit D'Sa said that his client was likely to appeal in the High Court. "He has an opportunity to file an application for anticipatory bail before the High Court. Apart from mention of his name in the WhatsApp message, there is not an iota of evidence to suggest he abetted the suicide," D'Sa told reporters. Armenian PM will visit the Netherlands this year, said Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. His remarks came Thursday at a joint press conference with Dutch FM Stef Blok. According to the FM, this is the first bilateral visit since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The FM has arrived ahead of the opening of the Netherlands Embassy and the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyans visit to the Netherlands this year. This shows that relations and cooperation have reached a new stage after democratic changes in Armenia, the FM said adding that this is an unprecedented event for the legislature to decide to appeal to the government with a proposal to open an embassy. This will open a new page in bilateral relations, he said. The trade relations are actively developing, trade is growing, tourist flow from the Netherlands has increased by 23%. A direct flight will further deepen relations, Mnatsakanyan added. He highlighted the importance of parliamentary cooperation and noted agriculture, healthcare, water management, waste management to be among the top priority issues. The Minister recalled that the Netherlands ratified the Armenian-EU deal last year. And he added that the Dutch have a great interest in Armenian culture. Thus, the translated tales of Hovhannes Tumanyan aroused great interest among the Dutch readers. The Minister handed over a copy of the book to his colleague, and recalled the events held in the Netherlands on the occasion of the Komitas 150th anniversary. There is a rich experience in cooperation on international platforms. There is the potential for cooperation in the field of justice, education, science. We plan to expand the scope of cooperation - for example, in the field of ecology, he said. The sides touched upon international issues and the situation near Armenian borders. We agreed that all parties should make efforts to reduce tensions, the FM said. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan briefed his colleague over the situation around the Karabakh settlement, highlighting the importance of the balanced position of the Netherlands and support of the OSCE Minsk Group efforts. Stef Blok, in his turn, promised to read the presented book and said that he had already visited Armenian Genocide Memorial. The Minister welcomed the fight against corruption in Armenia and noted the successful cooperation of the two countries over the past ten years. Image courtesy Surete du Quebec obtained Jan 22, 2020 shows police on snowmoblies during search and rescue operations near Beemer Island, Quebec, Canada. (Photo: HO/SURETE DU QUEBEC/AFP) The group were riding near where a river exits the Saint-Jean lake, and were outside the approved area for snowmobiles, police spokesman Hugues Beaulieu told AFP. Nine people, including the excursion guide, were on the trip when the ice broke underneath them in the dark on Tuesday evening. Police said they were alerted by two of the tourists who had rescued a third from the water. The 42-year-old guide, Benoit L'Esperance of Montreal, was pulled out by emergency response teams and taken to hospital, but he died overnight, Beaulieu said, adding "five French tourists are still missing". Officials said that details of the accident remained unclear. Survivors were hospitalised in the nearby town of Alma and treated for minor injuries and hypothermia. Ice on the lake is often very thick, but it is thinner where the lake funnels into the Saguenay River. The tourists had hired snowmobiles in the village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, nearly 300km away by trails, according to Canadian media. THIN ICE Powerful snowmobiles on skis, which can reach the speed of 140km/h, are popular with Quebecers and foreign tourists, but cause numerous accidents each year. Divers and two helicopters searched the area on Wednesday, alongside the police and army. "This sector was not part of a marked trail, they were off-piste," said the police spokesman. Authorities planned to continue searching through the night, while underwater and aerial reconnaissance were to pause until Thursday morning. Earlier, one of the search helicopters crashed into the icy lake, sending the pilot to hospital, police said. France's deputy consul general in Quebec, Laurent Barbot, who visited the site, told reporters that the missing French tourists were from the east of France. The three survivors are "physically doing well, but are in shock", he said. French television said the survivors hailed from Haut-Rhin. The missing tourists, aged 24 to 58, are Alsatian or Vosgian. The daily newspaper Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace said several of the group were friends who flew to Canada on Sunday. "People who know the area know that you should not go on the ice because it is very fragile due to strong currents," Gaetan Gagne, president of the Saint-Jean lake snowmobile club, told public broadcaster Radio-Canada. Quebec's acting public safety minister, Andree Laforest, announced an investigation. However the first priority, she told a press briefing, "is to find the missing as soon as possible". "The government has been in contact since this morning with the French authorities and the families will be notified," she added. Some worry that the tragedy will harm winter tourism in Quebec. Snowmobiling in particular is very popular with foreign tourists. There are 33,000km of marked snowmobiling trails in the Canadian province, according to the local snowmobiling association. But there are an average of 20 snowmobile deaths each year. In February 2019, two French tourists, a mother and her son, were killed in a snowmobile accident in a Quebec nature park. The federal government has in the past three years spent N1.7 trillion on Nigerias electricity sector, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said. The Kaduna State governor spoke on Wednesday after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja. Mr El-Rufai, who said the entire (electricity) sector is broken, said such expenditure by the Muhammadu Buhari administration on a privatised sector was unsustainable. The entire sector is broken, the tariff is an issue, the way the privatization was done is an issue to many. So there are many many issues. What we have agreed on is that there are fundamental problem in the electronic supply industry. And that you cannot privatize an industry and then over three years since privatization, you pump in N1.7 trillion of government into it, that is not privatisation. The federal government has supported the electricity sector with N1.7 trillion in the last three years and this is not sustainable. The governor urged Nigerians not to pass a judgement on the electricity sector until a NEC committee he is part of submits its report. I will plead that we dont begin to pass judgement until we submit our final report. The problems in electricity are many, capacity is one perhaps. There are some that have shown lack of capacity it is true but there are many that are fantastic, so it is very difficult to pass quick judgement, he said. The governor said solutions that would be painful to some parties would have to be adopted in the electricity sector. Those solutions are not going to be nice, they may be painful but the only way to solve the structural problems in the industry is to take some very difficult decisions. There are many issues including the ones you have observed in Kano DISCO. Our hope is that when we must have presented our report, we would have identified issues and isolated these issues and would present options to the government that would have costs and benefits. Because we continue to spend N1.7 trillion every three years. The question is if we continue like this, are we getting electricity, industrialization, that is one option. We can also look at other options and have cost and benefits attached to it for the consideration of the economic council of government. So, my appeal is that lets not be quick to pass judgement. Right now we are listening to all the stakeholders, of course, there is a lot of blame game. At the end of the day, we must have an honest conversation as Nigerians and know that unless we fix electricity we cannot make progress. And this electricity is required not only in the cities but in every home, every rural area. How do we fix the structural problem in the industry so that it doesnt cost the government this much to cover the whole of the country. Today, there are 80 million Nigerians that do not have access to electricity. We cannot continue like this. READ ALSO: So, we will ask all these questions, look at everything you have observed and even those that you have not observed. But we want to listen to Nigerians and get their own views and incorporate those views in every solution that we propose. President Muhammadu Buhari in handshake with Joe Kaeser of Siemens [Photo: Twitter @bashirahmad] Nigeria recently signed a deal with Siemens of Germany to revamp its electricity sector and ultimately produce and utilise over 20,000 megawatts of electricity, for a country barely able to generate and distribute 5,000 megawatts. However, many Nigerians foresee obstacles to the implementation of the agreement especially as two of three key electricity stages have been privatised. Nigeria privatised its electricity generation and distribution segments to various firms during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. Only the transmission segement is owned by the federal government. Some Nigerians like the Nigeria Labour Congress have called for the reversal of the privatisation while others have suggested the government should buy-back the electricty generation and distribution firms from the private companies. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close 1 / 13 Citi on Asian Paints: The brokerage maintained 'hold' stance with a target price of Rs 1,925 per share. Citi said it was a surprise that over 3 percent revenue growth came on double-digit volume growth. 2 / 13 Morgan Stanley on RBL Bank: The global brokerage gave an 'underweight' stance on RBL Bank with a price target of Rs 240 on the stock as asset quality remains weak ith 80 percent of stressed accounts slipping into NPLs. 3 / 13 Citi on L&T: The global brokerage has set a target price of Rs 1,700 per share with a 'buy' rating on the stock. L&T's execution and ordering prospect for Q4 is strong, and the stock remains our top pick, Citi wrote in its report after the infra majors Q3 earnings on Wednesday. 4 / 13 CLSA on L&T: The brokerage gave 'buy' rating on the stock at a target price of Rs 1,730 as L&T is a good proxy for domestic capex. The stock is inexpensive and it is at the cusp of next domestic capex cycle upturn, says CLSA. 5 / 13 Credit Suisse on L&T: The global brokerage maintained 'neutral' stance on the stock at a target price of Rs 1,460 as revenue execution of Rs 36,300 crore well below Credit Suisse's expectation. It notes that all the revenue growth was delivered by the services segments. 6 / 13 Morgan Stanley on L&T: The global brokerage maintained 'overweight' stance and lowered the price target of Rs 1,556 per share as third-quarter results were below expectations. Morgan Stanley, however, expects a stronger fourth quarter as execution challenges recede and cash flows too are expected to improve. 7 / 13 Nomura on L&T: The brokerage maintained 'buy' rating on L&T with a target price of Rs 1,715 per share as stable working capital levels lead to strong cash generation for the infra conglomerate. 8 / 13 Kotak Equities on L&T: The domestic brokerage retained 'buy' rating on L&T at a target price of Rs 1,550 per share on reasonable valuations. Kotak Institutional Equities says near-term pipeline improves case for double-digit FY21 revenue growth. 9 / 13 Kotak Equities on Axis Bank: The domestic brokerage gave 'reduce' stance on the lender's stock at a target price of Rs 740 per share as 5 percent YoY earnings growth was led by a lower tax rate. The slippages are stubbornly high i.e. 4 percent of loans in this quarter, it noted, with higher provisions could be a near-term risk. 10 / 13 IDFC Securities on Axis Bank: The brokerage expects Axis Bank to enhance its competitive position in the banking sector. IDFC Securities has maintained 'outperform' stance with a target price of Rs 830 per share. 11 / 13 HSBC on Axis Bank: The brokerage gave a 'buy' rating on Axis Bank stock at a target price of Rs 930 as consistency in delivery should now drive re-rating. 12 / 13 Citi on Axis Bank: The brokerage gave a target price of Rs 850 with a 'buy' rating on the stock as a reduction in BB and Below Book and NPA recovery could lead to better trends in FY21. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement WEST CHESTER, Pa., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Key Financial President and CEO, Patti Brennan, has just been named by Forbes as #3 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors for 2020. Forbes partnered with Shook Research in reviewing than 32,000 nominations nationally to determine this list of the nations top financial minds. Nominees are judged based on an algorithm of both qualitative and quantitative data. Advisors must have a minimum of seven years experience to qualify and are also weighed on additional considerations such as revenue trends, compliance records and assets under management. R.J. Shook, the President of Shook Research explains, Heres what our research has found: the very best advisors are laser focused on having a positive impact on their clients lives. They want to add meaning and help them live better lives. Shook Research looks for advisors that are leading the way in offering best practices and providing high quality experiences for their clients. Patti Brennan is just that type of advisor. Recognized as a thought leader in the industry, is consistently ranked by Forbes, Barrons and the Financial Times as one of the nations top advisors, Brennan sets the bar for other financial advisory firms looking to build their practice while also providing a premier client experience. As a member of my team recently said, Key Financial is where financial wisdom and caring meet, states Brennan. We recently partnered with the MITAge Lab to introduce new technological advancements to our clients to help them age in place longer than they would have dreamed. All of us here at Key Financial take great pride in the fact that we bring the latest research into our financial planning. While Patti Brennan is known nationally for her comprehensive services, she is also recognized locally as a loving mother of four children and dedicated member of the community. Patti maintains a close connection by holding seats on the boards of various institutions and nonprofits, such as University of Pennsylvania/Chester County Hospital, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine and Cuddle My Kids. Patti is invited to speak at conferences throughout America, and as a former board member of the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), has been the Keynote speaker for their Annual Economic Review in January each year for the past thirteen years. Patti has guided standing room only audiences with her wisdom, perspective and practical advice through some of the most challenging times in our country. Brennan is also the host of The Patti Brennan Show, a podcast dedicated to helping improve the listeners net worth. It can be found on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. The show is biweekly and covers timely financial topics as well as economic forecasts and market discussions. With assets under management of over $1 Billion, Key Financial Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services and is located at 1045 Andrew Drive Suite A West Chester, PA. For information about the firms planning services or to speak with Patti Brennan, call (610)429-9050 or visit www.keyfinancialinc.com . Boilerplate : A graduate of Georgetown University, Patti is a Certified Financial Planner with almost 30 years of experience providing financial advice in West Chester, PA. In addition to being President and CEO of Key Financial, Inc. she also serves on the National Advisory Board, is a Board Member of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine and Cuddle My Kids. She formerly served on the Boards of the Chester County Economic Development Council, SEEDCO and Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital. Patti, her husband and their four children reside in West Chester, PA. Securities offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance services offered through Patricia Brennan are independent of Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Advisory services offered through Key Financial, Inc., a registered investment advisor not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. The Barrons Winners Circle Top 100 and the Barrons Winners Circle Top 1200 are select groups of individuals who are screened on a number of different criteria. Among factors the survey takes into consideration are the overall size and success of practices, the quality of service provided to clients, adherence to high standards of industry regulatory compliance, and leadership in best practices of wealth management. Portfolio performance is not a factor. Please see www.barrons.com for more information. Contact Information: Bernadette Hunter Email: Bernadette@keyfinancialinc.com Phone: (610) 429-9050 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d27a83ac-5b20-4223-80d4-80e14f987c98 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a41730f-5197-4439-9ae4-3e698d05374e As the United States is poised to sign a peace agreement with the Islamist Taliban movement in Afghanistan, there are signs that a lasting settlement between the insurgents and Afghan society might prove more of a challenge than an accord between Washington and the Taliban. Factions within the Afghan government and Washington differ over whether they are willing to accept a reduction in violence or expect a complete cease-fire in the wake of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban. This step is considered important for jumpstarting negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and other parties for sharing power and agreeing on their countrys future political system. The talks are understood to begin in Oslo within 10 days of the agreement between Washington and the Taliban. "[U.S. President Donald] Trump reiterated the need for a significant and lasting reduction in violence by the Taliban that would facilitate meaningful negotiations on Afghanistan's future," a White House statement said after the U.S. president met with his Afghan counterpart, President Ashraf Ghani, on January 22. Ghani, who met with the U.S. president in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, however, emphasized that the Taliban must commit to ending violence. The Taliban controls large swathes of rural Afghanistan, and violence is widely seen as their key source of leverage given their limited domestic appeal and political support. The billion-dollar question is: Are the Taliban ready to see the end of violence? he asked during an interview at the World Economic Forum. If they are, Afghan society is willing to reintegrate them. But if they see peace as a Trojan horse to overthrow the government and the society, then the government would mobilize. Ghani says the Taliban are not ready to engage in a political process to end the war in his country. The good news is that the ranking Taliban fighters are sick of fighting, he said. The people sitting in Doha [the Talibans political office] are getting their fourth or fifth wives and are enjoying themselves. They have become investors. But Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban office in Doha, rejected Ghanis claim. People scared by the achievements of our political office are making such allegations." Recent Taliban statements and leadership interviews, however, speak to their frustration with Washingtons push for reducing violence and being pushed to join peace talks with Kabul and Afghan factions. Signs are indicating that the American side wants to waste even more time on the definition of the term reduction of the violence while understanding full well that this is the demand of the small number of people in the shaky administration of Kabul who are using it as a means for derailing peace, read a January 22 article titled Peace Talks And More Excuses on the insurgents Voice of Jihad website. In a January 20 commentary called Powerless Shall Always Remain Shareless, the Taliban called the Afghan government feeble, saying it has consistently been sidelined in every major decision regarding Afghanistan. The article said the government remains marginalized in the latest developments about the peace process. They have continually remained loyal to the interests of the invaders and toed the official line of their masters over the past two decades and therefore, they shall continue to remain an insignificant party when it comes to major issues, the Taliban statement said while alluding to its longstanding position to refuse to negotiate peace with Kabul. In a January 6 interview, the Talibans deputy leader and top negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said the war in Afghanistan will end when the United States withdraws from Afghanistan. If theres no U.S., we [will] for sure reach an agreement between ourselves, because they are Afghans and we are Afghans, he told the Public Broadcasting Service, an American public television, about future peace talks among Afghans. Baradar, however, didnt elaborate on the peace process after the U.S. withdrawal. In Kabul, political elites are divided over whether to push for a complete cease-fire as a precondition for resuming talks with the Taliban or accept the Talibans offer of a significant decrease in violence for 10 days, which officials say entails ceasing attacks on highways and Afghan cities. Ghanis top election rival Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai lead the Afghan political elites favoring accepting the insurgents current offer to begin talks. But former spy chief Amrullah Saleh, Ghanis vice-presidential running mate, is not upbeat about the peace returning to his country after a U.S.-Taliban deal. The talks between the United States and the Taliban in Qatar might end the war between the two, but it will not end the Talibans war against the Afghan nation, he told a think tank audience in Kabul on January 23. No foreigner can negotiate with the Taliban on behalf of the Afghan people, and no foreigner can impose its deal on us. A recent survey of 5,000 Afghans by the Institute of War and Peace Studies, an Afghan think tank, found that nearly 68 percent want a republican form of government while only 12 percent support an Islamic Emirate, the formal name of the Taliban. Some 46 percent of respondents support the withdrawal of international forces. The organization said most of its surveys respondents live in villages across Afghanistan. New Delhi: Jharkhand Class 10 Board Exam 2020 admit card is released today. It is to note that only school administrators and principals can download the JAC Class 10 admit card through login details. School administrators need to visit the official website of JAC, i.e. jac.jharkhand.gov.in to download the class 10 admit cards. Students who are appearing for the Jharkhand Board Class 10 2020 exam need to contact their respective schools and collect their admit cards from their principals once the admit card is available to them through school login. Jharkhand Class 10 Board Exam 2020 Admit Card According to the official notification released by the Jharkhand Board Council, the JAC Class 10 admit card 2020 is released on the official website through school logins. School administrators need to download the hall ticket of class 10 board exam 2020 and handover the admit cards to the students accordingly. It is to note that the Jharkhand class 10 admit card is a mandatory document that students need to carry at the time of examination. The JAC Class 10 Admit Card 2020 will include personal and board exam related details. The same information will be used in board exam certificates and marksheets. Students must make sure to crosscheck and verify all the details mentioned in the class 10 admit card and inform the board in case of any discrepancy. The JAC Admit Card 2020 for class 10 board exam will comprise other important details such as exam centre address, roll number and exam timetable. Students appearing for the class 10 board exam need to follow the details mentioned on the admit card and go through the exam instructions carefully. The direct link to download the JAC Class 10 Secondary Exam 2020 Admit Card is given below: JAC Class 10 Secondary Exam 2020 Admit Card Direct Link 'Pakistan' has made its entry into the Delhi Assembly election discourse on Thursday with BJP candidate Kapil Mishra targeting anti-CAA protesters, claiming "small, small Pakistans" are being created in the national capital. Mishra, a rebel AAP MLA who will be contesting from Model Town seat, posted a series of tweets where he first said, ""India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8." When a Twitter user questioned whether equating an electoral contest as a battle between India and Pakistan is an insult to voters and electoral process in the country, Mishra referred to the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, which is led predominantly by women in the locality. "Pakistan has made its entry in Shaheen Bagh. Small, small Pakistans are being created in Delhi. The country's law is not accepted in Shaheen Bagh, Chand Bagh and Inderlok. Pakistani rioters have occupied the Delhi streets," Mishra, who had earlier accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of corruption, tweeted. Mishra, who came out of AAP after being removed as Minister, also said that the Twitter user may have compulsions to keep her silence when people holding tricolour are setting fire to buses and those who forcefully block roads, pelt stones at the police and throw petrol bombs. He also sought to suggest that the rioters were given Rs 5 lakh each to the rioters for creating trouble. Second-rung BJP leaders are drumming up the rhetoric over continuing protests in South-East Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, which had resulted in traffic problems in the area. The Shaheen Bagh protests have "inspired" similar protests in other cities too. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BJP spokespersons, several leaders have sought to corner the Opposition on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) saying they were playing into Pakistan's hands. During Jharkhand elections late last year, Modi had dared Congress to announce that they would be willing to give citizenship to Pakistanis. A 17-year-old girl accused of luring Lamar High School student Delindsey Mack to his death in 2018 could be charged as an adult, officials said. The teen, the third person linked to the slaying, was arrested last August but was not publicly identified because she has been charged as a juvenile. A day-long adult certification hearing held Thursday in the 313th District Court, briefly attended by Macks mother, Dahlia Mack, began to determine if a murder charge against the girl would proceed. The girl would, at times, turn to her father with red, puffy eyes and rest her head on his shoulder as they sat before the judge. The hearing was set to continue Friday after prosecutors and the girls lawyer, Terrance Windham, spent about seven hours questioning two Houston police detectives on the extent of her role in the gang-related shooting and whether she knew Mack would be killed. Both sides picked apart her social media, who she was dating and when. The girl shared a class with 17-year-old Mack on the morning of the shooting and was with him just before he was killed. Authorities believe she led two gunmen to his location, a secluded area about a block from the River Oaks-area school. She and another girl were walking with Mack to get food moments before the shooting, taking a direction away from where Mack was scheduled to be picked up by a relative. The girl charged with murder ran away as a vehicle approached the group, without warning the other teens to flee, police said. She ran before the bullets were flying, Detective Adam Bock testified. She was not visible in the surveillance footage that captured the shooting. Over the course of multiple interviews, the teen girl repeatedly attributed her quick departure to not wanting to be late for class. The other girl with Mack was grazed by the gunfire, officials said. During the hearing, Detective Travis Miller testified that the girl deleted from her phone several text messages between her and one of the suspected shooters, Kendrick Johnson, known to law enforcement as a member of Houstons 100 Percent Third Ward (103) gang. One of the messages, from Johnson, urged the girl to not discuss what we talked about, officials said. According to testimony, Johnson and the girl were believed to be together the night before Mack was killed. Their communications continued after Johnsons arrest for a traffic offense in December 2018 with phone calls from the Harris County Jail, prosecutors said. Johnson was charged in Macks death in March 2019 while in custody. An exchange of text messages between her and Mack were also found, sent in the two weeks before he was gunned down. The messages suggest the girl was flirting with him and that Mack had a crush on her, despite knowing that she may have had gang ties, according to prosecutors. On Nov. 8, Mack texted her to say, I got them for you, with prosecutors elaborating that he was talking about his feelings. That night, Mack said he was surprised that she was giving (him) the time of day. He was skeptical, surprised that she was being romantic with him, Bock said. A seconds-long video clip from the day of the shooting was shared in the courtroom showing Mack and the girl laughing in class. She touches him and giggles. If I end up dead, you'll know who did it, Mack states, laughing. Bock testified that the video is evidence of a boy who is conflicted and who knew what was coming. All the while, the girl was believed to be in an off-and-on relationship with another member of the 103 gang which has had a years-long deadly beef with the Young Scott Block. Their members are allied with the Freemoney gang, a group whose Macks family has said he falsely portrayed him to be a member of on social media postings. The girl told detectives she believed Mack to be evil but could not explain why, prosecutors said. The detectives were questioned on whether she manipulated Mack into earning his trust or was being used to do so. Miller testified that she could be considered a gang member under Houston Police Department guidelines but they had not yet documented her as such. Two juvenile probation officers who oversee her in custody testified that she can be manipulative at times with staff members and the other girls. The hearing was slated to continue Friday with additional testimony. Johnson and Daveon Thomas, accused of being the driver during the shooting, have been charged with murder in Macks death. The second shooter has not yet been apprehended but investigators believe the girl may know who he is. nicole.hensley@chron.com Before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan left for Berlin on Sunday, Turkeys pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) television networks broadcast lengthy excerpts from the opinion piece the Turkish leader wrote for Politico. It was called, The road to peace in Libya goes through Turkey. The title, alone, brought a bitter smirk to members of the Turkish opposition at home and Erdogans critics abroad for the simple reason that its author Erdogan has systematically worked to undermine any consensus between the Libyan factions because he knew that if they made peace he would no longer have a role to play in Libya. Western officials have been aware of this, too. In fact, a number of diplomatic sources have said, The longer the war in Libya drags on, the stronger a presence Turkey will have in Libya. This is why Erdogan had worked to derail efforts that might culminate in a European or UN brokered ceasefire or truce, which would throw a spanner into his expansionist plans in Libya. It is also why he has done everything he could to elbow other parties aside so that he could have the ultimate say on the Libyan crisis. As though to underscore the hollowness of his lip service to peace, the websites administered by the Turkish-backed jihadist forces in Syria heaped adulatory praises on him. He was the dove of peace who strews only flowers. Needless to say, Kurdish civilians along with other minorities and the Syrian Human Rights Observatory have another opinion on both Erdogan and the militias that adulate him and whose members in large numbers now serve as mercenaries in Libya under Erdogans Ottoman revivalist banner, furnishing tangible proof of his less than peaceful designs. These designs are motivated by an intense thirst for underwater fossil fuels. As Ankara faces looming EU sanctions because of its illegal drilling activities off the coast of Northern Cyprus, which is unrecognised by any other state but Turkey, Erdogan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) to delineate a maritime border where no shared waters exist. It was an action deliberately calculated to raise tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. These designs are also ideological and target, above all, Egypt and the UAE, both of which oppose the religious extremists that Ankara supports in Libya. Paris shares the concerns of Cairo and Abu Dhabi regarding the Islamist radicals that have allied with the GNA and has urged an UN-sponsored inquiry into their behaviour. In light of the foregoing, it came as no surprise to observers of developments this week in Berlin that Erdogan would dig in his heels against any calls or measures to disband the pro-GNA militias, or that might enable Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army (LNA) to play a role in the peace process and the future of the Libya. He wants Libya in his pocket and only the GNA and its militias will hand it to him on a platter. As the curtains closed Sunday on the events of the Berlin meetings on the Libyan crisis, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas hailed the conferences success in achieving its designated aims. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio called it a starting point towards a lasting ceasefire and an end to the weapons influx that had begun when Haftar launched his campaign against Tripoli nine months ago. Both Rome and Berlin oppose foreign military meddling in Libya and have made it clear that this includes Turkish military meddling above all. They will therefore expect Turkey to halt sending both Turkish troops and Turkish-backed jihadist militias from Syria into Libya to support the GNA and its militia allies. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pointed out, the Berlin resolutions to this effect will be forwarded to the UN Security Council that will adopt them and probably also call for the withdrawal of foreign forces (meaning Turkish troops and advisors) from Libya. Although Erdogan could probably have predicted this, it did not prevent him from urging Europe, ahead of the Berlin conference, to support his countrys actions in Libya. He also said that Turkey would stay in Libya until the legitimate government (meaning the GNA) is safe. Neither of these remarks elicited a significant response from Europe. As for his dismissal of Haftar as someone who cant be trusted, Germany quickly refuted that with the announcement, on the German Foreign Ministry Twitter account, that Haftar had renewed his commitment to the ceasefire between the LNA and the GNA forces after a meeting with Maas in Benghazi. Provocative remarks by Erdogans Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, also fell on deaf ears, as was the case with his charges that France, Egypt and the UAE were trying to sabotage peace efforts. Ahead of the talks, Erdogan tried to enlist Algeria and Tunisia into the service of his irredentist dreams. He failed in this endeavour as well, while Morocco made it clear that it was onto Erdogans evil intentions. As an Ahval editorial wrote on 19 January, If (GNA head Fayez) Al-Sarraj is able to exercise any power today in his country, it is thanks to the Skhirat political agreement which he violates every day at the command of Erdogan who has never forgiven Rabat for condemning Turkish intervention in Libya and thereby threatening his African project. Ankara sees Tripoli as the main gateway for its penetration into Africa, which is why it is determined to come to the rescue of the Islamist militias in the Libyan capital and to prevent the LNA from taking control of Tripoli. In view of developments in Berlin, where Erdogan was isolated among European leaders and probably only had Al-Sarraj for company in the Ritz Carlton, that ambition may be rapidly slipping out of the Turkish strongmans reach. Even in Libya, the situation took a nasty turn for him when tribal elders in eastern and southern Libya called for the closure of Libyan ports in protest against the GNAs use of oil revenues to bring in mercenaries and Turkish colonisers. Meanwhile, back in Ankara, Erdogan must be girding himself for the impending visit of German Chancellor Merkel on Friday, 24 January. A number of thorny subjects will be on the table, not least Turkeys military presence in western Libya. Perhaps she will tell Erdogan that the time has come to translate the substance of the Berlin conference into action in the form of an honourable Turkish exit from Libya. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. MEDIA COURTHOUSE A former Delaware County Children and Youth Services case worker has been charged with human trafficking and other offenses after soliciting one of her clients to join a prostitution ring in the Philadelphia area, according to a release from Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. It is truly horrible, and beyond imagination, that someone who is responsible for (ensuring) the welfare of children would pressure their mother into acts of prostitution for her own personal enrichment, and with the promise of a favorable custody recommendation, as this defendant is charged with doing, said Stollsteimer. Candace Talley, 27, of Sicklerville, N.J., is charged with felony offenses of corrupt organizations, trafficking individuals and promoting prostitution, as well as misdemeanor offenses of official oppression and coerce/threaten of official act. According to an affidavit of probable cause written by Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Detective Mark Bucci, Talley approached the 27-year-old victim in May 2017 and offered her an opportunity to make $1,000 per day while helping to get her children out of foster care. Talley knew the woman had been involved in prostitution and drug use in the past because she was able to access various government records and reports, according to the affidavit. Talley came to the victims home in May 2017 to discuss her children, the affidavit says. At that meeting, Talley allegedly explained that she was involved in a prostitution enterprise involving approximately 2,000 customers. Talley explained that she assists the business by enlisting women to work as prostitutes and driving them to and from jobs, according to the affidavit. (The victim) said Ms. Talley told her she could help her with her childrens situation, implying she could assist having her children removed from foster care, according to the affidavit. Talley also allegedly told the woman she would only drug test her when she knew that she was clean and that Talley would switch the sample if she did test hot. Seeing an opportunity to make money and get her kids back, the victim agreed to work with Talleys associates, according to the affidavit. Talley allegedly indicated she would get in touch with her friend who runs the business for the pimp and have the friend text the victim. The woman met with Bucci and CID Sgt. Robin Clark in June 2017, according to the affidavit. The investigators reviewed texts the victim received indicating the pimp would keep 50 percent of their earnings and that Talley would take half of whatever was left as her cut. Talley was taken into custody Thursday and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Phillip S. Turner Jr., who set bail at $25,000 unsecured with electronic home monitoring. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10 before Turner. Assistant District Attorney Christopher Boggs, chief of the Special Victims Unit, is prosecuting. Talley is represented by New Jersey attorney Terrell Ammeir Ratliff, according to online court records. Ratliff could not be reached late Thursday for comment. Sweet home, Chicago! Chicago Defender: The men and women, some ex-felons, have turned to Tio "Mr. Ceasefire" Hardiman, executive director of Violence Interrupters, to assist them in their quest to secure permits, just like food vendors, to distribute and sell marijuana legally in their neighborhoods. For those who have felonies from illegal drug sales, they are requesting that Governor J.B. Pritzker clears the road for amnesty as soon as possible. Hardiman and those seeking permits and amnesty will hold a rally and press conference outside The Herbal Care Center, 1301 S. Western Ave., on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, at 10:30 AM, calling on Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to assist them in getting permits. "Everyone is promising to direct profits from the sale of marijuana into the communities that have been most impacted by the sale of illegal drugs," Hardiman said. "Well, these unemployed men and women are saying they can't wait until that happens. And to be frank, they don't believe it will happen. History shows those promises are never kept. The licensed cannabis businesses are already making millions of dollars from sales since January 1, and those citizens with the most experience in the industry are still in the streets unemployed." New Zealands Green Party purports to have a pacifist foreign policy. Its founding charter lists non-violent conflict resolution as one of four guiding principles. Following the recent US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, an act of war, Green MP Golriz Ghahraman called for NZ troops to be withdrawn from Iraq, where they are supporting the illegal US imperialist occupation. Such statements are thoroughly hypocritical. Like its sister parties in Australia, Germany and elsewhere, the NZ Greens fully embraces imperialism. Last year the Greens endorsed Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns decision to extend the troop deployment to Iraq to June 2020. The party has also supported NZs military presence in Afghanistan, falsely describing it as a peacekeeping mission. It has also refused to defend WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is being persecuted for revealing US war crimes. As part of Aderns Labour-led coalition government, which includes the anti-immigrant NZ First, the Greens are playing a significant role in one of New Zealands biggest military build-ups since World War II. As the US military has encircled and staged provocations against Chinaviewed as the main obstacle to Washingtons global hegemonythe Labour-Greens-NZ First government strengthened its alliance with the US and is actively preparing to join new wars. Supported by the opposition National Party, the governments 2019 Defence Capability Plan is committed to spend $20 billion by 2030 to upgrade the navy and airforce and expand the army from 4,500 to 6,000 soldiers. This is at the expense of social programs, including severely overcrowded and understaffed hospitals and schools, which are being starved of funds. This, the Defence Capability Plan claims, will enable more effective joint operations with allies and partners, particularly the US, Australia and the UK, and strengthen NZs ability to deploy forces throughout the Pacific region, which Wellington considers its neo-colonial backyard. Green Party co-leader James Shaw, in his role as Minister for Climate Change, is playing a key role in making the humanitarian case for the military build-up. In December 2019, he and Defence Minister Ron Mark, a member of NZ First, jointly released the Defence Force document Responding to the Climate Crisis: An Implementation Plan (RCC). Significantly, the RCC endorsed the 2019 Capability Plan, which the Greens initially claimed to oppose when it was released last June. Ghahraman told Radio NZ in June that her party disagreed with replacing five Air Force Hercules planes with newer models at a cost of $1 billion and enlarging the army, declaring: Investing in more and more war has not kept anyone safe. These anti-war statements were completely hollow. The Greens-backed RCC states that planned enhancements to sealift and airlift capabilities, as well as the increase in the size of the New Zealand Army to 6,000 personnel are needed to address climate-related issues. Shaw told the media such measures would enhance disaster-relief efforts, saying: Some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change are also the least well equipped to respond to its worsening impacts. New Zealand needs to be ready to play its part by ensuring humanitarian support is available when its needed. In fact, notwithstanding its token references to humanitarianism, the RCC emphasises the need to prepare for the security impacts of climate change, including both low-level and more violent conflict over resources and land, particularly in Pacific island countries. What this means in practice can be seen in the biennial Southern Katipo military exercises, in which New Zealand troops train to invade a Pacific island nation and suppress resistance. The 19992008 Labour Party government, backed by the Greens, joined Australian-led interventions in East Timor and the Solomon Islands, and sent troops to Tonga following riots in 2006. Such exercises are also preparing soldiers to suppress New Zealands working class which, as in every other country, is moving to the left and carrying out increasing strikes and protests against social inequality. Absurdly, Shaw and Mark claim the expanded military will reduce its carbon emissions, thanks to better technology. This is despite the RCC advocating increased maritime patrols and aerial surveillance in New Zealands vast exclusive economic zone, waters surrounding Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands (semi-colonies of New Zealand) and international waters from the South Pole to the Equator. The document warns that maritime impacts of climate change could see increased fishing in these areas and conflicts resulting from resource competition. In 2015, NZ First, then in opposition, demanded military action in international waters near Antarctica against foreign fishing vessels encroaching on areas fished by New Zealand companies. Ron Mark denounced the then-National Party governments approach as pacifist, declaring that if fishing vessels refused to be boarded by the NZ Navy then we must be prepared to use force. The arch-militarist NZ First gained significant power after the 2017 election, when it decided to form a coalition government with Labour and the Greens instead of National. Mark became defence minister, while party leader Winston Peters was made foreign minister and deputy prime minister. The Greens embraced NZ First despite its support for war and its anti-immigrant, anti-Chinese propaganda, which is echoed by Labour and the trade unions. Shaw told Newshub he was absolutely delighted with the coalition and really looking forward to building a constructive relationship with [Peters], who he praised as diligent [and] very professional. The government quickly strengthened military ties with Washington. In 2018, for the first time, a Strategic Defence Policy Statement echoed the US by naming Russia and China as the main threats to the world. Peters has repeatedly called on the US to join New Zealand in boosting its military presence in the Pacific to push back against Chinas economic influence in the region. Pseudo-left groups, including Peace Action, the International Socialist Organisation and Socialist Aotearoa, have for years falsely promoted the Greens as a left alternative, in order to tie working people and youth to the political establishment. They have remained silent on the Greens support for record levels of military spending. The trade union-backed Daily Blog echoed the Greens on January 20, stating that our military will rapidly become our first response to [climate crises]. It demanded a dramatic increase in military spending to turn NZ into a fortress against immigrants. The upper-middle class layers these groups represent have no real objections to NZ imperialism and its alliances with the US and other countries, which, in the final analysis, is the source of their privileges and wealth. A new anti-war movement must urgently be built, but this can only be done in a political struggle against the Labour government, including the Greens and its nationalist, pseudo-left apologists. Such a movement must be based on a socialist and internationalist perspective, aimed at uniting workers throughout the world to abolish the source of war: the capitalist system and the reactionary division of the world into competing nation states. The author also recommends: New Zealand military to expand Pacific presence [8 November 2019] New Zealand Greens celebrate US warship visit [28 July 2016] New Zealand Greens: A party of big business and militarism [11 September 2014] The population of monarch butterflies overwintering in California remains at critically low levels for a second straight year, an environmental group announced Thursday. In its annual survey, the Xerces Society's count of the orange-and-black insects was at about 29,000 butterflies. Thats not much different than last years tally, when an all-time low of about 27,000 monarchs were counted. (Although this is 2,000 more than last year, it comes as a result of greater survey effort, with volunteers visiting more sites.) By comparison, about 4.5 million monarch butterflies wintered in forested groves along the California coast in the 1980s. We had hoped that the western monarch population would have rebounded at least modestly, but unfortunately it has not, said Emma Pelton, the Xerces Societys western monarch lead. The Xerces Society is a nonprofit environmental organization that focuses on the conservation of invertebrate animals. This Aug. 19, 2015, file photo, shows a monarch butterfly in Vista, Calif. The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California's coast remained critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, showed. For decades, monarchs in the West have been in decline because of loss of habitat, including destruction of their California overwintering sites and loss of both milkweed for caterpillars and flowering resources to fuel migration, the Xerces Society said. The insects are also impacted by climate change and pesticide use. Pelton said people can help by planting early-blooming flowers and milkweed to fuel migrating monarchs on their paths to other states. The Xerces Society is also working with the state of California to protect the butterflies wintering sites and develop new sites in state parks. A separate population of monarchs overwinters in Mexico and flies back up to the central and eastern U.S. and Canada each year. Mexican officials said last year the butterfly population wintering there was rebounding but they have not yet released this years count. The monarch is now also under government consideration for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The decision on whether the butterfly will be listed as threatened is expected by December. Story continues Without immediate action I fear we will lose these animals from the western landscape, said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society. With them, California will also lose out on tourism in places like Pacific Grove and, across the West, we will lose the ability for our children to experience the majesty of the monarch migration." Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monarch butterfly population at critically low levels in California BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Huseyn Safarov Trend: The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos is, above all, a venue where people talk about those economic and technological ideas that will become trends in the world in 10, 20 years, Ukrainian economist Alexander Okhrimenko told Trend. It is necessary to understand and respond in time to the changes in the globalized world, the expert said. The participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in WEF is a good chance to reiterate the countrys political position in the South Caucasus and that the Azerbaijani authorities think about the ongoing events in the Middle East and in the world, Okhrimenko added. Moreover, all these events, one way or another, are related to oil, Okhrimenko said. It is very important for Azerbaijan as an oil-producing country to understand how the world oil prices may change due to the recent events around Iran and Iraq, situation in Syria and especially in Libya in the future. The most successful and wealthy owners or heads of the worlds biggest companies come to Davos very often to talk about money and establish the necessary relations, the expert said. It is important for Azerbaijan to know not only about the possible dynamics of oil prices, but also to understand the future of the oil production and oil refining market, the expert said. Too many factors affect all these events, the expert said. WEF is designed to show what the world leaders such as the US, Germany, France and China think about the Iranian problem and the war in Libya. The future situation in the world oil market depends on it. " But it is much more important for Baku to negotiate with big international investors and to attract them to participate in their promising investment projects, Okhrimenko said. "Azerbaijan has oil reserves but it is important not only to sell it as crude oil but it is necessary to think about the establishment of an international consortium that would create a chain for oil production in Azerbaijan, its refining and sale in Europe in the form of oil products, the expert said. It would be logical to build several joint oil refineries to sell oil products in the EU, rather than just crude oil. This would be beneficial for Azerbaijan and European companies, Okhrimenko said. For this purpose, it would be possible to attract investors from various countries so that it would be profitable for them to invest money in the Azerbaijani oil business. WEF is just the place where it is possible to meet big foreign investors who will find it profitable and interesting." WEF may be of interest to Azerbaijan in terms of learning new ideas and new world trends, the expert said. "This will contribute to the development of the non-oil sector of the Azerbaijani economy, the expert said. Moreover, the territorial location allows Azerbaijan to become a bridge between Europe and Asia. Azerbaijans economic potential can be used more efficiently through using new global trends in the field of economy and technologies." SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sojern , a leading provider of digital marketing solutions for travel, today published the second edition of its report, The Future of Travel Advertising: 2020 State of the Industry Report . The research, which was fielded and hosted by Dynata , surveyed more than 1,100 global travel marketers across 26 countries who shared key challenges marketers face, how they overcame them, and their strategies for the coming year. In its second edition, the 2020 report highlights the impact of emerging trends and technologies on the future of travel advertising and covers a cross-section of topics including budget allocation, investments in digital video and personalization, technology adoption, media channel effectiveness, and what the future looks like for travel marketers. "Our teams at Sojern pore over travel marketing minutiae daily so we can see the latest best practices and constantly evolve our recommendations. Marketing is changing quickly and our customers around the globe always ask us, 'What should we be doing to stay ahead of our competitors? How do we improve our results?' This report is intended to help answer those questions by providing benchmarking data and key learnings from across the industry," said Jackie Lamping, Sojern Vice President of Marketing. Key findings of travel marketers surveyed include: An Always-On Approach is Smart Marketing Today's travel marketers are adjusting their strategies to reach always-on, always-searching travelersfinding new ways to activate the data available to present the most relevant offer at the right time. Almost half (47%) of travel marketers maintain a continuous digital presence, in order to capture the always searching and booking traveler. The top benefit of an always-on marketing strategy is the ability to continuously test, learn, and more accurately optimize their digital marketing (43%). It is fundamental to developing a data-driven approach because marketers won't miss a moment (39%) and can see an ongoing view of performance (39%). CTV Connects Marketers with Travelers More than one-third of travel marketers (38%) plan on investing in CTV in 2020. 36% plan to invest more on CTV in the next five years. The motivation to shift budget to CTV is largely influenced because marketers can target viewers across multiple streaming devices, apps, or channels (56%). Bringing Programmatic In-House With growing privacy concerns and new regulations, 48% of large advertisers (those with an annual budget of $1 million or more) are looking to bring programmatic in-house and 34% already have in-house capabilities. This is a direct result of marketers wanting more control over their data (51%), improved ROI (46%), and the ability to react to campaign insights faster (44%). However, securing the necessary buy-in and budget, becoming experts in the data, and hiring the right talent all remains a challenge. To explore the findings in more detail, download the full report The Future of Travel Advertising: 2020 State of the Industry Report . About Sojern Sojern 's digital marketing solutions for travel are built on more than a decade of expertise analyzing the complete traveler path to purchase. The company drives travelers from dream to destination by activating multi-channel branding and performance solutions on the Sojern Traveler Platform for more than 10,000 customers around the world. Recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company six years in a row, Sojern is headquartered in San Francisco, with 600 employees based in Berlin, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, New York, Omaha, Paris, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Sydney. SOURCE Sojern Related Links http://www.sojern.com Prince Harry is set to become 'the bloke in the corner who used to be in the Royal Family' at parties, a royal expert has claimed. Stephen Bates, author of Royalty Inc: Britain's Best-Known Brand, said his and wife Meghan's 'celebrity' status and 'brand Sussex' will only carry them so far in the future. Speaking to The Guardian, Bates said the couple will still be answerable to the Royal Family and unable to profit from their affiliation to it. 'Their association, via their name, is chiefly what they have,' he told the publication, for which he was the royal correspondent from 2000 until 2012. Earlier this month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit as senior members of The Firm and vowed to become 'financially independent' 'All this stuff about huge marketing opportunities, and people talking up "their brand" and how much it will earn them Obviously their celebrity will carry them so far but in a year or two's time, what are they going to do?' Earlier this month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit as senior members of The Firm and vowed to become 'financially independent', with rumours they want to model themselves on the Obamas, who have signed a deal with Netflix. Sources have claimed Meghan and Harry hope to make a fortune with their own film and television production company, providing voiceovers and producing documentaries on 'worthy' issues such as mental health and climate change. Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday that the streaming giant would like to work with Harry and Meghan, adding: 'Who wouldnt be interested? Yes, sure.' Bates claimed Harry and Meghan will struggle to follow in the footsteps of the Obamas, who earned a small fortune by selling rights to their autobiographies and setting up their production company, when it comes to securing such lucrative deals Meghan has already signed a voiceover deal with Disney in return for a donation to an elephant charity. Last week video footage emerged of Harry highlighting his wife's talents to Disney chief executive Robert Iger during the European premiere of The Lion King in July. Harry has already collaborated on an Apple TV series on mental health with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who is also a friend. But Bates claimed Harry and Meghan will struggle to follow in the footsteps of the Obamas, who earned a small fortune by selling rights to their autobiographies and setting up their production company, when it comes to securing such lucrative deals. 'Obama wasn't a hereditary president or worse, a hereditary president's younger brother,' he said, drawing on Prince Edward's TV production company which provoked ire within the Royal Family in the Nineties. The couple plan to continue marketing themselves under the Sussex Royal brand for the time being 'I can see a lot of parties with Harry standing in the corner and people saying, "There's the bloke who used to be in the royal family".' Referring to rudderless royals who surround themselves with wealthy celebrity friends, he added: 'Prince Andrew is an awful warning in this, because he lost his purpose in life.' The couple plan to continue marketing themselves under the Sussex Royal brand for the time being, even though they have agreed not to use their HRH titles in the future, it is understood. The couple boast 11 million followers on Instagram, with their post revealing their decision to step back as senior members of the Royal Family garnering 1.8million likes. Meghan, pictured in 2016 in Toronto, was arguably an Instagram influencer before she met Harry, thanks to her lifestyle blog The Tig So could they realistically make a living as Instagram influencers - something Meghan arguably was before she met Harry, thanks to her lifestyle blog The Tig? Sara Flanagan, who founded the 'digital talent' books at global modelling agency IMG in Sydney, said Harry and Meghan could 'absolutely clean up' in the short-term, doing single posts 'for sums in the hundreds of thousands'. But, she added, it would be 'very foolish of them, and very short-term'. 'What will be new is these hurdles they're going to have to get over as far as being royal, and not being seen to cheapen the royal brand,' she told The Guardian. Yesterday broadcaster Andrew Castle predicted on This Morning that Meghan will have 'wellness range' in two years, while Harry will start his own line of 'Sussex Royal underpants'. But friends say the couple will be 'forever grateful' to the Queen for thinking 'outside the box' and have promised they will not bring the royals into disrepute through any 'dodgy deals'. The duke and duchess have been allowed to keep Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor home, but agreed to pay back public funds used to refurbish it. The couple will, however, continue with their personal patronages, such as The Queens Commonwealth Trust and WellChild. It is understood that Charles will continue to fund his son for the first year at least, either via the Duchy of Cornwall, the estate which provides him with private funding, or more likely from his own personal investments from income such as his bequest from the late Queen Mother. No public funds will be used. The mortal remains of five of the eight tourists from Kerala who died of possible asphyxiation in their room at a mountainous resort in Nepal were flown here late Thursday night. The bodies of Dubai-based engineer Praveen, his wife Sarnaya and their three children, aged between 4 and 9 years, were first brought to New Delhi from Kathmandu and then airlifted to Thiruvananthapuram. The bodies would be kept at the Trivandrum Medical College hospital mortuary tonight and will be taken to Praveen's home at Chenkottukonam on the Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram border on Friday for the funeral. Kerala Health Minister K K Shylaja visited the parents of Praveen Krishnan Nair and Prasannakumari, who were inconsolable. The students and teachers of the Kochi school where the 3 children Sree Bhadra (9), Aarcha (7) and Abhinav (4) were studying, paid floral tributes at the framed photographs of their schoolmates after the assembly on Thursday morning. The bodies of Ranjit, his wife Indu and son are expected to reach Delhi tonight and then airlifted to Kozhikode on Friday morning. Their six-year-old son Madhav, who was sleeping in another room, and had a lucky escape, reached his home at Kozhikode this morning. Relatives said the child has not been informed about the tragedy. The deceased were among a group of 15 tourists from Kerala who had checked into a resort in Daman, a popular tourist spot in Makawanpur district, some 70 km south of Kathmandu. Praveen and Ranjit, both IT professionals, were engineering college classmates and the tour was arranged after a get-together with old friends in Delhi, a family member said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On Saturday night, 1917 won the Producers Guilds equivalent of the Academy Award for Best Picture, finally establishing its placeafter a rise that has also seen the movie earn 10 Oscar nominations and wins at the Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Dramaas this years Oscar front-runner. Accepting the award, producer Pippa Harris said, In these times of division and conflict around the world, I really hope [1917] is just a reminder to never take for granted the peace that we all inherited. Advertisement To which I say: How, exactly, do you figure? Writer-director Sam Mendes movie draws from a centurys worth of popular culture that has correctly represented World War I as an ill-begotten, bloody slog, then turns that material into set dressing for a simple story thats really about a reluctant hero who overcomes a series of obstacles to save the day. Lensed by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins and staged to appear as one nearly unbroken take, the movie is a technical marvel, but all its style is in the service of making thrilling and beautiful a war that was anything but. It draws exactly the wrong lessons from World War I, transforming a travesty that squandered the lives of more than 20 million men into the backdrop for the triumph of one of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The movieabout two British soldiers ordered to cross enemy territory to warn a colonel that hes about to lead hundreds of troops, including the brother of one of our two protagonists, into a trapfeatures many familiar touchstones, especially for those who remember their Remarque and Sassoon. Theres the cynicism of the soldier: Lance Cpl. Schofield (George MacKay) seems to have done something heroic at the Somme but doesnt wear the medal he got for it. Schofield tells his friend Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), also a lance corporal: Look, its just a bit of bloody tin! It doesnt make you special. It doesnt make any difference to anyone. Theres shell shock: When Schofield is trying to move through a trench thats being bombarded, he comes upon a captain whos in full panic mode, screaming too loud to speak. And there are even one or two moments of surreal gallows humor. Stumbling through no mans land, Schofield accidentally sinks his whole forearmincluding a hand we just saw him rip open on barbed wireinto a dead Germans torso. Advertisement The movie is a technical marvel, but all its style is in the service of making thrilling and beautiful a war that was anything but. That grim joke, worthy of an Otto Dix painting, happened early on in the film. I looked for a lot more of thatand was left wanting. Mostly, the story is about Schofield reaching inside himself to find his own courage. From the beginning of this quest, when Blake insists on setting off during the day to get to his brother sooner instead of waiting for cover of night, the younger and more impetuous Blakea classic early-20th-century British Boy Scout, filled to the brim with belief in the system that birthed himlends Schofield his bravery. When an exploded booby trap left in an abandoned German trench leaves the two at risk of being buried underground, Blake carries the injured Schofield along and saves his life. Blake even dies in a perfectly upstanding way, trying to save a downed German pilot, who stabs him for his troubles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although there are moments where the movie hints that war might have revealed qualities in some meneven British men!that were not wholly positive, in the end the story confirms and reconfirms the inherent goodness of the British military. A group of fellow soldiers thats picked Schofield up is initially slow to help him push the soldiers truck out of the mud, but soon they come together to help him surmount this latest difficulty. When they drop him off outside the village of Ecoust, Capt. Smith (Mark Strong), who has helped Schofield on his way, gives him a warning: If you do manage to get to Col. MacKenzie, make sure that there are witnesses. They are direct orders, Sir, Schofield points out. Smith replies: I know. But some men just want the fight. Never fear! Even this bit of foreshadowinga hint at a darker sidewill come to naught. Advertisement Gradually, Schofield acquires his dead friends gallantry. In a cellar in Ecoust, where Schofield encounters a French woman hiding with a baby she has saved, Schofield recites a bit of Edward Lears 1871 poem The Jumblies to soothe the child: They went to sea in a Sieve, they did,/ In a sieve, they went to sea:/ In spite of all their friends could say,/ On a winters morn, on a stormy day,/ In a Sieve they went to sea! This inclusion of this poem may at first appear to be about the folly of Blake and Schofields mission. Surely, like the sailors in the story, they are doomed. But, in an ending as improbable as 1917s, the full poem culminates in success for the band of believing fools. The moment is about the power of Blakes faith in their missiona faith so strong that it carries Schofield past his own reluctance and, eventually, to a result thats nothing short of miraculous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The climaxthe moment that reveals Schofield as the true heir to Blakes valor and confirms the movies conviction that heroism is possible even in a big mess of a waris the movies most ridiculous scene. Unarmed and protected only by plot armor, Schofield runs across an open battlefield, dodging bombs, bullets, and his fellow British soldiers as they go over the top. When he reaches MacKenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) and tries to deliver the generals new orders, the perfectly turned-out officer is momentarily irritated. I thought for a minute, Oh my God, what if he really wont do it? That might have been an ending true to this conflict, but 1917 is not that movie. MacKenzie calls his soldiers back. Well done, lad, a major who has observed the scene tells Schofield. Advertisement The fact that Schofield didnt stop the entire tragedy from unfoldingonly a portion of itfeels almost beside the point. He did it! As Noah Berlatsky wrote for Slate in 2017 when Christopher Nolans Dunkirk came out, that movie, while not wholly anti-war, was exceptional in its depiction of a failure: the evacuation of British troops from territory they had hoped to hold. For all its gunfire and heavy artillery, Berlatsky wrote, Dunkirk shows that war can also mean impotence. 1917 offers a fantasy along opposite lines: that a war, even a senseless one, offers men camaraderie far beyond whats available to civiliansalong with the chance to make a real difference. It offers a fantasy that even a senseless war offers men camaraderie far beyond whats available to civiliansalong with the chance to make a real difference. Some of the best evidence supporting Francois Truffauts famous observation that Every film about war ends up being pro-war is the way U.S. troops a generation removed from the Vietnam War have repurposed Ride of the Valkyries, the Wagner theme that soundtracks a massacre in Apocalypse Now, as pump-up music. In a scene from the 2005 Persian Gulf War movie Jarhead, based on a memoir by Anthony Swofford, Marines watch the Ride of the Valkyries scene, singing along raucously, cheering for the helicopters that attack a Vietnamese village from the air. It was Sam Mendes who directed Jarheada fact that confuses me. Maybe 1917s story, which Mendes based on an account his grandfather told him about his own service in the war, was just too close to his heart for him to keep the kind of critical distance he would have needed to prevent this war story from turning into a grand old adventure. Advertisement Advertisement Swofford has more recently written about the way that the boot-camp scenes in Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubricks brutal, nihilistic Vietnam movie, thrilled him and made him want to join the military. This dark vision of the making of soldiers out of boys seemed beautiful and profane and dangerous, Swofford recalled. It was funny and effective in the darkest parts of me. Its funny and effective in the darkest parts of us all. 1917 wants to pay tribute to the best in us, but it also speaks to the parts of us that want to see a hero emerge from a pointless war, thereby giving that war a point. The films legacy may be the same as that of those seafarers in The Jumblies. At the end of Lears nonsense poem, the sailors return safely home, grown tall and bursting with stories, and are welcomed with a feast. The onlookers, inspired, draw the all-too-obvious conclusion: We too will go to sea in a Sieve. Description GIS - 23 January, 2020: A series of activities in the context of the Commemoration of the185th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery in Mauritius , observed on 01 February each year, were announced by the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, this afternoon at a press conference in Port Louis. The Chief Guest, on this occasion, will be the Minister of Culture and Communication of the Republic of Senegal, Mr Abdoolaye Diop. A series of activities in the context of the Commemoration of the185 Minister Teeluck stated that the 185th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery will be celebrated in a new dimension by showcasing the lives, hardships, sufferings and resistance experienced by the maroons through different activities and programmes. The theme retained for this year is Lesclavaz, Maronaz, Kiltirel, Kreolizasyon so as to valorize the contribution of the slaves in the socio-economic development of the country. The maroons, he said, have marked history with their imprints and have left a legacy for future generations to cherish. The Minister expressed gratitude to the various stakeholders namely Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund, Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture and the Creole Speaking Union, who have joined hands to make the event a success. Calendar of Activities The Official Programm e will comprise a wreath-laying ceremony which will be held at the International Slave Route Monument, inauguration of the Open Air Museum at Trou Chenille by the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, followed by a cultural show will be organised at Le Morne. Celebrations around the theme will be held at the village of Point Canon on the 31 January whereby the lives of maroons will be depicted to the public through paintings, demonstrations, and exhibitions. Subscribe to The Choice on your favorite listening app: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Pocket Casts | Stitcher Today on The Choice, the endorsement podcast from NYT Opinion, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warrens visit to the Times boardroom for her endorsement interview. The editorial board pressed her on how shell get her ambitious plans past Mitch McConnells Senate, why union workers cant keep their much-beloved health care, and using trade regulation to encourage the world toward a greener future. Plus: unicorns, billionaire tears and thank Frances Perkins. Then, tune in to the bonus deliberation episode below to hear the boards reaction to Warrens interview, the unfortunate polling behind voters excitement to vote for women (just not these women), and how Warren truly has a plan for everything. Also, a deeper conversation with Binyamin Appelbaum over how Warrens economic proposals compare to those of the broader Democratic field, the support or lack thereof for her Medicare for all plan, and the answer that made her sound a lot like Donald Trump. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Yangon, Myanmar Thu, January 23, 2020 08:06 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206096d05 2 SE Asia Myanmar,human-rights,LGBT,law,elections Free LGBT activists in Myanmar campaigning to decriminalize same-sex relations are urging thousands of people to paint their little finger pink as they try to highlight the issue ahead of elections later this year. Although space is opening up for the LGBT community in the conservative country, same-sex relations are still illegal, a legacy of former colonial power Britain. At the "pink pinky" campaign launch on Wednesday held ahead of a Pride party in Yangon this weekend expected to attract more than 10,000 people rights groups called for the ban to be repealed and for an anti-discrimination law to be enacted. Fronting the movement is Myanmar's Miss Universe contestant, who came out publicly as lesbian late last year the first to do so in the event's history. "We need legal protection, we need legal recognition and we need legal reform," Hla Myat Tun, deputy director of the group Colors Rainbow, told AFP. This year's Pride is the country's sixth edition and biggest so far, spanning three weekends and multiple locations across the commercial hub, with organizers calling for attendees to show support with their hands. The country is likely to hold elections in November and activists have been working closely with counterparts in India, where the country's highest court revoked a similar law in 2018. Hla Myat Tun said the victory had huge ramifications for Myanmar too. "What are the lessons, what things can we learn, what things can we apply here?" Miss Universe beauty queen Swe Zin Htet will on Saturday receive the Pride's "Hero" award for an outstanding contribution to the LGBT cause. The 21-year-old said coming out was not easy but it was the right decision, and "so many people" had offered her support. A prominent suicide of a gay man last year blamed on workplace bullying cast a spotlight on the long-marginalized community in Myanmar. Showman Nick Kyrgios admitted Thursday he was on the verge of going "to a very dark place", but he put his head down to pull off a confidence-boosting win over Frenchman Gilles Simon at the Australian Open. The 24-year-old had the measure of the veteran early on then lost concentration and became agitated before refocusing to win 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on his favoured Melbourne Arena. It set up a third-round clash with Russian 16th seed Karen Khachanov who beat Sweden's Mikael Ymer in five sets, with the winner on course to meet world number one Rafael Nadal in round four. "I definitely lost my way a little bit... but I decided to refocus," Kyrgios said of his mini-meltdown in the third set. "I could have gone to a very dark place in the fourth set. "I put my head down, I told myself, 'Just cut the bullshit and just get to work'. I got the break at 5-all. It was a good feeling to get through that." And in a sign of a new-found maturity, he apologised to his player box after admonishing them when he was under pressure in the third set. "I apologised as soon as I went back into the locker room. They don't deserve that," he said. "They do a lot of things for me on and off the court. No, it's not acceptable from me. Nothing to do with them." - Rocket serve - Kyrgios has spoken of how the bushfire crisis in his homeland has given him perspective and focus, and that he felt he was playing for the nation rather than just himself. And with the roars of the crowd ringing in his ears, he broke the Frenchman in the first game and consolidated by holding serve. Kyrgios looked sharp and broke again for 5-2 then served out the set, sending down five aces and, crucially, making only two unforced errors. Simon was struggling with his serve and the Australian broke again for a 1-0 lead in the second set, making some big shots when it counted. It went with serve before Kyrgios, watched again by his ATP Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, won the set with another rocket serve. He broke Simon again early in the third set, letting out a huge "C'mon!" But the Frenchman broke back as Kyrgios started to lose concentration in game eight, berating himself and gesturing to his box as frustrations kicked in. He lost the set as his focus drifted and he yelled at his box: "Of all the things you could say, 'Stay tough'. Thanks man, thanks. That's what I get, every break point, 'Stay tough'. Wow." But the Australian conquered his mental demons to regroup, getting a crucial break to go 6-5 up in the fourth and completing victory with a big ace, his 28th of the match. "I feel good physically. That's probably the positive I take out of today," said Kyrgios. "Long rallies, long match... I feel fine at the moment." Australia's Nick Kyrgios is into the third round at the Australian Open The assessment does not cover the uncontrolled territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions Open source The population of Ukraine in the controlled territories is 37 million 289 thousand people. This was stated by the Minister of the Cabinet, Dmytro Dubilet, at a press conference, which was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV Channel. "Ukraine's population amounts to 37 million 289 thousand people," Dubilet said. It is worth noting that the data on the population is as of December 1, 2019. The assessment does not cover the uncontrolled territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The deviation of the determined size of the existing population does not exceed 2.86%. As we reported earlier, at the end of 2019, Ministry of Finance found that Ukraine had received 2,1 billion dollars less to the state budget than it had been expected. The corresponding data was provided by the macroeconomic survey of December 2019. According to the analysis of macroeconomic indicators for the period from January to November 2019, the total budget revenues amounted to 34 billion dollars, which is 93.9% of the planned indicator. The Finance Ministry recalled that it had been planned to raise 36,2 billion dollars. BATTLE CREEK, MI -- Police issued an endangered advisory for two siblings through to be with parents who are not following court orders. The advisory is for Karley Dunkelberger, 9, and Bentley Dunkelberger, 7. Police said they are likely with their parents, Dennis and Rebecca Dunkelberger and could be in a black 2013 Kia Sorento with Michigan plate of 4LUZ90. Bentley is described as 38 and 46 pounds, with curly brown hair. He wears glasses and speaks with a stutter. Karley is described as 310 and 61 pounds with long blonde curly hair. She has a level of autism. They were last seen in the 700 block of Bruce Avenue in Battle Creek. State police said the parents have a history of violent tendencies when together and both have histories involving drug use. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call Battle Creek police at 269-781-0911 In this undated photo released from the Rural Fire Service, a C-130 Hercules plane called "Thor" drops water during a flight in Australia. Officials in Australia on Jan. 23, 2020, searched for a water tanker plane feared to have crashed while fighting wildfires. (RFS via AP) 3 US Firefighters Killed as Aircraft Crashes in Australia A Canadian aircraft used to battle bush fires in Australia crashed in southern New South Wales on Thursday, killing three firefighters from the United States. Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia wrote on Twitter: Deeply saddened to learn of the death of three people in the crash of a C130 fire fighting aircraft, northeast of Cooma in NSW earlier today. My deepest condolences to the loved ones, friends, and colleagues of those who have lost their lives. Such a terrible tragedy. Belinda Greene, a receptionist at the Bredbo Inn Hotel near the crash site, said she heard police cars early in the afternoon. We saw a lot of smoke all of a sudden a couple of hours ago, she told Reuters. The Rural Fire Service said the aircraft was in routine water-bombing activities at the time of the crash. According to the flight data from flight-tracking website Flighttradar24, the aircraft departed the Richmond air force base in Sydney at 12:15 p.m. and dropped off the radar after 2 p.m. in Peak View, south of the capital Canberra. Peak View is a region close to the burning blaze in the Wadbilliga National Park. Such air tankers usually carry 15,000 liters of water or fire retardant to help put out fires, the National Post reported. Tragically, there appear to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area, NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told the ABC. [The aircraft] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground, Fitzsimmons said. Our thoughts and prayers and heartfelt condolences go to their families, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Thursday. Today again demonstrates the fire season is far from over. According to the National Post, authorities have closed the airport in Canberra due to out-of-control fires nearby, and residents and business owners were told it was too late to leave. The total death toll from the Australian wildfires is 32 since September, with around a billion animals killed. From NTD News China has failed to send home North Korean workers by a December deadline in violation of United Nations sanctions, a senior US official said on Wednesday, adding that this was why Washington blacklisted two entities involved in Pyongyang's labour export. A 2017 U.N. Security Council resolution, which China backed, demanded that all countries repatriate all North Korean workers by December 22 to stop them earning foreign currency for North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The United States has estimated Pyongyang was earning more than $500 million a year from nearly 100,000 workers abroad, of which some 50,000 were in China and 30,000 in Russia. "Many most ... have actually taken this to heart and moved them," a senior State Department official told reporters, referring to the repatriation requirement. "But we know one particular country has the large majority of North Korean guest workers and has not taken action, hence the steps we had to take in terms of sanctions." In response to question, the official confirmed he was referring to China. China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington last week imposed sanctions on two North Korean entities, including China-based lodging facility Beijing Sukbakso, saying they were involved in sending North Koreans to work abroad in violation of U.N. sanctions. Countries were required to submit a midterm report to the U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee early last year on compliance with the 2017 resolution and are now due to submit a final report in late March onA how many North Korean workers they have repatriated.A According to Russia's midterm report, it sent home nearly two-thirds of some 30,000 North Koreans working there during 2018, while Beijing said it had repatriated more than half but did not specify a figure. "China will continue earnestly implementing its international obligations, carry out the repatriation work in an orderly manner and complete the repatriation on time," China's U.N. mission said at the time. The State Department official also said Washington still hoped North Korea would engage in negotiations over its nuclear program, regardless of the apparent change in its foreign minister. Last week, North Korea told countries with embassies in Pyongyang that Ri Son Gwon, a senior military officer and official of the ruling Workers' Party, had been appointed foreign minister. Asked whether this was the case, the U.S. official said: "apparently, yes." "I don't have a lot of data on who he is, or what he represents," he added. "But the hope is that they'll understand the importance of having a conversation and talking about these things as we agreed in the original Singapore agreement," the official said. "There's nothing to be gained by not talking. It's only to their benefit. North Korea reiterated on Tuesday it was no longer bound by commitments to halt nuclear and missile testing, blaming the United States' failure to meet a year-end deadline for nuclear talks and "brutal and inhumane" U.S. sanctions. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the World Holocaust Forum marking 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz, at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday proposed holding a summit between the leaders of Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain in 2020 to discuss the conflict in Libya and other global problems. Putin, who was speaking during a trip to Israel, said Moscow was ready for a "serious conversation" with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, that there was much to discuss and that the summit could happen anywhere in the world. "In any country, at any point of the world that is convenient for our colleagues. Russia is ready for this kind of serious conversation," he said. "There are many tasks before us. We discussed one of them very recently in Berlin...That is Libya. And we need to return to this problem at the Security Council and adopt the corresponding resolution," he said. Putin, who was in Israel on Thursday to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, said holding such a summit would be an important symbolic step ahead of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two. "We discussed (this) with several colleagues and as far as I understand in general we saw a positive reaction to holding a meeting of the heads of the permanent members of the UN Security Council..." he said. (Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya; writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Alex Richardson) Students forced to forge an education amid cuts, Opinion, Jan. 21 Thank you for publishing the column on education by Grade 10 student, Nasima Fancy. She is a very articulate student! Ms. Fancy correctly identifies that the increases in class size, reducing the number of teachers in the school systems and reductions in funding by the Doug Ford government have caused the current situation in Ontarios public education systems. When will Stephen Lecce and Ford take responsibility for their destructive actions? Let us hope that they will come to see how their decisions are having negative effects and their decisions will promptly be reversed. It is time to move ahead to a richer, more-resilient educational system for our children and grandchildren, not tear down the one that we have already. Advertisement A Holocaust survivor has told the Prince of Wales about the 'hell on earth' she endured while being experimented on by notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. At the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Charles met Marta Wise, who as a 10-year-old girl was sent to Auschwitz and subjected to inhumane treatment. Remarkably a photograph exists of the Czechoslovakian Mrs Wise standing with a group of other children behind a barbed wire fence when the concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army on January 27, 1945. She told Charles, who is at the World Holocaust Forum to mark 75 years since the camp's liberation, that she was among the prisoners subjected to cruel treatment at the hands of Josef Mengele, a notorious Nazi doctor dubbed the Angel of Death. She said: 'By a miracle we survived. It was hell on earth. Mengele was a particular devil. Our blood was taken. Jewish blood was no good, but it was good enough to take for the German army. 'He used to inject us with things. We had no idea what they were. You could be in absolute agony. He was a monster. There is no other way to describe him.' Prince Charles was joined by Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at the museum where he also met with Holocaust survivor George Shefi. Mr Shefi, a Berliner whose mother was killed at Auschwitz, fled to England at the age of eight where he took refuge during the war. Scroll down for video. Prince Charles meets with George Shefi and Marta Wise this morning. Mrs Wise was pictured behind a barbed wire fence with other child captives of the Nazis at Auschwitz when the concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army on 27th January 1945 Children, including Marta Weiss (later Wise), who Prince Charles met today, behind the barbed wire fence at Auschwitz-Birkenau on the day of the camp's liberation by the Red Army, 27th January 1945. Left to right, the children are: Tomy Schwarz (later Shacham), Miriam Ziegler, Paula Lebovics (front), Ruth Webber, Berta Weinhaber (later Bracha Katz), Erika Winter (later Dohan), Marta Weiss (later Wise), Eva Weiss (later Slonim), Gabor Hirsch (just visible behind Eva Weiss), Gabriel Neumann, Robert Schlesinger (later Shmuel Schelach), Eva Mozes Kor, and Miriam Mozes Zeiger Prince Charles greets guests as he arrives for a reception for Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem this morning Prince Charles will today warn how 'hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart' when he joins world leaders in Israel to commemorate the Holocaust and mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (pictured: meeting with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in the capital on Thursday morning) The Prince of Wales meets President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel's president welcomed Charles at the start of his first official tour to the country - telling him 'we still expect your mother to come'. The Prince of Wales speaks to the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday morning at his official residence in the capital, later today the royal will speak at the World Holocaust Forum Charles meets Holocaust survivors George Shefi and Marta Wise during a reception at the Israel museum in Jerusalem on Thursday The Prince of Wales meets with Holocaust survivors George Shefi and Marta Wise ahead of the World Holocaust Forum today Mrs Wise, now 85, spent 25 minutes with the prince - far longer than most one-to-one encounters on a royal visit. She said: 'He was very interested in how it was in Auschwitz and how we managed to survive. 'He was very sympathetic. He came across as genuinely interested, not just doing it for the sake of it.' Born in Bratislava, then Czechoslovakia, Mrs Wise and her older sister were sent by their parents to live with a non-Jewish family and pretend they were orphaned refugees. But in October 1944 they were betrayed to the Nazis, who offered large rewards to anyone who reported Jews. She said: 'Twenty-seven fully armed soldiers came to pick up two little girls. We were put into detention, and from there we were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and into Mengele's experimental barracks. 'By a miracle we survived. It was hell on earth. Mengele was a particular devil. Our blood was taken. Jewish blood was no good, but it was good enough to take for the German army. 'He used to inject us with things. We had no idea what they were. You could be in absolute agony. He was a monster. There is no other way to describe him.' After the war she moved to Australia where she became a historian of the Holocaust. She married Harold Wise and had three children before moving to Israel in 1998. The girl who survived Auschwitz and went on to meet Prince Charles The photograph of Marta Wise standing behind the barbed wire fence at Auschwitz has become one of the most iconic of those from the Holocaust. On the day the Red Army liberated the camp in January 1945 Mrs Wise, a ten-year-old Czechoslovakian Jew, weighed just 37lbs. 'That I survived and my sister survived is beyond me. I've never been able to work it out,' said Mrs Wise, 85, in an interview on the 70th anniversary of the liberation. 'To me, as far as I am concerned, the 27th of January is my second birthday ... because that's when we got another lease at life.' On arrival at The Israel Museum, Charles was to be greeted byIsaac Molcho, Chairman of the Board of Directors. His Royal Highness was also to be accompanied by the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (pictured: the Prince of Wales meets with Holocaust survivors) Mrs Wise and her sister arrived at the camp in November 1944, when it was already in its waning days. Mrs Wise, who was blond, lived under an assumed Aryan identity with false papers throughout the war until she was finally caught on her 10th birthday and taken to the Sered labor camp in Slovakia. A few weeks later she was sent to Auschwitz and had the number A-27202 tattooed on her arm. There, Mrs Wise and her sister were put in the medical experiment block of the brutal Nazi doctor Josef Mengele and subjected to his torture alongside twins and dwarfs. She said they received various injections that either made them pass out or left them writhing in pain. Because Mrs Wise had green eyes, she was spared one of his more sinister tests an attempt to transform the dark eyes of Jews and gypsies into a more blue, or Aryan, complexion. The lucky ones died immediately, she said, while others went blind and suffered in agony. Prince Charles, speaks with Holocaust survivor Marta Wise, and George Shefi, whose mother died at Auschwitz, during a reception at the Israel Museum 'We don't know exactly what kind of injections he gave to us because when he escaped, before the Russians came, he took all his so-called medical experimentation notes,' she said, pausing. 'He was a monster. When he smiled you knew he was the most sadistic ... and he was going to do something terribly sadistic.' Before the last Nazis left, Mrs Wise said they gathered her and some of the other remaining prisoners, locked them inside an enclosure and set fire around them. 'It was a totally blue sky and out of the blue, suddenly just as the fire was approaching to burn us, it started to rain and the rain put out the fire,' she recalled. She said the Russian liberators were kind to her and shared all their meager supplies. 'He gave me a bottle of vodka,' she said, smiling. 'That's all he had.' In 1948, she moved to Australia where she married and had three daughters. Later in life she moved to Israel where she now volunteers as a guide at Yad Vashem and spends time with her 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. On Jan. 27, 2005, she posed before a large mural of the original photo at Auschwitz along with six other survivors, each standing beneath the image of themselves from 60 years earlier. 'I don't know how we survived, how any single person survived in that climate,' she said. 'That is a miracle to me and that's a miracle that I consider myself very lucky that I did survive. And why I survived and others didn't I don't know. I am not God.' Reporting by AP Advertisement Mr Shefi, 88 - born George Spiegelglas in Berlin - was sent to Britain by his mother in July 1939 at the age of seven, unable to speak a word of English. He lived with an English family, then moved in with a Jewish family. He said: 'I went to church for three years, crossed myself, then the next week I could not turn on the light or ride my bicycle on Shabbat or anything.' Later in the war he went to join relatives in the US. Afterwards he moved to Israel, where he became an engineer. He welcomed the presence of Charles and other world leaders in Israel to honour Holocaust victims, at the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. But he said it would be meaningless without further action: 'I think it is very good. The question is, what will you do with it afterwards? Whatever they do here, if it is just forgotten tomorrow - that's not what it was meant to do.' He said he had spoken many times in Germany about the Holocaust, telling children: 'You are not to blame for what your grandfathers did. I am here to tell you it happened, and to convince you not to let it start again. You are responsible to me to prevent it happening again.' This afternoon Charles gave an address at the forum attended by other world leaders, warning that 'hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart' and that society must remain 'resolute in resisting words and acts of violence'. He added: 'But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. 'For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood does not mean that it cannot be overcome.' Prince Charles (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) speaks during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum on January 23, 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel From left: US Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's prince Charles during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem In an awkward moment after the Prince of Wales' speech, he looked straight at US Vice President Pence and declined to shake his hand while shaking those of other world leaders either side of him Charles highlighted the story of cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen before moving to Britain after the Second World War, and co-founded the English Chamber Orchestra, which the prince supports as patron. He used the Hebrew for Holocaust - Shoah - when he added: 'Just as each life lost in the Shoah stands for all the millions who died, each inspirational story such as that of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch stands for the strength of spirit, the unparalleled courage, the determined defiance, of the very best of humanity when confronted with the very worst.' He also spoke about the 'immense pride' his family feels for Israel's formal recognition of the actions of the Duke of Edinburgh's mother, who provided refuge for a Jewish family during the war. Charles was applauded after he said: 'For my own part, I have long drawn inspiration from the selfless actions of my dear grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, who in 1943, in Nazi-occupied Athens, saved a Jewish family by taking them into her home and hiding them.' Princess Alice of Battenberg and Greece was the mother-in-law of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. A devout Christian, she died in London in 1969 and had asked to be buried in Jerusalem, next to her aunt, who like Alice had become a nun and founded a convent. In 1993, the princess received the highest honour Yad Vashem bestows on non-Jews for hiding three members of the Cohen family in her palace in Athens during World War Two. Charles added: 'My grandmother, who is buried on the Mount of Olives, has a tree planted in her name here at Yad Vashem and is counted as one of the Righteous Among the Nations ... a fact which gives me and my family immense pride.' Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, plant a tree outside the presidential residence in Jerusalem today The Prince of Wales (centre) and Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (left) during a visit to the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem Charles earlier today alongside Israel's President Reuven Rivlin and Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at the president's officials residence where the royal planted a tree The Prince of Wales plants a tree after a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin (left) at his official residence in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to Israel Horrific experiments of the Nazi Angel of Death Immaculately dressed, it was Josef Mengele who greeted doomed arrivals at the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, in occupied Poland. With a flick of his gloved hands, the supreme arbiter of life and death would consign terrified prisoners either to work or to death in the gas chambers. But many, especially twins, were condemned to an altogether more diabolical fate; they became guinea pigs upon his operating table as he pursued his berserk quest to clone blue-eyed Aryan supermen. Most of his victims died in terrible pain without anaesthetic. Dr. Josef Mengele, an SS physician from 1943 to 1945, was known as the 'Angel of Death' for overseeing gruesome experiments at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland Mengele, a medical graduate from Frankfurt University, used his knowledge in a sickening manner at Auschwitz, where he performed experiments from 1943 to 1945. Although prisoners transferred to his wing to be studied escaped the gas chambers and were well fed, they often ultimately met an even more painful death. Mengele regularly performed surgery without anaesthetic and would obtain bodies to work on simply by injecting chloroform into inmates' hearts while they slept, which would kill them in seconds. The so-called Angel of Death was on the Allied commanders' most-wanted list from 1944, but he escaped to South America and was never found He was most interested in heredity and once tried to change the colour of children's eyes by injecting chemicals directly into them. Twins held a particular fascination for him and it's estimated that he examined around 3,000 - but only 100 pairs survived. Pregnant women were also singled out. He was known to have performed vivisections on them before consigning them to the death chambers. The so-called Angel of Death was on the Allied commanders' most-wanted list from 1944, but he escaped to South America and was never found, despite the best efforts of private investigators and the Israeli secret service, Mossad. He died in 1979 after suffering a stroke while swimming and thirteen years later, DNA tests proved his identity beyond doubt. Advertisement Charles' address at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, was heard by guests including US Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. In an awkward moment after the Prince of Wales' speech, he looked straight at Pence and declined to shake his hand while shaking those of other world leaders on either side of him. Pence looked back at Charles and after the prince had moved on to shake hands with Netanyahu, patted him on the shoulder and smiled. The three-hour-long event - called 'Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism' - looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jews amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence in the continent and around the world. Charles said: 'The lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, adopt new disguises, and still seek new victims. 'All too often, language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanisation. Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. 'All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs. 'Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect.' Earlier Charles met with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence, Beit HaNassi, in Jerusalem this morning ahead of the World Holocaust Forum. Israel's president welcomed Charles at the start of his first official tour to the country - telling him 'we still expect your mother to come'. The heir to the throne sat down for talks with President Rivlin at his official residence straight after the president's meeting with the king of Spain, and just before he met Russian President Vladimir Putin. The statesman told the prince that Israel 'deeply appreciates' his attendance at the World Holocaust Forum gathering, which he said was aimed at fighting racism and fascism today as well as recalling the past. Before the talks began Mr Rivlin told Charles: 'It starts with the Jewish people but we never know where it ends. Everyone needs to be very careful. With this gathering we show that when we are united we can fight this phenomenon.' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has invited Charles to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the prince will tour Bethlehem and sit down for talks with Mr Abbas. Scott Furssedonn-Wood, Charles's deputy private secretary, said of the World Holocaust Forum: 'The prince is honoured to be among the small number of international leaders who have been invited to address the event and have the opportunity on behalf of the United Kingdom to honour the memory of all those who were lost in the Holocaust.' The Prince of Wales with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (right) after a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin (left) at his official residence in Jerusalem Prince Charles peers down at a cat as it appears in President Rivlin's (left) residential gardens during a tree planting ceremony at which Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (right) was also present Prince Charles at President Rivlin's residence in Jerusalem on Thursday ahead of the forum this afternoon in the Israeli capital The Prince of Wales is flanked by Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, to his right, and members of the board of the Israel Museum during a tour through the historical centre in Jerusalem on Thursday Prince Charles, centre, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, second right, visit a rebuilt synagogue in Jerusalem on Thursday Prince Charles, centre left, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, centre right, visit a rebuilt synagogue in Jerusalem on Thursday Charles with President Rivlin earlier today (left) and signing the guest book at the official residence (right). Today's event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz under the title 'Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism' is held to preserve the memory of the Holocaust atrocities by Nazi Germany during World War II The Prince of Wales (second right) and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (third left) during a visit to the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to the region Prince of Wales visited the Shrine of the Book, a wing of the Israel Museum which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Jewish religious manuscripts found in the Qumran Caves in the Judaean Desert The Prince of Wales visited the Shrine of the Book as well as model of the Second Temple of Jerusalem and the landmark museum roof Charles's visit has added significance as the Queen has never made an official visit to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories during her 67-year reign. The ministerial jet Voyager is believed to be undergoing scheduled maintenance and the prince has travelled to the Middle East by chartered plane. Mr Furssedonn-Wood said: 'We always look at a range of options, we take a number of factors into account when we decide how to travel, we weigh up things like cost of course with environmental impact as you'd expect, but also efficiency of time, size of delegation and crucially safety and security.' Charles and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Israel Museum Isaac Molho (third left) arrive prior to a reception for Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem The Prince of Wales with President Reuven Rivlin (left) at his official residence in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories Prince Charles, speaks with Holocaust survivor Marta Wise and George Shefi at the Israel Museum on Thursday morning The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Israel's President Reuven as they are surrounded by other officials in Jerusalem on Thursday morning The Prince of Wales meets President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories Prince Charles, second left, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, right, visit the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Thursday Jan. 23, 2020. Prince Charles is among dozens of presidents, heads of state and dignitaries who have descended upon the city to attend the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism He highlighted a number of recent trips, including Charles's official visits to Japan and India, when he flew on commercial airlines, but for this tour, he said, scheduled flights could not satisfy all of their considerations. During his first day in the Holy Land, the prince will also meet Holocaust survivors and be joined by the UK's Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. While in the Middle East, Charles is also likely to pay his respects at the resting place of his grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, in Jerusalem's Church of St Mary Magdalene. US Vice President Mike Pence (L) and his wife Karen disembark from a plane upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport on Thursday to attend the World Holocaust memorial which marks the 75th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport on January 23 French President Emmanuel Macron prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday night Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (front L) looks behind him as he stands next to (L to R) French President Emmanuel Macron (front-2nd L), his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin, and German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as they pose with other heads of state for a group photograph following a dinner reception at the Israeli President's official residence in Jerusalem, on Wednesday night She was honoured by the Jewish people for hiding and saving the lives of Jews in Nazi-occupied Athens during the Second World War. The prince's visit - his first official tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories - follows a similar visit made by his son, the Duke of Cambridge, who visited Israel and the Palestinian areas in 2018. Charles has made previous trips to Israel, travelling to Jerusalem to attend the funerals of President Shimon Peres in 2016 and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Prince Charles' full speech at the Yad Vashem memorial museum: Survivors of the Shoah, President Rivlin, Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a particular honour, although one of the most solemn kind, to be present here today, and, on behalf of the United Kingdom to commemorate all those so tragically lost in the Shoah. To come to this sacred place, Yad Vashem 'A Memorial and a Name' is to be faced with that for which no name, no words and no language can ever possibly do justice. The magnitude of the genocide that was visited upon the Jewish people defies comprehension and can make those of us who live in the shadow of those indescribable events feel hopelessly inadequate. The scale of the evil was so great, the impact so profound, that it threatens to obscure the countless individual human stories of tragedy, loss and suffering of which it was comprised. That is why places like this, and events like this, are so vitally important. Prince Charles delivers a speech during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem For many of you here, and for Jewish people across the globe, those stories are your stories: whether you witnessed and somehow endured the appalling barbarity of the Holocaust personally; or whether it touched your lives through the experience of your loved ones, or through the loss of parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts or other family you were never able to know. But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood, does not mean that it cannot be overcome. And so it is of particular significance that we should gather here, in Israel, where so many of those who survived the Holocaust sought and found refuge, and built a new future for themselves and this country. In the same way, it has been a singular privilege, throughout my life, to have met so many Holocaust survivors who were welcomed to the United Kingdom and who began new lives there, contributing immeasurably to the welfare of our country, and the world, in the years that followed. I have such inspiring memories of remarkable people such as Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who somehow survived both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen before moving to Britain after the war. There, as a wonderfully talented cellist, she co-founded the English Chamber Orchestra, of which I am proud to have been Patron for the past forty-three years. On her arm she bears the number by which tyranny had sought to make her less than human. Yet, through her music, she reminds us of the greatest beauty of which we are capable. Over the years, she has shared her story bravely and powerfully, determined that some good might come from the unspeakable evil she endured and overcame. From the horror, she brought harmony, healing and hope. Just as each life lost in the Shoah stands for all the millions who died, each inspirational story such as that of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, stands for the strength of spirit, the unparalleled courage, the determined defiance, of the very best of humanity when confronted with the very worst. For my own part, I have long drawn inspiration from the selfless actions of my dear grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, who in 1943, in Nazi-occupied Athens, saved a Jewish family by taking them into her home and hiding them. Prince Charles arriving for the event this afternoon in the Israeli capital My grandmother, who is buried on the Mount of Olives, has a tree planted in her name here at Yad Vashem, and is counted as one of the Righteous among the Nations hasidei ummot ha`olam a fact which gives me, and my family, immense pride. Ladies and Gentlemen, almost a lifetime has passed since the horror of the Holocaust unfolded on the European continent, and those who bore witness to it are sadly ever fewer. We must, therefore, commit ourselves to ensuring that their stories live on, to be known and understood by each successive generation. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch has said: 'there is a risk that the Holocaust will be placed under a glass bubble just like the Napoleonic Wars or the Thirty Years War. But if we don't make the connection between memories of past atrocities and the present, there isn't any point to it.' She is, it seems to me, absolutely right. The Holocaust must never be allowed to become simply a fact of history: we must never cease to be appalled, nor moved by the testimony of those who lived through it. Their experience must always educate, and guide, and warn us. The lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. Seventy-five years after the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, adopt new disguises, and still seek new victims. All too often, language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanisation. Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs. Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect. We must tend the earth of our societies so that the seeds of division cannot take root and grow. And we must never forget that every human being is B'tselem Elokim, 'in the image of God,' and even a single human life is ke-olam malei, 'like an entire universe.' The Holocaust was an appalling Jewish tragedy, but it was also a universal human tragedy, and one which we compound if we do not heed its lessons. On this day, in this place, and in memory of the millions who perished in the Shoah, let us recommit ourselves to tolerance and respect; and to ensuring that those who lived through this darkness will forever, as in the words of the prophet Isaiah, be 'a light unto the nations,' to guide the generations that follow. Advertisement More than one million people, most of them Jews, were killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust (pictured: watchtowers of former Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex are pictured in Oswiecim, Poland earlier this month) Prosecutors on Thursday filed 41 counts against a man accused of stabbing eight people during a mile-and-a-half rampage in Colorado Springs. Rene Miller, 38, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, menacing and lesser offenses in the Jan. 13 attacks, in which he allegedly asked people, Do you love God? before attacking those who said no. Authorities are also seeking sentence enhancers that could tack on additional prison time if Miller is convicted. The defendant, with slicked-back hair and a neatly trimmed beard, said nothing during a brief court appearance. He wore an orange jail jumpsuit and sported on his right forearm a tattoo of a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. The symbol, known as a pentagram, has a centuries-long history but is commonly associated with Wiccanism, or pagan nature worship, rather than Christianity. Millers attorney, public defender Amelia Blyth, asked to postpone bond arguments for a later date and did not request a mental health examination for Miller. He remains jailed on $50,000 bond. Fourth Judicial District Judge Robin Chittum scheduled a preliminary hearing on Feb. 21. Victims of the stabbing spree described bizarre encounters in which a knife-wielding man quizzed them whether they were Christians. Those who professed their faith were spared after receiving a crude blessing the assailant licked his finger and used his saliva to make a cross on their foreheads before continuing his rampage, authorities said. To at least one man, the assailant identified himself as Jesus. The stabbings began about 12:30 a.m. at Colorado Avenue and Limit Street and ended 1.4 miles away, when the assailant was disarmed and detained by one of his victims near Tonys, a bar in the 300 block of North Tejon Street. That man, stabbed twice in the ribs, told The Gazette he pried the assailants hand from the weapon, finger by finger, putting an end to the attacks. None of the victims injuries were considered life-threatening, police said. One person was treated at Penrose Main Hospital in Colorado Springs and released. Seven others were treated at UCHealth Memorial Hospital, and all but two were released within a day. On Thursday, the last of the stabbing victims was released, said spokeswoman Cary Vogrin. Assad's new decree harshly punishes anyone that deals in a currency other than the Syrian pound or trades without a license reports Jesr. Eleven people were arrested in Damascus and Aleppo on Jan. 19, 2020, for dealing in currencies other than Syrian pounds. In the interrogation, they admitted to trading without a license and trading in an illegal manner with the aim of making profits. The Interior Ministry said on Facebook that in Damascus it had arrested eight people for dealing in foreign transfers illegally, and carrying out exchanges without a license. In Aleppo, three people were arrested for carrying out exchanges without a license. The foreign currencies in their possession were seized. Cash assets totalling 1.2 million dollars were delivered to the Central Bank. Bashar al-Assad issued a decree a few days ago to tighten penalties on those dealing in currencies other than the Syrian pound, in an amendment to Article Two of Legislative Decree No. 54 of 2013. The decree included stiffening the penalty for those trading in currencies other than the Syrian pound to a punishment of, temporary hard labor for a period of no less than seven years, and a fine equivalent to twice the value of the payments or the amount in use, or services or goods offered, according to the official Syrian news agency. The decree included a directive to the court, ruling to confiscate payments, sums involved, or precious metals, in favor of the Central Bank of Syria. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. POWAY, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Apricorn , the leading manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB data storage devices, today announced the Aegis Fortress L3's FIPS 140-2 level 3 validation (certification #3603) was awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For industries and institutions requiring high levels of data security such as healthcare, finance, defense, and legal, the L3 delivers compliance with the most stringent data security regulations such as HIPAA, FERPA, Gramm-Leach-Billey Act, and GDPR. Aegis Fortress L3 with interchangeable USB type-A and type-C connectors. Now FIPS 140-2 level 3 validated Originally released in early 2019, the Fortress L3 features Apricorn's latest encryption chipset that delivers write and read speed increases of up to 50% and 80% respectively, over the first-generation Fortress SSD models. In contrast to many other FIPS validated encrypted USB portable drives, the Fortress L3 carries a complete FIPS 140-2 Level-3 validation meaning that the boundary addresses the entire device--the electronics, the actual drive, and the enclosure--which is milled from a solid block of aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum alloy. These two aluminum halves are first joined together using snap-off unidirectional security fasteners and then cemented and potted with epoxy to both discourage and capture evidence of tampering. Beyond tamper proofing, this ruggedized exterior is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, demanding field conditions, and provide resistance to shock. "Now that this FIPS validation has been finalized, the wait is over for our heavily regulated customers that want higher performance but require level 3," said Kurt Markley, Apricorn's Director of Sales. "The performance enhancements aside, for our customers with elevated security policies, the Fortress L3's complete device validation checks off a lot of boxes that other drives don't." Like all Aegis Secure Drives and Secure Keys, the Fortress L3 comes standard with AegisWare: Apricorn's proprietary firmware and feature set that is deployed universally on all Aegis Secure Drives. From the Aegis Secure Keys to the large capacity Desktop models, the feature set and controls are universal from model to model, with all passwords and commands entered by way of the device's onboard keypad. 100% of the authentication and encryption processes take place within the devices themselves, never involving host software or sharing password or encryption key data with any host computers. Additionally, all have military grade 256-bit AES XTS encryption and firmware is locked down and can't be updated or modified, defending against sophisticated attacks such as BadUSB. Aegis Fortress L3--with interchangeable Type-A and Type-C connector cables--features the following: 256-Bit AES XTS Military-Grade Hardware Encryption: Encrypts all data on the fly Software-Free: Ready to use right out of the box; no software, no drivers, no updates OS Agnostic: Compatible with PC, MAC, Linux, Android, Symbian or any mass storage compliant system with a powered USB port Forced Enrollment: No factory-preset default PINs Aegis Configurator compatible: Create custom profiles and mass configure multiple Aegis devices at once Onboard Keypad: All PIN entries are performed on the device's keypad making it compatible with systems without keyboards and shares no critical security parameters with its host computer. Lock-Override Mode: Can be programmed to remain unlocked during reboot / USB re-enumeration Two Read-Only Modes: Preserve data in its original, unaltered state while blocking malware. Data Recovery PINs that provide access to the device in the event of forgotten PINs. Programmable Brute Force Protection: After a predetermined number of consecutive incorrect PIN entry attempts, the Aegis Fortress L3 will conclude that it is under Brute Force and destroy its encryption key and PINs rendering the data useless Increased Storage Capacities: 1TB - 5TB in HDD models; 500GB - 16TB in SSD models For more information about the Aegis Fortress L3, visit https://www.apricorn.com/aegis-fortress-l3 About Apricorn Headquartered in Poway, California, Apricorn provides secure storage innovations to the most prominent companies in the categories of finance, healthcare, education, and government throughout North America, Canada and EMEA. Apricorn products have become the trusted standard for myriad data security strategies worldwide. Founded in 1983, numerous award-winning products have been developed under the Apricorn brand as well as for a number of leading computer manufacturers on an OEM basis. Contact: Walter Fiorentini [email protected] 858.513.4480 SOURCE Apricorn Related Links https://www.apricorn.com An Irish-based organisation which offers support to children born of Catholic clergy around the world has welcomed Vatican Guidelines on the issue which it says were largely unknown up to now. Coping International, now in its seventh year of operation, has been endorsed by the Vatican and has seen more than 100,000 individual people from 175 countries access its free mental health and advocacy service. It has estimated that there are at least 10,000 children of priests globally and has also worked alongside the Irish Catholic Bishops here on its approach to the issue. Coping International founder, Vincent Doyle, who is also a psychotherapist, said he has now received confirmation from the Holy See that guidelines the existence of which were first revealed last year by the New York Times are the official template which is globally disseminated to episcopal conferences. Mr Doyle noted that the new guidelines include that expulsion from the priesthood is not automatic in the case of a priest fathering a child. Mr Doyle said the contents were largely unknown to the public until now: "Cardinal [Claudio] Hummes, the Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy in 2009 when the Vatican Guidelines were created, commented to me, '[the priests child has] the right not to be discriminated against or to be the object of prejudice'." "He [Cardinal Hummes] added 'to be a priest's [child] in no way can mean a weight or demerit for the [child]. I defended this clearly when (2006-2010) I was Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy at the Roman Curia and Benedict XVI was the Pope. He agreed with me'." Mr Doyle said: "What is perhaps most significant about the confirmation of the contents of the Vatican Guidelines concerning children of Roman Catholic Priests is the noted exceptions that allow priests to remain in ministry and openly acknowledge their biological children." "The ad hoc nature of responding to these situations avoids automatic expulsion a position which has led to unemployment in some cases. This was in part the driving force behind the secrecy surrounding this issue. Mr Doyle said that at a recent meeting he had with Vatican officials recently, "the bulk of the conversation surrounded how best to prepare a child to receive this news, in a compassionate and emotionally sensitive manner" something he said illustrates the change in approach on the issue. Mr Doyle said he believes Irish Catholic Bishops to be "at least 20 years ahead of every episcopal conference globally in regard to safeguarding". Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 18:22:52|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Thursday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the mother of an Israeli tourist serving a drug conviction in Moscow and gave her assurances. Putin made the statement during joint statements with Netanyahu, alongside Yaffa Issachar, mother of Naama Issachar, a backpacker sentenced to 7.5 years in prison after convicted with carrying some nine grams of marihuana in her backpack in Jerusalem. "Everything will be alright," Putin told Yaffa Issachar, adding that Naama Issachar will be visited in jail today by the deputy commissioner of human rights in Russia. Her case sparked a high-profile protest in Israel, with Netanyahu and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin asking Putin to free her. Issachar made no remarks after the meeting. "I know the (Israeli) prime minister's position on the matter and all this is taken into account in making the decision. I told Yaffa and I will say it again, everything will be alright," Putin said as the remarks were broadcast live on Israel's main TV channels. Naama Issachar, 27, was arrested on her way home after a trip to India during transit through a Moscow airport. She is appealing her case, saying she was not provided with a translator while signing her declaration. Putin landed in Israel on Thursday morning for a one-day visit during which he will take part in the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Pro-Brexit demonstrators are to gather at the gates of Stormont next Friday night with Union flags to celebrate the UK leaving the EU. DUP MLA Jim Wells said they had been disappointed that while a huge event will be held outside Parliament in London, nothing had been organised in Northern Ireland. So we have decided to hold our own gathering at the gates of Stormont at 10.30pm for the Brexit countdown, Mr Wells said. It will be a well-behaved event with lots of Union flags to celebrate what is a joyous occasion for us. I will have my tin of Fanta. This will be a grassroots gathering which is being organised by UKIPs Raymond Stewart and other Brexiteers. There may be some political speeches and I hope that every pro-Brexit MLA, MP and councillor in Northern Ireland will come along to join us. Mr Wells said he would be contacting the Assembly Commission to ask for the gates of Stormont to be opened so the demonstrators could march up the hill to Sir Edward Carsons statute and back down again. I think we should be celebrating this momentous occasion somewhere like the Waterfront or the Odyssey although its now too late for that, he said. But we can still mark the moment in history when the UK leaves the EU at 11pm on Friday 31st. The trade negotiations between London and Brussels are hugely important but they will be low-key in comparison to our formal departure. Leave Means Leave is organising the Parliament Square event in London from 9.30-11.15pm which tens of thousands of people are expected to attend. Expand Close Jim Wells / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jim Wells The government will mark Brexit Day with a clock counting down to 11pm projected onto Downing Street. Buildings around Whitehall will be illuminated as part of a light show. There was a failed attempt by pro-Leave MPs to make Big Ben bong on Brexit night. Restoration work made that impossible. New Delhi: Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who was injured in an accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday afternoon is out of any potential danger and will be shifted to regular ward from ICU, updates her husband Javed Akhtar. On Wednesday, Akhtar took to his Twitter to thank the fans for their concern and also updated on Shabana Azmi's health. He tweeted, "Our family would like to thank all the friends and well wishers for their concern and messages for @AzmiShabana. This is to let everyone know that she is recovering well and most probably will be shifted to a normal room tomorrow." Our family would like to thank all the friends and well wishers for their concern and messages for @AzmiShabana. This is to let everyone know that she is recovering well and most probably will be shifted to a normal room tomorrow. Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) January 22, 2020 Earlier in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the veteran lyricist has confirmed that Shabana is doing better and is stable. "Dont worry. She is in the ICU but all the scan reports are positive. It seems theres no serious harm done,'' he said. In addition, actor Satish Kaushik too visited Shabana Azmi at Kokilaben and that she was doing better. "Shabanaji is under strict observation. But she is doing much much better than yesterday. Prayers for her speedy recovery," he told IANS. Earlier, the hospital's CEO Dr. Santosh Shetty had also stated that the actress is stable and under observation. The incident took place around 3.30 pm on Saturday near Khalapur, over 60 km from Mumbai, when the car in which she was traveling rammed into a truck, said Raigad Superintendent of Police, Anil Paraskar. Meanwhile, film producer, Boney Kapoor visited the actress at hospital and alerted her fans that she is sedated but is coherent in her senses. While Azmi is recovering from the accident, reports said that the truck driver who was involved in the accident has filed an FIR against the actress's driver Amlesh Kamat. The latest development reveals that the FIR accuses the driver of rash driving, which resulted in the accident. The police has not arrested the driver but has called him for interrogation twice. Shabana Azmi suffered a head injury and sustained minor injuries to her backbone. Javed Akhtar escaped with a minor injury. As soon as Shabana was brought to Kokilaben, several Bollywood stars made their way to meet her. Javed Akhtar's children Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar were spotted making their way to the hospital. The Toofan actor was seen accompanied by his girlfriend Shibani Dandekar. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. There is a lot to be excited about in Lorene Carys My General Tubman, now at the Arden Theatre Company. Advance chatter has been electric. And at Wednesdays official opening, producing artistic director Terrence J. Nolen announced that the production already has been extended through March 8. Theres a lot thats entertaining and worth seeing. You have history, bloodshed, heroism, love, and magic. You will frequently be charmed, as Wednesday nights audience was, by a succession of surreal, moving scenes. The crowd murmured as local places were name-checked for their roles in Harriet Tubmans Underground Railroad exploits. But My General Tubman has a little too much going on. A good first act leads to a second act that loses momentum and focus. This hot property will continue to develop, find about 10 to 20 minutes it can profitably lose, and emerge even warmer. Go, though. You have Tubman surging in popular culture, with several recent biographies, the film Harriet, and a sadly sidetracked campaign to get her on the $20 bill. You have as playwright the divine Lorene, one of Phillys finest writers, a master of wise, poignant one-liners (Staying alive isnt as important as living right). You have James Ijames, another of Phillys finest, as director. And you have Danielle Lenee, poised, stalwart, and visionary in the title role. She tells the men she leads, A black woman gave you birth, and a black woman will steer you through time with love. In a sweeping overlay of fantasy and reality, Cary takes us from the Civil War to abolitionist Massachusetts to Canada to the 2020 Philadelphia penal system. Aaron Bell is a sprightly, Ariel-like Chorus (he reminds us, Hey, its a play!), and Brandon Pierce is Nelson Davis, Tubmans worshipper through time and space. Past and present have wild encounters. Our ancestors recruit us for their causes, save us from our worst selves and we reach back and save them, too. A prisoner in a Philly jail in 2020 beholds a weary Tubman and gives her his socks and a foot rub. She actually gets into a car, exclaiming, I love this buggy! The Philly jail scenes generally are more vivid, with more crackle, than those from the past. We meet Davis, along with Chaplain Ray (Dax Richardson, who tells Tubman, in a moment of giddy understanding, Since its you, I feel irrationally sane.) Here, too, are Guard Claude, a troubled jailer played sensitively by Bowman Wright, and Earl Holloway, leader of the jail drumming circle (Damien J. Wallace, so droll he just about runs away with the show). But we need the past, that amazing past, to crackle. Surely we need more tension in the subplot of John Brown. In act 2, his momentous, tragic decision to leave early for Harpers Ferry seems curiously blunted. Also in act 2, Tubmans astounding leadership in the Combahee River Raid is too much told and not enough shown. Nelson hits the central theme: that we project her in our own image. All of us, from Brown to Davis to Cary herself, have our personal General Tubmans. The question is: What are we ready to do with her, or better yet, for her? Thats a question each of us must answer and a question that to some extent still remains for this promising play. THEATER REVIEW My General Tubman Through March 8 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St. Tickets: $18-$53 Information: 215-922-1122, ardentheatre.org However, two months ago, Khamenei described demonstrators as rioters, and bluntly announced that the protesters should be killed, and no one has the right to support them. [Every] wise and appropriate person, who loves his suitable life, shouldnt support rioters, Khameneis official website published on November 17. The reality is Irans highest official only recognizes his supporters and advocates as the Iranian people. In Khameneis view, everyone should accept the absolute authority of the supreme leader and succumb to his order to be identified as Iranian. The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) along with its many branches like Basij, Quds Force, etc. must believe in the leadership of the Islamic Republic as God in a human shell. They call him Imam to prove that they have been absorbed in him and are ready to do whatever he orders to satisfy him! Khamenei expects his supporters to portray 31 years of corruption and plunder under his direct supervision as a symbol of development and progression. The spiritual leader of the regime ordered his thugs to keep him in power at all costs. He also let them abuse the entire national resources and even the peoples properties to keep them loyal to him. In this context, they collected billions of dollars in foreign banks even banks in the great Satan territory. They advise and terrify the ordinary people from Hell, while they constructed the absolute hell on the earth. Additionally, they send their children to the United States, Canada, European states, etc. for education, while millions of Iranian students are compelled to either educate in worn-out tents or leave education forever due to economic problems. Simultaneously, they grumble about the U.S. sanctions when their children are wasting the national wealth there. Khamenei advocates breaching the entire human principles by employing medieval sentences against guilty teenagers and minors who have grown under his rule. Khameneis law-enforcement agents cut hands and feet, gouge eyes, stone and hang the people in public, plunder the wealth of low-income people by hollow promises, impound dissidents properties, etc. and claim that they are implementing the religious edicts. The domination of their crime hasnt been limited inside Iran alone. Thanks to the export of revolution the IRGC sprayed seeds of misery and corruption across the Middle East. As many peoples in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, etc. flooded into streets to bring down the Iranian regime-dominated vassals in these countries. The reality is Khamenei deeply believes and promotes that everyone in Iran should succumb to his expectations or they dont have any rights. Of course, they have two options, whether depart the country or be imprisoned, tortured, and hanged. For instance, last November, when the outraged people raised their voice to protests the gas price hikes, he immediately emerged in the state-run TV and ordered security forces to murder demonstratorswho didnt love a suitable life under tyranny. Khameneis thugs killed at least 1,500 people and detained more than 12,000 to restore the rule of repression in society. However, in January, the people returned to streets with more vehement slogans against Khamenei as the commander-in-chief and the IRGC, particularly the slain commander of Quds Force Qassem Soleimani. Representative Image The Trump administration is coming out January 23 with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting "birth tourism," in which women travel to the US to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. Visa applicants deemed by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth will now be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment, according to State Department guidance sent Wednesday and viewed by The Associated Press. The applicants will have to prove they are coming for medical treatment and they have the money to pay for it. The State Department planned to publicise the rules Thursday, according to two officials with knowledge of the plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The rules will take effect Friday. The practice of coming to the US to give birth is fundamentally legal, although there are scattered cases of authorities arresting operators of birth tourism agencies for visa fraud or tax evasion. And women are often honest about their intentions when applying for visas and even show signed contracts with doctors and hospitals. The Trump administration has been restricting all forms of immigration, but the president has been particularly plagued by the issue of birthright citizenship anyone born in the US is considered a citizen, under the Constitution. He has railed against the practice and threatened to end it, but scholars and members of his administration have said it's not so easy to do. Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is one way to get at the issue, but it raises questions about how officers would determine whether a woman is pregnant to begin with, and whether a woman could get turned away by border officers who suspect she may be just by looking at her. Consular officers don't have the right to ask during visa interviews whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the US primarily to give birth. Birth tourism is a lucrative business in both the U.S. and abroad. American companies take out advertisements and charge up to USD 80,000 to facilitate the practice, offering hotel rooms and medical care. Many of the women travel from Russia and China to give birth in the US. The US has been c racking down on the practice since before Trump took office. There are no figures on how many foreign women travel to the US specifically to give birth. The Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for stricter immigration laws, estimated that in 2012, about 36,000 foreign-born women gave birth in the US, then left the country. The draft rule is "intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry," a State Department spokesperson said. The wreck of the car after the crash in Newtownabbey. Pic PSNI The wreck of the car after the crash in Newtownabbey. Pic PSNI The wreck of the car after the crash in Newtownabbey. Pic PSNI The wreck of the car after the crash in Newtownabbey. Pic PSNI Police hailed as "miraculous" a driver being able to walk away from a horror crash in Northern Ireland which left the car a mangled wreck. The one-car collision happened on the Hydepark Road in Newtownabbey at around 1.20am on Thursday. The black Seat Leon was involved in the incident near the junction of Dermont Manor. There were no reports of any serious injuries. "More often than not, I find that pictures do the talking," police said in a Facebook post. Read More "Thankfully, or miraculously, everyone walked away from this incident. How, I will never know." The officer warned people to be careful on the wintry roads. "Please, please adjust your driving for the conditions," he said. "Slow down. It's January which means that it's dark in the mornings and dark in the evenings. Some of our roads are extremely greasy and there has been a heavy fog in parts for most of this week during the night and into the early morning. "With driving you not only have a responsibility for yourself, but for your passengers, other road users and pedestrians." Expand Close Police and emergency services at the scene of a serious crash in County Down. Picture by Justin Kernoghan Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police and emergency services at the scene of a serious crash in County Down. Picture by Justin Kernoghan Meanwhile, in a second separate incident two people were taken to hospital after a crash in Co Down. The two-car crash happened on the Mountstewart Road, Newtownards at around 8.30am. The injured people were taken to the Ulster Hospital. The road was closed for a time but has since reopened. Police are investigating and can be contacted on 101. The week-long search operation for the four South Korean trekkers and their three Nepali associates, who went missing from the Annapurna region, has been suspended by the government. Issuing a press release, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation on Thursday said that the operation was suspended due to weather conditions in the area and other safety concerns. Long-line rescuers Dawa Finju Lama Bhote and Pimba Tenjing Lama Back from Annapurna Trekking Circuit had suggested that operations should be halted. "In my opinion, it would be an exception if they are found alive. It has already been so long, I see lesser chances for them to be alive, on the basis of my experience. Probably they have been have been buried inside," Tenjing told ANI. Nepal Army's High Altitude Rescue Force had been deployed on the site since Tuesday and had started digging snow in search of the seven missing trekkers. Various governmental bodies along with the South Korean Embassy in Nepal and Korean Telecommunication Team have been continuing their efforts to locate the missing people since past one week."There is nothing we can do immediately for now. The amount of debris is quite high. We tried searching for the missing people who are suspected to be washed by an avalanche. Our recco-detector is not able to work properly because the snow debris is quite high. If the weather is sunny, then we can resume the search operation. But this looks very slim," Dawa Finju Lama Bhote, another long-line Nepali rescuer said after briefing officials of Nepal Mountaineering Association. As per experts who were in the Annapurna region for two days, the length of the avalanche area is estimated to be 250 metres and its width is between 50 to 80 metres. "We have told them that the current circumstances are not favorable to search them. Nepal Army owns the authority for it and we suggested them to consult with their own team about it," Bhote said. Nepal Mountaineering Association president Santa Bir Lama said that rescue dogs were roped in for the operation. The seven missing people have been missing since Friday morning after an avalanche hit a section of famous Annapurna Trekking Circuit, commonly known as ABC. Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain in the attracts a large number of tourists all over the globe. The avalanche hit area falling between Deurali and Macchapuchre Base Camp lies between 3,200 - 3,700 metres above sea level. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite the global outcry over China's treatments of its minorities, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has chosen to remain tight-lipped on deplorable conditions of Uighur Muslims in China, saying Beijing is a "good friend" and has helped Islamabad in "most difficult situations". In an exclusive interview with German-based DW on January 16, Imran Khan spoke at length about the issue of Kashmir but he said Chinese are "sensitive" and that's why Islamabad avoids discussing the Uighur issue with them. When asked 'why he is not very vocal on the issue of Uighur Muslim but is very critical to India over Kashmir issue', Khan said, "Well, mainly for two reasons. First, the scale of what is happening in India is not comparable to what is supposedly happening to the Uighurs in China. Second, China has been a great friend. It has helped us in our most difficult times because of the economic crisis my government inherited. Therefore, we do talk about things with China privately, not publicly, as these are sensitive issues." China has been condemned internationally for cracking down on the minorities living in their countries. China has been accused of oppressing the Uighurs by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending the community to undergo some form of forceful re-education or indoctrination. However, Pakistan has stayed mum over this issue. When India abrogated Article 370 in August last year, Pakistan ramped up its rhetoric against New Delhi and had expressed concern over the situation of Muslims in the region. Khan even had called himself an ambassador of Kashmiri people. However, when it comes to China's treatment of Muslims, Pakistan has been mum and when asked to comment on it, the Pakistan PM has tried to brush it aside saying that there is a lot going on in its own country. The United States had also asked Pakistan to express the "same level" of concern about Muslims detentions in Western China as they do for Kashmir. "...I would like to see the same level of concern expressed also about Muslims who are being detained in Western China, literally in concentration-like conditions. And so being concerned about the human rights of Muslims does extend more broadly than Kashmir, and you've seen the administration very involved here during the UN General Assembly and trying to shine a light on the horrific conditions that continue to exist for Muslims throughout China," Alice Wells, US Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia had said in September last year while replying to a question about Pakistan PM's concerns about Kashmir. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wuhan fights pneumonia battle Global Times By Chen Qingqing in Wuhan Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/22 22:58:40 Residents at epicenter remain cautiously optimistic As the whole world raises concerns over the spread of the coronavirus with the number of confirmed cases increasing, local residents in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province where the epidemic began, remained on high alert in the fight against the pneumonia with caution and optimism. The city has rolled out an emergency plan and response mechanism, providing daily updates on new cases. Amid the gloomy weather, local residents have been avoiding outdoor activities in recent days although it's the shopping season for the Chinese New Year. On Wednesday night, the Wuhan government released a notice, ordering people in nearly all public venues, including hotels, train stations, airport and parks, to wear face masks to reduce the chance of coronavirus infection. There has been a palpable sense of unease across the city, especially in major public places. As a major national transportation hub and education center, the city is in the middle of the biggest human migration on the planet in Spring Festival travel season. At Wuhan Tianhe International airport, the Global Times reporter saw almost everyone wearing masks. Passengers need to accept infrared body temperature screening to make sure they don't have fever. The airport also kept its ventilation functioning nonstop. Some flights bound for Wuhan have seen canceled bookings in recent days, and airlines as well as trains offer refunds to Wuhan-bound passengers. Local resident Laetitia said fewer people were on the streets and her company asked her to work from home. Authorities have confirmed the virus can be transmitted human-to-human and may mutate. Among the total confirmed cases of infection, most were related to Wuhan. The mayor of the city has sent out a letter to local residents, urging everyone to take preventive measures such as washing hands, wearing masks and avoiding crowded places. "I'm also becoming much more worried, as some Spring Festival activities have been canceled, it's getting more intense these days," Laetitia told the Global Times. There were also fewer vehicles on the streets, a local driver surnamed Huang told the Global Times. "It's a good thing. As local authorities raised the alert, more people will take it more seriously, which would be helpful to prevent the virus from spreading," he said. "This is not the first time we have faced such a situation. In 1998, we encountered floods and in 2003 we fought SARS we are confident in fighting this battle as we stand unified and determined," Wuhan government said in an open letter. Another local resident, who preferred not to be named, said she has to work day and night at a hospital and has canceled a Spring Festival holiday trip. "We need to keep our spirit up and be brave," she said. Naturally frank and unrestrained, Wuhan residents are believed to be much more optimistic when facing the spreading virus. The Wuhan culture and tourism bureau suspended all major tourism events from Wednesday until February 8. Refunds will be given. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 08:41:02 Incap Corporation PRESS RELEASE January 23, 2020 Incap acquires AWS Electronics Group Electronics Manufacturing Services provider Incap Corporation has today signed an agreement to acquire 100% ownership of U.K. based AWS Electronics Group. AWS Electronics is an Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider specialized in high complexity services with production facilities in the U.K. and Slovakia. Through the acquisition, Incap will be able to improve its service and product offering, widen its portfolio into U.K and Central-Europe and further strengthen its position in geographical areas such as USA and South-East Asia. The production facilities in the U.K. and Slovakia complement Incaps current production facilities located in Estonia and India. In particular this will open the opportunity to widen the commercial prospects between the U.K. and India. In the long-term, the acquisition is also expected to bring synergy benefits in e.g. material purchasing and cross-selling opportunities. Otto Pukk, President & CEO of Incap Corporation: This acquisition will enable us to serve our customers even better. I am happy to welcome AWS Electronics team onboard to take the next steps on our growth path. AWS has been growing for many years and we see a strong fit with Incap. With this long-term, strategic acquisition we will strengthen our market position and balance our customer base. We are excited to widen our geographic presence and gain foothold in the U.K. and Central European markets. Paul Deehan, former CEO of AWS Electronics Group: I am pleased to see AWS Group step onboard with Incap. The combined companies create a very strong player in the electronics manufacturing services market that will allow us to serve our customers in the best possible way. There are also a number of key synergy benefits that mean we will be able to offer our customers a broader and more complete service portfolio. AWS Electronics Group focuses on high complexity EMS services e.g. for industrial controls, medical, automotive, aerospace, scientific instrumentation and controls. In the financial year ended on June 30, 2019, AWS Electronics Group had revenue of GBP 35 million (approximately EUR 41 million) and the number of personnel was 436. The AWS business units will continue to run their operations as highly independent unit within Incap Corporation as per Incap current business model. The former owners of the company, Paul Deehan and Adrian Keane, are committed to support Incap over the transition period. INCAP CORPORATION For additional information, please contact: Otto Pukk, President and CEO, tel. +372 508 0798 Distribution: Principal media www.incapcorp.com INCAP IN BRIEF Incap Corporation is an international contract manufacturer. Incap's customers are leading suppliers of high-technology equipment in their own business segments, and Incap increases their competitiveness as a strategic partner. At the beginning of 2020 Incap has operations in Finland, Estonia, India and Hong Kong. Incap employs approximately 830 people. Incap's headquarters is based in Helsinki and the share is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. from 1997. Additional information: www.incapcorp.com ja www.awselectronicsgroup.com By Kim Bo-eun Woori Financial Group's building in central Seoul / Korea Times file Blow out the pink candles and make a wishin 2020, Mary Kay Inc. will celebrate milestone anniversaries in some of its most important markets around the globe. The iconic Mary Kay Ash, with humble roots in small town, Texas, founded her namesake brand in 1963. The brand quickly developed into a worldwide phenomenon with millions of independent beauty consultants in nearly 40 countries. While beauty trends come and go, Mary Kay owes its staying power to something that never goes out of style: female empowerment and a greater purpose to do good. While our innovative skin care, on-trend color cosmetics, fragrances and body care products have been loved for more than 56 years by millions of consumers around the world, our company was founded with much more than lipstick in mind, said Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay. Our founder, Mary Kay Ash, built her dream company with two goals: create economic independence for women through entrepreneurship, and make the world a better place. Like a freshly waxed pink Cadillac, Mary Kay Ashs original vision continues to shine. Her proven business model has helped countless women develop or refine their entrepreneurship acumen through a values-based company with staying power. And Mary Kay is committed to supporting women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, encouraging children to follow their dreams and much more. In 2020, the below markets will celebrate their milestone anniversaries with festivities, volunteer opportunities and special events with their employees and independent sales force: 5 Years Colombia 10 Years Armenia 15 Years Moldova 20 Years Kazakhstan Malaysia Philippines Slovakia 25 Years China Portugal 40 Years Argentina About Mary Kay One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty company more than 56 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements and fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Mary Kay Ashs original vision continues to shineone lipstick at a time. Learn more at MaryKay.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200122005069/en/ RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eletrobras (the "Purchaser") today announced that it is commencing a tender offer to purchase for cash (the "Offer") any and all of the outstanding U.S.$1,750,000,000 5.750% Notes due 2021 issued by Eletrobras (the "Notes"). The Offer will expire at 8:30 a.m., New York City time, on January 30, 2020, unless extended, re-opened, withdrawn or terminated by the Purchaser (the "Expiration Deadline"). Holders of Notes (each, a "Holder") will be permitted to withdraw validly tendered Notes at any time prior to 8:30 a.m., New York City time, on January 30, 2020, but not thereafter, unless extended by the Purchaser in its sole discretion or as otherwise required by applicable law. The terms and conditions of the Offer are described in the tender offer memorandum, dated January 22, 2020 (the "Tender Offer Memorandum"), and the related notice of guaranteed delivery (the "Notice of Guaranteed Delivery" and, together with the Tender Offer Memorandum, the "Offer Documents"). The following table sets forth certain information relating to the payment terms of the Offer: CUSIP No. ISIN No. Outstanding Principal Amount of Notes Description of Notes Tender Offer Consideration* P22854AG1 / 15234QAL2 USP22854AG14 / US15234QAL23 U.S.$1,750,000,000 5.750% Notes due 2021 U.S.$1,060.00 * Per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes, not including accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Notes accepted for purchase from (and including) the interest payment date for the Notes immediately preceding the Tender Offer Settlement Date (as defined in the Tender Offer Memorandum) to (but excluding) the Tender Offer Settlement Date, which will be paid in addition to the Tender Offer Consideration. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer Documents, Holders who (i) validly tender and do not validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to the Expiration Deadline or (ii) deliver a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and all of the other required documents at or prior to the Expiration Deadline and deliver their Notes prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Deadline, which is currently expected to be February 3, 2020, and whose Notes are accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer will be eligible to receive on the Tender Offer Settlement Date or the Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date (as defined in the Tender Offer Memorandum), as applicable, the Tender Offer Consideration. In addition, Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer will receive accrued and unpaid interest in respect of their purchased Notes from, and including, the interest payment date for the Notes immediately preceding the Tender Offer Settlement Date to, but excluding, the Tender Offer Settlement Date. For the avoidance of doubt, accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes tendered pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures (as defined in the Tender Offer Memorandum) will cease to accrue on the Tender Offer Settlement Date. On January 22, 2020, Eletrobras, announced its intention to issue a series of new notes (the "New Notes") in an international capital markets offering, the consummation of which is subject to market conditions (the "New Financing Transaction"). The New Financing Transaction will be made in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Offer is conditioned on Eletrobras being satisfied that it has received an amount by way of proceeds of the issue of New Notes which is sufficient, as determined by Eletrobras in its sole discretion, in order to enable Eletrobras to finance, in whole or in part, the payment by it of the Tender Offer Consideration and the Accrued Interest in respect of the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer (the "New Financing Condition"). The obligation of Eletrobras to purchase Notes in the Offer is also conditioned on the satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions described in the Tender Offer Memorandum. The purpose of the Offer, in conjunction with the proposed issuance of New Notes, is to proactively manage Eletrobras' overall debt redemptions and to extend the debt maturity profile of Eletrobras (subject to satisfaction of the New Financing Condition). Holders may subscribe for New Notes in addition to tendering Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offer amd receive priority (the "New Issue Priority") in the allocation of the New Notes, subject to the issue of the New Notes and any such Holder making a separate application for the purchase of such New Notes to a manager of the issue of the New Notes in accordance with the standard new issue procedures of such manager. The aggregate principal amount of New Notes for which New Issue Priority will be given to such a Holder will be at the sole discretion of Eletrobras and may be less than, equal to or greater than the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) by such Holder pursuant to the Offer and accepted for purchase by Eletrobras. In addition, subject to applicable law and as provided for in the Offer Documents, Eletrobras may, in its sole discretion, extend, re-open, withdraw or terminate the Offer and amend or waive any of the terms and conditions of the Offer at any time following the announcement of the Offer. Eletrobras also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, not to accept for purchase any tenders of Notes for any reason. A Holder wishing to participate in the Offer must submit, or arrange to have submitted on its behalf, not later than the Expiration Deadline and, in any event, before such earlier deadline as may be required to be met by any intermediary or DTC (as defined in the Tender Offer Memorandum), a valid Tender Instruction submitted in accordance with the requirements of such intermediary or DTC. When considering whether to participate in the Offer, Holders should take into account that restrictions on the transfer of Notes by Holders will apply from the time of submission of any Tender Instruction to DTC. Information Relating to the Offer Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. and Santander Investment Securities Inc. are acting as the Dealer Managers with respect to the Offer. Investors with questions may contact Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC at +1 (212) 357-1452, Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. at +1 (212) 710-6749 and Santander Investment Securities Inc. at +1 (212) 940-1442. D.F. King & Co., Inc. has been appointed as Tender Agent. All questions to the Tender Agent should be directed to email: [email protected] or telephone: +1 (212) 269 5550 or toll-free at +1 (866) 406 2284. Copies of the Offer Documents may be found for consultation at the Offer Website: www.dfking.com/eletrobras. Neither the Tender Offer Memorandum nor any related document has been filed with or reviewed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, nor has any such document been filed with or reviewed by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority of any country. No authority has passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the Tender Offer Memorandum or any related document, and it is unlawful and may be a criminal offence to make any representation to the contrary. This press release is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any Notes or any New Notes. The Offer is being made solely pursuant to the Offer Documents. The Offer is not being made to, nor will the Purchaser accept tenders of Notes from, Holders in any jurisdiction in which the Offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. None of the Dealer Managers, the Tender Agent or Eletrobras makes any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender Notes pursuant to the Offer. About the Purchaser Eletrobras was established on June 11, 1962, pursuant to Law 3,890-A, dated April 25, 1961, as a mixed-capital company with limited liability and unlimited duration whose purpose is the promotion of construction and operation of generation plants, transmission lines and distribution of electric energy, as well as the conclusion of the acts of commerce resulting from these activities, such as the sale of electric energy, causing Eletrobras to contribute decisively to the expansion of the supply of electric energy and the development of Brazil. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from current expectations. These statements are likely to relate to, among other things, the Purchaser's current beliefs, expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the Purchaser's business. Any of such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and may involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors (including, without limitations, the actions of competitors, future global economic conditions, market conditions, foreign exchange rates, and operating and financial risks related to managing growth and integrating acquired businesses), many of which are beyond the control of the Purchaser. The occurrence of any such factors not currently expected by the Purchaser would significantly alter the results set forth in these statements. The Purchaser expressly disclaims a duty to update any of the forward-looking statements. Contact: CENTRAIS ELETRICAS BRASILEIRAS S.A. ELETROBRAS Rua da Quitanda 196 CEP 20091-005 Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil Tel.: + 55 (21) 2514-4637 SOURCE Eletrobras The Doomsday Clock has been moved to 100 seconds to midnight, the closest to destructive than at any point since the clock was created in 1947. It was set at 2 minutes to midnight last year and the year before, but this is the first time the clock has be counted in seconds rather than minutes. The closer to midnight, the more dangerous circumstances, according to the organization that keeps the clock. The dual threats of nuclear war and climate change, along with information warfare, have placed the world in its most precarious situation, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced in a release on Thursday. Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers nuclear war and climate change that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts societys ability to respond, the organization stated. They also took aim at world leaders who they say have damaged world stability. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode. In order to downgrade the world threat, the group called on world powers to restrain their nuclear arms race; rededicate themselves to the temperature goal of the Paris climate agreement; slow nuclear proliferation in the Middle East; and stop misinformation campaigns that undermine science and media. It is 100 seconds to midnight. We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds not hours, or even minutes. It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the group. The farthest the clock has been from midnight was in 1991, with the end of the Cold War, when it was 17 minutes to midnight. Written by The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A clown couple who has a fetish for wearing face paint and costumes has revealed they're looking to spice up their already kinky sex life by inviting a third person into their relationship. Loch Jester and Miss Candy, from Oceanside, California, open up about their desire to live as full-time clowns on Friday night's episode of the We TV reality series Extreme Love, explaining that their clowning around also carries over to the bedroom. 'We really enjoy clown sex,' she says in a preview clip, while he adds: 'Clown sex involves at least makeup, right? If not some outfitting, maybe a nice bow around the c**k or something to decorate.' Scroll down for video Fetish: Loch Jester and Miss Candy, from Oceanside, California, open up about their desire to live as clowns on Friday's episode of the We TV series Extreme Love Preference: Loch and Miss Candy like to have 'clown sex,' meaning they wear face makeup and costumes when they're being physically intimate Loch met Miss Candy on a clown fetish website two and a half years ago when he was looking for women to join his circus burlesque group. 'We live and embrace the clown lifestyle 24/7. It's our lifestyle at home, and it's our lifestyle in our career,' he says. 'We are living in a rough world. Clowning goes away from the misery and terror that is the world that we live in.' The couple is looking for someone else to share their fetish with, and as Loch Jester explains: 'Threesomes just make sense for both of us.' In the clip, Loch Jester is rapping for strangers on the sidewalk when they catch the attention of a woman named Alexandria. Reasoning: Loch says that clowning is a respite from the 'misery and terror' in the world Fate: The couple met on a clown fetish website two and a half years ago when Loch was looking for women to join his circus burlesque group 'Y'all look like some interesting people,' she says. 'You've never seen clowns out on the streets before?' Loch asks with a laugh. The two get the feeling that they have made a connection with Alexandria, and when she asks what they are up to for the night, they invite her to dinner with them. After they sit down and get their food, Alexandria can't help but ask why they paint their bodies and dress like clowns. Tight quarters: Loch and Miss Candy, who live in a van by the beach, are looking for another woman to share their kink clown fetish On the hunt: In a preview clip from the episode, they try to recruit a woman named Alexandra for a threesome. 'I get turned on by clowning,' Miss Candy tells their new friend 'We actually have a clown fetish. I'm actually a kink clown,' Miss Candy says, prompting Alexandria to ask her to 'explain what that means.' 'So, I get turned on by clowning,' Miss Candy replies. 'I will get really sexually stimulated, even just from body painting. 'When there's a paintbrush that's, like, lightly going over your body, you can totally get aroused,' she insists. 'You know you're touching people in sensitive areas.' Miss Candy sees an opening when Alexandria says she 'it sounds interesting' and she's 'open-minded.' 'Mmm, okay, so are you seeing anybody at the moment?' Miss Candy asks at the end of the clip. One of the last taquerias in Fishermans Wharf has suddenly closed. Taqueria El Farolito, at 358 Beach St., closed last week according to server Juan Ruiz who confirmed the closure. Ruiz, who works at El Farolito on 2779 Mission St., said he didnt know the specific details behind the closure. Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai In mid-January, movie theaters in the United States, Canada, the UK and elsewhere began screening the new Japanese animated film Weathering With You, which was released in Japan last July. The film has been selected as the Japanese entry for the Best International Feature Film award at the 92nd Academy Awards. It is the third anime film in history to receive four Annie Award nominations (prizes awarded annually by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association), the other two being Spirited Away (2001) and Millennium Actress (2001). Weathering With You, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai (Your Name), is set in modern Tokyo, during a summer of record-breaking rainfall. The central protagonist is a high school freshman named Hodaka (Kotaro Daigo), a runaway who arrives in Tokyo and lives on the streets until he finds employment working for a small publishing company. One of his tasks is to help investigate urban legends relating to the unusual weather. Weathering with You Circumstances bring Hodaka into contact with a teenaged girl named Hina (Nana Mori), who they discover is a sunshine girl (a playful pun on Japanese pop culture) who through prayer can make the sun shine temporarily in her location. Hodaka and Hina, both leading a precarious existence, put together a business selling Hinas unique powers and are able to make money by bringing sunlight to markets, birthday parties and other such events. Over time, Hina discovers that her body is gradually turning into water and evaporating the more she prays. This is reminiscent, it seems, of a legendary weather maiden, who can control the weather, but ultimately serves as a sacrifice to bring sunshine to her people. Hina decides to sacrifice herself, through prayer, to eradicate the nasty weather plaguing Tokyo, which subsides. However, Hodaka, through a romantic impulse, enters the spirit world and brings her back, leaving the city in a permanent state of inundation, including a sea level increase of dozens of meters. From a technical standpoint, Weathering With You is breathtaking and beautiful, especially when viewed on a large screen. The detail and care given to the characters and settings, as well as more complicated elements like raindrops and storm clouds show what those with tremendous talent can do given the latest technological achievements. The artists were able to depict Tokyo as a contradictory place that contains some picturesque neighborhoods, but also others dangerous, dirty and vile. Nana Mori (voice actor) in Weathering with You With his technically higher-quality features, Shinkai is a rising star in Japanese animation, on his way perhaps to becoming a new Hayao Miyazaki (born 1941), the legendary filmmaker and animator (The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises). In fact, many members of Studio Ghibli, Miyazakis famous studio, joined Shinkai to create his latest films. Prior to the release of this latest film, the director and writer was best known for writing and directing Your Name (2016), currently the highest-grossing anime film of all time. Shinkais films generally have revolved around teenage romance coupled with loss. In 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), he told a tale about two teenagers who drift apart after one relocates to another prefecture. His Your Name (2016) recounts the story of a teenaged couple who somehow switch bodies across time and space and slowly fall in love with one another. Weathering With You is aimed more at a general audience, and, while it does contain some romantic elements, its main themes have more to do with the dangers of climate change and the fortunes of impoverished children. Hina, who is a minor, has quit school to work illegally on the streets to take care of her little brother after they lose their mother the previous year. She confronts the harsh reality of part-time wage labor and the danger of sex trafficking as she struggles to survive. Kotaro Daigo (voice actor) in Weathering with You In an interview with Shinkai that followed the first US screenings, he explained that he purposefully depicted the weather as very violent and dangerous in this film. There are many scenes where Tokyo is flooded with rainwater. People walk around in ankle-deep and even knee-deep water, and underground apartments become completely flooded. This is intentionally placed in juxtaposition to weather as something that is beautiful, which is usually how seasons are depicted in Japanese animation. Shinkai points out that weather has today become something that Japanese people have to prepare for and fear. Shinkai should be lauded for depicting such a new critical element of Japanese life in his film, yet the main weakness is that rather than depicting the extreme weather conditions as being the result of human-induced climate change and the capitalist profit system, the storms and dangerous rainfall are imbued with a supernatural malevolence. Unbeknownst to the rest of the population, the reason the rain continues to fall on Tokyo and increase the sea level to devastating heights is due to the decisions of a young girl with mystical powers and the selfish desires of a single boy in love. The effects of humans upon the environment are generally downplayed. During the epilogue to the main drama, Hodaka speaks to an elderly woman who assures him that, in centuries past, Tokyo was just a bay filled with waterjust as it had become by the end of this filmand that what they are seeing is just nature moving through its fluctuating periods that far outstretch the lives of humans. One character during the story points out that the perception of weather events in recorded history are short-sighted and do not account for the long geological history of which humans are but a blip. One could look at Weathering with You as an allegory, one in which the teenaged runaway, who appears to come from an affluent family, sacrifices the safety and well-being of millions of people for his own selfish interests. However, the final point seems to be that humans do not really impact that heavily upon nature and that nature is more powerful and beyond the control of humanssomething to be worshiped and revered rather than meddled with directly. This is very much in line with much of Japanese film and television, entangled with Shintoism and various other forms of animism and which dwell on how natural forces and spirits play on everyday human life. Emotional problems, especially of youngsters, are expressed physically through supernatural means to provide morality tales for an adolescent audience. The remarkable artistry and technological prowess notwithstanding, this is a pretty miserable perspective at this moment in history, fatalistic, resigned and unable to confront harsh social reality in the face. Red Flag Gun Control Law Approved by the Virginia Senate The Virginia state Senate passed a red flag law that would allow authorities to take guns away from people who are deemed a danger to others or themselves. The Democrat-controlled Senate voted for the measure, SB240, on Wednesday along a party-line vote of 21-19, WHSV reported. The bill stipulates that courts that find that there is probable cause to believe that a person poses a substantial risk of personal injury to himself or others in the near future by such persons possession or acquisition of a firearm, shall issue an ex parte emergency substantial risk order, according to language of the bill. Such order shall prohibit the person who is subject to the order from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm for the duration of the order. Similar bills have reduced the deaths in several states, particularly suicides, and also have been used in several situations of threats of mass shootings, said state Sen. George Barker (D-39th), WTVR reported. However, Republicans said the bill would impact peoples Second Amendment right while creating dangerous situations for officers trying to enforce such measures. What were doing is going to undermine not only the Second Amendment rights but the right to due process of Virginians, said Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-26th). The move comes after tens of thousands of gun-rights demonstrators gathered near the state Capitol premises to highlight what they say are draconian measures to stifle their rights. Officials have said that more than 20,000 people showed up. Gov. Ralph Northam, who signed an emergency declaration ahead of the rally to ban weapons at the State Capitol, said the measures abide by the Constitution and do not threaten Virginia citizens constitutional rights. They are constitutional. They dont threaten the Second Amendment. Their purpose is to keep Virginia safe, Northam said, reported WSLS. Were going to do work together, sit down at the table and find things that we can agree on and at the end of the day, make Virginia a safer place for everybody, he said. The rally drew the attention of President Donald Trump, who later told reporters that such gun legislation will prompt people to vote for Republicans in 2020. I think Virginia is crazy where they want to take away guns, Trump told Fox News on Wednesday, speaking from Davos, Switzerland. Virginia is very much in play. I think we are going to win [the] state of Virginia. They want to take everyones gun away in Virginia. You cant do it. You cant do it. People need that for safety. They need it for hunting but many people need it for safety. The Minister of Tourism & Creative Arts, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, has launched this year's edition of the annual National Chocolate Day celebration. The minister encouraged the use of chocolate as a 'gift of love' to all during the celebration. This year's celebration which would commence on February 10 and end on February 14 is on the theme: 'My Chocolate Experience: My Holistic Well-Being'. Speaking at the ceremony held at the Accra Tourist Information Centre, Mrs. Oteng-Gyasi said the ministry instituted the National Chocolate Day in 2005 to coincide with Valentine's Day, February 14 to promote the consumption of made-in-Ghana chocolate and cocoa-based products. She explained that it was also to position cocoa and the chocolate experience as a strong element of the Ghana tourism experience, saying this had been largely successful with the day being an important feature of the Ministry of Tourism's calendar of events. Mrs. Oteng-Gyasi said this year's celebration would begin with a digital campaign competition where contestants would post a picture of themselves enjoying chocolate or any product produced with chocolate at a hospitality establishment on social media. Contestants should tag the Ghana Tourism Authority with the hashtag #MyChocolateExperience#ChocolnteDey2020#lEatGhana. The minister noted that other activities for the celebration include a cocoa art competition starting from Monday, February 10, where artists would submit a painting depicting the cocoa story to the Accra Tourist Information Centre. The winners of both competitions would be awarded on February 14. There will also be 'My Chocolate Experience' at the Cocoa Clinic on Wednesda,y February 12, where chocolates and other cocoa products will be shared to the patients and staff. The 2020 National Chocolate Day celebration will be observed at the Alisa Hotels on February 14, she stated. The Marketing Manager of Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), Nana Agyemang Ansong, said the Chocolate Day, since its inception, has grown to become an important celebration on the national calendar. Today, the National Chocolate Day has become so attractive and prestigious that it has become a major tourist attraction in the country to contribute positively to tourism in Ghana, he said. Mr. Ansong expressed the hope that each member of the family unit would have the opportunity to share a gift of Golden tree chocolate, which is an epitome of the national pride, with their loved ones. ---Daily Guide Nobody Can Dare Touch Any Indian Muslim, Says Rajnath Singh On Apprehensions About CAA-NRC-NPR Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that no one can dare touch any Indian Muslim, as he dismissed apprehensions that the community will be targeted if NPR and NRC are brought in, and cautioned against forces which are attempting to "create a divide" between Hindus and Muslims over the CAA. Read more. Here are the other top news of the day: 22 Children Selected For National Bravery Awards Twenty two children - 10 girls and 12 boys - from 12 states have been selected for the ICCW National Bravery Awards 2019. One award has been given posthumously. Adithya K,15, from Kerala will get the coveted Bharat Award for saving more than 40 lives after a bus they were travelling in caught fire. As soon as the passengers were evacuated, the vehicle's diesel tank had exploded and gutted it. Read more. Elephant A Gentleman, Will Not Allow It To Be Troubled: SC The Supreme Court noted that "the elephant is a gentleman" and the man should give way for it, as it expressed its willingness to uphold the Tamil Nadu government order, notifying the Nilgiris Elephant Corridor. Citing the menace of rampant poaching of rhinos in Assam, the apex court said it will not allow anybody to build resorts in the forests, especially in the elephant corridors, as it disturbs the fragile eco-system in Nilgiris. Read more. Jharkhand's Jharia Most Polluted City, Delhi Reduces Air Pollution Marginally: Greenpeace Report The coal-belching town of Jharia in Jharkhand continues to be the most polluted city in India, while Delhi has made marginal improvement in reducing its air pollution level, according to a Greenpeace India report released. Delhi is the 10th-most polluted city in India, according to the report. The city was at the eighth spot a year ago, according to the report for that year. Read more. Kerala Tourism's Disabled-Friendly Project Earns UNWTO Special Mention Kerala Tourism's Barrier-Free Tourism Project has won global recognition with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) making a special mention of the south Indian state as an "Emerging Global Destination" in the Accessible Destination Awards 2019. Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran received the conferment from UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili at the awards ceremony in Madrid on Wednesday, a press release said. Read more. While The World Fights For Women Rights, Turkey Is Set To Bring Back Marry-Your-Rapist Bill Lawmakers in Turkey are reportedly set to introduce a bill in the Parliament where men accused of rape could avoid punishment if they agree to marry their victims. The controversial practice often referred to as Marry-Your-Rapist law will allow men accused of raping girls below the age of 18 to go scot-free if they marry the victim. Read more. The U.S. governments Office of the Special Counsel is investigating the Federal Aviation Administration on how it handled the approval process to let Southwest Airlines fly between California and Hawaii, according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper cited a federal report from the Special Counsels office that found FAA managers held Southwest pilots and other officials to a lower standard than they otherwise would have been. The document has not been made public, but the Journal said it reviewed the report along with emails pertaining to the investigation. (WSJ article here.) The Justice Department began investigating the FAA after a government whistle-blower complaint, according to the WSJ story. The employee has been granted federal whistle-blower protections. The report said FAA managers gave Southwest preferential treatment, rushed the approval process for Hawaii flights, and cut corners. The decisions were based solely on the finances of the airline. Southwest won Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards, or ETOPS, certification from the FAA in February 2019. The approval is necessary for airlines seeking to operate transoceanic flights. The carrier dismissed the idea that it received special treatment from air-safety regulators. Related: How Southwest ranks among other US carriers for safety. Southwest was granted ETOPS authorization through the same centralized and standardized FAA approval process that all airlines are required to follow, Southwest Airlines spokesperson Brandy King told SFGATE. Our quest for achieving authorization was a 14-month deliberate and stringent process that followed all FAA guidance in establishing a program that fully satisfies each of the certification requirements and unequivocally adheres to all FAA regulations. Similarly, FAA oversight of the process was equally thorough and stringent. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE bi-weekly email updates. The Journal reported some FAA managers tasked with evaluating the carrier during six evaluation flights to demonstrate Southwests procedures lacked necessary Boeing 737 pilot licenses. A local inspector who held the licenses sat in the cabin instead of the cockpit. All six of those Southwest evaluation flights departed from Oakland International Airport bound for the Hawaiian Islands in early 2019. (More about that here.) The assurance data from our initial year, accumulated though our FAA-approved Safety Management System, includes thousands of ETOPS flights and validates the Safety of our ETOPS operations, while substantiating the integrity of our process, King said. Southwest began passenger flights between Oakland and Honolulu on March 17. Its entry into the highly competitive California-Hawaii market has been credited with driving down airfares across all carriers to record lows. In the past year, Southwest steadily added Hawaii routes from Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego. It also operates a robust inter-island network within Hawaii. On Tuesday, the carrier added its latest nonstop routes connecting Oakland with Lihue on Kauai, and San Jose, Calif. with Kona on the Big Island. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here. Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates! Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has ruled out any possibility of a grand coalition government with his party and Fine Gael after the general election. Speaking in Dublin, he said that voters wanted change and that he would not work with Fine Gael in power. State regulators have rejected a request from backers of a proposed liquefied natural gas export project in Coos Bay to extend their application for an important permit, saying they are still lacking critical information to make their decision. The Department of State Lands will deliver its verdict on a removal-fill application, which applies to moving materials during construction in Oregon waters by Jan. 31. A recent letter to backers of the Jordan Cove Energy Project suggests that a rejection could be in the offing. Last week, Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp., requested that the agency extend its decision deadline until March 31. In a Tuesday response, Vicki Walker, the agency director, went through chapter and verse of the agencys interactions with Jordan Cove since 2017, including applications, extensions, resubmittals, extension requests, information requests and meetings. The most recent requests for information from the agency came in April, and were reiterated in November. "The Department does not agree to an extension and is therefore denying your request, Walker concluded. She also tacked on a warning: "Please be aware the Department has not yet received requested critical information." Pembina said Wednesday that the delay was due to the agencys requirement that its application be accompanied by information and feedback from other agencies. Due to requests for new information from other Oregon agencies that were only recently communicated to Jordan Cove, the Project is now unable to meet DSLs requirements in the current time frame," said Paul Vogel, a spokesman for the project. As we seek to fully understand the information contained in Director Walkers letter, we are working to determine our path forward. A permit denial would be welcome news for opponents of the controversial project. "As impacted landowners, this project has been hanging over our heads for over 15 years, Larry Mangan, a Coos County resident, said in a news release. We are extremely relieved to hear that Director Walker and the department of state lands aren't going to kick the can down the road, and will be making a decision next week." But if the permit is rejected, Jordan Cove can re-apply, opening another chapter in the seemingly never-ending permitting saga for the proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal in Coos Bay and a 230-mile feeder pipeline that would stretch across southern Oregon to a gas hub near Klamath Countys border with California. A new application would trigger another review of all submitted materials and possibly another public comment period. Thats potentially a big deal. Last years public comment period included five public meetings across the state. More than 2,000 people attended and the 49,000 comments were submitted to the agency. Just last week, Pembina crowed in a news release about the momentum the project is gaining. The Coos Bay City Council recently approved its local land use application, and federal fisheries regulators issued a final biological opinion concluding that the construction and operation of the terminal wouldnt jeopardize endangered species. The company also says it has negotiated voluntary easement agreement with 82% of landowners impacted by the pipeline. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to render a decision on its main license on Feb. 13. Based on the conclusions in a draft environmental impact statement issued last year, and the Trump Administrations stated goal of expediting energy export projects, the commission is widely expected to approve the project. That leaves the projects state permits as the biggest remaining hurdles. And that process is not going as smoothly. Last May, the Department of Environmental Quality rejected Jordan Coves water quality permit, saying it still lacked critical information and that it did not have a reasonable assurance that the construction and authorization of the project will comply with applicable Oregon water quality standards. Earlier this month, Jim Rue, director of the Department of Land Conservation, sent a scathing letter to Pembina in response to concerns the company had expressed about the agencys review of the project under the Coastal Zone Management Act. In the letter, Rue denied the companys request to issue a conditional decision, saying the agency would need almost all the other state permits in hand before it made its own decision. Rue also responded to what he called the inaccuracies and mischaracterizations by Jordan Cove in its letter, saying the agency had been perfectly clear about its process; had not misrepresented federal policy, as claimed; and that the agency must weigh all impacts from the project, not just the benefits. He also said all work by DLCD is based on science and regulations, and not, as you suggest, activism. Pembina has managed to step on Oregon regulators toes in the past. At one point, its chief executive Mick Dilger told financial analysts that Oregon agencies were overwhelmed because theyd never seen applications for billion dollar hydrocarbon projects, and that their regulators arent quite capable of this. A mother couldn't work out her sailor son had surprised her by joining them for a family weekend trip - even when he was standing right behind her for a photograph. Robina Lerma was having a meal with her family at Big Bear Lake in southern California when they decided to pose for a photo with a small cardboard cut out of sailor Robin Reyes - who she believed was deployed. But the sailor - who was hiding at the back of the restaurant in full uniform- slowly appeared and stood behind the family Mother Robina Lerma sits down to have a meal with her family at Big Bear Lake in southern California and decides to pose for a photo with a small cardboard cut out of sailor son Robin Reyes The mother takes a picture with a cardboard cut-out of her son not realising that he is stood right behind her The family hoped that Mrs Lerma would look at the picture and be thrilled to see her son hiding behind them. Unfortunately for them, Mrs Lerma believed her family were using a clever picture-editing app to put Mr Reyes into the image. In the clip, Mrs Lerma, her granddaughter and her husband Ramon sat on one side of the table as a voice says: 'Ok guys, can you get closer?' Mr Reyes slowly walks up behind them as Mrs Lerma clutches onto the cardboard image of her son. The person taking the picture says 'say cheese' as the family grin and Mr Reyes poses behind. The mother looks behind her and is shocked to see her son stood right behind her at the restaurant The mother is overcome with joy as she hugs her son and celebrates his arrival The mother had initially thought a Photoshop-type app had added her son into the picture Mrs Lerma's grandaughter quickly notices that her uncle is stood behind them and says: 'Look grandma, Uncle Robin is here.' But, as a quick way to distract Mrs Lerma who doesn't hear her, someone shouts: 'Show her the picture!' When she sees the picture, with her son posing in the background, Mrs Lerma exclaims: 'How did you do that?' As Mrs Lerma's granddaughter adorably tries to show her uncle the cardboard cutout, Mrs Lerma exclaims: 'One more!' They pose again and this time, Mr Reyes crouches down. The mother gives her son a big hug and is happy that he was able to come home for Christmas after all When she sees the pictures, she again exclaims: 'How did you do that?' and adds: 'Oh my god my son!' Mrs Lerma then asks for a picture without the cardboard cutout and again believes that he is there thanks to a clever app. Mrs Lerma's daughter fondly remarks: 'Mom, you are so cute!' Finally, Mrs Lerma looks behind her and sees her son. She immediately screams as the restaurant erupts into applause. She hugs her son - who was able to come home for Christmas after all - in the adorable clip. Mr Lerma posted the video to YouTube with the caption: 'After weeks of planning, our Sailor gets to surprise Mom during a family weekend trip to Big Bear Lake in CA. 'She was sure that he wasn't going to be home this Christmas. 'Little does she realize he will be. He adds: 'She really thinks that she's looking at a Photoshop-type app that adds people into the picture. 'Everyone is in on the surprise except of course Mom and the Grandma. Granddaughter was with her uncle for the last 16hrs and was just trying to talk to him and show him the cut out.' Boeing's Phantom Express XS-1 space plane design is shown in launch position in this artist's concept. The autonomous spacecraft is designed to launch vertically, deploy a second stage payload into orbit and return to Earth for a runway landing. Phantom Express won't get off the ground after all. Boeing has withdrawn from Experimental Spaceplane (XSP), a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program designed to increase the nation's access to space. The aerospace giant had named its hypersonic concept vehicle Phantom Express. That moniker is now oddly appropriate, since the spacecraft will never take physical form. Related: DARPA's Experimental XS-1 Space Plane in Pictures "This effectively ends the XSP program; however, the objectives of the program remain of interest, and may be explored in separate, competitively selected efforts," DARPA communications chief Jared Adams told Space.com via email. Experimental Spaceplane, previously known as XS-1, aimed to nurture the development of a reusable vehicle that could help loft satellites cheaply and rapidly . Indeed, DARPA wanted the craft to be capable of launching 3,000-lb. (1,360 kilograms) satellites into orbit 10 times in 10 days, at a cost envisioned to drop eventually to around $5 million per mission. DARPA initiated Experimental Spaceplane in 2013. In 2017, the agency selected Boeing for the second and third phases of the program. Boeing won out over two other teams one a partnership between Masten Space Systems and the now-defunct XCOR Aerospace, and the other a collaboration involving Northrop Grumman and Virgin Galactic. During Phase 2, Boeing's Phantom Works division which built the U.S. Air Force's two robotic X-37B space planes was to design, build and test a technology-demonstration vehicle. Phase 3 would have involved test flights of Phantom Express, with 12 to 15 such demonstration missions originally targeted to take place in 2020. The suborbital Phantom Express vehicle would have launched vertically, with the aid of a single Aerojet Rocketdyne AR-22 engine. An expendable upper stage would have separated from the space plane at altitude, carrying the payload to orbit. Phantom Express, meanwhile, would have glided back to Earth for a runway landing (and another launch in relatively short order). But none of that will happen, as Boeing has moved on. "Following a detailed review, Boeing is ending our role in the Experimental Spaceplane (XSP) program immediately," company representatives said in a statement emailed to Space.com today (Jan. 23). "We will now redirect our investment from XSP to other Boeing programs that span the sea, air and space domains," they added. "We're proud to have been part of a DARPA-led industry team that collaborated to advance launch-on-demand technology. We will make it a priority to harvest the significant learnings from this effort and apply them as Boeing continues to seek ways to provide future responsive, reusable access to space." In response to a question about DARPA possibly seeking a refund on the award given to Boeing, Adams said, "Per the Other Transaction Authority agreement for XSP, the company received payments in accordance with milestones reached." Though the United States didn't end up getting a reusable spacecraft out of Experimental Spaceplane, the program still had numerous benefits, Adams stressed. "The detailed engineering activities conducted under the Experimental Spaceplane Program affirmed that no technical showstoppers stand in the way of achieving DARPA's objectives, and that a system such as XSP would bolster national security," he said. "Through XSP, DARPA identified evidence that present-day liquid rocket propulsion systems are capable of supporting XSP objectives, remain of interest, and may be explored in separate efforts." Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook . Photo: East China Asian Cuisine/Yelp In search of a new favorite Chinese outlet? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the most exceptional destinations for Chinese fare around Aurora, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best places to achieve your dreams. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. East China Asian Cuisine Photo: Nalz C./Yelp First on the list is East China Asian Cuisine. Located at 15510 E. Centretech Parkway, the Chinese and Asian fusion restaurant is the highest-rated source for Chinese food in Aurora, boasting four stars out of 72 reviews on Yelp. 2. Aki Asian Hot Pot Photo: Vanessa C./Yelp Next up is Aurora Hills' Aki Asian Hot Pot, situated at 12201 E. Mississippi Ave., Suite 125. With four stars out of 237 reviews on Yelp, the Chinese eatery, which specializes in hot pot, has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Yong Gung Photo: JT T./Yelp Village East's Yong Gung, located at 2040 S. Havana St., is another prime choice, with Yelpers giving the Korean, Chinese and Asian fusion bistro four stars out of 98 reviews. 4. Chinese Noodles Photo: Gi K./Yelp Last but not least is Chinese Noodles, a Chinese dining establishment in Aurora Hills, with 4.5 stars out of 21 Yelp reviews. Head over to 12393 E. Mississippi Ave., Unit 123 B, to give it a go for yourself. Deciding when to check out the top outposts above? Saturdays tend to be the busiest days of the week for consumer spending at restaurants across the Aurora area, while Mondays are least busy, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a provider of small business marketing software. Last year, average daily transactions at restaurants climbed to 62 per business on Saturdays, compared to 45 daily transactions on average for Mondays. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: A business forum on the current state and prospects of food safety is being held in Baku, Trend reports from the event. The forum is organized by Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business (SMB) Development Agency jointly with its Public Council and the Food Safety Agency of the country. The event is attended by representatives of Azerbaijan's SMB Development Agency, Food Safety Agency, Agriculture Ministry, Women Entrepreneurs Fund, National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, as well as food industry entrepreneurs. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili Montenegro Protest Against Religious Law Canceled Over Possible 'Serious Disturbance' To Public Order By RFE/RL's Balkan Service January 22, 2020 CETINJE, Montenegro -- A planned protest in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje against a controversial new law on religion has been canceled after locals voiced their disapproval of the rally. The Serbian Orthodox Church announced it had put off the march scheduled for January 23, saying police had warned that "serious disturbance" of public order could occur during the event. The church's announcement on January 22 came after several thousand people opposed to the march took to the streets of Cetinje and warned they would block the protesters' access to the town. Cetinje is a stronghold of Montenegrin national feeling but also the seat of Bishop Amfilohije, the head of Montenegro's Serbian Orthodox Church, which is vehemently opposed to the recently adopted legislation on religion. The passage of the law last month has led to frequent protests organized by the church across Montenegro, as well as in neighboring Kosovo and Serbia. It also triggered the cancellation of a planned visit to Montenegro by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The Serbian Orthodox Church, its supporters, and pro-Serbian opposition parties fear the law will enable the Montenegrin government to impound church property, though officials deny they intend to. Earlier on January 22, Prime Minister Dusko Markovic told Montenegrin television he was willing to continue discussions on the Freedom of Religion Act with Amfilohije. But he also said that the only option for the church would be to challenge it at the Constitutional Court. Under the law, religious communities must prove property ownership from before 1918, otherwise assets will be considered state property. Predominantly Orthodox Christian Montenegro joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918, and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church was subsumed by the Serbian Orthodox Church, losing all of its property in the process. Commenting on the protests against the law, Markovic said that the events had turned into a showdown with the Montenegrin state's institutions and its right to self-determination. "This attack and unprecedented propaganda was carried out not only by actors within the country, but also by the most drastic and brutal actors from neighboring Serbia," he said. Serbia and Montenegro were part of a federation until 2006, when Montenegro declared its independence. Relations between the two countries were at their worst since the restoration of Montenegrin independence, according to Markovic. However, he insisted that Montenegro regards Serbia as a friend and a neighbor with whom it has shared values. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-pm-markovic- offers-to-continue-talks-on-freedom- of-religion-act/30391300.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address YouTuber Nikkie de Jager, otherwise known as NikkieTutorials, has spoken to Ellen DeGeneres about how she was blackmailed before coming out as transgender. Earlier this month, the make-up artist shared a video on YouTube announcing that she was transgender, having been born in the wrong body. The beauty vlogger stated that while she had wanted to share her news under her own circumstances, a blackmail threat meant her chance was taken away from her. On Wednesday 22 January, de Jager appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she spoke at greater length about the circumstances that led to her coming out. The 25-year-old, who has around 13.1m YouTube subscribers, explained that she received messages from a certain person who wished to expose her identity. Recommended NikkieTutorials comes out as transgender in new video A couple of weeks ago I got emails from a certain person, who was not OK with the fact that I was lying and wanted to expose that, de Jager said. He had a very pressuring tone of voice, and he was like, If I dont get an answer by tomorrow, its out. The Dutch make-up artist said she believed the blackmailers entire goal was to destroy her life. Plot twist, that didnt happen! she added. When asked by DeGeneres whether she would have come out had she not been blackmailed, de Jager said that she had always wanted to reveal she is transgender, but hadnt been sure when to make her announcement. London's first Trans pride Show all 32 1 /32 London's first Trans pride London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Londons first Trans Pride in September Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent London's first Trans pride Angela Christofilou/The Independent I always wanted to come out with it, but its such a delicate thing, and theres never the perfect time, she said. In a a way, Im not thankful to the person who did this, but I am thankful that it happened now and I get to be free. De Jager stated that she hopes her announcement will inspire a lot of transgender people out there, having described how confused she felt about her gender identity throughout her childhood. After releasing her coming out video, the beauty vlogger received numerous messages of support from fans. Congratulations to Nikkie for coming out, Im so deeply proud of her for being able to take her own narrative back for herself and be free, what a beautiful legend, one person tweeted. Whoever blackmailed Nikkie made the fatal error of underestimating the power of a fearless, proud, unapologetic female, another stated. Cant prey on shame if it doesnt exist. It was recently reported that Too Faced Cosmetics co-founder Jerrod Blandino had cut ties with his sister after she made transphobic remarks about de Jager. Following the release of de Jagers coming out video, Blandinos sister allegedly changed her Instagram bio to read: Transgender huh? Thats not the only thing shes been LYING about. Too Faced Cosmetics later shared a statement on social media from Blandino condemning the transphobic comments, outlining that his sister was no longer an employee of Too Faced. [January 23, 2020] Syngenta Invests in SciFinder-n from CAS to Enhance Research Efficiency and Bring Sustainable Agricultural Solutions to Market Faster Advanced scientific information solutions proving to be a critical driver of productivity for leading innovators as the volume of published scientific data grows COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, announced today that Syngenta, the world's leader in crop protection products, has signed a multi-year agreement to provide SciFindern to all of its research scientists globally. The newest and most advanced offering in the SciFinder family of scientific information solutions, SciFindern empowers scientists to quickly find the most relevant, actionable answers for their research questions, enhancing productivity and expediting innovation. "As a leading global company committed to sustainable agriculture, we are accelerating our innovation to address the increasing challenges faced by farmers around the world and the changing views of society," says Jerome Cassayre, Head of Crop Protection Research Chemistry at Syngenta. "Our use of digital technology has the potential to accelerate and reinvent the way we do research and development, leading to better outcomes for both farmers and Syngenta. We are investing in SciFindern because our evaluation demonstrated that it delivered appreciablebenefits to our research teams, saving time, improving the quality of literature analysis and enhancing productivity." CAS has partnered with Syngenta for many years to support the innovation success of their R&D teams, who have consistently filed more than 100 new patent applications annually for novel chemical and biological entities. The additional content, enhanced workflow features, predictive synthetic design capabilities, and advanced chemistry relevance engine in SciFindern have been proven to help scientists accomplish key research tasks at least 50% faster, empowering Syngenta to further accelerate their pipeline. "CAS values our long-standing partnership with Syngenta and applauds their commitment to innovation and sustainable agriculture," said Craig Stephens, Chief Customer Officer at CAS. "The new content and features in SciFindern, including the predictive synthetic planning capabilities, chemically annotated full-text patents and step-by-step synthetic methods, will have a measurable impact on the speed at which Syngenta can deliver new solutions to address urgent global challenges." 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CAS Media Contact: Tina Tomeo 614-447-3600 [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1029755/CAS_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A congressional staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a regulation that has not yet been published, said the State Department had a conference call Wednesday to confirm the broad strokes of the policy to lawmakers. The Trump administration is concerned that pregnant women are coming to the United States to give birth and instantly claim U.S. citizenship for their children. Consular officers would use their judgment when screening cases, the staffer said, and would not ask every woman applying for a visa some of which are valid for years if they are pregnant. JAIPUR: Actress and filmmaker Nandita Das on Thursday joined the Bollywood bandwagon which has been opposition the newly amended Citizenship Act and called it a tool to divide the country on the religious lines. Speaking to reporters during the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), Das voiced her serious concerns about the citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Das also exhorted people to speak up against the CAA and the NRC. While appreciating the efforts of students and common people who have been protesting against the contentious CAA, Das warned that Shaheen Bagh-like protests will come up across the country soon. "They (government) are asking those who have been living here for four generations to prove that they are Indians. This is very sad. I think everyone should speak up," the actress said. Live TV While maintaining that the protests against CAA and NRC are "spontaneous", Das said that no political parties are involved in them. She emphasised that with the economic slowdown, growing unemployment rate, and now with the CAA and the NRC, the country has become a topic of discussion across the world as "people are being divided on the basis of religion". She added it was a great thing that people from the film fraternity have also spoken strongly against the CAA and the NRC. CAA grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. Those opposing the CAA argue that it discriminates on the basis of religion and violates the Constitution. They also allege that the CAA along with the NRC is intended to target the Muslim community in India. However, the central government has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the law is intended to give citizenship to the persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring countries and not to take away anyone's citizenship. The students, who landed Wednesday in New York, had planned to take a bus to Longfellow Middle School in Fairfax County for the exchange program and meet with their host families Wednesday evening. But in the letter sent to families at the school, Longfellow Principal Carole Kihm said that the exchange trip was being altered out of an abundance of caution and that the students would no longer visit the school. Killeen, TX (76540) Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A mostly clear sky. Low 39F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Tuesday, Jan. 21 10:29 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Homer Township. 9:20 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Mount Haley residence to conduct a wellbeing check on a 14-year-old boy who had posted a photograph on social media holding a handgun. Deputies spoke with the 14-year-old and his 48-year-old father about the incident. The boy said he took the photograph with the handgun and posted it online to look cool for his friends -- he had no intent on using the weapon. The father said that he will keep a better eye on his son and always keep his guns in the gun safe. 9:01 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of malicious destruction of property in the area of Ashman Street and Ann Street. 8:29 p.m. -- A 37-year-old woman reported that an unknown man called her saying that he was with the Social Security Administration Office, and said there was fraudulent activity with her Social Security number and there was a warrant for her out of Texas. The woman gave the man her Social Security number. 3:38 p.m. -- A 41-year-old Beaverton man was stopped for speeding and issued a citation for speed, an improper plate, and no insurance. 2:56 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash causing injuries in the area of East Buttles Street and George Street. 12:53 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of North Saginaw Road and Dublin Avenue. 12:44 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 7300 block of Eastman Avenue. 12:35 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a Lee Township residence after an anonymous tipster advised that a 36-year-old man that was wanted on an warrant out of Midland County would be there. 10:49 a.m. -- A deputy spoke with a 67-year-old Isabella County man regarding his deceased brother's missing pistol. The man believes that his brother's 61-year-old live-in Greendale Township former girlfriend stole the pistol. The deputy spoke with the woman, who had possession of the pistol and is storing it in a gun safe. Both parties were advised to sort out ownership in civil court. 10:35 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of West Wackerly Street and Eastman Avenue. 10:26 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to an Edenville Township residence in reference to the natural death of an 84-year-old man. 8:35 a.m. -- A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in the area of North Waldo Road near East Letts Road. 8:34 a.m. -- A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in Mount Haley Township. 8:22 a.m. -- A deputy responded to a vehicle crash in Lee Township. 7:54 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and West Wackerly Street. 7:41 a.m. -- A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in Geneva Township. 7:03 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to Jerome Township in reference to a death investigation. An 87-year-old woman appeared to have died of natural causes. Monday, Jan. 20 10:44 p.m. -- A 61-year-old man wanted to report his 82-year-old neighbor for plowing snow into his yard that lines their driveway. The 61-year-old was also angry with the neighbor for putting one of their trash cans on his property on trash day. The man was advised to talk with his neighbors about how they can resolve the snow placement issue. 8:32 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of East Pine Street and George Street. 6:49 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Porter Township. 1:35 p.m. -- Officers responded to a hit-and-run crash in the 7300 block of Eastman Avenue. 1:26 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a possible domestic violence complaint stemming from an argument between a 23-year-old woman and her live-in 28-year-old boyfriend. They are also parents to a 1-year-old boy. The parties separated and were provided help line cards. A report was forwarded to the Midland County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for review due to some incidental touching; there were no injuries. 10:26 a.m. -- A deputy was flagged down about a possible house fire with heavy black smoke in Porter Township. The deputy and the Midland County Weighmaster located a farmer burning brush in a field -- there was no house fire. 9:12 a.m. -- A deputy responded to a Lee Township roadway for a single-vehicle rollover crash. A citation was issued to the at-fault driver for violation of basic speed law. 8:59 a.m. -- Officers responded to a hit-and-run crash in the 2500 block of Washington Street. 8:45 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 4000 block of Whiting Drive. 6:56 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Waldo Avenue and Schuette Road. 1:49 a.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township residence in reference to an assault complaint involving a 29-year-old woman and a 31-year-old Isabella County woman. The suspect, the 31-year-old, left the residence prior to deputies arrival. The 29-year-old sustained an apparent minor injury, and refused medical treatment. Chennai, Jan 23 : Realty major DLF is planning to develop office space of about 20 million square feet in Gurugram and Chennai over the next 6-7 years, a top official said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters here, DLF CEO Mohit Gujral said that about 11 million sq ft will be in Gurugram, while about 7 million sq ft will be in Chennai and the balance in other parts of the country. He said the project would attract an investment of about Rs 13,000 crore. Gujral was here for the foundation stone laying ceremony for the company's new project DLF Downtown, a joint venture with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO). Laying the foundation stone for the project which would house IT and ITES companies, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswamy said that owing to the efforts of his government, the state is attracting new investments. "Within a span of one year, we are able to support the beginning of commercial production of 59 GIM (global investors meet) projects. Another 213 projects are under various stages of implementation," Palaniswamy said. "The recent investments by TCS and Infosys alone are expected to create 31,000 direct IT sector jobs in the state," he added. According to Palaniswmay, many new infrastructure projects like Phase II of Chennai Metro Rail, and road and flyover projects are being taken up at an outlay of Rs 1,150 crore in Chennai. Telcos including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Tele may tell the Department of Telecom (DoT) that they will miss the January-23 deadline to pay the AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) charges worth Rs 93,000 crore due to the upcoming Supreme Court hearing. The operators had filed a 'modification' plea scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court next week. All companies concerned are expected to issue letters to the DoT in this regard. The apex court on Tuesday said it would take up the 'modification petition' filed by telcos. Of the total AGR dues worth Rs 93,000 crore, Airtel has to pay Rs 21,682 crore while Vodafone Idea's dues stand at Rs 28,308 crore. Also read: DoT examines if Jan 23 deadline for AGR payment applies to non-telecom PSUs The government is also unlikely to take any action against telecom companies till the plea is heard. Meanwhile, Business Standard quoted a senior official as saying the DoT would start issuing notices to the telcos as the deadline to pending AGR dues ends on January 23. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio, which is not a party to the case, is likely to pay its entire dues of Rs 177 crore as it had provisioned AGR liabilities in its December quarter financial results released recently. In its last order on October 24 last year, the Supreme Court asked telcos to pay up the AGR dues worth over Rs 93,000 crore within 90 days. The AGR dispute dates back to 2003 when the association of telecom operators filed the first plea with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) challenging the definition of AGR. As per standard accounting practice, companies have to make provisions for such claims. Nearly two months after filing the review petition in the Supreme Court, the telcos were recently denied relief from the court on their AGR dues. In a massive blow to the telecom industry, the court on Thursday dismissed review petitions by the telecom companies. As a result, the companies have to pay pending AGR dues of nearly Rs 93,000 crore to the Department of Telecommunications by January 23. Also read: AGR crisis: Supreme Court agrees to hear telcos' modification plea Edited by Manoj Sharma As yet another attempt by China to bring the issue of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) back on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) fell flat, India on Thursday advised the communist country to reflect and draw the proper lesson. Even as China made its third attempt on behalf of its iron brother Pakistan to bring the issue of J&K back on the Horse Shoe Table and embarrass India, four other permanent members of the Security Council United States, United Kingdom, France and Russia stonewalled the move during an informal closed-door consultation at the headquarters of the international organization in New York late on Wednesday. The meeting concluded without any outcome. China wanted the UNSC to discuss New Delhi's August 5 moves on J&K as well as the purported deployment of additional Indian Army troops along India's disputed borders with China and Pakistan. The US, UK, Russia and France argued that the UNSC was not the right forum to discuss the issue of J&K and it should be discussed bilaterally between India and Pakistan. Germany and several others among the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council also took up the cudgel for India and helped block China's move to support Pakistan's bid to internationalize the issue of J&K. Today @UN...our flag is flying high. Those that launched a False Flag effort got a stinging response from our many friends... Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, posted on Twitter shortly after the informal closed-door meeting of the Security Council ended without recording any discussion on the issue of J&K. He also tweeted a picture of India's tricolour flying along with the national flags of other member-nations of the UN in front of the international organization's headquarters in New York. It (the move to bring the issue of J&K back on the agenda of the UNSC) once again highlighted that Pakistans desperate measures to peddle baseless allegations (against India) and presenting an alarming scenario (about the situation in J&K) lacked any credibility, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in New Delhi. We sincerely hope that the message has gone across loud and clear to Pakistan that if at all there is any matter between India and Pakistan that needs to be discussed, it should be discussed bilaterally, added Kumar. Pakistan can avoid this global embarrassment time and again by putting thier energy in something constructive. New Delhi also sent out a strong message to Beijing. China should seriously reflect on this global consensus (against bringing back the issue of J&K on the agenda of the UNSC), draw the proper lessons and refrain from taking such action in future, said the MEA spokesperson. Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government in New Delhi on August 5 last moved to strip J&K off its Special Status and reorganize the state into two Union Territories, China had got the Security Council accept a request by Pakistan to discuss the issue in a closed-door consultation. The Security Council had on August 16 held the consultation as Pakistan's iron brother China asked for it. New Delhi's hectic diplomatic campaign had succeeded and the consultation had not led to the UNSC releasing a public statement on the situation in Kashmir or discussing it in a formal open session which would have marked the return of the issue on the Horse-Shoe table after 48 years. China made its second attempt to bring back the issue of J&K on the agenda of the Security Council last month, but it was foiled by the US and other permanent members of the organization. The communist country followed it up with a third attempt this week, but New Delhi succeeded to block it again with the help of its friends. Pakistan has been running a diplomatic campaign against India's recent moves on J&K. China too has been opposing Modi Government's decisions on J&K not only to stand by its iron brother Pakistan, but also because it was concerned over implication of the move on its protracted boundary dispute with India. Officials at Machu Picchu are turning to drones and multiple security cameras to keep a check on troublesome tourists. A few days ago, six tourists were arrested after allegedly defecating in a sacred temple at Machu Picchu. The visitors face a minimum of four years in jail if found guilty of damaging Perus cultural heritage. Machu Picchu/Twitter According to reports, the human faeces was found in a restricted area of the Temple of Sun, part of the 15th-century Incan citadel set high in the Andes. There was a 'fracture' found in a piece of stone that had was 'broken off a wall and caused a crack in the floor.' After the incident, officials indicated new measures would be used not just for security but also to prevent any disrespect to the Temple of the Sun. Facebook According to a New York Post report, Jose Bastante, the head of the archaeological park, said the new security measures will include drones, as well as 18 cameras located at three strategic points and access points from surrounding mountains. Machu Picchu is believed to date back to the 1450s and to have been used for some 80 years before being abandoned during the Spanish conquests. In a similar incident, Indian tourists were caught vandalsing the ancient ruins of Hampi last year. In a video clip that went viral, three of them could be seen pushing a pillar causing it to break. A court ordered the men to fix the structure after fining them Rs 70,000 each. Hampi is famous for its 16th Century ruins and is a popular tourist spot. ANN ARBOR Scrunchies are back, and a local how-to workshop series is offering a hands-on demonstration of how to make your own. The Graduate Ann Arbor, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, will host a session on hand-making the popular hair ties. Its part of the hotel chains Extra Credit how-to series. Theyre definitely coming back, said Allison Fredline, Graduate Ann Arbor marketing coordinator. They were popular in the 90s and early 2000s, and then for a long period, nobody used scrunchies. For $5, participants can pick a color of fabric, cut it, install the elastic and sew together a scrunchie, with all tools provided. Attendees can make up to two scrunchies. Its something thats hands-on, so its a stress reliever, said Fredline. Its a break from class, get away from the library, come somewhere, hang out for two hours and do something fun with your friends. There will also be a smoothie bar with various fruits to choose from and granola. Graduate Hotels are located in major university towns, catering to campus communities. The Extra Credit series is a national initiative offering a how-to program every month. Theyre supposed to be how-to series that teach you everything that school never will, said Fredline. In Ann Arbor, the series began in October. So far, theyve taught gingerbread making, painting pumpkins and more. Other programming includes an upcoming Quentin Tarantino Movie Trivia Night and a Galentines Day Bubbles & Besties evening with champagne and chocolate. Next months Extra Credit event will be in partnership with a University of Michigan campus organization that focuses on health and wellness. More on events at the hotel here. The CBI has taken over the investigation into the killing of a man named Rama Lengaw Natesan in the United Arab Emirates allegedly by a fellow Indian over some dispute in 2008, the officials said. The case has been taken over after a request from the UAE government under the extradition treaty between both the countries, they said. Article 5 of the treaty prohibits extradition of own nationals by requested state, subject to the condition that the requested state shall prosecute the accused under its own law, the officials said. In accordance with the provision, the UAE government had written to India seeking prosecution of Indre Jeet Singh, who is accused of killing Natesan in 2008 in that country, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pet owners have vowed to sue a dog sitter who allegedly lost the missing 'Tamworth Five' after she was today banned from keeping animals for five years. Louise Lawford, 48, who ran Pawford Paws in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was looking after the five pooches when they vanished in June last year. Mystery still surrounds the fate of the dogs after they disappeared in Tamworth, Staffordshire and Lawford, of Birmingham, insists they suddenly ran away. Today Lawford appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court where she admitted an animal welfare offence and three business licensing breaches connected to her now defunct dog-boarding firm. The charges came after Birmingham City Council launched an investigation into her firm after she lost the animals in Hopwas Woods last year. Missing pets Pablo, Maggie, Charlie, Ralph and Jack became known as the 'Tamworth Five', as their owners appealed for information. However, the court heard a further five charges relating to that alleged incident had been withdrawn. Prosecutors rejected her claim the dogs ran off - but said they could not prove what happened and had to drop charges relating to the pets' disappearance. After the hearing the owners said the case now paved the way for them to take civil action against Lawford. Louise Lawford (pictured leaving Birmingham Crown Court today) who ran Pawford Paws in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, admitted an animal welfare offence and three business licensing breaches The missing dogs owners April Lock, Becky Parsons and Elizabeth and Jim Egan Becky Parsons, 40, of Erdington who owned Pablo and Maggie, said: 'It opens up a different avenue for us, for civil proceedings against her. We have a legal team working alongside us.' April Lock, 28, a business administrator, from Streetly, West Midlands, who owned Ralph and Charlie, said: 'Today is just the beginning.' Mrs Lawford sat, with her head bowed, in the dock at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on for what district judge Joanna Dickens called 'a very strange case'. Behind her, the owners of the five dogs Mrs Lawford has accepted she lost, packed in to the public gallery, listening intently to the proceedings. The court was told someone in the public gallery had called her a 'dog killer.' April Lock left dogs Charlie (right) and Ralph (left) in Lawford's care while she went to Spain. They have never been found Pablo, pictured, was one of the Tamworth Five which went missing in June last year Lawford, 48, who owns a rescue Labrador, pleaded guilty to boarding more than the maximum number of three small dogs allowed at her kennels between June 18 and June 23 last year. She also admitted boarding dogs from different households without written consent from their owners, and without ensuring dogs were vaccinated, flea-treated and wormed, over the same period. Mrs Lawford further pleaded guilty to failing to seek veterinary treatment for a West Highland Terrier, named Charlie, after he developed a skin infection on his muzzle, while under her care. The court was told that her council licence was revoked last year. Dog owner Becky Parsons, 39, of Erdington, Birmingham lost Pablo the pug and Maggie the Jack Russell (pictured) Opening the case, Prosecutor Johnathan Barker said: 'The investigation commenced when Lousie Lawford came forward and notified the animal welfare team on June 25 last year that she had lost five dogs while walking them, and had complaints from owners about their dogs having gone missing. 'She has always claimed that she lost the dogs while walking them in Hopwas Woods, near Tamworth. 'That explanation is not accepted by the prosecution. Tamworth Five: The dogs that disappeared on a walk and have still not been found 1. Pablo: Male, black pug with a white flash on chest and greying muzzle, eight-years-old. 2. Ralph: Male, fawn pug, five-years-old. 3. Maggie: Female, Jack Russell, six-years-old. 4. Charlie: Male, black pug, three-years-old. 5. Jack: Male, French Bulldog Brindle, young adult. Advertisement 'However, a police investigation resulted in no charges being brought against her and unfortunately we are unable to say with any degree of certainty what has happened to the dogs. 'We are therefore in a position where we are unable to bring charges in respect of that issue. 'It would be artificial to mount a case against her based on an explanation we do not accept.' He added: 'There was a search and, despite being chipped, the dogs were never recovered.' The court heard that among those who provided statements to the prosecution was her husband, Richard Lawford. Mr Barker said: 'He talks about a great number of dogs housed by Mrs Lawford, clearly in excess of the number of dogs permitted by her licence.' But the judge also heard that the couple had separated in March 2019. Tom Walkling, in mitigation, said 'life-long animal-lover' Mrs Lawford was under 'extreme pressure and stress' after the breakdown of her marriage. He said: 'Can I start by expressing her extreme and continuing remorse for what happened to those dogs and for her conduct in June last year. 'I am conscious, on her behalf, that the police, Crown Prosecution Service and council have decided not to charge her in relation to what might well be understood by others as the graver part of her conduct. After the hearing the missing dog's owners said the case now paved the way for them to take civil action against Lawford. 'Despite that, she does want to offer her apologies and sincere remorse for the pain she knows those dog owners suffered, as she is herself a life-long dog owner and lover. He added that the Pawford Paws business, which had been running for three years by early 2019, had provided a 'very high level of service'. But in March 2019, Mr Walkling said, Mrs Lawford suffered a nervous breakdown after her marriage fell apart. 'She had to move out, she was suffering a great deal,' he said. 'She had a nervous breakdown and foolishly decide to continue with her obligations, looking after other people's dogs. 'It was a very bad decision to make. 'Her behaviour in June, her out-of-character behaviour, was because of extreme emotional pressure and stress, which started in March and reached a peak in the summer.' He added that, since the dogs' disappearance, Mrs Lawford had received anonymous death threats on social media. In court, Mr Walkling told the judge that someone in the public gallery had muttered 'dog killer' at Mrs Lawford as she walked past. Sentencing and banning Mrs Lawford from keeping dogs, the judge said: 'I consider that, in deciding this issue, I have to take account of lost dogs. 'It would be wrong not to.' She added: 'It's a very sad and difficult situation. I want to be absolutely clear - my powers are extremely limited because of the nature of the charges the prosecution have chosen to proceed with.' Mrs Lawford was also fined 800 for the offences and ordered to pay 2,616 costs. Speaking afterwards Ms Parsons added: 'This has been quite positive because the court refused to accept the loss of the dogs. It was all about self-preservation with her. She wanted to save her business and reputation. She told us all different stories. 'We found out about one another through social media.' Becky's mother Jackie Broadrick, 57, said: 'On the day I went to collect them I was told by Louise 'I need to tell you something. You need to sit down'. 'She said 'I have lost the dogs'. I said 'oh my god'. She claimed she lost them 28 hours earlier the day before. 'She said 'I heard a gunshot and Pablo and Maggie bolted'. 'I thought that was really strange. I went to Hopwas Woods and found another dog owner, Liz Egan. Since then we got blackmailed by people saying they have the dogs. 'A man said if we did not meet him and give him the reward money, the dogs would be put with their throats cut on our front step.' Ms Lock who owned Ralph and Charlie, added: 'We support the council for not charging in relation to the five dogs. Lawford showed no remorse to us. 'We pleaded with her 'just tell us the truth'. We know the dogs are dead.' Plans for a major extension of the Jurys Inn hotel in Galway have to be put on hold following objections from a number of parties, including An Taisce. Several appeals have been lodged with An Bord Pleanala against the decision of Galway City Council to grant planning permission for an extension to the Jurys Inn on Quay St to accommodate 89 additional rooms as well as a restaurant and bar. The additional two floors planned by a subsidiary of the Israeli hotel operator Fattal Hotels, which operates the Jurys Inn chain, will bring the accommodation in the facility to 219 bedrooms. Plans for a new wing facing the Corrib River were already modified, reduced in size and set further back from a riverside walkway to address concerns of council planners. Balconies were also removed from the original design. It is estimated the development, if approved, will result in the creation of 55 new permanent jobs. Galway City Council said concerns it had about the proposed development were addressed through the provision of additional information by Jurys Inn. The council said it represents a scheme that will further enable Galway city to offer high-quality hotel accommodation and to compete internationally as a regional city and driver of growth. The development has also received the backing of Failte Ireland and Galway Chamber. However, An Taisce claims the revised scale, volume and massing of the proposed extension to the hotel remain unacceptable and materially contravenes the councils development plan in terms of height guidelines. The proposed extension will see the existing height of the building increase from just under 17m to over 23m. The heritage group said it would make a negative contribution to the urban character which included an architectural conservation area. Separate appeals have been lodged by McDonoghs Fertilizers, which has questioned how the hotel can extend without encroaching on its property; and the owners of Blakes Tower, which contains a Costa Coffee outlet. Fattal has also lodged an appeal against planning conditions imposed by Galway City Council as part of its decision to grant permission for the hotel extension. Veteran social activist Medha Patkar on Thursday accused the Centre of conspiring to destroy the future of the country through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Speaking at a public meeting organised by People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in suburban Bandra, she also alleged that the government was trying to divert the people's attention from the core issue through these things. "CAA, NRC andR- these things are part of the central government's conspiracy to destroy the future of the nation. This government is doing it for political mileage. Very cleverly it is diverting the people's attention so that it can divest the profit-making units," she said. "The government does not have the guts to visit the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Baug, and hold talks with the protesters," she alleged. Lauding those protesting against the CAA, NRC andR, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) founder said, "We salute the protesters. It is a big achievement as Muslim women, too, are participating in the protest." On the occasion, members of the fact-finding team of PUCL narrated their experiences about the alleged police atrocities in Uttar Pradesh after the anti-CAA protests broke late last year. Activists of different organisations were also present there. Faisal Khan from Delhi's Khudai Khidmadgar Foundation alleged, "At least 23 persons lost their lives and several others were either arrested or detained and their properties destroyed in the violence in Uttar Pradesh in the wake of anti-CAA protests." "Internet was shut down and prominent lawyers, activists and even mediapersons, who daredto question the violence, were picked up. Lawyers who went to police stations to enquire about those detained were themselves put behind bars in UP," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Observing that the 'finality' of death sentence is extremely important, the Supreme Court on Thursday said condemned prisoners should not be under the impression that the death penalty remains 'open ended' and can be challenged all the time by them. In remarks that came against the backdrop of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape-murder case filing one petition after another leading to the delay in their hanging, the court stressed it has to act as per law and judges also have a duty towards the society and the victims to deliver justice. The observations were made by a bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna while hearing the review pleas of a woman and her lover for killing seven members of her family including parents, two brothers and their wives and strangulating her 10-month-old nephew in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. The bench reserved its verdict on their review pleas against its 2015 judgement upholding the death penalty to the two convicts. "One cannot go on fighting endlessly for everything," it said. "The finality of death sentence is extremely important and a condemned prisoner should not be under the impression, that the death sentence remains open ended and can be questioned by them all the time." The remarks came when senior advocates Anand Grover and Meenakshi Arora pleaded for leniency and commutation of the death penalty of Shabnam and her lover Saleem on the ground they be afforded an opportunity to reform themselves. The plea was vehemently opposed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. "A convict cannot seek mercy after killing his parents that oh ho, now I have become an orphan," said Mehta, who appeared for the Uttar Pradesh Government. The law officer said that after convictions, a ground is being allowed to be taken that the death row convict has reformed himself or herself in jail then everybody will take that plea and it would open a new legal avenues for such condemned criminals. The bench asked the lawyers to provide it the judgment on the issue whether the court is obliged to consider the plea of reformation for commuting the death penalty of the convicts post their convictions in heinous cases like the present one. "Every criminal is said to have an innocent heart. However, we have to look into the crime also," the bench said when the ground of possible reformation of convicts was argued as one of the mitigating circumstances for commuting death penalty. The bench said the scope of review plea was limited and the condemned prisoners were required to only show the 'error apparent on records' of the apex court's earlier verdict. "We do not like to emphasise only on the life and death penalty of an accused, especially when lives of seven people have been snuffed out in the present case," the bench said, adding, "The most important thing that we consider is sentencing should be proportionate to the crime." The bench was told by the lawyers for the convicts that they belong to a poor and uneducated background and moreover, they were first time criminals and hence be given an opportunity to reform. It then referred to the sequence of events in the case and said the father of the woman convict was against her relationship with the co-convict and her lover and fights used to take place in the family on the issue. In a pre-meditated manner the woman served the sedative-laced tea to all the seven family members and then her lover comes in the picture and inflicts fatal wounds on all of them by using an axe, the bench said. "It is not the judge but the law that deals with a criminal. A judge, being a human being, cannot forgive a murderer. The law and the judge act for the society. Imagine a situation when a judge tells a murderer 'oh yes, I forgive you!'. Imagine the impact." The solicitor general then mentioned the plea of Ministry of Home Affairs, which was filed on Wednesday, and said the Centre is seeking modification of the 2014 directions to ensure that a 7-day deadline is fixed for execution of condemned prisoners after issuance of the black warrant. The apex court had upheld the death sentence of the two convicts who are natives of Amroha in UP, in 2015. In 2010, the Allahabad high court upheld the death sentence awarded to the duo by a sessions court. ***** Centre seeks urgent hearing in SC on plea for fixing seven-day deadline for executing death penalty The Centre on Thursday mentioned for urgent hearing in the Supreme Court its plea seeking fixing of a seven-day deadline for execution of death penalty after the issuance of black warrant saying the condemned prisoners take 'judicial process for a ride'. A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the plea of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) be taken up and the directions issued in 2014 in the Shatrughan Chauhan case, which was convict-centric, be modified and be made victim-centric. "You argue this when your (MHA's) petition comes up for hearing," the bench told Mehta who was arguing on behalf of Uttar Pradesh government to oppose the review of two death row convicts. The MHA plea said: 'All the guidelines provided... are accused-centric. These guidelines, however, do not take into account an irreparable mental trauma, agony, upheaval and derangement of the victims and their family members, the collective conscience of the nation and the deterrent effect which the capital punishment intends to make.' It sought a direction 'to mandate all competent courts, state governments, prison authorities in country to issue death warrant of a convict within seven days of rejection of his mercy petition and to execute death sentence within 7 days thereafter irrespective of the stage of review petition/curative petition/mercy petition of his co-convicts'. It has also sought a direction from the court that a time period be fixed for such death row convicts for filing curative pleas after rejection of their review pleas. The ministry also sought a direction that if a death row convict wanted to file a mercy petition, it should be made mandatory for him to 'do so only within a period of seven days from the date of receipt of death warrant issued by the competent court'. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 04:06:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (C) speaks at a press conference after a closed-door meeting of the Emergency Committee at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it was "too early" to declare the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). (Xinhua/Liu Qu) GENEVA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it was "too early" to declare the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). "I am not declaring a public health emergency of international concern today. As it was yesterday, the Emergency Committee was divided over whether the outbreak of novel coronavirus represents a PHEIC or not," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference after a closed-door meeting of the Emergency Committee. "Make no mistake, though, this is an emergency in China. But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one," Tedros said, adding that WHO's risk assessment is that the outbreak is a very high risk in China, and a high risk regionally and globally. "I wish to reiterate that the fact I am not declaring a PHEIC today should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious, or that we are not taking it seriously," the WHO chief said. The UN health agency extended its Emergency Committee discussions on whether to declare a PHEIC from Wednesday to Thursday. The PHEIC is defined by the WHO as an extraordinary event that is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response. Tedros said that 584 cases have now been reported to WHO, including 17 deaths. A total of 575 of those cases and all of the deaths have been reported in China, with other cases reported in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. Tedros said China has taken measures it believes appropriate to contain the spread of coronavirus in Wuhan and other cities and WHO hoped that they will be both effective and short in their duration. He thanked the Chinese government for its cooperation and transparency. The government has been successful in isolating and sequencing the virus very quickly and has shared that genetic sequence with the WHO and the international community. For the moment, WHO does not recommend any broader restrictions on travel or trade, and recommends exit screening at airports as part of a comprehensive set of containment measures. All countries should have in place measures to detect cases of coronavirus, including at health facilities, Tedros said. U.N. human rights experts are asking Washington to investigate a suspected Saudi hack that may have siphoned data from the personal smartphone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post. But the forensic evidence they cite comes from an incomplete study of Bezoss phone, raising multiple questions. Here's a quick guide to what's known, and what remains unknown, about their findings. WHAT HAPPENED TO BEZOS PHONE? According to a report overseen by a former longtime FBI agent and top cybersecurity official in the Obama administration, evidence on the phone suggests it was infected by spyware in May 2018 via a WhatsApp message from the account of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That message included a video file that the firm's investigators say likely contained malware. Bezos' personal security adviser had been advised in February 2019 to have the phone examined by an intelligence official who has not been named. Bezos went public with the suspected hack shortly thereafter, saying the National Enquirer tabloid had threatened to publish his private messages and photos. ARE THE FORENSIC FINDINGS CONCLUSIVE? Not at all. Outside security researchers highlighted several issues with the forensics report, which was overseen by Anthony Ferrante, who is senior managing director of FTI Consulting's cybersecurity operations and had worked on the National Security Council under President Barack Obama. For instance, the FTI report, dated November and obtained Wednesday by the Vice News site Motherboard, said researchers didn't find any malware on the phone, nor any evidence that Bezos phone had surreptitiously communicated with known spyware command servers. Further, an examination of the crucial root file system where top-flight hackers often hide their malware was still pending when the report was written. IPhone security expert Will Strafach, CEO of Guardian Firewall, said that if the FTI investigators didn't look at the root file system, they didn't do a thorough forensic exam. I think the U.N. intentions are good but the details really matter here and the public reporting falls short of any real firm smoking gun, said Strafach. Other security experts questioned the FTI team's forensic chops, wondering on Twitter and in blog posts why it was unable to decrypt the software that would have delivered the malware payload along with the video file. Alex Stamos of Stanford University tweeted: The funny thing is that it looks like FTI potentially has the murder weapon sitting right there, they just haven't figured out how to test it. FTI's Ferrante did not response to emails and text messages seeking comment. The company said in a statement that all FTI's work for clients is confidential and that FTI does not comment on, confirm or deny client engagements. Facebook said the outfit did not reach out to WhatsApp to request assistance with its probe. COULD HACKERS HAVE ERASED ALL EVIDENCE OF INTRUSION? Absolutely, said Strafach. Elite hackers plant malware that erases itself after surreptitiously sending sensitive data to command servers. "It scoops up everything they want and removes itself so there's no trace, no evidence," he said. "Anyone who knows what they are doing are going to cover up their tracks." Sophisticated mobile spyware such as a package called Pegasus, made by the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group is designed to bypass detection and mask its activity. Saudi Arabia is reported to have used Pegasus against dissidents and human rights activists within weeks of the suspected Bezos hack. On Wednesday, NSO Group unequivocally denied that its technology was used in the Bezos hack. WHY IS THE UNITED NATIONS INVOLVED? One of the two U.N. officials seeking answers in the case, Agnes Callamard. focuses on extrajudicial killings and has already investigated the Saudi government's role in the October 2018 murder in Turkey of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The other, David Kaye, is the U.N. point person on free expression. He focuses on the growing and lawless use of malicious spyware to monitor and intimidate human-rights defenders and journalists. Both are independent experts in the U.N.'s human rights arm, not employees of the international organization. Kaye said via text message that he received the FTI report in November. ARE OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES AT RISK? It's difficult to say at the moment. Prince Mohammed has attended gatherings with numerous U.S. entertainers, technology executives and sports-team owners. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said Jared Kushner, a White House aide and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, has communicated with the crown prince via WhatsApp. WHY ISNT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MORE INVOLVED? A top U.S. Justice Department official, Adam S. Hickey, would not say whether federal investigators were looking into the allegations. Trump has been reluctant to condemn the Saudi prince over the Khashoggi killing and often expresses satisfaction with his governments purchases of U.S. weapons. Despite the fact that United States President Donald Trump declared a truce between the U.S. and China in their more-than-a-year-long trade war in Switzerland this week, we shouldnt expect to see a quick economic turnaround. The problem, as explained by The Hill in their article Trump's 'phase one' deal with China won't undo trade war damage, is that the positive results of the deal remain on paper and in the future, while the damage caused by the bruising U.S.-China trade war will continue indefinitely. Whats more, phase one of ending the trade war is just that--an initial phase, not any lasting or sweeping change. In fact, Trump still stands strong in his position that his tariffs on China are good policy. He told his audience gathered in Switzerland that these achievements would not have been possible without the implementation of tariffs, which we had to use. And were using them on others, too. That is why most of our tariffs on China will remain in place during the phase two negotiations. Its not just the U.S. tariffs on China that will remain in place, but Beijings tariffs on the U.S. as well. The phase one agreement also leaves in place U.S. tariffs on $360 billion on imports from China, and Chinese tariffs on more than half of U.S.-exported goods to China, reports The Hill. Those tariffs are an open wound on the U.S. economy. In the meantime, China has continued its efforts to bolster its domestic energy production in order to ease their reliance on imports to keep the country powered. Beijing is currently preparing for a major energy sector shakeup in the face of mounting pressure to ramp up energy production. Top executives at Chinas leading energy companies are set for a power shake-up as the nation takes steps to reorganize and revamp its leadership and energy infrastructure, Bloomberg reported earlier this month. As part of the effort to bolster production, last week Beijing opened its upstream sector to foreign drillers and last month rolled out plans to spin off the nations pipelines into a new firm to allow more companies access to energy infrastructure. Additionally, Chinas largest oil firm China National Petroleum Corp. and refining major Sinopec Group (formerly China Petrochemical Corp.) have both announced major lineup changes in their top ranks. Related: The 1.2 Million Bpd Outage That Oil Markets Are Completely Ignoring Now, just this week, Upstream reports that China is set to boost shale gas output in Guizhou at the same time that U.S. shale is set to slow down over the coming year as the countrys shale revolution finally begins to wane. The report says that officials from the southwest Guizhou province have announced an ambitious plan to develop local shale gas resources over the next five years by drilling over 80 new wells for annual production capacity of 2 Bcm by 2025. As an extra blow to U.S. shale, the recent trade deal struck between Beijing and Washington DC bears no mention of easing Chinese tariffs on U.S. energy imports, which are currently set at 5 percent for crude oil and 25 percent for liquefied natural gas (LNG). China did, however, agree to import more U.S. fuels. As the New York Times reports, As part of the agreement, China pledged to buy tens of billions of dollars of American fuels of all kinds over this year and next. But the muted reaction was rooted in the perception that both the Trump administration and China are still maneuvering for advantage. As China and Beijing vie for a competitive edge, however, there is a lot at risk for both nations economies and the massive labor forces employed by their dual energy sectors. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / MPX International Corporation ("MPX International", "MPXI" or the "Company") (CSE:MPXI; OTC PINK:MPXOF) today announced the Company will issue its fiscal 2019 full-year results release on January 28, 2020 after the markets close. The Company will host a conference call on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 8:30 AM EST to discuss the results. Participant Dial-In Numbers: Toll-Free: 1-855-327-6837 Toll / International: 1-631-891-4304 Confirmation code: 10008462. Investors are invited to listen via webcast available on the MPXI investor section of the Company's website at https://ir.mpxinternationalcorp.com/. Please visit the website 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. For interested individuals unable to join the conference call, a replay of the call will be available through February 12, 2020, at 1-844-512-2921 (U.S. Toll Free) or 1-412-317-6671 (International). Participants must use the following code to access the replay of the call: 10008462. The online archive of the webcast will be available on the investor section of the Company's website for 30 days following the call. W. Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MPXI, and David McLaren, Chief Financial Officer, will be answering shareholder questions at the conclusion of the call. About MPX International Corporation MPX International Corporation is focused on developing and operating assets across the global cannabis industry with an emphasis on cultivating, manufacturing and marketing products which include cannabinoids as their primary active ingredient. 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, MPX International's objectives and intentions. 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 MPX International's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although MPX International 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, MPX International disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. For further information, please contact: MPX International Corporation W. Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and CEO T: +1-416-840-3725 info@mpxinternationalcorp.com www.mpxinternationalcorp.com SOURCE: MPX International Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573936/MPX-International-to-Report-Fiscal-2019-Earnings-On-Tuesday-January-28-2020 By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 21 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Jan. 23, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using large caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz It would be a "disaster" for the Gulf countries if there's a conflict between the U.S. and Iran, Pakistan's prime minister said on Wednesday. "The impact a conflict would have, I repeat, on the oil prices. It just ... would be a disaster for the whole area," Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. When asked if he thinks U.S. President Donald Trump wants dialogue with Tehran, Khan said that would be "sensible." "Just look at Afghanistan, it's almost now 19 years," he said. "We're still finding a solution, still trying to get peace talks going." "Does the U.S. want another conflict?" he asked. "Trust me, Iran will be (a) much, much more difficult conflict than even Afghanistan." Tensions in the region escalated in early January after Iran's top military general Qasem Soleimani was killed in Baghdad by an American airstrike. Tehran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq, but both parties appear to have stepped back from further military actions. The incendiary claim that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was involved in hacking Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos' mobile phone will refocus critical attention on the controversial young leader just as he was seeking to repair rifts and build for a year in the global spotlight. United Nations experts on Wednesday called for an investigation into the allegations, first reported by The Guardian. They pointed to information that suggested a possible role for Prince Mohammed, 34, in the surveillance of Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, in an effort to influence the newspaper's reporting on Saudi Arabia and in light of separate claims the prince was involved in the 2018 murder of Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A probe would take time, yet the damage to Saudi Arabia's image the allegations bring could be more immediate, with speculation swirling as the kingdom prepares to host G-20 finance ministers next month. That's one of dozens of events meant to showcase the prince's economic program to transform his nation and lure billions in foreign investment ahead of the grouping's main extravaganza in November. The allegations reinforce the existing perception among some "that he's not a good guy," said Kamran Bokhari, founding director of the Center for Global Policy in Washington. People have already made up their mind about Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, and unless he enacts major political reforms, it's unlikely public opinion will shift in the West, he said. Officials have spent the past year trying to rebuild the country's reputation after Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. They have won support from President Donald Trump, who defended the prince and shielded the kingdom against any major retaliation by U.S. lawmakers. The government pulled off a flagship investment conference in October and then sold an initial stake in its oil giant Aramco against the backdrop of a missile attack that temporarily knocked out its biggest crude processing facility. Riyadh has also attempted to disentangle from regional problems with limited results. It showed openness to talks in a long-running Gulf dispute with Qatar, helped end fighting between two factions that were Saudi allies in the war in Yemen, and sought de-escalation with chief foe Iran, which it blames for the missile strike -- rejecting Tehran's denials. A Saudi court sentenced five people to death for Khashoggi's murder, who had criticized Prince Mohammed's rule in his writing, while three others were given prison terms totaling 24 years in a move designed to close a damaging chapter, at least locally. The kingdom denies the prince was involved in the killing and the court cleared his former top aide. "We have seen in recent months a far more consultative and multi-lateral approach, partly triggered by doubts about U.S. reliability and given the fact of the chairmanship of the G-20," said James M. Dorsey, a Middle East scholar at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The hacking report doesn't help in the rebranding of Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed, he said. If Bezos, the world's richest man, can be a target, what about other people doing business in the kingdom? "If you are a businessman communicating with the Saudis, you are going to become a lot more cautious and ask yourself -- am I being monitored?" Dorsey said. Saudi Arabia has promoted a veneration of the crown prince in an effort to swing nationalist opinion behind his reforms, which have been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent at home. On Thursday, a hashtag urging Saudis to boycott Amazon products was trending on Twitter, with users defending Prince Mohammed, suggesting other online shopping companies and posting photos of Bezos sitting next to or hugging Khashoggi's fiancee. In a response to queries citing an unidentified official, Saudi Arabia's information ministry rejected news reports on the Bezos phone breach as "wholly unsubstantiated allegations," and said it doesn't conduct or condone such illicit activities. "We request the presentation of any supposed evidence and the disclosure of any company that examined forensic evidence so that we can show it is demonstrably false," it said Wednesday. Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and the Trump administration rebuffed talk of the prince's involvement in the Khashoggi murder despite reported CIA findings that he ordered it. Even so, Washington has been pushing Riyadh and other Gulf states to end the nearly three-year diplomatic and trade crisis with Qatar, saying it was playing into the hands of Iran at a time when the U.S. is seeking to weaken the Islamic Republic's miltary and economy. Saudi Arabia had shown an openness to talks with Doha ahead of taking over the G-20 chairmanship in December, raising hopes among Gulf officials of an end to the crisis. Riyadh hosted Qatar's foreign minister late last year to discuss the regional row, but those efforts have since lost momentum, according to three Gulf officials briefed on the discussions who asked not to be named. While the hack reports are seen as denting the kingdom's image, investors are unlikely to pull back, after already weathering the Khashoggi fallout. Some Western companies distanced themselves from the kingdom in the months after his killing -- their executives staying away from a 2018 investment conference -- but others continued to pour in money. That has continued. The government sold $5 billion of debt its first Eurobond offer of the year on Tuesday, with orders worth more than $23 billion. Several overseas investors in Saudi Arabia said it was too early to gauge the impact of the Bezos claims, but said they were unlikely to change their existing views on the kingdom. Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East and North Africa research at Eurasia Group, a consultancy, said that while individual countries would proceed with the kingdom at their own pace, the trajectory was unlikely to change. "There will be incidents along the way that take things off-track for short periods of time and just make it very difficult for the kingdom to define this on its own," he said. - - - Bloomberg's Simone Foxman and Fiona MacDonald contributed to this report. Host cells infected with giant viruses behave in a unique manner. To gain deeper insight into the infection mechanism of giant viruses, scientists at Tokyo University of Science developed a specialized algorithm that can track the movement of host cells. This method could also be used to study any other type of cells, such as cancer cells, neurons, and immune cells, serving as an efficient tool in the field of cell biology. Viruses are probably the most peculiar life forms known to us, with each species having unique characteristics. One thing common to all viruses is that they attack a host cell and hijack its machinery, using it for its own replication. A type of large virus, called giant virus, has interesting ways of attacking its host organisman amoeba. Virologists have been trying to understand what makes these viruses so unique for some time now, but to observe them, complex techniques are required. A method called phase-contrast microscopy is commonly used to study all types of cells, including amoebal cells. But, this technique relies heavily on the variation in the conditions of the cell and its background, and sometimes this leads to disruptions in the image producedfor example halo (in which the cell is surrounded by a bright light) and shade-off (in which the inside of the cell and background are of a similar intensity). This is why, to dig deeper into exactly how giant viruses infect amoebal cells, more efficient cell-tracking techniques are needed. Just earlier this month, scientists from the Tokyo University of Science, led by Professor Masaharu Takemura, had reported the discovery of two new species of pandoravirus and mimivirusboth families of giant viruses infecting amoebaefrom a riverbank in Japan. Prof Takemura says that continual discovery of viruses from soil is crucial from the standpoint of understanding the ecology of giant viruses. More importantly, in a brand new study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, a team of scientists at Tokyo University of Science, once again led by Prof Takemura, tried to understand the behavior in which amoebal cells infected with different types of giant viruses. For this, they devised a new cell-tracking method that tackles the issues of conventional analysis methods. Prof Takemura elaborates on the motivation of the study, Our aim was to understand how giant viruses infect amoebae in the natural environment and how this has affected to evolution of eukaryotes. For this, we wanted to develop a technique to quantitatively detect the time-dependent, sequential changes in cellular number, size, shape, and direction and distance of cell motility. In their study, Prof Takemura and his team focused on amoebae that were infected by a family of giant virus called marseillevirus. To understand the behavior of host cells infected with this particular type of virus, the scientists developed a new algorithm that can trace individual amoebal cells in a population of amoebae using time-lapse phase-contrast microscopic images. They named this algorithm as Phase-contrast-based Kinetic Analysis Algorithm for Amoebae or PKA3. Using PKA3, the scientists revealed new, interesting aspects of how amoebae react to a giant virus attack. For example, they quantitatively showed that giant virus-infected amoebal cells formed aggregates or bunches. They inferred that this could be either an antiviral strategy of the host or how the virus spreads, shedding light on the manner in which the viral infection takes place. Whats more, they managed to detect changes in the number of cells and the appearance of marseillevirus-infected amoebae much faster than by conventional methods. Interestingly, they could also analyze the time taken by amoebae to respond to a viral infection, providing useful information on the life cycle of amoebae and viruses and the relationship between them. Prof Takemura says: Our algorithm was successful in visualizing the movement of cells in images produced by phase-contrast microscopy, a method widely used in cell biology. Also, it allowed quantification of various parameters. This research will greatly contribute to the demonstration of amoeba behavior infected with the giant virus. Apart from studying giant viruses, this new algorithm could be used for various other applications, such as to study the dynamics of cancer cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, and neurons. In general, it could reveal new cellular phenomena by tracking exactly how these cells migrate. Prof Takemura concludes by saying: Our new analytical method could be applied to all cells that can be observed with a phase-contrast microscope and can potentially be applied to various fields including cell biology, medicine, and biotechnology. Indeed, a technique like thiswhich can potentially make cell biology research easierwas much needed! New Delhi, Jan 23 : In a major relief for the promoters of realty group Raheja Developers, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has halted the insolvency proceedings against the company and has also ordered the transfer of the company's management to its Board of Directors. The developer had moved the appellate tribunal after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) held the company to be in default of its obligations to two home buyers who had approached the tribunal. "The aforesaid facts also make it clear that the 1st and 2nd Respondents (the home buyers) filed the application under Section 7, fraudulently with malicious intent for the purpose other than for the resolution or liquidation and they knocked at the doors of the adjudicating authority for refund of money and not for the Flat/ premises and thereby wanted to jump ship and really get back the amount, by way of coercive measure," the order said. The three-judge bench headed by NCLAT Chairman S.J. Mukhopadhaya also said: "The appellant 'Corporate Debtor' (company) is released from all the rigours of 'moratorium' and is allowed to function through its Board of Directors from immediate effect." The 'interim resolution professional' will hand over the assets and records to the Board of Directors, it said. The bench further observed that in the language of the Supreme Court, the allottees in a large number of cases are speculative investors and not a person who is genuinely interested in purchasing a flat. "They do not want to go ahead with its obligation to take possession of the apartment under RERA, but want to jump ship and really get back, by way of this coercive measure, monies already paid by it." When you spend 165 hours in space, you turn yourself into a guinea pig for every experiment conceivable. That's exactly what French astronaut General Jean-Francois Clervoy did, as sensors dived deep into his digestive, immune, visual, urinary systems. Years after those exhilarating days of extreme adventure in low earth orbit, Clervoy had enough memory to keep the audience riveted to his slides of total recall. As the 'Astronauts Panel' went live at the ongoing symposium on 'Human Spaceflight and Exploration' here on Thursday, Clervoy was clearly the cynosure of all eyes. A veteran of three NASA Space Shuttle expeditions, Clervoy had lived through all the associated risks of spacewalking, launch and re-entry and the extremely critical tasks within the claustrophobic confines of the spacecraft. Confined and isolated, our job was to operate a thousand switches and be alert always in a demanding environment, he recalled. We had to go back to school, learn the basics, fix everything, change plans everyday. We were operators of very complex instruments. In zero gravity, there was no way Clervoy and his fellow space mates could hold onto the tools at all times. We would keep losing objects. We had to be better organised. We lost an average of 20% of stuff, and we didn't know where they were!, he said, as the audience burst out. From up there, the Earth would always look breathtaking. You could see the sun rise and set every 45 minutes, Clervoy recalled, as a visual of Kashmir and the Himalayas came alive on the screen. For German astronaut Thomas Reiter, those visuals were part of his daily life once. Reiter had spent 350 days in space, holding an European record for years. Performing risky spacewalks had become second nature to him. But on Thursday, he turned the spotlight on the European Space Agency (ESA)'s plans for the future beyond sending humans to low-earth orbit. Reiter explained, We are working with NASA to bring back samples from Mars through robotic missions. Dr Oleg Kotov was the only cosmonaut at the event. But the veteran of 526 space days, six spacewalks and multiple flights aboard the Soyuz had his task cut out: To ensure that all the life support systems were in ship shape, the space biology experiments were in order and astrophysics labs were well-maintained. Stefaan de Rynck, right, said the UK needs a 'dose of reality' about Brexit (Getty) The UK needs a dose of realism when it comes to Brexit, according to a top EU official. Stefaan De Rynck, who is Michel Barniers senior aide, said the next phase of the UKs departure would be more complicated to negotiate than the Withdrawal Agreement, Politico reported. The Withdrawal Agreement Bill cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on Wednesday and now awaits royal assent. According to Politico, Mr Dr Rynck told an event at UCL: The construction of the text for the Withdrawal Agreement wasnt always easy but compared to the construction of the text for the future relationship agreement, we are talking about two different kinds of exercises. The limitation of time must lead to some dose of realism on what can be achieved. Boris Johnson said the UK had 'crossed the Brexit finish line' as the Withdrawal Agreement Bill cleared its final parliamentary hurdle (Reuters) The comments came as prime minister Boris Johnson claimed the country had crossed the Brexit finish line as the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which will see the UK leave the EU on 31 January, completed its passage through parliament. But trade negotiations are still yet to come something Mr De Rynck suggested would be a complicated process. READ MORE John Bercow has bullying complaint filed against him by former official which 'would impact his peerage' Canadian taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for Harry and Meghan's security, says MP According to Politico, he said Britain should be grateful for a pretty generous offer from the EU involving zero tariffs and zero quotas between Europe and the UK. He also drew parallels with food comparing his preferred agreement that would see different areas like trade, fisheries and security wrapped up in one package to pasta where everything is integrated as a main course. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- The path ahead in the Legislature for the Revenue Committee's newest property tax reduction and school funding reform package began to look familiar Wednesday: It's going to be uphill. Urban schools lined up in opposition to the proposal (LB974) at a committee hearing, as expected, citing the potential loss of millions of dollars in school funding, and they were joined by a number of suburban and small-city schools who also argued against the bill. Meanwhile, some of the state's heavy hitters, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed their support for the measure. The proposal would extend state aid to all schools, rather than the minority of school districts that now receive state assistance under the current school aid formula, while reducing property tax valuations across the state. The committee has scheduled an executive session Thursday at which senators could discuss whether to send the bill to the floor of the Legislature for early consideration. Six of the eight committee members signed onto the legislation. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the committee, has estimated a 13% to 15% average reduction in property taxes would occur as the proposal became fully effective. "Every student would be supported by state funding," she said. In Nebraska, nearly 60% of property taxes paid go to fund K-12 education. Currently, state aid only fills the gap between a district's educational needs and the funding available from property taxes and other resources. While proponents of the tax reform proposal praised reduction in property taxes, opponents warned about the danger of diminished school funding support. The proposal would hit "large urban schools serving a diverse population" the hardest, resulting in a potential loss of millions of dollars in school funding, Liz Standish, assistant superintendent for business affairs at Lincoln Public Schools, told the committee. Marque Snow, president of the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education, said OPS could lose $26.7 million in funding support over a three-year period. The bill would have "a significant negative impact on our students," he said. Opposition from Lincoln and Omaha schools could have a significant impact on the future of the bill in a Legislature in which the votes of 33 of the 49 senators are needed to free legislation ensnared by a filibuster. Nineteen senators have Omaha or Lincoln addresses. Linehan said the bill has built-in mechanisms for schools to recover lost funding. Steve Nelson, president of the Farm Bureau, said 163 school districts nearly two-thirds do not receive any state aid now and LB974 would remedy that by providing state funding support for basic education for all students. Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the committee he supports the bill "with some reservations," but believes that enactment of property tax relief along with a new business expansion tax incentives program are vital requirements, "not optional," this session. Opponents told the committee that the proposal takes away local control of schools and endangers their ability to adequately fund their operation. "This jeopardizes funding for Nebraska schools," Norris School District Superintendent John Schwartz said, while leading to future budget cuts and reduced local control. A number of opponents said a better course would be to raise additional state revenue to fund property tax relief and school aid reform, a path the committee attempted to follow last year. That proposal was trapped on the floor of the Legislature by a filibuster. Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The opening of the US Senate's impeachment trial of President Donald Trump saw 11 million TV viewers tune in to watch the historic proceedings on Tuesday. Lawmakers sparred over witnesses and records for some 12 hours, till almost two in the morning, as Republicans rejected the Democrats' bid to obtain evidence and call witnesses. The Nielsen ratings data showed the number of viewers who engaged with the trial fell short of the roughly 13.8 million viewers who tuned in last November for the first day of the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry. Eleven million people across America tuned in to watch the daytime coverage of the impeachment trial as it opened on Tuesday Donald Trump (seen arriving at the White House on Tuesday evening) blasted the impeachment trial from afar as proceedings took place in the Senate this week Tuesday's figures covered 4.5 hours of daytime coverage across six networks that aired live, including Walt Disney Co's ABC, ViacomCBS Inc's CBS, Comcast Corp's NBC and MSNBC, AT&T Inc's CNN and Fox Corp's Fox News. The TV ratings do not include people who watched live coverage via online streaming or followed the event on social media. The impeachment trial resumed on Wednesday, with opening arguments from the Democrats in what is the third presidential impeachment trial in US history. House Democrats have opened arguments in Donald Trump's impeachment trial, appealing to Republican senators to vote to remove the US president from office to 'protect our democracy'. Mr Trump's lawyers sat by, waiting their turn, while he blasted the proceedings from afar, threatening jokingly to face off with the Democrats by coming to 'sit right in the front row and stare at their corrupt faces'. The figures who tuned in to the start of the impeachment trial were some 2.8 million less than those who tuned into the start of the inquiry last November Democrats have opened arguments in the trial before the senate appealing to Republican senators to remove the US president from the office and protect democracy Democratic accusers say Mr Trump was the one with the 'corrupt scheme' to abuse his presidential power and then obstruct Congress' investigation. The challenge before the House managers is clear. Democrats have 24 hours over the next three days to prosecute the charges against Mr Trump, trying to win over not just senators sitting silently in the chamber but an American public, deeply divided over the president and his impeachment. Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appealed to senators not to be 'cynical' about the politics of impeachment, asking them to draw on the intent of the nation's Founding Fathers who provided the remedy of impeachment. 'Over the coming days, we will present to you and to the American people the extensive evidence collected during the House's impeachment inquiry into the president's abuse of power,' said Mr Schiff, standing before the senators. 'You will hear their testimony at the same time as the American people. That is, if you will allow it.' Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appealed to senators to draw on the intent of the nation's Founding Fathers when making their decision The proceedings are unfolding at the start of an election year and there are few signs that Republican are interested in calling more witnesses or going beyond a fast-track assessment to bring a quick vote on charges related to Mr Trump's dealings with Ukraine. Mr Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House in December on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for pressuring Ukraine to investigate former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, a key political rival, and for impeding the inquiry into the matter. The president denies he has done anything wrong and is likely to be acquitted by the Republican-controlled 100-member Senate, where a two-thirds majority is needed to remove him from office. SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GlobalSCAPE, Inc. (NYSE American: GSB) a worldwide leader in the secure movement and integration of data, today announced it stands as a finalist for the prestigious Business of the Year program organized by the San Antonio Business Journal. Winners are unveiled during The Book of Lists/Business of the Year Gala that takes place February 13, 2020 in the Jack Guenther Pavillion at the Briscoe in San Antonio. The event honors and celebrates San Antonio's top CEOs, presidents, owners and businesses who made the Book of Lists as well as recognize the 2019 Business of Year. "With deep roots in San Antonio, GlobalSCAPE's entire team of dedicated professionals is honored to be recognized by the San Antonio Business Journal," said Mark Hood, Chief Operating Officer at GlobalSCAPE. "This finalist status underscores our commitment to continual innovation in our industry as well as our strong link to the local community." Earlier this month, GlobalSCAPE announced the launch of its Enhanced File Transfer EFT 2020 platform, the eighth generation of the company's managed file transfer platform that greatly simplifies the challenge of ever-evolving compliance requirements and eases the process of migrating data to the cloud. About GlobalSCAPE GlobalSCAPE, Inc. (NYSE American: GSB) is a pioneer in securing and automating the movement and integration of data seamlessly in, around and outside your business, between applications, people and places, in and out of the cloud. GlobalSCAPE provides cloud services that automate your work, secure your data, and integrate your applications while giving visibility to those who need it. GlobalSCAPE makes business flow brilliantly. Visit www.globalscape.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains 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. The words "would," "exceed," "should," "anticipates," "believe," "expect," and variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Among the important factors that could cause the actual results of the operations or financial condition of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the overall level of consumer spending on our products; general economic conditions and other factors affecting consumer confidence; disruption and volatility in the global capital and credit markets; the Company's ability to protect patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights; any breaches of, or interruptions in, our information systems; legal, regulatory, political and economic risks in international markets; the results of our reduction in force; the discovery of additional information relevant to the internal investigation; the possibility that additional errors relevant to the recently completed restatement may be identified; pending litigation and other proceedings and the possibility of further legal proceedings adverse to the Company resulting from the restatement or related matters; the costs associated with the restatement and the investigation, pending litigation and other proceedings and possible future legal proceedings; and our decreased "public float" (the number of shares owned by non-affiliate stockholders and available for trading in the securities markets) as a result of share repurchases. More information on potential risks and other factors that could affect the Company's financial results is included from time to time in the Company's public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this press release and speak only as of the date hereof. Investor Relations Contact: [email protected] Media Contact: Matthew Zintel [email protected] SOURCE GlobalSCAPE, Inc. Related Links http://www.globalscape.com These are challenging times to be Jewish in America. I attend synagogue, and my children attend Jewish day school, under the watchful eye of armed guards. When I explained to my young daughter why my husband was out the other night he attended a simulated security drill at our synagogue, where he serves on the board she asked whether I thought bad people might come to our synagogue and whether I would find her and protect her if they did. Needless to say, my heart broke into a million pieces. Whats particularly distressing about the current moment is that the antisemitism feels like it comes from every direction. White supremacists and the progressive Left, for example, have practically nothing in common, yet members of both groups can be found trading in antisemitic tropes and stereotypes. Its a bit too much like that line from Tom Lehrers National Brotherhood Week, where he sings, Oh the Protestants hate the Catholics, and the Catholics hate the Protestants, and the Hindus hate the Muslims, and everybody hates the Jews. And yet, antisemitism often goes unacknowledged, particularly at Americas colleges and universities. Thats why, in December, many people cheered the presidents new executive order on antisemitism for addressing a problem that too many have turned a blind eye to: the rise of antisemitism on college campuses. Last spring, for example, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill hosted a conference entitled Conflict Over Gaza: People, Politics, and Possibilities. The conference featured Tamer Nafar, a Palestinian rapper, performing what he proudly called an anti-Semitic song. Undercover video taken by filmmaker Ami Horowitz showed Tamer asking the audience to join in, saying, I cannot be antisemitic alone followed by audience members singing gleefully along as Tamer sang, Im in love with a Jew . . . When confronted with the recording, UNC defensively stated that it misconstrued the breadth of discourse that took place at the conference. It is difficult to imagine such indifference from a university if similar rhetoric had been directed at almost any other group. Story continues As both an advocate of free speech on campus and an observant, pro-Israel Jew, these problems have been on my mind a great deal. Unfortunately, the relief at finally having the reality on campus acknowledged has, for many people, obscured problems with the executive order that threaten everyones freedom of speech in the long run. First, the good news: The order promises robust enforcement of campus anti-discrimination laws to prevent antisemitic harassment. The longstanding policy of the Department of Education is that discrimination against Jews is covered by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically its prohibition of discrimination based on national origin, and the portion of the executive order locking in this policy signaled the administrations commitment to robustly enforcing it. But unfortunately, the executive order did not end there. Instead, it directed federal agencies, in considering whether conduct was antisemitic, to consider a very specific definition of antisemitism and very specific examples of it. Those examples include protected political speech, such as drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis and denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor. Many Jews may find these views noxious. And yes, some of the people who hold these views may, in fact, be antisemitic. But requiring the government to even consider someones political views to determine whether or not their conduct is punishable is a recipe for disaster and will ultimately only hurt the people it was intended to help. Do we really want the federal government defining all of the worlds -isms? What happens when President Joe Biden issues an executive order on Islamophobia directing the government to consider things like denying the Palestinian people their right to self-determination or drawing comparisons between Hamas and the Nazis as evidence of a prohibited anti-Muslim or anti-Arab motive? Or when opposition to affirmative action, or even a vote for Donald Trump, are legally considered evidence of racism? When we open the door to drawing distinctions among speakers based on their political views, that door will not easily be closed again and all of our rights are at risk. We are already seeing evidence that people are seeking to use the executive order to justify censorship of protected speech. For example, several Jewish organizations are demanding that the University of Michigan cancel an upcoming Youth for Palestine conference being hosted on its campus, and are citing the new executive order in support of their argument that the conference could lead to harassment of Jewish students. Now of course, if conference participants do harass Jewish students, that could indeed be grounds for a Title VI complaint. But the idea that the university should impose a prior restraint by canceling the conference because of the views of its organizers and attendees is wholly inconsistent with the most basic principles of free speech and association. The fear that I and other Jewish people feel right now is real. But that fear cannot justify infringing on our most fundamental liberties. Instead, we should focus our energies on ways to fight antisemitism, on campus and beyond, without compromising freedom of speech. For example, we can support legislative efforts to forbid, at institutions of higher education, discriminatory harassment based on religion. We should also work diligently to expose campus antisemitism to public scrutiny, as Ami Horowitz did when he took and publicized video of the viciously antisemitic rhetoric at the UNC conference. As Supreme Court justice and committed Zionist Louis Brandeis famously said, sunlight is the best disinfectant. More from National Review Australian shares eased into the long weekend on Friday, brushing aside continued uncertainty associated with the coronavirus outbreak in China to post modest gains for the session. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 2.5 points, or less than 0.1 per cent, to close at 7090.5, recovering some of the ground lost on Thursday following the release of Australias better-than-expected December jobs report which saw near-term RBA interest rate cut bets curtailed. For the week, the benchmark index increased 0.4 per cent, adding to the rally the local market has enjoyed since the early parts of January. The resilient performance on Friday came despite further reports of coronavirus cases in China, including an increased death toll. Investors should be alarmed but not panic just yet, said Diana Mousina, senior economist at AMP Capital. While it is impossible to know exactly how much more the virus can spread, most epidemics have taken 6-18 months to run their course before the actions taken by authorities start having an impact. Given the uncertainty, James Whelan, investment manager at VFS Group, said hes steering clear of oil producers, airlines and airports for the moment. If it was any other time of the year Id be less concerned, but because its Chinese New Year the scale of disruption means the ramifications will probably be felt for at least a few months, he said. However, outside of those areas, Mr Whelan said its business as usual. The gains on Friday were led by healthcare, helped CSL shares which climbed 1.1 per cent to a new closing high of $310.70. Financials also added 0.3 per cent, supported by gains in the big four banks. Insurance Australia Group provided some offset, sliding 5.4 per cent to $7.30 after announcing a profit warning. The materials sector was the biggest drag on the market, falling 0.9 per cent on the back of weakness in commodity prices, especially iron ore and crude oil. Rio Tinto shed 2.8 per cent to $103.18, BHP Group 1.5 per cent to $40.45 while Fortescue Metals slipped 0.4 per cent to $12.48. Downer EDI recorded the largest gain on the benchmark for the session, recovering around a third of the decline seen on Thursday. It rose 6 per cent to $7.60. Overall, 100 companies gained, 82 fell while 18 were unchanged. The ASX will be closed on Monday for the Australia Day public holiday. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is reviewing a Homeland Security Department recommendation that he expand one of the most controversial policies of his administration by banning people from an additional seven countries from traveling to the U.S. The department suggested the White House expand the travel restrictions to Tanzania, Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Sudan, according to a person familiar with the review who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The administration's first travel ban, enacted soon after Trump took office, targeted countries with large Muslim populations, sparking widespread outrage from Democrats and immigration activists. The Supreme Court upheld a revised version of the ban in June 2018. An expanded ban would likely ignite new protests over what opponents earlier described as a "Muslim ban" because five of the countries on the new list have substantial Muslim populations. The White House is weighing the proposal ahead of November elections as Trump seeks to make immigration a focus of his campaign. Spokesmen for Homeland Security and the White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the specific possible additions. On Tuesday, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley defended the travel ban as "profoundly successful in protecting our country and raising the security baseline around the world." ADVERTISEMENT "While there are no new announcements at this time, common sense and national security both dictate that if a country wants to fully participate in U.S. immigration programs, they should also comply with all security and counterterrorism measures," Gidley said. "We do not want to import terrorism or any other national security threat into the United States." The first version of the ban triggered airport chaos and came after the president said repeatedly during the 2016 campaign that he wanted to bar all Muslims from entering the country. Judges quickly blocked that version, but subsequent changes made the policy more palatable to the courts. Trump has argued the ban on visas for some majority-Muslim countries is a necessary security measure. The additions to the list were prepared for the White House as part of a worldwide assessment the president mandated that the administration undertake every six months under his executive order mandating the travel ban. Countries will probably be given an opportunity to improve security measures such as biometrics, information-sharing and counterterrorism precautions to avoid ultimate inclusion on the list, the person said. The president hasn't specified whether he'll add all of the countries recommended by Homeland Security. "We're adding a couple of countries to it," Trump told reporters this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We have to be safe. Our country has to be safe. You see what's going on in the world. Our country has to be safe. So we have a very strong travel ban, and we'll be adding a few countries to it." Already, visas from five Muslim-majority nations - Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen - as well as North Korea and some from Venezuela have been suspended, meaning about 150 million people can't enter the U.S. The administration removed Chad from the list, crediting the country's improvement in identity-management and information-sharing practices. The administration revised the policy two times before settling on a version that the Supreme Court upheld in a June 2018 ruling. ADVERTISEMENT A divided court rejected contentions that Trump targeted Muslims and gave him a legal and political victory on a controversy that helped define his presidency. --- (c)2020 Bloomberg News Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. During Donald Trumps third year as president, we moved from worrying that anti-LGBT policies would harm people to seeing the damage of these policies in action. Today, The Fenway Institute of Fenway Health released a policy brief demonstrating that in 2019, the Trump Administration dramatically expanded upon discriminatory, anti-LGBT policies implemented in 2017 and 2018 that are harming the health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ people in America and around the world. During Donald Trumps third year as president, we moved from worrying that anti-LGBT policies would harm people to seeing the damage of these policies in action, said Sean Cahill, PhD, Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute. The most dramatic examples have been the deaths of two transgender women seeking asylum in the United States who were detained in facilities currently being sued for their alleged abuse of LGBT migrants. Other moves have made LGBT people and people living with HIV much more vulnerable to discrimination in health care, social services, employment, education, and access to basic government services. Much of the harm LGBT people are now experiencing is the result of discriminatory actions that target them, such as rolling back sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination provisions in health care, employment, and housing while expanding discriminatory religious refusal policies. But other policies that are not specifically aimed at LGBT people, such as restricting asylum hearings in the United States only to people who have been denied asylum in another country, and the maltreatment of people in border detention facilities, have disproportionately affected LGBT people from Central America seeking asylum to escape anti-LGBT violence. In June, a transgender woman from El Salvador, who spent six weeks in a detention center in New Mexico that has been sued by the ACLU for creating unconscionable conditions for LGBT immigrants, died after being hospitalized for chest pain. The woman, a nurse, had repeatedly asked for an IV solution or, barring that, water, salt, and sugar so she could make and administer her own solution, but was denied medical care. Two initiatives by the Trump Administration aimed at improving the conditions of LGBT people around the world and ending the transmission of HIV have been undermined by the administrations own anti-LGBT policies. During his 2019 State of the Union address, President Trump announced the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, a new plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 with increased investments in outreach and prevention to communities hit hardest by HIV. But the campaign does little to address anti-LGBT discrimination and stigma, which are the underlying drivers behind the HIV epidemic among the most disproportionately affected populations in this country. Meanwhile, the Trump Administrations work to uphold religious refusal protections, repeal nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Americans, and other such actions may actually increase discrimination against LGBT people, creating additional barriers to success for the HIV initiative. In February 2019, the Trump Administration announced that it would launch a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality as it is still a crime in 70 countries around the world, with 13 of them allowing for the death penalty. Since the announcement, the Trump Administration has been inconsistent in implementing its policy. While the US State Department publicly condemned anti-LGBT laws and actions in Chechnya and Brunei, it has been silent on similar anti-LGBT actions taken this year by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kenya. The U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, who criticized the imprisonment of a gay couple there for 15 years, was told to leave the country by Zambias president, and was recalled by the U.S. State Department last month. Other examples of actions taken by the Trump Administration in 2019 that undermine the health and well-being of LGBT people and people living with HIV include: Proposing a new rule to reverse the Obama-era final rule implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination in the provision of health care. The 2016 Section 1557 rule was implemented to address anti-LGBT discrimination in health care, which can range from being verbally or physically harassed to being denied treatment altogether. Proposing a new rule to remove explicit sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination provisions from important health care regulations governing health insurance exchanges, Medicaid regulations, and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Proposing a new rule to remove regulatory provisions that explicitly prohibit organizations that receive HHS grant funding from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, and religion. Such a rule would affect organizations that provide a wide array of health and social services, including health care at federally funded community health centers, HIV and STI testing and prevention, refugee resettlement, elder care programs, childcare and after-school programs, community meal programs, and adoption and foster care services. Nominating judges for lifetime federal appointments who have expressed anti-LGBT sentiments and/or have histories of ruling against the interests of LGBT Americans. Arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of limiting existing nondiscrimination provisions under Title VII that have been used to protect LGBT workers. Proposing an amendment to the Equal Access Rule, which ensures that homeless shelters do not discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Amending the 2019 Notice of Funding Availability Act, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to remove a crucial incentive that encouraged housing providers to support LGBT individuals. LGBTQ youth and transgender people, especially people of color, experience disproportionately high rates of homelessness. Eliminating disparate impact civil rights regulations which treat policies that are neutral on paper but have an unequal impact in practice as forms of discrimination, even if there was no discriminatory intent. Finalizing a rule that allows healthcare providers to refuse to participate in medical procedures, such as infertility treatment for same-sex couples, abortion, and HIV treatment for religious reasons. Proposing a new rule that would remove sexual orientation data collection for foster youth and foster and adoptive parents in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. Implementing a ban on transgender troops that was first proposed in 2017 and which puts an estimated 13,600 transgender individuals at risk of being discharged. The policy brief, In its third year in office, the Trump Administration dramatically expanded discriminatory anti-LGBT policies can be downloaded here. Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhoods, the LGBTQIA+ community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. At that price, only state transportation departments can afford them, and they usually measure only major highways. American cities (and Ramallah, near Birzeit University, for that matter) rely mostly on citizen complaints or seat-of-the-pants assessments by city employees. That unscientific approach presents problems, said Glenn Engstrom, the director of the National Road Research Alliance, which conducts pavement research at MnROAD, the Minnesota transportation departments asphalt test track. People are far more tolerant of bad roads in urban settings, because speeds are lower, Mr. Engstrom said. He noted that apps like Carbin could be particularly helpful in cities because those expensive vans dont work as well in stop-and-go traffic (or in freezing weather, a.k.a. pothole season). Accurate data is better than citizen complaints for road maintenance. The time to resurface roads is when the roughness index starts to climb, even before drivers report problems. Smooth roads last longer, Mr. Engstrom said, and that definitely helps both the environment and our pocketbook. Upon his return from the West Bank, Professor Ulm bemoaned the lack of roughness-index data on those roads to another engineering professor, Arghavan Louhghalam of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. It occurred to her that the accelerometers built into smartphones might be able to measure road roughness. From that initial conversation, they assembled a group of five faculty supervisors from M.I.T., UMass Dartmouth and Birzeit University. Six students from M.I.T., Birzeit, Harvard, UMass Dartmouth and the University of Washington then went to work under Jacob Roxon, a Ph.D. candidate at M.I.T. Ellicott Citys Concerned Citizen A Long History of Rising Waters Hoping for a Break from the Past Water was beginning to come under the door of the Classics and Collectibles shop in historic Ellicott City, Md. Proprietor Joan Eve and her long-time friend Gary Weltner had just finished restocking after moving every bit of inventory out of the store and onto trucks the previous spring weekend in 2018. They didnt want to take any chances after a forecast of heavy rains and flash floods that never came. It took us the week to get it all back in and in place, says Gary.They had reason to be concerned. Nearly two years earlier Joans store was demolished when floodwaters pushed an SUV through the front of her shop and washed away the entire contents of Classics and Collectibles.As rising water swirled around their ankles, Joan and Gary realized they had to get out. Six-foot glass display cases were falling like dominoes all around them as the back wall was breached and floodwater gushed in. The front door was the only way out. Unable to push it open, Gary had to smash the glass window in the door, step outside and reach back in for his friend as two cars floated by.Once we were out in the water my biggest fear was first being just washed away, says Gary. And secondly, being struck by the debris. It was absolutely horrifying. The street at their doorstep was now a churning brown torrent. The only way to safety was across a small bridge already overwhelmed by the overflowing Tiber River. With Joan clinging to his back, Gary inched across the swamped span to safety. I was shouting to Joanie keep your mouth closed, because the water, in about three minutes, rose from waist high up to our chins.Hes the dearest friend anyone could ever have because he saved my life, says Joan. Literally.Back-to-back thunderstorms had dumped over eight inches of rain in just three hours that Memorial Day weekend in 2018. Overwhelmed streams sent several feet of dirty water racing down the quaint towns main street, carrying cars, logs and all manner of debris. A National Guardsman died attempting to rescue a woman trapped by the floodwaters. This was the second thousand-year storm to hit the town in less than two years. A similar flood in June of 2016, also due to heavy rains, was the one that sent an SUV through the display window of Classics and Collectibles. Two people died in that event.Its a clear day in late December and Ron Peters is making his way through a rock-lined channel toward an old tunnel under Main Street in Ellicott City. Wearing knee-high rubber boots, he carries a bright yellow oversized flashlight in one hand and a five-foot collapsible metal pole in the other. Stepping carefully but quickly over the rocky stream bed, he reaches a spot where several inches of standing water have pooled in the darkness of the tunnel. This is the biggest choke point, he says, waving his metal pole in a big circle. This is what caused a number of stores to be flooded.Aiming his flashlight downward, he shoves the pole deep into the black water and layer of silt below. Dredge this out down three, four, or five feet, even if they had to pour a new footer along here, a six-inch wide footer with steel, he says. It would keep Main Street from flooding so much. Ron has clearly spent a lot of time down here thinking about this.Peters is not an employee of Howard County, nor is he a contractor. He owns a body shop nearby. But to say he is a concerned citizen would be an understatement. On his own initiative and with his own money, Ron has made himself an important, if unofficial, part of Howard Countys flood response team. Besides his business, he also owns a number of rental properties in Ellicott City including the Howard House apartments, originally a hotel built in 1840. The four-story stone structure fronts Main Street and is backed by a steep granite hillside. A photography hobbyist, Ron decided in 2015 to install security cameras at Howard House. I had six cameras. One inside, two in the backyard, three on the outside, he says. Just peace of mind, not thinking about floods.Instead of foiling intruders, the three cameras facing the street ended up capturing dramatic footage of the 2016 flood. Two hours of video from each camera provided more than just shots of floating cars and general mayhem. They provided a clearer picture of the sequence of events surrounding the catastrophic weather event. That was when I realized that we werent seeing but a very little bit of the flood water coming down Main Street, he says. Most of it is coming under the streets, under the buildings, behind the buildings, and we werent seeing that at all.A year after the flood Ron received a text message from one of his tenants saying the neighborhood was evacuating because of rising waters at a nearby creek. I cant keep having to get up and run down there, he says. I need to put a camera on the back of that house, my rental house. With the help of a friend in the security camera business, he decided to create a network, connecting the cameras located at his rental properties with those already installed at his business. He then made the network available for free to the county government and anyone else who might be interested.Standing on Main Street, Ron is pointing in every direction with arm outstretched and rattling off all of his current camera locations. I installed four cameras up there, and then I put one right back here on Court Avenue. I got one on the back of this building, he says. I had to get permission from the historic commission, to mount a camera on the back of a building. What he doesnt volunteer, unless asked, is the fact that he paid for all of it himself.His plan, as he originally envisioned it, would give residents and business owners access to the network and reimburse him the $2,000 setup cost, which would include a camera and recorder. Other than one restaurant owner, there wasnt enough interest or money for people to participate. I thought it was important, so I just went ahead and put the money upfront, Ron says. Some of them were still recovering from the floods. They didnt have the money. He paid his body shop employees and grandson to help with the installations and necessary maintenance. By May 2018, Ron had deployed 13 cameras.Later that month, then-County Executive Allan Kittleman had scheduled an announcement about the imminent installation of stream sensors within the Ellicott City watershed. Ron was asked to speak at the event about his network of cameras and how hed shared access with the county. I got to thinking, I probably just wasted about $20,000 and 200 hours of my time because were never going to use these things. Itll never flood again, he says. Six days later we get hit by the 2018 flood.Ron was in Virginia when his wife called the sunny afternoon of July 30. One of his tenants in Ellicott City was reporting water in the kitchen of a house shed lived in for 50 years. I said what happened, did a pipe break? She said no, its flooding. Immediately he pulled up the video from his network of cameras on an iPad. I got all the cameras and Im watching Ellicott City get washed away. And I couldnt believe it.He didnt get back to town until late that night. On his way there he placed a call to Ryan Miller, the Howard County emergency manager at the time. Hes not going to answer. Hes in the middle of this flood. But Miller did pick up. Ron, were using your cameras in rescue operations right now.Monitoring the cameras in Rons video network, the countys emergency management team directed rescue operations in the ravaged town, moving personnel to where they were needed and pulling them back from dangerous areas as conditions changed minute to minute. I thought it was kind of neat that we were able to that, he says now.The site of Ellicott City was chosen precisely for its proximity to the fast-moving Patapsco River, which provided power for needed mills. The first grist mill to be located along the banks of the river was built in 1766. It was destroyed two years later by a flood, rebuilt and sold in 1774 to Joseph Ellicott and his brothers John and Andrew, Quakers from Pennsylvania.The end of the Revolutionary War brought increased prosperity to the area in general and the industrious Ellicotts in particular. Granite was in abundant supply and used in the construction of many of the new buildings. Jonathan and George Ellicott, sons of founder Andrew, built their own imposing homes of stone near the mills, located just 12 miles from Baltimore. The burgeoning towns importance was cemented when it was chosen as the first terminus for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad outside of Baltimore. The stone station, built in 1830 and the oldest in America, still stands today and is used as a museum.The old train depot anchors the historic district at the bottom end of Main Street, which is one mile long and rises gradually 140 feet up from the station. The street follows the narrow valley formed by the Tiber River, one of four tributaries that converge in Ellicott City before emptying into the Patapsco. The older buildings on one side of Main are built against a steep granite hillside. The bedrock is actually incorporated into some structures foundations and back walls.Over the years, the streams have been channeled through rock-lined ditches and concrete culverts that meander under Main Street and in some sections are directly adjacent to several structures. Many of the buildings on the lower end of the street actually straddle the stream. The history of Ellicott City is a history of harnessing the flow of water. But that has proven to be a difficult task.Situated in a valley, flooding has always been a fact of life in Ellicott City. The Great Flood of 1868 is thought to be the worst of the towns many flooding events when the Patapsco River rose 10 feet in five minutes, killing at least 40 people and washing away 28 homes, a flour mill and iron works. Floodwater has historically moved up Main Street from a swollen Patapsco. But water pouring into town from higher ground above is the more recent threat.According to the National Climate Assessment of 2014, heavy downpours have been occurring with greater frequency since 1900, with the biggest increase in the Northeast and Midwest. Climate change is expected to accelerate that trend and to make flooding more intense in many regions. Given its geographic location, Ellicott City is particularly vulnerable.After the flood of 2016, County Executive Kittleman proposed a $50 million, five-year plan that would have purchased and demolished 10 old buildings on one side of lower Main Street, replaced the structures with green space and expanded the Tiber Rivers channel.Kittlemans plan enjoyed support from some quarters but not from historic preservationists who saw it as too drastic. We spoke out against (the plan) out of concern for what that would mean to the historic district and the economic impact to a community that is so centrally focused around its heritage, says Nick Redding of Preservation Maryland.But before his plan could move forward, Kittleman was defeated by Councilman Calvin Ball who, upon taking office, asked for further review of flood mitigation options. In December 2018, Ball announced he had chosen one of the five proposals presented to him. He didnt pick the least expensive and he didnt pick the most expensive, says Mark DeLuca, deputy director of public works for the county. But it gave the best results at lower Main Street.According to Ball, he selected a flood mitigation plan that would be a long-term solution and not just a band-aid until the next major weather event impacts the town. His plan calls for razing just four buildings, widening the Tiber channel and boring a 15-foot-diameter, 1,600-foot-long tunnel through the granite hillside that runs parallel to Main Street. The county recently acquired the last of the 10 buildings on the lower end of the street. Unlike the previous plan, six of them will be stabilized and restored.Balls plan, like Kittlemans before it, only expects to reduce flooding in Ellicott City, not end it.This plan will leave less than a foot of water on lower Main Street in the event of a 100-year storm as compared to the previous administrations plan of four and a half feet of water, Ball says. While not everyone in town applauds the new plan, which could end up costing as much as $140 million, those who see value in preserving the towns history are more supportive. They tried to come up with the most restrained plan that they could, says preservationist Nick Redding, and losing four structures is a whole lot better than losing a dozen or more.Long-time Ellicott City resident and retired urban planner Gary Maule sums up the situation: Theres an engineering issue yes, but theres also an environmental issue, theres a historic issue, theres urban design issues, social issues, the economic issues. I think were just moving into an age when people are beginning to become aware that theres all these layers and its all connected.On a sunny afternoon last summer, Sally Tennant is sitting inside whats left of Discoveries, her antiques, crafts and collectibles store on Main Street, just below Classics and Collectibles. Her building is one of the four slated for demolition. With the front window boarded up, the only illumination comes from a single row of track lights high overhead. Slivers of sunlight are poking through the many cracks and gaps in the broken walls. The former store is nearly empty save for a number of wind chimes and baubles still dangling from a section of the ceiling. Sally cant rescue the chimes though, since a six by twenty-foot section of the floor directly below was swept away with the stores contents.I had so much inventory in here and all of it went down the river, she says. Its quiet except for the muffled sound of traffic outside and the soft trickle of water as the exposed Tiber River makes its way over scattered stones and chunks of cinder block six feet below.Sallys situation is different than her fellow shopkeepers since Discoveries was also her home. She owns the building, which once housed a grocery store and the living space upstairs. This was a perfect piece of real estate for my retirement. When Im done, I rent the store out, rent out two apartments, and Im set, she says. I had set my life up perfectly.As of late December, Sally had sold her building to the county and relocated Discoveries a few blocks up Main St. She is busy now, still unpacking and arranging her colorful, eclectic merchandise. The smell of fresh white paint fills the brightly lit shop. Track lighting saved from the old store is affixed to the ceiling, sharing space with dozens of shiny glass ornaments. She expects to stay in Ellicott City. Ive been here for 38 years, and I draw a lot of people to town, she says. And theyre very loyal customers.Not everyone who had a business or home in Historic Ellicott City is coming back. But others are stepping in to take their place. Kelly Crowe opened the aptly named Unusual Company in a beautifully restored 1905 bank building this past fall. Besides the shelves and tables full of horror-themed masks, books, novelties and clothing, 18 flavors of gelato are served from a glass case within sight of the old vault. Just before the stores grand opening, someone made off with one of the two stone gargoyles perched on either side of the stores front door.Hearing of the theft, Ron Peters has stopped in front of the soon-to-open store, fixated on the spot where the missing gargoyle once sat. Ive got a camera right up here, he says, pointing skyward. Im going to try to see who picked them up. They havent even opened yet. And thats a shame, you know?Ron had indeed captured the thief on camera making off with Kellys gargoyle, which has since been reunited with its twin, although they are now indoors. A few months ago, a woman was struck by a car on the sidewalk as she was painting a window on Main St. One of his cameras caught the sequence of events leading to the accident, including the running of a red light. Hes happy that his work has turned out to be a benefit in unexpected ways.But he remains focused on flooding. These days Ron is testing a stream sensor he cobbled together from lengths of metal rod and sump pump parts. The makeshift device triggers a text message and photo of the location to his phone when stream levels get high.Modest about his contribution, Ron is nevertheless always ready to talk about his video network. Clutching an iPad, he is rattling off the various camera locations as he points to each of several photos on the screen. This is Georgia Graces camera. Theres the Patapsco River. This is Maryland Avenue. This is lower Main Street. This area really gets flooded bad. I had two cameras there, but I had to move them. They were on that building and that building belongs to the county now, Theres no power down there so I had to move them. These are my west end cameras, thisAfter a pause, he continues. This building here was the one I cleaned out that my grandfather owned in (Hurricane) Agnes. The water was up above the first floor, it was 14 feet down there at the bridge, he says. I helped him clean out six of his properties after Agnes hit in 72. I started coming down here when I was about five with my grandfather. This is where I grew up.The police have parked an illuminated message board at the bottom of Main St. to warn a wary population. FLASH FLOOD WARNING is spelled out in tiny lights. But Ron doesnt put much faith in the mobile sign or even the siren thats been installed nearby. He has, however, done some flood proofing to the 180-year-old Howard House apartments. Weve lucked out this year, he says. Weve had probably five or six storms within 25 miles that if theyd hit here, we would have been flooded again. [January 23, 2020] SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Holzer & Holzer Announces that a Class Action Was Filed on Behalf of Qudian Investors and Encourages Investors With Significant Losses to Contact the Firm Holzer & Holzer, LLC announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased Qudian, Inc. ("Qudian" or the "Company") (NYSE: QD) securities between December 13, 2018 and January 15, 2020. The lawsuit alleges that Qudian failed to disclose that regulatory developments in China were likely to have a material negative impact on the Company's FY 19 projections and results. On January 16, 2020, Qudian announced that it was withdrawing its guidance and declining to issue new guidance "due to uncertainty related to the recent regulatory and operating environment." The price of Qudian securities fell following the announcement. If you purchased shares of Qudian securities between December 13, 2018 and January 15, 2020 and suffered significant losses on that investment, you are encouraged to contact Corey D. Holzer Esq. at [email protected] or Luke R. Kennedy at [email protected], or by toll-free telephone at (888) 508-6832 to discuss your legal rights. Holzer & Holzer, LLC is an Atlanta, Georgia law firm that dedicates its practice to vigorous representation of shareholders and investors in litigation nationwide, including shareholder class action and derivative litigation. Since its founding in 2000, Holzer & Holzer attorneys have played critical roles in recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for shareholders victimized by fraud and other corporate misconduct. More information about the firm is available through its website, www.holzerlaw.com and upon request from the firm. Holzer & Holzer, LLC has paid for the dissemination of this promotional communication, and Corey D. Holzer is the attorney responsible for its content. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005797/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Jacksonville residents have suggested several possible projects that could benefit from money being made available to the city through taxes on cannabis sales. The city is starting outreach efforts about a cannabis equity program. The law that legalized recreational use and sale of cannabis in Illinois includes a program called Restore, Reinvest and Renew through which a portion of cannabis tax revenue will fund programs and strategies in areas that have been disproportionately affected by enforcement of past cannabis laws. The north and east sides of Jacksonville have been identified as such. Thanksgiving Day is a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and the preceding year. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October. In the United States, the day is observed on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on November 26. Thanksgiving dinner consists of turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole and cornbread. With this high-calorie dinner, an average person gains more weight between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. The gained weight is often never lost and accumulate year after. According to the Calorie Control Council, a person consumes about 3,000 calories from the Thanksgiving dinner and 1,500 from all the snacking throughout the day. Eating a high-calorie Thanksgiving dinner results in fatigue and induces sleep, as the body takes a longer time to metabolize the consumed food. Studies show that consumption of high-calorie food causes the blood vessels to stiffen and increase the levels of triglycerides. Consumption of alcohol and lack of physical activity during festive season result in weight gain and increase the risk factors for heart diseases. According to a calorie analysis in the New York Times, an average Thanksgiving meal provides 2,486 calories. FOOD QUANTITY CALORIES (Kcal) Dark meat 4 ounces 206 White meat 2 ounces 93 Sausage stuffing 1 serving 310 Dinner roll with butter 1 serving 310 Mashed potatoes casserole with butter and topped with marshmallows 1 serving 300 Mashed potatoes with gravy 1/2 cup 140 Green bean casserole 2/3 cup 110 Cranberry sauce 2 tablespoons 15 Roasted brussels sprouts 1 serving 83 Pumpkin pie 1 serving 316 Pecan pie 1 serving 503 Whipped cream for pie 2 tablespoons 100 Total 2,486 Kcal A person consumes 2,486 calories at one meal on Thanksgiving Day. Taking into account the extra snacking throughout the day, you end up consuming 4,500 calories, which is more the twice the recommended daily intake. But, the good news is that you can eat everything, but in moderation. How To Stay Healthy On Thanksgiving Day? Some simple tips may help you to have a healthy Thanksgiving Day. Eat low-fat and low-calorie foods such as fresh salads, lean meat, whole grain cereals and bread for days in advance of the Thanksgiving dinner, and for days after. Do not skip your breakfast on Thanksgiving Day. Eating breakfast helps you not to snack before the meal and also prevents overeating. For instance, have a whole grain cereal with low-fat milk and fresh fruits. This fiber-rich breakfast will keep you satiated for a longer period. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. Snack on fruits and fresh salads to overcome your hunger pangs. Limit the consumption of alcohol and avoid carbonated beverages. These high-calorie beverages contribute to weight gain. Look for healthy substitutions from the main course turkey to the dessert pumpkin pie; there are many healthy substitutions that can be made. Plan the meal for the day. Do not in cream sauces steam or boil the vegetables. in cream sauces steam or boil the vegetables. Use fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare the meal, instead of canned or frozen ingredients. During the big meal, fill half of your plate with vegetables before you reach for turkey and mashed potatoes. Including more vegetables in your meal, will keep you from indulging in unhealthy food. Opt for white meat turkey as it is healthier than dark meat turkey, which is high in fat. Do not eat the skin, as it has a higher fat content. Be mindful of the food you eat. Turn off your television during dinner and be truly thankful for what you eat. Go for a smaller plate. Eat slowly and savor your Thanksgiving meal. This helps you to avoid overeating. Limit the intake of foods that are high in sugar such as cranberry sauce. Go for a teaspoon or two. Use homemade cranberry sauce as it is less in calories compared to jellied cranberry sauce. Opt for a slice of pumpkin pie, which has fewer calories than apple pie and pumpkin cheesecakes. Relish the pumpkin pie without toppings, such as ice cream or whipped cream. After the Thanksgiving meal, take a walk alone or as a family. Healthy Substitutes For the Thanksgiving Dinner Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Mashed potatoes are converted into sugar in the body. To make the mashed potatoes healthier, add pureed cauliflower. This helps cut down the calories and increases the nutrition profile of mashed potatoes. Use olive oil, instead of butter in the mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be a healthier alternative, as they are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Baked or mashed sweet potatoes can be used. Gravy is usually thickened using cornstarch or all-purpose flour. To make the gravy healthy, use whole wheat, oat or spelt (hulled wheat) flour as a thickener. Substitute milk or heavy cream in the gravy with pureed cauliflower. Instead of adding turkey fat drippings in the gravy, add vegetable stock. Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin pie filling is made of heavy cream and milk. Substitute with almond milk to make it healthier. Almonds help lower bad cholesterol levels and prevent heart problems. Prefer brown sugar over normal sugar. Use more cinnamon than sugar. Cinnamon makes the pie taste better and also prevents weight gain and lowers high blood sugar. For the pie crust, use whole grain flour. The best substitute for the pie crust could be almond flour. Substitute almond flour for at least one-third of the flour to make the pie healthier. Turkey Stuffing Increase the quantity of vegetables in the stuffing. Vegetables like butter squash and kale can be used. If you prefer bread for the stuffing, instead of plain white bread, use whole grain bread. Quinoa or brown rice can also be used. To make the stuffing more heart healthy, add nuts such as almonds, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts. Nuts make the stuffing crunchy and increase the taste. Fruits can also be used to make the stuffing. Dry fruits Fruits such as raisins, cranberries and small pieces of apple can be used. Thanksgiving is not just about food. It should be about relationships, spending time with family and friends and being thankful for what you have. Have a heart healthy Thanksgiving Day. Green Bean Casserole Ingredients: Green beans (cut into 2-inch pieces) - 8 cups Butter - 4 tablespoons Whole wheat cracker crumbs - 1/2 cup Onion (thinly sliced) - 1 Button mushrooms (thinly sliced) - 1 cup Garlic cloves (minced) - 2 All purpose flour - 3 tablespoons Salt 3/4 teaspoon Black pepper 1/4 teaspoon Low-fat milk 2 1/2 cups Method: In a large pot of boiling water, add green beans and boil for 5 minutes and then drain and transfer to a large bowl. Heat the saucepan over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the cracker. Stir until the crackers are toasted and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add flour, salt and pepper and cook until the flour is light brown. Add milk slowly and stir. Cook until the sauce thickens and remove from the heat. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the sauce to the green beans and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a pre-greased 2.5 quart baking dish. Add the crumb mixture on top. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the edges are brown. Serve warm. Turkey and Apple Muffins Ingredients: Turkey (shredded) 2 cups Chopped apples 1 cup Chopped celery 1/2 cup Onion 1 medium Butter 4 tablespoons Olive oil 2 tablespoons Bay leaf 1 Chopped parsley leaves 1/4 cup Stuffing cubes 5 cups Chicken stock 2 cups Salt and pepper to taste Method: Monsignor Fredrik Hansen, Charge dAffaires ad interim of the Holy Sees Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York, on Wednesday spoke at a Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. By Robin Gomes While reiterating its steadfast commitment to peace and its support for initiatives to advance negotiated solutions, especially in the Middle East, the Holy See is also calling on all parties to promote open and constructive dialogue. Monsignor Fredrik Hansen, Charge dAffaires ad interim of the Holy Sees Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York, made the call on Wednesday at a Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. Keeping flame of dialogue alive in ME The Holy See official expressed concern over a vaster conflict that could be sparked by tensions flaring between Iran and the United States and the crises in Iraq and Lebanon. In this situation, he said, it is of utmost importance that the support and the commitment of the international community keep the flame of dialogue alive and that these challenges be addressed with a holistic approach. Msgr. Hansen also echoed the call of Pope Francis for a steadfast and effective engagement to counteract the pall of silence that risks falling over the war that has devastated Syria over the course of the last decade. The Holy Father has called for suitable and far-sighted solutions for the war-exhausted people of Syria to regain peace and to begin the reconstruction of the country. Msgr. Hansen also drew attention to the conflict in Yemen, which is suffering one of the most serious humanitarian crises. Jerusalem and Israeli-Palestinian peace Addressing the situation in the Holy Land, Msgr. Hansen reiterated the stand of the Holy See and Pope Francis regarding Jerusalem and its vocation to be a symbolic place of encounter and of peaceful coexistence where mutual respect and dialogue are cultivated. In this regard, he reiterated the Holy Sees support for the UNs call to maintain the status quo of the holy sites of Jerusalem, dear to Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Holy See also called on the international community to reconfirm its commitment to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Peace in the world What Pope Francis recently said with regard to Israel and Palestine, he said, could be applied to the wider region and across the world, where many are still awaiting a time of peace, security and prosperity. In conclusion, Msgr. Hansen reiterated the Holy Sees steadfast commitment to peace and its support for all initiatives that strive to ensure the advancement of negotiated solutions. He also encouraged all parties to promote open and constructive dialogue based on the founding principles of the UN 75 years ago. The Trump administration on Wednesday praised the Mexican government for employing its military at its southern border with Guatemala to block thousands of Central American migrants from passing through on their way to the U.S. The efforts by the Mexican National Guard and other officials have thus far been effective at maintaining the integrity of their border, despite outbreaks of violence and lawlessness by people who are attempting to illegally enter Mexico on their way to the United States, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement on Wednesday. DHS is monitoring the caravan closely, we have dozens of personnel on the ground in Central America assisting local immigration and security officials, which have already led to hundreds of individuals being stopped, apprehended and sent back to their home countries. A caravan of about 4,000 migrants, many fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries, began traveling from Honduras last week and clashed with Mexican authorities on Monday as they attempted to cross the Mexico-Guatemala border despite being denied in their requests to continue traveling toward the U.S. Some members of the group forced their way through a border gate while others waded through the shallow waters of the Suchiate River. Mexican National Guard members, some in riot gear, have blocked the caravan from advancing further into Mexico. Appreciate the Government of Mexicos commitment to enforcing safe, orderly and lawful migration. Mexico continues to be a true partner in addressing this regional crisis. Im confident they will continue to stop, deny and impede the caravan, Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, wrote Tuesday on Twitter. President Trump has also praised Mexico for promising to enhance its efforts to prevent the mass migration of undocumented immigrants north after the U.S. experienced a surge of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border last spring. Story continues We are very happy with the job they are doing, Trump said over the summer. More from National Review Former Precinct 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela was indicted Thursday on multiple criminal charges, the Bexar County District Attorneys Office said. Vela, 46, is facing one count of aggravated perjury and two counts of tampering or fabricating evidence, both third-degree felonies. She also faces three counts of official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor. Former Precinct 2 Captain Marc Duane Garcia, 40, who worked under Vela, was also indicted Thursday on one charge of aggravated perjury and three counts of official oppression. Both Vela and Garcia turned themselves in Thursday afternoon at the Bexar County Courthouse. With their hands and ankles in shackles, they appeared before a judge, who set Velas bail at $25,000 and Garcias at $15,000. Both posted bond shortly thereafter and were released. Vela told reporters that county officials orchestrated the charges against her because they want to keep Sheriff Javier Salazar in office an official Vela has clashed with in the past. Im his biggest threat of all the candidates, Vela said. Velas three years in office were marred by staff problems, confrontations with other elected officials and allegations of improper collection of fines and security fees. Last year, the FBI and Texas Rangers announced they were launching a criminal investigation into her actions. Bexar County Commissioners Court declared Velas seat vacant after she announced Sept. 23 that she was running for sheriff, triggering a provision in state law that says an elected official effectively resigns by announcing a campaign for another elected post with more than 13 months left in his or her term. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio judge rejects Velas legal efforts to keep her elected constable post Vela rejected the countys actions, saying she made the comments as an excited utterance when facing the media as her home and office were being searched by the FBI and Texas Rangers. Her legal attempts to stay in office ended the following month, after state District Judge Martha Tanner issued a ruling agreeing with the county and removing Vela from office. Leticia Vazquez, a 25-year veteran of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, was selected by Bexar County Commissioners to serve as the interim Precinct 2 constable until December, the remainder of Velas term. Vela took office in 2017 and has been steadily enmeshed in controversy. Last year, on Easter Sunday, she was accused of shaking down a family for cash after its members refused to vacate a picnic site at Rodriguez Park to make way for Velas family. The family members said Vela forced them to pay her and a deputy constable $50 an hour for security despite the availability of peace officers funded by the county. Family members said they paid a total of $300 before running out of money. In January, while Velas deputies were providing security at the annual Cowboy Breakfast, a popular event tied to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, she tried to eject Sheriff Javier Salazar after he entered through a VIP entrance. Vela also has been entangled in legal disputes with subordinates. Read more about the indictments at ExpressNews.com. Staff Writer Scott Huddleston contributed to this report. Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton "Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi dunga," these were the words of one of the most dynamic and celebrated leaders in the history of Indias struggle for Independence; words that continued to fuel the struggle for independence long after they were said. Subhash Chandra Bose was a charismatic leader, influencer of the youth and he also earned the name Netaji. Born in Cuttack, Orissa on January 23, 1897, he was a prominent revolutionary in the independence movement against British rule in India. Initially aligned with the Indian National Congress, he was ousted from the party due to his political differences. I remember reading about Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, even about Muhammad Ali Jinnah in my textbooks, but there were very few details about other revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, Khudiram Bose (the youngest revolutionary). So, today on Netaji's birth anniversary, here is something about him that everyone should know. His childhood and early life Twitter Right from his childhood he was a brilliant student, who was deeply influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. He also had a patriotic zeal since he was in college. Bose beat up his professor (E.F. Otten) for his racist remarks, and that brought him to the attention of the government. His father always wanted him to be an IAS officer and sent him to England, but his urge to participate in the freedom movement was intense. In April 1921, he resigned from the Indian Civil Service and came back to India. Political career Twitter Initially, Bose worked under the leadership of Chittaranjan Das, a member of INC (Indian National Congress) in Calcutta. Subhash Chandra Bose played an important role in enlightening the students, youth and labourers of Calcutta. In 1928, during the Guwahati Session of the Congress, a difference of opinion was observed between the young and old members of Congress. The young leaders wanted a 'complete self-rule and without any compromise while the senior leaders were in favour of the 'dominion status for India within the British rule.' The differences were so big that Bose resigned from the party in 1939. Formation of INA Twitter Also known as 'Azad Hind Fauj', Indian National Army was formed by Bose in 1942. With an aim to initiate a mass movement, Bose called out to Indians for their whole-hearted participation, shouting "Give me blood, I'll give you freedom". It was first formed by Capt Mohan Singh and it comprised of the captured Indian soldiers of the British-Indian Army by Japan during the Malayan Campaign. In December 1942, the army was disbanded over differences between members of the Japanese military and the INA leadership. It was revived by Subhash Chandra Bose in in 1943 to fight for Indian Independence. Mysteries surrounding his death It is said that Subhash Chandra Bose died in a plane crash in Taiwan. His disappearance was and still is a mystery for all. He boarded a Mitsubishi Ki-21 plane from Saigon Airport, Vietnam on August 17, 1945, the plane crashed shortly after take-off after a night halt in Taiwan. Reports say that he succumbed to his injuries on August 18 and was cremated on August 20 in Taihoku Crematorium and his ashes were laid to rest at the Renkoji Temple of Nichiren Buddhism in Tokyo. But what was fishy was that his comrades never saw his body and never believed that their hero died. Soon, people began to report sightings of him and even Gandhi expressed skepticism about his death after five months. It is believed that people identical to Netaji were sighted at numerous events like Jawaharlal Nehru's death, Mahatma Gandhi's death, Tashkent agreement where Lal Bahadur Shastri went for India-Pak peace talks in 1966. Some even believe that he lived as 'Gumnami Baba' in Uttar Pradesh. Twitter While he may have passed away, Bose's words and love for his country are a legacy that people marvel at, even today. That's, in fact, the mark of a legendary leader - he lives on in the people who heard him, read him and were influenced by him. Accusing the opposition parties of trying to mislead people, BJP MP Roopa Ganguly said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) should be regarded as the world's most important human rights law. Winding up her two-day Odisha visit, the actor- turned-politician said that the CAA will not take away anyone's citizenship. "In no way, the CAA will have any adverse impact on Indian citizens. Opposition parties are spreading lies and misleading people for narrow political purpose," she said. Ganguly, who met refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan settled in Malkangiri and neighbouring Nabarangpur districts during her visit, was addressing a meeting organised by the BJP in support of the CAA on Wednesday. "Despite all hue and cry over the issue, the fact remains that the CAA symbolises humanism. It can be described as the most important human rights law in the world. It aims at giving citizenship to people who come here after being tortured and harassed," the Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Democrats at the U.S. House of Representatives have started a second day of opening arguments in the trial on whether to convict and remove President Donald Trump from office. The seven lawmakers acting as prosecutors on January 23 made their case in the Senate on abuse of power -- one of the two articles of impeachment for which Trump has been charged: They plan to present facts and evidence of alleged obstruction of Congress the next day. A July 25 phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is at the center of the trial. A transcript of the conversation revealed that Trump had urged Zelenskiy to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son. Critics say the Trump administration withheld crucial military aid to Kyiv as leverage. Trump has denied the charges and called the impeachment proceedings a witch hunt. Adam Schiff (California), the lead House prosecutor, told the Senate on January 22 that, if Trump isnt convicted, future presidents will act as if they too are above the law. The Senate is expected to acquit the president since the chamber is controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans. Based on reporting by C-SPAN and CNN SEATTLE Public health officials here are monitoring at least 16 people who were in close contact with a man from a nearby suburb, the nation's first person infected with a new global respiratory virus after a trip to China. The new, deadly coronavirus, which originated in the central city of Wuhan, has so far infected more than 540 and killed at least 17, according to Chinese authorities. Wuhan officials have halted air and train travel from the city and closed public transportation. The virus has spread to Beijing, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. There's only one known case in the United States, the unidentified Snohomish County man in his 30s who returned from Wuhan last week and became ill. County and federal health officials began the painstaking work of tracking the man's travel and contacting individuals who shared flights, public transportation or otherwise came in close contact with him. Some health care workers who treated the man at a local clinic were asked to stay home and monitor for symptoms. What is coronavirus, and should Americans be worried? What to know about the outbreak in China Washington Gov. Jay Inslee praised the efforts of state and local health departments in tracking the virus path. This is certainly not a moment for panic or high anxiety, Inslee said. It is a moment for vigilance. The man traveled to Wuhan in November to visit family and had no symptoms when he returned Jan. 15 on a connecting flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He took some form of transportation from the airport to his home in the suburban county north of Seattle. When he became ill with a cough on Monday, he visited an unidentified clinic. He was later transported to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. The man is in satisfactory condition and recovering at the hospital in an isolated unit. He is walking around in his room and is cooperating with health officials. "He appears to be doing well," said Jay Cook, the hospital's chief medical officer. "We hope he will continue on his excellent clinical course and will be able to return home in the near future." Story continues Health officials said the virus is low risk and likely spreads through tiny droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. Officials urged people take the usual cold and flu season precaution: frequent hand washing, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing and staying home when you don't feel well. "In New York state, we have 44,000 cases of flu this season ... and three pediatric deaths," said Howard Zucker, New York state's commissioner of health. "We have this one case in Washington state. It's not that I'm saying we shouldn't be concerned. I think we need to keep things in context." Washington state and Snohomish County health officials have not publicly identified places the infected man visited after returning from China. Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not released details on the man's flight, including any connecting city. Rather, the CDC is contacting the airlines, state and local health departments to individually notify people on the flights. 'Were not worrywarts or germaphobes' Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper said despite the passing sick passenger, the airport was determined by CDC to be low risk. Airport staff was neither discouraged or encouraged to wear masks or gloves, or take other protective measures beyond those normally employed during flu season, he said. The emergence of a mysterious virus, however, has been a hot conversation topic among airport transportation workers trying to figure out if the man was anyone's fare. Jamal Jamaac, a cab driver whos worked in Seattle for 12 years, couldnt believe more people werent wearing surgical masks. The 53-year-old said he visits the airport about 50 times a week with pickups and drop offs. He started wearing surgical gloves Wednesday afternoon to ward off the spread of germs. Every driver is worried right now, Jamaac said. I dont want to shake anyones hand. If it hits one passenger, its going to hit us all very hard. Health tips: How to stay healthy on a plane as coronavirus, flu, colds raise travel concerns Drivers are often in close quarters not just with sick passengers but with each other, he noted, crammed into bathrooms and break rooms. Jamaac said hes gotten the flu multiple times from sick passengers, and early Wednesday, picked up a woman from Japan who expressed shock that more people around the airport werent wearing masks. Nobody is wearing a mask, shes right, Jamaac said. And everybody should be! Loralee and Andy Greco hustled down an escalator on their way to baggage claim wearing brightly colored medical masks they ordered them on Amazon that have become part of their new travel routine. The Grecos, who were returning home from some friends wedding in the Dominican Republic, started wearing masks after getting sick earlier this year while in New York visiting family that included toddler nieces. Were not worrywarts or germaphobes, said Andy Greco, 32. This is just preventative because we noticed wed usually get sick after traveling. The bright colors and designs Loralee was wearing a floral pattern mask and Andys was a blue geometric pattern, both with replaceable filters were a purposeful choice. The medical ones just make me a little uneasy, he said. Loralee, 30, joked that since they started wearing them all I hear are people sneezing or coughing. As for the infected passenger who traveled through SeaTac, the couple wasnt overly concerned once they knew about him, anyway. Yeah, I saw it on the news the other day Andy started, before Loralee cut him off. What?! Why didnt you tell me? They laughed, stressing again that theyre not germaphobes, they just like to be informed. Its just one case, and they got him to a doctor, Andy said. Lets wait for the numbers to come in before we panic." 'You don't know exactly what's going to happen' Public health officials are optimistic their response has improved since a 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS, another coronavirus-caused respiratory illness that sickened 8,098 and killed 774. The family of viruses cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe infections such as pneumonia and Middle East respiratory syndrome. Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. We are much further ahead in the response to this novel coronavirus than we were to SARS, said Nate Smith, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and Secretary of Health for Arkansas Department of Health. He said within four weeks of identifying the new virus in Wuhan, key genetic information was shared with countries so they could develop their own tests. The CDC is the only U.S. agency capable of testing for the new coronavirus, but the agency expects to share the test with other public health labs. With anything new, you dont know exactly whats going to happen, Smith said. So it makes a lot more sense to be aggressive in your response and find out that it was overkill than to under respond and then find out there was something you didnt anticipate. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Washington state officials track infected man's travels Boris Johnson's Brexit deal has finally been approved (PA) Boris Johnson has called for the rancour and division of the past three years to come to an end after his Brexit bill was finally approved by Parliament. The prime minister hailed the crossing of the Brexit finish line as peers in the House of Lords ended the bout of ping-pong with the Commons on Wednesday evening. The Lords had tried to secure additional rights including for unaccompanied child refugees but bowed to the will of MPs after the Prime Ministers huge majority helped overturn the peers' demands. The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill being carried between the two Houses of Parliament by the Clerk of Legislation Liam Lawrence Smyth (PA) The Prime Minister hailed the crossing of the 'Brexit finish line' (AP) Now the legislation just needs Royal Assent to be formally granted by the Queen and the agreement to be approved by the European Parliament by Brexit day on 31 January. Speaking after the bill passed, the PM said the nation would "move forwards as one United Kingdom", adding: "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it. "Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Tory MP forced to use newspaper when she couldn't afford tampons Nigel Farage says Brexit Party could go down in history as 'most successful ever' Keir Starmer urged to quit Labour leadership race so a woman can win The Queen's formal approval of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill is expected in the coming days while the European Parliament will hold its consent vote on 29 January. MPs had reversed five changes made to the legislation by the Lords during the ping-pong phase where the bill moved between the two Houses until agreement is achieved. Peers had defeated the Government on EU workers having the right to physical proof of their right to remain and on the power of courts to depart from European Court of Justice rulings. Peers in the House of Lords ended the Parliamentary ping-pong on Wednesday evening (PA) Anti-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament as the bill finally passed (PA) They also worked to ensure the rights of unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with their families in the UK post-Brexit. But all five amendments were comfortably reversed by MPs, with majorities ranging from 86 to 103, before the upper house gave way. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK HOLYOKE The Development and Government Relations Committee has recommended issuing a license for predevelopment work at an abandoned tenement, which would be transformed into eight affordable rental units. Valley Opportunity Council plans a $1.6 million rehabbing of the tenement at 123 Pine St. Out of concern of possible Open Meeting Law violations, the committee had adjourned its Jan. 13 session early. At the time, the City Council did not formally appoint committee chairs or members. Ward 3 Councilor David Bartley called for an adjournment until Council President Todd McGee made the appointments. Bartley, who remained the chairman, welcomed Councilors Mike Sullivan, Peter Tallman, Howard Greaneyalle , and Gladys Lebron-Martinez to the committee. Marcos Marrero, the director of Planning and Economic Development, said any license of 30 days needs City Council approval. The license would run the length of the purchase-option agreement. In 2019, the Holyoke Community Preservation Act Committee awarded $150,000 for the project. The committee can grant up to 10% of annual funds to affordable housing projects. The VOC continues to pursue state historical tax credits for construction costs. The Pine Street property is one of a few yellow brick structures in Downton Holyoke. The license allows the VOC access to the property and perform due diligence before the construction phase. The organization entered into an acquisition agreement with the Holyoke Housing Authority. The license, if approved by the City Council, expires on Sept. 30, 2020.. The VOC pays around $100,000 in taxes on properties it owns. The committee also accepted $1 purchase offers from the Western Massachusetts Demolition Corp., for several city-owned parcels and properties. The company proposes to redevelop vacant single-family homes at 229 Beech St., and 2 James St. Also, the committee agreed with selling the former Springdale Turn Hall at 2 Vernon and adjacent parcel for $1, which the company plans to demolish and build two houses. The committee noted the properties carry assessed values of $75,300 and $86,000. City Solicitor Crystal Barnes gave an update on problem properties in the city. The properties are considered distressed, in violation of city codes or ordinances, abandoned or behind on taxes or fees. If needed, the City of Holyoke would seek a court-appointed receiver to take over a property. A receiver recently bought 393-399 Main St. and plans to renovate it. Barnes said 51 N. Summer St. fell under receivership after discovering a hoarding situation. A crew cleaned out the property, but the home returned to its former condition. Also, on the agenda, Alicia Zoeller, the director of Community Development, said Community Block Grant funds remain from the prior fiscal years. The City Council will vote on the recommendations Feb. 4. Zoeller requested transferring the grant dollars to existing or future projects, such as sidewalks, a spray pad at Pina Park, updating the heating and ventilation system at the Jones Ferry River Access Center, and a significant investment in Springdale Park. We cant put any additional funds toward public services. This funding is going toward public facilities, Zoeller told the committee. Around $225,000 in unprogrammed funds remain or monies set aside for various activities in the last few years. The bids for those activities came in much less than anticipated, she said. We didnt need to use as much money for those different activities as we had thought. About $130,000 is linked to the repayment of a housing rehab loan. The housing fund provides loans to rental property-owners who make monthly principal and interest payments. A property sold before a banknote was paid in full, according to Zoeller. The sale resulted in a large surplus. Zoellers department terminated several projects, including the Scott Tower Master Plan ($50,00), War Memorial Emergency Shelter ($52,000), and unspent code enforcement funds from prior years ($30,000). She wants to shift $472,000 to the projects outlined earlier to the committee while keeping $15,000 in reserve. Councilor Mike Sullivan recommended leaving the Scott Tower Master Plan funding in place and cut the Jones Ferry heating and ventilation project. Bartley said the Jones Ferry cut might violate federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines. Zoeller said the City of Holyoke spends a fixed amount annually on administration and planning. The line item cannot exceed 20% of her departments yearly allocation. The HUD money came with the expectation that funding for renovating Scott Tower was pending or available. Zoeller added that no improvement funding was forthcoming. The city would have to prove to HUD that keeping the funding n place did not violate the agencys policies. If this money stays in place, the city has to go out and procure a designer, she said, leaving only a few months in the fiscal year to spend the remaining $50,000. With no physical outcome, the money would go unused. Mayor Alex Morse has the final say on all community block grant spending. Without a plan, well never know what money to ask for, Sullivan said. I want to see the plan, and I want to see the pressure on the city, the government, and the parks department to get something going up there. Tallman advised proceeding cautiously with the Scott Tower Master Plan. He wanted the funding used for other projects. Bartley, Greaney, and Sullivan voted in favor of cutting the Jones Ferry money and keeping in place the Scott Tower dollars. Tallman and Lebron Martinez voted no. Muslim religious leaders joined members of a US Jewish group at Auschwitz for what organisers described as the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to visit the site of a Nazi German death camp. The interfaith visit on Thursday came four days before the 75th anniversary of the camps January 27 1945, liberation by Soviet forces and as world leaders gathered in Jerusalem to commemorate the Holocaust. The secretary general of the Muslim World League, Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, and the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, led the tour to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial in Poland. The Nazis operated extermination and concentration camps in Poland when Germany occupied the country during the Second World War. HE Dr. #MohammadAlissa visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau this afternoon with Muslim leaders and delegates from @AJCGlobal The unconscionable crimes to which we bear witness today are truly an affront to all of Gods children#WeRemember #HolocaustMemorialDay pic.twitter.com/YMF5fcS3bG Muslim World League (@MWLOrg_en) January 23, 2020 The American Jewish Committee said that Mr al-Issa, who is based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, led a delegation of 62 Muslims, including 25 prominent religious leaders, from some 28 countries during the groundbreaking visit. The AJC delegation included members of the organisation, among them some children of Holocaust survivors. To be here, among the children of Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish and Islamic communities, is both a sacred duty and a profound honour, Mr al-Issa said. The unconscionable crimes to which we bear witness today are truly crimes against humanity. That is to say, a violation of us all, an affront to all of Gods children. HE Dr. #MohammadAlissa and delegates from the Muslim World League and @AJCGlobal arrive at @AuschwitzMuseum to begin our interfaith mission marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. pic.twitter.com/87eqaVgvTk Muslim World League (@MWLOrg_en) January 23, 2020 Auschwitz was the most notorious in a system of death and concentration camps that Nazi Germany operated on territory it occupied across Europe. In all, 1.1 million people were killed there, most of them Jews from across the continent. The visit comes as Saudi Arabia works to be seen abroad as a moderate and modernising country following decades of adherence to a hard-line interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism. History in the making: The most senior Islamic figure ever to visit @AuschwitzMuseum, Secretary General of @MWLOrg_en Dr. Al-Issa, begins his visit, accompanied by Muslim leaders from around the world and AJC leadership, to mark 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi camp. pic.twitter.com/43fxxJANSE American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) January 23, 2020 The Muslim World League, under Mr al-Issas leadership, has embraced the effort. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans strategy to modernise the kingdom is aimed in part at attracting greater foreign investment and fostering a national Saudi identity that is not founded solely on conservative religious values. Mr al-Issas outreach to Jewish organisations also coincides with a broader alignment of interests and ties emerging between the Arab Gulf states and Israel, which share a common foe in Iran. On Friday, members of the delegation will visit the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and attend Muslim and Jewish religious services there. PHOENIX Rachel Henry was spiraling. The death of her mother in 2018 left her reeling. She turned to drugs and lost custody of her children at one point. Then, she and her fiance moved with her three young children from Oklahoma to Arizona. The cross-country move was likely darkened by the fact that Henry didn't have a job or any money. She spent her days at home with her three children, all under the age of 4. On Monday, police arrested Henry after she allegedly killed her children in their Phoenix home. Court records say she confessed to smothering to death 3-year-old Zane Ezri Henry, 23-month-old Mireya Henry and 6-month-old Catalaya Kyeana Rios, singing songs to them as they died, and then placing their bodies on a couch as though they were sleeping. Henry didn't provide Phoenix police investigators with a motive for the alleged killing, but experts say her story is tragically familiar. "There's a pattern to these cases patterned to the point that, when looking back at what happened, there's a sense of inevitability that the harm was going to come and it was just a matter of when and what was going to happen," Michelle Oberman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, said. Kids previously removed from home A memorial for three children allegedly killed by their mother, Rachel Henry, is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 in Phoenix. Henry grew up in the small town of Prague, Oklahoma. She graduated from high school and studied to be a certified nursing assistant. A Facebook page from Henry's 30-year-old fiance said the couple became engaged in May 2019. He shares a last name with only the youngest child, and it's not clear if he is the father of all three. He and another adult, an aunt, were at the home with Henry when police discovered the children. Henry's mother died in 2018. Family members of her fiance said Henry was deeply affected by the death. Both she and her fiance became addicted to meth, according to family members and friends in Oklahoma who spoke to reporters with The Oklahoman. In 2018, the children were placed in Oklahoma Department of Human Services custody due to an unsafe home environment because of domestic violence and substance abuse by both parents. Story continues Mother arrested: Police: Mom accused of killing her 3 kids said she smothered them while singing The agency on Wednesday said it is reviewing any "contacts that occurred" with Henry or her children and is conducting an internal assessment. The assessment will remain confidential. "At the time of their deaths, the children of Rachel Henry were not in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services," the department said in a statement. "OKDHS has been contacted by Arizona law enforcement and is cooperating fully with their efforts." Hometown stunned by arrest Rachel Henry News of Henry's arrest spread quickly in Prague, which has a population of about 2,400 and is located an hour east of Oklahoma City. Adam Holik, who owns Holik Service Station off Main Street, recalled that numerous times he and his father helped Henry with free car repairs and gave her rides around town. Holik said Henry was sometimes seen aimlessly walking up and down Main Street, often looking lost and confused. Customers in and out of the service station this week were all talking about Henrys arrest. I dont see how anybody could do that, Holik said. I knew they were kind of shady. But to kill three kids. I just cant believe that. Andy Lee, who operates the Prague Times Herald, said that while he was delivering that mornings newspaper, several customers asked him what he knew about Henry. People are definitely in shock that shes from here, Lee said. I have no memory of her personally, but one of my sons went to high school with her. Its just so sad." Strange behavior in days before murders A memorial for three children allegedly killed by their mother, Rachel Henry, is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 in Phoenix. Henry and her fiance moved to Arizona in 2019. The couple lived in a pale yellow manufactured home on a lot in south Phoenix with the three children and a 49-year-old woman identified in court documents as an aunt of either Henry or the fiance. Henry didn't work and told a judge during her initial court appearance that she doesn't have any money. Family members told police that Henry, who has a history of methamphetamine addiction, had been acting strange the past several days. Pictures left at a growing memorial outside the home showed the children with heads of thick dark hair and wide dark brown eyes. The photos were left in plastic bags for protection from the rain and amid a large collection of stuffed animals, balloons, flowers and prayer candles. The middle child, Mireya, would have turned 2 next week. Henry was alone in the home when she smothered Mireya, according to court documents. She told police she wrestled with the child before placing her hand over her daughter's mouth. Mireya kicked in protest as 3-year-old Zane yelled at his mother to stop and tried to punch her in the face. Henry was unfazed and continued to smother the girl until he stopped breathing, according to the report. She left her body in the back bedroom. She then tried to chase down Zane, but she told police she was stopped when the aunt and fiance returned home. According to court documents, they unknowingly sat in the next room as Henry changed the boy's underpants, straddled him with her legs and smothered him as she sang to him. He scratched his mother's chest and tried to pinch her to get her to stop. The probable cause statement says Henry next fed the 6-month-old Catalaya a bottle in her bedroom until the baby fell asleep. Again, Henry sang a song while smothering the child to death. Henry placed the bodies of the three children on the living room couch as though they were taking a nap, the report says. She didn't tell her fiance or the aunt what happened, according to court documents. A female called 911 at about 7:20 p.m. Monday to report the three children were dead. 'There's blood on more than one hand' A memorial for three children allegedly killed by their mother, Rachel Henry, is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 in Phoenix. The details of Henry's case mirrors countless others nationwide. Oberman, who wrote two books on the subject of filicide, said many of the women who commit those murders are often isolated in their motherhood and have mental health issues or previous trauma. They may not have anyone to turn to for help and spend long hours alone with the children. Drug problems may further aggravated existing issues, Oberman said. The isolation of moving to a new place and the desperation that comes with having no money or job would only make matters worse. "Who would think it's a good idea for a 22-year-old that's new in town with a drug habit to be on her own with three kids all under the age of 4?" Oberman questioned. "That's her job and it's really hard, but she's not trained for it. No one is trained for that." Dr. Carol Olson, chairwoman of the psychiatric department for Valleywise Healthcare, said Henry's history of methamphetamine use may have also been a contributing factor. Olson has not treated Henry, but noted sudden psychosis is a possible side effect of methamphetamine usage. In some cases, such slayings may occur as the culmination of postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis affects only a small percentage of mothers who have recently given birth, it causes delusions and hallucinations. The delusions often have to do with a fear that the child will be harmed by someone else and the mom has to kill them to protect them. But most filicides are considered altruistic killing. In these situations, the mother kills because they feel they are unable to properly take care of their child and no one else can either. "I wouldn't be surprised if we one day hear a heartbreaking and distorted story of what she (Henry) thought a good mom would do and what she was capable of doing and this was her best resolution," Oberman said. Both Oberman and Olson said it's unlikely no one would have seen a change in Henry in the weeks before the children's deaths. It's something an intimate partner or someone living with them wouldn't have been able to overlook. "What I've learned over time is there's blood on more than one hand," Oberman said. "There's usually more folks who knew and turned a blind eye to the idea that there was a struggle there. It's amazing to me how many warning signs there were and how hard people worked to look the other way." Contributing: Adam Kemp of The Oklahoman. Follow Bree Burkitt on Twitter: @breeburkitt. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rachel Henry, mom accused of killing 3 kids struggled with loss, drugs Photo: Contributed One of the subjects that has been raised in many recent media headlines is renewed concerns of the expanded rights of United States border agents working in the pre-clearance area at Canadian airports. Pre-clearance applies to passengers departing Canadian airports for United States destinations. The concerns are based on recent amendments to the laws that relate to the Canada/USA Pre-Clearance agreement. United States border agents working in Canadian pre-clearance zones now have many of the same rights and abilities similar to those that exist at U.S. land based border crossings. Some have suggested that these expanded powers may be contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Critics have stated that Trudeau's government is empowering foreign officials and disempowering Canadian citizens. He is kowtowing to American imperialism. From my perspective this is an area where, despite my being a member of the official Opposition, I believe that the Trudeau Liberal government has created a necessary balance in order for pre-clearance to have the opportunity to work successfully. If a citizen is going to be refused entry into the United States, for whatever reason, it is far more convenient for that refusal to occur in Canada at a pre-clearance location, as opposed to being refused entry after landing in the United States, where a subsequent deportation and related unplanned air travel costs could present a far more serious inconvenience. In more extreme cases, a citizen could be potentially held in the U.S., pending deportation, creating an extremely stressful and unpleasant situation. Pre-clearance here in Canada helps to increase efficiency and eliminate uncertainty, as well as mitigate the risks of dealing with an unexpected situation upon arrival in the United States. For pre-clearance to work, it is understandable that the United States must have similar measures in place at all border crossings that provide entry into the country. For these reasons, I believe the Liberal government has achieved a balance that has resulted in the expansion of the pre-clearance program. From most of the feedback I have received, pre-clearance has proven to be an easier, less stressful way to fly across the border for those citizens who decide to visit to the United States. My question this week: Are you supportive of the pre-clearance program operating in Canadian airports for U.S. bound travellers? I can be reached at [email protected] or toll free 1-800-665-8711. Prince Harry joins Meghan in Canada, Jan. 22 It is absolutely brave to give up the luxuries of life and elite status for someone who is born in such a magnanimous family. Also daring to go out on your own to experience how ordinary citizens spend their lives and make a living for their families. As much as I admire Meghan and Prince Harrys display of transparency about not wanting to burden taxpayers with their expenses, their landing in Canada came with a full security detail. Do they not see those are also paid by taxpayers? The original commitment is admirable, but a little more care and transparency is needed. Mangaluru, Jan 23 (UNI) Mangaluru Airport bomb case accused would be produced before the sixth Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) on Thursday. Aditya Rao was charged with planting live explosive at Mangaluru airport. He surrendered before the Bengaluru police on Wednesday morning was brought to Mangaluru by a team of police personnel on Wednesday night. Speaking to the media Police Commissioner of Mangaluru city P S Harsha said, 'The accused who placed the explosive device in the Mangalore International Airport Aditya Rao was arrested by our investigating team. He was produced before the first ACMM court and requested for transit warrant. Based on the evidence the court ordered the transit warrant to the investigative officer Belliyappa. We have also taken the permission from the Air transit and brought the accused Aditya Rao to Mangaluru.' Dr Harsha added, 'We will investigate the accused based on all the corroborative evidences. The Bengaluru court has given us time and we will produce him before the sixth JMFC. If we get any new evidence we will inform the media. Since there were some legal procedures we did not get the opportunity to question him. Now we have time till January 23 noon.' UNI BSP JTS 1144 GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) said it will decide on Thursday (January 23) whether to declare a global emergency over the outbreak of a new flu-like virus spreading in and beyond China. If it does so it will be only the sixth international public health emergency to be declared in the last decade. "The decision is one I take extremely seriously and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "This is an evolving and complex situation," he added. "Our team in China is working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak." He was speaking after the WHO held a day-long meeting of an independent panel of experts in Geneva on Wednesday. Deaths from China`s new coronavirus virus rose to 17 on Wednesday with more than 540 cases confirmed, increasing fears of contagion from an infection suspected to originate from illegally traded wildlife. The WHO`s head of emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, said the priority now was to find the roots of how the virus is passing between people. "We are in agreement with Chinese authorities who have been clear and transparent that there is evidence of human-to-human transmission," he said, adding, "The primary issue is to limit (that) human-to-human transmission." The previously unknown coronavirus strain is believed to have emerged from an animal market in the central city of Wuhan, with cases now detected as far away as the United States. Wuhan is closing its transport networks and advising citizens not to leave the city, state media reported on Thursday. Adam Kinzinger announces about yet another letter to Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia - GeorgianJournal Developing new medicines and understanding how they target specific organs often gives a crucial advantage in the fight against human diseases. An international team led by researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Cellzome, a GSK company, has developed a technology to systematically identify drug targets in living animals. In their results, published in Nature Biotechnology on Jan. 20, the scientists mapped protein-drug interactions in rat organs and blood. Their research opens pathways in drug discovery, fundamental biology, and personalized medicine. When a drug binds to a protein, the structure of the protein gets tighter and only unfolds at higher temperatures. In this study, Mikhail Savitski -- team leader and head of the Proteomics Core Facility at EMBL Heidelberg -- and his team, together with a team at Cellzome melted proteins to observe their properties. They were able to get insights into the interactions between multiple proteins, or between proteins and drugs. "For the first time, we can systematically map drug-protein interactions in a mammalian organism. This global view of the drug targets and potential side-effects is a huge step in drug discovery," explains Mikhail Savitski. By comparing the unwinding temperatures of proteins, the researchers determined which drug connected with which protein. In 2014, Savitski and Cellzome presented their new thermal profiling technique for the first time, allowing scientists to study cell cultures with heat. While this technology advanced the field, cultured cells differ strongly to a living organism. The method now published represents a significant advancement for translational research because biological changes can be directly monitored in an organ by measuring protein interactions and activation of cellular pathways. In drug discovery, the ability to monitor the engagement of the pharmacological target in a living organism is fundamental for achieving therapeutic efficacy. To demonstrate their technique's capabilities, the scientists scanned all proteins in rat liver, lung, kidney, and spleen. Their results provided novel insights into the interactions of proteins and revealed potential drug targets. "For the first time, we can study protein interactions in different tissues of living organisms and how they are affected by external conditions. Our technique could significantly improve our understanding of human diseases and aid the development of successful treatments," says Nils Kurzawa, EMBL scientist in the Savitski group. By Alun John HONG KONG (Reuters) - Financial regulators across Asia are creating new rules for online-only banks as they seek to shake up often staid markets, helped by technology companies, which can operate at lower costs without needing physical branches. Below is snapshot of developments in the region. IN OPERATION South Korea led the way with special rules for online-only banks in Asia, licensing K bank, led by the country's largest telecom operator, KT Corp, in 2016, then Kakao Bank, operated by chat app operator Kakao Corp, in 2017. The Financial Services Commission has also issued a third preliminary digital licence to a consortium led by Toss, a mobile money transfer app provider, and which includes the local subsidiary of Britain's Standard Chartered PLC (StanChart). LICENSED Hong Kong issued eight online-only licences in 2018 from 33 applications. Licensees include Ant Financial [ANTFIN.UL] - an affiliate of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd - and consortia involving StanChart and Chinese social media and video game firm Tencent Holdings Ltd. ZA Bank, run by a unit of China's ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co Ltd, has started trial operations, and up to four others are likely to follow suit early this year, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said last week. In Taiwan, online-only licences were awarded in July 2019 to consortia led by Chunghwa Telecom Co Ltd, Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten Inc and Japan-based chat app operator LINE Corp - the latter of which included Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank Co Ltd [FUBFNB.UL] and StanChart. The banks are set to start operations later this year. APPLIED Singapore in January said it had received 21 applications for five online-only bank licences on offer. Bidders in various groups include Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings Inc, Ant Financial and Hong Kong-listed gaming firm Razer Inc. The Monetary Authority of Singapore will issue up to two retail and three wholesale bank licences, with the winners - to be announced in June - starting operations from mid-2021. Story continues WHERE NEXT? The central bank in Malaysia plans to issue up to five licences for either conventional or Islamic banking under a framework set to be finalised later this year. Grab, Razer, AirAsia, telecoms firm Axiata and lender CIMB are among companies looking to apply, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources. China is also working to finalise its first rules covering the online-only bank sector, Reuters reported last week, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. The country already has four online-only banks including Tencent-backed WeBank and Alibaba offshoot MYbank, as well as AiBank, whose investors include search engine operator Baidu Inc and China Citic Bank Corp Ltd. (Reporting by Alun John; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang in Seoul; editing by Christopher Cushing and Louise Heavens) Demand for safe-haven investment options such as gold is soft at present, owing to a strong U.S. economy and its significant progress on the trade front. However, the situation could change soon, as possible issues emerge on multiple fronts, threatening to distort investors optimism on stability in the U.S. equity market. In such a scenario, investors could take a closer look at traditional safe-haven assets such as gold mining stocks. Gold Could Climb Higher in 2020: Heres Why First, the broader S&P 500 Index gained 28.9% in 2019, marking its second-best one-year performance since 1997. Not only did equities hit record highs, but also investors defeated concerns over U.S.-China trade war and fears of a global economic slowdown. Now, this definitely makes 2019 a banner year, but doesnt speak kindly of 2020. According to research firm Bespoke Investment Group, since 1928, the S&P 500 has been able to return 6.6%, on average, in the year following a rally of 20% or more. Second, 2020 being an election year, political uncertainty would be the backdrop against which stocks must try to thrive. Volatility in the stock market could be prominent because of political risks. In fact, the Trump administration is already planning to start a partisan row over Medicaid this year, as reports emerge of officials trying to shortly introduce a means for states to block Medicaid grant. Per the Wall Street Journal, guidance could be released this month, which would access the Trump administrations capacity to permit states the flexibility to make drastic changes to Medicaid. In addition, rise in government borrowing is a major concern. In the quarter ending December, the government incurred a deficit of $357 billion, per the U.S. Treasury department. As a result, Federal budget deficit surpassed the $1 trillion mark in 2019 for the first time in a calendar year since 2012. Third, growth in FAANG stocks in 2019 was instrumental in boosting the technology sector, which in turn pushed the broader index higher. In particular, Apples AAPL 86.2% rally last year boosted the S&P 500s overall gains. However, regulatory scrutiny by Congress and several government bodies could continue to bother the FAANG stocks in 2020. Story continues These companies could continue facing allegations over antitrust activities, monopolistic practices and privacy issues. Some members of Congress even propose breaking these technology giants up. This has led to concerns over the sustainability of stock prices this year. Finally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a less optimistic outlook on global growth. The institution recently revised down its global growth rate forecastto 2.9% for 2019 from its October forecast of 3% and to 3.3% from 3.4% for 2020. The IMF noted that there could be new trade tensions between the United States and the European Union and U.S.-China trade disputes could resurface. In addition, the institution also stated that projected recovery for global growth remains uncertain as global growth continues to be dependent on recoveries in stressed and underperforming emerging market economies. 3 Stocks to Buy Given that money is expected to flow out of the equities this year, and flow into gold, gold mining stocks have a fair chance of gaining.We have, thus, selected three such stocks that flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Shares of Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd OR have moved 2.4% south in the last trading session to hit $9.50. But this Zacks Mining - Gold industry players expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 26.7% compared with the industrys projected earnings growth of 19.2%. In addition, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Osisko Gold Royalties current-year earnings has moved 4.8% north in the past 60 days. Shares of Pretium Resources Inc. PVG have moved 2.5% south in the last trading session to reach $10.29. But the Zacks Mining Gold industry companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. In addition, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Pretium Resources current-year earnings has moved 3.2% north in the past 60 days. Shares of Royal Gold, Inc. RGLD have moved 1.1% south in the last trading session to hit $112.88. But this Zacks Mining Gold industry players expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 83.5%. In addition, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Royal Golds current-year earnings has moved 2.3% north in the past 60 days. All of the aforementioned companies have underperformed the broader S&P 500 over a month. Shares of Osisko Gold Royalties, Pretium Resources and Royal Gold have lost 0.4%, 6.7% and 6.4%, respectively. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Pretium Resources, Inc. (PVG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (OR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The other managers followed, each given a specific assignment to discuss certain parts of the case against Mr. Trump, but none with quite the ease and fluidity of Mr. Schiff, who has been Speaker Nancy Pelosis point man on impeachment since the beginning. He dominated the day as the main presenter, spending more time at the lectern than all six other managers. But Mr. Schiff has also become a lightning rod among Republicans who seethed at what they saw as his self-righteousness and accused him repeatedly of mischaracterizing the evidence. He has become such a favorite villain for Republicans that they use him to rally their side. In some respects, Mr. Schiff and the other House managers are facing the classic challenge for prosecutors, legal specialists said. It is always the governments challenge in a trial to try to establish clarity, while defense teams need only muddy the waters and raise reasonable doubts to win an acquittal. They are also facing a jury that gets to decide for itself what the law means and whether to hear witnesses, and that is hardly made up of neutral people. The details of the broader Ukraine affair the monthslong campaign of pressure Mr. Trump and his proxies, including his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, brought on Ukraines president to announce two investigations that could benefit Mr. Trump politically are complicated things to explain. Mr. Schiff and his colleagues have spent hours dissecting the details to build their case. Mr. Trumps White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, a longtime civil litigator, has been as combative as his client, the president, both in angry letters he signed during the House phase declaring that the executive branch would not participate, and now in person on the Senate floor. He has been joined by Jay Sekulow, Mr. Trumps private lawyer, in leading the White House legal team. While the teams role was to watch the House managers establish their case on Wednesday, Mr. Cipollone made clear on the opening day that his central message would be one of contempt for the House managers efforts. REUTERS The Trump administration has unveiled its latest national security measurea crackdown on pregnant travelersleaving both immigration and womens rights attorneys shaking their heads. New State Department rules, slated to take effect Friday, allow consular officials to deny tourist visas to anyone they believe may give birth on their trip to the United States. The administration says this is to stop pregnant women from entering the country solely to seek birthright citizenship for their children. But attorneys say it is just another license to discriminate. What this measure seems to be doing is creating another basis for discriminating against women in their ability to come to the United States of America, said Lynn Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. It portrays women and people with the capacity for pregnancy as a danger to the United States of America. Until now, traveling to the U.S. to give birth has been entirely legal, as long as women did not lie about their intentions on their visa application. The lack of restrictions helped fuel a lucrative birth tourism business, in which U.S.-based brokersincluding several operating out of Trump propertiescharged women tens of thousands of dollars for lodging during their pregnancy and birth. Russians Flock to Trump Properties to Give Birth to U.S. Citizens Trump, however, has long railed against the concept of birthright citizenship, calling it a magnet for illegal immigration and falsely claiming that the U.S. is the only country in the world that allows it. He even proposed eliminating birthright citizenship outright via executive ordera proposal experts dismissed as blatantly unconstitutional. The State Department said Thursday that the new rules are meant to close an immigration loophole that threatens national security. But officials were unable to name a single instance in which so-called birth tourism had created a national security threat. They also could not provide the exact number of tourists who give birth in the U.S. each year, putting the number somewhere in the thousands. Approximately 4 million people give birth in the U.S. annually. Story continues The ACLU slammed the new rules, calling on the administration to reverse course. This is the same administration that admitted to tracking the periods of migrant teens and ramping up its detention of pregnant immigrants, said Ria Tabacco Mar, director of the ACLUs Womens Rights Project. We have real questions, but we know this: This new regulation is rooted in misogyny, xenophobia, and racism. Experts also questioned exactly how the new rules would be enforced. According to the State Department rules, consular officers will be required to question any woman for whom they have a specific, articulable reason to believe she is traveling for the primary purpose of giving birth. But they declined to say how exactly an officer would determine this, saying it could become apparent in an interview, in an application form, or as part of information that comes to a consular officer. Jeffrey Gorsky, an attorney who previously worked in the State Departments visa office, said it would be rare for a woman to wait until she was visibly pregnant to apply for a visa. In fact, many travelers apply for multiple-entry visas that are good for at least 10 years. Are they going to restrict visas for young women who are married under the presumption they could be coming to the U.S. to give birth? Gorsky asked. Paltrow said this system would incentivize officers to deny visas to any woman who could be pregnant, for fear they would be accused of not doing their jobs. Theyre going to see virtually every woman who wants to come into the country as possibly pregnant and someone they should keep out, she said. Because theres no way you can tell just by looking. The rule allows exceptions for women who plan to give birth in the U.S. for legitimate medical reasons or who have some other reason for coming to the country late in their pregnancy. (An example listed in the text of the rules is a pregnant woman who is coming to visit her terminally ill mother.) Women who enter the country for medical reasons related to their pregnancy are required to demonstrate that they can pay for the services in full. The issue of birth tourism has received increased media attention in recent years, as Trump lashed out against immigrants he claimed were cheating their way into the country. Women from China and Russia have paid anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 to have their children in sunny locales like Southern California or Florida. A previous Daily Beast investigation found several Miami-based birth tourism firms advertising rentals in Trump-owned properties. One such company advertised lodging in the local Trump Towers, with a gold-tiled bathtub and chauffeured Cadillac Escalade or Mercedes Benz. Others offered a Trump Royale penthouse apartment, starting at $7,000 a month. I was looking particularly for Trump Towers, said one expectant mother who traveled from Russia to Miami. [Now] in the evenings, I have a great view because you have the bay, and the buildings aglow. The building is great. No regrets. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Swedish English On Wednesday 12 February 2020, at 10:30 CET, Bilias year-end report 2019 will be published. On the same day Bilia arranges press and analyst meetings, where CEO Per Avander and CFO Kristina Franzen will present the report and answer questions. There will be one meeting in Swedish at 12:30 (CET) and one meeting in English at 15:30 (CET). They are telephone meetings and you call telephone number +46 (0)8 22 90 90 and enter code 674445. If you need a toll free phone number outside Sweden, please contact us for a country specific telephone number. Gothenburg, 23 January 2020 Bilia AB (publ) For information please contact: Per Avander, Managing Director and CEO, +46 (0)10 497 70 00, per.avander@bilia.se Kristina Franzen, CFO, +46 (0)10 497 73 40, kristina.franzen@bilia.se Facts about the Bilia Group Bilia is one of Europes largest car chains with a leading position within service and sales of cars and transport vehicles. Bilia has 136 facilities in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Bilia sells cars of the brand Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Renault, Lexus, MINI, Dacia and transport vehicles of the brand Renault, Toyota and Dacia. Bilia has today a fully expanded business with sales of new cars, e-commerce, spare parts and store sales, service and repair workshops, tyres and car glass and financing, insurance, car washes, fuel stations and auto salvage under the same roof, which gives a unique offer. Bilia reported a turnover of SEK 28.4 bn in 2018 and had 4,785 employees. Attachment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged action against "the tyrants of Tehran" in a Holocaust memorial speech Thursday, comparing what he considers the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany. "There will not be another Holocaust," Netanyahu told world leaders in Jerusalem. He lamented that "we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. "I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran." Israel fiercely opposed a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead. He said Thursday that Israel "salutes President Trump and Vice President (Mike) Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world. "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future," said Netanyahu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vietnamese Embassy, in collaboration with the Defense Attache Office in Cambodia, offered incense and laid wreaths at the Vietnam Cambodia Friendship Monument in the capital city of Phnom Penh. Ambassador Vu Quang Minh, along with officials and employees of the Embassy, the Khmer Vietnam Association and Vietnamese enterprises, representative offices and families, paid tribute to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who sacrificed their lives to liberate Cambodia from colonialism and imperialist aggression, especially the genocidal Pol Pot regime. Vietnamese Consulate General in Battambang has collected more than four tonnes of rice to help overseas Vietnamese who are living in difficult circumstances. On the occasion, Vietnamese Consulate Generals in the provinces of Battambang and Preah Sihanouk also paid homage to Vietnamese heroic martyrs. In addition, the two agencies visited and presented rice and Tet gifts to over 400 overseas Vietnamese families who are living in difficult circumstances in localities of the provinces of Bontiamienchay, Battambang and Preah Sihanouk. The attention and Tet gifts have contributed to bringing joy to the overseas Vietnamese community in the host country ahead of the happy and warm Tet Festival. Vietnamese people in Preah Sihanouk are happy to receive Tet gifts. By Abdul Kerimkhanov The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Russian oil major LUKoil will sign an agreement on exploration of two offshore blocks in Azerbaijan. "We are discussing a number of projects, including the Nakhchivan block, the offshore block and the so-called transition zone in the north of Absheron. At least our geologists consider them promising," Chief Executive Officer of Russias oil major Vagit Alekperov told reporters in Davos, Switzerland on January 22. "We are going to negotiate exploration with SOCAR. The agreement most likely will be signed at the forum," Alekperov added. Earlier, President Ilham Aliyev and Alekperov discussed LUKoils participation in the development of the Nakhchivan and Goshadash fields as part of the meeting in Davos. The Goshadash structure is located in the north-eastern part of the Absheron archipelago, in 15 kilometers from the coast, at a distance of 35-40 kilometers from Baku. The depth of water here is 50 meters. Malaysian Petronas showed interest in developing this area. In the meantime, SOCAR and LUKoil have confirmed their intention to cooperate on a number of offshore structures in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. The head of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev and the President of LUKoil Vagit Alekperov on Wednesday in Davos signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on the exploration block, which includes Nakhchivan prospective structure and the shallow structures of Goshadash and the Caspian-Guba, according to SOCAR's official website. The structure of Nakhchivan is located 85 km south of Baku. Investments in the development of the field are estimated at $2 billion. Projected reserves are 110 million tons of oil and 85 billion cubic meters of gas. In 1997, SOCAR and the American ExxonMobil signed the Professional Services Agreement contract for the Nakhchivan prospective structure. The parties to the contract were ExxonMobil - 50 percent, SOCAR - 50 percent. The first exploratory well did not reveal hydrocarbon reserves, and the investor refused to continue exploration, paying compensation in the amount of $18 million. German Wintershall and Indian ONGC Videsh showed interest in this structure. Earlier, President of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev met with the CEO of LUKoil Vagit Alekperov on 11 November 2019. At the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the current state and prospects of cooperation between the two companies. SOCAR is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan. Three production divisions, one oil refinery and one gas processing plant, a deep water platform fabrication yard, two trusts, one institution, and 23 subdivisions are operating as corporate entities under SOCAR. The company conducts various petroleum activities in countries such as Georgia, Turkey, Romania, Switzerland, Germany and Ukraine, including trading activities, mainly in Switzerland, Singapore and Nigeria. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Two children of a family died on Thursday when a fire, caused possibly by a short circuit, engulfed their house at Beltola area in the city, police said. The fire caused an LPG cylinder to explode and engulfed the first floor of the house so fast that none could enter it to rescue the two boys who were in a room there, the assistant commissioner of police (Basistha) Punnam Pegu said. All the wooden furniture, the doors and windows of the rooms of the first floor of the two-storeyed house were destroyed by the blaze. She said the raging fire prevented labourers who were repairing the house to enter it. It was doused by fire engines. The two boys, who were siblings, were aged eight and five years and were together in a room. The boys' grandmother was in the ground floor and their parents were away. Pegu told PTI that the bodies of the two brothers were found on an iron bedstead in a room on the first floor. "The two boys were found hugging each other even in their death. It was a very tragic scene for us," she said. Ironically Thursday was the birthday of the younger sibling. Pegu said that investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the fire, which is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed grief over the death of the two boys and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family. He also directed the deputy commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan to inquire into the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Independent UN rights experts said Wednesday they had received information that Amazon owner Jeff Bezos's phone was hacked through a WhatsApp account belonging to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Riyadh has rejected the allegations, its embassy in Washington branding them "absurd". "The alleged hacking of Mr Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities," UN Special Rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said in a statement in Geneva. Any investigation into the alleged incident in May 2018 should also look at the "continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the Crown Prince in efforts to target perceived opponents", they added. Callamard, the UN expert on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and Kaye, the expert on freedom of expression, said they were "gravely concerned". "The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia," they wrote. Bezos owns The Washington Post, which employed as a contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist murdered in October 2018 at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul. "Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the Saudi Arabian embassy said on its Twitter account. "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out." The UN Special Rapporteurs said the circumstances and timing of the hacking also gave grounds for further investigation into "allegations that the Crown Prince ordered, incited, or, at a minimum, was aware of planning for" the operation to kill Khashoggi. Callamard last year led an independent probe that found "credible evidence" linking the crown prince to Khashoggi's killing -- a charge the kingdom vehemently denies. - 'Unprecedented exfiltration' of data - The two experts said they had become aware of a 2019 examination of Bezos's iPhone that found it may have been hacked on May 1, 2018 with an MP4 video file sent from an account used by the Saudi Crown Prince. The two had exchanged numbers a month before, they said. The analysis reportedly found that within hours of receiving the video file, there was an "unprecedented exfiltration" of 126 MB of data from Bezos's phone. This continued undetected over a period of "some months" with rates of as much as 4.6 GB higher than the baseline. The forensic analysis cited by the UN experts showed that the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, sent WhatsApp messages to Bezos in November 2018 and February 2019 in which he revealed information about Bezos's personal life not available from public sources. The analysis also suggested that the hackers may have used a type of spyware used in other Saudi surveillance cases, such as the NSO Group's Pegasus-3 malware. - $38bn divorce - Bezos's personal life was thrust into the spotlight with the announcement in January 2019 that he and his wife were divorcing after 25 years of marriage, and the revelation by the National Enquirer that he had been having an affair with a former news anchor, Lauren Sanchez. Bezos, the world's richest man, and his wife MacKenzie finalised their divorce in July 2019 to the tune of a $38-billion (34-billion-euro) settlement, according to Bloomberg News. Following the scandal, Bezos hired Gavin de Becker & Associates, a security firm, to find out how his intimate text messages and photos made their way into the hands of the National Enquirer. In March last year de Becker said he had concluded that Saudi Arabian authorities hacked the Amazon chief's phone to access his personal data. But de Becker did not specify which part of the Saudi government he was blaming for the hack, and gave few details about how he had concluded that the kingdom was responsible. Residents of China's Wuhan Banned From Leaving City Over Coronavirus Outbreak - Reports Sputnik News 23:00 22.01.2020(updated 23:59 22.01.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The government of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus originates from, is imposing a temporary ban on local residents to leave the city, to prevent virus spreading, local media reported on Wednesday. Local health authorities said earlier in the day that the death toll from the coronavirus had climbed to 17. The operation of buses and subway will be suspended, as well as trips from airports and train stations, from 10 am local time on Thursday (02:00 GMT), the Global Times newspaper reported. An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia was registered in Wuhan in late December, later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organisation. Those infected show symptoms of pneumonia and other acute respiratory diseases, media reports say. Later, cases of pneumonia caused by the Wuhan coronavirus have been reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Macau. The Chinese health authorities confirmed the virus was transmitted from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Concerns are growing that the Wuhan coronavirus could turn into an epidemic. Airports across the world have stepped up measures to monitor passengers for the disease. Over 11 million people are living in Wuhan, the capital city of the Hubei province. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Apple AAPL shares have skyrocketed nearly 110% in the past 12 months, including a 12% climb in 2020. Now the question for investors is should they think about buying the iPhone giants stock before Apple reports its Q1 2020 earnings results on Tuesday, January 28? Beyond the iPhone? Apples non-iPhone business has become a focus on Wall Street in recent years. Yet, the Cupertino, California-based company still relies heavily on the iPhone. The device has helped propel Apple to its current $1.4 trillion market cap since it launched in 2007. Today, consumers around the world consistently shell out over $1,000 to buy new iPhones. Apple executives are pleased with the new iPhone 11s early success. And analysts and tech insiders predict that the iPhone 12, which is excepted to debut in the fall of 2020, will feature some of Apples most game-changing updates in years. That is good news considering that iPhone sales still accounted for 55% of total revenue in 2019. However, this marked a decline from 2018, when the smartphone pulled in 62% of overall sales. CEO Tim Cook and Apple have known for years that they needed to expand beyond the iPhone, and they have. Yet, new reports suggest that Apple will soon start production on a low-cost iPhone to help possibly address the rapidly expanding low-cost smartphone market in China, India, and beyond. Services & Wearables The iPhone remains Apples largest revenue contributor, but its other businesses have driven sales growth in recent years. Apples services segment features its app store and Spotify SPOT challenger Apple Music. More recently, the company has rolled out a subscription-based video game service, a credit card, and a magazine-heavy news service. Then, in November, it debuted its streaming TV platform. Apple TV+ features Hollywood stars both in front of and behind the camera and some of the shows have earned some critical buzz. The streaming TV platform only costs $4.99 per month, which could help it as Apple competes for consumers alongside Netflix NFLX, Disney DIS, Amazon AMZN, and others. Story continues The companys long-term goal is to generate more revenue from its roughly 1 billion active devices. We now have 450 million paid subscriptions across the services on our platform compared to over 330 million just a year ago, and we are well on our way to our goal of surpassing the 500 million mark during 2020, CFO Luca Maestri said on its Q4 earnings call. Along with the much-talked-about services unit, Apples wearables business has thrived recently, driven by its wireless AirPods headphones. The Apple Watch also has more health-focused features than ever, which is part of the reason why Alphabet GOOGL bought Fitbit FIT. 2020 & 2021 Outlook Apples revenue dipped 2% in 2019, after sales soared 16% in 2018. Despite the decline, sales picked up in the second half of 2019. Looking ahead, Apples Q1 2020 sales are projected to jump 4.1%, based on our Zacks estimates. Meanwhile, Apples fiscal 2020 revenues are projected to surge 5.8% to reach $275.1 billion, which would easily top 2018. AAPLs 2021 sales are then expected to jump another 8.8% above our current-year estimate to reach a whopping $299.2 billion. In terms of individual segments, our Key Company Metrics call for Apples services business to jump roughly 16% from $46.3 billion to $53.7 billion in 2020. This would roughly match the units 17% expansion in 2019 that helped services account for 18% of total salessecond-largest unit behind iPhone and worth more than Mac and iPad combine. Meanwhile, Apples Wearables, Home and Accessories unit is projected to jump 27% in 2020. This would come on top of 2019s 41% expansion. And we cant forget the iPhone. Apple's fiscal 2020 smartphone sales are expected to climb marginally from the year-ago period. At the bottom end of the income statement, AAPLs adjusted Q1 earnings are projected to climb 8.4%. The companys fiscal 2020 EPS figure is expected to jump 10.7%, with FY21 set to surge another 16.7% higher. Bottom Line Apples valuation has grown bloated as it soars, up from $151 a share in January 2019, all the way to Wednesdays new intraday high of $319.99 per share. AAPL is trading at 22.9X forward 12-month Zacks earnings estimates. This marks a 10-year high and comes in far above its 15.3X median over the past three years. However. the S&Ps valuation is stretched, and fellow $1 trillion titan Microsoft MSFT is also trading at new 10-year highs of 29.1X. Value-minded investors might want stay away, or wait for a pullback, which could come after earnings if investors take home some profits, shy away due to worse-than-expected guidance or a miss. Apple is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), based on its upward earnings estimate revisions. The company also pays a dividend, which yields about 1% at the moment. And who can forget about the massive pile of cash Apple sits atop that helps it buy back shares, as it continues on its path to reaching a net cash neutral position over time. Apple stock has helped drive the current bull market and it could continue this run for years, which makes it hard for investors to stay away from. Yet, waiting until after the closing bell on Tuesday, January 28 to decide what to do with AAPL might be prudent as playing stocks around earnings is hard. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through Q3 2019, while the S&P 500 gained +39.6%, five of our strategies returned +51.8%, +57.5%, +96.9%, +119.0%, and even +158.9%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 Q3 2019, while the S&P averaged +5.6% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.1% per year. See their latest picks free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Walt Disney Company (DIS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fitbit, Inc. (FIT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Spotify Technology SA (SPOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research LEHI, Utah, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivint Solar (NYSE: VSLR), a leading full-service residential solar provider, today launched a new, consumer-friendly Help Center website as part of the company's continued focus on delivering world class service to its customers. The purpose of the site is to allow homeowners and consumers to browse support topics based on an entire database of relevant content specifically related to their searches. The new Help Center contains more than 30 articles, as well as a dozen videos. Users can browse different topics like, how to get started , product suppor t, billing & payments , home & life events , or get online account help . Or, if they have something more specific in mind, they can simply type in the topic they're interested in to either educate themselves or to solve specific issues more easily. "Vivint Solar exists to create great customer experiences with clean, renewable energy. At our core, we are a company that Puts People First. The new Help Center is a great example of how we are constantly adapting to provide our customers with the best support possible," says Miranda Barnard, Vivint Solar Vice President of Marketing. Since its launch, the site has seen increased traffic on educational articles, like "Getting Started with Solar," and "How to Maximize Savings While Using a Solar Energy System." Vivint Solar is continuously adding more content to the site to provide education to consumers about the benefits of solar energy and getting the most out of a solar energy system. Users can access the site at this link. About Vivint Solar Vivint Solar is a leading full-service residential solar provider in the United States. With the help of Vivint Solar, homeowners can power their homes with clean, renewable energy, typically achieving significant financial savings over time. Vivint Solar designs and installs solar energy systems for homeowners and offers monitoring and maintenance services. In addition to being able to purchase a solar energy system outright, homeowners may benefit from Vivint Solar's affordable, flexible financing options, including power purchase agreements, or lease agreements, where available. Vivint Solar also offers solar plus storage systems with LG Chem home batteries and electric vehicle chargers with ChargePoint Home. For more information, visit www.vivintsolar.com or follow @VivintSolar on Twitter. Media Contact: Heather Hurst 385-202-6577 [email protected] www.vivintsolar.com SOURCE Vivint Solar, Inc. Related Links http://www.vivintsolar.com Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony to unveil a monument to Leningrad siege defenders in Jerusalem. He and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have unveiled a Memorial Candle monument, honoring the heroic feat of defenders and residents of besieged Leningrad in the Second World War, TASS reports. The ceremony was also attended by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lyon, Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov. The monument was erected in Sacher Park located close to Israels Foreign Ministry buildings, Supreme Court and Knesset. The eight-meter tall stela has two symbols inscribed on it St. Petersburgs symbol, the Bronze Horseman and the Peter and Paul Fortress silhouette with enemy weapons aim locked down on it and Israels symbol, Star of David with a menorah depicted in the center of it enmeshed in barbwire symbolizing concentration camps. Theres another element to the monument that serves as a symbol the blockade barn swallow, a symbol of tenacity, endurance and hope of the Leningrad defenders. The upper part of the stela is bronzed to symbolize candlelight. A capsule is laid in the monuments foundation containing ground from St. Petersburgs Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery where 490,000 residents and defenders of Leningrad with tens of thousands of Jews among them are buried. The stela is created by St. Petersburgs and Israeli architects. It was the initiative of World War II veterans, siege survivors and compatriots living in Israel to erect the monument as well as of St. Petersburgs authorities. By Trend Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov received Totals Executive Director for Azerbaijan Regis Agut, Trend reports on Jan. 22 referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy. The current situation related to the Absheron project implementation and the issues of cooperation with Total company in the field of renewable energy sources were discussed during the meeting. Shahbazov praised the work carried out within the Absheron project and the role of this field in meeting the country's domestic needs. The minister also inquired about the company's plans for launching the production and the further stages of development. Agut described the Absheron project as the project meeting the interests of both parties. Totals executive director for Azerbaijan spoke of the work which is being carried out in launching gas production on the field, including drilling of the deepest well in the Caspian Sea. Agut said that the production of the first gas on the field is scheduled for 2021. Totals role in the process of energy transformation and activity in the field of renewable energy sources, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy and Total Eren company to develop this sphere were touched upon during the meeting. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz COVINA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / North America Frac Sand Inc. (OTC PINK:NAFS) (NAFS) ("NAFS" or the "Company"), also known as Voycare, a medical tourism service provider in California with combined revenues close to $10 million in the last 2 years through its subsidiary HTT & CTT Inc., and catering to a growing Chinese middle class of travelers coming to the U.S. on medical travel, is excited to share some the Company's upcoming corporate updates and 2020 strategic outlook. Upcoming Corporate Updates Updating of all corporate information on OTCMarkets in the days to come 2018-2019 Consolidation and quarterly and yearly reports Bringing Company current during Q1 and Q2 Attorney letter with respect getting Company current Audited financials Appointment of Chief Medical Officer Strategic Outlook Outbound medical travel from China has seen rapid growth in the last two years. According to the International Medical Travel Journal and a report from Global Growth Markets (GGM) it is estimated there were 500,000 outbound Chinese medical travelers spending at least $10 billion in 2018, with the numbers expected to reach $30 billion in spending by 2021 according to Statista Research. GGM's research indicates the number of outbound medical tourists from China will approach 900,000 this year to overseas destinations for treatments such as cosmetic surgery, health checks and wellness. By the end of the year, 100,000 of those patients will travel for cardiology, oncology, fertility treatment, obstetrics, gynaecology, joint replacement and neurology programs. On the backdrop of these industry growth indicators, NAFS/Voycare expansion plans for the U.S. market includes the establishment of strategic partnerships with world-class medical facilities and internationally renowned doctors, as well as identifying key acquisition targets of private medical facilities or commercial facilities to be converted into luxury Asian wellness centers blending Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Medicine, Nutritional Science, Anti-Aging, Spa and Fitness Center. Key U.S. geographic areas include: Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego Boston New York City Houston Atlanta Hawaii About NAFS/Voycare (www.voycare.com) NAFS/Voycare (NAFS) is a California based medical tourism service provider helping overseas patients gain access to quality health care primarily in the fields of oncology, in vitro fertilization, cosmetic surgery and wellness. Voycare's executive team has over 20 years of cross border tourism experience, specifically servicing Chinese outbound travelers to North and South America. Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains certain forward-looking information. All information, other than information regarding historic fact that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future is forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or modify such forward-looking information, either because of new information, future events or for any other reason. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Contact Information North America Frac Sand Inc./Voycare 626-784-5846 info@voycare.com www.voycare.com SOURCE: North America Frac Sand Inc./Voycare View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573904/NAFSVoycare-Provides-Corporate-Update-and-2020-Strategic-Outlook CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Data science firm Civis Analytics today announced continued success in the public sector and with nonprofits, growing annual revenue by more than 200%. Civis's government team was also honored in Government Technology's GovTech 100 , a list of the most innovative companies in the government sector. Over the past year, Civis's commitment to data science for public good was also recognized with a Data Impact Award at the Strata Data Conference in San Francisco and a place on Fast Company's 2019 World Changing Ideas Awards - Spaces, Places, and Cities category (finalist) and AI + Data (honorable mention). Civis client USA for UNHCR also received the ANA Genius Award for data and analytics growth. New customers in 2019 included USAID, LEAP Innovations, California Public Utilities Commission, Harris County, TX, and the City of West Hollywood, adding to a portfolio of existing clients including the City of Boston, the City of Houston, National Resources Defense Council, USA for UNHCR and the Human Rights Campaign. "There is a huge opportunity to use a data-driven approach for public good, and Civis is excited to lead the charge," said Dan Wagner, CEO and Founder of Civis Analytics. "Data and analytics can help serve communities in a way that just wasn't possible years ago for example, we can optimize language and processes for social services to ensure they're understood and used by those in need. It's important to help these organizations make a real and positive impact." One critical example is the 2020 Census. Civis's Census Intelligence Center offers a comprehensive toolkit to support census coordinators, nonprofits, elected leadership, and Complete Count Committees in their efforts to have the most accurate count as possible. Census Intelligence Center supports communities like Harris County, TX and nonprofits like The Fair Census Project, a project of Resources Legacy Fund, to ensure they understand and engage with their hard-to-count communities the right way, with the right outcome. To learn more or to get in touch , visit www.civisanalytics.com . About Civis Analytics Civis Analytics helps leading public and private sector organizations use data to gain a competitive advantage in how they identify, attract, and engage people. With a blend of proprietary data, technology and advisory services, and an interdisciplinary team of data scientists, developers, and survey science experts, Civis helps organizations stop guessing and start using statistical proof to guide decisions. Learn more about Civis at www.civisanalytics.com . SOURCE Civis Analytics Related Links https://www.civisanalytics.com San Francisco/Washington: UN experts have demanded an immediate investigation by US and other authorities into allegations that Saudi Arabia's crown prince was involved in a plot to hack the phone of Amazon boss and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. The UN special rapporteurs, Agnes Callamard and David Kaye, said on Wednesday they had information pointing to the "possible involvement" of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the alleged 2018 cyberattack, which preceded alleged threats by the National Enquirer to publish intimate photographs of the billionaire tech tycoon. Callamard, the special rapporteur for extra-judicial killings, and Kaye, special rapporteur for free expression, said in a statement that they believed the hack was carried out "in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Posts reporting on Saudi Arabia" and called for an "immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities." Their recommendation is not binding, and how quickly - if at all - US officials might act on it was not immediately clear. The Wall Street Journal said an FBI investigation into the hack was ongoing. The bureau declined to comment. Saudi officials dismissed the allegations as absurd. The rapporteurs based their call for an investigation on a 17-page forensic report drawn up by Washington-based FTI Consulting, which a source familiar with the matter said had been commissioned by Bezos. The report alleges with "medium to high confidence" that the billionaire's iPhone X was hijacked by a malicious video file sent from a WhatsApp account used by the crown prince on May 1, 2018. The report, a copy of which was first published https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v74v34/saudi-arabia-hacked-jeff-bezos-phone-technical-report by Motherboard, said that within hours of receiving the video file there was "an anomalous and extreme change" in the device's behaviour, with the level of outgoing data from the phone jumping nearly 300-fold. FTI Consulting said in an email that its work was confidential and it would not comment further. Khashoggi Killing The allegations could further damage relations between Bezos and Riyadh and risk harming the kingdom's reputation with foreign powers and investors. Amazon.com Inc declined to comment. The hacking is said to have taken place months before the October 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown prince. The CIA believes that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing of Khashoggi, sources told Reuters weeks later. He was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by Saudi agents and his body dismembered. Prince Mohammed, or MbS, said last year that the killing was carried out by rogue operatives and that he did not order it. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud dismissed the allegations of the prince's involvement in any phone hack of Bezos. "I think 'absurd' is exactly the right word," he told Reuters in an interview in Davos. "The idea that the crown prince would hack Jeff Bezos phone is absolutely silly." Saudi Arabia's US embassy also dismissed the allegations. "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out," it said in a message posted on Twitter. On Twitter, Bezos published a photograph of himself at a service for Khashoggi with a single word: "Jamal." Spyware Suspects The special rapporteurs, who released their findings in a statement, report to the United Nations Human Rights Council but are independent watchdogs and not UN officials. They stopped short of identifying which specific technology might have been used in the alleged hack, but said software like that made by Israeli company NSO Group or Italian spyware maker Hacking Team could potentially have been deployed. NSO denied its technology was used in the alleged hack. "We know this because of how our software works and our technology cannot be used on US phone numbers," it said. "Our products are only used to investigate terror and serious crime." After a merger last year, Hacking Team is now part of Swiss-Italian cyber intelligence firm Memento Labs. Memento Labs' head, Paolo Lezzi, was not immediately available to comment but has previously said he has no knowledge of Hacking Team's former operations. National Enquirer The alleged hack deepens the intrigue around how the Enquirer - which had close links with US President Donald Trump at the time of the alleged extortion - obtained messages exchanged between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, an ex-TV anchor who the tabloid said he was dating. Last year Bezos' security chief said the Saudi government was the source of the messages. A month before, Bezos had accused the Enquirer's owner of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to Sanchez. All this took place as Trump - who has closely allied the United States with bin Salman - was clashing with Bezos and the Washington Post in public. "So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor," Trump gloated on Twitter as news of the clash between Bezos and the Enquirer went public. Trump also took the opportunity to take a shot at the Post: "Hopefully the paper will soon be placed in better & more responsible hands!" The Saudi government has denied having anything to do with the National Enquirer's reporting. The Guardian newspaper first reported the crown prince's alleged involvement in the phone hacking targeting Bezos. A former beauty queen and aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was busted for choking her child's father, court documents revealed Wednesday. New York State Director of Latino Affairs Melissa Quesada was charged with assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of her infant daughter, according to a complaint filed by the Westchester County district attorney's office. Over the next few weeks, Microsoft will begin asking developers to start building apps for the dual-screen future, including the Surface Duo Android phone and the Surface Neo PC that will run Windows 10X, the companys next-generation operating system. Microsoft said Wednesday that it will begin providing access to a pre-release version of the Windows SDK through its normal Windows Insider builds. Specifically, on February 11, Microsoft will drop the Microsoft Emulator, a HyperV development platform that will allow app developers to begin porting their UWP and Win32 apps to Windows 10X. Microsoft Microsofts Windows 10X will boast a simplified home screen. Heres what it looks like in the Microsoft Emulator mode. If youre a developer, the new Emulator and related Windows APIs will allow you to begin accommodating the hinge that will separate the two displays, as well as start thinking about the two screens: as two pages of a book, say, or as a primary page with additional notes on the second screen. Microsoft is also asking developers to start thinking about dual-screen layouts for Microsoft Edge, with CSS primitives and a JavaScript API. Microsoft An array of two-screen concepts. Consumers, meanwhile, can get a better idea of how Microsoft sees these devices being used: either as two screens, or as a large screen that spans both displays. Your app by default will occupy a single screen, but users can span the app to cover both screens when the device is in a double-portrait or double-landscape layout, Microsoft said in a blog post. You can programmatically enable full-screen mode for your app at any time, but spanning is limited to user activity for now. Microsoft A prototype Surface Duo home screen, using the Microsoft Emulator. With devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold already available or nearing release, the markets preparing for at least some dual-screen devices to enter the computing landscape. Microsofts probably in a hurry, too, as its Android-based Surface Duo, and Windows 10X-based Surface Neo are both due by holiday 2020. BAKERSVILLE, N.C. - The worlds worst cat is available for adoption just ask the Mitchell County Animal Rescue organization in North Carolina. The shelter about 55 miles (89 kilometres) northeast of Asheville is waiving adoption fees in the hope that someone will take the cat named Perdita off their hands. The group says on its Facebook page, We thought she was sick. Turns out shes just a jerk. A tongue-in-cheek profile of the foul-tempered feline says her dislikes include dogs, children, the Dixie Chicks, Disney movies, Christmas and last but NOT least ... HUGS. It says she likes lurking, pretending to be sick and staring into your soul until you feel as if you may never be cheerful again ... It adds, Shes single and ready to be socially awkward with a socially awkward human who understands personal space. Shelter Director Amber Lowery says 4-year-old Perdita came to the facility on Christmas Eve, The Charlotte Observer reported. Since then, the shelter has had to warn visitors that Perditas attempts to draw passersby to her cage are actually a ruse that will not end well. Im looking at her right now, and shes rolling around in her little bed, looking all sweet and cute, but the minute you try to rub her, she slaps you. We thought she was in pain and took her to the vet and he said: No, this cat is just a jerk, Lowery told the newspaper. Her Facebook post has drawn thousands of likes and a followup post says more than 50 applications to adopt her have been submitted. One person wrote on the shelters Facebook page that they hoped Perdita finds the goth home of her dreams. The shelter replied, Us too ... like soon. The 14-year-old who died after falling through the ice at a pond in Carteret on Wednesday was a kind, little angel, who loved to make people laugh, his aunt said Thursday. Although he was one of six children, David Tillberg was a quiet teen who loved to play video games and sing - though he chose his audience carefully, said Ann Marie Silvia. Every time hed come over, hed always sing, but he wouldnt sing in front of just anyone, said Silvia, who said her 16-year-old son and his cousin were very close. Wed joke with him and say 'you sing so good, you should record YouTube vides, you sing just as good as Justin Bieber." Silvia - whose sister Natalie is Davids mother - said she shared many memorable car rides with her nephew, shuttling him back and forth between her home in Hunterdon County and Carteret. He was like a comedian - just the funniest kid, Silvia said. He was very witty, he made everyone laugh. I could have seen him doing stand-up comedy one day - adults would laugh at his jokes, kids would laugh. An eighth-grader at Carteret Middle School, David lived with his mother, Natalie, stepfather, three sisters and a brother ranging in age from 6 to 18, according to his aunt. He also has a 21-year-old sister in Florida. Born in Florida, David moved with his family to Carteret about 8 years ago, his aunt said. A memorial at a pond in Carteret where David Tillburg, 14, fell through the ice Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. He died early Thursday. Silvia said her sister is devastated by the loss of her oldest son. "Shes a wonderful mother, " Silvia said. Her kids are her world. David was one of two Middlesex County teens who died after falling through ice on Wednesday. ALSO: 2 N.J. drowning deaths trigger safety warnings about frozen ponds In East Brunswick, Yousef Khela fell into a pond near the townships library at around 5 p.m. Firefighters pulled the 13-year-old from the water and rushed him to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead. Two other students also fell through the ice in East Brunswick and were able to get themselves out. About 20 miles to the north, David and a friend plunged though the ice at Carteret Park shortly after 7 p.m. While the friend was able to get out of the water on his own, David was pulled from the ice after roughly an hour of rescue efforts and rushed to University Hospital in Newark. Two police officers and a firefighter took a paddle boat into the water and couldnt locate the teen before a dive team from Sayreville found him in 10 minutes, police said. He was pronounced dead at 3:11 a.m., police said. A GoFundeMe.com page established by family members to raise money for Davids funeral expenses has raised more than $3,000 as of late Thursday morning. School officials in Carteret also offered their condolences. There are no words to describe the great sadness our students and staff are feeling right now, Superintendent Rosa Diaz said in a statement. We will rely on our resilience as we work together to cope with this terrible tragedy. Please continue to keep Davids family in your thoughts and prayers. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A royal historian has uncovered an unseen note which authorised MI5 to tap King Edward VIII's phone as his relationship with married American socialite Wallis Simpson progresseed in 1936. Speaking on ITV's Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals, which airs at 9pm tonight, historian Robert Hardman investigates the national archives at Kew, containing many documents which have been kept secret for 80 years. Robert discovers a handwritten note from a senior home office official to the head of the post office, which gives the British secret service permission to listen into the King's conversations. The decision came following concern that Edward's relationship with Wallis was exposing him to circles which included German diplomats and members of the British Fascist Movement, with Wallis considered an 'untrustworthy' option to marry the reigning King. A royal historian has uncovered an unseen note which authorised the MI5 to tap King Edward VIII's phone as his relationship with married American socialite Wallis Simpson progresseed in 1936 (They are seen in 1946) Showing the handwritten note, Robert said: 'This is the note saying we're going to tap the King's phone. 'Everyone from the prime minister down was extremely worried about the state of the King's mind and about which way he was going to go. 'The note is effectively saying "yes he is head of our state and we have a sworn oath of allegiance but nonetheless we are going to spy on him because we feel it's in the national interest". He continued: 'Mrs Simpson had all sorts of dubious contacts and friendships, not least with German diplomats. The King was known to meet with leading members of the British Fascist Movement and they wanted to know it all.' And speaking about the first time his subsequent abdication was discussed, he added: 'Indeed it was later discovered that it was an MI5 operative hiding in a bush in Green Park who heard the first conversation in which King Edward told his brother Duke of York that he was going to abdicate.' Robert discovers a handwritten note from a senior home office offical to the head of the post office, which gives the British secret service permission to listen into the King's conversations Speaking about the hostility towards Wallis, Piers Brendan, historian, said: 'Wallis Simpson was an American adventuress, in the words of Queen Mary. 'She absolutely captivated, entranced and bewitched King Edward VIII. He told the prime minister Stanley Baldwin in 1936 he was going to marry her [while she was still married] and he said parliament would refuse'. But Edward VIII was not put off. Speaking of his impending decision to abdicate, historian Jane Ridley said: 'What Edward VIII said is "I have to be with the woman I love and that takes priority over everything"'. The public were informed on the 3rd of December and by the 12th of December Edward's brother, the Queen's father, was proclaimed King George VI. Edward left the country and married Wallis in 1937 in France - but no one from the royal family attended the wedding. Retired AFL star Dale Thomas will face his phobia of snakes on Thursday's episode of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia. The 32-year-old sportsman, who is terrified of the reptiles, will be forced to put his entire head into a box filled with them during a Tucker Trial. He breaks down in tears before the challenge, according to the Herald Sun, and confesses to feeling 'petrified'. 'I'm petrified': Retired AFL star Dale Thomas (pictured) will face his phobia of snakes on Thursday's episode of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia 'I've always disliked snakes. How they move and everything about them,' Dale says during the episode. 'If you fear something, you steer away from it as far as possible. I'm proper petrified.' I'm a Celebrity host Dr Chris Brown then says: 'You've stared down some of the most scary, adrenaline-filled moments in sport, yet it feels like this is the top of pile for you.' 'I've always disliked snakes': The 32-year-old sportsman, who is terrified of the reptiles, will be forced to put his entire head into a box filled with them during a Tucker Trial Overwhelmed: He breaks down in tears before the challenge and confesses to feeling petrified During Monday's episode, campmate Perez Hilton was 'buried alive' in the Viper Room during his first challenge. As the pythons crawled over the 41-year-old gossip guru's face and body, he screamed in horror. 'Oh, my god! Oh, my god!' he yelled out. Snake pit: During Monday's episode of I'm a Celebrity, campmate Perez Hilton (pictured) was 'buried alive' in the Viper Room during his first challenge Last week, Tom Williams wept as he faced a similar challenge, but was eventually able to conquer his own phobia. The 49-year-old TV presenter was required to collect stars from tanks filled with snakes, cockroaches and toads. 'I'm breaking,' he confessed as he eyes filled with tears. 'I'm breaking!' Last week, Tom Williams (pictured) wept as he faced a similar challenge, but was eventually able to conquer his own phobia Determined to overcome his fear of snakes, the father-of-two bravely grabbed the remaining stars from the snake tank. He later emerged from the challenge with his fists triumphantly raised in the air. 'It feels bloody great!' Tom told the hosts. 'I feel like I've climbed a bit of a hill.' "Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as... michelle carter Associated Press/Charles Krupa Michelle Carter, 23, was released from jail on Thursday. Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017 for pressuring Conrad Roy III, 18, to take his own life. Carter has been held at the Women's Center at the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Carter was 17 in 2014 when she urged Roy III, to kill himself. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Michelle Carter, who urged a fellow Massachusetts teenager to take his own life in 2014, was released from jail Thursday morning. In footage taken from the correctional facility, Carter could be seen flanked by two police officers walking through the gates. Carter, now 23, was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter after a judge found that she urged Conrad Roy III, 18, to take his own life. Roy's family said in a statement that Carter's release, and the recent US Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case, has brought closure. "It's been a painfully long 6 years and we are ready to move on," Roy's aunt, Becki Maki, said in a statement on behalf of his family. "While we are disappointed that she was not required to serve her full sentence, it doesn't change that Conrad is forever gone." Jonathan Darling, a spokesman for the Bristol County House of Correction told Insider that Carter has been held at the jail's Women's Center in Dartmouth Massachusetts since February 2018, except for one month last summer when she was moved to another facility. Darling wouldn't say why Carter was moved from the jail or where she went. An attorney for Carter didn't immediatly return a voicemail and email seeking comment on Thursday. Carter met Roy when they were teenagers on family vacations in Florida and began a months-long texting relationship. Story continues Roy expressed his suicidal thoughts and depression to Carter. Eventually, Carter started replying to Roy's texts about the possibility of his committing suicide by telling him that his family would "get over it." On July 12, 2014, Roy drove to a supermarket parking lot and hooked up a water pump that emitted carbon monoxide into the cab of his truck. According to court records, Roy repeatedly expressed to Carter that he doubted his plan. While talking to him over the phone, Carter told Roy to "get back in" the truck. He was found dead the next day. In February 2019, the state of Massachusetts' highest court upheld Carter's conviction and sentence, according to The Boston Globe. "We are very pleased that the SJC affirmed the conviction of Michelle Carter. This case is a tragedy for all of the people impacted by this case," Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said in a statement at the time. "However, as the court found in two separate decisions, her conduct was wanton and reckless, and caused the death of Conrad Roy. This was clearly established during the trial through the voluminous text messages sent between several parties in this case." The US Supreme Court recently denied a request from Carter's lawyers to have the court review her conviction, the Globe also reported. "We will continue to remember him and honor him," Maki's statement said of Roy. "We will also continue to raise awareness for suicide prevention in the hopes that no other family has to face this kind of pain." Read the original article on Insider Over the last decade weve seen the career path for online community professionals grow, and weve now reached the point where organizations realize how critical the role is to overall organizational success, said Jim Storer, Principal at The Community Roundtable. The recently released Community Careers and Compensation 2020 report from The Community Roundtable reveals that online community professionals are uniquely situated to lead their organizations into the future of work. According to the research, 63% of community professionals were promoted in their roles in the last year, suggesting they will have an outsized impact on organizations success in the coming years. The Community Careers and Compensation report explores how online community roles are evolving to meet the needs of an evolving workplace. Based on a survey of 325 global community management professionals, the report provides a research-backed snapshot of trends in community roles, responsibilities, team structures, and compensation, and includes an comprehensive index of community job descriptions. Individuals that participated in the research represent a diverse set of employee and customer community programs that span industries, organizational size, and use cases. These community programs range in age from pre-launch to a handful that have been operating for over 20 years. Over the last decade weve seen the career path for online community professionals grow, and weve now reached the point where organizations realize how critical the role is to overall organizational success, said Jim Storer, Principal at The Community Roundtable. Still, only 19% of organizations with communities have a defined career path and only 17% have an approved and resourced community roadmap. Now that communities are poised to provide immense ROI for their organizations, its time for HR departments to focus on how to best recruit and retain seasoned community talent. The Community Careers and Compensation 2020 report is designed to help community professionals, and those that hire and manage them, get a better understanding of emerging trends and develop a strategy to insure community teams are properly resourced to maximize organizational value. About The Community Roundtable: The Community Roundtable is the leading, global resource for the community management industry. The Community Roundtable helps organizations from Fortune 500s to start-ups and associations recognize, define, and leverage the power of their communities. Through the industrys only comprehensive community management research, The Community Roundtable provides training, events, and consulting to help companies recognize real ROI from their community programs. TheCR Network the world's premier resource for community professionals, connects hundreds of community practitioners worldwide for networking, professional development and support. Learn more at communityroundtable.com PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 14:32:26 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 925 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 KINGSTON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / Delta Resources Limited ("Delta") (TSXV:DLTA) is pleased to announce that it has contracted the services of Geotech Airborne Geophysical Surveys to carry out a 581 line-kilometre Helicopter Borne VTEM survey over part of its Delta-2 property in the Chibougamau area of Quebec.The survey is expected to start during the fourth week of January 2020 and is designed to cover a stratigraphic horizon known to be favourable for the occurrence of Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits. Approximately 17 kilometres of this horizon is covered by the Delta-2 Property. In the fall of 2019, the Delta Exploration team outlined a significant area (200m x 400m) of garnet-chlorite alteration in the footwall of the favourable contact; alteration commonly seen in the feeder zones below many VMS deposits.The objective of the geophysical survey is to outline any conductors that represent masses of sulphides. Anomalies outlined with this survey are expected to be followed up in the field starting in the spring of 2020.Significant deposits and occurrences of VMS origin are located in this region, including the past producing LeMoine mine (757 585 t @ 9.52% Zn, 4.18% Cu, 4.56 g/t Au and 82.26 g/t Ag) located 1.7 kilometres north of the property boundary and the Delinel and Guillaume-Cartier prospects located approximately 1.5 kilometres southeast of the property boundary.Other News:Delta has retained MI3 Communications Financieres Inc. ("MI3") to provide communication services on behalf of the Company in Eastern Canada. These services include, but are not limited to, communication of all news releases and information on the Company, including technical notes, posting on social medias, and assisting the Company at PR roadshows across 14 cities in eastern Canada. The agreement is for a period of 12 months and as consideration for these services, the Company has agreed to pay to MI3 a monthly retainer of C$3,000.Based in Montreal, MI3 Communications Financieres Inc. is a new-age financial communications company geared for today's fast-paced global economy. MI3 specializes in market awareness and market intelligence for Canadian public companies. During the last ten years, MI3 has worked with over 185 small, mid-tier and larger capitalized companies with projects all over the world.Michel Chapdelaine, P.Geo. and Vice-President of Exploration at Delta Resources Limited is a Qualified Persons as defined by NI-43-101 and is responsible for the technical information presented in this press release.About Delta Resources LimitedDelta Resources Limited is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on growing shareholder value through the acquisition of high-potential gold and base-metal projects in Canada, exploring these projects with state-of-the-art methods, and potentially developing these projects into mines.On October 3rd, 2019, Delta announced the acquisition of the Eureka Gold Discovery in the Thunder Bay area and on October 16th, 2019, the acquisition of the Delta-2 Property which hosts the R-14 Gold Prospect in the Chibougamau Mining District of Quebec.Delta also owns a 100% interest in the Bellechasse-Timmins gold deposit in southeastern Quebec, Canada which contains a 43-101 gold resource of 171,000 ounces at an average grade of 1.83 g/t gold in the indicated category and an additional 95,000 ounces at an average grade of 1.36 g/t gold in the inferred category (SGS Canada Inc., Bellechasse-Timmins Property Resource Estimate, Southeastern Quebec, August 1, 2012).The company's focus is currently to build a strong portfolio of mineral exploration properties with a high potential for economic discoveries in Canada while evaluating the long-term potential of its 100% owned Bellechasse-Timmins gold deposit in southeastern Quebec.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DELTA RESOURCES LIMITED.Andre C. TessierPresident, CEO and DirectorWe seek safe harbor. 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. The TSX Venture Exchange has not approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.For Further Information:Delta Resources LimitedFrank Candido, ChairmanTel : 514-969-5530fcandido@ deltaresources.ca orAndre Tessier, CEO and PresidentTel: 613-328-1581atessier@ deltaresources.ca Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking InformationSome statements contained in this news release are " "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward looking information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the use of proceeds of the non-brokered private placement and payment of the debt settlements. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and involves risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake to update any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event.SOURCE: Delta Resources Limited Two police stations in Bristol were shut down last night amid fears that a Chinese detainee was carrying the deadly Coronavirus which has killed 25 people. Stations in Patchway and Trinity Road were placed under quarantine on the guidance of the NHS after the detainee was said to display 'flu-like' symptoms. Officers had concerns the detainee may have had contact with people who had travelled from the Chinese Wuhan area - where the coronavirus first originated. An investigation by Public Health England revealed the man had not contracted the deadly disease and both stations were declared safe by midnight. One member of the public was forced to stay at the Trinity Road station during the quarantine but was cheered up by officers who bought them a takeaway pizza. Stations in Patchway and Trinity Road, Bristol (pictured) were placed under quarantine on the guidance of the NHS after the detainee was said to display 'flu-like' symptoms The man, who was due to give a witness statement, said: 'After I gave the statement and I went to the toilet. When I came out I was told "we have some bad news". 'They told me to stay after a Chinese national had been arrested at Patchway and the officers had come to Trinity. The stations were under quarantine.' He added: 'I was well looked after; the officers even managed to get a Dominos ordered.' An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: 'Staff at the custody unit at Patchway Police Centre became aware of a detainee displaying flu-like symptoms. 'There were initial concerns that the detainee, a Chinese national, may have had contact with people who had recently travelled from the Wuhan area of China. 'Following precautionary advice from the NHS and health practitioners, Patchway Police Centre was temporarily closed along with Trinity Road Police Station in Bristol, where officers involved in the arrest had travelled to. 'As well as the officers and members of police staff, there was one member of the public at Trinity Road Police Station, who was asked to remain in the building as a precaution while we sought further advice. 'Following expert advice from Public Health England, it was established this was not a case of the much-publicised novel coronavirus and both stations were fully re-opened at just after midnight. 'The detainee has been given the appropriate medical attention and remains in custody at this time.' He added: 'We'd like to assure our communities there is no risk to the public.' Risk of the virus in the UK has recently been upgraded from 'very low' to 'low' by Public Health England. The unknown virus causes cold-like symptoms including a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat and a fever. So far, in Wuhan, the virus has killed 17 people. Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announces measures to prevent the spread of Wuhan coronavirus during the upcoming four-day Lunar New Year holiday at the Government Complex in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap South Korea's public health authorities on Thursday remained on alert and spared no efforts to prevent the spread of Wuhan coronavirus during the upcoming four-day Lunar New Year holiday. The country reported its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus on Monday when a Chinese resident who arrived at Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway, on Sunday tested positive for the virus. Airports across the nation have been ratcheting up their monitoring and checking of passengers from China and other countries for signs of illness, with local authorities accelerating quarantine efforts to contain the virus during the busy Lunar New Year travel season. Citizens should follow strict personal hygiene rules whether they are in the country or traveling abroad, especially since there is expected to be an influx of Chinese tourists coming to the South Korea during the holiday period, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). An estimated 18% of African American women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, according to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. This number is difficult to accurately estimate, however, because for every 15 African American women who are raped, only one will report it. Just as the name implies, Changemakers want to change that by removing the stigma surrounding sexual assault, work with legislators to create a legal definition of consent and prosecute such cases more often. The Changemakers, a subcommittee of Women4Change Indiana, are allowing survivors of sexual assault to share their stories anonymously via The Clothesline, where people can write their experiences down on a notecard and pin it to a traveling clothesline. The group plans to have it on display at the Statehouse in March, allowing legislators and others at a planned rally to see the stories of Hoosier women and men who have lived through sexual assault. We want to show our legislators that this isnt a small issue, Changemaker Rita Venable, 67, said. This is a big issue and is happening to many, many citizens in Indiana, and we have to come up with a solution or some kind of plan to help stop this. Women4Change Indiana, a nonpartisan organization that helps women get involved in local government, will also hold different theater productions at various locations throughout Indianapolis about sexual assault. The Changemakers are also pushing the Indiana Legislature to create a legal definition of consent. The rally in March will give legislators an opportunity to listen to survivors of sexual assault and consider their stories when making legislative decisions. Cordelia Lewis-Burks, 83, has been active in local and national politics for decades. The current vice chair of the Indiana Democratic Party and the first superdelegate in Indiana to endorse President Barack Obama in 2008, Lewis-Burks hopes to use her political experience to influence changes on not only how sexual assault is spoken about, but how cases are prosecuted. One in five women in Indiana have been sexually assaulted, Lewis-Burks said. Often, no one is prosecuted. The issue of consent comes up, and it can be painted in many ways. What were you wearing? Did you encourage it? Did you come onto him? There is no legal definition of consent, and that is one of the activities that Women4Change and the Changemakers are involved in, to get a legal definition by the state legislature on consent and to ensure that there are penalties for someone who sexually assaults another person. Legally, Lewis-Burks hopes someone saying no during a sexual encounter is enough to make a case for sexual assault. Simply no, said Changemaker Velvet Miller, 74. Miller got involved in Women4Change after attending the first Womens March in Washington, D.C., in 2017. The Changemakers believe education is key to decreasing sexual assaults and increasing police reports. We need to educate young people about whats acceptable and not acceptable, Venable said. We need to help girls understand their value and their worth. Sometimes [after an assault] you feel unworthy or that you brought it upon yourself and we have to change those types of perceptions by letting people know there is help out there. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-459-8747. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. Correction: An earlier version of this story listed Cordelia Lewis-Burks as a former vice chair of the Indiana Democratic Party. Changemakers are working toward a legal definition of consent. Three members of the group are (l to r) Cordelia Lewis-Burks, Velvet Miller, Rita Venable. (Photo/Breanna Cooper) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will put up a united front on Monday as it stages a one-day fast under the helm of former minister and Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Pankaja Munde in Aurangabad, to draw the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) governments attention to the issue of chronic water scarcity in Marathwada. The decision is being viewed as a bid to woo the former BJP minister and daughter of senior leader, late Gopinath Munde, who has been upset with the party leadership since her defeat in the state Assembly polls. I had announced at my December rally that I would organise a one-day fast in Aurangabad. I wanted to show that though I have lost an election, I will continue to fight for social causes through my organisation. I was going to go ahead with it when my party leaders said that they would all like to be there and support the cause, Munde told HT. The core committee of the party, which met late on Wednesday night to finalise the upcoming organisational programmes of the state unit, decided to participate in the protest to be held outside the divisional commissioners office in Aurangabad under Mundes leadership. It was decided that the partys senior state leaders, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister Raosaheb Danve, former speaker Haribhau Bagade, and leader of Opposition in Council Pravin Darekar will also be present at the event, allowing the spotlight to be on BJP rather than solely on Munde. During her December 12 rally, Munde had also come down hard on her party, slamming them for the state of affairs in the Maharashtra unit. The rally had set tongues wagging as Munde, in her candid speech, had rejected core committee membership and cautioned the leadership to not put BJP in reverse gear. Since the rally, however, BJP leaders said the party had made efforts to reach out to Munde and address her grievances. The state chief Chandrakant Patil told her [Munde] that instead of it being a protest under her organisation, it should be a party event and all party leaders should attend under her leadership. Party president JP Nadda also spoke to Munde in Delhi and promised party support, said a senior party leader. Party insiders said that after losing power in Maharashtra, the BJP does not want internal rebellion. We also cant afford to lose an OBC face like Munde, said a party functionary. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - There's hope in St. John's, N.L., that the daily concerns of life and death will slowly begin returning to normal over the weekend. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Westjet aircraft prepares to depart the airport in St. Johns on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - There's hope in St. John's, N.L., that the daily concerns of life and death will slowly begin returning to normal over the weekend. Thursday marked the provincial capital's seventh day under a state of emergency that was declared last Friday as a record-setting blizzard dropped more than 76 centimetres of snow in some areas. However, the city has said after days of military and civilian efforts to clear snow from streets and parking lots, it is expecting the emergency status to be lifted by Saturday. That was welcome news for Robert Barrett, the director of Barrett's Funeral Home, who said he's heard from families awaiting word on when they could hold wakes and funerals for relatives who've died in recent days. Bodies have been kept at hospital morgues, and Barrett said municipal rules only permitted him to begin transporting them to his facility on Thursday. "We have people who passed away a week ago and families haven't been able to start their grieving or visitations," he said in an interview. "It will be a relief for our families that they can move forward and go through the grieving and healing process." Rev. Cecil Critch, a Roman Catholic priest at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, said with churches closed there have been no funerals nor other religious sacraments at the cathedral since Friday. He estimated on a normal weekend, about 1,000 people attend masses. "It's very difficult for the families who are grieving," Critch said during a telephone interview. "A funeral is part of the grieving process. You're trying to go through it, and then a week goes by and you don't have the funeral yet." Critch said he's looking forward to hundreds of parishioners returning to mass on Sunday, and planning a homily around texts that deal with the healing of rifts within a Christian community. Rev. Roger Whalen, the archdeacon and rector of the nearby Anglican cathedral of St. John the Baptist, said parishioners want to come together again, and he's received emails hoping the state of emergency is lifted by the weekend. "Some people are able to enjoy each other's company in the snow, but many people can't do that. So being able to gather in community is very important to them," he said. As of Wednesday evening, about 400 Armed Forces personnel were on the ground in the region and had completed an estimated 380 tasks of an assigned 450. The city has been updating residents on a daily basis about businesses permitted to open as snow-clearing continues. Mayor Danny Breen did not give a dollar figure about what the cleanup has cost so far, but said he would work with the provincial and federal government to potentially recover the costs. Breen said during a media scrum Wednesday afternoon that "The state of emergency will remain in effect, we expect, until Saturday morning at 6 a.m." However, all medical, dental and health practitioners, as well as veterinarians, were allowed to open at 8 a.m. on Thursday. By Michael Tutton in Halifax. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. January 23rd - Rockport, ON, Canada - New Age Metals Inc. (TSXV:NAM); (OTC:NMTLF); (FSE:P7J) has engaged IBK Capital Corp. to manage a private placement financing of up to C$2,000,000 by way of units ("Units") of the Company at a price of $0.05 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share and one share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), where each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of $0.10 per share for a period of two (2) years from the date of closing. This financing is fully subscribed and is anticipated to close on Friday January 31, 2020. The securities to be issued in connection with the private placement will be subject to a four-month plus one-day hold period from the date of closing in accordance with applicable Canadian Securities Laws. Completion of the private placement and any finder's fees payable are subject to regulatory approval. Harry Barr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of New Age Metals, reports: "This year's palladium price increase to more than US$2,400 per ounce or C$3,100 highlights the potential of our River Valley PGM project as one of the largest undeveloped primary palladium projects in North America." Michael White, Chief Executive Officer of IBK Capital Corp., states, "We believe there will be a positive rerating of the market value of palladium exploration companies. This would reflect the increasing value of the metal in the ground due to strong palladium prices based on a lack of stable supply from South Africa. We also believe the PGM producers of the world will need to acquire ounces in the ground in favourable jurisdictions to replace and geographically diversify their PGM reserves." Use of Proceeds The Company intends to use the proceeds of this private placement to complete certain recommendations from the recent PEA completed on the company's River Valley Project; one of North America's largest undeveloped primary Platinum Group Metals, (PGM) Projects. Additionally, proceeds will be used to build global investor awareness in NAM, and for working capital purposes. The River Valley PGM Project is 100% owned by New Age Metals and located in the Sudbury Mining District, 100 kms away from the Sudbury Metallurgical Complex. About NAM New Age Metals is a junior mineral exploration and development company focused on the discovery, exploration and development of green metal projects in North America. The Company has two divisions; a Platinum Group Metals division and a Lithium/Rare Element division. The PGM division includes the 100% owned River Valley Project, one of North America's largest undeveloped Platinum Group Metals Projects, situated 100 kilometers from Sudbury, Ontario as well as the Genesis PGM Project in Alaska. The Lithium division is the largest mineral claim holder in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field where the Company is exploring for hard rock lithium and various rare elements such as tantalum and rubidium. Our philosophy is to be a project generator with the objective of optioning our projects with major and junior mining companies through to production. New Age Metals is a junior resource company on the TSX Venture Exchange, trading symbol NAM, OTCQB: NMTLF; FSE: P7J with 96,843,766 shares issued to date. Investors are invited to visit the New Age Metals website at www.newagemetals.com where they can review the company and its corporate activities. Any questions or comments can be directed to info@newagemetals.com or Harry Barr at Hbarr@newagemetals.com or Cody Hunt at Codyh@newagemetals.com or call 613 659 2773. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Harry Barr" Harry G. Barr, Chairman and CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results and are based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses words such as "continue", "efforts", "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "confident", "intend", "strategy", "plan", "will", "estimate", "project", "goal", "target", "prospects", "optimistic" or similar expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company's ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make available adequate current public information, additional or different regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed, and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Copyright (c) 2020 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Indonesia complains as more fishermen are kidnapped in Malaysian territory by Telly Nathlia January 23,2020 | Source: The Jakarta Globe The Abu Sayyaf armed group kidnapped eight Indonesian fishermen in Malaysian territory on Thursday before releasing three of them and taking the other five hostage, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday. The fishermen were taken from a Malaysian fishing vessel sailing in the Tambisan Sea near Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia. The three released fishermen sailed back from the Southern Philippines where the Abu Sayyaf group is based to Tambisan the following day, confirming news of the kidnappings. "[They] confirmed there were five Indonesian fishermen who were kidnapped [by the Abu Sayyaf group]," the ministry said in a statement. The ministry did not disclose the names of the fishermen involved in the incident. Philippine soldiers had rescued the last Indonesian hostage from an earlier kidnapping by another armed group with links to the Abu Sayyaf group on Wednesday, the day before the last kidnapping incident occurred. "The government of Indonesia strongly regrets this recurring incident of Indonesian fishermen being kidnapped in Malaysian territory," the ministry said. Indonesia will work together with the Philippine authorities to rescue the five hostages. "In the meantime, our fishermen should avoid sailing in oceans off Sabah since we can't guarantee their safety," the ministry said. 2020 JAKARTA GLOBE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. Dozens of world leaders descended upon Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating rising modern-day anti-Semitism, a politically charged event that has been clouded by rival national interpretations of the genocide. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, the Prince of Wales, Vice President Mike Pence and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The three-hour-long ceremony at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, called Remembering The Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism, looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence. But the unresolved remnants of Second World War politics have permeated the solemn assembly over the differing historical narratives of various players. Visit to #TelAviv: 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by the Red Army and Holocaust Remembrance Day https://t.co/LhPX86iU5k pic.twitter.com/7FnSWoEJLn President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) January 23, 2020 Polands president, who has been criticised for his own wartime revisionism, has boycotted the gathering since he was not invited to speak. Mr Putin was granted a central role even as he leads a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and shift responsibility for the wars outbreak on Poland, which was invaded in 1939 to start the fighting. On the eve of the gathering, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin implored visiting dignitaries to leave history for the historians. The role of political leaders, of all of us, is to shape the future, he said. Just arrived in Israel with @SecondLady to represent the United States as we mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum. Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 23, 2020 But Mr Putin quickly ventured into the sensitive terrain shortly after his arrival, claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about one million were Soviet. Mr Putins controversial figure appears to include an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pact with the Nazis. When it comes to the tragedy of the Holocaust, 40% of tortured and killed Jews were Soviet Union Jews. So this is our common tragedy in the fullest sense of the word, he said during a meeting with Mr Rivlin. Arkadi Zeltser, a Yad Vashem historian, said the accuracy of the statement depended on rival definitions of when the war began. Yad Vashem, along with all other reputable institutions, considers the war to have been sparked on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland. The Soviets generally consider their Great Patriotic War to have started two years later, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. It was the latest chapter in a bitter dispute over Soviet actions in the Second World War. Expand Close Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Aleksey Nikolskyi/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Aleksey Nikolskyi/AP) Mr Putin has been leading a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and focus instead on its role in defeating them. Israel has given Mr Putin a warm welcome, hosting him for the dedication of a monument honouring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St Petersburg, is Mr Putins hometown. The event marks one of the largest political gatherings in Israeli history, as a cascade of delegations including European presidents, prime ministers and royals, as well as American, Canadian and Australian representatives, arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport. More than 10,000 police officers were deployed in Jerusalem and major roads leading to it. Large parts of the city were shut down ahead of the event. For prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu it offered another opportunity to solidify Israels diplomatic standing and boost his profile as he seeks re-election on March 2. He was hoping to use his meetings with world leaders to bolster his tough line toward Iran and rally opposition to a looming war crimes case against Israel in the International Criminal Court. For historians, though, the main message is one of education amid growing signs of ignorance and indifference to the Holocaust. A comprehensive survey released this week by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organisation responsible for negotiating compensation for victims of Nazi persecution, found that most people in France did not know that six million Jews were killed during the Second World War. Among millennials, 45% said they were unaware of French collaboration with the Nazi regime and 25% said they were not even sure they had heard of the Holocaust. One of Indias largest digital literacy programmes for women, Internet Sathi, has been halted in West Bengal due to panic among people over National Register of Citizens (NRC), the NGO that runs the programme in five districts and five other states said. The programme is run jointly by Google India and Tata Trust and is operated by different NGOs in various districts. Over the past three weeks, incidents were reported from Murshidabad and Birbhum where NGO workers, who had gone to train women in the use of smartphones and internet, were mistaken for those collecting NRC data, and manhandled. Villagers got suspicious as workers would ask for names and addresses of trainees. We halted the programme at the end of December in all five districts of West Bengal because our trainers faced trouble. Well be holding a meeting with our district coordinators in West Bengal at the end of January to decide on the future course of action, said Shahid Siddique of the New Delhi-based NGO Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF). We are running this programme in six states but are facing this problem only in Bengal, he said. The districts the NGO covers are Murshidabad, Birbhum, Nadia, South 24-Parganas and Malda. Another NGO that ran the programme in four other districts faced similar problems. Our programme in four districts was completed in December. We faced trouble at many places but managed to complete the programme with help of the police and gram panchayats, said Debasis Panda of Centre for Environmental and Socio Economic Regeneration, an NGO that runs the programme in Purulia, Bankura, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur. Panic over NRC started spreading after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Parliament on December 11. On January 4, several hundred people gheraoed the residences of Jasmina Khatun and Rakiba Khatun, who work with DEF, in Murshidabad district. Over the next few days, health workers, ration dealers and Internet Sathi trainers came under attack in areas under Domkal, Lalbag and Sagardighi police station jurisdictions, all in Murshidabad district. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A total of 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for novel coronavirus infection till January 22 but no positive case has been detected in the country so far, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan is reviewing the evolving scenario and the preparedness status. She has asked states and union territories to review hospital preparedness in terms of isolation and ventilator management of critically ill patients, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance and laboratory support, an official statement said. Thermal screening is being done at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin. Meanwhile, amid reports that a nurse from Kerala working in Saudi Arabia has tested positive for the new coronavirus, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to take up the matter with the Gulf nation and ensure expert treatment. However, health department sources in Kerala said there is no information about nurses from the state having been affected. The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India. The ministry has instructed for in-flight announcements for India bound flights. A travel advisory was issued on January 17 and put up on the ministry's website and also on the Twitter handle for wider circulation. "Port and airport health organisations have been sensitised and thermal screening has been initiated at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin airports," the statement said. The airport health organisations have also put up signages at prominent locations informing the public about self-reporting of illness. Immigration officers manning the counters have been sensitised at these airports. The ministry of health has written to the governments of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka to review and strengthen preparedness measures at designated airports for provision of isolation and critical care facilities, linkages with VRDL network laboratories and adherence to infection prevention and control guidelines. Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme has issued advisory to all states and union territories for surveillance to pick up any travel related case reported in the community and follow up contacts of suspect or confirmed cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing his attention towards a female ascetic hailing from the state who has been on a fast for more than a month with the demand of "concrete action" for Ganga rejuvenation. In his letter, Kumar expressed fears of "deterioration of health" of Sadhvi Padmavati - who hails from his native district of Nalanda, and has been living in Haridwar without food since December 15 last year. The prime minister had last month chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Kanpur and said that rejuvenation of the river should be a shining example of cooperative federalism. According to officials, the central government had made a commitment of providing Rs 20,000 crore for the period 2015-20 to the five states through which the Ganga passes, to ensure adequate and uninterrupted flow. "It is requested that initiatives be taken to address the issues raised by Sadhvi Padmavati, Matri Sadan, Haridwar and she be convinced to call off her fast," Kumar said in the letter. The young 'daughter of Bihar' was spoken about by water activist and Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh, when he was here on January 21 to join Kumar's state-wide human chain organised in support of conservation and drives against alcoholism, dowry and child marriage. He had also expressed delight over the Jal-Jeevan- Hariyali campaign launched by the chief Minister last year. The impoverished state's thrust on combating climate change has earned plaudits from luminaries, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Its cold in Connecticut as low as 7 degrees in parts of Fairfield County this morning but at least we dont have to worry about random iguanas falling from the sky. Its apparently a problem in Florida. The National Weather Service in Miami is warning residents that its so cold, keep an eye out for falling iguanas. Really. This isn't something we usually forecast, but don't be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr!, the weather service tweeted. The cold-blooded lizards slow down and even become immobile in colder weather, the weather service explained. So when the temperature gets below 40, iguanas might not be able to hang on to their tree perches and fall to the ground. But they are not dead, the National Weather Service said. Iguanas are not native to Florida, but escaped lizards have become a problem in the region. The species is considred invasive. Theres no real way to come up with a valid estimate of the number of green iguanas in Florida. But the number would be gigantic, Richard Engeman, a biologist for the National Wildlife Research Center, told the Sun-Sentinel in 2018. You could put any number of zeros behind a number, and I would believe it. And theyre not small. Imagine a 5-foot-long, 17-pound lizard falling on your head from above. Male green iguanas can grow to over 5 feet in length and weigh up to 17 pounds. Females can also reach 5 feet in length but usually do not exceed 7 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Linda Murray, owner of Huckleberry's Den in Navan, hit out at the government for its lack of action Pic Steve Humphreys Play centre owners are crying out for help after they received notice that another leading insurer has exited the market. Liberty Insurance in the UK has advised it will no longer be insuring up to 70 play centres here. The move comes after Liberty Insurance in Ireland announced it would not be offering liability cover to businesses in Ireland. Linda Murray, who leads Play Activity and Leisure Ireland (PALI), a group formed to help play centres struggling to get insurance, described it as a major setback. The group came together last year and managed to save up to 1,500 jobs after getting insurance from the British provider. However, now theyve been knocked for six with the news of Libertys decision. Ms Murray owns Huckleberrys Den in Navan, Co Meath and is calling on election candidates to start making insurance more of a priority. Weve been doing everything on our own with little to no help from the government, she told Independent.ie. We dont need legislation that will take five years to make any impact, we need action. Ms Murray said discussions with alternative insurers are underway in advance of the group's renewal date in May. "Thankfully we are in a much more positive situation this year because we've formed a very strong organisation with a common renewal date so we are optimistic that we will get the insurance we need, however we shouldn't have to fight like this to secure insurance. "The government has known about the serious difficulties any business dealing with children has had to face and have done very little to help us, we feel totally isolated." None of the members of the group have pending personal injury claims, but Ms Murray said people in the childcare sector are taking drastic measures out of fear. I spoke to one creche owner who is no longer allowing children to run around and play. They are allowed to go outside to get fresh air or play with toys inside, but she has stopped all risky play. Ms Murray said the group is exploring self-insurance and every available possible action. PALI has initiatives around health and safety and risk management and there are two other insurers who offered quotes last year. Im sad after a year of hard work that this has happened. We are getting no help at all where are kids going to be able to play? We are trying to remain positive and we are in a different position to a year ago as we have an established group. Peter Boland, director of the Alliance for Insurance Reform said this latest development is very concerning. It illustrates how fragile the Irish insurance market is at the moment and further emphasises that we cannot wait any further for insurance reform. The duty of care imposed on play centres and all other small businesses must be rebalanced and insurers must make specific commitments to reductions in premiums. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 20:21:31 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 971 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CSE:CBDT)(OTC:EPWCF)(Frankfurt:8EC) ("Empower" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated and growth-oriented CBD life sciences company is pleased to announce that its Sun Valley Health division has sold it's first franchise territory in the United States.The first Sun Valley Health Franchise territory has been sold in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a highly skilled entrepreneurial couple, with an extensive professional background that includes 20 years of owning and operating a health & wellness center."The Sun Valley Health team have developed a robust pipeline of strong franchise candidates in multiple states across the U.S., who are all advocates of the medical cannabis clinic model." said Steven McAuley, Chairman & CEO of Empower. "Completing the sale of our first franchise sets the stage for our next phase of growth, introducing our turnkey business model to likeminded people throughout the country." The state of Oklahoma is a medical cannabis state that has gone from non-existent to one of the largest and most valuable cannabis markets in the nation. Oklahoma's launch far outpaces that of other medical cannabis markets including Illinois, Maryland and Ohio with sales figures more akin to a recreational launch.Marijuana Business Daily indicates that patient counts have skyrocketed throughout 2019 with nearly 210,000 as of November 1st with more than 5% of Oklahoma's population now registered as medical cannabis patients, exceeding any other program in the nation. Under State Question 788, the bill legalizing medical cannabis in Oklahoma:There are no caps on the number of business licenses that can be awarded.Doctors are allowed to recommend the product for any condition they deem fit.Municipalities are prohibited from enacting zoning restrictions to prevent dispensaries from opening.A Sun Valley Health Franchise provides a franchisee "A Scientific Approach To Alternative Medicine" with a protected territory and access to potential patients and consumers with a geo-fenced population zone.Franchisees pay an upfront franchise fee to Sun Valley Health based on the territory location and population index, plus an ongoing monthly royalty based on franchisee revenue, they pay a variable monthly technology and marketing support fee plus they are required to purchase the various Sun Valley Health CBD product lines for their clinic location.Sun Valley Health provides a fully turnkey business plan with complete technical and marketing support, based on over six years of successful operating experience."Oklahoma is now the fastest growing medical marijuana market in the country and we are fortunate to find such great partners who believe in our vision, and are in a position to take advantage of such a robust market," said Dustin Klein, SVP Business Development.The Company also announces that it has entered into debt settlement agreements with creditors for the settlement of debt in the aggregate amount of $240,000 CAD, which is to be settled through the issuance of an aggregate of 4,800,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") at a deemed issue price of $0.05 per Share (the "Debt Settlement"). As the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and SVP, Business Development and Board member both participated in the Debt Settlement, it is considered to be a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101").The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61- 101, based on a determination that the securities of the Company are only listed on the CSE and that the fair market value of the Shares issued in connection with the Debt Settlement does not exceed $2,500,000 or 25% of the market capitalization of the Company. As the material change report disclosing the Debt Settlement is being filed less than 21 days before the transaction, there is a requirement under MI 61 101 to explain why the shorter period was reasonable or necessary in the circumstances.In the view of the Company it was necessary to immediately close the Debt Settlement and therefore, such shorter period was reasonable in the circumstances.All Shares issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period from the date of issue in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. None of the Shares will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and none may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.ABOUT EMPOWEREmpower is a vertically-integrated health & wellness brand with it's first hemp-derived CBD extraction facility under development, the Company produces its proprietary line of cannabidiol (CBD) based products and distributes products through company owned and franchised clinics, with wholesale partnerships, online channels and with new retail opportunities nationwide in the U.S. The company is a leading multi-state operator of a network of physician-staffed wellness clinics, focused on helping patients improve and protect their health, through innovative physician recommended treatment options. The company has commenced activity on how to connect its significant data, to the potential of the efficacy of alternative treatment options related to hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) therapies.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:Steven McAuleyChief Executive OfficerCONTACTS:Investors: Steven McAuleyCEOs.mcauley@ empowerclinics.com 604-789-2146Investors: Dustin KleinSVP, Business Developmentdustin@ svmmjcc.com 720-352-1398For French inquiries: Remy Scalabrini, Maricom Inc., E: rs@ maricom.ca , T: (888) 585-MARIDISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSThis news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday said the Left parties are hit by "stagnation" and urged them to make JNU student leader Aishe Ghosh as the "face of the fight in Bengal". The Left parties need to practise what they preach in university agitations and bring in fresh faces in the leadership, he said. "Stagnation is evident when people of a particular age are seen, and those of another generation are not. "A girl from Bengal has done very good work in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); make her the face of the fight in Bengal," Kumar said, speaking at a seminar here to commemorate CPI leader Indrajit Gupta's birth centenary. Violence had broken out at the JNU on the night of January 5 as a group of masked people armed with sticks attacked students and teachers, besides damaging property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in the police. Ghosh, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president, had suffered head injuries in the attack. He said the trend of young leadership in universities should be taken beyond the boundaries of educational institutions to factories and agricultural fields. "It is then... we can save the Constitution," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two soldiers killed in roadside bomb attack in central Mali Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 3:15 PM At least two Malian soldiers have been killed and two others wounded by a roadside bomb in the latest wave of violence to hit volatile central Mali. Mali army colonel Diarran Kone said on Wednesday that the soldiers were travelling to the town of Douentza, in the central region of Mopti, on Tuesday when their vehicle struck the bomb. "The route we took was mined. My life was saved because I was (sitting) behind," one of the wounded troops told AFP. Since 2012, Mali has been in a persisting conflict after Takfiri terrorists hijacked an uprising by Tuareg people, a large Berber ethnic confederation living across the Sahara Desert, in the north. The French military then intervened militarily. During the past seven years, the violence has moved to central Mali, from where Takfiri terrorists launch attacks across the Sahel region. Outfits affiliated with al-Qaeda and Daesh Takfiri terrorist groups have used central and northern Mali as a launch pad for growing numbers of attacks across the Sahel region, especially on neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso, despite the presence of 4,500 French troops, who help the Malian army to push back militants. In November last year, at least 13 French troopers were killed in a helicopter crash during an operation against militants in Mali. Malians have also become increasingly frustrated with the failure of the authorities to end the frequent attacks by militant groups, as well as increasing tit-for-tat ethnic killings between farmers and herders, which have also surged this year. Planting bombs under well-traveled roads is a favorite tactic of militants operating in the Sahel. Otherwise known as improvised explosive devices, they kill and maim scores of victims every year in Mali. Mali's army is equipping itself with armored vehicles in order to counter the threat, however. On September 14, 2019, the West African regional group ECOWAS announced a billion-dollar plan to help fund the military operations of the nations involved. But efforts by the G5 have been hampered by insufficient funding, training and equipment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wells Fargos conduct erupted into public view in late 2016, setting off a crisis that continues to reverberate more than three years later. Mr. Stumpf, the banks chief executive since 2007, was quickly ousted. His successor, Timothy J. Sloan, resigned last year after failing to quell the banks turmoil. Months before the banks troubles became public, Mr. Stumpf exercised all of his vested stock options, turning them into shares worth tens of millions of dollars that he owned outright. Wells Fargo later clawed back his unvested stock awards and some of his retirement payout, costing him $69 million but still leaving him in possession of an enviable fortune. Further repercussions are still possible for Wells Fargos former leaders: The Justice Department is continuing an investigation. Even if Thursdays fines are the last word in regulatory action, they were an unusual flexing of federal enforcement at the highest reaches of banking. JPMorgan Chases chief executive, Jamie Dimon the longest tenured of the big bank leaders has weathered scandals like the $6 billion trading loss brought about by a trader nicknamed the London Whale and a money-laundering case related to the Ponzi schemer Bernard L. Madoff. Two former traders for the bank have faced criminal charges, and the bank as a whole has paid nearly $44 billion in penalties since the financial crisis, but none of the enforcement actions against the bank have been directed at Mr. Dimon personally. Bank of America has paid $76 billion in fines since the crisis the most by any bank but its chief executive during the 2008 panic, Kenneth D. Lewis, shelled out zero dollars to federal regulators despite presiding over the banks abuses of mortgage borrowers and its acquisition of the mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, another abuser. He did pay a $10 million fine, but that was the result of a settlement with New York State prosecutors. (There have been exceptions: Angelo Mozilo, Countrywides leader, paid almost $68 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission over his role in the financial crisis.) Texas health officials are investigating a suspected case of the deadly new coronavirus in a person who recently traveled to Wuhan - the Chinese city where the disease originated. The Brazos County Health District announced the possible new case on Thursday. The patient, who was not named, has been isolated in their home after health care providers recognised their symptoms as consistent with the coronavirus - which has killed 25 people and sickened more than 800 across at least nine countries. So far only one case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in the US - a Washington state man who was diagnosed on Monday after returning from a trip to Wuhan. That man is currently being treated by a robot in a guarded bio-containment room at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. Doctors have identified and are monitoring 16 people he came into contact with in the US during the five days before he was diagnosed. Officials are also investigating another potential case involving a passenger who flew into Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico City on Wednesday. The two new suspected infections came as health experts warned that the US will likely see an increase in cases as the coronavirus continues to spread at an alarming rate. The US has one confirmed coronavirus case in Washington state and two others suspected in Los Angeles, California, and Brazos County, Texas, as of Thursday afternoon The Brazos County Health District in Texas is investigating a suspected case of the deadly new coronavirus in a person who recently traveled to Wuhan - the Chinese city where the disease originated (file photo) News of the possible Texas case came hours after a passenger on a flight to Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico City was hospitalised and quarantined on Wednesday night after showing 'disturbing' symptoms consistent with China's deadly coronavirus. Travelers are seen wearing face masks as they prepare to board flights at LAX on Thursday The first American to be infected with coronavirus is being treated by a robot in a guarded bio-containment room at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington (pictured) as doctors are monitoring 16 people he came into contact with in the US during the five days before he was diagnosed Experts don't yet know how quickly the disease can spread from person-to-person, but a World Health Organization (WHO) official has now said it is transmitted faster than previously thought. The graphic above shows where cases have been reported as of Thursday The LAX passenger was hospitalised and quarantined after showing 'disturbing' symptoms consistent with the new coronavirus. That patient, who has not been identified, arrived at LAX on American Airlines flight 2546 on Wednesday evening and was met by Los Angeles firefighters and police. Officials conducted a 'deep contamination process' after transporting the patient to a local hospital. Hours earlier, Los Angeles County public health officials warned it was 'very possible' that the area would see at least one coronavirus case given the number of people traveling between Southern California and China. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began conducting health screenings of passengers arriving at LAX - as well as four other major airports across the US - from China last Saturday. The patient in Brazos County, who was not named, has been isolated in their home after health care providers recognized their symptoms as consistent with the coronavirus The LAX passenger's hospitalization came hours after Los Angeles County public health officials warned it was 'very possible' that the area would see at least one coronavirus case given the number of people traveling between Southern California and China The Washington man, who has not been named, returned to the US from China on January 15 but was not officially diagnosed with coronavirus until January 20. Officials say he visited Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus originated, before flying into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He reportedly started experiencing symptoms the day after he returned and immediately sought medical treatment after seeing online coverage of the virus. The man is said to be in good condition and recovering at Providence Regional Medical Center - where he has been isolated in a 20-foot-by-20-foot bio-containment room. Dr George Diaz, head of the centre's infectious disease programme, said the patient is being monitored by a robot equipped with a camera, microphone and stethoscope to limit physical contact with hospital staff. Doctors are also monitoring more than a dozen people who the patient encountered - and therefore potentially infected - before being hospitalised. Heath officials have warned that the US will likely see additional cases of coronavirus as the deadly disease continues its spread at a much faster rate than previously thought. The unnamed man flew in to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from China on January 15 and returned to his home in Snohomish County before being diagnosed with the coronavirus five days later on January 20 More than 800 cases of coronavirus, a SARS-like disease, have been reported across nine countries - including in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and the US - since the first cases were reported in Wuhan in late December. Scientists estimate the true number of people infected since the outbreak began is in the thousands, possibly higher than 9,000. The virus, called 2019-nCoV, is thought to have spread into humans from a Wuhan seafood market where wild animals were allegedly traded illegally. WHEN ARE PATIENTS CONTAGIOUS? CDC officials are not 100 percent clear on when coronavirus patients are contagious but have said they suspect an incubation period of two to 14 days from exposure. Officials have warned that patients are most contagious after they begin showing symptoms but the disease can spread at a 'much lower rate' when asymptomatic. In the case of the Washington state man, experts say he was unlikely to have transmitted the disease to anyone because he sought treatment immediately after showing symptoms. Advertisement International concern has grown with the revelation that the virus spreads not just from animals to people, but between people, likely in a similar way to how colds spread. Experts don't yet know how quickly the disease can spread from person-to-person, but a World Health Organisation (WHO) official has now said it is transmitted faster than previously thought. 'We are now seeing second and third generation spread,' said Dr David Heymann, the chairperson of a WHO committee gathering data on the virus. Third generation means that someone who became infected after handling animals at the market in Wuhan, China, could transmit the virus to someone else, who then passes it to a third person. Heymann said the virus initially appeared to spread only by very close contact that would typically occur within a family, such as hugging, kissing or sharing eating utensils. He said new evidence suggests more distant contact could spread the virus, such as if an infected person were to sneeze or cough near someone else's face. Heymann noted that there is no evidence indicated that the virus is airborne and could spread across a room. Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realize they have the infection but it can quickly turn deadly This picture released by the Central Hospital of Wuhan shows a medic donning full-body hazardous material suit looking after one patient who has been infected by a new deadly virus The Washington state patient, who lives alone in Snohomish County, had traveled by himself from Wuhan but did not visit any of the markets at the epicenter of the outbreak, according to state health officials. He did not fly directly home from Wuhan, but arrived on January 15, the day before screening was in place and before he developed symptoms. He sought treatment on the 16th, was tested on the 17th and his diagnosis was confirmed on Monday the 20th, health officials said. CORONAVIRUS: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR What is this virus? The virus has been identified as a new type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of pathogens, most of which cause mild respiratory infections such as the common cold. But coronaviruses can also be deadly. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by a coronavirus and killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. Can it kill? Yes. 25 people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. People carrying the novel coronavirus may only have mild symptoms, such as a sore throat. They may assume they have a common cold and not seek medical attention, experts fear. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China to the rest of the world to enable other countries to quickly diagnose potential new cases. This helps other countries respond quickly to disease outbreaks. To contain the virus, airports are detecting infected people with temperature checks. But as with every virus, it has an incubation period, meaning detection is not always possible because symptoms have not appeared yet. How did it start and spread? The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Cases have since been identified elsewhere which could have been spread through human-to-human transmission. What are countries doing to prevent the spread? Countries in Asia have stepped up airport surveillance. They include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Australia and the US are also screening patients for a high temperature, and the UK announced it will screen passengers returning from Wuhan. Is it similar to anything we've ever seen before? Experts have compared it to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The epidemic started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere Advertisement Officials emphasised that risk to the public is low and said there was no reason to panic. Janet Baseman, a professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, told the Daily Beast that the Washington patient was 'very, very, very unlikely' to have transmitted the disease to anyone else because went in for treatment immediately after showing symptoms. 'Usually people do not transmit viruses like this to other people until they have symptoms themselves,' Baseman said. Health authorities said they began reaching out to everyone who came into contact with him on Tuesday to check whether they are showing symptoms, which can include fever, cough and runny nose. 'All the close contacts will be part of what we call "active monitoring",' Washington state Health Secretary John Wiesman Wiesman said. 'That means that a public health worker will call the person daily to do a symptom check for them, see if they have a fever, cough, any respiratory issues. 'And should anyone develop symptoms at any point in time, these people who are under monitoring will be instructed to immediately call a public health worker to report the symptoms, and then we would help facilitate a medical evaluation.' Wiesman defined close contact as a person who was within six feet of the patient for a prolonged period of time. Officials have no recommended isolation for those people unless they develop symptoms, at which point they would be infectious. So far, people suspected or confirmed to have the coronavirus have been put into isolation as quickly as possible because experts are unsure of how contagious it is. Potential patients in China have been pictured being moved around inside plastic whole-body tubes to avoid exposing health workers. At least 15 medics have already become infected in Wuhan. Seventeen of the 18 patients who've died from the virus were in and around Wuhan. They ranged in age from 48 to 89, with an average age of 73. Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, is now on lockdown as public transport has been halted and citizens told not to leave the city except in an emergency. The quarantine came just ahead of Saturday's Lunar New Year, which marks one of the China's busiest travel seasons. Chinese officials have warned that the deadly new virus is mutating and becoming increasingly difficult to control. World Health Organisation officials met on Thursday and determined that the outbreak should not be considered a 'public health emergency of international concern'. A man is seen being wheeled out of an airport in Fuzhou, China, in a quarantine box after he reportedly showed possible coronavirus symptoms, including a fever, during a screening Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, is now on lockdown as public transport has been halted and citizens told not to leave the city except in an emergency. Staff members are seen checking body temperatures of passengers arriving on a train from Wuhan to Hangzhou on Thursday before the quarantine went into effect Airports in the US are setting up screening for patients arriving from Wuhan in China. Pictured: People wearing masks as they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday Following confirmation of the first American case, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a plan to 'funnel' all inbound passengers from Wuhan to five major US airports equipped to screen for the virus. Screening checkpoints were set up at Los Angeles International Airport, New York's John F Kennedy airport and San Francisco International Airport last week and additional checkpoints are being installed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta by the end of this week. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the US 'has it totally under control', adding 'we do have a plan, and we think it's going to be handled very well'. CORONAVIRUS CRISIS RAMPS UP More than 800 people are confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus strain since it was first detected in late December. Chinese authorities initially said that the virus was mild and could not be transmitted between humans - but that changed last week as the number of people infected grew nine-fold in the space of a few days, with just 48 confirmed cases on January 17. Cases have risen nine-fold in the space of a few days, with just 48 confirmed cases on January 17. The virus is from the same family that caused previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS, killing hundreds of people in dozens of countries. The outbreak is believed to originated at a now-shuttered seafood market in Wuhan before travellers carried it to other parts of China and at least eight other countries. At least 444 of the cases - and all but one of the deaths - have occurred in the Hubei province, which includes Wuhan, with an additional 140 reported across other Chinese provinces. KILLER VIRUS MAY HAVE COME FROM BATS, SCIENTISTS SAY The killer coronavirus sweeping across the world may have come from bats, scientists have said. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People's Liberation Army and Institut Pasteur of Shanghai came to the conclusion. In a statement, the team said: 'The Wuhan coronavirus' natural host could be bats but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate. Tests of the virus, which has yet to be named, have revealed it targets a protein called ACE2 just like its cousin SARS, the South China Morning Post reported. Tracing the evolution of the virus, the team of experts found it belonged to betacoronavirus, making it structurally similar to SARS. Authorities have pointed the blame on food markets in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak that scientists are scrambling to contain. Rodents and bats among other animals are slaughtered and sold in traditional 'wet markets', which tourists flock to see the 'real' side of the country. Advertisement Four cases have been confirmed in Thailand and one in each of the following countries: Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the United States. Singapore and Vietnam announced Thursday that they have recorded cases of the infection. An Indian politician tweeted that an Indian nurse was being treated for the infection in Saudi Arabia - but that turned out to be inaccurate as it was revealed she had a similar virus called MERS. A spokesman for the Scottish government reported that five people were being tested for the coronavirus after traveling to Wuhan. The official emphasised that the tests are 'a precautionary measure only' and that there are currently no confirmed cases of the virus in Scotland. Experts fear that there will be a surge of cases as China enters its busiest travel period due to the Lunar New Year, which sees many people traveling back to the home town or village. Guan Yi, a virologist who helped identify SARS in 2003, put himself under quarantine on Thursday after visiting Wuhan. 'A bigger outbreak is certain,' Yi told Caixin magazine. He 'conservatively' estimated that the latest outbreak could be 10 times larger than the SARS epidemic because that virus was transmitted by only a few 'super spreaders' in a more defined part of the country. 'We have passed through the "golden period" for prevention and control,' Yi said. 'What's more, we've got the holiday traffic rush and a dereliction of duty from certain officials.' Four Chinese cities that are home to some 27.5 million people - Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang and Xianning - went into lockdown and major Chinese New Year events in Beijing were canceled on Thursday as officials ramped up efforts to control the spread. Footage coming out of Wuhan today shows disastrous scenes, with a man seen disinfecting a neighborhood with gas, traffic building up on blockaded highways and shoppers scrapping in a supermarket. One resident told the BBC the atmosphere in the city felt like 'the end of the world'. In one video which emerged from Wuhan today, a man can be seen 'disinfecting' eerily quiet streets of Wuhan, with billowing fumes filling the air outside an apartment block Shoppers are pictured in a supermarket in Wuhan, where people are complaining that food prices have risen and videos showed people scrapping over groceries (Picture taken today, January 23) Quarantine tents appear to have been set-up on the outskirts to isolate anyone showing symptoms in a pop-up medical area WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CONCLUDES OUTBREAK IS NOT A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY The WHO on Thursday concluded that it is 'too early to consider that this event is a public health emergency of international concern'. The United Nations health agency announced the decision after independent experts spent two days assessing information about the spread of the virus. The WHO was expected to make the declaration in a meeting held in Geneva on Wednesday - but members failed to come to a consensus and decided to reconvene Thursday. 'The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence,' Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, said after Wednesday's meeting. Following Thursday's meeting, committee chairman Dr Didier Houssin said 'now is not the time' to declare an emergency based on the limited global spread of the virus and the isolation of deaths to China. The agency defines an emergency as an 'extraordinary event' that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. Houssin added that the information they had from Chinese authorities was too limited and imprecise for the committee to make a recommendation that day. He said the committee remained divided roughly 50/50 over the course of the two-day meeting. If WHO members had decided the other way, it would have been just the sixth time in history that it has happened. The only other outbreaks to have been granted such a status include the 2009 Swine flu epidemic, the resurgence of Polio in 2014, the worldwide spread of Zika in 2016 and the two most recent Ebola outbreaks in 2014 and last year. The WHO has advised governments to be prepared for the disease and ready to test anyone with symptoms who has traveled to affected regions. The WHO on Thursday concluded that it is 'too early to consider that this event is a public health emergency of international concern'. Pictured: Maria van Kerkhove, head of emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Dr Didier Houssin, chairman of the emergency committee US PUTS UP SHIELD The US CDC raised its travel notice for Wuhan to the highest of three levels on Thursday, recommending that travelers avoid all nonessential visits to the city. An advisory warning posted on the agency's website also warned travelers to 'remain alert if traveling to other parts of China' by avoiding contact with sick people, animals and animal markets. Anyone who has traveled to China in the past two weeks has been warned to seek immediate care if they develop symptoms such as fever, cough or trouble breathing. US officials announced their plan to stop the spread of the coronavirus after the first American case was confirmed on Tuesday. California toddler hospitalised with a different strain of coronavirus A three-year-old California girl has been hospitalised for a month with the coronavirus, but it is a different and less severe strain than the deadly virus that has killed at least 25 in China. Aliyah Cardoza, from Azusa, was hospitalized on December 23 with what appeared to be common flu symptoms including a fever and a cough that escalated to a diagnosis of coronovavirus, Mycoplasma, acute respiratory syndrome and pneumonia. A month later, Aliyah is intubated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles with a breathing tube and a chest tube, her mother Gloria Aguilera said. Aliyah was diagnosed with the NL63 strain of the coronavirus, a family of viruses that span from common cold-like symptoms to severe respiratory diseases. The NL63 strain is different than the 2019-nCoV strain, also known as the Novel Coronavirus, that killed 25 people and sickened hundreds in China, leading the country to send three cities into lockdown to stop it from spreading. Read the full story here. Three-year-old Aliyah Cardoza Advertisement Officials said they would be 'funnelling' air passengers arriving in the US from Wuhan through five major airports to ensure all are screened for the virus. Dr Martin Cetron, director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the Centers for Disease Control, said the CDC has instructed the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Department to redirect anyone who tries to get from Wuhan to the US without going through any of those five airports by reissuing tickets or potentially rerouting entire flights. 'With increasing cases, we decided to move into this full-on, 100 percent coverage strategy, which means adding additional airports and ... begin our funnelling approach and redirect all the traffic to airports that have screening so that the benefit of the alert could be more completely covered,' Cetron said Tuesday. When a traveller is sent for a screening in the US, they are first required to take a survey about possible symptoms, such as cough or fever, as well as whether they visited the meat or seafood markets in Wuhan that have been tied to the outbreak. If they appear to have any symptoms associated with coronavirus, they are taken to on-site triage for further examination and a temperature check. Two passengers flying from Shanghai on United Airlines were reportedly examined at O'Hare on Tuesday after appearing to show symptoms of coronavirus, the airline said. It's unclear what led officials to single out the passengers, but they were both cleared and released after examination. 'We continue to follow CDC guidelines and remain in close contact with authorities in the United States and Asia to further ensure the safety of our customers and employees,' a United spokesperson told CNBC. President Donald Trump addressed the deadly new virus during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, early Wednesday morning. He praised the CDC's rapid response and said the situation is being handled 'very well'. 'The CDC has been terrific, very great professionals. We're in very good shape and I think China is in very good shape also,' Trump said. The president added in an interview with CNBC's 'Squawk Box' that he was 'not at all' concerned about the possibility of a pandemic. 'It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control,' he said. 'We have it totally under control. We do have a plan, and we think it's going to be handled very well.' President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised the CDC and said he is 'not at all' concerned about the possibility of a pandemic A family is seen arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport wearing protective masks on Wednesday Two fire trucks and a US Customs and Border Protection cruiser are seen outside the Atlanta airport on Wednesday as officials set up coronavirus screening checkpoints A top official at the National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed Wednesday that human trials for a vaccine targeting 2019-nCoV could begin within three months. Anthony S Fauci, the director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Bloomberg Law that his agency is working with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna Inc to develop the vaccine. 'We're already working on it,' Fauci said. 'And hopefully in a period of about three months, we'll be able to start a phase I trial in humans.' Fauci said his agency was also working with the WHO and CDC to obtain information about helping doctors around the world identify symptoms of coronavirus. 'Obviously as is always the case when we have these outbreaks, it's a lot of collaboration and synergy between the CDC and the WHO and the NIH,' he said. 'Our job ultimately is to develop countermeasures.' Vaccine experts at Baylor University are also reportedly working on modifying a vaccine they designed to prevent SARS to protect against the new, related coronavirus. But the school's Dean of Tropical Medicine, which is developing the shot, Dr Peter Hotez, told DailyMail.com that it's likely years away from deployment. FEARS OF UNDER-REPORTING BY CHINESE OFFICIALS Leading scientists in Asia have accused China of under-reporting cases, saying it has a 'track record' of doing so and warning the 'true picture may be completely different'. Piotr Chlebicki, at Mount Alvernia Hospital in Singapore, told South China Morning Post it was 'hard to believe [the official number of] cases'. He added: 'China has a track record of under-reporting cases, so the true picture may be completely different.' The newspaper reported experts are concerned about the number of bureaucratic steps put in place after the 2003 SARS outbreak before a case can be confirmed. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday urged China to release all information about the outbreak of a new virus and work with Taiwan on curbing its spread. At China's insistence, Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization and is not allowed to participate in any of its meetings. However, large numbers of Taiwanese travel to and live in China. Tsai said: 'I especially want to urge China, being a member of international society, that it should fulfill its responsibilities to make the situation of the outbreak transparent, and to share accurate information on the outbreak with Taiwan.' One case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Taiwan, which is home to 23 million people. Sharing information is also important for the health of the Chinese population and Beijing 'should not put political concerns above the protection of its own people,' Tsai said. China regards Taiwan as its own territory and says it is not entitled to representation in most international bodies. The new entity would also have the ability to take in other public and private money available to support revitalization, and to offer incentives to developers the RDA can't currently, Hanna said. He said the new corporate body would be similar to ones used in Cincinnati, Denver and other metropolitan areas. "This will give us something more familiar for private investors to deal with," he said. "We need to find developers to do a deal with us, to generate that (tax revenue) increment," Hanna said. The new agency would report to the RDA and be audited annually. House Bill 1279 would also add four members to the seven-member RDA Board of Directors, one each from Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties. The intent is to add representation to the RDA board from LaPorte and St. Joseph counties, which are not members of the RDA but are contributing about $18.25 million each to the Double Track project. EDWARDSVILLE The accused murderer of Randy Gori was indicted Thursday on several felony charges, pleading not guilty to all of them. Timothy M. Banowetz, 28, of Wentzville, Missouri, was indicted for three counts of first degree murder, three counts of armed robbery, three counts of aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated offenses relating to a motor vehicle. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More State-owned ONGC has received bids for 50 out of the 64 small and marginal oil and gas fields it has offered in a first of its kind bid round for raising production by involving private companies. As many as 12 companies made 28 bids for 50 fields at the close of bidding on January 17, sources privy to the development said. ONGC had clubbed the 64 fields into 17 onshore contract areas that have a cumulative 300 million tonne of oil and oil equivalent natural gas reserves. The sources said 28 bids were received for 14 clusters, covering 50 fields, and no bids were received for 3 clusters covering 14 fields. Duganta Oil and Gas Pvt Ltd made four bids, while Orissa Stevedores Ltd, Priserve Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and Udayan Oil Solutions Pvt Ltd made three bids each. ONGC wants partners who can raise output beyond a pre-agreed baseline and will share revenues from such incremental production with them. The sources said salient features of the ONGC offering include complete marketing and pricing freedom to sell oil and gas on arm's length basis through competitive system. The contractor will be selected on a revenue sharing basis. The revenue will be shared on incremental production over and above the baseline production under Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario, they said. Contract period will be for 15 years with an option to extend by 5 years. ONGC invited bids under the production enhancement contract (PEC) from the interested companies, who can bring in technology for raising the output. The government has been unhappy with ONGC over its stagnant oil and gas production, and inducting partners in small and marginal fields was a way of raising output that was agreed to in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. ONGC had previously experimented with PEC contracts for two fields but has not been able to select a partner because of receiving conditional bids. The latest PEC tender is on more liberal terms. There will be a reduction of 10 per cent in the royalty rate for additional production of natural gas over and above BAU scenario. Exploration will be permitted during the contract period, including the right to explore all kinds of hydrocarbon. KAMPALA National Resistance Movement (NRM) has invited their opponent parties to their 2nd meeting of the 3rd National Conference. The revelation was made by the partys Secretary-General Rt. Hon. Justine Kasule Lumumba on Wednesday, January 23 while appearing on one of the local radio stations. The conference is slated for January 25, 2020, at Namboole stadium. Those invited include the Party Chairpersons/Presidents and their respective Secretary Generals of FDC, DP, JEEMA & UPC. All these are under IPOD. My decision to invite these sister Political Parties follows a cordial working relationship amongst them under IPOD. Am optimistic that they will honour the invitation, she said. During the same show, Lumumba revealed that the Government Chief Whip had already submitted the list of the rebel MPs to her office as directed by CEC a week ago. I shall in turn submit these 30 MPs to the Disciplinary Committee headed by Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo for appropriate action, she said. Ms Lumumba further mentioned that the ruling party had extended invitations to several political parties from countries within the Continent and beyond that include South Sudan, China, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and Namibia among others. The main purpose of this conference is to effect amendments to the NRM Constitution The lists of delegates to attend the conference have been verified and approved by the District NRM Leadership. These are going to be displayed at the NRM offices for any person to view and ensure that only those on the lists attend the Conference, Ms Lumumba said. The public is hereby informed and cautioned that only displayed delegates on the lists at the NRM Offices will be accredited to attend the above meeting and therefore no claims whatsoever will be entertained from any non-participants travelling to Kampala for the Conference. Delegates are also advised to come with their National Identity Cards, she added. All delegates are expected to transport themselves to Kampala. This conference is being organized by the National Secretariat under the supervision of the oversight committee comprising some CEC members headed by the First National Vice Chairperson Rt. Hon. Al-Hajj Moses Kigongo Related Each state operates a little differently when it comes to child custody. Depending on what state you live in, at the age of 15, the court will listen to what you want and will take your wishes into account. There is no guarantee that you will ultimately get to choose which home you will get to live in, but the family court judge will note your preference and make the best decision for you. The court not you, and not your parents will make the final decision. Independent UN rights experts call for 'immediate investigation' into alleged Bezos phone hack by Saudi Arabia 22 January 2020 - Independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday they were "gravely concerned" over allegations that in 2018, a messaging app account belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was used to hack into The Washington Post owner's mobile phone, calling for an "immediate investigation" by authorities in the United States. The two Special Rapporteurs - who do not speak on behalf of the UN and operate in an independent investigative capacity - said in a statement that they had recently received information suggesting that a WhatsApp account belonging to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was used to deploy digital spyware on the phone of Jeff Bezos, who is also CEO of Amazon, "in an effort to influence, if not silence" the newspaper's reporting on the Kingdom. "The allegations reinforce other reporting pointing to a pattern of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents and those of broader strategic importance to the Saudi authorities, including nationals and non-nationals", said Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression. "These allegations are relevant as well to ongoing evaluation of claims about the Crown Prince's involvement in the 2018 murder of Saudi and Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi". They spelled out that the alleged hacking of Mr. Bezos' phone, and those of others, if proven, would be in contravention of fundamental international human rights standards, and demands an "immediate investigation" by US and other relevant authorities, "including investigation of the continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the Crown Prince in efforts to target perceived opponents". Better controls needed The reported surveillance of Mr. Bezos, allegedly through software developed and marketed by a private company was "transferred to a Government without judicial control of its use", said the experts. If true, they maintained it was "a concrete example of the harms that result from the unconstrained marketing, sale and use of spyware". To protect against its abuse, surveillance through digital means must be "subjected to the most rigorous control", according to the independent experts, including by judicial authorities and national and international export controls. Moreover, they argued that "it underscores the pressing need for a moratorium on the global sale and transfer of private surveillance technology". "The circumstances and timing of the hacking and surveillance of Bezos also strengthen support for further investigation by US and other relevant authorities of the allegations that the Crown Prince ordered, incited, or, at a minimum, was aware of planning for but failed to stop the mission that fatally targeted Mr. Khashoggi in Istanbul", the UN experts stated. 'Clandestine' online campaign While the Kingdom was supposed to be investigating Mr. Khashoggi's murder and prosecuting those responsible, the Rapporteurs said, "it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos." A 2019 forensic analysis of his iPhone assessed with "medium to high confidence", that it was infiltrated on 1 May 2018 through a video sent from Mohammed bin Salman's WhatsApp account. According to the analysis, the Crown Prince and Mr. Bezos exchanged numbers the month before the alleged hack. The forensic analysis found that within hours of receiving the video from the Crown Prince's account, "an unprecedented exfiltration of data" from the iPhone began. After an initial spike, the unauthorized transfer of data continued undetected for months. The analysis also assessed that the intrusion was likely undertaken through a prominent spyware that was identified in other Saudi surveillance cases, the experts said. They added that the allegations were reinforced by separate evidence of Saudi Arabia targeting dissidents and perceived opponents. The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington, said on Tuesday night that any suggestion the Kingdom was behind the hacking of Mr. Bezos' phone, "are absurd". Other reported cases The Special Rapporteurs noted that the claims regarding Mr. Bezos' hacked phone are also consistent with the widely reported role of the Crown Prince in allegedly leading a campaign against dissidents and political opponents. They recalled that the iPhone infiltration occurred from May to June in 2018, when the phones of Jamal Khashoggi's associates, Yahya Assiri and Omar Abdulaziz, were also hacked, allegedly using malware called Pegasus. In May 2018, Jamal Khashoggi was a prominent columnist for The Washington Post, writing stories that raised concerns about the Crown Prince's rule. That October, government officials murdered him in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The newspaper subsequently began covering extensively the disappearance and murder investigation and expanded its reporting on a number of related aspects of the Crown Prince's rule in Saudi Arabia. Breaking it down According to the forensic analysis, after Mr. Bezos' mobile was hacked, the Crown Prince sent him WhatsApp messages in November 2018 and February 2019, "in which he allegedly revealed private and confidential information about the billionaire publisher's personal life that was not available from public sources", said the experts. "During the same period, Mr. Bezos was widely targeted in Saudi social media as an alleged adversary of the Kingdom. This was part of a massive, clandestine online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon, apparently targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post." Ms. Callamard and Mr. Kaye "expect to continue investigating the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and the growing role of surveillance in permitting the unaccountable use of spyware to intimidate journalists, human rights defenders and owners of media outlets", concluded the statement released by the UN human rights office, OHCHR. Independent experts' role Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Travelers wear face masks as they line up at turnstiles at a train station in Nantong, eastern China's Jiangsu province, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The number of cases of a new virus has risen to over 400 in China and the death toll to 9, Chinese health authorities said Wednesday. (Chinatopix via AP) Passengers at a train station in the city of Wuhan in southern China wear face masks after the oubreak. Picture: AP Medical staff transfer a patient of a highly suspected case of a new coronavirus at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong cnsphoto via REUTERS There are likely to be "many more cases" of suspected coronavirus across the UK, a professor has said as four people undergo tests in Scotland. Three people are being tested in Edinburgh and another case is believed to be in Glasgow, Professor Jurgen Haas said. The head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh said he believes there will probably be similar cases in "many other cities" in the UK. None of the patients have been confirmed as having the disease. They all travelled to Scotland from Wuhan - where the outbreak is thought to have originated - within the past two weeks and are showing symptoms of respiratory trouble, a red flag for the virus. Prof Haas told the PA news agency: "We have currently three cases suspected Wuhan coronavirus in Edinburgh and as far as I understand one case in Glasgow." He said the cases emerged overnight, adding: "The situation will be pretty similar in pretty much all UK cities with a large number of Chinese students. "It's not too surprising. My suspicion is that there will probably be many more cases in many other cities in the UK. "None of the cases I know of have been confirmed." He said there is only one laboratory testing for the virus, operated by Public Health England (PHE). Expand Close Staff at a pharmacy in Wuhan (Dake Kang/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Staff at a pharmacy in Wuhan (Dake Kang/AP) The professor said the cases have been flagged up through the PHE infection guidelines as they travelled to Wuhan within the last 14 days and are showing signs of respiratory symptoms. Meanwhile, three separate research teams are to start work on developing potential vaccines against the new virus that is causing a disease epidemic in China, a global coalition set up to fight diseases said on Thursday. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which is co-funding the emergency projects, said the plan was to have at least one potential vaccine in clinical trials by June. The research will be conducted by the drug and vaccine developer, Moderna, working with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the U.S. firm Inovio Pharma, and a team at the University of Queensland, Australia. Expand Close Passengers at a train station in the city of Wuhan in southern China wear face masks after the oubreak. Picture: AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Passengers at a train station in the city of Wuhan in southern China wear face masks after the oubreak. Picture: AP A new coronavirus that first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan has killed 17 people and infected more than 600, most in China but cases have been detected as far away as the United States. Each of the three projects will test a distinct scientific approach to developing a preventative vaccine against the China virus, known as nCoV-2019. "Our aspiration with these technologies is to bring a new pathogen from gene sequence to clinical testing in 16 weeks," said Richard Hatchett, CEPI's chief executive. "There are no guarantees of success, but we hope this work could provide a significant and important step forward in developing a vaccine for this disease." Read More This comes as Chinese face mask manufacturers are reopening factories shut for a national holiday, promising workers up to four times their normal wages as consumers emptied out stock in stores in a race to protect themselves from the coronavirus infection. Worried about the potential for a global pandemic, China is putting Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak and a city of 11 million, on lockdown. The decision was praised by the World Health Organization as a strong one that could limit contagion but has also heightened fears about the virus. "From what I have heard, the mask shortage is much, much more severe than what the public knows," said Cao Jun, general manager of mask manufacturer Lanhine, which has a factory in east China's Ningbo city. "Almost all hospital workers nationwide are facing a huge shortage of masks, not just in Wuhan. That's very terrible." Cao said the firm's clients are demanding a combined 200 million masks per day compared to its normal production rate of 400,000 a day. "At the moment, we have 20-plus people in the factory, working 24 hours. We're offering them quadruple their wages per day," Cao told Reuters. "We aim to ramp up output on Jan. 27 and be at full capacity on Feb. 1, when wed have nearly 200 workers." Another manufacturer, CMmask, in eastern China's Jiande city, told Reuters it was offering workers triple their wages if they came back. "Our factory is out of stock now, but we have extended our working hours by four hours to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m," said Hu Qinghui, CMmask's deputy general manager. U.S. firms 3M and Honeywell International issued statements saying that they would make every effort to ensure a continuous supply of masks during the holiday and that their official stores would not raise prices. China's industry ministry on Wednesday launched an "emergency coordination effort", asking local authorities to work with factories "to overcome labour difficulties during the Spring Festival, accelerate production and do their utmost to increase supply to the market," state media reported. Firms from drugmakers to makers of thermometers have also said they would step up production. Xinlong Holding, a manufacturer of filters and fabrics for masks, said some of its factories had "abandoned the Spring Festival holiday." Tech giant Alibaba Group told the state-backed China News Service it was working with 92 mask manufacturers, which currently have a combined supply of 42 million masks. Another 1.57 million more will be made before the week-long holiday officially starts on Friday, it said. E-commerce platforms, including Alibaba's Taobao, JD.com and Pinduoduo Inc have also pledged to crack down on any vendors who might try to raise prices of masks and disinfectant products. Courtesy CNM Its springtime. Very early springtime, but one can almost hear the birds chirping and the leaves of grass raising their heads in the bright New Mexico sunshine. In any case, its mid-January and time for the spring semester at a number of New Mexico higher education destinations. The good weather will come later. In the meantime, learning takes center stage and citizens from The Land of Enchantment have many choices as they prepare to tackle an increasingly complex worldarmed with an education and the fine-tuned mind that often comes after such academic experiences. Weekly Alibi has written about some four-year institutions. We wear our bittersweet heart on our collective sleeves for the states flagship institution, The University of New Mexico. And weve done so proudlyand sometimes very criticallywith memories and records of the schools deeper issues leading the way in narratives and reports. Weve also considered the roots of education in Albuquerquethe huge and sometimes labyrinthine system of schools known collectively as APS. Weekly Alibi has also spoken to folks in Burque at length about charter schools, school funding and this week, we even interviewed one of the state officials in charge of managing educational employees benefits and pensions to get the scoop on that funding issue. The dialogue on education, carried out here auspiciously and with just a bit of witand almost no brevityhas been informative to our readers; schools and education remain a priority for citizens as well as politicians. For instance, this year the state legislature will focus on issues related to education as it works to properly allocate and spend the windfall profits realized by our states association with the oil and gas industry. With all of that talk about education filling up news reports, personal experience and legislative motions, Weekly Alibi went looking for the latest in educational news in Duke City, N.M. Looking past the tilted and sometimes bedraggled ivory towers of Loboland, through the complexity of intention and situation that is the Albuquerque Public Schools, we found a place called Central New Mexico Community College. With four campuses and a workforce training center, CNM, as the institution is popularly known, has been a beacon of light for more than 50 years. The variety of education the institution provides not only ranges from classes oriented toward high school students working on graduation but also toward 4-year college prep, instruction and certification in a number of trades and new programs that reflect the schools leadership role in interfacing with and helping grow the local economy. CNM also recently named a new president. Tracy Hartzler, CNMs former Vice President for Finance and Operationsan insider with experience and visionwas recently named to a post that is both forward-looking and steeped in a tradition of providing education to a very wide variety of people looking for a better life through learning. History Known previously as the Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (Albuquerque TVI), CNM came to be in 1964 with a mission directed at adult learners. In 1979 the institution was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges, the main arbiter of collegiate quality in this part of the nation. Popular history attributes the founding of the school to Louis E. Saavedra, an educator from Tokay, N.M. in Socorro County. Saavedra served as the schools leaderhe was TVIs principal first and later its presidentfrom the schools beginnings until he was elected Mayor of the City of Albuquerque in December 1989. According to late former CNM governing board chair Robert Matteucci, Saavedra was responsible for evolving the institution outward from a technical-vocational focus to a broader mission, telling the local daily, He was instrumental in making us a well-rounded community college. Although known as the stealth mayor for his low-key political style, Saavedra is remembered as an efficient mayor whose legacy remains his focus on educating citizens in Albuquerque. By 1979, the school had opened a branch campus in the far Northeast Heights with plans to expand into the South Valley and the Westside. The institution bloomed as a regional community college while expanding academic offerings to the community as well as training and certification programs for trades such as auto mechanics and culinary arts. Now as CNM enters the third decade of the 20th century, the school offers a comprehensive distance learning program, a school of Adult and General Education that teaches everything from computer basics to English, a liberal arts program that leads to further study at four-year institutions like UNM, a school of applied technologies that offers certificate and associate degree programs in areas that include manufacturing and design as well as new programs in economically mindful and locally needed areas like nursing, film production and brewery technology. CNM has hundreds of certificate and degree programs available now. Those areas of study are very diverse and include studies in information technology, business, public safety and engineering. And facilities continue to sprout from the fertile ground first sown by Saavedra almost 56 years ago. Using money from recent bond elections, CNM is prepared to break ground on a new brewery training facility, is teaming up with the City of Albuquerque to begin work on classroom and production spaces at Albuquerques Railyards and has developed a business innovation incubator Downtown. With four campuses spread lovingly over the city, CNM seems to be the city education center of the future. To find out more, we went to visit the community colleges new president, Tracy Hartzler. President Hartzler, a Hoosier, came out to New Mexico while practicing law in the nations capital. Shes lived in The Land of Enchantment for about 10 years and has served at CNM since 2015. Previously she worked with the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, helping devise changes to funding formulas for higher education in New Mexico. We asked the new president about CNMs place in the community, the schools positioning in city economic development and the new directions the community college is taking as a leader in our states progressive education vanguard Hartzler told Weekly Alibi that for the past 10 years, shes had the pleasure of watching as CNMs students, faculty and leadership team grow. She said that shes impressed with the vision, the hard work and the commitment to achievement. Hartzler continued relating that an important aspect of her appointment involved having been on the inside helping to support President Winograd and the board achieve some of the goals and changes that will inevitably sustain and grow the school. Hartzler added that many of CNMs goals and changes directly impact the community. Career technical education in particular has an impact on citizens in the Albuquerque economic sphere, as does the schools increasingly important role in college transfer, in our partnerships with UNM, New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University. Further, the new CNM president is committed to achieving the goals and vision that the CNM Governing Board has long worked for. Student success is a priority, she said, from higher graduation rates for the traditional students enrolled in CNM dual credit high school program to adults coming back to school to be retrained. We value success among all types of students, she emphasized. Community success is also part of that vision, according to Hartzler. We have a strong presence in the community, the new president told Weekly Alibi, We want to make sure that our strategic plan reflects on the quality partnerships we have, expanding the partnerships we have. ... Certainly we want to work closely with local school districts here and in Rio Rancho as well as with local employers, both government and private. As the school expands further into Albuquerque and Rio Rancho communities, building solid business relationships as it grows, more programs will be offered, including training courses that reflect the growing need for specialized technicians in the film and brewing industriesareas of the local economy that are also growing steadily. Hartzler says her school is ready for the challenge, adding during our conversation, CNM has a long history of participating in the film and television industry. Weve been working [on this program] in some version for the past 15 years. It isnt a surprise that NBC or others signed up to be a hub for providing for a talented workforce. Theyre ready to roll and certainly, our graduates have been involved. Were very proud of that relationship. We know that as we work with other institutions on film initiatives, we know we can contribute our history as well as continue to grow with new partnerships. We know theres growth. Were going to build on a strong history at CNM with the film industry. Hartzler also acknowledged that small business was the backbone of Albuquerques economy, concluding that she was very pleased to be involved in developing the new CNM Brewing Academy. We continue to develop partnerships with local brewers, these are places where our students can learn and work. We also have a significant capital investment in the program. Bond money from the last municipal election will be used to build a new brewing facility on campus. Hartzler says that CNM will break ground during this calendar year. Our community is making a substantial investment in providing the infrastructure that we need to expand our successful brewing program. CNM plans to seek out international or world-renowned faculty once the new facility is up and running. Courses Besides programs in beer brewing and film and television technology, what else is going on at CNM? With campuses near the university, in the heart of the South Valley, on the Westside and near the Sandias, the choices are as awesome as they are varied and voluminous. Heres a look at some of the diverse educational opportunities with career connections offered this semester, Spring 2020, at CNM. Deep Dive Coding Bootcamps. These are computer science programs that teach the fundamentals of coding and result in jobs within a growing local industry. CNM will be offering two of these 10-week training programs in February 2020; there will be a Data Science Program and a series of training sessions devoted to The Internet of Things. In Albuquerque, data scientists are in high demand according to Kyle Lee, the CEO at CNM Ingenuity. CNM now has a certificate program in Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Learning to operate and fly drones has immediate application in todays high tech world, says CNM Associate Dean Amy Ballard who was quoted as saying, We started hearing from some of our industry partners that drones were becoming a really important tool in what they did. That would include construction management and surveying and mapping in particular." The CNM Culinary Arts Program operates a model bistro on campus to teach essential and advanced restaurant skills through hands-on practice, where they learn everything from wine and beer pairing to cooking food to order and working in high-pressure business situations also while successfully managing the stress inherent in the environment. CNM has a business incubator. Located at the Joseph A. Montoya campus in the Northeast Heights, this program is all about providing local small businesses with the tools they need to grow. That includes all sorts of classes and workshopsas well as a certificate program in entrepreneurship that have an entrepreneurial focus, such as studies in market research, business registration and managing finances. The community college also serves local high school students. CNM has a College and Career High School as well as a Native American Community Academy directed toward serving traditional high school students as they move forward into their post-secondary education phase. Students at the College and Career High School recieve dual credit; they get credits toward high school graduation requirements as well as college credits they can use to further their post-secondary studies. It would be practically impossible to list all the programs CNM provides as part of the institutions mission to educate a wide swath of New Mexicans. In fact, the 22,000 students who attend the community college have a choice between over 200 associate degree, certificate and training programs. Spring is a season of growth. Everything is coming up classes now and flowers later. Perhaps it really is time to get on board with Saavedras original visionas well as Hartzlers new take on the subjectfor an affordable education thats available to all New Mexicans. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 21:42:14|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close LAGOS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's state governors are working with health agencies to intensify efforts to control Lassa fever in the country, a governor said Thursday. Kayode Fayemi, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), told reporters in Nigeria's capital Abuja that the forum received updates on Lassa fever epidemic. "I believe all our state are taking precautionary measures to address this in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Center for disease control (NCDC)," he told reporters. "We are working to ensure that the disease do not spread any further than they have at the moment," Fayemi said. The spread of the acute viral hemorrhagic fever began at beginning of the year. At least 19 people, including a pregnant woman and two health workers, have been killed so far by the latest Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in several West African countries. Recent epidemiological data show that Lassa fever usually occurs in Nigeria during the dry season between January and April. Human beings become infected with the Lassa virus from exposure to urine or feces of infected mastomys rats. Other than common preventive measures such as washing hands regularly, the World Health Organization has also recommended keeping cats. Weather warning: heavy gales, courtesy of Harry and Meghan. That ongoing saga of the Sussexes has had me thinking of the time I met king Constantine II a most gregarious Greek, now in his late 70s, and a man without a throne since his country abolished its monarchy in the 70s. He was visiting Toronto for some charity whatnot, and there was a small dinner at the top of the RBC tower. I was early. He was hungry. Small-talking at a reception, just the two of us, I remember how inquisitive he was, asking me a series of questions about the state of journalism (was he looking for career advice?, I wondered) while picking at a bowl of almonds before us, as we waited for dinner to commence. I cant stop eating these, the deposed monarch told me, munching elegantly. My primary memory of the moment: the aimless ennui that must accompany a man whose very renown, and sense of self, is based on the lottery of hereditary rule but who did not have that anymore. But Constantine, whose place in the jet set never wavered, and whose intermingling with other royals is unmatched did you know he married a princess from Denmark, and his sister Sophia was the Queen of Spain? also drove home something else: how much I love a dethroned royal! They just carry a sense of opaque glamour. Know what I mean? Glamour real glamour, as opposed to just fame, or beauty always has sense of yearning, even tragedy, attached to it. (See: the Kennedys, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, etc.). In the arithmetic of glamour, there has to be a certain tension. And Harry in particular has will have it in this brave new post-#Megxit world. If all royal lineages are ultimately buttressed by stories if there are no cliffhangers, no twists of plot, no scuttlebutt, royalty shrivels up then the sixth in line has sealed the deal. He will be famous for a long time. And talked about, and tracked forever (good luck trying to turn off the faucet of publicity if anything this has just guaranteed it!). Divorcing yourself from a royal family is, of course, not the same as being deposed. But the end result is the same. Like Constantine, Harry must now hustle. He has, like so many of us, entered into the gig economy. For his honorary-Canadian wife Meghan this comes more naturally she remembers what it was like sitting at an open-call audition, sitting on a bench with other would-be actresses. Or working her contacts to get into an Us Weekly Hot List party. But this is also what has gobsmacked those of who track fame for a living: is putting yourself up on the open market of celebrity-dom what its cracked up to be? Giving up the gilded cage of royalty to become, essentially, million-dollar Instagram influencers sounds like a blast in the short term, but the irony, as former British Vogue editor Alexandra Schulman wrote recently, is this: The greatest aspiration of many of the worlds best-known and wealthiest stars is precisely for the life Harry and Meghan already have the palaces, the jewels and gowns, the holidays, the staff, the deference and, crucially, the unassailability of their position in the pecking order of fame. If they wanted to just disappear and raise Archie in peace, that would be one thing, but disappearing is not the plan. Financially independent were the words in the initial statement by the Sussexes. A rival court, on this side of the pond even if the royalty is in quotes is what it amounts to. And to do all of that, without the imprimatur of royalty, requires regularly feeding ones personal brand. But that is the thing about a personal brand: it is PERSONAL. Bits of your lives have to be continually parcelled out for fame to be maintained (especially in this age of social media), tiny morsels of you have to be traded in order to leverage that fame, and keeping that wick of fame burning invites more scrutiny, commentary, trolls. It just does. You can be among the most famous people on the planet and then find that fame is a cruel mistress, and celebrity is not a straight arrow. Ask any number of stars say, Demi Moore, who at one point was the best-paid actress in Hollywood and the most cover-worthy, back in the 90s. Heck, ask the ghost of Harrys own great-aunt Princess Margaret who as anyone with a Netflix account knows was one of the most famous, most venerated women on the planet at one point, but who by the 1980s was just another sad, bumbling woman living in her own snow-globe of notoriety. And while royalty can insulate you from the march of time to some extent despite the slings you will sometimes take from the tabloids pure celebrity is another animal altogether. For now, sure, The Sussexes will be wintering in Aspen and summering in Tuscany; wining with Oprah and dining with Gates; enjoying the glamour of international summitry without the drudgery of hospice openings in Carlisle, as a columnist with the Times of London put it. However, much of this leads to the rejoinder that has been ringing incessantly through my head since this brouhaha started: Be Careful What You Wish For. Living in the limelight on their own terms? Good luck to them. Partly why I have heard rumblings, here in Canada, that the Duchess in particular has expressed an interest starting her own Book Club a la Reese Witherspoon, indeed. Something that also goes back to the days of her old website The Tig, when she would do seasonal reading lists, and featured a feed filled with literary recommendations. What would a Meghan Markle Book Club look like? Well, going by that old feed, it would lean toward childrens classics (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery!), the odd bit of self-help puffery (Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson), and some worthy literary fiction (Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, for one). The brands the thing, after all. Never forget. Interesting, nest-ce pas? Read more about: BAD AXE, MI A former Catholic priest has pleaded no contest to a criminal charge stemming from him exposing himself in public. Lawrence M. Ventline, 70, on Jan. 15 appeared in Huron County District Court and pleaded no contest to the lone count he faced, that of indecent exposure. The charge is a one-year misdemeanor. Huron County Prosecutor Timothy J. Rutkowski said his office had surveillance video footage recorded the morning of Aug. 26 showing Ventline inside Murphys Bakery, 110 W. Huron Ave. in Bad Axe, with his privates exposed. In pleading no contest as opposed to guilty, Ventline did not admit to having committed a crime. The presiding judge relied on court documents to enter a conviction on the record. Bad Axe police were notified of Ventlines conduct in the bakery the day after it occurred. We launched an investigation, interviewed witnesses, interviewed the store owners, and reviewed security video from within the store, Bad Axe Police Chief David W. Rothe previously told MLive. Once we had gathered all of that information, we tried to interview (Ventline). He refused to come in and give us a statement. Ventline had resided in Huron Countys Port Austin but told police in a letter that he had recently moved to the west side of the state, Rothe added. Ventline surrendered to authorities on Sept. 30 and was arraigned the same day. Ventline remains free on bond and is scheduled to be sentenced at 3 p.m. on Feb. 6. Ventlines past The Archdiocese of Detroit in 2016 restricted Ventline from public ministry after learning of abuse allegations against him. Prior to that, he had not been assigned to full-time parish ministry for nearly 20 years, the organization reports on its website. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in May announced her office was suspending Ventlines license to practice as a limited-license counselor. In the May 15 order of summary suspension, Nessel alleged Ventline sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy during the 1989-1990 school year, when Ventline was a pastor in a parish and school within the Archdiocese of Detroit. Ventline has denied the allegation. In public Facebook posts in May, Ventline responded to Nessels allegations, proclaiming himself a victim and writing the then-11-year-old boy he was accused of assaulting had told a fiction. Ventline also vowed to sue Nessel. As of Jan. 23, he has filed no suit. Kelly Rossman-McKinney, communications director for the Attorney Generals Office, previously told MLive/The Saginaw News that Nessel could not criminally charge Ventline due to the statute of limitations having run out. The case had been investigated by Oakland County Sheriffs Office personnel. Ventline in 1999 obtained a limited professional counseling license. In September 2018, he advertised himself as a board-certified professional counselor and a Ph.D.-holder offering heroin-recovery services, Nessel said. On at least one occasion in 2019, Ventline failed to clarify he held an educationally limited license, instead referring to his degree in psychology and prices that compared to others who held a Ph.D, according to Nessels complaint. There is also no evidence Ventline provided his non-secular counseling services under the supervision of a licensed professional counselor, as is required by the Public Health Code, she claimed. On Sept. 6, the Michigan Board of Counseling revoked Ventlines license and fined him $500. Chinese police block off a road leading to the waterfront area near the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge in Dandong, China, February 23, 2019. Authorities in China are ordering police officers not to enter or otherwise access businesses that employ North Korean workers, leading sources to believe that Beijing is looking the other way as the workers are in direct violation of U.N. sanctions. The sanctions, aimed at depriving Pyongyang of foreign cash and resources that could be funneled into its nuclear and missile programs, mandate that all North Korean workers were to be repatriated by late December 2019. The workers are a great source of foreign cash as they must turn most of their salaries over to the North Korean authorities. Sources say there is no evidence that the authorities are trying to comply with sanctions, and that North Koreans are continuing to work in China well past the deadline. According to orders, the police are not allowed to visit businesses or restaurants where North Koreans work, a resident of the Chinese border city of Dandong told RFAs Korean Service. I heard it directly from my friends son, who is a police officer, the source said. The source said the order does not mean the police cannot investigate North Koreans or businesses that employ them when necessary, however. According to the instructions from the internal documents of the police, if an official visit is required, the officer must not wear a uniform or use a police vehicle, said the source. In the case where the officer is on an important mission, he or she must report [the intention to enter a business employing North Koreans] to their superiors first, the source added. The source believed that the order is coded language telling officers not to arrest North Koreans for violation of sanctions. This is tantamount to ordering the police not to crack down on those North Koreans in China who are working beyond the U.N.s withdrawal deadline, said the source. Every police officer is well aware of the hidden meaning of the orders, even without further explanation, the source added. Another source, a resident of Yanji, seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Chinas Jilin province, told RFA that police are not actively trying to catch North Korean sanctions violators. North Korean workers can be seen everywhere, and theres not even anecdotal evidence that the police are cracking down on them, said the second source. Given this situation, we cannot help but suspect that the authorities are just accepting North Korean labor, the second source added. The second source did say however that the workers are not completely free to pick and choose where to work. Some need to disguise themselves as Chinese. Quite a few young North Korean women make foreign currency disguised as Chinese people if they work in restaurants run by Chinese, the source said, adding, [Its] because they cannot be called trainees like the workers in the restaurants run by the North Korean authorities. The trainee visa status allows North Koreans to enter China for vocational training, which is permitted under the sanctions. If they work for North Korean-owned businesses, they are simply not paid, so they can plausibly claim this status, but if they work for a Chinese owned business, North Korea can only make money if they are paid. The second source said that North Korean restaurant workers now are in high demand because of the Lunar New Year holiday. Most of the businesses should be closed, but restaurants where North Korean women work can stay open, so the restaurant owners are trying to hire as many North Koreans as possible right now, said the second source. Factories are getting in on the act as well. Even during the week-long break, which includes the Lunar New Year holiday, North Korean workers are being mobilized to work in Chinese factories and other types of facilities. North Korea is happy to oblige because the workers are owed double pay when they work during the holidays, the second source said. Even though China seems to be totally ignoring the sanctions, a source related to foreign affairs in Beijing who requested anonymity told RFA that China might attempt to comply within the next two months. U.N. member states are required to submit a final report on the withdrawal of North Korean workers by March 22nd. The focus is now on whether the Chinese authorities will be protecting North Korean workers as far late as then, said the diplomat. RFA attempted to contact the U.N. Security Councils sanctions committee on North Korea for comment, but there was no reply as of Wednesday afternoon. Reported by Joonho Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Ned Nwoko, a former senator representing Delta-north and husband of Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels says has revealed his plans to fumigate the entire country. Addressing journalists on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja, he said the fumigation whuch will be done by pilots will help get rid of mosquitoes which breed malaria. A blog post published on a website named after him, had revealed that an academic research grant will be provided to five African universities for the development of an anti-malaria vaccine. The Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation, which champions this cause, has set short and long term targets for the project aimed at achieving a malaria-free Africa before 2030, the post read. The short-term delivery plan shall be through national mobilization for the fumigation of Nigeria and other African countries to rid them of mosquitoes. To achieve performance, community members will be made stakeholders of their environments while community town hall meetings shall similarly be held to appoint sanitation ambassadors and officers. Read Also: Wizkid, Ned Nwoko Partner On Malaria Eradication Project The foundations long-term plan in delivering the project is investing in the development of an anti-malaria vaccine. In furtherance of this, Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation would establish academic research grants for a malaria vaccine in five top-grade universities spread across the African continent. Nwoko said, Its a very serious project. You might think Nigeria is such a huge place that nobody can possibly think of fumigating the whole country but it will be done. Nwoko who recently travelled to Antarctica hoisted the Nigerian flag to make the countrys presence known and raise awareness. Large Scale Zn-Pb-Ag Discoveries at Earaheedy Perth, Jan 23, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Rumble Resources Limited ( ASX:RTR ) ( FRA:20Z ) is pleased to announce it has completed RC drilling on the Earaheedy Project (E69/3464) with results highlighting two large-scale (large tonnage), flat lying, shallow sandstone hosted Zn-Pb discoveries.Technical Director CommentMr Brett Keillor stated: "The latest drilling results have confirmed the large-scale potential for unconformity related sandstone hosted Zn Pb deposits at Earaheedy. Significant widths (11m is the true width) of prospective sandstone with >4% Zn + Pb (with Ag credits) grades over broad areas augurs well for large tonnage shallow deposits along the 20km of strike defined to date."The shallow Exploration Target at the Earaheedy Project of 40Mt to 100Mt at 3.5% Zn-Pb to 4.5% Zn-Pb is based on recent drilling results, geological understanding of the mineralisation geometry, continuity of mineralisation and regional geology, highlighting the potential for Earaheedy to be a world class Tier 1 base metal province."The closest analogy to the Earaheedy unconformity related sandstone hosted Zn Pb style is the large Paroo Pb deposit (120km SW of Earaheedy). The Paroo deposit is an oxidized system located in the same formation as Earaheedy. Earaheedy is a sulphide matrix replacement style with simple metallurgical characteristics"The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature, there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource. Refer further detail on page 6* of this announcement in respect of the Exploration Target.Earaheedy Project - Sandstone Hosted Zn-Pb MineralisationThe Earaheedy Project is located approximately 110km north of Wiluna, Western Australia. Rumble owns 75% of E69/3464 and Zenith Minerals Ltd ( ASX:ZNC ) owns 25%.Rumble has three (100% RTR) contiguous exploration licence applications ELA69/3743, ELA69/3745 and ELA69/3746. The project area covers the inferred unconformity contact between the overlying Frere Iron Formation and underlying Yelma Formation of the Palaeoproterozoic Earaheedy Basin. The new style of Zn-Pb mineralisation has been delineated on the unconformity contact between the overlying Frere Iron Formation and underlying Navajoh Dolomite and shale of the Yelma Formation. Both formations are part of the lower units of the Palaeoproterozoic Earaheedy Basin. Drilling (current and historic) has intercepted flat lying porous sandstone to grit unit that has been interpreted to be the basal unit of the Frere Iron formation that lies unconformably over the Yelma Formation. The unconformity in general dips between 5 - 10deg to the northeast. Sphalerite, gal ena and pyrite have replaced the matrix (pore) space within the porous sandstone grit host forming laterally extensive sulphide layers.RC Drilling Programme Completed by RumbleThe RC drilling programme comprised of 19 drill holes (1518m total) targeting the interpreted up-dip position of the prospective unconformity related basal sandstone sub-basin. No previous drilling has tested this position. The two areas tested are some 10km apart. The drilling tested along strike on 500m hole spacing.To aid with targeting (shallow cover - to 5m), recent passive seismic survey traverses, completed by Rumble, were used to target the inferred surface expression of the prospective sandstone unit. Drill holes were vertical, ranging from 60 to 108m depth. Assaying (wet analysis) was based on systematic on-site pXRF assaying of the RC drill hole cuttings. If the pXRF response was >1000ppm Zn, the sample(s) was submitted for four acid digest multi-element analysis.ResultsThe current RC drilling has defined two areas of significant Zn Pb mineralisation, Chinook and Magazine (see image 2*), associated with flat to slightly northeast dipping sandstone units. The sandstone units are the basal unconformity to the overlying Frere Iron Formation. Note that all mineralisation defined at Earaheedy is blind.Chinook Prospect (image 2, 3 and 4*)Three RC drill holes drilled 500m apart returned significant flat lying Zn - Pb with Ag mineralisation.- EHRC019 - 11m @ 3.35% Zn, 0.78% Pb, 12.78 g/t Ag (4.13% Zn + Pb) from 61mwithin a broader zone of 22m @ 2.04% Zn, 0.48% Pb (2.52% Zn + Pb) from 53m- EHRC018 - 5m @ 1.68% Zn, 0.15% Pb (1.83% Zn + Pb) from 72m- EHRC020 - 12m @ 0.48% Zn, 0.72% Pb, 1.4 g/t Ag (1.2% Zn + Pb) from 43mDrilling has defined strong continuity of flat lying mineralisation over 1000m of strike and in association with historic drilling has demonstrated strong continuity normal to strike. Historic RC drill holes TRC65 and TRC70 returned very significant mineralisation.- TRC65 - 7m @ 3.57% Zn + Pb from 60m.- TRC70 - 5m @ 3.55% Zn + Pb from 126m to EOH (note EOH assay of 6.18% Zn + Pb)Section AA (image 3 & 4*) highlights very strong continuity (approximately normal to strike) over a distance of 815m (completely open). The depth to mineralisation at drill hole EHRC019 is 60m. It is interpreted that the very shallow northeast dip of the Yelma and Frere Iron Formations has flattened towards the southwest. This upgrades the potential for mineralisation to extend further southwest ("up-dip").Section AA (image 4*) presents the assays for EHRC019 and demonstrates that the mineralisation envelope is up to 22m wide (true width) in sandstone and highlights the consistent nature of the zinc and silver mineralisation. Visually, sphalerite, galena and pyrite have replaced the matrix within coarse sandstone.The Chinook prospect is completely open northwest and southeast along strike. Also, the prospect is completely open up-dip and very limited drilling has been completed down-dip.Magazine Prospect (image 5*)A total of sixteen (16) holes were completed over a strike of approximately 5km within the southeast portion of E69/3464. Eight (8) holes intercepted Zn Pb mineralisation in the northern portion of the area tested (Magazine Prospect). The remaining eight (8) holes were drilled too far to the southwest and intercepted the lower purple shale (below the unconformity) indicating the prospective sandstone unit contact is to the northeast.On average, the drill holes were approximately 500m apart. Significant mineralisation was intersected in EHRC003:- EHRC003 - 11m @ 1.45% Zn, 0.6% Pb, 3.2 g/t Ag (2.05% Zn + Pb) from 70m - true widthHoles EHRC004, EHRC005, EHRC013, EHRC014, EHRC015, EHRC016 and EHRC017 intersected variable widths and generally low-grade Zn and Pb (see significant intercept table - Table 2*)The Magazine Prospect is completely open along strike to the northwest. Some 10km of untested strike lies between the Chinook and Magazine prospects. The Magazine Prospect is also open up-dip and southeast along strike.Exploration TargetRumble's Zn-Pb Exploration Target at the Earaheedy Project is between 40 to 100 million tonnes at a grade ranging between 3.5% Zn-Pb to 4.5% Zn-Pb. The Exploration Target is at a shallow depth (80m), and over 20kms of prospective strike (completely open) has been defined within the Earaheedy Project.The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature, there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource. The Exploration Target, being conceptual in nature, takes no account of geological complexity, possible mining method or metallurgical recovery factors.The Exploration Target has been estimated in order to provide an assessment of the potential for large-scale Zn-Pb deposits within the Earaheedy Project. The Exploration Target has been prepared and reported in accordance with the 2012 edition of the JORC Code.The Exploration Target is based on the current geological understanding of the mineralisation geometry, continuity of mineralisation and regional geology. This understanding is provided by an extensive drill hole database, regional mapping, coupled with understanding of the host stratigraphic sequence and a feasibility study completed at the nearby Paroo Pb deposit.Included in the data on which this Exploration Target has been prepared is recent RC drilling of 21 holes for 1892m (two RC stages) and Diamond Drilling of 4 holes for 1199.8m completed by Rumble along with 64 historic RC drill holes completed within the project area (E69/3464) by previous explorers (refer historical exploration results in previous ASX announcements dated 5 February 2019 and 12 October 2017, which continue to apply and have not materially changed). Some of the considerations in respect of the estimation of the Exploration Target include:o Drilling results have demonstrated strong continuity of shallow, flat lying mineralisation;o Over 20km's of prospective strike and open (refer image 2*);o Minimum 800m of width (based on shallow 7.5deg and shallow depth to 80m, based on drilling results. Example is shown in image 4* - strike continuity normal to strike;o True width of mineralisation of 7metres based on average true width received in drilling results; ando Specific gravity (SG) of 2.5 (world average SG of sandstone - not accounting for metal).The Company intends to test the Exploration Target with drilling and this further drilling is expected to extend over approximately 12 months.Grade ranges have been either estimated or assigned from lower and upper grades of mineralisation received in drilling results. A classification is not applicable for an Exploration Target.Regional ComparativeThe Earaheedy Pb-Zn sandstone hosted mineralisation has similarities with the Paroo Pb Project, owned by LeadFX Inc. (a private Canadian company), which lies 120km to the southwest of the Company's Earaheedy project.The Paroo Pb deposit is a large supergene (predominantly Pb carbonate) deposit under shallow cover. The Earaheedy project is a sulphide system (based on work to date) and is geologically equivalent (temporally and spatially with respect to stratigraphy) to the Paroo Pb mineralisation. Some dimensions of the Paroo Pb deposit include:o Magellan - 1600m by 900m by 12m width of mineralisation;o Cano - 850m by 430m by 7m width of mineralisation;o Pinzon - 1000m by 200m by 5m width of mineralisation; ando Cover is up to 25mLeadFX Inc released a NI 43-101 feasibility study on the Paroo Deposit in April 2019. Rumble considers the Earaheedy Project to have similarities to the Paroo Pb Project, however, based on exploration to date, any mineralisation is reasonably expected to be predominantly sulphide (galena and sphalerite).Next Steps- RC drilling following up the Chinook and Magazine discoveries; and- Broad spaced RC drilling to scope the 20km's of potential strike, and working toward confirming the Exploration Target*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Rumble Resources Ltd Rumble Resources Limited (ASX:RTR) (FRA:20Z) is an Australian based exploration company, officially admitted to the ASX on the 1st July 2011. Rumble was established with the aim of adding significant value to its current gold and base metal assets and will continue to look at mineral acquisition opportunities both in Australia and abroad. Exclusive: Guyana opening search for oil firm to trade its crude - official Mark Bynoe, the director of Guyana's Department of Energy, talks to Reuters in Georgetown By Luc Cohen GEORGETOWN (Reuters) - Guyana's government next month plans to begin a search for an oil company or trading firm to market its share of the South American country's crude, the director of the Department of Energy, Mark Bynoe, said in an interview. The government is entitled to a portion of the light, sweet crude that a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp began producing last month after making 15 discoveries in recent years. The finds are set to transform the economy of Guyana, an impoverished country of fewer than 800,000 people. With no refining capacity, Georgetown last year began selling its share of crude through open-market tenders, the first one awarded to Royal Dutch Shell Plc for loading the first three cargoes allocated to the government. After that, it will depend on a trading firm to sell its oil to export markets as the state builds up capacity to do so itself, Bynoe said. "We don't yet have the kind of back office support that is necessary," he told Reuters on Wednesday afternoon in his office, lined with books on energy and development including historian Daniel Yergin's "The Prize." "We're moving to this simpler methodology to be able to ensure that as we build out, we are not losing value." Bynoe said the government next month expects to begin asking international oil companies (IOCs) and energy trading firms for proposals to operate as the agent. But he said the selection would not necessarily be made before Guyana's March 2 elections, given the length of the bidding and evaluation process after launching the search. Irfaan Ali, who is challenging President David Granger, has pledged to review the terms of oil deals signed by the current administration. He has argued that the government was not transparent in choosing Shell to lift the first cargoes. Bynoe disputed that. He said the government invited nine oil companies to present bids because crude from the Liza field was new to the market, and the government wanted to see how it performed in different refineries. Story continues He declined to disclose the price included in Shell's winning bid. Latin American nations including Mexico and Ecuador have signed contracts with trading companies in recent years so the firms market a portion of their crude exports. Critics say that by doing so, the countries or their state-run firms can lose an opportunity to obtain better terms by dealing directly with refiners. MORE TO COME After finding more than 6 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas resources in Guyana, Exxon and its partners Hess Corp and CNOOC Ltd <0883.HK> expect to produce 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude by 2025. Several other firms - including Tullow Oil , Repsol SA and Total SA are also exploring off the coast, though none have yet made commercial finds. Bynoe said Guyana expects to hire a company within two months to conduct new seismic surveys in the shallow continental shelf and some in deeper waters to provide hints as to where else oil may lie. He later added that after the procurement was complete, the contract could still take some time to finalise. That would set the stage for a new licensing round for offshore acreage around the second quarter of 2021, he said. The government is also working on a new template for production-sharing agreements (PSA) that could apply to future offshore development, but Bynoe reiterated that Guyana has no plans to renegotiate the Exxon deal. The opposition and outside observers have criticized the Exxon agreement, which includes a 2% royalty and 50% profit share after Exxon recovers its costs, as too generous. But the company and the government argue incentives were necessary to attract investment to a risky play. Bynoe did not specify what could change with the new PSA, parts of which would need to be approved by Congress, but said Guyana's basin was a less risky play after Exxon's discovery, allowing the government to "move from a position of greater knowledge." He added that the country expected to hire an international consulting firm to help update its petroleum legislation, which was passed in 1986, by next week at the latest. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in Georgetown, Guyana; Editing by Brian Ellsworth and Matthew Lewis) [January 22, 2020] Davos Panel Hosted By IBM CEO Ginni Rometty Explores Precision Regulation Of AI & Emerging Technology DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, IBM (NYSE: IBM) launched the IBM Policy Lab - a new global forum aimed at advancing bold, actionable policy recommendations for technology's toughest challenges - at an event hosted by IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty that explored the intersection of regulation and trust in emerging technology. The IBM Policy Lab, led by co-directors Ryan Hagemann and Jean-Marc Leclerc, two long-standing experts in technology and public policy, provides a global vision and actionable recommendations to help policymakers harness the benefits of innovation while building societal trust in a world reshaped by data and emerging technology. Its approach is grounded in the belief that technology can continue to disrupt and improve civil society while protecting individual privacy, and that responsible companies have an obligation to help policymakers address these complex questions. Christopher Padilla, Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs, IBM, said: "The IBM Policy Lab will help usher in and build a new era of trust in technology. IBM pushes the boundaries of technology every day, but we also recognize our responsibility relating to trust and transparency and address how technology is impacting society. I see an abundance of technology but a shortage of actionable policy ideas to ensure we protect people while allowing innovation to thrive. The IBM Policy Lab will set a new standard for how business can partner with governments and other stakeholders to help serve the interests of society." Ahead of the launch event, the IBM Policy Lab released landmark priorities for the precision regulation of artificial intelligence, as well as a new Morning Consult study on attitudes toward regulation of emerging technology. The perspective, Precision Regulation for Artificial Intelligence , lays out a regulatory framework for organizations involved in developing or using AI based on accountability, transparency, and fairness and security. This builds upon IBM's calls for a "precision regulation" approach to facial recognition and illegal online contentlaws tailored to hold companies more accountable, without becoming over-broad in a way that hinders innovation or the larger digital economy. These approaches are reinforced by a Morning Consult survey, sponsored by IBM, which found that 62% of Americans and 7 in 10 Europeans responding prefer a precision regulation approach for technology, with less than 10% of respondents in either rgion supporting broad regulation of tech. IBM's policy paper on AI regulation outlines five policy imperatives for companies, whether they are providers or owners of AI systems that can be reinforced with government action. They include: Designate a lead AI ethics official. To oversee compliance with these expectations, providers and owners should designate a person responsible for trustworthy AI, such as a lead AI ethics official. Different rules for different risks. All entities providing or owning an AI system should conduct an initial high-level assessment of the technology's potential for harm. And regulation should treat different use cases differently based on the possible inherent risk. Don't hide your AI. Transparency breeds trust; and the best way to promote transparency is through disclosure making the purpose of an AI system clear to consumers and businesses. No one should be tricked into interacting with AI. Explain your AI. Any AI system on the market that is making determinations or recommendations with potentially significant implications for individuals should be able to explain and contextualize how and why it arrived at a particular conclusion. Test your AI for bias. All organizations in the AI developmental lifecycle have some level of shared responsibility in ensuring the AI systems they design and deploy are fair and secure. This requires testing for fairness, bias, robustness and security, and taking remedial actions as needed, both before sale or deployment and after it is operationalized. For higher risk use cases,this should be reinforced through "co-regulation", where companies implement testing and government conducts spot checks for compliance. These recommendations come as the new European Commission has indicated that it will legislate on AI within the first 100 days of 2020 and the White House has released new guidelines for regulation of AI . The new Morning Consult study commissioned by the IBM Policy Lab also found that 85% of Europeans and 81% of Americans surveyed support consumer data protection in some form, and that 70% of Europeans and 60% of Americans responding support AI regulation. Moreover, 74% of American and 85% of EU respondents agree that artificial intelligence systems should be transparent and explainable, and strong pluralities in both countries believe that disclosure should be required for companies creating or distributing AI systems. Nearly 3 in 4 Europeans and two-thirds of Americans of respondents support regulations such as conducting risk assessments, doing pre-deployment testing for bias and fairness, and reporting to consumers and businesses that an AI system is being used in decision-making. In addition to its new AI perspective, the IBM Policy Lab has released policy recommendations on regulating f acial recognition , technological sovereignty , and climate change , as well as principles to guide a digital European future . Learn more about the IBM Policy Lab at ibm.com/policy . The IBM-hosted event in Davos, Walking the Tech Tightrope: How to Balance Trust with Innovation, also featured the President and CEO of Siemens AG Joe Kaeser, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination Chris Liddell, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Secretary-General Jose Angel Gurria Trevino. CNN International Anchor and Correspondent Julia Chatterley moderated the discussion. You can read the transcript here. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/davos-panel-hosted-by-ibm-ceo-ginni-rometty-explores-precision-regulation-of-ai--emerging-technology-300991767.html SOURCE IBM [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Sydneysiders will roast through stifling temperatures on Thursday night with only a slight change on the way after a day of scorching heat. Sydney and the surrounding areas will settle to 30C at midnight after soaring to highs of 43.7C on Thursday afternoon. A spokeswoman from the Bureau of Meteorology told Daily Mail Australia the warm temperatures are set to remain, with little variation across Sydney overnight. A spokeswoman from the Bureau of Meteorology told Daily Mail Australia the warm temperatures are set to remain and there will be little variation across Sydney overnight Sydney and the surrounding areas will settle to 30C at midnight after soaring to highs of 43.7C throughout the day (stock image of women at the beach) 'We'll continue seeing really warm temperatures throughout the evening,' she said. 'There will most-likely be temperatures above 30C throughout the night - the western and northern parts of the region being the warmest.' Holsworthy in Sydney's west was 35C at 8pm and the mercury will only fall by four degrees by midnight. Newcastle in the north will see a similar drop and is expected to sit around 30C at 12am. Sydney's Metropolitan, the Hunter and the Illawarra region saw the overall hottest temperatures in New South Wales on Thursday with the mercury sitting between 35C at Murrurundi Gap and 44C at Sydney airport. The norther and eastern parts of New South Wales (pictured) saw the warmest temperatures on Thursday Sydneysiders took to the water at Balmoral Beach (pictured) on Thursday to try and keep cool The BoM spokeswoman said the temperatures won't drop immediately. 'Unlike the cool changes we've been seeing over the last few months, we're now in heatwave conditions and we're more likely to see a gradual shift,' she said. Conditions are expected to ease on Friday with highs of 28C. Temperatures will hover in the mid-to-high 20s over the weekend and throughout next week. The heatwave comes as firefighters braced hellish fire conditions around the state as winds picked up. The Box Hill and Nelson fire is burning just 40km from Sydney's CBD. The Box Hill and Nelson fire is burning just 40km from Sydney's CBD, and could prove a threat to nearby homes Residents in the Hills District have been told there is still a heightened level of threat to homes and to remain vigilant. Firefighters have also issued an emergency warning for a fire at Big Jack Mountain Road in Rocky Hall, an area in the Bega Valley, and the Adaminably Complex, in Snowy Monaro. 'If you're in Mt Durragh, Rocky Hall or Wyndham areas, your plan is to leave or you're not prepared, leave now towards Pambula. Leave only if path clear,' NSW Rural Fire Service wrote on Twitter. A Rural Fire Service firefighter Trevor Stewart views a flank of a fire on in Tumburumba on the South West Slopes regions at the western edge of the Snowy Mountains A decisive electoral victory in 2019 has emboldened Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi in foreign policy. Ambition and confidence are useful for a fast changing global order, but can add to Indias challenges. A key example: Modis suspension of Article 370 via Clause 3 and autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. That move forced nations to take sides, explains Harsh Pant, director of the Studies at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, and professor of international relations, and India adopted an unusually hardball approach, challenging those countries who have questioned Indian approach. Modi busily courts world leaders attending a Texas rally with Donald Trump, holding a summit with Xi Jinping, planning a summit for early 2020 with European President Charles Michel and more. S. Jaishankar, Indias external affairs minister, emphasizes confidence, arguing a nation that has the aspiration to become a leading power someday cannot continue with unsettled borders, an unintegrated region and under-exploited opportunities. The minister also notes, India cannot be dogmatic in approaching a visibly changing world order. YaleGlobal English French MONTREAL, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL: TSX and NYSE) is pleased to have been included in the leadership band in CDPs 2019 scores for corporate transparency and action on climate change. Companies scoring within the leadership band are recognized for their transparent and comprehensive disclosure of climate data, thorough awareness of climate risks, demonstration of strong governance and management of climate risks and demonstration of market-leading practices. Gildan received an A- placing it in the leadership level, well above the Apparel design sector average and the North America and Global averages of C. Gildan has been reporting its environmental performance and climate change impact through CDPs platform since 2008. Our business model of owning and operating the facilities that produce the vast majority of our products allows us to have direct control over the manufacturing process and ensure that responsible and sustainable practices are deployed throughout the complete value chain, said Claudia Sandoval, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship at Gildan. We look forward to continuing the journey towards conservation of the environment and remain fully committed in driving environmental performance improvement as one of our main goals throughout 2020 and beyond. CDP is a global non-profit that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. About Gildan Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel which markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Gildan, American Apparel, Comfort Colors, Gildan Hammer, Prim + Preux, Gold Toe, Anvil by Gildan, Alstyle, Secret, Silks, Kushyfoot, Secret Silky, Therapy Plus, Peds and MediPeds, and under the Under Armour brand through a sock licensing agreement providing exclusive distribution rights in the United States and Canada. Our product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, hosiery, and legwear products sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters or embellishers, as well as to retailers that sell to consumers through their physical stores and/or e-commerce platforms, and to global lifestyle brand companies. Gildan owns and operates vertically-integrated, large-scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America, the Caribbean Basin, North America, and Bangladesh. With approximately 53,000 employees worldwide Gildan operates with a strong commitment to industry-leading labour and environmental practices throughout its supply chain in accordance with its comprehensive Genuine Responsibility program embedded in the Company's long-term business strategy. More information about the Company and its corporate citizenship practices and initiatives can be found at www.gildancorp.com and www.genuineresponsibility.com, respectively. The Haven Montessori school in Bandon is to close in June after 32 years in business. Its owner, Gillian Powell, says she cant make a living and run a top-class early learning facility under the current childcareregime. Shell be demonstrating outside the Dail on February 5 as part of the Early Years Alliances national protest for a living wage in the childcare industry which threatens to close many facilities around the country for the day. Powell has no pension of her own. She can pay the staff shevalues no redundancy. This highly articulate woman, a former secondary teacher of English with a post-graduate qualification in education, says the Governments National Childcare Scheme is creating a governess class. I dont want to be a governess, she adds. I want to be paid as a professional. She says speaking my truth is helping her cope with the grief of closing her business. It was on RTEs Liveline that she first came to my notice because, as I wrote here on January 2, Powell believes parents should have the choice to stay home for a childs first two years. This is, in fact, a common theme among those who work in childcare. Powell finds childcare students do not want to work in baby rooms. Elaine Dunne, who runs theTree House creche in Kilternan,Co Dublin, and founded the Federation of Early Childcare Providers last August is one of the organisers of the march on Wednesday, February 5. She says she doesnt believe kids should be in creche until they are at least 18 months old, though she cautions me that she is speaking personally. Her own kids were with her mother until they were two and a half, a woman who has the guts of 50 years experience in childcare and is not allowed to help in Dunnes creche because she doesnt have the right official qualifications. Bureaucracy seems to have gone mad in the childcare sector while the provision of tender-hearted care is under-valued. As Gillian Powell says, under Tuslas inspection regime a few cobwebs are as bad as a ratio of 19:1 in the baby room. The insurance industry seems to be spooked and spiralling insurance bills led to a sudden 7m handout to the industry before Christmas. Elaine Dunne says she received precisely 289 of this largesse while another provider with the same number of children got 680. She pays herself less than her staff, reflecting Powells pointthat the more you invest in your service, the less sustainable it is financially. What happens in these circumstances is that smaller providers are pushed out of business and chains take over. Powell says that 90,000 of UK services are run by 10 chains and 500 providers are closing there every month. In New Zealand more than halfof all services are now provided by international, for-profit chains and systematic de-privatisation is being called for as the number of complaints from parents has rocketed. Here, the Labour Party is calling for the childcare system to be nationalised; they are also looking for a realisable right to part-time work for those with caring responsibilities, a practical solution which exists in many countries including the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands. Fianna Fail is calling for support for childminders, which are preferred by a majority of Irish parents and which some research, namely the UKs Families, Children and Childcare, has found superior to creche care for young children. It is truly shameful that this home-grown, community-based childcare option is still not part of the National Childcare Scheme: only 81 childminders are registered with Tusla though 43,000 Irish children are cared for by childminders. FFs plan for a tax credit for childminding expenses is not the answer because, unlike Minister Catherine Zappones National Childcare Scheme, it only benefits those who pay tax. But the National Childcare Scheme is not fit for purpose because its first building block is not concern for childrens welfare. The Director the Early Education Research Centre at DCU, Professor Mathias Urban, recently raised the scary prospect that the poor practice witnessed by Prime Time Investigates at creches in 2019 and 2013 may not be just bad apples but rather indicators of the state of the barrel. The critical questions arising from the scandal point to the general structure of the Irish early childhood education and care sector, he wrote in newsprint publication Education Matters. Urban cites the Governments First Five document on childcare as a potential blueprint for fundamental change. However First Five warns against more than 32 hours in childcare for under threes as being linked to poor outcomes in language and cognitive development while the National Childcare Scheme will soon fund 45 hours. The Government is turning a blind eye to its own research and turning its back on research from around the world which does not confirm its bias. I thought I could no longer be shocked but a study of Quebecs universal childcare programme which was published by experts from the University of Toronto, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of British Colombia shows a sizeable negative shock to non cognitive outcomes for children exposed to the scheme which made for worse health, lower life satisfaction and higher crime rates later in life. The Quebec scheme includes childminders and started life very much like our own, except that costs to parents were equivalent of 3.45 a day. Like ours, the scheme is universal, unlike the programmes which generated such good publicity for childcare interventions in the US in the 1960s and 1970s, which were directed at seriously disadvantaged kids. While disadvantaged kids still made some gains in Quebec, less disadvantaged kids from two-parent families were negatively affected by the scheme, particularly boys and particularly if they entered it when very young. IF creche care is cheaper than chips it becomes less and less possible for one-income households to survive and fewer and fewer kids will be reared at home in their early years, no matter their gender or their needs. In Quebec the proportion of kids reared at home fell from 55% to 25% in the decade after the childcare scheme bedded in, while the proportion of kids reared at home in the rest of Canada was nearly stable. The advantage of creche care for our Government lies in a bigger tax take and the hope that mothers freed to go to work full-time will be better educated than those caring for the children. This is Gillian Powells governess class. Anyone who cares about the future of our children should support our governesses as they demonstrate on February 5. Both they and the young children for which they care are victims of an economic agenda which threatens to drive Irish society off a cliff. Ghana wants to replicate the highly successful Ujjwala model of giving out cooking gas (LPG) connections to the need and has signed an agreement with state-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) seeking its assistance and technical expertise in implementation of the African nation's national LPG promotion policy. Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli, Chief Executive, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of Ghana and L K S Chauhan, Chief General Manager (LPG Operations), IOC signed the MoU in presence of Oil Minister Dharmendra pradhan and Michael Aaron, High Commissioner of Ghana to India. "With India's emergence as a world leader in provision of clean energy to its citizens by the expansion of its LPG network, Ghana sought assistance from India in its own efforts to promote to safe, clean and environmentally friendly LPG for increased domestic, commercial and industrial usage," an IOC press statement said. LPG coverage in Ghana is just 23 per cent and customers have to queue up at petrol stations with cylinders to get a refill. It wants to replicate the Indian model of setting up bottling plants where LPG can be filled in cylinders which are then transported to dealers who deliver them at customer doorstep with a view to expand the coverage to cover at least 50 per cent of the population. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), IOC would support the NPA on the successful implementation of the Re-circulation Model (CRM) of LPG. IOC will support to NPA in development of health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) standards as well as design licensing, permit and legal framework. It will help NPA develop economics for LPG bottling plant, pricing structure, and communication strategy. The company "will also assist in areas of infrastructure development for the new LPG value chain, support for upgrading capacities of institutions along with policy development and review," the statement said. As many as 8 crore free cooking gas connections were given to poor women in three years under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: The Public Council of Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business (SMB) Development Agency held the first forum in 2020 dedicated to food business, Trend reports referring to the agency's press service. The event, titled "Food Business Forum: Current Situation and Prospects", was attended by representatives of the SMB Development Agency, the Azerbaijani Agriculture Ministry and other government agencies, as well as business entities in the food sector. The event covered discussions on current issues in the food sector, changes to legislation in this area, and cooperation between public and private entities. Answers to questions that are of interest to entrepreneurs were also given, and proposals from business entities were revealed. It was noted that the opinions, conclusions and decisions voiced during the forum will be brought to the attention of the relevant structures. The agency's chairman Orkhan Mammadov noted that many entrepreneurs work in the food sector. Over 10,000 business entities got registered in this area in 2019 alone. The correct and effective organization of business in this field is very important for ensuring food safety. According to Mammadov, for the effective organization of business in the food sector, it is necessary to increase the skills of small and medium enterprises, expand the scope of educational measures, increase attention on sales and logistics of locally produced food products and encourage state support mechanisms. In their speeches, the Deputy Agriculture Minister Elchin Zeynalov and the Deputy Chairman of the country's Food Safety Agency Rufat Rustamzade noted that the food sector is one of the priority areas of the non-oil sector. They also informed about the measures taken recently in this area, amendments to the legislation and projects. The Chairman of the Public Council of the SMB Development Agency Farhad Garashov informed the forum participants about the activities of the Public Council and the goals of the forum. It was noted that systematic measures are being taken in a trilateral format - with the participation of small and medium enterprises, relevant government agencies and civil society institutions. Six forums were organized by the Public Council in 2019 on various topics and the thread of such events will continue in 2020. At the event, the SMB Development Agency projected videos on mechanisms to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. "As the influencer marketing space evolves, Four Seasons continues to innovate how we authentically tell our stories, connecting with audiences in new ways and elevating compelling brand content," says Peter Nowlan , Chief Marketing Officer, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "While we still see value in traditional influencer collaborations, we're also embracing new formats and pursuing innovative mediums that seek to immerse our audience within the world of Four Seasons. Stories like Nicolas' embody the spirit of our Envoy program. His evocative, emotional and artful experience is our vision for Envoy realized on film." Ruel is the latest artist to collaborate with the world's leading luxury hospitality company as part of Envoy by Four Seasons, the brand's unique, follower-blind approach to influencer marketing. Since the program's launch in 2018, individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, specializing in an array of art forms, have been invited to share their perspectives and stories. The result is authentic, original content showcasing Four Seasons Envoy's passion for travel and craftsmanship. With over 1000 global applicants to date, Four Seasons continues to encourage and inspire artists worldwide to apply. Read more about the program and submit an application here. About Nicolas Ruel Based in Montreal, Canada, Ruel is known internationally for his work celebrating the intersection of motion, colour and culture. His portfolio spans 70 cities across 40 countries and five continents. Selected from more than a thousand global candidates, Ruel's thoughtful compositions merge two distinct photos to create one captivatingly complex scene. "When I applied to the Envoy by Four Seasons program, I did not comprehend the impact it would have on my life," says Ruel. "Being fully immersed in the culture of the Serengeti, capturing its beauty on film, and meeting the local community, has been a lifelong dream. As a brand, Four Seasons stands out to me; not simply because of the once-in-a-lifetime experiences they can deliver, but also because they are truly embracing art as a platform for storytelling. And the results speak for themselves." Experiencing the Serengeti with Four Seasons From its suite of unforgettable programming and offerings, Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti curated an itinerary for Ruel, featuring a hot air balloon voyage above the Tanzania bush; a full day safari under the guidance of a Four Seasons Maasai guide; a search for the elusive black rhino and other fascinating inhabitants of the Serengeti; an opportunity to experience local Maasai traditions and ceremonies; and excursions to the famed archaeological site of Olduvai Gorge, and to Gong Rock to see its famed rock paintings created by ancient local tribes. Those inspired to experience the Serengeti first-hand can browse Four Seasons property experiences here. Ruel's Envoy journey follows that of spoken word artist Marshall Davis Jones, who created a spoken word poem inspired by a stay at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, Missy Dunaway whose paintings and illustrations reflect upon travels in Hoi An, Vietnam with Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, and most recently, paper and light artists Hari & Deepti, who journeyed to Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, creating their masterwork in the days following. About Envoy by Four Seasons Launched in November 2018, Envoy by Four Seasons is a pioneering program reimagining the influencer space through a creative and distinctive approach to storytelling. World-class storytellers, content creators and artists across all mediums are invited to collaborate and share what it means to be in the moment, and to connect to diverse cultures, places and experiences as facilitated by Four Seasons. Read more about Envoy by Four Seasons at fourseasons.com/envoy and follow the hashtag #FSEnvoy on social media for the latest news and updates about the program, and to experience the creative journeys of Four Seasons Envoys. More About Nicolas Ruel Nicolas Ruel is a fine art photographer based in Montreal, Quebec. His in-camera double-exposure methoda prevalent feature in his work creates unique visual signatures. His works have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Paris, and Tokyo, and are part of numerous public and private collections. He is represented in Canada by Galerie de Bellefeuille. Instagram: @nicolas_ruel_art Website: nicolasruel.com Contact: Matthew Levison [email protected] 646-274-3631 SOURCE Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Related Links http://fourseasons.com A water tanker plane fighting wildfires in Australia has crashed killing three American crew members, officials have said. The C-130 Hercules plane went down in the Snowy Monaro region in the state of New South Wales (NSW). The states Premier Gladys Berejiklian expressed her condolences to the families of the three crew members, who were flown in as part of an international assistance effort to fight the devastating wildfires. Our thoughts & heartfelt condolences are with their families & the tight knit firefighting community, Ms Berejiklian tweeted. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters the plane had crashed amid a large fireball. He confirmed all three crew members aboard were US residents. Unfortunately, all weve been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors, he said. Ms Berejiklian said more than 1,700 firefighters and volunteers were currently fighting fires in the state as Australian wildfire crisis which began in September continues. Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations. Please check with your airline for up to date flight details. Please follow ACT ESA to keep updated. https://t.co/V0uMtBAFJs Canberra Airport (@CanberraAirport) January 23, 2020 Canberra Airport was closed on Thursday owing to nearby blazes, and residents south of Australias capital were told to seek shelter. Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations, the airport authority said in a tweet. Five fires burning in NSW were being described as at an emergency warning level. Olivia Culpo has taken a swipe at Jesse Metcalfe following his split from her best friend Cara Santana. After the former Desperate Housewives actor was publicly seen getting close to two different women, it was revealed on Wednesday the couple had gone their separate ways following over 13 years together. And now, the blogger's model pal Olivia, 27, appears to have suggested Jesse was unfaithful to his long-term partner Cara. Supportive friend: Olivia Culpo has taken a swipe at Jesse Metcalfe following his split from her friend Cara Santana Olivia shared a photo of Rachel McAdams as Regina George in Mean Girls in an Instagram Story post which read, 'Don't cheat... Nobody likes a cheater'. It was then followed by a still of Macaulay Culkin holding a BB gun as Home Alone's Kevin McCallister. Tagging Cara in the post, Olivia captioned it: 'When somebody upsets my best friend.' Meanwhile, fans have been commenting on the similarity between recent events and Jesse's 2006 romantic comedy, John Tucker Must Die. Split: After the former Desperate Housewives actor was publicly seen getting close to two different women, it was revealed on Wednesday the couple had gone their separate ways after almost a decade together (Cara and Jesse pictured in November 2018) 'Don't cheat ... nobody likes a cheater': Cara's best friend seemed to throw shade at the situation when she posted a Mean Girls meme of Regina George Fighting words: She followed it up with another meme of a young Macaulay Culkin holding a rifle in a still from Home Alone In the film, three popular girls from different cliques - played by Ashanti, Sophia Bush and Arielle Kebbel - team up to exact revenge on their love rat boyfriend after discovering they're all dating him at once. The trio rope in new girl Kate (Brittany Snow) to play the Lotahario at his own game and make him fall in love with her - only to break his heart. One fan joked, 'Plot twist its actually publicity for John Tucker Must Die sequel', while another posted, 'Dude theres going to be a sequel to John Tucker Must Die!!!!' Love rat: Jesse played the titular character in John Tucker Must Die, which saw the anti-hero lying to three different girlfriends - played by Sophia Bush, Ashanti, Sand Arielle Kebbel (left to right from centre) Reaction: Fans have been commenting on the similarity between recent events and Jesse's 2006 romantic comedy A third shared: 'The guy from John Tucker Must Die was caught cheating with 2 other women that were NOT his fiancee. I guess history really does repeat itself. 'Once a cheater always a cheater. the women should real life john tucker must die him'. It was confirmed earlier this week that Jesse and Cara 'split and are not together', according to US Weekly Over: Jesse and Cara have ended their almost four-year engagement. The pair, pictured together in early January, had been together over 13 years Sources revealed to DailyMail.com that Cara was completely blindsided by photographs of her fiance being affectionate with two other women this weekend in Los Angeles. The 35-year-old designer and actress was nowhere in sight this weekend as Jesse stepped out with a pretty blonde who appeared to be Australian actress Jade Albany after holding hands with Hungarian model Livia Pillman. A source revealed that 'he did not cheat on her' and that Cara and Jesse are 'not even living together.' Friends? Jesse Metcalfe appeared to be getting cozy with a woman who appeared to be Australian actress Jade Albany at a bar in Los Angeles this weekend So close: After chatting up a storm at the Attic bar in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, the pair were spotted wrapped in each other's arms The pair were last seen together on the red carpet for The Art of Elysium's 13th Annual Celebration - Heaven at Hollywood Paladium on Jan. 4. She was later spotted the next day attending Golden Globes after-parties without Jesse by her side amid reports that Jesse had packed up and 'moved out' of their home in LA. DailyMail.com has contacted Jesse's representatives for comment. The 41-year-old actor was spotted with his arms wrapped around a tall blonde woman outside of a bar in the San Fernando Valley, just hours after he was out and about, holding hands with Livia Pillmann. Comfortable: Jesse and the mystery blonde stayed close to each other on Ventura Boulevard Hugs: The 41-year-old actor was spotted with his arms wrapped around the pretty blonde Casual: Jesse was dressed in a light blue denim shirt with tattered elements along the sleeves of the buttoned-down top Jesse was dressed in a light blue denim shirt with tattered elements along the sleeves of the buttoned-down top. His 'nine lives' tattoo was prominently displayed on the back of his right bicep, with IX lives inked in thick black lettering. The Desperate Housewives star wore a pair of black slacks and dark brown shoes to complement is casual threads. Chat: The pair found a nice quiet spot to catch up in the corner of the bar Staying warm: His mystery pal was dressed for the night in a light long-sleeved blouse underneath a dark green jacket Walk this way: Earlier in the day, Jesse shared a few smiles with Hungarian model Livia Pillmann as the pair were spotted leaving a late lunch After chatting up a storm at the Attic bar in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, the pair were spotted wrapped in each other's arms. His mystery pal was dressed for the night in a light long-sleeved blouse underneath a dark green jacket, and wore ankle-length slacks and black leather booties. Earlier in the day, Jesse shared a few smiles with Hungarian model Livia Pillmann as the pair were spotted leaving a late lunch. The Chesapeake Shores star enjoyed good company while dining at the trendy restaurant, Gracias Madre. Let's eat! The Chesapeake Shores star enjoyed good company while dining at the trendy restaurant, Gracias Madre Kidding: After dining on vegan fare, Jesse and Livia shared a few jokes at the valet stand while waiting for his ride to roll around Away we go! The pair held hands as they walked to Jesse's car After dining on vegan fare, Jesse and Livia shared a few jokes at the valet stand while waiting for his ride to roll around. Livia sported an electric orange blazer as the pair then walked hand-in-hand to a nearby office space. Despite being engaged for nearly four years, he told Access Hollywood in November that wedding planning was practically 'non existent' as of late due to their demanding schedules. 'Wedding planing is non existent,' he said. 'I've been so busy ... I've literally been out of town the whole year. Cara has been incredibly busy as well ... we're kind of just doing things on our own schedule.' She recently launched a capsule collection with Kohl's called Cara Santana x Apt. 9 and is filming Kurt. with Matthew Lawrence. A notorious terrorist who plotted to sail a fishing boat from northern Australia to overthrow the Philippines government is set to be released from jail. Murat Kaya, one of four men dubbed the 'tinnie terrorists', will walk free on Thursday after less than four years behind bars. His release comes despite a judge finding Kaya having contempt towards non-Muslims and Australian law. The 29-year-old will be under a control order, preventing him from travelling overseas or using social media. Murat Kaya (pictured), one of four men dubbed the 'tinnie terrorists', will walk free on Thursday after less than four years behind bars Kaya pleaded guilty in February 2019 to preparing for an incursion into a foreign country. He was sentenced to three years and eight months behind bars. He leaves jail having served his full sentence having been in jail since his arrest in 2016. Islamic State sympathiser Robert 'Musa' Cerantonio, Kadir Kaya, Paul Dacre, Antonio Granata and Shayden Thorne were arrested in May 2016 as they drove with a 7.5-metre boat toward Cape York. Kaya was arrested in Melbourne weeks later, having been part of the planning. He was jailed for three years and eight months. Kaya argued at a hearing on Monday that the Federal Court didn't have the power to impose strict conditions upon his release from jail, but Justice Paul Anastassiou disagreed and put an interim order in place on Wednesday. Four men dubbed 'tinnie terrorists' have been jailed for their roles in a plot to sail a fishing boat (pictured) from northern Australia to help overthrow the Philippines government Murat Kaya was arrested in terror raids in Melbourne in May 2016, shortly after the arrest of his younger brother Kadir Kaya, associates Paul James Dacre, Antonio Alfio Granata, Shayden Jamil Thorne (pictured) and ringleader Robert 'Musa' Cerantonio Kaya won't be able to leave the country and can only leave Victoria with approval from police. He'll have to abide by an overnight curfew and report to police twice a week. He has also been barred from using any phone, using social media apps including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Telegram, or online gaming. He's prohibited from associating with anyone in prison, except for his brother and fellow tinny terrorist Kadir Kaya. Kaya won't be able to communicate with any of the other plotters. In sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Michael Croucher said the co-offenders' release at the earliest opportunity would foster rehabilitation and better protect the community in the long-term. The four men dubbed the 'tinnie terrorists' were jailed for plotting to sail a fishing boat from northern Australia to help overthrow the Philippines government (pictured, Antonino Granta) Influenced by Islamic preacher Robert 'Musa' Cerantonio (pictured), the 'tinnie terrorists' hatched a plan to sail north so Cerantonio could encourage others to overthrow the Filipino government Months later Kaya wrote about his desire to change. 'I deeply regret what I have done and how my actions have affected all those around me and would like to now make it up to all my love ones by becoming the best person I can be,' he said. But Justice Anastassiou noted on Wednesday that 'there is no evidence that he no longer holds extreme ideological beliefs...' The interim order will remain in place until June when a hearing has been scheduled to finalise it. Read what is in the news today: Politics -- Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong chaired a get-together on the occasion of Tet, which is Vietnam's Lunar New Year festival, on Wednesday with veteran revolutionaries, current and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, and overseas Vietnamese. Society -- Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision to recognize Pleiku City as a first-tier provincial city under the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on Wednesday. -- A 23-year-old man and his companion in Dau Tieng District in the southern province of Binh Duong were fined for multiple violations of traffic safety on Wednesday after a video which captured the two men showering themselves with water from a bucket while riding a motorbike went viral on the Internet. -- A total of 1,300 traffic accidents occurred nationwide in the month to January 14, which killed 591 people and injured 968 others, according to the National Committee for Traffic Safety. Business -- The State Bank of Vietnam on Wednesday told commercial banks to accord top priority to supplying cash at automatic teller machines (ATMs) during Tet. -- Flower sellers at several Tet flower markets in Ho Chi Minh City are worried as sales go down although it is just two days before the new lunar year begins on Saturday. Lifestyle -- Nguyen Hue Flower Street, an annual event held in Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate Tet, was officially opened to visitors in District 1 on Wednesday evening. -- More than 60,000 book titles, along with various valuable photos and documents, are being introduced at a book street festival that kicked off in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. World News -- The Chinese city of Wuhan, the source of an outbreak of a new flu-like virus, is closing its transport networks of bus, subway, ferry, and long-distance passenger transportation services and advising citizens not to leave the city, Reuters quoted a report by Chinas state media on Thursday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The armed parishioner who took down a shooter at a Texas church in December criticized former New York mayor Michael Bloombergs gun control efforts on Wednesday. Mr. Bloomberg, had we operated by his standards or his wishes, the carnage would have been significantly greater because the individual still, after the shooting, still had seven live rounds in his gun and three more in his pocket, Jack Wilson said in an interview on Fox News. Wilson, a member of West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, fired a single round at an armed intruder on December 29, killing the assailant. Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey hit back at Wilson in a Thursday appearance on Fox. Mr. Bloomberg supports his right to carry a gun, Sheekey said. We salute him. But the question is, should anyone who is criminally insane be able to get a gun? I would say no. Earlier in January, while speaking about the Texas incident, Bloomberg appeared to criticize policies that loosen restrictions on gun control. Somebody in the congregation had their own gun and killed the person who murdered two other people, but it is the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot, Bloomberg said. You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place. Bloomberg has been heavily involved in gun-control efforts over the years. His proposals for the 2020 presidential election include universal background checks and red flag screening measures. In 2013, Bloomberg founded Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit that advocates for stricter gun control measures. More from National Review A Lancaster city brewer is revving up for a big move. Wacker Brewing Company is hosting a last call party Jan. 26 at its Little Dutch Taproom at 417 W. Grant St. ahead of relocating to a new address. The brewery is moving its taproom to Lancaster Harley-Davidson at 308 Beaver Valley Pike near Willow Valley. Lancaster Harley-Davidson owner Jack Texter told LancasterOnline the taproom will occupy about a third of a nearly 7,500-square foot warehouse that has a kitchen and is now used for storage. He said the taproom is anticipated to open in April and the brewery is taking the necessary steps to seek approvals. According to LancasterOnline, a brewery spokesperson said the brewery will be set up in Lancaster County in a new location that has yet to be announced. Wacker opened in 2014, but its history dates back to the brewerys original founding in 1853. Owners Bryan and Carolyn Kepner revived the Wacker brand, which was known as Lancasters oldest brewery at the time of its closing in 1953. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The mother of Delhi gang-rape victim, Asha Devi, has supported Kangana Ranauts comments against senior lawyer Indira Jaising, saying she is glad someone has stood with me. In an interview, Ranaut had demanded that Jaising who had earlier requested Devi to pardon the rapists should be locked with them for four days. I fully agree with Kangana, she is right. I am glad that someone has spoken against Indira Jaising and has stood with me, Devi told News 18 in an interview. She also supported Ranauts statement that rapists should be hanged publically, saying that it will create an example and deter such crimes in future. Also read: Kangana Ranaut slams Indira Jaising for seeking pardon for rapists, says such women give birth to monsters Devi said only she knows what she went through when such heinous crime was committed against her daughter. Where were these human rights people when such a barbaric crime was committed? she asked. She also said she saw nothing wrong with Kanganas statement that women like Jaising give birth to monsters. In a press interaction ahead of her film Pangas screening, Kangana had said in answer to a question about Jaisings mercy request to Devi, That woman should be locked in a jail with those rapists for four days. She needs it. What kind of women are these, who are sympathetic to rapists? Such women given birth to monsters. These women, who are full of love and sympathy for rapists and murderers, are the ones who give birth to them. The actor added that these rapists should be hanged in public, to deter others from committing such heinous crimes in the future. I dont think these rapists should be hanged quietly. What is the point of capital punishment, if you cannot set an example? They should be hanged in public, she said. Jaising had tweeted earlier, While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didnt not want the death penalty for her . We are with you but against death penalty. The 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail. Four of the convicts - Akshay, Vinay, Pawan and Mukesh have been sentenced to death and will be hanged at 6 am on February 1. ALBANY As more than 200 state legislators work in Albany over the next two months to reach an agreement to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is also keeping in mind the actions of New Yorks neighbors. For months, Cuomo has discussed pursuing regional symmetry when it comes to cannabis that is, enacting laws similar to the states bordering New York to ensure that consumers are not encountering vastly different regulations, or prices, if they cross state lines. Still, its unclear how regional parity will work its way into lawmakers negotiations, as Cuomo pitches his legalization proposal to both legislative chambers, and governors in other states do the same. Lawmakers across the northeast have been generally supportive of coordination, but discussions at each negotiating table may produce different results especially as many of those involved in early conversations have yet to agree on a plan in their own domains. At the end of the day, each state is going to have to draft and hopefully vote on a bill that has support in those legislative chambers, said Connecticut Rep. Steve Stafstrom, who has championed efforts to legalize marijuana in Hartford. Oh, gee, this is the language that New York is using isnt going to get us any additional votes in the Connecticut General Assembly. Marijuana legalization faced several hurdles in Albany during last year's legislative session, as lawmakers struggled to come to a consensus on how the state would manage revenue, support minority communities and prioritize public safety. States surrounding New York have also wrestled with conflicting interests; New Jersey legislators, after failing to pass a legalization bill last year, punted the issue to voters, setting up a ballot referendum for this fall. The conflicting interests across state lines led Cuomo to organize a summit on marijuana and vaping with other state executives in October, where they agreed on a set of guiding principles to give the states direction as they pursue legalization. Cuomo's proposal this year, included in his executive budget released Tuesday, is similar to his plan last year save a few additions, including a five-member control board to oversee the adult-use, medical and cannabinoid hemp industries. The principles are overarching and cover public health, market regulations, safety and vaping ranging from encouraging in conjunction with their Legislature a stable regional market by identifying and implementing a similar overall effective tax rate for cannabis products to creating youth prevention and public education campaigns to inform youth and the general public about the health and safety consequences of cannabis use. I think the plan is to make sure that were holding true to these established principles as much as possible, Norman Birenbaum, the states director of cannabis programs, said. Birenbaum said conversations have continued with legislators, agency executives and other stakeholders in several states since the October summit, which featured Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Officials and legislators from Rhode Island and Massachusetts also attended. Over the past week and a half, Birenbaum said he has had more than half a dozen conversations on the topic. As far as translating the guiding principles to legislation, he said the ideas are a tool to be able to use as were negotiating with our internal stakeholders but, in general, legislators have supported the principles. Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, who has championed marijuana legalization over the past several years, said the agreement among executives in neighboring states could help them better communicate about concerns or successes in their respective programs. There was a lot of symmetry in the things that the governors were saying that they saw and they learned out there, and so if all the states want to continue down that path about sharing information about best practices I think that is excellent, she said. Still, abiding by some of the guiding principles could be a hangup as legislators hash out the details of the legislation. Implementing similar tax rates, for example, could prompt concerns from those who would want New York to have a business advantage over other states, Krueger said. Overall, Krueger believes the momentum in surrounding states will help New York push its own legislation over the finish line this year, especially considering the prospect that cannabis revenue could end up in the pockets of other state governments if New York doesn't act. On Thursday, Sen. Peter Harckham, D-Westchester County, who opposed legalization last year, will announce support for Kruegers cannabis bill which she said indicates a shift in sentiment that may have held up the legislation last year. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. In June of last year, when we were so close, we still had plenty of people saying, I just dont think I can, but maybe, maybe, she said. This year, those same people are, Ah, this is inevitable.' For her part, Assemblywoman Pat Fahy, D-Albany, said efforts to pursue regional symmetry are encouraging and one of the better changes from last year to this year. She has opposed legalization in the past, highlighting concerns with youth access and impaired driving. Its given people like me, whos had so many concerns about this I feel like this will help everybody with trying to coordinate these efforts a little more, she said. But outside New York, other states are also considering the best way to align their laws with other states. Each state has a different legislative makeup and calendar, and while there are strong voices across the northeast advocating for legalization, each state must reach their own compromises and create their own plan. Pennsylvania Sen. Sharif Street, who has sponsored a bill to legalize cannabis, said he hopes to connect more with legislators across the northeast on the topic. Enacting similar laws makes sense, he said, but Gov. Cuomo is the first person Ive heard talk about express regional parity. I think regional cultural norms play a part in it for young adults socializing in a certain way in Pennsylvania if they were to go to New Jersey, to the shore, and the laws were substantially different, or think of all the Philadelphians who go to New York theres certainly a need for some regional parity," he said. Pennsylvania, though, has faced more hurdles than New York, as Republicans control both legislative chambers and have historically opposed marijuana legalization. At the end of last year, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf came out in support of legalization for the first time. In New Jersey, Assemblyman Jamel Holley, who has also backed cannabis legalization, said he has supported the general idea of coordination, but without a full proposal from the states executives, its difficult to fully greenlight a plan. Depending on what the agreement would be, I think that we should be always talking to our sister states, but that doesnt really go all into the details, he said. In a trial about the presidents interactions with Ukraine, House managers kept bringing up Russia. For the second straight day, House impeachment managers repeatedly referred to Russia, and its influence over the president in particular, as they presented an argument that Mr. Trump should be removed from office for a pressure campaign on Ukraine. This theory was brought to you by the Kremlin, Mr. Schiff said at one point Thursday afternoon as he described to senators a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, hacked into Democrats emails in 2016 with the goal of helping Hillary Clinton win the election. The House managers have argued that Mr. Trumps interest in bolstering that theory played a central role in his interactions with Ukraine, Russias adversary. The Russians not only got him to deflect blame from their interference in our democracy, but they got him to withhold military aid, Mr. Schiff said. Now of course, there was this convergence of interest between the Kremlin and the president. The president wasnt pushing Kremlin talking points just to do Vladimir Putin a favor, he continued. He was doing it because it helped him. Russia, and in particular its role in the 2016 presidential election, remains a sore subject for many senators. Democrats had once expected the president to be impeached for his dealings with Russia in 2016, and Republicans denounced a special counsel inquiry into the matter, accusing Democrats and senior law enforcement officials of pushing this narrative because they wanted to undermine Mr. Trumps victory. The final report from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, stopped short of concluding whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice and threw to Congress the fate of his investigation. Democrats devoted part of their case to the Bidens, a decision Trumps lawyer viewed as a mistake. The House managers made a strategic decision on Thursday to focus extensive attention on the actions of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son, Hunter Biden. The lengthy presentation by Representative Sylvia R. Garcia of Texas, one of the House managers was aimed at proving that there was no basis to Mr. Trumps assertions that the former vice president and his son did improper things in Ukraine. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Wednesday (January 22) said it will pay Rs 63,000 in compensation to passengers of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express who got delayed for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon. It is to be noted that Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express is fully operated by the IRCTC and it is the second private train in the country. The train commenced commercial operations from January 19. According to IRCTC officials, the train was delayed for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon as it was entering Mumbai and reached its destination around 1 hour and 30 minutes late. "Passengers will have to apply as per our refund policy. They will be given refund after verification," said the IRCTC spokesperson. It is learnt that the Tejas Express departed from Ahmedabad at 6.42 am and reached Mumbai Central at 2.36 pm. The scheduled arrival time of this train at Mumbai Central is 1.10pm. The train got delayed due to a technical problem between Bhayander and Dahisar stations on the outskirts of Mumbai. "...the OHE (Overhead Equipment) on UP fast line between Dahisar and Bhayander did not hold power from 12.15 hrs. It was restored between Dahisar-Mira Road at 12.30 hrs and between Mira Road and Bhayander at 13.35 hrs," PTI quoted a Western Railway spokesperson as saying. Live TV Notably, the IRCTC's policy says that Rs 100 will be paid for a delay of over an hour and Rs 250 for a delay of over two hours. IRCTC officials said passengers can claim the refund amount by calling 18002665844 or by sending an email to irctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in. The passengers will need to provide a cancelled cheque, PNR details, and Certificate of Insurance (COI) number to IRCTC to claim the compensation. In the end, Gap and Old Navy will not split into two different entities. Last year Gap Inc. announced it would split into two companies one that would just include its most successful brand, Old Navy and the other company would include Gap, Athleta, Banana Republic, Intermix and Hill City. Gap Inc. had also announced at the time it was closing 230 Gap stores over the next two years. But last week, Gap Inc. announced that the company no longer intends to separate Old Navy into a standalone public company. The work weve done to prepare for the spin shone a bright light on operational inefficiencies and areas for improvement, Robert Fisher, Gap Inc. interim president and chief executive officer said in a press release. We have learned a lot and intend to operate Gap Inc. in a more rigorous and transformational manner that empowers our growth brands, Old Navy and Athleta, and appropriately focuses on profitability for Banana Republic and Gap brand. Back in February, Fisher said in a press release at the time that it made sense to separate Old Navy from its other brands. Following a comprehensive review by the Gap Inc. Board of Directors, its clear that Old Navys business model and customers have increasingly diverged from our specialty brands over time, and each company now requires a different strategy to thrive moving forward. The Washington Post noted at the time that the Gap brand had struggled as part of a broader slump for brick and mortar retailers, even as the lower-priced Old Navy brand has resonated with discount shoppers. The Old Navy store at Colonial Commons on Jonestown Road. Businesses along Jonestown Road/Allentown Boulevard. July 24, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com However, the company CEO has since left the company and sales of Old Navy have since declined, according to MarketWatch. But in the end Gap Inc. says the splitting of the companies was just too complex and limited the future companies. While the objectives of the separation remain relevant, our board of directors has concluded that the cost and complexity of splitting into two companies, combined with softer business performance, limited our ability to create appropriate value from separation, Fisher said. Old Navy has stores in the Harrisburg, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Gettysburg, Lancaster and York areas. Gap has less of a presence in the midstate than it once did but still has stores in the Hershey, Lancaster and Gettysburg areas. Banana Republic has a store at the Shoppes at Susquehanna Marketplace in Susquehanna Township and at Tanger Outlets Heshey in Derry Township as well as a store in the Lancaster area. Athleta has a store at the Shoppes at Susquehanna Marketplace in Susquehanna Township. And there is a Janie and Jack at Tanger Outlets Hershey. Janie and Jack was acquired by Gap Inc. last year. --Business Buzz --Sign up for PennLives newsletters Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness English French TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) today released its 2019 Investment Funds Report. This is the second year that IFIC has prepared the web-based report, which provides detailed data and analysis of mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) sales activity and assets under management. This years report has been expanded to include information about responsible investment funds and alternative investment funds. IFIC dedicates significant resources to data collection and analysis to deepen our understanding of the investment funds industry, said Paul Bourque, President and CEO, IFIC. Our new data categories enable us to gain additional insights on the growth of emerging investment fund types. Key highlights: At the end of 2019, Canadian mutual fund assets totalled $1.6 trillion and ETF assets totalled $205 billion. Total mutual funds net sales were $16.9 billion and total ETF net sales were $27.9 billion in 2019. In 2019, responsible investment funds accounted for $12 billion of mutual fund assets and $654 million of ETF assets. Alternative investment fund assets totalled $5.9 billion in mutual funds and $2.5 billion in ETFs. To view IFICs 2019 Investment Funds Report, please visit IFIC.ca. About IFIC The Investment Funds Institute of Canada is the voice of Canadas investment funds industry. IFIC brings together 150 organizations, including fund managers, distributors and industry service organizations, to foster a strong, stable investment sector where investors can realize their financial goals. By connecting Canadas savers to Canadas economy, our industry contributes significantly to Canadian economic growth and job creation. To learn more about IFIC, please visit IFIC.ca . The results of the B Part of It study the largest meningococcal B herd immunity study ever conducted are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results have implications for all meningococcal B vaccine programs globally. Led by Professor Helen Marshall from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute, the B Part of It study involved almost 35,000 senior school students in South Australia, aged 15 to 18 years, during 2017 and 2018. Our study has shown good protection was provided by the meningococcal B vaccine against meningococcal disease in those vaccinated but did not show an overall reduction in the proportion of adolescents carrying the bacteria, including the B strain." Professor Helen Marshall, University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute Adolescents can harmlessly carry the meningococcus bacteria in the back of the throat with only a very small proportion developing the disease. Meningococcal B is one of the most common strains that causes meningococcal disease, an acute bacterial infection that kills approximately 10% of those infected, and causes permanent disabilities in about 20% of cases. Those most at risk are babies and children up to the age of five years, and teenagers and young adults from ages 15 to 24 years. "We are pleased to report not a single case of meningococcal disease among our study participants to date, over the three years since the study began, compared to 12 cases in the same age group in the two years prior to the study. "Potentially this means a life or lives were saved, as, on average, one in every 10 children with meningococcal disease dies from it," Professor Marshall says. "These results highlight the importance of individual vaccination for adequate protection, as the vaccine is unlikely to be able to stop spread of the bacteria between individuals," Professor Marshall says. "The study has identified the critical finding that individuals need to be vaccinated to protect themselves against meningococcal B disease, rather than expecting community protection through reduced transmission of the bacteria," she says. The study also identified a number of high-risk behaviours associated with carriage of meningococcal strains in young people, including: smoking cigarettes, attending bars or clubs, and intimate kissing. Older school students, school boarders, and those who had recently had a cold or sore throat were also more likely to carry the meningococcus in their throat. The outcomes of the B Part of It study are now being used in Australia and globally, to assess the cost-effectiveness of meningococcal B immunization programs for children and young people. Gill and Oren Klemich, who lost their 18-year-old son, Jack, to meningococcal B in 2009, have supported the B Part of It program as ambassadors and followed the results closely. "We are extremely proud of the impact this study has had in informing both local and global policy around meningococcal B, as well as the impact the study and South Australian Government funded program have had in vaccinating and protecting over 60,000 young people against this horrible disease," says Oren. A number of protests and demonstrations have been planned in the UK to coincide with India's Republic Day celebrations on Sunday, with the Indian High Commission in London urging UK authorities to ensure the mission's safety. On Saturday, the eve of Republic Day, a collective of Indian diaspora groups have called for a "National Demonstration Against Fascism in India" during which hundreds are expected to gather outside Downing Street before marching up to the Indian High Commission here. The march has been called as a protest against India's new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and is expected to be joined by activists and students from various universities and organisations. On Sunday, UK-based separatist and pro-Pakistani outfits have called a "Black Day" and are mobilising people from across different cities in the UK to gather outside India House in central London. "We are aware of a march taking place in central London on Saturday, January 25 and a demonstration on Sunday, January 26. A proportionate policing plan is in place," Scotland Yard said in reference to both demonstrations. However, there are growing safety concerns, specifically around the demonstration planned on Sunday. The safety concerns around the issue were raised in the House of Commons last week and Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam discussed the matter directly with UK Home Secretary Priti Patel during a meeting earlier this week. "High Commissioner called on Home Secretary Priti Patel and discussed issues of mutual interest to take forward India-UK ties. She conveyed security and safety concerns flowing from planned protests including on Republic Day at India House," said a Twitter statement from the Indian High Commission on Tuesday. A similar march was banned from assembly outside the High Commission building in Aldwych on Diwali last October following an intervention from the UK Home Office, in the wake of violent clashes during protests to coincide with Indian Independence Day on August 15 last year. Diaspora groups have renewed their lobbying with the Metropolitan Police and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to try and avert a repeat of similar violent scenes in the area this weekend. "I understand why many British Indians are so deeply concerned about a repeat of those awful scenes. Many have felt deeply threatened and worried, and I would like to assure all Londoners that anyone who acts unlawfully on Sunday will be held fully accountable by the police," said Khan, in response to one of the letters as he pledged a "robust" policing plan and also alerted Patel of his concerns. "A march, similar to the one on 15 August last year, would only deepen divisions at a time when all Londoners need to come together, and when people of Indian origin want to celebrate a hugely significant cultural day. The right to protest is an important and valued part of our democracy, but it must always be done peacefully and within the boundaries of the law, he said. Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman, who had raised the issue in Parliament last Thursday, told an event organised by UK-based Kashmiri Pandit groups in London on Monday evening that he would also write to Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick. "It is right that people have the right to peaceful protest but when those protests turn violent, it is unacceptable and should not be allowed," said the MP for Harrow East, a north London constituency with a large British Indian population. Later on Sunday evening, the Indian Workers' Association Great Britain, an 80-year-old diaspora group, has called a "Defend the Constitution" Republic Day meeting at Southall in west London to hold a discussion on the implications of the CAA as well as the National Register of Citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WUHAN, China The authorities drastically expanded a travel lockdown in central China on Thursday, essentially penning in more than 35 million residents to contain a deadly virus that is overwhelming hospitals and fueling fears of a pandemic. The new limits abruptly decreed ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, Chinas busiest travel season were an extraordinary step that underscored the ruling Communist Partys deepening fears about the outbreak of a little understood coronavirus. It has killed at least 26 people and sickened more than 800 in China and at least six other countries, including the United States, according to statistics from health officials. In Wuhan, the Hubei provincial capital of 11 million where the outbreak began, anxiety and anger prevailed as worried residents crowded into hospitals and teams of medical workers in hazmat suits sought to identify the infected. They cant take proper care of all the people here, said Sun Ansheng, a man in his 50s who was waiting outside a hospital while his wife was tested for the coronavirus, so named because of the spiky halo around the microorganism. Wellington: New Zealand's coroner has declared Australian teenager Winona Langford and New Zealand's Hayden Marshall-Inman were killed in December's White Island volcano eruption, bringing the death toll to 20. Langford and Marshall-Inman's bodies were not found after the eruption, despite numerous land and sea searches. "The chief coroner has ruled that both Winona and Hayden died on White Island," John Tims, a deputy police commissioner, said in a statement on Thursday. A coroner has ruled Sydney teenager Winona Langford was killed in the eruption. The 17-year-old Langford was travelling with her parents Anthony, 51, and Kristine, 46, and older brother Jesse, 19. HOSPITAL consultants have appealed to Minister Harris during face-to-face talks to take decisive action and immediately end what they call consultant pay discrimination. Irish Hospital Consultant Association (IHCA) representatives have urged the health minister to end the ongoing consultant pay discrimination with immediate effect. IHCA President Dr. Donal OHanlon said: Front line hospital consultants appealed to Minister Harris at our meeting to put politics aside and patients first, by committing to effective targets to deliver timely care to patients which at least match those in the NHS. The delivery of effective targets will require the implementation of practical workable solutions the IHCA has recommended for years. The first requirement to provide timely care to the one million people on public hospital waiting lists and the hundreds of patients being treated on trolleys each day is to recruit and retain a sufficient number of permanent hospital consultants, he added. More than anything else, we need to fill the current 500 unfilled permanent hospital consultant posts caused by the Governments discrimination against new consultants. The discrimination and the consequent consultant shortages are the main contributory factors behind the one million people now waiting for hospital treatment and the hundreds of patients languishing on hospital trolleys each day. Getting highly trained specialist consultants back working in our public hospitals will ensure hospital patients are treated without unacceptable delays, he continued. Fine Gaels election campaign urges the Irish public to look forward. But without decisive action now to attract hospital consultants into our health service, one million people waiting for hospital care cant look forward with hope, but only with continued despair. In addition to ending pay discrimination, the IHCA has also called on Minister Harris and Fine Gael to: Open a further 800 public hospital beds by end 2021 and bring forward the delivery of 2,600 additional beds promised under both the HSE Capacity Review 2018 and the National Development Plan from the current target of 2030 to the more realistic date of 2025; Introduce and resource a maximum waiting time of four hours for patients presenting at Emergency Departments and other public hospital assessment units to be admitted to an inpatient bed if required, discharged home or transferred to a more appropriate service; Introduce and resource a maximum waiting time of 18 weeks following a GP referral for a consultant outpatient appointment and inpatient/day-case public hospital treatment. Many have been all too quick to make Attorney General William Barr out to be a reflexive toady for President Trump. Slate has accused Barr of using the Department of Justice as "a personal law firm for Trump." Vox has bewailed "the department's politicization under Barr." The Daily Beast has lamented how Barr has "become another of Donald Trump's personal lawyers." The New York Times has noted that the attorney general had "reprised his role as a vocal defender of President Trump." Perhaps none of these media outlets recall the time when then-Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. famously described himself as President Obama's "wingman." Curiously, Holder actually took to the Washington Post to decry Barr's ostensible self-debasement as an unfortunate "instrument of politics." Holder's hypocrisy aside, the new stance in favor of a strongly independent attorney general among liberals is misguided as a matter of constitutional interpretation and ahistorical as a matter of American custom. Article II, Section 1, Clause 1 of the Constitution states that "(t)he executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." The power is vested not in numerous sources, but solely in the president. The president maintains plenary authority over the entirety of the executive branch. The "unitary executive theory," which Democrats routinely excoriate, comes from the plain text of the Constitution. As Barr recently said during his remarks at the Federalist Society's 2019 National Lawyers Convention, the notion of the unitary executive "is not 'new,' and it is not a 'theory.'" On the contrary, he continued, "(i)t is a description of what the Framers unquestionably did in Article II of the Constitution." Throughout American history, attorneys general have intuited and acted upon their nonindependent subordination to presidents of the United States. In "Conflicting Loyalties: Law and Politics in the Attorney General's Office, 1789-1990," the scholar Nancy V. Baker explored the historical nature of the attorney general's position. She observed that "before he became an administrator" of a sprawling Department of Justice bureaucracy, "the attorney general assumed the role of the advisor to the president." Indeed, the role of the attorney general as a top presidential adviser has been a recurring theme throughout American history. When President Lincoln's attorney general, Edward Bates, famously wrote to Congress in 1861 to defend Lincoln's unilateral suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, he did so not as a neutral arbiter of legal principle, but as Lincoln's top legal adviser who shared his superior's ultimate policy aim of a Union victory in the Civil War. Similarly, President Franklin Roosevelt's wartime attorney general, Francis Biddle, ceased his vocal opposition to Japanese American internment after it became obvious that Roosevelt planned to sign the fateful Executive Order 9066. Biddle understood that he was not in any way independent of the president, but that he was a political appointee who had to support the president in order to keep his job. In modern times, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which was created by Congress during the New Deal, provides "legal advice to the president and all executive branch agencies" and reviews "all executive orders and substantive proclamations proposed to be issued by the president." The president also has at his disposal the White House counsel's office, but that office tends to focus on legal issues arising from legislation, executive and judicial branch nominations and ethics questions. Eric Holder was correct the first time. The attorney general, in large part, actually is the president's "wingman." Josh Hammer is editor at large of the Daily Wire and of counsel at First Liberty Institute. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Prince William and Kate Middleton are two of the royal familys most important members. But together, alongside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the four of them had been carrying out royal duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. However, Harry and Meghan recently announced their departure from the family. With that, they will no longer serve the queen. But how will this affect William and Kates jobs as working royals? Prince William and Kate Middleton | Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Harry and Meghan originally wanted to continue to serve the queen When Harry and Meghan first told the world they were stepping down, they wanted to split their time between the United Kingdom and North America. With this, they would be able to continue to serve the queen. Once the two were in the thick of their exit, though, they realized that their want for financial independence (one of the reasons they chose to leave) meant they would no longer be able to work on behalf of Harrys grandmother. The public essentially pays for the royals to be royals, and without receiving public funding, Harry said it wasnt feasible for the two to continue their royal duties. William and Kates Instagram page has been more active than ever Since Harry and Meghans recent departure, the Kensington Instagram account has become even more active. Last year, it wouldnt be odd for the Cambridges to go two or three days without posting to the account. But since Harry and Meghan have left, William and Kate have been posting more than ever often more than once per day. Its unclear if the reason has to do with Harry and Meghan leaving, but it wouldnt be surprising if that were the case. They will likely step up their royal duties in some capacity Though Buckingham Palace has not made any kind of official announcement on how the royal family will shift now that Harry and Meghan are gone, it wouldnt be surprising if William and Kate took on new duties in some capacity. The two are already third in line for the throne, but so many royal engagements on their Instagram account could be the palaces way of dealing with the fallout of Harry and Meghan and it could mean that William and Kates jobs are about to become even more intense. Its unclear if the queen will announce new working royals Harry and Meghan were doing a lot of charitable work for the royal family before their departure. The couple completed a massive tour of Africa, among many other things, in 2019. Now that theyre no longer with the family professionally, its unclear if the queen will ask two new royals to step up. Eventually, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis will become working royals, but they are far too young right now. In order to balance the work load, the queen might suggest the current royals take on more engagements. Or, she could appoint other family members, such as Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, to the senior royal status. Right now, nothing is set in stone, but the family will need to find its way after this major change. More than 4,000 migrant children have been separated from their parents after seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border. Nine parents who were deported as the administration of US President Donald Trump separated thousands of migrant families landed back into the United States late on Wednesday to reunite with children they had not seen in a year and a half. The group arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Guatemala City in a trip arranged under the order of a federal judge who found the US government had unlawfully prevented them from seeking asylum. An asylum advocate confirmed the nine parents were all on board the flight. Some of the children were at the airport to greet them, including David Xols nine-year-old son Byron. More: David fell to one knee and tearfully embraced Byron for about three minutes, patting the back of his sons head. He was small, David said after rising to his feet. He looked at his lawyer, who accompanied him on the flight, raised his hand about chest-high and said, He grew a lot. David, Byron and his lawyer, Ricardo de Anda, then embraced in a three-way hug and exchanged words in their huddle. Byron was all smiles. Father, son, lawyer and family sponsor eagerly left the airport for their hotel. The reunion was a powerful reminder of the lasting effects of Trumps separation policy, even as attention and outrage has faded amid impeachment proceedings and tensions with Iran. But it also underscored that hundreds, potentially thousands, of other parents and children are still apart nearly two years after the zero-tolerance policy on irregular border crossings took effect. They all kind of hit the lottery, said Linda Grimm, lawyer who represents one of the parents returning to the US. There are so many people out there who have been traumatised by the family separation policy whose pain is not going to be redressed. Byron Xol waiting for his father at Los Angeles International Airport as they reunite after being separated about one and half years ago during the Trump administrations wide-scale separation of immigrant families [Ringo HW Chiu/AP Photo] More than 4,000 children are known to have been separated from their parents before and during the official start of zero tolerance in spring 2018. Under the policy, border agents charged parents en masse with illegally crossing the US-Mexico border, then placed their children in government facilities, including some tender-age shelters set up for infants. The US has acknowledged that agents separated families long before they enforced zero tolerance across the entire southern border, its agencies did not properly record separations, and some detention centres were overcrowded and undersupplied, with families denied food, water or medical care. In June 2018, US District Judge Dana Sabraw ordered the government to stop separating families and reunite parents and children. At least 470 parents were deported without their children. Some of the kids were held in US government facilities and ultimately placed with sponsors. Others were deported to their home countries. Accounts emerged of many parents being told to sign paperwork they could not read or understand or being denied a chance to request asylum in ways that violated federal law. The US Department of Homeland Security referred a request for comment to the Justice Department, which did not respond. Difficult choice The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought the original family separation lawsuit before Sabraw, asked the judge to order the return of a small group of parents whose children remained in the US. In September, Sabraw required the US to allow 11 parents to come back and denied relief to seven others. ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said Sabraw made clear he would only order the return of people who were misled or coerced into giving up their asylum rights. That will leave other parents who fled violence, poverty and persecution to decide whether to have their children return to their home countries or remain in the US without them. Many are going to make the decision that generations of immigrant parents have made to leave their child in the US and endure the hardship of separation, but to do it for their childs own safety, Gelernt said. Xol said that after he and his then-seven-year-old son, Byron crossed the border, they were taken to a US Border Patrol processing centre in South Texas. Xol was charged with illegal entry on May 19, 2018. Two days later, Xol said an officer told him to sign a document that would allow him and Byron to be deported together. If he did not sign, Byron would be given up for adoption and Xol would be detained for at least two years. Byron Xol, an immigrant from Guatemala, opening gifts during his birthday party in Buda, Texas. Byron was separated from his father, David Xol-Cholom in May 2018, during the Trumps administration wide-scale separation of immigrant families [David J Phillip/AP Photo] Xol signed the document, only to have Byron taken away and then get deported to Guatemala. Byron was placed in government facilities for 11 months. The familys lawyer, Ricardo de Anda, persuaded a federal court to force the US to let a Texas family take in Byron. Since May 2019, Byron has lived with Holly and Matthew Sewell and their two children, with regular video calls to his family. Holly Sewell brought Byron, now nine, to meet his father at the airport. They planned to go back to Texas to pack and prepare for Byron to move in with his father once Xol is settled in California. Before the reunion, Byron kept asking Sewell, his caretaker, when his father would clear immigration authorities. Theyre almost here, youre doing great, she said. Count to 1,000. 999, Byron responded. She said she was thrilled Byron could see his dad again but sharply criticised the US governments treatment of asylum seekers. Other families shared similar stories. Esvin Fernando Arredondo was expected to be on the plane. The father from Guatemala was separated from one of his daughters, Andrea Arredondo then 12 years old and now 13 after they turned themselves in on May 16, 2018, at a Texas crossing and sought asylum, according to Grimm, his lawyer. He failed an initial screening and agreed to go back to Guatemala. People want to make this a heartwarming story, but it's not. It's devastating. Holly Sewell According to Sabraws ruling, the government deported Arredondo even after the judge had ordered families reunited and subsequently prohibited US officials from removing any parent separated from their child. Hes now being given a second chance at asylum under the court order. Andrea was separated from all family for about a month, living in a shelter as the government struggled to connect children with their parents because they lacked adequate tracking systems. She was finally reunited with her mother, who had turned herself in at the Texas crossing with the other two daughters four days earlier than her husband, on May 12, 2018. She and her two daughters passed the initial screening interview for asylum, unlike her husband, even though they were fleeing for the same reason. Their son Marco, 17, was shot and killed by suspected gang members in Guatemala City. Fernando Arredondo from Guatemala reunites with his daughters Andrea, left, Keyli, right, and Alison, second from left, at Los Angeles International Airport after being separated during the Trump administrations wide-scale separation of immigrant families [Ringo HW Chiu/AP Photo] Arredondos wife, Cleivi Jerez, 41, arrived at LAX less than an hour before the flight landed with their three daughters in tow, ages 17, 13 and 7. Lots of nerves, last night I couldnt sleep, she said in Spanish in an interview after the flight landed. Jerez said she planned to stay up late catching up with her husband. She planned to rest at their Los Angeles home tomorrow as well, catching up on their 17 months apart before he has to report to an ICE office Friday in San Diego. Alison Arredondo, 7, said she missed going to the park with her father and she wanted to go to one with him in LA. While the US has stopped the large-scale separations, it has implemented policies to prevent many asylum seekers from entering the country. Under its Remain in Mexico policy, more than 50,000 people have been told to wait there for weeks or months for US court dates. The Trump administration also is ramping up deportations of Central Americans to other countries in the region to seek asylum there. People want to make this a heartwarming story, but its not. Its devastating, Sewell said. There is just no good reason why we had to do this to this child and this family. And he symbolises thousands of others who have been put in this exact same position. As a ridge of high pressure settles in for the weekend, MetService forecasts warm and fine weather for much of the country. The weather is forecast to be fine and settled over the North Island, and many places can expect to see temperatures high in the 20s. However, clammy air trapped under the ridge will mean the warmth may feel sticky. Aucklanders travelling away for the long weekend may want to prepare for hot car rides, says meteorologist Tahlia Crabtree, ensuring they stay hydrated and bring enough water for all passengers. Sea temperatures around the upper North Island are currently cooler than average. When coupled with warm temperatures over the land, the temperature difference encourages a fresh wind about the coast in the afternoon. For those planning a beach trip this weekend, you may find it might be cooler than you expect near the water when the sea breeze kicks in. The high pressure gives way over the South Island briefly, allowing a front to bring rain to western and southern parts on Saturday. However, eastern regions will remain mostly fine, with temperatures expected to soar into the 30s. An Oregon woman who was convicted of a hate crime in 2018 for using racial slurs and threatening an African American couple with a knife was arrested again last week after an altercation with a neighbor in which she allegedly yelled go back to Mexico. Amber Rocco is accused of spraying her neighbor, Barbara Helderman-Kinney, with mace, KATU reported. Helderman-Kinney said she was shoveling snow in front of her home in the small town of Idanha, 50 miles east of Salem, when Rocco started yelling at her. "I just kept digging and I dont remember what I said, and I just kept digging, and she held it out (the mace), Helderman-Kinney told KATU. I looked at her and said, Just do it. And she did it. It was premeditated, because she had the mace in her hand already, when she got out of the truck. Helderman-Kinney also told KATU that Rocco yelled go back to Mexico. In 2018, Rocco was arrested for calling an African American couple a slur, spitting on the chest of one of them and brandishing a knife in front of both during an altercation in McMinnville that was caught on video. She later pleaded guilty to second-degree intimidation, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of harassment. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and later apologized for the incident. . Rocco told KATU that the most recent allegations against her were false -- Kale Williams kwilliams@oregonian.com 503-294-4048 @sfkale Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (17,599.86, up 27.58 points). Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Industrials. Down one cent, or 0.78 per cent, to $1.28 on 19.9 million shares. Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Energy. Unchanged at $5.19 on 9.75 million shares. Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB). Health care. Up eight cents, or 3.08 per cent, to $2.68 on 7.5 million shares. Aphria Inc. (TSX:APHA). Health care. Up 61 cents, or 8.78 per cent, to $7.56 on 7.1 million shares. Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Up 37 cents, or 0.69 per cent, to $53.67 on 5.6 million shares. Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financials. Up 28 cents, or 1.04 per cent, to $27.25 on 5.4 million shares. Companies in the news: Air Canada (TSX:AC). Down 16 cents to $48.68. Canadas two biggest airlines pushed back the return of the beleaguered 737 Max after airplane maker Boeing Co. said it did not expect regulators to green-light the jet for takeoff until the middle of the year. The delay until late June by Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. follows similar moves by American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, further jeopardizing routes and profit margins. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing have continued to find defects with the aircraft that fall outside of the automated software system known as MCAS. SNC-Lavalin Inc. (TSX:SNC). Down 14 cents to $31.62. SNC-Lavalin Inc. has recruited a former Bombardier executive who oversaw key asset sales to oversee the engineering and construction firms strategic transformation. Louis Veronneau will take on the new role of chief transformation officer, which includes possible divestments and reducing costs. As president of the infrastructure sector, Jonathan Wilkinson will look, among other things, at the existing turnkey projects while Dale Clarke has been appointed acting executive vice-president of infrastructure services to grow North American high performance services, such as those involving engineering. Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI.B). Up $2.10 or 3.2 per cent to $66.67. Rogers Communications Inc. plans to spend nearly $3 billion on capital investments this year but that could be reduced if the regulatory environment becomes less favourable, Rogers chief executive Joe Natale said Wednesday. The Toronto-based company issued 2020 guidance that includes an estimate of between $2.7 billion and $2.9 billion of capital expenditures this year, but thats assuming theres no negative changes to the regulatory environment. The warning comes as the Trudeau government and the industrys regulator work to chart a path through several contentious issues that will affect Rogers, Bell and many other Canadian telecommunications and media companies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. Tennessee Gov. Introduces New Bill Banning Abortions Where Fetal Heartbeat Is Detected Tennessee is taking further steps to protect the lives of unborn children. State Gov. Bill Lee announced on Thursday that he will push for comprehensive restrictions on abortions this year, including a new version of a bill that would prohibit the procedure where a fetal heartbeat is detected. The state previously passed a so-called heartbeat bill in the House of Representatives last year but it failed to gain support in the Senate. Republican state senators said they were concerned that the law could get struck down in court on constitutional grounds. The proposed heartbeat bill, Lee said, will include a new approach that would include bans on abortion at two-week gestational age intervals if the bill is struck down in court. This approach, which was modeled after Missouris law, would also include a severability clause. The new law, which still has not been finalized, will likely include provisions requiring a mother to undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion and prohibiting an abortion provider from performing the procedure they know was sought because of the race, sex, health, or disability diagnosis of the unborn child. I believe that every human life is precious, and we have a responsibility to protect it, Lee said in a statement on Thursday. Today, Tennessee is taking a monumental step in celebrating, cherishing, and defending life at every stage. Im grateful to be joined by so many leaders in our state who are boldly standing up for our most vulnerable. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who raised concerns about a similar bill last year, said in a statement that he was ecstatic for the proposed bill. The many provisions of this bill represent great leaps forward for the cause of life in Tennessee. The destination has always been clear. The issue has been identifying the proper vehicle. We now have the proper vehicle, McNally said. This comprehensive, tiered approach is our best chance of advancing the cause of life without sacrificing the gains we have made. Several states including Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Ohio have passed their own version of the heartbeat bills. Many of these bills have led to a series of legal challenges in courts. These states are hoping that the lawsuits could be a vehicle to challenge the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade, which protects a womans access to abortion, in the Supreme Court. Several courts across the country have already invalidated the heartbeat bill, such as in Kentucky. The Supreme Court is preparing to hear a case regarding state laws that put restrictions on abortions. That case asks the court to decide whether an unconstitutional burden has been placed on women seeking abortions after Louisiana passed a law requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges within 30 miles of where the procedure was taking place. Although the right to abortion is not the focus issue of the case, it has garnered significant attention as the case could provide people with some insight into the top courts attitude toward the procedure, since this case would be the first for President Donald Trumps two new appointeesJustices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 12,140 abortions were performed in Tennessee in 2017, although not all of the abortions were provided to residents of the states. Moreover, the abortion rate in the state declined 14 percent between 2014 and 2017, from 10.7 to 9.2 abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age. January 23, 2020 Chris Cole, Kasiska Marketing Assistant Physician assistant students make a difference in Dominican Republic MERIDIAN A team of Idaho State University physician assistant students and staff are making a difference in the Dominican Republic. Jared Papa, clinical assistant professor at ISU, and a local dentist discussed partnering together, as well as with the G3 Foundation an international non-profit organization dedicated to treating dental disease within indigent populations to make a trip possible. Papa, other faculty, and six PA students travel to the Dominican Republic each year to provide much needed medical care to patients of all ages, in cooperation with local clinicians, dentists and other medical professionals. One of the goals for us and for the G3 Foundation is to give students an opportunity to experience being altruistic in taking care of people, providing for others and hopefully instill that desire to continue to do things, not only in foreign places, but within our own nation, Papa said. Over the six years Papa and the team have been traveling to the Dominican Republic, theyve treated a variety of conditions like infections, reflux and even the common cold. But they dont just see everyday issues. Christine Hall, clinical assistant professor, said one student was able to identify that a patient had a rare disease that affects one in 50,000 people. Hall said they coordinate any long-term care needs with a patients local doctor for issues from hypertension to birth control. Weve found that many of the women who come see us already have some sort of permanent birth control in place, but for those who dont we like to offer oral contraceptives, Hall said. Papa says the trip challenges everyone who attends, as the biggest resource the team has is medication. He says many of the issues they see start out as very treatable, but grow complicated when the patient cant afford to see a doctor and doesnt have health insurance. Part of our role in things were trying to accomplish is to reduce those potential complications, and address things both from a medicinal standpoint but also through an educational standpoint for those communities, Papa said. The group sets up in a local school or church, typically a donated space, and hundreds of people turn up for the opportunity to receive dental and medical care. He said students learn quickly that people are desperate for help, and quickly form into a mob trying to get a ticket to be seen. He said one student got overwhelmed with emotion when a diabetic man in his early 20s said insulin still wouldnt help him, since he struggles to find food on a daily basis. That sometimes can be a difficult realization, that you have in your heart and your mind the desire to help, but the means that are needed are not in existence for what you can do, Papa said. Hall said the students learn a lot while in the field, including the importance of service. One of the most important elements of his trip is igniting a fire for service, Hall said. Certainly, I think the students who ask to come already have that within them, but we see over the course of a week experiences that really change them, that really impact them emotionally, and we find that our students want to return to serve again. The group does some fundraising for the trip, but everyone mostly pays their own way. Papa said they would certainly welcome any donations that would help them pay for the supplies they bring to these foreign countries that so desperately need help. We have the privilege of making an impact on an individuals life, Papa said. In many cases, the individuals we impact would continue to struggle and suffer with whatever ailment they happen to be experiencing, but we are able to come in and make that difference and change a persons life. Papa and his group will be heading to their next mission Feb. 7-17. Northrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/23/2020 -- According to the new market research report "Infrared Detector Market by Type (MCT, InGaAs, Pyroelectric, Thermopile, Microbolometer, and Others), Technology (Cooled and Uncooled), Wavelength (NIR & SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR), Application, Vertical, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets the infrared detector market is expected to grow from USD 498 million in 2020 to USD 683 million by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2020 to 2025. The high demand for infrared detectors in the nonindustrial vertical, especially for people and motion sensing, temperature measurement, and security and surveillance applications, are key driving factors for the infrared detectors market. The increasing penetration of infrared technology for gas analysis and fire detection and high popularity of uncooled infrared detectors are a few other key factors having a positive impact on the growth of the infrared detector market. Ask for PDF Brochure @ : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=161116561 Pyroelectric infrared detector segment to hold largest share of infrared detector market, by type, in 2020 Pyroelectric infrared detector segment will lead the infrared detector market, by type, in terms of size, by 2020. The leading position of this segment can be attributed to the high demand for pyroelectric infrared detectors for people and motion sensing, and temperature measurement applications. In these applications, pyroelectric infrared detectors are majorly used for human being detection, people counting in retail shops, and non-contact temperature measurement. Security and surveillance is another key application of pyroelectric infrared detectors. Market for (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) detectors to grow at highest CAGR during forecast period The market for the NIR and SWIR infrared detectors is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. Wide applicability of SWIR detectors is mainly fueling the growth of this market. Surveillance, moisture detection, spectroscopy, high-temperature thermography, semiconductor inspection, scientific research, and art inspection are some of the common application areas of SWIR detectors. Currently, the price of SWIR detectors is higher than most MWIR and LWIR detectors, which has restricted their wide-scale adoption. However, owing to technological advancements, the price of these systems is expected to decrease in the near future. This factor is likely to increase the penetration of SWIR detectors. Browse in-depth TOC on "Infrared Detector Market" 109-Tables 51 - Figures 170 - Pages North America to hold largest share of infrared detector market by 2020 North America is expected to hold the largest share of the infrared detector market by 2020. The US and Canada are the key countries contributing to the growth of the infrared detector market in North America. Europe is expected to account for the second-largest share of the infrared detector market during the forecast period. The UK and Germany are significant demand-generating countries for infrared detectors in this region. Enquiry before Buying @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=161116561 A few key players operating in the infrared detector market are Excelitas Technologies (US), Nippon Ceramic (Japan), Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan), Murata Manufacturing (Japan), FLIR Systems (US), Texas Instruments (US), OMRON Corporation (Japan), InfraTec (Germany), and Lynred (France). Please explore relevant report Infrared Imaging Market by Technology (Cooled Infrared Imaging and Uncooled Infrared Imaging), Wavelength (Near Infrared, Shortwave Infrared, Mid-wave Infrared, and Long-wave Infrared), Application, Vertical, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023 Thermal Imaging Market by Type (Cameras, Modules, Scopes), Application (Security & Surveillance, Monitoring & Inspection, Detection), Vertical (Aerospace & Defense, Industrial, Healthcare & Life Sciences), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA : +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Health, the healthcare industry's first and leading consumer navigation company, today announced the promotion of Steven Knight to chief operating officer (COO). Knight, a 12-year Quantum Health veteran, was previously executive vice president (EVP) of Total Experience. In his new role, Knight will lead the company's ongoing operational growth and oversee the successful delivery of its industry-leading healthcare navigation and care coordination services and solutions. "We are delighted to promote Steven to this new role," said Kara Trott, founder and CEO of Quantum Health. "He is a proven results-driven leader with a deep understanding of every aspect of our business. As we continue our 20-year track record of growth, his leadership will be instrumental in consistently delivering a high-quality experience and results for our members, while also delivering measurable value to our clients and provider partners. He will also lead our total company operations, ensuring we continue our `Best Places to Work' status as an employer of choice." In his 12 years at Quantum Health, Knight has excelled in multiple roles, including director of Client Engagement, senior vice president (SVP) of Member Engagement and, most recently, EVP of Total Experience. Knight will leverage this deep experience to lead the Quantum Health Pod, clinical and support team operations, healthcare ecosystem partnerships and human resources management. Prior to his career at Quantum Health, Knight worked directly with providers, helping improve member experiences through specialty clinical practice, acute care organization development and in medical products and services at Cardinal Health. Knight holds a Bachelor of Science in health services administration from Ohio University, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). "Steven is the perfect operational leader for our organization," said Shannon Skaggs, president of Quantum Health. "He has successfully led our service delivery for the past four years, as we have tripled in size to 1.5 million members and over 300 clients. He has simultaneously overseen the increase in our Net Promoter Score to 76, the highest score in our industry." In this same timeframe, Quantum Health delivered 5.2% average cost savings for clients in their first year, with 10.8% cumulative average savings in the first three years. These results, from the company's 2019 actuary report, are independently validated on an annual basis and include Quantum Health's entire book-of-business results. "We continue to bend the healthcare cost trend for our clients, and our client base continues to grow," added Skaggs. "This validates that healthcare navigation is more essential than ever. With Steven at the helm, we will continue to successfully scale our organization and lead our industry, delivering remarkable results to employers, their employees and providers, and helping solve their largest, most costly healthcare challenges." About Quantum Health Quantum Health is the healthcare industry's leading consumer navigation and care coordination company, delivering an unparalleled consumer experience based on empathy and trust. This enables employers to achieve industry-leading engagement and satisfaction rates, as well as significant and independently validated claim savings. Launched in 1999, Quantum Health's model is based on years of deep consumer research and the insights learned from working with over 170 companies, guiding millions of consumers and their providers through the healthcare and benefits journey. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Quantum Health has earned numerous business, leadership and cultural awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young and Fastest-Growing Privately Held Company for 10 Years from Inc. magazine's Inc. 5000. Fortune and Entrepreneur magazines have recognized the company as a Great Place to Work Best Small & Medium Workplace. The Women Presidents' Organization has ranked Quantum Health as one the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies for six years, and Columbus Business First has honored Quantum Health as a Best Place to Work for the past 13 years. In June 2019, Quantum Health was again nationally recognized, joining Inc. magazine's Best Workplaces. To learn more about the company, visit Quantum-Health.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact: Cynthia Henry [email protected] 614-846-4318, x12924 SOURCE Quantum Health Related Links http://quantum-health.com Microsoft quietly announced last week that it will change the default search engine of Google's Chrome to Bing - Microsoft's own search service - on personal computers running Office 365 ProPlus, the productivity applications that serve as the heart of the enterprise-grade subscriptions. The swap of search defaults within Chrome will begin next month and wrap up in July, the timing dependent on when corporate IT administrators have scheduled Office 365 ProPlus' upgrades. "Starting with Version 2002 of Office 365 ProPlus, an extension for Microsoft Search in Bing will be installed that makes Bing the default search engine for the Google Chrome web browser," Microsoft said in the support document announcing the switcheroo. "This extension will be installed with new installations of Office 365 ProPlus or when existing installations of Office 365 ProPlus are updated." Microsoft upgrades Office 365 ProPlus, like Windows 10, twice a year: in the late summer (around August) and the late winter or early spring (February or March). Also, like Windows 10, ProPlus is tagged with a four-digit label in the yymm format. Thus, ProPlus 2002 marks, not a version of the productivity suite from 18 years ago, but the one first issued in February of this year. ProPlus is included with higher-end Office 365 subscriptions, including Office 365 Enterprise E3, Office 365 Enterprise E5, the corresponding academic and government plans, and the even more sweeping Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions. (Office 365 ProPlus also comes in a stand-alone version that omits the usual subscription plans' services.) It is not part of Office 365 Business Premium, Office 365 Business Apps or Microsoft 365 Business - all designed for small businesses - or the consumer-grade plans Office 365 Personal or Office 365 Home. Also omitted from the switch: the "perpetual" license versions of Office, like Office 2019 or Office 2016. Google's gone, but why? "By making Bing the default search engine, users in your organization with Google Chrome will be able to take advantage of Microsoft Search, including being able to access relevant workplace information directly from the browser address bar," Microsoft said. That will put Chrome on an equal level with Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser, which launched a week ago. Edge, which not surprisingly has Bing as its default search, can look up certain internal-to-the-company information - notably documents and other files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint - but also search through Teams chats and the like, from the browser's address bar. Users must be logged in to their account - the one that lets them access their personal computer as well as Office 365 - to use these search tools. IT admins can preempt Microsoft's move and block the Chrome add-on from installing by setting a group policy or configuring Office 365 using Intune or Configuration Manager. This must be done before Office 365 2002 arrives with the extension. IT can uninstall the add-on once it's present using a script or through Configuration Manager; individual users can also switch Chrome's default search engine back to what it was before Microsoft interceded (Google, most likely). Microsoft said that the Chrome search switch would occur, at least initially, only on devices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the U.K. and the U.S. Because Office 365 ProPlus 2002 will be the final upgrade on Windows 7 PCs - after that, Microsoft will provide the retired OS only with security patches for the applications - the changing of Chrome's default search to Bing will presumably happen on those machines as well. It was unclear if Macs running ProPlus - those systems covered by Office 365 Enterprise plans, in other words - would also receive the Chrome add-on. Microsoft also said that it had plans to swap out the default search in Mozilla's Firefox at "a later date" but was not more specific than that. "We will keep you informed about support for Firefox through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and this article," the support document stated. User: 'Are you out of your mind?' Not surprisingly, initial feedback on Microsoft's plan was almost universally negative. People really don't like others mucking around with their software settings. "Are you out of your mind?" asked someone identified as thx1200 in a comment appended to the Microsoft support document used to announce the swap. "Who greenlit this? This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. And I say that as a Bing daily user. Nobody wants an app to change the default search engine. Remove this 'feature' or you might find a lot of people suddenly switching to Google Docs." "Browser hijacking like in the 90s. Are you nuts?" questioned kgbvax in another comment. "Words fail me. When will [Microsoft] stop shoving unwanted 'features' down our throats? The Old Microsoft is back it seems. Please don't go through with this." Others used phrases like "insanely stupid," "keep smoking that good stuff, Microsoft," and "sick joke" in their comments. Elsewhere, users criticized the scheme on reddit.com as did IT administrators on the PatchManagement.org mailing list. An item on Microsoft's Office Deployment Insiders user voice - where testers can up-vote feedback or feature requests - also gained momentum Wednesday, doubling the vote tally in less than a couple of hours. As of 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, the "Do not force push Bing as the default search engine" item had collected 160 votes, accompanied by nearly three-dozen comments. "This is a malware-esque change, Microsoft," asserted someone identified only as Michael. "Dumbest, most hostile thing Microsoft has done in years," decried Anonymous. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday marked the 68th annual National Police Day, which falls on 25 January. The Egyptian president laid a wreath on the tomb for martyrs from the police forces at the Police Academy in New Cairo. El-Sisi was accompanied by Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik. The president also headed a meeting of the Supreme Council of Police members, including Tawfik. He later attended a celebration at the Police Academy. The president honoured families of a number of police martyrs during the celebration. He also conferred the Order of Excellence, first and third classes, on several police officials. The orders were awarded to Assistant Interior Minister for Public Security Sector Alaa El-Din Selim, Aswan Security Chief Hisham Farouk, Gharbiya Security Chief Maged Ragheb Nashed, and Human Rights General Administration Official Manar Mokhtar, among others. The president also conferred the Order of Excellence, third class, on two policemen. The celebration was attended by Tawfik, the House of Representatives Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayyeb and Pope Tawadros II. Search Keywords: Short link: SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The first transitional housing program for transgender and gender nonconforming adults in the nation is now open in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, city officials announced Thursday. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Trans Home SF on Washington Street, located at 1033 Washington St., Mayor London Breed said the new program will help connect its residents with services and permanent housing options. "Housing affordability and homelessness continue to impact our most marginalized communities, including our trans community members, who are 18 times more likely to experience homelessness," she said in a statement. "Increasing housing production and ensuring equity across our city is my top priority, which is why I am so proud to open San Francisco's first Trans Home on Washington Street. This new program will provide trans people with the safety and support they need as they find a permanent home in San Francisco." Under the program, residents will be allowed to stay for up to one year, or longer if needed, while working with housing navigators to find permanent housing. For now, however, the program only has room for eight residents. When the building's third-floor units open in the spring, the three-story, 13-unit house will be able to accommodate 13 residents. Trans Home is part of the Our Trans Home SF program, which supports low-income trans and nonconforming San Franciscans through case management, rental subsidies and housing navigation. Breed has set aside $2.3 million in the city's budget for the program over the next two years. In addition, the Mayor's Office of Housing has awarded non-profit organizations St. James Infirmary and Larkin Street Youth Services $1.5 million annually for the next two years. St. James Infirmary will manage the home while Larkin Street Youth Services will provide support and manage the rental subsidy program. According to the mayor's office, one out of every two trans people in the city have experienced homelessness. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. 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Soren said Netaji gave the slogan---'Jai Hind', which is an epitome of highest respect for the country. "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had given the call 'Jai Hind', this is not just a slogan but a symbol of highest respect for India," the chief minister said. "Today is an important day for the country ... to bow before Netaji is the responsibility for all of us," Soren said. The state government declared the day as a public holiday after it was dropped from the holiday list in 2015. Paying tributes to Netaji, Jharkhand Minister Rameshwar Oraon said that there had been differences of opinions during Netaji's time but there had never been "differences of minds". Oraon, also the president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC), taking a dig at the BJP said nowadays anybody having differences of opinions "are levelled as anti-nationals". "Today is the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the environment now has become 'desh premi' versus 'desh drohi' (patriots versus anti-nationals). If there is any differences of opinions, we take them as 'desh drohi'," Oraon rued. " ... when the Congress gave the slogan quit India in 1942, ... There were differences of opinions, but never differences of minds (then)," Oraon said. He said Netaji was an epitome of sacrifice and discipline as he quit materialistic life in search of freedom of India, taking great pains. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Albany teen has been accused of intentionally starting fires at two Albany locations on Friday: American Legion Post 10 and Divert, Inc. Jacob Brenner Reeder, 19, was arraigned on charges of two counts of first-degree arson, second-degree arson, second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief. Judge David Delsman set Reeders bail at $200,000, and the next hearing in the case was scheduled Feb. 10. The burglary and theft charges allegedly occurred at Divert, Inc., 950 Jackson St. SE. According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, about $800 in power tools were stolen from the location, including two gas bottles, one yellow, one blue, and a torch attachment. Court paperwork indicates that in the second-degree arson, Reeder was caught on video at about 1:21 a.m. Friday using fire to cause more than $1,000 damage to a Divert vehicles door. The affidavit states that at about 5:30 a.m., Reeder started the fire at the American Legion, 1215 Pacific Blvd. S.E. A yellow gas bottle was recovered at the scene. Police believe that Reeder went back to Divert after setting the fires, stole equipment and a pair of orange and white Nikes and set off fire extinguishers inside the companys warehouse. The culprit switched shoes and left footprints from the stolen Nikes on the floor. When Reeder was arrested by the Albany Police Department on Friday at Signs of Victory, 1100 Jackson St. SE, he was spray painting several power tools that reportedly belonged to Divert. The blue gas bottle was recovered, as well, according to court paperwork. Reeder also was wearing the distinctive stolen Nikes, which had fire extinguisher matter on them, the affidavit states. Kyle Odegard can be contacted at 541-812-6077 or kyle.odegard@lee.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The $4.2bn (3.8bn) deal that will see Boeing take an 80pc stake in a joint venture with Embraer's commercial aircraft wing is "mission-critical" for the Brazilian plane maker if it is to withstand pressure from Airbus, according to John Slattery, CEO of Embraer's commercial division. He said that without it, it was difficult to see where Embraer would be within five or 10 years. The joint venture has received regulatory approval in Japan, China and the United States, but the European Commission is still carefully analysing the proposed tie-up, which would also give Embraer the financial muscle to develop a new challenger turboprop aircraft. The commission is expected to make a decision on the deal by the end of April. Mr Slattery, a native of Co Clare, will head the new joint venture. "We're a public company, we're not state-funded, and we're now fighting against the might of Airbus," he said. Airbus owns a 50pc stake in ATR, the aircraft maker that controls about 80pc of the commercial turboprop market. The other half of ATR is owned by Italy's Leonardo. "Let's not exaggerate - that's not a sustainable situation for us to find ourselves in," Mr Slattery told the 'Airfinance Journal' conference in Dublin. "If we were to fast-forward five or 10 years, it's almost impossible to compete with the might, the breadth, the depth of the capability of Airbus. "This for us is a mission-critical transaction, but I believe also for Boeing. Now we want to convince the balance of the regulators that this is good for the marketplace." Mr Slattery said the airlines were "uniformly and without exception" saying that they wanted a "profoundly competitive environment". "This deal is pro-competitive," he said. Embraer focuses on developing smaller-capacity, regional aircraft and has already undertaken a significant amount of work on its plans for a new turboprop aircraft. "If Embraer brings a state-of-the-art, disruptive technology, reducing fuel burn, reducing noise, reducing cash operating cost aircraft to the marketplace, that's good for the owners and shareholders; that's good for the climate," said Mr Slattery, whose brother Domhnal is CEO of Dublin-based aircraft leasing giant Avolon. "Without the JV [joint venture with Boeing], I will not be able to do this," he added of the planned turboprop. He said he would not put any dates on the expected time line for a decision from the European Commission on the Boeing joint venture. "I would say that there are transactions that are being delayed," he said of Embraer's own business. "Customers want to make decisions, but they understand we're fighting with one hand tied behind our back. Operators are feeling the pain. They want the transaction to close." Over 12 hours of intense debate, Montana's U.S. senators split along party lines in their votes on the rules that will govern the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the U.S. Senate. Through 11 total votes that saw attempts by Democrats, who are the minority in the Senate, to force the testimony of Trump administration officials and subpoena documents from the White House, Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines voted along with almost all other Republicans in the Senate to block those efforts. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican of Maine, voted with Democrats on one amendment, though it did not pass. I voted to ensure we have a fair impeachment trial of President Trump in the U.S. Senate, one that respects due process, allows arguments from both sides, and gives President Trump the opportunity to defend himself, Daines said in a statement Wednesday morning. The final rules resolution did include two key changes made by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, before the resolution's introduction. After pressure from moderate Republicans, McConnell allowed each side 24 hours over three days instead of two to argue their case and the automatic inclusion of House evidence into the record. A main sticking point between Democrats and Republicans is if witnesses will be called and when a decision on that would be made. Democrats wanted the matter settled at the start of the trial and had hoped enough moderate Republicans would side with them, but McConnell held his caucus together. The question about witnesses will not be dealt with until the second phase of the trial, likely next week. A Daines spokesperson said Wednesday out that "under the Clinton trial, there was 100% bipartisan support that witnesses would be dealt with in phase two of the trial" and that McConnell's resolution "does the exact same thing" but did not get support from Democrats. Montana's senior U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday he would like to see witnesses called, including former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. We took an oath as jurors to carry out a fair and just trial. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, joined by all of my Republican colleagues, yesterday denied every attempt to do that by blocking testimony from witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the presidents alleged offenses," Tester said. "As the Senate continues to debate the articles of impeachment, I hope my Republican colleagues join me in ensuring the American public hears from witnesses with firsthand knowledge and access to relevant documents. Daines, who is seeking reelection to his second term this year, appeared on CSPAN2 Wednesday morning before the start of the second day of the trial, where Democratic House managers began to present their case. Daines cited arguments the Trump administration and its lawyers have made against impeachment, including saying the impeachment articles are constitutionally invalid because they do not allege a crime. "What's unique about this impeachment trial versus the other two? The other two both had crimes alleged in the impeachment articles; President Trump's does not," Daines said. The argument Trump's lawyers are making is disputed by some constitutional scholars, who say that claims of criminal conduct are not needed for impeachment. A Daines spokesperson said Wednesday, however, that "to remove a president from office, when its the first time in history a crime wasnt included in any articles, and where there is a questionable, uncertain fact trail, is an abuse of power of the U.S. Senate." Daines also said that the process was partisan and an attempt to reverse the outcome of the 2016 election as the 2020 vote looms. Daines has aggressively tied himself to Trump, both backing and defending the president over the last three years. While Tester won his 2018 reelection by his widest margin to date, Daines' seat is generally seen as safe territory for the GOP to keep this year. "This is done in an election year, which really begs a fundamental question as well, which is 'Should the U.S. Senate decide the 2020 election and overturn the 2016 election by removing this president from office?'" Daines asked about the impeachment trial Wednesday. "I put the trust in the vote of this country. They should have that say, not the U.S. Senate." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Thursday unveiled a new flag bearing a 'rajmudra', which was the royal seal used by the Shivaji's empire, on a saffron background. The saffron-dominated revised design led to speculation in political circles about a possible ideological shift for the party, reports said. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue, and green colours. Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Thursday unveiled a new flag bearing a 'rajmudra', which was the royal seal used by the Shivaji's empire, on a saffron background. The saffron-dominated revised design led to speculation in political circles about a possible ideological shift for the party, reports said. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue, and green colours. Raj's son Amit was also inducted into the party on Thursday. Raj unveiled the new flag at the party's plenary meeting in Mumbai's Goregaon. Before unveiling the flag, the MNS chief paid tributes to late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on the latter's 94th birth anniversary on Thursday. During the inaugural session of the MNS plenary meet, he also paid respects to Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, and King Shivaji, BR Ambedkar and his grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray. The MNS was set up in 2006 after Raj split from the Shiv Sena. In August 2019, he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) loan to Kohinoor CTNL. With inputs from agencies DAVOS, Switzerland U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sharply criticized the financial credentials of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday, saying the 17-year-old should study economics at college before lecturing the U.S. on fossil fuel investments. Speaking at a press briefing at the World Economic Forum, Mnuchin was asked whether the world's largest economy needed to completely and immediately divest from fossil fuels. "Is she the chief economist or who is she? I'm confused," Mnuchin said, before adding this was "a joke. That was funny." "After she goes and studies economics in college she can come back and explain that to us," Mnuchin said. Thunberg, alongside 20 other young climate activists, has called on global leaders attending the forum to stop the "madness" of ongoing investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction and "completely divest" from fossil fuels. Tweet 1 In response to Mnuchin, Thunberg said Thursday that "it doesn't take a college degree in economics" to understand ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and our remaining carbon budget "don't add up." "So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," Thunberg said. Donors recognize that the Senate is the place that ultimately holds the line, whether its against impeachment, against what our donors see as far-left proposals emanating from the presidential field, against whatever the current House majority pushes out, Law said. Impeachment is just one more instance when the Senates ultimate firewall role comes into focus, he said. A man fired from a McMinnville-based digital marketing company was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison for launching a cyberattack against his former employer. Kristopher Ives began working for Gearbox Studios in March 2010 as a computer programmer and later as its lead programmer for server architecture and support, according to court records. The website development and hosting company targets the online toy retail market. After Ives was fired on Feb. 9, 2015, for poor productivity and unreliability, he then deleted data from 177 of about 200 customer websites across the country, drastically reduced the price of customer products down to $1 or $2 and stole a credit card database that he had saved, prosecutors said. In addition to deleting nearly 20,000 products from the customer websites, he stole names and credit card numbers from the websites and threatened to release the information unless Gearbox made payment to a bitcoin address, prosecutors said. Gearbox never made a payment and Ives didnt release the credit card information, according to prosecutors. The fraud occurred between February and May 2015, according to court records. His bosses were concerned that Ives might retaliate based on socially aggressive and irritable behavior he had demonstrated in the past with employees and customers, so they held off firing him months earlier before the Christmas holidays and spent the extra time trying to strengthen their computer networks security, according to FBI agent Stephen Roberts. After Ives firing, the company also told investigators that they were aware Ives had been the subject of an OregonLive article in April 2015: Oregon man to Obama: Please come to arrest me for sending Edward Snowden bitcoin. He had publicly taunted then-President Barak Obama on the Reddit social media site after openly defying an executive order that appeared to prohibit Americans from supplying cyber-currency to Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who walked off with classified files in 2013 and leaked them to journalists. Snowden fled to Moscow, where he was granted temporary asylum. Defendant used sophisticated methods to attack his former employer. He also used his experience at the company to exploit weaknesses in their system. Defendant caused thousands of dollars of damage, prosecutor Quinn P. Harrington wrote in a sentencing memo. Gearboxs loss was tentatively estimated at $12,300. A restitution hearing will be scheduled within 90 days. Harrington said Ives fraud was more than a moment where he made a mistake, but spanned months of repeated activity. Ives said he was sorry he caused his former employer so much trouble. Im looking to put this all behind me, and I accept full responsibility, he said. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon ordered Ives be placed on three years of supervised release after his prison term. He must undergo mental health treatment and must submit to computer monitoring and a search of his computers if a probation officer develops reasonable suspicion hes violated any terms of his supervision, the judge ordered. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Subscribe to Facebook page Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 23 January 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 26,309 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,554 pence 20.38 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,540 pence 20.19 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,548 pence 20.30 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 23 January 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 40,049 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 20.35 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 20.20 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 20.30 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 23 January 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 29,649 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 20.40 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 20.20 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 20.29 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 27.53 USD 21.11 GBP which was calculated as of 21 January 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 204,745,979 Public Shares outstanding, or 210,428,599 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 6,210,771 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005769/en/ Contacts: Media Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk Will the reform momentum be sustained? On the political front, the event that topped Brazils good news list last year was the well-publicised enactment of a major pension reform, after several years of efforts to contain the cost of the countrys highly generous social security system. The move is helping to put public finances back on a more sustainable path. The announced measures, which include higher minimum retirement ages and contribution rates, as well as less generous pension incomes, should allow the government to save nearly BRL 800 bn over the next ten years. The primary budget should thus improve from a near-1.5% deficit to about a 1% surplus (as a percentage of GDP) by 2030, stabilising the debt ratio at just below 100% of GDP. Without a reform, the ratio would have increased to over 140% of GDP in the same timeframe. The reform should also bolster investor and business sentiment, as it will allow for more efficient public investment, which social spending has crowded out so far (chart 5). Without further reforms, investors anxiety will soon resurface. Despite the reforms long-term economic benefits, it will also unfortunately prove to be insufficient. A public debt ratio approaching 100% of GDP is high by emerging market standards. Without further fiscally consolidating reforms, investors anxiety regarding the fiscal credentials of the Brazilian government will soon resurface. One positive signal in this regard is the fact that both congressional leaders (speaker of the Chamber Rodrigo Maia and Senate President Davi Alcolumbre) as well as pro-market Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes appear committed to additional reforms. However, with the October 2020 municipal elections approaching, and much of the centre-right and centre already getting together to defeat Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections, the window of opportunity to advance new and complex fiscal reforms is very narrow. Let us not forget that the pension reform had been in the pipeline for almost four years and that Congress was able to use the groundwork of the previous administration to advance quickly. On the other hand, efforts to simplify the highly complicated tax code, introduce more flexibility in extremely rigid government expenditures, and privatise some of the governments public assets have not even begun. Moreover, these efforts will likely face much stronger opposition than the pension reform, especially given Bolsonaros divisive attitude and lack of legislative coalition. Sound macro fundamentals despite weak public finances From a fundamental standpoint barring weak public finances Brazil fares relatively well compared to other emerging economies. Inflation is contained and the financial system is sound. From a fundamental standpoint, Brazil fares relatively well compared to other emerging economies The current account deficit has admittedly widened over the past two years, but it remains in check and, more importantly, is fully financed by sizable foreign direct investment inflows (chart 6), while international reserves amount to almost one-fifth of the countrys GDP, in line with the rest of the emerging world average. Finally, government debt is too high, but the vast majority is domestically held (chart 7), which mitigates the vulnerability. The external position is therefore robust. Abating trade tensions should ultimately prove positive In 2020, the external environment should remain conducive to Brazils continued positive momentum. Brazil is admittedly one of the most closed emerging economies: trade openness, defined as exports plus imports as a percentage of GDP, is just over 20%, compared to ~40% in Peru; ~50% in Chile, Turkey, and South Africa; and ~80% in Mexico. Brazil will benefit from the relative de-escalation of US-China trade tensions But Brazil will still benefit from the relative de-escalation of trade tensions between the US and China initiated at the end of last year. First, higher commodity prices (e.g. oil, gold) are a support for the economy, and second China is by far Brazils main export market, distantly followed by the US (chart 8). We could argue that, in the short term, Brazil may lose some of the exports (e.g. soybeans) it had gained when China diverted its US-sourced imports to Brazil at the height of trade tensions last year. However, the truth is that in the long run, a trade war that hindered the growth of both China and the US would have had negative consequences for all their trading partners, without exception. Obviously, there is no room for complacency whatsoever. Risks surrounding the implementation of the phase 1 trade deal, as well as upcoming key sticking points in the phase 2 discussion, mean that uncertainty remains and any re-escalation should lead us to revise our outlook for emerging markets including Brazil. The restaurant in the centre of the capital is set to reopen in June, a year after the fire which tore through the building. The fire, which took place in May 2019, began in the building's basement before spreading through the building to the roof. It destroyed five apartments, caused masses of material damage and resulted in two people being rushed to hospital for smoke inhalation. The restaurant was forced to close down, while residents were moved to accommodation elsewhere. The work needed to restore the building after such extensive damage is expected to conclude in June, according to a press conference given by city mayor Lydie Polfer on Wednesday morning. The building, which belongs to the municipality, requires mass refurbishment after the destruction caused by the flames and water. Polfer underlined the fact that fire doors had been ordered as part of the restoration. The Brasserie Guillaume will renovate its rooms from top to bottom to reopen in a new light. During the reconstruction works, the other restaurants (Osteria, Altra Osteria and Pas Sage) were able to partially offset the loss of income, selling oysters at markets and organising the Carpaccio Festival at the neighbouring Osteria, but it is time for manager Sebastien Sarra and his teams to be able to welcome customers again. Sarra said their architect was working alongside city services to complete the work as fast as possible, allowing for authorisation and Luxcontrol checks. IRCTC to launch second Tejas train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai on Jan 17 IRCTC to pay Rs 63,000 in compensation to passengers of Tejas express delayed for over an hour India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 23: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Wednesday said it will pay Rs 100 in compensation each to around 630 passengers of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express due to a delay. The express, the second IRCTC-run train that commenced commercial operations from January 19, was delayed for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon as it was entering Mumbai. The train reached the Mumbai Central station around 1 hour and 30 minutes late. "Passengers will have to apply as per our refund policy. They will be given refund after verification," said the IRCTC spokesperson. Tejas Express: IRCTC's 2nd private Ahmedabad to Mumbai train flagged off According to railway officials, the premium train departed from Ahmedabad at 6.42 am, two minutes late. But it arrived at Mumbai Central at 2.36pm instead of the scheduled time of 1.10pm. The Tejas Express and a few other suburban and outstation trains were held up due to a technical problem between Bhayander and Dahisar stations on the outskirts of Mumbai. "...the OHE (Overhead Equipment) on UP fast line between Dahisar and Bhayander did not hold power from 12.15 hrs. It was restored between Dahisar-Mira Road at 12.30 hrs and between Mira Road and Bhayander at 13.35 hrs," said a spokesperson of the Western Railway. Until 3.30pm at least eight suburban services were canceled. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News The IRCTC spokesperson said that as the train was delayed, around 630 (of the total 849 passengers) who traveled upto Mumbai Central will be given compensation. As per the IRCTC's policy Rs 100 are paid for a delay of over an hour and Rs 250 for a delay of over two hours. It means the Corporation will be paying around Rs 63,000 to passengers, depending upon the number of claims. IRCTC to unveil Ramayana, Nava Jyotirlinga Yatras for pilgrims: Check fare, itinerary and more IRCTC officials said passengers can claim the compensation by calling 18002665844 or by sending an email to irctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in. They will have to provide a cancelled cheque, PNR details, and Certificate of Insurance (COI) number. Sources said several passengers were irked by the delay. The train was given a two-minute "technical halt" at Andheri for the benefit of those who wanted to reach the airport. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 9:03 [IST] Authorities are seeking information related to the shooting death of a 64-year-old man outside his Pemberton Township home. Kenneth J. Ryan, of Apache Trail in the Browns Mills neighborhood, was shot in the head Monday and died Wednesday at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, according to the Burlington County Prosecutors Office. The prosecutors office and Pemberton Township police are investigating. Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113, the Pemberton Township Police Departments tip line at 609-894-3352, or send an email to tips@co.burlington.nj.us. Jenna Wise may be reached at jwise@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JennaRWise. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Cassia Tandiono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 13:37 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060aa0fd 3 Opinion refugee,refugees-camp,asylum-seekers,Indonesia,United-Nations,United-Nations-High-Commissioner-for-Refugees,UNHCR Free The word "refugee" invokes a melange of unwelcoming images: a teeming boat adrift off the coast of Libya, a bloated child in Afghanistan, slums reduced to rubble in Bangladesh. Displacement, due to ethnic, religious or political violence has been a never-ending reality for generations of refugees and is a phenomenon perilously intensifying day by day. With the United States' assassination of Iranian army general Qassim Soleimani, the world has entered into another ugly cycle of war-terror-dehumanization. The American invasions, Iran-Saudi conflict, militias and terrorist groups have all played a significant role in creating the largest refugee crisis since World War II Witnessing yet again divisive, oppressive forces that give rise to victims of conflict, I realize that the refugee crisis is one of solidarity, testing our humanity's collective conscience. Currently, Indonesia is temporarily hosting about 14,000 refugees who are waiting for resettlement to countries that signed the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Although much effort has been made by various countries across the globe, the last few years have seen a sharp decline in support of refugees. Politicians aren't just closing their borders to refugees through immigration policy reform, but also reducing their contributions toward refugee protection programs. The "Our Country is FULL!" statement US President Donald Trump tweeted in April has had ripple effects on leaders across the globe. The UNHCR reportedly failed to meet its budget by US$3 billion every year since 2016. Our neighbor Australia did not merely push back refugee boats reaching its shores but implemented budget cuts for refugee aid in Indonesia and introduced a tougher policy for resettlement in their country. From 14,000 refugees in Indonesia, only hundreds were resettled. Although worldwide compassion toward alleviating the plight of these individuals has decreased, it is with the belief that as long as there are those who care, I have confidence refugee protection can still ensue. The reason is that 2019 gave us Greta Thunberg, who proves to us all that "no one is too small to make a difference and change the world. Through Indonesia for Refugees (IFR), my team and I empower refugees through vocational training and education programs. As we pull down the machine lever to form a bar of soap, soap making became an opportunity to restore their spirit. By selling these handmade products, the refugees and I strive toward socioeconomic inclusivity for displaced communities worldwide. For the refugees, the IFR's programs serve as ways to spend their time more productively and equipping themselves with skills that might be useful in their new home. However, behind the facade, they are stuck in a limbo, settling here and there, routinely living without knowing where they will be brought next, uncertain of their future. The government has shown a commitment to protecting these refugees. Since the Indochina crisis in 1975, the government has followed the non-refoulement principle, which means refugees would not be forced to return to their place of origin where their lives would be threatened. Indonesia even built temporary housing in Batam, Riau Islands, for around 100,000 Vietnamese refugees. President Joko Jokowi Widodo took the humanitarian step against political popularity to sign Presidential Decree No. 125/2016 on the treatment of refugees from abroad. This decree provides legal certainty and standard procedures on coordination and effective collaboration among the mandated government agencies when dealing with refugees. Furthermore, this ensures their basic human rights, such as access to education through public schools or other informal programs. Despite the progress, much still needs to be done regarding the refugees' inalienable rights. As a starting point, Indonesia should consider participating in the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. This will certainly take time and resources, but Indonesia now has better financial resources and political capital than before. Perception matters. The illustration of refugees is one of burden. This is one of the predominant reasons why lots of countries are unwilling to take in refugees. But these appearances are deceptive. For these countries that do take in refugees, they find many optimistic results. While the US leans on a hostile approach to refugees and migrants for political aims, a study by international think tank OPEN demonstrated that refugees actually contribute to the economy. OPEN found that for every US dollar a government spends on refugees, there is a return of US$2 in the economy within five years. This study drew on the US example of Vietnamese refugees from the 1970s, tracing their employment rates and average income over the years. In this case, public investment in these refugees led to increased labor supply in otherwise unskilled fields in the short run and job creation from entrepreneurship in the long run. I strongly encourage the Indonesian government and citizens to take into consideration these similar studies. If signing the 1951 Refugee Convention takes longer to decide, the next viable alternative would be the state allowing refugees to work in the formal sector and give them access to formal financial services, from microfinancing loans to freelance work permits. Both will enable the government to track the impact of refugees on the Indonesian socioeconomic sphere in comparison to leaving them in informal job sectors, which further burdens the government. To offer personal insight, my internship at Forbes Indonesia showed me lists of the upper echelon of Indonesians. It turns out, some of those individuals in the private sector are also second or third-generation migrants that came to Indonesia in the hope of a more prosperous life. Now, other than creating wealth for their families, they have generated jobs for many and play a significant role in the country's economy. The same chance to build a future should also be fairly given to refugees. Their undying willpower to find a new home is what fuels my spirit to fight for refugee rights. Indonesia is a country with a conscience. We have long believed that humanitarian concerns must be a part of our foreign policy, not a departure from it. We must act with an amplified sense of our humanity as opposed to a belief in barriers and barbed wire. The refugees have taught me that progress is always possible because small steps lead to big changes. *** Student at Pelita Harapan School Kemang Village, chief editor of a student-run magazine and Indonesia for Refugee manager. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Harris County jurors on Wednesday sentenced a Houston woman to 50 years in prison for a 2016 purse snatching that turned fatal. The jury panel had convicted Kenia Lashan Wilkins, 24, of felony murder and handed down the sentence in the death of 30-year-old Meng Bo, according to the Harris County District Attorneys Office. Stephen Driver, one of the prosecutors on the case, said Bo died in a senseless act of gun violence. She was a Chinese national who worked in human resources for PetroChina International (America) Inc. in Houston. Kenia Wilkens was a wolf in sheeps clothing, Driver said. She is young, diminutive and unassuming, but hidden behind that camouflage was a violent predator who took a beautiful life far too soon. Witnesses found Bo shot late Dec. 26, 2016, at the Camden at Holly Springs apartment complex in west Houston, court records show. Despite Navy sailors efforts to perform CPR and save her, Bo died at the scene. Houston police connected Wilkins to the crime through a vehicle that witnesses saw her racing away. The man who owned the car told authorities he was visiting the complex and saw Wilkins struggling with Bo over a blue purse. He heard a gunshot, got in his car and left, he said. He later met up with Wilkins and confronted her about the shooting. But he purchased the Bos iPhone, which had been stolen in the robbery, police said. Authorities arrested Wilkins two weeks after the shooting. When interviewed, she said, I shot the b---- and described the purse. samantha.ketterer@chron.com Some senior TDs can still retire in their 50s and claim gold-plated retirement packages while workers are being told they will have to wait until 67 to receive the State pension. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin (59) and Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin (62) could both quit politics in the morning and be entitled to substantial annual pensions and severance payments. Tanaiste Simon Coveney (47) could retire and claim a reduced pension and lump sum before he draws down his full package when he is 50. Meanwhile, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were yesterday still in chaos over their positions on the pension age. Fine Gael could not confirm its policy after Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty contradicted Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's commitment to introduce a transitional payment matching the pension for anyone retiring at 65. Struggled Fianna Fail also struggled to set out its plans to review next year's increase in the pension age to 67. However, it has committed to introducing a transitional payment for people aged 65 and over who will be forced to leave their jobs. The party's finance spokesperson, Michael McGrath, said the review of the pension age is "not about kicking it down the road" but "being fair to people". Both parties are waiting on official costings on their pension commitments from the Department of Finance before they publish their election manifestos. They are also set to come under increasing pressure today when a Siptu-led coalition launches a campaign calling on the next government to abandon plans to increase the age for the State pension. The coalition also includes the National Women's Council of Ireland, Age Action and Active Retirement Ireland. Siptu deputy general secretary Ethel Buckley said the parties must introduce legislation preventing the age increase once the new Dail is elected. "Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are deliberately obfuscating the issue," Ms Buckley said. While the pension age is set to increase, some politicians can still retire at 50. Those elected before April 1, 2004, can qualify for a full pension and lump sum from the age of 50. They can retire on a reduced pension lump sum and pension at any time between the age of 45 and 49. Those elected after April 1, 2004 must be 65 to qualify for a full pension and lump sum. But they can retire on a reduced pension at any time between 55 and 65. Mr Coveney, who was first elected in 1998, could retire in three years and be entitled to an estimated 78,287 annual pension along with 119,339 lump sum. To buy his pension from a private pension company would cost an estimated 1,687,064. His spokesperson said he has "no intention" of retiring and hopes to remain in public life for the "foreseeable future". Mr Howlin, who was first elected in 1987, would be entitled to an estimated 140,399 lump sum and a 88,527 annual pension if he were to retire. To buy his pension from a private pension company would cost an estimated 2,792,634. "These are notional figures and I've no intention of drawing down a pension anytime soon," Mr Howlin said. Campaigning Mr Martin, who has been a TD for 31 years, would be entitled to an estimated 140,399 lump sum and a 88,527 annual pension if he were to retire. To buy his pension from a private pension company would cost an estimated 2,792,634. A Fianna Fail spokesperson said Mr Martin is not retiring and is campaigning to lead the next government. Meanwhile, former taoiseach Enda Kenny will be paid an estimated 100,000 annual pension after stepping down from public life. Mr Kenny's full yearly payment takes into account his years serving as a minister and taoiseach and includes his 46,800 Dail pension. It would cost 3.2m to buy the same pension from a private company. Mexico Probing Three New Possible Cases of Coronavirus After Ruling Two Others Out Officials in Mexico said Thursday that tests for two patients who were suspected of having the 2019 Novel Coronavirus came back negative, but tests were pending for three other possible cases. The only patient in the Americas confirmed as having the coronavirus is one in the United States. Gloria Molina Gamboa, the Secretary of Health of Mexicos Tamaulipas state, said in a statement that a possible case in the state, which borders the U.S. state of Texas, was ruled out after samples returned negative. The 57-year-old doctor was diagnosed with Adenovirus Rhinovirus, that is, a common cold, she said. The state is free of coronavirus, Molina Gamboa stressed. The announcement came one day after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters about the potential case. The office of Mexicos Secretary of Health said later Thursday (pdf) that there were five cases in total, with two, including the Tamaulipas one, testing negative. Tests for the other three, all in Jalisco state, were pending. In Brazil, Julio Croda, the director of the countrys Health Ministry, told reporters that a suspected case in the country was ruled out for the moment. He repeated several times that there are no suspected cases of coronavirus in Brazil, though he said that the case could be updated in the future. The ministry considers suspected cases to involve patients who show respiratory symptoms and have traveled to one of the areas where the virus has been active within two weeks of the onset of the symptoms. According to the World Health Organization, only the city of Wuhan in China is on the list of places where the virus has been active. The suspected case Brazil announced this week, Croda said, doesnt fit the definition because the patient was in Shanghai, not Wuhan, and didnt report having contact with any people who showed symptoms of the coronavirus. Croda did not say if test results from the patient informed his remarks. The coronavirus has spread to at least six countries but all are in Asia except for the United States. Medical staff members wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province. (STR/AFP) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Tuesday the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the country, in the state of Washington. The patient recently returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of pneumonia caused by this novel coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019. While originally thought to be spreading from animal-to-person, there are growing indications that limited person-to-person spread is happening. Its unclear how easily this virus is spreading between people, the agency said in a statement. The patient returned to the United States on Jan. 15 and sought medical care in Washington and was treated. Because the patient had recently traveled to Wuhan, they were tested. Test results came back positive. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that risk to the general public is low and that both local and state health departments were prepared for the contingency. They have practiced and drilled for this situation, and they were ready. The quick response also shows the importance of a strong public health system, which we have here in Washington state. We want to make it clear: our teams are employing a layered approach to combat this. We have strong partnerships and a tiered public health system in place, he added. We take this very seriously and, while this is the first case in the U.S., there will likely be others. Washington state will continue to work to share information and help however we can. Ileana Alescio contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 00:39:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces seized over 3.6 tons of marijuana as part of anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism operations in southeastern and eastern Turkey, local officials said Thursday. Gendarmerie forces uncovered 2.3 tons of drugs during operations in mountainous and rural areas of Diyarbakir Province, the governor's office was quoted by semi-official Anadolu Agency as saying. In separate operations in Diyarbakir's Lice district and the eastern province of Bingol, security forces seized over 1.3 tons of marijuana, according to local officials who did not name any specific organization. For decades, Turkey has been struggling against narco-trafficking organized by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a main source of income for the movement. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, has been in an armed campaign against the Turkish government for more than 30 years. Apart from the drugs, security forces also found and destroyed three winter shelters, three surveillance posts, one underground depot, and a number of handmade explosive devices. International community is not doing enough to protect the persecuted minority, human rights defenders say. Activists have called for stronger action to stop the ongoing genocide against the majority-Muslim Rohingya ethnic group after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he was against broad-based economic sanctions against Myanmar. At a joint press conference with Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyitaw on Wednesday, Tillerson said he favoured individual sanctions against military officials based on credible and reliable information of their involvement in atrocities. Responding to Tillersons call for an independent investigation, Tun Khin president of Burmese Rohingya Organisation based in the UK asked how such an investigation would be carried out when the military is refusing to allow a fact-finding mission on the ground. Rohingya people are facing genocide in the 21st century. This is the time to act. What the US and the international community is doing is not enough, said Tun Khin. According to a report published on Tuesday by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Fortify Rights, there is mounting evidence of genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar. These crimes thrive on impunity and inaction, said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer of Fortify Rights in a statement. Condemnations arent enough. Without urgent international action towards accountability, more mass killings are likely. Tun Khin called for targeted sanctions against Myanmars military, which has driven out about 600,000 Rohingya from western Rakhine State into neighbouring Bangladesh since August. Every day Rohingyas are being killed and their houses burnt. Its two-and-a-half months since the military offensive began and still atrocities are continuing, he said. We demand that Myanmar be referred to the ICC [the International Criminal Court] and the UN peace-keeping force be deployed to protect the lives of Rohingya. We also need a UN-mandated global arms embargo on the country. {articleGUID} Human rights activists have also lambasted a report by Myanmars army that said no Rohingya civilians were killed in the military crackdown launched in the wake of deadly attacks on soldiers by an armed Rohingya group. Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist based in Germany, said the army will never admit its crimes against the Rohingya which troops have been committing for the past 39 years. They have committed many crimes against other minorities as well such as Karen, Kachin and Shan, said Ro Nay San Lwin. Myanmars army has transferred Major-General Maung Maung Soe, who was behind the crackdown against the Rohingya, to another post. But Ro Nay San Lwin said this was just a public relations exercise. This was done to show that they [the military] are taking actions ahead of Tillersons visit. In an interview with a Washington-based news outlet, Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai said he will announce later today that he is not seeking reelection to the state House this year. Turzai, ago 60, has been speaker since 2015, presiding over a House majority caucus that has prided itself on stopping every general tax increase proposed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, even as that has opened the door to an increased reliance on legalized gambling, higher cigarette taxes and other targeted fees. Ive been honored to serve, and its been an amazing journey, but its good to move on and let another generation of leaders develop, Turzai told the Washington Examiner in an interview published Thursday morning. He described it as a tough decision, but said he decided: Its time. Its time to pass the torch on to another generation of leaders. And Im actually quite comfortable with that. Turzai, who also discussed his decision with a Pittsburgh radio station at 10 a.m., will elaborate on his announcement at a general news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. at his suburban Pittsburgh legislative office. Thursdays news wraps a week of rumors and whispers at the state Capitol that didnt need much of a spark to ignite because of where we are in Pennsylvanias political calendar. Starting next week, all candidates for the state legislature and Congress can start gathering voter signatures to earn a place on their party primary ballots, making this the period where final decisions have to be made about whether one is in the race, or not. Some 14 state House members have already said they are retiring after this year. But then theres also Turzais particular position in the states Republican Party firmament, where he is seen as a potential candidate for governor in 2022, or possibly even the U.S. Senate should incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey opt not to seek re-election. Turzai mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor in the 2018 campaign cycle that was hampered, some feel, by the tension between serving as Speaker of the House - with all of the Harrisburg policy and political party demands that brings - and at the same time trying to raise money for his own political goals. To do what he did, which was being a full-time dad, full-time speaker and full-time candidate, all simultaneously, is very difficult, said Jeff Coleman, a former state lawmaker who now runs a political consulting firm called Churchill Strategies. Colemans firm has worked with Turzai campaigns in the past. Turzai found himself lagging way behind other Republican contenders like former state Sen. Scott Wagner, the eventual nominee, and Pittsburgh businessman Paul Mango, and wound up abandoning his 2018 effort after the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee threw its endorsement to Wagner. Whatever Turzai decides to do next in politics, Thursdays announcement will bring to a close a remarkable Harrisburg career marked by a dogged persistence on conservative policy goals that eventually saw success in areas like holding the line on state taxes, reducing the growth of the states overall debt load, and the creation of a mechanism for businesses to provide scholarships to private and parochial schools. He also, with the help of pro-gas industry allies in the House, almost singlehandedly thwarted an agreement by Democrat Wolf and the majority Senate Republican caucus to impose a severance tax on natural gas pulled from Pennsylvanias Marcellus Shale reserves. But Turzais signature policy win, in the eyes of most Pennsylvanians, will always be the presence of beer and wine sections in their local supermarket. The mercurial attorney from the suburbs of Pittsburgh arrived in the state House in 2001, after winning a special election. He moved into House Republican caucus leadership and was elected majority leader when the GOP retook the majority in the House in the 2010 campaign cycle, and became Speaker after the retirement of Sam Smith in 2014. This year, however, Turzai has failed on attempts to push a number of his top personal legislative priorities through, including a bill that would have authorized a single-district, school choice program aimed at providing new options for families in the troubled Harrisburg School District; and a restructuring of the governance of the Pittsburgh Airport. He also saw Wolf successfully veto his bid earlier this year to dramatically expand his tax credits-for-scholarships program. It is not immediately clear what Turzais next day job will be after leaving the House. As this week unfolded, reports emerged that Turzai could eventually go to work as an executive for Essential Utilities, the rebranded public utility firm resulting from Aqua America Inc.'s just-approved $4.3 billion acquisition of Peoples Natural Gas, the largest natural gas supplier in western Pennsylvania. That consolidation was approved by the states Public Utility Commission Jan. 16. Turzai is close friends with Chris Franklin, Aqua Americas chief executive officer. A spokeswoman for Aqua America said its corporate policy is not to comment on speculative employment matters. VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) has written to AP Governor B. Harichandan alleging that the YSR Congress government had violated norms in the State Legislative Assembly. In a letter to the Governor, TDLP alleged that YSRC members abused TD legislators and Speaker T. Sitaram showed bias towards YSRC. TD MLAs K. Atchan Naidu, N. Rama Naidu, Adireddy Bhavani and G. Butchaiah Chowdary, among others, signed the letter. TD legislators stated, We are distressed to inform you about the indecorous, unlawful and undemocratic functioning of the AP Legislative Assembly at the behest of the Chief Minister, ministers and important functionaries of the ruling YSRC. Putting aside all precedents and traditions, the conduct of Speaker has been openly biased in favour of the ruling party. They alleged that the opposition members were openly pressurised, abused and threatened on the floor of the Assembly. Some of the ruling party members, in fact, physically attacked the opposition members, while the Speaker remained a mute spectator to the happenings in the house. The TD MLAs further charged that the biased functioning of the Speaker was evident in the manner the opposition members were thrown out of the house without either taking consent of the house or moving a motion to suspend them from the house. They claimed that the Speaker abruptly summoned marshals and got them thrown out in an unceremonious manner. They lamented that it was disgusting to observe Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy himself egging on his ministers and MLAs to attack the opposition members. By Express News Service BENGALURU: While several sheds were being demolished in Marathalli, Whitefield Division police on Tuesday arrested a family of three Bangladeshi nationals, who were illegally staying in the city. The police said that the accused are Mohammed Lokman (55), his wife Jasmin Begum (45) and their son Raasel (22), and the family hails from Barisal village in Pirajpur district of Bangladesh. They were working as daily wagers. DCP (Whitefield) MN Anucheth said that based on specific information, the police traced them near Thubarahalli lake and they were taken into custody. The police seized their documents Bangladesh National ID card and birth certificates and the family has been booked under Foreigners Act. virginia gun rally Stephanie Keith/Reuters Thousands of heavily armed men and women braved the 30-degree temperatures in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday to proudly show off their firearms and its accompanying accessories. Some enthusiasts near the Virginia capitol carried a .50 caliber rifle capable of firing armor-piercing rounds or an underbarrel grenade launcher. One controversial radio host even rode in an armored vehicle and warned through its PA system, "If they try to take our firearms, 1776 will commence again!" Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Thousands of heavily armed men and women braved the 30-degree temperatures in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday to proudly show off their firearms and its accompanying accessories. The annual gun-rights rally was largely held to lobby lawmakers and protest the new set of gun-reform bills proposed by a Democratic majority in the Virginia House and Senate. The rally was clouded by safety concerns, which Virginia's Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, said was prompted by "credible threats of violence." Northam cited state intelligence that indicated armed militia groups were planning to storm the Capitol during the event, prompting him to declare a state of emergency and issuing a temporary ban against firearms on Capitol grounds. While thousands of unarmed gun enthusiasts entered the Capitol grounds to protest, thousands more stood outside the secure zone, toting their firearms and tactical accessories. Here are some of the firearms and equipment the enthusiasts displayed at the rally: Around 6,000 people were estimated to have taken to the Capitol, and another 16,000 outside a secure zone. 2a virginia rally Jim Urquhart/Reuters Protesters chanting "we will not comply" and waving signs likening gun control to racism flooded the area, armed with their firearms and tactical gear. Despite the presence of firearms, the protests were largely peaceful. A 21-year-old woman was arrested and charged with wearing a mask at the event, despite multiple warnings from law enforcement officers, according to ABC News affiliate WVEC. Story continues M203 grenade-style launcher. Virginia rally m203 grenade launcher Stephanie Keith/Reuters One person decked out in tactical gear carried an underbarrel M203 grenade-style launcher attached to a modified assault weapon, which appeared to include a collapsible buttstock for greater firearm control, a laser mount for accuracy, and a holographic sight. These modifications surpass the effectiveness of standard-issued gear for many US service members, but may have also complied with existing laws for the general public. Colt Manufacturing, the iconic company that once created M-16 and AR-15 variants, was one of the few companies that produced a $2,000 M203 that complied with civilian regulations. This particular M203, which would ordinarily be used for 40mm grenades by the US military, may have been repurposed to shoot 37mm non-lethal smoke and flare rounds. Terradyne armored vehicle. alex jones virginia rally Leah Millis/Reuters Conservative provocateur and embattled showman Alex Jones rode inside a truck made by the Canada-based armored vehicle company Terradyne. "If they try to take our firearms, 1776 will commence again!" Jones reportedly yelled in a microphone, referring to the year when the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Britain. Terradyne includes a 6.7 liter V-8 turbo diesel motor capable of producing 330-horsepower for all of its rapid-patrol vehicle variants, including a civilian version. The company on its website describes the vehicle for "discerning individuals" who require "executive protection" or a "rolling panic room." Barrett M82A1. Virginia gun rally Stephanie Keith/Reuters Another person was pictured clinging on to a Barrett M82A1, a rifle capable of firing armor-piercing .50 caliber rounds. The individual, who owns an indoor shooting gallery in New York, according to The Washington Post, said he visited the rally to show his support for gun rights. "This sends a strong visual message," the man said to The Post. "The government is not above us. They are us." Virginia has no regulations that prohibit the ownership of .50 caliber rifles, according to the gun-reform group Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The rifle, which is distributed in limited amounts to combat-focused US military units and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel, is used only in special circumstances, such as shooting vehicles or unexploded ordnance from a safe distance. Tactical gear. virginia rally Jim Urquhart/Reuters While some of the protesters carried firearms capable of inflicting serious damage against buildings and vehicles, others wearing tactical gear were content with their assault weapons. Some of the attire, which resembled that of a law enforcement personnel in an urban environment, included VELCRO patches that displayed their blood type and allergies features that are typically displayed on uniforms by police and US service members operating in austere conditions. Read the original article on Business Insider NEW DELHI: N Ganapathy Subramaniam (NGS), Chief Operating Officer, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on Thursday hailed the central government for taking inputs from the industry and promoting foreign investments. TCS COO further said that the industry expects a ''business-friendly budget.'' Speaking about his expectation from the Union Budget 2020, Subramaniam said, ''I hope that this will be a business-friendly budget. The way the government has been taking inputs and promoting foreign investments. As well as, questions related to what each industry needs have been asked and we have been very explicit about what we want.'' The TCS COO said that ''the government has been very receptive'' and expressed hopes that the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ''will pull something great for all of us.'' Live TV He also outlined how TCS can play its role in making the world better for the next generation, the technology used for the creation of greener world, and challenges that emerge from the geopolitical tensions during a candid chat with Swati Khandelwal. Subramaniam said this on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget on February 1. A 17-year-old girl killed in a drive-by shooting was shot by a gun for hire used in another murder, Scotland Yard said. Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was socialising with friends when she was shot dead from a vehicle in Tottenham, north London, in April 2018. A month earlier, 20-year-old Joseph Williams-Torres was killed in a case of mistaken identity in Walthamstow, east London. Although the Metropolitan Police say there is no suggestion that the two murders are linked, forensic tests on the bullet recovered from Taneshas body found that the same handgun was used. Please help us build the case against Taneshas killers and bring justice to her familyDCI Neil John Detectives are releasing details about the weapon, which was also used in three other shootings, in efforts to find Taneshas killers. A Czech-made Browning handgun, with its serial number removed, was discovered wrapped in a towel inside a bag by a member of the public on Tudor Close in Highgate, north London, on May 19 2018. It is believed it was a gun for hire that had been circulating in the local area for at least a year, according to the Met. Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from the specialist crime unit, said: I strongly believe there are people in the local community who know who killed Tanesha and I would urge them to come forward. The killers of Joseph are now serving life in prison thanks to a strong body of evidence against them. Please help us build the case against Taneshas killers and bring justice to her family who naturally are still very much struggling with their overwhelming grief and loss. Please #SHARE Recognise this Vauxhall Meriva? Shots fired from the rear on 2 April 2018 Chalgrove Rd Tottenham killed Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, 17. Vehicle later burnt out in Ludgrove Ct Barnet. Help us track this vehicle - and the murder weapon: https://t.co/3bNVfBEPho pic.twitter.com/abiAPa2gLG Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 23, 2020 Josephs killers Hamza Ul Haq, 21, Loic Nengese, 19, and a 16-year-old were locked up for life at the Old Bailey two weeks ago. Ul Haq, of Manor Park, was jailed for a minimum term of 28 years, while Nengese, from Walthamstow, was locked up for a minimum of 21 years and the 16-year-old youth was locked up for at least 18 years. Joseph was shot dead by the members of the Mali Boys gang as he sat with a friend in a van on Essex Close in Walthamstow on March 14 2018. The trio were with a group of other males when the same gun was fired at a rival gang member at Hoe Street, Walthamstow, on May 9 2017. On September 29 2017, a 27-year-old man was shot in the leg in Leyton, east London, and a 39-year-old man was shot in Forest Gate, east London, on December 30 2017, both with the same gun. Detectives believe that following Josephs murder, the weapon was then passed to another gang. Tanesha was shot dead on Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, at about 9.35pm on April 2 by a gunman in a silver Vauxhall Meriva people carrier. The mentor to younger teenagers, who had seven siblings and half-siblings, died at the scene and the car, with the registration KS56 NKG, was found torched in Barnet five days later. Detectives believe that there were at least two people inside the vehicle and at least two more shots were fired into the street. The suspect who fired the shots is described as a black male with a slit in his eyebrow, and wore black clothing, including black gloves. Tanesha was not somebody who got herself into problems. She had friends all over, she was always a peacemaker, Taneshas mother said. Its disgusting how youngsters are able to put their hands on guns like this. They really should be into doing something better with their lives rather than taking other peoples lives. Scotland Yard said there have been five arrests made as part of the investigation into Taneshas death. A 30-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a 22-year-old man all arrested on suspicion of murder have been released under investigation pending further inquiries. A 50-year-old man and 26-year-old man were arrested and subsequently released with no further action. Anyone with information is asked to contact police in confidence on 020 8358 0100, tweet @MetCC or stay contact Crimestoppers. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on January 23, as of 08:00, some roads are difficult to pass in Armenia. The ministry told Armenpress that Vardenyats Pass is open for all types of vehicles. Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass for all types of vehicles. The Georgian side informed that Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles. Drivers are urged to use winter tires. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan New research shows real-time social media data may have been a source of military intelligence for the Kremlin and potentially other governments Online discourse by users of social media can provide important clues about the political dispositions of communities. New research suggests it can even be used by governments as a source of military intelligence to estimate prospective casualties and costs incurred from occupying foreign territories. In a new University of California San Diego study, researchers examine data from Twitter during the 2014 conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian television narrative, which is that a fascist coup had taken place, did not "catch on" in Ukrainian Russian-speaking communities. The only exception was Crimea. This could explain why Russia's forces did not advance further than Crimea's borders, as Russian analysts may have observed overt signals, including some from social media, that they would have faced strong and violent resistance. "If you're a conservative Russian military planner, you only send special forces to places where you are fairly certain they will be perceived as liberators, not occupiers," said they study's first author Jesse Driscoll, associate professor of political science at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. "A violent occupation of Russian-speaking communities that didn't want the Russian soldiers to be there would have been a public relations disaster for Putin, so estimating occupation costs prospectively would have been a priority." The study, published in Post-Soviet Affairs, does not present evidence that Russian analysts used Twitter data - only evidence consistent with its potential to be repurposed using the methods in the paper. Through reconstructing how the Russian-state narrative was received by Russian-speakers living in Ukraine, the researchers were able to determine the areas where it would have been safest for Russia to send special forces. This bore an eerie resemblance to the map of where Russian soldiers actually went - Crimea and a few probes in the far East, but no further. How Twitter could have been used by the Kremlin to determine if Russian soldiers would be welcomed as liberators or invaders In the study, the data from Twitter was collected in real time beginning in August 2013. The researchers compiled tweets with GPS coordinates of social media users who had their locations services turned on. Though data was collected from all over the world (roughly 940,000,000 tweets), the researchers filtered the data by time (the 188 days from February to August 2014), location (Ukraine) and language (Russian). "We were most interested in Russian-speakers in Ukraine because that is the population which might have considered sedition," said Driscoll. The researchers then created two dictionaries to identify key words associated with the two polarized and competing narratives of the news cycles at the time. "All of this started with an event that the Kremlin still calls a 'coup' and Western governments call 'The Revolution of Dignity' - very different narratives there," Driscoll said. "The framing language of 'terrorism,' was prominent in anti-Kremlin users and 'fascism' was popular among pro-Kremlin tweets. These two narratives were frequently employed in news coverage during the six months in the study, including on Russian and Western television news programs." The authors used the twitter data to measure narrative uptake as a window into which storyline was favored in Russian-speaking communities. After manually screening for automated accounts ("bots"), this process yielded 5,328 tweets from 1,339 accounts, which were interpreted by a team of Russian-speakers in Ukraine who read each tweet to identify their political affiliation. Machine-learning algorithms were then used to create a much larger sample for analysis. With further filtering, the team identified 58,689 tweets as pro-Kremlin and 107,041 as anti-Kremlin. The researchers then mapped out the data over each Ukrainian state, or oblast, comparing the percentage of tweets in each of the two narrative categories. A new source of intelligence to gauge the potential support for foreign military intervention Though there was some pro-Kremlin sentiment expressed on Twitter in every oblast, the spatial visualization of the data showed Crimea as an outlier based on its high pro-Kremlin percentage. "If Russian strategists were likely considering expansion beyond Crimea, they would have been able to use social media information to assess, with a great deal of precision and in real time, the reception that they would likely receive," Driscoll and his co-author wrote. "Our data shows that further expansion beyond Crimea could have resulted in an ethnic bloodbath." Though other studies have focused on how polarized media "bubbles" allow conflicting coverage of the same events, the departure in the Post-Soviet Affairs paper is its emphasis on the potential for social media data to be repurposed for crisis decision-making. "Our conjecture is that these planners would have been eager for information on social attitudes of Ukrainians," said Driscoll "Our claim is not that social media is the only way to get this information - the Kremlin has lots of eyes on the ground there - but it does provide a granular picture that analysts from different countries can observe in real time, even from a great distance." It is easy to imagine military crisis-bargaining applications of these methods. Mainland Chinese analysts may be hungry for real-time updates on Taiwanese public opinion. U.S. analysts may be interested in the opinions of youth groups in Iran. Social media is a new frontier in this space. Driscoll and his co-author concluded, "We favor the analogy between information warfare techniques and airplanes at the start of the First World War. Conventional militaries are just beginning to explore the ways that emergent information technologies can shape battlefields. As techniques for real-time data mining become commodified, they will be integrated into best practices for counterinsurgency and, more generally, into military planning. This paper has shown one way in which they could have been useful." ### Driscoll's expertise focuses on Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Russian-speaking world. He is chair of the School of Global Policy and Strategy's Global Leadership Institute. Led by Congressman Adam Schiff, House Democrats began making a strong case before Senators to remove President Donald Trump in the third ever impeachment trial in the American history. Knowing that they are unlikely to succeed in ousting Trump from the White House as Republicans enjoy a 53-47 majority in the 100-membered Senate, the managers of the House, wherein Democrats enjoy a majority, had their arguments on the Senate floor with an eye on the November elections. Making a strong plea before Senators, Democratic Congressman Schiff, who is the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, accused Trump of using his power to cheat in the elections. Today we will begin our trial with the factual chronology. The facts are damning. We're going to lay them out in great detail in our chronology today, Schiff told reporters before he went to the Senate to argue against the president. In his opening argument, Schiff quoted founding father Alexander Hamilton who imagined a scenario in which future president would put personal interest ahead of that of the nation. We are here today in this hallowed chamber, undertaking this solemn action for only the third time in history, because Donald J Trump, the 45th President of the United States, has acted precisely as Hamilton and his contemporaries had feared," he asserted. President Trump solicited foreign interference in our democratic elections, abusing the power of his office by seeking help from abroad to improve his reelection prospects at home. And when he was caught, he used the powers of that office to obstruct the investigation into his own misconduct," Schiff said. The 435-member House on December 18 charged Trump with "high crimes and misdemeanors" and impeached him for pressuring Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential Democratic rival for the current president in the 2020 elections. The days proceedings on Wednesday began with Senate Chaplain Barry Black prayer. "Help them remember that patriots reside on both sides of the aisle, that words have consequences, and that how something is said can be as important as what is said. Give them a civility built upon integrity that brings consistency in their beliefs and actions," Black said. The impeachment trial is being presided over by the Supreme Court's Chief Justice John Roberts. As per the ruled of the trial passed by the Senate Tuesday, House managers and lawyers on behalf of Trump will have 24 hours to present their cases over the three days. As per the decorum guidelines, during the impeachment trial, Senators are supposed to stick to their seats and not talk to others, and not bring cell phones or tablets to the floor. But a number of Senators on both sides were seen breaking this decorum. I am not somebody who is very good at sitting at one place, said Senator Pat Thune. On the Senate floor, Senators were allowed to drink only water and milk. A large number of Senators were seen drinking milk. Trump's lawyers led by Pat Ciplollone and Jay Sekulow are planning to make a strong defense for the president. Based on their multiple television interviews and interaction with reporters they are likely to paint Trump as a victim of a partisan charade. We will challenge aggressively the case that they're putting forward based on what we're hearing, and we also have an affirmative case as well, Sekulow told CNN on Wednesday. They're not here to steal one election. They're here to steal two elections. It's buried in the small print of their ridiculous articles of impeachment. They want to remove President Trump from the ballot, Cipollone said. Soon after Trump returned to the White House after attending the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, the White House alleged that Schiff's one-sided impeachment report -- the document that serves as the basis for Democrats' entire case -- is nothing but a partisan hatchet job. Rather than drawing more attention to their flimsy, fake 'investigation,' Schiff chose to deflect and make up more lies about President Trump, it said. Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein said the case made by the House impeachment managers is a fact-based case that lays out how Trump tried to trade nearly USD 400 million in appropriated funds for Ukraine in exchange for its interference in our upcoming presidential election. We also continue to hear from the House managers about why we need to have access to documents and witnesses, she said. Thanks to the internet, smartphones and changes in specific employment laws, working remotely has become more popular. Employers are looking to attract the best talent and one way to do this appears to be to offer flexible working contracts, with flexible start times and the option of working from home. This makes for both the employer and the employees as research does suggest that it can improve productivity and happiness. With a commitment from government officials and local business groups to develop the citys economy beyond the famous nightlife-scene, Las Vegas is currently regarded as one of the best places in the country to start a business. For freelancers and entrepreneurs, starting a business from home is the obvious place to begin; reducing business-expenses (and some of the financial risk) significantly when compared to the cost of renting an office. Working remotely has also seen an increased level of adoption by businesses across different sectors even when employed by a more traditional business such as a bank. Working from home has many perks. You can reduce your carbon footprint, trim hours from your working day thanks to the lack of a commute and reduce the number of interruptions that hinder your focus. Working from home as a startup business or entrepreneur, also has many pitfalls however, and presents new challenges that you may not have anticipated when putting together your business plan. This is especially true if you are a freelancer trying to manage clients and juggle & align your responsibilities at home as a parent. Being aware of the potential pitfalls including: Interruptions such as people knocking at the door Lack of focus/discipline Lack of a distinct boundary between work & home life Lack of a distinct working-space Ensuring you have the right software and hardware tools before you begin can help you to get off to a productive start. It can also be a good idea to work from a co-working office or even the cliche coffee shop for a few days per week to begin with and compare how productive and focused you are to the days that you work from home. In Las Vegas, to begin trading you will require a business name, address, a Nevada business license and tax information. Remember to check your business name is unique and if you want to use a website in anyway, ensure theres a relevant domain name available by searching a website such as GoDaddy. Internet Setup & Configuration The basic essentials for working from home include a secure, high speed and reliable internet connection. If you are self employed you should definitely have some kind of backup internet access. Internet outages are not uncommon and if you are running a business from home, a lack of internet can be a financial disaster. A 4G router for a desktop device is the easiest backup to implement. As your business grows you will also have to make sure you have a suitable internet package and contract. You may also need a VPN Virtual Private Network if you are accessing secure documents on another businesses cloud/resources, oh and your own computer. Office Setup & Furniture If you have a tiny house (like I do), then it might not be possible to have an entire room dedicated to your business. This is not ideal but if you cannot dedicate a room to be business-only then an area will do. Wherever you work from at home, consider investing in the following: A Laptop Monitor Back in the 2000s, I was a personal trainer. I had 2 clients who worked on laptops all day and both had prominent bulges in their necks from being hunched over a laptop all day. If funds allow, buy a suitable monitor, keyboard and mouse that can turn your laptop, into what will essentially be a desktop computer. Sitting down all day is bad enough for your health but being slouched over is really bad for you both mentally and physically. An ergonomically-sound workstation If you are one of the millions of Americans to suffer from back and neck pain, an ergonomically-sound workstation is essential. Since youre at home and dont care too much what you look like you could also invest in a stability ball chair, or just a stability ball. Active-sitting has a range of benefits for your back, core strength and circulation. It will pay off in terms of energy & energy levels, as well as health in the longer term. Whatever you sit on; ensure that you have correct posture and that your desk is at the correct height in relation to your chair. Correct Lighting You may have to invest in some blinds or a glare screen for your monitor if you are working on it all day. Whether you are working at home or at the office, you should also consider a blue light filter for your web browser to help improve sleep patterns and reduce eye strain. Paper Shredder & Scanner With data & confidentiality laws becoming stricter with every passing year, you will need to at least consider investing in a paper shredder for your business documents. A printer is also a must for most businesses and should also be on the checklist of things to invest in. Fortunately, both printers and scanners are relatively cheap these days and frightfully small, so its easier than ever to kit out your home office with limited room. A Virtual Identity Address, Receptionist, Telephone Number If you are looking to create a professional image, then it might be necessary to invest in a virtual office address and telephone number. Although attitudes are certainly changing, in order to obtain clients in some niche-markets it is worth considering purchasing an office address to give the impression that you do not work from home unfortunately there may still be a little stigma. A virtual receptionist from the likes of Moneypenny can benefit your business in several ways. For example, you can reduce interruptions during the day by sending calls to your receptionist, you can relax at the end of the day knowing a receptionist is handling all your calls and sales-leads and at the same time you can provide a professional image to any potential clients who will think that you have your own office receptionist. Obviously, you will also want a website, which will display all of your contact details. Again, this will make your business seem more professional and even legitimate to anyone who visits your website and sees your contact details. Trust is an important factor when prospecting for clients. Mobile Phone Apps It is worth mentioning a few mobile phone apps that might be worth investing in when running a business from home. Invoicely Invoicely, has a free plan and 3 other plans costing from $9.99 to $29.99 per month. As you might have guessed, this app allows you to create and send invoices a must for being paid on time. You can also maintain your professional image with branded invoices. It also allows you to accept online payments so that clients can pay invoices immediately and track your own expenses. A great tool for helping to keep your own books. Toggl In order to manage your time and even to charge your clients appropriately, you will also need some time tracking and time management apps. Toggl allows you to track and analyse your time and see where your time is best spent in terms of how much each client is paying you. You can also sync everything between desktop and mobile devices. Simple yet essential; time management is one of the key ways to prevent burnout when you get started running your own business. So Many Tools for Freelancers & Entrepreneurs It is hard to know what you need and what you dont when you get started running your own business you can become overwhelmed just planning or contemplating working from home. There are certainly more tools that might be worth considering including a VOIP phone system for one. We hope this article has been helpful. Press Release January 23, 2020 400 nursing moms gather in Taguig to donate breast milk for 'Taal' babies An estimated 400 nursing mothers have come together in Taguig City on Thursday to donate breast milk for babies affected by the Taal Volcano eruption. Senator Pia S. Cayetano, in partnership with the Human Milk Bank of Taguig City, conducted a day-long breast milk letting event on January 23 at the Lakeshore Tent in Lower Bicutan, Taguig. The event dubbed, "Breast Milk Ko, Alay Ko," was made open to all volunteer breastfeeding mothers, including residents and non-residents of the city. The donated milk will be stored and processed by the Taguig City Human Milk Bank, and delivered to different evacuation centers in the province of Batangas. "The essence of this is mothers helping other mothers," Cayetano said during an ambush interview with media on the sidelines of the event. The milk letting activity is in response to the appeal of the Batangas provincial government for breast milk donations for families who have been displaced by Taal's eruption. It also follows the Department of Health (DOH) advisory encouraging breast milk donations for areas affected by the disaster. "Nobody will dispute that breast milk is best for babies. But what do we do when, for some reason, a mother cannot provide that for her baby? There are moms who breastfeed but during a state of stress, their milk supply gets affected. That's why we are trying to help out to those in need," the senator explained. "That is my challenge for all nursing mothers in Taguig and in other places, I hope they can also contribute. For those who have reached out and expressed interest to donate, we will assist. If we can collect those milk from different mothers, we will do so," she added. Meanwhile, the senator also pointed out that all donated breast milk collected from the event will be properly pasteurized to ensure that it is safe and clean. "We want to be sure that the donated breast milk will be in good condition for the babies who will receive them," Cayetano noted. A breastfeeding advocate, the senator authored the Expanded Breastfeeding Act (RA 10028), which encourages health institutions to establish human milk banks. Cayetano also authored the Children's Emergency Relief and Protection Act (RA 10821), which requires breastfeeding areas to be set up in evacuation centers to enable mothers to feed their babies in private. "I have been a breastfeeding advocate for over 10 years now. I did my very first milk bank activity in Makati, and we've done it in Cebu and other places, including Taguig. I also personally breastfed my children," the senator shared. Furthermore, she encouraged other local government units (LGUs) in the country to initiate their own breast milk letting activities for the benefit of mothers who cannot nurse their children. "It would also be great for other LGUs to have similar activities like this. Even if there are no calamities, breast milk letting remains a good practice," she said. The FATF in October last decided to keep Pakistan on its 'Grey' list for failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups. (Photo Credit: Representational Image/Twitter) New Delhi: With active support from China and tactical backing of some Western countries, Pakistan may be out of the 'Grey List' of the international terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force or FATF. Pakistan submitted its compliance report at a meeting of the FATF in Beijing on Thursday and succeeded in getting support from the FATF current chair China and a few Western powers. "The next plenary of the FATF will be held in February in Paris and Pakistan needs just 12 votes out of 39 to exit the 'Grey List' and move to 'White List'. There is a strong possibility of Islamabad getting enough support to exit the 'Grey List'," an Indian official privy to the development said. Extending support to Pakistan, Beijing on Today's meeting said that Islamabad has made "visible progress" to strengthen its counter terrorism financing system, which should be encouraged by the world community. A Pakistani delegation led by Minister for Economic Affairs Division Hammad Azhar briefed the financial task force about the steps taken by Islamabad to implement the recommendations made by the FATF. "As FATF president and co-chair for Asia Pacific Joint Group, China will continue to uphold an objective, just and constructive attitude and participate in relevant discussions," he said. The FATF in October last decided to keep Pakistan on its 'Grey' list for failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and others. If not removed off the list by April, Pakistan may move to a blacklist of countries that face severe economic sanctions, such as Iran. (With inputs from PTI) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. WINNIPEG - The massive investigation and search last summer for two young men wanted for three killings cost the RCMP in Manitoba and British Columbia about $1.5 million. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Security camera images recorded in Saskatchewan of Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, are displayed as RCMP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Hackett steps away from the podium after speaking during a news conference in Surrey, B.C., on Tuesday July 23, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck WINNIPEG - The massive investigation and search last summer for two young men wanted for three killings cost the RCMP in Manitoba and British Columbia about $1.5 million. Cpl. Julie Courchaine said Wednesday that Manitoba RCMP spent less than $800,000 during the 17-day search through the province's northern terrain for Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and Kam McLeod, 19. B.C. RCMP estimate their costs at $750,000, said Sgt. Janelle Shoihet in an email. Those costs include the major crime investigation and specialized support services such as air services and forensic identification. It does not include the cost of the Canadian Armed Forces, whose members were also involved in the nation-wide search. A national RCMP spokeswoman in Ottawa said in an email she was not in a position to give a total amount. The investigation began July 15 when the bodies of American Chynna Deese and her Australian boyfriend Lucas Fowler were discovered near B.C.'s Liard River Hot Springs. Two days later, a burned truck registered to McLeod was found about 60 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C. The body of University of British Columbia lecturer Leonard Dyck was located nearby. The search continued east in the following days. Dyck's Toyota Rav 4 was found burned near Gillam, Man., on July 23. Mounties descended on the area of dense brush and difficult terrain. Local community leaders said at the time that anxiety was high for residents as police searched for the suspected killers. Items belonging to the suspects were eventually found about eight kilometres from the truck. That led to the discovery of the bodies of Schmegelsky and McLeod in brush near the shore of the Nelson River on Aug. 7. RCMP have said Schmegelsky and McLeod expressed no remorse for the killings in six videos they left behind. Schmegelsky said their plan had been to march to Hudson Bay, hijack a boat and travel to Europe or Africa. But in another video he said they had reached a river that was too large and fast moving, so they planned to take their own lives. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: "We have a very broad agenda of reformswhich in the face of implementation will create better opportunities for our people," President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said while responding to moderator's questions at a panel discussion on Strategic Outlook: Eurasia held as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trend reports. "I think the most important now, especially taking into account the regional situation and new emerging conflict zones is the regional stability. We dont have internal risks in the country whether it is political risks or economic risks, country is stable, development is sustainable. We have a very broad agenda of reforms which in the face of implementation will create better opportunities for our people. The main concern and the main potential nightmare would be aggravation of tension beyond our borders. And for that, unfortunately, we are not responsible, and we cannot to full degree influence that process. Responsibility lies on the super powers, on the big powers which must agree on certain issues between themselves so that this fragile stability is not shaken more," President Ilham Aliyev said. "We see those tensions close to our borders, we see tensions in Afghanistan we see unresolved situations there. We are ourselves subject of occupation by Armenia and this is a permanent source of threat, 20 percent of our territories are under Armenian occupation in violation of international norms and United Nations Security Council Resolutions. We see aggravation of tension with respect to US-Iranian relationship, and many other hotspots in the region which are already flaring our potential. Therefore, we are very interested in safety, security, and predictability beyond our borders, because even economic difficulties outside of Azerbaijan can influence our economic and social situation. Therefore, I think stability in the region is the main concern which we have, and instability in the region is the main nightmare if I may put it so," President Ilham Aliyev said. A former Carlisle Police Department detective has been indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of committing a bevy of crimes while in official positions, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday. Christopher Collare, 52, is accused of accepting sex or money in exchange for not appearing at an evidentiary hearing in 2015, the office said. In 2018, he agreed to accept sexual favors in exchange for helping to reduce a potential sentence, prosecutors said. He also distributed heroin in 2016, the office said. Between 2011 and 2018, he gave drugs to confidential informants and allowed informants to keep drugs they obtained during controlled buys, defrauding Carlisle and the Cumberland County Drug Task Force in the process, the office said. Carlisle Police Chief Taro Landis said Collare retired from the Carlisle Police Department in October 2018. This is a very disappointing situation, obviously, but the alleged conduct is not indicative of the fine work and professionalism of the rest of our officers, Landis wrote in an emailed statement. I see their work every day. Our residents see their work every day. I am very proud of the job that the Carlisle Police Department does and that has not changed as a result of this announcement. Collare started as a police officer for Carlisle in 1996, according to ABC27 News. He was a member of the drug task force from November 2011 to May 2018 and a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation task force from November 2015 to May 2018. He also lied on a federal form he completed during the process of becoming an FBI task force officer and made multiple false statements in an interview with federal agents in May 2018, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. He was indicted on charges of bribery, drug distribution, fraud and making false statements. Collare lives in Blythewood, South Carolina, the office said. U.S. Attorney David Freed recused himself from the case because he worked with Collare in his previous job as Cumberland County district attorney. U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler is handling the case. Daniel Walmer covers public safety for The Sentinel. You can reach him by email at dwalmer@cumberlink.com or by phone at 717-218-0021. Imports of poultry, products made of it and thermally unprocessed products made of poultry from Ukraine is temporarily suspended, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumers' Protection said on its website on Thursday. According to the report, this information was received from the European Commission in the evening on January 22. According to the regulator, eggs and egg products do not fall under these restrictions. "Ukraine, in accordance with international obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Organization for Animal Health, urgently warned its international trading partners about the detection of avian influenza. Ukraine's steps to control and eliminate avian influenza are recognized as conformed to those taken by EU member states. Given the reports of numerous conformity assessment missions, the outcome of negotiations and preliminary arrangements given the EU's decision is stunningly unexpected for the Ukrainian side," the ministry said. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 22, 2020 Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus Monrovia, Liberia, 17 January, 2020: The Solicitor-General and Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus has described as very unfortunate and absolutely disgraceful but not surprising, an emotionally charged press release issued by the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) at the behest of its political activist President, Cllr. Tiawan S. Gongloe, publicly rebuking and condemning him for a recent statement allegedly attributed to him (Cllr. Cephus). In the Press Release, the LNBA accused Cllr. Cephus of threatening to arrest Cllr. Finley Karngar, a member of the LNBA, for his (Kangar) alleged failure to produce the living body of Henry Costa, whom he had signed for at the Liberia Immigration Service(LIS) and promised to produce, whenever needed but who has fled the country. The LNBA release said assuming that Cllr. Finley did sign for Henry Costa to have him produced whenever needed by state security for an investigation, he (Cllr. Kangar) was no longer under obligation to do so, because the Liberian Government knew that Costa had fled the country and that the Government said it had begun arrangements with its Sierra Leone counterpart to have Costa extradited back to Liberia, and therefore, the guarantee note executed by Cllr. Kangar had become moot. The LNBA release further noted that Cllr. Cephus being the Solicitor-General of Liberia and also a member of the LNBA, lacks the legal authority to arrest a member of the LNBA who has not committed any offense under Liberian law, and therefore, called on Cllr. Cephus to exercise his authority within the scope of the law, and with regard to the rights of all Liberian citizens, including lawyers, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Liberia and the international bill of human rights. Concluding, The LNBA press release further warned that it will not tolerate any violation of the rights of lawyers in the execution of their professional obligations to their clients by the Solicitor General or any official of Government and reminded the Solicitor-General to always take cognizance of section 12.70 of the Penal Law which prohibits the abuse of public office. The Press Release said that the LNBA will not hesitate to institute actions and impose appropriate sanctions on Cllr. Cephus if he were to carry out the threatened arbitrary arrest of Cllr. Finley, in order to send out a clear message that the Bar will not condone the subjection of lawyers to harassment by state actors and shall always defend lawyers in the protection of their duties. But in a carefully worded press statement, Cllr. Cephus categorically denied the allegations and said that he is taken aback that the LNBA press release is solely based on an alleged recent statement attributed to him as a person, in particular, and his office, as the Solicitor General and Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Liberia, without the courtesy of first reaching out to him and then ascertaining the facts as to whether or not such statement was ever made. Cllr. Cephus termed as absolutely baseless the LNBAs statement that he lacks the legal authority to arrest a lawyer, noting that as Solicitor-General and Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Liberia, he has both the statutory and constitutional power and authority to arrest any violator of the law, including but not limited to any lawyer who will deceive state security by signing for an accused person facing criminal investigation, and thereafter, aiding and abetting the accused person to escape criminal prosecution. Cllr. Cephus who is also a certified counsel of the International Criminal Court(ICC) in The Hague, The Netherlands, and Vice President of the Madrid based AEA International Lawyers Network, described the LNBA press statement as an unprovoked attack on his person, image and profession as well as the office of the Solicitor-General, and noted that it is quite shameful and totally embarrassing that the LNBA leadership purportedly comprising of seasoned and professional lawyers, could not summon the unbridled courage and character to invite him to a conference, or present to him any complaint emanating from any member of the LNBA, seeking his side of the story, if any, before issuing such an emotionally charged and disdainful press release. He said if Cllr. Gongloe is responsible enough and knows the values and tenets of a responsible leadership, he would have called a meeting of the Executive Council of the Bar, solicit suggestions before issuing any press release that denigrates a member of the LNBA. Cllr. Cephus said the press statement issued by Tiawan Gongloe in the name of the LNBA is nothing but a libelous campaign purely intended for publicity purposes, and therefore advised Cllr. Gongloe to desist from taking unilateral actions and using the name of the LNBA to besmear the characters of those who do not share his political view. Cllr. Cephus further described the LNBA press release and its unfounded allegations as nothing but a verdict without a trial and stressed that the LNBA needs a responsible leadership, with a cool and modest temperament that will accord every citizen including its members a fair hearing, no matter the gravity of the allegations attributed to them. He added that the issuance of the press release by the LNBA merely on the basis of a recent statement attributed to him without any formal investigation to establish the fact, demonstrably shows that the LNBA is facing a serious leadership crisis, and needs the help of senior lawyers to redeem it from the clutches of blind political activists, to once again assume its pioneering role as a responsible democratic institution. Cllr. Cephus said the LNBA leadership in recent times has been hijacked by political activists and radicals that are using its strips and edifice to propagate their own selfish political agenda to the detriment of other LNBA members. In the release, Cllr. Cephus noted that the allegation contained in the press release by the LNBA is nothing but its (LNBA) own figment of imagination, either driven by ignorance or mischief or both, and interspersed with personal hatred and jealousy of its political activist President Taiwan Gongloe simply to tarnish his enviable legal credentials as a former defense counsel, spanning over a decade, in clear violation of his constitutional rights to due process. Cllr. Cephus in the release reminded the LNBA to take judicial cognizance of Article 20(a) of the 1986 Constitution by according all and any of its member falsely accused of any incident a fair and just hearing consistent with due process prior to issuing threats to impose appropriate sanctions. Cllr. Cephus also reminded the LNBAs political activist President and leader of the Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) Cllr. Gongloe that the constitutional rights that are accorded legal practitioners under Article 21(i) of the 1986 Constitution, do not include the right to execute guarantee notes in favor of an accused person, undergoing formal criminal investigation, but rather the right to be present at every stage of an investigation and provide legal guidance to the accused person. The release further described as appalling the claims by the LNBA Press Release and its political activist President Tiawan Gongloe that once the Government of Liberia was aware that Costa was in neighboring Sierra Leone, the information rendered the guarantee note executed by Cllr. Kangar moot, and therefore, he (Cllr. Karngar) was no longer under any legal obligation to produce or answer any question regarding Costas appearance for investigation. Cllr. Cephus said such a level of reasoning by the LNBA press release written at the behest of its political activist President, Tiawan Gongloe unwittingly exposes... Tiawan Gongloe in particular but also highlights the seriousness of the crisis that exists between his intention and expression when it comes to addressing critical national issues. He said it is all too clear that there is serious leadership crisis in the LNBA for the fact that the Press Release issued is premised on what the LNBA termed a recent statement attributed to Cllr. Cephus, and without inviting to hear his side of the story, if any, proceeded to maliciously attack his person and position as Solicitor-General and Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Liberia. Cllr. Cephus, however, reminded the LNBA and its political activist President that public knowledge about the whereabouts of Henry Costa did not in any way render moot or terminate the guarantee note or preclude Cllr. Finley Kangar from producing Mr. Costa for investigation whenever he was needed. Cllr. Cephus noted that given the fact that he too was once a public defender, and provided legal services to clients in similar circumstances, he has been out rightly (sic) reluctant to hold Cllr. Finley Kangar to the terms and conditions of his own guarantee note, and further called on the LNBA not to create the mistaken impression that lawyers are above the law and can do anything and go with impunity. He said signing a guarantee note in favor of a criminal defendant to produce him/her at any time when needed is not one of the rights that is constitutionally guaranteed especially so when the criminal defendant takes to flight. Cllr. Cephus said as critical as the payment of Bar due is for the smooth running of the LNBA, Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe is yet to pay his Bar due for the year 2020, which is a sheer demonstration that he is not leading by examples; instead, he spends a lot of time, sitting comfortably behind the title: President of the LNBA and issuing unnecessary press releases, badmouthing the government of Liberia and its officials for all the wrong reasons. Concluding, Cllr. Cephus reminded the LNBA to be responsible and respectful in dealing with allegations involving Liberian citizens, not least LNBA members who do not share the political view of its political activist President and maintained that the office of the Solicitor-General and Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Liberia will always uphold the rule of law and will use the appropriate provisions of the law to hold accountable individuals be it legal practitioners regarding the full implementation of the legal instruments executed by them no matter their status or profession, without fear and favor. Thanks. Signed:___________________________ Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus Solicitor-General & Chief Prosecutor/R.L. Mobile: +231886185268/777380-646 Phuket ferry suspended after pickup truck rolls off the deck, into the sea PHUKET: A small ferry operating between Phuket and Koh Yao Yao, off Phukets east coast, has been suspended from operating after a pickup truck that was not tied down rolled off the boat and into the sea off Koh Siray yesterday afternoon (Jan 22). marineSafetytransportaccidents By Khunanya Wanchawet Thursday 23 January 2020, 06:20PM The pickup rolled into the sea while the ferry was returning to Phuket. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The ferry, called Koh Yao, departed for Koh Yao Yai at 2pm, Phuket Marine Office Director Wiwat Chitchertwong told The Phuket News. The accident occurred at about 3pm while the ferry was returning to Phuket, he added. There was nothing to prevent the vehicle from falling into the water. The owner of the truck did not apply the handbrake, and there were no tethers to prevent the truck from moving, Mr Wiwat said. The owner was not in the truck when it fell, so he was safe, he added. The boat has been impounded and taken to Jian Wanit Pier in Rassada to be inspected by officials, Mr Wiwat said. The ferry boat owner will buy a new vehicle for the truck owner and be responsible for recovering the sunken pickup from the water, Mr Wiwat assured. I have already ordered the ferry boat operator to place a buoy at the location where the truck sank, he said. I ask all local local fisherman and tour operators to avoid the area until the truck is removed for safety, Mr Wiwat added. Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub Defending the amended Citizenship Act, BJP president JP Nadda on Thursday said that many former Prime Ministers from the Congress including Jawaharlal Nehru and Manmohan Singh were supporting the minority refugees, who came from Pakistan and Bangladesh. "Nehruji has said that help should be given to the minorities on whom atrocities are committed in Pakistan ... Manmohan Singhji, in 2003, had said that atrocities are being committed on Hindus in Bangladesh, and he added that the responsibility of settling them in India should be ours," Nadda said at his first rally after being elected unopposed to the post of BJP president. Further attacking the leaders, especially from 'Dalit' community who have opposed CAA, Nadda said: "Today many big Dalit leaders are opposing CAA. They do not know that 70 per cent of them (refugees) who have come to India are Dalits. They have been given the right to live in India. They have been given the citizenship." The BJP president also slammed the Congress, accusing them of "having no knowledge about the CAA" and "spreading rumours" about the Act. "Their (Congress and other opposition parties) politics is over. They have realised that the country is now changed and is moving forward at a fast pace under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," said Nadda. The CAA grants Indian citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Yang Gang needs every bit of help it can get in achieving Iowa viability, and Marianne Williamsons doing her bit. Photo: Sean Rayford/Ethan Miller/Getty Images Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamsons announcement that shes lending her support to surviving candidate Andrew Yang in Iowa (though not yet endorsing him) drew some chuckles from those wondering what support she had to share (other than in Fairfield, home of the transcendental meditationfocused Maharishi University and a Williamson stronghold). In the most recent Iowa poll for CNN, the Des Moines Register, and Mediacom (taken right before she laid off her campaign staff), Williamson registered zero support and an insanely poor 8/51 favorable/unfavorable ratio among likely caucusgoers. But even if the best-selling author and apostle of a politics of love has few tangible assets to hand over to Yang, her gesture is a reminder of how important candidate coalitions can be in Iowa, particularly on Caucus Night itself, when rivals can become friends and allies very quickly. The way the process works is simple if time-consuming: At each precinct site, attendees are divided into preference groups for the various candidates. Depending on the number of state delegate equivalents (a highly technical term thats congruent with county delegates) a precinct has, there will be a viability threshold for securing any delegates at all; except for the really small precincts, that threshold is going to be 15 percent of total attendance. A second division of caucusgoers is held in which members of nonviable groups can realign (or if they wish, go home) after a brief period of electioneering in which viable candidate groups implore them to join. In a race like this years with four candidates clustered at the top in Iowa, and with support distributed pretty evenly around the state, you could have third-place, fourth-place, and perhaps fifth-place candidates near the viability threshold in a lot of precincts. So second-choice preferences can matter a lot, and beyond that, campaigns may guide their nonviable groups to move in a particular direction based on their overall strategy. Lets say for the sake of argument that the Buttigieg campaign is worried about the Klobuchar campaign squeezing it out for fourth place statewide and a ticket out of Iowa. It might suggest its supporters go elsewhere in a precinct realignment. In the past there have even been formal statewide alliances in which campaigns agree to support each others candidates in situations where they fail to reach viability. This happened in 2004, when the Iowa campaigns of John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich cut this sort of deal, and it probably helped Edwards achieve a second-place finish. Theres no word of anything like that happening so far, but without question, tactical maneuvering with or without statewide coordination is going to be a big deal on Caucus Night if the race stays as close as its been. The Yang Gang may be competing for viability here and there, and if they are close, they will need all the help they can get, even from the scattered devotees of Marianne Williamson. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, visits academician Zeng Qingcun on Jan. 22, 2020. Wang on Wednesday extended festive greetings to all working in culture, education, science and technology sectors, on behalf of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Wednesday extended festive greetings to all working in culture, education, science and technology sectors, on behalf of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, visited several prominent figures Wednesday morning and extended greetings of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 25 this year. Wang paid visits to a renowned movie actor, two academicians and a law professor, commended their work and listened to their advice. They expressed gratitude for the care from the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core and support to the Party's policies on advancing culture, education, science and technology causes. Wang called on all working in culture, education, science and technology sectors to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and make new contributions to the country. >>> Resolution seeking EPs ratification of EVFTA, EVIPA approved Focus newspaper wrote in its article published on the same day that after being supported by the INTA, the EVFTA is now just waiting for the EP's plenary session to be approved. The article cited the INTAs statement in Brussels, Belgium, saying that this is considered to be the most comprehensive and ambitious agreement reached by the EU and a developing country. According to Focus, after its entry into force, 65% of taxes on EU exports to Vietnam will be eliminated, while the remaining taxes, with a few exceptions, will be removed within 10 years thereafter. Meanwhile, 71% of taxes on Vietnamese goods exported to the EU nations will be removed, and in the next seven years, up to 99% of the remaining taxed will be eliminated. It said that Vietnam, with a population of over 95 million people, has achieved a high economic growth in the last decade. Meanwhile, Suddeutsche Zeitung (Sz) (South German newspaper) said the EVFTA is likely to be approved and come into force, adding that in the next month, the EP will approve this agreement and the adoption after the INTA's resolution is considered quite certain. German news radio Deutchlandfunk said the INTAs approval of the EVFTA gave a green light for the EPs ratification. It also highlighted that Vietnam is considered an important producer of electronics and textiles for the European market. Topagrar information website said that the INTA's support paved the way for the free trade agreement between the EU and Vietnam, which was signed after eight years of negotiations, and could become into force after it is ratified at the EPs plenary session. Along with the EVFTA, the INTA also adopted the recommendation to approve the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) on the same day. Unlike the EVFTA, the EVIPA requires not only the approval of the EP and the European Council, but also the approval of each EU member state. The school "is recognized with this distinct honor because of its deep focus on social and emotional learning in students, a shift away from traditional grading practices toward a standards-based system, and an expansion of academic support services for students struggling in their courses, according to the resolution filed in the state House by Didech. Ten people were missing after a boat carrying 20 migrant workers capsized off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island, a search and rescue official said Thursday. The wooden vessel, which was bound for neighbouring Malaysia, began taking on water when it was inundated by high waves on Tuesday evening. "There were 20 people on board -- 10 of them were rescued while 10 others are still missing," local search and rescue official Leni Tadika told Metro TV Thursday. The rescued workers, who wore life vests, were spotted by fishermen on Wednesday afternoon. Police said the passengers were illegal migrants. Indonesians regularly make the perilous crossing to Malaysia in search of work, often as construction and palm oil plantation workers. Boat accidents are common in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of some 17,000 islands, due to lax safety standards. In recent years, dozens of Indonesian migrant workers have disappeared in such accidents. Director HE Amjad Khan is confident that his upcoming Malala Yousafzai biopic "Gul Makai" will be resonate with the audiences despite the fact the Nobel laureate hails from Pakistan. Khan said at the core of movie, the issue being discussed is girl child education and Malala is a vocal advocate of the cause. "Our film is about an academician who is a global icon. She is an advocate of education in the whole world. She talks about girl education and women empowerment. Here we have Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme. "Since both are saying the same thing that the girls should get education, then I think there shouldn't be a problem. I don't believe the film will be subjected to any kind of hatred," Khan told PTI in an interview. The long-delayed movie, which features actor Reem Shaikh as Malala, will be hitting the theatres countrywide on January 31. Khan said he had completed the movie a while ago but had to postpone the release last year due to tensions between India and Pakistan. "I had completed the film in 2019. But tensions were high between both the countries. Pulwama happened and then India's response. Then the country went through this phase where Triple Talaq was banned, Article 370 was abrogated and Ram Mandir judgement came." The director said there is an environment of "Pakistan hatred" in the country today but he will no longer delay his movie because of it. "In the last two years, there has been this feeling of hatred towards Pakistan. At the end of the day, though the girl is a Pakistani but still a global icon. She is a Nobel laureate but the common man does not understand this so there was a worry. "Now it is releasing on January 31. I will not push it further because the situation will remain the same now." Khan stressed that he had "no sympathy or empathy for Pakistan". "It is a strange country that spends most part of its finances in funding war. Such a thing is never good for any nation. Our country is also venturing into the same direction." When asked whether he believes Malala's comments on the situation in Kashmir in the wake of Article 370 abrogation will hurt the film, the director said her comments were not political. "On Article 370, Malala had only said that students studying in Kashmir should not be affected. She expressed her concern over the reports that students were not able to go to schools due to situation in the region. "That is her responsibility as a United Nations representative. She is saying the same thing when it comes to Brazil and South Africa. Her comments were no way political." The filmmaker hoped that people will be able separate politics from important issues. "People are more aware today. They are able to go beyond politics and understand such important issues. They know that these are two separate things. I have made a film about Malala but it is about the importance of education." "Gul Makai" also features Divya Dutta, Pankaj Tripathi, Atul Kulkarni and Mukesh Rishi in pivotal roles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A National Cadet Corps, or NCC, training aircraft made an emergency landing on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway on Thursday afternoon after the two-seater plane developed a technical fault. The crew is safe and there were no other casualties due to the landing, a district official said. The incident took place at about 1.45 pm. The plane, which according to local police officials had taken off from Bareilly, landed on the expressway near Duhai locality of Ghaziabad district. One wing of the micro-light aircraft was damaged when the plane swerved left after landing and crashed into the safety barrier. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway or KundliGhaziabadPalwal Expressway or National Expressway 2 is a 135-km-long, six-lane expressway passing through the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. It is located around 50 km from the national capital. A Zenith STOL CH 701 aircraft used by the NCC made an emergency landing on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Ghaziabad near Delhi. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo) Local officials said the plane was headed to Hindon, the Indian Air Force base about 10 km from the spot where the plane was landed. Deputy Superintendent of police (Sadar) Anshu Jain said the NCC uses the two-seater aircraft for training cadets, according to news agency PTI. The Zenith STOL CH 701 is a short take-off and landing aircraft that has fly for a little over 350 km. it has a maximum speed of about 135 km/hr. An elderly inmate on death row for murdering a teenager in 1985 claims his conviction should be overturned because prosecutors failed to tell the jury about child sex abuse charges against their key witness. James Dailey, 73, is due to be executed for the brutal murder of 14-year-old Shelly Boggio but a series of doubts have already been raised over his conviction, including his co-defendant saying he acted alone. In Dailey's latest legal challenge, filed Tuesday night, he alleges that the prosecutor had committed 'a fraud on the court' by withholding key information about the star witness from the jury. Jack Pearcy, now 64, left, and James Daily, now 73, right, were convicted of first degree murder in separate trials after Shelly Boggio was found dead off Indian Rocks Beach Shelly Boggio was found stabbed and drowned in the water off Indian Rocks Beach more than 30 years ago. Pearcy and Daily were both convicted of first degree murder in separate trials Dailey's defense attorneys allege that the star witness, Paul Skalnik, misrepresented his history of criminal charges during his testimony by failing to disclose that he had been charged with lewd and lascivious assault on a child under 14 in 1982. The charge was later dropped as part of a plea bargain. This had left the jury with a 'grossly distorted (diminished) understanding of Skalnik's criminal history,' they said. Skalnik claimed Dailey confessed to the murder in jail giving grisly details of the attack. Dailey's defense attorney, Josh Dubin, told ABC News that by failing to reveal to the jury that the prosecution's star witness had been charged with the sexual assault of a minor a few years earlier, former Pinellas County Prosecutor Robert Heyman and his co-counsel violated a defendant's fair trial rights. He said the prosecutor 'absolutely has an ethical, professional, and legal responsibility not to mislead that jury.' Dubin added that 'failure to do so means a fraud on the court, means that this conviction cannot stand.' James Dailey, 73, pictured at the time of his arrest, was originally scheduled to be executed on November 7 last year but a federal court gave defense lawyers more time to make their case after his co-defendant, Jack Pearcy, 64, said he was solely responsible for the death Dailey denied in an interview with ABC News that he had ever had a conversation with Skalnik, much less confessed to a known jailhouse snitch. He said: 'I never said a word to him in my life, and I had to sit there in the courtroom and listen to him just say I confessed all these horrible things to him, and I never said anything to him.' In the cross examination during his testimony in the Dailey trial, Skalnik was asked about his previous criminal record. 'Sir,' Dailey's defense attorney asked Skalnik, 'how bad were your charges?' 'They were grand theft, counselor, not murder, not rape, no physical violence in my life,' Skalnik replied. In Florida, the 'lewd and lascivious assault on a child under 14' is considered physical violence. In the motion, Dubin argues that Skalnik had perjured himself in that statement alone, and that the prosecution knew he had perjured himself but failed to correct the record. Jack Pearcy, pictured in 1987, wrote in December last year: 'James Dailey had nothing to do with the murder of Shelly Boggio. I committed the crime alone.' Dailey had been due to be executed in November but a federal court gave defense lawyers more time to make their case after his co-defendant, Jack Pearcy, 64, said he was solely responsible for the death. That stay of execution is now expired, The Tampa Bay Times reports. Tragic Shelly was found stabbed and drowned in the water off Indian Rocks Beach more than 30 years ago. Pearcy and Daily were both convicted of first degree murder in separate trials. Pearcy is serving a life sentence while Dailey is on death row after the jury declined to recommend a death sentence in Pearcy's case. Pearcy signed a similar statement in 2017 admitting his guilt but then refused to testify at an evidentiary hearing and Dailey's conviction was upheld. 'He is ready to come into court and come clean,' said Joshua Dubin, one of Dailey's lawyers said in December. Authorities say Dailey and two other men met Boggio and her twin sister when the girls were hitchhiking near St. Petersburg. Boggio's body was later found floating near a fishing area. Pearcy originally told investigators that Dailey stabbed Boggio and held her down in the water. He told police the night he was arrested: 'I just want you to know that I got out of the car and tried to stop Jimmy D. from stabbing her, but when I saw it, I puked all over the place.' But on December 30 last year he wrote: 'James Dailey had nothing to do with the murder of Shelly Boggio. I committed the crime alone.' Dailey's lawyers maintain he is innocent and say he was convicted on circumstantial evidence and jailhouse informants. Dailey himself told the state's parole commission in 2015: 'I am innocent. Jack Pearcy killed that girl, but I have no way to prove that.' Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant in September and has maintained since then that Dailey is guilty. 'We're praying at some point someone is going to listen,' attorney Dubin said. 'The filing that we made just corroborates what we've been saying for so long.' The victim's cousin, Andrea Boggio, told Fox 13: 'It was the two of them. This is just another desperate plea.' Experts in criminal behavior say so-called family annihilators, are often trying to spare their families from an indignity or tragedy, either real or imagined. Its a title that would describe Anthony Todt if hes convicted of the crimes for which hes been charged. Police in Florida say the Connecticut physical therapist confessed to killing his wife, three children and the family dog. I always want to ask, what was the problem and why did they decide that killing the family was the best solution, said Dr. Stepahnie Leite, a psychologist in Hartford. Theyre trying to fix a problem and the really horrible solution theyve come up with is to kill their family. Police in Osceola County, Fla. confirmed that 42-year-old Megan Todt, 13-year-old Alek Todt, 11-year-old Tyler Todt and 4-year-old Zoe Todt were killed sometime in late December 2019. Anthony Todt confessed to the killings, police said, who did not offer a motive. N.G. Berrill said so-called family annihilators fall into one of three categories. In these cases there are several different reasons why poeople will committ a mass murder of their own family including spouse and children, said Berrill, a forensic psychologist and director of New York Forensic, a private consulting group in New York City. One obvious reason is that the person is suffering from some sort of psychosis. In cases like that, Berrill said, there may be hallucinations. They become delusional and believe that this is a way of sparing their wife and children from some horrific event that they imagine might occur, Berrill said. They think theres some satanic forces or theres some message theyre receiving from God that says this is what needs to be done. Other so-called family annihilators are under a different kind of stress, often financial. Todt has not been convicted in the deaths of his family, but records searches showed the family was being evicted from their Celebration, Fla. home, and that they were in a significant amount of debt. Berrill said perpetrators of familicide often believe that somehow this is the way to spare his family the humiliation, the stress,and himself the embarrassment of hitting rock bottom. Dr. Neil Websdale, director of the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative and author of Familicidal Hearts published in 2010, said that financial strain is a common theme among family annihilators. Roughly a quarter to a third of family annihilation cases appear to have financial problems at their root, Websdale said. Often what we see here is a deep sense of male shame. Perpetrators of familicide are often highly repressed individuals, Websdale said, facing potential eviction or bankruptcy. The family may be facing destitution, but appear on the surface to be respectable. The goal, Berrill said, is to spare the family all these assaults to their sense of well being and their sense of normalcy. It reflects very distorted thinking and very strained and depressive type thinking and desperation which culminates in this kind of terrible act. This act is called anomic familicide, according to Dr. Kevin Barnes-Ceeney, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven. Its when you feel like you're going to lose everything and you have an attempt to immortalize the family. The third kind of family annihilator is attempting to extricate themselves from a family life that they cant tolerate, Berrill said. Perhaps theres an impending divorce, a threat to remove the children or an extramarital affair They decide that theyre going to take matters into their own hands, Berrill said, in order to presumably pursue a better existence without being shackled by the constraints of having a family to support and take care of. This is the most common sort of intimate partner homicide, Leite said: Its at the moment they feel that they are losing that control that they have the brilliant idea that the only thing to do is to kill them. Police say Todt killed his family in late December, and he was taken into custody at the family home this week. That, for Berrill, would suggest that the first two possibilities are more likely. If true, it would point to Delusional thinking that hes brought peace to the family, Berrill said. It suggests there is some kind of genuine attachment to the family. Whats most telling about the whole thing is that he didnt leave, he said. Most so-called family annihilators are men, Berrill said Websdale estimates that 95 percent of perpetrators are male though they are so rare there has been no real studies on the subject. Its fairly rare, Berrill said. It might come up every couple of years. It requires an awful lot of killing. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 09:46:58|Editor: zh Video Player Close KAMPALA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda on Wednesday said the country is on high alert as locusts draw close to the common border with Kenya. All nine ministries have been instructed to work together to collectively heighten the country's preparedness to prevent or handle the invasion, said Rugunda in a statement issued here. The locusts have reached Kenya's Samburu and Turkana areas, which are close to Uganda's northeastern border, he said, citing relevant reports. "This is an emergency, and all efforts and agencies must be on alert to play their role in a timely manner," Rugunda said. He noted that the agriculture ministry has been instructed to submit a budget to the finance ministry to make clear the resources required to prevent the invasion. The agriculture ministry earlier indicated that it needed a contingency fund of 1.35 million U.S. dollars to be used for aircraft fuel, pesticides and other supplies. Rugunda said the government is in touch with Kenya to seek joint efforts to contain the locusts. The prime minister urged the public to stock up food reserves as a precaution. Experts have warned that an invasion of locusts would wreak havoc by destroying crops and vegetation and cause famine. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, a very small swarm of locusts eat as much food in one day as about 35,000 people. Uganda last experienced a major locust invasion 70 years ago, with immense damage on crops, according to the agriculture ministry. This area has a long history of producing glass, the artist says of Smaland, the Swedish province where she keeps her studio and hot shop. In the 18th century, timber from dense local forests fueled the furnaces that yielded assorted treasures for the royal family. Today, the regions main manufacturers, Kosta Boda and Orrefors, produce affordable tableware alongside car parts for Volvo. Its this multifaceted history that has inspired Hansdotters work, which, she notes, hovers between craft and mass production. After training in the region, dubbed the Kingdom of Crystal, she headed to art school, where she experimented with blowing molten glass into industrial iron frameworks. These ad hoc molds would imprint patterned, almost alien surfaces onto her vessels, as the glass bulged and oozed through openings in the grates. How can I make repetitive objects that are still unique? she asks, reflecting on her processa dynamic interplay between heavy metal and slick, often mirrored glass that she continues to explore. The answer, Hansdotter notes, lies in the slump, which translates to chance or luck in English but, fortuitously, reads just as well in Swedish. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency hopes the Russian delegation's activities in PACE will help resolve the conflict around Sputnik Estonia, the agency's executive director, member of the Human Rights Council Kirill Vyshinsky told Sputnik MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency hopes the Russian delegation's activities in PACE will help resolve the conflict around Sputnik Estonia, the agency's executive director, member of the Human Rights Council Kirill Vyshinsky told Sputnik. Earlier, employees of Sputnik Estonia received direct threats from the leadership of the Estonian Police and Border Guard board that criminal proceedings would be initiated against them if they did not terminate their employment relations with the parent organization by January 1, 2020. On January 1, the Sputnik Estonia website passed on to emergency operation. The Estonian authorities cited sanctions imposed by the European Union on March 17, 2014 against a number of individuals and legal entities in the light of events in Ukraine as justification for the actions. However, the EU sanctions were introduced not against Rossiya Segodnya, which includes Sputnik, but personally against the agency's Director General Dmitry Kiselev. "We have many hopes that our efforts will give a certain reaction. One of these hopes is associated with the activity of our parliamentary delegation in PACE," Vyshinsky said. Stocks in mainland China dropped on Thursday, leading losses among major markets regionally as the death toll rises in China due to a pneumonia-causing virus outbreak. The Shanghai composite fell 2.75% on the day to around 2,976.53 while the Shenzhen component dropped 3.52% to close at 10,681.90. The Shenzhen composite also declined 3.451% to end its trading day at approximately 1,756.82. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index also fell 1.89%, as of its final hour of trading. Elsewhere, the Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 0.98% to close at 23,795.44 while the Topix index also shed 0.78% to end its trading day at 1,730.50. Japanese trade data released Thursday showed exports falling more than expected in December. Japanese exports for December fell 6.3% in December as compared to a year before, data from country's Ministry of Finance data showed. That was far lower than expectations of a 4.2% decrease expected by economists in a Reuters poll. South Korea's Kospi also saw losses as it declined 0.93% to close at 2,246.13. Meanwhile, shares in Australia declined on the day, with the S&P/ASX 200 falling 0.63% to 7,088. Data on Thursday showed that jobs growth smashed expectations. On a seasonally adjusted basis, 28,900 jobs were created in Australia in December, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That was far above expectations of a 15,000 increase from a Reuters poll. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.6869 after seeing an earlier low of $0.6836. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index fell 1.02%. LISBON, Portugal - Angolas attorney general arrived Thursday in Portugal to ask his countrys former colonial ruler for help investigating a major corruption case targeting the billionaire daughter of Angolas former longtime leader. Angolan authorities suspect that Isabel dos Santos, reputedly Africas richest woman, embezzled millions of dollars from the state oil company Sonangol, which she once headed. Angolan attorney general Helder Pitta Gros announced late Wednesday in Luanda, the Angolan capital, that Dos Santos is an official suspect in an investigation into mismanagement at Sonangol and misappropriation of company money. Four others, all believed to be close to Dos Santos, are suspects in the investigation, which was started after Dos Santos successor at Sonangol alerted authorities. All the suspects are living outside Angola, Pitta Gros said. One of them, Mario Silva, a Portuguese businessman thought to be Dos Santos right-hand man, stepped down Thursday as chairman of the board of Banco de Fomento Angola, the Luanda-based bank announced on its website. Dos Santos has denied any wrongdoing. She has numerous business interests in Portugal, including a majority shareholding in a Portuguese bank. Senior Angolan officials have long made major investments in Portuguese real estate and companies. Pitta Gros told Portuguese public broadcaster RTP at Lisbon airport he planned to meet with his Portuguese counterpart Lucilia Gago. He said he had travelled to Lisbon to ask for a lot of things, but he didnt elaborate. Portuguese officials didnt confirm the meeting. Last December, a Luanda court froze Dos Santos major assets, which include banks and a telecom company. The government says it is trying to recover $1.1 billion it says the country is owed by Dos Santos, her husband and a close associate of the couple. Dos Santos was appointed head of Sonangol by her father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, before he stepped down in 2017 after 38 years in power. Human rights groups long accused Jose Eduardo dos Santos of heading a kleptocracy which left most people in the oil- and diamond-rich country living in poverty. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists earlier this week accused Isabel dos Santos of using unscrupulous deals to build her fortune, estimated at $2 billion. The allegations were based on more than 715,000 confidential financial and business records provided by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa, an advocacy group based in Paris, as well as hundreds of interviews. The cache of documents is known as the Luanda Leaks. French labour minister Muriel Penicaud. Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images The idea there are not enough talented women to fill senior roles is bulls***, according to Frances labour minister. Muriel Penicaud, a member of French president Emmanuel Macrons government, delivered the blunt message at the Davos summit of world leaders in Switzerland on Thursday. She was speaking at a panel event on how countries and employers across the globe should push for gender equality at work and in positions of power. The chair Fareed Zakaria, a CNN journalist, asked panelists about employers who said there was not enough female talent available and not enough qualified candidates applying for roles. READ MORE: Child peace prize winner warns Davos elite forgetting refugees It's full nonsense, or bullshit, to say there is no talent. They were hidden, just number two doing the job but just not visible, said Penicaud, who previously held a senior HR role at French food giant Danone. She said government action had proved necessary in France to accelerate the pace of change, adding that progress could also go into reverse. How women are represented at the top. Chart: WEF She said there had been no progress in getting women onto boards a decade ago, before government quotas were set. Today we have 43% [women on boards] in listed companies, she said, higher than the quotas. Penicaud said her government had now forced many firms to publish figures for an index of equality, showing not only average pay by gender but also figures on pay rises and career progression. Young people in France were starting to shun companies with poor records, she told the event, and she was quite confident of progress when firms next report in March. Most of the CEOs discovered there was a lot of discrimination in their companies. I dont know any CEOs who wake up in the morning and say I will discriminate against women, but there are a lot of micro-decisions from management, HR and self-esteem sometimes that [means] women dont apply. Every day I meet companies that say it was a shock to realise. Story continues READ MORE: Humans enjoy a $125tn subsidy from nature Jonas Prising, chair and CEO of US staffing giant ManpowerGroup (MAN), agreed it was utter nonsense to use the challenges of finding the right women as an excuse for female under-representation. Its a matter of how badly you want it. The most important part is culture. You have to make it socially unacceptable not to have equal representation at all levels, he said. He said leaders, senior managers, and boards all had to have tackling gender inequality as a key aim for change to happen, highlighting progress at his own firm since he made it a priority six years ago. Our board is committed and holding me accountable for making these changes, he said, adding that 45% of its board were now female. An Irish gangster at the centre of 17-year-old's Keane Mulready-Woods' grisly murder is believed to have fled to England as around 40 people caught up in the long-running feud go to ground. Cornelius Price, a friend of the dead teenager who was dismembered and beheaded by a rival gang, is thought to have fled to Rochdale, near Manchester, after it emerged that the boy's severed head was supposed to be dumped on his doorstep as a warning. Instead Mulready-Woods' killers panicked and had a last minute change of plan, leaving it in a torched Volvo in Dublin when they thought police were closing in. Victim Keane Mulready-Woods who was murdered and decapitated earlier this month Cornelius Price (pictured), a friend of the dead teenager who was dismembered and beheaded by a rival gang, is thought to have fled to Rochdale There has been shock across the UK and the Republic since the boy's brutal death was discovered earlier this month and exposed a two-year battle of tit-for-tat shootings between rival gangs in the town of Drogheda, 30 miles north of the Irish capital There has been shock across the UK and the Republic since the boy's brutal death was discovered earlier this month and exposed a two-year battle of tit-for-tat shootings between rival gangs in the town of Drogheda, 30 miles north of the Irish capital. The horrific circumstances are more likely on the Narco-run lawless streets of Latin America than in one of Ireland's most historic towns, and have prompted fears that the feud is threatening to spiral out of control. Yet for now the killings, which have terrified locals in Drogehda, have ceased with the battling thugs on a self-imposed lock-down to avoid arrest. Irish gangster Cornelius Price. It emerged that the boy's severed head was supposed to be dumped on his doorstep as a warning Among those too frightened to leave their homes is Mulready-Woods' grieving mother who has not set foot outside her home since his death 11-days ago. A friend of the teenager told MailOnline: 'Everyone is lying low at the minute. The Garda have been knocking houses around here and have been keeping a presence all around town and so those involved are staying out of the way.' 'Keane's parents are devastated. He lived with his mother and she hasn't been outside the front door since he was killed. 'I don't think she can face it. She is so scared at the moment and has been hit really hard by grief. 'His dad is beside himself too. They are both really not in a good place at the moment.' A police source told the Irish Independent newspaper: 'Virtually all of these criminals are now in hiding - they are terrified of being arrested and they are also very concerned that they will be shot. 'At times this week, some of the housing estates that they have terrorised for over two years now are like ghost towns.' Outside the nondescript bungalow where Mulready-Woods' terrifying last moments were played out, tearful friends laid flowers against a wall in tribute. One said: 'I know Keane has become embroiled in this gang feud and may not have always been on the right side of the law but nobody deserves to go through what he did. 'He was still a kid, I just don't think he knew what he was letting himself in for.' His friend's tribute came as footage emerged of a laughing Keane jumping on sacks of firewood outside a local petrol station. The friend added: 'His birthday was in two weeks and as it was a big one, his 18th, we were all going on a night out in Dublin. Keane Mulready-Woods, 17, (pictured) who was murdered and dismembered and his severed head left in the boot of a burning car in north Dublin in a suspected gangland execution 'It doesn't feel real yet. I keep forgetting he's gone. I used to hear him scramble up and down the street on his motorbike but the whole area is now deathly quiet.' As the Garda try to untangle the violence, MailOnline can reveal that the two factions currently at war with each other were originally part of the same gang. Initially, one criminal outfit ran drugs in and out of the town and were overseen by a notorious traveller family headed by Owen Maguire who was linked to a crime kingpin in the north of Dublin called 'Mr Big'. Two years ago, four of the gang decided to break away in Drogheda to avoid having to hand over a cut of the drug money they were making. These four include two notorious underworld brothers, a gangster from north Dublin and a 24-year-old Drogheda-based criminal now seen as the chief suspect in the Mulready-Woods murder. They are also widely believed to have been behind an attempted hit on Owen Maguire in July 2018 when gunmen burst into his home and fired six shots into his body. Miraculously he survived but was left paralysed in a wheelchair. The attempt on his life lit the blue touch paper and sparked the current spate of violence. Mulready-Woods, with links to the Maguire gang, was abducted from the streets of Drogheda on January 12 and taken to a pebble dash home, where he was tortured and murdered. His head was severed, his body dismembered and a sports bag containing some of his limbs dumped on a north Dublin street, only to be discovered by children. A source told MailOnline: 'The savagery of this latest killing is a sickening development and marks a new low for the Drogheda feud. 'This is something straight off the streets of Mexico or Columbia not one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Mulready-Woods, 17, who was brutally murdered on January 12. Drogheda has around 41,000 inhabitants making it the 11th largest settlement in Ireland 'But this is the problem. The gangsters today are younger aged in their mid-20s and 30s and unlike in the past they consume their own product and that makes them dangerously unstable. 'Cocaine use in Drogheda is rampant and it's been getting steadily worse over the years even in more rural areas out towards the coast.' Drogheda has around 41,000 inhabitants making it the 11th largest settlement in Ireland. Traditionally the docks have provided much of the employment but more recently it has become a tech and manufacturing hub with craft breweries also springing up in the town. Its close proximity to Dublin, means that numerous families from the capital have been drawn there over the last 30 years to settle in more affordable housing. 'The town has a population of more than 40,000 people which makes it the largest in Ireland so there is major money to be made in drugs here.' Another source added: 'The Maguires had always been at the top of the food chain but the breakaway group began to realise that without them in the way, they could start making even more serious money. 'Added to that was a general distrust of the Maguire family because they were from the travelling community. There was a feeling of why do they have to be involved? Get rid of them and we've got the keys to the city! 'A split formed with the four Drogheda criminals being among the major players who peeled away to set up their own operations. Soon afterwards Maguire was gunned down and there's no mystery as to who was probably behind it.' The well-placed source told MailOnline that the 'psychopath' moniker had been given to the North Dublin gangster by the Gardai and that he was thought to be linked to several other killings. His 24-year-old co-gang member was cleared last year of attempted murder, even though the alleged victim survived being stabbed 28-times and left in the boot of a car which was rolled into a canal. However, he is now in custody facing charges related to yet another crime. In addition, the Drogheda brothers are facing charges of abducting and assaulting a man. Our source added: 'These are men prone to heavy, heavy violence and what is particularly worrying are the depths they are prepared to sink to in order to intimidate their rivals.' What started out as a battle over the drugs trade has turned increasingly bitter and personal with much of the feud being played out on social media. Following the shooting of Maguire in 2018 a video circulated on the internet was said to show one of the Drogheda gang mocking and taunting the gang boss on the phone calling him a 'cripple' and asking him to go for a 'walk'. Last February Maguire's brother Brendan was shot and wounded after walking out of a toy shop. In retaliation, 30-year-old Keith Branigan, a close friend of the Drogheda group, was shot dead in front of children at a caravan park in Clogerhead, eight miles from Drogheda in August 2019. Three months later, Richard Carberry, a relation of the North Dublin gangster, was shot dead outside his home, having survived an earlier shooting in March. According to rumours swirling around Drogheda, Mulready-Woods had possibly hidden the gun used in the first, failed attack on Carberry. Whether true or not it seems to have sealed his fate. The men suspected of murdering Mulready-Woods were thought to have been planning to drop his severed head on Price's doorstep as a warning The noose tightened last December, when the North Dublin gangster was released from prison after being cleared of attempted murder and assault. He is believed to have masterminded the death of Mulready-Woods to avenge the killing of Mr Branigan. Ged Nash, a Drogheda politician and Labour senator, believes tougher controls over the warring gangs are needed. He said: 'The brutal and graphic nature of this latest killing is completely unacceptable and really an attack on public authority and democracy. 'These gangs and this is echoed by the Garda seem to be taking their cue from South American drug cartels in the level of violence they are prepared to use. 'They feel as though they can do what they want, when they want all the while promoting themselves on social media because they have zero fears of being caught. 'What has ramped up the level of violence is that this feud has become increasingly personal. Both sides absolutely despise one another.' After making their first appearance a the AVN Novelty Expo last year, Hot Flowers has returned to the show floor. Hot Flowers USA offers ingestible supplements and topical products, all of which are designed to help increase sexual performance and stamina. Other enhancement products offered by the company include arousal gels, massage oils and lubricants. Additionally, the company offers lingerie, BDSM wear, costumes, mens underwear and more. Hot Flowers USA joins some of the top companies in the pleasure products industry exhibiting a the ANE trade show. For more, visit HotFlowersUSA.com. A 31-year-old commando posted outside the bungalow of Reliance Industries chairman in South Mumbai died after shooting himself accidentally, officials said on Thursday. They said constable Botara D Rambhai, who was part of the VIP security cover provided to the billionaire, was found dead around 7 pm on Wednesday at a security post outside Ambani's 27-storey bungalow 'Antilia' off Peddar Road. "It was a case of accidental firing. It does not appear to be a suicide," Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajiv Jain said. Preliminary probe revealed that the jawan stumbled and fell which caused his automatic rifle to fire and he received two bullet injuries in his chest, a official said. The commando was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment late at night, he said. A case of accidental death was registered at the Gamdevi police station and further probe was underway, the city police said. The body was handed over to his family after autopsy. The deceased hailed from Junagadh district of Gujarat and had joined the force in 2014. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is entrusted with securing Ambani under the top 'Z+' category of VIP security cover. His wife Nita Ambani is also protected by the force under a smaller category of 'Y' cover. North Ossetian senator Taimuraz Mamsurov proposed the initiative to create Federal Agency for North Caucasus Affairs as part of the new government. It was previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin abolished the Russian Ministry for North Caucasus Affairs. Functions of the department were transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development. "Functions of the Ministry for North Caucasus Affairs have been transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development. Maybe we should discuss creation of the Federal Agency for North Caucasus Affairs, so that our issues will be discussed at a proper level, otherwise the Ministry might pay less attention to them," senator said. In turn, Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko offered lawmakers to prepare proper proposal. "If senators from the region prepare an appeal to the government, it might be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers," she noted, agreeing that the development of the North Caucasus regionis extremely important. In addition, according to Matvienko, it's necessary to maintain continuity in the work of the former ministry, RIA Novosti reports. Its the time of year when adults in higher education start waking up in the morning with persistent thoughts of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Fill out your FAFSA is a winter tradition that affects nearly all adults with kids who will start or continue their college studies in the fall. The dreaded form must be filled out to qualify for financial aid to attend college both federal loans and grants, and, in some states, scholarships and other forms of cash assistance. Did I say affects? I meant the FAFSA afflicts. It causes mental and emotional pain in millions of people across the country as it confounds students and parents with no college-going experience. Last year, the National Center for Education Statistics released an updated brief detailing the reasons students failed to fill out their FAFSA. Many students simply thought they could afford college without financial aid or (in nearly the same numbers) thought they or their families wouldnt qualify for it. Other students said they didnt want to take on student loan debt, didnt know they were eligible to apply for aid, didnt understand how to fill out the FAFSA or had decided they werent going to college. A student who would be the first in his or her family to attend college may genuinely have not heard of the FAFSA if, for instance, he or she attends a low-performing school where college matriculation is not something a critical mass aspires to. Or perhaps such a student attends a school where there are too few guidance counselors trained to spot students who could benefit but just need an extra push. And what are the chances that such a schools counseling staff would have time to reach out to individual students and provide them with hands-on help? To many middle-class, college-educated people who fill out their tax forms annually and always anticipate a tax return, it just doesnt make sense that any student wouldnt try for college and fill out the financial aid form. Theyd scoff at the nearly 10 percent of all students surveyed who just flat-out said the form was too time-consuming or too much work. For some students sometimes the likeliest to do well in college and the likeliest to get free money to attend theyre not wrong about what a Herculean task it is. Not at all. Their time and effort are not a middle-class persons time and work. A first-generation college student may have parents who are not in their lives and have caretakers who are not comfortable entering their IRS information into the form for the student. Or their parents have irregular, low-income work and have not filled out their taxes in several years. They may even be homeless and not have an address. Just the emotional exertion required to have conversations about money for college with family is intense, making this the very point at which many potential first-generation college students figure its not worth it when it really is. These hurdles can be jumped with the help of an advocate who could offer advice for overcoming such barriers if such an advocate were available. Filling out the FAFSA is a pain but doable. (There are resources on the web for figuring it out). Its doable even if students have been out of school for a while or even if students arent great scholars. Its doable and worth trying even if a students family makes up to $200,000 per year. Getting the FAFSA done creates a solid foundation upon which to build a life plan that may include several secondary education options and at least a few ways to pay for them. Ironically, the students who are likeliest to qualify for grants, scholarships or loans low-income students who would be the first to attend college are the ones who might see the FAFSA as an insurmountable barrier to higher education. According to the most recent data, 34 percent of Hispanic and 27 percent of black students said they didnt complete a FAFSA because they didnt have enough information. Most of them probably just needed someone college-educated, with a computer and internet connection, to get them on a path to more options in life. Could that someone perhaps be you? estherjcepeda@washpost.com US President Donald Trump speaks during a "Keep America Great" campaign rally at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, on January 9, 2020. President Donald Trump plans to address Friday's March for Life, becoming the first sitting president in the event's 47-year history to attend the Washington protest against the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling. Trump announced his plans via a tweet Wednesday, the 47th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision, as House Democrats began laying out their case in the Senate impeachment trial for removing him from office. "See you on Friday...Big Crowd!" Trump said, replying to a tweet from the March for Life account promoting the event. Trump tweet The rally one of the anti-abortion movement's premier events has been held annually since 1974, one year after the Supreme Court ruling, which legalized abortions. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar called the White House in a statement on Thursday the "most pro-life administration in this country's history." "We are proud to be 'the Department of Life' and will continue protecting life and lives while upholding the fundamental freedoms and inherent dignity of all Americans," Azar said in the statement. Other presidents have addressed the rally via phone or through a video message, but Trump will be the first president to attend in person. Acting President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Alexis McGill Johnson rebuked Trump's decision to attend the rally. "While Trump stands with the small number of Americans who want politicians to interfere with their personal health decisions, we'll be standing with the nearly 80 percent of Americans who support abortion access," Johnson said in a statement. "We will never stop fighting for all of the people in this country who need access to sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion." A poll last year found that 77% of Americans support Roe v. Wade and don't want to see it overturned. Jeanne Mancini, March for Life president, said in a tweet that the president would be welcome at the rally. "We are excited to share the love and energy of the March for Life with you in person, thank you for coming!" she said. Jeanne Mancini tweet Mancini praised Trump for cutting taxpayer funding for abortions, appointing anti-abortion judges and voicing support against late-term abortions. "President Trump and his Administration have been consistent champions for life and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering," she said. The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List launched a $52 million effort last Friday to support Trump's reelection. SBA List, via its super PAC Women Speak Out, will use the money to canvass key battleground states: Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Read more: Anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List to spend $52 million to help Trump win in 2020 Trump once identified as "very pro-choice," saying in a 1999 "Meet the Press" interview, "I hate the concept of abortion. I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject. But I still believe in choice." But during his 2016 campaign, the president sought out anti-abortion voters, appearing at rallies and major fundraisers and vowing to defund global family planning efforts at the United Nations. His renewed vocal support for anti-abortion groups comes in the middle of a heated presidential campaign and weeks before the Supreme Court is set to take up its first major abortion-related case with both of his appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, on the bench. The high court will review a 2014 Louisiana law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the abortions are provided. Opponents said it would effectively leave just one abortion provider for a state with about 4.6 million residents. On Jan. 2, 207 lawmakers, including two Democrats, filed an amicus brief in the case, urging the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade. Congressional members Ayanna Pressley, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren expressed serious concerns over what they called a pattern by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of targeting Iranian students for inspection and removal following the case of a Northeastern University student who was deported Monday. Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi, a student visa holder from Iran, arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston on Sunday and was denied entry after CBP deemed the 24-year-old man inadmissible," according to the agency. The students attorneys filed a petition in federal court in Boston to prevent him from being deported, and Judge Allison Dale Burrough granted Dehghani an emergency stay of removal. CBP still required the Northeastern student to board a flight Monday night and return to Iran, according to a letter the three Massachusetts Democrats sent to the agency. We are also deeply troubled by the manner in which CBP handled the detention and removal of Mr. Dehghani, especially its apparent refusal to comply with an emergency federal court order to stay his deportation, the congressional members wrote. Judge Richard Stearns was expected to hear Dehghanis case Tuesday, but the judge said he felt he could not weigh in on the case because the students jurisdiction had changed. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eva Piemonte said the student was removed before the emergency order was issued. The court ruled that the matter is now moot as the subject was never admitted into the United States, the subject is no longer in custody, and the court does not have jurisdiction to order his return, a CBP spokesperson said. Dehghanis deportation sparked outrage from friends, lawmakers, attorneys and immigration activists. Kerry Doyle, one of the lawyers representing the 24-year-old, said she too thinks this is a pattern of Customs and Border Protection ignoring court orders and ignoring the law. Dehghani is among several Iranian students to face obstacles at Logan despite having legal permission to be in the U.S., according to her. Immigration officials at the airport have refused entry to Iranian students with valid visas before, according to Pressley, Markey and Warren. The three members of Congress alleged CBP has also targeted Iranian students for secondary inspection, pulling them aside at the airport and subjecting them to questioning. A least 10 students, seven of which had flown into Logan, have been sent back to Iran after landing at U.S. airports since August, according to the ACLU of Massachusetts. Similar conduct by immigration officials was reported in Washington state, where CBP officers allegedly detained dozens of Iranians and Iranian-Americans for hours in a non-routine inspection," according to the letter. Multiple Iranian-American residents in Massachusetts were subjected to heightened scrutiny at a New England port of entry months ago as well, the letter alleged. CBP has not responded to congressional inquiries on the matter, according to the lawmakers. Some reports have claimed Dehghani has familial connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terrorist organization. The three lawmakers and Susan Church, another immigration attorney working with the Northeastern student, called accusations inaccurate. Of note, Mr. Dehghanis lawyers call the officials claims baseless, the lawmakers wrote. Nor do these allegations justify deporting Mr. Dehghani in violation of a stay of removal from a federal judge. Dehgani had passed background checks and reviews by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in order to obtain a student visa, according to Church. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnWave Corporation (TSX-V:ENW | FSE:E4U) (EnWave, or the Company) announced today that it has signed a royalty-bearing commercial license agreement (the License) with Pacifico Snacks S.A.S. (Pacifico Snacks) to produce REV dried fruit snacks for the North American grocery market. Under the terms of the License, Pacifico Snacks purchased a 10kW commercial Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV) machine to initiate commercial production in Colombia. The License grants Pacifico Snacks the exclusive right to produce certain types of mango, pineapple and banana products within Colombia. With extensive expertise in the private label production of fruit snack applications, this new premium product offering will further enhance Pacifico Snacks reputation as a leading private-label supplier to major North American grocers. This License is the first signed by EnWave in Colombia and the 38th worldwide, further proving the value proposition of REV technology as a tool to create innovative, premium food applications. With access to low cost, high quality local raw materials in Columbia, Pacifico plans to produce clean label, better-for-you snack offerings using REVTM . Pursuant to the terms of the License, Pacifico Snacks has royalty payment obligations to the Company and additional future undisclosed REV machine purchase order requirements that must be met in order to maintain their exclusive rights. The other terms of the License are confidential. About Pacifico Snacks Pacifico Snacks is a woman-owned and operated business that produces natural snacks for specialty food retailers. The company specializes in private-label production of high-quality, desirable, and innovative plantain and cassava chips that delight its consumers and impact the bottom line of major retailers. Pacifico Snacks started operations in 2011, with the aim to contribute to peace in Colombia through the fusion of amazingly delicious snacks with effective means to transform Colombian marginalized rural settings emerging from conflict into cohesive collaborative communities. Currently, all production is exported to the US and sold at a national level in top grocery retailers under private labels. For more information, please visit www.pacificosnacks.com . About EnWave EnWave Corporation, a Vancouver-based advanced technology company, has developed a Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV) an innovative, proprietary method for the precise dehydration of organic materials. EnWave has further developed patent-pending methods for uniformly drying and decontaminating cannabis through the use of REV technology, shortening the time from harvest to marketable cannabis products. REV technologys commercial viability has been demonstrated and is growing rapidly across several market verticals in the food, and pharmaceutical sectors, including legal cannabis. EnWaves strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with innovative, disruptive companies in multiple verticals for the use of REV technology. The company has signed over thirty royalty-bearing licenses to date. In addition to these licenses, EnWave established a Limited Liability Corporation, NutraDried Food Company, LLC, to manufacture, market and sell all-natural dairy snack products in the United States, including the Moon Cheese brand. EnWave has introduced REV as a disruptive dehydration platform in the food and cannabis sectors: faster and cheaper than freeze drying, with better end product quality than air drying or spray drying. EnWave currently offers two distinct commercial REV platforms: nutraREV which is a drum-based system that dehydrates organic materials quickly and at low-cost, while maintaining high levels of nutrition, taste, texture and colour; and, quantaREV which is a tray-based system used for continuous, high-volume low-temperature drying. More information about EnWave is available at www.enwave.net . EnWave Corporation Mr. Brent Charleton, CFA President and CEO For further information: Brent Charleton, CFA , President and CEO at +1 (778) 378-9616 E-mail: bcharleton@enwave.net Dan Henriques, CFO at +1 (604) 835-5212 E-mail: dhenriques@enwave.net Deborah Honig, Corporate Development at + 1 (647) 203-8793 E-mail: dhonig@enwave.net Safe Harbour for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management's expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing are forward-looking statements. All third party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company 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. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor it's 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. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d072f8f2-41ff-4d40-b8b6-63c40d3c7e1e Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem on January 23, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his election rival Benny Gantz to Washington next week to discuss the White House's peace plan, Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday. "President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land," Pence said after meeting Netanyahu at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. "I think that the president is seeking to give Israel the peace and security that it deserves so I gladly accept his invitation," Netanyahu said. Click here to read the full article. John Karlen, the Dark Shadows actor who loosed a 200-year-old vampire from a chained coffin and two decades later won an Emmy Award for playing a detectives husband on Cagney & Lacey, died yesterday of congestive heart failure in hospice in Burbank, California. He was 86. Karlens death was announced via Twitter on the Dark Shadows News page. The actor had been in declining health for a decade. Last March, the ShadowGram Dark Shadows newsletter posted that Karlen had suffered a stroke. More from Deadline Kathryn Leigh Scott, the actress-turned-author who played Dark Shadows heroine (and frequent victim) Maggie Evans, has written books about the show and participated in the shows many annual fan festivals, wrote on her blog, Memories, memories this morning Im awash in memories of darling John Karlen, who left us yesterday. Im told he passed peacefully, for which Im grateful, but hardly seems in character for our Johnny. He was such a life force, God bless him! Farewell, my friend. Loved you. A frequent and favorite guest at Dark Shadows festivals over the decades, Karlen, a Korean War veteran born John Adam Karlewicz in Brooklyn, joined the supernatural 60s soap in 1967 as the no-account, slightly menacing thief Willie Loomis. Soon after his arrival in the fictional Collinsport, Maine, Karlens Loomis, hearing tales of treasure in a secret mausoleum chamber, discovered the old coffin and inadvertently freed the sleeping vampire within, quickly becoming the undead monsters unwilling slave and, eventually, loyal friend. Planned as a short-term last-chance plot, the vampire storyline, starring Jonathan Frid as the fanged Barnabas Collins, turned the failing soap into a phenomenon, providing the fledgling ABC daytime line-up with its first hit. Karlen would remain with the series until its end in 1971, playing, as did most of the ensemble, multiple characters in various centuries and parallel universes. Story continues Karlen reprised the Igor-like Willie for the bloody 1970 big-screen adaptation House of Dark Shadows, and a nice-guy victim character in 1971s ghostly Night of Dark Shadows. Prior to Dark Shadows (which currently streams on Amazon Prime), Karlen appeared on Broadway in Tennessee Williams Sweet Bird of Youth, had small roles in 50s anthology series, 60s primetime episodic series and daytime soaps, but the Loomis role pegged him for horror through much of the early 70s. Film and TV credits from the post-Shadows era include Daughters of Darkness, Night of Terror, The Sixth Sense, Night Gallery, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Wide World of Mystery and Trilogy of Terror. By the end of the decade and into the next, guest shots on non-chillers began to stack up: Medical Center, Hawaii Five-O, The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, All in the Family, Police Story, Charlies Angels, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Starsky and Hutch, Hill Street Blues and The Winds of War, to name a sampling. But his real second act came with CBS 1982-88 female buddy cop drama Cagney & Lacey: As Harvey Lacey, devoted, stay-at-home husband to Tyne Dalys Det. Mary Beth Lacey, Karlen was Emmy-nominated three times (1985, 86 and 87), winning the Outstanding Supporting Actor trophy in 86. He reprised the role in several stand-alone TV movies during the 1990s, including 1996s Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions, his last major credit. Also in the 90s he recurred in Murder, She Wrote and Mad About You (as father to Helen Hunts lead character). Karlen is survived by son Adam and former wife Betty. We are sad to report the death of #DarkShadows actor John Karlen, who played Willie Loomis, the unforgettable foil to Barnabas Collins. John died on January 22 in hospice care in Burbank, California. He was 86 had suffered a number of health setbacks over the past decade pic.twitter.com/MR0cgzvINc Dark Shadows News (@DarkShadowsNews) January 23, 2020 Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Photo: The Canadian Press Passengers wear protective face masks at Hong Kong train station. A deadly new virus that emerged in China is raising concerns beyond the public health sphere as experts warn about the potential economic cost of a global outbreak that is already drawing comparisons to the deadly SARS epidemic 17 years ago. Transportation and tourism companies have seen declines in share prices amid travel warnings and restrictions from governments around the world hoping to avoid a repeat of the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which cost the Canadian economy an estimated US$4 billion. At least 17 people have died and more than 500 have been infected by the ailment called novel coronavirus, whose early cases are linked to a market in Wuhan in central China. The World Health Organization postponed until Thursday a decision on whether to declare an international emergency over the outbreak of the flu-like illness, which can cause pneumonia and other severe respiratory symptoms, including one case in the United States. "The cost to the global economy can be quite staggering, in negative GDP terms, if this outbreak reaches epidemic proportions as until this week, the market was underestimating the potential of the flu spreading," Stephen Innes, chief Asian strategist for AxiCorp, said in a report. The travel sector has already started to feel the hit as shares of four North American airlines that fly to China, including Air Canada, fell on Tuesday amid growing anxiety about the viral infection. None of the airlines fly directly to Wuhan, but their Chinese partner airlines do, and some passengers transfer from a Chinese carrier to a Canadian one, offering the potential for the virus to spread here. Shares at the three biggest U.S. cruise lines have also fallen, with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. which boasts a major Chinese presence dropping more than four per cent this week. Analyst Chris Murray of AltaCorp Capital pointed to the past for clues on the market volatility, propelled by "an unknown level of potential disruption." "History suggests shares may be in for a rough ride," he said of airline and tourism stocks in a research note. He recalled jittery stock movements after the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, as well as with H1N1 influenza in 2009 and the Ebola virus in 2014. "These larger-scale epidemics can have a more pronounced near-term impact. However, once a better understanding of the magnitude of the spread and severity was understood, stock prices recovered quite sharply in all three cases within months," he said. FIA president Jean Todt has played down concerns about F1's ever-expanding race calendar. With many in the sport already unhappy about the unprecedentedly-long calendar for 2020, Liberty Media has negotiated a new cap of up to 25 races for the future. Indeed, the F1 commercial rights holder is open about wanting to add Miami to the schedule, amid rumours of talks with Saudi Arabia and other potential new hosts. But FIA president Todt is quoted as saying: "I think it will be a long process before being close to 25 races. At the moment we should concentrate on 22, which is the situation." Todt indicated that he doesn't like the complaints about long F1 calendars affecting the quality of life of the people working in the sport. "I really feel that, and I include myself, that we are so blessed to be in a world where we love what we do. We are privileged," he said. "Whoever is in F1 is privileged. "Of course, you have some duties. When I was in other positions, I was working 18 hours every day, six or seven days a week, because I had passion and wanted a result," the former Ferrari team boss continued. "Then of course, if you have a beloved family, they will understand. And you don't do it for all your life. "Those who are in F1 have much higher salaries than other businesses, and they should be very happy. It doesn't mean that it's not hard work. "But I do a lot of other activities and I see people, if they are blessed, getting $30 a month. So we should not forget that," Todt said. It isnt often, in fact its rare, that politicians anywhere play the long game when shaping public policy. If they did, our environment would be better, our state and federal budgets would balance and the U.S. Postal Service (our most popular federal agency) wouldnt be facing extinction. But, as you know, elections keeping coming and issues or crises of the moment get far more attention than long-term planning to deal with endemic woes. Mulleriyawa Police in the Central Province of Sri Lanka refused on January 10 to record the death threat complaint of a court correspondent. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Free Media Movement (FMM) strongly urge Sri Lankas police to accept the complaint and conduct an investigation into the matter. On January 10, the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Mulleriyawa Police in Sri Lankas Central Province refused to take the complaint of Nimanthi Ranasinghe, a court correspondent for the daily newspaper Lankadeepa. It is alleged that the police officer turned the journalist away when Ranasinghe refused to reveal her source. According to FMM, the police then humiliated Ranasinghe for standing up for her right to protect her sources anonymity, telling her that no action could be taken under the Criminal Code. On January 13, Ranasinghe then went on to lodge a further complaint against the Mulleriyawa Police OIC for his refusal to file the case and for the subsequent humiliating behaviour with the Nugegoda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) office in Colombo. Ranasinghe also requested the Nugegoda police to action the initial complaint. The FMM said it strongly condemned the demeaning way the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Mulleriyawa Police allegedly treated the professional journalist, saying it set a deplorable precedent. It urged all relevant stakeholders to conduct an impartial inquiry into the incident to ensure that the guilty offenders are charged. The IFJ said: Threats against journalists are a critical human rights abuse and a major warning sign in terms of journalist safety. To ignore or fail to act against threats to journalists and officially recognise these abuses further adds to a climate of impunity for violence against journalists. It is critical that Sri Lankas police treat such complaints with the seriousness they deserve and thoroughly investigate the matter, the IFJ added. The irresponsible behaviour of the OIC demonstrates the complete ignorance of the implications for both citizens and journalists and should also be investigated in terms of an abrogation of duty. For the first time since 2012, the overall homicide rate in Indianapolis dropped. However, the citys Black community faced an increase in homicides, with 75% of Indianapolis victims in 2019 being Black, up from 73% in 2018. According to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), there were 153 reported murders in 2019, down from 159 in 2018. Out of the 153 murders in 2019, at least 115 victims were Black. The citys homicide rate has been a dark cloud over Mayor Joe Hogsetts administration, with the number of homicides hitting an all-time high in 2015, Hogsetts first year in office. While I am heartened that overall crime is trending down in Indianapolis and last year saw a decrease in the number of homicides, there is still more work to be done, Hogsett said in a statement. Together with our public safety agencies and grassroots community partners, we begin this new year with a continued dedication to making our city a safer place for all. In an interview with the Recorder, Hogsett cited initiatives such as the Peacemakers program as the most important investment the city has made to reduce violence. The Peacemakers are a group of individuals who work in neighborhoods to prevent conflict before it turns violent. But the most important change Hogsett believes is necessary to continue to decrease violence is a return to beat policing. We have attempted to change the IMPD into a truly 21st century police department whose job it is to protect and serve the people throughout our community, Hogsett said. When we return to a community-based, beat-oriented policing, officers have more of an opportunity to get out of their cars and interact with residents and merchants and retail establishments, and hopefully that not only allows law enforcement professionals to be more proactive to prevent crime, but also increases the amount of respect and trust that the community has for IMPD and vice versa. Recently-appointed IMPD Chief Randal Taylor sees the importance of beat-policing in decreasing violent crime. We can make arrests, and the detectives do their job, and they hunt down leads, and they build probable cause and they get warrants for people whove committed crimes, but theres always someone there to take their place, Taylor said. When you start looking at beats your goal is to start building the relationships prior to people making those poor decisions of going off and pulling triggers. Hopefully, youre being an encouragement and a sign of hope for that young kid that needs someone to listen to him and being in those beats allows you to do that to some extent. And while Hogsett has significantly increased the number of police officers on patrol with a net increase of over 150 officers over the past four years policing may not be the only thing needed to decrease crime in the Black community. Community advocate and Recorder columnist Marshawn Wolley believes crime will only be decreased with a focus on one of its root causes: poverty. Beat policing can be impactful, but really what youre dealing with is the economic indicators, food insecurity, housing and the lack of hope, Wolley said. Those are the challenges you have to figure out how to address. Census estimates from 2017 found that Indianapolis has a poverty rate of 20%, but an estimated 28% of the citys Black population lives in poverty. According to Environmental System Research Institute (ESRI), people living in households in the U.S. that have an income level below the federal poverty threshold have more than double the rates of violent victimization compared to individuals in high-income households. To combat poverty, the Hogsett administration has implemented several programs and initiatives that focus on employment and education, including Indy Achieves, which helps individuals get a postsecondary education. The Indy Achieves model is not one of our making, Hogsett said. We actually became aware of a successful scholarship aid and grant completion program out of Georgia, and simply investing in young people and their opportunity to have more than a high school diploma moves the dial in terms of racial disparities in their communities that existed prior to those programs being made. Hogsett said violence in Georgia didnt stop altogether after the education program was implemented, but the rates of violent crime both in terms of the victims and the perpetrators was more reflective of the community. Georgia experienced more balanced representation in people who chose to engage in violent behavior, Hogsett said. The statistics were more reflective of their community as a whole, but not disparate over and against one race compared to others. Obviously, the goal would be to end violence in every neighborhood, but we have a profound commitment to make sure that the type of violence we experience does not disproportionately affect one community over others. As of Jan. 13, there have already been 10 homicides in 2020. At the time of reporting, at least five victims were African American. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-459-8747. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. (Recorder Graphic/John Hurst) Citibank Korea CEO Park Jin-hei, left, poses with JA Korea CEO Oh Jong-nam at the commercial bank's main branch in Seoul, Wednesday, after donating 350 billion won ($300,000) to the nonprofit organization. They agreed to use the money to help vocational school students find jobs. / Courtesy of Citibank Korea Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Singapore Thu, January 23, 2020 21:16 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060bde22 2 SE Asia Wuhan-coronavirus,wuhan,coronavirus,health Free Singapore Thursday confirmed its first case the new SARS-like virus which has killed 17 people in China and spread to multiple countries including the United States. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the patient was a 66-year-old man from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with his family on Monday. He was immediately isolated after arriving at a hospital with a fever and cough, and test results later confirmed he was infected with the coronavirus. One of his traveling companions, a 37-year-old man from Wuhan, has also been admitted to hospital as a suspect case. Prior to admission, they had stayed at a hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, the ministry said. It added that Singapore was expecting more cases and alarms "given the high volume of international travel". Singapores Changi Airport started screening flights from Wuhan at the beginning of the month, and on Wednesday extended the checks to all flights from China. The travel hub receives over 430 flights from China every week. The virus has caused alarm in China and abroad because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. Singapore was among the hardest hit by SARS with 33 deaths. While the worst of the storms predicted for Sydney has passed, the state's north-east may be lashed by heavy rain, damaging winds and giant hailstones on Friday afternoon. A "very dangerous thunderstorms" warning was issued for parts of Sydney's west on Friday morning but was cancelled by 9.30am. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jiwon Park said the storms had weakened in strength as they moved across the city. However, thunderstorms are still forecast for the north-east of the state, including the Northern Tablelands, the Hunter and Mid-North Coast, he said, warning they could be "pretty bad". Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (21) The media love to cover protests and marches...if they're against Trump, as in the case of the shrinking Women's March, or if the people marching can be ridiculed or painted as bogeymen, as was the case with the recent Second Amendment rally in Richmond, Virginia. The one march that most in the media assiduously avoid reporting about, or report only in minimalist terms, is the annual March for Life. This is true even though the March for Life is one of the largest marches Washington, D.C. sees on a yearly basis. For example, in 2019, while the organizers expected 100,000 people, an estimated 200,000300,000 might have shown up. By contrast, the most recent Women's March on D.C. had between 6,000 and 10,000 attendees. Indeed, the only time in recent years that the mainstream media got really excited about the March for Life occurred last year, when various media figures engaged in a brutal beat-down against Nick Sandmann, the 16-year-old boy who smiled nervously as an activist got in his face and beat a drum at him. Because Sandmann was in D.C. to attend the march with his classmates from a Catholic high school in Kentucky, and because he wore a MAGA hat, the media went into hysterics about his smirk and his "punchable" face. Sandmann filed massive suits against the various media outlets, and CNN has already settled for a rumored $25 million. That's a lot of MAGA hats. This year, though, the media will be hard pressed to ignore the March for Life, because this year, President Trump will attend in person: President Donald Trump will address the March for Life on Friday in live remarks to hundreds of thousands of pro-life people attending the event from across the country. He will be the first president ever to attend the March for Life in person, having addressed the March via video previously. Trump's presence means that, in January 2020, Americans will see and be able to compare the media's horror and outrage at both the gun rally and the March for Life. A couple of statistics are therefore in order: According to Pediatrics, guns kill an average of 3.5 American children every day, whether the guns are fired intentionally or accidentally. (As a regular reader of the Daily Mail, which tends to cover such stories, that seems a bit high, but there's some indication that the study factored in older children, AKA teens, who live in crime-ridden, gun-controlled Leftist cities.) Meanwhile, according to Planned Parenthood's 2019 annual report, the "women's health care provider" performed 345,672 "abortion services" in a year, which equals 947.1 intentional baby killings every day. Relative to minority representation in the population, many more minority babies than white babies were aborted. President Trump, meanwhile, has proven to be an extraordinarily pro-life president: "From the appointment of pro-life judges and federal workers, to cutting taxpayer funding for abortions here and abroad, to calling for an end to late-term abortions, President Trump and his Administration have been consistent champions for life and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering. We are grateful for all these pro-life accomplishments and look forward to gaining more victories for life in the future," [Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life] said. The administration's latest pro-life initiative comes from the Department of Justice: The Trump Department of Justice has filed pleadings in federal court arguing that the unborn have federal civil rights that must be protected. The Justice Department Civil Rights Division yesterday filed a brief arguing that Ohio's law prohibiting abortions based on the presence of Down syndrome is constitutional. The Ohio law prohibits abortion providers from performing abortions when the provider has knowledge that the unborn child is being targeted for an abortion because of Down syndrome. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband heads the Civil Rights Division that filed the brief. Dreiband said, "Ohio's Antidiscrimination Law affirms that people with Down syndrome have lives worth living and protecting." The Justice Department brief specifically says that the unborn with disabilities are worthy of civil rights protections and of life. The brief argues that the unborn should not have life terminated because they have a disability. Iceland, incidentally, through targeted abortions, has almost wiped out Down syndrome. One can expect snarky coverage from the media about President Trump's speech, but that won't matter. What will matter is that the same media that follow Trump around like a cat chasing a laser point on the carpet will make all Americans aware that ordinary people, people just like themselves, are saying industrial-scale abortion is a moral wrong. Noel Exinia was serving a 50-year term at a federal lockup in Pennsylvania when he allegedly began filing multimillion dollar liens against a South Texas judge and prosecutor whod put him behind bars. Exinia, 49, was in Houston on Wednesday on charges he used fraudulent liens to retaliate against two federal officials. His lawyer, Richard Kuniansky, who previously tried a similar case, said it was too soon to assess Exinias motivations in filing the documents, but he could plausibly argue that such a client was seeking recourse after unsuccessful attempts to challenge his sentence. In other words, the prisoner wasnt retaliating, he was merely seeking an alternative, if preposterous, means in an obscure jurisdiction to get the judge to listen. There are inmates who are prolific at this, Kuniansky said, and there is little the government can do. Hes serving a 50-year sentence. What are you going to do make it 51? A lien is a legal hold over a property that a judge can grant to secure payment or other financial obligation. If the prisoner can get a judge to sign off, he can secure a lien from inside his cell. Filing bogus liens is a practice among some angry prisoners with a lot of time on their hands and little to lose, according to lawyers. The Southern Poverty Law Center says it is a popular tactic around the country among so-called sovereign citizens who promote paper terrorism against the government to clog the legal system. While the liens dont go anywhere, they trip up their targets, jeopardizing credit ratings and hindering property sales. U.S. District Court The Brownsville judge who presided in Exinias 2005 drug trafficking case, Andrew Hanen, now presides in Houston and has recused himself from Exinias retaliation case. It has been assigned to the chief judge of the sprawling Southern District. Exinia appeared relaxed in a khaki jumpsuit, with a shaved head and thick glasses as he entered a routine not guilty plea to six counts of retaliation. His mother and sister made the five-hour trip from his hometown of La Feria to attend his arraignment in hopes his mother could give him a hug. No such luck, the prosecutor said. He declined a detention hearing, a constitutional proceeding afforded to all defendants allowing them an opportunity to seek bail. The magistrate judge asked Exinia if he understood he was forgoing that right. Yes, maam. When youre doing a 50-year sentence, theres no sense, he said. He clarified that he has 35 years remaining on his sentence. On top of the time he owes the government on the drug case, Exinia now faces 10 years for each of the six retaliation counts. The magistrate set a trial date of March 30. Millions in false claims In 2005, Exinia was arrested on charges he and two colleagues had been transporting 125-kilogram truckloads of cocaine weekly for a drug operation in the Rio Grande Valley and then trekking back from the Northeast with hundreds of thousands of dollars. He came to the attention of authorities when the Michigan State Police stopped him in December 2004 with nearly $500,000 in drug money, according to court documents. On the fourth day of his jury trial in Brownsville, Exinia pleaded guilty before Hanen to conspiring to sell more than 100 kilos of marijuana and more than 5 kilos of cocaine. Hanen later sentenced him to 50 years. Eight years later, while housed at a high-security federal penitentiary in Canaan, Pa., Exinia began filing liens from November 2014 to January 2015, according to the allegations. He filed six liens against Hanens personal and real property and against property belonging to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Lewis, who prosecuted the Brownsville drug case. He questions in the documents in what the Justice Department classified as a nonsensical rant whether the government has the authority and jurisdiction to prosecute him and whether his plea deal was voluntary. He cites the 1961 Hague convention and indicates the government shouldnt have presumed he was the person with his name. He uses phrases and spellings common to sovereign citizen filings, which are predicated on the idea that the U.S. government is not legitimate and thus citizens can render justice within their own common law system. The prosecution in the retaliation case argues Exinia knowingly sought liens by providing false and fictitious information. In each of the six filings, he claims the judge or prosecutor had agreed to pay him $100 million and he wants power of attorney to file liens against them until theyve paid him $400 million or released him from prison. Kuniansky, his attorney, said he lost a jury trial for another client who filed bogus liens claiming that a federal prosecutor owed him $6.5 million. At trial, Kuniansky portrayed the defendant as a helpless sap who filed nonsensical letters, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Houston federal judge ultimately sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison. gabrielle.banks@chron.com Older Australians are waiting longer to enter residential aged care, with most waiting about five months after being approved for a spot by a health professional. The median waiting time was 152 days for 2018/19, an increase from 121 days from the year before, a Productivity Commission report released on Wednesday. The wait period has steadily increased in recent years, with a 105-day wait in 2016/17 and 84 days in 2015/16. About 42 per cent of older people entered residential aged care within three months of being approved, the report on government services found. A higher proportion is desirable, the commission says. Older Australians deemed to have the highest levels of need are waiting nearly three years on average for home care packages after being approved. The system designed to look after older Australians is woefully inadequate and failing, the royal commissioners concluded after hearing horrifying evidence of widespread substandard care (stock image) The federal government spent more than $20 billion on aged care services over the last financial year, with the majority going towards residential care services. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since pumped an extra $537 million to the sector after a damning interim report from the royal commission into the centre. The extra boost has been earmarked to increase home care packages, reduce the use of chemical restraints and get younger people out of residential aged care. Labor's ageing and seniors spokeswoman Julie Collins says the long wait times show the government must do more to ensure older Australians can get the help they need, when they need it. 'Behind these shocking figures are the terrible stories of older Australians and their loved ones desperately trying to get care,' she said. Australia's aged care system is a shocking tale of neglect that needs a complete overhaul and not mere patching up, royal commissioners say (stock image) Data on physical restraints is not yet included in the Productivity Commission report as it's not considered 'mature' enough. Data relating to the safety of aged care residents shows the rate of reportable assaults was 1.6 per cent, while the rate of missing residents was 0.6 per cent. As at June 2019, there were more than 213,000 places in residential care services and more than 106,000 level one to four home care packages. The Royal Commission into Australia's aged care system found it was a shocking tale of neglect that needs a complete overhaul and not mere patching up. The system designed to look after older Australians is woefully inadequate and failing, the royal commissioners concluded after hearing horrifying evidence of widespread substandard care. They plan to recommend a fundamental overhaul of the whole system including its funding in their final report in November 2020. : A cross-border ganja-smuggling gang was busted in Telangana on Thursday with the arrest of four people, including two from Tamil Nadu, for allegedly transporting the narcotic to Sri Lanka, police said. A total of 180 kg of the ganja worth approximately Rs 21 lakh and two vehicles were seized from them, the police said. The accused used to load packets of the cannabis, also known as ganja, into their cars at Sileru in Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, and transport the drug to Madurai and then to a border point at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu to be smuggled to Sri Lanka, Mahabubnagar district superintendent of police Rema Rajeshwari told a press conference. The gang members, all habitual offenders, have in the past gone through Andhra Pradesh to the Tamil Nadu border but this time chose the Telangana route and were caught by Mahabubnagar by a special police team, the official said. Throughout the journey they used a piloting car to go in front of the vehicle smuggling the narcotic. Further explaining the modus operandi of the gang, she said the smugglers prepared sealed waterproof packs with ganja along with a GPS chip sticker in Rameshwaram, then tag the chip to the ships and boats going towards Sri Lanka. One persons would be in charge of the consignment and he would release it from the ship in the waters after the vessel reaches the Lankan port. Then, the other people, all part of the racket, would come in small boats and identify the box through GPS trackers and collect the consignment. The ganja was transported to Lanka and other countries through international smugglers. A case under relevant IPC sections and under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, has been registered. At Sileru in Visakhapatnam, the ganja was sold atRs 6,000 per kg and inChennaibetween Rs 12,000 and Rs 13,000 per kg while in Sri Lanka it was upto Rs 18,000 per kg, the police added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former minister Mohammad Dilawar Mir on Thursday said nobody has the power to expel him from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) except the president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who is under detention in Srinagar. Mir, former General Secretary of PDP, was among eight party leaders expelled from the PDP for going "against the will of the people" by engaging in parleys with the government on January 9. Besides Mir, the others expelled PDP leaders include Rafi Ahmad Mir, Zaffar Iqbal, Abdul Majeed Padroo, Raja Manzoor Khan, Javaid Hussain Baig, Qamar Hussain and Abdul Rahim Rather -- all former MLAs. "I am still in PDP and nobody has the power to expel me except the party president who is under detention. Nobody can take such a decision in her absence," Mir, who was flanked by president of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, told reporters here. However, Mir said he is addressing a press conference in his individual capacity and not as a PDP leader. "Who has the power to expel us from the party when our president and vice president Abdul Rehman Veeri is under detention. What was the justification for our expulsion because we met the Lt Governor to raise the public issues," Mir said. In a statement on January 9, the PDP had said, "in view of the development post August 5 and the unilateral move of the government of India which has violated the will and hurt the sentiments of people, it has come to the attention of the party that certain party leaders have been part of the parleys which go against the interests of the state, official position and core beliefs of the party. "The party disciplinary committee has recommended the expulsion of all these leaders from the basic membership of the party," the PDP statement said. Asked about the reports suggesting the emergence of a third front under the leadership of former PDP minister Altaf Bukhari who led the delegation to meet the Lt Governor, he said "We met Murmu on individual capacity...whenever some people come together, people start talking about third front which is not a reality. Everything will come to the fore. On abrogation of Article 370, he said the matter is subjudice and the Supreme Court is the final authority to make a decision on it. "The people in Kashmir were neither expected such a move nor desired it. The credit goes to Government of India as well as the people for no violence post abrogation of the special status. If the people stayed back, it does not mean they have liked the government move," Hassan said. He said if the Supreme court restored the special status, nothing like that but there is one more option that is a consensus among national political parties which is a least possibility at the moment in the given situation in the country. "We have to live and move forward. Domicile laws are prevalent in different parts of the country and if the demand is being raised from Jammu and Kashmir, what is wrong in it," Hassan said. He said there can be different voices and these voices need to be addressed in a democratic way. "The way the entire political leadership, youth, trade union leaders, lawyers were detained in not good. You cannot gag the voices of the people but violence should not be off course," he said. Hassan said Kashmiri pandits left the valley under threat and duress and the government of India need to take cognizance of their plight and address their problems. "Kashmiri pandits are our brothers and whatever happened was a bad phase," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MILFORD Judge Peter Brown Wednesday tossed a plea deal for a man who confessed to brutally beating a female neighbor in March and quickly quelled the applause that followed. Meanwhile, defendant Russell Molleurs sister wrote a letter to the court on behalf of her brother, saying hes intellectually disabled, scared in jail and turned to drinking when their mother died five years ago, as she was his support system. The controversial plea deal offered to and accepted by Molleur, 57, has been thrust into the spotlight by victim Lori Wierzbicki and her brother, Stratford firefighter Tim McLaughlin, who have gained enormous support from people outraged over the plea bargain. Their Justice for Lori Facebook page has thousands of supporters, with a rally held on the Green and more than 19,000 signatures on a change.org petition. The pair on Wednesday had about 40 supporters in the courtroom who burst into applause when Brown said he was vacating the plea deal. Brown gently stopped the courtroom applause. Brown said he made the decision in part because Wierzbicki revealed in her victim impact statement read in court Wednesday that the weakness from her multiple sclerosis limited her ability to fend off the attack, and also because Molleur is facing criminal charges involving an intellectually disabled man. Brown said one of the motivating factors in the plea deal offered to Molleur was that he had no previous record, but that the charges for his actions with the disabled man negate that. In that case, Molleur is charged with second-degree threatening, second-degree unlawful restraint and disorderly conduct, records show. Both Wierzbicki and McLaughlin told Brown they believe Molleur is a danger to the community. Molleur originally was charged with assault, unlawful restraint and strangulation, all in the first degree; disorderly conduct and tampering with evidence. Under the original plea bargain, Molleur was to see most of the charges dropped or downgraded and receive eight years in prison suspended after two years served, and three years of probation, with the right to argue for a full suspended sentence at Wednesdays hearing, court records state. McLaughlin said they were informed the plea bargain gets rid of strangulation, disorderly conduct and tampering with evidence and the assault charge was changed to second-degree, which has no mandatory minimum sentence. The only charge to stand was first-degree unlawful restraint. As promised to the family, prosecutor Charles Chuck Stango told Brown he favored vacating the plea deal. Life for her (Wierzbicki) has been forever changed, Stango told Brown. Wednesday was Molleurs sentencing date, but Brown instead put Molleurs case back on the pretrial docket and he is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 13. Brown made no mention of all the publicity surrounding the case, and granted the media permission to photograph in the courtroom. Wierzbicki, who along with MS has bipolar disorder, was strangled and beaten unconscious, punched in the face numerous times during a bloody attack described by police as life threatening. Molleur confessed to police at the scene. Wierzbicki said on the courthouse steps later Wednesday, Im happy were back to square one. Wierzbicki also said she was happy the judge acknowledged her disability, as it was not reflected in the criminal charges. She has maintained Molleur should have been charged with assault on a disabled person, which carries a minimum 5-year sentence. McLaughlin said Brown and Stango did the right thing. I thought Judge Brown was very fair he really listened, McLaughlin said. Both Wierzbicki and McLaughlin thanked supporters who had attended the court session, as well as thousands of supporters from all over the state and country who have supported the Justice for Lori cause. McLaughlin said he hopes the attention his sisters case has received from the public and lawmakers will be a launching pad for victims rights. Molleurs attorney, public defender Susan Brown no relation to Judge Brown told the judge her client belongs in a facility because he has an intellectual disability for which he receives Social Security benefits. She said his life was fine until five years ago, when his mother died. Molleur didnt cope with the loss well, as she was his primary support system, Susan Brown said, and his drinking got out of control. Mr. Molleur is very sorry this happened they were friends, they spent time together, Susan Brown said, referring to Wierzbicki, who has described Molleur as a casual acquaintance. The two lived in a local complex for the elderly and disabled. One of Molleurs sisters wrote a letter to the court on behalf of her brother, detailing his intellectual disability from childhood and his inability to cope after their mothers death at age 95. In the letter read in court by Attorney Brown, the sister stated that although he is 57, Molleur has the mental capacity of someone 12 to 14 years old. With that, and standing only 5 feet, 1 inch tall, hes scared in jail, she said. Susan Brown gave Molleur credit in court for asking a neighbor to call police, not fleeing the scene and confessing to police. He was horrified by what he saw, she said, referring to Wierzbickis state after the crime. She had bruising so severe that her face and body looked distorted. Its a horrible situation. Mr. Molleur has done everything he can to make it better. Molleur has been jailed since early March when the attack occurred. Supporter Michele Lebel was emotional outside the courtroom following Browns decision. She was among the many who wore purple, Wierzbickis favorite color, and even her lipstick was purple. This means a lot because there are so many cases where people dont speak up, and dont get justice, Lebel said. This is a positive. Its nice to see they (the court) were open and listening. Supporter Bryan Anderson, one of about 100 who attended a rally on the Green in December, said he was impressed with how the judge really listened and considered Wierzbickis victims impact statement, while weighing the evidence. What was achieved today was remarkable, Anderson said, calling the tossing of the plea deal unprecedented. It really speaks to the fact that Loris situation resonated with the community, Anderson said. Wierzbicki had tearfully objected to the plea deal over the phone the day of the plea deal hearing, according to court files, but she said she was never given a realistic chance to appear in person because she was only notified that morning and didnt have transportation. After the bloody assault that left her unconscious, Wierzbicki said Molleur ordered her to strip, get in the shower and wash off the blood evidence, as Molleur sat cross-legged on the floor threatening to kill her. In her victims impact statement, Wierzbicki told Judge Brown she still has a fear of showering and on Wednesday took shower number 26 since the attack. The shower makes her relive the assault, so she has to wash herself with baby wipes and wash her hair in the kitchen sink. I thought I was going to die that day, Wierzbicki told the judge. She told the judge that in addition to being charged with assault on a disabled person, Molleur should have been charged with attempted murder. Many who were there in court to support Wierzbicki were residents of her complex who said she is loved by all. Wierzbicki keeps the doors double locked these days, but still keeps coffee cups and home baked cookies on the table in case anyone wants to have a cup and chat. On Monday, she enlisted the entire Britain's Got Talent team (and audience) to sing for her eldest daughter Lexi as she celebrated her 14th birthday. And Amanda Holden was celebrating again on Thursday as she marked her youngest daughter Hollie's eighth birthday with a hilarious throwback snap of the youngster. The image, which Amanda posted on her Instagram, sees baby Hollie sporting a crop of spiky dark hair as she stared wide eyed at the camera while sucking a dummy. So sweet: Amanda Holden was celebrating again on Thursday as she marked her youngest daughter Hollie's eighth birthday with a hilarious throwback snap of the youngster Commenting on the image, she wrote: 'So... our sweet , very kind and utterly hilarious little Princess #hrh is 8 years old today.. We love you so much xxxx to @nhsmillion on this day too. #miracle.' The TV judge, 48, also paid homage to the NHS as she refererred to 'miracle' daughter Hollie's birth which saw Amanda come 'close to death' after the birth with Hollie arriving one month earlier than planned. The TV personality suffered huge loss of blood and spent three days in intensive care in a coma. The sweet picture of Hollie garnered several comments from Amanda's showbiz pals, with Gemma Collins replying: 'Beautiful'. My girl: The image, which Amanda posted on her Instagram, sees baby Hollie sporting a crop of spiky dark hair as she stared wide eyed at the camera while sucking a dummy (pictured in December) Tribute: Commenting on the image, she wrote: 'So... our sweet , very kind and utterly hilarious little Princess #hrh is 8 years old today.. We love you so much xxxx to @nhsmillion on this day too. #miracle'# While Kate Thornton replied: 'Happy birthday little one - the picture on the right melts me x.' With Giovanna Fletcher remarking: 'Look at that little face! And the hair! So gorgeous. Xxx' With Lisa Faulkner adding: 'Happy birthday Hollie have a fantastic day.' Messages: The sweet picture of Hollie garnered several comments from Amanda's showbiz pals, with Gemma Collins replying: 'Beautiful' Hollie's big day comes just days after sister Lexi marked her birthday in the Britain's Got Talent studio, while watching her mum film the show. In clips from her Instagram stories, mum-of-two Amanda pulled Lexi up on stage to sit at the judges' desk, along with fellow stars Simon Cowell, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon. Lexi's friends were also at the show, joining her on stage. Tough: The TV judge, 48, also paid homage to the NHS as she refererred to 'miracle' daughter Hollie's birth which saw Amanda come 'close to death' after the birth with Hollie arriving one month earlier than planned Celebration! Amanda marked her daughter Lexi's birthday on Monday - enlisting the entire Britain's Got Talent team and the audience at the London Palladium to sing Happy Birthday to her Many happy returns: In clips from her Instagram stories, mum-of-two Amanda pulled Lexi up on stage to sit at the judges' desk, along with fellow stars Simon Cowell, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon Amanda uploaded a video of the judges and audience singing, as a crew member presented Lexi with a beautiful cake. The teenager struggled to blow out the two candles, with Simon remarking 'this is getting silly now' and Amanda exclaiming 'come on Lexi!' Amanda captioned the video: 'Lexi is as old as @bgt - 14! So happy she had this wonderful moment with her friends and us!' 'How did this happen?' Earlier in the day, she posted a photo of Lexi now, next to one of her as a baby Family: Amanda shares daughters Hollie and Lexi with husband Chris Hughes, wjhom she married in 2008 Earlier in the day, she posted a photo of Lexi now, next to one of her as a baby. She wrote next to it: 'How did this happen? My beautiful, funny (very tall) daughter Lexi turns 14 today. 'I always think its impossible to love her more. But with each year our hearts are fit to burst! Shell always be our baby!' Amanda shares daughters Hollie and Lexi with husband Chris Hughes, wjhom she married in 2008. Keeping it casual: Amanda cut a very low-key figure as she left Heart Breakfast radio on Thursday Relaxed: The TV star looked happy and chilled as she lefty the studio in a gret tracksuit with a rainbow trim Delightful: Ashley Roberts also left the Heart Breakfast radio studios in a stylish ensemble The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that habeas corpus writ can't be used for securing pre-mature release of a convict under government orders (GO) or rules. A petition under the writ of habeas corpus is filed to ensure that a person under arrest is brought before a court which would determine whether his or her detention is legal. Making clear that habeas corpus writ can only be issued when the detention or confinement of a person is without the authority of law, the apex court said that its scope has been expanded over a period of time. The top court's ruling came while dealing with petitions arising out of the Madras High Court verdict ordering release of several convicts under a scheme framed by the Tamil Nadu government for considering the cases of pre-mature release of convicted prisoners on the occasion of birth centenary of former chief minister M G Ramachandran. A bench of Justices S A Nazeer and Deepak Gupta said it is a settled principle of law that a writ of habeas corpus is available as a remedy in cases where a person is deprived of his or her personal liberty. "At the same time, the law is well established that a writ of habeas corpus will not lie and such a prayer should be rejected by the court where detention or imprisonment of the person whose release is sought is in accordance with the decision rendered by a court of law or by an authority in accordance with law," the bench said in its verdict. "Even though, the scope may have expanded, there are certain limitations to this writ and the most basic of such limitation is that the court, before issuing any writ of habeas corpus, must come to the conclusion that the detenu is under detention without any authority of law," it said. The bench said there can be no dispute with the proposition that anybody who is behind the bars and is either ill-treated or deprived of his liberties, he or she may approach the court for a writ of habeas corpus. "A writ petition by a prisoner is maintainable if his fundamental rights are violated," it said. The bench noted in its order that convicts, which were ordered to be released by the high court, were behind the bars and serving life term pursuant to their conviction and sentence which was confirmed by the top court also. "In these cases, the detenus have been sentenced to imprisonment for life and as such their detention cannot be said to be illegal. It is not for the writ court to decide whether a prisoner is entitled to parole or remission and these matters lie squarely in the domain of the Government," it said, adding, "The Rules cannot override the Constitution." Dealing with the issue whether high court can direct the release of these detenus under the GO, the bench said, "We do not think so. In all these cases, the representations made by the detenus had not been decided. In our view, the proper course for the court was to direct that the representations of the detenus be decided within a short period." The bench said it would be reasonable to grant two-three months to the authorities to deal with the representation made by the convicts in accordance with the GO. "We are clearly of the view that the court itself cannot examine the eligibility of the detenu to be granted release under the Scheme at this stage," the bench said while setting aside the high court orders. It said that authorities must pass a reasoned order in case they refuse to grant benefit under the scheme to any convict. The bench, which was dealing with cases of five convicts, ordered release of four of them while considering that they have completed several educational courses during the period of incarceration. In one of the cases, the bench noted that the person has been convicted in another case and asked the authority to consider his representation under the scheme within six weeks. "In case the state rejects the plea of the detenu then a reasoned order has to be passed and, in that eventuality, the detenu shall be at liberty to challenge the order before the high court," the court said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) (the "Company" or "PreveCeutical") has retained Griffith Hack as their patent attorneys. Following the successful completion of our novel designed peptides derived from Caribbean blue scorpion venom and with our two other programs coming to a close during 2020, we will need to ensure all our intellectual property is patented in order to protect its value. PreveCeutical has retained Griffith Hack to ensure intellectual property is secure. Griffith Hack assist clients not only with procuring IP but also with its IP strategy. They have attorneys qualified in fields such as chemistry, physics, and biotechnology. We will be working closely with Dr. Kathryn Morris, a Principal and Patent Attorney at Griffith Hack. Dr. Morris has designations in Organic Chemistry and Intellectual Property Law. PreveCeutical will be working with Griffith Hack to create the best value from the IP created by our current four research and development programs with UniQuest and the University of Queensland, Australia. "These patent filings are critical to PreveCeutical as we are now currently working to discuss potential of partnering with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to further the application of technologies for "out licensing" towards achieving targeted drug delivery for their active new chemical entities ", stated Dr. Mak Jawadekar. About PreveCeutical PreveCeutical is a health sciences company that develops innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilising organic and nature identical products. PreveCeutical aims to be a leader in preventive health sciences and currently has five research and development programs, including: dual gene therapy for curative and prevention therapies for diabetes and obesity; the soluble gel drug delivery research and development program; Nature Identical peptides for treatment of various ailments; non-addictive analgesic peptides as a replacement to the highly addictive analgesics such as morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone; and a therapeutic product for treating athletes who suffer from concussions (mild traumatic brain injury). For more information about PreveCeutical, please visit www.PreveCeutical.com, follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PreveCeuticals and Facebook: www.facebook.com/PreveCeutical. About Griffith Hack Griffith Hack knows IP and the importance of protecting it, which they do with smarter IP development, performance tracking and management, which they call IP amplified. Griffith Hack is proudly recognized as a Leading Firm for Intellectual Property in the Chambers and Partners 2020 Asia-Pacific legal guide. For more information about Giffith Hack, please visit https://www.griffithhack.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of PreveCeutical "Dr. Makarand (Mak) Jawadekar" President & Chief Science Officer For further information, please contact: PreveCeutical: Investor Relations info@PreveCeutical.com 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 in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, the applying for any patent(s), being granted any patent(s), and the continued research interests of PreveCeutical, PreveCeutical's anticipated business plans, and its prospects of success in executing its proposed plans. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will", "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "schedules", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential", "proposes" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward looking statements are based on certain assumptions regarding PreveCeutical, including expected growth, results of operations, including PreveCeutical's research and development activities, performance, industry trends, growth opportunities, and that PreveCeutical will be able to obtain the financing required to carry out its planned future activities, retain and attract qualified research personnel and obtain and/or maintain the necessary intellectual property rights needed to carry out future business activities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including, risks and uncertainties relating to: complexities and delays in connection with research and development activities and the actual results of research and development activities including the acceptance of any patent appplications and the granting of the patents thereunder; the ability of PreveCeutical to, among other things, protect its respective intellectual property, obtain any required governmental, regulatory or stock exchange approvals, permits, consents or authorizations required, including Canadian Securities Exchange acceptance of any planned future activities; and the ability of PreveCeutical to commercialise products, pursue business partnerships, complete their research programs as planned, and obtain the financing required to carry out their planned future activities. Other factors such as general economic, market or business conditions or changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry may also adversely affect the future results or performance of PreveCeutical. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, PreveCeutical assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Although PreveCeutical believes that the statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that those statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions will prove to be accurate. Readers should consider all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to other periodic reports provided by PreveCeutical from time-to-time. These reports and PreveCeutical's filings are available at www.sedar.com. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), or any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the Canada, United States, or any other jursidiction. The securities of the Company have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51765 SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, today announced it has granted equity awards under its 2014 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") to new employees who joined Salesforce in connection with the acquisition of ClickSoftware. The Plan was adopted by the Salesforce Board of Directors in July 2014, in accordance with New York Stock Exchange Rule 303A.08. ClickSoftware will enhance Salesforce Service Cloud's leadership as the #1 service platform, empowering every service employee from the contact center to the field to deliver more connected, intelligent customer service. Through the Plan, ClickSoftware employees will receive various equity awards as provided below. Each of the employees who received an equity award is a non-executive officer. Under the Plan, Salesforce granted a total of 103,847 restricted stock units ("RSUs") to 208 employees. The RSUs vest over four years with 25 percent of the RSUs vesting on the first anniversary of the grant date and the balance vesting quarterly thereafter in 12 equal installments, subject to continued service through each applicable vesting date. About Salesforce Salesforce is the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age. Founded in 1999, Salesforce enables companies of every size and industry to take advantage of powerful technologiescloud, mobile, social, internet of things, artificial intelligence, voice and blockchainto create a 360-degree view of their customers. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com . SOURCE Salesforce Related Links http://www.salesforce.com By PTI AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Hardik Patel, who walked out of the Sabarmati Central Jail here on Thursday a day after he was granted bail in a sedition case, was immediately arrested by Gandhinagar district police in a 2017 case of addressing a rally without police permission, an official said. A local court in Ahmedabad had on Wednesday granted bail to Patel, four days after he was arrested for failing to appear before the trial court in a 2015 sedition case. As soon as he walked out of the jail on Thursday afternoon, he was arrested by Mansa tehsil police of Gandhinagar district in connection with an FIR registered against him in 2017 for disobeying a police order. "We arrested Hardik Patel as soon as he walked out of the jail today. Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections in December 2017, he had addressed a gathering in Mansa town without police permission. While the FIR was lodged at that time, he was arrested in the case today," police sub inspector of Mansa, S S Pawar, said. Patel was arrested on January 18 by the crime branch of Viramgam tehsil in Ahmedabad district for failing to appear before the trial court here in the 2015 sedition case, after a warrant was issued against him. He had been previously arrested in connection with this sedition case filed by the Ahmedabad crime branch after violence broke out during a rally of the Patidar community in the city on August 25, 2015. The quota agitation spearhead was granted bail in July 2016, and in November 2018, the court had framed charges against him and other accused in the case. Patel had joined the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration will hold roundtable training sessions in Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina on best practices regarding the Women's Business Center grant application opportunity. Information for the upcoming roundtables: Columbia : Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. EST Benedict College Business Development Center 2601 Read St, Columbia, S.C. 29204 Register Charleston : Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. EST Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Catalyst Center 4500 Leeds Ave, 2nd Floor North Charleston, S.C. 29405 Register The roundtables will explain how to apply for SBA Women's Business Center grants and get the funding needed to reach more women business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Organizations interested in attending should contact SBA South Carolina District Director [email protected] at (803) 253-3360, or South Carolina District Office Public Information Officer [email protected] at (803) 253-3121. Advance registration is requested. The SBA's WBC program is a national network of more than 100 locations that offer one-on-one counseling and training to women seeking to start businesses, grow their markets or expand through federal contracting opportunities or international trade. Eligible applicants for the WBC grant must be private, nonprofit organizations with 501(c) tax-exempt status from the U.S. Treasury/Internal Revenue Service in South Carolina. This may include universities, foundations, chambers of commerce, or economic development institutions. The SBA recognizes the importance of Minority Serving Institutions (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Institutions) and encourages their participation in the roundtable. As part of the grant application process, interested applicants must register and receive a certificate from SAM.gov. The SAM.gov certification process for the SBA's Women's Business Centers can take up to 45 days. It is recommended that organizations begin the registration process immediately. Questions about the WBC funding opportunity can be directed to the SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership (OWBO) at [email protected]. About the U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. Contacts: [email protected] (202) 401-3059; [email protected] (803) 253-3121 Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Instagram Release Number: 20-07 SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration Related Links http://www.sba.gov On Friday, January 24, at 12.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a round table talk entitled "Patient Protection in Transplantation System." Participating will be head of the medical law committee of the Ukrainian Bar Association Marina Slobodnichenko, deputy director general of the state-owned company "Electronic Health" Oleksandr Yemets, project manager of Greenlight Corporate Solutions LLC Ruslan Tymoshenko, surgeon at the National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology named after Shalimov, ex-Deputy Minister of Health Mykhailo Zahriychuk (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration on the spot requires press documents. Contributed You dont really ever need a reason to drink wine but you will have a great reason to do so in 2020. Thats because the British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance and BC Wine Institute are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Special events, commemorative videos and campaigns are scheduled throughout the year. This anniversary is a celebration of the success and growth of BC VQA Wine over the last 30 years, BC Wine Institute president and CEO Miles Prodan said in a press release. BC VQA Wine would not be what it is today without the incredible vision, collaboration and determination of our industry. For more on this story, visit Okanagan Edge. NORTH CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Abbott (ABT) announced positive results from a study, providing the scientific basis for the company's Proclaim XR recharge-free neurostimulation system for people living with chronic pain. The company said its study found that BurstDR stimulation waveform reduced the negative psychological effects associated with a person's chronic pain at six-month follow up by 62%. The company noted that its proclaim XR system allows physicians to identify the lowest effective dose of BurstDR stimulation customized to each patient, optimizing system longevity while maintaining effective pain and symptom relief, and eliminating the need for recharging (for up to 10 years at low-dose settings). The patient-centric innovation is possible because of Abbott's proprietary stimulation waveform and advanced battery technology that is integrated into Proclaim XR, the company said. It is estimated that 50 million Americans live with chronic pain, which is defined as pain that lasts longer than six months. About 30% of those living with chronic pain develop depression or psychological effects when patients develop a preoccupation with pain that makes it difficult to live a normal life. 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. Ayushmann Khurrana's Reveals His Parents Laughed All Through Watching SMZS Trailer, Proud Of Him For Doing The Film DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The inaugural Texas Hemp Convention, presented by Precision Extraction and Kush.com, is taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention center on January 28-30 from 10am - 5pm. Texas is poised for explosive growth in hemp and CBD. The Texas Hemp Convention has over 300 exhibiting businesses, bringing together industry experts and thought leaders from around the country. With more than 10,000 people expected to attend the convention, there are opportunities for consumers and businesses alike. The highlight of the convention is the educational component. Featuring over 150 educational sessions from more than 130 speakers, including Keynote Rep. Tracy King, the Texas State Representative who is responsible for House Bill 1325, which legalized the Hemp farming and the production of hemp products in Texas. Tickets can be purchased through eventbrite and at the convention center during the event. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/texas-hemp-convention-2020-tickets-72555195543 Quotes: "Legalizing hemp is an historic event. With a fast evolving industry, staying on the cutting edge is key to creating success." -Michael Gordon, CO-CEO Kush.com "If you want to know what's going to happen next in Hemp and CBD, the Texas Hemp Convention educational series has the answers." -Michael Gordon, CO-CEO Kush.com "The Texas Hemp convention is a great place to learn about hemp, and how CBD can benefit your life." -Jesse Hagberg, Hemp Derivative Expert "Unlike other hemp and CBD events, the Texas Hemp Convention is focused on providing in-depth information and learnings from hands-on experience in the hemp industry. No where else can you receive the level of education as at #THC2020." -Alex Hodschayan, VP Marketing Kush.com Media credentials are available by visiting https://texashempconvention.com/press-and-media For more information, visit the www.TexasHempConvention.com Contact Information Texas Hemp Convention Michael Gordon: CO-CEO Kush.com 425-209-7370 [email protected] SOURCE Kush.com Related Links http://www.kush.com Fresh charges of endangerment and causing criminal damage to a garda car at Banteer in County Cork were brought against a man arising out of the alleged targeting of the rural homes of elderly people attending mass. Detective Garda Geraldine Daly brought these charges against John Faulkner, 37, of 4 Adelaide Place, St Lukes, Cork, at Cork District Court. Faulkner was remanded in custody until January 29. Defence solicitor, Pat Horan, said that because fresh charges had been brought against the defendant there would be a new application for bail next week. The existing burglary charge was withdrawn and a different burglary charge arising out of the same case was brought against the defendant. He is charged with entering a house as a trespasser to commit a theft at Freemount, Charleville, on Saturday, October 19. Niall Fitzpatrick, 52, of Corrin Close, The Glen, Cork, faces the same burglary charge. Det. Garda Daly brought new charges against Fitzpatrick today for summary offences under the Road Traffic Act. Fitzpatrick, who was represented by Eddie Burke, solicitor, was remanded in custody on the burglary charge to appear in court again on February 6. Judge Carol Anne Ni Chullachain remanded a third defendant in custody until the same date on the same burglary charge. Jerry OLeary, aged 61, of 12 Brandon Crescent, Dillons Cross, Cork, appeared at Cork District Court by video link from prison. Detective Sergeant Hugh Twomey of Mallow garda station previously alleged: In this incident it is alleged that the burglary was carried out at the home of an elderly couple in their 80s at Freemount, Charleville. They were targeted by an organised criminal gang. . . This couple was targeted in the belief that large sums of cash and pension payments which were accrued (would be) in the house. No case of suspected Novel Coronavirus infection has been detected in India, a statement from Union Health Ministry says. As on January 22, 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for Novel Coronavirus symptoms at the International airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin, it states. Briefing the preparedness of the government, the statement said Ministry of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India. Instructions for in-flight announcements for India bound flights have also been given. "National Institute of Virology, Pune is fully geared up to test samples of nCoV. Ten other laboratories under Indian Council of Medical Research's Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratories network are also equipped to test such samples, if need arises. Adequate stock of Personal Protection Equipment is being maintained by Medical Stores Organisation," the statement said. The health ministry also said that through its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme issued advisory to all States/UTs for SARI surveillance, it has to pick up any travel-related case reported in the community and follow up contacts of suspect/confirmed cases. Immigration officers manning the counters have been sensitised across these airports. The government has also asked the state governments of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka to review and strengthen preparedness measures at designated airports for provision of isolation and critical care facilities, linkages with VRDL network laboratories and adherence to infection prevention and control guidelines. "Ministry of External Affairs has also been requested to disseminate travel advisory (in local languages) to Indian Embassies in China and adjoining countries for wider circulation and passenger information. In view of significant population of Indian students in China, MEA has been requested to provide details of such students. Ministry of Home Affairs has been requested to share details of travellers from China who have been issued e-Visa since December 31, 2019," it said. The health secretary has also written to the States/UTs to review their preparedness, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance, laboratory support infection prevention and control, logistics, risk communication etc. India had issued a travel advisory against citizens visiting China on January 17. The situation is being closely monitored by the top officials of the Ministry in close coordination with other concerned Ministries & Departments and States/UTs, the health ministry said. Also Read: Infra drives PE-VC investments to an all-time high in 2019 Also Read: Reliance Jio pays Rs 195 crore AGR dues to DoT; Voda Idea, Airtel seek more time Also Read: India won't engage with RCEP unless there's greater transparency: Piyush Goyal at Davos Brad Pitt has shared his reaction to the media frenzy his and Jennifer Aniston's reunion photo has caused online (Photo by Matthew Simmons/Getty Images for SBIFF) Ever since Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston publicly bumped into one another at the 2020 SAG Awards on Sunday, fans have been obsessing over the former couple reuniting. Now, the former has shared his reaction to the media frenzy that he unknowingly played a part in over the past week. Speaking at the 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday 22 Jan, the Once Upon A Time... in Hollywood actor told ET Online that he is blissfully naive when it comes to the online furore surrounding his love life. And whats more, he intends for things to stay that way. Read more: Jennifer Aniston fans rally behind her amid calls for Brad Pitt reunion Having been honoured with the Maltin Modern Master Award for his contributions to film at the California event, Pitt was asked how he felt about receiving such an accolade. "One, it means I'm old," he joked. "Two, it's nice for me. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston attend the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. 721313 (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner) "I've been spending a lot of time here since 1999, so it feels homey for me. My kids spend a lot of time out here, friends a lot of time out here. So, that feels nice. I don't know, I haven't done one of these things before so we'll see what happens." Elsewhere, a source told PEOPLE magazine that Pitt and Aniston want nothing but happiness for each other, before insisting that while the latter is happy to have Brad back in her life as a friend, they wont be revisiting their romantic relationship anytime soon. Read more: Angelina Jolie credits children for giving her 'strength' in years following Brad Pitt split The pair were married between 2000 and 2005, before splitting shortly after Pitt met and fell for his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie. Each went to have separate marriages - Pitt wed Jolie in 2014, while Aniston tied the knot with Justin Theroux later - but both are thought to be single again after their respective divorces. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received criticisms left and right over stepping down from their roles as senior royals. They were called out for leaving the Queen with two less to count on, especially at a crucial time with Prince Philip being sick and Prince Andrew giving the British monarch royal headaches. However, it turns out that the new parents are only after the best interests of their son, Baby Archie. Apparently, Meghan is not one to bury the hatchet, especially with how criticisms escalated after the birth of her first child. Criticize Me, But Not My Baby In the now-famous ITV documentary special that featured a stressed out and crying Meghan Markle, she revealed the depressing circumstances that made her "not ok." Markle has been the subject of tabloid news strewn all over with remarks of racial discriminations ever since she was spotted with Prince Harry. Even while they were dating and throughout their engagement and honeymoon phase, the Duchess of Sussex has been the target of hurtful news reporting. However, the Sussexes had to put their foot down when their firstborn Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born. The royal baby also had been subject to racial remarks since being born. The couple has since threatened to take legal action over photographs snapped of her and Baby Archie during their private family time. Senior Royals Give Sussexes Parenting Advice The Duke and Duchess reportedly felt the scrutiny escalate to a new high in May 2019 right after the birth of Baby Archie. The royal couple, who has been known to sway from traditional actions, chose to keep Baby Archie away from the public eye. While the Sussexes did share some photographs of Baby Archie, they did keep the child under wraps in the photos. British press allegedly had been unhappy that they got very little access to the youngest royal. Moreover, it was revealed that even the royal higher-ups encouraged the Sussex Royals to be "more forthcoming" about Baby Archie's photographs presented to the public. In particular, Prince William and Kate Middleton had always been more open in sharing their children's pictures to the public. However, the Sussexes allegedly turned down their advice. Markle Cannot Take It Anymore During Baby Archie's christening, Meghan and Harry opted not to make it a public commotion. However, royal followers have grown adamant in their demands to see the child. With the British taxpayers paying for the lavish royal lifestyle, it was expected that the Sussexes would at least share something as simple as baby photos. Nonetheless, as the Sussex Royals refused to put out face photos of their baby, criticism grew. It was at this point that Meghan had the final straw and was determined not to allow her son to grow in such an environment. Letting Go of Taxpayer Support Harry and Meghan made it clear that they are stepping down as senior royals to remove their financial obligations from the British taxpayers. Report reveal that if the British public does not financially support the Sussexes, then Meg and Harry could enjoy their private life. Keep in mind that previous to their stepping down as senior royals, there has already been debate that they should not continue to be supported from tax funds. Their trust issues have decreased about the same time Prince Andrew's scandal was revealed in the previous year. READ MORE: THIS is How Baby Archie Will Look Like When He Grows Up Thomas Barwick If you're a Vanguard investor who is hoping to file your taxes early, you may be disappointed. Clients at The Vanguard Group who switched from the firm's mutual fund platform to its brokerage account in 2019 will receive two sets of tax forms for that year, the company confirmed. These Form 1099s will arrive in January for mutual fund accounts, and in February for brokerage accounts, according to Vanguard's website. The forms detail sales transactions, as well as dividends and capital gains stemming from activity in your investment portfolio that you need to complete your return. "Please wait until you get all of your forms before filing your taxes," Vanguard told one affected investor in an email reviewed by CNBC. Swapping from the mutual fund platform to the brokerage account simplifies account management for clients, said Vanguard spokeswoman Jess Emery. The Valley Forge, Pennsylvania-based firm is one of the nation's largest asset managers, with $5.6 trillion under management. In future years, these investors will likely receive one 1099 consolidated form, detailing their holdings, according to the firm. While the start of tax season is right around the corner Jan. 27 brokerage firms generally have a reputation for slowing the filing process by sending out delayed or amended 1099s to their investors. "It will involve more work if you're getting those 1099s," said Michael Goodman, CPA and president of Wealthstream Advisors in New York. "Some people wait until later to file their tax returns because they're expecting an amended form." Delayed and inaccurate 1099s The Internal Revenue Service's offices in Washington, D.C. Adam Jeffery | CNBC While brokerage firms generally have until Feb. 15 to deliver clients' 1099s, investors still wind up getting their paperwork late. That's because mutual fund providers spend January reviewing the information they get from the underlying companies they invest in, including calculating taxable dividends and capital gains from those companies, said Ed Zollars, CPA at Thomas & Zollars in Phoenix. The custodians and brokerage firms where you hold your accounts must process this data before providing you with a 1099. If it's a small adjustment that's in your favor a refund that's the equivalent of a Starbucks coffee it might not be worth the hassle factor. Michael Goodman CPA and president of Wealthstream Advisors "If you're a custodian or a brokerage firm, you're accumulating all of this information from hundreds of sources," said Goodman. Firms can make mistakes on these forms for instance, erroneously reporting the amount of ordinary dividends to a client and send corrected paperwork to the investor well into the spring. "In the old days, these clients would come with their 1099s at the end of January, and then everything would get pushed back two more weeks for these amended forms for minor dollar amounts," said Zollars. If you filed early and later found out that your brokerage firm is sending a corrected form, you may have to send the IRS an amended tax return. Getting ahead PeopleImages | Getty Images The police have opened a criminal case on the arson of an office in the center of Kherson, the press service of the police in Kherson region said. "Yesterday, on January 22, at around 23:50, the duty officer of the emergency situations service called the Unified Center 102 of the police in Kherson region. The employee of the State Emergency Situations Service said that an office of a political party was burning at Universytetska Street in Kherson," reads the statement. A criminal case has been opened under Part 2 of Article 194 (intentional destruction or damage to property) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The police are investigating into the case to identify the lawbreakers involved in the crime. Chief of the Police Department in Kherson Oleksandr Hovorun said that the consequences of the fire could be unpredictable as the office is situation on the ground floor of a five-storied apartment building. "The employees of the State Emergency Situations Service quickly localized the fire and no citizens were injured. During the examination of the fire scene, the police verified that the office was set on fire intentionally. It was verified that the lawbreaker broke the window and threw a glass bottle with a highly inflammable substance inside the room," the police said. The case has been registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations. In turn, Kherson-based organization of the Party of Shariy said on Facebook that its office in Kherson was set on fire. Blogger and leader of the party Anatoliy Shariy has promised a reward for information about the arsonists. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 01:46:40|Editor: ZD Video Player Close LONDON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- British government's Brexit bill became law Thursday after Queen Elizabeth II gave it her royal assent, paving the way for Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) on Jan. 31. Under the government of former prime minister Theresa May, the withdrawal bill went through a bumpy ride in the parliament. The journey became smoother after Boris Johnson's landslide victory in a snap general election in December. Armed with a 80-seat majority in the House of Commons (lower house), the bill was able to beat all opposition and passed its final legislative stage in the House of Lords (upper house) Wednesday after peers gave it their approval. Spelling out arrangements for Britain's departure from the union, the approved bill will be signed at a ceremony in Brussels Friday by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, president of the European Council. Negotiations between Britain and the EU will soon start on a future trade deal. Johnson has repeatedly insisted that he will not extend the transition period. Last month, the House of Commons passed his Brexit bill, where he added a clause to rule out any extension beyond Dec. 31, 2020. During a speech in London earlier this month, von der Leyen warned that the two sides need more time to reach a deal. "Without an extension of the transition period beyond 2020, you cannot expect to agree on every single aspect of our new partnership," she said. New Delhi: The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) is exploring the possibility of arbitration and mediation as well as increasing the number of benches for faster disposal of disputes. "In the informal discussion (with the government), we have suggested that there should be some mechanism in the form of arbitration and mediation so that certain types of disputes can be taken care of," ITAT president Justice (Retired) P P Bhatt said here. He further said this was discussed with both Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur and CBDT Chairman P C Mody. Both have welcomed the suggestion and the government will take a view on this, Bhatt said. "We have volunteered to suggest some modalities on this," he added. Live TV "Mediation process can be controlled by ITAT. If parties volunteer to go for mediation and if a bench feels dispute can be resolved by it by mediation then the bench can refer it," he added. Observing that a panel of experts having judicial experience would take at least 4 to 5 sittings, he said, if not settled in mediation, then it can be referred for adjudication on merit. "This is the idea. It is better to have a statutory format so that it can be properly implemented. The concept is well accepted in India and globally because of huge quantum of litigation," he said. This can come into effect once the government provides the legal framework, ITAT vice president G S Pannu said adding it is the prerogative of the finance ministry because it administers Income Tax Act. On the expansion of benches, Bhatt said, a bench will soon come up for Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, some more benches are being contemplated. With regard to shortage of members, Bhatt said the sanctioned strength is 126 and there are 84 serving members at present. So there are 42 vacancies which need to be filled by the government. By Alex Ho Investing.com - Gold prices were steady on Thursday in Asia as fears over the spread of Chinas coronavirus remained. Gold Futures gained 0.2% to 1,559.80 by 12:34 AM ET (04:34 GMT). The new flu-like virus has so far claimed 17 lives and infected hundreds, according to data released by Chinas government. On Thursday, China announced that it is closing transportation networks in Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak, and urge citizens not to leave. The decision ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, where hundreds of millions are expected to travel to the country for holidays. The World Health Organization said it will decide later today whether to declare a global emergency over the outbreak. Lower export numbers from Japan in December also helped supporting the safe-haven metal today. The countrys exports fell 6.3% in December from a year earlier, Ministry of Finance data showed on Thursday. That compared with the expected 4.2% decrease and followed a 7.9% year-on-year decline in the previous month. Imports fell 4.9% in the year to December, versus the median estimate for a 3.4% decrease. They fell 15.7% in the previous month. Related Articles Oil slump deepens as China virus casts cloud over fuel demand, economy Oil Prices Slump Amid Rising Crude Inventories Oil Inventories Rose 1M Last Week - API Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 00:32:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GARISSA, Kenya, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Kenyan police officer was critically injured on Thursday following an ambush by bandits in Garissa County near the border with Somalia. Dadaab police officer confirmed the incident, saying eight other police officers who were traveling in the same vehicle are battling more than ten attackers. He said the police officers were traveling from Liboi border town to Dadaab in northeast Kenya when the vehicle ran over ambush laid by bandits. Kenya's northeastern region has borne the brunt of grenade and gun attacks in the last several years since Kenya took its troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight the al-Shabab militia group. Many people, majority of them non-locals or Christians, have lost their lives with others left with permanent injuries. Enditem Imagine that Democrats nominate Joe Biden, or Elizabeth Warren, or Mike Bloomberg, or anyone else in the field as their candidate for president. Now imagine that President Donald Trump, who once joked about shooting someone on Fifth Avenue, tweets out the following: Crazy (fill in candidate name here) would be terrible for America. Can someone help me out here? Dont worry, my pardon power is absolute. Thats a vague ask, maybe even a joke. But if you take the arguments of Trumps defenders to their logical extreme, since granting a pardon is not a crime, even promising a pardon for "help" that could be deadly for a political opponent would not be grounds for impeachment. Seriously, that is the logic of the argument being offered by Trump and his team. And if the Senate accepts that argument, it will set a dangerous precedent that threatens the very foundations of American government. The question is being posed as part of a scholarly debate about the meaning of the Constitution. What does the text mean when it says a president can be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors? Trumps defenders have filed a brief in the Senate arguing that this means he can only be impeached for a criminal offense. They say that even if he did abuse his presidential authority by trying to force Ukraine to start an investigation of his political opponents son, thats not an impeachable offense because its only an abuse of power, not a crime. Since the House of Representatives never accused him of committing an ordinary crime, Trump says the impeachment charges should be dismissed. Trump response is frivolous There is every reason to think that the presidents argument is legally frivolous, what legal scholar Frank Bowman calls constitutional nonsense. Virtually every legal scholar and historian in America agrees. There is no requirement that impeachment be based on a statutory crime. For one thing, at the time the impeachment clause was written, there were no statutory crimes yet; Congress didnt pass the first criminal statutes until several years later. For another, the English parliamentary history that was the backdrop for the Constitution records many cases where a public officials abuse of power was deemed an impeachable offense. Story continues Smoke and mirrors: You don't have to break a law to be impeached. Trump's defenders need a better argument. And, perhaps most important, American precedent is squarely to the contrary. Several of the articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson alleged conduct that was not a criminal act including one impeaching him for delivering "with a loud voice certain intemperate, inflammatory and scandalous harangues that were an attempt to bring into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt and reproach the Congress of the United States. President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2020. But now is not the time for treating the presidents assertion as a mere dispute among scholars. What is couched as a legal debate is really a debate about the fundamental premise of our democracy. Does the president owe a duty to the public? When he swears to faithfully execute the office of the presidency and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, is that an enforceable promise or are they mere words? If President Trump is to be believed, he thinks they are no more than vague promises to which he cannot be held accountable so long as he avoids committing a crime. Abuse of authority worse than crimes But that really cant be right. As Alexander Hamilton put it in the Federalist Papers, impeachable conduct are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust, and political offenses that injure society. Common sense says abuse of authority is even more dangerous than criminal conduct. In 1974, at the height of the Watergate crisis, professor Charles Black of Yale wrote a short incisive handbook on impeachment. He asked: Suppose a president were to move to Saudi Arabia, so he could have four wives, and were to propose to conduct the office of presidency by mail and wireless from there. This would not be a crime, provided his passport were in order. Is it possible that such gross and wanton neglect of duty could not be grounds for impeachment and removal? Watergate downside: We found crimes. Now people think that's what it takes to impeach. And yet that is precisely what President Trump suggests. He could not be impeached for, say, refusing to fight a Russian invasion of Alaska; or for declassifying the name of every American secret agent abroad; or for announcing his intention to launch nuclear missiles at Great Britain in response to a perceived insult from Queen Elizabeth. Or for promising to pardon someone who "helped him out" by taking a political rival off the field, in some way, shape or form. That is not the America we want. Even if the Senate chooses to acquit President Trump, it must reject his overbroad assertion of immunity from scrutiny and accountability. Our democracy depends on it. Paul Rosenzweig, a senior fellow in the National Security and Cyber Security Program at the R Street Institute, was senior counsel to Kenneth Starr in the Whitewater investigation and a deputy assistant secretary of Homeland Security in the George W. Bush administration. Follow him on Twitter: @RosenzweigP You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump impeachment defense: Oath of office? Whatever. I do what I want. Burma What You Need to Know: The Gambias Request for Provisional Measures & Myanmars Arguments at the ICJ Daw Aung San Suu Kyi presents her argument to the International Court of Justice on Dec. 11, 2019. / Reuters A groom broke down in tears when his best man - who he thought was on military deployment overseas - surprised him on his wedding day. Anthony 'AJ' White, 27, hid in the bushes before Steven Marec and his bride Lauren walked down a path for wedding pictures in Fallbrook, California. Heartwarming footage captures Mr White shouting: 'Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Marec,' before appearing in front of the couple in full combat uniform. Steven Marec, 27, and his new wife, Lauren, were surprised by Anthony 'AJ' White, 27, who hid in the bushes as the couple walked down a path for wedding pictures in Fallbrook, California The couple gasp and a shocked Mr Marec, 27, shouts: 'Bro!' With her husband unable to hold back his tears, Mrs Marec goes to hug Mr White. She says: 'He was sobbing more when he saw you than when he saw me. Are you kidding me.' When he emerges from the bushes, Mr Marec cannot believe it and immediately backs away in shock Mr White and Mr Marec met nine years ago and remained close despite Mr White's work with the US Army Mr Marec's wedding day was set for a date that Mr White could attend. However, ahead of the big day on January 5, Mr White got the news that he would be deployed overseas for between 10 and 12 months. Pictured: The bridal party Mr White then goes to hug his friend, who he has known for nine years. Mr Marec says: 'Why are you doing this to me?' before uncontrollably sobbing into his friend's shoulder. The other groomsmen gather around them as they too struggle to hold back the tears. Mr White says: 'I learned about this two days ago, so there was no prior knowledge.' The group then pose for a photograph before gathering together for a group hug. Mr White and Mr Marec met nine years ago and remained close despite Mr White's work with the US Army. Mr Marec's wedding day was set for a date that Mr White could attend. However, ahead of the big day on January 5, Mr White got the news that he would be deployed overseas for between 10 and 12 months. However a few days before the wedding, Mr White found out that his deployment was pushed back. After getting the ok from his superiors, Mr White planned the surprise with the groom's friends and family. Mr Marec from Aliso Viejo, California, said: 'Our bond together can only be explained as the brother I never expected to have. A few days before the wedding, Mr White found out that his deployment was pushed back and - after getting the ok from his superiors - Mr White planned the surprise. Pictured: Mr Marec and Mr White 'I was so excited that the only thing I could do is just step back out of pure shock and cry out of happiness. 'I cry every time I see it, it's still so unreal that it happened. 'For every family, friend, or loved ones that are going or coming back from their deployment: Never underestimate them, they will always be there for you when you need it. 'With all the chaos going on right now its such a gift to have these moments that you never expect to happen. ' Two men have been charged with murder in the drive-by shooting on Route 80 in Lodi that left a driver dead and one of his passengers shot in the chest, authorities announced Thursday. Kenneth Regan, 21, of Centereach, New York, and Douglas Coudrey, 22, of Eastport, New York, have been arrested in the killing Saturday of Louis Perez, 27, of New York, on Route 80 westbound, authorities said. Regan and Coudrey both face murder charges, along with attempted murder and weapons charges. A third man associated with the duo, Robert Plunkett, faces a weapons charge in Suffolk County after a short pursuit in Northport, New York ended with Coudrey, Regan and Plunkett in police custody. The Saturday morning shooting was not a random act of violence, with Coudrey and Regan tailing Perez from New York City, ending minutes after midnight, on the middle lane of the New Jersey highway. It was not a random shooting," said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. This was a targeted killing. Grewal joined Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, Robert Anzilotti, the chief of detectives for the Prosecutors Office and Lieut. Colonel Fritz Frage, of the New Jersey State Police, at a press conference at the Bergen County Prosecutors Office to announce the charges. The motive for the shooting was not released at Thursdays press conference, but Grewal said that the individuals involved were familiar with each other. The announced arrests fill in many of the gaps left by a shooting shrouded in mystery and few vague details, with a shooter presumed on the loose. In the days since the shooting, the New Jersey State Police, the lead investigating agency, have stayed mostly tightlipped. Perezs name was released nearly two days after the shooting was reported. The incident started across the river, where Coudrey and Regan hopped into a red 2013 BMW SUV and started tailing Perezs car, said Robert Anzilotti, the chief of detectives for the prosecutors office. While Regan drove, Coudrey sat in the passenger seat, trailing Perezs 2019 Honda Civic, he said. As the two cars wended their way through New York and into New Jersey, Perez and the two men in his car had no idea they were being followed, said Anzilotti. Shortly after midnight, after crossing the George Washington Bridge and driving onto Route 80 westbound, the red SUV pulled alongside Perezs Civic and one of the occupants opened fire, said Anzilotti. The gunfire hit Perez in his neck and chest, killing him. Investigators believe Coudrey fired the shots, said Anzilotti. The front seat passenger was shot in the chest and taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was in stable condition as of Thursday. The third passenger in the back seat was uninjured and called 911. Through interviews and surveillance footage, investigators pieced together a trail that led back to Eastport, New York, where officers found the BMW SUV at Coudreys home early Wednesday, said Anzilotti. After setting up surveillance at Coudreys home, officers saw Coudrey, Regan and Plunkett get into a white Ford Fusion and drive away. When officers tried to stop the car, a brief pursuit ensued, ending when the Ford crashed into a fence nearby. Inside the Ford, officers found a loaded .22-caliber rifle that had been modified to to be used as a submachine gun, said Anzilotti. In Coudreys home, officers found a sawed-off shotgun. In Suffolk County, Coudrey also faces another charge for trying to escape from Suffolk County Police Department headquarters after he was already in custody. In similar circumstances, Coudrey and Regan were arrested together last June in Brookhaven, New York after also crashing their car and being found with heroin, cocaine, marijuana and anabolic steroids, according to a report by Newsday. Shell casings and property that connected the two to an armed robbery from the previous night were also found at the scene of that crash, the Suffolk County Sheriffs Office said, according to Newsday. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Sajid Javid has been handed a major boost ahead of his first Budget as Chancellor as a flurry of reports suggested the UK economy is rude health. As the Chancellor clashed with the Americans over trade and taxes in Davos, a survey found the mood among British manufacturers picked up by the most in more than 60 years following the election. At the same time, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed borrowing fell by more than expected at the end of last year, giving him extra leeway in the Budget in March. Fightback: Sajid Javid has been handed a major boost ahead of his first Budget as Chancellor And the ONS also said exports of services rose by 3.9 billion to 82.1 billion in the third quarter of last year, with 33 billion going to the European Union and a far greater 49.1 billion to the rest of the world. With Britain finally leaving the EU next week, the report underlined just how much business Britain does with the rest of the world. The triple-whammy of good news came a day after official figures showed employment in the UK hit a record high of 32.9m. Unemployment is just 3.8 per cent, the lowest since 1974 and around half the jobless rate of 7.5 per cent seen in the eurozone. 'It looks promising,' said Howard Archer, chief economist at the Ernst & Young Item Club. 'This is all good news for the Chancellor. The economy certainly seems to be picking up.' In a closely watched survey of British manufacturers, the CBI said that optimism in factories hit its highest level since early 2014 following Boris Johnson's election victory last month. The group added that the improvement in sentiment compared with three months ago was the largest it has seen since it started collecting the data in 1958. Manufacturers are also far more willing to invest in new plant and machinery than they were before the election, the CBI said. The survey of 300 firms was carried out between December 16 and January 13 in the immediate aftermath of the Tory victory over hard-Left Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Thomas Pugh, UK economist at Capital Economics, said: 'All this gives a clear indication that companies are feeling much more upbeat.' Anna Leach, CBI deputy chief economist, said: 'It's clear manufacturers are entering the new year with a spring in their step. Firms are now planning to invest more in plants and machinery, which will ultimately help increase capacity and output.' In a further boost to the Chancellor, the ONS said that the Government borrowed 4.8bn in December. That was less than the 5.3 billion expected by analysts and 200m lower than in December 2018. Borrowing in the financial year to date, April to December, stood at 54.6 billion. This was 4 billion higher than in the same period the previous fiscal year, but still lower than had been expected by the Government's fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Struggle: Britain's biggest car maker plans to change the working pattern from three shifts per day to 'two plus' ...BUT JAGUAR LAND ROVER AXES 500 JOBS Britain's car industry has been dealt another blow as Jaguar Land Rover axes 500 jobs more than 10 per cent of its 4,000 workforce at the Halewood factory on Merseyside where it makes the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque. Britain's biggest car maker plans to change the working pattern from three shifts per day to 'two plus'. It comes as JLR is undertaking a wider restructuring to cut costs by 2.5 billion. Staff will be offered redundancy packages. Union Unite blasted the move as 'a further blow to the UK car industry and to Halewood'. The British car marque, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, cut around 1,000 jobs in Solihull in 2018. Sales fell by 5.9 per cent to 557,706 in 2019, and in the year to March 2019, it made a staggering 3.6 billion loss. Analysts said that the Chancellor was now on course to borrow 41 billion in 2019-20, which is some 6.6 billion less than pencilled in by the OBR. PwC chief economist John Hawksworth said: 'If current trends continue, the Chancellor should have some room for manoeuvre in his Budget in March, particularly in terms of increasing planned infrastructure spending.' But with the national debt at 1.82trillion or more than 70,000 per household the Government is under pressure to make every penny of extra spending count. Archer added that he believed Javid would have increased spending even had the borrowing figures been disappointing. 'The Budget on March 11 looks likely to further loosen the fiscal strings as the Conservative party looks to cement support in the traditionally Labour seats it gained in the election,' he said. 'In particular, the Government has pledged to spend big on infrastructure to take advantage of record low borrowing costs, and it looks primed to boost investment in infrastructure in traditionally Labour regions, pledging to 'level up' economic performance in struggling towns.' Former Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni outside Downing Street. Photo by Dinendra Haria / SOPA Images/Sipa USA Britain has left itself a very short window to strike a free trade deal with the EU, a senior European official has warned. But Paolo Gentiloni, economy commissioner at the European Commission, said the EU wanted the best possible relationship with the UK. Britain will remain tied to EU rules for the rest of the year despite leaving the bloc on 31 January, ensuring a smooth departure as part of a transition period. But the terms of Britains relationship with the EU beyond 2020, on everything from trade to security to data, remain up in the air. READ MORE: EU wants unprecedented trade deal with the UK Prime minister Boris Johnson has vowed not to extend the transition period, to avoid alienating the most pro-Brexit Conservative MPs and voters. Ministers insist a longer-term deal can be struck before the deadline. But Gentiloni said at a panel event at the Davos summit on Thursday that free trade agreements typically took significantly longer than a year. Speaking at an event on Brexit at the gathering of world leaders in Switzerland, he also said Britain would have to remain closely aligned to EU rules to secure the best possible access. Gentiloni said: In the last couple of years we were rather uncertain on the outcome. Now the outcome is certain. We dont like it, but it is there. We have a very short time for negotiation. Eleven months for a free trade agreement is really very short, if we look to other free trade agreements. READ MORE: Trump looks forward to tremendous post-Brexit trade deal But he said said a deal was still possible in such record time, albeit it was not easy. The EU is ready to do all thats in our power to have the best possible relation with the UK. Most of the results depend on the decision of the UK government. If the UK government wants to have very large access to the single market, if they want to have very good relations with the single market we are ready to do this, he added. He said the EUs willingness to strike a deal rested on the UK committing to a level playing field. Story continues Some EU officials and politicians fear Brexit could see Britain seeking competitive advantages over the EU, using its new freedoms to ditch EU standards in favour of rules more attractive to firms. The EU is said to be particularly concerned about how the UK might benefit from reforming state aid and competition rules, tax, employment standards and environmental protections. Gentiloni said: We cant have zero tariffs and dumping together. We can have zero tariffs and zero dumping. He did not give further details on dumping, but the term refers to the export of products at prices classed as unfairly low by the receiving country or bloc. Swiftly responding to a request from the Maldives, India on Thursday provided 30,000 doses of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine to contain the measles outbreak in the island country. "30,000 doses of MR vaccine were quickly procured from the Serum Institute of India, Pvt. Ltd, and, within three days the vaccine reached Male. The vaccines were handed over to the Ministry of Health, Government of Maldives on January 23," a statement from the Indian Embassy in Male read. Thereafter, at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Health, Abdulla Ameen, Minister of Health, presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Indian Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir to thank India for the gesture of goodwill and solidarity. "India's swift response underlines that health remains one of the strongest pillars of bilateral cooperation between India and Maldives. This gesture also emphasises the mutually supportive roles of India's Neighbourhood First Policy and the Maldives' India First policy, acting for the benefit of our peoples," the statement said. While measles has been eliminated from the Maldives, four cases have tested positive in the last one week. The government suspected an outbreak and required emergency supplies of vaccine. The Maldives approached Denmark which was willing to supply in one month's time. It also approached UNICEF which said they will take four weeks. Maldives then approached the Indian Embassy on January 20. The MEA, working closely with the Ministry of Health, procured a supply of 30,000 doses of Measles/Rubella vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, Pune and delivered the consignment today. This will suffice the immediate requirement of the Maldives. India once again proved to be the first responder in times of emergency for the Maldives. In 2015, India responded to the water crisis in Male due to the breakdown of the main RO plant. India airlifted water immediately and also sent supplies by ship, including an RO plant. Similarly, India sent immediate assistance on December 26, 2004 when tsunami struck the Maldives and other countries of the region. In 1988, India responded to an SOS from the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on account of a coup with swift action by sending paratroopers onboard IL-76 aircraft. Secretary-level delegations met in Male on January 5 and 6 to draw up a roadmap for cooperation in capacity building and training of doctors, and medical professionals, disease surveillance, training of mental health professionals and setting up of digital health capacities in Maldives. India is also building a 100-bed comprehensive, state-of-the-art Cancer Hospital in Hulhumale as a project under the bilateral USD 800 million Line of Credit. The hospital will be built by the Tata Memorial Centre and will be completed in an 18 months' time frame. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lawyers for the woman accused of procuring underage girls to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein told a judge that hackers breached her computer after a court failed to redact her email address in filings it released last year. Ghislaine Maxwells lawyer Ty Gee said in a December letter to Judge Loretta A Preska that, despite the Second Circuits best efforts, it made serious mistakes when redacting thousands of pages of records associated with a defamation lawsuit filed by one of Epsteins accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Ms Giuffres 2015 lawsuit argued that Ms Maxwell publicly called her a liar for claiming that the British socialite approached her at the age of 15 and encouraged her to sleep with the convicted sex offender. Lawyers for Ms Giuffre and Ms Maxwell were engaged in a years-long fight to unseal a trove of papers related to the case, with Ms Maxwell arguing the records should remain secret, until a court deemed the previous sealing was unjustified. In releasing the papers, the court redacted Ms Maxwells email address (which linked to her own domain name) in one location but not another, Mr Gees letter read, adding: Shortly afterward hackers breached the host computer. Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Show all 9 1 /9 Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in court Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein attends court as he pleads guilty to solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution, 2008 Zuma/Rex Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in court Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to felony solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Epstein, allegedly paid several girls under the age of 18 in return for naked massages at his Palm Beach, Florida estate Zuma/Rex Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's car Jeffrey Epstein is whisked away from the Palm Beach County jail in a black car shortly after 6am on 22 July 2009. Epstein left the jail through the sally port, where prisoners are brought in, rather than through the main doors where prisoners are routinely released Zuma/Rex Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot, taken after he was indicted for soliciting a prostitute on 26 July 2006. Beginning in mid-March 2005, Epstein became the target of a sexual battery probe conducted by the Palm Beach Police Department, according to the affidavit, which alleges that Epstein paid a series of underage girls to engage in sexual activity with him. In a 2002 New York magazine profile of Epstein, Donald Trump called the moneyman a 'terrific guy' who 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' Epstein, who reportedly runs a multibillion-dollar investment fund, travels in his own Boeing 727 (upon which he has transported Bill Clinton to Africa) and owns a 45,000-square-foot mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jack Goldberger, Jeffrey Epstein's attorney Jeffrey Epstein's attorney, Jack Goldberger, talks with reporters gathered outside the Palm Beach County jail on 22 July 2009 after Epstein was whisked away from the jail in a black car Zuma/Rex Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein Florida Police department sexual offenders database picture of Jeffrey Epstein taken in 2013 Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's mansion His Palm Beach mansion in Florida Google Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's island The private Caribbean island, Little St James is part of the US Virgin Islands NBC News Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's island The private Caribbean island, Little St James is part of the US Virgin Islands NBC News The letter also addressed other apparent issues with the courts release of the case filings. For example, it redacted a non-party's name in one location but not another, the letter continued, so the media immediately gained access to that name. The letter, which was made public earlier this week, did not state who may have been responsible for hacking Ms Maxwells computer. It did, however, argue that currently sealed records should remain secret and out of the public eye, citing privacy concerns and claiming those pages may contain untrustworthy, unreliable and incorrect information. Ms Maxwell has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing after the court filings said she was involved in procuring underage women to have sex with Epstein, even going so far as training the young girls who said they were sexually abused by Epstein. Ms Giuffre said she was trafficked by Epstein and his associates, and claimed she was made to have sex with his high-profile associates, including Prince Andrew. This is not some sordid sex story. This is a story of being trafficked. This is a story of abuse and this is a story of your guys royalty, Ms Giuffre told BBC Panorama. Previously reported emails showed Prince Andrew emailing Ms Maxwell in 2015: Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts. Have some info, she reportedly responded, adding: Call me when you have a moment. Prince Andrew also denies having any involvement in Epsteins sexual abuse and said he does not remember meeting Ms Giuffre, despite a photo showing him and Ms Maxwell with her when she was underage. Epstein died of an apparent suicide in federal prison last year. The FBI has since launched an investigation into his death. Malaysia's top sugar refiner said it will increase purchases of the commodity from India, which according to two sources is part of efforts to placate New Delhi amid an ongoing spat over palm oil imports. MSM Malaysia Holdings Berhad will buy 130,000 tonnes of raw sugar from India worth 200 million ringgit ($49.20 million) in the first quarter, the company told Reuters. The company bought around 88,000 tonnes of raw sugar from India in 2019. MSM is the sugar refining arm of the world's largest palm oil producer, FGV Holdings, which is an unit of Malaysian state-owned Federal Land Development Authority or Felda. The company did not cite the palm oil dispute as a reason for the increase in purchases, but the two sources, who are familiar with discussions between the company and the government on the purchase, said it was a bid to appease India, which has been urging Malaysia to reduce the trade deficit between the countries. India, the world's largest edible oil buyer, this month effectively halted Malaysian palm oil imports apparently in retaliation to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's comments criticising New Delhi over its policy on Kashmir. India has been the biggest buyer of Malaysian palm oil for five years. Malaysia's exports to India were worth $10.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, while imports totalled $6.4 billion. India is the world's biggest sugar producer and the country's exports have climbed because of a surplus and are expected to rise to a record 5 million tonnes for the 2019/20 season. Malaysia imported 1.95 million tonnes of raw sugar in 2019, according to data from the International Sugar Organization on Refinitiv Eikon. ($1 = 4.0650 ringgit) Also read: After palm oil, India may impose import curbs on other crucial items from Malaysia Also read: WEF 2020: Malaysia opens to Davos talk with India amid spat over palm oil import The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday postponed taking a decision on whether the mysterious coronavirus that killed at least 17 people and sickened hundreds of others in China was a global health emergency. WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said physicians need more information and asked the committee which he is leading, which held an emergency meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday to reconvene on Thursday. Mr Ghebreyesus told roughly 150 reporters on a conference call that was delayed for almost two hours while the committee met that today, there was an excellent discussion during the committee meeting, but it was also clear that to proceed, we need more information. He said the emergency committee on Wednesday was split on whether to designate the illness a global health emergency, noting that WHO has researchers in China collecting data. The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. Chinese authorities said many of the patients with the new illness had come into contact with seafoods and meat markets, suggesting the virus is spreading from animals to people. WHO physicians said they found evidence of human-to-human transmission within close contacts, citing family members, and within a health-care environment and that the virus was stable and not showing any kind of unusual activity. WHO defines a global health emergency, also known as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, as an extraordinary event that is serious, unusual or unexpected. The virus that emerged from Wuhan, China, had spread throughout Asia, infecting more than 540 people in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and the Republic of Korea, according to WHO and Chinese state media. The U.S. had also confirmed its first case on Tuesday, a Washington state man who was travelling in China, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said. Meanwhile, Lawrence Gostin, a professor and faculty Director of the ONeill Institute for National & Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said WHO does not enact emergencies easily. The international health agency only applied the emergency designation five times since the rules were implemented in mid-2000. The last time WHO declared a global health emergency was in 2019 for the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that killed more than 2,000 people. The agency also declared global emergencies for the 2016 Zika virus, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu and the 2014 polio and Ebola outbreaks. (NAN) There are no cases of the potentially deadly new coronavirus from China in Ontario yet, but doctors are now required to report any suspected or confirmed cases when the bug arrives, Health Minister Christine Elliott says. Premier Doug Fords cabinet made the decision Wednesday as worldwide concern about the virus ramped up, with the first North American case appearing in the Seattle area this week and several people in Ontario who have recently travelled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan already tested for symptoms. Those throat and nasal swabs have come back negative but Elliott and Dr. David Williams, Ontarios chief medical officer of health, are urging anyone who has been to Wuhan and has a cold, fever, flu, respiratory symptoms or shortness of breath to be checked by a doctor immediately. We need to be very vigilant, Elliott told a news conference. To date, the virus that can cause pneumonia has infected about 440 people, all of whom had been in China, and killed nine, the Associated Press reports. There are also cases in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. While the risks posed by this new coronavirus to Ontarians remain low, the province is actively monitoring and is fully prepared to respond, Elliott said, noting protocols and procedures are in place throughout the health care system thanks to the SARS outbreak that killed almost 800 people worldwide in 2003. Now, physicians, hospitals and other care facilities will be required to report a suspected or confirmed case of the new coronavirus to their local medical officer of health. When that happens, local health units will investigate the patients situation, tracking their travels and person-to-person contacts to determine who else needs screening in an effort to control further spread of the virus. This is something that can grow very quickly, Elliott warned. People may be carrying the virus but dont have any symptoms for several weeks after their return home. Given that the virus is new to humans, Williams said its level of contagiousness and other factors remain a mystery, although genetic sequencing has already been provided by the Chinese, giving health officials around the world a head start in identifying cases something that did not happen in the early days of SARS. A quick version of the swab tests take six hours to produce preliminary results once it gets to the lab and a full test yields results in 24 hours, with experts hoping to develop quicker markers in the coming weeks, said deputy chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe. Some of the tests performed so far on a small number of patients who have come forward showed they had the influenza A virus, not the coronavirus. Any cases that are confirmed in the coming days and weeks would be put in isolation rooms in hospitals with doctors and nurses treating them in protective gear, said Yaffe. Elliott insisted that overcrowding problems at many Ontario hospitals, where patients are treated in hallways virtually every day, will not impact care for coronavirus patients who will have to be kept separate. Facilities can be made available. Hospitals understand what they need to do in order to be ready for that. Between 1,500 and 4,000 people arrive at Torontos Pearson International Airport from Chinese destinations every day, but there are no direct flights here from Wuhan, Williams said, adding the standard flu shot does not provide protection from the coronavirus. Extra screening of incoming passengers is now in effect at Canadian airports receiving flights from China. The Seattle-area coronavirus patient, a man in his 30s, returned from Wuhan on Jan. 15 but had no symptoms, which developed over the following days. He sought medical care Sunday and informed doctors of his travel. He has a mild case of pneumonia and is doing well, Associated Press reported. A decision by the World Health Organization on whether to declare an international public health emergency over the virus was postponed Wednesday, with officials saying they need more information and promising an update on the situation Thursday. Read more about: California Voters Could Sanction Cities for Not Housing the Homeless Last week, a task force Gov. Newsom appointed made an aggressive new policy recommendation: Slap legal sanctions on local governments that fail to reduce homelessness by supporting the development of shelters and other housing options for people without permanent homes. The 13-member Council of Regional Homeless Advisors led by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas wants legislators to amend the California Constitution to make the policy legal and enforceable. They want to present it to voters as a statewide ballot measure in November. For the policy to be effective, it would need to have some teeth, Steinberg says. ADVERTISEMENT Weve tried moral persuasion. Weve tried economic incentives, he told the Los Angeles Times. But all of its optional. Why should this be optional? It shouldnt be. It mustnt be. Thousands of people are dying on the streets, and people are telling us this is a priority. Members of the governors task force have not outlined exactly what the sanctions would look like, but they could include cities and counties losing control over how they spend state funds locally. Gov. Newsom says he supports the general concept but would like to see it tested in a pilot program first. It is a tectonic shift in the way weve done things. Ive learned and youve probably heard me say this there is an old wonderful African proverb that says if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together, Newsom said last week in Grass Valley as he toured housing facilities for the homeless. The proposal comes just after the governor proposed about $1.4 billion in new funding in his 2020-21 budget to fight homelessness. An estimated $640 billion from last years budget is expected to flow into local government coffers within the next couple of months, too, to support local homelessness and affordable housing initiatives. In California, there are more homeless people than any other state in the nation. And from 2018 to 2019, the states homeless population jumped by more than 16 percent to about 151,000 people, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ADVERTISEMENT Ridley-Thomas, who is African American, is expected to propose a pilot program to reduce homelessness that meets the states housing goals to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week. A man died Thursday morning in a hit-and-run wreck in northwest Harris County. Deputies are investigating the crash in the 9200 block of Antoine, just south of Texas 249. The road is temporarily closed. READ ALSO: Houston recording studio owner surrenders on trafficking charges A passerby saw the injured man on the ground and notified authorities, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted. He also said the man may have been homeless. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Peter Paul Rubens See if you can guess who this describes: a politician adored by his supporters but loathed by his enemies. A man accused of corruptly favouring his cronies and his relatives. A vain, preening man said to glory in the ostentation of his wealth and who loved to acquire property. A man who sought to monopolise power, who some think betrayed his country to the national enemy and who wanted to magnify his nations standing in the world but ended up reducing it and damaging trade. A man who was lampooned mercilessly and who faced impeachment. Im not describing Donald Trump but George Villiers, first duke of Buckingham (1592-1628). The impeachment of the current US president nevertheless gives us reason to look at the role of impeachment more generally in the British context which is where they began (at least, in the form with which we are familiar). The central allegation against Trump is abuse of office, which also ran through the charges against Buckingham. Buckingham was one of the most controversial figures of his day. Rising from relative obscurity, he acquired enormous wealth as a result of his close friendship (some alleged more) with first king James I and then Charles I. At the height of his power in the mid-1620s, he enjoyed an income four times that of the wealthiest landowner, though he spent money so freely that he was always in debt. Impeachment was a parliamentary trial a prosecution brought by the House of Commons and judged by the Lords. The process began in the medieval period in order to prosecute corrupt, over-mighty officials for high crimes and misdemeanours. This was a term we are hearing a lot of in the US Senates impeachment proceedings against Trump. It was a catch-all term, but was intrinsically linked to accusations of corruption and betrayal. Medieval misgovernment In 1376, the so-called Good Parliament was opened by its speaker launching an attack on the royal courts corruption and calling for close scrutiny of the royal financial accounts. This led to the first impeachment: of Lord Latimer who along with others was accused of selling the country to the enemy, taking bribes, pocketing fines that were due to King Edward III and charging the king extortionate interest for loans he made. Story continues But impeachment fell out of use between 1453 when the Wars of the Roses took redress onto the battlefield and thereafter Tudor power dominated. It was revived in 1621 when parliament wanted the scalps of corrupt officials linked to Buckingham. The first under attack was Sir Giles Mompesson, who had abused a monopoly on the licensing of inns (and was a relative of Buckingham). The second target was the Lord Chancellor, Francis Bacon the man sometimes credited with popularising the scientific revolution, but who was also a politician with powerful enemies. Bacon was accused of accepting bribes, though his closeness to Buckingham was perhaps the most significant factor in the proceedings. Impeachment was always political. The attempted impeachment of Buckingham himself came in 1626. Charges were drawn up against him alleging that he had monopolised offices, favoured his kin at the expense of the kingdom, bought and sold offices and misspent public money. Further, it was charged that he had damaged British trade and overseas interests, betrayed the nation as commander of the naval forces, taken bribes, perverted the honour of the peerage by selling honours, misspent Crown money and failed to keep proper accounts. It was even suggested that he may have tried to poison James I. Buckinghams mind was said to be full of collusion and deceit. Buckingham was an over-mighty politician who threatened and corrupted the constitution. Buckingham was a showman politician who loved displaying power and wealth. As one MP put it: Infinite sums of Money, and Mass of Land have been heaped upon him, and how have they been employed? Upon costly Furniture, sumptuous Feasting, and magnificent Building. Buckingham refuted the impeachment charges, alleging that common fame was the only proof against him and that it was fake news. But parliament was not to be deflected by his protestations. MPs drew up a remonstrance and declared the duke to be the single cause of the nations ills: The great enemy of the kingdom. The House of Commons resolved that the excessive power of the Duke of Buckingham, and the abuse of that power, are the chief causes of these evils and dangers to the King and kingdom. And yet, after all, the impeachment failed. The duke still had the kings ear and Charles I dissolved parliament. Too hard to prove Why does this history matter? Impeachment was used in Britain repeatedly after 1626 against holders of office, until 1806 when Lord Melville, who had also been accused of corruption, was found not guilty. It was a difficult process to pull off. The definition of high crimes and misdemeanours was not to be found in statute law. As a parliamentary trial, impeachment was intrinsically wrapped in politics and therefore only ever semi-judicial. The failure to convict in 1806 came a decade after another major impeachment, of Warren Hastings, which had also ended in acquittal. So 1806 was the last time the process was attempted in Britain. A 1999 report from the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege states that the procedure may be considered obsolete. But it is a different matter in the US. The practice transferred across the pond when, drawing on British law, impeachment was written into Article 1 of the 1787 constitution of the recently liberated United States, 20 years before the British abandoned it. Read more: What to think when you're thinking about impeachment: 5 essential reads But the British story has darker lessons too. In 1628, two years after the failed impeachment, Buckingham was assassinated, his killer inspired in part by the Commons remonstrance. Richard Sawyer, National Portrait Gallery. Clearly no one would ever want that history to repeat itself but it is a warning about the height to which passions could be roused by impeachment and about how the perceived frustration of the legal process could stoke disillusionment, resentment and desperation. And a bloody end was not just meted out against the duke himself. Two decades after Buckinghams impeachment, Britain was not just engaged in a war of words or a legal battle but embroiled in civil war, mired in the sense that government as a whole had become corrupted. Impeachment may thus be a moment to step back and reconsider the wider health of political culture and discourse. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The Conversation Mark Knights received an HRC Leadership Fellowship for his work on corruption and has received a Leverhulme Fellowship for the same project. His book, provisionally titled The Abuse of Entrusted Power: Corruption and Office in Britain and its Empire 1600-1850. Compared to other forms of education Conservation Nebraska provides, Dakota Stock, northeast conservation director, said movie screenings act as a softer way of learning. You have the visual aspect, you have the auditory aspect, and then afterward, we always like to have a roundtable discussion to kind of evoke and engage the people and what their feelings are and make it more inclusive, she said. Its just fun and easy. Conservation Nebraska, a nonprofit that focuses on conservation issues in the state, will do just that with a screening of the 2015 documentary Catching the Sun at the Milady Coffeehouse on Saturday. The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will conclude with a discussion on the film. Attendees can register on the Facebook event page Screening of Catching the Sun. Catching the Sun, directed by Shalini Kantayya and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, focuses on communities shift toward solar power. It focuses on three entrepreneurs: Van Jones, Debbie Dooley and Zhongwei Jiang. It kind of looks at solar energy through the lens of people actually trained to become solar installers to show how this particular enterprise invigorates job industries, as well as just what moving toward a clean energy future might look like for communities, program manager Amanda Gangwish said. And so because we focus a lot on conservation and environmental topics and issues, clean energy is one of those big ones that we do a lot of education around. Stock, who has been with Conservation Nebraska for almost three months, said shes been meeting with different communities in northeast Nebraska to see what conservation issues are present as she starts organizing education through screenings, guest speakers and even a future podcast. Stock said she thought Catching the Sun would be a great film to show people due to its variety of subjects, which range from Jones, who worked as former President Barack Obamas special adviser for green jobs, to Dooley, a co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party. Its neat to see that different partisan, she said. Its about both sides, so it kind of includes all of that. But the main focus is how green-collar jobs are really what we need right now to boom this industry and this movement. Catching the Sun also teaches people that they dont have to go zero-waste or buy an electric car to help the environment, which Stock said are mostly only available to the wealthy. This movie really, really dives into how there can be an increase in movement through starting those green-collar jobs and including everyone, she said. So I think it speaks to a lot of people. Gangwish said that she hopes the screening teaches people something they didnt know and sparks a interest in becoming involved. Especially when it comes to such a complex issue as clean energy, weve just found that a lot of people just need that stepping block to introduce them to this sort of topic, she said. So just having that comfortable setting where they can be introduced to the topic just kind of helps accelerate them into wanting to learn more, wanting to be involved more. Stock said although she wants people to know more about the topic of clean energy and spread the word, she said she also wants people to walk away from the discussion hopeful. I think that hope is sometimes being lost in this whole movement and theres a lot of despair and fear thats being evoked, she said. But hope is, I think, what truly moves people. With her position, Stock said she felt honored to be working in Fremont. Ive spent a few days there just kind of getting to know some of the community members, and everyone was so inviting and wonderful, she said. Im just so happy to have this community as the one that Im trying to do this work in. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Police have apprehended two men named as suspects in a Jan. 22 shooting that left one person dead and seven others injured, including a 9-year-old boy, in a crowded shopping district in downtown Seattle. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best told reporters Saturday that the suspects, Marquise Tolbert, 24, and William Tolliver, 24, were arrested without incident in Las Vegas on Saturday. A third suspect, a felon banned from possessing a firearm, was apprehended at Seattles Harborview Medical Center after police recognized him in a video, Best said on Jan. 23. He was charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Personally, Im very glad that theyre in custody, and Im certainly very relieved that these two people who were involved in a mass shooting, and a murder, are in custody. Were all safer because of it, said Best. Best said on Jan. 23 that the suspects had each been arrested dozens of times. 3RD AND PINE UPDATE: Detectives have identified two suspects in yesterday's shooting. Marquise Latrelle Tolbert (age 24, 6'1" 200 lbs) and William Ray Tolliver (age 24, 6'0" 145 lbs). Both men are considered armed and dangerous. Call 911 if you see them or know where they are. pic.twitter.com/vgg7Uez3zN Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) January 23, 2020 The fire department had transported five patients to Harborview and two more arrived at the hospital later. The 9-year-old boy, who was shot in the leg, was released from the hospital, Q13 Fox reported. The deceased victim was identified as 50-year-old Tanya Jackson, a former resident of Anchorage, Alaska, according to the Seattle Times. She was pronounced dead on the scene. She and one of the injured victims were residents of a home provided by Plymouth Housing, which serves the chronically homeless. Story continues Best said on Jan. 23 that the incident began with a dispute outside of a McDonalds near 4th Avenue and Pine Street, in a busy area in downtown Seattle. The shooting was reported just after 5 p.m., and officers in the area responded within seconds, Best said. Guns were pulled, shots were fired, people were running, and the suspects fled from each other, she said. It was the third shooting in the area in during a 48-hour period a 28-year-old man was shot by police in the Belltown neighborhood earlier on Jan. 22, and a 55-year-old man was shot and critically wounded at Westlake center about 24 hours before, according to the Times. One witness told Seattle Times that she was inside a coffee shop when she heard a volley of gunfire. She saw people who had collapsed outside and an officer running towards the scene with an assault-style rifle a couple minutes after the gunfire started. I saw a couple of bodies go down, another witness told the Times. 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Researchers at Peking University believe that 2019-nCoV, the SARS-like coronavirus that's infected more than 500 people worldwide and killed 17, is made up of a combination of one that affects bats and another, totally unknown coronavirus. They think genetic material from the two recombined, picked up a protein that lets viruses bind to certain host cells - including those of humans. When they analysed the genes of strains affecting various host animals, the team found that snakes were susceptible to the most similar version of the coronavirus, and likely provided a 'reservoir' for the viral strain to grow stronger and replicate. Sold alongside a menagerie the included live koalas, rats and wolf pups at the Huanan Seafood Market in central Wuhan - now thought to be the outbreak's epicentre - snakes likely then served as the jumping-off point for the virus to begin infecting humans. Snakes sold at the Huanan Seafood Market (shown right, on the market's price list) in Wuhan, China, were the likely source of the coronavirus outbreak now spreading around the globe Photo of a store at Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market selling wild animals including live wolf pups, koalas and civets 'Results derived from our evolutionary analysis suggest for the first time that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV,' the authors wrote in the Journal of Medical Virology. 'New information obtained from our evolutionary analysis is highly significant for effective control of the outbreak caused by the 2019-nCoV-induced pneumonia.' Most types of virus have many different strains, but no all of them occur in all places, and not every strain can infect every species. For their new study, the Peking University team sequenced the genomes of 272 strains of coronavirus. The new strain that's emerged from China is only the seventh version of a coronavirus known to infect humans. Four are common causes of colds and generally don't lead to severe illnesses. Deadlier coronaviruses include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), first seen in China in 2003 and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2013. And now, the new mysterious Chinese coronavirus known - for now - as 2019-nCoV, which cropped up at the Huanan Seafood Market in December. Live animal and game markets are not uncommon sources of new viral illnesses that afflict humans (although this in itself is an uncommon occurrence). Where animals mix and mingle, so do the viruses the carry. And when viruses mix and mingle, they can exchange genetic material, mutating and become novel strains. This seems to be the case with the current coronavirus outbreak. According to the new study, the new coronavirus's genetic material - RNA, unlike some viruses that are composed of DNA - looks to be a cross-breed of a strain known to infect bats and one for which they couldn't pinpoint a known match. What species a virus is able to infect depends on what proteins it has on the surfaces of its cells, and whether they can bind to the receptors on the surfaces of other animals' cells. So somewhere along its evolutionary path, 2019-nCoV picked up a protein or protein keys that turned the lock to give it access to snakes. From there proliferated and mutated in such a way that may have given it access to humans shopping the Huanan Seafood Market. The market has since been closed and has been labelled 'ground zero' by local authorities. The highly-contagious virus has killed 17 people and infected hundreds in China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and the US. A list of prices for one of the businesses operating at the market showed a menagerie of animals available for sale including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines, koalas and game meats. The study authors believe their work likely narrows down the source of the virus from the list of 112 live animals and animal products that were sold at the market that's likely the outbreak's epicenter. The highly-contagious virus has killed 17 people and infected hundreds in China, South Korea , Japan , Thailand , Hong Kong and the US 'Freshly slaughtered, frozen and delivered to your door,' said the price list for the vendor called Wild Game Animal Husbandry for the Masses. Gao Fu, director of the Chinese centre for disease control and prevention, said in Beijing on Wednesday that authorities believe the virus likely came from 'wild animals at the seafood market' though the exact source remains undetermined. 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CHINA'S CORONAVIRUS 1. At least 17 people have been killed, all in the Chinese province of Hubei 2. At least 500 people in China's 18 provinces, autonomous regions, special administrative regions and municipalities have been infected 3. The vast majority of patients are related to Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei with a population of around 11 million 4. Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the United States have all reported confirmed cases 5. The virus can be passed between humans 6. It has certain ability to spread within a neighbourhood 7. The virus has mainly been passed through the human respiratory system 8. The source of the virus has been identified as the illegally sold wildlife meat 9. The virus can evolve 10. It is more difficult for children to contract the virus, the reason remains unknown Source: China's National Health Commission, People's Daily Advertisement China bans the trafficking of a number of wild species or requires special licences, but regulations are loose for some species if they are commercially farmed. The Beijing News published a photo on Tuesday showing the same vendor's now-shuttered store front, as authorities in white hazmat suits milled about. The paper also quoted other merchants as saying trade in wildlife took place up until the market was shuttered for disinfection shortly after the outbreak. A number of the early sufferers of the coronavirus were employees of the market. AFP tried unsuccessfully to contact the vendor. Experts have warned it is 'possible' the virus will hit Australia. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy met with Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Department of Health's National Incident Room in Canberra. 'We do have a lot of traffic from China and I think it's quite possible we will get some cases here but I'm very confident that we're well prepared to respond if we do,' Professor Murphy said. 'We currently have over 10 million masks even though we distributed 3.5 million during the bushfires, so we've got a good stockpile.' Mr Morrison was adamant that the country was well-equipped. 'The states and Commonwealth are working together to stay ahead of this,' Mr Morrison said. Wild animals ready to be sold at The Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan in China A photo of slaughtered animals hanging at the markets at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak A Melbourne man was rushed to hospital for respiratory problems after a trip to China but was later cleared. Another man in Brisbane was also suspected of contracting the disease but was cleared on Wednesday. Australia will begin screening passengers that land from Wuhan where a new deadly virus was discovered last month. The new screening efforts will only be in place at Sydney Airport where three direct flights from Wuhan land per week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. When China Eastern Airlines flight MU749 lands on Thursday, passengers will be met by biosecurity staff from New South Wales Health and Border Force officials. Huanan seafood market has been closed while Authorities carry out checks and cleaning Passengers are expected to be screened for high temperatures with thermal imaging - but the method is not 100 per cent successful because people can harbour the coronavirus with no symptoms for days. Anyone who does have a high temperature or is feeling unwell will be interviewed by officials. It comes as US health authorities on Tuesday announced the first case of a person on American soil being diagnosed with the virus as millions of travellers prepare to take flights for Lunar New Year on Saturday. Plane passengers in China are being screened after an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus Bats are thought to have spawned SARS, which in 2002-03 killed hundreds of people in Asia, mostly China. SARS was also found in civets in wildlife markets in China, with many scientists believing the bat virus infected the cat-like creatures and then humans who ate them. Following SARS, China cracked down on consumption of civets and some other species, but conservationists say the trade continues. China has so far won praise for its openness and handling of the current outbreak in stark contrast to SARS, when it was accused of stifling information and failing to cooperate with the rest of the world. Investigators should take into account the opinion of Canadian experts regarding the identity of the voice of former director of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) Roman Truba on recordings made in his office and objectively investigate criminal proceedings relating to Truba's official crimes, said Ihor Holovan, the lawyer of the fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. At a press conference held at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday Holovan spoke about the publication of the results of a journalistic investigation with the analysis of the "Truba recordings." "An examination ... on identifying voices, studying audio and video recordings ... found that Mr. Truba himself speaks in the recorded conversations, dubbed "The pipe has burst," posted to the Internet. In the recorded excerpt, persons agreed to organize political prosecution and prosecute the obviously innocent fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko ... It has been established that the voice of Truba is heard," said the lawyer. According to him, Canadian experts used the latest biometric research methods, which give a very high degree of probability of conclusion, an almost categorical confirmation of the identity of the voice. The lawyer noted that the expert opinion should be taken into account by the investigator in criminal proceedings relating to the illegal actions of Truba, and Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka should determine which body will investigate in order for the case to be objective and unbiased. Holovan stressed: "This expert study will make life difficult for those representatives of law enforcement agencies and authorities who sabotage the investigation of the facts of the illegal prosecution of the fifth president." The lawyer recalled that Poroshenko's defense applied to court in order to obtain registration of the relevant criminal proceedings. In brief: Chrome users will soon have flashbacks to the days of the Ask Toolbar, as Microsoft is adapting the Office 365 installer to automatically install the Bing extension and change the default search engine for people using the company's productivity suite. The Redmond giant isn't just busy moving as many customers as possible to the latest version of Windows 10. According to a new report from Thurrott, one of the company's next moves will apparently involve hijacking the default search engine in Google's Chrome browser for people who install Office 365 ProPlus. This was spotted inside a Microsoft support document, which says that "Starting with Version 2002 of Office 365 ProPlus, an extension for Microsoft Search in Bing will be installed that makes Bing the default search engine for the Google Chrome web browser." And that will also happen every time you update an existing installation of Office 365, unless you already have the Bing extension already installed on your PC. Microsoft explains that this is mostly intended to give business users an easy way to take advantage of Microsoft Search if they happen to be users of Google Chrome. And that's because Microsoft has had to reinvent its Edge browser to win back users, most of which have moved on to Chrome and Firefox over the years. Speaking of which, Microsoft plans to treat Firefox users to the same extension and search engine changes in the coming months. However, people quickly took to Reddit, Twitter, and GitHub to complain about the move. While many believe they would tolerate Microsoft installing the extension, system administrators in particular don't agree to the company switching the default search engine to Bing. They argue the feature should be optional, as it could confuse users and create a lot of ruckus for IT departments in large organizations. In any case, Microsoft expected some backlash and included some suggestions in the support documentation on how administrators can exclude the extension from being installed through Group Policy or the Office Deployment Tool. There's a lot of speculation out there as to why Microsoft is doing all this, but it's not a secret that in terms of usage, Bing is a distant second to Google, dwelling in the single digits region. And since Bing lost the bid for Google's "choice screen" on Android in the EU to DuckDuckGo, it's unlikely the situation would change anytime soon. Bing's only remaining funnels for users are Microsoft Edge and Cortana, both of which are not very popular with users. Microsoft says it will initially roll out these changes sometime in February for users in the US, Canada, India, France, Germany, and the UK. By the time this hits more regions, Firefox users will experience the same changes when installing or updating Office 365. Jackson allegedly exposed himself to a victim who was riding a train Jan. 2. He then touched the woman and struck her several times before taking her personal belongings. Spirit of Eden: a bewitching narrative that follows Caroline, a young woman who meets Sylvan, a mountain spirit who helps her escape her unexpected predicament from where she learns about devotion to God and His appreciation for humans. Spirit of Eden is the creation of published author R. A. Simons. Simons shares, Caroline Taman only intended to go for a short hike in the mountains close to the town where she had recently moved. But when she blunders into what she assumes are drug dealers in the woods and flees from them, she is drawn into the company of a man whom she soon learns is not a man at all. Because he heard her unwittingly crying to Christ for help, he feels he can reveal what he is to her. As he helps her elude her pursuers, he tells her his name is Sylvan, and he is a spirit of the wilderness. He is also a lover of humanity beyond the capacity of a normal person as well as a devout Christian. The two of them soon learn the criminals she met have far more sinister plans than dealing drugs. They intend to sell a unique form of radioactive rock to terrorists, but they have no idea just how lethal the stones are. The criminals are soon forgotten as Caroline and Sylvan find themselves in an impossible death race to keep the radiation of the rocks from spreading through the world. Throughout their struggle, Carolines wonder deepens as she learns more about Sylvans love for humanity and devotion to God. It blossoms in her own soul until she can accept the hardships and danger with his inhuman tolerance. Her own deep Christian convictions grow with it, and she abandons her life to their struggle. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, R. A. Simonss new book reveals the encompassing power of faith that affects even pagan entities and how it can also save ones life when coupled with determination and hard work. This book astoundingly depicts a mortal and a mythical creatures affinity for each other as they find themselves intertwined with a malevolent circumstance that brings them closer to God and His light. View the synopsis of Spirit of Eden on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Spirit of Eden at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Spirit of Eden, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. PM calls for 'divisions' to end after Brexit deal passes final hurdle in Commons Boris Johnson has called for "rancour and division" to be left behind Brexit deal has completed its passage through Parliament and is set to become law. The PM said it felt at times that the "finish line" would not be crossed but heralded having "done it" after peers ended a legislative battle last night. Mr Johnson said the nation would now "move forwards as one United Kingdom". Now the legislation just needs Royal Assent to be formally granted by the Queen and the agreement to be approved by the European Parliament by Brexit day on January 31. China stops public transport in virus-stricken city and tells people not to leave Officials fighting against the spread of the deadly coronavirus in China have told people not to leave the city hit by the disease, with its public transport network being shut down. Chinese state media said outbound flights and trains have been halted in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. It comes as the World Health Organisation prepared to make a decision on whether to declare an international public health emergency. At least 540 people have contracted the mysterious Sars-like virus, which so far has killed 17 people. Trump accused of 'corrupt scheme' as impeachment prosecutors launch case Donald Trump has been accused of a corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine into helping him win re-election as Democrats tore into the president at his impeachment trial. In a two-hour opening argument, lead prosecutor Adam Schiff warned that the USs global prestige would suffer if the Senate was to acquit Mr Trump. But the US leader sounded a defiant note, saying Democrats did not have enough evidence to find him guilty and remove him from office. Meghan's dad opens up about dramatic fall out with duchess The Duchess of Sussexs father has told how he feels like he doesnt know who his daughter is anymore. Thomas Markle said that he misses who she was before their relationship broke down. He spoke of his pain in a tell-all documentary on his dramatic fallout with Meghan and her and husband Prince Harry's move to break away from the royal family. Speaking to Channel 5 from his home in Mexico, Mr Markle said when his daughter was born he could not have been happier Stars gather for Vanity Fair party in London Up-and-coming stars last night gathered at Londons The Standard hotel for the Vanity Fair EE Rising Star party. The annual event marks the BAFTA awards, with the 73rd ceremony is set to take place February 2. The celebration more specifically honoured nominees for the EE Rising Star Award, which were announced earlier this month. Awkwafina, Jack Lowden, Kaitlyn Dever, Kelvin Harrison Jr and Micheal Ward make up the 2020 nominee list. On this day... 1556: An earthquake in Shensi Province, China, killed 830,000 people. 1943: The British captured Tripoli from the Germans. 1963: Kim Philby, double agent, defected to Russia. 1985: A House of Lords debate was televised live for the first time. Surge in awareness regarding cosmetic lasers, advancements in field of lasers, and increase in obesity across the globe boosted the growth of the global cosmetic laser market. Based on type, the non-ablative lasers segment dominated the market in 2018. Based on modality, the YAG laser segment held lions share in 2018. The market across North America held the largest share in 2018. As per the report published by Allied Market Research, the global Cosmetic Laser Market was pegged for $1.81 billion in 2018 and projected to reach $5.41 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 14.5% from 2018 to 2026. Rise in awareness regarding cosmetic lasers, developments in field of lasers, and increase in obesity across the globe boosted the growth of the global cosmetic laser market. However, higher cost associated with these procedures hampers the market. On the contrary, development in fillers, lasers, and injectables are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future. Download the Sample Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5329 The global cosmetic laser market is divided on the basis of type, modality, application, end user, and region. Based on type, the market is segmented into ablative and non-ablative lasers. The non-ablative lasers segment dominated the market in 2018, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the market share. However, the ablative laser segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% during the forecast period. On the basis of modality, the market is divided into pulsed dye laser (PDL), YAG laser, carbon dioxide laser (CO2), erbium, intense pulsed light (IPL), radiofrequency, infrared, and others. The YAG laser segment held the largest share in 2018, contributing to nearly one-fourth of the market. However, the erbium segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 18.0% during the study period. The global cosmetic laser market is analyzed across various regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The market across North America held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than two-fifths of the total market share. However, the market across Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR of 16.2% through 2026. Scope of the Report: Report Attribute Details Market size available for years 2019 2026 Base year considered 2020 Forecast period 2019 2026 Forecast units Value (USD) Segments covered By Product, By Application, By End User Geographies covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, LAMEA The market report includes an in-depth analysis of the major market players such as Palomar and Syneron, Hoyoconbio, Aerolase El.En. Spa Lumenis Ltd, Fosun Pharmaceutical, Aerolase Corporation Sciton, Inc, Sharp Light Technologies, Candela Cutera, Syneron Medical Inc, Solta Medical, Cynosure, Lumensis, Deka, Alma. Related Reports: Pharmaceutical Continuous Manufacturing Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026 Veterinary Imaging Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026 About Us:- Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of Market Research Reports and Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketresearcht Since time immemorial, human beings have been in conflict with each other. And for as long as they have been warring, animals of all kinds have stood faithfully by their side, fighting alongside them. From pigeons that carried messages across seas from one region to another to horses that rode into battle carrying men on their backs, animals have unfailingly been at the service of men. On Thursday, the Hindustan Times reported that India is planning to honour these heroes by creating the countrys first war memorial for animals at Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College in Meerut. RVC is also where the Indian Army breeds, rears and trains dogs, mules and horses. The memorial will honour the service of 300 dogs, 350 handlers, and horses and mules that have dedicated their lives to the service of the nation. These animals have won one Shaurya Chakra, six Sena medals and around 600 commendation cards for their contribution to the counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. Trained in various fields, including transportation of personnel and equipment and explosive and mine detection, and search and rescue, these animals have served in ways that are often beyond human capabilities. By chiseling their names in the granite walls of their very own memorial, which is likely to be similar to the National War Memorial, India will be acknowledging the indispensible role of non-human, furry comrades whose valour, courage and devotion to their handlers (and, in turn, to their country) has helped. This falls in line with the move made in 2018 to ensure that service animals are not euthanised at the end of their service, but, instead, sent to retirement homes for the rest of their lives. The memory of our soldiers, both human and animal, will now stand the test of time. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Non-alcoholic RTD Beverages are alcohol-free packaged beverages that can be consumed directly upon opening. The global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market is expected to garner a revenue of USD 800 Billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2024. The market is monopolistically competitive in nature due to the presence of several vendors and customers in the market and limited barriers to entry for new players. Vendors in the global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market are witnessing competition from the existing market players and new entrants. To overcome the challenges in such a competitive market, prominent players are focusing on product launches, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, and expansions in terms of production capacity and geographic reach. In the US, prominent players such as Starbucks Corporation and PepsiCo have entered into a partnership to produce and distribute their products. Similarly, in 2016, Dunkin Donuts and The Coca Cola Company formed a joint venture to produce and distribute RTD coffee in North America and compete directly with the Starbucks Corporation and PepsiCo partnership. The global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market has been segmented on the basis of type, packaging type, and distribution channel. Based on type, the global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market has been divided into functional beverages, carbonated soft drinks, tea and coffee, fruit and vegetable juices, flavored and fortified water, dairy-based beverages, and others. The functional beverages segment has further been classified as sports/energy drinks, probiotic and prebiotic drinks, and others. The carbonated soft drinks segment is expected to dominate the global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market during the research period due to the high per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks. As per WorldAtlas, the per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks in the US in 2017 was 154 liters. However, the fruit and vegetable juices segment is expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period owing to the increasing preference of consumers toward healthy beverages such as natural fruit and vegetable juices. The global Non-Alcoholic RTD Beverages Market Trends has been segregated, by packaging type, into bottles, cans, cartons, and others. The bottles segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2018 as glass bottles offer high impermeability and longer storage durations than other types of packaging. Moreover, plastic bottles are an inexpensive option for packaging non-alcoholic RTD beverages. However, the cans segment is expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period owing to the ease with which RTD beverages can be filled into a can and be consumed. By distribution channel, the global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market has been classified as store-based and non-store-based. The store-based segment has further been divided into supermarkets and hypermarkets, convenience stores, and others. The store-based segment is expected to gain the lions share of the global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market in 2018 owing to the high availability of non-alcoholic RTD beverages in supermarkets and hypermarkets. However, the non-store-based segment is expected to exhibit a higher growth rate during the forecast period owing to the rising presence of e-retail apps and third-party online retailers in e-commerce. Manufacturers of non-alcoholic RTD beverages are opting for third-party online retailers to sell their products rather than investing capital in developing their own e-retail platforms. Key Players Some of the key players in the global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market are The Coca-Cola Company (US), Nestle SA (Switzerland), The Republic of Tea (US), Ting Hsin International Group (Taiwan), Yakult Honsha Co. , Ltd. (Japan), DRY Soda Company (US), PepsiCo (US), POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage Ltd. (Japan), Danone SA (France), Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. Ltd (South Korea), Starbucks Corporation ( US), Suntory Holdings Limited (Japan), Big Easy Blends, LLC (US), Monster Energy (US), and Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (US). The key strategies followed by the players operating in the market are innovations, product launches, expansions, and mergers & acquisitions. Regional Analysis The global non-alcoholic RTD beverages market has been segmented, by region, into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world. North America accounted for the largest market share in 2018 as the region is a prominent hub for numerous market players. Additionally, the increasing consumption of non-alcoholic and natural RTD beverages in North America and Europe, due to their convenience and health benefits is driving the growth of these regional markets. However, changing lifestyles of people and increasing presence of market players in India, China, Japan, and Indonesia are expected to drive the growth of the market in Asia-Pacific, with the regional market registering the highest growth rate during the forecast period of 2019. to 2024. Browse Full Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/non-alcoholic-rtd-beverages-market-7951 Key Developments In April 2019 , Nestle SA introduced a new product Poland Spring ORIGIN bottled water under its brand Poland Spring. It is a natural spring water filtered by 10,000-year old glacial sands and contains no additives. In January 2019 , Big Easy Blends, LLC launched self-packed 6-ounce ready to drink pouches under its brand Welch's Smoothies. It is available in three flavors mixed berry, peach mango, and strawberry banana. SINGAPORE, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is launching its first-ever "Now or Never Sale" for its ecosystem of brands globally - Banyan Tree, Angsana and Cassia - from Phuket to Seoul, Maldives to Morocco. The "Now of Never" sale is a limited time offer for bookings between 23 January 2020 - 5 February 2020, valid for stays from 23 January 2020 - 30 April 2020. Guests can enjoy up to 40% off stays at Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, daily breakfast for two and an additional complimentary benefit, unique to each property. Whether it's celebrating an anniversary, taking the family for a holiday or simply a staycation to unwind and relax, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts offers guests a bespoke experience for whatever moment, milestone and occasion in their lives across its participating brands: Banyan Tree - A sanctuary for the senses for a real pampering treat A sanctuary for the senses for a real pampering treat Angsana - An amazing destination playground for fun and adventure An amazing destination playground for fun and adventure Cassia - A personalised and dynamic stay for the independent traveller Regardless of the experience guests are looking for, they can be assured of the warm hospitality signature to the Banyan Tree brand, with attentive yet discreet service from the service staff of more than 50 nationalities. With sustainability as its foundation, the properties provide naturally luxurious, ecological and culturally-sensitive experiences. Choose your experience and book today: Banyan Tree, Angsana, Cassia. Here are some highlights of the additional benefits guests can enjoy at the following properties: Banyan Tree, Phuket Savour a complimentary Thai set dinner for two pax per bedroom at Saffron. Saffron presents the indigenous tastes of Thai cuisine at its best, with graceful service in a contemporary yet classically elegant Banyan Tree setting. Angsana Velavaru, Maldives Go on an adventure with a one-time night fishing experience for two pax per stay. Learn age-old Maldivian fishing methods assisted by the experienced captain and his deckhand. Think snappers, jacks, barracudas and more. Your catch can also be served for lunch the following day. Cassia, Phuket Unwind with two hours free flow draught beers and soft drinks during lunch or dinner at poolside restaurant, Vista. List of participating hotels Banyan Tree Angsana Cassia Bintan Mayakoba Balaclava Mauritius Laguna Phuket Bintan Ungasan, Bali Tamouday Bay Bangalore Villas Resort Phuket Phuket Club & Spa Seoul Seychelles Bintan Lang Co Kuala Lumpur Bangkok Maison-Souvannaphoum Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur Managed by Banyan Tree Phuket Ihuru (Maldives) Vabbinfaru (Maldives) Samui Velavaru (Maldives) Cabo Marques Lang Co Riads Collection, Morocco *Given the reported development of the Novel Coronavirus, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts would like to assure all their guests that as a precautionary measure, health and safety measures have increased in all their hotels, in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines. Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts are currently extending a waiver on cancellation fees to all guests from Wuhan who are staying with Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts between 22 Jan and 8 Feb 2020, should they wish to exercise this option. Terms and Conditions Book from now until 5 February 2020 Valid for stays from now until 30 April 2020 A minimum stay of one night is required for this offer Offer cannot be combined with other promotions and/or gift certificate Individual properties will extend property specific value adds Individual property's general terms and conditions apply Cancellation Policy Reservation is non-cancellable A full non-refundable prepayment is required upon confirmation of the booking Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081140/Banyan_Tree_Phuket.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081139/Angsana_Velavaru_Maldives.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081138/Cassia_Phuket.jpg GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more The U.K. is about to take the momentous step of leaving the EU on January 31 and it has an ambitious deadline to strike a trade deal with the bloc by the end of 2020. CNBC spoke to European officials, political leaders and business executives at the World Economic Forum on Thursday to get their take on the future relationship between the U.K. and EU, the potential for a trade deal, and a post-Brexit Europe. "The EU is ready to all that is in our power to have the best possible relationship with the U.K.," Paolo Gentiloni, European commissioner for economic affairs and a former prime minister of Italy, told a CNBC-moderated panel in Davos. "Most of the results depend on the decision of the U.K. government. If the U.K. government wants to have very large access to the single market, if they want to have very good relations with the single market, we are ready to do this. But it's not up to us to decide. We have our rules, we expect a level playing field from this agreement," he said. Gentiloni said if the U.K. wanted zero tariffs on its exports to the EU after Brexit, it would have to adhere to a criteria of no "dumping," the practice of selling products at a competitively low price. "We can't have zero tariffs and dumping together. We need zero tariffs and zero dumping," Gentiloni said. Italian Economy and Finance Minister Paolo Gualtieri said a potential sticking point would be "the balance between the depth of the free trade agreement (FTA), its comprehensiveness, and also the capacity to ensure a level playing field." "We first want a deal that is as much as possible, deep and comprehensive, but we know an FTA is not the single market so there will be change and differences." Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, told CNBC Thursday that maintaining a 'level playing field' that is, fair competition between the U.K. and EU was the most important thing. "That will be the main sticking point in discussions," he said. "My energy will be channeled to getting a full trade deal, not a phased trade deal, by the end of the year. That will be difficult ... It can be done if the Brits are willing to think again by April or May about whether an extension is needed or not," he said. Magic formula The U.K.'s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, emboldened by a snap election in December that gave his Conservative government an 80-seat majority in Parliament, announced that the U.K. had imposed a deadline for a trade deal to be done by the end of 2020, although it had the option of more time. It has a vested interest in striking a deal quickly as it cannot ratify trade deals with other countries until the post-Brexit "transition period" with the EU ends. But eleven months to negotiate a trade deal is ambitious and many European officials have questioned the feasibility of that short time frame when most FTAs take several years. Gualtieri said it is important not to lose time and to quickly define the principles of the deal which he said seemed to be an FTA focused on goods and "zero quotas, zero tariffs," ensuring fair competition and maintaining internal and external security. Lashing out at anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh and other places in the city, Delhi leader on Thursday termed the assembly elections next month a contest between India and Pakistan. Mishra, a former minister in the government, is the BJP's candidate from Model Town. In a series of tweets, Mishra said, "India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8." "Pakistan has already entered Shaheen Bagh and small pockets of Pakistan are being created in Delhi," he added. In another post, Mishra asserted that the will win the February 8 elections and Kejriwal will resign from his post when votes are counted on February 11. The former leader was removed as minister by Kejriwal in 2017. Last year, he was also disqualified as MLA under the anti-defection law. Mishra faces MLA Akhileshpati Tripathi in the elections. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.23 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: Making deeper strategic ties with the US and the EU in the only way for Georgia to survive in a region full of challenges, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said, Trend reports via the press service of the government of Georgia. He made the remark speaking at the New Ambitious for Europe Panel in Davos during the World Economic Forum. Gakharia said that the countrys Euro-Atlantic integration is the firm choice of the Georgian people, with more than 70 percent of the countrys population supporting this. "We will do our best for Georgia to always be on the agenda when you, our allies and partners, speak about the future of Europe, Gakharia said. He stated that Georgia has made big achievements over the past five years. "We have signed the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area deal with the EU and signed a visa free agreement with the European Union, Gakharia said. However, Gakharia said Georgia faces security and economic challenges. "Resolving the economic issues is among our top priorities. Georgia is a gate between Europe and Asia and when we speak about economic policy we see Georgia as the platform of trade turnover between the world's top economies, Gakharia said He added that Georgia fully realizes that making investments in economy equals investing for security." Gakharia stated that Georgia needs closer economic cooperation with the EU. "We have a strong legal framework - the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Deal, but have no land borders with the EU which is a problem and the challenge which should be overcome, he said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 NATO and key member Turkey have failed to find common ground over Russia's controversial delivery of a S-400 air defence system to Ankara, the military alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday. The delivery of the system by Russia to Turkey, in a deal strongly backed by President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has deeply troubled Ankara's NATO allies and raised the risk of US sanctions. "So far it has not been possible to reach an agreement on that," Stoltenberg said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos at a panel discussion alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who had delivered a staunch defence of the deal. "We will try to do whatever we can to find a way to solve these issues, as this is one of the issues that is causing problems within the alliance -- there is no way to deny that," he added. Cavusoglu however had argued in front of Stoltenberg that Turkey had no choice but to buy the S-400 due to a dwindling presence of NATO air systems on its volatile borders, including the one with Syria. "We have to ask ourselves do we need this system? -- Yes, because of the threat around us. Were are able to get it from them (NATO allies)? -- No, we had to buy," he added. "We believe they are not incompatible (with NATO systems). This is a defence system and it will not pose any threat to NATO allies," he said. He added that Turkey was proposing a "working group" chaired by NATO to resolve the issue. Stoltenberg, who also emphasised that "we must understand the importance of Turkey as a NATO ally", confirmed that Turkey had made such a proposal. Turkey joined NATO in 1952 with strong US backing as the West sought to prevent Ankara falling under Moscow's influence in the Cold War. However its weapons purchase from Russia is seen as a turning point in the history of the alliance, which French President Emmanuel Macron controversially declared last year was "brain dead". Cavusoglu said that while Turkey had been cooperating with Russia in Syria: "We do not have any military engagement with Russia. Nobody can question our contribution to NATO. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The perfect uniform doesn't exist, but the Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform comes close. The OCP might be the best uniform the Pentagon ever engineered, and the Space Force is lucky to have it. But when the newest military branch tweeted out a sneak peek of its commanding officer's OCP uniform, the Twitterverse questioned why the Space Force needs camouflage at all. Despite its name, Space Force is going to be Earthbound, so it makes sense to use a camouflage pattern. And for many reasons, it also makes sense to adopt the same uniform used by the other branches of service. Developing a new uniform is about much more than choosing colors. The camouflage pattern is actually one of the lowest-level concerns the Pentagon has when creating a new uniform, according to author Mary Roach. Her book "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War" took a deep dive into how uniforms are designed at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. Related: 7 Uniforms the Space Force Should Have Borrowed Natick Labs, as the center is commonly called, is based in Natick, Massachusetts. Here, everything from body armor to Meals, Ready to Eat is tested for almost every conceivable situation. Anything the military uses goes through a rigorous development process. This is especially true for uniforms. When the Army Combat Uniform was developed, its fabrics were tested for everything from flame resistance to tensile strength. When the fabric did burn, Natick made sure it wouldn't create harmful fumes. It then went through a series of functionality and endurance tests. Uniform fabrics are also tested for their performance under extreme air pressure and explosive bursts; tearing with regular use; and their ability to hold in heat in the winter or release it in the summer. Fabrics would ideally release moisture as well, while holding back chemical agents and sand fleas. And it's a huge plus if they're antimicrobial and well-fitting. The scientists at Natick test everything using mathematical models. The Doriot Climatic Chamber at Natick can recreate the most extreme of weather conditions. And there's a laser -- dubbed "Big Scary Laser" by the scientists -- that simulates the blast of an improvised explosive device. There's also the Nu-Martindale Abrasion and Pilling Tester that checks how fabric stands up to everyday usage. Everything possible is tested on the fabric, from washers and dryers to mustard and ketchup. Natick even test things more likely to end up on a working uniform, such as motor oil and diesel fuel. Once a material has been tested for flammability, endurance, resistance to liquids and whatever else Natick's scientists want to throw at it, the uniform still has to be designed. Items not only need to be comfortable; they also need to look cool. "It's key that you design something that's kind of sleek and cool," one scientist told Roach. "Because otherwise, they're not going to want to wear it." Then you must consider who will be wearing a uniform. Is it for a sniper? Will a zipper work? Would velcro be stealthier for special operations? Even the buttons on uniforms are engineered to perfection, as military inspectors use a rigorous, 22-page button specification system. After the fabric and fasteners are chosen, the Pentagon leadership must choose a camouflage pattern. This is also much more difficult than one might expect. Patterns can be engineered and patented, like the Marine Corps' MARPAT (short for Marine pattern). Or they can be chosen by a general officer, like the Army's hated Universal Camouflage Pattern from 2009, which Roach says wasn't even one of the 13 options Natick was testing. There are also political considerations. Before the 2014 National Defense Authorization, each service could choose its uniform pattern. But the 2014 NDAA implemented a policy that no branch could roll out its own camo without the other branches using the same, with two exceptions: A service secretary can adopt a new camo uniform already being used by another service or the defense secretary could provide a waiver for new camo based on "unique circumstances or operational requirements." Rolling out a new uniform can take anywhere from 18 months, as in the case of the Marine Corps' MARPAT, to six years, as with the Army's OCP uniforms. Cheers to the Space Force for avoiding all that. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for fitness and basic training tips, or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. Wuhan embodies Chinas rise as a global economic power, in all its complexities. Disposable income per person soared more than sixfold between 2002 and 2018, according to government figures compiled by CEIC Data, an information provider. The area is home to vast factories making cars for General Motors, Nissan, Honda and other global and local brands. The city has become a popular destination for foreign investment. The Chinese government thinks so highly of the citys image that Xi Jinping, the countrys leader, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India there two years ago. The two walked along the citys East Lake, building what Chinese state-run media came to call the Wuhan spirit between the two regional rivals. The boom has come with problems. Heavy pollution has provoked protests. Wuhans streets are often clogged with traffic. Its steel factories, long a backbone of the local economy, have struggled along with the rest of the inefficient industry in China with overcapacity and pollution problems, leading Beijing to combine the state-owned local giant, Wuhan Steel, with another company. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pink Soda, a "5-star luxury experience" hybrid blow dry bar and salon that services the most interesting brews of luxurious hair treatments available today, this week announced following their openings in Connecticut starting in 2014, they are finally opening their first New York City flagship location in February 2020. Buckle up, this is not your typical blow dry bar. The Home of the Best Blowouts Borrowing the salon name for the signature "pink soda blowout" that is a custom blow out technique using a full brush set that last for days and days, Pink Soda is known for their personalized experience. They are known for impeccable customer service, exquisite locations, top talent and offering the complimentary extras not offered at other blow dry bars or salons. Pink Soda has been awarded in the "Best Of" category for blowouts featured in Stamford Magazine and has been honored to work with People Magazine for hair and makeup amongst other national print campaigns. "I left behind my thriving NYC based plastic surgery consulting business and I opened the first Pink Soda in 2014 after the Sandy Hook tragedy, (my hometown) as a way to offer pampering to the women in the community," said Wendy Brown, Founder and Owner of Pink Soda. Brown offers a unique skill set to Pink Soda ownership as she has had the past experience of being behind the chair and also has been a successful boutique consulting business owner with very high profile clients all over the country. "Both career experiences have taught me many things about the art of great hair and consumer experience management. When you walk into any of our locations you will be welcomed as an old friend. I had always had my sights set on NYC for Pink Soda, so to be finally opening our New York City location is a dream come true." Pink Soda provides complimentary hand treatments with any hair salon service or blowout, as well as hot towel aromatherapy service after each wash, enabling clients to pick from a list of different essential oils. They use and sell the most luxurious products on the market. In addition to blowouts they offer PPD free hair color, balayage and highlights, cuts, smoothing treatments, hair extensions, facial treatments, makeup applications, organic spray tans, bridal services and so much more. The new Pink Soda will be located in the Flatiron district, at 35W 20th street between 5th and 6th avenue. Ideal location with a modern salon esthetic in a beautiful brownstone. Equipped with magnificent high ceilings with original tin tiling and extremely comfortable, state of the art shampoo and styling chairs, as well as an outdoor area for that extra dazzle. Pink Soda is encouraging everyone to check out their website at http://www.therealpinksoda.com and follow them via social media Instagram @pinksodasalon and Facebook @pinksoda. Online booking for the NYC location starts next week. Press Inquiries, please email Brittany Bethany: [email protected] or via phone at 1-877-773-1864 SOURCE Pink Soda ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man suspected of robbing an Anchorage credit union Wednesday was arrested hours later at a store. Pierce Cottingham, 30, was taken into custody on suspicion of robbing a branch of Alaska USA Federal Credit Union on east Northern Lights Boulevard, Anchorage police announced. Police shortly before 3:30 p.m. took a call that a man had handed a credit union teller a note demanding money and had left with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapons were displayed. Police released photos of the suspect and quickly identified the him as Cottingham. A witness around 7 p.m. spotted Cottingham at the Fred Meyer store on east Northern Lights Boulevard. Officers confirmed Cottinghams identity and arrested him. Online court documents do not list his attorney for the case. Plenty of other politicians did find their way into the solemn gathering, however. Macron caused a stir when he was shown shouting at Israeli security personnel as he was entering the Church of St. Anne, a medieval edifice owned by the French government. The vocal dispute apparently had to do with whether French or Israeli security would escort Macron into the nave, a reflection of the byzantine turf conflicts that riddle Jerusalems holy sites. (Control of the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulchre is divided among six Christian sects.) Wolterk/iStock(NEW YORK) -- Boeing CEO David Calhoun, who's been on the job about a week, said that in the aftermath of the 737 Max crisis, "We were our own worst enemy." Calhoun, a longtime Boeing board member who took over after the sudden departure of Dennis Muilenburg, spoke out on Wednesday about how he hoped to restore trust among his employees and his customers. The best way to rebuild consumer confidence in the 737 Max jets, Calhoun added, is when pilots can vouch for them. "When pilots get on that airplane and support that airplane, I believe passengers will follow," he said during a phone call with media. Governments and airlines around the world have grounded 737 Max aircraft since March 2019 after two crashes within six months of each other -- in October 2018 and March 2019 -- killed a total of 346 people. Boeing announced in December it was suspending production of the jets starting this month. Calhoun said he expects production of 737 Max aircraft to restart a few months before current jets return to the skies, approximately in mid-2020. The company's supply chain likely will be "reinvigorated" even before that, he added. In discussing what went wrong with previous 737 Max aircraft, Calhoun said the company made a "fatal assumption" about how pilots would respond to the triggering of the MCAS software system, which contributed to the two deadly crashes. "The process around which that fatal assumption was made, around what a pilot would do in a moment in time in a certain circumstance, based on a very long historical record, that process should have had more light shined on it," he said. "We will do things to shine brighter lights -- we will do things to create more authorities and approvals and all the things you would expect us to do." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. A beer a day keeps the doctor away. At least that's what one Brooklyn man is hoping. Floyd Hayes, 47, is going viral after filling out a form to have a "16 oz, lightly hopped session IPA served in a regular bar pint glass" serve as a service animal. I travel from upstate to Brooklyn a lot, and on the bus they say its a federal crime to smoke or have an alcoholic beverage unless by prior written contest, Hayes told the Brooklyn Paper. Not that Im an alcoholic." Hayes told the New York Post that this was more of an experiment and he was trying not to make fun of anyone who required the aid of a service animal. I dont mean it in a heady mental health manner, Hayes said. More if you go to a party, and want to break the ice. Hayes wrote on the website that his beer does not need any training and it was there to help him with his social anxiety disorder. According to Ale Street News, who first reported the news, the pint was registered with USA Service Dog Registration with the registration number: 1085780890. Upon entering the registration number into the website, the response of "enter tracking code is invalid" displayed on screen. Additionally, the USA Service Dog Registration has received numerous complaints from the Better Business Bureau. According to the United States Department of Justice, "there are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal." Hayes is an Integrated Experiential Creative Director/ECD who specializes in stunt marketing, according to his website. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on their birth anniversary. Sharing a video on Twitter on Netajis 123rd birth anniversary, the PM listed his contributions in the freedom struggle and said the nation will always remain grateful to him. India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians, Modi said. India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians. pic.twitter.com/otUlFanULs Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 23 January 2020 The prime minister also tweeted a note written by Netajis father Jankinath Bose at the time of his birth: On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, A son was born at midday. This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause - Indias freedom. I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today. On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, "A son was born at midday." This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause- Indias freedom. I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today. pic.twitter.com/wp3UjudKJ4 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 23 January 2020 In another tweet, PM Modi paid homage to Bal Thackeray on his 94th birth anniversary, calling the Sena founder a courageous leader who never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare. Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his Jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare. He always remained proud of Indian ethos and values. He continues to inspire millions, the prime minister said. Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his Jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare. He always remained proud of Indian ethos and values. He continues to inspire millions. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 23 January 2020 The Shiv Sena has planned a massive show of strength on the occasion of the partys founder Bal Thackerays birth anniversary in Mumbai. The party has organised a mega gathering to mark its rise to power in the echelons of the Mantralaya. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will be felicitated by 11 senior Sena leaders at the event MMRDA Grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex in the evening. When a Florida Highway Patrol trooper pulled over Manuel Abreu for driving under the influence on Dec. 19, the suspect was allowed to make one phone call so someone could come pick up his white Jeep. Whom did Abreu call? Hialeah Police Department Commander Luis Lahera, who showed up and told Abreu not to take a breathalyzer test even as the trooper advised him not to interfere. The highway patrol notified Hialeah Police Chief Sergio Velazquez and now the Miami Herald has learned that Lahera retired while under internal investigation. Abreu had failed to stop at a red light not far from the Hialeah Park Racing & Casino, according to an FHP incident report. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his speech very slurred, the trooper wrote. He smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test. Abreu admitted to having had some beers at the casino. At 11:48 p.m., the trooper placed Abreu, 50, under arrest for driving under the influence. Lahera arrived soon after in an unmarked police vehicle with the lights on. The trooper asked Abreu if he would provide a breath sample. Abreu first said no, but then changed his mind. Then he asked Lahera what he should do. The trooper, J.F. Dominguez, intervened, telling Lahera not to give [Abreu] any information. Nonetheless, Mr. Lahera walked over to my patrol vehicle, opened the backseat and told Mr. Abreu in Spanish to not provide the breath sample, Dominguez wrote in his report. Mr. Abreu replied to him okay. Abreu refused the test and was taken to jail and charged with a misdemeanor, according to the report. A highway patrol captain later met with Velazquez to inform him of the incident, said Lt. Alejandro Camacho, a spokesman for FHP. FHP brought it to the attention of Chief Velazquez for him to handle in whatever manner he deemed appropriate, Camacho said in an email. Lt. Eddie Rodriguez, a spokesman for Hialeah police, confirmed that FHP contacted the department on Jan. 16. He said that Lahera retired five days later and that an internal investigation will continue despite the commander leaving. He also said the department had notified the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office public corruption unit. Story continues Because this is an open and active investigation, Chief Velazquez states he will not be able to provide any additional information, Rodriguez said in an email. Hialeah Police Chief Sergio Velazquez holds a press conference on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, about the case of Sgt. Jesus Menocal Jr., accused of sexual misconduct. Abreus relationship with Lahera isnt clear. Neither man could be reached for comment. Lahera is listed on a city website as the commander of one of the police departments six patrol sectors. There is no record of a Manuel Abreu facing DUI charges in Miami-Dade County. Under Florida law, refusing to take a breathalyzer test subjects drivers to a mandatory license suspension. Abreu told the trooper he was great with a suspension, according to the report. Little information was immediately available about Abreu but a man who shares his name and birth date is associated with several Hialeah-based companies that sell furniture and provide carpentry services, according to a public records database. Lahera was promoted by Velazquez shortly after the latter became chief in 2012, according to an el Nuevo Herald story from the time. Velazquez and his department have been criticized for their handling of a separate case involving former Hialeah police Sgt. Jesus Menocal Jr. Menocal was accused of sexually assaulting four women and girls in 2015 but did not face discipline from Velazquez as a result of an internal affairs complaint. The FBI arrested Menocal last month on civil-rights charges related to two of the alleged assaults. He was fired after his arrest and has pleaded not guilty. Velazquez and Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez have defended how the city handled the case. The incident involving Lahera echoes a 2005 scandal that led to Velazquez being demoted when he was a lieutenant in Hialeahs police department. An internal affairs investigation found that a family friend had called Velazquez, then off duty, to the scene of a domestic dispute and that Velazquez had interfered with the responding officers, ordered an unlawful arrest and then lied about his conduct while refusing to provide evidence to investigators. He told investigators he had responded to the scene as Sergio, a civilian, not as a police lieutenant. Velazquez was demoted to sergeant but reinstated two years later by a new mayor, Julio Robaina, after the police department re-investigated the original complaint. The department has not yet provided documents relating to the new investigation. The Herald asked for those documents on Dec. 3. Miami Herald staff writer Daniel Chang contributed to this report. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford, credited with quickly improving the citys struggling subway system in just two years time, has announced his resignation. Byford, a transit veteran who had previously worked as chief executive officer of the Toronto Transit Commission from 2011 to 2017, officially announced his resignation Thursday morning. His last day of service will be Friday, Feb. 21. Andy Byford will be departing New York City Transit after a successful two years of service, and we thank him for his work. Andy was instrumental in moving the system forward, enacting the successful Subway Action Plan and securing record capital funding with the Governor and the Legislature, and we wish him well in his next chapter," said MTA Chairman & CEO Patrick J. Foye. The former transit chief lauded the work his agency has done in recent years, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to serve in one of the worlds largest, most-complex transit systems. GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY Im very proud of what we have achieved as a team over the past two years, and I believe New York City Transit is well-placed to continue its forward progress now that the MTA has a record-breaking $51.5 billion Capital Program in place. Im very grateful to Governor Cuomo, Chairman Foye and members of the Board for giving me the opportunity to serve New York and to head up North Americas largest transit system," Byford said. During Thursday mornings MTA Board meeting, Byford extended his thanks to all New York commuters and his dedicated team at New York City Transit. I have two other thank yous. One, to New Yorkers for bearing with me, putting up with me, giving me this wonderful opportunity to live in this amazing place. This really is the absolute pinnacle of any transit professionals career. It doesnt get much bigger than New York City Transit, and its been an honor and a privilege to serve New Yorkers, said Byford. I CALL THEM DIAMONDS But also, finally, to my executive team, the broader management team, but ultimately, the 50,000 men and women of Transit. I think in some ways Ill miss them the most. I call them diamonds. Theyre just wonderful, decent, hard-working human beings, and I will always be proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with them, he added. Byford had endeared himself to the citys riding public, elected officials and media members with his inspired work ethic and boots on the ground mentality that often found him directly in the midst of his ongoing systemwide reform efforts. Borough President James Oddo, who has worked closely with Byford over the past two years to improve Staten Islands express bus conditions, was deeply saddened by the announcement, emphasizing Byfords unmatched commitment to the boroughs commuters. THIS IS A MAJOR BLOW This is a major blow. On a professional and a personal level I am bitterly disappointed. I think hes been the best thing to happen to the MTA in a long time. I think this is a major blow to the entire system, a blow to the city and a particular blow to us here on Staten Island, because he has gotten to know us. He has personally taken on the redesign challenge, even though it didnt start under his tenure, Oddo said. This SIM redesign, that was supposed to be revenue-neutral, and probably number of trips-neutral, resulted in 100 more trips a day and several millions of dollars more in service because I think Andy got personally invested, Oddo added. He went on to discuss Byfords unique willingness to engage the riding public and local elected officials in his work, something that other agency heads across the city remain unwilling to do. Oddo fondly recalled a meeting at the MTA headquarters during which Byford had invited the borough presidents staff, as well as local express bus advocates to participate in the ongoing redesign process. Can you imagine the Department of Transportation doing that? Can you imagine City Planning doing that? Can you imagine any of the God-awful city agencies opening their doors to the elected officials of Staten Island and the other stakeholders? No. It was unheard of, he said. A GENUINE EMPATHY' The word is empathy. Theres a genuine empathy that he feels for the riders, and he wants to do right by them... juxtapose that to other city agencies who see you as an annoyance. They try to work around you. They defy you. They dont care about the will of the people of Staten Island. They have their own agenda. This guy was the opposite of that and thats how he made folks feel, and lord knows we need more empathy in this sterile, artificial, insincere business of public service and government," the borough president continued. Byfords commitment to customer involvement was so great, he would respond directly to emails from Staten Island express bus riders, like Filippa Grisafi, founder of a Staten Island Express Bus Advocacy group on Facebook. ANDY WAS OUR ALLY It is truly a tremendous loss and a travesty for New York City, the MTA and especially Staten Island commuters. Andy was our ally. He was the first person, let alone the first president, Ive ever known at the MTA who was so open and willing to really listen to and work with the commuting public, Grisafi said. From the first email I sent him in the spring of 2018, he knew how serious I was about what was about to unfold with the redesign of the Staten Island express bus system. He listened intently to everything I had to say, she continued. I emailed Andy on the Sunday the redesign rolled out, and he responded within hours. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that the MTA president would email me a response personally, let alone on a Sunday! And that was something Andy did the last year and a half, he responded to all my emails no matter the day of the week, or time of day. The transit chief had initially submitted a letter of resignation in October, due to concerns regarding Gov. Andrew Cuomos increasing involvement in MTA decision-making. At the time, MTA leadership was able to convince Byford to remain with the agency following promises of retained control over subway re-signaling, according to reports. During Byfords tenure, which began in January 2018, on-time performance for the citys sprawling subway network increased from 58% to 80% over the course of just 24 months. For the first time since 1954, biologists found evidence that the federally protected eastern indigo snake is breeding on its own in Alabama. A collection of government agencies and universities have been trying to reintroduce the indigo snake for years in the Conecuh National Forest in south Alabama, and a young, 27-inch snake captured last week appears to be the offspring of the reintroduced apex predator. Were releasing these snakes that are all generally about two years old, with the hope, and the expectation that eventually the snakes will survive from year to year and breed in the wild, said Jim Godwin, a biologist with the Alabama Natural Heritage Program at Auburn University, who is leading the indigo restoration efforts in Alabama. Its very exciting for us to find this young snake that confirms one measure of success that weve been after all along. The indigo snake reintroduction program is part of an attempt to restore Alabamas longleaf pine forest ecosystem, where the indigo snake serves as the top predator. It is not venomous, and literally eats copperheads and rattlesnakes for breakfast. The eastern indigo snake is the longest snake native to North America, reaching lengths of up to nine feet, though more typically maxing out at around seven feet long. While missing from Alabama since the 1950s, the indigo snake is still hanging on in Florida and south Georgia. Now, for the first time in seven decades, the eastern indigo is reproducing on its own in Alabama. Over decades, the combination of habitat loss, collection for the pet trade and gassing in rattlesnake rodeos put the species on the brink of extinction. The indigo earned a listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The snake was a part of Alabama, Godwin said. Not well known, but a part of Alabama and southern Alabama. And as the importance of the longleaf pine ecosystem has really come out in the last couple of decades, weve been missing pieces of that, restoring that ecosystem. Longleaf pine forests, which once covered much of the Southeast, have been reduced to about 3 percent of their historic range. The remaining longleaf forests are mostly in isolated clusters like Conecuh National Forest. Godwin said the efforts to reintroduce the snake are in their 14th year, with more than 160 snakes released into the wild since 2010. All snakes released are about two years old and carry unique tags so that researchers can identify the snakes if theyre recaptured. The snake captured this month was estimated to be about seven to eight months old and did not carry a tag. Godwin said he did not want to provide additional details about the snakes location because there are still concerns about poaching. Godwin said the snake was discovered by a research team from Auburn investigating gopher tortoise burrows in the National Forest. Indigo snakes are closely associated with gopher tortoise burrows in Alabama, especially in the winter. Godwin said the snakes will take shelter in the burrows on cold days, and roam about looking to reproduce on warm, sunny days during the winter. For the first time, more than 30%of candidates will be women. At least one woman candidate will stand in every constituency in Election 2020, for the first time in history. With the formal deadline for nominations now passed, a total of 531 candidates will go before the public in 39 constituencies to challenge for 160 seats in the 33rd Dail. In what is the most diverse field to stand for election ever, 162 woman candidates will stand for election, up from the 160 who stood in 2016, but nationally for the first time more than 30% of candidates standing are women. In terms of the parties, with candidate tickets now finalised, Fine Gael is just over the 30% quota, with 30.5% of their candidates being women. Fianna Fail and Labour are marginally better at 31% and 32%. The numbers of women on the ticket for People Before Profit is 38%, while the Green Party is standing 41% of women candidates with the Social Democrats top of the class at 57%. Maynooth University Department of Geography lecturer Adrian Kavanagh who compiled the figures, said the major parties have merely fallen over the 30% gender quota but face significant difficulties in hitting the 40% target which will apply from the next election. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Kavanagh said: The main parties have gotten over the line by the skin of their teeth and were an election to occur after 2023, the 40% rule will kick in and that is a big ask. Independent candidate Sean OLeary registered his intention to stand in 11 constituencies, while 2018 presidential race runner-up Peter Casey is standing in Donegal and in Taoiseach Leo Varadkars constituency of Dublin West. Of the political parties, only Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and the Green Party are standing candidates in all constituencies, with Sinn Fein not contesting in Cork North-West. Fianna Fail is running the most candidates, with 84 standing in 39 constituencies. Fine Gael is standing 82 candidates, six fewer than it did in 2016, and is its smallest field of candidates since 1951, says Mr Kavanagh. Sinn Fein is standing 42 candidates, down eight since 2016 and Mr Kavanagh suggests than on those figures the party would struggle to capture the 21% vote support, as predicted by this weeks Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI opinion poll. The Labour Party is standing just 31 candidates, its smallest field of candidates since 1957 and, for the first time in more than 80 years, is not standing a candidate in Kerry. There has been a sharp drop in the number of Independent candidates standing, with 30 fewer candidates compared with 2016 and 60 fewer this time compared with 2011. Elsewhere, outgoing Fine Gael TD Maria Bailey confirmed her intention not to stand as an Independent in Dun Laoghaire while veteran Independent TD Tommy Broughan surprised many by declaring his intention to retire after 28 years in the Dail. Ms Bailey was deselected by Fine Gael last year after a controversy over her decision to take a personal injuries claim against the Dean Hotel, where she fell from a swing. Announcing her decision, Ms Bailey said she was ending her time as a public representative with great sadness. She spent 12 years as a councillor and four as a TD. She said the past number of months have been extremely difficult for me both privately and politically and there are a number of people I would like to thank for their kindness and support. Among the surprise entries into the race are two former journalists: John Waters and Valerie Cox. Mr Waters is standing as an Anti-Corruption Ireland candidate in Dun Laoghaire while Ms Cox is standing as an Independent in Wicklow. One outgoing TD, Fianna Fails Robert Troy, had a narrow escape as he nearly missed the filing deadline. He made the 12pm deadline for registering with 12 minutes to spare having misplaced his documents. A Utah couple arrested last year in connection with the murders of a New Hampshire couple found buried in a shallow grave in Texas are facing three new felony charges. Amanda Noverr, 33, and Adam Curtis Williams, 33, were indicted of tampering evidence, felony theft and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on Wednesday by a Kleberg County grand jury. Noverr and Williams were arrested in November 2019 following the deaths of 46-year-old Michelle Butler and 48-year-old James Butler, who were travelling to Florida to sell Christmas trees. Loved ones reported the New Hampshire couple missing on October 16 before their bodies were discovered buried on October 27 on Padre Island, Texas. Amanda Noverr (left) and Adam Curtis Williams (right) were indicted with three new felony charges in connection to murders of a New Hampshire couple James Butler (left) and Michelle Butler (right) were reported missing by loved ones in October 2019 while they were traveling from Texas to Florida to sell Christmas trees Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the crime and the cause of death has not been disclosed Hubert said: We don't want to go into the facts of the case because we don't want to prejudice the jury. 'We're mainly focused on letting the public know that they have been indicted and what they've been indicted on.' The Corpus Christi Caller Times reports that a Kahr PM 9mm pistol was found in possession of Williams and Noverr, but it is unclear who the gun belonged to. District attorney John Hubert (center) did not disclose a motive for the crimes during a Wednesday press conference because authorities do not want to 'prejudice the jury' The tampering charge comes from the burial of the Butlers and the felony theft charge stems from the suspected couple stealing James Butlers $30,000 lawnmower. Williams and Noverr were initially accused of felony theft of the victims pickup truck, but the new indictment does not mention the vehicle. The indictment says the suspects intentionally and knowingly conceal two deceased bodies of James Lawrence Butler and Michelle Butler, with intent to impair its availability as evidence in any subsequent investigation of official proceeding related to the offense. Authorities believe Williams and Noverr, who are both being held on $1 million bond, may have come into contact with the Butlers before their deaths If convicted, Williams and Noverr could face up to life in prison. The indictment comes after the pair had been in jail for around 90 days, at which point defendants are entitled to reasonable bond amounts. Williams currently has pending felony charges in Utah. Authorities say Noverr is not a felon, but most likely aided in the theft of a firearm. We're not alleging at this time that (Noverr) is a felon. We are alleging that she obviously either aided, abetted or encouraged (the theft of the firearm), district attorney John Hubert said at a news conference on Wednesday. The couple were seasonal workers who traveled the country picking up work where they could. Most recently, they had worked on an oil rig Pictured: Authorities on Padres Island digging at James and Michelle Butlers' grave site in October Although the suspects have not been hit with murder charges, Hubert said they later could if evidence pointed in that direction. Prior to their deaths, James and Michelle were traveling across the U.S. with plans of going from Texas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a part time job selling Christmas trees. They often shared images of their adventures while traveling in their 2018 Silver Chevrolet 2500 towing a white Cedar Creek RV. But family members became concerned after the couple stopped contacting relatives and their cell phones went straight to voicemail. Michelles bank accounts have not been used since October 16. 12 days later, Kleberg County police found the corpses buried on top of each other near to where the couple were last seen in Padre Balli Park. Authorities say a cell phone believed to belong to the couple pinged in the area. Jaie Garza, Chief Deputy with the Kleberg County Sheriff's Office said: 'We stayed overnight to protect the integrity of the crime scene. Meanwhile, the Butlers truck and RV was seen crossing an unspecified border checkpoint into Mexico on October 21. The couple's truck and RV, which they were living out of, was seen crossing the border into Mexico on October 21 - five days after family and friends last heard from them Investigators had released a surveillance photo of Williams and Noverr crossing the border into Mexico on October 21 in the RV belonging to the Butlers after the victims went missing It would later be revealed that the couple driving the Butlers vehicle was Williams and Noverr. Photos taken at the checkpoint show Williams sitting in the drivers seat with Noverr on the passenger side. Butlers family members said they did not recognize the couple. In the following days, authorities shared a surveillance photo of Williams and Noverr, but did not say how the two couples came into contact. Authorities have not revealed how James and Michelle Butler (pictured) came into contact with Williams and Noverr 'I don't know if they were too trusting, people seek them out because they're friendly. It's an area that many people don't know each other, come together because someone will start up a BBQ or spark up a fire,' said Kleberg County Sheriff Richard Kirkpatrick. 'What we really need is some connotation to put the individuals into context,' he added. Williams and Noverr were arrested on November 6 after U.S. authorities worked with Mexican authorities to locate the pair in the state of Jalisco. The suspects face court in Corpus Christi, Texas, on November 8 and are currently being held on a $1million bond. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Shahdara, known for its mouth-watering street food, boasts large markets of clothes, especially wedding dresses, ornaments and also the availability of groceries at reasonable prices. Situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, it's also known as the oldest inhabited areas of the city and an integral part of Purani Dilli. However, the Shahdara district is one of the newly formed districts in the national capital. Delhi Metro too started its operations from Shahdara, the first station on the Red Line and premier station of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. However, the area has a long way to go as far as development is concerned. Narrow lanes lead to traffic jams in the area, especially near the Chhota Bazaar area. It becomes worse during rains. Poor traffic management and lack of sidewalks just add to the chaos and turn it in an accident-prone area, especially for pedestrians. Unauthorised colonies, slums and illegal constructions abound in the area. Old sewage system, water shortage during summers and frequent outages are the problems that need early attention. The proximity of Shahdara to the UP border has turned in into a heaven for criminals, who cross the border -- from both sides -- after committing petty crimes like theft and snatching, and heinous crimes such as murder and offences against women. Beggars, including children and even toddlers, particularly near Shahdara and Mansarovar Park Metro stations, are a menace and paint an ugly picture of the area. Factories of various shapes and sizes employ child labourers in numbers and often force them to work in hazardous environment. Lack of proper parking spaces often trigger scuffles. Broken roads, garbage strewn on streets and high pollution are other conspicuous features that people living here or commuting to can easily relate to. A mohalla clinic was opened near the Mansarovar Metro station, but it remained non-operational until recently. While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has re-nominated sitting MLA Ram Niwas Goyal, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have named Narendra Nath and Sanjay Goyal, respectively, for the February 8 elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Of the 1,88,578 voters in the Assembly seat, 99,090 are men and 89,483 women. For whom they have voted would be known on February 11. Ghana has retained its 41 score for 2018 in the 2019, global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPU) has revealed. The Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 released worldwide on Thursday January 23, 2020, by Transparency International (TI) scores and ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Ghana scored 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 in the CPI 2019 and ranked 80 out of 180 countries/territories included in this year's index. This year's score of 41 shows that Ghana's score remained the same compared to its CPI 2018 score (41), said the report. However, in the sub-Saharan Africa region, Ghana performed better than 37 other Sub-Saharan African countries including Burkina Faso 40, Lesotho 40, Ethiopia 37, Gambia 37, Tanzania 37, and performed below 9 others. For the sub-Saharan Africa region, Ghana ranked 10 in the report that saw Seychelles ranking number one in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Botswana, Cabo Verde, Rwanda, Mauritius, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Africa and Benin. The CPI 2019, according to the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the Ghana Chapter of TI, draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption giving each country a score from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The CPI 2019 focused on political integrity and highlights the relationship between politics, money and corruption. By political integrity, TI means the quality of: (a) contesting and exercising power (political/public office) consistently acting in the public interest, and (b) providing equal, open and meaningful access to the affected stakeholders before arriving at decisions, GII said in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Linda Ofori-Kwafo. Frustration with government corruption and lack of trust in institutions speak to a need for greater political integrity, said Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair of Transparency International, it said. Governments must urgently address the corrupting role of big money in political party financing and the undue influence it exerts on our political systems, it urged. World Backsliding In Corruption Fight More than two-thirds of countries along with many of the world's most advanced economies are stagnating or showing signs of backsliding in their anti-corruption efforts per the CPI 2019 released today by TI, the report stated. Global Highlights In this year's index, Denmark and New Zealand topped with 87 points each. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia are at the bottom of the index, with 13, 12 and 9 points respectively. The highest scoring region is Western Europe and the European Union, with an average score of 66, while the lowest scoring region is Sub-Saharan Africa with an average score of 32. More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, with the global average score of 43. Since 2012, only 22 countries have significantly improved their scores, including Estonia, Greece and Guyana. On the other hand, 21 countries have significantly declined since 2012 including Australia, Canada and Nicaragua. Within the framework of political integrity TI discusses a few dimensions relevant for anti-corruption work, including political finance, lobbying, transparency of the policy-making process, citizen engagement, political pluralism, state capture, among others. ---Daily Guide Black Thursday will be forever engraved in the collective memory of Franco-Ontarians. On Nov. 15, 2018, the Ford government announced it would be axing both the University of French Ontario and the French Language Services Commissioner. Francois Boileau, who held the position of commissioner since 2007, was universally perceived in by Franco-Ontarians as the champion of language rights in Queens Park. Fords decisions sparked the largest francophone mobilization in the history of the province since the Reglement 17. A few weeks later, the self-styled Government of the People attempted to be perceived as back tracking on its position. The employee at the office of the Ontario Ombudsman tasked with investigating complaints made under the French Language Services Act would henceforth be referred to as the French Language Services Commissioner. This person, however, would exercise his or her functions within the office of the Ombudsman and would therefore not have the same independence as the former commissioner. Franco-Ontarians held their breath for more than a year while waiting for the position to be filled. On Jan. 15, Kelly Burke, a lawyer and public servant with over 20 years experience in the provincial government, was appointed to the position. Having climbed the ranks of the public service for being a good soldier, Burke is now being called upon to play the role of watchdog for the rights of Francophones in the province. Last Wednesdays press conference introducing the new commissioner would have been the ideal moment to comfort worried Franco-Ontarians. The ombudsman and the commissioner could have clearly stated their commitment to following in the footsteps of Boileau of interpreting the French Language Services Act broadly and liberally and proactively responding to the needs of the community rather than merely reacting to complaints from the public. They did not reassure anyone. The new duo repeatedly stressed the importance of exercising the role with impartiality and refraining from expressing their positions publicly. This new approach ought to send a chill down the spine of anyone who has ever lived in a minority language situation, who knows very well that impartiality toward the fate of francophones paves the way to assimilation. Some will argue it is still too early to write off the new commissioner; lets wait and see before passing judgment. But things have started badly. Both individuals emphasized that they were not the ones who chose to eliminate the independent commissioner but vigorously defended the new complaint mechanism as being better than the one that was in place before. When asked what she thought of Fords record in French language services, Burke responded vaguely by saying, we often dont understand what we do not know. This governments track record on minority rights, including those of francophones, is clear. Why pretend to ignore a reality that is well known to all? Why not speak out against the government? This is precisely what commissioners are meant to do. She went on to explain she would try to educate the government about the communitys accomplishments and all that it has to offer. However, the role of a commissioner is not to promote the achievements of Franco-Ontarians. It is to denounce government policies and programs that violate the French Language Services Act. Could it be that this governments drastic cuts in public services are disproportionately impacting Franco-Ontarians? The new commissioners silence on the issue was particularly startling on the very day that French-speaking teachers and school employees across the province were on strike to protest proposed increases in class sizes and compulsory online learning. In a context where a growing number of Franco-Ontarians are from households of mixed linguistic backgrounds, the transmission and survival of the French language in Ontario is increasingly dependent on our teachers. . The Supreme Court of Canada has repeatedly reminded us of the importance of our schools to counter linguistic and cultural assimilation. If the efforts of this government to threaten the rights of those who work in our schools and undermine the learning conditions of French-speaking students are not insufficient to sound the commissioners alarm, it is difficult to imagine anything that will. What is even more telling is the salary of the new commissioner. It is estimated that it will be approximately $20,000 more per year than the annual salary of the former independent commissioner. This confirms what many thought all the long: the elimination of the independent commissioner was never about money. The Ford government is ready to pay big bucks to buy wool to pull over the eyes of francophones so they cannot see that Burke is a commissioner only by name. Correction Jan 23, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Kelly Burkes given name. There will be a new National Reserve for young farmers and new entrants in 2020, the IFA has said. It comes following a meeting of the Department of Agriculture Direct Payments Advisory Committee in Portlaoise today, which IFA attended. IFA Deputy President Richard Kennedy said it is estimated that there will be up to 3m in funding for the 2020 Reserve, financed from existing resources, unused entitlements and clawback on sales. He said it will not be necessary to have any linear cuts on entitlements to fund the 2020 Reserve. He said it is important that there is a National Reserve and an opportunity for young farmers and new entrants to be able to get entitlements under the CAP supports. He said the National Reserve along with the Young Farmers top-up scheme have proved to be an essential support to young farmers over recent years. Since 2015 and the commencement of the current CAP, the National Reserve has provided cumulative payments worth 130m to 8,500 participants. In addition, the Young Farmers top-up scheme has paid out 95m to 8,000 participants. The IFA Deputy President said the conditions for the reserve in respect of education requirements and off-farm income will remain the same, providing consistency in the approach for young farmers and new entrants. In 2019, approximately 900 applicants applied to the National Reserve and some 531 applicants were successful to date, involving 540 young farmers and 31 new entrants. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Bank of Thailand said on Wednesday that they have successfully completed the initial phase of their respective sovereign digital currencies project. Now, the city's de facto central bank wants to invite more banks to take part in the next stage of Project LionRock-Inthanon " real-world testing of the blockchain-backed digital currency in cross-border payments. Colin Pou, executive director of financial infrastructure at HKMA, said as the project now was progressing to actual testing, he is confident that more banks from Hong Kong will join. "The HKMA and the Bank of Thailand will select some real bilateral trades as part of our further testing [of the network] to look into how these payments and cross border fund transfers are done," said Pou. Hong Kong, Thailand to roll out two-tier tokens in digital currency prototype Currently, 10 banks from both Hong Kong and Thailand have been roped into the project. These include Krungsri, Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikorn from the Thai side. Hong Kong virtual bank operator Zhong An Technologies International is taking part, while HSBC is participating in both legs of the project. Project LionRock-Inthanon was first unveiled by the two central banks in November 2019 during the Hong Kong Fintech week, taking forward a fintech collaboration between the two sides signed in May. HSBC is involved in Project LionRock-Inthanon. Photo: Bloomberg alt=HSBC is involved in Project LionRock-Inthanon. Photo: Bloomberg No timetable was given for the launch of the digital currencies on Wednesday. The aim of the two central banks' respective sovereign digital currencies is to streamline the layers of banks that are traditionally involved in transferring funds and settling foreign exchange, which will ultimately help companies to save costs. Instead of going through several correspondent banks in between, a bank will now be able to directly transact with its Thai counterpart via the "corridor network", helping their clients achieve real-time settlement and reduce settlement risks. Story continues Under a two-tier issuing system, the HKMA will issue digital tokens to banks in exchange for Hong Kong dollars and similarly redeem the tokens for real currency. While initially, the two central bank digital currencies will primarily be used to settle cross-border trade in Hong Kong dollars and Thai baht, the HKMA hopes to expand the network to include more currencies and invite more central banks to join the network. Guillaume Rico, a director at Chappuis Halder & Co in charge of the consulting firm's central bank digital currency practice, expects some of the city's eight virtual banks to be particularly keen to join the project as their focus is primarily on servicing small to medium-sized enterprises. "The holy grail for many virtual banks is the SME market, as they want to provide banking services to a market segment where traditional banks have failed," said Rico. Central bank digital currencies and blockchain are shaping the future of cross-border payments and these directly address the traditional cross-border payment difficulties faced by cash-strapped SMEs, he said, adding that virtual banks would be keen to provider faster banking services at competitive costs by taking part in the project. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Hamilton, ON, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CVA has been vigorously advocating with provincial health authorities across Canada for rules and regulations to reduce youth access to vaping products. The CVA completely agrees with the provinces who are concerned about youth uptake and that all vape products should be kept out of the hands of our youth. However, as has been emphasized by many clinicians, former smokers and researchers in Canada and abroad, flavours are not the cause of youth vaping. Its the promotion and marketing of these products in non-adult restricted retail outlets and the irresponsibly high levels of nicotine in certain pod systems that are influencing under-age use. The CVA is disappointed the Minister would appear to reach a decision before the consultations are complete. The result of this bill will be putting former and current smokers lives at risk, says Darryl Tempest, Executive Director, The Canadian Vaping Association. In Canada, new tobacco-financed vape products were introduced in 2018 in non-age restricted sales channels, such as convenience stores, which coincides directly with the rise in youth vaping. Flavoured e-liquids have been in circulation through age-restricted vape shops in Canada for over a decade now and are used by 40 million adults across the world with no previous increase in youth vaping rates. Darryl Tempest goes on to state that These products are available throughout PEI in 85 gas stations and 61 convenience stores, while there are only seven regulated age-restricted vape shops in PEI. As such, eliminating the convenience store and gas station sales channel reduces access points by over 95% and limits the availability of vaping products to adult only locations. This would address one of the two true drivers of youth uptake - access. The other significant driver, irresponsibly high nicotine levels, can be easily addressed through a significantly reduced cap on nicotine levels. Youth vaping is not an issue in Europe where there are thousands of flavour choices. The key to their success has been a cap on nicotine at 20 mg/ml which leaves sleek closed pod system ineffective and reduces the nicotine buzz that can influence youth to try vaping. With a focus on evidence based data we have the ability to develop regulations that both protect youth and support the most effective harm reduction platform for combustible tobacco users, flavoured nicotine vaping products. The shared goals of Canadians should be eliminating combustible tobacco forever and banning flavours will move us in the opposite direction says Darryl Tempest. The CVA is encouraged that the province of British Columbia took positive action to both protect youth and support harm reduction through regulating nicotine levels and limiting the sale of flavoured nicotine vaping products to age restricted product vape products. The regulations developed in BC set the standard by basing these regulations on the best available evidence and global data. The CVA looks forward to meeting with Minister Aylward to discuss the potential consequences of the proposed legislation in PEI. As Canadas national vaping advocacy organization - with no ties to tobacco companies - we can share our learnings and recommendations including: Youth should not have access to any vape products - all vape product sales, including flavoured e-liquids, should be limited to adult only vape shops. Sophisticated age verification technology should be mandatory for all vape product retailers, for both in-store and online sales. National and brand specific advertising should be prohibited. Display and promotion of vape products in retail environments should be restricted to adult only access vape shops. Nicotine levels should be capped at 20 mg/ml. It should be mandated that e-commerce and online sales be delivered via a dual age verification platform. We must close Canadian borders to unregulated black market vaping products and ingredients. About the Canadian Vaping Association The Canadian Vaping Association (thecva.org) is a registered national, not-for-profit organization, established as the voice for the burgeoning Canadian vaping industry. Founded in 2014, the CVA represents over 300 retail and online vaping businesses in Canada, not including tobacco companies or affiliates. The association is the primary liaison with the federal and provincial governments on all legislative and regulatory issues related to the industry. The primary goal of CVA is to ensure that government regulation is reasonable and practical, through the strategy of professional proactive communication and education supplied bilingually to health officers, media, and elected officials. Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Warangal, to inform its decision by January 27, on an appeal by a first-year B. Tech student, who was suspended for a period of one academic year on the allegations of consuming ganja on the institute premises. The Division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy was dealing with the petition by the suspended student, who sought directions from the institute to allow him to attend the second semester classes, which started on 23 December, 2019. On Tuesday, the bench had directed the Vice-Chancellor of the institute to allow him to attend the classes and sought response from the institute on its proposal to be gentle against the suspended students. On being asked, the institute furnished a communication to the court that the student has approached the High Court even before the senate decided on a decision on the appeal. It also explained that the senate had the power to take decision on administration matters. Expressing doubt with the way of reply was received, the court observed that it seems the institute may go against the students appeal. It also said to the institute that no one could stop an aggrieved person to approach the court for relief. What is the wrong with the student approaching the court, when the issue was pending for more days before the senate and the classes have been started, the court asked. It directed the institute to take a decision by the weekend. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Latin American affairs with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday, the day after the state Senate unanimously voted to condemn Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. DeSantis and Pompeo hosted a roundtable discussion with prominent members of South Floridas Venezuelan community, as well as government and elected officials. It was closed to the press. He asked me to come down here to talk with a number of folks about the opportunities and challenges that are presented from the tyranny that is taking place both in Venezuela and Cuba, Pompeo said in a phone interview with The Associated Press before the meeting. We want economic relationships between the United States, between Florida and South and Central America to flourish. He said he planned to discuss what he learned on trips earlier this week in Latin America. Ill share with them the business that I had in South and Central America this past week and how well talk about how we can continue to develop those relationships while being very focused on ensuring that the people in Venezuela and Cuba have an increased opportunity for democracy and freedom. After the meeting, DeSantis expressed frustration that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is still in power despite the United States and 60 other nations recognizing Juan Guaido as the nations legitimate president. Its kind of been frustrating that if you went back a year, you know, a lot of us thought we were on the precipice of really seeing Maduro driven out of power and then having a pathway for free elections and a free society there. And yet, you know, here we are. And Maduro is still there, DeSantis told reporters. The Florida trip also comes the day after the Florida Senate voted to condemn Ortega for the violent response his government had to protesters. Hundreds have been killed and thousands have been injured after protests escalated in April 2018 when cuts to social security benefits were announced. The resolution passed by the Senate detailed how protesters were arrested and tortured. It also raised concerns about Chinas involvement with a massive canal project in Nicaragua. Far and away a greater threat than the Chinese Communist Party in Nicaragua is the threat thats imposed upon the Nicaraguan people by Ortega and his family and the military around him, Pompeo said. Pompeo said he spoke with Nicaraguan opposition leaders this week and pledged U.S. support. He said the goal is free elections that he believes would remove Ortega, but acknowledged its a challenge because Ortega has consolidated his power. You do a number of things. You are unequivocal about how you speak about it, so when we talk about the terror that has been inflicted on the Nicaraguan people by the Ortega regime, were clear about American value sets. Second, where there are people who need assistance opposition leaders, those who have had to flee Nicaragua weve provided financial assistance to some of them, Pompeo said. He said the U.S. is working with the Catholic church and others in the region, as well as other countries to press for a free and fair election. Thats all weve simply asked for and Im confident that were closer today than we were just a few months ago, Pompeo said. ___ AP reporter Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report. The Royal Bank of Scotland's first female chief executive is today launching a 1billion fund to support women entrepreneurs. Alison Rose has set a target for the bank, which was bailed out with more than 45billion of taxpayers' money in the financial crisis, to help create 50,000 businesses in the next three years. The fund has been set aside to offer loans for qualifying female-led firms. Chief exec Alison Rose has set a target for RBS, which was bailed out with more than 45bn of taxpayers' money in the financial crisis, to help create 50,000 businesses in three years Before taking the top job at the bank, Rose conducted a government-backed review which found women business owners were starved of funding compared with their male equivalents. Women typically launch their firms with around only half as much capital as men. Less than 1 per cent of all venture capital funding goes to female business owners. Only one in three entrepreneurs in the UK is female, which Rose says equates to a million 'missing businesses' if there were parity between the sexes. 'It doesn't matter what gender an entrepreneur is,' she said. 'But if there are barriers in the way, we should do something about it. 'My research showed there were specific barriers facing women. One of the key ones was lack of access to and awareness about funding. 'There is no lack of ambition among women. I have met lots of amazing female entrepreneurs and it is the opposite.' One of Rose's toughest tasks in her new job is to repair relationships with RBS's small and medium business customers, many of whom claim the lender drove them to the wall She said earmarking 1billion for women was 'absolutely not' depriving male entrepreneurs of funds. 'It's not either/or. We are the largest lender to entrepreneurs in the UK. I am not taking anything away from anyone,' she said, adding she hopes other banks follow suit. In the UK only 6 per cent of women run their own business compared with 15 per cent in Canada, 11 per cent in the US and 9 per cent in the Netherlands. Rose, 50, a mother of two, is the first woman to lead RBS since it was founded in 1727 and the first to run one of the Big Four High Street banks. One of her toughest tasks in her new job is to repair relationships with the bank's small and medium business customers, many of whom claim the lender drove them to the wall. Its Global Restructuring Group (GRG), which was supposed to help nurse troubled firms back to health, was found to have mistreated thousands of its own customers. CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DialogTech , provider of the leading AI-powered conversation intelligence platform for marketers, today announced that it has been officially certified PCI DSS-compliant , becoming the only call tracking vendor with a 100% in-house solution for PCI DSS compliance. DialogTech passed the formal PCI audit and is certified with all its platform's call analytics features enabled, including call recordings, call transcriptions and AI-driven conversation analytics. Businesses adhering to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard can now leverage the full benefits of the entire DialogTech call tracking and analytics solution with confidence, knowing their data is secure with the only provider that is fully PCI DSS-compliant without the use of third parties. "To get full value from a call tracking and analytics solution, marketers need full access to the data, especially call recordings and transcriptions," said Leon Chism, CTO of DialogTech. "Without it, your data is a black box, and you miss out on critical insights from your call channel. DialogTech is proud to provide the only PCI DSS-compliant call tracking and analytics solution that gives businesses full access to all their call data no black boxes. Our PCI DSS compliance is also completely in-house, so we don't put our customers at risk by exposing their data to third parties. It's the best of both worlds." The Richest Data and Insights from the Most Secure Call Tracking Platform Only 100% In-House Solution: DialogTech is one of the few call tracking providers to achieve PCI DSS compliance and the only one to do it through a 100% in-house solution that does not require the use of third-party vendors. Other call tracking providers with PCI DSS compliance must transfer their customers' call data to outside vendors to be compliant, exposing sensitive data to potential security breaches and degradation. DialogTech built its PCI DSS solution to avoid these risks, keeping all customer data protected in-house. DialogTech is one of the few call tracking providers to achieve PCI DSS compliance and the only one to do it through a 100% in-house solution that does not require the use of third-party vendors. Other call tracking providers with PCI DSS compliance must transfer their customers' call data to outside vendors to be compliant, exposing sensitive data to potential security breaches and degradation. DialogTech built its PCI DSS solution to avoid these risks, keeping all customer data protected in-house. Full Data Access, No Black Boxes: When consumers call businesses, those conversations can provide marketers and sales teams with a wealth of insights to improve call center conversion rates, content marketing, SEO, digital advertising and more. DialogTech is unique in offering a PCI DSS-compliant call tracking solution that still provides customers with full access to all their call data, including call recordings and transcriptions. DialogTech automatically redacts sensitive data such as credit card number, credit card security code, social security number and billing address enabling businesses to benefit from the insights in their transcriptions while remaining PCI DSS-compliant. When consumers call businesses, those conversations can provide marketers and sales teams with a wealth of insights to improve call center conversion rates, content marketing, SEO, digital advertising and more. DialogTech is unique in offering a PCI DSS-compliant call tracking solution that still provides customers with full access to all their call data, including call recordings and transcriptions. DialogTech automatically redacts sensitive data such as credit card number, credit card security code, social security number and billing address enabling businesses to benefit from the insights in their transcriptions while remaining PCI DSS-compliant. A Commitment to Security, Privacy, and Compliance: In addition to DialogTech's in-house PCI DSS compliance, the company also has HIPAA and HITECH compliance and provides support for privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. To learn more, visit https://www.dialogtech.com/security . About DialogTech DialogTech provides the leading AI-driven conversation intelligence platform for marketers at businesses that value inbound phone calls. When consumers call, DialogTech turns those conversations into actionable insights businesses use to improve marketing ROI, increase sales conversions, and deliver more personalized customer experiences, both online and over the phone. Recognized as the leader and pioneer in call analytics since 2007, DialogTech is the trusted conversation intelligence platform for many of the world's most successful brands and agencies. For more information, visit http://www.dialogtech.com . Media contact: Kayla Hammersmith [email protected] SOURCE DialogTech Related Links https://www.dialogtech.com In 2015, India was ecstatic over then IMF chief Christine Lagardes description of India as a bright spot on a cloudy global horizon. This remark was a rare validation of Indias prowess by none other than one of the Bretton Woods institutions that treated it with contempt in the past. In 2015, India was ecstatic over then IMF chief Christine Lagardes description of India as a bright spot on a cloudy global horizon. This remark was a rare validation of Indias prowess by none other than one of the Bretton Woods institutions that treated it with contempt in the past. It would have been great if India had managed to sustain the aura. But in less than five years, India fettered away the opportunity and ended up as a drag on the global economy. Following a series of missteps and a misplaced focus of the government, Indian economic growth has lost its momentum and is forecast to slow down by 1.3 percentage points in the current financial year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered Indias economic growth to 4.8 per cent from the earlier 6.1 per cent, citing more than expected decline in consumer demand, stress in the non-banking finance sector and low credit off-take. The IMF has also indicted the Indian economic slowdown for slowing down global economic growth by 50 basis points from 3.3 per cent to 2.9 per cent. Though the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been lowering Indias economic growth projection for every two months, the IMFs statement is accorded more seriousness by foreign investors than local warnings. But none of ministers or officials of the Narendra Modi government have reacted to the IMF forecast. This is not responsible behaviour, especially when one wants the global community to treat India with the respect that it deserves. If one reads statements issued by the ministers of the Narendra Modi government, it seems as if they are more focused on furthering controversial issues like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, etc. Days ahead of the presentation of the crucial Union Budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is interacting with people on the CAA rather than focusing all her attention on Budget preparation leading to speculation in industry circles that Budget-making has been outsourced to the Prime Ministers Office along with finance ministry officials. Internal strife is the enemy of prosperit y. But home minister Amit Shah continues to remain in confrontation mode. Perhaps Opposition parties and people themselves also should be blamed for the government losing its focus on the economy. Opposition parties, especially the Congress, confine themselves to a tweet or a statement whenever reports of bad economic numbers emerge and thereafter they go into deep slumber. At the most, they organise protests and shutdowns, which further maul the economy. But they would never seriously try to engage youngsters, who have more at stake in a poor economy. People are also responsible for the governments misplaced priorities because most Indians especially Hindus seem to believe that their penury is a result of their past lifes karma rather than the acts of the government. So until we, the people, want economic progress in our lives, nothing will change and we will get what we had sown. Oil fell further after hitting a seven-week low on speculation that Chinas coronavirus outbreak may dent demand, just as the market already contends with plentiful supplies. Futures lost 1.6% in New York to trade below $56 a barrel as the worlds biggest oil importer effectively quarantined a major city to contain the SARS-like virus, which Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has warned could trim global demand. The alert has overshadowed any concern over the suspension of exports from Libya, where a militia leader has ordered ports to close. Despite news of supply outages, oil prices have been falling noticeably, said Carsten Fritsch, an analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. Concerns about demand have definitely gained the upper hand, and are being fed by the further spread of the coronavirus in China. Oil is bearing the brunt of the anxiety due to the potential hit to travel, especially as its happening just before the Lunar New Year holidays, the biggest human migration in the world. The International Energy Agency says the market is awash with oil, while Goldman predicts the virus may crimp global demand by 260,000 barrels a day this year -- with jet fuel accounting for around two-thirds of the loss -- if the SARS epidemic in 2003 is any guide. West Texas Intermediate futures for March delivery fell 92 cents to $55.82 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 10:27 a.m. London time, after dropping as much as 2.1% earlier. The contract lost 2.8% on Wednesday. Brent futures declined by 84 cents, or 1.3%, to $62.37. See also: Nodding Donkeys May Hit Sale Block Amid Oils Shale Makeover China banned travel from Wuhan, a city of 11 million, in efforts to stop the spread of the new virus that has claimed at least 17 lives so far and infected hundreds. The World Health Organization delayed a decision on whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The country is the biggest importer of oil, by far. In Libya, most of the countrys 1.1 million barrels of oil production remains effectively shuttered after militia leader Khalifa Haftar closed ports while he haggles with the national government over a peace settlement. Talks to reach a compromise in Berlin at the weekend ended without a durable agreement. 09:24 | The Hague (The Netherlands), Jan. 23. This project will result in the construction of a new facility to be known as the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre). The contribution was formalized during a ceremony at the OPCW Headquarters between OPCW Director-General, Fernando Arias, and Permanent Representative of Peru to the OPCW, Ambassador Carlos Andres Miguel Herrera. "I thank the Government of Peru for this contribution to the new OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology that will further build the capabilities of our Member States to achieve a world free of chemical weapons," the Director-General expressed. For his part, Ambassador Herrera said "Peru is more than pleased to make a contribution to the ChemTech Centre project, which will enhance training programmes and research on new tools at the forefront of the latest scientific and technologic developments related to the work of the OPCW and the CWC." "This contribution is coherent with Peru's position to strongly support the mission of the OPCW and the implementation of all the pillars of its constitutive treaty," he added. Director-General Arias requested all OPCW States in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He further emphasized the important role the new ChemTech Centre will play in strengthening the OPCW's ability to address chemical weapon threats, and enhance capacity building activities. He highlighted that "all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated." So far, thirty-two States and the European Union have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date. In the coming days, several other States are expected to contribute. Background The project to build the ChemTech Centre is on-going and seeks to strengthen the OPCW's capabilities to fully address new and emerging chemical weapons threats, as well as to support capacity building in OPCW Member States. The current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store are central to the effectiveness and integrity of the verification regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and they also contribute to the OPCW's capacity-building and international cooperation activities. However, the current facility will soon no longer be fit-for-purpose due to its ageing infrastructure, space constraints, larger workloads, and new missions with new areas of work. A new facility is required to meet the demands of OPCW States for enhanced verification tools, improved detection capabilities and response measures, as well as increased capacity-building activities. The ChemTech Centre will also help the OPCW to keep pace with developments in science and technology and new chemical weapons threats. The OPCW Technical Secretariat is developing a detailed project plan for the construction of the ChemTech Centre, and a Trust Fund for voluntary contributions has been established to secure the required resources for the project. Since coming to Washington a year ago, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot, has formed a political bond with her fellow military veterans-turned-rookie lawmakers. They created a political action committee to jointly raise money for their re-election campaigns, and a caucus to highlight problems particular to women in the military. Now theyve launched a new Second Service Coalition to increase their numbers on Capitol Hill. I learned from my time in the Navy that were at our best when we put aside our differences and focus on the mission first," said Sherrill, D-11th Dist. "Our mission is to serve the people who sent us to Washington and its a privilege to support this next generation of service-driven leaders. The other co-chairs are Reps. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Jason Crow of Colorado and Max Rose of New York. Houlahan chairs the womens military caucus. Sherrill, Houlahan and Crow were among the seven first-term lawmakers with national security or intelligence backgrounds who urged House Democrats to begin an impeachment inquiry following reports that President Donald Trump held up congressionally approved aid to pressure Ukraine into announcing an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. Their call for beginning an investigation helped push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., off her own reticence and began proceedings that led to Trump becoming only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. The Second Service Coalition will hold events to raise money for both the members own re-election campaigns and the candidates they are endorsing, with the first one scheduled for Feb. 13 in New York. The incumbents also will campaign with the new candidates and mentor them through the first campaigns. The group kicked off its 2020 efforts by endorsing seven Democrats running in Republican-held or open seats. Sherrill, who raised $1.9 million for her re-election through Sept. 30, is rated as a strong favorite for re-election by the Cook Political Report. She just got a Republican challenger, Rosemary Becchi, a lawyer and former lobbyist who switched districts and decided to run against Sherrill in the 11th District rather than take on state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, in the 7th District Republican primary. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Emmy-winning character actor John Karlen, known for his roles on the television series Dark Shadows and Cagney & Lacey, has died. The actor passed away aged 86 on Wednesday of congestive heart failure at a hospice in Burbank, friend and family spokesman Jim Pierson said. In 1986 he won an Emmy as best supporting actor in a drama for his role as Harvey Lacey, husband to Tyne Daly's Mary Beth Lacey, on Cagney & Lacey. Emmy-winning character actor John Karlen, known for his roles on the television series Dark Shadows and Cagney & Lacey (pictured), has died; pictured in 2007 The acclaimed CBS police drama ran from 1982 to 1988 and starred Daly and Sharon Gless in the title roles. 'I need this more than a working man needs a loaf of bread,' Karlen joked onstage as he collected his Emmy, years away from his early days as a Brooklyn bar bookie. That year he told People of his trophy: 'Its really nice to get up in the middle of the night and on the way to the bathroom say hello to it.' He added: 'Its the best. Its the killer. Its juicy. Getting it was the most power-packed minute and 15 seconds of my life.' Throwback: In 1986 he won an Emmy as best supporting actor in a drama for his role as Harvey Lacey (right), husband to Tyne Daly's Mary Beth Lacey (left), on Cagney & Lacey Karlen played conman and scoundrel Willie Loomis, and later several other roles, on Dark Shadows, the cult favorite horror soap that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. His Dark Shadows co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott wrote on her blog Thursday: 'Memories, memories... this morning I'm awash in memories of darling John Karlen, who left us yesterday.' The 76-year-old actress added: 'I'm told he passed peacefully, for which I'm grateful, but hardly seems in character for our Johnny. He was such a life force, God bless him! Farewell, my friend. Loved you.' On Wednesday, the day of Karlen's death, Daly tweeted cryptically: Im feeling the need to unplug. Thank you for your attention and your time. Please keep reading poetry and if you get a great one, let me know.' Versatile: Karlen played conman and scoundrel Willie Loomis, and later several other roles, on Dark Shadows, the cult favorite horror soap that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971 Born John Adam Karlewicz in Brooklyn, New York, Karlen grew up, he said, among 'the real tough guys of south Brooklyn. When you grow up low-down and crazy, you gotta give yourself a sense of freedom.' He recalled: 'We were poor but we didnt know it. My father would go down to the Navy yards, then come home and spit rust all night from working in the hold of a ship.' Karlen studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began his career on stage, appearing in the 1959 original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth. The show was directed by Hollywood legend Elia Kazan and saw Karlen in a cast that included Paul Newman and Geraldine Page, with Bruce Dern in a bit part. Working actor: In addition to his two long-running parts, he had guest stints or recurring roles on shows including Murder, She Wrote (pictured) From the late 1950s until the mid-1990s, Karlen would work almost constantly in television, amassing well over 100 acting credits. In addition to his two long-running parts, he had guest stints or recurring roles on shows including The Streets of San Francisco, Charlie's Angels, Quincy, M.E., Hill Street Blues and Murder, She Wrote. He also had a handful of appearances in film, including 1970's House of Dark Shadows, a cinematic spin-off of the TV series. His final major role was a reprise of his Harvey Lacey character for the 1996 television movie, Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions. Karlen's survivors include his son, Adam. Los Angeles, Jan 23 : Terry Madden, an assistant director, who was injured in an accident on the set of the 2015 James Bond movie "Spectre", has settled a High Court compensation claim. Madden's legs were crushed after a driver lost control of a Range Rover during filming in Austria, and he sued the producers at Eon Productions and B24 for damages, claiming the accident had ended his "successful and celebrated" career, reports aceshowbiz.com. On Wednesday, lawyers for both parties assured Judge Karen Walden-Smith a confidential settlement had been agreed. Madden was working as a second unit assistant director on "Spectre" when the accident took place in the Austrian Alps. "At the end of one of the shots, the vehicle skidded out of control and hit Mr Madden, pinning him against a camera rostrum and crushing his legs. He was airlifted to hospital in Austria and subsequently repatriated to the UK by air ambulance," the plaintiff's lawyer said. News St. Paul, Minnesota - Detloff Marketing and Asset Management Inc. (Detloff Marketing), a real estate company based in Hopkins, Minnesota; its owner, Jeffrey J. Detloff; and its accountant, Lori K. Detloff, were sentenced Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota, for their participation in a long-running fraudulent bidding and kickback scheme in connection with foreclosed properties, the Department of Justice announced. Jeffrey Detloff was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment and two years of supervised release. Lori Detloff was sentenced to seven months imprisonment and one year of supervised release. Detloff Marketing was sentenced to a pay a $593,000 criminal fine. The defendants were also sentenced to pay full restitution to the victims of the scheme. Todays sentences reflect the significant harm caused by the defendants years long scheme that lined their pockets by defrauding lenders and undermining competition, said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justices Antitrust Division. The Antitrust Division and its partners are committed to rooting out anticompetitive conduct, whatever its form, and holding companies and executives accountable. The defendants created a scheme to squeeze as much money as they could from these properties with no regard for the victim, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jill Sanborn of the Minneapolis Division. These scams victimize a large number of people and the FBI along with our law enforcement partners will continue to work these schemes and hold accountable those responsible for defrauding the system. According to court documents, from September 2007 and continuing until June 2015, Jeffrey Detloff, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, conspired to defraud mortgage lenders and guarantors who had hired Detloff, a realtor, to oversee maintenance and repairs on foreclosed homes in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Jeffrey Detloff steered maintenance and repair contracts to contractors who would pay a kickback to Detloff Marketing. Unbeknownst to his customers, Jeffrey Detloff and Detloff Marketing included the kickbacks within bids and invoices sent to the lender or guarantor for reimbursement on maintenance and repairs. Lori Detloff, also of Minnetonka, Minnesota, was an accountant responsible for ensuring the kickbacks were paid by contractors to Detloff Marketing. In all, Detloff Marketing received over $291,505 in kickbacks. Detloff Marketing and Jeffery Detloff pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment, which charged a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Lori Detloff pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the principal offense described in Count 4 of the indictment, mail fraud affecting a financial institution. As part of their plea agreements, the Antitrust Division agreed to move to dismiss the remaining counts against Detloff Marketing, Jeffery Detloff, and Lori Detloff upon sentencing. The underlying investigation of housing repair contracts in the Minneapolis area is being conducted by the Antitrust Divisions Chicago Office and the FBIs Minneapolis Division. Anyone with information on customer allocation, bid rigging, price fixing, or other anticompetitive conduct related to the real estate industry in Minnesota should contact the Antitrust Divisions Chicago Office at 312-984-7200 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html. The bushfire threat roared back into NSW and the ACT on Thursday as very hot, dry and windy weather created emergency fire conditions. Today again demonstrates the fire season is far from over, said Premier Gladys Berejiklian, after three people died when a C-130 water tanker plane crashed while battling a blaze near Cooma, north-east of the Snowy Mountains. A bushfire burns on Kallaroo road in Pialligo just near Canberra Airport. Credit:Getty Images Multiple emergency fire warnings were issued as firefighters were tested by 40-degree heat and strong northwesterly winds ahead of a combined trough and front moving across the state. Cabinet approves closure of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited The union cabinet has approved the closure of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited (HFL), a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its approval for shutting down operations of the plant/unit of HFL and closure of the company. The CCEA also approved a proposal for separating the employees rendered surplus through VRS/VSS, after payment of all their outstanding salary/wages and statutory dues. Only a skeletal staff required to implement the closure of the company will remain. The closure of HFL is a corollary of India announcing complete phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b, which is a chemical used by foam manufacturers and one of the most potent ozone depleting chemical after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Employees not opting for VRS will be retrenched as per Industrial Disputes Act, an official release stated. The government has extended an interest free loan of Rs77.20 crore to HFL for expenditure exclusively on closure of HFL, viz, implementation of VRS/VSS, payment of outstanding salary and statutory dues, etc and salary/wages and administrative expenses of HFL's skeletal staff to be retained for implementing the closure of HFL. The interest free loan of Rs77.20 crore is to be repaid to the government from the proceedings from the disposal of land and other assets of HFL after settling all closure related liabilities. If the land/assets sale proceeds are not sufficient to repay the loan amount, then the balance loan amount will be written off. After repayment of the loan of Rs77.20 crore and settlement of all other closure related liabilities of HFL, surplus proceeds from disposal of land and assets if any will be used for repayment of HFL's outstanding loans (Rs15.80 crore) and interest, with freezing of interest up to 31 march 2019. Full or part of the principal loan amount and interest thereon remaining unpaid due to insufficient sale proceeds is to be written off/waived. The government has ppointed NBCC (India) Ltd as land management agency (LMA) for facilitating disposal of HFL's land assets, subject to outcome of the decision of Telangana government/TSIIC on purchasing land of HFL. Disposal of plant/machinery and movable assets will be done by HFL through e-auction by MSTC Ltd. HFL has only one plant/unit located at Rudraram, in Sangareddy district of Telangana. Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited (HFL) is a subsidiary of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd (HOCL), a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the administrative control of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals. HFL is engaged in the manufacture of Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFF) and Chloro Di Fluoro Methane (HCFC-22 or CFM-22). The company has been making losses since 2013-14 and has negative net worth. As on 31 March 2019, it had accumulated losses of Rs62.81 crore and negative net worth of Rs43.20 crore. It was also registered with the erstwhile Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) as a sick company. HFL manufactures HCFC-22 and also uses it for conversion to PTFE. Due to uneconomic plant capacity and old technology, conversion of HCFC-22 to PTFE is not financially viable and the company is constrained to sell higher quantity of HCFC- 22 directly as refrigerant gas. Under the provisions of Montreal Protocol on phasing out of ozone depleting substances, HFL's HCFC-22 non-feedstock production quota is only about 392 tonnes per calendar year which was enhanced to 1,100 tonnes during the last 3 years by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) based on the exemption request of this department. The HCFC-22 quota is to be reduced further by 25 per cent from calendar year 2020 and the MoEFCC is not likely to agree to any further exemptions for HFL. The reduced HCFC-22 quota of about 282 tonnes would be sufficient for plant operations only up to March / April 2020, and, thereafter, HFL would be forced to shut down its plant for the remaining months of the year. Since HFL's operations are not likely to be sustainable after March 2020 onwards, it is necessary to expeditiously close down the operations of the company and separate its employees through VRS/VSS. Top seed Rafael Nadal said that he needed to be more clinical after dogged fellow left-hander Federico Delbonis frustrated him at the Australian Open on Thursday. The Spanish world number one created 20 break opportunities but was constantly denied by the Argentine before he wrapped up a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 win on Rod Laver Arena. The victory set up a third-round clash with countryman Pablo Carreno Busta, his doubles partner at this month's ATP Cup. "It was a tough match. I lost a lot of opportunities on break point but found a way to finally win the second set," he said. "In the third I was more relaxed, more aggressive and found better play in that set." Nadal had dropped only 10 games in three previous emphatic wins over 76th-ranked Delbonis and defeat was never on the cards at Melbourne Park. But the Argentine, whose best Grand Slam result was the third round in Melbourne in 2016, made life hard for the 19-time Grand Slam winner, fending off 17 of his break point chances. "I think I can do lot of things better. But is not because of Delbonis. I can do things better because of myself. I need to play better," said Nadal. "Especially I need to convert the break points. But that's just something that happened today. We don't need to put a lot of attention on this. "Just was something that is hopefully history of just one day." Nadal looked on track for another straightforward victory after racing through the opening set, sealing it with a trademark crosscourt forehand. But he found it tougher going in the second, which went with serve up to the tiebreaker. Nadal, though, came through and Delbonis never recovered as the Spaniard asserted his authority to race home, but not before hitting a ballgirl on the head with a fearsome shot. He rushed over to console her and gave her a kiss for good measure. "For her it was not a good moment, I was so scared for her, the ball was quick and straight on her," Nadal said. "I'm very happy she is good. She is brave. Well done." Victory in Melbourne would make Nadal the first man in the Open era -- and only the third in history -- to win all four Major titles twice, after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver. While he has won 12 titles at Roland Garros, four at the US Open and two at Wimbledon, his only triumph in Australia came in 2009 when he beat Roger Federer, with four runner-up finishes to his name. If he does win a second title in Melbourne, Nadal will equal the 20 Grand Slams crowns held by great rival Federer. Top seed Rafael Nadal battled his way into the Australian Open third round The Islamic Republic Minister of Education's comments on Tehran helping to reconstruct Syrian schools destroyed in the war-torn country has triggered a widespread negative response on Iranian social media. The Minister, Mohsen Haji Mirzaei, who arrived last Tuesday for an official three-day visit in Damascus, said that Iran is prepared to build thousands of schools in Syria. "Iran-Syria cooperation in the educational sector will lead to the formation of a common culture between the two nations," Haj Mirzaei said. The Minister's comments are published at a time that hardly a day goes by in Iran without local media reporting on the poor condition of schools across the country. The reports on dilapidated schools and the collapse of their roofs have been quite rife in recent years in Iran. A day before Hajmirzaei left Tehran for Damascus, Iranian news website, Tasnim, reported that children in flood-stricken Baluchestan province, southeast Iran, are forced to go to classes held in dilapidated schools and containers, risking their lives. The video in this tweet shows the dilapidated state of a school in Sistan-Baluchistan. The tweet asks why the government wants to fix schools in Syria, if Iran needs help. Following the recent floods in the Dashtyari region, Iranian Baluchestan, local school children should walk miles and miles in the mud to reach their unsafe and life-threatening schools. More than 340 schools have been damaged in the recent floods in Baluchestan, and are currently out of order, needing essential repairs, Tasnim cited the head of Iran's Organization for Development, Renovation and Equipping of Schools (DRES), Mehrollah Rakhshani. Implicitly admitting that the government was not capable of reconstructing the derelict schools, Rakhshani called "charitable people" to step in and help to build new schools. Two days earlier, Mayor of Tehran, Pirouz Hanachi, had admitted that 827 schools in the capital city are in a "red alert" situation, needing urgent renovation. The chairman of City Council of Tehran, Mohsen Hashemi, also reported on the same day that there are 4,000 schools in the capital city, out of which 60% to 70% are in poor condition. "The Islamic Republic government is struggling with a financial crisis, and, therefore, it has not invested enough in Tehran," Hashemi regretfully complained. In a tweet, Syrian Prime Minister, Imad Khamis affirmed that nearly 10,000 schools had been destroyed in the Syrian civil war, and Tehran was ready to help Damascus to reconstruct them. In the meantime, Syrian and Russian air forces still keep bombing civilian targets, including schools in rebel-held Idlib province. Iran got involved in the Syrian civil conflict as early as 2011, when it had not become a full-fledged war and helped the Assad government against the insurgency of a large number of Syrians. As the conflict turned into a full-fledged war, Iran sent troops and proxy fighters, arguing that it was helping to stop jihadists. In the meantime, Iran's commitments in Syria are not limited to reconstructing its schools. Last year, the Islamic Republic Ministry of Roads and Urban Development had announced that it would build 30,000 residential units in Syria. Iranians have been enraged with their governments costly efforts to provide military and other support for Syrians, Lebanese Hezbollah, and extremist Palestinians in Gaza. One of the main slogans repeatedly chanted in the recent uprising against the clergy-dominated regime in Iran has been, "No to Gaza, No to Lebanon; I give my life for Iran." Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 16:03:35|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close COLOMBO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Asia's first fully-electric supercar Vega EVX, designed and manufactured in Sri Lanka, has left for Switzerland, to be unveiled at the 90th Geneva International Motor Show scheduled for March, local media reported on Thursday. The vehicle was shipped from the Colombo harbor and will reach its destination late February, said a statement from Vega Innovations, a subsidiary of CodeGen International Group of Companies which designed and manufactured the car. The international motor show will be held in Switzerland from March 5 to March 15. Vega EVX will be the first-ever vehicle entirely designed and engineered in Sri Lanka, to be showcased at a premier international motor show, the statement said. The two-seater supercar showcases advanced multidisciplinary technology applications and a skillfully fabricated lightweight carbon fiber body. "Unlike most electric supercars in the market, the electronics and software for the Vega EVX, along with the liquid cooled battery-pack and the motor-controller, were entirely designed and developed by the in-house team," Vega Innovations Director Beshan Kulapala said. "The team behind Vega EVX is an extraordinary bunch of dedicated and passionate individuals who worked together long nights and years to realize a dream that was admired and supported by an entire nation. We are excited to travel to Switzerland as change-makers, making history at one of the most sought-after international motor shows in the world," Kulapala added. The Vega EVX comes with a 40 kilowatt hour battery-pack and recent test drives confirm a staggering 0 to 100 km per hour acceleration in 3.1 seconds, an estimated range of 250 km and a top speed of 240 km per hour. Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in the United States, Christianity Today has featured many articles arguing for the sanctity of human life and examining how Christians can respond. Heres a selection of some of our key articles on this topic over the decades. The Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973. Christianity Today responded with this editorial in February 1973. Norma McCorveyknown as Roe in Roe v. Wadelater came to faith in Christ and changed her views on abortion. This 1998 article details her conversion story. Ours is not the first abortion war, Tim Stafford wrote in this 1989 CT cover story. In The Abortion Wars: What Most Christians Dont Know, Stafford describes historical practices of abortion and infanticide and examines the Christian response. Christian conviction about the sanctity of life is grounded in Scripture, yet the New Testament does not directly address abortion. In this 1993 article, Michael J. Gorman draws upon Jewish history and ancient texts to demonstrate that a Jewish antiabortion consensus was the norm in the first century and that the earliest Christians shared the antiabortion position of their Jewish forebears. This 1999 article examines the prevailing sentiment that abortion is a necessary evil by debunking four myths about the purported need for legalized abortion. That same year (1999), Frederica Matthewes-Green candidly addressed growing societal acceptance of legal abortion, asserting that while the debate may be over, The pro-life cause is not. CTs 2003 editorial New Life for Pro-life assessed changing trends in attitudes toward abortion and declining abortion rates. Whether or not the decline in abortion rates would continue, though, the editorial makes plain: The pro-life movement is on the right side of history, regardless of cultural trends. In 2011, CT responded to what would be one of several undercover video scandals exposing abortion providers participating in unethical behavior and conversations. This article discusses the use of deception by pro-life advocates as well as the Christian response to the undercover video controversy, asserting that bombshells must not blind us to the routine, everyday scandal of abortion. In 2018, Matt Reynolds addressed Roe v. Wade from a different angle. In Abortion Is Wrong. Thats Not Why Roe v. Wade Is Wrong, Reynolds asserts, The wrongness of this decision has precisely nothing to do with the wrongness of abortion. Taking the life of an unborn child is a sin against God and man. Roe, by contrast, is an offense against Americas democratic order. In 2019, Andrea Palpant Dilley examined the intersection of the pro-choice and #MeToo movements. In Who Owns a Womans Body? Not Who You Think, Dilley argues that the notion of owning ones bodya common line of argumentation in abortion debatesdoesnt, in fact, enable the safety of women or their unborn children and arguably begets more violence against both, not less. The Trump administration is coming out Thursday with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting "birth tourism," in which women travel to the US to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. Visa applicants deemed by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth will now be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment, according to State Department guidance sent Wednesday and viewed by The Associated Press. The applicants will have to prove they are coming for medical treatment and they have the money to pay for it. The State Department planned to publicise the rules Thursday, according to two officials with knowledge of the plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The rules will take effect Friday. The practice of coming to the US to give birth is fundamentally legal, although there are scattered cases of authorities arresting operators of birth tourism agencies for visa fraud or tax evasion. And women are often honest about their intentions when applying for visas and even show signed contracts with doctors and hospitals. The Trump administration has been restricting all forms of immigration, but the president has been particularly plagued by the issue of birthright citizenship anyone born in the US is considered a citizen, under the Constitution. He has railed against the practice and threatened to end it, but scholars and members of his administration have said it's not so easy to do. Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is one way to get at the issue, but it raises questions about how officers would determine whether a woman is pregnant to begin with, and whether a woman could get turned away by border officers who suspect she may be just by looking at her. Consular officers don't have the right to ask during visa interviews whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the US primarily to give birth. Birth tourism is a lucrative business in both the U.S. and abroad. American companies take out advertisements and charge up to USD 80,000 to facilitate the practice, offering hotel rooms and medical care. Many of the women travel from Russia and China to give birth in the US. The US has been c racking down on the practice since before Trump took office. There are no figures on how many foreign women travel to the US specifically to give birth. The Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for stricter immigration laws, estimated that in 2012, about 36,000 foreign-born women gave birth in the US, then left the country. The draft rule is "intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry," a State Department spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 13:56:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUNMING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- As the Year of the Pig is coming to an end, pig farmer Li Fashun received an unusual visitor at his village house in southwest China -- President Xi Jinping. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, walked into Li's house in Simola Wa Village in Yunnan Province last Sunday during an inspection tour to the province ahead of the Chinese New Year. The house courtyard was basked in the rays of southwest China's warm winter sun. Xi sat down with Li's family of six at a square table. "What is your expectation now that your family has been lifted out of poverty?" the president asked. "A better life for our elders and good jobs for the kids. Then I will have nothing more to ask," the farmer replied. Li's family is one of 16 households -- altogether 71 individuals -- who have left poverty behind in the country's anti-poverty campaign. With an annual per capita net income over 10,000 yuan (about 1,450 U.S. dollars), the entire village today is above the poverty line, leaving no single person behind. The village has lived up to its name -- Simola, which in the local Wa language means the place of happiness. "I raise pigs while growing some maize and tea at home. Sometimes I also collect and trade recycled items. My wife works at an electronics factory in Guangdong Province, earning a wage that is not bad," Li said. "How is the price of pigs? How much can you earn by raising a pig?" Xi asked. "I sold eight pigs for nearly 30,000 yuan," Li said with a big smile. "The government even gives us subsidies if we raise a sow." This represents a fundamental transformation for Li's family. About a decade ago, the family was nearly destroyed by a car accident that left Li almost paralyzed. The family lost its main source of income, and the school fees of his son and daughter were left unpaid. Li got help through "targeted poverty alleviation," an initiative put forward by Xi in 2013, mobilizing all sorts of resources and using individualized plans to help each and every family escape poverty. Over 10 million Chinese people have shaken off poverty every year since 2013. The country aims to eliminate extreme poverty by 2020 and is now in its final push to achieve the goal. Xi has called on efforts to resolve the prominent problems in assuring the food and clothing needs of the rural poor population are met and guaranteeing they have access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing, referred to as the "two assurances and three guarantees." At Li's home, Xi checked on the family's bedroom and kitchen. "Do you feel cold at night?" Xi asked when touching the quilt on the bed. Opening the fridge, Xi saw meat and vegetables. There was a hot meal in the wok. "You have the assurance of both food and clothing," Xi said, nodding at Li. The president went on to ask about the healthcare of Li's aging parents and education for the kids. Li said both his parents were in good shape. With medical insurance, the family only had to pay less than one-tenth of the medical bills incurred in the past two years for the older generation. Li's daughter, Li Lianhuan, jumped into the conversation, telling the president that she was receiving preferential loans and scholarships to cover her college expenses. "You have only a year from graduation. What do you want to do for a career?" Xi asked. "I am preparing to sit the graduate school examinations. With a graduate degree, I would like to be a civil servant," she answered. "That's a great idea. You can certainly make it if you have a strong will," Xi responded. "I want to study at the officers' college of the People's Armed Police," Li's little brother bared his ambition to the president. "Great! Build a strong physique and join the armed police or the military! I wish you success," Xi said. Xi then joined the family to make rice cakes, a traditional Wa means of ringing in the new year, and wished the family fortune and happiness. It has been a routine for Xi to visit ordinary families ahead of every Chinese New Year since he assumed the country's top job. But the trip this year carries more significance as the country is set to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, a symbolic benchmark of which is the victory in the fight against poverty. The number of people living under China's national poverty line had dropped from 98.99 million in 2012 to 16.6 million at the end of 2018. In 2019, another 10-million-plus people were lifted out of poverty. Talking to Li's fellow villagers, Xi said: "As you have cast off poverty and are marching toward new goals, our country will do the same." Xi said after China achieves building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, it must make all-out efforts to advance rural vitalization to further address issues such as the urban-rural imbalance. He said rural industries will be boosted, as well as the rural economy, to allow more and more villagers to work near home, increase their income and lead a better life. "I wish your village of happiness even more happiness," Xi said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 18:27:52|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BEIRUT, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri warned on Thursday against civil strife amid violent clashes witnessed on a daily basis in the country, LBCI local TV channel reported. "The best achievement of protests is that they have united Lebanese people from different sects and unified their demands. This historical achievement create pressure on political parties and leaders, so the uprising should be protected against civil strife," Hariri said. He also added that it is not acceptable to resort to violence while protesting and people are free to express their opinions in a peaceful manner. Hariri's government has resigned few days following Lebanon's uprising based on protesters' demands who were asking for a complete political overhaul in the country. The new cabinet formed by new Prime Minister Hassan Diab faces great challenges of dealing with economic and financial crises in the country in a bid to regain the trust of the Lebanese and the international community. Advertisement A migrant caravan of more than 1,000 Central Americans crossed the Suchiate River into Mexico from Guatemala on Thursday after a daylongs standoff with security agents in the latest attempt to seek asylum from the United States despite President Donald Trump' strict immigration stance. Carrying U.S. and Honduran flags at the head of the procession, they walked along a highway toward a waiting contingent of dozens of Mexico's National Guard servicemen with riot shields and body armor and vans from the National Immigration Institute. The latest caravan is just the second in a week after at least 4,000 migrants, mostly from Hondurans, settled in the Guatemalan border town of Tecun Uman before thousands made across the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Jose Luis Morales, a Salvadoran leader of the caravan, said the migrants want to negotiate to be allowed to pass peacefully. But Mexico has cracked down on the large caravans seen previously following intense pressure from Washington last year. Thursday's movement was a resurgence of a migrant caravan that had been diminishing since its last concerted attempt to cross the border Monday was turned back by Mexican National Guardsmen posted along Suchiate River, which forms the border here. The migrants awoke with a plan Thursday. By 4:30am they had all packed their belongings and were just awaiting the call to move. They would not cross where Mexican authorities were posted across the river. Central American migrants walk carrying a handmade U.S. flag after crossing the Suchiate River from Guatemala in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Thursday morning. More than a thousand migrants, mostly from Honduras, are challenging Mexican immigration authorities to allow them free transit to reach the United States border and apply for asylum Central American migrants made their way to Mexico after crossing the Suchiate River from Guatemala on Thursday. More than 1,000 people formed part of the latest caravan that is challenging United States President Donald Trump strict immigration laws Migrants from Central America waded en masse across a river leading to Mexico in an attempt to convince authorities there to allow them passage through the country For the second time in a week, a migrant caravan of more than 1,000 people, most of them Honduran nationals, streamed into Mexico to demand an unrestricted path to the United States border They prayed for about an hour before leaving and then walked upriver on the Guatemala side in the dark to near another bridge that handles commercial traffic between the two countries. There were no Mexican authorities on the opposite bank. There the water was deeper, coming to the waist of a grown man, so a number of young men entered the river first and formed a human chain to keep the women and children who followed from being pulled by the current. It was still pitch black when the first migrants crossed at 6am. National Guard troops awaited the caravan outside the community of Frontera Hidalgo, near Ciudad Hidalgo where the migrants crossed the Suchiate River at dawn. A total of 752 Honduran migrants of the 4,000 or so who abandoned their country January 14 and 15 were expatriated back home as early as Tuesday when the Mexican government began flying and busing them out. A man carries a child across the Suchiate River while crossing from Guatemala to Mexico through the Suchiate River Central American migrants formed a human chain in the latest crossing through the Suchiate River from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, in Thursday Dozens of Central Americans take a break Thursday on their way from Ciudad Hidalgo to Tapachula, cities in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas after they crossed the Suchiate River from Guatemala earlier in the day Migrants hoping to reach the United States marooned in Guatemala waded en masse across the Suchiate River leading to Mexico in an attempt to convince authorities there to allow them passage through the country in order to reach the southern United States border and request asylum Seven more buses left Mexico for Honduras on Wednesday, carrying 240 migrants back home, and two flights left with an additional 220 Hondurans, Mexico's National Immigration Institute said. By Wednesday, the number of people outside the Casa del Migrante in Tecun Uman was perhaps half of what it was at its peak Sunday night. In previous caravans, Mexican authorities have allowed caravans to walk for awhile, seemingly to tire them out, and then closed their path. Mexican National Guards block a highway in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico after a group of Central American migrants crossed the border from Guatemala to Mexico, early Thursday morning Central American migrants seeking asylum from the United States government cross the Suchiate River from Guatemala to Mexico on Thursday. President Donald Trump has threatened to punish Mexico and Central American nations economically if they fail to address the migrant flows Central American migrants march through a road in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas with a makeshift U.S. flag and banners after crossing the Suchiate River from Guatemala before dawn Thursday A caravan of asylum seekers from Central America walks through the southern Mexican town of Frontera Hidalgo The last two caravans have proven to be a challenge for Mexico after its president, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and the Central American governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras signed accords with Washington to reduce the flow of migrants to the United States' southern border. The Mexican government last Friday offered migrants 4,000 jobs to work in the south, but those who refused it or sought asylum would not be issued safe conduct passes to the United States, the interior ministry said. Trump has threatened to punish Mexico and Central American nations economically if they fail to address the migrant flows. Migrants crossing into Mexico earlier this week faced tear gas from security forces, who delivered a firmer response than in previous mass crossings of the border. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said several hundred of the new arrivals were immediately deported. A man and woman carry children across the Suchiate River from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, early Thursday morning A contingent of the latest migrant caravan settles on the Mexican shore of the Suchiate River before attempting to continue its path to the United States border on Thursday The move is intended for Iranian businessmen and traders to become acquainted with the business potential of Vietnam and having more vigorous presence in this market. Irans Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) plans to hold a seminar on introducing the Vietnamese market on February 4, Tehran Times reported. Illustrative photo. The seminar is intended for Iranian businessmen and traders to become acquainted with the business potentials of Vietnam and having more vigorous presence in its markets. The TPO has previously held similar gatherings on introducing markets of some other countries and is planning to hold some more seminars in this field. It is mainly in line with the countrys approach of bolstering non-oil exports. Last month, the head of Iran-Vietnam Joint Chamber of Commerce, Mostafa Mousavi, announced that the value of trade between the two countries reached US$352 million in the end of the last Iranian calendar year of 1397 (March 20, 2019), up over 100% from US$172 million in the preceding year. According to the official statistics, the worth of trade between the two countries stood at US$352 million in the previous Iranian calendar year [1397], the figure, however, is not approved by the joint chamber, since due to the U.S. sanctions much of the two countries trade is done through third countries and is estimated to be around $700 million, Mostafa Mousavi was quoted by Iranian Labor News Agency as saying. According to Mousavi, because of the sanctions most of Irans exports to Vietnam are being done through Turkey and Oman, while Vietnamese goods are imported through the UAE, which has led to not being mentioned in the official statistics of the two countries. Vietnam is one of the worlds major producers of non-oil commodities and its products are of very high quality. The country was the 45th exporter of goods to Iran during the past Iranian calendar year with exported coffee, pepper, fish feed, and cellphones to Iran. Hanoitimes Ngoc Mai OTTAWA - "This is not simply an environmental issue. It is an economic issue. The estimates going forward in terms of the size of the prize for countries that are in this game early, developing technologies and deploying technologies that address some of the carbon-related issues, is enormous. It's been estimated at a $26-trillion opportunity." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announces funding for climate action at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh OTTAWA - "This is not simply an environmental issue. It is an economic issue. The estimates going forward in terms of the size of the prize for countries that are in this game early, developing technologies and deploying technologies that address some of the carbon-related issues, is enormous. It's been estimated at a $26-trillion opportunity." Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, BNN Bloomberg, Jan. 7, 2020 The Liberal government's climate strategy is all about finding a balance between the environment and the economy, which involves convincing people that curbing greenhouse-gas emissions in an effort to slow global warming brings a net economic benefit. Catherine McKenna, the previous environment minister, was fond of throwing out massive numbers to show what fighting climate change could mean for the economy. Ahead of a 2016 trade mission to China, she talked about a $23-trillion opportunity. By 2018, that number had jumped to $30 trillion. Wilkinson, who became environment minister after the fall election, is also using that talking about, although he pegs it at $26 trillion. No matter how many trillions of dollars they mention, it is a lot of money 15 times Canada's current gross domestic product. But is Wilkinson's claim true? Let's start with where it comes from. Environment Canada says the figures are largely drawn from a 2016 report from the World Bank's International Financial Corporation and a 2018 report from The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Both cite U.S. dollars in their findings. That's important, because US$26 trillion is more than $34 trillion on this side of the border. The figures were also referring to economic benefits over more than a decade, not annually. The World Bank projected that with the government policies created in response to the Paris climate agreement, the world would see an estimated US$23 trillion in investment opportunities between 2016 and 2030. That included renewable energy, transportation and waste systems in emerging economies such as China, Russia and India. Helen Mountford, who is the program director of the global commission that produced the report, said the US$26-trillion figure was based on economic models that compared what economic growth would look like between 2018 and 2030 in two scenarios: not doing anything different to grow a clean economy, and doing what is needed to meet the commitments made in Paris. The 2015 Paris accord aims to cut emissions enough to keep global warming to as close as possible to 1.5 C above pre-industrial times. "The current path we're on, the business as usual sort of economic-growth path is going to be $26 trillion less than taking a smart, climate action pathway," said Mountford, also vice-president for climate and economics at the World Resources Institute. "It's an economic opportunity we can seize if we put in place ambitious climate policies in a smart way and do it now." The figures are also cited in a global context. There is not a $26-trillion opportunity for Canada alone. Wilkinson does reflect this when he says the opportunities are there for "countries." Celine Bak, president of Analytica Advisors and an expert on the business impacts of climate change, said it's very difficult to assess what Canada's share of the $26 trillion could be because as far as she knows, there isn't anyone in Canada working on a model to figure that out. "I think it's an accurate statement globally," she said. "I think it's to be determined what part of that will be an opportunity for Canada." Mountford says the $26-trillion estimate is likely to be an understatement, because it's hard to assess how quickly the world is going to decarbonize. Estimates will depend heavily on how quickly governments adopt more stringent climate policies, but also on how business responds. There are some signs of momentum, and not just on the government side. A number of major investors and businesses are moving swiftly on climate goals. In the U.S., investments in sustainable funds quadrupled from 2018 to 2019. The world's biggest money manager, BlackRock, announced earlier this month that climate change is going to become a key part of investment decisions. It said it will be pulling its money out of coal production entirely. Last week, Microsoft announced it is shifting to renewable energy entirely by 2025 and will be "carbon negative" by 2030. That means taking one big step further than achieving net-zero emissions, because it would involve the company taking more carbon out of the atmosphere than it emits. There are lots of companies preparing to jump on board the trend in Canada, too. Mike Crawley, CEO of Ontario-based Northland Power, said Europe's recently announced goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 is a big opportunity for his company, which specializes in building offshore wind power. That energy source will play a major role in Europe's climate plan, where coal remains a significant source of electricity. Wilkinson is not pulling a number out of the sky when he says there are estimates that action on climate change is a $26-trillion economic opportunity, but there are many other details important to understanding the number. For those reasons, his claim earns a rating of "a little baloney" the statement is mostly accurate but more information is required. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. File picture of medics take their protection suits off after handling an Ebola-affected patient (Andrew Milligan/PA) The World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to declare a public health emergency of international concern in response to the coronavirus outbreak which appears to have originated in eastern China. The disease has killed 17 people and infected nearly 600, with cases detected in countries including the US, Japan and South Korea as increased precautions are taken to prevent the virus spreading during the busy Lunar New Year. Three people are being tested in Edinburgh and another case is believed to be in Glasgow. If the WHO issues the declaration, it will be just for the fifth time. These are are other outbreaks that have been declared PHEICs. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the new #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) reconvened now. Read more about the Emergency Committee https://t.co/Qtsxqkr7xi pic.twitter.com/30Q4wRIYqM World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 23, 2020 Swine flu The first declaration happened in April 2009, with H1N1, or swine flu, spreading around the world and killing more than 200,000 people. Britain recorded 214 deaths, while 20 people died from swine flu in Ireland. Initially travellers returning from Mexico, where the virus originated, were met by authorities at the airport and hygiene measures were recommended by the Health Protection Agency. Polio Increased wild polio numbers in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria led to an emergency being declared in May 2014, a remarkable step given that the disease was thought to have been almost eradicated. There have been no domestic cases of polio in the UK since 1982. Expand Close The Ebola virus (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Ebola virus (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention/PA) Ebola The deadly disease broke out in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with an emergency declared from August 2014 to March 2016. Almost 30,000 people were infected and more than 11,000 died. The UK made a significant contribution after the outbreak by working with the Wellcome Trust on an experimental vaccine which the European Medicines Agency approved to treat Ebola in November last year. A vaccination programme is under way in the Democratic Republic of Congos (DRC) North Kivu province. A second emergency was declared, after months of hesitation, last July after it was confirmed that Ebola had spread to Goma, the capital of North Kivu, where DRCs international airport is located. The Government said at the time that the Britain was providing expertise and support to help the WHO in a very insecure region. Zika The life-threatening virus was first identified in a monkey in Uganda in 1975. Its spread by mosquitoes in the Americas led the WHO to declare it an emergency from February to November 2016. The first emergency from a mosquito-borne disease is thought to have been responsible for 2,000 possible cases of birth defects and 29 infant deaths in Brazil. The UK largely escaped the virus, with just two travel-associated cases confirmed in 2018. The Mardi Gras parades will officially roll into Beaumont one month from now and no one is more excited about it than Tim Romero. I have been to every Mardi Gras for the last 27 years, said Romero, board chairman for Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas. I ran the booth and sold boudin and rice balls for St. Josephs for many years. When the church could no longer get the volunteers, I helped Sertoma (one of the oldest service clubs in the U.S.) and was able to get on the board as the Sertoma representative. At some point, the finger was pointed at me and they said You are the chairman of the board. Its been a magnificent time. Ive enjoyed every minute of it. Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas was founded in 1992 as a fundraiser for nonprofits and continues that mission to this day. In the beginning, there were 19 nonprofits who put up $5,000 to get Mardi Gras started. After bills were paid, dividends were split between all the organizations. Everyone involved in this festival is a volunteer. No one gets paid, Romero said. The only ones getting money from this are the charitable organizations that serve both Port Arthur and Beaumont. Its very important to us to be able to give back to the community. Thats our main objective. Over 27 years, we have given over $1.3 million back into the community. Thats the driving thing. So many people rely on it for charitable funds. The 2020 festival, which will Feb. 20-23, will be located at the Downtown Event Centre and Great Lawn. Romero said the City of Beaumont has been a great partner. They have people who do this all the time, he said about the citys experience with special events. Im really impressed with the number of events Beaumont puts on. Our decision to leave Port Arthur was strictly based on economics. From a location standpoint, it was getting harder to get people to drive all that way, and there are not enough people in the Port Arthur area alone to meet our revenue needs. Not many people understand that you are talking about almost $1 million in revenue coming in and out. You have to have good attendance or you have to keep raising ticket prices. By moving, we can keep our ticket price low. Mardi Gras organizers are banking on growing attendance. We think attendance will really jump up, Romero said. We were looking for a more centralized location and we think Beaumont is the perfect place. We now have the opportunity to introduce Mardi Gras to people who have never experienced it because it was just too far to travel. We will experience a lot of people from Lumberton, Vidor, Orange. More Information Mardi Gras Southeast Texas When: 5-10 p.m. Feb. 20, 6 p.m.-midnight Feb. 21, noon-midnight Feb. 22 and noon-8 p.m. Feb. 23 Where: Downtown Events Centre, 700 Crockett St., Beaumont Tickets: $10 for Feb. 20 and 23, $15 for Feb. 21-22; a four-day pass is $40 Information: mardigrastx.com See More Collapse The krewes are the heart of Mardi Gras, Romero explained. All the krewes do things together throughout the year and they become a family of their own, he said. Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas has nearly a dozen krewes with names such as Krazies, Kut-Ups and Mon Amigo. The oldest among them is the event founders Majestic Krewe of Aurora, which in addition to a grand lighted parade, hosts a grand ball. If people want to get involved, Romero said, they can call us and we can direct them to existing krewes or tell them how to set up their own. And speaking of parades, this years festival will include eight. The larger parades will wind through downtown for approximately 2 miles. The atmosphere is going to be great, Romero said. We will have three stages of music going just about all the time with local artists and then our big shows that feature nationally known acts. This years headliners are 1990s rapper Vanilla Ice and 80s pioneer rapper Tone Loc. Romero said he is especially excited about the Kids Zone that will now be in the playground area at the Events Center. We have had some of the museums ask to work with us on this. We want folks to know its a family event. Romero, whose day job is president and owner of Romero Retirement Strategies in Port Arthur, said his love of Mardi Gras is due in part to its colorful pageantry. There is something about the people who come out and dress up and just walk around, he said. For a whole weekend of this, its just fun to be around. Harry Dunn's furious family have slammed the 'indefensible' US decision to block the deportation of Anne Sacoolas in a 'dark day for the special relationship' and demanded a meeting with Boris Johnson. America yesterday refused to hand over a diplomat's wife who is accused of killing a 19-year-old British biker in a crash near a US airbase. Mr Dunn was killed in a head-on collision with a car on August 27 last year near RAF Croughton, in Northamptonshire. Anne Sacoolas, 42, the wife of a US intelligence official, is believed to have been driving on the wrong side of the road and was charged with causing death by dangerous driving. But she claimed diplomatic immunity and flew to the US. Asked if the Prime Minister was doing enough, family spokesman Radd Seiger told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I have to say at the moment not. We did not welcome his public comments last week. 'He is the leader of the gang, he aspired to be Prime Minister. History was made last night when the Americans decided not to return her. Harry Dunn (right), 19, died when his motorcycle crashed in a head-on collision with a car allegedly driven by Anne Sacoolas (left), 42, on August 27 last year 'That's the first time in history that the United States has turned down an extradition request. It's one of the darkest days in the history of this special relationship. 'Boris Johnson wanted to be Prime Minister, he is now being tested severely. I expect him today to rise to that challenge and come and meet with me and the family and tell us what he's going to do about it.' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the Government is disappointed about the decision not to extradite Harry Dunn crash suspect Anne Sacoolas to the UK, adding: 'We feel this amounts to a denial of justice, and we believe Anne Sacoolas should return to the UK. We are now urgently considering our options.' Mr Seiger, told MailOnline last night: 'The family are not at all surprised at these developments and are taking it in their stride having factored it in to their planning and strategy. 'This is a lawless corrupt administration that appears intent on attacking even it's closest international ally. If Trump and Pompeo think this is an end to the matter, they have another thing coming to them. Team Harry will sit down with the Government tomorrow (Fri) and work out our next steps. And next steps there will be. The whole world is on Team Harry's side. This is not a battle the US Government is going to win.' Today he told Good Morning Britain: 'History was made last night. This is the first time the US have ever refused an extradition request from the UK. It's one of the darkest days in the history of the special relationship.' He added: 'It's a completely indefensible decision both legally and morally.' Reacting to Mr Raab's comments on the extradition refusal, the teenager's family said: 'We are obviously grateful for any intervention that the Foreign Office (FCO) is making on our behalf. 'However, the fact remains that the FCO are still defending the judicial review proceedings. 'It remains our position that intelligence officers at RAF Croughton have diplomatic immunity and that if we dare challenge that in court they will seek to effectively make us bankrupt if the we lose the case by forcing us to pay legal costs. 'That amounts to a huge arm around the US Government's position that their (the US) personnel are free to come to the UK, kill UK citizens or shed their blood, and then get on the next plane back home. 'How they have the front to maintain that position after last night's decision is a complete mystery to us and should trouble everyone on this side of the pond. 'As things stand, it matters more to the FCO that the status quo be maintained and protected than the lives of their own people and their families' ability to seek justice in the event of the worst happening. 'If we have that wrong, they are more than welcome to make that concession now or meet with us to explain why they will not do so.' US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, pictured, has turned down the extradition request for Mrs Sacoolas, family spokesman Radd Seiger said Mr Seiger said: 'What it threw up unfortunately is just the corrupt nature of this [Trump] administration that seems intent upon taking a wrecking ball to every institution there is.' US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has turned down the extradition request for Mrs Sacoolas, family spokesman Radd Seiger said. The family's constituency MP Andrea Leadsom informed them of the decision and is due to meet the US ambassador Woody Johnson in London on Friday to discuss the case. Mr Dunn's family said they would react fully to the news on Friday morning, but said 'the fight goes on' for justice for their son. Boris Johnson last week said the chance of the suspect ever returning to the UK was very low. Radd Seiger last week said the Prime Minister's comments made on BBC Breakfast were 'a very powerful blow' which have 'done real damage' to his bid to bring the wife of an American intelligence officer back to Britain to face justice. The parents of Harry Dunn, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn (left and centre) along with their family lawyer and representative Radd Seiger (right) pictured together on Good Morning Britain in December 'I was watching the BBC Breakfast interview in disbelief - my jaw hit the floor,' he told MailOnline. 'We are incandescent with rage,' he said. Demanding a greater show of support from the PM, Mr Seiger questioned whether the Mr Johnson is more interested in currying favour with President Trump than supporting the grieving parents of a British citizen. 'Boris Johnson's comments have made my job ten times harder. We were beginning to make real progress,' he said. 'We felt that although we weren't supported by authorities initially, through hard work and dialogue, we were building bridges. The PM (pictured on BBC Breakfast) played down expectations of a legal breakthrough 'Home Secretary Priti Patel reached out - along with our MP Andrea Leadsom - and we were bringing the government and Harry's family together. 'When he [Boris Johnson] spoke on BBC Breakfast I was in disbelief. It wasn't the public line we agreed on.' Mr Seiger added: 'It's not just about Harry anymore, it's about the ability to allow a sovereign nation to apply the laws of the land to the foreign visitors. 'Everyone right up to the Home Secretary agrees with this - all except for Boris who is off in La La Land.' Mr Seiger also revealed that Harry's mother Charlotte had begun therapy to begin to process his son's death, adding: 'It was especially difficult over the holiday season.' United Nations, Jan 23 : India has called upon Pakistan to take steps to restore normal ties through diplomacy instead of "spewing venom and false narratives" which have been rejected by the international community. India's Deputy Permanent Representative Nagaraj Naidu, said on Wednesday that Pakistan "should get down to the normal business of diplomacy" and take "steps to restore normal ties". He was responding to an attack on India by Saad Ahmed Warraich, a Counsellor at Pakistan's mission, during a General Assembly debate on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's report on the work of the UN. Naidu said: "Pakistan needs to reflect that there are no takers for its false rhetoric and should get down to the normal business of diplomacy." "Instead of putting an end to the bellicose and vitriolic diatribe and taking steps to restore normal ties, the delegation indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth," he said. Hitting back at Warraich's accusation that India was taking steps to "marginalize minorities including Muslims," Naidu said: "It's extremely surprising that a country that has completely decimated its minority population talks about protecting minorities." According to Hudson Institute report, the non-Muslim population of Pakistan has declined from almost 23 per cent in 1947 to about 3 per cent. Naidu said: "Every time this delegation speaks, it spews venom and false narratives of monumental proportions." He added: "Pakistan's practice of using false pretences to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course." For Pakistan to take steps to restore normal ties, it would have to meet India work to meet India's pre-condition of ending cross-border terrorism and supporting terrorists. Pakistan brings up the Kashmir issue in almost every discussion or debate at the UN, regardless of the topic. Warraich said that "sadly" the Security Council resolutions on Kashmir have not been implemented, although it was Pakistan's refusal to abide by the Council's Resolution 47 of 1948 that has created the Kashmir problem. That resolution had ordered Pakistan to withdraw its troops and infiltrators from Kashmir before a plebiscite could be held there. Naidu drew attention to the lack of sufficient action on the dangers of terrorism as a failure of the UN. Calling terrorism "the most dangerous of scourges faced by States and societies since World War II", he said that the UN's inability to tackle the problem has cast doubt on its very relevance. He said: "The UN is yet to agree on a common definition, let alone craft a coherent and well-coordinated policy to tackle terrorism and dismantle its enabling networks. We have failed ourselves by continuing to procrastinate on concluding the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism (CCIT)." The CCIT, which was proposed by India in 1996, has been languishing because some countries want to consider some terrorists as "freedom fighters" by looking at their political motivations rather than at the outcomes of their actions. Naidu warned that the UN's failure to reform the Security Council that is "anchored in a governance architecture that is frozen in a bygone era" has created a crisis of legitimacy. "As we mark the 75th anniversary of the UN, let us strive to ensure that this milestone year is the one that finally delivers some concrete progress towards a Council that reflects the realities of the contemporary world," he said. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Economist list came just hours after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut Indias 2019 GDP growth sharply and cautioned on the rising social unrest At first glance, it is a seemingly inconsequential development from the point of view of Indias faltering economy. But on a closer look, it is not. The Economist Intelligence Unit, a part of the UK-based Economist Group, has said India slipped 10 places to 51st spot in the 2019 Democracy Index's global ranking. The reason cited is the erosion of civil liberties in Asias third-largest economy. The rankings factor in electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties and is indicative of how one country is performing as a democracy. India was among the laggards in 2019. The Economist list came just hours after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut Indias 2019 GDP growth sharply and cautioned on the rising social unrest. These signals arent good for India, which desperately needs foreign investments to support its collapsing growth. Investors are always wary to put money on the table in a market where there is social instability. Read this in the context of ongoing nationwide protests in the country against a controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the internet lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir, and a few other places, the arrests, and detention of activists and the deaths. Reportedly some 26 people have been killed across India in the anti-CAA protests so far. In an interview to NDTV, IMFs chief economist Gita Gopinath stressed that social cohesion is very important in the world. The Fund is keeping an eye on the ongoing anti-CAA protests and will make an assessment by April. That comment comes at a time when India is not on the right side of IMFs global GDP growth chart. It has predicted India to grow at 4.8 percent in 2019 and has blamed the country for the biggest drag on the world economy with its much lower-than-expected GDP numbers. The present state of once the fastest-growing major economy in the world is worrying. A slowing economy has impacted all stakeholdersconsumer demand has plummeted, the flow of bank credit to industries has reduced, there is a notable rise in bad assets of banks even after a massive clean-up exercise, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government is in a tight fiscal spot. The government doesnt have enough money to continue high spending due to a significant revenue shortfall, but without that, growth will suffer further. Private investments have slowed to a trickle putting the entire burden to shoulder the economic growth on the government. The government is also under an obligation not to deviate from the fiscal red line. Unemployment among educated, skilled youth is on the rise. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, unemployment rose to 7.5 percent during September-December 2019 and, even worse, among educated youth in case of educated youth, by over 60 percent. The bitter standoff between the Narendra Modi-government and protesters thronging streets of Indian cities on CAA is more visible now. The Union home minister, Amit Shah has challenged the protesters saying the government wont go back on CAA. India shouldnt let the social upheaval to continue forever jeopardizing its economic prospects further. That will be highly counter-productive for a much-needed economic recovery. Every blow on Indias hard-won democracy has a corresponding impact on its economy as well. Given the state of the economy today, that is an expensive proposition for its fund-starved government. By Kim Se-jeong As the four-day Lunar New Year holiday starts, here are some things to keep in mind in the case of an emergency. In Seoul, 67 medical clinics and 1,829 pharmacies will stay open. The list of hospitals includes the Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul Red Cross Hospital and Shinchon Yonsei Hospital. For those who can speak Korean, information can also be found on www.e-gen.or.kr. For Seoul residents, the 24-hour Dasan 120 call center will also offer round the clock assistance during the holiday period. For those driving long distances, there are a couple of smartphone applications that can be useful. The Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) has an app that gives updated traffic information and highway rest area information. Drivers needing to find gas stations can download the Korea National Oil Corporation's app, Opinet, which shows the location of gas stations and their prices. People looking for bus or train tickets can visit and letskorail.com to check schedules. Express bus companies and the Korea National Railroad will run additional buses and trains during the holiday. For those who are staying In Seoul, inner-city buses and subways will run less frequently on the first two days of the holiday, but from Sunday, operating hours will be extended to 2 a.m. to assist those returning home. To assist city residents who want to visit cemeteries, city bus companies have also added additional buses on these routes during the first two days of the holiday period. As far as waste is concerned, garbage collection in Seoul will be partially halted during the four-day holiday. On Friday, only the Dongjak district will operate garbage collection services. No services will operate on Saturday in the 16 other districts in Seoul but all will resume Sunday. All districts, except Dongjak, will have collection services Monday. Titanic historian Parks Stephenson has hit out at those who say the wreckage is a tomb and should be left alone out of respect for the dead. Mr Stephenson has argued that a tomb can pay respect to the dead by revealing much about past lives and those who advocate leaving the wreck to its inevitable demise from ocean currents and iron-consuming bacteria want to deprive enthusiasts. "I consider it the best respect to the past when we attempt to reveal a tomb's truths," Mr Stephenson said. "In the remains of Titanic's Marconi Silent Cabin, I learned much about the system and the last actions of the operators from the artefacts themselves. "If others had access to the artefacts, might they find something that I missed? Read More "We won't know unless we make those artefacts available to others. To leave it where it is dooms it to inevitable destruction." Mr Stephenson, who has personally witnessed and documented the progression of Titanic's deterioration over the past 20 years, added: "I have had the luxury of seeing and documenting the Marconi transmitter myself. "I have also seen the growing threat to its survival. I want to save that artefact before it is lost and share it with the world." But eminent historian Jonathan Bardon says the wreckage should be left alone. "It is basically a gravesite for 1,500 people and I would be inclined to let it sit. "By all means photograph things that are found but leave them there," he said. "When these artefacts are obtained the one place they won't end up is in Titanic Belfast because they wouldn't be able to afford them." Stop this graverobbing; page 27 Leawood dispatcher arrested for computer crimes KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A 39-year-old dispatcher for the Leawood Police Department was arrested and charged with a computer crime, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced Wednesday. According to a press release, Kallie R. Turnbow provided confidential information from the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System to unauthorized individuals. Suspected suburban data sharing has this police worker in trouble . . . Here's her mugshot and case deets according to local news. Read more: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sao Paulo, Brazil Thu, January 23, 2020 06:47 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206092fe7 2 World Brazil,politics,media,Jair-Bolsonaro,impunity Free A frequent and fiery critic of Brazil's media, President Jair Bolsonaro declared Wednesday he would no longer speak to journalists. Bolsonaro made the remarks outside his official residence in Brasilia where most mornings for the past year he has fielded questions from reporters and greeted fans. "I want to speak with you, but the national journalism association says that when I speak, I attack them," Bolsonaro told reporters. "As I am a person of peace, I will not give more interviews." The move comes after the National Federation of Journalists said last week Bolsonaro's presidency had "significantly affected the freedom of the press in Brazil." It registered 208 attacks including physical and verbal against the media or journalists in 2019, an increase of 54 percent compared with the previous year. Bolsonaro was responsible for more than half of the incidents, it said. He mostly used public statements such as speeches, interviews or tweets to attack the media. Since his election campaign in 2018, Bolsonaro has often lashed out at reporters or outlets. Bolsonaro said in July that US journalist Glenn Greenwald who was charged with cybercrimes on Tuesday could "do jail time" over the publication of leaked chats that threatened to undermine a massive corruption probe. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Bolsonaro accused the media of "lying" about the extent of fires raging in the Amazon. The following month Bolsonaro announced he had cancelled his subscription to the respected daily Folha de S. Paulo. He also threatened to cancel TV Globo's broadcasting license over a report linking him to a person accused of murdering a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman. I felt so worried, and I just didnt know what to do, she said in a video shown at the FCCJ. Im afraid what would happen to me if I dont have those documents. My passport is my personal identity. How can I find a job or even to go back to my country if I dont have it? If you end up at a Pennsylvania hospital with a fever and bad cough, youre likely to hear this question: Have you been to China? If you say yes, youll probably be handed a face mask. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has advised health care providers to be on the lookout for a new coronavirus, the newest one to show an ability to jump from animals to people. Its blamed for killing at least 17 people in China. As of Thursday afternoon, the outbreak had sickened more than 540 people in China and was raising fears of global spread. The Pennsylvania health department has forwarded information to hospitals and health care providers, alerting them of symptoms, and directing them to obtain a travel history from those showing possible symptoms. They are further advising hospitals to provide face masks to those with possible symptoms, continue the examination in a separate area, and immediately notify the health department. Health department spokesman Nate Wardle on Thursday said the present threat is extremely low for Pennsylvanians who havent traveled to China or had contact with people who had been there. At this point it is increased awareness, increased preparation, Wardle said Thursday afternoon. This is nothing we dont exercise for and prepare for on a regular basis. So far, cases are mostly confined to several Chinese cities and nearby Asian countries including Japan. There has been one known case in the United States, involving a resident of the state of Washington who had returned from China. He was reportedly in the hospital and doing well on Thursday. With its proven ability to spread among humans, its raising fears of global spread. The coronavirus family is responsible for the common cold. But its also responsible for more severe illnesses that have caused major alarm in the past, including severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. The common symptoms include fever and cough. In severe cases, it can cause problems including pneumonia, kidney failure and death. In China, protective face masks have been selling out at highly inflated prices. To try to stop the spread, several Chinese cities have imposed travel restrictions and shut down train service. At U.S. airports, people arriving on international flights and showing certain symptoms are being screened. British security chiefs have cleared Chinese tech giant Huawei for a role in the UK's new 5G phone network, it was reported today, setting up another possible transatlantic clash with Donald Trump. Top mandarins and figures from the security services have formally recommended granting Huawei a limited role, Reuters said citing multiple sources. The Trump administration has made no secret of its fears about Chinese spying if Huawei is given a role, but the UK has resisted calls to dump the firm - challenging the US to come up with an alternative plan. The recommendation, made on Wednesday, comes ahead of a meeting of Britain's National Security Council (NSC) next week to decide how to deploy Huawei equipment, the sources said. The final decision will be made by politicians, but the Prime Minister's official spokesman refused to be drawn on the report today, saying: 'The work on the issue of high-risk vendors in the 5G network remains ongoing. 'When it is complete it will be announced to Parliament.' Top mandarins and figures from the security services have formally recommended granting Huawei a limited role, Reuters said, citing multiple sources Mr Johnson is said to be 'comfortable' with allowing Huawei a limited role excluding it from contracts involving the most sensitive parts of the network following assurances from British security officials Last week Government sources told the Daily Mail the NSC was set to give the green light to Huawei when it meets. It follows private warnings from officials that banning the controversial firm could delay the rollout of 5G the fifth generation of mobile phone technology by two years and lead to higher prices. The Trump administration has threatened to limit security co-operation over the issue. The US is pushing for a blanket ban on Huawei, arguing that the company, which has close links to the Chinese state, cannot be trusted to play a role in sensitive infrastructure. But Mr Johnson is said to be 'comfortable' with allowing Huawei a limited role excluding it from contracts involving the most sensitive parts of the network following assurances from British security officials. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said today that he would be meeting with Chancellor Sajid Javid on Saturday to discuss the issue in a last ditch bid to get the UK to change course. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said: 'Let me just say again, it's a complicated issue. We've made very clear that it relates to all of the critical areas that we have significant concerns. 'But again, there's ongoing discussion on these issues.' A UK government source pointed out that Huawei had already had a role in constructing non-core parts of the network and that stripping out what had been done would cost 'billions' of pounds. The source also said that the UK had sought an alternative to using Huawei from the US but no suggestions had been forthcoming. The source said an 'absence of alternative suppliers' meant the UK had to consider Huawei as an option. Mexico goes ghost as its oil hedge bill spirals FILE PHOTO: Tanks of state-owned company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) are seen at a storage facility, in Ciudad Juarez By Stefanie Eschenbacher and Devika Krishna Kumar MEXICO CITY/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mexico is playing a risky game of hide and seek with the oil market. To frustrate speculators and contain an annual bill of more than $1 billion, Mexico is going to new lengths to mask its attempts to insure its revenue from oil sales against falling prices - no mean feat for a hedging program known as Wall Street's biggest oil trade. Getting the hedge right is crucial for Mexico as it offers stability at a time the government is planning to boost social welfare and security spending, the economy is stagnating and the country's credit-worthiness is under intense scrutiny. Once an enigmatic agreement between a handful of finance industry officials and Wall Street banks, the hedge is now the most anticipated deal in the oil futures market, making it harder, and more costly, for Mexico to arrange. For its 2020 hedge, however, Mexico has adopted a different strategy than in previous years, according to a Wall Street source with direct knowledge of the deal. This time, an estimated two-thirds of the options Mexico bought in financial markets were indexed to the international Brent crude benchmark, shifting away from the Maya oil Mexico mainly produces, according to the source. By using such a heavily traded contract as Brent, Mexico should have been able to cut costs by getting lower quotes for its trades and to place bets more unobtrusively to avoid prices shifting ahead of its moves, market sources said. But critics say the strategy creates new risks. By using international oil contracts based on a different kind of oil, the structure of the hedge may not fully reflect Mexico's export mix dominated by Maya, which is typically cheaper than Brent. SWEET OR SOUR "I would expect a divergence of prices over the long term. This pressure on Maya could move prices down faster than its hedge. This would cause a loss on the physical sale of Maya and minimal-to-possibly no benefit of the hedge," said Ryan Dusek, director at consulting firm Opportune LLP https://opportune.com based in Houston, who added that the trade could end up being "worthless." Story continues The Mexican finance ministry declined to comment on the structure of the hedge. The Wall Street source said the proportion of Maya crude hedged for 2020 was significantly lower than in previous years. For the 2009 deal, for example, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley hedged 305 million barrels of crude using Maya and only 25 million with Brent, data obtained by Reuters through a freedom of information request showed. The Wall Street source said for 2020, Mexico had bought put options on Brent on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) at $54-$56 a barrel and hedged Maya at $42. Brent is trading at around $63 a barrel while Maya's official selling price for deliveries to the U.S. Gulf Coast is about $55, according to S&P Global Platts pricing data. The options give Mexico the right to sell oil at the predetermined price, so if the actual market price is lower, the options pay out and make up the difference - acting effectively as an insurance policy. But if the price of Maya, a heavy sour crude, falls faster than Brent, a light sweet crude - or Maya drops and Brent rises - Mexico could miss out on oil revenues without the hedge kicking in, analysts and market sources said. Mexico has had to contend with the potential divergence in Maya and Brent crude prices before but the risk is now greater as demand for heavy crudes globally is expected to slump. Reuters was unable to determine whether Mexico has taken additional steps to bridge any gaps between Maya and Brent. 'HACIENDA HEDGE' Mere rumors of Mexico's "Hacienda hedge," which gets its name from the country's finance ministry, can shift prices ahead of its anticipated deals and the government fears participants push up premiums when they suspect Mexico is about to trade. "Banks have become much better at accumulating information about it," said Victor Gomez, a former Mexican finance ministry official involved in the hedge until 2018. In part due to this, the hedge's cost has increased 10-fold in peso terms since 2001, even though the number of barrels hedged has barely changed, the data obtained from the freedom of information request showed. Mexico spent the equivalent of $212 million to hedge 200 million barrels in 2001 but in 2016, hedging 212 million barrels cost $956 million. In 2017, Mexico stopped disclosing the number of barrels it has hedged. Now, for the first time in at least 19 years, finance ministry officials have declined to reveal how much they're spending to protect 2020 revenue, saying the information would give speculators insight into their strategy and raise costs. "What we don't want is that they identify the moments that Mexico goes to the market, because that raises the costs of the premium," Gabriel Yorio, one of the main architects of the hedge under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office a year ago, told reporters this month. The cost of the hedge has also risen because the peso has declined versus the U.S. dollar and because options have become more expensive since many commodity-oriented funds, which were natural counterparties to the deal, have closed. Officials have also declined to say how much of the 1.73 million barrels a day it produces they're protecting, nor to what extent they're using put options or a budget stabilization fund to guarantee government revenue. All they have disclosed is that the 2020 hedge guarantees an average price for Maya of $49 a barrel. Since 2001, Mexico has received three payouts up until the end of last year: in 2009, 2015 and 2016, the data showed. Nevertheless, those three payments were so large the finance ministry could argue it was still ahead - at least before including the cost of the 2020 program. Mexico has also taken other steps to cover its tracks. In response to further questions in Reuters' records request, Mexico's transparency institute said additional information about the hedge had been sealed for five years. It cited the finance ministry as saying revealing details could increase costs, affect Mexico's monetary policy and financial stability and create systemic financial risk. "This is part of Mexico's strategy to leave banks and oil majors in the dark about what they are buying and how much they are paying," said Gomez. Asked about specifics at a news conference on Jan. 9, Mexican official Yorio highlighted the importance of the overhaul of the crude oil pricing formulas that underpin Mexico's oil exports. Last year, Mexico changed the pricing formula for Maya sales to the U.S. Gulf Coast to be based 65% on U.S. West Texas Intermediate in Houston - a light sweet crude which is the most traded U.S. Gulf Coast grade - and 35% on Brent futures. Before, it had been derived from West Texas Sour, Dated Brent and other grades that have become less traded markets. The formula also previously included fuel oil rich in sulphur, which has been hit by new rules requiring ships to use cleaner fuel. FUND OR OPTIONS Mexican officials involved in the hedge in the past said the government may be considering increasing its use of the stabilization fund to guarantee oil prices as a supplement to financial instruments. From the mid-2010s, Mexico started to lock in part of its target oil price with the fund to contain the costs of the options it buys from banks and major oil companies. For example, Mexico locked in a price of $79 for its 2015 hedge, with $76.40 guaranteed by options and the remaining $2.60 backed by the fund. In 2017, the last time the ministry released such information, $4 of its $42 hedge was covered by the fund. Gomez and Julio Ruiz, another former official involved in the hedge until 2018, said Mexico was expected to expand this strategy in the coming years but cautioned it would struggle to keep enough money in the fund to hedge oil exports fully. "They would have to accumulate a larger amount of resources in this fund," Gomez said. Nevertheless, those changes would do little to ease the concerns of some who believe Mexico spends too much on the hedge, said Ruiz, adding that guaranteeing oil revenue was still necessary given the pressures on Mexico and state-owned Pemex, the world's most heavily indebted oil company. "In congress, many will say they don't agree with how this money is spent, and that it shouldn't be spent on the oil hedging program," Ruiz said. "But Mexico's finances would become a lot more volatile without it." ($1 = 18.7270 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher in Mexico City and Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; Additional reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez and David Alire Garcia; Editing by David Gaffen, Frank Jack Daniel and David Clarke) BRUSSELS - As his name surfaced again and again this week during the start of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Gordon Sondland carried on here, almost 4,000 miles away, as if nothing unusual was underway. Trump's ambassador to the European Union held meetings with the EU official in charge of emergency management. He hosted the Korean ambassador at the U.S. mission. And, he sat with the EU's Brexit negotiator. Sondland had hoped that by staying quiet and going blithely about his business that he could stay "out of the spotlight" of the impeachment drama unfolding at the U.S. Capitol, according to a close associate. But that spotlight was unavoidable as the colorful character at the center of the House impeachment probe reemerged this week as one of the most important figures in the Senate trial to determine if Trump will remain in office. Both the House Democrats prosecuting the case and the White House lawyers defending the president have cast Sondland as their side's "critical witness." Combined, the two have invoked Sondland's name more than200 timessince Monday in legal briefs and statements on the Senate floor. House Democrats - who are still stymied from questioning officials in the president's inner circle, such as former national security adviser John Bolton - remain dependent on Sondland's November testimony to establish Trump's motive and intent while withholding aid and a coveted White House invitation last year for Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's new president. Sondland, who gave $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee and liked to tout his relationship with the president, testified before the House that Trump had conditioned a White House meeting on Zelensky announcing investigations, including one that could have been used to damage 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, Joe Biden. "Was there a quid pro quo?" Sondland testified, "the answer is yes." On the question of withholding aid, Sondland testified that he had come to believe that the administration was also tying almost $400 million in security assistance for Ukraine to the sought-after investigations. It added up, Sondland said, like "two plus two equals four." But the president's legal team has pointed to Sondland's testimony as evidence of the opposite of what House Democrats contend, arguing he also told lawmakers that Trump denied that he wanted any "quid pro quo" with regard to Ukraine. "House Democrats' critical witness - Sondland - actually destroys their case," Trump's lawyers wrote in a brief filed Monday. Trump's team isn't planning to end its case there concerning Sondland, according to a senior White House official. Trump's attorneys are also preparing to impugn his credibility as the trial unfolds, saying his testimony before the House showed Sondland has a tendency to portray his uninformed opinions and presumptions as fact, which in the case of Ukraine became an echo chamber. "So many roads come into and out of Sondland," said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ambassador's role in the trial. "Any fair minded observer, if you looked at what the House developed in its proceedings, so much of what was claimed turned out to be Sondland had said, or insinuated, or believed, or surmised, that had been picked up and passed around by others." Against the spectacle of the president's legal team undermining a sitting U.S. ambassador, Sondland remains Trump's man in Europe. And Sondland, for his part, is still playing along, holding on to his post in Brussels with a cheerful tenacity, according to nine associates and diplomats who have interacted with him in recent months. They say Sondland's gamble appears to be that if he carries on, he might survive long enough to recast his brief and so far scandal-ridden record as ambassador, a role the longtime hotelier hoped would serve as a distinguished capstone to his successful career in business. But it's unclear how long he will be kept on the job once the impeachment trial is over. Trump has not spoken with Sondland in the two months since the explosive testimony, according to two senior U.S. officials. The two last saw each other at the White House on Oct. 2 for the Finnish president's visit. The decision for Trump and Sondland not to speak since the ambassador's testimony in November might go both ways. Two acquaintances of Sondland's said they left discussions with him in recent months understanding that Sondland had stopped calling the White House on advice of his attorneys, perhaps to avoid any perception of witness tampering. His District of Columbia-based attorney, Robert Luskin, said he and his client would decline to comment. Sondland's testimony, he said, "will speak for itself." Sondland's severed tie to the White House has diminished the ambassador's swagger, but it's not gone, several associates said. Sondland has continued to press Europeans to be tougher on Iranian leadership and to impose sanctions. As the two sides fight over trade, he has pushed Trump's protectionist agenda. And as Britain finalizes its preparations to split from the European Union next week, he has met with leaders on both sides to advocate for U.S. interests. Some critics even say Sondland has found his stride. "I think he's found his feet," said Radoslaw Sikorski, the head of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the United States, who hosted Sondland at a meeting last week. "He has in the last year found a way of forcefully arguing for American interests and point of view without giving offense." Sikorski, a vocal Trump critic, said that for him and his peers, Sondland still was their main channel to Washington. "He is the U.S. ambassador, and as long he is, we assume he represents the president and the State Department," Sikorski said. "He is well-briefed, and states it like it is." Others in Europe are still trying to determine Sondland's standing. "I don't know how strong he really is in the U.S. right now because of the impeachment trial," said Rasmus Andersen, a German member of the European Parliament who pressed Sondland about the U.S. political turmoil at the closed-door meeting with EU lawmaker last week. Sikorski said that Sondland responded that "he wasn't at liberty to discuss it," and that as chair, he had moved the conversation along, since he saw impeachment as an internal U.S. matter. That type of caution is a change from how Sondland operated when taking over as one of Trump's top diplomats in the summer of 2018. Back then he eagerly sought to channel Trump, called himself a 'disruptive diplomat' and touted his ability to get Trump on the phone, and to speak to him as few diplomats might dare. In a House impeachment hearing in November, State Department official David Holmes recounted listening to Sondland and Trump talk by phone while the ambassador sat outside at a restaurant in Kyiv. Sondland told Trump that Zelensky 'loves your ass,' " Holmes said. "I then heard President Trump ask, 'So, he's gonna do the investigation?' Ambassador Sondland replied that 'he's gonna do it,' adding that Zelensky will do 'anything you ask him to.' " Sondland seemed amused in the House hearing when the exchange was read back to him. "Sounds like something I would say," Sondland quipped. "That's how President Trump and I communicate, a lot of four-letter words." One clear development since November is that Sondland's involvement in a matter outside the European Union - Ukraine policy - has all but ended, said current and former U.S. officials. Sondland previously loomed large over U.S.-Ukraine relations and accounts for his central role in the impeachment trial. In July, on a visit to Kyiv, Sondland told a Ukrainian broadcaster that Trump had given him "special assignments including Ukraine." Text messages and emails surfaced in the impeachment investigation, as well as subsequently, through public records lawsuits, show that in that time Sondland was pressing Zelensky and his aides to announce investigations into Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, where Hunter Biden previously held a board position, as well as into a widely discredited theory that some in Ukraine were interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Democrats. Sondland's unorthodox role, which included trips to Kyiv, meetings with top Ukrainian officials and one-on-one calls with Trump, gave him as much access to the president and his thinking last year as anyone who has testified in the impeachment process to date. The schism between how House Democrats and Trump's defense team plan to present Sondland and the significance of his testimony was on full display Wednesday as Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the lead impeachment manager, discussed the ambassador's role and called on Trump to be removed from office in his opening statement. Schiff played a video of Sondland's November testimony before the House in which the ambassador described carrying out what he understood to be Trump's wishes. "I know that members of this committee frequently frame these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a quid pro quo?," Sondaland said. "As I testified previously with regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes." But Schiff then largely treated Sondland as a hostile witness, describing him as a foot soldier in Trump's pressure campaign against Ukraine. He spent over 20 minutes describing Sondland as an agent of the president who "fell into line" and who warned Zelensky that bowing to Trump's wishes on investigations would be the "price of admission" for a White House favor. Importantly, Schiff also made clear that House Democrats no longer trust that Sondland was truthful about a key conversation he purported to have with Trump. Sondland has maintained that in a Sept. 9 phone call, Trump told him verbatim that he wanted "no quid pro quo" with Ukraine. Trump has held up Sondland's depictions of the call as exculpatory. But The Washington Post reported in November that there is no corroborating evidence such a call took place. The White House has not located a record in its switchboard logs of a call between Trump and Sondland that day, even though it has records of other calls between the two described in impeachment testimony. Also, the call would have occurred during an unusual period, between 12:47 a.m. at 5:19 a.m. in Washington. On Wednesday, Schiff represented that the president actually used the no-quid-pro-quo phrase days earlier, on Sept. 7, during a call that came with a very different thrust. In that call, Trump made clear that he in fact did want Zelensky to personally announce investigations into Trump's political opponents, according to diplomats who spoke with Sondland at the time. Schiff argued the phrase was an unusual one for the president to throw out in conversation, and noted it occurred days after the White House was alerted to a whistleblower complaint detailing just such a scheme. "Hello, Mr. President. How are you today?" Schiff said. "No quid pro quo." He added: "It's the kind of thing that comes up in a conversation, if you're trying to put your alibi out there." New Voting Rights will be the topic of a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, in the Council Chambers at Midland City Hall, 333 Ellsworth St. The program is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Midland Area. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) The Philippines top health official wants airline authorities to track down the family members of the first Wuhan coronavirus case in Hong Kong who reportedly arrived in Manila this week amid the outbreak of the mysterious illness. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said he has instructed the Bureau of Quarantine to meet with officials of Cebu Pacific the local airline which flew the kin in to demand a full flight disclosure and travel history details of the four individuals. I have instructed the Bureau of Quarantine to meet again with the Cebu Pacific officials and to demand for the flight manifesto and to make a disclosure of which passengers who came from Wuhan and that we need to track them down just to make sure, Duque told CNN Philippines The Source, adding that contact tracing measures should also be put in place. The first step is to identify them and their seating positions in the plane that took them in from Hong Kong to Manila We have to be proactive and we have to really ask Cebu Pacific the history of travel of those passengers, he added. Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) first reported that four family members of a 39-year-old man from Wuhan a Chinese city which is at the center of a new strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) flew to Manila from Hong Kong onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J111 on Wednesday. The airline, however, said all the passengers who boarded the flight were screened by the Bureau of Quarantine and none of them were held for further observation. SCMP said the man was found to have a runny nose and a fever upon his arrival to West Kowloon, where he was intercepted. Dr. Constance Chan Hon-yee, Hong Kong's director of health said in an interview Wednesday that the man from Wuhan tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was confined at a local hospital. Hon-yee also said that her colleagues notified the airline and the Philippine government of the matter. The coronaviruses, believed to be a cousin of the SARS virus, are a large group of viruses common among animals, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among its symptoms include runny nose, cough, sore throat, headache, and fever. At greatest risk of contracting the virus are children and the elderly, particularly those with weak immune systems. In some cases, the virus can cause other respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia. The outbreak of the respiratory virus, which has left at least 17 people dead in its wake, prompted several international airports including the Ninoy Aquino International Airportto impose stricter monitoring measures for travelers. Wuhan has also announced a temporary lockdown for its airport and railway stations. How to protect yourself from coronavirus Health experts also urged people to practice good hygiene, as it could help them stay healthy and free from sickness. - Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds - Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands - Avoid close contact with people who show respiratory illness symptoms (ex. coughing and sneezing) - Thoroughly cook meat and eggs - Cover your mouth and nose with tissue when you cough or sneeze, then wash your hands - Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces - Seek medical attention if you have flu-like symptoms (especially if you have travelled from Wuhan, China) CNN Philippines Alyssa Rola, Xave Gregorio, and Catherine Modesto contributed to this report. Eminent journalist and chairman of The Hindu Group of Publications N Ram has been selected for the Kerala Media Academy's national media award for his outstanding contribution to journalism. The award carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh, a citation and a memento, Media Academy chairman R S Babu told reporters here on Thursday. The national award was instituted as part of 40th anniversary celebrations of the academy for fearless and meritorious contribution to journalism, he said. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would present the award during a media conclave here in March this year, he said. Ram was selected for the award by a jury comprising former state Education Minister M A Baby, senior journalist Thomas Jacob, general education department secretary A Shajahan, media analyst Sebastian Paul, Asianet editor M G Radhakrishnan and Planning Board member Mridul Eapen. The jury considered contributions of Ram to journalism in the last 40 years, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The sound of a 3,000 year-old Egyptian mummy can finally be heard, after engineers 3D printed a version of its vocal tract. The noise a short, vowel-like sound gives a hint at what the ancient mummified individual might have sounded like. But it is only a hint, since scientists are not able to produce anything like speech. It relied on a host of technology, including precise CT scans that gave a picture of the vocal tract that could then be printed out and used to synthesise a voice. Such a breakthrough is impossible for most remains, because it relies on perfect preservation of the bodies' soft tissues, and in most cases only the skeleton is left over. But the mummified body of the ancient Egyptian priest Nesyamun was so well preserved that researchers could build a precise recreation of the unique vocal sounds. The scientists behind the research noted that Nesyamun's voice would have been integral to his life: living during the unstable reign of pharaoh Ramses XI, around 1100 BC, he worked as a scribe and a priest who would have used his voice to speak and sing during rituals. Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis Show all 11 1 /11 Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5FP.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis lion-cub-mummy.jpg Mohamed Hossam/EPA Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis 08018992.jpg EPA Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5C7.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI58K.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5K2.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5J2.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5IX.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5FO.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis AFP-1MI5EF.jpg AFP via Getty Images Mummified animals discovered in Egyptian necropolis 08018988.jpg EPA The researchers could only produce a single sound: a vowel that they describe as being between the English words "bed" and "bad". But it offers a hint of what the rest of his voice might sound like. It might also lead to future breakthroughs that will allow the public the chance to hear what ancient individuals might really have sounded like. Scientists questioned whether making Nesyamun "speak" again was ethically responsible, especially given mummies are treated not as objects but as the remains of once-living people. But they decided it would be good to do so in part because his coffin includes inscriptions that make reference to the ancient Egyptian view that "to speak the name of the dead is to make them live again" and that he communicated a wish to be able move and speak in the afterlife as he did when he was alive. "The team concluded that the potential benefts outweighed the concerns, particularly because Nesyamuns own words express his desire to speak again and that the scientifc techniques used were non-destructive," they write in the paper published in Scientific Reports. "Given Nesyamuns stated desire to have his voice heard in the afterlife in order to live forever, the fulflment of his beliefs through the synthesis of his vocal function allows us to make direct contact with ancient Egypt by listening to a sound from a vocal tract that has not been heard for over 3000 years, preserved through mummification and now restored through this new technique," they conclude. As many as 411 nominations were rejected and three were withdrawn as of Thursday, after the nominations for February 8 elections in Delhi ended and the scrutiny was held on Wednesday. According to the Election Commission, 1,029 candidates had filed 1,528 nominations for the 70 assembly constituencies here. On Tuesday, the last day of filing papers, 806 nominations were filed, including that of chief These nominations also included cover candidates -- fielded to ensure that a political party has a person to contest election in case its official candidate's papers were rejected during the scrutiny. Friday (January 24) is the deadline for withdrawing nominations. The world is filled with exciting travel destinations that are well worth visiting. Among the most intriguing options is the modern, fast-growing Dubai Marina. There are some very good reasons why you'll want to add this to your travel wish list. Where Is Dubai Marina? This is an area of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It is built along a man-made canal that covers around three and a half miles of the Persian Gulf's shore. Dubai Marina is on Interchange 5, which is a well-connected area of the city and has been described as being at the heart of New Dubai. Dubai Marina Tram Station offers convenient access to the area. You can connect with Dubai Metro that opened in 2009 to move around the rest of the city with ease. Once you arrive at the Marina, it is easy to stroll around on foot, while the tram gives a quicker method of getting around. What Does It Offer? This zone is packed with high-quality hotels, restaurants, and stores. All of this is presented in a dazzling setting with outstanding modern architecture and eye-catching details all around. A two- to four-hour walking tour here will show you the main attractions. However, you'll need more time than this to sample the delights on offer: from luxury shopping to speed boat tours, from a trip to the beach to lunch in a gourmet restaurant, this is a destination with broad appeal. In terms of hotels, the Grosvenor House, Hilton Dubai The Walk, and InterContinental Dubai Marina are some of the big names. Meanwhile, the 82-story Ciel will be the planet's tallest hotel when it opens in 2023. It will include a glass observation deck, as well as a rooftop restaurant and pool. The Ritz-Carlton has one of the top restaurants in the zone, while Massimo's Italian Restaurant and Soul Restaurant and Bar also come highly recommended. Some of the best new places to eat here include the Spanish-themed Bebemos and the meat-filled Boho. The public beach at Dubai Marina can get busy, as lots of people head down to sample the white sand and warm water, but it's still a treat not to be missed. In the evening, you could choose to finish off a perfect day by going on a sophisticated dinner cruise out on the water. Why Is It So Popular? The long list of attractions shows why so many tourists like to spend time here. However, it is also a massively popular residential area. Property portal Bayut conducted a report on Dubai real estate in 2018 and it showed that it was the most searched for area. With properties of all sizes and numbers of bedrooms, a large number of quality residential buildings, including the twisting Cayan Tower and more than 200 other state of the art residential towers, plus the huge range of attractions described above, this is hardly surprising. Dubai Marina continues to grow and add even more attractions. More exciting plans are in progress that will see it become bigger and better in 2020. European markets closed lower on Thursday amid increasing concerns over the spread of the China coronavirus, while dovish tones from the European Central Bank (ECB) exerted further downward pressure. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed provisionally down by 0.7%, with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. Basic resources stocks led the losses with a 2.9% decline. The ECB held its interest rates steady Thursday, with President Christine Lagarde's remarks on the economic outlook for the euro zone seemingly disappointing market participants. The ECB on Thursday held interest rates steady and launched its first strategic review since 2003, in a bid to establish whether its inflation target is still appropriate. Markets reacted negatively to a slightly more dovish tone than anticipated from Lagarde, as the former IMF chief told a press conference in Frankfurt that the risks were still "tiled to the downside." On Wall Street, equities fell as investors pored through the latest batch of corporate earnings results and grappled with fears of the coronavirus spreading. The coronavirus remains at the forefront of investor concerns as the death toll from the disease continues to rise; 17 people have now died from the virus and there have been nearly 600 confirmed cases of the infection. The World Health Organization postponed a decision Wednesday over whether to declare the disease a global health emergency. Beginning Thursday morning Beijing time, all public transportation was suspended in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak is believed to have started. The outbreak comes ahead of the Lunar New Year period which is set to kick off on Saturday, with hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens expected to travel domestically or abroad during the period. We are carefully listening to the conversation happening around the novel, the statement said. American Dirt asks the question, How far will a mother go to protect her son? and in the course of answering that question, gives us empathy with our fellow human beings who are struggling to find safety in our unsafe world. DAVOS, Switzerland Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg hit back at Steven Mnuchin on Thursday, after the Treasury Secretary suggested she needed to study economics in college before lecturing the U.S. on fossil fuel investments. "My gap year ends in August, but it doesn't take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don't add up," the 17-year-old said via Twitter. "So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," she added. Tweet 1 Mnuchin had criticized Thunberg's financial credentials at the World Economic Forum earlier in the day. Speaking to reporters during a press briefing, Mnuchin was asked whether the world's largest economy should completely and immediately divest from fossil fuels. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg attends a session at the Congres center during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 21, 2020. FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP via Getty Images That's because Thunberg, alongside 20 other young climate activists, had called on the world's decision-makers and business leaders to stop all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction. "Is she the chief economist or who is she? I'm confused," Mnuchin said, before adding this was "a joke. That was funny." "After she goes and studies economics in college she can come back and explain that to us," Mnuchin said. Carbon budget An intensifying climate crisis is top of the agenda in Davos, Switzerland. It follows a 12-month period that saw the hottest year on record for the world's oceans, the second-hottest year for global average temperatures, and wildfires from the U.S. to the Amazon to Australia. Earlier in the week, Thunberg cited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report from 2018 as she delivered remarks to a packed audience. The IPCC report states the remaining carbon budget would need to fall below 570 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the coming years if the world is to have a 67% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. "With today's emissions levels, the remaining budget is gone in less than eight years," Thunberg said Tuesday. "These aren't anyone's views. This is the science." Thunberg was catapulted to fame for skipping school every Friday to hold a weekly vigil outside the Swedish Parliament in 2018. It sparked an international wave of school strikes also known as "Fridays for Future" with millions of children taking part in rallies around the world. US environmental policies are 'misunderstood' When asked to address his comments about Thunberg on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday, Mnuchin said, "Let me just comment because obviously the climate issue is something that is being talked about this week." "And I think, quite frankly, our environmental policies are misunderstood. The president absolutely believes in clean air and clean water. He supports a clean environment." President Donald Trump has often expressed skepticism about the scale of the climate crisis and on Tuesday, he urged participants at the forum to reject the "perennial prophets of doom." There are times when something is said at an event that makes you shift a bit in your seat. And there are times when things are said that make you get up and leave your seat. This article is about the latter. I was at a college graduation in Washington D.C. when I heard the phrase, Our Mother during a prayer before the invocation. Lord, I didnt hear that. I hadnt realized that I had vocalized my thoughts. I opened my eyes. I lifted my head acutely aware that I could not participate in her prayer and watched the cleric read her manuscript, unfailingly but consistently, referencing her deity with female pronouns. She concluded the invocation by citing her spiritual authority: In the name of our great mother we pray. Amen. My wife stared at me and mouthed a voiceless question in a single word, Wha-a-at? Can God Be Mother? The short answer the unequivocal response is no. However, the university chaplains reference to God (or god) as mother was not new. After all, the European Union celebrated the goddess Europa (namesake for a continent) by engraving the Greek mythological consort of Zeus on the Euro in 2013. Europa was seduced by Zeus taking the form of a bull, carried away and raped. How the EU thought that it was a good idea to revive that story as an inspirational image on money is stranger than the myth. But deities as mothers were quite fashionable in the pre-Christian West. While it has been at least two millennia since Westerners referred to a deity as female (e.g., Diana), there has been a revival of sorts. The Bible, for instance, in Romans 1, teaches us that there is a fallen urge in unregenerate man to appropriate Almighty God into a deity of ones own preferences. To reject God our Father, incarnate in the eternal Son, Jesus Christ, and to replace Him with an imaginary goddess, is nothing if not heretical; and inevitable. The Motherhood of God in the Bible Does God reveal Himself as a mother or as a woman? No. But before considering why we should honor God as He reveals Himself, let us slightly adjust the question before us. Let us put it like this: Does the Lord use maternal qualities in self-revelation? Yes, He does. Indeed, the references are many and are touchingly beautiful: God as a nurturing hen, a mother eagle, a mother bear; and Jesus likening Himself to a disconsolate mother hen longing for her wayward chicks. Lets review the key passages in both New and Old Testaments about how the Lords care of His children is similar to a mothers caring, protective love. Let s start with the Old Testament and go to the New. God as a Mother in the Old Testament Holy Scripture is replete with comparisons to maternal qualities. Lets list some of them and consider our God who is, indeed, like the beautiful motherly qualities He created: Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him (Deuteronomy 32:11-12). You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth (Deuteronomy 32:18). For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools (Isaiah 42:14-15). Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:14). May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12). Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 17:8). I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed (Psalm 57:1). He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge (Psalm 91:4). Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt (Psalm 123:2-3). But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me (Psalm 131:2). Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them asunder (Hosea 13:8). God as a Mother in the New Testament Perhaps, the most moving use of motherhood in the Lords self-disclosure, as He prepares to enter Jerusalem for the climactic scenes of the Passion in those days we recall as Holy Week. I quote Matthews account of that tender scene, using the Elizabethan English of the Geneva and King James versions of the Holy Bible: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not (Matthew 23:37-39); see, also, Luke 13:34). How tender. How touching. How divine. Literary Device in Scripture It is important to attend to the most obvious feature of these Scriptures: The Almighty God, or a biblical writer speaking of God, says that He is like a mother. To be clear, the Bible never says that the Lord God is Mother God. The Bible declares that the Lord is like the universally admired maternal instincts. The Lord uses similitudes to help us understand His instinctive loving, nurturing, and compassionate attitude towards humankind and the Church. These highly expressive similitudes being like a mother are divinely placed so that we can understand God by familiar things around us. However, in Scripture, the comparisons to mothers or a maternal instinct are not transformed into declarations of divine identity. God is like a mother. Never is God revealed as female or as a motherly being. Words Matter The Eastern and Western Churches have many things in common. One significant difference is the Filioque (Latin, tr. and from the Son) clause of the Nicene Creed AD 38. The Western Church insisted on retaining this clause in the Creed while Eastern Orthodox church leaders denied it. What is it? This is the clause that was introduced: And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified. The disagreement was a significant one, indeed. The Western Church has maintained that the procession of the Holy Spirit from Father and Son is key to the doctrine of the Trinity. In a similar way, words matter in the case of naming God's self-revealed identity. So, to identify God as Mother not only assaults the inerrancy and infallibility of the Holy Bible but does damage to the Trinity, the Covenant of Grace, and, ultimately, to Creation itself. God is Father. He is not the recipient of anothers initial movement. He is the first movement. The forever presence. Words have meaning. And doctrine has consequences. What Does This Mean? We have seen that there are many places in Scripture where the Holy Spirit uses the literary device of similitude to help us understand the love and nurture and intense protection of Gods children. Scripture declares that God is like a mother eagle, a mother hen, or a mother bear. But a simile is not identity. A simile is a comparison. There is absolutely no place in Scripture or in the confessions of the one, holy universal church, that denies the fatherhood of God. To do so is to deny Scripture itself and is to distort the person of Christ and the self-revelation of the Triune God. Gods identity is revealed in Christ as male, and in the Godhead as our Father. Yet, Jesus condescends to His children with a motherly love we can understand: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! All things exist in Him and by Him and through Him and He is before all things (Colossians 1:17-19). Jesus is the image of the Father. If we have seen Christ, we have seen the Father. He is our eternal Father who begat us in love before the world began. Thus, we were able to sing, with Biblical and theological precision: This is my Fathers world. And the Father who made us sustains us: As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you (Isaiah 66:13). Sources Beretich, Thomas. Greece and the Ongoing Sirens Song of the Euro. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2554193 . Bowman, Marion. Understanding Glastonbury as a Site of Consumption. Edwards, Richard M. Scriptural Perspicuity in the Early English Reformation Grudem, Wayne. The Perspicuity of Scripture. Kelly, Douglas F., Hugh McClure, and Philip B. Rollinson. The Westminster Confession of Faith McNamer, Sarah. The Exploratory Image: God as Mother in Julian of Norwichs Revelations of Divine Love. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20716905 . Milton, Michael A. From Flanders Fields to the Moviegoer: Philosophical Foundations for a Transcendent Ethical Framework. Pugliese, Marc A. How Important Is The Filioque For Reformed Orthodoxy? Roller, Lynn E. In Search of God the Mother: The Cult of Anatolian Cybele. Ryken, L., and T. Longman. The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. https://books.google.com/books?id=A2GCDsFC3XMC . Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. https://books.google.com/books?id=tLLx3hfc6UYC . Similitude Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/similitude . The Order for Holy Communion (1928 BCP). http://www.episcopalnet.org/1928bcp/communion.html. Westminster Confession. PCA Administrative Committee. https://www.pcaac.org/bco/westminster-confession/. iStock/Getty Images Plus/x-reflexnaja MICHAEL A. MILTON (Ph.D., University of Wales; MPA, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; MDIV, Knox Theological Seminary; Cert. in Higher Education Teaching, Harvard University) serves as the Provost and James Ragsdale Chair of Missions and Evangelism at Erskine College and Seminary. A Presbyterian minister (PCA, ARP), Milton has penned more than thirty books, hundreds of articles in journals, magazines, opinion columns, and newspapers. As president of the D. James Kennedy Institute and Faith for Living, Milton has served as a public theologian. His work has been cited on numerous national media outlets as he provides historic Christian insights into faith and life in a changing world. Dr. Milton's record of ministry includes seminary chancellor, president of three seminaries, senior minister of one of America's historic churches, founder of three congregations, and a Christian academy. A composer and artist, Mike and Mae Milton reside in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Learn more at michaelmilton.org/about. [from a press release by McCain& Associates.] Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 22:35:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least three women have been killed by lightning in different parts of Tanzania's eastern region of Morogoro, police said on Thursday. Wilbroad Mutafungwa, the Morogoro regional police commander, said one of the three women was hit by lightning on Thursday at 6 a.m. when she was collecting rain water at her house in Kisaki village. Mutafungwa said the 22-year-old woman died on the spot after he was hit by the lightning. The police official added that two other women, 60 and 28 years old respectively, died after they were hit by lightning on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on their way from their farm in Dunduma village. In October 2018, at least six school children were killed and 25 others injured after lightning hit a primary school in Tanzania's northwest region of Geita. Enditem 2.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Rep. Adam Schiff got the heart of Trumps obstruction of Congress as he powerfully demanded that the State Department turn over key notes. The State Department has ambassador Taylors extensive notes and, of course, we would like to show them to you to corroborate his testimony, but pursuant to the presidents instructions, the State Department will not turn them over. You might recall from the tape yesterday ambassador Taylor said theyll be shortly coming Im told. Well somebody countermanded those instructions. Who do we think that was? You should see them. If you have any question about what Sondland told ambassador Taylor, if the presidents counsel tries to create confusion about what Sondland told Taylor about his conversation with the president look, Sondland had one recollection in his deposition and another recollection in the first hearing and another recollection in a declaration. You want to know exactly what happened in that conversation when it was fresh in Sondlands mind and he told Taylor about it and Taylor wrote it in his notes, youre going to want Taylors notes. In any courtroom in America holding a fair trial, you would want to see contemporaneous notes. This senate should be no different. Demand those notes. Demand to see the truth. Were not afraid of those notes. We havent seen them. We havent seen them. Maybe those notes say something completely different. Maybe those notes say no quid pro quo. Maybe those notes say its a perfect call. Id like to see them. Im willing to trust Ambassador Taylors testimony and his recollection. Id like to see them. Id like to show them to you. Theyre yours for the asking. Video: Adam Schiff powerfully tells the Senate, "In any courtroom in America holding a fair trial, you would want to see contemporaneous notes. This senate should be no different. Demand those notes. Demand to see the truth." #ImpeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/mqAZ0KFe8u Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 23, 2020 Schiff was sending a clear message to Republican Senators who have been leaving the chamber and not wanting to hear the evidence against the president. Trump is not the only person who is on trial. The Republican Senate majority is also on trial. If they go along with Trump and McConnells cover-up, they will be accomplices to Trumps crimes. Republicans have the power to demand the evidence and hold a real trial. If they choose not to do so, they will be committing a crime against America. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Addressing an election rally at Matiala here to start the BJP's campaign for Delhi assembly elections, Shah took repeated digs at the Delhi Chief Minister and said if the competition to make false promises is held in the country, "Kejriwal will definitely come first".Apart from his rally at Matiala, Shah addressed a rally at Nangloi Jat and held a roadshow at Uttam Nagar.He alleged the people in the national capital were getting "the worst quality of water" in the country and alleged that the AAP government has not implemented Ayushman Bharat Scheme so that the poor do not vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.He said the AAP and its leader have not won any election in the last five years after winning the Delhi polls.He urged the people to give Prime Minister Modi a chance to transform Delhi into a front-ranking world capital city and talked of the surgical strike in PoK and aerial strikes in Balakot in Pakistan on terror targets as also of revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He also referred to the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case.Referring to the CAA, Shah accused Congress leader Rahul and Kejriwal of creating obstacles in refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh getting Indian citizenship."Should refugees who have come from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh get Indian citizenship or not. They have faced atrocities. Where should they go? We talked of giving them citizenship but Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi are creating obstacles," he said.Shah said AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said that they are with those protesting at Shaheen Bagh against the CAA"."These people started provoking the youth, minorities and caused riots in Delhi," said Shah, without taking any names."Today also Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says unashamedly that they are with those protesting at Shaheen Bagh," he added.The BJP leader said slogans that 'India gets divided into 100 parts' were raised at JNU two years back."Modiji put them (those responsible) into jail but Kejriwal and Rahul and company immediately reached there and started saying these people have right to free speech," he said."Rahul Baba and company, please listen carefully. Abuse us as much as you want, abuse our party as much as you want but those who speak of breaking India will be put in the jail," said Shah.He accused the Kejriwal government of not giving permission to charge sheet the accused. Shah said Narendra Modi has taken the country forward, has enhanced India's image abroad and "hit the enemies of the country in their house."The BJP leader said Kejriwal and Rahul baba had sought proof during an airstrike and surgical strike and accused them of speaking the language of Pakistan."If you had seen Pakistan TV channels, there would not be the need for a bigger proof," he said.Shah said the Tricolour was touching the sky in Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370. "Congress used to say if the Article is removed, there will be rivers of blood. Nothing of the sort happened and Kashmir became an integral part of India".He alleged that the Kejriwal government did not give permission to charge sheet those who had raised anti-India slogans.Shah said that it had been the wish of generations of Indians to have a magnificent temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. "It will happen in four months," he said and accused Congress of having tried to delay the court verdict in the past.BJP leader also accused Kejriwal of not fulfilling promises made to the people and said he had not implemented the legislation concerning the Lokpal."I've come to remind Kejriwalji that you forgot the promises you made but neither the people of Delhi nor workers of BJP have forgotten. You became CM with the help of Anna Hazare but couldn't bring a law for the Lokpal and when Modiji brought it, you didn't implement it here," he said.Taking a dig at AAP over its poll slogan "Lage Raho Kejriwal (Keep working Kejriwal), he said: "For 4.5 years Kejriwalji kept saying that Modiji didn't let him work. So development work could not be done in Delhi. Now he says that he developed Delhi in 5 years so 'Lage Raho Kejriwal."He said that voters have to decide if they want a government, which works like Modiji or one that resorts to agitations.Shah said people and BJP workers have not forgotten the promises made by Kejriwal and he had promised to construct 1,000 schools and 20 colleges, install 15 lakh CCTV cameras, get 5,000 buses, provide wi-fi but none of them has been fulfilled.He said the AAP talked of giving jobs to eight lakh people but ad hoc employees have not been regularised."You said you will make the Yamuna clean but not to talk of cleaning the river, you have even made the water that comes to our houses unclean. Today residents of Delhi are getting the worst quality of water in the country. You are not capable of cleaning the Yamuna. Modiji and Yogiji (Yogi Adityanath) are working to clean Ganga. They will also clean the Yamuna," Shah said.He said Kejriwal had talked of building flyovers but alleged that the AAP government had created roadblocks to works being done by the Modi government.He accused Kejriwal of creating roadblocks in the task of regularising unauthorized colonies in Delhi and said Modiji had provided people in 1,731 illegal colonies property rights in about Rs 5,000.Shah said the poor in Delhi were not getting free treatment of Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat."The way Modiji regularised unauthorised colonies, in the same way, the BJP will provide two-room flat at all places where jhuggis exist," he said.Shah accused the Kejriwal government of implementing the urban housing scheme of the Modi government."There are 112 such schemes in which Kejriwal is an obstacle. Once this obstacle is removed, the schemes will reach the people of Delhi," he said.Shah said Modi promised to provide water to all people by 2024 and days later Kejriwal made a similar promise for the people in Delhi. "Is Delhi not in the country," he asked.Shah said the Modi government will work to provide mineral-quality piped water to the people.Delhi goes to polls on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 11.He said Kejriwal had stated that he will not take government facilities but he is staying in an official bungalow. (ANI) Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today received the delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Stef Blok, who is in Armenia on an official visit, reports the news service of the Government of Armenia. The Prime Minister welcomed Bloks visit to Armenia and expressed confidence that it will give a new impulse to further development and expansion of the relations between Armenia and the Netherlands. Attaching importance to the organizing of reciprocal visits of high-ranking officials, the Prime Minister added that this year he is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Netherlands which will be the first visit of Armenias head of state to the Netherlands since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Pashinyan welcomed the ratification of the Armenia-European Union Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement by the Parliament of the Netherlands, which is of great significance for expanding the relations with European partners and the joint programs. Expressing gratitude for the cordial reception, Stef Blok stated that the democratic processes and reforms in Armenia are clear to see and emphasized that his countrys government is also ready to contribute to the effective implementation of those processes and reforms through mutual cooperation. The foreign minister viewed cooperation in economy as prospective and expressed certainty that Prime Minister Pashinyans visit to the Netherlands will also help enrich and expand the agenda of bilateral relations. During the meeting, the interlocutors also exchanged views on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and regional issues. Photo: Joshua Ness/Unsplash There's a little something for everyone coming up on the events calendar this week. From a creative speaker series to a concert, here's a lineup of options to help you get social around town. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Coffee With Creatives From the event description: Coffee With Creatives is a recurring series of speakers, hosting discussions loaded with career scaling insights and expertise a connection point for collaboration and innovation. When: Wednesday, Jan. 22, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Where: Angad Arts Hotel, 3550 Samuel Shepard Drive, Grand Ballroom, Floor 2 Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Healthcare CIO Forum 2020: State of Healthcare IT From the event description: The Midwest Chapter of HIMSS brings together Healthcare CIOs to provide an insightful look into the state of Healthcare IT and what they see in the future to drive disruptive innovation to Healthcare delivery systems. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Where: Saint Louis University, Allied Health Building, Doisy College of Health Sciences Multipurpose Room, 3rd Floor, 3437 Caroline St. Admission: Free-$30 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets KNOW US: Stories of St. Louis Students Finding Their Way From the event description: The exhibit invites the community to get to know nine recent students in the context of the organizations mission and history. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 6-8 p.m. Where: Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Magic In The Lou From the event description: Come and see what the buzz is all about! When: Friday, Jan. 24, 6-9:30 p.m. Where: The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave. Admission: $10 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Dre'Co Presents Why Not?...The Tour Story continues From the event description: This time he looks to bring special guests to round out the experience where fans can expect new music, giveaways and a vibe unlike no other! When: Friday, Jan. 24, 7-11 p.m. Where: 20 N Grand Blvd, 20 N. Grand Blvd. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A loaded gun and drugs proved a bad combination for a Clifton man. Shikeem Daymon, 25, will spend two years behind bars after being sentenced Wednesday in separate cases. Daymon was first busted on June 12, 2018, during a raid of his Park Hill Avenue apartment, said a criminal complaint. Cops found a loaded Taurus semiautomatic handgun in a backpack in a closet, the complaint said. Officers also recovered two plastic bags of heroin in a pair of sweatpants near Daymons bed, said the complaint. The defendant was indicted on charges of criminal weapon possession, criminal firearm possession and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Daymon was free on $7,500 bond in the case when he was accused of selling cocaine on three occasions to undercover cops between Sept. 26 and Oct. 9 of 2018. The deals occurred in Concord and Clifton, said a second criminal complaint. Daymon was charged with criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Last October, he pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession to resolve the original case. He also pleaded guilty then to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance to satisfy charges in the second case. In exchange, Daymon was sentenced Wednesday to consecutive one-year terms behind bars. Attorney Mark Geisser represented the defendant. The stock analysts at Goldman Sachs have been busy. The bank one of the worlds largest and most influential investment and financial services organizations, with alumni in government positions throughout the major Western nations maintains a cadre of Wall Street experts, who keep close tabs on the constant shiftings of the stock markets. The result is a wealth of expert opinion, backed by data, on the current go-to investments. All of this is bread and butter for TipRanks, a platform that makes financial recommendations accountable, and expensive institutional datasets available, to all investors. Weve pulled up three of Goldmans recent tech sector stock picks, and run them through TipRanks' Stock Screener tool to confirm that Goldman is in the majority on Wall Street in recommending these equities. So, here are the results. Three tech stocks that usually fly under the radar but Goldman sees them all with more than 15% upside potential in the coming year. GSX Techedu, Inc. (GSX) First on our list is an education-related tech stock from China. GSX is a software company, providing educational packages for after-school tutoring. The company is a leader in the K-12, large-class, after-school market in China, an important segment in a culture that puts a premium on education. A combination of factors worked to push GSX shares sharply upward in December as much as 24%. Whiles Chinas overall economic growth has been slowing in recent years, and the trade tensions with the US have put pressures on most sectors of the Chinese economy, Chinese parents still put a premium on giving their kids the best possible education. That cultural imperative helped insulate GSX, and the company showed a tremendous 460% year-over-year revenue gain in Q3, posting 557 million yuan in sales approximately $80 million in US currency. Total student enrollment rose by 240%, to 820,000. When news broke of the Phase 1 trade agreement between the US and Chinese governments last month, however, Chinese markets experienced a broad rally and that included GSX. Investors were suddenly bullish after the trade agreement was announced and the signing was scheduled, and more willing to invest and a company with GSXs proven recent growth was sure to attract plenty of investor attention. Story continues Goldmans Christine Cho reviewed GSX, and outlined the major advantages of the stock for investors. First, regarding the educational market generally in China, she wrote, We expect online AST penetration will grow from 15% of the total AST market to 41% over the same period, as we believe online AST courses have a wider reach given their scalability, lack of physical constraints and better affordability And, looking at GSX specifically, Cho laid out her firms line: We believe its competitive moat lies in its technology DNA and ROI mindset, scalable business model via well-managed star teachers, and best-in-class operating efciency Cho initiated coverage of this stock for Goldman, giving it a Buy rating and setting an aggressive price target of $45. Her target indicates confidence in an upside potential of 28% for the next 12 months. (To watch Chos track record, click here) Overall, investors and analysts are bullish on this stock. The price run-up in December pushed the share price to $35.25, well above the consensus price target. However, Chos new coverage, with her higher target, indicate the potential available in GSX shares. (See GSX stock analysis at TipRanks) Avaya Holdings Corporation (AVYA) The next two stock on our list are related, operating in the same sector and, more importantly, having just entered a strategic partnership. First up is Avaya Holdings, a holding company whose main subsidiary, Avaya, Inc., provides software in the business communication and collaboration niche. Avayas products offer services to unify communications, contact centers, and real-time video systems. Business communications is an essential niche; no company can do without an efficient system for managing its analog, digital, and online communications. Avaya has ridden that need, and put up strong revenue numbers from filling it. In Q4 of fiscal 2019, reported in November, the company showed $723 million in quarterly revenues, and $2.89 billion in annual revenues. These numbers reflect GAAP figures, and the annual total shows a 1.4% year-over-year gain. The companys cash on hand has shown steady increases in the past year, and stands at $752 million. During the quarter, Avaya announced a partnership with RingCentral (more below), through which Ring will become Avayas sole provider of UCaaS solutions. In addition, Ring committed to paying $500 million to Avaya in return for stock shares and licensing rights. The move brings Avayas services and migration capabilities into combination with Rings UCaaS platform, for both companies benefit. Goldman Sachs sees plenty of reason for optimism in Avayas current situation. Writing for the firm, 4-star analyst Rod Hall says, We believe the economics of the announced RingCentral deal are likely to drive Avayas revenue and protability above consensus expectations In our central case, we estimate that ACO conversions could add ~$28m in revenue to Avaya in the rst full year of its availability Hall puts a Buy rating on AVYA shares and his price target of $18 suggests an upside of 28% for stock. (To watch Halls track record, click here) Shares in AVYA are priced at $14, and the average target of $16.25 suggests room for 16% growth in the coming year. The Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating is based on 6 reviews, including 4 Buys and 2 Holds. (See Avaya stock analysis at TipRanks) RingCentral, Inc. (RNG) Third on our list is Avayas new partner, RingCentral. RNG brings cloud computing to the realm of business communications, with software packages combining two staples of the modern office: telephone and computer systems. RingCentral Office, the companys flagship product, is sync-compatible with popular business applications like Salesforce, Outlook, Google Docs, and DropBox, plus it provides RNGs unique features in call forwarding, multiple telephone extensions, video conferencing, and screen sharing. RingCentrals strong product, solving real problems and improving business efficiencies, has brought the company equally strong profits. Revenues and earnings were both up in Q3 2019, the most recent reported. EPS, at 22 cents, was up 15% year-over-year, and beat the forecast by 15%. Revenues came in at $222 million, showing an impressive 34% year-over-year growth. Strong profits and earnings, in turn, powered RNGs share appreciation the stock gained 108% in 2019. Heather Bellini, 5-star analyst with Goldman, was impressed enough by RNGs performance to upgrade the stock from Neutral to Buy, while setting a $230 price target. Her target suggests a about 15% upside to the stock. In her comments, Bellini noted RNGs fast-paced growth, and recent AVYA partnerships potential to drive further growth. She writes, We see continued runway for outperformance driven by secular growth from UCaaS adoption, enterprise traction, and continued evolution in the companies go-to-market strategy, most notably RingCentrals recently announced partnership with Avaya. (To watch Bellinis track record, click here) RNG holds a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus, with 14 Buy ratings and just a single Hold. Shares are priced high, at $197.75, reflecting the stocks recent gains. The average price target is $201.36, implying a 2% upside for the stock but as cited above, Goldman analyst sees a 15% upside ahead for RingCentral. (See RingCentral stock analysis at TipRanks) Leading automobile manufacturer Tata Motors is hopeful of liquidating inventory of its BS-IV cars by end of the current fiscal, as new emission norms will come into force from April 1, a company official said on Thursday. Presently, the inventory of BS-IV cars which the dealers across the country are holding is around 7,500 units, he said. "We hope to liquidate the entire inventory of BS-IV cars which dealers are holding is around 7,500 units by March 31,2020," Tata Motors' zonal manager (East) Reetesh Vashist said. From April 1, 2020, the automobile sector will have to comply with BS-VI fuel norms. During the first half of the current fiscal, there has been a de-growth in the industry to the extent of 27 per cent to 30 per cent, Vashist said. "In the last quarter of this fiscal, we see the industry is reviving and sentiments are improving", he said. With diesel prices almost converging with that of petrol, the industry is seeing a shift in the manufacturing dynamics, Tata Motor's vice president (Global design) Pratap Bose said. Speaking at the launch of premium hatchback 'Altroz' here, Bose said 70 per cent of the cars manufactured in the country is of petrol variants while the rest are diesel-run. "Two models of the company in the small car segment are not available in diesel variants," Bose said. But diesel still has a future particularly in the SUV and mid-sized segments, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Human rights experts from the United Nations said in a news release regarding an alleged hacking of the phone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and owner of. Some believe that the hacking of Bezos phone could be related to the 2018 killing ofjournalist, Jamal Khashoggi, whose death was linked to the crown prince. Saudi Arabia has denied responsibility for hacking Jeff Bezos phone. ( NPR January 22, 2020) Ed Balls revealed how he had a 'very invasive' non-surgical bum lift while discussing politics with an Italian social media star. The former Labour politician , 52, from Norwich, met social media sensation Valeria Marini, 52, Rome during his latest show 'Travels in Euroland' and was convinced by her to attempt a 'trimming' procedure on his buttocks. Appearing on Loose Women today, he told how the treatment left him squealing in pain and said he 'didn't dare look' to see what tools the 'very strong woman' was using on him. The show sees Ed head to Europe to discover why so many people are rejecting mainstream politics and on his travels the former politician meets voters behind this populist revolution. Ed Balls (pictured left) revealed how he had a 'very invasive' non-surgical bum lift while discussing politics with an Italian social media star Valeria Marini (pictured right) he former Labour politician , 52, Norwich, appeared on Loose Women today where he told how the treatment left him squealing in pain He began to explain: 'The bum lift, you can't understand unless you listen and if the public don't think you're listening'. After going on to explain how he tries his hardest in the show to discover the underlying reasons for individuals political extremism, he quickly teased by Stacey Solomon him about 'brushing past the bum lift question'. He went on to explain: 'In Italy, I went to meet this amazing social media star called Valeria Marini. 'Valeria, if we walk hundreds of people gather round and she's filming on Facebook live all the time, and then she says to me: "There's one other thing Id like to show you, we do this every week". Ed told the panelists he 'didn't dare look' to see what tools the 'very strong woman' was using on him Italian social media star Valeria, 52, Rome, has nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram 'We go to her gym massage room and we have an intensive buttocks massage, which she says is trimming.' While undergoing the procedure, Balls asked Valeria why she's a fan of Italian populist and anti-immigrant politician Matteo Salvini. He recalled: 'We have a conversation about politics and I said, "Valeria what do you want out of Salvini?". 'She's saying "I want a man whose strong", and at the same time I'm going "oooh", because there's a very strong woman, doing things to me. I mean, it was invasive. 'I didn't dare look to see what they were doing or what they were using.' Bum-enhancing procedures are on the up, with many variations of the procedure available, and while some include using dermal fillers to enhance curves others use a range of other body sculpting technologies. Ed told how he was convinced by the star to attempt a 'trimming' procedure on his buttocks The first leg of Eds journey , which will air tonight on BBC2, takes him to Holland 's fishing towns of Den Helder and Scheveningen where he meets with two fishermen, Dirk and Willem. Dirk takes Ed out for a day of trawler fishing as Ed hears how the impact of EU law around fishing practices has affected their business. Ed then heads North, to Ede, where he meets with Black Pete actor and entertainer. Harold Veerwoert Black Pete involves the Dutch daubing themselves in black paint to portray the helper of a Santa Claus-like figure called Sinterklaas. Later on in the documentary, Eds journey takes him to Spain where far-right populism is relatively new. In Andalucia, Ed spends time with a famed local matador and his family to try to understand the communities who defend bullfighting. This comes after the Vox Party, the first far right party since the days of Franco to win seats in the parliament, pledged to stand up for the controversial practice of bullfighting. The program started with "Power Hour: Investors and Ukraine's Decision Makers Discuss What it Takes to Attract New Investors to Ukraine." Yulia Kovaliv, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said the government is set to introduce a range of new measures to attract foreign investment, including a five-year tax holiday for those investing more than $10 million in privatization of state-owned enterprises. Vladyslav Kryklii, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, said that in 2020, the government is considering plans to place three to four additional seaports and ten railway stations under concession. John M. Beck, Founder and Chairman of Aecon Group Inc., said: "The new government of Ukraine is doing all it takes to attract investors. We are very interested in Ukraine's investment opportunities and will open discussions with the government very soon." The first panel of the afternoon was an engaging discussion under the title "Leadership Character for Corporate Growth and Social Impact (in a Disruptive World)," featuring high-profile tech talents and business leaders. The panel was sponsored by First Generation Capital Inc. Naftogaz Group and FEOGI sponsored "Ukraine as a Cornerstone: Creating an Integrated Gas Market in Europe," a discussion moderated by Dr Aura Sabadus, Senior Journalist at ICIS, who talked with prominent leaders in the gas industry and top officials about Ukraine's winning value proposition vis-a-vis a secure and prosperous European energy market. Andriy Kobolyev, CEO, Naftogaz of Ukraine, said: "At least 10 billion cubic meters of gas now can be stored in Ukraine to the benefit of the EU, creating more security. On top of that, we expect that excessive supply to the European gas market will result in lower margins, thus creating more profit for Ukraine." "Tech Founders Share their Stories of Success," a panel hosted by Horizon Capital and UVCA, featured tech discussions and insightful personal stories by some of the world's most dynamic tech innovators and change-makers. Speakers agreed that passion, hard work, and working towards improving the lives of others were all critical to success. The next panel, "Innovation Begins with Education: Fostering the Next Generation of Trailblazers," focused on the impact of innovative education as part of a new global tech paradigm. This panel was sponsored by UNIT.City. Following the conclusion of the day's panels, Ukraine House Davos became the venue for an evening of cultural diplomacy, kicking off with a spectacular fashion show hosted by Oksana Karavanska. Later in the evening, Ukraine House Davos hosted "Movers-and-Shakers New Ukraine," attended by leading figures from Ukraine's government, businesses, and NGOs, which included a thrilling performance by Ruslana, Eurovision winner and green energy advocate. Follow the event via social media on #ukrainehousedavos and at: Twitter: @UAHouseDavos Facebook: @ukrainehousedavos Instagram: @Ukraine.House.Davos LinkedIn: UkraineHouseDavos YouTube: ukrainehousedavos About Ukraine House Davos Ukraine House Davos Organizing Committee is led by five women who volunteer their efforts to launch this event: Olga Afanasyeva , Executive Director of Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA) , Executive Director of Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA) Jaroslawa Johnson , President and CEO of Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) , President and CEO of Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) Svitlana Grytsenko of Victor Pinchuk Foundation of Victor Pinchuk Foundation Lenna Koszarny , Founding Partner and CEO of Horizon Capital, and, , Founding Partner and CEO of Horizon Capital, and, Alexa Chopivsky , Executive Director of Ukraine House Davos Ukraine House Davos is made possible by the generous commitment of its sponsors. Ukraine House Davos is supported by the National Investment Council of Ukraine, UkraineInvest, Ukrainian World Congress, Atlantic Council, Reputation Institute. Media Partners include: NV, Liga.net, Ekonomichna Pravda, Ukraine Business News www.ukrainehousedavos.com SOURCE Ukraine House Davos Related Links https://www.ukrainehousedavos.com MANILA, Philippines Filipino Immigration officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have recently barred a Mongolian woman and a Briton from entering the Philippines. Bureau of Immigration port operations division chief Grifton Medina said they barred the entry of a Mongolian woman who is wanted for beating her husband, and is a suspected terrorist from the United Kingdom. The Mongolian woman, identified as 33-year old Unurjargal Altantsetseg, was intercepted last Friday upon her arrival at the Mactan, Cebu International Airport from Incheon, South Korea. Medina said the woman is a subject of a red notice issued by the Interpol in April 2019 due to a case of assault and maltreatment that was lodged against her before a court in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. He added the battery case stemmed from an incident that happened on March 9, 2019, wherein Altantsetseg allegedly beat her husband during an argument, which resulted in the victim becoming blind and sustaining serious physical injuries. Meanwhile, Medina said that a 51-year-old Briton was denied entry last week at the NAIA Terminal 3 after they received information regarding the unidentified Britons alleged terrorist links. Intelligence information received from foreign counterparts described him as being associated with a known terrorist group or being involved in terrorist activity, thus he was included in our alert list, Medina said. Both passengers were issued exclusion orders and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin. The post PH immigration denies entry to Mongolian, Briton at NAIA appeared first on UNTV News. Erin Barnett had to eat impala anus during a food trial on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! On Thursday, the former Love Island star was forthright about what it tasted like. Speaking on The Project, Lisa Wilkinson asked the 24-year-old: 'Are you prepared to answer the question, "What does anus taste like?" for the rest of your career?' 'As expected!' Former Love Island star Erin Barnett (pictured) did not hold back when asked about what impala anus tasted like on The Project on Thursday 'I am prepared... and it tastes like sh**, as expected,' she said. Erin opted to taste the delicacy during a food trial challenge alongside entertainer Rhonda Burchmore and reality TV star Charlotte Crosby. The blonde bombshell was the fourth celebrity to be eliminated from the show on Wednesday. During her exit interview, Erin also revealed why she chose to raise money and funds for charity Endometriosis Australia while in the South African jungle. Nasty! After her elimination on Wednesday night the blonde beauty told The Project's Lisa Wilkinson that impala anus 'tastes like sh**, as expected' 'It's the greatest charity in the world,' she said. 'They raise awareness, raise money. I also suffer from endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. 'Even if you don't know what it is, Google it. Start the topic and just start talking.' Endometriosis is a disorder where tissue that is similar to the tissue that lines one's uterus, grows outside of the uterus. Local delicacy: Erin opted to taste the delicacy during a food trial challenge Challenge accepted: She got a taste of anus impala during a food trial challenge with Rhonda and Charlotte (left) during her time on I'm A Celebrity For a good cause: During her exit interview, Erin also revealed why she chose to raise money and funds for charity Endometriosis Australia while in the South African jungle When the ovaries are involved, cysts may form. Endometriosis can cause pain and even lead to infertility. Erin also revealed her top three picks for jungle king or queen in her exit interview with hosts Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris. 'My top three are Rhonda, Miguel [Maestre], Charlotte,' Erin said. 'But Rhonda, she would look great with a crown on her head. She would. It would just suit her really well.' I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues Sunday at 7.30pm on 10 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are intending to pay for their own security costs in a model similar to that used by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to reimburse the taxpayer for protection provided on business engagements with no royal connection, sources claim. The arrangement would be like one put in place by ex PM Blair, who has earned millions travelling the world brokering business deals since he left No 10, the The Daily Telegraph reports. The couple are currently on Vancouver Island preparing to forge a new life for themselves and their eight-month-old son, Archie, after stepping back from royal duties. So far it has been unclear who would foot the bill for the family's taxpayer-funded security arrangements when they officially leave the monarchy in the spring. Politicians in Canada say taxpayers in the country should not have to pay - while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far refused to say who would be pick up the tab for protecting the couple. Harry and Meghan are on Vancouver Island preparing to forge a new life for themselves and their eight-month-old son, Archie, after stepping back from royal duties The couple are going to emulate the security arrangements of former Prime Minister Tony Blair Harry leaves his plane at Victoria International Airport after taking a commercial flight from Vancouver flanked by two bodyguards Now, a source close to the couple has told the Telegraph that they will look to pay back the taxpayer for security provided on commercial arrangements. The source said: 'Tony Blair reimburses at least part of his security costs on commercial trips. 'There is an arrangement for that in place. Harry and Meghan intend to do the same for private trips.' It comes as more than 80,000 Canadians have signed a petition, started by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, demanding that Prince Harry and Meghan foot the bill for their security detail while they are in the country. Laurel Collins, the MP for Victoria where Harry and Meghan are staying, said taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the Sussexes' security. It has been speculated that the bill could be shared in a 'cost sharing' deal between the UK and Canada. However, such an arrangement would be opposed by Ms Collins, who said: 'Yes, I hope that they're planning on covering their security costs. 'When it comes to the money our government spends and taxpayer money it's important that we put this into context and think about our priorities. 'That we're prioritising making life more affordable for people, that we're prioritising protecting our environment and that we're spending our tax dollars on the things that really matter to Canadians.' Alexandre Boulerice MP, deputy leader of the New Democratic Party, said: 'If they want to come and live in Canada, they are more than welcome, but they have to fulfil their responsibility and assure their own security.' Laurel Collins, who is the MP for Victoria, where Harry and Meghan are staying, said that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the Sussexes security costs A petition was started by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation which called for 'no taxpayer support' for the couple The petition started by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation which called for 'no taxpayer support' for the couple, has gained more than 80,000 signatures in just six days. Aaron Wudrick, the group's director, said: 'Canadians are pleased to welcome the Duke and Duchess to Canada, but have made it crystal clear that taxpayers should not be forced to support them while they are living here. 'Our view is that Prime Minister Trudeau needs to respect the wishes of Canadians and make clear that while the Duke and Duchess are welcome in Canada, they must pay their own way!' Ms Collins added she wanted to focus on young families in the area, who 'might be struggling with the housing crisis or struggling with affordability'. She added: 'I want to make sure we are thinking about our priorities.' According to a poll by the Angus Reid Institute, 73 per cent of Canadians believe that the country shouldn't have to foot the couple's security bill if they end up living there permanently. Hours later Harry landed on a BA flight to Vancouver Int (left). Harry flew on to Victoria airport on a smaller plane and smiled as he arrived having been away from his wife and son for almost two weeks Security for the royal family as a whole costs the taxpayer in excess of an estimated 100 million a year, but the actual figure is never disclosed. Harry and Meghan will earn their own money when they step back fully from royal life. They had initially hoped for a dual role, supporting the Queen, the Commonwealth and Harry's military associations. However, the idea was deemed unworkable. The Prince of Wales will offer some private financial support to Harry and Meghan but it is not known if this will come from his 21 million a year Duchy of Cornwall income or other private funds. Harry joined Meghan and Archie in Canada on Monday night as they prepare to live a more private life. There appeared to be a subdued response to the new arrivals, with one local business owner saying the people of Vancouver Island are a lot more laid back than their British counterparts. Vancouver Island, an area known for its outstanding natural beauty, is off Canada's west coast and is part of the province of British Columbia. British police bodyguards are guarding Meghan, Harry and Archie in Vancouver but have been partnered with 'Mounties' as the row over who will pay the multi-million pound annual bill rumbles on, MailOnline revealed yeserday. A smiling Meghan was pictured walking through a forest with Archie and her two dogs earlier this week, trailed by one of her regular British security men, who was accompanied by a Canadian counterpart. The Duke of Sussex, who landed in the country on Monday, has travelled across the Atlantic by at least two Met close protection officers earning more than 100,000-a-year, not including overtime or expenses. Scotland Yard has said they 'never comment on personal protection matters' - while The Royal Canadian Mounted Police haven't commented either as experts claimed the cost of protecting the Sussexes abroad could be between 3million and 6million. A security source told MailOnline today: 'Meghan is being guarded by her long-term British police bodyguard who has been paired with a Canadian Mountie. Harry flew in with Met officers last night. This is likely to be the arrangement for the Sussexes going forward until the deal over who pays is thrashed out'. There is fury in both Britain and Canada that taxpayers could be forced to pay for the Sussexes' bodyguards despite - with a 'cost-sharing' deal between the two countries being predicted. An insider has said that the Sussexes probably have a team of six police protecting them 24/7 at their Vancouver mansion three from the UK and three from Canada. The source said: 'While British royal protection officers can carry arms in Canada they will be working closely with their Canadian colleagues to ensure the best possible security.' Mounties were stationed outside Meghan's house in Toronto when she began dating the Duke in 2016 and already protect Canada's Governor General, the Queen's representative in the country. Who pays for Meghan and Harry's lifestyle, where does their cash come from and how much could they make in North America? Home Office The government department covers Harry, Meghan and Archie's 24/7 Met police security - estimated at 600,000-a-year. With overtime, travel and accommodation expenses this would likely reach 1million. However experts have said that this could reach 3million to 6million - with British taxpayers expected to pick up some or all of the bill despite the couple living in Canada. The details have not yet been agreed but sources expect the Home Office to pick up some or all of the bill when their royal duties end in the spring. Prince Charles Harry receives up to 2.3million annually from his father's royal estate, the Duchy of Cornwall. It is understood that Charles will continue to fund his son for the first year at least, either via the Duchy of Cornwall, the estate which provides him with private funding, or more likely from his own personal investments from income such as his bequest from the late Queen Mother. No public funds will be used. Personal wealth Harry inherited around 20million from his mother, Princess Diana, who died when he was 12. The Queen Mother also left him up to 7million. Much of his cash is tied up in trust funds with some of the money kept from him until his 40th birthday Meghan has a personal fortune of 4million, mainly from her acting work and property in Canada. Advertisement Experts have said The Royal Canadian Mounted Police would be obliged to do the same for her grandson, his wife and great-grandson, even if the family keeps British royal protection officers with them. Despite the Megxit deal being hammered out at the Sandringham summit hosted by the Queen this month, there are still a number of unanswered questions about who will fund the couple once they settle abroad - and how they will make money. There is a row brewing because the British taxpayer could pick up the couple's estimated 3million security bill because an American private firm would be 'woefully ill-equipped' to protect the high profile couple. Dai Davies, who led the Metropolitan Police's royalty protection unit, said: 'Ultimately I think the British public will still be paying for it. 'The private security firms simply cannot cope with the professional demands that protecting Harry and Meghan would put on them. 'By moving abroad they are making it harder to set up adequate protection.' Currently the Sussexes' bodyguards cost around 1million-a-year - but experts claim this could reach 3million if they spend most of their time in Canada. Some Canadians claim it could be 6million. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had intimated that his country would pick up some of the expense - but a poll of 1,154 Canadian adults found last week that 73 per cent do not want their government to pay for the couple's security costs. Canada covers royal security costs on official visits when Scotland Yard close protection teams also travel. Under the Canadian criminal code, an internationally protected person (IPP) who requires state-funded security is defined as 'a head of state' or member of their family. Meghan and Harry are expected to lose that IPP status under Canadian law now they are no longer full-time royals. But former Mountie officer, Larry Busch, who has also protected the royals, has predicted Canada would still have to agree to a 'cost-sharing' agreement with the UK even though the couple have lost their HRH. Mr Busch, who runs his own firm, Strategic Security, estimated that the couple would need a protection team of 24 RCMP officers at an annual cost of 1.2million. 'We don't want any of the royals injured or embarrassed while they are here so it behoves us to apply the proper level of security. 'Hollywood people get security provided by private companies. Politicians will get security provided by police officers and that would be the case here.' Scotland Yard has already had to nearly double its flight budget to cover the escalating cost of protecting the globe-trotting royals on official visits and holidays. Taxpayers faced a 4.6million bill for officers' flights in the year to March 31, 2019, almost double the 2.5million in 2016. The police already struggle to train enough specialist officers to cope with increasing royal security demands. Despite the Home Office recommending a 20 per cent rise in Scotland Yard bodyguards in 2017, the force said it had found it 'extremely difficult' to obtain the necessary training courses, adding that maintaining security has meant a 'reliance on overtime'. Asked about who would pay for their protection, Britain's justice minister Robert Buckland said there was an issue about how public money was spent. 'Quite clearly there have already been arrangements made about how that family are going to live and how they are going to be able to get private income but there clearly has to be a line of delineation,' he told Sky News. 'I think we all want a family like that to be safe, but at the same time I think what really needs to happen is they need to understand how their lifestyle is to adapt and what their needs might be.' Talking about the sad state of affairs in some government departments, the Bombay high court (HC) has directed the principal secretary of social justice department to speak to the chairman of the womens commission and ask her to demit the post so that a new chairman can be appointed. This comes after the women and child welfare, social justice and tribal welfare departments informed the HC that they were unable to get the chairman of the womens commission to demit her post despite her tenure coming to an end. Calling the situation shameful, the division bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and RI Chagla, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Vihar Durve seeking directions to the state to fill up vacant posts in the womens commission, said that it seemed the HC was saddled with the task of filling vacant posts and then getting them vacated too. Directing the additional government pleader to inform the concerned principal secretary to speak to the chairman, the bench said that it was not there to do the job of the departments. The court was informed that after the formation of the new government, the post of chairman had not been filled as the previous chairman had not demitted her post though her tenure ended with the governments term. We understand that the appointment of the previous chairman was a political one, and because she enjoys the patronage of a politician, neither the department nor the secretary is able to get her to demit office, said Dharmadhikari. Many organizations help provide food aid to refugees around the world. Next is the story of a man in Washington D.C. is using his grandmother's secret falafel recipe to do the same. VOAs Imron Jadoon reports. Affordable housing and better public services must be the next government's top priorities to make work life bearable for firms and staff, Chambers Ireland has said. Photo: Stock Image Affordable housing and better public services must be the next government's top priorities to make work life bearable for firms and staff, Chambers Ireland has said. "The new government must commit to efficient delivery of key infrastructure projects, from transport and housing to energy and water," CEO Ian Talbot told the Irish Independent ahead of the Chambers' publication of its election manifesto. The document - due for publication tomorrow - is understood to emphasise the need to fix quality-of-life and ease-of-business issues over tax reform. Mr Talbot said the next government must achieve long-term development goals. Ireland's competitive edge depends on this, he said. "Retaining the National Planning Framework and Climate Action Plan is critical to productivity and the sustainability of the economy," he said. Dublin Chamber, publishing its election manifesto today, similarly highlights better housing and transport as critical needs for Dublin - driver of 40pc of Ireland's economy - over the coming decade. It said 858,000 people work today in Dublin, including 140,000 commuters from eight surrounding counties. "Much of the city's existing infrastructure, whether it be water, energy or transport, is congested, outdated and struggling to meet demand," its manifesto said. "Regrettably, delivery has been an area in which successive governments have underperformed for decades." Radar Sensors Market by Type (Radar Detector, Radar Scrambling, Others), Range, Application, Region, Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2019 to 2026 New Jersey, NJ, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Radar Sensors market is expected to grow from USD 8.34 Billion in 2018 to USD 38.7 Billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 21.1% during the forecast period 2019-2026, according to the new report published by Fior Markets. Adoption of high-resolution radar imaging sensor and increasing use of sensor fusion technology are the two factors which may propel growth of the radar sensors market. Nowadays, technology has become more advanced and mainly focuses on security and safety needs in various applications such as vehicle collision assistance, industrial and public safety, and robotic assistance. Thus, radar sensors are used as they offer accuracy and provide unique safety and security solution capabilities with superior performance. These radar sensors enable low-power consumption, integrated data processing, small size, and faster response time. These features make radar sensors commercial in applications such as automotive, home automation, transportation, energy efficiency, industrial, and public safety. These factors will drive the growth of the market over the forecast period. A radar sensor is defined as an electronic device that detects the velocity and position of an object located at a distance such as an aircraft, ship, vehicle, or motorbike. Radar sensors senses electromagnetic emissions with the help of a super heterodyne receiver. It then informs the person in the vehicle when the transmission is identified. At present, the GPS technology is embedded into these sensors which enables the storage of locations prompted by the sensor when the user reaches their destination. The high development cost is restricting the growth of the radar sensor market. However, increased spending in the defense segment especially in developing countries and the emerging approach of a driverless car are factors expected to provide numerous growth opportunities in forthcoming years. Story continues DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/407157/request-sample Key players operating in the global Radar Sensors market include are NXP Semiconductors N.V., Delphi Automotive PLC, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Denso Corporation, Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Airbus Group, Infineon Technologies AG, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Autoliv Inc, and Raytheon Company among others. To enhance their market position in the global radar sensors market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint venture, collaborations, and partnership. For instance, In January, 2016, NXP Semiconductors N.V. introduced the smallest, single-chip 77GHz radar transceiver. Roughly the size of a postage stamp, the new NXP chip can be hidden practically anywhere in the car a great advantage for vehicle designers as the number of sensors steadily increases in the run-up to fully automated driving. In fact, working prototypes of the new NXP chip were field tested by Google engineers working on their self-driving cars project. In self-driving cars, a cocoon created by 10 to 20 tiny radar sensors all around the vehicle provides a high-resolution, 360-degree view of the environment. The radar detector segment is dominating the market with the highest share of 50.90% in 2018. The type segment is classified as radar detector, radar scrambling and others. The radar detector segment is dominating the market and valued around USD 4.24 Billion in 2018. A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to detect if their speed is being monitored by police or law enforcement using a radar gun. Most radar detectors are used so the driver can reduce the car's speed before being ticketed for speeding. The long-range radar segment is dominating the market and valued around USD 3.94 Billion in 2018. The range segment is divided into segments such as short-range radar, mid-range radar, long-range radar, and others. The long-range radar segment is dominating the market and valued around USD 3.94 Billion in 2018 due to their employment in weapon control systems, air mapping systems, marine radar systems, and surveillance systems. The automotive segment is dominating the market with the highest share of 30.10% in 2018. Application segment includes automotive, weather monitoring, security and surveillance, industrial, aerospace and defense and others. The automotive segment is dominating the market with the highest share of 30.10% in 2018. Automotive applications use bands for the lane change assist (LCA), adaptive cruise control (ACC), collision mitigation (CM), and blind spot detection (BSD). Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/radar-sensors-market-by-type-radar-detector-radar-407157.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Radar Sensors Market North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) North America region dominated the global radar sensors market with USD 3.43 Billion in 2018 where as the Asia Pacific rapidly growing region in the market. North America is dominating the market due to the technological improvement, rise in adoption of radar sensors, growing safety feature systems in the vehicles and the strong presence of key market players. Asia Pacific is a rapidly growing region due to the rising focus on safety and security features in the automobile sector in China, India, and Japan. About the report: The global Radar Sensors market is analysed on the basis of value (USD billion). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=407157&type=single Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. In addition, our syndicated research reports offer a packaged guide to keep companies abreast of the upcoming major restyle in their domains. Fior Markets facilitates clients with research analysis that are customized to their exact requirements, specifications and challenges, whether it is comprehensive desk research, survey work, composition of multiple methods, in-detailed interviewing or competitive intelligence. Our research experts are experienced in matching the exact personnel and methodology to your business need. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://www.magnifierresearch.com Related Reports Global Asset Integrity Management Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-asset-integrity-management-market-by-service-type-362184.html Global Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-atomic-layer-deposition-ald-market-by-type-362185.html Global Automated Test Equipment Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automated-test-equipment-market-by-component-industrial-362186.html Global Automatic Lubrication System Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automatic-lubrication-system-market-by-lubrication-type-362187.html On January 16, Bangladesh Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mahbub Alam Talukder declared that Bhasan Char, a small island in the Bay of Bengal, was ready for habitation, and had everything in place to accommodate 100,000 Rohingya refugees. Around 700,000 Rohingyas fled Burma, or Myanmar, following genocidal repression by the Burmese army in August 2017. Together with those who previously fled Burma, there are more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, most living in makeshift dwellings in overcrowded camps without clean water and proper sanitation. Mother and child in Coxs Bazar refugee camp [Credit: John Hulme] While Commissioner Talukder claimed the island was ready for habitation, the isolated and previously uninhabited island, which emerged from the Bay of Bengals muddy waters about two decades ago, is physically unstable and prone to cyclones. Domestic and international human rights organisations have questioned the suitability of the government plan. Irrespective of the truth of the governments claims, any accommodation and infrastructure facilities that may exist on the island will be grossly inadequate and prison-like. Prime Minister Sheik Hasinas Awami League-led government has banned foreign journalists from visiting the island, and not announced when the Rohingya refugees will be sent there. So far, only 3,500 have agreed to move. Children outside their home [Credit: John Hulme] More than 610,000 refugees are currently living in grossly congested camps, surrounded by barbed-wire fences, on Coxs Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, about 350 kilometres from Dhaka. Refugees are banned from leaving the camps and the government has installed checkpoints on nearby roads. Dhaka has launched a crackdown inside the camps, shutting down shops run by refugees, blocking internet services, confiscating mobile phones and imposing a daily 8 p.m. curfew. In addition, government authorities have warned employers not to hire Rohingya refugees, many of whom attempt to earn a living as casual porters, night guards and construction labourers. Over 40 non-government organisations, which do most of the refugee relief work for the poverty-stricken refugees, have been suspended by the government on various pretexts. These brutal measures, which are designed to force the Rohingyas onto Bashan Char or leave Bangladesh, were stepped up after governments attempts to repatriate Rohingya refugeesthat is force them back into Burmafailed again last August. Communal water supplies in camp [Credit: John Hulme] The Bangladeshi government does not recognise the Rohingyas as refugees, the vast majority of whom are women and children. It defines them as forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. Facing this worsening situation and in fear of forcible relocation, some Rohingyas have attempted to flee Bangladesh. Last month, the Burmese navy seized some 200 refugees, including 69 women and 22 children, as they were trying to reach Malaysia or Indonesia. Over 500,000 Rohingya children in the Bangladeshi camps cannot attended public schools and are barred any access to formal education. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and its partners teach Burmese, English, mathematics and life-skills to about 145,000 Rohingya children, aged 4 to 14, for two hours daily at some 1,600 learning centres inside the refugee camps. There are no educational facilities in the camps, however, for young people aged 15 to 18. Some children, mostly boys, receive religious education from Islamic religious institutions or madrasas. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report in December stated that only ad hoc classes were allowed for refugee children and warned about a lost generation of young men, who were vulnerable to criminal gangs. HRW said the situation was worse for girls outside the camps, who were being preyed upon by human traffickers who falsely promise jobs and forcing some into prostitution. Even in the camps, the girls faced the prospect of sexual abuse and child marriages. Rohingya refugee children have been watching their chance for an education and a better future evaporate, and two years on there is still not even a plan to enroll them in schools, HRWs associate childrens rights director Bill Van Esveld told the media on December 3. Rohingya people have said this to me: If the kids have no access to a better future if they have no access to education, what are the alternatives? Despair, which leads to being prey to human trafficking criminality, and being prey to radicalisation, Van Esveld added. Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, in line with her governments anti-Rohingya refugee rhetoric, told the Dhaka Global Dialogue 2019 last November that the Rohingyas are not only a threat to Bangladesh but also to regional security. Rohingyas are not the only Muslim refugees in Bangladesh living in appalling conditions in violation of their basic democratic rights. There are also the Bihar Muslims or the stranded Pakistanis who fled the eastern Indian state of Bihar during the 1947 partition of the former British-ruled Indian sub-continent. Confronted with rising anti-Muslim pogroms in Hindu India, they escaped into East Pakistan, later to become Bangladesh. The poverty-stricken Bihar Muslims, who speak Urdu instead of Bengali, are poorer and less educated, working as mill workers and small shopkeepers. The Bangladeshi governments persecution of refugees is part of a global phenomenon. Under conditions of an intensifying world crisis of capitalism, the ruling elites in every country attempt to divide the working class by vilifying oppressed minorities and whipping up communalism to divert attention from the failure of the profit system. Whilst these repressive measures are directed against refugees, they are aimed against all working people and can be stopped only by a unified international and socialist movement of the working class to overthrow capitalism. The author also recommends: The global war on refugees [3 July 2019] Bangladesh warns UN officials over Rohingya refugees [26 September 2019] French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery. (Photo courtesy of the Embassy of France in Vietnam) The diplomat revealed his plan for Vietnams longest and most important festival joining his family in a walk around the Hoan Kiem lake in the heart of the city and the nearby ancient quarters. Back to the country in September last year, 12 years after his first mission in Vietnam as the French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Nicolas said he saw many changes here. On the France Vietnam cooperation plan for the time to come, the diplomat said in the next 5 years, the French Development Agency will earmark 1 billion EUR for activities in Vietnam, describing cooperation projects with Hanoi as a focus in the cooperative relations between the two countries. He expressed his wish to go along with Vietnam in dealing with coastal erosion in the Red River delta and the Mekong River delta, highlighting that French companies are joining their Vietnamese partners in transport, energy and clean water supply projects. About Vietnams role as the ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, the diplomat described this as very important for the country. Vietnam supports multilateralism, UN structures and international law, and those are the values that France totally supports, he said. As a permanent member of the UNSC, France is ready to closely cooperate with Vietnam in its 2020-2021 term, and hopes to have a more active role to play in ASEAN, the ambassador concluded. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Mar. 23, 2018 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 26 points The Dow fell 26.18 points, or 0.09% to end the day at 29,160.09. The S&P 500 climbed 0.11% to 3,325.54. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.20% to 9,402.48. Stocks closed well off their session lows as worries over the deadly coronavirus eased. WHO: Too early to declare health emergency The World Health Organization addressed the coronavirus outbreak saying it was a "bit too early to consider this event is a public health emergency of international concern." The major averages traded well off their lows on the back of that statement. However, the major averages failed to post substantial gains as the corporate earnings season continued. NBCUniversal-parent Comcast and Travelers posted better-than-expected results, but their stocks closed lower. Further confirmation that the coronavirus situation is not as critical as feared will keep stocks near record levels. American Airlines and United Airlines rise Shares of American and United airlines gained 5.42% and 1.85%, respectively, on the back of the WHO's comments regarding the coronavirus. Biotechnology companies Gilead Sciences and Inovio Pharmaceuticals also gained 0.80% and 11.63%, respectively. What happens next? SPARKS, Nev. Joseph R. Biden Jr. called an octogenarian voter a damn liar and challenged him to a push-up contest. He dismissed a heckler as an idiot. He commanded the news media to focus on President Trump instead of the overseas business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, demanding of one reporter, Ask the right question! For months now, Mr. Biden has been confronted on the campaign trail with questions, attacks and misinformation concerning his son encounters that have taken on a dramatic feel, given the uncertainty of how Mr. Biden will respond. As he began to address the crowd in a high school gym in Sparks this month, a group of protesters held up letters spelling out a taunt that Mr. Trump uses regularly: Wheres Hunter? Mr. Biden responded by saying his son sends his best regards. As the Senate impeachment trial of the president continues this week, there is renewed focus in Washington on Hunter Biden, who held a seat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company at a time when his father was vice president and handling diplomacy with the country. And Mr. Biden is no longer just dealing with questions about his son from hecklers: On Wednesday, he rejected the suggestion that he and his son testify in the trial in a swap for the testimony of current or former Trump administration officials, an idea raised by an attendee at an Iowa campaign event that has been dismissed by congressional Democrats. This is a constitutional issue, and were not going to turn it into a farce, into some kind of political theater, Mr. Biden said. Finnish English Notice is given to the shareholders of Valoe Corporation to an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 17 February 2020 at 14:00 (Finnish time) at the companys headquarters at Insinoorinkatu 5, 50150 Mikkeli, Finland. The reception of persons who have registered for the meeting and the distribution of voting tickets will commence at 13:30 (Finnish time). A. Matters on the agenda of the General Meeting At the General Meeting, the following matters will be considered: 1. Opening of the meeting 2. Calling the meeting to order 3. Election of persons to scrutinize the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes 4. Recording the legality of the meeting 5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes 6. Change of the responsible auditor following the previous responsible auditor taking up a new position; and change of the business ID due to the merger in the accountant firm The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting, that Auditus Tilintarkastus Oy (business identity number 0727888-1) will be elected as the companys auditor and Mikko Riihenmaki, Authorized Public Accountant, as the responsible auditor. The companys previous responsible auditor Heidi Pirttijoki, Authorized Public Accountant, has announced that she will take up a new position and is unable to act as the companys auditor. It is also announced that due to a transaction at Auditus Tilintarkastus Oy the business identity number of the accountant firm responsible for the companys audit has changed and is now 0727888-1. For further information on Auditus Tilintarkastus Oy please see www.auditus.fi . 7. Closing of the meeting B. Documents of the General Meeting The above mentioned proposals for the decisions on the matters on the agenda of the General Meeting, this Notice to the Extraordinary General Meeting and other documentation required by the Companies Act are available on Valoe Corporations website at www.valoe.com. Copies of these documents and of this Notice to the Extraordinary General Meeting will be available at the General Meeting and will be sent to shareholders upon request. The minutes of the meeting will be available on the above-mentioned website as from 2 March 2020. C. Instructions for the participants in the General Meeting 1. Shareholder registered in the shareholders register Each shareholder, who is registered on 5 February 2020 in the shareholders register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd., has the right to participate in the General Meeting. A shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her personal Finnish book-entry account, is registered in the shareholders register of the company. A shareholder, who is registered in the shareholders register of the company and who wants to participate in the General Meeting, shall register for the meeting no later than 12 February 2020 by 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time) by giving a prior notice of participation which shall be received by the company no later than on the above-mentioned date. Such notice can be given: (a) by e-mail to the email address minna.wilkman@valoe.com (b) by telephone to the number +358 40 5600 530 (Minna Wilkman) from Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time); or (c) by regular mail to the address Valoe Corporation, Minna Wilkman, Insinoorinkatu 5, 50150 Mikkeli, Finland. In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall notify his/her name, personal identification number, address, telephone number and the name of a possible assistant or proxy representative and the personal identification number of a proxy representative. The personal data given to Valoe Corporation is used only in connection with the general meeting and with the processing of related registrations. The shareholder, his/her authorized representative or proxy representative shall, where necessary, be able to prove her/her identity and/or right of representation. 2. Holder of a nominee registered share A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which he/she would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd on 5 February 2020. The right to participate in the general meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been registered into the temporary shareholders register held by Euroclear Finland Ltd. at the latest by 12 February 2020 by 10:00 a.m. As regards nominee registered shares this constitutes due registration for the General Meeting. A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request without delay necessary instructions regarding the registration in the temporary shareholders register of the company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the General Meeting from his/her custodian bank. The account management organization of the custodian bank has to register a holder of nominee registered shares, who wants to participate in the General Meeting, into the temporary shareholders register of the company at the latest by the time stated above. 3. Proxy representative and powers of attorney A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and exercise his/her rights at the meeting by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at the General Meeting. When a shareholder participates in the General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares at different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the General Meeting. Possible proxy documents should be delivered to the address Valoe Corporation, Minna Wilkman, Insinoorinkatu 5, 50150 Mikkeli, Finland or by email minna.wilkman@valoe.com, before the last date and time for registration. 4. Other instructions/information Pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the meeting. On the date of this Notice to the General Meeting, 23 January 2020, the total number of shares in Valoe Corporation is 123,324,388 shares. In Mikkeli, on 23 January 2020 Valoe Corporation Board of Directors President Donald Trump gestures as Director-General of World Trade Organization Roberto Azevedo looks on during a news conference at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2020. DAVOS, Switzerland Climate scientists at the World Economic Forum have hit back at President Donald Trump, saying their role is simply to provide evidence of the climate emergency. In a keynote address to participants of the annual conference earlier this week, Trump said that "to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom." The U.S. president did not name anyone directly during his speech, but he did encourage those in attendance to ignore environmental "alarmists" and their "predictions of the apocalypse." An intensifying climate crisis is top of the agenda at the forum, which takes place in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos. The event, which is often criticized for being out of touch with reality, has said it aims to assist governments and international institutions in tracking progress toward the Paris Agreement and the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals. "Some could call climate scientists 'prophets of doom,'" Gail Whiteman, founder of Arctic Basecamp and director of the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, said during a panel session on Wednesday. "I don't agree with that I think we just simply give the evidence." The forum comes after a 12-month period which saw the hottest year on record for the world's oceans, the second-hottest year for global average temperatures and wildfires from the U.S. to the Amazon to Australia. The embattled police officer, ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo has finally been released from police custody, two days after he was granted bail by a High Court in Accra. The High Court on Tuesday granted him a self-recognizance bail to the tune of GH500,000 with an order that he deposits his passport at the courts registry. He was however still held in police custody, following the ruling, despite calls by the court to the police administration to enable him sign his bail bond. ACP Agordzos brother, Cephas Agordzo in a Citi News interview on Tuesday night expressed regret that the police administration was still holding his brother despite the courts ruling. He said the police had failed to explain the reason behind its action. The court set conditions that he has been given self-recognizance bail and that he should deposit his passport at the High Court registry which we did yesterday [Tuesday], and when we came back to the police custody, they called again from the court that the police should bring him back to court to come and sign his bail, but the police refused to do that from yesterday [Tuesday], he said. But when he spoke to Citi News on Wednesday afternoon, he said ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo has finally been released and is on his way to be reunited with the family. ACP Ben Agordzo is out of the Police Headquarters and he is now on his way home to join his family. He just went to court today to sign his bail bond and then went back to the Kaneshie Court to report and from there, came back to the police, packed his things and left. We are very very happy now, he said. ACP Benjamin Agordzo, is one of the suspects standing trial for allegedly plotting to destabilize the country As part of his bail conditions, he is expected to report to the Inspector General of Police and the Director of BNI twice every week for three months. Background ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo was on several occasions denied bail by the High Court after his arrest over his alleged involvement and contribution to the 'Take Action Ghana' group which the State claims had devised a detailed plot to destabilize the county. He was charged with abetment to commit crime namely treason felony and was on remand in police custody. Lawyers of the policeman had argued that their client according to the law could be granted bail pending trial. In their arguments before the court, the lawyers led by Martin Kpebu said their client was entitled to bail and will make himself available for investigations or trial if needed. But the courts had always dismissed these applications for his release. On one of the occasions, for instance, his bail application was denied after the High Court in Accra described it as premature due to the fact that investigations on the case were still ongoing. The judge, George Buadi also said the position of the applicant as a senior police officer can make him influence ongoing investigations. The family of the accused senior police officer had made claims that personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service were scheming to plant false evidence on his electronic gadgets. A brother to the suspect, Cephas Agordzo, alleged that the CID personnel used dubious means to seize the gadgets after the family resisted attempts by the investigators to conduct a search on the gadgets without the presence of witnesses. ---citinewsroom Three appear in court for drug offences Three people have appeared in court facing charges for producing, possessing and supplying drugs, including 154g of heroin. 45-year-old Tracy Sloan, 39-year-old Jaine Elizabeth Beech, both from Liverpool, and 31-year-old John Slater of Onchan stood before High Bailiff Jayne Hughes on Tuesday at Douglas Courthouse. The prosecution stated that police raided Mr Slater's home after following Ms Sloan and Ms Beech from leaving the Sea Terminal on 16th January. On entering the property, officers found Mr Slater with a large amount of money and two packages covered in slime in the kitchen - believed to have been removed from bodily orifices. Both packages are being tested in the UK for forensic examination and the results are expected to be produced in eight weeks. Ms Hughes remanded all of the accused in custody until 4th February for another court appearance. Remarks by President Trump and President Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government Before Bilateral Meeting | Davos, Switzerland January 22, 2020 Davos Congress Centre Davos, Switzerland 10:50 A.M. CET PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. It's great to be with President Barzani of Kurdistan. And we have a meeting scheduled. For a long time, we've wanted to meet. We've worked together very well. As you know, we left Syria, from the standpoint of the border, and that's worked out great with Turkey. It's worked out far better than anybody ever thought possible. They have the so-called "safe zone," and I appreciate everything you've done to keep it as safe as possible. But, very importantly, as you know, we have the oil. And we left soldiers for the oil, because we took the oil and we're working on that. And we have it very nicely secured. We also have thousands of ISIS prisoners. We've taken over 100 percent of the caliphate. And it's a very interesting region, but we've had a tremendous relationship. And it's great to be with you. Thank you very much. PRESIDENT BARZANI: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Thank you. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Please. Would you like to say something? PRESIDENT BARZANI: Yeah. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, Mr. President, to receive us, you know, I mean, in Davos. As you said, you know, we've been, quite a long time, waiting for that moment. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your support. So we did defeated ISIS together. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Right. PRESIDENT BARZANI: So and on behalf of people, I mean in Kurdistan, I would like to express our thanks and gratitude to your leadership and your support. Thank you, sir. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Really great. PRESIDENT BARZANI: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay, thank you very much. Appreciate it, everybody. Q Mr. President, do you have a plan to contain the coronavirus in the U.S.? PRESIDENT TRUMP: We do have a plan, and we think it's going to be handled very well. We've already handled it very well. CDC has been terrific. Very great professionals. And we're in very good shape. And I think China is in very good shape also. Thank you very much. END 10:52 A.M. CET NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Armenias ex-justice minister Arpine Hovhannisyan today applied to join the Professional Commission on Constitutional Reforms. This is what she wrote on her Facebook page. The Facebook post reads as follows: Dear Colleagues, Today as an academic lawyer, I have applied to join the Professional Commission on Constitutional Reforms. As it is known The PhDs and Doctor of Laws can become member of the Commission if they if they have seven years of professional experience. Moreover, the preference will be given to the candidates that have more significant experience in the sphere of constitutional reforms. I would particularly like to reflect on my experience in the field of constitutional reforms. Thus: In 2015-2017, in one of the most significant timeframes for the implementation of the 2015 constitutional reform, I was the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, had the honor of coordinating the drafting and submission of laws stemming from constitutional amendments. Moreover, I was also the key speaker who was representing pivotal drafts in the National Assembly. Throughout the constitutional reforms, I have been actively cooperating with our international partners from the U.N. to the Venice Commission, giving reports on constitutional law drafts, including at the Venice Commission plenary sessions. (Electoral Code, Law on Political Parties, etc.) Since May 2017, as a Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and a member of the Standing Committee on Human rights and State and Legal Affairs, I have continued to work on legislative drafts of constitutional reforms in cooperation with international organizations. It was also for this reason that I was invited to participate in the sessions of the Venice Commission as Vice President of the National Assembly. (All above mentioned is fixed in relevant decisions, protocols, and other documents). The fact that I often have a dissenting opinion and disagree with the government is not a secret. I have submitted this application with the conviction that: In the marketplace of ideas, truth emerges from the competition of ideas and ideologies in free, transparent public discourse This was the primary reason why I made my step for joining the commission. As a lawyer and a Citizen of Armenia, I have a firm belief that the Basic law of my Country should be amended as a result of comprehensive, sometimes heated discussions. My experience in the field of constitutional reform ( by the way in some cases I disagreed with specific provisions ) has given me the unique opportunity to be thoroughly informed about the substance of the 2015 constitutional amendments, details of numerous discussions before the adoption of those laws. I think this fact can be considerable. In response to the criticism, the authorities very often raise the argument that the criticisms are unconstructive, the format of the criticism is inappropriate. However, they state that in other circumstances, they are always ready to listen and to discuss. Hence, this is an opportunity for the authorities to show that they are ready for discussion and eager to listen to dissidents. I am ready to listen to you, and you? P.S. I am convinced that the academic lawyers who have applied for the commission are real professionals. However, my perception is that I think the experience in the field of constitutional reforms should be a priority for the work of this commission." A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Thursday adjourned the trial of former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, due to the absence of one of the defence lawyers. Clement Onwuenwuenor, the lawyer representing Joint Trust Dimensions Limited, one of the defendants, had written to the court, seeking an adjournment. The lawyer said he was appearing before the Court of Appeal in Lagos on the same day. Rilwan Aikawa, the judge, granted the defence counsels request and adjourned the trial till February 24 and 25. Mr Fani-Kayode, Nenadi Usman (a former minister of state for finance), Danjuma Yusuf and Joint Trust Dimensions Limited are facing a 17-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of theft, and money laundering. Mr Fani-Kayode, who was the Director of Publicity of ex-President Goodluck Jonathans presidential campaign organisation for the 2015 election, is accused of conspiring with the others to, directly and indirectly, retain funds which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission claim they ought to have reasonably known were proceeds of crime. In one of the counts, the defendants are accused of conspiring among themselves to indirectly retain the sum of N1,500, 000,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing. The four are also accused of indirectly retaining N300m, N400m and N800m, all proceeds of corruption, according to the EFCC. Mr Fani-Kayode is accused of directly using parts of the money at various times, including a N250,650,000.00, which he allegedly used between March 20 and 25, 2015. The ex-minister is also accused of making a cash transaction of N24 million with one Olubode Oke, said to be at large, on February 12, 2015 to Paste Poster Co of 125, Lewis Street, Lagos Island. The duo was said to have made the transaction without going through any financial institution, an act the EFCC claimed was contrary to sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act. The defendants pleaded not guilty. LONDON (Reuters) - A private equity fund, which has grown in five years to be the worlds second biggest producer of stainless steel ingredient ferronickel, is holding talks about four or five potential acquisitions, one of its executives told Reuters. The Global Special Opportunities Ltd (GSOL) fund aims to boost its output of 50,000 tonnes a year of ferronickel both by expanding its current two operations and possible takeovers, Marcos Camhis said. Ferronickel is a combination of nickel and iron used to produce stainless steel, which accounts for around 70% of total nickel demand. Were on the lookout for additional projects in the nickel space, both in terms of ferronickel industrial assets, plants, and also in terms of undeveloped greenfield projects in mining, Camhis, a director of GSOL, said in an interview this week. We have had active discussions with four or five different assets, some very preliminary to more advanced, he said, adding that all of the assets were still under consideration. He declined to identify the possible takeover targets. Industry sources said one asset that may be of interest to GSOL is Larco in Greece, which had been Europes biggest nickel producer but has been struggling under heavy debt. The government, which owns 55% of Larco, has been working to avert a closure. Since 2015, GSOL has revived the Falcondo operation in the Dominican Republic, which it bought from Glencore (GLEN.L), and also reopened the former Cunico plant in North Macedonia. At Falcondo, where output had been suspended by Glencore, GSOL restarted one production line in 2016 and a second in 2018, and has now ramped up to around 30,000 tonnes a year of nickel contained in ferronickel. The other operation, renamed Euronickel, is now producing around 20,000 tonnes after GSOL acquired it last year and invested 100 million euros ($111 million). Theres certainly room to grow our existing assets with further capex to reduce costs and increase production, said Camhis, declining to say how much production could rise. GSOL has grown to be the worlds second biggest ferronickel producer after Eramet SA (ERMT.PA) and ahead of third-ranking SNNC/Posco (005490.KS). Camhis is also on the board of Niron Metals, a private company led by former Xstrata boss Mick Davis, which is developing the Zogota iron ore project in Guinea. GSOL has a 25% stake in Niron Metals. Camhis had previously helped run asset manager CMA, which had $3 billion of assets when it was sold to Swiss bank EFG International in 2006. He then founded Geneva-based FOS Asset Management, which acts as the investment adviser to GSOL. Slowly, carefully, Maryna Bilak poured plaster into the cupped hands of Molly McCann-Mall and let nature take its course. "That's the best artwork, I believe you just let nature do its thing," Bilak said, standing in her warm Hudson studio on a frigid January afternoon. "So the nature of your hands will produce this beautiful, visual effect." A diversity and inclusion director with the Alzheimer's Association of Northeastern New York, McCann-Mall had driven down from Albany last Friday to lend her hands, literally, to Bilak's art. Hers are among the many cast in homage to Bilak's late mother-in-law, who died last year of the disease, and those who cared for her. Each pair of hands represents someone who helped the artist and her husband, Maurice Haughton, in their years with Dorothy. Each pair is a symbol with literal weight. "Here they are real hands of a real person who did something special for us. ... It's something that they hold in their hands," Bilak said. "And they were just so kind. I found through this period of taking care of Dorothy, people were just so kind." Among those represented: "Actual caregivers, nurses coming to the house, drivers who took us to the hospital, physical therapists, doctors, neighbors who helped us just with food when we were overwhelmed." Included are those "who physically helped, who emotionally supported us, who provided us information." All of those hands are part of Bilak's ongoing multimedia series inspired by Dorothy. Eighteen of the reverse-mold hand pieces were purchased by the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Conn. Eighteen more hang on the rear wall of her studio. Yet more works, including sculptures, frescoes, charcoals, paintings, will be on display in "CARE," an exhibit that will run from June 7 to Aug. 30 at the Derfner Judaica Museum in the Bronx. It replicates, with some differences, the show first mounted in early 2019 (by the same curator, Emily O'Leary) at Hudson Hall, the arts hub a couple of blocks down from Bilak and Haughton's home on Warren Street. "The name I chose 'CARE' it's both ways," said Bilak. "It wasn't just care for Dorothy. It was care for me, for Maurice." Her mother-in-law was a "wonderful model," she said. She had beautiful features just perfect for painting, perfect for sculpture. "Working with her was such a pleasure. And she maybe didn't understand, on every dimension, what was happening but she knew something special was happening. She really flourished in it ... So in that way, she was getting her care, and I was getting my care." A native of Ukraine who studied in Prague before heading to New York City for a second MFA at the New York Studio School, Bilak met Haughton a native of Jamaica at one of her art openings on Valentine's Day 2014. That same year, Dorothy was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. They first lived with her in Queens, moving up to their red-bricked Hudson home in 2015. The following June, they wed. Some people become live-in caregivers after 30 years of marriage, Bilak said. "We became caregivers during the dating period." In the thick of it they became parents, welcoming baby Irina six months before her grandmother's death. Haughton recalled the initial, sad hints of the disease. It was eight years ago to the day, he said Jan. 17, 2012. His birthday. "For the first time ever, my mom forgot to wish me a happy birthday." And he thought: something is wrong. So he brought her to her primary care physician, who assessed it as normal aging. Two years later, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Two years after that, the exhausted couple "we became, like, almost zombies," Bilak said reached out to the Alzheimer's Association and met McCann-Mall, who was covering Columbia and Greene counties at the time. As always when meeting with families, she educated them on the disease and laid out resources in the community. "But Maurice and Maryna really took it in and followed through with everything and really were like sponges," she said. "I noticed that right off." Already, Bilak had thrown herself into her artwork, heading to the studio for solace. Already she was using Dorothy as her inspiration. And already, McCann-Mall said, they both could see the benefit in using the art as outreach to raise awareness in telling a story of Alzheimer's. Two years later, Bilak's works colorful, graceful, filled with emotion and insight packed Hudson Hall. The "CARE" show closed on March 17, 2019. The next morning, Dorothy died. Less than a year later, reliving his mother's life through art seeing her story told, and told again isn't easy, Haughton said. "It is painful. But I'm happy I was able to help in any way I could. I mean, we dedicated a great part of our lives together, caring for her because I didn't know any other way. But I miss her every single day. Every single day. I miss her, I miss her, I miss her ... I want to keep her memory alive. I want her to make a difference, you know." Bilak, for her part, sees her mother-in-law everywhere. "Actually, I don't feel like I lost her because she's living in my artwork. She's living in the memory of the people who come to my studio. We always talk about her. And then my daughter: She is just like her." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The synergy between the two was evident from the start. Bilak didn't know she was pregnant when, one evening, she returned from her studio to make dinner "and Dorothy was in the dining room in her wheelchair. And she starts screaming, 'There's a baby! There's a baby! There's a baby!'" Trying to calm her, Bilak started asking questions. Where's the baby? Over there. Is it a boy or a girl? A girl. "Two weeks later," Bilak said, "I found out I was pregnant." In the first ultrasound, the likeness was striking: Irina had Dorothy's profile. "I told Maurice, 'I'm carrying your mom inside of me.'" Her first cry was Dorothy's cry. Her first smile was Dorothy's smile. Now an energetic 16-month-old, Irina resembles her grandmother more and more. On the television, Haughton pulled up an image of them curled on Dorothy's bed: the same high cheekbones, the same wide eyes. Across the room, a big bust of his mother another Bilak original faces the dining room. "We're gonna bronze that," he said. Sometimes, people ask Bilak why she's still making so much Dorothy-centered artwork. "I don't know when I'm gonna stop," she said. "Because the experience is so rich, and maybe it's a lifetime-long experience that will never leave me. ... Who knows what the future brings?" More cupped hands, almost definitely. The artist hopes to cast others who helped in some way, filling their palms with plaster. McAnn-Mall stood there in the studio, the goop cold and wet at the start. As it set it grew hotter, a reaction caused by the addition of water. After a few minutes, it was hard. "No rapid motions. Just kind of try to of shiver your fingers," said Bilak to McCann-Mall, who gave them a little wiggle. "Yeah. And you will start opening them slowly, again. ... Just open your hands. Yup." Bilak lifted the plaster casting, then flipped it. It looked primordial, a fossil of something that crawled on an ocean floor. They both smiled. "This is what's in your hands," she said. "Oh, that's so cool," McCann-Mall replied. But it was warm. abiancolli@timesunion.com 518-454-5439 @AmyBiancolli Three new tenants have been identified to move into a new building currently being constructed along MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township. The site, 2630 MacArthur Road, previously housed Pier 1 Imports. The home furnishings retailer closed that location in mid-2019 as the chain faces financially difficulties. Pier 1 earlier this month announced 450 stores, including distribution centers, all would be closing. Sales in the chains most recent quarter decreased by 11.4% compared to the same quarter the previous year. Pier 1 sometime last year reportedly sold the Whitehall Township location to California-based Realty Income Corporation. The building was razed and has since become the site of a new four-tenant commercial building, which began construction in autumn 2019. GBT Realty Corporation in June appeared before the townships Planning Commission, which then recommended final approval of the project. Township plans show a Starbucks with a drive-through is slated to be constructed at the west end of the building and a 1,600-square-foot Jersey Mikes sandwich shop is slated to be constructed at the east end, facing the highway. A Supercuts is expected to take up one of two available center spaces, according to plans. No tenant has been identified yet for the fourth space, according to the township. Additional parking also is shown to be constructed in the lot, however, township plans do not specify the total amount of spaces. Bob Gage, senior vice president of development services for GBT Realty Corporation, did not immediately return a voicemail seeking more information about the plans Wednesday. Its unclear when the project is expected to be completed and when all the tenants are slated to open, but the goal is for later this year, said Whitehall Mayor Mike Harakal Jr. Bill Farley, area director for Jersey Mikes, said the chain expects a May 2020 opening at the Whitehall location. A Starbucks spokeswoman said she anticipates a spring opening and the location plans to hire 25 employees. A Supercuts spokesperson didnt immediately return an email after hours Wednesday evening seeking comment. Were eager to work with them to complete the plan, the mayor said of the realty group. Were happy to see Whitehall is attractive to the most desired tenants. The Whitehall location will become the fourth Jersey Mikes restaurant in the Lehigh Valley. The chain this past November opened a location at the Tilghman Square shopping center, 4670 Broadway in South Whitehall Township. Other regional locations are at 7150 Hamilton Blvd., in Upper Macungie Township, and 3770 Dryland Way, in Lower Nazareth Township. Subs include premium meats and cheeses sliced on-the-spot and piled high on in-store baked bread. There are both cold and hot choices. There are multiple Starbucks locations across the region, including at the Madison Farms strip mall in Bethlehem Township; Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley in Upper Saucon Township; Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township; Airport Plaza Shopping Center in the Allentown area; and Hamilton Crossings in Upper Macungie Township. There are various regional Supercuts locations, including at the Madison Farms strip mall in Bethlehem Township; in the Bethlehem Plaza along Nazareth Pike; and in the Allentown, Easton and Fogelsville areas. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he has told US President Donald Trump that a war with Iran would have disastrous consequences Davos: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he has told US President Donald Trump that a war with Iran would have disastrous consequences. Asked whether Trump agreed with him, Khan said the US President did not say anything but he probably understood what he meant. "Afghanistan is yet to be resolved and Iran would be much bigger (if war starts)," Khan said. Khan met Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit on Tuesday. Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in the wake of the killing of powerful Iranian commander General Qasem Soleimani by America on 3 January. "If there is a conflict between Iran and the Western world it will be a disaster - it will cause poverty in the world - and who knows how long it may go on. In my opinion, it would be insanity," Khan said. "I spoke to President Trump yesterday and I told him it would be a disaster," Khan said. The Pakistan Prime Minister also said he does not understand why countries try to resolve their differences through military conflicts. "The moment you start a military conflict, you don't know where it will finish. It has unintended consequences," he said. After meeting Khan, Trump on Tuesday had said the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the longstanding dispute between the two neighbours. Trump told Khan, whom he referred to as "my friend", that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ongoing Kashmir issue. Trump is expected to visit India in the coming weeks, marking his first visit after assuming office. "What's going on between Pakistan and India if we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely and it's an honour to be here with my friend," Trump had said. "The Pakistan-India conflict is a very big issue for us in Pakistan and we expect the US to always play its part in deescalating the tensions because no other country can," Khan had said. Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate following India's 5 August decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue. However, New Delhi has told Washington that it is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan and there is no scope for any third-party mediation. Dozens of others wounded, homes burned and children reportedly missing after attack on village in disputed Abyei region. At least 19 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack in the disputed Abyei region on the Sudan-South Sudan border, according to UN peacekeepers, although a local official gave a higher toll. Suspected nomadic Misseriya herders from Sudan attacked the Dinka village of Kolom, about nine kilometres (5.5 miles) northwest of Abyei on Wednesday, the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA), said in a statement. UNISFA said the attack wounded at least 25 others, while three children were reportedly missing and 19 houses were set ablaze. However, Kuol Alor Kuol, the chief administrator of the Abyei area, told AFP news agency that the number of dead stood at 32. Thirty-two people were killed among them children and women, and secondly about 24 people are wounded and about 15 people including children were abducted and 20 houses burned, Kuol said. He said the wounded had been evacuated to a hospital in the town of Agok which is run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Abyei has been contested since South Sudan gained independence in 2011, while there have long been tensions between the South Sudanese Ngok Dinka community and the Misseriya herders who traverse the area looking for grazing. Cause for concern Footage circulated online showed properties burned to the ground, as well as graphic images of burned bodies and wounded people with blood-stained clothes. The UNISFA statement said it had received reports that many armed Misseriya and Dinkas were converging in the general area of Kolom. UNISFA troops have been deployed in the general area of Kolom to control movements and contain the situation. The peacekeeping operation said a similar incident on Monday had left three people dead in the area. In 2011, the UN Security Council deployed the peacekeeping force to the area after deadly clashes displaced some 100,000 people. The UNISFA statement said the incident came amid efforts to hold co-existence conferences between the two communities and was very worrisome and a great cause for concern to the mission. Sudans transitional government condemned the attack and called on the UNISFA to contain the situation and provide protection to civilians in the region. A decades-long civil war between Sudans north and south ended with a 2005 peace deal that allowed for South Sudan to become independent following a referendum in 2011. The pact also required both sides to work out the final status of Abyei, but it remains unresolved. The regions majority Ngok Dinka people are believed to be in favour of joining South Sudan. The Abyei region is rich in oil, one of the reasons both Sudans are reluctant to give it up. The center would be among the WEFs global network of Industry 4.0 centers. The World Economic Forum (WEF) wants to continue cooperating with Vietnam after the successful conclusion of a three-year cooperation agreement which kicked off in 2017, including the launch of the Industry 4.0 Center in Vietnam, according to WEFs CEO Borge Brende. Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and WEF's CEO Borge Brende. Source: VGP. The center would be among the WEFs global network of Industry 4.0 Centers, aiming to facilitate R&D in Vietnam and enhance the countrys efficiency in participating in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, said Brende at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh on January 21, to make public a report marking the end of the cooperation agreement between Vietnam and the WEF. Deputy PM Binh highlighted the success of the cooperation agreement, which created positive impacts in the fields of infrastructure development, agriculture, education, healthcare in Vietnam. According to Binh, the agreement between Vietnam and the WEF could be seen as an example for the latter to expand cooperation with countries in Southeast Asia. The meeting is part of the WEFs 50th annual meeting, which are being held from January 21 24 in Davos, Switzerland, themed Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World. The event brings together 3,000 participants from around the world, including 50 government leaders and senior executives of multinationals, and aims to give concrete meaning to stakeholder capitalism, assist governments and international institutions in tracking progress towards the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, and facilitate discussions on technology and trade governance. Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and Vice President for Global Public Policy of Amazon Web Services Michael Punke. Source: VGP. On the same day, Binh also had meetings with Head of Asia Pacific and Member of the Executive Committee of the WEF and Vice President for Global Public Policy of Amazon Web Services Michael Punke. Hanoitimes Hai Yen The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday categorically said that there is no scope for third party mediation on the Kashmir issue and outlined that any discussion on bilateral matters should be held only between India and Pakistan. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday categorically said that there is no scope for third party mediation on the Kashmir issue and outlined that any discussion on bilateral matters should be held only between India and Pakistan. Responding to a media question about US President Donald Trump raising the Kashmir issue during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "We have reacted to similar statements in the past. Our position on the Kashmir issue and the third party mediation has been very clear and consistent. Let me reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter." Kumar, who was addressing the weekly media briefing, also said the onus is on Pakistan to hold talks on conducive conditions free from violence and terrorism. "If there are any bilateral issues between India and Pakistan that needs to be discussed, it should be done between the two countries under provisions of the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. But the onus is on Pakistan to create such conducive conditions - free from terror, hostility, and violence," said Kumar. The comments came after Trump on Tuesday said the US was watching the developments between India and Pakistan in relation to Kashmir "very closely" and again offered his "help" to resolve the issue. "We are going to be talking about trade and many other things. But trade is going to be of very, very paramount importance. And we are doing more trade as it turns. We are working together on some borders and we are talking about Kashmir and the relation to what is going on with Pakistan and India. If we can help, we certainly will be helping. And we have been watching that and following it very, very closely," Trump said with Khan sitting by his side on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. This was the fourth time that Trump had offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue in the last six months. The last time Trump and Khan had met was in September 2019 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The US President had raised the issue of "mediating" between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue following which India had ruled out third party mediation. Murali Krishna CH By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Tollywood filmmakers and its lead actors have always been warm and welcoming towards actors from Hindi cinema. Be it the fat pay cheques, market potential, big stakes, foreign schedules and grandiose sets, mana cinema has been attracting many established actors from Bollywood, who are willing to come out of their zone and pursue a new territory amid huge competition. While the ground for the Bollywood exodus was laid in the late eighties and early nineties, it has gathered steam after actors like Sonali Bendre, Shilpa Shetty, Anjala Zaveri, Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai, Sonal Chauhan, Kiara Advani, Vidya Balan and Shraddha Kapoor made a mark with their scintillating performances. Over the next few months, we have several young actors from Bollywood, who are gearing up to make it big in the Telugu film industry. Actor Alia Bhatt, who has taken the Hindi film industry by storm with her impeccable performances in films like Highway, 2 States, Udta Punjab, Dear Zindagi and Raazi, is making her Telugu debut with director SS Rajamoulis period actioner RRR. She is playing one of the two female leads in the film, which also stars Jr NTR and Ram Charan. Alia plays Sita, a central female character, which arrives at a crucial juncture in the film. She is paired opposite Ram Charan and her character determines the course of the film, says Rajamouli. The films shooting is currently underway in the city and Alia is expected to join the sets soon. With three National Film Awards to her credit, actor Kangana Ranaut has become one of the most sought-after Bollywood actors. She is currently shooting for Thalaivi, a biopic on the late actor-politician J Jayalalithaa. When the film was announced with the Manikarnika actor in the lead role, the news took many by surprise. Clarifying his stand on signing Kangana, one of the producers of the film, Vishnu Induri says, Jayalalithaa was one of the female political icons of our country. Her image cuts across regional lines and her story will appeal to audiences all over the country. We are making Thalaivi in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. In order to get that pan-Indian appeal, we have signed Kangana, who has huge popularity and is currently the best female actor in our country. It is the best way to tell a story of a stalwart and we believe, Kangana, with her incredible talent and screen presence will bring value addition to our project. The first look poster of the film presenting Kangana as Jayalalithaa received mixed reactions from the audience, but Vishnu is unperturbed by the feedback. I have seen the rushes and Kangana was amazing. Its quite natural for people to draw comparisons, but once the film releases, people will thoroughly enjoy her performance, he adds. There were reports that Student of the Year 2 girl Ananya Pandey has agreed to make her Telugu debut opposite Vijay Deverakonda in his upcoming martial arts film being backed by Karan Johar. Ananya is a big fan of Vijay and has instantly agreed to be part of the film. She is excited to share screen space with him and is looking forward to the shoot, informs a source. Yet another Bollywood actor, Richa Chadha, is working in director Indrajith Lankeshs upcoming film Shakeela, an eponymous biopic on the popular adult star, who ruled the Southern industry for over two decades. The film, which is being made in Hindi and all South-Indian languages, has wrapped up the shoot and is ready to hit the screens in the first half of 2020. Then, we have actors like Deepika Padukone, Parineeti Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Jhanvi Kapoor, who have expressed their desire to work in a Telugu film provided they get a good script with an author-backed role. Commenting on the trend, trade analyst K Deepak says, The Telugu diaspora is spread across the world. So our films backed by affluent production houses and featuring stars with pan-India appeal have been getting a wider release in domestic as well as international circuits. In several markets, our movies are faring better than Bollywood films. Hence, its no surprise that the Bollywood heroines are showing interest in Telugu, which gives them name and fame quickly. Also, importing these stars from Hindi film industry will give a fresh perspective to our films. He also agrees that the increasing use of social media by the actors is also helping them to gain popularity outside their home industry. Social media has reduced the gap between industries and these stars complement each other for their work. Recently, Janhvi Kapoor praised Vijay Deverakonda and called him an extremely talented actor on Koffee with Karan show. Alia Bhatt too called him the glamorous actor in showbiz. Such gestures will bring these actors closer to the regional audience and also fetch them good opportunities in new territories, adds Deepak. Now that these actors are gearing up to straddle across industries, it remains to be seen how they perform in a relatively new territory. ( Author can be contacted at muralikrishna.db@newindianexpress.com@onlymurali ) It took two years for Nigel Allison to build his mud-brick house on a sleepy southeastern tip of Australia, and just hours for it to be gutted by fire. The cherished three-bedroom home built in 1986 was one of several dwellings razed in Mallacoota on New Years Eve. Wildfires engulfed the coastal town, forcing a naval ship to rescue hundreds of stranded residents and holidaymakers. Across the country, more than 3,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed in the months-long calamity. Now, residents from Sydneys forested urban fringe and country towns like Mallacoota are confronting the reality of what it takes to live safely in the worlds driest inhabited continent in an era of climate change. As a society, we need to start accepting there are some costs involved if we want to ensure that our houses have a better chance of surviving a bushfire, said Chris Wyborn, general manager of education and bushfire services with the Melbourne-based Fire Protection Association Australia. More than 5 million people in Australia live in areas at high-to-extreme risk of wildfires or severe weather events like cyclones, according to SGS Economics and Planning Pty. The number of people in fire-prone areas increased by 111,000 in Victoria state alone in the decade through 2018, the Melbourne-based research group said in a report last month. Climate change will inevitably increase the number at risk. Last year was the hottest and driest on record, according to Australias weather agency, creating tinderbox conditions that enabled fires to blacken an area about the size of England. Incredibly Risky Many of these communities are incredibly risky, according to Alan March, a professor of urban planning at the University of Melbourne. We need to start asking, Well, we feel a deep compassion for the people who have lost their homes, but should they rebuild? This is not a yes or no answer. Allison, a 62-year-old retired schoolteacher, and his partner Liz Girvan estimate that rebuilding their dream home overlooking the ocean will probably cost A$100,000 ($69,000) for the windows alone. The window cost is going to be astronomical, Allison said over the phone from the town, where he and Girvan have been offered temporary accommodation from a neighbor. Thats not deterring them, though. He said an emotional attachment to the 1,000-strong community makes them determined to rebuild. The cost is high because planning and building rules have tightened in recent years, requiring more fire-resistant materials. Only about 5% of houses in wildfire-prone areas are new, according to Fire Protection Associations Wyborn. That means many of those looking to rebuild burned homes may find they are under-insured for the cost of meeting the new standards, said Ian Weir, an architect who specializes in the area. Australia grades bushfire risk levels from low to flame zone, with the cost of building in the most dangerous areas increasing by an order of magnitude, said Weir. Ember Attack Homes need to be fortified to commercial-level standards of resilience to withstand the worst threats. Shutters designed to block embers, for example, may cost A$1,000 a square meter ($64 a square foot), Weir said. They are an important defense since windows can shatter under extreme heat, providing entry points for flying embers that are the principal cause of as much as 85% of homes destroyed in wildfires, according to the Fire Protection Association. In less hazardous areas, building a basic home that meets fire standards doesnt necessarily mean large additional costs, Weir said. However, in risky areas construction can become prohibitively expensive when lifestyle-features like verandas and decks are added because of the need to use non-combustible materials for structural elements, such as steel, and cladding thats three times the price of the conventional equivalent, Weir said. For those under- or uninsured, the cost of rebuilding will be a burden for poorer rural communities, according to Andrew Beer, a regional housing and infrastructure professor at the University of South Australia. The impact on household finances will be devastating, he said. Some of these people will be forced to relocate to cities, while others will remain unprotected. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pledged to waive as much as A$55,000 in taxes for fire-affected residents who elect to buy a home in a new area. Climate Resilience Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged last week that the nation must become more resilient to climate change, and proposed a review of the governments response to the wildfire crisis. Morrison, a staunch supporter of the coal industry, didnt make any firm commitment to reducing the countrys emissions. The Australian and state governments pledged more than A$3 billion this month to fire relief and recovery efforts. Expenditure on mitigation measures such as land-use planning, hazard-reduction fires, protective infrastructure and building innovation is equivalent to only 3% of that spent in response to the disasters, according to Terry Rawnsley, principal and partner with SGS Economics and Planning. Successive governments have over-invested in post-disaster reconstruction and under-invested in mitigation, which would limit the impact of natural disasters, Rawnsley said. As a general rule, one dollar spent on mitigation can save at least two dollars in recovery costs. A military landing craft with CFA members and evacuees from Mallacoota aboard arrives in Hastings, Vitoria, on Jan. 8. For Mallacoota resident Allison, that means rebuilding his home on a more costly but less risky spot at the front of his block, further from a potential wildfire, making pretty sure that its not going to burn down again. We love Mallacoota, Allison said. It is a special place that has a special beauty. With assistance from Matthew Burgess. Photograph: Sue Wall looks at the remains of her home that was destroyed by a recent bushfire in the town of Lake Conjola in New South Wales, Australia on Wed., Jan. 15, 2020. Photo credit: David Gray/Bloomberg. Related: Topics Wildfire Climate Change Australia North Korea has banned foreign tourists and closed borders temporarily as Wuhan coronavirus spreads rapidly. The outbreak, which has killed three people in China so far, seems to have scuppered North Korea's hopes of earning hard currency from Chinese visitors to a brand-new ski resort town and other facilities it is frantically building. It also thwarts a bizarre plan by the South Korean government to encourage individual travel to North Korea without encouragement from the North or guarantees for travelers' security. According to Young Pioneer Tours, a Chinese travel agency specializing in tours to the North, the North Korean regime has asked Chinese travel agencies to "stop sending tourists to the North until a vaccine is developed." "Closing borders is nearly the only means the North has to cope with the spread of the disease as its capacity to prevent epidemics is very poor," said a defector who used to be a senior official in the North. Asked Wednesday how the border closure will affect the government's plans here, Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Sang-min only said, "We're watching the situation carefully." Another government official said, "We'll keep reviewing it and making preparations until the situation improves since the government has made no formal proposal to the North yet." Hyderabad, Jan 23 : The Hyderabad police on Thursday rejected permission for a poetry and protest meeting against the CAA, NPR and NRC at the historic Charminar on the night of January 25 after BJP lodged its protest with the Police Commissioner. The poetry and protest along with hoisting of the national flag at Charminar, the symbol of Hyderabad, was planned by the United Muslim Action Committee, of which All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is a part. However, hours after a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders called on Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, the organizers announced that the venue has been shifted to the Khilwat Ground. AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted that the police rejected permission for the protest meeting and instead advised them to move it to nearby Khilwat Grounds. He announced that the 'Mushaira' and protest meeting against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) will now be held at Khilwat Grounds. The national flag would be hoisted at midnight to usher in the Republic Day. BJP's Telangana unit chief K. Laxman had threatened that if AIMIM was permitted to hold the protest rally at Charminar, his party would hold a meeting at another place. Laxman alleged that the police were denying permission to BJP for rallies and meetings but were allowing AIMIM to organise its programmes. He said AIMIM, through its programme at the Charminar, would spread communal disharmony. It was earlier this month that Owaisi had announced the protest programme at Charminar. His party on Thursday stated that the programme will see participation by country's leading Urdu poets. "There is a long-standing tradition in Hyderabad to use poetry and satire to challenge tyranny and oppression, this 'Festival of Democracy' is part of this tradition. The goal of the event is to not only celebrate the Republic of India and its Constitution, but to also emphasise on the dangers to it from CAA, NPR and NRC," the AIMIM said. The event will see participation by well-known poets Rahat Indori, Sampat Saral and Lata Haya along with young voices such as Nabiya Khan, Aamir Aziz and Husain Haidry. The line "kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai" from Indori's poem has been a constant in anti-CAA protests being staged across the country. Aziz's "Acche Din Blues" and "Main inkaar karta hoon" have also seen widespread popularity on the Internet. Members of civil society and religious scholars of all faiths have been invited for the event, which is likely to see huge public turnout. Badli Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Badli constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Delhi Assembly Election 2020, Badli profile: Badli is a largely rural constituency and one of the oldest villages in Delhi, situated in North West Delhi. In this constituency, the Aam Aadmi Party's Ajesh Yadav has won against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Vijay Kumar Bhagat with a margin of 29,123 votes. Badli, consists of two urban villages namely, Badli and Samaypur, and three rural villages: Libaspur, Siraspur and Bhalswa. Localities like Yadav Nagar, Jahangirpuri Resettlement Colony and Swaroop Nagar also come under the constituency. Here is a brief profile of Badli constituency: Constituency Name: Badli Constituency Number: 5 District Name: North West Delhi Total Electors: 223268 Female Electors: 95053 Male Electors: 128192 Third Gender: 23 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Devendra Yadav of the Congress was elected twice from Badli in 2009 and 2013 but he lost out to AAP's Ajesh Yadav in 2015 by a margin of 35,376 votes. Demographics: Once upon a time, Badli used to be one of the biggest villages in the area. Its a now a rural constituency in a largely urbanised Union Territory. Purvanchalis, who have migrated from Eastern UP and Bihar, could be a decisive factor in the constituency. The issue of regularisation of illegal colonies will be a big talking point in these elections as Badli contains around 32 unauthorised colonies and a few jhuggi jhopri clusters. Situated close to the Haryana border, Badli also has a sizeable population of Gujjars, who form at least five percent of Delhis electorate. Sana Shakil By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has successfully held six seminars to dispel fears and misunderstandings among Muslims about the CAA, and is planning more such events across the country, officials said on Wednesday. The first six seminars were held in Uttar Pradesh, where 21 persons had died during protests against the Act. NCM chairperson Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi said the panel would soon hold seminars in Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Assam to clear all confusion regarding the new law. While the ruling BJP has been running a door-to-door campaign in support of the CAA, explaining the rationale behind it, the NCM is the first government-linked body to endorse the CAA. The NCM is a statutory body for the protection of minority rights. It is NCMs job to dispel fears and doubts of minorities and many people have been misled on CAA. Through these seminars, we are telling Muslims that the CAA does not take away anyones citizenship and that Indians, whatever be their religion, will not be affected. We did face a lot of questions but at the end, people were convinced that the CAA does not threaten their citizenship, Rizvi said. Around 200-300 Muslims, including intellectuals, imams, and prominent people from the community participated in the seminars, he said. The next round of seminars would be held in Karnataka at the end of this month. The investigation involves an allegation that the examiner falsely indicated that his analysis of evidence had been verified by a colleague, when it actually had not undergone a required review, according to one person familiar with the investigation. When a complaint was made, a supervisor allegedly instructed the colleague whose name had essentially been forged to play down his concerns. P rince Charles is today set to warn that "hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart" as he remembers those who perished in the Holocaust on his first official visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Prince - who travelled from The World Economic Forum in Davos - will speak at event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The World Holocaust Forum is being staged at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, where guests are expected to include US Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. The heir to the throne was invited to the major event by Israels President Reuven Rivlin and he will meet the statesman as he begins his two-day visit to the Holy Land. He will say in his speech: The lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, adopt new disguises, and still seek new victims. All too often, language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanisation. Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs. Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has invited Charles to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Charles will also visit Bethlehem and sit down for talks with Mr Abbas. Charless visit has added significance as the Queen has never made an official visit to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories during her 67-year reign. The UK ministerial jet Voyager is believed to be undergoing scheduled maintenance which is why Prince Charles has travelled by chartered plane to the Middle East, which would be normal practice of such a high-level diplomatic mission. During his first day in the Holy Land Charles will also meet Holocaust survivors and be joined by the UKs Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. Charles is also likely to pay his respects at the resting place of his grandmother Princess Alice of Battenberg in Jerusalems Church of St Mary Magdalene. She was honoured by the Jewish people for hiding and saving the lives of Jews in Nazi-occupied Athens during the Second World War. The heir to the thrones forthcoming visit will follow one made by his son the Duke of Cambridge who toured Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2018. Despite the protections in place to support breastfeeding for employees, the burden still falls on working mothers to advocate for the resources they need, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. The study also revealed gaps in the quality and accessibility of breastfeeding resources in the eyes of working mothers. "We know that there are benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the infant, and we know that returning to work is a significant challenge for breastfeeding continuation," said Rachel McCardel, a doctoral student at UGA's College of Public Health and lead study author. "There is a collective experience that we wanted to explore and learn how can we make this better." McCardel and her co-author specifically wanted to better understand breastfeeding support in the workplace since federal guidelines went into place over a decade ago requiring employers to provide unpaid break time and a space other than a restroom for employees to be able to express breast milk. For their study, McCardel's team surveyed female employees who performed a variety of jobs. advertisement In addition to asking questions about their access to breastfeeding resources like private rooms, breast pumps and lactation consultants, the respondents were also asked about their experiences with combining breastfeeding and work. They found that most respondents, nearly 80%, had a private space at work to express milk, and around two-thirds of the women reported having break times to breastfeed. Access to other resources like lactation consultants or breast pumps was less common. Many respondents also said they hadn't expected to get much help from their employers, and there was a general lack of communication about the resources available to them. That's a small fix that employers could implement today, said Heather Padilla, an assistant professor at the College of Public Health and study co-author. "Designate a person who is responsible for making sure that women who are preparing for the birth of their baby understand what resources they have available to them when they return to work," she said. This could be a supervisor, an HR director or a mentor, she added. Care and support for employees should extend to breastfeeding support, said McCardel. "According to the most recent Workplace Health in America Survey, we're now seeing about 46% of worksites are offering some sort of health promotion programming, but only 8% offer lactation resources," she said. "I feel like that's a missed opportunity because it's a crucial part of work-life balance, especially for new mothers." Padilla said, "Employers who want to keep valued employees should think about how to create a workplace that considers the challenges that working mothers face." "Many women who have young children are in the workforce, and we should be able to make it easier for them to combine those two things," said Padilla. "It shouldn't be a choice of one or the other." ALGIERS, Algeria - Top diplomats from Libyas neighbouring countries and beyond met in the Algerian capital on Thursday amid intensifying international efforts to end the conflict tearing apart the oil-rich North African country. The meeting brought together foreign ministers from Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, Tunisia and Mali. All of the nations but Mali border Libya, and all have suffered fallout from the fighting between the forces of Libyas U.N.-backed government in Tripoli and eastern-based forces led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter. World powers are pushing both sides to respect a tentative truce. Libya has been in turmoil. The conflict there has increasingly turned into a proxy war by foreign powers that are far away and much less affected by what is happening, said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who also took part in the meeting. Maas, whose country hosted a Libya peace summit on Sunday, said much of the fallout from the conflict, including organized crime, terrorism, smuggling of weapons and humans, and flows of refugees, has been borne by Libyas neighbours. It is therefore the neighbours that have the most interest in peace and stability in Libya, he said. Algeria said countries attending the meeting agreed to respect Libyas sovereignty and integrity, want the African Union to be involved in resolving the conflict, and back efforts to stop weapons from flowing to warring parties. Hifters forces, which control the east and much of southern Libya, receive support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. The Tripoli-based government is backed by Turkey and to a lesser degree, Qatar and Italy. Germanys Maas said international actors must maintain persistent pressure on the warring parties to turn the temporary truce into a stable cease-fire. Maas said the Berlin summit managed to win support from key actors for efforts to end the proxy conflict, nine years after long-term Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was deposed. He said Germany would support efforts by the United Nations to shore up the tentative truce through a meeting between representatives of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, the head of the Tripoli government, and Hifter. For this the persistent pressure of all international partners on the conflict parties is required, Maas said. Basic questions about a concrete political process remain unresolved. The Tunisian presidents office said Maas also stopped in Tunis and told President Kais Saied that Germany regretted not inviting Tunisia in time for a representative to attend the Sunday summit and wants to involve Tunisia in Libya peace efforts going forward. Separately, the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord in Libya decided Thursday to reopen Tripolis Mitiga International Airport, which was shut down a day earlier following an attack and threats from Hifters forces. Airport authorities Wednesday said six Grad missiles crashed into the tarmac, forcing the capitals only functioning airport to suspend all flights. When calm returned, flights resumed. However, flights were grounded again after a spokesman for Hifters forces, Ahmed al-Mosmari, said they were imposing a no-fly zone over the Mitiga airbase and any civilian or military aircraft that breaches the airspace will face a strong and immediate response. The Tripoli-based government issued a statement saying that Mosmaris threats reflected the intention of Hifters forces to commit war crimes. As the sole landing strip for the U.N.-backed government as well as its major military base, Mitiga is a strategic target for the opposition forces. The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised the commitment of authorities in China to minimize risks of the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a day ahead of a decision by the UN agency on whether to declare a rare global emergency over the outbreak. What they are doing is a very, very strong measure and with full commitment. So based on the situation they are taking the action they deem is appropriate, is very important," WHO Director-General Tedros Ahanom Ghebreyesus said on January 22. "We stressed to them that by having a strong action not only they will control the outbreak in their country but they will also minimize the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally. So they recognize that," he said. Among the measures China has taken was a decision to prevent people from leaving the city of Wuhan, considered the center of the outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people and killed at least 17. Authorities have said residents will not be able to leave the city of some 11 million people, with outbound flights, trains, buses, and ferries all being halted. WHO on January 22 said it will decide on January 23 whether to declare a global emergency. If it does, it would be only the sixth international public health emergency called over the past decade. Previous emergencies have been declared for epidemics such as the Ebola outbreak in Congo and the Zika virus in the Americas in 2016. The coronavirus outbreak has shaken global stock markets, raising concerns about the economy. The 2003 SARS crisis caused an estimated $50 billion in losses from reduced travel and spending. "The decision is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence," WHO chief Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "This is an evolving and complex situation. Our team in China is working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak." Countries around the world have taken precautions to limit the spread of the virus that has already reached Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States. President Donald Trump on January 22 said the United States has a plan in place to contain the outbreak, after a first case was confirmed the previous day in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said, "We do have a plan and we think it is going to be handled very well. We've already handled it very well. The CDC [Center for Disease Control] is terrific. Very professional." The Washington state resident who returned on January 15 from Wuhan was hospitalized near Seattle after seeking medical treatment. Testing from the CDC on January 20 confirmed that he was infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, which can cause pneumonia-like symptoms. He is reported to be in good condition and in isolation at a medical clinic. Russia on January 21 said it was stepping up checks at borders and airports to prevent the spread of the virus from China, with which it shares a border of more than 4,200 kilometers. Some 1.5 million Chinese tourists visit Russia each year. Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport told AFP that additional sanitation-control measures would be used to screen passengers on flights from China, with heat scanners used to measure passengers' body temperature while they are still on the arriving plane. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa A mummified Ancient Egyptian priest is talking from beyond the grave thanks to modern technology. Nesyamun, a priest at the time of pharaoh Ramses II the Pharaohs was mummified around 3,000 years ago. His remains are so well preserved that scientists were able to map his throat, mouth and voice box using a CT scanner at Leeds General Infirmary, and recreate it using 3D printing. The priest, who is normally on display at Leeds museum, was first unwrapped in 1824 and has 'true of voice' inscribed on his coffin. Academics believe his voice would have produced a vowel-like sound somewhere between an 'a' and 'e' noise. The mummy's remains are so well preserved that his throat, mouth and voice box were mapped using a CT scanner at Leeds General Infirmary and recreated using 3D printing The study conducted by academics at Royal Holloway, University of London, University of York and Leeds Museum made a 3D printed version of the mummy's vocal tract. This was then used to recreate his larynx as a plastic copy pictured) which is smaller than that of a modern man The study conducted by academics at Royal Holloway, University of London, University of York and Leeds Museum made a took detailed scans and measurements of the mummy's vocal tract. This was then used to recreate his larynx as a plastic copy which is smaller than that of a modern man, likely making his voice relatively high pitched. Experts anticipate this is due predominantly to the fact Ancient Egyptians were much smaller than modern people, between 5ft and 5ft 4inches tall on average. The electronic larynx is similar to those used in modern medicine to give speech back to people who lost their voice. The priest was put through a CT scanner (pictured) to recreate his voice. He lived during the politically volatile reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099-1069 BC), working as a scribe and priest at the state temple of Karnak in Thebes - modern Luxor The priests mummy unusually has its tongue sticking out, leading some to speculate that he died in his mid-fifties from poisoning or a bee sting to his tongue (pictured) The priest, who is normally on display at Leeds museum, was first unwrapped in 1824 and has 'true of voice' inscribed on his coffin (pictured) The priest lived during the politically volatile reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099-1069 BC), working as a scribe and priest at the state temple of Karnak in Thebes - modern Luxor. He unusually has its tongue sticking out, leading some to speculate that he died in his mid-fifties from poisoning or a bee sting to his tongue. The result is a single vowel sound but experts hope full sentences could be possible in the next two years. Scientists say the project has produced the unique opportunity to hear the vocal tract output of someone long dead by virtue of their soft tissue preservation and new developments in technology. They add that Nesyamun stated a desire to have his voice heard in the afterlife in order to live forever. Professor David Howard, from Royal Holloway, said: 'I was demonstrating the Vocal Tract Organ in June 2013 to colleagues, with implications for providing authentic vocal sounds back to those who have lost the normal speech function of their vocal tract or larynx following an accident or surgery for laryngeal cancer. 'I was then approached by Professor John Schofield who began to think about the archaeological and heritage opportunities of this new development. WHAT IS A CT SCAN? CT (Computerised tomography) scan uses X-rays and a computer to create detailed images. They are several single X-rays that create a 2-dimensional images of a 'slice' or section of the specimen/individual. Although an X-ray creates a flat image, several can be combined to construct complex 3D images. A CT scanner emits a series of narrow beams as it moves through an arc. This is different from an X-ray machine, which sends just one radiation beam. The CT scan produces a more detailed final picture than an X-ray image. This data is transmitted to a computer, which builds up a 3-D cross-sectional picture of the part of the body and displays it on the screen. CT scans are used to get an in-depth view of hard to reach places and are commonly used in human medicine. They can be used to diagnose conditions to bones and internal organs as well as determining the size, location and shape of a tumour. CT scans are also used to recreate images of extinct animals or to get in depth view of fragile archaeological remains. CT scanners combine several different 2D X-ray images into a complex 3D image which can reveal high levels of detail in human organs, tissues and also for archaeological remains Advertisement 'Hence finding Nesyamun and discovering his vocal tract and soft tissues were in great order for us to be able to do this.' Professor Joann Fletcher, of the department of archaeology at the University of York, added: 'Ultimately, this innovative interdisciplinary collaboration has given us the unique opportunity to hear the sound of someone long dead by virtue of their soft tissue preservation combined with new developments in technology. 'And while this has wide implications for both healthcare and museum display, its relevance conforms exactly to the ancient Egyptians' fundamental belief that "to speak the name of the dead is to make them live again".' The research is published in the Scientific Reports journal. The administration of Kabianga High School has recalled the 17 students it had sent home for skipping an exam for church. This is after an amicable solution was reached between the school and parents of the students who are Seventh Day Adventists. Confirming the revocation of the suspension, Kericho County Education Director Zachary Mutwiri said at least four students who live around the school had already reported back to class Wednesday. The move comes after the affected parents and the Atheists in Kenya Society had threatened to sue the school over alleged contravention of the right to worship. The Atheist society, through its leader Harrison Mumia, had written a demand letter to the school principal Dr. Joash Oloo to revoke the suspension within 7 days. We are giving the school seven days to have the boys back to school or we seek legal redress on the matter, Mumia said. Religious freedoms must be protected. The cultural majority should be prevented from denying others freedom of worship and belief, he stated in the letter dated January 21. Mumbai: In Bhima Koregaon case, Maharashtra Police on Thursday (January 23) briefed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh about the status of probe in the violent incident that took place in Pune on January 1, 2018. Pawar, Deshmukh and senior state police officials held a meeting here at the state secretariat to review the case. The hour-long meeting assumes significance as NCP chief Sharad Pawar last month demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the case. According to sources, Pune police gave answers to almost all the questions of the ministers but sought more time to give further clarifications on certain queries. The home minister, however, expressed apprehension on the role of the police and cancelled the meeting until the next discussion. Live TV The cops explained as to how the documents recovered from the desktop of Rona Wilson and others were seized earlier during the raids conducted at Naxal hideouts and added that the SID Maharashtra had already shared these documents with the Centre. The Pune cops told the HM Deshmukh that all evidence is forensic cloned copies. The HM was also informed that even the court has asked defence to get forensic experts and verify the evidence. The cops have also handed over details of evidence to the defence. Notably, the cops strived hard to convince the HM against setting up probe against the policemen investigating the case as it will affect the department's morale. After taking charge as Home minister, NCP leader Anil Deshmukh had stated that he would seek a status report on the case and then make a decision. The term "urban Naxal" was used by the Pune Police probing the alleged links between the Elgar Parishad conclave of December 31, 2017, and the caste clashes around Koregaon Bhima in Pune district the next day. Some rights activists were arrested in the case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. The Supreme Court granted bail to Ekbote, but Bhide was never arrested. The Pune Police claimed that the conclave was backed by Maoists. The Parishad, they alleged, instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on January 1, 2018. SHORT HILLS, N.J., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center announces grant funding opportunities through its 1st Cycle 2020 Direct Effect Quality of Life (Tier 1) and Expanded Effect Quality of Life (Tier 5) grants initiatives. Both Quality of Life grants awards financial support to nonprofit organizations that mirror the Reeve Foundation's mission and are federally funded through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL) (Cooperative Agreement Number 90PRRC0002-02-00). Pioneered by the late Dana Reeve, the Quality of Life Grants Program recognizes projects and initiatives that foster community engagement, inclusion and involvement, while promoting health and wellness for individuals living with paralysis and their families. Grant Programs: Direct Effect grants offer up to $25,000 to nonprofit organizations for projects that clearly impact individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers. grants offer up to to nonprofit organizations for projects that clearly impact individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers. Expanded Effect grants are awarded to previously funded Quality of Life grantees whose programs and/or projects have achieved demonstrable, successful impact. Approximately six (6) grants of up to $100,000 each will support significant expansion of strategies and programs that are evidence-based, show innovate promising practices, and/or best practices in the field they serve to improve quality of life for people with paralysis, their families, and caregivers. Organizations that have previously been awarded a Quality of Life grant in any category may re-apply for funding one year following the close of their grant and notification of grant closure by the Reeve Foundation. Application and Program Guidelines can be found on the Reeve Foundation website, which includes new Eligibility Criteria. On the Reeve Foundation website applicants can also find an overview of the Quality of Life Grant Program and the grant application process. Scoring rubrics and application review forms are now included in the guidelines to enable applicants to better understand how their proposals are evaluated. All submissions are due March 16, 2020. A free Application Technical Assistance Webinar will be held on Monday, February 10, 2020 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST. Click here to register. Quality of Life grant applications are available and are to be completed online through the Reeve Foundation online grants portal. The online application submission deadline is Monday, March 16, 2020 at 11:59 pm. All questions about the application process to can be sent to [email protected]. All questions submitted via email will be collected, aggregated, and answered in a Questions and Answers document posted on the website at a later date. The deadline for emailed questions is Friday, February 14, 2020. ABOUT REEVE FOUNDATION: The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau's standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB's Charity Seal. The Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is a program of the Reeve Foundation and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (cooperative agreement number 90PRRC0002). For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309. CONTACT: Rita Gentles [email protected] 973-933-7123 SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Related Links https://www.christopherreeve.org OTTAWA, Jan. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - At an event today, Mayor Jim Watson, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and MP for Ottawa Centre, and Councillor Tim Tierney, Chair of the Ottawa Public Library Board revealed the proposed architectural design for the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility. Born of a unique collaboration between municipal and federal institutions, the facility will be a city-wide resource that offers all Canadians access to a rich and diverse national collection. The design is the direct result of an unprecedented public co-design process that asked Ottawa residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from across the country to provide inspiration at every stage. This collaborative engagement process helped shape all aspects of the facility, inside and out. Public input informed the shape of the building, its entrances, the interaction and location of its spaces, the indoor look and ambience, the inclusive and sustainable features, the landscaping and public art, and the exterior materials. Public and Indigenous engagement for the facility will continue as we finalize the design and move forward with the next stages of the project. Following the reveal of a 3-D model of the facility, Donald Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects and Lead Architect for the project, helped bring the building to life by sharing a video walk-through and renderings. Today, the more than 4,000 people who came together in-person and online over the past year to share their ideas and insights with the partners and architects can finally see their inspiration realized. The design connects the facility to Ottawa's rich history and natural beauty: its shape is reminiscent of the Ottawa River; its stone and wood exterior reflects the adjacent escarpment and surrounding greenspace. The large windows and top floors offer unparalleled views of the Ottawa River and Gatineau Hills. With its central town hall, children's discovery centre, genealogy centre, reading rooms, creative centre, meeting rooms, cafes and stunning views, the new facility will be a welcoming home for the stories of Canadians and Ottawa residents. When it opens to the public in late 2024, the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility will be a landmark destination in the national capital built on the shared values and passions of the partner institutions: knowledge, history, discovery, culture, creativity, collaboration, and connections. This innovative collaboration between a public library and the national library and archives will offer an enriched experience for customers and clients, bringing together diverse collections, providing exhibition and event spaces, along with comfortable gathering spaces and free and open access to millions of documents and the rich Canadian documentary heritage. The public is invited to view the 3-D model, meet the architects and celebrate this important milestone at an Open House from 4 pm to 8 pm today in the Alma Duncan Salon at the Ottawa Art Gallery. They can also view the architectural renderings and video, experience virtual reality stations, and share their thoughts at Inspire555.ca. Quotes: "After completing an extensive public consultation process, we celebrated a major milestone by revealing the architects' stunning design for our new Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada joint facility. This signifies a very exciting time in our city and brings us one step closer to getting shovels in the ground. I want to thank everyone involved in this process for their input, their work and their creativity in helping us create this world-class destination for residents and visitors. The inspirational design showcases how this facility is more than just a building with books; it will be a welcoming gathering space for us all." Mayor Jim Watson, City of Ottawa "Today is a very special day as it marks an important step forward in improving the visibility and accessibility of our cultural heritage. The unveiling today of the architectural design of this new world-class public facility in Ottawa is no small feat. Our government is proud to be a part of this project, one of the first federal-municipal partnerships of its kind, right here in Canada's capital city!" The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage "This historic collaboration between the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada will push for unique works of art, programs and exhibition spaces. This design reveal is the next step in creating a world-class destination in the Nation's capital that residents of Ottawa, Canadians and visitors from all over the world can come to experience." The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities "Today is a great day for Ottawa Public Library! I am incredibly proud of the work my colleagues on the OPL Board and I have done over the years to champion this once-in-a-generation project. After a six-year journey, we can celebrate this major milestone for OPL and our great city. Public libraries have always been pillars of their communities, helping people to reach their potential and fulfill their dreams. The reveal of the design of the OPL-LAC Joint Facility celebrates the power of our connection with the community, which came together in an unprecedented public co-design process to inspire the building, inside and out. The result? The OPL-LAC Joint Facility will be a welcoming, beautiful and inclusive space; one where people gather, learn, discover, and explore their creativity." Councillor Tim Tierney, Chair, Ottawa Public Library Board "We are very proud to be revealing the design for an iconic building that truly represents the evolution of libraries as centres of knowledge and culture around the world. It's also a great joy to share this design with the thousands of residents and Canadians who provided so much inspiration at each stage of the process. This has been a wonderful experience for all of us." Donald Schmitt, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects Media resources: About the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Joint Facility The Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility will be a landmark destination built on the shared values and passions of the partner institutions: knowledge, history, discovery, culture, creativity, collaboration, and connections. This innovative collaboration between a public library and the national library and archives will offer an enriched experience for customers and visitors, bringing together diverse collections, providing exhibition and event spaces, and free and open access to millions of documents and the rich Canadian documentary heritage. It will be built to a minimum of LEED Gold certification and be accessible by LRT and multi-use pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. Next steps Once the proposed design has been approved jointly by the National Capital Commission's Advisory Committee on Planning, Design, and Realty (ACPDR) and the City's Urban Design Review Panel (UDRP) as well as the project's Executive Steering Committee, the architects and design team will begin work on the construction documents. Ground breaking is scheduled in 2021, after a thorough process to select a construction firm. The facility's name will also be selected before constructions begins. It will meet criteria set by the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada for such buildings. As indicated above, the facility is set to open to the public in late 2024. In the coming years, the project team will continue to consult with Ottawa residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast on the type of experiences, programs, collections and activities that they want to see in the new facility. About the partnership In 2017, City Council and the Ottawa Public Library Board approved collaborating with Library and Archives Canada to build the new joint facility. Ownership will be split, with the City owning 61 per cent of the facility and Library and Archives Canada owning 39 per cent. The governance agreement between the City, Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada will guide the project, cost-sharing, decision-making and dispute resolution. About the design team Diamond Schmitt Architects is a world-renowned Canadian architecture firm established in 1975, with offices in Toronto, Vancouver and New York. KWC Architects is an Ottawa-based firm established in 1978 that has collaborated with Diamond Schmitt Architects on 12 projects in the last 20 years. Both firms have won multiple awards, including Governor General Awards, OAA Awards of Excellence, American Library Association, and Ontario Library Association Award of Excellence. The consortium has a proven track record in architectural design excellence and specialized experience with libraries and other cultural institutions. Location Council approved the site for the joint facility, which will be located at 555 Albert Street (formerly 557 Wellington Street), on February 7, 2017. The site allows for beautiful landscaping surrounding the facility, which will expand the library and archives experience outside of the building. The site also allows use of multiple access methods bicycle, walking, LRT, and car and offers unparalleled green vistas that will be enjoyed by all users and visitors. Budget The Council-approved estimated budget envelope for the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility is $193 million, which includes the municipal, federal and parking components of the project. The total project budget, including parking, is $192.9 million . . The cost of the joint facility, excluding parking, is $174.8 million . . The City's share of the cost is $104.2 million , with $1 million coming from Ottawa Public Library reserves, $3.2 million from Ottawa Public Library development charges, $20 million from land sales and $80 million in debt. , with coming from Ottawa Public Library reserves, from Ottawa Public Library development charges, from land sales and in debt. The $18.1-million garage will be cost-neutral based on estimated revenue. garage will be cost-neutral based on estimated revenue. LAC's share in the cost of design and construction is $70.6 million . Ottawa Public Library Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is the largest bilingual (English/French) public library system in North America. The OPL extends public access to information and services through the library's 34 branches, physical and virtual (BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca), as well as two mobile libraries and a vending machine-style lending library service. Serving close to one million Ottawa residents, OPL's mission is to inspire learning, spark curiosity, and connect people Library and Archives Canada As the custodian of our distant past and recent history, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is a key resource for all Canadians who wish to gain a better understanding of who they are, individually and collectively. LAC acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to our documentary heritage and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions. SOURCE Library and Archives Canada For further information: Media contacts: City of Ottawa, [email protected], 613-580-2450; Ottawa Public Library, [email protected], 613-580-2424 ext. 27868, www.biblioottawalibrary.ca; Library and Archives Canada, Richard Provencher, Head, Media Relations, Communications Branch, Library and Archives Canada / Government of Canada, [email protected], 613-894-7509 Related Links www.lac-bac.gc.ca NEW YORK Harvey Weinstein went on trial Wednesday in a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement, with prosecutors painting him as a sexual predator who used his Hollywood clout to abuse women for decades, while his lawyers sought to portray his accusers as willing participants. Prosecutor Meghan Hast told the jury of seven men and five women that the former studio boss was "not just a titan in Hollywood he was a rapist" who screamed at one victim that she "owed" him sex, used injections to induce an erection before an assault and pushed his way into the apartment of another woman and attacked her. Weinstein lawyer Damon Cheronis countered by laying out plans to use friendly-sounding emails, calendar entries and other evidence to call into question the accusers' accounts of being attacked. The opening of the rape trial more than two years after a barrage of allegations against Weinstein gave rise to the #MeToo movement was seen by activists as a milestone in the global reckoning over sexual misconduct by powerful men. Weinstein's lawyers have portrayed the case as the result of a climate of accusation run amok. Weinstein, 67, has insisted any sexual encounters were consensual. He could get life in prison if convicted. The once-powerful and feared executive brought to the screen such Oscar-winning movies as "Pulp Fiction," "The King's Speech," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago" and hobnobbed with the elite in Hollywood and beyond. Scores of women have accused Weinstein of exploiting his position as a career-maker to sexually harass or assault them over the years. But the New York charges center on two allegations: that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on former "Project Runway" production assistant Mimi Haleyi in his apartment in 2006 and raped an aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013. Testimony got underway Wednesday with prosecutors calling to the stand former Weinstein Co. board member Lance Maerov, who described the ex-producer as "an extremely influential, powerful person" who could be charming in public and aggressive in private. At the end of the day's session, Weinstein left the courthouse with the use of his walker. Asked how the day went, he said, "Good." Photos: Harvey Weinstein goes on trial for rape Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York and Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Choose China livery appears on one of the airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners and is part of a series of destination themed liveries the airline is boasting in partnership with ADNOC. Etihad guests travelling on EY862 on 24 January will also be treated to a Chinese themed menu designed by the airlines in-house culinary team, which will also be available on selected flights over the Chinese New Year festive period. Guests in the airlines premium cabins will be served Chinese crackers, assorted dim sum, longevity noodles, cold Nian Gao and warm steamed sponge cake, finished off with a mandarin fruit platter. The Economy cabin menu also features a selection of traditional Chinese favourites, including longevity noodles and a mandarin themed dessert, while guests visiting Etihads premium lounges at Abu Dhabi International Airport will also be treated to a festive selection. In celebration of the new year, the Chinese themed menu will also be available on selected flights from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok, Beijing, Chengdu, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore from 25 to 31 January. The trial of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, was on Wednesday stalled by the failure of the EFCC to serve the charges on him and some of the other defendants. Justice Idris Kutigi of the Gwagwalada Division of the FCT High Court adjourned the trial to Thursday, based on the agreement of counsel in the matter. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the anti-graft agency on Monday filed multiple charges against Mr Adoke, which include a seven-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja and a 12-count charge before the FCT High Court. The charges include those related to money laundering, denying Nigeria taxes and an alleged N300 million bribe. In the charge before the FCT High court, the EFCC accused Mr Adoke of accepting gratification to facilitate and negotiate the OPL 245 resolution agreement with Shell, Eni, and their Nigerian subsidiaries. But at the court proceedings, a counsel to one of the defendants, Bala Sanga, informed the court that the EFCC had failed to serve four of the defendants the court charges. They are Mr Adoke, Aliyu Abubakar, Rasky Gbinigie, and Malabu Oil and Gas Limited. Mr Sanga added that the commission only served the charges on some of the defendants including Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited, and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited. Justice Kutigi, therefore, adjourned the case till Thursday for the continuation of the trial. Long Road To Trial The EFCC had been pursuing Mr Adoke for his alleged role in the controversial transfer of Nigerias OPL 245 oil field. PREMIUM TIMES reported how almost half of the $1.1 billion paid by Shell and Eni in a controversial OPL 245 deal negotiated by Mr Adoke and some other officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration ended in accounts controlled by Mr Aliyu. The oil multinationals paid the money through the Nigerian government to Malabu, a company then controlled by Dan Etete, a former petroleum minister who is on the run. Malabu, which was illegally awarded OPL 245 when Mr Etete was a minister in 1998, then transferred about half of the money into accounts partly controlled by Mr Aliyu. The EFCC alleges that Mr Aliyu distributed the money to some top officials of Shell and Eni as well as some officials of the Jonathan administration. The EFCC also believes Mr Adoke received N300 million from Mr Aliyu in 2013. The anti-graft agency alleges that was his share of the Malabu windfall. Shell, Eni, and their officials are already being prosecuted in Italy for the scandal. Mr Adoke has denied any wrongdoing and said the actions taken in respect of the transfer of the bloc were based on the instructions of former President Goodluck Jonathan and in the best interest of Nigeria. In 2015, the former minister went on a self-imposed exile outside Nigeria. He eventually travelled to Dubai where he was arrested by Interpol at the prompting of the EFCC. Upon his return to Nigeria, he was arrested at the Abuja airport and handed over to the EFCC on December 19. The EFCC secured an initial court order to hold Mr Adoke for 14 days following his arrest in Abuja. Following the expiration of the first order, a judge approved a second order to keep the former attorney-general for another 14 days. That second warrant expired last Thursday. JD(U) national secretary Pavan Varma said that he never wanted to hurt Nitish Kumar by seeking an 'ideological clarity' from Kumar over extending alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar in Delhi for the upcoming elections. JD(U) national secretary Pavan Varma on Thursday said that he never wanted to hurt party supremo Nitish Kumar by seeking an 'ideological clarity' from Kumar over extending alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar in Delhi for the upcoming elections, reported ANI. He also added that he will decide his future course of action based on the reply to his letter by the chief minister. "I welcome Nitish Kumar's statement that there is space for discussion within the party, as that is what I asked for. We need to have ideological clarity before we take a further decision, especially with regards to expanding alliance with BJP. It was never my intention to hurt him," Varma said. "I want the party to have ideological clarity. For instance, we said no to NRC (National Register of Citizens) but we are supporting the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). BJP says CAA and NRC are hyphenated that NRC will follow CAA. BJP says NRC will be implemented across the country. Therefore, JD(U) should clarify its positions on many subjects," he said. "I am awaiting a reply to my letter, will decide the future course of action after that. Once I get a reply or don't get it, I will decide my future course of action," the JDU leader said. Earlier on Thursday, the Bihar chief minister took umbrage at Varma for going public with reservations about the JD(U)'s support to CAA and the party's tie-up with BJP for Delhi Assembly polls. He made it clear that the "scholarly" diplomat-turned-politician was "free to go wherever he likes". Kumar's blunt remarks came two days after Varma, a former Rajya Sabha member, sent him a two-page letter on the issue and shared screenshots of the same on his official twitter handle and Facebook profile despite it containing details of conversations the two were claimed to have had "in private". Varma, who had sought "ideological clarity" from the JD(U)s national president, had arrived in Patna on a private visit during which he could not meet the chief minister but demanded from him "a full statement" on CAA-NPR-NRC in view of the country-wide movement against the same. Kumar made the comment when media persons approached him at the historic Gandhi Maidan, where he had come to attend a function organized on the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary. "He (Varma) is a scholarly person for whom I have enormous, personal respect. But the types of statements he has been giving.. it has left me flabbergasted," he said. "There should be no confusion on the stand taken by the Janata Dal (United) on issues. Our stand is always very clear. But if he had any reservations, he could have expressed the same in a party forum. And the reference to conversations made in private! Would I ever go public with what he has said to me in private", Kumar said with obvious displeasure. "Nonetheless, I have lots of respect for him. He can go wherever he likes", Kumar said with a smile on his lips. This is the first time that the Bihar chief minister has chosen to speak about voices of dissent emerging from his party in the wake of the JD(U)s decision to support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament in the winter session, less than a year after having opposed the same. Besides Varma, poll strategist-turned-JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor has also been venting his displeasure over the party's stand on the contentious law. Varma, in his letter, had written in detail about the views claimed to have been expressed by Kumar during their "private" conversations about "divisive" agenda of BJP, the leadership of Narendra Modi, who had become a polarizing figure in the wake of post-Godhra riots and reminded him of his past efforts at making an "RSS mukt bharat". Varma also wrote about Kumar having complained that "the current leadership in the BJP has humiliated him and expressed a "personal" view that there was the need for "democratic and socialist forces" to "regroup" against the saffron party and also about having "actually assigned a senior party official" the task. Varma, who had resigned from the Indian Foreign Service in 2013 to take over as the chief minister's culture adviser and got elected to the Rajya Sabha for a two-year period in 2014, had questioned the party's decision to take its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar by contesting the Delhi Assembly polls in alliance. He had cited the example of the Shiromani Akali Dal, one of the BJPs oldest allies, which has declined to contest elections in the national capital despite a sizeable population of Sikhs following differences with the saffron party over non-inclusion of Muslims in the CAA. Notably, the Akali Dal is a part of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, which the JD(U) is not. "Before publicly speaking, I spoke to Nitish Kumar that the party support to CAA is wrong. When my advice was not taken into cognizance and the party supported the CAA in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, then I wrote a letter publicly," Varma said. With inputs from PTI [January 23, 2020] Morrison Cohen Expands Financial Services and Securities Litigation Practices with Addition of Ryan M. Wilson Morrison Cohen LLP is pleased to announce the expansion of its financial services and securities litigation practices with the addition of Ryan M. Wilson as a partner in the firm's business litigation department and its white collar and regulatory enforcement practice group. Wilson's practice focuses on complex commercial and financial litigation. He also advises and defends clients in connection with federal and state government investigations, criminal prosecutions, and enforcement actions and litigation, as well as internal investigations. Most recently a partner at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, Wilson has represented hedge funds, private equity firms, and Fortune 500 companies in a variety of commercial and criminal matters, with a particular focus on cases involving complex financial products, derivatives and securities. Wilson also has defendd clients in criminal and civil investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the New York Attorney General's Office. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney on the Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Task Force in the Eastern District of New York from 2016-18, Wilson was one of the lead attorneys in the prosecution of Deutsche Bank AG for its conduct during the financial crisis, resulting in a landmark $7.2 billion settlement - the largest Department of Justice settlement involving the conduct of a single financial institution. Wilson received the Department of Justice Director's Award for this prosecution. He also led the prosecution of Deutsche Bank's former head of subprime trading - one of a handful of individual prosecutions resulting from the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Wilson earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. About Morrison Cohen LLP Morrison Cohen LLP is one of New York's leading full-service, midsize commercial law firms with a diverse client base of companies and individuals conducting business in many industries in the United States and abroad. The firm was named to Vault's 2020 "15 Best Midsize Law Firms in New York." Morrison Cohen provides a full array of highly sophisticated corporate, capital markets, business litigation, real estate, restructuring, bankruptcy, governance, compensation, benefits, labor and employment, technology and intellectual property, and other commercial, transactional, and individual client legal services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005125/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Car insurance: what the latest modifications could mean for your premiums When is a car modified and when it is not modified? No, this isn't intended as a philosophical question, though many motorists could easily feel as though it is when they are trying to navigate the pitfalls of insuring their car. Still, it's a question to which you really need to know the answer. That's because, if you do need to claim on your car insurance, an insurer could refuse to make the payout if they learn that the vehicle was a modified one without their knowledge. Worse, the insurer could even cancel the policy, as your payments might not have reflected the car's worth. What exactly do insurers deem a modification, anyway? That's where things can get hard to decipher, potentially throwing up lots of confusion between the insurer and policyholder - or applicant. Some insurers consider a vehicle modified "if it has been changed in any way since it was first supplied by the vehicle manufacturer." That's quoting from the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) in an Auto Express article. However, other insurers can consider even factory-fitted options modifications. By these insurers' definition, then, a car is modified if it has received "any alteration to the manufacturers' standard specification... including optional extras fitted to the car when new by the vehicle manufacturer or dealer, which improves its value, performance, appearance or attractiveness to thieves." Such extras include panoramic sunroofs and metallic paint coatings. Do all modifications attract premium increases? You could easily assume so, but certain modifications do tend to be spared what could be termed the "modifications tax". Roof racks, towbars and locking wheel nuts are all good examples - though, according to BIBA, it remains "prudent" to let your insurer know of these alterations. You might find that sat-navs are also automatically covered by your existing insurance policy and premiums. However, this isn't necessarily a given; in its own testing, The Sun found that declaring a sat-nav can actually increase the premium by 114.93. How hard can particular extras hit you in the insurance pocket? Auto Express has investigated exactly this matter. In its study, it explored how different modifications can affect the premiums of a 123bhp Ford Focus ST Line driven by a 37-year-old resident of rural Hampshire. The cheapest premium for a standard model here was 467. However, the premium increased by 4.93%, to 490, if aftermarket alloys were fitted. Meanwhile, decals hiked the premium to 541, representing a 15.95% increase. Upgrading the suspension was pricier still, leading to a 553 premium 18.42% higher than the usual price. An additional turbocharger, meanwhile, brought a hefty increase of 177.52% in the premium, leaving it at 1,296. Top Gear Tuning spokesperson Daniel Kirk told the Express that insurers will charge a "small increase" if the customer informs them of minor tinkering. Still, he adds: "If you're putting massive turbos on it and pushing big power, you will have to find specialist insurers for that sort of stuff." This is where researching modified car insurance online can really help. By Justin Weinger 2020 Copyright Justin Weinger - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. They had been thrown behind bars for spreading pro-Ukrainian leaflets. When Ukraine, Russia, and Russian proxy forces in Donbas exchange prisoners, it is usually men captured fighters and male civilians. In the latest exchange on December 29, 2019, however, there were more than a dozen women among 76 people who returned to the government-controlled territories from the occupied areas. Olena Sorokina stood out during the prisoner swap. She got off the bus wearing a white sweatshirt that had a trident, the Ukrainian national emblem, sketched on the front with a ballpoint pen. On the back, the shirt was emblazoned with the words: "Ukraine is my state," Deutsche Welle reports. "I drew on the sweatshirt at night in my cell under the bed," Sorokina told DW, adding that was what she wanted to wear when returning to Ukrainian forces. "There were armed guards on the bus, so I only put the sweatshirt on when I saw soldiers with Ukrainian insignia outside at that point, nobody could hurt me anymore." The 50-year-old spent about a year in a prison in the self-styled "Luhansk People's Republic" near the Russian border. "I never hid my pro-Ukrainian attitude," she said. "There were plenty of reasons to put me in prison, but they caught me because of the leaflets." Sorokina lived in the small town of Pervomaisk, where she ran a pet shop. She was arrested in 2018 on charges of espionage for Ukrainian intelligence, treason and extremism. "I was accused of extremism because I pasted leaflets on walls and congratulated people on Ukraine's Independence Day," she said. Her sentence: 13 years in prison. Read alsoSBU checking whereabouts of 184 Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia-occupied Donbas In prison she met Anastasia Mukhina. The 72-year-old from Luhansk was sentenced to 16 years in 2018, also for pro-Ukrainian leaflets, she said. The two women became friends in prison and helped each other. Today they share a room in the clinic and can hardly believe they are free again. "I was told that I was risking a lot and bad things could happen to me," Sorokina said, struggling with tears. "But I have no family, so I was not afraid." While Sorokina was not tortured, conditions in the prison were tough. "We drank water that was not really clean drinking water," she said. "We were only allowed to go to the toilet twice a day, and we were given a barrel which stood beside the place where we ate." "Conditions were inhumane," Sorokina added. The Ukrainian government has promised all released prisoners aid amounting to about EUR 3,500 ($3,800). The two women still do not know what will happen to them and where they will live. Sorokina wants to take both Russia and its proxy forces to the European Court of Human Rights. She hopes Kyiv will eventually control the occupied areas again. "This is our country," she said, with tears in her eyes. Sorokina may owe her release to a rapprochement between Russia and Ukraine, but she has decidedly mixed feelings: she is worried that Ukraine could be paying too high a price. ESSEX Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store in the Centerbrook portion of town will present its newest exhibit, Appreciating the Everyday, beginning this weekend. It comprises new and original artwork that showcases the imagery of daily events and objects that make our lives easier and more pleasurable the family dinner, a bottle of wine, a fireplace, and more, according to a press release. Located at 61 Main St., the gallerys first show of 2020 includes an open reception from Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., wine and refreshments. The seven-week show runs through March 15. During these cold, winter months, it is a nice time to sit back and appreciate the daily events and objects that we may not notice as we rush from one place to another ... .the baby sleeping, a warm cup of tea, our sweet, endearing pets. So take a breath and visit us at the gallery to find more to appreciate, Barbara Nair, Spectrum Gallery director, said in a prepared statement. Presenting at Spectrum are both returning and new artists working in a range of mediums including new-to-Spectrum artist Patti Maher, who is interested in simple, elegant lines, shadows and negative spaces. She works in pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, and at times a combination, the release said. They include Melissa Rae Dovey, who creates pen-and-ink drawings documenting everyday life; and Steven Ostrowski, also new to Spectrum, who exhibits a playful, yet dramatic style in acrylic and gouache, the release continued. Other fine artists showing are painter Denise Gaffney Hartz, who focuses on the abstract to express memory and experience in her work. Painter and photographer Lori Blados, who lives part-time in Connecticut and Costa Rica both places enriching her visual aesthetic and contributing to her imagery and color palette; and painter Melissa Imossi, a contemporary realist artist focusing on the source and flow of light in her images. Also, Linda McCarthy, whose paintings give hints of reality letting the viewers eye and imagination fill in the rest, returns to Spectrum with three still lifes; as does Rosemary Webber, who is exhibiting two new oils, the release said. A new artist to Spectrum, Sally Brown, working in acrylic and pastels, shows both mediums in Appreciating the Everyday. Fine artist Mark Rich also returns to Spectrum and presents a vibrantly-colored abstract in oil and wax pastels on canvas. Others presenting include Catherine Satsuk, with several heartwarming oils on canvas; Iacopo Pasquinelli, an Italian-born and award-winning painter, whose work captures the romantic view of local countrysides and coastlines, but in the current exhibit presents a thoughtful and very personal portrait; painter and calligrapher Ned Farrell, who has several fun mixed media works in the show; and Regina Thomas, known for her adventurous use of mixed media in her collages, returns to Spectrum showing several works. Photographers are Robert Thomas, with several new pieces; Dianne Roberts, who captures images of the passage of time in animals and nature. John Hsu, a native of Taiwan, has exhibited extensively throughout the region and has published multiple photographic books, including several dedicated to water reflection imagery. In Appreciating the Everyday, he captures the beauty of animals. Also showing is Howard Margules, who shoots a wide range of subjects but favors portrait photography, particularly candid, unposed subjects; and Paul Ramsey, who presents a powerful photographic seascape, according to the director. Many Spectrum potters, glass artists, fabric and jewelry designers, and other fine artisans are exhibiting their pieces, including Andy Teran, who sculpts whales and fish using local driftwood; Marsha Leavitt, a New England basketry artist best known for her functional and decorative reed baskets and pine needle art weavings; and Maryann Flick, who has several new stained-glass panels. Numerous jewelry designers are also bringing in new pieces in preparation for Valentines Day. Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store is an expansion of the nonprofit Arts Center Killingworth, which organizes classes, workshops, and summer art and fashion camps for children and teens. The center also recently announced two calls for artists for the Summer Arts Festival in Essex and the Autumn Arts Festival in Madison. For information, call 860-767-0742 or visit spectrumartgallery.org. To learn about the Arts Center Killingworth, call 860-663-5593 or visit artscenterkillingworth.org. WASHINGTON - House Democrats charged with prosecuting the impeachment case against President Donald Trump on Wednesday scaled back their fiery language following a scolding from Chief Justice John Roberts as they began laying out their case for Trump's removal from office for pressuring Ukraine to help him win reelection. But as Democrats softened their tone if not their message, Trump and his fellow Republicans dialed up their partisan rhetoric, with GOP senators largely ignoring Roberts's admonition and leveling scathing attacks against the trial's prosecutors. Democrats also appeared to shut down talk of a deal to secure testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton by offering to trade testimony from the son of former vice president Joe Biden, who was the focus of Trump's alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine. Biden himself said he would refuse such an arrangement. The Republican barrage was led by Trump himself, who in Davos, Switzerland, called the top House managers "sleazebags" while denouncing his impeachment as a "hoax" and "disgrace" to his presidency. "I watched the lies from Adam Schiff. He'll stand, he'll look at a microphone, and he'll talk like he's so aggrieved," Trump said at a news conference from the World Economic Forum in Davos, referring to the House Intelligence Committee chairman leading the prosecution. On Schiff and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., another impeachment manager and longtime Trump foe, the president added: "These two guys - these are major sleazebags. They're very dishonest people. Very, very dishonest people." On the way to Washington on Air Force One, Trump stirred up a veritable Twitter storm as he tweeted and retweeted messages primarily about impeachment, particularly from his Republican defenders - a barrage that marked the most tweets of any day of his presidency, with 125 as of 4:25 p.m., according to Factba.se, a website that tracks Trump's tweets and speeches. That posturing provided a sharp contrast to the Democratic House managers, who struck a chastened tone in the Senate chamber Wednesday after the Roberts admonishment issued in the early hours of Wednesday. Saying that the Democrats had "adrenaline going through our veins," Schiff began opening arguments Wednesday afternoon by expressing gratitude for the senators' attentiveness. And Nadler, whose accusations that GOP senators were engaging in "treacherous" behavior angered Republicans, made sure to thank Roberts and the lawmakers for "your temperate listening and your patience last night as we went into the long hours." "I think that was an attempt to shift the tone," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. "A lot of senators were offended last night at saying that a vote against their amendments was treachery, that it was a vote against the United States." The politics of the trial on Wednesday rippled not only in Europe and in Washington but in Iowa, where 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Biden was confronted with questions about whether he would be willing to testify in the proceedings. The former vice president - who, along with his son Hunter has been the target of political investigations that Trump had asked of Ukraine - said he would not participate in any witness swap as part of the Senate impeachment trial, as some Democrats have been discussing. "The reason I would not make the deal, the bottom line is, this is a constitutional issue," Biden said in response to a voter's question in Osage, Iowa. "We're not going to turn it into a farce or political theater. I want no part of that." Some Senate Democrats had started grappling with the prospect that they might have to greenlight witnesses desired by Republicans to subpoena key Trump administration officials. Such a decision could be made if a majority of senators agree to call witnesses after listening to opening arguments and questioning the two sides. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Wednesday that any deal with Republicans on a witness trade involving the Bidens is "off the table." His remarks echoed those of Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, who said "trials aren't trades for witnesses." Schiff laid out high expectations for senators as the trial got underway, calling on them to "decide what kind of democracy that you believe we ought to be" and what Americans can expect "in the conduct of their president." As he continued his remarks, Schiff called Trump "the key player in the scheme" to pressure Ukraine for investigations that could benefit him politically in exchange for a White House meeting and the release of nearly $400 million of military aid. Both coveted items were of a "great consequence to Ukraine," Schiff said, particularly the funding meant to help the small Eastern European nation guard itself from Russia. "Everyone was in the loop," Schiff said. "[Trump] directed the actions of his team. He personally asked a foreign government to investigate his opponent. These facts are not in dispute." Trump, who had wanted Ukraine to investigate the Bidens as well as a discredited theory that Ukraine worked with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 election, insists that he has done nothing wrong and that a rough transcript of a July 25 call with Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, exonerates him of any wrongdoing. But if the Senate does not hold Trump accountable, Schiff warned, "the damage to our democratic elections, to our national security, to our system of checks and balances will be long-lasting and potentially irreversible." Even on the first day of opening arguments, the seats of many Republican senators and a handful of Democrats were empty as Schiff wrapped up his remarks. Some members were standing against the back wall to stretch their legs, but others stayed out of the chamber for an extended period, even though the rules call for senators, like jurors at any trial, to be in their seats the entire time. During breaks outside the Senate chamber, Republicans dismissed the proceedings and said they were learning nothing new as they kept up their attacks on the House managers, particularly Nadler. When asked whether Trump's attorneys had also deserved their admonishment by Roberts, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, responded, "No," saying Nadler "is embarrassing." "And it's outrageous," Cornyn added. "At some point, you got to call it what it is." The heated rhetoric from some Democrats on Tuesday risked turning off a small slate of influential GOP senators in the center of the procedural fight over witnesses and documents. "Well, I took it as very offensive," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said of Nadler's performance. "As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended." At a news conference in Davos, Trump said he "can live either way" with the Senate's decision about whether to call witnesses at his impeachment trial, but he argued that testimony by former national security adviser John Bolton could pose national security and other concerns, including that Bolton left the administration on bad terms. "You don't like people testifying when they didn't leave on good terms," Trump said. Democrats seized on another portion of Trump's news conference, when he praised his legal team and added: "Honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material." Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., one of the House impeachment managers, said that comment provided more evidence of obstruction of Congress. But Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's lawyers, responded by defending the president's executive privilege rights. "This isn't nonsense," Sekulow said. "This is really what the Constitution is about." Meanwhile, Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network that he would like to see an "acquittal fairly quickly." He also called the Democrats pressing the case against him "totally nuts." But the White House set aside one avenue to end the proceedings quickly, at least for now, deciding against filing a motion Wednesday to dismiss the charges. That does not preclude his lawyers from filing such a motion later, but Senate Republican leaders have warned that such a move would not have majority support from senators until fuller trial proceedings take place. - - - The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis, Karoun Demirjian, John Wagner, Felicia Sonmez, Paul Kane and Rachael Bade in Washington and Matt Viser in Osage, Iowa, contributed to this report. A banker implicated in the Luanda Leaks, documents alleging fraud and money-laundering against Africa's richest woman, Isabel dos Santos, has been found dead in Lisbon. Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, who managed the account of state oil firm Sonangol at the Portuguese bank EuroBic, was found dead at one of his properties in Portugals capital city. The death was reported soon after Angolan prosecutors formally named the suspects in the money laundering and embezzlement case. According to media reports, police has pointed towards a high possibility of suicide. On January 21, EuroBic announced the end of its relationship with Dos Santos after the investigative reports of questionable deals were made public. A trove of emails, charts, contracts, audits and accounts were collected under the Luanda Leaks project, which was later obtained by the anti-corruption charity Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF). The documents were reviewed and attorney general, Helder Pitta Gros, in a press conference, alleged that Isabel dos Santos was involved in misappropriation of funds during her term as chairperson of Sonangol, the state oil company. Read: Angola: 'Richest African Woman' Isabel Dos Santos Charged With Fraud Presenting misleading picture The investigative report by ICIJ claimed that it has exposed two decades of unscrupulous deal that made dos Santos Africas wealthiest woman. It also alleged that thousands of families were forcibly evicted from their Luanda homes on land that was part of a redevelopment project involving a dos Santos company. Isabel dos Santos, in series of social media posts, lashed out at ICIJ and its investigative partners, including BBC and The Guardian, saying they presented a misleading picture. Read: Akhilesh Yadav Fires 'fraud Babas' Jibe At HM Shah & UP CM, Predicts Failure On CAA Front The 46-year-old billionaire said that there is a great lack of knowledge of the processes and procedures in Angola which leads to assumptions that there are no laws and processes in the African nation. "No one goes to Sonangol at the hardest moment in Sonangol's life unless they have a sense of mission, a sense that they can help to contribute and make a difference," she wrote in an Instagram post. Read: File Status Report On Money Laundering Probe Against AirAsia Officials, HC Tells ED Read: ED Arrests Robert Vadra's Aide CC Thampi For Money Laundering, Remanded To 3-day Custody The coronavirus outbreak in China could "significantly affect" Australia's travel sector, particularly if restrictions are imposed on international travel to stem the virus' spread, according to Moody's. The mysterious coronavirus has infected hundreds in China, triggering memories of the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003. Authorities have said the current outbreak stemming from Wuhan, China has killed 17 people and infected nearly 600 others. The severe acute respiratory syndrome crisis killed about 800 people, mostly in China and Hong Kong, according to data from the World Health Organization. "While the World Health Organisation (WHO) has to date not recommended any travel restrictions, if the effect on regional travel is similar to that during the SARS outbreak in 2003, passenger volumes between Asian destinations particularly China and Australia could be significantly affected over the next 2-3 quarters," Arnon Musiker, senior vice president at Moody's, said in a note dated Thursday. On Wednesday, WHO officials said they would reconvene on Thursday to decide whether to classify the outbreak as a "public health emergency of international concern." The agency's goal is to contain the outbreak without needlessly disrupting economic activity. To exacerbate matters, the exposure of Australian airports to Chinese travelers is "significantly higher" today as compared to during the SARS epidemic, Moody's said in the note. Tourists from China now account for over 15% of total short-term inbound travelers to Australia, as compared with just 4% in 2003, the firm said. "Any decline in passenger volumes would add to the challenging operating conditions facing Australian airports, including moderating passenger volumes due to lower arrivals from China, tepid consumer confidence and the impact of the bushfires on the peak holiday season," Musiker said. Still, Moody's said an escalation of the coronavirus outbreak would likely "still be manageable." According to the WHO, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that could cause less-severe diseases such as the common cold, while other could lead to more severe disease such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Dawn Kopecki contributed to this report. CARROLLTON, Texas, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Catherine Monson, Incoming Chair of the International Franchise Association and CEO at FASTSIGNS International, Inc. will deliver the opening keynote session at the European Master and Multi-Unit Franchising Conference held in Vienna January 28 - 29 on the "State of Franchising: U.S. & Global Perspectives." Catherine Monson, CEO and President of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. Along with over 50 speakers who are Franchisors, Master Franchisees, multi-unit and multi-brand franchisees and insiders, Monson will enlighten attendees about broadening their brands' footprints globally and share strategies for brand growth and the best opportunities for success in new countries. Monson will also be delivering an inspirational and informative keynote address at the Franchise Awards Gala Dinner in Budapest on January 30, 2020 at the New York Palace. Last year's keynote speaker was Reed Nyffeler, CEO and Co-founder of Signal 88. Hosted by Boscolo Budapest, the awards dinner is the most significant event of the Hungarian Franchise Association. They are expecting 250 attendees during this event with representatives of the major franchise brands and multi-unit franchisees in Eastern Europe. This celebratory evening will include honoring high-performing franchise networks in addition to members of the alliance that are represented in large numbers. Prizes will be awarded in various categories including Franchise Network of the Year, Most Dynamically Developing Franchise Network of the Year, Successfully Expanding Domestic Network Abroad, Marketing Award, Young Successful Franchisee and more. "It is an honor to be speaking at both the European Master and Multi-Unit Franchising Conference in Vienna and the Franchise Alliance Awards Gala in Hungary," said Monson. "I am happy to help contribute to these events that highlight and recognize the brands and businesses driving the growth of franchising in Hungary, Eastern Europe, Vienna and the world at large." About FASTSIGNS FASTSIGNS International, Inc. celebrates its 35th anniversary in business in 2020 as the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 725 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in 9 countries including the United States, Canada, Chile, England, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, France, and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points. FASTSIGNS has been ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 for the past four years, a 2019 Top Franchises for Veterans by Franchise Business Review and a 2019 America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679). ABOUT THE HUNGARIAN FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION The Hungarian Franchise Association assists franchisees to operate according to the European Codes of Ethics. The activities of the Hungarian Franchise Association have three major scopes. The first and the most important one is to provide the possibility of ethical franchising by influencing and controlling all regulations connected. The second one is to extend the knowledge related to ethical franchising through regional conferences in cooperation with county chambers. Last but not least, the association helps to connect appropriate franchisors and franchisees with each other. ABOUT THE EUROPEAN MASTER AND MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISING CONFERENCE The 2020 European Master & Multi-Unit Franchising Conference is the premier European conference for Master, Multi-Unit & Multi-Brand Franchisees. This event provides an intimate forum for international franchise business leaders to grow profitable franchise enterprises, based on the facts and on the experience of successful European master franchisees and multi-unit operators. Contact: Leah Edwards FASTSIGNS Corporate Communications 214.346.5792 [email protected] SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc. Related Links http://www.fastsigns.com EU condemns northwest Syria offensive Brussels, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 The European Union on Thursday condemned renewed fighting around a rebel stronghold in northwest Syria, demanding an end to "unacceptable" air strikes that have killed civilians. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, is tightening the noose around Idlib, the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria's civil war, with air strikes killing at least 23 civilians on Tuesday. "The renewal of the offensive in Idlib, including repeated air strikes and shelling targeting civilians are unacceptable and must cease," an EU spokesman said in a statement. "The EU will keep the sanctions against the Assad regime under review as long as these brutal attacks continue." Most of Idlib and parts of Aleppo province are still controlled by factions opposed to Assad. The Damascus regime, which controls around 70 percent of the country after nearly nine years of war, has repeatedly vowed to recapture the region. Idlib hosts at least three million people, many of whom have fled other parts of the country and are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The EU demanded "rapid, safe and unhindered access" for humanitarian organisations and stressed the need for a political solution to the conflict. The surge in violence comes despite a ceasefire announced by Moscow earlier this month that never really took hold, and there are warnings that a ground offensive could be imminent. Government schools in India are usually under fire for one reason or the other - be it because of some unqualified teachers at some schools, or the unhygienic mid-day-meal scheme at others. However, a school in Bihar is in the news for all the right reasons. A government school in Gaya district of Bihar opens everyday to teach only one student - a little girl named Jahanvi Kumari. YouTube She is in Class 1 and is the only student in the five-decade-old government primary school. According to Bihar Post, the school authorities say that a total of nine students are admitted to the school, but Jahnavi is the only one who attends. We are impressed with her concern for study and are devoting our full energy to impart her proper education, Bihar Post quoted school teacher Priyanka Kumari as saying. She further said, Though it gives us a boring feeling to teach only a single student in the classroom for seven hours every day, we are happy that she has kept the fire of education burning within her unlike other students. Jahnvavi has two teachers, a cook to prepare the midday meal, four classrooms and a bathroom at her disposal, in the school. In case the food is not made by the cook, it is brought from a hotel, according to the report. according to the school principal, Satyendra Prasad, the villagers do not take an interest in sending their kids to the government school; they admit them in private schools instead. YouTube Yet we are happy that one student has been attending our school daily and that has kept us active, he said. We laud the dedication on both the part of the little girl and the school to keep her academic goals on track. A part-time police officer in western Pennsylvania is facing charges after authorities say he gave a teenage boy alcohol and marijuana in exchange for nude photos. Verona police officer Anthony Ogline, 34, is now facing charges that include possession of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors, WTAE is reporting. Allegheny County and Whitehall police got involved when the 16-year-old boy was reported missing last week after he was seen leaving school in the middle of the day and getting into a black sedan, KDKA reports. Police say they tracked the boy to Oglines house in Verona. According to reports, the boy told police he met Ogline three months prior on the dating app Grindr, and Ogline requested naked photos. Ogline told the boy he could stay for a few days at his home, where they watched movies, drank alcohol and smoked marijuana, according to reports. Reports also indicate Ogline kissed the boy and performed a sex act on him. Ogline was arrested and is being housed in the Allegheny County Jail. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. President Zelensky emphasizes that Ukraine has necessary technical capabilities and experienced specialists to properly carry out this work President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Irans Presidents Special Representative Mohammad Eslami the issue of transferring PS 752 black boxes to Ukraine. The press service of the Presidents Office reports. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine has the necessary technical capabilities and experienced specialists to properly carry out this work. "A group of Iranian representatives is expected to familiarize themselves with Ukraines technical capabilities for decoding black boxes. The sides agreed that all the remains of the aircraft that survived the crash should be returned to Ukraine," the statement said. Recall, on the night of January 7-8, in the Iranian capital Tehran, a Boeing 737 passenger plane (Ukrainian International Airlines) crashed. It carried 176 people, nine of whom were crew members. Eleven Ukrainians died, two of them were passengers. Most of the victims were from Iran and Canada. January 20, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami would arrive in Kyiv. He was delivering a message from President of Iran Hassan Rouhani to the President of Ukraine on the crash of a UIA plane. Shantanu David By Express News Service 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion), an Indian-based organisation focussed on social innovations and future skills, announced Indias First Artificial Intelligence (AI) Youth Lab in New Delhi on Tuesday, January 21. The AI Youth Lab is an initiative by 1M1B in collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. 1M1B works with youth in urban as well as rural schools to achieve and fulfil the UN SDGs. 1M1B is working closely with UN Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC) and the United Nations Department of Global Communications for several years. The organisation, because of its association with the various UN bodies, has also been able to take the students it works with to UN headquarters in New York to attend, as well as address, international intra-governmental sessions. Manav Subodh, the co-founder of 1M1B, who is currently out in the countryside, working with the programs rural schools, says, Weve been working with youth around the country for the last four years, and while previously we encouraged our student participants to work on projects which can positively impact the lives of at least 10 people (no small thing in itself), we realised that by using Artificial Intelligence, we could scale up that impact by multiple factors. Subodh intends to set up over 50 labs in schools across India and abroad over the course of 2020, saying, We provide the infrastructure, training, and all other facilities for our partner schools, so that it doesnt cost them anything. This is especially an important factor for rural schools. In fact, were also organising mobile AI labs, which can travel between hard-to-reach villages, so as to have maximum reach. While it all may sound tech-heavy, Subodh says that AI can be used to facilitate projects across disciplines, from humanities to engineering and social as well as hard sciences. Were working with students across the spectrum. If were teaching one student interested in conservation how to use AI to compile and extrapolate data affecting different species, another class 11 student wanting to become a molecular biologist is learning how AI can aid in discovering new medical drugs. Highlights of the initiative The AI Youth Lab is an initiative by 1M1B in collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. 1M1B works with youth in urban as well as rural schools to fulfil the UN SDGs. 1M1B is working closely with UN-ECOSOC and the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia to participate in WEF in Davos - GeorgianJournal The global automatic floodgate market is poised to grow by USD 690.42 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 13% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005472/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global automatic floodgate market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 95-page research report with TOC on "Automatic Floodgate Market Analysis Report by End-users (Commercial and Residential), by Geographic regions (Americas, APAC, and EMEA), and Segment Forecasts, 2019 2023". https://www.technavio.com/report/global-automatic-floodgate-market-industry-analysis The shift in global climatic conditions and certifications for floodgates are anticipated to boost the growth of the market. Many countries are experiencing frequent floods in addition to the rise of seawater levels as a result of global warming. Parts of Africa, Indonesia, India, and Central and South America are expected to be severely affected by floods in the forthcoming years. The increase in flood risks is driving the need for flood protection through the construction of flood defense infrastructure such as automatic floodgates or automated flood barriers. In addition, governments of the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada are investing in infrastructure development to withstand floods. Thus, the shift in global climatic conditions is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Automatic Floodgate Market Companies: AWMA Pty AWMA Pty is headquartered in Australia and operates the business under various segments such as Products and Services. The company offers automated flood barriers under the brand name AUSTRALIAN FLOOD BARRIERS. Flood Control International Flood Control International is headquartered in the UK and offers products through the following business units: FLOOD BARRIERS, FLOOD GATES, FLOOD DOORS, and CHEMICAL CONTAINMENT. The company offers various types of floodgates, which are provided as automatic and push-button-operated according to the customer requirement. FloodBreak FloodBreak is headquartered in the US and offers automatic and normal floodgates through its unified business segment. The company also offers automatic flood mitigation systems such as Vehicle Gate, Pedestrian Gate, and Roadway Gate. Hunton Engineering Design Hunton Engineering Design is headquartered in the UK and offers specialist design, manufacturing, and installation services of river engineering, process plant, and mechanical handling equipment. The company also offers fully automatic floodgates as well as hydraulic or mechanical means of operation. MM Engineered Solutions MM Engineered Solutions is headquartered in the UK and offers products through the following business segments: Products and Services. The company also offers fully automatic floodgates, which use a hydraulic cylinder for the working of the system. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Automatic Floodgate End-users Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 2023) Commercial Residential Automatic Floodgate Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 2023) Americas APAC EMEA 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 a free sample report About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005472/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: https://www.technavio.com (Natural News) Researchers from the University of Samarra in Iraq looked at the potential of plant extracts as natural alternatives to herbicides. They published their work in the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine In agriculture, weeds are a significant factor when it comes to determining production. Current practices for managing weeds often include synthetic weedicides, which negatively affect the environment. For this study, researchers assessed the effectiveness of aqueous extract from oleander (Nerium oleander), olives (Olea europaea) and castor (Ricinus communis) against nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus). Two experiments were carried out to assess the extracts effects on germination and seedling growth. The team found that oleander extract had 90% seedling growth inhibition at concentrations of 5% and 10% which was compatible with the chemical herbicide tribenuron. They concluded that plant extracts could be a viable alternative to chemical herbicides. Learn more about other natural herbicides at Harvest.news. Journal Reference: Al-Samarai G, Mahdi W, Al-Hilali B. REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BY CHEMICAL HERBICIDES USING NATURAL PLANT DERIVATIVES ALLELOPATHY EFFECT. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine. March 2018;25(3):449452. DOI: 10.26444/aaem/90888 Going to the dry cleaners could soon be a task for the past, thanks to a new smart home product called AirDresser recently announced by Samsung. The device resembles a micro-closet, complete with hangers for clothes and a place to put up ties and other garments. But the exterior also houses a touch-enabled display and water tanks. Thats because this smart home addition is intended to clean up clothes that are placed inside. Samsung says AirDresser utilizes air and steam to accomplish the task. That will not only remove dust and germs to refresh and sanitize clothes. It can eliminate up to 99.9-percent of four different virus groups, 100-percent fo house mites, and 99-percent of odor-causing particulates and harmful substances. Thats based on a variety of tests and the AirDresser does all of that while additionally performing the task of dehumidifying the area its been placed in. Advertisement The Jet Air and Air Hangers Samsung places inside of the machine operate with minimal noise and vibration. Heatpump Drying is quick, effective, and quiet too. Thats all quiet enough for use and placement anywhere inside the home, including the bedroom, Samsung says. The AirDresser isnt going to be cleaning any heavily soiled clothing. But as a result of AirDressers features, buyers can save both time and money over the use of a dry cleaning service or standard washer and dryer for lightly worn clothes. AirDresser sanitizes more than just clothes and is low-maintenance, Samsung says The latest addition to Samsungs smart home catalog isnt only intended to effectively dry-clean clothing either. Instead, the company says it can accomplish the same tasks it does for close for common household items. That includes everything from linens to other fabrics, even covering soft toys that might become soiled. Advertisement Its also a low-maintenance appliance. To begin with, Samsung AirDresser doesnt require water hookups, so it can be installed anywhere. There are portable water containers at the bottom of the dresser that can be taken out to be filled. But that carries over to cleaning the unit too. Samsung AirDresser wont require users to navigate the tight space of a closet to keep the unit itself clean. Self Clean ensures that users are reminded to run a cleaning cycle every forty cyles. Then, the AirDresser uses the same cleaning as for clothes in a more intense cycle to clean itself without any need for detergents. AI is part of this package as well, with Samsung SmartThings utilizes to remotely access and troubleshoot any problems. Thats a feature Samsung calls Home Care Wizard. Another feature, dubbed My Closet, stores details about individual clothing items to ensure users are running the best care cycles for the individual clothing items and materials. Advertisement Where and when is this available? Samsung is playing this product fairly close to its chest, even after announcing it. The company isnt quite ready to give up details about pricing, for instance. The Samsung AirDresser will undoubtedly not be cheap, by any stretch of the imagination. But determining a likely price range for a smart home appliance that has no real precedent is more challenging. The South Korean tech giant also hasnt provided any details regarding specifics of availability. Instead, it indicates that this launch is global. That portends the launch of the new gadget in markets around the world. But the only specifics provided are that the list of launch areas will include the U.K. and Russia. Businessman Peter Casey has denied he has a message of "hate and division" as he entered the General Election race in Dublin. Mr Casey has put himself forward in Dublin West - Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's constituency - as well as his home county of Donegal. He gained notoriety during the 2018 presidential election after arguing that Travellers should not be recognised as an ethnic minority. He was criticised during his European election run for remarks about immigrants. Labour's Dublin West candidate, former Tanaiste Joan Burton, accused Mr Casey of having a message of "hate and division" and said he's "not welcome in Dublin West". She said it is "one of Ireland's most diverse and inclusive communities" and "immense efforts" had been made to create a friendly environment for immigrants. "It would be a shocking thing if a Dail candidate notorious for creating division should...sow seeds of disharmony for purely political purposes," she added. Mr Casey last night claimed Ms Burton was "worried about losing her seat", adding: "For her to imply I've got divisive politics is nonsense." He insisted that running in two constituencies is "not a stunt", saying he was "passionate" about getting elected in Donegal. He is running in Dublin to discourage people from voting for Mr Varadkar, who he claimed would "go down as the worst Taoiseach in history". New Delhi, Jan 23 : InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) India is focusing on increasing the presence of its mid-level brands - Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express - to more cities to counter the overall slowdown being faced by the hospitality segment. Speaking to IANS, the IHG Managing Director (South West Asia) Sudeep Jain, however, said that in the smaller cities the company has not witnessed a "dramatic slowdown in any manner". "To counterbalance the slowdown with our brands of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express in particular, we are entering tier 2,3 and tier 4 cities. There we are not seeing any dramatic slowdown in any manner. That's more virgin territory, under-penetrated, dynamics are different, the owner profiles are different," Jain said, adding that the company has got the right brands to target the smaller cities. He also said that the company plans to increase the footprint of its luxury brands InterContinental and Crowne Plaza. "So our development strategy is to grow our mainstream brands and to enter the luxury space and introduce the brands in India, so we are well along the way," he said. The company plans to open 7-8 hotels in the year ahead, Jain told IANS. He noted that the company has witnessed doublt-digit growth in the last four years and expects it to continue growing in the current fiscal, although sustaining the high rate may be difficult. "The growth may be slowing down a little bit, double-digit sustainibility for the fifth year is not easy, but in the same token, it's still a healthy growth," he said, adding that InterContinental Hotels are bullish on the Indian market. The Managing Director said that last year the company signed up for properties in Deharadun, Calangute in Goa and in Amravati, among others. On the demand front, he noted that the company opened the Holiday Inn in Agra last year which has drawn good response. On the business done in 2019, Jain said that InterContinental Hotels India signed 14 property deals, with includes around 2,400 rooms across the major brands. A 31-year-old CRPF personnel, posted outside the bungalow of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani in South Mumbai, died after shooting himself accidentally, officials said on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Devdan Bakotra who hailed from Junagadh in Gujarat. The incident took place around 7 pm on Wednesday at the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) security post outside Ambani's 27-storey bungalow 'Antilia' off Pedar Road. Preliminary probe revealed that Bakotra stumbled and fell which caused his automatic rifle to fire. He received two bullet injuries in the chest, a CRPF official said. He was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment late at night. Bakotra's body was handed over to his family after autopsy. A case of accidental death was registered at the Gamdevi police station and further probe was underway, the city police said. "It was accidental firing. It does not appear to be a suicide," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajiv Jain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Toyota has demonstrated a commitment not only to the good of global innovation, but to the sharing of resources that advance technology for everyone, said Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network. We are proud to have Toyota as part of our community. LOT Network Inc., the leading international nonprofit community of companies protecting against costly litigation brought by patent assertion entities (PAEs, also known as patent trolls), today announced that Japans Toyota Motor Corp, the worlds number one automaker, joined the 600+ member organization to protect itself against patent trolls. LOT Network members agree if, and only if, a members patent asset falls into the hands of a PAE, that asset is licensed to all other network members -- thereby permanently immunizing the community from PAE litigation involving that asset. At the same time, all of the traditional uses of patents, such as selling them or even suing other member companies, are unaffected. Innovation in the automotive industry is accelerating at a high-speed due to the adoption of emergent technologies like autonomous driving, fuel cells, Wi-Fi, cellular and audio technology, voice technology, GPS, user interface, security features and more. The visionaries in LOT Network recognize that the convergence of industries, like automotive and software, can open OEMs up to exposure to one of the trolls target sectors: high tech. The worlds largest automaker, Toyota, saw the impetus to do their part in protecting innovation by de-weaponizing the patents in their portfolio, giving full protection to LOT Network member companies in case they are ever used in litigation. Earlier this year, Toyota announced it would grant free access to its nearly 24,000 patents on hybrid technologies to encourage widespread adoption of lower-emission technology worldwide. Toyota currently owns 152,000 assets of intellectual property, making it the second largest patent holder to join LOT Network (after founding member Canon). With the addition of Toyota, LOT Network now protects its members from more than 2.2 million assets should that fall into the hands of a patent troll. Were pleased to announce our membership with LOT Network, said Yosuke Iida, IP General Manager of Toyota. Under the circumstances that the creation of alliances in business is increasingly vital, our membership in LOT Network will further strengthen our relationships with other patent holders. Weve been developing our business in cooperation with a wide range of partners, and are fully confident that our patents will not cause our partners trouble in case they fall into the hands of a patent troll. We believe that patents should be utilized to encourage innovation and the growth of industries by practicing entities, which aligns us with the mission of LOT Network. Toyota has demonstrated a commitment not only to the good of global innovation, but to the sharing of resources that advance technology for everyone, said Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network. We are proud to have Toyota as part of our community. The fact that we now count the worlds seven largest automakers as members demonstrates that LOT solves a key problem brought about by the convergence of technology. We invite all automotive startups and suppliers to follow Toyotas lead in protecting innovation by joining LOT Network. The members of LOT Network now include eleven of the worlds largest holders of AI patents along with some of the largest patent holders in key industries like cloud computing, software, and autonomous vehicles. These companies, along with other LOT Network members in 35 countries, immunize the community from more than two million worldwide patent assets that could be a threat in the hands of a PAE. About LOT Network: LOT Network is an international community of the worlds leading high-tech companies committed to protecting its members from costly patent troll litigation. LOT Network currently protects its members from litigation from over 2.2 million worldwide patents and counting. Network members include market leaders such as Visa, Canon, Google, Tesla, Cisco, Amazon, Microsoft, Alibaba and Salesforce, as well as innovative companies across industries. # # # trends Reporter's Take | India ranked 72nd in Talent Competitiveness Index Moneycontrol's Shraddha Sharma gets in conversation M Saraswathy to discuss India's achievement in the region. On Assignment Paying for Pensions Funding state retirement dreams Jan Goodwin of the states educational retirement board corrects us on how HB46 is intended to fund pensions. Courtesy Plame for Congress News Interview Plame From District 3 Former CIA agent seeks NM Dem nod To get the scoop on the whys and wherefore of an unlikely but substantial candidate, Weekly Alibi met with Valerie Plame. Advertisement A British athlete has become the first person ever to swim under an Antarctic ice sheet - wearing only his swimming trunks for the jaw-dropping crawl. Lewis Pugh, 50, dived into the icy waters of the South Pole to swim where nobody ever has before - in a river underneath a melting ice sheet. Incredible photographs show him doing the front crawl through a magnificent bright blue tunnel formed under the largest single mass of ice on Earth. Mr Pugh, from Plymouth, Devon, was in the water - a few degrees above zero - for eight minutes. The Briton performed the remarkable stunt on Monday as part of his training for a second 'world first' he's attempting later today. Incredible photographs show Lewis Pugh, 50, doing the front crawl through a magnificent bright blue tunnel formed under the largest single mass of ice on Earth Mr Pugh (pictured diving), from Plymouth, Devon, was in the water - a few degrees above zero - for eight minutes. The Briton performed the remarkable stunt on Monday as part of his training for a second 'world first' he's attempting later today Mr Pugh inspected the river underneath an Antarctic ice sheet in East Antarctica before he swam it. Speaking from a tent in East Antarctica, Mr Pugh said being under the ice sheet was the most beautiful place he had seen anywhere in the world Wearing only a pair of trunks, goggles and a cap, UN patron of the oceans Lewis Pugh has swam where no man ever has before - in a river underneath a melting ice sheet (he is pictured preparing off the coast of Dover) He's attempting to become the first person ever to swim across an entire supra-glacial lake - a body of water formed on the surface of a melting ice cap. Speaking from a tent in East Antarctica, Mr Pugh said being under the ice sheet was the most beautiful place he had seen anywhere in the world. The endurance swimmer and ocean advocate, said: 'This is one of the most remote places on the planet. 'It's vast. It's beautiful. But everywhere we look we are seeing meltwater. 'It was every shade of blue. It started turquoise, and then I swam around a corner and it was royal blue. 'And then it turned to indigo, and then a psychedelic blue, and finally violet. 'I was quite relieved to see my team at the end. This is a high-consequence environment to swim in. 'It took me 33 years of training to swim those eight minutes, and a team of incredible French mountaineers to get me in and out of the tunnel safely.' Mr Pugh said it took him 33 years of training to swim those eight minutes, and a team of 'incredible' French mountaineers to get him in and out of the tunnel safely The scene in Antarctic where Lewis Pugh swam under an ice sheet. He faced bitterly cold temperatures during his challenge, but hopes to accomplish more jaw-dropping feats in the future Mr Pugh inspects a river underneath an Antarctic ice sheet in East Antarctica before he swam it. He was surrounded by a thick blue wall of ice as he swam the eight-minute route Mr Pugh is doing the challenge as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the climate crisis at the poles and is calling for the creation of a network of marine protected areas (Mr Pugh is pictured preparing for the swim) Married Mr Pugh has been described as the 'Sir Edmund Hillary of swimming' and was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world. In 2007 he became the first person to complete a long-distance swim across the Geographic North Pole. The 1km crawl across an open patch of sea was to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice. Later on today Mr Pugh will attempt to become the first person ever to swim across an entire lake formed in a melting ice cap. He is doing it as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the climate crisis at the poles and is calling for the creation of a network of marine protected areas. During all his ice swims he only ever wears his budgie smuggler trunks, cap and goggles. Supra-glacial lakes appear as a direct result of polar ice melting and are appearing at an increasing rate. The swim will take place in waters only a degree or two above freezing, and will take him 20 minutes. He will face a bitter wind-chill and the constant threat of being swallowed up by the lake. At any time a large hole, known as a moulin, could open in the ice, allowing the water - with Mr Pugh in it - to plummet hundreds of metres to the continent's bedrock. SANTA FE, N.M. New Mexico health officials on Wednesday urged doctors and other providers across the state to be proactive and vigilant as more than 500 cases of a new viral respiratory illness have been confirmed in China and elsewhere since an outbreak began last month. State Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel said no cases have been detected in New Mexico, and cases are not expected to be directly imported into the state. However, our New Mexicos medical providers need to be attentive to every patients travel history and symptoms, she said. The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus, which is a family of viruses that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses. While originally thought to be spreading from animal-to-person, the New Mexico Health Department said limited person-to-person spread is happening and its unclear how easily this virus spreads between people. St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon attended the Algonac City Councils Jan. 21 meeting to give a semi-annual activity report and present a Merit Award to Deputy Derick Watson. Donnellon began his presentation by explaining that the St. Clair County Sheriffs Office has been starting to recognize deputies at meetings. It used to host a yearly event, but it was difficult to put together. Watson was being honored for an Oct. 6 incident in Port Huron Township in which he rescued a disabled resident from a burning home. He, along with another deputy who was involved in the incident, Curtis Spens, is now assigned in Algonac for 2020. Watson and Spens arrived on the scene as smoke was rolling up from inside the house and flames were showing. The wheelchair-bound resident was stuck in the doorway and could not get out of the house. Spens grabbed the victims legs and Watson lifted the back of the wheelchair to get the victim out. I think Derick was downplaying it a little bit, Donnellon said. But they both did an extraordinary job pulling the victim to safety. I believe their actions were very worthy of an award. I also received similar praise from the fire chief that night, as well. He said when the fire department arrived on the scene, the victim was already out and in the yard and then heading to the hospital in an ambulance. I just thought it was outstanding, outstanding police work, Donnellon said. He said the Certificate of Merit was being given in recognition for outstanding performance of duty involving unusual thoughtfulness, conscientiousness, determination and initiative. And I might add, this is not the first time hes been recognized for awards like this, so he receives the ribbon, and what you have is an oak leaf to put in your ribbon that signifies you have two of these now, Donnellon said. Watson has been with the sheriffs officer for a number of years. He was hired in the corrections division and worked at the jail for a few years. Donnellon mentioned that the sheriffs office also employs Watsons brother. Derick is one of our younger ones and soon-to-be one of our most decorated, he said later in the meeting. Sheriff gives Algonac statistics The second part of Donnellons presentation was his semi-annual activity report. The St. Clair County Sheriffs Officer provides police protection for Algonac residents and enforces all state laws and city criminal, civil and traffic ordinances within the city. The current agreement for law enforcement services between the city and the sheriffs office commenced Oct. 1, 2018, and expires Sept. 30, 2021. The agreement requires the sheriff or a designee to attend one city council meeting in January and one in July to review at least the previous six months of activity. Donnellons presentation mainly focused on comparing the activity numbers from 2018 to 2019. Animal complaints went down significantly, from 118 to 2018 to 90 in 2019. Assaults stayed consistent with 11 in 2018 and 10 in 2019, while breaking-and-entries in buildings and vehicles went from 22 to 18 and breaking-and-entering alarms went from 48 to 58. Blight went down from seven incidents to one. I think that would be progress that things are working in that department as far as concerns with the blight, Donnellon said. When you have as low a number as seven and youre down to one, thats a pretty good drop in blight complaints. Child abuse incidents went down significantly, as well, from six to one, and domestic assaults went from 108 to 94. Our fraud was the exact same at 32 two years in a row, which I thought was unusual, Donnellon said. There was a spike in juvenile matters, from 24 in 2018 to 43 in 2019. Donnellon said the matters could be a number of things, including shoplifting and trespassing. Narcotics incidents went down from 12 to four. Having a Clay officer assigned full-time has been very, very noteworthy for the southern region here, with officer (Michael) Brockley assigned out there with the drug task force, Donnellon said. Non-injury related property damage accidents were also down from 54 to 38, a 3.2 average a month instead of a 4.5 average. Sex offenses stayed the same at six. When you go down to our number of calls for service we had 2,114 in 2018 and 2,109 in 2019, so very, very similar calls for service, things have been consistent, Donnellon said. We run average about 45,000 a year in the rest of St. Clair County. Traffic stops were increased from 471 to 618, but traffic tickets issued went down from 113 to 93. Thats because its discretionary, Donnellon said. More traffic stops does not necessarily equate to more citations. He said the number of stops is also partly due to an evaluation process where deputies have to do a mandatory amount of activity during the course of a shift. Council member Corey Blair asked about how many tickets were issued for water activity as opposed to road activity. Donnellon said water is a separate statistic that is more on the township level. He said the sheriffs office could probably put something together about it, though. Council member Jake Skarbek asked if the lower number of narcotic incidents had to do with marijuana being legalized. No, not at all, Donnellon said. Most of our enforcement that were seeing is methamphetamines first; opiates are second, and then cocaine third. He noted that the sheriffs office has seen a little onset of meth in the past two years. He said it is not from labs, but shipped, generally from Mexico. I just want to compliment you and your staff on a fabulous job you guys do for us, Blair said. We have a great staff here and couldnt be happier to be down here in Algonac, Donnellon replied. And youve got a really good veteran group of deputies. Emily Pauling is a staff writer for The Voice. She can be contacted at 586-273-6200 or epauling@medianewsgroup.com. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said on January 22 that it will pay a compensation of Rs 100 each to around 630 passengers of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express because of a delay. The Express, the second IRCTC-run train which commenced commercial operations from January 19, was delayed for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon as it was entering Mumbai. The train reached the Mumbai Central station around 1 hour and 30 minutes late. "Passengers will have to apply as per our refund policy. They will be given refund after verification," said the IRCTC spokesperson. According to railway officials, the premium train departed from Ahmedabad at 6.42 am, two minutes late. But it arrived at Mumbai Central at 2.36 pm instead of the scheduled time of 1.10 pm. The Tejas Express and a few other suburban and outstation trains were held up due to a technical problem between Bhayander and Dahisar stations on the outskirts of Mumbai. "...the OHE (Overhead Equipment) on UP fast line between Dahisar and Bhayander did not hold power from 12.15 hrs. It was restored between Dahisar- Mira Road at 12.30 hrs and between Mira Road and Bhayander at 13.35 hrs," said a spokesperson of the Western Railway. Until 3.30 pm at least eight suburban services were canceled. The IRCTC spokesperson said that as the train was delayed, around 630 (of the total 849 passengers) who traveled upto Mumbai Central will be given compensation. As per the IRCTC's policy Rs 100 are paid for a delay of over an hour and Rs 250 for a delay of over two hours. It means the Corporation will be paying around Rs 63,000 to passengers, depending upon the number of claims. Also read: Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express flagged off; check fares; timing and route details Also read: Long shifts, abrupt firings, harassment plague Tejas Express crew A Delaware father says Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty punched his 13-year-old son during an event at the teams arena last fall, according to reports. Chris Greenwell told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the his son Brandon patted the mascot on the head after he had his photo taken with him during an exclusive event for season ticket-holders at the Wells Fargo Center in November. As Brandon was walking away, Gritty out of his chair took a running start," and punched my son as hard as he could," Greenwell told the publication. The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed Wednesday it was investigating the allegation. I can confirm that a report of a physical assault that occurred at 3601 S Broad Street, during a photo shoot with 13-year-old white male and Flyers mascot Gritty, a Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson told NJ Advance Media. Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers Police said the incident occurred in November and that the investigation was active and ongoing. Officials at Comcast Spectacor, the company that owns the Flyers, told the Inquirer that they investigated the alleged incident and couldnt verify Greenwells story. We took Mr. Greenwells allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim, a Flyers spokesperson said in the report. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. New Delhi: Bhojpuri bombshell Rani Chatterjee is dating someone from the TV industry, she recently told SpotboyE in an interview. Without revealing her boyfriend's name, Rani said that she wants to keep it a secret, but added that their wedding is on the cards. "Yes, I have found the love of my life and we are dating each other from quite sometime now. Also, we have decided to take the plunge in December this year. However, we still have to zero down on a date," the bold and beautiful actress said in the interview. Rani further said that she will soon introduce her boyfriend to her fans but as of now plans to keep everything under wraps. Divulging details on her wedding plans, Rani told SpotboyE, "Our families are working on all that but mostly it would be a Nikaah ceremony in my tradition in presence of family and friends. And this thought is already giving me goosebumps. I am excited." Rani Chatterjee is a big name in the Bhojpuri film industry. She has worked with several top actors and starred in many hit films. Her next film is 'Chotki Thakurain', directed by Shams Durrani. Meanwhile, she will also be seen in the popular reality show 'Khatron Je Khiladi', hosted by Rohit Shetty. The FBI is investigating a Michigan woman's claim that she was sexually assaulted aboard a Spirit Airlines flight by a man sitting next to her. The woman said the flight attendants took the alleged assault lightly asking her to move her seat, but not making that same request of him. Spirit Airlines, however, said its crew did all that it could to assist the woman, offered to move her but that she refused, so everyone had to stay put including the alleged attacker as the plane was about to land. The accuser a third-year college student at Eastern Michigan University never sat back down as she was fuming over what she said happened: She woke up from a nap, she said, to discover a man's hands down her pants. "We were in the process of landing and I said, 'Until y'all move him, I'm not sitting down,' " the woman, 22-year-old Tia Jackson of Westland, told the Free Press on Wednesday. Photo of Tia Jackson, 22, of Westland, said she was sexually assaulted aboard a Spirit Airlines flight on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2019 and that the flight crew dismissed her complaint. "I am most upset about the fact that they took it so lightly," Jackson said of the Spirit Airlines crew. "Not one person asked if I was OK. ... The passengers got more upset than the staff. ... I would like an apology at least." Spirit Airlines issued a statement that detailed the steps its crew took once they were made aware of the situation. "We take this claim seriously and are in direct contact with the guest," the statement reads, stressing the crew was "quick and professional." "Our flight attendants onboard that flight learned of the alleged incident 18 minutes prior to landing when the guest pressed the call button and received immediate attention," Spirit Airlines states. "Once she told the flight attendant who came to her seat, the flight attendant directed her to a different seat." Spirit Airlines continued: "The cabin crew wanted to move her, as opposed to him, because the move would have left him with an empty seat on one side and an aisle on the other." Story continues But Jackson refused to move. "By the time the guest declined to move, landing was imminent and everyone had to be seated as required by federal regulation," the statement reads. "Law enforcement began its investigation immediately after the flight arrived. We are supporting law enforcement as they investigate." FBI spokesperson Mara Schneider confirmed an investigation, but could not offer details. Related: Sexual assault on Spirit flight lands man in prison for 9 years According to Jackson, here is what happened to her on that flight: It was about 9:08 a.m. when she heard the announcement over the intercom that the plane was preparing for landing. Jackson was flying home from a trip to Atlanta, where she was visiting family and friends and looking into future career options, specifically working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is headquartered in Atlanta. Jackson was sitting in a middle seat. Her friend was sitting next to the window. An unfamiliar man was sitting in the aisle seat. As the plane was in landing mode, Jackson leaned on her friend, who had a window seat, to get comfortable and kept her eyes shut to get a little more sleep. She was resting, half-awake, when she felt a hand inside her pants. It was the man seated next to her, in the aisle seat. "When he touched me, that's what made me wake up," Jackson said." I woke up to a hand in my pants and I felt his skin touch my skin. It was so gross." According to Jackson, the man had one hand down her pants, the other was moving his penis. He tried to cover his act under a large coat, she said, noting things got ugly. "I said, 'Hey, get off me ... stop touching me!' " Jackson recalled. "And while in the process of me making a scene he's trying to assist me, and pat me. And he starting saying, 'No, no, no, no, no." That's when she hit the overhead button. Four flight attendants showed up. Two men. Two women. She told them what had happened when a male attendant allegedly told her: "If you don't like the seat arrangement, you can move." "It was annoying. I told them I'm not moving anywhere," said Jackson, who remained standing. "Mam, you need to sit down," she recalled a flight attendant telling her. But she wouldn't budge, telling them: "Make him move, or I'm not sitting down." According to Jackson, it wasn't until after the plane had landed that her attacker was asked to move. She said that a flight attendant approached the man, asked him whether he touched the woman next to her, and then asked him to move. "Just move, just move," she recalled hearing the flight attendant say. Jackson said they treated her as if she was the annoyance, not a victim. Jackson said that after she got off the plane, she reported the incident to airport police. Detroit Metro Airport authorities said they reported the incident to the FBI. Spirit Airlines said that it also reported the incident to the police and that it is cooperating. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Spirit Airlines passenger: Crew didn't take my groping claim seriously Gov. Tony Evers may have been a fine teacher in his years working in schools, but his teacher-turned-governor approach to his new job isnt getting high marks. Case in point: His decision to assign homework for 2020 to Republican legislative leaders. The Democrat, after a first year often at odds with the GOP majority in the legislature, penned a letter to them that was as condescending as it was informative. Yes, theres plenty to do for elected leaders in Madison, but talking at them rather than working with them is a missed assignment. Evers should know that by now. Heres some of what he wrote to them: I am a teacher-turned-governor, so to that end, I am assigning the legislature some homework to complete before adjourning later this year. The assignment begins with the issues that a majority of people in our state support and on which I think we should be able to agree. The letter asked the Assembly and Senate to approve legislation that would cap the price of insulin; improve the processing of sexual assault evidence; and implement and enforce standards for containing the class of contaminants known as PFAS, among other things Its fair to say the approach didnt get Republican leaders interested to work on the assigned homework. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald responded on Twitter in frustration: I thought I had a good meeting with the governor last week where we discussed priorities, he wrote. But giving a coequal branch of government homework in a condescending letter wont help him grow support for an agenda with Senate Republicans. The tone of this letter is ridiculous. We would have a similar reaction. And its not one that will help people at odds arrive at common ground. Rather than a letter and homework, we suggest that Evers reach out to Republican leaders and set up weekly or occasional regular meetings with them in 2020 to discuss matters of interest. Dont send aides. Make time to meet in person. And include in the conversations how Wisconsin can finally join other states in agreeing on funding sources for a long-term, dedicated road and bridge improvement plan that will help the state and its cities and towns for years to come. This isnt a new topic; the state has kicked the can down the road for many years. But Evers campaigned on coming together for sustained transportation funding, and the need became even more clear earlier this month when the Wisconsin Department of Transportation received nearly 1,600 eligible applications totaling more than $1.4 billion in total value for $75 million of one-time grant funding included in the 2019-21 state budget. This process truly demonstrates the significant needs of the local system, said Wisconsin DOT Secretary Craig Thompson. Its pretty staggering when you see the actual number of projects and their dollar value. This should be a homework assignment for the governor and legislative leaders to move Wisconsin forward. This editorial is reprinted with permission from the Kenosha News. Medical staff transfer a patient from an ambulance at the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 20, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Stringer) China's lethal coronavirus may have the same death rate as Spanish flu, a specialist has warned. At least 15 people passed away from the deadly virus with masses of cases now confirmed, growing fears of widespread contagion. The previously unknown flu-like coronavirus strain appears to have emerged from an animal market in Wuhan - with cases now detected in various countries in Asia, including Japan and the United States. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 is widely deemed as "the deadliest in history," and is assumed to have infected approximately 500 million people worldwide, killing between 20 and 50 million. READ MORE: Here's What We Know So Far About China's Coronavirus Chinese officials have confirmed more than 400 cases of the brand new coronavirus strain - 2019-nCoV - with more than ten deaths. This 2019-nCoV, according to Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London, is said to have a 2 percent death rate, based on existing facts. One will statistically die in every 500 individuals who get the virus. One in every 1,000 who develop the flue die, giving it a death rate of 0.1 percent. Professor Peter Horby from the University of Oxford talked about that fatality estimations are based on "clinical information round hospital cases." Of the ones in the hospital, "15%-to-20% are extreme instances", defined as wanting ventilation. Coronaviruses as a category are commonplace, causing the whole lot from the not unusual cold to epidemics like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The 2019-nCoV is believed to have originated in animals before "hopping" over to humans. Prof Ferguson said novel viruses spread much quicker because people don't any immunity. READ MORE: 'Curb the Spread': China Steps Up Effort to Contain Wuhan Virus What is the coronavirus 2019-to? The coronavirus outbreak originated from Wuhan's seafood marketplace. Most of the individuals who first of all fell ill were its workers and those who visited the said market. The virus could spread person-to-person, according to China's National Health Commission. Its symptoms, like other strains of coronavirus, start with flu-like symptoms - including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. According to the CDC, the pathogens trigger mild-to-moderate upper breathing tract infections - such as common colds. Coronaviruses can result in lower-respiration tract infections - such as pneumonia or bronchitis - in rarer cases. Coronaviruses usually spread through coughing, sneezing, shaking fingers or touching a contaminated object. The virus enters the body if contaminated arms touch the eyes, nostrils, or mouth. Fecal contamination is to blame in rare cases. These tend to occur in babies, the aged or people with susceptible immune systems. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned there might be no specific treatment for coronaviruses. The American Lung Association says doctors work to fight the complication once the contamination triggers pneumonia through an "antiviral medication" when a virulent disease luke 2019-nCoV is to blame. However, Prof. Horby argues there is "no powerful antiviral" for pneumonia as these infections tend to respond to antibiotics. US health officers are operating on a vaccine towards 2019-now. CNN reported the first stage of clinical trials are underway and would take more than a year before one is available to the public. For now, the World Health Organization advises people to avoid "unprotected" contact with stay animals, thoroughly cook dinner meat and eggs, and stay far from those with flu-like symptoms. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Japanese technology and appliances major SHARP Corporation expects a major push in India from the Plasmacluster Ion (PCI)technology featuring in its appliances, which enables them to identify and remove toxic air pollutants. Indian Institutes of Technology, Delhi have verifed the company's Plasmacluster Ion (PCI) technology. The technology is a significant feature in its air purifier segment as it efficiently removes Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, company officials said. "Sharp Corporation, working in collaboration with Associate Professor Sagnik Dey and Associate Professor Gazala Habib of IIT-Delhi has demonstrated that Plasmacluster Ion (PCI) has an efficacy to remove PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons), which are contained as toxic air pollutants in Indian cities," the company said in a statement. The project started in 2018 by measuring the composition of particulate matter in air pollutants in New Delhi NCR region of India. As a result, many types of pollutants were identified, including PAHs, which are known to be toxic to the human body. Sharp Business Systems (India) Managing Director Shinji Minatogawa said that this is the first time the company has carried out such verification process in India in collaboration with academic faculty, and said that it is the start of making people know about the technology, which it uses in several of its products, including refrigerators, air conditioners apart from air purifiers. "Plasmacluster Ion is a revolutionary air purification technology from which positive ions and negative ions are released into the air simultaneously. These positive and negative ions instantly recombine on the surface of pollutants such as bacteria, viruses and chemical compounds floating in the air to form hydroxyl (OH) radicals, which have extremely high oxidation ability, and this chemical reaction decomposes the cellular compounds or chemical structures, thereby neutralizing their toxicity," the company said in a statement. Sometimes it takes an election row before a real spotlight is thrown on the anomalies of a particular issue. Sometimes the light is only shone for a couple of weeks of electioneering. In this case, the surprising new battleground in the election is pensions, and the fact the state pension age will rise from 66 to 67 next year. Politicians should know a few basic things about pensioners. Firstly, they are not to be messed with, as Brian Lenihan found out in one of his early Budgets during the financial crash. Secondly, they tend to vote. And thirdly, we are going to have a lot more of them in the country in the years ahead. The election row, over how to prevent thousands of people per year signing on the dole for two years before receiving the state pension, is a true shambles. This anomaly became obvious when the state pension age went up to 66, but it wasn't really tackled. Now, in the heat of an election campaign, the outgoing minister, Regina Doherty, is suggesting she has plans to deal with it and has heard what those in their 60s have been saying. Fianna Fail, on the other hand, smells blood and is playing up the idea that it will only increase the age to 67 after conducting a serious review. Strong hints are being given out that the plan for age 67 will be dropped too. Throw into the mix the incendiary fact that public sector employees can receive a supplementary pension payment to avoid having to sign on for two years, and it is a perfect political storm. However, the reality is much more serious than that. And what we are seeing now is probably just the beginning. All politicians have to do is look at the population statistics to see what a ticking time bomb the ageing population is set to become. Right now, Ireland retains what is still described as a relatively young population. However, it is set to change. By 2030, now just 10 years away, the population aged 80 or above will increase by as much as 94pc from current levels, according to an ESRI study published in 2017. We are looking at having around a quarter of a million residents of the country aged over 80. Right now, around one in 10 of the people living in Ireland is over the age of sixty-five. By 2041, it is estimated that one in four people will be over the age of sixty. These are dramatic and costly changes both for people in Ireland themselves and for governments that will have to provide for these changes. Pensions are just one aspect of it. Every five years, the cost of the state pension to the Exchequer increases by about 1bn. Public sector pensions are funded by public sector workers and their employers - namely the public sector or the State. Putting all of the future public sector liabilities into a single bill does make it look dramatic, with the cost coming in well north of 120bn. The public sector pension bill is paid out of general taxation each year, rather than the State having a single investable pot of money to fund these liabilities into the future. The National Pension Reserve Fund, set up by Charlie McCreevy in 2001, aimed to provide a large fund to cover some of these eventual future liabilities. That fund was supposed to begin contributing toward paying social welfare and public sector pensions from 2025 onwards. Originally set up with the proceeds of the flotation of Eircom, the State added 1pc of GDP to it each year, when times were good. When times were bad, it was raided to bail out the banks, among other things. By 2007, it had a value equal to 12.5pc of GNP. By 2030, the fund would have had a value of around 40pc of GNP. Not all of the money is gone but it is invested in Irish banks, startups and high-growth ventures, and the rest is still held in global investment funds. It is valued at around 17bn and there is now a plan to put some of it into a new rainy day fund. However, right now, there is no invested State fund targeted to provide the money needed to pay future public sector pensions. If we needed it in 2001, we sure as hell need it now. Other massive demographic, social and economic changes loom large and will have an impact on the pension issue. The first is nursing home care. As the population ages, we will have an enormous need to provide more nursing home care and other services. The health service will come under greater pressure as older people need higher and more expensive levels of health treatment. Anyone relying on the state pension to live will be in big trouble. This is not least because the percentage of the population renting instead of owning their own home is growing. When you stop working and your income drops sharply, you will still need to pay rent if you want to live at home. Right now, around one in 10 people who rent are paying 60pc of their income on rent. Home ownership levels have been dropping since 1991 and are now around 67pc, lower than the EU average of 69.2pc. A shift to renting instead of home ownership isn't of itself a bad thing. However, a shift away from home ownership without an adequate pension infrastructure behind it is a recipe for disaster. The Government has been looking at introducing a system of auto-enrolment for pensions for some time. It is finally due to begin in 2022. Given that it has taken so long, that there are still lots of unanswered questions about how it will work, and a possible change of government, we cannot be sure it will actually go ahead two years from now. The proposals would see well over half a million workers who currently do not have a pension plan automatically enrolled to pay a portion of their wages into a scheme. This would begin at 1.5pc of salary and steadily rise to 6pc within 10 years. Employers would have to contribute and so would the State. It isn't rocket science to see how this could all unfold badly in the not-too-distant future. The implications of an ageing population are well-known and can be planned for. But just like the housing crisis, all the Government had to do was look at projections for growth in the population 10 years ago, and see how the rental and housing crisis was going to unfold. The Government can argue that 10 years ago, it didn't have the money to fix the housing problem and build. However, there was an opportunity around 2014, when the economy was recovering, to see the value of cheap housing to the economy and society, and prioritise that principal over achieving a recovery in property prices. As things stand, the country is right on course to make the very same mistakes with an ageing population as it did with housing. It will require decisive and well-thought-out planning. It won't be enough to have an election skirmish for the grey vote over the state pension age, only to forget about it after the votes have been cast. After months of researching the sources of fecal waste polluting the Cypress Creek watershed water quality, the Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership has refined their data and begun researching solutions for the issue. The CCWPa group of community stakeholders working to reduce contaminants in the creekapproved updated data for identified sources of fecal waste affecting the Cypress Creek Watershed water quality. The group commenced the solution researching phase during the public meeting Jan. 16 at the Barbara Bush Library. Justin Bower, senior planner with the Houston-Galveston Area Council, led the meeting. The updated estimations of fecal waste sources show pet waste accounting for 75 percent of the waste, with livestock accounting for 10 percent and on-site sewage facilities for 4 percent. Wastewater systems and deer waste account for less than 1 percent each, while feral hog waste accounts for 1 percent and other wildlife account for 10 percent. The CCWP is comprised of local government figures, business owners and residents. The partnership formed an 11-member steering committee who oversee the development of a watershed protection plan, or WPP, which aims to reduce Cypress Creeks fecal waste levels that are making the water unsafe. There are standards at the state level and at the federal level that relate to the ability to use waterways for various things and one of them is contact recreation, the ability to be in and around a waterway without getting sick or a reasonable chance of not getting sick, Bower said. That can impact the perception of the waterway and the economies and recreation that depend on it. Pet waste in apartments, housing Bower said the partnership surveyed two dozen apartment complexes for pet ownership and waste disposal and estimated that there are 0.6 dogs per household within the watershed. He said many of the apartment complexes were adamant about pet waste disposal and required pets to be registered by renters. Weve never seen that avid an interest in pet waste bags, Bower said. About 20 percent of the waste being produced is being taken out of the stream by pest waste bags or other areas where they are otherwise being removed. Pet waste is the largest source of fecal waste in the watershed by a large margin, mostly due to the large number of households with dogs. Livestock and USDA data The estimated percentage of cattle waste entering the waterway decreased by 30 percent in the southwest portion of the watershed. Estimates for horse waste in the southwest portion increased by 20 percent. Both of these categories contribute to the livestock fecal waste estimations. Bower said the CCWP accounted for dairy operations, development reducing cattle numbers, individually owned horses and stabling operations based on data from the USDA agriculture census and the Soil and Water Conservation District, which led the partnership to adjust their data. Septic systems and miscellaneous contributors After reviewing county data and H-GAC data for septic and aerobic systems in the watershed, the partnership concluded that a 10 percent failure rate can be assumed for all systems. Bower said the estimation accounts for permitted systems in all counties in the watershed as well as unpermitted and older septic systems that are not officially documented. Meanwhile, sewer overflows were deemed a separate, localized issue from the fecal pollution of Cypress Creek. When we averaged (the pollutants), we always felt that (sewers) were overrepresented. We did look to see if there were any large, appreciable issues with direct deposition; we just really didnt have anything more than localized, Bower said. Wildlife waste, other than from feral hogs and deer, was determined too difficult to gain data on, and was given a conservative estimation, Bower said. Related: Fecal matter in Cypress Creek prompts watershed protection plan By 2035, pet waste and sewer system levels are expected to increase, while livestock waste will decrease, Bower said, if nothing is done about the waste now. There is not a huge amount of change for most categories except livestock which, unsurprisingly, as development continues in that watershed, were going to see a decrease in livestock, he said. What happens next? The CCWP divided the watershed up into three attainment areas. The west side of the watershed is the rural area near Waller County; the central section is the transitional area with development and rural mixed together closer to northwest Houston; and the third section is to the east where development accounts for most of the area. Each site will have a main stem site for data collection and progress to be monitored, Bower said. All that were recommending is multiple goals for different areas, Bower said. The reason to do that is we dont want to over-emphasize an issue in a part of the watershed where thats not as big of an issue. The western portion of the Cypress Creek watershed will need 74 percent of its fecal waste reduced, while the transitional portion and the eastern portion need to be reduced by 64 percent and 71 percent respectively in order to meet safe water quality standards. That may seem daunting, Bower said. The one thing I would say is we are talking about minimizing risk. We may never get down to the standard, thats certainly our goal ... but our goal is to increase (water quality) as much as possible. The next step for the CCWP is to brainstorm solutions for fixing the water quality issues to bring the water quality into compliance with standards. Secondary goals include flood prevention benefits, and project costs and phasing. The CCWP will consider partnering with other entities on projects that can improve water quality, as well as possible future projects. Work group meetings begin in February, Bower said. For more information, visit https://cypresspartnership.weebly.com/. chevall.pryce@chron.com A Minneapolis student works at a polling place Jan. 21 MILWAUKEE In the 2018 midterm elections, Faye Darga was too young to vote, but she wasnt too young to help. As a junior at Edgewood High School in Madison, Darga signed up as a poll worker at her teachers suggestion. We're the next generation, so at some point we're going to be doing this work and we want to learn, Darga said. Though 16- and 17-year-olds are allowed to be poll workers in most states including Wisconsin, not all election officials have sought them out. At a time when clerks around the nation are struggling to recruit enough poll workers, students say they can be part of the solution. While high school students comprised about 16% of poll workers in Minneapolis, a national model for student recruitment, they comprise less than 1% of poll workers in Milwaukee, an election official estimated. In 2016, Milwaukee precincts were among the half of Wisconsin polling places that reported difficulty recruiting enough poll workers, who can choose to either volunteer or be paid. When polls are short on workers, there are longer lines for voters and fewer people to assist people with disabilities or other needs. It's a rising national issue: About 70% of election officials said they had a hard time recruiting poll workers in 2018, compared with less than half in 2008 and 2012, according to a survey by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. In some instances, people walk away, said Shauntay Nelson, state director for All Voting is Local who has served as a poll worker in Milwaukee. Overall, it creates an atmosphere of impatience and frustration, and we dont want that to be the atmosphere. Faye Darga, senior at Edgewood High School in Madison, served as a poll worker in 2018. Just 8% of the states polling places had 16- and 17-year-olds serve as poll workers in 2016, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis of state data. State officials stopped collecting this information after 2016. In Wisconsin and nationally, less than one-fifth of poll workers were younger than 41 years old in the most recent data, while more than two-thirds were 61 years or older. Story continues Election officials whove hired student poll workers say that in addition to helping them meet recruitment goals, students tend to be tech-savvy, more diverse and more likely able to help translate for voters who speak other languages. When the polling place staff look like you, its a more welcoming environment, said Mike Quieto, assistant clerk in Madison. To qualify as a poll worker, minors must be 16 or 17, have at least a 3.0 grade point average, and have written permission from a guardian. Madison has a particularly robust program for recruiting student poll workers. But Quieto looks to Minneapolis as a model. Students work at a polling place in Minneapolis. Handling the highest voter turnout in the nation for the midterm elections, Minneapolis had 400 high school students working at 131 of its 132 polling places. There were so many high school student applicants that the city referred some to neighboring areas. They love it, and theyre our future generation, so its a win-win situation, said Grace Wachlarowicz, assistant city clerk and director of elections for Minneapolis. Minneapolis has used student poll workers since the 1990s but expanded the program in recent years, hiring a part-time staff person who focuses entirely on student workers. They lean on school staff and students who coordinate recruitment in some schools. Because the student population is more racially and ethnically diverse, Wachlarowicz said, the city has moved closer to its goal of having poll workers reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. About 44% of the student poll workers spoke two or more languages, and most of those students reported using their language skills to assist voters. More than 100 Somali-speaking students applied in 2018. Others spoke Spanish, Hmong, Oromo, Amharic and other languages. Most of the students said the experience improved their skills of working as a team, holding respectful dialogue and solving problems, according to a survey. Most also said they felt more connected to their community and more likely to vote when they turn 18. Students in Madison shared similar sentiments. Michael Mays, a senior at Edgewood High School, served as a poll worker in 2018. Its a unique hands-on experience youre not going to get in a classroom, said Michael Mays, a senior at Edgewood High School. I just thought it was a really great experience to talk with people. There were a ton of people clearly really passionate and excited about voting. Quieto said the students hes worked with have been reliable and bring fresh perspectives. Theyre magnificent, Quieto said. They pay attention in training, theyre a new set of eyes. Sometimes weve had high school workers say, Thats not what we were told in training, are you sure thats right? And all the adults stop and think, As a matter of fact, youre right. In Wauwatosa, Clerk Melanie Kollmansberger said voters have been happy with high school poll workers and she hopes to recruit more. We have received a lot of positive feedback about high school students, she said. Minnesota election officials rated their satisfaction with student workers as a 4.67 out of 5, where 5 meant thrilled, according to a 2019 survey by Minnesota Civic Youth, which offers resources for election officials working with students. Madison officials also work with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to recruit college students in friendly competition with the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, which had the highest voter turnout in the midterms of the largest public universities in the nation. We want to beat Minnesota this year. We were joking about having a gigantic ballot pen that we pass back and forth," Quieto said. In Milwaukee, officials havent recruited as many high school students. Neil Albrecht, executive director of Milwaukees Election Commission, said officials have seen success with a few high-achieving Milwaukee schools but struggled with others. A Minneapolis student works at a polling place Jan. 21 Albrecht said while he would like to get more high school students involved, Milwaukee faces greater challenges with poverty than Minneapolis. About 83% of Milwaukee students qualify as economically disadvantaged, compared with 36% in Minneapolis. When their focus is on meeting education standards on the most basic level, I think its hard for them to engage with us and have students take a day off and work at a polling place, Albrecht said. Milwaukee also doesnt pay poll workers as much as comparable cities. Milwaukees rate is $8.67 an hour, compared with Green Bays $9.33, Madisons $13.62, Chicagos $15.33 and Minneapolis $17.15. Albrecht said the pay certainly isnt sufficient compensation for the complexity of the duties they perform. He noted the job has become harder with increased political pressure and voter ID laws. Polling places have really become battlegrounds in the state of Wisconsin, Albrecht said. It can create an unpleasant experience for people who receive a stipend but are really for the most part volunteering. While volunteering as a poll worker used to be a natural transition among retirees, Albrecht said interest is waning. Thats something Wachlarowicz has noticed, too, in Minneapolis. Its why her team is so invested in younger people. Thats why were trying to re-energize our future generations, she said. Follow Rory Linnane on Twitter: @RoryLinnane. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Minneapolis, Milwaukee using teen poll workers for election shortages Specialist recruitment firm Michael Page has published its latest salary guide which sheds light on the average IT salaries in South Africa in 2020. According to Michael Page it has seen a decline in demand across most industries within South Africa, with certain industries feeling the impact more than others. Companies are looking for ways to increase output and productivity, while at the same time cutting costs, the group said. Therefore, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, digital and in broader terms, technology is playing a bigger role in achieving the above mentioned goals. South Africa is also facing a brain drain of highly skilled labour who are opting to emigrate, the group noted, saying that this is creating a talent gap in the market. According to Michael Pages survey data, 46% of job seekers in South Africa are not optimistic about the local job market and economy. There is, however, some optimism in the market with 62% of people believing that the environment will improve in the next six months. One of the top reasons people are looking for a new job is because their current role isnt offering opportunities for further development. Job seekers wanting their responsibilities to broaden, as well as seeking a better salary package, are other reasons motivating their job search, the group said. Professional salaries in South Africa Michael Pages data for its salary benchmark is derived from the its proprietary database, capturing job advertisements and placements throughout 2019. It is also supplemented with data and insights from other studies such as quarterly job market surveys, and insights from interactions with clients and candidates. The tables below outline the salary ranges and averages for South African IT professionals across all sectors. The averages represent total annual salaries. Information Technology Salaries at South African SMEs From Average To Executive / Leadership Chief Information Ofcer (CIO) 1,100,000 1,300,000 1,500,000 Chief Technology Ofcer (CTO) 900,000 1,100,000 1,300,000 Chief Information Security Ofcer (CISO) 900,000 1,200,000 1,300,000 IT Director 800,000 1,300,000 1,400,000 Head of IT 900,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 IT Manager 750,000 800,000 1,000,000 IT Security IT Security Manager 700,000 800,000 850,000 IT Security Engineer 600,000 750,000 800,000 IT Security Analyst 100,000 350,000 500,000 Applications IT Applications Director 950,000 1,000,000 1,300,000 Business Applications Manager 700,000 800,000 900,000 Applications Developer 300,000 800,000 1,200,000 Technical / Functional Consultant 600,000 900,000 1,200,000 Business Analysis and Project Management Head of Project Management Ofcer 900,000 1,100,000 1,400,000 Business Intelligence Manager 500,000 800,000 900,000 IT Business Partner 600,000 750,000 900,000 Programme Manager 700,000 800,000 900,000 IT Project Manager 500,000 650,000 800,000 Senior IT Business Analyst 500,000 650,000 800,000 Business Analyst 300,000 450,000 500,000 BI Analyst 300,000 450,000 500,000 Architecture Chief Enterprise Architect 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,600,000 Senior Information Architect 700,000 850,000 950,000 Enterprise Architect 800,000 950,000 1,100,000 Information Architect 600,000 700,000 750,000 Networking Network Architect 350,000 650,000 750,000 Network Manager 450,000 550,000 650,000 Network Engineer 200,000 350,000 600,000 Network Administrator 150,000 250,000 480,000 Data / Database Administration Data Architect 900,000 950,000 1,100,000 Database Administrator 650,000 800,000 950,000 Database Developer 400,000 800,000 890,000 Data Analytics Manager 650,000 850,000 1,000,000 Data Scientist 650,000 700,000 850,000 Data Analyst 300,000 450,000 600,000 Technical Services Technical Support Manager 480,000 600,000 700,000 IT Support Engineer 200,000 350,000 450,000 Application Support Analyst 450,000 550,000 750,000 Information Technology Salaries at Multinational Corporations From Average To Executive / Leadership Chief Information Ofcer (CIO) 1,200,000 1,700,000 2,000,000 Chief Technology Ofcer (CTO) 1,000,000 1,400,000 1,800,000 Chief Information Security Ofcer (CISO) 1,000,000 1,400,000 1,800,000 IT Director 1,200,000 1,600,000 2,000,000 Head of IT 1,200,000 1,600,000 1,800,000 IT Manager 900,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 IT Security IT Security Manager 1,000,000 1,600,000 2,000,000 IT Security Engineer 800,000 800,000 1,000,000 IT Security Analyst 350,000 400,000 600,000 Applications IT Applications Director 1,000,000 1,300,000 1,650,000 Business Applications Manager 900,000 1,100,000 1,400,000 Applications Developer 400,000 900,000 1,100,000 Technical / Functional Consultant 700,000 850,000 1,200,000 Business Analysis and Project Management Head of Project Management Ofcer 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 Business Intelligence Manager 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 IT Business Partner 900,000 950,000 1,800,000 Programme Manager 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 IT Project Manager 800,000 950,000 1,100,000 Senior IT Business Analyst 500,000 750,000 1,100,000 Business Analyst 300,000 500,000 800,000 BI Analyst 300,000 600,000 800,000 Architecture Chief Enterprise Architect 1,500,000 1,700,000 2,000,000 Senior Information Architect 700,000 900,000 1,200,000 Enterprise Architect 900,000 1,100,000 1,500,000 Information Architect 600,000 750,000 900,000 Networking Network Architect 700,000 900,000 1,200,000 Network Manager 600,000 800,000 1,100,000 Network Engineer 200,000 350,000 700,000 Network Administrator 150,000 350,000 500,000 Data / Database Administration Data Architect 1,100,000 1,300,000 1,600,000 Database Administrator 650,000 850,000 900,000 Database Developer 400,000 800,000 950,000 Data Analytics Manager 1,100,000 1,300,000 1,500,000 Data Scientist 650,000 1,200,000 1,600,000 Data Analyst 300,000 300,000 750,000 Technical Services Technical Support Manager 480,000 600,000 700,000 IT Support Engineer 200,000 400,000 500,000 Application Support Analyst 450,000 550,000 750,000 Now read: South African tech companies that pay the highest salaries The three EU flags: As early as November 2017, the EU decided to establish a Public Prosecutor's Office, and now the decision has been approved by the Cabinet. The EU is missing billions of euros every year, for example, because fraudsters are hijacking subsidies. In future, criminals will have a harder time of it, thanks to a new authority. The German government has set the course for the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. According to Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, the Federal Cabinet approved the draft law on Wednesday, which lays the foundations for the European Public Prosecutor's Office to begin work at the end of 2020. The authority is to be the first independent and decentralised public prosecutor's office in the EU to prosecute crimes such as subsidy fraud, corruption and cross-border VAT fraud. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is a major step towards combating cross-border economic crime more effectively and sends a clear signal against the misuse of EU funds. We are creating a common EU law enforcement authority that can investigate quickly and effectively across national borders. To this end, the knowledge of investigators from 22 member states will be brought together. said Justice, Lambrecht The EU is still losing a lot of money According to Lambrecht, EU countries lose billions of euros every year through VAT fraud alone. The EU also suffers great financial damage through fraud with EU funds and corruption offences. The EU regulation establishing the European Public Prosecutor's Office had already come into force in November 2017, about 22 of the 28 EU states are participating in this enhanced cooperation. In September 2019, the European Parliament and the Council agreed to appoint Laura Codruta Kovesi, former head of the Romanian anti-corruption agency, as the first European Public Prosecutor General. The European Public Prosecutor will be based in Luxembourg. Francis Tawiah (Duisburg - Germany) Two pipe bombs have been discovered in Pennsylvania within 48 hours, but authorities said they do not believe it is the work of a 'serial bomber'. According to a press statement from the Caln Township Police Department, a caller reported an explosion on Monday in the area of the railroad underpass at South Caln Road and Olive Street in Philadelphia. Officers who responded to the scene of the explosion said they located a device that appeared to have been detonated. Police said an explosion was reported on Monday in the area of the railroad underpass at South Caln Road and Olive Street in Philadelphia. Officers who responded to the scene of the explosion said they located a device (similar to the one above) that had been detonated That incident took place around 3pm, approximately 24 hours before postal carrier, Dion Carotenuto (pictured), located an undetonated pipe bomb at 14th Avenue and Olive Street That incident took place around 3pm, approximately 24 hours before postal carrier, Dion Carotenuto, located an undetonated pipe bomb at 14th Avenue and Olive Street. Carotenuto said he immediately reported it to police. 'Both devices appear to be "homemade" and similar in size and construction,' officers said. The locations are within about a half-mile apart, police said, adding that they are searching the area for any other possible devices. Police urged residents 'who see something, to say something,' and to immediately call 911 if they find a suspicious device. 'Please do not attempt to handle the device and maintain an extra safe distance,' police said. Authorities said they have not identified a motive or suspects. Anyone with information about either incident are being asked to contact the Caln Township Police Department at 610-383-1821. Police urged residents 'who see something, to say something,' and to immediately call 911 if they find a suspicious device A Chinese detainee who displayed flu-like symptoms prompted the shutdown of two police stations in Bristol. Avon and Somerset Police closed its Patchway and Trinity Road sites on Wednesday night as a precaution when a detainee fell ill. There were initial concerns the detainee, a Chinese national, may have been in contact with people who travelled from Wuhan, where an outbreak of coronavirus has paralysed the city. More than 640 cases of the virus have been confirmed so far, and 17 people have died. Eight cases have also been identified in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the US, and, most recently, Singapore. Wuhan, which has a population of 11 million, has been placed on lockdown and all transport has been shut down in an attempt to quarantine the new virus. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman is taken into an ambulance amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulances and health workers are seen outside the Padua's hospital, northern Italy EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers in coaches leave MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire after being repatriated to the UK from a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan and head to Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People rest in a temporary hospital situated in the Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient infecting with a new coronavirus to a hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty The force said in a statement: Following precautionary advice from NHS and health practitioners, Patchway police centre was temporarily closed along with Trinity Road police station in Bristol, where officers involved in the arrest had travelled to. As well as officers and members of police staff, there was one member of the public at Trinity Road police station, who was asked to remain in the building as a precaution while we sought further advice. Following the advice of Public Health England, the detainee was found not to be suffering from the much-publicised novel coronavirus and both police stations were reopened after midnight. The detainee has been given the appropriate medical attention and remains in custody at this time, said police. Wed like to assure our communities there is no risk to the public. Business secretary Andrea Leadsom said the virus was a huge concern for the world and the Department of Health announced a series of precautionary measures for flights arriving from Wuhan to London Heathrow. The Department of Health and Public Health England issued a joint statement on Wednesday that said: The risk to the UK population has been assessed as low, based on emerging evidence regarding case numbers, potential sources and human to human transmission. This has been raised from very low due to evidence on the likelihood of cases being imported into this country. However, Chinese officials are worried the transmission rate will increase as hundreds of millions of people travel home or abroad for Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday. Travelling during Lunar New Year marks the worlds biggest mass migration making containment of the coronavirus an unprecedented challenge. Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of the National Infection Service, said: This is a new and rapidly evolving situation where information on cases and the virus is being gathered and assessed daily. We are working with the World Health Organisation and other international partners, have issued advice to the NHS and are keeping the situation under constant review. If you are travelling to Wuhan, you should maintain good hand, respiratory and personal hygiene and should avoid visiting animal and bird markets or people who are ill with respiratory symptoms, he added. Dr Phin urged anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms within two weeks of visiting the city to seek medical attention. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 14:29:26|Editor: zh Video Player Close TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The security forces have repulsed Taliban fighters' offensive on security checkpoints in Baharak district of the northern Takhar province, forcing the attacking militants to flee after suffering casualties, provincial government spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hajari said Thursday. A group of Taliban fighters, according to the official, stormed security checkpoints in Baharak district early Thursday morning to tight the noose around the district headquarters, but the security forces returned fire forcing the militants to flee after leaving four bodies behind. Two police officers were also killed and three others including two militants and one police officer sustained injuries in the firefight lasting for a while, the official asserted. Taliban militants have yet to make comments. Algeria, January 23, 2020 (SPS) - The Saharawi ambassador, Mr. Abdelkader Taleb Omar, expressed Tuesday his hope that the next African Summit will take into account the "dangerous practices" adopted by the Morocco against the Saharawi people and their sovereignty, by opening "consulates" in the Occupied Areas of Western Sahara, an act contrary to international law. The Saharawi diplomat addressed, in a conversation held yesterday with the presence of the president of the Algerian National Committee of Solidarity with the Saharawi people, Said Ayachi, the systematic violations committed by the Moroccan occupier against the defenseless Saharawis in order to consecrate his occupation. Abdelkader Taleb Omar outlined the mechanisms adopted by the African Union regarding the Saharawi issue, highlighting that they were not active and should play a decisive and effective role.SPS 125/090/TRA One afternoon in Baghdad in the final months of 2007, a few members of a U.S. special operations task force were monitoring the feed from a Predator drone over the Iraqi capital, scanning for signs of trouble, when they spotted a large crowd gathering in the neighborhood of Sadr City. From their large, air-conditioned tent near Baghdad International Airport, the operators sprang into action. They belonged to Task Force 17, which focused on combating the Iranian-supported Shiite militias that were killing thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of U.S. forces. Sadr City was the dense, teeming home to 3 million mostly poor Shiites. Whatever or whoever was bringing crowds into the streets there demanded Task Force 17s attention. Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2005. (Photo: Sipa/Shutterstock) Using an encrypted chat platform, an operator quickly texted a simple message to the drone pilot from the U.S. Air Forces 3rd Special Operations Squadron, who was almost 7,500 miles away at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas: Hold the drone above Sadr City. The personnel of Task Force 17, which operated under Joint Special Operations Command, watched as crowds filled the neighborhoods thoroughfares. It soon became clear that an important visitor was receiving a heros welcome. It was like someone was welcoming Obama to the streets of Sadr City, said a former U.S. intelligence officer. It was electric. But the drones feed was too grainy for the Americans to identify the VIP. In the tent, Navy personnel assigned to the National Security Agency went to work, intercepting real-time communications from Sadr City to find out more about the rally and the man at its center. They quickly learned the mysterious visitors identity: Gen. Qassem Soleimani. As leader of the Quds Force, the covert action wing of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Soleimani was the patron of many of the Shiite militias then waging a vicious campaign against U.S. troops in Iraq. The Quds Force was providing its Shiite militia proxies with explosively formed penetrators (EFPs), a deadly type of roadside bomb that could pierce armored vehicles and would eventually claim the lives of more than 600 U.S. troops. But the EFPs werent the only reason that Soleimani was on Task Force 17s radar. He was also actively supporting the Shiite militias in their bloody sectarian campaign against Iraqs Sunni minority, and earlier that year, his operatives had helped plan a sophisticated and brazen Shiite militia attack on a joint U.S.-Iraqi military facility in Karbala that left five U.S. soldiers dead. Story continues Iraqi Shiites from the Badr forces militia protest against the military intervention in Yemen, in Baghdad, Iraq in 2015. (Photo: Karim Kadim/AP) Now Soleimani was in the Predators sights. We said, holy s***, its Soleimani, pressing flesh with a bunch of people, said the former U.S. intelligence officer. The drone tracking Soleimani was armed with missiles, and the U.S. military could have killed the Iranian commander and probably many others instantly. Within the tent, there was a discussion, of course, of whether we should do something, said the former intelligence officer. But, even if Soleimani had been alone, the task force members present knew that the Quds Force commander was untouchable, said the former intelligence officer. As they watched, Soleimani parted the crowd, stepped into a building and was gone. More than four and a half years into the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Irans parallel effort to sabotage that occupation Soleimani had also come to realize he was untouchable. He had not always believed that to be so. In the first years of the occupation, Soleimani had moved back and forth between Iran and Iraq constantly, but had always taken the precautions to be expected from a seasoned intelligence officer, said John Maguire, a former senior CIA official stationed in Baghdad in the mid-2000s. Soleimani disguised his rank and identity, used only ground transportation and avoided speaking on the phone or the radio, preferring to give orders to proxies and subordinates in Iraq in person, according to Maguire. They knew we listened to everybody, he said. Soleimani grew bolder. During the last years of the President George W. Bush administration, U.S. officials discovered that, with the help of Iraqi contacts, he had successfully snuck into the Green Zone the highly fortified section of Baghdad that included the U.S. Embassy several times. This was a bit of an embarrassment to some in the Bush administration, and there were several officials who wanted to detain him next time this happened, recalled a former CIA official. However, in what became settled U.S. policy for the next dozen years, the order came down to keep American hands off the Quds Force chief. We were asked for our assessment of what would be the fallout, and we said the Iranians would see this act as inflammatory, said the former CIA official. The Bush folks decided that escalating things would not be worth it and moved on. In their massive station in Baghdad and in smaller bases around Iraq, CIA officers quietly stewed as they watched Soleimani and his deputies gradually seize control of Iraqi institutions, taking advantage of a series of American missteps after the success of the initial U.S. invasion in March 2003. Soleimani realized quickly that we did not have an accurate understanding of how Iraq worked, said Maguire. He realized that the insurgency would tie Americans in knots and allow him to kill Iraqis he had wanted to kill for years. Those Iraqis were mainly former members of the Saddam Hussein-era military who had fought in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Soleimani was an Iranian veteran of the same war. Iraqi Shiite politician Ahmed Chalabi, who was deputy prime minister from May 2005 to May 2006, gave Soleimani or his associates all the data they needed to organize a campaign of sectarian mass murder by their Shiite proxies, according to Maguire. They started systematic murder every cycle of darkness, he said. They killed probably 30,000 Iraqis that way. Qassem Soleimani speaks during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. (Photo: AY-Collection/SIPA/Shutterstock) The CIA was closely monitoring all of this. The agency and the U.S. military had access to a lot of cameras in Sadr City that allowed them to watch live video of trainers of the Quds Force and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, instructing Shiite militiamen in urban warfare, Maguire said. But when CIA officers asked Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, head of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and other senior U.S. officials, about targeting Soleimani and other Iranian intelligence figures, their requests went nowhere, according to Maguire. I was told, No, these are Iranians, he said. There was no appetite for it in the Pentagon. A Bush administration directive shortly after the invasion meant the CIA could not take matters into its own hands, according to the former senior CIA official. We were limited to straight intel collection, he said. No covert action, no influence operations. The CIAs Iraqi counterparts were equally frustrated at Washingtons reluctance to kill Soleimani. The Iraqi intel service wanted to kill him and couldnt understand why we wouldnt target him, Maguire said. They thought he was the most dangerous guy in Iraq. To CIA officers on the ground in Iraq, the United States was ceding the battlefield to Iran. We turned the field over in the short term to the Iranians, then we were stunned how effectively the Iranians moved in our way, said the former senior CIA official, who compared the Quds Forces efforts in Iraq to his own agencys successful 1980s program to help the Afghan mujahideen in their fight against the Soviets. They pulled on us what we pulled on the Russians in Afghanistan. It was like a mirror program. It wasnt just some in the CIA that felt their hands were tied. Task Force 17, the special operations force established to go after the Quds Forces Shiite militias in Iraq, was likewise hamstrung. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki placed tight restrictions on any targeting of the Shiite militias and particularly Quds Force operatives. The task force frequently detained Quds Force officers, but Maliki always forced the Americans to release them within hours. The few Iranians killed in Iraq by coalition forces were in the wrong place at the wrong time, too close to their Shiite militia counterparts during firefights or in bomb-making facilities, said the former senior CIA official. Generally, Soleimani and his lieutenants knew they were safe in Iraq. This state of affairs persisted throughout the U.S. occupation of Iraq. McChrystal, the former JSOC commander, wrote last year of an opportunity he had in 2007 to strike a Quds Force convoy containing Soleimani as it crossed from Iran into northern Iraq. He decided to just monitor the convoy, in order to avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow. U.S. officials feared targeting Soleimani or other Quds Force officers would risk escalating with Iran. Nobody wanted to cross an official line to kill Iranians in Iraq, because that would put us at war, and we had enough with Iraq and Afghanistan, said the former senior CIA official. Though violence persisted, by the end of the 2000s, the Quds Force was shifting its focus from killing U.S. military personnel to long-term political influence operations. In order to transmit backchannel messages to Soleimani and the Iranian leadership, senior CIA officials in Iraq would meet behind the scenes with senior Shia political party members, very powerful influencers in Iraqi Shia politics and say, The militias must cease attacks on U.S. forces or the consequences will be severe for you and your Iranian advisers, recalled Douglas Wise, a former CIA Baghdad station chief. For the Iranians, it was an easy message to have delivered, and to accommodate, because they had already achieved their desired outcome from their position, which was greater influence in Iraq, and a drawdown in U.S. troops, Wise said. In these meetings, the Shiite political leaders would sit silently and listen, their chief of staff would take notes, but they knew the tide had turned. The proxy war didnt die down entirely, however. Even as U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, Soleimani kept up the attacks. They were hitting us hard with rockets and EFPs, said Douglas London, a retired CIA senior operations officer. It was clearly just to bleed us. They wanted to ensure we wouldnt come back. With the United States temporarily out of the picture, Iran increased its penetration of the Iraqi government, said Daniel Hoffman, the former chief of the CIAs Middle East division. But the rise of the Islamic State group which owed much to the sectarianism of the Shiite militias and the Maliki government brought U.S. forces back to Iraq in 2014 to prevent the fall of Baghdad to the Sunni militant group. This forced the Shiite militias and the U.S. military into an awkward partnership, with Soleimani pulling the strings of the militias. A Zelzal ballistic missile is launched during the second day of military exercises by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard at an undisclosed location in Iran in 2011. (Photo: EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) By now, the Iranian general was no longer operating in the shadows. He was frequently spotted on Iraqi battlefields, taking selfies with militiamen and appearing very relaxed. The Quds Force commander was moving around with impunity in Iraq, Hoffman said. Though he was in Baghdad, he might have been in Tehran. This made it even easier for U.S. intelligence to keep tabs on him. We had almost daily information about his whereabouts for the better part of the last decade, retired Army Gen. Tony Thomas wrote on LinkedIn after Soleimanis death. Thomas, who commanded JSOC from 2014 to 2016 and was heavily involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, said he had twice parked his airplane beside Soleimanis during visits to Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. We never had the guts or the interest to do anything about him (other than sanctions that we didnt enforce), he wrote. The reality was that he had the ability to roam and do whatever he wanted to do back then. There was still no interest in Washington in a strike against Soleimani or his subordinates that might trigger a wider conflict with Iran, particularly as the Obama administration negotiated with Tehran to reach a deal that would curb the Islamic Republics nuclear ambitions. Although he was a two-star general, Soleimani benefited from the view in some quarters of the U.S. government that the Quds Force was an intelligence organization. From our perspective, said a former U.S. intelligence official, the Quds Force was seen as the equivalent of the Soviet Unions KGB during the Cold War: a rival in the spy game, but not an organization against whose members the United States could use lethal force. Even after U.S. officials concluded around 2013 that Iran may have been targeting undercover U.S. intelligence officers working for the Defense Department in Europe for potential assassination, there was no talk of killing Quds Force members, according to the former U.S. intelligence official. You dont kill the other sides intelligence operatives, the former official said. Its not in our DNA. When Soleimani stepped out of a Cham Wings Airbus A320 at Baghdad International Airport and climbed into a waiting SUV in the early hours of Jan. 3, he clearly was under the impression that these unwritten rules were still in effect. For so long considered the ultimate intelligence operative in the Middle East, the veteran Quds Force commander had failed to detect the shift in attitude in Washington and in particular, in the White House that now imperiled him. Whether he realized the extent of his error in the split seconds before a Hellfire missile incinerated his SUV is unknown. A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike Jan. 3 that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Trump. (Photo: Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office, via AP) Jenna McLaughlin contributed reporting to this story. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: "I have been through a gruelling audit with the ATO which found my expenses were entirely in order and that I had actually significantly underclaimed," she said. "I have no idea what government backbenchers spend their money on. "But I have 23 portfolios, take primary carriage of 80 per cent of the legislation in the house, have half a million constituents and lead a party and get not one red cent more than a backbencher." Ms Xamon said Greens MPs spent most of their allowances employing additional staff. Liberal MP Steve Thomas also revealed he had been audited by the ATO. He said he was surprised when a system was introduced that "handed allowances to MPs like wages". "Under the new system the ATO is simply advised that your total gross income was the sum of your salary plus your allowances," he said. "You then had to claim back the expenditure. This looks rather odd, as few salary earners have to claim back such expenses they generally come before the declaration of income." He said he spent three weeks preparing for the audit, which took the ATO three months to consider before deciding his income declaration was correct. "I felt sorry for them it would have been mind-numbingly boring," he said. "Naturally, like every taxpayer, I did not like the process. However the ATO were utterly professional in their interactions." Only One Nation MP Robin Scott said he would consider releasing details of how he spent his allowances. Labor MP Laurie Graham said he wouldn't release details of how he spent his electorate allowance to the media, "but if required will provide detailed information to ATO". "All expenditure from my electorate account for the financial year 2018/19 has been in accordance with the determination of the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal," he said. "My electorate allowance is spent across the four electorates in the Agricultural Region. I am not prepared to disclose to you a break-up of this expenditure." Labor MP Darren West also said he spent his electorate allowance in his role as an MP as outlined by the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal. Allowance overhaul coming later this year Premier Mark McGowan asked the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal to review the travel entitlements in August last year. "As part of that SAT review they identified a lack of clarity and transparency with other allowances," he said. "As a result, SAT have been consulting all relevant parties as part of their review and will provide a report early this year. "Following the gross misuse of electoral allowances by former Liberal MP Phil Edman, I immediately spoke with the chair of SAT to explain that new measures were a matter of priority, to create a stronger accountability framework when it comes to members' entitlements. "I expect the SAT will deliver their final determination soon, following consultation with all parties, including the Opposition Leader. "Depending on SAT's advice and what is technically feasible, I anticipate implementing the changes over the course of the coming year." Mr McGowan did not say whether he believed Upper House MPs should release details of how they spent their electorate allowances. Opposition Leader Liza Harvey reiterated her offer of bipartisan support to overhaul the system. Loading "People in the community deserve to have transparency and accountability around every single dollar of taxpayer money no matter who it's spent on and it's clear there are problems with the system at the moment," she said. "I think it's a tricky situation at the moment because we've got a CCC investigation and, as I understand it, there might be a police investigation under way as well. "So I think Legislative Council members probably need to be a little bit circumspect at the moment until those investigations have run their course." MONTREAL - Quebec plans to expand medical aid in dying to include people with severe, incurable mental illness, the province's health minister says, with guidelines to be drawn up by the provincial college of physicians. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Quebec Health Minister Danielle McCann responds to the Opposition during Question Period Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at the legislature in Quebec City. Quebec plans to expand medical aid in dying to include people with severe, incurable mental illness, the province's health minister says, with guidelines to be drawn up by the provincial college of physicians. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot MONTREAL - Quebec plans to expand medical aid in dying to include people with severe, incurable mental illness, the province's health minister says, with guidelines to be drawn up by the provincial college of physicians. Health Minister Danielle McCann told a news conference Tuesday that people with mental health issues who aren't responding to treatment would be able to ask for the procedure but she stressed such cases would be exceptional. The college of physicians also said it expects that few people would be affected. "We don't expect many of these patients will qualify, because one of the other criteria that remains is to suffer from a disease that is not curable, which is not necessarily the case of all mental health situations," said Dr. Yves Robert, the college's secretary. "It will really be an individual, case-by-case decision that will be done." On Tuesday, the Quebec government announced it would comply with a court ruling last year striking down part of its medical aid in dying legislation specifically the requirement that someone seeking medically assisted death be "at the end of life." The same Quebec Superior Court judgment invalidated the "reasonably foreseeable natural death" requirement of the federal Criminal Code. To comply with the provincial law, prospective recipients would still have to be 18 years old or older, have the mental capacity to make their own decisions about medical care, suffer from a serious and incurable illness and be in constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain that can't be relieved. Speaking to reporters, McCann confirmed that severely mentally ill patients could qualify. "The guide will be modified to include safeguards, elements that allow (for) medical aid in dying for people who have severe mental disorders and who are resistant to any treatment," McCann said. She spoke of possible additional criteria for the mentally ill a psychiatrist would need to be consulted and said the delay before medical aid in dying is given would be longer. The proposed changes follow Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouin's ruling in September in a case brought by two Quebec residents who suffered from incurable degenerative diseases but did not meet the criteria for assisted death. The judge declared unconstitutional the "reasonably foreseeable natural death" requirement of the Criminal Code and the section of the Quebec law stating people must "be at the end of life." The federal government has said it accepts the Quebec court's ruling and will amend the federal law accordingly, launching public consultations on how to implement the necessary changes. Those consultations will look at issues including whether those suffering from mental illness and "mature minors" should be eligible, as well as whether those who fear losing mental capacity and being unable to provide consent should be allowed to make advance requests for medical assistance in dying. A parliamentary review of the law is to begin this summer. Critics have said that assisted death for those whose only condition is mental illness raises complex moral and ethical issues. Some have argued there's a lack of evidence that mental illness is an incurable condition, and others have said more should be invested into treatment and resources for those suffering from mental illness. Robert said that in jurisdictions such as Belgium and the Netherlands that brought in euthanasia legislation before Canada, mental health cases have been a minority of overall cases. The college is just beginning its reflection on the mental health matter and will take time to consult groups and determine who would qualify. "We are approaching a no-man's land, where nobody else was before, so to be prudent and to take the time to have a good reflection and to do one step at a time and do it in a spirit of serenity and wisdom is probably the best way to handle and treat these very delicate and complicated issues," Robert said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. An eastern Ontario bus driver says she acted on pure instinct when she hustled seven kids off a school bus moments before it burst into flames. Paulette Rossi says her maternal impulses kicked in earlier this week when she noticed a wisp of smoke coming off the bus she was driving near Cornwall, Ont. She says she immediately hurried seven elementary school-aged children off the vehicle with their belongings before notifying her employer that there may be a mechanical issue on board. Minutes later, Rossi says flames were billowing from the bus windows. The 61-year-old says she was shocked at how quickly the bus was consumed by fire, and shes grateful no one was injured in the blaze. While her employer and community members are praising her for her quick thinking, Rossi says shes reluctant to take credit for simply doing what came naturally. Its just a mother instinct, Rossi said in a telephone interview from her home in Long Sault, Ont. You just get the kids to safety and do what youve got to do. Rossi has spent roughly the past year and a half driving a fixed school route for Roxborough Bus Lines, a company covering a large swath of eastern Ontario. She said her drives, which usually include about 20 kids, have been mostly uneventful until Monday afternoon when she was returning children home from a local French-language elementary school. Halfway through the route, she said she became confused when her horn started honking erratically. I started looking at my gauges on the bus and nothing seemed like it was overheating. Then all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little willowing of black smoke, she said. And I thought, Whoa, this is not good, weve got to get out of here. Rossi said seven children, ranging from kindergarten-aged to about 12, were on the bus at the time. With help from the eldest student on board, Rossi said she corralled the kids in an area fairly far away from the bus before heading back to the vehicle to call Roxborough dispatch. At that point, Rossi said the wisp of smoke had turned into a small tongue of flame in an area above the drivers seat. She rushed off the bus and moved the children even further away from the vehicle, during which time the fire spread rapidly. Moments later, she said she saw flames pouring through the bus windows. Rossi said the vehicle is now a crisp, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Roxborough dispatched a replacement vehicle to collect driver and passengers within minutes, and according to a company statement all students were safely back at home about 10 minutes after their usual drop-off times. Roxborough Bus Lines would like to commend the reaction and quick thinking of our driver in ensuring the safety of the students, the company said in a statement posted to Facebook. Rossi said the incident was eye-opening for her, adding shes become more vigilant about turning off lights and checking the gas fireplace in her home since it happened. She said the fire also reinforced the value of teaching children evacuation procedures, which she said the students were familiar with and made use of on Monday. You take this evacuation training and you say, Oh, thatll never happen, Rossi said. Well, you know what? It happens, and it happens very, very fast. When Michelle Carter received a 15-month sentence in February of 2019, she was scheduled to leave the Bristol County House of Correction in May of 2020. Instead, she walked out of the facility on Thursday thanks to various programs offered at the facility in addition to a job within the kitchen. The programs and job allowed Carter to accumulate good time that could be subtracted from her sentence. The good time is part of a state law that allows inmates to gain time off their sentence for work. The grandfather of Conrad Roy III, the 18-year-old from Mattapoisett at the center of Carters involuntary manslaughter conviction, believes Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson should serve the time Carter worked off. The sheriff should serve the rest of her time, Conrad Roy told the Boston Herald. He lets her go because shes a good girl? Shes not a good girl. Hodgson said the opportunity to earn good time is required by state law and the programs are offered to all inmates. I really feel for the Roy family and what they must be going through, Hodgson said. In the end, I guess my answer would be that we dont dictate what the sentences are going to be and the punishment. Thats not something we have anything to do with. The courts do. But when people come here I think there is every expectation, while theyre here that they should be focused on things that are helpful when they leave here. Hodgson said inmates can earn up to 10 days of good time a month. If inmates take full advantage of the law, a months worth of time can be subtracted from sentences for every three months of working and program participation. Working part-time in the facility can earn an inmate up to 2.5 days per month. Full-time workers can earn 5 days of good time, Hodgson said. With education or alternative programs, Hodgson said, inmates can accumulate 2.5 to 5 days per month. We work with these individuals to try, as difficult as it is when they have such established behaviors for so long, we try to retool them, Hodgson said. Its what we do. Its why Im so proud of our staff here. At the same time, we certainly understand and feel for the victims associated with these types of things. Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for pressuring her on-and-off again boyfriend Conrad Roy III, into killing himself while they were both teenagers. Roy was found dead in a Fairhaven Kmart parking lot on July 13, 2014 after he turned on a gas-powered water pump and allowed the cabin of his truck to fill with carbon monoxide. Thousands of exchanges between the Carter and Roy III were discovered by investigators. In calls and text messages for months leading up to his death, Carter urged Roy III to kill himself. On the night of his death, Carter was on the phone with Roy III as he was in his truck inhaling carbon monoxide. When he said he was getting out, she ordered him to get back in. Massachusetts is one of eight states that does not have a bill establishing a crime of coercion to take their own life. Roys mother, Lynn, is advocating for a bill that would make it a crime to intentionally coerce someone to take their own life. I feel for the family. Its a very very sad case, Hodgson said. I understand the grandfathers emotion. But I would say to the family, we look at all of that. Carter worked in the kitchen serving breakfast in the womens center. She worked there about two hours prior to her release, according to the jails spokesperson. She also participated in educational programs like small engine repair and civic classes. Hodgson called her a model inmate. You cant undo whats already done, but we can do everything we can when people are in our custody to try to make sure it never happens to anyone else," Hodgson said. "My entire staff certainly feels for the Roy family. Former Precinct 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela was indicted Thursday on six criminal charges stemming from her three years in office a tenure marred by staff problems, confrontations with other elected officials and allegations of improper collection of fines and security fees. Vela, now a candidate for sheriff, is facing one count of aggravated perjury and two counts of tampering or fabricating evidence, both third-degree felonies. Shes also charged with three counts of official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor. Former Precinct 2 Constable Capt. Marc Duane Garcia, who worked under Vela, also was indicted Thursday on one count of aggravated perjury and three counts of official oppression. If convicted, each could be sentenced to 10 years in prison on each felony count and one year for the misdemeanors. Vela, 46, and Garcia, 40, turned themselves in Thursday afternoon at the Bexar County Courthouse. With their hands and ankles in shackles, they appeared before a judge, who set Velas bail at $25,000 and Garcias at $15,000. Both posted bond shortly thereafter and were released. Vela declined to comment on the allegations, except to say the charges were part of a politically motivated conspiracy by high-profile officials, including Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Sheriff Javier Salazar. She is attempting to unseat Salazar in the March 3 Democratic primary. Im his biggest threat of all the candidates, Vela said. When someone doesnt want to be part of the good ol boys system and be involved in that, then you find yourself being the one accused of criminal activity. The charges against Vela come four months after the Texas Rangers and the FBI raided Velas office and home, seizing dozens of records as well as her personal and county-issued cellphones. As reporters gathered outside her office, she announced she was running for sheriff, triggering a provision in state law that says an elected official effectively resigns by announcing a campaign for another elected post with more than 13 months left in his or her term. The Bexar County Commissioners Court vacated her seat, but Vela objected to the commissioners decision, saying her comments were an excited utterance. Her legal attempts to stay in office ended the following month when state District Judge Martha Tanner ruled against her. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio judge rejects Velas legal efforts to keep her elected constable post Leticia Vazquez, a 25-year veteran of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, was selected by commissioners to serve the remainder of Velas term, which ends in December. Bexar County has four elected constables. Their official duties are to serve civil papers and provide bailiff support for justices of the peace. Theyre paid nearly $94,000 a year. Details emerge The five-page indictment against Vela includes several new pieces of information including the allegation that she altered, destroyed or concealed a cash log detailing payments she reportedly took from a family on Easter Sunday. The family was picnicking at a reserved spot in Rodriguez Park. The family members said Vela forced them to immediately pay her and a deputy constable $50 an hour for security despite the availability of peace officers funded by the county. The family was taken aback by the demand, but to keep the spot, they paid $300 before running out of money. Vela was charged with tampering with evidence but not for taking the cash. The official oppression and perjury charges relate Velas and Garcias treatment of two constable employees: Leonicio Moreno, her one-time chief deputy, and former Deputy Constable Chris De La Cerda, both of whom have sued her in state and federal court for discrimination. Official oppression refers to a public servants misuse of power to benefit oneself or harm others. According to the indictment, both Vela and Garcia encouraged or directed other employees to harass Moreno and De La Cerda and create a work environment that was intimidating, hostile, or offensive. Investigators say Vela and Garcia made false statements while under oath in an effort to obtain an arrest warrant for Moreno for supposedly altering training records. The district attorneys office later declined to prosecute Moreno for lack of evidence. Prior to that, Moreno has filed federal employment complaints against Vela and sued her for sex discrimination, claiming she retaliated against him because he refused her alleged sexual advances in a hot tub during a 2017 work conference in Galveston. According to the indictment, Vela and Garcia falsely told a judge that Morenos complaints of work discrimination were proven beyond a reasonable doubt to have been false. They also claimed Moreno was a flight risk, had an excessive amount of stress, anxiety and depression, and owned multiple easily accessible firearms. Garcia couldnt be reached for comment Thursday. Talk of the town Vela took office in 2017 and has been enmeshed in controversy ever since. Last January, while Velas deputies were providing security at the annual Cowboy Breakfast, a popular event tied to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, she tried to eject Salazar after he entered through a VIP entrance. Then, on Easter Sunday, she was accused of the shakedown at Rodriguez Park. Jesus Reyes, a truck driver who says he was forced by Vela and her chief deputy, Anthony Castillo, to pay for security, had no comment Thursday about the indictments and arrests. On ExpressNews.com: Family accuses Vela of making them fork over cash at park His account of the incident outraged the public and riled Vela. He said he didnt seek a refund for the $300 but did get an offer from a parks supervisor to return to the park for Easter this year. I told him I wasnt sure if I wanted to go back, Reyes said. It wasnt about the money. It was about the way we were treated. I just want to put it all behind me. In another incident, Vela tried to bill the county $2,147 for new uniform patches heralding her as the countys first female constable. In fact, that milestone was reached in 1941, when Anna Meeks became Precinct 1 constable. After the county refused to pay for the patches, Vela ticketed some deputy sheriff patrol vehicles, county officials said. Officials later dismissed the citations. Shortly after she posted bond Thursday, Vela posted a video for her constituents on her Facebook campaign page. In it, she reiterated her allegations of rampant corruption in Bexar County, specifically targeting Salazar and Wolff. She provided no evidence of wrongdoing. The embarrassment of shackling my hands and my legs, also with a fellow administrative officer, (was) to make us appear as if we were criminals, and were not. And we are going to stay in the fight, she said. Vela told her Facebook followers shes not a career politician and refuses to become one. Corruption here in Bexar County is high, she said. We need to come together, me and you, the community, and stand strong to have justice here in Bexar County. And if that means that I have to put handcuffs on my hands and allow them to shackle my feet to make a point that there is corruption here in Bexar County and that elected officials are involved, then I am going to do that. Staff Writer Scott Huddleston contributed to this report. Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- James Hardie Building Products Inc., the world leader in fiber cement technology, has been nationally recognized for its philanthropic efforts and is the recipient of the 2020 Crystal Vision Award, presented by World Vision. The company was honored at a ceremony held in conjunction with Design & Construction Week for its support in helping to rebuild the lives of families in need. James Hardie Chief Commercial Officer, Sean Gadd accepts the 2020 Crystal Vision Award for the company's philanthropic efforts. "The heart and constant for most families is their home. We know when disaster strikes, those safe spaces are often the first thing to be compromised. It's through incredible partners like those we celebrate at the Annual Crystal Vision awards that we're able to restore that sense of normalcy and truly give meaning to the phrase 'welcome home' in our work," said Larry Noble, National Director of Corporate Engagement. For over 10 years, James Hardie has partnered with the World Vision organization to help families in the U.S. refurbish and rebuild in the wake of financial crises and natural disasters. Through consistent and significant product donations to the organization's Storehouse program, the company has donated fiber cement siding and trim products to those in need around the United States. James Hardie donated over 250 thousand square feet of siding and trim in 2019 alone. "Helping to build stronger homes, neighborhoods and communities is part of our mission at James Hardie," said Sean Gadd, chief commercial officer for James Hardie Building Products. "We align with community partners who help us achieve meaningful impact through helping meet basic needs and enhancing community vitality." About James Hardie Building Products Inc. James Hardie is the global leader in fiber cement technology, and has been furthering founder James Hardie's innovative, entrepreneurial legacy around the world for more than 125 years. The brand invented fiber cement siding products in the early 1980s as a durable, low-maintenance alternative to wood and vinyl. James Hardie products combine innovation and versatility to offer a variety of design possibilities, matched with specific performance attributes relative to the climate where the product is being used. Currently installed on more than eight million homes in North America*, James Hardie has earned a favorable reputation within the industry and has been specified in some of the country's most prestigious projects. In addition to James Hardie's contribution to the building industry, the company has also been nationally recognized for its philanthropy and is the winner of the 2020 Crystal Vision Award, presented by World Vision. For more information, visit jameshardie.com. *Estimate based on sales volume and average house size. About World Vision World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org or follow on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA. Agency Contact: Lauren Murray [email protected] (414) 247-2173 SOURCE James Hardie Building Products Inc. Presiding judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, centre, and other judges take their seats at the International Court in The Hague, Netherlands (Peter Dejong/AP) The United Nations top court has ordered Burma to take all measures in its power to prevent genocide against the Rohingya. The courts president, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, said the International Court of Justice is of the opinion that the Rohingya in Burma remain extremely vulnerable. Expand Close Members of the Rohingya community are seated in court (Peter Dejong/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of the Rohingya community are seated in court (Peter Dejong/AP) The court added that its order for so-called provisional measures intended to protect the Rohingya is binding and creates international legal obligations on Burma. At the end of an hour-long sitting in the courts wood-panelled Great Hall of Justice, judges also ordered Burma to report to them in four months on what measures the country has taken to comply with the order and then to report every six months as the case moves slowly through the world court. Hundreds of thousands of mainly Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled Burma, often to Bangladesh, amid a military onslaught. Rights activists immediately welcomed the unanimous decision. The ICJ order to Burma to take concrete steps to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya is a landmark step to stop further atrocities against one of the worlds most persecuted people, said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director of New York-based Human Rights Watch. Concerned governments and UN bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward. PRESS RELEASE: the #ICJ indicates provisional measures in order to preserve certain rights claimed by The Gambia for the protection of the Rohingya in Myanmar in the case of #TheGambia v. #Myanmar https://t.co/zeSwnY6mqd pic.twitter.com/GM66BzfKOL CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 23, 2020 The world court order for what it calls provisional measures came in a case brought by the African nation of Gambia on behalf of an organisation of Muslim nations that accuses Burma of genocide in its crackdown on the Rohingya. At public hearings last month, lawyers for Burmas accusers used maps, satellite images and graphic photos to detail what they call a campaign of murder, rape and destruction amounting to genocide perpetrated by Burmas military. The hearings drew intense scrutiny as Burmas former pro-democracy figure Aung San Suu Kyi defended the campaign by military forces that once held her under house arrest for 15 years. Ms Suu Kyi, who as Burmas state counsellor heads the government, was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for championing democracy and human rights under Burmas then-ruling junta. Expand Close A general view of Balukhali refugee camp in Coxs Bazar, southern Bangladesh (Jemma Crew/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A general view of Balukhali refugee camp in Coxs Bazar, southern Bangladesh (Jemma Crew/PA) She was not present in court for Thursdays hearing. Buddhist-majority Burma has long considered the Rohingya to be Bengalis from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless. They are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. In August 2017, Burmas military launched what it called a clearance campaign in northern Rakhine state in response to an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group. Expand Close Burmas state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (Nyein Chan Naing/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Burmas state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (Nyein Chan Naing/AP) The campaign forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh and led to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes, killings and burned thousands of homes. Ms Suu Kyi told world court judges in December that the exodus was a tragic consequence of the militarys response to coordinated and comprehensive armed attacks by Rohingya insurgents. She urged judges to drop the genocide case and allow Burmas military justice system to deal with any abuses. Thursdays ruling came two days after an independent commission established by Burmas government concluded there are reasons to believe security forces committed war crimes in counter-insurgency operations against the Rohingya, but that there is no evidence supporting charges that genocide was planned or carried out. The report drew criticism from rights activists. Pending release of the full report, Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watchs deputy Asia director, said the panels findings were what would have been expected from a non-transparent investigation by a politically skewed set of commissioners working closely with the Burma government. At Decembers public hearings, Paul Reichler, a lawyer for Gambia, cited a UN fact-finding mission report at hearings last month that said military clearance operations in Burmas northern Rakhine state spared nobody. Expand Close Gambias justice minister Aboubacarr Tambadou (Peter Dejong/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gambias justice minister Aboubacarr Tambadou (Peter Dejong/AP) Mothers, infants, pregnant women, the old and infirm. They all fell victim to this ruthless campaign, he said. Gambias justice minister Aboubacarr Tambadou urged the world court to act immediately and tell Burma to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity that continue to shock our collective conscience, to stop this genocide of its own people. The world courts orders are legally binding but it relies on the United Nations to add political pressure, if necessary, to enforce them. The court is expected to take years to issue a final ruling in the case. LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inuvo, Inc. (NYSE American: INUV), a leading provider of marketing technology, powered by IntentKey artificial intelligence that serves brands and agencies, today issued IntentKey updates in light of recently announced changes to browser functionality that could impact the future of online marketing over the next 24 months. Browser developers are struggling to balance how to provide enhanced consumer privacy without damaging the content providers and advertisers that fund and/or contribute to the online experience, commented Richard Howe, Inuvo CEO. At Inuvo, we advocate for responsible marketing and the anonymization of consumer information. These are principles our technologies have always been designed to meet. The browser changes announced last week do not appear to require any significant adaptation of our core technologies nor corporate strategy. Why the IntentKey works? The patents behind the artificial intelligence (AI) technology of the IntentKey are rooted in the ability, both contextually and linguistically, to understand the written word in a similar manner to the way the AI assistance technologies used in mobile phones and home devices derive meaning from the spoken word. If you ask your phone What is Yoga?, it is likely to respond with something along the lines that Yoga is a group of physical, meditative and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in India. This is a very broad answer, in part because the advantage of the spoken word is the ability to engage in a manner that narrows down the possibilities. We can, if we do not like the response, be more specific about what we are asking, Assistant, please tell me more about yoga poses, which then ultimately leads, iteratively, to a better response from the assistant. The objective of AI based technologies is to become as good as the human brain is at discerning the unknown. For a machine, Yoga by itself has many possible contexts and as a result, is difficult to understand absent some qualifier like meditation or spirituality or India. Yoga in the context of posing, for example, would greatly narrow down the intent possibilities and ultimately yield a better consumer experience from the assistant. The question then becomes, in the absence of a qualifier like posing, how does a machine decide what the user really wants when they simply ask for Yoga? Inuvo does not believe marketing should be any different. By definition the objective is to find a match between a product or service and a consumer need or intent. The difference is consumers do not engage with websites or apps in the same manner they engage with these home or phone assistants and as a result, the technologies developed to match marketer to website and consumer to website are forced to have to do the best job they can to predict the intent of the consumer, using the information and technology available to do so. This is fundamentally what the IntentKey AI was designed to do. At its core it is a map of probabilities between concepts. It knows that the probability that a consumers intent associated with a Yoga website is 75% likely to be about Yoga poses, even if Yoga posing is not explicitly discussed within the content. It would equally know that Yoga and India have only a 9.5% probability and it would equally know the probability associations of the other thousands of possible Yoga connections. Now consider that the IntentKey knows these same associations for every important concept in the English lexicon. This fundamentally is the patented technology that underpins the IntentKey. Inuvos IntentKey lead, Amir Bakhshaie, added, The IntentKey has been designed to work without individual profiles. Rather, the technology is designed to reach relevant audiences based both on its advanced and unstructured contextual understanding of content and how audiences behave in aggregate by leveraging Inuvos proprietary contextual data. Consumer anonymity is already incorporated into the IntentKey design and as such we believe we are in a good position to thrive if and when the industry moves away from the ability to target individuals. Inuvos IntentKey fuels a broad range of media services that deliver optimal performance from capitalizing on audiences early signs of in-market interests. About Inuvo Inuvo, Inc. (NYSE American: INUV) is a market leader in artificial intelligence, aligning and delivering consumer-oriented product & brand messaging strategies online based on powerful, anonymous and proprietary consumer intent data for agencies, advertisers and partners. To learn more, visit www.inuvo.com . About the IntentKey Inuvos IntentKey is a patented, machine-learning technology designed to mirror the manner in which the human brain instantly associates ideas, emotions, places, people, and objects. It creates an accurate, high-definition picture of consumer intent and sentiment related to a particular topic or item. Inuvo harnesses the power of the IntentKey to discover and reach high volumes of incremental in-market and relevant audiences that are hidden from typical marketing approaches. The IntentKey enables pinpoint media execution reaching consumers throughout the purchasing funnel all the way to conversion. Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the proposed public offering and the intended use of proceeds from the offering. The offering is subject to market and other conditions and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including market conditions, risks associated with the cash requirements of our business and other risks detailed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and represent our views only as of the date they are made and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Inuvo Company Contact: Wally Ruiz Chief Financial Officer Tel (501) 205-8397 wallace.ruiz@inuvo.com Investor Relations: KCSA Strategic Communications Valter Pinto, Managing Director Tel (212) 896-1254 Valter@KCSA.com Scientists are concerned that the new Chinese coronavirus's transmission could accelerate thanks to 'super spreaders' who give the disease to a large number of people they come into contact with. One of the 582 people now sickened with the virus in China has infected 14 health care workers with the disease, that country's National Health Commission said, according to national online news outlet, Sina. The criteria for a 'super spreader' - think of Typhoid Mary - are not exact, but the revelation that one person has transmitted the disease to more than 10 people is cause for international alarm. And infectious disease expert Dr Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota suspects that if there is one super spreader, there are bound to be more. A single Chinesepatient gave the new coronavirus to 14 healthcare workers, raising concerns the person may be a 'super spreader' capable of transmitting to many people through casual contact. Pictured: a Hong Kong resident wears a protective mask after two cases were confirmed there (fi8le) 'Once you've documented super spreading from one individual, you can pretty much anticipate it's going to happen with multiple individuals,' he told DailyMail.com. On January 17, China had confirmed 45 cases of the new coronavirus. A week later, there were more than 200 patients. Today, the number of cases is nearing 600 in China, and it's spread to Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, the US, Macau, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Cases are suspected, but not confirmed, in Mexico, the UK, Australia and Colombia. After spreading from animals - most likely snakes - at the Huanan Seafood Market to humans, it quickly became clear that the virus spread between humans, too. The new coronavirus, temporarily called 2019-nCoV, belongs to the same family as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS). So far, the new virus appears to be less lethal (killing around two percent of patients) than SARS or MERS, but its rapid and global transmission is worrisome. 'Super spreader infect a very large number of people - eight to ten or more - and in some cases only with casual contact,' explains Dr Osterholm. That means transmission could occur if 'you happen to walk by an area where this person is sitting,' he added. 'Typhoid' Mary Mallone was a super spreader, infecting 51 people. A single person with cavitary tuberculosis at a Minnesota bar in 1992 infected 41 people with the disease. Fourteen developed 'active' tuberculosis, accounting for more than a third of all cases in the state that year. SARS wasn't quite as contagious. Among the first 201 patients diagnosed in Singapore during the 2002-2003 outbreak, 81 percent didn't infect anyone else, according to a 2010 Princeton article in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Cases of the deadly new coronavirus have now been reported in eight cooutnr But there were five patients who infected 10 or more people. One study roughly defined super spreaders in the SARS outbreak as those who gave the disease to eight or more people with whom they came into contact. By that definition, its cousin, 2019-nCoV certainly has at least one super spreader among the ranks of its infected. Typical transmission rate of the new virus hasn't been established yet, so it's difficult to say whether its spread from a single patient in China to 14 health care workers is atypical and might qualify as super spreading. What's more, that patient underwent surgery - what kind remains unclear - and surgical exposure can significantly increase the odds of transmissions to healthcare workers, as was seen in the SARS and MERS outbreaks. 'It's different from being a naturally occurring super spreader,' Dr Osterholdm notes. Still, the concern is not just how many people 2019-nCoV patients have come into contact with, but where they were while their symptoms were active, making them more contagious (if this virus does indeed follow the model of others). 'People sitting in waiting rooms, ERs, doctors' offices, waiting to be seen - this is where we really worry because we can have these super spreading events,' Dr Osterholm says. 'If nothing else, there can have an enhanced spreading effect. 'We have people sitting there sick, not with coronavirus, but they walk away with it.' For US citizens, the good news is that the American in his 30s in Washington who's been diagnosed with the disease did not yet have symptoms while he was travelling, suggesting his contacts were likely limited to those at home or work and perhaps public transit, if he used it. Shutting down public transit, as China has done in Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou, may help limit spread, but Dr Osterholm says that stemming the virus's spread will really require 'turning off the faucet' of its animal reservoir source. A Peking University study suggested that this reservoir is snakes, but Dr Osterholm remains sceptical because 'snakes aren't very good at "breathing" viruses onto people.' SRINAGAR: Davinder Singh, the tainted Jammu and Kashmir deputy superintendent of police, two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants and their two alleged over-ground workers were on Thursday sent to 15 days national investigation agency (NIA) custody by a special court in winter capital Jammu. Singh and top Hizb commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu alias Babar Azam and his accomplice Asif Ahmed Rather were arrested by the J&K police on January 11 while they were travelling to Delhi in a private car. Also arrested by the police were a local lawyer Irfan Shafi Mir and Naveed Babus brother Syed Irfan Ahmed on charge of being over-ground workers of militants. A brief statement issued by the NIA said, Today, five arrested accused namely Davinder Singh, Syed Naveed Mushtaq Shah, Irfan Shafi Mir, Rafi Ahmad Rather and Syed Irfan Ahmad in case RC-1/2020/NIA/Jammu, were produced before the NIA special court at Jammu. The court has granted 15 days custody of the accused to NIA till February 6. Singh and others were earlier during the day on Thursday produced before the special court by the NIA which began probe after registering a case in connection with the arrest of the police officer after it was instructed by the ministry of home affairs on January 16. The NIA had on Wednesday quizzed Singh for allegedly helping militants travel out of the Valley and also conducted searches at his residence in Srinagars high-security Indira Nagar. The NIA had taken Singh and other accused to Jammu from here on Wednesday. Singh who was posted as deputy superintendent in anti-hijacking squad at the Srinagar International Airport and the militant duo were arrested by a police party headed by an officer of IGPs rank on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Kulgam district on January 11. The NIA, sources said, is also probing Singhs alleged links with the Hizb and other militant groups and his visits to various parts of the country and Bangladesh. Amid ongoing fears that the deadly coronavirus will land in New Jersey, U.S. senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez are calling on the federal government to begin screening travelers for the virus at Newark Liberty International Airport. The new, human form of coronavirus, first identified in Wuhan, China, has infected 400 people worldwide including a man in Washington State. At least 17 people have died, though no one in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is directing U.S.-bound flights from China to five airports for screenings: New Yorks JFK International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicagos O'Hare International Airport. Booker and Menendez are questioning why the CDC has not included Newark airport in its screenings. They asked the agency to provide resources to all of the major U.S. international airports to screen passengers from China and elsewhere who may have been exposed to the Novel Coronavirus, according to a joint statement. The CDC could not be immediately reached for comment. The coronavirus can cause fever, cough and shortness of breath and can develop into pneumonia. The Chinese government has quarantined Wuhan, sealing off its airport and public transportation systems to prevent the spread of the virus. Wuhan and Beijing are among the cities that have banned large celebrations of the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar. The week-long period begins Friday and includes millions traveling to their hometowns for festivals. The coronavirus needed to evolve to infect humans which rarely occurs further driving fears of this illness. While coronaviruses have been found in various animals, like camels and bats, it needed to mutate to infect humans. How this happened still remains a mystery for federal health officials. The SARS outbreak in 2004 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea in 2015 are the only recent examples of coronaviruses mutating and infecting humans We still dont understand why only certain coronaviruses are able to infect people, the CDC says on its website. Dr. Debra Chew, assistant professor of medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said while any new and deadly virus poses public health concerns, there doesnt appear to be a major health threat to people in the U.S. At this point, I think the risk to the public health is low," said Chew, who is also a former epidemic intelligence officer for the CDC. Dr. David Cennimo, an infectious disease expert at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, also believes the risk to New Jersey and U.S. residents is fairly low. I still think influenza will kill many, many more Americans this year than (coronavirus)," he said. Chew said travelers should follow standard hygiene practices, like washing hands often with soap and water and using hand sanitizer. People should make sure to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve (not their hands) and avoid close contact with others if displaying any symptoms of respiratory illness, like coughing and sneezing. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself acting president a year ago in a bid to oust Nicolas Maduro, winning the backing of more than 50 countries. As he meets with political leaders in Europe this week, here is an overview of the power struggle. - 'Acting president' - Guaido -- head of the opposition-dominated National Assembly -- declares himself acting president at a massive rally in Caracas on January 23. It comes two weeks after Maduro started a second term following elections boycotted by the opposition and internationally dismissed as fraudulent. Venezuela is in economic collapse. Guaido is recognized by the United States, Canada, European Union countries and major Latin American powers. But China, Cuba and Russia remain behind Maduro, as does the military. On January 28, Washington orders sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and hands control of its US bank accounts to Guaido. - Maduro closes borders - Trucks loaded with international supplies for Venezuela arrive on the Colombian side of the Tienditas border bridge on February 7. But Venezuelan troops prevent them from entering and Maduro slams "fake humanitarian aid" as a ploy for a US "invasion." He orders the closure of the borders with Brazil and Colombia, and sea and air links with Curacao in the Caribbean. Guaido attends on February 22 a Venezuelan aid concert inside Colombia organized by Richard Branson. The next day, clashes break out at the border with Brazil when the Venezuelan military stops aid from entering. Four people are killed. Guaido goes on to visit several countries in the region, received like a head of state, before returning to Caracas. - Uprising fails - On April 30 Guaido releases a video of himself with a small group of soldiers, for the first time claiming to have support from inside the military and calling for others to join them. Thousands of supporters gather nearby and riots erupt in other cities. The government denounces an "attempted military coup." But the insurrection quickly peters out and 25 rebel soldiers seek refuge in the Brazilian embassy. On May 2, the army publicly pledges loyalty to Maduro. At least five people are killed in days of unrest. - Talks called off - Delegations from the rival sides meet in Oslo in late May for talks under Norwegian auspices, pledging to continue dialogue. On June 8 Maduro orders the reopening of the Colombia border where aid has amassed. Thousands of Venezuelans rush to collect food and medicine. On July 5 a UN Human Rights Council report alleges that nearly 7,000 people had been killed in 18 months of security force operations in the country. US President Donald Trump on August 6 freezes Venezuelan government assets in the United States. In response, Maduro cancels talks with Guaido's team. On November 16, about 5,000 Guaido supporters demonstrate against Maduro in the opposition's biggest rally since May, but with turnout far lower than expected. - Guaido reappointed - Opposition lawmakers reappoint Guaido as speaker on January 5 in a session held at a newspaper office after police block him from entering the National Assembly. A rival parliamentarian claims the position from inside the legislature and is acknowledged by Maduro. Guaido is sworn in two days later, having to force his way past the National Guard to reach the speaker's seat. On January 19 he meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Colombia before heading to Europe where he met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and is also to hold talks with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell before attending the World Economic Forum in Davos. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some bottlenecks were loosened, whereas others became deadlocked and tangled further. Many differences, instabilities and insecurities were further increased, which was partly attributed to some global powers policy adjustments in an increasingly fierce strategic competition. 1. 2019 could be considered a year that saw turbulences in global politics; and differences that couldnt be resolved easily were the main causes that put the world in such turmoil. Such a statement is seemingly fair as the world is in a crisis of leaders, with superpowers being distracted by internal problems, middle powers emerging, and the United States gradually withdrawing from its traditional role as the stability-safeguarding force. The two economic superpowers, the US and China, were stuck in strategic competition the severity of which intensified every day. Although by the end of the year, the two sides cautiously announced the reaching of a bilateral trade deal, the struggle with tax weapons throughout 2019 also shook the two leading economies of the world. This was only the first stage of the agreement that is expected to end the trade conflict between the US and China; however, it cost both sides a lot of time and negotiation efforts, while the official signing has had to be moved into 2020. No sooner had the stalemate with its leading partner been cleared when Washington continued to open a new front in the tariff battle. While the version 2.0 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was rescued in the last minutes but still had to wait at the threshold of the US, Mexican and Canadian parliaments, the US announced a black tariff on its two South American partners, Brazil and Argentina. Tensions on the two coasts of the Atlantic Ocean had yet to cool down, but the US still promoted the enforcement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling, punishing its allies in the European Union (EU) with allegations of illegal subsidies to Airbus. The risk of disputes threatening to disrupt the global trading system has set the task for the Group of 20 to take the lead in renovating the WTO and restoring multilateral mechanisms. 2. The global instability doesnt only stem from trade but also from political conflicts. The deadlock in denuclearisation talks has yet to be cleared after the second meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chairman of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-Un. The reason for this lies in the old requirements, including Pyongyang terminating missile tests and Washington stopping its joint military exercises on the Korean Peninsula. The United Kingdom underwent a year of struggle, asking for to postpone the deadline for Brexit three times because the divorce deal failed to pass the door of the House of Commons. The important victory in the general election helped UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confidently steer the Brexit boat. However, the post-Brexit challenge still remained huge, as the two sides continued to negotiate a trade agreement, with the UK no longer staying in the EU. Many traditional hot spots in the Middle East not only showed no signs of cooling down but became even more complicated. The historic nuclear deal was on the brink of getting bankrupt due to both the US withdrawal and differences between Iran and many European countries, while attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf drove the US-Iran confrontation to escalate further. The violence had yet to subdue in Syria and Iraq, although the self-proclaimed Islamic State was thankfully eliminated. And the post-IS consequences spread throughout Europe when dealing with the repatriation of jihadist gunmen. People in Colombia march to protest the difficult economic situation in the country. The US lessened motivation to lead the world led to unexpected shifts. Not only gradually staying away from its previously close ally - the US, Turkey also emerged as a reverse wind within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), with its rejection of Washingtons request in an arms deal or the launch of a military campaign in Syria despite allies protests. The indifferent attitude of the US and Frances statement on a paralysed NATO further demonstrated internal divisions within NATO, just as the military alliance turned 70 years old. 3. Unrest and differences triggered increasing nerves around the world. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a cornerstone that helps maintain global security and strategic stability, crumbled following decisions from the US and Russia to withdraw from their commitments. The consequences of the INFs breakdown became conspicuous, and the public opinion spread with nerves amid the emergence of numerous difficulties for both sides to start a concrete dialogue with each other to work out new mechanisms to control strategic weapons. The outlook of improving the US and EUs relations was increasingly gloomy, as the West did not lift their sanctions against Moscow. Meanwhile, the peoples grievances regarding problematic economic situations and the rifts in society resulted in a wave of heated protests in South America, raising concerns regarding the risk of a Latin American Spring sweeping through the western hemisphere. Protests against corruption, the wealth gap and underemployment broke out, from Chile and Bolivia to Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, paralysing public services. A similar situation was seen in the Middle East and Africa, as a wave of protests against the austerity policy caused the Prime Ministers of Lebanon and Iraq to resign, putting enormous pressure on the governments in Iran, Egypt, or South Africa. Despite being a fairly old issue, the global efforts to fight climate change are coming to a turning point , and are assimilated as a blue-red race, in which the party that must finish first is the act of saving the blue planet before the red boundary as the Earth warms up. In 2019, the concerns, which were triggered by the regular occurrence of natural disasters with tremendous devastation, blew up a campaign to raise public awareness and urge for greater efforts to respond to climate change. In the dark global picture of 2019, there were still bright spots of hopes, including the signing of the largest multilateral trade agreement in Africa, the initial solutions in resolving the crisis in eastern Ukraine, and the maintained relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea after the extension of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). However, there still remains a number of crisis bottlenecks brought into 2020 that are waiting for efforts to be handled. U.S forces had a chance to kill Qassem Soleimani back in 2007 when a drone spotted him getting a hero's welcome on the streets of Iraq - but they didn't fire because the top Iranian general was deemed 'untouchable'. American soldiers were using drones armed with missiles to monitor the streets of Sadr City in Baghdad in late 2007 when they noticed large crowds taking to the streets to welcome a VIP. 'It was like someone was welcoming Obama to the streets of Sadr City. It was electric,' a former U.S. intelligence officer told Yahoo News of the crowds. It took some time to correctly identity Soleimani as the man the crowd was gathering to see given the drone's feed was initially too grainy. The U.S. forces had to get real-time communications to learn the identity of the man they realized was the leader of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. U.S forces had a chance to kill Qassem Soleimani back in 2007 when a drone spotted him getting a hero's welcome on the streets of Iraq - but they didn't fire because the top Iranian general was deemed 'untouchable' 'We said, 'holy s**t, it's Soleimani, pressing flesh with a bunch of people',' the official said after confirming his identity. The officer said there was discussions among themselves on whether they should do something, but they ultimately knew Soleimani was 'untouchable'. The U.S. forces who spotted him had to watch on as Soleimani eventually stepped away from the crowd and vanished into a building. President George W. Bush's administration had advised that escalating a war with Iran was not worth it, the officer said. The CIA was also directed not to take matters into their own hands by the Bush administration. 'The Iraqi intel service wanted to kill him and couldn't understand why we wouldn't target him,' former CIA official John Maguire said. 'They thought he was the most dangerous guy in Iraq.' Another official said: 'Nobody wanted to cross an official line to kill Iranians in Iraq, because that would put us at war, and we had enough with Iraq and Afghanistan.' Officials said Soleimani and his lieutenants gradually came to know they were safe in Iraq from any U.S. attacks and would move around freely - including taking to the streets like he did when he was spotted by the drone and freely taking selfies with militiamen. The U.S. directive not to touch Soleimani in a bid to avoid a conflict with Iran stretched over the next decade and was upheld by both Bush and Barack Obama. Soleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is pictured above in the 80s during the Iran-Iraq War Soleimani was killed in a drone strike directed by President Donald Trump earlier this month near Baghdad Airport. It emerged following his assassination that the Pentagon had secretly been discussing targeting him for 18 months Soleimani was killed in a drone strike directed by President Donald Trump earlier this month near Baghdad Airport. It emerged following his assassination that the Pentagon had secretly been discussing targeting him for 18 months. After months of tracking him, the plan to finally strike him was rolled out on January 3 - a move that thrust the U.S. to the brink of war, according to a NYT report based on interviews with dozens of Trump administration and military officials. When the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was attacked by pro-Iran protesters on December 31, a top secret memo started to circulate among U.S. defense officials signed by Robert C. O'Brien, Trump's national security adviser, listing out potential targets. That memo's most provocative response option was to target specific Iranian officials for death by military strike. Named on that list was General Soleimani and Abdul Reza Shahlai, an Iranian commander in Yemen who helped finance armed groups in the region. Less dramatic response options were to target an Iranian energy facility and a Revolutionary Guard command-and-control ship used to direct small boats that harass oil tankers in the waters around Iran. While Soleimani had been on the U.S. radar for some time, surveillance on the shadowy general intensified back in May. At that time, tensions with Iran had escalated following attacks on four oil tankers, leading then national security adviser John R. Bolton to ask the military and intelligence agencies to produce new options to stop Iranian aggression. The coffin of Gen. Qassem Soleimani is carried on a truck surrounded by mourners in Iran after he was killed in an airstrike He was presented with the option to kill Soleimani and other leaders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. In September, the U.S. Central Command and Joint Special Operations Command were brought in to plan a possible operation against him, debating targeting Soleimani in Syria or Iraq. Agents recruited in Syria and Iraq reported on Soleimani's movements, according to one official. Officials had discussions for months about targeting Soleimani. They said it would be too challenging to hit him in Iran and debated targeting him in Syria or Iraq. The U.S. worked on developing agents in seven different entities - the Syrian Army, the Quds Force in Damascus, Hezbollah in Damascus, the Damascus and Baghdad airports and Kataib Hezbollah and Popular Mobilization forces in Iraq to report on his movements. That same day across the world at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia officials reported a 'mosaic effect' - scraps of information that together indicated Soleimani was mobilizing and organizing proxy forces in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq to attack American embassies and bases. Though there wasn't concrete evidence of an imminent threat, there was a concerning pattern. CIA officials determined that the consequences of not striking Soleimani would outweigh waiting around. Trump agreed with the option to target Soleimani and there was overall agreement among his senior advisers. However, some officials with the Pentagon were shocked that the president chose the most extreme option. In the end they struck him on January 3 after he disembarked of Cham Wings Airlines Flight 6Q501 that took off from Damascus and landed in Baghdad. The plane landed at 12.36am and Soleimani disembarked with his entourage first. He was joined by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of several militia groups tied to Iran. In two cars they drove away from the airport while followed by American MQ-9 Reaper drones. At 12.47pm several missiles fired into the vehicles, sending them up in flames and leaving 10 burnt bodies in their wake. Today is National Pie Day, although even the American Pie Council sheds no light on why Pie Day falls in the dead of winter. About 200 million pies will be sold this year in U.S. grocery stores and supermarkets. That number does not include markets, pie shops and restaurants places you're more likely to get better pies. Apple is our favorite pie, followed by pumpkin, pecan, banana cream and cherry, according to The Pie Slice of Life survey. Which brings us to my list of the state's 24 best pie shops/stops. I did a similar list in 2017, but this is no rehash. I drove all over the state in the past week, logging nearly 1,000 miles in all, and made colleagues happy when I dropped off a dozen pies yesterday at the office. Several of these places are closed for the winter, so you'll have to wait a bit for that baked bliss. One cautionary note: Whenever I ask for pie recommendations on Twitter, many people recommend farmers markets. Hate to break it to you, but many markets that advertise "homemade pies" don't make those pies. Baked in their ovens? Yes. But made by an outside vendor. So here's my list of the state's best pie places. It's a mix of markets, pie stores, cafes and pastry shops. Even a general store and a diner. Do you have a favorite pie shop? Let us know, and explain what makes its pies so special. This list is not ranked; all the places are highly recommended. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Shannon's Eyes on the Pies, Hewitt I just about keeled over when I stepped into this cozy little bake shop the warm, heady aroma of fresh-made cookies, cakes, pies and tarts was overpowering. The owner of Shannon's Eyes on the Pies is Shannon Cheevers, a breast cancer survivor. In October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she donates a percentage of profits to breast cancer groups. The bourbon pecan pie (photo) is sweet, sticky, dense deliciousness. The deep dish blueberry is also recommended, as are the apple roses, thin-sliced apples with cinnamon and sugar baked into rose-shaped pastries. They're wonderful warmed up in the oven. Don't Edit John Munson I The Star-Ledger Emery's Berry Farm, New Egypt Emery's makes fresh fruit pies that have no equal. The Trifecta pie a combination of blueberries, cherries and peaches is probably my favorite here. One bite, and you've hit the pie jackpot. Closed now, it re-opens in the spring. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The Pie Store, Upper Montclair Known more for its British savory pies (cheese, potato and onion, steak and mushroom, turkey and stuffing), the tiny Pie Store makes excellent fruit pies, too. The Key lime (photo) is exquisite the frothy topping will have you finger-dipping, fork be damned. The apple and apple/berry pies, with their thick lattice-like crusts, are also recommended. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I The Star-Ledger Penza's Pies at the Red Barn, Hammonton You can't miss the big red barn. Penza's, open 40-plus years, is known for its country breakfasts and pies. The pies are works of baking art, with every crumble neatly in place and strawberries perched prettily on top. My favorites: the strawberry rhubarb and blueberry. Don't Edit Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Pure Love Pies, Bloomfield The sparest of all the pie shops on this list, Pure Love Pies, which opened in 2017, more than makes up in taste and flavor what it may lack in fancy decor. "Home of the best bean pies on the East Coast!" proclaims the Facebook page. Start with the sweet potato pie (photo), a tasty take on the Southern classic. The pecan and coconut custard pies are both highly recommended. Don't Edit John Munson I The Star-Ledger Mr. Tod's Pie Factory, various ShopRites Tod Wilson of Mr. Tod's has closed his Englewood storefront, but you can get his pies at ShopRites in Englewood, Paramus, Rochelle Park and Linden. His banana cream pie may be my favorite single pie of the past 10 years it's that good. Close behind are the blueberry and peach pies. Don't Edit Pie Lady Cafe, Moorestown The Pie Lady Cafe is a cute little shop, with a patio and tables for summer (or mild winter) pie eating. The mixed berry pie is fruity deliciousness. The blueberry and coconut custard pies are also standouts. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The Able Baker, Maplewood It all started with an e-mail. Julie Pauly e-mailed 35 friends in 2009 informing them she would be taking cake and cupcake orders. Those 35 friends included "girl scout moms, neighbors, friends, PTA-ers, family and three au pairs." Ten years later, Able Baker is a busy, bustling shop in Maplewood Village, with cakes, cookies, tarts and pies. You might want to call ahead if you're looking for pies there was just one available when I stopped by. The apple (photo) featured a sturdy, almost impregnable, crust and apples that tasted real, not the kind in winter apple hibernation. Don't Edit Homestead Farm Market, Lambertville Homestead Farm Market, open 30 years, offers a mouth-watering range of products produce, jellies, cheese, salsas, sorbet and honey. Oh, and pies. Nearly 20 kinds are made, and the selection changes daily. Closed now, it re-opens in April. Don't Edit Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 502 Baking Co., Brick The Key lime pie (photo) is the most heralded pie at 502 Baking Co., but there's plenty of fresh-baked goodness about. The mission statement at the year-old bakery: "In the age of Big Box stores and Supermarket Bakeries we are dedicated to producing the highest quality, hand crafted baked goods made with care." The cranberry, pear and apple pie is a wonder one of the two or three best pies sampled on this mission. Don't Edit Wemrock Orchards, Freehold Township Wemrock Orchards is a farm market with pies from "Grandma'' Giunco's recipe. The apple pie here, with its cinnamony undertone, is a study in simple, classic pie craft. Good cherry pie, too. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The Elias Cole, Colesville The Elias Cole, which opened in 1978, is a charmingly trapped-in-time roadhouse/luncheonette near the top of Jersey. I love its Facebook description: Serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee. It's cash-only and beloved by bikers, who love the food and the sprawling parking lot. The coconut custard pie (photo) is a thing of baked beauty: Its crust, supported by a thick foamy meringue, arches toward the sky. The apple pie is boring a supermarket pie, nothing more. Stick with the coconut custard. Don't Edit Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe, Swedesboro Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe is a vest pocket-sized shop, open since 2007. It was founded by Jack Frombach, of John William's European Pastry Shoppe in Medford, and Karen Morrison. The two grew up together in Northeast Philly. Doughnuts, danish, muffins, sticky buns and pies crowd the display cases. Recommended: the apple pie the lattice crust is a sugary treat on its own. Don't Edit Becca's Bakery Becca's Bakery, Dutch Country Farmers Market, Raritan Township (Hunterdon County). I love New Jersey's Amish markets, and this one is no different. Donuts, cookies, produce and meats under one roof. Becca's offers pies in half and full sizes. My favorite: the coconut cream, oozing creamy, coconuty goodness, with a bit of sweet glaze on top. Don't Edit Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Vincentown Diner, Vincentown The Vincentown Diner, on Route 206, is one of South Jersey's better diners. Try the breakfasts and burgers... and a slice of pie. The cran-apple (photo) combines Mom's favorite pie and one of Jersey's prime crops. The cranberries are both inside and atop the pie, one of the half-dozen best sampled on my pie road trip. Don't Edit John Munson I The Star-Ledger Delicious Orchards, Colts Neck Delicious Orchards is one-stop shopping for produce, meat and seafood. It's a serious pie factory: It makes 50,000 pies in the week before Thanksgiving alone and a million-plus doughnuts a year. It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. My favorite pies: the cherry and Key lime. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Constellation Collective, Collingswood Haddon Avenue is pastry/pie paradise, with Constellation Collective, DiBartolo Bakery and Dulce Artisanal Pastry practically steps from each other. The salted honey pie at Constellation Collective, a homey little bakery/cafe, is a different, if not daring, take on tradition. Recommended: the chocolate chili muffins, with their pleasant delayed burn. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Hainesville General Store, Hainesville The Hainesville General Store, on Route 206 minutes from Pennsylvania and New York is worth the drive for the pies and general store atmosphere. It has won awards at the New Jersey State Fair for its mixed berry pie, and it's first-rate and fruit-loaded. The apple pie (photo) is classic and unfussy, with a formidable crust seemingly capable of being dropped from a height without suffering any doughy damage. The general store is up for sale, but an employee told me last week that the owner hopes to keep the pie business going under the new ownership, whenever that happens. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Clove Brook Market, Wantage Rich and Kim Sytsema are the owners of Clove Brook Market, which they opened in 2003. You can get pies, muffins, pastries, scones and cakes, but Clove Brook is more than just a bakery. The deli menu includes sandwiches, wraps, panini, salads and soups. The raspberry cherry pie (photo) is topped with shaved almonds, and the apple pie boasts a sweet, sugary crumble topping. Don't Edit Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Lucille's Country Cooking, Warren Grove Lucille's is maybe my favorite Pine Barrens eatery, with its small town-size gravel lot and classic luncheonette interior. The apple pie (photo) is simple and solid, with a light, flaky crust, but the standout here is the fruit forest pie, with strawberry rhubarb, blackberries and blueberries. Lucille's is located on Route 539, one of the state's great scenic drives. Don't Edit Still have parties and events this weekend? We are your pie headquarters! Stop in today, tomorrow or Sunday. Receive 10%... Posted by Mara's Cafe & Bakery - Denville on Friday, November 29, 2019 Mara's Cafe & Bakery, Denville It started out just making cheesecakes in a house on Speedwell Avenue in Morristown. But the Mara's menu now includes every imaginable dessert item. There are apple, cherry, peach and blueberry pies, but you may want to start with the three-nut cranberry or the pecan, made with bourbon vanilla. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Red Eagle Produce, Woodbury In the summer, Red Eagle Produce is known for its soft-serve. Year-round? For its soups and pies. A half-dozen or more kinds of pies are available. The peach and blueberry made for an intriguing, and extremely likable, combination. The apple (photo) was one of the best of its kind sampled on this mission. The pies are distinguished by their thick, sturdy crumb crusts. Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Ye Olde Pie Shoppe, Little Silver There's scant info on Ye Olde Pie Shoppe's website just photos of custom cakes but pies, cookies, pastries and quiche are available. The shop opened in 1969 and offers gluten-free and allergy-free options. The Key lime pie did not rock my world like the one at The Pie Store (see separate entry), but the blueberry pie (photo) was one of the better ones on this mission. Don't Edit Sorrento Bakery, East Hanover Sorrento Bakery was one of 10 finalists in our N.J.'s best bakery showdown. You can pick up excellent Italian pastries, plus cookies, cakes, bread, even subs. But start with the chocolate cream pie creamy, pillowy, perfect. Don't Edit Don't Edit Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com More stories about N.J. food The 50 dishes you need to eat in New Jersey in 2020 The 30 greatest old-school Jersey diners, ranked 23 great N.J. food towns no one knows about Peter Knight leaves Oxford Crown Court after being sentenced today An NHS boss who lost his wife, home and relationships after lying about having a Classics degree to land a 130,000 salary has walked free from court with a suspended sentence. Peter Knight, 53, secured a prestigious director position on the board of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust by falsely claiming to have the degree on his CV, even though this was not an essential requirement. He earned 260,000 in the job from August 2016 until his resignation in September 2018 - after an anonymous tip-off led to his employers investigating him. NHS counter-fraud investigators found Knight's files did not include a degree certificate, and he admitted fraud with intent to gain at Oxford Magistrates' Court in December 2019. Knight was today given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days rehabilitation. At his sentencing, defence lawyer Michael McAlinden told the court that Knight's life had been 'shattered' since admitting the fraud. But Judge Nigel Daly told the court the damage that was done 'is effectively nil... You have worked extremely well in the past'. He added: 'I accept that this conviction has had a devastating effect on you, your family and others. 'You have lost your wife, you have lost your home and you have lost your relationships.' Knight, 53, secured a prestigious director position on the board of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust by falsely claiming to have the degree on his CV, even though this was not an essential requirement John Radcliffe Hospital, one of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's facilities The judge said Knight's early guilty plea and character references stating that he had made 'genuinely outstanding contributions' to the trust meant his sentence was reduced. He told the court that financial settlement would be decided at a later date. Knight, of Teddington, south-west London, had been hired to help the NHS trust 'become one of the foremost healthcare organisations in the UK and globally', according to a statement the trust released on his appointment to the board. Sue Frith, chief executive of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said Knight's sentencing was 'a reminder that the law and the rules apply to all the NHS, including senior managers in positions of great trust'. She added: 'Thames Valley Police worked closely with local NHS counter fraud investigators to achieve this successful investigation and prosecution.' Michel Barnier's top aide has warned negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal will be even 'more complicated' than the torturous wrangling over the terms of the UK's divorce from Brussels. Stefaan De Rynck, the EU chief Brexit negotiator's most senior adviser, said 'there should be no misunderstanding' about the complexity of what lies ahead as the two sides prepare to hammer out the terms of their future partnership. He also said the British government needs a 'dose of realism' on what can be achieved by the end of 2020. His comments will be seen as a direct challenge to Boris Johnson's Brexit strategy with the PM adamant that a complete trade deal can be agreed by December this year. The intervention came after Parliament finally agreed to the PM's Brexit deal as the European Union Withdrawal Agreement Bill was passed by MPs and peers last night. The so-called WAB - the legislation needed to deliver an orderly Brexit at the end of this month - will now receive royal assent in the coming days and become law. Mr Johnson said the passage of the legislation meant the UK could now 'move forwards'. Michel Barnier's top aide Stefaan De Rynck (pictured left) has warned Brexit trade talks will be 'more complicated' than discussions on the terms of the UK's split from Brussels. He also expressed concerns about the amount of time available to agree a deal The UK will formally leave the EU on January 31 at 11pm when it will enter into a standstill transition period. That transition period will last until December and has been designed to give Britain and Brussels time to work out a trade deal. The EU does not believe a complete deal can be finalised in such a short space of time and is in favour of an extension. But Mr Johnson is insistent the end of the transition period must be viewed as a hard deadline. In comments reported by Politico, Mr De Rynck told an event in London last night: 'There should be no misunderstanding of the fact that the next phase will be more complicated to negotiate than the Withdrawal Agreement. 'The construction of the text for the Withdrawal Agreement wasnt always easy - but compared to the construction of the text for the future relationship agreement, we are talking about two different kinds of exercises. 'The limitation of time must lead to some dose of realism on what can be achieved.' Mr De Rynck said when the EU and UK originally agreed on the terms of the transition period it was envisaged it would last for 21 months. But the UK parliament's decision to repeatedly refuse to agree to a Brexit deal means the time available for trade talks is now down to less than 11 months. He said the EU thought '21 months was a rather short transition period in terms of the negotiations that need to be done' as he cast doubt on the ability to resolve each and every issue by the close of 2020. He then firmly directed the blame for the tight deadline at Downing Street as he said it was a decision of the 'UK government to limit the time we have available'. But the Prime Minister's official spokesman today hit back and said: 'The EU agreed with the UK that they would reach a comprehensive future partnership agreement with us by the end of 2020 and we expect to achieve that. 'The EU made a formal commitment to get this completed by December 2020 and we expect that to happen.' Boris Johnson, pictured in London on January 20, is adamant the UK and the EU can agree the full terms of a future partnership by the end of this year Trade talks between the UK and the EU are expected to begin at the end of February or the start of March now that Britain is set to actually leave the bloc on January 31. Responding to his Brexit deal being rubber-stamped by Parliament last night, Mr Johnson said: 'Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forwards as one United Kingdom. 'At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but weve done it. 'Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country.' A virus that has sickened hundreds and killed 17 has spread from China to the United States, but an expert from Alabama said residents of the South dont need to panic. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the division of infectious diseases at UAB, said theres no threat right now to people in the South. People should remain aware of the virus and she suggests following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is closely monitoring the outbreak. Things like this stay geographically isolated until they dont, Marrazzo said. Most of the cases have been confined to central China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the first U.S. case Tuesday in Washington state. The virus has also infected patients in Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and South Korea, according to the CDC. Several U.S. airports, including Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, have begun screening passengers arriving from the Chinese city of Wuhan. So far, no cases have been reported in the South and risks appear to be low. Those who have not travelled to China or come into contact with people from the affected area have little to no risk of exposure. Chinese officials have reported about 600 confirmed cases. The World Health Organization decided not to declare a global health emergency at recent meetings about the new coronavirus. Coronaviruses cause difficulty breathing, fever and coughing that usually resolves with few complications. Marrazzo said experts dont know which patients might develop the most serious complications, such as pneumonia. Coronaviruses, a common type of virus that can affect animals and humans, also caused SARS and MERS, deadly illnesses that spread across the globe in 2002 and 2012. Coronaviruses can mutate and jump from animals to humans, creating new illnesses that ambush immune systems. When those new viruses begin spreading from humans to humans, they can cause outbreaks. Once it jumps from humans to humans, thats where the action is, Marrazzo said. Chinese authorities identified the new strain of coronavirus on Jan. 7. Many of the first patients who fell ill had some connection to a meat and seafood market in Wuhan, causing investigators to suspect the virus had spread from animals to humans. However, more recent cases suggest the virus is now spreading from person to person, according to the CDC. On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Public Health announced the agency would work with the CDC to monitor patients with respiratory illness who had recently traveled to China. Healthcare providers have been advised to conduct screenings of patients with flu-like illness who traveled to Wuhan in the last 14 days. The confirmation that some limited person-to-person spread with this virus is occurring in Asia raises the level of concern about this virus, but CDC continues to believe the risk of 2019-nCoV to the American public at large remains low at this time, according to the news release. People can prevent the spread of coronavirus, and other viruses, by washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, covering coughs with tissues or sleeves and avoiding people who are sick. Travelers to China should take additional precautions, including avoiding animals and uncooked meat. CDC officials urge people to avoid unnecessary travel to Wuhan. Its scary because these are crafty viruses, Marrazzo said. And we really dont have a treatment for them. VANCOUVER - An extradition case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou is a test of whether courts will reject foreign charges that run contrary to Canadian values, argues her lawyer. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Meng Wanzhou chief financial officer of Huawei is surrounded by security as she leaves B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Wednesday, January, 22, 2020. Wanzhou is in court for hearings over an American request to extradite the executive of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei on fraud charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward VANCOUVER - An extradition case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou is a test of whether courts will reject foreign charges that run contrary to Canadian values, argues her lawyer. A British Columbia Supreme Court hearing wrapped Thursday that focused on the legal test of double criminality, or whether the conduct Meng is accused of would also be a crime in Canada. The United States has charged her with fraud over allegations she lied to HSBC about Huawei's relationship with an Iran-based subsidiary, putting the bank at risk of violating American sanctions. The defence has argued the judge must dismiss the case because Canada has rejected similar sanctions, while the Crown said the judge's job is to determine if there's evidence of fraud, not to uphold Canadian sovereignty. Meng's lawyer, Richard Peck, responded to the Crown's argument by telling the judge that her interpretation of the law must be informed by values enshrined in the Constitution. "This is the kind of case that tests our system," Peck said. "It's a difficult case. It's not, for us, so much a matter of standing here and saying we want to see justice done. We say right needs to be done." Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves her home to go to B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Thursday, January, 23, 2020. Wanzhou is in court for hearings over an American request to extradite the executive of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei on fraud charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward The concept of "right" is elusive, but it lies at the core of the rule of law, Peck said. The risk faced by the bank from the alleged fraud is solely linked to American sanctions law, not the more traditional laws usually dealt with in extradition cases, he added. "It's unique because the risk of economic deprivation arises solely from a legal obligation that exists in the U.S., which Canada has expressly repudiated," Peck said. "It's unique because our standards have changed with respect to this very issue. It's extraordinary in that sense." Canada lifted sanctions against Iran in 2016 after world powers signed a nuclear deal with the country. The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed sanctions again while also adding new penalties. Canada has not followed suit. If the judge rules Meng should be extradited to face charges, Justice Minister David Lametti will still have the final say on whether to surrender her to the United States. Crown counsel Robert Frater said Wednesday the judge is responsible for evaluating the evidence, while the justice minister is meant to weigh issues of Canadian independence and values. Frater also said the judge does not necessarily need to consider American sanctions law for the allegations to amount to fraud in Canada. HSBC faced significant reputational risk for processing Iran-related transactions because it had already faced penalties for doing business in countries including Libya and Sudan, Frater said. Another lawyer for Meng, Scott Fenton, countered Thursday that the Crown has previously argued that all the risk derived from violating American sanctions. The Crown focused on sanctions risk, even when discussing reputational risk, in its arguments before a judge issuing an arrest warrant in 2018 and in court documents, he said. Fenton said the Crown is now speculating that HSBC could have lost business relationships if it was revealed to be doing business with Iran, regardless of sanctions, and this marks a change. "Milady, in my submission this is wrong. The court is being embarrassed," he said. The Crown has also argued that the judge can, according to case law, consider the context of American sanctions in a limited way to understand the risk faced by HSBC. Meng's arrest in December 2018 at Vancouver's airport set off a diplomatic uproar. Beijing has detained two Canadians and restricting some imports in moves widely viewed as retaliation. She denies the allegations and is free on bail, living in one of her two multimillion-dollar homes in Vancouver. Holmes reserved her decision after the defence concluded its reply Thursday. If the judge rules the legal test of double criminality has not been met, Meng will be free to leave Canada. If she finds there is double criminality, the hearing will proceed to a second phase in June. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Israel for a visit. He will hold talks with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The visit is linked to the 75th anniversary of the Red Armys liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Holocaust Remembrance Day, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said. The Russian president is expected to address a forum dubbed Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism. He will also take part in the unveiling of the Memorial Candle monument in Jerusalem and a ceremony to hand the Order of Courage over to the family of Leon Feldgendler, a hero of the 1943 prisoner uprising at the Sobibor extermination camp, TASS reported. The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking will show the documentary Doing Money 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, in Wilson Hall at Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro. The free screening, sponsored by Rowan Medicine, the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Women in Media-Newark, will be followed by discussion among a panel of experts, including NJCAHT survivor consultant. Doing Money is a BBC film based on the true story of a student from Romania who was kidnapped on the streets of London and forced to become a sex slave in pop-up brothels across Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will be shown in Boyd Recital Hall. January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month and this film is one of several events the coalition has held during the month. To register and for more information, visit to: njhumantrafficking.org. The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Thursday was adjourned till 11 am, January 27. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has proposed to discuss the matter of abolishing the legislative council on January 27. The three-day special session of the state assembly had begun on January 20 amid tight security. During the 3-day session, the state assembly passed the 'Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020'. According to a release, the "Bill provides for the creation of three capital cities to usher in the decentralisation of development." The Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool. The legislative council of Andhra Pradesh later sent the Decentralisation Bill (for setting up of three capitals) to select committee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pregnant Iskra Lawrence shows off her growing baby bump as she joins eight new AerieREAL Role Models in the brand's spring campaign. The 29-year-old model, who is now six months pregnant, stars alongside a diverse cast of boundary-breaking actors and activists, including Lana Condor, Beanie Feldstein, and Hari Nef, the first transgender model to sign with IMG. Olympic gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman and pregnant Paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby are among the brand's current role models who are also featured in the 2020 campaign. All smiles: Iskra Lawrence shows off her growing baby bump in new AerieREAL Role Models campaign Moms-to-be: Iskra, 29, and pregnant Paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby, 24, both struck a pose with 'the future is aeriereal' written on their stomachs Welcome: Newcomers Beanie Feldstein, Lana Condor, and Hari Nef (left to right) are pictured with veteran Aerie spokesmodel Aly Raisman (far right) As the first AerieREAL Role Model, Iskra paved the way for the newcomers, who were all chosen to represent the brand because of their influential voices, unique stories, and self-made success. 'I definitely want to be like the glue that connects the whole Aerie family,' she told Fashionista. 'I feel very grateful to be in a position to be like, "This is why you're here and what you're bringing to the table."' Iskra, who started working with the brand in 2016, is modeling a sporty two-tone pink bra and matching underwear in the brand's latest set of empowering ads. Strike a pose: Beanie, 26, donned a white crop top and sporty black and white shorts during the shoot. The Booksmart star's older brother is actor Jonah Hill Spreading the word: Lana, the 22-year-old breakout star of Netflix's teen romance To All the Boys I Loved Before, said she was drawn Aerie's message of self-love and body positivity Breaking boundaries: Hari, a 27-year-old actress and model, was first transgender model to sign with IMG The model announced in November that she and her partner, Philip Payne, are expecting their first child together in April. In what appears to be a nod to her pregnancy, she is also pictured with the words 'the future' written across her stomach. She is standing next to 24-year-old Brenna, who has 'is aeriereal' written on her baby bump. Motherhood appears to be a theme in the new campaign, which also features entrepreneur Jenna Kutcher and her one-year-old daughter, Conley. A photo from the shoot shows the podcaster donning a leopard two-piece and a long cardigan while cradling her little girl. Latest shoot: Aly, 25, first signed on to become an AerieREAL Role Model in 2018 Activists: Scientist Keiana Cave (left) and sustainability activist Manuela Baron (right) were all smiles as they modeled swimsuits during the shoot Model: Brenna, 24, showed off her prosthetic leg while donning off-white overalls Aerie veterans Iskra, Aly, Brenna, Jenna, and YouTuber Molly Burke all took part in the shoot and posed for photos with the newcomers. When Aly first signed on to become an AerieREAL Role Model in 2018, the now-25-year-old had just come forward with sexual assault allegations against her former Olympic team physical Larry Nassar. Speaking to Fashionista about her latest Aerie campaign, she said working with the brand and engaging with her followers helped her learn to open herself up again. 'I feel like a different person from the first Role Model shoot,' she said. 'It was maybe a month or two after I came forward publicly for the first time about everything, so I was feeling vulnerable and pretty uncomfortable and nervous, and everyone on set was so amazing. Mommy and me: Entrepreneur Jenna Kutcher posed with her one-year-old daughter, Conley Paving the way: Tony award-winner Ali Stroker is the first actress in a wheelchair to perform on Broadway Woman's best friend: YouTuber Molly Burke, who is blind, shared the spotlight with her guide dog, Gallop 'I've learned how to connect with people since then, and to be able to trust people and to be able to have fun.' In addition to Lana, Beanie, and Hari, the new AerieREAL Role Models include scientist Keiana Cave, Smile On Me founder Dre Thomas, DJ and wellness advocate Tiff McFierce, sustainability activist Manuela Baron, and Tony award-winner Ali Stroker, the first actress in a wheelchair to perform on Broadway. Lana, the breakout star of Netflix's teen romance To All the Boys I Loved Before, told Harper's Bazaar that she was drawn Aerie's message of self-love and body positivity. Happy: DJ and wellness advocate Tiff McFierce struck a fierce pose in a tied T-shirt and lilac purple bike shorts Helping others: Dre Thomas is the founder of Smile On Me, an organization that provides girls in low-income communities in New York City with hygiene products Start of it all: As the first AerieREAL Role Model, Iskra paved the way for the newcomers Spokesmodels: The brand's role models were all chosen to represent the brand because of their influential voices, unique stories, and self-made success 'Girls are ever-changing, and I think that we need to talk more about that publicly because our bodies change because were growing, we can bear children. And as oftentimes, I think, at least for me and my childhood, the women that had the public eye were always really the same,' the 22-year-old said. 'Theyre blonde and skinny and blonde and tall, which, thats beautiful as well, absolutely, but I think that its important to see real bodies, real bodies that arent retouched and that represent the way that the world actually looks and to celebrate that.' As part of the new campaign, Aerie is launching an initiative to invest $400,000 to support 20 customers who are leading change in their own communities. The brand will also award 20 real-life changemakers with $20,000 to help them on their journey in making the world a better place. L.A. County Moves to Eliminate Red Tape In Providing Housing for Homeless The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved a handful of motions designed to more quickly respond to provide housing for people living on the streets. Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn co-authored a motion for a Comprehensive Crisis Response Strategy, with Hahn saying the problem demands a Marshall Plan-like solution. We have to treat the homeless crisis with the urgency that it demands, Hahn said. I dont want to continue to rely on the same old policies and practices that are working too slowly. ADVERTISEMENT We need our own Marshall Plan here in L.A. County so that we can provide shelter and housing to anyone and everyone who is willing to come inside, and we need the flexibility to do it as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Ridley-Thomas also garnered approval for deploying 30 trailers provided by the state to public and privately-owned parking lots in South Los Angeles within days to serve as interim housing for families. There are 30,000 people countywide who have been evaluated by outreach workers and are ready to move inside, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. More than 1,000 died on the streets of Los Angeles County last year. We need a framework that makes sure each of them has a safe place to go and soon, Ridley-Thomas said. This means getting rid of any red tape and other unnecessary impediments so that we can expedite housing and services. The trailers were supplied through an executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also committed earlier this month to spend more than $1 billion in fighting homelessness statewide during the 2020-21 fiscal year. The countys crisis strategy, as laid out in the motion, calls for the countys Homeless Initiative and Office of Emergency Management to work together on a framework for prioritizing strategies that build capacity and accountability. A report back is expected in 60 days. ADVERTISEMENT Homelessness advocates expressed their support. This is the right approach: creativity and flexibility in approach, but focus and accountability on the bottom line helping all our friends outside have a place to call home, said Chris Ko, managing director for homelessness and strategic initiatives at the nonprofit United Way of Greater Los Angeles. The 13-member Governors Council of Regional Homeless Advisors, which Ridley-Thomas co-heads, has pushed municipalities to treat homelessness as a humanitarian crisis tantamount to a natural disaster. On a separate motion by Supervisor Hilda Solis, the board voted to bid on the about-to-be-closed St. Vincent Medical Center as a site for housing homeless individuals. This is an opportunity thats unique, said Solis, reminding her colleagues that the county tried to secure the property at Alvarado and Third streets in the Westlake district in March but were outbid. The city of Los Angeles and other private parties are also expected to submit bids for the 10.5-acre campus. L.A. County is best suited to take the lead in turning St. Vincent Medical Center into a facility that could help address our need for more affordable housing, interim housing, and wraparound mental and medical health services, Solis said. If we are to effectively combat our homelessness crisis, we must be innovative and creative in our approach. This is not business as usual. CEO Sachi Hamai said her team would present a draft letter of intent to the board next week and indicated that the countys offer would be all cash. I dont want to enter into any short-term or long-term obligations, Hamai told the board. The deadline for a proposal is Feb. 7, according to Hamai. The nonprofit Verity Health System announced earlier this month that a proposed sale of the 366-bed hospital had fallen through, and the facility would be closing. Verity Health has been working through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had hoped to transfer ownership of the hospital and three other medical centers. According to Verity, patients at St. Vincent Medical Center will continue to receive care until they can be discharged or transferred to other hospitals. The hospitals transplant programs will be relocated to other facilities to ensure patients will continue to receive high-quality care from their existing physicians. During the Italian event, PromPeru will launch the " Show your flags at Pitti ," a new collection that reflects the concept of this edition and transmits the essence of each yarn aimed at becoming a product that will surprise the international market. Police arrested a 35-year-old Lincoln woman on suspicion of burglary Tuesday after she drove a man to the hospital after he slipped on ice and injured his leg, allegedly as they were taking off with a womans belongings. Officer Erin Spilker said just after 1 p.m., an 18-year-old woman was at her home at the Waterbrook Apartment Complex near 27th Street and North Hill Road when she discovered that two people she knew had taken off with $2,200 worth of her property, including TVs, a phone, her wallet with $100 bills in it, shoes, a DVD player, a hat and a debit card. Spilker said the teenager told police she looked out her window to see a man she knows, holding her TV, on the ground yelling that he had broken his leg and a woman wearing her hat. Spilker said they got into a truck and left, but police found them later at a Lincoln hospital, where the man had gone to be treated. They arrested the woman after allegedly finding the property in the truck and the $100 bills on her. Spilker said the man, who was hospitalized, was expected to be cited later. Today's jail mugshots Love 0 Funny 7 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Democratic presidential hopefuls Former Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders participate of the seventh Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register at the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa on January 14, 2020. Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump has spent a lot more of his time lately worrying about Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg. The latest 2020 Democratic presidential primary polls gives some hints why. Sanders, a Vermont senator and a leading contender for the nomination, has carved further into former Vice President Joe Biden's lead in national surveys, according to a RealClearPolitics average. At the same time, former New York City Mayor Bloomberg has funneled more than $200 million into ads and climbed toward the top tier of Democrats in U.S. polls. He stands tied with former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the latest average of national surveys. A competitive field of a dozen Democrats hoping to challenge Trump in November has taken clearer shape ahead of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. White House hopefuls have hopped across the state as they look for an edge in the nominating contest that can inspire surges in both fundraising and support. Meanwhile, four candidates Sanders and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo. find themselves off the trail during a critical time as the Senate holds Trump's impeachment trial. Polls leading up to Iowa have found a logjam at the top in the state, suggesting four candidates could compete for the most delegates. Sanders got more good news in New Hampshire on Thursday, as a poll from radio station WBUR found he had 29% of support in the state's primary. The next closest candidate, Buttigieg, trailed at 17%. While the survey gave Sanders a bump in an average of New Hampshire polls, the contest appears tight with less than three weeks to go. Biden still has an edge in Nevada surveys and a commanding lead in South Carolina polls. South Carolina awards the most delegates out of the first four nominating contests. Bloomberg, a late entrant to the race, has effectively sat out the early states. He has focused on building staff in the 14 states that vote on March 3, or Super Tuesday, and inundating televisions with ads across the country. The contests include two of the largest delegate prizes in the primary: California and Texas. A man walks past the he National Debt Clock on 43rd Street in midtown New York City on Feb. 15, 2019. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images) Reports Show Systematic Failures by Government in Managing Contracts, Spending News Analysis WASHINGTONOfficial Washington is consumed this week with the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, but the wheels of government continue to turn, spending trillions of tax dollars and making many of the same management mistakes over and over again, according to reports of federal investigators. Nearly a quarter of the $4.3 trillion the federal government will spend in 2020 will go, via contracts issued by departments and agencies, to buying everything from advanced airplanes and ammunition, fruits and vegetables, office furniture and paint, computers and processors, and on and on. Billions more will be paid to contractors and subcontractors in benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. An Epoch Times review of inspector general (IG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports suggests that federal bureaucrats have much to learn about how to manage contracts and benefits programs more effectively and efficiently, to avoid mistakes such as paying somebody who shouldnt be paid. Defined by GAO as any payment that should not have been made or that was made in an incorrect amount, improper payments have long been a huge problem across a wide span of federal activities. Such payments are one ailment among many that fester under the broader label of government procurement. Since 2003, when certain agencies were required by statute to begin reporting improper payments, cumulative improper payment estimates have totaled about $1.4 trillion, GAO said in its most recent government-wide summary of the problem. For fiscal year 2017, federal entities estimated about $141 billion in improper paymentscomposed of estimates for 90 programs across 21 agencies. This total was down from about $144 billion for fiscal year 2016, but up from about $137 billion for fiscal year 2015. Medicare programs, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) account for about 74 percent of this total, GAO said. The Department of the Treasury administers the EITC. The Treasury Department estimated the loss from improper payments in 2018 at $151 billion and described the problem as government-wide. The Department of Health & Human Services IGs 2011 report on top management challenges, for example, noted that the departments improper payments under Medicare and Medicaid exceeded $70 billion. The report recommended multiple corrective actions. Eight years later, when the department issued its 2019 top management challenges report, the improper payments under Medicare and Medicaid exceeded $90 billion annually. Many of the recommended corrective actions either remained undone or were incomplete. But there was good news in one areaimproper payments in Medicares Fee-for-Service area accounted for $31.6 billion, or 37 percent of the total, but that was down from $36.2 billion in 2017. Improper payments are also a longstanding problem in the Department of Educations (DoED) college student loan program. In its 2016 top management challenges report, the departments IG listed improper payments at the top of the list. The IG said, In May 2015, we reported that the department did not comply with the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010. We have identified concerns in numerous areas relating to improper payments, including the completeness, accuracy, and reliability of improper payment estimates and methodologies and improper payments involving grantees. Four years later, improper payments still topped the list of management challenges, according to the DoED IGs 2020 assessment, with $6.1 billion in improper payments in the Pell and Direct Loan programs. Trump administration officials are actively seeking new ideas to fix such problems, according to an official who requested anonymity after participating in one such recent meeting. Good news on government waste and fraud, however, remains rare. Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams told The Epoch Times on Jan. 22, The federal government agencies never seem to learn from past mistakes or listen to their own internal watchdogs, like the inspectors general. With the amount of contracts given by federal agencies, they should be experts in not only identifying, but eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. Williams said, Solyndra [the now-bankrupt solar company] should have been a cautionary tale for the Department of Energy, yet DOE continues to fund solar projects like the Crescent Dunes project in Nevada that has gone belly up. Williams was referring to the huge solar energy project that Bloomberg reported earlier this month is mired in litigation and accusations of mismanagement at Crescent Dunes, where taxpayers remain on the hook for $737 million in loan guarantees. Change happens at a glacial pace in Washington, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) President Tom Schatz told The Epoch Times on Jan. 22, although he sees hopeful signs in several Trump initiatives. The president has done a lot to reduce regulations for a lot of things, said Schatz, whose groups origins were in the Reagan-era Grace Commission. The environmental rules they just came out with, for example, are intended to speed things up, so I think some of those changes will help over time; its not going to happen in a day, Schatz said. This administration, more than others, has looked at it and said, Look, this should be operating more like a private business would operate. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc The world's first rail-cum-road bridge with a single span measuring over one km between China's eastern Nantong city and Shanghai is expected to be made operational by the middle of this year, officials said. The 11,072-metre long cable-stayed Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, which cuts travel time between the two cities to one hour, will emerge as a civil engineering icon. Jiangsu province's Nantong, a prefecture-level city, is located about 120 km from Shanghai. It is a thriving city with thousands of years of history and modern infrastructure. "This mega bridge project began in November 2013, and civil work started on March 1, 2014. The height of its tallest column is 325 metres and nearly 4,80,000 tonne of steel and 2,300,000 cubic meter concrete has been used in it," a senior official said. The double-use bridge will have a six-lane expressway on the upper deck and four railway tracks on the lower deck. Huge volume of construction was required so that the bridge can withstand violent typhoons, high-intensity earthquakes and impacts from collision of a heavy ship, he said. The bridge will have a special place in the hearts of the Chinese people as it was closed in September last year ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on October 1. "We had a grand ceremony in Beijing on October 1, it being the National Day and marking 70th anniversary of the PRC. The Shanghai-Nantong bridge was closed in September, ahead of the anniversary day," a senior official of China Daily told PTI. "Closure of a bridge means the two sides connecting. In China, we call it 'He Long', It is like two dragons meeting each other," the official said. The state-run English daily in partnership with the Jiangsu local government recently organised a visit to the province for 15 journalists from several countries, who also visited the under-construction bridge, the second across the mighty Yangtze river. "The new bridge connecting Nantong and Suzhou is expected to be finished on March 20, 2020 and begin operating on July 1" the China Daily official said, quoting local administration officials. Locals also refer to the new bridge as HuTong Bridge, Hu and Tong being Chinese (Pinyin) names for Shanghai and Nantong respectively. Nantong is to the north of Suzhou in Jiangsu, and Shanghai is located to the east of Suzhou. There is already a Suzhou-Nantong bridge, and this is the second bridge across Yangtze River, and for some reason, people living in Nantong want to name it as 'Nantong-Shanghai' bridge rather than Nantong-Suzhou bridge, the official said. The official said that the bridge will cut the travel time between the two cities from two hours by road at present to one. Sharing the challenges faced by the construction team, the official said, "There were two ways to build the main tower, one is pile foundation, the other is large caisson construction. Due to high-speed winds and water reason, they choose the second one, more complicated, but more safe option". Nantong administration has also planned the second airport for the city. The first airport Nantong Xingdong international airport was built in 1993, the official said. "Nantong is going to emerge as the veritable northern gateway to Shanghai, with the new bridge and the airport," a senior official of Nantong administration said. "We want our Nantong to be a world-class city. Work going on expanding the urban infrastructure and a new bridge being built to connect faster to Shanghai. A new airport will also come up and people can visit Shanghai by flying to Nantong directly," he added. The rapidly deteriorating retail market coupled with trouble on the homefront have been nominated by one of Australia's most prominent retailers as the main reasons for German hypermarket Kaufland's shock retreat from the country. Former Myer chief executive and retail veteran Bernie Brookes told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald a culmination of slowing growth at Kaufland's parent company, Schwarz Group, along with bleak local conditions, drove executives to make the decision to leave. German supermarket retailer Kaufland has ditched its Australian expansion plans follow trouble on the home front. The massive multinational suddenly pulled the pin on its $500 million plans for growth in Australia on Wednesday, giving no reason other than to say it would focus on its European operations. Profit margins at Schwarz's Aldi-like subsidiary, Lidl, recently hit their lowest levels since 2012 and revenue growth at Kaufland has slowed significantly. Since December, a new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed at least 17 people and sickened close to 600. Cases continue to spread globally, with one identified in Washington state. In response to the evolving outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is routing U.S.-bound travelers from Wuhan to five airports for screening at JFK New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago's O'Hare. The Chinese government has quarantined the city of Wuhan, shutting down its airport and public transportation, and expanded the public transportation shutdown to at least four more cities. Debra Chew, a former epidemic intelligence officer for the CDC, an assistant professor of medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the medical director for infection prevention and control at University Hospital in Newark, N.J., discusses this emerging public health concern. What is the Wuhan coronavirus? This is a new virus that has not been previously identified in humans. It belongs to a large family of viruses called coronaviruses. These viruses can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold and more severe illnesses such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS] or the Middle East respiratory syndrome [MERS]. Currently, a lot is unknown about the Wuhan coronavirus, but the CDC and the World Health Organization are actively investigating to learn more about this virus, the way it spreads and its severity of illness. Should Americans be concerned? While any new virus is a serious public health concern, the immediate health risk to the American public is deemed low at this point. The virus is thought to have some limited person-to-person spread, and the CDC and WHO are conducting ongoing investigations to learn more about the degree of this spread. What do we know about how the virus spreads? While a lot about this new coronavirus is still unknown, it may have been transmitted to humans from an animal source, as many of the confirmed early cases were linked to a seafood/live animal market in Wuhan, which has since been closed. Some person-to-person spread has occurred by some who were in close contact to an infected patient and are being investigated. What are the symptoms and health risks? Common signs, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties are like those found with other respiratory illnesses. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Illness appears to be more severe in those who have underlying medical conditions, a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young. How is it treated? As with many viruses, there is no specific treatment, but many of the symptoms can be treated and supportive care for infected persons can be highly effective. Since this is a new virus, there is no vaccine, and it can take of number of years for a new vaccine to be developed. How can people protect themselves, especially if they are flying and will be in contact with people from all over the world? Travelers should follow standard recommendations to reduce exposure to and spread of a range of infections. This includes washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available, covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve -; not your hands -; when coughing or sneezing and avoiding close contact, if possible, with anyone showing symptoms of a respiratory illness, such as coughing and sneezing. Admiral Ackbar (Disney/Lucasfilm) Although Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar's fate ultimately sealed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he might have had another pivotal Star Wars battle scene, but for J.J. Abrams. According to Gary Whitta, of the writers of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, they had eyed him for a comeback in their prequel movie. Read more: Mandalorian characters could cross into Star Wars movies But in a tweet to a fan, he's revealed that Abrams bagsied using the amphibious mon calamari war hero for Star Wars: The Force Awakens first. Admiral Raddus in Rogue One (Disney/Lucasfilm) This meant that instead, Rogue One had to go with the equally gruff, but not quite as iconic Admiral Raddus instead. Whitta goes on to say: I think they didnt want to over-use him and instead introduce new characters. Originally Ackbar led the orbital attack over Scarif but JJ had got to him first so he was replaced with Raddus. https://t.co/xJN6EBVF4T Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) January 21, 2020 Tragically, Raddus perishes during the Battle of Scarif in the prequel movie, which told the story of the rebel spies who stole the plans for the Death Star, allowing the alliance to destroy it at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope (mind you, Ackbar couldnt have died in Rogue One, as he is pivotal in Return of the Jedi). Read more: Update on the Willow series for Disney+ Radduss death does not go unhonoured, however, with General Leia Organa's star cruiser being named the Raddus as a mark of respect. Ackbar in Return of the Jedi (Fox/Lucasfilm) Fan fave Ackbar, best known for his Return of the Jedi catchphrase 'It's a trap!' during the Battle of Endor, did go on to appear in Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And he finally perished in battle in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but his unceremonious end got some Star Wars fans pretty angry at the time. Nate Jones, writing on New York magazine's culture website Vulture, called the manner of his death disrespectful and unfathomably rude. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg Gerard Julian/AFP and Nicolas Liponne/NurPhoto Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have put forward the two most ambitious plans in the Democratic primary field to tax the wealth of the richest Americans, shrink their giant fortunes, and curb their economic power. Income inequality in the US is reaching levels not seen since the 1920s, researchers say, sparking a fierce debate among Democratic candidates about how to narrow it. "At the top, wealth is no longer about insurance it's really about power. Having a lot of wealth allows you to have disproportionate influence on society," Emmanuel Saez, an economist, told Business Insider. Here's how much smaller the top 11 billionaires' fortunes would be if Sanders' or Warren's proposed wealth tax had been around since 1982, the first year Forbes magazine started estimating wealth. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, corporate titans and wealthy investors are embracing President Trump's pro-business policies after initially fearing his erratic approach to governance could hurt their bottom lines. That's a result of two leading Democratic candidates pushing their party further left on wielding taxation as a tool to reverse growing inequality in the United States. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have put forward the two most ambitious plans in the 2020 presidential primary to tax the wealth of the richest Americans and shrink their giant fortunes. Both Sanders and Warren aim to sharply curb the economic power that the superrich have amassed in recent decades and use the money to finance new social programs like "Medicare for All" and tuition-free college to benefit working-class Americans. The nation's riches are increasingly confined at the top of the economic pyramid, according to researchers. Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, economists who have provided analysis for both Warren and Sanders' campaigns, found that the 400 richest Americans had more wealth than the 150 million adults in the bottom 60% of wealth distribution, The Washington Post reported last year. Story continues "Wealth for the ordinary American family is safety. It allows you to absorb economic shocks such as losing a job," Saez told Business Insider. "At the top, wealth is no longer about insurance it's really about power. Having a lot of wealth allows you to have disproportionate influence on society." What Sanders' and Warren's wealth taxes look like Sanders Warren Lucas Jackson/Reuters Warren is seeking to redistribute capitalism's rewards to a larger share of the population. Her plan would kick in at $50 million, with households paying a 2% annual tax on their assets like stocks, paintings, yachts, and homes, ramping up to 6% for households with fortunes over $1 billion. It's distinct from Sanders' plan, which focuses on the existence of billionaires. The Vermont senator would impose a 1% annual tax on net worths of $32 million, gradually increasing to 8% on fortunes above $10 billion. However, since Warren recently increased her plan's top tax rate to 6% from 3%, both plans are now "almost identical" in terms of possible revenue generation and overall redistributive effects, Saez said. Critics have argued that the taxes wouldn't be effective because they would harm economic growth. Economists have also argued that the wealthy people subject to the taxes would use accounting to evade them and shelter their assets. With that in mind, here's how much smaller the fortunes of the richest 11 US citizens would be if Sanders' or Warren's proposed wealth tax had been around since 1982, the first year Forbes magazine started estimating wealth. These figures assume no evasion rate and are based on estimates from Saez and Zucman. Walmart heir Jim Walton actual 2018 net worth: $45.2 billion Jim Walton Rick T. Wilking /Stringer/Getty Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $7.8 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $5 billion Bloomberg LP founder Michael Bloomberg actual 2018 net worth: $51.8 billion Michael Bloomberg Drew Angerer/Getty Images Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $12.3 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $11.3 billion Earlier this year, Bloomberg suggested that a wealth tax could be unconstitutional and raised the prospect of America turning into Venezuela. Google founder Sergey Brin actual 2018 net worth: $52.4 billion Sergey Brin Ruben Sprich/Reuters Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $21.4 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $19 billion Koch Industries executives Charles and David Koch actual 2018 net worth: $53.5 billion each Charles Koch Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $7.9 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $8 billion David Koch died in August, and it is unclear what will happen to his estate. He was included in Saez and Zucman's analysis since it examines the wealthiest US citizens as of the end of 2018. Google founder Larry Page actual 2018 net worth: $53.8 billion Larry Page Reuters Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $22 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $19.5 billion Oracle founder Larry Ellison actual 2018 net worth: $58.4 billion Larry Ellison Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $10.3 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $8.5 billion Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg actual 2018 net worth: $61 billion Mark Zuckerberg GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $32.5 billion Net worth under Sanders wealth tax: $28.6 billion Last month, Zuckerberg expressed concern in a Fox News interview that eliminating billionaires would hurt competition, though he said he was uneasy with the level of inequality in the United States. "I think it's good that there are different philanthropies and different organizations that can put competing ideas out about how to do research or science," he said, adding, "I fundamentally believe in that competition that you want different ideas out there." Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett actual 2018 net worth: $88.3 billion warren buffett Alex Wong / Getty Images Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $10.4 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $8.2 billion Buffett has said he favors taxing the rich more heavily. Microsoft founder Bill Gates actual 2018 net worth: $97 billion bill gates Yana Paskova/Getty Images Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $13.9 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $9.9 billion Last week, Gates joked that he didn't know how much money he'd have left over if a wealth tax were implemented but defended the amount of money he'd paid the government. He also said that he was open to paying more and that he backed additional taxes for the wealthy. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos actual 2018 net worth: $160 billion Jeff bezos David Ryder/Getty Images Net worth under Warren's revised wealth tax: $48.8 billion Net worth under Sanders' wealth tax: $43 billion Read the original article on Business Insider By PTI KOLKATA: Leading automobile manufacturer Tata Motors is hopeful of liquidating inventory of its BS-IV cars by end of the current fiscal, as new emission norms will come into force from April 1, a company official said on Thursday. Presently, the inventory of BS-IV cars which the dealers across the country are holding is around 7,500 units, he said. "We hope to liquidate the entire inventory of BS-IV cars which dealers are holding is around 7,500 units by March 31,2020," Tata Motors' zonal manager (East) Reetesh Vashist said. From April 1, 2020, the automobile sector will have to comply with BS-VI fuel norms. During the first half of the current fiscal, there has been a de-growth in the industry to the extent of 27 per cent to 30 per cent, Vashist said. "In the last quarter of this fiscal, we see the industry is reviving and sentiments are improving", he said. With diesel prices almost converging with that of petrol, the industry is seeing a shift in the manufacturing dynamics, Tata Motor's vice president (Global design) Pratap Bose said. Speaking at the launch of premium hatchback 'Altroz' here, Bose said 70 per cent of the cars manufactured in the country is of petrol variants while the rest are diesel-run. "Two models of the company in the small car segment are not available in diesel variants," Bose said. But diesel still has a future particularly in the SUV and mid-sized segments, he said. Countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia continue to experience "limited separation of powers, abuse of state resources for electoral purposes, opaque political party financing, and conflicts of interest," anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International says in its latest annual report. The 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report, published on January 23, ranks 180 nations based on aggregated survey and assessment data from 13 different global institutions. Denmark and New Zealand retained their place at the top of the index. It says that the Eastern Europe and Central Asia remains the second-lowest performing region on the CPI, with an average score of 35 on its 0-100 scale. The lower the number, the more corrupt a country is perceived to be. More than two-thirds of countries around the world scored below 50. The grouping for Eastern Europe and Central Asia includes Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Only three countries in the region score above the global average of 43 -- Georgia (56), Belarus (45), and Montenegro (45), while Turkmenistan (19), Uzbekistan (25), and Tajikistan (25) rank at the bottom of the region. The report notes that the scores of the six Western Balkan countries have not improved, despite their aspirations to join the European Union. It singles out Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose score of 36 declined six points since 2012. During the same eight-year period, Belarus (45), Kyrgyzstan (30), and Uzbekistan (25), have shown significant improvement on the CPI. However, the three former Soviet states "continue to experience state capture and a failure to preserve checks and balances," the report says. With a score of 32, Moldova, one of Europe's poorest and most corrupt countries, came 120th. Two countries -- Armenia and Montenegro -- have made notable progress since last year. Armenia has made a seven-point improvement since last year, reaching a score of 42, following a revolution in 2018 and the formation of a new parliament. Armenia "has demonstrated promising developments in advancing anti-corruption policy reforms," the report says, warning at the same time that "conflicts of interests and nontransparent and unaccountable public operations remain impediments to ending corruption in the country." Kosovo, with a score of 36, is currently going through "a shift in parliamentary power that could offer the opportunity for change." It says that the winner of the latest parliamentary elections, the Self-Determination (Vetevendosje) party, "was one of a few that responded to requests to disclose campaign costs." Afghanistan (16), came last in RFE/RL's broadcast region, while Pakistan ranked 120 with a score of 32. With the same score as the previous year, 28, Russia ranked 137th in the world, one notch higher than in 2018, while Ukraine came 126th with a score of 30, compared to 32 the previous year. "Strong political influence over oversight institutions, insufficient judicial independence and limited press freedoms serve to create an over-concentration of power in many countries across the region," the report concluded. Bulgaria (43), Romania (44) and Hungary (44), come at the bottom of the Western Europe and European Union region. "Hungary, Poland, and Romania, have taken steps to undermine judicial independence, which weakens their ability to prosecute cases of high-level corruption," the report said. Western European and EU member states tended to score highest, while countries such as Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria came at the bottom of the rankings. However, the report warned that even the high-scoring Nordic countries were implicated in transnational corruption scandals. It also renewed its 2018 criticism of the United States, which ranked 23rd with its lowest score in eight years, saying that a "pay-to-play culture has only become more entrenched" during Donald Trump's presidency. To The Eagle: The impeachment crisis is ridiculous. Our legislators cant see themselves that they, too, are liars and abusers of power. The moment Trump became president, theyve wasted taxpayers dollars yearly hunting for excuses when they should be a team working to MAGA. Our past presidents spent billions of taxpayers dollars to other countries. Have those countries paid us back? For example: Former President Obama sent billions to Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia for weapons, $225M to Palestine for humanitarian aid and climate change. Yet, America has problems in need of help. As for President Trump, he negotiated with other countries that in return we make profit. On SS, food stamps and welfare, he repaired the system thats been abused for not distributing checks appropriately but only to those qualified legal American citizens who honestly need help. The list of what our president accomplished goes on and still, our legislators are obsessed to impeach. Question is, what have they done for us besides acting uncontrollably to impeach? Whats ironic, while I dont support his character, Trump was the most popular man; very well-liked by celebrities, professionals and politicians. Now that hes president, many hate him. Fact is lots of men and women talked locker room, even the legislators and presidents. The difference is they hide it, either out of respect or deceit; but not Trump. P.S.: The reason we dont hear much of Sharias Law is because of President Trump. Toni Below Cathlamet If somebody wants to be entertained, they ought to go to the circus, he told the New York Times in 2000. My job in moderating a debate is different than if I were interviewing these men. It is their job to debate. It is not my job to debate. It is my job to facilitate their exchanges. Angola's billionaire former first daughter and 'Africa's richest woman' has been charged with money laundering and fraud as one of the five suspects in the case was found dead. An international arrest warrant could be issued for Isabel dos Santos as officials in the capital, Luanda, move to try and bring her home to face trial for allegedly looting the country's coffers. Angolan prosecutors launched a bid today to have the billionairess and other suspects return home for questioning. One of five named suspects, Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, a Portuguese banker identified at the weekend in the 'Luanda Leaks', has been found dead in Lisbon, police in the country said. Documents leaked this week alleged the daughter of ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, plundered Angola's funds during her stewardship of the state-owned oil firm to build her personal fortune, estimated at $2.1 billion. Dos Santos is said to have got access to deals involving diamonds, oil and telecoms when her father was president. The 46-year-old, who was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, has lived outside Angola since her father ended his 38-year rule in 2017 and is now believed to mostly spend time in London, Lisbon and Dubai. Isabel dos Santos pictured with Amber Heard (left) and Cara Delevingne (right) at Cannes Film Festival in May 2014 Dos Santos with Lindsay Lohan and Harvey Weinstein at a party in Sardinia in August 2016 Isabel dos Santos, pictured between Nicole Sherzinger and Paris Hilton in Cannes in May 2018 Dubbed Africa's richest woman and known as 'the princess', Dos Santos is accused of using her father's backing to plunder state money from the oil-rich but poor southern African country and moving the money abroad with the help of Western firms. Investigations into Dos Santos's 18-month tenure as Sonangol head from June 2016 were opened after her successor Carlos Saturnino raised the alarm about 'irregular money transfers' and other dodgy procedures. Today it emerged Da Cunha - the director of private banking at the small Portuguese lender, Eurobic, and manager of Angola's oil firm Sonangol's account at the bank - was found dead at his house in Lisbon on Wednesday. Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, the director of private banking at the small Portuguese lender, Eurobic, and manager of Angola's oil firm Sonangol's account - was found dead at his house in Lisbon on Wednesday Police said that 'everything points to suicide', according to the Portuguese Lusa news agency. Along with Dos Santos, Da Cunha was one of the five people named as a formal suspect by Angola's public prosecutors in the money laundering case. Dos Santos, who owns a 13million home in Kensington, West London, has 190,000 Instagram followers and is regularly photographed with celebrities. Stars she has been seen include are Lindsay Lohan, Rita Ora, Nicole Scherzinger, Paris Hilton, Amber Heard, Cara Delevingne and disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein. Dubbed 'the princess' by Angolans, Dos Santos was named Africa's richest woman by Forbes in 2013 and the magazine estimated her assets at $2.1 billion. Among many Angolans, her wealth and privileged status have earned her the nickname of 'The Princess'. Human rights groups have long accused the former president of stealing vast amounts of state money during his rule. Before stepping down, he appointed his daughter head of the state oil company, Sonangol. Dos Santos, who went to Cobham Hall school in Kent and King's College London, stopped living in Angola after her father, who ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly four decades, stepped down in 2017 for his anointed successor Joao Lourenco. Isabel dos Santos, reputedly Africa's richest woman, and her husband and art collector Sindika Dokolo arrive for a ceremony at the City Hall in Porto, Portugal, in 2015 Former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos is pictured in Luanda in August 2012 On Wednesday it was announced Dos Santos is selling her capital stake in Portuguese bank Eurobic, media reports quoted the bank as stating. Dos Santos, 'took the decision to withdraw as a Eurobic shareholder', according to a bank statement posted late on Wednesday to its website. It added the decision 'is definitive [and] must go through as soon as soon as possible', adding that 'she has already definitively renounced her voting rights'. The bank says it will carry out an audit whose conclusions it will pass on to Portugal's central bank. Prosecutor general Helder Pitta Gros told a news conference late on Wednesday: 'Isabel dos Santos is accused of mismanagement and embezzlement of funds during her tenure at Sonangol and is thus charged in the first instance with the crimes of money laundering, influence peddling, harmful management...forgery of documents, among other economic crimes.' Gros said dos Santos was among five suspects, all of whom were currently residing abroad. He added: 'At the moment, the concern is to notify and get them to voluntarily come to justice.' Angolan news agency Angop said the prosecutor, who travelled to Lisbon on Thursday, had spoken of the possibility of an international warrant. Isabel Dos Santos, daughter of Angola's former President and Africa's richest woman, has been charged with money laundering and mismanagement, which she denies Dos Santos has posed with a host of celebrities, including Rita Ora in Cannes in May 2017 The EuroBic bank headquarters in Lisbon. On Wednesday it was announced Dos Santos is selling her capital stake in the Portuguese bank Gros said: 'At this moment, the concern is to notify [the suspects] and assure that they voluntarily come to face justice.' Failing that, his office would resort to legal instruments at its disposal, one being an international warrant, he said. Angolan authorities froze dos Santos' assets and holdings owned by her and her husband Sindika Dokolo in late December. They are suspected of diverting more than a billion dollars from the national oil giant Sonangol and diamond company Endiama. The Angolan government says it is trying to recover $1.1 billion it says the country is owed by Dos Santos, her husband and a close associate of the couple. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of files about dos Santos that were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) were released by several news organisations. The cache of documents is known as the 'Luanda Leaks'. The media reports focused on alleged financial schemes used by dos Santos to build her business empire, including transfers between Angola and Dubai. Dos Santos, who has been living abroad, said on Sunday that allegations made against her were 'completely unfounded'. She denies the allegations against her and says she is the victim of a witch hunt. Isabel dos Santos's business interests and assets around the world stretching from Portugal to London and Dubai Isabel Dos Santos, 46, with her Congolese husband Sindika Dokolo, 47, in Cannes in May 2014 In a series of tweets last week, Dos Santos said her fortune is 'built on my character, my intelligence, education, capacity for work, perseverance'. She tweeted on Monday alongside a picture of a supermarket chain she owns: 'This is what I do! I build companies and enterprises, I invest and create jobs.' In a statement to MailOnline Dos Santos said: 'The allegations which have been made against me over the last few days are extremely misleading and untrue. 'We will seek to clarify our position in relation to the latest accusations. 'This is a very concentrated, orchestrated and well-coordinated political attack, ahead of elections in Angola next year. 'These claims are being placed at a time of economic instability in Angola. 'It is an attempt to neutralise me and to discredit the legacy of President dos Santos and his family. 'Sadly, the rule of law has been undermined in Angola where the courts are subject to political pressure. 'However, I am ready to fight through the international courts to defend my good name. 'We deny all the latest allegations being made by Angolan authorities.' The tycoon has long been a figurehead for Angolan investments in Portugal, which intensified after the financial crisis that hit the country's former colonial master in 2011. She and her associates hold major stakes in at least 17 Portuguese companies. The holdings include the media giant NOS in partnership with the Portuguese-based Sonae group, which said it was following the Luanda Leaks scandal with 'attention and concern'. The magnate also has a major holding in Galp Energia, a major Portuguese energy group. Dubai: The cellphone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked in what appeared to be an attempt by Saudi Arabia's crown prince to "influence, if not silence" the newspaper's reporting on the kingdom, two U.N. human rights experts said Wednesday. The U.N. experts called for an immediate investigation by the United States into a report commissioned by Bezos that showed the billionaire technology mogul's phone was likely hacked after he received an MP4 video file sent from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's WhatsApp account after the two men exchanged phone numbers during a dinner in Los Angeles in 2018. The video file was sent to Bezos' phone five months before Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi government agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of Prince Mohammed's simultaneous clampdown on dissent. The Post was harshly critical of the Saudi government after Khashoggi's killing and demanded accountability in a highly public campaign that ran in the paper for weeks after his death. The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Posts reporting on Saudi Arabia, the independent U.N. experts said. At a time when Saudi Arabia was supposedly investigating the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and prosecuting those it deemed responsible, it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post, the experts said. Bezos first went public about the hack last year. He said the National Enquirer tabloid, whose owner has ties to the crown prince, was threatening to publish Bezos' private messages and photos if he didn't stop a private investigation he'd sought into the hacking of his phone. Iyad el-Baghdadi, an activist who worked with Bezos' investigators, told The Associated Press it appears the hacking was about free speech. "Its not about trying to compromise a businessman for business purposes," he said. Its not about Amazon, its about The Washington Post. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, called the hacking allegations absolutely illegitimate. There was no information in there that's relevant. There was no substantiation, there was no evidence, he told an AP reporter at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was purely conjecture, and if there is real evidence, we look forward to seeing it. The independent experts, Agnes Callamard, special rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and David Kaye, special rapporteur on freedom of expression, were appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council. They published their statement after reviewing the report conducted by FTI Consulting, which was hired by Bezos' security adviser to manage the investigation. The report was published in full exclusively by VICEs Motherboard later on Wednesday. The digital forensic investigation assessed with medium to high confidence that Bezos' phone was infiltrated on May 1, 2018, via the video file sent from the crown prince's WhatsApp account. The U.N. experts said that records showed that within hours of receiving the video from Prince Mohammed's account, there was an anomalous and extreme change in phone behavior with enormous amounts of data being transmitted and exfiltrated from the phone, undetected, over months. The report stated that Bezos' phone was compromised possibly via tools procured by Saud al-Qahtani," the former adviser to the crown prince who was sanctioned by the U.S. for his suspected role in orchestrating the operation that killed Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia's justice system found al-Qahtani not guilty of any wrongdoing in the killing. A judge sentenced five people to death and sentenced three others to a combined 24 years in prison in December for Khashoggi's slaying. Al-Qahtani was also head of Saudi Arabia's cybersecurity federation and allegedly behind campaigns that created artificially-trending tweets to attack the prince's perceived enemies, rally support around the leadership and stymie criticism on social media. The full investigative report, reviewed by The Associated Press, found that due to end-to-end encryption, it was virtually impossible to decrypt the contents of the downloader to determine if it did indeed have any malicious code. Saudi Arabia has already been accused of spying in America in a case involving Twitter. U.S. prosecutors in California allege that the Saudi government, frustrated by growing criticism of its leaders and policies on social media, recruited two Twitter employees to gather confidential personal information on thousands of accounts that included prominent opponents. Adam S. Hickey, deputy assistant attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division, would not confirm or deny a U.S. investigation of the latest allegations was underway, but said "we investigate nation state-sponsored hacking all the time." Separately, a Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said presidential adviser Jared Kushner has communicated with the Saudi crown prince on WhatsApp. Bezos visited Saudi Arabia in 2016 to meet with Prince Mohammed before the two men met again during the prince's tour of the United States in 2018. The billionaire had been looking for a site in the Middle East to expand Amazon's cloud services. The company ultimately selected the island nation of Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia. During that time, Amazon had already expanded into the Middle East with its 2017 purchase of e-commerce website Souq.com, which is a competitor of Noon.com, a platform launched that same year and is heavily funded by Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, which is overseen by the crown prince. Bezos went public last February after allegedly being shaken down by the National Enquirer, which he said threatened to expose a below-the-belt" selfie he'd taken and other private messages and pictures he'd exchanged with a woman he was dating while he was still married. Bezos wrote in a lengthy piece for the Medium that rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, Ive decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten. While he did not accuse Saudi Arabia's crown prince of being behind the hacking of his phone, he noted that the owner of the National Enquirer had been investigated for various actions taken on behalf of the Saudi government. Bezos' chief investigator, Gavin De Becker, went further, saying in a published report last March that the investigation "concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos phone, and gained private information. In a piece for The Daily Beast he outlined in detail what he said was the crown prince's close relationship with David Pecker, the chairman of AMI, which is the parent company of the National Enquirer. The investigation said that any number of cyber weapons could have been used, including Israeli spyware firm NSO Group's Pegasus. The firm's wares have been used by governments to target journalists in Mexico, opposition figures in Panama and human rights activists from the Middle East. The U.N. experts said Bezos' phone hacking occurred during a period in which the phones of two close associates of Khashoggi were also hacked, allegedly using the Pegasus malware. In response, the company denied involvement in Bezos' phone hack and said its technology was not used in this instance". T he Foreign Office has issued advice for people planning on travelling to China following the outbreak of coronavirus. The flu-like disease originated in Wuhan, central China, and has now spread to other areas and countries around the world. There have now also been nine confirmed cases in the UK, where more than 4,000 people have been tested for the virus. Because it's a new illness, the NHS says that officials do not know exactly how the coronavirus is spread. But the virus belongs to the same virus family as MERS and SARS, which are spread in cough droplets. Chinese authorities have put large parts of the country on lockdown and millions are thought to have been affected by the measures. Coronavirus: WHO working 'day and night' to combat virus What is coronavirus? Coronavirus comes from a family of viruses which give rise to a huge range of illnesses from the mild common cold to severe SARS. It is thought to have originated from animals and traces of the disease were found at a market in Wuhan which sold poultry and seafood. Although it is now clear how it is spread, similar viruses are spread through cough droplets and people in affected areas have started to wear face masks to try and limit its spread. People around the world are wearing masks in a bid to stop the deadly virus / AFP via Getty Images Initial symptoms include fever, cough, tightness of the chest, runny nose, headache and shortness of breath. Chills and body aches are later signs of the strain. Coronaviruses are named after the spikes that protrude from their membranes, like the suns corona. Is it safe to travel to China? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Hubei Province due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, and all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has also announced that anyone in mainland China should leave the country. Mr Raab said: We now advise British nationals in China to leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. Where there are still British nationals in Hubei province who wish to be evacuated, we will continue to work around the clock to facilitate this. The Chinese government continues to impose further restrictions on movement within China in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Some airlines, including British Airways, have suspended flights to and from mainland China. Other commercial airlines are still operating, but it may become harder over the coming weeks for those who wish to leave China to do so. The FCO said if you want to leave China soon, you should consider making plans before any further restrictions may be imposed. Masked workers disinfect a passenger thoroughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport / AFP via Getty Images Due to increasing travel restrictions and difficulty accessing medical assistance, the FCO is working to make an option available for British nationals to leave Hubei Province. This may happen quickly and with short notice. An FCO spokesman said: "If youre a British national in Hubei Province and need assistance, contact our 24/7 number +86 (0) 10 8529 6600 or the FCO in London on (+44) (0)207 008 1500. "If you have registered your desire to leave, you will be contacted once arrangements are confirmed." There has been no warning against travel / AFP via Getty Images In January, Wuhan authorities closed all transport hubs including airports, railway and bus stations while British Embassay and Consulate staff have also been withdrawn. Some shops and amenities are closed, public events have been cancelled and Chinese authorities have advised the public to avoid crowds. Travel restrictions are also in place in other cities in China. What should I do if I've already booked flights? The FCO is advising against all travel to the Hubei Province. Anyone travelling to China should remain vigilant and check the latest travel advice The Chinese authorities are focused on tackling the impact of the virus in different ways, many of which are likely to impact British nationals in all areas of China, not just Hubei province. These include temperature checks at transport hubs and other locations, quarantine arrangements for travel between different parts of the country, and restrictions on travel between and within cities. Medical facilities across the country are under significant pressure. Some are not accepting patients and others have long queues. Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters A woman who has recovered from the COVID-19 is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine AFP via Getty Images Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP Some businesses have closed and many tourist attractions are shut. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has suspended all tour group companies activities to prevent further virus spread. Public Health England has offered advice to travellers and you should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the local authorities. If you decide to cancel your trip, normal policy would apply and it would be best to consult your airline's website on their cancellation procedure. If the Foreign Office warns against travel to the region, travellers on package holidays organised by a British firm should be able to cancel without a penalty and receive a full refund. Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport / AFP via Getty Images Airlines are not obliged to refund tickets whatever the Foreign Office advice, but in the past they have offered some flexibility. Travel insurance could also be a way of recouping costs, according to the Association of British Insurers. But, if you were to travel to an area against the advice of the Foreign Office it will invalidate most insurance policies. If youre abroad and you need emergency help from the UK government, contact the nearest British embassy, consulate or high commission. Donald Trumps inaugural committee spent more than $1 million to book a ballroom at the Trump International Hotel in the nation's capital as part of a scheme to 'grossly overpay' for party space and enrich the president's own family in the process, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. The District of Columbia's attorney general, Karl Racine, said the committee misused nonprofit funds and coordinated with the hotel's management and members of the Trump family to arrange the events. He said one of the event's planners raised concerns about pricing with Trump, the president's daughter Ivanka Trump and Rick Gates, a top campaign official at the time. 'District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,' Racine said. 'In this case, we are seeking to recover the nonprofit funds that were improperly funneled directly to the Trump family business.' It was the latest allegation that Trump and his family have used public and nonprofit funds spent at Trump-owned properties to enrich themselves - part of the peril of Trump not fully withdrawing from his businesses while he is president. Trump has maintained ownership but turned the reins over to his adult sons, who have bristled at the charge that they are profiting off their father's presidency. Inaugural night: Donald Trump celebrated the inauguration of his presidency with the First Lady Melania Trump at a series of events in Washington D.C. with his family playing prominent parts including (rear, left) his son Don Jr. and then wife Vanessa, and (rear, right) Eric Trump and his wife Lara Venue: The Trump inaugural committee hired the Trump International Hotel D.C.'s facilities, paying an inflated amount for the ballroom and improperly throwing a private party for Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric Trump, D.C. attorney general alleges The committee has maintained that its finances were independently audited, and that all money was spent in accordance with the law. The committee raised an unprecedented $107 million to host events celebrating Trump's inauguration in January 2017. But the committee's spending has drawn mounting scrutiny. The inaugural committee said Wednesday that it cooperated with the investigation and that Racine's office hadn't contacted its lawyers to interview any employees. A spokesman for the committee also said the group had not been contacted by the attorney general's office since last summer and suggested the timing of the suit was politically motivated, as the Senate impeachment trial of the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress was underway. 'The facts will show that the PIC operated in compliance with the law and this suit is without merit. In fact, it reads more like a partisan press release than a legal filing,' according to a committee statement. Prosecutors found that Gates, a former Trump campaign aide who flipped on the president during the special counsel's Russia investigation, personally managed discussions with the hotel about using the space, including ballrooms and meeting rooms. In one instance, Gates contacted Ivanka Trump and told her that he was 'a bit worried about the optics' of the committee paying such a high fee, Racine said. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to first lady Melania Trump who played a leading role organizing the inaugural parties, had also told Trump, when he was president-elect, and Ivanka Trump that she was uneasy with the offer, Racine said. Winston Wolkoff later followed up with an email to Gates and Ivanka Trump warning that the hotels proposal was at least twice the market rate, Racine said. But Gates went through with it anyway, at a cost of $1.03 million, the suit says. Prosecutors say the committee could have hosted inaugural events at other venues either for free or for reduced costs but didnt consider those options. Gates pleaded guilty to charges tied to his lucrative political consulting work in Ukraine and was sentenced last month to 45 days in prison, a punishment that a judge said reflected the extensive cooperation Gates had provided to the Justice Department. Racine's office said investigators did not directly speak with Gates in as they pursued the suit. Dragged into it: Ivanka Trump - who was at the World Economic Forum in Davos - is named as part of the alleged scheme to profit from the inaugural committee's funds A lawyer who represented Gates for the criminal proceedings didn't immediately return a message seeking comment. The White House didn't immediately return a message nor did the Trump Organization. The suit contends that the hotel went against industry practice and refused to discount the space, and double-booked its largest ballroom with a different organization that was still affiliated with the inauguration, the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast. Both organizations were nonprofits, but the breakfast paid $5,000 for the ballroom. The committee, however, paid $175,000, the suit claims. Prosecutors say the committee also used nonprofit funds to throw a private party on the night of the inauguration, for Trump's family - a $300,000 affair. The reception was for three of Trump's children - Donald, Jr., Ivanka and Eric. 'There will be an after party at the OPO (Trump Hotel) following the inaugural balls on Friday. DJT is not expected to attend but was more for you, Don and Eric,' Gates wrote in an email to Ivanka Trump, according to the suit. DJT is a reference to Donald J. Trump. Event staff within the inaugural committee recognized this would not be a proper use of committee funds and had tried to cancel this event, according to the suit, but Gates and the Trump family went ahead anyway. Racine said his office focused on the inaugural committee and the companies that profited because investigators believe that's the best option for them to possibly recover the funds. Racine had been sending subpoenas for months related to the investigation. The inaugural committee was also being investigated by New York and state authorities in New Jersey, who are looking into, among other things, whether foreigners illegally contributed to the inaugural events. Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in the high-speed train station in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The first case of coronavirus in Macao, in a woman who traveled from Wuhan, was confirmed on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Read more Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Plymouth Meeting announced Thursday that it received a grant of up to $9 million to rapidly develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus that is spreading in China and sparking screenings at some U.S. airports. The newly identified disease, which emerged last month in Wuhan, China, has sickened hundreds and killed at least two dozen, according to Chinese authorities. China on Thursday further cracked down on public transportation out of the city of 11 million. There have been a handful of cases outside of China, including one in the United States, in a man who had recently returned to Washington state from a trip to China. The U.S. is now screening passengers from Wuhan for signs of illness at airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. READ MORE: Coronavirus: What you need to know The grant to Inovio comes from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a partnership that receives money from public and private groups, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The company, which is collaborating with the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, said the grant will be used to support testing of a vaccine against the new virus through phase one trials. J. Joseph Kim, Inovios president and CEO, said the companys approach to vaccine development is based on DNA sequencing, which is faster than traditional research requiring actual viruses or proteins from viruses. Our goal is to be in human testing in less than six months in the United States, he said. The company also hopes to work in China. Unlike influenza, coronaviruses do not have a season, Kim said, so an outbreak can continue for years. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause respiratory illness in humans and animals. Sometimes these viruses can move from animals to humans and then from person to person. That happened with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The newly identified coronavirus, now called 2019-nCoV, causes fever, cough, and trouble breathing. An analysis this week from Peking University said it may have spread to people from snakes, who caught it from bats in a food market. It is also spreading among people. Kim said that DNA sequencing of the new virus became publicly available on Jan. 11. Inovio, he said, was able to construct a vaccine within a matter of hours. It has named its candidate INO-4800. David Weiner, a molecular immunologist who is executive vice president of the Wistar Institute and director of its Vaccine Immunotherapy Center, works closely with Inovio and serves on its board. He said the company grew from the work of his lab, then at the University of Pennsylvania. Previous experiences with vaccine development are allowing Inovios team to speed the process, Weiner said. Scientists identify key proteins on a virus that should make good immune system targets. Then they code pieces of DNA to produce copies of those proteins, mix the DNA in a solution, and inject it into the skin or muscle. (For the extra curious, Weiner says DNA is a polymer that looks white and powdery, like salt.) Cells read the new DNA sequences and produce the newly designed proteins, which the bodys immune system identifies as invaders. Alarmed, it gears up for a fight. That makes it ready for a quicker, stronger immune response if it ever encounters the full virus. CEPI earlier gave Inovio up to $56 million to develop vaccines against Lassa fever and MERS. The company said it is currently preparing to begin a phase two trial of its MERS vaccine in the Middle East. Kim said that Inovios Zika vaccine went from bench to human testing in seven months. Inovio was founded in 2000, Kim said. It now has 200 employees and expects to expand with the new grant. CEPI on Thursday announced two other grants meant to combat 2019-nCoV. It is giving the University of Queensland in Australia up to $10.6 million to develop a molecular clamp platform for a vaccine. This is meant to help the body recognize the parts of viruses that attach to host cells. CEPI will also work with Moderna Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., to develop an RNA-based vaccine. The amount of that grant was not announced. We are definitely in a friendly competition, Kim said. You know, its for the betterment of the world. Until a vaccine is available, he said, leaders are on the right track in trying to prevent exposure to healthy populations. The authorities in China and elsewhere are doing exactly the right thing in identifying and isolating as much as possible, he said. Weiner said that he sees no reason for Americans to panic about the new virus. So far, we know of only the one case here. Its kind of like a fire in your neighbors house, he said. We should be helping and we should be putting out that fire. Weiner said he is glad that CEPI is mobilizing researchers, so well soon be able to combat the infection. For the new grant, Inovio is also working with VGXI, a subsidiary of GeneOne Life Science, which is based in South Korea, and Twist Bioscience in San Francisco. Spectrum, the new European trading platform for retail investors, today reported its December volumes and, despite a quiet festive period for most, there were 9.05 million turbo24s traded on the venue compared with 5.55 million in November, an increase of 63%. Through a period of high geopolitical tensions, out-of-hours trading (i.e. 1730-0900) increased to 36% of the total, proving retail investors want the flexibility to act on news fast and take advantage of opportunities day or night. FX instruments doubled as a share to account for 15%, with indices representing 81% and commodities 4%. The top traded underlyings were: DAX (37.5%), S&P 500 (16%) and CAC (9%). Nicky Maan, Spectrum's CEO, commented, "We're encouraged by further growth in December, with new record highs on trades, securities traded and average ticket size. Our growth strategy for 2020 focuses on new European distributors, new manufacturers, and new products. "Combined with further additions to our commercial team and continued community engagement, we're excited to enter the new year in a strong position." Spectrum's trading platform allows brokers to offer their retail investors trading in turbo24 products on indices, currencies and commodities. With 24/5 market access for customers, Spectrum provides a completely new structured products trading platform and service offering. Spectrum's truly European trading platform is designed to provide simple and efficient access for its participants and their retail clients, with a transparent order book including public pre- and post-trade information. Ends Notes to editors Spectrum is the trading name of Spectrum MTF Operator GmbH. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, we offer a new way of dealing in leveraged products for the European retail market; introducing a purpose built 24/5 lit trading venue, with complete transparency, increased choice and maximum control. www.spectrum-markets.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005287/en/ Contacts: Andrew Marshall/Charlie Morrow, Cognito +44 (0)207 426 9413 andrew.marshall@cognitomedia.com Uwe Velten, Velten Communications +49 (0) 172678 6684 People walk past the closed Hankou Railway Station after the city was locked down following the outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 23, 2020. (Photo : China Daily via REUTERS) What started as a mystery virus in China has now killed at least 15 people and infected others around the world. The first case of Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was confirmed Tuesday in Washington state -- a person in his 30s who is under observation -- stoking fears of a virulent disease in the country. So what are officers doing in the United States, and how can you minimize your chance? What airports are doing Before Wuhan had its final outbound flight, passengers from the Chinese city to the United States -- either on direct or indirect flights -- were only allowed to land at one of the five US airports. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Los Angeles International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport already checked those incoming passengers for signs and symptoms - includes fever, cough, and trouble breathing. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport also screened its passengers. Officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport set up signs at the international arrivals area, instructing passengers from Wuhan to observe for signs of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began showing the register English and Chinese on January 14, an airport spokesman said. But those airport screenings may not catch every person infected quickly. That's because the incubation time could last a week -- meaning it can take a week after you have infected before showing any signs. What scientists are doing Scientists across the United States are trying to create a vaccine for the brand new virus. However, it would take months before medical trials start and more than a year until a vaccine might genuinely emerge as accessible. Scientists in New York, Texas, and China are also making a coronavirus vaccine, Baylor College of Medicine vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez told CNN. Hotez noted that coronavirus infections are critical and one of the newest and is among the most significant global health threats. What you could do yourself The World Health Organization urged the public to avoid contact with every person displaying signs of respiratory illness - such as coughing and sneezing. Additional symptoms of this coronavirus include fever and shortness of breath. Severe cases can result in pneumonia, kidney failure, or even death. Scientists believe this coronavirus started in animals and then spread to humans. Hence, health officers recommend cooking meat and eggs thoroughly. The World Health Organization said anyone with underlying medical conditions should avoid going to live animal markets and eating uncooked meats altogether since those humans are "more vulnerable to the cruel disease." Dr. John Wiesman, Washington state's health secretary, said the public should do what they need to do every cold and flu season. What could appear next The WHO had an emergency meeting Wednesday to determine whether or not to declare 2019-to a "public health emergency of international concern." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he takes the public health emergency of international concern extraordinarily seriously. He added that the agency is prepared to take appropriate consideration of all the evidence since the phenomenon is an evolving and complicated situation. WHO officials are anticipated to meet once more Thursday to tackle the issue. Now Open 23 January 2020 Marriott International has opened the first Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Suwon, part of the new MICE Complex within Suwon Gwanggyo New Town. The hotel opened with an Opening Ceremony on January 3rd attended by Mayor Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon City, Kim Young-chul, CEO of Hanwha Hotel & Resort, Choi Kwang-ho, CEO of Hanwha E & C and Nam Ki-duk, CEO of Marriott International Korea. The hotel is a key addition to the developing MICE Complex, currently comprised of Suwon Convention Center and Gwanggyo Lake Park. The newly opened Courtyard Suwon, under the premium business brand, Courtyard by Marriott of the Marriott International Hotels Group, boasts a total area of 24,033m2, offering 288 rooms including suites and multi-functional spaces for business meetings and special events. Amenities include Suwon Kitchen, an all-day dining featuring a selection of local and international cuisine as well as a fitness center and executive lounge featuring views of Gwanggyo Lake Park. The underground parking lot offers direct access to Suwon Convention Center. Suwon MICE Complex is located within ten-minutes walking distance from Gwanggyo Jungang Subway Station, from which Gangnam Station can be reached in 30 minutes. Besides its easy accessibility to Seoul, Suwon MICE Complex allows easy access to nearby attractions, including Korean Folk Village and Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. This is the moment a suspected conorvirus sufferer was wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box. The man was loaded into the see-through pod and isolated from other travellers to prevent transmission of the deadly and highly contagious virus. He was reportedly quarantined after medics picked up on a fever during screening at the airport in Fuzhou, south-eastern China. The patient was shuttled out of the terminal in the contraption - known as an transportable isolator - while flanked by staff dawning face masks. Hazmat-clad paramedics were then waiting to help load the box into the back of an ambulance. Chinese medics are on high alert because the virus is far more contagious than previously thought and can spread via a simple cough or sneeze. This is the moment an airline passenger suspected of having the deadly Chinese coronavirus was wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box The man was loaded into the see-through pod and isolated from other travellers to prevent transmission of the highly contagious virus Footage that emerged on Tuesday showed similar scenes in Huizhou in southern China's Guangdong Province. Hazmat-clad doctors were filmed transporting a coronavirus patient inside a sealed plastic tube in a bid to avoid cross-infection. Two medical workers pulled the patient out of an ambulance in the pod and then wheeled the individual towards a hospital building. Both clips had echoes of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, which saw an infected British nurse wrapped in a similar quarantine box while being transported between hospitals. Footage on Tuesday showed medics loading a coronavirus patient inside a plastic tube Footage shared by Radio Free Asia shows medics donning hazmat suits transporting a coronavirus patient in a sealed plastic tube in Huizhou, a city in southern China's Guangdong Pauline Cafferkey, from Glasgow, was seen being unloaded from military aircraft in a transportable isolator on multiple occasions between 2014 and 2016. The exact piece of equipment used to move the Scot was a FlexiPod - a hospital bed wrapped in clear PVC plastic that had an air filtration system. It was also fitted with plastic 'sleeves' so medics can treat the patient without coming into direct with the patient. The FlexiPod was developed under the direct instructions of the NHS and is used worldwide by the Royal Air Force Tactical Medical Wing for transporting patients with highly infectious diseases. Both clips had echoes of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, which saw an infected British nurse wrapped in a similar quarantine box while being transported between hospitals The Scottish health worker (pictured being loaded at Glasgow airport) is seen being taken to the Royal Free Hospital in London in 2016 The exact piece of equipment used to move the Scot was a FlexiPod - a hospital bed wrapped in clear PVC plastic that had an air filtration system It was also fitted with plastic 'sleeves' so medics can treat the patient without coming into direct with the patient Twenty medical workers in China have so far been struck down with the new strain of coronavirus while looking after patients, the country's officials revealed. So far it has killed 18 people and infected more than 600 in 10 countries - but experts predict the true number of cases could be in the thousands and it may kill as many as two in 100. It's believed that the source of the virus were the live animals traded in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, the largest of its kind in the city of Wuhan. The Chinese authorities have urged its people not to travel in and out of Wuhan for the upcoming Lunar New Year, and strengthened the health screening in transport hubs across the nation. And the government of Wuhan has ordered all residents to wear face masks in public places. So far coronavirus has killed 25 people and infected hundreds in 10 countries - but experts predict the true number of cases could be in the thousands Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realise they have the infection but it can quickly turn deadly Passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport Authority are scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures against deadly SARS-like virus A third city in China went into lockdown today while officials battle to curb the epidemic. Major Chinese New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains as well, following the example of Wuhan, the locked-down city at the centre of the outbreak. Three more countries have today announced they have recorded cases of the infection Singapore, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. In Singapore, a 66-year-old man who had flown from Wuhan with his family on Monday is recovering in hospital. A 37-year-old companion is also in hospital under observation but has not been diagnosed. In Vietnam, a Chinese father a son are in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after flying there from Wuhan and becoming ill. They are in 'good condition', according to Vietnamese authorities. A picture captured today shows healthcare workers fitted with face masks helping a mother and child in Hong Kong Doctors at the Central Hospital of Wuhan attend to a patient with coronavirus. It is unclear when this picture was taken And India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, confirmed on Twitter that an Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia has been diagnosed with the infection and is 'recovering well' in hospital. This means the illness has now spread to 10 countries, including the US, and European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent where the UK and other nations are already on high alert. It was revealed today that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. The World Health Organization is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. MNS President Raj Thackeray unveiled the party's new flag in a rich saffron hue with the symbol of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Royal Seal as its symbol, at the party's first mega-convention held at NSE Grounds, Goregaon. Mumbai, Jan 23 (IANS) On the political fringes since the past over 13 years of its existence, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has consciously turned into a new leaf with a new flag, symbol, ideological direction and a new future leader, here on Thursday. The party also turned right with the garlanded pictures of Vinayak Damodar alias Veer Savarkar along with his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray, Savitribai Phule and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, marking the 94th anniversary of Raj Thackeray's uncle and founder-patriarch of Shiv Sena, the late Balasaheb Thackeray. The Royal Seal (translated from Sanskrit) reads: Ever-Increasing Like The Crescent Moon, The Kingdom Of Shivaji, The Son Of Shahaji, Will always seek the welfare of the people Barely had the new flag started fluttering in the sunny, mildly cool winter breeze, a storm of protests erupted from the Sambhaji Brigade, Maratha Kranti Morcha and others who called upon Raj Thackeray to refrain from exploiting the Royal Seal for political purposes. While Sambhaji Brigade lodged a complaint with the Pune Police, the Maratha Kranti Morcha has threatened to drag the MNS to court on the issue. On the momentous occasion, Raj Thackeray formally anointed his son, Amit Thackeray as a 'Leader' of MNS, paving the way for another member of the state's numero uno Thackeray clan's gen-next to enter politics. A new controversy erupted as senior MNS leaders also proclaimed Raj Thackeray as the new 'Hindu Hridaysamrat' (Emperor of Hindu Hearts), a term usually reserved for his uncle and Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray. The development came amid changed political permutations and combinations after the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress joined hands to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray's estranged cousin. Hitting back, senior Sena leader Anil Parab and others said that only the late Balasaheb Thackeray is the 'Hindu Hridaysamrat' and nobody else can claim his 'illustrious legacy', but declined to comment if his nephew Raj Thackeray was attempting to 'hijack' the title. qn/rt Quentin Tarantino claimed that a 'war' broke out between 'original films' and big blockbusters last year Quentin Tarantino declared that a 'war' played out between 'original movies' and mega blockbusters Star Wars and Marvel last year, voicing similar sentiments of disdain for the latter category that were shared by Martin Scorsese last year. Tarantino, who currently has 10 Oscar nominations for his film 'Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood', also included franchises like James Bond and the Godzilla movies in the mega blockbuster category. 'As far as I can see, the commercial product that is owned by the conglomerates, the projects everybody knows about and has in their DNA, whether it be the Marvel Comics, the Star Wars, Godzilla and James Bond, those films never had a better year than last year,' Tarantino explained to Deadline. 'It would have been the year that their world domination would have been complete. But it kind of wasnt,' he continued. 'A lot of original movie comment came out and demanded to be seen, and demanded to be seen at the theaters. That ended up becoming a really, really strong year. Tarantino currently has 10 Oscar nominations for 'Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood' Tarantino expressed his excitement with the wave of movies he felt further cemented their importance in the movie-watching industry. 'Im really proud to be nominated with the other films that just got nominated,' he said. 'I think when you sum up the year, its cinema that doesnt fall into that blockbuster IP proof status, made its last stand this year.' Tarantino's comments follows remarks made by Scorsese at the end of last year as his film 'The Irishman' made waves. 'As far as I can see, the commercial product that is owned by the conglomerates, the projects everybody knows about and has in their DNA, whether it be the Marvel Comics, the Star Wars, Godzilla and James Bond, those films never had a better year than last year,' Tarantino explained Martin Scorsese wrote that the films in the franchise lack original storytelling. The Oscar-winning director wrote an editorial for The New York Times last October, in which he said: 'It isn't the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.' Scorsese wrote that the films in the franchise lack original storytelling. 'What's not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger,' said the Oscar-winning director. What's not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger,' said the Oscar-winning director 'Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.' Chadwick Boseman, Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch are just some of the actors from Marvel who have come out against the remarks. They were joined by Marvel head Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers, who called Scorsese 'ill-informed.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 05:40:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations seeks 1 billion U.S. dollars to fund the humanitarian operations for Somalia in 2020, a UN spokesman said Thursday. Farhan Haq, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said the world body, together with the Somali government and its humanitarian partners, has launched the 2020 Humanitarian Response for the Horn of African country. He said the money will be used to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood support to 3 million people, nearly half of whom are internally displaced. However, some 5.2 million people in Somalia need humanitarian assistance, including 1.7 million people displaced by conflict, insecurity, forced evictions, droughts, and floods, according to the United Nations. The UN humanitarian office has said that Somalia is one of the most complex longstanding humanitarian crises in the world. Climatic shocks, coupled with conflict, widespread poverty and protracted vulnerability, have exacerbated the situation. Majella Gallagher has assumed operational responsibility for the Irish Examiner and The Echo as managing director on an interim basis. The appointment was announced by Liam Kavanagh, managing director of the Irish Times, which acquired the Irish Examiners group of titles in July 2018. Ms Gallagher will also retain her current responsibilities as HR Director for the Irish Times and Examiner media groups. She will report directly to Liam Kavanagh on both sets of management functions. Majella Gallagher said: We have exciting plans in the Irish Examiner and The Echo for the year ahead. These titles occupy a unique position in social, economic and political life in Cork and Munster. Our readers and customers are at the heart of everything we do and they are the key focus of our strategy in 2020. I am delighted to have an opportunity to help shape the direction of these titles and to bring the best quality content and service to our existing loyal readership and also to a new and growing audience. Ms Gallaghers appointment is one of a number of internal senior management Irish Examiner promotions announced recently. The changes are part of the groups managed transition from a print centric business to a digitally focused news publisher. Michael Sheehan has been promoted to the role of operations director. He was previously finance and operations manager of the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo. In his new role, Michael oversees the management of all finance, production and operation related functions for the Examiner Group with a specific focus on leading strategy and delivering projects. He joined the company in 2013, having previously worked with Deloitte. Meanwhile, Tom Fitzpatrick was recently appointed as editor of Irish Examiner. He joined the Examiner in August 2019 as head of editorial development. From 2017-19, he was editor of Emaps Construction News, based in London. Tom began his career with the Evening Echo in 2007. A Miami Police Captain claimed that he is black when he applied for a promotion, according to a news report from FOX. Miami Police Capt. Javier Ortiz is under fire this week because of the 'one-drop rule' after claiming he was black while speaking at a public meeting. The Miami Police Captain, who is a Cuban-American, appeared on Friday to defend himself after Sgt. Stanley Jean-Poix, president of Miami's Community Police Benevolent Association, accused him of pretending to be black during the promotional exams. Ortiz defended himself in front of the city commissioner on racial equality in the department. Billy Corben posted on his Twitter account a clip of Ortiz claiming that he is black. It's not his first time exhibiting such behavior, he was caught lying about his race during the 2014 Lieutenant's exam and 2017's Captain Application. Ortiz told the commissioner, "As far as Captain [Dana] Carr, she loves to call me a Latin male and I'm a black male. Yes, I am, and I am not Hispanic. I was born in this country." Police Capt. Javier Ortiz cited the 'one-drop rule' while speaking to Commissioner Keon Hardemon. The term is a centuries-old term that defines that a person is black even if they only have just one black ancestor. He did this to back up his claim that he is black. Ortiz told Hardemon, "Oh, no, you're blacker than me - that's obvious and if you know anything about the one-drop rule, which started in the 20th Century, which is what identifies and defines what a black male is, or a Negro, you would know that if you have one drop of black in you, you're considered black." When Ortiz joined the department he originally claimed himself to be a white Hispanic male. However, he claimed later that he is in fact black when applying for a promotional position. The CPBA alleged him of the same offense after they conducted their investigation. Jean-Poix said: "It's an insult to African-Americans that you would use our race to get an advantage on the exam so that way you could get promoted," Meanwhile, the remarks of Capt. Ortiz have gone viral since then and sparked backlash from the Miami-Dade NAACP. The organization posted on their Instagram account, "His comments are disturbing and in the manner of how he used them, downright disturbing to say the least." Chairman of the local NAACP chapter, Rubin Roberts, argued that Capt. Ortiz should be fired because of his pretending to be a black male when applying for a promotional position which is not acceptable. Roberts added: "It's disrespectful and culturally insensitive and It doesn't matter if it helped him or not. I think he needs to be reprimanded or be removed from the force because of his lack of truthfulness." A local news outlet asked for Ortiz's comment about this matter and the text reads, "No comment, thank you." Meanwhile, Ortiz posted on his Twitter account just over this weekend, "This isn't news. People love making stereotypes. It's actually refreshing to be who you are, like an American." Jorge Carolina, Chief of Miami Police, said that he was meeting with human resources and lawyers about the perplexing situation of Ortiz. It was also discovered that Ortiz, who is the president of the city's Fraternal union, has made several controversial comments in the past. According to a report from a local news outlet, Ortiz was suspended three years ago after he harassed a woman who had previously recorded a video as a cop was gaving her a ticket. It was also revealed that he authored a letter threatening a police boycott during the Betonce's concert in Miami claiming that Beyonce's performance was anti-police. Regulatory News: SAFE ORTHOPAEDICS (FR0013467123 ALSAF), a company marketing innovative ready-to-use technologies (single-use implants and instruments) for spinal diseases, delivering the safest treatment of spinal fractures, announces that ten surgeries have been completed in Japan since SteriSpine CC (Cervical cages) LC (Lumbar cages) have been approved in October, 2019. The partnership agreement with KiSCO Co., Ltd. (KiSCO) for exclusive commercialization and distribution rights for Japan was signed in June 2018. SteriSpine CC LC were launched in Japan in November 2019. Dr. Murakoshi at Nagayama Hospital, said: "SteriSpine is a product that has the possibility of both time-saving and cost-saving for surgical teams as it eliminates the need for cleaning and sterilization processes as well as reducing the burden of increased expenses caused by surgical site infections. In particular, the ability to reduce staff hours is very beneficial with new approaches. Our hospital is starting to use SteriSpine CC which is now a solution held in high regard by our surgical staff." "After the success of the SteriSpine PS launch in Japan, we are proud to announce the first results from the SteriSpine CC LC commercial launch with our partner, KiSCO. This includes ten surgical interventions with positive feedbacks from surgeons, as expressed by Dr. Murakoshi. This is an evidence that only strengthens our ambitions for Japan, the third largest global market for spinal implant with an estimated value of 400 million," said Pierre Dumouchel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Safe Orthopaedics. "We would also like to acknowledge the professionalism of our partner, KiSCO and the benefits this type of partnership brings. It is this type of market access that we want to access the largest countries as US and China." About Safe Orthopaedics Founded in 2010, Safe Orthopaedics is a French medical technology company, pionner of design and marketing innovative ready-to-use technologies (single-use implants and instruments) for spinal diseases, delivering the safest treatment of spinal fractures. The technologies include sterile implants and ready-to-use instruments available to the surgeon at any time and anywhere, enable minimally invasive approaches, reduce risks of cross contamination and infection in the interest of the patient. Protected by 17 patent families, the SteriSpineTM Kits are CE marked, FDA and CFDA approved. Safe Orthopaedics located its headquarter close to Paris (95610 Eragny-Sur-Oise France), created a substidiary in UK, Germany and in US, employing around 50 employees for a total sales of 4.7M in 2019. For more information: www.SafeOrthopaedics.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005664/en/ Contacts: Safe Orthopaedics Francois-Henri Reynaud Chief Financial Officer Tel: +33 (0)1 34 21 50 00 investors@safeorthopaedics.com Investor Relations NewCap Mathilde Bohin Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 SafeOrtho@newcap.eu Press Relations Ulysse Communication Bruno Arabian 06 87 88 47 26 barabian@ulysse-communication.com Nicolas Daniels 06 63 66 59 22 ndaniels@ulysse-communication.com MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday indicated he is all set to carry forward uncle Bal Thackeray's legacy, unveiling his party's new saffron flag and announcing his support to the Modi government for evicting Muslim infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray indicated on Thursday that he was set to appropriate his late uncle Bal Thackeray's Hindutva cause, unveiling his party's new saffron flag and declaring support to the NDA government for evicting Pakistani and Bangladeshi "infiltrators". Thackeray, who ran a vigorous campaign against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha polls last year, also defended the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also announced that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena would take out a protest march on February 9 seeking eviction of illegal migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Earlier in the day, the MNS chief unveiled his party's new flag which is completely saffron and bears King Shivaji's 'rajmudra' (royal seal). "I am a Marathi and a Hindu too. I have not changed my religion.... If you try to mess with the Marathi in me, I will go after that person as a Marathi, and I will go after him as a Hindu if one messes with the Hindu in me," Raj said at the valedictory session of the party's plenary meeting in Mumbai. Downplaying speculation about his ideological shift towards Hindutva from his earlier `Marathi manoos' and son-of-the-soil agenda, he said he had this flag design in mind since the launch of the MNS. Its unveiling amid the current political situation was a "pure coincidence", he said. The Shiv Sena, from which Raj carved out his own party, is known for its Hindutva ideology. But the Uddhav Thackeray-led party did a radical about-turn last year when it ditched the BJP and formed government in Maharashtra with the Congress and the NCP. In a veiled dig at Uddhav, his estranged cousin, Raj said, "I don't change the colour of my party to form the government." Raj also said in his speech that the Muslims who are "honest" towards the country "are ours". The country cannot "reject" personalities like former President APJ Abdul Kalam, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan and lyricist Javed Akhtar, he said. His party which had launched a strident anti-North Indians agitation in its early years never forsake Hindutva, Raj claimed. "We are facing such a great internal threat (from illegal migrants) that Indian soldiers may have to fight them instead of (the enemy) on the border," the MNS chief said. He noted that Muslims have hit the streets to march against the CAA in large numbers. "Some people told me the reason behind the protests: they are angry that Article 370 was scrapped, there is anger against the (Supreme Court's) Ram Temple verdict. And that pent-up anger is being expressed," Raj said. He questioned how many of the Muslims taking part in the protests were Indian. "And if the Indian Muslims are going to support them (foreigners), why should we support you?" he asked. Seeking to drive out "infiltrators", Thackeray also called for stopping the 'Samjhauta Express' that runs between India and Pakistan. Softening his stance towards Modi, Thackeray said he criticised the prime minister when the latter was "wrong" and "congratulated" him when he took right decisions. He will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to share some information about Muslim clerics "infiltrating parts of the state and hatching conspiracy against the country", the MNS chief said. The information came from the police, he claimed. The family has been selling off other real estate once used by the chain, including the Lakeview site at 3460 N. Broadway where Glencoe-based architecture and development firm Optima now plans an apartment development. Optima bought the site for $12.85 million in July, according to Cook County property records. KALKASKA TOWNSHIP, MI Two people were killed when they ran back into their burning home to save their pets in Northern Michigan. The Kalkaska County Sheriffs Office responded to the fire, which occurred at 12:27 a.m. on Thursday on Mitchell Road in Kalkaska Township. Dispatch was initially told that both residents, Brian William Curry and Sheryl Renee Curry, both 56 of Kalkaska, had made it out of the home. However, when deputies arrived on scene, they learned they had re-entered the home to save their pets. Deputies and fire personnel on scene attempted to enter the home and rescue the Currys, but they were called off due to dangerous conditions. Both Brian and Sheryl Curry were later found dead in the house. The investigation is ongoing. Deputies were assisted at the scene by the Michigan State Police, Kalkaska Township Fire Department, Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire Department, Boardman Township Fire Department, Clearwater Township Fire Department, Garfield Township Fire Department, Kalkaska EMS and Frederick EMS. New Year Wishes and Work: Pursuing and Practicing Peace In this time of warmongering, weapon brandishing and the waging of war of various kinds against the vulnerable, revisiting this Kawaida stance and statement on the importance and essential good of peace is both needed and reaffirming. The end and beginning of the years always find us in a critical period of transition in which, responding to the mandates of our moral tradition and the human urgencies of our history as African people, we are compelled to continue forward and turn our best New Year wishes into our most committed work. And we must continue to move forward with our work and struggle, without surrendering the achieved good of our past, misreading the meaning and tasks of our present or sacrificing the possibilities and promise of our future. In the tradition of the ancestors, we must engage in a reaffirming and re-enforcing process and practice of remembrance, reflection and recommitment to our central mission to bring, increase and sustain good in the world and enjoy the peace and prosperity central to this. Indeed, the Odu Ifa says, we must Think deeply about things, cultivate character, acquire wisdom and come forth and sacrifice so that you may have peace inside and out. Thus, as we reflect deeply on the awesome tasks before us during the coming year, the pursuit and practice of peace must remain a central and ongoing goal. This is so, not only because of the good of peace in and of itself, but also because real peace requires and presupposes the presence and practice of other vital goods, i.e., justice, freedom, security and well-beingpersonal, collective and material. Affirming this conception, the Husia praises an official for his Maatian, i.e., righteous behavior, saying He has done good justice. He has made and practiced peace for the one who loves and wills it for its goodness. Moreover, even on the battlefield, Ramesses IIs assembled soldiers counsel him to practice peace saying, Exceedingly good is the presence of peace and there is no blame in peace for those who practice it. ADVERTISEMENT Thus, the pursuit and practice of peace is a millennia-old moral emphasis and obligation in the sacred texts and social teachings of African people and is posed as an indispensable social goal and human good, indeed vital to the well-being of the world. For as the Odu Ifa says, War ruins the world. And whether in New Year reaffirmations and recommitments or in the daily longing and practices in the lives of everyday people, peace has always had a center place in the goods wished and worked for in the interest of our people, humanity and the world as a whole. So, we wish a good and lasting peace for our people everywhere and for all the people of the world as well. Especially, do we wish peace for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Somalia, Southern Sudan, Western Sahara and Zimbabwe; for the people of Haiti and the Rohingya of Miramar, the Uighurs of China, and for the people of Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever else war and waste, disease, deprivation, death, devastation and oppression are daily and persistent realities of life. And we wish for them, not the brutal peace of the home-grown or imposed tyrant or the criminal peace of the invading army and apartheid occupier, or the peace of corporate plunderers with their private armies and pilfered public funds, destroying lives and livelihoods, fields and forests as an act of progress, security or some other well-tailored and media-manipulated lie. Nor do we wish the imposed peace of the self-anointed overseas savior, pretending humanitarian aims of saving the people from themselves, while relentlessly destroying their lives, robbing them of their vital resources, violating their rights and dignity, and structuring chaos, dependency and countless other manufactured reasons to remain or return in still more brutal forms. On the contrary, we wish for them a peace undergirded by justice, inclusive of freedom, material, physical, psychological and spiritual well-being, security of persons and peoples, power of peoples over their own destiny and daily lives, and conditions for ongoing human development. Here, it is important to remember Dr. Martin Luther Kings distinction between a negative peace which strives for the mere absence of tension and a positive peace which requires the presence of justice. In a word, he says, True peace is not merely the absence of tension, but it is the presence of justice and brotherhood. King offers here an echo of ethical concern and focus put forth by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who stated that her lifes vision, work and service have been dedicated to a paradise of peace, progress and plenty, achieved and assessed by the great measuring rod of justice and fellowship. Both Bethune and King, who follows her along this path and pursuit of peace, insist on justice as an indispensable element in any true and real concept of peace. But they are also concerned with the quality of human relationswhat King calls brotherhood and Bethune calls fellowship, a sense of human relatedness and respect that leads to human solidarity and cooperation for common good. Here it is important to understand and act on the sobering reality that peace must be practiced at home as well as abroad, in our personal, family and communal relations, as well as our societal and world relations. And so, we wish peace for every heart and home, for every family and community and for this society as a whole. For it is difficult, if not impossible, to be at peace in our homes if we fear and are oppressed through vigilante or official violence, if society is hostile to us and uses its police power to profile, harass, imprison and suppress us. And we cannot be at peace in our families if we cannot walk freely in the streets or feel secure from the intrusion of violence from outside in our homes. Likewise, we cannot feel secure in our families and homes, unless each member renounces and rejects violence as a way to relate to each other and we all hold each other accountable. Thus, to talk of peace is first and foremost to talk about the end of violence in relationships, especially violence against children, women, the disabled, elderly, and other vulnerable persons and groups of various kinds. ADVERTISEMENT Seba Ptahhotep tells us in the Husia that the violence we do will return to haunt and harm us and can never yield a good and lasting end. Thus, he admonishes against use of terror and violence to steal, rob and suppress, and says to us consider then living in peace (with others) and what they would give will come of itself. Likewise, the Odu Ifa teaches us that anyone who does good does it for themselves and anyone who does evil does it against themselves. Thus, we wish for all of us to be able to say, in the words of the Husia, I spent a lifetime in perfect peace. Indeed, my heart taught me peace and guided me to excellence. For I spoke truthfully and acted justly in and for the world and my Maatian (righteous) work, striving and struggling to bring peace and other good in the world have been and are my essential witness and unwavering way forward. Predictably, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has not played ball to the YSRC move to creating three capitals to replace Amaravati legislative, executive and judicial which, de facto, minus the optics on decentralisation of administration, comes down to making Visakhapatnam the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, a move the editorial board of this paper has welcomed in this space already. However, the detention of the leader of the Opposition and former three-time chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu when he wished to take his partys dissent over the move to the people and stand in support of the protest by farmers in Amaravati, is highly condemnable. That a leader of his stature was detained, made to board a vehicle and driven over bumpy roads, at a level of security below which he is entitled to, is hardly democratic. In the AP legislative council, where the TDP holds a numerical edge over the ruling YSRC, the Opposition was within its rights to delay the tabling of the bill, seeking a debate, and other dilatory tactics aimed at delaying the inevitable. After a debate on Rule 71, the TDP may either muscle given its majority in the legislative council to delay any action Indias de facto equivalent of a filibuster or send it back to the Assembly for reconsideration. If the council resorts to the former, the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government can prorogue the House and seek to pursue the ordinance route. Either way, both parties have every right to pursue their political agendas and assert their respective legislative strengths. But when legislative confrontations result in undemocratic quelling of the weaker side by the government, armed and executed by a high-handed police, it will be the end of democracy. Mr Reddy as chief minister is doing the right thing on the issue of capitals, but he must also be guarded against not doing it the wrong way. Photo by Clarke Conde How will we ever solve the myriad problems we face as a civilization if we dont make the next generation less ignorant than we are? There is no virtue in not understanding other people, cultures or perspectives. There is nothing to be gained from limiting your knowledge to where you came from. To dispel ignorance about others is in everyones interest because it keeps us out of conflicts. Yet, exploiting our divisions is an old technique for gaining power and exerting control that is on the rise both here and in many countries around the world. The ascendance of otherism puts us all at risk. Fortunately, there is one person that may be able to do something about it: the foreign exchange student. AFS Intercultural Programs has a critical mission: to help prevent future conflict through cultural exchange and understanding. For over 70 years, they have facilitated American students going abroad and foreign students coming to America. For host families in New Mexico, it is an opportunity to learn about another culture while sharing our own. For high school students in New Mexico, it is real possibility to see the world that has been sorely underpublicized. Eleyna Maves is a one of those students. As a Rio Rancho high school student, she won a scholarship from the Department of State to study in Japan for a year, just one of many scholarships they offer to American students who want to live and study abroad in some of the 45 countries where AFS places students. This March she will move into the home of a Japanese family, go to a Japanese high school and spend a year living and learning about what it is to grow up in that culture. What better way is there to understand a different culture than to become part of it? Weekly Alibi sat down with Maves to talk about her experience starting in the AFS program, her scholarship and her expectations of living in Japan. The following is an edited version of that conversation. Weekly Alibi: How old are you and what school do you go to? Eleyna Maves: I am 16 and I go to Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. Actually, right now, I'm not there, though. I am taking classes through a night school so I just go to school two days a week from four to eight. What made you want to be a foreign exchange student? I've pretty much lived in the same house for 15 years and I just want to get out there and experience different cultures. New Mexico is a very diverse place, but only for a certain kind of group of cultures. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, see the world and experience different things. What made you choose Japan? I am actually very interested in the language. I love learning languages and I think Japanese is very interesting. And I wanted to see the way that the language and the culture interact with each other. Do you speak Japanese now? I speak a little bit. I'm not very good, but I'm trying to learn before I go. How long have you been studying the language? On and off for about a year. I took a semester-long class through UNM Continuing Ed on Japanese, but that was just once a week. It helps for sure to have a teacher and that's the most experience I've had in the classroom. In what other ways have you prepared for this exchange experience? I've mostly been just trying to learn the language through different apps. I have an online program I've been using. [Ive been] reading up a lot on the culture and about the way things are kind of done over there in daily life. You are the sole winner of the annual scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study in Japan. Yes. The Yoshi Hattori Memorial Scholarship. Good grades? Is that how you got it? It was actually four essays. I wrote a series of four different essays that were all from different prompts. What were your essays about? They were about your leadership skills, your motivations to study abroad, the responsibilities of a student going on exchange and then the last one was about gun control and gun control laws in the U.S. That took some research? It was what I thought about gun control issues. What do you hope to get out of this program? I hope to get out of my comfort zone and learn to interact with people from a different culture. I'd like to become more open minded because I'm feel like I'm very controlling. I'd like to lose some of that, learn to be more flexible and of course make a lot of friends. You don't have any control over where you go in Japan. Do you have a preference? Honestly, I'd like to be in like a smaller community, either rural or suburban because I feel like in a big city, I wouldn't be able to connect as much, but I don't have a particular preference of region. You don't get any school credits for going abroad. Is that normal or is that something to do with your school? It differs from school to school. Some schools give a partial credit or it depends on what classes you take, but my school in particular just doesn't give me credit for going abroad. When you come back in a year, what happens? Since the beginning of my sophomore year, I've been taking night school classes online to try to get ahead so that when I get back, I won't have to have missed a year. I'm leaving this March in the middle of this semester. If I had left from Cleveland [High School], they wouldnt have given me any credit anyways, which is why I'm doing night school. So, I've just been working ahead, grinding to get the credits done online so that when I get back, I only have two classes and then I'll graduate. What do you think Rio Rancho schools, or any school in New Mexico for that matter, could do to encourage more students to participate in programs like this? I think the most important thing would probably be getting a representative at the school who gets in contact with AFS or even other foreign exchange programs just to get some information that you can pass onto the students. I think a lot of people don't know about it, which surprised me when I tell people that I'm going. A lot of people don't even know that this is an opportunity. If you had teachers there who could encourage it, a lot more students I think would be interested. Tony Langham On the day the crisis becomes public, the C-suite naturally focus on their companys stock price, but its worth remembering the words of Warren Buffet, who once wrote to his managers that, We can afford to lose moneyeven a lot of money. But we cant afford to lose reputationeven a shred of reputation. Everything an organization does and says during a crisis matters, but what matters most is long-term credibility, integrity and reputation. Very few people know the decision-making process Boeing went through in late 2018 after the first 737 Max crashed in Indonesia. We do know that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration allowed the planes to continue to fly, despite misgivings over its stall prevention software. We also know that Boeing made a grave error in continuing to fly the Max 737s until the crash had been fully investigated and that the second crash, in Indonesia in March 2019, should have been avoided. At House committee hearings in December 2019, a former Boeing employee alleged that Boeing had prioritized production speed over quality and safety. Boeings reputation will probably recover, unless another serious incident happens, because of the long history and high standing of the organization. But recovery will be slower than if it had put reputation ahead of everything else in the days after the first crash in October 2018. Boeing initially hoped that the Max 737 recertification would be completed in 2019 but has now suspended production. Reputation accounts for 35 percent of the market value of the worlds leading publicly listed companies according to Reputation Dividend and company Boards should bear this in mind at all times. Organizations with the best reputations outperform rivals in tangible ways from recruiting higher quality staff, charging more for their services, succeeding with smaller marketing budgets to exerting greater influence over governments. Theyre also the most likely to be given the benefit of doubt in crisis situations. In the most acute crisesBP and Deepwater Horizon (2010-12); Samsung and exploding phones (2016); Volkswagen and emissions (2014-18) and Boeing (2018-19)the acute threat to the business and the stock price did not come directly from shareholders and the financial community, but from governments, pressure groups, media, and public concern and outrage. The best crisis managers are therefore those who understand reputation and civil society, rather than those who specialize in understanding stock price movements and the financial community. To successfully handle a crisis, corporate communications and public relations professionals need to add value to their organization or client in two areas: A real understanding of reputation and genuine reputation management advice. My favorite definition of reputation comes from John Doorley, formerly of Merck and now Visiting Professor at Elon University in North Carolina, who co-authored the excellent Reputation Management with Helio Fred Garcia. His formula is wonderfully straightforward, it states that reputation is the sum of the images of othersEminems version is pretty good too: I am whatever you say I amand it comes from performance plus behavior plus communication. He says that reputation can only be sustained if an organization is authentic and true to its purpose or to a set of values. This says it all, but it emphasizes how all-encompassing reputation is. So, anyone who defines their role as narrowly as a public relations or corporate communications professional can only, by definition, be tangentially involved in reputation managementbecause theyre not at the center of how their organization behaves or performs, only in how it engages and communicates. Stephen Covey memorably said that, you cant talk your way out of a problem that you behaved yourself intoand in times of crisis, organizations almost always need to change their behavior. In the Boeing case, the crucial commercial decision of whether to keep flying or ground all 737 Maxs until the (first) crash has been fully investigatedwas also the crucial reputation management decision. Amidst the range of advice from bankers, lawyers, the CFO and commercial heads, reputation must have been discussed. Perhaps things would have been different if Boeing had a reputation management professional who transcended the role of corporate communications and public relations and had been empowered in those discussions? Boeings stock price fell from $386 to $304 by December 2018 as a result of the Max 737 crash in Indonesia. However, it recovered to a five-year high of $441 in February 2019 as a result of the strong response to the first disaster. Since the second crash, it has fallen 26 percent to $327 in December 2019 and appears to have further to fall. The response to the first crash was beneficial to the share price, but the second crash leaves the share price in a perilous state. In the House transportation hearing on 10 December 2019, the FAAs Administrator, Stephen Dickson, said the agency should have grounded the Max after the first deadly crash, in October 2018. Thats probably true. Id argue that Boeing wouldve made that decision itself if it had put long-term reputation ahead of short-term stock price. And thats a lesson for all of us. *** Tony Langham is Co-Founder and CEO of Lansons in London and Chairman of Lansons Intermarket in New York. D onald Trump has been accused of a corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine into helping him win re-election as Democrats tore into the president at his impeachment trial. In a two-hour opening argument on Wednesday, lead prosecutor Adam Schiff warned that the USs global prestige would suffer if the Senate was to acquit Mr Trump. But the US leader sounded a defiant note, telling reporters in Switzerland the Democrats did not have enough evidence to find him guilty and remove him from office. Mr Schiff said the president pushed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son on unsubstantiated corruption charges last year. The US Capitol is seen at sunset on the second day of the Senate impeachment trial / REUTERS "To implement this corrupt scheme, President Trump pressured the president of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations into two discredited allegations that would benefit President Trump's 2020 presidential campaign," Mr Schiff said as he opened the arguments for the prosecution on the second day of the trial. Democrats argued that Mr Trump was trying to find dirt on Mr Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, and his son Hunter Biden who had served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, to help the president win a second term. Mr Trump was impeached last month by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for his dealings with Ukraine and impeding the inquiry into the matter. The president denies any wrongdoing and his fellow Republicans in the Senate say his behaviour does not fit the description of "high crimes and misdemeanours" outlined in the US Constitution as a reason to oust him. Donald Trump: Impeachment trial a 'total hoax' Mr Trump is almost certain to be acquitted by the Republican-controlled 100-member Senate, where a two-thirds majority is needed to remove him from office. That said, the trial's effect on his re-election bid is unclear. The case against him is focused on a July 25 telephone call in which he asked Mr Zelenskiy to open a corruption investigation into the Bidens as well as a discredited theory that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the 2016 US election. "Nothing could be more dangerous to a democracy than a commander in chief who believed that he could operate with impunity, free from accountability. Nothing, that is, except a Congress that is willing to let it be so," said Mr Schiff, who is leading the prosecution team of Democratic "managers" from the House. Making references to 18th century US founding father Alexander Hamilton and the late Republican President Ronald Reagan, Mr Schiff said the world was watching. "For how can any country trust the United States as a model of governance if it's one that sanctions precisely the political corruption and invitation to foreign meddling that we have long sought to eradicate in burgeoning democracies around the world?" Chief Justice John Roberts / AP He said senators would "also undermine our global standing" if they did not oust Mr Trump three years into his tumultuous presidency. Democrats have up to three days to make their case. Mr Trump's defence team will then have three days after that for rebuttal in a trial that could potentially conclude next week. The Trump administration has not complied with subpoenas for documents and has urged officials like former national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to participate in the impeachment investigation. In Davos, Switzerland, Mr Trump told reporters at the World Economic Forum that he was happy with the way the trial was going. "I thought our team did a very good job. But honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material," he said. Representatives in the US Senate Chamber / REUTERS Democratic US Representative Val Demings, one of the House impeachment managers, said Mr Trump's comment amounted to boasting about obstruction of Congress. "This morning, the president not only confessed to it, he bragged about it: 'Honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material,'" she said. But a senior administration official, asked to explain what Mr Trump was referring to, said: "What he's clearly saying is we have all the facts on our side, and those facts prove he's done nothing wrong." Mr Trump said allowing Mr Bolton to testify at the trial would present national security concerns "He knows some of my thoughts, he knows what I think about leaders. What happens if he reveals what I think about a certain leader and it's not very positive?" Mr Trump said. Mr Bolton, a foreign policy hawk who was fired by the president last year, has disdainfully described the Ukraine pressure campaign as a "drug deal" and testimony from him could be awkward for the president. Mr Trump and his legal team say there was no pressure and that the Democrats' case is based on hearsay aimed at overturning Trump's 2016 election win. Moments before the House managers began opening arguments in the Senate, Republican Senator Mike Braun told reporters: "We're going to get down to the merits of the case, and that's why the president will be vindicated with a verdict of acquittal." Incoming Archbishop Nelson Perez is a graduate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. In this 2015 photo, a white oak is planted and blessed at the seminary to mark Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia. Read more What we know about Nelson Perez Hes the son of Cuban emigres. He served for 23 years as a priest in Philadelphia. In the churchs political spectrum, he will likely fall to the left of his predecessor. He was involved in immigration issues as the bishop of Cleveland. He is certified deep sea diver. Nelson Perez, named by Pope Francis to be the first Hispanic archbishop of Philadelphia, is the son of Cuban emigres who grew up in New Jersey and served for 23 years as a priest in the same ecclesiastical domain he is about to lead. And he has been a deep sea diver not afraid to swim with the sharks. In the churchs political spectrum, he will likely fall to the left of the man he will replace, Archbishop Charles Chaput, a conservative who has chafed under the liberal papacy of Francis and never received the red cap of a cardinal like his predecessors. A Spanish speaker, Perezis one of the few American prelates who can speak to Pope Francis in his native language. Here is what you should know about the incoming archbishop of Philadelphia. READ MORE: Bishop Nelson Perez of Cleveland named Philadelphias next archbishop, replacing Charles Chaput READ MORE: Live updates and reaction to Nelson Perez's appointment as Philadelphia's next archbishop Early life Nelson Perez was born June 16, 1961, in Miami. His parents, David and Emma Perez , were Cuban emigres who fled after Fidel Castro took over the island. The family later moved to West New York, N.J., once home to the second largest community of Cuban Americans outside Miami. Perez was one of three sons and has one surviving brother, Louis Martin Perez. He is a product of public schools, having attended P.S. No. 4 and Memorial High School in West New York. He went to Montclair State University, and graduated with a B.A. in psychology in 1983. After college he taught Colegio La Piedad, a Catholic elementary school in Puerto Rico and , before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood. During the summers of 1985 and 1986, he worked as a staff therapist for Catholic Social Services in New York City. READ MORE: New Archbishop Nelson Perez's track record should inspire hope | Editorial Priesthood Perez was ordained in 1989 by then-Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua after earning a master of arts and master of divinity degrees. As a priest in Philadelphia, he served as a vicar at St. Ambrose Parish in Olney (1989-1993); assistant director of the Office for Hispanic Catholics (1990-1993); founding director of the Catholic Institute for Evangelization (1993- 2002); pastor of Saint William Parish in Lawncrest (2002-2009); and pastor of Saint Agnes Parish in West Chester (2009-2012). He also taught courses in psychology and religious studies at La Salle University and developmental psychology at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Perez auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre on Long Island, a diocese with a growing Hispanic population. Pope Francis named Perez bishop of Cleveland in 2017. Perez opened a February homily at a Cleveland church by mentioning his background in Philadelphia, saying the pastor of the Cleveland church relayed that their Stations of the Cross images of Christs crucifixion had come from Our Mother of Sorrows, a West Philadelphia church that closed in 2017. Perez said hed been in that church several times during his tenure in Philadelphia, meaning hed likely been in the presence of those images before. Never would I have thought back then, quite a bit ago, 20 years ago, that I would have been in their presence in Cleveland, he said. But Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. READ MORE: Our new archbishop is a Philly guy - and hes speaking our language | Mike Newall READ MORE: Nelson Perez's appointment as archbishop brings speculation and celebration for Philly-area Catholics Bishop of Cleveland Perez became bishop of Cleveland after Bishop Richard Lennon retired due to health problems. Lennons popularity suffered after undertaking what the Cleveland Plain Dealer called the ugly and painful duty of shuttering many of the citys shrinking Roman Catholic churches, a thankless job that also confronted Chaput. One of the issues Perez took on as bishop was immigration reform and he became personally involved in 2017 in the case Mexican immigrant who had asked officials to suspend his deportation and allow him to care for his disabled stepson. The immigrant eventually was deported. In 2018, he said the immigration policy separating parents from their children was not a political issue but a moral one. During his tenure, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Perez to be chairman of the conferences Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church. The word Catholic comes from the Greek word universal. " Perez said at the time. "Diversity is a hallmark of the Catholic Church. READ MORE: At morning Mass at Cathedral Basilica, new archbishop called wonderful news Perez discussed immigration nine months ago in an interview with the NBC affiliate in Cleveland, calling for comprehensive immigration reform and offering a veiled reference to President Trump, saying our rights and our dignity, listen, theres no wall that could stop that. Being the son of refugees to this country who came looking for freedom, and this country was generous enough to open its borders, its doors, to welcome my parents, thats why Im here today, he said in the interview. So it pains me to see that we might be going in another direction in terms of our thoughts and our heart. Because thats not our soul. And we will lose our soul that way. Deep sea diving Perez is a deep sea diver who received his certification from the National Association of Underwater Instructors 30 years ago. But as he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he has not gotten wet in years as his duties in the church increased. Before that, he said he would dive 25 or 30 times year, including exploring wrecks, off the East Coast and at the Florida Keys. Sharks and stuff never bothered me, the bishop said. Inquirer staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article. A fire alert went off in an IndiGo Airbus A320 aircraft from Mumbai to Nagpur on Thursday afternoon, prompting the pilot to issue a Mayday call and returning to the citys Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. This is the second IndiGo flight that took off from Mumbai to have returned and made an emergency landing in the last 24 hours. IndiGos flight 6E 5388 had taken off from the Mumbai airport at 1.37 pm, much behind its scheduled departure of 11.35 am. In just about 11 minutes after take-off, at 1.48 pm, the pilot reported some technical issues to request air traffic controllers to maintain the planes height rather than climb up further. Six minutes later, he reported that the cargo sections fire lights had lit up and issued a Mayday call to signal a life-threatening emergency. The Mumbai air traffic control (ATC) immediately informed Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL), which declared local standy at the airport. Such a standby is declared when an aircraft is approaching a runway in a manner that there could not be a normal landing due to some kind of error in the aircraft. The local standby was converted into a full emergency a little later. According to standard procedures, fire engines, ambulances, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and airport as well as airline staff readied themselves for the landing of the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely at around 2.22 pm and was then taken to an isolation bay of the airport. The IndiGo aircraft had crossed Shirdi when the pilot noticed an issue and later declared MAYDAY. It, however, landed with full emergency at CSMIA after which, full emergency was called off at 3.14pm, said a Mumbai airport official. Officials said emergency staffers did not spot a fire in the cargo section. She's a successful actress who has starred in films ranging from recent hit Pain and Glory to Vicky Cristina Barcelona. And Penelope Cruz looked every inch the film star as she attended the premiere of her new spy movie Cuban Network in Paris on Wednesday. The Spanish beauty, 45, exuded glamour in a shimmering wide-leg jumpsuit as she posed up a storm alongside French director Olivier Assayas, 64. Glamorous: Penelope Cruz, 45, looked every inch the film star as she attended the premiere of her new spy movie Cuban Network in Paris on Wednesday Penelope wowed in her sparkly jumpsuit which wrapped across her chest and flared into wide-leg bottoms She drew attention to her svelte figure by donning a small black belt around her slim waist and added some extra height to her frame with a pair of peep-toe heels. Never one to forget her accessories, Penelope clutched a small black handbag with silver chains across the front to complete her stylish ensemble. The actress, who is mother to Luna and Leo, wore her dark locks down and perfectly styled straight for the premiere and added a slick of red lipstick. Stunning: The Spanish beauty looked fantastic in a shimmering wide-leg jumpsuit which wrapped across her chest as she posed up a storm during the event Also seen at the event was director Olivier Assayas who kept things casual in denim jeans and a striped t-shirt which he wore under a cardigan and blazer. The film, which was first called Wasp Network, is based on Fernando Morais book The Last Soldiers on the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five. It tells the true story of the Cuban Five, or the Miami Five, a group of Cuban intelligence officers who were arrested in September 1998 and later convicted in Miami of a string of serious crimes. Looking good: Penelope was joined at the event by French director Olivier Assayas, 64 Among their charges were conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, among other illegal activities. The group were in the US to infiltrate the Cuban-American groups Alpha 66, the F4 Commandos, the Cuban American National Foundation, and Brothers to the Rescue. Following their jailing, they were hailed as heroes back home in Cuba by locals who didn't believe they were given a fair trial. Smile: She carried a small black handbag with silver chains on the front for the premiere Storytellers: Olivier and Penelope's new film tells the story of the Cuban Five a group of Cuban intelligence officers who were arrested in September 1998 and later convicted in Miami of a string of serious crimes The Cuban government finally admitted they were intelligence agents in 2001, after three years of denying it. The Cuban Five's attempts to have their convictions overturned ultimately proved fruitless, though they have all now been released. It comes after Penelope attended the Feroz Awards where she won for her film Pain and Glory, in which she stars alongside Antonio Banderas. The film is about a director who reflects on choices he's made as past and present come crashing down around him. Penelope plays a character called Jacinta. It won Best Drama Film, Best Director, Best Male Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay in Spain's equivalent to the Golden Globes. TAMPA, FLPopular clip retailer Clips4Sale has joined forces with one of its producers, Seductive Studios, to lend a hand to the people and wildlife who have been put in peril by the now-rampant Australian fires. Seductive Studios is offering a free photo of one's favorite participating model from their studio to anyone who donates $10 or more to the Australian Wildfire disaster relief efforts. To donate, click here or here, then send the donation receipt to [email protected] and score a sexy photo. Its that easy. We at Seductive Studios, Store #18252 on Clips4Sale, want to help the people and the wildlife affected by the Australia wildfires. Whats happening there is so tragic, and we want to do what we can to help those in need. Please be a part of our cause by donating $10 or more to one of the links provided, and well send you a sexy photo of your favorite participating model. If we all chip in a little, together we can make a big difference! Clips4Sale has been promoting its fundraising efforts heavily on social media. As leaders in the clip industry, it is encouraging its customers, studios, and models to donate to the Australian Wild Fire charity. Clips4Sale wants to help Seductive Studios in its quest to raise as much money as possible, and will match donations made to the charity up to $10,000 USD. Whats happening in Australia truly breaks our hearts, said Clips4Sale founder and owner Neil. Seductive Studios came up with this amazing fundraiser, and were 100 percent behind them and love that they are creatively using the platform for such a great cause. We hope that our customers, as well as other studios and producers, will join us and also take part in their efforts to help Australia. Those not already a producer or model on Clips4Sale may sign up now here. (Photo : ANUSHREE FADNAVIS/ REUTERS) Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos' Phone Got Hacked After Opening a Video From Saudi Arabian Prince (Photo : Photo by Ilya Pavlov on Unsplash) Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos' Phone Got Hacked After Opening a Video From Saudi Arabian Prince Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone was hacked in 2018, according to his security consultants. By then, the top billionaire's team only accuses the Saudi government of infiltrating the personal gadget of Bezos. However, the accusation is now getting a clearer picture as the team specifically identified Saudi Arabian Crowned Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the primary suspect for the hacking. What did Jeff Bezos open on his phone that got him hacked? In an exclusive report from The Guardian, Bezos' team is now eyeing the Crowned Prince as the main suspect for the hacking incident that happened in 2018. According to the source, Bezos and Salman were reportedly chatting with each other through WhatsApp before the said hack. However, on May 1, 2018, Salman allegedly sent a malicious video message to Bezos through the app on which he opened. After this, the phone memory of Bezos was suddenly receiving large amounts of unknown data. The publication clarified that their source did not identify what kinds of information was taken from the billionaire and where the infiltrator used the information. The report only made clear that the forensic analysis team of Bezos accuses Salman as the one that hacked Amazon CEO's phone. "He probably believed that if he got something on Bezos, it could shape coverage of Saudi Arabia in the Post. It is clear that the Saudis have no real boundaries or limits in terms of what they are prepared to do in order to protect and advance MBS, whether it is going after the head of one of the largest companies in the world or a dissident who is on their own," Middle East expert Andrew Miller told the Guardian. Saudi Arabia calls the allegations 'absurd.' After the claims sent by the Bezos team to the Saudi Arabian Crowned Prince, the government of Saudi already made a statement on Twitter, saying that the team is only making 'absurd' accusations against their official. "Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind the hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the Saudi Embassy said on Twitter. "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out." Even before Salman's name got involved in the hacking incident, the team of Bezos already made claims that Saudi Arabia got the motive to hack Bezos' personal information as the billionaire also owned American daily newspaper company, The Washington Post. The Washington Post involvement on Bezos hacking According to Bezos' security consultant, Gavin de Becker, Saudi was targeting The Washington Post owner as the newspaper was said to be one of the powerful critics of the country. Worse, one of Washington Post's columnists was found dead on Turkey that was said to be an official order from Prince Mohammed, according to Central Intelligence Agency. Jeff Bezos controversy In 2019, Bezos was under controversy after pictures and private messages shared by him and Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor, were leaked online by The Enquirer website. The team of Bezos said that they were 'highly confident' that the Saudi authorities were the ones behind the leaked pictures and sent it online to be published. As of now, the Bezos analysis team has not yet released any further statements regarding the investigation. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within party or at party meetings, but such kind of public statements are surprising. He can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes," said Nitish Kumar. : Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U party chief has shot back at his senior leader Pavan Varma on the latter's anti-CAA stance and the letter he wrote. Earlier, Varma wrote a letter to party chief Nitish Kumar over tie-up in Delhi while saying public actions need to match with personal views and that there is no room for double standards. "I am not the only person disagreeing with Nitish Kumar. Our party vice president and National General Secretary have also shown their opposition several times and asked him to reconsider his decision. One MLA even quit the party due to Nitish Kumar's allegiance to the BJP in these troubled times," Pavan Varma said. "Nitish Kumar has categorically come out against NRC but hasn't said anything on the NPR, whose dates have been announced by Deputy CM Sushil Modi. Now when CAA came, he said we will discuss, but he hasn't come out categorically against the CAA-NRC combination," Pavan Varma was quoted as saying. Pavan Varma went on to ask how did Nitish Kumar take a decision to extend the alliance with the BJP when his personal views are different. A fourth person accused of being part of a marijuana deal and robbery that ended with two people killed in Monroe County was arrested Wednesday, authorities said. Harrith Saleem Brown, 23, with past addresses in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was caught by U.S. Marshals as he tried to flee from a home in the 400 block of East 136th Street in the Bronx, according to a news release. Brown was turned over to the New York Police Department Central Booking Unit to await extradition to Pennsylvania. A third suspect -- Zaire Flex Burkett, 20, of Whitehall Township -- was arrested Jan. 15. and is charged in the killings of 22-year-old Dylan Beinert and 23-year-old Khalil Durante. Durantes father, Walter Durante, was critically wounded in the gunfire. Police allege Brown, Burkett, Deani Powell, of Easton, and her boyfriend Matthew Burke, of Stroud Township, arranged to rob Beinert on Dec. 4, 2019, after seeing Snapchat videos he posted with large amounts of marijuana and money, court papers say. The night of the robbery, Burke picked up Burkett and Pop in Allentown, and then drove to a home in the 1700 block of Silver Maple Road in Chestnuthill Township, police said. Powell, who was posing as a buyer, met the men there, investigators said. Powell met with Beinert, but police said she was texting the men at the same time. When Powell left under the guise of getting her money from her purse, Burke, Burkett and the other man entered the home. Beinert began struggling with Burkett and Pop -- a witness reported Beinert grabbed for a shotgun, state police said. Beinert was fatally shot and Khalil Durante was shot and seriously wounded, state police said. Durante was shot again outside the home and later died from his injuries, state police said. After his son was shot the second time, Walter Durante screamed and reached for the gun, and he was also shot, state police said. The armed group fled from the Monroe County home. Powell was arrested first on Dec. 5, and reportedly confessed to helping organize the robbery. Burke was arrested Dec. 8, and also reportedly confessed to shooting the two men. Burkett is awaiting his preliminary hearing on homicide and related charges. Powell and Burkes charges were sent to Monroe County Court following hearings on Dec. 20, records show. All three are being held without bail. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. It is not clear how much of the trial Mr. Trump has watched live. Democrats acting as prosecutors and the presidents legal defense team each have 24 hours over three days to make their cases for and against removing Mr. Trump from office. Under the trial rules, senators must remain silent in the chamber or face imprisonment. And no electronics are allowed in the space for easy tweeting. So far, this has meant long segments of presentations from the Democratic impeachment managers without interruptions from the presidents lawyers or Republican allies who could push back against the accusations. Mr. Trump repeated his argument that he was not allowed lawyers or witnesses during the Democrat-led House impeachment inquiry, though in fact he was invited to take part in the House Judiciary Committees inquiry. He refused, and blocked administration witnesses from testifying. During an impromptu news conference in Davos on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he would like witnesses from his administration to testify during the Senate trial but, that in some cases, his hands were tied because of national security concerns. The amended citizenship law and the situation in Kashmir are internal issues of India and the country with its dynamic democracy will find solutions to these "challenges", Brazilian envoy Andre Aranha Correa do Lago said on Thursday. The envoy told PTI in an interview that his country was following developments on the two issues "with great interest". His comments on the two issues comes a day ahead of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's maiden visit to India after he assumed power in January last year following a sweeping electoral victory. Lago said over 15 agreements will be signed during the Brazilian president's visit, including one on the investment protection and facilitation treaty. "These (Citizenship (Amendment) Act and Kashmir situation) are two internal issues of India that obviously we are following with great interest. Naturally, in the conversations probably the Indian government will bring elements about this but we see this very clearly as internal questions of India," he said. "India being such a dynamic democracy with such fantastic institutions and civil society, we know that with this a very open society, you will discuss and you (will) go ahead with solutions for these challenges," the Brazilian envoy said. He made the remarks when asked if the CAA and the Kashmir issue could be discussed during talks. His remarks comes days after envoys of 15 countries, including the US, visited the Kashmir valley where they interacted with select political representatives, civil society members as well as military top brass. Brazilian envoy Lago was also scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir, however, he had backed out because of his preoccupation here. India has faced criticism over its amended citizenship law, including from Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Brazilian President Bolsonaro will on Friday begin a four-day visit to India, primarily as the chief guest on Republic Day and also to explore ways to boost trade ties at a time both the large economies are hit by slowdowns. Highlighting that senior ministers, representatives of the private sector and 80 businessmen will be coming with the Brazilian president, Lago said the visit will see a "true redesigning of the relationship" between India and On whether the slowdown of the Indian economy was a matter of concern, the Brazilian envoy said it was not as India will probably grow at above five per cent. "We are struggling to grow at 2 per cent. We are the country that has been facing more difficult times. We had two years of recession and two years of very low growth, but we have a very good perspective of growing above 2 per cent this year," Lago asserted. "So, it is not a question of concern, it has to be interpreted as an opportunity because India wants to grow obviously and we believe... With many of these discussions many opportunities and foreign investment, it will be good for the growth of the two countries," he said. President Bolsonaro will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind separately on Saturday. Asked about the agenda for the talks, the Brazilian envoy said it will be wide-ranging and an action plan for the strategic partnership will be launched during the visit. " and India have a strategic partnership since 2006, but we have decided to revaluate (our ties) and we have seen many new areas in which we could deepen the relationship," Lago said. He said the main focus of the talks between the leaders of the two countries will be on cooperation in investment and trade. The Brazilian envoy said cooperation in biofuels and issues related to the defence industry are also going to figure high on the agenda for the two countries. "We are going to have the first meeting of our businesses in the defence industry on both sides," he said. On a trip like this, there are many dimensions like symbolic, political and economic, the envoy said. "The symbolic dimension is the honour to be invited for the Republic Day. The political dimension is that there will be in-depth discussions between the two governments during the state visit and the economic dimension will be the business meeting on Monday," he said. The Brazilian president will witness the Republic Day parade on January 26 as the chief guest. On January 27, Bolsonaro will address a group of Indian and Brazilian business leaders at the India- Business Forum, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. India-Brazil ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. The volume of bilateral trade was USD 8.2 billion in 2018-19. This included USD 3.8 billion worth of Indian exports to Brazil and USD 4.4 million as imports by India. Both the governments feel there is huge potential to enhance the bilateral trade further. Indian investments in Brazil were around USD 6 billion and Brazilian investments in India are estimated at USD 1 billion in 2018. Brazilian investments in India are mainly in the automobile, IT, mining, energy and biofuels sectors. India has invested in Brazil's IT, pharmaceutical, energy, agri-business, mining and engineering sectors. The two countries signed an agreement in 2003 for defence cooperation. It was ratified by Brazil in 2006. The agreement provides for cooperation in defence related matters, especially in the field of research and development, acquisition and logistic support. Both the countries are also strong contenders for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Prime Minister Modi met Bolsonaro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka in June last year during which a raft of issues of bilateral importance were discussed. A young woman who was seeking 'Insta-perfection' claims she has been left with 'deformed' boobs after spending 17,950 on five boob jobs abroad. Jayla Cevik, 21, from Enfield, North London, opted to have surgery Istanbul, Turkey after seeing celebrities and influencers promote the Estetik International clinic on Instagram. 'Outstanding reviews' prompted her to book in for a breast reduction, lift and implants in 2018 - costing 5,600 (6560 Euros). Jayla Cevik, 21, opted to have surgery Istanbul, Turkey after seeing celebrities and influencers promote the Estetik International clinic on Instagram The retail manager, from Enfield, north London, ended up visiting the clinic five times due to a series of botched jobs. She is now hoping to have them fixed in the UK, but claims British surgeons won't go near them for fear of damage to their reputation. Six weeks after her first surgery, a hole formed in her right breast creating an 'odd shape'. Jayla claims she has had asymmetrical breasts every time she visited the clinic. She said: 'I think there is high expectations for females to look a certain way and I want to look the best I possibly can - even if it means enhancing my natural features with surgery. 'Outstanding reviews' prompted her to book in for a breast reduction, lift and implants in 2018 - costing 5,600 (6560 Euros). The retail manager, from Enfield, north London, ended up visiting the clinic five times due to a series of botched jobs. Her breasts here are pictured bandaged after the fourth surgery Six weeks after her first surgery (pictured) a hole formed in her right breast creating an 'odd shape'. Jayla claims she has had asymmetrical breasts every time she visited the clinic How much did Jayla's surgeries cost? MARCH 2018 FIRST SURGERY: BREAST UPLIFT, REDUCTION AND IMPLANTS - 5500 FLIGHTS AND HOTEL - 2700 SEPTEMBER 2018 SECOND SURGERY: RECONSTRUCTION - 2500 REVISION AS RIGHT WAS A DD AND LEFT A B-CUP - 2500 FLIGHT AND HOTEL COST - 1900 JANUARY 2019 RIGHT IMPLANT REPLACED - 550 NOVEMBER 2019 NIPPLES ARE STILL NOT ALIGNED - FREE SURGERY HOTEL, FLIGHTS AND MEDICATION - 2300 TOTAL COST: 17,950 Advertisement 'I have always wanted a boob job and went to a few consultations in the UK but then I kept seeing celebrities and influencers promote this one in Turkey. 'I read reviews online which were all great and the clinic is meant to be one of the top 20 in Europe - I thought it must be good. 'The before and after photos were amazing so I decided to go there - I wanted perfect boobs but now I have the complete opposite. 'This generation is all about surgery and looking good - I am always trying to keep up with the times by getting fillers and Botox. 'I want to look my very best and surgery is a risk I am willing to take, even now, after this horrific ordeal, I am not willing to part with implants.' Jayla Cervik, 21, has had five boob jobs, all in search of the perfect selfie. She said: 'I think there is high expectations for females to look a certain way and I want to look the best I possibly can - even if it means enhancing my natural features with surgery. Jayla said: ''I read reviews online which were all great and the clinic is meant to be one of the top 20 in Europe - I thought it must be good. She is pictured after the first surgery Jayla admits social media has a 'huge impact' on her appearance but her confidence has 'hit an all time low'. She has been prescribed anti-depressants and claims her botched breasts contributed to the break-up with her long-term boyfriend. She added: 'My natural bra size was 36DDD but as I had lost a lot of weight, they were saggy so I wanted an uplift, reduction with D-cup implants. Jayla said: ''I want to look my very best and surgery is a risk I am willing to take, even now, after this horrific ordeal, I am not willing to part with implants.' Jayla said she was 'upset and disheartened' as her surgically enhanced breasts 'were too big for my size six frame'. She is pictured after the second surgery 'I didn't have a consultation, as the surgeon seemed to be in a rush - he asked me to take my top off and began drawing on me. I said, "Please make sure they are in proportion with my body". 'I was upset and disheartened when I woke up, they were too big for my size six frame. 'I was horrified, they were bruised and bleeding, but I was told, "It is fine".' After six weeks, Jayla claims a hole formed in her right breast and medics in the UK discovered a capsular contraction. Explaining her ordeal, Jayla said: 'I didn't have a consultation, as the surgeon seemed to be in a rush - he asked me to take my top off and began drawing on me - I said 'please make sure they are in proportion' with my body'. Her breast are pictured after her first surgery Jayla said she was horrified when she woke up from her surgey as her breast were 'bruised and bleeding, but I was told "it is fine". She is pictured here after her first surgery She returned to Turkey in September 2018 to have a revision for 2,500 - but she says she woke up to one breast bigger than the other. She adds: 'I looked like a monster, my right breast was a DD cup and the other a B - I was hysterical. 'I screamed the place down as I couldn't believe what they had done to me. 'I still have nightmares to this day. I was horrified and demanded a revision, which I had two days later for another 2,500. 'It may seem silly that I gave the surgeons another chance to fix my boobs, but I was desperate to achieve the perfect breasts I had hoped and paid for.' She returned to Turkey in September 2018 to have a revision for 2500 - she says she woke up to one breast bigger than the other. Jayla is pictured Jayla states the clinic agreed to revise her breasts for the fifth and final time for free in November 2019. She is pictured here after the first surgery Speaking about her ordeal, she said: 'My confidence has hit rock bottom - I felt a sense of relief when the clinic contacted me out of the blue for a picture of my breasts and offered to 'fix them'. Sadly, Jayla woke up from the third surgery to find her nipples were 'out of place'. Four months later, she claims her right implant burst causing the stitches to become undone and a mixture of 'puss and silicone' began leaking from her breast. She says she flew to Turkey in January 2019 for a new implants costing 550 - she was 'disheartened and angry' to see the nipples were not aligned. Jayla states the clinic agreed to revise her breasts for the fifth and final time for free in November 2019. Jayla added: ''I regret going abroad as the clinic clearly have no sense of pride in their work' but said she would still have more surgery Jayla, pictured after the third surgery, added: 'My scars are horrendous; my nipples are out of place and they look disproportionate.' She said: 'Everything I have been through began taking its toll on my mental health and I have started taking anti-depressants. 'My confidence has hit rock bottom - I felt a sense of relief when the clinic contacted me out of the blue for a picture of my breasts and offered to "fix them". 'But they are still deformed, I regret going abroad as the clinic clearly have no sense of pride in their work. Jayla sai she would be giving her breasts a break for a while, but would have surgery again Despite five surgeries, Jayla said she's still searching for a correction for the perfect breasts 'I am desperate for them to look good like I had originally planned but surgeons in the UK - do not want to damage their reputation by touching mine. 'My scars are horrendous; my nipples are out of place and they look disproportionate. 'I am giving my breasts a break for a while but I will seek help in the future as I still want to look my very best.' Estetik International have been contacted for comment. Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser said he was seeing a more positive mood among the German engineering company's clients at the start of the year, he told CNBC on Thursday. "They are getting more optimistic for the second half of the year than they have for the first half and actually 2019," Kaeser said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. He said he wanted Siemens, which employs 60,000 people directly in the United States, to be treated equally to U.S. companies when it came to reconstruction projects in the Middle East, and called on Germany's government to increase infrastructure spending. "We have good American workers, working for us in the U.S. If we go to Iraq and if we go to Syria and we help rebuild those countries, I want to be treated as a U.S. company going out to help these people," said Kaeser, who raised the issue with U.S. President Trump at a dinner. 23.01.2020 LISTEN A young man with name Nuetey Latif Ahinguah has been slapped with a 12-month prison sentence with hard labour for impersonating the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on social media. On Wednesday, January 22, Nuetey Latif Ahinguah, also known as Oliver and Emmanuel Asare, appeared before the Kaneshie Magistrate court in Accra for defrauding by false pretences. According to the charge sheet, Ahinguah and his accomplices began creating fraudulent Facebook accounts in 2018. Apart from targeting the Minister for Finance, they also created accounts in the name of National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah. The criminals used the accounts in defrauding unsuspecting people under the pretence of securing them employment, and cars to buy at very ridiculous or 'give away' prices. Unsuspecting people fell prey to these criminals and transferred several amounts of money to the fraudsters on a given mobile money number, read the charge sheet. The Magistrate court, presided over by Her Worship E.B. Botchway, convicted the accused to serve a twelve-month jail sentence after Ahinguah pleaded guilty for the offence of defrauding by false pretences. Security agencies say investigations are still ongoing in an attempt to arrest Ahinguah's accomplices, among others, for fraudulent acts both within Ghana and abroad. Since assuming office as Finance Minister, several fake social media accounts have been opened under the name of Ken Ofori-Atta or Kenneth Ofori-Atta. The Finance Minister is yet to open an official social media account. There has been an increase in the use of fake social media accounts to rob people of their money and other valuables. Since August 2019, Ghana's Security Agencies have recorded a significant upsurge in the use of fake accounts, particularly on Facebook, used for swindle unsuspecting citizens. Government cautions public against fake social media accounts The government continues to caution the public to desist from the use of fake social media accounts in duping people. In a statement, it indicated that these accounts are usually created to mimic that of public institutions and public figures, and offers opportunities ranging from jobs to Senior High school placements. These unverified accounts are mostly created in the names of Public Institutions, Ministers, Members of Parliament and other public figures. The accounts are used as platforms to promise jobs, scholarships, contracts and senior high school/ national service placements. In exchange, victims are lured into making advance cash payments to secure the offers. The government said even though efforts are being made to combat the menace, the public must be cautious when dealing with such accounts on social media especially Facebook. Though the Security Agencies and Social Media Service Providers are making the necessary efforts to clamp down on these activities, government hereby calls on the general public to heighten its sense of awareness on social media, particularly when dealing with accounts purporting to be those of government officials. The public is advised not to transact any pecuniary business with accounts of government functionaries via social media and encouraged to report such incidents to the Police immediately. citinewsroom Ten employees at the Lehigh County emergency radio dispatch center lost their jobs this week due to violations of longstanding county policy, according to the countys director of general services. Three supervisors were fired on Tuesday and seven operators resigned Wednesday, according to Director of General Services Rick Molchany. The significance of the violations was such that we needed to take action as quickly as possible, he said. WFMZ Channel 69 reports that the employees lost their jobs because they participated in a midnight toast at the 911 center on New Years Eve with egg nog spiked with rum. Molchany declined to offer specific reasons for the terminations and resignations. He said theyre personnel matters. The employees have the opportunity to appeal the terminations, he said. The policy violations come at a time when the 911 center is already grappling with staff turnover due to a merger between the Allentown and Lehigh County 911 centers. Molchany said his center is budgeted for 53 operators and 10 supervisors. Hes addressing the staffing shortfall by mandating overtime, offering rewards to employees and ramping up training for new recruits. Several employees are nearing pre-employee testing and the county plans to hire an outside agency to get prospective employees certified more quickly than usual, he said. Back in 2015, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a law that sunset funding for the states only two standalone 911 communication centers in Allentown and Bethlehem as a push to regionalization. After a study and talk of a Lehigh Valley-wide center, it was decided that Bethlehem would merge with Northampton County, including the Lehigh County section of the city, while Allentown would consolidated with Lehigh Countys 911 center. The mergers became official in June. Molchany said several of the Allentown 911 center employees elected to find jobs elsewhere rather than be retrained on a new system in Lehigh County. It took time to replenish the ranks, which are again depleted after the policy violations. He admits hes concerned with staff morale but said hes doing the best he can to get staff levels back up and execute the merger successfully. The county is in the process of integrating its police response protocols between Allentown police and officers in other municipalities. A call for a barking dog, for instance, doesnt merit an immediate police check in Allentown but it does in South Whitehall Township. Molchany said the county is working to make response protocols seamless across the entire county. Eventually Lehigh County wants to standardize protocols between itself and Northampton County so that employees from one county can sub in at the other in the event of a mass hazard or unexpected staff shortfall similar to the one that befell Lehigh County this week. Its a very complicated process, Molchany said. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. The Countess of Wessex looked delighted to meet students as she visited a secondary school on the second and final day of her Sierra Leone tour. Sophie, 55, was given a warm reception as she was greeted by youngsters and teachers at the Russell Technical Secondary School on Thursday. Sophie looked chic in vibrant floral silk trousers and a navy blouse, finishing the look with wooden platform heels and a white snakeskin clutch bag. The Countess of Wessex was thrilled to meet students as she made a visit to a secondary school on the final day of her Sierra Leone tour The mother-of-two was all smiles as she was presented with a bouquet of flowers upon her arrival by 14-year-old student Salimatu Kargbo. She kept her look natural, wearing her blonde locks in a ponytail, adding a touch of mascara and pink lipstick while accessorising with gold earrings. Sophie then joined a group of students underneath a tree in the school yard to observe a life skills lesson - where she learned about sexual and gender based violence before presenting a radio as a gift to the class. The royal, who is married to the Queen's youngest son, also attended a discussion with members of the school safety committee before giving a passionate speech. The mother-of-two was all smiles as she was presented with a bouquet of flowers upon her arrival by 14-year-old student Salimatu Kargbo The royal, 55, who is currently on a two day visit of the African country, was given a warm reception as she was greeted by youngsters and teachers at the Russell Technical Secondary School on Thursday On her second day of her Sierra Leone visit, Sophie also met mothers and their newborns at Tombo Health Clinic - which offers family planning and maternal care services to women outside Freetown. The visit is to see how investments in education and family planning are helping to empower girls and women to have greater choice and control over their bodies and lives, and to achieve their aspirations. She changed outfits for the visit, opting for an almost identical brown blouse, with longer sleeves, and a pale blue silk skirt. She was given a tour of the Aberdeen Women's Clinic in Freetown, where she met with sexual violence survivors. Sophie looked chic in vibrant floral silk trousers and a navy blouse, finishing the look with wooden platform heels and a white snakeskin clutch bag She kept her look natural, wearing her blonde locks in a ponytail, adding a touch of mascara and pink lipstick while accessorising with gold earrings The royal also visited the grave of Sister Jane Margaret Houston, from the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, of which Sophie is Royal Colonel, in the King Tom Commonwealth Cemetery in Freetown. Sophie is currently visiting Sierra Leone at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a whistlestop two day visit. For her first appearance of the quick visit, Sophie was visibly moved as she made an emotional visit to a peace museum. She was set to undertake a programme of engagements in Freetown, focusing on addressing sexual and gender based violence, supporting survivors, and championing womens role in peacebuilding. The royal presenting a radio as a gift to to members of the school safety committee for use in life skills learning clubs Sophie then joined a group of school children underneath a tree in the school yard to observe a life skills lesson - where she learned about sexual and gender based violence Sophie, who joined in on a class, is currently visiting Sierra Leone at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a whistlestop two day visit As she arrived at the Sierra Leone Peace Museum in Freetown, she was warmly greeted by Binta Mansaray, Registrar of the Residual Special Court. The Countess appeared visibly moved as she studied archive material in the museum, including clothing worn by the CDF, a civil militia, during the civil war. Almost 20 years after the end of the 1991-2002 civil war, the royal heard how Sierra Leone has successfully transitioned to a sustained peace following the conflict. As part of the visit, she learned about the role of the Special Court and Truth and Reconciliation Commission in bringing justice to survivors of the conflict, including survivors of sexual violence. The royal, who is married to the Queen's youngest son, also attended a discussion with members of the school safety committee Sophie gave a passionate speech to the school during her visit on the final day of the Sierra Leone tour The Countess of Wessex listens to a student give a speech during her visit to the Russell Technical Secondary School On her second day of her Sierra Leone visit, Sophie also met mothers and their newborns at Tombo Health Clinic - which offers family planning and maternal care services to women The visit is to see how investments in education and family planning are helping to empower girls and women to have greater choice and control over their bodies and lives, and to achieve their aspirations She was also shown the archive testimony of those involved in the civil war in Sierra Leone, both perpetrators and victims of violence, which is stored in boxes as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The royal went on to join roundtable discussions with civil society members on current societal issues and the continued violence faced by women and girls in Sierra Leone. She also heard how efforts are being made to tackle these issues - particularly reducing stigma - which is helping more women to report incidents of rape. The mother-of-two also met with women from across government, the armed forces, civil society and communities to celebrate the role they are playing at home and abroad in advocating for peace in other regions. The royal visited Tom Commonwealth Cemetery in Freetown during her second day in Sierra Leone The royal appeared reflective as she studied the graves in the cemetary, and visited the resting place of Sister Jane Margaret Houston The Countess of Wessex touches the headstone of Corporal WG Sharland in King Tom Commonwealth Cemetery in Freetown on the second day of her visit to Sierra Leone She was given a tour of the government chambers of Parliament in Freetown, where she was serenaded and given a gift by local women. She was gifted an embroidered sash from members of a women's parliamentary group during her visit. The royal went on to visit a reception for UK partners at the British High Commissioner's residence in Freetown. Sophie could be seen laughing and joking with attendees before giving a speech to guests at the reception. Sophie went on to visit the Aberdeen Women's Clinic in Freetown on the second day of her visit to Sierra Leone While visiting the unit she joined the female staff at the women's clinic for a selfie outside the maternity unit The royal also met with Amira Kamara, a sexual violence survivor and campaigner, at the Aberdeen Women's Clinic in Freetown She changed into a light blue silk skirt for her visit to the Aberdeen Women's clinic earlier today The royal was also seen chatting to staff and social workers while making her visit to the Aberdeen Women's Clinic in Freetown At least one person was killed and seven others injured including a child after a dispute in front of a McDonald's led to a shooting in downtown Seattle on Wednesday night. Multiple people fired shots, and panicked people fled in different directions, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said, and investigators reviewed evidence to determine how many suspects are at-large. Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said authorities received calls around 5 p.m. Wednesday of multiple gunshot victims. One person, a woman, was found dead in a heavily trafficked area, fire department spokesman David Cuerpo said. "We responded immediately, and we discovered victims at the scene in about a one-block radius," Best said. "Officers immediately started lifesaving measures." It is possible some of the injured fired shots, Best said. Investigators reviewed footage and collected evidence to determine who might have left the scene. Fire officials transported five injured people to Harborview Medical Center, Scoggins said, and two victims went to the hospital on their own for treatment. 'He appears to be doing well': A suburban Seattle man remains the only known US resident with a mysterious new virus Of the seven hospitalized, four were discharged, the hospital said on Twitter. A 55-year-old woman was upgraded to serious condition Thursday, and a 32-year-old man and a 9-year-old boy were in satisfactory condition. Two of the people injured were Amazon employees, according to company spokesperson Jaci Anderson. Both employees were outside the building at the time of the shooting and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. "We are deeply troubled by last nights events in Seattle, and our thoughts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy. Two of our employees were injured, and both are recovering. We are grateful to police and first responders for acting so quickly," Anderson said. In a statement, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he was "horrified and dismayed" by news of the shooting. Story continues "We grieve for the one individual confirmed dead in the shooting and wish a full and speedy recovery to those who were injured," Inslee said. The third shooting in downtown Seattle in two days snarled traffic, forced the temporary delays of light-rail routes and led Amazon to urge its employees to shelter-in-place. A gunman opened fire in downtown Seattle on Wednesday night, killing at least one person and injuring seven others, authorities said. Tyler Parsons was working the register inside the nearby Victrola Coffee Shop when the shooting occurred, the Seattle Times reported. He heard no shots the music is loud in the shop, Parsons said but customers started dropping to the ground. People took cover behind the register. He hustled five or six customers inside a back storage area, along with a co-worker. He waited a couple of minutes before walking back out. Parsons went into the building lobby and saw two victims: one outside, lying in front of the building, injured but alive and moving. The second was inside the lobby, against the security desk, with a gunshot wound to the leg. He muttered, I think I got shot, I think I got shot, Parsons said. Samantha Cook, 40, of Edmonds, said she was refilling her transit card in Westlake Station when she heard the shots. I was on the first set of escalators, Cook said. There were a lot of gunshots that started going off maybe 10 or 11. It was just rapid fire. Contributing: Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle shooting: At least 1 dead, 7 injured in downtown shooting PARIS - January is the quieter of the two couture seasons when it comes to displays of haute joaillerie. With many top clients preferring to spend summer in the City of Light rather than the short chilly days of winter, some houses prefer to keep their shimmering meditations on the power of work done by hand under wraps until later in the year. But not all. Houses like Graff known for its expertise with large diamonds, like the Lesedi La Rona, a 302.37-carat stone that is the worlds largest emerald-cut diamond put on quiet presentations of a handful of new design pieces. Others like Louis Vuitton, which this month announced it had bought the 1,758-carat Sewelo, the second-largest diamond in history put on a showcase of stones. Or in the case of Vuitton, that one very large stone, which will be sent to Antwerp, Belgium, to be cut into smaller stones that can be worked into pieces codesigned by some of the houses most important customers. MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday unveiled his party's new flag which is saffron in colour, setting tongues wagging in political circles about a possible ideological shift. Thackeray unveiled the new flag, which in the centre bears a 'rajmudra' (royal seal used during the times of Shivaji Maharaj at the party's plenary meeting in suburban Goregaon. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue and green colours. Before unveiling the flag, the MNS chief paid tributes to his uncle and late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on the latter's 94th birth anniversary on Thursday. Live TV During the inaugural session of the MNS plenary meet, he also paid respects to Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar besides Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B R Ambedkar and his grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray. The MNS was set up in 2006 after Raj Thackeray split from the Shiv Sena. He was in August last year questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) loan to Kohinoor CTNL. However, Shiv Sena said that s MNS getting a saffron flag will have no impact on Maharashtra politics. Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, '''Raj Thackeray's party changing its agenda and flag will have no bearing on the current political equation in the state.'' Raut added that his party will continue to fight for the Hindutva issue. Galway could gain 1,000 homes north of the city centre as part of a major new redevelopment project. The 20-acre site in Terryland has been assembled by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and Galway City Council from around half a dozen land owners, including the county council and Galway Bay FM. The LDA said an expert architectural panel led by planner John Martin would complete its review of the site by the end of March. It says the brownfield site on Sandy Road - about 1km north of Eyre Square - could be the site of "up to 1,000 new homes, together with employment and leisure spaces as part of a new sustainable neighbourhood". The news for Galway follows a similar announcement earlier this month for Limerick, where an LDA-led redevelopment project could deliver thousands of new homes around that city's main train and bus station. In both cases, developers envisage a potential mix of public and private property development, covering several niches of the housing market, from social to retail. Brendan McGrath, chief executive of Galway City Council, said the project would be essential, given the city's expectation that its population will grow by 50pc to 120,000 by 2040. "Much of this growth will take place in the inner suburbs," Mr McGrath said. "Sandy Road offers a major regeneration opportunity to build a mixed-tenure urban quarter within 15 minutes' walk of Eyre Square. "This will enable very high-quality, modern, sustainable, non-car-based urban living." He said the project would "act as a catalyst for the wider redevelopment of Liosban and the Headford Road area". A Galway council depot currently occupies part of the site. LDA chairman John Moran said: "We would like to see a neighbourhood designed for a new way of living, given its proximity to Galway city centre and key transport links." 3 1 of 3 Mug Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Harris County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A Houston man wanted for allegedly forcing teenage girls to have sex in exchange for food and shelter has been arrested, the Harris County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday. Otis Big Face Tulu Berry turned himself in on charges including sexual assault of a child, trafficking of a child and compelling prostitution. Activist Quanell X facilitated his surrender, the sheriffs office said. iOBED Inc continues its successful campaign of debuting new innovations starting with winning the Best New Product Award at the 2018 KES (Korean Electronic Show) for its Patented Body Sensing Technology. iOBED also successfully debuted its Patented Body Sensing Technology in the SLEEP TECH arena at the 2019 Computer Electronic Show (CES). iOBEDs technology was incorporated into King Koils Smartlife Mattress by King Koil line which was previewed to positive reviews at the Summer Market in Las Vegas. Smartlife Mattress by King Koil is scheduled to launch in the US during the first quarter of 2020. We had a very positive reception from our retail partners who previewed the Smartlife Mattress by King Koil line at last years Summer Market. We are expecting a strong response from the consumer this coming year since our Smartlife Mattress is built with a superb combination of cutting-edge technology and luxurious design, stated David Binke CEO of King Koil. King Koil has exclusive rights to use iOBEDs technology in the USA. iOBED Inc has created proprietary algorithms for its Patented Body Sensing Technology, which automatically adjusts to everyones body shape, height and weight. The technology continuously monitors the individuals sleep position and automatically adjusts to ensure proper sleep posture and pressure relief. Each mattress incorporates eighty (80) individual smart cells and eight (8) independently controlled zones from head to toe. Since everyone has different comfort preferences, iOBED has additionally developed five settings of firmness control so the user can adjust to their personal comfort needs. Further iOBEDs technology incorporates a Smart Alarm which gently wakes you via a wave motion from its Smart Cells. This wave motion can also be used in a Relaxation Mode. iOBEDs Sleep Management System is controlled and communicated via Blue Tooth to your personal smart phone. The US Team of iOBED Inc made up of industry veterans Scott Smalling, Scott Shamley and Raymond Chung will lend their expertise and experience to assist in the roll out of the Smartlife Mattress line. To experience the Smartlife Mattress by King Koil line, please visit showroom A-546 at the Las Vegas World Market Center January 26th thru January 30th 2020. About iOBED: iOBED is a global sleep technology and design company headquartered in South Korea. Since iOBEDs establishment in 2007 they have been manufacturing high quality mattresses which are augmented by a high-tech delivery tracking system they developed in partnership with the countrys largest rental business. iOBED continues to invest heavily into R&D to develop cutting edge sleep technologies and designs for sleep quality improvement. iOBED never sleeps, so you can sleep better. To learn more please visit https://youtu.be/4a6g5xg3r4E, or call Scott Smalling @ 253-312-0653. About King Koil; King Koil was first founded as a bedding company in 1898 and now, King Koil mattresses can be found in more than 80 countries and the company has received many prestigious awards and recognitions in honor of its commitment to quality and service. Currently, the company has over 24 licensees worldwide servicing over 80 countries spanning 6 continents. King Koil products can be found in retail stores and world-class hotels throughout the world. King Koil strives to achieve best-in-class quality and comfort by pursuing the latest sleep technology. King Koils state-of-the-art research and development center, located at its factory in Arizona, provides the opportunity to design, create, test and market research products to engineer the next generation of sleep. To lean more, please visit http://www.kingkoil.com. Saudi Arabia on Wednesday called on the United States to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a meeting with a visiting envoy. The US last month lifted fast-changing Sudan from a blacklist for religious freedom violations, but Khartoum awaits the bigger prize of removal from the terror list. The designation has severely impeded investment in the country, which is emerging from decades of military rule and conflict. Saudi media said the kingdom's state minister for African affairs, Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Kattan, met in Riyadh with the US envoy to Sudan, Donald Booth, and "stressed to Washington the necessity of lifting Sudan from the terrorism list". According to state broadcaster Al-Ekhbaria, the minister emphasised "Saudi Arabia's support for Sudan's security and stability". Washington has included Khartoum on its list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1993 on charges of collaborating with Islamic extremist groups, notably Al-Qaeda. In 2017, the United States lifted trade sanctions imposed on Sudan a decade before but kept Khartoum on its terrorism blacklist alongside Iran, North Korea and Syria. Last October, Saudi Arabia's King Salman met with Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Riyadh to discuss the lifting of the US measures. Sudan has sided with Riyadh against Shiite Iran and provided troops to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen's war against Tehran-backed Huthi rebels. Sudan's long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was pushed out by the military during months-long protests last year. After his downfall, Saudi Arabia and the UAE promised to inject $500 million into Sudan's central bank and $2.5 billion to help provide food, medicine and petroleum products. They did not specify if the money was a gift or a loan. IKEA has recalled millions of its 'Made in India' Troligtvis travel mugs from 400 stores across the world. The company said that it has recalled the product due to excessive levels of chemicals. The Swedish furniture giant asked customers who are using the Troligtvis mugs, marked 'Made in India' to stop using it. IKEA also added that there are no medical issues with the product and this recall is purely a "proactive initiative" for the safety of its customers. "Product safety is one of the biggest priority for IKEA. IKEA urges all customers who have a TROLIGTVIS travel mug marked Made in India to stop using it. Recent test reports show that the product may migrate levels of chemicals exceeding the prescribed limits. There are no medical issues and this is purely a proactive initiative keeping the safety of our customers in mind," IKEA mentioned in a statement. The company also said that customers who bought the travel mugs online would get a full refund and those who bought from the stores can return it and get a full refund. The company said that it does not need any proof of purchase or receipt for the refund. IKEA has been selling the Troligtvis travel mugs since October 2019. While the IKEA website still features the product priced at Rs 129, it also shows that the mug - all its variants - are 'out of stock' in the Hyderabad store. IKEA opened its first store in India in Hyderabad in August 2018. The Hyderabad store is a 4,00,000 sq ft outlet that sells a range of household items and furniture. IKEA sells its products online in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. The company sources from more than 600 suppliers from across the country. While it opened its first offline store recently, IKEA has been sourcing products from India for around 35 years. Also read: IKEA earns Rs 400 crore revenue in India in its first year Also read: IKEA India launches first online store in Mumbai ALEPPO, Syria On Jan. 19, the armed Syrian opposition attacked positions of regime forces and their allied Russian-backed fighters in Abu Dafna village in eastern Idlib province. The opposition inflicted casualties on the regime during the battles and mutual bombardment between the two sides, and responded to ground attacks by regime forces in Idlib province. Regime forces have intensified in recent weeks their ground and air bombing of opposition-held areas in Idlib and western Aleppo provinces, displacing thousands of civilians. Mohamad Rasheed, an activist based in Idlib, told Al-Monitor, The oppositions attack on Abu Dafna village, in eastern Idlib, came after the opposition spotted large military vehicles and regime forces intending to carry out a ground attack there, so it advanced with a counterattack to thwart the regimes plans. The opposition then withdrew from the village after dispersing the enemy crowds and thwarting [the regime's] offensive plans. Regime forces reportedly opened three crossings Jan. 13 in the northwestern Syria province, and Russian special forces and military police were present on the regime-controlled side to secure the passage of civilians wishing to leave the opposition-held areas. On Jan. 11, Russia Today quoted Yuri Burenkov, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Syria reconciliation center at Khmeimim air base in Latakia, as saying the crossings were being opened in response to pleas of civilians in Idlib who want to return to their towns that the regime forces recently took control of in southern and eastern Idlib. Two crossings, he said, are at Abu al-Duhur and al-Habit in southeastern Idlib, and one allows entry from Idlib to al-Hadr in southern Aleppo. However, according to the opposition, the gesture was mere window dressing and no civilians crossed into regime-controlled areas through any of the three crossings, contrary to what media loyal to the Syrian regime and Russia claimed. The opening of the crossings by regime forces and Russia is a hoax and a desperate attempt to improve the image of these forces, which were the reason for the displacement of these civilians from their areas during the past few months, Mohammad Aswad, military commander of the National Liberation Front, which is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), told Al-Monitor. Aswad was present in the area near Abu al-Duhur crossing. He told Al-Monitor civilians did not cross into the regime-controlled areas, and the crossing has been closed for over a year. Activist Fawaz Jwaid, who lives in southern Aleppo, told Al-Monitor al-Hadr/al-Eis is a commercial crossing. "Civilians never used it to cross and are yet [being told] to do so," he said. On Jan. 12, the regime's helicopters had dropped leaflets over Atarib in western Aleppo, as well as over southern Idlib. The regime forces had written on these a call for civilians to leave the area, which they said would be coming under their control. National Liberation Front military commander First Lt. Abu Yaarob told Al-Monitor, The scenario of opening the crossings in the Idlib area has been repeated several times by regime forces. These are false [pretenses] of humanitarianism through which they attempt to appear concerned for the lives of civilians and their safe return home. People will not cross, and Russia and the regime forces will once again claim that the opposition prevented people from crossing. Indeed, on Jan. 18, Syria's official SANA news agency said, "After six consecutive days since the opening of the humanitarian corridors ... the terrorists committed all criminal means to prevent the people wishing to leave their areas of control and reach safe areas that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces freed from terrorism. But humanitarian activist Obaida Dandoush told Al-Monitor the regime's allegations regarding opposition factions preventing civilians from crossing into regime-controlled areas are incorrect. Civilians have revolted against the regime and do not want to return to its areas. They fled from various provinces and did not want to bow to it. Idlib was their only refuge," he said. NLF official spokesman Capt. NLF official spokesman Capt. Naji Mustafa told Al-Monitor, The regime is trying to influence the morale of civilians in Idlib province and terrorize them with the propaganda it promotes through the leaflets delivered by its helicopter. It also uses intense air and ground bombing targeting civilian cities and towns. This psychological pressure and bombardment left people with two options: They can either die under regime shelling or go through the crossings. He added, The regime claims that it has opened humanitarian crossings to preserve the safety of civilians, while it is bombing them and turning their homes into rubble. Civilians know that returning to the regime-controlled areas will expose them to risks, notably detentions and killings in prisons, Mustafa said. For his part, the commander of the FSA-affiliated Syrian National Army, Capt. Mustafa Maarati, told Al-Monitor, Idlib had become a refuge for Syrians who refused to surrender to the Syrian regime from other provinces. They would rather die than return to regime-controlled areas. The FSA factions have not prevented any civilian from going through the crossings; the people simply do not want to. Meanwhile, Mohamed al-Hallaj, director of the Response Coordinators Team, a nongovernmental organization in Idlib province that helps displaced people, also denied that any civilian had crossed into the regime-controlled areas. People are afraid to return for a number of reasons, including fear of arrest and conscription, so the crossings have not seen any traffic, Hallaj told Al-Monitor. Hallaj said the total population of Idlib province is estimated at roughly 4 million people, as it has become, during the past few years, the only destination for the opposition after regime forces took control of southern Syria, eastern Ghouta and the countryside of Homs and other areas. Activist Mohammed al-Hussein recently recorded a brief video posted on Facebook rebutting the claim that civilians had used al-Eis/al-Hadr crossing. He told Al-Monitor, The regime is promoting the return of civilians to its areas, voluntarily, in search of security, but the crossing has not recorded any transit of civilians so far. Goa Police has arrested three Maharashtra-based youth for trying to extort money from state Public works Department (PWD) Minister Deepak Pauskar by threatening him. Pauskar told ANI, "I was receiving threat calls from Mumbai on different occasions during the past a month. They were threatening me that they would defame and even kill me. I had ignored their calls initially, but later decided to hand them over to the police." The extortionists were demanding Rs 3 crore from the minister, as per the probe. He said that the trap was laid this afternoon when they had sent these youths to collect the money. "All the three youth were arrested at the official residence of Pauskar today where they had arrived to collect the extortion amount," Panaji Police told. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BEIJING - China is putting on lockdown a city of 11 million people considered the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak that has killed 17 and infected nearly 600 people, as health authorities around the world work to prevent a global pandemic. The previously unknown coronavirus strain is believed to have emerged late last year from illegally traded wildlife at an animal market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Cases have been detected as far away as the United States, stoking fears the virus is already spreading worldwide. Wuhans local government said it would shut down all urban transport networks and suspend outgoing flights from the city as of 10:00 am on Thursday, state media reported, adding that the government is urging citizens to not leave the city in the absence of special circumstances. Contrasting with its secrecy over the 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people, Chinas government has this time given regular updates to try to avoid panic as millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year holiday. Chinese authorities have confirmed 571 cases and 17 deaths as of end-Wednesday, state television reported on Thursday. There are eight other known cases around the world - Thailand has confirmed four cases, while the United States, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have each reported one. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said during a visit to Wuhan that authorities needed to be open about the spread of the virus and their efforts to contain it, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday, comments likely to reassure global health experts. Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus takes part in a news conference after a meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee for Pneumonia due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV in Geneva, Switzerland, January 22, 2020. Photo: Reuters After a meeting at its Geneva headquarters on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it would decide on Thursday whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency, which would step up the international response. If it does so, it will be the sixth international public health emergency to be declared in the last decade. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva that Chinas actions so far were very strong but called in Beijing to take more and significant measures to limit or minimize the international spread. We stressed to them that by having a strong action not only they will control the outbreak in their country but they will also minimize the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally. So they recognize that, he said. A senior U.S. State Department official also called on China to play a bigger role in global health so they taking more and significant measures to limit or minimize the international spread. The lack of transparency in the past, especially with SARS ... gives us concern that that may be the case here, the official said, adding however that there were positive signs that they have taken action in Wuhan. Fears of a pandemic initially spooked markets but they regained their footing on Wednesday, with investors citing the robust response from authorities as reassuring. A staff member wearing a mask monitors thermal scanners that detect temperatures of passengers at the security check inside the Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 21, 2020. Photo: Reuters Virus spreading The outbreak began in Wuhan, a major transportation hub as well as central Chinas main industrial and commercial center, and has now spread to other major population centers including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. There is no known cure for the virus. Symptoms include fever, difficulty in breathing and cough, similar to many other respiratory illnesses, and can cause pneumonia. Chinese authorities are still investigating the origins of the virus, though they confirmed the outbreak began at a market in Wuhan with illegal wildlife transactions and that it can spread from one person to another via respiratory transmission. Among confirmed patients are 15 medical workers, further adding to worries about a possible global pandemic. Many Chinese were canceling trips, buying face masks, avoiding public places such as cinemas and shopping centers, and even turning to an online plague simulation game as a way to cope. Airports globally stepped up screening passengers from China and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said in a risk assessment that further global spread of the virus was likely. Britain joined other countries including Australia in advising citizens against all but essential travel to Wuhan. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, beats a wooden drum of the Wa ethnic group three times to bless the coming year in Sanjia Village in the city of Tengchong, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 19, 2020. Xi has extended Chinese New Year greetings to all Chinese people during a three-day inspection tour to Yunnan Province which concluded Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) KUNMING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended Chinese New Year greetings to all Chinese people. He wished Chinese people of all ethnic groups a better life and the country greater prosperity in the new year. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a three-day inspection tour of southwest China's Yunnan Province which concluded Tuesday. During a visit to Sanjia Village in the city of Tengchong on Sunday afternoon, Xi learned about poverty alleviation efforts and called for efforts to speed up the development of ethnic minorities and areas with large ethnic minority populations. After joining local villagers in making rice cakes, a traditional local festival food, Xi noted that shaking off poverty is the new starting point, calling for vigorously promoting rural vitalization after China completes the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. According to local custom, Xi beat a wooden drum of the Wa ethnic group three times to bless the coming year. Later that day, Xi went to the old town of Heshun, a gateway on the ancient Southern Silk Road, where he visited a village-level library built over 90 years ago. Visiting the memorial hall of Ai Siqi, a renowned philosopher, Xi said the country needs a large number of talented individuals who can explain the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context well and who can use easy-to-understand language to spread the Party's new theories to more ordinary households. Visiting an ecological wetland of Dianchi Lake in Kunming on Monday, Xi stressed resisting the old way of developing the economy at the cost of the environment. Dianchi Lake, once among the most polluted lakes in China, has seen its ecology greatly improved after years of conservation efforts. Inspecting market supply for Chinese New Year at the Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center, Xi demanded a sufficient supply of safe and reliable goods during the festival. There, Xi extended Chinese New Year greetings to local residents, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese nationals. Xi then went to the former site of the National Southwest Associated University in Kunming. He stressed the close link between education and the fate and future of the country and noted that the goal of China's education system is to nurture a new generation of capable young people who are well-prepared to join the socialist cause. After hearing the work reports of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee and the provincial government on Tuesday morning, Xi encouraged Yunnan to break new ground in promoting ethnic unity and progress, pushing forward ecological conservation, and pursuing greater cooperation with South Asia and Southeast Asia. Xi urged efforts to promote high-quality development, accelerate building a modernized economy, consolidate the achievements in poverty alleviation, boost the healthy and sustainable development of tourism, while continuing to fight air, water and soil pollution. He also required further opening-up to neighboring countries, speeding up the building of connectivity networks and strengthening cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Xi demanded efforts to strengthen governance capacity in border areas and areas with large ethnic minority populations, implement the plans to boost the development of ethnic minority areas and ethnic groups with small populations, step up the fight against cross-border crime, gangs and their "protective umbrellas," and maintain the stability of border areas. On the anti-poverty fight, Xi ordered focusing on areas with extreme poverty, preventing people from falling back into poverty due to illness, injury or the lack of follow-up policies, and further aligning developmental poverty relief with protective poverty relief. On Party building, Xi said the "staying true to the Party's founding mission" campaign should be regarded as a lifelong task for strengthening Party building among all Party members and a source of inspiration in the new era. Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) told reporters Wednesday that House impeachment managers Adam Schiffs focus on the propriety of President Trumps request for an investigation into the Bidens made it critical that Hunter Biden testify about his role on the board of Burisma. I think the House managers made a very serious strategic error today, Cruz told ABC News. Adam Schiffs arguments to open the day today directly drew into question Hunter Biden and made not only his testimony relevant, which it already was, but it is now critical. The Texas Republican explained that if Democrats argue that any allegations of corruption against Hunter Biden and former vice president Joe Biden are a scam, such claims are directly relevant and need to be explored. Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow later declined to comment on Cruzs argument. Cruz first floated the idea of witness reciprocity for testimony from Biden in exchange for the testimony of former national security adviser John Bolton on January 14. In an interview Tuesday with CBS News, Schiff said that Bidens testimony would be immaterial to the case and would not be appropriate, implying that the testimony would amount to a continuation of the same smear campaign that was foiled when his plot was discovered. Hunter Biden, for example, cant tell us anything about whether the president withheld military aid, whether he withheld that aid to coerce Ukraine to conduct political investigations. Or why he wouldnt meet with the president of Ukraine, Schiff said. Thats an illegitimate abuse of the trial. And the chief justice, who may have an opportunity to rule on the materiality of witnesses, as well as the senators, should not permit that kind of abuse. Speaking Wednesday after news that Democrats were allegedly weighing Cruzs swap deal, Schiff again shot down any testimony from the Bidens. They want to use this trial to smear the Bidens. Thats not the purpose of the trial and the senators should not allow it to be abused in that way, Schiff told reporters. More from National Review Some ideas seem small and not overly fruitful in tax savings but believe it or not when one starts doing many of these tax saving activities combined it equates to a significant tax savings. Our clients save an average of over $20,000 per year once they get their Saving Tax Optimization Analysis. Chuck Oliver, President and CEO of The Hidden Wealth Solution will speak at the 9th Annual Spine Surgery Symposium at The Montage Resort in Deer Valley, Utah. Innovasis, an integrated research, development, manufacturing and distributor of spinal implant company, will host this annual event from February 20 23, 2020. Attendees include the top spine surgeons in the United States along with industry distributors. In past symposiums, conference attendees discussed the latest techniques and challenges in spine surgery, patient safety and quality of care, innovative technologies, spinal deformities, and healthcare economics. As the keynote speaker at this prestigious symposium Oliver will present key changes in retirement tax laws for 2020 and how symposium attendees can better prepare financially for their retirement years with learning the top techniques in saving taxes for high income earners. Oliver stated I am honored to have been asked to speak at this prestigious event. I look forward to sharing my financial insights with such a fine group of talented professionals. As people work through their career their investments often times lose importance until its too late to make corrections that can provide significant results. People contribute to their IRA, 401K or even their pension and dont take the time to look closely at the taxes they are paying and will be facing in the future, then take it one step further, they dont look to how they can legally reduce their taxes so they save more in the long run for retirement. With the change in tax laws and the uncertainty of the 2020 presidential election now is the time people should look closely at their retirement planning and investment changes to allow for any upcoming market correction protection. The time has never been more important in learning how to protect money than in 2020. Oliver and his team of financial advisors at The Hidden Wealth Solution help Baby Boomers and Retirees thrive in retirement. They teach wealth creation and preservation solutions to ensure security and safety. Throughout 2019 the team at The Hidden Wealth Solution have written several articles that discuss how to save on taxes, the best claiming Social Security benefits strategies, protection from the newly passed The SECURE Act and several others. In the article written about how to save on taxes, Oliver addresses the top ways to save including why strategic tax planning has never been more important, contributing to an IRA is not the best way to retirement plan, importance of HSAs, alternatives to 529 college planning, contributing to a health savings account (HSA) and if you are self-employed optimizing all the strategic tax savings advantages like the 14 day rental rule and even setting up a home office where you can deduct home office expenses that can save money on your taxes. Oliver added some ideas seem small and not overly fruitful in tax savings but believe it or not when one starts doing many of these tax saving activities combined it equates to a significant tax savings. Our clients save an average of over $20,000 per year once they get their Saving Tax Optimization Analysis. By incorporating these tax saving solutions one can experience a substantial savings. To learn more on the top ways to save on taxes with the new IRS recently passed rules, request your short, easy to read copy of Retirement and Your Taxes guide, how to protect your retirement from taxes at http://www.TaxesSaved.com. Oliver invites consumers looking ahead to retirement to join him on a complimentary wealth protection webinar where he will discuss various tax saving strategies that will have a long-term positive impact on ones investment portfolio. The next January webinar is scheduled for Tuesday January 28th. February webinars are scheduled for February 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. Participants can elect to register for the 11AM EST, 3PM EST, 7PM EST, 8PM EST or 10PM EST webinar. This webinar is free to participate in, to register online visit: https://retirementprotected.com/. For those interested in hearing more they are invited to follow Oliver over the radio airways across the U.S. Every Saturday and Sunday Oliver hosts a weekly wealth preservation radio show in Orlando, FL, Tampa, FL, Jacksonville, FL, Dayton, OH and Phoenix, AZ. Oliver addresses a variety of topics during his hour-long broadcast on investment and retirement. Topics discussed include taxation, tax brackets, the tax act, SECURE Act, and how the turmoil in Washington may affect future market performance. Consumers nearing retirement are highly encouraged to tune in to learn more. In Orlando, Oliver can be heard on Newsradio 93.1FM/540AM WFLA on Saturdays at 11AM EST and on Sundays at 1PM EST. In Jacksonville on News 104.5FM WOKV Oliver can be heard on Sundays at 11AM EST, in Tampa on Newsradio 970AM WFLA on Sundays at 11AM EST, in Phoenix on NewsTalk 550 KFYI on Sundays at 11AM MST and in Dayton on News Talk Radio WHIO 95.7FM and AM1290 on Sundays at 9AM EST. Each radio show is archived on the The Hidden Wealth Solutions website at: https://thehiddenwealthsolution.com/hidden-wealth-radio/ The Hidden Wealth solution is located at 250 International Parkway, Suite 146, Lake Mary, FL 32746. For more information or to schedule an appointment with one of their top financial advisors, visit online at https://thehiddenwealthsolution.com/ or call 1-800-825-1766 or 407-478-1599. In his second State of the State speech, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday said he will create a new commission to draw nonpartisan political maps and unveiled a number of proposals to boost Wisconsins ailing dairy industry. In his remarks to lawmakers and state officials, Evers took aim at a number of issues lawmakers either rejected or didnt fully address during the past year. One of those proposals is a process for drawing nonpartisan political maps in the state, which some experts say is one of the most heavily gerrymandered in the country. Republicans rejected Evers call for a nonpartisan redistricting process that he included in his state budget last year, but Evers now says he will issue an executive order to create a nonpartisan commission that will draw political maps and present them to the Legislature. Its unclear the extent to which a nonpartisan commission could influence the states political maps without other changes to state law. The governor, I think, proposed something unconstitutional this evening, said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau. He knows how it works and he knows that the Legislature has the responsibility, per the constitution, to draw not only the legislative maps, but the congressional maps as well. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, vowed that Republicans will go through our process. Under Wisconsin law, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state Legislature and are subject to veto by the governor every 10 years. In past decades due to split party control of state government, the maps have been resolved by state and federal courts. In 2011, Republicans, with full control of state government, were able to draw maps that allowed them to win 63 out of 99 Assembly seats this session despite Democrats sweeping all statewide offices in the 2018 election. When more than 80 percent of our state supports medical marijuana, 80 percent support universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders, and 70 percent support expanding Medicaid, and elected officials can ignore those numbers without consequence, folks, somethings wrong, Evers said. The will of the people is the law of the land, and by golly, the people should not take no for an answer. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul said the proposed commission is legal. Ultimately, the maps have to be passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, Kaul said. Having a process where the public has input is not only constitutional but its the way we should be drawing our maps in Wisconsin. Dairy industry Evers on Wednesday also called on the Legislature to pass a package of bills addressing the states troubled dairy industry, which has been plagued by tough economic conditions. The governor said he plans to convene a special session of the Legislature next week. Evers said hell announce a package of bills that would create the Wisconsin Initiative for Dairy Exports and set a goal of increasing Wisconsins dairy exports to 20% of the U.S. milk supply by 2024 through boosting efficiency in small and medium farms and building up the states dairy brand. Evers also wants lawmakers to pass a bill that would connect farmers with buyers such as universities, technical colleges, hospitals and local businesses. He also vowed to expand the Farm Center and boost staffing at UW-Extension to better assist farmers, and said he plans to create a new farmer mental health program to assist farmers in accessing mental health support. To continue his focus on farmers and rural issues, Evers also said hell create the Office of Rural Prosperity within the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to help people access programs addressing rural needs. Initial reaction Im interested to hear what hes come up with as far as legislation that would assist agriculture, Fitzgerald said. The governor is right, were losing two dairy farms a day and were all ears when it comes to what hes going to propose and whether or not its something we can get bills drafted on and through the full Legislature. Before the end of this session, thats pretty aggressive so well see how it works out. Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said he found Evers message to be very positive and he looked forward to getting specifics on the farm bills. Well wait and see what those details are, but weve got to remain hopeful, he said. (Republicans) will have to choose between continuing to block the governor from getting wins or supporting our dairy industry and well see. Short and sweet Evers also highlighted education, pledging to create a student debt task force to address the issue. Fitzgerald described Evers speech, which came in at about 33 minutes, as short and sweet. It wasnt the shortest in recent years, however, as former Gov. Scott Walkers 2015 State of the State address was about 24 minutes. With Republicans in control of the Assembly and Senate, the former educators first year in office came with its share of partisan battles, including disagreements over his appointed cabinet heads and efforts by Republicans to limit his power. Divided government stalled attempts to appease constituents on both sides of the aisle: Republicans refused to take up gun control measures and marijuana legalization; Evers vetoed GOP-driven anti-abortion bills and tax cuts. As I reflect on my first year in office, although there were setbacks and occasional political posturing what I call huffing and puffing we also had a lot of success, and I am proud of everything we accomplished in just a years time, Evers said. Despite disagreements with the Republicans who control the Legislature, Evers largely avoided calling out Republicans. Instead, he highlighted the bipartisan bills he signed and the state budget he and Republicans approved that moved some issues forward for the first time in a generation. One of the things Im most proud of is that more than 95 percent of the bills I signed my first year in office had bipartisan support, Evers said. Friction lingers However, Republican leaders on Wednesday criticized Evers for a lack of bipartisanship. What youre going to hear tonight, I believe, is all things based on polling, Vos told reporters Wednesday. Bipartisanship, he said, actually requires people sitting down and compromising in a give-and-take that we have not seen from the Evers administration. Vos noted a package of bills introduced this week by Evers aimed at curbing youth vaping. He said the bills should be easy, bipartisan, something that should be a layup, but added the bills did not include GOP input. The clash between Evers and the GOP-led Assembly and Senate began with sweeping lame-duck legislation aimed at limiting the incoming governors power. The legislation, which was signed by Walker in late 2018, before Evers took office, has yet to see a final resolution in the courts, while the taxpayer cost has surpassed $2.1 million. Republican leadership in the Assembly has said they expect to adjourn the session by the end of February. The Senate is not expected to stay in session much longer than that. From nonpartisan redistricting and investing in our rural communities, to addressing youth vaping and capping the cost of insulin, to closing the dark store loophole and getting PFAS out of our water, weve got work to do, Evers said. Theres no rest for the elected, folks, and weve got a lot to get done before anyone takes a vacation. Earlier this month Evers assigned homework to Republican legislative leaders, requesting that they pass a number of bills in the new year. The request drew sharp criticism from GOP lawmakers. Contrary to what the administration might believe, we havent been sitting around for the last 13 months waiting for a homework assignment to get legislative priorities done, Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, said Wednesday. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CAMBRIDGE, MA -- After a patient has a heart attack or stroke, doctors often use risk models to help guide their treatment. These models can calculate a patient's risk of dying based on factors such as the patient's age, symptoms, and other characteristics. While these models are useful in most cases, they do not make accurate predictions for many patients, which can lead doctors to choose ineffective or unnecessarily risky treatments for some patients. "Every risk model is evaluated on some dataset of patients, and even if it has high accuracy, it is never 100 percent accurate in practice," says Collin Stultz, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT and a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. "There are going to be some patients for which the model will get the wrong answer, and that can be disastrous." Stultz and his colleagues from MIT, the MIT-IBM AI Lab, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have now developed a method that allows them to determine whether a particular model's results can be trusted for a given patient. This could help guide doctors to choose better treatments for those patients, the researchers say. Stultz, who is also a professor of health sciences and technology, a member of MIT's Institute for Medical Engineering and Sciences and Research Laboratory of Electronics, and an associate member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, is the senior author of the new study. MIT graduate student Paul Myers is the lead author of the paper, which appears today in Digital Medicine. Modeling risk Computer models that can predict a patient's risk of harmful events, including death, are used widely in medicine. These models are often created by training machine-learning algorithms to analyze patient datasets that include a variety of information about the patients, including their health outcomes. While these models have high overall accuracy, "very little thought has gone into identifying when a model is likely to fail," Stultz says. "We are trying to create a shift in the way that people think about these machine-learning models. Thinking about when to apply a model is really important because the consequence of being wrong can be fatal." For instance, a patient at high risk who is misclassified would not receive sufficiently aggressive treatment, while a low-risk patient inaccurately determined to be at high risk could receive unnecessary, potentially harmful interventions. To illustrate how the method works, the researchers chose to focus on a widely used risk model called the GRACE risk score, but the technique can be applied to nearly any type of risk model. GRACE, which stands for Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events, is a large dataset that was used to develop a risk model that evaluates a patient's risk of death within six months after suffering an acute coronary syndrome (a condition caused by decreased blood flow to the heart). The resulting risk assessment is based on age, blood pressure, heart rate, and other readily available clinical features. The researchers' new technique generates an "unreliability score" that ranges from 0 to 1. For a given risk-model prediction, the higher the score, the more unreliable that prediction. The unreliability score is based on a comparison of the risk prediction generated by a particular model, such as the GRACE risk-score, with the prediction produced by a different model that was trained on the same dataset. If the models produce different results, then it is likely that the risk-model prediction for that patient is not reliable, Stultz says. "What we show in this paper is, if you look at patients who have the highest unreliability scores -- in the top 1 percent -- the risk prediction for that patient yields the same information as flipping a coin," Stultz says. "For those patients, the GRACE score cannot discriminate between those who die and those who don't. It's completely useless for those patients." The researchers' findings also suggested that the patients for whom the models don't work well tend to be older and to have a higher incidence of cardiac risk factors. One significant advantage of the method is that the researchers derived a formula that tells how much two predictions would disagree, without having to build a completely new model based on the original dataset. "You don't need access to the training dataset itself in order to compute this unreliability measurement, and that's important because there are privacy issues that prevent these clinical datasets from being widely accessible to different people," Stultz says. Retraining the model The researchers are now designing a user interface that doctors could use to evaluate whether a given patient's GRACE score is reliable. In the longer term, they also hope to improve the reliability of risk models by making it easier to retrain models on data that include more patients who are similar to the patient being diagnosed. "If the model is simple enough, then retraining a model can be fast. You could imagine a whole suite of software integrated into the electronic health record that would automatically tell you whether a particular risk score is appropriate for a given patient, and then try to do things on the fly, like retrain new models that might be more appropriate," Stultz says. ### The research was funded by the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab. Other authors of the paper include MIT graduate student Wangzhi Dai; Kenney Ng, Kristen Severson, and Uri Kartoun of the Center for Computational Health at IBM Research; and Wei Huang and Frederick Anderson of the Center for Outcomes Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Audible has selected Hamilton County Schools for participation in their Student Technology Program that provides free audiobooks for students in grades eight through 12. Audible provides the students and their English language arts teachers, with an Audible account providing free access to a collection of 80 titles commonly used in grades eight-12. The Audible program provides Hamilton County Schools with 18,000 free subscriptions during the 2019-2020 school year and is available to students in the Missionary Ridge Learning Community. Students and staff have activated over 6,000 Audible accounts at the half-way point in the school year. Through this offering from Audible, I believe it possible to inspire new reading in ways we have never been able to support before, said Larrie Reynolds, executive director of the Missionary Ridge Learning Community. This effort is to support our expectation in Missionary Ridge that all students read at least ten books per school year. The new Audible feature will not only offer better access to reading through listening to books but also specific titles that are in our curriculum for each grade.Many of the free titles available in the program also provide captions for readers, a feature enabling readers to follow along with computer-generated text as they listen to the audio performance. Students can click on words to see definitions, Wikipedia entries and access translations into over twenty languages to help improve reading comprehension. Students will be able to access their accounts in school or at home on their smartphones. In addition to the school collection, all participants will receive 12 free credits, which they can use to download 12 titles from the Audible catalog of over 450,000 titles. The additional free books will provide students with the opportunity to pursue topics and books of interest, beyond classroom required reading. The Audible accounts provide safeguards to minimize the possibility that objectionable material will fall into the hands of students. Audible equips all accounts for Hamilton County Schools with a "safe filter," which prevents mature content from being listed in search results. Also, all students using the Audible program are required to have a parental permission slip signed to participate and download books.I like to both listen to the book and read along while using the Audible app, said Julia Murphy, a ninth-grader at East Hamilton School. The app helps me to analyze better the book we are reading for class.School districts across the states of Alaska, South Carolina, Mississippi and North Dakota are participating in the Audible program this school year. In addition to Hamilton County, other single school districts participating in the Audible program include Denver, Co.; Seattle, Wa.; Miami-Dade and Broward County, in Fl.; Kansas City, Mo.; Tulsa, Ok.; Pasadena, Ca.; Helena, Mt.; and Newark and Lawrenceville, NJ. Through access to the free Audible accounts, students: Build content knowledge - Listening while reading content-rich texts, especially texts a student may struggle to read without audio assistance, can greatly expand a students knowledge-base and equip students with the tools to tackle complex texts independently. Build vocabulary and word recognition - Whether hearing a word read fluently in context or utilizing tools to immediately see a definition while reading, audio, and captions technologies match the way many people learn new words. Improve fluency - From using audio to engage with a text multiple times, to hearing a book read fluently, the variety of uses of audio and audio with captions can positively influence the multiple variables involved in improving fluency Improve listening comprehension - The combination of skills increases the likelihood of independent listening comprehension, which can lead to improved reading comprehension. This program provides access to books and makes the notion of reading more convenient for our kids," added Dr. Reynolds. Most of our kids are simply not reading enough, and this effort will eliminate the barrier of access. Chinese authorities have put a second city near the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak under lockdown. Planes and trains have been banned from leaving Huanggang, a city to the east of the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan, in a move to contain the disease, which has killed 17 people so far. Residents in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, were told on Thursday not to leave "without a special reason" and most transport was suspended. Hours later, neighbouring Huanggang, a city of about 6 million people was placed under a similar lockdown, with flights and trains cancelled. Buses, subways and ferries have been suspended. Health officials are scrambling to contain the pneumonia-like virus that has already spread to other countries including Singapore, which on Thursday confirmed its first case. Large-scale Lunar New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled and people have been advised to avoid crowded places over the busy Spring Festival. The city government said it would call off events including temple fairs that usually draw shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, and the Forbidden City, a popular tourist attraction in the heart of the capital, will close starting on Saturday. Growing panic In China's seventh biggest city Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, residents said a sense of fear was growing as the city went into lockdown. "We feel as though it is the end of the world," said one Wuhan resident on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform, voicing concerns about shortages of food and disinfectant. "We really need everyone's help." Another described being on the "verge of tears" when the de facto quarantine was announced, with the misery compounded by it coming on the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday. Wuhan's train station and airport, which should have been packed with people coming travelling for holiday family reunions, were almost empty except for workers on Thursday afternoon. WHO to meet Few people were seen in the streets of the city and all were wearing masks. The respiratory virus has claimed 17 lives since emerging from a seafood and animal market in Wuhan, infected nearly 600 other people nationwide and been detected as far away as the United States The Geneva-based World Health Organization said it would hold an emergency meeting Wednesday night to decide whether to designate the outbreak as an international public health emergency. Meanwhile, the railway station in a third nearby city, Ezhou, which has a population of over one million, will also close from tonight. French response As airports around the world increase health screenings and monitor flights arriving from China, France has announced that all international airports in the country are to provide passengers with information on the coronavirus and its symptoms. Health minister Agnes Buzyn has confirmed that so far no suspected cases of the coronavirus have been reported. The spread of a mysterious respiratory virus has prompted the authorities to limit travel in cities in China, including Wuhan, where the disease was first found last month. It has since spread across the nation and to at least 10 other countries. The outbreak intensified just before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday on Friday, when hundreds of millions of people were traveling across China. Many people who work and live in Wuhan and the surrounding area are now spending time with their families in other parts of the country. Epidemiologists fear that could make the virus harder to contain. Heres a look at the public health crisis in photographs. Tuesday Islamic State planned pan-India module, wanted to undertake wave of revenge killings India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: The Tamil Nadu police have booked four persons under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly raising funds and recruiting for the Islamic State. The police said that these persons were spreading extreme Islamist ideas in the villages through various chat applications. The police rounded up three persons and booked them under the stringent provisions of the UAPA. The cops further said that there is a fourth person involved in this case and he is on the run. He is accused of sending funds to recruit youth into the ISIS. These persons are also accused of killing a special sub-inspector, Wilson near Kanyakumari. The police suspect that this was an act of revenge. The ISIS along with its local feeder outfits has drawn up a hit list of several persons, who have stood in their way. A police officer tells OneIndia that busting this module was crucial as they were planning on carrying out a series of targeted killings. New ISIS leader: Iraqi law graduate Al-Salbi steps into shoes of Baghdadi who died during US raid Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News The coordinated action by the Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police led to the busting of this module. These persons had held meetings in several places including at Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There are in all 11 persons who were part of this module and they had planned on launching violent Jihad nationwide. This module was, however, not trying to send any of its recruits abroad. They wanted to build a pan-India module and launch strikes at various places. The main intent was revenge killings and targeted murders in a bid to stoke communal tensions, the police say. Rampurhat : In a shocking incident, the house of a 20-year-old woman was set on fire by a mob in West Bengal's Bibrbhum district on Wednesday, following rumours that she was collecting data for the proposed nationwide NRC. The police clarified that the incident was linked to the NRC. Khatun has been working for an NGO on contract. In partnership with an online firm, the NGO was training rural women to use smart phones effectively. The woman collected some general data, as part of the training, which was misinterpreted as NRC data. France will further bolster its anti-jihadist force in the Sahel, on top of 220 reinforcement soldiers already sent recently to try to stem a spiral of violence in the region, the country's top general said Wednesday. Defence chief of staff Francois Lecointre told reporters in Paris he would detail the "profile and composition" of the proposed troop buildup to President Emmanuel Macron in the coming days. France has a 4,500-member force in the Sahel region, recently reinforced with a further 220 soldiers, to train and assist local forces fighting an increasingly deadly insurgency in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania and Chad. Thousands of civilians have been killed and more than a million displaced, with hundreds of troops killed, including dozens of French soldiers. Further reinforcements will be accompanied by "additional logistical and intelligence tools," said Lecointre, with efforts concentrated on the Liptako-Gourma region where the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger borders meet. "Today in this extremely vast zone, the means at Operation Barkhane's disposal are not sufficient for us to have soldiers deployed 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said, using the official name for France's Sahel mission. A locally raised G5 Sahel force is also focusing its efforts in the three-border area recently targeted by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group for a number of deadly attacks. France has been working on creating a new European special forces operation dubbed Takuba, which Lecointre said "will be fully operational by this autumn." - 'Not there yet' - "From a tactical point of view, this is what gives us hope that we will reach a tipping point," Lecointre said, while conceding he foresaw a "long engagement." "I do not think, despite this boost, we will be able to claim victory by year's end," he said. Macron hosted his counterparts from the five Sahel countries in southwest France earlier this month, when he announced the deployment of the 220 extra troops for the Barkhane operation and urged the United States to keep its own soldiers engaged in the anti-terror fight in Africa. Lecointre also said the French and Russian armies have been in talks for several months to try to find common ground on some the world's major crises, in a bid to "avoid confrontations that would be unfortunate for them as for us". Perhaps in the future, "we could envisage the possibility of joint operational preparations," he said, though "we are not there yet." Macron said last November that it was crucial to seek a rapprochement with Russia, in an interview in which he said NATO was suffering from "brain death," drawing criticism from many of France's allies. Lecointre on Wednesday singled out the unrest-plagued Central African Republic, where Moscow is training and arming troops seeking to stem violence by armed groups fighting over mineral resources. He called it a "laboratory to test the goodwill proclaimed by Russia to be a partner in the resolution of crises, and not someone who wants to use these crises for the purposes of destabilisation." William & Mary common book author to visit campus and community One Book One Community Tommy Orange, author of bestselling novel "There There," will visit W&M's campus Thursday and Friday. by Elena Seibert Photo - of - Hide Caption Award-winning author Tommy Orange, whose novel There There was selected by the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences as the common book offering for all incoming freshman, will visit the William & Mary campus and also participate in community events on Jan. 23-24 as part of the Williamsburg Regional Public Librarys One Book One Community initiative. The novel deals with issues of identity and displacement in the urban Native American community, said John Donahue, dean for educational policy, who coordinates the common book program. It provides an entry point for considering issues related to diversity, equity and justice. On Thursday evening, Orange will participate in an on-stage conversation about his novel moderated by Professor Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, director of the American Indian Resource Center and administrator of the interdisciplinary native studies minor, to be followed by a reception hosted by W&M Libraries. The author will spend Friday on campus meeting various student and faculty groups. His visit will conclude on Friday evening with an event at the Williamsburg Regional Public Library (WRPL). WRPLs new One Book One Community initiative brings readers of Williamsburg, W&M and the surrounding counties together for a shared reading experience. Its really a great opportunity to bring together our campus community and our broader community, said Tami Back, director of communications and strategic planning at W&M Libraries. It brings everyone together to read a common book and then we have discussions and different activities around that book. The initiative featured a lineup of events throughout January, including screenings of the Emmy Award-winning documentary Alcatraz is Not an Island, meetings of several book groups and informative talks, and it continues with Oranges visit. Were really excited to be able to bring him here, Back said. To be able to read the book and hear from the author we think is a pretty exciting piece of the program. Its been a group effort to get him here. Arts & Sciences has played a huge role, the Office of First Year Experience and the libraries of course, so its really been a large effort on the part of the university to bring him here. A native of Oakland, California, Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. He graduated from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is a 2014 MacDowell Fellow and a 2016 Writing By Writers Fellow. I want to help build momentum and get more native voices out there, Orange told the New York Times. Its a really powerful thing to be a part of a native writing community. There There, a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, intertwines the stories of 12 Native Americans living in Oakland. It was a national bestseller and ranked as one of the Top 10 books of 2018 by the New York Times. It won numerous awards, including the PEN/Hemingway Award, the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and an American Book Award. It was also one of former President Barack Obamas favorite books of 2018, a distinction Orange spoke about on Late Night With Seth Meyers. The fact that he referenced it in his list is a big affirmation, Orange told Meyers. Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Russians with the attempted murder of three men whose poisoning is being investigated by Sofia for possible links with the 2018 nerve-agent attack on ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal. The prosecutors did not name the three Russians, but said European arrest warrants had been issued and that they would seek their extradition to Bulgaria. The three are accused of trying to kill arms factory owner and trader Emilian Gebrev and two other Bulgarians in Sofia between April 28 and May 4, 2015 by 'intoxication with an unidentified organophosphorus substance,' the prosecutors said in a statement. A CCTV image of the suspected GRU agent allegedly involved in the Gebrev poisoning The suspected GRU agent allegedly involved in the Gebrev poisoning They said the method used was 'dangerous to the lives of many'. Gebrev and the two other victims fell ill but survived. The investigation into the poisoning was reopened in 2018 after Gebrev told prosecutors he had reason to believe the substance used on him might have been similar to Novichok, the nerve agent used against Skripal in Salisbury in England. In February last year, Bulgaria said it was investigating a possible link between their poisoning and the attack on Skripal and his daughter, both of whom survived. At the time, prosecutors said a Russian man by the name of Sergei Fedotov visited Bulgaria three times in 2015 and was there in April when Gebrev was poisoned. The attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal (right) in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on March 4 left the Russian former double agent and his daughter Yulia (left) critically ill In October 2018, Russian news website Fontanka named Fedotov, who it said worked for the country's GRU military intelligence service, as a suspect in the Skripal case. Investigative website Bellingcat previously named Denis Sergeev, who used the alias Sergei Fedotov, as a 45-year-old member of the GRU who arrived in Britain on the same day as the two suspected attackers, 48 hours before the poisoning which happened on March 4, 2018. New information suggests he took on a 'supervising, coordinating role' in the attack, the website said following investigations alongside the BBC. Sources told the BBC's Newsnight programme that Sergeev holds the rank of major general in the Russian military intelligence service. Moscow never comments on the identity of GRU staff, but has denied involvement in the poisoning of Skripal. Denis Sergeev, the third suspect (inset), has his movements across London shown last year: March 2: Gatwick to Paddington. March 3: Embankment Station to Salisbury. March 4: Paddington to Salisbury and then the Skripal's home (Wilton Road) before flying back to Moscow The movements of the original two suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov (inset): RED, first two suspects March 2: Gatwick, to Victoria, then Waterloo and on to the City Stay Hotel. March 3: Waterloo, to City Stay, to Salisbury. March 4: Skripals' home (Wilton Road), leave on a flight to Moscow. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman declined to give detailed comment on Thursday but said the Russian embassy in Bulgaria was probably following developments. In December, Sotir Tsatsarov, at the time Bulgaria's chief prosecutor, said he saw a close link between the people involved in the crimes in Bulgaria and England as a suspect in the Skripal case was in Sofia when Gebrev was poisoned. Medical history shows that the nurse, who was working in the Asir Abha Al Hayat National Hospital, had contracted the infection from a Filipino woman who was being treated in the hospital. Hyderabad: The confirmation of coronavirus in a nurse from Kerala working in Saudi Arabia is the first case of an Indian health worker being affected by the virus. Before this reported case, only people who have travelled to or from Wuhan in China who have been infected. Earlier, reports confirmed that 30 nurses working at the Azir Aba Al Hayat Hospital in Saudi Arabia were isolated and quarantined. Of these, the samples of 20 were sent for laboratory investigations. However, authorities said only one nurse was infected with the virus and the rest were quarantined as preventive measure. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday so-ught the external affairs ministers intervention to ensure proper medical care for Malayalee nurses who have been quarantined for coronavirus in the Saudi hospital. Malayalees send SoS to Indian Embassy This followed the Malayalee nurses sending a message to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh complaining that they were not being given proper medical care or food by the hospital authorities. Medical history shows that the nurse, who was working in the Asir Abha Al Hayat National Hospital, had contracted the infection from a Filipino woman who was being treated in the hospital. Dr Mustufa Afzal, clinical microbiologist and infection specialist, explained, This is the case of human to human transmission, where the spread is through contact and air droplets. This means that they have to take standard precautions of hand hygiene, wearing of N 95 respiratory masks, segregation of linens and isolation of patients. Transfer to a health worker means that they have to be very careful as their touch is a virus-carrier. They have to wear gloves, disposable gowns, shoe covers before entering any isolation ward. Healthcare workers have to refrain from touching their own eyes, nose and mouth with gloves during patient care, Dr Afzal said. A senior government health worker explained, Transfer of virus to a caregiver is an indication of transmission levels. The isolation that has been practiced in swine flu will have to be followed for the new corona virus too. According to an AFP report, V. Muraleedharan, Kerala minister of state for foreign affairs, said, About 100 Indian nurses working at Al-Hayat Hospital have been tested. None except one nurse was found infected by corona virus. The affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well. Cameroon's Anglophone Separatists Turn to Infighting By Moki Edwin Kindzeka January 22, 2020 Clashes between separatist groups in Cameroon have killed at least six fighters, with one of the groups allegedly abducting close to 40 rebels of another camp. Separatist leaders have blamed the clashes on infiltration by Cameroon's military. But the military says the clashes are an internal rivalry for power among the separatist groups. Cameroonian rebel leader Chacha posted a video clip on social media Sunday calling for all separatists to unite under his Southern Cameroon Restoration Forces after clashes between rebel groups. In the video, Chacha is dressed in a red suit, with a long black cross on the back, and standing with four supporters all armed with rifles. He says if anybody attempts to betray their struggle to gain independence, he Chacha will kill such a traitor as he is killing Cameroon soldiers that have been sent by President Biya to eliminate true separatist fighters. Cameroon's military says the self-proclaimed general posted the video after he killed several members of competing rebel groups. Chacha admitted to killing other separatists. Villagers on Saturday found six bodies in Meluf village, in northwestern Cameroon. Local media and the Catholic Church in Cameroon report that Chacha has abducted close to 40 rebel fighters who he accused of helping the military. Tapang Ivo Tanku is the U.S.-based spokesperson of the Anglophone Defense Forces (ADF), another Cameroon rebel group. Speaking via a messaging app, he said the abducted and killed fighters were ADF. Tanku said the clashes between rebel groups fighting to separate the English-speaking regions from the rest of French-speaking Cameroon played into the hands of the military. "Our soldiers who were killed were initially kidnapped by Chacha and Chacha went on to kill them. So, it is a war crime and it is strictly a crime against humanity and the violation of the Geneva conventions. And this is exactly what the regime of neighboring Cameroon wants to see in Ambazonia. It violates the Geneva conventions for the respect of prisoners or war," he said. Separatists have been fighting to establish a state they call "Ambazonia" since 2016. Tanku accused Cameroon's military of infiltrating rebel groups to instigate the separatists' infighting. But the military says the clashes represent a rivalry for power among the separatist groups. Brigadier General Valere Nka is commander of Cameroon's military forces fighting against the separatists. "I want to issue a strong warning to the so-called generals, the fake generals, Chacha, Tiger, Field Marshal and all the rest," he said. "We already know their hideouts, their whereabouts. We are going to step up military operations and, if they do not lay down their weapons, we are going to strike and crush them." Clashes between Cameroon's rebel groups have intensified in the past two months, with a number of attacks reported in the northwest and southwest. The Bamenda Center for Conflict Resolution's Innocent Fomo says the infighting may mark the beginning of the end to the separatist conflict. He says many people in the two regions are losing faith in the struggle for independence. "The whole issue now is very confusing," he said. "They say they are fighting for the Anglophones. And now, they are fighting themselves and even the Anglophones. It is terrible. A lot of people are fleeing from the [English-speaking] regions because of the kidnappings and asking for ransom and there are the Amba[zonian] fighters kidnapping the people." Since December, several villages in Cameroon's Anglophone west have launched assaults on rebel camps over attacks on civilians and looting villages. The angry villagers say they do not know who to trust, as they say the military commits similar crimes against them. The separatist conflict has killed about 3,000 people, many of them villagers caught up in the fighting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address French President visits Western Wall during his Israel trip Macron is one of dozens of world leaders attending World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem, which will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. French President Emmanuel Macron stood before the ancient stones of Jerusalems Western Wall on Wednesday, marking the first such high-level visit since former French president Jacques Chiracs tense trip to the Old City in 1996. "I FEEL THE HISTORY HERE" The Western Wall is part of Judaisms most holy site, the Temple Mount, and is the only remaining part of the Jewish Temple compound that stood there before it was destroyed 2,000 years ago. French President visits Western Wall during his Israel trip WATCH The 42-year-old head of state had seen his visit to St. Anne as a symbolic stop underscoring Frances historical influence in the region. Before heading to the church, Macron walked through Jerusalems Old City, stopping by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I feel the holiness and the history here, Macron said. He later visited the Muslim Noble Sanctuary that houses al-Aqsa mosque, a site revered by Jews as Temple Mount, and prayed at Judaisms Western Wall, touching the ancient stones. The two have been engaged in a bitter dispute for months, with each accusing the other of trying to rewrite and weaponize history: Putin has sought to portray the Soviet Union as having saved the world from Nazism and to ignore its own 1939 nonaggression pact with Germany, and has framed Poland as more a perpetrator than a victim of the Holocaust. Duda argues that the Soviet agreement with Germany paved the way to war and that Putin is reviving old Stalinist propaganda as a modern-day cudgel. A Metropolitan Police officer has been cleared of using unlawful force after striking a teenager with a baton when conducting a stop-and-search. Detective Constable Kevin Rowley was found not guilty of assault by beating following a trial at Hendon Magistrates' Court. The court heard how Rowley struck the male some five times with his baton after he and a colleague tried to perform a stop-and-search on two youths on Heath Park Road in Romford, east London. Footage of the incident went viral on social media, which appeared to show the complainant, 18-year-old Tyrell Vassell, shouting "You can't do this" and "I'm a child". Arabella MacDonald, prosecuting, said it was the crown's case that the use of force on April 22 last year was "unlawful" and that Rowley had been exaggerating about Mr Vassell's behaviour. But passing verdict, District Judge Tan Ikram said: "I don't find he was exaggerating. In fact, some of the witnesses went so far as to say (Mr Vassell) was uncontrollable." Mr Ikram said the prosecution had not satisfied him that the force used was unreasonable. He added: "What the prosecution have not done is satisfy me that when the officer acted at the time, that he was using force which was not reasonable. "Therefore, for these reasons, I find the defendant not guilty." Rowley, an officer with the Met for over 16 years, sat mostly with his head in his hands as the verdict was handed down on Thursday. During the prosecution's closing submissions, Ms MacDonald said the footage was "so clear" that "use of force was not reasonable or necessary". But Rowley called these claims "nonsense" during his cross examination during the trial. The court heard Rowley and another police officer attempted to carry out a stop-and-search after spotting Mr Vassell, who was 17 at the time, holding a "wad of cash" while walking with another youth. The 37-year-old said he and his colleague, who were both in plain clothes, told the youths they were going to search them for drugs, after apparently smelling cannabis. He told the court he had put the teenager in a headlock, took him to the floor and took hold of his wrists, as the other police officer chased the other youth, who had fled. "I'm now alone with an agitated and aggressive male who is not complying and made it clear from the start with his words of, 'you ain't searching me, I know my rights'," Rowley told the court. He said that he had told Mr Vassell to calm down, and explained he was handcuffing him for his safety, which resulted in a struggle between them. "At first I thought that had worked," he said, "He just lost it. He got more aggressive and got to his feet." Rowley told the court he had delivered "two to three" knee strikes to the teenager to the thigh, adding: "I wasn't trying to hurt him. All I was trying to do was detain him. "I had gone through handcuffs, verbal commands, knee strikes - my only option was to draw my baton." On using his baton, he said: "It was five times on the thigh as per our officer safety training." He added: "I said to him I did not want to use force, but I will if you do not comply." The incident was referred to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The court heard that Mr Vassell had been cautioned for a small amount of cannabis found on his person - five small bags - and subsequently arrested for obstruction of a drug search. Speaking after the verdict, Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said he was pleased with the result and called for better understanding of the "threats officers encounter on a daily basis". He said: "It's very easy to make accusations over the conduct and actions of police officers from the comfort of a desk, but we would ask people to walk a day in our boots to experience the extreme challenges we face." Mr Marsh added: "What this case has once again shown is that it's vital in 2020 that my hard-working colleagues are not judged and juried by social media - a short clip of an incident does not always tell the full policing story." Steve Bouquet leaving Brighton Magistrates' Court after denying 16 counts of criminal damage over attacks in Brighton on cats (PA) A security guard has denied a series of charges after nine cats were killed in a spate of nighttime attacks in the Brighton area. Steve Bouquet, of Rose Hill Terrace, Brighton, is also accused over attacks that left seven other cats seriously injured. The 53-year-old appeared in the dock at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning charged with 16 counts of criminal damage and one of possession of a knife. Bouquet, centre, leaves Brighton Magistrates' Court after appearing on 16 counts of criminal damage (PA) The charges follow a spate of attacks on cats around the city, which the prosecutor David Holman said took place mostly at night. Wearing a black leather jacket over a white shirt, Bouquet appeared before a courtroom packed with public and press. He entered not guilty pleas to all 16 charges of criminal damage and also denied a single charge of possession of a knife. Read more from Yahoo News UK: MP calls for Brexit night fireworks which 'can be seen from France' Likely that coronavirus will arrive in UK in the next few weeks North East residents woken by early morning earthquake District judge Tessa Szagun told him the charges were so serious that they must be dealt with at a crown court. Bouquet was bailed to appear at Lewes Crown Court for a hearing on February 20. The Crown Prosecution Service has said the criminal damage charges did not detract from the seriousness of the allegations. Bouquet, right, is also accused over attacks that left seven other cats seriously injured (PA) The charges relate to incidents between 2 October 2018 and 1 June 2019. Cats and other animals are considered as property under legislation, and criminal damage can attract a heavier sentence than animal cruelty. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK New York, Jan 23 : Oil prices sank on Wednesday amid growing concerns over a potential oversupply of crude. The West Texas Intermediate for March delivery settled $1.64 lower at $56.74 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for March delivery dropped $1.38 to close at $63.21 a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange, the Xinhua news agency reported. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said he expects the market to be oversupplied by as much as 1 million barrels per day in the first half of this year, according to reports. The comments and the successes of the US shale oil industry, which are also the main reason for the current oversupply on the oil market, weighed on the market, experts noted. In a monthly report published on Tuesday, the US Energy Information Administration predicts further efficiency gains in shale oil drilling. Traders also kept a close eye on disruptions to Libya's crude output. Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Saturday declared a state of force majeure in oil ports, accusing the east-based army of closing the ports. The closure of the ports causes loss of daily crude oil production of 8,00,000 barrels, or a daily equivalent of $55 million, the NOC said in a statement. The law has been condemned by the European Union, the United Nations and Polish legal experts and opposition figures. Polands lawmakers gave their final approval on Thursday to legislation that will allow politicians to fire judges who criticise their decisions, a change that European legal experts warn will undermine judicial independence. The legislation passed in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm. It goes next to President Andrzej Duda, who has expressed his support for the legislation and is expected to sign it into law. Proposed by Polands right-wing governing party, which seeks more control over the judiciary, the law has been condemned by the European Union, the United Nations and other international bodies, as well as by Polish legal experts and Polands opposition. They said it violates EU principles and the democratic separation of powers. Further aggravating the conflict, Polands Justice Ministry said on Thursday that it would not recognise a resolution by the Supreme Court which said earlier in the day that some of its newest judges were unlawfully appointed, since they were designated by a new judicial body that is considered to be politically controlled by the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party. The bill about firing judges was rejected by the Senate last week. The lower house of Polands parliament, which is controlled by PiS, as expected, gave its final approval in Thursdays vote. The party has argued the law is needed to prevent anarchy among judges, some of whom are critical of the partys policies. The law would prohibit judges from engaging in any public activities that could be seen as politically motivated. It curbs the right of judges to form independent judicial bodies and requires them to declare all group affiliations, including any political affiliation from Polands pre-1989 communist era. The legislation also bans judges from evaluating or criticising new judicial appointments or powers of state authorities. The punishment for non-compliance ranges from fines to dismissal. The law is part of changes the governing party has made to the judiciary since it came to power in 2015. PiS argues the judicial system needs to be made more efficient. Critics agree that improvement is needed but say the changes amount to putting judges under political control. Using DNA to develop encoded libraries of pharmacological leads has enabled medical research community to assemble and maintain large collections of compounds in singular reaction tubes, capturing the attention of small and big pharma players LONDON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Roots Analysis has announced the addition of "DNA-Encoded Libraries: Platforms and Services Market, 2020-2030" report to its list of offerings. Over time, a variety of methods have been developed and implemented for the synthesis of DNA-encoded molecular libraries. The availability of such cost-effective screening technologies has disrupted the pharmacological lead discovery process. In fact, it has been demonstrated to significantly increase drug discovery throughput, compared to conventional technologies / methods. To order this report, which features 40+ figures and 45+ tables, please visit this link Key Market Insights Close to 30 DNA-encoded libraries are currently available / under development Of these, over 20 libraries are designed for discovery of small molecule drugs, while others are presently suited for macrocycle leads. Presently, majority of these libraries (27%) contain more than 90 billion molecules and are primarily synthesized through the DNA-conjugate method (using the split-and-pool approach). More than 50% of the firms offering DNA-encoded libraries are small-sized initiatives This is followed by mid-sized and very large players, which capture 40% of the overall share; examples include (in alphabetical order, no selection criteria) ComInnex, Edelris, Nurix Therapeutics, Pharmaron and WuXi AppTec. Europe is currently considered a hub for the synthesis and use of DNA-encoded libraries We identified around 30 players that claimed to be engaged in the development of DNA-encoded libraries in this region. Prominent countries, where companies working on encoded molecular libraries are based include (in decreasing order of number of players) the US, China, Denmark, Switzerland, and Hungary. Partnership activity within this domain has grown at an annualized rate of over 25%, between 2016 and 2018 In fact, around 60% of the reported deals were established post 2016; it is worth highlighting that the maximum number of partnerships were observed in 2017. Majority of these agreements were observed to be research agreements, representing over 60% of the total number of deals. ~60% of the revenues generated by DNA encoded library providers are estimated to be from milestone payments By 2030, the market is expected to witness significant growth as the demand for novel molecules continues to increase. As a result, ongoing efforts and anticipated drug discovery initiatives are likely to translate into opportunities for companies offering DNA-encoded libraries. To request a sample copy / brochure of this report, please visit this link Key Questions Answered What is the role of DNA-encoded libraries in drug discovery? What is the likely cost saving opportunity associated with the use of DNA-encoded libraries? What are the prevalent trends and future opportunity areas within the DNA-encoded libraries market? Who are the key service providers for DNA-encoded libraries? What are the various initiatives undertaken by the big pharma players engaged in this domain? What kind of partnership models are commonly adopted by stakeholders in this industry? What are the key biological targets against which small molecule hits are being developed using DNA-encoded libraries? How is the current and future market opportunity (from library licensing deals) likely to be distributed across important market segments? The report features inputs from eminent industry stakeholders, according to whom DNA-encoded libraries have emerged as a powerful molecular screening tool for the discovery of pharmacological leads, even against biological targets that were previously considered undruggable. The report includes detailed transcripts of the discussions held with industry experts. The research highlights the initiatives / detailed profiles of key players (listed below), featuring an overview of the company, service portfolio, a description of DNA-encoded libraries offered and an informed future outlook. Amgen AstraZeneca DyNAbind GSK HitGen Novartis Pfizer Roche Vipergen X-Chem For additional details, please visit https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/view_document/dna-encoded-libraries/288.html or email sales@rootsanalysis.com You may also be interested in the following titles: Targeted Protein Degradation Market: Focus on Therapeutics and Technology Platforms (based on Degronimids, ENDTACs, Epichaperome Inhibitors, Hydrophobic Tags, IMiDs, LYTACs, Molecular Glues, PHOTACs, PROTACs, Protein Homeostatic Modulators, SARDs, SERDs, SNIPERs, and Specific BET and DUB Inhibitors), 2020-2030 Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market, 2020-2030: Service Providers (Whole Genome, Whole Exome and Targeted Sequencing) and Technology Platforms Genome Editing Services Market-Focus on CRISPR 2019-2030 Contact: Gaurav Chaudhary +1-(415)-800-3415 +44-(122)-391-1091 Gaurav.Chaudhary@rootsanalysis.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/742223/Roots_Analysis_Logo.jpg Shoppers in Wuhan have been filmed fighting in a shop over vegetables after the city of 11million was locked down amid an outbreak of a deadly new virus. The coronavirus epidemic, which has killed 17 people and sickened around 600, broke out days before the Lunar New Year's Day on Saturday when families gather for reunion feasts. Pictures from the epicentre of the outbreak show empty shelves in supermarkets and throngs of residents queuing to pay for their grocery. A resident wearing a face mask is seen trying to buy vegetables in a supermarket in Wuhan today. The provincial capital of 11million is currently in lockdown, which sparked panic buying Residents donning face masks are seen queuing to pay for their grocery in a supermarket in Wuhan today. Huanggang and Ezhou, tow nearby cities, are also going into lockdown today The coronavirus epidemic, which has killed 17 people and sickened around 600, broke out days before the Lunar New Year's Day on Saturday when families gather for reunion feasts Accounts on Weibo, the country's equivalent to Twitter, indicate that the price for some leafy greens have surged to more than 10 times their original prices and locals are fearing that the provincial capital would run out of food after all means of transport were cut off yesterday. Ezhou and Huanggang, two nearby smaller cities, are going into lockdown today. The provincial market watchdog today acknowledged that the city was facing shortage of vegetables and the phenomenon was caused by panic buying. Pictures on Weibo (above), the country's equivalent to Twitter, indicate that the price for some leafy greens have surged to more than 10 times their original prices and locals are fearing that the provincial capital would run out of food after all means of transport were cut off yesterday The Hubei provincial market watchdog today acknowledged that the city was facing shortage of vegetables and the phenomenon was caused by panic buying. A representative from the Hubei Provincial Market Management Bureau demanded all shops conduct price checks China's central government has issued the province of Hubei one billion yuan (110million) as an emergency relief fund to help the local authorities tackle the alarming health crisis The deadly virus spreading across Asia is far more contagious than previously thought and someone who is infected can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say Chen Zhuan, a representative from the Hubei Provincial Market Management Bureau, demanded all farmers' markets and supermarkets conduct price checks on their products and keep the food prices at a 'stable' level. China's central government has also issued the province one billion yuan (110million) as an emergency relief fund to help the local authorities tackle the alarming health crisis. The government of Wuhan has reportedly ordered a state-run construction company to build a dedicated coronavirus hospital in six days in a desperate bid to curb the outbreak. The government of Wuhan has ordered a state-run construction company to design and build the emergency facility in the Caidian District, according to Chinese media. The above picture shows the south wing of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Centre, also known as the Jinyintan hospital, where patients infected with a new strain of Coronavirus are currently treated The emergency facility in Wuhan will reportedly be modelled on a temporary treatment centre in Beijing, which was built in seven days to tackle SARS in 2003 and had 1,000 beds. Above, medical staff of Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology attend a ceremony to form a 'assault team' to fight the new virus The new fatal virus, which emerged in Wuhan last month, has killed at least 17 people, afflicted around 600 and spread to 10 countries and regions outside of mainland China. Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. Scientists in China have recognised its similarity to SARS, which turned into a global killer between 2002 and 2003. Experts also feared that it may have spread to humans from snakes or bats. This picture released by the Central Hospital of Wuhan shows a medic donning full-body hazardous material suit looking after one patient who has been infected by a new deadly virus Another medic in hazmat suit is seen checking the medical equipment inside the hospital's intensive care units. Nine people have been killed by the virus since it emerged last month Doctors at the Central Hospital of Wuhan clench their fists to show their determination to fight the virus. 'Salute to the medical workers who fight on the front line!' the hospital said in a post The never-before-seen pictures were taken inside the intensive care units of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of the hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak The deadly virus spreading across Asia is far more contagious than previously thought and someone who is infected can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say. Seventeen people have died because of the virus already and almost 600 have been infected in at least ten countries experts predict the true number of cases could be in the thousands and it may kill as many as two in 100. The discovery of how contagious the infection is comes as photos and video have emerged of officials in China shuttling a man out of an airport inside a huge see-through pod to stop him infecting passers-by. A third city in China went into lockdown today while officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed 17 and likely infected thousands officially, 599 people have caught it. A third city in China is going into lockdown as officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed 17, left hundreds seriously ill and potentially infected thousands. Pictured, passengers arrive from the city of Wuhan - where the virus originated - arrive at Narita Airport in Chiba, Japan, today. One case has been confirmed in Japan In the picture taken yesterday, workers are seen producing face masks at a factory in Handan in China's northern Hebei province. The Wuhan government has ordered all residents to wear the medical product after the virus broke out in the city, leading authorities to lock it down Dr Guan Yi (pictured), director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, claimed that the situation in Wuhan was already 'uncontrollable' Major Chinese New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains as well, following the example of Wuhan, the locked-down city at the centre of the outbreak. Footage coming out of Wuhan today shows disastrous scenes, with a man seen disinfecting a neighbourhood with gas, traffic building up on blockaded highways and shoppers scrapping in a supermarket. Three more countries have today announced they have recorded cases of the infection Singapore, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. Experts fear that the new coronavirus may have spread to humans from snakes or bats In Singapore, a 66-year-old man who had flown from Wuhan with his family on Monday is recovering in hospital. A 37-year-old companion is also in hospital under observation but has not been diagnosed. In Vietnam, a Chinese father a son are in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after flying there from Wuhan and becoming ill. They are in 'good condition', according to Vietnamese authorities. And India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, confirmed on Twitter that an Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia has been diagnosed with the infection and is 'recovering well' in hospital. Four patients have been taken to hospital in Scotland and tested for the killer coronavirus after returning from China with flu-like symptoms, it can be revealed. This means the illness has now spread to 10 territories, including the US, and European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent where the UK and other nations are already on high alert. It was revealed today that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. The World Health Organisation is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. It will be 75 years ago next Monday that soldiers from the Red Army entered Polands Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most infamous of the extermination camps set up by Nazi Germany. The sounds of war had by then resonated for weeks, reviving the optimism of inmates who had abandoned hope long ago. Relatively able-bodied inmates were marched off. The sick and the infirm were left behind without guards, although Nazi troops occasionally returned to reduce their numbers. The Soviet troops were greeted by the living dead the emaciated survivors of one of the most heinous experiments in human history. Among them there were no longer any Soviet prisoners of war, some of the earliest inmates in Auschwitz, alongside Polish Jews and dissidents. Since 2005 the occasion has been commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and two of the Auschwitz camps are a UN World Heritage site. Could there conceivably be a worse heritage than the smoking crematoria of the mid-1940s? The Allies who defeated Nazi Germany in 1945 vowed that never again would such crimes against humanity be tolerated. But it hasnt exactly worked out that way. The sheer vindictive ferocity of Nazi crimes against humanity has never been replicated. But its echoes have never quite died away either. European colonial powers, notably France in Indochina and Algeria, saved some of their worst atrocities for the postwar period. The United States justifiably takes pride in its role in defeating the Nazi menace, but right afterwards became complicit in perpetrating comparable horrors, beginning in Korea and not quite culminating in Vietnam. Arguably, worse has followed. The awful term ethnic cleansing wasnt coined in the 1940s but, from Bosnia to Rwanda, the concept was par for the course 50 years later. And it could be argued that in no nation state have the ideas of racial superiority been more consistently and assiduously applied than in Israel, which is often seen as recompense for the Holocaust. Fascism never really disappeared following the defeat of Nazi Germany and its collaborators in 1945. Somewhat ironically, some of its earliest manifestations surfaced in the US, where members of the far right, in their frequently violent opposition to Communists, Jews and African-Americans all condemned in the same breath threatened to finish Hitlers work. That was then. In much of the Western world, neo-fascism survived on the fringes of society. But in the past few decades, it has staged a striking comeback, especially in Europe amid the refugee crisis, spawned in part by Western intervention in the Middle East and its environs. Given that these days European racism mostly manifests in a repulsive attitude towards Muslims, theres an ironic reflection of the 1940s attitudes in the fact that Primo Levi, an Italian Jew who survived Auschwitz and published one of the earliest eyewitness accounts of it in If This is a Man, notes that the lowest of the low in the camps hierarchy of victims were known as muselmann. I do not know why, he says in a contextual note, that this term was used by the old ones of the camp to describe the weak, the inept, those doomed to selection. Selection in this context refers to people who were destined for the gas chambers. There is no suggestion that any of them were Muslims, but the use of that description is telling. Of the 1.3 million people sent to Auschwitz, 1.1 million did not get out alive. They were doomed to selection, or otherwise eliminated, either hanged or picked for the racist medical experiments supervised by Josef Mengele. The vast majority of them were Jews, initially from within Poland but eventually from across Europe. Perhaps the biggest irony of those years is Israels emergence as a proto-fascist state. Many Israeli intellectuals have noted the discrepancy whereby the state has morphed into a role model for bigots, and its Likud Prime Minister has been eager to pander to European anti-Semites as long as they are comfortable with Zionist ideals. We are reminded time and again that the lessons from 1945s never again attitude have not been learned in the intervening years. The fact that the Nazi horrors have not been revisited in their entirety is hardly grounds for complacency. All too many parts of the world either host concentration camps or are more generally drifting down a slippery slope that leads to the ghosts of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, never again remains a challenge for the dwindling angels among us, but they seem to be up against impossible odds. By arrangement with Dawn Warsaw, Poland Over the next several days, world leaders will gather twice to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of Nazi Germany's death camps. That there will be two competing ceremonies one in Jerusalem on Thursday and the other at the Auschwitz site in southern Poland on Monday underlines how politically charged World War II remains as nationalist governments in Russia and Poland seek to use their own interpretation of the past for contemporary political gain. Leaders at both sites, joined by elderly survivors, will pay tribute to the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. Yet the commemorations risk being overshadowed by a bitter dispute between Poland where Nazi German occupiers operated Auschwitz and other infamous camps and Russia, the successor state to the Soviet Union. Ahead of Thursday's ceremony in Jerusalem, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin implored world leaders assembled for a dinner at his official residence to "leave history for the historians." "The role of political leaders, of all of us, is to shape the future," he said. Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945. But the country had also signed a nonaggression accord with the Nazis shortly before the war began in 1939. It contained a secret protocol in which the totalitarian powers agreed to carve up Eastern Europe. Two years later, Germany turned on Kremlin leader Josef Stalin and invaded the Soviet Union, bringing the Soviets into the war on the side of the Allies. Millions of Red Army soldiers lost their lives in the eventual defeat of Adolf Hitler's Germany. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to shift wartime blame to Poland over anger that historical memory in the West has begun to focus more on the Soviet role in triggering the war and less on its role in defeating Germany. The Russian historical moves have outraged the Polish government, which believes Putin's main motive is to weaken Polish influence in the EU. Warsaw is one of the strongest supporters of maintaining sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Crimea and has been fighting a planned Russian gas pipeline. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has accused Putin of lying deliberately to deflect from his own failures. At the same time, Poland has come under criticism for allegedly minimizing the role its own people played in helping Nazi occupiers kill Jews. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Putin and other Russian officials have been claiming Poland which was invaded in 1939 by German and Soviet forces actually bears blame for starting the war. Western historians see those allegations as a cynical ploy to minimize Soviet responsibility as Moscow seeks to glorify what's known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War and more generally a Stalinist era that included mass killings of domestic opponents and suffering imposed during communist rule. In recent days, Poland's government has defended the nation's record, recalling how its wartime government-in-exile sought to save Jews, and listing cultural and economic damage that Poland suffered after Soviet troops took control of its territory at the end of World War II. In drawing dozens of world leaders to the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem, Israel had hoped to present a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry and warning against the perils of modern-day anti-Semitism. Instead, Polish President Andrzej Duda is boycotting the event because, unlike Putin, he was not invited to speak and wouldn't be able to defend his nation's historical record. Duda will preside at the Auschwitz ceremony, which Putin will not attend. The Jerusalem event is orchestrated by Moshe Kantor of the European Jewish Congress, a billionaire oligarch who is close to Putin. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs Putin on his side due to Russia's involvement in the war in neighboring Syria. Kisa Trinee Taylor, 31, was 'standing on top of a parked vehicle and doing a sexually provocative dance,' according to an affidavit A Texas woman has been arrested for spitting in a cop's face and getting naked from the waist down after the officer told her to stop twerking on the roof of the car. Kisa Trinee Taylor, 31, started twerking 'harder' when she was confronted for performing a 'sexually provocative dance' on top of a vehicle outside a grocery store in Austin. Cops spooted her gyrating in front of horrified shoppers when they were repsonding to a fight between two women outside the store. Taylor, who was one of the suspects in the brawl, ignored law enforcement orders and refused to get down. A police affadavit said she then started twerking 'harder' and then took her pants off . But she was eventually dragged down, placed in handcuffs and put in the back of a squad car. When officers asked Taylor to get off the vehicle, she took off her pants and continued 'twerking while naked from the waist down' before being placed in the back of a patrol car The other suspect in the fight was questioned in the store, according to KXAN. She was detained by police for disorderly conduct. While an officer was talking to her, she spat in the officer's cheek. Taylor was released on bond from Travis County Jail but has been charged with harassment of a public official, a 3rd degree felony. Photo: Albo Pizza/Yelp In search of a new favorite Italian spot? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable Italian restaurants around Las Vegas, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill. 1. Bambino's East Coast Pizzeria Photo: Regina I./Yelp Topping the list is Bambino's East Coast Pizzeria. Located at 2555 S. Durango Drive in The Lakes, it is the highest-rated, low-priced Italian restaurant in Las Vegas, boasting 4.5 stars out of 392 reviews on Yelp. If you're curious for more, we found these details about the pizzeria. "East Coast Pizza is famous for its thinner crust [and] lighter sauce, where the toppings and cheese take center stage, ending with a thin oil-like coating ready to be tabbed up with your napkins," the business explains in its Yelp profile. Concerning signature items, "All of our pizzas and meals are prepared fresh, using the highest-quality ingredients," it notes on Yelp. "We have daily lunch specials and catering is available." 2. Solo Qui Photo: marlon g./Yelp Next up is Solo Qui, situated at 7460 W. Lake Mead Blvd. With 4.5 stars out of 171 reviews on Yelp, it has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for a low-priced option. We looked there for an overview of the restaurant. "Solo Qui specializes in delicious, handmade gelato and tasty Italian coffee," it writes on Yelp. "We also offer panini and salads, like you can find in Italy, pasta with homemade sugar-free sauces, Italian burgers and tagliata panini. Don't miss our tiramisu." 3. Above the Crust Photo: natalie c./Yelp Centennial's Above the Crust, located at 7810 W. Ann Road, Suite 150, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the budget-friendly spot four stars out of 331 reviews. The site can tell you a thing or two more about the business. "We have expanded to three locations across the Las Vegas valley to serve you and your family the same food we serve our own family made with high-quality ingredients and lots of love," it states on its Yelp page. "In 2016, we established our 'Dine Out for Dough' program, which helps many local organizations raise money for their cause." Story continues 4. Albo Pizza Photo: albo pizza/Yelp Albo Pizza in downtown is another inexpensive go-to, with four stars out of 150 Yelp reviews. Head over to 1510 S. Las Vegas Blvd. to see for yourself. We looked for an overview of the restaurant. "Over the years, we've enjoyed perfecting our homemade recipes and maintaining the distinct zest of our dishes," it writes on its Yelp page. As to what the business is known for, "Combining a classic menu of Italian favorites and American fare, Albo Pizza was designed with a variety of palates in mind," it states on Yelp. "United by fresh ingredients prepared daily, all our recipes are homemade, hand-tossed and hard to resist. Explore our popular pizza offerings or branch out with our burgers and chicken wings." 5. OMG Pizza Photo: Selena B./Yelp Finally, check out OMG Pizza, which has earned four stars out of 75 reviews on Yelp. Dig in at the pasta shop, which offers pizza, chicken wings and more, by heading over to 3441 W. Sahara. If you're hungry for more, we found these details about the business. We have "30 years of experience; people love our pizza and our place," it writes on Yelp. In addition to pizzas, the restaurant offers calzones, chicken wings, lasagne, spaghetti and garlic bread. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios reached the Australian Open third round on Thursday after the weather-disrupted tournament faced a new challenge: dirty rain which left courts muddy and unplayable. After a day of clean-up operations and delays, Australia's Kyrgios fought his way past Frenchman Gilles Simon in four sets and Wimbledon champion Simona Halep stamped her class with a win over Britain's Harriet Dart. Nadal, a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 winner over Argentina's Federico Delbonis, miscued a shot that hit a ballgirl in the head, but he melted hearts when he apologised and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I was so scared for her, honestly," the 19-time Grand Slam winner said. "The ball was quick and straight on the head. She's a very brave girl." Kyrgios, increasingly popular with home fans after his fundraising efforts for Australia's bushfire crisis, was cruising at two sets up when he dropped the third set and with it, his composure. But just when it looked like he would suffer one of his trademark implosions, he rallied for a 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory. "I definitely lost my way a little bit... but I decided to refocus," Kyrgios said of his mini-meltdown in the third set. "I could have gone to a very dark place in the fourth set but I put it away." Kyrgios and Nadal stay on course for a fourth-round clash and the next instalment in their grudge match after the Aussie hit back at criticism from the "super salty" Spaniard last year. Their victories followed a day of upheaval caused by the dirty rain, the latest weather problem at a tournament which has contended with bushfire smoke, heavy downpours and strong wind. Rain mixed with a dust storm coated the Melbourne Park facilities in a fine layer of mud which took hours to clean and made many outside courts temporarily unusable. - 'I was freaking out' - ======================== As action resumed Alexander Zverev, another man who has a running feud with Kyrgios, showed signs of a return to form as he downed Egor Gerasimov 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-5. The German seventh seed has been practising up to seven hours a day after a winless ATP Cup and the hard work paid off as he safely reached the third round. "Definitely much better than the ATP Cup. Now in the third round, I'm very happy about that," said the 22-year-old, who beat Italy's Marco Cecchinato in round one. However, fifth seed Dominic Thiem had a scare as he was taken to five sets by Australia's 140th-ranked Alex Bolt before recovering his composure to win 6-2, 5-7, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2. "It was all of a sudden a really tight third set that shouldn't happen. That's why I was freaking out inside and also outside today," said the two-time French Open finalist. A nosebleed was one of Daniil Medvedev's biggest challenges in his win over Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez, while Gael Monfils, who injured his racquet hand playing computer games before the tournament, downed Ivo Karlovic. In the women's draw Halep beat Dart 6-2, 6-4, while Belinda Bencic knocked out former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko -- she was playing despite the sudden death of her father this month. Two-time Major winner Garbine Muguruza, who scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in the off-season as she searches for a return to form, dispatched home hope Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Different analysts are of the opinion that Mr. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are pursuing an anti-Muslim agenda that threatens India's status as an officially secular republic. by Ali Sukhanver Whatever you call it; migration, displacement, compulsive shifting or dislodgment; it is always very painful, particularly when you know that it is going to be an irreversible process. Be it migration of the Muslims from Hindustan to Pakistan in 1947 or compulsive shifting of the Rohingyas from Myanmars Rakhine State to Bangladesh; situation had ever been very painful. According to a detailed report, an estimated 655,000 to 700,000 Rohingya people reportedly fled to Bangladesh between 25 August 2017 and December 2017, to avoid ethnic and religious persecution by Myanmar's security forces in their "clearance operations" against insurgents, joining 300,000 Rohingya refugees who were already there in Bangladesh. The Myanmar government says that Rohingyas originally do not belong to Myanmar; they are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. Moreover the Myanmar government is so strict and touchy in its approach towards Rohingyas that it always refers to them as the Bengalis in a derogatory manner. On the other hand, the Rohingyas refute all claims of the Myanmar government and maintain that they are the native people of Myanmar and they are there for many centuries. As a result of this conflict and confrontation, the Rohingyas have to face countless troubles in Myanmar as well as in Bangladesh. Today, over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees reside in Bangladesh. The two countries, Bangladesh and Myanmar are not having cordial relationship that is why nothing could have been done to integrate or repatriate the Rohingya refugees. In short, now hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees are living in abject deteriorating conditions. This all is the outcome of the New Citizenship Law implemented by the Government of Myanmar (then Burma) in 1982 which identified 135 national ethnic groups, excluding the Rohingya effectively rendering them stateless. Unfortunately, the Government of India under the kind leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi is once again writing the same story of distress by implementing the new Citizenship Amendment Act in India. Experts on Indian affairs are of the opinion that CAA would do the same damage to the Muslims and other minorities which Myanmars New Citizenship Law (1982) did to the Rohingyas. The CAA was enacted into law on 12 December 2019. The Amendment facilitates Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan who sought refuge in India before 2015; but according to this Amendment, the Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as well as Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, Rohingyas from Myanmar and Buddhist refugees from Tibet could never be blessed with Indian Citizenship. Different analysts are of the opinion that Mr. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are pursuing an anti-Muslim agenda that threatens India's status as an officially secular republic. US Congressional Research Service (CRS) has recently issued a report on CAA which says that for the first time in independent India's history, a religious criterion has been added to the country's naturalization process. According to this Act, non-Muslim refugees who came to India till December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship and the Muslims from these countries would be dealt otherwise. The CRS further claims that the amendment's key provisions allowing immigrants of six religions from three countries a path to citizenship while excluding Muslims may violate certain Articles of the Indian Constitution, in particular Articles 14 and 15. It seems that the BJP government is trying to convert the biggest minority of India into the smallest minority in number. According to a report prepared by BBC, Northern India's Uttar Pradesh has been the worst affected in the ongoing protests against the controversial new citizenship law. At least 19 people have died in the state since protests began on 20 December. The fear in the Muslim community has been fuelled further by Yogi Adityanath's anti-Muslim statements, including advocating for a Donald Trump-style travel ban on Muslims in India. A more alarming thing for the Muslims in India is the implementation of National Register of Citizens commonly known as NRC. It is a register of all Indian citizens whose creation is mandated by The Citizenship Act 1955. Initially the NRC was implemented in the state of Assam in 20132014. Now the government is planning to implement it for the rest of the country by the year 2021. Experts say that the CAA is a part of the NRC. It is also being said that the CAA and the NRC, both would be used to target Muslims without documentation. Almost seven years back, when the NRC was implemented in the state of Assam, more than 1.9 million people were excluded from the list; most of the excluded ones were the Muslims. In short more bad days are to come for the Muslims in India but it does not mean that the Christians, Sikhs and the Buddhists are standing on a safer ground. They all will have to face the same situation, sooner or later if Mr. Modi remains in the chair. Mind it that the same boat is waiting for all. Danny McBride attends SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations: "The Righteous Gemstones" at The Robin Williams Center on August 14, 2019. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) From sampling Blades of Glory in N***** in Paris to making a cameo in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Kanye West has made little secret of his Will Ferrell fandom. But its another member of Hollywoods so-called Frat Pack that the rap star would reportedly like to see play him in a movie. That honour goes to Danny McBride, the actor known for comedic gems like The Foot Fist Way, Pineapple Express and Eastbound & Down. According to a new Guardian interview, The Righteous Gemstones star says West asked him to take on a very unexpected role. Kanye asked me to play him in a movie of his life, McBride told the British newspaper, laughing at the memory. Read more: Dev Patel praises colourblind casting That was a pretty stunning phone call to get. I dont know why he wanted me to do it. Maybe that sense of ego Im able to portray? I have no clue. West reportedly has his heart set on a Danny McBride-fronted biopic. (Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company) According to McBride, West even flew down to visit his family and watched his young son play Fortnite. Plans for an actual West biopic which would presumably cover his marriage to Kim Kardashian and recent support of President Donald Trump remain vague, however. That was a pretty incredible day, McBride said. Maybe someday well make the film. Who knows? Speaking of unconventional casting choices, McBrides Tropic Thunder co-star Robert Downey Jr. has recently defended wearing blackface in the 2008 film, in which he played a white method actor who goes above and beyond to portray a black character. Salvini, meanwhile, left the pub that night and headed down the street to another bar one where he was more openly welcomed. Then it was on to dinner, and on to the next day, and on to the next towns, including one in the same region where Salvini had scheduled a breakfast with citizens at a coffee shop. This time, when the event was supposed to start, the coffee shop owner was at the door. He told an Italian newspaper he didnt want to be a megaphone for anybody. The Deputy PM was a keynote speaker at the plenary session on strategic prospects for the ASEAN, attended other important sessions of the meeting and met with leaders from many countries, international organisations and global leading groups. At the plenary session, Binh highlighted the theme and priorities of the ASEAN and Vietnam as ASEAN Chair in 2020. The Deputy PM also affirmed that as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021, Vietnam will strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and the UN to actively contribute to regional and international peace and security, promote the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and boost ASEANs role and voice at other important multilateral forums, thereby helping to uphold multilateralism and international cooperation in regional and global issues. He also met with President of the WEF Borge Brende and attended a ceremony to announce the conclusion of the Vietnam-WEF cooperation agreement. Binh told the WEF president that Vietnam highly appreciated the WEFs coordination with Vietnam to implement successfully the bilateral cooperation agreement. He emphasised that the implementation of the deal since its signing on the occasion of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs attendance at the WEF Davos in 2017, has brought practical outcomes in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, education, and health care. The agreement could be a model for the WEF to consider expanding cooperation with other ASEAN member states, he said. Borge Brende said the WEF wants to continue cooperation with Vietnam in specific activities, as well as in early launching a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) centre in the country to promote research and application of the 4IR. He handed over to Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh the conclusion report of the bilateral cooperation agreement with many recommendations for Vietnam on socio-economic development. The same day, Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, President of the European Parliament (EP) David Sassoli, and President of the Swiss National Council Isabelle Moret. The Prime Minister of Croatia, the country holding EU Presidency in the first six months of this year, and the EP President affirmed their support for the early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) to bring benefits for the two sides business communities and peoples. They agreed to strengthen coordination with Vietnam to promote ASEAN-EU cooperation during 2020 when Vietnam is the Chair of ASEAN. In the meeting with President of the Swiss National Council Isabelle Moret, Deputy PM Binh praised the Swiss parliaments support for and contributions to the development of the Vietnam - Switzerland ties, and conveyed NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngans invitation to Moret to visit Vietnam in the time ahead. He also informed Moret of the outcomes of his talks with Vice President and Head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research of Switzerland Guy Parmelin as well as the agreed measures to boost the bilateral relations. Meanwhile, Moret spoke highly of Vietnams potential and position in the international arena, expressing her belief that Vietnam and Switzerland need to further the cooperative relations and traditional friendship. She shared Vietnams call for organising practical activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, and affirmed that the Federal Assembly of Switzerland will endorse and make positive contributions to develop the cooperative ties into a deeper and more effective fashion. Deputy PM Binh asked the Swiss parliament to continue support for the cooperative programmes with Vietnam, as well as back the negotiations on the free trade deal between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) to benefit both nations. During his stay, Deputy PM Binh also held meetings with top executives of many leading corporations like Standard Chartered, P&G Group, Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Carlsberg, Hyosung and Spring Studios. He took the occasion to affirm the Vietnamese Governments consistent policy in improving business climate and competitive edge through completing the market mechanism, renewing growth model, restructuring the economy, engaging in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and promoting global integration. THERE was something strangely touching about Leo Varadkar effectively admitting that he does not show empathy as well as he might. It was a new Leo on parade with far less aggression than he has often shown, especially in his bruising Dail exchanges with Micheal Martin and other Opposition leaders for the past two years. The more reticent touchy-feely Leo came as we saw our first dash of showbiz as the Taoiseach and the would-be Taoiseach went head to head in a debate on Virgin One television. It made for an interesting clash as both men are spiky debaters who are well informed and can think on their feet. With 17 days of campaigning to go, this TV contest did engage. The veteran of many election debates, presenter Pat Kenny, was on hand to keep order and the talk flowing. He did a confident job as the ever even-handed devils advocate, debunking each mans attempts to avoid the issues. It had been a tough eight days for Fine Gael and Leo Varadkar since he fired the election starting gun. The days before the election call were dominated by a bitter RIC-DMP commemoration controversy. Day one brought some ill-chosen comments by the Taoiseach about the serious injury to a homeless man on the Grand Canal in Dublin. On health and housing Fine Gael were left explaining, reminding us of that old American political maxim: when youre explaining youre losing. And then they found themselves on the wrong side of a pensions controversy. Opinion polls brought Fine Gael bad news, showing them behind Fianna Fail. A second tranche of an Irish Times opinion poll showed that up to three-quarters of voters favour a change of government, of some uncertain kind. Read More So, we expected Mr Varadkar to take some debate risks in an effort to wrest back the advantage from Mr Martin. The Fine Gael leader did just that and he was met head-on by his adversary providing reasonably engaging fare. But what are we to make of this one in a way that might help the voter to decide. Well, Mr Varadkar did in extremis open the door to considering a grand coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail after voting on February 8. Mr Martin who refused such an offer from Enda Kenny after the February 2016 general election managed to dodge that one. But the Taoiseach quickly got back to Fianna Fail-bashing, arguing that every coalition government they did ended in tears. It was at this point that Mr Varadkar admitted he is not as good as Mr Martin at expressing his feelings. He argued that he tried to opt for actions not words. Pat Kenny very accurately alluded to periods when both leaders were under-achieving health ministers in their past careers. It was amusing to hear the pair try to equivocate and talk up the good things which happened on their watch. The problems afflicting our health services continue and speak for themselves. But Leo Varadkar did show greater humility and contrition about these ongoing problems its not great but it might help. A tricky moment came when Leo Varadkar admitted he took illegal drugs but that was a long time ago. Against that Micheal Martin would not rule out putting Votegate TDs Timmy Dooley and Niall Collins in any cabinet he might name. But he did agree that all TDs expenses should be vouched and the system reformed. In reality both leaders cancelled each other out on health and pensions. The average citizens sees the gilded political pensions system as something all parties manage to agree upon for the most obvious reasons. The final Varadkar-Martin head-to-head will be on RTE three days before polling. This may come too late to effect any big change in voters decision. Tonight Leo Varadkar clawed back ground and did well. Was it enough? Lets see over the next 15 days. For the past three weeks fans have watched on as Charlotte Crosby has flirted her way into Ryan Gallagher's heart on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Australia. But it appears a local girl had already stolen it from the lovable larrikin before he entered the jungle. Her name is Jessica, a 1500kg hippo, and despite having a reputation as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, she is only to happy to interact with humans. Ryan shared his amazing experience of getting up close and personal with the 18-year-old Hippopotamus by posting a photo and video to his Instagram page. 'Any resemblance? Ryan Gallagher had a close encounter with one of the world's most dangerous animals in South Africa, Jessica, a 1500kg hippo, ahead of stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Are we seeing any resemblance?' he joked in the caption of an adorable image of the two showing off goofy grins to the camera. In the video, Ryan is is seen sitting by the water to hand feed Jessica and give her nose a playful rub. After giving her a pat, he turns to the camera with a look of utter shock on his face. Stunned: Ryan shared his amazing experience of getting up close and personal with the 18-year-old Hippopotamus by posting a photo and video to his Instagram page Fans were quick to react to Ryan's amazing experience on social media. 'Wow youre so lucky!! I have loved hippos since kindergarten,' wrote on envious woman. 'Just patted the most vicious animal on earth,' commented an astounded man. Hand reared: According to a website explaining Jessica's life story, she was found as an infant by Tonie and Shirley Joubert during floods in South Africa in 2000 According to a website explaining Jessica's life story, she was found as an infant by Tonie and Shirley Joubert during floods in South Africa in 2000. The couple hand reared her, which is why she is so friendly towards humans today. It isn't the first time Jessica has gotten up close and personal with the stars on I'm A Celebrity. The world's most famous hippo made a guest appearance in first season of the Australian show. In the episode, which aired in 2015, Jessica helped television and radio personality Chrissie Swan and Maureen McCormick, who famously portrayed Marcia in The Brady Bunch, win a box of chocolate for their campmates. In recent days, President Trumps Senate impeachment trial has been framed, in many quarters, as a programming clash with the 2020 electiona distraction felt especially acutely by the senators/jurors who would rather be out on the campaign trail. Yesterday, however, the election was front and center as top Democrats opened their formal case for Trumps removal. Adam Schiffwho spoke on the Senate floor for nearly two and a half hours without a breakaccused Trump of soliciting help from Ukraine in order to cheat in 2020. Liberal pundits were fulsome in their praise of Schiffs performance. His cheating line echoed through subsequent headlines and coverage, including on the front page of todays New York Times. Cheating, of course, is far from the only threat to the integrity of Americas elections in 2020. Since the turn of the year alone, weve seen a number of alarming stories about vulnerabilities in the countrys electoral architecture, and foreign actors plans to exploit them. Election-security experts warn that electronic voting equipment looks susceptible, both to technical glitches and to cyber attacks. (The Kremlin is already thought to have manipulated voting infrastructure in all 50 states, though no vote tally, it seems, has yet been affected.) Congress has put aside cash to fight this sort of thing, but top Democrats fear the money will not be spent wisely, and say much more needs to be done, regardless. Our defenses against Russian interference attemptsbe they through hacking or the coordinated dissemination of false and/or compromising information about candidateshave improved since 2016, but weak spots remain, and Russias tactics are reported to be more sophisticated this time around. Last week, the Times reported that Russian hackers already breached Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company at the center of Trumps smears against Joe Biden; its not yet clear what they were up to, but the pattern looks similar to what we saw in 2016, when Russia hacked and spread the private emails of top Democrats. Russia isnt the only foreign threat we face. China, North Korea, and Iranwith which the US hardly has good relations right nowcould all try to wreak havoc as America starts to vote. ICYMI: Dead and spun, a story in three meetings Threats to the fairness of the vote are coming from inside the house, too. Domestic actors from across the political spectrum have proved themselves more than capable of mimicking Russias informational techniques. Other illsefforts to prevent citizens of color from voting, for examplehave older roots. (On Monday, Kristen Clarke, a top civil-rights lawyer, told MSNBCs Ali Velshi that when it comes to voter suppression, In many respects, we have slipped back to the Jim Crow era.) Often, these threats are intertwined. As Errin Haines reported recently for CJR, disinformation campaigns are often targeted at Black voters. Newsroomswhich tend to be less diverse than they should beoften fail to catch such tricks. Shireen Mitchell, an expert in the field, told Haines: Unless youre on Black Twitter, you dont hear the conversations. As stories like the ones mentioned above (all of which ran in major outlets; some at real length) show, news organizations are covering the range of challenges facing the vote this year. (To add another example, Slate recently launched Who Counts?, a project that aims to amplify issues around voting rights.) The problem is more that such coverage feels atomized, when it should add up to a single, urgent national conversation. Sometimes, it can feel siloed, tooa priority for cybersecurity correspondents, maybe, but less so for political reporters and pundits, who obsess over the state of the horse race without reflecting at much length on whether the track is even. The Timess Burisma story, for example, caused alarm and even cut through on cable news. But it was quickly lost to our all-consuming news cycle. As 2020 has approached, weve passed up several opportunities to center the specter of foreign election interference, in particular. When the Mueller report was published last year, coverage in the aftermath focused less on its findings about Russian meddling, and more on passages containing new details of possible obstruction by Trump. Later, when Mueller testified to Congress, he noted himself that his findings on Russian interference had been underplayed to a certain extent, even though theyre doing it as we sit here, and they expect to do it during the next campaign. Much of the press, on that occasion, seemed too underwhelmed by the dull optics of his testimony to care much about what he had to say. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Likewise, the long-running impeachment story has offered us repeat opportunities to shape a national conversation on election threats, which are, after all, what the impeachment story is principally about. Weve taken some of those opportunities. But too often, weve let the central facts slip into the background, diluted by bothsidesism and talk of polls, process, and more. The media needs to do a better job of connecting the dots between Trumps conduct with Ukraine and the other election challenges we face, and it needs to do so before such threats materialize, rather than in reaction to them. And newsrooms, if they havent already, need urgently to plan for what theyll do ifor, more likely, whenmalicious actors, foreign or otherwise, try to use them as a funnel for stolen information. Belching it out day and night, as we did with Democrats emails in 2016, wont be good enough. The press may at least get more of a heads up this time than it did in 2016. In recent days, Shelby Pierson, the intelligence communitys top election-security official, has promised greater transparency around impending threats this time around; Transparency enables resilience, she told NPR yesterday. The more that we talk about the threat, potentially the more we empower voters. Itll be the medias job to communicate such warnings to the public (without being overly credulous of the official line, of course). We could start by maintaining our focus on the warning on display in the Senate right now. Its not biased to advocate for a level playing field. Below, more on the election: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Brazils attack on Greenwald mirrors the US case against Assange Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. Using the Function Manager-QR Code Reader TOKYO, Jan 23, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Client Computing Limited today announced the launch of the Fujitsu Tablet ARROWS Tab Q5010/CE, an education-focused Windows tablet, and the ARROWS Tab Q5010/CB, an enterprise Windows tablet, as well as a number of enterprise PCs and workstations featuring the latest CPUs and the latest OS version. Sales of the new models will be rolled out in Japan starting from today.Main Features of the New Products1. ARROWS Tab Q Series (2 models) with the new easy-to-use design for studentsAs ICT becomes prevalent in academic settings, Fujitsu will offer a new waterproof 10.1 inch tablet, ARROWS Tab Q5010/CE, with an all-round easy-to-use School Design 360degrees. Fujitsu has improved the tablet's ease of use, as it re-examined the conventional design of the chassis from all 360degrees directions. The tablet's round form makes it easy for students with small hands to hold it, and a non-slip texture (with surface treatment) on the side and back to prevent it from falling off the desk. As textbooks will be revised in line with the new educational guidelines beginning in April 2020, Fujitsu has added a Function Manager-QR Code Reader(1) application that reads QR codes from textbooks and allows users to use audiovisual materials. This application can be activated with a special shortcut button on the top part of the tablet, and students can smoothly move to the material content accessed from the browse button that can be reached with their thumbs.2. Enhanced lineup of enterprise PCs and workstations with the latest operating systemThe new models, including 4 LIFEBOOK notebooks across 2 product series, 2 ESPRIMO desktop PCs across 2 product series, and CELSIUS workstation J580, come installed with the latest OS version, the Windows 10 November 2019 Update(2). Fujitsu supports workstyle transformation by enabling mobile work through its comprehensive product lineup.(1) Function Manager QR Code Reader A proprietary application developed by Fujitsu Client Computing Limited is equipped as standard on only ARROWS Tab Q 5010/CE. The QR code supported by this application is QR Code Model 2. Auto-reversing code, front/back reversing code, connecting code and bar code cannot be scanned. Dirty or distorted QR code may not be scanned. Also, QR codes may not be scanned in dark places.(2) Installed with the latest OS version, the Windows 10 November 2019 Update ESPRIMO Q958/MRE is the only model installed with Windows 10 May 2019 Update.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 132,000 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 (Code: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.0 trillion yen (US $36 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019.For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. File Photo Over N17 million worth of rice farmland has been destroyed by grazing activities of cattle in Oji-Agu axis in Akpugo community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State. Briefing newsmen on the massive destruction of the rich farmland in Enugu on Wednesday, Mr Ekene Uzodinma, the Manager of Excellent Integrated Farms Ltd., said that herds of cattle had eaten up over eight hectares of farmland that the company cultivated. Uzodinma lamented that the herds also devoured some heaps of unprocessed paddy rice kept in the farmland, which was waiting to be sent to the milling machine. From the market value of local rice now, the eight hectares should produce at least 80 tonnes of rice as a finished product and it is nothing less than N17 million in evaluation, he said. Presently, my workers, other farms and villagers are afraid to go to the farms again due to the unrelenting activities of the herds; while the herdsmen are threatening to brutally deal with anybody stopping their cattle from grazing. Initially, we tried our best to wade them off, especially during the rainy season and the swampy nature of the rice farm also kept the herdsmen and their herds away. However, when we started harvesting and the dry season rolled in; in early December, we were constantly chasing them away until Dec. 15; when they started coming into the rice farmland during the late evening and night hours. On that fateful, I was summoned to the farm by my workers at about 7 p.m., when they were overwhelmed in chasing hundreds of cattle away and before the next morning they had eaten up and totally devoured and devastated the whole rice farm, he said. Uzodinma said that he had written twice to the state governor, police commissioner, other security agencies and Farmers/Herders Peace Committee for about a month now but there was no response and no phone call from these quarters. It is only the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps that came to the scene of the devastating and anger-provoking farm to ask some questions, took some notes and pictures, he said. He, however, said that he was exploiting diplomatic means to seek redress and get the authorities to intervene, especially as the company planned to cultivate 200 hectares of farmland in the state this year by involving no fewer than 100 youths in agriculture. It is shocking that we do not have political authorities and law enforcement agencies that really care about the people as activities of these herdsmen and their cattle have made many villagers not to go to farm any longer. Why should herds of cattle graze at night. Why should a large number of herds be controlled by underage youth? What is the fate of farming and the governments plan to return youths and people to the farm in the state and boost the state economy through farming. What is the fate of various Federal Government farming intervention programmes as the farms are no longer safe for our people, he queried. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 14:57:28|Editor: zh Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and seven others, including a nine-year-old boy, injured in a shooting accident in downtown Seattle, Washington state, local police said Wednesday. The shooting occurred near Third Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle Wednesday evening, according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), who believed multiple suspects had fled the scene. Local media said a woman in her 40s or 50s was killed on the spot during the shooting outside a McDonald's restaurant in the city. A 55-year-old woman was in critical condition, while the other victims were all male, and were taken to the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The SPD said police officers are investigating the violence, but no arrests have been made. It has been the third shooting in downtown Seattle since Tuesday, when a 55-year-old man was shot to death at a location near Wednesday's killing. What if the United States government took the DNA of vast numbers of Americans for use without their consent? The Trump administration has just brought us one step closer to that dystopia. On January 6, the federal government began collecting DNA from any person in immigration custody previously, it had required only fingerprints. With this move, the federal government took a decisive step toward collecting and tracking large numbers of its citizens genetic information too. The federally administered CODIS, or Combined DNA Index System, has expanded dramatically in scope since its inception. Virginia established the first forensic DNA database in 1989, with the federal government following suit in 1994. Today, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government collect, store and share genetic information through CODIS. Initially, many states limited DNA collection to sex offenders. But today, nearly all states compel DNA from all convicted felons, while many states collect DNA from individuals convicted of mere misdemeanors. Most states also collect DNA from some individuals merely arrested on charges of, but not yet convicted of, a crime. The Supreme Court blessed the expansion to arrests in Maryland v. King, a narrowly divided 2013 decision, over a furious dissenting opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia, three years before his death. Justice Scalias opinion railed against the civil rights implications of expanding CODIS in this way. The Trump administrations recent immigration policy is the latest development in a worrying trend of escalating DNA surveillance. Despite these significant expansions in CODIS, one constant has remained: Until now, CODISs crime-solving components have contained genetic profiles only of individuals connected with criminal activity, whether accused or convicted. Now, for the first time, CODIS will warehouse the genetic data of people who have not been accused of any crime, for crime detection purposes. Noncitizens in immigration custody are not criminals as a rule. The vast majority of immigration infractions that land an immigrant in detention are civil in nature, akin to the I.R.S. asking a citizen to pay a penalty when she fails to withhold enough money from her paycheck. And in the case of refugees seeking asylum (a large and increasing proportion of the detained noncitizen population), international and domestic law expressly allow these individuals to enter the United States to claim the right to refuge. By severing the longstanding prerequisite of prior (alleged) criminal conduct for compelled DNA collection, the government puts us all at risk. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested a Jharkhand-based madrasa educated software developer for his connection with an illegal e-ticket racket having suspected links to terror financing. Ghulam Mustafa was arrested from Bhubaneswar, according to the RPF, adding that the accused started touting in 2015 in Bengaluru and later gradually moved on to e-tickets and illegal software. For the last 10 days, the IB, the Special Bureau, the ED, the NIA, and the Karnataka Police have interrogated Mustafa. Dimensions of money laundering and terror financing are suspected, RPF Director-General Arun Kumar said at a press briefing. Mustafa has 563 personal IRCTC user IDs and a list of 2,400 SBI branches and 600 regional rural banks where he is suspected to have accounts, Kumar said. An Indian software company with branches across the country and abroad has also come under the scanner for having links to the racket, Kumar said, adding that the company has been involved in a case of money laundering in Singapore. Mustafas phone has many Pakistani, Bangladeshi, West Asian, Indonesian, Nepali numbers as well as six virtual numbers. There was also an application to create fake Aadhaar cards. Kumar added. The RPF chief named Hamid Ashraf as the mastermind of the racket which is suspected to generate revenue of Rs 10 crore to Rs 15 crore per month. investigators are now trying to apprehend another person who is called Guruji . IS resurgence possible if US leaves Iraq: general Washington, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 The Islamic State group is weakened but a resurgence is possible if the United States leaves Iraq, US Major General Alexus Grynkewich, the number two commander for the international anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq and Syria, said Wednesday. The group "certainly still remain a threat," he said. "They have the potential to resurge if we take pressure off of them for too long." The general said he did not see the threat of an immediate IS comeback. "But the more time we take pressure off of them, the more of that threat will continue to grow," he said. At a Pentagon press conference, he said the structural weakness of IS is shown by their failure to take advantage of demonstrations in Iraq calling for political reforms since October. More than 460 protesters have been killed, and demonstrators are angry that few Iraqi security personnel have been charged for the violence. The allies at the heart of the international coalition have over the last few months been evaluating the position of the jihadist movement whose self-declared "caliphate" once spanned parts of Iraq and Syria. It collapsed last March after years of battle with coalition-backed forces. IS went underground and reverted to well-honed guerrilla tactics that continued to do damage. The coalition wanted to determine whether the group is "executing some sort of strategic patience, waiting for an opportunity that they can exploit, or are they truly on the ropes a bit more and lacking in capability and capacity?" Grynkewich said. He said the Iraqi protests helped the coalition to refine its assessment "that it's actually ISIS is a little bit more on the lack of capability and capacity side, than strategically patient," using another acronym for the jihadists. Tensions between Washington and Tehran boiled over onto Iraqi soil this month. The US killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad and Tehran retaliated against an Iraqi base hosting American soldiers, some of whom were hurt. Furious at the US hit, Iraq's parliament voted January 5 to oust all foreign troops, including about 5,200 American soldiers deployed alongside local forces. Coalition troops have ostensibly reduced their operations in Iraq since then, even if cooperation with the Iraqi army continues discreetly, according to several US military sources. US President Donald Trump and his Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh agreed Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland on the need for a continued US military role in the country, the White House said. "That's really kind of a government-to-government discussion on when we get back to full restoration of that partnership. They certainly have an interest in it, as do we," Grynkewich said. A Republican strategist who worked for an Annapolis, Maryland-based consulting firm has admitted taking part in a scheme to funnel corporate contributions to political candidates in a case that is part of a federal crackdown on fraudulent political action committees. Chip O'Neil, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in Alexandria, Virginia, federal court Thursday. He worked as vice president for the Strategic Campaign Group. President Kelley Rogers was sentenced last week to three years in prison for fraud; associate Scott Mackenzie is awaiting sentencing. Setien moves his pieces Barcelona Made changes against Ibiza Quique Setien stuck with his three-man defence for Barcelona's Copa del Rey victory away at Ibiza, but he changed some of the names within that system from Sunday's win over Granada. Junior Firpo came in for Samuel Umtiti on the left of defence, which the former Real Betis man didn't particularly warm to given his tendency to play further up the pitch. Ansu Fati started again, but this time from the left rather than the right. In the second half, the 17-year-old moved into a more advanced position in attack. In this 3-5-2 formation, Carles Perez played up front with Antoine Griezmann and he found it difficult in a position he's not used to playing in. Riqui Puig didn't rise to the challenge of controlling the midfield with Frenkie de Jong and Ivan Rakitic, and he was sounded out for Ibiza's only goal. Jordi Alba came on to play on the left, allowing Ansu Fati to move inside and form a front three alongside Griezmann and Arturo Vidal. Nelson Semedo also started in a new position for him - right wing-back - while Sergi Roberto stayed on the right of a back three. Russian prosecutors block overseas website sending false terrorist reports RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 13:43 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) The Prosecutor Generals Office along with the communications watchdog Roskomnadzor have restricted access to information resources of the overseas online resource Startmail.com where from false terrorist reports had been sent, according to the Federal Security Services (FSB) press office. From late November 2019 up to date, the foreign website Startmail.com (the Netherlands) sent over 1,000 anonymous e-mails to judicial authorities in 16 regions of Russia containing terrorist threats, the statement reads. FSB stated that during this period the malefactors mined more than 16,000 public amenities including schools, kindergartens, hospitals, transport object, courts and others. All threats had a false nature, according to the law enforcement. A 31-year-old man will go on trial in June charged with violent behaviour at a Dublin garda station following his arrest for a public order incident. Leon Wright, of Clonshaugh Avenue, Priorswood, Coolock, has been accused of five offences in connection with incidents at Parnell Street and Store Street Garda Station last September 16. He denies the charges. He faced his third appearance in connection with the case at Dublin District Court yesterday. Mr Wright was charged with obstruction of a garda, engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour at Parnell Street, criminal damage to an inside panel of a back passenger door of a patrol car and violent behaviour at Store Street Garda Station. Judge John Hughes ordered that the non-jury District Court trial will take place on June 22. Mr Wright's solicitor Jenny McGeever has told the court her client will strenuously contest the charges. She had sought disclosure of CCTV footage, but the prosecuting garda had canvassed the Parnell Street area and there was no footage of the alleged incident. Argued "It is strenuously contested. As matters stand, it is one word against another, and that is how the prosecution appears to want to proceed," the solicitor submitted. Ms McGeever argued that it was an important issue that had been raised on day one of the proceedings, and CCTV from the garda station had also been sought. The charges were summary offences, meaning they will remain in the District Court Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Suherdjoko and Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Semarang/Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 Central Java is establishing a holding company for region-owned oil and gas companies in the hope of improving their performance and thus, boosting locally generated income. The provinces Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) greenlighted on Monday a plan to set up oil and gas holding company PT Jateng Petro Energi. Lawmakers will follow up the move by issuing a regional government regulation on establishing such a holding. They did not specify a deadline. With this regulation, we will have more running room. The effect is higher locally generated income, because all will be better managed, said Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is credited with proposing such a holding. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Davos: Britain's Prince Charles said on Wednesday that global warming and climate change are the greatest threats humanity has faced, calling on business leaders in Davos to act now to create a sustainable economic future. In a speech to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort, the British heir-to-the-throne said it was time for everyone in a leadership role to take action "at revolutionary levels and pace". "We are in the midst of a crisis that is now, I hope, well understood," he said. "Global warming, climate change, the devastating loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats that humanity has ever faced and one largely of our own creation." His warnings came a day after US President Donald Trump, also speaking at Davos, dismissed "perennial prophets of doom" on climate change. The 71-year-old prince, who chose to make the final leg of his journey to Davos by electric car rather than helicopter, has spent much of his life campaigning for business and governments to take more notice of environmental issues, admitting that "quite frankly it has been a bit of an uphill struggle". "What good is all the extra wealth in the world, gained from 'business as usual', if you can do nothing with it except watch it burn in catastrophic conditions?" said Charles, who was at Davos to launch a Sustainable Markets Initiative that aims to find ways to decarbonise the global economy. He said he would hold a series of meetings this year with industry leaders in sectors ranging from aviation and water to fisheries, steel and agriculture, joking that "at the end of which I shall probably be dead". On Tuesday, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg denounced the "empty words and promises" of world leaders and their message that children should not worry. "Everything I have tried to do, and urge, over the past fifty years has been done with our children and grandchildren in mind, because I did not want to be accused by them of doing nothing except prevaricate and deny the problem," said Charles, who met Thunberg after his speech. "Now of course, they are accusing us of exactly that." The speech was the prince's first public appearance since his son Prince Harry sparked a crisis in the royal family by announcing he and his American wife Meghan wanted to cut back on royal duties and seek a more independent future. However, Charles made no reference to the issue or to a deal agreed this week between Queen Elizabeth and the senior members of her family that means the couple will quit their royal roles altogether and spend most of their time in North America. After leaving Davos, Charles will head to the Middle East, becoming the most senior British royal to pay an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. While there, he will commemorate the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz 75 years ago, as well as meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 10:09:00|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Argentinian striker Juan Dinenno arrived in Mexico City on Wednesday to undergo a medical ahead of his expected move to Pumas UNAM. The 25-year-old, who spent last year at Colombia's Deportivo Cali, described the impending transfer as the realization of a childhood dream. "I hope that everything works out and that I can be a part of this great institution as soon as possible. It's a dream I've have since I was a kid," Dinenno told reporters upon arriving at Mexico City's international airport. "I want to continue furthering my career and I know that this is one of the top leagues in the world. What attracted me the most was the club itself and the possibility of competing alongside the best. It will be a great challenge." According to media reports, Pumas agreed to pay Deportivo Cali 3.8 million U.S. dollars to secure Dinenno on a three-year deal. The Rosario-born center-forward scored 28 goals in 60 matches across all competitions for Deportivo Cali in 2019 Pumas officials are hopeful that Dinenno be available for the club's home Liga MX Clausura clash with Monterrey on January 26. Health authorities in NSW are trying to determine whether one person who recently returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan has the deadly coronavirus. The person who is currently in a NSW hospital returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, after displaying flu like symptoms. A Queensland man was cleared of the disease on Wednesday, after falling ill upon returning from Wuhan earlier this month. On Thursday, a flight from Wuhan touched down in Sydney with passengers and crew members were wearing face masks. Australia is working to keep out the deadly coronavirus, as a flight from the city at the centre of the outbreak arrives in Sydney. Source: AAP Those on board who flagged health concerns had their temperatures checked. Ambulances and laboratories were on stand-by for rapid testing, hospitalisation and quarantining if needed. NSW Health had doctors and nurses experienced in infection control at the airport working alongside the Australian Border Force. Virology experts were also there. No ill passengers were found on the flight. However, those exposed to the virus may not display flu-like symptoms for up to a week. "I'm pleased to report that no ill passengers were found on that flight," Australia's chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy told reporters after the China Eastern Airlines flight from Wuhan arrived at Sydney Airport on Thursday. "It is always possible ... there could be people incubating the virus on that plane today." A passenger wearing a protective mask on arrival at Sydney International Airport in Sydney on Thursday. Source: AAP Image/Joel Carrett Is the coronavirus a threat to Australia? As of right now, Australia has no confirmed cases of coronavirus, however outbound travel from Wuhan has been banned and Australians have been encouraged to reconsider travelling there. In China, more than 570 cases of the disease have been confirmed, and 17 people have died. There have been confirmed cases in Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Health authorities say the risk to the Australian public is relatively low but the World Health Organisation believes the virus is capable of limited human-to-human transfer. However, there is not a vaccine for the virus and experts still dont quite know how virulent the virus is and how much contact you have to have to contract it. Story continues We know coronaviruses spread through droplets, sneezing and coughing on each other, and coughing seems to be one of the symptoms of this infection, Macquarie University health systems professor Janaki Amin told AAP on Thursday. A couple wearing masks hug in front of Beijing Station in Beijing, China on January 22, 2020, prior to China's Lunar New Year holiday. Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images Dr Amin added the masks are not useful to those who are wanting to protect themselves from the virus. "Masks used for the spread of infectious diseases are to stop infected people spreading it to others, Dr Amin said. Not to protect you from infection yourself. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says information regarding the disease will be displayed at all major international airports and ports around Australia. NSW Health protection executive director Jeremy McAnulty on Wednesday said identifying potential carriers at the airport was "not foolproof by any means" because people who've been exposed to the virus may not display symptoms for days. Canberra has updated its travel advice urging Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Wuhan. Workers are busy making high-quality masks at Kurebaa Company Office in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture on Jan. 23, 2020. Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images "The Chinese authorities have put new measures in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus," the federal government advice states. "This includes wearing masks in public places and avoiding travel in and out of Wuhan." One person in a NSW hospital is being investigated after returning from Wuhan in the past fortnight with flu-like symptoms, NSW Health says. There have been cases confirmed in the US, Japan, Thailand and South Korea as well as China. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. New guidelines for Int'l travellers: From South Africa to Mauritius, here is a list of at-risk countries India on state of very high alert as Pakistan looks to launch rogue drones India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: Security has been stepped up ahead of Republic Day and the Intelligence Bureau has warned of possible drone attacks by Pakistan. There is tight security especially in the border areas. Security forces have been advised to remain on a state of very high alert especially along the International Border passing through Kathua, Samba and Jammu district. Further security is also high along the Line of Control. Intelligence Bureau officials say that the chatter picked up suggest that Pakistan would look to carry out drone attacks and also increase infiltrations. The Intelligence Bureau has emphasised on using high tech equipment as the warning this time is specific to drone attacks. Grade A Intel: Battle hardened terrorists from Pak-Afghanistan ready to hit J&K Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News These drones are a potential threat and the government is looking for a solution to counter this problem. In this regard the agencies conducted a data estimation and learnt that there are over 6 lakh rogue or unregulated drones of various sizes and capacities. These drones are a potential threat and the government is looking for a solution to counter this problem. In this regard, the agencies conducted a data estimation and learnt that there are over 6 lakh rogue or unregulated drones of various sizes and capacities. A paper recently titled 'Drones: A new frontier for Police' published in the Indian Police Journal (IPJ) by IPS officer and Additional Director General in Rajasthan Police, Pankaj Kumar Singh has talked about these new techniques. A drone gun is capable of jamming the radio, global positioning system (GPS) and mobile signal between the drone and the pilot and forces the drone to ground in good time before it could wreak any damage. This Australia designed weapon has an effective range of 2 km, the paper said. Another solution to block a lethal drone is the sky fence system that uses a range of signal disruptors to jam the flight path and prevent them from entering their target, a sensitive installation or event venue, it said. High alert declared after IB picks up intercepts on possible terror attack in Punjab Officials said prototypes of these counter-drone weapons were displayed for the first time at an open field in a BSF camp in Bhondsi, Haryana last week as part of a national conference organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) on anti-drone technology. The Centre now wants to impart training to police officers of all states to check this menace. The Bureau of Police Research and Development is currently in talks with the police chiefs of all states so that training can be imparted to counter new terror threats that have been emerging. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow is not an English major, and apparently not even an English understander. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images President Trumps attorney Jay Sekulow flew into a rage Tuesday evening because he misheard a common legal phrase. Representative Val Demings, one of the House impeachment managers, said, The presidents lawyers may suggest that the House should have sought that this House should have sought these materials in court, or awaited further lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act, a.k.a. FOIA lawsuits. She repeated a phrase FOIA lawsuits, which even though FOIA is a well-known term for lawyers and journalists, and even though she helpfully spelled out the acronym for her audience struck Sekulow as unfamiliar. Sekulow decided the word he had heard was lawyer lawsuits. He further decided that this phrase was a pejorative and launched a furious riff, denouncing her use of this heretofore novel term with a level of indignation that would be appropriate if she had used some kind of racial slur: Here's Jay Sekulow getting angry over "lawyer lawsuits" -- a bizarre reference the Post ascribed to Sekulow mishearing Rep. Demings's comment about "FOIA lawsuits." (The White House later doubled down on Seklow's mistake!) https://t.co/M29fEIe3XC pic.twitter.com/n84eEPnxyx Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 22, 2020 And by the way lawyer lawsuits? he said. Lawyer lawsuits? Were talking about the impeachment of a president of the United States, duly elected, and the members the managers are complaining about lawyer lawsuits? The Constitution allows lawyer lawsuits. Its disrespecting the Constitution of the United States to even say that in this chamber lawyer lawsuits. Nobody had any idea what lawyer lawsuits was even supposed to mean arent all lawsuits filed by lawyers anyway? or why Sekulow was so enraged by having imagined hearing it. Unbelievably, having been caught in this absurd and embarrassing error, the White House insisted Sekulow was correct. When you read the transcript, it says lawyer lawsuit, insisted White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland. Its not clear to what transcript Ueland is referring, reported the Washington Post, but the Federal Document Clearing House transcript includes no references to lawyer lawsuits besides Sekulows. The exchange demonstrated two interesting aspects of the impeachment trial. First, Sekulow is prone to making absurd claims based on comically obvious errors. And second, when he is called on these undeniable errors, the White House will back him up anyway. The pattern recurred Wednesday, when Sekulow unveiled what seemed to him a devastating omission. Even though Adam Schiff described President Trump demanding Ukrainian investigations as a quid pro quo for a meeting and military aid, the articles of impeachment dont say anything about a quid pro quo! Adam Schiff today talked about quid pro quo, Sekulow told reporters. Notice whats not in the articles of impeachment: allegations or accusations of quid pro quo. What? The charge is right there: Granted, it doesnt use the term quid pro quo. But it describes the exact same concept conditioning acts of value in exchange for another thing. Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase meaning the trade of something for something. Its not necessary to use that Latin phrase to describe that concept. In case Sekulow remains confused, in this sentence President Trump also sought to pressure the Government of Ukraine to take these steps by conditioning official United States Government acts of significant value to Ukraine the quid is official United States Government acts of significant value to Ukraine, the quo is these steps, and the pro is conditioning, which means something will be done only if another thing is done. Naturally, rather than pretending Sekulows latest mortifying gaffe didnt happen, the White House is actively highlighting it as one of the sharper points raised in Trumps defense: "Adam Schiff today talked about quid pro quo. Notice what's not in the articles of impeachment: allegations or accusations of quid pro quo. That's because they didn't exist." pic.twitter.com/RbbZS9nQ0u The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 22, 2020 Its probably inevitable, given the nature of the defendant and the charges against him, that Trumps lawyers will bungle the facts and the law. But is it really necessary for the president of the United States to employ a lead attorney who is unable to understand words? Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry lauded on Thursday the outcome of a meeting on Libya, saying all participants rebuffed foreign attempts to meddle with Libya's internal affairs. The meeting today was very positive and comes at an important time in light of the continued armed conflict in Libya and the arrival of many militants in the country, Shoukry told MENA. The situation requires immediate coordination among all Libya's neighbours to help the brotherly country overcome this crisis, he said. All participants rejected foreign interference in Libya's affairs and attempts to bring terrorists or mercenaries to spark military confrontations in the North African country. He said Libya's neighbours should work hard with their Libyan brothers to reach a settlement to the Libyan crisis. He underlined the importance of addressing many issues in Libya, including re-forming the presidential council, re-distributing the country's wealth in a just way, dismantling armed militias and making the national army the only party authorised to protect the country. Shoukry also underlined the importance of fostering cooperation with international partners to settle the Libyan crisis, saying German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas took part in the meeting and expounded efforts to reach a peaceful settlement. About the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, he said technical teams are now meeting in Khartoum to add final touches to a draft deal on rules to fill and operate the dam, expecting it to be finalised today or tomorrow at most. Then, Shoukry said, we will go to the US to reach a final agreement. The $4.6 billion dam on the Blue Nile, which promises to provide much-needed electricity to Ethiopias 100 million people, has been a contentious point among the three main Nile Basin countries. Egypt fears that filling the dams reservoir too quickly could significantly reduce its share of the Nile water. Search Keywords: Short link: (Bloomberg) -- Texas Instruments Inc. gave a quarterly sales and profit forecast that was in line with estimates, indicating that demand from electronics makers is poised to improve amid progress resolving the China-U.S. trade dispute.First-quarter earnings will be 96 cents a share to $1.14 a share, on revenue of $3.12 billion to $3.38 billion, the Dallas-based company said Wednesday in a statement. On average, analysts predicted profit of $1.04 a share and sales of $3.2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.Texas Instruments has the biggest customer list and widest product range in the semiconductor industry, making its earnings an indicator of demand across the economy. The company has told investors the electronics business is in the middle of a typical cyclical decline after companies ordered too many parts last year. Such gluts typically last five quarters. In Wednesdays report, which also included fourth-quarter results, Texas Instruments posted its fifth consecutive period of year-over-year revenue declines. Most markets showed signs of stabilizing, the company said in the statement. The companys forecast for the first quarter was held back by the outlook for the communications equipment industry, which is going down hard, Chief Financial Officer Rafael Lizardi said during a conference call. Texas Instruments key industrial and automotive markets are close to returning to growth, he said. Shares fell about 1% in extended trading after closing at $133.34 in New York. Despite the revenue declines, the stock has posted a 38% gain in the past 12 months.Three months ago, Texas Instruments said that the U.S. trade dispute with China, the worlds largest market for semiconductors, was adding to customer caution. Since then the countries have signed the first part of whats promised to be a comprehensive set of trade agreements. Like other chipmakers, the company has raised to the U.S. government the risks to the industry from the trade fight with China and the action taken against Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese telecommunications equipment giant. The Trump administration has barred U.S. companies from doing business in many cases with Huawei, citing national security concerns. Story continues Texas Instruments generated 3% to 4% of its annual revenue in 2019 and 2018 from Huawei, one of the biggest buyers of semiconductors, the company said. On Wednesday, Texas Instruments reported fourth-quarter net income fell to $1.07 billion, or $1.12 per share, from $1.24 billion, or $1.27, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue dropped almost 10% to $3.35 billion. Analysts had estimated a profit of $1.01 a share on sales of $3.21 billion. The companys chips perform basic functions in everything from factory machinery to mobile phones. Texas Instruments gets the biggest portion of its revenue from the industrial market and is also a major supplier to automakers and telecommunications equipment producers. (Updates with comment from CFO in the fifth paragraph.) To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. There is a temptation to compare Harry and Meghans departure to the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936. Obviously it is not as momentous as the kings decision to cease reigning over the United Kingdom and the empire, effectively giving up ruling over two thirds of the worlds population. Harrys departure may well just be but a blip in the long history of the royal family. But, on the other hand, it highlights the dilemma faced by those born to a life of service and how this can clash with their inner hopes and desires. Having studied the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the abdication saga for fifty years, I have reached certain conclusions; Prince Harry would do well to examine their fate too. Prince Edward and Wallis Simpsons relationship was portrayed as the greatest love story of the twentieth century but it was not. The world loved the Prince but those who knew him and worked for him had serious reservations. On the other hand, the world loathed Mrs Simpson, but those who knew her and worked for her, liked and appreciated her. Cecil Beaton wrote in 1972: History will make his love story into a romance. In fact, for us so close, it is hard to see that. I like [Wallis]. She is a good friend to all her friends. There is no malice in her. There is nothing dislikeable. She is just not of the degree that has reason to be around the throne. Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII were married in June 1937 (Getty Images) Edward VIII did not wish to be king and there was well-documented evidence of his desire to escape. Although the Duke professed to be laying down his biggest burden as he left, he really had no idea of how cold the world would soon become. He hoped to return to Fort Belvedere [his residence in Surrey]. He hoped to reinvent himself as a younger brother, with his wife by his side. He expected her to be made HRH and looked forward to his family attending his wedding. None of these things happened. In fact, the Duke found himself in self-imposed exile for the next thirty-five years. There was a spell as Governor of the Bahamas but that was largely to keep him out of harms way during the Second World War. His life became pointless. He surrendered his duty in favour of the path of perceived happiness. He adored his wife, but then he had to. The Windsor's secretary once told me: wasnt it wonderful that whenever the Duchess went to the hairdresser, she would come down the stairs and he would come down in the lift to see her into the car? And wasnt it also wonderful that when she came back, he would be there to meet her? I know what she meant but it must have been claustrophobic. If you want a spaniel, buy one dont marry one. The Duchess of Windsor also looked after the Duke very well in his new life he ate better food in more beautiful surroundings in the second half of his life than in the first. She helped him maintain the myth of the great love story. If she made a mistake, it was perhaps that she turned herself into the epitome of a royal duchess and created a miniature royal court in exile. Like the Duke of Windsor, they head into uncharted waters... Harry and Meghans future will be somewhat different. Like the Duke of Windsor, they head into uncharted waters. But they will have been advised that they can get their message across in a way unrestricted by royal protocol. To be fair to them, they have made it clear that they do not wish to be a burden on the British taxpayer and they have accepted that they must not trade on royal connections. This is both liberating and concerning. They now rely on the promise of funding from different sources, which may or may not come, but will certainly come at a considerable price. Royal life has areas of protection. The Royal Family are not paid for what they do. They do their work for free. Their expenses and security are covered. Prince Harry may not enjoy the demands made in contracts in return for sponsorship. Prince Harry claims to seek a more peaceful life. This is unlikely to happen. Nor do I get the impression that the Duchess of Sussex is seeking peace and quiet. From the start her line has been that there is so much to be done. I always thought her role model was Queen Rania of Jordan, proactive on behalf of her country. It is sad that they did not give it a bit longer the wedding, an occasion of great excitement, was but a year and a half ago. It takes time for things to settle down. They may also have found that short, sharp visits to the Commonwealth, spreading joy and excitement, were more effective than settling in Canada. No time for people to tire of them. Of course Prince Harry will be sad to lose his military connections such as Captain-General of the Royal Marines. But if he is away for half the year, he will not be much use to these regiments. His speech on Sunday (19 January) gave a hint at annoyance at the way things turned out, but I detect that many doors have been left open for him, in a way that was not the case with the Duke of Windsor. As to the future of the royal family, this has provided plenty of opportunity for pundits to examine where the monarchy is going. There is likely to be more impact on the personal fates of Harry and Meghan than on the monarchy itself. It survived the abdication, and has weathered many other dramas not least Diana, Princess of Wales. Recommended Harry and Meghan in fresh privacy dispute after reuniting in Canada The Queen herself is in an unassailable position because she got it right. She has been steadfast in the way she has served this country. She does not complain and nor does she waver. In a 1992 documentary, Edward Mirzoeffs Elizabeth R, she said she was happy having her programme mapped out months ahead. Even then, she conceded some of the younger members found this more difficult. I suspect Prince Harry would have found his life easier, and indeed more peaceful had he worked within the system. Would this have happened had he not married? There you have the answer. We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds not hours, or even minutes, said Rachel Bronson of the University of Chicago, who serves as president and CEO of the Bulletin. "It is the closest to doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay. The father who killed his wife, three children and his dog in their Disney town home in Florida stabbed some of them in the stomach repeatedly before trying to take his own life with Benadryl. Anthony Todt, killed wife Megan, children Alek, Tyler and Zoe, and dog Breezy at home in Celebration - a gated community designed and developed by Disney. He then lived with their bodies for at least two weeks before he was arrested at gunpoint. Police are yet to pinpoint his motive for the killings but he was drowning in debt in both his home and business. Anthony Todt, killed wife Megan, children Alek, Tyler and Zoe, and dog Breezy at home in Celebration - a gated community designed and developed by Disney. He stabbed his wife and the boys repeatedly in the stomach. It is not known how he killed his daughter or his dog Now it has emerged that he killed some of the victims by stabbing them repeatedly in the stomach. That was how he murdered the youngest child - four-year-old Zoe. The Orlando office of the Medical Examiner released a preliminary autopsy report showing that doctors have yet to determine the cause of the family members' deaths. The reports note the bodies were decomposing. Police believe Todt killed them more than a week before they raided the house. The reports also note small stab wounds, 3.2 X 1.1 centimeters for Megan. According to Alek's report, he suffered a 5.9 X 3 cm stab wound. His body had a brown-green color as decomposition set in and his feet were mummified. Tyler, the reports show, suffered a stab wound 10.7X2.1 centimeters in size. His eyes, the medical examiner noted, were collapsed because of the decomposition. When police arrested him on January 13, Todt was shaking and barely able to stand. He had taken Benadryl in an attempt to kill himself. It was two weeks after he is believed to have killed his relatives Zoe's autopsy showed no obvious signs of injury. The medical examiner will not determine a cause of death until lab results on bodily fluids are known, possibly in up to two months. The unsealed documents also show the bodies were found together in a second floor bedroom. Police and federal agents who were investigating allegations that Todt was bilking Medicaid conducted surveillance on the house Jan. 13 when they spotted Anthony walking into the home. Officers knocked on the door, but Todt didn't answer. Authorities then forced their way in and found Anthony, whom they described as barely able to stand and shaking. When he was asked where his wife was, Anthony allegedly responded she was upstairs and he believed she was sleeping. Officers searched the house and discovered the bodies upstairs When police eventually arrived at his home in the town of Celebration, Florida, he told them that his wife was sleeping. It later emerged that he tried to end his own life by overdosing on Benadryl after the murders. The house in Celebration, Florida, where the bodies were discovered more than two weeks after the murders It left him unable to stand and shaking, according to his arrest affidavit which was obtained by DailyMail.com. Police had pushed for the affidavit to remain under seal. It remains unknown exactly when Todt committed the murders. Todt is in police custody. Many of the details of the crimes remain unknown. He witnessed his a hit man trying to murder his mother, at the request of his father, 40 years ago. Police first visited the family home on December 29 after a relative called, saying they were concerned after being told they had the flu. Police have suggested he was replying to texts, telling people that the family was unwell. It is not known if he was doing so as himself or if he was pretending to be his wife and using her phone. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: The volume of products exported from Irans south-eastern Sistan and Baluchestan province through the customs and border markets to Afghanistan increased by 77 percent during nine months (from March 21 through December 21) of this Iranian year compared to the same period of last Iranian year, head of the Industry, Mine and Trade Organization of the province Mahmoud Reza Rahmatian said. The products worth $353.6 million were exported to Afghanistan during the reporting period, Rahmatian said, Trend reports referring to the organizations website. About 47 percent of products were exported from the province to Afghanistan during the reporting period, the head of the organization added. The products worth $80.2 million were exported through the customs of the province while the products worth $273.3 million - through the border markets. "Building materials (cement), apples, tiles and ceramic products were mainly exported during the reporting period," Rahmatian said. Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province has a 300-kilometer-border with Afghanistan. Amid countrywide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the BJP has chalked out a plan to help refugees in their registration for citizenship, especially in the states where opposition parties are in power. Sources said the BJP workers would run a campaign to help refugees in the registration process for citizenship so that they could get through the process in a hassle-free and quick manner. Although the matter is in court, the BJP has asked its MPs to visit refugees residing in their constituencies and collect data about them. The sources said that the purpose behind this exercise is also to collect data of refugees residing in different parts of the country. They said that the focus of this campaign has been kept on states likes West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab, and other opposition ruled regions. After identifying the refugees, the BJP workers would work in accordance with senior party leaders, who are in government and as per the guidelines issued by the Centre for refugees. The CAA was passed by parliament and became an Act after the President gave his nod. The Act, however, came under criticism after protests were witnessed over it in different parts of the country, with the people thronging to roads and holding rallies against CAA. Kerala and Punjab Assemblies have passed a resolution against the Act calling it unconstitutional. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and AIMIM Chief Asaduddeen Owaisi are also opposing the Act tooth and nail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) During my time on the Topa Insurance Group board, I have had the pleasure of watching Denise further the progress of Topas risk selection, rating and program selection, said Michael Day, president and CEO of Topa Insurance Group. Denise has contributed immensely to improving Topas underwriting structure. In her new role, Pavlov will continue to pursue improvements in Topas underwriting, products, program development, marketing and human resources, and will now oversee claims. Pavlov has more than 35 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Topa, she held positions at Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance, GMAC Insurance, the California State Automobile Association, and Western United Insurance Company. She also previously worked as a consultant for Topa in underwriting and its new systems program. I look forward to this new role, and the continued growth and opportunity to lead and collaborate with our department heads, Pavlov said. I am especially excited to work with our talented claims team, and I intend to utilize their talent to enhance our overall results. As we enter a new year, our company is focused on continuing to improve our results and efficiencies, and I look forward to working with our teams to accomplish just that. If you live in one of a few large cities across the country, you wont have to travel to Washington, D.C., to take a look at the famous portraits of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. The National Portrait Gallery announced Thursday that the paintings will hit the road next summer, traveling to museums in five different cities in order to make it easier for more Americans view them. Since the unveiling of these two portraits of the Obamas, the Portrait Gallery has experienced a record number of visitors, not only to view these works in person, but to be part of the communal experience of a particular moment in time, National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet said in a statement, according to The New York Times. This tour is an opportunity for audiences in different parts of the country to witness how portraiture can engage people in the beauty of dialogue and shared experience, Sajet said. The Obama portraits will begin touring in June 2021, with the first stop at the Art Institute of Chicago. The portraits will continue to the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and then finally to Houstons Museum of Fine Arts. The tour is expected to last until May 2022. RELATED: Barack and Michelle Obama Unveil Their New Official Portraits The Obamas (middle) stand in front of their Smithsonian portraits, painted by Kehinde Wiley (left) and Amy Sherald (right) Visitors looking at Kehinde Wiley's portrait of President Barack Obama in June 2018. | George Rose/Getty Images Former first lady Michelle Obama stands next to her Smithsonian portrait, painted by Amy Sherald. | Olivier Douliery/ABACA USA/INSTARimages.com RELATED: Michelle Obama Stops by Husband Baracks Presidential Portrait During D.C. Gala The Smithsonian unveiled its portraits of the Obamas back in early 2018, leaving Mrs. Obama, 56, overwhelmed, humbled, proud and grateful. The works were the first official presidential portraits at the Smithsonian to be created by black artists. President Obama, 58, had his portrait painted by Nigerian-American Kehinde Wiley. The painting depicts him sitting in front of foliage thats representative of his roots, including chrysanthemums (Chicagos official flower) and jasmine (a common flower in Hawaii, where he grew up). Story continues Mrs. Obamas portrait was painted by Amy Sherald and shows her posed against a light-blue background with her chin rested on her hand, her black-and-white dress (with bits of color) filling out the bottom of the frame. RELATED: 3-Year-Old Girl Turns Viral Moment with Michelle Obama Portrait Into Sweet Childrens Book The Obamas commissioned Sherald and Wiley and were struck by the finished works, unveiled two years ago. Their portraits have been visited by millions of Americans since being hung in February 2018, even mesmerizing one three-year-old girl whose admiration became a viral sensation. President Obama joked that he had tried to negotiate with Wiley to give him less grey hairs in the portrait and said he asked the artist to rein in any details that would present the two-term president in any sort of dramatic way. Maybe the one area where there were some concessions was Kehindes work elevates [his subjects] and puts them in these fairly elaborate settings. And so his initial impulse maybe in the work was to also elevate me and put me in these settings with partridges and scepters, and thrones and chifforobes and mounting me on horses. And I had to explain that Ive got enough political problems without you making me look like Napoleon, Obama said in 2018. Weve got bring it down just a touch. And thats what he did. Before the United States extended west beyond the Mississippi River in the early 1820s, concern grew that farmers wouldnt be able to produce enough food for a rapidly growing population. People moving from rural areas to East Coast metropolitan areas and a surge in immigrants created a growth in population that was unmatched by food production. The problem was farm fields had been played out. Farmers who used to harvest 20 bushels of wheat per acre saw yields cut in half. There wasnt enough livestock manure to restore fertility, so leaders looked for other options. Some thought human waste generated in Boston, New York and Philadelphia could be used, but no one could figure out a way to transport the waste. The price of rarely available fertilizer skyrocketed, putting the squeeze on farm profitability. By happenstance, it was discovered that isolated and mostly unpopulated islands well off the U.S. shore contained vast amounts of bird droppings. It was a near-perfect fertilizer, and soon ships and their crews mined the droppings and transported them back to the East Coast. The droppings created miserable conditions aboard ships and caused severe health problems among sailors, but helped restore soil fertility. ADVERTISEMENT The West, once the domain of Indians, trappers and fur traders, was opened to homesteaders eager to fell trees and plow prairie sod. The United States has never suffered widespread famine, although food shortages were common in the Great Depression. During the worst of it, fruit and vegetables went unharvested because it cost more to dig it or pick it than it brought in the marketplace. Bread lines and soup kitchens were common in major cities where unemployment reached 25 percent. Farmers, too, suffered because the cost of shipping livestock to South St. Paul and other stockyards was higher than what the animals brought. The argument can be made that federal farm policy since the 1930s has been constructed around providing an abundant amount of cheap food, which allows consumers to spend more disposable dollars on goods and services. Farmers who suffered financially from this built-in bias were compensated to an extent through price support mechanisms of various effectiveness. In the 21st century, food insecurity despite federal government involvement through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is a growing problem. Current estimates are 1 in 6 Americans, which amounts to 49 million people, fit that category. Food waste, in the post waste-not-want-not era in which we live, is a root cause. USDA estimates more than $160 billion worth of food is wasted annually in the United States. Agency statistics show that $91 billion in dairy products go to waste each year. Wasted food accounts for at least 30 percent of the annual available supply. Worldwide, its estimated between 40 percent and 50 percent of available food is unused. The Environmental Protection Agency says that food is the single largest item in landfills. Waste occurs at all levels of the food chain. Retailers contribute much to the losses. Products on shelves past their sell-by and used-by dates are tossed. Misshaped and bruised fruit are tossed, though appearance has no effect on nutrient value. Some are attempting to reshape consumer attitudes. ADVERTISEMENT Orchards have taken up the "eat an ugly apple campaign to convinced apple-eaters that beauty is only peel deep. In France, the ugly campaign was extended to potatoes and other ugly vegetables and fruits. The campaign produced higher sales and a spike in consumer satisfaction. Those who follow in the footsteps of those worried about adequate food production in the 19th century fear that soil erosion and loss of fields to development may restrict output in the 21st century. One-third of all arable land worldwide has been lost since 1950, and the losses are increasing in the worlds most vulnerable areas. The latest available U.S. statistics estimates that it totals around 1.5 billion tons or about 12,000 pounds of topsoil per acre per year. Once its gone, its gone forever. Dbar.com scored 40 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 2 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the dbar homepage on Twitter + the total number of dbar followers (if dbar has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the dbar homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if dbar has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the dbar homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the dbar homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the dbar homepage on Delicious. Basic Information PAGE TITLE dbar! DESCRIPTION I started this site to end the new for cheesy dating sites or having to go out to the bar. Enjoy! KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS islands, votes vacant, search, votes, vacant, saint, online The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title 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 description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English (United States) UTF-8English (United States) DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2.2.23 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.23 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 mod_jk/1.2.35 OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. The language of dbar.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for dbar.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Online learning isn't the massive problem that Ontario's embattled teachers unions are making it out to be, according to a leading expert in the field but he says to properly implement it across the province would likely prove very costly. Michael Barbour, associate professor of instructional design at the College of Education and Health Sciences at Touro University California, told CBC News that political rhetoric is masking the possible benefits that e-learning could bring to Ontario. But with few concrete details about how the program would roll out, he says it's difficult for people take an informed stance. One thing is for sure, Barbour says: to do this right wouldn't be cheap. The province would need to hire more teachers to support students, properly outfit classrooms and computer labs, and work with telecom companies to ensure broadband access in rural areas. "It's going to be a lot of money, a lot of purchasing, [and] a lot of set-up in a very short period of time," said Barbour, a Canadian who has been involved with K-12 online learning in countries including Canada and the U.S. for decades as a researcher, teacher, course designer and administrator. "If the government embarked upon this because they believe it is going to save money, then that was a fool's journey." E-learning has become a major talking point in the fight between the provincial government and education workers, alongside class sizes and compensation for teachers. The province announced last year that it would require high school students to take four online courses in order to graduate. After considerable blowback, Education Minister Stephen Lecce scaled that number back to two. Students graduating in 2023-2024 would be the first cohort required to complete the two courses, selecting from options like Grade 11 biology, Grade 12 data management, and Grade 10 career studies. E-learning largely positive, Alabama official says Story continues Union leaders have repeatedly said that bringing in mandatory e-learning courses would hurt the province's education system. Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation president Harvey Bischof appeared on CBC Radio's Metro Morning Monday, and said the province wants to "impose mandatory Alabama style e-learning that every piece of evidence says is not constructive for many of our students." Larry Raines, coordinator of the educational technology section at the Alabama Department of Education, dismisses that idea outright. He told CBC News that since online classes were first offered in 2006, enrolment has ballooned from 300 students to over 27,000, and the results have been largely positive. "We worked to make sure we were not out there to take the place of teachers," Raines said in a phone interview. "We're actually employing almost 1,000 teachers across the state." Cole Burston/The Canadian Press Comparing Ontario to Alabama also doesn't work, because completion of Alabama's online courses isn't mandatory for graduation. Instead, the state has a guideline that dictates every student must have an "online experience" to graduate, but an online course is just one way to achieve that. Barbour says he understands why a union that's embroiled in a labour dispute would want to hold up Alabama as an example. "I did my PhD down in Georgia, and the common saying in Georgia was, 'Thank God for Alabama, because otherwise Georgia would be the worst education system in the U.S.,'" he said, adding that Alabama historically has had very poor performances on both national and international assessments. "But that's not because of online learning," he said. An examination of Alabama's graduation numbers shows there's not really a difference before or after online learning was implemented, he said. "Alabama has a bad education system for a variety of reasons." Michael Wilson/CBC Part of the problem here, Barbour says, is the province has released very few details about its plans for the program, so people can't really make an informed decision. "The ministry hasn't done a good job of actually telling us what they mean," he said. Ministry of Education spokesperson Alexandra Adamo told CBC News in a statement that that province is "committed to building a world-leading online learning system to strengthen Ontario students' competencies in the modern economy. "We are proceeding with developing and implementing a made-in-Ontario program that will ensure student flexibility, technological literacy and a vast selection of courses, through two mandatory courses over the lifetime of a student's high school career." Adamo could not, however, say how much that program will cost. "The full financial and policy implications of the online learning strategy are subject to the development of the ministry's final implementation plan. Once these elements are finalized, the ministry will provide more information," she said. 'It's just a medium' Some research from the U.S. has lauded e-learning as a viable education option, while other reports are less bullish. A 2014 study based out of Harvard University that examined Florida's online course offerings did not find any evidence of negative effects of virtual education on student learning. But in 2018, The Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute examined how effective online learning has been in that state, and found that online learning was failing poorer students. Despite the fact that 62 per cent of enrolments in Michigan were students living in poverty, researchers saw a gap of nearly 20 percentage points between the pass rates for those students (48 per cent) and students not in poverty (66 per cent). Submitted by MIchael Barbour The institute says that in the last decade, the number of virtual learners in Michigan nearly tripled, but the statewide virtual pass rate did not improve instead, it has steadily decreased from 66 per cent in 2010-11 to 55 per cent in the 2018 academic year. Still, Barbour maintains that e-learning could work in Ontario if students are properly supported. "Technology, be it a classroom that's using a traditional chalk board or white board, to a high-tech classroom ... to an online class, it's just a medium," he said. "And what impacts learning is how we design, deliver and support that learning within that medium." But he says he also understands why unions are pushing back during this round of bargaining, given what he sees as comparisons between the current Ford government and when Mike Harris was in power back in the 1990s. "The idea that the motivation behind a lot of the measures that they're making is based upon cost saving, that's a real concern for folks that are trying to collective bargain right now," Barbour said. "It's a reasonable position to take." adam.carter@cbc.ca (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. has asked chipmaking partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to increase its output of A-series processors this quarter in order to satisfy higher-than-anticipated iPhone demand, people familiar with the companys plans said. The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models were well received on their debut in the fall and their sales in China have been particularly strong, outselling 2018s releases in a market that has otherwise been shrinking. Even without fifth-generation wireless networking, iPhone demand has been outperforming the market and Apples expectations, and the company asked assembly partners to increase their production of the latest generation. The most affordable iPhone 11 model, equipped with an LCD screen, was a particular driver for the increased demand, one person said. New Low-Cost IPhone Said to Enter Mass Production in February Along with the popularity of existing models, Apples business with TSMC is also set for a boost from an imminent iPhone SE successor, a low-cost model that will begin mass production in February ahead of an official unveiling as soon as March, Bloomberg News reported. It will be built around the same processor as the iPhone 11 generation. TSMC spokeswoman Nina Kao said the company doesnt comment on its business with any specific customer. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. The Taiwanese chipmaker recently reported earnings above most analysts expectations and it forecast another good quarter ahead. Though it faces potential headwinds from the threat of tightening U.S. sanctions on key customer Huawei Technologies Co., analysts believe additional demand from Apple and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will replace any potential Huawei drop-off. --With assistance from Mark Gurman. To contact the reporter on this story: Debby Wu in Taipei at dwu278@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at echan273@bloomberg.net, Vlad Savov Story continues For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Press Release 23 January 2020 As it advances its role as a responsible tourism provider locally and globally, Accor has committed to join the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Advertisements Accor today announces its commitment to join the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and to remove all single-use plastic items in guest experience from its hotels by the end of 2022. This action by Accor toward reducing environmental impacts and strengthening efforts to combat plastic pollution of the world's oceans and other natural environments is a significant step forward for the global hospitality industry and for the group, which has been committed to sustainability for many years. "We are aware of the significant impact we have on our planet and our responsibility to create tangible benefits for our employees, guests, suppliers, partners and host communities," said Sebastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO, Accor. "What guides us is the consciousness and social awareness that drives every person who strives to be a good citizen. It's about being aware, socially conscious and consistent." Welcoming over 120 million guests and serving more than 200 million meals each year, Accor takes its role as a responsible corporate citizen to heart, working within the framework of its sustainable development program, for the past 25 years. In addition to our previous commitment to eliminate all plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, today's new commitment includes: The removal of individual plastic toiletry amenities and cups by the end of 2020. The elimination of all remaining single-use plastic items in guestrooms, meeting areas, restaurants and all leisure activities areas (spas, fitness centers, etc.) by the end of 2022. Single-use plastics are defined as disposable items that are used only once and then discarded. Examples include plastic straws, cotton buds, coffee stirrers, plastic cups, plastic bags for laundry or extra pillows, plastic water bottles, all plastic packaging (for food, welcome products, etc), plastic take-away dishes and tableware, plastic gifts and welcome products (toiletries, slippers, pencils, etc), plastic keycards. Relevant alternatives to plastic will be proposed for each specific item, considering Life Cycle Assessments to ensure better environmental performance for the solution proposed to our hotels. With more than 200 million single-use plastic items used every year in all areas, hotels are already reducing significantly their impact. Several have deployed effective solutions by choosing more sustainable alternatives. For instance: 94% of Accor's hotels have eliminated the use of straws, cotton buds and stirrers. The remaining 6% (mostly in China) will do it by end of March 2020 89% of ibis' hotels are using dispensers for amenities as shampoos.... This means 2087 ibis family hotels have already dropped single use plastic for this equipment. Accor ibis family hotels in Latin America will follow the same initiative this year. Fairmont has used new construction and renovation standards in another example of one of our brands' efforts. Its hotels incorporate water filtration taps in guest rooms to eliminate bottled water altogether. To go further, our new brand "Greet" was created to answer our guests' needs, so it is in the brand's DNA to be plastic free. There is zero disposable plastic at breakfast and reusable dishes are utilized for butter and jam. In addition, there is zero disposable plastic in rooms and other parts of the hotels. Accor plans to open 10 more Greet hotels in Europe this year. In addition, several Accor hotels within the group's portfolio of world-leading brands - including Novotel Yangon Max, Myanmar, Sofitel Bogota, many hotels in Bali & Lombok, Indonesia, Ibis Styles Sao Paulo Anhem - have already taken steps individually to be plastic-free and are advancing towards a 100% single use plastic free objective. One of Accor's main purposes besides finding alternatives to plastic and reducing environmental impacts is to positively change common mindsets globally by adopting the 3R logic: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. The group's headquarters will lead the best practices and hotels will enhance their local initiatives and solutions to hotels guests. The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the UN Environment Programme and the World Tourism Organization in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, draws a line in the sand in the fight against plastic waste and pollution. Governments and businesses, such as Accor, commit to a set of ambitious targets. We will work to eliminate the plastic items we don't need; innovate so all plastics we do need are designed to be safely reused, recycled, or composted; and circulate everything we use to keep it in the economy and out of the environment. In September 2019, Accor Netherlands already took a step forward by signing the International Tourism Plastic Pledge led by MVO Netherlands and therefore initiating the work to becoming as soon as possible a signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, for which a detailed commitment has to be presented, is a logical next step. "Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time, and tourism has an important role to play in contributing to the solution," said UN Environment Programme Economy Division Director, Ligia Noronha. "Through the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, tourism companies and destinations are supported to innovate, eliminate, innovate and circulate the way they use plastics, to advance circularity in our economies and reduce plastics pollution globally." "Our efforts do not stop here. We are an innovative group by nature and we continuously search for more areas where we can reduce our impact on the global environment while helping our local communities in their efforts to create a healthier, more sustainable future," said Sebastien Bazin. "As we work to deliver on our commitments, we are grateful to our dedicated teams of employees all over the world who share our belief in making the world a better place for our guests, while they are traveling with us and even while they are not." The Herald reports: New Zealands absence from a global holocaust memorial event has been called disappointing by the New Zealand Jewish Council and labelled disgraceful by the Opposition. Almost every President or PM in the western world is attending. The decision not to attend is disgraceful, and also stupid. It is disgraceful because anti-Semitism is on the rise, as just seen in Wellington with a swastika painted onto a synagogue. It is disgraceful because the Holocaust is the worst atrocity of modern times. What message do we send, by saying sorry we couldnt spare anyone. But it is also stupid because we missed out on the very important networking opportunities from the largest gathering of heads of state or governments outside the UN. Youve got Mike Pence, Putin and Macron for a start. Five years ago for a less prominent holocaust event, The Government sent both a Minister and a senior Opposition MP (Chris Finlayson and Annette King). Good bipartisan work. For a gathering of this nature we should have sent either the Governor-General, the Speaker or the PM. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Chinese people who have been infected with a deadly SARS-like virus capable of spreading between humans may still be roaming the streets freely amid an outbreak of the life-threatening infection, a report has revealed. The new strain of coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month, has killed at least 17 people, sickened more than 590 and caused the city of 11million to be in lockdown. But some of the people who carry the fatal virus are not in quarantine at all - instead these patients, billed as 'mobile sources of infection', are simply told by medics in Wuhan to go to the hospital for daily medication, it has been alleged. Chinese authorities say 17 people have died and more than 500 have been infected, air and rail departures from Wuhan are suspended from January 23 A staff member checks a passenger's body temperature at Wangjiadun metro station in Wuhan this morning Passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport Authority are scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures against deadly SARS-like virus The shocking report comes as an influential Chinese expert fears that the coronavirus outbreak could be 10 times worse the SARS epidemic in 2003 due to the lack of initial control by the government. It also comes as Wuhan's health officials today revealed that number of fever patients in the city had surged and hospitals were running out of beds. Chinese reporters have tracked down people who claimed to be infected with the virus but were not in quarantine, according to a social media post by Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of state newspaper Global Times, citing a report from Life Week magazine. The self-proclaimed coronavirus patients allegedly worked in the Huanan Seafood Market, the post said. The market is thought to be the breeding ground of the virus and has been shut down since January 1. Instead of being strictly kept away from the public, the interviewees said they only had to go to the hospitals every day for intravenous drips, the message went on. 'Is this situation real? Are all of the patients diagnosed with the new type of pneumonia as well as suspected patients being treated in quarantine?' queried Mr Hu. Chinese reporters have tracked down people who claimed to be infected with the virus but were not in quarantine, according to a social media post by Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of state newspaper Global Times, citing a report from Life Week magazine The outbreak is believed to have started late last month among people connected to a seafood market in Wuhan, where all six fatalities have happened Medical staff at Huazhong University of Science and Technology today attended a ceremony to form a 'assault team' in the fight against the coronavirus Residents in Wuhan are pictured wearing masks to buy vegetables in the market this morning Pictured, Wuhan residents wear masks to buy vegetables in the market today Dr Guan Yi, a renowned Chinese virologist who helped the country fight SARS in 2003, yesterday warned that the scale of the coronavirus outbreak could be at least 10 times bigger than that of SARS. 'I have experienced so much and never felt scared. Most [viruses] are controllable, but this time I am scared,' Dr Guan told another news outlet Caixin. The expert said the challenge of fighting coronavirus was that the sources of infection had 'spread out completely' and that authorities had missed the 'golden period' to curb a nationwide outbreak. A second city in China is going into lockdown today to try and stop the spread of a deadly new virus which has emerged in the country. Authorities in Huanggang today announced it would suspend its public buses and trains as well as ordering cinemas and internet cafes to close their doors. A passenger arrives wearing a mask at Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport, London, January 22. Britain will monitor flights arriving from China as a precautionary measure after the spread of a new coronavirus The respiratory virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, and can be passed between humans. Pictured: Passengers arrive wearing a mask at Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport, January 22 The development comes as Wuhan the provincial capital of Hubei - nears the end of its first day in lockdown, with all flights out of the city cancelled and residents told not to leave. Videos have shown chaos in Wuhan today, with footage depicting a government worker using gas to disinfect a park, traffic building up on a blocked motorway and people scrapping over food in a crowded supermarket. Travellers have spread the coronavirus to seven countries already and European health officials say 'further global spread is likely', adding it's likely to make it to Europe. The World Health Organisation has not yet decided what action to take and is expected to meet again today to consider whether it is an international emergency. Scientists yesterday warned as many as 10,000 people could have been infected in Wuhan alone and said they couldn't rule out the virus already being in the UK. Wuhan's Health Commission said the city is 'witnessing a fast growing trend of fever patients' and hospitals are facing bed shortages because of the virus. The British Government has stepped up measures to stop it being brought into the country, with passengers on the last flight from Wuhan last night being channelled through a separate area of London's Heathrow airport. The virus, which can cause pneumonia, has never been seen before so is poorly understood, but scientists now suggest it may have spread to humans from snakes. 5StarWines 2019 edition Wine Without Walls is the section of the tasting and guide dedicated to certified organic and biodynamic wines. This category follows the same evaluation criteria as 5StarWines, but has a dedicated jury consisting of specialists in the organic and biodynamic wine world. The selection of wines for 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls culminates with a printed and online guide, designed to function as an international marketing tool featuring the highest ranking wines. It also gives participating wineries recognition and visibility both domestically and abroad, creating potential business connections through Vinitalys organized events. Judging involves a blind tasting that results in three numeric evaluations per sample. These three values are then summed for a total score out of 100 points possible. Points are awarded for visual appearance (20 points possible), flavor (40 points possible), and olfactory perceptions (40 points possible). All of the wines scoring 85/100 or higher then move on to a Scientific Committee of General Chairmen for a final evaluation. This panel subsequently decides wine final scores. At the end of the three days, the wines scoring at least 90/100 become destined for publication in the international guide, 5StarWinesthe Book, released both in print and digital formats. Producers also gain valuable insight from tasting notes prepared by each attending expert. Wine Without Walls is the section of the tasting and guide dedicated to certified organic and biodynamic wines. This category follows the same evaluation criteria as 5StarWines, but has a dedicated jury consisting of specialists in the organic and biodynamic wine world. Wine Without Walls aims to spread awareness about sustainable viticulture while highlighting those wines distinguished for efforts such as preserving native soils, representing a specific terroir, or minimizing wastes. Wine Without Walls is also an opportunity to recognize and enhance the commitment of certified biodynamic and organic producers at an international level. Such producers are active in defining new sustainable practices and broadening horizons in these forms of viticulture and oenology. At the end of the event each participating producer (whether selected for publication or not) will receive a confidential evaluation sheet, written by the 5StarWines Panel, for each label provided. Such individualized product evaluations are relevant and important feedback for wineries, created by professionals for professionals. Each producer entering a wine that scores 90/100 or higher will receive a complimentary print copy of 5StarWinesthe Book. Thereafter, the guide will be disseminated to the international community of wine professionals, such as distributors and buyers. Wines with a final score of 90/100 or greater will also be awarded with a diploma. This certificate will be presented during Vinitaly 2020. 5StarWinesthe Book is an important promotional and marketing tool. It introduces international distributors, buyers, and wine-lovers to high standard wines. It is a guarantee of quality and helps to certify a labels value on an international scale. 5StarWines differs from other wine selections because, unlike other competitions, the focus is not necessarily on the event itself but on sustained benefits to wine producers. Throughout the entire year following selection Vinitaly International offers constant promotional support to selected producers through both national and international presence. This reinforcement is provided through collaborations between producers and the wine sectors key market players. Events, grand tastings, educational programs, and even Vinitaly International social media channels showcase wines and wineries selected. Those included in the 2020 edition of 5Star Winesthe Book and Wine Without Walls will also be featured on Wine Searcherthe largest online wine databaseas well as on a dedicated app that, during Vinitaly, will send push-notifications to buyers regarding wines and wineries. The selection will take place on April 15, 16, and 17 in Verona, Italy. All producers registering on or before January 31, 2020 will receive a special early bird rate. 5StarWinesThe Book is the annual wine selection organized by Vinitaly. Held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world, the event is now in its fourth iteration. 5StarWines is a three-day tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries that invest in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals tastes and scores participating wines on a 100-point scale. In the last edition, over 3,100 bottles took part and 676 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWinesthe Book. The guide is a useful promotional and commercial tool. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers from all over the world to new wine products of great value. It guarantees the quality of featured wines and maintains and certifies their value at an international level. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nations Restaurant News (NRN), the leading media brand in the foodservice industry, has unveiled its 2020 NRN Power List, an annual list of the 50 most influential people, including a ranking of the restaurant industrys top 10 most powerful people. Selected by the editors of Nations Restaurant News, and curated from industrywide submissions, this years NRN Power List highlights 50 innovators in technology and innovation disrupting and shaping the future of the food economy. This years list features people bringing game-changing technologies and unrivaled creativity to the biggest issues facing restaurants today, including delivery, digital ordering, customer experience and sustainable sourcing. The NRN Power Lists 10 most powerful people in foodservice are: Noah Glass, founder and CEO, Olo Jonathan Neman, co-founder and CEO, Sweetgreen Tressie Lieberman, vice president of digital and off-premise, Chipotle Mexican Grill Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO, DoorDash Khalilah Cooper, director of service and hospitality, Chick-fil-A Dennis Maloney, chief digital officer, Dominos Massimo Noja De Marco, founder and chief development officer, Kitchen United Gerri Martin-Flickinger, chief technology officer, Starbucks Sherif Mityas, chief experience officer, TGI Fridays Andrea Drummer, chef and co-owner, Original Cannabis Cafe Also on the full list of 50 are CEOs leading billion-dollar digital businesses, executives pioneering the use of artificial intelligence in restaurants, food scientists changing the way we eat, chefs pioneering the use of CBD and cannabis in the kitchen and entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of what defines a restaurant today. The complete Power List report can be found here . The restaurant industry is undergoing a period of limitless innovation, said Nancy Luna, an NRN senior editor specializing in covering the restaurant technology landscape. That is why Nations Restaurant News has dedicated its 2020 Power List to the disruptors, digital transformers, food innovators and risk takers defining the industry. The NRN Power List is the most-watched curation of foodservice industry power players, and the 2020 list provides a comprehensive look at cutting-edge leaders in all areas of business, said Sarah Lockyer, group publisher of Nations Restaurant News and the Restaurant & Food Group by Informa Connect. Innovation is a required element for success today, and the Power List allows our audience to learn from and be inspired by the best minds in the business. We are also excited to extend the Power List brand throughout the year with additional power player rankings and networking events that give our readers and partners even more opportunities to learn, grow and connect, Lockyer added. About Nations Restaurant News Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) is the No. 1 source of business information for the foodservice industry. For more than 50 years, NRN has served the information and engagement needs of foodservice professionals, offering award-winning content across all mediums with the goal of driving businesses forward. NRN was named Best Media Brand by the Jesse H. Neal Awards in 2019. NRN is part of the Informa Restaurant & Food Group. About The Restaurant & Food Group by Informa Connect The Restaurant & Food Group by Informa Connect is the largest and most integrated media brand portfolio in foodservice and supermarket retail. The group connects the entire food and foodservice ecosystem of operators, chefs, retailers, manufacturers, vendors and solutions providers through traditional, digital, social and custom media as well as in-person events and conferences. About Informa Informa PLC is a leading, international business to business information services Group, operating in over 30 countries. We create transaction-led exhibitions and content-based events, specialist data, intelligence and marketing services products, as well as scholarly research and specialist reference-led academic content. Our products and services help businesses and professionals connect, learn, do business and gain an edge over the competition. Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100. Media contact: Jesse Yeung Marketing Director The Restaurant & Food Group by Informa Connect Jesse.Yeung@informa.com 212-204-4345 The supernova SN 2006gy was the brightest and most energetic stellar explosion ever recorded when it was discovered in 2006. At top, an artist's illustration shows how SN 2006gy may have appeared at a close distance. The bottom left panel is an infrared image by the Lick Observatory of NGC 1260, the galaxy containing SN 2006gy. The panel to the right shows an X-ray image of the same field of view captured by NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory. One of the most luminous stellar explosions ever detected may now be explained. It came from the detonation of a dead star within the dense shell of matter ejected from that sun's companion star, a new study suggests. Supernovas are explosions that can happen when stars die, either after the stars burn all their fuel or gain a sudden influx of new fuel. These outbursts can briefly outshine all of the other suns in these stars' galaxies, making them visible from halfway across the universe. Recently, scientists discovered a rare class of exploding star known as superluminous supernovas. These explosions are up to 100 times brighter than regular supernovas but account for less than 0.1% of all supernovas. Related: Supernova Photos: Great Images of Star Explosions Much remains unknown about what powers superluminous supernovas; they release far more energy than any standard mechanism for powering supernovas can explain. To learn more about what drives these extraordinary explosions, scientists focused on SN 2006gy , one of the first known superluminous supernovas. SN 2006gy occurred in a galaxy 240 million light-years away and was the brightest and most energetic supernova ever recorded when it was discovered, in 2006. A little more than a year after SN 2006gy was spotted, researchers detected an unusual spectrum of light from the supernova. Now, scientists have deduced that this light came from an envelope of iron around the supernova, revealing clues as to what might have caused the explosion. The researchers developed computer models of what kind of light would be generated by envelopes of iron with various masses, temperatures, clumping patterns and other properties. They found that the wavelengths and energies of light seen from SN 2006gy likely came from a huge amount of iron "over a third of the sun's mass" expanding at about 3,355 mph (5,400 km/h), study lead author Anders Jerkstrand, an astrophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, told Space.com. Initial analysis of SN 2006gy suggested that the supernova happened after a giant star ran out of fuel, with the star's core then collapsing under its own weight into an extraordinarily dense nugget in a fraction of a second and rebounding with a giant blast outward. However, such a "core-collapse" supernova likely would not have generated an iron envelope with the kind of mass and expansion rate that the new study calculated. Instead, a scenario consistent with the new findings suggests that SN 2006gy was a so-called Type Ia supernova , which occurs when one star pours enough fuel onto a dead star known as a white dwarf to trigger an extraordinary nuclear explosion. (White dwarfs are the superdense, Earth-size cores of stars that exhausted all their fuel and shed their outer layers without catastrophic explosions.) Specifically, the scenario called for a white dwarf in a close binary orbit with a hydrogen-rich companion star. "Such systems are in fact well known and common the so-called cataclysmic variables, of which we know of several hundred," Jerkstrand said. When such a companion star gets old, it swells, trapping the white dwarf in its expanding shell. The resulting friction "causes the white dwarf to spiral towards the center, and at the same time, the envelope material is ejected," Jerkstrand said. Normally in such binary systems, the white dwarf may spend millions or billions of years spiraling toward the center of its companion before exploding as a Type Ia supernova, Jerkstrand said. However, with SN 2006gy, the researchers suspected that the white dwarf may have exploded "within only about a century since the initiation of the inspiral phase," he said. This supernova then slammed into the dense shell of material ejected from the white dwarf's companion star, which was still relatively nearby. Striking this envelope would have been "like hitting a brick wall, and most of the motion energy of the supernova was transformed into light in this collision," explaining why SN 2006gy was so bright, Jerkstrand said. A few other superluminous supernovas share similar properties with SN 2006gy. That similarity suggests that these supernovas also share the same underlying mechanics, the researchers said. Future research can investigate how binary systems that might give rise to such superluminous supernovas may form. Researchers could also look into what exactly might trigger a Type Ia supernova from white dwarfs in such systems only a century or so after they spiral toward the centers of their companions. "Did the supernova occur as the inspiraling white dwarf encountered another compact object at the center of the companion, or did it accrete matter until it became too massive and exploded?" Jerkstrand said. The scientists detailed their findings in the Jan. 24 issue of the journal Science. Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . By Phil Stewart NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (Reuters) - With an FBI investigation underway, Navy security officer David Link still is not allowed to talk about what he saw when a Saudi gunman killed three U.S. sailors at this sprawling Florida naval base last month By Phil Stewart NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (Reuters) - With an FBI investigation underway, Navy security officer David Link still is not allowed to talk about what he saw when a Saudi gunman killed three U.S. sailors at this sprawling Florida naval base last month. But Link, one of the first responders at the scene, makes clear he appreciates just how badly things could have gone for him on Dec. 6 at Naval Air Station Pensacola. "When I got home, it was kind of immediate relief. I got to see my wife and daughter, to know that I got out of that situation -- and with my life," said Link, a master-at-arms 3rd class. Link and other base personnel met U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday during a visit that highlighted the Pentagon's efforts to restore a sense of security at U.S. military bases across the country. The facilities host about 5,000 military students from 150 countries, including more than 800 from Saudi Arabia. It is an uphill battle in Pensacola. Three U.S. sailors were killed in cold blood and eight other people were wounded before the gunman, Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was himself shot dead. Families at the base were already on edge after the shooting. Then, earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared it an act of terrorism and announced 21 Saudi cadets training in the United States were being sent home after an investigation turned up child pornography or social media accounts containing Islamic extremist or anti-American content. Twelve of them had been training at the Pensacola base. "NATURAL APPREHENSION" Navy Captain Tim Kinsella, commanding officer of the naval air station, acknowledged apprehension among families who live on the base and said his team has held around 25 town halls in the past six weeks to address their concerns. "There's a natural apprehension. There's always the questions: what are we doing to make the base safer," Kinsella said. Still, Kinsella played down calls for the Saudis to be sent home, including an online petition to move all training of students from countries outside NATO overseas, calling them "outliers." Esper told reporters travelling with him there was no "active" consideration of sending Saudis back home to carry out their training. He noted recent Pentagon changes aimed at improving the vetting of foreign military students. Asked about how he was addressing tensions between military families and the 140 Saudi students remaining at the Pensacola base, Esper said it was something local base leaders were "working aggressively on." "We talked about maybe increasing roving patrols, stationary patrols," he said. The Dec. 6 attack further complicated U.S.-Saudi relations at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival. It also cast the international military exchange programs the U.S. military believes help forge long-term partnerships in a negative light. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, praised those relationships and Esper's efforts to strengthen security. "At the same, though, we cannot be bringing people over here who want to do things like this with our country," DeSantis said, standing next to Esper. Kinsella said he believed that the broader Pensacola community still supported the presence of international military trainees. He recounted how one Pensacola resident gave an apple pie to a group of Saudi military officers, apprehensive of what the community thought of them after the shooting by a fellow Saudi. "People here recognize that they (the foreign students) are victims of this as well," Kinsella said. (Reporting by Phil Stewar; Editing by Tom Brown) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Varma said this is precisely what he had sought and added that he had great respect for Kumar. New Delhi/Patna: The war of words between Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar and his party leader Pavan Varma escalated on Thursday with the Bihar chief minister indicating that the latter was free to leave the party if he wished. The JD(U) chief said in Patna that If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within party or at party meetings, but such kind of public statements are surprising. He can go and join any party he likes, he has my best wishes. Mr Verma on his part said that he will decide his next course of action depending on the reply from the party president to his letter and asserted that he will continue to speak what he believes is for the good of the country and the party. The former diplomat had left the JD(U) embarrassed with his claims on how he felt about CAA and NRC in a letter which was released on social media by him. On Thursday, the former Rajya Sabha member said: I have not received a reply. Depending on the reply from the party president or its absence I will decide on my course of action. I will continue to speak what I believe is right, what is for the good of the country and the party. The former diplomat has drifted from the JD(U) over its support to the amended citizenship law and the national population register exercise, as he has often claimed that these measures along with the national register of citizens, which is on the BJPs agenda, are divisive for the country. Mr Varma said this is precisely what he had sought and added that he had great respect for Mr Kumar. He is grateful to Mr Kumar for all that he has done for him. Earlier, another JD(U) leader vice-president Prashant Kishore had come out against the CAA and NRC forcing Mr Kumar to say in state Assembly that he was ready to hold a discussion on CAA and that NRC would not be implemented in the state. LUXEMBOURG, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardagh Group S.A. ("Ardagh") announces that its board has nominated Abigail Blunt, Yves Elsen and Oliver Graham for election as directors of Ardagh at its next Annual General Meeting in April. Abigail Blunt Abigail ("Abby") Blunt, a US national, currently serves as Global Head of Government Affairs and Advisor to the Board of The Kraft Heinz Company. Prior to joining Kraft Foods Global, a predecessor to Kraft Heinz, in 2007, Ms Blunt was Senior Director of Federal Government Relations at Altria Corporate Services Inc., which she joined in 2001. Earlier in her career, Ms. Blunt gained extensive legislative and political experience as Finance Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, as Foundation Director with the US Chamber of Commerce and as a legislative aide in the US House of Representatives. Abby is based in Washington DC. Yves Elsen Yves Elsen, a Luxembourg national and resident, is CEO and managing partner of HITEC Luxembourg S.A., a Luxembourg-based industrial and technology company serving contractors in over 20 countries around the world. Prior to this, Mr. Elsen founded and led SATLYNX S.A., following extensive experience with listed satellite operator SES - Societe Europeenne des Satellites S.A.. He was a member of the supervisory board of Villeroy & Boch AG from 2013 to 2019 and its Chairman from 2017. Mr. Elsen is Chairman of the board of governors of the University of Luxembourg. Oliver Graham Oliver ("Ollie") Graham, a UK national, is CEO of Ardagh's Global Metal Beverage business, comprising Europe, North America and South America, a position he has held since January 1, 2020. Before taking up his current role, Mr. Graham was CEO of Metal Beverage Europe with responsibility for Metal Beverage Brazil, as well as being Group Commercial Director. He joined Ardagh in 2016 following the acquisition of the metal beverage business, prior to which he was Group Commercial Director at Rexam PLC. Mr. Graham joined Rexam PLC in 2013 from The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a partner. Abby Blunt and Yves Elsen will be proposed to join the board of directors of Ardagh Group S.A. as independent non-executive directors. Upon confirmation of these appointments at the Annual General Meeting, the board of directors of Ardagh Group S.A. will expand to fourteen members, including six independent non-executive directors. Abby Blunt and Ollie Graham will join a new board sustainability committee, which will be constituted in February. Yves Elsen will join the audit committee. Ardagh Group S.A. is a global supplier of infinitely recyclable metal and glass packaging for the world's leading brands. Ardagh operates more than 50 metal and glass production facilities in 12 countries across three continents, employing over 16,000 people, with sales of $7bn. SOURCE Ardagh Group S.A. The portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will leave Washington, D.C., in 2021 on a national tour of five cities, the Washington Post reports. Why it matters: The paintings have brought in millions of visitors to the capital's National Portrait Gallery, where they are currently housed. The artists who painted the portraits, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, are the first African American artists to ever be selected to paint gallery portraits of a president or first lady. The tour schedule: The Art Institute of Chicago: June 18, 2021 through Aug. 15, 2021 The Brooklyn Museum (New York City): Aug. 27, 2021 through Oct. 24, 2021 The Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Nov. 5, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022 The High Museum of Art (Atlanta): Jan. 14, 2022 through March 13, 2022 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: March 25, 2022 through May 30, 2022 Go deeper: Smithsonian unveils official Obama portraits ASCHHEIM, Germany, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology and UZE Mobility, open innovation platform for e-mobility services, have entered into a strategic partnership. The companies will join forces, combining their payment and geolocation technology to launch innovative services in e-mobility and further driving the megatrend New Mobility and Commerce on the Move. In 2019, UZE Mobility started to provide cities with a fleet of multi-purpose carsharing vehicles and will scale in 2020 with so-called Digital Kits. These are digital advertising displays that are placed on each vehicle type and managed via the UZE Mobility platform. When in use, the vehicles safely capture geolocation data, which can be used by public and private entities in the creation of electronic maps, geotagging, and other uses in the field of mobility. This service is free for users, who contribute to the UZE Mobility marketplace with data collected only from the vehicle's location and surroundings. Simultaneously, the vehicles offer a one of a kind advertising space. This form of digital advertising gives businesses the opportunity to promote their products and services in precise demographic areas to reach a desired target market. For example, a retailer can advertise the opening of a new store branch on a vehicle travelling in the respective neighborhood. According to a 2019 report by Zenith Media, out-of-home advertising (OOH) expenditure is steadily increasing on a yearly basis, globally: in 2018, the global spend topped USD 38.5 billion, with that figure expected to hit USD 42.2 billion by 2021. As part of the cooperation, Wirecard will be the preferred payment partner for transactions carried out on the UZE marketplace. "We are delighted to partner with Wirecard as we forge the path towards the future of mobility," commented Sebastian Thelen, Co-Founder and CIO at UZE Mobility. Alexander Jablovski, CEO and Co-Founder at UZE Mobility, said, "In Wirecard, we have found the technology partner with whom we are leveraging the enormous potential of mobility data that is still largely untapped today in order to open up new markets. I am very glad to partner with one of the most innovative companies in its field." "In 2020, we expect the Commerce on the Move trend to gain momentum and bring even more innovative, ground-breaking ideas to the mobility market," added Stephan Ritzenhoff, Principal Manager Strategic Alliances at Wirecard. "For this reason, we are proud to cooperate with UZE Mobility, true innovators in the field of e-mobility. We look forward to working with UZE Mobility and making the future of mobility happen today." The UZE Ads Kits have received their road approval and successfully passed the proof of concept stage. By 2020, UZE Mobility aims to bring between 500 and 1,000 of these systems onto the roads in the DACH region. In addition, UZE Mobility is currently adding further display providers to its Mobility Digital out-of-home platform. UZE Mobility plans to scale accordingly in Europe and internationally in 2020. In addition, metropolitan areas such as Mexico City and San Francisco have expressed interest in the data platform and advertising systems of the company. About Wirecard: Wirecard (GER: WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both business customers and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on the areas payment & risk, retail & transaction banking, loyalty & couponing, data analytics & conversion rate enhancement in all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets and holds issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on www.wirecard.com, follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup. About UZE Mobility: The rapidly growing start-up company UZE Mobility is represented in Dubai, Bremen, Dusseldorf, Munich and Aachen. The agile team of experts is building the Internet of Streets. For this purpose, telematics boxes are installed in as many vehicles as possible worldwide. These collect anonymous journey, vehicle and environmental data via intelligent sensor technology and feed this into the Internet of Streets. UZE Mobility brings together experts from the fields of digitalization, blockchain, hardware development and fleet management with a long-standing international background and a network of global partners. Wirecard media contact: Wirecard AG Jana Tilz Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363 Email: [email protected] UZE Mobility media contact: UZE Mobility GmbH Christian Fischer Tel.: +49(0)173-8421-524 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Wirecard AG An Eyota man who was given a probationary sentence in 2017 on possession of pornographic work charges will serve an executed state prison sentence in the case after being sentenced on newer charges. Ethan Charles Olson, 23, was sentenced Tuesday in Olmsted County District Court by Judge Lisa Hayne to concurrent prison sentences of 15, 20, 25 and 30 months, according to court records. Olson was convicted in September 2017 of four counts of possession of a pornographic work. At the time, he was given a probational sentence that included he not own or operate any electronic device that allows for internet capabilities, that he not possess any pornographic or sexually explicit material, and that he submit to random search at the request of probation, according to court records. In June 2019, two corrections agents from Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted Community Corrections conducted a home visit at Olsons Eyota residence. During the visit, Olson allegedly turned over an internet-capable device and admitted to using a file-sharing application to download pornography. The device was taken and turned over to the Olmsted County Sheriffs Office. Investigators reportedly found 10 items of pornographic work that involved minors, according to court records. ADVERTISEMENT As a result of the findings, he was charged in July with 10 felony counts of possession of pornography. The new charges, as well as the possession of an internet-capable device and pornography, were a violation of his probationary sentence from 2017. In September, Olson pleaded guilty to three of the charges. The remaining seven counts were dismissed in December when Judge Jacob Allen sentenced Olson to concurrent state prison sentences of 59, 77 and 84 months. The prison sentences in the 2017 case are to be served at the same time as the prison sentence imposed in December. OTTAWA - The Canadian government is rolling out information rather than surgical masks and thermal scanners to try to keep the country safe from a virus that has already killed more than two dozen people in China and left hundreds more sick. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks with the media before attending party caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, January 23, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The Canadian government is rolling out information rather than surgical masks and thermal scanners to try to keep the country safe from a virus that has already killed more than two dozen people in China and left hundreds more sick. The World Health Organization on Thursday chose not to declare a global health emergency because of the disease even as China quarantined more territory around the city at the heart of the outbreak, Wuhan, to prevent its spread. The disease is caused by a coronavirus, part of a family of germs that can cause respiratory illness in humans, and so called because they look like crowns under microscopes. Sometimes the effects are very mild; sometimes, in some people, they can be lethal. The virus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 was a coronavirus. Even as Chinese officials were scrambling to contain this outbreak and five people were being monitored for the coronavirus in Quebec, Canada's chief medical officer was playing down the chances of an outbreak here. "While we are aware of incidents under investigation, we have no reports of any confirmed cases of this new coronavirus in Canada," Dr. Theresa Tam said during a technical briefing with reporters. "The risk of an outbreak in Canada remains low." Some countries such as the Philippines have installed thermal scanners in their airports to detect potential carriers of the disease when they arrive from China as those infected have displayed flu-like symptoms such as fevers. Canada has no plans to follow suit, Tam said. "In our experience during SARS, we scanned millions of people and didn't pick up a single case," she said. "What we know is if you get infected, there could be many days between being infected and being symptomatic or having a fever." There is no plan to test every single person flying from China or even Wuhan for the same reason, she said, noting it can take up to two weeks for a person who has been infected to start displaying symptoms. It's not believed people are infectious before they become symptomatic. The federal government is instead focused on having international travellers flying into Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver who are experiencing flu-like symptoms self-report to border officers, Tam said. Those arriving from China, especially Wuhan, are also being given information about what to do if they start to feel sick. "At the border, the most critical opportunity is to educate the travelling public so they know what to do when they actually have symptoms." As for prevention, Tam rejected the idea of healthy people wearing surgical masks to keep from getting infected. While she said masks are useful for those who already have a disease, they can make healthy people sick in other ways. "Just wearing masks when you're well is not an effective measure, and sometimes it can actually present some risk as you're putting your fingers up and down your face, removing your mask, putting them next to your eyes, that sort of thing," she said. "So there's no recommendation to wear a mask when you're going about your regular daily activities." Speaking earlier in the day, the head of Quebec's public health authority said five people in that province were under surveillance for possible exposure. The five, from the Montreal and Quebec City areas, had travelled to China "and have a history that could be compatible with the fact they could have been exposed," Dr. Horacio Arruda said. At least 26 people have died in China and more than 800 people have been infected, with cases popping up in other countries as well. For comparison, annual outbreaks of seasonal influenza typically sicken three million to five million people and kill 290,000 to 350,000 around the globe, according to the World Health Organization. "Obviously, we take very seriously this issue of the coronavirus," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday. "Our health minister is engaged with her partners at the provincial level and we're working with international partners as well to ensure that we have the best response possible." The government is "of course looking at any extra measures that need to be taken to keep Canadians safe and to prevent the spread of this virus," Trudeau added. Anyone suspected of having the disease will be tested for a variety of common ailments such as the flu, Tam said. While provincial authorities can screen for non-coronavirus diseases, full tests will be conducted at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. One of the difficulties is that the coronavirus's symptoms are extremely similar to those of the common flu, Tam said, including fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. "Which is why in the middle of an influenza season and other respiratory viruses, it can look like any of those. And if a traveller from Wuhan has respiratory symptoms or a fever, they will get tested for all the usual suspects in addition to, of course, then being tested for the novel virus." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. The Fiat 500 Hybrid and the Fiat Panda Hybrid are the first mild hybrid systems that Fiat has recently introduced. In the context of the joint venture with Fiat Chrysler announced last week, the first electric cars are to be launched in 2022. Foxconn wants to make itself somewhat more independent of consumer electronics and smartphones and enter new growth markets. According to Young Liu, Chairman of Foxconn, this includes e-cars, medical technology and robotics. Terry Gou, the founder and long-time head of Foxconn, who resigned last year, also plans to set up an independent investment fund to put money into technology companies around the world. The "Vision Fund" of SoftBank apparently serves as a model for him. According to an announcement by Fiat Chrysler, the partners want to develop and build battery-powered cars and enter the "Internet of Vehicle" business as part of the planned 50:50 joint venture. However, the joint venture, which is aimed at the Chinese market, has not yet been finalized. Details are to be negotiated in the coming months. When the contract can be signed, or whether it will come into effect at all, is not yet certain, according to information from Fiat Chrysler. Foxconn sees its role in the planned joint venture as providing the necessary components and managing the supply chain. Foxconn does not want to take over the assembly of the vehicles, Liu said in Taipei. In China there are already too many manufacturers and an oversupply. Tesla had only recently started production in the Gigafactory in Shanghai. Foxconn has already invested in the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL, in Didi and in Chinese e-car start-ups such as Byton and Xpeng. WASHINGTONEfforts to denuclearize North Korea will continue despite a new foreign minister in Pyongyang who is seen as a hard-liner and could take a tougher stance in stalled negotiations, a senior State Department official said Wednesday. The official would not forecast how the new foreign minister, Ri Son Gwon, who succeeds Ri Yong Ho, might approach negotiations with the United States over removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. The official, citing diplomatic protocol to speak on the condition of anonymity, predicted the talks would restart, given what he said was a shared desire for progress on the part of President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. Despite frequent setbacks in the past year, Trump administration officials have publicly said they intend to continue with negotiations to settle on a denuclearization process, echoing Trumps line. Privately, though, some officials acknowledge that the administration has gotten nowhere and that there is no sign the North will give up its nuclear weapons. Ri Yong Hos removal was first reported Saturday by NK News, based in Seoul. The move was interpreted as a sign of further turmoil among the ranks of North Korean officials responsible for negotiating with the Trump administration and getting the U.S. to lift sanctions. Kim and Trump opened the talks in 2018 in Singapore. But those fell apart after the two leaders met again in February 2019, in Hanoi, Vietnam, prompting Kim to dismiss his negotiating team. Among those sidelined was Kim Yong Chol, a former spy chief and top party official who was seen as the counterpart to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and oversaw the Norths negotiating team in Hanoi. Kim Yong Chol also had clashed with Pompeo in several meetings and, in July 2018, North Korea said the United States had made a gangsterlike demand for denuclearization when the top U.S. diplomat visited Pyongyang. Ri Son Gwon, the incoming foreign minister who has served as an Army colonel, was an aide to Kim Yong Chol years ago. In another shift of senior leadership, North Korea has replaced the defence minister, according to a report Wednesday in Rodong Sinmun, an official newspaper of the Workers Party of Korea. The new official, Kim Jong Gwan, is an Army general. They come and go, so its pretty hard to put a lot of analytical freight on the new appointment, said Robert Carlin, a former CIA and State Department analyst on North Korea. Carlin said the calculus of the United States in negotiations was still the same. And he noted that much depended on the next steps that the Norths leader takes, in particular whether he carries out another nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile test. The State Department official shrugged off suggestions that Russian and Chinese diplomats had persuaded North Korea not to carry out a major weapons test something the North had described as a Christmas gift for Trump. Kim had given the Americans until the end of last year to make what he would consider a genuine offer that would result in the lifting of sanctions. However, instead of a weapons test, he warned that North Korea was developing a new strategic weapon. The North Korean leader also ridiculed the impasse that he said would result in the United States becoming more helpless against the North. In December, Stephen Biegun, the deputy secretary of state and main negotiator on North Korea, travelled across East Asia to discuss the North Korea sanctions with China and to indicate to North Korea that the Americans were willing to continue talks. Kim Jong Un, at a Communist Party meeting Dec. 28, called for offensive measures to strengthen security. An earlier round of talks Biegun had with North Korean officials in Stockholm in October ended badly after the North Koreans read from a long, prewritten letter berating the Americans. The North then said it had no desire to continue what it called sickening negotiations. Read more about: Kate Upton recently demonstrated her Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) skills on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and I must say, I found it pretty inspiring. The model is a relative newcomer to the martial art and she was keen to demonstrate a move known as the 'rear naked choke hold' on the host. "Just make sure to tap if you feel, like, panicked," she told him. "Cause I don't know my limits." Fallon tapped a few seconds later before remarking that he "was really passing out a little bit". Upton says she's "obsessed" with BJJ and I can relate to her beginner's enthusiasm. I took up the martial art a few years back and while I didn't stay the distance (I'm a serial hobbyist), I experienced some of its profound benefits. Like Upton, I was keen to practise my manoeuvres on whoever was unfortunate enough to be around when I arrived home from a class. "Do you want to see my triangle choke?" I'd ask my increasingly exasperated friends. Not particularly, they'd answer. Truth be told, I never really mastered these moves, but it didn't really matter. Over time, I realised that the real benefits were more psychological than physiological. I grappled with men and women of varying ages and abilities, and while I was usually squashed into submission by people who were vastly more experienced, I still left every class feeling 10ft tall. BJJ is a close combat sport and that, in and of itself, is empowering. It calls on all your strength and yet it isn't necessarily a battle of strength. Well-honed technique can overpower a bigger opponent and the physically stronger sex don't always have a natural advantage. After just a few months of practising, my mother noticed I was much more comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. I wasn't shying away from confrontation and I was altogether more confident and assertive. The self-defence aspects of the classes were an added bonus. I felt like I had power over my personal safety. The problem, of course, is that not everyone agrees with what seems to me like common-sense advice. Some believe that a focus on self-defence amounts to victim-blaming - it shifts responsibility from the perpetrator to the victim, they argue, and it fails to hold men accountable for their actions. They believe that women shouldn't shoulder the responsibility for their personal safety, when it is in fact the responsibility of society at large. Don't teach women how not to get raped. Teach men not to do it. It's hard to argue with this viewpoint when you consider the systemic nature of rape culture. The vast majority of reported rapes are committed by someone known to the victim - not by the stereotypical stranger who jumps out of the bushes. And this of course suggests that some men still believe they're operating within a grey area when it's in fact black and white: no means no and sober consent is key. It's a conversation that we need to keep having with young men, but it's far from a neat solution to a widespread problem. Yes, young men need to be taught about consent, respect and boundaries, but there will always be those who are beyond educating. And while we need to keep telling women that the stereotypical image of the deranged stranger rapist is far from the norm, we also have to accept that violent, predatory rapists exist. They live among us now, they will always live among us and they are not going to be enlightened by a class on consent or a talk about locker-room mentality, lad culture and toxic masculinity. There are countless reports of women who used self-defence and martial arts to fend off violent attackers. Some of them had only done a few classes. There are also plenty of women with a background in self-defence who experienced the freeze response during a sexual assault. Nobody can predict their body's response to fear. What we can predict, however, is the sense of empowerment that comes from learning self-defence. It is proven to help women feel stronger and therefore safer, and that can only be a positive thing. It's time we stopped denouncing self-defence as anti-feminist when the truth is it's anything but. The safety of women is a collective responsibility, but women, don't forget, are part of that collective too. SALEM, Ore. High school graduation rates at Oregon schools climbed again last year, but the state continues to lag behind the national average. In southern Oregon specifically, many districts saw marked improvements though a few continue to fall beneath even the state average. The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) just recently released the latest grad rates, and NewsWatch 12 has been poring over the numbers for the past several days. Graduation rates by District (2018-19 / 2017-18) State of Oregon avg.: 80.01 / 76.88 / 76.88 Ashland SD 5: 89.33 / 85.61 / 85.61 Phoenix-Talent SD 4 : 85.34 / 75.25 : / 75.25 Klamath County SD: 82.37 / 79.20 / 79.20 Brookings-Harbor SD 17C: 80.58 / 74.44 / 74.44 Medford SD 549C: 80.34 /80.50 /80.50 Central Point SD 6: 80.06 / 83.33 / 83.33 Three Rivers SD: 77.48 / 75.20 / 75.20 Grants Pass SD 7: 77.27 / 72.21 / 72.21 Ealge Point SD 9: 74.36 / 72,41 / 72,41 Klamath Falls City Schools: 71.43 / 63.31 After the 2018-19 school year, the overall Oregon graduation rate rose to 80.01 percent. Though it's the sixth year in a row that grad rates have improved, it still falls well below even last year's national average of 84.6 percent. In southern Oregon, only two counties rose above the state average: Jackson and Lake, with 80.64 and 92.16 percent, respectively. The dropout rates in both counties were lower than the state average in all categories but one Asian students in Jackson County and CTE Concentrators in Lake. Still, many individual districts rose above the state average. The Ashland, Phoenix-Talent, Klamath County, and Brookings-Harbor school districts all beat the state average and improved their grad rates over the previous year. Medford and Central Point both beat the state rate, but actually fell slightly over their previous year rates. Three Rivers, Grants Pass, Eagle Point, and Klamath Falls City Schools fell below the state average, but made progress over last year. RELATED: Oregon needs 'significant work' to raise graduation rates For at least the fourth year in a row, Henley High School in Klamath County had the highest graduation rate in southern Oregon with nearly 98 percent. Henley topped the entire state in grad rates for multiple years in a row, but has since fallen to the third highest. Graduation rates for the entire Klamath County School District went up for the fifth year in a row. Ashland School District had the highest graduation rate of any district (of more than 100 students) in southern Oregon, and increased its rate from 85.61 to 89.33 percent over last year. Phoenix-Talent School District increased its graduation rate by more than 10 percent over last year, the largest improvement in our region. The next highest increase was Klamath Falls City Schools at 8.12 percent. Both school districts in Josephine County Grants Pass and Three Rivers performed below the state average for graduation and completion. REPORT: Oregon's school system among the worst in the nation In August, Governor Kate Brown visited South Medford High School on the first day of the new school year to ceremonially sign the "Student Success Act." Supporters of the $2 billion funding bill, which added a new tax on major Oregon businesses, have touted it as a major investment in Oregon schools and their historically lagging grad rates. According to the Oregon Department of Education's most recent annual count, more than 22,000 K-12 students experienced some form of homelessness last year, representing one of the most significant barriers to student learning. The agency claims that Student Success funds will help schools combat the issue. "Thanks to the Student Success Act, well be able to do more to help students experiencing homelessness graduate from high school with a plan for their future, said ODE Director Colt Gill in a November statement. Graduation rates represent students who received a regular diploma, participated in "post graduate scholars," or received an Oregon modified diploma. The data from ODE also includes a separate number for completion rates, which includes adult high school diplomas, extended diplomas, or GEDs. Most schools and districts tend to see a proportionately higher completion rate than graduation, though the difference between the two varies. NewsWatch 12 is still looking into the information furnished by ODE and will update the article with any further takeaways throughout the day. Watch our broadcasts at 4, 5, and 6 p.m. for the latest developments. Data from the European Audiovisual Observatorys MAVISE TV and VOD database has shown that the supply of TV channels in Europe has become more fragmented due to the pre-Brexit migration of a number of stations and the general diversification of channels. And not surprisingly, the UK has bene the location most adversely affected by the changes even though the country remains it remains the biggest contributor to the overall supply of TV channels in the EU28.The Observatory noted that the slide was mainly led by the migration of localised versions but also of standalone TV channels addressing foreign markets, as international TV networks seeking to maintain distribution after Brexit applied for broadcasting licences outside the UK. At the head of this march was the likes of Discovery, Viacom, Sony and the SPI International portfolio brands. This relocation saw the share of channels based in the UK and targeting markets beyond national boarders drop to 57% in 2019, down by 5% year-on-year.As an indication of what this now means to the UK TV industry, half of the TV channels targeting foreign EU markets were UK-based in 2018, as opposed to just over a third at the end of 2019. The study said that such decentralisation recorded at EU level was the result both of channel migration and a prominent trend towards diversification of the international TV channels in their new host territories. 2019 also saw the launch of additional localised versions of international brand networks represented mainly by Discovery and Viacom portfolios.As licensees left the UK, the main destination for the relocation and specialisation of broadcasting licences in 2019 was the Netherlands, followed by Spain. This has seen a meant a repositioning of the main hubs for channels targeting other EU countries and a fragmentation of the supply. The top three hubs for international networks, still accounting for a cumulative 69% in 2019 of all TV channels targeting other EU28 were represented by the UK (37%), the Netherlands (22%) and Spain (11%) as opposed to 2018 ranking positions occupied by the UK (52%), the Czech Republic (9%) and Luxembourg (8%) at the end of 2018.The MAVISE data also showed that the vast majority (over 95%) of TV channels available in the 41 European countries covered by the European Audiovisual Observatory were still established in Europe with only 8% of them being publicly owned. A U.S. judge has thrown out a libel lawsuit filed by the wife of former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, over a play staged in the United States that she asserted was part of a Kremlin campaign to malign Khodorkovsky. The ruling, issued January 22 by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, ends for now legal questions regarding Kleptocracy, which had a brief run at Washington, D.C.s Arena Stage theater last year. In the lawsuit filed last year, Inna Khodorkovskaya argued that the production depicted her as a "prostitute and a murderer and was a "highly inaccurate and [offensive] play that sacrifices the truth to support the Kremlin's agenda" and "an integral part of the efforts of the Russian government to malign Mr. Khodorkovsky. "This action is brought to restore Ms. Khodorkovskaya's good name and expose the false and malicious campaign being conducted by the Russian government and the Defendants," the complaint said. The action was filed in March, less than a month after the play ended its run at Arena Stage. A representative for Khodorkovsky said they were awaiting the judge's written ruling before commenting. Barbara Wahl, a lawyer for the playwright, Kenneth Lin, and director, Jacquelyn Gay, could not immediately be reached for comment. But the judges ruling agreed with Wahls earlier motions that argued, among other things: the play is a work of fiction, which is clearly shown by not only its tagline but also by the context and content of the work itself [and] the First Amendment allows breathing room for the dramatization of the events and characters depicted. Once among Russias richest tycoons, Khodorkovsky clashed with President Vladimir Putin early in Putins tenure. He was arrested in 2003 and convicted on tax and fraud charges that he and his supporters were politically motivated. He served 10 years in detention before being pardoned by Putin in December 2013. In recent years, after fleeing Russia to live in London in exile, Khodorkovsky has become an outspoken opponent of Putin, funding an online media organization and backing opposition groups. In 2015, the federal Investigative Committee -- the Russian equivalent of the FBI -- filed new criminal charges against Khodorkovsky, accusing him of ordering the murder of a Siberian mayor during the time when Khodorkovsky was building up his oil company, Yukos. Yukos was dismantled after Khodokovsky's 2003 arrest and its main production assets were sold at auction and ended up in the hands of state oil company Rosneft. You may call it the clash of the titans at the basic educational level and interestingly enough, two schools have made it to the finals of Citi TV's maiden Best Brain Quiz Competition. The two schools, Happy Kids School and Silicon Valley will meet on Saturday 25th January to battle it out for the ultimate winner. The event will be held at the Ridge Arena of Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotels in Accra and would present grueling question and answer sessions. The program is sponsored by Blue Knights Limited with support from Citi FM. Both schools have already showcased their sneak-peek for Saturdays showdown with hopes of matching each other closely. This they did at the project stage (semi-finals) with the stellar exhibitions that paved way for their finals spot. Simply put, the finalists are unbeatable and are ready to do justice to the questions set by the team of indefatigable examiners and to be put forward by the shows stupendous quizmaster. Best Brain began with 12 schools including Kay-Billie-Klaer International School, Christ the King International School, Ministry of Health Basic School, St. Martin de Porres and All Saints Anglican School. The rest are Christian Home School, Unique Child School, Corpus Christi, Adenta Community School and Royale Shakespeare International School. Journey to the Final At the end of the presentation at the project stage and per the judges' scores, Happy Kids and Silicon Valley took the first and second positions respectively leaving Christ the King behind in third place. This was after they presented riveting projects on how the Ghanaian environment has largely been damaged by human activity and human-influenced climate occurrences. The results stood as follows: Happy Kids School 86 % Silicon Valley International School 85 % Christ the King International School 74% Happy Kids School: At the quarter-finals, they sent the Ministry of Health Basic School packing with 68 and 59 points respectively. It qualified at the Preliminary stage by beating their counterparts from the Adenta Community School with 83 points as against the laters 81. Silicon Valley: At the end of their quarter-finals contest, Silicon Valley gave Kay-Billie-Klaer a good run for their money with 62 points. It was 41 points for Kay-Billie-Klaer. They won their preliminary contest by a hair's breadth by garnering 83 points with Adenta Community School following closely with 81 points at the end of proceedings. Best Brain; where knowledge lives Best Brain is an educational show that brings Junior High Schools together in a classic quiz competition. The schools locked horns as schools that groom Ghana's best brains. ---CitinewsRoom Afghan drought forces shepherds into desperate measures Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 Nooruddin watched helplessly as his flock of 100 sheep began to die from hunger and thirst on the dry drought-ravaged hillsides of Balkh province. Rather than let more of the prized creatures die a slow death on the dry hillsides of Balkh province in the north, he made the decision to slaughter most of the rest. "I cut their heads off," the 65-year-old herder said, adding that their malnourished frames meant their meat was "useless". "We fed it to the dogs," Nooruddin told AFP. He's one of many whose traditional livelihoods -- from farmers to carpet weavers -- are under threat as changing weather patterns wreak havoc. Experts warn the situation will only get worse, with Afghanistan one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, even though it produces just 0.1 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. For many this latest drought is the worst they can recall. "I've seen droughts before, but never as severe," said livestock trader Mirza, who like many residents only uses one name. "A lot of sheep and animals died on the mountains and in the desert," the 45-year-old added. Mohammed Aref, a 19-year-old shepherd who raises karakul sheep -- famed for their curly-haired lambs' pelts that are turned into traditional hats -- said shepherds sold off their emaciated animals for pittance to butchers. "A lot of us had a big loss," Aref told AFP from the noisy livestock market outside Mazar-i-Sharif, on a crisp, early winter morning. "Most of us can't afford to get more (livestock) and now our life is ruined." - Huge temperature rise - Aref and other Balkh residents have no notion of climate change as it is understood in places with better access to information and education, but all agreed things were changing. The last big drought they remembered was about a decade ago. Before that, there hadn't been one for about 50 years, they said. "We had a drought 12 years ago," recalled 68-year-old Aynoddin, another karakul sheep farmer, "but last year's was the worst". According to the United Nations Development Programme, about 80 percent of Afghans rely on rain-fed crop and animal farming for their incomes. Over the next four decades in Afghanistan, scientists predict a decrease in rainfall and a rise in average temperatures of up to 4 degrees Celsius compared to 1999, the UNDP said. The agency noted droughts could soon be considered the norm, unleashing further desertification and loss of arable land. Problems are only compounded when rains do eventually come. Last spring, flash floods swept entire villages and fields away. The UN said in an overview of last year's aid operations that nearly half of all rural residents now face some level of food insecurity in Afghanistan, a country where unemployment and poverty are already major drivers of the war. While light rains in the autumn eased woes for some, the weather has since dried up again. Asked if they worried for the coming year, several farmers gave a common Afghan response. "If there is a drought, God will decide, so I don't worry," Aynoddin said. - Looming crisis for weavers - The Global Adaptation Initiative, run by the University of Notre Dame in the US, currently ranks Afghanistan 173 out of the 181 countries it scored in terms of a nation's vulnerability to climate change and its ability to adapt. The human cost is plain to see at a camp for internally displaced people just outside Mazar-i-Sharif, where rows of white UN tents house hundreds of families and the main source of water is from a large communal tank. Shamayel, a 35-year-old mother from Faryab province in the northwest, said her family came to the camp to escape conflict and the drought. She used to weave colourful traditional kilim rugs, but increasing wool prices made it impossible. Seven kilogrammes of wool previously cost about $19, she said, but the price rose to $31 in the past year or two. Perhaps surprisingly, though, rising wool costs haven't caused a price jump for Afghan rugs and carpets. Traders in Mazar complained the ongoing uncertainty and anxiety around delayed election results and talks between the Taliban and the US have essentially frozen the market. Another former weaver at the camp, Ghulam Sakhi, 50, said he too had been forced to give up his trade when he arrived. "I want to weave, I miss it," he said, smiling as he described his craft. "Now I feel useless." For the third year running, the Academy Awards will take place without a host and maybe its for the best. Presenting the Oscars is a tricky job; success as a comedian, as a TV presenter or as an actor in no way guarantees a successful turn at the ceremonies. And a bad host can tarnish the night, for viewers and for the Academy. On the other hand, a great host can elevate an awards night beyond simply its winners and losers. Frequent hosts Bob Hope and Billy Crystal became renowned for their ability as comperes, defining, for many viewers, their respective eras of Oscar history. 2019s host-less approach was considered such a success that the 2020 ceremony repeated it; 2021 will see the ceremony forgo a host once again. This format is not a completely recent idea; the 1989 ceremony also had no presenter. A dreadful opening number in which an off-key Rob Lowe sang a lavish medley with Snow White (played by Eileen Bowman) was enough to end the Hollywood career of its bombastic producer, Allan Carr, single-handedly. As a reminder of exactly what well be missing out on this year, here are five of the best Oscar hosts of all time... The 5 best Oscars hosts Show all 5 1 /5 The 5 best Oscars hosts The 5 best Oscars hosts Jon Stewart After a tepidly received turn hosting in 2006, Stewart made the most of his second chance in 2008, giving a confident performance presenting the 80th Academy Awards. The former Daily Show comedians jokes were tighter and better delivered, and he showed a real aptitude for letting others take the limelight. Perhaps most commendable of all, Stewart used one of his transitions to invite Marketa Irglova back on-stage to finish her acceptance speech for Best Original Song after being abruptly cut off. Getty Images The 5 best Oscars hosts Whoopi Goldberg Goldberg was not only the first African American person to host the ceremony, but the first woman too. Having already won an Oscar for her supporting turn in 1990s Ghost, the actress won over audiences with her elaborate costume changes and sharp sense of humour. Over the course of her four stints in the role, she would also prove deft at handling more sensitive moments, presiding over the Oscars in which Schindlers List took Best Picture, as well as the first ceremony post-9/11. Goldberg recently suggested herself for the host after Kevin Hart was removed from the 2019 ceremony amid a scandal surrounding homophobic tweets. Getty Images The 5 best Oscars hosts Ellen DeGeneres The comedian and talk show host wasnt met with the fondest reception when she hosted the ceremony in 2007. But her 2014 return was a much tighter affair, and was instrumental in reconfiguring the Oscars for social media age. DeGeneres was a consummate luvvie and kept the humour low-key and respectful. The ceremony peaked with a star-studded selfie live on air, taken with a host of A-listers that included Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. The image would quickly become the most popular tweet of all time (now sitting in third), with a current total of over 3.3 million retweets. Getty Images The 5 best Oscars hosts Billy Crystal Crystal is credited with reinventing the role of Oscars host during his four-year run from 1990 to 1993. A more high-energy personality than most of his predecessors, the When Harry Met Sally... star proved himself a versatile awards show entertainer, and would return again five times over the years. He was comfortable with showmanship, not to mention self-promotion: at the 1991 awards, to promote City Slickers, he closed the ceremony by riding offstage on a horse. Crystals most recent appearance as host came in 2012, when he was brought in as a steady hand on the tiller after James Franco and Anne Hathaways disastrous spell the year previously. Getty Images The 5 best Oscars hosts Bob Hope For decades, the comic stylings of Bob Hope were synonymous with the Oscars. The comedian hosted (and co-hosted) the awards ceremony 19 times between 1940 and 1978, presenting for the final time on the Oscars 50th Anniversary. Hope was popular for his charm and assuredness, as well as his droll one-liners. Jack Lemmon presented him with a unique gold medal for his services to the Academy during the 1966 Oscars. Accepting the award, he quipped anyone that wants to look at this can come to my place and itll be in the shrine. Rex Features 5. Jon Stewart After a tepidly received turn hosting in 2006, Stewart made the most of his second chance in 2008, giving a confident performance presenting the 80th Academy Awards. The former Daily Show comedians jokes were tighter and better delivered, and he showed a real aptitude for letting others take the limelight. Perhaps most commendable of all, Stewart used one of his transitions to invite Marketa Irglova back on-stage to finish her acceptance speech for Best Original Song after being abruptly cut off. 4. Whoopi Goldberg Goldberg was not only the first African American person to host the ceremony, but the first woman too. Having already won an Oscar for her supporting turn in 1990s Ghost, the actress won over audiences with her elaborate costume changes and sharp sense of humour. Over the course of her four stints in the role, she would also prove deft at handling more sensitive moments, presiding over the Oscars in which Schindlers List took Best Picture, as well as the first ceremony post-9/11. Goldberg recently suggested herself for the host after Kevin Hart was removed from the 2019 ceremony amid a scandal surrounding homophobic tweets. 3. Ellen DeGeneres The comedian and talk show host wasnt met with the fondest reception when she hosted the ceremony in 2007. But her 2014 return was a much tighter affair, and was instrumental in reconfiguring the Oscars for social media age. DeGeneres was a consummate luvvie and kept the humour low-key and respectful. The ceremony peaked with a star-studded selfie live on air, taken with a host of A-listers that included Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. The image would quickly become the most popular tweet of all time (now displaced), with a total of over 3.3 million retweets. 2. Billy Crystal Crystal is credited with reinventing the role of Oscars host during his four-year run from 1990 to 1993. A more high-energy personality than most of his predecessors, the When Harry Met Sally... star proved himself a versatile awards show entertainer, and would return again five times over the years. He was comfortable with showmanship, not to mention self-promotion: at the 1991 awards, to promote City Slickers, he closed the ceremony by riding offstage on a horse. Crystals most recent appearance as host came in 2012, when he was brought in as a steady hand on the tiller after James Franco and Anne Hathaways disastrous spell the year previously. 1. Bob Hope For decades, the comic stylings of Bob Hope were synonymous with the Oscars. The comedian hosted (and co-hosted) the awards ceremony 19 times between 1940 and 1978, presenting for the final time on the Oscars 50th Anniversary. Hope was popular for his charm and assuredness, as well as his droll one-liners. Jack Lemmon presented him with a unique gold medal for his services to the Academy during the 1966 Oscars. Accepting the award, he quipped anyone that wants to look at this can come to my place and itll be in the shrine. And five of the worst Oscar hosts of all time... The 5 worst Oscars hosts Show all 5 1 /5 The 5 worst Oscars hosts The 5 worst Oscars hosts David Letterman Attempting to transfer his popular Late Night shtick to the considerably less receptive territory of the Oscars, Letterman saw his hosting tenure end in disaster. From a stinker of a joke near the beginning about two actresses with supposedly similar names Oprah. Uma. Oprah. Uma. Oprah. Uma. Have you kids met Keanu? the usually reliable presenter failed to find his flow. A few later gags were met with near-total silence, and Letterman was accused by the New York Times of leaving the ceremonys pacing in shambles. AFP/Getty Images The 5 worst Oscars hosts Chevy Chase Good evening, Hollywood phonies. So began Chevy Chases badly received second run at the 1988 Oscars. Taking place in the middle of a writers guild strike Chase makes a crack about the evenings monologue being donated by five teamsters the actors biggest problem is simply that the jokes dont land. An overlong bit about film critics fails to get much of a reaction, and Chases attempts at ad-libbing never manage to rescue the situation. Getty Images The 5 worst Oscars hosts Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore & Richard Pryor In 1983, the hosting role was given to the idiosyncratic quartet of Matthau, Minnelli, Moore and Pryor, in an effort to shake things up after four straight years of Johnny Carson. Whether it was a failure of rehearsal, choreography or performance, the sight of the four actors standing in a straight line, arrhythmically swaying to the opening number, remains one of the most awkward Oscar clips of all time. Minnelli tries to save face with a joke, commenting how Richard, Dudley and Walter are still rehearsing backstage, but the painfully gauche routine set the tone for a disjointed and forgettable evening. Youtube The 5 worst Oscars hosts Seth MacFarlane The Family Guy creator was given a prestigious platform for his notoriously low-brow comic sensibilities when he hosted the Oscars ceremony in 2013. True to form, MacFarlane included a creepy, obnoxious song-and-dance number in which MacFarlane calls out actresses who have done topless scenes in the past (entitled We Saw Your Boobs). The reactions ranged from awkward smiles to a horrible embarrassment. The barefaced sexism of the skit attracted no small share of criticism at the time, but six years later, in the wake of #MeToo, it beggars belief that such a sleazy routine ever saw the light of day. Despite the reaction, MacFarlane claimed the Academy invited him back to host the subsequent year. Getty Images The 5 worst Oscars hosts James Franco & Anne Hathaway Having successfully paired Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in 2010, the Academy threw Franco and Hathaway together the year after, in an apparent attempt to synthesise some youth appeal. As it worked out, the pairs dreadful chemistry an uneasy mix of Hathaways cloying perkiness and Francos disconnected grinning made for an awkward and historically uncomfortable experience that ironically appeals to no demographic whatsoever. Early jokes are met with mirthless silence, and a later skit in which Franco dresses in drag goes down like a lead balloon. Getty Images 5. David Letterman Attempting to transfer his popular Late Night shtick to the considerably less receptive territory of the Oscars, Letterman saw his hosting tenure end in disaster. From a stinker of a joke near the beginning about two actresses with supposedly similar names Oprah. Uma. Oprah. Uma. Oprah. Uma. Have you kids met Keanu? the usually reliable presenter failed to find his flow. A few later gags were met with near-total silence, and Letterman was accused by the New York Times of leaving the ceremonys pacing in shambles. 4. Chevy Chase Good evening, Hollywood phonies. So began Chevy Chases badly received second run at the 1988 Oscars. Taking place in the middle of a writers guild strike Chase makes a crack about the evenings monologue being donated by five teamsters the actors biggest problem is simply that the jokes dont land. An overlong bit about film critics fails to get much of a reaction, and Chases attempts at ad-libbing never manage to rescue the situation. 3. Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore & Richard Pryor In 1983, the hosting role was given to the idiosyncratic quartet of Matthau, Minnelli, Moore and Pryor, in an effort to shake things up after four straight years of Johnny Carson. Whether it was a failure of rehearsal, choreography or performance, the sight of the four actors standing in a straight line, arrhythmically swaying to the opening number, remains one of the most awkward Oscar clips of all time. Minnelli tries to save face with a joke, commenting how Richard, Dudley and Walter are still rehearsing backstage, but the painfully gauche routine set the tone for a disjointed and forgettable evening. 2. Seth MacFarlane The Family Guy creator was given a prestigious platform for his notoriously low-brow comic sensibilities when he hosted the Oscars ceremony in 2013. True to form, MacFarlane included a creepy, obnoxious song-and-dance number in which MacFarlane calls out actresses who have done topless scenes in the past (entitled We Saw Your Boobs). The reactions ranged from awkward smiles to a horrible embarrassment. The barefaced sexism of the skit attracted no small share of criticism at the time, but six years later, in the wake of #MeToo, it beggars belief that such a sleazy routine ever saw the light of day. Despite the reaction, MacFarlane claimed the Academy invited him back to host the subsequent year. 1. James Franco and Anne Hathaway Having successfully paired Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in 2010, the Academy threw Franco and Hathaway together the year after, in an apparent attempt to synthesise some youth appeal. As it worked out, the pairs dreadful chemistry an uneasy mix of Hathaways cloying perkiness and Francos disconnected grinning made for an awkward and historically uncomfortable experience that ironically appeals to no demographic whatsoever. Early jokes are met with mirthless silence, and a later skit in which Franco dresses in drag goes down like a lead balloon. Qualcomm adopts Isro's NaviC technology for mobile chipsets Qualcomm, one of the worlds biggest chipset companies, has developed new chipsets that are compatible with Isros GPS-alternative NaviC (an acronym for NAVigation with Indian Constellation). This will help Android phones enhance geolocation capabilities within the coverage region of NavIC. Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has provided consultation for Qualcomm for enabling NavIC capability to their Snapdragon mobile chipset platforms. These chipsets are being released by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The release of chipsets will help accelerate the adoption of NavIC by smartphone OEMs. OEMs can now release any new model for the Indian market that are NavIC-enabled, thus eventually making NavIC a standard feature in the upcoming handsets, applications, processors, etc. It will also enhance the geolocation capabilities of smartphones within the coverage region of NavIC, says an Isro release. Addressing a press conference on the occasion of 'Lunar Orbit Insertion of Chandrayaan-2 Mission', Isro chairman K Sivan said the new chips will soon bring Isros NavIC technology to millions of Android phones in India. Touted as the alternative to GPS (Global Positioning System), the NavIC satellite technology is designed to deliver accurate position information service to Indian users and even in neighboring countries. The technology is now set for a commercial application in future Android smartphones, including mid-range and budget phones, as the chipset giant Qualcomm has announced new processors with the Isro technology. Qualcomm on Tuesday launched Snapdragon 720G, Snapdragon 662 and Snapdragon 460 processors that will power future mid-range and budget smartphones. The chipset company said it has for the first time introduced supports up to seven satellite constellations concurrently, including the use of all of NavICs operating satellites, in its Qualcomm Location suite. The integration will help deliver more accurate location performance, faster time-to-first-fix (TTFF) position acquisition, and improved robustness of location-based services, it added. ISRO is satisfied with the efforts of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc towards incorporating NavIC and we urge OEMs to leverage it for future handset launches in India, Sivan said. The availability of NavIC across multiple mobile platforms will help enhance the geolocation capabilities of smartphones in the region and bring the benefits of this indigenous solution to Indian consumers for their day-to-day use, he added. Smartphone companies such as Xiaomi and Realme which dominate the sub Rs20,000 smartphone segment in India, have confirmed the NaviC-enabled Snapdragon 720G processor for their future phones. Isros NavIC adoption will help reduce dependence on American GPS technology for navigation and other relevant usage. Apps such as Uber and Google Maps are also expected to leverage the technology to deliver more accurate location information service. The indigenous location service is also believed to be more efficient than GPS and other competing location services. The technology can also be used for disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, precise timing, terrestrial navigation assistant to hikers and travelers, visual and voice navigation for drivers, aerial and marine navigation, and more. Earlier, Isro said Qualcomm had successfully developed and tested processors that support its NavIC system. The space agency had also confirmed Xiaomi was going to be one of the early adopters of the technology. Qualcomm has announced that its chip is going to have NaVIC and they are releasing it. Now almost Xiaomi is in agreement to have it. Xiaomi may launch its mobile phones with NavIC chipsets, an Isro official had said. It is now 100 seconds to midnight, closer to midnight than at any point since the clock's creation in 1947. Ahh, humans. We sure are smart, what with our fancy phones, modern medicine, rockets that fly to outer space, and all that stuff. But we seem to be missing something kind of important for a species we don't appear to be too concerned about self-destruction. Isn't that weird? The latest proof of this folly if climate change predictions all coming to fruition weren't enough is the announcement that the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock is nearing twelve. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board in consultation with the Bulletins Board of Sponsors, which includes 13 Nobel Laureates, moved the Doomsday Clock from two minutes to midnight to 100 seconds to midnight. Back in 1947 when the Doomsday Clock was created, it was nuclear weapons we feared; in particular from the prospect that the United States and the Soviet Union were headed for a nuclear arms race. In 2007, the potential for catastrophic disruptions from the climate crisis were added into determining the time. This year it is closer to midnight that it has ever been before. The scientists explain the trifecta of travesties leading to the clock's current time: Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers nuclear war and climate change that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts societys ability to respond. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode. Rachel Bronson, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, says, It is 100 seconds to midnight. We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds not hours, or even minutes. It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay. Former California Governor Jerry Brown, executive chair, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, says, "Dangerous rivalry and hostility among the superpowers increases the likelihood of nuclear blunder. Climate change just compounds the crisis. If there's ever a time to wake up, it's now." A statement by the scientists highlights the worsening factors: NUCLEAR WEAPONS In the nuclear realm, national leaders have ended or undermined several major arms control treaties and negotiations during the last year, creating an environment conducive to a renewed nuclear arms race, to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and to lowered barriers to nuclear war. Political conflicts regarding nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea remain unresolved and are, if anything, worsening. US-Russia cooperation on arms control and disarmament is all but nonexistent. CLIMATE CHANGE Public awareness of the climate crisis grew over the course of 2019, largely because of mass protests by young people around the world. Just the same, governmental action on climate change still falls far short of meeting the challenge at hand. At UN climate meetings last year, national delegates made fine speeches but put forward few concrete plans to further limit the carbon dioxide emissions that are disrupting Earths climate. This limited political response came during a year when the effects of manmade climate change were manifested by one of the warmest years on record, extensive wildfires, and quicker-than-expected melting of glacial ice. CYBER-BASED DISINFORMATION Continued corruption of the information ecosphere on which democracy and public decision making depend has heightened the nuclear and climate threats. In the last year, many governments used cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns to sow distrust in institutions and among nations, undermining domestic and international efforts to foster peace and protect the planet. Not to be a doomsday sayer or anything, but really, we need to get our act together or we are going to go the way of the dinosaurs. As Jonas Salk argues in The Survival of the Wisest, "A complete inversion of values is necessary if man is to move from the Darwinian era to the 'epoch of cooperation'; the alternative is species suicide." Which way are we going to go? Watch the full announcement below. Read more at the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. The University of Michigan suspended its provost Tuesday after the school received several allegations of sexual misconduct against him, and said it had hired a law firm to assist with its investigation. The provost, Martin Philbert, who is also executive vice president for academic affairs and a tenured professor of toxicology at the School of Public Health, was placed on administrative leave, Mark Schlissel, the university president, said in a letter on Wednesday. We take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously, and our policy is clear: Sexual misconduct will not be tolerated in the University of Michigan community, Mr. Schlissel said. Mr. Philbert, who joined the university in 1995 and was appointed provost in 2017, was suspended with pay, a university spokesman, Rick Fitzgerald, said on Thursday. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has called the advent of artificial intelligence more profound than ... electricity or fire. So his call for government regulations of the technology this week, in an opinion piece in the Financial Times, raised more than a few eyebrows. There is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated, Pichai wrote. It is too important not to. The only question is how to approach it. Whenever a powerful technology CEO encourages government intervention, everyone who depends on that technology should pay attention. In this case, Pichai is the head of what may be the worlds most prominent artificial intelligence company. From self-driving cars to the Smart Compose tool in Gmail, Google has been at the forefront of this technology which will, indeed, create tremendous paradigm shifts in everything from employment to emergency preparedness. As Google seeks to improve its technology and fight off stiff competition in this space, it makes little sense that it would welcome government regulation. So why would Pichai suggest the opposite? One big reason is to head off the kind of regulation he doesnt want. Both the U.S. and the European Union are moving closer to instituting rules for artificial intelligence, and their approaches are already diverging. This month, the Trump administration released a draft set of guidelines for federal agencies to consider when making rules for artificial intelligence in the private sector, emphasizing that they must avoid regulatory or non-regulatory actions that needlessly hamper AI innovation and growth. Meanwhile, the European Union is contemplating sweeping rules, like a five-year ban on facial recognition technology in public spaces. Google might be just fine with the latter regulation Google doesnt sell facial recognition technology, though its rivals Microsoft and Amazon do but Pichai is clearly concerned about the possibility of conflicting global regulatory standards, and the expense and headaches they will create for the industry. Moreover, Google has its own set of principles for dealing with artificial intelligence, and its been touting them as a potential framework for governments since 2018. While the companys framework sounds nice enough it urges privacy features in private companies AI work and asks that they dont reflect unfair human biases its a far cry from the type of firm public policy that would protect marginalized groups, the democratic process, and other important considerations of global life in 2020. Thats not going to be good enough for a technology as important and far-reaching as artificial intelligence. Google can, and should be, a critical partner as international governments seek to regulate this industry. But no company should be responsible for creating its own rules especially with the publics safety and privacy at stake. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. In general, declaring an international public health emergency gives the WHO director general powers to issue recommendations to other countries, such as urging them not to close borders or restrict trade with a country in the middle of an outbreak. Public health officials say such measures are considered unlikely to stop disease spread and very likely to discourage countries from being forthright about outbreaks. In Shaheen Bagh, thousands of women are sitting round the clock everyday, carrying a message of resistance to the recently amended citizenship act (CAA) and the subsequent proposed exercise of National Register of Citizens (NRC). Their message is loud and clear - a satyagraha to be heard by the government. The peaceful flame of resistance has now spread to other communities in and beyond the national capital and across the country. In some places, the police have also removed the protesters but the wave is growing. As on Wednesday, January 22, at least 20 Shaheen Bagh-inspired sit-in protests have been reported in the country. Out of the total, about 10 were in the national capital itself. Here is a look at some of these protests: 1. In addition to Shaheen Bagh, in Delhi itself, sit-in protests have been organised at several places such as at Khureji, Turkman Gate, Jaffarabad and Seelampur, Kardam Puri, Old Mustafabad and Bhajanpura. These protests have been organised by locals, where in women sit throughout the night to mark their protest against CAA and NRC and to sympathise with the women of Shaheen Bagh. 2. In Madhya Pradesh, similar protests have been reported from Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Khandwa. Several Congress and Left party leaders have addressed these women, who are protesting since January 15 whereas the BJP has held pro-CAA rallies in several parts of the state, some of which have turned violent also. 3. In West Bengal, women-led anti-CAA protests has been organised since January 7 at Park Circus, Kolkata. Hundreds of women and children, armed with placards, slogans and determination, have gathered outside a local mosque in the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood of Park Circus. 4. In Bihar, Shaheen Bagh has inspired demonstrations in Patnas Sabzibagh, Gayas Shanti Bagh, and in towns of Kishanganj, Bahadurganj and Gopalganj. Shaheen Bagh has become the face of ongoing protests and galvanised people. In solidarity, weve started protests in Kishanganj as well so that it continues to inspire people, said Abu Affan Farooquee, an advocate from Kishanganj. 5. In Uttar Pradesh, similar protests have been reported from several cities such as Lucknow, Prayagraj, Etawah, Aligarh, Kanpur, Meerut and Morababad. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned that shouting slogans of azaadi (freedom) at these protests would amount to treason and people will be booked for sedition. The police had forcefully removed women protesters from Lucknow and Etawah citing prohibitory orders. 6. In Telangana, women started a Shaheen Bagh-type protest near Tolichowky flyover in Hyderabad was not allowed. However, in some localities, symbolic night long dharnas (sit-ins) were held to sympathise with Shaheen Bagh women, who are at the forefront of the protest. 7. Similar protests have also been reported from some place in western Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. However, the biggest protest in the region is happening in Kota, where women have been sitting on round the clock dharna (sit-in) since January 14. Smaller Shaheen Bagh-type protests have been reported from Ahmedabad and Pune also. "RCEP was an unbalanced trade agreement, which was not fulfilling the guiding principles on which the RCEP was started. Therefore, India chose not to participate in it," Goyal said in a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2020 here."India is not willing to engage with the RCEP unless we see a greater degree of transparency, open government, regulatory practices and greater market access for Indian goods and services on a reciprocal basis," he stated.Last year, India decided not to join the RCEP agreement as its key concerns were not addressed.The key issues behind India's decision not to be part of RCEP included inadequate protection against import surge, insufficient differential with China, possible circumvention of rules of origin, keeping the base year as 2014 and no credible assurances on market access and non-tariff barriers.The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member-states of ASEAN and FTA partners."Trade negotiations are very complex issues. We are not negotiating trade with deadlines and in a hurry. The FTAs that were entered into from 2009-12, sadly did not have as many stakeholder consultations as our government is doing," said Goyal.Goyal is leading the Indian delegation to the 50th WEF summit at Davos which is being held from January 20 to January 24.The Union Minister had a number of engagements with various ministers of other countries and CEOs of prestigious companies.This includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tadashi Maeda, Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency, Graciela Marquez Colin, Mexican Minister of Economy, among others.India's performance on global parameters and steady growth trajectory has been the talk of the forum. During all of Goyal's engagements, everyone showed a keen interest in India.It was realised that India is the place where all the investors and businessmen can get phenomenal returns from their investments. To this end, all individuals and organisations want to contribute to India's growth story.Goyal also took to his Twitter handle and met several top businessmen, policymakers and political leaders on the sidelines of the WEF summit."Met Manvinder Singh Banga, Partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice along with @KTRTRS, Minister for IT and Industries, Telangana. Spoke about our Government's initiatives to enhance ease of doing business and make India more investor-friendly," said Goyal in a tweet."Had a productive meeting with Tadashi Maeda, Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation at @WEF in Davos. We discussed avenues for increasing investments in India's infrastructure sector and ways to enhance economic cooperation between India and Japan ," he said."Met @Tim_Cook, CEO of Apple at @WEF in Davos. Had a wonderful interaction with him on Apple's investment plans in India," the Union Minister tweeted."Met @ParmelinG, Federal Councillor for Economic Affairs, Education and Research of Switzerland at @WEF in Davos. Had a productive discussion on increasing engagement in the services sector and further boosting our existing economic partnerships," he tweeted."Had an opportunity to interact with @SadhguruJV at @WEF in Davos. His ideals of spirituality and his work in the field of education & environmental conservation is a source of inspiration for millions of people around the globe," Goyal said in another tweet."Met @GMarquezColin, Secretary of Economy of Mexico, at @WEF in Davos. We discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties between our two nations," the Union Minister further said. (ANI) Uganda through the National Water and Sewerage Corporation will next month host the 20th Africa Water Association (AfWA) International Congress & Exhibition (AfWA ICE). The four-day event, which will run under the theme: Breaking grounds to accelerate access to water and sanitation for all will gather researchers, policymakers and various executives to discuss how the continent can solve problems of water scarcity and stress, through innovations and diplomatic efforts. According to officials, the event will be held at Kampala Serena Hotels Conference Centre from Feb. 24-27. Stories Continues after ad The conference is hosted every two years. The 19th AfWA ICE was held in Bamako, Mali in February 2018 and thats when it was decided that Kampala becomes the next host. NWSC executive director Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha is the president of the Congress. The African Water Association (AfWA) is a professional association of establishments, enterprises and utilities operating in the areas of drinking water, sanitation and environment in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from chronically overburdened water systems under increasing stress from fast-growing urban areas. Weak governments, corruption, mismanagement of resources, poor long-term investment, and a lack of environmental research and urban infrastructure only exacerbate the problem, argues Christopher Tatlock in a blog post on Cfr.org. Experts define water stress as economic, social, or environmental problems caused by unmet water needs. Lack of supply is often caused by contamination, drought, or disruption in distribution. The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) defines safe drinking water as water with microbial, chemical and physical characteristics that meets WHO guidelines or national standards on drinking water quality. Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest number of water-stressed countries of any other place on the planet and of an estimated 800 million people who live in Africa, 300 million live in a water-stressed environment. It is estimated that by 2030, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will be living in areas of high water stress, which will likely displace anywhere between 24 million and 700 million people as conditions become increasingly unlivable. In Uganda, numerous efforts are being taken to address the problem of unsafe water. For instance, NWSC announced that it will soon be commissioning the first and biggest plant in East and Central Africa using dissolved air flotation water treatment technology. It is being constructed in Katosi and it will be using AquaDAF and AquaZur water treatment technologies, officials revealed. NSWC Senior Manager Infrastructure planning and Development Eng. Sulum Taremwa said they are now moving away from the traditional treatment of water by sedimentation to the use of dissolved air floatation, in order to deal with the problem of increasing algae on Lake Victoria. (Newser) A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the murders of his mother and three siblings in what's believed to be Utah's biggest mass shooting in 13 years. Authorities say Colin Jeffery "CJ" Haynie sought to kill everyone in his Grantsville home except himself and nearly succeeded Friday. Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, 52, and her daughter Milan (12 or 14; also reported as Maylan) were fatally shot around 1pm, per USA Today. Alexis, 15, and Matthew, 14, were killed after arriving home separately later in the afternoon. Father Colin Haynie was shot in the leg after arriving around 6pm but was then able to wrestle a handgun from his son, police say. Coverage: "He said that the defendant told him that his mother and his other siblings were dead and that his intention was to kill everyone in the home except himself," says Tooele County Attorney Scott Broadhead. story continues below A neighbor called 911 before driving the father and son to a hospital around 7pm, per KUTV. The boy was then taken into custody on suspicion of four counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted aggravated murder, and multiple counts of discharging a firearm; he will be tried as an adult. He's so far refused to speak with investigators, per the AP. "The biggest question for everyone here is why," Police Cpl. Rhonda Fields tells ABC News. Fields says the roughly 12,000-person town hasn't seen a homicide "of this magnitude" in 20 years. It's Utah's largest mass shooting since 2007, when a gunman killed five people and himself at a mall in Salt Lake City. ABC News points out it's also the first mass shooting in America in 2020, based on the FBI's definition for such a shooting as one in which there are at least 3 victims, excluding the shooter. "They were a really, really nice family. Its just shocking that it happened," a neighbor tells KSL. KSL reports the family's eldest son, a Utah Valley University student, learned of the tragedy on Facebook. "Anyone in Grantsville know (what) is going on??? I cant get ahold of my family and they live on the street where the shooting happened," he posted on Facebook. In a subsequent comment he reported that officials hadn't provided him with any info, so he "pretty much had to piece it together." (Read more mass murder stories.) Now Open 23 January 2020 In a highly frequented location adjacent to the Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester, Novum Hospitality - one of Germany's largest family-run hotel groups - has now opened the niu Loom. The midscale hotel boasts 135 innovative guestrooms attracting both business and leisure travellers. "We are beyond excited to be able to establish our young brand the niu in the lively metropolis of Manchester as part of our internationalization strategy. Being our initial foray into the UK market, we are confident that this hotel opening marks the first of many more projects to come. Following the example of our the niu hotels in Vienna and the Netherlands, the niu Loom is the fourth hotel of our millennial brand opening its doors outside of Germany," emphasizes David Etmenan, Chief Executive Officer & Owner NOVUM Hospitality. Local storytelling, digital innovation & social commitment The rapidly growing lifestyle brand the niu combines unique design with an interior storytelling inspired by the hotel's neighbourhood. The epithet "Loom" is a tribute to Manchester's industrial heritage. The interior theme revolves around the formerly widespread weaving plants of the city. Industrial designs and three-dimensional weaving patterns conceived and implemented by Linda Brage of Core Design reflect the crafting character of Manchester. Murals and artwork of Bjorn Holzweg further highlight this theme. The Hamburg-based artist was commissioned as part of the cooperation between Novum Hospitality and the association Viva con Agua e.V. The proceeds from this partnership will contribute to ensuring that people worldwide receive access to clean drinking water. All rooms are equipped with fixtures typical to the niu: flat screen TVs with mirroring function, Bluetooth speakers as well as a digital media library. Guests, tourists and local visitors mingle in the Living Lobby. Free high speed Wi-Fi, numerous power connections and comfortable lounge chairs create the perfect place for interaction and relaxation. The hotel bar serves drinks and bar food around the clock. Hotel manager Matt Shiells-Jones adds: "We treat every guest as a member of our social circle; we are fun, cheeky and down-to-earth! Along with the amazing environment we thrive on comfort and inspire our guests with urban art, cheeky quotes, native local products and true Manchester hospitality." With a total of 135 rooms and central transport connections into the heart of the city, the niu Loom serves as a perfect retreat for both business and leisure travellers. UK project partners The owner and developer of the project is the London-based company Manchester (Queens Road) Limited. "We were thrilled to work with Novum Hospitality to bring the niu Hotel brand to Manchester and create a comfortable, fun and spacious hotel that reflects the history and personality of the surrounding area," says Martin Brage, Director at Manchester (Queens Road) Limited. BJP trying to revive pain of partition again through CAA, NRC, NPR: Kanhaiya Kumar India oi-PTI Kolkata, Jan 23: CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday claimed that the BJP is trying to revive the pain of partition among the country's populace again through CAA, NRC and NPR and divide the people on religious lines. He said it is very painful to be homeless, whether it be during the partition of 1947, or in the 1990's when Kashmiri pandits had to leave the valley. "The NRC process in Assam has put the BJP in a bind since about 16 lakh, of the total 19 lakh people who could not prove their citizenship, are non-Muslims. "That is why the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was brought to confuse the Hindus," Kumar said at a seminar to commemorate the birth centenary of Communist leader Indrajit Gupta. In a show of unity among political parties with different ideologies in their opposition to CAA, NRC and NPR, the seminar was addressed by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya, CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, apart from Kumar. The former JNU students' union president said that there is "no problem" in showing papers and documents, but the government must ensure jobs and provide for other basic needs after the people do that. "Farmers are committing suicide when onion is sold at Rs 200 per kg in the retail markets? Where is the money going?" he asked. Kumar accused the BJP of creating confusion over CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) so that people forget about the issues like price rise and unemployment. "Whoever speaks up against BJP are termed anti- national by them without any evidence whatsoever," he claimed. Kumar claimed that the saffron party has termed many respected persons including Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson Tushar Gandhi anti-national since they had opposed the policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Narendra Modi became the prime minister of the country from a 'chaiwala' (tea seller) because of democracy, but now he wants to do away with it, Kumar alleged. "Modi is behaving like Kalidasa, he wants to cut the tree branch on which he is sitting," Kumar said. CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim said that the Constitution assures dignity of individuals, but "the Modi government was doing away with that through the contentious CAA, NRC and NPR". "People of the country are socially integrated, but the BJP is trying to divide them on religious lines," he alleged. Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya also accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misleading the Rajya Sabha by saying that all parties had supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill when it was passed in the Select Committee. Bhattacharya, who was a member of the committee, claimed that he had given a dissent note. Yes, I am from the 'tukde tukde' gang, says Kanhaiya Kumar "Modi and Shah are trying to build a wall between Ishwar and Allah, but if the Berlin wall could be brought down, this wall can also be dismantled," he said. CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya claimed that the Constitution is being turned upside down by the BJP through the CAA, NRC and NPR. "We are passing through difficult times and the Constitution is under attack," he added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 23:39 [IST] Officials in Massachusetts are warning against a 'dangerous' new viral TikTok trend where teenagers are deliberately sliding pennies behind iPhone chargers and scorching classrooms. Firefighters responding to Plymouth North High School around 12.15pm after reports of an arcing electrical outlet on Tuesday found a melted penny fused onto to the pronged part of a phone charger. Another outlet was in similar condition. According to a teacher, two students plugged phone chargers into outlets and dropped a penny between the charger and the outlet, resulting in sparks and smoke. 'Its almost like an explosion. The electricity propels the charger and the coin the coin is molten metal at this point outwards,' Plymouth Fire Chief Edward Bradley told WHDH. A new viral TikTok trend involves people sliding pennies onto the exposed prongs of phone chargers to cause electrical sparks 'It does not take much to be electrocuted fatally. Just by an outlet in a wall socket,' he added. Footage from the 'Outlet Challenge' shows two students laughing as they drop the penny into place and a electrical spark instantly erupts. The outlet sets alight because the metal penny disrupts the electrical current surging from the socket, causing a threatening spark. Amherst Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff Olmstead said the prank could cause thousands of dollars in damage. The incident has occurred at two Massachusetts schools, resulting in scorched outlets and potential fires 'Thousands of dollars to the electrical system if they need to be done or if they have to pull those wires back to a circuit breaker, the damage to the person, electrocution causing burns or death or starting clothes on fire or items nearby,' he told Western Mass News. 'Although they are younger, they will get fees fines and probations and no one wants to see them have a felony or conviction on a record,' he added. The Massachusetts Fire Marshal released a letter revealing that incidents have occurred at a school in Holden and at Westford Academy. The Massachusetts Fire Marshal released a letter regarding the trend to school and emergency officials on Tuesday 'We have had two incidents in Massachusetts that we are aware of: one in Holden where a concerned mother sent a photo of a scorched outlet to a news outlet and one at a Westford High School, which the Department of Fire Services investigated,' they wrote. A student at Westford Academy will face charges for his part in the prank. In response, fire officials are looking to implement plans to educate tweens and teenagers about the risks involved with the trend. They are also asking local parents to talk to their children about the incident. Winchester Fire Chief Rick Tustin said: 'My plan is to get it out to the superintendent. We have had incidents over the years where children have been really injured with these viral videos. So that is our major concern to stop them before they get hurt.' Pictured: a ruined electrical outlet after the TikTok trend was performed. One student at Westford Academy will face charges. Dr. Gary E. Maestas, Plymouth Schools Superintendent, released a statement on Tuesday saying that no injuries have been reported. 'I am happy to report that there were no injuries or significant damage to Plymouth North High School as a result of their irresponsible act of shorting out an electrical outlet.' 'We are working with Plymouth Police and Fire Departments to fully understand the scope of this issue and pursue charges to the fullest extent of the law.' The investigation is ongoing and no formal arrests have been made, WBZ reports. Medical staff transfer a patient of a highly suspected case of a new coronavirus at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong, China January 22, 2020. [Photo: Reuters] Chinas mysterious coronavirus outbreak is inciting global panic, with 17 confirmed deaths so far. Virtually unheard of a month ago, the new strain has struck more than 500 people both in its native China and beyond, reaching the US earlier this week. READ MORE: Billions of journeys to celebrate Chinese New Year raise fears coronavirus will spread worldwide Experts fear patient numbers may have reached as high as 9,700 in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, where it all began. The strain triggers flu-like symptoms, including breathlessness and fever. In the most severe cases, victims succumb to pneumonia. Where did the new coronavirus come from? Most people will battle a mild coronavirus at some point, with strains of the pathogen being responsible for the common cold. Coronaviruses can also trigger life-threatening epidemics, like the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak that killed 774 people across dozens of countries in the early 2000s. The new coronavirus strain, 2019-nCoV, likely originated at a seafood market in Wuhan. The market also sold a range of processed and live meat including donkeys, poultry, camels, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and rats. Most of those who initially fell ill worked at, or visited, the market. [2019-nCoV is] an RNA virus, which mutate all the time, Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, said. In simple terms, RNA is a precursor to the more well known DNA. Constantly-evolving viruses can develop the ability to jump to new species. This was the case with bird flu, which occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds, and can infect domestic poultry, and other bird and animal species, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Scientists from Peking University in Beijing have traced 2019-nCoV to snakes, namely the Chinese krait and cobra. They compared the DNA of the virus to that of other pathogens from various places and species. Results suggest 2019-nCoV is a combination of a coronavirus found in bats and another coronavirus of unknown origin. Story continues The virus is thought to contain a mix of proteins that bind to cell receptors, allowing it to enter and trigger disease. The team then found snakes were likely the intermediate host between bats and humans, with the mix of proteins facilitating the species jump. Snakes often hunt bats in the wild and were reportedly sold at the Wuhan market, according to The Conversation. How the virus could survive in both a cold and warm-blooded species is unclear. Not all experts are convinced, however. It is still not known with certainty and it may never be definitively proved, Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, said. There are initial, although contested, reports the virus has already been detected in both bats and snakes, and the strains in both bats and snakes are similar to each other, and to the strains from human cases. There is still much more to find out about the virus and there is a real possibility the exact origin may not be found. The big question is no longer where it came from, but how and where it is spreading in human populations. As well as Sars, Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) is another coronavirus strain. This kills about three or four in every 10 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sars and Mers are both thought to have originated in bats. The masked palm civet, a mammal native to the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia, was an intermediate host for Sars between bats and humans. Camels played the intermediate host for Mers. The lack of genetic diversity in viral samples from different patients suggests 2019-nCoV jumped from animals to humans as recently as last month. The Wuhan market, which was shut at the beginning of the year, conducted illegal transactions of wild animals, the BBC reported. Dr Ben Cowling, from the University of Hong Kong, claims tracing other cases to the market could help identify the animal behind the outbreak. Containers and cages could also be tested for the virus DNA, he added. Yet, disinfection of the area makes the virus difficult to trace, The Conversation reported. We dont know the animal source, Professor Ferguson said. Live animal markets are a risk, whereas we buy packaged meat from the supermarket. What is the new coronavirus? Like other coronavirus strains, 2019-nCoV typically starts with flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Six coronaviruses are known to infect people, with 2019-nCoV being the seventh. In rare cases, coronaviruses can lead to lower-respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. These tend to occur in babies, the elderly or those with weak immune systems. 2019-nCoV fatalities are occurring as a result of pneumonia. This comes about when a respiratory infection causes the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus, according to the American Lung Association. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. Without treatment the end is inevitable, the charity Medecins San Frontiers reported. Deaths occurs because of asphyxiation. China's National Health Commission confirmed on Monday it can be passed from person-to-person, like other coronaviruses. These commonly spread via coughing, sneezing, shaking hands or touching a contaminated object. The virus enters the body if contaminated hands touch the eyes, nose or mouth. In rare cases, faecal contamination can be to blame. There is no specific treatment for coronaviruses, according to the CDC. If the infection triggers pneumonia, doctors work to combat the complication. When a virus is to blame - like with 2019-nCoV - pneumonia must be treated via antiviral medication, according to the American Lung Association. US health officials are working on a vaccine against 2019-nCoV, however, it will likely be months before the first stage of trials are underway and more than a year before it is available to the public, CNN reported. For now, the World Health Organization advises people avoid unprotected contact with live animals, thoroughly cook meat and eggs, and stay away from those with flu-like symptoms. HIRAM, Ohio The infant found dead inside a Hiram College dorm bathroom in October was a baby boy, who was born alive. The Portage Coroners office has ruled the babys death a homicide. The baby was full-term and died due to neglect and inattention. If the child received medical attention, he likely would have survived, Portage County Coroner Dr. Dean DePerro said. The autopsy report was conducted by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office, and has been referred to the Portage County Prosecutors Office. Portage County Prosecutor Victor V. Vigluicci could not be reached for comment. We are a close knit community so a situation like this is a difficult one for students, faculty, and staff, Hiram College spokeswoman Jenelle Bayus told cleveland.com in an email. The school is providing counseling services to all students and employees. Cleveland.com is following this story and will update it with the latest news and developments. Read more about this story: Dead newborn baby found in Hiram College dorm bathroom The Boryspil International Airport received an explanatory letter from the sanitary quarantine department of the Laboratory Center for Air Transport of the Health Ministry of Ukraine regarding the fatal coronavirus on January 21. "On January 21, the Boryspil Airport received a letter from the sanitary quarantine department of the Laboratory Center for Air Transport of the Health Ministry of Ukraine with explanations on undetectable pneumonia caused by coronavirus. In its official letter the department informed that it controls the situation and is in touch with the national authorities of China. It also did not recommend to introduce any restrictions on trips to and trade with China," the press service of the airport said. The press service also said that the airport received notifications of requirements, restrictions, bans [including on the countries where the disease has been registered], measures and procedures from the State Aviation Administration and other government agencies. The airport also said that information about persons with signs of the infectious disease can be received from the crew of the plane 30 minutes before the landing or after the plane has stopped at the airport. After the plane stops, a duty employee of the sanitary quarantine department goes on board first to assess the situation and give further instructions. The employees of the airport and other organizations involved in its work act in line with the approved instructions and control the situation as much as possible, the press service said. Chicago, IL, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) recently reviewed BESLERS's Easy Work Papers product using the Peer Review process. After undergoing the rigorous review, Easy Work Papers has been awarded the Peer Reviewed by HFMA designation. Easy Work Papers is web-based software that can be accessed from anywhere to complete Medicare and Medicaid cost reports accurately and consistently. Were very proud of the fact that Easy Work Papers is so well regarded among our customers, said Jonathan Besler, President and CEO of BESLER. The results of HFMAs thorough Peer Review process confirm the value that our clients see in the product. Easy Work Papers reduces the amount of time that providers spend on cost report preparation leaving them more time to address critical issues that can have a material impact on revenue. HFMA's Peer Review process provides healthcare financial managers with an objective, third-party evaluation of business solutions used in the healthcare workplace. The rigorous, 11-step process includes a Peer Review panel review composed of current customers, prospects who have not made a purchase, and industry experts. The Peer Review status of the healthcare business solution and its performance claims are based on effectiveness, quality and usability, price, value, and customer and technical support. Were pleased to have BESLER achieve their HFMA Peer Reviewed designation, said HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA. The HFMA Peer Review process assures our members, through a rigorous evaluation, that the reviewed healthcare business solution meets an objective, third-party assessment of overall effectiveness, quality, and value." About HFMA With 50,000 members, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is the nation's premier membership organization for healthcare finance leaders. HFMA builds and supports coalitions with other healthcare associations and industry groups to achieve consensus on solutions for the challenges the U.S. healthcare system faces today. Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, HFMA identifies gaps throughout the healthcare delivery system and bridges them through the establishment and sharing of knowledge and best practices. We help healthcare stakeholders achieve optimal results by creating and providing education, analysis, and practical tools and solutions. Our mission is to lead the financial management of health care. About BESLER BESLER combines best-in-class healthcare finance expertise with proprietary technology to help hospitals recover more revenue. Our reimbursement and revenue recovery solutions have delivered more than $4 billion of additional revenue to hundreds of hospitals across the United States. We serve as advocates for hospitals, so that they, in turn, can better advance the health and well-being of their patients. For more information, visit www.besler.com. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently meeting with South-west governors in his office in Abuja. The details of the meeting have not yet been made public. However, a source said the meeting would focus on the newly-formed South-west security outfit, Amotekun. The federal government has declared the outfit, set up in December to combat rampant insecurity in the region, illegal. The announcement was made by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami. The decision has sparked a controversy over the constitutionality of the security network and the governments powers to outlaw the group. Mr Malami and the Inspector General of the Police, Mohammed Abubakar, are attending the meeting. Mr Osinbajo had earlier on Thursday chaired a meeting of the National Economic Council, which has all governors and some ministers and top government officials as members. Tripolis only working airport was closed for one day after rockets were fired towards it by Haftars forces. Libyas internationally recognised government said on Thursday that it had reopened Mitiga, Tripolis only functioning airport, following almost a day of closure after rockets were fired towards it. Mitiga, just east of central Tripoli, has repeatedly come under attack in recent months, forcing airport authorities to halt flights for several hours. The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), led by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, said on Wednesday that it had shot down a Turkish drone in southern Tripoli. Haftar started an offensive in April to seize Tripoli from the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). Mitiga airport authorities said late on Wednesday they were suspending air traffic until further notice after Haftars spokesman threatened to attack planes flying over the city. Any military or civilian aircraft, regardless of its affiliation, flying over the capital will be destroyed, warned Haftars spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari, adding that such flights would be considered a violation of the ceasefire in place since January 12. Al-Mesmari said the GNA was using the airport for military purposes as a base for Turkish soldiers sent by Ankara in its support. Turkey has backed the GNA, deploying troops to Libya since early January under a controversial November deal with the Tripoli-based administration. Ankara also signed a maritime agreement with the GNA that saw Turkey claim extensive areas of the Mediterranean Sea to be explored. Earlier on Wednesday, the airport had suspended flights for several hours after it was targeted by six rockets in an offensive the GNA blamed on its rivals in Libyas five-year civil war, and called a flagrant threat to the safety of air traffic. The attack took place just nine days after the facility reopened following a truce. The resumption of shelling on the airport and renewed threats by Haftar put the truce brokered by Russia and Turkey on shaky ground, as diplomatic efforts to halt the long-running civil war intensify. Haftars offensive on the capital has threatened to plunge Libya into chaos rivalling the 2011 conflict that led to the removal and killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. International efforts World powers have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to find a political solution to the grinding conflict, with neighbouring Algeria the latest country to host a meeting on it set for Thursday. The Algerian foreign ministry said chief diplomats from Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Mali would meet in Algiers to advance a political settlement to the crisis through an inclusive dialogue between all parties. Algeria, which has stayed neutral in the Libyan conflict, shares a border of almost 1,000km (621 miles) with its neighbour. On Sunday, world powers with interests in the conflict convened at a peace summit in Berlin, where they pledged to halt foreign interference, honour a widely violated arms embargo, and support a UN-facilitated political process. Los Angeles Nine migrant parents who were expelled from the U.S. after being separated from their children in 2017 and 2018 set foot on American soil once again early Thursday morning in a historic, court-mandated return. Advocates hope the reunions will be the first of several reliefs granted to some of the hundreds of fathers and mothers deported to Central America without their children. Escorted by a group of advocates, faith leaders and lawyers, the eight fathers and one mother arrived in Los Angeles International Airport in the middle of night, carrying conspicuous smiles fueled by the improbable opportunity to see their children in person for the first time in more than a year and a half. For many of them, it was the first time in the U.S. outside the treacherous terrain of the southern border, crowded and cold Border Patrol cells and jail-like adult detention centers. It was also their second time on board an airplane; the first being when they sat on a deportation flight with their arms bound by metal shackles. "I don't have words to express what I feel. It's something really big," Fernando, a migrant father from Guatemala, told CBS News in Spanish after embracing his wife and three young daughters for the first time in about one year and eight months. "We all deserve an opportunity in life. And to all the parents who are watching us, who are separated from their children, have patience, have faith and pray a lot because miracles exist." What Senators are doing out of the view of impeachment cameras Father and son determined to help the homeless Loneliness survey finds young generations are lonelier than boomers The name of the register has been given NRU. New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) To counter the BJP narrative on National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), youth congress is going to start a campaign to highlight the growing unemployment in India by demanding a 'National Register of Unemployed'. Youth Congress president B.V. Shrinivas said, "Indian Youth Congress is launching a nationwide campaign to highlight the issue of rising unemployment in India." Youth Congress has alleged that there is a menacing problem of unemployment in India. "We give a voice to the plight of young Indians, the Indian Youth Congress has started a campaign to demand National Register of Unemployed," said Amish Ranjan Pandey, the spokesperson of IYC. The demand for NRU is in response to the deplorable state of unemployment in India, which has reached at its highest level in 45 years. The NRU will be launched on January 23 any and every unemployed Indian can support the demand for an NRU, by giving a missed call on a toll-free number. "The youth Congress worker will go to every house and collect data of unemployment to give a push to this issue," said Krishna Aravalu, Secretary AICC. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will join the process on January 28 when he will raise the issue of economic distress and unemployment. miz/skp/ Former Irish presidential candidate Peter Casey will run for election against Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in his Dublin West constituency. The Londonderry businessman is also running for election in Donegal, where he owns a property, and says he will not be canvassing for votes in Dublin. Mr Casey cannot vote in the elections as he is currently a resident of the United States. Speaking to media after submitting his nomination papers on Wednesday, Mr Casey denied the move was a stunt. "It's not a stunt - obviously I am passionate about getting elected in Donegal, that's where my business is, that's where my home is, and I want to represent the people of Donegal," he said. Asked why he is also running in Dublin West, Mr Casey said: "I am going to give people 10 reasons why they should not vote for Leo Varadkar. "Top three... he had to ask a barrister the difference between right and wrong in regards to the Maria Bailey scandal (former Fine Gael TD who was involved in a claim against a hotel); he was the minister for health when the National Children's Hospital went off the rails with the budget; the biggest housing crisis in the history of the state. "I think he'll go down as the worst Taoiseach in history." The Londonderry-born businessman finished second behind Michael D Higgins in the presidential election in 2018, securing 342,727 (23.3%) votes. Mr Casey said he was "returning the compliment" by running in Dublin West as he claims Mr Varadkar discouraged people from voting for him in the presidential race. "In the presidential election, Leo Varadkar almost breached the constitution by telling people not to vote for me, and I'm just returning the compliment," he said. "I want to give people in Dublin West the opportunity to register their disgust with the way he has behaved. "He's not fit to be Taoiseach and shouldn't be Taoiseach. Anyone but Leo." Heres a quick trivia question. Can you guess how many drunk driving convictions there were in Syracuse Traffic Court in 1948? The amazing answer is only 12! And that number was high. In 1947 there were five convictions; in 1946, there were six. According to national statistics for a city this size, Walter Fox, manager of the safety division of the Chamber of Commerce, told the Herald-Journal, there should be from 300 to 350 convictions for drunken driving each year. Do you suppose the people of Syracuse are abnormally sober, a Post-Standard editorial asked in 1949. It was clear that Syracuse police needed help in identifying drunk drivers. Something more scientific then observing a persons walk, their slurred speech or catching a whiff of alcohol on their breath. In a front-page story in the Jan. 12, 1950 edition of the Syracuse Herald-Journal, it was reported that the adoption of chemical tests for use as drunken driving evidence by city police was almost certain. They just needed to find the right method. There were urine tests and blood tests. But Police Chief John Kinney favored something else. The Drunkometer. In 1931, an Indiana University biochemist and toxicologist named Rolla Harger, had invented the worlds first breathalyzer. Patented in 1936, the device, about the size of a suitcase, had drunk driving suspects blow into a balloon with the air then falling into a chemical solution which would change color depending on the level of intoxication. Hargers home state of Indiana began using his invention in 1939 and it soon began spreading to police departments across the nation. Syracuses neighbors to the west, Buffalo and Rochester, each had one. In early 1950, Chief Kinney went to Rochester, which also employed urine tests, for a demonstration. But he really did not need to go that far to learn of the effectiveness of the device. Herald-Journalist chief of photography Arthur Cornelius, center, and Edward Sabine, right, watch as Indiana University professor R.N. Harger demonstrates his Dfunkometer machine at the Hotel Onondaga in May 1949. Heritage MicrofilmHeritage Microfilm Hargers Drunkometer had already been given its day in court in Syracuse and came through it with flying colors. On May 10, 1949, Prof. Harger was at the Hotel Onondaga for the Safety Conference and Exposition and he invited three members of the Syracuse Herald-Journal to take part in a test to show how well his machine worked. The results were amazing. The three Herald-Journal volunteers were reporter Edward Sabine, chief of photographers Arthur Cornelius and City Life columnist Joe Beamish. Each were given something to drink 45 minutes before Harger would administer his test. Sabine drank a cup of coffee. In the interest of science, Cornelius was asked to drink two bottles of beer, while Beamish consumed six ounces of whiskey. Harger was not told who had drunk what; his invention would that for him. Beamish went first. He blew into a yellow balloon and watched as the air was forced into a test tube containing purple liquid, which quickly paled and turned a yellowish color. Mr. Beamish, Harger said, you are on the border of being illegally intoxicated. Whats more your pores are expanded, and your face is flushed. Instruments on the machine found that Beamish had a blood-alcohol content of .114, making his on the borderline of being illegally drunk. By your weight standards, I would judge you had drunk about six or seven ounces of liquor, Harger told the astonished columnist, who could only nod in agreement. Turning to Cornelius, the professor said he had a BAC of .036, which meant he had drunk one jigger of liquor or two bottles of beer. When coffee-drinking Sabine tried it, Harger said the reporter was dead sober. The professor, who said many thought he was crazy for devoting almost 20 years to the Drunkometer, told the journalists that chemical analysis would settle the questions of whether a driver had been drinking and whether his load of alcohol is sufficient to lessen his driving ability. Despite the success of the test, in April 1950, Syracuse opted to use urine tests. Chief Kinney said a Drunkometer could possibly be purchased later, if needed. TYPICAL OF HIM As talk of the Syracuse Police looking to purchase an aid in helping to identify drunk drivers began to heat up in January 1950, Herald-Journal columnist Joe Beamish reflected back on the test he took part in months before. He told this story, which he called one of the funniest which had happened that year. The story appeared on the front page of the afternoon paper, with a photo of Beamish prominently displayed on the cover. That night, another reporter hopped aboard a city bus to go home and sat behind two women who were closely studying the story. One of them pointed at Beamish and asked the other, Do you know that man? When the women said she did not, the first said: Well I do and thats typical of him. Hes drunk all the time! Gee, lady, it must be tough to be sober, Beamish wrote. Then he asked his audience to tell one on yourself. More CNY history on syracuse.com 1920: Syracuse is dry and dreary on the first day of Prohibition 1924: Meet Joseph Go Getem Green,' who briefly made Syracuse a dry city 1923: Stories from the front lines of Prohibition-era Syracuse Thousands take to Syracuse streets in 1932 chanting Bring back beer! How Congress, Syracuses historic beer, arrived at its first tasting in 56 years This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Britain's Prince Charles seemed to give Vice President Mike Pence a royal snub on Thursday, pointedly not shaking Pence's hand during the World Holocaust Forum in Israel but Pence's spokeswoman pointed out pictures before the event showing the two men smiling and chatting with each other. Charles, while working his way down a line of dignitaries, shook hands with one man, then glanced at Pence's wife, Karen, and the vice president, and mumbled something while walking in front of them without pausing. Charles then stopped just past the couple to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pence, whose own hands were clasped in front of his waist as the Prince of Wales breezed by, reached out to give Charles a friendly pat on the back as he moved on to greet the Israeli leader. Tweet But Pence's spokeswoman Katie Waldman afterward tweeted out video of the vice president chatting at length with Charles backstage at the event in Jerusalem. Tweet Tweet A Buckingham Palace official denied to the BBC news service that the heir to the British throne had snubbed Pence, saying the two men had a "long and warm conversation" before the ceremony. The event marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, also attended. Before the apparently awkward moment which was noted on Twitter Pence chatted with Netanyahu and appeared to make a reference to President Donald Trump and his ongoing impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. "We're contending," Pence told Netanyahu. "He's unstoppable, like somebody else I know," Pence added. Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has filed a defamation lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeking USD 50 million in damages, alleging that she tarnished her reputation by suggesting her to be a 'Russian asset' Washington: Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, has filed a defamation lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeking USD 50 million in damages, alleging that she tarnished her reputation by suggesting her to be a "Russian asset" and "favourite of the Russians" in the 2020 White House race. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, has also claimed that Hawaii Democrat Gabbard suffered an economic loss to be proven at trial. "Hillary calling me a 'Russian asset' is not only intended to smear my reputation and derail my campaign for president, it's also intended to silence any voice that dares to speak out against the establishment status quo," Gabbard, 38, said in an email to her supporters explaining the reason for her suing the Democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential elections. Tulsi has been harmed by Clinton's lies and American democracy has suffered as well, according to the lawsuit. "With this action, Tulsi seeks to hold Clinton and the political elites... accountable for distorting the truth in the middle of a critical presidential election," said the lawsuit. Clinton, 72, who unsuccessfully fought the 2016 presidential election against President Donald Trump, in an interview in October last year said that the Republican party was "grooming" a Democratic presidential candidate to run as a third-party candidate. Although she did not name Gabbard, her comments were seen directed to the Hawaii lawmaker. According to the lawsuit, "millions of Americans heard (or read about) Clinton's defamatory statements. Scientifically conducted opinion surveys have shown that Clinton's false, malicious statements about Tulsi, including that Tulsi is a 'Russian asset' and 'the favourite of the Russians' were accepted as true by millions of Americans, including large numbers of voters in battleground presidential primary states. "The defamatory statements have caused Tulsi to lose potential donors and potential voters who heard the defamatory statements. Tulsi has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed USD 50 million - and continue to this day". The lawsuit alleges that as a direct and proximate result of Clinton's intentional and malicious misconduct, Gabbard has suffered anguish and damage to her reputation, with direct and substantial injury to her positions as United States Congresswoman; Presidential candidate; and officer in the Army National Guard. "These substantial injuries are continuing in nature and will continue to be suffered in the future, unless and until they are remediated by this court," it said. "One would expect someone of Mrs Clinton's political background to act with a greater level of maturity and dignity, but her personal hostility toward Representative Gabbard apparently clouded Mrs Clinton's reason and blinded her to the US," said Gabbard's legal counsel Brian Dunne. "She resorted to a damaging whisper campaign founded on lies, and when presented with the opportunity to retract her damaging remarks, she refused. Rep. Gabbard must defend her good name and hold Mrs Clinton responsible. This lawsuit intends to do just that," he said. But given the US laws, it would be very tough for Gabbard in the defamation case against Clinton. "To prevail in her defamation claim, Representative Gabbard has to prove that Secretary Clinton made a false statement of fact. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that mere 'loose and figurative' expressions, even 'vigorous epithets', don't qualify. And, the courts are especially protective of the right to engage in sharp-elbowed political debate," Jeffrey J Pyle, a Boston-based attorney, told ABC News. "Representative Gabbard will have a difficult time convincing the court that Secretary Clinton's statements were anything other than non-factual 'rhetorical hyperbole' which is thoroughly protected by the First Amendment," said Pyle, who has represented a number of cases involving defamation, libel and First Amendment. Martinborough, New Zealand: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she'll fight the online spread of misinformation as her government prepares to face the polls this year. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit:AP The Labour leader, addressing her caucus in a year-starting retreat in Martinborough on Thursday, has pledged a "positive, factual and robust" campaign in the months ahead. "We want it to be robust, where there is a good exchange between us and other parties," she said. "But it's incredibly important ... that New Zealand does not fall prey to what we've seen happen in other jurisdictions. The Capitol building in Washington, where the impeachment trial of Donald Trump is proceeding (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) President Donald Trumps defence against impeachment relies in part on arguments made in the precedent-setting trial of President Andrew Johnson more than 150 years ago: that impeachment requires a crime. But most legal scholars disagree, including a law professor called by Republicans in the House investigation to argue against impeaching Mr Trump. A lawyer for Johnson argued in his opening statement to the Senate that Johnson could not be removed from office because he was not guilty of a crime. Johnson was acquitted by a single vote. One of Mr Trumps lawyers, Alan Dershowitz says that same argument that impeachment requires criminal-like conduct will be central to the constitutional defence he will make on the presidents behalf. The idea may be attractive to Republicans seeking a legal basis to acquit Mr Trump of having abused his power and obstructing Congress. Expand Close President Donald Trump, whose legal team argues he can not be impeached without having clearly committed a crime (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Donald Trump, whose legal team argues he can not be impeached without having clearly committed a crime (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) But legal scholars dispute the idea that the Founding Fathers ever intended for impeachable offences to require proof of a crime. And historians are equally doubtful that the argument from Johnsons lawyer, Benjamin Robbins Curtis, can be credited with securing Johnsons narrow acquittal. This is a way in which history is weaponised and distorted in order to give these kinds of arguments heft, said Rachel Shelden, a Penn State University history professor and Civil War-era expert. Its a way of trying to promote an understanding of the Johnson impeachment that is false, based on what historians now believe. At issue is the Constitutions standard for impeachment: treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours. Down the years, the threshold has been understood to encompass actual crimes judges have been impeached for sex abuse and soliciting bribes, among other offences but also non-criminal misconduct such as being drunk on the bench or favouritism in the appointment of bankruptcy receivers. Johnson was impeached over accusations he violated the Tenure of Office Act, which barred presidents from firing certain officials without Senate approval, over his removal of War Secretary Edwin Stanton. Expand Close An artists sketch depicting impeachment manager, Representative Adam Schiff, speaking at the impeachment trial on Wednesday (Dana Verkouteren/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An artists sketch depicting impeachment manager, Representative Adam Schiff, speaking at the impeachment trial on Wednesday (Dana Verkouteren/AP) Johnsons defence team questioned the constitutionality of that now-extinct law, and at his 1868 trial one of his lawyers asserted in his opening argument that an impeachable offence refers to, and includes only, high criminal offences against the United States. There can be no crime, there can be no misdemeanour without a law, written or unwritten, express or implied, said Curtis, a former Supreme Court Justice. Mr Dershowitz, who is expected to make a constitutional presentation to the Senate within days, said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday he would paraphrase Curtiss argument that the framers intended for impeachable conduct only to be criminal-like conduct or conduct that is prohibited by the criminal law. But legal scholars and Democrats are decrying the claim that an impeachable offence must be an indictable crime. Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor who argued to the House against impeachment, wrote in The Washington Post on Wednesday that such an argument was politically unwise and constitutionally shortsighted. They had to go outside the realm of constitutional lawyers and scholars to a criminal defence lawyer to make that argument because no reputable constitutional law expert would do that, said California Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is one of the seven Democratic managers prosecuting the impeachment case. Democrats say Mr Trumps alleged abuse of power pressing Ukraine for an investigation into a Trump Democratic rival, Joe Biden, at the same time his administration withheld millions of dollars in military aid is a quintessential impeachable offence. They say the Founding Fathers intentionally created a flexible standard of acts that could result in impeachment, and that Mr Trumps actions in this instance are the framers worst nightmare. This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba After a few weeks of waterboarding the captive in August 2002, the C.I.A. contract psychologists who had developed the interrogation program wanted to stop. The prisoner, a Palestinian known as Abu Zubaydah, was cooperating, and there did not seem to be any point in continuing to torture him. But senior intelligence officials wanted them to press on, one of the psychologists, James E. Mitchell, testified to the military tribunal at Guantanamo on Wednesday. Please continue with the aggressive interrogation strategy for the next 2-3 weeks, their C.I.A. supervisors cabled them, even after the psychologists had sought permission several times to stop using the waterboard and had sent their bosses a disturbingly graphic video montage of what they had been doing. Dr. Mitchell said those directing the operation derided the psychologists as pussies and believed that, contrary to reports from the secret C.I.A. prison in Thailand where they were carrying out the interrogation, Mr. Zubaydah could yield some information about what they feared were looming terrorist attacks. If they would not continue, their supervisors threatened to replace them with someone more aggressive. Some people just love llamas. They just can't get enough of the large, furry critters. Unfortunately, there aren't many places in Texas where you can meet the South American camelids up close and personal. Well, llama-ficionados, get ready to be whisked away to a llama wonderland. ShangriLlama Castle is nestled in the countryside near Royse City, about 40 minutes northeast of Dallas. Housed in a replica of Waterford Castle in Ireland, the estate offers plenty of land for llamas to frolic. Visitors have plenty of opportunity to bond with them. You can spend about a half-hour learning some "llama llessons" with some selfie opportunities. Or you can spend a couple of hours walking your version of a unicorn, and getting to know everything about it. "They get to walk through our Enchanted Forest trail surrounding the castle," said Llama Mama, the owner and operator of this oasis. "They will walk with a pack of llamas." ALSO READ: Houston Zoo donates $5,000 to help Australian animals hurt by wildfires Since they live in a castle, these aren't any ordinary llamas. The royal family includes King Dalai LLama, Prince Barack O'Llama, and Duke Como T. Llama. They will be happy to join you for llama-themed parties (llama cake included) and even weddings, where a llama can walk the bride down the aisle. While it's all meant to be fun, it's also educational. Mama Llama says she wants people to know that they are delicate animals, not to be confused with their cousins, the alpacas. "Llamas don't spit at people," said Momma Llama. "It's the alpacas that spit, then ask questions later." She adds that llamas sometimes do get their fur ruffled with each other. But she and her staff step in before the llama drama gets out of control. So if it has been your dreamed of prancing through a meadow with a llama at your side, plan a trip to visit ShangiLlama. If you don't, you might llament it forever. Danny Hermosillo is the Digital News Editor for Chron.com | Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @Dannyherm1| Email him at Danny.Hermosillo@chron.com Pro-life Democrats have all but disappeared on Capitol Hill, and the Democratic orthodoxy today is taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand up to the moment of birth. Dissent from that orthodoxy is not tolerated. For more than 40 years, former vice president Joe Biden supported the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortions. He said that as a Catholic, he was personally pro-life and that those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them. But in 2020, that isnt good enough. Biden, campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, caved in to the pro-abortion radicals last June, abandoned his principles and embraced taxpayer funding. MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa Since their surprise loss to Donald Trump in 2016, Democrats have struggled with how to regain territory that long supported the party before suddenly flipping to Republicans. Their answer could lie with voters like Martie Boyd. The 71-year-old retired insurance worker is a lifelong Republican who supported Trump for president in 2016 but says she wont do it again. Even better for Democrats, she lives in Danville, a tiny town in Des Moines County, one of 31 Iowa counties that backed Barack Obama in 2012 before switching to Trump. I wish I hadnt wasted my vote, Boyd said Tuesday after watching Pete Buttigieg speak at Iowa Wesleyan University. Not this time. Im definitely caucusing for a Democrat. As Buttigieg campaigned throughout this swath of southeast Iowa, voters like Boyd were at the front of his mind. He and his fellow Democratic candidates are hoping to lure them not just to win the upcoming Iowa caucuses but to prove to voters in the states that follow that they have the unique ability to win in places that shifted from the Democrat Obama to the Republican Trump. Im not only meeting fellow Democrats who have been working hard for that day here, but independents who cant wait for that day and an awful lot of what I like to call future former Republicans who are more than welcome to join us, Buttigieg said at Iowa Wesleyan. Iowa is home to more counties that pivoted from Obama to Trump than any other state. And over the past month alone, White House hopefuls have made more than a dozen stops in these counties to prove theyre serious about defeating Trump. The No. 1 issue on caucus-goers minds is who is the best candidate to take on Trump, and campaigning in these counties that switched from Obama to Trump is a good way to show that youre that candidate, said Jeff Link, who advised Obamas successful 2008 Iowa campaign. The vast majority of these counties are in eastern Iowa and follow a pattern concentrated throughout the upper Midwest, including southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin and northwest Illinois. These regions cover either once-thriving industrial river counties or those whose economies fed and depended on them. Beyond Buttigieg, rivals Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have also swung through these counties in recent weeks, making the similar case that theyre the most electable candidate. Klobuchar spent part of the weekend in Clinton County, which went from supporting Obama by nearly 23 percentage points to backing Trump by 5 points. When you look at this election, for some people who may not agree with everything weve said, its a patriotism check for them, its a decency check, its a values check, Klobuchar said. Alexandra Jaffee and Thomas Beaumont are Associated Press writers. Early on Australia Day, the Aboriginal flag is unfurled and hoisted up upon Sydney Harbour Bridge one of just 19 days a year it flies atop Australias most iconic landmark. If he happens to be in his parliamentary office on Macquarie Street on Sunday, and stands on tiptoes, NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Harwin might just be able to spot it. But hed need to be quick. The next day, it descends to gather dust again, a sight that "breaks the heart" of Kamilaroi woman Cheree Toka. Shes been campaigning for three years to have it up there permanently. Cheree Toka and fellow demonstrators carried an Aboriginal flag up the steps of the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a demonstration in Sydney in 2018. Credit:Daniel Munoz Many are on her side, viewing this as a symbolic but powerful statement; a micro form of reconciliation while we await the macro - a treaty. The bridge, after all, sits on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. The infants and children huddled in the stone boathouses. The women pressed in next to them. The men crowded in last. Theyd all fled Herculaneum on August 24, 79 A.D. as Mount Vesuvius rained destruction on the city, as it did Pompeii and other Roman settlements near the Bay of Naples. While Pompeii was consumed by ash, Herculaneum was done in by a pyroclastic flow a fast-moving, dense, extremely hot surge of ash, gas and rock. At the citys seaside, hundreds of people died that day. The remains of 340 of them have been unearthed since 1980 some in the boathouses, known as fornici, and some on the beach. How they died has long been debated. A prevailing hypothesis is that their blood and brains were vaporized by the extreme heat of the pyroclastic flow. At another site in the city, some researchers have proposed that at least one persons brain turned to glass. A pair of studies published Thursday offer new evidence for how the Vesuvius eruption killed some of Herculaneums people. One in the journal Antiquity challenges the vaporization hypothesis. The researchers who published it say the condition of the bones of the people in the fornici suggest they were protected from instant death by both the stone structure around them and their collective body tissue mass. This protection insulated them from the flows intense heat, but they may have suffered more as they were perhaps suffocated or asphyxiated. The Harris County District Attorneys office contends it needs more staff to ensure due process and increased diversion options. Critics and primary challengers to District Attorney Kim Ogg contend that doing so would reverse justice reform efforts, believing more prosecutors equate to more convictions. If the DA stopped overzealous prosecution, they say, then additional prosecutors would not be needed. On the other hand, the DA says that defendants suffer long waits before trial, and overworked prosecutors cannot properly seek justice or even play a constructive role in reforms such as diversion. The County Commissioners Court denied the DAs broad request but have supported her request when aligned with an immediate need. We, the Center for Justice Research (CJR) at Texas Southern University, released a research brief comparing the budgets, caseloads and staffing levels of the countrys largest county prosecutor offices. Given the highly sensitive nature of our report and challenges to our findings, we released a rejoinder to clarify the need for further study. On HoustonChronicle.com: Academics raise concerns about report finding Harris County DA overburdened, understaffed Despite having roughly 2,400 district attorneys in this country, very few have sought to determine the appropriate number of cases a district attorney could effectively handle. We took upon this challenge and put forth some practical recommendations. Most counties do not share the necessary data to make useful comparisons of prosecutor caseloads. Harris County is an exception in that it makes a good amount of data publicly available, as do Maricopa County, home of Phoenix, and Cook County, with Chicago in its borders. We dove into the records of these counties and looked at funding, staffing, arrest rates and how cases are processed. The more we looked, the more we understood that prosecutor caseloads should not be examined in a vacuum. Prosecutors can only be assessed if and when they have the optimal level of resources with the proper controls to ensure that they dont erode the gains of the current justice reform movement. Any prosecutor additions must be aligned with agreements not to further exacerbate racial, ethnic or class inequities. The impact of large workloads and inadequate funding create an obvious problem for prosecutors and the community they serve. Research demonstrates that overworked prosecutors have the potential to increase the likelihood of extended case processing time, error, plea bargains, stress-related burnout and turnover. Significant trial delays increase in case processing time and excessive use of plea bargains which can result in injustice for defendants and for victims are just some of the consequences that could result from overworked prosecutors. The minority community bears the brunt of these consequences as Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to face conviction due to a criminal justice system that often disparages those unable to afford effective representation. First, no blanket understanding of prosecutor caseload needs can be determined until they maximize the use of diversions and outright declinations. Second, prosecutor needs must be understood in the context of the needs of the public defender, so as to not provide an unfair advantage to the prosecutor. A final determination of prosecutor needs must have all of the key stakeholders at the table so that we dont erode the movement towards mass decarceration. One solution is to establish a caseload determination matrix by which prosecutors can determine their appropriate caseload, respective of local nuances. Simultaneously, there is a need for more collaborative approaches to decision-making in the justice system and a commitment to the continued use of pre-charge diversion programs. Prosecutors, in this era of mass-decarceration, must ensure that they exercise their unbridled discretion in an unbiased manner. At the same time, society cannot afford for prosecutors to be understaffed, overworked, underfunded or misaligned with the least prohibitive, most effective approaches. The DAs office and its critics need serious, evidence-informed debate and comparative analyses of equally-situated prosecutor offices, all of which we have found infiltrated with inconsistency. Harris County is not alone. We found many others across the country seeking better standards. This April we will be hosting a forum to get closer to that goal along with attendees from the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Texas Civil Rights Project, Philadelphia and Fort Bend County District Attorney Offices, University of Virginia Law School, R-Street, Vera Institute, the National District Attorneys Association, UT Dallas' Director of Social Impact and the National Black Prosecutors Association. At the end of the day, identifying prosecutor needs in the age of mass decarceration must be about ensuring constitutional protections for everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and, most importantly, socio-economic status. By finding a balance between their ability to reduce the local criminal justice systems footprint and protecting public safety, Harris County has an opportunity to transform its criminal justice system into a more equitable design and to serve as a model for the rest of the country. Henderson is the director of the Center for Justice Research and professor of justice administration in the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. UPDATED Jan. 23 at 4:15 pm. The TSU report rejoinder was published before the official DA request and after criticism from fellow academics. The Region 2000 Services Authority heard the proposed $7 million fiscal year 2021 budget Wednesday, which includes no changes to service rates or tipping fees. Current waste disposal rates are $30.25 per ton for members and $40.25 per ton for commercial haulers at the regional landfill off Livestock Road in Campbell County. The last time Region 2000 increased waste disposal rates was 2017, when rates increased by $1.50 across the board. A 3% merit-based salary increase also was included in the proposal. Authority Director Clarke Gibson said the hope is the increase will help to continue their employee retention rate. Its a pretty levelly funded budget, with no increases in fees, Gibson said. He said they expect cost-of-service fees to increase through fiscal year 2031 to around $35 to $36 per ton. Those increases likely are to begin in fiscal year 2022. Not included in the budget is the much-debated $1.4 million of excess revenue, which according to the original contract, was intended to compensate Lynchburg and Campbell county for use of their airspace. In its September meeting, the authority a four-member authority made of representatives from Appomattox, Campbell and Nelson counties, and the city of Lynchburg reached a tie vote on distributing the funds. Because of that the funds will not be distributed but instead remain in a savings account until the members of the authority can come to agreement. Region 2000 will next meet March 25 at the Central Virginia Planning District Commissions offices in Lynchburg. Sarah Honosky covers Appomattox and Campbell counties at The News & Advance. Reach her at (434) 385-5556. Sarah Honosky covers Appomattox and Campbell counties at The News & Advance. Reach her at (434) 385-5556. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Gambias Justice Minister Aboubacarr Marie Tambadou (front right) and members of the Rohingya community seated behind him wait for a ruling by the International Court of Justice on Gambias request to order Myanmar to halt what has been cast as a genocidal campaign against its Rohingya Muslim minority, in The Hague, the Netherlands, Jan. 23, 2020. (AFP) Updated at 6:09 p.m. ET on 2020-01-23 The U.N.s top court ordered Myanmar on Thursday to protect Rohingya Muslims from genocidal acts, with 17 judges unanimously supporting the imposition of measures on the country to refrain from destroying evidence of alleged crimes that could be used in future hearings. The small Muslim-majority West African nation of Gambia filed a lawsuit at The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during the alleged expulsion of Rohingya to Bangladesh amid a military-led crackdown on the minority community in Rakhine state in 2017. In a hearing in December, Gambia requested that the court order emergency provisional measures to protect Myanmars Rohingya from further rights abuses. The legally binding court order handed down Thursday lists four points in its provisional measures, mandating that Myanmar must prevent the killing or serious injury of the Rohingya, ensure that the military does not harm the Rohingya or conspire to commit genocide, preserve evidence related to the allegations, and report on its compliance with the measures until the ICJ issues a final decision on the case. The ICJ will transmit its order to the U.N. Security Council as specified in the courts statute. In response, the Myanmar government issued a statement taking issue with the court's decision, saying the ICJ must still reach a factually correct finding on the charges that genocide occurred in northern Rakhine state, but did not state whether it would comply with the courts legally binding ruling. It is important for Myanmar that the Court reaches a factually correct decision on the merits of the case, said a statement issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The ministry also took aim at heavy criticism from human rights groups over its handling of the Rohingya crisis. The unsubstantiated condemnation of Myanmar by some human rights actors has presented a distorted picture of the situation in Rakhine and affected Myanmars bilateral relations with several countries, the statement said. This has hampered Myanmars ability to lay the foundation for sustainable development in Rakhine. The ministry also said that an inquiry commission set up by Myanmar has found that genocide against Rohingya Muslims during a 2017 military-led crackdown did not occur. Thousands of Rohingya died during the 2017 violence, which included indiscriminate killings, mass rape, torture and village burnings, while more than 740,000 fled to safety in neighboring Bangladesh. A 2018 investigation of the crackdown by a U.N.-backed Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Myanmar found that the country had acted with genocidal intent against the Rohingya. Both the Myanmar government and military have denied the accusations. About 600,000 Rohingya still live in Myanmar, with more than 100,000 residing in camps for the internally displaced. In its report issued in September 2019, the FFM said that the remaining Rohingya may face a greater threat of genocide than ever. Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the defense team at the three-day ICJ hearing in December, said that the Rohingya exodus was the result of an internal armed conflict started by Muslim insurgents who attacked police outposts, and that government forces responded with a clearance operation to remove the assailants from the area. She also asked the ICJ to drop the case. A report issued Monday by the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE), formed by Myanmar in 2018 to investigate accusations of abuses against the Rohingya, concluded that security forces committed war crimes and serious human rights violations, but did not act with genocidal intent, despite extensive documentation of atrocities by the U.Ns fact-finding mission and human rights groups. A major victory International rights groups hailed the decision as a crucial measure for protecting Rohingya living in Myanmar and preserving evidence. The ICJ order to Myanmar to take concrete steps to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya is a landmark step to stop further atrocities against one of the worlds most persecuted people, said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director at New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). Concerned governments and U.N. bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward, she said in a statement. Nicholas Bequelin, regional director of London-based Amnesty International, called the decision a message to Myanmars senior officials: The world will not tolerate their atrocities, and will not blindly accept their empty rhetoric on the reality in Rakhine state today. About 600,000 Rohingya who remain in Myanmar face a real risk of further atrocities, he said in a statement, urging Myanmar to comply with the ICJ rulings. Matthew Smith, chief executive of Southeast Asia-based Fortify Rights, applauded the courts decision as a major victory for Rohingya everywhere. We encourage Naypyidaw to comply fully with the order, he said in a statement. The [U.N.] Security Council will be seized of this issue and any failure to comply would invite unprecedented international action, including sanctions and more. Charles Santiago, a Malaysian lawmaker and chairman of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), said the ruling signifies that Myanmar can no longer act with impunity concerning its maltreatment of the Rohingya. The ICJ decision sends a clear message to Myanmar that the world is watching, and that it cannot continue to restrict the rights of the Rohingya with impunity, he said in a statement. The Rohingya have for decades faced oppression and violence at the hands of the Myanmar state, including restrictions on movement, citizenship, access to healthcare and education, and even the right to marry. Santiago also called on Myanmar to immediately execute the ICJs order, adding that the Rohingya still in Myanmar live in an apartheid system, in close proximity to the security forces who have persecuted them for so many years. Myanmar views the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though many have lived in the country for generations, and subjects them to systematic discrimination, including restricting their movements and denying them access to basic services. Sanctions against the military The International Campaign for the Rohingya also welcomed the ICJs ruling. It is now imperative that the international community apply sufficient pressure on Myanmar to comply with the International Court of Justices rulings and end its genocide of the Rohingya, Simon Billenness, the groups executive director, said in a statement. He called on individual governments and corporations to take targeted action against Myanmars military, which is heavily involved in business and the economy. We urge governments to impose tough sanctions on the Myanmar military and its business empire, he said. We further call on corporations to end any business relationships with companies owned or controlled by the Burmese army. There can be no longer be business as usual with the perpetrators of genocide. This report was written by Roseanne Gerin of Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews. As the Long Beach Unified School District commits to keeping classes in-person, the city a new testing site opens for LBUSD employees and students only. The city is also ramping up its own testing efforts with a new 3,000-person per day testing site. Asos retail sales hit 1.07bn in the four-month period ending on New Years Eve (Lauren Hurley/PA) Asos revenues broke through 1 billion in the last four months of the decade as the online fashion retailer was lifted by a record Black Friday. Retail sales hit 1.07 billion in the period ending on New Years Eve. Meanwhile, total group revenue, which also includes revenues from third parties, rose to 1.11 billion. Both measures were 20% up on the year before. The business said it had managed to rebuild customer momentum, especially due to its best Black Friday on record. It did not reveal what proportion of its clothes were sold at a discount, or what sales were on the day. We remain confident in our ability to capture the substantial opportunity ahead of usChief executive Nick Beighton Chief executive Nick Beighton said: Asos has delivered an encouraging start to the year. Strong customer acquisition activity, supported by robust operational performance, has driven good momentum in all our markets. Asos kept its outlook for the full year unchanged, and said it would focus on trying to retain the new customers who have started using its website. The UK, while still the most important single market for the company, lost some of its revenue share. UK retail sales hit almost 409 million, 18% up on the year before, but international retail sales jumped by 22%, including a 23% increase in the US. It means that the UKs share of retail sales is 38%, down from nearly 39% a year earlier. As we said in October, the focus for this year is to further enhance our capabilities and leverage the investments we have made, Mr Beighton said. The company shipped 27.7 million orders in the four months, a 20% rise on the same period in 2018. Meanwhile, 23% more visits to its website were clocked up. EU retail sales rose 21% to 332.5 million. Mr Beighton added: We remain confident in our ability to capture the substantial opportunity ahead of us. Belarus has just bought two cargoes of Johan Sverdrup, the recently commissioned Norwegian oilfield and is in talks with several oil-producing countries from the Soviet Union to ramp up crude imports in the upcoming weeks. This in and of itself might not seem such a big thing yet considering that Belarus in the past years was 100 percent reliant on Russian crude (and has barely purchased any in 2020), it marks an unexpected escalation of what initially seemed to a technical issue, a transit fee discrepancy, that should have been sorted on a professional level, without the involvement of politics. Instead, the undeclared war between Belarus and Russia is now upending traditional lines of supply and wreaking havoc in the two states. Lets start with the chronology first. The roots of the conflict are to be traced back to the inability of the two sides to settle on a crude supply deal for 2020, one which would build on the previous years uninterrupted supplies whereby Belarus was buying 23-24 million tons per year, of this some 18 million tons per year for domestic usage in its 240kbpd Novopolotsk and 320kbpd Mozyr Refineries. Belarus rejects any Russian proposals that mirror the pricing practice of the past years as the Russian tax maneuver jeopardizes up to 5 percent of Belarus GDP. The Russian tax maneuver is a long-mooted step to phase out crude and product export duties and offsetting the balance by means of a Mineral Resources Extraction Tax (MRET) increase. Graph 1. Russian Export Duty in 2014-2020, USD per metric ton. Source: author. Since Belarus has been receiving all crude oil duty-free up until the last days of 2019, Russias decision to move in the direction of harmonizing its oil sector taxation with the requirements of its post-CIS integration brainchild, the Eurasian Economic Union, renders it inadvertently one of its victims. The phasing out is not immediate as it is spread out over five years (2019-2024) yet Belarus does not want to sit idly whilst the margins and profits of its refiners shrink and their standing vis-a-vis Russia becomes unfavored. To complicate matters even more, 6mtpa of the 24mtpa Belarus annually purchased were only nominally related to the Eastern European state the Kremlin used it as a political sweetener for purely political reasons, these volumes were customs cleared in Belarus (not Russia) so that the Belarussian budget gets some $600-800 million per year. Related: Expect A Strong Year For Oil Discoveries Source: CEFO. This might seem as a tough nut to crack thanks to the duty-free character of crude imports Belarus saved approximately $2 billion per year and now would be compelled to purchase crude at market level. However, the particularities of post-Soviet deal-making render it even more complicated. All of the crude agreements are inextricably linked to the two sides gas agreements (Belarus has paid 132 USD/MCm whilst the average European price of Gazprom was 242 USD/MCm in 2018 and 202 USD/MCm in 2019), Minsks manifold debt repayment schemes vis-a-vis Russian state banks and President Lukashenkas erratic foreign policy. Gas negotiations are palpably less toxic than the crude-related ones, owing in no small part to the fact that Gazprom controls Belarus gas transmission network, i.e. it cannot be used as a bargaining chip in bilateral negotiations/disputes. This is not the case with crude and one can see the result as soon as the Belarussian-Russian dispute emerged, the Belarussian Trade and Anti-Monopoly Ministry declared that it seeks an immediate 16.6 percent hike on pipeline crude transit volumes (the crude which is supplied to Central and Eastern Europe via the Druzhba pipeline). The Belarussian President upped the ante by imposing a sudden 50-percent environmental tax on all crude and product transit volumes, needless to say that in a completely unannounced fashion. Related: Goldman: China Coronavirus Could Push Oil Down By $3 Why Johan Sverdrup? The reason for buying Johan Sverdrup is fairly straightforward the 28 degree API density grade is very similar in its product yield to Urals, the crude for which both Belarussian refineries were initially configured. According to market rumors, the Belarussian state company BNK bought two Aframax cargoes and will ship them home from the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, delivering them to the Novopolotsk Refinery by rail. The vicinity of Norways continental shelf played no small part in this MT Breiviken which will deliver the first cargo loaded January 19 and by January 23 it had already reached its final destination, i.e. the required voyage was really quick, coming in handy for Minsks bargaining position even if it overpaid it. What does Russia seek? As much as Russia has garnered a rather adverse reputation for its energy sector-related dealings, with Belarus it faces a difficult dilemma it wants to make sure that a powerful political message is made to President Lukashenka, all the while keeping Belarus oil sector out of the trouble. Its interests are by no means altruistic Belarus largest refinery in Mozyr is co-owned by a joint venture of Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, meaning that Russian NOCs control 42.58 percent of the asset (the rest is controlled by the Belarussian state). Given that Belarus downstream was loss-making even in the good years of 2017 and 2018, primarily due to government-controlled fuel prices and currency devaluations, neither of the companies wants to incur even deeper losses. What next? As wild as the current situation seems, this is not the first time such unbridled negotiations take place. Tariff hikes are a usual subject for the two sides disputes, moreover in 2010 Belarus has already tried to import Venezuelan crude to demonstrate that it can survive without Russian deliveries. Lukashenkas cash-strapped regime needs further Russian loans and Moscows cooperativeness in keeping Belarus loss-making energy sector afloat, all the while Russia, seeking to enter a new period of detente with Europe, has no political interest in spoiling its geopolitical game by actions in Belarus. Hence, after the bombastic declarations and threats abate, Moscow and Minsk will curve out yet another modus operandi (which everyone knows will last only for a couple of years, only to repeat the entire process from scratch). By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/23/2020 -- Summery- Door hardware is meant to assist opening and closing of doors installed in residential and commercial applications. Rising urbanization and smart cities projects have led to increase in number of smart housing solution thus, supplementing the door hardware market growth. Recent advancements in door hardware has focused towards reducing the cost and various lightweight metallic materials are being used for the same. According to AMA, the Global Door Hardware market is expected to see growth rate of 4.8% Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Door Hardware Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Door Hardware Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/18328-global-door-hardware-market Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report: 1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report? Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the the report Ashland Hardware System (United States), Hangzhou Wintek Building (China), Atlas Homeware (United States), Caldwell Manufacturing Co. (United States), Roto Frank of America Inc. (Canada), Radisson Industries (Canada), Stanley Hardware (United States), Vision Hardware (United States), Andersen Windows (United States) and Kolbe Windows & Doors (United States)." ** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc. 2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need? Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey. ** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost. 3) Can we get more level of segmentation to meet our market intelligence objective? Yes it can be provided, however ETA would vary and final confirmation would be given only after checking data in data repository. 4) Can inclusion of additional Segmentation / Market breakdown is possible? Yes, inclusion of additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability and difficulty of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be shared with our research before giving final confirmation to client. ** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time and quote will vary. Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/18328-global-door-hardware-market Market Drivers - A constantly rising trend of green and smart buildings, coupled with customized solutions - Continuously rising construction of residential and commercial building in both developed and developing economies Market Trend - Rise in the demand for sensors equipped hardware Restraints - Lack of proper building infrastructure in underdeveloped nations Opportunities - Technological advancement for improving safety features - Increasing disposable income and standard of living in emerging economies To comprehend Global Door Hardware market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Door Hardware market is analyzed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas. - North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico. - South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. - Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa. - Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia. - Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia. Get Reasonable Discount on This Premium Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/18328-global-door-hardware-market Major Highlights of TOC: Chapter One: Market Overview Chapter Two: Executive Summary ---------- Free of Cost Chapter Three: Market Dynamics ------ USD400 Market Drivers, Market Challenges, Market Trends, Restraints & Opportunities Chapter Four: Market Factor Analysis ------ USD400 Supply/Value Chain, Porters Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent & Trademark Analysis, Bargain Power Chapter Five: Global Door Hardware, by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2013-2018) ------ USD1400 Global Door Hardware By Type: Handle, Connecting Piece, Others Application: Residential Building, Commercial Building Global Door Hardware Region North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others) Chapter Six: Global Door Hardware - Manufacturers/Players Analysis ------ USD1200 Competitive Landscape, Comparative Market Share Analysis (2017-2018), Peer Group Analysis (2018), BCG Matrix, Company Profile, Product/Service Offering Matrix Chapter Seven: Global Door Hardware, by Market Segmentation and Region (value, volume**) (2019-2024) ------ USD1400 ------ Sections same as Chapter Five ------ Chapter Eight: Company profiles / Competitive Landscape [12 Players] ------ USD1250 Chapter Nine: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer ** If applicable Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report. AMA also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research according to clientele objectives. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report like North America, Europe or Asia. When asked whether he believes Malala's comments on the situation in Kashmir in the wake of Article 370 abrogation will hurt the film, director HE Amjad Khan said her comments were not political. (Photo | Saqib - Wikimedia Commons) New Delhi: Director HE Amjad Khan is confident that his upcoming Malala Yousafzai biopic "Gul Makai" will be resonate with the audiences despite the fact the Nobel laureate hails from Pakistan. Khan said at the core of movie, the issue being discussed is girl child education and Malala is a vocal advocate of the cause. "Our film is about an academician who is a global icon. She is an advocate of education in the whole world. She talks about girl education and women empowerment. Here we have Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme. "Since both are saying the same thing that the girls should get education, then I think there shouldn't be a problem. I don't believe the film will be subjected to any kind of hatred," Khan told PTI in an interview. The long-delayed movie, which features actor Reem Shaikh as Malala, will be hitting the theatres countrywide on January 31. Khan said he had completed the movie a while ago but had to postpone the release last year due to tensions between India and Pakistan. "I had completed the film in 2019. But tensions were high between both the countries. Pulwama happened and then India's response. Then the country went through this phase where Triple Talaq was banned, Article 370 was abrogated and Ram Mandir judgement came." The director said there is an environment of "Pakistan hatred" in the country today but he will no longer delay his movie because of it. "In the last two years, there has been this feeling of hatred towards Pakistan. At the end of the day, though the girl is a Pakistani but still a global icon. She is a Nobel laureate but the common man does not understand this so there was a worry. "Now it is releasing on January 31. I will not push it further because the situation will remain the same now." Khan stressed that he had "no sympathy or empathy for Pakistan". "It is a strange country that spends most part of its finances in funding war. Such a thing is never good for any nation. Our country is also venturing into the same direction." When asked whether he believes Malala's comments on the situation in Kashmir in the wake of Article 370 abrogation will hurt the film, the director said her comments were not political. "On Article 370, Malala had only said that students studying in Kashmir should not be affected. She expressed her concern over the reports that students were not able to go to schools due to situation in the region. "That is her responsibility as a United Nations representative. She is saying the same thing when it comes to Brazil and South Africa. Her comments were no way political." The filmmaker hoped that people will be able separate politics from important issues. "People are more aware today. They are able to go beyond politics and understand such important issues. They know that these are two separate things. I have made a film about Malala but it is about the importance of education." "Gul Makai" also features Divya Dutta, Pankaj Tripathi, Atul Kulkarni and Mukesh Rishi in pivotal roles. Tinder is planning to introduce a panic button in an effort to improve user safety, it has been reported. The new feature will be tested in the US from the end of January, the Wall Street Journal reported, allowing anyone who feels in danger during a date to raise the alarm. The in-built safety feature would provide police with a persons real-time location in case of an emergency. Tinders parent company Match Group, which also owns Match, OKCupid and Plenty of Fish, said no data or personal information would be collected for advertising or used by Match Group itself. Instead, a third-party safety app called Noonlight which Match Group part-owns will handle any alerts. Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Show all 11 1 /11 Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' David and Gillian Millane (second from right and right) arrive at Auckland High Court, in New Zealand, on Wednesday, 6 November, 2019, for the start of their daughter Grace Millane's murder trial. The body of the 21-year-old British backpacker was found in a forest area near Auckland on 9 December, 2018 - a week after she was last seen. Michael Craig/NZ Herald via AP Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' The parents of Grace Millane, David and Gillian Millane, arrive at Auckland High Court with Detective Inspector Scott Beard, 6 November, 2019. Phil Walter/Getty Images Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Candles and flowers are laid next to a photo of Grace Millane during a vigil at Civic Square Park in Wellington on 12 December, 2018. Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Defence lawyers Ian Brookie (left) and Ron Mansfield (right) arrive at Auckland High Court, 6 November, 2019. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Crown prosecutor Brian Dickey arrives at Auckland High Court, 6 November, 2019. Phil Walter/Getty Images Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Auckland High Court Fiona Goodall/Getty Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' People place candles and flowers next to a photo of Grace Millane during a vigil at Civic Square Park in Wellington on 12 December, 2018. Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' David Millane speaks at a press conference in Auckland, New Zealand, on 7 December, 2018, while his daughter Grace Millane is still missing. Doug Sherring/NZ Herald via AP Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Lucie Blackman Trust/PA Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' CCTV still image issued by Auckland City Police of one of the last sightings of Grace Millane. Auckland City Police/PA Grace Millane trial: British backpacker 'murdered by Tinder date' Auckland City Police/PA Once triggered in Tinders app, a Noonlight dispatcher texts and calls the user to see if they need help. The police are only contacted if the user requests help, or does not answer their phone. If it is accidentally triggered, the alert process can be stopped by entering a code. However, there is still the risk of false requests. The false positives, believe me, we took them into account, said Match chief executive Mandy Ginsberg. If someone doesnt respond, worst case someone shows up and knocks on the door. Its not the worst thing in the world. Other new safety features planned for Matchs suite of dating apps include photo verification and an updated in-app safety centre. A recent investigation by ProPublica and Columbia Journalism Investigations found that Match Group did not have a uniform safety policy across its apps and claimed it allowed known sexual predators to use them. The dating giant admitted at the time that it would not know if registered sexual offenders were using its platforms, as it did not collect enough personal information. As technology evolves, we will continue to aggressively deploy new tools to eradicate bad actors, a Match Group spokesperson said at the time. Bars and restaurants have previously offered low-tech ways of raising the alarm, including asking for a pseudonymous staff member to alert workers to danger In this day of smartphones and remote-working policies, many companies are going 'asset-light' and allowing personal devices (cell phones, laptops, etc.) for official use. Use of self-owned cell phones to access work emails, WhatsApp for business and work, Excel or PPT files, browsing Facebook or Instagram, Googling, Gmailing, Skyping, booking Uber rides, finding Airbnb hosts and ordering app-based food deliveries are now more the norm for millennials and their successors - the Gen Z. This is raising interesting questions around individual privacy, implementation of system controls on, and access to, employees' self-owned devices by employers, either for usage screening or regulatory purposes. For example, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has increasingly been asking for phone logs (call logs, emails, chats, etc.) from listed companies in cases involving insider trading or front running allegations - what if personal phones were involved (they often are). The ease of, and preference for, using personal devices for office use is obvious, but can employers ask their employees, especially in a gig economy, to hand over personal cell phones for data scrapping? Will the IT teams be within their right to obtain back-end access to employees' personal devices for routine bug monitoring, anti-malware protection, anti-hacking checks and data encryption? What if cyber-incidents involving personal smart-phones and laptops affect office emails or WhatsApp chats used for work purposes? Is a consent architecture adequate for employers to gain blanket access to personal devices used for work, or will the new data privacy laws become a challenge? The future will bring Internet of Things (IoT). With Siri and Alexa controlling almost every aspect of life and 'things' in future, risk of cyber threats is likely to trigger the need for greater employer access to personal devices used for official purposes. Blurred Boundaries Like most aspects of the new economy, work-place privacy is an untested topic in India - albeit increasingly in focus, especially after the Supreme Court recognised the right to privacy as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty in the Puttaswamy case in 2017. However, data and privacy laws continue to be far behind the new workplace realities. With millennials increasingly preferring to work for start-ups (some of which like Flipkart, Paytm, Ola and Oyo are already 'decacorns' and valued higher than many old economy flag-bearers, workplace privacy is likely to get tested before Indian courts in the next few years, especially with a new personal data protection law being imminent. It might be premature to say what principles ought to govern workplace usage of personal devices and whether firewalls can be introduced to segregate personal from professional streams on self-owned devices, but at a minimum, some safeguards become critical to avoid blurring the "personal-professional" divide. Changing Workplace Gadget Policies Sebi has increasingly been asking for phone logs from listed companies in cases involving insider trading or front running allegations, if personal phones were involved. It might be premature to say what principles ought to govern workplace usage of personal devices, but some safeguards are critical to maintain the personal-professional boundary. Employee handbooks and consent policies need a re-look. Employment agreements may need to include consent from employees for IT departments to get access to their personal devices. First, employee handbooks and consent policies need a re-look - do employment agreements include consent from employees for IT departments to get access to their personal devices in situations involving external or internal investigations? This is not theoretical anymore - regulators increasingly ask the employer to undertake its own investigation in cases of suspected market manipulation (for instance, in violations of the Sebi Act) and submit its report. Most POSH investigations involve use of personal messages, chats and call logs of the employees involved. How will companies conduct investigations in situations involving lack of consent to access personal devices that might contain evidence of suspected wrong-doing? What if employees concerned have left, either before or during an investigation? Second, employment policies need a rethink on the use of social media for official work purposes. LinkedIn is an individual (i.e. personal) account, but used for official use, though not "owned" by the employer. Can internal company policies ask for social media take-downs? Employment "passing off" and incorrect work disclosures are a real risk. Employers often informally or even formally nudge employees to get on LinkedIn, promote their projects and work accolades - how do employers legally control what's posted on individual LinkedIn handles? Third, cyber-incidents involving office servers, which fall within an employer's domain, can be handled, but what if a malware attack takes place on a chat app or personal email and compromises work-related communication? Who would have an obligation to report to CERT-IN - the employer or the individual employee involved? Legal Framework Data laws world over were not framed for 'digital workspace', though they are getting tweaked, including in India, given the evolution of the privacy regime. The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee in December 2019 for introduction during the upcoming Budget session of the Parliament, will be the most comprehensive law on data and privacy in India. All employers, especially in the new economy, will have to consider the implications of the new consent obligations and purpose driven data-processing requirements proposed under the Bill. Consider this, anybody wanting to store 'cookies' can only do so after providing clear notice at the time of collecting such information, having obtained user consent and identifying the purpose for which such data would be processed. Data subjects will have a right to withdraw consent. Consent might no longer be through a long list of clauses to which an employee agrees by clicking online as part of job induction (often without reading). The Personal Data Protection Bill requires free, informed, specific, and clear consent which has to be capable of being withdrawn. How will the current IT policies deal with this? Will employers accessing employee data (even with consent) be classified as "data-fiduciaries" under the new data privacy law and be subject to the jurisdiction of the proposed Data Protection Authority? If eventually it turns out that critical or sensitive personal data can only be stored in India under the new law, would all MNC servers have to be moved to India? Being mindful that penalty for violation of the new data protection law could be up to 4 per cent of the turnover, to mitigate this dilemma for employers who need to access (and store) employee data on personal devises, would it be better to exempt employer-employee relationships from the new data and privacy law? To deal with the new world of data laws, globally, companies have introduced secure logs, audit trails, remote monitoring tools and virtual private networks to segregate and protect information on private networks and introduce firewalls while using personal devices for official use. By Trend Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia will send a delegation to Azerbaijan to monitor early parliamentary elections to be held on February 9, CEC of Georgia told Trend. "The commission received an invitation from CEC of Azerbaijan to send observers to participate in the elections to Milli Majlis (parliament). We plan to send a delegation of five members to Azerbaijan," CEC said. The delegation will include the Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Georgia Georgi Sharabidze, Secretary of Georgia's CEC Giorgi Javakhishvili, Head of the Legal Department Georgi Dzagania, Head of HR Department Georgi Kalandarishvili and Director of the Center for the Development of Electoral Systems, Reforms and Training of the commission, Natia Zaalishvili. "Georgia's CEC has already been in contact with the Azerbaijani CEC. The delegation is expected to arrive in Baku on February 7 or 8, but it hasnt been confirmed yet," the CEC said. In what appears to be the first such legislation in the nation, a Missouri lawmaker has introduced a measure to shield children from being exposed to age-inappropriate material at public libraries that receive state funding. The proposed bill, according to a report in the Kansas City Star, was drafted in reaction to drag queen story hours being held across the state. The report went on to say that public libraries that violate the provision by displaying such literature could lose state funding and even see their librarians fined or jailed. The proposed bill Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act did not target books, said state Rep. Ben Baker, who sponsored the bill. Baker, a Republican from Neosho in southwest Missouri, told the Star, In some places St. Louis, Kansas City and I think St. (Joseph) theyve had these drag queen story hours and thats something that I take objection to and I think a lot of parents do. Thats where in a public space, he said, our kids could be exposed to something thats age-inappropriate. Thats what Im trying to tackle. The dragqueenstoryhour.org website describes the events, which are organized by independent local groups across the nation and in some foreign countries, as just what it sounds like drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores. DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real. The Stars story pointed out that Though not all drag queens are gay or transgender, the events have become a kind of barometer for a communitys tolerance of expressing queer identities in public. The report also noted that the biannual drag queen story hour at the St. Louis public library is a popular event attended by hundreds with few protesters. In early September 2019, St. Joseph Public Librarys first drag queen story hour drew 500 people, according to a report in the St. Joseph News-Press. The event also attracted the Catholic protest group, America Needs Fatima, which is active in the Midwest. The group recruited and transported participants from as far away as Topeka. The group prayed the rosary for attendees. Baker said the measure offers parents the recourse of objecting to programs introduced in their local libraries. Library districts would be required to establish five-member adult oversight boards to conduct public hearings and determine whether material was age-inappropriate. If material is deemed inappropriate, it would have to be made inaccessible to minors. Librarians who do not comply with the boards decision could be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, and if convicted could face a $500 fine and a one-year jail sentence. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Jacek Kadaj Tim Tune is a freelance journalist based in Fort Worth, Texas. His work has been published by Baptist Press, as well as the Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Business Press, Arlington Today magazine and other North Texas publications. The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) vice presidential candidate during the last general elections, Peter Obi has stated that Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC), would not have been a governor during his time if PDP did what the APC is doing now. Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi state, says following the removal of Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo state by the Supreme court, he became afraid that the same might be his fate. Ihedioha was sacked by the Supreme court who ordered that Hope Uzodinma, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March election be installed as governor. Mohammed, while speaking with reporters, said he became even more afraid especially because of the confidence exhibited by his opponents, prior to the delivery of the judgement on Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the UK is protecting Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum. Speaking during an official visit to the Ibadan zonal office of the commission on Wednesday, the EFCC boss wondered why the UK was protecting her when there is enough evidence to take her to court. Senator Suleiman Muhammad Nazif, Deputy National Chairman (North) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the party would reclaim presidential power and win the majority of northern states in the 2023 general elections. The lawmaker added also that the grave failure of the ruling APC in the country, has engineered the resolve in Nigerians to displace the party in 2023. Senator Nazif said this on Wednesday in a congratulatory message to the Governors of Adamawa, (Alh. Ahmadu Fintiri), Taraba (Arc. Darius Ishaku), Bauchi (Senator Bala Mohammed), Benue (Samuel Ortom) and Sokoto (Rt Hon. Aminu Tambuwal) who emerged victorious at the just-concluded Supreme Court judgements. Former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Kano state, Rabiu Sulaiman Bichi has dumped the party and may be heading to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Bichi, who was a member of the Kwankwasiyya Movement was sacked as the chairman of the party last week. Bichi, a former Secretary to the State Government during Kwankwasos tenure, according to a source said he is likely to announce his defection from the major opposition party in the state and Kwankwasiyya today. Senator Mohammed Sani Musa of the All Progressives Congress, APC representing Niger East has yet again lamented at how his people are being killed everyday by armed bandits without responses from appropriate authorities. He said even though several calls and appeals were made to concerned authorities for action on the situation, not much has been done. The management of the Supreme Council of Magistracy (CSM) on Thursday had a meeting with Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to discuss service pensions. "Today, there was a meeting between the chair of the CSM the vice-chair of the CSM and the prime minister of Romania. Part of the conversations were CSM arguments in support of the service pensions for magistrates in line with rulings of the Constitutional Court of Romania and international regulations," said CSM spokesperson Daniela Stancioi.Last December, CSM was arguing that the constant jurisprudence of the constitutional court established "unequivocally" that justice independence as a constitutional guarantee includes financial security for the magistrates. AGERPRES The Senate impeachment trial has resumed. This file will be updated throughout the day. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff decided to close proceedings by the evening by reading passages from President Donald Trumps July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky to point out a few things that really struck my attention. Schiff joked he decided to take Trumps directions to read the transcript, noting Trump had told his Twitter followers to do so earlier in the trial. The California Democrat went on to read through several of the passages, adding his own analysis to the passages. If you would speak to him, that would be great. Talk to Rudy, Schiff said, quoting from the July 25 call record. Schiff pointed out how unusual it was for the president to suggest another world leader discuss political issues with his personal attorney. Donald Trump chose Rudy Giulani over his own intelligence agencies, Schiff said of Trumps choice to believe Rudy Giulani about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election over the conclusions of his own intelligence agencies. Republicans say Democrats have been selective in their reading of the July 25 call record. Earlier in the evening, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told reporters Democrats were cherry-picking parts of transcripts, including that of the July 25 call. Theres parts they are conveniently cherry-picking out that I look at and say, lets get the whole story, Lankford said. - Nicholas Wu Ernst: Hypocritical for Democrats to criticize Trump on Ukraine aid Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said it was hypocritical of Democrats to criticize Trump and his withholding of aid to Ukraine because Trump had done more for Ukraine than the past administration. It is really hypocritical of them to be pointing the finger at our president who has done more for the Ukrainian people than the past administration and them, she said. Four of those House managers sitting right there are lecturing us on our president who provided lethal aid to Ukraine, while they voted no or against it. Story continues Ernst noted that some of the House managers had voted against this years government funding bill, and Rep. Jerry Nadler had not voted on it. Nadler had been away the day of the vote for a family emergency, Politico reported. - Nicholas Wu Sekulow: Dems opened the door for trial to be about Biden Jay Sekulow, one of the presidents attorneys arguing on his behalf during the impeachment trial, said house managers focus on Joe Biden throughout their hours of presentations on Thursday opened the door for them to concentrate on the former vice president in their rebuttal. For the last five hours, it's been a lot about Joe Biden and Burisma, Sekulow said, mentioning the Ukrainian gas company where Bidens son served on the board. They kind of opened the door for that response so we'll determine as a defense team the appropriate way to do it. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, agreed, arguing that the house managers decision to focus on Biden and Burisma had several consequences, including making Hunter Biden, the vice presidents son, not only relevant. He is now critical. He added that when the presidents counsel presents, they are going to have the opportunity to present the very significant evidence that supported and still supports a serious investigation into corruption at Burisma, and ultimately whether Joe Biden participated in that corruption. So far, many Republicans have fended off calls for Hunter Biden to testify in the trial, explaining it would create a spectacle. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he was fending off pressure to call the Bidens in to testify. They asked for him in the House and they said 'no,'" Graham said of Hunter Biden, "but I don't want to litigate that. I don't think it's necessary to dispose of this issue. I like Joe Biden, this man has been through a lot of tragic events in this life, and I have no desire to turn this Senate trial into a circus." The Republican from South Carolina added, though, he couldn't just go back to his voters and ignore questions about Biden's conduct in Ukraine. "I can't go home and say that we should just ignore what happened in Ukraine because I like Joe Biden," he said. Other Republicans cautioned the presidents team from veering into the theories that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election, something that the president has echoed. "Unless they know something I don't know or haven't seen, I think the intelligence community has very conclusively determined that it was Russia, and not Ukraine who interfered in the 2016 election, so that's not a direction I would have gone in, said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. -- Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu Graham tells Trump not to come to the trial Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of President Donald Trump, told reporters he did not want Trump to come to the Senate trial. He hasnt told me whether or not he wants to come, but in case youre listening, dont come, Graham said, making a reference to remarks by Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff recounting Trump telling Russia if youre listening to find Hillary Clintons emails. Trump said in Davos he would "love" to attend the trial, though his attorney Jay Sekulow said yesterday that "Presidents don't do that." Graham spoke to the president last night, he said, and Trump was bored by the trial. He is on the receiving end of this. If youve ever been in one of these situations where youve been accused, and its very emotional, Graham said, adding that Trump was having the reaction a normal person would have if they were accused of something. - Nicholas Wu Collins sent a note to Roberts before admonishment Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was "stunned" by remarks given by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler at the start of the trial, where he accused senators of being complicit in a cover-up if they shot down measures to hear from additional witnesses. Collins, a key moderate who Democrats are hoping to convince that more witnesses should be heard from during the trial, said the remarks caused her to write a note to Chief Justice John Roberts, asking whether the Senate's rules had been violated. "I was stunned by Congressman Nadlers approach, and it reminded me that if we were in a normal debate in the Senate, that the rule will be invoked to strike the words of the Senator, for impugning another Senator in this case," she explained in an interview with Politico, remarks that were confirmed by her office. "So, I did write a note raising the issue of whether there had been a violation of the rules of the Senate." Collins said she gave the note to Laura Dove, the secretary for the Senate majority. Shortly after the note was delivered, Roberts admonished both house managers and Trump's counsel for the testy back-and-forth. "I was glad that he did," Collins said. - Christal Hayes Republicans decline to respond to videos of past statements Republicans generally declined to respond to videos Democrats showed of past statements from members of the presidents legal defense team and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about impeachable offenses and abuses of power. Trumps attorney Jay Sekulow said his team was composed of lawyers from many different schools of thought on the level of conduct constituting an impeachable offenses, and the actions alleged and the actions of the president, do not reach that level regardless of your school of thought Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., quipped, I thought Lindsey looked a lot younger, when asked about the video of Graham. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said the consequence of being in politics for a long time was sometimes contradictory positions. Thats the irony of being here a long time, and all the different dynamics you might be part of, Braun said. I dont think you can hold that against Lindsey, since I think you can hold that against almost every Democrat that is currently here today that was there over 20 years ago. - Nicholas Wu Garcia disputes Trump allegations against Biden One of the managers, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, spent her presentation outlining allegations of potential corruption by former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, were false. Garcia argued that President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to investigate Biden based on a debunked theory and at a time in 2019 when Biden was leading polls as the Democratic contender to challenge Trump. The entire premise of the investigation that the president wanted Ukraine to pursue was false, Garcia said. There is simply no evidence nothing, nada in the record to support this baseless allegation. Garcia recited the history that Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings in 2014, at a time when the Ukraine gas company was under investigation because of its oligarch owner. Viktor Shokin became Ukraines prosecutor general in 2015 and he allowed the investigation to go dormant, Garcia said. In late 2015, Joe Biden called for the removal of Shokin because he was widely perceived as ineffective and corrupt, Garcia said. Shokins removal was also sought by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, Garcia said. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter Feb. 12, 2016, urging Shokins removal. Shokin was fired a month later. George Kent, who was the second-in-command at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, testified that Shokin routinely lived more lavishly than his government salary would allow and covered up crimes. Biden called for removal of prosecutor at the direction of U.S. policy because the prosecutor was widely perceived as corrupt, Garcia said. But in a phone call July 25, 2019, Trump urged Ukraines new President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and Burisma because he had heard horrible things about potential corruption in Ukraine. The call came after Trump hadnt pursued anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine in 2017 and 2018, but at a time when Biden was leading in polls to challenge Trump, Garcia said. He pushed for an investigation in 2019 because that is when it would be valuable to him, President Trump, Garcia said. He had good reason to be concerned. Garcia played videos of testimony from several government officials who testified during the House impeachment inquiry that they were not aware of Biden being corrupt and that Shokin wasnt investigating Burisma at the time he was fired. The officials included former National Security Council aide Fiona Hill; David Holmes, the political officer at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. My understanding is the prosecutor general at the time, Shokin, was not at that time pursuing investigations of Burisma or the Bidens, Holmes said. Garcia also played videos of other U.S. officials who dismissed allegations against Ukraine. We at the FBI have no information that would indicate that Ukraine tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, FBI Director Christopher Wray told ABC News. Hill, the Russia expert at the National Security Council, disputed allegations that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 election, citing the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community, and calling the accusation Russian propaganda. This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves, Hill testified in the House inquiry. It is beyond dispute. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said when Democrats claim that allegations against the Bidens have been debunked, he isnt so sure. Graham thinks more questions should be asked about why Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma and why he was hired after former Vice President Joe Biden was put in charge of the governments portfolio dealing with Ukraine. I don't know. Doesn't pass the smell test to me, Graham told reporters Thursday. Why are you paying Hunter Biden? You can say they are corrupt, but they're not stupid. Does it make sense to hire the son of the guy in charge of the portfolio for the American government? Graham said he wasnt accusing Joe Biden of corruption, but saying that more questions about the activities of both Bidens in Ukraine are warranted. I don't know anything about the Biden connection to the Ukraine, Graham said. So when the managers tell me this has been looked at and debunked, by who? - Bart Jansen Republicans eager to hear Trump's side as Democrats argue for conviction Republicans who have watched for hours as House managers present their impeachment case against President Donald Trump are eager to hear from Trump's defense team, something they say could shed new light on the chain of events that led to Trumps impeachment. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., noted it would be the first time Americans have really heard the full story from the president. Well, I think we want to hear their version of events, he said. Theres all kinds of allegations that have been thrown up in the air and so they'll have a chance to lay out their timeline, their version of events. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he wanted Americans to hear more about Ukraines corruption, how the president viewed this and more about the Biden family. I love Joe Biden but I can tell you if the name was Trump, there would be a lot of questions asked, he said. All I can tell you is from the presidents point of view, he did nothing wrong in his mind," Graham added. House Republicans who were tapped by the president as part of his defense, stressed that Trumps counsel is prepared. They're well prepared and they've been prepared, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who explained that he and other House Republicans have been meeting with Trumps legal team at the White House on multiple occasions. They've been following the case all the way through. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed back on criticism that Trumps counsel did not look as prepared as house managers, who have offered a multimedia presentation and videos. These are members of the U.S. Senate. This is not an elementary school. You don't need visual aids, he argued. - Christal Hayes In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) ORG XMIT: DCJE152 Lindsey Graham's Clinton impeachment speech is played House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., challenged the argument from Trumps defenders that impeachment must allege a violation of statutory law. To make his point, Nadler played a 1999 video of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was a manager 20 years ago in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton. The Constitution allows impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors, a term that has been debated during the Trump investigation. Whats a high crime? Graham asked in the well of the Senate in 1999. How about an important person hurting somebody of low means? Its not very scholarly, but I think its the truth. I think thats what they meant by high crimes. Doesnt even have to be a crime. Its just when you start using your office and youre acting in a way that hurts people, youve committed a high crime. Republicans have challenged the accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress as vague and not grounded in established law. This view is completely wrong, Nadler said of the Republican argument. It has no support in constitutional text and structure, original meaning, congressional precedents, common sense or the consensus of credible experts. In other words, it conflicts with every relevant consideration. Nadler quoted two constitutional scholars who testified at a Dec. 4 hearing in the impeachment inquiry. Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, said the Constitution plainly does not require a violation of law for impeachment. - Bart Jansen Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to the media before attending the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ORG XMIT: DCJL111 'It puts even President Nixon to shame': Schiff, Nadler open trial WASHINGTON House Democrats will describe the constitutional underpinnings of the article of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of abuse of power in their arguments Thursday in the Senate. House impeachment managers prosecuting the case will attempt to show how the law and Constitution are applied to the presidents dealings with Ukraine, according to the lead manager, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. The prosecutors will do the same Friday for the second article of impeachment, which accuses Trump of obstruction of justice, Schiff said. The arguments Thursday on abuse of power and Friday on obstruction of Congress might sound repetitious, but that is because the evidence will be interwoven with new context, said Schiff. There is some method to our madness, he added. Shortly after 1 p.m. EST, House impeachment managers began their second day of arguments in the case. Another manager, Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said the abuse of power could have been charged just for Trump asking Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. But Nadler said Trump went further, withholding $391 million in vital military aid and a White House meeting. "Since President George Washington took office in 1789, no president has abused his power in this way," Nadler said. "No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections." Nadler said the accusation of obstruction stems from Trump directing his administration to defy all subpoenas for testimony and documents during the investigation. The articles are overwhelmingly supported by the evidence amassed by the House, notwithstanding the presidents complete stonewalling, his attempt to block all witnesses and all documents from the United States Congress, Nadler said. It puts even President Nixon to shame. - Bart Jansen Trump tweets as arguments begin Minutes after Thursday's session opened, Trump tweeted out a warning to Democrats: His legal team will call witnesses of their own if the House Democratic managers get the opportunity to question witnesses. "The Democrats dont want a Witness Trade because Shifty Schiff, the Bidens, the fake Whistleblower(& his lawyer), the second Whistleblower (who vanished after I released the Transcripts), the so-called informer, & many other Democrat disasters, would be a BIG problem for them!" - David Jackson Impeachment fact-check: Fact-checking the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump Fidget spinners in the chamber Three senators were spotted with fidget spinners as impeachment trial proceedings began on Thursday. Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., were spotted with spinners on their desks. As House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler started presenting and played video from the House impeachment inquiry about the constitutional basis for impeachment, Burr picked up his blue fidget spinner and started twirling it. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who sits next to Burr, looked over and smiled. - Nicholas Wu Wednesday takeaways: Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial White House addresses 'ridiculous' criticism over evidence White House aides sought to clarify President Donald Trump's comment this week that he and aides "have all the material" in the impeachment case a suggestion critics took to mean that Trump is hiding evidence from investigators. "That's a ridiculous allegation," Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley said, adding that Trump was saying "the evidence is all on our side." During an economic conference in Davos, Switzerland, Trump condemned House impeachment managers and praised his attorneys by saying: "I thought our team did a very good job. But honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material." - David Jackson Milk or water: For senators at Trump impeachment trial, there are only 2 beverage options: milk and water What a whopper So what exactly are senators doing at their desks while the hours-long cases for and against impeachment are being made? Some are nodding off. Some are drinking tall glasses of milk. And some are scribbling down thoughts. Late during Tuesdays session, when Trump's lawyer Pat Cipollone described the president as someone who "is a man of his word, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, wrote in her notebook: What a whopper. She relayed the story during a news conference Thursday, adding: That's not the only time. She didnt mean a hamburger, chimed in Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. standing next to her. Hirono chuckled. Definitely not. - Ledyard King Schumer: GOP can't have it both ways on 'new' testimony Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that GOP senators dismissive claim that theyre hearing no new material during President Donald Trumps impeachment trial rings very, very hollow considering theyre blocking Democratic efforts to call more witnesses and request more documents. The same Republicans saying they heard nothing new just voted nine times on Tuesday to hear nothing new, Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters during a pretrial news conference. If they want new stuff, theres plenty of it. Schumer was referring to the amendments Democrats offered during the first day of the trial to allow certain witnesses and records pertaining to the impeachment investigation that are not part of the Houses case. All of the amendments were defeated on a strict partly-line vote in the Republican-controlled chamber, though they could be taken up again at a later time. Democrats have pointed to Trumps remarks Wednesday that "we have all the material. They don't have all the material. Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said Trump wasn't bragging about withholding documents from Democrats, as some lawmakers have said. What the president was clearly saying was that the evidence was all on our side," Gidley said. Several GOP senators, including Ted Cruz, R-Texas; John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Wednesday bemoaned the repetitive nature of the Democrats case during nearly eight hours of oral arguments. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., called it a rehashing of (Tuesdays) charade. Schumer and other Democrats already shot down a rumored proposal to allow Trumps former national security adviser John Bolton to testify if Joe Biden's son Hunter could as well. Democrats see Bolton as someone who could help make the case that Trump engaged in a quid pro quo with Ukraine. Republicans say Hunter Biden would be forced to answer pointed questions about his role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company key to the impeachment inquiry. Ledyard King Schiff gets applause from an unlikely colleague: Graham Rep. Adam Schiff, whos leading the impeachment arguments during the Senate trial, got kudos from an unlikely source: Sen. Lindsey Graham. "Good job today. Very well-spoken, Graham, the South Carolina Republican, told Schiff, the California Democrat, late Wednesday during an impromptu meeting between the two near the elevators outside the Senate chamber. Schiff and his fellow House managers had just wrapped up nearly eight hours of oral arguments when the exchange happened and the two shook hands. It seemed an unlikely moment give how fiercely both have been regarding impeachment. Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, had just been on the floor calling President Donald Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine a gross abuse of power. Graham, a tenacious Trump defender, had encouraged the president earlier in the day not to cooperate with Schiff, saying: I wouldnt give them the time of day. Ledyard King and Savannah Behrmann Senators can view classified testimony from Pence aide When theyre not stuck in their seats at the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, senators will have the chance to review classified testimony from an assistant to Vice President Mike Pence that Democrats have unsuccessfully tried to make public. After Senate Republicans rejected an attempt Tuesday to allow the Senate to receive classified information into evidence, Chief Justice John Roberts late Wednesday announced an agreement to allow classified information into the record. Senators will have to review it in a secure setting. The information is part of a description of Pences Sept. 18 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky given to the committee by Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy adviser to Pence. Democrats argue the testimony is corroborating evidence and theres no reason it should be classified. Jennifer Williams has classified information to share with you that I hope you'll take a look at because it is relevant to these issues, House impeachment manager Adam Schiff said. Pence's office previously refused Democrats request to declassifying the information, saying in a Dec. 11 letter that it would serve no purpose. This call was classified when it occurred, Pence spokeswoman Katie Waldman tweeted Wednesday night. House Democrats knew the call was classified when they allowed and asked Jennifer Williams to discuss a classified call in an unclassified setting. They are now trying to cover their tracks. Pence had previously said he had no problem with the White House releasing transcripts of his conversations with Zelensky. Maureen Groppe Trump attacks Democrats in morning tweet storm Back at the White House after an overseas trip, President Donald Trump didn't waste much time before attacking Democratic prosecutors at the Senate impeachment trial. "The Democrats are trying hard to damage Republicans prior to the Election!" Trump said during an early morning tweet storm aimed at opponents who have accused him of abuse of power. Trump also cited pundits who attacked the process, including conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, and singled out Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the lead House impeachment manager, as "Shifty Schiff." The president, who spent the past two days at an international economic conference in Davos, Switzerland, has no public events on his schedule Thursday. After a series of private meetings the White House, Trump leaves at mid-day for a trip to Miami; he is scheduled to give a closed-door speech to the Republican National Committee, which is holding its winter meeting at the Trump National Doral golf resort. Trump is also expected to watch parts of the impeachment trial on television. David Jackson Constitution, legal grounds for removal will be the focus House Democrats will continue detailing their case against President Donald Trump as the Senate impeachment trial resumes Thursday and are expected to focus on the Constitution and the legal grounds for the president's removal. The seven prosecutors, who are called managers, spoke for eight hours Wednesday mostly about the article accusing Trump of abuse of power. They chronicled their evidence about Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former vice president Joe Biden, while withholding $391 million in military aid. I think it's a gross abuse of power, said the lead manager, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. And I don't think that the impeachment power is a relic. If it is a relic, I wonder how much longer our Republic can succeed." On Thursday, the group is expected to focus on the Constitution and lay out the legal framework that they say merits Trump's removal from office. Schiff said the group would "apply the facts to the law as it relates to the presidents abuse of power." The seven managers will have up to 24 hours spread over three sessions to make their arguments. Then Trumps defense team, which is led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and private lawyer Jay Sekulow, will have up to 24 hours over three sessions to rebut the charges or make their own arguments. 'I got four hours sleep': Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial Sekulow told reporters that the defense lawyers, during their turn, would first respond to the House charges and then we are going to make an affirmative case defending the president. After hearing the opening arguments, senators will have up to 16 hours to pose written questions to both sides through Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding. As the arguments got underway, Trump spent Tuesday and Wednesday at an economic conference in Davos, Switzerland. But he will be in Washington Thursday as the trial continues. Trump criticized the trial and called two of the managers Schiff and Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. "major sleazebags" during a news conference Wednesday. Its total hoax. Its a disgrace. They talked about their tremendous case. They have no case, Trump said. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) is surrounded by members of the media prior to the start of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Schiff summarized the case over about two hours Wednesday by offering a chronology of the events, documents and testimony that the inquiry collected. Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., described how Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, smeared Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, before the president removed her. Democrats argued that her removal opened the door to pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who worked for a Ukraine gas company. "It is beyond argument that President Trump mounted a sustained pressure campaign to get Ukraine to announce investigations that would benefit him politically, and then tried to cover it up, Nadler said. Alexander Hamilton: Schiff opens Trump impeachment trial arguments with a quote from Alexander Hamilton Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, highlighted how Giuliani's push for investigations benefited Trump personally rather than the national interest. Giuliani admitted that he was asking Ukraine to work on investigations that could be very, very helpful to the president, Garcia said. Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger, focused on the suspension of military aid for Ukraine while at war with Russia. "Ukrainian soldiers were manning the front lines against Russian-backed forces illegally occupying their country," said Crow, D-Colo. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., described how White House officials dangled the opportunity for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit the White House if he announced investigations against the Bidens. 'Pettifogging': Chief Justice John Roberts drops 'pettifogging' bomb while reprimanding both sides in impeachment trial But former national adviser John Bolton opposed the exchange, deriding it was a "drug deal" cooked up by Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Demings said. "Mr. Giuliani became an inescapable presence to both Ukrainian officials and American diplomats," Demings said. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., went line by line through the summary of Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky, when the president asked his counterpart to investigate the Bidens. "These words will live in infamy," Jeffries said of Trump asking for "a favor." Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., walked through the lack of public explanation for why the administration suspended military aid for Ukraine or for why it was released Sept. 11. Nothing to justify the presidents change in decision except he got caught," Lofgren said. Joe Biden: Ex VP says he would not 'make the deal' to testify in impeachment trial This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump impeachment trial: Democrats end day of opening arguments MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio Theft: Bagley Road Police went to Speedway at 11:53 a.m. Jan. 17 about a purse that was stolen from a car while its owner pumped gas. A witness who followed the suspects car contacted police with the cars description. He said the car had three men inside. He was unable to get a license plate number. Police checked the area, but did not see the car. The victim said she had left her purse inside her unlocked car while pumping gas, then talked with a business partner. That is when she heard someone slam her cars side door and noticed that her purse was missing. She saw the suspects car leave the station with three people inside. Police viewed a video showing that the suspects car had been parked across the street prior to the theft. It then was driven into the gas station lot and maneuvered back and forth next to the victims car so that its occupants could grab the purse. Police learned that a similar theft had occurred the night before. Police viewed that video. It showed similar actions by the driver, who may be the same one from the Jan. 17 theft. Police spoke with the witness again, who said he had noticed the suspects car and had watched it as it moved back and forth next to the victims car. That activity caught his attention. He then heard the victim scream that someone had stolen her purse and began following the suspects car. He was unable to keep up with the fleeing car, however. The officer noted that Parma Heights gas stations have had similar thefts. The detective bureau is investigating the incidents. Fraud: Englewood Drive Police went to the UPS facility at 10:48 a.m. Jan. 20 about a man using fraudulent identification to pick up a package. When they arrived, the man was gone. Police were told that a package had arrived with a certain name on the label. The unidentified man had an Ohio drivers license that had a similar, but not exact, name on it as the package. An employee noticed the difference and took it to the managers office. The manager then contacted police. The employee returned to the lobby, but the man had left. The real person who has that name and the suspect who claimed to be him did not match in identity or birthdate. Police contacted the actual man and asked him to come to the police station. They also suggested that he check his financial accounts for possible fraudulent activity. Fraud: Bagley Road Police went to the Residence Inn at 9:27 a.m. Jan. 19 about a housekeeper finding two false identification cards and six credit cards. They were found in a trash can inside the womens bathroom at 7:30 that morning. The names were not found in the hotels registration system. A worker did not recall seeing anyone matching the descriptions of the fake IDs. Police found one of the actual persons listed on an ID, who said someone had opened an account in his name once and that he planned to check his accounts again. Police also found two other people whose names were on the fake IDs. They said there was nothing fraudulent on their accounts. Police then spoke with an employee, who said one of the men was at the hotel. When they returned to the hotel, the employee said the man was no longer there. She then became uncooperative. Police checked the area, but did not find anyone resembling the man. Police have the items for safekeeping. Found property: Engle Road Police were contacted Jan. 18 about car parts with a bag containing a power saw along the property line of Smart Self Storage and Logistics. They also found that someone had cut open the fence to go onto the property. The items included a catalytic converter and a saw with batteries. Police have the items at the police stations property room. Theft: Engle Road Someone removed the catalytic converter from a bus belonging to Constant Companion. The bus was parked at the location Jan. 10. A woman tried to use the bus around 10 a.m. Jan. 13, but it made a loud noise. She then discovered that the catalytic converter was missing. Failure to comply: Interstate 71 An officer saw a car at 12:15 p.m. Jan. 9 with heavy front-end bumper damage. It also had a small spare tire as the wheel on the rear drivers side. He checked the cars license plate and found that the registered owner had a warrant. He drove next to the car and identified the driver was its owner. The car sped away, reaching at least 95 mph as the cruiser had its lights flashing and occasionally sounded its siren. The officer realized that the car was not going to stop. The car then began to move recklessly through traffic, swerving and driving off the roadway. It left I-71 to go onto Interstate 480. The officer then stopped following it. He contacted a woman via phone who may have been a guardian of the driver. She hung up when the officer explained why he was calling. He called again and the woman said she did not speak English, although she did during the first call. The officer found the drivers identification. He had prior felonies. The officer prepared charges to send to court against the driver. Drunkenness: Baldwin Court Police at 8:26 p.m. Jan. 17 helped a ride-hailing driver remove an intoxicated passenger. They helped the woman out of the car and escorted her to her mothers apartment. She was unable to get inside, since she didnt have a key and was unable to contact her mother. Due to her high level of drunkenness and lack of ability to care for herself, police took her to the police station to make ride arrangements. A man came and picked her up. She was cited for disorderly conduct due to intoxication. Read more from the News Sun. The Senate trial of President Donald Trump began hearing the arguments of House impeachment managers Wednesday, with eight hours of presentations by the seven Democrats chosen by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead the effort. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff gave the opening speech, droning on for more than two hours. This was followed by presentations from all of the other managers before the rotation began again with Schiff taking the floor for a second time mid-evening. By then, the broadcast networks, which had carried Schiffs initial speech live, had cut away. Most of the television audience had likely departed long before. Presiding officer Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in members of the Senate for the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington [Credit: Senate Television via AP] The leaden character of the proceedings reflected the vast distance between the US ruling elite, locked in a vicious struggle largely related to the foreign policy of American imperialism, and the real concerns of tens of millions of working people. There is enormous popular hostility to the Trump administrationto Trumps attacks on democratic rights, his abuse of immigrants and refugees, his favoritism towards the rich and the corporate elite, his personal corruption, his attacks on climate science, and his embrace of militarism and bullying internationally. But the Democratic impeachment case is not addressed in the slightest to this popular opposition to Trump. On the contrary, the Democrats seem to welcome the opportunity to be as soporific as possible, putting the country to sleep while they appeal to their real audiencethe corporate elite and the military-intelligence apparatusto side with them on the grounds that Trump is a danger to national security. The tone was set by the opening presentation of Schiff, from which a casual observer might have concluded that the president being impeached was Vladimir Putin, not Donald Trump. After a hollow and insincere invocation of the Founding Fathers and the historic nature of the impeachment of a US president, for only the third time in 230 years, Schiff got down to business: President Trump had withheld military aid to Ukraine, an action that Schiff said looms largest in the impeachment trial. President Trump withheld hundreds of millions of dollars to his strategic partner at war with Russia to secure foreign help with his reelection, Schiff said. Ukraine has long enjoyed bipartisan support designed to help Ukraine to fend itself from the Kremlins aggression. He continued, Most critically, the military aid that we provide helps to protect and advance American national security interests in the region and beyond, an interest in stemming Russian expansionism and expanding any efforts to remake the map of Europe, even as we have tens of thousands of troops stationed there. The United States aids Ukraine and its people so that they can fight Russia over there and we dont have to fight Russia here. What an upside-down presentation of world reality! Russia and Ukraine were part of the same country, the Soviet Union, less than 30 years ago. A large proportion of the Ukrainian population speaks Russian as its first language, and the two contested areas, Crimea and eastern Ukraine, are overwhelmingly Russian-speakingand long subject to attack by Ukrainian nationalists. Far from Ukraine serving as a bulwark against Russian expansionism, as Schiff claimed, the longstanding policy of American imperialism is to use Ukraine as a base of operations against Russia, following the model of other former Soviet bloc territoriesPoland, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and the former Soviet Georgia. When Schiff declares that the US is arming Ukraine so we dont have to fight Russia here, he is invoking the worst McCarthyite fantasies of the Cold War, when popular revolts in Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and throughout South America were portrayed by American presidents as acts of aggression by Moscow in the Western hemisphere. What would the American media say if Vladimir Putin gave a speech in which he justified military aid to Mexicoto fight off incursions by the US Border Patrolso that we dont have to fight America in the streets of Moscow? There is another, and equally ominous, aspect to the anti-Russia mania being whipped up by the Democrats. Schiff mentioned in passing that Ukraine is the testing ground for the types of hybrid warfare that the 21st century will be defined by, referring to cyber warfare and the use of disguised or covert forces. In other words, the Pentagon sees the fighting in eastern Ukraine not only as a strategic necessity in the short term, but also as an opportunity to test out weapons and tactics for future global conflicts. Schiff went on to hail the courage and patriotism of the State Department and National Security Council officials who testified before the House impeachment inquiry and voiced the objections of the military-intelligence apparatus to any presidential action that disrupted the long-running US operation to take political control of Ukraine and use it against Russia. It is this interference in Ukraine, and not the supposed threat to democracy from Trump seeking foreign assistance against Joe Biden, that really concerns the national security state and its Democratic Party attorneys. Significantly, Schiff made no attempt to address a real threat to democratic rights that has emerged out of the impeachment proceeding: Trumps assertion, through his attorneys, of essentially unlimited presidential immunity from any form of congressional oversight or legal constraints. The Washington Post published a worried editorial Wednesday pointing out that the legal arguments made by the White House were so sweeping that a vote not to convict Trump, likely to take place on partisan grounds in the Republican-controlled Senate, would gravely damage the only mechanism the Constitution provides for checking a rogue president. The editorial warned, Mr. Trump and his lawyers are, in effect, seeking consent for an extraordinary expansion of his powers. Instead of addressing such issues, Schiff and the impeachment managers who followed him focused on the military position of Ukraine vis-a-vis Russia and the US interest in fanning the flames of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine. Perhaps the most extreme expression of this was the thirty-minute presentation by Representative Jason Crow, a former paratroop commander in Iraq and Afghanistan first elected in 2018, one of those identified by the World Socialist Web Site as CIA Democrats. Crow began his presentation by noting that on July 25, 2019, the date of Trumps now famous phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, there were 68,000 American troops deployed in Europe, training and preparing to support our allies and defend against Russia. Crow went on to explain in great detail, citing his own military experience as a special forces commander, the significance of the military equipment being supplied to Ukraine by the Pentagon. He gave the example of counter-battery radar, which gives advance warning of rocket or artillery attacks. This allows soldiers to dive into bunkers to escape enemy fire, which his troops used in Afghanistan against Taliban attacks. Other equipment cited by Crow included sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, command and control systems, electronic warfare systems and communications and night vision equipment. The first full day of trial proceedings will be followed by two more days of presentations by the Democrats, followed by another 24 hours of Senate time, spread over three days, for rebuttal arguments by the lawyers assembled by the Trump White House. This will be followed by 16 hours of questions from the senators, submitted in writing to Chief Justice John Roberts, who will read them out. Only after this interminable proceedingcurrently scheduled to extend to Friday, January 31will the Senate begin four hours of debate over whether to call witnesses or subpoena documents beyond those available to the House of Representatives. At that point, if the majority Republicans maintain a united front and block any further testimony, the Senate could proceed immediately to final debate and vote on removing Trump from office. Trump and his closest supporters in the Senate aim to wrap up the trial before the president delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, currently set for Tuesday, February 4. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 02:11:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia and India on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding to set up an information and communications technology (ICT) innovation center. The MoU was signed by acting Tunisian Foreign Minister Sabri Bachtobji and visiting Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two officials discussed various aspects of Tunisian-Indian cooperation as well as a host of regional and international issues of common interest, according to a ministry statement. Talks also dealt with preparations for an imminent 13th session of the Tunisian-Indian Joint Committee. JOHANNESBURG - Locusts by the millions are nibbling their way across a large part of Africa in the worst outbreak some places have seen in 70 years. Is this another effect of a changing climate? Yes, researchers say. An unprecedented food security crisis may be the result. The locusts reproduce rapidly and, if left unchecked, their current numbers could grow 500 times by June, the United Nations says. Heres a look at whats going on and where the voracious insects might be going next. A LOCUST OUTBREAK? WHATS THAT LIKE? The swarms of desert locusts hang like shimmering dark clouds on the horizon as they scour the countryside in what are already some of the worlds most vulnerable countries, including Somalia. Roughly the length of a finger, the whirring insects in huge numbers have destroyed hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of vegetation and forced people in some areas to bodily wade through them. A typical desert locust swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometre, the East African regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, has said. Swarms migrate with the wind and can cover 100 to 150 kilometres (62 to 93 miles) in a day. An average swarm can destroy as much food crops in a day as is sufficient to feed 2,500 people. Alarm and exasperation mix with curiosity as people try to shoo the locusts away by shouting, waving pieces of clothing or banging on sheets of corrugated metal. In rural Kenya, men dashed along a path waving leafy branches at the insects and laughing in astonishment. These things here, they came to us from Ethiopia and are destroying everything along the way including our farm, said Esther Ndanu in the Kenyan village of Ngomeni. We want the government to move very quickly to bring the plane to spray them with the medicine that can kill them, otherwise they will destroy everything. I am seeing a catastrophe, local official Johnson Mutua Kanandu said. WHERE IS THIS HAPPENING? An extremely dangerous increase in locust swarm activity has been reported in Kenya, East Africas economic hub, regional authorities reported last week. One swarm measured 60 kilometres (37 miles) long by 40 kilometres (25 miles) wide in the countrys northeast, IGAD said. Kenya hasnt seen a locust outbreak like this in 70 years, Rosanne Marchesich, emergency response leader with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, said Wednesday. Its the worst that weve seen in Ethiopia and in Somalia in 25 years, she added, noting extensive damage to crops. Millions of people in both countries already cope with the constant risk of drought or flooding, as well as deadly unrest in Ethiopia and extremist attacks in Somalia. Now South Sudan, struggling to emerge from a civil war, and Uganda are bracing for the locusts arrival. Uganda has not had to deal with a locust infestation since the 60s so there is concern about the ability for experts on the ground to be able to deal with it without external support, Marchesich said. And in a country like South Sudan, already 47% of the population is food insecure. This week Ugandas prime minister told agriculture authorities that this is an emergency and all agencies must be on the alert, the government-controlled New Vision newspaper reported. HOW IS CLIMATE CHANGE INVOLVED? Heavy rains in East Africa made 2019 one of the regions wettest years on record, said Nairobi-based climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker. He blamed rapidly warming waters in the Indian Ocean off Africas eastern coast, which also spawned an unusual number of strong tropical cyclones off Africa last year. Heavy rainfall and warmer temperatures are favourable conditions for locust breeding and in this case the conditions have become exceptional, he said. Even now rainfall continues in some parts of the vast region. The greenery that springs up keeps the locusts fuelled. Countries are trying to prepare but this took them by surprise, Babiker said. The further increase in locust swarms could last until June as favourable breeding conditions continue, IGAD has said. But Babiker said it is hard to say for sure when this outbreak will be over. This has become psychologically pressurizing, he said, delicately. WHAT CAN BE DONE? Major locust outbreaks can be devastating. One between 2003 and 2005 cost more than $500 million to control across 20 countries in northern Africa, the FAO has said. It caused more than $2.5 billion in harvest losses. To help prevent and control outbreaks, authorities analyze satellite images, stockpile pesticides and conduct aerial spraying. In Ethiopia, officials have said they deployed four small planes to help fight the invasion. The U.N. on Wednesday allocated $10 million for aerial spraying, with humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock saying families across the region now face the prospect of watching as their crops are destroyed before their eyes. ___ Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda contributed. DAVOS, Switzerland - As an executive producer of the last Mad Max movie, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin might have been interested in the apocalyptic climate warnings of Greta Thunberg. Instead, he took a personal swipe at the 17-year-old, saying she was in no position to give advice on climate change because she hasnt been to college yet. At a press briefing at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos, Mnuchin dismissed Thunbergs suggestion that governments and companies need to cut back dramatically on their use of fossil fuels. When asked how that would affect the U.S. economic model, Mnuchin was swift and condescending to Thunberg, who sparked a global environmental movement after she shot to fame a year ago by staging a regular strike at her school. Is she the chief economist? Who is she? Im confused, he said. Then following a brief pause, he said it was a joke. After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us, he concluded. Thunberg waited a while before responding to Mnuchins comments. In a trio of tweets, Thunberg, who is on a gap year from school until August, said it doesnt take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments dont add up. Without naming Mnuchin in particular, she added that either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments. Thunberg will likely face further questions on Mnuchins remarks when she holds a press briefing Friday at a climate strike with other young people in Davos, on what is the final day of this years gathering of the elites. Mnuchin confirmed to The Associated Press that he has earned a degree in economics from Yale University, before moving on to working for Goldman Sachs and then the Trump administration. In between, he founded the film production company Dune Entertainment, which in addition to helping out in the relaunch of the Mad Max franchise in 2015, has The Lego Movie and Wonder Woman among its credits. To her supporters around the world, Thunberg has become a role model, not least for her criticism of U.S. policy, particularly President Donald Trumps decision to pull the country out of the Paris accord to limit global warming. Mnuchin insisted Thursday that U.S. policy has been misinterpreted, and that President Donald Trump absolutely believes in a clean environment. What the president objects to is the Paris agreement, because he thought it was an unfair agreement for the United States, he said. Last month, Trump told Thunberg in a tweet to chill and to work on her Anger Management problem. It prompted a dry and humorous response from Thunberg, who changed her Twitter caption to read: A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old-fashioned movie with a friend. Earth just finished its hottest decade on record, with the five last years being the five warmest, according to U.S. and other science agencies. Scientists repeatedly point to more extreme weather as a problem worsened by human-caused climate change. There have been 44 weather and climate disasters in the United States that caused at least $1 billion in damage since 2017, killing 3,569 people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. SDG Ambition provides outcome-oriented approach, aligned to the needs of companies aiming to become sustainable enterprises The United Nations Global Compact today launched SDG Ambition a global impact initiative aimed at challenging and supporting companies to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into their core business. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005543/en/ Antonio Gutteres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaking at the launch of SDG Ambition at the World Economic Forum 2020 (Photo: Business Wire) "The business community is not moving at the speed or scale needed to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. The Goals will not become a reality without greater ambition as well as deeper integration within companies everywhere. We hope that SDG Ambition will establish a new normal for the global business community that is both bolder and more strategic in efforts to achieve the world we want," said Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. SDG Ambition was launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the UN Global Compact's Board Chair in Davos during the World Economic Forum. The initiative, supported by SAP and Accenture, will provide organizations with the management framework to help them incorporate sustainability and the SDGs into their business operations and to measure and manage their performance. "SAP shares a joint vision with the UN Global Compact and Accenture to mobilize industry around SDG Ambition and scale impact for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals," said Jennifer Morgan, co-CEO of SAP. "By inspiring our global ecosystems and bringing together our respective areas of expertise, we can empower businesses around the world to use 'technology for good' and provide the necessary tools to accelerate achieving the world's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." According to recent research by Accenture and the UN Global Compact, just 21% of CEOs believe business is playing a critical role in contributing to SDGs. "The time for increased commitment and action is now, and SDG Ambition is a bold and practical response to this timely and urgent call to action," said Julie Sweet, Accenture's chief executive officer. "We are proud to stand with the UN and SAP as partners in unleashing the massive potential for innovation and disruptive technology to help address and solve critical issues at speed and scale across the globe." The UN Global Compact Local Networks, located in more than 60 countries, will lead the initiative's implementation. SDG Ambition aims to engage more than 1,000 companies across industries in more than 40 countries to focus their sustainability efforts on high-impact strategies and business models. About the United Nations Global Compact As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact works with companies to align their operations and strategies with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact guides and supports the global business community in advancing UN goals and values through responsible corporate practices. With over 10,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in more than 160 countries, and 68 Local Networks, it is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. For more information, follow @globalcompact and visit unglobalcompact.org/sdgambition. About SAP As the Experience Company powered by the Intelligent Enterprise, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software, helping companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world's transaction revenue touches an SAP system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables more than 437,000 business and public customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005543/en/ Contacts: Dan Thomas UN Global Compact +1 917 225 1913 thomas@unglobalcompact.org Sofina Mirza Reid UN Global Compact media@unglobalcompact.org Susan Miller SAP +1 610 661 9225 susan.miller@sap.com Stacey Jones Accenture +1 917 535 6333 stacey.jones@accenture.com On July 29, 2019, a man travelling in his chauffeur-driven car asked the driver to pull up as it approached a bridge for he wanted to take a little stroll. As the car was parked, the man got out instructing the driver to wait in the car. However, when he did not return after about an hour, the driver went out looking for him, but there was no sign of the gentleman. A couple of days later, the body of V.G. Siddhartha was found 500 metres downstream by a couple of fishermen. Indias coffee king and the owner of the cafe chain Cafe Coffee Day, with hundreds of outlets in India and a few abroad as well, had committed suicide owing to pressures from the tax authorities, banks and other stakeholders. A few days ago a young police officer, SSP Abrar Nekokara, ended his life. This is not the first case of a senior police officer from the Police Service of Pakistan committing suicide; another SSP Jehanzaib Khan Kakar had committed suicide in 2016. The reason is almost always depression, but the root cause of depression is often overlooked. The cause of depression is often an inability to properly manage stress, and the police service is a high-stress job. Police officers in Pakistan face pressures of all sorts political, financial, social but, sadly, are not counselled at any stage about how to deal with such pressures. They are simply thrown in the deep end and expected to survive which they often do, but at a significant cost. Suicide is an extreme case, but in general these stresses do take a toll on their health and relationships. Furthermore, institutions (such as NAB these days, with their apparent working principle of guilty until proven innocent) have further multiplied on-the-job stressors for government servants. There is hardly a decision that civil servants can take these days without feeling a sense of unease about how it might come back to haunt them one day, when the corruption watchdog and the media would use it to play to the gallery. Civil servants need relief from perpetual job-related stress; especially departments such as police, the district administration and railways need to focus on the wellness of their employees. Officers are always kept on their toes, and any accident, train derailment, bomb blast, fire, etc can be used to portray them as criminals in a matter of minutes. The public, media and politicians need someone to blame for everything that goes wrong and the civil service being the weakest government institution presents its members as the ideal choice. This stress has to come out in some form; sometimes it leads to withdrawal from responsibilities, at other times to drugs and alcohol and in extreme cases it may lead to suicide. The biggest private-sector corporations like airlines, banks and oil-exploration firms place serious emphasis on annual holidays that each employee must avail. In fact, not availing them is taken as a negative. A healthier workforce leads to better performance. In case of banks, it serves a dual purpose to help point out any irregularity and mitigate the chances of frauds and scams. Maybe government needs to learn from this. The current working of government machinery in Pakistan has become so mired in ad hoc-ism that an officer going on leave brings the whole system to a standstill. This needs to change. Officers who are considered indispensable need to be taught how to let go of things sometimes, for their own sake. The need to introduce mandatory vacations and downtime is a must. Currently, seniors feel entitled to make their juniors go through what they experienced as juniors: staying late in office, sacrificing time with family, being refused leave unless for a case of bereavement. So, this unhealthy work culture is perpetuated within government offices. Such practices are not confined to any particular department; most senior officers sit late in offices, and juniors dare not leave until the boss has left the building. By the time he does and his subordinate is able to go home, it is already too late for the latter to play with his children who are now asleep, or to even take his wife out for dinner. The work culture in Pakistans bureaucracy has robbed civil servants of all such little joys, without the poor victims ever realising it. Ironically, this culture of spending long hours at work generally has very little to do with workload. In fact, the problem is often that senior officers come to office late, and then spend plenty of time reading the newspaper and having tea, only to start work towards the end of the official working hours. Fortunately, changing this culture does not require any new statute; all it requires is the will of the civil servants. Unfortunately, the sensitivity required to take this initiative is missing. By arrangement with Dawn Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts woman convicted for urging her boyfriend to kill himself, is set to be released from jail Thursday. She served most of a 15-month sentence at the Bristol County jail in Dartmouth. Carter had no discipline issues while in jail. Weve had no problems with her at all, Jonathan Darling, a spokesman for the Bristol County Sheriffs Office, told MassLive last week. She attended programs, is getting along with other inmates and is polite to our staff. The Plainville woman was found guilty of manslaughter for pressuring her on-and-off again boyfriend into killing himself while they were both teenagers. Conrad Roy III was found dead in a Fairhaven Kmart parking lot on July 13, 2014 after he turned on a gas-powered water pump and allowed the cabin of his truck to fill with carbon monoxide. Police initially did not suspect foul play. Then they discovered thousands of exchanges between the two. In calls and text messages for months leading up to his death, Carter urged Roy to kill himself. On the night of his death, Carter was on the phone with Roy as he was in his truck inhaling carbon monoxide. When he said he was getting out, she ordered him to get back in. Carter was charged with involuntary manslaughter and went to trial in the summer of 2017. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to serve a 15-month sentence, which she began in February 2019, after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rejected her state-level appeal. Her appeal was presented to the U.S. Supreme Court. Her attorneys argued that the conviction was a violation of Carters First Amendment rights. First, charging Ms. Carter based on her words alone violated the First Amendment and the decision upholding her conviction created a conflict among state supreme courts, Attorney Daniel Marx said. Second, her conviction violated due process because the vague common law of involuntary manslaughter fails to provide guidance to prevent arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement in morally fraught cases involving suicide. The Supreme Court declined to hear her case last week. Carter went before the state parole board in September and was denied. One day after Carters hearing, the board returned its decision, writing, The [Board] is troubled that Ms. Carter not only encouraged Mr. Conrad to take his own life, she actively prevented others from intervening in his suicide. Massachusetts is one of eight states that does not have a bill establishing a crime of coercion to take their own life. Roys mother, Lynn, is advocating for a bill that would make it a crime to intentionally coerce someone to take their own life. The Chamber says county Dublin needs at least 14,000 new homes annually Photo: Stock Image The scarcity and cost of housing is the biggest problem for Dublins businesses because it drives wage inflation and prices workers out of the capital, Dublin Chamber warned today. The Chamber says county Dublin needs at least 14,000 new homes annually - double the current rate of construction to help house an expected extra 400,000 residents in the coming decade. It says that new housing must be higher-density inside the M50 and have stronger transport links. Businesses tell us that the availability and affordability of housing is the biggest issue facing them, Aebhric Mc Gibney, the Chambers director of public and international affairs, told the Irish Independent. Not only is this leading to demand for wage increases. Its hurting Dublins competitiveness generally as a place to live and work. He said the Chambers most recent focus groups and surveys had delivered a loud and clear message, from Dublin firms of all sizes, that the next Government must act decisively and ambitiously to deliver sufficient housing and transportation to improve Dubliners quality of life and standard of living. Dublins public transport offering is way behind where it should be. Plans are in the works to improve the situation, such as MetroLink and BusConnects, and the focus of the next Government must be on delivering these projects as soon as possible, he said. In its election manifesto being published today, Dublin Chamber says 958,000 people work in the capital, including 140,000 who commute from eight surrounding counties. It says they struggle with utility and transport infrastructure that is congested, outdated and struggling to meet demand. The Chamber forecasts a 30pc rise in Dublins population by 2030 that will need a decade of sustained public capital investment. It says coherent development for Dublin will require a directly elected mayor, or an equivalent figure, with the necessary powers and responsibility to implement the Dublin Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan. And Dublin Chamber says part of the solution, particularly for two-wage families struggling with long commutes, will be for Government to boost supports for flexible work hours and remote working. These practices, it says, would help to ease child-care bills and peak-time congestion. It wants subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme to double to 100 weekly by 2023, leading to free childcare for most families by 2030; a 5,000 return to work credit and reduced income tax for second earners; and clear guidelines for employers on their legal and insurance obligations to remote workers. SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested a man and woman on drug trafficking charges after a raid Wednesday on a South End residence led to the discovery a 2,500 heroin packets and 43 grams of cocaine, police said. Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said the 6:30 p.m. raid on the apartment on Wilcox Street was the result of a month-long investigation by narcotics detectives under the command of Capt. Brian Keenan. Police obtained a district court search warrant for the apartment. Arrested were residents Pablo Rivera, 43, and Iris Morales, 34. Each was charged with trafficking between 36 and 100 grams of heroin and cocaine, and possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute. Inside the apartment, police found 2,576 packets of heroin, weighing a combined 52 grams, and 43.3 grams of cocaine. Rivera and Morales are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Springfield District Court. Wilcox Street runs between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue in the citys South End, one block south of MGM Springfield. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:00:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TOKYO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The mayor of Genkai in Saga Prefecture, southwest Japan, admitted to accepting 1 million yen (9,100 U.S, dollars) in cash in 2018 from a construction firm, likely in violation of Japan's political funds law, local media said Thursday. Mayor Shintaro Wakiyama said he returned the money that he had accepted from an executive at the time of Shiohama Industry Corp. in the days after he won the mayoral election, Japan's Kyodo News reported. He had, however, not reported the illicit funds, that could constitute a bribe, to authorities. According to Kyodo News, the construction firm is also known to have had strong associations with an individual implicated in a gift giving scandal involving Kansai Electric Power Co. Wakiyama indicated Thursday that owing to his involvement in the scandal, he was considering stepping down. "I caused a lot of trouble and regret it," Wakiyama said, adding that his decision to resign would be made after seeking counsel from his support group. Reports state that long before Wakiyama became mayor, he was courted by Fukui Prefecture-based Shiohama Industry and told of its wish to "win" contracts connected with Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s nuclear plant business in the town of Genkai. Sources with knowledge of the matter said that Shiohama Industry helped Wakiyama's successful election campaign and personally gave him an envelope full of cash at his home on July 31, 2018. "I did not know Shiohama Industry was helping me out with the election," Wakiyama said. He met with members of the company for the first time when they took cash to him, he said, according to Kyodo News. Author provided Have you ever wondered why the coffee you make at home tastes different from the drinks you buy in cafes? Or why coffee from the same place can taste different throughout the week? You may be quick to blame the barista for changing the recipe, but our recent study, published in Matter, suggests that this variation is down to an inherent inconsistency of common brewing methods. Luckily, we believe to have discovered a path to making a great espresso to your taste every time. The quality of a cup of coffee depends on the coffees variety and origin, its roast and the water chemistry. The brewing method also plays a critical role in determining the overall flavor. Espresso is certainly the most complicated brewing method because it requires precise measurements. However, espresso also happens to underpin all coffee menus, as it is the basis for lattes and cappuccinos. Christopher H. Hendon, University of Oregon To make espresso, hot water is forced through a finely-ground bed of coffee. The barista makes decisions about how much coffee and water to use, and how finely the coffee is ground. The machines water pressure, temperature and brew volume are also crucial when it comes to taste. Together, these parameters control the relative proportion of around 2,000 different chemicals a delicate balancing act. Yet, even if the barista does everything perfectly, there remain large variations between espresso shots made following the same recipe. One shot may taste like raspberries and dark chocolate, and the next like motor oil. And while everyone has different flavour preferences, we believe we have derived a procedure to help the barista out, and achieve the flavour profile they intended, every single time. Mathematics to the rescue Our research team which involved a team of mathematicians, chemists, materials scientists and baristas formulated a mathematical model to simulate the brewing of an espresso in realistic cafe conditions. We used this to make predictions of how much of the solid coffee ultimately ends up dissolved in the cup. This percentage known as the extraction yield is the key metric used by the coffee industry to assess different coffee recipes. Story continues Solving a series of equations, we found that our model accurately predicts extraction yields that we see in real life, except when the coffee is ground very finely. This is because water flow through the espresso bed is quite unpredictable, resulting in sections of the bed becoming clogged. In other words, parts of the coffee are under-extracted (low extraction yield), while others are over-extracted (high extraction yield). Christopher H. Hendon, University of Oregon But the objective of a barista isnt just to produce shots that taste great, they also have to be reproducible. Consistency can be monitored by examining the extraction yields of different shots. Contrary to our expectation, we discovered that to make consistently tasty brews, the barista should use less coffee and grind the coffee marginally coarser. By doing so, they are able to achieve very reproducible, high-yielding shots. The mathematical theory tells us that this is because reducing coffee mass means that the water flows faster through the shallower coffee bed. The coarse grind results in a relatively permeable bed, such that water flow and extraction are uniform and predictable. This method leads to fast, bright, sweet and acidic shots that taste the same each time. Of course, not everyone will enjoy the same flavour profile and we account for this by presenting a series of procedures that barista can use to help navigate the various flavours available within their coffee. Complex flavours a result of tasting a mixture of both over and under-extracted coffee can still be emulated by running and then mixing two shots with different extractions. More importantly, consumers could also simply select a different roast, that features flavour profiles more suited to their palate. One of our key findings, however, is that baristas are able to reduce their coffee waste by up to 25% per espresso shot, dramatically increasing their annual profits with no sacrifice in quality. Using our protocol we estimate that, in the US coffee market alone, the total savings would amount to $1.1 billion in Americas cafes per year. Christopher H. Hendon, University of Oregon Whats more, it has been estimated that 60% of wild coffee species are under threat of extinction due to climate change. So ultimately, using less coffee is not only better for making a consistently tasty espresso, it is also better for the environment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The Conversation The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. DBS named in Bloomberg gender equality index for 3rd year running In recognition of the banks commitment to workplace gender equality, DBS Bank has been named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) for the third year running. Besides having a robust female leadership and talent pipeline, gender pay parity, and an inclusive culture, the bank also demonstrated its strong support for gender equality through its disclosure practices and transparency. DBS Bank has been named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) for the third year running. Photo courtesy: DBS The diversity of our people is a powerful performance lever. In a world where women continue to be underrepresented, we have been focused on building a respectful and inclusive workplace that provides equal opportunity and growth," said DBS CEO Piyush Gupta. He added that women at DBS Singapore comprise 60 per cent of its workforce, 40 per cent of the company's senior management and a third of our Group Management Committee. "[They] have been a key driving force behind the banks performance. Being named to the index for the third consecutive year is an important achievement for us, as it underscores our commitment to gender equality, which is key to sustainable development. Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS. Photo courtesy: Youtube DBS said in a press statement that its policies are designed to help empower women employees in the workplace. They include flexible time arrangement, sabbatical leave arrangement and maternity leave. On the hiring front, DBS has been recruiting more female talent in technology an area that is conventionally male-dominated through targeted hackathons. The DBS Foundation also supports and funds numerous social enterprises that empower disadvantaged women and girls. "The 325 companies included in the 2020 GEI have shown their commitment to transparency and demonstrated leadership in gender-related data reporting," said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg. "Disclosure of company statistics and practices is an important first step in supporting gender equality globally." This year, Bloomberg expanded the eligibility for inclusion in the index to nearly 6,000 companies across 84 countries and regions. Companies that made the index cut across various industries, including automotive, banking, consumer services, engineering and construction, and retail. The death toll from the horrific White Island volcano eruption has risen to 20 after two missing people were confirmed dead. Hayden Marshall-Inman, 40, of New Zealand and Winona Langford, 17, of Australia were presumed dead before the Chief Coroner confirmed their deaths on Thursday. The Chief Coroner ruled that both Mr Marshall-Inman and Ms Langford died on Whakaari/White Island after the volcano erupted at 2.11pm on December 9. Winona Langford (pictured), 17, has been confirmed dead weeks after the White Island volcano eruption New Zealand tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman (pictured), 40, has been confirmed dead on Thursday weeks after the White Island volcanic eruption A photo taken of the White Island volcano after it erupted at 2.11pm on December 9 Their deaths brings the official number of deaths from the explosion to 20 - 18 of whom died in New Zealand and two in Australia. Funerals had already been held for pair who had been missing since the eruption, news.com.au reported. Mr Marshall-Inman was leading tourists on an ill-fated day trip and never made it to rescue boats ferrying horribly burned survivors to shore. His frustrated brother Mark Inman wrote a letter to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pleading to do the job himself at the time of the explosion. 'We met yesterday concerning my brother Hayden who is still on White Island 44 hours after the explosions,' he wrote at the time. 'With the current conditions of sunshine baking and decomposing his body, he's going from a situation where we could have an open casket to now more likely not having a body at all due to your government's red tape and slow decision making. 'I am writing to ask for a pardon for my actions of a personal recovery.' 'We all know health and safety is important, but when health and safety starts to become a barrier to retrieval, that's when you get frustrated,' Mr Inman said Mr Marshall-Inman (right) was leading tourists on an ill-fated day trip and never made it to rescue boats ferrying horribly burned survivors to shore Mr Inman later received a reply saying it 'must be an incredibly tough time for you and your whanau (family)' and the letter was passed on to the police minister. However, police minister Stuart Nash later rejected the idea of anyone setting foot on the island until experts ruled it safe to do so. 'The last thing we want to do is to have further casualties in what is already a significant tragedy,' he said, without mentioning Mr Inman by name. 'We won't give anyone permission to go to the island, we need to understand the risk then we can work to mitigate the chances of anyone else being injured in this. 'The last thing we want to do is for people to risk their lives to go out to the island.' Ms Langford's parents Kristine, 45, and Anthony, 51, both died. Her brother is fighting for life. The family is pictured before their cruise left Sydney on 4 December Winona's 19-year-old brother Jesse (pictured with their father) survived the volcano eruption, and is recovering in hospital with burns to 90 per cent of his body Ms Langford, 17, was celebrating her father Anthony's 51st birthday on-board Ovation of the seas with her mother Kristine and older brother Jesse, 19, when the volcano erupted. Her parents were both killed by the blast and Jesse was rushed to hospital to recover from the burns he suffered to 90 percent of his body. Of the 47 people reportedly on the island at the time, 19 were killed instantly or later succumbed to their injuries. Most were Australians on a cruise. Many of the injured Aussies were repatriated and cared for in Australian hospitals. Official inquiries into the eruption and New Zealand's response will take up to a year to conclude, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said. The island is known for its frequent volcanic activity. Newly elected BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday slammed the Congress for opposing the CAA, saying the leadership of the party was suffering from "mental bankruptcy" and dared Rahul Gandhi to "speak even ten lines" on the amended law. "The Congress has lost all hopes. Its leadership is suffering from 'manasik diwaliyapan' (mental bankruptcy). The statements issued by the party in the last eight months reflect that they are intended to help Pakistan," he said. Daring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "speak even ten lines" on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Nadda said the Congress was provoking Muslims. "If he (Rahul) speaks even ten lines on CAA, then we will acknowledge him," he said. The BJP chief said there was no need to be afraid of the CAA as it was the law of the people and accused the Congress of conspiring to fan riots in the state and the country. "Congress leaders have supported those who spread violence. The party is upset and their leaders have given statements in the language of Pakistan," he said. Seeking to allay "apprehensions created by the Congress" that minority community members will lose their citizenship under the new law, the BJP chief said, "The CAA is to give citizenship and not to snatch it. Those who do not know anything about the law are misguiding the people." Nadda was addressing a public meeting here in support of the amended law three days after taking over the reins from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The 59-year-old leader from Himachal Pradesh was elected as BJP's 11th president on Monday after he emerged as the only nominee in the fray. In an apparent reference to the leaders of the BSP and the SP, he said, "These days Dalit leaders are opposing the CAA. These Dalit leaders and the Congress hardly know anything about the CAA and are only spreading canards to mislead people." Nadda said the political innings of the two parties was over and they have understood that times have changed and the country is marching rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in his address said that in a democracy, everyone has the right to speak in a democratic way but those who cause chaos should not be under any kind of illusion as the government has a solution to every problem. "The government will recover the losses from those who damaged public property," he said. He said protesters who destroyed public property on the signal of PFI and SIMI have now realised that their assets will be confiscated. "Now, these people are trying to ruin the atmosphere by using their women and children as a shield," he said, adding that previous governments used to plead with miscreants. Stressing that opposition parties have created their vote banks by focussing on conflicts between communities, Adityanath said ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, all such issues have been resolved. Therefore, the opposition parties "are trying to spread confusion", he said. "The opposition is upset with the abrogation of Article 370. They are speaking the language of Pakistan," he added. The chief minister further said, "The CAA is connected with India's heritage. It has been the tradition of India to protect the people who come here for shelter. The CAA is a law for granting citizenship not for taking citizenship away. The opposition must understand its reality. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 23, 2020] Turkish Broadcasters Seize Champion Title at the BIGO Awards Gala 2020 Held in Singapore, Witnessed by a Thousand SINGAPORE, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading technology company from Singapore, BIGO Technology (BIGO), the company responsible for popular new age communication platforms like Bigo Live (Live Streaming), Likee (Short-form Videos), and imo (Video Communication) hosted the first ever BIGO Gala Awards 2020 for talented broadcasters, on January 15, 2020, at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore. The event recognized and felicitated live-streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on Bigo Live over the past year. The ceremony was held in a grand fashion with a red-carpet affair attended by some of the biggest names on Bigo Live, who flew in from all over the world, joined by hundreds of their top fans who showed up in support. More than 75 broadcasters were awarded at this ceremony bringing the total number of attendees to close to 1,000. The 4 categories of award winners were "Top Regional Broadcaster", "Top Regional Family", "Top Global Broadcaster" and "Top Global Family"; indicating the best of the best in both the regions and across the globe. Bigo Live is rising fast in popularity around the world, where it has reached a total of around 22 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs). Live-streaming has become a worldwide phenomenon, as millennials feel the need to be constantly connected, and such platforms such as Bigo Live, allow them to stay connected, meet different people and share new experiences. Many of the award winners also took this opportunity to connect with their fans, een broadcasting live while receiving their award. For Turkish winners "Xam_95", "Nirvana" and "Soloturk", they were surprised to learn that they had won and even more so when they found out that they would be flown into Singapore to receive their trophies. In backstage interviews, they shared that they couldn't have done it without their "family, whom they were grateful for." In Bigo Live, individual broadcasters can band together to form a "family", creating an eco-system where they offer support, guidance and even companionship to each other. The winners mentioned that this was a unique feature of Bigo Live and pleased that their joint efforts paid off. In the coming year, they are keen on focusing on growing their families and polishing their own individual skills as broadcasters. Speaking about awards and live streaming space, Mike Ong, Vice President of BIGO Technology said, "With the proliferation of live streaming around Asia Pacific, we want to hone this space in Singapore by inaugurating the BIGO Gala Awards here, as we believe, no matter where our expansion plans lead us to, Singapore will always be BIGO's home. Despite Singapore being small, it is a highly connected location making it a perfect market to launch this event. As the demand for content increases and mobile penetration rises, the live streaming phenomenon will continue to play a pivotal role in driving the industry. With the company now having over 330 million MAUs in over 150 countries worldwide, it is highly paramount to honour and celebrate the live streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on our platform over the past year. Our community is the very heart and soul of BIGO, and we want to recognize and appreciate their dedication and commitment to their art." The BIGO Gala Awards 2020 Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Howie Lau, Chief Industry Development Officer at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) agreed that the BIGO Awards Gala 2020 marked the growing significance of live streaming, giving credit to the winners who have made a difference in the platform. Snippets of the ceremony will be aired in Southeast Asia, Middle East, U.S.A. Japan and Taiwan. About BIGO Technology BIGO is a fast-growing Singapore technology company established in 2014. BIGO operates products and services in more than 150 countries in the world. BIGO's products include Bigo Live (global livestreaming platform), Likee (global short video creation platform) and imo (global video communication platform). Visit BIGO's website for more information on their brand and products. SOURCE BIGO Technology [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The political, cultural, and moral crisis of the West is immense and affects all mankind. There is no generally recognized system of values on which to build. Even crimes against humanity are justified by ideological and pseudo-religious fanatics in order to force acceptance of their demand for totalitarian power. Even in countries with a long, solid tradition of democracy and constitutional law, human rights are being subjugated to the latest majority decision. In how many states are the fundamental human rights observed unconditionally in theory and practice? In nations where it is a deeply rooted tradition, freedom of religion and conscience is suddenly up for debate. Someone who, for example, rejects the killing of a child in his mother's womb or assisted suicide because life is an inviolable gift of God, and considers the equation of marriage with sexual relations between persons of the same sex to be a degradation of the lifelong partnership of a man and a woman, can be prosecuted for alleged intolerance. This disaster follows from the denial of objective truth, which is founded in God, the Creator of the world, and in the nature of things and becomes manifest in rational human thought. If truth is merely subjective and finds its criterion only in individual advantage and pleasure, then we have not arrived in the kingdom of freedom but are stranded in the "dictatorship of relativism". This general state of being, intellectually and morally adrift, can be overcome by the Catholic Church only if she points people to "Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16) through the spoken words of the pope and the bishops. Catholics and Christians of other denominations, too, and people of good will rightly expect from the Church's Magisterium the testimony of Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. He says about himself that he is the only way to the Father ( Jn 14:6). In him personally, truth and life are not constructs of an overwrought intellectual ingenuity dreamed up by mortal, fallible human beings, but rather the forms of the personal encounter with the one true God in his Spirit, who gives life and bestows on us the "glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom 8:21). Someone who follows Jesus finds in the obscurities of this earthly existence the sure way to the knowledge of God. To him is given sure instruction on how he should behave toward the world and toward the fellow individuals in his family and in the other forms of communal life. God does not restrict our freedom but rather substantiates it. And the knowledge of the world in the sciences and the analysis of mind, society, and material nature in philosophy are not in contradiction to faith in God as the origin and goal of the entire universe, but rather are a first step toward the knowledge of God and love for him, which first come to perfection in the historical self-revelation of the triune God. The Church, however, can carry out her mission of leading people to God only if she puts the light that she received from her Lord, not under a bushel basket, but rather on the lampstand (Mt 5:15, Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16; 11:33), so that everyone knows, through the light of Christ, the hope to which they are called. Reform of the Church exists only as a better preparation of her servants for their mission, and not as adaptation to a "world without God". Salvation is valid for all peoples. Christ did not declare his solidarity with intellectual and moral blindness so as to be "closer to the people", as one pastoral cliche says. He is the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, as "Light to the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel" (cf. Lk 2:32). The Magisterium of the Church must speak plainly and clearly, not because contemporary man cannot bear the pluralism and immensity of the modern world, but rather because it corresponds to his dignity to receive from God "the glory of the only-begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (cf. Jn 1:14). Truth is not an abstract theory in the heads of a few individuals, but rather the ground on which everyone finds stability and strength, and the source from which all can quench their thirst for God and eternal life (Jn 4:14). Only the unambiguous character of the doctrine of the faith makes possible the breadth of the pastoral perspective and an orientation toward the goal, and this is so from every starting point. For God wills the salvation of all mankind and also that everyone should come to the knowledge of God and of the truth of his revelation (1 Tim 2:4). But how can the Church perform her service to God's truth and to the salvation of mankind if the credibility of many shepherds and teachers of the faith is shaken by seriously immoral conduct and deliberately caused confusion in their teaching of faith and morals? This general state of being, intellectually and morally adrift, can be overcome by the Catholic Church only if she points people to "Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16) through the spoken words of the pope and the bishops. The author of this volume gives to current questions an answer that is based on the Word of God in Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition. What is "Catholic" is not the result of chance majorities in synods and personal ideas of the pope and the bishops. The Magisterium is bound to the natural moral law, as well as to the revelation that was concluded in Christ and the Apostles and to the dogmatic decisions of the ecumenical councils and papal ex cathedra decisions. In various essays on the indissolubility of marriage, on the validity of Humanae Vitae, on the uniqueness of the Church, on ecumenism, on the development of doctrine that rules out any change of doctrine into its opposite, on the possibility of non-Catholic Christians receiving Communion only in danger of death, on priesthood and celibacy, and on other articles of faith, the author, in his capacity as a Catholic bishop and a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, tries to set forth the necessary clarity of the Church's salvific doctrine. Our attitude toward the truth revealed to us by God cannot depend on a psychological condition, a conservative or progressive cast of our mind. This politicizing interpretation of all events in the Church results from a preoccupation with power, whereas the faith springs from the truth and unites the Church in Christ.... File image Taking a swipe at the women-led protests at New Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said while the men are sleeping under the quilt in the comfort of their homes, they have pushed their women and children forward to protest. "Now these people (anti-CAA protesters) do not have the courage to participate in the protests themselves. They know that if they indulge in vandalism, their property will be seized," Adityanath said on January 22 while addressing a rally in support of the amended Citizenship Act in Kanpur. "They started making the women sit at roads. The children have been made to sit. It's such a big crime that the men are sleeping under the quilt and the women are made to sit at roads. It is shameful," he said. At several places, including in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and in Lucknow, women have been leading the protests against the law, alleging it is discriminatory and fearing it selectively targets the Muslim community. However, some such protests turned violent in Uttar Pradesh last month, wherein about 20 people died. Following this, the UP government issued notices to the protesters, seeking compensation for the damage they caused to public property. The UP CM had said he would seek "revenge" from those who damaged public property by taking away their property. Political leader and activist Sadaf Jafar was also detained by the police in Lucknow during one such protest, and was reportedly torutred and assaulted in custody. "Those who do not know what the CAA is are staging sit-ins. If you go and ask anyone why are they sitting on 'dharna', they will say the men of the house feel that they have become so incompetent that they cannot do anything, so they want the women to go and sit on 'dharna'," the UP CM said. (With PTI inputs) The Senate spent Wednesday listening to opening arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. For hours, the House managers, who serve as impeachment prosecutors, delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of their case. Here are the key takeaways from Wednesday's session: Schiff mentions founding father Lead Impeachment Manager Rep. Adam Schiff, of California, invoked the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury in his remarks. "We are here today in this hallowed chamber undertaking this solemn action for only the third time in history because Donald J. Trump, the 45rd President of the United States, has acted precisely as Hamilton and his contemporaries feared," Schiff said. After quoting founding father Alexander Hamilton, Schiff reminded senators to remain impartial jurors through the trial. "The Constitution entrusts you to the responsibility of acting as impartial jurors. Have a fair trial and weigh the evidence before you no matter what your party affiliation or vote in the previous election or the next. Our duty is to the Constitution and the rule of law." GOP senators continue to resist calls for witnesses and documents There are more signs that GOP senators are not budging on allowing subpoenas for witnesses and documents. After listening to House managers, Sen. David Perdue, a close ally of Trump, made clear he won't get behind witnesses sought by the House. He said there's a "bright line" between former President Bill Clinton's impeachment case and the Trump case since the three witnesses who were deposed in the 1999 Senate trial had previously spoken to investigators. "There had been three witnesses in the Clinton trial had already been deposed It was not new material. That was a bright line in my view," Perdue said. He added that the Senate is "supposed to rule on their case, not build their case for them." Sen. Mike Braun, a freshman and Indiana Republican, said he would only get behind a deal for witnesses that is "reciprocal." "Bolton would be their No. 1 request, you could imagine who our No. 1 request would be," he said. Asked about issuing a subpoena for documents, Braun said, "Those would be a whole lot less important than witnesses because we are getting flooded with information on documents. I think the only thing that would make a difference beyond mostly what we heard anyway would be just live witnesses." Schumer says Democrats wont swap Hunter Biden for Bolton Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that there is no way hed trade Hunter Biden for the GOP witness in order to get John Bolton to testify for the Democrats. I think that is off the table. That trade is not on the table, he said. Bipartisan prayer began the day The Senate chaplain began the impeachment trial with a prayer, urging lawmakers to "remember that patriots reside on both sides of the aisle." "Give them a civility built upon integrity that brings consistency in their beliefs and actions," he said. The prayer came a day after Chief Justice John Roberts scolded both sides for tense exchanges on the Senate floor. Here's his full prayer: "Sovereign God, author of liberty, we gather in this historic chamber for the solemn responsibility of these impeachment proceedings. Give wisdom to the distinguished Chief Justice John Roberts, as he presides. Lord, you are all powerful and know our thoughts before we form them. As our lawmakers have become jurors, remind them of your admonition in first Corinthians 10:31 that whatever they do should be done for your glory. Help them remember that patriots reside on both sides of the aisle, that words have consequences and that how something is said can be as important as what is said. Give them a civility built upon integrity that brings consistency in their beliefs and actions. We pray in your powerful name, amen." What's ahead The House managers will continue their opening arguments at 1 p.m. Thursday. They have a total of three days to present findings. The president's team then will have three days to present their defense. After that, the Senators will have an opportunity to submit written questions to both sides. New Delhi, Jan 23 : The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Friday a fresh plea challenging the imposition of the National Security Act (NSA), which allows police to detain persons without trial for a period of 12 months, in the capital and a few other states. The plea has been filed by advocate M.L. Sharma and it is expected to come up for hearing before a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee. Sharma has challenged the imposition of the NSA, terming it as a tool to contain protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRIC). Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on January 10 notified the extension of detaining powers to Delhi Police under the NSA for a three-month period beginning from January 19. "The cause of actions arose on January 10, when respondents (states) imposed NSA Act for next three months with effect from January 19 in Delhi as well as in Andhra Pradesh by the state government to arrest and detain," the plea said. The plea contended the notification, allowing police to invoke NSA to detain persons, as "unconstitutional" and violative of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, and sought its quashing. He has also made the Ministry of Home Affairs and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Manipur parties to the plea. The plea also sought a compensation of Rs 50,00,000 each to those who have been detained under the NSA. Four songs into a streaming listen to the JD Allen Trios 2019 album, Barracoon, the multi-taskers ear is captured by a beautifully mournful sax melody blown against some free-flowing, brushed drums and upright bass. The alt-tab combo leads to the player, which reveals the songs title The Immortal (H. Lacks). Readers familiar with Roanoke history, and these pages, will recognize Lacks name. The woman born Loretta Pleasant in Roanokes West End, 1920, is best known as Henrietta Lacks, who died 31 years later in Baltimore, of cervical cancer. Doctors, without Lacks permission or knowledge, took cells from a biopsied tumor, cells that still live and regenerate. Those cells have helped scientists develop the polio vaccine. They have been part of testing the effects of atomic bombs. They aided in cloning and genome mapping. Saxophonist, composer and band leader Allen read Lacks story in Rebecca Skloots bestselling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It inspired the haunting music on Barracoons track four. He said that in booking his Saturday night Jazz Club at Jefferson Center sets, he didnt make the connection tying Lacks to Roanoke. After all, Lacks moved with her family to Halifax County four years later, after her mother died, then to Baltimore with her husband at the onset of World War II. Internalizing the information will likely inspire what Allen says about the song in concert at Jefferson Centers Fostek Hall, and it is likely to inform his playing as well, Allen said in a recent phone and email exchange. It will drill even deeper, he said. I feel that I can draw on that information on every composition that I play, Allen said. Being informed on a variety of topics helps to inform a musicians musical decisions. Whatever is in you will come out of you when you play. Knowledge is true power. The tenor sax man has another Roanoke connection, too. His maternal grandmother moved with her family from here to Allens native Detroit. She didnt share any memories of her time in Roanoke, though, he said. Lacks is not the only historical figure who inspired Allens new album. He wrote the title track in honor of Kossula, also known as Cudjo Lewis. Kossula by 1927 was apparently the last person to survive the Middle Passage from West Africa to the United States slave trade, according to The New York Times. Zora Neale Hurston sought out the 86-year-old man, then living in Alabama, and wrote about him. Her book, Barracoon, was not published until 2018, according to the Times. The books subtitle is The Story of the Last Black Cargo. Allen sees Lacks immortal cells as another form of cargo, and such thoughts inform the musical framework he created for him and his sidemen, drummer Nic Cacioppo and bassist Ian Kenselaar. Both of those numbers dig into freer musical territory, inspired by the 400th anniversary of African slaves arriving in America. Other numbers, including the hard-bopping, funky Communion and a take on the Disney classic ballad, When You Wish Upon a Star, reflect jazz tradition. Much of his catalog, now totaling 13 albums, has shown a back-and-forth between traditional and avant-garde styles. Allen, 47, said that was how it worked in his hometown jazz scene. His teacher, Motor City sax man James Carter, took a 15-year-old Allen to see the Sun Ra Arkestra. It was the first jazz performance that Allen ever attended. I was under the impression that playing the complete spectrum of jazz was a requirement, he said. Witnessing the Sun Ra experience at the age of 15 was the best accident Ive ever made in my life. He continued his education in Virginia, at Hampton University. Allen said that he believes his sax teacher at Hampton, James Nesbit, will be at his show on Saturday. I learned so much from him, Allen said of Nesbit. Some of the things he taught me, I still use today. After a couple of years there, he split for New York City in the 1990s, after getting a gig with jazz vocal icon Betty Carter. From that band, he learned to concentrate constantly. If Carter wasnt happy with a band member, she would deliver the ultimate pink slip. At the end of the show, if she was firing you, she would tell the audience, And tonight, playing his last show with us, is so-and-so, Allen remembered. That would be the first hed heard of it. Of course, she always had someone waiting to take his place. She told Allen: I need two things from you to read my mind and to make me sound good. He never got that onstage pink slip, though after a few years, she just didnt call back. By then, he had locked up his bona fides. Other Allen credits include bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jack DeJohnette, Wallace Roney, Cindy Blackman and Meshell Ndegeocello. He has been leading his own band since his 1999 debut, In Search Of ... For several of those years, he had the same accompanists, in bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston. But with those two working on solo projects of late, he turned to a younger set of players, Cacioppo and Kenselaar. They may be back. Theyre still part of the family, Allen said of Royston and August. Im happy to be learning new things from the new guys, and I hope theyre learning from me. Who knows, we may put both bands together in the future. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.23 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of Procter & Gamble Europe Loic Tassel in Davos. Loic Tassel thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the meeting. He hailed the reforms carried out in Azerbaijan in recent years, especially increasing accountability and transparency in the business area and the positive contribution of tax and customs reforms to the overall competitive environment. It was noted that this is a very important factor for the development of activities of Procter & Gamble Europe in Azerbaijan. Saying that Azerbaijan`s current business environment provides great opportunities for all foreign investors to expand their activities, Loic Tassel highlighted business and social activities of Procter & Gamble Europe in the country. President Ilham Aliyev underlined that further measures will be taken to improve the business environment for foreign investors in Azerbaijan. During the conversation, it was noted that Procter & Gamble Europe intends to expand its activities to Central Asia and the Far East and the city of Baku was chosen as a regional center. It was emphasized that reforms implemented by President Ilham Aliyev and the business environment created in Azerbaijan will provide an opportunity for Procter & Gamble Europe to expand towards the east through the company`s office in the country. Japanese prosecutors hit back Thursday at claims made by fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn that he was interrogated for "up to eight hours per day" during questioning over financial misconduct allegations. Ghosn, who dramatically skipped bail earlier this month and fled to Lebanon, had painted a picture of harsh conditions in Japanese custody that authorities have contested. "I had spent the previous months being interrogated up to eight hours a day without any lawyers present, without an understanding of exactly what I was being accused of, without access to the evidence that justified this travesty against my human rights and dignity," he told reporters in Lebanon. But the deputy head of the Tokyo district public prosecutors' office, Takahiro Saito, said Ghosn's claims were "clearly false and designed to fool the media". "Mr Ghosn spent 130 days in detention and was questioned in total on 70 of those days. So 60 days without questioning," said Saito. "On average, he was questioned for less than four hours per day." He said questioning was halted for meals, visits, showers and to give Ghosn a chance to consult his lawyers -- time he said the tycoon had counted as "interrogation". "The longest questioning over one day was for around six hours, not continuously, with breaks. It never went as long as seven hours, still less eight," this prosecutor stressed. He also said that everything was on tape and would have been available during Ghosn's trial if he had not fled. The high-profile case has put the spotlight on the Japanese justice system, which has come under fire for its ability to keep suspects in custody for lengthy periods, its reliance on confessions and an almost 100 percent conviction rate. "Everything has been recorded and would have been used as evidence for a judgement," Saito said. "In such conditions, if we were extracting confessions by force, it would be visible." In his first comments about Ghosn's daring escape, which has left Japanese officials red-faced, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday it was "extremely regrettable". The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a wanted accused, in connection with Nala Sopara Explosives seizure case of 2018 and also for planning an attack at the Sunburn music festival in 2017. The accused, Pratap Hazra was arrested on January 20 from the South 24 Paragana district with the help of West Bengal police. Hazra was brought to Mumbai on transit remand. Today, he was produced before a court in Mumbai and sent to police custody till 30th January. Till now ATS has arrested 12 persons in this case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Parents and officials are looking to "pull the plug" on a new viral TikTok trend that's setting power outlets ablaze and endangering participants' lives. The appropriately named "outlet challenge" involves inserting a phone charger only part of the way into an outlet and then sliding a penny down to the exposed prongs, trying to produce a spark. Massachusetts Fire Marshall Peter J. Ostroskey issued a warning on Tuesday about the challenge. He said the results of the challenge can lead to "sparks, electrical system damage, and in some cases fire" and referenced two serious cases: One where a mother in Holden, Mass., raised concern over a scorched outlet in the house and another at Westford Academy which the Department of Fire Services investigated. Credit: Plymouth Fire Department Credit: Plymouth Fire Department Students involved in the fire at Westford Academy will be facing charges. The other issue can be that you do damage to some electrical wiring behind the wall," Plymouth Fire Chief Ed Bradley told WBZ-TV. "and a fire could be undetected and burning in the walls, endangering everyone thats in the building." Parents should be advised to watch for any signs that their kids are attempting to or participating in the outlet challenge, according to the outlet. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is concerned that these medical students will be a mode of transmission of coronavirus to India. Hyderabad: Over 1,000 Indian students at the Wuhan College of Medicine must not return home but remain in China in case they are infected with the coronavirus. This suggestion came up in internal meetings of Indian health officers. Some students, however, are already in India for their winter holiday and Chinese New Year break, while others are still there, doing an internship. Every year, roughly 200 Indians enroll for medical college in Wuhan, one of 12 across China. From Hyderabad alone, 1,000 students go to various Chinese universities. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is concerned that these medical students will be a mode of transmission of coronavirus to India. We are chalking out lists of possible transmission and this is only a preventive measure, a senior health official said. We are concerned about business travellers and students who carry the risk. A new strain raises concern in a populated country like ours. Incidentally, the state health department has no data on the number of students who opted to study medicine abroad. It is only concerned with the certification of the Medical Council of India (MCI) to colleges. These lacunae become a handicap when data is required for monitoring, assessing or extending help in the cases of infection. Evaluation only happens when a doctor from a Chinese University wants to practice in India, said a senior doctor who demanded anonymity. The eligibility test gives us the number that appear for exams, the doctor explained. With the new strain still not declared as a notifiable disease in India, the threat of asymptomatic people is high. Anyone returning from China to India must take anti-histamines and paracetamol, said Dr K K Aggarwal, past president of Indian Medical Association. This will help contain the virus if it is in a person and not spread. IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / AgTech Global International, Inc. (OTC PINK:AGGL) announces the opening of an office near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. AGGL will commence operations of its pilot program developing commercial applications to help local farmers monetize hemp related opportunities through education, training, and logistics programs designed specifically for their expanding markets. In addition, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has now approved Louisiana's hemp program, making it the first of three states to get federal approval as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. AGGL intends to offer its innovative agricultural systems that enable broad industrialization of the hemp industry, specializing in nutrients, cultivation, processing, storage, and delivery of agricultural products and derivatives to farm owners and processors around the world. George Roth, president and director of AGGL stated, "As interests for our products and services continues to grow in Louisiana, opening an AGGL office in the state will solidify our commitment of providing nutrient and fertilizer products to farmers entering the Louisiana hemp farming market." Tammy Dunn, vice president of Operations added, "The LDAF has held several regulatory orientation meetings educating interested parties on the complexities of regulation and farm practices when growing industrial hemp. AGGL is meeting with individuals and businesses seeking assistance and expert industry knowledge." For more information regarding the regulation of industrial hemp in the state of Louisiana, visit the Department of Agriculture & Forestry website at www.ldaf.state.la.us/industrial-hemp/. For more information and review of the AgTech Global's disclosure statements and financials log on to www.otcmarkets.com and enter the trading symbol AGGL. Forward looking information. Other than statements of historical fact, this press release may contain forward-looking statements about the Company, including descriptions of plans or objectives of its management for future operations, products or services, and forecasts of its revenues, earnings or other measures of economic performance. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties. A number of factors - many of which are beyond the Company's control-could cause actual conditions, events or results to differ significantly from those described in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date forward looking statements are made. Although Agtech Global International Inc. has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Agtech Global International Inc disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law. For further information contact: Mike Roth (949) 228-0049 Email: mike@aggl.net Corporate Headquarters: 2361 Campus Drive, Suite 140, Irvine, California 92612 Mailing Address: 4540 Campus Drive, Suite 115, Newport Beach, California 92660 SOURCE: AgTech Global International, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573916/Agtech-Global-Louisiana-Operations-Update Wildfires have devastated Australia in recent weeks, scorching vast tracts, leaving more than 20 people dead and snuffing out the lives of more than 1 billion animals, by some estimates. But according to one wildlife park just outside Sydney, the venomous Australian funnel-web spider is flourishing. In the wake of the fires, which are still burning in parts of Victoria and New South Wales, rains have drenched southeastern Australia over the past week. In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Australian Reptile Park - which is in Somersby, about an hour's drive from Sydney - warned residents that "recent wet weather followed by hot days have created perfect conditions for funnel-web spiders to thrive." Jiang Zhuoer, CEO of BTC.TOP, the largest mining pool on Bitcoin Cash, announced a proposal through a blog post that would redirect 12.5% of Bitcoin Cash Coinbase block rewards to a development fund. The fund is a Hong Kong corporation that has been set up to legally accept and disperse funds and would be provided funding for six months to support Bitcoin Cash infrastructure. The plan is to implement this proposal into Bitcoin Cash's May 2020 protocol upgrade. The fund would receive approximately 112.5 BCH per day and about 20,588 BCH over the six months. Based on the current prices of BCH, the fund would receive roughly $7.1 million in total. The proposal has garnered support from other large mining pools part of Bitcoin Cash, which includes Antpool, BTC.com, ViaBTC, and Bitcoin.com. These five pools represent 34.5% or a little more than a third of Bitcoin Cashs hash rate. The blog states that this proposal may be controversial, and some in the community may have reservations toward it; however, the plan would move forward regardless. To ensure participation and include subsidization from the whole pool of SHA-256 mining, miners will orphan BCH blocks that do not follow the plan. This is needed to avoid a tragedy of the commons," the post reads. [January 23, 2020] CenturyLink Helps Employees Care for Families, Selves Through Care.com Benefits More than 70 percent of working Americans** are caring for children, parents or senior family members - and those responsibilities can become even more stressful when it impacts their work. CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is helping alleviate some of that stress for its full-time U.S. employees by partnering with Care.com (NYSE: CRCM), the world's leading online marketplace for finding and managing family care, to provide [email protected] benefits. "No one should have to choose between caring for family and their job," said Scott Trezise, CenturyLink's (News - Alert) executive vice president of Human Resources. "At CenturyLink, we've introduced a variety of family-focused benefits to help our employees better balance their work and home lives and to give them peace of mind. More and more, family care needs are extending beyond children. One of the best things about [email protected] is the array of quality care solutions they offer, regardless of who the employees are caring for. We are very proud that adding Care.com to our roster of employee benefits originated through our CenturyLink Women in Technology program and was championed by our executive Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee." The benefits include subsidized backup care for children and adults; premium membership to Care.com for ongoing care needs for children, seniors, pets, and the home; and personalized senior care support and guidance from [email protected]'s team of Masters-level social workers and experts. "We're thrilled to welcome CenturyLink to Care.com's roster of forward-thinking employer clients and we applaud their commitment to supporting every type of caregiver on their team," said Scott Healy, [email protected]'s executive vice president and general manager. "By supporting the care needs of their diverse workforce - from Gen Z to Baby Boomers - CenturyLink is leading with care and helping redefine what it means to be an inclusive, best-in-class employer." Key Facts: [email protected], managed by Care.com, offers employees assistance with regular, long-term and unplanned care needs. Employees can search for full-time or recurring caregivers to meet their needs across a variety of categories including childcare , senior care , pet care and housekeeping. , , and CenturyLink's benefits include a subsidized rate for up to five days of backup child and/or adult care per year. Additional Resources [email protected] is the latest addition to a full suite of benefits CenturyLink offers to help its employees balance work and home lives. Other benefits include: Up to 12 weeks' paid maternity leave (including short-term disability leave and four weeks parental leave) for birth mothers Four weeks of paid parental leave for fathers and non-birth mothers Adoption assistance Milk Stork breast milk shipping Survivor benefit Employee Assistance Program (EAP) UHC solutions for caregivers Learn more about [email protected]: https://www.care.com/careatwork/care-membership About CenturyLink CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is a technology leader delivering hybrid networking, cloud connectivity, and security solutions to customers around the world. Through its extensive global fiber network, CenturyLink provides secure and reliable services to meet the growing digital demands of businesses and consumers. CenturyLink strives to be the trusted connection to the networked world and is focused on delivering technology that enhances the customer experience. Learn more at http://news.centurylink.com/. About Care.com Since launching in 2007, Care.com (NYSE: CRCM) has been committed to solving the complex care challenges that impact families, caregivers, employers and care service companies. Today, Care.com is the world's largest online destination for finding and managing family care, with 20.6 million families and 14.6 million caregivers* across more than 20 countries, including the U.S., UK, Canada and parts of Western Europe, and approximately 1.8 million employees of corporate clients having access to our services. Spanning child care to senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more, Care.com provides a sweeping array of services for families and caregivers to find, manage and pay for care or find employment. These include: a comprehensive suite of safety tools and resources members may use to help make more informed hiring decisions - such as third-party background check services, monitored messaging, and tips on hiring best practices; easy ways for caregivers to be paid online or via mobile app; and Care.com Benefits, including the household payroll and tax services provided by Care.com HomePay and the Care Benefit Bucks program, a peer-to-peer pooled, portable benefits platform funded by household employer contributions that provides caregivers access to professional benefits. For enterprise clients, Care.com builds customized benefits packages covering childcare, back up care and senior care consulting services through its [email protected] business, and serves care businesses with marketing and recruiting support. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Care.com has offices in Berlin, Austin and the San Francisco Bay area. *As of September 2019 **"Employers do not measure and thus do not realize the extent to which employees are burdened by care: Many employers (52%) do not track data on their employees' caregiving responsibilities. Few employers, therefore, know the significant impact that caregiving has on the productivity of employees. In an employee survey conducted by Harvard Business School, three out of four (73%) employees reported having some type of current caregiving responsibility." HBS, The Caring Company, Executive Summary, page 2 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005072/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An Ohio judge has decided to move forward with a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a 16-year-old student who died after being trapped by a fold-up vehicle seat, despite making two 911 calls. Hamilton County Judge Robert Ruehlman rejected a motion to dismiss the suit filed by Cincinnati. Ruehlman heard legal arguments last month but said the facts of the case stemming from Kyle Plushs death should be determined in a trial. In the lawsuit filed last year, the family accuses the city, a former city official and four city employees of actions leading to Plushs 2018 death. The lawsuits goals are to determine what went wrong when police were unable to locate him and to make sure it doesnt happen again, the family said. The city contended that the employees are protected by governmental immunity and that the lawsuit lacks merit. The city also says it has improved its 911 response system and continues to make improvements. This court finds that there are a set of facts presented that may allow for relief for the plaintiff, Ruehlman wrote. A phone message seeking comment was left with the citys law department. A trial date has been set tentatively for March 30. Plush was apparently pinned by a foldaway seat in his familys van and suffocated in a parking lot near his school. Kyles father Ron discovered his body nearly six hours after his sons first 911 call, when Kyle warned: Im going to die soon. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Legislation Ohio President Donald Trump gave a false account Wednesday of some of the circumstances that got him impeached. As the Senate impeachment trial wrestled with the fate of his presidency, Trump offered distorted statements about how the episode developed. He claimed Ukraine got U.S. military aid early, when the package of assistance at the heart of the impeachment case was conspicuously late. In a claim easily refuted by the calendar, but often repeated by him nonetheless, Trump said he only released a rough transcript of his phone call with Ukraine's president because a Democrat had misstated the content of the call. In fact, Trump released it before that Democrat gave his account of the call. A look at some of Trump's claims from the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland: Impeachment and Ukraine Trump, on military aid to Ukraine: Remember this, they got their money and they got it early. interview Wednesday with Fox Business Network. Trump: They got their money long before schedule. news conference. The facts: They got the money months late. Congress approved nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine in the early months of 2019. U.S. officials involved with the aid learned in the summer that Trump had ordered the assistance to held back, as he pressed Ukraine to announce an investigation of Democrats. It was released Sept. 11, only after a whistleblower's complaint about Trump's pressure on Ukraine had surfaced and a few days after Democrats in Congress opened the investigation. Previous rounds of assistance were not similarly disrupted. Trump, on Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager for the Senate trial: Id watch his lies. I watch where they've actually played a rerun, which they shouldn't even do, it was so bad, where he goes before Congress, and he makes a statement that I made, and it was a total fraud. I never made it. That's why I released the conversation, because if I didn't release it, people would have said that I made the statement that he made. This guy is a fraud. Fox interview. The facts: No, Schiff spoke after Trump released the rough transcript of his July phone call, not before. Trump's claimed motive for coming out with the transcript is demonstrably untrue. The White House released the account of the conversation on Sept. 25. Schiff gave his account on Sept. 26, while leading a House Intelligence Committee hearing on the matter, as the panel chairman. Trump has made much of Schiff's account, seizing on how the Democrat put words in Trump's mouth in describing the president's conversation with Ukraine's leader. Schiff made clear in the hearing he was not to be taken literally he said he was characterizing Trump's conversation in not so many words, attempting to describe the essence of it, and doing something of a parody. Schiff based his account on the rough transcript. He obviously did not cause it to be released. TRUMP, on Ukraine aid: There's something else I'm always stressing. Why isn't Germany and France and U.K. and all these other countries in Europe that are much more affected than us, why aren't they paying something?'' Fox interview. The facts: They are paying plenty. European Union institutions have provided far more development assistance to Ukraine than the $204 million from Washington. Specific EU members as well as Japan and Canada also contribute significantly. Since 2014, the EU and European financial institutions have mobilized more than $16 billion to help Ukraine's economy, counter corruption, build institutions and strengthen its sovereignty against further incursions by Russia after its annexation of Crimea. The U.S. is a heavy source of military assistance. The aid package held back by Trump as he pressed Ukraine to investigate Democrats was worth nearly $400 million. But NATO also contributes a variety of military-assistance programs and trust funds for Ukraine. In most such cases, the programs are modest and NATO countries other than the U.S. take the lead. TRUMP on his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy: The president of Ukraine said it was perfect. Davos news conference. The facts: No, Ukraine's president didn't say that. While Zelenskiy initially said there was no discussion of a quid pro quo, he told Time last month that Trump should not have blocked military aid to Ukraine. Zelenskiy also criticized Trump for casting the country as corrupt. On that call discussing military aid, Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Trump's political rivals in the U.S. Look I never talked to the president from the position of a quid pro quo,'' Zelenskiy said. But you have to understand. We're at war. If you're our strategic partner, then you can't go blocking anything for us. I think that's just about fairness. It's true that in early October, Zelenskiy had told reporters there was no pressure or blackmail from the U.S. But he did not state the call with Trump was perfect. In any event, Zelenskiy knew months before the call that much-needed U.S. military support might depend on whether he was willing to help Trump by investigating Democrats. BEIRUT (AP) Lebanon's new interior minister said Thursday he won't permit attacks on security forces amid angry rioting that has gripped the country's capital amid a deepening economic crisis. Mohammed Fahmi spoke during a handover ceremony from the outgoing minister, two days after an emergency government was formed. That ended a three-month political vacuum on the heels of nationwide protests against the country's long serving political class. I will not allow the attack on security forces who are carrying out their duties to protect the country's laws and properties, he said. Later on Thursday, new blast walls were erected at the entrance to the street leading to parliament, the site of recent clashes. The blast walls, some painted with Lebanese flags, were installed as security forces guarded the area. They replaced metal barriers that protesters tried to climb. They also hurled stones and other projectiles at security forces through the barriers. Dozens of protesters gathered to watch but there was no tension. Meanwhile, Amnesty International called on the new government to immediately rein in security forces, which it said unlawfully used rubber bullets at close range against the protesters, injuring hundreds over the weekend before Fahmi took offic e. On Wednesday, the security forces did not use rubber bullets. The new government is made up of appointees nominated by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and its allies, raising questions about the Cabinet's ability to drum up the international support needed to avoid economic collapse. Parliament still must vote on the new government, although it is expected to approve the new Cabinet. Many protesters have rejected the new government, saying it is still backed by the same traditional political powers they accuse of corruption. Fahmi said he would guarantee that security forces won't attack protesters and will protect their rights to freely express their opinion. He vowed to investigate any security forces violations if they happen. Story continues Over the weekend, Beirut saw some of the most violent clashes between protesters and security forces yet. More than 500 people, including over 100 security forces, were injured in clashes outside the parliament building. Protesters hurled stones, firecrackers and flares at security forces who responded with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. Several protesters were hit in their eyes. On Wednesday, hours after the emergency government held its first meeting, hundreds of protesters gathered again outside parliament, attempting to break through security barriers and hurling stones. Clashes lasted late into the night, as security forces chased protesters down the streets. Amnesty said with protests likely to continue over the next weeks, Lebanons newly formed government must as a matter of urgency prioritize reining in security forces and investigate the unlawful and excessive use of force. It said security forces shoot-to-harm, causing serious injuries in the head, face, chin and mouth. At least three protesters were hit directly in the eye with rubber bullets. Amnesty said police also threatened two female protesters with rape. Red Cross said at least 409 protesters were injured in clashes over the weekend. The new minister of interior must immediately rein in the (Internal Security Forces) and order them to comply with international standards and respect the right to assembly, Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa regional director at Amnesty said. Acts of violence by a minority of protesters does not justify a violent dispersal but should have been dealt with in a targeted manner. Morayef called for an investigation to provide redress for the victims and send a strong signal that violence will not be tolerated. By PTI NEW DELHI: Swiftly responding to a request from the Maldives, India on Thursday provided 30,000 doses of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine to contain the measles outbreak in the Indian Ocean country. The doses of MR vaccine were quickly procured from the Serum Institute of India Private Limited and within three days the vaccine reached Male, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said. The vaccines were handed over to the Maldives' Ministry of Health at a ceremony during which Maldivian Health Minister Abdulla Ameen presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Indian Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir. India's swift response underlines that health remains one of the strongest pillars of bilateral cooperation between India and Maldives, the statement said. This gesture also emphasises the mutually supportive roles of India's Neighbourhood First Policy and the Maldives' India First policy, acting for the benefit of our peoples, it said. Implementation of the MoU on health cooperation signed during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2019 has already commenced. Secretary-level delegations met in Male on January 5-6 to draw up a roadmap for cooperation in capacity building and training of doctors and medical professionals, disease surveillance, training of mental health professionals, setting up of digital health capacities in Maldives, etc. India is also building a 100-bed comprehensive, state-of-the-art Cancer Hospital in Hulhumale as a project under the bilateral USD 800 million Line of Credit extended to that country. The hospital will be built by the Tata Memorial Centre and will be completed in an 18 months' time frame, the statement said. Industry chamber CII on Thursday urged the government to increase tax benefits for home buyers to boost demand in the liquidity-hit real estate sector. The chamber said that in order to meet a minimum GDP growth target of 6 to 7 percent, it is important to have a definitive plan for boosting the demand in the sector. The sector needs more liquidity support and steps to boost demand, the it said in a statement. "CII has urged the government to Increase the tax benefits to home buyers and extend income limit under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana to boost demand in the sector which is battling stress and liquidity issues for the past year," it added. It has also proposed a focused action plan to boost the sector as part of its pre-budget suggestions. The chamber called for additional tax benefits to home buyers to boost the demand. "The maximum available deduction on interest payment of home loan taken for all the property/(ies) should be increased from Rs 2,00,000 to Rs 5,00,000," it said. The government should also consider increasing the income criteria under PMAY scheme to Rs 18 and 25 lakh from the current Rs 12 and 18 lakh in the MIG I and ll categories, respectively. "This would allow a wider section of the society to benefit from the scheme pushing demand," it said. Further, CII said granting infrastructure status to integrated townships and overall housing sector, would help developers access priority funding at a lower cost. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 14, 2019. Alexei Nikolsky | Sputnik | Kremlin via Reuters Explosive allegations that tie Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the hacking of Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos' phone are "nonsense," Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs said Thursday. "Total nonsense this story was out almost a year ago, it was debunked, we rejected it completely," Adel al-Jubeir told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "It was based on false and unproven allegations, people trying to sensationalize something that is pure fiction." The comments come in response to the release of a 2019 report based on forensic analysis by advisory firm FTI Consulting, which was hired by Bezos to investigate an apparent hack of his phone and the exfiltration of reams of personal data, including nude photos sent to a mistress. Asked where he thought the allegations in the report originated, al-Jubeir replied, "You'll have to ask the people who wrote it. I can't read people's minds, but I do know it's a total fabrication, a total lie. Whoever is putting this out is trying to put Saudi Arabia in a bad light." The Amazon CEO, one of the world's richest men, also owns The Washington Post. The newspaper became a target of Saudi internet attack campaigns in response to highly critical coverage of the kingdom after the murder of one of its columnists, Jamal Khashoggi, by Saudi operatives in October 2018. Bezos, through his security consultant Gavin de Becker, has flatly accused the Saudi government of wanting to do him harm. De Becker alleged last March that the Saudis had "access to Bezos's phone, and gained private information" and that the government was "intent on harming Jeff Bezos since . . . the Post began its relentless coverage" of the brutal murder of Khashoggi. U.N. experts on Wednesday called for an immediate investigation into the "possible involvement" of the Saudi crown prince in the cyberattack. "The alleged hacking of Mr. Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by U.S. and other relevant authorities, including investigation of the continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the Crown Prince in efforts to target perceived opponents," the U.N. special rapporteurs said in a statement. The forensic report suggested the involvement of the crown prince in the surveillance of Bezos, which the U.N.'s rapporteurs described as "an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia." The U.N. itself did not contribute further investigation into the case at the time of the statement and did not make a conclusive claim that the crown prince was involved. Indeed, FTI Consulting could not detail the specific spyware used in the attack, and admitted in its report that its cybersecurity researchers could not detect traces of malware. But it said its experts had "medium to high confidence" that Bezos' iPhone was hacked by malware coming from a WhatsApp account used by the Saudi crown prince due to the abnormally high volume of data extracted from the phone after it received a video file sent by Prince Mohamed's account. The hack: How experts believe it happened According to the 2019 forensic analysis by FTI Consulting, Bezos' phone was likely "infiltrated on 1 May 2018 via an MP4 video file sent from a WhatsApp account utilized personally by Mohammed bin Salman." Bezos and the crown prince had reportedly exchanged numbers the previous month. Within hours of the video being sent from the crown prince's account, "massive and (for Bezos' phone) unprecedented exfiltration of data from the phone began" the volume of data being transited to another location suddenly shot up by nearly 30,000% to 126 MB. "Data spiking then continued undetected over some months and at rates as much as 106,032,045% (4.6 GB) higher than the pre-video data egress baseline for Mr. Bezos' phone of 430KB," the report said. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir speaks during a news conference in the desert kingdom's capital Riyadh on November 15, 2018. FAYEZ NURELDINE | AFP | Getty Images The U.S. administration has published new visa restrictions aimed at eliminating so-called "birth tourism" in which pregnant women travel to the United States to give birth so their children will receive automatic citizenship, a system reportedly used by hundreds of Russian women each year. The new guidelines will not automatically prevent pregnant women from receiving visas, but U.S. consular officers will have the authority to determine whether a woman is planning a visit primarily for the purpose of giving birth, according to the rules published in the Federal Register on January 23. White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement that the move will "combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice." It will also "defend American taxpayers from having their hard-earned dollars siphoned away to finance the direct and downstream costs associated with birth tourism. The integrity of American citizenship must be protected," Grisham added. Under the U.S. Constitution, anyone born in the United States is considered to be a citizen. During his presidential campaign and into his term of office, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a hard line on immigration, along with those illegally entering the country or overstaying their visas. He has slammed the policy of birthright citizenship and threatened to try to end it, but constitutional scholars, opponents, and members of his administration have said it would not be easy to do. Although there are no official figures on how many foreign women travel to the United States specifically to give birth, the Center for Immigration Studies in 2012 estimated that 36,000 foreign-born women gave birth in the United States, then left the country. In March 2019, USA Today reported that hundreds of pregnant Russian women travel to the United States each year to give birth so that their child can acquire American citizenship. Arrivals also come from China, Nigeria, and other countries, the paper said. They pay from $20,000 to $50,000 to brokers who arrange travel documents, accommodation, and hospital stays, often in the state of Florida, the newspaper reported. With reporting by AP, NBC, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, and Voice of America Toronto: Canadians have taken a perverse sort of pride in their indifference to the arrival of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as they prepare to spend time here in their new, not-quite-so-royal lives. But one aspect of Harry and Meghan's plans about which they do have strong feelings: they don't want to be on the hook for their security. Harry and Meghan want to build a new life in Canada. Credit:Getty More than 90,000 people have signed an online petition from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation demanding the royal couple pay their own way. "It's clearly something that's resonating," said Aaron Wudrick, the federal director of the organisation. The wars closing hours erupted in this southern seat In late March 1865, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, eager to end the 10-month Siege of Petersburg and the war itself, took aim at the South Side Railroad, the last supply line of Confederate General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia. Grant ordered Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan and his cavalry to advance on the railroad by way of an important road junction known as Five Forks in Dinwiddie County, Va. Lee countered by ordering Maj. Gen. George Pickett, with his infantry division and cavalry under Colonel Thomas Munford, Maj. Gen. William H.F. Rooney Lee, and Maj. Gen. Thomas Rosser, to hold the crossroads at all hazards. On April 1, 1865, Sheridans cavalry pinned the Confederate force in position while the 5th Corps under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren attacked and overwhelmed the Confederate left flank. The Union victory heralded the end of the stalemate outside Petersburg and set the stage for the breakthrough the next day. On April 2, Lee informed Jefferson Davis that Petersburg and Richmond would have to be evacuated. Lee surrendered to Grant seven days later. Two engagements in the area on March 31, 1865, set the stage for the Battle of Five Forks, including one along White Oak Road in which Union troops from the 5th Corps and 2nd Corps managed to push back Confederates on Lees far right near Burgess Mill and Hatchers Run. The second engagement, the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House, lasted most of the day and ended with a Confederate victory, but failed to weaken or drive back Sheridans force. The abundant action in and around Dinwiddie County in the waning days of the war means visitors to the area can explore copious Civil War-related sites, including the Five Forks Battlefield, the Dinwiddie Court House, churches that served as field hospitals, and the final resting grounds of some who fought here. Nearby Pamplin Historical Park offers a unique experience with four museums, three historic homes, and the breakthrough battlefield of April 2, 1865, near Petersburg. Dinwiddie Court House/Confederate Soldiers Monument 14103 Boydton Plank Rd. Erected by the citizens of Dinwiddie County in 1909, this monument stands in front of the Dinwiddie Court House and is dedicated to the memory of Dinwiddies Confederate soldiers, that their heroic deeds sublime, self-sacrifice and undying devotion to duty and country may never be forgotten. On March 31, 1865, the combined Confederate cavalry and infantry force commanded by General Pickett attacked General Sheridans army as it moved north from the courthouse. It was the last brief victory for the Army of Northern Virginia, but failed to drive back Sheridans force before the Battle of Five Forks. Today the courthouse is open for visitors, and hosts events and talks. Namozine Church Intersection of Mill Quarter Road and Namozine Road, Amelia County On April 3, 1865, as Lees men evacuated Petersburg and Richmond and marched toward Amelia Court House, where food and supplies awaited them, cavalries skirmished around this church. The church was also used as a field hospital by both armies during engagements in the area. The church, built in 1847, survived the war and remains virtually unchanged since its construction. Five Forks Battlefield 9840 Courthouse Rd. Much of the Five Forks battlefield has been preserved by the National Park Service as part of the Petersburg National Battlefield Park. Although most of the Confederate earthworks have disappeared to the soil, the land around the five-way intersection mirrors its 1865 appearance. A monument to the battle stands at that critical junction. A driving tour of the battlefield starts at the visitor center and includes five additional stops where interpretive wayside markers tell the story of the battle. The battlefield also includes walking trails. Poplar Grove National Cemetery 8005 Vaughan Rd., Petersburg The tract of land on which the Poplar Grove National Cemetery sits had been the campground for the 50th New York Volunteer Engineers. During the war they constructed a Gothic-style pine log church called Poplar Grove. In 1866, it was chosen as the site for a national cemetery and approximately 5,000 Union soldiers from nearly 100 separate burial sites around Petersburg were moved here. Sutherland Station 19698 Namozine Rd. On Sunday, April 2, 1865, as the main Union assault broke the Confederate line at Petersburg, a detachment under Confederate Brig. Gen. John R. Cooke tried to protect the railroad here. Union infantry under Maj. Gen. Nelson Miles attacked from the south around 11 a.m. Three assaults failed, but a fourth that struck Cookes left flank in mid-afternoon turned the tide for the Federals. Calvary Episcopal Church 14211 Courthouse Rd. Built in 1840, the Calvary Episcopal Church was used as a field hospital during the engagements here. Ten unknown Union soldiers from Maine who were killed at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House are buried on the grounds, the location marked by a single gravestone. The remains were never returned to Maine due to disagreements about items pillaged from the church by Union troops. Living History Nearly 3 million Americans served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, a majority in the lower ranks. The interactive Civil War campus at Pamplin Historical Park highlights the common soldiers experience, including the ability to explore mock camps and interact with living historians. Three historic homes are maintained onsite, as well as the breakthrough battlefield of April 2, 1865. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier is home to the exhibit Duty Called Me Here: The Common Soldier in the Civil War. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily March through November and weekends only December through February. 6125 Boydton Plank Rd., Petersburg Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (27) OTTAWA, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - At an event today, Mayor Jim Watson, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and MP for Ottawa Centre, and Councillor Tim Tierney, Chair of the Ottawa Public Library Board revealed the proposed architectural design for the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility. Born of a unique collaboration between municipal and federal institutions, the facility will be a city-wide resource that offers all Canadians access to a rich and diverse national collection. The design is the direct result of an unprecedented public co-design process that asked Ottawa residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from across the country to provide inspiration at every stage. This collaborative engagement process helped shape all aspects of the facility, inside and out. Public input informed the shape of the building, its entrances, the interaction and location of its spaces, the indoor look and ambience, the inclusive and sustainable features, the landscaping and public art, and the exterior materials. Public and Indigenous engagement for the facility will continue as we finalize the design and move forward with the next stages of the project. Following the reveal of a 3-D model of the facility, Donald Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects and Lead Architect for the project, helped bring the building to life by sharing a video walk-through and renderings. Today, the more than 4,000 people who came together in-person and online over the past year to share their ideas and insights with the partners and architects can finally see their inspiration realized. The design connects the facility to Ottawa's rich history and natural beauty: its shape is reminiscent of the Ottawa River; its stone and wood exterior reflects the adjacent escarpment and surrounding greenspace. The large windows and top floors offer unparalleled views of the Ottawa River and Gatineau Hills. With its central town hall, children's discovery centre, genealogy centre, reading rooms, creative centre, meeting rooms, cafes and stunning views, the new facility will be a welcoming home for the stories of Canadians and Ottawa residents. When it opens to the public in late 2024, the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility will be a landmark destination in the national capital built on the shared values and passions of the partner institutions: knowledge, history, discovery, culture, creativity, collaboration, and connections. This innovative collaboration between a public library and the national library and archives will offer an enriched experience for customers and clients, bringing together diverse collections, providing exhibition and event spaces, along with comfortable gathering spaces and free and open access to millions of documents and the rich Canadian documentary heritage. The public is invited to view the 3-D model, meet the architects and celebrate this important milestone at an Open House from 4 pm to 8 pm today in the Alma Duncan Salon at the Ottawa Art Gallery. They can also view the architectural renderings and video, experience virtual reality stations, and share their thoughts at Inspire555.ca. Quotes: "After completing an extensive public consultation process, we celebrated a major milestone by revealing the architects' stunning design for our new Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada joint facility. This signifies a very exciting time in our city and brings us one step closer to getting shovels in the ground. I want to thank everyone involved in this process for their input, their work and their creativity in helping us create this world-class destination for residents and visitors. The inspirational design showcases how this facility is more than just a building with books; it will be a welcoming gathering space for us all." Mayor Jim Watson, City of Ottawa "Today is a very special day as it marks an important step forward in improving the visibility and accessibility of our cultural heritage. The unveiling today of the architectural design of this new world-class public facility in Ottawa is no small feat. Our government is proud to be a part of this project, one of the first federal-municipal partnerships of its kind, right here in Canada's capital city!" The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage "This historic collaboration between the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada will push for unique works of art, programs and exhibition spaces. This design reveal is the next step in creating a world-class destination in the Nation's capital that residents of Ottawa, Canadians and visitors from all over the world can come to experience." The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities "Today is a great day for Ottawa Public Library! I am incredibly proud of the work my colleagues on the OPL Board and I have done over the years to champion this once-in-a-generation project. After a six-year journey, we can celebrate this major milestone for OPL and our great city. Public libraries have always been pillars of their communities, helping people to reach their potential and fulfill their dreams. The reveal of the design of the OPL-LAC Joint Facility celebrates the power of our connection with the community, which came together in an unprecedented public co-design process to inspire the building, inside and out. The result? The OPL-LAC Joint Facility will be a welcoming, beautiful and inclusive space; one where people gather, learn, discover, and explore their creativity." Councillor Tim Tierney, Chair, Ottawa Public Library Board "We are very proud to be revealing the design for an iconic building that truly represents the evolution of libraries as centres of knowledge and culture around the world. It's also a great joy to share this design with the thousands of residents and Canadians who provided so much inspiration at each stage of the process. This has been a wonderful experience for all of us." Donald Schmitt, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects Media resources: About the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Joint Facility The Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility will be a landmark destination built on the shared values and passions of the partner institutions: knowledge, history, discovery, culture, creativity, collaboration, and connections. This innovative collaboration between a public library and the national library and archives will offer an enriched experience for customers and visitors, bringing together diverse collections, providing exhibition and event spaces, and free and open access to millions of documents and the rich Canadian documentary heritage. It will be built to a minimum of LEED Gold certification and be accessible by LRT and multi-use pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. Next steps Once the proposed design has been approved jointly by the National Capital Commission's Advisory Committee on Planning, Design, and Realty (ACPDR) and the City's Urban Design Review Panel (UDRP) as well as the project's Executive Steering Committee, the architects and design team will begin work on the construction documents. Ground breaking is scheduled in 2021, after a thorough process to select a construction firm. The facility's name will also be selected before constructions begins. It will meet criteria set by the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada for such buildings. As indicated above, the facility is set to open to the public in late 2024. In the coming years, the project team will continue to consult with Ottawa residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast on the type of experiences, programs, collections and activities that they want to see in the new facility. About the partnership In 2017, City Council and the Ottawa Public Library Board approved collaborating with Library and Archives Canada to build the new joint facility. Ownership will be split, with the City owning 61 per cent of the facility and Library and Archives Canada owning 39 per cent. The governance agreement between the City, Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada will guide the project, cost-sharing, decision-making and dispute resolution. About the design team Diamond Schmitt Architects is a world-renowned Canadian architecture firm established in 1975, with offices in Toronto, Vancouver and New York. KWC Architects is an Ottawa-based firm established in 1978 that has collaborated with Diamond Schmitt Architects on 12 projects in the last 20 years. Both firms have won multiple awards, including Governor General Awards, OAA Awards of Excellence, American Library Association, and Ontario Library Association Award of Excellence. The consortium has a proven track record in architectural design excellence and specialized experience with libraries and other cultural institutions. Location Council approved the site for the joint facility, which will be located at 555 Albert Street (formerly 557 Wellington Street), on February 7, 2017. The site allows for beautiful landscaping surrounding the facility, which will expand the library and archives experience outside of the building. The site also allows use of multiple access methods bicycle, walking, LRT, and car and offers unparalleled green vistas that will be enjoyed by all users and visitors. Budget The Council-approved estimated budget envelope for the Ottawa Public Library Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility is $193 million, which includes the municipal, federal and parking components of the project. The total project budget, including parking, is $192.9 million . . The cost of the joint facility, excluding parking, is $174.8 million . . The City's share of the cost is $104.2 million , with $1 million coming from Ottawa Public Library reserves, $3.2 million from Ottawa Public Library development charges, $20 million from land sales and $80 million in debt. , with coming from Ottawa Public Library reserves, from Ottawa Public Library development charges, from land sales and in debt. The $18.1-million garage will be cost-neutral based on estimated revenue. garage will be cost-neutral based on estimated revenue. LAC's share in the cost of design and construction is $70.6 million . Ottawa Public Library Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is the largest bilingual (English/French) public library system in North America. The OPL extends public access to information and services through the library's 34 branches, physical and virtual (BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca), as well as two mobile libraries and a vending machine-style lending library service. Serving close to one million Ottawa residents, OPL's mission is to inspire learning, spark curiosity, and connect people Library and Archives Canada As the custodian of our distant past and recent history, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is a key resource for all Canadians who wish to gain a better understanding of who they are, individually and collectively. LAC acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to our documentary heritage and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions. SOURCE Library and Archives Canada Related Links www.lac-bac.gc.ca New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking early hearing of his application to recognise Ram Setu as an ancient historical monument. The top court has asked Swamy to mention the matter after three months and asked the Centre to make its stand clear by filing an affidavit. "Mention after three months. After three months we will look into this," a bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde said. Swamy urged the Supreme Court to pass order and direct "Union of India along with National Monuments Authority (NMA) to declare Ram Setu as a National Monument and of National Importance." He has also urged the top court to pass order and direct "Union of India to engage Geological Survey of India and Archeological Survey of India to conduct a detailed survey in respect to Ram Setu as an Ancient Monument of National Importance." Swamy took to Twitter and wrote, "Today CJI in Supreme Court directed the government to file a counter to my affidavit demanding designation of Rama Setu as Ancient Heritage Monument and said due to the heavy load of the Court, CJI Bench will hear my WP three months hence. I hope GOI will no more delay or waffle on this and file".(ANI) Dear Amy: My father is a stubborn man. He has a lot of energy and many strong opinions. We do not have a close relationship. He has recently retired, and now spends much of his time on social media, posting long-winded political rants, and engaging in emotional arguments with anyone who dares to comment on his posts. These "conversations," unsurprisingly, often devolve into name-calling and petty insults. I am disgusted by this highly public airing of false information and closed-minded views. It was getting to the point that merely opening the social media app was giving me anxiety, with the anticipation of a new bigoted diatribe from my father. I deactivated my account, and I've never felt better! My immediate family continues to feel mortified by his behavior and this has led to some awkward family gatherings. I recently looked at my father's social media account on my husband's phone, which I immediately regretted, as his behavior seems to have gotten even worse. I'm afraid to discuss this directly with him, due to his short temper and the high likelihood that he will share our conversation publicly on social media. I want to keep our family matters private. What should I do? Is there a way to make it clear to my extended family that his closed-minded beliefs do not align with my own, without descending into the drama myself? How can I bring myself to spend time with a person who causes me so much embarrassment? -- Embarrassed Dear Embarrassed: I applaud you for deactivating your social media account in order to avoid being triggered by your fathers (and others') abusive online behavior. You could have "unfollowed" or blocked him and perhaps experienced the same relief, but -- I wholeheartedly endorse stepping away altogether for your mental and emotional health. Now that you are removed from your father's noxious postings, you are going to have to learn to trust other people. Your family members know him -- and they also know you. You should trust that they understand and can differentiate between the two of you. I don't think it is useful to issue blanket or public apologies for someone else's behavior. Your father embarrasses himself, but you should not give him the important role -- and the power -- to embarrass you. Your father sounds like a bully. You should not trust him to keep anything private. All the same, you might feel better if you stood up to him: "Dad, I wish you would find a different hobby. Your online ranting is quite disturbing." It would be wise for him to get a mental health screening. Being a bigoted bully does not necessarily indicate mental decline, but because your father's behavior seems to be getting worse, there is reason to wonder. Dear Amy: My son just gave us the great news that hes getting married. Our daughter is in a serious, five-year relationship with a young man, "James." We expect they will be engaged in the near future (within the next two years). We have met James' parents several times. Should we invite James' parents to our son's wedding? -- Wondering Dear Wondering: Does your son know James parents? Does his future bride know these people? This marrying couple may want to have some say over who attends their nuptials. Traditionally, with larger weddings the marrying couple will get half of the total guest list to invite those close to them, while each set of parents will get one-fourth of the guest total to invite people from their own list (colleagues or childhood friends, for instance). If you have been granted a number of seats to fill at will at this wedding, and if you have developed a friendship with your daughter's boyfriend's parents, then by all means invite them. However, you are not socially obligated to issue this invitation. Dear Readers: I've received many positive responses to my annual giving column. Since that column was published, the world has become aware of the devastation caused by wildfires sweeping through parts of Australia. As of this writing, 20 people, including three firefighters, have died. The heartbreaking toll on the unique wildlife of Australia is almost incalculable: Millions of animals have perished -- some estimates bring the toll as high as 1 billion animals. Please do not send food or material goods -- transporting goods brings on more hazards. Here are some ways to give money: Helping fire victims: St. Vincent DePaul Society: donate.vinnies.org.au. Helping "firies" (firefighters): Rural Fire Service, New South Wales: rfs.nsw.gov.au. Helping wildlife: RSPCA of Australia: rspcansw.org.au. (You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.) Lawmaker calls for more maternity leave after giving birth during legislative session originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen gave birth this week to a son named Davis, becoming one of the very few state lawmakers in Colorado history to have a baby while serving in a legislative session. The first woman in the state to do so, then-Sen. Barbara S.Holme, gave birth to a son in June 1981, just two days before the Colorado General Assembly went into recess, according to Colorado Public Radio, which corrected earlier reports that Pettersen was the first in state history to deliver during a session. "I know I'm not going to be the last [lawmaker to give birth during session]," said Pettersen, who gave birth Jan. 19. "It's reflective of our changing times." "We have more women running and more women winning," she told "Good Morning America." PHOTO: Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen poses with her son Davis James Silverii. (Office of Sen. Brittany Pettersen) Pettersen, who also served six years in the state House of Representatives, said she was surprised to discover that the Colorado General Assembly does not have a specific maternity leave policy in its statutes. Legislators are allowed six weeks of paid leave during the session, according to Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg. "The fact that nothing existed is reflective that [lawmaking] was very much a profession that a large majority of men went into," said Pettersen. "That's changing, and that's a good thing." "When women are in leadership positions in general they are going to advocate for things that support women and families that are going to be overlooked otherwise," she said. PHOTO: Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen worked throughout her pregnancy. (Office of Sen. Brittany Pettersen) Pettersen, a Democrat, was elected in 2018 along with four other women who helped give Democrats a Senate majority. (MORE: Ginger Zee reflects on returning from maternity leave: 'I'm a worker AND a mom. And that's OK!') Pettersen said her Democratic colleagues in leadership have told her to take the time off she needs. She hopes a more specific maternity leave policy can be instituted for all female lawmakers. Story continues "I have flexibility because I have leadership that's working with me and we're going to update and modernize our statutes, but that shouldn't be determined by who's in the majority," Pettersen said. "It should be a blanket policy and shouldn't be politicized and we need to make sure that happens." The United States is the only country among 41 industrialized nations that does not mandate paid maternity leave, according to 2016 data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that just 15% of all private workers had access to paid family leave as of 2017. PHOTO: Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen poses in front of the state capitol building in Denver during her pregnancy. (Office of Sen. Brittany Pettersen) Pettersen plans to take just one month leave from work and said her priority when she returns to the Senate will be to push for the passage of a paid family leave bill. "Going through this, I know firsthand how difficult it is -- and I'm only in the beginning of it -- and how essential this time off is and how lucky I am that my husband has paternity leave and I have a workplace that's supporting me and making sure I'm able to take this time," she said. "Other people don't have this time and I really don't know how they do it." PHOTO: Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen poses with her son Davis and husband Ian Silverii. (Office of Sen. Brittany Pettersen) The topic of paid family leave is hotly contested in Colorado, a reflection of the national debate. Lawmakers are debating a paid leave policy for state employees and weighing whether to implement a statewide paid family leave program in the private sector or let businesses take the lead. Pettersen said she has learned through her own experience that women need choices and options to do what works for them after the major physical and emotional event of childbirth. "When I told friends I thought I'd go back [to work] in two weeks they told me they couldn't walk for two weeks [after giving birth]," she said. "Everyone is different which is why you need the flexibility to choose what works for you." Editors note: This report has been updated to note that then-Sen. Barbara S. Holme was the first lawmaker in Colorado history to give birth during a legislative session. Lakers forward Danny Green shows support to opening of new Spectrum store in Inglewood Charter communications just announced the opening of a new Spectrum store in Inglewood. Spectrums focus is giving customers in the Los Angeles area a comfortable and convenient environment for learning more about Spectrums internet and video services. While opening the new store, Spectrum held an exclusive meet and greet event with the Lakers small forward Danny Green. Fans showed up in large numbers in their Lakers jerseys, with children and had the ultimate experience taking pictures with Green. He was engaging with the fans, holding babies, laughing, and having a great time. The customers appreciated Green coming to support this significant time in the city, especially on his off day after a game. They embraced his presence, and the customers received autographed Spectrum Sportnet books. Green said in an interview with Spectrum, Its good to see these new holiday faces. We are trying to bring awareness to the new Spectrum store. On our off days, we try to do the best we can to give back to the community. This is one of our ways of showing support. The fans have been amazing so far this season, and one of the main reasons why is they continue to show love and support no matter what. After taking pictures, fans were signing up for new phones and loving the new Spectrum environment. The representatives inside the building showed phenomenal energy to the current and future Spectrum customers. They told everyone about their products and new family services they offer.. The city of Inglewood embraced this new store with open arms. For them it is more significant than a new store, it is about bringing new energy to the area. Inglewood has a lot of customers, and to have a storefront brings excitement and the opportunity for them to appreciate the latest inventory from Spectrum. This celebration brought out some of Spectrums leaders. In attendance was Juan Martin, Stephen Sawyer, and the Mayor of Lawndale Robert Pullen-Miles. Miles said, To have Danny Green here in the city of Inglewood, were glad to have him here. Its all about the Lakers here in this city. It brings a lot of excitement in the area. Were glad he is doing this today. Miles also said, They have the latest technology here. Im a fan as well as a customer, so were just excited about the new gadgets. Spectrum have the best service, best coverage. If you need fast internet service, Spectrum is the best. More than half of the Inglewood community are customers, so having a storefront is an excellent move for Spectrum. Instead of having to upgrade over the phone, customers have the pleasure of engaging with representatives and learn about the new technology. With Spectrum having the Lakers support will only enhance the support from more customers. ADVERTISEMENT The Inglewood store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm and Sundays from noon to 5 pm. They have two other locations in Culver City and one in Los Angeles. ANN ABROR, MI -- After hearing about sexual misconduct allegations against University of Michigan Provost Martin Philbert on Wednesday, 2019 graduate Hoai An Pham said she wasnt surprised. Pham said she is a survivor of on-campus sexual misconduct and decided not to report her incident to the university because she feels the Office of Institutional Equity is not there to protect students. As a survivor, I also know and have seen how little support survivors get on this campus, Pham said. ... The way OIE has been running their department has been to protect the university, and never the survivor. In a message to students, faculty and staff, university President Mark Schlissel said Philberts leave is effective Jan. 21, pending the results of an investigation in several allegations of sexual misconduct reported Thursday, Jan. 16 and Friday, Jan. 17. Because the Office for Institutional Equity, which is overseen by Philbert, normally handles sexual misconduct investigations, the reporting line for all matters related to the case was moved to Associate Vice President for Human Resources Richard S. Holcomb. We take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously, and our policy is clear: Sexual misconduct will not be tolerated in the University of Michigan community, Schlissel said in the message. We thank the individuals who have come forward with these allegations. We know that reporting requires courage. The university has offered support services and will work diligently to assist those who report in every way possible. University of Michigan provost accused of sexual misconduct, placed on leave University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the university has hired an external law firm, WilmerHale, to lead the investigation, and that the university Department of Public Safety and Security is involved. Emma Sandberg, a sophomore at UM, said she was satisfied with the initial message, but more needs to be done. The question is whether, going forward, the administration learns from this and actually starts to take sexual assault seriously, Sandberg said. Im glad [Philbert] has been placed on leave, but Im concerned about the lack of transparency in this process, Sandberg said. A message was sent to Philbert seeking comment. Fitzgerald said he feels the university is being very transparent, citing Schlissels email to all faculty, staff and students at the beginning of the investigation. I am hard pressed to think of anything more the university could do to be more transparent and remain fair to all parties involved, Fitzgerald added. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, took to Twitter on Wednesday in reaction to news of Philberts leave, saying its difficult for sexual misconduct victims to come forward, and their courage and bravery should be recognized. The University of Michigan is quickly stepping up to investigate these serious allegations. Everyone deserves due process and a thorough investigation. It is still difficult for survivors to come forward in situations like these, and we need recognize their bravery and courage. Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) January 22, 2020 UM Regent Jordan Acker also reacted to the news in a series of tweets, calling it a sad day for the university and expressing sympathy for accusers. Our community healing starts with first understanding the alleged activities and exactly what happened. For me, our investigation must be transparent, with sensitivity and understanding for the survivors and their needs, and work to make sure that something..(2/3) Jordan Acker (@JordanAckerMI) January 22, 2020 Philbert has climbed the ranks at UM during his 22 years with the university, with promotions to associate professor, professor and eventually dean of the School of Public Health following in 2011. He is paid $570,340 a year. He was appointed as provost and vice president for academic affairs at UM in June 2017. He has served as both the chief budgetary and academic officer for the university, filling the role vacated by former provost Martha Pollack, who was announced as the new president of Cornell University in November 2016. Philbert served as associate chair for research and development in UMs Department of Environmental Health Sciences from 2000-03, and as both senior associate dean for research and interim director of the Center for Risk Science and Communication from 2004-10. HOUSTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivante Health, the leader in digital medicine for gut health and disease, proudly announced Stacy Hodgins has joined the company as Chief Analytics Officer. Ms. Hodgins has over 20 years of experience guiding Fortune 500 companies, health coalitions, and health plans. Her multifaceted career includes advising, consulting, and innovating in the fields of health and productivity management, health data information systems, and corporate peer benchmarking. Stacy Hodgins, Chief Analytics Officer As Chief Analytics Officer with Vivante Health, Stacy will be responsible for harnessing data to not only enhance productivity and health outcomes for the company's enterprise clients, but also to meet the needs of individuals who enroll in GIThrive, the company's digital gut health platform. GIThrive is a comprehensive digital health program for gut health and disease. Features include an at-home microbiome test kit to highlight bacterial imbalance in the gut, a personal digestion monitor to identify food sensitivities with a simple breath test, and the GIThrive app for condition management. GIThrive is an employer-sponsored program, meaning Vivante Health partners with large employers and health plans to deliver GIThrive to eligible employees and their covered family members. "Stacy's deep experience using data and analytics to select and tailor programs for employers and health plans will move us to the next level," said Dr. Kimon Angelides, Vivante Health founder and CEO. "She brings a talent that is critical to our mission of providing world-class service both to our business clients and our GIThrive users. In addition, her experience using predictive analytics will accelerate our clinical mission." Previously, Stacy was AVP of Analytic Consulting and Data Science with Blue Health Intelligence. Prior to that, she was a leader in the health data information systems space at both Truven Health Analytics and Dynamic Health Strategies and was Director of the Institute for Health, Productivity, and Human Capital at the National Business Group on Health. "I am excited to be part of this revolutionary solution that Vivante Health has launched, and this is just the beginning. The power of predictive analytics will further enhance GIThrive so we can anticipate the course of disease, allowing interventions to be tailored for each individual more accurately and more proactively," said Hodgins. With offices in Houston, Nashville, Chicago, and Athens (Greece), Vivante Health's global team of experts came together to build the GIThrive platform. GIThrive is the first comprehensive program that brings together, in one virtual healthcare hub, all the necessary tools, plus on-demand support from a human care team, to effectively manage chronic inflammatory diseases. About Vivante Health Vivante Health is an innovative digital healthcare company reinventing the way chronic conditions are managed, starting with digestive disorders. Our all-in-one gut health program, GIThrive, empowers peoplethrough brilliant technology, advanced science, and on-demand human supportto improve digestive health, while lowering their cost of care. To learn how employers and health plans are saving money with GIThrive, visit vivantehealth.com or email [email protected]. Media Contact: Tonya Rodriguez 1.888.200.5492 [email protected] SOURCE Vivante Health Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 17:53 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b65b2 1 Business Indonesia,BKPM,investment,Davos,WEF,Mitsubishi,Siemens-Indonesia,capital-city-relocation,UAE Free Indonesia has continued its venture to lure global corporations into investing in the country during the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland this week. During a meeting with the head of Indonesias Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, held on the sidelines of the WEFs annual gathering on Tuesday, Japanese chemical giant Mitsubishi Chemicals senior executive, for example, pledged to invest Rp 2.1 trillion (US$153.51 million) to finance the expansion of its plant in Cikarang, West Java. Bahlil Lahadalia pledged to support the firm's expansion, which he said would bolster the government efforts toward substituting imports. "We will escort your new investment until it is actualized in Indonesia. Just contact me if there is any problem," Bahlil told Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporations chief executive officer Hitoshi Ochi during the meeting. Bahlils intention mirrors President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's speech in November 2018, when he urged domestic companies to expand downstream industries, boost exports and reduce imports to seize opportunities from the current trade war between the United States and China. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) showed that Indonesia recorded exports worth a total of $167.53 billion and imports worth a total of $170.72 billion in 2019, making Indonesias trade deficit $3.2 billion last year much lower than the $8.7 billion deficit recorded in 2018. However, Mitsubishi Chemical was only on top of eight other global corporations that Bahlil initially planned to meet during the event to discuss them investing or expanding their operations in Indonesia. Bahlil had also invited German engineering firm Siemens Group to invest in the new capital since it had already invested in power plants for China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and vocational education programs. The government plans to move Indonesias capital city from the heavily populated and polluted Jakarta to a now-forested area in the North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies in East Kalimantan by the end of Jokowis second term in 2024. If the Siemens Group accepts the offer it would be among the global players that had been enlisted to fund the gargantuan project. They include the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan, Japan-based diversified conglomerate Softbank Group CEO Masayoshi Son and former British prime minister Tony Blair. The new capital is projected to cost the country Rp 466 trillion (US$34.06 billion), one-fifth of which is to be funded by the state budget. "I hope that Siemens will form a team with BKPM to realize its role in the capital city project," said Bahlil. BKPM also said it has proposed UAE-based luxury hotel chain Jumeirah Group to expand its network in Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara), Raja Ampat (West Papua) and Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi). The group said it promised it would act upon the offer. Apart from the aforementioned companies, Bahlil will also meet leaders of tech behemoth Amazon, Singapore ride-hailing giant Grab, travel start-up Traveloka, Japanese financial services firm Mizuho, Chinese dairy giant Yili Group and Japanese state lender Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) during the four-day event. Indonesias Trade Ministry again opened an Indonesian pavilion during the WEFs annual gathering, held from Jan. 21 to 24 to promote export commodities, tourism and investment opportunities in the country. A discussion panel was also held to brief global investors about the governments efforts to make Indonesia a better place to do business. Dont be left behind; hurry up, the agencys deputy director for investment climate development, Farah Ratnadewi Indriani said in a statement last week, urging multinational companies to invest in Indonesia. From January to September 2019, overall realized investment reached Rp 601.3 trillion, a 12.3 percent increase year-on-year (yoy), BKPM data shows. Domestic investment grew 17.3 percent to Rp 283.5 trillion while foreign direct investment rose 8.2 percent yoy to Rp 317.8 trillion. Agartala, Jan 23 : Thousands of non-tribals on Thursday organised a rally demanding rehabilitation of hundreds of displaced people who were affected due to 34,000 Reang tribals' shelter in northern Tripura after the they fled from Mizoram 23 years ago due to ethnic unrest. An agreement signed in New Delhi on January 16, stated that those Reang tribals among the 34,000 migrants unwilling to go back to Mizoram, would be rehabilitated in Tripura under a Rs 600 crore package. Around 15,000 people, mostly non-tribals under the banner of the Nagarik Suraksha Manch (citizen protection platform) on Thursday held a rally in northern Tripura's Kanchanpur demanding rehabilitation of the displaced non-tribal people, mostly Bengali community. Rights group and student leaders from Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati including Chandan Chatterjee and Kausik Maiti and leaders of different political parties addressed the gatherings, held at Kanchanpur, 200 km north of Agartala. According to the January 16 agreement, each Reang tribal refugee family would get a plot to construct a house, along with a monetary aid. This list prepared by Statista ranks different events around the world by the estimated number of people who travel for it. The Chinese New Year witnesses one of the planet's greatest human migrations as hundreds of millions of people leave their cities to visit families and friends in rural parts of the country. Here are six major events that see the highest humans migrations. (Image: Reuters) No. 6 | Hajj | No. of people travelling: 2.5 million | The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim who is physically and financially able is expected to make at least once in their lifetime. The five-day pilgrimage includes numerous rituals such as wearing a specially-prepared garment that symbolises human equality and unity before God, a circular, counter-clockwise procession around the Kaaba, and the symbolic stoning of evil. For Muslims around the world, the Hajj is considered a spiritual pinnacle. (Image: Reuters) No 5 | Arbaeen Pilgrimage | Estimated number of travellers: 21 million | The Arbaeen pilgrimage is significantly larger than the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca but nowhere near as well-known. Every year, large numbers of Iranian Shias travel to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq to take part in Arbaeen, which marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for Hussein Ibn Ali, the third Shia imam and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. (Image: Reuters) No 4 | Thanksgiving | Estimated number of travellers: 55.3 million | Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States which occurs on the fourth Thursday of November. The celebration is often recognised as an event that took place when English colonists held a feast to thank Native Americans for helping them start new lives in the US. The holiday continues to be an occasion for Americans to gather for a day of feasting with family. (Image: Reuters) No. 3 | US Holiday Season | No. of people travelling: 115.6 million | The holiday season is a North American term which refers to the period from Thanksgiving until the New Year. Most people in the USA and Canada travel back to their hometown during this period to take time off and spend it with their families. (Image: Reuters) No 2 | Kumbha Mela | Estimated number of travellers: 150 million | The Kumbha Mela is a Hindu religious festival which is celebrated four times over the course of 12 years. The site of observance rotates between four pilgrimage places on four sacred rivers, at Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayagraj. Depending on what position the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter hold in that period in different zodiac signs, the venue for Kumbha Mela is decided. (Image: Reuters) John Adams, of Massachusetts, elected the second president of the United States, had neither the prestige nor the commanding appearance of his predecessor, George Washington. His short, stout figure caused some wits to suggest that he be called His Rotundity instead of president, but Adams was one of the ablest men ever to occupy the presidential chair. Adams was soon called upon to show his mettle as president. Not all Federalists were satisfied when he was chosen as Washingtons successor. Alexander Hamilton was known to have opposed Adams and would do so again in the election in 1800. Adams did not help himself by retaining the Washington cabinet, composed of men with no particular loyalty to the new president. But the overriding issue during Adams presidency was the question of war or peace with France. French not happy In the eyes of the French government, the wrong person was elected in 1896 they would have much preferred Thomas Jefferson. The former American Revolution ally was also unhappy that the United States signed the Jay Treaty with England and thus repudiated the France-American Alliance of 1778. The French Directory charged that the acceptance of the treaty was an unneutral act inasmuch as the United States had obviously accepted the British definition of neutral rights at sea. Breaking off relations with the United States, the French subjected American vessels on the high seas to searching and refused to receive Charles C. Pinckney as our newly appointed ambassador to France. Three-man delegation In an effort to forestall a complete break between the two nations, 61-year-old Pres. Adams sent a three-man delegation to negotiate with the French. Chosen were two distinguished individuals Elbridge Gerry, a Massachusetts Republican, and John Marshall, a Virginia Federalist to join Pinckney in presenting the American position to the French government. By October of 1797, the three were in Paris. Call to Congress While Adams and the Federalists were determined to avoid war if at all possible, Adams called upon Congress to look to the defenses of the nation. Bills were introduced calling for the enlargement of the regular Army, the creation of a provisional army of 15,000 men, the construction of three new frigates for the Navy, creation of a school to train professional officers, and tax measures to pay for these programs. The Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, accused Adams and his party of warmongering and succeeded in defeating the army and tax bills. French demands The three Americans in Paris made no progress for several weeks. Suddenly three unofficial agents (X-Y-Z) of Charles Talleyrand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, appeared with certain demands as prerequisites to negotiation. President Adams was to apologize for certain statements in his message to Congress on May 15, 1797. The United States was to pay a gratuity of $250,000 to Talleyrand and make a loan of 30 million dollars to France. This entire package was construed as a demand for a bribe. The three Americans, with no instructions relative to making payments, could do nothing but refuse and end deliberation. Pinckney and Marshall, convinced of the futility of remaining in France, packed and came home. Gerry, the optimist, lingered on in Paris for several months but was soon recalled. United against France Congress was shocked at the attempt by the French to dishonor the United States. The result was great excitement throughout the country and virtually all Americans, regardless of political views, were united in condemning the insolence of the French. There were demands that the United States take immediate steps to defend its integrity. Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute was the battle cry of the day. Congress declared the Treaty of Alliance and Friendship of 1778 with France quashed and authorized public and private vessels of the United States to capture French ships on the high seas. The good relationship of the two nations during the American Revolution, now, was coming dangerously close to war. In the spring of 1798, Congress created a department of the Navy and appropriated a fund to build warships. Preparations were made to raise an army of 15,000 men. The aspect of an army was slow to materialize because Adams did not much believe in it, since certainly most of the fighting would be on the high seas. A regiment cost money, and money was hard to find in a fledgling nation. About-face However, by 1800 the juvenile Navy, with the aid of hundreds of privateers, had successfully cleared American waters of French cruisers and even carried the naval warfare into the French West Indies. Talleyrand, thoroughly alarmed by the excitement in the United States and with the selection of Bonaparte as First Consul in France, did an about-face to avoid war. Through the aid of the Holland government, a plan to prevent a declared war was avoided. The wise policy that he, Bonaparte and President Adams pursued led to the convention of Sept. 30, 1800, which ended the two-year undeclared war or half-war as Adams called it. The United States was over the war mood anyway. Criticized Adams was much criticized by members of his own party for avoiding war, and it injured his reelection in 1800. In retrospect, he was right in avoiding embarrassing entanglements with European nations that Washington had advised against. The policy of permanent American neutrality, however, was given an added impetus in foreign affairs by the treaty. The French were thinking about reestablishing their influence again in the new world and would need the friendship of America against the British. Years later, Adams said that as his epitaph he could ask nothing better than the following: Here lies John Adams, who took upon himself the responsibility of peace with France in the year 1800. Thats your history! The reports conclusions renew questions about the shadowy world of private hackers for hire. For the right client, or the right sum, such hackers apparently infiltrated the phone of one of the worlds wealthiest and most powerful men. The report did not say which private cybersecurity company was used, but suggested that the Tel Aviv-based NSO Group and Milan-based Hacking Team had the capabilities for such an attack. Image Some of the texts that Mr. Bezos exchanged with Saudi Arabias crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on WhatsApp. Credit... via FTI The hack also exposed how popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp have vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. In October, WhatsApp sued the NSO Group in federal court, claiming that NSOs spy technology was used on its service to target journalists and human rights activists. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, has patched the flaw that the malware used. This case really highlights the threats that are posed by a lawless and unaccountable private surveillance industry, said David Kaye, the United Nations special rapporteur who was a co-author of Wednesdays statement. The companies who are creating these tools are extremely crafty and aggressive, and its a cat-and-mouse game at this point. NSO said it was not involved in any hack of Mr. Bezos phone. Hacking Team did not respond to a request for comment. WhatsApp declined to comment, as did FTI Consulting, the company that Mr. Bezos security team hired to examine his phone and that wrote the forensic analysis. Amazon declined to comment on behalf of Mr. Bezos. Malware that was created for the explicit purpose of prying into private online communications, also known as spyware, has become a $1 billion industry. While companies like the NSO Group and Hacking Team have been accused of deploying their spyware with governments to monitor dissidents and others, smaller companies also sell simpler versions of the software for as little as $10, allowing people to snoop on their spouses or children. Ron Deibert, the director of Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which was not involved in the Bezos investigation, said the Amazon chiefs situation was a reminder that the proliferation of commercial spyware is a global security problem for all sectors, from government and businesses to civil society. Over the years that he has run Amazon, Mr. Bezos has largely kept private. That changed when The National Enquirer published photos and messages last year between him and Ms. Sanchez, a TV anchor. Mr. Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, later got a divorce. The cause of death of Chicago rapper Juice WRLD has been confirmed. He died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone and codeine, the Cook County Medical Examiner ruled Wednesday. Juice WRLD, whose legal name was Jarad Higgins, died on December 8 at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn after experiencing cardiac arrest-like symptoms upon arriving at Chicagos Midway Airport. Law enforcement officials were waiting at Midway for the rappers private plane to land, having received information from a federal task force that guns and drugs might be onboard. It was during a search of the plane and questioning of passengers that the rapper began convulsing, according to Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Federal agents administered Narcan on the scene a drug used to revive people thought to be overdosing on opioids and he was transported to Christ Hospital shortly after, Guglielmi said. Confiscated from the Gulfstream Jet that flew from California were 70 pounds of marijuana were found in 41 vacuum-sealed bags; six bottles of liquid prescription codeine cough syrup; and three firearms, including two 9mm pistols and a .40-caliber pistol, along with metal-piercing bullets and a high capacity ammunition magazine. While no drug charges were filed, two men identified as security guards for the rapper, Christopher Long, 36 and Henry Dean, 27, were charged with misdemeanors for possessing guns and ammunition. Long was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and Dean, who had a permit to carry a gun in Illinois, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon at an airport and possessing the ammunition. In the days after Juice WRLDs death, fans of the rapper packed Chicagos Millenium Park to pay tribute to the rapper, who many said tapped into their lives with his heartfelt lyrics. The impact he had on me, I cant even describe, said 22-year-old Jeremy Hill of Elgin. I was in a dark place when I got into him and he helped me get over a heartbreak. He really gave voice to the voiceless. Its like he was one of us. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates After recently sharing a video of her freaking out on a roller coaster on the set of her new movie Yes Day, Jennifer Garner is now fighting for a pink gorilla doll. The 47-year-old actress was seen on the set at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California on Wednesday, where she struggled to wrangle the doll from another mom. The women are seen running after the doll, both seemingly determined to claim it for their kids. Fighting: After recently sharing a video of her freaking out on a roller coaster on the set of her new movie Yes Day, Jennifer Garner is now fighting for a pink gorilla doll Garner was wearing a maroon striped sweater and dark blue jeans with black combat boots for her day on the set. Garner, who plays Allison Torres in the comedy, is joined by her on-screen husband Edgar Ramirez's, whose character Carlos Torres is seen holding the other mom from behind. The altercation escalates when Garner dumps a bucket of fake bananas on the other mom while Ramirez gets a hold of the pink gorilla doll. Escalates: The altercation escalates when Garner dumps a bucket of fake bananas on the other mom while Ramirez gets a hold of the pink gorilla doll It's the same outfit she was seen wearing in a video she shared from the set a week ago, where she was screaming while riding a roller-coaster with her movie daughter, Jenna Ortega. 'Shooting #YesDay at #SixFlagsMagicMountain is a dream come true. Unless you hate roller coasters,' Garner joked in the caption of her Instagram video. In the video itself, she provided some witty commentary as she rides on the roller coaster known as Twisted Colossus, claiming she's 'having a great time' although the video seems to show otherwise. Outfit: It's the same outfit she was seen wearing in a video she shared from the set a week ago, where she was screaming while riding a roller-coaster with her movie daughter, Jenna Ortega Yes Day follows parents (Garner and Ramirez) as they try to survive an entire day by saying 'yes' to any request their children have. The Torres children are played by Jenna Ortega (Katie) and Julian Lerner (Nando), with the cast rounded out by Nat Faxon and James Kyson. Miguel Arteta (Like a Boss) directs from a script by Justin Malen (Office Christmas Party), based on the book of the same name by Tom Lichtenheld and Amy Krause Rosenthal. Garner also took to her Instagram on Tuesday to share a video of her hugging several middle school kids on National Hug Day. 'On #NationalHugDay, hug any middle schooler you can grabthey can probably use the love. And since Im at work tonight, if you see my teengive her a big squeeze for me. Shes pretty great,' Garner said. Garner is also attached to star in Fantasy Camp as a middle school teacher who pursues her Broadway dreams after attending an adult fantasy camp. New movie: Yes Day follows parents (Garner and Ramirez) as they try to survive an entire day by saying 'yes' to any request their children have Garner also participated in a new trend where users share four different photos, stating which ones they would use for LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder. The LinkedIn shot was seemingly from her show Alias, featuring Garner in a business suit looking serious, while the Facebook shot is a casual portrait, the Instagram shows her in a glamorous dress and Tinder shows her paddleboarding in a tight top and bikini bottoms. When one fan commented that she would switch the Instagram and Tinder pics, Garner joked, 'Shoot, is THAT why no one swipes?' Jokes aside, Garner has been dating CaliGroup CEO John Miller since October 2018. Trend: Garner also participated in a new trend where users share four different photos, stating which ones they would use for LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder RICHMOND, Va. Concerns about a lack of due process and mental health treatment werent enough to stop the Virginia Senate from passing a bill Wednesday that would allow police to temporarily take peoples guns away if a judge deems them a threat to themselves or others. The bill, an extreme risk protection order commonly known as a red flag law, passed on a party-line vote after a nearly hourlong debate and now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration. A lawmaker there, Delegate Rip Sullivan, has his own version. Democrats, who have the majority in both chambers, say the bill versions of which have passed in 17 other states and Washington, D.C. would save lives and prevent people from harming themselves. Republicans call it an unconstitutional gun grab. The Senate bill has gone through several iterations both in committee and on the Senate floor. In the process, misinformation about what it does has spread. Heres what the legislation actually says: THE ORDER After an investigation and at the request of a commonwealths attorney or two police officers who submit an affidavit, a judge or magistrate can issue a 14-day emergency substantial risk order if they find probable cause to believe someone is a danger to themselves or others if they have a gun. A police officer delivers the order, and the person is told to give up any concealed carry permit and voluntarily give up any guns. If they dont, a search warrant can be acquired to take any guns. The person can also give their guns to someone other than law enforcement who is at least 21 and is allowed to have a gun. THE HEARING After 14 days, theres a hearing to determine if the order needs to be in place for longer. The subject of the order can ask for more time to prepare for the hearing, get a lawyer and go over any discovery while the emergency order remains in place. At the hearing, the judge can issue a longer order up to 180 days if they find clear and convincing evidence the person is still dangerous with a gun. A commonwealths attorney or a police officer can also ask for the order to be extended for up to another 180 days, but that would require another hearing. If a judge says a longer risk order isnt needed, the person gets their guns back. REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION Republicans say the red flag law unfairly takes guns away from people without proper due process, and even though the person hasnt committed a crime. They say its wrong that guns can be taken during the 14-day emergency portion of the risk order without the person getting a hearing to defend themselves. Let them have their day in court, Republican state Sen. Richard Stuart of King George said Tuesday. Let them confront their accusers. Let them present witnesses. They also say taking away guns wont necessarily stop people from harming themselves or others. Republicans raised concerns about the bill not providing any treatment for mental health issues. Wheres the knife? Wheres the hammer? Where is it in a bill that it says when a person poses a risk of harm to themselves or others, that they should take out all the medications that could possibly hurt him? Republican state Sen. Bill Stanley of Franklin said Tuesday. Where is it? Its not in there. You know why? Because then this bill would look as ridiculous to all as it is to some on this floor. DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT Democrats say such red flag laws have worked in other states to prevent violence, especially suicides. They pointed to studies that showed reductions in firearm suicide rates in Connecticut and Indiana, where red flag laws are on the books. What we are really doing is removing some of the risk of dozens of people being murdered en masse in advance, said Democratic state Sen. Scott Surovell of Fairfax, who substantially changed the original red flag bill in a way he said gives more due process. A December poll from the Christopher Newport University Wason Center showed 73% of respondents supported some form of a red flag law. OTHER GUN BILLS A slew of other bills pitched by Democrats and supported by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam were scheduled to be voted on at a Senate committee meeting Wednesday afternoon. One bill would require people to report a lost or stolen firearm to police within 24 hours of realizing it has gone missing. Another would ban people under permanent protective orders from having a gun. Democratic state Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth has a bill that would ban guns at preschools and daycare centers, and Democratic state Sen. Adam Ebbin of Alexandria has one that would create a permanent gun ban on Capitol Square. The seven bills pitched by Republican state Sen. Bill DeSteph of Virginia Beach, which would increase time in prison for certain gun-related felonies, died in an about an hour in committee Wednesday. Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) during a news conference at the U.S. Customs House in Philadelphia on Aug. 6, 2019. Read more WASHINGTON Theres not much suspense in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, with his acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate all but assured. But on one of the few major questions left, Sen. Pat Toomey is holding his cards close to the vest. The Pennsylvania Republican has neither supported Democrats calls for new witnesses nor completely slammed the door on the possibility. While Toomey votes with Trump and Republican Senate leadership about 90% of the time, his stand leaves the senator as one of only a handful of lawmakers yet to commit on the issue of calling witnesses. And it could make him a sought-after vote as the trial unfolds in the coming days. The vast majority of senators, including Toomey, appear certain to vote along party lines when it comes to Trumps conviction or acquittal. One of the few unknowns in the trial is whether lawmakers and the public will hear from new witnesses, such as the presidents former national security adviser John Bolton. Three GOP senators have expressed openness to hearing from witnesses, like Bolton and other current and former White House officials. Those witnesses might have firsthand information about the Trump administrations effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, and how directly the president was involved. Senate Democrats, if they stick together, need four Republicans to cross the aisle to have a majority vote in favor of witnesses. Toomey hasnt given much indication that he would support the idea. Overall, he has expressed serious doubts about the charges against Trump, strongly signaling he will vote to acquit the president. The Senate should conduct a fair trial consistent with past precedent," Toomey said in a statement last week as senators were sworn in as jurors. "We will allow House managers to make their case, the Presidents lawyers to make their defense, and senators to pose questions. At the conclusion of these presentations, the Senate can then decide what, if any, further steps are necessary. He reiterated that view Thursday but added that he sees a significant potential downside in the long legal fight that might ensue if the Senate calls witnesses and Trump attempts to use executive privilege to block them. Calling witnesses could prolong this enormously, not just a couple weeks, it could be months, Toomey told Lilly Broadcasting, bringing the trial even closer to a November election when voters will decide Trumps political fate. Toomey also stuck to his position that he hasnt seen any evidence yet that rises to the level of removing a president from office. Thats a very, very high bar, he said. READ MORE: Pat Toomey vowed to be an independent voice. Trumps impeachment could raise the stakes. Toomeys stand on witnesses is in keeping with how he often deliberates and keeps his final intentions private until shortly before politically contentious votes. History shows that Toomey, like most GOP lawmakers, typically ends up siding with Republican leadership, with a few notable exceptions. Recently, for example, Toomey was the only Republican senator to oppose Trumps new trade deal with Mexico and Canada. Over the course of the Trump presidency, liberals have fumed at GOP senators who have hinted at breaking with the president only to eventually vote with him. Ill believe it when I see it, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) said of potential Republican votes for calling witnesses. All of the hand-wringing and furrowed brows seem to mean nothing. Sen. Bob Casey, Toomeys Democratic colleague from Pennsylvania, said: I dont understand why theyre so afraid of putting people under oath." Democrats argue that the only way to have a fair trial and verdict is for lawmakers to gather all the information they can before ruling, and that history will judge those who refuse. Republicans say Democrats havent directly connected their evidence to the president, even as Trump blocks people with personal knowledge of his actions from speaking. Casey and every Senate Democrat voted in favor of motions Tuesday to call witnesses and subpoena additional documents, but Republicans blocked that move in strictly party-line votes. GOP senators, even those who have expressed openness to witnesses, argue that they should follow the same procedure used in the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, when witnesses were called only after opening statements by each side. Further votes are expected later in the trial. White House attorneys have blasted Democrats for arguing that their case is overwhelming but that they also need more witnesses. If Democrats wanted more evidence they should have conducted a longer, more thorough investigation before impeaching him in the House, Trumps attorneys argued. The Senate agreeing to pick up and carry on the Houses inadequate investigation would set a new precedent that could incentivize frequent and hasty impeachments, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). The Senate is not about to rush into these weighty questions without discussion and deliberation. Democrats say the Clinton trial is a poor comparison, since every critical witness in that case had testified before the trial began. In this instance, Trump has blocked critical witnesses, refused to release documents, and bragged about it during an appearance Wednesday at the World Economic Forum. Honestly, we have all the material. They dont have the material, Trump said in Davos, Switzerland. Bolton only announced his willingness to testify after the House investigation concluded. If he spoke, he would become the person closest to Trump to publicly reveal his knowledge of the presidents actions toward Ukraine. Any push for his testimony, though, could run into a GOP effort to subpoena the Bidens, who are at the center of an unfounded theory, pushed by Trump, that the former vice president used his influence to aid a Ukrainian gas company that employed his son. There is ample evidence debunking that claim. Advertisement Fourteen UK patients have been tested for the killer coronavirus after returning from China with flu-like symptoms with more than 800 cases confirmed, it can be revealed. The unidentified patients are thought to be from Wuhan, the city at the heart of the outbreak which has killed 25 people officials today revealed the first person had died outside of Wuhan's province Hubei. Up to 10,000 patients in the city may already be infected, experts fear with cases confirmed across nine different countries, including the US, Singapore and Vietnam. Scientists have today revealed the never-before-seen virus can be spread by coughs and sneezes from someone nearby not just though saliva or close contact such as hugging. Fourteen people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus with five confirmed negative and nine still awaiting the results, Public Health England said on Thursday evening. The locations of all the 14 patients is not clear at this stage, but earlier today tests on five patients in Scotland had not yet ruled out coronavirus. It is unclear where they are being treated but sources say they are at both Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary. All of the patients in Scotland are thought to be in isolation and MailOnline understands they flew in to London in the past fortnight before making their way to Scotland. It is unclear if they are related. Another patient in Northern Ireland who also travelled from Wuhan, but it is unclear when is being treated at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital. It comes as pressure grows on ministers to do more to protect the public. Health Secretary Matt Hancock sought to issue reassurances today as he addressed MPs about the killer outbreak. He promised all passengers on direct flights from China will receive information on what to do if they fall ill. Passengers from Wuhan last night claimed they were just waved through Heathrow and told to ring NHS 111 if they began to feel ill despite Government promises of 'enhanced monitoring' of flights out of the Hubei city. Nine Chinese cities and towns, including Wuhan which has banned all flights in and out of the city, have been placed in quarantine in a desperate attempt to try to contain the SARS-like virus. Shocking videos show how passengers at airports feared to have the virus are being wheeled out in a special 'quarantine box'. Officials in China's capital Beijing announced major Chinese New Year events were cancelled because of the constantly-mutating virus, which can cause pneumonia and organ failure. In a separate development, a passenger on a flight to Los Angeles from Mexico City was taken to hospital and quarantined after showing 'disturbing' symptoms consistent with China's deadly coronavirus. If confirmed, they will become the second case on America soil. The first case an unidentified man in his 30s in Washington is being treated by a robot, it was revealed yesterday. An airline passenger is wheeled out of an airport in Fuzhou in a quarantine box Fuzhou, amid suspicions he has the coronavirus. It is unclear when the picture was taken Three passengers a man and two children arrive at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3 on January 23 after flying from China A cyclist crosses an empty street in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, January 23. The streets of Wuhan are empty after authorities imposed a complete travel ban on residents A resident wears a mask to buy vegetables in the market on January 23, Wuhan. Flights, trains and public transport including buses, subway and ferry have been closed More passengers go through the arrivals hall at Heathrow's Terminal 3 on January 23, as fears grow the coronavirus will spread to the UK A passenger from China arrives at Heathrow. It comes as four patients are being tested for coronavirus in Scotland after travelling from China An older patient arrives at Heathrow Airport on January 23, wearing a face mask. All UK airports will give information to patients from China on what to do if they fall ill Pictured, a poster at Heathrow Airport tells passengers to be aware for symptoms including a cough and difficulty breathing Doctors at the Central Hospital of Wuhan attend to a patient with coronavirus. It is unclear when this picture was taken Is it has been reported that some of the patients in Scotland are being treated at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Scottish Government has not confirmed how many patients are being treated at the hospital The Daily Record reported that the other patient in Scotland was being treated in Edinburgh, thought to be at the city's Royal Infirmary (pictured) The patient in Northern Ireland who also travelled from Wuhan, but it is unclear when was being treated at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital on Thursday Chinese authorities say 25 people have died and now more than 800 people have been infected across the world, with cases cropping up in the US, Saudi Arabia and Singapore The coronavirus can lead to pneumonia, which can kill people by causing them to drown in the fluid flooding their lungs Three Chinese cities, including Wuhan which has banned all flights in and out of the city, were placed in quarantine in a desperate attempt to try to contain the SARS-like virus, which can cause pneumonia and organ failure WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS? Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms. If and when they do, typical signs include: a runny nose a cough sore throat fever (high temperature) The vast majority of patients at least 97 per cent, based on available data will recover from these without any issues or medical help. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. Advertisement At first minister's questions Thursday morning, Nicola Sturgeon said: 'I should say that the risk to the public in Scotland and, indeed, in the United Kingdom is currently classified as low. But obviously that is kept under review. 'Health Protection Scotland is liaising with National Health Service boards and is currently in daily contact with Public Health England and liaising daily with colleagues in the UK Department of Health and Social Care. 'We are also paying close attention to the decisions of and advice from the World Health Organisation. Enhanced monitoring measures have been implemented for flights from Wuhan city to Heathrow. 'Those will involve each flight being met by a port health team, who will check for symptoms of coronavirus and provide information to all passengers.' She added: 'We are considering whether any further information could helpfully be provided at Scottish airports. Obviously, the situation is evolving and we will monitor it extremely closely. 'The cabinet secretary for health and sport or I will ensure that parliament is appropriately updated in the days and weeks to come.' Queen Elizabeth University Hospital which is thought to be treating one of the patients has yet to issue a statement, saying the Scottish Government would release an update later today. Senior doctors told the Record that they believe the cases may both be down to just the flu, given the patients' symptoms. One source told the newspaper: 'There was no doubt the situation was being taken seriously because of the symptoms being displayed and the specific origin of travel. 'The patient came through London to Glasgow and after the symptoms were flagged up no chances were taken. 'The tests that were carried out could not immediately isolate what the condition might be and it may take a bit longer to be absolutely sure what doctors are dealing with. Obviously they are erring on the side of caution in the meantime.' Regarding cases, the Prime Minister's deputy spokesman told reporters: 'These measures are purely precautionary and nobody has tested positive. We are well prepared and well equipped.' Scottish Government sources confirmed five patients were being tested after issuing a statement to say the correct figure was just three on Thursday. Confusion surrounded the true number of patients being tested, with the Edinburgh Evening News reporting that the three patients were being treated at the city's Royal Infirmary - and one in Glasgow. Professor Jurgen Haas, head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh, also claimed there were four cases in Scotland - three in Edinburgh and another in Glasgow. But the Daily Record said a source had revealed two patients had been taken into isolation in Glasgow, saying the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was treating at least one patient and had implemented control measures. It reported a third patient was being tested in Edinburgh. Discussing the potential spread, Professor Haas said: 'Here at the University of Edinburgh we have more than 2,000 students from China and they are always coming and going back to China so we are relatively sure we will have cases in the UK from travellers coming back from China.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'There are currently no confirmed cases of Coronavirus (WN Co-V) in Scotland and the risk to the Scottish public remains low. 'Following travel to Wuhan, China, two people confirmed as diagnosed with influenza are now being tested for Wuhan Novel Coronavirus as a precautionary measure only. Three further people are also undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis. 'As the situation develops we will update should there be any confirmed cases of Coronavirus, rather than provide a running update on cases being considered on a precautionary basis.' The BBC broke the news of the suspected case in Northern Ireland, reporting that it is believed the man is being treated in an isolated ward of the hospital. Belfast Health Trust, which runs the hospital where the patient is being treated, repeatedly declined to comment to MailOnline about the potential case. The Public Health Agency (PHA) also declined to comment. It is understood a patient arrived at the Royal Victoria showing symptoms which may or may not be associated with the condition but it will be some time before results are returned. Coronavirus: What we know so far What is this virus? The virus has been identified as a new type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of pathogens, most of which cause mild respiratory infections such as the common cold. But coronaviruses can also be deadly. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by a coronavirus and killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. Can it kill? Yes. Eighteen people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. People carrying the novel coronavirus may only have mild symptoms, such as a sore throat. They may assume they have a common cold and not seek medical attention, experts fear. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China to the rest of the world to enable other countries to quickly diagnose potential new cases. This helps other countries respond quickly to disease outbreaks. To contain the virus, airports are detecting infected people with temperature checks. But as with every virus, it has an incubation period, meaning detection is not always possible because symptoms have not appeared yet. How did it start and spread? The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Cases have since been identified elsewhere which could have been spread through human-to-human transmission. What are countries doing to prevent the spread? Countries in Asia have stepped up airport surveillance. They include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Australia and the US are also screening patients for a high temperature, and the UK announced it will screen passengers returning from Wuhan. Is it similar to anything we've ever seen before? Experts have compared it to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The epidemic started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere Advertisement Mr Hancock insisted officials would 'not hesitate' to ramp up UK measures to protect the home nations from the spread of the deadly Chinese coronavirus. In parliament Thursday morning, the Health Secretary told MPs: 'Currently the evidence suggests the vast majority of cases are in Wuhan. 'Obviously we keep that under constant review and we will not hesitate to take further steps if that's necessary to protect the British public.' He added: 'We have been closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan and have put in place proportionate, precautionary measures.' His comments came amid growing fears the safety checks at UK airports were not tough enough. Shadow health minister Sharon Hodgson said arrivals seemed to be getting 'virtually no screening'. And she asked if flights from other Chinese cities would be monitored. Officials said yesterday just passengers from Wuhan would be monitored. Travellers from the giant city, home to 11million people, were separated last night at Heathrow Airport, as part of a drastic plan to contain any potential spread of the virus. Ministers announced the Wuhan flight one of three direct flights that go to London each week would land in an isolated area of Terminal 4, and passengers would be met by a team of medics. But holiday-makers arriving from the virus-hit city expressed their shock as they were met by a health team but had not been subject to any screening checks. Instead, they were given a Public Health England leaflet, advising them to contact doctors if they felt ill before being allowed into the country before they were let directly though the airport after baggage reclaim and immigration checks. One said it felt like a 'completely normal flight'. By contrast, countries including the US, Malaysia and Singapore have introduced more rigorous checks, with all passengers coming in from Wuhan are having their temperature taken, regardless of whether they have any symptoms. And the UK is carrying no checks on passengers coming in to Britain on the dozens of flights originating from Wuhan which come via Bangkok in Thailand, Shanghai in China or Hong Kong. Wuhan earlier this week shut down its entire public transport system as it tried to halt the outbreak of the deadly virus. People have been told not to leave the area and the airport and train stations will be closed to outgoing passengers, in a week when millions are travelling for the upcoming New Year holiday. In one video, a man can be seen 'disinfecting' eerily quiet streets of Wuhan, with billowing fumes filling the air outside an apartment block Passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport Authority are scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures against deadly SARS-like virus A picture captured January 23 shows healthcare workers fitted with face masks helping a mother and child in Hong Kong THE KILLER VIRUS MAY HAVE COME FROM BATS, SCIENTISTS SAY The killer coronavirus sweeping across the world may have come from bats, scientists have said. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People's Liberation Army and Institut Pasteur of Shanghai came to the conclusion. In a statement, the team said: 'The Wuhan coronavirus' natural host could be bats but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate. Tests of the virus, which has yet to be named, have revealed it targets a protein called ACE2 just like its cousin SARS, the South China Morning Post reported. Tracing the evolution of the virus, the team of experts found it belonged to betacoronavirus, making it structurally similar to SARS. Authorities have pointed the blame on food markets in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak that scientists are scrambling to contain. Rodents and bats among other animals are slaughtered and sold in traditional 'wet markets', which tourists flock to see the 'real' side of the country. Advertisement In other developments announced on Thursday: Two cities close to Wuhan which has ordered all residents to wear face masks in public places would be locked down. Ezhou has shut down train stations, and Huanggang will suspend public buses and trains and order cinemas and internet cafes to close their doors. Officials in Beijing, the Chinese capital home to 21million people, announced all major Chinese New Year events in the city have been cancelled. Fears of the coronavirus, which has yet to be officially named, have grown as Saudi Arabia claimed to have become the tenth country to declare a confirmed case. An Indian nurse working at al-Hayat hospital caught coronavirus, reports said. Around 100 nurses were tested - but only one was found to have the virus. Al-Hayat Hospital is in Khamis Mushait, some 560 miles (900 km) southwest of the capital Riyadh. The minister added that the nurses had been quarantined and tested due to the threat. But India's consulate in Jeddah have now dismissed the claim, saying the nurse actually only had Mers - or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, another type of coronavirus. Another clip reportedly shows an airline passenger with suspected SARS-like being wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box Quarantine tents appear to have been set-up on the outskirts to isolate anyone showing symptoms in a pop-up medical area Health officials say the first American man infected with the coronavirus may have come in contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. The unnamed man from Washington state flew in to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from China on January 15 and returned to his home in Snahomish County before being diagnosed with the virus five days later on January 20 The Washington state patient who became the first recorded case of the new coronavirus in America is currently in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett (pictured) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION POISED TO DECLARE CORONAVIRUS AN EMERGENCY FOR ONLY SIXTH TIME EVER SO WHICH OTHER OUTBREAKS HAVE 2009 Swine flu epidemic In 2009 'Swine flu' was identified for the first time in Mexico and was named because it is a similar virus to one which affects pigs. The outbreak is believed to have killed as many as 575,400 people. 2014 Poliovirus resurgence Poliovirus began to resurface in countries where it had once been eradicated, and the WHO called for a widespread vaccination programme to stop it spreading. Cameroon, Pakistan and Syria were most at risk. 2014 and 2019 Ebola outbreaks Ebola killed at least 11,000 people across the world after it spread like wildfire through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, 2015 and 2016. More than 28,000 people were infected in what was the worst ever outbreak of the disease. Almost 4,000 people were struck down with the killer virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year. 2016 Zika outbreak Zika, a tropical disease which can cause serious birth defects if it infects pregnant women, was the subject of an outbreak in Brazil's capital, Rio de Janeiro, in 2016. Advertisement Vietnam also reported two cases Thursday afternoon. Reports say the father and son, whose identities haven't been revealed, had arrived from Wuhan. Both are said to be in a good condition. Singapore announced just hours before that it also had a confirmed case, with a 66-year-old man also from Wuhan testing positive for the virus. Four cases have also been recorded in Thailand and two in Hong Kong. Taiwan, Japan, Macau and South Korea have all reported one case. The US has also reported a case an unidentified man from Washington state, who is in his 30s. It was revealed that he had came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. According to health officials, he wasn't diagnosed until Monday, January 20 - five days after he landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from China. He did not fly directly from Wuhan, where he originally set off from. Nor did he visit any of the markets thought to be at the source of the outbreak. The patient is being treated by a robot armed with a stethoscope in a small, 20-foot-by-20-foot room at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Business Insider reported. Officials warned the US is expected to see additional cases. Washington state Health Secretary John Wiesman predicted that the number of Americans infected would likely grow as the coronavirus continues its spread at a faster rate than previously thought. 'I would expect that at some point we're going to have more cases in the US,' Wiesman said, noting that there is no need to panic as public health officials are well-equipped to handle and contain outbreaks. Dr Martin Cetron, director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the US's Centers for Disease Control, said the CDC has instructed the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Department to redirect anyone who tries to get from Wuhan to the US without going through any of the five airports set up for screening. He described funnelling as 'a very complex process that involves reissuing tickets and rerouting passengers from all over the globe through connecting indirect flights'. CDC officials have also suggested the possibility of redirecting entire flights inbound from China through airports with screening checkpoints. Shoppers are pictured in a supermarket in Wuhan, where people are complaining that food prices have risen and videos showed people scrapping over groceries (Picture taken January 23) Medical workers in Hong Kong are dressed in protective gear which they have to wear while dealing with suspected coronavirus patients (Pictured January 23) People covering their mouths with masks are pictured having their temperatures checked at Hangzhou railway station in the east of China, January 23 INFECTED US PATIENT 'CAME INTO CONTACT WITH 16 PEOPLE BEFORE HE WAS ISOLATED' The American man who was infected with China's new coronavirus came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation, according to health officials. The unnamed man from Washington state, who is in his 30s, had his illness publicly confirmed on Tuesday, January 21, making him the first Westerner to be infected. Officials in the US now say he may have encountered and therefore potentially infected 16 or more people in America since catching the bug. He wasn't diagnosed until Monday, January 20, after returning home from China five days earlier and becoming ill later that week. Advertisement When a traveller is sent for a screening in the US, they are first required to take a survey about possible symptoms, such as cough or fever, as well as whether they visited the meat or seafood markets in Wuhan that have been tied to the outbreak. If they appear to have any symptoms associated with coronavirus, they are taken to on-site triage for further examination and a temperature check. Two passengers flying from Shanghai on United Airlines were reportedly examined at O'Hare on Tuesday after appearing to show symptoms of coronavirus, the airline said. It's unclear what led officials to single out the passengers, but they were both cleared and released after examination. President Donald Trump addressed the deadly new virus during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, early Wednesday morning. He praised the CDC's rapid response and said the situation is being handled 'very well'. Clips posted on Twitter claim to show the impact the unprecedented decision to shut down Wuhan has had, with deserted streets reminiscent of the disaster film 28 Days Later. Traffic has piled up on the city's major roads, which have been blocked by police vans enforcing travel bans. In one video an eerily quiet street is seen being 'disinfected', with billowing fumes filling the air, while another shows huge 'quarantine tents' lining a neighbourhood. Airline passengers queue on January 23 at an airport in Hong Kong while wearing face masks to try and stop themselves catching the deadly virus Travellers wear face masks as a precautionary measure at Hong Kong International Airport, pictured January 23 Pedestrians cover their faces in Hong Kong, January 23. At least two people have been infected in Hong Kong, which is part of the same land mass as China Medical staff at Huazhong University of Science and Technology attended a ceremony to form a 'assault team' in the fight against the coronavirus 'LEAVE YOUR OFFICE AND SHUT THE PATIENT IN', UK DOCTORS TOLD IN CORONAVIRUS WARNING Doctors in the UK have been told to leave the room straight away and shut their patient in if they think they might have the Chinese coronavirus. Public Health England has issued official guidance for doctors as concerns grow that the contagious illness will make its way to the UK. More than 800 people have now been infected in Asia and 25 have died. Health authorities and university experts say it is likely cases will appear in Europe and the UK. No cases have been confirmed in the UK yet, but the Government last night screened patients arriving at Heathrow from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, Wuhan. At least 15 medical workers in Wuhan have become infected while treating patients with the virus. The PHE guidance, which was issued to GP practice doctors this week, reads: 'If [the Wuhan coronavirus] is considered possible when a consultation is already in progress, withdraw from the room, close the door and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. 'Avoid physical examination of a suspected case. The patient should remain in the room with the door closed. Belongings and waste should remain in the room. 'Advise others not to enter the room. If a clinical history still needs to be obtained or completed, do this by telephone. 'The patient should not be allowed to use communal toilet facilities. 'Instruct them to not touch anything or anyone when walking to the toilet. Instruct the patient to wash their hands thoroughly after toileting.' If the patient is critically ill, they should be put into an ambulance, PHE said. But otherwise, a hospital should be phoned ahead and warned and the patient must be told to get there without using public transport or a taxi. Advertisement Another clip reportedly shows an airline passenger being wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box, amid suspicions he has the coronavirus. Wearing a protective suit, a mask and gloves, the man allegedly showed symptoms during screening and was isolated from other travellers. Social media users complained that shops have bumped up the price of fresh produce and shoppers have been seen physically fighting a crowded supermarket. One Twitter user, the BBC reported, said the threat of food shortages and disinfectant in the street made it feel like 'the end of the world'. A top official at the National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed that human trials for a vaccine targeting 2019-nCoV, what scientists have temporarily labelled it, could begin within three months. Anthony Fauci told Bloomberg Law that his agency is working with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna Inc to develop the vaccine. 'We're already working on it,' he said. 'And hopefully in a period of about three months, we'll be able to start a phase I trial in humans.' Vaccine experts at Baylor University are also reportedly working on modifying a vaccine they designed to prevent SARS to protect against the new, related coronavirus. But the school's Dean of Tropical Medicine, which is developing the shot, Dr Peter Hotez, has already told DailyMail.com that it's likely years away from deployment. An Oxford University expert said the outbreak so far has been 'extraordinary'. Dr Peter Horby said: 'We haven't seen this large-scale spread since SARS.' Speaking about whether he thought the World Health Organisation should declare it an international emergency, he added: 'There are three criteria one, is this an extraordinary event? Two, is it spreading internationally? Three, is an international response required? In my opinion all three of these have been met.' SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by the SARS coronavirus. It first emerged in China in 2002. By the end of a nine-month outbreak, the virus had spread to several other Asian countries as well as the UK and Canada, killing 775 and infecting more than 8,000. On Thursday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is 'too early' to declare an international public health emergency over the outbreak 'given its restrictive and binary nature'. Speaking at a press conference, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said: 'Make no mistake, this is though an emergency in China. 'But it has not yet become a global health emergency. 'It may yet become one.' Ubeya, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based workforce management platform, raised $3.5m in funding. The round, which brought total amount raised to date to $5M, was led by ICV VC with participation from Cornerstone, a global people development company. The company intends to use the funds to expand its business reach. Launched in 2017 by Omri Dekalo, CEO, Ubeya provides a workforce management platform designed for companies that use hourly staff at the core of their operation. For this type of business, it can be extremely challenging to manage or oversee the performance of a disperse event-based workforce. The platform connects all parties, helping businesses book, track, monitor and reward their hourly staff. The platform is already used by hundreds of businesses including event venues, catering companies, hospitality organizations, staffing agencies, stadiums, promotional businesses and retailers across the U.S. and Europe to source, schedule, manage and pay gig workers. FinSMEs 23/01/2020 by Sara Guaglione , January 23, 2020 Business information, media and events company SourceMedia has relaunched as Arizent. The company, a B2B publisher for professionals in the finance, technology and healthcare industries, owns American Banker, The Bond Buyer, PaymentsSource, Financial Planning, Digital Insurance and Accounting Today, among other brands. SourceMedia is changing more than its name. It is introducing a peer network, a research division and brand studio. Arizent also announced more than 150 new marketing partners. The company is evolving its model to connect business professionals, as well as partners, around powerful ideas driving their industry forward. Our goal is to clearly express our value proposition as it exists today to our various constituents," Gemma Postlethwaite, CEO of Arizent, told Publishers Daily. advertisement advertisement There is a lot of financial-services information available online, but there is increasingly less journalistic integrity online and in the live event channel," she continued. "In addition, news alone will not help companies and professionals to advance in a rapidly changing environment. They also need education, data and peer support to lead them forward. Postlethwaite was named chief executive in March 2018. She was previously CEO of Pira Energy Group, which was acquired by S&P Global in 2016. The executive peer network is called Arizent Leaders. It will focus on creating tangible outcomes in gender equality across the financial services industry," according to the company. Postlethwaite said this network, which integrates the company's editorial, live event and research capabilities, needed "a strong parent brand to represent this effort.Our legacy name was appropriate for media, but did not capture the idea of advancing careers, businesses and our industry, she said. The peer network builds on awards programs like American Bankers "The Most Powerful Women in Banking." Arizent has a new research division to gather data and benchmark metrics to support reporting across all titles and live events. The company's new brand studio will "leverage its insight into the business community as well as new leadership from top agencies like Interbrand and R/GA." Brands are using the studio to produce podcast and video content, as well as connect live event and digital channels. Arizent's name was selected because it "evokes the idea of rising up, which is central to our mission of advancing professional communities," Postlethwaite said. In a shelter near the border, girls dream of futures that may be out of reach if they cannot secure documents. In the second of a four-part series exploring the lives of stateless children in South Africa, three girls share their dreams for the future. Precious*, 12: They said if you come to South Africa there is a shelter where other kids live Twelve-year-old Precious is one of the thousands of migrant and refugee children to have found their way to Musina, the northernmost town of South Africa, just 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) from the Beitbridge border crossing with Zimbabwe. She crossed the border two years ago and is now living at the Christian Womens Ministry (CWM) Childrens Project, in an old church nestled between houses on the outskirts of town. Train tracks run parallel to the main road there, and spaza shops informal convenience stores run from peoples homes line the streets. The buildings on the church property have been converted into a shelter for women and unaccompanied girls. Elsewhere in the town, a similar structure houses unaccompanied boys. When Precious was six, both of her parents died she has no idea why or how. For several years, she lived on the streets of Beitbridge. Like other street children, she heard many stories about the opportunities South Africa could offer. They said if you come to South Africa there is a shelter where other kids live, and you can get your bed and get education and clothes for free, she recalls. She crossed the border alone. Her trip across the Beitbridge border crossing was by malayitsha a Ndebele term meaning one who transports goods to and fro. The term is used to describe cross-border transport operators who carry everything and anything goods, money, undocumented travellers and even unaccompanied children for a price. The vehicles are often minibus taxis, crammed with goods and people. The fees for this service are higher than for conventional transport, but travellers understand that the extra charge helps facilitate the crossing, with money changing hands between transport operators and border officials. Precious says an adult, a big man, on the Zimbabwean side paid her fare which can be anything from 600 South African rand ($42) to 2,000 South African rand ($139). She does not know why he paid for her, but she ran away as soon as she could and made the journey to Musina by herself. A 17-year-old resident of the childrens home, who is originally from Zimbabwe, sits with her one-year-old son, who was born in South Africa [Yeshiel Panchia/Al Jazeera] A wooden cross leans against a large tree at the centre of the churchyard where she now lives. The sound of children playing travels through one of the open windows and, from the dining hall, laughter drowns out the sound of the television. In one of the rooms just off the courtyard, the shelters youngest resident lies stretched out in front of a fan, fast asleep despite the heat. He is one year old. His 17-year-old mother is originally from Harare, but he was born in South Africa. Outside, in the shaded church courtyard, the young residents of the shelter huddle for a group photograph. The picture will be mounted in the office, joining all the other photos of children who have lived there since the shelter opened in 2008. When I heard I was coming to the shelter I was very happy, because I would get an education Precious Sitting on the lower level of a bunk bed in one of the dorm rooms, Precious runs her hand along the graffiti scrawled on the base of the bed above. Here, many young girls have scribbled their messages and their dreams; their prayers and their requests to their gods and their angels. In one corner of the wooden base, a school timetable was written with black marker English, Maths, Science, Biology. Precious is now in Grade 4 at school, and says she wants to be a teacher. When I heard I was coming to the shelter I was very happy, because I would get an education, she says, before adding that her favourite subject is English. Many of the shelters residents hope to one day make their way to a big city. Precious has set her sights on Johannesburg. She imagines things will be better there and that she will finally be able to make a home for herself. A prayer written on the back of a bedroom door in the childrens home [Yeshiel Panchia/Al Jazeera] Chantelle*, 11: One day I want to be a teacher Like Precious, 11-year-old Chantelle, also a resident of the church shelter, dreams of one day becoming a teacher. She sits on a single bed in one of the bedrooms. Behind her, a ragdoll and a fluffy bunny flank an open bible. Chantelle has been living at the home for the past three months. She asks if her story will be on the television and if it will include her real name and photograph. She wants her photograph to be shown, she explains, because then maybe her mother will see it and come to find her. Chantelle is originally from Zimbabwe, although she does not know exactly where. I came here with my mum, she says, but she disappeared at the border. She saw the police and ran away. Chantelle says she has no other family. I feel bad because I want to see my mother. The children at the CWM childrens shelter in Musina have very few personal belongings, often crossing the border alone, taking with them only what they can carry [Yeshiel Panchia/Al Jazeera] After she was separated from her mother, some adults brought her to the shelter. They told me we are friends. They said to me they are going to protect me, and I can go to school. Her face lights up at the mention of school. Back in Zimbabwe, her days were spent helping her mother with chores and she never went to school. I want to be protected. I want to go to school. One day I want to be a teacher, she says. She misses her village and friends in Zimbabwe, she says, but she is glad that she has new friends in Musina, and that they serve her favourite food chicken and rice at the shelter. Nombuso*, 18: I want to be an international lawyer Nombuso, who attends the CWM childrens home in Musina, hopes to be able to complete her schooling despite not having a birth certificate [Yeshiel Panchia/Al Jazeera] Nombuso has been living in the shelter for the past six years. She sits under the shade of a red canvas roof as the younger girls run around her. She came to Musina 11 years ago with her sister, who was 21 at the time. She does not remember exactly how she crossed the border. I was seven years old, she says. I just remember when we were in the car and the police caught us and we went to the police station. Her brother-in-law paid her bail. I didnt know what was going on, she recalls. Nombuso lived with her sister in a small rented home in an informal settlement just outside Musina, but was forced to move after her sister died in 2012 and she could no longer afford to stay there. At least at the shelter, she says, she could continue her schooling. She is currently in Grade 9 and loves science. Going to school is so good. Its the wish of every child, but now its complicated because they need some documents, she explains. But Nombuso has no identity documents; she only has a court order placing her in state care. They need a birth certificate, passport, permit, she says. I dont have anybody to provide that for me. She hopes to complete her schooling, but worries that it will be difficult without a birth certificate. If she cannot stay in school, she would like to work at the shelter and help other children. But her dream, she explains, is to become an international lawyer. I want to stand for the shelters that help foreigners like me. The children like me, who dont have parents or anybody to provide them a lot of things but need a family to do that I want to stand for them, she says. To be an international lawyer means I can help. She smiles as she looks into the courtyard where Chantelle and Precious are playing. I can stand up for the other children like me. Thats what I wish. *Names changed to conceal identities The Border Security Force personnel shot dead two Bangladeshi smugglers who were trying to steal cattle from a village in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday, a police officer said here. Another Bangladeshi smuggler was detained, Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria said. "After crossing the border, they reached Baidyapur village near Kedaripara border outpost and started stealing cattle early in the morning," he said. Rajoria said when the BSF personnel intervened, the smugglers attacked them and the border guards opened fire killing two of them. The two were identified as Kamal Sheikh and Sanjt Oray who were residents of Naogaon district of Bangladesh, he said. The detained person, Kabir Hasan, also hailed from the same district. Police has started an investigation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) But New York City officials have also targeted ride-sharing and meal-delivery apps, as well as facial recognition for building entries all in an effort to blunt the impact of advancing technology on those who are unable to use it because of financial circumstances, unwilling to for philosophical reasons or vulnerable to its darker aspects. Consumers should have the right to choose if they want to pay in cash or not, said Councilman Ritchie Torres, the bills lead sponsor. We are reining in the excesses of the digital economy. Under the bill, businesses that refuse cash face fines of $1,000 for a first violation and $1,500 for each subsequent offense. Businesses with devices that convert cash to cards, like those found in many laundromats, are exempt under certain conditions, including a provision that there be no fee for such cards. One large New York business that provides cash-conversion machines and would therefore be exempt is the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where many, though not all, concession stands do not accept cash. With 23 of Mr. Torress colleagues signing on as sponsors, the bill, which he first introduced in 2018, passed the City Council by a 43-3 margin on Thursday. A spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that he supported the intent of the legislation, but that his administration still planned to review it. Lebanon: Police fire tear gas as fresh protests hit Beirut Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 9:45 PM Lebanese security forces have fired tear gas and water cannon on Wednesday to try to break up stone-throwing protesters in Beirut. Some protesters tried to climb over barbed wire and fencing to storm a heavily barricaded part of central Beirut that includes parliament. Unrest in the capital this week has deepened the multi-faceted crisis sweeping Lebanon as it grapples with financial strains that have sunk the currency, pushed up prices and driven banks to impose capital controls. Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Wednesday the the country is facing "catastrophe" after his newly unveiled cabinet held its first meeting to tackle the twin challenges of a tenacious protest movement and a nosediving economy. Diab, the successor to Saad Hariri who quit as prime minister in late October amid widespread protests, vowed to meet demands from the street, but demonstrators were unconvinced. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address It isnt yet clear how serious a health threat Chinas new coronavirus outbreak will be. The 17 deaths attributed to it so far pales in comparison to annual winter flu mortality. [See update at end: Chinese authorities clearly very worriedand per the theme of the post, do they know more than they are letting on, or is this the public health version of fog of war?] Note that as of now, the WHO has not declared this coronavirus outbreak to be a global health emergency. But the speed and severity of Chinas reaction, taking the unprecedented step of cordoning the city of Wuhan, is enough to lead worry-warts to think officials might know something they havent yet fessed up to. WATCH: Wuhan train station cordoned off as the city of 11 million goes on lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus pic.twitter.com/nV743GcUBg BNO News (@BNONews) January 23, 2020 Even though Wuhan is a provincial capital, it has a population of 11 million and 600 to 800 daily flights, including direct flights to San Francisco, Tokyo, London, New York, Paris, and Moscow. The Chinese measures are on the order of halting air, train, and other public transport travel from New York City right before Christmas. Massive lines of people stuck in Wuhan trying to escape the virus outbreak. Flight have been cancelled as China quarantines city pic.twitter.com/xrQXTxjDst Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) January 23, 2020 However, the lockdown wasnt absolute: Private cars and trucks can freely leave Wuhan, drivers and passengers get a temperature check. Vehicles also permitted to drive in. Not currently accurate to describe the city as being "locked down". pic.twitter.com/JAHzXOliJc Tom Hancock (@hancocktom) January 23, 2020 But other images suggest that getting out by car is difficult: CHINA LATEST: #Wuhan, city of 11 million quarantined to help stop the spread of #coronavirus #WuhanPneumonia pic.twitter.com/uVq4OHD2Pr UFO Central (@UFOcentral) January 23, 2020 And this suggests road exits are being shut down: #UPDATE: Hubei has begun shutting down highways within the province and Wuhan has started closing highway exits leaving the city. pic.twitter.com/rfQAApbYzQ People's Daily, China (@PDChina) January 23, 2020 Input from readers who can read Chinese and provide more intel would be very much appreciated. For instance, it would be useful to know if other sources confirm that locals are concerned that the travel limits will affect daily life, or if this is what Lambert likes to deride as Web evidence: Purported video of locals fighting over food supplies in Wuhan amid a rush to stock up due to city-wide lockdown https://t.co/uOPXxSQRBl ELINT News (@ELINTNews) January 23, 2020 Note the figure of 554 cases is confirmed infections; many press reports now estimate the number of infections as in the thousands. There have also been confirmed cases in the US, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. This tweet gives more confirmation of the strictness of measures within Wuhan: An old mother put Chinese New Year's food on the floor in front of her son's house. They can not be together because his son is a doctor fighting in the front line of #Wuhan. The mother said to her son across the door, "take care of yourself, you must take care of yourself ". pic.twitter.com/fi1eJBSC57 wayne (@wnzhong1) January 23, 2020 Recall that the coronavirus is believed to have started at a market for exotic meat; researchers believe it might have originated with snakes. Chinese dont like eating formerly frozen meat, so these foods are regularly transported in trucks unfrozen; only the bourgeois shop at stores with refrigerator cases. When I visited Bali in the early 1990s, I was disconcerted by similar norms: local markets, with the food market the big draw and stalls with clothing and crafts on the periphery, with vegetables and (hopefully slaughtered that day nearby) raw chicken parts piled up in baskets in the equatorial heat. This gives an idea of the much more modern, urban version of that type of market in Wuhan: Photo from Douban of a menu at #Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market. Don't know when it was taken, but they sell all kinds of wild animals incl. live wolf pups & palm civets. 2nd photo taken after outbreak discovered shows this storefront (3rd left) covering word (wild) in its name. pic.twitter.com/HiQlzX4XBX Muyi Xiao (@muyixiao) January 21, 2020 The Chinese response could come out of post mortems of the 2002 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak. I could easily see that if you are dealing with a new disease that has proven itself to be a killer, an aggressive response early on would be a more prudent approach than waiting to have better data about communicability, vulnerability, and infection modes. In other words, the potential for this outbreak to be SARS 2.0 is ample reason for caution. From Wikipedia: an outbreak of SARS in southern China caused an eventual 8,098 cases, resulting in 774 deaths reported in 37 countries, with the majority of cases in China and Hong Kong (9.6% fatality rate) according to the World Health Organization (WHO). No cases of SARS have been reported worldwide since 2004. A 10% death rate is enough to focus the mind. And again, based on the data out of China so far, it does not yet appear that this new coronavirus is that lethal. Nevertheless, Mr. Market didnt like the look of medics in hazmat suits attending the sick and inspecting planes. #Wuhan #coronavirus: #virus originated from an illegal animal market and is believed to have originated from a bat. He has already killed 9 people, there are at least 3000 cases. The authorities fear another change. The China virus is spreading quickly.pic.twitter.com/IRJxiGvw3U ULAK (@ulakrte) January 23, 2020 The ban on travel out of Wuhan, a city of 11 million, triggered a drop in the Shanghai index of 2% and Hong Kong, 3%. The Nikkei and the ASE also fell. Bloomberg has some detail on the fatalities: At least nine victims had pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, coronary artery disease and Parkinsons disease, the National Health Commission said. Eight were aged 80 or over, two were in their seventies, five in their sixties and one in his fifties. The youngest was a 48-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition. Four of the victims were women and the rest were men. Causes for concern: One expert thinks the extent of this coronovirus spread could be much worse than SARS. From Shanghaiist: In an interview with Caixin, Guan Yi, a Hong Kong University professor specializing in infectious diseases, feared that the scale of the Wuhan virus may be 10 times greater than that of SARS, adding that the situation left him feeling powerless. Ive experienced so much. Ive never felt scared, most of them are controllable, but this time, Im scared, he told the news outlet on Thursday in regards to his recent trip to Wuhan to help discern the source of the virus. Arriving in the city on January 21, Guan was critical of what he saw there including the alarming uncleanliness of local wet markets and the airport, even as the city was on high alert. After only a day in Wuhan, he decided that he needed to get out. He has since put himself into isolation. When asked for his opinion, Guan was skeptical about how much good the Wuhan lockdown would do, noting that many residents had already left the city for the Spring Festival holiday and that the optimal time for quarantine had already passed. He also explained that this new virus may prove more difficult to trace than SARS, which was chiefly transmitted by so-called superspreaders. So far, health authorities havent been able to trace the spread of the virus. Some of the people who died did not exhibit a fever. This is particularly troubling since it would make it well nigh impossible to determine who has been infected. Again from Bloomberg: Several people whove died from a new virus in China didnt display symptoms of fever, potentially complicating global efforts to check for infected travelers as they arrive at airports and other travel hubs. Details released by Chinas National Health Commission show five of the 17 people who died after being infected with novel coronavirus displayed other symptoms such as breathing difficulty, chest tightness and coughing. The joint-oldest victim, an 89-year-old male, was suffering from drowsiness and incontinence, as well as a fever. He sought medical help on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 18. He had pre-existing conditions, including hypertension. There are rumors of new cases in Hong Kong (note one has been confirmed so far): #BREAKING another suspected #ChinaPneumonia case in #HongKong A traveler from #Wuhan went to see doctor in #Central, the most hustling CBD in Hong Kong. Patients wife & mother-in-law also have FEVER!#PrayForHongKong #WuhanPneumonia #coronovirus #China #wuhanvirus pic.twitter.com/8GtiyJy8zd @Dystopia (@Dystopia992) January 23, 2020 And the greater extent of air travel in and out of China greatly increases the risk if this coronavirus proves to be as deadly as SARS: Comparing #Wuhan virus to #SARS, you have to keep in mind that air traffic within and out of China has SOARED since 2003, and this could be decisive vector of its spread. pic.twitter.com/4V4FcOk0MH Aureliano Buendia (@Aureliano_no_24) January 23, 2020 However, Chinese officials really are not messing around: My cousin in Shanghai sent me this video. Apparently this happened today: a traveller with high fever from Wuhan went straight into a quarantine cage.#WuhanCoronavirus pic.twitter.com/NtFoeHpRTn Adam Ni (@adam_ni) January 23, 2020 But what about people with no fever in China and abroad? Update 6:00 AM: Via a Wall Street Journal news alert: On Thursday, authorities in Huangganga city of 7.5 million peoplesaid they wont let long-distance trains and buses run from the urban center and will shut its public transportation system in the lockdown zone, effective midnight Friday local time. Ezhou, another neighboring city with just over a million residents, said it would enact similar restrictions. Huanggang is about 35 miles east of Wuhan, a city of 11 million and a major hub for travel, where the new pneumonia-causing coronavirus originated. Wuhan just hours earlier halted outbound trains and flights and shut down its public-transportation system. The Huanggang local government also said movie theaters, internet cafes and other entertainment and cultural facilities in the city center would temporarily halt operations and a central market would be shut down for an indefinite period. Starting Thursday, the local government said it would inspect every person and car entering and exiting the urban center. The new restrictions and shutdowns effectively represent a doubling down by Chinese authorities of a high-stakes strategy that experts describe as an untested approach to dealing with infectious diseases. The BBC is running a live blog. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Michigan has a responsibility to make prescription drugs more affordable for its residents. She met with patients and staff at Cherry Health in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday. The nonprofit is a federally qualified health center that focuses on providing health care services to low income people. Whitmer wanted to hear from patients and staff about the challenges of affording prescription drugs in order to begin the process of developing a plan to make medication more affordable. She said any plan starts with making sure the right people are at the table because, this is about solutions, not about political talking points." We really have to have some solutions on the prescription drug front in particular and I think we can develop a plan here and make a difference in peoples lives, Whitmer told reporters after a roundtable discussion and tour of the facility. The affordability of prescription drugs has become a national topic recently. In July, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders traveled from Detroit to Canada with patients in search of cheaper medications. Tasha Blackmon, Chief Executive Officer for Cherry Health, said it was important for the governor to hear from a diverse group of patients and staff members in order to understand the real problems they face. Blackmon said the costs of prescription drugs is, one of the largest issues facing patients. Could you imagine being diagnosed with hypertension and then not having access to the mediation to treat it? she said. Several patients told Whitmer about needing medical prescriptions that cost thousands of dollars, but they couldnt afford it. One discussed her co-pays getting out of control and that at one point she contemplated cutting her diabetes medication in half to make it last longer. Eighty percent of the people that Cherry Health serves are the poorest in the community, Blackmon said. Gov. Whitmer listens as Cherry Health Chief Executive Officer Tasha Blackmon explains her concerns about the affordability of prescription drugs. Were eager to pull people together and really put together a plan for what we can do at the state level, Whitmer said. Brett Gingrich, director of pharmacy services, had some suggestions for the governor. He said that only about 30 to 40 percent of generic drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration are actually sold due to issues with patents, among other reasons. So that is one way, to change those types of regulations, and that law to get generics on the market, increase competition, Gingrich said. That just naturally will lower drug prices. But thats an issue that would likely have to be tackled at the federal level. It is often a problem state lawmakers run into when trying to find ways to lower the costs of prescription drugs. And one that Whitmer recognized. At a more state level, Gingrich suggested that there be more regulations around pharmacy benefit managers. Those are third parties that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of health insurers. Gingrich said he would like to see state laws that would ensure more oversight of the pharmacy benefit managers as well as drug price transparency. Democrats in the state House have introduced several bills related to the price of insulin for people with insurance. Other bills backed by Democrats would do things like limit co-pays for primary care and behavioral health visits and allow for Michigan to import some drugs from Canada. But those bills have yet to get a hearing. Right now, Whitmer is focused on gathering the right people" to advise her and the Legislature about what can be done to lower drug costs. The Legislature can be well motivated and thoughtful and care about this," Whitmer said. "But if you dont have the right people really telling us where the pitfalls are and where we as a state can make a difference, then I dont think were really going to have relief for folks. Whitmer said those people will likely include pharmacists, doctors and nurses, but also patients. There may be hurdles that all of the people that provide healthcare dont appreciate that a patient does, she said. Read More: Meet Thor and Loki, Marquettes rising star Coast Guard dogs Weekend storm will be soggy, but will struggle to be super wintry Kent County leaders want to construct a parks visitor center, offices The founder of an Arizona pharmaceutical company is expected to be sentenced in Bostons federal court Thursday for his role in a bribery and kickback scheme that prosecutors said helped fuel the opioid crisis. John Kapoor, the 76-year-old former chairman of Insys Therapeutics, was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy last May after a trial that lasted 10 weeks and led to 15 days of jury deliberation. Prosecutors are requesting a sentence of 15 years in prison, while Kapoors attorneys say he deserves no more than a year and a day. Kapoor and others were accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to doctors across the nation to prescribe the companys highly addictive oral fentanyl spray, known as Subsys. They were also accused of misleading insurers to get payment approved for the drug, which is meant to treat cancer patients in severe pain and can cost as much as $19,000 a month. In recent court documents, prosecutors characterized Kapoor as the fulcrum of the scheme, saying he did not hesitate to use the authority of his financial position to dictate the criminal strategies employed by Insys. It was, in almost every way, Kapoors crime, they wrote. Kapoor's lawyers argue that the bribery scheme was concocted by other executives at the company. In a court filing, they said their client has been portrayed as a caricature of a mob boss when hes really an immigrant success story. They say the India-born exec developed Subsys after seeing his wife suffer and die from breast cancer. During his trial, jurors heard from former employees who testified that Insys made a habit of hiring attractive women as representatives to boost sales of the drug. One former sales representative testified that a regional sales manager once gave a lap dance at a Chicago nightclub to a doctor Insys was pushing to write more prescriptions. Jurors also were shown a rap video in which Insys employees danced and rapped around a person dressed as a giant bottle of the fentanyl spray. Prosecutors said the video was shown at a national sales meeting in 2015 and was intended to motivate representatives to push Subsys to doctors. The case was considered the first that sought to hold an opioid maker criminally liable for the drug crisis, which has claimed nearly 400,000 lives over the last two decades. At least two others have since faced criminal charges, but prominent companies including Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, have only faced suits that carry no threat of prison time. After the trial, the company reached a $225 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to end its criminal and civil probes. Insys has since filed for bankruptcy protection, and its not clear whether the company will fully pay whats owed. The company has been approved to sell off Subsys and its other drugs for about $30 million, but it maintains its assets, all told, are worth only $175 million. Along with Kapoor, four others from Insys also were convicted last year, while two pleaded guilty and testified against their former colleagues. Alec Burlakoff, a former vice president of sales who pleaded guilty in 2018, also is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in Boston. Others in the case have been dealt sentences ranging from a year and a day to nearly three years in prison. The governors of South-western states who met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday have vowed not to backtrack on the regional security outfit, Amotekun. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said this in an interview with journalists after the meeting with Mr Osinbajo. He said the governors, however, agreed to put a legal framework in place for the security outfit. we are going to have legal framework to back this Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to be one which we all are going to look at and will be sure to go without any hinderance, he said. PREMIUM TIMES reported the controversy that has trailed the formation of Amotekun with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, describing it as illegal. Many commentators have also said the six participating states should have first pass laws by their state assemblies to set up Amotekun before it was established. Such a law is what Mr Akeredolu appears to be referring to. The Ondo governor also said they held consultations with relevant federal officials before Amotekun was established. Read the excerpts of Mr Akeredolus interview below. Akeredolu: Well we had a very fruitful discussion. Governors of South-west as you know we were all there. The meeting was presided over by the Vice President. The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation was there as well as the Inspector General of Police. So, we have robbed minds and all of us have agreed on the way forward. The most important one is that we are going to have legal framework to back this Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to be one which we all are going to look at and will be sure to go without any hinderance. READ ALSO: Q: Does it mean the establishment of this outfit has been put on hold until the legal framework is developed? Akeredolu: No. What I believe is our resolution is that Amotekan is there, you know the federal government is starting community policing, in essence really is about community. So, we are going to work together to see the community policing and Amotekun work in a way. Q: Why was there no such consultations before the launch of the outfit? Akeredolu: No no no, there were consultations, dont say there were no consultations. There were consultations because, we held discussions with the IG then and what has developed is what has led to this. Not that there were no consultations. We just felt that with all these noise outside, it is better for us to sit down. Remember that immediately the noise started, I said that we are going to explore political solution and all of us are here, my colleague the deputy governor of Oyo who is of the PDP, all of us are here. So we have looked at this solution to it now, both political and legal solutions to it and all of us will do it. Q: What will you tell those protesting that government is trying to stop it? Akeredolu: No, the government is not trying to stop it. The attorney general has spoken on that, Im sure you have all read the statement that he was misinterpreted. So its so clear, there was no time that government wanted to stop Amotekun and the AGF having spoken, its all about us, so there is no problem. A motion was introduced to members at the Louth County Council January meeting, calling on the Minister for Housing to introduce a rent freeze without delay, as well returning one months rent back for every renter. Cllr Ruairi O Murchu introduced the motion, in which he said "the cost of renting has spiraled out of control and high rents are having a negative impact on individual families and the wider local economy." It also called on the council to write to Minister Eoghan Murphy to call on him to "introduce an immediate rent freeze and a refundable tax credit that will put one months rent back in every renter's pocket." At the meeting, Cllr O Murchu highlighted the fact that "regular" houses in Dundalk were now costing 1,000 - 1,200, and reminded those present that this is a "huge cost to all of us" as these amounts that were being paid to landlords through HAP payments. Cllr O Murchu received words of support from his Sinn Fein colleagues in the chamber for the motion, with Cllr Joanna Byrne commenting that Rent Pressure Zones are not working. Green Party councillor Marianne Butler also spoke on the motion, saying that housing has become a worldwide topic and pushed "cost rental" as a good solution and also added that Rebuilding Ireland was not working. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have communicated to the telecom department that they will not pay AGR dues of Rs 88,624 crore, the deadline for which ends on Thursday, and will wait for the outcome of modification petition listed for hearing before the Supreme Court next week, according to official sources New Delhi: Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have communicated to the telecom department that they will not pay AGR dues of Rs 88,624 crore, the deadline for which ends on Thursday, and will wait for the outcome of modification petition listed for hearing before the Supreme Court next week, according to official sources. The apex court has set 23 January as the deadline to pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. #AGR Case | Bharti Airtel & Vodafone Idea write to the Telcom Department in relation the adjusted gross revenue payment, request govt to wait for Supreme Courts directions. Telecom cos say SC is seized of the matter and it's allowed an urgent hearing in the following week pic.twitter.com/2l0XQZu08x CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) January 23, 2020 Both companies have requested the Department of Telecom (DoT) to give them time to make payment based on the outcome of their modification petition listed for hearing before the Supreme Court next week, sources said. New entrant Reliance Jio, however, is likely to make payment of Rs 177 crore towards AGR liability on it. "Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have communicated to the DoT that they will not be making payment on 23 January when the last date to clear AGR ends. They have said they will comply with the outcome of modification petition filed before the Supreme Court which is listed for hearing next week," a source said. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other telecom companies owe the government as much as Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past statutory dues. Tata Communications, in which the government holds 26.12 per stake, has also made no provision for DoT's demand of Rs 6,633 crore for AGR dues as the Supreme Court order did not include an appeal of the company which is still pending before the apex court. The company said it has replied to the demand cum notice sent by the DoT in September quarter 2019 but has not received any response from the department. Telecom companies owe the government Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee, and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges. These liabilities arose after the Supreme Court in October held that non-telecom revenues have to be considered for calculating statutory dues. Outstanding SUC (spectrum usage charges) dues of various telecom service providers as on 31 October, 2019, added to Rs 55,054 crore. The government has directed the licensees to make the payments in accordance with the order of the Supreme Court dated 24 October, 2019, and submit requisite documents within the stipulated time frame. In the case of Bharti Airtel, the liabilities added up to nearly Rs 35,586 crore, of which Rs 21,682 crore is licence fee and another Rs 13,904.01 crore is the SUC dues (not including the dues of Telenor and Tata Teleservices). In the case of Vodafone Idea, this number stands at a cumulative Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of SUC dues and Rs 28,309 crore in the licence fee. OTTAWA - As the federal government moves to revise the law on assisted dying, new survey results suggest most Canadians support medical help to end suffering even when a natural death is some time away. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti poses for a portrait on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. As the federal government moves to revise the law on assisted dying, new survey results suggest most Canadians support medical help to end suffering even when a natural death is some time away. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - As the federal government moves to revise the law on assisted dying, new survey results suggest most Canadians support medical help to end suffering even when a natural death is some time away. In a web survey conducted this month for The Canadian Press, polling firm Leger found 86 per cent of respondents agreed that someone with a serious, degenerative and incurable disease should be able to request and obtain medical assistance in dying. Seventy-four per cent of those who took part said medical assistance in dying should be accessible to all people with incurable diseases, even if their death is not fast approaching. Agreement with this notion of a broader assisted-dying regime ranged from 66 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to 84 per cent in Quebec. There was also little variation among people who identified as supporters of any of the three main national political parties. The results come as the Trudeau government works to comply with a Superior Court of Quebec ruling that concluded it is unconstitutional to allow only Canadians who are already near death to seek medical help to end their lives. "Based on these numbers, it's all green lights for the federal government to move ahead," said Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque. The survey was conducted Jan. 17 to 21 among 1,552 Canadians eligible to vote who were randomly recruited from an online panel. Since polls created from Internet panels are not random samples, however, the survey can't be assigned a margin of error. The polling firm says that using data from the 2016 census, results were weighted according to age, gender, mother tongue, region and level of education to ensure a representative sample of the population. The Quebec court gave the government until March 11 to amend the current law, which took effect four years ago following a landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling that struck down the previous prohibition on doctor-assisted death. "I'd like to have a bill in front of the House of Commons as soon as possible," Justice Minister David Lametti said Thursday. Lametti did not rule out requesting an extension should the March 11 deadline prove to be tight, but said he would first like to see what level of consensus exists in the House. The government is seeking views through an online questionnaire, closing Jan. 27, on how the law should be changed. Lametti, Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Carla Qualtrough, the minister for disability inclusion, are also consulting key voices at roundtables and other meetings. The Leger poll yielded some views on questions the government has asked Canadians to ponder. For instance, 74 per cent of respondents said people should be allowed to express an advance wish for medical assistance in dying if one day they should be diagnosed with a serious, degenerative and incurable disease. Seventy-three per cent agreed with the option of making an advance request for help ending their lives, using an official application form, as soon as a person has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and is still lucid. Just under half of respondents said the current 10-day period of reflection between requesting and receiving a medically assisted death should be increased. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Jerusalem's Old City Wednesday, he also walked in the footsteps of one of his predecessors, Jacques Chirac, by engaging in a heated argument with Israeli security. (Photo: File) Jerusalem: When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Jerusalem's Old City Wednesday, he also walked in the footsteps of one of his predecessors, Jacques Chirac, by engaging in a heated argument with Israeli security. The altercation flared when Israeli police and domestic security agents pushed past the French detail and were first to enter the Church of Saint Anne, which is French territory under international treaties. "Everybody knows the rules. I don't like what you did in front of me," an animated Macron told the Israeli personnel, speaking in English, in the crush to enter the building. "Go out -- outside please!" he added in a raised voice in scenes captured in video footage that quickly spread on social media. The Roman Catholic church, located at the start of Via Dolorosa in the Old City's Muslim Quarter, has been part of France's territories in the Holy Land since the 1850s. Macron told the Israeli officers that rules in place "for centuries... will not change with me, I can tell you, OK? So everybody, respect the rules." Wednesday's tense scenes recalled a 1996 Jerusalem visit by late former president Chirac during which he also grew testy with Israeli security personnel who were urging him to move on. Chirac heatedly told them their actions were a "provocation" and angrily asked: "What do you want? Me to go back to my plane and go back to France, is that what you want?" Macron, speaking later Wednesday about his own incident, said there had been "some nervousness between the security teams and I was trying to put it in order", adding that afterwards he "shook hands warmly" with the Israeli officers. Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency said in a statement that "in accordance with the pre-established coordination of security arrangements, a police officer and an officer of the Shin Bet accompanied the French president and his men into the church". "Upon leaving, the president's team apologised for the incident, the president shook hands with the officers and continued his visit to the Old City, accompanied by the security forces in order to ensure his safety as a high-level visitor to Israel." Macron will on Thursday attend a ceremony to commemorate the liberation 75 years ago of Nazi Germany's Auschwitz death camp in what was then occupied Poland. BANGKOK News that a new virus that has afflicted hundreds of people in central China can spread between humans has rattled financial markets and raised concern it might wallop the economy just as it might be regaining momentum. Health authorities across Asia have been stepping up surveillance and other precautions to prevent a repeat of the disruptions and deaths during the 2003 SARS crisis, which caused $40 billion to $50 billion in losses from reduced travel and spending. The first cases of what has been identified as a novel coronavirus were linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, suggesting animal-to-human transmission, but it now is also thought to be spread between people. As of Wednesday, more than 500 people were confirmed infected and 17 had died from the illness, which can cause pneumonia and other severe respiratory symptoms. A retreat in financial markets on Tuesday was followed by a rebound on Wednesday, as investors snapped up bargains. Share benchmarks were mostly higher both in Asia, Europe and the U.S. While the new virus appears much less dangerous than SARS, the most significant Asia risk could lie ahead as the regional peak travel season takes hold, which could multiply the disease diffusion, said Stephen Innes, chief Asian strategist for AxiCorp. So, while the risk is returning to the market, the lights might not turn green until we move through the Lunar New Year travel season to better gauge the coronavirus dispersion. The 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in China, along with cases of a deadly form of bird flu, resulted in widespread quarantine measures in many Chinese cities and in Hong Kong. More than 8,000 people fell sick and just under 800 people died, a mortality rate of under 10%. While the ordinary flu kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, such new diseases raise alarm due to the uncertainties over how deadly they might be and how they might spread. Thats especially true during the annual mass travel of the Lunar New Year festival, which begins this week. The cost to the global economy can be quite staggering in negative GDP terms if this outbreak reaches epidemic proportions, Innes said in a report. In China, health officials stepped up screening for fevers. We ask the public to avoid crowds and minimize the public gatherings to reduce the possibility of cross infection, Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission, said Wednesday. As with SARS, the impact of the disease is likely to fall heaviest on specific industries, such as hotels and airlines, railways, casinos and other leisure businesses and retailers, analysts said. In a statement on its website Wednesday, Shanghai Disney Resort said it was operating normally but understood if some guests wished to change their travel plans. The park said it would let guests reschedule their visits or refund their money. Chinas Civil Aviation Administration called on airlines to offer free refunds for tickets in or out of Wuhan. If the pneumonia couldnt be contained in the short term, we expect Chinas retail sales, tourism, hotel & catering, travel activities likely to be hit, especially in the first and second quarters, said Ning Zhang of UBS. Government efforts to offset the shock would help, but growth will likely rebound less than earlier forecast, Zhang said. The outbreak is a boon, meanwhile, for pharmaceutical companies and makers of protective masks and other medical gear. As of Jan. 17, the World Health Organization had not recommended any international restrictions on travel but urged local authorities to work with the travel industry to help prevent the disease from spreading while warning travelers who fall ill to seek medical attention. The illness is yet another blow for Hong Kong, whose economy is reeling from months of often violent anti-government protests. The wider concern is China, where the economy grew at a 30-year low 6.1% annual pace in 2019. An interim trade pact between Beijing and Washington had raised hopes that some pressure from tensions between the two biggest economies might ease, and the latest data have showed signs of improved demand for exports. The virus outbreak raises the risk such optimism might be premature. We expect increased downward pressure on Chinas growth, particularly in the services sector, said Ting Lu and other analysts at Nomura in Hong Kong, who based their projections on the spread of the SARS virus. The growing number of global travelers has contributed to the spread of various diseases in recent years, including Middle East respiratory syndrome, the Ebola and Zika viruses, the plague, measles and other highly contagious illnesses. The World Economic Forum estimates that pandemics cross-border outbreaks like the flu that killed 50 million people a century ago have the potential to cause an $570 billion in annual economic losses. The 2014-16 Ebola virus epidemic caused losses amounting to over $2.2 billion, according to the World Bank. That includes a 40% decrease in the number of working Liberians at the height of the crisis, lower exports and harvests, and costs for combating the disease. Apart from the human tragedy, such crises gobble up resources needed for other government spending, exacting a harsh toll on the poorest economies. In Africa, the loss of health care workers to Ebola resulted in thousands more deaths of mothers and babies, hindered work on other diseases such as preventing and treating malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, reduced vaccination rates and fewer surgeries, the World Bank said in a report. Many survivors, meanwhile, suffer from lingering effects of the illnesses and the powerful drugs used to save their lives, becoming more vulnerable to hunger and other risks. At the same time, increasingly sophisticated tools for collecting data and analyzing are aiding efforts to prepare for and cope with severe disease outbreaks. In 2016, the World Bank set up a $500 million rapid response insurance fund, working with the WHO and insurance companies, to combat pandemics in developing countries. The fund uses cat bonds, or catastrophe bonds, whose principal will be lost if the funds are needed to help deal with an outbreak. Private insurers have followed with products of their own meant to hedge against risks from such disasters. Brexit inevitably means Britain will have to make some difficult foreign policy choices. The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, will certainly prioritise strengthening the so-called special relationship with the US. But efforts will also likely be made to rekindle historic ties to Britains former colonies in the Commonwealth. Some members of government still seem to hold nostalgic aspirations to establish what Whitehall officials reportedly once termed Empire 2.0 in March 2017. Such thinking is based on a potent image of a Commonwealth golden age in the years between the second world war and Britains first application to join the European Economic Community (EEC). Yet the political, strategic and economic relationships within the Commonwealth between 1945 and 1961 were far from harmonious. The former colonies pursued their own national interests and were no longer willing to follow Britains lead. Undoubtedly, the unity of the old Commonwealth members Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa against the axis powers in the second world war did represent the pinnacle of Commonwealth cooperation. The post-war Labour government at the time hoped to use Commonwealth leadership to retain Britains great power status. The other Commonwealth governments, however, had become frustrated by Britains superior attitude during the war and wanted to demonstrate their sovereignty. More significantly, to prevent India from leaving when it became a republic in 1949 and to discourage other nations from wanting to leave too common allegiance to the Crown was removed as the essential criteria for membership and the word British was dropped from the organisations title. These reforms crucially recast the Commonwealth as an organisation of equals. It was a partnership no longer based on imperial ties but on shared values and its multi-ethnic nature. Old and new Still, the Commonwealth soon became divided along its old-new racial axis. Most notably, the new members, initially India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and later joined by Malaysia, Ghana and Nigeria, championed anti-colonialism, locked horns with South Africa over apartheid, and deeply criticised Britains military actions during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Story continues Moreover, by the early 1960s, after decolonisation, the organisations composition had tipped in favour of the new members. Britain had become the target of criticism over South Africa and Rhodesia. In the cold war, Britain also hoped its Commonwealth partners would help defend the Empire. But the second world war had shown the other Commonwealth nations that Britain could no longer protect them. When the threat of conflict once again loomed, they only halfheartedly entered into strategic planning with London. Instead, most Commonwealth members including Britain itself looked increasingly to Washington for their security. Canada already had its own security relationship with the United States while in 1951 the Australia, New Zealand and United States (ANZUS) Treaty was signed without Britain. Many new members even pursued a policy of neutrality in the cold war, refusing to enter into military alliances with either Washington or Moscow. Trade deals and loans After the second world war, cash-strapped Britain put great stock in Commonwealth trade to help with economic recovery. But in 1945-6, the Labour government also sought a $3.75bn loan from the United States. Yet Washington made this loan conditional on the gradual erosion of the system of imperial preferences that protected trade between Britain and its Commonwealth partners from external competitors, including the United States. As a result, Commonwealth markets for British goods could no longer be guaranteed. Moreover, Canadian trade with Britain had already significantly declined since it had traded principally with its southern neighbour for decades. In contrast, in 1945 Britain was easily Australia, New Zealand and South Africas largest market for their exports and the greatest supplier of their imports. These countries, though, soon developed regional trade links of their own, and ties with Britain steadily declined. Similarly, the new members gradually moved out of Britains imperial trading system as they sought greater autonomy. At the same time, Britain increasingly traded with Europe, prompting Conservative prime minister Harold Macmillans application to join the EEC in 1961. So what does the Commonwealth experience during the organisations so-called golden age suggest for Britain after Brexit? Not even the most ardent advocate of Empire 2.0 wants to turn the Commonwealth into a British-led military alliance. The United States will remain the UKs key security partner. History also indicates that Britain will not be able to wield political leadership over the Commonwealth. Indeed, London has not done so since the second world war and any attempt now would likely lead to the organisations collapse. Could turbo-charging Commonwealth trade as the organisations secretary-general, Patricia Scotland, proposed in July 2016 resolve possible economic difficulties after Brexit? Australia, New Zealand, India and some smaller Commonwealth members have indicated they want to increase trade with Britain. Yet these countries are more interested in selling goods to Britain rather than buying British goods. Furthermore, in 2018 just 8.1% of Britains exports went to distant Commonwealth countries compared to 45% to the neighbouring EU. It will take considerable time and effort to alter this balance, especially since Commonwealth countries have long ago found alternative regional markets. Much will also depend on what kind of future trade deals Britain negotiates with both the EU and the United States. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The Conversation Robert Barnes has received funding from the Scouloudi Historical Awards: Research Awards. Robert Barnes is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. A total of 644 militants of eight banned insurgent outfits surrendered in Assam on Thursday along with 177 arms, police said. The members of the insurgent groups -- ULFA (I), NDFB, RNLF, KLO, CPI (Maoist), NSLA, ADF and NLFB -- surrendered in presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme here. "This is an important day for the state and the Assam Police. Altogether 644 cadres and leaders of eight militant groups laid down their arms," Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told reporters. He said it was one of the largest surrender of militants in the recent times. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) But if you have limited time, here are the main takeaways. Potential leads went unpursued for years. An investigator found evidence that suggested Omar al-Bayoumi, a mysteriously well-connected Saudi student who knew two of the hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, might have had prior knowledge of the plot, even though senior U.S. officials had essentially exonerated him. In a trove of seemingly disorganized evidence taken from Bayoumis home in Birmingham, England, in 2001, [a] detective found a spiral notebook that contained a hand-drawn aviation diagram of a plane descending to strike a spot on the ground. An F.B.I. agent who had studied aeronautical engineering concluded that the diagram showed a formula for an aerial descent like the one performed by Flight 77, the jet that Hazmi and Mihdhar hijacked, before it struck the Pentagon. Apparently, the notebook and its contents went unnoticed after Bayoumis detention and hadnt been looked at again. A former supervisor of the investigation said he thought the finding would have been more significant if it had been discovered in the fall of 2001. That would have been harder evidence, the supervisor, Joseph Foelsch, said. If not a smoking gun, a warm gun. Telephone records that were reanalyzed years later revealed multiple calls among Mr. Bayoumi; Fahad al-Thumairy, a Saudi diplomat and imam; and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American imam who was killed in a drone attack in 2011. The C.I.A. interfered with a planned investigation, some F.B.I. officials suspected. In 2010, the F.B.I. planned to place two Saudi religious officials from the kingdoms Ministry of Islamic Affairs under full-time surveillance. The bureau had previously found that their travel overlapped with movements by the hijackers and people believed to be supporting them, and that they had ties to suspected militants. The two men sought new visas to study English in the United States, which officials feared could be cover for something nefarious. But, F.B.I. agents believe, the C.I.A. intervened before the surveillance could happen. The episode, which has not been previously reported, ended abruptly. In the Saudi capital of Riyadh, C.I.A. officers objected strongly to the F.B.I. plan, one former official said. They didnt want to give the Saudis a black eye by letting these guys walk into a trap, the former official said. For reasons that remain unclear, the two Saudis canceled the visit at the last minute. F.B.I. officials suspected that someone in the Saudi government had been warned. A fabricated child. To gain the trust of a reluctant source, investigators lied and told a Yemeni man he had a previously unknown child. The investigator employed a graphics editor to fabricate an image of a 5-year-old using images of the man and his wife. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s life was dedicated to a peaceful movement for racial equality and civil rights not only for long-oppressed African-Americans, but non-discrimination for all people who deserve to be treated with love, compassion, respect and dignity. On Monday evening a vigil to mark the birthday of the iconic leader titled, For the Love of Each Other, was conducted in the parking lot of St. Charles R.C. Church in Oakwood, the neighborhood where White Supremacist and anti-Semitic fliers have appeared. More than 40 people gathered in the frigid cold with candles in hand in honor of the great leaders legacy. They joined in prayer and interfaith speeches about freedom from fear and oppression, and called for an immediate end to the hateful, violent acts recently committed against people of the Jewish faith in our region. No one possessing love hates, said Bishop John OHara, Auxiliary Bishop of New York, as he told the story of a close friendship between spiritual leaders and the generational relationship that started in Manhattan during the 1800s, when a synagogue moved across the street from St. Stephens Parish. Dr. Martin Luther King and countless others in our own time, and all of us gathered here on this cold evening: We share a common humanity, rich in diversity, and that diversity is what brings us together to celebrate the sacredness and dignity of each and every Staten Islander. This diversity is a hallmark of our community. It is our strength and our hope and it is this diversity that will ultimately be victorious and conquer the darkness of hate which has no place in this community or any community," said he. Deacon John McBeth emphasized our duty to reject even the smallest, most subtle, hate-based insult, comment or joke. We know that when people are gathered together in unity, there is strength. Where love abounds there is no rule or space for hatred to make incursion. Thats every incursion, even in every-day speech. Jewish people often hear hateful comments made by those who do not know they are Jewish, and this experience can be traumatic, noted some of those who gathered. I want to pray for healing for all of those whose lives have been touched by hatred, by anti-Semitism, by racism, said Rabbi Gerald Sussman of Temple Emanu-El, Port Richmond. Representing the Staten Island Inter Religious Leadership, which sponsored the vigil along with Communities United for Respect and Trust was Rev. Karen Jackson who discussed the ongoing responsibility of people of all faiths to uphold the spirit and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Said she: "Martin Luther King Jr. preached that if that church is going to be anything more than an irrelevant social club that she must preach with prophetic moral zeal against the evil of racism. That is why what we are here to do tonight: To insistently and fearlessly work for peace. [January 23, 2020] Webster Financial Corporation Announces the Election of Chief Executive Officer John R. Ciulla as Chairman, Effective as of the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders WATERBURY, Conn., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE: WBS), the holding company for Webster Bank, N.A., announced today that James C. Smith, non-executive Chairman, has informed the Company that he will retire from the Board of Directors at the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Webster's Board has elected Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John R. Ciulla to succeed Smith as Chairman. Smith, 71, joined Webster in 1975 and became President in 1982. He was promoted to CEO in 1987 upon the retirement of Webster's founder (and Smith's father) Harold Webster Smith. Smith became Chairman and CEO in 1995, and retired as CEO in January 2018. At that time, he became non-executive Chairman. "Webster's leadership succession plan, implemented seamlessly over several years, is now complete. The Board and I believe that Webster will thrive under a principled leader who serves as both Chairman and CEO. John is that leader, having ably demonstrated his leadership skills, strategic acumen and responsible stewardship of the values that define Webster," said Smith. "As I conclude my service to this great company, I celebrate its future knowing that Webster is in excellent hands. I am forever grateful to Webster's bankers who are steadfastly committed to adding value for those who rely upon them." "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Jim for his significant and noteworthy contributions to Webster and the banking industry for over four decades. His impeccable career as Chairman and CEO has led Webster to be recognized as a leading mid-size bank in the country," said Bill Atwell, lead independent director of the Webster Board of Directors. "John has continued to deliver strong results and is a well-respected leader who personifies our cultural values which have been integral to the success of Webster." "I am honored to have the Board's confidence and I remain committed to achieving purposeful progress on clearly defined strategies," said Ciulla. "Webster's considerable progress over time is a reflection of the quality and dedication of our leadership team and the 3,400 values-guided Webster bankers who excel in service to our customers, our communities and one another." "On behalf of the executive team and all our bankers, we want to thank Jim for his dedication and commitment which have shaped the great heritage and legacy of Webster, and led to our long-standing reputation as a strong, values-based company," added Ciulla. Ciulla, 54, joined Webster in 2004 and has served in several management positions with increasing responsibility, including Chief Credit Risk Officer and Head of Commercial Banking. In 2015 he was promoted to President, and to CEO in January 2018. Ciulla is also the president of the bank's holding company and a member of the Webster Bank, N.A. Board of Directors. He also serves on the Federal Reserve System's Federal Advisory Council as a representative for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (First District). About Webster Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank, National Association and its HSA Bank division. With $30.4 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, financial planning, trust, and investment services through 157 banking centers and 309 ATMs. Webster also provides mobile and online banking. Webster Bank owns the asset-based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation; the equipment finance firm Webster Capital Finance Corporation; and HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank, which provides health savings account trustee and administrative services. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest annual report, visit the Webster website at www.websterbank.com. Media Contact: Investor Contact: Alice Ferreira, 203-578-2610 Terry Mangan, 203-578-2318 [email protected] [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/webster-financial-corporation-announces-the-election-of-chief-executive-officer-john-r-ciulla-as-chairman-effective-as-of-the-2020-annual-meeting-of-shareholders-300991862.html SOURCE Webster Financial Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MARQUETTE, MICH. -- Two of the newest crew members at Marquettes U.S. Coast Guard station have some seriously ruff duties: Exuberantly chasing geese away from the stations Lake Superior waterfront, for instance, or getting snuggles from the public at social events, and being undeniably adorable in photos for the stations Facebook page. Its all in a days work for Thor and Loki, a pair of pound-puppy brothers adopted this summer by the crew at the Marquette station. The two-year-old Vizsla-Lab canines were adopted through UPAWS, a U.P.-based non-profit pet rescue and shelter, after the Marquette Coast Guard crew decided to find a station dog" for staff morale. The crew had originally planned on adopting just one dog, but then they found Thor and Loki and discovered the two were inseparable. There was no way we were ever going to separate them, said Petty Officer Terry Bailey. They are the sweetest dogs there are. Thor and Loki came to the U.P. by way of a shelter in Missouri, where UPAWS had rescued them just a day before they were scheduled to be euthanized, Bailey said. Now, the two lucky pups live full-time at the station where theyre thoroughly loved by all the crew members, who pool their own money to pay for the dogs care. Theyve just bonded instantly to the family that we have created here, Bailey said. They bring joy to us and we do everything possible to give them the joy they deserve. The dogs are not trained in search and rescue, but they do serve the community in other ways, Bailey said. For instance, the pups recently began starring in a regular feature called Safety Tip Tuesday on the stations Facebook page, for which they pose in costumes to help share seasonal safety lessons. The boys are practicing their cool summer poses... but before we get to those days... we need to stay prepared for the... Posted by U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 They also have become unofficial station mascots, increasing the connection between the stations crew and the community. The community here in Marquette has grown extremely close with them, Bailey said. [At public events] weve had people come up to tell us theyre only here for Thor and Loki. Which is perfectly OK. And, of course, the two pooches keep the crew company on both the easy days and the tough days, sitting in on meetings, sporting life jackets to accompany the crew on summertime boat rides, and even watching movies together at the end of the day. Their primary jobs are just to live their lives as happy as they can be, and they do that every single day, Bailey said. Theyve been through a lot together, so we were super happy we were able to bring them in and keep them together and basically provide a beach house for them to live the rest of their lives in." Its just the coolest thing. The two pups are part of the Marquette U.S. Coast Guard family, says Petty Officer Terry Bailey. They even sit on on meetings. | Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette The pups with a dummy used for safety training exercises. Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette Who needs a plow when you have a Thor and Loki? Posted by U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette on Sunday, December 1, 2019 For more Thor and Loki, follow the U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquettes Facebook page. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, the most powerful cloud contact center with AI for innovative companies, today announced the release of Bright Pattern Omnichannel Quality Managemen t (Omni QM). Omni QM is embedded in the Bright Pattern Omnichannel platform, and allows quality management on all channels in a single interface. This eliminates the need for costly integrations, improves useability and manageability, and drastically reduces costs all while delivering unparalleled functionality. Bright Pattern is the first to deliver the power of easy, personal omnichannel conversations together with omnichannel quality management. Most companies only monitor their voice channel, sampling a very small percentage of interactions. Bright Pattern Omni QM is built for a digital world with quality assurance for new digital channels like chat, text, bots, or messengers. Omni QM is native to the platform and does not require expensive bolt-on systems. Industry analysts from Forrester have cited the importance of AI and its future evolution as part of the customer experience platform, and in response Bright Pattern has embedded omnichannel quality management directly into its omnichannel contact center platform: "Increasingly, artificial intelligence will become embedded in contact center applications, leading to the emergence of a cognitive contact center," noted Art Schoeller, Vice President and Principal Analyst of Forrester Research. Bright Pattern's Omni QM provides unique functionality for today's digital world including: Omnichannel quality management to monitor every interaction on every channel "Micro-level" quality monitoring for the scoring and grading of individual interactions "Macro-level" quality management to monitor by channel, journey type, and customer segment AI-powered quality management for automatically identifying key interactions to "act in-the-moment" Automatically detect and route interactions to quality managers for scoring and training Automatically detect and route poor interactions to retention specialists to resolve customer issues in-the-moment We created Bright Pattern to offer the easiest, most powerful cloud contact center platform for businesses of every size.", noted Konstantin Kishinsky, Founder and CTO of Bright Pattern. "Just as we were the first to natively include all channels in a single platform to make seamless omnichannel conversations possible, we are now the only cloud contact center provider to offer omnichannel quality management for every channel and every interaction as part of our platform." About Bright Pattern Bright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful AI-powered contact center for innovative midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform with embedded AI that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business userswithout costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless, personal, and seamless customer experience across channels like voice , text, chat , email , video , messengers , and bots . Bright Pattern also allows companies to measure and act on every interaction on every channel via embedded AI omnichannel quality management capability. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading contact center solutions and today are delivering architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach. Bright Pattern's cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages. SOURCE Bright Pattern Related Links http://www.brightpattern.com (Alliance News) - 888 Holdings PLC on Thursday said Itai Freiberger has stepped down as director of the company. The online gambling company confirmed that the former chief executive has stepped down as director following the 12-month transition period announced in January 2019. In January 2019, 888 had said Frieberger stepped down as chief executive but would stay on the board for 12 months as a director to allow for a smooth transition to his successor Itai Pazner. Shares in the company - headquartered in Gibraltar - were down 2.0% at 144.40 pence each on Thursday afternoon in London. By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid his floral tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the central hall of Parliament on his birth anniversary. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also paid his tributes. Modi said in tweets that the country will always remain grateful to Netaji for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. "On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, 'A son was born at midday.' This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause - India's freedom. I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today," he said. "India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians," he added. (ANI) SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI -- Two men ran frantic and terrified from Mark Latunskis basement on separate occasions just months before Kevin Bacon was allegedly slain at the home, according to 911 calls released to The Flint Journal-MLive on Jan. 23. Latunski, 50, has since been charged with open murder and mutilation of a body in connection with the Dec. 28, 2019 death of 25-year-old Bacon. Bacon was stabbed in the back, his body hung from his ankles, his throat cut and parts of him were eaten, say police who searched the house of the man accused of killing him, possibly on Christmas Eve or early Christmas Day. The Flint Journal-MLive obtained the 911 calls from Shiawassee County Dispatch through a Freedom of Information Act request. The first man called 911 on Oct. 10, 2019. He told the dispatcher he came from New York to Michigan. The man, whose name is redacted in the 911 call, tells the dispatcher he was in the state for work purposes. He describes a man hitting on him at the bus station upon his arrival and going out to grab a drink. What we know so far about the grisly slaying of Kevin Bacon The man tells the dispatcher he later woke up in the basement of a home. I dont know if he drugged me, he says. I woke up in the ... basement. Chained in the basement. The man said he used butcher knife to cut a leather strap on his ankle which was connected to a metal chain. He said he then fled the house. He says he carried the knife out of the home and wouldnt put it down until he saw police. Im from New York. Im walking down the street with a butchers knife. Sweetheart, I need help," he tells the dispatcher. The man also tells the dispatcher hes lost and doesnt know what direction hes headed in, which is why he called 911. He says he doesnt want to make a criminal case out of it and that it was not a kidnapping situation. Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser confirmed troopers were called to the area and provided the man a ride to a local gas station. The man then contacted Latunski and returned to the home on the same evening, according to Kaiser. 31 Small Michigan town rocked by shocking crime Nobody wanted the police there. Nobody wanted to file charges, Kaiser said. A lot of times people have a professional life and personal life. They dont want to intertwine the two. Their personal life is very secret, very protected. Similarly, no charges were pressed in a Nov. 25, 2019 incident in which a 29-year-old man wearing a leather kilt ran from the home. His name is also redacted from the recording of the 911 call. The man tells a dispatcher he escaped from a home where he was chained up in the basement. He says he was being chased. Im trying to get away from some creepy guy, the man says at the beginning of the call. He had me tied up in his basement. The man tells the dispatcher he doesnt know where he is. I dont know where Im at, he says. An overcast sky settles atop West Tyrrell Road from the viewpoint of the driveway of Mark D. Latunski's house on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 in Bennington Township. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | MLive.com Police later discovered the reason he was being chased was that he left the home and the leather kilt was expensive. Hes after me, the man says. The man says he ran down the road and talked to someone who helped tell him where he was at. Man wearing only leather kilt ran from murder suspects rural Michigan home in November Nobody said anything illegal happened, said Kaiser of both incidents. If you dont have a victim, nothing illegal happened. Charges can be filed by the state on behalf of a victim in a domestic situation, but Kaiser said these incidents dont fall under those guidelines. Latunski remains in the Shiawassee County Jail without bond. Shiawassee Chief District Judge Ward L. Clarkson approved a motion submitted for Latunski by a public defender to undergo competency and forensic evaluations. Latunski will now be moved from the Shiawassee County Jail to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry near Saline for the evaluations. The process may take from 60-90 days, if not longer, and further court sessions are on hold until the report is submitted. Judge approves competency test for suspect in Kevin Bacon case Parents of slain Swartz Creek man talk about son, homicide investigation SPRINGFIELD Two Illinois school districts defended their actions against an elementary school teacher and a restoration company before the Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday. The justices eventual decisions could determine how school employees can use paid family leave, and whether contracts are enforceable if they should not have been signed in the first place. Can paid family leave pick up after breaks? Margaret Dynak, a teacher at Westview Elementary School in the Chicago suburb of Wood Dale, gave birth in 2016 with one-and-a-half school days left before summer vacation. Illinois School Code allows full-time school employees 30 days of paid leave after a child is born. Dynak requested her remaining 28 days of leave be applied to the start of the fall semester, but the Wood Dale School District denied her request because it was months after the birth. Supreme Court justices will decide whether school employees can use paid parental leave on both ends of an intervening break in the school calendar. The DuPage County Circuit Court ruled in favor of the school district in 2018, arguing Dynaks summertime birth does not give her a right to sick leave at a future period in time. The Appeals Court agreed last June. In oral arguments Wednesday, Dynaks attorney, Ryan Thoma of the Illinois Education Association, contended Dynak is entitled to all 30 days of her paid leave. She did not lose that right based on the happenstance of when her child was born, he said. Thoma also argued the laws phrasing of leave after an absence means the 30 days of leave applies to consecutive school days, no matter where they fall in the calendar. Teachers are only absent when they are expected to be at work, he said. Adam Dauksas, representing the school district, argued that allowing school employees to essentially delay their leave would lead to absurd results. Sick leave use must be tethered to the event causing the need to be absent from work, he said. It can't be delayed 10 weeks, 10 months later down the road. Thoma rebutted it is unreasonable to think school employees would game the system and take extremely delayed leaves. It's the focus of these employees requesting the leave to spend the time with their child, he said, and the paid sick leave is there to ease the extreme financial burden of doing so. Only six of the Courts seven justices were present Wednesday Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr., was not on the bench. Do public entities still have to pay void contracts? In May 2014, a fire significantly damaged Proviso East High School in Cook County. Proviso Township School District Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart signed a contract with a local restoration and construction company, Restore, to fix the damage before students came back in the fall. A subsequent contract with Restore was signed later by Collins-Hart and school board President Daniel Adams. Illinois law, however, requires that districts go through a bidding process for contract work, which also then must be approved by a vote of the full school board. Restore finished its work and received, via the school districts insurance policy, about $5.8 million of the $7.3 million laid out in the contracts. By 2015, the school board halted further payments. A lower court last year ruled the district liable for the remaining money. The Supreme Court will look at whether public entities must pay contractors if a contract was void from the beginning. William Gleason, the attorney representing the district, argued Restore should have known it was not following proper procedures. Thats what Restore chose to do here, was to proceed at its own risk, he told the six justices. If the high court rules in favor of Restore, Gleason added, it would be a sign to companies that they need not follow the law. You haven't really encouraged compliance with the statute at all, he said, because the contractor knows that no matter what happens, they're going to be entitled to remuneration. Justice Rita Garman posed that hypothetical scenario to Michael Rathsack, Restores representative. If you agree with them, you are incentivizing non-compliance, Rathsack told Garman. If I was on [the board of] a municipal entity, why would I bother to take the contract and approve it? he argued. (If) were not happy, lets just say we dont have to pay him. Gleason rebutted, however, that allowing Restore to get paid from these void contracts counteracts laws protecting taxpayer money. We ask this court to leave Restore exactly where it placed itself, he said. Justices will consider the arguments before ruling on the two cases. There is no estimation on when rulings will be released, though the Court will be back in session March 9. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By AFP DUBAI: A rebel missile attack on the home of a Yemeni lawmaker killed two of his relatives, authorities said Thursday, drawing condemnation from the UN after a recent strike in the area left 116 dead. Yemen's internationally recognised government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- has been battling the Iran-allied rebels since 2014, when they overran the capital Sanaa. The attack on Wednesday night targeted the home of parliamentarian Mossad Hussein al-Sawadi in Marib province, east of the capital, killing his daughter-in-law and 16-year-old granddaughter, according to the official Saba news agency. "Sawadi was seriously injured along with three other members (of his family)," said Hussein al-Huleissi, director of the criminal investigation department in Marib. "The strike destroyed the home completely and caused panic in the residential neighbourhood." United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths condemned the attack and called for a halt to the recent military escalation in Yemen, which comes after several months of relative peace. "Targeting MPs and civilian areas is unacceptable and against international law," he said in a tweet. The attack came after a missile strike blamed on the Huthis killed 116 people including civilians at a mosque in a military camp in Marib on Saturday. On Thursday, authorities in Marib said they dismantled two Huthi-linked "cells" that took part in planning the strike. The attack on the mosque, one of the bloodiest single incidents since the war erupted, came a day after coalition-backed government forces launched a large-scale operation against the Huthis in the Nihm region, north of Sanaa. Army spokesman Abdullah al-Shandaki told AFP on Tuesday that 72 Huthis had been killed in the fighting. Saba said the fighting had continued into Thursday, and medical sources reported dozens of dead and wounded on both sides. Meanwhile, heavy fighting between coalition-backed government troops and the Huthis broke out in the northern province of Jawf on Thursday. Since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the conflict, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The funeral of Patrick Joseph Stokes in Londonderry The funeral of Patrick Joseph Stokes in Londonderry Family and friends of Patrick Stokes - one of two people who died in a double tragedy in Londonderry - gathered for his requiem mass yesterday. Mr Stokes, who was in his 20s, died alongside his partner Kim Hazlett (23) at their home in the Strathfoyle area on Friday evening. The couple's deaths are not being treated as suspicious. At the beginning of mass at Holy Family church in Londonderry, parish priest Fr Paddy O'Kane prayed for Ms Hazlett, who will be laid to rest today following a service at St Peter's Church in Derry. In his homily Fr O'Kane reminded the congregation that Jesus saw good in every person and that underneath it all people are good at heart. Fr O'Kane recalled how Mr Stokes had been brought to the Holy Family Church for baptism, attended Holy Family Primary School and St Joseph's School, and later met Ms Hazlett. He added: "Patrick formed a strong loving relationship with Kim Hazlett seven years ago and with whom he had a four-year-old daughter, Lily Mae." The priest said Mr Stokes and Ms Hazlett "died tragically". Following requiem mass, Mr Stokes was laid to rest in the City Cemetery. Jan 23 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in The Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - Boeing Co Chief Executive David Calhoun expressed confidence that the 737 MAX would eventually transport passengers again despite repeated delays in winning regulatory approval for the troubled jet. https://on.wsj.com/2unv5Xi - PG&E Corp said on Wednesday it has reached a new deal with bondholders that threatened opposition to its strategy for getting out of bankruptcy. https://on.wsj.com/30N8zTV - U.S. air-safety regulators likely acted improperly in the way they authorized Southwest Airlines Co to begin flights between California and Hawaii last year. https://on.wsj.com/37izEAI - Hallmark Cards Inc said on Wednesday Bill Abbott will step down as President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks effective Friday. https://on.wsj.com/2sTvekY - Serial Productions, known for producing the podcast "Serial," is exploring a sale with New York Times Co considered a potential suitor. https://on.wsj.com/2RhdV6L (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom) By Hwang Jae-ho Hwang Jae-ho In the largest genetic sequencing study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to date, researchers have identified 102 genes associated with risk for autism. The study also shows significant progress towards teasing apart the genes associated with ASD from those associated with intellectual disability and developmental delay, conditions which often overlap. The study results are published online January 23 in the journal Cell. For this study, an international team of researchers from more than 50 sites collected and analyzed more than 35,000 participant samples, including nearly 12,000 with ASD, the largest autism sequencing cohort to date. Using an enhanced analytic framework to integrate both rare, inherited genetic mutations and those occurring spontaneously when the egg or sperm are formed (de novo mutations), researchers identified the 102 genes associated with ASD risk. Of those genes, 49 were also associated with other developmental delays. The larger samples size of this study enabled the research team to increase the number of genes associated with ASD from 65 in 2015 to 102 today. "This is a landmark study, both for its size and for the large international collaborative effort it required. With these identified genes we can begin to understand what brain changes underlie ASD and begin to consider novel treatment approaches," said Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD, Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, and Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Obtaining such a large sample was made possible by the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC), an international group of scientists who share ASD samples and data. Co-founded by Dr. Buxbaum in 2010 and originally funded by the Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Foundation and the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, the ASC is now a multiple-Principal Investigator grant funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. In addition to identifying subsets of the 102 ASD-associated genes that have disruptive de novo variants more often in people with developmental delays or those with ASD, the researchers showed that ASD genes impact brain development or function and that both types of disruptions can result in autism. They also found that both major classes of nerve cells--excitatory neurons, which trigger a positive and activating change in the downstream neuronal membrane upon firing, and inhibitory neurons, which trigger a negative change upon firing--can be affected in autism. "Through our genetic analyses, we discovered that it's not just one major class of cells implicated in autism, but rather that many disruptions in brain development and in neuronal function can lead to autism. It's critically important that families of children with and without autism participate in genetic studies because genetic discoveries are the primary means to understanding the molecular, cellular, and systems-level underpinnings of autism," said Dr. Buxbaum. "We now have specific, powerful tools that help us understand those underpinnings, and new drugs will be developed based on our newfound understanding of the molecular bases of autism." ### About the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment The Seaver Autism Center is one of the most recognized institutions of its kind in the world because of its ability to translate breakthroughs in the lab to clinical trials that bring cutting-edge treatment to individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and associated neurodevelopmental disorders. We offer compassionate care, including assessment and behavioral health services, to children and families, as well as educational and community outreach programs. Founded in 1993 and located at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, families come from around the world to seek our services and the expert counsel of our team of scientists, researchers and clinicians. For more information, visit: http://www.seaverautismcenter.org, or find the Seaver Autism Center on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About the Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics in the 2019-2020 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West are ranked 23rd nationally for Nephrology and 25th for Diabetes/Endocrinology, and Mount Sinai South Nassau is ranked 35th nationally for Urology. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, and Mount Sinai South Nassau are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The UN's top court said Thursday it has the authority to rule in an urgent case in which Myanmar is accused of genocide against Rohingya Muslims. "The court concludes that it has prima facie jurisdiction to rule in the case," International Court of Justice presiding judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said in The Hague. The court was also announcing whether it will grant emergency measures sought by The Gambia against Myanmar to prevent further violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 3.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is going to Ukraine next week in a move seen by some as done to keep the Ukrainians quiet during the impeachment trial. Buzzfeed News reported: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Ukraine next week, just as the Senates impeachment trial of Donald Trump on charges he sought to pressure Ukraines government into investigating Joe Biden heats up. . Ivan Yakovina, a foreign policy columnist for Ukraines Novoye Vremya newsmagazine, said one reason for Pompeos trip could be to make sure that no bad surprises would come from Kyiv during the Trump Senate trial. I mean no word-to-word transcripts of the relevant phone calls or other documents will leak, he said. If I were him I would assure the Ukrainians that they will be rewarded if nothing unexpected happens during the trial. And punished if comrade Trumps enemies will get some sort of help or comfort from Kyiv. It is odd that an administration that only pays attention to Ukraine when they are trying to extort them into investigating Joe Biden sends the Secretary of State to visit on the same week that Trumps impeachment trial is going on. Trump sent Pompeo to Ukraine to keep them quiet during the impeachment trial. Pompeo is a player in the Ukraine plot. He is not a public servant going overseas to perform the work of the American people. Pompeo has a personal interest in making sure that nothing comes out of Ukraine while the trial is going on. Trump and Pompeo want to keep Ukraine silent until after Mitch McConnells sham impeachment trial has reached its predetermined conclusion. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Listen to our latest podcast Download this podcast Editor's Note: The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of 29 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems. NOAA provides funding and guidance to Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the site is managed by the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. The Nurdle Patrol, which is run by Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, is not directly affiliated with NOAA. Transcript HOST: This is the NOAA Ocean Podcast. Im Abby Reid. In this episode, were going to talk about nurdles. While the name may sound kind of funny, the problems they cause are no laughing matter. Nurdles are a type of microplastic. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Microplastics are so small that sometimes theyre hard to see with the naked eye. Nurdles are small plastic pellets which serve as raw material in the production of plastic products. Everything from plastic bags to car parts are made up of nurdles. These small pellets are causing a big problem. Nurdles are washing up on our beaches by the millions, and marine animals are eating them, thinking that theyre food. I spoke with Jace Tunnell, Director of the Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, in Port Aransas,Texas, about these problematic pellets. Mission Aransas is part of a nationwide network of reserves run as a partnership between coastal states and NOAA. Jace and his staff started a citizen science project to collect usable data about nurdles and help address the problems that theyre causing. Its called the Nurdle Patrol, and you can be a part of it. Heres Jace to tell you all about it. JACE TUNNELL: My name is Jace Tunnell, and Im the Reserve director at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, where I direct a program called the Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve. HOST: Could you share a little bit of history about nurdles, the nurdle patrol, and NOAAs role in it? JACE TUNNELL: Nurdles are these tiny plastic pellets that are the basis of everything plastic, and they started mass producing these uh back in the 1940s and 50s, when you know all the cutlery and all the kitchenware and everything was coming out uh was plastic. And from there we started making almost everything out of plastic, and so the production of these has just gone way up. But these are small, and so theyre able to go into the machinery thats able to melt it down, add color to it, and then blow it into an actual shape of a product that's made. And so thats kind of the history of it. Jace Tunnell, Director of the Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, holds a nurdle in his hand. Photo Credit: Jace Tunnell. Nurdle Patrol got started back in late 2018, and it started with a spill of nurdles that was found on the beach there in Corpus Christi, Texas, and so we actually estimated that there was 300,000 to 1,000,000 pellets per mile for at least a 30 mile range. So thats what started the Nurdle Patrol. We just wanted a few people to step up and say look, well go out monthly, well look at these beaches, see where the nurdles have moved to, and how far theyve spread. So what we ended up doing was getting on Facebook and starting a Nurlde Patrol site so that we could all communicate. And it turned out there was so much interest. There was people in Florida, there was people in Mississippi, there was organizations down in Mexico that wanted to know if these pellets were gonna come up on their beach. And so everybody was emailing me the data and then monthly I would put it on a map to show the concentrations. Well that got to be uh really overwhelming because of the numbers of volunteers that were going out and collecting data from all over the Gulf of Mexico to where I was getting 300 to 500 emails a month. Just on that. You know I have another job that Im doing too. Laughter. HOST: Right, right. JACE TUNNELL: So uh, we ended up starting up Nurdlepatrol.org, and its an interactive map where people can put their data into it and it automatically shows up. Its real easy to conduct a survey. So we, I always tell people, walk all the way down to the water line, but most of the time youre going to see em at the new high tide line. And then, if you find a nurdle, you uh start your clock and for ten minutes you look for other nurdles. And then at the end of that ten minutes you count how many pellets you have and then thats the data you need to be able to put into Nurdlepatrol.org. Whats cool about this is they put there data in there then they can zoom into their community, see all the other data that people have put in plus theirs, and then they can either print it digitally, or they can print it hard copy then they can go show their elected officials, then they can go show the state agencies and say look, this is a problem in our community. Any uh, organization can start a Nurdle Patrol in their own community, and so its been an invaluable tool. And so NOAA, they fund 70 percent of our operations here at the Mission Aransas Reserve. And so one of our main tasks at the reserve here is to educate folks, and to collect science thats going towards an end user. And so you know, were collecting this applied science that is then being transferred into something that management decisions can be made from. And this is a perfect example of that. HOST: Ok, thank you. So youre based in Texas. Are nurdles specific to a particular geographic region, or can they be found all over? JACE TUNNELL: Nurdles are everywhere. And so even these Bay systems where there arent any manufacturing sites, or theres no fabrication sites or distribution centers for these plastic pellets, were finding nurdles up in there. And that's because how nurdles get into the waterway is through the stormwater, you know runoff events, they get into the river streams, and then they get into the Bays, and then ultimately out into the ocean and be pushed back up onto the shorelines. So if you look along the shorelines of um say the Gulf of Mexico, what you find is typically pretty uniform, at least here in Texas. Whats pretty common is you can find 20 to 200 pellets within, within a 10 minute period. But then, you know, whenever you get to the Bay systems that actually have the manufacturing sites in em, you start finding really high concentrations. Concentrations from 100 to over 1,000 in a ten minute period. And the highest concentrations weve seen are 30,000 pellets in a ten minute period. And thats up in the Bay systems with the highest concentrations, the manufacturing sites, like Galveston Bay HOST: 30,000?? Ugh. JACE TUNNELL: Right, thats a and weve actually got a number of different sites where we find really high concentrations up in the Galveston Bay system. And theres some beaches there that they find pretty regularly over 15,000 pellets within a 10 minute period. HOST: Wow. What are the biggest impacts of nurdles on the environment? JACE TUNNELL: Most likely the biggest impact of these things is wildlife eating em. So, there was a study the EPA had done back in the early 1990s that listed over 80 species of birds that they knew at the time that uh were eating these pellets. They also listed uh necropsies of sea turtles and the pellets were found in the gut, intestinal tract of the sea turtles. And then we know that fish eat these as well. And that wa, you know, a couple of decades ago. And so we know even more now. And so one is, you know, if, if these animals eat enough of these pellets they could starve to death. Most of the time if they eat one or two or something its probably just passing through their system, but if they eat enough of em they feel like theyre full and there's no nutritional value to these pellets, uh, for the animal. And then the other is that these pellets, they absorb harmful chemicals. Now Id like to point out that the link has not been made yet from when a an animal, like a fish, uh eats these pellets and the transfer of those chemicals into the muscle tissue that we actually eat. That link has not been made yet, but with the technology that we have now, you know its probably just a matter of time, maybe a few more years, we might actually have that answer. HOST: Yeah, I mean I wouldnt feel good about eating a, a fish that had a bunch of chemical-filled pellets in its stomach. JACE TUNNELL: Right, no, yeah, you shouldnt. Laughter. HOST: Um, so, can you think of a story or an anecdote that happened during a nurdle patrol, or as a result of Nurdle Patrol data? Anything that, you know, that might really grab our listeners attention? JACE TUNNELL: Well I think one of the most inspirational stories that Ive heard about plastic pellets being collected is by Diane Wilson, shes out of Seadrift, Texas, and she was a, a shrimper for many years. And shes a retired shrimper. And she saw a lot of pellets uh floating around in the bay. And she got her and the San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeepers together, and they started sampling these pellets. And it was right at a discharge where theres a big plastic manufacturing site. And so, they collected pellets for three years or something like that, and then finally um got a lawsuit against this plastics company for discharging these pellets into this water body. And they ended up uh winning the lawsuit of $50,000,000. And then all $50,000,000 are going back into that community to, to help people that are living there with their quality of life, and doing new research on plastics and things like that. And so you know it was one lady that saw that there was a problem, and started going out and collecting data. And she was able to totally transform not only that company, because theyre going to have to do $30,000,000 worth of engineering on that site to prevent pellets from getting into the water, but that company also agreed to have zero pellet discharge from coming through their stormwater in the future. Everybody can have a, a huge impact if they put their mind to it. HOST: That is a really inspiring story. Now just for clarification, she didnt involve the Nurdle Patrol in this, but its related. JACE TUNNELL: The data that she collected over the three years, Nurdle Patrol started up within the last six months of the trial that they had, and they were able to use Nurdle Patrol data as a way to be able to show, look, these concentrations that are being found near the manufacturing site are way higher than youre finding anywhere along the Gulf beaches. And so that that could be a possible source of the, where the pellets are coming from. HOST: Why is the Nurdle Patrol important to you personally? JACE TUNNELL: This has to do with the next generation. And so I take my kids to the beach. Id like them to be able to look for shells, and count birds, and get into clean water and things like that. Not be out there picking up plastic pellets off the beach so that the animals arent gonna eat em. We are old enough to be able to make a decision and work with our elected officials to be able to prevent these pellets from getting into the environment. It can be done. Its an engineering solution. And we owe it to the next generation, and the generation after that, to take it on and make the changes now. What wed like to do is expand this to the East Coast, the West Coast, up the Mississippi River and into the Great Lakes. And to really make this a national program that you can see the big picture. And so I think that, you know, by seeing the big picture, were really going to make a bigger impact not only state by state, but on a national level. HOST: Jace, is there anything that youd like to add that we didnt cover? JACE TUNNELL: It only takes one person to be able to have an impact. If you look at a lot of the big conservation efforts that start out, lots of times it starts out with one passionate person. And so everybody can play a role in having a big impact. HOST: By conducting your own nurdle surveys, and sending in your data to the Nurdle Patrol, you can help scientists gather information about where nurdles are, and help remove them from the environment. Visit nurdlepatrol.org to learn more about how you can get involved. And visit oceanservice.noaa.gov to learn more about what you can do to fight marine pollution. Thanks for listening. - A court in Toronto on Wednesday ordered Volkswagen to pay a fine of Canadian dollars 196.5 million (USD 150 million) after the automaker pleaded guilty to violating environmental laws in the emissions cheating scandal. The court accepted an agreement that the German automaker reached with the Canadian government, which in December filed a 60-count indictment against the company. This fine is in addition to nearly Canadian dollars 2.4 billion that Volkswagen had agreed to pay in 2016 to compensate Canadians who bought some 130,000 cars that did not meet Canadian standards from 2009 to that year, as well as a Canadian dollar 17.5 million penalty for false advertising. In December, Ottawa accused the automaker of knowingly importing cars into Canada that did not meet emission standards, after more than four years of investigation. In a statement, Volkswagen said it had taken extensive measures "to make things right in Canada" and cooperated fully with the investigation into the cheating. The money from the fine would be used "to support environmental projects" across Canada, the carmaker added. Volkswagen has 30 days to pay the new fine, Judge Enzo Rodinelli said. The amount, according to prosecutor Tom Lemon, "is 26 times the highest fine ever (imposed) for a Canadian environmental offence." It represents Canadian dollar 1,450 for each of the approximately 130,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche cars imported into Canada during the period probed, as well as a total of Canadian dollar 8 million for misleading consumers. Volkswagen admitted in 2015 that it had intentionally programmed software in more than 11 million cars to dupe emissions testing by activating emissions controls only during tests, while emitting up to 40 times the amount of pollution during regular driving. The so-called "dieselgate" scandal has since cost VW more than USD 33 billion in legal fees, fines and compensation, mainly in the United States. One of the most recent payouts last September saw Volkswagen fork over USD 87 million to settle Australian motorists' collective legal claims. The automaker also announced in January that it has started negotiations aimed at settling a massive lawsuit launched by hundreds of thousands of German drivers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, on Thursday said that the protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act across the country had been largely peaceful and would help deepen roots of democracy. Indian Democracy has been tested time and again, Mukherjee said, delivering the inaugural Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture instituted by Election Commission of India as a tribute to the first Chief Election Commissioner of the country. The last few months have witnessed people come out on the streets in large numbers, particularly the young to voice out their views on issues which in their opinion are important, he said, dismissing not-so-subtly the criticism by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the nationwide agitation demanding withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or the CAA. Their (the protesters') assertion and belief in the Constitution of India is particularly heartening to see, the 84-year-old leader said. He was apparently referring to reading of Preamble of the Constitution of India by the people protesting against the CAA across the country. I believe the present wave of largely peaceful protests that have gripped the country shall once again enable the further deepening of our democratic roots, he said. "I believe the present wave of largely peaceful protests that have gripped the country shall once again enable the further deepening of our democratic roots," he said. He also sent out a subtle message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government. Consensus is the lifeblood of Democracy. Democracy thrives on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing and even dissent, said Mukherjee, whom Modi Government in August 2019 bestowed with the country's highest civilian award - Bharat Ratna. Mukherjee was a stalwart of the Congress for the most of his five-decade-long career in politics till he resigned as the Finance Minister of the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance Government in 2012 to contest the presidential election as a candidate of his party and its allies. He won and took over as the 13th President of India on July 25, 2012. He had a good rapport with Modi ever since the latter took over as Prime Minister in May 2014. His visit to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in June 2018 on an invitation from the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP had raised many eyebrows in the Congress. Mukherjee, whom the current Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora greeted as a savant and Raj-Rishi, said on Thursday that democracy in India had given rise to identity based politics. Inequalities in a society exacerbate the need to assert identity. Unfortunately, the societal texture of India has given rise to groups and communities to assert their democratic rights to bargain with the State for political power, he said. Purely from the lens of deepening democracy, I see this as a positive development because it leads to wider representation. However, he added, the rise of identity-based politics has at the same time diluted the very representative aspect of the Parliament. An electorate divided on caste and community lines throws up a polarised mandate. This is ultimately reflected in the functioning of the Parliament which rather than pursuing a national agenda ends up pursuing sectarian interests. The lecture former President of India delivered on Thursday was instituted by the Election Commission in memory of Sukumar Sen, who, as the first Chief Election Commissioner, had led the panel to conduct the first two parliamentary polls of the country in 1952 and in 1957. Election Commission like its peers in other fields has served its purpose accordingly well, and any attempt at its denigration will amount to denigrating the electoral process itself, said Mukherjee. There can be no room for speculation that challenges the very basis of our democracy. People's mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt. A firm believer in our institutions, it is my considered opinion that it is the 'workmen' who decide how the institutional 'tools' perform, he said, without directly referring to the criticism by the opposition parties against the Election Commission for alleged bias for the ruling BJP as well as the controversies over the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines. The onus of ensuring institutional integrity in this case lies with the Election Commission of India. They must do so and put any speculations to rest, said the octogenarian statesman. Chief Justice John Roberts is a busy man. He didnt wrap up his first day of presiding over the third Senate impeachment trial in history until shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday. By 10:00 a.m., he was attending to more-ordinary business as oral arguments began in the most important religious-liberty case before the Supreme Court this term, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. In 2015, Montana set up a tax-credit system through which taxpayers could contribute $150 to a scholarship fund for children attending private schools and would then be reimbursed dollar for dollar. The Montana supreme court scrapped the program on the grounds that it violated the state constitutions Blaine amendment, which forbids public funds from aiding religious schools. In response, a lawsuit was filed by Kendra Espinoza, a single mother of two who had benefited from the program. This case asks whether the federal Constitution allows the wholesale exclusion of religious schools from scholarship programs. It does not. Yet, Montanas Blaine Amendment requires that exclusion, Espinozas lawyer, Richard Komer, argued before the Court on Wednesday. If the Court had shut down the program because it included Muslim schools or African-American schools, theres no question that would be unconstitutional. Komer pointed to the Courts 2017 decision in Trinity Lutheran, which held by a 72 majority that the state of Missouri could not exclude religious schools from a state program meant to fund the resurfacing of playgrounds at secular private schools. As Trinity Lutheran made clear, the rule is religious neutrality, Komer said. Justices Alito and Kavanaugh appeared to agree. The state isnt required to fund private education at all, but if they choose to provide scholarships that are available to students who attend private schools, they cant discriminate against parents who want to send their children to schools that are affiliated in some way with a church, said Alito. Thats the simple argument. And its hard to see that thats much different from Trinity Lutheran. Justice Kavanaugh said that Blaine amendments were certainly rooted in grotesque religious bigotry against Catholics. Adam Unikowsky, arguing for the state of Montana, said that wasnt a problem because Montana re-adopted the amendment at its 1972 convention in order to protect religions from being coerced by the state. Story continues Justice Elena Kagan, who joined the majority in Trinity Lutheran, argued that Espinoza was a far cry from that case, because the Montana scholarship program would subsidize religious activity and education, rather than merely providing a religiously neutral benefit such as resurfacing a playground. On the whole, the liberal justices focused most of their questioning on the argument that the previous beneficiaries of the program, such as Espinoza, didnt have standing to sue because the program no longer exists and thus no students from religious or secular schools may benefit from it. These parents are treated no differently than parents of children who are going to secular private schools, so where is the harm? Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked. Justices Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor appeared to agree with Ginsburg, but Chief Justice Roberts later exposed the problem with her question by posing his own hypothetical: What if, he asked, a state legislature decided to shut down parks and pools because a higher percentage of African-Americans benefited from them? That wouldnt be good under your view, would it? Because theyre shutting down the whole program? Roberts asked. How is that different than religion, which is also protected under the First Amendment? The difference, the lawyer for the state of Montana argued, is that there are principled reasons, deeply rooted in national tradition dating back to Madison, [why] we have a preference to not fund religious activities not prohibit it but not fund it. Justice Roberts and Justice Stephen Breyer both expressed concern about whether a decision in favor of Espinoza could lead states to be compelled to directly fund private religious schools simply because they fund public schools. So while Roberts seemed skeptical of Ginsburgs contention that Ms. Espinoza lacked standing to sue because the program had been shut down, it remained unclear how he or Breyer would vote in the case. Religious liberty had a promising day before the Court on Wednesday. But we likely wont know the ultimate outcome of the case until early this summer. More from National Review Potentially life-saving defibrillators are being installed in two locations in the Donadea area thanks to local fundraising. A raffle was held in Roches of Donadea pub over the Christmas period and a total of 1,738 was raised. Some of this money was used to purchase a defibrillator which will be installed on the exterior side wall of the pub. A portion of the proceeds was also used to acquire another defibrillator to be located at OCG Spares garage in Gilltown Lane, Donadea which is also helping to sponsor the cost. James Roche (above) of Roches pub thanked everybody for contributing to the raffle and he highlighted the importance of the life-saving equipment. He said: It was enormous generosity from customers in the pub and the proceeds will benefit the community in the long run. Both defibrillators will be available for public use when needed and they are a fantastic amenity. The fundraising campaign was also supported by Timahoe Community Council. James added: Thanks to everybody who bought a ticket. Its an incredible amount to come from customers in a small pub in a rural part of Kildare. There is no contribution from the Council or the Government so this is simply locals empowering themselves and making it possible to have emergency life-saving equipment in their locality. James said he has also helped fundraise for defibrillators installed in other pubs he has worked in the Dublin area. Meanwhile Hollywood star Jack Reynor paid a visit to Roches of Donadea on Saturday last. Locals were surprised to see the award-winning actor who starred in the Hollywood blockbuster series, Transformers. James Roche said on Facebook: I had the pleasure of Mr Jack Reynor today. What a guy. Love your work Jack! Page Content The Council of Ministers met with the newly-established Integrity Chamber of Sint Maarten for an introductory meeting on Thursday, January 16. Present were the three current members Mrs. Rian Vogels, President, Mr. Rafael Boasman, member, and Mr. Hans Lodder, member as well as the Director of the Secretariat of the Integrity Chamber, Ms. Charna Pompier. While Mr. Boasman and Mr. Lodder have been appointed by Sint Maarten since the beginning of 2019, Mrs. Vogels, a former senior judge with years of judicial background has been appointed as its first President in December of 2019 via Kingdom decree upon binding recommendation of the two Sint Maarten members and has recently assumed office as of January 2020. Discussed in the meeting were, among others, the structure of the Integrity Chamber along with its core tasks, which include advising on integrity matters, both solicited and unsolicited, conducting investigations into suspected integrity violations and to continuously create awareness about integrity in the community. No criminal or personal investigations are conducted by this independent body; however, investigations regarding integrity concerns can be requested by Parliament, Government and the general public. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated, The Integrity Chamber has the cooperation of the Council of Ministers, along with further assistance, for the finalization of the Integrity Chamber, the training and (re)assignment of the so-called vertrouwenspersonen or confidant for each ministry and public relations assistance where necessary. The implementation of the Integrity Chamber of St. Maarten was the result of an agreement between St. Maarten and the Netherlands to establish an independent administrative body which, independently of the St. Maarten government or its entities, advises or presents proposals regarding policy to enhance integrity and ultimately improve confidence in government and in the country overall. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-22 21:24:45|Editor: zh Video Player Close Lebanese President Michel Aoun (R) and Prime Minister Hassan Diab attend the first session of the new cabinet at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, on Jan. 22, 2020. Aoun urged the new cabinet to start dealing with economic and financial crises, the Presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua) BEIRUT, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged the new cabinet to start dealing with economic and financial crises, the Presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. "The cabinet has been formed amid very tough economic circumstances which require extra efforts to restore the confidence of the Lebanese and the international community," Aoun said during the first meeting of the cabinet. "We have to reassure the Lebanese about their future," he said. "The coming days will witness several cabinet meetings to achieve our goals." Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Tuesday the formation of a new cabinet of 20 ministers. The new cabinet faces the challenge of implementing reforms necessary to save the economy in addition to fighting against corruption and providing citizens with basic services. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. English Finnish Swedish Valmet Oyjs press release on January 23, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. EET Valmet will deliver key process islands for Lenzings and Duratexs joint venture named LD Celulose S.A. The new 500,000 ton/year dissolving pulp mill is located in the cities of Indianopolis and Araguari in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Valmets delivery includes a fiber line, a pulp drying and baling line, an evaporation plant, a white liquor plant and a mill-wide automation system. The order is included in Valmet's orders received of the first quarter 2020. The value of the order is not disclosed. The value of a delivery of this size and scope is typically around EUR 200-250 million. Valmets delivery is part of the Lenzing and Duratex joint venture investment of approximately USD 1.3 bn in the 500,000 tonnes dissolving wood pulp mill where Lenzing holds a 51 percent and Duratex a 49 percent stake. The start-up of the new mill is planned for the first half of 2022 and will create approximately 8,000 direct jobs during the construction phase. When it is ready, LD Celulose S.A. will employ approximately 1,100 people to operate the industrial plant and the plantations that will supply it. The dissolving pulp is a key raw material for manufacturing Lenzings wood-based textile and speciality fibers. Wood-based cellulosic fibers offer an important contribution to enhance sustainability in the textile industry and this investment is in line with our growth strategy and a key milestone to structurally strengthen our cost leadership position. In planning the new production facility, particular importance was given to sustainability aspects. The plant will be among the most productive and energy-efficient mills in the world, states Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group. LD Celulose S.A. will bring a positive socioeconomic impact throughout the region. We are working with the best environmental practices and with leading companies in the pulp industry, such as Valmet, emphasizes Luis Kunzel, CEO of LD Celulose S.A. With our good references in dissolving pulp production technology and strong presence in Brazil we were able to meet the customers needs of high quality and energy efficiency as well as supporting high productivity and reliability with our automation solutions. We are happy to be a key partner in delivering a world class mill for Lenzing and Duratex and thus being part of turning renewable raw materials for sustainable textile fibers, says Bertel Karlstedt, President, Pulp and Energy Business Line, Valmet. The new 500,000 tonnes dissolving wood pulp mill is being built in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Information about Valmets delivery Valmet will supply key process islands with an extended scope of supply. Valmets technology is proven for dissolving pulp production with several references. The equipment for this project is tailored for high availability and energy efficiency resulting in low operating costs. The fiber line features Valmet TwinRoll technology for high washing efficiency with low chemical and water consumption. The pulp drying and baling line secures flexibility and high-quality pulp with easy operation supported by Valmet Quality Control System. The evaporation plant features Valmet Tubel technology for high availability and produces clean condensate quality for 100% reuse in the mill. The white liquor plant includes recausticizing and lime kiln and is designed for high reliability and less maintenance. The mill-wide automation system, Valmet DNA, offers unique integration with process solutions including process analyzers. In addition, the delivery includes Valmet Industrial Internet solutions for Operator Training Simulator for the whole plant as well as basic hardware for connectivity for Performance Center services. Information about the customers Lenzing and Duratex The Lenzing Group headquartered in Austria is an international company of wood-based cellulose fibers. These high quality fibers are used in the textile industry, in the nonwovens industry for hygiene products and are also used in work and protective wear and in industrial applications. Dissolving wood pulp is subsequently processed from the raw material wood and marketed under the brands TENCEL for textile applications, VEOCEL for nonwovens and LENZING for special fiber applications in other areas and other products. The annual turnover of the Lenzing Group is above EUR 2,000 million. Duratex is the largest producer of industrialized wood panels in the southern hemisphere. The company has three business areas: Wood, Ceramic tiles and Sanitary ware, metals, electric showerheads and faucets. The Wood division covers wood products and forestry, producing eucalyptus in more than 251 thousand hectares of forests. Duratexs head quarter is located in the city and state of Sao Paulo and it has seven forestry units and 16 industrial facilities in Brazil and three production facilities in Colombia. For further information, please contact: Bertel Karlstedt, Business Line President, Pulp & Energy, Valmet, tel. +358 10 672 0000 Celso Tacla, Area President, South America, Valmet, tel. +55 41 3341 4501 VALMET Corporate Communications Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy. Valmet's net sales in 2018 were approximately EUR 3.3 billion. Our more than 13,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. Read more www.valmet.com , www.twitter.com/valmetglobal Processing of personal data Attachment Bernie Sanders popularity climbs in presidential race Sanders and Bloomberg have increased their level of support in each of the last three polls starting in mid-December, while support for Biden, Warren and Buttigieg has remained flat. US Senator Bernie Sanders has been steadily climbing in popularity this year and is now tied with former Vice President Joe Biden for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination among registered voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national poll. DEMOCRATS BACK SANDERS The online poll, released Thursday, shows that 20% of registered Democrats and independents said they would back Sanders over 11 other candidates to run in the general election against President Donald Trump, an increase of 2 percentage points from a similar poll that ran last week. Another 19% supported Biden, 12% said they would vote for Senator Elizabeth Warren, 9% backed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and 6% said they would support Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. The poll also shows that about one in five potential primary voters remain undecided. And among those who have picked, nearly two out of three say they are open to changing their minds. Sanders, an independent who built a national network of fervent supporters while running for the partys nomination in 2016, has consistently ranked among the most popular candidates since he entered the race An Adelaide City councillor says Australia Day fireworks should be banned because they remind immigrants of bombs and war. Anne Moran sent an email to her colleagues on Monday calling for the cancellation of the pyrotechnics display at Elder Park on Sunday night. Ms Moran's email reads: 'Fireworks are extremely upsetting to some of the new immigrants because they remind them of the bombing and wars they have been traumatised by.' The event is being run by the Australia Day Council, who are collecting funds with the Red Cross for bushfire victims. Deputy Lord Mayor Alexander Hyde told InDaily Ms Moran's comments were 'absurd.' 'I would be very surprised if any new migrants contact Anne Moran at all, let alone on this issue... God help us if were subjected to such commentary for the rest of the council term,' Mr Hyde said. An Adelaide councillor says that Australia Day fireworks should be banned around the country because they remind immigrants of bombs and war. Pictured: fireworks at Adelaide's Elder Park on New Years Eve in 2018 Ms Moran defended her stance on the issue, and criticised councillors who disagreed with her position. 'Sometimes loud explosions in the sky will remind people of bombs and bad times, so I'm not quite sure how that's distasteful,' Ms Moran said. Ms Moran intends to propose that all fireworks celebrations in Adelaide are banned at the next council meeting on Tuesday. The Australia Day event at Elder Park is the largest celebration in South Australia with more than 40,000 people set to join in the festivities. The event features a live concert, a parade and spectacular fireworks presentation. JACKSON, MI While the agenda was light, the meeting room was packed Tuesday, Jan. 21, for the monthly board meeting of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. Dozens of people showed up with a resolution, asking commissioners to declare Jackson County a Second Amendment sanctuary county. Numerous board members expressed support, but sent the proposed resolution to county attorneys before considering a decision. The board will likely vote on the resolution at the 7 p.m. meeting Feb. 18, board members said. Meetings are hosted on the fifth floor of the Jackson County Tower Building, 120 W. Michigan Ave. The resolution would support the county sheriff and prosecutor to use their sound discretion to not enforce against any citizen an unconstitutional firearms law." A similar push is popping up in every Michigan county through a Facebook group called Michigan for 2A Sanctuary Counties, which was created on Dec. 25 and already has 86,000 members. The Jackson version of the page has more than 230 members. Efforts are in response to Virginia passing red flag gun laws which would allow police to confiscate guns from people deemed threats. Such laws are a threat to due process, said Bob Wilson, chairman of Jacksons sanctuary county group. "If someone doesn't like what you have to say, they'll just get on the phone and say, 'Hey, this guy's threatening to shoot up a school,'" Wilson said. "And then they'll just show up and grab (your guns), just because somebody wants to lie." Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushed for similar extreme risk gun bills in Michigan after a weekend of deadly shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas in August. Such laws will only hurt law-abiding gun owners, not criminals, Jacksons sanctuary county group members told commissioners on Tuesday. "We refuse to be punished for the actions of criminals," Wilson said. "We will not sit back and allow what happened in Virginia to happen in Michigan." State Rep. Julie Alexander, R-Hanover, also spoke at Tuesdays meeting in support of the resolution. She was a member of the Jackson board before winning a state legislature seat for 2017 and 2019. With the increased conversations on gun confiscation lately at a state and national level, Michigan residents are nervous, Alexander said. Wilson hopes gun supporters will fill the meeting room on Feb. 18, showing the board which side of the debate county residents stand on. Commissioners Phil Duckham, Tony Bair, David Elwell and Corey Kennedy expressed support of the resolution, during Tuesdays meeting. Stay back. You cannot have our guns, Wilson said. Period. More Jackson news: Opioid rehab apartments in Jackson get state funding restored after governors veto Man sentenced for sexual assault, strangulation, kidnapping in Jackson Millage increase considered for Jackson County senior services Federal police have thrown out an investigation into claims that historian and author Bruce Pascoe financially benefited by falsely claiming to be Aboriginal. The complaint was lodged by Aboriginal businesswoman and lawyer Josephine Cashman, who has been vocal in her accusations that Professor Pascoe, author of acclaimed book Dark Emu, fabricated his heritage to score government grants, university appointments and literary prizes awarded to Aboriginal people. Bruce Pascoe at his property in Gipsy Point last week. Credit:Rachel Mounsey But in a letter to Ms Cashman, made public on Thursday, the AFP said the matter had been closed. "Based on the information provided and inquiries undertaken no Commonwealth offences have been identified," the letter said. Embracing Hindutva ideology, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday unveiled a saffron flag for the party and sought eviction of Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims from the country. He also indicated support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), announcing a march at Azad Maidan on February 9 against those protesting the Centres move. Thackeray also inducted his son, Amit, into politics. Addressing his workers on the occasion of MNSs first Maha Adhiveshan (conclave), Raj Thackeray asserted his new Hindutva agenda. Our country is not some place where anyone can come and reside. I am going to petition the Central government to first evict the Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators from this country. We are sitting on a volcano, warned the MNS chief. He also came down on those opposing the CAA and NRC saying, There can be a debate on the CAA, but why should we shelter Muslims coming from outside. In an indirect attack said, I dont change my colours for the sake of government formation. He was also critical of the agitation against the CAA-NRC, saying some Muslims were opposing it for other reasons. I am being told that some Muslims are not happy with scrapping of Article 370 in Kashmir and the Ram Mandir verdict and hence are now agitating against the NRC, he said. It is necessary to reply to their protests through a morcha. He also called upon Muslims to remove loudspeakers from mosques. Everyone should leave their religion at home. If my aarti (prayer) in the temple is not troubling you, why should namaaz be read out on a loudspeaker, he asked. Defending the new flag, the MNS chief said he wanted a saffron flag from the time the party was formed in 2006, but had given in to pressure from well-wishers, who advocated social engineering. Raj Thackeray, who has been critical of the BJP, especially of Prime Minister Modi, said, I have criticized Modi when he went wrong, but also praised his good work. In the conclave, Amit, Raj Thackerays son, was designated a leader of the MNS. He was given a sword, similar to the 2010 event when his cousin, Aaditya, was inducted by Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray to head the Yuva Sena. Aaditya is a minister in his father and CM Uddhav Thackerays cabinet. The BJP which seems to now be the future ally of the MNS made contrasting noises. The BJP is open to tie up with like-minded parties. However, the MNS should first scrap its campaign against north Indians, said former state finance minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar. However, BJP spokesperson Ganesh Hake said: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has used Raj in the past and is doing it again to divide Hindu votes. He will not succeed. Political analyst Hemant Desai said Raj was imitating his uncle Bal Thackeray. He is using the same language and is trying to usurp the Sena legacy, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Waterbombing plane missing as Australia bushfires flare Sydney, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 A water-bombing plane was missing and feared to have crashed in Australia's southeast on Thursday, as firefighters battled a new outbreak of bushfires whipped up by scorching temperatures and strong winds. At least seven blazes were declared emergencies, including one in the Snowy Monaro region, where authorities lost contact with the firefighting aircraft. "Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed," the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said in a statement. "A number of helicopters are in the area carrying out a search." Bushfires also forced the closure of Canberra Airport, with all flights in and out of the country's capital suspended due to approaching flames. Passenger flights were halted around midday (0100 GMT) as two out-of-control blazes burning immediately to the south and west of the airport merged and the combined fire bore down on three nearby suburbs. Temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sydney, where a bushfire also broke out in a northwestern suburb of Australia's biggest city. Wind gusts had been forecast to reach 90 kilometres per hour (55 miles per hour) in some areas, but New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the winds were stronger than expected, especially in the fire-ravaged southeast of the state. "One of the big challenges we've got with the increased intensity of these winds is that it is proving very difficult to fly any aircraft to provide any aerial support to the firefighting effort on the ground," he said. "We are trying to get some of the large air tankers and some of the very large helicopters involved, but it's proving very difficult. It's too dangerous to fly these things." Fitzsimmons warned of a "long, difficult afternoon" ahead for firefighters and residents. - 'A long way to go' - Unprecedented bushfires fuelled by climate change have killed at least 29 people and devastated vast swathes of the country since September. The blazes have been followed by extreme weather that has hampered clean-up operations in some areas, including intense storms that have battered parts of Australia with giant hail, floods and landslides. Heavy rainfall has helped to contain and, in some cases, extinguish long-running blazes but an expected return to searing heat and gusting winds Thursday was flagged as a cause for concern as dozens of fires continued to burn. Cooler weather was forecast to return on Friday, but the bushfire season still has weeks left to run. "The fire season doesn't traditionally stop here in New South Wales until right up to the end of March," Fitzsimmons said. "So we've got a long way to go this season and whilst the rainfall has been certainly welcome and the conditions have eased, we're certainly not out of the fire season yet." The months-long crisis has sparked renewed calls for Australia's conservative government to take immediate action on climate change, with street protests urging Prime Minister Scott Morrison to reduce the country's reliance on coal. A major coal conference in Wollongong -- situated in a coal-producing region south of Sydney that has been hit by massive blazes -- was cancelled this week in response to what local climate activists said was a "planned mass protest". And a January poll released this week found the environment has soared to the top of Australians' concerns, with 41 percent of people polled by market research firm Ipsos ranking it as the most important national issue for the first time. While Morrison has now reluctantly acknowledged the link between the bushfire disaster and a warming planet, he has stopped short of announcing any sweeping new measures to cut emissions. Instead, the prime minister has signalled that his government would focus on climate adaption and building resilience. Medical workers enter an isolation area to visit the first two cases of the new coronavirus infection, in Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 23, 2020. (Bach Duong/AFP via Getty Images) Singapore, Vietnam Report Cases of Coronavirus Cases of coronavirus were reported in two other Asian countries, health officials said on Jan. 23. Two Chinese nationals in Vietnam tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus, health officials said Thursday, AFP reported. A Chinese man traveled to Vietnam on Jan. 13, from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, to visit his son. The son, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, was infected by his father. The father was hospitalized on Jan. 17 and the son was hospitalized several days later. They both tested positive for the coronavirus, which has sickened scores of people in China and killed dozens. The patients have shown signs of good recovery, fever has reduced, and they can eat now, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Sang said at a meeting at Ho Chi Minh Citys Cho Ray hospital. Officials in Singapore said they confirmed one case of coronavirus, the first in the country. Ministry of Health officials told reporters in a briefing Thursday night that the patient, a 66-year-old Chinese man who lives in Wuhan, flew to Singapore on Jan. 20 with his family. After arriving in Singapore with a sore throat, he developed a fever and a cough and went to the hospital, where he was put in isolation. A health officer (L) screens arriving passengers from China at Changi International airport in Singapore on Jan. 22, 2020. (Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images) A militia member uses a digital thermometer to take a drivers temperature at a checkpoint at a highway toll gate in Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province on Jan. 23, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP) The man is still isolated at Singapore General Hospital, health officials said, Channel News Asia reported. Hes in stable condition. Health officials used contact tracing to identify the roughly 30 people who were seated just in front or behind the man and those who were identified will be contacted. The man traveled with nine people, including his son, who has also been isolated. The other eight left Singapore; health officials alerted their country of destination, which was not named. The Ministry of Health said it expects more confirmed cases in the coming days. Novel Coronavirus is part of the same family of viruses that caused SARS, the disease that killed hundreds in China in 2002-2003. The coronavirus broke out in Wuhan in December 2019. It currently has no vaccine and can spread human-to-human, health officials said this week, prompting fears of a wider spread. Common symptoms include respiratory symptoms, fever, and shortness of breath. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. Wuhan, a city of some 11 million in southeast China, was quarantined on Wednesday. Authorities shut down all public transportation as well as the airport. Unless there is a special reason, citizens should not leave Wuhan city, the Wuhan municipal government said in a statement. Cases have been confirmed in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao. Suspected cases have been reported in a slew of other countries, including Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. Total 47 per cent of the respondents in the Mood of the Nation survey believe that the BJP government will be able to create more employment in its second term. A total of 12,141 people were surveyed for the poll conducted by India Today and Karvy Insights. Out of the 12,141 respondents surveyed, 30 per cent do not see the employment scenario getting any better, while 19 per cent opted for 'don't know/can't say'. When it comes to the region-wise responses, 55 per cent of the respondents from the Western region of the country felt that the employment scenario is going to get better in PM Modi's second term. With 43 per cent, respondents from the Eastern region were the least hopeful of a turnaround in the employment scenario. Forty-five and 46 per cent of the respondents from the South and North zones were hopeful of improvement in creation of jobs. More respondents from rural areas were hopeful of improving job creation than in urban areas. Forty-eight per cent respondents from the rural areas said that they believed that the government would be able to generate additional employment in its second term as opposed to 45 per cent from urban areas. While most believed that the NDA government would create more jobs in this term, unemployment still remained the biggest issue for most of the respondents. With 32 per cent of votes, unemployment remained the biggest concern for the voters, followed by farmers' distress with 15 per cent and price rise with 14 per cent. Around 39 per cent of respondents believe that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has done a good job in tackling the economic slowdown as opposed to 30 per cent who believe that she has failed. When it comes to unemployed people, 37 per cent believe that she has done a good job in handling the economy while 30 per cent of unemployed people believe that she has proven to be an utter failure. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for a summit of leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, to "defend peace" in the face of global instability. His call came as Russia promotes itself as a global powerbroker, playing a decisive role in crises in the Middle East, Libya and Ukraine. Putin said the leaders of Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain could meet "in any place in the world". Speaking in Jerusalem at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, 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." Putin suggested war-torn Libya could be on the agenda, following recent peace talks in Moscow and Berlin. - 'Positive reaction' - Putin said Moscow had proposed the summit to "several of our colleagues and as far as I understand, saw a positive reaction". Russia has increasingly close ties with China, whose President Xi Jinping last year called Putin his "best friend", while French President Emmanuel Macron has made a point of cultivating Russia. While relations between the US and Russia have plunged to post-Cold War lows, President Donald Trump has praised Putin. The Russian leader has also criticised moves to impeach his counterpart. There are varying accounts of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's first official meeting with Putin, on the sidelines of Libya talks in Berlin at the weekend. Downing Street said Johnson delivered a stern warning that Russia must never repeat its chemical attack on British soil against former double agent Sergei Skripal, but the Kremlin said the talks were constructive, even conciliatory in tone. - 'Frightening consequences' - Putin was one of dozens of world leaders in Jerusalem to mark the liberation 75 years ago of the World War II death camp where the Nazis killed more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews. Soviet troops liberated the death camp. Russia will hold large-scale celebrations in May to mark 75 years since the allied victory in World War II, with numerous world leaders invited. "Forgetting the past, and disunity in the face of threats, can lead to frightening consequences," Putin said. Countries must "do everything to protect and defend peace," he added. Putin's proposal comes despite Russia being expelled from the G8 group of industrialised countries after seizing Crimea from neighbouring Ukraine in 2014. Russia is also subject to numerous European and US sanctions because of the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow denies accusations by Kiev and its Western allies that it provides weapons to separatists fighting in the east. burs-alf-am-fz/par The cellphone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked in what appeared to be an attempt by Saudi Arabia's crown prince to "influence, if not silence," the newspaper's reporting on the kingdom, two UN human rights experts said Wednesday. The UN experts called for an "immediate investigation" by the United States into a report commissioned by Bezos that showed the billionaire technology mogul's phone was likely hacked after he received an MP4 video file sent from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's WhatsApp account after the two men exchanged phone numbers during a dinner in Los Angeles in 2018. The video file was sent to Bezos' phone five months before Saudi critic and Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi government agents inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey in October. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of Prince Mohammed's simultaneous clampdown on dissent. The Post was harshly critical of the Saudi government after Khashoggi's killing and demanded accountability in a highly public campaign that ran in the paper for weeks after his death. "The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the crown prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia," the independent UN experts said. At a time when Saudi Arabia was "supposedly investigating the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and prosecuting those it deemed responsible, it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post," the experts said. Bezos went public about the hack last year. He said the National Enquirer tabloid, whose owner has ties to the crown prince, was threatening to publish Bezos' private messages and photos if he didn't stop a private investigation he'd sought into the hacking of his phone. Post Seen as Target Iyad el-Baghdadi, an activist who worked with Bezos' investigators, told The Associated Press it appeared the hacking was about free speech. "It's not about trying to compromise a businessman for business purposes," he said. "It's not about Amazon, it's about The Washington Post." The Financial Times, which first reported on and reviewed the report commissioned by Bezos, noted the investigation "does not claim to have conclusive evidence," and "could not ascertain what alleged spyware was used." Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, called the hacking allegations "absolutely illegitimate." "There was no information in there that's relevant. There was no substantiation, there was no evidence," he told an AP reporter at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "It was purely conjecture, and if there is real evidence, we look forward to seeing it." The independent experts, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, published their statement after reviewing the report conducted by FTI Consulting, which was hired by Bezos' security adviser to manage the investigation. The report was published in full exclusively by Motherboard, the tech section of the VICE website, later Wednesday. The digital forensic investigation assessed with "medium to high confidence" that Bezos' phone was infiltrated on May 1, 2018, via the video file sent from the crown prince's WhatsApp account. The UN experts said that records showed that within hours of receiving the video from Prince Mohammed's account, there was "an anomalous and extreme change in phone behavior," with enormous amounts of data being transmitted and exfiltrated from the phone, undetected, over months. The report stated that Bezos' phone was compromised "possibly via tools procured by Saud al-Qahtani," the former adviser to the crown prince who was sanctioned by the U.S. for his suspected role in orchestrating the operation that killed Khashoggi. Love em or hate em, this much is true: one day soon, millennials will rule America. This is neither wish nor warning but fact, rooted in the physics of time and the biology of human cells. Millennialsborn between 1981 and 1996are already the largest living generation and the largest age group in the workforce. They outnumber Gen X (born 19651980) and will soon outnumber baby boomers (born 19461964) among American voters. Their startups have revolutionized the economy, their tastes have shifted the culture, and their enormous appetite for social media has transformed human interaction. American politics is the next arena ripe for disruption. When it occurs, it may feel like a revolution, in part because this generation has different political views than those in power now. Millennials are more racially diverse, more tuned in to the power of networks and systems and more socially progressive than either Gen X or baby boomers on nearly every available metric. They tend to favor government-run health care, student debt relief, marijuana legalization and criminal-justice reform, and they demand urgent government action on climate change. The millennial wave is coming: the only questions are when and how fast it will arrive. So whats America going to look like when this generation rises to power? I spent the past three years trying to answer that question by crisscrossing the country, interviewing the young leaders who are among the first in their cohort to be elected to public office. I sat down with Democratic stars like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 30, and former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, and Republican up-and-comers like Representatives Elise Stefanik and Dan Crenshaw, both 35. I interviewed rookie Democratic Congresswomen like Lauren Underwood, 33, and Haley Stevens, 36, and a smattering of local leaders from California to New York, including Stockton, Calif., Mayor Michael Tubbs, 29, and Ithaca, N.Y., Mayor Svante Myrick, 32. The result is my book, The Ones Weve Been Waiting For. Story continues If I set out to learn what millennials believe and why, I ended up with something more compelling: a glimpse of our countrys future. Millennials, after all, are starting to gain political power at a time when America looks more like a gerontocracy than ever. Donald Trump is the oldest first-term President in U.S. history, elected largely by older, white voters. He is surrounded in Washington by senior citizens like Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, 82, who can manage only a small window every day when he can focus and pay attention and not fall asleep, according to one Politico report. Trumps Senate allies are similarly geriatric. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, 77, graduated from the University of Louisville when tuition ran just $330 a year, and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, 86, was kindergarten age before the chocolate-chip cookie was invented, in 1938. Its not just Republicans. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, 79, and two of the top Democratic presidential candidatesformer Vice President Joe Biden, 77, and Senator Bernie Sanders, 78were born before the discovery of the polio vaccine and the bikini. Many of the lawmakers who must now grapple with questions of net neutrality, cyberwarfare and how to regulate Facebook were approaching retirement age when social media was invented. Of course, age isnt everything. Sanders, whose politics broadly reflect the preferences of the rising millennial electorate, has emerged as a Democratic front runner in part because of his popularity among young voters, while Buttigieg is most popular among older, more moderate Democrats. And Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 86, has become a hero among young liberal women. Nor will a generational uprising come all at once. Young people have historically voted at much lower rates than older people, and factors like geography, gerrymandering and voter-suppression effortswhich tend to disenfranchise college students and new voterswill conspire to diminish the power of millennials as the largest voting bloc. It may take years or even decades for millennials to be proportionally represented in the halls of power. But a progressive youthquake is coming. Research has shown that peoples experiences in early adulthood have the greatest impact on their lifelong political leanings, and millennials, for the most part, have experienced an America riven by inequality, endless wars, a financial collapse, a student debt crisis, and inertia in the face of climate change. All that has made them distinctly more liberal than their elders. The America we grew up in is nothing like the America our parents or our grandparents grew up in, Ocasio-Cortez told me in an interview in her Capitol Hill office last year. A lot of what we have to deal with are issues and decisions that were made by people in generations before us. According to Pew, 57% of millennials hold consistently or mostly liberal opinions, while only 12% report having conservative views. Even Buttigieg, who is often cast as a moderate in this Democratic presidential primary, is significantly more liberal than centrists of the previous generation, favoring universal health care, student debt relief and urgent action on climate change. He is also openly gaywhich just a generation ago might have disqualified him from the South Bend mayors office, let alone the presidency. Meanwhile, Trump is deeply unpopular among young Americans. One Harvard poll found his disapproval rate among people under the age of 30 topped 70%. Theres nothing more natural than generational turnover. Every couple of decades, a wave of elected officials begin to retire and a new generation fills the void. In the 1950s and 60s, it was the Greatest Generation, the ones who fought WW II and led a civic revival that built the national highway system and the rockets that sent men to the moon. In the 70s and 80s, the so-called Watergate babies swept into office to clean up corruption and reform institutions, ushering in a new era of entrenched partisanship. And for the past 30 years, baby boomers have been running the show. They shaped American politics according to their principles of fierce individualism, embracing privatization, tax cuts and policies rooted in personal responsibility. Generation Xs leaders, including former Georgia house minority leader Stacey Abrams and Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley, are now ascendant. Millennials are next. And by understanding the forces that shaped their politics, we can understand what America might look like when theyre in charge. Former South Bend mayor Buttigieg with supporters at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa | Tamir KalifaThe New York Times/Redux On Christmas Eve 1999, 16-year-old Haley Stevens opened her journal, gripped a purple marker and wrote: Haleys Millennium Ideas. Her letters were large and looping. The polar ice caps are going to melt, she wrote. Natural disasters and mad leaders at war what we read and what we do became so unbalanced and money driven. Like most diary-scribbling teenagers, she had a flair for the dramatic: We wont stop our mistakes, she wrote. So what the prophets predict will come true. Back then, Stevens was just a high school junior who filled her journal with America Online instant-message chats with boys from camp. (She printed them out and saved them for later analysis.) Now shes a freshman Democratic Representative from Michigans 11th District, one of 20 millennials who were elected to Congress in 2018 in a wave of discontent with the Trump Administration. I first met Stevens a couple of months before she won her primary. She had never held elected office, and at that point she was a long shot to win her partys nomination, much less go on to flip her Michigan House district. Which is perhaps why she let a reporter into her mothers bright yellow kitchen to read her childhood journals and sift through boxes of old keepsakes. I think theres a little bit of a misperception that people have about millennials: we do feel very called to service, she told me at the time. Kids of the 90s, we grew up thinking that we were going to change the world. The conventional wisdom has long been that young people usually lean to the left and then become more conservative as they age, buy homes, build wealth and raise families. Winston Churchill once supposedly said, If youre not a liberal at 20, you have no heart; if youre not a conservative at 40, you have no brain. But the data tell a different story. Researchers have found that popular Presidents tend to attract young people to their party, while unpopular Presidents repel them. Those formative attitudes are persistent: if youre disenchanted by a Republican President as a teenager, youre disproportionately more likely to vote for Democrats well into your adult life. One Pew study of 2012 data found that those who turned 18 during the unpopular Republican Richard Nixon years were more likely to vote for Democrat Barack Obama, while those who turned 18 just a decade later, during the prosperous Ronald Reagan years, tended to vote for Obamas GOP opponent in the 2012 presidential race, Mitt Romney. In several studies, Andrew Gelman, a political scientist at Columbia University, and Yair Ghitza, chief scientist at Catalist, a data provider for Democratic and progressive organizations, found that political events experienced between the ages of 14 and 24 have roughly triple the impact of events experienced later in life. (Their research focused on white voters, since longitudinal data on voters of color is more difficult to find.) Its much more about cohort than age, Gelman says. One way of understanding these up and down trend lines over the decades is asking: What happened when people were young? Consider, then, the millennial generations experience of America so far. For many, their political awakening came on Sept. 11, 2001. Ocasio-Cortez, then a seventh-grader, remembers coming home early from school and watching the towers fall on television, wondering whether her mom would be home from work in time for the apocalypse. Representative Max Rose, then a high school freshman, surprised his parents after the tragedy by hanging an American flag in his messy teenage bedroom in New York City. Stefanik, who was a high school senior in Albany, N.Y., remembers watching a friend collapse on the floor because her sister worked in one of the towers. (The friends sister was ultimately found safe.) Its one of the reasons I wanted to go into public policy, Stefanik told me later. On that day, we became a globally aware generation. Photo-Illustration by Edmon de Haro for TIME The millennials who enlisted to fight in the endless wars that followed would learn firsthand the consequences of American foreign policy. Crenshaw, who was also in high school on 9/11, lost his eye in Afghanistan while serving as a Navy SEAL, completing a mission he thought was a misguided use of resources by Obamas Pentagon. Rose was injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan; his life was saved by a new kind of Stryker vehicle that has been recently funded by Congress. When Buttigieg arrived in Afghanistan as a naval intelligence officer in 2014, his fellow officers told him the war was over: he spent most of his nights in his bunk, reading Tolstoys War and Peace and thinking about the question Vietnam veteran John Kerry once asked during congressional testimony: How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? The young people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan often have a more comprehensive view of American military engagement than their peers. Crenshaw is a vocal supporter of American military abroad and bucked his party to oppose Trumps proposed withdrawal of troops from Syria. He often says, We go there, so they dont come here. But while the baby boomers endured the Vietnam draft, only a small fraction of millennials have served in the military, and many see the wars as folly at best, immoral at worst. To many of them, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were expensive fiascoes that shattered their sense of American exceptionalism. In 2017, just half of millennials said they thought the U.S. should take an active part in world affairs, compared with almost three-quarters of boomers. Only about a third of millennials said they thought the U.S. was the greatest country in the world. Meanwhile, young people werent doing great at home either. Thanks to a series of public-policy moves, including slashing federal funding for state colleges and institutionalizing debt as a means to pay for it, millennials ended up owing nearly four times as much in student loans as their parents did. The student debt burden in the U.S. now stands at $1.6 trillion, most of which is owed by younger generations. Then came the financial crisis in 2008, which has had cascading effects for millennials and shaped many of their young political leaders. Ocasio-Cortezs father died just as the economy was melting down, and as her mother fought in court to recoup her husbands assets, Ocasio-Cortezs younger brother Gabriel noticed bank officials prowling around taking photos of their home. He had read that having a dog on the property can slow down the foreclosure process, since the bank would have to compensate its managers with hazard pay. He started leaving the familys Great Dane, Domino, on the porch. Between student debt and the financial crisis, millennials are lagging behind boomers and Gen X-ers. One study found that nearly a decade after the recession, millennialled households still had 34% less wealth than older generations had at their age, and the recession prevented millennials from substantially increasing their net worth. Youth unemployment spiked to 20% after the recession, and when millennials did find jobs, they were often in the gig economy, which likely meant irregular hours and no benefits. Between 1989 and 2011, the percentage of graduates covered by employer-sponsored health insurance was halved. Millennials, as a group, are more likely to have debt, less likely to have union benefits, and less likely to own a house or a car compared with the generations before them. Those who have gotten married have done so later and had fewer children. No wonder, then, that many young people today feel that 20th century systems arent working. They want to build 21st century solutions for 21st century problems. Stevens campaigns in her Michigan district during her 2018 congressional run | Brittany GreesonThe New York Times/Redux The 2008 presidential race was a galvanizing political moment for many young people. Buttigieg, who was 26 at the time, trudged through Iowa canvassing for Obama, digging out his car with his clipboard when it got stuck in the snow. Eric Lesser, who is now a Massachusetts state senator, worked as a luggage handler for Obamas campaign. Obamas victory was due in large part to youth enthusiasm: he won two-thirds of voters under 30. Obama rose to power on a message of consensus building, and many of the young people who worked for him internalized that message. Stevens, who also worked for Hillary Clinton in the primary and for Bidens vice-presidential bid in 2008, was hired to work on the new Presidents auto task force. She remembers staying up all night in the Treasury Department, eating Cheerios straight out of the box as the task force tried to find a way to save the auto industry. Lauren Underwood, now a first-term Illinois Congresswoman, worked in Obamas Department of Health and Human Services, helping implement the Affordable Care Act. We have very high goals, just like Obama did, says Lesser, who spent much of Obamas first term sitting in a tiny cubby outside the Oval Office, working as a special assistant to senior adviser David Axelrod. But we also understood that sometimes its the singles and doubles and triples that get you there. Other young people were galvanized in a different way by Obamas focus on consensus. A lot of our generation put our hopes into Barack Obamas campaign, says Waleed Shahid of Justice Democrats, a progressive organization that supports young, working-class candidates like Ocasio-Cortez in campaigns against moderate Democrats. And then as soon as he gets into office, theres all these things that go on that are kind of disappointing to young people. If this was the best a transformative leader like Obama could do within the system, many people figured, then maybe the system itself was broken. If systems were the problem, then movementsnot individualswould be the solution. In the wake of the Obama Administration, millennials began founding and joining leaderless social movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, demanding systemic overhauls to fix structural inequality and institutional racism. These groups rejected Obamas hopeful pragmatism. Weve never seen bipartisanship function in society, says Varshini Prakash, a leader of the Sunrise Movement, a group of young people agitating for a Green New Deal. Weve fundamentally seen our political institutions fail to fix the most existential threats of our lifetime. So when Sanders ran for President in 2016 on a message that the system itself was rigged, his message struck a chord. Working as a bartender in New York, Ocasio-Cortez sometimes made as little as $60 in tips in a nine-hour day. I didnt have health care, I wasnt being paid a living wage, and I didnt think that I deserved any of those things, she told a cheering crowd of Sanders supporters in late 2019, after endorsing his presidential run. It wasnt until I heard of a man by the name of Bernie Sanders that I began to question and assert and recognize my inherent value as a human being. Among young voters, Sanders embrace of democratic socialism was not a liability; it was part of his appeal. Young peoples approval of capitalism dropped 15 points from 2010 to 2019, according to Gallup. By 2018, fewer than half of 18-to-29-year-olds said they supported capitalism, according to an annual poll from Harvards Institute of Politics; 39% said they supported democratic socialism. The word itselfsocialismbecame something of a generational Rorschach test: to boomers, it conjured images of Soviet gulags and Venezuelan famine; to millennials, it meant universal health care and day care, climate solutions and affordable housing. None of this looks good for the GOP. Republicans have long done well among white voters, but millennials and their younger siblings in Gen Z (those born since 1997) are the most racially diverse generation in U.S. history. Republicans maintain strong ties to religious voters; millennials widely reject organized religion and are more openly LGBTQ than any generation before. On nearly every predictor of social conservatismreligion, race, wealthmillennials are headed one way and the GOP is headed another. In the years before 2016, young Republicans urged their party to do a better job of appealing to millennials. Former GOP Representative Carlos Curbelo of Florida, first elected at age 34, pushed his party to embrace immigration reform and described a widespread acceptance of marriage equality among younger conservatives. This is a live-and-let-live generation, he says. We dont seek to impose our moral codes on others. Stefanik and Curbelo both pushed their party to act on climate change, an issue that many of their septuagenarian colleagues have either dismissed or ignored. (Stefanik, who first emerged as a voice of moderation in the GOP, has now taken a hard right turn, defending Trump against impeachment and signing on as a New York co-chair in his re-election campaign.) But Trumps election in 2016 scrambled young Republicans efforts to appeal to a new generation. When Curbelo, once a rising star in the GOP, was ousted in the 2018 midterms, Trump mocked him as Carlos Que-bella. As Trumpism rose, many young conservatives began nursing serious doubts about their party, and some jumped ship altogether. From 2015 to 2017, roughly half of young Republicans defected from the GOP, according to Pew. Over 20% came back to the party by 2017, but almost a quarter left for good, Pew found. By 2018, only 17% of millennials identified as solidly Republican. Conservatives may find solace in the fact that young people are still much less likely to vote than their parents or grandparents. But that may be changing too. Millennial turnout was 42% in the 2018 midterms, roughly double what it was four years prior, and they voted for Democrats by roughly 2 to 1. That turnout helped send 20 millennials to Congress, from firebrand socialists like Ocasio-Cortez in New York City to moderate seat flippers like Representative Abby Finkenauer in Iowa. And nearly 60% of Americans under 30 say they definitely plan to vote in 2020. Ocasio-Cortez rallies fellow millennials at a Sanders campaign event in Queens, N.Y., on Oct. 19 | Michael NigroSipa These generational rifts have already defined the Democratic primary in surprising ways. Buttigieg has frequently noted that he is a member of the school-shooting generation, and emphasized that millennials like him will be on the business end of climate change. When I first met Buttigieg at a coffee shop in Manhattan in 2017, he told me he thought a lot about the 2004 commencement speech that the comedian Jon Stewart gave at William & Mary. He said, Heres the thing about the real world: We broke it, sorryI think he meant grownups, Buttigieg told me, paraphrasing the speech. He said, We broke it, but the thing is, if you figure out how to fix it, you get to be the next Greatest Generation.' Today Buttigieg is part of a quartet of top contenders in the 2020 Democratic primary. If he wins, hell be the first millennial presidential nominee. And if the nomination goes instead to Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, both in their 70s, it will be because millennial voters have dragged the party to the left. Nearly 6 in 10 young Democrats favor the most progressive candidates: according to a January Quinnipiac poll, 39% of voters under 35 favor Sanders and 18% support Warren. Which means that if 2016 was a skirmish, then 2020 could be an all-out generational war. It may take two years, or five years, or 10, but the boomers who run Washington today wont be around forever. A surge is coming. The elections this year could tell us if its already here. Adapted from Alters book, The Ones Weve Been Waiting For, out Feb. 18 Electric lights at Sydney Arcade The electric light has been in successful operation at the Sydney Arcade for several evenings. There are five lamps: one at the King-street entrance, another at the George-street entrance, and the remainder in the Arcade. The current is generated by a Brush dynamo-electric machine, driven by an eight h.p. Otto silent gas engine. As at present worked each of these lamps is considered equivalent to from 1200 to 1500 candles. French critics: Wagner OK The attitude of French musical criticism towards the works of Wagner seems to be undergoing a favourable change. The reports of the recent Munich performances which have appeared in French papers are much fairer in their tone, and free from the bitterness which long characterised the articles of French writers on the subject, a bitterness with which, doubtless, not a little personal feeling was mingled. Scrofulous humours Will McDonald of Chicago gratefully acknowledges a cure of salt rheum on head, neck, face, arms and legs for 17 years. Not able to walk except on hands and knees for one year; tried hundreds of remedies. Parents who allow their children to grow up with scrofulous humours bursting from every pore are guilty of a great wrong. Think of them branded with a loathsome disease, and procure them the Cuticura Remedies. Fenagh native, Tara Fitzgerald, the owner of Planned By Tara, has positioned herself as Ireland's leading wedding planner and specialises in Destination Weddings in Malta. She has this week been named the 2020 "Wedding Planner of the Year" as her business has gone from strength to strength. Speaking to Carlow Live, she said: "I am a Carlow based business and last November, I received a notification that I was chosen as a finalist in the category 'Wedding Planner of the Year' in The Irish Wedding Awards. "The awards ceremony took place on Monday, January 20 at The Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport. I was thrilled to win the award of Wedding Planner of the Year for 2020. "This is a huge achievement for me and my business having only launched in early 2018. There were lots of nominees from Carlow, however, I was the only Carlow winner on the night." Tara spoke about the origins of her business and how following a year of market research, specialist training and business modelling in 2017, Tara launched her business in 2018. She has experienced continued growth since her launch. As Ireland's only wedding planner specialising in Destination Weddings in Malta, Tara has her sights set on being a market leader in Malta in 2020. With a background in science and a 10 year career as a quality specialist in the pharmaceutical industry, Tara brings a wealth of experience in supplier and project management to her business. She believes that the skills that she has acquired in industry have positioned her to become a market leader in 2020. A love of weddings and the overall design concept are important elements of her business, but it is her ability to worker smarter, leaner and using process based systems is what she believes will drive future growth. As a former Malta bride in 2015, Tara originally set-up the business in an effort to support other Irish couples on their wedding journey after witnessing first hand the stresses and strains of planning a wedding abroad. Her aim was to provide a more transparent and simplified wedding planning process whilst offering a bespoke and tailor made event for her clients and their guests. News of her services grew quickly and within one year, Tara was booking clients from throughout Europe, Australia and USA. Malta has been positioned as one of Europe's top locations for a destination wedding. 59.7% of the 1423 Civil Marriages that took place in Malta in 2018 were by foreign couples, mainly originating from Europe. With hundreds of Irish couples flocking abroad in recent years in an effort to avoid the traditional Irish wedding, Tara has identified a niche market. Around 500 of the country's top businesses and wedding specialists gathered at The Crowne Plaza Hotel Dublin Airport to find out the champions of The 4th Irish Wedding Awards 2020. The awards recognised everyone that works hard towards creating memorable and unique weddings; from wedding planners, coordinators, specialists and caterers to photographers, videographers, florists and stationary suppliers. The glitzy evening was hosted by the best-selling author, Andrea Hayes. She presented the awards and acknowledged those who promote excellence in the industry, inspire others by their achievements and add the fairy-tale sparkle to any wedding. A spokesperson for The Irish Wedding Awards 2020 said: "The winners represent the industrys gold standard that work tirelessly to meet the demands of the couples and their guests. "The awards showcased some of the best wedding specialists that operate in the industry, whose excellence and commitment brought them at the forefront of the industry. The competition was really tough this year, but these champions are tried and tested specialists that know how to create a stress-free wedding experience, keeping the romance in the air. We would like to congratulate all finalists and winners for their amazing achievements. Marysville, CA (95901) Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 62F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 41F. Winds light and variable. Canada-based lobbyist and ex-Mossad agent Ari Ben-Menashe reports being paid $250,000 to advocate for defeated Tunisian presidential candidate Nabil Karoui even though Karoui has denied ever hiring him. Karouis $1 million contract with Ben-Menashes Dickens & Madson upended the Tunisian presidential race after Al-Monitor first reported on the firms lobbying filing with the US Department of Justice in October. Now new filings indicate that Ben-Menashe was paid $250,000 the month before via two intermediaries: Karouis wife, Salwa Smaoui, and Salim Hamdadou, whom Ben-Menashe identified as a friend of Karouis. The reported payments were made soon after the first round of the Tunisian elections, which saw Karoui advance to the second round along with eventual victor Kais Saied. Ben-Menashe told Al-Monitor that Smaoui and Hamdadou paid him because Karoui was in jail at the time on money laundering charges unrelated to his lobbying. Four days before his Aug. 23 arrest, Karoui hired Ben-Menashe to help arrange meetings with US officials and boost his profile ahead of the elections, according to the initial lobbying contract filed with US authorities. The contract was signed by one Mohamed Bouderbala, whom Karoui has denied knowing as he sought to distance himself from Ben-Menashe and Dickens & Madson amid an uproar in Tunisia. Karoui did not respond to a call to his media firm in Tunis. The new filing says Ben-Menashe maintained regular, ongoing telephone communications with the United States government in order to advise Karoui, but not for the purpose of altering United States policies until the contract was terminated sometime in October. He told Al-Monitor that thanks to his advocacy, we were able through some friends in the United States to get him out of jail just before the election. He declined to identify who those friends were. Click the image above to view the latest lobbying filing for Nabil Karoui. Ben-Menashe said he couldnt remember the exact day his contract with Karoui ended, but that it happened after the candidate was released from jail Oct. 9. He said he doesnt expect to receive the remaining $750,000 promised under the terms of the contract. He told Al-Monitor that Youssef Zarrouk, a close confidant of Karoui, had promised to wire the full amount the day after the contract was signed, but the $1 million never arrived. News of Karouis lobbying caused a stir in Tunisia, which bans foreign financing of elections and has a cap on campaign contributions thats below the $1 million called for in the initial contract. The Democratic Current party filed a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor at the Tunis Court of First Instance, calling the contract a criminal act. Ben-Menashe dismissed those charges in an interview with Al-Monitor today. I let the authorities in Tunisia know about it and they said it was okay, he said. It was right through to the top. Mumbai, Jan 23 : Sending shock waves in the ruling establishment, a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena functionary on Thursday proclaimed that MNS chief Raj Thackeray will henceforth be the new "Hindu Hridaysamrat". Shiv Sena founder, late Balasaheb Thackeray, was usually referred to as the "Hindu Hridaysamrat" (Emperor of Hindu Hearts). Thane MNS President Avinash Jadhav's statement on Balasaheb's nephew was greeted with thunderous applause at a massive party convention at the NSE Grounds, in suburban Goregaon. The announcement came on the day the Sena is celebrating the 94th birth anniversary of its founder-patriarch with a grand felicitation of his son and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray later in the day. The development comes amid changed political permutations and combinations after the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress joined hands to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, the estranged cousin of Raj Thackeray. Hitting back, senior Sena leader Anil Parab said that only the late Balasaheb Thackeray is the 'Hindu Hridaysamrat' and nobody else can claim to replace him, but declined to comment if his nephew Raj Thackeray was attempting to 'hijack' the title. The MNS is now quietly cosying up to the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and attempting to fill up the "Hindutva" vacuum created after the Shiv Sena split from the BJP. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text We are in very, very deep trouble. This is the view of Dawie Roodt, chief economist at the Efficient Group, who was discussing the state of South Africas economy on the Big Daddy Liberty show. Roodt said the state is by far the biggest role-player in the South African economy, accounting for around a third of the total economy. The government takes a lot of money out of our pockets in the form of various taxes and they spend even more than what they take, he said. The difference in what the government spends and what they get in is quite significant, which means they have to borrow a lot of money to keep going every year. The rate at which the government is borrowing money is increasing much faster than what the economy is growing, Roodt said. He said South Africa has already reached a point where it is extremely difficult to turn the situation around. What the government should do Roodt said there are a few ways in which the government can prevent facing severe economic problems. First, sell assets to pay off state debt. This is essentially the privatisation of assets but in reality, there are not many assets which can be privatised. Another option is to increase taxes. This has been done in the past, however, and South Africa is also running out of taxpayers. An option which will see good results is for the government to cut back on state spending. This is the only realistic way to turn the situation around, but that will mean anger from civil servants and trade unions. That is where we are, unfortunately. It will be extremely difficult to turn this around, said Roodt. Interview with Dawie Roodt The full interview with Dawie Roodt is available in the video below. Now read: Tech jobs bloodbath in South Africa Mabledesign.com scored 45 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 30 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the mabledesign homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the mabledesign homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the mabledesign homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the mabledesign homepage on Twitter + the total number of mabledesign followers (if mabledesign has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the mabledesign homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if mabledesign has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Interior Design, Home Design Ideas & Architectures | MableDesign DESCRIPTION Home Design Ideas, Interior Design & Architecture. All about living room designs, bedroom designs, dining room designs, kitchen designs, bathroom designs, decorations and furniture for entire areas inside the home KEYWORDS Home Design Ideas, Interior Design, Architecture, living room designs, bedroom designs, dining room designs, kitchen designs, bathroom designs, decorations, furniture OTHER KEYWORDS The title found in the head section of the homepage. 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. 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Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND An independent counsel investigated the president for years, concluding he lied and may have obstructed justice. The House voted to impeach him. But the Senate, which Republicans controlled by a small margin, acquitted him at trial. That was two decades ago, when Bill Clinton became the second president in U.S. history to face an impeachment trial. Now President Trump is the third, with his Senate trial starting this week. The Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Mr. Trump nearly 21 years to the day after Clinton's impeachment. Now, a Senate controlled by the GOP will once again decide whether to remove a president from office. Impeachment proceedings involve two phases: The House votes first on whether to impeach the president, and then the Senate decides whether to convict the president on those charges. A two-thirds vote is required in the Senate for conviction and removal from office. There are, of course, stark differences between the Trump and Clinton cases and some ironic overlap, too. Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying under oath about a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The allegations stemmed from the Starr Report, the findings from a four-year investigation led by independent counsel Ken Starr. Starr is now a lawyer on Mr. Trump's impeachment defense team even though Mr. Trump called Starr "a lunatic" and "terrible" during the Clinton case. Mr. Trump also faced a special counsel investigation, led by Robert Mueller, which ran through the first two years of his presidency. The Mueller report detailed 10 instances in which the president may have obstructed justice during the investigation; it neither charged nor exonerated him. But the report ultimately did not factor into Mr. Trump's impeachment. Instead, the House impeached him on two charges arising from a separate incident abuse of power and obstruction of Congress connected to his freezing of military aid to Ukraine after requesting an investigation into Joe Biden. Mr. Trump made the request in a call to Ukraine's president just one day after Mueller testified before Congress about the outcome of his investigation. Story continues Unlike the Clinton case, neither of the impeachment articles against Mr. Trump are criminal charges. The president's Republican defenders often cite this in their attacks on the process. But during the Clinton impeachment, some of those same Republicans argued that no crime is needed for impeachment. In Mr. Clinton's Senate trial in February 1999, 45 senators voted "guilty" on perjury and 50 voted "guilty" on obstruction short of the two-thirds needed for conviction, so he was acquitted and finished his second term. President Andrew Johnson, the first president to be impeached, was acquitted by a single vote in 1868. For Mr. Trump to be removed, at least 20 Republican senators would have to join every Democrat and independent in voting to convict. Several Republicans, including some who were around for the Clinton impeachment, have already said they want to see the trial end quickly. An acquittal would make Mr. Trump the first impeached president ever to run for reelection. Here's what the senators who are still serving in Congress said during President Clinton's impeachment. CBS News has reached out to the offices of all 27 senators for comment, and the story will be updated with their responses. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) Blunt was in the House when he voted for Bill Clinton's impeachment. He called impeachment "our most serious constitutional duty." "No president can be allowed to subvert the judiciary or thwart the investigative responsibility of the legislature," Blunt said at the time. Blunt said Mr. Clinton's perjury and urging of others to obstruct justice were "serious felonious acts that strike at the heart of our judicial system." "Violating these oaths or causing others to impede the investigation into such acts are serious matters that meet the standard for impeachment," he said. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) Brown was in the House and voted against impeaching President Clinton. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) Burr was serving in the House during the Clinton proceedings and voted for impeachment. In a statement at the time, Burr said: "The United States is a nation of laws, not men. And I do not believe we can ignore the facts or disregard the constitution so that the president can be placed above the law." Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) Cardin was in the House and voted against the Clinton impeachment. "There are some who are so outraged by how the president was treated, the whole process, the Starr investigation," he said in 1998. "The other half of our caucus is somewhat in bewilderment that this even elevates to an impeachable offense." Susan Collins (R-Maine) Collins is one of the few Republican senators who voted "not guilty" for both charges against President Clinton. She said that while his grand jury testimony was often evasive and dishonest, it did not meet the legal standard of perjury, and the attorneys questioning him deserved blame for failing "to pin him down as he gave nonresponsive, evasive, confusing or simply absurd responses." As for obstruction, she said his actions did not pose "a threat to our governmental institutions," and noted the legal system treats obstruction as a less serious offense in civil cases like the one Mr. Clinton had faced. Collins said Mr. Clinton being impeached was enough punishment. "When the history of the Clinton presidency is written, every book will begin with the fact that William Jefferson Clinton was impeached, and that will be not only the ultimate censure but also the final verdict on this sad chapter in our nation's history," she said. Collins is one of the few GOP senators who's supported hearing from witnesses in Mr. Trump's impeachment trial. Her office sent CBS News a statement in which Collins said the Trump trial "should follow the model that we used with the Clinton impeachment trial. That process provided for the opportunity for both sides to state their case and for Senators to ask questions through the Chief Justice." The statement also said Collins "will not support any attempts by either side to subpoena documents or witnesses" until she hears the case and senators ask questions. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) Crapo was in the House and voted to impeach President Clinton. "Our entire legal system is dependent on our ability to find the truth. That is why perjury and obstruction of justice are crimes," Crapo said then. "Perjury and obstruction of justice are public crimes that strike at the heart of the rule of law and therefore our freedom in America." Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) Durbin voted "not guilty" for both of the charges against Bill Clinton in the Senate. He said that while Mr. Clinton's conduct was "clearly wrong," the process leading to his impeachment trial was "too partisan, too unfair, too suspect." "What has occurred here is a personal and family tragedy it is not a national tragedy which should result in the removal of this president from office." Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) The Wyoming senator voted to convict Mr. Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice, the two charges that made it to the Senate. Enzi said he was particularly disturbed by Mr. Clinton's efforts to influence the testimony of Betty Currie, the president's personal secretary who allegedly handled gifts for Lewinsky. Mr. Clinton "was intending to influence the testimony of a likely witness in a federal civil rights proceeding," Enzi said. "President Clinton was, in fact, trying to get Betty Currie to join him in his web of deception and obstruction of justice." Enzi's press secretary said in a statement to CBS News, "Senator Enzi will continue to listen to all the evidence on the Articles of Impeachment during the trial. Once all the evidence is presented, he will make a final decision. He's not looking to weigh in at this time." Dianne Feinstein (D-California) Feinstein voted to acquit Mr. Clinton on both charges, though she led the effort to censure him in other words, pass a congressional condemnation that would not carry a specific punishment. Feinstein called his conduct "immoral, deplorable and indefensible," but said she still believed he was a "good president." "In terms of public policy he's one of the brightest people I've ever seen. He's been very encouraging to us. He's gone beyond the pale to help at times. It's hard to forget all that," she said at the time. Her censure effort failed to get enough votes. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) The South Carolina senator voted for Mr. Clinton's impeachment on both counts and served as one of the House impeachment managers in his trial. During the proceedings, Graham argued that Mr. Clinton could be impeached even if he did not explicitly tell others to break the law or, in fact, if he didn't break the law at all. "He doesn't have to say, 'Go lie for me,' to be a crime. He doesn't have to say, 'Let's obstruct justice,' for it to be a crime. You judge people on their conduct, not a magic phrase," Graham said in a TV interview. In separate remarks, Graham said, "You don't even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic if this body determines your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role." Impeachment, he said, "is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office." Graham has been an outspoken critic of the impeachment proceedings against President Trump, telling CBS' "Face The Nation" in December 2019 that he has "nothing but disdain for this" and thinks "this whole thing is a crock." Graham has also said he is "not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here" and "will do everything I can to make it die quickly." ...you dont even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job...your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role....Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office." -@LindseyGrahamSC on the standards for Impeachment in 1999 pic.twitter.com/KRPu3TPtYm Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) April 19, 2019 Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) The Iowa senator voted to convict President Clinton on both charges. Grassley said Mr. Clinton's "actions are having a profound impact on our society." "His misdeeds have caused many to mistrust elected officials. Cynicism is swelling among the grass roots. His breach of trust has eroded the public's faith in the office of the presidency," he said during the Senate impeachment trial. Grassley said the "true tragedy" of the case was "the collapse of the president's moral authority" after Mr. Clinton lied on national TV about his affair with Lewinsky. "There was no better reason than that for the resignation by this president," Grassley said. "[O]nce you lose your moral authority to lead, you're a failure as a leader." Now, as president pro tempore of the Senate, Grassley swore in Chief Justice John Roberts to oversee President Trump's trial. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) The Oklahoma senator voted to convict President Clinton on both charges. He co-signed a statement during the impeachment proceedings pointing out that federal law "criminalizes anyone who corruptly persuades or engages in misleading conduct with the intent to influence the testimony of any person in an official proceeding." Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Leahy voted "not guilty" on both Senate charges in the Clinton case. In a lengthy closed-door statement, he said removing Mr. Clinton from office would be a "symbolic" act that would cause more long-term damage than keeping him. He also said the proceedings had been too partisan. "Partisan impeachment drives are doomed to fail. The Senate must restore sanity to this impeachment process," Leahy said. "We must exercise judgment and do justice. We have to act in the interest of the nation. History will judge us based on whether this case was resolved in a way that serves the good of the country, not the political ends of any party or the fortunes of any person." Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) Markey was in the House and voted against impeachment in 1998. He said President Clinton made a "grievous personal error to the detriment of his family," but not to the country or Constitution. Markey also said Republicans were simply out to get the president, and that Mr. Clinton's actions shouldn't have been investigated in the first place. "This matter should never have been pursued by Ken Starr. It should never have been pursued by the Judiciary Committee. And it should never have reached the floor of the House of Representatives," Markey said. He warned that Congress was at the "threshold of overturning the people's choice for president through a perversion of the independent counsel law, a runaway, partisan investigation." Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) The Kentucky senator, who is now the Senate majority leader, said Bill Clinton's "cold, calculated actions betrayed the trust vested in him by the American people and the high office of the presidency." He voted to convict on both charges. "I think that the United States Senate has a clear choice today," McConnell said in a closed-door statement. "Do we want to retain President Clinton in office, or do we want to retain our honor, our principle, and our moral authority? For me, and for many members in my impeachment-fatigued party, I choose honor." McConnell went on, "The president of the United States looked 270 million Americans in the eye, and lied, deliberately and methodically. He took an oath to faithfully execute the laws of this nation, and he violated that oath. He pledged to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer, and he violated that pledge. He took an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and he willfully and repeatedly violated that oath." Fast-forward two decades, and Senate Majority Leader McConnell has criticized the impeachment proceedings against President Trump as partisan and the result of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" from Democrats. He has also impeded efforts to introduce new witnesses and documents, and said he "can't imagine a scenario under which President Trump would be removed from office." Mitch McConnell told reporters Monday that he "can't imagine a scenario under which President Trump would be removed from office," and he's confident an impeachment "will not lead to ouster." https://t.co/9vAwvVLRws pic.twitter.com/ys2EIoPOFL CBS News (@CBSNews) November 18, 2019 Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) Menendez was in the House and voted against Mr. Clinton's impeachment, calling the proceedings "a travesty." "Monica Lewinsky is not Watergate. Let he who has no sin in this chamber cast the first stone," he said. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) The Kansas senator was in the House and voted for Mr. Clinton's impeachment. "I choose to be on the side that says no person is above the law; that this is a nation of laws, not men; that telling the truth matters; and that we should expect our public officials to conduct themselves in compliance with the highest ethical standards," he said in a statement. Patty Murray (D-Washington) Murray voted to acquit on both charges, while still making clear her disgust with President Clinton. "I have to say, as a citizen, as a woman, and as a parent, I cannot begin to describe how deeply disappointed and angry I am with the president," Murray said. "I trusted him. I thought I knew him. I refused to believe he would demean the presidency in the way that he has. His behavior was appalling and has hurt us all." But she said that, as a senator, she did not believe the evidence warranted impeachable offenses. "This president's behavior was reprehensible, but it does not threaten our nation," she said. "In the past year, despite the scandal that ran on the front page nearly every day, our country has prospered. Our economy is growing. Our waters and air are cleaner. Our communities are safer. Our education system is stronger. America is not poised on the brink of disaster. Our democracy is safe." Rob Portman (R-Ohio) The Ohio senator was in the House in 1998 and voted for impeachment. "I believe the evidence of serious wrongdoing is simply too compelling to be swept aside," he said on the House floor. "I am particularly troubled by the clear evidence of lying under oath in that it must be the bedrock of our judicial system. I believe the long-term consequence to this country of not acting on these serious charges before us far outweigh the consequences of following what the Constitution provides for and bringing this matter to trial in the United States Senate." Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) Reed voted to acquit Mr. Clinton on both charges in the Senate. On "The Takeout" podcast with CBS News' Major Garrett in April 2019, Reed compared the Clinton case to the recently-released Mueller report, which at the time had stirred talk of Mr. Trump's potential impeachment. "What really makes this case different is we're not talking about personal indiscretions that were embarrassing and were attempted to be obscured," Reed said about the Mueller findings. "We're talking about a sovereign nation who tried to did, in fact, didn't try did in fact influence our elections. We're talking about a reaction to the future, to other elections. This is not, literally, an affair that was a year ago, let's move on. And that's a difference we have to look at." Reed's office did not immediately give an updated comment on the impeachment charges ultimately approved against Mr. Trump. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) The Kansas senator voted "guilty" on both charges. In a statement, he said Mr. Clinton had taken several steps to impede the investigation and affect its outcome. "Do these actions rise to the level envisioned by our founding fathers in the Constitution as 'high crimes and misdemeanors' so warranting removal from office?" Roberts asked. "Our Constitution requires that the threshold for that judgment must be set by each senator sitting as a juror. Again, I believe an open-minded individual applying Kansas common sense would reach the conclusion that I reached." Chuck Schumer (D-New York) The current Senate minority leader was in the House and voted against impeaching President Clinton. He said Mr. Clinton's affair was "tawdry" and his actions were potentially illegal, but still did not warrant impeachment. Schumer also said Starr had "seriously overreached" in his investigation and provided "flimsy evidence." "The world economy is in crisis and cries out for American leadership, without which worldwide turmoil is a grave possibility," Schumer said, adding that the investigation had "run its course" and it was "time to move on." As the Trump trial approached, Schumer accused McConnell of killing any chance for a fair hearing. "When you are accused of something you don't suppress evidence would exonerate you," Schumer said, adding that the GOP-led Senate could turn the trial into a "nationally televised meeting of the mock trial club." Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) Shelby said that after reviewing the evidence, he did not support the perjury charge against President Clinton. But he did believe it was proven "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Mr. Clinton obstructed Starr's investigation. So he voted "not guilty" for the perjury charge, but "guilty" on obstruction of justice. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) Stabenow was in the House in 1998 and voted against impeachment. In a House debate about launching an impeachment inquiry, she criticized Mr. Clinton's "irresponsible behavior and lack of truthfulness" but said impeachment was not "in the best interests of our country." "We must address this crisis fairly and responsibly and get back to the people's business," she said. John Thune (R-South Dakota) Thune voted in the House for impeachment. "In America there is no emperor," he said. "There is one standard of justice that applies equally to all, and to say or do otherwise will undermine the most sacred of all American ideals. President Clinton has committed federal crimes, and there must be a reckoning, or no American shall ever again be prosecuted for those same crimes." Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) The Mississippi senator was in the House and voted to impeach President Clinton. He said the allegations that Mr. Clinton urged Lewinsky to lie "would amount to a federal felony, and that would mean serious, serious problems for President Clinton." Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) Wyden voted to acquit President Clinton on both Senate charges. He said Mr. Clinton's lying to his secretary was "very, very disturbing," but did not find the evidence strong enough for impeachment and removal. Wyden's impeachment statement said little about Mr. Clinton's behavior, and instead focused on Wyden's belief that the impeachment proceedings had been too partisan and Republicans didn't try to find "common ground." "The public is tired of us being at each other's throats. They are tired of beltway politics that places toxic partisanship over the public interest," he said. This is an updated version of an article originally published on April 25, 2019. Biden reacts to CBS News question about Sanders feud: "Calm down, it's OK" Blake Shelton on bringing back the mullet and being named People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive LeBron James surprises teens at YMCA First President of Kazakhstan-Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev received newly appointed Assistant to the President-Secretary of the Security Council Asset Issekeshev Thursday, Kazinform reported citing Elbasy.kz. During the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev highlighted the important role the Security Council plays in making sure that the unified state policy is carried out in terms of ensuring the national security and defense capacity of the country. The Security Council is an important government body which in the first place analyzes and considers the issues of ensuring security in Kazakhstan and beyond, said the First President of Kazakhstan. In his words, the Council also deals with the issues related to the work of law-enforcement agencies, food security, interaction with foreign countries, and defense capacity. Elbasy also stressed it is crucial to bring the reform of the domestic law-enforcement system to a close. In turn, Asset Issekeshev reported on the current situation in the country and briefed Nursultan Nazarbayev on what will be done in 2020. Wrapping up the meeting, Elbasy gave the Secretary of the Security Council a number of specific instructions. Mexico City, Jan 23 : Five men were sentenced to six and a half years in prison for trafficking 785 undocumented migrants in cargo trucks, the Prosecutor General's Office said. Two of them were convicted of transporting 396 migrants and three of transporting 389 migrants, it said on Wednesday, reported Xinhua news agency. They were arrested in June during an operation on roads in the Veracruz states. In the later half of 2019, Mexican authorities arrested 276 people for trafficking migrants with cargo trucks, buses or automobiles, according to a report by the National Immigration Institute. The mostly Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violent crime were charged up to US $5,600 per person to be taken to the US border, said the Interior Ministry. Press Release 23 January 2020 LONDON - Hotels in the Central/South America region reported positive performance results during 2019, according to data from STR. Advertisements U.S. dollar constant currency, 2019 vs. 2018 Central/South America Occupancy: +1.2% to 58.8% Average daily rate (ADR): +8.0% to US$96.25 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +9.3% to US$56.55 Note: Venezuela data was not included in this sample due to currency fluctuations in the country drastically affecting hotel performance figures for all of South America. Local currency, 2019 vs. 2018 Bogota, Colombia Occupancy: +0.6% to 58.0% ADR: +5.1 to COP273,710.46 RevPAR: +5.7% to COP158,828.02 While occupancy only grew slightly, the absolute level was the highest for any year in Bogota since 2013. In July, the market's performance was boosted by AgroExpo (11-21 July). In October, however, monthly occupancy dropped after five consecutive months of growth, and the steepest drop came the day before the market hosted local and regional elections for the first time since 2016 (26 October). Rio de Janeiro Occupancy: +16.4% to 60.2% ADR: +9.2% to BRL395.38 RevPAR: +27.1% to BRL238.19 STR analysts note that Rio de Janeiro hotels are recovering from lower levels of performance in the time that followed the 2016 Summer Olympics. A number of international events also helped boost performance throughout the year such, as Copa America (14 June through 7 July) and the 11th World Chambers Congress (12-14 June), a biennial event which was last hosted in Sydney. Overall, demand for the year grew 14.4%. Download STR's global hotel review for December. A family wears masks while walking in the street in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Getty Images) Fears Mount as Cases of Chinas Viral Pneumonia Surge Exponentially It started with a light cough. He burped constantly, and complained of shortness of breath. Family members thought it was no big deal. The doctor said he seemed to have heart problems and suggested him to stay in the hospital. He appeared healthy except for a minor infection in one lung area. Two weeks later, he was dead, with both lungs infected and organ failure. His doctors at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital determined the cause of death as unknown pneumonia. It was days before Chinese health authorities identified the cause of the new viral pneumonia as 2019-nCoV, a coronavirus that first emerged in December in the commercial city of Wuhan, his home city. As of press time, the virus has since sickened scores of people across China and around the world, with confirmed cases in South Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States. Much remains unclear about the virus that has sparked fear around the world and cast a cloud over the upcoming Lunar New Year festivities, a major traditional holiday when millions of Chinese travel to their hometowns or go on vacations abroad. Experts say the mass movement of people could accelerate the diseases spread. The virus has already spread across the country to 17 provinces and regions. To the mans family, his death is far from the end of their sorrows. Among his relatives, five have fallen ill: one is under emergency rescue at a Wuhan hospital; his niece and nephew-in-law also have lung infections but doctors turned them away, saying theres no space for them at the hospital; two others are also experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms. Buying one dose of medicine means waiting for hours in line. His sister, currently in Norway, told The Epoch Times that she was being silenced by Chinese authorities and not allowed to post anything about his death. The man is not listed on the authorities official death toll, because he did not show any signs of fever, his sister said. She has requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. An illustration of the mans niece. (Joyce Wei/The Epoch Times) My tears have run dry now, she said. She said that if her niece and nephew-in-law does not receive treatment soon, she will ask her family in China to protest on the streets against the authorities. We are nobodies without any resources, but we also need to survive. Traits of the Virus Health experts have been comparing the Wuhan virus with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), all belonging to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses. Some suspect that the new disease originated from bats, which also carried the first SARS and MERS pathogens, but questions remain as to how far the new coronavirus has changed from its original form. Coronaviruses are known for their adaptability and can change very quickly, according to Michael Lai, a molecular biologist with the Taiwanese institute Academia Sinica. The virus can more easily replicate across humans, which could make it more contagious, Lai said. The virus in a patient will continue to evolve it can easily stay in the community for a very long time, he said, calling on Chinese authorities to learn from the SARS experience. Security personnel check the temperature of passengers in the Wharf at the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Getty Images) Due to the Chinese regimes initial cover-up, SARS spread from China to more than a dozen countries in 2002 to 2003, killing almost 800 people and infecting more than 8,000. Ih-Jen Su, who was head of the Taiwan governments response team to the SARS outbreak in 2002 to 2003, said that given the recent developments, with dozens of new cases each day, Im afraid the illness is spreading more quickly and severely than SARS. Su is also a medical investigator at the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan. In that outbreak, the first case appeared in China in November 2002 and spread to Hong Kong and Taiwan in March 2003. Fears Spreading A woman from Wuhan who asked to remain anonymous said she has been wearing masks whenever she goes out. I can only avoid places with a lot of people, avoid going out. I dont know much else [to do], she told The Epoch Times. Another Wuhan resident surnamed Pan said they didnt dare to criticize the government for fear of getting into trouble. Hospitals businesses are doing well nowlots of people are lining up to see the doctor, he told The Epoch Times. Wuhan has become famous. A woman wears a mask while riding an electric bicycle in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Getty Images) In a sign of the severity of the outbreak, Wuhan officials on Jan. 22 announced it was quarantining the city and shutting down public transportation, including the subway, ferries, and airports, to prevent the diseases further spread. A nurse at the Wuhan Xiehe Hospital said staff were not allowed to resign nor leave the city. Another nurse at her department had already gotten sick, she said. In one hospital alone, more than a dozen healthcare workers have also been infected, according to Chinese authorities. Cases like this made molecular biologist Lai suspect the presence of superspreaders: a single patient who can infect many people. Laurie Garrett, a health science analyst and former journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the 1995 Ebola outbreak, suggested that intensive respiratory care work could expose healthcare staff to the dangerous virus, if their whole body is not fully covered, including the hair and eyes. Drawing on her previous experience covering the 2002 SARS outbreak, Garrett said inadequate protective measures could lead to infected workers exposing more people to the virus through their contact with other patients. It would have been a lot easier to control the first week of January, she said, but there was still a lot of denial, and a lot of hope that this was something trivialthat it was just a handful of people that hung out in an animal market, which was insane to assume, she said. Frank Fang contributed to this report. [January 23, 2020] CSS Corp Unveils its New Center at Austin To Spearhead Technical Innovation and Customer Experience CSS Corp, a new-age IT services and technology support company, today announced the opening of its newest delivery center at Austin, Texas. With the new center in Austin, CSS (News - Alert) Corp is expanding its presence in the US, in line with the company's vision of offering world-class infrastructure and tech support services to clients across the globe. It is the company's fifth delivery center in the country, in addition to the existing centers in Milpitas, Dallas, Utah, and New Jersey. The company aims to tap into the skills and local talent pool available in Austin to grow its business in the region. Service delivery for its first customer from this location, BlueJeans Network, a global leader in interoperable video collaboration services, has already begun. CSS Corp will offer level 1 technical support, premium support, and technical account management services for BlueJeans' customers, along with various back-office services, through this center. "We are delighted that CSS Corp is the partner of choic for BlueJeans Network in Austin. The new center aligns with our ethos of driving impact without any geographical limitations. It is a strategic expansion for us that will enable us to deliver best-in-class technical support services for clients across industries looking to target the rapidly growing Texas market. Austin is a great location for our new site, considering the availability of a good technology talent pool in the region. We plan to continue this growth momentum with expansion in key geographies across the globe in the near future," said Sunil Mittal, EVP & Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, CSS Corp, speaking about this development. "Through our partnership with CSS Corp, we are continuing to build on the great work we've done when it comes to transforming our delivery of technical support in order to optimize the customer experience for clients. We appreciate the nimbleness that CSS Corp displayed in scaling up quickly to meet our requirements, and we are confident of reaching more milestones in this journey together," said Nir Galpaz, VP, Technical Service and Support, BlueJeans Network. Austin ranks among the top US metro areas for the amount of office space leased in the past nine years by tech companies hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. It has also become the fastest-growing job market in the past ten years. About CSS Corp CSS Corp is a new age IT services and technology support company that harnesses the power of AI, automation, analytics, cloud and digital to address customer needs. The company partners with leading enterprises to help realize their strategic business outcomes. Its team of 6,400 technology professionals across 18 global locations are passionate about helping customers differentiate and succeed. For more information please visit www.csscorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005343/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] SANTA FE, N.M. When Valerie Plame declared her run for Congress by boasting of her past as a C.I.A. agent, money poured into her campaign from donors around the country charmed by her vow to take on President Trump. But now, the view that Ms. Plame is a shoo-in to win the coveted seat in northern New Mexico seems based on faulty intelligence. Instead, the ex-spys entry into the race is flaring tempers among fellow Democrats, reflecting how the party is grappling with an array of internal divisions in New Mexico and around the country in a pivotal election year. Some voters in the district, which is considered the cradle of New Mexicos centuries-old Hispanic culture and is home to 15 Pueblo tribes, the Navajo Nation and the Jicarilla Apache Nation, are expressing skepticism over her bid as an Anglo newcomer who moved to the state in 2007. Hispanics account for 41 percent of the districts population, while Native Americans make up 19 percent. During the Republic Day Parade this year, for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay a wreath at the War Memorial before the parade. This would also be the first time that the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat would attend the Republic Day parade and welcome the Prime Minister along with the three defence chiefs. "For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay a wreath at the War Memorial on the Republic Day where he would be received by the Chief of Defence Staff and the three Services Chiefs," said Republic Day Deputy Commander Major General Alok Kakkar told ANI. The War Memorial was inaugurated last year in February by the Prime Minister. The national war memorial has been built in memory of the Indian soldiers who laid down lives for the country in the post-independence era. The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created last month by the Narendra Modi government and Gen Rawat was appointed as the first officer to hold the position. This is his first Republic Day Parade after his appointment. On the parade, Kakkar said 16 marching contingents from Army, Navy, Air Force and Paramilitary forces will take part in the Parade along with 31 bands overall. Kakkar said the Dhanush artillery gun from the Army and the Apache and Chinook helicopters from the Air Force would be the new feature at the parade this year. He further stated that there will be no separate contingents for women in the parade."Women will be taking part in all marching contingents, but there are no separate contingents for women in the parade," said the General. Meanwhile, the Army Air Defence Corps will for the first time take part as a marching contingent while the Signal Corps contingent would be led by Captain Tanya Shergill who is a fourth Generation Army officer. The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) are also returning to the Republic Day Parade after a gap of four years. Major Nikhil Maurya and Major Tarun Rathee of the Special Forces will lead the 'hell march' conducted during the parade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TrustLine Holdings, the leading equity research, and portfolio management firm has announced the successful closing of its Intrinsic Deep Alpha Fund. The fund has received commitments of Rs 800 million-plus from existing and new investors against the target of Rs 750 million. This Category III AIF Fund's mandate is to focus predominantly on micro and small-cap space in the sub-1000 crore market cap segment and to aim at early-stage investing in the listed space. TrustLine is among the top discretionary portfolio managers in India with industry-leading performance. The Fund with a minimum investment size of Rs one crore is a "Closed" ended scheme with a term of five years and extendable up to two years as per SEBI AIF Regulations, 2012. It would focus on an early investment in small companies in promising high growth sectors, when they are in their infancy, thus having the potential to deliver exceptional returns when they scale up. "This has been one of the most challenging environments for micro, small and midcaps. We are pleased to note that we could, not only manage to raise our target commitments but also exceed our own expectations in this difficult environment. This was made possible because of overwhelming support from our existing investors whose commitments constituted a significant share of the overall fundraising. This bears testimony to our long-term performance track record as well as to our focus on long-term client relationships and client servicing. In this fund, our objective is to create a 'Rich' portfolio from "Small" gems. We aim to do this by handpicking some of the best high-quality micro-caps, possessing superior return metrics (ROCE), high operating margin, low leverage, soundtrack record, etc. from the target universe", said ArunaGiri N, Founder CEO & Chief Investment Officer, TrustLine Holdings Pvt Ltd. ArunaGiri who is the CIO for the fund has more than 15 years of experience in the capital market in various capacities and manages the PMS/AIF investments at TrustLine with assets over Rs 400 crores spread across 550 plus highly satisfied clients. As an enthusiastic and disciplined practitioner of value investing over a long time, Arun has come to believe that the key to success in value investing lies not so much in financial skills, but in emotional and temperamental skills. He believes very strongly that value investing is a great wealth-building opportunity for anyone who could think and act long-term without getting swayed by the short-term swings of the market. A large part of success in value investing comes from one's ability to stay objective/rational in an irrational market setting. By being greedy when fear grips and being fearful during misplaced exuberance. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Harvey Weinstein's lawyer challenged Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra on why she did not turn to her co-stars Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro after an alleged incident involving the producer in Cannes. Lead attorney Donna Rotunno noted that the now 59-year-old was at the film festival to promote movie Cop Land alongside the Hollywood stars when she says Weinstein showed up at her hotel room in his underwear with baby oil. Trying to cast doubt on Sciorra's version of events, Rotunno asked: 'You were there with Sylvester Stallone, correct? You were there promoting a movie with Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, heavyweights in the movie industry. Why didn't you go to them and say get this guy away from me?' Sciorra said: 'I never saw anybody until I was walking on the red carpet.' The actress cried as she took the stand in the New York trial on Thursday, telling jurors how she desperately tried to fight off the Hollywood producer before he raped her in the winter of 1993 to 1994. She told jurors she 'punched and kicked' out but 'couldn't fight anymore because he had my hands locked' and said Weinstein told her he had 'perfect timing' after ejaculating on her nightgown. That led to several years of Weinstein tormenting Sciorra, prosecutor Meghan Hast told jurors, culminating in an incident at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. At other points in the 1990s, she said, Weinstein sent her packages with Valium and a box of chocolate penises. In an emotional five hour testimony the 59-year-old described how Weinstein, 67, 'overpowered' her during the alleged assault at her Manhattan home in the early 1990s. She said she began drinking heavily and cutting herself in the wake of the incident and she felt like she 'disappeared' from her life. Sciorra, who began her testimony composed before choking back her tears, had told jurors an image of her at the theater standing in front of red roses and shown to the court reminds her 'very much of being raped by Harvey Weinstein' as it was taken shortly after at the end of January 1994. Dad-of-five Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women, Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann. Sciorra's rape allegation from the winter of 1993 to 1994 is too old to be charged as a separate crime, but prosecutors hope it will show that Weinstein was a repeat sexual predator, a charge that could put him in prison for life. Scroll down for video Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra, pictured center on Thursday, came face to face with Harvey Weinstein during his trial Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women in New York, and faces life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault. He said that any sexual encounters he has had have been consensual Annabella Sciorra pictured with Sylvester Stallone at Cannes in 1997, right. Lead attorney Donna Rotunno, left, noted that Sciorra was at the event alongside the Hollywood stars when she says Weinstein showed up at her hotel room with baby oil Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives at New York Criminal Court supported by members of his team on Thursday Annabella Sciorra is questioned by prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon on the stand as film producer Harvey Weinstein sits during his sexual assault trial at New York Criminal Court on Thursday Annabella Sciorra played Gloria Trillo in The Sopranos, pictured. Sciorra's rape allegation from the early 1990s is too old to be charged as a separate crime , but prosecutors hope it will show that Weinstein was a repeat sexual predator THE WEINSTEIN JURY 18 people must be selected to make up the jury of 12 and six alternates. The 12 jurors includes; 6 white men 1 black man 2 black women 1 Latino woman 2 white women Advertisement A visibly distressed Sciorra told the court: '(Weinstein) was there and pushed the door open, so I didn't have an opportunity to know why he was there. Then he started to unbutton his shirt, and then I realized that in his head, he wanted to have sex and I didn't want to. I realized what he wanted was pretty obvious, so I started to back up into my bathroom. I felt very overpowered because he was very big.' Turning her body away from Weinstein she said: 'He led me into the bedroom and he shoved me onto the bed. I can't tell you exactly when his pants came off or exactly what happened. I don't think his shirt ever got completely off. 'As I was trying to get him off of me I was punching him, I was kicking him and he took my hands and put them over my head, he put my hands over my head to hold them back and he got on top of me and he raped me. I couldn't fight anymore because he had my hands locked.' Describing the alleged assault as 'disgusting' she added: 'At a certain point, he stopped. He came out of me and he ejaculated on top of me, on my nightgown. He said, 'I have perfect timing'. And then he proceeded to put his mouth on my vagina and before he did that, he said, 'This is for you'. And I didn't have very much fight left inside me at this point. I said, 'No, no'. But there was not much I could do at that point. My body shut down. 'It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual. I didn't even really know what was happening. It was like a seizure or something. 'I'm not sure if I fainted or fell asleep or blacked out, but I woke up on the floor with my nightgown kind of up and I didn't know if something else had happened.' After bumping into Harvey at a later date she said he menacingly warned her: 'This remains between you and I.' One of the next times she saw Weinstein was in London in 1994 when she was working on 'The Innocent Sleep'. Sciorra said she moved hotels in the middle of the night to avoid him. Their next encounter was in 1997 at the Cannes Film Festival when Weinstein turned up at her hotel room in his underwear clutching a bottle of baby oil in one hand and a video in the other. Prosecutors have accused Weinstein of committing violent attacks on aspiring actresses, who they said suffered shame and humiliation as they internalized trauma from the encounters. Defense attorneys countered that emails from the accusers to Weinstein would show they maintained warm relations, which could undermine a case that appears to rely primarily on the testimony of the accusers. Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno noted that Sciorra never went to police or a doctor about the alleged rape. 'At the time, I didn't understand that that was rape,' Sciorra said. Rotunno also suggested that Sciorra's judgment and recollection were clouded by drinking on the night of the alleged rape. The actress said she remembered having only a glass of wine with dinner and had kicked a Valium habit that developed after Weinstein sent her pills. Regaining her composure for the remainder of her testimony Sciorra told Rotunno's she had never told a friend she had 'awkward sex' with Weinstein. But Rotunno told her: 'You have no idea of the month, or potentially the year. You weren't even really sure of the address.' Sciorra hit back: 'I blocked most of that part of my mind out.' Rotunno also played the jury a clip of an interview which MIss Sciorra did on August 6 1997 with David Letterman in which she admitted to lying to journalists. Sciorra told the chat show host: 'I have quite a bad reputation in the last couple of years for lying about a few things.' The court also heard that Sciorra told a friend that she 'hoped Harvey has a job for me' in a message sent in 2017. Weinstein hobbled into court without the aid of his walker for a second day running Thursday. He was heavily supported by members of his legal team. But he did have a new walker on hand, this time with wheels on the bottom instead the device with two tennis balls on which he had favored. Sciorra walked into the courthouse alongside prosecutor Joan Illuzzi. Weinstein, who reshaped the independent film industry with critically acclaimed pictures such as 'The English Patient' and 'Shakespeare in Love,' has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual. As he left court on Wednesday, he told reporters he felt 'very confident' about the case. Sciorra, who began her testimony composed, had told jurors these images of her with roses from around the time of the attack reminds her 'very much of being raped by Harvey Weinstein' Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra cried as she took the stand in Harvey Weinstein's New York trial on Thursday. She is pictured leaving the court room following her emotional two hour testimony Weinstein hobbled into court without the aid of his walker for a second day running Thursday. He was heavily supported by members of his legal team. But he did have a new walker on hand, far left, this time with wheels on the bottom instead the device with two tennis balls on which he had favored The new walker, this time with wheels instead of tennis balls, made its first appearance at court on Thursday Actress Annabella Sciorra, left, with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon on Thursday. Her testimony sets up the first of several face-to-face confrontations between Weinstein and his accusers. Sciorra pictured leaving court, right 'Harvey gave me a ride home before coming back to rape me', Sciorra tells court Sciorra entered court and did not look at Weinstein - but he stared at her. Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi asked her if she saw him in the court today and in a dramatic moment she stood up, pointed at him and said he was wearing a 'black suit and white shirt'. Sciorra told the jury that she first met Weinstein at a party in Los Angeles around 1990. Around that time she was in her early 30s and her star was on the rise after starring in films like 'Jungle Fever' and 'The Hand that Rocks the Cradle'. Sciorra said that Weinstein persuaded her to take the lead part in 'The Night We Never Met' even though she was exhausted from doing two films back to back. Weinstein said he would not do it unless she took the lead and she reluctantly agreed. The Harvey Weinstein story: From studio to courtroom 1979 - Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob found independent film distribution and production company Miramax, naming it after their parents, Miriam and Max. June 1993 - The Walt Disney Company buys Miramax for $80 million, but the brothers stay on until 2005. May 1994 - Director Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction,' starring Uma Thurman and John Travolta and backed by Miramax, wins the prestigious Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. 1997 - Miramax wins its first Academy Award for best picture with 'The English Patient.' 1999 - Miramax's 'Shakespeare in Love' wins seven Oscars - including best picture and best actress for Gwyneth Paltrow. 2004 - Weinstein divorces his first wife Eve Chilton, with whom he has three daughters. 2005 - The Weinstein brothers leave Miramax to set up their own production company, The Weinstein Company. 2007 - Weinstein marries English fashion director Georgina Chapman. October 5, 2017 - The New York Times reports Weinstein settled with eight women who accused him of unwanted physical contact and sexual harassment over three decades. Weinstein in a statement apologized for causing pain to colleagues and said he was taking a leave of absence and entering therapy. Reuters did not independently verify the details of the New York Times report. October 6, 2017 - Weinstein takes indefinite leave of absence from The Weinstein Co. The company later says he is fired. October 10, 2017 - The New Yorker reports allegations by 13 women who said Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them, including three who said he raped them. Weinstein again denies non-consensual sex. Reuters did not independently verify the details of The New Yorker's accounts. Chapman, Weinstein's wife, says she is leaving him. October 14, 2017 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that selects the Oscar winners, expels Weinstein. October 2017 - Actress Alyssa Milano fuels the expansion of the #MeToo movement, founded by Tarana Burke, by writing on Twitter: 'If you've ever been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet.' In the following weeks, #MeToo would be used by millions of women. January 1, 2018 - Hollywood celebrities launch the Time's Up campaign to fight sexual harassment in the workplace. May 25, 2018 - Weinstein surrenders to New York police on charges of rape and a criminal sex act involving alleged assaults against two women, in 2004 and 2013. June 5, 2018 - Weinstein pleads not guilty to the charges. June 9, 2018 - Weinstein pleads not guilty to new charges of sexually assaulting a third woman in 2006. October 11, 2018 Weinstein wins dismissal of the charges over the alleged 2004 assault. Charges involving the other two women remain pending. January 17, 2019 - Benjamin Brafman, Weinstein's defense attorney, issues statement saying he is quitting, without elaborating. January 25, 2019 - Weinstein appears in court to announce new defense team. April 26, 2019 - Weinstein's trial is delayed until Sept. 9 to allow defense more time to gather evidence. July 11, 2019 - Weinstein hires third legal team after second team of defense attorneys exits the case. August 26, 2019 - Weinstein pleads not guilty to new indictment involving the same two women accusing him of two counts of predatory sexual assault, in 2006 and 2013. His trial is pushed back to Jan. 6, 2020. December 11, 2019 - Weinstein and his bankrupt studio reach tentative $25 million settlement with dozens of women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Representatives for Weinstein declined to comment. January 6, 2020 - Los Angeles prosecutors announce sexual assault charges against Weinstein just hours after he appears in a New York court for the start of his trial on rape charge; Weinstein's rape trial begins in New York. Reporting by Reuters Advertisement Sciorra said that she began to attend a number of events to do with Miramax, his film production company, including a dinner at an Irish restaurant in New York in the winter of 1993 to 1994. Among those who was there was Uma Thurman and at the end Sciorra accepted a ride home from Weinstein. She went upstairs and got ready for bed and then heard a knock at her door, so she went to open it thinking it was her doorman or a neighbor. Sciorra said she was wearing a nightgown given to her by her mother's cousin in Italy - at this point her voice wobbled. Illuzi asked what happened when she opened the door and she began to cry and had to compose herself as described her alleged assault. Sciorra said: 'The defendant was there and he pushed the door open and I didn't have the opportunity to understand why he was there'. Weinstein started walking around her apartment apparently to see if they were alone, she said. Sciorra said: 'Then I realized he thought we were going to have sex. I realized he was taking off his shirt and that in his head he wanted to have sex and I didn't want to. I told him he had to leave. 'I started to back up because I thought I could make it into my bedroom. I was telling him to leave, this wasn't going to happen, I wasn't having sex with him and he kept coming at me. I felt very overpowered because he was very big and I was 100lbs. 'I started to back up because I thought I could make it into my bedroom and he grabbed me'. Illuzi asked her to show where and Sciorra put her hands around her collar. She said: 'He led me into the bedroom and shoved me onto the bed. I was trying to get him off me, I was punching him and kicking him and trying to get away from him but he took my hands and put them over my head'. Sciorra sobbed as she put her hands over her head with the hands together. She said: 'He got on top of me and he raped me'. She said she couldn't fight him off because 'he had my hands locked'. Weinstein pulled himself out of her and ejaculated on her nightgown and told her: 'I have perfect timing'. Sciorra then described how he performed oral sex on her and said: 'This is for you'. Weinstein left and Sciorra blacked out and when she woke up on the floor she felt' disgusted'. Weinstein 'warned' Sciorra, 'This remains between you and I' When Sciorra said she ran into Weinstein about a month after the alleged attack and confronted him about what had happened, he parried, 'That's what all the nice Catholic girls say,' she testified. Then, she said, he leaned toward her with 'black eyes' and said menacingly: 'This remains between you and I.' 'I thought he was going to hit me right there,' Sciorra said. The dramatic testimony came on the second day of Weinstein's trial. Sciorra said she tried to tell her friends but she found it impossible, nor did she go to the police. She said she did not think that you could be raped by somebody you knew and that Weinstein was a 'nice person' until then. And so for more than a quarter-century, she told her story only a few people close to her about the encounter, until she came forward publicly in 2017. Now, Sciorra has become the first of Weinstein's accusers to testify at his New York City rape trial, seen as a watershed for the #MeToo movement. Sciorra's testimony sets up the first of several face-to-face confrontations between Weinstein and his accusers. Her friend, actress Ellen Barkin, was also seen entering the court. 'All my power All my heart All my strength I give to you dear friend and warrior ... #AnnabellaSciorra,' Barkin wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. 'I love you.' Sciorra says Weinstein tried to proposition again at Cannes in 1997 with baby oil One of the next times Sciorra said she saw Weinstein was in London in 1994 when she was working on 'The Innocent Sleep'. She said Weinstein would call her repeatedly asking her to come to dinner with him and would send cars every day to pick her up. Eventually he turned up at her hotel room and was 'banging on the door saying this is Harvey, open the door', she said. Sciorra moved hotels in the middle of the night to avoid him. Their next encounter was in 1997 at the Cannes Film Festival when Weinstein turned up at her hotel room in his underwear clutching a bottle of baby oil in one hand and a video in the other. She frantically called all the numbers she could on hotel phone and summoned as many staff as she could - Weinstein left. After all of this, Sciorra told the court she later had another encounter with Weinstein at an industry party. She said: 'Suddenly, I felt a hand on my back. I was wearing a low-cut dress, and as I turned around he immediately took his hand off me and went away.' Weinstein climbs the stairs to Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday. The court was told Weinstein used his close friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton to 'intimidate' his victim and prosecutors showed the jury a picture of Weinstein with Bill Weinstein arrived on Thursday without the aid of his walker which had used the two weeks prior after back surgery Both legal teams kicked off their opening statements on Wednesday. The jury heard how one accuser, named for the first time as aspiring actress Jessica Mann, says Weinstein injected an erection drug before raping her in a Manhattan hotel in 2013. The court was also told Weinstein used his close friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton to 'intimidate' his victim and prosecutors also showed the jury a picture of Weinstein posing with Clinton during his presidency. Describing the once powerful Hollywood producer as a 'savvy sexual predator', Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast added: 'At the end of this trial, the evidence will be clear, that the man seated right there was not just a titan in Hollywood, but a rapist.' I was punching him, I was kicking him and he took my hands and put them over my head, he put my hands over my head to hold them back and he got on top of me and he raped me. I couldn't fight anymore. Weinstein accuser Annabella Sciorra Since 2017, more than 80 women, including many famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Prosecutors likened him to the witch in Hansel and Gretel who lured in children to her gingerbread house. But Weinstein lawyer Damon Cheronis described how Mann called Weinstein her casual boyfriend. She is also said to have texted him: 'I love you, I always do, but I hate feeling like a booty call.' Prosecutors had already previewed Sciorra's testimony in a lengthy, at-times graphic opening statement Wednesday that painted Weinstein as a sexual predator who used his film industry clout to abuse women for decades. 'The evidence will show that despite her protests, despite her fight, despite her body revolting, Harvey Weinstein felt he was entitled to take what he wanted from Annabella forcing her to live in terror of him for decades,' prosecutor Meghan Hast told jurors in her opening statement on Wednesday. Sciorra is one of four other accusers that prosecutors plan to call as witnesses during the month long trial. 'Annabella, Mimi, Dawn gratitude brave warriors we are with you in solidarity,' actress Rosanna Arquette wrote on Twitter on Thursday. Dawn Dunning is among the women who are expected to testify about Weinstein's pattern of behavior, although he is not charged with assaulting her. Defense questions the validity of Sciorra's account Sciorra was cross examined by Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno on Wednesday. Rotunno has become known as the 'anti-MeToo lawyer' and colleagues have described her as a 'bulldog in the courtroom'. She tried to cast doubt on Sciorra by asking why she didn't do more to leave her apartment when Weinstein came in. Rotunno said: 'When he pushed his way in did you go out the door?' Sciorra said: 'No'. She asked: 'While he was walking around your apartment did you exit the door at that point? Sciorra replied: 'No'. 'When he was unbuttoning his shirt, did you walk out the door then?', Rotunno asked. Sciorra said: 'No'. Sciorra said she could not remember telling prosecutors when she spoke to them that Weinstein was trying to 'cajole' her into bed in a 'friendly' way. She said that she did not leave before he put his hands on her because Weinstein was 'frightening'. Addressing the alleged rape Rotunno asked: 'Did you hit him in the face? Sciorra said: 'I don't know'. Rotunno asked: 'Did you poke him in the eye?' Sciorra said: 'No'. Rotunno asked: 'Did you scream?' Sciorra said: 'Yes.' Trying to cast doubt on Sciorra's version of events in Cannes, Rotunno asked: 'You were there with Sylvester Stallone, correct? You were there promoting a movie with Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, heavyweights in the movie industry. Why didn't you go to them and say get this guy away from me?' Miss Sciorra said: 'I never saw anybody until I was walking on the red carpet.' Rotunno also played the jury a clip of an interview which Sciorra did on August 6 1997 with David Letterman in which she admitted to lying to journalists. She told the chat show host: 'I have quite a bad reputation in the last couple of years for lying about a few things'. She said that if there was a question about her personal life she 'didn't feel comfortable' with and 'didn't think it was anybody's business' then she told a lie. That included claiming that her father and the actor Dennis Hopper raced iguanas. Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi asked Miss Sciorra: 'In this interview you were not talking in any way about lying about matters as serious as what we are here for?' Miss Sciorra said: 'No'. The court heard that Miss Sciorra told a friend that she 'hoped Harvey has a job for me' in a message sent in 2017. Miss Rotunno said that in August that year a friend of Miss Sciorra's sent her a message asking for her number, which she handed over. The friend then told her it was for Harvey Weinstein and Miss Sciorra replied: 'Really? That's interesting'. Miss Sciorra said she did not tell him immediately not to hand it over to Weinstein because she was 'petrified' of him. But Miss Rotunno pressed her and said that two days later Miss Sciorra messaged the friend saying she was 'more broke than I ever imagined, no (health) insurance, I haven't worked in years and I have been reaching out to friends'. She added: 'I am hoping Harvey has a job for me'. Miss Sciorra said: 'I was fishing, yes'. It was not clear in court whether Sciorra was 'fishing' to find out whether Weinstein had a job for her, or whether the movie mogul was aware that a reporter had gotten wind of her accusations. Miss Rotunno said that in October 2017, the same month she spoke to Ronan Farrow at the New Yorker about her alleged rape at the hands of Weinstein, she messaged her friend again. The first message read: 'So Harvey...hmm?' A follow up message from Miss Sciorra read: 'I just need to know if you gave Harvey my number?' Rotunno also quizzed Sciorra about a box of chocolate penises she said Weinstein sent her before the alleged rape. Sciorra described them as 'chocolate penises in a white box' with a card that read 'from Harvey'. 'Did you call him (Weinstein) and say what is this?' Rotunno asked. Sciorra said no. Rotunno added: 'Did you ask him whether or not or why he sent them to you?' Sciorra replied: 'No'. Damon Cheronis, one of Weinstein's lawyers, said in his opening statement Wednesday that Weinstein could not have gotten to Sciorra's 17th floor apartment uninvited because her building had a doorman, and that Sciorra had in the past described the encounter as consensual. He questioned the validity of Sciorra's account, saying she once told a friend that she 'did a crazy thing and had sex with Harvey Weinstein' and that she had a consensual encounter with him. 'She didn't describe it as rape because it wasn't,' Cheronis said. Cheronis offered a similar defense for the other accusations against his client. In each case, he said, women had reframed consensual relationships as predatory after the fact. Cheronis said emails and text messages would show that Haleyi, who has said Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006, repeatedly reached out to him in the following years. Mann, whom Weinstein is accused of raping in 2013, even told Weinstein she wanted him to meet her mother after the alleged attack, Cheronis said. Hast said that the women kept in touch with Weinstein because they 'felt trapped.' She told jurors they should not discount the allegations simply because Weinstein did not fit the profile of a rapist grabbing victims 'in a back alley.' 'Here the rapist was at the pinnacle of the very profession his victims strived to make a career in,' she said. Weinstein, who reshaped the independent film industry with critically acclaimed pictures such as 'The English Patient' and 'Shakespeare in Love,' has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual. He is pictured Thursday Files arrive at court for the Weinstein rape trial Thursday. Both legal teams kicked off their opening statements on Wednesday Actress Ellen Barkin arrives after a lunch break to watch the case of Harvey Weinstein at New York Criminal Court WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BIGGEST TRIAL OF THE #METOO ERA - THE CHARGES AGAINST WEINSTEIN Harvey Weinstein, once one of Hollywood's most powerful producers, has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and criminal sexual assault. Weinstein is accused of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi, pictured, in 2006 and raping another woman in 2013 Who are the accusers? More than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein, 67, of sexual misconduct, helping to fuel the #MeToo movement over the last two years. The criminal charges against him refer to just three accusers. Mimi Haleyi, a former production assistant on a Weinstein Company television show, has said that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in his Manhattan home in July 2006. Actress Annabella Sciorra, best known for her role on HBO's 'The Sopranos,' has said Weinstein raped her in her Manhattan apartment in 1993. Prosecutors have accused Weinstein of raping another woman in March 2013 in Manhattan. She was named as aspiring actress Jessica Mann for the first time in court on January 22. Weinstein has said that any sexual encounters he had were consensual. What are the charges? Weinstein is charged with a criminal sexual act in the first degree against Haleyi, and with rape for the 2013 allegation against Mann. He is charged with predatory sexual assault over both allegations. Sciorra's allegation is too old to be the basis of a separate charge, but is a crucial part of the predatory sexual assault charges, which require prosecutors to establish a pattern of serious sex crimes against multiple women. Predatory sexual assault is the most serious charge against Weinstein, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. Who will testify against Weinstein? Haleyi, Sciorra and Mann are almost certain to testify in a trial that could last until early March. Prosecutors will also call three other women to testify about encounters with Weinstein, even though he is not formally charged with crimes against them. Their testimony is intended to bolster the charges by showing that Weinstein had a consistent pattern of behaviour. Prosecutors have also said that they expect to call Barbara Ziv, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, to testify as an expert on the trauma resulting from sexual assault. The Hollywood mogul climbed up the stairs as he arrived at a Manhattan courthouse on January 8 What is Weinstein's defense? Weinstein's lead lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told Reuters that Weinstein had a 'slew of witnesses ready to go.' She has said the defense would be introducing emails and text messages to prove that Weinstein's accusers maintained relationships with him after his alleged assaults. His lawyers have also said they plan to call psychologist Deborah Davis of the University of Nevada, Reno, to testify as an expert on memory, suggesting that Weinstein may try to call his accusers' recollections into question. What other legal risks does Weinstein face? Even if he is acquitted in Manhattan, Weinstein faces separate criminal charges announced on Jan. 6 by prosecutors in Los Angeles. Lawyer Rotunno declined to make an immediate comment on those charges. Weinstein was charged with sexually assaulting two unidentified women in 2013, said Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey. He was charged with raping one woman and sexually assaulting the other. Reporting by Reuters Advertisement President Donald Trump fired up his smartphone Thursday morning to quote Fox News guests and blast the Democrats case on Twitter as House prosecutors readied for the second day of oral arguments in Trumps Senate impeachment trial. The president, accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to announce investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden, cited 21 Attorneys General who sent a letter to the Senate on Wednesday arguing the impeachment proceeding threatens all future elections and establishes a dangerous historical precedent that erodes separation of powers shared by the executive and legislative branches by subjugating future presidents to the whims of an opposing majority. The Attorneys General urged the Senate to reject the impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, saying they lacked any plausible or reasonable evidentiary basis" and were "fundamentally flawed as a matter of constitutional law. Trump tweeted that the Democrat House would not give us lawyers, or not one witness, but now demand that the Republican Senate produce the witnesses that the House never sought, or even asked for? They had their chance, but pretended to rush. Most unfair & corrupt hearing in Congressional history! The Democrat House would not give us lawyers, or not one witness, but now demand that the Republican Senate produce the witnesses that the House never sought, or even asked for? They had their chance, but pretended to rush. Most unfair & corrupt hearing in Congressional history! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2020 The House impeachment hearings did feature a witness requested by Republicans, Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University, who argued the impeachment case woefully inadequate and dangerous. The House impeachment hearing rules provided Trump and his attorneys a chance to participate directly, but the administration refused. Democrats say the Trump administration has blocked testimony and documents at an unprecedented level, but Trump attorneys say House Democrats should have taken the White House to court over the evidence they sought during the initial inquiry. On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who leads the House prosecutors, said Trump tried to cheat in the 2020 election. He argued Trumps actions with Ukraine, including holding up nearly $400 military aid while pressing for investigations into the Bidens, were an affront to the office of the presidency and the very reason the framers of the Constitution gave Congress impeachment powers. Trump fired back Thursday, saying Schiffs presentation was loaded with lies" and arguing the Obama administration had held up aid to many countries. The Democrats & Shifty Schiff, whose presentation to the Senate was loaded with lies and misrepresentations, are refusing to state that the Obama Administration withheld aid from many countries including Ukraine, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt, Honduras, & Mexico. Witch Hunt! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2020 Democrats argue, however, that Trump withheld the aid for personal gain in a move that ran counter to U.S. national security interests, as Ukraine faced war with Russia and the aid had been approved by Congress. The Government Accountability Office, an independent federal watchdog agency, said Trump broke federal law by withholding the aid based on his policy priorities. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Turley on Tuesday disputed Trump administration claims that impeachment can only happen following a crime by the president. Alexander Hamilton, he noted, spoke of impeachment trials as dealing with the misconduct of public men ... the abuse or violation of some public trust. Turley still believes the Democrats pushed forward with a case that interpreted grounds for impeachment too broadly, but he argued the White House was adopting a far too narrow understanding of impeachable offenses. The impeachment trial picks up Thursday at about 1 p.m. C-SPAN will live stream the proceedings. A report issued by the United Nations suggests that malicious spyware created by Israeli company NSO Group may have been used by Saudi Arabia to hack Jeff Bezos' phone and steal his nude selfies. The report issued on Wednesday by the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights suggested that NSO Group's Pegasus spyware was the 'most likely' explanation for data that was stolen from Bezos' phone. A video file that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent Bezos on WhatsApp on May 1, 2018 was identified in the report as the likely source of the malicious code. The report notes that the Saudi Royal Guard acquired the Pegasus-3 spyware from NSO Group in a November 2017 contract. Malicious spyware created by Israeli company NSO Group may have been used by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (left) to hack Jeff Bezos' (right) phone The logo of the Israeli NSO Group company is seen on a building where they had offices in Herzliya, Israel in a file photo. The firm's wares have been used by governments to target journalists in Mexico, opposition figures in Panama and human rights activists from the Middle East. The U.N. experts said Bezos' phone hacking occurred during a period in which the phones of two close associates of Jamal Khashoggi were also hacked, allegedly using the Pegasus malware. Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi hit squad in October 2018 after writing columns critical of bin Salman in the Washington Post, which Bezos owns. NSO Group said in a statement it was 'shocked and appalled' by the reports linking its software to the Bezos phone hacking. 'If this story is true, then it deserves a full investigation by all bodies providing such services to assure that their systems have not been used in this abuse,' the company said. 'Just as we stated when these stories first surfaced months ago, we can say unequivocally that our technology was not used in this instance,' the company said. The first messages between Jeff Bezos, in green, and the Saudi prince were in April after they met at a dinner in Hollywood This is the message that Mohammed bin Salman sent Jeff Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone In October, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, sued NSO in the U.S. federal court in San Francisco, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of about 1,400 users across four continents. Targets of the alleged hacking spree included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. NSO has denied the allegations, saying it solely 'provides technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime'. An NSO spokesperson adds: As we stated unequivocally in April 2019 to the same false assertion, our technology was not used in this instance. We know this because of how our software works and our technology cannot be used on US phone numbers. Our products are only used to investigate terror and serious crime. Any suggestion that NSO is involved is defamatory and the company will take legal counsel to address this. Amnesty International will ask an Israeli court on Thursday to order Israel to revoke the export licence of NSO Group, whose software is alleged to have been used by governments to spy on journalists and dissidents. New Delhi, Jan 23 : With just a fortnight away from the polls for the 70-member Delhi Assembly, the Congress besides the traditional door to door campaigns and public rallies, is tapping the social media to connect with the voters. The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years from 1998 to 2013 and suffered losses in two assembly polls in 2013 and 2015, is looking for chance revival in this election. In the past few days, the Congress social media team is pushing out videos, pictures, banners and memes to highlight the failures of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital. A senior Delhi Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, told IANS, "In order to connect with the youth voters, the party is using the social media platforms to highlight the failures of the AAP and the BJP. The plan is to reach out to the youths who use smartphones. Through our social media campaign we are also making the people and youth aware of our party's plans for the development of Delhi." A control room for the social media team has been formed on the second floor of Congress' state unit office. The social media team develops the content and forwards it to the WhatsApp groups of the frontal organisations and the candidates from all the Assemblies. The frontal organisations like Mahila Congress, National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and others post the content on their concerned pages on social media platforms after receiving from the social media team. Another party leader said that besides the senior party leaders campaigning for the candidates in their respective assemblies, the party has also roped in youths to campaign extensively across the city. The youths have been asked to explain the developments that took place in Delhi during the tenure of three time Chief Minister Late Sheila Diskhit. The ruling Congress managed to win eight seats in 2013 assembly polls, however, two years later, it was reduced to zero. The AAP managed to win 67 seats in the 2015 elections and the BJP could only win three seats. Delhi will go to polls on February 8 and counting of votes will take place on February 11. The Pagosa Living Room Set combines metal, glass and solid hardwood to create a modern, sturdy and eye-catching collection. The Pagosa Living Room Set doesn't look like the typical Amish Furniture so it enhances the furniture style and design options for our clients. The newly introduced Pagosa Living Room Set gives todays home and apartment owners the opportunity to furnish their living rooms with solid hardwood furniture that has a modern flair. The set is available from Weaver Furniture Sales of Shipshewana, Indiana. LeRoy D. Weaver, a Weaver Furniture Sales owner states, "the Pagosa Living Room Set doesn't look like the typical Amish Furniture so it enhances the furniture style and design options for our clients." In creating the Pagosa Living Room set, Amish designers and cabinetmakers combined solid hardwood, metal, glass and upholstery to create a modern design. The collection includes a coffee table, sofa table, end tables and a loveseat. Each table is built on a powder coated grey metal base topped with 1 3/8-inch solid hardwood with a live edge. A 1/4-inch tempered glass insert in the coffee table and end table adds a stylish touch. A solid hardwood top without glass insert is also available. In addition, a 3/4-inch-thick solid lower shelf in each table provides excellent display space for books, magazines and decor items. Homeowners will find the set visually appealing from every angle. The loveseat is made from solid hardwood. 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About Weaver Furniture Sales: Weaver Furniture Sales was established in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana. An Amish, family-owned furniture business, Weaver offers a full line of solid wood, Amish furniture at affordable prices. And Weaver caters to both residential and commercial customers. The company features Shaker, Mission and Traditional styles. As part of their client services, Weaver provides furniture design consultation services, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences and businesses in the United States. LeRoy and Ida Weaver own and operate Weaver Furniture Sales. They began with a 1,500 square foot showroom, which has been expanded to more than 20,000 square feet. Previously, they owned and managed LeWana Dairy Farm, where they milked cows and raised corn and hay. Armored tanks are mobilized on the street to maintain security during the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, February 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. High scores in military strength has given Vietnam 31st place in a 2020 global power ranking of 73 economies. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam's level of global influence is second only to Singapore, which is placed 22nd, according to the latest power ranking released this month by multi-platform publisher U.S. News and World Report. Among other Southeast Asian peers, Indonesia is ranked 40th, Myanmar 47th, Thailand 49th, the Philippines 51st, and Malaysia 58th. The ranking assesses the influence of a nation based on five attributes including a country's leadership, economic influence, political influence, international alliances and military power. Vietnam scored an average 0.9 points on a scale of 10 in power ranking. The country scored highest in military power at 2.8 points, followed by economic influence (0.7) and political influence (0.6). "Strong international alliances" recorded 0.4 points and "a leader" 0.5 points. Vietnam was ranked 32nd among 80 economies last year. The U.S. was named the most powerful country in the world, followed by Russia and China. The rest of the top 10 were Germany, the U.K., France, Japan, Israel, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Global Firepower, a U.S.-based non-governmental military website that assesses the military power of countries around the world, last year ranked Vietnam's military the 23rd most powerful in the world. The country's total available active military manpower, estimated at 482,000, puts it among the 10 largest standing armies in the world, according to Global Firepower. The power ranking is part of the U.S. News and World Report's Best Countries Ranking. In the overall ranking, Vietnam slipped four places to 43rd, performing best in economic growth, heritage and business openness categories. A New York State Trooper who shot out the tire of a car during a pursuit has been put on unpaid leave, according to state police. Shawn Windoloski, a three-year veteran with the New York State Police, fired his gun toward a car its driver tried to drive away from police, police said. On Saturday at 8 p.m., troopers tried to stop the car for speeding on State Route 37 in Fort Covington, according to state police. The driver did not stop the car, so troopers pursued it, police said. When the driver eventually stopped the car on Frye Road, a passenger in the car ran from troopers, police said. Police later found that the passenger suffered a heart attack while running from the car on Frye Road, according to police. The driver started driving the car away from police and Windoloski fired his gun toward the left rear tire of the car to try to stop it, according to police. Troopers then chased the car with its driver inside for another four miles, police said. The names of the men have not yet been released. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Disco Raja is based on work at a real-life research lab, says the director. Vi Anand has done four films, and most of them, including the upcoming Disco Raja are based on science fiction. I loved science fiction from my childhood, says Anand, adding that Disco Raja is not only a modern science fiction but also has a period backdrop. Anand, who was cagey about the story, said that he got his inspiration from a research laboratory and a failed project. He had written the story with Ravi Teja in mind, and when he narrated the story to the actor, he too was excited about it, Anand revealed. Ravi Teja had added some spontaneous one-liners while shooting and these are sure to appeal to the audience, he said. Disco Raja is important for him and also for Ravi Teja too. I am confident about the film because I believe in the content. I need good content or a concept to do a film and I can add commercial ingredients to it, said Anand. The difficult part of the film was the portion shot in Iceland. We risked a lot and it was challenging for us. The weather in Iceland changes frequently, and each time we set up for shooting, the state of the ice was different either freezing or melting so it was a tough shoot, he explained. But the sequences shot there would thrill the audiences, he felt. The directors earlier film Okka Kshanam was critically acclaimed but did not do well commercially. I didnt fail as a director, because I got a lot of appreciation and also good critical reviews. One reason (for the poor commercial performance) is the release date, he said. This gold medallist in architecture says, In the final year of the course, everyone had to do a thesis. Generally. students choose hospitals or railway stations as their subjects, but I choose Film City because I also like films. Though he is a Tamilian hailing from Erode, Vi Anand makes films in Telugu. When I came to Hyderabad for my thesis, I got in touch with filmmakers here and I havent looked back. I worked with Murugudoss on Stalin and with a few other directors too, he says. Anand also confesses that, When I did my first Telugu film Tiger, I didnt know the language much. He speaks Telugu fluently now! A CRPF commando deployed in the security cover of Mukesh Ambani was found dead at the RIL Chairman's residence with authorities probing if he killed himself or died after his service weapon went off accidently, officials said. They said constable Botara D Rambhai was found dead Wednesday night at the 'Antilia' residence of the businessman in south Mumbai. It is yet to be ascertained if the jawan committed suicide or his weapon went off accidentally, they said. It, however, looks to be a case of suicide, the officials said. The deceased hailed from Junagadh district of Gujarat and had joined the force in 2014. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is entrusted with securing Ambani under the top 'Z+' category of VIP security cover. His wife Nita Ambani is also protected by the force under a similar cover but she has a smaller category of 'Y' cover. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Oil to assist Ghana implement LPG promotion policy Indian Oil Corp has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of Ghana for providing assistance and technical expertise in the implementation of Ghanas National LPG Promotion Policy. With Indias avowed policy of promoting the use of clean energy and expansion of its LPG network, Ghana sought assistance from India in its own efforts to promote safe, clean and environment-friendly LPG for increased domestic, commercial and industrial usage. The MoU was exchanged between NPA of Ghana and Indian Oil in the presence of minister of petroleum and natural gas and steel, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Michael Aaron, High Commissioner of Ghana at New Delhi. Alhassan SulemanaTampuli, chief executive, NPA, Ghana and LKS Chauhan, chief general manager (LPG Operations), Indian Oil, signed the MoU. The MoU will strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of petroleum, in particular LPG, by which Indian Oil would support the NPA on the successful implementation of there-circulation model (CRM) of LPG. Indian Oil will provide support to the National Petroleum Authority of Ghana in areas such as development of health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) standards, development of licensing, permit and legal framework, development of economics for LPG bottling plant, pricing structure, and communication strategy. Indian Oil will also assist in areas of infrastructure development for the new LPG value chain, support for upgrading capacities of institutions along with policy development and review. The MoU also provides for administrative assistance to Indian Oil in case it decides to participate as a commercial participant in Ghanas downstream petroleum sector. The MoU also recognises Indias efforts in providing clean energy access to millions of Indians through the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. AP A young mother in Arizona has reportedly told police that she killed her three children before placing them in the living room as if they were sleeping. Other family members were in the home at the time. Rachel Henry, 22, confessed that she smothered to death her three-year-old son, one-year-old daughter, and seven-month-old daughter at their home in Phoenix. Henry, who had recently moved to the area from Oklahoma, is thought to have an addiction to methamphetamine and had been acting strange in the previous few days. Police were called to Henrys house at 24th Street and Southern Avenue on Monday evening, responding to a 911 call reporting an unspecified incident. The three children were found unresponsive. Officers attempted to resuscitate them but they were pronounced dead at the scene. Henry admitted to harming the children and was taken into custody. The childrens 30-year-old father and another relative, believed to be an aunt, were in the house at the time of the incident. Henry reportedly had an addiction to methamphetamine and had been described as acting oddly in the days leading up to the killings (AP) A police report released on Tuesday by the Phoenix Police Department reveals the horrific details of Henrys confession. She admitted smothering each child one by one, beginning with her older daughter, then her son, and then the youngest child. She sang to the children while restricting their breathing. In the report she says that her three-year-old son tried to stop her from killing his sister by punching her and yelling. She then chased him, but was interrupted when the other relatives returned home. One relative even played with her son before Henry took him into a back bedroom and smothered him with her hands while straddling him and singing. Henry then fed her seven-month-old daughter a bottle in the bedroom until she fell asleep, before also smothering her. She then positioned the children in the living room as if they were napping and did not tell the other family members what had happened. In a court appearance on Tuesday, it was also revealed that the children had previously been removed from her by the Department of Childrens Services in Oklahoma. Story continues Henry was charged with three counts of first degree murder and is being held on a $3 million bond. Read more Man charged with attempted murder after 12-year-old boy shot Arizona official accused of smuggling mothers to US to give up babies Bodies of two children recovered in Arizona creek flooding Man arrested over 10-year-old boy stabbed in front of mother The Prince of Wales will warn that hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart when he joins world leaders at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Charles has flown to Israel for the commemoration and in a speech will say that language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanisation and society must remain resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. He will deliver his address at the World Holocaust Forum being staged at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, where guests are expected to include US Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. The Prince of Wales will deliver a speech at the World Holocaust Forum today, held at @yadvashem. Read an extract from HRHs speech https://t.co/i25A4fIFya Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) January 23, 2020 The prince has been invited to the major event by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and he will meet the statesman as he begins his two-day visit to the Holy Land. Charles will say in his speech: The lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, adopt new disguises, and still seek new victims. All too often, language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanisation. Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs. Story continues Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect. The Prince of Wales meets Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in Jerusalem (Victoria Jones/PA) Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda has refused to attend the event, complaining that he had not been allowed to address the audience, whereas Mr Putin and other leaders will speak. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the decision not to allow Mr Duda to speak was disrespectful to Poland. This is disrespect to Poland and to all the heroes of the Second World War who were saving Jews by not giving voice to the president of Poland. He should have been given (the) floor, he told the BBC. Had this been the case then of course Poland would have been represented. He was excluded from the speakers, which was offending. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has invited Charles to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the prince will tour Bethlehem and sit down for talks with Mr Abbas. Scott Furssedonn-Wood, Charless deputy private secretary, said of the World Holocaust Forum: The prince is honoured to be among the small number of international leaders who have been invited to address the event and have the opportunity on behalf of the United Kingdom to honour the memory of all those who were lost in the Holocaust. An evening to make us all proud at Beit HaNasi. World leaders standing together with the State of #Israel, promising to remember, to fight against Holocaust denial and to combat antisemitism.#UnitedInMemory75 pic.twitter.com/PcWYiYLxyL Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) January 22, 2020 Charless visit has added significance as the Queen has never made an official visit to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories during her 67-year reign. The ministerial jet Voyager is believed to be undergoing scheduled maintenance and the prince has travelled to the Middle East by chartered plane. Mr Furssedonn-Wood said: We always look at a range of options, we take a number of factors into account when we decide how to travel, we weigh up things like cost of course with environmental impact as youd expect, but also efficiency of time, size of delegation and crucially safety and security. He highlighted a number of recent trips, including Charless official visits to Japan and India, when he flew on commercial airlines, but for this tour, he said, scheduled flights could not satisfy all of their considerations. During his first day in the Holy Land, the prince will also meet Holocaust survivors and be joined by the UKs Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. While in the Middle East, Charles is also likely to pay his respects at the resting place of his grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, in Jerusalems Church of St Mary Magdalene. She was honoured by the Jewish people for hiding and saving the lives of Jews in Nazi-occupied Athens during the Second World War. The Duke of Cambridge with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in 2018 (Chris Jackson/PA) The princes visit his first official tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories follows a similar visit made by his son, the Duke of Cambridge, who visited Israel and the Palestinian areas in 2018. Charles has made previous trips to Israel, travelling to Jerusalem to attend the funerals of President Shimon Peres in 2016 and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Her Russian boyfriend who had similar symptoms says doctors in St Petersburg earlier told him he was clear. A Russian man and a Belarusian woman, who recently visited China, where an outbreak of a new type of coronavirus is expanding, were hospitalized upon their return to St Petersburg and Minsk, respectively, as both had fever. After lab exams showed the coronavirus diagnosis was off the table, the Russian man said his girlfriend had similar, but more pronounced symptoms and that she had been admitted to a Minsk hospital of infectious diseases, RIA Novosti reports. The woman departed from China two days prior to her boyfriend. Read alsoGetting closer to Ukraine's borders: First suspected coronavirus case reported in Russia As UNIAN reported earlier, two individuals were hospitalized in Russia with suspected symptoms of the new China coronavirus. The deathtoll in China rose to 17 on Wednesday with more than 540 cases confirmed, increasing fears of contagion from an infection suspected to originate from illegally-traded wildlife. The previously unknown coronavirus strain is believed to have emerged from an animal market in central city of Wuhan, with cases now detected as far away as the United States. W&M and St Andrews continue relationship with study-abroad program Study abroad: The St Andrews summer study-abroad program gives William & Mary students an opportunity to learn on University of St Andrews' historic campus while also visiting some of Scotland's most beautiful sites. Anne Hyslop Historic campus: William & Mary students will learn on the historic campus of University of St Andrews, the oldest university in Scotland. Anne Hyslop Beautiful landscape: Scotland is home to a spectacularly changing landscape, from beautiful coastal areas to massive mountains. Joshua Sacks Photo - of - Hide Caption William & Mary and University of St Andrews began offering a joint degree program in the fall of 2011, providing students of both universities a unique opportunity to learn on both campuses. However, the relationship between the second oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the oldest university in Scotland extends much further and continues to grow. Continuing a successful affiliation with St Andrews that has spawned the joint degree program and various student exchange partnerships, William & Mary is offering its students an opportunity to participate in an upcoming summer study-abroad program run by the Global Education Office in the Reves Center for International Studies. The St Andrews study-abroad curriculum will take place over four weeks in July and August and consist of two courses, one taught by program director Frederick Corney titled Mythic Scotland Through its Culture, and another taught by a St Andrews faculty member titled Scotlands Evolving Landscape. The application deadline for students is Feb. 3. The program requires an eight-week, one-credit preparatory course during the spring semester. In that class, students will familiarize themselves with the history, geography and culture of Scotland and St Andrews. Corney has taken students abroad several times, traveling to locations such as St. Petersburg, Russia; Potsdam, Germany; Cambridge, England and Prague. I like doing these, said Corney, the history chair. You get to know the students. You get to know different places. So as more and more of these programs grow, I think they're looking for areas where it makes sense. According to an Institute of International Education study, 57.7 percent of William & Mary students participated in study-abroad programs in 2017-2018, the highest percentage of any public university in the United States. Each study-abroad opportunity offers a unique experience for the students and instructors. We are delighted to be working together with St Andrews to offer this exciting new summer study abroad program opportunity for students. The Global Education Office and the International Studies Advisory Committee developed this program to increase study abroad opportunities for students, especially those interested in STEM courses abroad, said Sylvia Mitterndorfer, director of Global Education in the Reves Center for International Studies. Corneys course in Scotland will provide a broad overview of Scottish culture as it is perceived by the Scottish through an examination of the major mythic moments and personalities of Scotlands historical narrative. I'm trying to get the students used to asking questions about Scottish culture. You dont just see a kilt or hear bagpipes; you try to find out why the tartan is such an elemental sign of Scottishness, that kind of stuff, Corney said. Why does every Scot I know constantly quote poet Rabbie Burns? There are good reasons for that. Its about when the Scottish national identity was built, romantic nationalism in the early 19th century. We'll look at various key memory sites in Scottish history with the students. Well visit some. Well do visits around Edinburgh and Glasgow. If possible, we're going to get the students up to the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness and Inverness. Corney researches locations and finds places that would interest him and the students. He looks for hooks, and interesting stories that students might latch onto. For example, author George Orwell wrote 1984 on the Isle of Jura in Scotland. Hes got this shack, and he's writing 1984, and it's pretty bleak up there, Corney said. Anywhere around the North Sea coast is pretty bleak on either side of whatever country you're in, Denmark or Norway or Iceland, so if you're reading 1984 and you kind of have a sense of where he's writing, in this cold hut somewhere, that kind of stuff is interesting. A faculty member from St Andrews School of Geography & Sustainable Development will teach a course titled Scotlands Evolving Landscape, which will address themes such as physical landscapes, cultural landscapes, climate change, population change, landscape management and sustainable development. Scotland has a spectacularly changing landscape, Corney said. Its amazing stuff. One moment youre walking through the heather on fields and the next youre in these massive mountains and it looks like a blast site. Its absolutely spectacular. Theyre going to look at populations and how climate shapes the landscape, how humans shape the landscape, and then theyre going to get into issues of sustainability and what Scotland is doing towards sustaining its environment in what is a very exposed part of the North Sea up there. Corney has instructed at least a dozen study-abroad groups during his time at William & Mary. He is excited about the opportunities to visit some sites hes always wanted to visit, and hes excited to provide those experiences for the students as well. Its fun to do, he said. I wouldnt have done so many of these programs if I didnt enjoy them. William & Mary and St Andrews is expanding their partnership through this study-abroad program, and they continue to explore ways to build on their budding relationship. The collaboration that connects W&M and St Andrews is transformational and multi-layered, Mitterndorfer said. We deeply value the opportunity to work with our St Andrews colleagues to develop high impact international experiences through the joint degree program, the semester and year student exchange program, the First Abroad spring break exchange program and now this summer program. When you have two institutions so closely aligned and deeply connected, such a partnership is ideal for creating new programs and opening up new opportunities for our students. The partnership also opens up opportunities for W&M faculty. Mitterndorfer said the Reves Center will start taking faculty applications in March for 2021 summer abroad programs, including St Andrews. The deadline to apply is April 1. SEATTLE Three people including a 9-year-old boy remained hospitalized Thursday morning after police say several people in a dispute opened fire, killing a woman, in the busiest part of downtown Seattle at the height of the Wednesday evening commute. Authorities began receiving calls of multiple gunshot victims at about 5 p.m., said Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. The person who died was a woman in her 40s, fire officials told the Seattle Times. Seven people were treated for gunshot wounds, said Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg. Three were still hospitalized Thursday morning, according to a statement from Gregg. The condition of a 55-year-old woman was upgraded from critical condition to serious and a 32-year-old man and the boy were listed in satisfactory condition. Video from the scene showed several people firing weapons after the dispute outside a McDonald's. Police including homicide and gang units were investigating, she said. No arrests were immediately reported. "This is not a random incident, there were multiple people involved,"' said Police Chief Carmen Best. "There was a dispute that happened in front of the McDonald's, people pulled out guns, shots rang out, people ran in various directions." It was the third downtown Seattle shooting in two days. Police found a man with a gunshot wound in a mall stairwell Tuesday, and he later died at a hospital. Police shot a person in another area of downtown earlier on Wednesday. Samantha Cook said she was refilling her transit card in a nearby station when she heard gunfire. "I was on the first set of escalators," Cook told the newspaper. "There were a lot of gunshots that started going off maybe 10 or 11. It was just rapid fire." Tyler Parsons told the Times he was was working nearby at a coffee shop when he saw people drop to the ground. Some took cover behind the cash register where he worked and Parsons took five or six customers to a storage area. The shooting was "just kind of terrifying. Terrifying it's so close," Parsons said. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that he was horrified and dismayed to hear about the shooting. The Associated Press Watertown, NY (13601) Today Periods of snow. High 34F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 70%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low 27F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. The Nebraska Attorney General's Office went to court Wednesday, asking a judge to nullify the State Racing Commission's decision to allow historical horse racing at Fonner Park in Grand Island. The move isn't altogether unexpected, considering the office sent a letter to the racing commission in November 2018 advising members they didn't have legal authority to approve wagering on previously run races using historical horse racing machines. "The commission nevertheless proceeded to approve use of such machines contrary to Nebraska statutes and the Nebraska Constitution," said Suzanne Gage, director of communications for the Attorney General's office. She said they are asking the court to declare the commissions action unlawful and to stop the use of the machines "as Nebraska law does not permit the commissions unilateral decision to expand gambling without action by the Legislature or the citizens of Nebraska." It's the second lawsuit to be filed in Lancaster County District Court seeking court review of the commission's final order last month approving the new, controversial form of wagering and machines for Fonner Park. Earlier this month, two Hall County residents Duane Fuller of Grand Island and Jeffery Hayman of Doniphan sued to block the order from going into effect, alleging it was unconstitutional. Historical horse racing terminals allow a bettor to make wagers on unidentified horses in previously run races from across the U.S., officials with AmTote International said. The terminals, which look like slot machines and operate in Kentucky, Wyoming, Oregon and Alabama, are seen by proponents as a way to draw more people to the tracks and keep the struggling horse racing industry viable after decades of decline in Nebraska. Fonner Park has said it plans to install the terminals so they're operational Feb. 21, when the track opens its annual live racing meet. Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ:GR)(OTC:PEMTF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Ihuana S.A.S ("Ihuana") has entered into a research cooperation agreement (the "Agreement") with La Fundacion Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud (The University Foundation of Health Sciences) (the "University") located in Bogota, Colombia. Pursuant to the Agreement, the parties intend to engage in research and formulation of medicinal products made with non-psychoactive cannabis and cannabis byproducts. The University is a not-for-profit private educational and health care university founded in 1976. Between their two locations, including a Children's Hospital in San Jose, the University has the necessary technology for highly specialized medical and surgical treatments including an automated clinical laboratory, diagnostic imaging, neurological sciences, internal medicine and outpatient care. Additionally, the foundation offers laboratories in biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, genetics, immunology, histology, microbiology and clinical stimulation. Ihuana and the University will cooperate in the development of scientific investigations related to the medical use of products made with cannabis. The research teams from both groups will work closely to design and execute studies, with the University providing the infrastructure and connections to different researchers and Ihuana supplying various resources, including testing materials. Cost of the research will be negotiated between the two parties for each individual research product and intellectual property from the study will be divided based on capital input from each side. The University agrees to enable access and interaction with partner hospitals and research centers that will take part in clinical studies and trials and will allow access to institutional resources to finance research through existing relationships. "This partnership gives us an immediate foothold in the medicinal market in Colombia. We are very fortunate to partner with one of the leading universities in South America. This will allow for rapid development of new products for the domestic and international markets," stated Joel Shacker, CEO of the Company. About Mota Ventures Corp. Mota Ventures is seeking to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand. Its plan is to cultivate and extract CBD into high-quality value-added products from its Latin American operations and distribute it both domestically and internationally. Its existing operations in Colombia consist of a 2.5-hectare site that has optimal year-round growing conditions and access to all necessary infrastructure. Mota Ventures a seeking to become a vertically integrated, revenue-producing CBD company with operations in both Europe and North America. Mota is looking to establish sales channels and a distribution network internationally through the acquisition of the Sativida and First Class CBD brands. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures. About the University Foundation of Health Sciences The University Foundation of Health Sciences is a modernized private educational and health care university founded in 1976. Between two locations, including a Children's Hospital in San Jose, the University has the necessary technology for highly specialized medical and surgical treatments including an automated clinical laboratory, diagnostic imaging, neurological sciences, internal medicine and outpatient care. Additionally, the foundation offers laboratories in biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, genetics, immunology, histology, microbiology and clinical stimulation. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MOTA VENTURES CORP. Joel Shacker Chief Executive Officer For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President & CEO at +604.423.4733 or by email at IR@motaventuresco.com or www.motaventuresco.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 Statement All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to research and development projects with the University, its plans to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand, its plans to cultivate and extract cannabis to produce CBD and high-quality value added CBD products in Latin America for distribution domestically and internationally and its plans to acquire revenue-producing CBD brands and operations in Europe and North America. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law. SOURCE: Mota Ventures Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573898/Mota-Ventures-Forms-Research-and-Development-Partnership-with-Leading-Colombian-University-Research-Hospital We all want what is best for our children and grandchildren. We want them to develop into kind, capable and responsible people. More than anything, though, we want them to be happy. With study after study showing that money is one of the leading causes of stress and unhappiness for people, what better way to positively influence their future happiness than by giving them a financial head start today. And no, I dont mean handing over a pile of cash to them. Im talking about precise steps you can take, in combination with steps taken by your children and grandchildren, that will start them down the path of greater financial success and, as an extension, greater happiness. Open a Roth IRA Opening a Roth IRA may be one of the most financially effective things you can do for a child or grandchild. The tax benefits of a Roth IRA often suit their situation perfectly. Since contributions are after-tax, gains accumulate in the account tax-free. This tax benefit, coupled with the young age of the child, is what makes a Roth IRA a truly remarkable opportunity. The gains will have decades to grow without $1 of tax being due on that growth. Keep in mind, though, the child must have earned income in order to open a Roth. If a 16-year-old invests $5,000 per year, earning 7% until age 65, then at age 65 she will have $2,027,000. You can see how the decades of growth helps create a sizable account value, before even factoring in the tax benefit. Out of that balance, $245,000 consists of the annual contributions with the remaining $1,782,000 being investment gains, which again are tax-free. Consider opening a Roth IRA for your child once they start their first job and have earned income, which can come from W-2 employment or from self-employment, such as mowing grass or babysitting for the neighbors. If they have earned income, they can contribute to a Roth IRA, as long as the total annual contributions do not exceed the lesser of their earned income or the contribution maximum ($6,000 in 2020). For children, age is not a consideration at all. In fact, a 2-year old who is paid to be in a commercial is eligible for a Roth IRA. With children under age 18, parents can open a custodial Roth IRA, managing those funds on their behalf until the child is 18. Another example: Business owners can hire their children for the family business, paying them a reasonable rate to perform a legitimate job. This can open up tax savings scenarios for the business owners, as they could receive a tax deduction on the childs wages and be exempt from FICA taxes. At the same time, it allows the child to earn income that qualifies for a Roth IRA contribution. Exemption of FICA taxes is available as long as the child is under age 18 and for businesses that are structured as a sole proprietorship, single member LLC, or partnership where the parents are the only owners. Build a Credit Score While a Roth IRA will start them down the path of saving, you can also take proactive steps with them in managing their future debt. If your teenager is mature enough to understand the consequences of misusing a credit card and you have a good credit score, you can consider adding them as an authorized user on your card. While this takes a level of trust, the benefits for your child are numerous. For one, it will introduce them to the tools needed to handle credit responsibly. Since they will use credit throughout their lives, it makes sense to start the learning process while it can still be monitored by the parents. Also, as an authorized user, they will be building up their credit score based on your timely payments. Then, as they transition into adulthood, they will be in a better position to be extended financing and at better rates for purchases, such as a car and house. They will also have an easier time getting their own credit card. Once they turn 18 and are eligible for their own credit card, having a higher credit score will more quickly get them approved for an unsecured credit card that offers reward perks, instead of having to settle for a no-frills secured credit card. As authorized users, they will receive their own card, but its still the primary cardholders responsibility to pay the bill each month. Those payments are then reflected on the authorized users credit score. And if you are hesitant, note that it is possible to add them as an authorized user and not tell them or share a card until you feel they are ready. Each card company is different in how they treat authorized users. Most have minimum ages, some have costs to add one, and some let you place monthly spending limits for authorized users. Calling your card company will help figure out how they approach the subject specifically. Manage College Debt Its no secret that student loans have become a real problem for many people, with high loan amounts preventing them from getting a start on financial success. While college, overall, is still a good investment, it comes with notably different costs from college to college and easy-to-obtain loans that can cause the total bill to balloon by graduation time. Compounding this is the fact that most students making these college decisions are 18 years old with little real-world financial exposure. Because of this, before your child or grandchild enters college, there are steps you can help them take to manage this future debt. The first step is taking note of what income sources and assets are currently available to pay for college, along with what the graduates expected income in their field will be upon graduation. It is these sources, most likely, that will be used to pay off the college loan. A rule of thumb is that college debt should be limited to close to 1x expected income upon graduation. At this level, the loan should be able to be comfortably paid off in 10 years. Similar to any big purchase, search colleges that are within this budget. The attention should be on the out-of-pocket cost and not the sticker price of the college, as most offer generous financial aid. CollegeBoard.org is a great resource for information on the financial aid offered at different schools, and each schools website will have a Net Price calculator to help calculate the out-of-pocket cost. You can encourage your child to save more by looking into co-op programs, work study programs, local and national scholarships and grants, and filing the FAFSA form as early as possible to maximize the amount of aid offered. Talk About Finances Simply talking to your children about finances may help them get ahead in life. This does not have to involve a deep discussion on the particulars of taxes or retirement accounts. Its more an opportunity to instill good values in them by explaining to them the rationale behind some of your financial decisions. Most experts say that children can start to understand where money is being spent at around age 6. When they ask for a toy, you can explain to them that money is being spent instead on groceries to give them an introduction into wants versus needs. Telling them to save their allowance for the toy will show them delayed gratification and savings. As they get older, your financial adviser should be open to meeting with them to discuss more hands-on planning. Some of my favorite meetings are with my clients children, discussing the ways we can start them on track with their finances. Opening them up to financial discussions throughout childhood will make them more comfortable to talk about finance, learn about finance, and to think about the pros and cons of each decision before they make it. As you can see, a financial head start for your children and grandchildren does not have to involve gifts of money. Opening a Roth IRA at a young age, building credit early, managing college debt, and having good financial values are four important functions that you can help them with that will give them a financial head start with less financial stress. [January 23, 2020] ON Partners Names Michael Lynch Partner ON Partners, the experience-driven retained executive search firm, today announced that Michael Lynch, a veteran search executive with more than 20 years of experience in the global technology market, has joined the firm as a partner based in the firm's San Francisco office. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005667/en/ Executive search veteran Michael Lynch joins ON (News - Alert) Partners as partner based in Silicon Valley. (Photo: Business Wire) Throughout his career, Lynch has placed CEOs, C-level and board executives in sectors that are increasingly turning to technologies such as renewable energy, autonomous vehicles, aerospac and defense, and medical devices - including executives with Bloom Energy, DigiLens, Facebook, Infinera (News - Alert), Kulicke & Soffa, Lucid Motors and Micron Technology. "Mike is a technophile at heart, and his passion and expertise make him a valuable asset," noted managing partner Tim Conti. "Having a group of highly experienced search consultants like Mike not only helps round out our tech-focused services and Bay Area presence but most importantly, it helps create a better experience for our clients and candidates." Before joining ON, Lynch served as senior client partner for Korn Ferry Executive Search, where he focused on hardware-oriented segments of the firm's Global Technology (News - Alert) Market sector. Previously, he co-led Spencer Stuart's global Clean Technology Practice and was a member of the firm's Technology, Communications & Media Practice and Supply Chain Practice. Lynch earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Victoria in Canada and is a former registered professional engineer in the province of Ontario. After completing his M.B.A. at UCLA's Anderson School of Management, he moved into management consulting with EDS and Accenture (News - Alert). He then served as vice president of operations at two early-stage startups before beginning his career in executive search. To find out more about ON's experience, please visit https://onpartners.com/experience/. About ON Partners ON Partners propels an organization's mission by building C-level and board leadership teams. Founded in 2006 by like-minded consultants as a values-driven alternative to the multi-service global firms they were leaving behind, ON delivers a better executive search experience. The firm has been named to the Inc. 500/5000 Lists six times, was named to the Inc. 5000 Hall of Fame in 2018 and is consistently ranked among the top 20 retained executive search firms in the U.S. For more information, visit onpartners.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005667/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A majority of global CEOs at the World Economic Forum have indicated their support for a proposed alignment of top executive salaries with the company's performance on environmental, social and governance criteria. With stakeholder capitalism gaining traction, the push to closely align executive pay to a company's performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related criteria is gaining ground. Here at WEF 2020 Annual Meeting, Pierre Habbard, General-Secretary, Trade Union Advisory Committee to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said he welcomes the new Davos Manifesto to tie executive remuneration to corporate social responsibility. His constituents, he added, view the widening pay gap between bosses and workers as a social justice issue, which has undermined trust in business and contributed to rising income inequality. He said the current model of aligning compensation to financial criteria can be manipulated by share buybacks, which burn a company's cash for the short-term purpose of keeping up the share price. Maha Eltobgy, Head of Shaping the Future of Investing at the WEF, said the alignment of executive pay to some ESG-related criteria was widely supported by CEOs who participated in the International Business Council meeting in Davos to deliberate a set of metrics to help companies track performance against long-term priorities. She said the mood was positive and a large majority of the CEOs indicated that they would publish the metrics in their annual reports. In addition to trade unions, investors are also expected to exert pressures on management in their attempts to limit potential liabilities relating to climate change, according to Katharina Pistor, the Edwin B Parker Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Proxyclick , the leading provider of enterprise visitor management software , today announced that it closed a $15 million Series B funding round led by Five Elms Capital with participation from Series A investor JOIN Capital. The investment will fund Proxyclick's accelerated product roadmap and momentum of its sales and marketing reach worldwide, especially in the USits biggest market. "Proxyclick achieved market leadership with very limited means, and we are excited to help them accelerate their roadmap and significantly increase their US market presence," said Ryan Mandl, Partner at Five Elms Capital. Putting security and compliance at the forefront of enterprise visitor management Millions of visitors and contractors enter corporate premises every day around the world, exposing organizations to potential threats to their people, production lines, and intellectual property. Proxyclick's solution helps organizations mitigate these risks. Proxyclick's clients have registered over 30 million visitors in 7,000 locations around the world, achieving operational efficiency and physical security without compromising on visitor privacy. Clients include L'Oreal, Vodafone, Revolut, PepsiCo, Airbnb, and a number of global Fortune 500 companies with both offices and production sites. "It's time to seriously address company security and visitor privacy at the entrance of thousands of offices and production sites around the globe," said Gregory Blondeau, Founder and CEO of Proxyclick. "Access should always be open to visitors who meet company requirements; security should focus on those who don't comply." Physical security, but not at the expense of data privacy Privacy is at the core of Proxyclick's offering and Data Privacy is an integral part of its product development process. "Adding security features like facial recognition and watchlists while respecting visitor data privacy, and everyone's time, is the real challenge. The funding will help us achieve this faster," said Geoffroy De Cooman, Proxyclick's Co-founder and Chief Product Officer. Because the visitor check-in is just one step in the visitor journey, Proxyclick's platform works seamlessly with powerful access control systems such as Lenel and C-Cure. It also integrates easily with meeting room management systems, calendar applications, wayfinding solutions, Wi-Fi credentials and parking management systems. Customer stories: Brooklyn Navy Yard and Lucozade Watch how Proxyclick enables 1000+ visitors per day on the 300 acre, multi-tenant Brooklyn Navy Yard , and see how Proxyclick helps Lucozade Ribena Suntory innovate their front desk to create a more welcoming experience. About Proxyclick Proxyclick is cloud-based visitor management platform built for the best-of-breed needs of the global enterprise, and helps trusted brands across every industry to transform the way they welcome their visitors and contractors. With more than 30 million visits registered around the world to date, Proxyclick's solution allows organizations to minimize security and compliance risks while upholding privacy rights. www.proxyclick.com . About Five Elms Capital Five Elms Capital is a leading growth equity investor in fast-growing B2B software businesses that users love. Five Elms provides capital and resources to help companies accelerate growth and further cement their role as industry leaders. www.fiveelms.com . About JOIN Capital JOIN Capital is a Berlin-based, early-stage VC firm investing in the European Neue Industry. With a combined experience of more than 50 years among the partners, JOIN focuses primarily on industrial, Proptech and enterprise startups that are laying new foundations for our increasingly automated and connected world. JOIN's extensive network and expertise make it a unique VC for the European industrial landscape and the rise of smart factories and buildings. www.join.capital . SOURCE Proxyclick Related Links http://www.proxyclick.com Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands has called the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs decision to step back from royal duties as 'brave'. The royal, 50, who is the younger brother of the reigning King Willem-Alexander, 52, said he felt 'connected in a way' to Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38. According to Royal Central, Prince Constantijn spoke about the couple on the TV-show Op1, saying: 'It is brave because I dont think Harry knows what he is in for now. I think it will be very overwhelming.' It was announced on Saturday that from the spring, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will stop using their HRH titles, spend the majority of their time living in Canada, and cease carrying out royal duties on behalf of the Queen. Prince Constantin of The Netherlands, who is the brother of reigning King Willem Alexander, said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were now 'stuck between two worlds' (pictured, Meghan and Harry in London earlier in January) Prince Constantijn told the host he had been following Prince Harry and Meghan for some time 'from a distance'. He explained: 'I feel connected to them in a way, although they are in a very different position. 'They are really in the family and have all kinds of formal roles. We have dealt with that differently here.' The royal went on to speak about his brother Prince Friso, who died in 2013 after being buried in an avalanche in Lech, Austria. Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, 50, said Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, decision to step back from royal duties was 'brave' He explained: 'I am in the Royal House and my brother was when he was alive. But outside of all that, we also decided to earn our own living. That is an entirely different solution.' Prince Constantijn went on to say that the Duke and Duchess were now 'stuck between two worlds'. He said: 'Fine, they have chosen and I think that is brave of them. It is brave because I dont think Harry knows what he is in for now. I think it will be very overwhelming. 'We have seen some of that already. But now he has chosen for himself and his wife.' Prince Constantijn rarely attends public events in his capacity as a royal, but often makes an appearance at Prinsjesdag alongside his brother King Willem-Alexander (pictured in September 2019, l-r, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn Prince Constantijn studied law at university and has gone on to work for think-tanks and charities in Brussels and London. In 2017, he and his wife Princess Laurentien set up the Number 5 Foundation, a charity which is currently developing various innovatory initiatives to address a range of social issues. He rarely attends public events in his capacity as a member of the Dutch Royal House, but makes a yearly appearance at Prinsjesdag - or Prince's Day - each September. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 22, 2020 On January 6, 2020, Liberians erupted at the center stage with a bang. Scores of ordinary people took to the streets in a mass protest action reminiscent of June 7, 2019. Tens of thousands of ordinary people got mobilized under the banner of the Council of Patriots (COP) against the dismal regime of the know-nothing Weah administration. While some commentators derisively dismiss Liberians as too tepid to get involved in popular mobilizations to put pressure on failed regimes, these mobilizations against the risible Weah regime consign that notion to the garbage of history. The people are awakening to a radical consciousness that the established institutions in the state are too rotten to give them social relief, but the streets offer a viable answer. These mobilizations have been unusual in their demographic composition, and the setting of struggle as the streets also adds a curious flavor. The protests bring ordinary Liberians and professional citizens from far and wide across the country togethermost are from different economic strata of the population seldom in social protests. From poor working people to radical students, young professionals, and a huge chunk of the lumpen elementsall have been part and parcel of the risings to fight for the very heart and soul of the republic against a regime which is a circus of scandals. However, the protest actions also revealed the decadence of the opposition political formations in the country. The Council of Patriots focuses on the material imbalances in the society to rally the poor Liberian masses. Many commentators consider the group as the leading opposition force in the country. Such presents a bigger problem, as the more the established opposition political formations play flippant indifference to the social plights of the laboring masses, the masses would see through them as not fit for purpose. While it is true during the organizing of the June 7 protest, the so-called four main opposition political parties were at the front and center of it. The Alternative National Congress became loud in its condemnation of the January 6 protest, vowing never to endorse it. Similarly, hours before the Jan 6 protest, the chairman of the Unity Party took to the media to throw a monkey wrench in the effort as he called on his partisans to not show up for the assembly and remain home. The reasons for his exhortation were threadbare and confusing, provoking a bitter debate in certain quarters about his credibility. For many on the Liberian Left, the emergence of the Council of Patriots further validates their thesis about the ideological bankruptcy of these opposition formations and expose their acute lack of understanding that the social struggle in the homeland Liberia is ideological. Political forces have to see the fight to rescue the country through the prism of class struggle. COP has been good at keeping the people mobilized, weakening the regime. What COP has done is what the opposition formations have been refusing to do: to make Weah and his reactionary sidekicks account for their sordid stewardship. This role COP plays has shown the ineffectiveness of the mainstream opposition and their lack of strategies to interpret the trends. A major part of the many problems is that most of these opposition parties have not made a break with the neoliberal policy regime, failing to understand that to play an effective opposition to a regime contemptuous of minimum scrutiny is to offer a popular alternative. Although Weah displays stubborn arrogance, street mobilizations have hugely discredited him globally. Since his presidency, the country got gripped by protests and uprisings on a scale never seen in recent memory. Whether the protest of university students or nurses taking to the streets, civil servants going slow in demand of their arrears, they are not just a resistance against Weah but also a rejection of the economic logic of neoliberalism. The socioeconomic stagnation of the country is even generating a bitter debate among the Liberian masses about ideas for transformation. Already, we are seeing a huge section of young people from universities and other corners of the country drawing legitimate conclusions and brandishing their socialist credentials, thus analyzing the backwardness of the country in a class sphere. For elements on the Liberian Left, this is welcoming as more and more people realize that tinkering on the edges cannot solve Liberias age-old underdevelopment and bring the people into history except a social revolution that places the interests of working people and the poor masses front and center. That is why we hold Weahs presidency may be a nightmare, but it opens the window for contemplation and critical thinking. Such a period provides the space for the Liberian Left to build a winning coalition and organize the people around radical left-wing policies to save the country from doom and build a new society on the pillars of social justice, social equality, and egalitarianism. Meanwhile, ever since we stated that the notion that a reactionary contraption can govern roughshod over the masses of the people, tear up every stricture of democracy, loot and plunder the commons without provoking a popular backlash is a charade. For the biggest faux pas of the discredited regime in our homeland and its cultish supporters was to denounce the peoples power and take the poor and oppressed masses for a ride. Dripping with irrational thought, Weah thought as president he got a license for endless plunder. Howbeit, the peoples resistance against such arrogance has made dubious the mind-set and thus forcefully registered true power rests with them. Audaciously, they are rewriting the history of this lost period through gallant mobilizations and defiant fight-backs. The Weah regime should blame itself for poisoning society and polarising the political discourses, not anyone else. This regime has sought to govern the country like a mafia establishment showing no respect for decent norms, turning a deaf ear to the peoples legitimate grievances by threatening to crush peaceful protesters while normalizing the tapestry of ruthless exploitation and industrial-scale looting. The arrogance of the arch-narcissist Weah and his claque of out-and-out charlatans has been the main catalyst that has fuelled hard-nosed polarization. Their mismanagement of the economy coinciding with a dramatic rise in their fortunes has also galvanized widespread public antipathy towards the regime and also increased desperation among the disinherited masses. The crushing economic disaster has led to a spike in the wave of crime sweeping across communities in the urban centers, making them less safe for a large swathe of the population which lives in constant fear. So to a great deal, these street mobilizations are decisive expressions of the failure of the Weah leadership and the rejection of his ugly agenda. George Weahs presidency has exposed the long-laden rottenness of Liberian democracy and the ideas that underpinned it. His leadership has made the whole idea of democracy premised on the theory that a leader would exercise judicious judgments to respect institutions and allowing people to exercise their rights rings hollow. Also, they have defenestrated the thought of classical liberalism where opposition elements would exercise their rights and that the law would protect them. The notion that a president would be more interested in addressing the living question of his people as opposed to going rogue to achieve self-serving endsat least he has shattered that illusion. Weah exposed the cracks in the system and lay bare the rot to the public. And all we see is entropy. The president has become a political joke. He is a tinpot dictator who got consumed in the aura of his own delusion that he can misgovern the country and nobody would stand up to him. In Weahs mind, the country owes him a great deal and now is the time for him to rape and plunder it and how dare anyone questions his industrial-scale looting escapade. But Weah is not alone. Like all dictators, he barracked himself with a goon of enablers, sycophants and loyal opportunists who pander to his prejudices, biases, produce and reproduce vituperation-laden defense for him even when his blunders are crystal clear. Central to all demigods and dictators is that there is always that ubiquitous collection of deplorables who sing their praises and make them feel they have a god-like character. It is what is happening in Liberia. But Weah represents a greater problem: the crisis of leadership and the crisis of disaster neoliberalism Liberia mired in and there is no effort to seek a way out of this dead end. He is not an aberrational character of the system. As from the decline of the Roman Empire to late-stage capitalism, systems in decline always produce scandalous amateurs and crude horribles with ugly politics and strange ideas. Nowadays, we see these melodramatic characters leading countries both in the periphery or center of capitalism, with the same phenotype as Weah. Extricating the country from the stranglehold of such a nightmare requires riding the system of domination and inequality which produces persons like Weah and the other political clowns who have poisoned our society and frustrated the efforts of the citizenry. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her greedy cabal were the masterminds behind the foisting of the spoiled brat Weah on the people because for them their political survival and impunity from prosecution are superior to the national interests. However, it would be unintelligent were we not to recognize Weahs huge following among the lumpen elements and the slum masses and what made him a relevant political constant in our polity for more than a decade. His rise is largely because of decades of decline provoked by crushing imbalances and disaster neoliberalism. To put it contextually, in most societies in decline a political formation emerges, galvanizes public discontent by offering simplistic answers to complex problems, promising quick fixes, and loudly clinging on to wrong concepts and catchphrases as an article of faith, thus getting political power. With Liberia, the neoliberal policy regimes increased public anger, but the Liberian Left was weak and fractured to fill in the void and also stop Ellens orchestration. We can stop the emergence of people like Weah and the rottenness he represents. His vile streak for wealth by focusing on the material issues of the people and bringing them into the centerfold of history where they become masters of their destiny and not alienated objects of history, thus ending the legacy of exploitation, marginalization and domination. Central to this is to rework our economic fundamentals not with the slavish attitude to promote corporate growth but to build an economy of needs where the masses get ownership and control of its commanding heights. This way, you bring dignity to the laboring people and inspire hope among them. Then we can mobilize their agency to build an egalitarian society that would guarantee a sustainable future. To ensure that people like Weah wouldnt emerge again is for Liberia to take the path of a social revolution which brings hope and dignity, fosters egalitarianism, leading to massive investments in social programs to solve issues verging on the survival of the poor and vulnerable and the weak and marginalized. That is the only way we can never return to the nightmare of a Weah presidency. We can make this period a footnote in our history, recast our priorities, and together rewrite the destiny of a country steeped in valor and common purpose. Kiadii writes from Accra, Ghana, and you can contact him via bokiadii@gmail.com Moscow: A bisexual woman who has fled Russia complained of torture and being held and subjected to "exorcism" in Chechnya, a region accused by rights groups of orchestrating campaigns against homosexuality. Aminat Lorsanova lodged a complaint this week with Russia's investigative committee, demanding a probe against her parents, an exorcist and employees of a psychiatric hospital in the region's main city Grozny, according to the Russian LGBT Network. A spokeswoman for the NGO, which helped 22-year-old Lorsanova leave the country, said on Thursday there has been no response so far to the complaint. "They can dismiss the complaint saying it's nothing, or channel it to the investigative committee in Chechnya, where our chances are non-existent," she said. In that case, the European Court for Human Rights may be the complainant's last resort. Lorsanova says in the complaint that she spent two stints of 25 days and four months in different psychiatric clinics in Grozny, the LGBT Network said. Neither clinic could be reached for comment. Lorsanova said she was beaten by an acquaintance of her father to "banish a djinn" or evil spirit inside her, the NGO said. "He hit me with a stick in the solar plexus with my T-shirt hiked up and pressed his fingers on the area" as her parents looked on, ignoring her cries for help, it quoted the woman as saying. She also accused her father of handcuffing her, subjecting her to tranquiliser injections and leaving her tied up even as she slept. "In Russia, the practice of such methods to cure homosexuality has become widespread" in the mostly Muslim Caucasus regions where both Islamic centres of alternative medicine and state psychiatric clinics can administer various treatments, the NGO said. Lorsanova left Russia in April 2019, it said, without disclosing where she is today. A Chechen official on Wednesday portrayed the woman as a victim of a conspiracy by the LGBT Network, claiming the NGO "fished out a confession that she is of a non-traditional orientation" and made up her stories about torture. "These genderless beings will face harsh punishment," regional minister for national policy Dzhambulat Umarov said of the NGO in a video posted on his Instagram account. "We have the right to fight for our heterosexual rights, our family rights, traditional rights." Chechnya has been under fire on alleged gay persecution since 2017, when gay men alleged bring tortured by law enforcement agencies. Chechen officials routinely dismiss the reports as "made up" and strongman chief Ramzan Kadyrov claims the region's population is exclusively heterosexual. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Iran is ready for dialogue with neighboring countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Twitter page, Trend reports. Iran declares its readiness to take the initiative in everything that will benefit the region, the foreign minister added. Iran welcomes every step that contributes to stability. Previously, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan voiced Saudi Arabias readiness to discuss the settlement of differences between the two countries. Pier 1 Imports, which recently announced plans to close up to 450 of its stores, is shutting down its Perkins Road location in Baton Rouge. Signs at the store at 3535 Perkins announced the closing and promoted deep discounts at the liquidation sale. While Pier 1 has not released a list of stores targeted for closing, it has been removing locations from its website. Business Insider, an online news site, identified 270 U.S. stores that were no longer listed on the Pier 1 site. +2 Pier 1 Imports closing nearly half of stores as sales falter; specific locations not yet released Pier 1 Imports is closing nearly half its 942 stores as it struggles to draw consumers and compete online. That list included the Perkins Road store and five other Louisiana locations: 8832 Veterans Memorial Highway in Metairie, 690 Town Center Parkway in Slidell, 1629 Westbank Expressway in Harvey, 1556 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Houma and 4681 Pecanland Mall Drive in Monroe. Pier 1 still has its Mall of Louisiana, 800 Metairie Road in Metairie, Lafayette, Covington and Lake Charles stores still listed on its website. When Pier 1 announced earlier this month it was closing stores, the home furnishings chain had 942 locations. The company has posted eight consecutive quarters of sales losses. A then 13-year-old boy, who held a knife to another pupil during an attempted stabbing in a Dublin school, has been spared a criminal conviction and a sentence after he was forgiven by his victim. The accused, now aged 14, had pleaded guilty earlier to production of a knife during an assault, in a manner likely to injure or cause serious harm, and another charge for assaulting the boy with intent to cause bodily harm. The incident happened in a secondary school in Dublin in 2018. He appeared again at the Dublin Childrens Court when a positive probation report was furnished on the first-time offender. Judge Brendan Toale applied the Probation of Offenders Act. A victim impact statement had also been furnished. The court heard the young victim did not hold it against the teen and did not want him to get into trouble. Earlier, defence counsel told the court the teenager, who was accompanied to court by a family member, had been attending a child and adolescent mental health clinic, the court heard. His mother had been provided with a letter with a diagnosis and there was consent to copies of the doctors notes being provided to the Probation Service. The Director of Public Prosecution had recommended the boy should face trial on indictment, in the circuit court, which has tougher sentencing powers. However, the juvenile court accepted jurisdiction for the case, under Section 75 of the Children Act. That allows it to deal with the prosecutions involving serious allegations by taking into account the age and level of maturity of the defendant. After jurisdiction was accepted the boy entered a guilty plea. The court heard the incident happened following an exchange of insults when the accused held a knife to the pupil and attempted to stab him. No physical injuries were sustained. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.23 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: After acquiring the majority stake in Petkim petrochemical complex, SOCAR Turkey has invested in it on average nearly $100 million each year, Zaur Gahramanov, CEO of SOCAR Turkey told Trend. Our total investments in Petkim stood at around $1 billion in 2008-2018, he said. Gahramanov noted that priority in making investments was given to modernization of the factories, general improvement, digitalization, energy and environmental issues. We will continue making investments in digitalization journey of Petkim and modernization of our factories in 2020, he added. Incorporated in 1965, Petkim maintains its business operations as the first and only integrated petrochemical producer of Turkey. Producing approximately 60 petrochemical products at its production facilities in Aliaga, Izmir, Petkim provides contributions to national industry and production. SOCAR Turkey acquired and made Petkim focal point of its investments in 2008. The petrochemical products, produced by Petkim, are used in several industrial branches such as automotive, electrics, electronics, agriculture, packaging, textile, pharmaceutics, paints, construction, detergent and cosmetics. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn A young woman with a long history of anorexia nervosa who was re-admitted to hospital in a severely malnourished state is to remain there pending further High Court order. In an email to High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly, the woman, a ward of court aged in her 20s, said this was my worst relapse in 10 years battling the illness. When her case was reviewed by the judge this week, Sarah McKechnie, for the HSE, said the medical view is, as a result of her illness, the womans cognitive ability remains impaired to the extent she does not understand the consequences of her illness and she should remain in wardship. The judge heard Aileen Curry, a solicitor who, on behalf of Patricia Hickey, general solicitor for wards of court, visited the woman early last week to ascertain her views, had said the woman had disputed the benefits of wardship. The woman later last week sent the judge an email which he read to the court. In that, the woman described herself as in a "very difficult" position. Her medical health had declined and she was again in hospital in an effort to have that stabilised, she said. She was not seeking to negotiate or make pleas but rather to acknowledge the necessity for her current care plan. She hoped, when reviewing her case, the court would consider there were precipitating factors that assisted and crystallised her relapse. Irrespective of all that has gone before, she is not a treatment resistant anorexic and has every intention to get well, she added. David Leahy BL, for the general solicitor, said the woman did not wish to return to the family home or the community care team that had been dealing with her. Her treating doctor believed she may need to be transferred elsewhere. Her doctor had said the woman had a particular view as to the circumstances that crystallised her relapse and there were particular family circumstances. In his ruling, the judge said the woman was previously admitted to hospital and improved to the extent she could be discharged home and to receive community health care for her illness. For whatever reason, and he was not adjudicating why, that seemed not to have worked out and she was readmitted to hospital for acute medical care in a severely malnourished state with difficulties including abnormal liver function and had a critically ill health status. She has been compliant with the hospital treatment, has expressed a sense of relief to be there and has spoken more openly about a difficult home environment. While she had expressed stress over the one-to-one supervision, the judge was satisfied, for reasons including concerns she may be interfering with her nutritional intake, that level of supervision was necessary. He said multi-disciplinary meetings aimed at ensuring progress is made have been held and contact made with a UK unit which might have a bed in April at the earliest. Her doctors considered she should remain in hospital and he was satisfied to continue the orders for that and the relevant treatment orders with the matter to return in four weeks. The womans email showed she had some insight into the seriousness of her condition, he said. She had very strong views as to what is to happen when she recovers, which hopefully she would, from this very serious illness with a mortality rate of 20%. She was agreeable to stay in hospital and did not want to go to the UK unless absolutely necessary. A UK placement may be necessary but that issue would be decided later, he said. He directed the woman be told in general about the contents of the medical reports and told the reports had been read and her concerns had been listened to by the court. New research shows that the deadly coronavirus that has killed 17 people in China may have originated from snakes. A study published Wednesday by Chinese scientists in the Journal of Medical Virology, showed that the deadly virus may have originated in a highly venomous snake called the Chinese krait. Scientists examined protein codes from patients and compared them with samples from animals infected with the virus, including snakes, People reported. Researchers found that the samples found in people were most similar to those found in Chinese krait and Chinese cobra. The Chinese government revealed that seven of the 17 people who have died from the Wuhan coronavirus did not have pre-existing conditions before they contracted the illness. More than 500 people have been infected in five countries, including the United States. A Washington man in his 30s who was diagnosed had recently traveled from Wuhan and was being kept in isolation "out of an abundance of caution," according to health officials. Authorities in China on Thursday enforced a partial lockdown in the central city of Wuhan, as well as nearby Huanggang and Ezhou, as authorities battle to contain the deadly outbreak. The Wuhan virus is a cousin of SARS and MERS. All three are coronaviruses. Labor union membership in the U.S. continued to drop in 2019, new data released Wednesday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. The big picture: Amid this slight dip in union membership which decreased 0.2% from 2018 the United Auto Workers led the largest demonstration by any union against any U.S. business since UAW's last strike against General Motors in 2007. What they're saying: 51% of Americans said in 2018 that decreasing union representation is "mostly bad for working people in the U.S.," according to Pew Research, while 35% said it has been "mostly good." Where it stands: Public-sector workers' union membership has continued to be five times higher than private-sector workers, BLS reported, and men have a slightly higher membership rate than women. Nonunion workers took home median weekly earnings that were 81% of union members' earnings. Of note: Over half of the 14.6 million union members recorded in 2019 lived in just seven states California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington. Go deeper: Unions shrink fast in swing states In Syria, Captured Islamic State Fighters, Followers Going Home By Jeff Seldin January 22, 2020 A growing number of fighters and followers captured during the final battles to defeat the Islamic State terror group's self-declared caliphate are being released in Syria, with some facing justice and others being given a chance to restart their lives. Once held under heavy guard in makeshift prisons or in camps for displaced persons, dozens of fighters and hundreds of so-called IS-affiliated persons have made the journey home since late last year, according to U.S. and U.N. officials. And while the prospect of allowing some former IS fighters and followers to mingle in communities freed from the terror group's grip has, in some cases, raised tensions, U.S. officials, so far, have been pleased with the results. "We see these SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] return-and-reintegration initiatives as positive," a State Department official told VOA, asking for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the program. "They have been successful in holding fighters to account and also reintegrating some individuals and a significant number of families back into Syrian communities, usually under tribal and family oversight," the official added. Thousands in SDF custody About 4,000 captured Syrian IS fighters are thought to be in SDF custody, while the number of noncombatants women and children and others held in displaced-persons camps still number in the tens of thousands. U.S. officials were unable to provide any information on exactly how many IS fighters and IS families have been allowed to leave SDF custody. The SDF also declined to share specifics, but an official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the matter told VOA, "Their numbers are very small." "Our court system releases those who are not involved in committing crimes and terrorist acts," the SDF official added. "After their release, usually Arab tribal leaders get involved to ensure that the freed individuals won't pose any terror threats in the region." The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 49 captured fighters have been released to the Syrian communities of Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir el-Zour since the start of the year. They join an untold number of captured fighters released starting in July and August of last year, most of whom were held accountable through local or tribal judicial processes. That judicial process included "sentencing fighters who are proven to have committed crimes," a State Department official told VOA at the time. Tribal leaders carry responsibility But the responsibility of making sure convicted IS fighters face justice and of keeping tabs on the rest has fallen to local Syrian authorities or tribal elders, who are now having to deal with an influx of IS families. Already, more than 1,200 IS-affiliated individuals have left the al-Hol camp in Syria in the past two months, according to a U.N. official with knowledge of the displaced-persons camps in Syria. The official said more are leaving, with women and children being released weekly. Tribal elders have been willing but wary. "For this guarantee we had a lot of problems," said Muhammad Tirkuswan, a sheikh from Syria's Sebkha tribe. Speaking via the Rojava Information Center, a pro-SDF research organization, Tirkuswan said his tribe has taken in 365 women and young children but does not expect to take any more for a while. "Once, an ISIS woman whom I had taken as a guarantor told some SDF soldiers that she had an explosive, she would explode herself with them," he said, using another acronym for the terror group. "This ideology has still an impact in these women." Tirkuswan said for the same reason, he would not take any children older than 15. "The youngsters have been more affected by the ideology of ISIS," he said. Few resources for deradicalization U.S., UN and SDF officials admit there has been almost no effort to deradicalize the few thousand IS family members, most of them children, who have left the camps. They say, despite the need, there have not been sufficient resources to run such a program. Even trying to provide the children with a basic education has proven difficult. "There is a lack of interest from families," a U.N. official told VOA, citing the nonreligious nature of the curriculum. But not everyone is concerned about the lack of deradicalization programs and services. "We know many people who had joined," said Telal Hilal Alsibat, an official with a tribe near Raqqa that has taken back two groups of families. "When we asked the widows of ISIS members, they answer that their husbands had joined ISIS to have a job to make a living; therefore, the rest of the family had to go with them," he said through the Rojava Information Center. U.S. officials have likewise expressed minimal concerns, so far. "While we do not follow every individual that has gone through these processes, we are not aware of a movement back to ISIS as a result," a State Department official told VOA. VOA's Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The abrogation of the provisions of Article 370, which granted special status to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, has now become a "fait accompli" leaving sole option to accept the change, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday. Vehemently opposing the contention that Jammu and Kashmir was not integrated with India, the Centre told the top court if that was the case, then there would not have been a need for Article 370. It opposed reference of a batch of pleas, challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision of August 5 last year to abrogate provisions of Article 370, to a larger seven-judge bench. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice N V Ramana reserved its verdict on the question of referring the issue to a larger bench and said it would pass a detailed order in this regard. NGO People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and an intervenor had sought referring the matter to a larger bench of seven-judges. They have sought reference on the ground that two judgements of apex court -- Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970 -- which dealt with the issue of Article 370 are in direct conflict each other and therefore the current bench of five judges could not hear the issue. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre told the bench -- also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant -- that "the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, has now become a "fait accompli" leaving sole option to accept the change". He said the events which transpired prior to the notification of August 5 and August 6, 2019 are of no significance. "The arguments of other side that no integration of Jammu and Kashmir had taken place, no standstill agreement or merger documents between Jammu and Kashmir and India were executed, are of no use. If the integration of Jammu and Kashmir had not taken place then there is no place for Article 370," Venugopal said. He referred to a book, 'The Story of the Integration of the Indian States', written by V P Menon who was secretary to India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and said that Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir shows that "sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir was only temporary. We are a union of states". Venugopal referred to the history of Jammu and Kashmir and said that Hari Singh had signed a standstill agreement with Pakistan, which later violated and sent 300 trucks of tribesman trained by Pakistani Army to attack Kashmir. It was only after that, to secure himself and the state, he had signed the Instrument of Accession with India and subsequently the Indian army pushed back those tribesman. He said that long before Jammu and Kashmir had its Constitution, many provisions of Indian Constitution was applied to the state. "The question of referendum does not arise in light of this permanent declaration of Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India," he said, and read out the preamble of J&K's Constitution. He stated that there is no question of plebiscite in light of the explicit declarations of Jammu and Kashmir to be an integral part of India in their own Constitution. "Therefore it is wrong to say that total integration of Jammu and Kashmir had not taken place. Today to say that there was no plebiscite or agreement of merger or standstill documents were not executed is not correct and these arguments cannot be raised at this stage," Venugopal said, adding that "Article 370 has now become fait accompli". He said that after the Instrument of Accession, no question can be raised on the total integration of Jammu and Kashmir and referred to Constitution of the erstwhile state. Referring to the two earlier judgements, Venugopal said that they were not inconsistent to each other and both dealt with different issues. He said that 1959 verdict of Prem Nath Kaul did not deal with Article 370, rather it dealt with the question whether the Maharaja had the legislative power or not. Referring to Sampat Prakash verdict of 1970, Venugopal said though it dealt with some aspects of Article 370, it was not in direct conflict with verdict in the Kaul case and therefore the present issue should not be referred to a larger bench. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir administration said he adopts the arguments of the Attorney General and favours no reference to larger bench. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference said that he is supporting Centre on the question that no reference is needed to a larger bench. He, however, questioned on the validity of Centre's August 5, last year decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 saying it completely destroyed constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and the treaty. "Here is a case where a state has been demoted to Union territories. This has never happened in the country before, If it was a case of security then at best it was a matter of Article 356 (President's Rule). In fact it is a case of glaring illegality," Dhavan said. A number of petitions have been filed in the matter including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists and political parties and they have also challenged the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits J&K into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Seattle are searching for 'multiple' male gunmen after a fatal shooting in the streets of downtown. One woman was killed and seven were injured in the shooting at around 5pm local time on Wednesday at a McDonald's on 3rd Avenue and Pine Street in the heart of Seattle's downtown district. Police Chief Carmen Best said that it was 'not a random incident' and there were 'multiple people involved as shooters' in what began as a dispute before 'people pulled out guns, shots rang out.' Best did not specify the number of suspects being sought in the shooting, and declined to say whether the suspects were known to police or gang involvement was suspected. The wounded victims include a 55-year-old woman in critical condition and a nine-year-old boy in serious condition, officials said. The other wounded victims were all adult males between the ages of 21 and 49 who were all listed as being in a stable condition. No description of the shooters was immediately available from police. The deceased victim was identified by fire officials as woman in her 40s or 50s. EMT and Police give first aid to a shooting victim in downtown on Wednesday in Seattle Initial police activity seemed to be focused around a McDonald's that has been the focus of prior community complaints about vagrancy and drug activity Police walk past the scene of a shooting at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street on January 22, 2020 in the central business district of Seattle, Washington The area where the shooting occurred is a busy intersection surrounded by stores and office buildings, and would have been packed with rush hour traffic The area where the shooting occurred is a busy intersection surrounded by stores and office buildings. The area would have been packed with rush hour traffic and pedestrians at the time of the shooting. Initial police activity seemed to be focused around a McDonald's that has been the focus of prior community complaints about vagrancy and drug activity. Officials urged residents to stay away from the downtown core on Wednesday night due to heavy traffic and transit delays as the investigation and manhunt continue. According to witness accounts, two men were arguing on the sidewalk prior to the shooting, and one or both of them produced guns and began firing. The people struck by gunfire appeared to be innocent bystanders when the dispute turned violent, witnesses said. Police Chief Carmen Best said that there were 'multiple people involved as shooters' in what began as a dispute before 'people pulled out guns, shots rang out' According to witness accounts, two men were arguing on the sidewalk prior to the shooting, and one or both of them produced guns and began firing EMT and Police rush to aid to a shooting victim in downtown on January 22, 2020 in Seattle EMT and Police give first aid to a shooting victim in downtown on Wednesday in Seattle, Washington. Multiple people have been injured and police are still searching for the suspect Samantha Cook, 40, of Edmonds, said she was refilling her transit card in Westlake Station when she heard the shots. 'I was on the first set of escalators,' Cook said. 'There were a lot of gunshots that started going off - maybe 10 or 11. It was just rapid fire.' The scene was chaotic, she said. Witnesses said that at least one shooter may have fled into a nearby underground transit station. Police with guns drawn were seen searching the Westlake Station soon after the shooting. The area where the shooting occurred is a formerly prosperous commercial district anchored by a Macy's department store. However, the neighborhood has become one of Seattle's highest crime areas in recent years, hosting an open air drug market known among dealers as 'The Blade'. Officials urged residents to stay away from the downtown core due to heavy traffic and transit delays as the investigation and manhunt continues Homicide and gang units were among the massive police response to the shooting. The Macy's at 4th and Pine is seen in the background on Wednesday night above The area has become an infamous open-air drug market known among dealers as 'The Blade' In a brief statement, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said: 'I am sick for those impacted by the gun violence in Seattle tonight.' Wednesday evening's shooting was the third to occur in the area in the past 24 hours. On Tuesday, a 55-year-old man was shot and critically wounded at the Westlake center. The unknown shooter escaped on foot dressed in all black. And on Wednesday afternoon, an officer-involved shooting occurred when police shot a 28-year-old man in the nearby Belltown neighborhood. That suspect's injuries were said to be non-life threatening. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Seattle Police at 206-233-5000. A Chinese next-generation spacecraft for taking astronauts to low Earth orbit and beyond has arrived at a coastal spaceport in preparation for a test flight. The new spacecraft is designed boost China's capabilities in sending humans into orbit, reduce costs through partial reusability, and allow astronauts to survive the radiation environment and higher-speed reentries of deep-space missions. The as-yet-unnamed spacecraft is 8.8 meters long (28.9 feet) with a mass at liftoff of 21.6 metric tons (23.8 tons), according to the China Manned Space Agency. It will be capable of carrying six astronauts, or three astronauts and 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of cargo. Related: Photos of China's new spacecraft to take astronauts to the moon The crew module (top) and service module of the new Chinese crewed spacecraft. (Image credit: CAST) The new spacecraft arrived at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island in the South China Sea on Monday (Jan. 20), and it is due to launch sometime in the next few months. Like NASA's Orion EFT-1 crewed spacecraft test in 2014, the spacecraft will be sent into a relatively high, elliptical orbit, reaching an apogee of 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) before reentry far beyond that of China's previous human spaceflight-related flights. The flight will test the spacecraft's performance in orbit, a lightweight heat-resistant coating for reentry, parachute systems and a new airbag-cushion-landing design. Systems such as life support will be absent from the spacecraft for the first flight. The mission will be launched by the first Long March 5B rocket, a variant of the huge Long March 5, which had a dramatic and successful return-to-flight mission in December. The rocket components are due to join the new spacecraft at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in early February. If the new rocket performs well, it can next be used for constructing a modular space station. The spacecraft will carry nearly 10 tons of propellant to make it similar in mass to launching a station module. However, the capabilities of the new spacecraft indicate that China is already looking beyond low Earth orbit to eventual missions to the moon and potentially beyond. It is not known when the new crewed spacecraft is expected to enter service. The test launch could come as early as April, based on launch-preparation times for previous Long March 5 rockets. The Long March 5B will be capable of lifting the new crewed spacecraft to low Earth orbit (LEO). A new launcher would be required for missions into deep space, or rendezvous with another craft in LEO before heading to the moon. China's new crew capsule, which is being developed for future space station and moon missions. (Image credit: China Manned Space Agency) China became the third country to independently launch astronauts in 2003 when Yang Liwei orbited Earth in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. The roughly 8-metric-ton (8.8 ton) Shenzhou, which can carry three astronauts, has been used for all six of China's crewed missions so far. It consists of three components: a return capsule and separate propulsion and orbital modules. Like NASA's Orion, the new spacecraft consists of two components: a crew module and service module. A model of the core capsule for China's next space station is on display at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. (Image credit: China Manned Space Agency) In another upgrade over the Shenzhou, the new crew module will be partially reusable, while the spacecraft as a whole features a modular design that will allow it to be constructed to meet different mission demands. "In the past, the thermal protection of Shenzhou spaceships were integrated with the metal structure inside, so the entire thermal protection structure could not be disassembled, and capsule was not usable after coming back to earth," Yang Qing, chief designer of the new manned spacecraft of the China Academy of Space Technology, told CCTV. "This time the heat protection on all our cabins has been turned into pieces, which is very convenient to disassemble." Testing such reusability-related technologies is another goal of the upcoming launch. "To ensure a sustainable development of the whole industry in the future, cost reduction is still a very critical factor, so being reusable is a better way for us to reduce the cost," Yang said. The research team will evaluate and analyze the state of the spacecraft after its return. After verifying the key technologies, it will move on to the development and functional verification of the entire system, and prepare for human spaceflight, according to CCTV. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. [January 23, 2020] Elypta Raises 6 Million in a Late Seed Round Led by Industrifonden STOCKHOLM, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Elypta, the Swedish molecular diagnostics firm pioneering metabolism-based liquid biopsies, has raised 6.1 million in a late seed funding round closing in December 2019 and led by Industrifonden and Sciety. Norrsken Foundation's newly raised impact fund also contributed. Other investors included Barcelona-based seed fund Nina Capital and Chalmers Ventures, an owner since inception. Elypta was founded in 2017 to develop the first metabolism-based liquid biopsy platform enabling early detection and closer follow-up of cancer. The company will use the funds to complete development of laboratory kits and software for measurement and analyses of a panel of metabolites identified by Elypta's co-founders - professor Jens Nielsen at Chalmers University of Technology and Dr Francesco Gatto, Chalmersand also CSO at Elypta - as most promising for cancer diagnostics. Elypta's technology is being developed to ultimately be validated across multiple cancers and address a global market. The initial application will be a urine test for early detection of recurring kidney cancer, a condition where there are no suitable tests currently available. The application is currently being explored through the pivotal AURORAX-87A study (NCT04006405), the largest study to date in kidney cancer diagnostics funded by a 2.35 million Horizon 2020 grant. "Our first objective is to improve patient follow-up. Prognosis is very poor if a tumor recurs after surgery and by providing a safe urine test which can be used more frequently than CT (computed tomography) we hope to enable earlier detection and ultimately open a window for curative treatments," said Elypta CEO Karl Bergman. "This funding allows us to execute on our plans and make our first test available to urologists and patients, as well as for research across pharma and academia." Jonas Jendi at Industrifonden comments: "Elypta combines novel science, data analytics software and a solid clinical validation plan, making them an excellent fit for our healthtech investment focus. We believe Elypta has a great opportunity to improve the standard of care in this challenging and important field." Tove Larsson, General Partner at Norrsken VC adds: "Elypta has the potential to impact the lives of millions of people, as its solution can increase the survival rate for one of the most common causes of death: cancer." www.elypta.com For further information, contact: Karl Bergman CEO: [email protected] Tel: +46-73-262-53-33 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elypta-raises-6-million-in-a-late-seed-round-led-by-industrifonden-300991402.html SOURCE Let 'em know AB [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The top leadership took to the streets on Thursday in the party's campaign for Delhi Assembly polls next month, mounting a frontal attack on main rivals and over the CAA issue. chief JP Nadda, at a public meeting in Palam constituency, attacked the and over their support to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) here saying vote bank comes first to them than the country. "The leadership including president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi president Manoj Tiwari, Gautam Gambhir, held several small meetings in various Assembly constituencies across the city. A total of 149 such meetings were held in which the CAA was prominently raised by the leaders," said Virendra Sachdeva, co-convener of the Delhi BJP's media committee for polls. The party high command, enthused by the response of people in these meetings, has decided to raise the number of such meetings from earlier 5,000 to 15,000 in the coming fortnight before voting on February 8, he said. Shah, who addressed two meetings in Matiala and Nangloi Assembly segments and took out a Padyatra in Uttam Nagar, slammed both and over the CAA. Accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of speaking language similar to that of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Shah alleged that the ruling AAP was behind "instigating" minorities over the CAA and "engineering riots" and the national capital will be unsafe if they are voted to power. Participating in a 'padyatra' in Tughalqbad Assembly segment, Delhi BJP chief and South Delhi MP attacked the Kejriwal government over its "failures" besides raising the issue of anti-CAA protests in the city. "The youth of the country are the greatest asset for the country but it is regrettable that the disappointed opposition parties are misleading them and pushing them towards anarchy just for electoral success," Tiwari said. In the coming days, a number of BJP leaders including its senior office bearers, Union ministers, chief ministers of party ruled states as well as Bhojpuri film stars like Ravi Kishan and Dinesh Yadav Nirahua, are slated to join hectic campaigning ahead of the February 8 polls. Addressing a public meeting in Mehrauli, Nadda said it is "clear" that this time the BJP government will be formed in Delhi. "BJP's record is to work and without being in power in Delhi we have done the work that the government of Delhi had to do with responsibility," he said. The BJP, out of power in Delhi for over two decades, is contesting the Assembly elections in alliance with JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). It will contest on 67 seats, JD(U) on two and LJP on one seat of Delhi Assembly. The opposition parties on Thursday slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for warning anti-CAA protesters that "azadi" slogans raised by them will treated as sedition. While the Samajwadi Party drew an analogy with the British rule, the Congress termed it "a language of dictators". The UP CM in a rally in Kanpur on Wednesday had said,"If azadi slogans are raised here like they used to be raised in Kashmir, then it will come in the category of sedition and stringent action will be taken by the government." Reacting to it, Senior SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary said the British too "had described freedom fighters as terrorists". "Now their successors or those who had sided with them are terming those raising azadi slogans traitors," he said. He said there was no need to to get "perturbed" by such warnings. "Their countdown has started and that is why they are ranting," Chaudhary said. The SP leader alleged that the CM was threatening women against those hell bent on dividing the country. "Azadi is the birthright of all countrymen and those denying it will have to depart in the same manner as Hitler," the SP leader said. SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary too said the dissent against the CAA is being dubbed as treason by the chief minister, which is against the very essence of a democracy. "The CM is threatening women who are demanding their rights," Chaudhary asserted. When asked about the chief minister's allegation that the SP was funding anti-CAA protests, Chaudhary said, "This amounts to making a mockery of people's emotions." "Protests are on in all the states, including north-eastern region. Are we distributing money in all states," Chaudhary wondered. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said the CM is speaking "a language of dictators". "If raising voice against the government's oppression and of hatred is treason, the government should first arrest me," Lallu said, adding that since the protests have rattled the government, it is accusing the Congress of sponsoring them. "If people are on agitation path over this issue, why is the government not addressing it," Lallu said. At a public meeting in Kanpur, the chief minister had said, "...I would like to say from the soil of India, and especially the soil of Uttar Pradesh, that in the name of protests, if azadi slogans are raised here like they used to be raised in Kashmir, then it will come in the category of sedition, and stringent action will be taken by the government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 03:26:48|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (C) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on Jan. 23, 2020. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday during a visit to Jerusalem that the White House plans to release its plan for peace in the Middle East next week in Washington. (Shalev Shalom/JINI via Xinhua) JERUSALEM, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday during a visit to Jerusalem that the White House plans to release its plan for peace in the Middle East next week in Washington. In joint statements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pence said that U.S. President Donald Trump requested him to extend an invitation to Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz to arrive in Washington "to discuss regional issues and the possibility of peace in the Holy Land." Netanyahu and Gantz accepted the invitation, Pence said. Netanyahu said he suggested the White House would invite Gantz as well, "because I think it is important that we not lose this historic opportunity with such friends in the White House." "We should get as broad consensus as possible," said Netanyahu. The statements were made ahead of a meeting between Pence and Netanyahu in the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The unveiling of the long-awaiting peace plan comes as both Netanyahu and Gantz pledged to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank if they win Israel's upcoming national elections on March 2. The move is considered highly controversial among most of the international community and is likely to spark Palestinian protest. Trump has postponed several times the publication of his "Deal of the Century" for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The economic part of Trump's peace plan was unveiled during a U.S.-led conference in Bahrain last June, a convention boycotted by the Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas severed ties with the Trump administration in 2017 after the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The last round of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians broke down in 2014 amid Israeli expansion of the settlements in the West Bank. Israel seized the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has since controlled or blockaded them despite international criticism. The Palestinians wish to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 22, 2020 President Trump and Gen. Soleimani Those who applaud the assassination of General Soleimani seem to simply equate him to a terrorist who certainly deserved to meet his fate. The question here is not whether he deserved to be killed, but can his killing be equated to those of Osama Bin Laden or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS respectively? They were the leaders of ferocious terrorist groups, stateless, not associated with any international organization, nor were they recognized by a single country. The same cannot be said about Soleimani. Regardless of how vicious, he was a very high-ranking government official in Iran, second only to Khamenei. There are scores of other heads of state who are as brutal if not more so than Soleimani; are we now going to assassinate these individuals or their deputies only because they are ruthless leaders? Are Turkeys Erdogan, or Russias Putin, or Chinas Xi, or North Koreas Kim, or the Philippines Duterte less ruthless than Soleimani? These cruel leaders, who Trump openly admires, have committed unspeakable atrocities. Just imagine what would have happened if Iran attacked a convoy escorting Vice President Pence and killed him just as he boarded his car near Riyadh airport. How would Trump have reacted? I venture to say that for Trump, this would have been tantamount to a declaration of war, just as Tehran viewed the attack on Soleimani. Trump would have retaliated in a massive way because an attack on a top US official by an adversary would simply be unacceptable by both Republicans and Democrats alike. This begs the question as to what sort of global order we will have left if the leaders of one country eliminate the leaders of another simply because they deem them ruthless. Nothing but global chaos would ensue, destroying the very idea of an international order that governs the conduct of sovereign states toward one another. This would also defy the United Nations founding principles and make it extraordinarily difficult for the community of nations to work together to solve bilateral and multilateral problems to make the world a safer place. What is worse in the case of Soleimani is that he was assassinated at this particular juncture on the order of Trump, which was intended to distract public attention from his political wounds and woes. Never mind that the Trump administration produced no shred of evidence of an imminent danger; nevertheless, he gravely risked our national security strictly for his own personal political benefit. It is an election year, and he is now facing an impeachment trial in the Senate on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. If the past three years offer any indication, Trump would stop short of nothing, including obstruction of justice, cheating, lying, making misleading statements, threatening, bribing, and yes, killing foreign leaders to get reelected. The Ukraine debacle, which blew up in his face and those of his top political advisors, pales in comparison to the assassination of Soleimani, which brought us to the verge of war with Irana war that would have made the Iraq war look like childs play. A war with Iran would exact thousands of American casualties at an astronomical cost while plunging the Middle East in an unending violent conflict that would spare none of our friends and allies. Trump acted just like a dictator, and every single Republican member of Congress who demonstrates more loyalty to Trump than to the nation becomes complicit in his betrayal of the country. Senators, as jurors in his impeachment trial, have the opportunity to convict him based on the overwhelming evidence that he abused his power and obstructed Congress. He must be stopped now because he is too dangerous and too reckless to be entrusted with national security and the well-being of the nation. The Senators who exonerate him in his trial will be traitorous and will put themselves on trial come November. Under any circumstances, Trump will leave office as an impeached president who made the world much less safe by playing into the hands of Americas enemies. We and our allies will end up paying the price. Oakland, Calif. -- New research from Kaiser Permanente finds that post-menopausal women with colorectal cancer were more likely to die from their disease or from any cause if they had low social support before diagnosis. The analysis of 1,429 women in the national long-term health study Women's Health Initiative, which included patients from Kaiser Permanente and other health systems, was published in the journal Cancer January 23. The study found that women who reported low social support had 52% higher overall mortality than those who reported high levels of support, and 42% higher mortality from colorectal cancer specifically. The results confirm previous research suggesting a role for social support for patients with serious illness, said lead author Candyce Kroenke, MPH, ScD, a research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. "These findings support the idea that women who have supportive friends and family around them when they are diagnosed do better," Kroenke said. The researchers delved into the specifics of the women's personal connections, their links with the community, and their living status to better understand the association. They found higher rates of mortality when women lacked: Emotional support: caring and concern Informational support: help provided through information Tangible support: help with tasks, chores, or tangible needs Positive interaction: someone for the patient to have fun with and take their mind off their illness In a separate analysis on the impact of social integration, researchers found that having a partner or engaging with their community or in a religious organization was associated with lower risk of death from rectal cancer, but not colon cancer. Similarly, the analysis found that living alone was associated with higher mortality in patients with rectal cancer. Kroenke said these different findings for rectal and colon cancer need to be replicated. For patients, the study's message is to lean on others when dealing with a serious diagnosis. "You can and should ask for support instead of going it alone," Kroenke said. For medical practitioners, the findings are a reminder that social support is an important determinant of outcomes, Kroenke said. "Clinicians can identify patients who are at risk of low social support and provide them with additional resources," she said. Resources might include a therapist to help with the emotional burden of cancer treatment or social services to provide logistical help such as rides to the doctor. Kaiser Permanente patients in Northern California diagnosed with cancer undergo a 22-point evaluation of their practical, family, emotional, and spiritual support. After treatment cancer patients receive personalized survivorship care including social and emotional support. Brian Missett, MD, associate executive director of The Permanente Medical Group, said this support is part of Kaiser Permanente's commitment to the total health of its patients. "In viewing our patients as holistic beings with a variety of needs, we provide more comprehensive care that leads to better outcomes," he said. ### The study was funded by National Institutes of Health support to several institutions involved in the Women's Health Initiative. Coauthors were Electra D. Paskett, PhD, of the Ohio State University; Crystal W. Cene, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina; Bette J. Caan, DrPH, of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research; Juhua Luo, PhD, of Indiana University; Aladdin H. Shadyab, PhD, of University of California, San Diego; Jamaica R.M. Robinson, MPH, and Garnet L. Anderson, PhD, of the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Rami Nassir of University of California, Davis; and Dorothy S. Lane, MD, MPH, of Stony Brook University. Read more about Kaiser Permanente's contributions to the understanding of colorectal cancer in this research brief. About Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.2 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. CatLane/iStock(WESTERVILLE, Ohio) -- Girl Scouts aren't just knocking on doors any longer to sell cookies -- they are getting more creative. Amory Vargo is well on her way to meeting her goal of selling 2,020 boxes of cookies and earning a free week at Girl Scout camp thanks to her video cover of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" to help sell her cookies. The 9-year-old from Westerville, Ohio, is about halfway to her goal her mom, Samantha Vargo, told "Good Morning America." Amory makes a video to sell cookies each year, she said, but this year's has been the most successful. It has over 100,000 views on YouTube so far. "She's a really creative kid," Vargo said. "The video allows her to showcase that while selling cookies. Amory got her start in Girl Scouts as a Daisy and made her way up to being a Brownie. Now, she's a junior. Her mom said Girl Scouts has been a wonderful experience. "She's built friendships with wonderful kids and has had great experiences, like zip lining, she might not have otherwise had. And the service projects, she just can't get enough." Her "Truth Hurts" cover took about two weeks to create, her mom said. Originally. Amory was going to go with "Old Town Road" but couldn't quite get the lyrics to work. The Lizzo choice, her mom said, "is really fun and playful. She loved putting her spin on it." Amory loves all the positive comments on her video., her mom said. You can track her progress here. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Hamilton, ON, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The members of the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) have been at the forefront of harm reduction for over a decade, supporting adult Canadian smokers transitioning from deadly combustible tobacco. The vaping industry continues to call on health authorities and members of the medical field to report evidence based facts to Canadians regarding vaping and the unprecedented harm reduction opportunity we have as a country, to save the lives of 45,000 Canadian smokers per year. Last week Ottawa hosted its 12th annual conference on Smoking Cessation Through State-of-the-art Clinical Approaches. While vaping industry experts were not invited to participate, the conference did highlight a series of presenters, including Dr. Stanton Glantz as the keynote speaker. The Ottawa Sun reported that Dr. Glantz made a series of statements including: It is a myth that e-cigarettes are helping people quit smoking. Dr. Glantz stated that there is evidence that vaping products are helpful as part of smoking cessation programs, but research looking at people outside of supervised programs suggests these products can make it harder to quit smoking. Although advocates tout vaping as a solution to smoking, Dr. Glantz said research showed that, for every adult who quit smoking using e-cigarettes, 80 kids started vaping. These are exactly the types of statements that need to be addressed in these forums and with facts and not personal bias or agendas. It is essential we look to Action on Smoking and Health, which has been researching evidence-based data on vaping since 2012. They reported the number of vapers in the UK has increased from 700,000 in 2012 to 3.6 million in 2019 and, of these, 54% had given up smoking says Darryl Tempest, Executive Director of the CVA. There are an estimated 900,000 adult vapours in Canada, thus based on the 54% success rate for those that have quit smoking using these products, Dr. Glantz is suggesting that 38,880,000 children are vaping in a nation that has under 37,000,000 people? Tempest goes on to say Even if we apply the more conservative findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, which state that vaping has an 18% success rate compared to the 10% success rate for those who quit smoking with other NRT products, the statement made by Dr. Glantz would still suggest that there are 12,960,000 youth vaping meanwhile there are only 4,146,397 children aged 10 19 in Canada. No matter how you look at this, the fact is that vaping is at a minimum twice as effective in assisting smokers to quit than any other NRT product and that the bias and misinformation spread by health advocates and the medical community puts public health at risk. The more horrifying fact is that on Monday while conference chair, Dr. Pipe, made jokes on his Twitter feed as people were debunking these ridiculous statements, 100 people died in Canada due to smoking related illness. Vaping plays such a critical role in the reduction of harm from smoking, specifically in reducing the negative health impacts to Canadian smokers, the costs of smoking related disease to the health care system and the social impact of smoking on all Canadians. The vaping industry experts need to have a voice and we call on Government to engage in real conversations to build awareness surrounding vaping products and to regulate them in an effective way to promote harm reduction, which has been so effective in the United Kingdom. Know the Facts: Are the lung illnesses in the United States related to nicotine e-liquid? No The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed THC vape devices laced with vitamin E acetate as the culprit behind the EVALI outbreak. Is vaping nicotine e-liquid less harmful than smoking? Yes The best available research is based on the findings of the Royal College of Physicians that have concluded that vaping nicotine e-liquid is at least 95% less harmful than combustible tobacco. Are flavours the driver of youth uptake? No - The 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA, shows that flavors are definitely not the main reason that youth try vaping; rather curiosity has been found to be the leading driver. Among the teens who were surveyed, 56.1% listed curiosity as a reason they tried vaping products, which is more than double the next most popular reason, friend or family member used them (23.9%). What is attracting youth to these products? Nicotine levels - Between 2017 and 2018 current youth vapers (reported to have vaped in the last 30 days) increased by 74% in Canada and 46% in the US, compared to 2% in the UK where nicotine levels are capped at 20 mg/ml (vs. the 66 mg/ml nicotine cap in Canada). Note that in the UK, where youth vaping rates are much lower, there are no restrictions whatsoever on flavours. This is direct evidence that the high nicotine levels, not flavours, are responsible for attracting youth. How do we address youth uptake while allowing adult smokers to make informed decisions and protect themselves from black market products? CVA Policy Recommendations: All vaping product sales, including flavoured e-liquids, limited to adult only access retail environments. Sophisticated age verification technology mandatory in all adult only vape shops for in-store and online purchases. Nicotine levels capped at 20 mg/ml to combat youth uptake. Mandate that e-commerce and online sales be delivered via a dual age verification platform. Display and promotion in retail environments restricted to age of majority stores. National and brand specific advertising prohibited. Close Canadian borders to unregulated black-market vaping products and ingredients. Together these policy recommendations are designed to effectively and significantly reduce both youth uptake of vaping and smoking rates for the betterment of all Canadians. About the Canadian Vaping Association The Canadian Vaping Association (canadianvapingassociation.org) is a registered national, not-for-profit organization, established as the voice for the burgeoning Canadian vaping industry. Founded in 2014, the CVA represents over 300 manufacturing, retail and online vaping businesses in Canada and has no tobacco companies, nor their affiliates, as part of their membership. The association is the primary liaison with the federal and provincial governments on all legislative and regulatory issues related to the industry. The primary goal of the CVA is to ensure that government regulation is reasonable and practical, through the strategy of professional proactive communication and education supplied bilingually to health officers, media, and elected officials. India slammed Pakistan at the United Nations for spreading false propaganda about Jammu and Kashmir at the global level with Nagaraj Naidu, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN, saying that Islamabad is indulged in hate speech against New Delhi. Addressing the 74th session of UN General Assembly, the Indian diplomat said that every time Pakistani delegation speaks at UN and any other international forum it spews venom and false narratives about the Indian government. "Just like a fish takes to water, one delegation has again taken to hate speech. Every time this delegation speaks, it spews venom and false narratives of monumental proportions," Naidu said. Naidu asserted that Pakistan is doing nothing to end to the bellicose and vitriolic diatribe against and is least interested in restoring normal ties with India. He added that Islamabad always indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth. "Instead of putting an end to the bellicose and vitriolic diatribe and taking steps to restore normal ties, the delegation indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth," said the Indian diplomat. The Indian diplomat noted that Pakistan has developed a habit of using false pretences to distract the attention of the global community from its vices. He, however, said that Islamabad must understand the fact that there are no takers for its false rhetoric and it is high time that Imran Khan-led government in Pakistan should get down to the normal business of diplomacy. Live TV "Pakistans practice of using false pretences to distract from addressing malaise that afflicts it has run its course. Pak needs to reflect that there are no takers for its false rhetoric&should get down to normal business of diplomacy," noted Naidu. Naidu also remarked that UN should work on a strong definition of terror or face doubts on its existence. A little over a week after the last time anyone saw or heard from Tiffany Lazon, her husband became quite busy, authorities say. Craig Lazon, 42, rented a storage unit and U-Haul truck. He started moving possessions out of his wifes Albany townhouse. He also borrowed a battery-powered circular saw from friends, which he returned several days later. It was missing the blade. The power tool did, however, hold some noticeable residue, police said: Tiffany Lazons blood and bodily tissue. These details are included in a probable cause affidavit filed in Linn County and obtained Thursday by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request. They come a day after Craig Lazon pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges and unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He is being held without bail in the Linn County jail. Tiffany Lazons remains have not been found. Court documents in Oregon paint a troubling criminal history for Craig Lazon, one thats punctuated by a decade of methamphetamine binges and bursts of violence toward the women in his life. An ex-wife alleged in divorce filings and a restraining order petition that Lazon had abused drugs, head-butted her and slammed her face into walls during their marriage. He is completely irrational and becomes uncontrollably angry, the ex-wife wrote in her 2011 restraining order petition. A Linn County judge granted the order. Lazon, who has multiple convictions for methamphetamine possession, pleaded guilty in 2012 to assaulting his then-girlfriend, court records show. The woman told police he repeatedly punched and kicked her in the head during a jealous rage that spanned two days. The pattern of violent behavior continued after he married Tiffany Lazon, 37, who had served in the Army and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health afflictions, according to court records. Craig Lazon was accused in 2013 of assaulting Tiffany, but the charge was dismissed. He was convicted in the case, however, for assaulting her daughter, then a minor, possessing meth and tampering with a witness. Records show he was then accused in 2015 of trying to kill Tiffany. He was also accused of assault, strangulation, rape, sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration and kidnapping in the same case. Craig Lazon was convicted of tampering with a witness in the case and sentenced to three years in prison, according to court documents. The rest of the charges were dismissed. The Albany Democrat-Herald reported in 2015 that investigators determined Tiffany Lazons story to be fabricated, and that Tiffany said her issues were linked to post-traumatic stress disorder related to her military service. The Democrat-Herald noted that Craig Lazons attorney Arnold Poole poked numerous holes in Tiffany Lazons original story. Poole said Tiffany Lazon asserted she had been tied up for a week. But there were no ligature marks on her wrists or ankles, the story said. Records also show Craig Lazon in February violated an order not to contact his wife. When they are together its not right, its not OK, Felicity Halberg, Tiffanys daughter, told KOIN News in a recent interview. Theyre, like, toxic to each other. Despite their troubling relationship, a friend told police this month that the couple had recently gotten back together, according to the new probable cause affidavit. But Tiffany had plans to move out of her 16th Avenue Southeast townhouse by the beginning of the new year, the friend said. Nobody had heard from her since around Christmas, including her daughter and mother, according to police and court records. The missing womans neighbors, however, had seen Craig Lazon schlepping furniture and boxes out of her home at the beginning of January. Records show he rented a storage unit in Albany on Jan. 5 and used his wifes debit card to get a U-Haul truck for several days. Craig Lazon had also randomly stopped by an old friends house to borrow a few things, including a circular saw. He even got the friends boyfriend to help him load a few of his wifes possessions into the U-Haul, telling the man that Tiffany was visiting a friend in Eugene, court records show. After several days, he returned the saw to his friend. The saws blade was missing, and it appeared the borrower had taken the tool apart, the friend told police. Her boyfriend and she couldnt think of any reason why Craig would have needed to take the saw apart, as they knew a person doesnt take apart electric saws like that to clean them, Albany police Detective Ryan Knoll wrote in the probable cause affidavit. The saw also appeared to have some matter on it, which forensic tests later showed to be blood and bodily tissue that matched Tiffany Lazons DNA, records show. Police later discovered traces of the missing womans blood on the ceiling of the U-Haul trucks cargo area, according to court documents. Lazon told police in an interview Tuesday that he believed his wife was up visiting a friend in Washington, the probable cause affidavit says. He also admitted to borrowing his friends saw. Police then told him they had found his wifes blood and DNA on the tool. Craig Lazon didnt make any further statements, Knoll wrote. -- 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. A war memorial that is being planned in Meerut is set to feature a heroine who lost her life in a counter-insurgency operation in Kashmir in 2016. It is also likely to feature some others who acquitted themselves creditably in the Kargil war India fought with Pakistan in 1999. What makes the memorial unique is that it is devoted to service animals, mostly dogs, but also horses and mules. It will be the countrys first animal war memorial and recognise heroics on the battlefield, devotion to duty and outstanding contribution to military service alongside soldiers, three senior officers said, asking not to be named. The memorial will come up at the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College in Meerut where the army breeds, rears, and trains dogs, mules and horses. Approval from the defence ministry is expected soon to construct a war memorial to commemorate RVC animals and men who have sacrificed their lives or have been commended for exceptional gallantry or distinguished service. Land has already been identified in Meerut and the preliminary design has been frozen, said one of the officers. He added that the monument would be similar to the National War Memorial in Delhi but on a smaller scale. The names and service numbers of more than 300 dogs, 350 handlers and a few horses and mules will be inscribed on granite tablets at the memorial. The dogs include around 25 killed in action during counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the countrys North-east, the first officer said. It will be a befitting token of remembrance and a mark of respect and gratitude towards the RVC soldiers (men and animals) who laid down their lives for the country. Several western nations have memorials dedicated to animals, said the second officer. Topping the list of animals whose names will be inscribed on the memorials walls is Mansi, a Labrador who was posthumously mentioned in dispatches (the highest honour that a dog can get in military service in India) four years ago for her role in a counter-infiltration operation in north Kashmir, the second officer added. Her handler, Bashir Ahmed War, was also posthumously awarded Sena Medal for gallantry and his name will be alongside Mansis. The highest award won by a dog handler is the Shaurya Chakra, the countrys third highest peacetime gallantry award. The army has more than 1,000 dogs, 5,000 mules and 1,500 horses. Five Labradors were awarded commendation cards on Army Day 2020 for helping soldiers track down terrorists in J&K and sniffing out deadly explosives in the North-east last year. Army dogs are trained for a variety of roles, such as detecting mines and explosives, tracking, assault, infantry patrol, and search and rescue. Explosives detection dogs are an invaluable component of road opening parties that safeguard the movement of men and material in terror hotbeds. These dogs have saved innumerable lives by timely detection of explosives. Mine detection dogs are used along the Line of Control to create safe lanes, said the third officer. The RVC pioneered war dog training in India in the late 1950s. Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Shepherds (Malinois) are the mainstay of the armys canine work force. The RVC has introduced some Mudhol Hounds (an indigenous dog breed from Karnataka) and Cocker Spaniels on a trial basis for explosives detection. Recognising the contribution of animals, the army in 2017 named an officers mess lounge in Delhi cantonment after the longest serving army mule, Pedongi, who carried military loads in forward areas for over 30 years. The armys animal transport units, equipped with mules, are assigned the responsibility of supporting some of its remotest outposts located at heights of up to 19,000 feet. Mules played a crucial role during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Michelle Carter, a Massachusetts woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself in a high-profile texting-suicide case, was released from jail early for good behavior Thursday after serving 11 months. Carter, 22, was escorted out of the Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, around 9:30 a.m. by corrections employees holding a pair of plastic bags of clothes. She was picked up by her parents and attorneys in a black Jeep while a swarm of reporters waited outside. A television station's helicopter followed the vehicle as it left the facility. Carter's release came four months before the end of her 15-month jail sentence. She had been in jail since February after she was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter in the suicide of Conrad Roy III in 2014. Michelle Carter, left, leaves the Bristol County jail in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, after serving most of a 15-month manslaughter sentence for urging her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in 2014. The 23-year-old, released three months early for good behavior, will serve five years of probation. Jan. 23, 2020 Texting suicide case: Supreme Court won't take up appeal of Michelle Carter Jonathan Darling, a spokesman for the Bristol County Sheriff's Office, said state law allows inmates to shave up to 10 days off their sentences for each month served for good behavior. He said Carter participated in vocational and educational programs, took civics classes, worked in the cafeteria of the women's jail and stayed out of trouble. "While she was here, we had no problems with her, no fights, no gangs, nothing like that," Darling said. "She was polite to our staff, our volunteers. And she was in a lot of programs. I guess the best way to say it is she was sort of a model inmate here in Bristol County." Joseph Cataldo, Carter's attorney, said in an email to USA TODAY, "I am very pleased she is home. Future legal plans will be announced in due course." Carter's release from jail was met with disappointment by Roy's grandfather, Conrad Roy, who told the Boston Herald, "The sheriff should serve the rest of her time. He lets her go because shes a good girl? Shes not a good girl. Story continues Last week, the Supreme Court refused to hear her appeal seeking to overturn her conviction. A state court's decision was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in February. In September, a state parole board denied Carter early release. Carter, of Plainville, Massachusetts, was 17 at the time of Roy's death in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. She incessantly messaged him to kill himself, which he did by inhaling fumes in a generator he put inside a truck. Roy had attempted suicide multiple times and struggled with depression and mental illness. Carter talked on the phone at length with Roy when he was parked at a Kmart lot where he died. She texted a friend that she told him to "get back in" the vehicle after he stepped out. The Carter case reentered the spotlight last year when HBO released a two-part documentary titled "I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter." Background: Michelle Carter, who encouraged boyfriend to kill himself, denied early release from prison Backed by Roy's mother, Lynn, Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering legislation dubbed "Conrad's Law" that would criminalize suicide coercion in the commonwealth. Massachusetts is one of 10 states without laws that explicitly punish individuals who induce others to kill themselves. Rather than being subject to manslaughter, as Carter was, a person who intentionally "encourages or coerces" a suicide or suicide attempt would face a new specific criminal liability imposed under the bill. Reach Joey Garrison and on Twitter @joeygarrison. Michelle Carter, center, leaves the Bristol County jail, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, in Dartmouth, Mass., after serving most of a 15-month manslaughter sentence for urging her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in 2014. The 23-year-old, released three months early for good behavior, will serve five years of probation. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michelle Carter, woman in suicide texting case, released from jail Five French tourists are missing and one Canadian tour guide died in an incident on Tuesday evening where their snowmobiles plunged into freezing water in northern Quebec. Canadian police say the group of eight French tourists were not on the snowmobile trail when the incident happened and three of them were able to drive to safety and call for help. Investigators, divers, snowmobilers and the Quebec provincial police helicopter service are working together with the various partners involved in order to find the missing tourists. Police are conducting searches in the Beemer Island area to try and locate the missing snowmobilers. Read: Fire Helps Stranded Snowmobilers Survive 9-hour Storm Rescue Missing snowmobilers According to media reports, a 42-year-old Canadian tour guide, Benoit L'Esperance of Montreal, was rescued from the water but was declared dead by doctors upon his arrival at the hospital. Quebec police and Canadian Armed Forces carried out search operations overnight for the five missing tourists. On Wednesday morning, eight divers from the Quebec provincial police and two helicopters arrived at the scene to help but the search operation was halted for sometime when one of the helicopters crashed and the pilot was injured, local media reported. Read: 2 Snowmobilers Dead After Avalanche In Northwestern Montana Les enqueteurs, les plongeurs, les motoneigistes et le service heliporte de la Surete du Quebec travaillent de concert avec les differents partenaires impliques dans le but de retrouver les motoneigistes. pic.twitter.com/Qx0AMEKoue Surete du Quebec (@sureteduquebec) January 22, 2020 According to Quebec provincial police, the group was riding near Saint-Jean lake where Saguenay River exits. Ice is usually thick on the lake but it is thinner where the water funnels into the river and that is where the accident took place. The tourists hired snowmobiles in the village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Canadian media reported. France's deputy consul general in Quebec, Laurent Barbot also visited the site where the rescue operations were taking place. Read: Poonch, J-K: Heavy Snowfall And Cold Waves Continue To Freeze The City Powerful snowmobiles are very popular in Quebec among the locals and tourists but they often cause numerous accidents in the area. Last year two French tourists, a mother, and her son died in a snowmobile accident in Quebec Nature Park. According to media reports, an average of 20 people dies of snowmobile accidents each year. Read: Himachal Pradesh: Villagers Of Jabranga Panchayat Clear Snow Off The Bridge In the name of "fairness" some state legislators put forth legislation last session banning bail for misdemeanors and "non-violent" offenses. The January 18 Post-Bulletin article regarding the Wisconsin woman who pleaded guilty in Olmsted County court of felony identity theft and then skipped town prior to sentencing after eleven months of taxpayer funded court proceedings without any bail ever having been set is an instructive example, though hardly an isolated one, as to why banning bail is a lousy idea. Had meaningful bail been set where the services of a bail agency had been enlisted theres a 99.4% chance that this defendant would have appeared in court as ordered or, failing that, that the bonding company would bring this woman back to book no matter where she might be. As it stands, all we know now is that she might be somewhere between Wisconsin and California with little prospect of ever being seen or heard from again. County and Court resources have been squandered and the chances of her victims ever seeing redress are almost nil. Where is the "fairness" to taxpayers and the victims of her crimes in that? Other states like New York and New Hampshire that have banned bail are now regretting it and are looking at ways to fix their mistake. A panel in Massachusetts unanimously rejected banning bail. In Minnesota, we should look before we take that leap. I encourage Post-Bulletin readers to consider this as Ban Bail proposals are debated. Ron Blume,Zumbro Falls Bringing a child into your home who comes from a different background and, too often, a trauma-filled past, is not easy. It requires great strength of heart, patience and unconditional love but most importantly, it requires a community that grants such strength. When my wife and I first decided to adopt 25 years ago, we had planned to bring one infant into our family. We then learned our son had a brother also in the foster system. Despite having planned to adopt only one child, we couldnt imagine separating them. This decision stretched us financially and challenged us emotionally and spiritually. But our church community rallied around us showering our boys with love and support. We had not used a faith-based agency for our adoptions, but the process made clear to us why so many people adopt and foster through faith-based groups. They provide the spiritual and emotional support we were lucky to find in our church community. Though we are grateful for those who united us with our two beautiful sons, if we were to do it all again, my wife and I would seek a faith-based agency that shared our most fundamental values and beliefs to provide that support. Our nation is in a foster care crisis, and our experience with adoption showed us the value of faith-based agencies in both foster care and adoption. Religious agencies are great at what they do. Religious agencies recruit and retain foster parents at a higher rate than their secular counterparts. And its no wonder why. These agencies arent simply a vehicle for uniting a family with a child; they provide holistic support and guidance grounded in shared values and trust. Faith-based groups want to help meet the foster care crisis, but a federal regulation bars many such groups from doing so because it would require them to endorse and certify same-sex relationships (in the foster parent evaluation process) even if doing so goes against their beliefs. Thats why Texas and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston (represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty) have asked a federal court to strike down this regulation. Opening the door to religious agencies simply adding providers while subtracting none does not disadvantage LGBTQ families seeking to foster or adopt. Arguments claiming that same-sex couples are deterred or prevented from fostering or adopting may sound plausible, but have proved untrue. In Michigan, for example, the ACLU challenged a state law allowing religious foster care agencies to refer couples they could not work with. But the only plaintiffs they could find admitted that they could have fostered with another agency and approached religious agencies only in order to sue there was no access problem at all. We want an inclusive society and an all-hands approach to giving children safe environments. But the op-ed misunderstands what that means for foster care. An inclusive society is not one in which only one kind of foster care agency is permitted; an inclusive approach would leverage a diverse array of agencies to increase the pool of foster families. This is not a hypothetical point: 36 percent of families recruited by The CALL, a Christian agency in Arkansas, said they would not have become foster parents were it not for that organizations efforts this is a benefit that would be lost if faith-based agencies were forced to look and act like secular agencies. Fostering isnt easy. It is a radical self-gift one that Christian parents are called to by their faith. We foster to shower a child with the love that they have been lacking, to put food on their plate every night and to give them a safe and supportive home. This kind of love isnt reserved for children who look and act like us. It is the right of every child and the calling of every parent natural or adopting. Many people try to paint this conflict as a zero-sum game; a choice between LGBTQ foster parents and religious agencies. That is a false choice. All over the country, communities thrive when agencies with diverse missions and parents work together to provide loving homes for as many children as possible. Reyes is the director of Christian Life Commission for the Texas Baptists. Lauren Lombardo, a fifth generation Staten Islander and a Curtis High School and CSI alum, was recently nominated by Jetset Magazine to compete in their 2020 Cover Girl contest with a grand prize of $50,000. But she needs public votes to help her reach her goal. The contest closes at midnight Jan. 23 for the first round to reach the Top 20. FYI: Jetset is a lifestyle magazine aimed at those with an affluent lifestyle and available at exclusive resorts around the world. And being featured on the cover of Jetset Magazine is an honor thats usually reserved for the most influential people in the world. HERES HOW IT ALL HAPPENED: Lauren was teaching art classes in Italy and traveling back and forth at holiday time for several years to visit her grandmother Betty on Bradley Avenue in Meiers Corners in the same house she once called home. And it was while traveling on one of those trips that she came up with the idea for the Butterfly Hat a soft chapeau designed for easy traveling. Fast forward several years and Lauren now has a patent pending on the unique travel accessory under the name Betty and Bradley. I named the company after my beloved grandma and the home on Bradley Avenue I lived in that was built by her Italian Immigrant family. Betty and Bradley will be the next Chanel of travel accessories, said she. Her product also won the Forbes Entrepreneurship Scholarship for Best Business Idea last summer in connection with the masters of business administration program shes in the process of completing. The young business entrepreneur has been featured in Cheapoair.com and OneTravel.com and as a result other doors have been opening up along the way. To backtrack for a bit: In 2013 Lauren moved to the Amalfi Coast to pursue her dream of teaching painting where she also reconnected with her roots and family in Pietramelara di Caserta, and where the mayor invited her to speak to youngsters about her experiences. Lauren speaks the Italian language fluently. She also is a published childrens author and recounts she was interviewed by consumers at Staten Islands Lifestyles for the Disabled about Italian Christmas traditions. I was so thrilled to see so many Italian-Americans curious about their culture and I was able to share my experiences living in Italy for all that time. Lauren went on to explain her passion is to keep art in schools. My brand will hopefully be able to grow so that I may contribute to this cause, Lauren added. My first artist I met at 8 years old is the wonderful Gregory Perillo who later came to my book signing when I published my first childrens book in 2011. Lauren points out if she wins the Jetset Magazine competition theyll package her travel accessory and offer her the platform she needs, as well as funds needed to expand her brand. Voting is in progress and all donations are going to the B+ Foundation for pediatric cancer research. The goal is to have Staten Island support me throughout the competition to win the cover of Jet Set Magazine and $50,000. The public votes once every 24 hours and they have the option to donate to the B+ foundation for childhood cancer in exchange for more votes daily. The cause is dear to me as well having a brother who is a childhood cancer survivor and having lost my grandma to the disease. Visit https://www.jetsetmag.com/model-search/2020/lauren-lombardo in order to vote. Since the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by Parliament of India on 11 December last year, the country has united in protests against the contentious act. It amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing a path to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014. Protesters are calling the act anti-Muslims but now Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured the country's Muslims. Addressed a public meeting in Meerut today while participating in the awareness campaign organised by the party on CAA. We had promised to give citizenship to minorities facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh & Afghanistan. PM Modi has fulfilled that commitment. pic.twitter.com/FcUl91U8no Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 22, 2020 Rajnath Singh said that no one can dare touch any Indian Muslim, as he dismissed apprehensions that the community will be targeted if NPR and NRC are brought in, and cautioned against forces which are attempting to "create a divide" between Hindus and Muslims over the CAA. BCCL Addressing a rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Shatabdi Nagar, the BJP leader said religious minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh were living a "life of misery" and India has fulfilled its "moral duty" by enacting the CAA. He also questioned those opposing the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), stressing that they were mooted much before the BJP government was formed, and rejected claims that Muslims will be forced to leave the country. "There has been no discussion on NRC. But, suppose a country wants to create a national register of citizens, why should there be an objection to it. Shouldn't there be a document for people to seek benefits of government schemes," he asked the crowd. "... But they say you are making NPR register and then you will bring NRC and banish all Muslims. I want to tell Muslims present here that nobody can dare touch any Muslim who is an Indian citizen. I want to assure you. If anyone has any complaint they can come to us... we will stand with that Muslim citizen," the minister said. Singh said India was partitioned on the basis of religion and even Mahatma Gandhi wanted that Indian government should be sensitive towards minorities of neighbouring countries if they face religious persecution there. He had said such people should be given citizenship. BCCL "We have done what Gandhiji had said (by bringing CAA). Did we commit a crime?" "There are certain forces who want to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims on the issue of CAA. These forces have vested interests in creating a rift between the communities. I appeal to everyone that communal tension should not be created," he said. He also cited former prime minister Manmohan Singh's remarks made in Rajya Sabha in favour of granting citizenship to minorities from neighbouring countries. He said that citizenship law is being viewed from a Hindu-Muslim perspective, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of justice and humanity. "They are trying to defame our party as if we are discriminating on the basis of religion. Only the people can given a befitting response to them and you are doing it." The BJP leader said the NDA had prepared the citizenship legislation in its first tenure, but it could not be enacted. "We had promised to give citizenship to minorities facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and PM Modi has fulfilled that commitment," he said. He said the BJP "never divides the people of the country for political gains" and wants to do politics by winning people's hearts and fulfilling all its promises. BCCL "I was given the responsibility to prepare the BJP's manifesto for the 2019 (Lok Sabha) elections. Within seven months of being elected, the BJP has been rapidly fulfilling its promises," he said. "I want to assure the people of India that our party will deliver on whatever it promises. We do not want to cheat the people," he said. Earlier speaking at the NCC Republic Day Camp in Delhi, Singh said Indian values consider all religions equal and that is why the country is secular and never became a theocratic state like Pakistan. "We (India) said we would not discriminate among religions. Why did we do that? Our neighbouring country has declared that their state has a religion. They have declared themselves a theocratic state. We didn't declare so." "Even America is a theocratic country. India is not a theocratic country. Why? Because our saints and seers did not just consider the people living within our borders as part of the family, but called everyone living in the world as one family," the minister said. The CAA allows easier citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before 2015 to escape religious persecution there. Muslim migrants don't figure in this list. Those opposing the CAA contend that it discriminates on the basis of religion and violates the Constitution. They also allege that the CAA along with the NRC is intended to target the Muslim community in India. However, the central government has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the law is intended to give citizenship to the persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring countries and not to take away anyone's citizenship. BROWNING Youd be hard-pressed to find more wanton destruction of a people by government forces in the annals of American history than that which occurred on this date, Jan. 23, in 1870. That it happened to the wrong camp of Pikunii Blackfeet on the Marias River in Montana Territory on a subzero morning was bad enough. That the majority of the 200-plus victims of Maj. Eugene Bakers surprise massacre were women, children and elderly made it more egregious. Then throw in the fact that the camp was already riddled by death from the smallpox virus. Why, then, do descendants of both the slain and survivors of what the Blackfeet call the Bear River Massacre relive the nightmare each year, as theyll be doing again Thursday on a bluff above the site 10 miles southeast of Shelby? If you look beyond some of the government-reported information and you look at some of the stories of what happened there, its pretty traumatic, Lea Whitford said Wednesday. So when I would get asked to go and speak to the youth, I would think, holy crikes, what am I going to tell them? But like it or not, the massacre is in the DNA of her people. Our memories are long, Whitford said. We have what I call ancestral memories and it goes really deep, and it takes us to places where maybe we didnt want to visit or maybe never visited. But something triggers for us and were able to go back and visit these places and learn something new. Whitford, a Browning High School history teacher, used to chair the Blackfeet Studies department at the Blackfeet Community College. Shes also a former organizer of the annual Bear River Massacre Commemoration and was a guest speaker at the 26th annual commemoration at Blackfeet Community College. The three-hour program was among this years events that include Thursdays visit to the site at 11:30 a.m. and a healing ride that started on horseback Monday near the massacre site and is expected to end Thursday in Browning. Theyre all part of whats billed as 150 years of survival and resilience for the miracle survivors. And resilient they were. Bakers men attacked Heavy Runners camp on the Big Bend of the Marias while most of the warriors were out hunting. His orders were to track down and punish outlaws in the camp of Mountain Chief, a few miles downstream. Tell Baker to hit them hard, were the infamous instructions from Gen. Philip Sheridan in Washington. But the soldiers, perhaps misguided by Blood Indian captives who had their freedom and horses at stake, hit the first camp they came to. Its leader, Heavy Runner, appeared from his lodge waving government papers that proclaimed him a friendly. He was the first to die. The soldiers shot from the bluffs through the tepees of the sleeping Pikunii, then swarmed into the camp to finish the job. When the killing was done, they set fire to the village and made off with the horses, as surviving women and children huddled out of sight under the river banks. Bakers official report said 173 Indians died that morning. More accurate accounts put the number at well over 200, as many as 220. The massacre was in direct response to the murder the summer before of Malcolm Clark, a prominent trader and rancher living on whats now the Baucus-Sieben Ranch south of Wolf Creek, by his Piegan brother-in-law Pete Owl Child the summer before. It was the tipping point to a litany of racial confrontations as miners and settlers moved into the new U.S. territory that, to the Blackfeet and other tribes, was an age-old homeland. Though still remarkably little known, the massacre found its way into two renowned works of fiction. Another of Wednesdays speakers, Dan Smith of Bozeman and Maryland, pointed out it comprised the closing scenes of both A.B. Guthries Fair Land, Fair Land and James Welchs Fools Crow. More recently, Paul Wylie of Bozeman, wrote Blood on the Marias: The Baker Massacre, that was published in 2016. Wylie and his wife are attending the 150th commemorations this week. Because of a change in ownership, the Blackfeet ceremony at the massacre site on the south bank of the Marias was moved in 2010 to a bluff on public land overlooking the river from the north. Thats where Thursdays ceremonies will be held. Whitford, who coordinated the Bear River Massacres until 2011, recounted a story of a speaker at one of the last ceremonies on the site itself. Kathy Bivins was a descendant of the Heavy Runner clan and grand-daughter of a Pikunii woman who suffered through the 1870 attack and lived to tell the story. Bivins had a teddy bear her grandmother had clutched that horrific day. That just broke my heart, knowing this little girl survived and was able to tell her story from that time period to her grandkids, "Whitford said. When she was down on site, she sang a song from her heart and she recounted the story that she was told. Just to see her holding that bear like her grandmother did, it was just tremendous. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Estranged husband charged in CT mom's death violated bond by visiting her memorial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A Connecticut man charged with his estranged wife's murder was harshly criticized by a judge who said he violated the terms of his $6 million bond by stopping at a makeshift memorial for his presumed-dead spouse and removing items his lawyer said were meant to taunt him. Fotis Dulos had his work-release privileges revoked and was ordered to remain under strict house arrest after Judge Gary White on Thursday ruled Dulos shouldn't have visited the memorial, which had been placed near his home by supporters of his wife, Jennifer. White issued a stern warning to Dulos that if he violates the conditions of his release again, his bond will double to $12 million. PHOTO: Fotis Dulos stands next to his lawyer, Norm Pattis, while Pattis makes a statement to the press outside court in Stamford, Conn., Jan. 23, 2020. (WTNH) "What he did was stupid. Don't do it again," White said during a hearing in Stamford/Norwalk Superior Court. Under the new conditions of his bond, Dulos is confined to his home in Farmington, Connecticut, and must continue to wear an electronic GPS ankle bracelet. He previously had been permitted to leave his home for work or to shop for groceries. MORE: Fotis Dulos arrested for murder of estranged wife Jennifer Dulos Richard Colangelo, the Stamford/Norwalk State's Attorney, filed a motion earlier this week accusing Dulos of breaking the conditions set for his bond. "This is in violation of the terms of his release," Colangelo argued in his motion. Following the court hearing, Dulos' attorney, Norm Pattis, said the items Dulos removed from the memorial were placed there to taunt his client. "We have been following various web pages ostensibly devoted to supporters of Jennifer. They are encouraging people to place items outside of his home. I'm not sure what that's about. It might be harassment in any other context," Pattis told reporters, as Dulos stood silently next to him outside the courthouse. Story continues "I remind the supporters that Jennifer is missing. She may be presumed dead as far as they're concerned. We've yet to see persuasive evidence of that," Pattis said. Dulos was arrested and charged on Jan. 7 with murder, capital murder and kidnapping in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, the mother of his five children. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. PHOTO: Police in Connecticut are looking for Jennifer Dulos, 50, who was last seen on Friday, May 24, 2019. (New Canaan Police Department) Fotis Dulos' girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, also was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Kent Mahwinney, an attorney and a friend of Fotis Dulos, also has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Jennifer Dulos, 50, went missing May 24 amid the former couple's contentious custody battle. Investigators allege Jennifer Dulos was killed inside her own home and garage in New Canaan, Connecticut. Her body was never found. State police have alleged in court papers that Fotis Dulos was "lying in wait" for Jennifer Dulos at her home and a violent assault took place in the garage, where bloodstains were found. Authorities allege Jennifer Dulos was killed at her home May 24 between 8:05 a.m. and 10:25 a.m., after she returned from taking her children to school, according to an arrest warrant. On the day of her disappearance, surveillance footage showed someone in a hoodie riding a bike toward Jennifer Dulos' home. The bike was later found in the trash. PHOTO: Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis in police booking photos. (New Canaan Police Department ) MORE: Fotis Dulos released on bond in Jennifer Dulos murder case Police claim Fotis Dulos bound Jennifer Dulos with zip ties, put her inside her own car and cleaned the garage, according to an arrest warrant. The medical examiner categorized the incident as "homicide of violence" that would "likely include some combination of traumatic, blunt-force injuries such as a bludgeoning/beating, and/or sharp-force injuries such as a stabbing/slashing," according to Troconis' arrest warrant. During Thursday's hearing, Pattis waived Fotis Dulos' right to a probable cause hearing, saying his client seeks a speedy trial. MORE: A Connecticut mystery: A timeline of the Jennifer Dulos, Fotis Dulos case "We are confident in our odds at trial because we know what we know," Pattis told reporters after the hearing. "The state is trying to put together a case that Mr. Dulos is responsible for that murder, or for that disappearance, and we take the position there is insufficient evidence to conclude that she's even dead." Pattis said he hopes the trial would begin as early as September, but conceded he's worried about the public perception of his client. "But there are 12 good people who we don't yet know and that will be the jurors in this case," Pattis said. "When we have the jury and we have an orderly courtroom proceeding by people committed to deciding this case by the rule of law, we are extremely confident in our odds." ABC News' Emily Shapiro and Aaron Katersky contributed to this report. The union that represents the Connecticut State Police called on the Connecticut American Civil Liberties Union to apologize for its recent false allegations against a trooper after a deadly shooting. But in a statement released Thursday, the ACLU of Connecticut stood behind the claim. These allegations cited by the union in a statement released Thursday were sparked by body and dashboard camera footage released by state police on Saturday, Jan. 18. The footage showed the moments before, during and briefly after a fatal police-involved shooting on where Trooper Brian North fired seven shot at 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane on Wednesday, Jan. 15. In the wake of the footage release Saturday, ACLU took to Twitter and said it raised more questions than answers. Mubarak Soulemane's death should not be investigated by the same police agency that chased and killed him, and was recorded calling him a racial slur, said a part of the ACLU statement on Twitter. The union called the reference to a racial slur, serious and false allegations. Recently, the ACLU made serious and false allegations against one of our state troopers involved in the pursuit of a dangerous fleeing subject, who was intentionally ramming our troopers cruisers to avoid being taken into custody, the statement from the union said. The false assertion, which was broadcast to the public, alleged that our trooper used a racially motivated and highly offensive slur to describe the race of the fleeing subject, the statement continued. In a statement Thursday, David McGuire, executive director for ACLU of Connecticut, said that the organization was not the first, only or last entity to hear what we heard. Mubarak Soulemane was shot and killed by state police, who are being investigated for his death, McGuire said. It is unfortunate that the state police union is attempting to deflect attention from the state polices role in Mubarak Soulemanes death by disparaging the ACLU. The moment in question begins at 41 minutes and 53 seconds into the YouTube video shared by state police with all the footage, on the body camera footage for Trooper Joshua Jackson. (Expletive) mirrors (expletive) up now, Jackson can be heard saying on his body camera audio. The union statement said the ACLU, should be ashamed of its deliberate act of fabricating hte truth, which was meant to cause anger, hostility and resentment rush to judgment on the basis of damaging and inflammatory comment. The union claimed that the ACLU has a history of speaking on highly important matters before confirming or verifying the facts. The union said that causes irreparable harm to the relationship troopers have worked to create with communities across Connecticut. The ACLU should immediately apologize to our falsely accused trooper, the Soulemane family and the citizens of Connecticut, the union statement said. Connecticut State Police also issued a statement on Jan. 18 in response to the ACLU statement earlier that day. The ACLU of Connecticut has falsely accused a Connecticut State Trooper (Jackson) of using a racial slur during the police pursuit Wednesday in the moments before the fatal police shooting of Mubarak Soulemane, state police said. The agency said when it first reviewed the video and heard the comment in question ... we immediately recognized the word in question as mirror. Following the accusation of a horrible racial slur, we had the audio and video immediately reviewed, state police said. We are 100 percent certain the word mirror was used and not a racial slur. The statement from Jackson came after his cruiser was sideswiped by the vehicle Soulemane was driving. He can also be heard on the audio from his body camera letting dispatch know after it happened. We understand how emotional these times can be, state police said. We ask that everyone practice some restraint during this difficult time. The union said state troopers take pride in their profession and take serious their oath to never discriminate against any individuals class, color, creed or condition. A Freehold Borough churchs decades-old organ was damaged overnight Wednesday when someone snuck in and tried to steal some of the instruments decorative pipes, the churchs pastor said. First United Methodist Church of Freehold Pastor Wil Wilson told NJ Advance Media he knew something wasnt right when he arrived Wednesday morning and noticed things were slightly out of place. When he walked into the sanctuary, he saw pipes that typically stand behind the organ lying on the floor and haphazardly piled on top of the instrument. It just looked like a bomb went off, Wilson said. Our church was vandalized last night. It appears someone gained access to the sanctuary last night with the intent of... Posted by First United Methodist Church of Freehold on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 Wilson theorized the vandals tried to take the pipes after coming in through a door which hadnt properly latched the night before. None were taken, and many of the pipes which date back to at least the 1960s might not need replacing, according to Wilson. The vandals caused between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of damage, the pastor said. Nothing else was stolen during the incident. While the damage is shocking and disturbing, we thank God that no one was injured and nothing was stolen, Wilson wrote on Facebook. There have not been any arrests in the incident, which Freehold Borough police are investigating. The organ was dedicated at the church in 1967. Wilson said the church is considering using the organ for at least one song during Sundays service, even though some of its keys were damaged. While it may not look pretty, well still use that space and still do what we do," he said. Worship services, held at 10 a.m. on Sundays, will not be affected by the damage, Wilson said. Those interested in helping with the costs of repairs can mail checks to the church at 91 West Main St., or donate online. Anyone with information involving the vandalization can contact Freehold Borough Police Detective Shaun Hobbs at 732-462-1233 ext. 125. The message Im really trying to share is that our mission is to worship God and really show love to our neighbors. Were really people of mercy and grace," Wilson said. "We dont know their story but God still loves them, and God loves them more than he loves our organ. Jenna Wise may be reached at jwise@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JennaRWise. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. China's most advanced fighter jet, J-20, performs at the Chinese Air Force's "open day" event in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province on Thursday. This is the second time the stealth warplane opened its side missile bays and showcased its short-range combat missiles. They were first revealed at Airshow China 2018. Photo: IC Chinese military enthusiasts online are eagerly expecting new, homemade warplanes to debut in 2020, naming the next-generation aircraft carrier-based fighter jet and the carrier-based early warning aircraft as their top wishes. They also hope to see domestically developed aero engines finally equipped on J-20 stealth fighter jets. The internet users' appetite was whetted by a statement from the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) last week, in which the country's main warplane developer announced the company would develop nine types of aircraft, conduct maiden flights for four types of aircraft, and receive a production permit for one type of aircraft in 2020. While the development plan may not be revealed to the public immediately, the maiden flights are more concrete, as the military channel of news portal Sina held a vote on its social media platform Weibo, asking military enthusiasts online which type of aircraft they would like to see. As of Wednesday, 42 percent of more than 4,000 votes went to the next-generation aircraft carrier-based fighter jet, 28 percent the carrier-based early warning aircraft and 23 percent the twin-seat variant J-20 fighter jet. While the new aircraft AVIC mentioned could include both military and civilian aircraft, China's military aviation equipment will definitely continue to see new progress in 2020, a military expert who asked not to be named told the Global Times on Wednesday. China needs to develop a stealth-capable carrier-based fighter jet to form a complete set with the country's future aircraft carrier, air defense expert Fu Qianshao told the Global Times in a previous interview, noting details on the aircraft remain rumors. A replica of China's carrier-based early warning aircraft was spotted years ago. This type of aircraft could amplify aircraft carrier's combat capability by acting as a command center in the sky, gathering information and coordinating vessels into a stronger strike force, experts said. Photographers posted photos of a J-20, still single seat but equipped with homemade engines on Sina Weibo in late 2019, as military enthusiasts said they also wish to see this evolved version of the J-20 debut at the 2020 Airshow China, scheduled for November in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province. In a Friday Weibo post, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) indicated AVIC is developing an "X-20," which internet users identified as the H-20 bomber. Replying to comments under the post, SASAC said the X-20 was "coming soon," but refused to confirm the H-20 speculation. Analysts said the H-20 is unlikely to debut in 2020 and will take more time to develop. Clean Harbors CEO Alan McKim donned a disguise for the CBS television show "Undercover Boss" to get an inside look at the operations of his company, which operates the Safety-Kleen re-refinery in East Chicago. McKim dressed up as the pony-tailed, mustachioed working-class character "Bill Anderson" so he could work alongside the employees in East Chicago, as well as in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas. He filmed scenes in East Chicago, where he helped clean out a confined-space rail tank in a hazmat suit. The one-hour episode will air on CBS at 8 p.m. Monday. Participating in Undercover Boss gave me the opportunity to revisit my roots and see the company from the front lines again, McKim said. I was able to engage directly with our employees, see firsthand what was happening inside the company and gain insights into our business from a unique perspective. McKim founded suburban Boston-based Clean Harbors in 1980. The publicly traded company bills itself as "the leading provider of environmental, energy and industrial services throughout North America" and also "North Americas largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil" through its Safety-Kleen subsidiary. Michigan residents can now have Tesla vehicles delivered in their home state, according to AP, Bloomberg and other sources. The automaker and the state have reportedly reached a settlement that would end the former's lawsuit challenging Michigan's ban on direct-to-consumer auto sales. Tesla filed the lawsuit back in 2016 after years of trying to change the state legislation, which only allows automakers to sell vehicles through franchised dealerships. While neither party has yet to confirm anything, Tesla chief Elon Musk responded with an enthusiastic "Yay!" to The Detroit News' report about the development. Yay! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2020 Based on information from the publications, Tesla will now be allowed to deliver vehicles in Michigan through a subsidiary -- buyers will no longer have to pick up their orders in another state. There's just a small catch: the vehicles will be titled outside the state, though customers can transfer the title to Michigan. Customers will no longer have to go to elsewhere to have their vehicles serviced, though, now that the company can open service centers in their state. In addition, Tesla's sales reps can now assist with sales at its gallery locations. At the moment, employees at the gallery it operates in a Detroit shopping mall can't talk about vehicle prices and lease terms. Both parties are expected to announce the deal sometime today, so we'll find out for sure if those terms are true soon enough. Update: The State of Michigan confirmed the agreement with a stipulation to dismiss the lawsuit (PDF). According to Michigan AG Dana Nessel: "Today the state of Michigan defendants Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a stipulation to dismiss with Tesla that recognizes that any Michigan resident may lawfully buy a Tesla and have it serviced in Michigan. The stipulation acknowledges that Tesla may: operate under existing Michigan law; sell cars to Michigan customers as long as the sales contract indicates the sale took place in a state other than Michigan; and, indirectly own service and repair facilities in Michigan through a subsidiary, Tesla Michigan." For starters, the realty arm of Piramal plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore for developing a residential project in Thane, targeting homebuyers with specific budgets by offering smaller configurations Piramal Group real estate arm Piramal Realty plans to invest in the mid-market segment. The configurations of these homes would be 1, 1.5 and 2 BHK apartments with access to premium amenities starting at 350 sq ft carpet area at Rs 60 lakh. For starters, the realty arm plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore for developing a residential project in Thane, targeting homebuyers with specific budgets by offering smaller configurations, a top company official said to PTI. Terming it 'value housing' segment, the company has for the first time configured the size of the apartments to attract millennials with relatively smaller budgets. The project is a part of the 32-acre township project Piramal Vaikunth, which will be spread across five acres and have a development potential of 2 million sq ft. "With millennials at the helm, we have witnessed increased traction towards the value segment over the last few quarters. Our foray into this segment is in line with our expansion plans of creating presence across the consumer demand pyramid. We will be investing Rs 1,500 crore for this development," Piramal Realty founder Anand Piramal said. He further said the company plans to replicate the model in future expansion of its existing projects. However, he did not give further details on the same. The company will fund its investment plans through debt and internal accruals, Piramal said. Developers, across markets, who have been primarily in the luxury and premium residential projects, are trying to right-price and right-size their offerings to meet requirements of first-time homebuyers. Piramal Realty, which currently has 17 million sq ft of residential and commercial space under development in and around Mumbai, plans to add another 10 million sq ft of residential space under development in 2020. "Along with this project, we will be launching a few more including the next phase of our Byculla project and the other at Mahim, which we are developing jointly with Omkar Realtors. Apart from these, we will be also considering a few stressed projects to achieve the 10 million sq ft target," Piramal said. Banks and financial institutions are approaching the company to take up projects which they have funded and are now stuck due to various reasons, he added. "We are evaluating a few such deals. Moreover, its a good proposition for us as we will not have to make capital investments as these projects are already funded, but we will get project development fees," Piramal said. --With PTI inputs Mumbai, Jan 23 : Actor Angad Bedi has started shooting for Ekta Kapoor's web series "MumBhai". He has been preparing for his role of a Mumbai police officer in the series by spending time with senior cops of the Mumbai Police Force. Image Source: IANS News The story is set in the nineties and Angad met policemen who were in service in the city around that time, to understand their first-hand experiences. Some of them have given him constructive advice, which he will be using to bring alive his character of Bhaskar Shetty. "Meeting cops and hearing their stories have been the most exciting part of my preparation. These men have lived life on the edge. I wouldn't try to romanticise that but their energy is infectious. I was so drawn to how they cracked cases and how they functioned. The more time I spent with them, the more easily I was able to understand my character," Angad said. Image Source: IANS News "Bhaskar's personality is now an amalgamation of what's on paper and what I have learned from these men. I hope I am able to do justice to their stories because it is important for me to tell their story right. After the faith they showed in me by inviting me into their lives and parting with their personal experiences candidly, I want to do this with greater gusto," he added. -- Syndicated from IANS Inglewood Mayor James Butts and LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (both center), with Rebecca Clark, President & CEO, Linc Housing and Mike Ruane, Executive Vice President, National CORE. This is the kind of transit-oriented development that our region needs, and we simply cant build it fast enough. Co-developers National Community Renaissance (National CORE) and Linc Housing, both California-based nonprofits, today joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Inglewood Mayor James Butts, Jr., and other partners to celebrate the start of construction at the site of Fairview Heights Apartments. The all-new affordable housing apartment complex will bring 101 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes to Inglewood, including 50 units for people who have experienced homelessness, 50 units for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income, and one manager's unit. When this is built, well have 100 affordable apartments half for people transitioning off the streets, and the other half for people struggling to get by, said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas. This is the kind of transit-oriented development that our region needs, and we simply cant build it fast enough. The 1.44-acre site, located at 923 East Redondo Blvd in Inglewood, is owned by the County of Los Angeles. This apartment community fulfills our continuing commitment to provide opportunity and housing for those of low income and allows the homeless to become housed, said Mayor Butts. I thank Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Linc Housing and National CORE for partnering with Inglewood to produce such a magnificent project. Fairview Heights Apartments will include two four-story Spanish-style buildings with open spaces to promote resident interaction. The community will have on-site parking, bike storage, community room with computer lab, offices for case management, tot lot, and an outdoor courtyard with a picnic area. The new complex will incorporate a variety of energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainable building features that promote healthy living and help residents reduce their utility expenses. Homelessness ends when we have enough supportive and affordable housing for everyone, said Michael Ruane, executive vice president of National CORE. Were proud to partner with Linc Housing to be part of the solution by bringing these much needed new homes to Inglewood. Partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and The People Concern will allow Linc and National CORE to serve the 50 formerly homeless households with intensive case management services, while all future residents will have access to life-enhancing services through Lincs resident services program. We know that providing an affordable home is the first step to ending homelessness and creating housing stability for low-income families, said Rebecca Clark, Linc Housing president and CEO. We also know it takes supportive services to ensure our residents thrive, which is why were committed to working with our partners long term so this new community succeeds for decades to come. Intensive case management services include mental health and physical health services, employment counseling and job placement, education, substance abuse counseling, money management, assistance in obtaining and maintaining benefits, and referrals to community-based services and resources. Linc resident services will support all residents with a variety of programs to promote community, health and wellness. In addition to the new homes, the ground level will also have 7,394 square feet of commercial retail and community-serving retail space to create opportunities for local businesses and community organizations. The location is in walking distance to surrounding community amenities, including the nearby Edward Vincent Junior Park and the Fairview Heights Metro Station due to open later this year. Funding for the development comes from a variety of sources including $11.5 million from the Los Angeles County Development Authority (Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Mental Health Housing Program Funds, Measure H Funds, and Proposition A L.A. County District Two), as well as a conventional loan and tax credit equity from Bank of America. The new community was designed by KFA Architecture and will be built by National CORE's construction division. The development is due to be completed in late 2021. About Linc Housing Corporation Linc Housing, one of California's most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, is committed to building communities and strengthening neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace. Linc has helped create more than 8,000 homes in 80 communities throughout the state. The organization's properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. Linc has 35 years of service to families, seniors, people with special needs, and local governments - helping to create sustainable communities via new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation. Visit http://www.Linchousing.org for more information. About National CORE National Community Renaissance, based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is one of the nations largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing. CORE manages nearly 9,000 affordable, senior and market-rate units in California, Texas and Florida. Over its nearly two decade history, the Hope through Housing Foundation has provided more than 2 million hours of transformational social services such as financial literacy training, senior wellness, and preschool and afterschool programs. For more information on National CORE and Hope through Housing, please visit http://www.nationalcore.org. Note to editors: Artists' renderings and groundbreaking event photos available on request. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on January 22 held a telephone conversation with foreign minister of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress. The ministers discussed the bilateral cooperation, issues relating to the Armenia-Greece-Cyprus trilateral format, as well as exchanged views on the preparations of the upcoming Cyprus-Armenia-Greece summit in Yerevan. In the context of the ongoing developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region the Armenian FM expressed his support and solidarity to the Cypriot side. The officials highlighted the importance of international cooperation on maintaining and strengthening the regional security and stability. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Amid reports that a woman from Kerala working in Saudi Arabia had tested positive for the deadly coronavirus (2019-nCoV)(Wuhan), the Indian Consulate in Jeddah on Thursday tweeted a clarification saying that she had been infected by another strain of the coronavirus, namely the 'Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus' (MERS-CoV). Amid reports that a woman from Kerala working in Saudi Arabia had tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 18 people in China, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah on Thursday tweeted a clarification saying that she had been infected by another strain of the coronavirus, namely the 'Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus' (MERS-CoV). A tweet by the consulate quoted a doctor as confirming that the woman, who is working as a nurse in Saudi Arabia, was suffering from MERS-CoV and cautioned against sharing incorrect information about the case. The coronavirus strain that has surfaced in China is known as 2019-nCoV)(Wuhan). Dr Tarik Al Azraqi, Chairman, Scientific Regional Infection Control Committee, Aseer Region, has confirmed that d Indian Nurse being treated at Aseer National Hospital is suffering from MERS-CoV & not 2019-NCoV (Wuhan). We request everyone to refrain from sharing incorrect info. India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) January 23, 2020 Earlier on Thursday, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that the nurse had tested positive for the coronavirus, however, he didn't specify which strain had infected the woman. Update from @CGIJeddah : About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well. @PMOIndia @MEAIndia https://t.co/jM0u5243GV V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) January 23, 2020 The 2019-nCoV virus is also being referred to as the 'Wuhan' virus after the Chinese city which is the epicentre of the outbreak. The virus has killed at least 18 people in China so far, according to Reuters, leading the Xi Jinping government to shut down three cities, including Wuhan, to contain the spread of the virus. Soon after reports of the woman being infected, which would have been the first Indian case of the virus, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asking him to ensure that the woman gets expert treatment, reports said. Reports said that the nurse, who has been identified as hailing from Ettumanoor in Kerala's Kottayam district, was infected when she came in contact with a Filipino nurse in Saudi Arabia. Urging the MEA to take the case seriously, Vijayan, in his letter to Jaishankar, said, "Corona outbreak among nurses in Azir Aba Al Hayat hospital in Saudi Arabia should be considered seriously and necessary steps must be taken." The MEA said that a screening process has been instituted for people coming from China. "As far as protecting oneself while living in China is concerned, our Missions have made an effort for this there. But if you come to India you will have to go through the screening process," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in the weekly press briefing. Between 9,000 to 13,000 passengers have reportedly been screened for the coronavirus so far at airports across India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Thermal screening is being conducted for passengers arriving from China, including Hong Kong, The Indian Express reported. With inputs from agencies [January 23, 2020] Microvi Signs Contract to Bring Clean Drinking Water to Rural Communities in California HAYWARD, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Microvi Biotech Inc. announced today that they will be installing a Microvi MNE nitrate treatment system for Hillview Water in Raymond, CA. This system will allow Hillview Water to bring clean drinking water to a rural community that has been plagued with high levels of nitrate contamination. Nitrate is one of the most widespread contaminants in groundwater globally and can have significant human health impacts. Its impact is primarily felt in rural communities where groundwater is contaminated with agricultural runoff. According to the California State Water Resources Control Board, 21 million Californians drink water that originated from contaminated groundwater. "This project represents an opportunity to have a tremendous impact on disadvantaged communities that face high nitrate levels in their drinking water and lack access to clean water," said Dr. Fatemeh Shirazi, CEO of Microvi. "Microvi MNE is a cost-effective solution that can easily be applied to existing facilities to improve the quality of lives of community members in the Central Valley and around the world." Nitrate that is detected in water wells today likely stemmed from use decades ago, meaning that nitrate contamination issues will continue to be a problem for the foreseeable future. Unlike most solutions to reduce nitrogen levels, which typically come at a substantial cost, Microvi's solution provides a cost-effective, scalable method to reduce nitrate levels and provide clean water. This project was identified as part of Microvi's partnership with climate-tech accelerator Elemental Excelerator. Microvi joied Elemental Excelerator's 7th cohort in their Equity and Access track in November 2018. "We are excited by this project and eager to see the benefits of Microvi's technology in Raymond," said Kim Baker, Director of Water Innovation at Elemental Excelerator. "We also see tremendous opportunity for this easily replicable deployment approach to scale and reach more communities disproportionately affected by water contamination." Microvi's solution will allow the utility to use existing infrastructure and staff to implement and maintain the system, keeping costs significantly lower, providing an affordable solution to a challenge that dominates the Central Valley of California. The system will be a Design, Build, Own, Operate (DBOO) system which will also reduce the cost and risk for the utility. The Microvi MNE technology uses novel biocatalytic composites (MNE biocatalysts) that intensify and extend the life of biological processes, while maintaining a controlled population of microorganisms at a much higher density than existing technologies. Despite the complexity of the MNE biocatalysts themselves, the design and operation of the systems are simple with no complex process controls. In addition, Microvi MNE does not produce additional solids, and reduces energy and carbon requirements. About Microvi Microvi is a green technology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that delivers next-generation biotechnologies for the water, wastewater and renewable chemical industries. Microvi offers commercial technologies around the world to reduce waste, increase productivity and provide disruptive economics across the value chain. Learn more at microvi.com. About Elemental Excelerator Elemental Excelerator helps startups change the world, one community at a time. Each year, it finds 15-20 companies that best fit its mission and funds each company up to $1 million to improve systems that impact people's lives: energy, mobility, water, agriculture, and beyond. To date, it has awarded over $36 million to 99 companies. For more information, please visit elementalexcelerator.com. Media Contact: Karin Kidder VP Marketing, Microvi +1 (510) 344-0668 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microvi-signs-contract-to-bring-clean-drinking-water-to-rural-communities-in-california-300991606.html SOURCE Microvi [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A man charged with murdering a baby in Co Armagh is suspected of taking part in a sham marriage to stay in the United Kingdom, the High Court was told. Prosecutors also questioned the legitimacy of Sharyar Ali's proposed accommodation, claiming it was a flat protected by a steel door where his wife has not been seen for eight months. Details emerged as the 31-year-old Pakistani national was refused bail on a charge of murdering 11-month-old Hunter McGleenon. The little boy's body was discovered on November 26 last year when paramedics were called to a house in Keady. Examinations established that he had sustained head and abdominal injuries. Despite being married, Ali, of Westenra Terrace in Monaghan, was also in a relationship with the baby's mother at the time. Hunter had been left in his sole care from the previous day while she spent time with her terminally ill grandmother. Expand Close Baby Hunter McGleenon PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Baby Hunter McGleenon The court heard he made a number of trips with the child during that period, including taking him to Monaghan where he runs a mobile phone shop. Later that evening he brought the boy back to Keady to say goodnight to his mother, with no concerns raised at that stage. But the following morning, according to Ali's account, the child rolled off a sofa and banged his head on the ground. The defendant claimed he found the boy face down on the floor and put him into a cold shower in a bid to revive him. When Hunter started to move his arms and clench his mouth Ali said he dressed and put him to bed. Later, he noticed the baby's lips had turned blue and brought him round to the house where his mother was staying. His version of events did not explain multiple injuries found on several areas of the child's body, a Crown lawyer insisted. Ali told detectives that apparent blunt force trauma injuries to the abdomen were due to attempting CPR on the part of the body rather than the chest. But the prosecution contended that he provided contradictory explanations as evidence was put to him in police interviews. It was also disclosed that Ali allegedly made two separate trips on the night before Hunter died. He was said to have left the child alone in a car for hours while he visited a casino in Castleblayney. Later, the baby was again left unattended when Ali returned to Monaghan because he was waiting for a delivery. Ali's wife and brother both attended court for his bid to be released from custody. During the hearing it emerged that the accused is facing deportation proceedings in the Republic of Ireland and does not have permission to remain in the UK. It was suggested he could stay at a flat near Oldham in England leased to his wife. Opposing those proposals, prosecution counsel submitted: "It's not believed to be a bona fide marriage, but rather a sham marriage for immigration purposes." She also claimed police found no-one present at the flat located above a shop and protected by a steel door. Ali's wife had not been seen by the owner of the shop for eight months, the court was told. Defence barrister Aaron Thompson argued that his client faced only a circumstantial case based entirely on his account of what happened to Hunter while in his care. "He accepted there was a fear factor in his contacting the mother, and being afraid what that meant for relationships and for him," counsel added. Denying bail, Lord Justice McCloskey cited the suspicions about Ali's involvement in a sham marriage and an immigration history "littered with deceptions". The judge stressed: "The big question is not how horrendous the alleged offence is. "The court cannot have any confidence that the applicant would co-operate with the legal system in the event of being granted bail." MILAN, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Squire Patton Boggs, one of the world's largest law firms, will open an office in Milan its 15th location in Europe and 45th worldwide with a multidisciplinary team. Galileo Pozzoli, Daniela Sabelli, Ian Tully and Fabrizio Vismara will join as partners, bringing extensive cross border disputes and transactional credentials to the firm, with a particular focus in energy law and representing African countries in major international arbitrations. "Our goal is to provide clients with premium counsel wherever they do business. Launching an office in the third largest Eurozone economy is another important milestone in our global expansion," said Squire Patton Boggs Chair and Global CEO Mark Ruehlmann. "We already work for a number of Italian companies and other entities doing business in the market. This team will take our practice to even greater heights." "This is a unique opportunity to bring a market-leading Italian practice to the firm, while also adding substantial heft to our historically strong work for sovereigns on major arbitrations, energy and policy matters," said Squire Patton Boggs Global Managing Partner for Clients & Strategy, Steve Mahon. The team joins from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, where Mr. Pozzoli served as Italy Managing Partner since 2010 and was a member of the firm's European management committee. "The more we learned about the firm, its extensive global position and its collaborative culture, the more this move made sense for us and for our clients," said Mr. Pozzoli. "This is an exciting opportunity to add a fully integrated Italian practice into the global firm and expand its already sizable Africa practice." At Squire Patton Boggs, Mr. Pozzoli will serve as managing partner of the Milan office, with responsibility for growing the Italian practice. He will also work closely with Peter Stewart, who recently joined the firm in London, to coordinate the firm's Africa business development efforts and practice. Mr. Mahon commented, "Galileo is a respected and well-connected practitioner with a strong track record for building talented teams. He will play an important role on our expansion efforts across both Italy and Africa." About the Team: Galileo Pozzoli specializes in energy law, including handling international arbitration cases, with particular expertise in the oil and gas sectors. He acts for a number of national oil companies, governments and state entities across countries including, Nigeria, Tanzania, Gabon, Rwanda, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Uganda, Mozambique, Libya and Zambia. His breadth of energy experiences encompasses the structuring and negotiation of cross-border energy transactions, including negotiating and drafting production sharing agreements, joint operating agreements, service contracts and contracts for the transportation and distribution of natural oil and gas. Galileo won Arbitration Lawyer of the Year in Italy's 2018 Top Legal Awards. Daniela Sabelli is a corporate partner with a particular focus on regulated sectors, including energy, infrastructure and life science sectors. Recognized as one of Italy's top energy lawyers (including renewables), advising government authorities, energy generators and financial institutions on a wide variety transactions, disputes and projects. She is also notable for her experience of matters in Africa, including North Africa and the Maghreb. She often lectures on Italian company law, energy law and environmental law at industry conferences and seminars and at post-graduate educational institutions. Ms. Sabelli has broadly based experience in mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions and joint venture agreements. She provides general corporate, commercial and regulatory advice to both domestic and international clients across a number of industries. Ian Tully is dual-qualified in Italy and the UK, focusing his practice on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, for which he is ranked in Chambers Global. Mr. Tully has particular experience in the UK and Italy, where he has advised companies on many trans-European transactions. Many of Mr. Tully's M&A transactions are in the pharmaceutical, medical device and wider healthcare industry. He is heavily involved in the energy sector. He has represented a range of companies in joint ventures; share and asset purchase and sale transactions; corporate restructurings; debt and equity capital-raising transactions; corporate governance issues; partnership agreements; licensing and sales agreements; technical assistance agreements; research and development agreements; product supply and toll manufacturing agreements; and distribution and agency agreements. Fabrizio Vismara is an experienced litigation, corporate and tax partner representing Italian and international clients on Italian and international corporate and tax matters. His practice focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and represents funds and strategic investors in private equity transactions, corporate restructurings and foreign investments, as well as acting for Italian and international clients on antitrust matters. Mr. Vismara acts for clients on the taxation of controlled foreign corporations, transfer pricing issues, and matters governed by international tax treaties to which Italy is a party. His activity includes tax and antitrust disputes, representing Italian and foreign clients, multinational companies and banks in dealings with the public administration on tax matters and relevant obligations. He also advises clients on the taxation of financial instruments, the application of currency regulations, double taxation agreements and EU customs and VAT legislation. Mr. Vismara is a Professor of International Law at the University of Insubria. About Squire Patton Boggs: Recognized as one of the world's strongest integrated legal practices, Squire Patton Boggs provides insight at the point where law, business, and government meet. With more than 1,500 lawyers across 20 countries, the firm delivers commercially focused legal services and invaluable connections on the ground to a diverse mix of clients across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. For more information, visit the Squire Patton Boggs website . Contact: Angelo Kakolyris (+1 973-848-5621; [email protected]) SOURCE Squire Patton Boggs Related Links http://www.squirepattonboggs.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - Nicola Mining Inc. (TSXV: NIM), (the "Company" or "Nicola") is pleased to announce that it has received results from the 2019 soil sampling program (the "2019 Program") at its wholly owned Treasure Mountain Property, a fully-permitted high-grade silver mine located approximately 90 minutes from its Craigmont Mill. The 2019 Program focused on infilling and extending the MB Zone; an area north-west of Treasure Mountain Underground Development (Figure 1). Due to inclement weather the program was cut short, with 137 of the 538 soils being collected. The Company also collected rock samples at three locations and will release results once received. Figure 1: Treasure Mountain Property with soil sample results and historic sample locations (Note: Coloured dots represent 2019 testing while grey dots are historic). To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4873/51750_f092fb0424404b31_001full.jpg The results of this incomplete campaign identify the fringe of the western extent of a northeast-trending silver anomaly, identified in the MB Zone. This has a similar orientation to that of the silver-bearing veins encountered in the Treasure Mountain underground workings and seen in outcrop at the Cal Vein-trench (Figure 2). These results are encouraging and warrant further work to the south and east of the MB zone, including additional geological mapping of this area. Figure 2: Galena-sphalerite-chalcopyrite bearing vein identified in the Cal-Vein trench To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4873/51750_f092fb0424404b31_002full.jpg Scientific and Technical Information All information of a scientific or technical nature contained in this document, including sampling, analytical and test data has been reviewed and approved by Kevin Wells, P. Geo., a consulting Geologist to Nicola Mining. Wells is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Sample Preparation, Analysis and Quality Assurance/Quality Control Nicola Mining applies a thorough quality assurance/quality control program at the Project, which is compliant with industry best practices. The 2019 Program was led by exploration geologist, Michael Frye, who also conducted QA/QC of sampling and data control. Trained personnel collected and logged soil samples according to soil horizon, soil type and characteristics (Figure 3). The soil sample is typically collected from the B horizon, placed in a labelled sample bag along with its sample tag. Suitable field duplicates and certified reference materials are inserted into sample batches, which are submitted to the MSA Laboratory (ISO 17025 Certified) in Langley, British Columbia. Soils are dried and screened where 500g pass through a -80 mesh. Of the total samples, 109 samples contained sufficient material for a 40g digestion in dilute Aqua Regia (IMS-118), 28 samples had sufficient material for a 20g Aqua Regia digestion (IMS-117) and one sample had insufficient material, requiring a 0.5g digestion (IMS-116). All digestions were finished with an ICP-MS 39-element analysis. All results included in this release have passed the QA/QC procedures as described above and have been reviewed by Kevin Wells, P.Geo. There are no known factors that could materially affect the reliability of data collected and verified. Figure 3: An example of the soil profile encountered at Treasure Mountain. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4873/51750_f092fb0424404b31_003full.jpg About Nicola Mining Nicola Mining Inc. is a junior mining company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and is in the process of recommencing mill feed processing operations at its 100% owned state-of-the-art mill and tailings facility, located near Merritt, British Columbia. It has already signed four mill profit share agreements with high grade gold producers. The fully-permitted mill can process both gold and silver mill feed via gravity and flotation processes. The Company also owns 100% of the New Craigmont Project, a high-grade copper property, and an active gravel pit that is located adjacent to its milling operations. About Treasure Mountain Property Nicola Mining Inc. owns 100% of the Treasure Mountain Property, an approximately 7,000-acre silver deposit consisting of: 51 mineral tenures, comprising 21 legacy claims: 100 cell units, and five crown grants for a total of approximately 2,850 hectares. The Company continues to maintain the option of reopening Level 1 in order to extract silver mill feed from Stope 2 and continues to monitor silver prices prior to reconsidering reopening the mine. The Property also has 3 highly prospective targets: MB Zone located approximately 1.5 km from the underground mine workings on the undrilled Northern backside of the mountain. JV Vein/Eastern Zone located approximately 1.0 km from the underground mine workings. Jensen Portal located approximately 100 m west of the Level 3 Portal and previously mined in the 1920's. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Peter Espig" Peter Espig CEO & Director For additional information Contact: Peter Espig Phone: (778) 385-1213 Email: info@nicolamining.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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51750 Scientists are blaming the increase of air pollution in New York City not on its 8.6 million residents, but from sources hundreds of miles away. Data reveals wildfires and controlled agricultural burning from Canada and the southeastern US caused two pollutant spikes in 2018 - both resulted in air quality advisories in the Big Apple and areas of Connecticut. The team also determined that the pollutants contained particles that have been known to cause serious health issues, such as heart and lung disease. These findings suggest that residents in these areas will face more pollution in the coming decades, as wildfires are said to become more common as a result of climate change. Scroll down for video Data reveals wild fires and controlled agricultural burning from Canada and the southeastern US caused two pollutant spikes in 2018, both which resulted in air quality advisories in the Big Apple and areas of Connecticut (stock photo) Lead author Haley Rogers, who was an undergraduate student when the study was conducted, said: 'When people are making predictions about climate change, they're predicting increases in wildfires, so this sort of pollution is likely going to become more common.' 'So when people are planning for air pollution and health impacts, you can't just address local sources.' Rogers and her team combined data from observation sites in the Metropolitan area, smoke maps from satellite images and 3-D models of air parcels to identify where the pollutants were coming from.' Using these techniques the team determined the first spike (August 16-17) came from fires on the western coast of Canada and the second (August 27-29) was flowed in from the southeastern US. Each line represents the backward-trajectory for an air parcel arriving every three hours throughout the course of the day. The location of fires on August 9 (when most trajectories intersect the wildfire zone on the West Coast) is depicted with red triangle Pictured are satellite-based smoke maps that the experts used to find where the pollution was coming from. Colors indicate the intensity of the smoke plume, with red being the most dense and green the least dense team combined data from observation sites in the Metropolitan area, smoke maps from satellite images and 3-D models of air parcels to identify where the pollutants were coming from. The red area highlights the movement of the air pollution through Canada to New York Biomass burning, which occurs on a large scale during wildfires and some controlled burns, is a major source of air pollutants that impact air quality, human health and climate. These events release different types of particulate matter into the air: black carbon, other primary organic aerosols and particle matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, which has been shown to have particularly serious health effects when inhaled. Drew Gentner, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, said in a statement: 'Given the sensitivity of people to the health effects emerging from exposure to PM2.5, this is certainly something that needs to be considered as policy-makers put together long-term air quality management plans.' The star highlights New York City and as the image shows, the smoke traveled hundreds of miles away to reach the Big Apple The first spike in New York's air pollution occurred on August 16-17 and this image shows the smoke on August 17th Separate studies have found a link between the exposure to these particles and premature death from heart and lung disease. They have also been known to trigger or worsen chronic disease such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. Co-author Jenna Ditto, a graduate student, noted that awareness of its presence in the atmosphere is critical to public health. 'Studies indicate that there are no safe levels of PM2.5, so typically any level of it is worth taking a look at,' she said. The American Lung Association ranked New York City as the 10th most polluted city in the nation for ozone in a recent report. Elizabeth Hamlin-Berninger, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in New York, said: 'New York residents should be aware that we're breathing unhealthy air, driven by emissions and extreme heat as a result of climate change, and it is placing our health and lives at risk.' 'When 50 percent of New Yorkers are being exposed to unhealthy air, we must do more on the local, state and federal levels to improve our air quality.' The organization noted that while several counties maintained their grades from the 2018 report, many New York State residents suffered from worsened air quality due to increased ozone pollution, and only one county improved. Calling himself an optimist who believes in the goodness of people, director Kabir Khan says everything these days is being looked at through the prism of religion but India is about more than that. The director of blockbusters such as "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Ek Tha Tiger" said he is happy he has a platform as a filmmaker to present a counterpoint to the prevailing narrative based on religious fault lines. "I'm an optimist who believes in the goodness of the people. But yes, there is a certain level of bigotry that has crept in. Everything is being looked at through the prism of religion but India is not about that. "It sounds like a clich but when I was growing up, I was not aware of my religion. That was the greatness of this country, Kabir told PTI. He said he is a product of a mixed marriage and is pained to see the social fabric being tattered. I have celebrated the best that Indian secularism has to offer. But to see the greatness of this country being simplified and broken down into religious fault lines is a painful experience, he added. According to Kabir, it is dangerous to see history through the prism of religion, whether in cinema or society. But it is important to revisit history to know what happened and one can always find something that is relevant for the present, he said. The director, who started as a documentary filmmaker, returns to his roots for a five-episode series on Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army, "The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye", on Amazon Prime, his most expensive project yet. Asked whether this is a difficult time for filmmakers, Kabir said he believes art thrives in the time of strife and, as a storyteller, his politics will always reflect in his work. Every film has its politics and every filmmaker has to reflect his or her politics. Every film of mine will reflect my politics and it will never change according to the popular mood of the audience. But a film should not be just about that. Politics should be in the layers beneath," he said. His terms his 2015 Salman Khan-starrer "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" an "extremely political" film. At face value, it can also be enjoyed as the story of a mute Pakistani girl who drifts into India and is taken back to her homeland by a Hanuman devotee. But there is so much more. The "chicken song", for instance, was a sly reference to the beef ban controversy at the time, he said. "I won't say it is a difficult time for me as a filmmaker. It is good that I have a platform where I can talk and present a counterpoint and I refuse to believe that the entire country believes the narrative that is being sent out. There are millions and millions of people, and perhaps majority, that does not believe. And if I present the counterpoint, they will think about it. Discussing his new series, the director said it has always fascinated him that the sacrifice of the men and women who comprised the INA is just a forgotten footnote in history. I wanted to make something that stands the test of time. It goes down in posterity, Khan, who first explored the subject in a Doordarshan documentary 20 years ago, said. For the documentary, he travelled with former INA officers Captain Lakshmi Sahgal and Captain Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon from Singapore to India via erstwhile Burma, retracing the route that the INA followed. The documentary got me a lot of attention and acclaim but the story just never left me. It's actually the first script I ever wrote and I landed up with that script in Bombay from Delhi. I realised very soon that nobody's going to give me a budget of this size to make my first film. "And then after every film, I would pick up the script and say, Okay, this is the one I want to make', because this is the story that made me want to become a filmmaker. On the way, I ended up making eight other films but this is really the story that I wanted to make, he said. Kabir is happy that the story has come out as a series, not a film, as it would have required to compromise with the budget and other elements. "Without giving any numbers, this is the most expensive project I have ever worked on It required that kind of budget." Kabir believes the INA was responsible for bringing down the morale of the British establishment, which realised it would be impossible to keep the country colonised without the support of the local army. "There are a lot of debates and discussions about what happened with the INA and the controversies around it. The whole point is that, if you want to judge what the Army did, sure that's your prerogative, but at least get to know what they did. Nobody knows what happened with the Army from 1942 to 1945." He added that 55,000 men and women of the INA fought for independence and 47,000 of them died. "Not a single person from that Army was ever taken back into the independent Army, which is such an amazing fact... the fact that the British called them traitors became the narrative and we also started assuming that they were traitors." "They were the only women's regiment in the whole world 70 years ago. That's what they thought about women's importance in society. I don't know whether they will be happy with what the current situation is," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shot down Pakistan's desperate and persistent attempts to internationalise Kashmir. Pointing out the "factually incorrect" comments by Pakistan PM Imran Khan, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that the country was moving towards a 'complete loss.' Moreover, stated that the global community has acknowledged Pakistan's "double standards." He said, "The Pakistan Prime Minister has said a lot of things in Davos. They have commented on India. There is nothing new in it. This is contradictory and they are factually incorrect. It shows how depressed they are. They are moving towards complete loss. The global community has recognised their double standards." "Our position on Kashmir has been clear and consistent throughout the years. These are bilateral issues that need to be discussed between India and Pakistan, and there is no role for a third party in this situation," Raveesh Kumar added. READ| Pakistan & Terrorism: 6 Freudian slips by Pak leaders on Osama, Hafiz Saeed & Masood Azhar that give it all away Accusing Pakistan of playing the victim card, MEA accused the country of harboring terrorists. In addition, said that if Pakistan intends to maintain friendly relations with India, it should refrain from making such a statement and deal with their internal issues. He said, "They are playing the victim card and at the same time, they are harbouring terrorists. If Pakistan is serious about friendly relations with India, they need to take action on terror groups. I feel that they should refrain from making such statements. They should deal with their internal challenges. I don't think we need their advice." The MEA spokesperson additionally maintained that the World Economic Forum was an inappropriate platform to discuss such issues. Imran Khan on India in Davos The Pakistani Prime Minister called for the United Nations to intervene and mediate between Islamabad and New Delhi over the conflicted issue of Kashmir between the two neighbours. "This is a potential flashpoint," Imran Khan said during a media briefing at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We're not close to conflict right now ... What if the protests get worse in India, and to distract attention from that, what if ..." the Pakistani Prime Minister said, citing the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests erupted across the nation. This is not the first time Imran Khan has sought international intervention over the Kashmir issue. The tensions between India and Pakistan peaked last year after the Pulwama terror attack that martyred 40 CRPF soldiers. The strains spiraled once again after New Delhi abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5. READ| Pakistan backs Taliban; counters India's support for democratic Afghan READ| Hypocrite Imran Khan refuses to admit China's detention of Uighurs The Florida Everglades evokes images of fanboats skimming over swamps, while alligators peer through the waters and clouds of insects hover just above. Described as a "river of grass" that stretches some 580,000 square miles across southern Florida, they encompass a wide range of ecosystems ranging from wetlands to tree islands to cattails. In 2018, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), embarked on a pilot project with biology students from Boca Raton Community High School in Palm Beach County, Florida. The class sought to apply the latest molecular techniques to learn more about the microbial communities in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, a 226-square mile area of the northern Everglades in Palm Beach County, and particularly about the microbes that play roles in the methane cycle. Their data report, which provides the only known reference microbiome data sets for the Loxahatchee Refuge, was published January 21, 2020 in the journal Environmental Microbiome. "Before JGI was involved, I was not sure we could even complete a full project. Every other group I contacted was happy to offer advice but declined to offer actual scientific help," said Jonathan Benskin, who teaches the A-Level Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Biology class at Boca Raton Community High School. "I can't thank JGI enough for being willing to take a risk on a group of public high school students to see this project through to completion. JGI does not only contribute to the body of current scientific knowledge, they are also equipping the next generation of scientists that will help shape all of our futures." Proposing a Research Experience Benskin wanted to give his high school juniors a research project experience and one of his email inquiries, sent through JGI's Integrated Microbial Genomes & Microbiomes (IMG/M) system, reached Emiley Eloe-Fadrosh, who heads the Metagenome Program. "After discussing the project with him, I was inspired by his enthusiasm and drive to give his students this experience. My current career path was heavily influenced by my own high school biology teacher, who helped connect me with internships and training at the Clorox Company and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory," she said. "The JGI is one of the only places that could take on a project like this because we have the resources as a user facility. The Metagenome Program team provided guidance and encouragement to submit a proposal, which was approved as a Director's Science project by JGI Director Nigel Mouncey." A Comprehensive Learning Experience Eloe-Fadrosh decided, "If we're going to have this be a project, we want it to be a really comprehensive learning experience." Over the course of the year, she and other JGI staff conducted several real-time, video-conferenced seminars with the class. The 18 students organized and conducted a field trip, armed with the proper permits, to the refuge to collect soil samples from multiple locations. Back in the classroom, JGI researchers walked students through the processes of DNA sequencing, metagenome assembly, and even an introduction to data analysis using the IMG/M system. "When I originally envisioned the project of the class, I knew that I wanted them to write a final paper that could be published. Watching 18 students working to create a paper simultaneously in the same document was a sight that I will remember," said Benskin. "The best part of the entire project was being able to tell the students that the paper was accepted for publication in a reputable scientific journal. It was gratifying to see the empowerment displayed across each of their faces." Eloe-Fadrosh considers the experience the highlight of her past year's work at the JGI. As the students look forward to graduating high school in a few months, Benskin shared his own reflections on the experience. "'Doing science is something that might be talked about in high school and even undergraduate college classes, but it is an experience that very few students in these classes are allowed to do. I hope they can walk away from this project empowered to go into college and seek out opportunities that they might have previously believed they would not be capable of accomplishing." ### Publication: Abraham BS et al. Shotgun metagenomic analysis of microbial communities from the Loxahatchee Nature Preserve in the Florida Everglades. Environmental Microbiome. 2020 January 21. doi:10.1186/s40793-019-0352-4 The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is committed to advancing genomics in support of DOE missions related to clean energy generation and environmental characterization and cleanup. JGI provides integrated high-throughput sequencing and computational analysis that enable systems-based scientific approaches to these challenges. Follow @jgi on Twitter. DOE's Office of Science is the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. DoT estimates that telecom companies are required to jointly pay around Rs 1.47 lakh crore by 23 January Telecom companies, including Vodafone Idea, Bharati Airtel and Tata Teleservices are likely to seek more time to pay the AGR dues to the government. Today (23 January) is the last day to make payments. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had issued a notice to telecom operators to pay their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues within three months as directed by the Supreme Court. The telecom majors are believed to have written to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) seeking more time for making payments, according to news reports. The three telecom firmsVodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices Ltd have jointly filed a modification application in the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking more time to pay the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the government, according to a report in Mint. A modification petition can be heard in open court and the telecom companies are likely to argue for more time for making the payment to the telecom department. On 16 January, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea of telecom majors, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, seeking review of certain directions of the Supreme Court on recovery of past dues amounting to Rs 1.47 lakh crore from telecom service providers. The recovery of past dues by the government was based on adjusted gross revenue of about Rs 92,000 crore. The Supreme Court has upheld DoT method of calculating revenue share between telecom companies and the government in its order dated 24 October 2019. Based on this order, DoT estimates that telecom companies are required to jointly pay around Rs 1.47 lakh crore by 23 January. The DoT is learnt to have given no relaxation to the companies on the payment of AGR dues, a PTI report said. As per DoT's estimate, the liability of Bharti Airtel Group is Rs 62,187.73 crore, Vodafone Idea Rs 54,183.9 crore and BSNL and MTNL Rs 10,675.18 crore. Companies under insolvency like Reliance Communications and Aircel have dues outstanding worth Rs 32,403.47 crore and companies under liquidation Rs 943 crore. The DoT has given an option to telecom operators to clear all the dues on self-assessment within three months as per the Supreme Court order. Tata Communications, which announced in third-quarter results on Wednesday (22 January) and in which the government holds 26.12 per stake, said it has made no provision for the telecom department's demand of Rs 6,633 crore for AGR dues as the Supreme Court order did not include appeal of the company which is still pending before the court. Vodafone Idea Ltd, the worst-hit by the top courts order on telecom dues, will await the hearing of its modification plea seeking easier payment terms before clearing dues to the government, a person aware of the development said to Mint. #AGR Case | Shally Bhasin, Lawyer For Vodafone Idea says we don't have to pay by January 23. Application for payment plan listed for next week CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) January 21, 2020 Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will have to pay the DoT 3-5 percent of their AGR in usage charges for spectrum, or airwaves, and 8 percent of AGR as licence fees. DoT and these companies have long had differences over the definition of AGR, according to a report in CNBC-TV18. The companies contend that AGR should comprise just revenue accrued from core services while DoT argues that AGR should include all revenue. Following the 24 October Supreme Court order, the Department of Telecom (DoT) estimated that the total liability of 15 telecom companies, including penalties and interest, would be Rs 1.47 lakh crore. As per DoT's estimate, the liability of Bharti Airtel is Rs 62,187.73 crore, Vodafone Idea Rs 54,183.9 crore and BSNL and MTNL Rs 10,675.18 crore. Companies under insolvency like Reliance Communications and Aircel have dues outstanding worth Rs 32,403.47 crore and companies under liquidation Rs 943 crore. The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to list next week the fresh pleas of telecom firms, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices, seeking a fresh schedule of payment of statutory dues to the tune of Rs 1.47 lakh crore to the Department of Telecommunications. The telcos said they wanted an open court hearing on their fresh pleas with regard to working out a fresh schedule of payment of their dues. The Supreme Court on 16 January dismissed review petitions of the telecom firms including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea seeking review of its earlier order asking them to pay Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past statutory dues by 23 January saying it did not find any "justifiable reason" to entertain them. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea mull options The apex court had on 24 October, ruled that the statutory dues need to be calculated by including non-telecom revenues in what is known as adjusted gross revenues (AGR) of telcos. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are evaluating filing a curative petition before the apex court for relaxation on penalties and payment deadline. In a statement, Bharti Airtel said it was disappointed by the order and is now "evaluating filing a curative petition." Vodafone Idea said it is also "exploring further options, including filing of a curative petition". Bharti Airtel has raised capital to meet the liability, but Vodafone Idea remains challenged. Airtel last week raised capital of $3 billion, which should help it meet its AGR liability with the help of additional debt. VIL promoters, Vodafone Plc and Aditya Birla Group, have already mentioned that if the entire AGR liability has to be paid, they will have to shut shop, IANS said. "We don't see the situation for VIL being salvaged without government intervention. Apart from other stakeholders in VIL, the government too could be one of the most impacted parties if the company shuts down as it is owed Rs 900 billion in deferred spectrum dues, besides the AGR liability," ICICI Securities noted. "We also see indirect impact on PSU banks if VIL fails to cough up the money", it noted. No proposal to waive interest, penalties, says telecom minister Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had told Parliament in November that Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other telecom companies owe the government as much as Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past statutory dues. He had added that there is no proposal at present to waive interest and penalties on such dues. In replies to separate questions in the Lok Sabha, Prasad had said telecom companies owe the government Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee, and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges. In an affidavit filed earlier in the top court, the DoT said Airtel owed Rs 21,682.13 crore as a licence fee to the government and dues from Vodafone totalled Rs 19,823.71 crore, while Reliance Communications owed Rs 16,456.47 crore. BSNL owed Rs 2,098.72 crore, and MTNL Rs 2,537.48 crore. Holding that interest and penalty have rightly been levied on the telecom companies, the apex court had made it clear that there would be no further litigation on the issue and it would fix a time-frame for calculation and payment of dues by the telecom companies. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is taking one giant leap for robot-kind. The space agency is sending the first half-humanoid along with an unmanned mission into space set for December. Named Vyommitra, the legless 'female' robot speaks two languages, recognizes humans and answers questions like a living person. The purpose of the spacefaring machine is to conduct experiments before India launches its first manned mission to space in 2022. Scroll down for videos The space agency is sending the first half-humanoid along with an unmanned mission into space set for December Scientists showed Vyommitra off a media event on Wednesday where she greeted spectators with 'Hi, I'm Vyommitra the first prototype of half humanoid,' India Today reported. 'I can be your companion and converse with the astronauts, recognize them and also respond to their queries,' it said in a heavy Indian accent. The robot is designed to mimic the activity of a crew and can even 'recognize them and respond to their queries.' The space agency plans to send Vyommitra to space later this year when it will launch unmanned flights to space as part of the Gaganyaan project. Although an Indian has been to space, the 2022 manned ship will be the first time the country has used its own craft the previous mission was aboard a Russian ship. First half humanoid that will be a part of @isro Gaganyaan unmanned mission. Humanoid will take off into space this December 2020 pic.twitter.com/BLHFNZNv3S Nagarjun Dwarakanath (@nagarjund) January 22, 2020 Scientists showed Vyommitra off a media event on Wednesday where she greeted spectators with 'Hi, I'm Vyommitra the first prototype of half humanoid' ISRO chief K. Sivan said in 2019 during the announcement of the Gaganyaan mission: ''Our space station is going to be very small... useful to carry out experiments.' 'We are not having a big plan of sending humans on tourism and other things,' he added. The mission is said to have two or three astronauts on a maximum seven-day mission. It will use a 8,200 lb autonomous capsule to orbit the Earth at 250 miles above the Earth with a crew inside. The project will start training astronauts later this month and is predicted by the Indian government to cost less than 100 billion rupees ($1.4 billion). Sivan said on Wednesday that four shortlisted astronauts would be sent to Russia for an 11-month training program . The legless 'female' robot speaks two languages, recognize humans and answer questions like a living person. The purpose of the spacefaring machine is to conduct experiments before India launches its first manned mission to space in 2022 India has made giant strides in its space journey in recent years. It launched a record 104 satellites in a single mission in 2017, and has also built a reputation for low-cost space exploration and science missions. In March, the country said it had destroyed a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test to prove the nation was among the world's most advanced space powers. The country has also has plans to send a mission to study the Sun in 2020, and to Venus by 2023. Justice Department Defends Ohio Law Banning Down Syndrome Abortions The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed a brief in support of an Ohio law that prohibits abortionists from performing an abortion they know is sought because of Down syndrome. Ohio passed the law, known as House Bill 214, in 2017 that states that an abortion provider cannot purposely perform or induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman if the provider has knowledge that the woman seeking the abortion has sought the procedure because the unborn child has Down syndrome. The state says the law is entrenched in anti-discrimination principles and is trying to protect individuals with disabilities from prejudice. The law also prevents against opening the floodgates for letting the medical profession participate in abortions on the basis of race, sex, genetic makeup, or other characteristics of the unborn child detected prenatally, the DOJ said. It also protects women from potentially coercive abortion providers who may pressure them in obtaining an abortion because of the genetic disorder. Following the signing of the law, several reproductive health care providers sued the state on behalf of its patients, arguing that the law imposes an unconstitutional burden on women seeking abortion and that it would undermine the relationship between doctors and patients by making it harder for patients to have an honest conversation with their doctors. They also argued that the mere fact that a woman is seeking an abortion after receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis cannot be used to construe that the abortionist has knowledge of her motivations. At trial, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio blocked the law from going into effect. It was scheduled to be enforced on March 23, 2018. A split three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit then affirmed the lower courts ruling upon appeal. The full court of the Sixth Circuit has voted to re-hear the appeal. On Tuesday, the DOJ filed a friend-of-the-court brief (pdf) arguing in support of the Ohio legislation. The departments lawyers say the law does not prohibit abortions or create a substantial obstacle for women seeking the procedure but rather, it merely prevents abortionists from knowingly participating in abortions they know are sought because of Down syndrome. This is what the text of the law says, this is how the State of Ohio understands the statute, and this is the construction the canon of constitutional avoidance compels, the department argued. A womans ability to obtain an abortion is unfettered, even if she shares her motivation to an abortion provider, because the law does not prevent her from seeking the procedure from a second provider, the department said. The department also argued that the benefits of the law should outweigh any of its burdens caused by its implementation. They said the law advances the states interest in protecting the integrity and ethics of the medical profession, draws a line to certain practices that ends life, and protects disabled people from prejudice, negative, and inaccurate stereotypes. A prohibition on abortion providers from knowingly performing abortions based on disabilitylike a prohibition on knowingly participating in assisted suicidesreplaces negative messages with a public statement that the lives of individuals with disabil[ities] must be no less valued than the lives of others, the department said. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division, who signed the brief, said that the department is participating in this case because the federal government has an interest in the equal dignity of those who live with disabilities. Nothing in the Constitution requires Ohio to authorize abortion providers to participate in abortions the providers know are based on Down syndrome, he said in a statement. Like the circuit courts, the Supreme Court will also hear a case on another states law putting limitations on abortions. That case asks the court to decide whether an unconstitutional burden has been placed on women seeking abortions after Louisiana passed a law requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges within 30 miles of where the procedure was taking place. The Trump administration has expressly supported the lives of unborn children. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on National Sanctity of Human Life Day 2020 to reaffirm the administrations commitment to protecting the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death. Trump said in his proclamation that the number and rate of abortions have been declining in recent years across the nation, but more work needs to be done. I will continue to fight to protect the lives of the unborn, he said. As a Nation, we must remain steadfastly dedicated to the profound truth that all life is a gift from God, who endows every person with immeasurable worth and potential. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Jan. 21, 2020. Vancouver actor Julia Hackstaff says she was conned into protesting outside the courthouse while Meng's extradition hearing was underway. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward) Vancouver Actor Says She Was Conned Into Protesting Meng Extradition VANCOUVERSomething seemed off to Julia Hackstaff when an actor playing a reporter started asking her pointed questions about the protest sign she was holding. Hackstaff had been hired as an extra for what seemed to be a poorly-organized production Monday and she hadnt been briefed on her lines for the scene. She had only just been handed the sign outside Vancouvers courthouse, where she didnt realize Huawei executive Meng Wanzhous extradition hearing was underway. The way this reporter was asking stuff, it kind of dawned on me, OK this person is obviously not acting, Hackstaff said. The 32-year-old actor said she now realizes she was scammed into participating in a protest in favour of Meng. The thought of it being a real protest only came at the end, when I decided to leave. Beforehand I was just trying to understand what kind of production this was, how come we werent given information, she said. I thought, this is very poorly planned. Its unclear who was behind the protest-for-hire and Hackstaff says she left right away without being paid. No one from the consulate general of the Peoples Republic of China in Vancouver could be reached for comment. Benjamin Howes, a spokesman in Huaweis international media affairs department, says in an email the company had no involvement with the protesters or supporters outside the courthouse. The arrest of Meng in Vancouver in 2018 and the U.S. extradition request has severely strained Canada-China relations. Protesters have periodically gathered outside the B.C. Supreme Court for hearings leading up to the start of Mengs extradition hearing this week. Some have spoken out against the Chinese government, while others have held signs calling for the Huawei executives released. On Monday, Hackstaff was among half a dozen who carried red signs that read Free Ms. Meng and Equal Justice. She said it began with an offer on Facebook Sunday night from an acquaintance who said Hackstaff would be paid $100 for a two-hour gig. Hackstaff said she believes the man, whom she declined to name, was also duped into taking part. Its common for these offers to come in at the last minute so it didnt seem unusual, she said. She was given an address, then redirected to a hotel lobby and when she finally arrived at the courthouse, she saw dozens of people already gathered and thought she must be late. Its not unusual for independent television and film productions to involve only one or two cameras, so she didnt question yet whether the production was real. She identified a group of confused looking 20-somethings as her fellow extras, one of them confirmed, and she was handed a sign. I was barely beginning to read the signs and trying to understand the material and a reporter approached me, she said. It was very surreal at that moment. She doesnt know who was behind the job offer. I wish Id said no, she said. I cant speak for all the people at the protest, I dont know any of them. But it is unfair that someone who thinks theyre going to do an honest job got tricked into a scam. By Amy Smart There hasn't been a week without Priyanka Chopra Jonas making it to the headlines. Now, she breaks the internet once again with a mega announcement. She revealed that Global Citizen, which has hosted concerts in India before, will be hosting a mega concert in September this year. Priyanka, who was in Mumbai recently, flew off to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum. And during an interaction with the international media, Priyanka revealed, "We are doing this thing which is called the Global Goal Live, which is seven concerts in five continents at the same time on the same day... September 26, 2020. It is also the birthday of the Sustainable Development Goals. These concerts are going to have the most incredible talent from around the world participate." The actress also revealed that there will be no tickets for the event. However, the fans will have to earn their spot by contributing in some way or the other. The same was posted on social media by an international media house revealing that artistes like Coldplay, Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish will also be a part of this mega global concert. Woah! Can't get bigger than this, can it? D ev Patel hopes that the colourblind casting of his new film will allow children from backgrounds like his own to see themselves represented on screen. The 29-year-old, whose Gujarati-Indian parents emigrated to the UK from Kenya, stars as David Copperfield in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens classic novel from director Armando Iannucci. The role has previously only been played by white actors. Patel, who grew up in Rayners Lane, said that he felt alienated by period dramas on film and television when he was younger, but believes his new film is more relatable as it reflects a multi-cultural and rich London. I didnt know about this story because old iterations of it would alienate someone like me from watching it as a young child, he told the Standard. Empathy: Patel discussed the importance of colourblind casting Now, I hope that theres kids from the kind of schools that I went to, and [from] where I grew up that watch the trailer for this movie and be like, I can find a face that represents me in this film. And thats important because casting like this makes everyone realise that were all the same. It builds empathy. The actor, who appeared in E4 drama Skins as a teenager before launching his Hollywood career with Slumdog Millionaire in 2009, hopes that other directors will follow Iannuccis example not just in period dramas but across the board. The Personal History Of David Copperfield - Trailer You watch a theatre show and no one questions the colour of anyones skin, he said. The whole nature of the job is to be allowed to play a different person, a different character thats not yourself. Patel also praised Iannucci, who is best known for political satires The Thick Of It and Veep, for backing him to take on the role, and for his commitment to diverse casting. I was pretty overwhelmed that hed entrust me with this film, he said. [Iannucci] would have to justify casting someone like me a lot, and I was very humbled by the fact that he was willing to go to war for me. Armando says it better than anyone. Hes like, Why cant I just draw from 100 percent of the acting community? Florida lawmakers are considering cracking down on cities and counties that file lawsuits against big corporations, a response to those communities that are suing drug makers and manufacturers over the opioid epidemic. Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum urged lawmakers this week to discourage cities and counties from filing more lawsuits. Going forward were going to have a big mess. We already have a big mess, McCollum said, referencing the amount of litigation. Its a problem I recommend you address now. The litigation, usually farmed out to trial lawyers, seeks to recoup the costs of an epidemic that has killed more than 10,000 Floridians and required cities and counties to spend millions responding to overdoses and buying life-saving drugs. Tampa, Clearwater and Pinellas, Hillsborough and Hernando counties have all filed suits, joining thousands of communities across the country. The Seminole Tribe of Florida sued last year. Even Miami-Dade County Public Schools filed suit, seeking to recover costs that included training school nurses on how to properly treat drug overdoses. Suing on behalf of residents, however, should be a chief function of the Florida Attorney Generals Office. Although it has filed lawsuits against the drug companies, its done that often after the cities and counties already have done so. During a Wednesday House committee meeting, McCollum warned that if nothing is done to limit litigation, cities and counties would continue to team up to sue big companies. McCollum afterward mentioned the Palm Beach County School District joining school districts across the nation in suing vaping manufacturer JUUL. A different Florida House committee advanced a bill on Thursday that would cap attorneys fees at $20 million. Nearly all Republicans on the committee voted for it, with Democrats opposing it. Political opportunism? Attorney Trevor Cox, who used to work for the Virginia Attorney Generals Office, said communities are starting to sue because they think attorneys general arent acting. He said local officials see it as political opportunism or because cities face shrinking budgets. Story continues Municipalities see it as an opportunity to gain a financial recovery, Cox said. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman rejected McCollums premise, alluding to his laissez-faire tenure as attorney general from 2007 to 2011 when he was better known for chasing cyber-predators than prosecuting major corporations for crimes like mortgage fraud. This is all just the latest in a long series of attacks on municipalities, Kriseman said. The people of Florida cannot rely on their state government to look out for them. They couldnt rely on Bill McCollum, and theyll never be able to rely on attorney generals who care more about the powerful than the people. Coxs comments also drew a rebuke from Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, whose county was ground zero for the states epidemic. Were talking about removing dead bodies from our libraries, from our streets, from our parks, McKinlay said. This is absolutely a local response, and any type of political opportunism is lost on me. McKinlay said the county has spent at least $43 million over the last 10 years on battling the epidemic, which at its peak she said killed 626 people in the county. And those dollars are a conservative estimate that does not include the cost to the sheriffs office, she said. It also doesnt include the costs to each city in the county for similar services. McKinlay said local communities need to have the ability to recoup those costs, which theyre not guaranteed to receive from the case litigated by the attorney generals office. When states, including Florida, sued big tobacco in the 1990s, cities and counties were largely left out of the billions that private attorneys won on behalf of attorneys general. McCollum said Wednesday he wrote two different potential bills to curb local litigation. One would cap how much lawyers hired by cities and counties can make. The other strips cities and counties of the ability to sue on matters of statewide concern. Bob Shillinger, head of the Monroe County Attorneys Office, said the cap on lawyers fees should be considered a nonstarter for the five-member Board of County Commissioners when discussing the proposed legislation. The proposed cap on contingency fees in cases brought by local governments would limit the [county commissions] discretion in choosing the attorneys best suited for a particular case, so I would recommend that the BOCC oppose the legislation. Monroe County last April sued several pharmaceutical companies for their role in hooking Florida Keys residents on opioids like oxycodone and fentanyl. The suit, filed in federal court, is also against national drug store chains like CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Monroe County filed its own lawsuit against the manufacturers and distributors of opioids because the county is best positioned to determine the nature and scope of its claims, where county dollars and resources have been expended to address impacts felt here locally, Shillinger said. Floridas Attorney Generals Office already has a cap on how much private lawyers hired by its office can make. In 2010, McCollum, as attorney general, pushed for a law capping attorneys fees at $50 million. Class action suits The vast majority of cases dont come close to meriting that much in attorneys fees. But some litigation, like Floridas case against Big Tobacco in the 1990s, does. Florida hired a dream team of lawyers who won $11.7 billion for the state, and the dozen law firms, who spent years litigating the case, took home $3.4 billion. It was after that round of litigation that the Republican National Committee helped form the Republican Attorneys General Association to blunt class action lawsuits. The opioid lawsuits are far more complicated than the Big Tobacco lawsuits, said James Ferrero, one of the lawyers representing Palm Beach County in its lawsuit. More than a dozen drug makers, manufacturers and pharmacies have been sued, and there are thousands of plaintiffs. This is the most complicated piece of litigation in history, Ferrero said. Theres been nothing ever seen like this before. Yet when former Attorney General Pam Bondi asked for lawyers to take on the nations largest drug makers and distributors, multiple top law firms cited the contingency fee caps as a reason for not taking the case. McCollum has since gone around the country on behalf of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a pro-business lobbying group whose board of directors includes representatives from some of the nations largest companies. McCollum said Wednesday, however, that he was in Tallahassee personally and not on behalf of the Institute for Legal Reform. After the committee meeting, chairman Bob Rommel, R-Naples, said his committee would consider introducing a bill aimed at local lawsuits. Theres some compelling evidence, especially in these large complex cases, that we dont want 400 lawsuits in the State of Florida if its of statewide interest, he said. Contact Lawrence Mower at lmower@tampabay.com. Follow @lmower3 Miami Herald staff writer David Goodhue contributed to this report. This story was updated on Thursday, January 23, to reflect approval by a different Florida House committee. During the week of 12-18 January, U.S. hotel occupancy rose 1.1% to $58.9%, ADR increased 5.2% to $130.99 and RevPAR rose 6.4% to $77.16. The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 12-18 January 2020, according to data from STR. In comparison with the week of 13-19 January 2019, the industry recorded the following: Occupancy: +1.1% to 58.9% Average daily rate (ADR): +5.2% to US$130.99 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +6.4% to US$77.16 San Francisco/San Mateo, California, recorded the highest jump in RevPAR (+124.0% to US$439.70), driven by the largest increase in ADR (+120.3% to US$533.50). STR analysts attribute the spike in performance to the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, which brought more than 9,000 attendees to the market. Chicago, Illinois, experienced the highest rise in occupancy (+17.1% to 62.3%). Anaheim/Santa Ana, California, registered the only other double-digit increase in occupancy (+16.4% to 78.9%) and the second-largest lift in RevPAR (+38.0% to US$139.60). Overall, 19 of the Top 25 Markets reported a RevPAR increase. Dallas, Texas, saw the steepest decline in occupancy (-7.5% to 65.3%). Detroit, Michigan, posted the only double-digit decreases in ADR (-23.1% to US$100.43) and RevPAR (-28.4% to US$59.48). View U.S. weekly hotel performance review STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest all industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Hospitality Trends Ceremony Marks Transition into Next Phase of UW Medical Students Education Wyoming-WWAMI students who recently received their white coats, along with mentors and others, are, from left: Dr. Suzanne Allen, Dr. Valerie Lengfelder, Sean McCue, Ryan Winchell, Logan Taylor, Jacob Zumo, Jesse Hinshaw, Caleb Brackett, Aleksandra Zarzycka, Conner Morton, Amanda Golden, Alexis Anderson, Rida Fatima, Adam Blaine, Allana Hall, Elliott Trott, Renae Wollman, Marcus Couldridge, Daulton Grube, Reed Ritterbusch, Reno Maldonado, Trey Thompson, Tim Robinson and Dr. Larry Kirven. (Brian Harrington Photo) Twenty second-year students enrolled in the Wyoming-WWAMI Medical Education Program on the University of Wyoming campus recently marked an important point of transition. Having completed two years of the foundations phase of the programs medical curriculum, these students received their white coats during a December ceremony, signifying a transition to the clinical phase of their education. The white coat is used to symbolize compassion and honor, and will be worn by the students throughout the clinical portion of their medical training. The students rotate through various medical specialty clinical education rotations, known as clerkships, throughout the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region, including teaching hospitals associated with the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) in Seattle. The ceremony, attended by friends and family of the medical students, WWAMI administration, faculty and staff, along with invited guests, was held at UWs Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center. Tim Robinson, director of the Wyoming-WWAMI Medical Education Program, highlighted the importance of this transition for medical students, going from classroom to bedside. He says that UWSOM is among the top three medical schools in the U.S. and that graduates from the WWAMI program provide Wyoming residents with unsurpassed physician care. Robinson expressed gratitude to the Wyoming Legislature for its vision in strongly supporting WWAMI and emphasized that the delivery of a top medical curriculum would not be possible without the tremendous support of the entire state -- including the Wyoming State Legislature, the Wyoming Medical Society, Wyoming hospitals, private practice clinics, physician and Ph.D. instructors, WWAMI alumni and University of Wyoming administration. Robinson says this years WWAMI class is particularly strong in the area of leadership. One of the class members, Alexis Anderson, of Jackson, founded the group Wyoming Women in Medicine -- an organization dedicated to promoting collaboration of female physicians in Wyoming, fostering new female physicians and using the unique perspective of female providers to advocate for women in medicine within the region. Another member, Ryan Winchell, of Cody, began a local campaign of Stop the Bleed, a national campaign aimed at providing the education, equipment and training to help in an emergency setting involving uncontrollable bleeding before help arrives. These are just a couple of examples of the passion that these students have for taking care of the people of our great state of Wyoming, Robinson says. Dr. Valerie Lengfelder, an alumna of the first WWAMI class of 1997, presented the evenings keynote address. Lengfelder, a family practice physician from Powell, spoke to students about the challenges and achievements that lie ahead in their careers as physicians. I would like the students to enjoy their time learning from all of their patients, Lengfelder said. I also want them to know that they will see unusual, interesting and complicated patients in rural areas as well as in the city. WWAMI faculty members, who served as mentors to the medical students, presented their student mentees with their white coats. Drs. Yvette Haeberle, John Haeberle, Julie Carlson and Mark Wefel each mentored five students during their time in the program on the UW campus. Mentoring the medical students has been the most rewarding part of my job, Dr. Yvette Haeberle says. Developing lifelong relationships with the future Wyoming physicians is similar to the relationships that I developed in training. The students also help the mentors stay on their game as far as new drugs, technology and treatments. Mentors not only teach the basic clinical skills of performing history and physical exams, but also help the students develop effective communication skills, foster professionalism and demonstrate the importance of work-life balance. As part of a special recognition of service and announcement of retirement, the WWAMI Medical Education Program recognized Dr. Larry Kirven. Kirven has served as clinical assistant dean for the program since 2013. During that time, the Wyoming-WWAMI program has seen its class composition double, from 20 students on the UW campus to a total of 40. Kirven, originally from Buffalo, attended Oregon State University from 1972-75 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. He attended UW as a nondegree-seeking graduate student from 1976-78, while working as an EMT and ambulance service supervisor at Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. Kirven completed his family medicine residency at Family Medicine Spokane, in Washington state, from 1982-85 and is a retired family medicine physician. Dr. Kirven has been an invaluable resource for Wyoming-WWAMI and his service to medical education in Wyoming, Robinson says. Wyoming-WWAMI accepts 20 students each year, and they spend 18 months on the UW campus before heading to clinical sites throughout the WWAMI region. The Wyoming-WWAMI class recognized in December is the first Wyoming medical class to take all of its foundations curriculum in Wyoming. Students in the 2018-19 WWAMI class, listed by hometown, are: Big Piney -- Caleb Brackett. Casper -- Marcus Couldridge and Conner Morton. Cheyenne -- Trey Thompson, Aleksandra Zarzycka and Jacob Zumo. Cody -- Amanda Golden, Sean McCue and Ryan Winchell. Encampment -- Jesse Hinshaw. Gillette -- Adam Blaine. Jackson -- Alexis Anderson and Elliott Trott. Laramie -- Allana Hall, Reno Maldonado and Renae Wollman. Rock Springs -- Rida Fatima and Daulton Grube. Sheridan -- Reed Ritterbusch. Sinclair -- Logan Taylor. Wildlife experts have called for a long-term management plan for Victoria's koalas and, in the wake of devastating bushfires, warned against well-intentioned public appeals that may distract from measures needed to stabilise the species. Australia's koala population has gained worldwide attention and raised millions of dollars as shocking images continue to emerge of burnt koalas during the ongoing bushfire season. "There are so many misconceptions among the public," says Dr Desley Whisson, a lecturer in Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Deakin University. Dr Whisson says many people are unaware that in some areas koalas are over-populating which strips habitats of enough food - leading to food scarcity and, in the worst cases, starvation. She always looks sensational whenever she attends glamorous celebrity events. And Tamzin Outhwaite cut a chic figure at the Vanity Fair EE BAFTA Rising Star Award Party at The Standard London on Wednesday. The actress, 49, showed off her stellar sense of fashion in a black satin suit which she paired with a striped pussy bow blouse. Style: Tamzin Outhwaite, 49, cut a chic figure in a satin suit and striped shirt at the Vanity Fair and EE BAFTA Rising Star Award Party at The Standard London on Wednesday Tamzin tucked her statement blouse, which was tied into a perfect bow around the neck, into her high-waisted trousers for the star-studded event, which saw attendees enjoying drinks by CIROC Vodka. She completed her stylish ensemble with a pair of black boots and painted her nails a dark maroon colour. The blonde beauty wore her locks down and slightly wavy for the evening, allowing the front of her tresses to frame her face. Tamzin also kept her makeup to a minimum by adding just a slick of blushed and a pretty pink lipstick at accentuate her features. Chic: The former EastEnders actress wore her locks down and slightly wavy for the evening, allowing the front of her tresses to frame her face It comes after Tamzin insisted she is 'not having a midlife crisis' by dating a toyboy 21 years her junior. Tamzin, who played Mel Owen on EastEnders, recently said her relationship with personal trainer Tom Child, 28, is both 'unexpected and magic'. But the soap star also revealed that some people think she is having a midlife crisis due to the substantial age gap. 'People think Im having a midlife crisis, but actually, not all men want a younger woman,' she told Prima magazine. Smile: Tamzin also posed for a snap with a dapper looking Layton Williams, who plays the lead role in hit musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie 'Theres Joan Collins, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Helena [Bonham-Carter] with younger men, so I'm in really lovely company. 'Toms very good for my mental and physical health. The other way around, no one says anything about a younger woman do they?' She was previously married to ex-EastEnders actor Tom Ellis, but they divorced in 2014. The pair have two daughters, Flo, 11, and seven-year-old Marnie. It has been claimed that ex Tom cheated on her with Australian actress, Emilie de Ravin, in 2013 as they filmed for the TV series Once Upon A Time while in America. But since their split, the actress says she has stopped 'giving two hoots' about what other people think of her, describing it as 'a lovely feeling'. Tamzin also praised her new beau for improving how she feels both physically and mentally, saying that they exercise together and have 'enhanced each other's lives'. Did you notice a recent change to how Google search results are displayed on the desktop? I noticed something last week -- thinking there must be some kind of weird bug messing up the browser's page rendering because suddenly everything looked similar: A homogenous sea of blue text links and favicons that, on such a large expanse of screen, come across as one block of background noise. I found myself clicking on an ad link -- rather than the organic search result I was looking for. Here, for example, are the top two results for a Google search for flight search engine 'Kayak' -- with just a tiny 'Ad' label to distinguish the click that will make Google money from the click that won't... Turns out this is Google's latest dark pattern: The adtech giant has made organic results even more closely resemble the ads it serves against keyword searches, as writer Craig Mod was quick to highlight in a tweet this week. There's something strange about the recent design change to google search results, favicons and extra header text: they all look like ads, which is perhaps the point? pic.twitter.com/TlIvegRct1 Craig Mod (@craigmod) January 21, 2020 Last week, in its own breezy tweet, Google sought to spin the shift as quite the opposite -- saying the "new look" presents "site domain names and brand icons prominently, along with a bolded 'Ad' label for ads": Last year, our search results on mobile gained a new look. Thats now rolling out to desktop results this week, presenting site domain names and brand icons prominently, along with a bolded Ad label for ads. Heres a mockup: pic.twitter.com/aM9UAbSKtv Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 13, 2020 But Google's explainer is almost a dark pattern in itself. Story continues If you read the text quickly you'd likely come away with the impression that it has made organic search results easier to spot since it's claiming components of these results now appear more "prominently" in results. Yet, read it again, and Google is essentially admitting that a parallel emphasis is being placed -- one which, when you actually look at the thing, has the effect of flattening the visual distinction between organic search results (which consumers are looking for) and ads (which Google monetizes). Another eagle-eyed user Twitter, going by the name Luca Masters, chipped into the discussion generated by Mod's tweet -- to point out that the tech giant is "finally coming at this from the other direction". They're finally coming at this from the other direction:https://t.co/XYkHjVrE8X Luca K. B. Masters (@lkbm) January 21, 2020 'This' being deceptive changes to ad labelling; and 'other direction' being a reference to how now it's organic search results being visually tweaked to shrink their difference vs ads. Google previously laid the groundwork for this latest visual trickery by spending earlier years amending the look of ads to bring them closer in line with the steadfast, cleaner appearance of genuine search results. Except now it's fiddling with those too. Hence 'other direction'. Masters helpfully quote-tweeted this vintage tweet (from 2016), by journalist Ginny Marvin -- which presents a visual history of Google ad labelling in search results that's aptly titled "color fade"; a reference to the gradual demise of the color-shaded box Google used to apply to clearly distinguish ads in search results. Those days are long gone now, though. Color fade: A history of Google ad labeling in search results https://t.co/guo3jc4kwz pic.twitter.com/LMYqhmgfyE Ginny Marvin (@GinnyMarvin) July 25, 2016 Now a user of Google's search engine has -- essentially -- only a favicon between them and an unintended ad click. Squint or you'll click it. This visual trickery may be fractionally less confusing in a small screen mobile environment -- where Google debuted the change last year. But on a desktop screen these favicons are truly minuscule. And where to click to get actual information starts to feel like a total lottery. A lottery that's being stacked in Google's favor because confused users are likely to end up clicking more ad links than they otherwise would, meaning it cashes in at the expense of web users' time and energy. Back in May, when Google pushed this change on mobile users, it touted the tweaks as a way for sites to showcase their own branding, instead of looking like every other blue link on a search result page. But it did so while simultaneously erasing a box-out that it had previously displayed around the label 'Ad' to make it stand out. That made it "harder to differentiate ads and search results," as we wrote then -- predicting it will "likely lead to outcry". There were certainly complaints. And there will likely be more now -- given the visual flattening of the gap between ad clicks and organic links looks even more confusing for users of Google search on desktop. (Albeit, the slow drip of design change updates also works against mass user outcry.) We reached out to Google to ask for a response to the latest criticism that the new design for search results makes it almost impossible to distinguish between organic results and ads. But the company ignored repeat requests for comment. Of course it's true that plenty of UX design changes face backlash, especially early on. Change in the digital realm is rarely instantly popular. It's usually more 'slow burn' acceptance. But there's no consumer-friendly logic to this one. (And the slow burn going on here involves the user being cast in the role of the metaphorical frog.) Instead, Google is just making it harder for web users to click on the page they're actually looking for -- because, from a revenue-generating perspective, it prefers them to click an ad. It's the visual equivalent of a supermarket putting a similarly packaged own-brand right next to some fancy branded shampoo on the shelf -- in the hopes a rushed shopper will pluck the wrong one. (Real life dark patterns are indeed a thing.) It's also a handy illustration of quite how far away from the user Google's priorities have shifted, and continue to drift. "When Google introduced ads, they were clearly marked with a label and a brightly tinted box," said UX specialist Harry Brignull. "This was in stark contrast to all the other search engines at the time, who were trying to blend paid listings in amongst the organic ones, in an effort to drive clicks and revenue. In those days, Google came across as the most honest search engine on the planet." Brignull is well qualified to comment on dark patterns -- having been calling out deceptive design since 2010 when he founded darkpatterns.org. "I first learned about Google in the late 1990s. In those days you learned about the web by reading print magazines, which is charmingly quaint to look back on. I picked up a copy of Wired Magazine and there it was - a sidebar talking about a new search engine called 'Google'," he recalled. "Google was amazing. In an era of portals, flash banners and link directories, it went in the opposite direction. It didn't care about the daft games the other search engines were playing. It didn't even seem to acknowledge they existed. It didn't even seem to want to be a business. It was a feat of engineering, and it felt like a public utility. "The original Google homepage was recognised a guiding light of purism in digital design. Search was provided by an unstyled text field and button. There was nothing else on the homepage. Just the logo. Search results were near-instant and they were just a page of links and summaries - perfection with nothing to add or take away. The back-propagation algorithm they introduced had never been used to index the web before, and it instantly left the competition in the dust. It was proof that engineers could disrupt the rules of the web without needing any suit-wearing executives. Strip out all the crap. Do one thing and do it well." "As Google's ambitions changed, the tinted box started to fade. It's completely gone now," Brignull added. The one thing Google very clearly wants to do well now is serve more ads. It's chosen to do that deceptively, by steadily -- and consistently -- degrading the user experience. So a far cry from "public utility". And that user-friendly Google of old? Yep, also completely gone. The white goods sector have sought a reduction in the Goods & Services Tax (GST) as well as incentives for manufacturing products locally from the Budget 2020. Ahead of the budget on February 1, consumer durables firms have sought Make in India incentives so that more companies are encouraged to manufacture locally. While GST rates are usually decided at the GST Council meeting chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, companies are hoping that the FM makes related announcements during the budget. GST has been set at 18 percent for a majority of consumer durables products. However, categories like air conditioners and televisions above 32 inches are taxed at 28 percent. This adds to the total cost of the product, both at manufacturing and sale stages. In 2019, the sale of TVs saw an almost 5 percent dip, which was an aberration since other product segments saw a healthy double-digit growth. Kamal Nandi, President-CEAMA and Business Head & Executive Vice President, Godrej Appliances, explained that the penetration level for durables has traditionally been low in India. He added that current penetration levels stand at 33 percent for refrigerators, 12 percent for washing machines, followed by ACs at 5 percent and 65 percent for TVs. After the GST revision, tax rates were reduced for most, barring ACs and large screen TVs, which continues to be in the highest tax slab of 28 percent. Lowering the tax slab to 18 percent would help offset the price pressure and spur demand for both split and window ACs and TVs above 32 inches, he added. In the past two years, there has been a reduction on GST from 28 percent to 18 percent for several appliance categories like small TVs, washing machines and refrigerators. A cut in taxes led to the prices of these products falling by 8-10 percent. Neeraj Bahl, MD and CEO, BSH Home Appliances India, said the government should consider reduction in GST rates for products like refrigerators and ACs, which are now evolving from being luxuries to necessities for our consumers. The industry feels a reduction in GST will make products more affordable. Further, Nandi said lowering the GST tax slabs for eco-friendly and energy-efficient products like ACs (four and five star window AC and split AC inverter models) and refrigerators (direct cool and frost free) to 12 percent will drive demand and increase the adoption of sustainable appliances by Indian consumers. Apart from making products cheaper by tax cuts, the white goods industry is also seeking special Budget sops to enable firms to set up more factories in India. Nandi said Indian component suppliers are facing difficulties in competing with cheaper Chinese imports. The government should consider initiating some measures to reduce the input cost to make these components by waiving duty on the inputs imported to make the components, he said. Added to this is the demand for product-specific incentives for those like TVs, which are now a household item. In September 2019, the Ministry of Finance said open-cells for LCD/LED panels will not attract any customs duty. The ministry had said that it will be valid till September 30, post which local manufacturing of open cell could be incentivised. However, Nandi said basic custom duty on open cells (a key component to the TV) needs to be continued at nil after September as well because the open cells are not being manufactured in the country. He explained that levying duty on a commodity which is not manufactured in India will only put an additional stress for the TV manufactures. Promoting Make in India is on the top of the wish-list of the appliance makers. Avneet Singh Marwah, Director and CEO of Super Plastronics (exclusive brand licensee of Thomson TVs and Kodak TVs in India), said in order to revive the GDP, India needs to have a lot of infrastructure. First we need to complete the projects which are already in the process. This will help manufacturers like us to invest and manufacture more and help Make in India initiative to be a successful model for the economy, he added. Once the manufacturing set-up in India gets more robust, it is likely that several global appliance makers would be interested to set up local units. Sources said a handful of Asian consumer durables firms have expressed interest to enter into partnerships in India. Companies said easing of the foreign direct investment (FDI) limits would be beneficial. At present, FDI at multi-brand retail stands at 49 percent. The same for single brand retail is 100 percent, with a mandatory 30 percent local sourcing. Ravi Saxena, MD, Wonderchef, said the government should allow the Indian-borne retail enterprises to raise up to 49 percent foreign capital under the automatic route without restriction irrespective of being a single brand or multi-brand. Chancellor Merkel, in Davos, has said the conflict in Libya must be stopped before another refugee crisis begins. She added that a global decrease in diplomacy was making regions like the Sahel more unstable. In a wide-ranging speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that Germany had made a mistake during the 2015 refugee crisis. Not, she said, by welcoming asylum-seekers fleeing conflict, but by not preparing for their arrival as civil conflicts began cropping up across the Middle East and northern Africa. "The mistake was not to have paid attention to create an environment where people can stay in their own country," the chancellor said, DW reports. She warned that the mistake should not be repeated with Libya, where the conflict between the UN-backed government and rival commander Khalifa Haftar is destabilizing other nearby countries like Mali and Niger. "We have to do everything to ensure a peace process" in Libya, Merkel said, to prevent another major humanitarian crisis and refugee influx. Berlin recently hosted talks between the warring sidesin Libya, which ended in an agreement to limit foreign interference and commit to a UN arms embargo. Part of the reason behind the instability in Libya, the chancellor continued, was that a changing of global mores led to widespread uncertainty and a lack of security. NOTE: A version of this story originally ran in 2017. It has been updated here with information about the 2020 parade. When the 2020 Hackettstown St. Patricks Day parade steps off on March 15, it will be headed by someone from out of town 3,200 miles out of town, to be precise. This years parade grand marshal will be Joe Barnes, a retired firefighter from Hacketstown, Ireland, and a key figure in the forging of an ocean-spanning relationship. Hackettstown, New Jersey, and Hacketstown, Ireland, share no common history or even the same spelling. No, this tale of two towns started more than 20 years ago with a letter between fire departments. The Irish Hacketstown is in County Carlow in the southeast corner of the country and is home to a little less than 1,000 people. Also notable, it is said to be the home of one of Elvis Presleys ancestors. On the other hand, New Jersey's Hackettstown in Warren County has a population of about 9,600. It is said to be named for Samuel Hackett, a local entrepreneur and businessman in the town's early days. This corner of New Jersey was home to German and Irish immigrants, town Clerk/Administrator Bill Kuster said, though it's not known if any came from the other Hacketstown. The ocean-spanning connection began in 1995 when Barnes, a retired firefighter in the Irish town, got a letter from Hackettstown, New Jersey, firefighter Jeff Saunders. At first, Barnes didn't know what to make of it. "At first I thought it was a little bit of a crank," Barnes said in an interview during a visit several years ago. Joe Barnes, of Hacketstown, Ireland, participates in the Hackettstown, New Jersey, 2017 St. Patricks Parade.Nick Scalera | For NJ Advance Media The letter was addressed, Barnes recalled, to the fire department of Hacketstown, Ireland (not County Carlow) and included a description of the New Jersey department. It asked if the Irish town's fire department was real, Barnes said. He replied it was indeed and provided some information. A year later, firefighters of the Irish Hacketstown were invited to the New Jersey department's 120th anniversary parade, which Barnes and another firefighter attended. Since then, he has visited 15 times, sometimes bringing others and fostering the relationship between the two towns. In 2011, the two municipalities were proclaimed "sister cities" by the New Jersey Hackettstown's government. Since the first letters, there has been at least one student exchange. Dignitaries have gone back and forth over the years to visit and participate in parades and other events. "It's a very small town. Just a couple bars and other things," Mary Litwheler, who with her husband hosted Barnes on his 2017 visit, said of the Irish Hacketstown. "It's a wonderful little town." Carlos Orozco, with the Hackettstown Business Improvement District, puts up one of many Irish banners on Main Street in preparation for the 2012 St. Patrick's Day parade.Matt Smith | lehighvalleylive.com contributor Former Hackettstown (N.J.) Mayor Michael Lavery is among those who have traveled to the other town for its Easter parade. He recalled getting a police escort into town, and seeing a "shrine" to the New Jersey town's fire department with gifts including a helmet and axe. "It's a really nice town, really nice people," Lavery said. "Really can't say enough great things about them." When Barnes was asked why he continues to visit New Jersey, the Irish citizen's response was simple: "Because I like it." "If something special happens in a place, it's always a special meaning," he said. "Hackettstown is a special meaning for me." Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Two Randolph men, both in their 20s, were identified by police as the victims of a fatal car crash Wednesday morning near Braintree High School. Bryan Davila Martinez, 23, and Jan Rivera, 20, were in a dark-colored sedan driving north on Granite Street around 4 a.m. when a white pickup truck traveling south collided with the car, according to Sean Lydon, interim deputy chief of Braintree police. Police did not specify whether Martinez or Rivera was driving the car. The driver of the truck was taken to a local hospital with injuries. He is expected to survive, police said. The area near Granite and Town streets was temporarily closed, and high school students were urged to use Franklin or Town streets to access the school, according to police. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and the Braintree Police Department. Two of the seven people wounded in Wednesday nights shooting that killed a woman in her 40s at a busy intersection of downtown Seattle were Amazon workers as police continue the search for two of the three gunmen. Seattle police on Thursday asked the public for help in finding the two alleged gunmen - both of whom have extensive criminal records, according to local reports. Seven others - among them a nine-year-old boy - were wounded by the shooting, which began outside a McDonalds near 3rd Avenue and Pine Street. That is the same intersection that is home to BlueShift, Amazons office building, where two company employees were standing outside when the gunfire erupted, according to KCPQ-TV. This combination of undated photos released by the Seattle Police Department show William Ray Tolliver, left, and Marquise Tolbert, two people authorities are seeking in connection with a shootout in downtown Seattle that left a woman dead and a 9-year-old boy injured Wednesday evening Amazon released a statement on Thursday confirming that two of its employees were wounded in Wednesday's shooting. The two employees were standing outside the company office building, BlueShift, when gunfire erupted outside a nearby McDonald's in downtown Both of the wounded Amazon employees, who have not been identified as of early Thursday evening, were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. We are deeply troubled by last nights events in Seattle and our thoughts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy ... We are grateful to police and first responders for acting so quickly, an Amazon spokesperson said. EMT and Police give first aid to a shooting victim in downtown on Wednesday in Seattle Initial police activity seemed to be focused around a McDonald's that has been the focus of prior community complaints about vagrancy and drug activity Police walk past the scene of a shooting at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street on January 22, 2020 in the central business district of Seattle, Washington The area where the shooting occurred is a busy intersection surrounded by stores and office buildings, and would have been packed with rush hour traffic Seattle authorities arrested one person in connection with the shooting. Police on Thursday released the names and photos of two other suspects who are missing: Marquise Tolbert and William Ray Tolliver, both 24. Authorities are warning the public that the two men are considered armed and dangerous. Both suspects have lengthy criminal records. One of them has been arrested at least 44 times and has been convicted in court of criminal offenses at least 20 times. The other has at least 21 arrests and 15 convictions. Police Chief Carmen Best said that it was 'not a random incident' and there were 'multiple people involved as shooters' in what began as a dispute before 'people pulled out guns, shots rang out.' Police Chief Carmen Best said that there were 'multiple people involved as shooters' in what began as a dispute before 'people pulled out guns, shots rang out' According to witness accounts, two men were arguing on the sidewalk prior to the shooting, and one or both of them produced guns and began firing EMT and Police rush to aid to a shooting victim in downtown on January 22, 2020 in Seattle EMT and Police give first aid to a shooting victim in downtown on Wednesday in Seattle, Washington. Multiple people have been injured and police are still searching for the suspect Best declined to say whether the suspects were known to police or gang involvement was suspected. The wounded victims include a 55-year-old woman in critical condition and a nine-year-old boy in serious condition, officials said. The other wounded victims were all adult males between the ages of 21 and 49 who were all listed as being in a stable condition. The area where the shooting occurred is a busy intersection surrounded by stores and office buildings. The area would have been packed with rush hour traffic and pedestrians at the time of the shooting. Police activity was focused around a McDonald's that has been the focus of prior community complaints about vagrancy and drug activity. According to witness accounts, two men were arguing on the sidewalk prior to the shooting, and one or both of them produced guns and began firing. The people struck by gunfire appeared to be innocent bystanders when the dispute turned violent, witnesses said. Samantha Cook, 40, of Edmonds, said she was refilling her transit card in Westlake Station when she heard the shots. 'I was on the first set of escalators,' Cook said. 'There were a lot of gunshots that started going off - maybe 10 or 11. It was just rapid fire.' The scene was chaotic, she said. Witnesses said that at least one shooter may have fled into a nearby underground transit station. Officials urged residents to stay away from the downtown core due to heavy traffic and transit delays as the investigation and manhunt continues Homicide and gang units were among the massive police response to the shooting. The Macy's at 4th and Pine is seen in the background on Wednesday night above The area has become an infamous open-air drug market known among dealers as 'The Blade' Police with guns drawn were seen searching the Westlake Station soon after the shooting. The area where the shooting occurred is a formerly prosperous commercial district anchored by a Macy's department store. However, the neighborhood has become one of Seattle's highest crime areas in recent years, hosting an open air drug market known among dealers as 'The Blade'. In a brief statement, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said: 'I am sick for those impacted by the gun violence in Seattle tonight.' Wednesday evening's shooting was the third to occur in the area in the past 24 hours. On Tuesday, a 55-year-old man was shot and critically wounded at the Westlake center. The unknown shooter escaped on foot dressed in all black. And on Wednesday afternoon, an officer-involved shooting occurred when police shot a 28-year-old man in the nearby Belltown neighborhood. That suspect's injuries were said to be non-life threatening. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Seattle Police at 206-233-5000. Stamford Symphony is returning to Westhill High School for an interactive concert with Stamford fourth grade students as part of Carnegie Halls Link Up program, The Orchestra Moves. Presented in collaboration with Carnegie Halls Weill Music Institute, Link Up continues to be the centerpiece of Stamford Symphonys work with schools. This year all Stamford Public School fourth graders (approximately 1350 students) are participating in Link Up, The Orchestra Moves, according to a news release. RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- All signs point to a good year ahead for the area's overall economy and commercial real estate markets. That was the message conveyed at the 35th Annual Triangle Commercial Real Estate Conference on Wednesday evening, where over 1,600 of the area's business, government and community leaders gathered in Raleigh's PNC Arena to consider the health and direction of the local economy in the coming year. Hosted by Tri Properties | NAI Carolantic Realty, the conference is considered the authoritative "state-of-the-market" report on the Triangle's real estate sector. Findings presented at the conference provide an important bellwether of the region's general economic vitality. The Conference theme was "Celebrating a Legacy," of influence and growth having held the first conference in 1985 in a small hotel meeting room in Downtown Raleigh. Today, NAI Carolantic's research was based in part on a survey of over 285 million square feet of office, multipurpose and retail space comprising 8,500 buildings. "The overall market was healthy last year and will likely remain so in 2020," said Jimmy Barnes, SIOR, President of NAI Carolantic. Vacancy was down in virtually all categories of the multipurpose, shopping center and office categories." Among statistics that Barnes cited for 2019: Four office submarkets remained in single digits. Only RTP and Downtown Durham were over 10%. Office rents also continued an upward climb due to increased demand and construction costs. The retail market experienced overall positive absorption and vacancy remained steady at 3%. The multipurpose (industrial/warehouse/flex) sector reported another year of historically low vacancy at approximately 7%. The Triangle apartment market still saw strong absorption and vacancy rates actually dropped to 4.9%, the lowest in 20 years. Giving his forecast on the Outlook for Income Property, Barnes noted, "We expect steady market demand will keep cap rates compressed and there is a strong upside in purchasing existing properties, especially in the industrial sector given the gap in rental rates for new product. The industrial sector is still leading the way, fueled in part by demand for products for the residential construction industry and same-day "last mile" delivery requirements of E-commerce." In his market recap, Barnes noted the industrial sector already has over 3.3 million square feet underway which is 40% more than was built in 2019. The office market will also have another record year of construction surpassing 2019 with 3.1 million square feet already underway. With all the new construction, Barnes expects overall office vacancy to rise to double-digits by the end of 2020. Headed into 2020, Barnes predicts the shopping center category will also have another big construction year, almost double the amount already underway. However, he expects vacancy to remain at approximately 4% with most new construction already preleased. Retail developers and owners continue to navigate the ever-changing retail market with food and beverage, health and fitness as well as coworking space to become prominent tenants. The investor outlook for land is positive with multifamily land at a premium, as apartment vacancy remains historically low. Industrial land costs will continue to rise in preferred locations which is driving development to surrounding areas, still with good access to I-540. Diminishing office land is leading to redevelopment opportunities of existing facilities. Residential land activity is also increasing in surrounding areas due to difficulty getting projects approved in core areas. Barnes concluded with, "Strong job growth drives our community and with continued hard work by our elected officials and economic development teams, this trend will continue. We are in a great place and the future continues to be bright." Conference sponsors included: Bobbitt Design Build; celito.net; DMJ & Co., PLLC; JDavis; Manning Fulton & Skinner, P.A.; TriSure; Wells Fargo and WithersRavenel. SOURCE Tri Properties; NAI Carolantic Realty By Alida Kass Freelancers breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that legislation to prohibit their working arrangements would not make it to the governors desk in the Lame Duck session. The very workers who were ostensible beneficiaries of the legislation had been calling and emailing from every corner of the state for weeks, opposing the legislation as a threat to their chosen lifestyle and very livelihood. Advocates for the bill, meanwhile, dismissed the reaction as overblown alarmism driven by cheaters who refuse to play by the rules. The unfortunate result is people on either side often wound up talking past each other. But the bill has already been reintroduced for the new legislative session as S863. If we are going to take on the worthwhile task of clarifying the law on worker classification, we should start by reconciling the seemingly contradictory assertions about what this bill would do. Advocates like the AFL-CIOs Charles Wowkanech have argued the legislation will merely target companies that intentionally misclassify workers as independent contractors, which are putting companies that play by the rules at a competitive disadvantage. So, what exactly are these rules? The answer depends on who you ask. Read agency adjudications posted on the Department of Labor website and youll get one interpretation. Read the corresponding decisions from the New Jersey courts, and youll get another. Why? The New Jersey Department of Labor has been interpreting the worker classification test in ways that have been repeatedly rejected by New Jersey Appellate Division and Supreme Court. The Department of Labors interpretation is out of step with the rest of the country. It is even more extreme than Californias AB5 legislation, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020 and already has caused thousands of contract workers to lose their jobs and sent legislators scrambling for solutions. So sponsors of the legislation have it half-right when they say the bill would codify existing agency interpretation. But they get it half-wrong when they add: if you dont have a problem now, you dont have a problem with the bill. Because codifying agency interpretation means codifying an interpretation that currently loses in court. For example, the key change to the test in California, which sparked the massive job loss and economic dislocation, is already the Department of Labors interpretation. The California AB5 law changed the test to eliminate contract work status for work done outside the place of business. New Jerseys Department of Labor achieves the same result by simply interpreting the place of business to be essentially anywhere a worker goes to perform a task. New Jersey courts have rejected that as absurd, self-validating circular logic that effectively nullifies that element of the test, making it impossible to meet. Are businesses and contract workers who follow New Jersey court rulings cheaters who dont play by the rules? S863 says they are. And S863 goes even further than California, by also changing the test to eliminate the kind of side work that allows the teacher to do some wedding photography, the cop to have a side gig setting off fireworks, or even the attorney to play the occasional gig in a band. Again, the New Jersey courts have rejected the Department of Labors restrictive interpretation as unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious. But S863 would codify that losing interpretation. Indeed, given advocates apparent concern for playing by the rules, they might want to focus their attention on the Department of Labor. As recently as September of 2019, final agency adjudications posted on its website show it continues to apply the same discredited analyses, finding even the cleaning lady who periodically cleans a dentists office is a misclassified employee. The sky hasnt fallen yet in New Jersey, mainly because scrutinizing agency adjudications is deeper into the weeds than a business will typically go when hiring workers in a given state. And a quick review of court decisions would reveal that the agency overreach continues to be overturned in court. But if these losing standards become prevailing law, we need only look across the country to California to see the chaos and economic dislocation that will follow. Advocates for S863 insist this legislation is not the California AB5. And theyre right. Its worse. Alida Kass is president and chief counsel of the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. (@FahadShabbir) WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2020) US President Donald Trump's administration plans to add seven countries to its travel ban list, including former Soviet republics Belarus and Kyrgyzstan as well as Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Citing unnamed administration officials, the newspaper said the initiative, still under consideration, would not necessarily place blanket bans on travel to the United States for all of these countries, but rather impose restrictions on specific visa types. The add-on to the travel ban list reportedly includes Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. Currently, restrictions on travel to the United States are in place for citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, along with Venezuela and North Korea. If, like many people, you live and breathe by the Lonely Planet guide books when you travel abroad, this news will be like music to your ears. The worlds number one travel guidebook brand has teamed up with adventure operator Intrepid Travel to bring us Lonely Planet Experiences - over 300 group tours across 65 countries, ranging from two hours to 22 days. In an effort to meet the growing demand for sustainable tours, the trips will be 100% carbon-neutral, will be led by a local leader and will use public transport and support locally-owned businesses. The Lonely Planet and Intrepid Travel have teamed up. Photo: Supplied Travellers can now book into a Lonely Planet Experiences. Photo: Getty Images The new tours will also only feature a maximum of 16 travellers, which is great for those solo globetrotters looking to meet new people. According to a recent Intrepid Travel survey, a whopping 85 percent of Aussies said they regularly experience loneliness and that grows to 95 percent when you just look at 18-25 year-olds. Lonely Planet Experiences will run across 6 continents and range from two hours to 22 days. Photo: Supplied It comes after the Campaign to End Loneliness claimed last month that loneliness is an epidemic. The tours will no doubt be hoping to contribute to being antidote for combating loneliness, as well as drawing in Gen Z conscious travellers with the sustainable tours. In October, Lonely Planet revealed the top ten countries to visit in 2020, which will no doubt get peoples wanderlust senses tingling. Top 10 countries to visit in 2020: Bhutan England North Macedonia Aruba eSwatini Costa Rica The Netherlands Liberia Morocco Uruguay They also announced the best places for jet-setters to visit in the Asia-Pacific area. Top 10 Asia-Pacific destinations to visit in 2020: Davinder Singh was produced in the special NIA court along with the two terrorists and their two associates. (Photo Credit: File Photo) New Delhi: Davinder Singh, the suspended Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police who was arrested for helping two terrorists travel out of Jammu and Kashmir, has been sent to 15-day custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Davinder Singh was produced in the special NIA court along with the two terrorists and their two associates on Thursday. The four others were also sent to NIA custordy for 15 days. "Today(23-1-2020), five arrested accused namely Davinder Singh, Syed Naveed Mushtaq Shah, Irfan Shafi Mir, Rafi Ahmad Rather and Syed Irfan Ahmad in case RC-1/2020/NIA/Jammu, were produced before the NIA Spl. Court Jammu. The Court has granted 15 days custody of the accused to NIA till 06.02.2020," a release said. Syed Irfan, brother of a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist arrested along with Singh, was also produced in the court by the NIA after it arrested him on Thursday. The accused were brought to the court in bullet-proof vehicles with their faces covered. The NIA, which took over the investigations into the case last weekend, brought them to Jammu on Wednesday on a transit remand from Kulgam in south Kashmir. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. yorkfoto/iStock(LONDON) -- The United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Myanmar must take all measures within its power to prevent the genocide of its embattled Rohingya minority Thursday, in a move hailed by human rights groups. The Gambia, a small West African country, filed the lawsuit against Myanmar in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a coalition of countries with significant Muslim populations, asking the ICJ to investigate whether Myanmar's government has violated the Geneva Convention. The Court also ruled that Myanmar must take measures to present the destruction of evidence and ensure that its military and any militia units do not commit any acts that serve as direct and public incitement to genocide. The Rohingya, a Muslim-majority ethnic minority, remain extremely vulnerable and were at serious risk of genocide, the ruling judges added. The Gambian Ministry of Justice said in a statement that the ruling was a major step towards holding Myanmar accountable for alleged acts of genocide. Myanmar must now submit a report showing they have complied with the order within four months, and will have to present further reports every six months after that. Over 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since a campaign by the country's military to push them out and raze their villages began in August 2017. Myanmar, previously called Burma, has denied any wrongdoing, saying that the campaign was against an Islamist extremist group. The ruling follows a 2017 report by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Myanmar found the treatment of the Rohingya appears to bear the hallmarks of genocide. A further U.N. fact-finding mission in 2018 said the human rights violations were principally committed by the Myanmar security forces, and recommended that they should be investigated and prosecuted in an international criminal tribunal for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar who was once hailed as a global icon when she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and spent 15 years under house arrest, had appeared at the ICJ in The Hague to defend her regime against the accusations of genocide last month. Writing in the Financial Times before the ruling Thursday morning, Suu Kyi said that war crimes may have been committed by members of the Myanmar Defence Services, but said that Rohingya refugees had provided exaggerated information, stopping short of saying that genocide had been committed. Amnesty International said that the ruling sent a message to Myanmar that the world will not tolerate their atrocities. The case represented a victory for the Rohingya, although it was limited in its scope, Laura Haigh, Amnesty Internationals Myanmar researcher told ABC News. The ruling on provisional measures was a dispute between two states, and did not concern whether or not Myanmar breached its obligations as a state party to the U.N.s genocide convention, she said. I think it absolutely is a victory for the Rohingya, and more broadly for justice and accountability in Myanmar, Haigh said. Importantly its going to put a lot of political pressure on Myanmar now. I think its going to be very hard for Myanmar to not engage in this process further. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) has announced Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) as the Strategic Sustainability Partner of Global Womens Forum Dubai 2020 (GWFD 2020). To be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of Dubai, the forum will take place in Madinat Jumeirah from February 16 to 17, 2020, under the theme The Power of Influence. This partnership is a part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both parties and is an extension of Dewas continuous support for Global Womens Forum Dubai since its inaugural edition in 2016. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, expressed his happiness at the partnership between Dewa and DWE and stated: Dewa plays a key role in enhancing the role of women and boosting their capabilities, in accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to ensure womens active inclusion across all fields and sectors. We are therefore committed to harnessing their technological skillsets and scientific knowledge to excel in the field of sustainability. He also praised the unwavering commitment of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to further establish women as integral contributors to the growth and sustainable development of the UAE. He also commended Sheikha Manals efforts to advance the overall socio-economic participation of women through a variety of pioneering and unique programmes, initiatives, and events, such as the highly anticipated GWFD 2020. He stated that GWFDs goals align with Dewas efforts to enhance womens participation in vital sectors, with a particular emphasis on the energy field, as well as areas of innovation and creativity. Mona Al Marri, Chairperson of the DWE Board of Directors, praised the continued partnership with Dewa, highlighting the entitys key role in cementing the position of Dubai and the UAE in the field of sustainable energy. She stated that Dewas support for GWFD 2020 is a testament to its dedication to actively increase womens contribution in this field and the economy at large. She added: The partnership between the Establishment and Dewa is a manifestation of the vital cooperation and knowledge exchange among government organisations, leading to new heights of innovation. This is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Dubai Plan 2021, which emphasise the importance of the systematic development of different sectors to further establish Dubai as a smart and sustainable city. She also praised Dewas efforts to increase public awareness of renewable energy, and the importance of striking a balance between environmental consciousness and developmental goals, ensuring that future generations live in a clean and healthy environment. She added: Dewas collaboration as Strategic Sustainability Partner reinforces the Forum as an exemplary platform that mobilises joint efforts to advance womens positive impact for a better future. The Forum presents an ideal opportunity to show the UAE and Dubais efforts in consolidating sustainable energy and its local and global impact. At Global Womens Forum Dubai 2016, Dewa hosted the Sustainable Hub in GWFDs Discovery area. Dewa showcased several innovative and creative ideas in sustainable energy and discussed topics related to womens role in energy and relevant best international practices.-- Tradearabia News Service Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday said that Nagas are "fully protected" under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Rio, addressing a gathering of students here, said Naga leaders, including civil societies, NGOs, student leaders and political parties were called to Delhi for discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the passage of the bill. The chief minister said Shah had assured leaders from the state that it will be "exempted along with the 6th schedule tribal states, and when the Bill is introduced in Parliament, it will be inserted in the master copy". "We sympathise with those people who have the fear of CAA, but for us, we feel that we are fully protected now," Rio said. On the decades-old Naga political issue, the CM said "every negotiation point has been discussed and now the ball is in our court". "Our Naga underground brothers and factions should come together while all the civil societies, mass-based tribal and public leaders should help to unite the Nagas, otherwise we will miss the golden opportunity again and continue to suffer," Rio said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "It scoops up everything they want and removes itself so there's no trace, no evidence," he said. "Anyone who knows what they are doing are going to cover up their tracks." Observing that the "finality" of death sentence is extremely important, the Supreme Court on Thursday said condemned prisoners should not be under the impression that the death penalty remains "open ended" and can be challenged all the time by them. In remarks that came against the backdrop of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case filing one petition after another leading to the delay in their hanging, the court stressed it has to act as per law and judges also have a duty towards the society and the victims to deliver justice. The observations were made by a bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna while hearing the review pleas of a woman and her lover for killing seven members of her family including parents, two brothers and their wives and strangulating her 10-month-old nephew in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. The bench reserved its verdict on their review pleas against its 2015 judgement upholding the death penalty to the two convicts. "One cannot go on fighting endlessly for everything," it said. "The finality of death sentence is extremely important and a condemned prisoner should not be under the impression, that the death sentence remains open ended and can be questioned by them all the time." The remarks came when senior advocates Anand Grover and Meenakshi Arora pleaded for leniency and commutation of the death penalty of Shabnam and her lover Saleem on the ground they be afforded an opportunity to reform themselves. The plea was vehemently opposed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. "A convict cannot seek mercy after killing his parents that oh ho, now I have become an orphan," said Mehta, who appeared for the UP Government. The law officer said that after convictions, a ground is being allowed to be taken that the death row convict has reformed himself or herself in jail then everybody will take that plea and it would open a new legal avenues for such condemned criminals. The bench asked the lawyers to provide it the judgement on the issue whether the court is obliged to consider the plea of reformation for commuting the death penalty of the convicts post their convictions in heinous cases like the present one. "Every criminal is said to have an innocent heart. However, we have to look into the crime also," the bench said when the ground of possible reformation of convicts was argued as one of the mitigating circumstances for commuting death penalty. The bench said the scope of review plea was limited and the condemned prisoners were required to only show the "error apparent on records" of the apex court's earlier verdict. "We do not like to emphasise only on the life and death penalty of an accused, especially when lives of seven people have been snuffed out in the present case," the bench said, adding "The most important thing that we consider is sentencing should be proportionate to the crime." The bench was told by the lawyers for the convicts that they belong to a poor and uneducated background and moreover, they were first time criminals and hence be given an opportunity to reform. It then referred to the sequence of events in the case and said the father of the woman convict was against her relationship with the co-convict and her lover and fights used to take place in the family on the issue. In a pre-meditated manner the woman served the sedative-laced tea to all the seven family members and then her lover comes in the picture and inflicts fatal wounds on all of them by using an axe, the bench said. "It is not the judge but the law that deals with a criminal. A judge, being a human being, cannot forgive a murderer. The law and the judge act for the society. Imagine a situation when a judge tells a murderer 'oh yes, I forgive you!'. Imagine the impact." The solicitor general then mentioned the plea of Ministry of Home Affairs, which was filed on Wednesday, and said the Centre is seeking modification of the 2014 directions to ensure that a 7-day deadline is fixed for execution of condemned prisoners after issuance of the black warrant. The apex court had upheld the death sentence of the two convicts who are natives of Amroha in UP, in 2015. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court upheld the death sentence awarded to the duo by a sessions court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Burma Govt Administrator Shot in Myanmars Northern Shan State Administrator U Myint Oo Kywe was shot near Kyaukme in northern Shan State. / Tin Maung Thein / Facebook An administrator in Kyaukme Township in northern Shan State was shot twice and wounded while he traveled home from work, according to the police. U Myint Oo Kywe, a clerk at the General Administration Department, was heading home from Mong Tin Village. He was stopped at 5 p.m. by two assailants. The village is around 3 kilometers from Kyaukme. He was wounded in the ear and stomach, but it was not life threatening, U Aung Htay Win, a Kyaukme police officer, told The Irrawaddy. He said the men would be charged with attempted murder if caught. U Myint Oo Kywe was treated at the hospital in Kyaukme before being transferred to Lashio to increase his security, according to the police. He visited staff doing community work in Mong Tin yesterday morning and was returning in the early evening. The two men stopped him on his way back to Kyaukme. U Myint Oo Kywe tried to take out his firearm when he saw the two assailants, which might have saved his life, said the police officer. No arrests had been made, said U Aung Htay Win. Murders are common in Kyaukme and the police have failed to push through prosecutions in the lawless area. Three village chiefs from Mong Tin were killed in Kyaukme in November last year. A Buddhist monk and an ex-army officer were also killed. Kyaukme has been at the center of the conflict between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Myanmars army. Fighting has often occurred between the army and TNLA and there is also conflict between the TNLA and RCSS. A family of three was arrested Wednesday for allegedly running an illegal gambling operation in San Antonio. In October 2019, police were called to a trailer in an unidentified area of town for a family violence incident involving a gun. When police arrived, they discovered the call had been a ruse and instead found a makeshift casino with several 8 liner machines inside the trailer, an arrest affidavit said. Inside, 31-year-old Andres Barbosa IV and his 61-year-old parents, Sandra Barbosa and Andres Barbosa III, along with at least three other people, initially claimed they were gambling, and had won and been paid cash from the 8 liners. It was later discovered that the Barbosa family had been running the illegal gambling operation. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Police found nearly 30 gambling machines as well as an ATM, though employees told police the ATM company didn't know the machine was at the location. Several documents and a cell phone were also recovered that made reference to the illegal operation. During the initial raid, Andres Barbosa IV told police he needed to get a backpack inside the trailer that contained items for his job at Amazon a payroll check, his car keys and a work deposit. Police searched the backpack, which actually contained a 9mm handgun, 8 liner machine keys, two gun magazines, 13 rounds for the 9mm, five 12-gauge shotgun shells, a flashdrive and gun licenses. One of the women working at the gambling location told police that Sandra Barbosa's sister had operated another illegal gambling location on Zarzamora Street that was raided and shut down by police earlier that year. That location was allegedly back up and running, the woman said. The Barbosa family was arrested Wednesday on charges of gambling-organized crime, and each are being held on a $2,000 bond. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway CLEVELAND, Ohio Someone broke into a 64-year-old mans home and stole more than 20 guns and three swords, among other items, according to police. The break-in happened Wednesday at a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, south of Buckeye Road in the citys Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood. The 64-year-old man who lived at the home told police someone stole his 200-pound safe that contained 20 to 30 guns. They burglars also stole swords, bullets, prescription medication including morphine, jewelry and two televisions. The guns were all loaded and include sawed-off shotguns, Uzis and Tech-9 guns and revolvers. The man told police he hadnt opened the safe in years and didnt know where he put the keys or if they were stolen. Someone broke a window on the mans back and used it to get in and out of the home, according to police reports. The house was ransacked, according to police reports. The 64-year-old man was not at home at the time of the break-in. Officers noted footprints that led from the mans backdoor to the parking lot of Wings Academy, a charter school that sits behind the mans home. Investigators found several items taken from the mans home littered throughout the parking lot. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page. Read more from cleveland.com: Man knocked unconscious during attempted robbery in downtown Cleveland Three teens arrested after man knocked unconscious, robbed in Clevelands Ohio City neighborhood Drug suspects in Northeast Ohio paid Lyft driver $1,000 to take them to Arizona, feds say BAFTA have announced the recipient of their prestigious Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at next month's ceremony. The British Academy of Film and Television announced on Thursday that the actor, producer and director will receive the gong at the 73rd EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony on Sunday 2 February in London. One of BAFTA's highest honours, the award is presented annually in honour of Michael Balcon, the British film producer known for his work with Ealing Studios. Honour: BAFTA have announced the recipient of their prestigious Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at next month's ceremony - Andy Serkis Previous recipients include Ridley and Tony Scott, the Harry Potter series of films, and John Hurt. Andy, 55, is being honoured for his huge contribution to cinema, both as an actor and immense behind the scenes work as a pioneer in digital technology. BAFTA said in a statement on Thursday: 'Through the creation of such characters as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy, the titular gorilla in 2005's King Kong, and as Supreme Leader Snoke in the recent Star Wars trilogy, Serkis has both pioneered the evolving art of performance capture and widened the parameters of what it means to be an actor in the 21st century.' Pioneer: Andy, 55, is being honoured for his huge contribution to cinema, both as an actor and immense behind the scenes work as a pioneer in digital technology, creating characters such as Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings film franchise Marc Samuelson, Chair of BAFTA's Film Committee said: 'Andy's work on and off screen has been nothing short of revolutionary, inspiring audiences and his peers alike.' 'His pioneering influence as a performer, an educator, a leading innovator and an employer has helped shape the global film industry and the positive impact will be felt for years to come. He's a truly remarkable ambassador for our industry and a thoroughly deserving recipient of this year's outstanding achievement award.' Andy commented: 'I'm deeply honoured and thrilled to receive this award, and count myself extremely lucky to be on such a continually fascinating journey in visual storytelling, one that has given me the opportunity to collaborate with many of the world's greatest artists, technologists and craftspeople, with whom I'd like to share this wonderful accolade.' Actor: Serkis has appeared in a hugely diverse set of roles across movies and television (pictured in the recent BBC adaptation of A Christmas Carol) BAFTA said in a statement: 'Through the creation of such characters as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy (pictured) Serkis has both pioneered the evolving art of performance capture' In 2011, Andy founded (with film producer Jonathan Cavendish) The Imaginarium, a production company and digital studio dedicated to believable and emotionally engaging digital characters using performance capture technology for films and games. Andy has consulted on motion capture on a number of films including the 2014 version of Godzilla and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has been BAFTA nominated twice, for playing Ian Dury in Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, and for playing Ian Brady on television in Longford. Multi talented: His other film roles include 24 Hour Party People, The Prestige, Brighton Rock and The Adventures of Tintin (pictured) His other film roles include 24 Hour Party People, The Prestige, Brighton Rock and The Adventures of Tintin. He made his directorial debut with Breathe in 2017, and has since directed Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, based on the Jungle Book. He is currently directing Venom 2, starring Tom Hardy. The EE British Academy Film Awards, hosted by Graham Norton, will take place on Sunday 2 February 2020 at the Royal Albert Hall. The UK will decide whether and how to deploy Huawei equipment in the countrys 5G telecoms networks at next weeks meeting of the UKs National Security Council. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters UK officials have formally recommended that Huawei be granted a limited role in the UKs 5G networks, in spite of US calls for a complete ban on the Chinese company, according to Reuters. Citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the situation, Reuters said that the recommendation was made at a meeting of senior government officials and security agencies on Wednesday. It comes ahead of next weeks meeting of the UKs National Security Council, during which the UK will decide whether and how to deploy Huawei equipment in the countrys 5G telecoms networks. READ MORE: US steps up pressure on Britain over Huawei 'madness' A spokesperson for Boris Johnson said, however, that work on the matter was ongoing. The work on the issue of high-risk vendors in 5G networks remains ongoing and when it is completed it will be announced to parliament, they said. The move comes after reports that two of the countrys biggest telecoms groups BT and Vodafone were considering writing a letter to warn Johnson of how difficult they would would find it to build out 5G infrastructure if a blanket ban were implemented. READ MORE: Huawei CEO: We will survive further US sanctions On Wednesday, Reuters also reported that new EU guidelines will recommend that the blocs member countries restrict or even exclude 5G providers that are deemed to be of high risk to telecoms networks. The guidelines do not mention any 5G provider in particular, but they follow mounting pressure from the US. US officials have warned the UK that the use of Huawei equipment in any 5G rollout could put intelligence sharing between the two nations at risk. The US believes that involvement by Huawei in telecoms networks poses a security risk, largely because of the companys close ties to the Chinese government. Shwetha Surendran By Express News Service CHENNAI : Nitisha Umesh CrEatables Upon moving to the United States in 2008, Nitisha Umesh soon found the astonishing lack of eggless cakes to be quite upsetting. Taking matters into her own hands, and we mean literally, she decided to learn the art of baking. After batches of practice cupcakes, most offered to the local Jain Temple in Delaware as prasadam, she found her footing in fondant and custom cake decorating. Ive always been quite creative with my hands, and clay modelling was a favourite growing up. Its funny how thats translated into fondant modelling and cake decoration, she says. A mother of two, Nitishas time and attention are constantly in demand, and hence she admits to being very selective in picking orders. For me, every cake I bake and decorate has some sort of a story attached to them. I dont just bake for the sake of it, she adds. Owing to the very vividly detailed custom cake orders that she undertook in the USA, Nitishas fondant skills have reached a level of their own. Her expertise in crafting fondant human dolls, with expressive faces, has set her apart in the market. I call myself a cake artist rather than a home-baker and it makes me happy when clients still have the fondant cake-topper pieces I made for them, she says. A competitive baker who participated and won various prizes in the Great American Cake and Wedding competition, she is not one to shy away from challenges like baking and packing 500 decorated sugar cookies for an engagement function or a five-storey cake with intricate and colourful fondant detailing. Nearby, her nine-year-old plays with some modelling clay and by the looks of it, she might not be the lone fondant decorator in the family soon. You can find more of Nitishas goodies at @crEatables. For details, call: 6379485114 Samyuktha Vale Bake My Day A visibly well-worn Morphy Richards oven sits in the corner of the Samyuktha Vales workspace, that is otherwise strewn with multifarious baking tools and knick-knacks. It is organised chaos, in every sense of the word. As she pulls out a fresh batch of chocolate and walnut cookies from the oven, she mumbles to herself, This is what happens to my cookies, if I leave them alone even for a minute. To our untrained eye, it looks warm and delicious, but Samyuktha Vale is no ordinary eye, and thats what places her in the ranks of one of the top home bakers in the country. What began as a fun bonding activity between grandmother and child, soon grew into a passion, and finally culminated into a brand called Bake My Day in 2015. Its been five years of constant baking, but I still love cake. I dont think Ill ever get tired of it, she adds. Booked out almost every week, Samyuktha is determined to stand out in the crowded field of home bakers in terms of quality. All her ingredients are locally sourced, except for the chocolate that she imports from Belgium. I even have a vegan line now, that came to be courtesy of a friend who quite frankly, annoyed me into doing it for him. Im very grateful now, she says with a smile. With signature pastries such as the chocolate fudge buttercream, Nutella panna cotta, and of course, the famous Millionaire Shortbread, it is only fair to admit that the city has not been wrong to have fallen in love with her sweet treats. You can find more of Samukthas goodies at @bakemyday_chennai. For details, call: 9884695954 Vedhavalli Sundar The Bakers Box If youve always wanted a Birkin bag but were hindered by its hefty price tag, just get it made as a cake. As Vedhavalli Sundar shows us photos of her latest creation, a chocolate brown Birkin bag cake with gold detailing, its as pretty as the original, and whats even better, you can eat it! The Bakers Box, started by Vedhavalli to make eggless cakes for her two daughters, soon developed into a busy home business of customised wedding cakes and cookies. Cameras seem to be the popular cake shape of choice among her clientele and she admits to baking several intricate camera parts and putting them together with fondant. A constant innovator, Vedhavalli isnt afraid to try new things, one, in particular, being gulab jamun cookies. My guinea-pigs are still my kids, family and friends. I constantly try out new recipes, and theyre the first to give me an honest opinion, she says. Its unbelievable that Ive gotten an award of being ranked in the Top 50 home-bakers in the country. I try to listen to what the customer wants, and give them that exactly. I think thats also why clients keep coming back, she says. Vedhavalli puts on her apron and oven mitts when the family has gone to bed. My creativity is at its best when everything is quiet and I just enjoy experimenting with new flavours by myself, she adds. The latest creation to come from her kitchen is a rosemilk cake, and well leave her to it to surprise us with assuredly bigger, bolder and better flavours. You can find more of Vedhavallis goodies at @the.bakersbox. For details, call: 9884013575 Sushma Rajan Cake Affairs A neat row of delicate mini cupcakes, adorned with tiny fondant animal faces sits atop the glistening white countertop. The whole scene oozes of perfection, and thats exactly what home baker Sushma Rajan hopes will set her apart from her fellow competitors. I dont just make fondant and throw it onto the cake. I believe that quality is key to standing out, and hence a lot of time and creativity goes into my fondant figurines and cakes, she says. A mom and a full-time home baker, the birth of her baby boy and the consequent celebration of his monthly progress with little cakes, is what led Sushma to the world of baking. Delving into recipes on YouTube and other baking websites, she began experimenting with simple components, thats now been practised to perfection and has taken the form of her brand, Cake Affairs. Launched in 2013, its grown from just custom cakes and chocolates to macarons, tiramisu and mini-cupcakes. My clients cant get enough of my red-velvet cakes with a raspberry creme cheese frosting. Its the absolute best-seller, Sushma says. Her other signature hot-sellers are the orange and chocolate, choco raspberry, rose cake with paan, and a rasamalai cake. When asked about her big baking plans for 2020, Sushma tells us with a smile that shes quite content with where she is right now. I love being a mom as much as I love baking, and right now Im happy with the balance. I dont want to miss out anything in my sons life and home-baking gives me that, and a little pocket money for some extra shopping, she adds with a laugh. Shes content with her baking and taking a bite out her brownie, we are more than content as well. You can find more of Sushmas goodies at @cakeaffairs.chn. For details, call: 8939947874 JERUSALEM President Trump said Thursday that he would release his long-awaited Middle East peace plan within days and invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his rival, the former army chief Benny Gantz, to the White House next week to discuss it. Neither the plan nor the visit may do much to advance the cause of peace, but the occasion promises to be a surreal spectacle. If all goes according to plan, Mr. Trump, who is on trial in the Senate on charges of high crimes and misdemeanors, will play host to Mr. Netanyahu, who has been indicted on equally high charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and to his challenger, Mr. Gantz, who holds no government office and whose main argument to oust Mr. Netanyahu is that he has not been indicted for anything. The meeting will take both men away from Israel on the day that its Parliament is scheduled to begin debating whether to grant Mr. Netanyahu immunity. The owners of a Co Tyrone livestock market are to stand trial on health and safety charges following the death of an elderly farmer, who succumbed to injuries after an incident involving a bullock. Harry McAnespie (80) suffered severe head trauma at Clogher Mart on June 23, 2018. He was airlifted to hospital but passed away in the early hours of the following day. The Health & Safety Executive launched an investigation which led to proceedings against Clogher Valley Livestock Producers Limited. At Dungannon Magistrates Court, the company was represented by director Edwin Boyd. Charges included two counts of failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, as well as non-employed persons who may be affected by exposure to risks. Mr Boyd confirmed he understood the charges against the company, and did not object to the court proceedings. He declined to call witnesses or give evidence on his or the company's behalf at this stage. A prosecution lawyer said there is a case to answer, which was agreed by District Judge Michael Ranaghan. He ordered the matter to be returned to Dungannon Crown Court for arraignment next month. Judge Ranaghan noted the presence of Mr McAnespie's widow and several family members, seated quietly in the public gallery. "The court expresses it condolences on this very tragic incident," he said. Bail was fixed at 750 and a defence barrister asked if his client could be excused from the standard procedure of going into custody to sign this, given the particular circumstances of the case. The judge said he has previously ruled bail will always be signed in custody, "but this is an entirely different and tragic situation". At the time of the incident, Clogher Valley Livestock Producers extended sympathy to Mr McAnespie's family, describing him as a long-standing customer. They said: "This has been a most tragic incident. Harry was very well-known and highly respected in the farming community, and his loss will be keenly felt." Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 10:00:00|Editor: zh Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Five men were sentenced to six and a half years in prison for trafficking 785 undocumented migrants in cargo trucks, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Wednesday. Two of them were convicted of transporting 396 migrants and three of transporting 389 migrants, it said. They were arrested in June during an operation on roads in the Veracruz states. In the later half of 2019, Mexican authorities arrested 276 people for trafficking migrants with cargo trucks, buses or automobiles, according to a report by the National Immigration Institute. The mostly Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violent crime were charged up to 5,600 U.S. dollars per person to be taken to the U.S. border, said the Interior Ministry. A TEENAGER has presented himself at a Cork Garda Station for questioning in respect of the fatal stabbing of student Cameron Blair (20). The teen - who is understood to be 17 years old - arrived at Togher Garda Station this morning and asked to speak with detectives investigating the fatal stabbing on the Bandon Road last Thursday. His attendance at the garda station was entirely voluntary. The teen - who is from Cork city - is expected to speak with detectives involved in the investigation for several hours over the course of the day. The development came as the remains of Mr Blair (20) are set to be released back to his family today, with his funeral to take place on Sunday. The Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) student died after suffering a stab wound to the neck while he was attending a house party last Thursday (January 16) on the Bandon Road in Cork. Three young men had attended the social gathering uninvited. All three were in the process of being asked to leave when one lashed out at Mr Blair and he suffered his fatal injury. A senior garda source said they have made "significant progress" with their investigation over the past few days. "The level of support from the general public has been absolutely crucial," he said. "People, especially young people, were absolutely shocked by this incident and have been giving us the support we need to progress this investigation." Detectives have spoken to a large number of people who attended the party and received a detailed description of the individual who lashed out at Mr Blair with a knife. CCTV footage is also expected to place a crucial role in the investigation. Footage from a number of business premises along the Bandon Road is set to prove critical given how it depicts the movements of various individuals both before and after the fatal attack. Gardai have now spoken to three individuals who attended the party and who had interactions with Mr Blair. One of those individuals is a juvenile. Mr Blair, who was from Ballinascarthy in west Cork, died from a stab wound to the neck despite desperate efforts by doctors at Cork University Hospital (CUH) to save him. His body has remained at CUH but will be released back to his family later today. He is survived by his parents, Noel and Kathy and younger brother, Alan. The young man will repose at his Ballinascarthy home from 10am on Saturday with his funeral service taking place in St Peter's, Church of Ireland in Bandon at 2pm on Sunday. Following his funeral service, the young man will be buried at Kilbeg Cemetery. Mr Blair was an accomplished rugby player and athlete, winning several national honours. He had attended Bandon Grammar School before studying engineering at CIT where he was a second year student. CIT president, Dr Barry OConnor, said the entire college was shocked by the tragedy. The entire CIT community is in shock at the untimely death of one of our students, and in such dreadful circumstances, he said. Gardai have renewed their appeal for anyone with information about the incident last Thursday (January 16) to contact them. Anyone who was on the Bandon Road in Cork between 8pm and 10pm on January 16 and who witnessed anything suspicious or anyone with dashcam or mobile phone footage is asked to contact Togher Garda Station on (021) 4947120. Abbas urges France and EU to help unblock peace process 'Pressure Israel for Palestinian vote on East Jerusalem' (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JANUARY 23 - France and the EU in general could play a key role in unblocking the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the WAFA news agency reported Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas as saying during a meeting Wednesday evening in Ramallah with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. He added that the process had been blocked by ''Israeli intransigence and unbalanced positions taken by the Trump administration''. ''We are awaiting recognition of the State of Palestine by European countries that believe in the two-state solution,'' Abbas said. He then reiterated that the Palestinian Authority intends to hold presidential and legislative elections as soon as possible. However, to do so, he said, Palestinians in East Jerusalem also need to take part. The Palestinian Authority hopes that France and the EU can put pressure to this end on Israel. Macron, WAFA added, has confirmed that France firmly believes in a two-state solution and that it has pledged to help Palestinians build their political structures and support their economy.(ANSAmed). MBABANE There is a new Minister of Information, Communication and Technology. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo will now also be in charge of the ICT Ministry, following that the incumbent minister, Princess Sikhanyiso, has taken an extended leave as she is indisposed. The new changes were announced by the Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, on Tuesday during the ongoing Cabinet retreat which is held at the Piggs Peak Hotel and Casino. The nature of the princesss condition remains unknown. Khumalo confirmed yesterday that he had also been given the position to also temporarily head the ICT Ministry and that the announcement had been made by the PM. When asked if he could juggle the two ministries, particularly since his own kept him very busy, Khumalo said he would give it his best. I will give it my best and will focus on making progress on the key imperatives that ICT is driving in our Strategic Road map, he said. Foundation He said Princess Sikhanyiso (Inkhosatana) had done a great job of laying a strong foundation for success and he was going to work until her return. It is going to be hard work, but I will give it my best, he said. Meanwhile, Government Spokesperson Percy Simelane confirmed the latest changes. He said he had double checked with the Deputy Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, who confirmed that the PM had made the announcement yesterday and said the ICT minister was indisposed. Efforts to get comment from Princess Sikhanyisos Personal Assistant Bernhard Reck were not successful as he had not responded to a WhatsApp text sent to him by 6:15pm, which were blue-ticked and his mobile phone had also rang unanswered. Of note is that the Inkhosatana was conspicuously missing during the royal events, in particular the Incwala Ceremony. During the Swaziland Editors Forum breakfast meeting with the prime minister, the princess was commended for waking up early and attending the meeting as early as 7am. In response, the minister had asserted that before she was appointed to Cabinet, she had come from a night life opposite to the daytime kind of life and it was, therefore, a case of readjusting and learning life altogether again. 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[chinadaily.com.cn] To mix the modern Chinese cultural landscape with an international perspective, documentary series Century Masters is scheduled to release the first season of its international version on streaming site iQiyi on January 23. The series honors the life stories of 10 significant cultural figures from the 20th century: Zhang Daqian, Mei Lanfang, Liu Haisu, Lu Xun, Xu Beihong, Cheng Yanqiu, Lin Fengmian, Jiao Juyin, Liu Tianhua and Sha Menghai. Each episode, around 52 minutes long, will be available for global viewership in eight languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and French. It is one of the productions of The Sight and Sound of China a project spearheaded by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China and the State Council Information Office. The world-class creative team consists of Nobel laureate Mo Yan as chief scriptwriter and Bill Einreinhofer, three-time Emmy Award-winning producer, as narrator and host. Bill Einreinhofer, three-time Emmy Award-winning producer, director and writer, arrives in Beijing to film the international version of documentary series Century Masters on Sept 7, 2018. [chinadaily.com.cn] Starting in 2017, Einreinhofer arrived at the Beijing Yingu Art Museum and commenced filming the episodes in that space. Having traveled all over China over the past 25 years, the filmmaker wishes to show foreign viewers "Chinese people are just like us." "I want them to know it is these people who changed the Chinese culture, and in their own ways revolutionized society. I also want people to know they were people like us; they all got up in the morning to go to work. If their children were sick, it was going to be a tough day. I want the China story to be out there, to be understood and appreciated by the society, the people and the culture," he said to China Daily website in a previous interview. Apart from in-studio filming, the program is also shot in the artists' former residences, art galleries, Beijing Opera theaters and museums to present the audience with an immersive cultural and artistic experience. "If you have compelling characters, you can draw people in. Once you've drawn them in, you can start to learn the finer parts of the story. From one person, you start to learn China from different aspects of history, of culture and society. That I think it's a lot less scary, a lot less confusing than 5,000 years of history," he said. The international version of the docuseries Century Masters will be shown on iQiyi with membership required on January 23, right before Chinese New Year's Eve. (Source: chinadaily.com.cn) A prolonged period of unsettled wintry weather is underway for the midsection of the United States as a slow-moving, multifaceted storm system tracks through the region. Conditions across southeastern Nebraska deteriorated quickly Tuesday night as freezing rain developed, resulting in numerous accidents between Hastings and Omaha. The Nebraska State Patrol urged drivers to stay off the roads on Tuesday night following multiple accidents. (Twitter/@NSP_TroopC) Early Wednesday morning, hazardous driving conditions were also reported along Interstate 94 in Minnesota where state troopers had responded to numerous accidents, including a jackknifed pickup truck that was pulling a trailer. Sleet covered the ground in western Arkansas into the midday hours. The threat for a disruptive wintry mixture of precipitation continued to slowly expand northeastward across the Midwest Wednesday night. This radar image, taken Thursday midday, Jan. 23, 2020, shows rain (green and yellow), ice (pink and purple) and snow (blue) over the middle of the nation. (AccuWeather) Snowfall accumulations across the Midwest through Wednesday night was generally light, especially by Midwesterners' standards. However, a few inches of snow piled up in some locations with up to 6 inches in parts of northern Missouri. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP The storm system continued to keep many of the same areas across the Midwest grey and dreary on Thursday as well. Some locales, such as St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, may switch back and forth between rain and snow as temperatures hover in the lower to middle 30s. A disturbance in the upper atmosphere will join up with the storm and give it a boost toe end the week. Along with adding the threat for a steadier snow in the Midwest, it will also bring the threat for heavy rain and thunderstorms farther south. If the disturbance is able to inject enough cold air into this storm system, it will bring a threat for more substantial snowfall across the Midwest into Thursday night. Places across Missouri, Iowa and Illinois that received a mixture of rain and snow on Thursday may have a complete changeover to snow during the overnight hours. This would include areas in between the Interstate 70 and 80 corridors in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Story continues If the added boost of energy fails to inject enough cold air into the storm system by Thursday night, many of those places may just continue to have a mixture of rain and snow into Friday morning. The storm system is expected to continue to slowly spin its way towards the Ohio Valley Friday, shifting the threat for wintry weather eastward. Again, depending on how cold the air is in the vicinity of the storm system will determine how widespread the snowfall will be. Regardless of the magnitude of the cold weather, a focal point for some of the steadiest and heaviest snowfall is likely from northern Missouri to southeastern Iowa, northwestern and northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. This area can expect a general 3-6 inches of snow with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 8 inches. The storm system will begin to make a more eastwardly jog from Friday into Saturday, bringing an end to the wet and wintry weather across Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and much of Wisconsin and Illinois. Bouts of rain and snow will likely continue to persist across Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, but again with temperatures hovering in the lower to middle 30s, accumulations may mainly be on non-paved surfaces. At the same time, wintry weather will expand into the Northeast. The entire Midwest and western Great Lakes region will finally say goodbye to the storm system by Sunday, and unlike previous storms to track across the region this January, slightly above-average temperatures are expected in the wake of the system. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Farmers in Northern Ireland have been reminded to take extra care when working with slurry as the closed period for spreading slurry soon comes to an end. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has issued a warning to farmers in the region to take extra care. Concern is growing over the fact that slurry continues to remain a 'major attribute to death' on Northern Ireland farms to both livestock and farmers. Mixing slurry can be a particularly dangerous job as slurry gas is released very quickly, and in large quantities, as soon as the mixing starts. Slurry gas is a mixture of gases, including the extremely poisonous gas, hydrogen sulphide. Even a low concentration of hydrogen sulphide can knock out someone's sense of smell. At higher concentrations, those affected will rapidly find it harder to breathe and become confused - and at certain concentrations, just one breath can kill. HSENI said the first 30 minutes are the most dangerous, so it is important for farmers to leave the shed as soon as mixing starts - and to stay out for at least 30 minutes. Camilla Mackey, of HSENIs farm safety team, said: Before starting any job on the farm, including slurry mixing, take time to stop, think and safely plan the work ahead. Keep children and animals far away during the slurry mixing process, ventilate the area and mix on a windy day where possible. Always remove livestock from the shed before starting to mix. Stay out of the building for at least 30 minutes after the mixing starts and every time you move the pump or change the direction of mixing. Please be aware that if a tank is mixed before the end of the closed period and is then mixed again before the tank is emptied that gas can build up again even within a day or two and it is essential to stay out of the shed for at least 30 minutes after mixing starts once again, she said. Do not take any chances when mixing slurry. As the closed period comes to an end I urge farmers to reflect on the safe slurry mixing code, remembering that just one breath can kill. The slurry mixing code Keep children away from the area at all times when working with slurry If possible, mix on a windy day Open all doors Take all animals out of the building before starting to mix slurry Use outside mixing points first If slats are removed, cover exposed areas of the tank beside the pump/mixer to stop anything falling in Start the pump/mixer then get out and stay out of the building for as long as possible - at least 30 minutes Any time you have to go into the building try to make sure that another adult knows what you are doing and can get help if necessary If you have to re-enter to move the pump or change the direction of the pump, leave the building as soon as this is done do not go back in for as long as possible at least another 30 minutes The internet has opened up expansive possibilities for financial services professionals. At the same time, the decades-old world wide web still feels a bit like the wild wild west. The rules of engagement are not exactly clear, and hit-or-miss consequences for reckless and rude behaviors only add to the unpredictability of online engagement. Complicating matters is the fact that the internet brings out strange behaviors in otherwise reasonable people. Although lapses in judgment may be temporary, they can have lasting consequences, particularly for professionals in regulated industries like financial services. Luckily for credit union professionals, there are rules in place to help guide appropriate use of the internet. Unfortunately for credit unions, team members still have ample opportunities to make costly mistakes. Here are some of the more common ones our compliance team works with credit unions to guard against: Not following policy: Every credit union should have a social media policy that guides the online behavior of its team members. Beyond simply having the policy in place, credit unions should be updating the document annually at a minimum and providing training on the policy each time its updated. New employees should be provided a copy and allowed to ask questions, particularly when it comes to social media use on their personal time. If an employees personal social media presence makes it clear they are on staff at a credit union, you may require them to follow the social media policy at all times. (Newser) A California man fleeing police managed to hurtle his car some 340 feet across a river, in a move out of Dukes of Hazzard, though he paid with his life. The driver, identified as 58-year-old David Callahan, was pronounced dead after police caught up with his battered Mercedes sedan. Callahan apparently refused to pull over for Fresno police, who say he was swerving while driving around 8:30am Monday. He was initially traveling no more than 40mph but soon accelerated, reaching city limits as police called off the chase. Soon after, his car traveled about 337 feet across the San Joaquin River, landing in Madera County, per the Fresno Bee and KFSN. "In my 20 years, I've never seen a vehicle travel close to that distance," California Highway Patrol spokesperson Mike Salas tells KFSN. story continues below Officials confirmed Callahan died in the crash, which saw his vehicle roll before landing upright. Investigators believe his Mercedes was traveling as fast as 118mph as it made the jump at the end of a dead-end road, without any attempt to brake or swerve. "I don't know if maybe he misjudged, [or maybe] he didn't know the river was here," Reynolds tells the Bee. The San Francisco Chronicle reports drugs may have been a factor. "There were some issues going on at the house that may have contributed to him leaving erratically from his residence," Salas tells KFSN, which notes Callahan was reportedly bipolar. The Fresno resident, who had a criminal history, was arrested in July after his wife said he'd pushed her and was using drugs, though charges were never filed. (Read more car crash stories.) New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah will on Thursday launch the Bharatiya Janata Party's election campaign for Delhi by taking part in multiple political events. Shah would be addressing two public meetings and will undertake one padyatra (foot march) in the capital today evening, with as many as 149 public meetings scheduled by different party leaders for today. BJP president JP Nadda will address two meetings whereas Union Minister Prakash Javadekar is set to address four meetings in Rohini assembly constituency. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat too will address four meetings in Shalimar Bagh assembly constituency. Dharmendra Pradhan would address 3 public meetings in RK Puram constituency, whereas CP Joshi and Monoj Sinha both will address three meetings each in East Delhi. The party believes that small public meetings will be helpful in gaining the support of decisive floating vote and party would be able to explain public about the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Population Register (NPR). The party has scheduled at least 280 meetings and padyatras for Thursday and Friday as decided by Nadda and Shah. Apart from public meetings and campaigning, the BJP has also activated its overseas units including those from the United Kingdom, the UAE, the United States, Australia and Canada to take charge of campaigning in at least 40 constituencies of the capital. "The NRIs would go among the people and discuss their vision of a smart city and their constituency in particular. This vision will then be documented for the election campaign and for further development of the area. The NRIs would coordinate with local BJP offices on the project they have undertaken to turn the national capital into a truly smart city," a BJP leader informed. The voting will take place on February 8 in a single phase and counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A plane being used to water-bomb bushfires in Australia has crashed, killing three crew members. A water-bombing aircraft has crashed while fighting bushfires in Australia, killing its three crew members. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the large air tanker while it was passing through a region in the eastern state of New South Wales. The aircraft had been contracted from an American company. Al Jazeeras Andrew Thomas reports from Sydney. Following the shooting of two police officers in Mankessim, in the Central region, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh has visited the place. The purpose of the visit was to comfort the injured cops and further wish them a speedy recovery. The IGP was in the company of members of the Police Management Board (POMAB). The two Police officers were shot by armed robbers while attending to a distress call at the ZEN filling station in the early hours of Wednesday 22nd January 2020. The team assures the Police officers that the perpetrators would be arrested to face law. The team also visited the crime scenes to acquaint themselves with firsthand information. At the scene, the IGP and POMAB members were briefed by the Central Regional Police Commander, COP Mr. Paul Manly Awini. They were joined by Hon. Ekow Quansah, MP for Mfantsiman Constituency. In the case of the Police officer who died in relation to the incident (reference our earlier news release), the IGP instructed that the family (who are not residents at Mankessim, his duty station) should be formally informed and extended his deepest condolences to them and the Police fraternity. In recent years, local governments have been forced to adapt to a wildly changing world, especially as it pertains to sending bills and collecting payments. Bengaluru, Jan 23 : Global Cloud security company Trend Micro on Thursday announced results of a six-month honeypot investigation which revealed that unsecured industrial environments are primarily victims of common cyber threats. The honeypot was compromised for cryptocurrency mining, targeted by two separate ransomware attacks and used for consumer fraud. "Too often, discussion of cyber threats to industrial control systems (ICS) has been confined to highly sophisticated, nation-state level attacks designed to sabotage key processes. While these do present a risk to Industry 4.0, our research proves that more commonplace threats are more likely," Greg Young, vice president of cybersecurity for Trend Micro, said in a statement. "Owners of smaller factories and industrial plants should therefore not assume that criminals will leave them alone. A lack of basic protections can open the door to a relatively straightforward ransomware or cryptojacking attack that could have serious consequences for the bottom line," Young added. To better understand the attacks targeting ICS environments, Trend Micro Research created a highly realistic, industrial prototyping company. The honeypot consisted of real ICS hardware and a mix of physical hosts and virtual machines to run the factory, which included several programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human machine interfaces (HMIs), separate robotic and engineering workstations and a file server. Trend Micro urged smart factory owners to minimize the number of ports they leave open and to tighten access control policies, among other cybersecurity best practices. According to the company, implementing cybersecurity solutions designed for factories, like those offered by Trend Micro, can help further mitigate the risk of attack. Cases of coronavirus were reported in two other Asian countries, health officials said on Jan. 23. Two Chinese nationals in Vietnam tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus, health officials said Thursday, AFP reported. A Chinese man traveled to Vietnam on Jan. 13, from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, to visit his son. The son, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, was infected by his father. The father was hospitalized on Jan. 17 and the son was hospitalized several days later. They both tested positive for the coronavirus, which has sickened over 500 people, mostly in China, and killed 17 in the country. The patients have shown signs of good recovery, fever has reduced, and they can eat now, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Sang said at a meeting at Ho Chi Minh Citys Cho Ray hospital. Officials in Singapore said they confirmed one case of coronavirus, the first in the country. Ministry of Health officials told reporters in a briefing Thursday night that the patient, a 66-year-old Chinese man who lives in Wuhan, flew to Singapore on Jan. 20 with his family. After arriving in Singapore with a sore throat, he developed a fever and a cough and went to the hospital, where he was put in isolation. The man is still isolated at Singapore General Hospital, health officials said, Channel News Asia reported. Hes in stable condition. Health officials used contact tracing to identify the roughly 30 people who were seated just in front or behind the man and those who were identified will be contacted. The man traveled with nine people, including his son, who has also been isolated. The other eight left Singapore; health officials alerted their country of destination, which was not named. The Ministry of Health said it expects more confirmed cases in the coming days. Novel Coronavirus is part of the same family of viruses that caused SARS, the disease that killed hundreds in China in 2002-2003. The coronavirus broke out in Wuhan in December 2019. It currently has no vaccine and can spread human-to-human, health officials said this week, prompting fears of a wider spread. Common symptoms include respiratory symptoms, fever, and shortness of breath. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. Wuhan, a city of some 11 million in southeast China, was quarantined on Wednesday. Authorities shut down all public transportation as well as the airport. Unless there is a special reason, citizens should not leave Wuhan city, the Wuhan municipal government said in a statement. Cases have been confirmed in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao. Suspected cases have been reported in a slew of other countries, including Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. From The Epoch Times When citizens want to file a service request with their local government to fix a broken sign or pothole in the road, they usually have options. Most of them have mobile phones, and access to phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook pages and sometimes online portals specifically dedicated to that purpose. In some cities, this means a lot of interactions between staff and the public that are difficult to trace and keep track of over weeks or months of addressing them.A newly formed division of CivicPlus , an integrated communications company based in Kansas, wants to tackle this problem by integrating its software with a former competitors work-order management tool.The new division is called CivicService, announced this week as a department to oversee the union of CivicPlus CP Connect, which handles the administrative back end for citizen requests, and SeeClickFix, a company and product that CivicPlus acquired in October . CivicPlus then-Vice President of Client Services Cole Cheever toldat the time that an integration between the two would manifest in 2020, and a press release this week confirmed it.Leading CivicService is Divisional Business Leader Ben Berkowitz, formerly of SeeClickFix, who said the two teams started working together this month on updates of the two products expected for release by mid-year. He said the CivicService division is just shy of 40 employees, mostly headquartered in New Haven, Conn., about a third of whom are working on research and development.This new division is advancing both products in a way that they complement each other and work together, he said. Being able to track all of that information can be really helpful to a city so they can understand the load on the people who are customer-service-facing. That goes beyond the more structured service request model. Now with CP Connect, were able to track all those conversations back and forth.Berkowitz said updated versions of SeeClickFix and CP Connect will continue selling separately. He added that the new CivicService division will also be responsible for a document product called CRT, or citizen request tracker, which has about 1,000 customers and an update planned for February.Cheever said in the news release that the impetus for the creation of CivicService was customer demand for a single inbox for emails, phone calls and social media posts. But according to the news release, besides that single-inbox feature, the updated versions of those products will have a contact record to log citizen interactions, workflows that automatically send requests to the right departments, and interoperability with more than 20 other asset management or IoT products from companies like Cartegraph , Cityworks, Bigbelly and Esri Berkowitz said that when SeeClickFix was acquired, it had more than 400 government customers, CP Connect had around 30, and the total CivicPlus organization today has more than 3,500. He said the companys nearest competition is probably the citizen-engagement platform Rock Solid , which merged with CitySourced in April 2019. Still, he thought CivicPlus products have a leg up in terms of integrations and the scope of how they handle citizen requests, which go beyond work-order management to what he called relationship management.The launch of a new division of CivicPlus is perhaps a result of a strategy, articulated by Cheever in October, of buying and consolidating competitors and adjacent products. SeeClickFix was at least the companys fourth buyout in three years, after its acquisition of Rec1 in January 2017 for a parks and recreation product; BoardSync in October 2017, for an agenda and meeting management product; and Virtual Towns & Schools in July 2018, for an open-source content management system. The company also announced a partnership in October 2019 with Canadian citizen engagement company Civil Space Because my father is William Buckley. Okay, no, he isn't. My dad's a Puerto Rican guy who grew up in Harlem. But like the late National Review founder, my father's first language was also Spanish, and just as Buckley learned to speak English as a child while living in London, my father learned to speak like Buckley as a kid by watching him on "Firing Line." Not surprisingly, when my father grew up, he turned out to be pretty conservative. Other side effects from prolonged Buckley exposure included writing only with fountain pens, saying "Question" before asking a question, and lecturing his children about history and politics - especially when he was driving and they were trapped in the car. That last side effect is where Bloomberg first comes in. I was 15 years old in 2001, when Bloomberg was running for mayor in the Republican primary. One day in the car, Dad was explaining to me why Bloomberg wouldn't get his vote. Bloomberg had been a Democrat, my father said, but switched parties at the last minute because he wanted to be mayor and didn't want to bother competing in his own party's crowded primary. Bloomberg had money, and the process apparently was beneath him. Exclusive trade event will showcase high-quality Italian fashion to local market WeLoveModainItaly launches January 28, 2020 in Toronto (CNW Group/CNA Federmoda) TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - CNA Federmoda continues its commitment to support and promote Italian SMEs in the fashion sector with the launch of "WeLoveModainItaly Toronto" on January 28 and 29, 2020, in the Arta Gallery spaces in Toronto's Distillery District. The CNA Fashion Union's companies, in partnership with Consorzio Moda in Italy, and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as well as the Italian Trade Agency, will showcase a selection of Fall-Winter 2020/2021 collections to the local market. The event will bring together Italian manufacturers and brands, fashion buyers, and industry professionals for an exclusive opportunity to network and start possible commercial relationships in Canada. A wide selection of "Made in Italy" Fall-Winter 2020/2021 collections will be on display, including men and women's apparel, fine leather goods, jewellery and accessories. "International markets are increasingly asking for products that combine quality and design," explains Mr. Marco Landi, President of CNA Federmoda. "WeLoveModainItaly" will highlight the exquisite craftsmanship, quality and unique production and manufacturing processes with which Italian companies are globally renowned for," he continued. A keynote presentation on the principles of "Made in Italy" and its close connection to sustainability will be held on Tuesday, January 28, with opening remarks by Antonio Franceschini, CNA Federmoda National Manager. President of Consorzio Moda in Italy, Mr. Roberto Corbelli, who is a specialist in research and analysis of trends, will lead further discussion on agenda topics. The Italian Government will be represented by Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ivan Scalfarotto, accompanied by the Italian Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Claudio Taffuri and the Italian Trade Commissioner to Canada, Matteo Picariello. During his mission to Canada for "WeLoveModainItaly Toronto," Mr. Scalfarotto will assess the CETA agreement impact on trade exchange. "With the free trade agreements, it is not necessary to have an ideological approach, but to look at the results," said Scalfarotto "For example, since the start of the provisional CETA implementation, Italy has exported 438 million Euros more to Canada. This shows how the national interest of a country like Italy, seventh in the world for exports and fifth for commercial surplus, is closely linked to markets and commercial exchanges opening." A meeting with the aforementioned Italian organizations and the National President of CNA Federmoda, Marco Landi, is scheduled to take place on January 29 in Toronto. The event is open to trade professionals and media. To register, please RSVP to [email protected]. For news and updates, follow @welovemodainitaly on Facebook. About CNA Federmoda The CNA Federmoda Association (fb @cnafedermoda) joins together the textile, clothing, shoe, fur & leather, fashion, eyewear manufacturers and affiliate businesses, protecting and representing approximately 25,000 small-scale manufacturers and other SMEs in the Italian fashion industry, both private-label producers and third-party manufacturers. CNA Federmoda is a Union (sectorial division) of CNA. CNA covers the entire Italian territory with more than 1,000 offices throughout the country's regions, provinces and cities. About ITA - Italian Trade Agency The Italian Trade Agency is the governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investments in Italy. It operates through a worldwide network of 79 offices in 65 countries, including two in Canada located in Toronto and Montreal. ITA acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy and provides a wide range of services: information, assistance, consulting and promotion to Italian and Canadian companies willing to establish business relationships. About Consorzio Moda in Italy MODA IN ITALY Consorzio tra Produttori del Settore Moda dell'Emilia Romagna is a Consortium for Internationalisation gathering Italian manufacturing and service companies, and in particular, those producing their own brand of men's, ladies' and children's fashion collections and those offering specialist services for the fashion sector. SOURCE CNA Federmoda For further information: Media Contact: Sarah Duquette, Account Manager, Zenergy Communications, 416-591-5461, [email protected] Meanwhile, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the global elite are discussing agenda items such as Averting a Climate Apocalypse. After a summer of bushfires that aint over yet, its a hot topic for ordinary Australians too. The Doomsday Clock, a long-running project by the non-profit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, now stands at 100 seconds to midnight. This is the closest it has been to calamity since it started in 1947, even at the height of the Cold War. Lately, it seems everyone wants to talk about the impending apocalypse - and the latest news about the Doomsday Clock moving forward wont quell fears. Loading Just last week I caught up with old friends at the pub and conversation turned to our planetary future. These friends have never been climate change deniers but the bushfires have driven home the clear and present danger. One of our group is buying land in Europe and she invited us to come and live there if we ever needed to evacuate Australia. A week before that, I was having dinner at my friends house. My friends mother, an intelligent woman in her 60s, informed us all that she had joined Extinction Rebellion and was planning to participate in events. I am not surprised she accepts the scientific view on climate change but I have known her for decades and absolutely never imagined her as a protester. As far as Im concerned she is the perfect barometer for the national mood. Our political leaders and mining moguls might want to talk about hazard reduction burning - as if we dont already do that - but mainstream Aussies are not fooled. I have been deeply worried about climate change for a long time so none of this is new to me. Yet I have a career and a family and dont seem to be falling apart, so my friends at the pub turned to me for advice. How can we function as human beings in the face of this existential threat? BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 21 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Jan. 23, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using large caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. A boy of five who was left with brain damage and physical disabilities after a botched birth will be paid up to 20 million in compensation by the NHS. The youngster suffered prolonged, avoidable oxygen starvation during his birth at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 2014, the High Court heard. He suffered a catastrophic injury to his brain and his range of physical disabilities is as serious as any child could experience, said the boys barrister, Henry Witcomb QC. He told the court the boy is unable to speak but is able to show his sense of humour in other ways, and is able to experience and participate in life. Hes made terrific progress due to the tremendously committed, intelligent and devoted care of his parents, Mr Witcomb added. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability for the boys injuries and has now agreed to a final settlement of his damages claim. It will hand over a lump sum of 5,375,000, annual care payments of 324,000 which will rise to 357,318-a-year when he becomes an adult, and an additional 125,000-a-year to pay for costs that are not related to his care. Mr Witcomb said the capitalised value of the settlement was under 20 million, but coming towards that range. NHS counsel Sarah Vaughan Jones QC said: He has made tremendous progress thanks to the unstinting efforts of his parents. There is no doubt that he is grievously disabled and that the consequences are, and will continue to be, enormous for him and his family. Approving the settlement without hesitation, Mrs Justice Lambert said: Money does not turn the clock back, but this will make life a good deal easier. I add my own voice to the chorus testifying to the breathtaking and utterly selfless care and devotion of his parents. The same NHS trust agreed last June to pay up to 26 million in compensation to an eight-year-old boy who also suffered brain damage in a botched birth. The High Court heard he will always be a child, even if he meets expectations of living until his seventies, after a delay of about an hour before he was born by Caesarean section. A beautician has detailed what she thinks of her clients when they are naked during a routine wax or spray tan after noticing a lot of her clients spoke negatively of themselves. The owner of Quality Lashes in Sydney, Elise VonTea, shared an inspirational post that addressed some of the common concerns people have about beauty therapists 'judging' their bodies while being plucked, tinted or waxed. 'I do eyelash extensions, brows and spray tanning because it's nice to pamper someone and make them feel extra beautiful,' the 37-year-old wrote on Facebook. The owner of Quality Lashes in Sydney, Elise VonTea (pictured), shared an inspirational post in late December last year 'But sadly I hear it in all of these areas. Women thinking they are ugly without makeup, without lashes, without a tan, without filler or Botox and that they are now old or fat.' Ms VonTea said people often apologise for their appearance and complain about how 'ugly' they are, and she hears it countless times a day. Beauticians, doctors and professionals have seen it all. They don't look at you and judge you. But despite grievances with their own bodies, she doesn't perceive them in the same light. 'I see women and men who are short, tall, young and older, big and small,' she said. 'People who have lost weight and gained weight. Women who have carried babies in their bellies, women whose boobs don't sit up high like they did at 15, men and women who have scarring, stretch marks, loose skin, men and women who have lots of body hair and women who have none.' 'Beauticians, doctors and professionals have seen it all. They dont look at you and judge you.' Ms VonTea said people often apologise for their appearance and complain about how 'ugly' they are, and she hears it countless times a day (pictured in her salon) What is your beautician actually thinking? 1. Some beauticians will refuse to give you a bikini or Brazilian wax if you're on your period for hygiene reasons. 2. Others think it's 'annoying' when you have let your hair get too long - or it's too short - to wax. 3. Some would rather you be more relaxed because clenching makes it more difficult to wax. Source: Mamamia Advertisement She said all they're thinking when they look at you is that this is a nice person and that is their body. 'I know I may sound like someone that's just trying to be nice and positive or some crap but I really mean it when I say you are not ugly,' she said. She went on to say that we don't look at our friends and judge them the way we judge ourselves, and that's exactly what our beautician is thinking. 'Also young people under 35 please realise you are in the prime of your youth and beauty,' she said. 'Also young people under 35 please realise you are in the prime of your youth and beauty,' she said (stock image) 'When you get older you'll realise that you literally wasted all this time thinking you were ugly, when in actuality you were beautiful, healthy, able, with young skin, a full head of hair and even though you probably wanted to be slimmer, you actually looked amazing.' While Ms VonTea by no means endorses perfection she would like people to stop looking inwardly at their own insecurities and instead turn to see what they can do outwardly. 'Get out there, get busy, do something to get out of your head and into the lives of others with your kind heart and helping hand,' she said. 'It will bring you much joy and leave little time to think about what's wrong with you, cause you're actually pretty god damn special.' Elise's clientele responded with gusto and loved her body positive message, saying that all their fears about judgement in the clinician's room was pointless. Kratom (previously) is a plant that grows wild in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea, and is a relative of the coffee plant. For centuries, people have chewed or drunk teas brewed from its leaves for a mildly euphoric effect, and recently, the plant has come to the US, prompting many stories of incredible benefits in fighting opioid addiction and treating chronic pain, as well as some non-credible claims about curing cancer or producing morphine-like highs, as well as a moral panic that has led the FDA to (unsuccessfully) class it as a Schedule A narcotic, with no medical benefits. The research on kratom is disappointingly thin, so it's hard to say empirically what's going on with people who ingest it. The plant is legal in most of the USA, and can be readily obtained at low costs over the internet, though many of the firms that sell the plant adulterate it with a range of substances, some of them dangerous in and of themselves. Kratom has been implicated in a smattering of overdose deaths, but it's not clear what the causal relationship is in these (as a remedy for addiction, it's possible that opioid overdosers had ingested kratom in a bid to help wean themselves off of their addictions). As Emma Grey Ellis notes in her excellent Wired story, kratom is remarkable because it is a drug that sparked a moral panic that fizzled out. Unlike other drug-related panics that saw the possible therapeutic uses of drugs ignored in rush to prohibit them, the effort to ban kratom at the FDA died in the face of evidence about possible benefits from the substance, proffered by people who pointed out the lack of evidence for the supposed dangers of kratom use (this is reminiscent of the attempt by California authorities to ban salvia divinorum, a powerful psychedelic that was ably defended by the MAPS project, whose scientists made a compelling case for salvia's therapeutic uses, including helping people safely stop taking opioids). Kratom's detractors are one problem, but its boosters are another. Hucksters sell kratom with a variety of unsubstantiated and dangerous claims, notably that it can cure cancer. Between this and the adulterants they add to their supply, taking kratom can be a crapshoot in which users have to take it on faith that they're getting a product that's safe and in a known dose. Ellis hangs her Wired story off the personal journey of Faith Day, a recovered addict who credits kratom with helping her kick her habit. Day, having observed that Portland, OR, leads the nation in searches for "kratom," moved there and opened a boutique kratom dispensary, and began to advocate for regulation of kratom to make it a safe and reliable product. This has attracted much harassment and even death-threats from some kratom sellers and users. So the DEA and FDA's worries aren't unwarranted. "They are rightly concerned about any substance that they have very little control over that patients and consumers are using to self-treat medical conditions," the University of Florida's Grundmann says. "When you talk about withdrawal, depression, anxietythat usually belongs in the hands of a medical professional." Few seem to think that calls for a ban, though. "If we completely cut off any legal way for those consumers to get kratom, then we don't have any oversight left." Instead, it might be more helpful to consider what kratom's widespread use says about where our culture around drugs and medicine is now. "Many kratom users I've talked to don't feel comfortable interacting with doctors, which is to their detriment," the University of Rochester's Swogger says. "But we can't pretend like the medicines we're providing are getting to everyone. They're not." While not everyone who takes a kratom supplement has a story as dramatic as Day'sfrom homeless substance abuser to business owner and motherit's clearly filling a need for millions of people. The need to regulate, but not ban, kratom use is already being acknowledged on the state level: The Kratom Consumer Protection Act has been passed in Arizona, Georgia, and Utah, and is pending in Oregon. "If it was as dangerous as the media says, I don't think that would be happening. Nobody's passing a heroin consumer protection bill," Day adds. "It's just weird." You probably know how Portland feels about weird. The place plans on keeping it. Release the Kratom: Inside America's Hottest New Drug Culture [Emma Grey Ellis/Wired] (Image: Clean Kratom Portland) Piramal Realty, the real estate arm of Piramal Group, has announced its plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore for developing a residential project in Thane, Maharashtra. Piramal Realty has termed it value housing segment and through it the real estate developer for the first time aims to cater to millennials with relatively smaller budgets. The project is a part of the 32-acre township - Piramal Vaikunth. The project has a cluster area of 5 acres and a development potential of 2 million sq feet. The newly launched Cluster 3 would be offering 1, 1.5 and 2 BHK apartments with access to premium amenities starting at 350 sq feet carpet area at Rs 60 lakh. The project is located in Balkum in Thane West and also has an ISKCON temple complex, which is spread over 2.75 acres. Piramal Realty founder Anand Piramal said there has been an increased traction towards the value segment over the last few quarters. He said his companys expansion into the segment is in line with plan to create homes across the consumer demand pyramid. Our aim is to create homes that significantly improve the quality of life for the youth and first-time homebuyers by setting gold standards in customer-centricity, architectural design, quality and safety, Anand Piramal said. Of the total area 4 per cent of the project will have open spaces. It will have up to 60,000 sq ft allocated for amenities that will include a swimming pool, toddlers play area, library, hobby area, indoor games room and gymnasium. Piramal Realty, founded in 2012, has a strong presence in and around Mumbai. The company has around 17 million sq ft of residential and commercial space under development in and around Indias financial capital. Kevin Smith has made a name as a director as well as a professional fan. And for 35 seasons, hes loved The Simpsons. On Tuesday, Smith, who is working on the script for his Mallrats sequel Twilight of the Mallrats, got to voice a character for an upcoming episode of the long-running series. The part wasnt exactly a stretch. After all, its a role he played in his Jay and Silent Bob Reboot film released last year. DOH! I reached a career milestone yesterday when I voiced myself on @thesimpsons! Smith, 49, said in an Instagram post Wednesday in which he traced the origin of his fandom. I was a big fan of the @matt.groening comic strip #lifeinhell, which ran weekly in the @villagevoice, Smith said. The day they premiered the #traceyullman Show on @foxtv, I was there to see the cartoon shorts by the same guy. I like the punching bag sound, said Marge, and I knew I was seeing something historic." Smith, a Red Bank native who grew up in Highlands, expanded upon why the show resonated with him so much. Shy of the Bart-choking, it reminded me of *my* family, and all the other families in my hometown, Smith said, recalling how he used to watch the show on Sundays with his friend Bryan Johnson. The Simpsons are in my creative DNA and Ive spent my career trying to ape their blend of humor and heart, he said. So when I received the invitation to voice a Simpsonized version of me, I wept tears of joy. The script for Smiths episode of The Simpsons was written by Emmy winner Carolyn Omine, and sees Smith interact with the shows beer-chugging, doughnut-craving patriarch. When Homer called Maggie Silent Bob in '3 Gays and a Condo I thought that was the closest Id ever come to Springfield," he said. "But thanks to Carolyn, now I get to speak to #homersimpson himself! Jason Mewes as Jay, Harley Quinn Smith as Milly and Kevin Smith as Silent Bob in "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." The Quick Stop was recreated in New Orleans for the film, but Smith says "Clerks III" will be set at the real deal in New Jersey.Kyle Kaplan Smith, who owns the comic book store Jay and Silent Bobs Secret Stash in Red Bank (the setting for his former AMC reality show Comic Book Men"), is currently wrapping up his Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow tour, which combine screenings of the film with talks and a Q&A session. His next visit to his New Jersey-set View Askewniverse will be filming Clerks III" at the Quick Stop in Leonardo. Smith revived the long-stalled project after reconciling with Jeff Anderson, who plays Randal Graves. In December, Clerks" was added to the National Film Registry. The film made Smith a name in Hollywood and became the first entry in his View Askewniverse canon. Though Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was filmed in New Orleans, with a different building standing in for the Quick Stop, Smith told NJ Advance Media Clerks III would definitely be a local project. Trust me, if Clerks III happens, its going to be in New Jersey," he said in October. Its going to be in Leonardo, or it aint going to be made. At the Asbury Park launch of his tour, Smith also said he would reopen his SModcastle podcast theater, formerly located in Los Angeles, in the same complex as the Quick Stop. The director said he would be there to launch the theater when his tour is done in February. Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Journal Staff REPORT The New Mexico State Film Office said this week it is accepting grant applications for projects under the newly established Senator John Pinto Filmmakers Fund, NMFO Director Todd Christensen said. In last years legislative session, Pinto, who died last year, shepherded the Native American filmmakers grant fund, securing $100,000 in funding through Senate Bill 649. The senator would be proud to see the funding put to work, and I know New Mexico will be made proud by the writing, acting, and directorial talents of the recipients of these awards, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. Registered members of one of the tribes or pueblos of New Mexico can apply. They include Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zia, Zuni, Jicarilla Apache, Mescalero Apache and the Navajo Nation, according to a news release. The available money can go to individual Native filmmakers toward any aspect of production. We want this grant to be an ongoing partnership with tribal communities, Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said in a statement. We hope to develop the talent of Native filmmakers so they can work in a growing industry and tell their own stories. The grant program is considered a lasting legacy to Pinto, who understood that to change stereotypes of Native Americans, it is necessary to support students interested in filmmaking as well as educational institutions working with Native students, according to the release. His legacy will be felt for generations to come, said Sen. Shannon D. Pinto, D-Tohatchi, John Pintos granddaughter. This Memorial Fund program will help to guarantee that our Native American filmmakers are supported and receiving the tools they need in order to prepare our nations, tribes, and pueblos for jobs within the film industry. The money will be initially allotted in $5,000 increments. All projects must be completed within two years of funding. A board of scholars and film professionals will make the grant decisions. To apply, go to nmfilm.com, click on education, and choose Senator John Pinto Memorial Filmmakers Fund, or call the NMFO 505-476-5600. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. https://abqjournal.com/1412318/applications-open-for-pinto-filmmakers-fund.html Applications open for Pinto Memorial Filmmakers Fund EXCERPT: Legislature established fund to support Native American filmmakers Legislature established fund to support Native American filmmakers Advertisement Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared Iran 'the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet' in a speech to world leaders gathered in Israel to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. 'There will not be another Holocaust,' Netanyahu told the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem today. But he lamented that 'we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. 'I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran,' he added, while saying he 'salutes President Trump and Vice President (Mike) Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world.' Listening to Netanyahu's political broadside were world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prince Charles, US Vice President Mike Pence and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria. In a similar vein, Pence urged the international community to 'stand strong' against Iran, calling it the only country where Holocaust denial is 'state policy'. French President Emmanuel Macron, however, rejected such parallels, telling the gathering - without mentioning Iran, Israel or the US by name - that 'no one has the right to invoke (those killed by the Nazis) to justify division or contemporary hatred'. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the conference at the Yad Vashem - Israel's national Holocaust memorial centre - that he bowed his head in 'deepest sorrow (for) the worst crime in the history of humanity' committed by his countrymen. 'I wish I could say that we Germans have learnt from history once and for all. But I cannot say that when hatred is spreading,' he said. Steinmeier spoke in English rather than in German, a choice made, his office said, to avoid causing any distress to Holocaust survivors in the audience. Scroll down for video. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, at Netanyahu official residence in Jerusalem on Thursday Holocaust survivor Saul Oren lights a candle with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Roglit memorial in Jerusalem on Thursday morning US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen are escorted by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman (left) upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport earlier on Thursday Prince Charles will today warn how 'hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart' when he joins world leaders in Israel to commemorate the Holocaust and mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (pictured: meeting with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in the capital on Thursday morning) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech at the inauguration of the Memorial Candle monument commemorating the people of Leningrad during the Second World War Nazi siege on the city, in Jerusalem on Thursday Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a ceremony to inaugurate a memorial commemorating citizens and defenders of Leningrad under siege during World War Two It comes after Putin used his platform at the event to take political aim - though more subtly - at Poland. He invoked a disputed historical narrative of WWII, claiming that 40% of the Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet, to play down Russia's pre-war pact with the Nazis. Putin and Macron embrace during the forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum Polish President Andrzej Duda refused to attend the conference, expressing dissatisfaction that representatives of Russia, France, Britain, the US and Germany would speak, while Poland was told it would not be allowed to. Polish politicians have been infuriated by the central role given to Putin at the historic commemoration today. Poland, which has been criticised for its own wartime revisionism, accuses Putin of unfairly blaming it for the war's outbreak. More than one million people, most of them Jews, were killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust. The three-hour-long event at Yad Vashem - called 'Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism' - looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jews amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence in the continent and around the world. Prince Charles told the invited guests that the stories of the Holocaust belonged to many of those in the hall and Jewish people across the globe. He added: 'But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood does not mean that it cannot be overcome.' From left: US Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's prince Charles during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem Prince Charles (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) speaks during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum on January 23, 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel Prince Charles stands in the foreground as Putin and Macron greet each other at the World Holocaust Forum, the Israeli President and Prime Minister stand behind them Charles, Prince of Wales shakes hands with Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv Yisrael Meir Lau during the World Holocaust Forum Charles highlighted the story of cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen before moving to Britain after the Second World War, and co-founded the English Chamber Orchestra, which the prince supports as patron. He used the Hebrew for Holocaust - Shoah - when he added: 'Just as each life lost in the Shoah stands for all the millions who died, each inspirational story such as that of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch stands for the strength of spirit, the unparalleled courage, the determined defiance, of the very best of humanity when confronted with the very worst.' He also spoke about the 'immense pride' his family feels for Israel's formal recognition of the actions of the Duke of Edinburgh's mother, who provided refuge for a Jewish family during the war. Charles was applauded after he said: 'For my own part, I have long drawn inspiration from the selfless actions of my dear grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, who in 1943, in Nazi-occupied Athens, saved a Jewish family by taking them into her home and hiding them.' In an awkward moment after the Prince of Wales' speech, he looked straight at US Vice President Pence and declined to shake his hand while shaking those of other world leaders on either side of him. Pence looked back at Charles and after the prince had moved on to shake hands with Netanyahu, patted him on the shoulder and smiled. In an awkward moment after the Prince of Wales' speech, he looked straight at US Vice President Pence and declined to shake his hand while shaking those of other world leaders Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and his wife Karen during the forum event this afternoon at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in the Israeli capital President Macron embraces German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Prince Charles is seen in the foreground and Israel's President Rivlin behind him US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi listens to speeches during today's Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Jerusalem A global survey by the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League in November found that global anti-Semitic attitudes had increased, and significantly in Eastern and Central Europe. It found that large percentages of people in many European countries think Jews talk too much about the Holocaust. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin addressed this at a reception he hosted on Wednesday for the visiting leaders. 'I hope and pray ... that the leaders of the world will stand united in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and extremism, in defending democracy and democratic values,' he said. President Macron told members of the roughly 100,000 French-Israeli community earlier today: 'The dark shadow of anti-Semitism is being reborn. Anti-Semitism is back. It is here and its cortege of intolerance and hate is here. France won't accept.' 'I responded to the call to come to Yad Vashem to say this shall never happen again. It's a battle that is never won,' Macron said. 'My determination to act on this is total.' US Vice President Mike Pence (L) and his wife Karen disembark from a plane upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport on Thursday to attend the World Holocaust memorial which marks the 75th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport on January 23 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi with President of the European Council Charles Michel during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum The Prince of Wales speaks to the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday morning at his official residence in the capital, later today the royal will speak at the World Holocaust Forum Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah stand with President Vladimir Putin at Netanyahu official residence in Jerusalem on Thursday Putin and Netanyahu shake hands at the official residence in Jerusalem on Thursday morning, Netanyahu's wife Sarah stands between them Historian and former Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld (left) welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron and French Ambassador to Israel Eric Danon (to Macron's right) upon their arrival at Roglit memorial, a memorial for French Jews, on Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron (left) places a wreath at Roglit memorial in Jerusalem on Thursday, the memorial is for French Jews and around it is a forest where 80,000 trees have been planted to mark the 80,000 lives Historian and former Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld (centre right) and French President Emmanuel Macron (centre left) observe a moment of silence at Roglit memorial on Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron observes a moment of silence at the Roglit memorial this morning in Israel ahead of the Wold Holocaust Forum Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands during their meeting in Jerusalem yesterday Italian President Sergio Mattarella meets his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to attend the Holocaust memorial event at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Thursday Earlier Macron had met French survivors of the Holocaust at a memorial near Jerusalem to some 76,000 Jews who were arrested in France during World War Two and transported in terrible conditions in railway boxcars to death camps such as Auschwitz, where most died. Macron and the French survivors of the Holocaust were joined by young college students at a solemn ceremony at the Roglit memorial, west of Jerusalem, to remember the French Jews deported between 1942-1944. Serge Klarsfeld, an 84-year-old Nazi hunter, welcomed the participation of Macron and the young people in the ceremony. 'Your presence today with the education minister and the children from the banlieues (suburbs) who are bravely engaged in studying the Shoah and drawing the consequences touches us deeply and allows us to look with hope towards an uncertain future,' said Klarsfeld. Polish President Andrzej Duda turned down an invitation to the conference, expressing dissatisfaction that representatives of Russia, France, Britain, the United States and Germany would speak, while Poland was told it would not be allowed to. The Prince of Wales meets President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Israel's President Reuven as they are surrounded by other officials in Jerusalem on Thursday morning The Prince of Wales meets President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence in Jerusalem on the first day of his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories Israeli organisers said only the four World War Two allies, and Germany, would address the gathering. Polish leaders have also been angered by comments made by Putin last month suggesting Poland shared responsibility for the war. Warsaw will be scrutinising speeches by Putin and Netanyahu, who Israel's Channel 12 TV reported might echo some of the Russian leader's accusations against Poland in return for the pardon of an Israeli woman imprisoned in Russia on drug charges. King Felipe VI of Spain prepares to sign the guest book as Israeli President Reuven Rivlin looks on, at the official residence of the President of Israel, ahead of the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem on Thursday King Felipe VI of Spain signs the guest book as Israeli President Reuven Rivlin looks on, at the official residence of the President (left and right) on Thursday 'Above all, we are asking that the memory of the Holocaust, that terrible crime, the memory of its victims, is not exploited for political reasons. That would be vile,' Poland's deputy foreign minister, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek, said on Tuesday. The international gathering could burnish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's domestic image as an international statesman. The veteran right-wing leader faces his third election in less than a year on March 2, amid legal woes and political deadlock. Fighting for his political survival, Israel's longest-serving premier has been using sideline meetings with international leaders at the conference to call for more sanctions against arch-enemy Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday night Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (front L) looks behind him as he stands next to (L to R) French President Emmanuel Macron (front-2nd L), his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin, and German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as they pose with other heads of state for a group photograph following a dinner reception at the Israeli President's official residence in Jerusalem, on Wednesday night More than one million people, most of them Jews, were killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust (pictured: watchtowers of former Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex are pictured in Oswiecim, Poland earlier this month) France, along with Britain and Germany, last week declared Iran in violation of a 2015 nuclear pact. They launched a dispute mechanism that could lead to reimposition of U.N. sanctions lifted after the agreement to limit Tehran's atomic activities was signed. Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead. French President Macron met Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday and toured Christian, Jewish and Muslim sites in Jerusalem, including the Church of St. Anne, the Muslim Noble Sanctuary that houses al-Aqsa mosque, a site revered by Jews as Temple Mount, and Judaism's Western Wall. Macron then headed to Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who issued a statement through the official Palestinian news agency calling upon European leaders to revive the long-stalled Mideast political peace process and 'save the two-state solution.' PARIS In the hours after the model Coco Rocha danced an Irish jig on the runway Wednesday night, several people approached her to compliment the performance. Some seemed surprised she could dance like that, which in turn surprised Ms. Rocha. I guess they werent there for the first one, the 31-year-old Canadian model said. Thirteen years ago, she introduced her jig at Jean Paul Gaultiers fall 2007 runway show. She was already a rising star, but her long-limbed high kicks became a viral fashion moment pre-Instagram, when viral fashion moments werent just discharged into an infinite stream. A few months ago, Ms. Rocha said, Mr. Gaultier asked her to perform the jig again at his couture presentation in January, in honor of his 50th year in fashion. She didnt realize then that Mr. Gaultier was planning it as his final show. She learned the news of his runway retirement along with everyone else, she said, five days before the show, via his social media accounts. Prayagraj, Jan 23 : The Allahabad High Court has refused to quash an administrative order that banned the use of loudspeakers for 'azaan' at two mosques in Baddopur and Shahganj villages of Jaunpur district in Uttara Pradesh. The court in its order on Wednesday stated that no religion advocates the use of loudspeakers for worship. "No religion prescribes that prayers are required to be performed through voice amplifiers or by beating of drums... If there is such a practice, it should not adversely affect rights of the others, including that of not being disturbed," said the division bench of Justice Pankaj Mittal and Justice V.C. Dixit. The court dismissed the petition filed by one Masroor Ahmad and a fellow resident of Jaunpur. The court cited a similar 2000 Supreme Court judgment -- Church of God (Full Gospel) vs KKR Majestic Colony Welfare Association -- where the apex court said that freedom to practice religion was subject to public order, morality and health. The division bench also dismissed the petitioners' argument that using loudspeakers to call people to join in the 'namaaz' at specific times was an essential part of their religion. "The fundamental right to religious freedom under Article 25(1) of the Constitution is not absolute. It is subject to Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression), and thus both of them have to be read together," the court pointed out. The petitioners had submitted an application in March last year, seeking permission to use loudspeakers. The circle officer of Shahganj had also said in his report submitted to the court that the areas in which these two mosques were located had a mixed population of Hindus and Muslims and allowing the use of amplifiers could lead to a law and order problem. LANSING, MI -- Vaping cartridges containing vitamin E acetate, a cutting agent suspected in a nationwide outbreak of deadly lung illnesses, has been discovered in samples of products sold from a Detroit dispensary. The Marijuana Regulatory Agency after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, recalled various flavors of Savage brand vaping concentrate sold by Plan B Wellness, a licensed medical dispensary at 20101 Eight Mile Rd. in Detroit, 248-470-4638. The recall includes 1,360 cartridges that were sold and 8,020 cartridges that have been pulled from shelves and inventory for disposal. Sold cartridges that have been recalled include: Savage Stick, package no. 1A405010000426A000000015, sold between Oct. 3 and Nov. 22; and one cartridge each of Blackberry Kush, package no. 1A405010000426A000000743; GG#4, package no. 1A405010000426A000000744; and Runtz, package no. 1A405010000426A000000746, each sold Jan. 16. Patients or caregivers who have these affected medical marijuana products in their possession should return them to Plan B Wellness for proper disposal, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency said. Plan B Wellness must notify patients or caregivers that purchased these medical marijuana products of the recall. The cartridges existed prior to Plan B Wellness obtaining its medical marijuana provisioning center license in August, Marijuana Regulatory Agency spokesman David Harns said. At the time, newly licensed dispensaries were allowed to transfer existing, untested product into the state system for sale, so long as customers signed waivers acknowledging they understood the product wasnt tested to state standards. MLive was unable to reach a representative with Plan B Wellness for comment Wednesday evening. Anyone who experiences negative health effects after using the recalled products should seek medical assistance and adverse reactions should be reported to the Marijuana Regulatory Agency, by email to MRA-Enforcement@michigan.gov or by phone, 517-284-8599. A Dec. 17 recall of nearly 65,000 vaping cartridges containing vitamin E acetate from various brands also included some product from Savage. Vitamin E acetate is a cutting agent use to dilute and increase the volume -- and thereby profits -- of THC concentrate extracted from marijuana. While it can be purchased legally online and is safely consumed in food and applied to the skin in cosmetic products, vitamin E acetate may be harmful when inhaled via vaping products, according to the Centers for Disease Control. As of Jan. 14, the CDC had recorded 2,688 hospitalizations and 60 deaths nationally that it strongly linked to vitamin E acetate vaping products. The number of reported cases peaked in September and have since been in decline. The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency on Nov. 22 banned the sale of all vaping products pending testing for vitamin E acetate. It also banned vitamin E acetate as an ingredient in any new vaping cartridges produced by licensed growers and processors. The CDC suspects vitamin E acetate to be the culprit in the lung illness outbreak but said, evidence is not sufficient to rule out the contribution of other chemicals of concern, including chemicals in either THC or non-THC products, in some of the reported ... cases. -- Gus Burns is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact him with questions, tips or comments at fburns@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, @GusBurns. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana. More on MLive: 60,000 vaping products recalled Michigan bans vitamin E acetate in vaping products Michigan marijuana industry supports vitamin E acetate ban Caregivers no longer allowed to sell to dispensaries Bill would ban vitamin E acetate from vaping products Michigan expands recall to 13 locations, 9 cities Recall effect marijuana in Bay City, Detroit Unreliable testing causes lab suspension Lab denies allegations FAIRFIELD The town planning and zoning commission will be holding three public meetings to collect ideas for the next plan of conservation and development. James Wendt, the planning director of the planning and zoning commission, said a POCD is a goals and aspirations document. It sets the policy agenda for land use in town for about a 10-year period, Wendt said. Its distinguished from the zoning rules and regulations because (they) are the rules of the road what you can and cannot do. Ideally, the goals that are put forth in the plan of conservation and development are reflected in the regulations. Wendt said the meetings are a chance for Fairfield residents to offer their ideas for changes in land use policy. The meetings are on Jan. 29 at Sacred Heart University, West Campus, West Building Cafeteria, 3135 Easton Turnpike; on Feb. 4 at the Dolan School of Business Event Hall, 1073 N. Benson Road, and on Feb. 6 at Penfield Pavilion, 323 Fairfield Beach Road. Each workshop starts at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to end around 9 p.m. The meetings each have the same agenda. According to a press release from the department, attendees should be prepared for hands-on participation with conversation and creativity. The release also said First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick is encouraging the public to attend. Its important we welcome new development and businesses that fit into the character of our beautiful town, Kupchick said in the release. Planning ahead and seeking public input is an important component as we move Fairfield forward. Wendt said the POCD is also important because it can be harder to get state grant money for a project if it is not part of the plan. The director said there is growing pressure from the community to increase the grand list by expanding the commercial tax base. People have a good sense of this community, Wendt said. We want to look for where there might be opportunities for economic development. Wendt said the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management requires municipalities to update their POCD every 10 years. The last plan the town was credited for was developed in 2016, so crafting an updated plan is not time-sensitive. The commission wanted to get ahead of it and do it because they felt the time was right based on other work that weve done, Wendt said, adding that development plans had more recently been focused on the areas surrounding the Fairfield Metro and Fairfield Center railroad stations. Wendt said the workshops will help the commission decide what areas it may need to take a deeper dive into. Each of the venues have a capacity of approximately 100; Wendt said he is hoping for 80 to 100 participants at each session. One of the strengths of this community... is that there is a pretty robust public participation in the towns affairs, said Wendt. Now Open 23 January 2020 Marriott International today announced the highly anticipated opening of the first Residence Inn in Panama City. With properties located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Central America, Residence Inn is the global leader in the longer-stays lodging segment. Located in the Pacific Center Punta Paitilla, one of the city's most dynamic neighborhoods, the Residence Inn Panama City was thoughtfully designed to capture the vibrant culture and history of Panama. Featuring 144 well-appointed spacious suites ranging from 440ft2 to 840ft2 the property will offer travelers a new option in the longer stays segment, blending comfort and style. "Panama City is a key market for longer-stay travel and the perfect place for Residence Inn by Marriott. The spacious suites with separate living, working, and sleeping zones and fully functional kitchens will help guests maximize their time and thrive while they travel," said Carlos Roque, General Manager of Residence Inn Panama City. "Located just a few minutes from historic Casco Viejo, travelers will have the option to enjoy restaurants, shops and nightlife creating work-life balance and a true home away from home." The hotel offers additional amenities including complimentary grocery delivery service and daily hot breakfast, a 24-hour market, a common laundry room, and a state-of-the-art fitness facility. For guests seeking a full-service dining experience, the restaurant and lounge in the Sky Lobby offer local cuisine complemented by regionally-infused crafted cocktails. To bring the destination's vibrant culture and history to life on property, the Sky Lobby pays tribute with a map of Panama created by architect Maritza Lantry using embossed wooden planks. The restaurant features vintage flooring, similar to those found in Caso Viejo, integrating silver touches to represent Panama's metropolitan side. Residence Inn Panama City offers close to 2.153 ft2 of naturally-lit meeting space with built-in multimedia technology. Groups of up to 100 can take advantage of flexible meeting rooms and dedicated gathering spaces for meals, breakout sessions, one-on-one meetings, and more. Soon, millions of Vietnamese will partake in various cultural and belief practices, mostly due to incoming Tet celebrations, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Marko Nikolic To exercise ones belief is a spiritual need, and a right protected by laws. But as important as they might be, we should exercise them with reason and appropriacy, not setting them loose to cloud our judgement. Despite civilizations modern advances, many superstitions still exist around the world, including in Vietnam. Beliefs in the supernatural first began in ancient times, and have persisted throughout history. Irrational fears of the number 13, lucky charms, rituals for wealth and good health are all relics of a time long past, though still prevalent today. In Vietnam, for example, students would avoid eating eggs before a big exam for fear of getting a "0" mark, or banana for fear of failing due to the slippery nature of its peel. Superstitions are rooted in fear, scientists say. Specifically, the fear of not being in control in stressful situations, with superstitions instilling confidence to make us feel safer, more grounded. The problem doesnt exactly lie in superstitions, but the fact that people could mix healthy belief systems and practices with fanatical obsessions. As much as superstitions ground us, they could also make us put blind faith in mysterious, supernatural forces with no basis in reality, causing us to behave without reason and common sense, costing us property, relationships, and even our own lives. Vietnamese superstitions, meanwhile, are vast and deeply embedded in people's psyche. They pray and give offerings to ancestors to show respect, something beautiful and healthy. Vietnams massive library of idioms also teaches important values and life lessons: to work hard, to love one another, to remember ones roots. Most Vietnamese families have altars, decorated with pictures of deceased loved ones and where offerings are made to the dead. All beautiful Vietnamese traditions. But, one particular practice has proved to be controversial even among the Vietnamese. The burning of joss paper. In Vietnam, joss paper is burned as offerings to the deceased in certain occasions, including the Lunar New Year Festival. Illustration photo by Shutterstock. This practice commenced in ancient times, unrelated to conventional religions like Buddhism or Confucianism. Every year, Vietnamese spend approximately VND400 billion ($17.2 million) to burn around 50,000 tons of joss paper for "the deceased." I feel some people tend to burn a little bit too much joss paper, many on the belief that the more money they spend, the luckier they will get. And businesses know that; nowadays joss paper is shaped like cars, watches, high heels and iPhones among many others. The act of burning pollutes the environment and depletes natural resources, specifically paper and plants. Have I mentioned human deaths? In 2017 alone, around 10 house fires were caused by burning joss paper, killing 20 people in Saigon. The matter has even gained enough traction to reach the ears of authorities. In 2018, the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam requested followers avoid the joss paper burning practice across all Buddhist facilities. If you ask me, I would much prefer joss paper burning as something symbolic and in moderation, opposed to spending an entire fortune on unguaranteed luck or supposed offerings to the dead. Once a person's dead, they no longer have any material aspirations. While I hold a rather neutral stance on joss paper burning, I vehemently oppose fortunetellers. Many thrive on people's insecurity and naivete to make money, weaponizing fear and greed. In Thanh Hoa Province, a grandmother murdered her own grandchild because a fortuneteller told her only one of them could live. In Quang Ngai, a family decided to leave their home because a fortuneteller told them the house was "poisoned." And in case anyone hadnt noticed, none of these fortunetellers could have predicted natural disasters, like the numerous storms at sea or the Australian bushfires. But, somehow people keep falling in their trap. Its a trick they use, according to science. Fortunetellers can accurately evaluate and analyze ones mental workings, using it to their advantage by making vague and generalized claims that could simultaneously apply to many different people. Then confirmation bias kicks in, causing us to believe whichever piece of info we most identify with, while ignoring the rest. Our memories then filter them out, and come up with the conclusion that whatever the fortuneteller is saying must be true. The human brain is exceptionally good at filling in gaps, which is beneficial for survival. But in this case, it only does us harm. The freedom to believe in whatever you want is inherent in us all. But we must know how to differentiate between whats real and whats not, whats healthy and whats detrimental, whats appreciation and whats obsession. Or else, true disasters could befall us. *Marko Nikolic is a Serbian writer based in Vietnam. His story was originally written in Vietnamese. The opinions expressed are personal. Andy Byford resigned as chief of New York's subway and bus system just two years after taking over the busiest mass-transit system in the U.S. Byford, 55, who started his career in the U.K. and ran Toronto's transit agency, had been credited with improving on-time subway service and persuading state and city lawmakers to pour billions into a system plagued by service interruptions and equipment breakdowns. New York City Transit, part of the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has 8 million daily riders. Under Byford, average on-time performance exceeded 80% last year for the first time since 2013. That's up from 67.1% in 2018. Byford's departure came after friction with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over finding billions to revamp signal technology developed almost a century ago, purchase new subway cars and buses and upgrade system-wide equipment and station maintenance. The subway chief moved to resign in October 2018, but was persuaded to stay after being assured that he would retain influence over transit policy and operations. Byford's decision Thursday seems final. "I'm very proud of what we have achieved as a team over the past two years and I believe New York City Transit is well-placed to continue its forward progress now that the MTA has a record breaking $51.5 billion Capital Program in place," Byford said in a prepared statement. Shams Tarek, a spokesman for the MTA, declined to say why Byford was resigning. "Andy Byford will be departing New York City Transit after a successful two years of service and we thank him for his work," MTA Chairman Patrick Foye said in a statement. "Andy was instrumental in moving the system forward, enacting the successful Subway Action Plan and securing record capital funding with the Governor and the Legislature, and we wish him well in his next chapter." Byford's arrival in January 2018 came after a "summer of hell" marked by daily breakdowns and delays -- track fires, equipment failures, costing the city economy millions of dollars in lost employee work time. Reinvent Albany, a government watchdog group, placed blame for his resignation on the governor. "We view Byford's resignation as a very bad sign for the MTA and NYC Transit, which we believe have been politicized by Governor Cuomo," Rachael Fauss, a spokeswoman. "Byford is widely known to have chafed at the politicization of the MTA under Governor Cuomo, whose penchant for secretiveness, message control and top-down directives conflicted with Byford's philosophy of building trust through consultation, personal accountability and transparency." Fauss said the two disagreed over Cuomo's demand that the MTA depend on a new radar-like wireless technology for subway signaling, which she characterized as an untested technology. Byford and Cuomo also clashed over the governor's insistence upon a quick and inexpensive fix for a damaged East River tunnel linking Manhattan and Brooklyn. Byford had favored an 18-month closure, requiring transformational adaptation of local streets for bicycles and buses. Cuomo prevailed. "There are very few people in govenment who could communicate a plan of action," said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. "He as beloved and respected by the workers and the riding public. It's a loss to New York City." Byford's leadership was praised by Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for the Riders Alliance, an advocacy group. He said it's up to Cuomo to keep up Byford's momentum. "Management will come and go, but the governor is responsible to keep a team in place that will build on Byford's success," Pearlstein said. "He made subways faster and more reliable, brought historic commitments to better bus service, and his 'Fast Forward' plan 20 months ago became the basis for an unprecedented $51.5 billion capital plan just enacted recently to improve the system. Riders will keep holding the governor's accountable." NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hear the story of how a Jew from New York helped save a victimized Muslim interfaith advocate in Yemen. On Sunday, February 2, 2020, during our 11:00am Worship service, Senior Minister Dr. Michael Bos will have a conversation with Mohammed Al Samawi, author of The Fox Hunt, and Daniel Pincus, a Jew from New York who helped to lead Mohammad out of hiding from al-Queda fighters to safety. A powerful story of what can happen when we come together, no matter how we worship. There will also be a video appearance by the world-renowned child prodigy jazz pianist, Joey Alexander, who played a small, yet poignant part in Mohammed's story. After Worship there will be a Talk Back with Q&A, followed by a Book Signing. Marble Collegiate Church has been a pioneer in interfaith cooperation in New York City for decades. One of the ways we lift up the importance of interfaith relationships is through our annual "Trialogue", begun 30 years ago. This year we celebrate our Tri-Faith Sunday as part of the United Nations' World Interfaith Harmony Week. All are welcome to attend or live stream at www.MarbleChurch.org "In a time of deep division and partisanship, we need examples of those who can transcend our cultural, religious and political boundaries to work for the good of all people. Mohammed and Daniel are such an example, and there is much we can learn from them." Dr. Michael Bos About The Fox Hunt: A Refugee's Memoir of Coming to America "Compelling. powerful. an important story to tell." Kirkus Reviews "This debut memoir is engaging and tragic yet full of hope as a worldwide effort is undertaken to save Al Samawi's life. A triumphant work." Library Journal (starred review) "The Fox Hunt reminds us that goodness and decency can triumph in the darkest circumstances. HarperCollins Publishers About Marble Church: With roots dating back to 1628, Marble Collegiate Church has been serving the diverse residents of New York City for centuries. And now, through live streaming, we have worshipers in all fifty states and over 160 countries. This vibrant protestant church offers a place of community for all and encourages living out that faith to become our best selves in order to serve New York City and the world. www.MarbleChurch.org SOURCE Marble Collegiate Church Related Links http://www.marblechurch.org A 23-year-old woman was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition after she was stabbed near the York University campus Wednesday evening. Toronto police were called at around 10:10 p.m. and officers found the woman with serious stab wounds on a dimly lit pathway, steps away from a residential area around Assiniboine Road and Evelyn Wiggins Drive, near Keele Street and Finch Avenue West. The person who contacted police told officers they came across a male who was standing over a female, Const. Caroline de Kloet told toronto.com. The man, who was armed with a knife, ran away and the complainant noticed the female was covered in blood. Toronto paramedics rushed the woman, believed to be in her 20s, in life-threatening condition to hospital. Police describe the suspect as Asian, from early to mid 20s, five-foot-nine to five-foot-11, with black hair, stylish glasses and a black puffy jacket and about 170 to 190 pounds. With files from toronto.com Mexican migration authorities released Wednesday an official count of the number of people detained along the country's southern border two days before, estimating that more than 2,000 people were "rescued" after they crossed the border with Guatemala. National Institute of Migration (INM) officials explained that among the detained were not only members of the so-called "2020 Caravan" that left Honduras about a week ago, but also many who had entered the country through other spots. About 1,300 people were detained in Tabasco and another 800 in Chiapas, the INM said, including some minors. On Wednesday, Mexico deported 460 Hondurans via official planes and buses from the two southern states, the ministry of the interior said. Several hundred caravan members had tried to cross the Suchiate River at dawn on Monday from Tecun Uman in Guatemala, demanding migration authorities let them continue their journey to the United States. When authorities did not immediately respond, the migrants began wading across the river, which is shallow this time of year. Mexican National Guard troops fired tear gas to force them back, leading to scenes of chaos as huge crowds of people flailed across the river. About 500 were able to enter the country illegally, though more than 400 of them were later arrested. Thousands of Central Americans have crossed Mexico toward the United States in caravans, fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Others have opted to return to Guatemala, discouraged by the National Guard. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an anti-establishment leftist who came to office vowing to protect migrants' rights, offered last week to give 4,000 jobs to migrants in the new caravan if they stay in southern Mexico. Mexico faces pressure to keep migrants from crossing its northern border from US President Donald Trump, who last year threatened to impose steep tariffs if the country did not do more to stop a surge of undocumented Central Americans arriving at the US-Mexican border. Lopez Obrador deployed some 26,000 troops to the country's borders in response. One of the best investments we can make is in our own knowledge and skill set. With that in mind, this article will work through how we can use Return On Equity (ROE) to better understand a business. We'll use ROE to examine Kainos Group plc (LON:KNOS), by way of a worked example. Over the last twelve months Kainos Group has recorded a ROE of 33%. That means that for every 1 worth of shareholders' equity, it generated 0.33 in profit. View our latest analysis for Kainos Group How Do I Calculate ROE? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity Or for Kainos Group: 33% = UK20m UK59m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.) It's easy to understand the 'net profit' part of that equation, but 'shareholders' equity' requires further explanation. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. Shareholders' equity can be calculated by subtracting the total liabilities of the company from the total assets of the company. What Does ROE Mean? Return on Equity measures a company's profitability against the profit it has kept for the business (plus any capital injections). The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. The higher the ROE, the more profit the company is making. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. That means it can be interesting to compare the ROE of different companies. Does Kainos Group Have A Good ROE? One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. Pleasingly, Kainos Group has a superior ROE than the average (16%) company in the IT industry. LSE:KNOS Past Revenue and Net Income, January 23rd 2020 That's what I like to see. In my book, a high ROE almost always warrants a closer look. For example you might check if insiders are buying shares. Story continues The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity Virtually all companies need money to invest in the business, to grow profits. That cash can come from issuing shares, retained earnings, or debt. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders' equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used. Combining Kainos Group's Debt And Its 33% Return On Equity Kainos Group is free of net debt, which is a positive for shareholders. Its high ROE already points to a high quality business, but the lack of debt is a cherry on top. At the end of the day, when a company has zero debt, it is in a better position to take future growth opportunities. In Summary Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. The rate at which profits are likely to grow, relative to the expectations of profit growth reflected in the current price, must be considered, too. So you might want to check this FREE visualization of analyst forecasts for the company. If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss thisfree list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. New York: A new national poll shows Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont with a lead in a national debate qualifying poll for the first time in the 2020 Democratic primary, while a second national survey conducted by a different pollster shows former vice-president Joe Biden in front. All smiles: Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. Credit:AP The first poll, conducted by SSRS for CNN and released on Wednesday morning, showed Sanders with 27 per cent support and Biden following closely behind at 24 per cent support. It was the first time Sanders has led nationally since Biden entered the race last April, though his lead was within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. The second poll, released later Wednesday by Monmouth University, showed a different picture at the top, with Biden in the lead with 30 per cent support and Sanders in second with 23 per cent. In both polls, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts finished third with 14 per cent support. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) Corruption worsened in the Philippine government in 2019 as it ranked 113th of 180 countries studied on their perceived political integrity. Transparency International, a nonprofit watchdog monitoring the status of global corruption in the public sector, has issued the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2019, showing that the Philippines dropped 14 notches from 99th in year 2018. In its current ranking, the Philippines obtained a score of 34, down by 2 points from 36 in 2018. The CPI scores countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption using a scale of zero to 100, with zero as highly corrupt and 100 as very clean. The Philippines score indicates that it continue[s] to struggle to tackle corruption, along with other countries in the Asia Pacific region, the report read. This is the lowest ranking that the country has received since 2012. While the Philippines also got a score of 34 in 2017, it only ranked 111th out of 180 countries. In 2016, the country placed 101st, 95th in 2016, 85th in 2018, 94th in 2013, and 105th in 2012. The index noted that of the 31 countries assessed in the Asia Pacific, the regional average was at 45, illustrating general stagnation in control of corruption in the region. Governments across the region, from China to Cambodia to Vietnam, continue to restrict participation in public affairs, silence dissenting voices and keep decision-making out of public scrutiny, the report read. Given these issues, it comes as no surprise that vibrant economic powers like China (41), Indonesia (40), Vietnam (37), the Philippines (34) and others continue to struggle to tackle corruption, it added. New Zealand and Denmark topped the corruption index, with scores of 87 each, followed by Finland with a score of 86, Singapore with 85, Sweden with 85, and Switzerland with 85. The bottom countries are Somalia, South Sudan and Syria with scores of 9, 12 and 13, respectively. Governments must urgently address the corrupting role of big money in political party financing and the undue influence it exerts on our political systems, said Transparency International chair Delia Ferreira Rubio. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An attorney who previously fought cases against Alaskas biggest oil companies has turned to activism and donations to help an effort to increase oil taxes for the publics benefit. Robin Brena is chairing a citizens initiative to raise oil taxes and has become the efforts top funder with more than $100,000 contributed, Alaskas Energy Desk reported. The Fair Share Act would levy what Brenas side estimates would be an additional $1 billion in taxes on the states biggest producers including BP PLC, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil Corp. Im an Alaskan first and foremost, and Im going to stand up for Alaska. And I want to be sure that Alaska gets a fair deal for their oil, Brena said. Brena, 64, previously worked for Alaska municipalities seeking more property tax revenue from the companies, which are the primary owners of the trans-Alaska pipeline. Brena won hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients and millions of his own through the victories. For nearly three decades he largely stayed away from politics, investing money in commercial real estate business, until the state Legislature passed an industry-supported rewrite of Alaskas oil tax laws in 2013. Opponents of the measure tried to repeal the bill at the polls through a 2014 referendum, but lost the public vote to an industry-backed campaign. Brena supported the repeal effort and has donated generously to like-minded political candidates to achieve residents fair share in production taxes from the states largest oil-fields. Critics argue Brenas campaign ignores the downsides of higher taxes, including the risk of lower oil company investment, less oil production and fewer jobs. Brena argues Alaskans have been getting spin from the companies since the 2013 tax rewrite and he is convinced voters will make a different choice with more information. I believe Alaskans dont know all the details perhaps, because they cant be known, Brena said. Because were treated like mushrooms you know, were kept in a dark room, and were fed cow manure. Pavel Krasheninnikov, of the constitutional reform working group, speaks during a session at the Russian State Duma (Alexander Zemlianichenko) Russias parliament has approved a package of constitutional amendments in a move widely seen as an attempt by President Vladimir Putin to stay in power past the end of his term in 2024. Mr Putin submitted the amendments to the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament, on Monday, just days after presenting them in the annual state-of-the-nation address last week. He suggested that politicians could name prime ministers and Cabinet members, proposed a greater role for the State Council, an obscure consultative body of regional governors and federal officials, and sought to prioritise the primacy of Russian laws over international law. The proposed changes, he argued, would bolster democracy. Expand Close Russia president Vladimir Putin (Adam Davy/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Russia president Vladimir Putin (Adam Davy/PA) The Kremlin-controlled Duma unanimously voted for the amendments on Thursday, after discussing them for two hours. Mr Putin, a 67-year-old former KGB office, has led Russia for more than 20 years the longest since the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. According to the Russian Constitution, he will have to step down in 2024, having served two consecutive terms. The bill submitted to parliament empowers the State Council to determine the main directions of home and foreign policy, its specific authority yet to be spelled in a separate law. It gives the parliament more say over Cabinet ministers appointment, but emphasises that the president should retain the power to dismiss the prime minister and Cabinet ministers and remain in charge of the Russian military and law enforcement agencies. Commentators see these proposals as a strategy for Mr Putin to stay in charge by becoming the head of the State Council. The draft also modifies the constitution to limit a president to two terms altogether, unlike the current version containing a limit of two consecutive terms. The second reading of the bill is scheduled for February 11. Politicians and the working group created by Mr Putin have already come up with a variety of proposals in addition to what the draft law outlines. Mr Putin said that the constitutional changes need to be approved by the entire nation, but it remains unclear how such a vote would be organised. Russian opposition members condemned the reform as a constitutional coup and called for a rally against it on February 29. United States President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his election rival Benny Gantz to Washington, DC, next week to discuss the White Houses peace plan, Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday. President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land, Pence said after meeting Netanyahu at the US embassy in Jerusalem. There was no mention of the Palestinians, and Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said: We warn Israel and the US administration not to cross any red lines. Netanyahu said he had accepted the US invitation. His office said he would fly to the US on Sunday. The veteran right-wing Israeli leader faces political and legal troubles at home he is heading for his third election in less than a year, and he was indicted on criminal charges in November. He denies any wrongdoing. Israeli political analysts viewed Trumps invitation as a boost to his right-wing ally. Netanyahus principal domestic political rival Gantz, a centrist former general, this week lifted his objection to having the peace plan be published before Israels March election. He had previously objected to it as interference in the vote. Long-delayed plan The launch of Trumps plan to end the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been delayed numerous times since it was first mooted more than two years ago. Prospects for a breakthrough appear dim and details of the plan have been kept under wraps. But a source familiar with the situation said US officials would most likely share some details of the plan with Netanyahu and Gantz. Trump tweeted later on Thursday that reports about the details and timing of our closely-held peace plan are purely speculative. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014 and Palestinians have called Trumps proposal dead in the water, even before its publication, citing what they see as his pro-Israel policies. The United States looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister @Netanyahu & Blue & White Chairman @Gantzbe to the @WhiteHouse next week. Reports about details and timing of our closely-held peace plan are purely speculative. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2020 The Trump administration has reversed decades of US policy on the conflict, refraining from endorsing the two-state solution the longtime international formula which envisages a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel. It has also recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved its embassy there. More recently, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in November that the US no longer viewed Israels settlements on West Bank land as inconsistent with international law, reversing decades of policies that were in line with most of the international community, which views settlements as illegal under international law. Netanyahu announced during an election campaign last September that he intends to annex the Jordan Valley, a large swath of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 war and Palestinians, who signed interim peace deals with Israel in the 1990s, seek to make the area part of a future state. Abbass Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, has publicly refused to engage politically with the Trump administration. They fear the plan will dash their hopes for an independent state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Trump, who will seek a second term in a November 3 US election, faces his own problems at home with Democrats seeking to remove the Republican president on impeachment charges of abusing power and obstructing Congress. This is a natural fit for both companies. Borncut possesses the pioneering line of portion cutting machines and has established a strong presence in Europe, and we look forward to expanding the brands reach and penetration here in North America. Bettcher Industries, Inc. announces that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Borncut A/S covering the companys precision portion cutting equipment sold into the North American market. According to the terms of the agreement, which became effective on January 1, 2020, Bettcher Industries becomes the exclusive distributor of Borncut precision portioning machines throughout North America. The agreement covers sales of equipment and parts, along with service activities which will be provided by Bettcher technicians. With speeds of up to 4,340 cuts per minute, single- and dual-lane Borncut Portion Cutters are the most effective way to produce precise, fixed-weight portions of fresh meat like boneless breasts and salmon in high-speed production environments. Borncut equipment optimizes production capacity while reducing product giveaway, even as it integrates easily into complex existing production lines. According to senior leaders at both companies, the distribution agreement is a strong strategic fit for both entities. It combines Borncuts innovative vision technology and proven precision-cutting performance with Bettchers focus on primary processing operations. Bettcher is well-positioned to support primary processing because of the companys in-depth knowledge of yield management as well as its intimate, consultative approach to supporting Americas meat, poultry and seafood processing plants. Bettchers yield specialists and technicians excel at providing the yield management support that primary processors seek and have done so for decades. Commenting on the new distribution agreement, Thomas Holm, Bettchers President, stated, This is a natural fit for both companies. Borncut possesses the pioneering line of portion cutting machines and has established a strong presence in Europe, and we look forward to expanding the brands reach and penetration here in North America. Effective immediately, all current and future Borncut customers in the United States should contact Bettcher Industries directly concerning equipment purchases and parts ordering. The toll-free number is 800-321-8763. You may also e-mail your request to sales@bettcher.com. About Borncut Headquartered in Roenne, Denmark, Borncut A/S is a young company but one with a rich heritage of innovation and experience. The worlds first portion cutter was developed in the early 1990s by NORFO, which is where the developers of the Borncut Portion Cutter gained their technical experience and insights. Since founding Borncut in 2016, these developers have maintained their leading position as producers of the renowned portion cutting equipment that the world knows today. Website address: http://borncut.com. About Bettcher Industries Bettcher Industries, Inc. is an ISO 9001:2015-certified, vertically integrated manufacturing company with a global customer base and direct distribution and service in more than 70 countries throughout the world. The enterprise is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative equipment for food processing, foodservice, industrial, medical and other operations. Established in 1944, Bettcher brings more than 75 years of successful innovation to the market, including holding nearly 100 active patents. Website address: http://www.bettcher.com. Last winter, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would reach its end-of-life on January 14th, 2020. In other words, the company will not be releasing any updates for the operating system -- even crucial security patches -- after that date. The public had nearly a year to make the move to Windows 10, but Germany's government didn't upgrade in time. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, the German Federal Ministry has at least 33,000 computers still running Windows 7 and, as a result, will have to pay Microsoft about $887,000 in extended security update fees. Microsoft offers extended security updates to enterprise and business clients, but at a hefty price -- ZDNet reported that the company will charge $50 per machine during the first year of end-of-life support and that the price will increase after each additional year. When an organization has tens of thousands of computers, those fees add up quickly. Maintaining thousands of computers is a tough job -- viruses, malware, software updates, hardware issues and user errors form a nearly endless to-do list for admins. But when end-of-life is announced for an operating system, upgrading to the latest version is typically a high priority. We are talking about a government organization, though, so a lack of both funding and technical expertise are to be expected. Luckily, upgrading is much easier for home users, who can still take advantage of a loophole to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Tesla reportedly reached a settlement with the State of Michigan regarding the sales and service of its vehicles. According to the AP, this settlement would end the automaker's lawsuit against the state, which barred Tesla and others from selling vehicles directly to consumers. This would lead to consumers being able to purchase, take delivery and service Tesla vehicles within the State of Michigan. Currently, Michigan law states consumers can only purchase vehicles through franchised dealerships and not directly from an automaker. Tesla, as an automaker, sells directly to consumers through dealerships it owns. As a result, consumers in Michigan had to jump through hoops to purchase a Tesla vehicle. Currently, Tesla has a limited presence in the home state of Americas Big Three automakers. Shoppers have to visit a so-called showcase within an upscale mall located in a Detroit suburb. Representatives at this location cannot advise shoppers on vehicle pricing or buying options. Whats more, if a Tesla vehicle is purchased in Michigan, it must be obtained in a different state. Tesla challenged Michigans stance in a 2016 lawsuit and this settlement would give consumers more freedom of choice by allowing Tesla to sell and service vehicles. Under the terms of this settlement, Tesla would sell vehicles through a subsidiary and deliver vehicles to consumers. However, these vehicles would be titled from a different state, forcing the new owners to retitle them for Michigan. Tesla will also be allowed to open service centers in Michigan. Elon Musk seems happy with the report of the settlement. Yay! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2020 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Representatives from Myanmar's ethnic political parties attend a workshop to discuss the country peace process and China's influence, in Yangon, Jan. 21, 2020. Some of Myanmars ethnic political parties on Wednesday expressed concern over potential negative impacts of Chinas planned multibillion-dollar mega-projects in their regions, days after the two countries leaders signed more than 30 memorandums of understanding regarding the deals. Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed 33 MoUs for Chinese-backed projects in the Southeast Asia country, many of which fall under the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), on Jan. 18, the second day of the Xis two-day state visit to Myanmar. Among the deals signed was a concession and shareholders agreement on the U.S. $1.3 billion-dollar Kyaukphyu deep-sea port and economic zone in Rakhine state, a letter of intent for a new urban development in the commercial hub Yangon, an MoU on local cooperation under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) between southwest China and Myanmars Mandalay region, and feasibility studies for high-speed rail links and expressways, according to the official Global New Light of Myanmar. A signature policy of Xis, the multitrillion-dollar BRI infrastructure investment and lending program that will link China with Asia, Africa, and Europe entails the building of border economic cooperation zones in Myanmars war-torn Shan and Kachin states. It also includes the CMEC, a road and rail transportation route running from southwest Chinas Yunnan province through the Myanmar border trading town of Muse and on to Mandalay and Kyaukphyu in Rakhine state where a Special Economic Zone will be built as a strategic gateway to the Indian Ocean. Many ethnic minority groups and their respective political parties harbor deep suspicions over Beijings growing influence in Myanmar, believing that they will not see any benefits from the BRI and other China-backed projects and that China will continue to have ties to rebel armies fighting government forces in border areas. Rakhine lawmaker Oo Hla Saw, who represents Mrauk-U in Myanmars lower house of parliament and is a member of the Arakan National Party, said most ethnic Rakhines in the state object to the Chinese projects because they believe they will not benefit from them. Observing from past experience, most Rakhine people dont like Chinese projects very much, he told RFAs Myanmar Service during a Jan. 20-21 workshop in Yangon sponsored by the Federal Democratic Force during which various ethnic political parties discussed the countrys peace process. There are many fouls by the Chinese side, he said. The top managers of Chinese mega-projects dont value the voice of local people, and they are not concerned about affecting the environment. They only come here to implement their projects, Oo Hla Saw said. They dont provide many job opportunities for local people either. Only Chinas interests Kun Gaung Aung Kham, chairman of the Kachin Democratic Party, echoed the sentiment. Mainly, the Chinese only care about their own interests, he said. They will try to implement anything they think can benefit them. They will engage with any parties, whether the Myanmar government or insurgent groups, he added, referring to ethnic armed organizations some of which are engaged in hostilities with Myanmar forces in their regions. Beijing has been trying to broker cease-fire agreements between the Myanmar military and rebel ethnic armies engaged in armed conflict along the countries shared border, viewing the clashes and displacement of tens of thousands of civilians as threats to the stability needed to ensure the smooth completion of the BRI projects. At a meeting with military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his recent visit, Xi vowed that China would not supply arms and ammunition to ethnic armies operating along the border area. Kun Gaung Aung Kham meanwhile suggested that Myanmar allow other countries to engage in its internal peace process to prevent China from getting the upper hand. Preferably, in addition to Chinas influence, we should let other powers like the U.S., EU, or Japan get involve in the peace process, he said. Otherwise, the peace process dominated by China alone might not be long-lasting. The agreement will be one-sided and favorable only to Chinas interests. Salai Shein Tun, secretary of the Chin League for Democracy, said that Chinas influence in Myanmars peace process will continue to grow. Of course, China will become more influential in Myanmars peace process, he said, adding that Beijing has been supporting the northern ethnic groups with arms behind the scene. The Myanmar military recently captured an insurgent camp, and all the weapons they seized were Chinese made, so there is evidence of Chinas support, he said. But there will be continued political engagement as well. Representatives from nearly 40 political parties attended the two-day event and called on the Union Election Commission to meet with them before the 2020 elections scheduled for later this year. They also called on the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government to listen to the voices of the ethnic parties in the countrys ongoing peace process. Reported by Aung Theinkha for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Premier Brian Pallisters Rodney Dangerfield act on how Manitoba gets no respect from Ottawa on its greenhouse gas record may make for clever soundbites. But his claims the province is leading the country on fighting climate change arent supported by the facts. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Premier Brian Pallisters Rodney Dangerfield act on how Manitoba gets no respect from Ottawa on its greenhouse gas record may make for clever soundbites. But his claims the province is leading the country on fighting climate change arent supported by the facts. Chastened Trudeau softens stance on Manitoba carbon-tax plan Click to Expand Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to questions during a news conference at the National Press building in Ottawa, Thursday January 9, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Posted: 12:08 PM Jan. 21, 2020 It took an electoral wipeout in Western Canada and a threatened Manitoba court challenge, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to be warming to Premier Brian Pallisters request for carbon-tax leniency. Its unclear, however, if Ottawa will take up Pallisters plan to reintroduce a flat carbon levy. Read Full Story Pallister continued to peddle the idea this week Manitoba deserves special recognition for its record on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He said the province has been a leader, especially when it comes to the billions of dollars its invested in Manitoba Hydro to produce clean, renewable energy. "I want respect from Ottawa for the fact that Manitoba has an incredible green record," Pallister said this week after meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Winnipeg. "We deserve to be respected for our green record." Trouble is, Manitobas greenhouse gas record compared with other provinces isnt great. It is one of only four provinces that had its emissions grow between 2005 and 2017 (the most recent data available from Environment Canada). Manitobas emissions increased 7.7 per cent during that period, behind only Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland. All other provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, reported a decline. Nationally, emissions fell two per cent. "We want the respect we deserve as a province," said Pallister. "Were a green province, were proud of it." Pallister has been arguing Manitoba should get a special deal from the federal government on its carbon tax plan because of its record on GHGs. The premier says Manitoba should get credit for the substantial investments its made in building new dams and other hydro infrastructure. "Weve put billions of dollars at risk to green-up the environment, and we deserve respect for that," said Pallister, adding Manitoba has invested triple what British Columbia and Quebec have on hydroelectricity on a per capita basis over the past 10 years. That may be, but greenhouse gas emissions come from many sources, including outside of power generation. When you add it all up, Manitobas emissions have grown from 20.1 megatonnes in 2005 to 21.7 Mt in 2017. By contrast, Canadas GHGs fell to 716 Mt from 730 Mt during the same period. The premier said the province has been a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emission, especially when it comes to the billions of dollars its invested in Manitoba Hydro to produce clean, renewable energy. (Manitoba Hydro photo) Ontarios emissions fell 22 per cent from 2005 to 2017, mainly due to the closure of coal-fired electricity generation plants. Quebecs GHGs dropped 9.8 per cent, and British Columbias fell 1.5 per cent. Industrial emissions have been the biggest driver behind Manitobas GHG growth. Transportation has also been a significant factor, including from light-duty gasoline trucks (such emissions soared 44 per cent in Manitoba in 2005-17). Agricultural emissions also grew slightly during that period. Residential energy has been largely flat over the past dozen years, while emissions from solid waste disposal have declined. "Im a farm boy, I dont like dirty," said Pallister, who often reminds people he grew up on a farm near Portage la Prairie. "Our familys a fifth-generation farm family that understands were stewards of the environment, of the soil, of the air, of the water, for the next generation." Premier Brian Pallisters farm-boy stories aside, Manitobas record on emissions is anything but green when compared to the rest of the country. Even when measured on a per capita basis, Manitoba is about middle of the pack. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Pallisters farm-boy stories aside, Manitobas record on emissions is anything but green when compared to the rest of the country. Even when measured on a per capita basis, Manitoba is about middle of the pack. Statistics Canada does its own emissions measurements, using slightly different methodology than the one used by Environment and Climate Change Canada (the official benchmark for GHGs). Based on that data, as calculated by Nova Scotias Finance and Treasury Board, Manitoba ranks fifth among the provinces in GHGs at 16.3 tonnes per capita. Quebec has the lowest at 10.9, and Alberta the highest at 66.3. The national average is 20.8. Manitoba is only one of three provinces that had its per capita GHGs rise between 2009 and 2017 (although only very slightly at 0.1 per cent). Nationally, per capita GHGs fell by 0.3 per cent. No matter how you slice it, Pallisters claim Manitoba is leading the country when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions is simply not accurate. He may want more respect from Ottawa on Manitobas environmental record, but according to the data, it wouldnt be warranted. tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca New York, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Automotive Axle & Propeller Shaft Market by Axle Type, Axle Position, Propeller Shaft Type, Passenger Car Propeller Shaft Material and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04764444/?utm_source=GNW However, fluctuating raw material prices, as well as pricing pressure from automotive OEMs, are expected to be major challenges for axle and propeller shaft manufacturers. Carbon fiber propeller shaft is the fastest growing segment Carbon fiber composites are being used in automotive components owing to their structural advantages over their metallic counterparts.These include lower weight and higher strength, which are of vital importance to the OEMs. The carbon-fiber propeller shaft is fitted mostly in the SUVs provided premium vehicle manufacturers.Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are prominent car manufacturers in the premium segment and have registered significant growth in recent years in their vehicle sales. According to a Mercedes-Benz publication, the company sold nearly 2.3 million cars globally in 2017 with sales growing by 9.9% year-on-year basis. Further, as per the BMW press release, the companys sales grew by 4.2% between 2016 and 2017. Thus, the growth in premium vehicles sales is becoming an essential factor that will drive the carbon fiber propeller shaft market. Live Axle is projected to lead the automotive axle market, by type, during the forecast period Live axle is estimated to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period between 2019 and 2025.Live axle drives the wheel connected to it along with supporting the weight of the car. Increasing consumer preference towards SUVs and RWD passenger cars as well as consistent growth in overall vehicle production have triggered the growth of live axles market.The demand of RWD/AWD in the US, China, Japan, and European countries have shown significant growth in recent years, and the trend is expected to continue over the forecast period, thus, ultimately boosting the live axle demand for light-duty vehicles. Additionally, the growth in the heavy vehicles, mainly in North America and Europe will propel the live axle demand in future. Asia Oceania: The largest and second-fastest growing automotive axle & propeller shaft market Asia Oceania is anticipated to be the fastest growing market for automotive axle & propeller shaft during the forecast period.The market growth can be attributed to the significant increase in the production of passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the region. Further, with an increase in per capita income, China, Japan, and South Korea have witnessed a significant rise in premium vehicle sales and have emerged as lucrative markets for premium automotive OEMs. As Asia Oceania contributes to a considerable share of the global bus and truck production, trucks and buses hold the maximum percentage of automotive axle & propeller shaft market in 2018.According to OICA statistics, the share of heavy trucks and buses in Asia Oceania was estimated to be 75% and 76%, respectively in 2018. Increasing infrastructure spending, rising import-export trade, and growth of e-commerce have driven the growth of the Asia Oceania market.With rising heavy vehicle production, the demand for axle and propeller shaft is expected to grow significantly, which in turn would push foreign suppliers to extend their presence in this region. These factors together are expected to drive the automotive axle & propeller shaft in the region. BREAKDOWN OF PRIMARIES The study contains insights provided by various industry experts, ranging from equipment manufacturers, OEMs, and Tier-1 suppliers to regional associations members. The break-up of the primaries is as follows: By Company Type: Tier-1 59%, Tier-2 26%, OEM 15%, By Designation: C level 70%, D Level 20%, Others 10%, By Region: Europe 38%, Asia Oceania 31%, North America 21%, RoW 10% The report provides detailed profiles of the following companies: ZF (Germany) Dana (US) GKN (UK) Meritor (US) American Axle & Manufacturing (US) Showa (Japan) Hyundai WIA (South Korea) JTEKT (Japan) Gestamp (Spain) IFA (Germany) Research Coverage The primary objective of the study is to define, describe, and forecast the automotive axle and propeller shaft market, by value and volume.The study segments the market by axle type (dead, live, and tandem), propeller shaft type (single piece and multi-piece), axle position (front and rear), passenger car propeller shaft by material (alloy and carbon fiber), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Oceania, and RoW). The study tracks and analyzes competitive developments such as market share analysis, expansions, joint ventures, acquisitions, and other activities carried out by key industry participants. Reasons for buying the report The study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the automotive axle and propeller shaft market, in terms of volume (thousand units), and value (USD million) at country, and regional level The study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the automotive axle and propeller shaft market, by volume and value, based on the axle type (dead, live, and tandem) at the regional level The study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of automotive axle and propeller shaft market, by volume, and value, based on the propeller shaft type (single piece and multipiece) at the regional level The study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of passenger car propeller shaft market, by volume and value, based on the material (alloy and carbon fiber) at the regional level The study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the automotive axle and propeller shaft market, in terms of volume and value based on the axle position (front and rear) at the regional level The study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of volume and value of the market segments with respect to four regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Oceania, and RoW The study includes the profiles of the key ten companies and additional ten companies, which have a significant impact on the market, along with their financial structure, recent developments, and product portfolio The report covers the competitive landscape, which reflects the market share analysis of leading players along with the dominant strategy adopted by these stakeholders to retain their position Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04764444/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Bigfoot sightings used to be the province of obsessive loners who spent a lot of time in the woods. Then along came the surveillance state, and so now its desk-bound government apparatchiks who must be counted on to keep the great hairy creature in the public consciousness. The latest to weigh in on the existence of the large, supposedly smelly beast: Washington states Department of Transportation. A WSDOT tweet sent out Wednesday shows webcam images of a large figure trudging through the snow. The accompanying message has all the signs of the quintessential 21st-century Bigfoot fan: excitement coupled with forced, were-just-having-a-laugh jollity. Sasquatch spotted!!! wrote the anonymous WSDOT webcam watcher. Im not superstitious... just a little stitious. Have you noticed something strange on our Sherman Pass/SR 20 webcam before? If you look closely by the tree on the left there looks to be something... might be Sasquatch... We will leave that up to you! Sasquatch spotted!!! I'm not superstitious... just a little stitious. Have you noticed something strange on our Sherman Pass/SR 20 webcam before? If you look closely by the tree on the left there looks to be something... might be Sasquatch... We will leave that up to you! pic.twitter.com/RaDGqQdEUF WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) January 22, 2020 Theyll leave that up to us? It sounds more like theyve made up their minds but dont want to admit they believe in Bigfoot. And thats OK. Bigfoot enthusiasts have accepted that the glory days of the 1960s and 70s, when credentialed scientists trekked into the woods in search of gargantuan dung and massive footprints, are mostly gone. Theyve become accustomed to the wink-wink-nudge-nudge of the bashful believers. The Washington transportation departments tweet has gained a lot of attention on social media and beyond. But it should be pointed out that WSDOT, whose Twitter account is known for irreverence, isnt the only government entity tracking fabled beasts these days. Last April, the Indian army tweeted evidence of Bigfoots cousin Yeti. For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7 ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019 Sasquatch-like animals have been spotted in various parts of the world, but their one true home is unquestionably the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot first became a popular local water-cooler topic back in 1924 thanks to an incident that took place in a narrow gorge on the east flank of Mt. St. Helens. A clutch of gold prospectors told newspaper reporters -- and anyone else who would listen -- about how they came across 7-foot-tall ape-men that tossed boulders at them. That gorge is now called Ape Canyon. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. US troops block Russian forces' way to oil fields in northeastern Syria Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 2:02 PM US military forces present in areas controlled by militants of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah have reportedly stopped a Russian military convoy from reaching oil fields there. Turkey's official Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday that the Russian convoy, which consisted of five armored personnel carriers and a pickup truck, turned back and returned to their home base the previous day, after US troopers stopped them and did not allow them to reach their targeted oil fields. The report added that the standoff ended without any significant clashes or any real risk of violence between the two sides. The development took place amid an ongoing dispute between the US and Russia over Rumeylan oil field, which lies in the northeastern flank of Hasakah province. On January 16, the United States dispatched dozens of truckloads of military and logistical equipment to oil-rich areas under its control in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr and Hasakah province. Local sources from the Kurdish-majority northeastern city of Qamishli, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria's official news agency SANA at the time that a convoy of 75 trucks crossed the Semalka border crossing, which is a pontoon bridge across the Tigris, and headed towards US positions in the two provinces. In late October last year, Washington reversed an earlier decision to pull out all of its troops from northeastern Syria, announcing the deployment of about 500 soldiers to the oil fields controlled by Kurdish forces in the Arab country. The US claimed that the move was aimed at protecting the fields and facilities from possible attacks by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. That claim came although US President Donald Trump had earlier suggested that Washington sought economic interests in controlling the oilfields. Pentagon chief Mark Esper then threatened that the US forces deployed to the oil fields would use "military force" against any party that might seek to challenge control of the sites, even if it were Syrian government forces or their Russian allies. Syria, which has not authorized American military presence in its territory, has said the US is "plundering" the country's oil. On December 18, 2019, China's special envoy for Syria said the United States' pretext for extending its military presence in the Arab country, namely to protect Syrian oil fields, was untenable. "Who have given the Americans the right to do this? And, at whose invitation is the US protecting Syria's oil fields?" Xie Xiaoyan said at a press conference in Moscow. "Let's think the other way around: will the US allow Syria to send troops to US territory to protect oil fields there?" he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: The main idea and the main ideology of Azerbaijan, including the young generation is sovereignty, independence and reliance on our own resources, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said while responding to moderator's questions at a panel discussion on Strategic Outlook: Eurasia held as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trend reports. The head of state noted that in Azerbaijan youth is not in the streets, youth is in the universities, at school, youth is in the start-up business, youth is actively involved in governmental issues. "We have launched a very huge volunteer movement, and tens of thousands of people have been trained in the public services sector as volunteers and then,we recruit these people, those who have good results, to the governmental institutions. Frankly speaking when we see in different parts of the world youth on the streets it is because of dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with the life, they lost trust in their governments. The governments use populistic slogans to come to power, and then, cannot deliver what they promised. Actually they lie, and the main reason for that is irresponsibility of politicians. Because we see in many countries not only in Europe but in other places that one government comes, immediately the head of government is under fire. People elect him or her and then within one year he or she loses all the credibility. That is because the promises were given which were not been possible to implement. In Azerbaijan we always keep our word, we never say something we cannot deliver and year after year living standards of our people is better," President Ilham Aliyev said. "I think the main idea and the main ideology of Azerbaijan, including the young generation is sovereignty, independence and reliance on our own resources," the head of state underlined. "And me as the president one of my targets was to transform Azerbaijan into a self-sufficient country. The country does not depend on anyone. In other words, economic independence was the main priority because this is a foundation for political independence. Of course, different countries have different agenda, economies of different countries is more vulnerable than others. As far as Azerbaijan is concerned once again, our geographical location is very advantageous, plus we invested largely into creation of modern infrastructure. Second, as you mentioned our generation is very young, and we have extra labor resources and very creative. Of course, we are rich in natural resources, oil and gas, which create energy security for us, Therefore, our relations with our neighboring countries and the big number of partners are based on mutual interest and plus in every issue related to our presence in that or other international body we look at the pragmatic side. What will it give to us? If it gives us more economic incentives more opportunities for business, more stability, more security, of course, we are considering that. We are members of a number of international institutions. One of them is the Non-Alignment Movement," President Ilham Aliyev added. The Instagram feed of Sanna Marin, the new 34-year-old Prime Minister of Finland, looks a lot like other young womens posts photos of herself dressed up at a gala event with her dashing partner, eating ice cream on holiday, exciting days at the office. But hold on a second what is this photo of her breastfeeding her newborn baby? She has a baby!? How the heck does she fit being the mother of a one-year-old in her life? Her new Im the youngest (female) Prime Minister in the world life? In fact, shes not a superhuman. Shes just lucky to be living in Finland, a place that allows women with small children to work with minimal fuss. I can describe the vast differences between the life of a mother of a toddler in Australia and Finland because I have lived those differences myself. Sanna Marin is perfectly able to be the world's youngest prime minister, and a mother, in a country set up to support working mothers. Credit:AP I live and work in Finland now with a pre-school aged child, but I went through the experience with my first child in Australia. These are the time traps that Finnish women dont even have to think about: In additional notes to the report, which were obtained by The New York Times, investigators said several phone apps were being used during the time that data was leaving the phone. Those included the Safari web browser and the Apple Mail program, both of which Bezos did not appear to be using heavily himself. Bezos did not have iCloud backup enabled on the phone, the notes added, which would have also explained large amounts of data leaving the phone. STAMFORD Norm Pattis said his client was already on the edge financially and a judges ruling on Thursday could push Fotis Dulos to the brink. Judge Gary White ordered Fotis Dulos to be on strict home confinement after he removed items from a memorial for his estranged wife who he is accused of killing. The ruling will prevent Fotis Dulos from leaving his Farmington home for work. He has been on house arrest since being released this month on $6 million bond on charges of murder, felony murder and first-degree kidnapping in the May 24 death of Jennifer Dulos. White, who was filling in for Judge John Blawie, threatened to double his bond if Fotis Dulos violated the terms of his release again, pointing out he was previously warned about the battery running too low on the electronic device that is monitoring his movements. He has strict requirements to follow, White said. He messed up one time. He messed up two times. If he messes up a third time, Im going to raise his bond. READ MORE: Dulos warrants cite years of fear READ MORE: Shift in strategy could mean Jennifer Dulos case goes to trial this year READ MORE: Time finally right for murder charge in Jennifer Dulos case, prosecutor says READ MORE: Warrant: Possible accomplice parked near Jennifer Dulos house Fotis Dulos had received court approval to go to the grocery store last Friday when he stopped at the memorial that was placed at the end of Jefferson Crossing, a private road consisting of homes his company developed. Fotis and Jennifer Dulos lived there until she left for New Canaan with their five children when she filed for divorce in 2017. Pattis admitted Fotis Dulos should not have stopped at the memorial, but told White his client deserved only a stern admonishment. He had permission for each of the stops he made that day when he got to the front of the common area of his private property, he removed a few items that were taunting him, Pattis said. It was a technical violation and I would ask you not to remove his right to work. Mr. Dulos is a home builder and the sale of just one house could be finance altering for him. Fotis Dulos has been in trouble financially and a $2.5 million civil lawsuit filed by his mother-in-law, Gloria Farber, is pending a Hartford judges ruling. Farber is also foreclosing on his Farmington home and a bank is trying to seize a New Canaan property his company has been trying to sell. The 7,000-square-foot home at 61 Sturbridge Hill Road was part of the Jennifer Dulos investigation after neighbors reported hearing loud bangs coming from the property the morning after the May 24 disappearance. Nothing connected to the disappearance was found on the property, according to search warrants unsealed last week. In a sworn affidavit, Nicholas Gazetos, executive vice president of the Savings Bank of Danbury, said Fotis Dulos does not have sufficient funds to maintain the property. Gazetos said Fotis Dulos has asked the bank to pay utilities to keep the electricity and heat on, the court documents said. Pattis said the defense is hoping to quickly go to trial, waiving his clients right to a probable cause hearing as Fotis Dulos pleaded not guilty Thursday to the latest charges. We discussed the pros and cons, and I received my clients consent for the waiver, Pattis said. It was a change in strategy after Pattis said last week the defense was going to request a probable cause hearing. Pattis is also calling for the state Supreme Court to make haste with its decision on the gag order that Blawie imposed in September. We would like to speak freely, but we are limited in what we can say, Pattis said outside the courthouse following the hearing. Pattis has contended his team has not been able to properly defend against accusations police have made in arrest warrants that have been released to the public. Last week, 469 pages of search warrants in the case were unsealed for the first time since the investigation began eight months ago. The documents outline how police believe Fotis Dulos, 52, and his former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, 45, and his close friend and former lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, 54, allegedly conspired to kill Jennifer Dulos and clean up the crime. Fotis Dulos and Troconis were charged last year with two counts of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. On the same day Fotis Dulos was charged with murder this month, Troconis and Mawhinney were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Troconis has been released on house arrest on $1.5 million bond, while Mawhinney remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bond. According to arrest warrants, Jennifer Dulos was last seen on a neighbors security camera at 8:05 a.m. May 24, returning to her Welles Lane home after dropping off her children at a nearby school. Police believe Fotis Dulos was lying in wait and attacked her in the garage, the warrants indicate. Fotis Dulos and Troconis were caught on video that night in Hartford dumping bags that were later determined to contain Jennifer Dulos blood and clothing, according to arrest warrants. Jennifer Dulos blood was also found on the seat of a pickup truck belonging to an employee of Fotis Dulos, according to arrest warrants. Police say Fotis Dulos used the truck on the day his wife was killed, arrest warrants said. The search warrants revealed that Fotis Dulos 2015 black Chevrolet Suburban was was spotted on a residential security camera parked on Thurton Drive, a dead-end street about 600 feet from the backyard of Jennifer Dulos home. Police took 19 swabs from that vehicle, including ones from what appeared to be bloodlike stains, the warrants said. Troconis and Mawhinney are each due in court on Feb. 20, while Fotis Dulos is scheduled to return on Feb. 28. A major group of insurers said it would invest $55 million to create cheaper versions of expensive generic drugs for which there is little competition, in a further sign of dissatisfaction with the pharmaceutical industrys price-setting practices. The decision by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and 18 of its member organizations, which insure about 40 million people, is part of a partnership agreement with Civica Rx, a nonprofit that is already selling drugs used in hospitals to health systems around the country. Frustrated with high drug prices, especially on essential medicines like insulin, state and federal lawmakers have signaled interest in manufacturing generic medications to try to lower costs for millions of Americans. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California recently floated a similar proposal, in which the state would contract with outside manufacturers to sell generic drugs under the states own label. And Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat seeking her partys presidential nomination, has advanced a similar proposal. The insurers and Civica declined to name specific drugs that would be targeted, saying they did not want to tip off potential business rivals. They said that they would start with seven to 10 products that have little competition and that some initial products could become available by early 2022. Big hubbub yesterday after the Philadelphia Inquirers Christian Hetrick reported that police were investigating after Gritty was accused of punching a 13 year old during a photo op for Flyers season ticket holders. The incident stems from November, when Chris Greenwell says his son Brandon was hit in the back after he touched the mascot on the head. Comcast Spectacor says they took the allegations seriously and conducted an investigation that was not able to support Greenwells claim. Understandably, the story was all over the local news, with the TV stations getting in touch with the father and seeing what he had to say. Heres the NBC Philadelphia story, reported by Drew Smith, via Johnny Airport Clark: Here is the story with the father and son who are accusing Gritty of punching the kid in the back. Police are investigating. The Flyers say they found no evidence of this Reporting by @drewsmithtv @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/opY7k3aP1K John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 23, 2020 My first thought while watching that, was, holy shit, thats a nice collection of jerseys. Looks like a pretty gnarly basement or man cave, or whatever room theyre in. Otherwise, theres nothing particularly new in there. For what its worth, most of the reaction on our Facebook page was suspicious, with these two comments rising to the top: No personal judgment here; just wanted to share those comments, since overwhelmingly it seems like the public opinion is against Greenwell because of what people perceive to be questionable pieces to his story (like asking for perks as reconciliation). Regardless, if theres no video and no evidence of the alleged punch actually happening, then were just stuck in a he said/she said quagmire with nowhere to go. Edit: He went on Garganos show as well A jeep rammed into a stationary truck in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot district, killing two people and injuring six, police said on Thursday. After the accident on Wednesday, the eight people were rushed to a government hospital where doctors declared two of them brought dead, ASP Balwant Chaudhary said. The two deceased persons were identified as Santosh (40) and Hari (55). All the people in the jeep belonged to Chatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh and were on their way to Allahabad, the ASP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) engages members of the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA) to discuss ways of addressing the trading of Sub-Standard Electric Cables and devices in the country. The meeting was also to sensitise members on the applicable national regulations and standards. It was also intended to increase the visibility of GSA. The meeting held on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at the Opera Square in Accra, was supervised by the Head of Business Development Department of GSA, George Anti. ---citinewsroom "You have to give [@ElonMusk] credit," President Trump tells @JoeSquawk. "He's one of our great geniuses, and we have to protect our genius.""He's going to be building a very big plant in the United States. He has to, because we help him, so he has to help us." pic.twitter.com/WIlBJS0saEJanuary 22, 2020 See more President Donald Trump, it seems, is a fan of Elon Musk. Trump hailed the SpaceX and Tesla CEO in an interview with CNBC's Joe Kernen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, calling the billionaire tech pioneer a "genius" who ranks alongside the likes of Thomas Edison. "He's one of our great geniuses and we have to protect our genius," Trump said of Musk while discussing Tesla, the electric car maker, with Kernen. CNBC posted the video online Wednesday (Jan. 22). SpaceX, Musk's private spaceflight company, has also impressed Trump with its regular launches of reusable rockets. The company is also building a new Crew Dragon space taxi for astronauts, as well as a giant Starship rocket for trips to the moon and Mars. In Photos: President Donald Trump and NASA "He likes rockets, and he does good at rockets too, by the way," Trump said. "I never saw where the engines come down with no wings, no anything and they're landing I said, 'I've never seen that before.' "He's one of our very smart people and we want to cherish those people," Trump added. "He's done a very good job." Trump also marveled at the success of Tesla, which reached a $100 billion market cap for the first time today, according to CNBC. "Shocking, how well, how it's come so fast," Trump told Kernen of Telsa's success. "You go a back a year and they were talking about the end of the company, and now all of a sudden, they're talking about these great things." Trump also said that he expects Musk and Tesla to build another giant manufacturing plant in the United States. "He has to because we help him," Trump said without elaborating what he meant. "And so he has to help us." On Sunday (Jan. 19), SpaceX launched a critical in-flight abort flight of its Crew Dragon spacecraft to test the spacecraft's emergency escape system to protect astronauts during a rocket emergency. The company plans to launch its fourth batch of Starlink internet satellites on Friday (Jan. 24). Musk called the Crew Dragon abort test a "picture-perfect" flight, adding that SpaceX hopes to begin launching astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA in the second quarter of this year. Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament on Thursday the government will ask airlines to make announcements on flights from China urging passengers to notify cabin crew if they feel ill, as a new coronavirus continues to spread. "We will make utmost efforts to prevent the spread of infections," Abe said. Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways Co. said it has decided to cancel flights connecting Narita near Tokyo with the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the center of the virus outbreak for two days from Thursday, affecting around 280 passengers in total. The airline said it will decide whether to resume the flights Saturday or later depending on the situation in China. "Over there children aren't allowed to go outside, so I'm glad we were able to return as planned," Yosuke Aoki, a 34-year-old Japanese living in Wuhan who made a trip home to Japan with his family, said at Narita airport. China's Juneyao Airlines Co. canceled flights between Kansai airport and Wuhan on Thursday, while Spring Airlines Japan Co. flight attendants on the route have been wearing masks and distributing them to passengers since Wednesday. Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said the same day that samples collected to confirm infection will be tested not only at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases but at other government-authorized clinical laboratories across the country. The virus continues to have an impact on a wide range of industries, with a JTB Corp. group company canceling all tours with Wuhan as the departure or destination point for February and March. - Ghanaian socialite, Mona Montrage, popularly known as Hajia4real, has set social media on fire with her latest hot photos. - Hajia4reall is known for her occasional photo releases on social media which always cause traffic on her page - The latest photo of Hajia4real on her Instagram page shows her dazzling in a beautiful yellow dress as she shows off her yellow traveling bags as well Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Ghanaian Instagram model and actress Hajia4real has flaunted her beauty in her latest hot photo and has got social media talking. Hajia4reall is noted for displaying beautiful photos of herself and once a while, throwing in some to flaunt her cars, house, and other properties. The latest photo of Hajia4real sighted by YEN.com.gh on her Instagram page shows her dazzling in a beautiful yellow dress as she shows off her yellow traveling bags as well. The photo has drawn massive reactions from some Nigerian celebrities and her fans as they heaped praises on her for rocking the beautiful outfit to match with her travelling bags. READ ALSO: Nikki Banks professes love for Kuami Eugene READ ALSO: Tracey Boakye worked hard for her riches - Brother sincerelyw: "Where we going?" mariam_montecarlo : "Take care pretty" bibyonce: "Come to Lagos jor" swankyjerry: "One and only Mona" READ ALSO: Emelia Brobbey drops video for her new song; Abeiku Santana, Sista Afia react Judging from the comments, it is evident that fans and followers of the socialite, especially those from Nigeria, have so much love for her. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Hajia4reall has put her heavy chest and raw back on display as she slays in new photos. READ ALSO: Medikal buys Shatta Wale iPhone 11 Pro (photo) The latest photos of Hajia4reall sighted by YEN.com.gh on her Instagram page showed the beautiful socialite's serious cleavage and her beautiful tattoo on her heavily endowed chest. Another photo also showed Hajia4reall displaying her smooth back which had another beautiful tattoo of a butterfly on her silky skin. READ ALSO: Pastor Love speaks about Obaapa Christy's marriage; says he has been vindicated So far, Hajia4reall is noted to have 3 visible tattoos on her body. As to whether she has more on some unseen parts of her body is still a mystery. She captioned one of the pictures saying "Shine bright like the tip of my nose." Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Source: YEN.com.gh The ruling does mean, however, that Myanmar must cease destroying any evidence of genocide, making it more likely that a court could find proof of this crime in the future, and that the government will have to take immediate steps to protect the minority living within its borders. Separate international proceedings at the International Criminal Court are underway against Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. Kennedy earned his Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review. He was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1994, and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association, officials said. Up to 40 of the main protagonists in the deadly Drogheda feud, including women and children, have "gone to ground" in recent days fearing that they will be shot or arrested. The development comes as it has emerged that a high-level meeting involving senior officers from many of the Garda's specialist units took place on Monday and a "strategy" for tackling the feuding gangs "head-on" was discussed. Senior officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) and the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) were in attendance and a new major clampdown on the feuding gangs is imminent, according to sources. "The full power of the State is coming down on these gangs very shortly," a senior source said last night. While the vast majority of the feuding thugs in the Co Louth town are now on "self-imposed lockdown", the Irish Independent has learned that a 35-year-old Dublin criminal, who is suspected of playing a key role in the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods (17), has been spotted walking the streets of the town "every third day or so". However, he is the exception. "Virtually all of these criminals are now in hiding - they are terrified of being arrested and they are also very concerned that they will be shot. "At times this week, some of the housing estates that they have terrorised for over two years now are like ghost towns. "The atmosphere is very weird," the senior source added. Gardai also believe that feud gangster Cornelius Price, whose compound in Gormanston, Co Meath, was raided a number of times last week, is currently based with some of his relatives in the English town of Rochdale after he left Ireland at the weekend to "escape the heat on him". The CAB previously carried out a major operation against Owen Maguire's gang in April 2018, just three months before he was left paralysed after surviving a botched assassination attempt. Searches took place in counties Dublin, Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan and cars, watches and cash were seized. Sources say that the bureau will now actively target the anti-Maguire faction who are the mob behind the gruesome and shocking murder of Keane, whose torso has not yet been recovered. A 24-year-old Drogheda criminal, who is also suspected of active involvement in Keane's murder, remains locked up in a prison isolation unit for his own safety after he was arrested for separate offences on Sunday night. "Maybe jail is the best place for him - the majority of his associates are certainly not strutting around the town like they had been before now," a source said. There have been no arrests yet in the murder case, being led by Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan. On Tuesday, he said the force's elite Emergency Response Unit has never let him down and can be called in at a moment's notice to assist local gardai. He appealed for anyone with any information about Keane's last movements to come forward, saying those who don't carry a huge responsibility. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:06:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education Thursday said education administrations and schools across the country should not hold mass gatherings or examinations during the viral pneumonia outbreak. Universities and colleges must make plans for the prevention and control of pneumonia cases caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) before the spring semester begins, said a circular issued by the ministry. Students are on winter break and will go back to campus usually in late February. The ministry said schools should weigh the epidemic situations before the spring semester begins and make adjustment accordingly. Local education authorities should notify students of primary and secondary schools not to attend any mass gatherings or examinations held by social organizations. Education administrations and universities in areas most affected by the pneumonia outbreak such as central city of Wuhan should help teachers and students raise their awareness of the disease, the circular read. T hree people have died as a water tanker plane crashed while fighting wildfires in Australia. The C-130 Hercules aircraft came down over the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales state on Thursday, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the three deaths and crash, which came as Australia attempts to deal with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. "The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, it's crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash," said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. He said all three aboard were US residents. "Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors," he said. It comes as Canberra Airport was shut down because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of Australia's capital were told to seek shelter. The blaze started Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at the "watch and act" level, officials said. "Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations," the airport authority said in a tweet. Australia fires - In pictures 1 /78 Australia fires - In pictures A firefighter hosing down trees and flying embers in an effort to secure nearby houses from bushfires near the town of Nowra in the Australian state of New South Wales in December AFP via Getty Images An aerial view of bushfires burning south of Canberra Getty Images Adelaide wildlife rescuer Simon Adamczyk is seen with a koala rescued at a burning forest on Kangaroo Island in January Reuters German tourists Julia Wasmiller and Jessica Pryor pose for a photo at Mrs Macquarie's chair, wearing face masks due to heavy smoke in December Getty Images A small aircraft dumps fire retardant behind houses at the foot of Mount Tennant as the fire front of the Orroral Valley fire creeps through the Namadgi National Park on January 30, 2020 in Canberra, Australia Getty Images A pyrocumulonimbus cloud is generated by the intense Orroral Valley bushfire buring to the south of Canberra. Getty Images Eugenie Bouchard of Canada takes a moment to catch her breath during her qualifying match against Xiaodi You of China during 2020 Australian Open Qualifying at Melbourne Park Getty Images Bernard Tomic of Australia receives medical attention in his match against Denis Kudla of the USA during 2020 Australian Open Qualifying at Melbourne Park Getty Images Massive smoke rising from wildfires burning in East Gippsland, Victoria in January AP Smoke looms over Sydney A kangaroo jumps in a field amidst smoke from a bushfire at Snowy Valley, Australia in January AFP via Getty Images Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits a resident's property in an area devastated by bushfires in Sarsfield, Victoria state in January POOL/AFP via Getty Images An injured koala rests in a washing basket at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in January Getty Images A pedestrian wears a mask as smoke shrouds the Australian capital of Canberra, Australia in January AP A large smoke plume is seen over a sheep property in the Parndana region in January Getty Images NSW's National Parks and Wildlife Service staff prepare to air-drop carrots for animals in bushfire-stricken areas, in Newnes, Wollemi National Park, New South Wales in January via Reuters A wallaby eats a carrot after NSW's National Parks and Wildlife Service staff air-dropped them in bushfire-stricken areas around Wollemi and Yengo National Parks, New South Wales in January via Reuters Nurses feed an injured male koala at Adelaide Koala Rescue in January Getty Images A woodchip mill burnt by bushfires is seen as smoke rises in Eden in Australia's New South Wales in January AFP via Getty Images Kylie Minogue donates to the cause @kylieminogue Cars line up to leave the town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales to head north in January AFP via Getty Images HMAS Choules off the coast of Victoria, Australia in January Reuters The property of Lyle Stewart is razed to the ground at Nerrigundah, Australia in January AP Rural Fire Service firefighter Trevor Stewart views a flank of in Tumburumba, Australia Getty Images A plane flies in the tobacco-coloured skies over Auckland, New Zealand, as smoke from the wildfires traveled from Australia in January Getty Images An orange glow darkens the sky in Auckland city from the wildfires in Australia Getty Images Kiahan Bellchambers and her brother Jesse Bellchambers looking for belongings amongst the ruins of their house destroyed during bushfires in Batlow, in Australia's New South Wales state in January AFP via Getty Images Lieutenant Kynan Lang from the 10th/27th Battalion visits the scene where his uncle and cousin died in a bushfire to place a memorial on Kangaroo Island, Australia in January via Reuters A firefighters backs away from the flames after lighting a controlled burn near Tomerong, Australia AP Black ash and fire debris is washed up on Boydtown Beach and the banks of the Nullica River in Eden, Australia REUTERS Barb Copus holds a rescued baby brushtail possum at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in the Parndana region on Kangaroo Island, Australia Getty Images A burnt car is seen after bushfire in Batlow, in Australia's New South Wales state in January AFP via Getty Images A burning gum tree is felled to stop it from falling on a car in Corbago, as bushfires continue in New South Wales, Australia in January Reuters General view of the Dunn Road fire in January Getty Images Australian Army CH-47 Chinooks from the 5th Aviation Regiment deliver hay bales to remote bushfire-affected farms on Kangaroo Island, Australia via Reuters Volunteer and carer Tracy Dodd holds a kangaroo with burnt feet pads after being rescued from bushfires in Australia's Blue Mountains area in December Reuters Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Sydney Opera House in December AP A property burns from bushfires in Balmoral, 150km southwest of Sydney in December AFP via Getty Images A fireman fights a bushfire to protect a property in Balmoral, 150km southwest of Sydney in December AFP via Getty Images Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in December Getty Images Australian wildfires turn sky red in December brendanh_au/Twitter Firemen inspect a house recently destroyed by bushfires on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in December Getty Images Firemen prepare as a bushfire approaches homes on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in December Getty Images Monitoring the Tianjara fire from a helicopter in the Moreton and Jerrawangala National Park in December Getty Images People wear face masks to protect from the pollution over Sydney Harbour in December Getty Images A fire approaches the village of Nerrigundah, Australia in December AP An old car burns from bushfires in Balmoral AFP via Getty Images The remains of burnt out buildings are seen along main street in the New South Wales town of Cobargo in December AFP via Getty Images Wildfires rage under plumes of smoke in Bairnsdale, Australia in December AP A horse trying to move away from nearby bushfires at a residential property near the town of Nowra in the Australian state of New South Wales in December AFP via Getty Images Fire and thick smoke remains the village of Nerrigundah, Australia in December AP Gary Hinton stands amongst rubble after fires devastated the New South Wales town of Cobargo in December AFP via Getty Images A helicopter drops fire retardent to protect a property in Balmoral in December AFP via Getty Images The sky glows red as bushfires continue to rage in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia in December via Reuters A fire and rescue team inspect the damage around Torrington in Glen Innes, Australia in November Getty Images Flames from an out of control bushfire seen from a nearby residential area in Harrington, Australia in November AFP via Getty Images Bushfires taken from a plane in over north eastern New South Wales in November AFP via Getty Images An Air-crane water bombing helicopter drops water on a bushfire in Harrington, Australia in November Reuters Haze blanketing Manly Beach, Sydney in November Sydney Coaches via Reuters Another tweet from traffic police said "the fire is moving fast and there are multiple road closures in the area. Please avoid the area. Local road blocks in place." Residents in some Canberra suburbs were advised to seek shelter and others to leave immediately. "The defence force is both assisting to a degree and looking to whether that needs to be reinforced," Defence Minister Angus Campbell told reporters. RAJESHKUMAR THAKUR By Express News Service PATNA: Has Pavan K Varmas outbursts against the JD-U brass got to do with the party not renominating him to the Rajya Sabha, or has he in-principle decided to end his political loyalty to party chief and CM Nitish Kumar: This is the question being discussed in Bihars political circles. There are even talks that the former diplomat-turned-politician has become over-ambitious and does not want to restrict himself as merely the JD-U national spokesperson. Varma worked closely with Nitish after being appointed as an advisor holding a Cabinet rank. He was made Rajya Sabha MP from June 2014 to July 2016. But today, even top JD-U leaders are unable to explain what made Varma so vocal that he went on to seek ideological clarity from Nitish. On Wednesday, JD-Us Bihar president Vashishtha Narayan Singh asserted that Varma had done nothing substantial for the party. What Varma writes or speaks is of no importance to the party. Singh even said if some people dont find themselves comfortable, they are free to make the next move. Political sources in the NDA claim Varma has always been ideologically out of sync when it comes to a majority of JD-Us political ideologies. He was nominated MP but he started getting irritated and fault finding in the party after his tenure as MP ended in July 2016. His theories now stand in contrast to the party line or thought, a senior NDA insider said. As of now, JD-U has two lobbies though it will be never acknowledged in public. One lobby comprises of bureaucrats- turned-politicians such as RCP Singh, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, Vashisatha Narayan Singh and others. The second lobby comprises the likes of poll strategist Prashant Kishor, KC Tyagi, Pavan K Varma. In Parliament, RCP Singh and Lallan Singh had supported the Citizen (Amendment) Act and spoken in its favour. Kishor and Varma revolted against the partys stance on supporting the CAA, a source said. Kishors recent thanksgiving tweet to top Congress leaders for coming out officially against the CAA is still being dissected. And if sources are to be believed, changes of loyalty by some disgruntled leaders cannot be ruled out in the near future. Sources said that the JD-U brass has now taken serious note of Varmas letters and he may be served a notice. The timeframe: I started it 10 years ago on a bit of a whim after travelling extensively in Nepal and India and making friends with a Nepalese tour guide. At the time, wellness and spiritual travel was becoming popular in places like Bali and Thailand, but there was nothing much available in Nepal. Side hustle: As a yoga and meditation teacher, I also set up a side business called Ashima Living that runs annual spiritual journeys in the Himalayas of Nepal. I take a group of up to 16 people from all around the world to Nepal for ten days of yoga, meditation and excursions, such as watching a Himalayan sunrise, visiting Buddhist monasteries and temples and giving out stationery to kids at a village school. The reason: Yoga, meditation and travel are my three main passions in life that I love sharing with others. Nothing beats seeing the look in someones eyes as they take in their first Himalayan sunrise. Also, when I started ten years ago, the tourism industry in Nepal had not recovered well from years of civil war and unrest. I saw it as a great opportunity to get the word out about this amazing place and hopefully in some small way at least, bring more visitors and tourist dollars into the country. The money: I was very fortunate that a friend built my first, very simple website for free and I was able to get a $10,000 business credit card to fund the initial costs of advertising and set-up. The first few years were tough and I ran at a loss. But I invested heavily in learning as much as I could about online marketing and my groups grew bigger through better marketing, repeat clientele and word of mouth. Last year sold out a few months in advance. Transferable skills: Ive been able to use skills from my day job, like tenacity, patience and resilience. The business has helped me grow in so many ways from being an introvert to having to step up and lead a group with confidence in a country like Nepal its a huge responsibility! Its made me a better communicator in my sales job too. If I was starting from scratch I would: Not waste money on a fancy website. After the first free website my friend did for me, I dropped $4000 on a professional one that was slick but was a waste of money because I had to pay the developer $160 an hour every time I needed a minor change. Eventually I taught myself how to build a cheap one with WordPress and while its not as pretty, I can change it as much as I want for free. Earning recognition from the FVF during Admirals early stages certainly gave our team, investors and customers confidence that we were onto something big, says Rua. To now be invited back to share our story, after serving thousands of media publishers worldwide, is an honor. Admiral, the worlds leading Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) platform announced today that it has been invited by the Florida Venture Forum (FVF) to present at the organizations 2020 Florida Venture Capital Conference taking place in Orlando on January 30th - 31st. With a mission to connect the states most innovative companies with the worlds top investors, The Florida Venture Forum is the states leading entrepreneurial and venture investor networking group. Headquartered in Gainesville, FL with offices in NYC, Denver, RTP and the west coast, Admiral empowers digital publishers to grow and optimize revenue by building first party relationships with their visitors. Since launching in 2015, thousands of sites worldwide have adopted Admiral's VRM platform to size and solve adblock losses, launch paid subscription programs, manage CCPA/GDPR privacy consent, drive email acquisition and accelerate social growth, optimizing Average Revenue Per Visitor (ARPV). In fact, Admiral recently celebrated a growth milestone, passing 400 billion visitor impressions flowing across its worldwide platform. Focusing on growth and later stage companies, the Florida Venture Capital Conference in 2020 expects over 400 attendees including 200+ equity investors from across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, representing billions of dollars in deployable capital. Being selected to present at this event is a tremendous opportunity, and brings our special relationship with the Florida Venture Forum full circle, says Dan Rua, CEO, Admiral. In 2017, Admiral was awarded the prestigious Accelerating Innovation Award out of a field of 100+ entrants at FVFs 10th Annual Florida Early Stage Capital Conference. Earning recognition from the FVF during Admirals early stages certainly gave our team, investors and customers confidence that we were onto something big, says Rua. To now be invited back to share our story, after serving thousands of media publishers worldwide, is an honor. During the two-day event, presenting companies and conference attendees will engage with regional, national and international venture capitalists, and strategic investors. Investors or strategic partners interested in learning how Admiral has achieved 4X ARR/FTE growth and become one of Floridas fastest growing companies, are encouraged to reserve time at the conference with Admiral CEO, Dan Rua via dan@getadmiral.com. To learn more about Admiral, visit GetAdmiral.com. ABOUT THE FLORIDA VENTURE FORUM The Florida Venture Forum, established in 1984, is the leading entrepreneurial and private company investor networking group in Florida, providing Florida-based companies (and their owners and managers) with unique strategic education and guidance and opportunities to interact with and present to active funds and other equity investors as well as other members of the entrepreneurial and emerging company ecosystem. To date, Florida-based companies presenting at Forum conferences have raised ~$6 Billion in equity capital to date. ABOUT ADMIRAL Admiral is the industrys leading Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) platform, serving thousands of sites worldwide. Admiral empowers publishers to engage their audiences to drive and optimize revenue streams from paid subscriptions to adblock recovery. Admirals one-tag solution provides free revenue analytics, and a suite of engagement, CCPA/GDPR privacy compliance, subscription, adblock recovery, and revenue growth modules. Interested publishers, investors and partners are encouraged to learn more at GetAdmiral.com The clock is winding down on Connecticuts Super Toll debate and the Lamont team is running out of time to get their plan across the goal line. Desperate to get any points on the board before time runs out, Team Lamont unleashed a trick play in the form of a deceptive press release last Friday (Jan. 17). The press release was intended to mislead the public about the history of state governments Special Transportation Fund and convince the public that during many years the General Assembly had to take billions of dollars from the General Fund to pay for transportation expenses. Adding to the deception (and to appeal to the sympathies of the public), the press release claimed that three previous governors (but not Gov. Lamont), used the General Fund and revenues meant to support municipal aid, education, and nonprofits to pay for transportation infrastructure. The press release piled on its claims: This practice robbed social service providers of needed funds and shortchanged our communities. Trying to add authority to their claims, Team Lamont attached an analysis developed by the state Office of Policy and Management purportedly proving the claims of the press release with a table showing transfers between the General Fund and the Special Transportation Fund. This would be a powerful argument if it were completely true. But it is a half-truth. Worse, by omitting a very important fact, the press release was extremely misleading. What vital fact did the press release omit? It did not acknowledge that $4.1 billion of petroleum gross receipts taxes were placed directly into the General Fund before they could get to the Special Transportation Fund for the first 14 years of the current century. All that money should have gone directly to the STF. But for decades the Legislature had been using gas taxes to support General Fund spending. The Legislature did this by taking the revenue from the petroleum gross receipts taxes (one of the two state gas taxes you pay at the pump) and depositing it all directly into the General Fund. Most people would assume that gas taxes go toward maintaining our roads and bridges. But this is not true with the petroleum gross receipts taxes. From 2000 to 2015, the Legislature took in $4.1 billion from petroleum gross receipts taxes, put all that revenue into the General Fund, and transferred barely half of it to the Special Transportation Fund. The Legislature finally realized that continually raiding gas taxes to pay for General Fund expenditures hampered maintenance of roads and bridges. So beginning in 2015 the Legislature required that all revenue from the petroleum gross receipts tax be placed directly in the Special Transportation Fund. When the background here is revealed, the deceit of the Team Lamonts press release becomes apparent. Yes, technically, billions of tax dollars were transferred from the General Fund to the Special Transportation Fund. But that money never was deposited first in the Special Transportation Fund as it should have been. Much gas tax money was used for general purposes, not transportation. Funding for education, social services and municipal aid was never diverted to the Special Transportation Fund. It was transportation money billions of dollars raised by the petroleum gross receipts tax that was diverted to education, social services and municipal aid. The truth is exactly the opposite of what Team Lamont claimed last week. Len Suzio is former Republican state senator from Meriden and former vice chair of the General Assemblys Transportation Committee. Howard County, Iowa voted by more than 20 percentage points for Obama in 2012 and more than 20 percentage points for Trump in 2016. WSJs John McCormick sat down with a group of the countys voters to discuss their outlook on the 2020 election. North Korea to make Munich Security Conference debut in 2020 Berlin, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 North Korea will send a delegation to the Munich Security Conference for the first time in the 56-year history of the diplomatic gathering, organisers said Thursday. The conference confirmed that North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Son Gyong would attend the event, to be held between February 14 and 16. The announcement comes a month after Pyongyang declared it was abandoning moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. The conference hosts high-ranking officials and world leaders each year to discuss security challenges. The self-imposed ban on tests had been the centrepiece of two years of nuclear diplomacy between the US and North Korea, including three meetings between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Also expected to attend the Munich talks this year are US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is likewise expected to attend, as is Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. LONDON - The Latest on the outbreak of the new coronavirus in China (all times local): 6:20 p.m. The World Health Organization says a viral illness in China that has sickened hundreds of people is not yet a global health emergency. The decision came after Chinese authorities moved to lock down three cities on Thursday and cancelled major events in the capital, Beijing, during the Lunar New Year holiday period to try to contain the new virus. The United Nations health agency announced the decision after independent experts spent two days assessing information about the spread of the newly identified coronavirus. WHO defines a global emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a co-ordinated international response. Previous global emergencies have been declared for the emergence of Zika virus in the Americas, the swine flu pandemic, and polio. A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous foreign governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries. Deciding whether an outbreak amounts to an international crisis therefore can also be politically fraught. In 2014, WHO resisted declaring the devastating Ebola epidemic in West Africa to be a global emergency because it feared the announcement would anger Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. When WHO made its last emergency declaration in July, related to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo, the Congolese health minister resisted the characterization and suggested the decision was made to raise funds for certain humanitarian actors. Hundreds of people infected with the new virus have fallen ill in China, and 17 have died. The first cases appeared last month in Wuhan, an industrial and transportation hub in central China. Other cases have been reported in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong reported their first cases Thursday. ___ 2:45 p.m. Vietnams Health Ministry says a Chinese father and son, who were hospitalized on Wednesday with fevers, have tested positive with the new coronavirus. It said this marks the first such cases in Vietnam. The ministry on Thursday said Li Ding, 66, from Wuhan, China arrived in Hanoi on Jan. 13 then travelled south to meet up with his 28-year-old son Li Zichao, who works in Vietnam. The two then went to Ho Chi Minh city. The father got a fever on Jan. 17 and the son got the same symptoms three days later, according to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Sang, head of tropical diseases at Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh city. The son has contracted the virus from his father, the doctor was quoted as saying. China, meanwhile, has decided to lock down three cities including Wuhan that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain the deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds. - 2 p.m. Singapores Ministry of Health says the country has confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus, a 66-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan. The ministry said late Thursday the man arrived in Singapore with his family on Jan. 20. It said the man is now in isolation in a hospital in the Southeast Asian city-state. The statement said health officials are also investigating another suspected case, after a preliminary test for the virus was positive. That person is a 53-year-old woman from Wuhan. China, meanwhile, has decided to lock down three cities including Wuhan that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain the deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds. ___ 3 a.m. China has decided to lock down three cities that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain a deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds and spread to other cities and countries in the Lunar New Year travel rush. Police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops guarded Wuhans train station, where metal barriers blocked the entrances at 10 a.m. sharp. Only travellers holding tickets for the last trains were allowed to enter, with those booked for later trains being turned away. Normally bustling streets, shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces in the city of 11 million people were eerily quiet. In addition to the train station, airport, ferry, subway and bus services were also halted. Similar measures will take effect from Friday in the nearby cities of Huanggang and Ezhou. In the capital Beijing, authorities cancelled major events indefinitely, including traditional temple fairs that are a staple of Lunar New Year holiday celebrations, Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images Fewer than half of American adults know how many Jews were killed in the Holocaust, according to a survey published ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. Forty-five per cent of those asked by the Pew Research Center about the number of Jews killed by the Nazis gave the correct answer of approximately 6 million. From multiple choice answers, 12% selected about 3 million, and 2% selected less than 1 million. Another 12% said more than 12 million Jews died in the Holocaust. One in three people (29%) said they were not sure or did not answer. According to the survey of almost 11,000 Americans, 69% said the Holocaust happened between 1930 and 1950. One in 10 people thought it took place between 1910 and 1930, and 2% answered between 1890 and 1910. One in 100 people thought it was later than second world war, answering 1950-1970; and 18% did not know or gave no answer. Some people believe ignorance about the Holocaust is linked to a rise in antisemitism. There are also concerns that, as living witnesses to Nazi atrocities and the death camps dwindle in number, the Holocaust is receding in the collective memory. The Anti-Defamation League annual audit of antisemitic incidents in the US for 2018 recorded the third-highest total since the civil rights group began publishing data 40 years ago. According to the New York Times, a report soon to be published by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University says antisemitic hate crimes in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago the three largest cities in the US are poised to hit an 18-year peak. Last month, a man armed with a knife forced his way into the home of a New York rabbi during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, wounding five people. In October 2018, 11 people were killed and six injured in a shooting attack at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pew survey also found that only 43% of respondents knew that Hitler became German chancellor through a democratic political process, with one in four people believing he and his supporters violently overthrew the government. Story continues The Pew report, What Americans Know About the Holocaust, said the findings raised an important question: Are those who underestimate the death toll simply uninformed, or are they Holocaust deniers people with antisemitic views who claim that the Holocaust was invented or exaggerated by Jews as part of a plot to advance Jewish interests? The researchers found some correlation between correct answers and warmer feelings among non-Jews towards Jews. Those answering at least three of the four multiple-choice questions correctly had, on average, a 67% warmth rating towards Jews. January 27 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the death camp in German-occupied Poland where some 1.2 million people were killed. Up to 200 survivors are expected to attend a memorial service at the camp, and there will be commemorations around the world. Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis will host nationally renowned speaker Tererai Trent as part of its 50th anniversary celebration 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at Clowes Memorial Hall on Butler Universitys campus, 4602 Sunset Ave. Trent grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe and had her dream of getting an education slashed when her father married her off at a young age. She had three children by the time she was 18. Trent wrote down her goals on a piece of paper and put it in a tin can that she buried in Zimbabwe. Those goals included going to America to pursue higher education. She moved to Oklahoma in 1998 with her husband and five children, and three years later she earned a bachelors degree in agricultural education. Trent also has a masters degree and doctorate degree. She wrote her thesis about HIV/AIDS prevention programs for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. After completing each accomplishment she laid out for herself years earlier, Trent traveled back to Zimbabwe to cross it off of her list. Trents foundation, Tererai Trent International, has built several schools in Zimbabwe. She also was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Oprah said in 2011 that Trent was her all-time favorite guest. Elyssa Campodonico-Barr, president and CEO of Girls Inc., said she hopes girls become inspired by Trents talk. I think theres so much value in really owning our own stories and celebrating our successes, she said. For those such as parents and teachers, who have influence over the lives of girls, Campodonico-Barr said she wants them to see how important it is to invest in girls by reinforcing the importance of education, helping set goals and modeling positive behavior. Weve come a long way since Girls Inc. started, she said, but we have so much more to go. Tickets for An Evening with Dr. Tererai Trent are $30 for general admission and $100 for premium, which includes priority seating and entrance to an on-site VIP reception. Purchase tickets online. Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-872-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick. The Ukrainian leader canceled his visit to the World Forum of Holocaust where Putin was present, Dmitriy Peskov said President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky did not meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Israel. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of Russia's head of the state said so as quoted by Fakty. The official added that the meeting did not take place because Zelensky canceled his participation in the World Forum of the Holocaust Victims where Putin was present. "No. There was none. Zelensky, unfortunately, canceled his arrival on the forum", Peskov said. He added that Putin came to Bethlehem to negotiate with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Previously, Volodymyr Zelensky was going to participate in the fifth World Forum of the Holocaust Victims; this year, it was dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the release of prisoners of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Later, he said he decided to pass his place to the people who survived that tragedy in 1940-1945. He also visited the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and participated in the prayer for peace in Ukraine. "Peace is the most important thing for Ukraine. It is important that prayer for peace is heard in such holy places," Zelensky said. Burma Top UN Court Orders Myanmar to Protect Rohingya Rights, End Genocide A Rohingya refugee touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh border at Shah Porir Dwip in September 2017. / Reuters YANGON The United Nations highest court ruled that Myanmar must follow provisional measures to protect Rohingya Muslims from killings and other atrocities while refraining from destroying evidence related to allegations of crimes against them. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday issued four urgent measures related to compliance with the Genocide Convention and the implementation of those measures. They are mostly in line with what The Gambia requested last year in its lawsuit against Myanmar. The African nation filed a case at the court in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya. As the case could take years, The Gambia requested the court order preliminary measures against Myanmar. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in late 2017 after the governments security forces launched clearance operations in northern Rakhine State in response to a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on police outposts. UN investigators said the operations had genocidal intent. Both the Myanmar government and military have denied the accusations. Going further than the measures requested by The Gambia, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to report measures on its compliance with provisional measures in four months and then every six months thereafter. Other measures demand Myanmar prevent all acts described in the UN Genocide Conventions Article II (which deals with the definition of genocide), in particular killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm and preventing births, while deterring its military from committing genocide against the Rohingya and preserving evidence related to the alleged crimes. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her legal team told the court in December that the country was engaged in the repatriation of the Rohingya and promotion of ethnic reconciliation, peace and stability in Rakhine State, and making its military accountable for alleged human rights abuses. The State Counselor told the court that any action or statement that could undermine the integrity of the criminal justice process in Myanmar should be avoided, referring to The Gambias attempt to sue Myanmar. She said: Only if domestic accountability fails may international justice come into play. On Thursday, the ICJ president, Abdulqawi Yusuf, said the court decided Myanmars steps were insufficient to protect Rohingya rights invoked by The Gambia. In light of these considerations, the court finds that there is a real and imminent risk of irreparable prejudice to the rights invoked by The Gambia, he said. The World Courts rulings are final with no appeal, but it cannot enforce them. Kingsley Abbott, coordinator of the International Commission of Jurists Global Accountability Initiative, told The Irrawaddy that the order was significant, as it placed clear, legally binding obligations on Myanmar to take critical steps to protect the rights of the Rohingya under the Genocide Convention. It is now incumbent on the whole international community, including states, civil society and UN agencies, to urge and assist Myanmar to fulfill its obligations under the order, he said. In the wake of the ICJs ruling, the Myanmar government has made no immediate response but U Kyaw Tint Swe, the minister for the Office of the State Counselor, told the state media earlier this week that Myanmar would be fine if the ICJ approved the provisional measures. You dont need to feel depressed if the measures are approved. It doesnt mean we have lost. We will consult with legal experts on how to handle them, he said. A few days before the courts ruling, Myanmars government-backed Independent Commission of Enquiry probing alleged human rights abuses against the Rohingya released its findings. The report denied genocidal intent by security forces against the Rohingya but admitted that war crimes, serious human rights violations and violations of domestic law took place. You may also like these stories: A Black Swan for Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Bangladesh Fortifies Island Near Myanmar With Heavy Weapons, Gunboats During a Martin Luther King Day discussion with the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., made clear that she is not just a democratic socialist but a Marxian one. Evie Fordham of Fox Business has written a helpful summary of the remarks, including Ocasio-Cortezs concise explanation of the Marxist theory of the exploitation of labor: No one ever makes a billion dollars. You take a billion dollars, Ocasio-Cortez said, receiving applause. Im not here to villainize and to say billionaires are inherently morally corrupt. Its to say that this system that we live in, life in capitalism always ends in billionaires. She addressed a hypothetical widget billionaire in her remarks. You didnt make those widgets, did you? Because you employed thousands of people and paid them less than a living wage to make those widgets for you, Ocasio-Cortez said. You didnt make those widgets. You sat on a couch while thousands of people were paid modern-day slave wages, and in some cases real modern-day slavery. When Rep. Ocasio-Cortez argues that her hypothetical billionaire did not make the widgets but rather that her employees did, she is making a particular claim about what a commodity is and where its value is derived. She is articulating a theory of value. The theory that the value of a commodity can be objectively measured by the labor which produces it is the labor theory of value. The labor theory of value was the prevailing theory among many economists of the nineteenth century, most prominently David Ricardo and Karl Marx, and had its roots in the thought of Adam Smith himself. This theory was questioned by some economists in the nineteenth century, notably Frederic Bastiat, and later definitively refuted by William Stanley Jevons, Carl Menger, and Leon Walras during the Marginal Revolution in economics. Marginalism introduced a subjective component into the theory of value, explaining that the value of a commodity is not determined solely by any property of the commodity itself including the labor necessary to produce it but by the value human persons impute to it as a means to achieve their ends. This subjective theory of value was almost universally adopted by economists, because it better described the real world. It solved the famous paradox of value in use and value in exchange. It can explain why water, necessary to human life, demands a lower market price than diamonds, which are comparatively useless. Marxists were the only notable group to resist this new theory for, as the economist Eugen v. Bohm-Bawerk exhaustively argues in Capital and Interest, the notion that employees are exploited by employers is only true if the value of commodities is wholly derived from labor. Rep. Ocasio-Cortezs account of billionaires taking instead of making assumes away the risk, uncertainty, and time accounted for in the current subjective understanding of value to engage in nineteenth-century communist sloganeering. This sort of antiquarian argument, while ridiculous, can be a catalyst to learning more about the history and development of economics. Of no value is the crass materialism involved in excusing the alleged immorality of those whom she describes as takers being merely the product of this system that we live in. It is precisely this crass materialism Marxs unique contribution that the anatomy of civil society is to be found in political economy which is most disturbing. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez paints a picture of a world of degradation and exploitation for which no one is responsible. Nearly 60 years ago Lester DeKoster, in Communism & Christian Faith, presented a Christian alternative to this bleak vision of the world: History has meaning in the sense that mans acts have eternal significance. History has reality in the sense that it is sustained by the providence of God and directed by his will. Both aspects of the paradox must be grasped with equal tenacity, and both must be developed with equal emphasis, despite their logical incompatibility. It is Christian experience that, having sought and found his Lord, the Christian knows that all the while it was really his Lord who sought and found him. Viewing history, then, under the aspect of eternity, Christian social criticism judges economic relationships first of all in their effect upon the spiritual well-being of employer and employee, and only after that in their effect upon production and distribution. Or, again, the Christian insists that economic law shall be subject to divine law. Piety is no substitute for technique. Economics is important, public policy is important, but technique is only ever useful if it serves free and responsible persons whose ultimate destiny is eternal. (Photo credit: nrkbeta. CC BY-SA 2.0.) A view of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in South Philadelphia after its June 21, 2019, closure. A rival company bid $25 million more than Hilco Redevelopment Partners for the bankrupt refinery, miffed creditors said in a court filing Thursday. Read more A rival company bid $25 million more for the bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery complex than Hilco Redevelopment Partners, the company that was declared the winner, an advocate for unsecured creditors said in a court filing Thursday. The committee of unsecured creditors a group that includes contractors and the refinerys labor union urged its members to reject the plan because Industrial Realty Group LLC (IRG), a rival that it preferred, offered to buy the refinery assets for $25 million more than Hilcos winning $240 million bid. Even so, the debtors determined Hilcos bid the best offer, the committee said. The objections by the unsecured creditors who have more than $1.2 billion in claims against the refinery could throw a kink into the refinerys plans to sell the property to Hilco, a Chicago development company with experience repurposing old industrial properties for new uses. City officials, environmentalists, and community activists on Wednesday expressed optimism that a sale to Hilco might chart a more environmentally friendly path for one of Philadelphias largest commercial real estate properties after 150 years as a fossil-fuel manufacturing center. The unsecured creditors, who are represented by the Brown Rudnick LLP law firm in New York, said that Hilco contemplates an alternative use for the 1,300-acre complex that involves permanently shutting down the refinery, providing little to no potential value to unsecured contractors and workers, who would benefit more by the resumption of refining. Though IRG is not a refiner, it was open to negotiating a deal with a refining company to operate the existing equipment. Former PES chief executive officer Philip Rinaldi, who formed a company to bid on the refinery, was not a finalist in Fridays auction but was attempting to partner with one of the real estate groups, according to Reuters. The unsecured creditors also criticized the reorganization plan for providing potentially tens of millions of dollars in bonuses for eight refinery executives, and for leaving unresolved the critical issue of a settlement of the refinerys $1.25 billion insurance policy, which may be PESs most valuable asset after it shut down in June following a catastrophic fire. In the hierarchy of parties with claims on PES, the unsecured creditors rank below the refinerys term-loan lenders, who are owed $711 million, and the bank that financed the refinerys products transactions, which is owed more than $255 million. Unsecured creditors, which number in the thousands, include the United Steelworkers union, contractors who maintain the refinery, and railroads such as CSX Transportation Inc. and BNSF Railway Co., $3.4 million, which delivered crude oil and supplies to the complex. Rejection of the plan by the unsecured creditors would not block its approval. However, it will impose on the debtors a higher evidentiary burden, the committees attorney said in the filing. In order to prevent years of potential litigation and lost value to the debtors estates, a global resolution amongst all the major constituencies should be reached, the committee said. This plan does not, in the committees opinion, represent a good faith effort to achieve a global resolution. The objections may force PES to explain its criteria for evaluating the bids. Brian Abernathy, the city managing director who attended the auction, said in an interview Wednesday that the bid price appeared to be one of several factors the company used to compare bids. Though the process involved private negotiations behind closed doors in which the city did not participate, he said the sticking points appeared to be how much cash the bidders could bring to closing and how quickly the bidders could close a deal. Officials from Hilco and Industrial Realty Group, which is based in California, have declined to comment on the bankruptcy. The reorganization requires the approval of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross, who has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Feb. 6. The deadline for creditors to vote on the plan, and for filing any objections to the plan, is Feb. 3. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) stresses "the need for a proper understanding of history" and asked for clarifications regarding the recent statements made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said that "North Bukovina was occupied by the Romanians". In this regards, says the MAE release, Secretary of State Dan Neculaescu had on Thursday a discussion with the Ambassador of Ukraine in Bucharest, Oleksandr Bankov. "The Romanian side requested clarifications regarding the references to Romania that have appeared in the recent public discourse of the President of Ukraine, expressing its surprise at them and emphasizing the need for a proper understanding of history," the MAE document reads. During the same meeting, the Romanian side "reiterated the special importance it gives to ensuring the rights of the people belonging to the Romanian minority in Ukraine, in accordance with the international rules and standards, including the full consideration of the Venice Commission recommendations". Senior official Neculaescu expressed preoccupation regarding the effects that the adoption, on 16 January, of the new Law of secondary education might have upon the right to education in their mother tongue of the Romanian minority's members, as well as the Romanian side's interest for the intensification of the dialogue with the Ukrainian side, not only within the bilateral joint Committee on the national minorities but also between the Ukrainian authorities and the Romanian minority in Ukraine so as to respond to their concerns. On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for solidarity on his fellow nationals in a speech on Ukraine's Unity Day in which, among other things, he maintains that "North Bukovina was occupied by the Romanians", according to the address in English posted on the website of the Ukrainian Presidency. United Nations: India has slammed Pakistan for "spewing venom and false narratives" of monumental proportions in the United Nations, saying it takes to hate speech like fish takes to water and "obfuscates" the international community from the truth as Islamabad yet again raked up the Kashmir issue at the world body. India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, speaking at a session of the General Assembly on 'Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization' on Wednesday, said Pakistan "indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth" instead of putting an end to the "bellicose and vitriolic diatribe" and taking steps to restore normal ties. "Just like a fish takes to water, one delegation has again taken to hate speech. Every time this delegation speaks, it spews venom and false narratives of monumental proportions." Pakistan has consistently attempted to raise the Kashmir issue at various UN platforms in a bid to internationalise the issue but has repeatedly failed to gain any support. Last week, Islamabad failed in its efforts to get any traction from the membership of the UN Security Council when its 'all-weather ally' China made another attempt to raise the issue in the 15-nation Security Council. There was consensus among the rest of the Council members that Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan. "It's extremely surprising that a country that has completely decimated its minority population talks about protecting minorities. Pakistan's practice of using false pretenses to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course. Pakistan needs to reflect that there are no takers for its false rhetoric and should get down to the normal business of diplomacy," Ambassador Nagaraj Naidu said. The Indian diplomat's strong words came after Saad Ahmed Warraich, Counsellor at the Pakistan mission to the UN, raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks during the session, saying no other situation reflects the "abdication" of the UN's responsibility to discharge its duties more than the decades-old Jammu and Kashmir issue. China's latest attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council on Pakistan's behalf failed last week, with an overwhelming majority of the body expressing the view that it was not the right forum to discuss the bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. It was China's third attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UNSC since August when the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped by the government, and the state was bifurcated into two union territories. "We once again saw an effort made by one member state of the UN, fail in plain view of all others. We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said last week. "We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India," Akbaruddin said after the January 15 Security Council meeting. The Volta Regional Minister Dr. Archibald Letsa has appealed for calm in Dzolo Gbogame following the death of a resident in the area on Wednesday. The deceased was allegedly ran over by an assembly vehicle being used for revenue mobilization because he was in debt. Rampaging youth of the community in a reprisal attack, torched a stationary vehicle and damaged parts of the assembly building. The Regional Minister who visited the community and inspected the damaged assembly office said no stone will be left unturned in investigating the various crimes that were committed. We came here to sympathize with the people on the loss of their son and to plead with them to be patient. We apologize to them for what happened. The government is going to investigate the issue, the attack on the journalist and the arson attack on the Assembly. So I have asked the Regional Commander to take over the inquiry. The individual believed to be responsible for the death of the resident earlier reported himself to the Police. Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Public Relations Officer of the Volta Region Police Command, Corporal Prince Dogbatse, revealed that the individual, who is yet to be named, is currently assisting with investigations. Thankfully enough, the one who was responsible for this incident has actually reported himself to the police and is currently assisting us in our investigations, he stated as he called for calm. The police are yet to come out with a definite account of what caused the death of the resident, who has been identified as Wisdom Dake, because of conflicting accounts from the ground. There are bits and pieces of information out there but we need to refine it to give credible information to the public, Corporal Dogbatse said. Initial reports indicated that a task force collecting revenue for the assembly locked up the shop of the deceased because he was in debt. In protest, Wisdom Dake stood in front of the taskforce's vehicle. He was allegedly run over by the vehicle, leading to his death. ---citinewsroom Scientists at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have identified the drivers of a crucial gene involved in prostate cancer, revealing new targets for drug design. Researchers identified a set of cis-regulatory elements namely enhancers and the promoter in the non-coding region of the genome, which affect the expression of FOXA1 gene, one of the major drivers or oncogenes involved in prostate cancer development. FOXA1 has long been recognized as playing an important role in malignancy, but it is one of the most challenging targets for drug development in cancer. Often termed "undruggable," it is extremely difficult to inhibit due to its lack of easily accessible "pockets" for small molecule therapies to slip into to break the deadly uncontrolled cell growth leading to cancer. Scientists the world over are looking at different ways to target FOXA1, since it is implicated in many cancers including breast, prostate, lung, thyroid and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. To track a tumor, we also have to look at the non-coding space in its DNA because that's where gene expression the switching on or off of a gene happens." Dr. Mathieu Lupien, Senior Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the senior author of the latest research "We can't dismiss what's going on in the non-coding space because that is what fuels differences in expression in genes. To fully understand a tumor, we have to explore the whole genome the genes and the non-coding space." Scientists have begun mining the dark or non-coding portion of the genome about 98 per cent of the genome as a potential source of new targets for drug development. Dr. Lupien, who is also an assistant professor with the University of Toronto's Department of Medical Biophysics, is one of the first researchers to realize that hidden amongst the non-coding DNA are crucial elements that not only control the activity of thousands of genes, but also play a major role in many diseases. Exploring this area could provide important sequencing clues for potential cures. Dr. Lupien's current research, entitled "Noncoding mutations target cis-regulatory elements of the FOXA1 plexus in prostate cancer" is published in Nature Communications, Jan. 23. The research team examined 200 human prostate tumors and identified six mutated cis-regulatory elements which control FOXA1 expression. They further demonstrated that removing these elements reduced FOXA1 expression and impaired growth of prostate cancer cells. "Because of the difficulties in targeting FOXA1 with drugs, we had to find alternative targets to block its function," says Dr. Lupien. "We found these targets by identifying regulatory elements in the non-coding DNA required for FOXA1 expression." This allows us to expand our tool kit of potential therapies against prostate cancer, adds Dr. Lupien, because this regulatory web represents a more precise target against cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men worldwide, with an estimated 1.3 million new cases worldwide in 2018. In Canada, it is estimated that in 2019: 22,900 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. This represents 20 per cent of all new cancer cases in men in 2019. 4,100 men will die from prostate cancer. This represents nine per cent of all cancer deaths in men in 2019. Treatments typically fail in 30 per cent of patients within 10 years, resulting in cancer spreading to other sites. Despite the efficacy of anti-androgen therapies for metastatic cancer, recurrence ultimately develops into a lethal cancer. This spurs our need to improve our biological understanding of how prostate cancer develops, and to find novel strategies to treat patients. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/22/2020 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. Season 7 couple Mike Youngquist and Natalie Mordovtseva apparently worked out their relationship issues, as the pair have been spotted filming in America recently.Mike, a 34-year-old from Sequim, Washington, and Natalie, a 35-year-old from Kyiv, Ukraine, have been spotted several times since late last week, beginning with a sighting in which Mike was seen waiting at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with flowers in his hands and a camera crew nearby."[Mike] spotted at the airport last night, with flowers and cameras in tow. Could he be picking up Natalie?" the Instagram account Fraudedbytlc captioned a January 17 posting of a photo showing Mike at the airport.The next day, the Instagram account posted a photo of Mike and Natalie walking side-by-side at Seattle's historic Pike Place Market as a camera crew filmed them."Spotted! Film crew filming Mike in Seattle at Pike Place Market," Fraudedbytlc wrote alongside the image on January 18, confirming it was Natalie, Mike and what appeared to be a film crew.And then on January 19, the same Instagram account shared a photo that appears to show Natalie waiting with her luggage after she arrived Seattle-Tacoma International Airport."Natalie at SeaTac without [Mike]. But we saw him there too," the account wrote.And finally, a different Instagram account called 90dayfiancesavageedition2 uploaded a photo showing Natalie being filmed in a Seattle street with producers surrounding her on January 22, but Mike was not pictured.Mike and Natalie are currently starring on 's seventh season, which airs on Sunday nights at 8PM ET/PT on TLC.However given only a few episodes remain in the seventh season of , Mike and Natalie's new stateside filming seems to indicate the couple will also be appearing on an additional future season of or one of its spinoffs.'s most recent Season 7 episode appeared to show Mike and Natalie breaking up after getting into a series of fights during Mike's short stay in Ukraine.Mike and Natalie first argued over a timeline of when to welcome children. Natalie hoped to get pregnant immediately, but Mike wanted to hold off until her K-1 visa got approved and he could save more money and be in a better place financially.The couple also butted heads when it came to their faith, or lack thereof.Natalie is a devout Christian who wants Mike to have similar beliefs so they'll be on the same page when they raise children, but Mike is an atheist who believes in aliens but not in God. Mike didn't appreciate how Natalie was pushing her religion on him, and he felt judged.The final straw, however, was when a producer asked Natalie if she loved Mike on-camera and she responded by sitting in silence. In that moment, Mike seemed finished with the conversation and with his fiancee.Mike had also run out of time and needed to return to the United States -- before the pair could fix their problems and be happy together again.Natalie promised Mike she did have feelings for him and they were on the same team, but Mike appeared too brokenhearted to express love in return. Natalie also cracked too many jokes for Mike's liking on their way to the airport."I feel you don't take things serious," Mike told Natalie once they arrived at the airport in her native country.Mike still wanted Natalie to walk him to the gate once they were inside the airport, but she refused and just said, "Go," before leaving on her own.Once Mike returned to America, he admitted to producers the status of his relationship with Natalie was unknown.However, since he had Natalie's diamond ring in his pocket that she had given back to him during a fight, Mike acknowledged they were no longer engaged."What if Natalie were to say, 'Let's get back together,'" a producer asked Mike."It's just too early to tell right now, dude," Mike replied. "It feels like sh-t."Mike didn't know what was going to happen to his relationship at the time and whether it was really over.Want more spoilers? Click here to visit our Spoilers webpage! Two development sites have come to the market this week - one in Finglas with a 6.5m guide price and the other in Co Kildare asking over 1m. Marlet, the development firm headed by Pat Crean, is selling the 10.13-acre site on Jamestown Road in Finglas, north Dublin, and agents Cushman & Wakefield are guiding 6.5m for it. While previously occupied by the Mouldpro Factory, prior to its closure in 2005, John Donegan of Cushman & Wakefield says a feasibility study shows it could have the capacity for a development with about 605 apartments. That suggests the price equates to around 640,000 per acre or around 10,740 per unit site. A development of this scale would also qualify it for a fast track Strategic Housing Development planning application directly to An Bord Pleanala. Marlet acquired the cleared brown field site in around 2015 after it had been on the market with a 3.5m guide price. Under the Dublin City Development Plan, the site is currently zoned 'Z6 - Employment / Enterprise' and lists residential use as 'Open for Consideration'. Its prospects for a change of zoning to residential may have been enhanced by Dublin City Council's (DCC) signal towards the end of 2019 to consider rezoning of some industrial lands. The council proposed a variation of the city development plan 2016 to 2022 to facilitate rezoning of 20 sites which are currently zoned Z6 to instead being zoned for residential use. While the Jamestown site is not believed to be on DCC's list, in the light of the council rezoning proposals it might be worthwhile for a purchaser to apply for planning permission for residential use by way of material contravention of the council's development plan. The self-contained brownfield site benefits from about 275 metres of frontage onto the northerly section of Jamestown Road, which is host to a number of commercial occupiers and residential developments. It is close to Charlestown Shopping Centre, the M50 motorway and Dublin Airport. Meanwhile, in a completely unrelated move this week also sees the launch of a 3.67-acre site in Sallins Town Centre on the banks of the Grand Canal in Co Kildare. John Swarbrigg of Savills Ireland says that with access off the Main Street, it offers a number of potential uses given its town centre zoning objective. Known as the former Odlums Mill, the site comes with nine vacant commercial buildings which take up about 25pc of the site area. Acquiring a business strategy that's a force for greater good is a gain for your company, your employees, and thosehuman and non-humanthat are in need. Arctic Fox Hair Color, the trendsetting vegan and cruelty-free hair color and care brand dedicated to fighting for the protection of animals, announced today that they will be donating 100% of their online sales to four different charitable organizations throughout the month of February. They regularly donate 15% of all profits to select charities that align with their mission to help prevent animal cruelty. The company is also encouraging people to donate directly to these organizations, if they are so inclined. Beginning earlier this month and currently running, Arctic Fox is donating 25% of their proceeds to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to aid their rescue of wildlife from the bushfires that have burned over 26 million acres of Australia since June. More than a billion animals are estimated to have been killed by the raging fires, resulting in several endangered species facing extinction, more than one third of the koala population killed, and severe loss of habitat. Due to the overwhelming amount of support their consumers (known as the Fox Fam) expressed for this cause, Arctic Fox was inspired to donate 100% of their online sales for the month of February to a different organization each week. The company will also be covering shipping costs on all domestic orders to encourage people to get involved. The first weeks sales will continue to be provided to IFAW and their efforts in Australia. The second week, the company will donate their sales to Friends of the Australian Koala Foundation, the principal non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to the effective management and conservation of the Koala and its habitat. The following week, all sales will be provided to the Center for Disaster Philanthropys Global Recovery Fund, which is actively aiding the largest critical needs of the Australia bushfires, including the residents and the loss of houses, firefighters, and the rapid depletion of biodiversity. To round out the month, Arctic Fox will be donating to Animal Place to bring awareness to the fact that while the horrific fate of Australian animals is extremely heartwrenching, there are millions of farm animals tortured and killed every day to satisfy the notoriously controversial meat industry. Animal Place is one of the largest farm animal rescues in the United States with a mission to provide sanctuary, education, and advocacy in protection against factory farming. Acquiring a business strategy that's a force for greater good is a gain for your company, your employees, and thosehuman and non-humanthat are in need, said Edward Bae, Founder and CEO of Arctic Fox Hair Color. It is incredibly humbling to know that we have the support of so many that choose our products because we give back to animals. Doing our part by donating is a leading factor of our company mission, and for the month of February, our main focus. Arctic Fox Hair Colors Online Store sales will be donated to 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-government organizations in the United States. Direct donations can be made through the websites of the linked charities above. Arctic Fox thanks you for your support and is immensely grateful for the remarkable loyalty of the Fox Fam. ABOUT ARCTIC FOX Arctic Fox Hair Color is the trendsetting vegan, semi-permanent hair color and hair care innovator that is infusing free expression with long-lasting, vivid hues. For Arctic Fox, a passion for diverse spirits and a love for animals come together in electric harmony. The bright and lush color formula is made in Southern California with non-GMO, plant-based proteins, zero harsh chemicals and absolutely no animal testing. Ever. All products are made to be DIY-friendly and are formulated with rejuvenating ingredients. Arctic Fox donates 15% of its profits to prevent animal cruelty and strives to illuminate the importance of using cruelty-free products. Dye for a cause with Arctic Fox Hair Color. If you would like to collaborate or obtain more information about this topic, please call Lianna Wehrung at (619) 558-6308, or email lianna@arcticfoxusa.com. Follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Imperial Valley News Center President Trump and President Salih of the Republic of Iraq Before Bilateral Meeting Davos, Switzerland - Remarks by President Trump and President Salih of the Republic of Iraq Before Bilateral Meeting: PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. Its great to be with the President of Iraq, and we are obviously working on a lot of things together. Were working on military. Were working on ISIS. Were working on we have a whole host of very difficult things to discuss, and some very positive things also. And weve been friends, and the relationship is very good. And I just want to thank you very much, Mr. President. PRESIDENT SALIH: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Its an important opportunity to meet President Trump to talk about the developments in our neighborhood. These are challenging times, difficult times. And I look for a very fruitful and very candid conversation with the President. We have had an enduring relationship, and the United States has been a partner to Iraq and in the war against ISIS. This mission needs to be accomplished, and I believe you and I share the same mission for a stable, sovereign Iraq that is at peace with itself and at peace with its neighbors. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Great . Thank you very much. Q What is the plan for pulling out U.S. troops from Iraq? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, were talking about a lot of different things, and youll be hearing whatever we do. But they like what were doing and we like them, and weve had a very good relationship. I can only speak for my administration; I wont speak for past administrations, frankly. But weve had a very good relationship. And were down to a very low number. Were down to 5,000. So were down to a very low number historically low. And well see what happens. Q Mr. President, are you still considering sanctions against Iraq? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well see what happens because we do have to do things on our terms. We (inaudible) PRESIDENT SALIH: We have a lot of common interests: the fight against extremism; stability in the neighborhood PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thats right. PRESIDENT SALIH: a sovereign Iraq that is stable, friends of the neighbors, and friends of the United States. PRESIDENT TRUMP: And were also involved with them in their oil business, and thats always been very important from their standpoint and from our standpoint. So we have a lot of very positive things to talk about. But we are down to a low number, and weve been there for quite a while. So well make a determination. Okay? Thank you all very much. Q President Salih, what was your reaction to the death of Qasem Soleimani? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Were going to do a news conference today. We have one other meeting, and then were going to be doing a news conference right after this. Q Youre doing a new conference, Mr. President? PRESIDENT TRUMP: So, thatll be, I would say, within the next 45 minutes. Yeah, before leaving. Were going to be leaving in a little while. Weve had tremendous success in Davos. And well be leaving in a little while, but well do a news conference a quick news conference. And then we head back. Some of you are coming on a very nice plane. Okay? So Ill see you in a little while. Washington: Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, has filed a defamation lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeking USD 50 million in damages. The US representative for Hawaii's second congressional district alleged that Hilary Clinton tarnished her reputation by suggesting her to be a "Russian asset" and "favourite of the Russians" in the 2020 White House race. According to the lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, Tulsi has been harmed by Clinton's lies and American democracy has suffered as well. The lawsuit, also claimed that Hawaii Democrat Gabbard suffered an economic loss, to be proven at trial. "With this action, Tulsi seeks to hold Clinton and the political elites... accountable for distorting the truth in the middle of a critical presidential election," said the lawsuit. "Hillary calling me a 'Russian asset' is not only intended to smear my reputation and derail my campaign for president, it's also intended to silence any voice that dares to speak out against the establishment status quo," Gabbard, 38, said in an email to her supporters explaining the reason for her suing Hilary Clinton, the Democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential elections. Clinton, 72, who unsuccessfully fought the 2016 presidential election against President Donald Trump, in an interview in October last year said that the Republican party was "grooming" a Democratic presidential candidate to run as a third-party candidate. Although she did not name Gabbard, her comments were seen as directed at the Hawaii lawmaker. According to the lawsuit, "millions of Americans heard (or read about) Clinton's defamatory statements. Scientifically conducted opinion surveys have shown that Clinton's false, malicious statements about Tulsi, including that Tulsi is a 'Russian asset' and 'the favourite of the Russians' were accepted as true by millions of Americans, including large numbers of voters in battleground presidential primary states". "The defamatory statements have caused Tulsi to lose potential donors and potential voters who heard the defamatory statements. Tulsi has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed USD 50 million - and continue to this day". The lawsuit alleges that as a direct and proximate result of Clinton's intentional and malicious misconduct, Gabbard has suffered anguish and damage to her reputation, with direct and substantial injury to her positions as United States Congresswoman; Presidential candidate; and officer in the Army National Guard. "These substantial injuries are continuing in nature and will continued to be suffered in the future, unless and until they are remediated by this court," the lawsuit states. "One would expect someone of Mrs Clinton's political background to act with a greater level of maturity and dignity, but her personal hostility toward Representative Gabbard apparently clouded Mrs Clinton's reason and blinded her to the US," said Gabbard's legal counsel Brian Dunne. "She resorted to a damaging whisper campaign founded on lies, and when presented with the opportunity to retract her damaging remarks, she refused. Rep. Gabbard must defend her good name and hold Mrs Clinton responsible. This lawsuit intends to do just that," he said. But given the US laws, it would be very tough for Gabbard in the defamation case against Clinton. "To prevail in her defamation claim, Representative Gabbard has to prove that Secretary Clinton made a false statement of fact. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that mere 'loose and figurative' expressions, even 'vigorous epithets', don't qualify. And, the courts are especially protective of the right to engage in sharp-elbowed political debate," Jeffrey J Pyle, a Boston-based attorney, told ABC News. "Representative Gabbard will have a difficult time convincing the court that Secretary Clinton's statements were anything other than non-factual 'rhetorical hyperbole' which is thoroughly protected by the First Amendment," said Pyle, who has represented a number of cases involving defamation, libel and the First Amendment. Ray Bellavance I am excited by this opportunity and look forward to growing FEINs brand in the premium power tools industry, said Bellavance. FEIN Power Tools, Inc., a manufacturer of high-quality power tools and accessories, is pleased to announce the promotion of Ray Bellavance to President of its US division. Bellavance first joined FEIN as Vice President of US Sales in 2017. In this new role, he oversees all go-to-market planning and FEINs organizational structure, in addition to leading the sales and management teams. Throughout his 25-year career, Bellavance held many top-level management positions in the power and hand tools industry. Prior to FEIN, he served as Director of Sales and Marketing for Jensen Tools + Supply. He started as a salesperson for Dexter Corporation and progressively advanced into roles at Stanley Black & Decker, Danaher Tool Group, and Craftsman. He received a bachelors degree in psychology from Excelsior College. I am excited by this opportunity and look forward to growing FEINs brand in the premium power tools industry, said Bellavance. For more information regarding this exciting announcement, please call 800.411.9878. To learn more about FEIN Power Tools and its products, please visit our website at http://www.feinus.com. FEIN is your partner for first-class power tool systems. FEIN is renowned as a globally active company with roots in Germany that is synonymous with high-quality power tools and accessories, designed for the toughest jobs in industry and manual trades. Having laid the foundations by inventing the electric hand drill, the first power tool in the world, in 1867, Wilhelm Emil Fein founded the FEIN company. FEIN now holds more than 700 active industrial property rights, including around 500 patents and patent applications. FEIN focuses on products and services that are ideal problem solvers for metalwork and are marketed by over 16 subsidiaries and more than 50 offices around the world. As an independent family-run business, FEIN embodies an open corporate culture, attaches great importance to human interactions and provides plenty of space for innovative ideas. The company headquarters in Schwabisch Gmund-Bargau are home to the largest production site, which works in close collaboration with other sites in Asia and North America, ensuring consistently high manufacturing quality at all locations. The company employs around 800 members of staff globally, delivering a great deal of ingenuity and commitment to service, including setting future milestones in the development of premium power tool systems. This is precisely why FEIN is seen as professional and has been for over 150 years. http://www.fein.com Press contact: Lyndsey Barrett FEIN Power Tools Inc. 1000 Omega Drive Suite 1180 Pittsburgh, PA 15205 Phone 1.800.441.9878 E-mail lyndsey.barrett@feinus.com An Airbus 320neo aircraft operating for IndiGo airlines as 6E 5384 had to make an emergency landing and return to Mumbai in the wee hours of Thursday. The Hyderabad-bound flight that was scheduled to depart from Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) airport at 12.50 am on Thursday, actually took off at 1.03 am. It however, had to return to CSMIA a little after it crossed Pune. An IndiGo spokesperson said, The IndiGo flight 6E-5384 (A320) operating Mumbai Hyderabad had an air turn back to Mumbai. During the flight, the pilot observed engine caution message and followed the laid-down standard operating procedures. The aircraft returned to Mumbai and is under inspection at the Mumbai airport. All passengers were accommodated on another flight to Hyderabad. According to Mumbai airport sources, full emergency was declared until the Neo aircraft could land safely at main runway 27. During full emergency, fire tenders along with ambulances are kept ready, in case of an incident/ accident. A senior Mumbai airport official said, At around 1.17 am, the pilot declared PAN-PAN (international standard urgency signal) and requested the Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) to return to Mumbai as its engine 1 had stalled. An Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said that at 1.15 am, 60 nautical miles away from Mumbai, the aircraft (VT- IJD) stopped and requested Mumbai ATC to maintain that flight level for sometime. It was after this that the pilot decided to return to its origin airport by declaring PAN-PAN , said the official. PAN PAN call is a milder version of a MAYDAY call, which is used to draw undivided attention of ATC officers to attend that flight on priority. The aircraft however landed safely at 1.41 am. Prime Minister plans more and longer visits north of the border Scots are set to see a lot more of Boris Johnson in 2020 as the Prime Minister seeks to strengthen the Union and up the UK Governments involvement in Scotland, according to the Herald. Apparently Boris Johnson is planning on holding more Cabinet meetings north of the border, as well as making more visits and overnight stays, as part of his new and self-appointed role as Minister for the Union. According to one source that spoke to the paper, strengthening the United Kingdom will be one of the Governments main domestic missions after January 31. The regular visits serve two purposes. First, it is apparently hoped that Scots will warm to the Prime Minister if they see more of him, rather than merely the version of him that filters down through a broadly hostile political and media class. Second, they aim to make Scotland appear a normal part of the prime-ministerial beat, rather than gifting the SNP the optics of such jaunts looking like official visits from a foreign potentate or remote governor general. This will apparently fit into a broader effort to deliver a much more joined-up constitutional strategy for the Union than has previously been the case, combating a silo mentality which has seen individual Whitehall departments operating in isolation. It will apparently also involve the British Government backing (and branding) more things such as infrastructure projects so that the tangible benefits of the Union are more apparent on the ground. Hopefully this close material engagement will be matched by equally vigorous intellectual engagement with the state of the Union. As I wrote for The Critic this week, Johnson needs to wrest the thought-leadership of unionism away from the die-hard devolutionaries lest he end up defaulting to their non-solutions when the crunch comes, as David Cameron did. One such figure is Gordon Brown, who popped up this week to insist that the key to keeping Scotland in the UK is yet more constitutional concessions to nationalist premises and the establishment of an elected senate. Spotlight on Stormonts lack of opposition The Northern Ireland Assembly is back, alas. The various local parties might have almost immediately accused Julian Smith of essentially tricking them into returning (the demands for even more money were almost immediate) but too late, theyre committed for now. With the initial will-they-wont-theys disposed of, we now know that all five of the Provinces main parties the pro-UK Demoratic Unionists and Ulster Unionists, the nationalist Sinn Fein and SDLP, and non-aligned Alliance have taken up ministerial posts in the new Executive. Yet this means that there will only be a grand total of five MLAs outside the governing coalition: two Greens, one apiece for the Traditional Unionist Voice and People Before Profit (both of which backed Leave, incidentally) and Claire Sugden, an Independent Unionist. Owen Polley has written in the News Letter about how much easier it will be for ministers to circle the wagons now that the UUP and SDLP are inside the tent, even as Sinn Fein and the DUP are already facing charges of returning to the two-party carve up that prevailed prior to the Assemblys collapse. Meanwhile The Journal offers a different perspective, quoting academics who defend Stormonts lack of formal oppisition. It looks as if the best that can be hoped for, for now, is that increased Treasury vigilance over how public money is spent in Ulster especially as Arlene Foster braces for the official findings on the cash-for-ash scandal can offset the lack of domestic scrutiny. But with the Northern Irish Office obviously committed to not taking responsibility for the Province, it is not obvious that the Government will have the leverage necessary to drive change through risk-averse, pork-barrelling local leaders. In other news, the European Union has threatened to impose sanctions if Boris Johnson doesnt enforce the internal border he has signed up to between Northern Ireland and the mainland, and Stormonts finance minister is apparently not pursuing a cut in corporation tax. Scottish Conservatives offers SNP a budget deal Ever since losing their majority in the 2016 Holyrood elections, the Scottish Nationalists have passed their budgets with the assistance of their separatist allies, the Greens. This has had the effect of dragging their economic policy somewhat leftwards, and so this year the Scottish Conservatives have drawn up an alternative. Murdo Fraser, the Tories shadow finance secretary, is talking up a return to something like the working arrangement that existed between the SNP and the Conservatives during the formers first period of minority government after taking office in 2007. In exchange for sparing Scotland various madcap Green proposals, the Tories would instead press to keep Scottish taxes harmonised with those in the rest of the UK, as well as a review of business rates. You can read Frasers case here. However it may well be that the Greens end up rowing in behind the SNP regardless they have previously been criticised for putting separatism before their own environmental agenda when push comes to shove. In other news, Michelle Ballantyne has confirmed that she is fighting to win in the Tory leadership race, despite having initially entered it to prevent a coronation. This week in the SNP Its been another fairly torrid week for the Nationalists. First, Nicola Sturgeon has bowed to MSPs demands for a full review into the Scottish education system. Then an SNP MSP is under fire for refusing to represent constituents who oppose independence, whilst a former Nationalist minister has publicly argued that the First Minister could claim victory even in an unauthorised wildcat referendum, arguing that the political reality would be independence even if the poll had been boycotted by unionists. And theres been a touch of sub-Stalinist history-editing over at the partys official website, whose History page no longer makes any reference whatsoever to Alex Salmond, the man who took them into government in Edinburgh, secured the 2014 referendum, and led the Yes campaign. As good a sign as any of how the Nationalist leadership think his upcoming trial will go. Inspired by senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, a man in Udaipur has named his son Congress Jain, news agency ANI has reported. Gehlot is the chief minister of Rajasthan. According to the report, Vinod Jain works as a media officer at the office of Rajasthan CM in Udaipur. According to Jain, his entire family is associated with the Congress party and he wants his future generation to follow in their footsteps. Therefore, he has decided to name his son after the party. Congress Jain was born in July, and he is 18 years younger than his sister, said the report. After almost five months, Vinod Jain received his birth certificate on January 23. As per the senior Jain, some members of his family were reluctant to name the baby Congress, but it was his determination to call him after the national party. Some members of my family were reluctant to call the baby Congress, but I was determined and so waited until they came around. My son was born in July and it took me so many months to procure his birth certificate. Today his birth certificate issued by the state government his name is recorded as Congress Jain, Vinod Jain was quoted as saying. The senior Jain now wants his baby to make a career in politics in association with the Congress party. I am inspired by Ashok Gehlot and I have been with him. I think that when my kid turns 18 years old he will also initiate a political career, he added. : Over two years after it was passed by the Karnataka legislature, the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government has finally notified the much-hyped anti- superstition law that aims to prevent and eradicate "inhuman evil practices". Interestingly, the BJP,which was then in the opposition, had expressed strong reservations about the bill, piloted by the Siddaramaiah led Congress government and passed by the state legislature in November 16 2017. The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017, that intends to protect the common people against "evil" and "sinister" practices, shall come into force with effect from January 4 2020, the government notification issued earlier this month said. The Act seeks to combat and eradicate other such inhuman practices propagated and performed in the name of "black magic" by conmen with the sinister motive of exploiting the common people,thereby destroying the social fabric in society. Further, it aims to bring social awakening and awareness in the society and create healthy and safe social environment. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah congratulated BJP for enforcing the Act by rectifying its mistake of "condemning, hounding and maligning" his government when they tried to implement the Act with an intention to stop it. He also hoped that things which are beliefs now "don't turn into superstition under pressure," Considered similar to the one in Maharashtra, the Act has 'savings' and 'schedule' categories, which classify practices that could be tolerated and those that need to be controlled or prohibited. The notification said nothing in the act shall apply with respect to the forms of worshipmentioned under the heading 'savings' These include practices like 'pradakshina', yatras, 'parikramas' performed at religious places, among other normal practices. It also includes the advice with regard to 'Vastushastra', advice by 'jyothishya' and other astrologers Practices included under the 'schedule' for prohibition are -- performing any inhuman, evil act and black magic in search of precious things, bounty and hidden treasures Other practices listed under 16 points for prohibition are facilitating any person to roll over leaves of leftover food by other people in public or religious places or similar practices that violate human dignity; subjecting women to inhuman and humiliating practices like parading them naked in the name of worship or otherwise, such as "betthale seve". Also, forcing any person to carry out evil practices such as killing of an animal by biting its neck and coercing any person or persons to perform 'fire walk' at the time of 'jatras' (temple/village fest) and religious festivals have also been included, it added. During the passage of the bill, certain amendments sought were made part of the bill, and a practice like Mudradharane by Madhwa Brahmins was exempted. As per this practice, 'Mudras' (dyes) usually made of gold or copper are heated on coal fire and stamped on the body. 'Vashikarana', practiced in occult science as an act of subjugation or advertising about it in the name of treatment has been banned under the act, following the suggestions made by the members during the debate in the assembly. The legislation was earlier proposed as The Evil, Inhuman and Superstitious Practices Prevention Bill. After omitting the word superstitious, it was titled 'The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017.' Superstitious practices, including black magic, are punishable under the Act for up to seven years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 can be imposed. The act also aims to bring social awakening and awareness in society and create a healthy and safe social environment, and also calls for appointment of vigilance officers to oversee the implementation of the law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prince Harry is officially back in Canada with Meghan Markle and baby Archie after a whirlwind two weeks in London to sort out the Sussexes future life outside of the royal fold. But before he left London, Harry reportedly took care of some other very important business: mending fences with his older brother, Prince William. Rumors of a rift between the brothers have been rampant for the past two yearswith their wives, Markle and Kate Middleton being dragged into the press coverage too. Now, according to The Sun, the boys are back on better terms. William and Harry have spent time together privately away from the official Sandringham Summit working on their relationship and discussing their future, a royal source told the paper. It has been ground-breaking in terms of saving their bond as brothers and has been totally driven by them. The Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge apparently joined in on the conversations as well. But Kate and Meghan, who was in Canada, did join in with some of the talks on more than one occasionwhich is another sign of a real thaw in their relationship, the source continued. Things are better. So what allegedly changed? Well, Prince Harrys big move to North America for one thing. Given Harry is now permanently moving away, there was a realisation if they didnt sort things out now, they never would, The Sun reports. They decided to cut out all the toxic people stirring around them to deal with each other man-to-man as brothers. Of course, as with any family, nothing is totally smoothespecially when your family business is the monarchy. But it sounds as though things are on the right track. According to the paper, Of course there have been serious differences in opinions but the family warmth is back. And theyre sad theyre going to be so far apart. Story continues Sounds like its time to start planning a family vacation. Originally Appeared on Glamour Two weeks ago, the United States seemed on the brink of starting another war in the Middle East after a drone strike killed Irans most notorious spymaster, Qasem Soleimani, as he departed an international airport in Baghdad. The shadowy general, in charge of the Iranian equivalent of the CIA, was one of the most effective operatives in the Middle Easts history. He built a sprawling army of proxy militias throughout the region and helped expand Tehrans dominance in nearby countries. But the dust has now settled, and none of the doomsday scenarios that so many in the media warned about has come to pass. It is true that Iran launched a missile attack into U.S. bases in Iraq, but the attack was merely symbolic. As Iraqi officials revealed the following day, Iran had informed them of an imminent attack on U.S. bases, a message that the Iraqis promptly and predictably passed on to the Americans. No fatalities were recorded, but the Iranian regime still told its followers that dozens if not hundreds of Americans were killed as a result of the retaliation. Indeed, none of the doomsday scenarios were plausible to begin with. Iran has a narrow menu of options in terms of escalation against the U.S. It is not interested in a direct war with the U.S., nor are any of its proxies or allies in the region. The regime faces increasingly crippling sanctions imposed by Washington, and domestic unrest is building up with occasional street protests. Also, its allies in Iraq and Lebanon have been under unprecedented pressure from grassroots protests, persistent since October. In Syria, the currency is collapsing on historic levels as more than one third of the country remains outside the control of the Iranian-backed government. Iran is embroiled in domestic and regional crises, and many of the gains it made in recent years are still tenuous. In the panic that followed the news of Soleimanis killing, that essential context was overlooked. Pundits and former officials warned of a showdown, between Iran and the U.S., that Tehran would not want. When the confrontation did not pan out, critics still maintained that this was mere luck. One journalist suggested that the war was averted because the mullahs in Iran exercised more restraint than the U.S. did. Story continues In reality, the alarmism was never warranted. The circumstances around Soleimanis killing exposed not just Irans many vulnerabilities and limited options for escalation against the U.S. but also serious myths that shape much of the American perception of the Iranian regime. Specifically, the idea that Iran can inflict damage on the U.S. is an outdated view about the situation in the region. In 2020, unlike the early years after the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. has little footprint in conflict zones such Iraq and Syria. Iran, on the other hand, has invested heavily in keeping its allies in power, almost all of them now under domestic pressure. In other words, in a reverse of the Iraq War dynamics, the U.S. can mess with Iran in many more ways than Iran can retaliate. That is a new reality to which pundits and policymakers in the U.S. still need to catch up. The policy shift toward Iran under the Trump administration to increase military, political, and economic pressure to weaken its regional hegemony is exposing such vulnerabilities and demonstrating that the U.S. can deter Iran with minimal costs. The apocalyptic commentary we witnessed this month has become the default response to provocations from Iran or its allies. Consider, for example, the reactions when President Obama announced he would launch punitive strikes against the Iranian-backed Syrian regime after its use of chemical weapons in 2013. The case in favor of strikes could not have been more compelling: Damascus violated an explicit red line that Obama declared against an internationally forbidden weapon a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. Similar scenarios of a Third World War were presented. Some even pointed to Syrias (nonexistent) formidable air defenses. Obama eventually backed down and struck what can be described only as a face-saving agreement with Russia, the regimes international patron, to end Syrias use of chemical weapons and dismantle its arsenal. Despite the agreement, such attacks persisted. It was President Trump who launched punitive strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad four years later Again, none of the scenarios that many had warned about developed. The Syrians stood by as 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles, launched from the Mediterranean Sea, landed on military bases. Unlike 2013, this time Russia was present on the ground inside Syria, after its military intervention in 2015, so the stakes were even higher for the U.S. in 2017. The point is that the usual pushback against any assertive U.S. policy toward Iran has little basis in reality. It is based largely on exaggeration and fear-mongering that emboldens the regime in Iran and provides it with the space to operate throughout the region with impunity. How else would one explain that Soleimani, who was accused of having American blood on his hands, was making public appearances not far from American forces during the fight against the Islamic State? He organized the Benghazi-style storming of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Just days before he was killed, he had ordered a proxy attack, on a military base housing U.S. forces, that killed an American civilian contractor. Yet he still traveled to Iraq, probably suspecting that the U.S. would not dare to target him. Indeed, nobody had expected the U.S. would carry out such a high-level attack. Under both the Obama and the Trump administrations, the U.S. seemed to have given Iran a free hand in the region not responding to its provocations as long as Iran acted with plausible deniability. The basis of the U.S. policy became that Iran, not the U.S., had the upper hand. Just in the six months before Soleimanis killing, Iran was accused of being behind tanker attacks in the Persian Gulf, the downing of a U.S. drone over international waters, and the targeting of Saudi oil facilities, besides the killing of the U.S. contractor and the storming of the U.S. embassy. Iran, then, had reason to feel that it could get comfortable around the U.S. Tehran suspected that the only tools the U.S. had were economic sanctions, which it could endure or circumvent through its proxy and state networks in the region. The new policy, under the current administration, started to deploy other tools, including the frequent targeting of Iranian proxies in places such as Syria to prevent the building of similar networks as those it established in Iraq and an extensive and enforced sanctions regime. Those tools started to hurt the Iranian regime and its allies. The increased pressure caused Tehran to act erratically, and the uncharacteristically provocative attacks last year were in large part symptomatic of its anxiety. Then came the killing of Soleimani, which was arguably a strategic, not a tactical, decision by the Trump administration, to reestablish deterrence and disrupt the cycle of escalation and counter-escalation. Despite alarmism, the circumstances around the killing of Soleimani show that the current policy toward Iran is working as intended. The maximum pressure approach is tightening the economic screws on Iran and organizing regional efforts to increase pressure on the regime. The intent is not just to force Tehran to return to the table to negotiate its nuclear program, as it is often publicly stated, but to reduce Irans ability to dominate the areas around it. The pressure is working not because it was not tried before but because it follows numerous challenges primarily popular protests and the growing nationalist sentiments that are overshadowing the sectarian tensions that once helped the regime that the Iranian regime is facing at home and in the areas where it has built deep presence. The maximum pressure is exacerbating these challenges for Iran. Also, Tehrans attempts to mobilize Iraqis to end the U.S. presence in their country has so far failed, after Washington insisted that the presence now be more vital, to keep up the pressure against ISIS. Even Irans attempt to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its European allies backfired: After Tehran announced that it would no longer comply with the nuclear agreements limitations on uranium enrichment, the Europeans put Tehran on notice and threatened to reimpose sanctions. A major part of this effort is to convince the Iranian regime that the old policies that enabled it to fill the void, after the 2003 war in Iraq and the 2011 popular uprisings in the Middle East, are over. In this sense, the U.S. targeting of Soleimani could prove to be a game-changer for Irans role in the Middle East, not just because Tehran lost a shrewd operative but because the operation reminded it that it should not get too comfortable with its current behavior in the region. All the U.S. needs to do now is to press on with its policy, calmly and consistently, to limit Irans reach. More from National Review (TNS) Joined by a right-wing provocateur who was kicked off Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, GOP state Sen. Joe Gruters called on Florida lawmakers Tuesday to pass legislation in 2020 aimed at stopping what he described as censorship by large social media companies.Alleged censorship by big tech companies has become a major issue on the right, with conservative activists arguing that social media platforms are unfairly accusing them of hate speech and infringing on their free speech rights.Gruters who also chairs the Republican Party of Florida filed SB 1266 to address the issue. Dubbed the "Stop Social Media Censorship Act," it would make companies liable for damages in civil lawsuits if they delete or censure religious speech or political speech, or use an algorithm to "disfavor or censure" such speech.The legislation only applies to large social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook that have at least 75 million users."This isn't just a conservative issue," Gruters said Tuesday during a press conference in the Capitol rotunda. "This bill is to protect the speech of all Floridians and hopefully it paves the way for other lawmakers across the country."Florida congressional candidate Laura Loomer stood near Gruters as he spoke. The lawmaker cited Loomer as a "major" inspiration for the bill and a "poster child for social media bias in banning."DeSantis opens Legislature facing policy pushback from lawmakers.DeSantis opens 2020 session with demand for more on environment, education.Florida Senate focuses on failings in school security.Loomer has sued Facebook and handcuffed herself to the front door of Twitter's headquarters in New York. She was banned from Twitter in 2018, an action she says the company took after she tweeted about then Minnesota Democratic U.S. Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar.According to news reports, Loomer tweeted that Omar who is Muslim is "anti Jewish" and in favor of Sharia law, the Islamic religious law.Loomer also was banned from Uber and Lyft after calling for "a non-Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver."Facebook banned Loomer in 2019, along with Infowars founder Alex Jones, minister Louis Farrakhan and four other users accused of violating the company's policies regarding "dangerous individuals and organizations."Loomer, 26, compared tech executives Tuesday to tyrannical British kings."Today it's me but tomorrow it could be any one of you if you post an opinion that tech tyrants disagree with," she said.While the social media censorship issue has been a hot topic in conservative circles and is sure to be a GOP talking point during the 2020 election, it has yet to gain traction in the Florida Senate.Gruters's bill has not received a committee hearing. The first committee that it is referred to Innovation, Industry and Technology was meeting as Gruters spoke Tuesday, but his bill was not on the agenda. New Delhi, Jan 23 : In a first, an Indian national will be prosecuted here by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for killing a man in Abu Dhabi in 2008. The initiative is being taken considering the request of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities in view of the extradition treaty between both the countries. In this regard, the CBI on Wednesday registered an FIR, under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, against accused Inderjeet Singh, who has already been sentenced to death by an Abu Dhabi trial court in 2009 in "absentia". The UAE court had also imposed a fine of 200 dirhams (approx Rs 3,900 now) "blood money" on Singh. Singh had killed Rama Lengaw Natesan, another Indian, on August 28, 2008. He had to repay the victim a sum of 300 dirhams. According to a communication by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to the UAE authorities in May 2016, Singh has already been arrested here by the police. After consideration, it has been decided that instead of extradition, the CBI will investigate him under local laws. The Chinese government has revealed that seven of the 17 people who have died from coronavirus did not have pre-existing conditions before they contracted the illness The Egyptian Embassy in China has urged Egyptian citizens living in or visiting the country to adhere to health protection measures issued by Chinese authorities to control a coronavirus outbreak. The embassy called on Egyptian citizens in China to avoid presence in crowded places or direct contact with people affected by the virus. For the safety of all Egyptian citizens residing in or visiting China, the embassy warned citizens against eating animal products, contact with animals, dead or alive, as well as avoiding animal markets and unprocessed meat products. It also urged seeking medical attention and quarantine immediately if any symptoms of the virus appear, especially in children and the elderly. For citizens residing in Wuhan city, where the outbreak began, the embassy advised "not leaving their houses except for exigencies, especially with the approach of the new Chinese lunar year and spring festivals that begin Friday. The embassy called on citizens to follow up on news and developments through official statements issued by the Chinese government and the Egyptian Embassy in China. The Egyptian Embassy in China can be contacted at [email protected] Meanwhile, Egypt's Cairo International Airport started screening passengers arriving from China for signs of the coronavirus outbreak, airport sources reported to Reuters Thursday. Flight attendants have also been instructed to report any suspected coronavirus cases among travellers. Any such cases would be isolated and sent to hospital, sources added. All airports in Egypt are on high alert and have received relevant instructions. But most flights from China arrive to Cairo International Airport, sources said. Chinese authorities have enforced a partial lockdown of transportation in and out of the central city of Wuhan and nearby Huanggang, aiming to disrupting the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The special control measures come as the Chinese government revealed that seven of the 17 people who have died from coronavirus did not have pre-existing conditions before they contracted the illness. Authorities in Huanggang, about 50 miles east of Wuhan, announced a series of similar measures, cutting off the city Thursday. Search Keywords: Short link: Terror groups with help of Pak establishment may launch bio-warfare: How prepared are we India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: There has been no conclusive evidence found as yet, but there are allegations that China could have unleashed the SARS like virus as part of a biological warfare campaign. A few years back, Union Minister Rajnath Singh had said that the armed forces must be properly trained and equipped to combat chemical and biological threats. He said that the forces are deployed in many regions where the adversaries may use such weapons. While it is extremely difficult to launch a chemical or biological warfare without the backing of the establishment, terror groups are constantly upgrading their capabilities in this field. A high degree of surprise: Terrorists have also learnt to inject a high degree of surprise, speed and deniability in their operations. This has led to the Intelligence agencies constantly revamping their style of functioning. Slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were wanted for complicity in terrorist acts Intelligence has over the years become more proactive. Moreover there is a dire need to be constantly informed and upgraded about the new threats so that the Intelligence can prepare itself accordingly. When one speaks about the future of terror attacks, there is a need to mention biological warfare here. There are several terror groups, which have this capability, but have not launched a full fledged attack as yet. Pakistan's capabilities: While terror groups in Pakistan have the capability of launching biological strikes, none of them can independently launch biological warfare or use weapons unless and until there is a definitive nod from the government or the ISI. To this, the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had once pointed out that Pakistan would do everything under the sun to exercise necessary restraint and control over terrorist groups in order to restrain them from using WMDs or Weapons of Mass Destruction against India. While Pakistan may exercise restraint, the threat however still looms large. A recent Intelligence report stated that nuclear and biological terrorism are the primary concerns today, with cities like Mumbai and Delhi being the most vulnerable. Testing the waters: While no one has gone all out in the use of biological warfare, terrorist groups have used such weapons in tested doses. 2 terrorists shot dead in encounters in Pulwama They are still testing the waters and it may be a while before they decide to completely go biological in their warfare. Security experts say that the biggest user of the biological and the nuclear weapons will be the Taliban and the ISIS. These are not run of the mill terrorist groups and both are trying to establish a government in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The danger of nuclear smuggling is immense today. Security officials working in both India and Pakistan have identified the routes through which nuclear weapons could be smuggled. Punjab, Assam, Kashmir and Balochistan and the danger routes identified by the Intelligence Bureau officials. There is a lot of demand for nuclear and biological weapons in these areas are they are conflict torn zones. The demand for stronger weapons: As the battle intensifies, the demand for stronger weapons will only increase and terrorist groups may go that extra mile to source such material. While it is extremely difficult to source such weapons and the costs are extremely high, groups such as the ISIS and the Taliban can afford it. They are making the right contacts in Pakistan and will target rogue scientists to lay their hands on these weapons. The challenge ahead for the security agencies in India is immense. The threat of a biological warfare cannot be ignored or taken lightly at all. Intelligence Bureau officials are aware of the capabilities of groups such as the Lashkar and Taliban which used very sophisticated weapons. Grade A Intel: Battle hardened terrorists from Pak-Afghanistan ready to hit J&K The threat of nuclear and biological weapons being smuggled had started in the year 1998 itself. The threat of biological warfare has to be nipped in the bud itself. If terrorists manage to contaminate water with biological agents the damage will be immense. The routes to watch out for: IB officials say that the routes in Assam and Kashmir have to be monitored at all times. The threat of these weapons coming in through these routes is immense. We cannot afford a slip up even once on this front, the officer says. Intelligence agencies say that the target cities for terrorist groups to use biological weapons in India will be Delhi and Mumbai. In Pakistan there is a chance of the same being used in Khyber Paktunkhwa, Singh, Islamabad and Karachi. Recently intelligence bureau inputs suggested that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba too had been working on a unit to deal with biological weapons. They have been making attempts to launch a biological warfare on India. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 16:17 [IST] Bob Montgomery, of Carp, Ont., passed on Wednesday (Jan. 22) at Smiths Falls Hospital in Smiths Falls, Ont. He was 79. Montgomery, who recorded 63 training wins since training statistics were first recorded in 1992, was involved in harness racing for his entire life. His most notable horses were Northern Victory, Crooked Creek Cam and River Road Fortune, campaigning the latter two at Rideau Carleton Raceway through the 1990s. He received much attention for his efforts in saving Poohs Boy, who was shot in a field as a yearling. A celebration of life will be held at the Iroquois Legion, 24 Dundas St., Iroquois, Ont., on Saturday (Jan. 25) between 1 and 6 p.m. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Bob Montgomery. A man who advertised but failed to deliver hay bales in an alleged scam targeting drought-stricken farmers across NSW has been arrested. The 27-year-old was nabbed on Thursday morning in the western Sydney suburb of Villawood after NSW police launched an investigation earlier this week. The man allegedly advertised hay bales on social media for a discounted price and took a deposit, but then failed to deliver the fodder as promised. Scam victims were reported throughout the Mid-North Coast, the Hunter, the Southern Highlands as well as the Hills, Oxley, Nepean and Port Stephens areas. The accused has been taken to Fairfield police station to be charged. In each case the victim paid a deposit for bales but allegedly did not received any hay. The Australian Army delivers hay bales to remote bushfire-affected farms on Kangaroo Island on January 13 A vet showed the devastating impact of the drought as five young heifers died after drinking contaminated water near Port Macquarie, NSW Police on Tuesday launched Strike Force Woden to investigate and Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside urged farmers to only deal with reputable businesses and individuals. 'These are difficult times and it's disgusting to think anyone would seek to take advantage of people who have already been through so much,' Det Insp Whiteside said in a statement. 'I would encourage anyone buying supplies online to only deal with people and businesses that have proven to be genuine in the past. 'The age-old saying applies - if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.' NSW Police Minister David Elliott promised to throw the book at anyone found guilty of ripping off vulnerable farmers. 'At a time when we're seeing unprecedented levels of drought affecting every corner of NSW, it's unthinkable that anyone would seek to exploit those who most need our support,' Mr Elliott said. 'This is a pathetic act and the government will continue to back our police in their efforts to keep these online criminals away from communities struggling during these hard times.' Honing Lethality: 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Completes MEU Exercise US Marine Corps News By Lance Cpl. Kolby Leger | 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit | January 22, 2020 OKINAWA, JAPAN -- During the regularly-scheduled exercise after the Battalion Landing Team's relief-in-place, components of the 31st MEU planned and executed full-mission profiles. The exercise is designed to simulate missions that the MEU could be tasked with at any moment by the geographic combatant commander, and to improve the unit's lethality and readiness. MEUEX missions range from small boat raids including a Marine amphibious force riding combat rubber raid craft to clandestinely insert on shoreline objectives, to company-sized expeditionary advanced airfield seizures using a vertical-assault force in MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopters, prior to establishment of forward arming and refueling points for follow-on operations. Throughout the scenario, the 31st MEU commanding officer and staff convened crisis action teams to assess the dynamic situation, problem-framed, and wargamed then selected courses of action. Mission commanders planned and briefed the mission sets to achieve the overall commander's intent. This rapid response planning process, designed to take six hours from start to finish, is crucial in planning to execution processes as key to the 31st MEU's mission accomplishment. By launching missions in and around Okinawa, Japan, and simulating ship-to-shore movements, MEUEX prepared the Marine Air-Ground Task Force for planning and integration with naval partners. Marines and Sailors with the 31st MEU regularly embark aboard the ships of PHIBRON-11, forward-based in Sasebo, Japan, for deployments and at-sea periods. The 31st MEU will continue to focus on area presence throughout the Indo-Pacific region, training with allied and partner nations' militaries in order to enhance security, support freedom of navigation, and serve as an expeditionary crisis response force. According to Col. Robert Brodie, 31st MEU commanding officer, MEUEX is key to maintaining the MEU's constant state of combat readiness. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Europe IoT Sensor market accounted for US$ 2,304.5 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.9% over the forecast period 2018-2027, to account for US$ 17,158.7 Mn in 2027. Factors including continuous development in consumer electronics are driving the Europe IoT Sensor market. With the rising demand for smartphone, laptops, tablets, smart watches, and other consumer electronic products have also intrigued the manufacturing industry to increase its production capacity. In the current scenario, various consumer electronic devices are used by consumers across the globe for a plethora of tasks. Consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, music players, etc. have become an integral part of consumers' lives. In the continually advancing consumer electronics industry, the consumers are expecting more powerful, fast, and smart devices. While substantial innovation was brought in the industry with the enablement of IoT over the past decades, the technology roadblocks have prevented it from scaling further. The market players are focusing on various initiatives to enhance its reach to rural areas and boost its position in the Europe IoT Sensor market. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05774510/?utm_source=PRN The Europe IoT Sensor market is fragmented with the presence of several industries and the competitive dynamics in the market is expected to change during the upcoming years.In addition to this, various initiatives are undertaken by the governmental bodies to accelerate the Europe IoT Sensor market further. For instance, A stable political climate leads to a few policies and regulatory changes in the European region.Policies in this region are beneficial for the growth of the business which is one of the reasons behind the development of the automotive industry, IT industry, and SMEs in Europe. The policies in Europe are certainly favorable for the growth of the software-defined networking market owing to the growing industrialization in the provinces, which includes the development of IT, automotive and several other small and medium enterprises.These initiative provide various benefits to the IoT Sensor manufacturing companies located in the region. These initiatives are implemented to enhance the technologies that positively impact on the Europe IoT Sensor market. These initiative provide various benefits to the IoT Sensor based companies located in the region; thus, increasing the growth of Europe IoT Sensor markets. This is further expected to provide the Europe IoT Sensor market players to cope up with the rapidly transforming industrial requirement. This initiative offers multiple benefits to the companies present in this region and thus increasing the growth of Europe IoT Sensor market. On the basis of application, the consumer electronics segment is leading the Europe IoT Sensor market.However, the automotive segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR. Consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, music players, etc. have become an integral part of consumers' lives. In the continually advancing consumer electronics industry, the consumers are expecting more powerful, fast, and smart devices. While substantial innovation was brought in the industry with the enablement of IoT over the past decades, the technology roadblocks have prevented it from scaling further. This has led to the proliferation of IoT sensors in the market. The consumer devices are becoming smarter with the ongoing technological advancements. The AI-enabled applications have stoked the demand for augmented sensors. Currently, the market players are looking ahead to support Europe IoT Sensor industry by innovating advanced technological components. The overall Europe IoT Sensor market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source.The research process begins with exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the Europe IoT Sensor market. It also provides an overview and forecast for the IoT Sensor market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to the Europe region.Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultant such as valuation experts, research analysts and key opinion leaders specializing in the IoT Sensor industry. Some of the players present in IoT Sensor market are Analog Devices, Inc., ARM Holdings PLC, Broadcom, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Omron Corporation, Robert Bosch Gmbh, STMicroelectronics N.V., and Texas Instruments Incorporated among others." Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05774510/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Cosby Files Appeal to Pennsylvania Supreme Court Bill Cosbys legal team has filed a petition in Pennsylvania Supreme Court seeking a review of his 2018 conviction on charges of aggravated indecent assault. Lawyers filed the more than 300-page notice just one month after the State Superior Court denied Cosbys appeal. The Superior Court denied Cosbys claims that his conviction was unfair because the trial court allowed testimony of other women who had previous uncharged and unproven allegations against the actor. ADVERTISEMENT In the new petition, filed on Thursday, January 9, 2020, Cosbys lawyers also want the high court to consider the impact of the #MeToo movement and what they said is public hysteria, which influenced the prosecution and outcome. Mr. Cosbys legal team is asking the high court to review his case to consider the vital questions about the impact of #MeToo hysteria on the bedrock principles of our criminal justice system, Cosbys spokesman Andrew Wyatt said in a statement. The lower courts stripped Mr. Cosby of his most sacred constitutional guarantees of due process and the presumption of innocence when they permitted the jury to hear, and base its verdict on, decades-old, unproven allegations of multiple women, Wyatt stated. He continued: The trial courts overriding concern should have been to ensure a fair proceeding on the single charged offense for which Mr. Cosby was standing trial not to provide a platform to any, and all accusers who belatedly wanted their day in court. We are hopeful that the state Supreme Court will recognize the long-lasting implications of allowing the court of public opinion to override our cherished constitutional principles and act to rectify this injustice. A jury convicted Cosby of three counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018, following charges that stemmed from allegations made by Andrea Constand, a Canadian woman who had a longstanding relationship with the actor. ADVERTISEMENT In September of 2018, Montgomery County (Pa.) Judge Steven T. ONeill sentenced Cosby to serve a 3-to-10-year prison sentence despite the conviction counting as Cosbys first offense and ignoring his age, 80 at the time, and health Cosby is blind. In the Supreme Court filing, Cosbys attorneys noted that Constand initially contacted local authorities in Canada in 2005. That led to a joint investigation into Cosby by Canadian police and Montgomery County officials. In February 2005, then-District Attorney Bruce Castor stated that insufficient, credible and admissible evidence exists upon which any charge against [Cosby] could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt and that a conviction would be unattainable. During that time, Castor alerted Cosbys attorneys that he would not prosecute the actor. Castor than told Cosby that if he agreed to waive his fifth amendment rights to answer questions for a civil deposition, there would never be a prosecution in the Constand case. Castor also placed that agreement in a press release and later informed the countys new District Attorney, Kevin Steele, who ignored the deal and prosecuted Cosby. Defense attorneys also argued in their petition to the Supreme Court that testimony from five women Heidi Thomas, Chelan Lasha, Lise-Lotte Lublin, Janice Baker-Kinney, and Janice Dickerson, at Cosbys trial in 2018 should not have been allowed. The petition also noted that ONeill should have excluded Juror #11, who announced that he had reached his conclusion of Cosbys guilt long before the trial began. Cosby has maintained that his interactions were consensual. In an exclusive interview with the Black Press in November of 2019 from the prison SCI-Phoenix in Pennsylvania, he said hes prepared to serve his entire sentence because he refused to admit to something he had not done. I have eight years and nine months left, Cosby stated. When I come up for parole, theyre not going to hear me say that I have remorse. I was there. I dont care what group of people come along and talk about this when they werent there. They dont know. He also called his trials a sham, unjust and not fair. Its all a setup. That whole jury thing. They were imposters, Cosby stated. Look at the woman who blew the whistle, he said, alluding to the potential juror who overheard a seated juror proclaim before the trial that, hes guilty, we can all go home now. Then she went in and came out smiling, its something attorneys will tell you is called a payoff, Cosby stated. I know what theyve done to my people. But my people are going to view me and say, that boy looks good. That boy is strong. I have too many heroes that Ive sat with. Too many heroes whom I listened to like John Henrik Clarke, Kenneth Clark, and Dorothy Height. Those people are very strong, and they saw the rejection of their people. This is political. I can see the whole thing. Agra (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Amid the anti-CAA row, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said everyone has the right to protest and express his opinion but no one has the liberty to indulge in anti-national activities. "Everyone has the right to protest and put forward their point of view but no one has the liberty to indulge in anti-national activities on the pretext of protest," he said while addressing a rally here in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act. He said the protesters who were setting on fire everywhere till yesterday on the call of the 'Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Popular Front of India (PFI)' are now using their women and children to create unrest. "Those who were setting on fire everywhere till yesterday on the call of SIMI and PFI have now come to realise that their illegal properties will be seized. So, they have now using their women and children to create unrest," he said. The Chief Minister said that there is no need to worry about these people as the government will give them a reply in their style. "Don't worry! The government and administration will find a solution to this, in their style. Everyone has the right to protest and put forward their point of view but no one has the liberty to indulge in anti-national activities," he said. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister had said that raising slogans of 'Azadi' in the name of protest amounts to sedition. "If anyone raises slogans of 'Azadi' in the name of protest, it will amount to sedition and the government will take strict action. It can't be accepted. People can't be allowed to conspire against India from Indian soil," he had said at a rally in Kanpur. The amended citizenship Act grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (ANI) Theres a rhetoric at times that happens with our immigrants that is just not dignified, and we have to respect the dignity of the human person, he said. It is the role of the state and the government to protect our dignity. Archbishop Chaput, the first Native American archbishop and a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe, said he would continue to live in Philadelphia and be involved in the archdiocese. He plans to take three months to read, cook and pray, and then resume activities like giving talks and leading retreats. A significant posting for the church in the United States, the archdiocese of Philadelphia is traditionally a cardinals seat, meaning that its leader is usually named a cardinal, the churchs highest clerical rank after pontiff. Cardinals younger than 80 elect the pope, giving them critical sway in the future of the church. Pope Francis notably never elevated Archbishop Chaput for the red hat. That denial has frustrated many conservatives, especially as Francis appointed a cardinal and ally to the archdiocese of Newark, which had never before had a cardinal, and which has outsize prominence as part of the New York media market. In a June 2017 interview, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, then the top doctrinal watchdog in the Roman Catholic Church, said he was disappointed that the archbishop of Philadelphia had not been elevated to cardinal because the appointment of the cardinals should not be a personal relation with the pope to these bishops. Asked why Francis had declined to make the appointment, he said politics. Weeks later, Francis removed Cardinal Muller from his position. As it became clear that Francis would never make Archbishop Chaput a cardinal, many church analysts noted that the conservative became more vocal in his criticism, at times using a column on the archdioceses website as a soapbox to express a dissonant view. Archbishop Chaput was also a firm administrator, tapped to reform a region in financial and spiritual disarray after extensive allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy in the area. A county grand jury in 2005 reported that leaders of the Philadelphia archdiocese, including two cardinals, had covered up extensive sexual abuse of minors. In case you had environmental studies as a subject in your academics, youd remember the greenhouse effect (that resulted in global warming) and the greenhouse gases that caused this effect -- one of those gases is HFC-23 that is 12,000 times more harmful than the regular carbon dioxide. Getty Images HFC or hydrofluorocarbons are gases that cause immense harm to the environment and even was mentioned in the Montreal amendment that urged nations across the globe to stop using this gas. While India and China vouched to stop using it, and in 2017 they also admitted to having succeeded in curbing it in 2017. However, when the researchers looked at atmospheric data, HFC-23 was present, and that too in numbers significantly higher than expected. They witnessed the emissions to be at an all-time high of 15,900 tonnes -- similar to annual CO2 emissions from around 50 coal power plants. Published first in Nature Communications, HFC-23 was found being used in cooling systems in air conditioners and refrigerators. As per the authors, one tonne of this gas is equal to 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Dr Kieran Stanley, the lead author of the study, said Although China and India are not yet bound by the Amendment, their reported abatement would have put them on course to be consistent with it. However, it looks like there is still work to do. Representative Image: Reuters She further added, Our study finds that it is very likely that China has not been as successful in reducing HFC-23 emissions as reported. However, without additional measurements, we can't be sure whether India has been able to implement its abatement programme. If the reported numbers of HFC-23 emission reduction had been true, it would have been equal to Spains years worth CO2 emission, between 2015 and 2017. Dr Matt Rigby, a co-author of the research said, The magnitude of the CO2-equivalent emissions shows just how potent this greenhouse gas is. We now hope to work with other international groups to better quantify India and China's individual emissions using regional, rather than global, data and models. Putins package of constitutional amendments, granting more authorities to the Federal Assembly, will likely pass amid the absence of a robust opposition The media has been replete with reports from Moscow about the Kremlins plans to reshape the political and institutional scenes in the worlds largest country. The reports, and accompanying analyses, focused on predictions as to the course President Vladimir Putin will adopt. In a surprising step, the government of Dmitry Medvedev resigned to make way for Vladimir Putins suggested changes, according to a presidential statement. The Tsar, as Putin is called in Western reports, had suggested in his annual address to the Russians embarking on constitutional amendments that transport authorities from the presidency to the Federal Assembly and that help him remain in power, in the words of many Western reports. Putins fourth presidential term ends in 2024 and he is not constitutionally allowed to run for a fifth tenure. Medvedev, Putins closest ally, wrote in the cabinets resignation letter that when adopted, the amendments will introduce fundamental changes, not only to a wide range of articles of the constitution, but also to the balance of the executive, legislative, and judicial powers, and that accordingly, the government in its present form has resigned. Putin took the helm of Russia in 1999 as an interim president, succeeding Boris Yeltsin. The following year he was elected president and won two tenures, remaining at the top of Russia until 2008. Medvedev then took over the country till 2012, before Putin rose again to two six-year terms. The constitutional amendments should be put to a referendum the date of which has been yet undecided. Russias last public referendum was conducted by Yeltsin in 1993, two years after the fall of the Soviet Union. It resulted in the current constitution. Upon Medvedevs resignation, Putin thanked him and requested he remain at the head of the government until a new one was formed under Mikhail Mishustin, who put in place the new Russian taxation system. Medvedev will be assigned the post of vice president of the National Security Council, led by Putin. According to the Russian presidents letter to the Federal Assembly, the State Duma will select cabinet members and its head currently an authority exercised by the president. Putin also suggested increasing the authority of the lesser known State Council, which he earlier described as proving greatly effective. The council comprises the governors of 83 federal regions. The suggestions include banning dual nationals and expats from running for the presidency, and continuing the limit of two presidential tenures. The amendments also aim to encourage the Russians to bear children, to face the continuous decrease in population since the 1990s, through social services such as providing meals for students during the first years of the primary stage, and reducing taxes on large families. Putin pledged to increase the fertility rate of Russian women from 1.5 children to 1.7 during the next four years, through financial allocations yet undetermined. Putin will not relinquish power. The question is, how can he stay at the helm post-2024, asked Ahmed Al-Khamisi, an Egyptian expert on Russian affairs. Al-Khamisi believes the constitutional amendments will avoid changing the duration of presidential terms since it may cause wide social shock. Putin will likely seek to form a council in which the powers are concentrated constitutionally, to be chaired by him to oversee development plans and manage the military and security establishment and their large industries, as well as the state budget and federal rule, said Al-Khamisi. Passing these amendments hinges on Putins popularity. He enjoys nationwide popularity because he restored Russias status. It is starting to erode, though, because of the exorbitant expenses of daily life in Russia, Al-Khamisi added. The Russians are not familiar with expensiveness. For seven decades they lived under the comprehensive umbrella of the Soviet Union. Housing was free, literally. Nowadays, a small apartment could cost a Russian $250,000, Al-Khamisi stated. Moscow is now one of the worlds most expensive capitals. Russian education, known for its high standards, and a free service presented by the country, has become a harsh obstacle in the way of Russian families, he said. Rising living expenses will not help Putin in his plan to increase the population, much like in China. At the same time, Putins opponents are extremely divided and not strong enough to prevent him from effecting the amendments. An opposition leader called for a sit-in at the Kremlin on Saturday, another addressed the public to gather on Sunday. None of the calls materialised. This is in contrast to when large protests erupted against Putins return to the presidency in 2012. A nationalist sentiment rose in Russia when it restored Crimea, after it had been annexed to Ukraine for decades. The same sentiments were vibrant when Putin confronted US and Western powers on several issues, such as Syria and, to an extent, Iran. Putin will use these developments to pass the new constitutional amendments, said Al-Khamisi. Opinion polls, conducted by government-funded institutions, revealed that 45 per cent of Russians believe the amendments are a step forward and not a constitutional coup, as described by the opposition. According to several comments by supporters of the amendments in English-language Russian newspapers, the amendments will maintain the presidential tenure and give the Federal Assembly the right to appoint the government. They will also grant the government and Federal Assembly the freedom to run the day-to-day affairs of the country, although Putin will still hold the strategic files. The Russian opposition has not much to do. It doesnt have dedicated followers despite Putins eroding popularity due to the economic conditions, said Al-Khamisi. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: PARIS (AP) French and Dutch police have arrested 23 suspected members of a criminal network that has smuggled as many as 10,000 migrants from France to Britain, according to the European police agency Europol. The network was suspected of earning 70 million euros ($77.6 million) in profits by organizing illegal passages for migrants from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Iran, Europol said Thursday. The migrants traveled to Britain from around the western French cities of Le Mans and Poitiers. Many of them faced life-threatening conditions, hidden in refrigerator trucks crossing the English Channel by ferry or undersea train. As many as 20 migrants were held in each truck and each paid as much as 7,000 euros ($7,760) for the crossing, Europol said. A suspect in the Netherlands collected those payments via an underground banking system, Europol said. Police seized firearms and vehicles in five searches, and the migrants found during the operation were taken to safety. Ton van Lierop, a spokesman for Eurojust, said most of the arrests were Tuesday in France. The operation came amid renewed attention to migrants risking their lives in trucks trying to cross the Channel after 39 Vietnamese trying to enter Britain died in October in a refrigerated truck container. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Giulio Centemero, Member of Italian Chamber of Deputies (lower house of parliament) delivered remarks on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Armenian massacres in Baku. Armenpress presents the Italian MPs full speech: Just 30 years ago, on January 13-19, 1990, a massacre and deportation of Armenians were carried out in Baku based on ethnic identity. The massacres were organized by the Azerbaijani Popular Front party and were sponsored by the local authorities. Although after the 1988 events in Sumgait, most of the Armenians living in that post-Soviet republic decided to leave their homes, nearly 35-40.000 Armenians were still living there in early 1990, much less than the 300.000 Armenian population in late 80s. It was impossible to count the exact number of victims of the massacres because the local authorities were attempting to hide the facts. According to some international human rights organizations, more than 450.000 people have been killed. Thousands lost their whole property, according to some eyewitness reports numerous Jews, Russians and representatives of other nations were killed only because of looking like Armenians. Those who survived the massacres, settled in different countries of the world as migrants by joining the Diaspora. Within the course of history massacres of Armenians in Baku were carried out at least three times in 1905, 1918 and 1990. The European Parliament condemned the massacres committed against Armenians in its resolutions adopted in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Frelick Bill, chair of US Committee for Refugees, talked about the massacres and their consequences in 2002. On July 27, 1990, an open letter has been published in The New York Times addressed to the international community. The latter was signed by 133 prominent scientists and human right advocates of Europe, Canada and the USA which were voicing their complaints on the killings and massacres of Armenians in Baku. The aforementioned crimes, as well as all the remaining crimes of the history should be remembered and should not be concealed through propaganda so that the humanity will remember them and such events will not repeat again. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan [January 23, 2020] Kimathi Gordon-Somers Joins Fordham Law School as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Diversity Fordham Law School announced today that Kimathi Gordon-Somers has been appointed assistant dean of student affairs and diversity. Starting on February 3, in his new role, Gordon-Somers will be responsible for strategic leadership, direction, and assessment for a spectrum of services designed to support student success, enhance engagement, and foster a diverse and inclusive community across a talented, motivated student body. He will serve as a key member of the Law School's senior management team. Prior to joining Fordham Law, Gordon-Somers was the assistant dean for students at St. John's University School of Law. Before that he served as the associate director of career development and coordinator of the externship program. He also taught Trial Advocacy, the Externship Seminar and Professional Development as an adjunct professor. Gordon-Somers joined St. John's in 2012 after 15 years of practice as a prosecutor and in the private sector. Over the course of his career he has worked as an assistant state attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, as a senior assistant district attorney for the Kings County District Attorney's Office, and at the Queens County District Attorney's Office. Gordon-Somers received his Bachelor of Arts in French and English from Franklin & Marshall College and his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law. "I'm thrilled to join Fordham Law to lead the School's student affairs and diversity efforts," said Gordon-Somers. "Fordham has a rich and interesting history of service, a robust network of alumni across a variety of sectors, and a large, engaged student body. I'm looking forward to beoming part of the community and supporting the Law School's students on their journeys." Gordon-Somers succeeds assistant dean Nitza Milagros Escalera, who retired in December after serving more than 25 years as Fordham Law's assistant dean of student affairs and for the past three years as assistant dean of diversity initiatives. Escalera has been a key support for students as they enter law school, as they experience the school and after they leave. She created and ran the academic enrichment program which acclimated students from diverse backgrounds to law school. She also played a leadership role in programs that provide pipelines for diverse students at the high school and college level, helping to nurture and support an interest in legal careers. Most recently, she collaborated with faculty to launch an ambitious pipeline program called Increasing Diversity in Education and the Law (IDEAL), a three-year legal training program directed at undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. To fill the role, Fordham Law School's leaders convened a committee which included alumni as well as student, staff, and faculty representatives. The School engaged Spelman Johnson to conduct the nationwide search. "Kimathi brings an important set of relevant experiences to this critical role and I am excited to collaborate with him to ensure that our students are well supported and to build upon Nitza's tremendous legacy," said Dean Matthew Diller of Fordham Law School. "My gratitude to the committee, led by Associate Dean Linda Sugin, for the care and consideration it devoted to this search." About Fordham Law School Situated in New York City, the global epicenter of business and culture, Fordham Law School cultivates the collaborative community, intellectual curiosity, professional craft, and commitment to service vital to creating lawyers and legal scholars who can move our profession, society and world forward. Follow Fordham Law School on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005473/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The family of the 21-year-old woman, whose body found at New Edubiase is calling on the Ghana Police Service to quickly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book. The remains of Victoria Amankwa, alias Maa Attah, were found in a bush with missing parts after she failed to arrive at the home of her biological mother in Nyamebekyere. In an interview with Citi News, the adoptive mother of the deceased, Akua Agyeiwaa, called for justice to prevail. I will like to tell the Police that the manner in which my daughter was murdered was very painful. They must investigate it thoroughly and find the perpetrators. Imagine looking after a friends child for seven years now and then hearing this. I can no longer sleep nor eat. The Police should please help me because they are the only ones who can get to the bottom of this issue. Reports indicate that the deceased, who is a mother of one, left home about two weeks ago to visit her mother who lives at Nyame Bekyere, a town in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti region but never arrived home. The body of the deceased was discovered while a nine-year-old boy was bird hunting. ---citinewsroom The human immune system uses two pre-programmed strategies to tackle infection. One is fever, a resistance mechanism that tries to eliminate a pathogen by raising the body's temperature. The other works in the opposite direction, cooling the body down in a controlled manner to permit temporary tolerance of the invader while protecting organs and systems. These two mechanisms act as alternatives according to the intensity of the attack and the overall state of the patient's health. This innovative concept was recently presented by two researchers in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, published by Cell Press. The article proposes a combination of the two defense strategies to study and treat sepsis, a systemic inflammation usually triggered by a localized infection that spirals out of control. Sepsis is the main cause of death in Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs). The study, which was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, was conducted by Alexandre Steiner, a professor in the Immunology Department of the University of Sao Paulo's Biomedical Science Institute (ICB-USP) in Brazil, and Andrej Romanovsky, head of the Thermoregulation and Systemic Inflammation Laboratory (FeverLab) at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona (USA). We're proposing a model in which to observe not only the immune system in its host defense strategy but also aspects of human physiology. It's clear that the human organism has two defense strategies, and that the immune system and physiological system should be understood in a more integrated manner when analyzing infectious processes." Alexandre Steiner, professor in the Immunology Department, University of Sao Paulo's Biomedical Science Institute Evolving concepts In the 1970s, researchers in the field of physiology developed what they called "fever theory", according to which a rise in body temperature was a key factor in the host defense strategy. "Fever was no longer considered part of the disease, but as part of the body's defense," Steiner said. In the past two decades, studies with rats have also shown that when an infection becomes acute the host develops hypothermia instead of fever. "We observed the same phenomenon in septic patients admitted to ICUs, for example," Steiner said. Hypothermia was initially seen as a process of dysregulation: the organism was dying and as its systems failed it became unable to maintain body temperature. Not until the 1990s did scientists succeed in analyzing the metabolic and thermoregulatory profile of patients with hypothermia, developing the theory that hypothermia was not a consequence of dysregulation but a deliberate and controlled defense mechanism. In the early 2000s, Steiner performed experiments with rats to study thermal preference behavior, seeking to understand hypothermia: whether the organism actively pursues a cooler state and in what circumstances. "This study showed that in less severe conditions the animals sought a warmer environment and developed fever, whereas when the inflammatory process became severe they preferred a cooler environment and were prone to hypothermia," he said. If an animal seeks a cool environment, it is actively developing hypothermia, according to Steiner, who believes the process involves elements of the central nervous system that slow down the metabolism and produce a controlled fall in body temperature. Fever, on the other hand, requires a significant expenditure of energy to maintain a high temperature and may also exacerbate oxidative stress, an imbalance between the production of oxidizing compounds and the action of anti-oxidant defense systems, impairing tissue homeostasis. "The hypothesis was raised that hypothermia ensues when the metabolic costs of fever exceed the benefits, either because the immune challenge is too strong or because physical debilitation occurs. A regulated hypothermic response could act as a support for a state of immune tolerance in which the organism lives with the pathogen, 'switching off' non-essential systems and defending systems without which it can't survive," Steiner said. In experiments performed between 2008 and 2012, Steiner detected a lower death rate among animals that resorted to hypothermia as a strategy to combat severe bacterial infection than among animals in which hypothermia was blocked. "This finding led us to the conclusion that hypothermia plays a beneficial role in animal physiology," he said. Meanwhile, research in the field of immunology highlighted the phenomenon of immune system activation with the primary aim of killing a pathogen. A shift away from this scientific paradigm began about ten years ago, when scientists discovered that some animals develop a different strategy consisting of activation of a defense mechanism that enables them to tolerate the invader temporarily. In the article published in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, Steiner and Romanovsky advocate an approach to the human organism's defense system from the perspective of the dichotomies between fever and hypothermia - mechanisms studied by physiology - and between disease resistance and tolerance, which pertain to immunology. Thus they suggest a combination of these two knowledge areas that can see beyond the immune system in dealing with infection. "It's a dynamic mechanism in which the organism switches between one strategy and the other. The immune system and the physiological system don't just take one line of defense and stick with it, especially in severe conditions like sepsis," Steiner said. Besides the experiments with rats, Steiner and his team also studied a group of 50 septic patients treated at the University of Sao Paulo's teaching hospital (HU-USP). "We looked for a sub-group of patients who had hypothermia similar to the kind associated with the tolerance mechanism, which is characterized by being transitory and self-limiting. To our surprise, 97% of the 50 patients studied matched this profile," Steiner said. Their body temperature fell by at most 2.0 C - 2.5 C. The patients' condition switched naturally between resistance to fever and hypothermia, possibly associated with tolerance. The shifts occurred as a response of the organism, without being induced by medication or cooling and warming techniques. According to Steiner, the main evidence that the process does not consist merely of body dysregulation is that most of the 25 patients who eventually died had been feverish in the 12 hours prior to death. "If hypothermia were the result of organ dysfunction and failure, we would have observed more hypothermia in these 12 hours preceding death," he said. The studies conducted by Steiner were supported by FAPESP via a Young Investigator Grant, a Regular Research Grant, and a Thematic Project Grant. Next steps The most immediate implication of the results obtained to date is a review of the treatment for sepsis. "Severe infections are currently approached one-dimensionally: the immune system is there either to kill the pathogen or to cause problems for the patient, in case it over-reacts or fails to succeed," Steiner said. "The new findings enable us to think about possible therapies and more personalized treatments based on an analysis showing whether the patient could benefit more from a fever/resistance strategy or a hypothermia/tolerance strategy." Steiner and his group are now planning to test the theory put forward in the article by applying it in specific situations such as infection by fungi, viruses and bacteria. Another line of research will be to evaluate the influence of obesity in defense strategies against infection. I agree with Greta Van Susteren on the advantages of trying different approaches to the presidential debates. The idea of a real life forum that gives debate questions to candidates a few days before the televised events could lead to more thoughtful and less tweet-like responses. I would not object to the candidates consulting with each other or, as suggested by Ms. Van Susteren, outside experts. This would give us some understanding of their thinking and ability to work with others. By Jung Hae-myoung The import of Japanese beer to Korea nearly halved in 2019 in the aftermath of Koreans' boycott of Japanese goods triggered by a trade feud between the two countries, data showed Thursday. This marks the first beer import market decrease in ten years. According to the Korea Customs Service, the import volume of Japanese beer fell to 47,331 tons last year, down 45.3 percent from a year ago. The import had been on the increase between February and June but it has plunged since July when Korea's boycott campaign gained momentum. Monthly imports stood at 9,468 tons in June but plunged to 4 tons in September. The amount has since increased slightly with 35 tons in October, 131 tons in November and 249 tons in December. Japanese beer such as Asahi and Sapporo was the leading import beer in Korea for ten years, but after the boycott movement, Japanese beer fell to 13th place as of August last year. Main distribution channels, convenience stores, also opted out of including Japanese beers in special offers which led to a decrease in consumption. This led to an overall decrease in beer imports, showing a downturn for the first time in since 2009. Beer imports decreased by 7.1 percent or 27,849 tons, to 360,132 tons worth $396.8 million from the previous year. The sharp fall in imports of Japanese beer was offset by an increase in imports from other countries. Beer imports from the Netherlands increased the most with 5,394 tons, and those from Belgium and China followed with 4,928 tons and 3,667 tons respectively. According to the CU convenience store, sales of Japanese beer fell more than 90 percent during the first six months of the boycott movement that started in July. On the other hand, domestic beer sales have increased more than 30 percent. Craft beer saw a huge jump in 2019, increasing by 220.4 percent compared to that of the previous year. The percentage of domestic craft beer sales also increased to 5.6 percent in 2019 from 1.9 percent in 2018. Experts say domestic beer companies will gain cost competitiveness with the change of law effective from this year levying tax on beer by volume, not price. A troubled teenager at the centre of wardship proceedings has been charged with sexually assaulting two women and threatening to kill or cause serious harm to a third. The 18-year-old, considered a very high risk of harm to herself and to others, is currently being detained in a unit usually reserved for children, on foot of High Court orders. She appeared in a District Court last Friday charged with the offences, alleged to have occurred on separate dates in May and June last year at a different secure unit. The charges are likely to further complicate efforts to resolve her immediate future, which has been the subject of several High Court hearings in recent months. If she is declared a ward of court, authorities hope she can be detained at a specialist mental health service in England. But it was revealed in court this week a planned assessment of her suitability for treatment at St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton had not taken place as the psychiatrist involved had difficulty getting the required permission from the Medical Council. The High Court heard that even if she is deemed suitable, it could be six months before a bed becomes available. As a result of this, other alternatives are being explored. The teenager's case has shone the spotlight on a number of significant issues facing child and family agency Tusla and the HSE in maintaining care for troubled teens after they become adults. In has also highlighted the lack of suitable facilities in Ireland, which means teenagers with particular issues have to be sent abroad at considerable expense, with concerns over such arrangements post-Brexit, and significant problems posed by gaps in mental health laws. The teenager was born into a household of extreme depravity and domestic violence and has been in care from an early age. Medical professionals consider her a very high risk of harm to herself and others. She has previously expressed a wish to murder and rape. The High Court has heard a search at her care unit uncovered a large knife she secreted and that she had formulated a plan to mutilate someone. At a hearing in December, Tusla's counsel Barry O'Donnell SC said: "Frankly, the court can see in the papers the level of difficulty exceeds anything the Irish care system has had to deal with in the past." The teen's case came to public attention last November when the Irish Independent revealed Tusla was in a race against time to prevent her from being released into the community. At the time, she was held by Tusla under a High Court-imposed special care order, which allows for the detention of children in a secure therapeutic environment for their own safety and welfare. But with just weeks to go to her 18th birthday, authorities had no legal mechanism under which to extend her detention once she became an adult. Although she had been diagnosed with a personality disorder, this did not mean she could be held under the Mental Health Act. A report by English psychiatrist Dr Peter Misch also concluded she had capacity to function and make decisions independently, an opinion which ruled out the prospect of her being detained as a ward of court. However, the picture changed last month following two further psychiatric assessments, by Professor Harry Kennedy and Dr Aoife Kearney, which concluded she was "other than of sound mind". This opened the door for Tusla to initiate wardship proceedings and to secure temporary orders allowing for her continued detention at the special care unit beyond her 18th birthday. The detention order was extended by High Court President Peter Kelly on Monday for a further three weeks. The judge said this was in the teenager's best interests. It is unclear at this stage if she is going to object to the wardship application. The teenager is legally represented in the proceedings and her solicitor has contacted another psychiatrist, Professor Patricia Casey, to conduct an independent assessment. At the hearing, Mr Justice Kelly requested clarity from the HSE on the position of Irish wards of court currently placed in the UK following Brexit on January 31. He said it would be disastrous if these people were to be discharged on February 1. Mr O'Donnell told the judge the view being expressed to the HSE "at a high level" was that there would be mechanisms in place. This could involve applications having to be made to the Court of Protection of England and Wales for Irish orders to be recognised. The matter comes back before the court next month. A recent report by the Child Care Law Reporting Project detailed how wardship is being used as a response to gaps in Irish mental health legislation. It noted certain mental health illnesses, including personality disorder and anorexia, did not fall within the definition of a mental health disorder in Ireland. As a result, these illnesses cannot result in a person's involuntary detention in a mental health facility. The law is different in the UK where a person with a personality disorder can be involuntarily detained and treated. This means a violent child with an emerging personality disorder, who poses a risk to society, is not captured by the Irish Mental Health Act, but does fall within the definition to be detained and treated in the UK. According to the report, the response to this gap in Irish legislation had been to make Irish people suffering from a mental health illness which falls outside the Act a ward of court to permit a placement in a mental health facility abroad. While the person remains under the jurisdiction of the Irish courts, their care and mental health treatment is subject to the law of the country they are placed in. The report said this has proven problematic due to differences between Ireland and other jurisdictions in relation to the legal definition of mental illness, eligibility for involuntary detention, treatment programmes and discharge arrangements. The seeds of the plan to hack Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos phone were reportedly sown when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman visited the United States in 2018 to project his progressive vision for the country. MBS visited MIT and Harvard and met business leaders including Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, where they exchanged phone numbers over a dinner. On January 22, two United Nations experts confirmed the report, by The Guardian, of hacking in a statement that read, The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia. The experts became aware of the forensic analysis of Bezos phone which claimed that large amounts of data were exfiltrated after the privacy breach. The analysis suggests that privacy was breached through the use of a prominent spyware product identified in other Saudi surveillance cases, such as the NSO Group's Pegasus-3 malware. The alleged involvement of Saudi Crown Prince and his inner circle in the hacking of The Washington Post owners phone might open a can of worms as the incident was followed by the revelation of Bezos alleged extramarital affairs and murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Posts columnist. The National Enquirer, an American tabloid newspaper, published a story about Amazon CEOs extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez, along with intimate text messages and pictures of the couple, months after the data breach. Read: Report Suggests Saudi Crown Prince hacked Jeff Bezos' Phone, Embassy Denies Saudi Arabia Embassy rejects claims However, Saudi Arabia Embassy to the United States has rejected the claims and called for an investigation. The reports of Saudi involvement in hacking is a huge setback for MBS who has been trying to repair the tarnished image after Khashoggi killing. In December, Saudi Arabia court convicted eight people in the killing of The Washington Post columnist but exonerated inner circle of MBS. Read: Jeff Bezos's Phone Hacked By Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman? All You Need To Know Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, and David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, said that the circumstances and timing of the hacking and surveillance of Bezos also strengthen support for further investigation by the US and other relevant authorities of the allegations that the Crown Prince ordered, incited, or, at a minimum, was aware of planning for but failed to stop the mission that fatally targeted Mr Khashoggi in Istanbul. Read: Amazon Founder & CEO Jeff Bezos Visits Taj Mahal With Girlfriend Lauren Sanchez Read: Jeff Bezos Writes An Open Letter To Indian Stakeholders, Highlights 'Make In India' Ashburn, Va, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department are proud to announce that Grand Avenue Park has been chosen for the 10th NRPA Parks Build Community project. Portions of the park will undergo significant renovations as corporate donors and local companies come together to transform the area into a vibrant public space where residents of all ages can gather and play. The park renovations will be unveiled during the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. NRPA is thrilled to announce its tenth Parks Build Community project, said Kristine Stratton, NRPA President and CEO. Over the years, weve had the distinct privilege of working with donors and park leaders from local agencies in cities where we host our annual conference to bring these amazing park transformations to life. These projects demonstrate our commitment to ensure every person in every community has access to quality park and recreation amenities that boost quality of life and strengthen communities. The 12-acre parcel surrounding an architecturally significant and historic schoolhouse, built in 1926, creates the perfect landscape for Grand Avenue Park. This park was selected for the 10th NRPA Parks Build Community project because it is at the center of a neighborhood in need of a renovated public space to serve the community. In addition, the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department is planning multiple recreation enhancements and programs, including the renovation of the adjacent community center, making the overall project a community jewel. Lisa Early, City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Director said, Playgrounds are such an integral part of childhood. I'll never forget the wonderful experiences I was lucky to enjoy, swinging on swings and sliding down slides, when I was a child. Residents of the neighborhood surrounding Grand Avenue Park feel the same way, and they're thrilled to know that their beloved and historic park and its playgrounds are being renovated, and that now their own children will be able to build beloved memories there. I'm deeply grateful to the National Recreation and Park Association for supporting the Grand Avenue Park renovation, and I know the residents of this great neighborhood are grateful too. In 1938, the Grand Avenue site was selected as one of four new summer playgrounds with activities supervised by the city's then Recreation Department in partnership with the PTAs in the area. The purpose was to promote recreation for children, and it did for many years. Decades later, the school was slated for demolition, but was spared by the swift actions of the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department leaders. In 2017, the school closed, and the parks and recreation department dedicated a two-year build-out to turn the structure into a vibrant community center. NRPA, along with the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department, is proud to work alongside a growing group of generous donors that will contribute to the project, which is slated to begin during the spring. These donors include: Greenfields Outdoor Fitness BCI Burke Company GameTime/PlayCore Musco Lighting DuMor Site Furnishings ForeverLawn Epic Outdoor Cinema Most Dependable Fountains, Inc. Gared Sports Shade Systems, Inc. Freenotes Harmony Park Dero NRPAs Parks Build Community is a national initiative aimed at demonstrating the transformative value of parks on the health and vitality of communities across America. Living close to parks and other recreation facilities is consistently related to higher physical activity levels for both adults and youth. Parks help reduce obesity and the incidence of chronic disease by providing opportunities to increase rigorous physical activity in a variety of forms. Furthermore, parks provide a connection to nature, which studies demonstrate relieves stress levels, tightens interpersonal relationships and improves mental health. To learn more about the role of parks and recreation on health and wellness, click here. To learn more about Parks Build Community, click here and follow the hashtag #ParksBuildCommunity. To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org. ### About the National Recreation and Park Association The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity. Through its network of 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPAs flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org. About the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department The mission of the Families, Parks and Recreation Department is to support and strengthen livable neighborhoods through the provision of well-maintained and inviting parks and a healthy tree canopy; high quality recreational, cultural and educational facilities; and comprehensive, innovative childrens programs. For more information, visit www.orlando.gov/Our-Government/Departments-Offices/FPR. Attachment Harvey Weinstein's trial began on January 23 in the State of New York, the former Miramax Films boss walked to the court without a walking stick unlike his previous hearings. Harvey if convicted of predatory sexual assault charges faces a chance at life in prison. The producer has been accused by several women that led to the #MeToo movement. Lawyer Damon Cheronis earlier in defence said, they have number of emails sent by the women which undermine claims of non-consensual sex. As per reports Weinstein's attorneys were said to try and convince the court, that his two accusers engaged in consensual relationships with the defendant and only later claimed the incidents were forced. He has been accused of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in his New York apartment in July 2006. And another unidentified woman came forward saying Weinstein has raped her in a New York hotel room back in March 2013. Four other women including actress Annabella Sciorra and three unnamed alleged victims, may also be called to the stand, in an effort to convince the 12-member jury of Weinstein's predatory sexual behaviour pattern. According to reports, 80 women came forward and accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct since October 2017. Out of which many fall out of the time frame to be able to file charges. The jury includes seven men and five women for the trail, which may run long until March 6, 2020. SAG Awards: Twitter Can't Keep Calm After Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt Reunion Kristen Bell Champions Women Empowerment After Winning #SeeHer At Critics Choice Awards 2020 Preclinical results to be presented for GJB2 gene therapy hearing loss collaboration and OTO-510 program for cisplatin otoprotection SAN DIEGO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Otonomy, Inc. (OTIC), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics for neurotology, today announced multiple presentations at the upcoming Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) 43rd Annual MidWinter Meeting, to be held January 25-29, in San Jose, California. These presentations include initial preclinical results from the companys gene therapy collaboration with Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (AGTC) focused on GJB2 deficiency, the most common cause of congenital hearing loss, and demonstration of otoprotection for a class of compounds Otonomy is evaluating in preclinical studies for cisplatin-induced hearing loss (CIHL). Our multiple presentations at ARO again this year highlight our broad pipeline in neurotology, with data to be presented in support of our programs addressing the treatment of both inherited and acquired forms of hearing loss as well as protection against cisplatin ototoxicity," said David A. Weber, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Otonomy. While our highest priority during 2020 is the successful completion of our three ongoing clinical trials, including the Phase 3 trial of OTIVIDEX in Menieres disease, we remain committed to the advancement of our multiple preclinical programs that address important unmet needs in neurotology. All Otonomy presentations are during poster sessions occurring from 1 to 4 p.m. PST on the days indicated below. Joint presentation with AGTC related to the GJB2 gene therapy program: "Ex vivo assessment of AAV capsid variant tropism and safety in rat cochlea" by Uribe et al., on January 27. Presentations related to Otonomys OTO-510 program for CIHL: "Ex vivo evaluation of the therapeutic potential of several drug classes to prevent cisplatin mediated ototoxicity in the rat cochlea by Mathur et al., on January 26. "Evaluations of various therapeutic classes in protection against cisplatin-induced hearing loss (preclinical models)" by Tsivkovskaia et al., on January 26. Story continues Presentations related to Otonomy's other clinical and preclinical hearing loss programs: "Characterization of OTO-413, an intratympanic sustained-exposure formulation of the neurotrophic factor BDNF, in preclinical models of cochlear synaptopathy" by Tsivkovskaia et al., on January 26. "Comparisons of single versus combinatorial strategies for hair cell regeneration in cochlear explants" by Uribe et al., on January 27. Joint presentation of data with research collaborators at the University of Washington related to preclinical evaluations of an age-related hearing loss model: "Age-related hearing loss in zebrafish: surprising senescence in an animal with continuous hair cell turnover" by Coffin et al., on January 28. About Otonomy Otonomy is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics for neurotology. The company pioneered the application of drug delivery technology to the ear in order to develop products that achieve sustained drug exposure from a single local administration. This approach is covered by a broad patent estate and is being utilized to develop a pipeline of products addressing important unmet medical needs including Menieres disease, hearing loss, and tinnitus. For additional information please visit www.otonomy.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the future financial or operating performance of Otonomy. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, timing of results of ongoing clinical trials, including the Phase 3 clinical trial for OTIVIDEX; expectations regarding advancement of preclinical programs; the potential benefits of and activity under the collaboration agreement between AGTC and Otonomy, including but not limited to development activity; and statements by Otonomys president and CEO. Otonomys expectations regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: Otonomys limited operating history and its expectation that it will incur significant losses for the foreseeable future; Otonomys ability to accurately forecast financial results; Otonomys ability to obtain additional financing; Otonomys dependence on the regulatory success and advancement of its product candidates; the uncertainties inherent in the clinical drug development process, including, without limitation, Otonomys ability to adequately demonstrate the safety and efficacy of its product candidates, the nonclinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development, and challenges related to patient enrollment in clinical trials; Otonomys ability to obtain regulatory approval for its product candidates; the risks of the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the collaboration agreement between AGTC and Otonomy; the risks of the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could impact Otonomys ability to repay or comply with the terms of the loan provided by Oxford Finance LLC; side effects or adverse events associated with Otonomys product candidates; Otonomys ability to successfully commercialize its product candidates, if approved; competition in the biopharmaceutical industry; Otonomys dependence on third parties to conduct nonclinical studies and clinical trials; Otonomys dependence on third parties for the manufacture of its product candidates; Otonomys dependence on a small number of suppliers for raw materials; Otonomys ability to protect its intellectual property related to its product candidates in the United States and throughout the world; expectations regarding potential therapy benefits, market size, opportunity and growth; Otonomys ability to manage operating expenses; implementation of Otonomys business model and strategic plans for its business, products and technology; and other risks. Information regarding the foregoing and additional risks may be found in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Otonomys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 5, 2019, and Otonomys future reports to be filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Otonomy as of the date hereof. Otonomy disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Contacts: Media Inquiries: Spectrum Science Chloe-Anne Ramsey Vice President 404.865.3601 cramsey@spectrumscience.com London, Jan 23 : Days after US President Donald Trump slammed "prophets of doom" on climate change, his Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin advised teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg to study economics before lecturing the world, reports said. "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us," Mnuchin said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding Greta's call for investors to divest fossil fuels showed a "lack of understanding" about the economy and jobs, the BBC reported. On Tuesday, Trump, who was also at Davos, dismissed the "prophets of doom". Terming climate change activists "too pessimistic", he asked them to focus on countries where emissions are rising, but did not elaborate. on Thursday, Mnuchin, asked about Greta's call for fossil fuels to be scrapped, said said: "Is she the chief economist?" "For people who call for divestment, there are significant economic issues - issues with jobs." A food production company based in Chesterfield Township, Mich., will pay $125,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit, federal officials said. According to the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Safie Specialty Foods Company Inc., which pickles vegetables, subjected two female production workers, one of whom was a temporary employee, to a sexually hostile work environment. The EEOC said the women were targets of sexual advances and comments by the lead food processing employee, who is also the husband of a manager at Safie. The temporary employee complained about the harassment to her shift supervisor, who then notified higher-level management and submitted a written report. The allegations of harassment were corroborated by the other victim and a male temporary employee. In response to the complaint, however, Safie fired the shift supervisor, the male temporary employee, and both victims. Then, after the temporary employee filed her discrimination charge, Safie terminated the lead food processor. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Safie Specialty Foods Company, Inc., Case No. 2:18-cv-13270) against Safie in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. In addition to providing monetary relief to the former employees, the four-year consent decree settling the suit requires Safie to provide annual sexual harassment training to all employees, submit regular reports to the Commission regarding internal sexual harassment complaints and any action taken to address the complaints, and modify the companys sexual harassment policy and procedure. Source: EEOC Topics Lawsuits Michigan YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The Netherlands attaches importance to the ongoing changes and anti-corruption fight in Armenia, Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok said during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Yerevan. Its an interesting period for visiting your country. I welcome the process of fighting corruption, as well as the ongoing reforms. We are inclined to deepen our bilateral relations with Armenia. The Embassy of the Netherlands will open in Yerevan. This is a key step in terms of further expanding our relations with Armenia, the Dutch FM said, adding that now the two countries need to focus on the actions of the future. He highlighted the economic cooperation in the bilateral relations, adding that he had meetings with a number of businessmen who also operate in Armenia. Stef Blok said he is impressed with Armenias progress in the field of high technologies. The minister said there is a great potential in terms of cooperation in the agriculture sector as the Netherlands has a serious progress in this sphere and can share its experience especially in the management of greenhouses. Touching upon the visa liberalization process, the Dutch FM said this is a European process, the EU should approve and assess the progress made in Armenia. The Dutch FM also highlighted the ongoing actions in the protection of human rights, again stating that the Netherlands is ready to share its experience in this regard. In his turn the Armenian FM added that the agenda of human rights is one of the key directions for Armenia in all domains. I mean in the international relations, in international engagement. You know that currently we are a member of the Human Rights Council, moreover we are cooperating with various organizations where human rights are a priority, for instance the Council of Europe. We have a key agenda with the EU, in the UN in this sphere. I also want to add that during these years we have formed a good cooperation with the Netherlands. I would like to highlight the constant support of the Netherlands, the Armenian foreign minister said. Reported by Anna Gziryan Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan The way things look, President Trump will almost certainly not be removed from office. The precedents set by the articles of impeachment, however, will endure far longer. And regrettably, the House of Representatives has transformed presidential impeachment from a constitutional parachute an emergency measure to save the Republic in free-fall into a parliamentary vote of no confidence. The House seeks to expel Mr. Trump because he acted for his personal political benefit rather than for a legitimate policy purpose. Mr. Trumps lawyers responded, elected officials almost always consider the effect that their conduct might have on the next election. The presidents lawyers are right. And that behavior does not amount to an abuse of power. Politicians pursue public policy, as they see it, coupled with a concern about their own political future. Otherwise legal conduct, even when plainly politically motivated but without moving beyond a threshold of personal political gain does not amount to an impeachable abuse of power. The Houses shortsighted standard will fail to knock out Mr. Trump but, if taken seriously, threatens to put virtually every elected official in peril. The voters, and not Congress, should decide whether to reward or punish this self-serving feature of our political order. The first article of impeachment turns on President Trumps request that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announce an investigation of Hunter Bidens role with the energy company Burisma. Mr. Trump wanted to learn about potential financial corruption concerning Hunter, realizing that such an investigation would, perhaps, yield greater scrutiny of Joe Biden. The House argues that this request to potentially harm Mr. Trumps political rival was an abuse of power. Los Angeles At least one person was killed and five others were critically injured on Wednesday after gunfire broke out in downtown Seattle, near a popular tourist area, police said. Local media said at least one suspect was being sought in connection with the mass shooting that took place near a McDonalds fast food restaurant, just blocks away from the Pike Place Market. It was the third shooting in the area in less than two days. "Officers investigating shooting near 4th and Pine," the Seattle Police Department said in a tweet. "Multiple victims. The suspect has fled, and police are searching for him. Officers and medics are providing first aid to the injured." Local media quoted police chief Carmen Best as saying that one person had been killed and five others, including a child, were critically wounded in the shooting that occurred shortly after 5:00 pm. Police ordered people to stay out of the area and shut down a subway station as they searched for a suspect. Tyler Parsons, an employee at Victrola Coffee Roasters, told The Seattle Times that he was working when he suddenly saw victims falling to the ground as shots rang out. He said several people ran into his shop to seek cover and he saw two victims with gunshot wounds. "The shooting was just kind of terrifying. Terrifying it's so close," he told the paper. BEIJING, January 22 (Xinhua) President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders have visited former senior leaders to extend festive greetings ahead of the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year. Xi, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, as well as other leaders, wished the former leaders a happy Spring Festival, good health and long lives. The former leaders, including Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, received personal visits either from the current leaders or from their representatives. The former leaders thanked them for visiting and spoke highly of the historic achievements made by the whole Party, military and Chinese people of all ethnic groups under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core. They also expressed wholehearted support to the core status of Xi Jinping in the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party. The former leaders expressed hope that the entire Party, military and Chinese people of all ethnic groups would rally even closer around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core and follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They also called for confidence, unity in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the fight against poverty, and unremitting efforts to deliver the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. (Source: Xinhua) Villagers use boats to travel from one island to another in Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah on June 14, 2015. Malaysias home ministry has canceled a planned single identity card for foreigners living in Sabah because the local government said it would not implement the program after the states ruling party lost a by-election on Jan. 18, officials said. The state cabinet on Wednesday decided to cancel the proposed Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS), which was to be introduced in June and would have helped Malaysia monitor its border with the Philippines, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal said. The card was expected to standardize documents held by foreigners in the two states in Malaysian Borneo and aid law enforcement operations, Home Affairs Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said as he announced the card program on Jan. 13. The card, to be renewed every three years, was to contain security features including the holders biometrics, and could be obtained for a fee of 120 ringgit (U.S. $29). Shafie said his cabinet took into account two issues before deciding to drop the project and notifying the home ministry. Not only the Kimanis by-election, but the complaints from people as a whole they said they did not want to see it implemented, he told reporters. Mohamad Alamin, a candidate for the opposition Barisan Nasional coalition, defeated Warisan Party candidate Karim Bujang by more than 2,000 votes in Saturdays parliamentary by-election. Afterward, Najib Razak, the former prime minister and former chief of Barisan Nasional, said the outcome showed that the state government should cancel the temporary pass program. Sabah has a population of 3.9 million, including about 1.1 million non-citizens, according to official statistics. Muhyiddin had said more than 136,000 people living in Sabah would be eligible for the card. On Thursday, Shafie said the state would carry on with efforts to monitor foreigners. The state government will continue to carry out our responsibility in managing the undocumented migrants we will try our best to ensure that this would not affect the security as well as the environment of our state, he said. The home ministry, meanwhile, said it was aware of the Sabah decision. The ministry wants to stress that efforts to settle issues of refugees in Sabah is the commitment of both the federal government together with the Sabah state government, which must be carried out continuously and more meticulously without jeopardizing the rights of the citizens, as well as the interests and security of the people of Sabah, the ministry said in a statement. Rebranding Analyst Lai Yew Meng of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah supported the action. The decision by the Sabah state government to not push ahead with the plan to introduce the PSS reflects its position as a democratically elected government that respects the decision of the people of Sabah, who have made clear their objection toward the newly proposed documentation during the Kimanis by-election, he told BenarNews. He said the state government was wise to drop the single I.D. card program for the time being because of the negative public sentiment and lack of understanding of its security function. The introduction or rebranding of this security document in the foreseeable future would undoubtedly have to be preceded by more comprehensive stakeholder engagement, he said. Such efforts were needed, he said, to ensure the general public be more politically literate and aware of the need for such an identification and documentation measure to address the perennial problem of illegal immigrants and refugees in Sabah. MHA takes control over police postings in Jammu and Kashmir India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to take charge of all transfers and posting of the Jammu and Kashmir police personnel. An official with the Home Ministry told OneIndia that the MHA would also be involved in the operational effectiveness of the police. The decision comes days after the J&K police arrested suspended cop, Davinder Singh for escorting terrorists to safety. The ministry has issued fresh orders stating that all postings of even station house officers must be made after informing the MHA. This responsibility would be handed by R R Bhatnagar, the advisor to the Lieutenant Governor. He will suggest appropriate measures for effective policing and intelligence gathering, according to the MHA order. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Only 5 out of 36 Union Ministers to visit Kashmir On January 15, the Jammu and Kashmir administration forfeited the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Davinder Singh in 2018. Police had arrested Singh at Mir Bazar in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Baba and Altaf, besides a lawyer who was operating as an overground worker for terror outfits. Searches were carried out at Singh's residence in Srinagar, right next to the Army's XV Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment, where he had sheltered Naveed, Altaf and a new joinee in the banned terror outfit, leading to the recovery of two pistols, an AK rifle and a large quantity of ammunition. Highlights Poco X2 could be the successor to the Poco F1 Poco X2 could come with 8GB of RAM and Android 10 The company has teased the name of the phone on Twitter Pocophone created a massive splash in the market after it launched the Poco F1 in 2018. The phone became quite a hit with users, but has since not seen a successor to carry forward the buzz that the original Poco phone had created. But now, that could all be about to change. Since becoming an independent brand, the company has been teasing the launch of what it's calling as the start of Poco Season 2. And the first device to launch under this new chapter for the company could be the Poco X2. The company had till now teased the launch of new phones, but had refrained from sharing more information about them. But now keen-eyed users on Twitter have noticed that Poco also cryptically teased the name with a video it had shared via its twitter handle. #POCOIsHere#POCOX2#PocoF2 Guys, many of you watched the official video of the second season of #POCO. But, did you pay attention to this easter egg?? POCO X2 That sounds good, like Realme X2, or OPPO Find X2 pic.twitter.com/HpsRNzZX5G Xiaomishka (@xiaomishka) January 22, 2020 The teaser shared through its Twitter handle also falls in line with previous leaks and rumours which claimed that a device called Poco X2 was in the works. A few days ago, trademark applications had been filed by Xiaomi in China for the POCO F2. However, soon after a Geekbench listing had appeared which referred to the successor as the POCO X2, running on Android 10 with 8GB RAM. The listing also reveals the name of the motherboard which is stated as "phoenixin". Interestingly it's similar to the codename "phoenix" which was used last year by Redmi for its K30. This could very well be a clue that the next Poco device may well be a repackaged Redmi K30. Apart from this, there have been some rumours about a possible Poco F2 Lite also. Earlier, we've seen leaked images of what is tipped to be the upcoming Poco F2 Lite. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chipset. The leaked images of this smartphone feature a display with a waterdrop notch. The suggestion is the Poco F2 Lite could run on Android 10 out of the box that could be cloaked under Poco's own skin that it's said to be developing. There have separate suggestions that a Poco F2 could also be in the works. For now, however, it's only the Poco X2, that appears to have been confirmed to be in the works by the company. Two Nigerian Christian girls were killed at the hands of Fulani militants in the Southern Kaduna State last week. The high school students, Briget Philip and Priscilla David, were killed when Islamist fighters ambushed the village square. According to Faithwire, three other young men, ages 18, 19, and 12, were also injured. After the shooting started, the locals scattered to the surrounding woods to find safety, said a report from International Christian Concern. It is unclear what provoked this attack, as there have been claims that it was in reprisal for other actions. It is likely that this attack was conducted to gain supplies or force the locals off of the land to allow for the migration of herders into the area. This type of attack is, unfortunately, common in Nigeria from Fulani militants. At least 450 people were killed last year in attacks; two thousand were murdered in 2018. The Nigerian Government continues to turn a blind eye to these attacks, allowing perpetrators to walk free and continue the violence. This has allowed this crisis to rival that of the Book Haram insurgency in North-East Nigeria, said the ICC. Yesterday, Christian Headlines also reported news that a Nigerian pastor, Rev. Lawan Andimi, was executed after being kidnapped earlier this month. Dont cry, dont worry, but thank God for everything, he said in a hostage video after his capture. Gods will must be respected. According to Open Doors USA, a Christian persecution watchdog group, Nigeria ranks #12 of worst persecution. Recently, militants have started attacking schools and kidnapping children for ransom. Last year, HART, a UK-based nonprofit, released a report estimating that over 1,000 Nigerian Christians had been killed by Fulani extremists, as previously reported by Christian Headlines. [Extremists] attack rural villages, force villagers off their lands and settle in their placea strategy that is epitomized by the phrase: your land or your blood. The Jubilee Campaign, a human rights NGO, has also told the International Criminal Court that the standard of genocide has now been reached. The HART report urged leaders to take a stand: Something has to changeurgently. For the longer we tolerate these massacres, the more we embolden the perpetrators. We give them a green light to carry on killing. Photo courtesy: Pixabay Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine. File image Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader on January 23 said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath will be dragged by his collar if he addresses an election rally in the city. This came as a response to Naths name appearing on the Congress star campaigners list for the Delhi assembly elections. Besides Nath, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh as well as Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states including Capt. Amarinder Singh (Punjab), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and V Narayanasamy (Puducherry) -- also figure in the star campaigners list. "We challenge the Congress party that in any case, Nath will not be allowed to address any public rally in any corner of Delhi. We will drag him by his collar and bring him down," Sirsa told news agency ANI. Sirsa, levelling allegations against Nath for his alleged role in the 1984 Sikh riots in New Delhi, said the Congress had been promoting the killers of Sikhs. Kamal Nath is also the killer of the 1984 Sikh riots. After much struggle against him, we managed to open his case. Congress repeatedly promoted him, sometimes by giving him a ticket, sometimes by becoming making him a minister (sic)," Sirsa added. Also read | 1984 anti-Sikh riots back to haunt MP CM Kamal Nath: A timeline of the massacre In September 2019, a Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Union Home Ministry, had decided to reopen seven anti-Sikh riot cases, where the accused were either acquitted or the trial closed. After the notification became public, Sirsa had said that Nath had allegedly given shelter to five people who were accused in one of the seven cases. SAD, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and in Punjab, has decided not to contest the Delhi assembly elections over differences with the saffron party over theirs stands on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC). Earlier this month, addressing a press conference, Sirsa said during three poll related meetings with the BJP, his party was asked to reconsider its stand on CAA. "During our meeting with the BJP, we were asked to reconsider our stand on CAA but we declined to do so. Shiromani Akali Dal is of the firm stand that Muslims cannot be left out of CAA, he said. LONG BEACH, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosenbaum Famularo, P.C., AmazonSellersLawyer.com, is pleased to announce the release of its updated book: Amazon Sellers' Guide: Suspensions and Reinstatements. The book's release is part of the ongoing 7 Figure Summit for Amazon Sellers presented by Gary Huang. Amazon Sellers' Guide: Suspensions and Reinstatements details how people and companies who sell on Amazon can address the innumerable issues that arise in their businesses when Amazon freezes the Seller's account or stops Sellers from providing specific products. CJ Rosenbaum, Esq., a founding partner of the firm, states that "the information in Amazon Sellers' Guide: Suspensions and Reinstatements comes from helping thousands of Amazon Sellers all over the world and recouping tens of thousands of Amazon product listings. Our guide provides Amazon Sellers with arguments and methods that work." Amazon Sellers' Guide: Suspensions and Reinstatements reflects the methodologies the firm uses to successfully appeal a myriad of Amazon Seller account issues. When Amazon suspends an Amazon Seller's account, Amazon often withholds the Amazon Seller's money and the Seller's inventory without any notice. Amazon Sellers' Guide: Suspensions and Reinstatements guides suspended Amazon Sellers to obtain reinstatements on their own. Anthony Famularo, Esq., a founding partner of the firm, stated that "Amazon Sellers' Guide: Suspensions and Reinstatements teaches Amazon Sellers how to work within Amazon's system to get their listings or account back online after a suspension and how to avoid future issues with Amazon." Rosenbaum Famularo, P.C., is a law firm based in Long Beach, New York that helps people and companies that sell products on Amazon.com and other Amazon websites around the world. The firm has staff in New York, and Shenzhen, China and Yiwu, China. CJ Rosenbaum Rosenbaum Famularo, P.C. [email protected] 212-256-1109 SOURCE Rosenbaum Famularo, P.C. Related Links https://www.amazonsellerslawyer.com I've been a huge fan of Elizabeth Warren since I saw her yelling at a cop during the 2012 Boston Pride Parade. I generally think that her past history as a Republican should actually be a selling point, as it demonstrates her capacity to examine the available evidence and change her mind. But one place where Bernie still stands out in front is his willingness to extend voting rights to people who are incarcerated. I'm not surprised that Warren is hesitant to go all the way in allowing people to vote while still incarcerated after all, unexamined biases against incarcerated people are extremely common but I am disappointed. The more I thought about it, however, I began to consider how strange it is that felon voting rights (during or after incarceration) tend to be such a partisan issue. As a progressive, I've come around to understand why it matters, as all human rights matter, particularly in an unjust legal system. As much as I hate it, I can at least understand the true authoritarian racist argument in favor of retaining free labor through a loophole-by-design of the 13th Amendment. But when I think about the conservatives I know, and the philosophies they claim to adhere to, that's where the contradictions arise. For example, let's ignore the contrived veneer respectability that shines on every deceptive video from PragerU, and take their argumentative claims at face value and in good faith. PragerU pumps out plenty of content defending the Electoral College by rationalizing it around a fear of mob rule, or the "tyranny of the majority." From the perspective of the PragerU Thought Community, the Founding Fathers were very concerned that 500,000 people in Wyoming would be unjustly overruled by the 40 million in California. In order to prevent this potential future tragedy, it thus makes sense to amplify the senatorial powers of the people of Wyoming by 800 percent to make them truly equal to Californians. This perspective prioritizes the representational part of a "Democratic-Republic," and downplays the part about democracy (which is particular ironic, given the lip service paid by the American Imperialist Military Machine to "spreading democracy" across the globe. But I digress.) So, the threat of mob rule is overwhelming. Now let's imagine a completely hypothetical scenario in which a tyrannical majority enacts laws that deliberately target minorities in this case, let's say white Evangelical Christian men. Now they're all in prison. But if they still retained their voting rights, they would at least have some chance to turn that wicked weapon of democracy around, and use it to fight back against the tyranny of the majority mob. This essentially weaponizes the concept of "democracy" as a form of mutual deterrence. Although it certainly could lead to mob rule, it also ensures a path to defeating that mob rule while still playing within the same set of rules. The glaring flaw in this little thought experiment, of course, is the assumption that groups like PragerU are acting in good faith, and aren't just using realpolitik to enshrine their wealth and power like any other tyrant would. Unfortunately, the only way to change their minds would be to convince them that people who are or have been incarcerated are not some alien race of "criminals," but rather, actual human beings who are inherently deserving of the same rights and opportunities and liberties as everybody else. And that's not an easy task. In Advisory Opinion, Florida Supreme Court Says State Can Require Ex-Felons To Pay Fines Before Having Their Voting Rights Restored [Zuri Davis / Reason] FINE Gael candidate and Minister of State, Patrick ODonovan has hit out at the thuggery that has resulted in the taking down and disappearance of up to 200 of his election posters. And he has slammed the theft of the posters as a crime and an affront to democracy. I have made a formal complaint to the gardai, Minister ODonovan told the Limerick Leader this Wednesday. He estimated that between 150 and 200 posters have to date been reported missing to his office, and from all around the county. We are in a situation where lads putting up the posters are ringing us the next day saying they are gone, he explained. His posters had also been targeted in the last two elections, he said. The last time I let it go over my head. This time it is awful blackguarding altogether, he said. For some reason I have been targeted. It is real gutter-type politics. I do believe it is an organised campaign to target me. That is what I have said to the gardai, Minister ODonovan continued. It is not youngsters taking them down and hanging them in a shed. This is a politically orchestrated campaign to attack me. This is a democracy, he said. Everybody is entitled to get their name out there. And he described the actions of the poster-raiders as not only criminal but anti-democratic. Minister ODonovan has appealed both to members of the public and to other candidates to come forward with any information they may have about who is behind stealing the posters. And he has asked them to either contact the gardai or to ring his office. There is a huge voluntary effort in putting them up and lads are doing it after work, he pointed out. There is also a fair cost in getting them back up again. Read also: Fianna Fail selects new candidate to run in County Limerick hours after Ryan withdraws To avoid unnecessary waste, Minister ODonovan explained he has kept posters going back to his very first election as a councillor in 2004 and he has been reusing them. It is almost like Dorian Grey in the picture, never changing, he laughed. It also explains why not all of his posters mention his running mate, Deputy Tom Neville. But the poster-theft is clearly not a laughing matter for the minister. It is distressing now, what is going on, he said. It is thuggery. I am hoping somebody will come forward with information and hopefully be able to prosecute. I am very serious about this. This type of thing needs to be stamped out. However, he added, despite the postering disaster, he is getting a very warm reception at the doorsteps. Author Steve LaTulippe offers a path to church unity, without compromise of Scripture, by clearly defining the causes and effects of division, and by offering solid biblical solutions for Christian union. Steve LaTulippes book Unity Without Compromise: A Biblical Basis for Christian Union ($15.99, paperback, 9781630501464; $25.99, hardcover, 9781630501471; $7.99, e-book, 9781630501488) is available for purchase. Unity Without Compromise is for all Christians who yearn for Biblical truth apart from denominational biases, manmade traditions, and popular but erroneous Christian doctrine. It is for the sincere, genuine student of God's Word. Nearing His death, Jesus prayed to the Father that all of His followers may be one, just as He and the Father are one. His bride, the church, is now scattered into hundreds of denominational fragments, rendering this divided house weak and unable to withstand the present assault of the evil one. A unified victory over the prevailing lawlessness and perversion of God is impossible unless we ourselves are willing to humbly confront our own scriptural errors and conflicting traditions that we cherish over sound doctrine. Author Steve LaTulippe offers a path to church unity, without compromise of Scripture, by clearly defining the causes and effects of division, and by offering solid biblical solutions for Christian union. Steven A. LaTulippe, MD, is a practicing family physician, a retired United States Air Force officer and aviator, and an ordained minister. He attended Boise Bible College and Cincinnati Bible Seminary and has always focused on sound interpretation. His yearning to bring Christians together as a force for good in the world arises from visiting many churches across the nation and globe, always seeing the unlimited potential of those who faithfully work to serve our mighty Lord, Jesus Christ. Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 12,000 titles published to date. Unity Without Compromise: A Biblical Basis for Christian Union is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. [January 23, 2020] Wolf & Badger Delivers Robust Financial Results for 2019 NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A consistent rise in overall global sales and strong performance from its flagship stores in New York City and London secured Wolf & Badger another year of growing full-year revenues and record sales figures in 2019. With 9 million visitors to the online retail platform last year, the innovative multi-channel retailer achieved an increase in internet sales of 59% compared to 2018, generating $13.5 million in online sales compared to $8.6 million the previous year. The business expects to report overall revenue growth of 80% thanks to the success of its recently launched Kings Cross flagship in London and increased sales through its newly refurbished New York City, SoHo location. Further to additional funding introduced during 2019, the retailer expects to more than double revenue in 2020 as it continues to reach more independent, ethical brands and more customers in the US as well as continuing to build on its UK base. Along with its thriving 12,000 sq ft London store at Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, the company extended its existing focus in the US with brand new additions to the three-level Ne York flagship at 95 Grand Street in Soho, unveiled in November, which resulted in like-for-like store sales increasing by 37% during the year. Fulfilling its mission to provide a platform for independent designers to thrive, Wolf & Badger offers a curated selection of the world's best independent brands, with a focus on individual and sustainable products from ethical brands. 2020 marks the retailer's 10th anniversary as the innovative multi-channel retailer continues to gain market share and expand its reach in core markets, now introducing more than 1000 unique and independent brands to customers worldwide. About Wolf & Badger Wolf & Badger is a global multi-channel retailer founded in 2010 by the Graham brothers George Graham, CEO and Henry Graham, Creative Director. Through its innovative multi-channel business model, it connects customers internationally with over 1000 brands across fashion, accessories, homeware and beauty verticals. The business has an exclusive focus on ethical, unique and independent brands. It operates stores in New York and London, as well as its award-winning online retail destination: www.wolfandbadger.com Wolf & Badger 95 Grand Street, New York, New York 10013 Press contact: Samantha Emson: [email protected], +1 (646) 934-6601 IG: @wolfandbadger Facebook: facebook.com/wolfandbadger Twitter: @wolfandbadger View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wolf--badger-delivers-robust-financial-results-for-2019-300991647.html SOURCE Wolf & Badger [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Doctors in the UK have been told to lock patients in a room and leave straight away if they suspect they have the deadly Chinese coronavirus. The extraordinary guidance was issued by Public Health England amid fears the contagious illness has already made its way into Britain. Five Chinese patients with coronavirus-like symptoms are being treated in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but none are confirmed to be the vicious disease. The PHE guidance, which was issued to GP practice doctors this week, reads: 'If [the Wuhan coronavirus] is considered possible when a consultation is already in progress, withdraw from the room, close the door and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Doctors in the UK have been told to lock patients in a room and leave straight away if they suspect they have the deadly Chinese coronavirus. Pictured: Medics at the Central Hospital of Wuhan attend to a patient with coronavirus. It is unclear when this picture was taken Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realise they have the infection but it can quickly turn deadly So far coronavirus has killed 18 people and infected hundreds in 10 countries - but experts predict the true number of cases could be in the thousands 'Avoid physical examination of a suspected case. The patient should remain in the room with the door closed. Belongings and waste should remain in the room. 'Advise others not to enter the room. If a clinical history still needs to be obtained or completed, do this by telephone. 'The patient should not be allowed to use communal toilet facilities 'Instruct them to not touch anything or anyone when walking to the toilet. Instruct the patient to wash their hands thoroughly after toileting.' Health bosses around the globe are on high alert because the virus is far more contagious than previously thought and can spread via a simple cough or sneeze. It has been ravaging its way through Asia over the last week, infecting more than 600 people and killing 18 in 10 different countries. Three passengers a man and two children arrive at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3 this afternoon after flying from China A picture captured today shows healthcare workers fitted with face masks helping a mother and child in Hong Kong Coronavirus: What we know so far What is this virus? The virus has been identified as a new type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of pathogens, most of which cause mild respiratory infections such as the common cold. But coronaviruses can also be deadly. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by a coronavirus and killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. Can it kill? Yes. Seventeen people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. People carrying the novel coronavirus may only have mild symptoms, such as a sore throat. They may assume they have a common cold and not seek medical attention, experts fear. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China to the rest of the world to enable other countries to quickly diagnose potential new cases. This helps other countries respond quickly to disease outbreaks. To contain the virus, airports are detecting infected people with temperature checks. But as with every virus, it has an incubation period, meaning detection is not always possible because symptoms have not appeared yet. How did it start and spread? The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Cases have since been identified elsewhere which could have been spread through human-to-human transmission. What are countries doing to prevent the spread? Countries in Asia have stepped up airport surveillance. They include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Australia and the US are also screening patients for a high temperature, and the UK announced it will screen passengers returning from Wuhan. Is it similar to anything we've ever seen before? Experts have compared it to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The epidemic started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere Advertisement But experts predict the true number of cases could be in the thousands and it may kill as many as two in 100. Health authorities and university experts say it is likely cases will appear in Europe and the UK. No cases have been confirmed in the UK yet, but the Government last night screened patients arriving at Heathrow from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, Wuhan. At least 15 medical workers in Wuhan have become infected while treating patients with the virus. If the patient is critically ill, they should be put into an ambulance, PHE said. But otherwise, a hospital should be phoned ahead and warned and the patient must be told to get there without using public transport or a taxi. It's believed that the source of the virus were the live animals traded in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, the largest of its kind in the city of Wuhan. The Chinese authorities have urged its people not to travel in and out of Wuhan for the upcoming Lunar New Year, and strengthened the health screening in transport hubs across the nation. And the government of Wuhan has ordered all residents to wear face masks in public places. A third city in China went into lockdown today while officials battle to curb the epidemic. Major Chinese New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains as well, following the example of Wuhan, the locked-down city at the centre of the outbreak. Three more countries have today announced they have recorded cases of the infection Singapore, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. In Singapore, a 66-year-old man who had flown from Wuhan with his family on Monday is recovering in hospital. A 37-year-old companion is also in hospital under observation but has not been diagnosed. In Vietnam, a Chinese father a son are in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after flying there from Wuhan and becoming ill. They are in 'good condition', according to Vietnamese authorities. And India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, confirmed on Twitter that an Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia has been diagnosed with the infection and is 'recovering well' in hospital. This means the illness has now spread to 10 countries, including the US, and European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent where the UK and other nations are already on high alert. It was revealed today that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. The World Health Organisation is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. Tripadvisor Reorganization Brings Exec Departures and New Life for Viator Fresh off the news announcing 200 layoffs around the world, Tripadvisor informed employees on Thursday about a wide-ranging reorganization. The company will reverse its long-standing playbook and emphasize Viator as a separate tours and activities brand. In an employee letter obtained by Skift from a source close to the company, and sent after market close Thursday afternoon, Tripadvisor co-founder and CEO Steve Kaufer announced that Viator and Tripadvisor Experiences, which is found under the Things to do tab on the companys homepage, will operate as independent brands and with separate product, engineering, and marketing teams. (See the letter embedded below.) As part of that change, Dermot Halpin, who headed Attractions and was mentioned by Skift as a potential candidate to become Expedia Group CEO, will transition out of Tripadvisor, serving as an advisor through the end of the first quarter. Kaufer will head Tripadvisor Experiences for the next 90 days on an interim basis. Ben Drew, who was vice president of business development and strategy for Tripadvisor Rentals and Attractions, will become president of Viator and a member of the Tripadvisor executive leadership team. Although Tripadvisors Experiences and Dining business segment saw profits fall 46 percent to $15 million in the third quarter, Kaufer said that Viator; Tripadvisor Experiences; The Fork (dining reservations); and Tripadvisor Restaurants, Media Advertising, as well as Hotel B2B Solutions are all growing revenue lines that each exceed $100 million. The global tours and activities sector has entered an era of heightened competition with GetYourGuide and Klook receiving heavy venture capital funding, Airbnb entering the sector, and Booking.com building out its own experiences product aggressively. Tripadvisor had been the undisputed leader, but competitors, some with SoftBank money in the bank, have closed the gap. Story continues While Tripadvisor, which acquired Viator for $200 million in 2014, managed to build the globes largest supply of tours and activities, Viator and Tripadvisor Experiences have fallen short in terms of booking growth and user experience. TripAdvisors playbook, when it bought brands such as Flipkey for vacation rentals in 2008 and Viator for experiences in 2014, has traditionally been to downplay the acquired brands and to emphasize the TripAdvisor name instead. But the company recently has seen success operating its mostly European dining reservations platform, Lafourchette (The Fork), semi-independently, as well as Cruise Critic. It feels it can make strides with Viator in a somewhat similar manner. Although Tripadvisor plans to trim its TV advertising spend, you can expect it will increase its brand marketing for Viator in 2020, albeit on platforms that might have larger traction with the next wave of travelers. New Leadership in Asia-Pacific In other leadership changes, Gary Fritz, who led Tripadvisors Asia-Pacific business and was a member of the executive leadership team, will leave Tripadvisor in the second quarter and help us get our China joint venture (with Trip.com) off to a successful start, Kaufer said. Kaufer described the companys Asia-Pacific efforts until now as having had limited funding. Under the reorganization, Lindsay Nelson, president of Tripadvisor Core Experience, becomes chief experience and brand officer with expanded responsibilities. Nelson will take over lead responsibility in Asia-Pacific, and Jane Lim, who heads operations in the region, will report to Nelson. Nelson will also head brand marketing, loyalty, and new ventures. She will be charged with growing advertising and media sales beyond travel in areas such as automotive and financial services, for example. Kanika Soni, who heads accommodations, including hotel business-to-business initiatives at Tripadvisor, will continue to be the lead in that area but will also take on new portfolios as Tripadvisors chief commercial officer. Soni will lead product, search engine optimization, and performance marketing for Tripadvisor Rentals, Experiences, and Restaurants. New Organizational Structure and Strategy Among the changes, Tripadvisor is moving away from the corporate structure where each business unit Hotels/Accommodations; Core Experience; Flights, Car, Cruise; Asia-Pacific; Experiences; and Restaurants had a president. The company, which believes it is making good on vows of $60 million to $80 million in run-rate reductions because of the reorganization, seemingly believes from the changes that the previous organizational setup lacked efficiencies as each business unit was vying for resources to improve its own profit and loss statement. Tripadvisors new strategy is to focus on the product and booking experience across sectors such as experiences, restaurants, and accommodations; transform the TripAdvisor brand to make it more relevant for millennial and Gen Z travelers; continue to invest in business to business products for hotels and restaurants; speed the growth in the companys non-travel advertising business, and build Viator as a separate brand. Layoffs TripAdvisor was informing employees about the layoffs as of Thursday afternoon except those in Australia and the United Kingdom, where labor laws require a more formal procedure about the potential impact of the cuts. The 200 layoffs, which amount to about 5 percent of the employee roster, are believed to have taken a particular toll on the tours and activities supply team, among other areas of the company. As we shared at the last company meeting, weve made the difficult decision to say goodbye to a number of our colleagues as we look to reduce our overall cost structure and ready the company for sustainable future growth, Kaufer wrote. Tripadvisor plans to conduct another employee meeting next week to share more details about our plans to return the company to long-term, sustained growth, Kaufer said. Tripadvisor shares traded up 30 cents on Thursday to $30.56. Download (PDF, 50KB) Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. Getty Lawyers for the woman accused of procuring underage girls to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein told a judge that hackers breached her computer after a court failed to redact her email address in filings it released last year. Ghislaine Maxwells lawyer Ty Gee said in a December letter to Judge Loretta A Preska that, despite the Second Circuits best efforts, it made serious mistakes when redacting thousands of pages of records associated with a defamation lawsuit filed by one of Epsteins accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Ms Giuffres 2015 lawsuit argued that Ms Maxwell publicly called her a liar for claiming that the British socialite approached her at the age of 15 and encouraged her to sleep with the convicted sex offender. Lawyers for Ms Giuffre and Ms Maxwell were engaged in a years-long fight to unseal a trove of papers related to the case, with Ms Maxwell arguing the records should remain secret, until a court deemed the previous sealing was unjustified. In releasing the papers, the court redacted Ms Maxwells email address (which linked to her own domain name) in one location but not another, Mr Gees letter read, adding: Shortly afterward hackers breached the host computer. The letter also addressed other apparent issues with the courts release of the case filings. For example, it redacted a non-party's name in one location but not another, the letter continued, so the media immediately gained access to that name. The letter, which was made public earlier this week, did not state who may have been responsible for hacking Ms Maxwells computer. It did, however, argue that currently sealed records should remain secret and out of the public eye, citing privacy concerns and claiming those pages may contain untrustworthy, unreliable and incorrect information. Ms Maxwell has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing after the court filings said she was involved in procuring underage women to have sex with Epstein, even going so far as training the young girls who said they were sexually abused by Epstein. Story continues Ms Giuffre said she was trafficked by Epstein and his associates, and claimed she was made to have sex with his high-profile associates, including Prince Andrew. This is not some sordid sex story. This is a story of being trafficked. This is a story of abuse and this is a story of your guys royalty, Ms Giuffre told BBC Panorama. Previously reported emails showed Prince Andrew emailing Ms Maxwell in 2015: Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts. Have some info, she reportedly responded, adding: Call me when you have a moment. Prince Andrew also denies having any involvement in Epsteins sexual abuse and said he does not remember meeting Ms Giuffre, despite a photo showing him and Ms Maxwell with her when she was underage. Epstein died of an apparent suicide in federal prison last year. The FBI has since launched an investigation into his death. Read more Ghislaine Maxwell: Missing woman who may hold key to Epstein crimes New Epstein lawsuit alleges financier trafficked girls as young as 11 Jeffrey Epstein suicide attempt video has been 'accidentally deleted' FBI investigating Ghislaine Maxwell over links to Jeffrey Epstein Chilling audio has emerged of the moment ground crews watched a water bomber battling bushfires crash into the ground, killing three American firefighters. The C-130 Hercules exploded on impact near Peak View, northeast of Cooma, New South Wales after losing contact with the ground about 1.30pm on Thursday. The explosion was described as a 'ball of flames' in a distress call made to Rural Fire Service command centres just moments after the horror crash. There was no contact with the crew prior to the crash. Three American firefighters died when their water bomber crashed while fighting a huge bushfire near the Snowy Mountains (pictured: A C-130 Hercules plane dropping fire retardent to protect a property in Penrose, NSW on January 10) 'Fire comms message red speak to your captain. Message this is red. Crashed,' the call began. The RFS command responded: 'Yeah fire comms... It's just a ball of flames... over.' The Coulson Aviation plane called Zeus had been helping battle a 250,000ha megablaze that formed when at least four different fires joined together. Rescue crews rushed to the area on Thursday afternoon but found no survivors among the wreckage. The bodies have not yet been recovered. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there was no indication as to what caused the crash. 'Tragically, there appears to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area,' he said. '[The aircraft] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground.' The firefighters were on a plane chartered by American firefighting company Coulson Aviation that was in Australia to help tackle the bushfire crisis. People are seen embracing after the plane crash in Cooma on Thursday Coulson grounded its large air tankers after the crash, both as a standard precaution and a sign of respect for the casualties. It took several hours before the wreckage was found. Commissioner Fitzsimmons said the three victims were experienced firefighters who routinely crewed the C-130 for waterbombing missions. 'It is a confronting and sobering reminder of the inherent risks associated with firefighting and we've seen all too often this season,' he said. 'Our hearts are with all those that are suffering what is the loss of three remarkable, well respected crew that have invested so many decades of their life into firefighting.' U.S. firefighters received a heroes' welcome when they arrived at Sydney Airport two weeks ago, with other passengers cheering and clapping. About 100 firefighters were dispatched to support 159 already in Australia under a longstanding agreement between the two countries. 'I am deeply saddened by the tragic news we received today,' U.S. Ambassador Arthur Culvahouse said. 'The brave Americans who died near Snowy Monaro died helping Australia in its time of need. 'The families and friends of those who we have lost are in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you Australia for your sympathy and solidarity.' Commissioner Fitzsimmons said the three victims were experienced firefighters who routinely crewed the C-130 for waterbombing missions 2019/2020 FIRE SEASON DEATH TOLL The national death toll of Australia's 2019/2020 bushfire season was 33 as of Monday, March 2, with 25 confirmed deaths in New South Wales, three in South Australia and five in Victoria. OCTOBER New South Wales: Robert Lindsey, 77, and Gwen Hyde, 68, were found in their burned out Coongbar home near Casino on October 9th. NOVEMBER New South Wales: The body of 85-year-old George Nole was found in a burnt out car near his home in Wytaliba, near Glen Innes. Vivian Chaplain, a 69-year-old woman from Wytaliba, succumbed to her injuries in hospital after attempting in vain to save her home and animals from the blaze. The body of 63-year-old Julie Fletcher was pulled from a scorched building in Johns River, north of Taree. Barry Parsons, 58, was found in a shed at Willawarrin, near Kempsey. Chris Savva, 64, died after his 4WD overturned near burnt-out South Arm bridge, near Nambucca Heads. A 59-year-old man was founded sheltered in a Yarrowitch water tank on November 7. He died of injuries on December 29. Victoria: David Moresi, 69, died after being involved in a traffic incident while working at the at the Gelantipy fire in East Gippsland on November 30. DECEMBER New South Wales: Firefighters Andrew O'Dwyer, 36, and Geoffrey Keaton, 32, died on December 19 after a tree fell on their truck while they were travelling through Buxton, south of Sydney. Samuel McPaul, 28, was battling a blaze in Jingellic, in Green Valley, about 70km east of Albury on the border of NSW and Victoria, on December 30 when a 'fire tornado' caused his 10-tonne firetruck to roll. South Australia: The body of 69-year-old Ron Selth was found in his Charleston home, which was destroyed by the Cudlee Creek blaze on December 21. NEW YEAR'S EVE FIRES New South Wales: Dairy farmer Patrick Salway, 29, and his father Robert, 63, died trying to save their property in Cobargo, near Bega, on December 31. A 70-year-old man, named by local media as Laurie Andrew, was found dead outside a home at Yatte Yattah, west of Lake Conjola. The body of a 70-year-old man was found in a burnt vehicle on a road off the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah on the morning of New Year's Day. The body of a 62-year-old man was found in a vehicle on Wandra Road at Sussex Inlet about 11.30am on New Year's Day. A body, believed to be a 56-year-old man, found outside a home at Coolagolite, east of Cobargo on New Year's Day. An off-duty RFS firefighter, believed to be 72-year-old Colin Burns, was found near a car in Belowra after the New Year's Eve fires swept through. Victoria: Beloved great-grandfather Mick Roberts, 67, from Buchan, in East Gippsland, was found dead at his home on the morning of New Year's Day. Fred Becker, 75, was the second person to die in Victoria. He suffered a heart attack while trying to defend his Maramingo Creek home. JANUARY New South Wales: David Harrison, a 47-year-old man from Canberra, suffered a heart attack defending his friend's home near Batlow on Saturday, January 4. A 71-year-old man was found on January 6. Police have been told the man was last sighted on December 31, 2019 and was moving equipment on his property in Nerrigundah. An 84-year-old man who stayed to defend his home in Cobargo, NSW, dies in hospital three weeks after fire hit. His pet dog Bella, who stayed by his side as fires raged, was also killed in the disaster. Three American firefighters are killed when Coulson Aviation C-130 Hercules water bomber Zeus crashed while fighting fires near Cooma on Thursday January 23. They have been named as Capt. Ian H. McBeth, 44, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr, 43. On January 24, Michael Clark, 59, was found in a Bodalla home destroyed by bushfires near the NSW South Coast town of Moruya. Victoria: Forest Fire Management firefighter Mat Kavanagh, 43, was killed Friday January 3 when he was involved in a two-car crash on the Goulburn Valley Highway. Bill Slade, a 60-year-old father of two from Wonthaggi was fighting fires with Parks Victoria at Omeo when he died on January 11. He has been remembered as one of the longest serving, most experienced and fittest firefighters. South Australia: Well-known outback pilot Dick Lang, 78, and his 43-year-old son, Adelaide surgeon Clayton Lang, died in the Kangaroo Island bushfire after their car was trapped by flames. Advertisement The crash caused a fire that crews are still trying to put out before the cause of the crash, which is unknown, can be investigated. Commissioner Fitzsimmons said investigators were looking at all possibilities including trying to rule out a fuel problem that could affect the whole fleet. 'There is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident,' he said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian offered her condolences to the families of the victims in the wake of the accident. 'Our thoughts are not just with family and loved ones but for anyone who feels impacted by what has unfolded this afternoon,' she said. Devastated RFS staff embrace at Numeralla Rural Fire Brigade near the scene of the crash 'We can't thank enough people who continue, not withstanding the conditions, to put their safety at risk to protect lives and property of others.' 'It demonstrates the dangerous work currently being undertaken and the conditions that our firefighters are working under.' The RFS said the area remains an active fire ground and a number of firefighting crews are currently working to contain and work around the fire. The blaze the downed C-130 was battling is a massive 240,000ha inferno where multiple bushfires joined together. The dangerous out-of-control fire stretching from near Bega in the south to Jinden in the north with emergency warnings issued for more than a dozen towns. Areas where it was too late to leave included Bumbo, Eurobodalla, Bodalla, Wallaga Lake, Akolele, Bermagui, Coolagolite, and everything between Moruya and Tuross Head. Residents in Tilba and Mystery Bay, Dignams Creek, and West Narooma were urged to flee immediately. This fire could even join with another dangerous 98,000ha fire to its north that has encircled the coastal town of Batemans Bay. Residents in Moruya, West Moruya, Mogendoura and Wamban were warned they were at serious risk and needed to protect themselves from the intense blaze. It was also too late to leave areas from Moruya to Tuross Head, and Bumbo, Bodalla and Eurobodalla. Australian army personnel and Ambulance gather at the scene of the crash in Cooma Ronan Farrow has released an audio tape of Harvey Weinstein telling an actress she would miss out on 'big opportunities' if she did not trust him and another recording of a different woman describing how the movie mogul allegedly raped her in the midst of his New York sex crimes trial. The first tape is of Amber Guttierez and was secretly recorded as part of a failed sting operation orchestrated by the NYPD to try to catch Weinstein in 2015. Other tapes have emerged in the past but in the clip played by Farrow in his podcast, Catch and Kill, the 67-year-old Weinstein is heard directly offering Guttierez advice and movie opportunities in exchange for 'fun'. 'If you want to spend time with me I will mentor you, I will teach you or whatever but you have to, you know, relax with me, have fun, enjoy,' he said. Scroll down for video The audio tape is of Weinstein (left at court on Wednesday) telling actress Ambra Guttierez that she will lose 'big opportunities' if she does not trust him Todays #CatchAndKill Podcast looks at Harvey Weinsteins pattern of dangling career opportunities that quickly turned into trapsand lets you hear him doing it through astonishing new tape from a police sting operation. Subscribe here: https://t.co/649mmaiRam pic.twitter.com/vv1lNtRBgb Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) January 21, 2020 She then asked him 'what things' he would like to do to relax. 'Nothing, just relaxing things. Massages, something fun,' he said. In another tape released by Farrow, Lucia Evans sobbed as he described 'giving in' to Weinstein and letting him allegedly rape her in his office in 2004 The actress replied to him: 'No, I'm shy.' Weinstein kept talking, saying: 'But a massage, something nice.' He then became more serious, saying: 'If you do not trust me, then we have no reason to do anything and you will lose big opportunities.' Farrow also played a clip of Lucia Evans, one of the woman whose report to police about Weinstein triggered his trial, where she relived her alleged assault. Weinstein was charged over the incident with Evans but it was dismissed when his attorneys pointed out flaws in the NYPD investigation into it. He nevertheless stands trial over two other incidents involving two other women. The clip of Lucia was made by Farrow when she called him for the first time to report what had happened to her. 'It was before Farrow's story in The New Yorker and another piece by two female New York Times reporters blew the lid on his alleged reign of abuse across Hollywood. 'I just gave up and said, "I'm just going to do this because apparently this is what I have to do. And that's the most horrible part of this and that's why he's been able to do this for so long. In the phone call, Lucia cried as she recalled 'giving up' and allowing Weinstein to allegedly overpower her in his Miramax office in Tribeca in 2004. She had gone to speak to him about her career when, she says, he forced himself on her. 'I tried to struggle away but he's a big guy, you know? 'So he overpowered me but I don't know if I, along the process,I think I just sort of gave up. On this weeks #CatchAndKill Pod, Lucia Evans offers a public service, letting me air our first call, where she breaks down describing her assault. It reveals a lot about the stakes of abuses of power. (Also upsettingtake care while listening.) Subscribe: https://t.co/649mmaiRam pic.twitter.com/2ar04Crqbk Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) January 22, 2020 Guttierez with Farrow recording his podcast Catch and Kill. It is also the name of his book 'Right? Like that's where I feel like... if he 1000 percent forced me and I was like screaming and like fighting him to the death I would feel like a little more proud of this whole situation but I think 'I just gave up and said, "I'm just going to do this because apparently this is what I have to do. 'And that's the most horrible part of this and that's why he's been able to do this for so long. 'Cause so many women just give up and then they feel like it's their fault, you know? 'If it had been always clear cut thing I feel like a lot of people would be coming forward earlier but it's never clear cut. 'Power is a very real thing and intimidation is very real and that's what did,' she cried. Weinstein will return to court in Manhattan on Thursday. He faces life in prison if convicted on the five counts of sexual assault he is charged with. On Thursday, actress Annabella Sciorra is expected to testify about an incident in the 1990s when he allegedly attacked her. It is not one of the incidents Weinstein is being charged over but prosecutors have been allowed to call her to support their case. Weinstein has always denied any wrongdoing. He says any and all sex he had with actresses and models was consensual. TRAFFIC mayhem can be expected in the coming weeks and months on the N21 and on the N69 as work begins on a new sewer pipe in Adare and traffic calming measures are installed in Kilcornan. Work has begun on the traffic calming in Kilcornan and will last to the end of June while the Adare project is expected to begin next Monday and to last 12 weeks. There is a lot of concern about the length of time the project is going to take, Cllr Bridie Collins said at a meeting of Adare Rathkeale councillors last week. The later the start, the later the finish, she said. But she said this Wednesday she was comforted by the fact that the contractors and Irish Water are very aware of the traffic situation in Adare and that the job would last 12 weeks and not the 16 weeks originally mentioned. An information meeting took place in Adare this Tuesday night where it was explained, a stop-go system would operate in the village. Eastbound traffic would be diverted at Rathkeale and sent on to Askeaton and to the N69. Westbound traffic would be diverted along the N20 to Rourkes Cross. The new sewer pipe is being laid from the Village Hall out as far as the new car park on the Rathkeale Road. It is a very deep sewer pipe on a very busy road with a lot of rock, Aidan Finn, executive engineer for Adare Rathkeale Municipal District told councillors last week, explaining why the Adare project will take so long - it is a difficult project but it is necessary. If the two roads (the N21 and the N69) are restricted it is going to be absolute mayhem, Cllr Stephen Keary warned. Both projects are required and it is the best time of year, Mr Finn responded. It is unfortunate they are conflicting. They were looking at having east-bound and west-bound traffic use different routes, he said. But Cllr Richard ODonoghue was deeply concerned that it would send even more traffic through Anhid Cross on the N20 and along a back road to Chawkes Cross. There are already 2,700 vehicles a day using that short-cut, he explained. It is like a motorway, he said. And he was particularly worried about the condition of the road which was now falling in on both sides as a result. The surface at Chawkes Cross had worn away, he said. It is like glass, he told the meeting. Trucks cant get traction. Buses cant get traction. And it was even worse when the road was wet. He was also deeply concerned about safety at Lees Cross. He had been highlighting these issues for the past six years but nothing had been done. A design to improve safety at Chawkes Cross is being drawn up, Cllr ODonoghue was told. Today we'll take a closer look at KWG Group Holdings Limited (HKG:1813) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. If you are hoping to live on the income from dividends, it's important to be a lot more stringent with your investments than the average punter. In this case, KWG Group Holdings likely looks attractive to investors, given its 5.6% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. That said, the recent jump in the share price will make KWG Group Holdings's dividend yield look smaller, even though the company prospects could be improving. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying KWG Group Holdings for its dividend - read on to learn more. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on KWG Group Holdings! SEHK:1813 Historical Dividend Yield, January 23rd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. KWG Group Holdings paid out 26% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. This is a medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. One of the risks is that management reinvests the retained capital poorly instead of paying a higher dividend. We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. KWG Group Holdings paid out 102% of its free cash last year. Cash flows can be lumpy, but this dividend was not well covered by cash flow. While KWG Group Holdings's dividends were covered by the company's reported profits, free cash flow is somewhat more important, so it's not great to see that the company didn't generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Cash is king, as they say, and were KWG Group Holdings to repeatedly pay dividends that aren't well covered by cashflow, we would consider this a warning sign. Story continues Is KWG Group Holdings's Balance Sheet Risky? As KWG Group Holdings has a meaningful amount of debt, we need to check its balance sheet to see if the company might have debt risks. A rough way to check this is with these two simple ratios: a) net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and b) net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA is a measure of a company's total debt. Net interest cover measures the ability to meet interest payments. Essentially we check that a) the company does not have too much debt, and b) that it can afford to pay the interest. KWG Group Holdings has net debt of 10.61 times its EBITDA, which we think carries substantial risk if earnings aren't sustainable. Net interest cover can be calculated by dividing earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by the company's net interest expense. Interest cover of 3.29 times its interest expense is starting to become a concern for KWG Group Holdings, and be aware that lenders may place additional restrictions on the company as well. Low interest cover and high debt can create problems right when the investor least needs them, and we're reluctant to rely on the dividend of companies with these traits. Consider getting our latest analysis on KWG Group Holdings's financial position here. Dividend Volatility Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of KWG Group Holdings's dividend payments. The dividend has been cut on at least one occasion historically. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was CN0.03 in 2010, compared to CN0.56 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 34% per year over this time. The growth in dividends has not been linear, but the CAGR is a decent approximation of the rate of change over this time frame. KWG Group Holdings has grown distributions at a rapid rate despite cutting the dividend at least once in the past. Companies that cut once often cut again, but it might be worth considering if the business has turned a corner. Dividend Growth Potential With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share (EPS) are growing - it's not worth taking the risk on a dividend getting cut, unless you might be rewarded with larger dividends in future. It's good to see KWG Group Holdings has been growing its earnings per share at 21% a year over the past five years. With high earnings per share growth in recent times and a modest payout ratio, we think this is an attractive combination if earnings can be reinvested to generate further growth. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. First, we like KWG Group Holdings's low dividend payout ratio, although we're a bit concerned that it paid out a substantially higher percentage of its free cash flow. We were also glad to see it growing earnings, but it was concerning to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. In sum, we find it hard to get excited about KWG Group Holdings from a dividend perspective. It's not that we think it's a bad business; just that there are other companies that perform better on these criteria. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 18 KWG Group Holdings analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Trump, McConnell Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate resumed in earnest Wednesday with opening arguments. C-SPAN and TV networks relied on the Senate's live feed of the trial filmed with Congress' cameras. Scroll down to follow Insider's live coverage of the historic trial. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial resumed in earnest Wednesday as the two sides begin presenting their opening arguments for and against Trump's removal from office. The House of Representatives impeached Trump last month on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Both charges relate to Trump's efforts to strong-arm the Ukrainian government into pursuing investigations that could be politically beneficial to him while withholding vital military aid and a White House meeting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky desperately sought. Opening arguments kicked off Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. C-SPAN and TV networks are relying on the Senate's live feed of the trial. C-SPAN is airing the trial at cspan.org. You can watch the opening arguments below: Scroll down for Insider's coverage of the historic trial: The lead House impeachment manager, Rep. Adam Schiff, concludes by lauding the public servants who risked their careers by defying Trump's orders and testifying: 'If they can show the courage, so can we.' Jennifer Williams and Alexander Vindman Scott J. Applewhite/AP "They risked everything; their careers," Schiff, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said as he addressed the Senate. "And yes, I know what you're asked to decide may risk yours too. But if they could show the courage, so can we." House impeachment managers detail how Trump's scheme began to unravel as it spilled out into the public Zoe Lofgren Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call House impeachment managers throughout Wednesday outlined the backstory behind Trump's efforts to strong-arm Ukraine. They went over his directives, the actions of his deputies, the concerns voiced by rank-and-file government officials, and Ukraine's alarm when it learned it was being denied military aid. Story continues Reps. Adam Schiff and Zoe Lofgren closed out the first day of opening arguments by continuing to detail how Trump's scheme was finally exposed to Congress and the public. Lofgren discussed how Pentagon officials wrote to the Office of Management and Budget warning that Trump's decision to freeze aid might be illegal. Congress, the public, and the media by the end of August were all beginning to learn more about Trump's efforts to bully Ukraine into caving to his personal demands. On September 3 , a group of Republican and Democratic senators sent a letter to the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, expressing "deep concerns" about Trump's aid freeze. On September 5 , The Washington Post's editorial board expressed concern that Trump was withholding aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani wanted. Giuliani had publicly pressed for them, while Trump had privately urged Zelensky to pursue them during a July 25 phone call. On September 9 , the intelligence community inspector general, Michael Atkinson, alerted Congress of a whistleblower complaint against Trump that centered on the July 25 call with Zelensky. At the time, Congress didn't know the details of the complaint or what it was about. The White House had been aware of an August 12 whistleblower complaint for "weeks" before Congress learned of it. On September 10 , Schiff requested a full, unredacted copy of the complaint. Also on that day, John Bolton resigned as US national security adviser. On September 11 , Trump lifted the hold on military aid to Ukraine. Lofgren said there was "nothing" to justify Trump's change in position, except that "he got caught." On September 24 , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially launched an impeachment inquiry. On September 25 , the White House released a summary of the July 25 Trump-Zelensky phone call and permitted the ODNI to release the whistleblower's complaint to Congress and the public. That same day, Trump reiterated that he wanted Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. On September 26 , the intelligence community released declassified, redacted versions of the whistleblower's complaint and the ICIG's August 26 transmittal of the complaint to the DNI. Over the next several days , Trump continued publicly pressing Ukraine to investigate conspiracy theories about the 2016 election and the Bidens. He also urged China to investigate the Bidens. As recently as last month, Giuliani traveled to Europe to meet with various government officials to try to dig up dirt on the Bidens. When asked about the trip, Giuliani told reporters he was acting in his capacity as Trump's private lawyer. As opening arguments begin to wrap up, the House impeachment manager Adam Schiff highlights why September was a pivotal point in the Trump-Ukraine scandal Senate Chamber Trump impeachment trial U.S. Senate TV/Handout via Reuters On September 1 , Trump was scheduled to head to Warsaw, Poland, to meet with Zelensky. Vice President Mike Pence went in his place. At a briefing before the bilateral meeting with Zelensky, officials agreed that they needed a final decision on the status of Ukraine aid so they could send it out before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. But Pence said he didn't have Trump's greenlight to release the aid. After the meeting, the US ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, pulled Zelensky's aide Andrey Yermak aside and told him the aid would not be released until Ukraine publicly committed to the investigations. Bill Taylor, then the US's interim ambassador to Ukraine, testified that he saw a readout of the Pence-Zelensky meeting, in which Pence refused to commit to releasing military aid. He also found out about Sondland's meeting with Yermak on the matter. Taylor testified that he was "alarmed" to learn the conditioning of military aid on politically motivated investigations. Taylor then texted Sondland to confirm whether the US's position was that security assistance and a Trump-Zelensky White House meeting depended on investigations. Sondland replied, "Call me." During the phone call, Taylor testified, Sondland told him that Trump had conveyed to Sondland that he wanted Zelensky to publicly commit to the investigations. On September 5 , The Washington Post's editorial board reported concerns that Trump was withholding military aid and a White House meeting for Ukraine to force Zelensky to announce investigations into the Bidens and purported Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 election. On September 7 , Sondland told Tim Morrison, then the NSC's top Russia expert, that he had spoken with Trump by phone and that Trump had told him there was no quid pro quo but that Zelensky had to publicly announce investigations in order to get the aid, according to Morrison's testimony. On September 8 , Sondland texted Taylor and Kurt Volker, then the US special envoy to Ukraine, to bring them up to speed. Sondland told Taylor that though there was no quid pro quo, Trump wanted Zelensky to publicly commit to the investigations in a CNN interview before the US released the aid. Sondland said he'd relayed that to Zelensky as well. Taylor wasn't persuaded. He texted Sondland and Volker: "The nightmare is they [Ukraine] give the interview and don't get the security assistance. The Russians love it. (And I quit.)" House prosecutors detail the chain of events after Trump's Ukraine scheme spilled out to the public President Donald Trump exits Air Force One on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., after returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) Associated Press The lead House impeachment manager, Rep. Adam Schiff, went on to lay out, in minute detail, the period in August when executive branch officials desperately tried to persuade Trump to reverse his decision to withhold aid, all while White House and Office of Management and Budget staffers concealed Trump's actions from the public. Afterward, Schiff turned to when Trump's scheme began spilling out into the public domain. It began on August 28, when Politico reported that the Trump administration had frozen military aid without any explanation. "Now that the worst-kept secret was public, Ukrainian officials immediately expressed their concern and alarm to American counterparts," Schiff said. Witnesses testified that in addition to worrying about the status of the aid itself, Ukraine was worried Russia would use the freeze to exploit divisions with the US to further isolate Ukraine from the world stage. Ukrainian officials had become aware of the aid freeze weeks before it became public, but the concern about Russia, Schiff noted, was most likely why they had sought to keep information about the freeze from coming out in the first place. "It's bad enough that the president of the United States put a hold on their aid; it was going to be far worse if it became public, as indeed it did," Schiff said. After the Politico story, Ukrainian officials were worried they were being "singled out and penalized" for some reason. They repeatedly contacted American officials including Bill Taylor, then the US's interim ambassador to Ukraine, and Kurt Volker, the US's special envoy to Ukraine inquiring about the status of the aid and why it was frozen. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also voiced his concerns on the matter to Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union. Sondland replied that Trump wanted a public commitment that Ukraine would pursue the investigations he wanted before releasing the aid. A few days later, Johnson spoke with Trump directly and asked about a quid pro quo. Trump denied it. After a half-hour dinner break, lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff turns the focus to aftermath of the July 25 phone call Rudy Giuliani Alex Wong/Getty Images Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, is a key figure in Trump's pressure campaign. Schiff pointed, in particular, to text messages between Giuliani and Kurt Volker, the US's special envoy to Ukraine, and Gordon Sondland, the US's ambassador to the EU. Those texts show Volker repeatedly turning to Giuliani when Ukrainian officials repeatedly asked for a White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Schiff highlighted how odd it was that Volker contacted Giuliani about the meeting instead of officials at the State Department or other US government agencies. At the time, after the July 25 phone call, "the aid to Ukraine was still on hold, and there was no movement" on nailing down a White House meeting for Zelensky, Schiff added. "This is the president's personal lawyer, who's on a personal mission on behalf of his client, to get these investigations from Ukraine," the California Democrat said. "The president of Ukraine can't get in the door of the Oval Office. They're going to the president's personal lawyer. Does that sound like an official policy to try to fight corruption? Why would you go outside of the normal channel to do that? You wouldn't. You go to your personal attorney when your objective has nothing to do with policy. When your objective is a corrupt one an illicit one." A protester burst into the Senate during opening arguments and reportedly started yelling about Jesus Christ Hakeem Jeffries Reuters As House impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries was in the middle of delivering his remarks in opening arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial, a pro-Trump protester burst in and reportedly began yelling about Jesus Christ. Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial, banged his gavel and asked security to "restore order." Officers then tackled the protester and ousted him from the room and into the hallway. The Washington Post reported that as the police escorted the protester off the Senate floor, he screamed "abortion" and "dismiss the charges against President Trump." The man could also reportedly be heard yelling that Senate minority leader Chuck "Schumer is the devil" and "they support abortion." Jeffries resumed speaking after the protester was thrown out. House impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries highlights how Zelensky 'fully understood' the quid pro quo Trump wanted during their July 25 phone call Zelensky YouTube Jeffries highlighted one portion of the July 25 call summary, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked President Trump for his invitation to visit the US, "specifically Washington, DC." "On the other hand, I also wanted to ensure you that we will be very serious about the case and will work on the investigation," Zelensky added. "As all of you know, here in this distinguished body, quid pro quo is a Latin term," Jeffries said. "It means 'this for that.'" "The statement that I just read shows that President Zelensky fully understood at the time of this July 25 call that if he yielded to President Trump's demand for phony investigations, he would get the White House meeting in the Oval Office that he desperately sought," Jeffries added. "This for that." House impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries on Trump's July 25 phone call to Zelensky: 'Those words will live in infamy' hakeem jeffries Andrew Harnik/AP Jeffries, a New York Democrat, was the only other impeachment manager whose delivery was as smooth as that of Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager and a former prosecutor. Many of Jeffries' remarks during opening arguments seemed to rehash points made earlier by his colleagues. That said, House lawmakers likely accounted for the fact that much of the American public may not have had time to tune in to the proceedings earlier in the day, and Jeffries' aim could have been to recount the key points the impeachment managers wanted to highlight. He zeroed in on President Trump's phone call on July 25 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which he asked Zelensky to "do us a favor, though," and investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, as well as a discredited conspiracy theory suggesting Ukraine interfered in the 2016 US election. Trump made the request right after Zelensky told him Ukraine was ready to purchase more lethal defensive weapons from the US as it fought off Russian aggression on its eastern border. "Those words will live in infamy," Jeffries said of Trump's request to Zelensky on that call. Jeffries also noted how Trump frequently mentioned during the phone call that Zelensky should work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on the investigations. Trump's request that Zelensky work with Giuliani is "evidence of corrupt intent," Jeffries said, given that Giuliani is not an agent of the US government and represents Trump in a purely personal capacity. The New York Democrat highlighted how, after the public learned of the call, the president doubled down on his calls for Ukraine to probe the Bidens. When a reporter asked the president what he was hoping Ukraine would do about the Bidens, Trump said, "Well, I would think that if they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation into the Bidens. It's a very simple answer." House impeachment manager Val Demings makes the strongest case yet to have John Bolton testify John Bolton AP Photo/Alex Brandon Former national security adviser John Bolton loomed large over Wednesday's opening arguments. He was a key witness to several pivotal events that are being scrutinized in the impeachment inquiry. Bolton announced this month that he's prepared to testify to the Senate if subpoenaed, but the upper chamber is so far holding off on deciding whether to call new witnesses. "As a former chief of police, I think it's quite interesting that Ambassador Bolton categorized the corrupt scheme, the pressure campaign, as a 'drug deal,'" Demings said. "I think that Ambassador Bolton was trying to send us a very powerful message, a message that not only would the top lawyer [on the National Security Council] understand, but that every person would understand, every member of the House, every member of the Senate, every member of our great country, every citizen." Bolton "can testify directly ... about this meeting if he appears before this body, as he has indicated that he is prepared to do, if this body is willing to issue a subpoena," Demings added. "We need to hear from Ambassador Bolton, and I know the american people want to hear from Ambassador Bolton as well." Impeachment manager Val Demings drills down on the 'quid pro quo' between Trump and Ukraine Rep. Val Demings Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Demings focused heavily on testimony that Gordon Sondland, the US's ambassador to the European Union, gave in the House impeachment inquiry last year. Throughout the impeachment process, Republican lawmakers and Trump allies have claimed that Trump did nothing wrong because there was "no quid pro quo." But Sondland undercut their claims in his testimony. "I know that members of this committee frequently frame these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a 'quid pro quo'?" Sondland told Congress. "With regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes." Demings also homed in on a White House meeting between Ukrainian officials and White House officials including then national security adviser John Bolton, Sondland, then US Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, and others. Vindman and Fiona Hill, the former senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs on the National Security Council, both testified that during that meeting, Sondland explicitly raised the possibility of a White House meeting for Zelensky in exchange for Ukraine launching the investigations Trump wanted. At that point, officials testified, Bolton stiffened and abruptly cut the meeting short. However, Sondland reconvened the meeting in a separate room in the White House afterward. Hill testified that Bolton sent her to that second meeting to find out what was going on. Once she learned that Sondland had again broached the topic of a quid pro quo, she reported back to Bolton, who told her to immediately inform the NSC's chief lawyer, John Eisenberg, and to let him know that Bolton was not part of "whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney" were "cooking up in Ukraine." House impeachment manager Jason Crow makes the case that Trump's Ukraine aid freeze violated the law U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he holds a news conference at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Reuters Crow began making the case that Trump's decision to withhold Ukraine's military aid after it had been approved by Congress violated the law. He cited a recent decision from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office which found that Trump's actions violated the Impoundment Control Act, a law that limits when a president can defer congressionally approved spending, by substituting "his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law." Crow also cited testimony from Laura Cooper, a Pentagon official, who said that executive agencies and officials at every level of the government conducted a review and found that Ukraine had met the benchmarks necessary to receive the aid. Another Pentagon official, Elaine McCusker, also repeatedly sounded the alarm about the legality of Trump's aid freeze, but she was shot down by officials at the Office of Management and Budget, which is headed by acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Crow said. He added that Congress only learned of the emails between McCusker and OMB officials because they were published by the national-security blog Just Security. In all, Crow laid out a detailed timeline of the OMB's efforts to freeze Ukraine's aid without notifying Congress or the public. All this took place against the backdrop of national security and intelligence officials, including then national security adviser John Bolton, strongly appealing the decision and asking that the aid be released. Crow's outline of Trump's actions and how they may break the law is significant because it pushes back on the defense's claim that there is no evidence that Trump engaged in any illegal activity. The Colorado Democrat also detailed several facts that emerged to witnesses involved in the decision to withhold aid and subsequent efforts to convince Trump to release it. Agencies learned that Trump himself ordered the aid freeze through OMB. There was no justification or explanation given for the hold "despite repeated questions." Other than OMB, all agencies supported military aid because it was in the US's national security interest. There were many concerns that the hold was "outright illegal." As he wrapped up his remarks, Crow said, Trump "ignored" Congress and "betrayed" Ukraine's confidence and other US allies abroad by withholding aid. "He did so because he simply wanted to help his own political campaign." "Our men and women in uniform deserve better," Crow concluded. "Our friends and allies deserve better. The American people deserve better." Impeachment manager Jason Crow: Defending Europe from Russia 'is not a political game' Vladimir Putin Sergei Savostyanov\TASS via Getty Images "We can't separate our own security from the security of our friends and allies," Crow said. "That's why the US has provided economic security and humanitarian assistance in the form of equipment and training." The freshman Democrat also pointed to testimony that Bill Taylor, the US's former interim ambassador to Ukraine, provided in the House impeachment inquiry. In it, Taylor said US aid is a symbol of a "commitment to resist aggression and defend freedom." Crow drew heavily on his military experience as he discussed the importance of providing aid to US allies abroad. "Ukraine aid from the US actually constitutes about 10% of their military budget," he said. "It's safe to say that they can't fight effectively without it. So there is no doubt that US military assistance to Ukraine makes a real difference in the fight against Russia." Rep. Jason Crow, a war veteran, tells the story of a 38-year-old Ukrainian soldier who fought in the trenches against Russia and later died on the day of the Trump-Zelensky phone call Jason Crow Screenshot via C-SPAN Rep. Jason Crow was the fourth impeachment manager to speak on Wednesday. While his colleagues focused on the legality of Trump's actions and the broader national security costs to the US, Crow, a war veteran, cited a Los Angeles Times article about a Ukrainian soldier named Oleksandr Markiv who was on the front lines of the war between Ukraine and Russia on July 25, the day Trump spoke to Zelensky. Oleksandr "was a soldier in the Ukrainian army defending his country and Europe against Russian-backed forces on Ukraine's eastern front. He was in a trench. He was 38 years old," Crow said. "Oleksandr would later die defending his country during a mortar attack on his fighting position, giving his life just like over 13,000 of his fellow Ukrainians on the front lines of the fight for liberty in Europe." Crow went on to say that "while our friends were at war with Russia, wearing sneakers, some without helmets, something else was happening." That day, "President Trump made a phone call. He spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky and asked for a favor. And on that same day, just hours after his call, his administration was quietly placing an illegal hold on critical military aid to support our friends." Crow then pointed to impeachment testimony from Timothy Morrison, then the senior director for Europe and Russia on the National Security Council, where Morrison explained why US support for Ukraine was vital. "Russia is a failing power but it is still a dangerous one," Morrison testified last year. "The United States aids Ukraine and her people so they can fight Russia there so we don't have to fight Russia here." House impeachment manager Sylvia Garcia homes in on Rudy Giuliani's political crusades carried out with Trump's 'knowledge and consent' Sylvia Garcia Screenshot via C-SPAN Garcia is a representative from Congress and is one of two freshman Democrats that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped to serve as impeachment managers. Garcia is a lawyer and a former judge. During her remarks, Garcia zeroed in on several days in early May 2019, shortly after Zelensky was elected president in Ukraine The Texas congresswoman mentioned, in particular, a New York Times article published on May 9 in which Giuliani discussed his plans to meet with Ukrainian officials to discuss former Vice President Joe Biden and Biden's son Hunter. Specifically, he wanted the Ukrainian government to investigate Hunter Biden's involvement as a board member of the Ukrainian natural-gas company Burisma Holdings. "We're not meddling in an election, we're meddling in an investigation, which we have a right to do," Giuliani told The Times when asked whether by going to Ukraine and pressing for the inquiry he was inviting foreign interference in the 2020 election. He also acknowledged that he was not acting as an agent of the US government but as Trump's personal counsel, telling The Times, "This isn't foreign policy." The next day, on May 10, Giuliani wrote a letter to Zelensky and said he wanted to meet in person on May 13 and May 14. He had his associate, Parnas, send it to Zelensky on May 11. "Just to be precise, I represent him as a private citizen, not as President of the United States," Giuliani wrote. "This is quite common under American law because the duties and privileges of a President and a private citizen are not the same." The letter "made it clear that Giuliani was representing President Trump as a private citizen, and that he was working with President Trump's knowledge and consent," Garcia said. Nadler dives into the story behind Trump's pressure campaign after Schiff lays out the case nadler trump Olivier Douliery / AFP, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Nadler's statement appears to be a deeper dive into the story behind Trump's pressure campaign. While Schiff, who is a former prosecutor, gave a broad and theatrical overview of the case, Nadler's remarks expanded on the narrative. He began by focusing on Marie Yovanovitch, the US's former ambassador to Ukraine, and Trump's and Rudy Giuliani's smear campaign against her. Yovanovitch and other officials testified that she was abruptly recalled from her position because she stood in Giuliani's way as he tried to force Ukraine to dig up or manufacture dirt against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son ahead of the 2020 election. Nadler said that while different people involved in the Ukraine scandal had different motives for recalling Yovanovitch from her post, they all wanted her out. While Giuliani believed Yovanovitch was an obstacle in his path, the former Ukrainian prosecutors he was in touch with Viktor Shokin and Yuriy Lutsenko saw her as an enemy because she called them out for corruption. Nadler also highlighted the role that John Solomon, an op-ed columnist for The Hill who has been criticized for poor journalistic practice, played in pushing the smear campaign against Yovanovitch by publishing negative stories about her claiming she was anti-Trump. In all, Nadler said, the campaign to oust Yovanovitch was carried out by "a core group of corrupt Ukrainian officials working at Mr. Giuliani's direction." That group also included two of Giuliani's associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were arrested and charged last year with campaign-finance violations. After a short break, House impeachment manager Jerry Nadler takes the stage Rep. Jerry Nadler Win McNamee/Getty Images Nadler is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which spearheads the impeachment process in the lower chamber. The New York Democrat opened his remarks by emphasizing that the "evidence is not in dispute." "This is the story of a corrupt, government-wide effort that drew in ambassadors, cabinet officials, executive branch agencies, and the office of the president," Nadler said. "This effort threatened the security of Ukraine in its military struggle with Russia and compromised our own national security interests because the president cared only about his personal, political interests." Schiff wraps his argument by appealing to lawmakers to abandon tribalism and put country over party FILE PHOTO: House Managers Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) walk to the Senate Floor for the start of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, U.S., January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert Reuters Schiff concluded the first portion of the prosecution's opening argument reiterating how the president abused his power and engaged in an extensive, unprecedented effort to stonewall Congress from doing its constitutional duty in the impeachment inquiry. As he wrapped his remarks, Schiff made an appeal for lawmakers to abandon tribalism and serve the interests of the country above their own party. "As much as our Founders feared an unchecked chief executive able to pursue his own will over the will of the people, they also feared the poison of excessive factionalism that could divert us from a difficult service to our country," Schiff said. "Here, the American people can choose between the policies of one party or another and make decisions about their political leaders, up to and including the president of the United States, based on the degree to which that person represents their interests and values," he added. "That is not factionalism, that is the foundation of our democracy." "But when a leader takes the reins of the highest office in our land and uses that awesome power to solicit the help of a foreign country to gain an unfair advantage in our free and fair elections, we all, Democrats and Republicans alike, must ask ourselves whether our loyalty is to our party or whether it is to our Constitution," Schiff said. Schiff skewers Trump's 'assortment of shifting explanations' for pressuring Ukraine adam schiff YouTube/CSPAN Schiff threw a wrench into what he said was Trump's "shifting explanation" for withholding Ukraine's aid. Trump said he withheld the money because of corruption in Ukraine. He also said he was concerned about burden-sharing with other European countries. But Trump's own officials confirmed, before Congress signed off on the aid, that Ukraine had met all the conditions for anticorruption efforts and reforms. The State Department, Pentagon, and other executive agencies and intelligence officials "repeatedly made this clear as the hold remained and threatened the ability of the agencies to spend the money before the end of the fiscal year," Schiff said. He added that Trump only asked about foreign countries contributing aid to Ukraine in September almost two months after he initially froze US security assistance "as it became clear that the public, Congress, and a whistleblower were becoming aware of the president's scheme." Moreover, European countries contribute far more in aid which is mostly economic, while the US's also includes military support to Ukraine than the US does. Schiff also highlighted the discrepancy between Trump's claims that he wanted Ukraine to crack down on corruption, and his administration's efforts to conceal the aid freeze from the public. "If the president was fighting corruption, if he wanted Europeans to pay more, why would he hide it from us?" Schiff said. "Why would he hide it from the Ukrainians? Why would he hide it from the rest of the world? If this was a desire for Europe to pay more, why wouldn't he charge Sondland to go ask Europe for more? Why wouldn't he be proud to tell the Congress of the United States, 'I'm holding up this aid, and I'm holding it up because I'm worried about corruption.'" "Why wouldn't he? Because of course it wasn't true," Schiff said. "There's no evidence of that. And what's more, the White House admitted why the president held up the money." He was referring to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney's public acknowledgement in October that Trump held up the aid in part because he wanted Ukraine to satisfy his demand to investigate conspiracies about the 2016 election. After making that statement, Mulvaney said the public and Trump's critics should "get over it." "Is that what we've come to?" Schiff said. "I hope and pray that the answer is no. We cannot allow a president to withhold military aid to an ally at war for illicit help in a reelection campaign. I hope that we don't have to just get over that." Schiff: Trump used 'our tax dollars' to buy 'a smear of his opponent' donald trump check REUTERS/Brian Snyder At one point, Schiff highlighted Trump's transactional approach to the presidency. Instead of focusing on the national interest, Schiff said, the president viewed the Ukrainians as personally owing him something in exchange for military aid. "This is not about Ukraine's national security, it's not about our national security, it's not about corruption," Schiff said. "No it's about, 'What's in it for me? Those Ukrainians owe me.'" Imitating Trump, Schiff added, "'Before I sign a check' and by the way, that's not his money. That's your money. That's the American people's money for their defense." "The thing that he was going to buy with our tax dollars was a smear of his opponent," Schiff said, "and an effort to lift whatever cloud he felt was over his presidency because of the Russian interference on his behalf in the last election." Schiff: The Ukrainians are 'not stupid. They know what's going on here.' ukraine president volodymyr zelensky Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Schiff also detailed how people across the US and Ukrainian governments were "stunned" and confused when Trump withheld the military aid package with no explanation. He did so against the advice of the national-security apparatus which said Ukraine had met all the conditions to receive the aid. Instead, all the Ukrainians knew, Schiff said, was that "We want you to do these investigations." At the time, and now, Ukraine is in a war with Russia and needs to show strength, Schiff added. But "they can't get in the door!" he said. "They see the Russian foreign minister get in the door of the White House. We see the photos of the president and the Russian foreign minister, and the ambassador, what a great time they're having. But no, the president of Ukraine, our ally, can't get in the door. They're not stupid. They know what's going on here. They're not stupid." Schiff also referenced a conversation that Volker had with Ukraine's ambassador last year. "The Ukrainians threw it right back in our face," Schiff said. "When Ambassador Volker said to his Ukrainian counterpart, 'You shouldn't investigate the former president. You shouldn't engage in those political investigations.' Oh, the Ukrainian response was, 'You mean the ones you want us to do with the Bidens and the Clintons?' They're not stupid." Trump's actions 'stunned Ukraine experts,' Schiff says Trump Zelensky AP Photo/Evan Vucci The president and his allies "have offered no explanation for this effort," except "the president can abuse his office all he likes and there's nothing you can do about it," Schiff said. "Can't indict him, can't impeach him. That is because they cannot seriously dispute that president trump corruptly used an official White House visit for a foreign leader to compel a Ukrainian president into helping him cheat in the next election." "In a far more draconian step," the California Democrat said, Trump withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, which is in a hot war with Russia, weeks before the July 25 phone call. Trump's actions "stunned Ukraine experts," Schiff said. Schiff takes aim at Rudy Giuliani senate impeachment trial evidence CNN via Capitol Hill TV Schiff also took aim at Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer who spearheaded the Ukraine pressure campaign at the president's direction. At one point, Schiff presented two statements drafted by Ukrainian officials in coordination with Giuliani, Sondland, and Kurt Volker, who at the time was the US's Special Representative in Ukraine. The statement was meant to convey Ukraine's intent to investigate the matters Trump wanted. On August 12, Andrey Yermak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, sent Giuliani, Volker, and Sondland a draft statement that said, "...We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future." But Giuliani inserted a phrase in the draft statement to specify the two investigations Trump demanded. The revised draft said (emphasis ours), "...We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 US elections, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future." "You can see in this such graphic evidence, the Ukrainians did not want to do this," Schiff told the Senate. "They didn't even want to mention this. Giuliani had to insist, 'No no no, we're not going to be satisfied with some generic statement.'" "After all," Schiff continued, "I think we can see this isn't about corruption. No this is about announcing investigations to damage Biden and to promote this fiction about the last election." The Ukrainians "balked" at the statement Giuliani wanted, Schiff said, and Zelensky "didn't get his White House meeting. He still hasn't gotten his White House meeting." Schiff zeroes in on 3 days last July that 'tell so much of the story' of Trump's impeachable conduct Trump on phone White House While delivering his opening argument, Schiff zeroed in on three days last July that he said "tell so much of the story" of Trump's abuse of power. "Those three days in July ... reveal a lot about President Trump's effort to solicit help from a foreign country to help his reelection," Schiff said. On July 24 , the former special counsel Robert Mueller testified to Congress about Russian interference in the 2016 US election. The Trump campaign was aware of this interference, welcomed it, and utilized it, Schiff said. On July 25 , Trump, "believing he'd escaped accountability for Russian meddling in the first election," asked Ukraine to help undermine Mueller's findings and Biden, a 2020 Democratic frontrunner and one of Trump's key political opponents. On July 26, Trump spoke to Gordon Sondland, the US's ambassador to the European Union, over the phone as he "sought to ensure that Ukraine had received his request and understood it, and would take the necessary steps to announce the investigations he wanted," Schiff said. "This course of conduct alone should astound all of us who value the sanctity of our elections," Schiff said. "That alone is grounds for removal." Schiff details how Trump's own officials made the case against him Marie Yovanovitch AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Schiff singled out the nonpartisan, career public servants who defied Trump's orders not to testify in the impeachment inquiry. He specifically mentioned: Marie Yovanovitch, the US's former ambassador to Ukraine. Bill Taylor, a career diplomat who served as interim ambassador to Ukraine after Yovanovitch's ouster. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a war veteran who serves as the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. Were it not for these and other career government officials, Schiff said, the extent of Trump's scheme would not have come to light. Indeed, the impeachment inquiry began with a whistleblower's complaint detailing an infamous July 25 phone call Trump had with Zelensky, in which he repeatedly asked Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son for corruption. Trump also asked Zelensky to look into a bogus conspiracy theory suggesting Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. He pushed Zelensky to work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on the investigations. But testimony from Yovanovitch, Taylor, Vindman, and others showed that the phone call was just one data point in what turned out to be an extensive effort to bully Ukraine into caving to Trump's demands while holding up foreign aid. Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, delivers a powerful statement justifying Trump's impeachment adam schiff trump impeachment trial Screenshot via CNN/Capitol Hill TV Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, made an opening statement that laid out, in explicit detail, Trump's months-long campaign to force Ukraine to accede to his personal, political demands, and leveraging US foreign policy while doing so. The California Democrat also addressed the president's argument that the impeachment inquiry was a "sham" that's robbing the American people of the opportunity to weigh in at the ballot box in November. Trump's actions represent an "attempt to use the powers of the presidency to cheat in an election," Schiff said. "For precisely this reason, the president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box, for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won." "The president has shown that he believes that he's above the law and scornful of constraint," he added. Schiff also emphasized that this was not the first time Trump had "solicited foreign interference" in an election. He pointed to an infamous press conference in July 2016, during which Trump said, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," referring to deleted email messages of the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. "When the president said, 'Hey Russia, if you're listening,' they were listening," Schiff said. "Only hours later they hacked his opponent's campaign." Moreover, Schiff added, Trump "has made it clear" this will "not be the last time" he solicits foreign interference. Addressing the Senate, Schiff went on to say the House impeachment managers would, over the next several days, present "overwhelming evidence," notwithstanding Trump's "unprecedented and wholesale obstruction of the investigation" into his conduct, to prove that he should be removed from office. "You will read and hear testimony from courageous public servants" who cooperated "despite a categorical order from president trump to not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry." He also said the Senate would hear from witnesses who hadn't yet testified, like the former national security adviser John Bolton, the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and senior aides in the Office of Management and Budget and other federal agencies. "You will hear their testimony at the same time as the American people: That is, if you allow it. If we have a fair trial," Schiff said. US senators gave a standing ovation to the pages, who were running errands for senators and bringing them drinks throughout the first day of the trial. Senate Chamber Trump impeachment trial U.S. Senate TV/Handout via Reuters Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the Senate pages, to which senators of both parties stood to give them a standing ovation. McConnell said tomorrow is the pages' last day before returning back to high school for their final exams. Sen. Chuck Schumer also thanked the pages, noting that it is "rare, particularly these days, where 100 senators from both sides of the aisle of every political persuasion get up and give someone a standing ovation, but you deserve it." A summary of what to expect Trump, McConnell Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell drafted a resolution calling for each side to be given 24 hours to argue their case over three days of trial. Senators will then be given 16 hours for questioning. The resolution, which passed Tuesday evening, allows for senators to vote on whether to call witnesses. If they vote to do so, the witnesses would be deposed behind closed doors before a separate vote on whether to have to have them testify publicly. As with any other trial, Trump's impeachment trial consists of two sides. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is presiding over the trial. The prosecutors, known here as impeachment managers, consist of lawmakers from the House of Representatives. The defense team is made up of lawyers tapped by the president. Below are the seven lawmakers who Pelosi named last week to serve as impeachment managers: Rep. Adam Schiff of California Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California Rep. Val Demings of Florida Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas Starting Wednesday, the impeachment managers, led by Schiff and Nadler, are expected to take several days to present their evidence against the president. This will include relevant testimony and documents that were obtained during the impeachment inquiry in the House last year. But it's also likely to include new details and documents that Lev Parnas, one of Trump's Ukrainian associates intricately involved in the Ukraine pressure campaign, provided to the House Intelligence Committee this month. Next up, Trump's legal team will argue against impeachment and removal and move to have the charges tossed out. The defense's arguments will also most likely last several days. Here are the lawyers representing Trump in various capacities: Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, who is spearheading the defense team Michael Purpura, Cipollone's deputy in the White House counsel's office Patrick Philbin, another deputy in Cipollone's office Jay Sekulow, Trump's personal lawyer Jane Raskin, Trump's personal lawyer Kenneth Starr, the former Whitewater independent counsel Robert Ray, who succeeded Starr as independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard emeritus law professor and constitutional and criminal-law scholar Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida The president's legal team has argued that the charges against him, along with the impeachment process as a whole, are "constitutionally invalid" and should be dismissed. It is likely to drill down on this argument during its opening arguments. Trump's lawyers have repeatedly made contradictory or outright false statements about the impeachment process itself and the constitutionality of impeaching Trump. On Tuesday, for instance, as the Senate debated the rules of the trial, Sekulow said Democrats didn't seek enough testimony from witnesses before charging the president with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He failed to mention that the reason Democrats were unable to obtain key testimony from senior officials was the White House's directive that no one cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. Sekulow also argued the courts should step in to settle disputes between Trump and Congress over subpoenas and witness testimony. But the Justice Department has argued for months that the courts should not have a role in the matter because it would become politicized. At another point, Sekulow said the special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election found no evidence of obstruction of justice. In fact, Mueller's team outlined more than 10 instances that fit the criteria for obstruction but declined to make a "traditional prosecutorial judgment" because of Justice Department guidelines barring prosecutors from indicting a sitting president. The Senate trial will go on for six days a week senators get Sunday off and is expected to begin at 1 p.m. ET every day to accommodate Roberts' schedule for the Supreme Court. The trial is likely to last about two weeks but could go longer if the Senate changes the rules of procedure. Grace Panetta contributed to this report. Read the original article on Business Insider BOSTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior Helpers, one of the nation's premier providers of in-home senior care, today announced the owner of its Boston & South Shore location, Mark Friedman, was awarded Winner of Excellence for his editorial series on senior issues from the North American Mature Publishers Association, Inc. (NAMPA). Friedman was bestowed the title of Division A First Place Columnist in Senior Issues as an acknowledgment of his vast impact as a resource to elderly in the Boston community through his informative articles in the South Shore Senior News. The coveted award demonstrates Mark's knowledge of senior issues and commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. Friedman was recently awarded this top honor during the NAMPA national convention in Memphis, TN. Fellow columnists from senior publications of sizes strive for top honors in an array of categories. Writers and publications are independently judged on the quality of their written content, editing, photography, web content and more by the prestigious Missouri School of Journalism. This is Friedman's second award win in the industry, exemplifying his remarkable skills and passion to positively impact all seniors in his community. "I am honored to receive this award from the gold standard of publishing excellence," said Friedman, owner, Senior Helpers of Boston & South Shore. "The North American Mature Publishers Award exemplifies my commitment to educate, inform and offer practical advice to seniors in the local community by helping them continue to enjoy the comfort of their own home, despite age-related challenges. My team is proud to be a valuable resource for our community in helping to alleviate the stress associated with caregiving and ensure a better quality of life for families through personalized in-home senior care." According to the award, "Friedman offers his readers strong and practical information wrapped around personal experiences. His siblings' game plan for helping their parents as needs arose could be a model for others to follow. His advice for avoiding escalating issues that lead to bigger problems is a storehouse of easy-to-implement steps, clearly and concisely written." NAMPA is an established non-profit association of senior and boomer publications that awards 176 winners, presented at its gala award banquet, in a wide variety of categories, including general excellence, writing/editing, design, content, concept, photography, and website excellence. At this national convention in Memphis, NAMPA celebrated its 25th anniversary of its founding. For additional details on the award, please visit the North American Mature Publishers Association website, maturepublishers.com. Senior Helpers of Boston & South Shore has two offices 75 Washington Street #203, Norwell, MA 02061 and 245 Washington Street, Suite 202, Wellesley, MA. 02481. For more information, please www.seniorhelpersboston.com. For inquiries, please call (617) 500-6999. About Senior Helpers Senior Helpers is the nation's premier provider of in-home senior services ranging 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 a little assistance with daily activities. Founded in 2002 with a vision to help seniors age with dignity despite age-related illnesses and mobility challenges, Senior Helpers has hundreds of franchised and owned businesses that have cared for tens of thousands of seniors. Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore was founded in 2009 and has served the Boston metro and South Shore communities continuously since that time. Senior Helpers was the first and remains the only national in-home care provider to be certified as a Great Place to Work. The company has been named by Fortune Magazine as one of the best places to work in the aging services category and one of the best places to work in the state of New York. Senior Helpers is one of Entrepreneur's Top 500 Franchise Companies and is an approved partner in the Military Spouse Employment Partnership. Senior Helpers is also an active member of the Healthcare Leadership Councilan exclusive alliance of leading healthcare companies from all health sectors committed to advancing the American healthcare system. Learn more by visiting http://www.seniorhelpers.com. SOURCE Senior Helpers Related Links https://www.seniorhelpers.com Credit: Chris CuffaroThe Go-Go's have announced plans for an 11-date U.S. summer tour that will coincide with the TV premiere of a new Showtime documentary about the famed all-female band. The trek kicks off on June 25 in San Diego and is plotted out through a July 13 show in Costa Mesa, California, and will include a June 30-July 1 stand in the group's hometown of Los Angeles. Among the other cities The Go-Go's will visit are Las Vegas; San Francisco; Asbury Park, New Jersey; Westbury, New York; Bensalem, Pennsylvania; and Mashantucket, Connecticut. Tickets for all concerts except for the L.A. shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, January 24, at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets for the L.A. gigs will be available on Friday, January 31, at 10 a.m. PT. For more ticketing information, visit Facebook.com/OfficialGoGos and GoGos.com. The documentary, simply titled The Go-Go's, will get its world premiere on Friday, January 24, at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The movie, directed by Allison Ellwood, follows the band from its emergence from the L.A. punk-rock scene to its rise to stardom in the early 1980s through its initial breakup and on to its various reunions. The doc features candid interviews with the band members -- Belinda Carilsle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Gina Schock -- and other music industry figures, as well as archival footage and more. No word yet on when The Go-Go's will premiere on Showtime. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The newly sworn in Imo Governor State, Hope Uzodinma, says he feels excited and encouraged being part of the National Economic Council (NEC). Mr Uzodinma spoke with State House Correspondents on the sidelines of the NEC meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday. He was attending the meeting for the first time. Mr Uzodinma was on January 15 sworn in as governor following a Supreme Court judgment that nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha and declared him the winner of the governorship election in Imo in 2019. The governor said he would offer his best in the course of administering the state. I feel excited being part of the engine room where national development is being planned and I am encouraged. The people of Imo State should expect the best from me in terms of my vision for the state as contained in my manifesto followed by the broadcast which I did two days ago. Of course, all those policies have been well articulated; researched upon; and by the grace of God, if accomplished, will take us to the next level. He said that government was a continuum and that he would continue from where he met the government. Mr Uzodinma added, however, that in the process of governance, if there were issues that required to be probed; he would not hesitate to do so. I have been around for very long; I have been a private sector person, I have been in the Senate for eight years; I have been part and parcel of government. So, there is nothing really new; the process of national development is a collective thing. READ ALSO: So, from one point or the other point, you will continue to participate and be contributing your own quota, the governor said. He said that he would gradually reconcile all the groups with a view to creating stability in the polity. The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, also fielded questions from journalists and said he was at the meeting to make a presentation to NEC on behalf of the Nutrition Council of Nigeria. Mr Sanusi said the presentation was aimed at drawing the attention of the governors to emergency Nigeria was facing on nutrition. The seriousness of the nutrition problem is basically responsible for 53 per cent of the infant mortality problem we have in Nigeria. The very high rate of malnutrition among children and women and the need to set up structures and have proper funding and enlightenment and awareness to address these problems and the reception was very positive. The governors recognised the seriousness of these problems; many of them have seen the numbers; they are alarming, he said. The monarch said members of the council had committed to prioritising the problem in their budgets and in their policies. (NAN) Two Livermore police officers shot and wounded a man they say appeared to try to run them down with his vehicle early Wednesday morning. At about 3:30 a.m., the officers pulled over an apparently intoxicated driver on the Airway Boulevard off-ramp from eastbound Interstate Highway 580, according to police. In order to safely conduct a DUI investigation away from freeway traffic, the officers directed the driver to a nearby side road. Within moments, the driver and both officers heard the sound of screeching tires and saw another vehicle accelerating directly toward them as they were standing on the side of the road, police said. The officers fired at the oncoming vehicle, striking the driver at least once in the thigh, according to police. The suspect was the only occupant of the vehicle. The Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday night to direct City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley to develop an emergency shelter somewhere in the city to try to ease the city's homeless crisis. The plan by City Councilwoman Kate Harrison lists one possible site as being a homeless camp for up to 120 tents below a bridge on University Avenue that connects Fourth Street and the city's waterfront, but asks for Williams-Ridley to investigate other locations as well. The City Council voted 7-0 to approve the plan, with Councilmembers Lori Droste and Rashi Kesarwani abstaining. After Williams-Ridley selects a preferred site for the emergency shelter, the matter will come back to the City Council for a public hearing and vote, according to an aide for Harrison. A 38-year-old Oakland man died in a shooting in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley neighborhood early Tuesday morning, according to police. The shooting was reported at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 1800 block of Sunnydale Avenue. The victim, identified by the city's medical examiner's office as Eddie Ellenberg IV, was taken to a hospital but died there. No arrest has been made in the fatal shooting and no suspect information was immediately available from police. A woman fatally struck by a vehicle on Interstate Highway 280 in San Francisco on Saturday night has been identified by the city's medical examiner's office as 36-year-old Shelly Murphy. The collision was reported around 8 p.m. Saturday on southbound Highway 280 near the on-ramp from Cesar Chavez Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. A white Toyota Highlander apparently struck Murphy in the far left southbound lane, CHP Officer Bert Diaz said. Investigators do not know why she was on the highway. An 18-year-old felon was charged with murder on Tuesday for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in East Oakland last week. Jacobi Julius Gaines of Union City was arraigned Tuesday for the shooting death of Hasan Semaj Humphries in the 1400 block of 48th Avenue at 4:44 p.m. on Jan. 13 and is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday to be assigned an attorney and possibly enter a plea. Gaines was identified as the suspect in the shooting through witness statements and video surveillance, Oakland police Officer Michael Jaeger wrote in a probable cause statement. A warrant was issued for Gaines and he was arrested at an apartment in the 2600 block of 74th Avenue in Oakland at 7:30 p.m. last Thursday, according to Jaeger. Officers who served a search warrant at the apartment found clothing that may have been worn during the shooting and found a pistol matching the caliber of the gun that fired in the shooting, Jaeger wrote. A suspect is in custody following the end of a standoff in the unincorporated Contra Costa County area of Tara Hills on Wednesday morning, according to the county sheriff's office. The sheriff's office initially wrote on Twitter shortly after 7 a.m. about the standoff on O'Toole Way, saying a suspect had allegedly brandished and fired a weapon. The sheriff's office said in an update at 8:40 a.m. that a SWAT team went through the house and found the suspect, who was taken into custody. No other details about the suspect or standoff were immediately available. Bicyclists using BikeLink to store bikes in lockers or other parking spaces can now use Clipper cards to pay at certain locations on BART, other transit systems and around the city of Oakland. BART stations where BikeLink now accepts Clipper cards include ones in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre station. The BikeLink lockers are also available for Clipper card users at stations along Amtrak's Capitol Corridor line, at stations in the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit system in the North Bay, and at some locations in Oakland such as the Rockridge Library. A full list of the locations can be found at https://www.bikelink.org/transit_card/locations. Restaurants in San Francisco will soon be required to post the results of their latest health inspection through a new color-coded placard system, the city's Department of Public Health announced Wednesday. The new system aims to help customers make informed choices about where they eat and will put San Francisco on par with other Bay Area cities that have already implemented a similar system. The new system, approved by the city's Board of Supervisors back in November, is set to launch sometime this spring and would require restaurants to post the placards outside of their window or door. All of the city's 7,000 food facilities will be subject to the new placard system, including restaurants, fast food facilities, food trucks, bakeries, caterers and cafeterias. Starting in March, Southwest Airlines will expand its nonstop routes to Hawaii from Oakland International Airport, airport officials said. The flights to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii started on Sunday and operate four times a week. Flights to Lihue on Kauai started on Tuesday and run three times a week. On March 7, both routes will operate daily, according to airport officials. The airline also flies to Honolulu on Oahu and Kahului on Maui. With these additions, the Oakland airport will support up to 19 daily flights to Hawaii on Southwest, Hawaiian and Alaska airlines. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SPRINGFIELD The STEM science, technology, engineering and math workforce in Massachusetts is growing and highly paid. But its also 76% white. Only 26% of information technology jobs are held by women. Jobs in the field are growing mostly in a few Boston-area communities making a compelling argument, business boosters heard Thursday, for increasing training and outreach in Western Massachusetts to boost minority and women participation in STEM careers. We need to diversify our workforce, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said on a visit to the Tech Foundry computer and information technology training program at 1391 Main St. We all know technology has changed our world. Its changed how we communicate. How we consume. How we learn. Polito said its important that all segments of society share in the employment and add diverse voices to the innovations. She was in Springfield with Assistant Secretary of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Damon Cox and MassTech Executive Director Carolyn Kirk to announce competitive grants, totaling $469,234, for Tech Foundry of Springfield and the New England Venture Capital Associations Hack.Diversity program in Boston. This is the first year for the grants, said Patrick Larkin, director of the Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative. Caitlin Hodge, director of partnerships and strategic initiatives at Hack.Diversity, said the $375,000 will support a class of 75 for an eight-month fellowship for black and Latinx tech talent. At TechFoundry, the $94,234 will enable two initiatives. One is a pilot of a ramp-to-hire program that places students in extended work experiences as part of their IT training. Those placements can transition from paid internships to permanent employment. The second is a partnership with the Healing Racism Institute of the Pioneer Valley to provide training, support and peer learning related to diversity and inclusion within organizations. Waleska Lugo-DeJesus of the Healing Racism Institute said shell organize a task force of employers who will identify and help address barriers to employment faced by minorities and women. Patrick Streck, president of baytechIT, gave some real-world examples. His company is a Holyoke-based collaborative involving Baystate Health that provides computer support in health care. One of his employees, a Tech Foundry graduate from Northampton named Maura Kavanah, provides support to a large obstetrics and gynecology practice, among other clients. Who better to provide computer services, Streck said, than a professional who understands the practices employees, and more importantly its patients, in subtle ways that another computer or IT person wouldnt? Streck said he has 50 employees, and about 20 of them are Tech Foundry graduates. "They've proven that they crossed the threshold and picked up many of the skills they need," he said. Tech Foundry has just graduated its 14th cohort of students, said Natalie Miknaitis, Interim Executive Director. That brings to 275 the number of students who have completed the program since it began in 2014. This two-year grant will help train another 100 students for IT careers. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 19:12:56|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Several Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday by a blast that targeted them in the countryside of Syria's northern province of Raqqa, state news agency SANA reported. The car bomb was detonated near the village of Hamam in the northern countryside of Raqqa, said SANA, spelling no further details. The explosion is the latest in a series of bombing targeting Turkey-held areas in northern Syria. The Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels started an offensive since October 2019, capturing several areas that had been controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Activists have been reporting a state of lawlessness in areas controlled by the Turkish forces in northern Syria. SEATTLE A shootout outside a McDonalds in downtown Seattle during the evening commute that killed a woman and injured a 9-year-old boy was the third violent incident this week in a part of the city long known for rampant drug use and street unrest. Business groups implored officials to improve public safety. And while crime rates in Seattle are low compared to other big cities, critics say mayhem downtown from shootings, to drug dealing and the effects of the citys ongoing homelessness crisis makes locals and tourists feel unsafe. The Downtown Seattle Association, a business group, said in a statement the area where Wednesdays shooting happened has been a high-crime spot for years. We call on public officials to devote the resources necessary to improve safety in downtown, the group said. We say enough is enough. Three people, including the boy, remained hospitalized Thursday after police say several people opened fire, killing a woman. It was the third downtown Seattle shooting in two days. We will not allow this to be the new normal, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Thursday at a news conference. We know gun violence is preventable and are taking urgent action. The person who died was a woman in her 40s, fire officials said. Seven people were treated for gunshot wounds, said Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg. The condition of a 55-year-old woman was upgraded from critical condition to serious and a 32-year-old man and the boy were listed in satisfactory condition. Amazon, which has offices nearby and is the citys largest employer, said two of its workers who happened to be passing by were wounded, but their injuries were not life-threatening. This is not a random incident, there were multiple people involved, said Police Chief Carmen Best. There was a dispute that happened in front of the McDonalds, people pulled out guns, shots rang out, people ran in various directions. Best said Thursday that one person wounded in the shooting is also a suspected shooter who was arrested at the hospital Wednesday night on a charge of unlawful gun possession. She said police were searching for two additional suspects considered armed and dangerous: Marquise Latrelle Tolbert and William Ray Tolliver, both 24. Records show both have lengthy arrest records and Durkan said both have gang connections. Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that he was horrified and dismayed to hear about the shooting. There were two other violent incidents in downtown earlier this week. Police found a man with a gunshot wound in a mall stairwell Tuesday, and he later died in a hospital. Police shot a person in another area of downtown earlier on Wednesday. Crime is actually down in much of Seattle. According to statistics from the city, robbery was down 9% in 2019 compared to 2018 and aggravated assaults were down 4%. There were also fewer aggravated assaults and homicides (27 homicides in 2019 compared with 32 the previous year). Lisa Baumann is an Associated Press writer. By Balazs Koranyi and Elizabeth Howcroft DAVOS/LONDON (Reuters) - The United States cautioned Britain ahead of a decision by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on what role Huawei will have in 5G telecommunications networks that Washington still had significant concerns about the Chinese telecoms behemoth. In the first big test of Brexit Britain's foreign policy, Johnson has so far resisted intense pressure from President Donald Trump's administration to block Huawei, which the United States fears could compromise British secrets. Huawei, the worlds biggest producer of telecoms equipment, denies it is a vehicle for Chinese intelligence and says the United States wants to ban it because no U.S. company can offer the same range of 5G technology at a competitive price. After a public disagreement between U.S. and British ministers in Davos over taxes on digital services, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he would be meeting with British finance minister on Saturday on Huawei. "Let me just say again, its a complicated issue," Mnuchin said. "Weve made very clear that it relates to all of the critical areas that we have significant concerns. But again, theres ongoing discussion on these issues." Britain is expected to make a final call on how to deploy Huawei equipment in its 5G networks later this month. In what some have compared to the Cold War arms race, the United States is worried that 5G dominance would give any global competitor such as China an advantage Washington is not ready to accept. That puts Johnson on the spot with the United Kingdom's closest security ally just as he seeks to negotiate post-Brexit trade deals with both the European Union and the United States - and juggle conflicting EU and U.S. policy on Iran. Britain wants a trade deal with the United States but will still impose a digital service tax on the revenue of companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, business minister Andrea Leadsom said on Thursday. Story continues Leadsom said that Britain will soon decide what role Huawei will have but there are only a limited number of alternative providers, business minister Andrea Leadsom said on Thursday. "Well there are other providers but they are limited, ideally there would be more providers of infrastructure similar to the work that Huawei does but the UK is looking very carefully at this issue and we will be making a final decision soon," Leadsom told Sky. "It is an ongoing process and there are all sorts of factors to take into consideration, as you say, like the availability of other providers, like the work that Huawei has already done in the United Kingdom, so these discussions are ongoing," she said. "I share the concerns of many citizens about protecting our national security interest," Leadsom said. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Philippa Fletcher) A high-level meeting, which took place at the State Secretariat on Thursday, reviewed Bhima Koregaon cases. The meeting was attended by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, and other senior police officers. After the meeting, Home Minister Deshmukh said that there would soon be another meeting in this regard. On January 1, 2018, violence erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of Bhima-Koregaon battle. The violence had left one dead and several others injured. Police had filed 58 cases against 162 people. A few days back, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had said at a programme in Pune that the review of cases related to Bhima-Koregaon protest was a must. Sources said that today's meeting also the schedule of the next meeting, the future course of the investigation and the possibility of a new SIT to look into these cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five Queensland councils were given $1 million grants from the federal government two weeks ago, including Livingston, Noosa, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast. Mayors Greg Lehmann and Tanya Milligan said they would welcome any political representatives to the region to show them proof of their need. Somerset and Lockyer Valley councils united to call jointly for funding to help recover from fires that ripped through the agricultural region in November and December. Two south-east Queensland councils have issued a plea for federal funding after not receiving initial $1 million bushfire relief grants. Announcing the funds on January 9, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said they were just the start of financial support to "provide immediate assistance directly into the hands of local councils". The funding was directed towards councils identified by the state government as eligible for Category C bushfire disaster recovery relief under federal and state agreements. Natural Disasters Minister David Littleproud said local government areas were "activated" for Category C funding measures at the request of state premiers. "There has been no request from the Queensland government for the activation of these local government areas despite the fires having been put out months ago. Despite other states still fighting fires, they have still been able to apply for this fund," he said. A spokesman for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority said the state government assessed all Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) funding against the eligibility guidelines set by the Commonwealth. Associated Press Today's top trending stories Read more about a major recall issued by Honda and Toyota, an odd weather warning in Florida involving iguanas, and check out other stories trending online today. Don't Edit Recall issued for millions of vehicles Honda and Toyota have issued recalls, both of which involve millions of autos. The two issues are unrelated with Honda's being an airbag issue and Toyota's involving an electronic system. Read more about the recall from CNN Don't Edit Falling iguanas warning As temperatures dropped in Florida, the National Weather Service warned residents that the cold could cause iguanas to fall out of trees and other perches as they become lethargic. Read more about this story from USA Today Don't Edit China issues travel warning Officials in China are warning travelers to avoid the city of Wuhan, ground zero for the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Learn more about this story in the BBC video below. Related: Virus reaches U.S. borders (CNET) Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Politics in the news A collection of some of the top political stories trending today: Trump impeachment trial: Day 1 highlights (CNBC) In abrupt reversal, Hillary Clinton says she would endorse Bernie Sanders if he wins Democratic nomination (Chicago Tribune) GOP rep introduces bill to block intelligence sharing with countries using Huawei for 5G (The Hill) Don't Edit Other headlines trending today Aerosmith drummer sues band (Rolling Stone) Millie Bobby Brown trolled for 'inappropriate' and 'disturbing' red carpet look (Yahoo) Late block sparks brawl between Kansas, Kansas State (ESPN) NASA's next Mars rover will get one of these 9 names (Space.com) Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' phone hacked by Saudi crown prince: reports (Fox News) Georgia uses DNA sample and genealogy to solve 1999 rapes (ABC News) US Vice President Mike Pence has calling on world leaders to confront Iran. Addressing the World Holocaust Forum, Pence told fellow participants on Thursday to "confront and expose the vile tide of anti-Semitism" around the world. "In that same spirit, we must also stand strong against the leading state purveyor of anti-Semitism, against the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The world must stand strong against the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said. Pence's remarks received a loud applause from the Israeli audience. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy. Pence spoke emotionally about the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators. "Today we gather, nearly 50 nations strong here in Jerusalem to say with one voice 'never again'," he said, drawing more applause. He ended his speech with a Hebrew prayer for peace, receiving another loud ovation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Got a question or tip? Contact us at bizmojoidaho@gmail.com. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) A local court has denied the bid of Reynaldo Parojinog Jr. a scion of a clan tagged in the illegal drug trade to dismiss the illegal-firearm charges filed against him. In a resolution dated January 16 and released Thursday, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court said it junked Parojinog Jr.s demurrer, or objection, to evidence as the proof presented against him were enough to sustain the case. "As it stands, the totality of the evidence presented by the People is sufficient to sustain conviction. Presentation of countervailing evidence therefore is indispensable, the ruling penned by Acting Presiding Judge Editna Mina-Aguba read. Parojinog Jr. and his sister Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Parojinog were arrested and slapped with charges of illegal possession of firearms and drugs following a police raid in 2017. In his demurrer, Parojinog Jr. claimed the search and seizure operations were "compromised the moment the police unlawfully entered, searched, and occupied his house" thus making the firearm evidence questionable and doubtful. The court, however, said it found nothing irregular in the conduct of the police operations. "Unless there is evidence to the contrary, the police officers who took part in the implementation of the search are presumed to have performed their duties in a regular manner, the decision read. Parojinog Jr. is serving a life sentence over possession of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu. He is currently detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. His father, Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and 14 others were killed in a shootout during a raid of their properties in 2017 where bags of shabu, firearms, explosives and cash were found. CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. The United States on Thursday imposed Iran-related sanctions on two individuals and six companies, including four firms tied to the National Iranian Oil Company, Trend reports citing Reuters. Tensions between Iran and the United States have ratcheted up since 2018, most recently over an U.S. attack that killed a top Iranian general. The latest sanctions move was announced on the U.S. Treasury Department's website. 22.01.2020 LISTEN Ghanaians have successfully scaled through three years of NPP reign and have by the Grace of God, entered the year 2020 with a lot of hope to see what the year has in store for them. The government has made some significant progress but it is not every Ghanaian who is amused and with the NDC hanging around looking for power, everything will surely be given a bad name just to win votes in the next election. To appreciate the progress that has been made, one has to take into consideration the mess that was left behind by ex-President Mahama and his NDC for the incoming NPP administration. Some were payments of nurses and teacher allowances, the unpaid monies due to contractors, the virtual collapse of the NHIS, the mess in the banking sector etc; all involving billions of Ghana Cedis that had to be paid to free the economy to grow. Those who are criticizing the government for borrowing must explain how the government could have extricated the economy growing at three per cent at the time to the present growth rate of eight per cent. The treachery, lies, deceit and vile propaganda will obviously be accelerated as we approach the date for December elections and the government needs to remain resolute and not be detracted by the ugly noises of the opposition. It is obvious that not all promises of the NPP can be completed within the four-year reign but many Ghanaians are discerning and can easily distinguish between the performance of the past and present governments. The gullible ones will continue to join the chorus of ewiase aye den and yen nyaa hwee but, my observation is that notwithstanding what progress the government has made, the NDC will never allow the complaints to die down. What needs to be done is to concentrate on improving the free SHS program, take strong measures against corruption, improve unemployment opportunities, double the efforts in road construction and finally put in place a credible voter register and the party will surely retain power. The free SHS has come to stay but it has many challenges that need to be overcome, especially the yearly increase of students' intake and accommodation facilities. I do not support the view of some Ghanaians who argue that the nation's resources are being wasted because the money belongs to all Ghanaians and if it is being used to educate the youth, so be it. It is better to use the money to educate the youth than keeping it for some unscrupulous politicians to steal and bank in their foreign bank accounts. In support of this, I take a cue from the Chinese experience in the building of the Great Wall. The wall was originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang between 259-210BC in the Third Century as a means of preventing incursions from Mongolians and barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire. The Wall was completed by 11 dynasties and has a total length of 21,196 km or 13,170 miles with average height between seven meters and 14 meters and thickness of wall of 6.5meters or 21.3 feet. The wall, built about 2,700 years ago is considered one of the most expensive, extensive and impregnable construction ever completed by man. History has it that when the ancient Chinese decided to live in peace, they built the Great Wall and thought that no one could climb it due to its height or breach it due to its thickness and the strength of its security. Unfortunately, they were wrong and during the first 100 years of its existence the Chinese were invaded three times and on each occasion neither the Wall was breached or scaled by the invaders. The enemy infantry simply bribed the security guards and went through the main gates. The Chinese realized much later that the best defense against the enemy was not a fortified wall but a fortified mind or character. Thus the building of human character comes before the building of anything else and conclusively the education of our youth is the most important thing we need to develop our dear nation. This must therefore precede all things and space will not allow me to debate quality education advocates but I simply conclude that any form of education is better than no education at all. The uncorrupted character of the president and his promise to fight it was one major contributory factor to his electoral victory. But the incorrupt character of the president alone is not enough if the perception of the public is that corruption persist and unfortunately is on the increase. Such a situation creates an impression of weakness or acquiescence and every effort must be made to minimize the perception. I believe the recent effort to prosecute the directors of the collapsed financial institutions is in the right direction even though it has taken too long. The perception of corruption in this country is viewed from the political lenses but I beg to differ because corruption exists in every corner of our social life. There are institutions in Ghana known for their corrupt practices such the Lands Department, the Police Service, Chieftaincy, Internal Revenue Department and its agencies, especially Customs Department. Even the institutions less known for corruption were badly exposed when Anas zoomed his cameras on them. Our educational institutions are fraught with all kinds of malpractices starting from entry qualifications to the awards of degrees and enough evidence of corruption exist even within the religious circles. In a nutshell we are all corrupt and unless we take some drastic measures, it would be difficult to predict what will happen to this nation in the future. As far as the economy is concerned progress is being made and the abysmal performance of the NDC whose economic growth rate was three per cent, has now changed to eight per cent but these figures do not mean much to the ordinary Ghanaian unless something is done about unemployment. The social intervention programmes for employment such as Youth In Afforestation (YIA), YEA, NACOB and others have helped ease the tension but more still, needs to be done to assure many Ghanaians of a brighter future. The deplorable conditions of our roads debunks any claims by the NDC that they fixed them during their eight wasted years in office. Travel on the eastern corridor road, the much touted President Mahama show piece of road development and you will regret being a Ghanaian. The recent accident on the Accra-Takoradi trunk road which claimed the lives of 34 Ghanaians seems to have brought to the fore the need to construct dual roads. How sad and short our memories are. Former President Kufuor during his reign (2000-2008) acknowledged this at a time when the number of vehicle on our roads was far less than today. He began the construction of the dual carriage from Accra to Kumasi and by the time he left office, the dual carriage had gone beyond Nsawam junction. When the NDC took over in 2008 the project was abandoned and not even a FOOT of construction was added to what had been done, leaving the untarred portion of the road to breed grasscutters. With the abysmal performance that led to its defeat, the NDC is dreaming of coming back to power, God save Ghana. But can God really save Ghana if Ghanaians continue to pursue their unpatriotic, sinful, corrupt and deceitful ways? The answer is yours. The strength of our democracy depends on a credible Voter Register and therefore whilst in opposition the NPP made efforts to convince the then NDC Government to compile a new register and provided enough evidence to support the request. The NDC refused because its political fortunes lay in the bloated register and did everything in its power to prevent the preparation of a new register. They are now justifying their resistance on the cost of replacing the old register whilst hiding the real motive. If the NDC's resistance is accepted, the independence of the Electoral Commission will be meaningless and so will be our democracy. The replacement of the register is the sole responsibility of the Electoral Commission and the NDC should not dictate to the Electoral Commission. When Madam Charlotte Osei was the Electoral Commissioner, the NDC was the Public Relations Department of the Electoral Commission and not being able to perform that function in opposition, they are wailing and yelling. The most unfortunate thing that ever happened in Ghana was the December 31 Revolution and the formation of NDC to propagate its ideals. For how long will this country continue to suffer from the ills of the Revolution? Today even the executioners themselves have acknowledged their mistake and therefore the belligerent attitude of the NDC synonymous with the Revolution must give way to some civility in our body politics. A new register is a must! By Brig. (Rtd) Joseph Odei One person was arrested after some people allegedly obstructed a woman from collecting data for the Economic Census and manhandled her in Rajasthan's Kota district on Wednesday, police said Kota: One person was arrested after some people allegedly obstructed a woman from collecting data for the Economic Census and manhandled her in Rajasthan's Kota district on Wednesday, police said. Nazeeran Bano, a resident of Friends colony, was allegedly manhandled while she was collecting data for the Census in Brijdham area under Borekheda police station limits, said Station House Officer (SHO) Mahesh Singh. The woman went to the locality, along with some other colleagues, when a man aided by a few other people allegedly snatched her mobile phone and deleted the census data from an App, the SHO said. She managed to contact her senior officials who rushed to the spot with police, he said. On the basis of Bano's complaint, police registered a case against one Safaaut Ansari under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrested him for breach of peace, the officer said. The WHO Emergency Committee held a discussion on Wednesday over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, but it did not come to a concrete decision whether to declare a global state of emergency. The committee is reconvening on Thursday to consider further steps. Director-General of Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros said on Wednesday that the organisation needs more information to decide if the Emergency Committee should declare a public health emergency, adding that the decision is very serious. "The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence", Dr Tedros said at the meeting. Dr. Tedros asked the committee to meet again on Thursday to continue the discussion on the issue, adding that it is an "evolving and complex situation". He also commented on the travel ban introduced in the Chinese city of Wuhan - the center of the virus outbreak, saying that "what they are doing is very, very strong measures and with full commitment". An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia was registered in Wuhan in late December, which was later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV by the WHO. The new virus sparked major concerns globally over the possibility of it turning into an epidemic, as cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been already registered in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and also Macau. Chinese health authorities have confirmed that the virus can spread from human to human. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Frank Zeller (Agence France-Presse) Jerusalem Thu, January 23, 2020 12:01 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060a59d3 2 World history,Holocaust,nazi,Jews,Jerusalem,Palestine,Israel Free Israel hosts dozens of Western leaders Thursday to mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, the World War II death camp where the Nazis killed more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews. The presidents of Russia, France and Germany, United States Vice President Mike Pence and Britain's Prince Charles will address the somber event at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem. Guarded by more than 10,000 police, one third of the Jewish state's national force, the meeting of over 40 presidents, premiers and monarchs is the biggest international gathering ever held in Israel. Alongside the host, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, the leaders will warn against a resurgence of anti-Semitism in speeches at the memorial site for the six million Jews that Nazi Germany killed in gas chambers, ghettos and forced labor camps. The ceremonies, which will also bring the kings of Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands to Jerusalem, move on next Monday to the site in Poland of the Auschwitz camp that was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on Jan. 27, 1945. While the focus in Jerusalem will be on the Holocaust and its haunting legacy, modern politics have impacted the event, held at a time of soaring US-Iranian tensions and ahead of Israel's March elections. Netanyahu this week drew a direct link between the Nazis' "Final Solution" to exterminate Europe's Jews and the threat that Israel says it faces from its arch-foe, the Islamic Republic of Iran. While in the Nazi death camps, he said, "a third of the Jewish people went up in flames", today "Iran openly declares every day that it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth". "I think the lesson of Auschwitz is: one, stop bad things when they're small. And Iran is a very bad thing, it's not that small, but it could get a lot bigger with nuclear weapons." Netanyahu enjoys strong backing from US President Donald Trump, who in 2018 pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, has heaped pressure on Tehran and ordered the targeted killing of a top Iranian general on Jan. 3. In his talks with Pence, Netanyahu was expected to seek reaffirmation of Washington's support for Israeli settlement policy in the Palestinian occupied territories and on other contentious issues. The most powerful player in Jerusalem will be Putin, a key actor in the Middle East since his forces, along with Iranian fighters, started backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2015. The commemorations were organized by Moshe Kantor, a billionaire close to the Kremlin who is also a prominent figure in Russia's Jewish community and the president of the European Jewish Congress. Putin, who is traveling with his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, will give a key speech, but Poland's President Andrzej Duda is staying away after being denied the right to address the event. Relations between Moscow and Warsaw, its Cold War-era satellite, have been strained since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014, and have deteriorated further in disagreements over history. Last month, Putin provoked an outcry after he made the false claim that Poland had colluded with Adolf Hitler and contributed to the outbreak of World War II. Poland, which sees Moscow as rewriting history and ignoring its own 1939 non-aggression pact with Hitler, has urged Putin "not to use the memory of the victims of the Holocaust for political games". While in Jerusalem, Putin will inaugurate a monument to honor victims of the Nazis' siege of Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, that left hundreds of thousands of people dead, including an estimated 70,000 Jewish soldiers. For Israel, the historical mega-event comes at a time of political paralysis, when voters face the third national election in less than a year on March 2. Polls indicate Netanyahu, the caretaker premier, and his centrist rival Benny Gantz are still neck-and-neck potentially leaving both unable, again, to win a majority. Topics : history Holocaust nazi Jews Jerusalem Palestine Israel Identity and access management in 2022 - what will the future look like? As we enter into 2022, there is still a level of uncertainty in place. Its unclear what the future holds, as companies around the world still contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has been encouraged by most organisations and the move to a hybrid working system has become business as usual, for the majority of businesses. Some have reduced their office space or done away with their locations altogether. Following best security practices With all this change in place, there are problems to deal with. According to research, 32.7% of IT admins say they are concerned about employees using unsecured networks to carry out that work. Alongside this, 74% of IT admins thought that remote work makes it harder for employees to follow best security practices. This need to manage security around remote work is no longer temporary. Instead, companies have to build permanent strategies around remote work and security. The coming year will also create a different landscape for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key predictions for next year and what to start preparing for in 2022: The reality of SMB spending around security will hit home SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working, especially in comparison to their size. They had to undertake significant digital transformation projects that made it possible to deliver services remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weve seen a shift in mindset for these companies, which are now more tech-focused in their approach to problem solving. According to our research, 45% of SMBs plan to increase their spending towards IT services in 2022. Around half of all organisations think their IT budgets are adequate for their needs, while 14.5% of those surveyed believe they will need more, to cover all that needs to be done. Identity management spending to support remote work For others, the COVID-19 pandemic led to over-spending, just to get ahead of things and they will spend in 2022, looking at what they should keep and what they can reduce their spending on. Areas like identity management will stay in place, as companies struggle to support remote work and security, without this in place. However, on-premise IT spending will be reduced or cut, as those solutions are not relevant for the new work model. Services that rely on on-premise IT will be cut or replaced. The device will lead the way for security We rely on our phones to work and to communicate. In 2022, they will become central to how we manage access, to all our assets and locations, IT and physical. When employees can use company devices and their own phones for work, security is more difficult. IT teams have to ensure that theyre prepared for this, by making sure that these devices can be trusted. Wide use of digital certificates and strong MFA factors Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication There are multiple ways that companies can achieve this, for example - By using digital certificates to identify company devices as trusted, an agent, or strong MFA factors, like a FIDO security key or mobile push authentication. Whichever approach you choose, this can prevent unauthorised access to IT assets and applications, and these same devices can be used for authentication into physical locations too. Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication. Understanding human behaviour Alongside this, it is important to understand human behaviour. Anything that introduces an extra step for authentication can lead to employees taking workarounds. To stop this, it is important to put an employee education process in place, in order to emphasize on the importance of security. The next step is to think about adopting passwordless security, to further reduce friction and increase adoption. Lastly, as devices become the starting point for security and trust, remote device management will be needed too. More companies will need to manage devices remotely, from wiping an asset remotely if it gets lost or stolen, through to de-provisioning users easily and removing their access rights, when they leave the company. Identity will be a layer cake Zero Trust approaches to security Identity management relies on being able to trust that someone is who they say they are. Zero Trust approaches to security can support this effectively, particularly when aligned with least privilege access models. In order to turn theory into practical easy-to-deploy steps, companies need to use contextual access, as part of their identity management strategy. This involves looking at the context that employees will work in and putting together the right management approach for those circumstances. For typical employee behaviour, using two factor authentication might be enough to help them work, without security getting in the way. How enterprises manage, access and store identity data There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time For areas where security is more important, additional security policies can be put over the top, to ensure that only the right people have access. A step-up in authentication can be added, based on the sensitivity of resources or risk-based adaptive authentication policies might be needed. There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time, so that it aligns more closely with those use cases. Identity management critical to secure assets in 2022 There are bigger conversations taking place around digital identity for citizenship, as more services move online as well. Any moves that take place in this arena will affect how businesses think about their identity management processes too, encouraging them to look at their requirements in more detail. Overall, 2022 will be the year when identity will be critical to how companies keep their assets secure and their employees productive. With employees working remotely and businesses becoming decentralised, identity strategies will have to take the same approach. This will put the emphasis on strong identity management as the starting point for all security planning. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite launches in India on January 23. The new Lite variant of the Galaxy S10 series comes to India a couple of days after the Galaxy Note 10 Lite was launched locally. The key highlights of the device include: a 48MP triple-camera setup, Snapdragon 855 chipset and a Super AMOLED Plus display. Samsung is hosting a webcast for the Galaxy S10 Lite launch in India. The launch is scheduled to begin at 12 pm on Samsungs YouTube , Facebook and other social media accounts. Reports suggests that the Galaxy S10 Lite would be priced between Rs 40,000 and Rs 45,000 in India. The Lite flagship smartphone is confirmed to go on sale via Flipkart, with the official date of availability yet to be announced. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Plus display with a 1,080x2,400 resolution. According to Samsung, the screen on Galaxy S10 Lite uses a flexible OLED technology for a thin and light panel. The infinity-O display has a hole-punch cut out at the top-centre for the 32MP front-facing camera. Galaxy S10 Lite has a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 394 PPI pixel density. Under the hood, an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset powers the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite. The performance unit is paired with 6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. It is likely that Samsung may only launch the 8GB+128GB variant of the Galaxy S10 Lite in India if we go by the Flipkart listing. Storage can be further expanded up to 1TB via a microSD card. The 'Lite' smartphone packs a massive 4,500 mAh battery with SuperFast charging support via USB Type-C. In terms of camera, the Galaxy S10 Lite boasts a 48MP triple-camera setup. There is a 48MP f/2.0 primary sensor that comes with Super Steady OIS. The other two camera lenses include a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide and a 5MP f/2.4 macro sensors. Galaxy S10 Lite has a 32MP f/2.2 front camera inside the punch-hole cutout. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite runs on Android 10-based One UI 2.0 out-of-the-box. The smartphone can be unlocked using the in-display fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock. Like many other Samsung smartphones, the Galaxy S10 Lite features support for Samsung Pay in India. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite launched in India for Rs 38,999 The Galaxy S10 Lite will be available in three Prism colours: white, black and blue. You cant get these Iowans to give up their first-in-the-nation caucus overnight. Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images This always happens in the quadrennial run-up to the Iowa caucuses, which since at least 1976 have kicked off the presidential nominating process: the intense desire among media types and some political operatives for something entirely different. Perhaps its unhappiness with the winter weather in Iowa and New Hampshire, or more credible concern about the demographics of these two largely white states (offset, to some extent, a few cycles ago with the addition of Nevada and South Carolina to the ranks of protected early states). But whatever it is you can count on alternative proposals of various seriousness. Today we have one tested in a new Monmouth University poll: Nearly six in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents questioned in a new Monmouth University survey supported dramatically changing the current system of choosing their partys presidential nominee. Given a list of four options, 58 percent of those questioned say theyd rather a single national primary be held where every state holds its primary or caucus on the same day. Only 11 percent called for keeping the calendar in its current form, with Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina holding the first four contests ahead of the rest of the country. Fifteen percent want to modify the current calendar, by letting a few other states vote on the same days as Iowa and New Hampshire. And one in 10 say they want to see grouped state primaries. Great, a single national primary day. Theres only one problem: How are you going to do that? Such polls and for that matter, a lot of the commentary devoted to kvetching about Iowa and New Hampshire specifically or the nominating process generally seem premised on the entirely erroneous presumption that we have a national system imposed by the Democratic National Committee deploying some sort of fiat powers. What we actually have is a set of nominating contests created, run, and financed by state legislatures and state parties with the DNC keeping things relatively organized via carrots and sticks. When it comes to the calendar, its not a system at all. Its a loose framework based on what the states (in many cases legislatures controlled by the opposing party) can be talked and nudged into doing. A complete overhaul could be accomplished, presumably, by some sort of interstate compact, though those generally take a good while to enact, and again, differences in the values and constituencies of the two parties would complicate everything. And the kind of one-day national primary the Monmouth poll finds so much support for would be particularly difficult, since some states prefer to hold their presidential and regular state primaries on the same day. Finding one that works for so many different contests in so many places may be impossible. This particular reform, moreover, has its own perils. If you were to hold a one-day national primary right now, the odds-on favorite might well be Michael Bloomberg, the candidate whose ability to spend literally billions on his campaign could make him unbeatable in a landscape that broad, wide, and simultaneous. Is sticking it to Iowa and New Hampshire, or getting it all over with quickly, worth that risk? The thing to do (which Democrats have done in the past including the immediate past to incrementally reform the nominating process) is to set up a reform initiative immediately following the current contest, when its more practicable and less likely to serve the interests of a single candidate. If it finds overwhelming and urgent support for a major change, it would have time to help draw up a framework and design a path to its adoption. But make no mistake: Working around the edges of the current system will be a lot easier than adopting some grandiose scheme. And if you are going to directly take on Iowa and New Hampshire, youd best build yourself a large coalition of states prepared to go to war because otherwise the early state folk will beat you to a long list of allies. Chinese Christian details how gov't harassed family after shutting down church (interview) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON Its been over one year since Stephen first arrived in the U.S., fleeing from the communist government in China. The Chinese Christian, whose church was shut down by government agents, told The Christian Post recently about the harassment he and his family faced before they fled the country. Stephen (his real name will not be disclosed for security reasons) spoke with CP last week while attending the launch event of Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List, an influential data report ranking the worst 50 countries in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. Stephens church (which will not be named for security reasons) is one of nearly 6,000 underground churches shut down by officials in China as authorities have cracked down on the house church movement in recent years, according to Open Doors USA. I still kind of have [post-traumatic stress disorder], Stephen said. My sister asked me to immigrate to the states before. We prayed because we wanted to stay in China. Stephen and his family attended the underground church for nearly two years before it was shut down by government officials in 2018. On the day his church was raided, the churchs pastor and other church members were arrested. Stephen, however, was spared arrest that day because he was on an airplane returning to China from an international trip. Upon returning to the country, he spent a couple of days in Beijing before returning to his home city. On the day of the church raid, Stephen said local police officials went to his familys apartment and knocked on the door. However, his wife and four kids were too afraid to answer the door. Instead, his wife locked the doors and turned off the lights. Although the police officials left the apartment complex without breaking down the door to the familys apartment that day, the familys trials with the authorities were only just beginning. The next day while Stephen was still in Beijing, he got a call from his wife letting him know the electricity to their apartment had been shut off. His wife and kids were left in a freezing apartment in the dead of winter. Stephen said he called the property manager to ask why the power had been cut off. He said the policeman asked him to shut it off to see if anybody is living there, Stephen said. He told the property manager that they did live there but he was on a business trip. The property manager told Stephen that he would report that to the police and would turn the power back on if allowed. Although power was turned back on within 30 minutes of Stephens phone call, electricity in their apartment was shut off again the next day hours after Stephen arrived back home. He again called the property manager. But this time, the property manager told him that he couldnt turn the power back on until Stephen showed up at the local police station. 'I prepared to go to jail' He went to the local police station. He said he was prepared to be imprisoned. I wore a very heavy jacket and heavy pants, he said. I go there and told the police officer, Why you turn off the power? You can just call me. You have my phone number. And he said, If we do not do that, you won't show up. Stephen said he was ordered by a police officer to write his name and government identification number on a piece of paper in addition to the names and ID numbers of his wife and kids. At that point, the police official introduced Stephen to three community officials who wanted to discuss issues related to the closure of the church and a school affiliated with the church that his children attended. The officials offered his children free seats in a public school. Although some Chinese families desire the opportunity to send their children to a good public school, Stephen refused the offer. I said Oh, thank you so much. I know this is a very good opportunity but please give to other people, he recalled. My wife and I are Christians. We want to educate [our children] with God's Word. The officials didnt seem happy with his refusal and left the room. One government official then asked him to sign a document vowing that he would no longer attend the church or be in contact with any of his friends from the church. Additionally, the document prohibited any posting online about church matters and street preaching. Stephen refused to sign the document, stressing that friends and family need our support. They were scared about why we visit each other. That's human beings doing natural things, Stephen told CP. I want the freedom to visit my brothers and sisters. I want to contact them. So I could not sign. I understood they are doing their duties. They are under pressure, he added of the government officials. As Christians, we pray for them. They have to do whatever they do to earn money. So they kind of surprisingly let me go home. To this day, he is not sure why the authorities released him that day. 'They probably didnt get the order to get me' Although Stephen carried non-pastoral responsibilities within his local Christian community, he is not as outspoken as some other members of the community. Until now, I don't know why they didnt break our door to the apartment, he said. He even stressed that although the government places spies in his church, many of the spies probably didnt know him because he was very much behind the curtain in his role. They probably didn't get the order to get me, he said. They want to treat me like regular other church members to do wellness education. That's their job. But in this case, the higher-level officials saw I went to this church only less than two years. In the weeks following the church raid, Stephen was urged by fellow church members to flee from the area. There was fear that authorities would again arrest him and prod information from him related to ministry operations that could help the prosecution's case against the pastor. He was eventually contacted through text message by a man claiming to be a lawyer representing landlords of properties rented by a ministry affiliated with the church. The lawyer threatened to sue if he did not show up for a meeting the next day. Stephen said he had reason to believe that the man who contacted him was not working for landlords but rather for government officials. He was invited to teach a two-day class for Christian leaders in his home city. During those two days, he said he was chased by a police officer. The police officer also called his wife and asked: Where are you? He and his family decided to follow through on the wishes of Christian leaders and fled from their city weeks after the raid on the church. On the day they departed, he said, special police were camped outside of his apartment from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. They traveled city-to-city in China, staying in Airbnbs he rented through friends names and in some friends houses. About a month after fleeing their home city, they flew to the U.S. In the U.S., Stephen and his family of six have shared one room in Stephens siblings home. Although he desires to go back to China, Christian leaders back home have warned that he shouldn't return home yet. China ranks as the 23rd worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. China has for years been labeled as a country of particular concern for egregious religious freedom violations by the U.S. State Department. Open Doors USA CEO David Curry warned last week that through the use of a social score system and surveillance technology, China is creating a system of persecution for the future and is the greatest threat to human rights in the world today. I saw with my own eyes the surveillance on the street but also in the churches, watching their congregation, Curry said. Facial scans when you come in and then tracking you and generating reports [with] assumptions built into their artificial intelligence system that is tracking Christian behavior. Toronto is warning the Ford government of a possible legal challenge if developers are allowed to start hiring and paying their own building inspectors. Members of the planning and housing committee unanimously asked staff on Wednesday to advise city council on any legal options available to the city to protect the public interest with respect to the proposed changes to Building Code Service Delivery. Saying the changes would put public safety at risk, Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam told fellow committee members Toronto should respond to the provincial government with elbows up and fists in the air ... We should make this a big, big loud issue. Construction industry sources told the Stars Rob Ferguson that the province is considering a special training program to certify architects and professional engineers to act as building inspectors, handling initial design approvals and building code inspections for developers who hire them. Currently, municipalities do construction project inspections to ensure developers are building safely in compliance within Ontarios building code on everything from home renovations to new skyscrapers. Last year, the city of Toronto issued more than 50,000 building permits. Will Johnston, the citys chief building official and a professional engineer, warned in a report to committee members that allowing builders to hire and fire people with the power to inspect and potentially halt their projects creates a lack of oversight and potential conflict of interest. The city would be out of that process, but to what degree we dont know right now because the province hasnt put forward the details of what that would look like, in a system of accredited but independent inspectors based on that of British Columbia, Johnston told councillors. Wong-Tam (Ward 13 Toronto Centre) noted that in 2012, the Ontario government amended its building code with input from Toronto after a series of window panes fell from condo highrises. If a similar problem occurred and governments had no inspection role, she said, there would be a greater chance of coverup with reputations and big money at stake. Coun. Gord Perks said: Well be in the absolutely ludicrous circumstance, potentially, of you hire your own building inspector and then neither the city nor the province directly gets to enforce whether or not the work was done properly by the guy you hired. The public interest gets so far removed from the public that I can foresee real disasters happening as a result of this, said Perks (Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park). Steve Clark, Ontarios minister of municipal affairs and housing, said in a statement Wednesday that his governments top priority will always be the safety and well-being of all Ontarians. Clark said he was disappointed with commentary insinuating that professional engineers, architects and building inspectors would compromise public safety for profit. They adhere to a strict regime of professional standards and I have a tremendous respect for the work that they do. His ministry continues to consult with housing industry players and has made no decisions on a path forward, Clark wrote. The Ontario Home Builders Association says the change would speed up the building process and get people into homes faster, thanks to architects and engineers who would have to adhere to strict professional standards and pass a certification course. Three armed robbers on Wednesday invaded an MTN office in Tudun Wada area of Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State. Police spokesperson in the state, Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the incident to journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday. Yes, the robbery took place and investigation has since begun, he said. Earlier, Ibrahim Dasuki, the MTN Manager in the state, told NAN that the robbers stormed the shop around 2.p.m. on Wednesday and took away about N4.5 million. The armed robbers carried out the operation in less than five minutes when they stormed our office at around 2 p.m. and carted away nothing less than N4.5 million, he said. He explained that the three masked armed robbers arrived at the office in a Toyota saloon car with Bauchi State number plate. On arrival, the robbers, armed with AK 47 ordered all the people outside the office to lie down while wielding their guns. He said that one of the robbers was left outside holding those lying down hostage at gunpoint. Mr Dasuki explained that the remaining two shot into the air immediately after they gained entry into the office and demanded for money. He added that the robbers must have trailed one of the staff members from a bank, where he withdrew money for office transactions. As soon as they got into the office, they demanded for the money by asking where is the money, where is the money? They carted away the money in less than five minutes operation; they stole over N4.5 million, the manager said. (NAN) ISignthis lost its "prime" rating from Institutional Shareholder Services ESG one day after the controversial tech stock was touting its success in receiving the highly coveted rating from the environmental and social arm of ISS, which is better known for its proxy advisory services. The ASX-listed tech stock has since regained its "prime" rating from ISS ESG, but the firm has flagged "potential controversy" over the ASX investigation into iSignthis which could see the company downgraded again. Prime is the top rating for ISS ESG which says it means the company fulfils "ambitious absolute performance requirements". iSignthis was hit by the Danish money-laundering scandals - which includes the high profile Danske Bank - when its bank partner KAB was closed down by the local regulator amid concerns it was systematically used for money-laundering. Credit:Bloomberg ISS ESG confirmed it downgraded iSignthis to "not prime" the day after the company made the announcement to the ASX in a release flagged as market sensitive. Mumbai, Jan 23 : In a potentially controversial statement, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that the "minorities" decide whom to defeat or elect in the elections. "In the last (2019) Maharashtra assembly elections, Muslims rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party... In rural areas not a single Muslim voted for BJP (candidates)," Pawar said, addressing the NCP Minority Cell meeting here. During elections, the minorities "decide whom to defeat" and they vote only for those (parties) which can vanquish the BJP and "the change of guard in Maharashtra is because of that", said Pawar, amidst thunderous applause. Attacking the BJP, the NCP supremo reiterated that the BJP government is indulging in creating a social divide and "people must now ponder whether they should commit the mistake of re-electing it". The 79-year old leader said that minorities face many problems which need to be resolved and it is the responsibility of the BJP government at the Centre to take everyone together. All the people in the country enjoy full rights, even Indians living in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and others who migrated post-Independence, and wish to return to India, but this is not acceptable to the BJP government, he said. Dwelling on CAA-NRC, Pawar said it is not only detrimental to the Muslim community but also the nomadic tribes and migrant communities who don't reside in any one location, and hence don't have any documents. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar, Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil, Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik, central NCP leaders Majeed Memon, Gaffar Malik, Shabbir Vidrohi and others addressed the meet and assured the Maharashtra government would ensure "equality and justice to people of all religions". Ajit Pawar, Patil and Malik admitted that while there are small hiccups in running the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance government, but there would be no hurdles in implementing welfare schemes for the minorities. In a sharp reaction, BJP state Vice-President Kirit Somaiya said that after Congress' Ashok Chavan, Sharad Pawar now speaks up for Muslims and tries to appease them. "Will Shiv Sena still follow both these alliance partners," he asked. Somaiya was referring to Chavan's statement that most Muslims reportedly considered the BJP as their biggest enemy, and wanted the Congress to join the Shiv Sena-led government to keep the BJP away from power. After the BJP attacked him, Chavan later clarified that the Congress was under pressure from all communities, including Muslims, to form the government with the Sena to keep out the BJP, hence there was no question of "appeasement". WTNH-TV(NEW CANAAN, Conn.) -- A Connecticut man charged with his estranged wife's murder was harshly criticized by a judge who said he violated the terms of his $6 million bond by stopping at a makeshift memorial for his presumed-dead spouse and removing items his lawyer said were meant to taunt him. Fotis Dulos had his work-release privileges revoked and was ordered to remain under strict house arrest after Judge Gary White on Thursday ruled Dulos shouldn't have visited the memorial, which had been placed near his home by supporters of his wife, Jennifer. White issued a stern warning to Dulos that if he violates the conditions of his release again, his bond will double to $12 million. "What he did was stupid. Don't do it again," White said during a hearing in Stamford/Norwalk Superior Court. Under the new conditions of his bond, Dulos is confined to his home in Farmington, Connecticut, and must continue to wear an electronic GPS ankle bracelet. He previously had been permitted to leave his home for work or to shop for groceries. Richard Colangelo, the Stamford/Norwalk State's Attorney, filed a motion earlier this week accusing Dulos of breaking the conditions set for his bond. "This is in violation of the terms of his release," Colangelo argued in his motion. Following the court hearing, Dulos' attorney, Norm Pattis, said the items Dulos removed from the memorial were placed there to taunt his client. "We have been following various web pages ostensibly devoted to supporters of Jennifer. They are encouraging people to place items outside of his home. I'm not sure what that's about. It might be harassment in any other context," Pattis told reporters, as Dulos stood silently next to him outside the courthouse. "I remind the supporters that Jennifer is missing. She may be presumed dead as far as they're concerned. We've yet to see persuasive evidence of that," Pattis said. Dulos was arrested and charged on Jan. 7 with murder, capital murder and kidnapping in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, the mother of his five children. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Fotis Dulos' girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, also was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Kent Mahwinney, an attorney and a friend of Fotis Dulos, also has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Jennifer Dulos, 50, went missing May 24 amid the former couple's contentious custody battle. Investigators allege Jennifer Dulos was killed inside her own home and garage in New Canaan, Connecticut. Her body was never found. State police have alleged in court papers that Fotis Dulos was "lying in wait" for Jennifer Dulos at her home and a violent assault took place in the garage, where bloodstains were found. Authorities allege Jennifer Dulos was killed at her home May 24 between 8:05 a.m. and 10:25 a.m., after she returned from taking her children to school, according to an arrest warrant. On the day of her disappearance, surveillance footage showed someone in a hoodie riding a bike toward Jennifer Dulos' home. The bike was later found in the trash. Police claim Fotis Dulos bound Jennifer Dulos with zip ties, put her inside her own car and cleaned the garage, according to an arrest warrant. The medical examiner categorized the incident as "homicide of violence" that would "likely include some combination of traumatic, blunt-force injuries such as a bludgeoning/beating, and/or sharp-force injuries such as a stabbing/slashing," according to Troconis' arrest warrant. During Thursday's hearing, Pattis waived Fotis Dulos' right to a probable cause hearing, saying his client seeks a speedy trial. "We are confident in our odds at trial because we know what we know," Pattis told reporters after the hearing. "The state is trying to put together a case that Mr. Dulos is responsible for that murder, or for that disappearance, and we take the position there is insufficient evidence to conclude that she's even dead." Pattis said he hopes the trial would begin as early as September, but conceded he's worried about the public perception of his client. "But there are 12 good people who we don't yet know and that will be the jurors in this case," Pattis said. "When we have the jury and we have an orderly courtroom proceeding by people committed to deciding this case by the rule of law, we are extremely confident in our odds." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Raj Khosla The real estate sector is in a flux and transactions are down. Yet, builders have not reduced prices. They are offering freebies and discounts, but property prices are still very high. Even so, you can buy property at a steep discount of 25-30 per cent if you are willing to do some research and legwork. Properties seized by lenders under the SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest) Act, 2002 are routinely auctioned. These repossessed or stressed properties are typically sold at rates that are 20-30 per cent lower than the prevailing market prices. Banks seize properties when they are convinced that the borrower will not be able to repay a loan. After the borrower misses multiple payments, the lender auctions the property to recover the outstanding principal and interest amount. Given the troubled past of such properties, they are usually available at a discount to the market price. But participating in a bank auction is not an easy affair, especially if you are not conversant with the rules and procedures. There is a crowd of deep-pocketed investors and seasoned brokers wanting to bag the property at a low price. Here are some tips to help you participate in the bidding process and bag a property in an auction. Know what you are buying Banks give out details of the properties they are auctioning. Checking the websites of individual banks is a tedious process, but a portal launched by the Indian Banks Association (IBA) provides a common platform. The Indian Banks Auction Properties Information provides details of residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural properties to be auctioned online across the country. Prospective buyers can log on to ibapi.in, register themselves, view details of properties and even participate in the auction process. Calculate the real costs Auctioned properties are usually embroiled in legal disputes. There may be possession disputes with ongoing legal battles on ownership, long overdue bills, and could require substantial repairs. You will discover the actual price of the property could be more than the final bid. After it is bought in an auction, the buyer will have to bear these expenses and settle the outstanding dues. Therefore, add all such costs to the price when you submit your bid. Hire a professional to assess value Thorough due diligence is very important when buying a stressed property. Get the property appraised by a professional property evaluator to figure out the market value of the property before the auction. The auctioning bank typically sets the base value of the auction considering factors such as the guidance value (as provided by government regulations), the deemed market value of the property, and existing liabilities of the property. To be on the safer side, set a margin of 10 per cent over the value calculated by the appraiser as an appropriate bid amount. Get funding in place In an auction, bidders have to deposit 10 per cent of the reserve price as earnest money before the process begins. This money is refunded to the bidder if he loses the bid. But if you win the bid, 25 per cent of the bid amount has to be paid on the auction day itself. The balance amount too has to be paid within a very short time (usually around 15 days) after the bid is selected. So, a bidder must arrange for the funds beforehand either by taking a loan or by liquidating his/her savings. This is critical, because if you are unable to make the payment within the stipulated deadline, the deposit amount will be forfeited. If you are planning to take a loan for purchasing the property, get an in-principle home loan approval from the lender. Banks give such loan approvals solely on the basis of the credit history and repayment capacity of the bidder. The loan is sanctioned by the bank on the condition that the bidder will cover the applicable property registration charges, stamp duty and other legal costs and submit the valid property registration document with the bank, before the disbursal of the actual loan. These charges are substantial, so be ready with some surplus cash. Things to check before submitting a bid Registration details of the property: Check the key property documents of the property, including the original sale deed and non-encumbrance certificate under CERSAI (Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest). Unregistered properties dont have proper documentation, which can lead to disputes with claimants later. Bid document and title deed: Take help of a property lawyer to understand your liabilities after the purchase. While the bank conducts the auction of a repossessed property, it is not the owner of the property. Get your lawyer to check the title ownership and get it legally validated. Recovery certificate from debt tribunal and indemnity certificate: The owner must have a recovery certificate from DRT (Debt Recovery Tribunal) prior to submitting your bid. The auctioning bank must also give an indemnity certificate to protect you from future claims from the owner or his/her legal heirs. Ideally, the owner should be the confirming party to the property transaction. NOC from housing society: You must have a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the housing society (if applicable) and maintain detailed records of statutory dues, unpaid utility bills, and pending litigation. Deduct TDS: In the end, do not forget to deduct TDS equal to 1 per cent of property value, if the amount exceeds Rs 50 lakh. The TDS should be credited to the PAN of the property owner. (Writer is Managing Director, MyMoneyMantra.com Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on Tuesday, the White House said in a statement on Thursday, and a source familiar with the situation said U.S. officials would most likely share some details of U.S. President Donald Trumps long-secret Middle East proposal, Trend reports citing Reuters. The White House said Netanyahus election rival Benny Gantz had also accepted U.S. President Donald Trumps invitation for a Washington visit but gave no specific date. The source said Gantz too would most likely hear some of the plans details. Description GIS - 23 January, 2020: The Hubert Curien Le Reduit Partnership (PHC Le Reduit), a Franco-Mauritian partnership, which supports the development and consolidation of bilateral partnerships between academic and scientific institutions in France and in Mauritius, is calling for proposals for projects. The deadline for the submission of applications is 27 February 2020. The aim of PHC Le Reduit is to encourage bilateral research projects, support the mobility of researchers from one country to another, in order to develop synergies between the two scientific communities and establish sustainable networks. All research areas are eligible but priority will be given to projects in the following fields: energy and renewable energy, environment and climate change, engineering sciences, modeling, artificial intelligence, ocean studies, health, veterinary and agronomic sciences, biology and biotechnology, art and heritage; humanities and social sciences; French language and French literature. The PHCs are widely recognised within the French scientific community and are considered as key elements for collaboration between France and its partners. The PHCs, initiated in 1976 and bearing the name of the physicist Hubert Curien (1924-2005), are bilateral programmes which provide fund for the mobility of researchers involved in joint ventures financed by the partner country. Mauritius joined the league of 55 countries benefitting from the PHC with France following the signing of an Agreement on cooperation in the field of Science and Research in 2019. The first call for research projects took place in August 2019 and the results were published on 12 November the same year. Additional information about PHC Le Reduit is available on the following websites: https://www.campusfrance.org/fr/le_reduit or http://www.tec.mu English French MIRABEL, Quebec, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NAV CANADA invite members of the media to attend an event marking the January 30, 2020 launch of new air traffic control services at YMX International Aerocity of Mirabel. With YMXs air traffic increasing and becoming more complex, NAV CANADA is introducing air traffic control services from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time. Airport traffic controllers issue instructions and clearances that maintain a safe and orderly flow of traffic in the skies and on runways and taxiways. NAV CANADA officials will be on hand to answer questions and there will be opportunities to photograph and video the air traffic control tower operations. Date: Thursday, January 30, 2020 Time: 09:00 10:30 a.m. Location: Montreal-Mirabel NAV CANADA Tower 11655 rue Services A-3 Mirabel, QC Due to security restrictions, media are reminded to arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. to register/set-up. Please have credential photo identification. As the event is in a controlled area, media will be escorted in and out. Photography and videography will be restricted to specific areas only. Guest parking is available on site. RSVP: Members of the media who are planning to attend the event are asked to RSVP Brian Boudreau by Tuesday, January 28, 2020. About NAV Canada NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace. The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record, and technology innovation. Air traffic management systems developed by NAV CANADA are used by air navigation service providers in countries worldwide. For further information, please contact: Brian Boudreau Manager, Media Relations 613-563-7303 Media Information Line: 1-888-562-8226 A soldier serving in the Queens ceremonial regiment has been found guilty of carrying out a string of armed robberies. Grenadier Guard Kristopher James-Merrill, 20, helped fellow guardsman Dillon Sharpe, 23, raid seven convenience stores across south London along with their friend Marlon Wright, 25, during the summer of 2018. The pair served in the senior British Army regiment in which soldiers wear scarlet tunics and bearskin uniforms while on ceremonial duty at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Sharpe, from Dulwich, south-east London, did not stand trial as he had already admitted four attempted robberies, three robberies and seven counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence between July 24 and 26. Expand Close Marlon Wright was also involved in the armed robberies (Nick Ansell/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Marlon Wright was also involved in the armed robberies (Nick Ansell/PA) James-Merrill, from Brixton, south London, was convicted of three counts of robbery and four of attempted robbery after an eight-day trial at Kingston Crown Court. The soldier, who has served in Afghanistan, was cleared of seven counts of possessing an imitation firearm. The jury of seven women and five men took just a day to return their verdicts. Wright, who is not a soldier, from Mitcham, south-west London, was found guilty of four attempted robberies and three robberies. Jurors were told the trio cruised around south London in James-Merrills Mercedes and stopped off at different shops before Sharpe, disguised in black clothing, a hood and a mask, threatened shopkeepers with an imitation handgun demanding cash. James-Merrill and Wright, who were both accused of assisting Sharpe in his acts, had said they thought he was running errands and collecting money from friends. James-Merrill and Wright were remanded in custody. A date for sentence has not yet been set. Her father testified that he and his wife would periodically monitor their daughters cellphone to check her interactions on Facebook. In March 2015, the girls mother discovered nude photos the girl had taken of herself allegedly at Rodriguez-Ocampos urging, and an incriminating conversation between him and the girl on Facebook Messenger. The parents called police, who took Rodriguez-Ocampo into custody. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is moving the Doomsday Clock up to 100 seconds to midnight - a metaphor for the end of the world - in a recognition of growing threats from nuclear war, climate change and disinformation. It is the first time the clock has passed the two-minute mark in more than 70 years of existence, a testament to the need for urgent action, the Bulletin said Thursday, as the nonprofit's leader warned of influential leaders who "denigrate and discard the most effective methods for addressing complex threats." "The challenge is what do we do about it?" President Rachel Bronson told The Washington Post. In the clock's grimmest moment ever, she believes years of dire warnings have begun to break through. "People are starting to get it," Bronson said, pointing to the movement ignited by teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. "But we need our leaders to be responding." Jerry Brown, the former California governor who serves as executive chair for the Bulletin, had a darker message after the clock was unveiled. The longtime Democratic politician said he sees "a world of vast, deep and pervasive complacency" toward the Doomsday Clock's message across the political spectrum. "What is being said this morning is not being heard," Brown said. "It's being ignored. It's being denied." Deciding each year whether humankind has veered closer to destruction, the Bulletin has traditionally focused on the availability of nuclear weapons and a willingness among the world's great powers to use them. Members of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board pointed this year to a host of concerning developments, including the prospect of a deal limiting Iran's nuclear development completely falling apart after Iran began reducing its compliance following the United States' withdrawal under President Donald Trump. In North Korea, meanwhile, there has been "no real progress" despite fanfare over talks with the Trump administration, said Sharon Squassoni, a professor at George Washington University. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to demonstrate a new weapon. Earlier this year, she noted, the United States left an arms control treaty with Russia that had been in place since the 1980s. Thursday's announcement also underscored changes over the years in the threats tracked by the Doomsday Clock, as the Bulletin's scientists express growing concern about the state of the planet. They warned in 2007 that the threat of climate change is "nearly as dire" as the danger of nuclear weapons, and on Thursday the Stockholm Environmental Institute's Sivan Kartha put the issue once considered an "academic curiosity" front and center. "To test the limits of earth's habitable temperature is madness," he said. "It's a madness akin to the nuclear madness that is again threatening the world." Countries' commitments to curb greenhouse gases in the coming decade under the Paris Climate Agreement would need to be multiplied eightfold to meet its goal of preventing the global temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius from preindustrial levels, Kartha said. He listed this year's disasters that he said were fueled by climate change: heat waves and floods in India, "unprecedented" wildfires in Australia and hurricanes around the globe. Compounding the long-standing concerns about climate change and nuclear disaster is the rise of "information warfare," said Robert Latiff, a retired Air Force major general and a fellow at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. Technologies like artificial intelligence, fast and highly maneuverable "hypersonic" weapons, as well as the increasing potential for conflict in space all add to his worries that a minor event could trigger catastrophic fallout. "We have a witch's brew of ingredients for global conflict," he said. It has not helped, he added, that world leaders have responded with falsehoods and misrepresentations while decrying "fake news." He lamented what he called government disdain for experts and hostility toward science, pointing to the Trump administration's order that all federal agencies cut their advisory boards by at least a third. The Doomsday Clock has wavered between 2 and 17 minutes to the apocalypse since its inception in 1947. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded by veterans of the Manhattan Project who were concerned about the consequences of their nuclear research. One of them, nuclear physicist Alexander Langsdorf, was married to artist Martyl Langsdorf, who created the clock and set it at seven minutes to midnight, or 11:53, for the cover of the group's magazine. Her husband moved the time four minutes ahead in 1949. Since then, the Bulletin's board has determined how far the clock's minute hand will move, usually to draw attention to worldwide crises it believes threaten the survival of the human species. Last year, the clock did not budge, remaining at two minutes to "midnight" after advancing 30 seconds in 2018. It had also advanced 30 seconds in 2017 but did not move at all in 2016. The decision to move up the time on the clock in 2018 was motivated largely by the Bulletin's sense of looming nuclear peril. It listed several grim developments: North Korea had made rapid progress in developing a thermonuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States; relations between the United States and Russia had deteriorated, with no high-level arms-control negotiations; and nations around the world were moving to modernize and enhance their nuclear arsenals. In addition, the organization cited unchecked artificial intelligence, the alarming spread of disinformation and the public's eroding trust in institutions. The group said last year that although the scientists noted an upsetting change in the information ecosystem in 2018, they did not see a "qualitative" change with other threats that would have warranted resetting the time on the clock. But Bronson told reporters the clock's lack of movement reflected a "new abnormal" and "should not be taken as a sign of stability but as a stark warning." BLACKSBURG Before the men had even spoken a word, they received a standing ovation. A capacity crowd filled a 1,260-seat theater at the Moss Arts Center on Wednesday to hear members of the Central Park Five share how they survived their wrongful conviction and false imprisonment. The men were teenagers in 1989 when they were charged in the sexual assault of a jogger in New Yorks Central Park. After a confession by a serial rapist and a DNA match, they were exonerated in 2002. The case has become known as a flashpoint in how racism infects the media and criminal justice systems. This is the reason why we come to colleges, because the system is in line to put our kids away, and theyd rather have them occupy a jail cell than a college dorm, Raymond Santana, one of the members, said before the event. So these kids that are here dont really understand how much power they have, dont really understand the magnitude of how important it is to be in an institution of higher education. Tech hosted the men for the keynote address of the universitys weeklong commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In recent years, Tech has broadened its celebration of the civil rights icon to bring to campus contemporary leaders in the fight for racial justice. Santana, Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson and Yusef Salaam joined the stage with moderator Brandy Faulkner, the Gloria D. Smith Professor of Africana Studies at Tech. Antron McCray, the fifth defendant in the case, was not available. The men have gained new prominence with the acclaimed 2019 Netflix series When They See Us. They were also the center of a 2012 Ken Burns documentary. I honestly wasnt completely aware of the story before the Netflix documentary came out, said Jaylen Foskey, a 21-year-old senior from Chesapeake, who came to hear how the men have coped with their ordeal. It really opened my eyes to the entirety of what went down. Faulkner began by invoking the memory of Terence Crutcher, a black man who was killed by police in 2016 during a traffic stop. Audio from the shooting reveals an officer saying Crutcher looks like a bad dude moments before he was shot. They were young. They were black, Faulkner said of the men now known as the Exonerated Five. So they, too, looked like they were bad. Noting the existence of significant racial disparities in wrongful convictions, Faulkner asked the men when they first realized that their plight was part of a larger system of decision-making. Santana provoked laughter when he said he was oblivious at the time to the various practices and procedures in the criminal justice system, including not knowing who Miranda was. Getting his college degree in prison helped him understand larger patterns of racial inequity. We were trapped in a bubble, it felt like, Richardson said. It also took years for him to understand the magnitude of what had happened, as well as the trauma he experienced. (In 2014, the five men were awarded $41 million in a settlement with the City of New York, which denied wrongdoing.) Actually, 30 years later, were still healing, Richardson said. People might see us well off. We might look put together but inside were still broken. Salaam noted Kings dream of people of all colors sharing the same opportunities. And how that dream stands in stark relief to the continued mistreatment of African Americans from slavery to Jim Crow and redlining and beyond. You begin to realize this isnt just mistakes, Salaam said. Its so entrenched that its almost as American as apple pie. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The death toll from a violent storm that has wrought havoc across huge swathes of Spain's eastern and southern coastline rose to 11 on Thursday, with rescue workers still searching for four people. The latest victim was a 50-year-old man who was fishing in coastal Ametlla de Mar, according to civil protection authorities in the northeast Catalonia region. Earlier, emergency services found the body of a man inside a vehicle in Cabaces, 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of the port city of Tarragona and a local official reported the death of 75-year-old woman whose house collapsed because of heavy rain in Alcoi, a town in the eastern Alicante region. Seven more storm-related deaths had already been reported since Sunday, when Storm Gloria hit the region bringing strong winds, torrential rains and heavy snow, battering Spain's southern and eastern flanks before moving north. Gale-force winds and huge waves smashed into seafront towns, with dramatic images showing massive flooding that has damaged shops, houses and restaurants. - Record waves - Heavy rains were whipped in by winds of 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour to eastern Spain with snow also dumped in parts of the coastal region, one of the most popular tourist regions in Europe, leaving many towns flooded. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise further with four people still listed as missing in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. As the storm eased, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited some of the worst-hit areas on Thursday, overflying parts of Catalonia before heading to the Balearics which on Tuesday were hit by record waves. Speaking on the island of Mallorca, Sanchez pledged government help "immediately". "We're going to hold an urgent meeting tomorrow to activate all the mechanisms... to respond with all the necessary urgency to your needs," he said, pledging there would be "no scrimping on any resource or effort". Rescuers on the islands are still searching for a 25-year-old Briton and a 41-year-old Spanish man, both of whom were last seen in northwestern Ibiza. They were also looking for a 27-year-old Spaniard who disappeared in Mallorca while practising canyoning -- a mix of rappelling, climbing and watersliding through deep gorges. A 54-year-old Romanian woman was one of two homeless people who died of exposure in the southern Valencia region during the storm. - Southern France also hit - Aside from the confirmed storm deaths, rescuers found another body in southern Valencia on Monday, that of a man in Carcaixent, but they have so far been unable to say if he died as a direct result of the weather. Spain has in recent years witnessed torrential rainfall of a rare intensity. Last September, seven people were killed when gale-force winds and huge waves smashed into seafront towns in the east of the country. In 2018, 13 people died in flash flooding on the holiday island of Mallorca. The network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC) said in a study published in October that such extreme weather episodes were increasing due to climate change. "It's clear that the meteorological phenomenons we are witnessing aren't entirely due to climate change, but what is also true is that climate change is accentuating them," said Sanchez. Storm Gloria also hit parts of southern France, causing the evacuation of 1,500 people in the Pyrenees-Orientales region. They began to return home on Thursday. Belarus started importing oil from Norway on Jan. 21 after Russia, its primary oil provider, suspended supplies earlier this month amid stalled talks on further strengthening economic ties between two countries. Belarusian state-run oil company Belneftekhim said its subsidiary bought 80,000 tones of crude oil from Norway, which is expected to be delivered to the countrys refineries via rail in the next few days. Importing oil from alternative sources is more expensive for Belarus than cheap Russian supplies. But Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sees it as an important message for the Kremlin, Valery Karbalevich, a political analyst from the Minsk-based Strategia think tank, told The Associated Press. Lukashenko is sending a clear signal to the Kremlin that he is ready to tighten his belt, but isnt ready to become a Russian governor, Karbalevich said. Russia stopped supplying oil to its post-Soviet neighbor after Dec. 31. The two nations had failed to renegotiate an agreed oil price for this year during drawn-out negotiations on deepening the integration of their economies. The Russian suspension did not affect oil crossing Belarus to Europe or the supply of natural gas but had consequences for Belarus, which relies on Russia for more than 80 percent of its overall energy needs. Russia resumed limited supplies to Belarus on Jan. 4, but Lukashenko vowed to look for alternative oil suppliers. On Tuesday, Lukashenko acknowledged, currently, there is no alternative for all oil supplies from Russia. He said Belarus needs to diversify and should work to import no more than 40 percent of the oil it needs from Russia. Another 30 percent we should import from the Baltics, and the remaining 30 percent through Ukraine, Lukashenko said at a government meeting. The Kremlin has recently increased the pressure on Belarus by raising energy prices and cutting subsidies. It argues that Belarus should accept greater economic integration if it wants to continue receiving energy resources at Russias domestic prices. Russian President Vladimir Putin held two rounds of talks with Lukashenko in December, but they failed to agree on the closer ties and oil and gas prices. Putin said Russia was not ready to subsidize energy supplies without more economic integration with Belarus. Lukashenko insisted he would not sign off on the integration until the issues with oil and gas supplies were resolved. The talks prompted fears in Belarus that the Kremlin is plotting to form a single state with Belarus to keep Putin in power well past the end of his term in 2024. Lukashenko has repeatedly rejected the idea, saying that Belarus would never become part of Russia. By Yuras Karmanau The Roadshow, beginning February, will expand on Falcon.io's recently released Digital Marketing Trends Handbook CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Falcon.io, a Cision company, today announced the dates for its inaugural Digital Marketing Trends Roadshow. The 2020 Roadshow meetups will take place in selected cities in North America, Europe and Australia, beginning this February and ending in April. The Roadshow is based on Falcon.io's recently released 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook, an annual report by Falcon.io now in its fourth edition. The handbook lists the 15 digital trends most likely to affect marketers in 2020. The trends were compiled based on industry research, Falcon.io's expertise, as well as input from customers, partners and influencers. At each meetup, an expert panel will discuss the key trends and the consumer behavior driving them, as well as strategies for how marketers can turn these trends to their advantage in 2020 and beyond. Some of the topics explored in the handbook include: How private messaging apps are taking over customer service The latest evolution of social media advertising How the demand for authenticity is changing influencer marketing "Falcon.io's Digital Marketing Trends Handbook has become such a popular piece of content, that we were excited to launch the roadshow to get the opportunity to dive deeper into the trends impacting our industry," explained Dino Kuckovic, Community Marketing Lead at Falcon.io. "We can't wait to see what topics arise in each city, and get the chance to further explore insights and questions with our peers face-to-face." The 2020 Roadshow dates and locations are: Vancouver , February 5 , London , February 12 , Miami , February 27 , Amsterdam , March 5 , Zurich, March 11 Melbourne , March 18 , Hamburg , March 26 , New York City , April 1 , Austin , April 7 , Chicago , April 28 For more details and to register, visit Falcon.io's Events Hub at www.falcon.io/events. Falcon.io will also be hosting a webinar on January 23rd addressing the social media trends covered in the report. The webinar will be co-hosted by social media consultant and influencer Matt Navarra, and will be available on-demand afterwards. To download and read the full 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook, click here. About Falcon.io Falcon.io offers an integrated SaaS platform for social media listening, engaging, publishing, advertising, analytics and benchmarking. The company enables its clients to explore the full potential of digital marketing by managing multiple customer touchpoints from one platform. Its client portfolio includes Carlsberg, Toyota, William Grant & Sons, momondo, Panasonic and Coca-Cola. For more information, visit www.falcon.io. About Cision Cision Ltd (NYSE: CISN) is a leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals. Cision's software allows users to identify key influencers, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact. Cision has over 4,800 employees with offices in 22 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information about its award-winning products and services, including the Cision Communications Cloud, visit www.cision.com and follow Cision on Twitter @Cision. Media Contact: Rebecca Dersh PR Manager, Cision cisionpr@cision.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1080043/Falcon_io_Digital_Marketing_Trends_Roadshow_2020.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/974326/Falcon_io_Logo.jpg Related Links https://www.falcon.io SOURCE Falcon.io ALBANY As more than 200 state legislators work in Albany over the next two months to reach an agreement to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is also keeping in mind the actions of New Yorks neighbors. For months, Cuomo has discussed pursuing regional symmetry when it comes to cannabis that is, enacting laws similar to the states bordering New York to ensure that consumers are not encountering vastly different regulations, or prices, if they cross state lines. Still, its unclear how regional parity will work its way into lawmakers negotiations, as Cuomo pitches his legalization proposal to both legislative chambers, and governors in other states do the same. Lawmakers across the northeast have been generally supportive of coordination, but discussions at each negotiating table may produce different results especially as many of those involved in early conversations have yet to agree on a plan in their own domains. At the end of the day, each state is going to have to draft and hopefully vote on a bill that has support in those legislative chambers, said Connecticut Rep. Steve Stafstrom, who has championed efforts to legalize marijuana in Hartford. Oh, gee, this is the language that New York is using isnt going to get us any additional votes in the Connecticut General Assembly. Marijuana legalization faced several hurdles in Albany during last year's legislative session, as lawmakers struggled to come to a consensus on how the state would manage revenue, support minority communities and prioritize public safety. States surrounding New York have also wrestled with conflicting interests; New Jersey legislators, after failing to pass a legalization bill last year, punted the issue to voters, setting up a ballot referendum for this fall. The conflicting interests across state lines led Cuomo to organize a summit on marijuana and vaping with other state executives in October, where they agreed on a set of guiding principles to give the states direction as they pursue legalization. Cuomo's proposal this year, included in his executive budget released Tuesday, is similar to his plan last year save a few additions, including a five-member control board to oversee the adult-use, medical and cannabinoid hemp industries. The principles are overarching and cover public health, market regulations, safety and vaping ranging from encouraging in conjunction with their Legislature a stable regional market by identifying and implementing a similar overall effective tax rate for cannabis products to creating youth prevention and public education campaigns to inform youth and the general public about the health and safety consequences of cannabis use. I think the plan is to make sure that were holding true to these established principles as much as possible, Norman Birenbaum, the states director of cannabis programs, said. Birenbaum said conversations have continued with legislators, agency executives and other stakeholders in several states since the October summit, which featured Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Officials and legislators from Rhode Island and Massachusetts also attended. Over the past week and a half, Birenbaum said he has had more than half a dozen conversations on the topic. As far as translating the guiding principles to legislation, he said the ideas are a tool to be able to use as were negotiating with our internal stakeholders but, in general, legislators have supported the principles. Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, who has championed marijuana legalization over the past several years, said the agreement among executives in neighboring states could help them better communicate about concerns or successes in their respective programs. There was a lot of symmetry in the things that the governors were saying that they saw and they learned out there, and so if all the states want to continue down that path about sharing information about best practices I think that is excellent, she said. Still, abiding by some of the guiding principles could be a hangup as legislators hash out the details of the legislation. Implementing similar tax rates, for example, could prompt concerns from those who would want New York to have a business advantage over other states, Krueger said. Overall, Krueger believes the momentum in surrounding states will help New York push its own legislation over the finish line this year, especially considering the prospect that cannabis revenue could end up in the pockets of other state governments if New York doesn't act. On Thursday, Sen. Peter Harckham, D-Westchester County, who opposed legalization last year, will announce support for Kruegers cannabis bill which she said indicates a shift in sentiment that may have held up the legislation last year. In June of last year, when we were so close, we still had plenty of people saying, I just dont think I can, but maybe, maybe, she said. This year, those same people are, Ah, this is inevitable.' For her part, Assemblywoman Pat Fahy, D-Albany, said efforts to pursue regional symmetry are encouraging and one of the better changes from last year to this year. She has opposed legalization in the past, highlighting concerns with youth access and impaired driving. Its given people like me, whos had so many concerns about this I feel like this will help everybody with trying to coordinate these efforts a little more, she said. But outside New York, other states are also considering the best way to align their laws with other states. Each state has a different legislative makeup and calendar, and while there are strong voices across the northeast advocating for legalization, each state must reach their own compromises and create their own plan. Pennsylvania Sen. Sharif Street, who has sponsored a bill to legalize cannabis, said he hopes to connect more with legislators across the northeast on the topic. Enacting similar laws makes sense, he said, but Gov. Cuomo is the first person Ive heard talk about express regional parity. I think regional cultural norms play a part in it for young adults socializing in a certain way in Pennsylvania if they were to go to New Jersey, to the shore, and the laws were substantially different, or think of all the Philadelphians who go to New York theres certainly a need for some regional parity," he said. Pennsylvania, though, has faced more hurdles than New York, as Republicans control both legislative chambers and have historically opposed marijuana legalization. At the end of last year, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf came out in support of legalization for the first time. In New Jersey, Assemblyman Jamel Holley, who has also backed cannabis legalization, said he has supported the general idea of coordination, but without a full proposal from the states executives, its difficult to fully greenlight a plan. Depending on what the agreement would be, I think that we should be always talking to our sister states, but that doesnt really go all into the details, he said. An army handout on the programme for the Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29 has ended the uncertainty over the performance of Abide With Me during the ceremony. Reports, including in this newspaper suggested that the government was considering dropping the melancholic Christian hymn, a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi. The army did not comment on these reports at the time. However, its handout says it will feature Indias national song Vande Mataram and Abide With Me. The ceremony usually ends with the hymn. In an anticipated change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial for the first time before the Republic Day parade begins, said Major General Alok Kacker, the second-in-command of the parade. The wreath used to be placed at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. The PM inaugurated the memorial last February. The defence minister, the minister of state for defence, the chief of defence staff, the three service chiefs and the defence secretary will also be present at the memorial. This will be the first RD parade for General Bipin Rawat as CDS. The indigenously developed 155mm 45-calibre towed artillery gun Dhanush and the anti-satellite missile (A-SAT) will be showcased for the first time during the parade. Last March, the 19-tonne A-SAT missile struck a Microsat-R satellite orbiting 283km above the earth with pinpoint accuracy, propelling India into an elite space club which, until then, was restricted to the US, Russia and China. Captain Tania Sher Gill, a fourth-generation army officer, will lead an all-male contingent of the Corps of Signals at the parade. She was the parade adjutant at the Army Day parade on January 15. The Indian Air Forces Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy-lift choppers will also make their debut at this years Republic Day fly-past, which is one of the most popular elements of the annual parade at New Delhis Rajpath. The IAF fly-past will comprise 45 aircraft 16 fighter jets, 10 transport planes, and 19 helicopters. The fighter jets taking part in the fly-past are Sukhoi-30s and upgraded MiG-29s. Other planes in the display include C-17 Globemaster III heavy lifters, C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft, Mi-17 V5 helicopters, Rudra advanced light helicopter (ALH) Mk IV WSI, and the armys Dhruv ALH. Five US-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and three CH-47F (I) Chinook heavy-lift helicopters the IAFs latest acquisitions will be the highlight of the 90-minute parade. The navys tableau this year will display its firepower in all three dimensions --- surface, sub-surface and air. The tableau will have mock-ups of a Kolkata-class stealth destroyer armed with BrahMos missiles, the Kalvari submarine with its Exocet missiles and the P-8I submarine hunter aircraft with its Harpoons. It will also showcase the indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant that is being constructed at Cochin Shipyard Limited and is expected to be inducted into the navy by 2022. In 2016, the National Democratic Alliance government decided to cut down the duration of the parade by 25 minutes --- from 115 minutes to 90 minutes --- to make it crisper. In 2005, then United Progressive Alliance regime shortened the parade by 45 minutes. By Mary Wood, Philip H. Knight Professor of Law, University of Oregon and Michael C. Blumm, Jeffrey Bain Scholar & Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark A sharply divided panel of three federal judges on Jan. 17 dismissed a high-profile climate lawsuit brought on behalf of 21 young people against the federal government. The Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruling accepted with unusual bluntness that the federal governments climate policies may pose clear and present danger capable of destroying the nation, but said its up to the federal government and Congress, not the U.S. courts, to do something about it. The three judges agreed that the young plaintiffs have constitutional rights to a stable climate system, but judges Andrew D. Hurwitz and Mary H. Murguia said that courts have no role in bringing that about. Likely remedies would involve changes in transportation and energy policies, along with public lands management. Supporters attend a rally for a group of young people who filed a lawsuit saying U.S. energy policies are causing climate change and hurting their future. The group faced a major hurdle Tuesday as lawyers for the Trump administration argued to stop the case from moving forward, in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, June 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Dipaola)AP Lawyers for the youth plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States said that they arent giving up. They plan to petition the full court of 29 active Ninth Circuit court judges to review the case. As environmental law professors, we often write and teach students about this groundbreaking case. In our view, this case is important not only because it seeks to force the federal government to phase out fossil fuels, but also because it frames the climate crisis in terms of fundamental constitutional rights. Public trust doctrine The lawsuit challenges U.S. energy policies, which the plaintiffs allege have destabilized the climate system and jeopardize human life, private property and civilization itself. The case, filed in 2015, originally took aim at the Obama administration and now targets the Trump administration. It accuses government defendants of promoting fossil fuels for decades with deliberate indifference to the peril they knowingly created. The young plaintiffs alleged a host of individual harms from climate disruption, including damage from fires, floods, sea level rise and ocean warming that affects fisheries. The case has surmounted big hurdles before. The youth won a landmark victory in 2016 in the District Court of Oregon when Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the plaintiffs had a constitutional right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life, grounded in the due process clause of the Constitution and the public trust doctrine, a principle with ancient roots requiring government to hold and protect essential resources as a sustaining endowment for citizens, in the present and the future. A trial scheduled for Oct. 29, 2018, would have marked a first. Had it gone forward, the courts would have appraised the dangers U.S. fossil fuel policies pose, based on objective climate science. But federal lawyers won an early appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which led first to a delay and subsequently this dismissal. On the Eve of Destruction The three judges did agree on something: The federal governments promotion of fossil fuel use is pushing the nation toward collapse. Quoting the 1960s-era protest song Eve of Destruction, Judge Hurwitz, writing for himself and Judge Murguia, blamed the federal government for long knowing that fossil fuels can cause catastrophic climate change. He warned that the policies now in place may hasten environmental apocalypse burying cities, unleashing life-threatening disasters and jeopardizing crucial food and water sources. The majority offered no hope that political leaders would respond in time. File - In this Friday, Sept. 6, 2019 file photo, commuters make their way along an expressway during rush hour in Beijing. According to Chinese state media, the average concentration of PM2.5 fine air pollutants in Beijing in August was at the lowest level ever recorded for that month. Inger Andersen, head of the U.N. Environment Program, says the world needs 'quick wins to reduce emissions as much as possible in 2020.' Ahead of a global climate summit in Madrid next week, her agency published a report Tuesday showing the amount of planet-heating gases released into the atmosphere hitting a new high last year. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)AP Observing that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have skyrocketed to levels not seen for almost 3 million years, and the U.S. is expanding oil and gas extraction four times faster than that of any other nation growth that shows no signs of abating Hurwitz wrote the problem is approaching the point of no return. In a forceful dissent, Judge Josephine L. Staton countered: It is as if an asteroid were barreling toward Earth and the government decided to shut down our only defenses. The government bluntly insists that it has the absolute and unreviewable power to destroy the Nation. My colleagues throw up their hands. The role of the court There was some good news for plaintiffs in the decision. The court would have found sufficient injury and causation, both needed to grant judicial review, but it was troubled with the courts role in providing a climate remedy. The majority thought that the separation of powers between the three branches of government relegates courts to the sidelines. The dissent instead viewed the separation of powers principle to call courts to the forefront. Staton saw an implicit duty embedded in the Constitution that obliges courts to prevent the other branches from bringing the nation to its demise. The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens. As the window of opportunity to avert climate disaster closes, checks and balances in government matter more than ever before. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands, in December 2019, rejected the argument that the Juliana majority endorsed. That court found that the judicial branch may require the political branches to act, ordering a 25% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by the end of 2020. Brown as a precedent The divided Juliana panel fundamentally disagreed on courts ability to provide a remedy. The plaintiffs ask for a court-supervised federal plan to shrink the nations carbon footprint at a rate necessary to stave off disastrous levels of climate change. They draw a parallel with ending official school segregation after the Supreme Courts landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. In that case, the Supreme Court found public school segregation to be unconstitutional. The justices also recognized that their decision intended to protect the rights of all children to public education would require courts to supervise detailed and complex remedial action by school authorities. The Juliana majority believed judicial supervision would mire the courts in protracted and complex policy issues. Had the courts invoked that logic in the 1950s, the Supreme Court might never have handed down its Brown ruling, which ordered public school desegregation with all deliberate speed. The Juliana plaintiffs had also filed an urgent motion in the Ninth Circuit for an injunction to block several classes of fossil fuel projects the Trump administration was poised to deploy. An injunction could have pulled an emergency brake on U.S. fossil fuel emissions, but the majority swept away the request in a footnote with no discussion. Whats next? The youth will ask the Ninth Circuit for full review. If granted, a panel of 11 judges will have an opportunity to reverse or affirm the panels decision to dismiss the case. The court allows this step, known as an en banc review, in very few cases. A majority of judges on the 29-member court would have to vote to accept the case. The Juliana plaintiffs may defy these slim odds. As Staton observed, the urgency and danger of the climate crisis puts this case in a category of one. This landmark case may also receive further review because of its sweeping implications for the courts ability to provide redress for constitutional violations. No matter what the outcome of the youths long-shot appeal to the full court, the losing party will likely seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court. Supporters hold caricatures of U.S. presidents at a rally for a group of young people who filed a lawsuit saying U.S. energy policies are causing climate change and hurting their future. The group faces a major hurdle Tuesday as lawyers for the Trump administration argue to stop the case from moving forward. in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, June 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Dipaola)AP Taking a stand While the legal destiny of this case remains uncertain, the recent majority opinion, paired with the dissent, may sharpen awareness of what is at stake. Vivid descriptions of climate catastrophe in both opinions define an inescapable moment of truth for the destiny of the United States in Statons words, an existential crisis to the countrys perpetuity. Her dissent presses judges deciding climate cases to choose a side of history, asking: When the seas envelop our coastal cities, fires and droughts haunt our interiors, and storms ravage everything between, those remaining will ask: Why did so many do so little? The 29 federal judges who sit on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will have to answer that question when they decide whether to keep this case alive. This article draws on material published on Oct. 26, 2018. Jack Van Impe, a Michigan televangelist who spent decades warning that the end times were near, died on Jan. 18. He was 88. Both beloved and controversial, Van Impe was revered by some for his teachings on bible prophecy. He was known as the The Walking Bible because of his ability to memorize more than 22,000 verses from the King James Version of the Bible. The beloved Dr. Jack Van Impe was welcomed into Heaven by His blessed Savior and Lord who he had so faithfully served in ministry for over 70 years, read an announcement posted by Jack Van Impe Ministries International. "Please pray for his beloved wife and lifelong ministry partner Rexella and their families as they grieve this immense loss and for wisdom as she and the board lead the ministry in the days ahead." Van Impe was born on Feb. 9, 1931, in Freeport to Oscar and Marie Louise Van Impe. He graduated from Detroit Bible College in 1951 and married Rexella Shelton in 1952. The Van Impes presented live evangelism events for 12 years, conducting 260 citywide tours and 800 week-long church tours. During his career, Van Impes sermons were broadcast from legendary venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu. Jack Van Impe Presents debuted in 1980 and became one of the highest-rated Christian programs on TV. It was broadcast to as many as 25,000 cities each week, and more than 150 countries worldwide. The most recent episode of his program featured footage of Jack Van Impe giving a sermon about the seven signs of the end times, followed by his wife signing off until the next weeks program. Memorial services celebrating Van Impes life and ministry will be held Saturday, Feb. 1 with a viewing at 10 a.m. and the service at 11 a.m. at Woodside Bible Church, Troy Campus, 6600 Rochester Road, in Troy. There will be a public visitation on Friday, Jan. 31 from 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the church. Jack Van Impe Ministries International posted a video tribute to its leader, which you can see below. A former Miss Tourism Australia winner has slammed beauty pageants for being 'not important' in the social media age and said she purposefully scored all girls a '10' when she appeared as a guest judge because no one should be judged in a bikini. Sarah Czarnuch, who was selected as a wildcard in the 2013 Miss Tourism parade, took the crown and went on to build a portfolio of modelling contracts, working with brands like Myer, Nike and Cartier. Now 27 and focused on building her brand connections and 120,000 follower strong fan base online, the Melbourne-born model has shared her 'controversial' views on the beauty industry. Sarah Czarnuch, who was selected as a wildcard in the 2013 Miss Tourism parade, took the crown and went on to build a portfolio of modelling contracts Sarah Czarnuch took the crown and went on a year-long journey with the Miss Tourism label What does Sarah eat each day? Breakfast: Maqui berry smoothie. Lunch: Buddha bowl, rice paper rolls or even sushi. Dinner: Seared salmon served with plenty of greens alongside rice or sweet potato. Snacks: Pana Chocolate's Sour Cherry and Vanilla flavour Source: Husskie Advertisement 'If I'm being completely honest, I really don't think they do have a place in this day and age,' Sarah told host Amber Lowther on the Fashion Avenue podcast. 'The thing I definitely struggled with post-pageant was with my title, it was my job to sit on the judging panel and I couldn't stand the fact I was sitting there with a scorecard scoring these girls in particular categories out of ten.' She took a 'mini stand' as a guest judge and scored all of the girls in swimsuits a perfect 10, even though it earned her some looks from the other guests. 'I did not think it was right to grade girls out of ten in a bikini,' Sarah said. She took a 'mini stand' as a guest judge and scored all of the girls in swimsuits a perfect 10, even though it earned her some looks from the panel Agreeing with Miss Lowther that it was 'degrading' to judge contestants, Sarah felt as though when she won there were more positive things to gain from a pageant Agreeing with Miss Lowther that it was 'degrading' to judge contestants, Sarah felt as though when she won there were more positive things to gain from a pageant. She was able to meet people in her year as the winner that she might not have ever got the chance to, but those barriers have changed in an Instagram influencer world. 'When I won... this was before Instagram marketing so the exposure was great,' she said. 'The people I met during that one year of Miss Tourism were invaluable.' She was able to meet people in her year as the winner that she might not have ever got the chance to, but those barriers have changed in an Instagram influencer world However, now the exposure young ladies are looking for can be found on their iPhones and harnessed by a good filter. 'If I was to do my time again I can't tell you I would definitely do it,' Sarah said. Since her reign as pageant queen ended Sarah has flourished by sharing her modelling gigs on social media, giving people an insight as to what she does on a regular basis. But trolling on the app has prevented her from sharing too many personal details and she prefers to keep things strictly business. Photo: Bruno Martins/Unsplash Looking to mix things up this week? From a Lunar New Year meditation session to a wine tasting experience, here's a roundup of options to help you get out and about in the days ahead. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Winter Showcase at Knoebel Events From the event description: Knoebel Events is the events center inside of the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality at The University of Denver. We would like to invite you to come see our space, and indulge in the delicious food and beverages that we offer. This event will be an excellent opportunity to taste items off our new menu, sample our delicious wines and beers and chat with our preferred vendors. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 4:30-7 p.m. Where: Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, 2044 E. Evans Ave. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Lunar New Year: A Sound Healing Journey at Urban Sanctuary, presented by Ethereal Cultivation From the event description: Join us for a multi-dimensional sound meditation, taking place the evening of the first new moon of 2020. We will start off the evening by diving into an advanced perception of a topic relevant to the Lunar New Year. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 7:45-9:15 p.m. Where: Urban Sanctuary, 2745 Welton St. Admission: $30 (general admission); $50 (two tickets) Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Booze For Roos: Supporting Australia Bushfire Relief and Restoration at Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse From the event description: Aussie tech companies in Denver, alongside the Colorado startup community, are uniting to run an Oz Day fundraising event in support of Australian Bushfire Relief and Restoration. When: Friday, Jan. 24, 5:30-9 p.m. Where: Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse, 3636 Chestnut Place Admission: $20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Story continues Taste and Talk at Blanchard Family Wines From the event description: Join our resident wine expert for a family-style tasting experience, complete with a four-wine flight and an unforgettable evening. When: Friday, Jan. 24, 6-9 p.m. Where: Blanchard Family Wines, 1855 Blake St., #120 Admission: $40 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. AEOI Chief deplores E3 statement about Dispute Resolution Mechanism IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 22, IRNA -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said that statement released by Germany, France and the UK invoking Dispute Resolution Mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was a indication of Europeans' inability and Impotence against US demands. In the wake on Trump's pressures, foreign ministers of the UK, Germany and France in a statement announced invoking the Dispute Resolution Mechanism DRM of the JCPOA. Britain, France, and Germany initiated a process that could lead to the United Nations' sanctions being re-imposed on Iran and the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal despite the fact that they did not fulfill their commitments to the JCPOA after the US withdrawal since May 2018. Speaking to IRNA, Salehi commented on demands of the families of the victims of the recent deadly air crash in Tehran, saying as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei earlier said committees have been established to address the issue. He also urged officials to take a mechanism to review the reasons behind the accident and to announce the findings. After the US increased tensions in the Middle East by assassinating Iran's Lieutenant-General Qasem Soeimani, the country made a reaction and hit the US airbase in Iraq with missiles. Iran's military had been put on alert to counter any US adventurism. But unintentionally, a Ukrainian Boeing 737 was shot down near Tehran minutes after takeoff. Iranian officials have admitted that human error was responsible for downing the passenger plane and expressed regret and apologized for the tragedy. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CLEVELAND, Ohio Two robbers chased down and attacked a Cleveland man before they looted his pockets on the citys East Side, police said. The unidentified robbers stole a 40-year-old mans wallet, cellphone and watch during the Monday incident in the Lee-Seville neighborhood, according to a police report. The man suffered minor injuries in the attack, but refused medical treatment. The robbery happened about 8 p.m. after the man got off a bus near the intersection of Lee Road and South Miles Road. A young man and a young woman approached him. One of them said I know youve got money, hand it over, the police report says. The man ran away, but the robbers chased him down. One robber struck him in the back of the head with an unknown object. The man fell to the ground, and the robbers punched and kicked him, the police report says. The robbers went through the mans pockets before he managed to get away. He ran home before he called police. Detectives from the Cleveland police departments Fourth District are investigating. To comment on this story, visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments page. Read more crime stories: Man knocked unconscious during attempted robbery in downtown Cleveland Police found man charged in Garfield Heights bank robbery hiding in Maple Heights dumpster Strongsville priest facing child pornography charges in two counties pleads not guilty Second teen charged with murder in crash that killed 13-year-old girl during Cleveland police chase In February 2019, Cairo governorate started cleaning up rubbish at the historic Jewish cemetery, removing over 2,000 tons of garbage from the location The US Embassy in Cairo announced Thursday it would fund the conservation of Bassatine Jewish Cemetery in Cairo, one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the world. The restoration of the 1,200-year-old cemetery, located in the Cairo suburb of El-Bassatine, is aimed at conserving the graveyards and architecture and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the site, the embassy said in a statement. The project will be financed under the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which supports the preservation of cultural sites. We are proud to partner in preserving and protecting Egypts heritage sites," the embassy quoted US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen as saying at the inauguration of the project. "This Ambassadors Fund project at Bassatine Cemetery is an investment in Egypts diverse cultural history, and an opportunity to raise awareness of Egypts diversity. The project at Bassatine Cemetery will be implemented by the American Research Centre in Egypt in cooperation with Drop of Milk Foundation. Egyptian Jews of all backgrounds have been buried in the site of the cemetery since its founding, including iconic Egyptian Jewish figures like Rabbi Haim Capusi, the embassy said. In February 2019, Cairo governorate started cleaning up rubbish at the historic Jewish cemetery, removing over 2,000 tons of garbage from the location. Earlier this month, Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria was inaugurated after restoration work amounting to more than EGP 60 million. In late 2018, the Egyptian government launched a campaign to restore and renovate Jewish landmarks in Egypt, including synagogues. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a meeting with a Jewish-American delegation in February 2019 that the Egyptian government would build a synagogue and provide services to the Jewish community if Jews return to Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: I was looking for a new business thats internet-proof, has long-term sustainability, and is not a fad, said Elliott. Monster Tree Service, the nations first and fastest-growing tree service franchise, is expanding in Tennessee. Recently featured by SUCCESS magazine, Thrive Global, and Franchise Times, the Monster Tree Service franchise continues to build on its rapid three-year franchise system growth. Business entrepreneur Don Elliott has purchased the rights to a Monster Tree Service Territory in Knoxville, Tennessee, covering Knoxville, Maryville, Alcoa, Oak Ridge and surrounding areas. Elliott is already enjoying a steady stream of clients and plans to add two more crews in 2020 to meet the needs of the community and his growing business. Elliot is no stranger to franchising. He currently owns 56 Great Clips hair salons throughout Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky. Hes looking forward to having similar success in a new industry and the challenge of growing his Monster Tree Service franchise. I was looking for a new business thats internet-proof, has long-term sustainability, and is not a fad, said Elliott. Monster Tree Service has those key qualities and more. I also like that I wont have to work nights or weekends unless a customer has an emergency on their property. Josh Skolnick, CEO and Founder of Monster Tree Service, is confident Elliott will be a tremendous asset to the Monster Tree Service franchise. Don is an ideal Monster Tree Service franchisee, says Skolnick. He has a solid franchise business background and an incredible work ethic. He has a knack for understanding the needs of his community, and I am confident he will thrive as the newest member of the Monster family. We could not be more excited to have Don on our team. Monster Tree Service is the only franchise tree company capitalizing on the under-served $17 billion tree service industry. Monster Tree Service has achieved consistent year-over-year, 5 percent growth since 2009, resulting in a $10+ million business. Because its a high-upside opportunity, and a recession-proof business, Monster Tree Service expects to achieve $100 million in sales by 2021. Our goal is to be the go-to professionals for residential tree service in the Knoxville market, said Elliott. The Monster Tree Service equipment has less impact on a clients property and allows us to provide an exceptional level of customer service. Were also excited to offer the community our wide array of services, including tree removal, tree trimming, storm damage clean-up and more. For more information about Monster Tree Service, please visit http://www.whymonster.com/. For more information about Monster Tree Service franchise opportunities, please visit http://www.monsterfranchising.com/. To learn more about CEO Josh Skolnicks vision for Monster Tree Service, please visit https://www.monsterfranchising.com/vision-story. About Monster Tree Service Founded in 2008 in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, by Founder and CEO Josh Skolnick, Monster Tree Service is the nations first and fastest-growing franchise brand serving the $21 billion tree care industry. Over the past decade, Skolnick has aggressively built Monster Tree Service into a thriving national franchise system, working day and night to build the company into a multi-million-dollar business with more than 62 franchise partners and 166 territories sold in 28 states. With dozens of fantastic franchise partners doing great work in their respective communities, Monster Tree Service expects to exceed $35 million in systemwide revenue in 2019. Each Monster Tree Service franchised outlet offers full-scale tree pruning and removal services, including tree pruning and trimming, tree removal, stump grinding, shrub maintenance, emergency services, plant health care, and various secondary services. Monster Tree Service franchise owners possess high levels of business acumen and business-building skills that bring a rare level of professionalism to the tree care industry. Fully invested in this industry - both personally and professionally - Monster Tree Service owners provide wonderful opportunities to other professionals who have a shared vision of continuing to legitimize the tree care industry as a skilled trade. These industry professionals will have the tools, training, and respect to excel in providing unparalleled service to their clients and Make the World a More Beautiful Place, One Tree at a Time. Monster Tree Service is committed to educating all customers on the natural conditions, diseases and infestations that impact the health of their plants/trees and treating all issues with an environmentally friendly, Do Not Harm approach. Its all part of the Monster Tree Service vision to partner with homeowners across the country to make their trees healthy, strong, and vital. For more information about Monster Tree Service, please visit https://www.whymonster.com/. Gwyneth Paltrow spilled behind the scenes secrets from Goop during a hilarious appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday. The multi-talented star promoted her Netflix show The Goop Lab on the chat show, revealing the thought process behind one of her lifestyle company's most infamous products - the sold out This Smells Like My Vagina candle. The interview opened with a clip from The Goop Lab premiering Friday on Netflix that showed people drinking psychedelic mushroom tea, and the actress joked she had enjoyed sampling the product. She means business: Gwyneth Paltrow spilled behind the scenes secrets from Goop during a hilarious appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday Gwyneth revealed they were Goop staffers drinking mushroom tea in Jamaica. 'Everybody signed up for that one,' she quipped before joking that she was on mushrooms when she came up with the name for her candle. The item description on the lifestyle company's website says the 10.5 oz candle, which retails for a jaw-dropping $75, has a 'funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent,' featuring citrus and cedar notes. It also says the candle's smell will induce a sense of 'fantasy,' 'seduction' and, most importantly, 'warmth.' Secrets: The multi-talented star promoted her Netflix show The Goop Lab, revealing the thought process behind the sold out This Smells Like My Vagina candle Gwyneth insisted the name was a joke at first, laughing as she explained: 'I smelled this beautiful thing and I said, ''This smells like my vagina''. I was kidding. We were on mushrooms.' She said the candle's name was 'funny to us' and was a 'little bit punk rock'. The star added there was a 'certain degree of shame' about the body and she called it a 'subversive candle'. Gwyneth also blamed mushrooms when she stumbled over her words during the Late Night interview. On mushrooms: The interview opened with a clip from The Goop Lab that showed her staffers drinking psychedelic mushroom tea, and the actress joked she had enjoyed sampling the tea The actress messed up the cruise ship collaboration credit for her upcoming Goop At Sea, telling Seth: 'I have never been on an actual cruise. I've always wanted to do it.' Gwyneth added that she was 'approached by Royal Caribbean to do this cruise' as a wellness venture. 'I'm really excited about it,' she gushed, mentioning the healthy food and wellness programs that will be available on the cruise. But she soon stopped as she realised: 'I said Royal Caribbean instead of Celebrity Cruises.' 'Because I'm on mushrooms,' she joked. She checked with an assistant off-camera who confirmed it was Celebrity Cruises. Thought process: 'Everybody signed up for that one,' she quipped before joking that she was on mushrooms when she came up with the name for her candle Good times: Gwyneth insisted the name was a joke at first, laughing as she explained: 'I smelled this beautiful thing and I said, ''This smells like my vagina''. I was kidding' That candle: She said the candle's name was 'funny to us' and was a 'little bit punk rock' 'I feel like I'm hallucinating,' Gwyneth said. Seth said they could edit out the error and Gwyneth then repeated herself giving proper credit to Celebrity Cruises. Seth said they could edit out the error and Gwyneth then repeated herself giving proper credit to Celebrity Cruises. Gwyneth - who founded the website in 2008 -is no stranger to sparking controversy on her lifestyle website by previously advising readers to purchase a $15,000 24k gold vibrator and vaginal jade eggs. She has also turned her attention to the world of BDSM and, last year, sold a nude underwear set alongside a black whip (currently on sale for $72), which promised to fulfill consumers 'fantasies'. Oops! Gwyneth also blamed mushrooms when she stumbled over her words during the Late Night interview The lingerie set's product description read: 'Handmade in England, this saddle leather bra is what BDSM fantasies are made of. 'O-ring details, racy demi cups for freeing the nipple, buckles to be undone, this piece--paired with the matching knickers--is prepped for full speed ahead. Layer an easy tee underneath for a more subtle statement.' While Gwyneth has no plans to completely quit acting, she previously revealed her plans to focus on Goop rather than her acting career. She said: 'I've never said that I am quitting acting. What I say is Goop is my full-time passion, and being the founder and CEO of Goop is what I do all day every day, and occasionally when something is the right thing and it works out around my children and my Goop life, I'm able to participate. An actor and ex-husband of an actress who starred on "NCIS: New Orleans" has been arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on rape charges involving a young boy. Jean-Pierre Guy Gillain, 51, of Los Angeles, was extradited to Jefferson Parish and booked Wednesday with first-degree rape and aggravated crime against nature, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. Gillain is accused of sexually abusing a 3-year-old boy over the course of about a year at a residence in Metairie, beginning in 2015, according to Rivarde. The case was referred to the Sheriff's Office in December by a law enforcement agency in Los Angeles. Gillain was living in Metairie at the time the abuse occurred, Rivarde said. Gillain is the former husband of actress Zoe McLellan. She played special agent Meredith Brody for two seasons on "NCIS: New Orleans," the locally shot CBS crime drama that premiered in 2014. McLellan left the show in 2016. The couple divorced that year. Gillain has had a few roles in movies and television shows, including "The Informant" with Matt Damon and "Westworld," according to his IMDb biography. He was arrested in Los Angeles on Jan. 8 as a fugitive from Jefferson Parish. Gillain was being held without bail Thursday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. More than 40 world leaders are expected to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation by the Soviet Unions Red Army of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the most notorious of the Nazis death camps. There will, in fact, be two ceremonies, one today at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem and the other at the Auschwitz site in southern Poland on Monday, January 27, the date of the liberation. Leaders at both sites, joined by elderly survivors, will pay tribute to the 6m Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust, more than 1m of them in Auschwitz alone. The fact there will be two ceremonies underlies how politically charged such commemorations remain. Israel had hoped to present a united front in commemorating those who died in the genocide but the remembrance days risk being overshadowed by a dispute between Poland where Nazi German occupiers operated Auschwitz and other camps and Russia, the successor state to the USSR. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his officials have been claiming that Poland which was invaded in 1939 by German and Soviet forces actually bears responsibility for starting the war, while the Polish government has been defending the nations record, recalling how its wartime government-in-exile alerted Western leaders to the plight of Jews. Such squabbling does a huge disservice to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. At the same time, while memorial ceremonies such as these serve as a reminder of a brutal period in history, the most fitting memorial of all would be to see an end to antisemitism, once and for all. Sadly, the opposite appears to be the case. Since the beginning of the 21st century, we have witnessed a widespread resurgence of antisemitism around the world, a tidal spread that every year increases in volume and virulence. On Monday, Pope Francis condemned the barbaric resurgence of cases of antisemitism and urged the need to respect each persons human dignity. Research by the Vienna-based European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shows that antisemitism is growing in the EU. Its 2018 study shows that most cases of antsemitic harassment were registered in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, while similar, although fewer, such incidents have occurred in the UK and Italy. A report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Council of Europes independent human rights monitoring body, echoes the FRA study, revealing that European Jews continue to be confronted with hatred, including violence. While there have not been reports of major antisemitic incidents in Ireland, we are hardly immune from this scourge. While it is important not to conflate justified opposition to official Israeli positions on Palestinians with unjustified antisemitism, the danger is that one gives credence to the other. The important thing is to be aware of the perils of antisemitism and what it can lead to. Bandar Haggar and Egypts ministers of international cooperation and petroleum and mineral resources met Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Bandar Haggar has asserted that the IDB is eager to support Egypts efforts to achieve economic growth. Egypt, a founding member of the IDB, is among five major countries that benefit from IDB funding programmes. Haggar praised Egypts progress in economic and legislative reform, and its partnership with the private sector. Haggar's comments came during a meeting with Egypts ministers of international cooperation and petroleum and mineral resources, Rania El-Mashat and Tarek El-Molla, held Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The three parties discussed IDB support for the Egyptian government's efforts to enhance partnership between public and private sectors through funding infrastructure projects and national mega projects, and expanding financing for empowering youth and human capacity building. Egypts portfolio of IDB supported financing reaches $12.8 billion and covers electricity, petroleum, agriculture, irrigation, health, education and SMEs. Search Keywords: Short link: Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said on Thursday that Riyadh would present within the next two months a circular carbon economy program to achieve the country's sustainability goals MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said on Thursday that Riyadh would present within the next two months a circular carbon economy program to achieve the country's sustainability goals. "[Riyadh] will demonstrate within the next two months that we have a national program which has to do with circular carbon economy," the energy minister said at the World Energy Forum in Davos. Saudi Arabia plans to develop a circular carbon economy, based on a carbon trading mechanism, to reuse and recycle carbon materials. In late October, the energy minister said that as a pivotal global energy producer, Riyadh saw it as its responsibility to create a sustainable framework for growth, for which, he added, the new mechanism was a step in that direction. One fortunate punter in Co Sligo will remember their Wednesday night for a long time to come after becoming the latest Irish punter to revel in a large Lotto windfall thanks to their lucky numbers. With a stake of just 2, the lucky punter visited a BoyleSports shop in the county on Wednesday and placed it on four numbers to be drawn during the main Irish Lotto draw later that evening. They faced odds of 7,500/1 on all four numbers being revealed but those chances took a tumble as the balls started to roll out. When 10, 15, 19 and 24 all dropped within the main six balls, the ambitious bet had paid off in the best way possible. It allowed them to return to the counter and hand over their 2 betslip in return for a smashing total of 15,002. Sarah Kinsella, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: Massive congratulations to our Sligo customer who transformed some loose change into a wonderful 15,002. We wish them the best of luck with their winnings and happy spending. CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday claimed that the BJP is trying to revive the pain of partition among the country's populace again through CAA, NRC and NPR and divide the people on religious lines. He said it is very painful to be homeless, whether it be during the partition of 1947, or in the 1990's when Kashmiri pandits had to leave the valley. "The NRC process in Assam has put the BJP in a bind since about 16 lakh, of the total 19 lakh people who could not prove their citizenship, are non-Muslims. "That is why the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was brought to confuse the Hindus," Kumar said at a seminar to commemorate the birth centenary of Communist leader Indrajit Gupta. In a show of unity among political parties with different ideologies in their opposition to CAA, NRC and NPR, the seminar was addressed by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya, CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, apart from Kumar. The former JNU students' union president said that there is "no problem" in showing papers and documents, but the government must ensure jobs and provide for other basic needs after the people do that. "Farmers are committing suicide when onion is sold at Rs 200 per kg in the retail markets? Where is the money going?" he asked. Kumar accused the BJP of creating confusion over CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) so that people forget about the issues like price rise and unemployment. "Whoever speaks up against BJP are termed anti- national by them without any evidence whatsoever," he claimed. Kumar claimed that the saffron party has termed many respected persons including Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson Tushar Gandhi anti-national since they had opposed the policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Narendra Modi became the prime minister of the country from a 'chaiwala' (tea seller) because of democracy, but now he wants to do away with it, Kumar alleged. "Modi is behaving like Kalidasa, he wants to cut the tree branch on which he is sitting," Kumar said. CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim said that the Constitution assures dignity of individuals, but "the Modi government was doing away with that through the contentious CAA, NRC and NPR". "People of the country are socially integrated, but the BJP is trying to divide them on religious lines," he alleged. Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya also accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misleading the Rajya Sabha by saying that all parties had supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill when it was passed in the Select Committee. Bhattacharya, who was a member of the committee, claimed that he had given a dissent note. "Modi and Shah are trying to build a wall between Ishwar and Allah, but if the Berlin wall could be brought down, this wall can also be dismantled," he said. CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya claimed that the Constitution is being turned upside down by the BJP through the CAA, NRC and NPR. "We are passing through difficult times and the Constitution is under attack," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Federal High Court, Abuja has adjourned the ongoing trial of the Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi, until March 18. Mr Dokpesi opened his defence in the alleged N2.1 billion fraud charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on January 21. At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Mr Dokpesi told the court that he was invited to a meeting with the former President, Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 where they discussed the need for the implementation of a Presidential Media Initiative. In October 2015, I was invited by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, to come and see the commander-in-chief, President Goodluck Jonathan at a meeting where the former Vice President, National Security Adviser and Secretary to the Government of the Federation were present. The president lamented that the opposition in Nigeria represented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) had done tremendous damage to the image of the country. That the leaders of the opposition had gone round most countries of the world saying that the current government was clueless, incompetent, insensitive and callous and that there was need to develop a media initiative. This media initiative was adopted by late Gen. Sani Abachas administration and was accepted by President Olusegun Obasanjo, who personally signed and endorsed the initiative as being beneficial to Nigeria. Eight years later, it was adopted and accepted by late President Umaru YarAdua, the proposal was passed on to the Ministry of Information and Culture which was at that time headed by late Mrs Dora Akunyili. He said it is only elements of the media initiative that had been approved and endorsed by all the heads of states and presidents of Nigeria that had to be extracted and presented. READ ALSO: He also said it was not true for the prosecution to say that the breakdown of the media initiative that was submitted to the president by him was hurriedly put up. The statement I gave to the EFCC which included the breakdown of the electronic media initiative which I submitted to the president was not hurriedly put up. Mr Dokpesi also told the court that the presidential media initiative was a pragmatic response and proactive approach to combating and arresting perceived negative publications and portrayal of the president on the international scene. He said the initiative was also aimed at reinvigorating the presidency as well as altering negative media perceptions among others. The trial judge, John Tsoho, however, at this juncture adjourned the matter until March 18 and 20 for continuation of the evidence-in-chief by Mr Dokpesi. The EFCC arraigned Mr Dokpesi in 2015 on a seven-count charge bordering on alleged N2.1 billion fraud said to be payments received from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. (NAN) They welcome a daughter in 2018 and wed last December. And on Wednesday, Hilary Duff showed her admiration for husband Matthew Koma alongside a selfie of the couple. The 32-year-old took Instagram Stories show what lengths she would go for her hubby, whom she loves. On Wednesday, Hilary Duff, 32, showed her admiration for husband Matthew Koma alongside a selfie of the couple. In the snap, Hilary looked beautiful in a light-colored tank, tucked into a pair of high waist, black pants. Matthew suited up in a T-shirt tucked into a pair of navy trousers. 'I will do 9 flights in 12 days with you over and over again my love,' she wrote. Marriage: Hilary and Matthew wed in the backyard of the couple's home in December Hilary and Matthew share daughter Banks Violet, one. Hilary also has son Luca, seven, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, 39 Hilary and Matthew wed in the backyard of the couple's home in December. They welcomed daughter Banks Violet, one, in October 2018, and became engaged in January 2019. Hilary and Matthew have been an on-off couple for a total of three times. She also shares son Luca. seven, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, 39. Fun in the sun: The couple enjoyed a honeymoon in South Africa In an interview with People, the star discussed her wedding and honeymoon. 'It's been such a high. It was the best wedding ever. We had so much fun. We just kept saying, "That was the best day of our lives!" ' 'We did the coolest things. We both had never been on safari and it was what everyone says it is. There are no words. We saw the big five (rhino, lion, tiger, elephant, buffalo) within the first two days! I felt so lucky.' 'I came home and I was trying to explain to Luca everything we saw and he was like, "But did you see an iguana?" ' Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province (Source: Choice) The strategy aims to turn Vietnam into a renowned destination by 2025, ranking among three leading countries in terms of tourism development in Southeast Asia and among top 50 nations with the highest tourism competitiveness in the world. Accordingly, tourism revenue is expected to reach 1,700-1,800 trillion VND (77-80 billion USD), contributing 12-14 percent to the countrys gross domestic product and creating about 5.5-6 million jobs. Vietnam strives to serve at least 35 million international tourists and 120 million domestic holidaymakers by that year. By 2030, Vietnam sets a target to make tourism a spearhead and sustainable economic sector and become one of 30 countries in the world with the best tourism competitiveness. The tourism sector is projected to earn 3,100-3,200 trillion VND (130-135 billion USD) and create 8.5 million jobs by 2030. Vietnam looks to attract at least 50 million foreigners and serve 160 million domestic tourists by that time. To realise the set goals, the overriding priority will be given to the completion of tourism policies, as well as development of infrastructure, tourism workers and products. The strategy also attaches importance to public-private partnerships in sustainable tourism development. Advanced technology and high-quality human resources are seen as breakthrough elements to build a professional, quality and competitive tourism industry. Hearst Connecticut Media / Tara O'Neill NEW HAVEN A 55-year-old New Haven man was killed after being struck by a motor vehicle on Whalley Avenue Wednesday night. At 7:39 p.m., officers responded to 383 Whalley Avenue to investigate a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle. Former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Kojo Allotey Jacobs has said he his disappointed in Deputy Commissioner of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Bossman Asare for his recent comments towards the compilation of new voters register. Dr. Bossman Asare is reported to have said the EC wants to create new voters register because we want to add an enhanced feature called facial recognition. He called the bluff of the opposition National Democratic Congress over their decision to kick against the new voters register. But reacting to the deputy EC Boss, Allotey Jacobs said, the Deputy EC Boss is not on top of issues and I suggest that it will be appropriate to allow Mr. Samuel Tettey who is currently the Director of Elections at the Electoral Commission to speak on issues concerning elections, Bernard Allotey Jacobs told Lawyer Ohene Gyan on Pae Mu Ka on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 The main opposition NDC has rejected the proposal by the Electoral Commission to compile new voters register for the 2020 elections. However, they have indicated that they will resist any attempt by the EC to push the idea of a new register since there are not enough grounds for the creation of a new one. The Electoral Commission has served notice a new voters register will be compiled ahead of the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections. ---KingdomfmOnline GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate (CounterpointeSRE), through the Maryland Commercial PACE program (MD-PACE), has closed $1.9 million, 20-year, Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing for energy efficiency and water conservation measures at the Microtel By Wyndham hotel development project in Gambrills, Maryland, by The Reliable Companies, a regional developer of commercial real estate. The Microtel by Wyndham development under construction in Gambrills, Maryland, has used C-PACE financing from CounterpointeSRE through the MD-PACE program to support its energy-saving infrastructure investments. Located at 2525 Evergreen Road in Gambrills, Maryland, the "Microtel at Waugh Chapel Towne Center" will be a five-story, 79-room hotel. Construction is underway and the hotel is expected to open in July of 2020. The $1.9 million in C-PACE funding is being used to directly support energy-efficient infrastructure investments throughout the building, including HVAC, window, lighting and building envelope (walls and roofing), as well as water-conserving low-flow fixtures. These measures are projected to save more than $1.6 million in energy and water costs over the 20-year finance period. C-PACE financing is available in 18 counties across Maryland and has funded 29 energy retrofits to date, with the Microtel being the Maryland Clean Energy Center program's first project for new construction. "We are excited to see an owner tap the program as a resource for new construction," stated Maryland Clean Energy Center Executive Director Katherine Magruder. "This project is a win because it will ultimately support jobs in the state for initial construction and create future jobs for operation of the new hotel, along with the associated tax revenue for Anne Arundel County." "The C-PACE funding from Counterpointe allows our team to develop a better asset for the community," stated Shannon Smith, Vice President of The Reliable Companies, which has developed several properties in the Waugh Chapel Towne Center. "We're able to make each room more energy efficient and the property more sustainable as a whole while keeping our overall cost of capital down," he continued. "We view the Microtel and its use of C-PACE for new construction as a sign of great potential for the MD-PACE market," stated Eric Alini, Managing Partner of Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate. "Across Maryland and neighboring D.C. and Virginia, there are many opportunities for our firm to provide long-term non-recourse financing to owners and developers who are making investments in energy-efficient and renewable infrastructure." "The Reliable Companies' hotel development in Gambrills is a project that we are proud to finance," stated Paul O'Connor, Senior Vice President, Commercial Real Estate Lending for Rockville, Maryland-based Revere Bank. "Their use of $1.9 million in PACE financing as a permanent source of capital alongside Revere's $6.76 million commercial construction loan strengthens their capital position and allows the team to create an asset that will benefit the community for years. In fact, it is projected to create dozens of new jobs when operational," he continued. The MD-PACE program is designed to support clean energy and energy-efficiency investments in commercial properties. It is sponsored by the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC), a corporate instrumentality of the state of Maryland which advances the adoption of clean energy and energy-efficiency products, services and technologies. MCEC leverages private capital to help homeowners, businesses, and government entities reduce energy costs. The MD-PACE program offers C-PACE financing to commercial property owners statewide. Media Contacts Adam Moskowitz (Counterpointe) 203.837.7816 Jessa Coleman (MD-PACE) 202.844.9504 Related Files CSRE No Tag mid baseline Logo.png mdpace-logo.png Related Images under-construction-microtel-by.jpg Under Construction: Microtel By Wyndham, Gambrills, Maryland The Microtel by Wyndham development under construction in Gambrills, Maryland, has used C-PACE financing from CounterpointeSRE through the MD-PACE program to support its energy-saving infrastructure investments. SOURCE Sustainable Real Estate Related Links https://www.counterpointesre.com Beijing, Jan 23 : China announced that it will launch its first Mars mission probe in July this year, China Youth Daily reported on Thursday. This is the first time the country disclosed the launch month of its Mars exploration programme, according to the newspaper which cited sources from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The Mars probe will be sent by the Long March-5 Y4 carrier rocket. The Long March-5 Y4 rocket has recently completed a 100-second test for its high thrust hydrogen-oxygen engine, which is the last engine examination before the final assembly, Xinhua reported. According to the CASC, China will send a probe to orbit and land and deploy a rover on Mars. In 2020, the Long March-5 rocket will carry out several missions, including the Mars probe launch and the lunar sample return. A total of 24 high thrust hydrogen-oxygen rocket engine tests will be conducted this year for these missions. In November last year, China unveiled an experiment simulating the process of a probe hovering, avoiding obstacles and descending to land on Mars. The experiment was held on a trial ground, the largest one in Asia for test landing on extraterrestrial bodies, in Huailai county, Hebei province, reported Xinhua. How to safely land on Mars is one of the biggest challenges facing the mission. The experiment simulated the gravity of Mars, about one-third of the gravity on Earth, to test the design of the lander. The best security exists at the beginning and continues forever, but most campaigns particularly new ones start on a shoestring. Its hard to imagine using scarce dollars to fund bulletproof cybersecurity when candidates might not make it far enough for the investment to pay off. Similarly, campaign infrastructure mostly disappears after Election Day, yet the threat remains just as real; documents stolen from email accounts or file servers in odd-numbered years can be held and released closer to elections. And as digital natives begin to run for office, people who have lived their entire adult lives with the same Facebook account, the same Gmail account, the same iCloud account may find that those are treasure troves for hackers seeking blackmail or embarrassment. (Former congresswoman Katie Hill will surely not be the last officeholder to face a revenge porn scandal, either from a formerly trusted partner or a nation-state hacker.) Gardai in Donegal are appealing for information following a significant theft of jewellery and cash in Letterkenny last weekend. Last Saturday, four women and a man entered a business premises on Upper Main Street in the town at around 4.30pm. A number of the individuals then distracted staff while one woman gained entry to a back office and stole goods. The items stolen included cash and jewellery, among them was an 18 carat white gold oval yellow sapphire cluster ring (pictured above). Other items stolen include nine 18 carat gold rings, two 9 carat gold rings, an antique sovereign case along with a matching chain, a rare antique round vesta (matches) case, a rare antique rose gold plain locket set with old cut diamonds, and a rare 9 carat antique rose gold 'paper link' 30" chain, and six antique bar brooches. It is believed that the five people arrived and left together in a blue Ford S-Max. Gardai are anxious to track the movements of the vehicle and believe it may have also driven through counties Derry and Dublin. Local gardai are liaising with the PSNI and other divisions on this matter. Anyone who may have seen a vehicle matching this description acting suspiciously in their locality is asked to make contact with Gardai in Letterkenny on (074) 9167100, contact the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. JDU secretary Pavan Varma on Thursday said that he never wanted to hurt party supremo Nitish Kumar and added that he will decide his future course of action based on the reply to his letter by the Bihar Chief Minister. "I welcome Nitish Kumar's statement that there is space for discussion within the party, as that is what I asked for. We need to have ideological clarity before we take a further decision, especially with regards to expanding alliance with BJP. It was never my intention to hurt him," Varma said. "I want the party to have ideological clarity. For instance, we said no to NRC but we are supporting the CAA. BJP says CAA and NRC are hyphenated that NRC will follow CAA. BJP says NRC will be implemented across the country. Therefore, JDU should clarify its positions on many subjects," he said. "I am awaiting a reply to my letter, will decide the future course of action after that. Once I get a reply or don't get it, I will decide my future course of action," the JDU leader said. Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar said that the leaders who are questioning JDU's stand could go wherever they want. Varma had earlier written a letter to the Chief Minister questioning JDU's alliance with BJP in Delhi and raised concerns over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Population Register (NPR) and the Register of Citizens (NRC). The JDU general secretary also said that he had met Nitish Kumar and told him that the party's support to the CAA was wrong but his advice was not taken into "cognizance". "Before publicly speaking, I spoke to Nitish Kumar that the party support to CAA is wrong. When my advice was not taken into cognizance and the party supported the CAA in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, then I wrote a letter publicly," Varma said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) January 23 : Actor Naseeruddin Shah had fewer kind words for his A Wednesday movie co-star Anupam Kher, who vocally endorses the government and its policies on Twitter. Someone like Anupam Kher has been very vocal. I dont think he needs to be taken seriously. Hes a clown. Any number of his contemporaries from NFD and FTII can attest to his sycophantic nature. Its in his blood, he cant help it. Actor Anupam Kher on Wednesday hit back at Naseeruddin Shah, suggesting that his "clown" jibe was made under the influence of intoxicants. He also accused the 69-year-old of criticising a number of celebrities and claimed that he considered himself "in very good company". "If you could criticise Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan or Virat Kohli, then I'm sure I'm in great company. And none of them has taken your statements seriously. Because we all know this is not you speaking. The substances you have been consuming for years have taken away your sense of judging what is right and what is not," Anupam Kher said in a video statement he tweeted Wednesday afternoon. Earlier, actor Naseeruddin Shah supported actor Deepika Padukones visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and called it courageous. In a recent interview, Naseer talked at length about the protests against the CAA, the deafening silence of big Bollywood celebrities on it, the student protests and Deepikas decision to show solidarity. A couple of years ago, Naseeruddin courted controversy when he said he felt unsure about the safety of his children in the country due to the rising communal temperament. I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them and asks, Are you a Hindu or a Muslim? they will have no answer, he had said. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
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In his letter to Jaishankar, Vijayan mentioned that nurses working at Jazeera Abha Al Hayath Hospital in Saudi Arabia have been identified as being infected with the coronavirus, and India should get in touch with the Saudi authorities to ensure that action is taken to help them. REUTERS "Corona outbreak among nurses in Azir Aba Al Hayat hospital in Saudi Arabia should be considered seriously and necessary steps must be taken," the Kerala Chief Minister said. Though there is no official confirmation on the number of Indians that have been affected, according to reports, one Kerala nurse has already tested positive for the deadly virus. The nurse, along with 30 other nurses, most from Kerala have been currently placed in isolation. The Kerala nurse who has tested positive is believed to have got the virus from a Filipino nurse, who was being looked after by her. However, the Health department in Kerala said they have no information about any nurses from the state having been affected. REUTERS The department has issued an alert in the wake of the virus outbreak in China. Meanwhile, the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) on Wednesday began screening all incoming passengers from China and Hong Kong, following the outbreak of the coronavirus. State Health Minister K K Shylaja has said those who have returned from China should inform district medical officers besides instructing officials to step up surveillance in all four airports. The new virus was first spotted in Wuhan, the capital of Central China''s Hubei province. According to Chinese media so far 17 people have been killed and at least 570 have been infected by the outbreak. However independent observers say the numbers could be much higher. REUTERS There are also reports that the virus could have spread to Hong Kong. The outbreak was reported just ahead of the Chinese New Year, which is said to the be world's biggest mass movement of people, as millions of Chinese working in big cities go back to their hometowns. There is a growing fear that this migration could also transport the virus across the country. Coronaviruses can infect both animals and people, and cause illness of the respiratory tract. The symptoms of infection include high fever, difficulty in breathing among others. Detection becomes difficult when these surfaces like flu or a bad cold. The incubation period from the time of exposure to the onset of symptoms is around two weeks. The Albuquerque Police Department released details on three homicides in the city last week. Gilbert Gallegos, a department spokesman, said detectives now believe one is a justifiable homicide and another a murder-suicide. The first happened on Jan. 16 at the Manzano Mesa apartment complex at 700 Eubank SE, near Southern. Officers responding to a shots fired call found a man and a dog shot to death inside an apartment. Gallegos said detectives believe Fernando DeLeon, 61, killed Reuben Baca, 63, and then himself in a murder-suicide. He did not say which mans body was found inside the apartment or where and how the other mans body was located. In December 2018, DeLeon was charged with battery after punching his neighbor Baca who told police the two had ongoing issues but charges against DeLeon were dismissed when an officer didnt show up for a January 2019 hearing. In the second incident, on Jan. 17, police responded to a home in the 9200 block of Black Farm NW, near Paseo del Norte and Coors, after a 911 caller reported that a homeowner had shot a burglar. Arriving officers found Felix Yazzie, 22, shot. He died from his injuries. Gallegos said APD ruled the killing a likely justifiable homicide, and the case has been turned over to the district attorney for review. Then, on Jan. 18, police responded around 4 p.m. to the Laurels at Uptown apartment complex on Louisiana NE, near Constitution, after someone reported their neighbor was injured. Officers found 36-year-old Justin Correa at his neighbors apartment and he died from his injuries. Detectives have interviewed several people related to this case, and have not identified a suspect at this time, Gallegos said. The cause of death has not been determined. NEWTOWN BOROUGH >> The Newtown Borough Council welcomes the new year with three new members of council and a new borough mayor. District Court Judge Mick Petrucci was on hand on January 3 to administer the oath of office to the towns new mayor, Republican John Burke, who replaces longtime mayor Charles Corky Swartz who decided not to run for... The video of a school teacher of Bihar teaching mathematics tables to children through her innovation has gone viral on the social media, drawing attention of the likes of industrialist Anand Mahindra and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. Besides, it has invited innumerable interesting ways of teaching tables to kids from Twitterati from different parts. In the video, first posted on the Teahers of Bihar facebook page of the Bihar education project council (BEPC) and later shared on twitter, Ruby Kumari, a teacher at the upgraded middle school in Bounci block of Banka district, has been shown teaching table of nine with the help of 10 fingers and by involving children, which they seem to thoroughly enjoy. Cant tell you how many of my lifes issues this one simple calculation has solved wow! Sending it to #byju to include it in their teaching methods. https://t.co/nC8qIojGVF Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) January 22, 2020 Whaaat? I didnt know about the clever sortut. Wish she had been my teacher. I probably would have been a lot better at the subject, tweeted Mahindra, which has received 42-K likes, while 11.7k people have retweeted it, many with their comments on the interesting approach of involving children by making learning fun. ALSO WATCH | Bihar teachers innovative technique of teaching math tables One of them is Shah Rukh Khan. Cant tell you how many of my lifes issues this one simple calculation has solved, wow! Sending it to Byju to include it in their teaching methods, Khan tweeted. There were several others who shared their own experiences and innovations in table learning, while some also questioned if it could be applied for all tables. But it is the teaching approach and a demonstration of activity-based learning that has appealed to all. So far, over 3.5-lakh people have watched the video, while it has been shared nearly 1.5-lakh times. Ruby also thanked all for the great encouragement she got, more so as a teacher from a little-known and mostly maligned government school system in Bihar. She is a teacher in Banka, which gave Bihar the concept of Unnayan Banka, which has now been upscaled as Unnayan Bihar project to ensure access to quality education using technology and innovation in the secondary and higher secondary schools. I thank superstar Shahrukh Khan and Anand Mahindraji for liking my video and retweeting it. I am very happy my innovation is being watched by people across the India. I am thankful to the Teachers of Bihar-the Changemakers for giving me the opportunity by sharing my video on their platform, she tweeted, adding she would like all government school teachers to make learning fun through innovation and activity-based approach without the burden of heavy schoolbags. Director, mass education, Vinodanand Jha, said Rubys innovation and involvement should work as an inspiration for all the school teachers. There is need to give platform to such talents and give them encouragement. I am confident there are many talented teachers in Bihar. All we need to do is to bring them on the forefront. After all, in schools, involving children by making learning entertaining and meaningful is what matters the most, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Unemployed Californians With No Children Could Lose Food Stamps Last week, the state of California joined 13 other states as well as New York City and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit filed against a new Trump Administration food stamp policy scheduled to take effect April 1. The federal government rule will require all able-bodied recipients of food stamp benefits between the ages of 18-49, who do not have children, to work at least 20 hours a week or enroll in a vocational training program to be eligible for low-income food assistance. The federally-funded food assistance program is known as CalFresh in California. ADVERTISEMENT No one should have to choose between a hot meal and paying their rent, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. But this latest Trump Administration attack on low-income Americans will force them to do just that. It will cause hundreds of thousands of people to go hungry. Up to 400,000 Californians, about 11 percent of all people receiving food stamps in the state, could be impacted, according to the California Department of Social Services. Trump administration officials are defending the policy, arguing that it will deter people who might need temporary help to buy groceries from relying on ongoing food assistance long-term. We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand, said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in a public statement. Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work. Perdue says the U.S. economy currently has more job openings than people to fill them. But because of higher-than-average unemployment rates persisting in 18 of Californias 58 counties, mostly located in the northern and central regions of the state, those areas are expected to be exempt from the new rule. ADVERTISEMENT The other 40 counties with more stable economies will be impacted immediately. Yet again, the Trump Administration has failed to offer any legitimate evidence to justify decisions that have real consequences for the health and well-being of our residents, Becerra said. Together with our partners all across the country, were fighting back and were confident the law is on our side. Huawei and 5G signs on display during the 10th Global Mobile Broadband Forum hosted by Chinese tech giant Huawei in Zurich, Switzerland, on Oct. 15, 2019. (Stefan Wermuth/AFP via Getty Images) US Push to Ban Huawei in UK a Hint for What Canada Can Expect As the extradition hearing for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou continues in Vancouver, 11th-hour efforts by U.S. officials to urge the U.K. not to include Huawei in the countrys 5G network offers a glimpse of what Canada can expect from Washington when Ottawa makes its decision on the issue. British media reported this week that U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Woody Johnson got in a row with British officials, with a heated exchange on the issue extending to the lobby of 10 Downing Street. The Ambassador became involved in what we could refer to as a pretty heated exchange. He was emphatic in trying to get the U.S.s real concern across, the Daily Express quoted a source as saying. Last year, the ambassador said that giving Huawei access to the U.K.s 5G network is like letting a kleptomaniac into your house, and then youve got to hire three people to follow them around all day. The British government is expected to decide on whether to allow Huawei to participate in the nations 5G this month. Last week, a U.S. delegation met with British officials, presenting technical information to challenge an assessment by the British agency in charge of cyber security that itd be possible to use Huawei and control the risks, BBC reported. Senior officials from U.K. spy agency Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as the GCHQ, remain concerned about Huaweis presence in the countrys 5G. This week, a Times report cited a source at the agency saying letting the Chinese telecom giant in the network is like letting a fox loose in a chicken coop. The Trump administration has warned its allies, including Canada, the U.K., and Germany, that it may limit intelligence sharing with them if they allow Huawei to participate in their 5G networks, due to concerns that U.S. data could be jeopardized by the company, which has close links to the Beijing regime. Under Chinese law, all Chinese companies are obligated to help the regime in intelligence work if required. Huawei was founded by a former officer with the Peoples Liberation Army. Since Canadas arrest of Meng on a U.S. extradition request in December 2018, Beijing has issued stern demands for her release, arrested Canadian citizens, and blocked Canadian imports. Australia, the United States, and New Zealand, all Canada and U.K. allies in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, have banned Huawei from their 5G networks. U.S. Congressman Jim Banks introduced a bill this week that would ban the United States from sharing intelligence with any country that allows Huawei to be part of its 5G network. If China doesnt respect the human rights of [its] own people, why would we think that they would respect the human rights or the privacy of Americans or any European country that would choose to operate using technologies from companies like Huawei or ZTE? Banks told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. Canadas Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has said that Ottawa would consider geopolitical concerns in making its decision on the issue. A spokesperson for Blair said in an emailed statement that an examination of emerging 5G technology and the associated security and economic considerations is underway, and the ministry is taking all scientific and security factors into account, including those from our Allies and our security agencies. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he doesnt want to jeopardize national security or relations with Five Eyes allies and has asked critics to suggest alternative providers of 5G technology. Rebuking Washingtons push to shun Huawei, the companys executives have expressed that the United States will fall behind in 5G technology by banning the company from its network. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a China hawk who has been a strong advocate for a Huawei ban, offered his thoughts to Britain and other countries as they contemplate whether to give the green light to Huawei. Compelling market alternatives to Huawei exist, despite Beijings best efforts to tilt the market toward Huawei through subsidies and political pressure, Rubio wrote in an op-ed for The Telegraph. European companies Ericsson and Nokia, and Koreas Samsung all offer alternatives to Huaweis equipment. Huawei has made significant inroads in different countries when it comes to 5G thanks to its price compared to competitors. However, given the security risks and uncertainty around whether their particular government would ban Huawei, a number of telecom companies in countries around the world, including Japans three main mobile phone carriers, have already shunned Huawei in favour of other suppliers. In Canada, Rogers has said it wont include the company in its 5G network, with vice chairman Philip Lind telling BNN that the idea of Huawei controlling the communication system in Canada is crazy, adding that the country would have to follow Beijings direction. Canadas other two major carriers, Telus and BCE, are pushing for Huawei to be allowed in the network, with BCEs new CEO Mirko Bibic calling the companys equipment top-notch and Huawei a great partner. A year-end poll in 2019 by Angus Reid found that close to 70 percent of Canadians are against allowing Huawei to be part of the countrys 5G network. If China would resort to putting Canadians to death to defend its corporate national champion, what might it do if the Chinese Communist Party had unfettered access to Canadas vital communications networks? Richard Fadden, a former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and national security advisor to the prime minister, wrote in an op-ed for the Globe and Mail. Fadden was referring to the case of Robert Schellenberg, previously sentenced to 15 years on drug smuggling charges in China, but whose punishment was escalated to a death sentence following Mengs arrest. There are plenty of reasons why intelligence professionals are alarmed by Huaweis involvement in our 5G networks, particularly, the close relationship between Huawei and a Chinese government with a history of cyberespionage, Fadden wrote. By Donny Kwok HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Chinese-ruled gambling hub of Macau confirmed on Wednesday its first case of pneumonia linked to an outbreak of a newly identified coronavirus and tightened temperature screening measures in casinos and around the city. The death toll from the flu-like coronavirus in China rose to nine on Wednesday with 440 confirmed cases. The virus, originating in Wuhan at the end of last year, has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The Macau case involves a 52-year-old Wuhan businesswoman who reported to hospital on Tuesday, said Macau Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ao Leong Lu, who vicechairs a committee set up to respond to the virus. The woman took a high-speed train to the Chinese city of Zhuhai on Jan 19, then a shuttlebus to Macau. She had dinner with two friends, then went to the hotel and spent a long time in casinos. She was in a stable condition in an isolation ward. Her two friends were also being monitored and were in isolation. Speaking at a news conference in Macau, Ao and other officials said authorities were coordinating with six gaming enterprises to introduce temperature screening machines at all entrances into casinos. A total of 405 guest entrances and 47 staff entrances have already been provided with portable screening devices and all casino staff had to wear surgical masks. All performers and staff at the events hosted across Macau will be screened. Entry points into Macau will also have temperature checks and visitors will be asked to fill in a health declaration form. Bus stops, taxi stands and wet markets will be cleaned more frequently. The tourist-magnet casino industry in Macau, which returned to Chinese rule in 1999, accounts for more than 80% of the revenue in the city of 600,000 people. Macau is a popular Lunar New Year destination for mainland Chinese. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses named because of the crown-like spikes on their surfaces that cause respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). (Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry) MANILA, Philippines Two convicts detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) allegedly orchestrated the grisly killing of former Batangas Representative Edgar Mendoza and his two aides, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday. PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Brig. Gen. Joel Coronel identified the principal suspect as Sherwin Sanchez, who has been imprisoned since 2015 for murder charges. Investigation revealed that Sanchez was a client of Mendoza, a lawyer who handled his transactions concerning financial and properties. Sanchez did not pay Mendoza for his services after the former was convicted. Sanchez allegedly conspired with his fellow detainee, Arthur Fajardo, to have Mendoza killed. Fajardo, a member of the Fajardo kidnap-for-ransom group who has been detained at the state penitentiary since 2005, then contacted his wife, Jael, who allegedly hired the killers. Mendoza and his companions, bodyguard Nicanor Mendoza and driver Ruel Ruiz, were found burnt inside the former solons car in Tiaong, Quezon Province on January 9. The day before they were killed, Mendoza and his aides went to the home of the family of Fajardo in Calamba, Laguna supposedly to collect a sum of money owed by Sanchez. Apparently, on the day he disappeared, and later on found dead, he was supposed to collect a sum of money from representatives of the principal suspect in Calamba, Coronel said. Investigation showed that Sanchez and Mendoza had disagreements on the amount for his legal services but later agreed on a sum amounting to millions of pesos. However, Sanchez had no intention of paying the amount from the start and instead hired some gunmen to kill Mendoza. He allegedly contracted the killers for the sum of P100,000. There was a disagreement on the amount to be collected and also base on the revelations of the witnesses and some of the suspects confession, there was really no intention on the part of the suspect to the amount agreed by them, Coronel said. Story continues Police identified Sanchez and Fajardos cohorts as Jael Fajardo, Arthurs wife; Madonna Palermo, Jaels household worker; Kristine Fernandez, Jaels errand runner; Carlo Acuna and Erickson Balbastro who were said to be members of the Fajardo kidnap-for-ransom group. The five suspects were arrested by authorities on January 22. Police found that prior to their murder, Mendoza and his aides were drugged with coffee laced with sleeping pills while they were in Fajardos home. They were later stabbed and struck in the head with a hard object. The three victims were already dead when their remains were brought and burned in Tiaong, based on Balbastros statement. Coronel said the suspects target was only Mendoza and that the two aides were collateral damage. Police said they are hunting down a certain Rodel Mercado, said to be the one who stabbed and struck the victims. PNP chief Archie Gamboa said three counts of murder have been filed against the suspects. This case is considered solved and it is now elevated in the prosecution office arm of the justice system, he said. RRD (with details from Correspondent Lea Ylagan) The post 2 Bilibid convicts behind grisly killing of ex-Batangas solon PNP appeared first on UNTV News. Canadian taxpayers shouldn't contribute to Harry and Meghan's security costs, an MP has said (Reuters) Canadian taxpayers shouldnt foot the bill for security costs for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, one of the countrys MPs has said. Laurel Collins, who is MP for Victoria where Harry and Meghan are currently staying, said it was important that politicians were seen to be thinking about priorities when it comes to taxpayers money. Harry and Meghan are currently on Vancouver Island after stepping back from royal duties. Following a deal with the Queen, from the spring the couple will no longer carry out royal duties or accept public money and will spend most of their time in North America. It has not yet been revealed who will pay for security arrangements for the couple and baby son Archie, with some speculating that the British government will continue to foot the bill, and a cost-sharing deal between the UK and Canada also mooted. Laurel Collins, MP for Victoria, said politicians should prioritise what Canadian taxpayers' money is spent on (Twitter/@Laurel_BC) But Ms Collins said she would oppose such an arrangement, telling the PA news agency: Yes, I hope that theyre planning on covering their security costs. When it comes to the money our government spends and taxpayer money its important that we put this into context and think about our priorities. That were prioritising making life more affordable for people, that were prioritising protecting our environment and that were spending our tax dollars on the things that really matter to Canadians. READ MORE Thomas Markle says Meghan and Harry won't see him again 'until he's lowered into the ground' Harry and Meghan merchandise being sold at reduced prices after royal split She said she wanted to focus on young families in the area, who might be struggling with the housing crisis or struggling with affordability. She added: I want to make sure we are thinking about our priorities. Harry and Meghan's legal team have issued a warning to the press after she was photographed walking her dogs with Archie (Reuters) Harry has now joined Meghan and Archie in Canada after staying in the UK to thrash out a deal with the Queen and other senior royals. His return was followed by a legal warning to the media after various outlets published paparazzi shots of Meghan walking her dogs with Archie on Monday. Story continues After the images which were reportedly taken by photographers hiding in bushes with long-lens cameras surfaced the couples legal team at Schillings sent a legal notice to the UK press, TV and photo agencies warning against using them. The couples move away from the royal family has included plans to forge a different relationship with the media, with their Sussex Royal website outlining how they plan to change the way they work with the press. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The international development of Blimpie is set to grow within the Southeast Asian region. Kahala Brands, the parent company of Blimpie, has collaborated with Deelish Brands Pte Ltd to open the Blimpie brand in Singapore. Deelish Brands (www.deelishbrands.com) is a Singapore-based restaurant management company. The company operates in the fast casual restaurant sector, focusing on brands that believe in using only the freshest ingredients and preparing cooked to order meals. Blimpie fills the need of Singapore consumers looking for fresh food options. Blimpie's menu looks to resonate with consumers who care about the quality of ingredients that go into their food. "For more than 50 years, Blimpie has been America's beloved neighborhood deli, and that's why it's known as America's Sub Shop. The brand has perfected the art of a bigger, better sandwich, using the freshest ingredients and doing it at an affordable price," said Moe Ibrahim, CEO of Deelish Brands. "We believe that the Blimpie Way fits nicely with Deelish Brands' strategy of bringing the worlds most beloved and fastest growing restaurant brands to Southeast Asia. We are excited to bring Blimpie to the region as we are confident it will soon become Asia's sub shop as well." Blimpie will work with Deelish Brands to introduce and expand the brand in Singapore with plans to open 5 stores within the next five years. "Continuing to build the brand's international expansion with highly esteemed companies such as Deelish Brands has been a pleasure for us at Blimpie," said Eddy Jimenez, senior vice president of international operations and development at Kahala Brands. "Their passion and commitment to developing such a great and successful F&B business in the market is very impressive, and we are thrilled to introduce America's Sub Shop and our hearty portions of fresh-sliced meats, fresh-baked breads and robust offerings to all consumers in the Singapore market." About Blimpie Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Blimpie serves sub sandwiches prepared with quality ingredients along with delicious soups and salads. Founded in 1964, Blimpie has grown to approximately 300 franchised restaurants across the U.S. and abroad. In 2006, Blimpie became part of the Kahala Brands family, one of the fastest growing franchising conglomerates in the world with a portfolio of 29 fast-casual and quick-service restaurant brands with approximately 3,300 locations in 35 countries, and with MTY Food Group's purchase of Kahala Brands Blimpie is now also a part of the MTY Food Group family. For more information about Blimpie, visit: www.Blimpie.com or www.BlimpieSG.com. For more information about Kahala Brands, visit: www.KahalaBrands.com. About Deelish Brands Headquartered in Singapore, Deelish Brands is a restaurant management company that specializes in bringing trendy fast-casual restaurant brands to the Southeast Asian Market. The Company currently holds the franchise rights for Fatburger, Buffalo's Express and Blimpie in Singapore. For more information about Deelish Brands, visit www.DeelishBrands.com About MTY Food Group Headquartered in Canada, MTY Food Group is among North America's leading franchisors in the restaurant industry. Its activities consist of franchising and operating corporate-owned locations in the QSR and casual dining segments of the restaurant industry, as well as the sale of retail products under a multitude of well-known brands. MTY operates approximately 7,400 locations under more than 70 brands in more than 35 countries. The company also operates a distribution center and a food processing plant, both of which are located in the province of Quebec, Canada. MTY's multi-brand platform allows the company to position itself across a broad range of demographic, economic and geographic sectors. Some of the company's larger brands include Cold Stone Creamery, Papa Murphy's, Thai Express, Baja Fresh, TacoTime, Manchu Wok, Mikes, Scores, Baton Rouge, Mucho Burrito and Sushi Shop. A full list of all brands and other information on the company and its financial statements can be found on SEDAR's website at www.Sedar.com. For more information about MTY Food Group, visit www.MTYGroup.com SOURCE Blimpie Related Links http://www.blimpie.com Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty property and casualty re/insurer, announced that Julian James will soon join the organization to lead the London market and international insurance platforms. Subject to regulatory approval and after a short period of transition, James will succeed Graham Evans as the chief executive officer, London Market and International Insurance. Evans will be retiring after almost seven years with the organization and a lengthy career in the insurance industry. James will report to Chris Gallagher, chief executive officer, Sompo International Commercial P&C. James joins Sompo International with extensive global insurance experience that spans almost four decades. Most recently, he held several leadership positions in the London market, including president of Allied Worlds Global Markets and CEO of the Allied World Managing Agency at Lloyds. Before that, he was CEO of Lockton International, where he also served as chairman of the board of the International Group and CEO of the U.K.-regulated entity. In addition, he served on the council of Lloyds until January 2019. Currently he is a member of the Lloydss Market Supervision and Review Committee. Prior to the council of Lloyds, James began his career in broking at Sedgwick and Marsh in 1981 before joining Lloyds of London in 1997, where he led the markets international network. During this time, he was responsible for growing the Lloyds presence in key global markets as well as managing high-level strategic relationships with brokers around the world. We are delighted that Julian will be joining our team to lead the strategic expansion of our international insurance business, commented Gallagher. Sompo International is committed to the continued growth of our London, Bermudan and European businesses, including the recently formed European platform, SI Insurance (Europe), SA, through new products, scale and relevance to these critical markets. Gallagher thanked Evans for his successful contributions to Sompo International and wished him the best in his retirement. Commenting on Evans retirement, John Charman, executive chairman of the board of directors, Sompo International Holdings Ltd., and chief executive officer of Overseas Insurance and Reinsurance Business, Sompo Holdings, Inc., said: I have had the privilege and pleasure of knowing Graham Evans both personally and professionally for many years. I would like to give my sincerest thanks to him for his significant contributions not only to our company, but to the London insurance market as well. As he begins his retirement, he should be proud of his accomplishments and the exceptional organization that he has played such a critical role in building for us in the U.K. and in Europe, Charman continued. Finally, I would also like to enthusiastically welcome Julian to our great team and congratulate him on his new position. I am honored to have the opportunity to make an impact on the future of Sompo International, James said. The companys strategic growth plans, particularly for the London, European and Bermuda markets, and its disciplined approach to underwriting and supporting its clients, make Sompo International a unique and well positioned market-leading organization. Source: Sompo International Topics Excess Surplus Europe Lloyd's London Its hard to say youve had a true New Mexican experience if you havent been to a matanza. For those who havent had the joy of attending one, essentially you get to eat a whole pig during a get-together. From bacon to pork chops to chicharrones, theyre an all-out pork bonanza. Now, typically a proper matanza is the neighborhood getting together and using every piece of a pig to make a feast, but what would happen if you scaled that up a little bit? Say by about 10,000 people? Well, thats what happens when you go visit The Worlds Largest Matanza, hosted by the Hispano Chamber of Valencia County. Happening Saturday, Jan 25 from 7am to 3pm, this event is an all-out pig cooking celebration. First off, this event is a fundraiser, which to date has raised over $130,000 for scholarships that go to Valencia County students in college. If youve ever needed a good reason to eat bacon, doing it to support kids attempts to better their future is about as good as it gets. This will be the 20th annual celebration of this pork-based fiesta, meaning theyve got this down to a science. Second, itll be held at 305 Eagle Ln. in Belen, with tickets going for $15 a person, though kids under 12 get in for free. If you buy your tickets in advance, youll also get free parking, which is never a bad thing. Please dont bring your pets. The temptation of meat is far too strong for most dogs already. This would be the ultimate punishment for them. So what should you expect to find there? From the listing, there should be red chile, red chile-marinated pork in a variety of New Mexican styles, such as carne adovada, ribs and carnitas. Each dish will be accented by fresh tortillas, chicharrones, calabacitas, potatoes, green chile stew and other tasty items, plus live music, dancing, arts and crafts. Thats more than enough eating and celebrating to fill your day. Besides the benefit of getting to eat freshly cooked pork, whats the point of it all? According to the HCVC, The matanza is a centuries-old tradition brought to the New World by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century and is quite possibly the oldest European tradition still practiced in the Americas. We re-introduce the matanza to community members each year as a way of recognizing and honoring this Hispanic tradition. Theres very little that doesnt sell this as the ultimate New Mexico event. Its all about community, tradition, chile, meat and supporting the future. What else could you possibly ask for? Global imaging and printing solutions leader to support The Worlds Greatest Show; Canon to also offer printing services and print displays to participants, businesses; media professionals can receive equipment loans as well as maintenance services Exceptional imagery and high speed printing will support a range of onsite activities at The Worlds Greatest Show, following an agreement between Expo 2020 Dubai and Canon, the Japanese imaging technology company. A world leader in its industry, Canon was named Expo 2020 Dubais Official Printing and Imaging Provider in a tie-up that will see it deploy its expertise in imagery and printing throughout the six-month celebration that opens on 20 October 2020. Canon will provide managed printing services, professional print displays such as galleries, souvenir printing, and accreditation and onsite registration printing. Leveraging expertise cultivated over more than 80 years, Canon will provide behind-the-scenes support through its world-class Canon Professional Services (CPS) booths, including offering equipment loans, technical knowledge and maintenance for media professionals onsite. Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, said: We are glad to be able to offer high resolution and easily accessible imagery and printing services to support all those involved in Expo 2020 Dubai. Canon now joins our team of cutting-edge companies pushing the boundaries of innovation and helping us deliver an exceptional World Expo. Yuichi Ishizuka, President and CEO of Canon Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: We are proud to be named the Official Printing and Imaging Provider for Expo 2020 Dubai. This is the first time that Expo has had one provider for both imaging and printing. Its a special opportunity for us to contribute to the delivery of Expo 2020 and will allow us to showcase our entire input to output portfolio to help people reimagine and push the boundaries of what is possible through imaging. The largest event ever held in the Arab World and the first World Expo in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa region, Expo 2020 Dubai will welcome more than 200 participants and an anticipated 25 million visits over the course of 173 days, from 20 October 2020 until 10 April 2021. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires The Speakers of the various State Houses of Assembly in the South-west region on Thursday declared their support for the newly launched Western Nigeria Security Network also known as Amotekun. They made this declaration during a meeting of the Conference of Speakers of South-west State Legislatures held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Present at the meeting were the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly who is also the Chairman, Conference of Speakers, Mudashiru Obasa; Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Funminiyi Afuye; Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye; Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker, Bamidele Oleyeloogun; Ogun State House of Assembly Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo and Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin. Others were representatives of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, members from the state Houses of Assembly in the region, security advisers from the region and others concerned. The theme of the conference was The imperative of Western Nigerian Security Network (Operation Amotekun): Legislative support for the initiative. None of the state assemblies had individually expressed its position since the launch of the new security outfit, which has attracted controversy including stiff opposition from the federal government. Some of the governors have also said they would go ahead with the initiative despite the opposition. Speakers take position But, the speakers on Thursday expressed their support for the establishment of the newly launched security outfit. Mr Ogundoyin, who addressed journalists at the meeting decried the statement credited to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, that the new security outfit is illegal. He said that the new security outfit was launched to complement the efforts of the police and other security agencies. Since the launch of Operation Amotekun on January 9, 2020 in Ibadan by the South-west governors, several reactions have continued to trail the initiative, he said. To me, the legality or illegality of the launch is the most widely discussed issue in the media and indeed Nigeria today hence our coming together under the auspices of the South-west Speakers Conference to deliberate on the issue and pledge our unwavering support to the Operation. READ ALSO: The reactions and controversies generated by the launch especially the statement credited to the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami were surprising, he added. Operation Amotekun is meant to complement the activities of other security agencies in curbing the rising and disturbing spate of kidnapping, assault, ritual killing, armed robbery and other criminal acts in the South-west. Financial autonomy He also said another issue before us as Houses of Assembly is our quest to have financial autonomy as already enshrined in the nations constitution. Recall that the Fourth Alteration Bill signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari granted financial autonomy to both the State Houses of Assembly and the Judiciary which consequently empowers us to receive our allocation straight from the Federation Account. However, this is yet to be implemented. We are also expected to work in tandem with all the state governors in the region towards ensuring the success of the Southwest economic integration agenda. It gladdens my heart that states in South-west Nigeria have keyed into the vital need for regional cohesion, integration and synergy for all-round growth and development of this part of the country. I thank you most sincerely and I wish us all fruitful and happy deliberations, he noted as the meeting commenced. Sojourner Truth. Harriet Tubman. Ida B. Wells. Shirley Chisholm. Rosa Parks. These household names, spanning a couple of centuries, qualify for the Suffrage Hall of Fame. Almost a buzz word synonymous with the Year of the Woman, in 2020 the centerpiece of suffrage will be marked by the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting womens voting rights. Referred to as a bold justice movement, suffrage will be celebrated as Americas march to full democracy. In popular parlance, can we unpack the significance of suffrage and inclusive democracy for Black women? Words matter. But the impact and impetus of their meaning matter more. Heres a composite definition from online dictionaries: Suffrage is the right to vote in public elections. Universal suffrage means everyone gets to vote, as opposed to only men or property holders For example, after trying for about a hundred years, American women were granted suffrage and voted for the first time in 1920. The 19th Amendment was adopted Aug. 18, 1920, after the required number of states ratified the constitutional measure. Though many Black women led suffrage campaigns, the 19th Amendment put white women on an empowerment tract to electoral engagement. Interestingly, the suffrage movement, festooned in the symbolic color white, is often portrayed through a narrow window uncomplicated by the strictures of race and power that framed the Amendment then and now. Look no further than the historical landscape of that moment. Congressional approval of the Act in 1919 was the same year as the infamous Red Summer, a tumultuous white supremacist reign of terror and lynching in Black communities across the country. One year after the 19th Amendment was adopted in 1921 racist mobs set ablaze Tulsa, Oklahoma, decimating what was revered as Black Wall Street. The Year of the Woman battle cry is perversely at odds with Black womens unbroken quest for liberation. Although lauded today as the most reliable and consistent voting bloc for democratic change, weve historically endured being marginalized, dismissed and erased. Black womens demand to be equal and heard extends beyond the century run-up to the 19th Amendment. It was intersectional and linked with abolition of slavery, anti-lynching battles, literacy drives, sharecropper land rights campaigns and the establishment of a radical Black press that was led by many Black women suffragists. Our suffrage quest continued through the Civil Rights Era and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which finally, for the first time, delivered the franchise to Black people in the South. Rewind centuries earlier. Our demand to self-govern predates the formation of this republic, beginning in 1619 when the first Africans, snatched from their ancestral home, landed on these shores. Those nameless suffrage pioneers joined with their men to resist and carry the torch for all people Native Americans, Chinese immigrants and even Irish indentured servants denied fundamental liberty. Then and now, we wage claims to own our bodies, voices and choices. We build on that truth by redefining suffrage beyond the limited act of casting a ballot. For Black women, the narrative is rooted in telling herstory, unerasing the achievements of yesterday and the possibilities for the future. This centennial year is an appropriate time to redefine universal suffrage through the prism of triumphs and tragedies. Trust Black women must be more than a cliche. Unerased Black Women promises to create brave spaces and in alliance with Black newspapers across the country, unfurl a frank public conversation about Suffrage, Race, and Power. Through a digital destination, well turn our ear to a beating heart of resilience, resistance, words and deed. Daughter of slaves, descendants of warriors, writers, journalists, teachers, mentors, activists universal suffragists all have something to say. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Anna Julia Cooper. Mary Ann Shadd. Harriet Jacobs. Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. Mary McLeod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer. Ella Baker. Gertrude Bustill-Mossell. Charlotta Bass. Marvel Jackson Cooke. Most of these women cant claim household name status in the traditional suffrage roll call. But their noble stories will be unerased. Stay tuned as suffrage, redefined, meets our truth. Gwen McKinney is campaign director of an initiative, Suffrage. Race. Power: Unerased Black Women, that will launch in March. [January 23, 2020] 12 ReTech Announces that Emily Santamore Will Lead Its New 12 Fashion Group. 12 ReTech Continues to Streamline and Consolidate Operations to Strongly Increase Revenues and Decrease Expenses. Las Vegas, NV & Hong Kong, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 12 ReTech Corporation (OTC: RETC) announced today that it has appointed Emily Santamore as President of its newly formed division; 12 Fashion Group effective immediately. 12 Fashion Group consolidates the operations and fashion brands of Red Wire Group, Emotion Fashion Group, Lexi-Lu Dancewear, Rune NYC and Social Sunday efficiently under one roof located in the garment district of New York City. Under Emilys management team, The Company has organized the responsibilities of team members who previously wore too many hats in the running of their business so they can each concentrate their efforts at growing the combined business. For instance, sales people will sell all the brands under our roof instead of just their own. One accounting team takes care of the back office for the entire group so that the Company can maximize the financial resources of the group. The production management team takes care of the supply chain, production and delivery for the entire group giving the Company synergies in purchasing power and production labor costs. Emily Santamore said, Successful businesses that have the ability to scale are successful because they organize as a team with team members owning separate responsibilities but working together to reach a common goal. In consolidating our different brands, we have shortened the process of design to production and delivery while reducing costs. This allows us to take on a substantially larger number of clients than we had the capacity for previously. Angelo Ponzetta the Companys CEO stated, When doing multiple acquisitions in a roll up as we have done, its important to continue to find synergies which we can leverage to build revenues using existing resources. We continue to do exactly that. With Emily we have found the perfect leader to build and expand our newly formed 12 Fashion Group. Emily Santamore, Founder of Rune, NYC and now 12 Fashion Groups President continued, While working for many fashion companies and helping to bring to market over 15 brands, I learned how to manage diverse groups of people, streamline operations while maintaining brand integrity. My past work with the world class brands that one of my mentors, David Jehan, brought to market has given me the opportunity to develop a network of extraordinary fashion industry relationships. I will use my experiences and contacts to build our 12 Fashion Group into an equally successful and famous powerhouse as any that I have worked with in the past. Mr. Ponzetta added, Emilys experience is invaluable to the growth of our fashion business which at some point in the future will provide leverage to be used to attract retailers and brands to our technology. We think that our first USA based retailer technology opportunities will come from the retailers and brands that we are already doing business with. For the immediate future, we will deploy our technology into our own Bluwire retail stores, where we will reinvent retail and demonstrate that our technology builds revenue growth and profit lift. Ms. Santamore concluded, Our designers work closely with our clients to quickly develop and deliver quality consumer popular innovative products. We do this for external third parties as well as for our own sales channels. As an example, we have developed two new travel pillows that will be sold only through Bluwire, one is designed by a doctor to eliminate neck pain while traveling and the other is our unique design whereby a jacket with hoodie becomes a travel pillow. Maurice Ojeda, Chief Marketing Officer at Bluwire commented, We are truly reinventing retail at Bluwire! Having our own unique proprietary products in our Bluwire stores is very exciting. Together, these new offerings will work well with the soon to be deployed retail technology at Bluwire. We think that the unique travel and shopping APP that we are building though 12 ReTech and their interactive screens will drive incremental traffic through our shops and offering interesting proprietary products will differentiate us from our competition. I believe that in the second half of 2020 these initiatives alone may improve our revenues by as much as 20% or more. Under Emilys leadership, 12 Fashion Group is projected to deliver reveue of $425,000 for the 1st quarter 2020 which exceeds by $260,000 and 157% the revenue posted by the consolidated stand-alone Fashion Brands in the 4th quarter 2019 and by $ 212,000 and 100% better than the first quarter 2019 when the stand-alone Fashion Bands together booked revenue of $212,371. *These projections do not include any revenue results projected for the Companys Bluwire retail stores or technology division. The figures referenced above are not audited and are subject to change as our year end audit is being worked on. Readers are advised to consider these projected results alongside the footnotes and any other accompanying information that is contained in the Companys previously published Form 10-Q(s) and Form 10-K(s) as well as all of the filings that the Company has previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. About Emily Santamore: Born in Seoul, Korea, Emily was adopted by her parents and moved to the USA at the age of five. Her passion for creating and drawing from a young age landed her at one of the most prestigious art universities in the United States -Tyler School of Art - at Temple University. Graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art History & Fine Arts, she packed her bags and moved to New York City destined to start something of her own that would combine her love of art and fashion. Her first company, Moral Fervor, launched in 2003, was one of the first sustainable womens wear companies in the world. Though recognized by WWD, New York Times, Newsweek and Martha Stewart Living for its innovative fibers and collections, it seemed to be ahead of its time. Afterwards, she decided to expand her knowledge of the fashion Industry and thus spent the next 10 years managing sales and operations for countless contemporary lines. In 2013, combining her love of design and her savvy business know-how, Emily decided to try her hand again at a line of her own with her new collection of Fashion Leggings called Rune NYC. Rune NYC was born to fill the needs of the marketplace that she felt were missing from competitor offerings. Fashion leggings that are wearable, slimming and do not break the bank. Emily uses a special fiber for her creations, which is known for its ability to hold its shape and color. Emily states, Initially I just wanted to feel empowered, and wearing my leggings makes me feel like I can take on the world, comfortably and other women can too! Rune is 100% designed, sourced and manufactured in NYCs Garment District and since its 2013 inception has already won the hearts of major retailers. Emily was named in Remodistas Women2Watch in Retail Disruption in 2017 and sits on the boards of other Fashion Companies. Her experience in understanding the entire life cycle of products from design to production to distribution has made her a sought-after fashion consultant and industry speaker. In March of 2019, Rune was acquired by 12 ReTech Corporation and Emily continued to head Rune NYC as a part of 12 ReTechs family of Companies where she has demonstrated her abilities and contacts and her commitment to 12 ReTechs mission to Reinvent Retail. As President of 12 Fashion Group Emily will have full day to day control of the operations of all of 12 ReTechs fashion brands to include production, fulfillment and sales. Emily resides in New York City with her 8-year-old son, Parker. About 12 ReTech Corporation: RETAIL REINVENTED 12 ReTech Corporation has REINVENTED RETAIL for both our own retail outlets and other merchants who would want to license our cutting-edge retail software to experientially engage with consumers, increase revenues, reduce expenses and provide superior service to their customers. In addition to our software licensing business, the company has nine retail outlets that sell electronics and travel-related products at premium U.S.A. airport and casino locations under our Bluwire brand. We create and sell fashionable apparel under our Rune NYC, Social Sunday, Emotion Fashion & Lexi-Lu brands. We produce clothing and travel accessories at our Red Wire Group operation. As a vertically integrated omni channel retailer 12 ReTechs technology team truly understands and develops what merchants need in order to thrive in todays demanding retail environment. We give our retailer clients the abilities and tools that enable them to compete effectively with the likes of Amazon, Walmart and others. For more information about our Company visit us at www.12ReTech.com. To have your products carried in our stores visit www.shopbluwire.com. To learn about our apparel manufacturing capabilities, contact us at [email protected] or visit www.redwiregroup.com. To shop our brands please visit www.runenyc.com, www.lexiludancewear.com . and www.socialsunday.com. For retailers who would like to learn more about our cutting-edge software, contact us in the U.S.A at (530) 539 4329 or at [email protected] . Safe Harbor: This document contains certain 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, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty, including without limitation, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its turnaround strategy, changes in costs of raw materials, labor, and employee benefits, as well as general market conditions, competition and pricing. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this letter will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as representation by the Company or any other person that the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved. In assessing forward-looking statements included herein, readers are urged to carefully read those statements. When used in the Annual Report on Form 10-K, the words "estimate," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," and similar expressions are intended to be forward-looking statements. Investors Relations Contacts: Mark Gilbert Magellan FIN, LLC [email protected] 317-361-2392 (USA) Corporate Headquarters [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Jammu, Jan 23 : Senior Jammu and Kashmir leader Ghulam Hassan Mir who was a part of the group led by Altaf Bukhari that met Lt. Governor G.C. Murmu earlier this month for presenting a set of measures to restore political activity in J&K, said much progress has been made since the meeting took place. Speaking at a press conference in Jammu on Thursday, the former Minister said many political detainees and youth jailed outside Kashmir have been released. "These are all positive developments since our meeting with the L-G," Mir said. He demanded the release of prisoners including three former chief ministers on Republic Day. "This will be a goodwill gesture," Mir said. He said all those youth who have been detained in jails in other states must be shifted to Jammu and Kashmir. On the issue of restoration of the Internet, he said although 2G Internet has been restored at some places but this is not enough. "Internet must be fully restored," Mir said. He said that the demand for restoration of the Internet is equally strong in Jammu as well as Kashmir. He said the media is worst-affected by the Internet gag. "Government should restore broadband Internet for the media persons." He demanded domicile rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and allaying their fears about job losses post abrogation of Article 370. Mir said the government should compensate for the losses suffered by the agriculture and horticulture sectors. He was flanked by former PDP minister Dilawar Mir who was among the eight leaders expelled by the PDP after meeting the Lt. Governor and the delegation of foreign ambassadors. Dilawar Mir said that he continues to be a member of the PDP and only party president Mehbooba Mufti who is under detention has the power to expel him. (Zaffar Iqbal can be contacted at zaffar25@gmail.com) DxOMark ranks the Sony Xperia 5 in the same class as the Galaxy Note8 and iPhone 8 Plus The latest smartphone tested by DxOMark is the Sony Xperia 5. Announced at IFA in September, the Xperia 5 is a midrange device with triple cameras, all with 12MP sensors. The Sony Xperia 5 was released a few months after the flagship-grade Xperia 1. Despite the formers mid-range position and hardware, it uses an identical triple-camera setup as the Xperia 1. Though there were improvements over the Xperia 1s cameras, DxOMark wasnt impressed with the Xperia 5. It received an overall score of 95 (the Xperia 1 got 91) with a 101 for photography and 83 for video. Slight improvements in photography are cited in exposure, textures, artifacts, night, and wide-angle shots with slight declines in color, autofocus, and zoom. DxOMark calls these differences marginal, deeming both devices comparable in image quality. Video performance was in the same boat marginal differences but comparable results. Now lets look at the weaknesses of the overall camera performance. The first drawback cited was with dynamic range - the Xperia 5s is limited, with highlights easily clipping in high-contrast scenes. Color rendition could also be improved with a more neutral white balance. Though low-light performance is not bad, it tends to generate a lot of noise in dimmer edges of the shot. Though autofocus wasnt the slowest theyd seen, it was consistent and accurate on the Xperia 5. Zoomed shots are what affected the overall score, with unstable exposure and focus. Color fringing was also noticeable along with noisy edges and unrealistic details and textures. Video performance saw the same limited dynamic range issue, with highlights constantly clipping in bright outdoor footage. There are also some inconsistencies with white balance and unstable autofocus. The good news is exposure remains accurate and noise is well-controlled with effective stabilization. Sony Xperia 5 next to the Xperia 1 The midrange smartphone was ranked alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and the Apple iPhone 8 Plus, which is great for a midranger, but not great for the high-end Xperia 1. We really wish Sony would get the anchor out of its pants when other smartphones with Sony-made components are performing leagues better than its self-branded smartphones. Source Some stories in todays news animate us in inverse proportion to the degree they affect us directly. Democratic House managers, led by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), opened the presentation of their case for impeachment yesterday. They are accusing President Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. For many Americans, the Senate trial frustrates us in large part because we can do so little about the cultural rancor it illustrates. It is our partisan polarization writ large, with the two sides in conflict while one hundred senators sit passively and the nation watches from afar. If the trial ends as expected, neither side will get what it wants. The presidents supporters will be angry at what they perceive to be an unjust prosecution, while his opponents will be angry at what they perceive to be an unjust outcome. Each will blame the other. And no one seems to know what to do to change the partisan impasse in which the country finds itself. An epidemiologists nightmare Other stories in the news animate us in direct proportion to the way they affect us directly. The death toll from the China coronavirus is now at seventeen. After emerging in a seafood and livestock market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the virus has now spread across China and into the US. Last night, Chinese authorities began work to quarantine Wuhan, sealing off its highways, public transportation, airport, train station, and long-haul bus hubs. The city is home to eleven million people. It would be the largest city in America (New York Citys population is estimated at 8.3 million). In addition to the local threat, the Lunar New Year holiday in China is bringing hundreds of millions of travelers across the country and the world. According to the New York Times, this mass migration is an epidemiologists nightmare. The virus is frightening because it holds the potential to affect us all. So far, no drugs have been shown effective in treating coronavirus infections in humans. Scientists are working on a vaccine, but it could take more than a year for one to become available. Doctors advise frequent handwashing, staying clear of people with respiratory illnesses, and avoiding areas infected by the virus. A couple who chose life The best way to change the world is to change what we can. Consider abortion, our subject yesterday. Faced with intractable pro-abortion activists and a culture that is moving further from biblical morality each day, it seems impossible to make a difference. But every child we help is an eternal soul worth all we can do and more. I remember a young couple I met in my last pastorate. They were dating when she became pregnant. Both had their lives ahead of them and knew their families would be traumatized by her pregnancy. Abortion seemed the only answer. We spent time together in prayer and Bible study. They decided to give their child life and eventually married. Their girl is high-school age today. I will always be grateful to them for allowing me to play a role in their decision. When we serve others, we serve ourselves as well. A scientific study of first-semester college students examined the relationship between goals they identified as compassionate and those that focused on the students self-image. They found that students who sought to fulfill compassionate goals experienced decreased distress compared to those who focused on themselves. By contrast, those who focused more on their self-image experienced chronic distress. How God changes the world God changes the world one person at a time. An example is Gods promise to Abraham: I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:17-18). When we are obedient to Gods call, we can know that he will use us in ways we cannot imagine or predict. This is because his purpose is universal: All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you (Psalm 22:27). As a result, we can be sure that God is always at work to bring the world to himself. And we can know that he is always using us to fulfill this global purpose. The next time you wonder if God can and will employ your gifts, abilities, and service for eternal purposes, remember that such use is his sovereign intention for your life. In fact, he will make your service significant in ways you cannot imagine today. In New Life in Christ, author Sally Rackets says it this way: Jesus gave his life for us so he could give his life to us in order to live his life through us. Have you invited your Lord to live his life through you today? NOTE: Heres an excerpt from our just-released Volume 4 of Biblical Insight to Tough Questions, from the chapter titled When life gets hard, where can I turn? Because we are fallen people living in a fallen world alongside other just-as-fallen people, life can be challenging. Because our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, the ways in which life can be hard are varied and numerous (1 Peter 5:8). And because we can choose our way over Gods, we may reap the consequences of our actions. Thats not to say that all of life is painfulbut when youre the one experiencing the pain, it may certainly feel all-encompassing and seemingly never-ending. In those moments, to whom can you turn? You know the answer: his name is Jesus. But do you know why hes the answer?I pray youll be blessed by Vol. 4. Please request your copy today. Publication date: January 23, 2020 Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Staff For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org. The Daily Article Podcast is Here! Click to Listen Chinas deadly coronavirus outbreak is dominating headlines worldwide, raising fears of a global epidemic. Since the first sufferer was infected in the city of Wuhan - capital of Hubei province - at the end of last year, the virus has spread to major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. READ MORE: How did China's coronavirus outbreak start? It has even crossed national borders, with the US, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan all confirming cases. The death toll stood at 18 on Thursday, all in Wuhan, with Chinese authorities confirming more than 630 people are battling the virus. One expert claims, however, numbers are rising by the minute - with up to 9,700 cases in Wuhan alone. How deadly is the new coronavirus? With the strain - 2019-nCoV - virtually unheard of a month ago, estimations are based on limited data. Statistics point to a death rate of 2%, meaning that for every 50 people who catch the virus, one will die, Yahoo UK reported. Of the cases that end up in hospital, between 15% and 20% are said to be severe, defined as needing ventilation. Fatalities are occurring as a result of pneumonia, which comes about when a respiratory infection causes the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus, according to the American Lung Association. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. Without treatment the end is inevitable, said the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. Deaths occurs because of asphyxiation. READ MORE: Billions of journeys to celebrate Chinese New Year raise fears coronavirus will spread worldwide Genetic analyses reveal 2019-nCoV is more closely related to fellow coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) than any other strain. Sars made headlines in the early 2000s after 774 people died across dozens of countries. Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, claims Sars was nearly universally severe. Whereas 2019-nCoV cases are being described as mild for the most part. Story continues Chinese officials were notoriously tight lipped about the Sars epidemic. The authorities have been much more open about the outbreak, investigated the infection much more rapidly and thoroughly, and shared that information with the international community, Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, said. The authorities have also initiated very strong control measures in affected cities. The causative virus was also identified substantially earlier in this epidemic. As a result of this increased openness and better management in neighbouring countries should be able to prepare well in advance of any cases that may arrive on their shores. Coronaviruses are a class of pathogens that cause everything from the common cold to life-threatening epidemics like Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers). Six previous coronaviruses are known to infect people, with 2019-nCoV being the seventh. The new coronavirus strain likely originated at a seafood market in Wuhan. The market also sold a range of processed and live meat including donkeys, poultry, camels, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and rats. READ MORE: China's coronavirus could have same death rate as Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50m people Most of those who initially fell ill worked at, or visited, the market. Viruses like 2019-nCoV mutate all the time, allowing them to jump between species. Scientists from Peking University in Beijing believe 2019-nCoV likely started in bats. These then got eaten by snakes, which acted as an intermediate host, before the virus spread to humans. Professor Hunter argued, however, it is not known with certainty and may never be definitively proved. Like other coronavirus strains, 2019-nCoV typically starts with flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Symptoms can come on in as little as two days or as long as two weeks after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In severe cases, patients develop pneumonia. Who is most likely to be affected by the new coronavirus? The new strain has the potential to infect anyone. Novel viruses spread much faster because we have no immunity, Professor Ferguson said. China's National Health Commission announced the youngest victim to date was 48 and the eldest 89. Most were elderly and suffering other health issues, like Parkinsons or diabetes, it added. Other strains of coronavirus tend to only trigger serious complications - like pneumonia or bronchitis - in the elderly, young or those with pre-existing medical conditions. How does the new coronavirus spread? China's National Health Commission confirmed the virus can spread from person-to-person. Coronaviruses are usually transmitted via coughing, sneezing, shaking hands or touching a contaminated object. READ MORE: China's coronavirus 'may be missed at airport screenings in newly infected travellers' The virus enters the body if contaminated hands touch the eyes, nose or mouth. In rare cases, faecal contamination can be to blame. Exposure to the mysterious animal behind the outbreak could also lead to infection. The CDC stresses some viruses are highly contagious and others less so. It is unclear where 2019-nCoV stands. How is the new coronavirus treated? There is no specific treatment for coronaviruses, according to the CDC. If the infection triggers pneumonia, doctors work to combat the complication. When a virus is to blame like 2019-nCoV pneumonia may be treated via antiviral medication, according to the American Lung Association. Professor Peter Horby - from the University of Oxford - said, however, there is likely no effective anti-viral, with care being supportive. US health officials are working on a vaccine against 2019-nCoV; however, it will likely be months before the first stage of trials are underway and more than a year before it could be available to the public, CNN reported. For now, the World Health Organization advises people eat only well-cooked food, avoid spitting in public and stay away from sick animals. The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based sanitiser. People should also stay home if they feel unwell, disinfect objects and cough or sneeze into a tissue, which they then throw away. A few days ago, the National Education Association released its legislative report card for the first session of the 116th Congress. This is something the nations largest teachers unionin fact, the NEA is the largest labor union of any kind in the U.S.does on a regular basis. But with a presidential election putting an especially big charge into education politics, lets take a look at the grades the NEA has handed out. One tidbit for you: Despite all the flak they catch from many Democrats for their education positions, two Democratic presidential candidatesSen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.both received A grades for the first session of this Congress, just like they did in the 114th Congress and the 115th Congress. These grades dontand arent meant toreflect their entire education track records and what theyve said during their 2020 presidential runs. Still, Bookers support for the District of Columbia voucher program clearly hasnt hurt him too much with the union, for example. Back to the grades in general: Like other organizations, the NEA has what are essentially key votes. The union doesnt use this term on its report card, but the concept refers to a particularly important bill for the group. How a lawmaker votes on that bill will significantly impact the grade that he or she gets, although those votes arent the only factor in those grades. Click here to see the NEAs full list of key votes . Other than appropriations bills that deal with federal spending on education programs, youll see bills about increasing pay for federal workers, background checks for gun sales, middle class taxes, limiting debate on judicial nominees, and voting rights. During all this activity, theres simply been a lack of education policy bills that create or amend new laws and make it to the floor of either chamber for a full vote, and for the NEA to subsequently grade lawmakers on. NEAs priority bills reflect difficult, controversial issues of the day that intersect with schools in different ways and to different degrees. These bills cover immigration (hundreds of thousands of students and tens of thousands of educators are covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA), and gun control (the NEA is vigorously opposed to arming teachers), just to name two example. And the unions support for higher pay for federal civilian workers, for example, demonstrates public solidarity with another group of workers represented by organized labor. Marc Egan, the NEAs director of government relations, sounded an optimistic note about the grades, saying in a statement that, We are pleased to see positive signs of more bipartisan support of bills that strengthen public education and improve the lives of our students, their families, and communities. Yet Egan also said theres still broad polarization in Congress; just nine House Republicans received an A grade, close to the eight who did so last Congress, for example. More in that vein: 153 lawmakers got an F grade for the 1st session of the 116th Congress, which started in 2019, and 152 of those were Republicans (the one other lawmaker changed his affiliation from Republican to independent). And all 46 senators who got an F are Republicans. So what are some other highlights from the NEAs grades? Check out the charts below for some of these for U.S. senators, the group well stick to for the sake of efficiency. Because senators are graded on high-profile, high-pressure votes on nominees for the federal judiciary and top administration positions, the generally poor marks for Republicans may not be particularly surprising. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate education committee, received a Friend of Education award from the NEA in 2016, in recognition of his work shepherding the Every Student Succeeds Act over the finish line, and got an A grade for the Congress that year. But his grade slipped to an F in the 115th Congress, before rising to a C in the first session of this Congress. The Republican who got the highest grade was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who scored an A, the only Republican to do so. Next was Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who scored a B. Collins and Murkowski voted against Betsy DeVos nomination for education secretary in 2017 and havent been big boosters of school choice during their Senate careers, so their relatively high grades arent a shock. Meanwhile, the four Republicans to get D grades are Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. Lets jump briefly over to the House. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the top Republican on the House education committee, got the cold shoulder from the NEA with an F grade. However, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the top Republican on the House subcommittee that deals with education spending, fared better with a C grade. Remember, lawmakers have increased appropriations for the U.S. Department of Education during President Donald Trumps administration, despite Trumps attempts to shrink the departments budget; Cole hasnt been a huge fan of those attempts. Heres some other criteria the NEA uses for its report card that dont depend on key votes: Cosponsoring bills critical to advancing NEAs identified legislative priorities Behind-the-scenes work to advance or impede NEA priority issues Committee votes in support of or against NEA priorities Accessibility of the member and staff in Washington DC to NEA staff and leaders Accessibility and education advocacy in the members home state or district Photo: National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia, middle, poses with teachers after a Phoenix #RedForEd rally in 2018. (Ross D. Franklin/AP) Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . A New York City jury heard opening arguments in the criminal prosecution of Harvey Weinstein yesterday, more than two years after the so-called #MeToo campaign was instigated by a series of salacious articles in the New York Times and the New Yorker accusing the film producer of sexual misconduct. Now that the accusations against Weinstein have arrived in a courtroom, Weinstein and his attorneys are attempting to mount a legal defense. Indeed, his attorneys have announced that they intend to present a trove of emails that, at the very least, appear likely to substantially undermine the credibility of his accusers. The New York Times is compelled, wringing its hands nervously, to warn its readers that the allegations that constituted the premise for the entire #MeToo campaign may be called into doubt in court. In an article describing the proceedings Tuesday, the Times described how Weinsteins attorneys offered a first glimpse of their plan to undermine his accusers credibility. From the start, the Times warned, Harvey Weinsteins lawyers have made it clear they intend to secure an acquittal in his rape case by destroying the credibility of his accusers. On Tuesday, Weinsteins defense attorneys obtained permission from the judge to refer to the allegedly exculpatory emails in their opening statement. The Times reported: Mr. Weinsteins lawyers have long made it clear that they intend to discredit his accusers by focusing on emails that suggest the producers relationship with the women was consensual and lasted long after the alleged crimes. In other words, Weinstein is going to try to defend himself. He intends to avail himself of the democratic legal protections available to a criminal defendant. It may come as a source of shock and indignation to those who would prefer the summary execution of all those accused, but Weinstein has every right to confront his accusersand yes, attempt to discredit them. The Sixth Amendment, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, provides: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury, [and] to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense. On the essential democratic character of what came to be known as the Confrontation Clause, the US Supreme Court in the 1899 case of Kirby v. United States wrote that the right of confrontation is [o]ne of the fundamental guarantees of life and liberty, and a right long deemed so essential for the due protection of life and liberty that it is guarded against legislative and judicial action by provisions in the Constitution of the United States and in the constitutions of most if not of all the States composing the Union. US Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, overturning a conviction that was secured in violation of the Confrontation Clause in Texas in 1965, wrote: It cannot seriously be doubted at this late date that the right of cross-examination is included in the right of an accused in a criminal case to confront the witnesses against him. And probably no one, certainly no one experienced in the trial of lawsuits, would deny the value of cross-examination in exposing falsehood and bringing out the truth in the trial of a criminal case. Black continued: The fact that this right appears in the Sixth Amendment of our Bill of Rights reflects the belief of the Framers of those liberties and safeguards that confrontation was a fundamental right essential to a fair trial in a criminal prosecution. One of the chief demands of the #MeToo campaign has been to undermine this essential safeguard, replacing it with an accusers unconditional right to be believed. If they could have their way, Weinsteins trial would feature the testimony of the accusers one by one, preferably anonymously and free from any attempts to discredit them, followed promptly by a frog march to the scaffold. What we will be able to show is that witnesses who claim Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted them also bragged about being involved in sexual relations with him, the Times quoted defense attorney Damon Cheronis arguing to the judge on Tuesday. They bragged about these things he allegedly forced them to do. The evidence will show the complaining witnesses sent dozens and dozens of loving emails to Harvey Weinstein, Cheronis said. One of the accusers, actress Jessica Mann, had a five-year relationship with Weinstein following the alleged sexual assault, calling him her casual boyfriend and in general expressing friendly sentiments towards him. I love you, I always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call. ;) She wrote in 2017, four years after the alleged attack. In reading the Times and other promoters of the #MeToo campaign, such a defense is treated as illegitimate, an effort to destroy the credibility of the accusers. Since the allegations must be believed, any defense is only further proof of guilt. There are definite interests at stake. In yesterdays article, the Times r ecalls: Revelations about Mr. Weinsteins treatment of women in The New York Times and The New Yorker set in motion the global #MeToo movement, a public reckoning about the harassment endured by women for centuries. Setting to one side the attempt to commingle the accusations against Weinstein with centuries of abuse endured by women, it is clear that the Times is anxious about the significant possibility that the allegations that set in motion the whole #MeToo movement could fail to survive contact with a courtroom. Scores of individuals have been targeted and cancelled in over two years of the #MeToo crusade, with New York Times and other establishment media outlets haranguing their audiences relentlessly with lurid depictions of alleged sexual improprieties perpetrated by famous people. Without charges or trial, the targeted individuals have been publicly denounced and disgraced. Images of these individuals were digitally erased from magazine covers and edited out of film scenes. Weinstein himself has been universally condemned in unceasing media coverage as the grandfather of all the other supposed monsters, someone for whom no punishment could be too severe. Every effort has been made to whip the public into a frenzy and prevent Weinstein from receiving a fair trial. Anyone expressing doubts about the #MeToo campaign is denounced as a rape apologist. Harvard Law School Professor Ronald Sullivan, who joined Weinsteins legal defense team, was the target of a particularly vicious campaign last year, despiteor rather because ofhis insistence that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty and everyone is entitled to due process of law under our Constitution. The Times acknowledges that Weinsteins lawyers have argued to the judge that it is impossible at this point for a fair trial to take place with a carnival-like atmosphere prevailing around the courthouse, reporters and camera crews filling courthouse hallways and protests against Mr. Weinstein taking place on the streets outside. In Weinsteins particular case, one hopes that the individual jurors will do their best under the circumstances to weigh the evidence conscientiously and determine the guilt or innocence of the accused on this basis. But given the overheated and sensational media campaign that has become inseparable from the charges against Weinstein, it will be difficult to make any independent and objective assessment of what actually happened. As the Times itself acknowledges, The prosecutions case largely hinges on the jury believing the womens accounts; there is no physical evidence to support the allegations. Regardless of the question of Weinsteins individual guilt or innocence, the reactionary character of the #MeToo campaign should be clear by now. Crusades for moral and sexual purity have always been the province of the political right, accompanied always with demands for law and order. Leaving the biggest criminals in the government, military and intelligence agencies, and financial and corporate boardrooms unscathed, the function of the #MeToo campaign is to undermine due process and the presumption of innocence, redirect public opposition towards designated scapegoats and cultivate a base of support in the upper-middle class for the pro-war, right-wing, imperialist politics of the Democratic Party. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is launching an exclusive partnership with Fotografiska New York, the internationally renowned destination for photography. As part of the official partnership, Kimpton will unveil a curated multi-dimensional photography pop-up installation titled "Stay Human," at Fotografiska's newly opened U.S flagship museum, Fotografiska New York. Following the January 23rd preview, the installation will move to the Kimpton Eventi Hotel in Chelsea and then travel across the country to five additional Kimpton properties throughout 2020, with pop-ups at the EPIC in Miami, the Nine Zero in Boston, the Gray in Chicago, the Born in Denver and the Everly in Los Angeles. Kimpton is also partnering with Fujifilm Instax to create unique on-site photography experiences for Kimpton hotel guests across the country. The interactive installation spotlights original photography from acclaimed artists Evelyn Bencicova, Kelia Anne MacCluskey and Elizabeth Bick, and will feature an accompanying reimagined audio guide that enhances the photography through evocative sound design and a first-person narration from each artist on the inspiration behind the work. The installation was inspired by Kimpton's Stay Human campaign, which is grounded in the idea that in our world of rapid innovation and constant technological changes, people crave more authentic connections, personal experiences and humanity. Each artist interpreted the spirit of Stay Human in her own distinct way, disclosing her process and sentiment behind each photograph in the accompanying immersive audio guide track. "We're deeply inspired by Fotografiska's mission to make photography more accessible and inclusive to all, particularly as we continue to explore what it means for travelers to be human today," says Kathleen Reidenbach, Chief Commercial Officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "This immersive installation is unlike any other and we can't wait for our guests to experience it listening to these incredible artists tell you about their work first-hand brings our Stay Human campaign and perspective to life in a new meaningful way." The collection of work was created specifically for the Kimpton installation with each artist having been hand-selected by Fotografiska New York's exhibitions team. Based in Berlin, Evelyn Bencicova specializes in photography and art direction, informed by her background in fine art and new media studies. Her artwork is never quite what it first appears to be, and explores a distinctive aesthetic in which the conceptual meets the visual. Kelia Anne MacCluskey is an LA-based photographer and director that often incorporates strong and conflicting visuals in her work, and aims to teeter on the line of absurdity. Elizabeth Bick is a New York-based photographer whose work is influenced by her training in classical and modern dance, often spotlighting uncontrolled human movement and the intersection of light and shadow. Additional background on each artist can be found here. "Kimpton and Fotografiska have a shared commitment to fostering genuine connections and inspiring a more conscious world, so we couldn't be more thrilled to have Kimpton as our official hotel partner for our opening year," says Pam Harris, Executive Director at Fotografiska New York. "Together, we've organized this thought-provoking installation as a way to bring people together through the power of photography." "There's always a story behind a photograph or piece of art. In Kimpton's design approach, we thoughtfully curate collections and works that are nuanced, inspired and un-formulaic," says Ave Bradley, Creative Director and Senior VP of Design at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "With this installation, we're lifting the veil and connecting the photographer to the viewer on a deeper level. It creates a multi-sensory art experience that transports and inspires our guests." Following the premiere event at Fotografiska New York, the Kimpton x Fotografiska traveling installation will pop-up at the following Kimpton hotels from January to August 2020: New York City (Kimpton Hotel Eventi): January 28 February 25, 2020 (Kimpton Hotel Eventi): Miami (Kimpton EPIC Hotel): March 4 April 1, 2020 (Kimpton EPIC Hotel): Boston (Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel): April 9 May 7, 2020 (Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel): Chicago (Kimpton Gray Hotel): May 15 June 12, 2020 (Kimpton Gray Hotel): Denver (Kimpton Hotel Born): June 20 July 18, 2020 (Kimpton Hotel Born): Los Angeles (Kimpton Everly Hotel): July 26 August 23, 2020 View a selection of photography featured in the installation here, and explore the immersive Kimpton x Fotografiska audio guide to the traveling installation to enhance your visit, or to follow along from anywhere. Join the fun at Kimpton x Fotografiska activations taking place at Kimpton hotels across the country, including FUJIFILM Instax cameras on loan, Foto-gin-ic cocktails at Kimpton Wine Hours, local parties and visiting photographer experiences. As the Official Hotel Partner of Fotografiska New York, Kimpton is featuring Kimpton x Fotografiska hotel packages at Kimpton Hotel Eventi and Kimpton Muse Hotel in NYC. The experiences include tickets to Fotografiska, camera rentals by FUJIFILM INSTAX, and two complimentary welcome drinks to be enjoyed before or after your Fotografiska adventure. For more information on the Kimpton x Fotografiska partnership and traveling installation, please visit www.kimptonhotels.com/foto. About Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the original boutique hotel brand, which pioneered the concept of unique, distinctive, design-forward hotels in the United States in 1981. Anchored in one-of-a-kind experiences, Kimpton now operates more than 60 hotels and 80 restaurants, bars and lounges across urban locations, resort destinations and up-and-coming markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, Caribbean and Greater China. Kimpton spaces and experiences center on its guests, offering inspiring design that evokes curiosity to forward-thinking flavors that feed the soul. Every detail is thoughtfully curated and artfully delivered, so that guest experiences remain meaningful, unscripted and ridiculously personal. Kimpton's employees, empowered to provide heartfelt service and experiences, have built a highly regarded workplace culture that appears consistently on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. As a result, Kimpton has been awarded, "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upper Upscale Hotel Chains" by J.D. Power three times. In January 2015, Kimpton became part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family of hotel brands. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com. About Fotografiska New York Fotografiska New York is the newest global outpost from the internationally renowned, Stockholm-based destination for photography. Located at 281 Park Avenue South, the six-floor, 45,000 sq ft. historic landmark is home to a multi-concept venue, featuring three floors of exhibition space, and a restaurant and bar named Veronika operated by the award-winning Starr Restaurants group and designed by Roman and Williams. A versatile event venue with vaulted ceilings and skylights hosts programming for the Fotografiska member community as well as private hire. Since opening in Sweden in 2010, Fotografiska has become a haven of innovation, inclusivity and free expression. Guided by the brand pillars of inclusion, inspiration, innovation, sustainability and relevance, Fotografiska has become a global name synonymous with contemporary photography. Fotografiska's exhibition history and presentation of photography is powerful and unparalleled, and includes over 200 exhibitions to date, such as David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Albert Watson, Sally Mann, Cooper & Gorfer, Ren Hang, and Christian Tagliavini. For tickets, memberships, and more information about Fotografiska New York, please visit www.fotografiska.com/nyc, or follow Fotografiska New York on Facebook and Instagram. SOURCE Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Related Links http://www.KimptonHotels.com CLEVELAND, Ohio Union janitors protested losing their jobs Thursday outside Sherwin-Williams Co.s headquarters downtown, saying the company should reverse its decision that probably will result in the janitors being replaced by lower-paid nonunion workers. About 20 Service Employees International Union Local 1 janitors and supporters demonstrated at the paint manufacturers headquarters on West Prospect Avenue, where nearly 30 janitors are scheduled to lose their jobs Jan. 31. Most were bundled-up at the noontime protest on a windy winters day, carrying placards on which Save Our Jobs was painted in purple. Some waved paint brushes. One carried a Sherwin-Williams paint bucket. Sherwin-Williams has decided to replace the union contractor that employs the janitors with a nonunion contractor. SEIU janitors at Sherwin-Williams are paid between $12 and $15 an hour, and nonunion janitors are typically paid between $9 and $10, according to the union. All people want is a living wage to take care of their family, Sandra Ellington, who is on the unions executive board and is a janitor at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, said into a small bullhorn. Just because we take out your trash, we are not trash. We will not be dismissed! Sherwin-Williams said it cant address the janitors concerns because it doesnt employ them. The company said it had to replace the contractor after receiving numerous complaints from employees regarding the cleanliness of the building. The contractor repeatedly failed to address the complaints, even after given several attempts, according to the paint manufacturer. In the end, we made a business decision to hire another cleaning service provider due to non-performance issues, the company said in an email to The Plain Dealer. Several protesters said they werent opposed to the company exercising its right to change contractors. They questioned why the company selected a nonunion contractor, when it had used union contractors for at least a few decades. Earlier this week, the union said Sherwin-Williams was fostering income inequality with its decision to use a nonunion contractor because its actions would essentially result in cleaners at the headquarters being paid less. The union said because of this, Sherwin-Williams should be excluded from public funding for the new global headquarters and research and development facility it is considering building in Cleveland or another Cuyahoga County location. Related articles by Olivera Perkins: Janitors union says Sherwin-Williams shouldnt get public funding for new HQ, worries about lost jobs Labor union membership down in Ohio, U.S. in 2019: Labor Department Ohios minimum wage ranks near bottom among states with rates higher than federal minimum LINN COUNTY SHERIFF Missing tools 7:58 a.m. Tuesday, 800 block S. 6th St., Harrisburg. A caller reported the theft of $300 in tools from a Jobox in the back of a pickup truck. Missing equipment 11:23 a.m. Tuesday, 600 block W. 1st St., Halsey. A caller reported that an estimated $60,000 in equipment, including a forklift and accessories for a crane, has gone missing. BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF Stolen van 8:20 p.m. Saturday, 600 block S. 19th St., Philomath. A deputy was dispatched to take a report of a van stolen from behind a shop. The vehicle is described as a 2004 Chevrolet work van with Oregon license plate 104EQA. Slipping and sliding 6:43 a.m. Friday, 30900 block Bellfountain Road, Philomath. A deputy was dispatched to investigate reports of multiple vehicles in the ditch along Bellfountain Road near milepost 4. The deputy found there had been three separate single-vehicle crashes due to icy conditions. There were no injuries in crashes involving a 2007 Toyota Camry sedan and a 2005 Honda Civic sedan. No information was available on the third vehicle. SWEET HOME POLICE Off to jail At 12:52 p.m. Tuesday, David James Kamarec, 24, was arrested on a Sweet Home Municipal Court warrant for third-degree theft, first-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal trespass and second-degree attempted burglary. He was booked, cited and released, except he was also arrested on an Oregon State Parole Board warrant for parole violation. Kamarec was lodged at the Linn County Jail. LINN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT From Tuesday afternoon Burglaries, theft David Ryan Bakies, 42, of Jefferson, was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of second-degree burglary, third-degree theft, theft of services and second-degree criminal trespass. The crimes allegedly occurred on Friday or Saturday in the 37300 block of Farris Road in Scio. The Linn County Sheriffs Office investigated the case. Bakies also was charged with probation violation in a separate case. Meth, heroin dealing Joshua Dean Hadley, 34, of Keizer, was charged with delivery of methamphetamine and heroin within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of methamphetamine and heroin, and misdemeanor attempt to elude (on foot). The crimes allegedly occurred on Saturday and the Albany Police Department was the investigating agency. Meth dealing Bradley Marion Pugh, 36, of Sweet Home, was charged with delivery of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of methamphetamine and criminal driving while suspended or revoked. The crimes allegedly occurred on Nov. 2. The Oregon State Police investigated the case. Domestic assault Chelsea Dawn Slack of Lebanon was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, felony fourth-degree assault (domestic violence) and menacing (domestic violence). The crimes allegedly occurred on Jan. 1 and the LCSO investigated the case. Assault Crystal Nicole Villanueva, 32, of Albany, was charged with felony and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. The crimes allegedly occurred on Saturday and the APD was the investigating agency. From Wednesday afternoon Elude indictment Harley David McKee, 29, of Salem, was indicted on charges of felony and misdemeanor attempt to elude (by vehicle and on foot). The crimes allegedly occurred on Nov. 6, 2018, and the LCSO investigated the case. Heroin dealing Roy Oscar Ross, 64, of Lebanon, was charged with delivery and possession of heroin. The crimes allegedly occurred on Nov. 1 and the Oregon State Police investigated the case. The state has filed a motion to seek an enhanced sentence. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Adam Schiff is a man of peculiar reasoning. Like a dolt shouting louder at a foreign-language speaker in a bid to make him "understand," Schiff's decided that if he just keeps speaking long enough, we will all suddenly turn into anti-Trumpsters and throw Trump from office. No kidding, he spoke for two and a half hours in his House manager introduction to the Senate impeachment court, the length of which alone was deadly to his case in the age of Twitter. Seriously, two and a half hours. Imagine listening to a dog barking for two and a half hours... This sentiment pretty well describes how well that went over: The Schiff strategy seems to be to bore, insult and bully Republican Senators into submission. This will backfire. The prospect of Repub Sens voting for additional testimony and documents seems even more remote today after only two hours into this planned 24 hour snore fest. Ted Davis (@tedsthetruth) January 22, 2020 And this: I am not even excited about this #TrumpImpeachmentTrial anymore I am watching something else and I turn back and forth to see what is going on and I see Adam Schiff rambling for like two hours now, this is already turning out to be a shit show. Outspoken Marc (@MARCANDERSONNWO) January 22, 2020 And if it was bad for the flyover, imagine how it was to be trapped inside the Senate capsule with Schiff's words echoing off the walls and never, never, never stopping... We all know Adam Schiff loves hearing himself talk. So, lets give him something to talk about: 1) Why did Schiff collude with the "whistleblower? 2) What instructions did he provide the "whistleblower?" 3) Why did Schiff hire the whistleblowers co-worker? Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 22, 2020 Update: The Associated Press filed this: The agony of the senator-jurors had begun to show the night before, with widespread but more subtle struggles to pay attention to opening arguments. Gum-chewing, snacking, yawning and alleged napping could be seen throughout the cramped chamber. Around midnight, things got looser. Senators paced and chatted near the wall. Then the prosecutors and Trumps defense team got into a back-and-forth over who was lying and making false allegations about Trumps pressure on Ukraine to help him politically. ...and... But for many, Wednesday hurt. Roberts had gaveled Tuesdays session closed at 1:50 a.m. Fewer than 12 hours later, the senators were back, with little sleep, for more of the same impeachment story, told by Schiff and his team in exhaustive detail. Even with Roberts scolding still fresh, many senators were in no mood for rules or traditions. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was seen nodding off, Sen. Rand Paul was seen working on his crossword puzzle, and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein, who was actually one of two Democrats to escort Supreme Court Justice John Roberts into the room, voted with her feet. Goodnight, @SenFeinstein said to me and @jenhab as she exited the Senate at 8:45 pm. She left under the carriage entrance into an awaiting car. There was almost an hour left on Wednesday nights impeachment trial. https://t.co/7E1woQ0ENT Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) January 23, 2020 An 86-year-old woman needs her sleep. Sen. Lindsey Graham had a lot of eye rolls, too: Quite frankly, having Adam Schiff lecture the Senate about fairness and due process is like listening to an arsonist talk about fire prevention. Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 21, 2020 Even the Guardian noticed a problem: House impeachment manager Adam Schiff was in full flow, prosecuting the case against Donald Trump. Over nearly two and a half hours, McConnell would not be the only Republican senator to nod off, yawn, rub their eyes or bolt the chamber. https://t.co/8qEYhAPQsV Dan Haar (@dahaar) January 23, 2020 Here's another choice tweet: The funniest part about the Senate #ImpeachmentTrial is the thought of Mayor Pete, Uncle Joe, & Daddy Morebucks etc. running around Iowa while their opponents stay up until 2 am voting on the most pointless procedural motions ever contrived. Dems interfered in their own election. Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) January 22, 2020 Imagine Bernie Sanders stuck sitting through that while knowing all along he was within grasping distance of overtaking Joe Biden in Iowa, except that he had to be here. Same with Liz Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and maybe a couple others. Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts seemed to have better things to do with his time, too, and told the Dems he'd had a bellyfull. It's playing so well for Republicans that even NeverTrump Rich Lowry thought Cocaine Mitch (note: this term is a joke, a thumb in the eye of the left, and even McConnell thinks it's funny) should have given them more rope: One thing you learn in journalism is the value of concision. Its not clear that House managers are going to add anything to Schiffs (pretty effective) 2-hour presentation in the ensuing 22 hours, in fact they may subtract from it Maybe Mitch should have given them 50 hours! Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) January 22, 2020 Not only did Schiff drone on and on and on because effectively, he had nothing to say but he had the face of a madman. This what losing looks like BoookemDano838 (@dwalsh838) January 22, 2020 After failing to prove Russia collusion, or make a winnable impeachment case in the House, this is the latest Wile-E.-Coyote scheme is to bore us to death, telling us over and over and over again that which we already knew and rejected. No wonder support is rising in the Senate for just throwing the whole thing out. Sen. Rand Paul, looking up from his crossword puzzle, says he's got 45 senators now in favor of scrapping the latest Schiff show and rising. Message: Make it stop. GatewayPundit has a magnificent roundup of just how bored the captive audience in the Senate was. And more significant, public support for President Trump is soaring. Gallup just reported that Trump now has the highest level of public support in his entire presidency. The more Schiff talks, the higher Trump goes. And stating the obvious, The Hill reports that the public is the only audience that matters. They don't do two-point-five-hour speeches. Thanks for clarifying, Pencil-Neck. Rachel Wolf is a partner in Public First. She had co-charge of the 2019 Conservative Manifesto. She was an education and innovation adviser at Number 10 during David Camerons premiership and was founding director of the New Schools Network. The last manifesto was focused squarely on issues that mattered to the new Conservative voter: immigration, crime, public services, infrastructure (I refuse to say levelling up, which is classic Whitehall speak). Its clarity including on Brexit inevitably meant some voters turned away. But far more were attracted to a party that was willing to stand for something. Labour tried not to choose, and it lost. Not just because of the Corbyn, but because Corbyns character led to vacillation. Now Labour leadership candidates face the same dilemma. Their potential electorate is divided. Do they want to reclaim their heartlands? Or do they want to represent urban, younger, Remain-voting and generally graduate voters? Theres no shame in either decision young people in cities need representation, too. Indeed, Conservative strategists have long agonised about not persuading more of them to vote Tory. But what Labour cant do, right now, is persuade both. Recently, it has looked as though Lisa Nandy is the only Labour candidate to both understand this and to want to steer the party back to its core vote. Moderates who have despaired at the toxic, institutionally anti-semitic mess they represent are focusing their attention and their hopes on her. I think their analysis is wrong. Yes, Nandy has gone one step further than many: she knows that simply having a Northern accent and a semi-plausible back story is not enough to persuade intelligent, competent, former Labour voters to choose her. She is willing to talk about the issues that matter to former Labour voters, including immigration and welfare. Her work with the Centre for Towns shows she understands the importance of those who live in towns across England a huge focus in the last Conservative manifesto for good reason. But her substance is in the opposite direction to her rhetoric. Her defence of Brexit voters is accompanied by a spirited defence of free movement. Her attack on Labours welfare position for being too paternalistic is accompanied by a belief that people do not want draconian welfare rules and that we should by implication radically increase the scale of benefits. This is the worst of both worlds. Substance that alienates traditional Labour voters, and rhetoric that alienates new ones. This isnt respecting Leave voters, its patronising them and its certainly not going to appeal to the vast Remain-voting Labour Party membership whose votes Nandy needs if she wants to lead the Party. Starmer is unlikely to appeal to former Labour voters. But he is more likely to appeal, properly, to someone than Nandy after she has been tested over five years on her policy positions. It might sound odd for the co-author of the Conservative manifesto to give the Labour Party advice, but I mean it. A good Opposition makes Government better and as a Jew, Im praying that the Corbynites go for good. To govern is to choose. The same is true for those who oppose the government. Until Nandy and the other candidates face up to this, they will remain in the wilderness. [January 23, 2020] $400 million investment by Bell Canada in Hamilton's digital infrastructure HAMILTON, ON, Jan. 23, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of the work of the Mayor's Intelligent Community Task Force (MICTF) and the City of Hamilton's ongoing efforts to improve effective community-wide digital infrastructure, Bell Canada and the City of Hamilton are pleased to announce they will be moving forward together with a Bell investment of approximately $400 million to expand broadband Internet access in urban and rural areas of Hamilton, the largest digital infrastructure investment in the City's history. Over the next five years, Bell and a Bell-funded team of City of Hamilton staff will bring direct fibre network connections to more than 200,000 homes and business locations throughout the City with zero cost to taxpayers. The network will provide consumers with access to data speeds up to 1.5 gigabits per second, the fastest home Internet speeds in Canada. Working in partnership with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce's Digital Infrastructure Task Force, gaps in digital infrastructure across the community were identified. Subsequently, the City worked to increase investment in digital infrastructure to address the gaps. As part of the plan to enhance Hamilton's standing as a Digital City, Mayor Eisenberger requested that broadband speeds be enhanced for all of urban Hamilton, business parks and major commercial areas, and rural areas in the community. In addition to premium network support for the City's business community, the Bell project includes the expansion of high-speed Bell Wireless Home Internet service to 8,000 homes in rural Hamilton. This innovative 5G capable technology delivered over Bell's advanced LTE wireless network provides broadband residential Internet access for small towns, farming communities and other less populated locations. Bell will work in close cooperation with the City and local contractors, including Aecon, Telecon and Sentrex, to employ innovative techniques to minimize disruption to residents and businesses throughout the project. The majority of the network build will consist of new fibre installed underground, with additional fibre located on Bell, Hydro One and Alectra Utilities poles. This project represents a significant opportunity for the City from an economic development perspective. One of the City's nine areas of focus in its Economic Development Action Plan: 2016-2020 is investment in strategic infrastructure for economic growth, which includes information and communication technology. This focus area addresses the goal of improving access to reliable, affordable and high capacity and speed broadband infrastructure, essential to local business operations now and in the future. Quotes: "The City is proud to work with Bell to enable its investment in the long-term growth and sustainability of Hamilton as we continue to increase our reliance on digital infrastructure one of the foundations of our city's health, growth and prosperity to attract and grow local businesses and manage our busy lives, now and into the future." - City of Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger "Long recognized as one of North America's top manufacturing centres, the City of Hamilton is also quickly becoming a leader in advanced technology and innovation. Our historic partnership will provide the critical infrastructure necessary to deliver the next generation of communications services to Hamiltonians while accelerating the City's ongoing digital transformation." - J. Bruce Furlong, Bell's Senior Vice President of Access Engineering and Deployment "The innovative process changes developed by the City of Hamilton's Public Works Engineering Services team on this project demonstrates that Hamilton is Open for Business and can work collectively with private partners and telecommunications vendors resulting in major investments for our community. Broadband accessibility and high-speed connectivity is rapidly becoming the new essential utility and is vital to economic growth." - Cyrus Tehrani, Chief Digital Officer MEDIA CONTACTS: Michelle Shantz Communications and Media Advisor Office of Mayor Fred Eisenberger 905-546-4225 [email protected] Nathan Gibson Bell Canada 905-614-9596 [email protected] @Bell_News SOURCE Bell Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami laid the foundation stone of 'DLF Downtown' at Taramani in Chennai. Chennai: India's largest realty firm DLF on Thursday announced an investment of Rs 5,000 crore to develop large commercial project here as part of its strategy to expand portfolio of rent yielding properties. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami laid the foundation stone of 'DLF Downtown' at Taramani in Chennai. The 27-acre project will be developed by DLF's joint venture firm with GIC named DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL). The total commercial area, largely office spaces to be constructed under the new project, is 6.8 million sq ft in various phases. "Tamil Nadu has always been a destination of choice for corporates and MNCs due to its talent pool and favourable business environment. We are investing Rs 5,000 crore in phases for developing our fourth project DLF Downtown, Taramani in Chennai," DLF CEO Mohit Gujral said. DLF would commence construction of 2.5 million sq ft area in the first phase. The project, to be completed in the next 5-6 years, would help additional 70,000 direct and 6,000 ancillary employment opportunities once operational. "Chennai continues to strengthen its position as an IT/ITeS hub with increasing investment commitment from global companies, making it out second largest market after Gurugram," DLF MD (Rental Business) Sriram Khattar said. With this project, he said, the company would now have a 14 million sq ft of development in Chennai. "The company has identified a development pipeline of 20 million sq ft and construction of 5.5 million sq ft is underway. This will augment our existing 35 million sq ft rental portfolio of office and retail properties," Khattar said. The company plans to take the national commercial portfolio to over 50 million sq ft, he added. DLF earns an annual rental income of over Rs 3,000 crore from its commercial properties that are located in Gurugram, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chandigarh. Another 20 million sq ft commercial space is under development. Unlike residential property market, commercial real estate, especially office market, is performing well. Office space leasing touched an all time high in 2019. To monetise its commercial assets, DLF in December 2017 entered into a joint venture with Singapore sovereign fund GIC when DLF promoters sold their entire 40 percent stake in DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for nearly Rs 12,000 crore. This deal included sale of 33.34 percent stake in the DCCDL to GIC for about Rs 9,000 crore and buyback of remaining shares worth about Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL. In DCCDL, DLF currently holds nearly 67 percent stake, while GIC has the remaining stake. DLF has so far developed 153 real estate projects comprising 331 million sq ft. It has a land bank of 192 million sq ft. An FIR has been lodged after Union Minister Smriti Irani's picture was allegedly used by a developer without her consent for an advertisement. According to the police, Irani's private secretary Vijay Gupta complained to the Superintendent of Police, Khyati Garg, that a local paper had published an advertisement by Sai Green City, Jagdishpur with the pictures, names and designations of some eminent people including Irani. He demanded action against those who were responsible for this. After this, an FIR was lodged in Jagdishpur Police Station against some unknown persons and investigations started, Garg told news agency PTI. Inquiries are on with the MD of the Sai Green City, Virendra Vidhi, his partner Sonu Yagya Saini, gram pradhan Abhay Pratap Singh and others, the SP said. Using the picture, name and post of a peoples' representative without his/her consent is a crime, she added. Besides Irani, the name and picture of Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Pasi and outgoing district unit president of the BJP, Durgesh Tripathi, have also been used in the advertisement. Congress leader and MLC Dipak Singh highlighted the matter through a tweet saying it had not yet been a year since Irani won Amethi, and she was already selling plots by giving advertisements in newspapers. [January 23, 2020] Richard M. Walden, CEO and Founder of Operation USA Joins APPlife Digital Solutions, Inc.'s Board of Directors SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- APPlife Digital Solutions, Inc. (OTC Markets: ALDS) (APPlife, the Company), a business incubator and portfolio manager that invests in and creates e-commerce and cloud-based solutions, announced that Mr. Richard M. Walden has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Richard is a great addition to our team stated Matt Reid, CEO of APPlife. We are fortunate to be able to add another substantial Board member to an already strong team. Richards insight and experience injects value as we continue to grow. Adding well-respected pieces like this to our Board allows us to create an atmosphere that will help open doors to more opportunities. added Reid. Mr. Walden is currently President, CEO and Founder of Operation USA, a Los Angeles-based non-governmental organization specializing in disaster relief as well as international and domestic health care and economic development projects. Privately funded, Operation USA has worked in 100 countries since 1979 and has provided over $450 million in aid and development assistance. In 1997, Operation USA shared the Nobel Peace Prize as a key member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Walden is also an active California-licensed attorney who speializes in international law, civil rights and health care issues; and, earlier in his career, served as Commissioner of the California Health Facilities Commission for the State of California under Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., and as Deputy General Counsel of the New York City Health Services Administration under Mayor John Lindsay. Mr. Walden has served on the boards of InterAction, a consortium of 200 international non-governmental organizations which Walden co-founded in 1984; the Institute for International Mediation & Conflict Resolution in Washington, D.C.; Cognitive Leap Technologies, a private company advancing the use of virtual reality in providing mental health treatment in China and to Chinese speakers worldwide; and The Asian Society. Walden holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts & Sciences (1968) while also attending the Wharton School of Finance (1964-66); earned a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1972), and maintains membership in the State Bars of California and Pennsylvania. ABOUT APPLIFE DIGITAL SOLUTION, INC. APPlife Digital Solutions Inc., with offices in San Francisco CA. and Shanghai China, is a business incubator and portfolio manager that uses digital technology to create and invests in e-commerce and cloud-based solutions. The Company invests in and creates solutions for work, home life, recreation and research that makes users more productive and more efficient, whether at work, home or traveling the world. APPlife's cloud-based businesses are designed to provide easy-to-use life solutions, often to address everyday issues and needs. They include a wide array of topics and needed services to cover the full marketplace across the spectrum. For more information visit www.applifedigital.com . Keep up to date on APPLife Digital Solutions events and developments, join our online communities at Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn . Contact Information: APPLife Digital Solutions Investor Relations Tel: (585) 232-5440 Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] All options are on the table for the next summit of the OPEC+ coalition in March, including further cuts in oil production, Saudi Arabias Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said on Thursday, Al Arabiya television reports. At the OPEC+ meeting in December, OPEC and its Russia-led partners decided to deepen the current cuts by 500,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2020, when demand is expected at its weakest for 2020. This brings total production reductions at 1.7 million bpdthat is if rogue members fall in line with their quotas. Considering the pledge from OPECs largest producer and de facto leader Saudi Arabia that it would continue to significantly overcomply with its share of the cuts, the total OPEC+ cuts could be as high as 2.1 million bpd, OPEC said. Saudi Arabia will work for stable oil prices amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at an energy conference in Saudi Arabia last week. We would like to have a stable oil market, sustainable growth in terms of demand, sustainable growth in terms of supply, the Saudi energy minister said, as carried by Asharq al-Awsat. The worst thing is to have low oil prices that permanently damage industry, according to Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. Saudi Arabia needs oil prices at above US$80 to balance its budget this year, according to estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). When OPEC and non-OPEC ministers meet in Vienna in March to discuss how to proceed with their production-cutting price-fixing policy, they will have to consider not only fundamentals but also the fact that heightened tension in the Middle East and a major outage in Libya have not moved oil prices up, despite the fact that virtually all of Libyas production1.2 million bpdis currently offline. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Thousand of security personnel have been deployed and CCTV cameras installed at strategic locations in the national capital to keep vigil ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. Multi-layered security arrangements are in place. Sharpshooters and snipers will be deployed atop high-rise buildings to keep a watch on the 8km-long parade route from Rajpath to the Red Fort on January 26. Police personnel have been directed to stay utmost alert since Delhi polls are also around the corner. Anti-terror measures like tenant and servant verification, border checking, security of vital installations, malls and markets, patrolling in heavy foot fall areas are being taken. "We have intensified patrolling in public places. Group patrolling, night patrolling and vehicle checking is being carried out with the help of Central Armed Police Forces. Frisking at metro stations, railway stations, airport and bus terminals have also been tightened," a senior police official said. At least 150 CCTV cameras have been installed in areas covering Red Fort, Chandni Chowk and Yamuna Khadar, the officer added. The police have also asked hotels, taxi and auto drivers to remain alert. Besides, security guards and members of Delhi Police's 'eyes and ear scheme' were also briefed. The security personnel have identified vulnerable spots such as crowded markets, railway stations, bus stands and other high-value establishments and efforts are being made to secure them with deployment of extra police force. A traffic advisory has also been issued about the police's elaborate arrangement about route diversions for the Republic Day. No traffic will be allowed on Rajpath from Vijay Chowk to India Gate from 6 pm on Saturday till the parade gets over on Sunday. Flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms like para-gliders, para-motors, hang gliders, UAVs, UASs, microlight aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small size powered aircraft, quadcopters or para jumping from aircraft are prohibited over the jurisdiction of the National Capital Territory of Delhi till February 15, according to the advisory. It asked people to report to the nearest police station in case any unidentified object or suspicious person is seen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Following the Supreme Courts (SC) refusal to put a stay on the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), a politico-religious organisation, has expressed its disappointment over SCs decision. We expected the SC to help the people of India by staying the CAA as it is the SCs responsibility to fix the error committed by the Parliament, said JIH national vice-president Muhammad Salim Engineer, in a statement. Stating that this delay is disappointing and has delayed justice, the organisation said, We feel there was enough time last month for the Centre to respond to all petitions and the SC should have given its final verdict. The Honorable Court could have taken the Centres response and then given the final decision. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 06:19:42|Editor: zh Video Player Close Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 22, 2020. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in the West Bank city of Ramallah over the latest developments of the peace process and regional affairs. It is the first time Macron visits Palestine since he assumed office in 2017. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in the West Bank city of Ramallah over the latest developments of the peace process and regionals affairs. Abbas highlighted France's role in "saving the political process from the stalemate caused by Israel's intransigence," official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. "We are serious about holding parliamentary and presidential elections in the Palestinian territories, including occupied Jerusalem," he said. For his part, Macron reaffirmed his country's support for the peace process in the region on the basis of the two-state solution. France will continue to support the Palestinian people in building their institutions and economy, he said. It is the first time Macron visits Palestine since he assumed office in 2017. Macron arrived in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, and will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum held in Jerusalem on Thursday. There is a lot more to last weeks decision by the U.K., France, and Germany to trigger the dispute resolution mechanism in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran than meets the eye. The countries three out of the total six states that formed the P5+1 group that signed the JCPOA (the others being the U.S., Russia, and China) are working in line with pressure from the U.S. either to force Iran back to the negotiating table on the JCPOA or to exponentially increase its economic pain, as a senior source who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry told OilPrice.com. This time around, the U.S. is looking for Iran to make the decision: go back to the pro-West moderate policies of [President Hassan] Rouhani and all will be good or allow the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] to tighten its grip and all will be bad, he underlined. More specifically, whilst many of the European Union (E.U.) initiatives related to the impasse between Iran and the U.S. have proven to be largely ineffective in practical terms most notably, perhaps, the payment mechanism to facilitate trade between the E.U. and Iran the invoking of the dispute resolution mechanism has teeth. Thats because its part of the JCPOA itself, rather than some E.U.-only thing, with the reason for its being used basically being statements out of Iran that its increasing its level of uranium enrichment, and the P5+1 estimates of what the real figures are, said the Iran source. According to a comment last week from Rouhani, Iran is now enriching more uranium than it did before it agreed to the JCPOA in 2015, whilst Israel maintains its view that Iran has continued a secret nuclear enrichment programme throughout the entire time of the deal. The reality is somewhere in between, according to senior sources in Iran spoken to by OilPrice.com last week. The JCPOA limits Irans stockpile of enriched uranium to 300 kilograms (kg), less than half of Irans stockpile before the 2015 JCPOA was signed. At the same time, the JCPOA caps the uranium enrichment level at 3.67 per cent before 2015 it was at around 21 per cent. The general rule for uranium-based nuclear weapons is that the more enriched the uranium, the less is needed for a weapon. So, at 20 per cent Uranium-235 enrichment, the critical mass is about 400 kg, but at 90 per cent enrichment the critical mass drops to about 28 kg. In any event the overarching aim of the 2015 JCPOA was to extend the breakout time that Iran would need to produce enough of this material for one atomic bomb from when it actually decided to do it - to at least a year from the worst (French and Israeli) estimates of just three months. Related: Oil Prices Head Lower Despite Small Crude Draw Last July 2019, though, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that Iran had breached both the stockpile limit and the enrichment limit. In November it added that the stockpile was at 372.3 kg and that its enrichment level was around 4.5 per cent. Shortly thereafter, the Head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said that Iran would enrich uranium to 5 per cent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (a site specifically prohibited for use in the JCPOA) and added that the country had the capability to enrich uranium to 20 per cent. Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Agency, later that month stated that the capability figure was actually 60 per cent. However, according to various senior Iran sources exclusively spoken to by OilPrice.com just last week, the actual uranium enrichment capability figure is now 75 per cent, sustainably and with relative ease. Consequently, the key aim of the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany - the first three also being Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and Germany being the +1 of the P5+1 group who signed the JCPOA with Iran is to get a new version of the JCPOA agreed by Iran. The specific version that they want agreed is very close to the one that U.S. President Donald Trump wanted in the first place, OilPrice.com understands from political sources in Tehran and Washington. These includes four key things that were in the original draft put by former President Barack Obama to the Iranians before 2015 but which were objected to by the Iranians and withdrawn from the final agreement, plus one addition. The first of these is that long-range (over 1250 kilometre range) missile and nuclear weapons programs are acknowledged by Iran as being inseparable for the purposes of adherence to the agreement and thus banned, and that Irans development and testing of other missiles should be subject to severe limitations. Second, Iran is to allow random inspections at all sites requested by international inspectors, including those sites that Iran says are no longer in operation (such as Fordow). Third, Iran must never come close to possessing a nuclear weapon. Fourth is that these provisions must have no expiration date. The additional clause is that Iran is to cease all support financial, technological, expertise, personnel and all others of any and all proxy groups, specifically including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas. The way the U.S. with the co-operation of the U.K., France, and Germany intends to push this is via the dispute resolution mechanisms progress through international legal channels. The next step is that they [U.K., France, and Germany] refer the issue to a commission that is made up of representatives of the JCPOA signatories [including the other two UNSC Permanent Members, Russia and China] at which point, ultimately, Iran either answers and/or resolves any of the commissions queries and findings or the commission officially writes to the UNSC, the Iran source told OilPrice.com. The UNSC which includes Russia and China, of course then decides whether to keep the current status quo or to re-impose all of the previous UN sanctions, which are even more widespread and hard-hitting than the U.S. ones, he added. OilPrice.com understands from various sources in Moscow that Russia intends to threaten to veto any U.N. vote to implement further sanctions on Iran but will vote in favour if the U.S. drops all of its current sanctions against Russia (including those subsequent to the Crimea takeover, the poisoning of the Skripals, and relating to Nordstream 2) and ceases all of its objections to the finalisation of the Nordstream 2 build-out. Related: The Electricity Grid Of The Future Is Being Built Here The other option for Iran, of course, as highlighted in my new book on the global oil markets, is that such a course of events will simply allow the IRGC to tighten its grip over the country, offering as it does a hard-line resistance political and economic doctrine to which Iran became entirely accustomed during the last long-running sanctions environment. From the moment [end of 2017] that senior members of Rouhanis [moderate, pro-West] government started saying that the IRGC should give up its business interests in full and should be integrated into the regular Iranian army rather than be a separate unit, the IRGC has done everything to undermine the countrys drift towards political moderation and the West, the Iran source told OilPrice.com last week. It was the IRGC that deliberately defied the requests of Rouhani at the beginning of 2018 not to engage in further ballistic missile testing and did just that, which pushed Trump into pulling out of the JCPOA in the first place, he added. Moreover, after the 14 September attacks on Saudi Arabias Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities, the IRGC has been busily working away at modifying what was essentially 1969 missile technology from Russia to produce missiles with a much longer range than many medium-range missiles. These are extremely mobile as they can be launched from adapted lorries, and have a real-time remote control handling system that makes them both incredibly difficult to shoot down and incredibly accurate. The IRGC has also unveiled a new guidance system upgrade, called Labeik, which would be compatible with the Fateh-110 series of rockets, and with Zelzal heavy artillery rockets. The IRGC in effective power in Iran is perfectly compatible with the geopolitical plans of Irans long-running sponsors, China and Russia. China has been trying since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA to quietly roll out plans that effectively make Iran a client state, via both extensive oil and gas deals and infrastructure build-out plans. Russias hold over the Islamic Republic, meanwhile, has allowed it access to the best Iranian oil and gas fields, enormous political and economic leverage in Irans own neo-client state Iraq, and to dictate new and unfavourable terms over its massive Caspian resources, among other objectively terrible deals for Iran. Right now, Iran is at a watershed moment as important as in 1979 just before the Revolution that will dictate its course in the world for the next forty years at least, the Iran source concluded. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Jan 23 (ANI): The Maharashtra Youth Congress on Thursday launched a campaign against the "unemployment crisis" in the country and demanded the creation of a National Register of Unemployment (NRU) instead of CAA or NRC. "CAA and NRC are being brought forward by the ruling BJP to divert people's attention from the government's failures on its economic policies and employment generation. The youth of India don't need CAA, NRC, instead, the Youth needs National Register of Unemployment (NRU)," said Maharashtra Youth Congress president Satyajeet Tambe on Thursday, according to a release. It also alleged that BJP is working on the agenda of privatisation and on cutting down government jobs. "Unemployment in India is highest in 45 years according to NSSO figures and at least two out of every five young Indians are unemployed or have no training. BJP is working on its agenda of privatisation and cutting down government jobs," the statement added. It also accused the Central government of withholding the recruitment process on many vacancies. Urging people to come forward, the Youth Congress also released a toll-free number on which any unemployed Indian can give a missed call to show their support and demand the creation of NRU. (ANI) In 2010 the average residential property price in Kilkenny was 203,795, increasing by 8% to 219,374 in 2019 291 residential buildings were under construction in Kilkenny in December 2019, according to the latest GeoView Residential Buildings Report, published by GeoDirectory and EY-DKM today. The majority (49.2%) of the buildings under construction in Ireland were located in Dublin and surrounding counties of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, further emphasising the capitals role in driving residential construction activity. The counties with the lowest levels of construction activity were located in the north-west and midlands in December 2019. Leitrim (24), Longford (88), Roscommon (96) and Sligo (96) registered the lowest number of buildings under construction. Additions to GeoDirectory Database in Kilkenny 284 residential addresses in Kilkenny were added to the GeoDirectory database in 2019. Dublin accounted for almost a third of all new address points in 2019, with 6,189 in total. Cork registered the second highest total with 2,146 (10.5%), while commuter counties Kildare (1,988) and Meath (1,452) also recorded significant numbers of new dwellings. In overall terms, 65.1% of all additions to the GeoDirectory database in 2019 were located in Leinster. At the other end of the scale, Longford (53), Leitrim (67), Cavan (169), Roscommon (176) and Sligo (180) recorded the lowest number of new residential addresses. Kilkenny Trends in Property Prices 2009-2019 Analysing property prices over the past decade highlights the volatile nature of the property market over this period. In 2010 the average residential property price in Kilkenny was 203,795, increasing by 8% to 219,374 in 2019. The past decade has seen a considerable rise in the number of residential properties in Ireland selling for more than 1 million. In 2019, 751 residential property sales broke the 1 million barrier. This equated to 2.3 billion worth of sales, averaging 3.1 million per property. In 2010, 186 residential properties were sold for over 1 million, equating to 340.5 million in total and an average of 1.8 million per property. Kilkenny Property Transactions and Average Prices Q3 2019 There were 881 residential property transactions in Kilkenny in the 12 months to October 2019, with an average property price of 211,351. The average residential property price nationally was 290,209. Kilkenny City had an average residential property price of 236,289 Kilkenny Residential Vacancy Rates Kilkennys vacancy rate stood at 3.6% in December 2019, 1.1% lower than the national vacancy rate of 4.7%. The highest vacancy rates were found in the mid-west and north-west of the country, notably in Leitrim (15.3%), Roscommon (13.3%), Mayo (12.8%), Donegal (10.4%) and Sligo (10.3%). However, in the case of Leitrim, the vacancy rate declined by 0.5pp compared to 2018. Overall, 18 of the 26 counties recorded declines in residential vacancy rates. Dublin remains the county with the lowest residential vacancy rate at 1.3%. Neighbouring counties Kildare (2.2%) and Wicklow (3.2%) also recorded considerably low vacancy rates. Of the 12 counties in Leinster, 10 counties recorded vacancy rates lower than the national average. Waterford (3.5%) and Cork (4.0%) were the only counties outside Leinster with a vacancy rate lower than the national average of 4.7%. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more Indonesia has courted investments from the UAE and SoftBank for the development of its new capital. The President will establish a sovereign wealth fund to attract investments for the new capital as well as other national projects. Despite recent developments, Jakarta will continue to be Indonesias economic center. Indonesia is trying to court major investments for the development of its new capital in East Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo. Construction is set to begin in early 2021 on the new 632,850-acre site four times the size of Jakarta at an estimated cost of US$33 billion. The government aims to have this administrative center operational by 2024 and be a smart and green city equipped with modern infrastructure and public utilities. President recruits heavyweights Some 80 percent of the total costs of construction will be footed by public-private partnership initiatives, with the government funding the rest. As such, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will establish a sovereign wealth fund in addition to a steering committee to oversee the funding and construction efforts. Following his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 12, 2020, the President announced that the UAE was to invest US$22 billion into Indonesias proposed sovereign wealth fund. The UAE has also shown interest in developing properties in Aceh province as well as the energy and telecommunication sectors. Furthermore, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be part of the new capitals steering committee. Other political and business heavyweights the President has recruited include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. SoftBank has offered to invest US$40 billion for the new capital, keen to support the President through the companys expertise in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. Indonesias Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, will meet Son again in Tokyo to develop the financing structure. Hong Kong and South Korean investors have also shown interest, making offers of US$40 billion and US$50 billion, respectively, for the new capitals development. Indonesia is also seeking investments for its nationwide infrastructure projects. The Presidents ambitious program will require more than US$400 billion over the next five years to modernize the archipelago. Jakarta and Java to remain Indonesias economic hub Despite moving the administrative capital to East Kalimantan, Jakarta and Java (the island where Jakarta is found) will remain Indonesias economic hub. The government is planning to inject some US$40 billion into urban regeneration projects in Jakarta. This includes investing in infrastructure, mass transportation, and improving waste management systems. The citys metropolitan area, with a population of more than 30 million, already contributes to one-fifth of Indonesias total GDP and is home to a variety of important industries, such as manufacturing and financial services. Additionally, Java also accounts for 60 percent of Indonesias population and more than 50 percent of the countrys GDP, highlighting the large regional income disparities. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The 2020 World Watch List highlights the severe persecution faced by more than 260 million Christians in 50 countries around the world and points to trends of religious repression that affect not only Christians but those of any faith who have their religious freedom threatened at the hands of tyrants or terrorists. The World Watch List is released annually by Open Doors, an organization working with persecuted Christians for more than 60 years. The World Watch List is important as a reliable source of information that demonstrates the global scale of the problem. The list draws from on-the-ground reporting that is cross-checked with research organizations and experts on religious freedom and Christian persecution. This list is particularly useful because it measures not only violent persecution, but also pressure on Christians in their individual, family, community, church, and national life these other domains where religious freedom is so often violated. North Korea tops the list again for the 18th time, a fact not surprising given the way in which the regime seeks to control all parts of life. This List provides important insights into not only particular countries but also some of the major trends that threaten religious freedom around the globe. Technology-aided surveillance state: China China (#23) has laid out a blueprint for government repression of religion through their use of emerging technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster its state surveillance programs. In efforts tantamount to a second cultural revolution, the Chinese Communist Party is deploying these tools to close down churches and to enforce an ideology of government as god. If we want to see where this trend may be heading for Christians, we need only to look at the Uyghur Muslim community where more than 1 million have been detained in re-education camps because of their religious beliefs, which China labels a security threat in its war on faith. The situation is alarming enough in China and we are seeing this technology exported and poised to be a devastating tool for other authoritarian regimes. Religious Institutions Under Assault One of the most shocking statistics from the Open Doors World Watch List 2020 is that more than 9,400 churches and Christian institutions were attacked. This trend was driven by a major uptick in violence across the Sahel region of west and central Africa. Eritreia (#6), Nigeria (#12), Central African Republic (#25), Burkina Faso (#28), and Mali (#29) have all witnessed high levels of violence. The assault on houses of worship have spanned the globe and hit not just churches such as the Easter bombing of churches across Sri Lanka, but mosques, and synagogues. Addressing these attacks on houses of worship was a major feature for President Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Minorities Under Threat Amidst Instability in the Middle East In Iraq, Christians and Yazidis remain on the brink of extinction. Continued violence from terrorist groups like ISIS and Iran-backed militias, who continue to sow havoc across the country creating instability that often impacts religious minorities. Yet there are positive signs to be found in the protest movements continuing to fill the streets in Iraq, Lebanon, and even Iran who are rejecting the sectarian politics which are a major source of persecution and have been exploited by Iran for years. Following the recent uptick in US-Iran tensions, those protests have escalated, but whether they will succeed remains to be seen. Opportunity for a U.S.-led multifaceted response With the global scale of threats to religious freedom, a global, multifaceted response that includes both governments and civil society is urgently needed. Behind the efforts of Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and a handful of others at the State Department, the U.S. has been leading a movement of governments focusing on the issue, but more officials need to recognize this as a central foreign policy priority. As Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Human Rights and Labor, Robert Destro, said at the release of the World Watch List, the issue of religious freedom is a component of nearly every issue that crosses his desk. As an example for how religious freedom can inform other elements of policy, consider the recently signed phase one of a major trade agreement between the United States and China. Tangible progress on religious freedom and other rights issues should be a part of the implementation of that deal and any future negotiations. The U.S. government should push this diplomatically and American businesses working in China should use their influence to show how religious freedom is good for business and not provide tools for oppression. The US government beginning with the president can still further elevate religious freedom as an explicit foreign policy priority that impacts diplomacy, security, and, in particular, humanitarian and international development assistance. USAID Administrator Mark Green and Vice President Pence have done this in an ad hoc way with assistance to religious minorities in Iraq who have survived genocide, but that was not without its challenges. Promoting religious freedom and addressing a problem of the scale shown in the World Watch List should be a core priority of U.S. foreign assistance. To do this effectively will require increased resources and also more effective implementation methods and evaluation indicators to better protect vulnerable individuals and communities in conflict and crises. The challenges are clear, now the United States, and others, should take steps to further elevate religious freedom in policy and practice, at home and around the world, to address these problems. In news that'll make the nation proud once again, 10 girls and 12 boys have been selected for the National Bravery Awards. These awards will be given to them on Republic Day, January 26, 2020. These brave kids have been selected from 12 different states of India. An 11-year-old girl who saved a child from getting kidnapped is one of six children from the northeast who have been shortlisted: 11-year-old Carolyn Malsawmtluangi from Mizoram has become the epitome of bravery and presence of mind by saving a minor from getting kidnapped. A student of class four in Muana Primary School, Carolyn not only rescued the child from the clutches of a kidnapper but also reunited her with her family after four days. Community Health Action Network (CHAN), an anti-human trafficking group of the Salvation Army Church, last year, awarded Carolyn with an appreciation certificate and a cash price of Rs 5,000. 11-year-old Carolyn from Mizoram felicitated by the ICCW National Bravery Awards 2019, For the bravery act of rescuing a child from an abductor in Aizwal.#ICCW #NationalBraveryAwards #BraveryAward #Award #Mizoram #NorthEast pic.twitter.com/CuHOcypEiP MDoNER India (@MDoNER_India) January 22, 2020 Another courage driven kid boy Kamal Krishna Das who, in September 2018, jumped into the flooded Brahmaputra river to save his mother, aunt and a stranger. This happened during a heavy flood situation when a country boat carrying Kamal and his family hit the pillars of the water supply project and overturned. Witnessing this situation his mother shouted at him to take off his shoes and swim to safety. When Kamal reached the spot of safety, he didnt see his mother and aunty anywhere. He quickly turned into a saviour knowing that his mother didn't know how to swim and jumped into the water and pulled his mother out and took her to safety. Immediately within no time he dived back into the river and rescued his aunt. After saving both of them, he saw a woman in burqa with a child in her arms struggling to reach the shore. He immediately acted fast and saved both of them too. Kamal Krishna Das and Carolyn along with four other courageous childrenLourembam Yaikhomba Mangang from Manipur, Everbloom K. Nongrum from Meghalaya, Master Lalliansanga and Master Vanlalhriatrenga from Mizoramfrom northeast India are being applauded for their brave deeds Three Odisha girls make it to the list of National Bravery Awards recipients: Twitter-Ajay Kumar Nandy On January 2, a picnic party of 52 people was on its way back from the Hukitolato Kuiang, an unmanned island in the Bay of Bengal. It is a popular picnic spot in Kendrapara district on a boat. Unfortunately, the boat started sinking near Nipania Village. Hearing the screams for help two girls Purnima Giri (16 years) and Sabita Giri (15 years) jumped in the river to save people thereby putting their lives at risk. In this incident they saved 12 people from drowning. DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN YOUR SON AND DAUGHTER AS THREE ODISHA GIRLS WILL RECEIVE NATIONAL BRAVERY AWARDS 2019 : https://t.co/IA2ewL9nVh pic.twitter.com/QZK20XYHdB Ajay Kumar Nandy (@ajay_nandy) January 22, 2020 10-year-old Srimati Badra helped her friend who came close to losing her life on railway tracks. On November 27, 2018, Srimati Badra along with Pramila Munda were crossing the railway track to return to their houses when a stationary goods train suddenly started moving. Showing quick aid to the situation, Srimati pulled her friend Pramila out of the track. She carried her on her shoulders for 300 metres up to her residence and saved her life. 12-year-old Venkatesh who guided an ambulance through a flooded bridge one of two children from Karnataka selected for the award: Twitter On August 11, 2019, Venkatesh, a student of class VI at Government Primary School at Hirerayanakumpe Village of Raichur district was playing with a group of friends when he saw an ambulance that got stuck. It was carrying six children and a womans dead body and got stuck on a flooded bridge. The ambulance was going to Machanoor village in Yadgir district. When the ambulance driver named Manju, called the group of boys to guide and help him cross the bridge, Venkatesh volunteered. He guided the ambulance by pushing himself in the water on the flooded bridge. His efforts were registered and made him a hero and a braveheart too. Another recipient from the state is 9-year-old Aarti Kiran Shet from the Uttara Kannada district, who saved her two-year-old brother from an attacking cow. Two J&K youths are now known names. twitter-fatima dar Sartaj Mohidin Mugal (16 years old) and Mudasir Ashraf (19 years old) from Badgam have been shortlisted from the National Bravery Awards. On February 26 Balakot airstrike, as Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in combat over the problems in Naushera sector in Jammu and Kashmir, the news hit that a helicopter Mi-17 has crashed in Budgam which had six IAF personnel onboard and a civilian. Mudasir Ashraf was one of the many villagers who took charge and rushed to the crash site. The crashing helicopter hit a villager in the incident, Kifayat Hussain who caught fire. This courageous kid Mudasir went close to the crashed helicopter which was still burning and tried to save Kifayat Hussain. Other recipients and bravehearts: twitter-umesh kumar The other recipients are Kanti Paikra and Bharneshwari Nirmala, both from Chhattisgarh. Zen Sadavarte and Akash Machindra Khillare are from Maharashtra. Muhammed Muhsin (16 years old) and Adithya K (15 years old) come from Kerala. Also on the list of recipients are Alaika (13 years old) and Rakhi (10 years old). The National Bravery Awards were started by the Indian Council for Child Welfare in 1957 to recognize the children for their outstanding deeds of bravery and service that inspires others to do the same. Each awardee receives a medal, certificate and cash. The brave hearts also get financial assistance through donations from philanthropists till they complete graduation. The ones opting for professional courses get scholarships as well. Julian Assange's lawyer today complained about lack of access to the Wikileaks founder at the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison. The 48-year-old is wanted in the US for allegedly conspiring with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to expose military secrets between January and May 2010. Assange appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court today wearing a black suit, defiantly saluting his supporters by raising his fist above his head. It also emerged that the hearing to decide whether Assange can be extradited from Britain to the US will be split into two, with the second half not finishing until June. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court on January 13 A demonstrator supporting Julian Assange wears a mask and chains outside the court today The Australian is being held at the maximum-security jail in Thamesmead, South East London and was transported from his cell early this morning. Edward Fitzgerald QC, for Assange, said instructing solicitors had continued to work 'night and day' over Christmas. But he added: 'We've had great difficulties in getting into Belmarsh to take instructions from Mr Assange and to discuss the evidence with him.' Mr Fitzgerald continued: 'We simply cannot get in as we require to see Mr Assange and to take his instruction.' 'The prosecution have now served us evidence on Saturday and due to the timetable, we understand there is more to come. 'We understand there is psychological evidence to be served during the trial. All of that material raises points we need time to deal with. Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange erect banners at the court in London today A supporter of the Wikileaks founder hands out flyers to commuters outside the court today 'We need to deal with points raised in the US Attorney General's statement. The reality is we are not ready to call the main body of our evidence. 'Obviously we regret that, but in the end the priority is fairness to the defendant. 'As the High Court says it is the duty of the defence counsel to seek an adjournment rather than to say at a later stage we did not have enough time. 'A witness is being called in relation to publication that is not yet available. There are problems with Spanish witnesses about their anonymity.' District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said: 'He will remain in custody in the cells until you have indicated to this court that you have concluded such matters as you were able to manage.' Assange's full extradition hearing will be heard at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court on February 24 and will last up to four weeks. Supporters of Assange gather outside Westminster Magistrates' Court for the hearing today Assange is being held at Belmarsh Prison in Thamesmead, South East London (file picture) But the hearing will sit for one week in February and three weeks from May 18 because the case is not completely ready. Assange was jailed for 50 weeks last May for breaching his bail conditions after going into hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex offence allegations, which he has always denied. In November Swedish authorities dropped the rape allegations made in 2010. Assange has been in custody since he was dramatically removed from Ecuador's embassy building last April. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on February 19 via video link ahead of the full extradition hearing. Berlin, Jan 23 : Germany has banned the neo-Nazi group Combat 18 and launched raids across the country in an attempt to crack down on the organisation, officials said. "Right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism have no place in our society," Germany's Interior Ministry said, the BBC reported on Thursday. Combat 18 takes its name from the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's initials, referencing the first and eighth letters of the alphabet. The group originated in the UK in the 1990s but spread to other countries. On Thursday, more than 200 police officers searched several properties belonging to leading members across six German states, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in a statement. According to the ministry, the decision was made following the murder last June of pro-migrant German politician Walter Lubcke, and the deadly attack months later on a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle. "The hideous murder of district president Dr Walter Lubcke and... the terrorist act in Halle last year have shown us, brutally, that right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism are a significant danger to our free society," the minister said. Items recovered during the raids, which took place in the early hours of Thursday, included mobile phones, laptops, clothing, Nazi memorabilia and propaganda materials, the statement added. The ministry added that, separate to the incidents mentioned by Seehofer, the purpose of Combat 18 and its activities contravened Germany's constitutional law and order. Neo-Nazi groups are already outlawed in many European countries. Last February, French President Emmanuel Macron said his government would act to dissolve Combat 18 and other extreme-right groups, which he said had fuelled hatred and promoted discrimination. The move followed a series of high-profile anti-Semitic attacks in France. The crackdown in Germany comes on the day that world leaders meet in Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Combat 18 is still believed to have a small presence in the UK. Suspected members of the group have for years been banned from joining the police and prison services. BlackRock Chair and CEO Laurence D. Fink attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 23, 2020. DAVOS, Switzerland BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink feared his annual letter to chief executives would trigger a "severe backlash" against the world's largest investment firm, particularly because many of its clients are big hydrocarbon producers. Fink warned CEOs earlier this month that an intensifying climate crisis would bring about a "fundamental reshaping of finance," with a significant reallocation of capital set to take place "sooner than most anticipate." It marked a stunning shift by the world's top asset manager, following growing pressure from investors and climate activists about its investing practices. "I actually thought we were going to have a severe backlash on this one," Fink said at a World Economic Forum session on Thursday. That's "because we manage money for countries that are big hydrocarbon producers (and) we manage money in the United States where the states are totally dependent on hydrocarbons for their economy." "And yet, we can talk about the public narrative, but the private conversations we had with our clients I would say was 99:1 in favour," Fink said. BlackRock's assets under management totaled nearly $7 trillion in the third quarter of 2019. Even the richest man in the world can't keep his information private. Jeff Bezos, the billionaire CEO of Amazon, had his phone hacked in May 2018, according to a new report from The Guardian. Anonymous sources told the paper that an analysis by Bezos's personal security team found that a massive amount of data was taken off of the phone after Bezos received a malicious file in a private WhatsApp messageand that the message was sent from the personal account of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The Guardian had no information about what exactly was taken from Bezos's phone, but the timing of the alleged hack is alarming. Months after the hack, the National Enquirer published a story accusing Bezos of an ongoing romantic relationship with a woman named Lauren Sanchez, quoting extensively from text messages and referencing "a cache of lewd selfies" that Bezos had sent. The story allegedly accelerated Bezos's divorce with his then wife, MacKenzie, from whom he was reportedly already separated when he began his relationship with Sanchez. The Enquirer's expose galvanized Bezos to launch and personally fund an investigation into the leak that now points back to Mohammed bin Salman. The intrigue doesn't end there. Bezos also owns The Washington Post, and as The Wall Street Journal reports, some experts suspect that the hack could have been part of a pressure campaign to influence the paper's coverage of Saudi Arabia. Less than six months after the hack reportedly happened, a squad of 15 men murdered Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, dismembering his body with a bone saw. The CIA has since concluded that bin Salman ordered the killingclaiming that the prince's brother in fact instructed Khashoggi to go to the embassy where he would be murderedbut the Saudi government denies any involvement to this day. Instead, Saudi Arabia claims that the assassination was committed by rogue agents who were later convicted in a secretive trial that human-rights organizations have called a sham. Story continues Mohammed bin Salman now also denies that he was behind the hack of Bezos's phone. In light of all this, the United Nations has called for a full investigation, writing in a statement: The circumstances and timing of the hacking and surveillance of Bezos also strengthen support for further investigation by U.S. and other relevant authorities of the allegations that the Crown Prince ordered, incited, or, at a minimum, was aware of planning for but failed to stop the mission that fatally targeted Mr. Khashoggi in Istanbul. At a time when Saudi Arabia was supposedly investigating the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and prosecuting those it deemed responsible, it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post. Whether bin Salman and Saudi Arabia suffer any scrutiny from the U.S. is unlikely. Donald Trump famously dislikes Bezos and mocked him on Twitter after the Enquirer story came out. The president also frequently praises and embraces authoritarian leaders, including Hungary's Viktor Orban and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. And his son-in-law and White House adviser, Jared Kushner, is also reportedly close friends with bin Salman, even staying in touch with the crown prince regularly via WhatsApp, of course. When a Psychic Reading Costs You $740,000 How much would you pay to protect your family from forces seemingly beyond your control? Is any price too high? Inside the strange, predatory, and lucrative world of psychics who have successfully scammed customers out of their life savings, and the private investigator who's trying to put a stop to it. Originally Appeared on GQ Speaking at the reception, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh stressed that in the Vietnam Year in Russia and the Russia Year in Vietnam in 2019, the bilateral relationship has been strengthened as hundreds of activities were organised in the two countries, including visits of high-ranking leaders and cultural exchanges. Vietnam and Russia will celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, offering a chance for the two countries to review their achievements, he said. For his part, Nicolay Nozdrev, head of the Third Asian Department under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed that the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership have been consolidated in all fields over the years despite changes in the region and the world. The two nations have maintained dialogues in many spheres and effectively coordinated together on international forums, he added. The Russian diplomat voiced his belief in the sound cooperation between the two countries in 2019 will continue in the following years, especially when Vietnam assumes its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 term. At the earlier press conference, Ambassador Manh highlighted Vietnams outstanding achievements in various fields such as politics, foreign affairs and economy in 2019, as well as the countrys activities on international forums. Medical conditions that can cause back pain in children include injuries to bones and joints, sciatica, spondylosis (congenital structural defect in the backbones) and Scheuermanns disease (a growth disorder of backbones, resulting in a humpback curvature). Growing concerns of parents highlight that the most important cause of back pain in children is heavy school bags. Heavy handbags and backpacks have known to cause backaches in adults, too. Since, the childrens backbone is disturbed by the weight of their school bags during their growing years the pain may result in a poorly shaped spine, if ignored. While children complain of shoulder and back pain due to heavy school bags, parents, teachers and doctors have raised a doubt if the backache is due to other reasons such as sedentary lifestyle or poor posture. There has been an increase in the number of studies worldwide attempting to find if carrying heavy school bags can cause backache in children. The results of these studies indicated that the burden on the children is not just in terms of competing in academics and extra-curricular activities, but also on their developing backbones. Many children all over the world suffer back pain due to carrying heavy school bags. However, an understanding of the possible risk factors of school bags can help in overcoming the problem to some extent. The risk factors for back pain due to heavy school bags include: Weight of the school bag more than 10 percent of the childs weight Carrying the bag over one shoulder Weight and things distributed unevenly in the bag Holding the bag in one hand by straps Wrong fitting and shape of backpack. There are many studies that indicate that the effects of heavy school bags are not only harming the back and spine, but also other parts of the body. This is due to uneven distribution of the weight of the bag. Some of them are listed below: Study published in June 2004 is based on the question whether backpack is linked to spinal disease. Analysis of several papers indicates that weight of the school backpack in children significantly increases the chances of backache, especially when the weight of the bag exceeds 20% of the body weight of the child. Their findings include: Time spent in carrying the bag and the weight of the bag affected the back pain. Heavy school bags have been the culprits to cause various problems like injury to hands, elbow, wrist, foot and ankle, apart from back and shoulder. Posture and gait were found to be affected in children carrying bag with two shoulder straps. Posture of spine changes with increased weight of bag. Study published in January 2014 was done to gather evidence about the physical problems faced by children due to heavy school bags, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Children of 10-13 years were selected and study revealed that physical stress was severe in children aged 12-13 years, but children aged 10-11 years faced maximum stress. Most of the children reported back pain, shoulder pain, muscle spasm and sometimes even red marks on shoulder. Study published in The Daily Telegraph, in 2012 observed that over half of the 1400 school children studied had backpacks exceeding 10% of their body weight. Those carrying the heaviest bags had 50% increased risk of back pain than the children carrying lightest bags. Results of other similar surveys done in UK, reported in The Daily Telegraph, found that nearly half of all teenagers have had occasional backache from poor posture, leading a sedentary lifestyle and also carrying overloaded bags. Study published in 2011, was conducted among a sample of 307 elementary school children in Iran. The children carried more than 10 % of their body weight, specially girls and lower grade kids. Pain was reported in shoulder (70%), wrists and hands (18.5%) and lower back (8.7%). In a study done in Italy, in 2002, the school bags of 237 children of grade 6 were weighed for six school days. Fatigue was reported by 65.7% of the children and 46.1% of the kids complained of back pain due to school bags. It was found that carrying bag during fatigue and time carrying it are associated with the back pain. Study published in December 2012, in India, had a diagnostic criteria to find out the prevalence of different musculoskeletal problems among school children. The criteria included pressure marks over neck and shoulder corresponding to straps of the bag, stooping posture while carrying the bag, pain or stiffness in the neck, upper back and shoulders during school days and also absence of these symptoms during vacations. Pain was most prevalent in the upper back (40%), followed by neck (27%) and shoulder (20%). Pain in forearm and wrist were reported in 7% and that in lower back was in 6% of the children. The above studies indicate that heavy school bags can cause backache in children. The growing bones and muscles of the children are affected by the weight of the bag and also the duration they carry the weight. Other studies have also indicated that parental supervision is the most important measure to be taken to reduce the burden on the young shoulders and backs. Some Tips to Reduce Weight in School Bags Developed countries offer student locker facilities to help all students store their study material such as text books, note books and similar educational aids, thereby reducing the load from the bags they carry to school every day. In developing countries the solution lies in a multi-dimensional approach. At the larger level, the governments educational department should begin by reworking school syllabus to reduce the load of books that children are required to carry every day to school and back Home-school co-operation is also of vital importance to tackle this strain on children. Government schools and private schools may consider choosing desks with drawers that can be locked, for the use of students. Teachers can adopt a more positive approach such as giving clear instructions for the study material required for the next day and refrain from penalizing students for not bringing books and study materials. Parents should foster in children the habit of packing school bags every day according to the days time table, so students bring to school each day only those books and kits which are definitely required for the day. Meanwhile, you won't find Trump's trial on most TV networks tonight. But you can get the lowdown here, updated through the evening. Supporters of Pathalgadhi movement, armed with lathis and axes, allegedly kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand for allegedly opposing their stir, police said Ranchi: Supporters of "Pathalgarhi" movement, armed with lathis and axes, kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand for allegedly opposing their stir, police said on Wednesday. With the horrific incident in Burugulikera village, over 175 km from capital Ranchi, triggering widespread outrage, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to find reasons behind the massacre of seven innocent villagers. He also directed the officials to help families of the victims. "Set up a special investigation team (SIT) to get a breakthrough about the real reasons behind the incident and identify the guilty. Help families of the victims," an official release said quoting Soren. The tragedy coming barely days after the JMM-Congress- RJD coalition government assumed power in the state drew sharp reaction from the BJP. Newly-elected BJP national president JP Nadda condemned the mass killing and set up a six-member party team to visit the place and submit a report within a week, a press statement issued by the saffron party's national General Secretary Arun Singh said. The members of the team are- Jaswant Singh Bhabhor (MP from Gujarat), Samir Oraon (MP from Jharkhand), Bharati Pawar (Parliamentarian from Maharashtra), Gomti Saai (Chhattisgarh Lok Sabha member), Joan Barla (LS member from West Bengal) and former Jharkhand minister and MLA Nilkanth Singh Munda- the release said. Giving detail of the event, Inspector General of Police (Operation) Saket Kumar Singh said the policemen reached Burugulikera village on Tuesday night after getting information about the killing of seven natives. After murdering, the killers had dumped bodies of the victims in a nearby forest. A panchayat representative was among those massacred, he said. After an overnight search operation, bodies of the seven villagers were recovered from the forest, four km from the village, he said. There was a meeting over 'Pathalgarhi' movement in the village on Tuesday when a dispute had arisen, West Singhbhum superintendent of Police Indrajit Mahata said. Following the development, supporters of the movement kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them with the help of lathis and axes, he said. Pathalgarhi is a name given to a tribal protest which seeks autonomy for village sabhas (Gramsabhas). Those demanding Pathalgarhi want no laws of the land to be applicable to the tribal people in the area. The Pathalgarhis reject government rights over their forests and rivers. As part of the movement, Pathalgarhis erect a stone plaque or signboard outside the village/area, declaring the village as sovereign territory and prohibiting the entry of the outsiders. The chief minister had earlier in the day said "Law is above all and the guilty will not be spared. The police are investigating the matter." A high-level meeting will be convened to prevent recurrence of such an incident, he said. Pathalgarhi movement had hit the national headlines in the middle of 2019. On 19 June, five NGO workers were allegedly abducted and gang-raped by armed men associated with the Pathalgarhi movement. They were performing a street play at a school in Khunti district of Jharkhand when they were targetted. The raiders had branded the NGO workers as "dikus" (outsiders). On June 26, another group of armed Pathalgarhis had abducted three security personnel posted at the former BJP MP Karia Munda's home in Khunti. They were released later. The Pathalgarhi groups have been active across four districts of Jharkhand - Khunti, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum. All of them are Maoist-infested districts. Soon after being sworn in as the chief minister on 29 December last, Hemant Soren had announced his decision to withdraw all sedition cases registered during the Pathalgarhi movement and protests against the amendments to Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act) and Santhal Paragana Tenancy Act (CNT Act). Former chief minister Raghubar Das condemned the Burugulikera massacre and demanded immediate arrest of the killers. "I feel very painful at the barbaric killing of seven innocent villagers at Burugulikera in West Singhbhum district," Das said in a statement. He said the incident raises "a question mark on the law and order situation in the state". BJPs Scheduled Tribe Morcha national vice president Arun Oraon also strongly criticised the killing. "The BJP will send a party's central team to visit the spot to collect pieces of evidence and look into them," he told reporters here during the day. The Morchas national secretary and MLA, Koche Munda, alleged that the incident reflected the poor law and order situation in the state, "boosting the morale of anti-social elements". Actress Jessica Marais is set to have a career comeback on the Amazon reboot of Packed to the Rafters this year. And the 34-year-old was spotted running errands on Thursday, in the beachside suburb of Coogee in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Jess looked busy as she strolled around the locale, while listening to music on her iPhone as she went about her business. Busy: Actress Jessica Marais, 34, (pictured) wore a sleeveless pink puffer jacket and black tights as she ran errands in the suburb of Coogee in Sydney on Thursday The actress opted for a low-key look, wearing a sleeveless pink puffer jacket which flaunted her toned arms. The Love Child star paired the jacket with casual black tights. She carried her belongings in a graphic tote bag. Jess finished her outfit with a pair of Nike joggers along with pink ankle socks. Getting it done: Jess looked busy as she strolled round the locale, while listening to music on her iPhone as she went about her business The South African-born star appeared to be makeup free, and wore her blonde tresses tied back in a low bun. The star is making a career comeback on the Amazon Original series Back to the Rafters next year, which is a reboot of the Channel Seven sitcom. She played Rachel Rafter for 75 episodes between 2008 and 2013. Low key: The South African-born star appeared to be makeup free, and wore her blonde tresses tied back in a low bun for the outing The beauty has been a fixture on Australian screens since her role on Packed to the Rafters, appearing in TV classics Love Child and The Wrong Girl. She is currently dating Sydney photographer Jake Holly, with her sharing a rare snap of the pair to Instagram, on a date at Sydney Opera House in November. She was previously in a relationship with Home and Away star James Stewart and the pair share a daughter, Scout, six. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Heat Interface Unit market worldwide is projected to grow by US$259.2 Million, driven by a compounded growth of 7.5%. Heat Exchangers, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 7.3%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$195.5 Million by the year 2025, Heat Exchangers will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798736/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 6.4% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$9 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$7.8 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Heat Exchangers will reach a market size of US$7.9 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 11.1% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$71.5 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Alfa Laval AB; Bosch Thermotechnology; Caleffi SpA; COMAP International; Danfoss A/S; Docherty Group; Dutypoint Ltd; Elco Heating Solutions; Elson Hot Water; Emmeti SpA; Essco Controls Ltd.; Evinox Energy Ltd.; Giacomini SpA; Heatrae Sadia; Honeywell International, Inc.; Intatec Limited; Johnson & Starley Ltd.; KaMo GmbH; Kingspan Group PLC; Kvm-Conheat; Reliance Worldwide Corporation Limited; Rhico Ltd.; S. A. Armstrong Limited; Stokvis Industrial Boilers (International) Ltd.; Thermal Integration Ltd. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798736/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Heat Interface Unit Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Heat Interface Unit Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Heat Interface Unit Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Heat Exchangers (Component) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Heat Exchangers (Component) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Heat Exchangers (Component) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Controllers (Component) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Controllers (Component) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Controllers (Component) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Pumps (Component) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Pumps (Component) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Pumps (Component) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Sensors (Component) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 14: Sensors (Component) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 15: Sensors (Component) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Valves (Component) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 17: Valves (Component) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 18: Valves (Component) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Residential (Application) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: Residential (Application) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Residential (Application) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Commercial (Application) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Commercial (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Commercial (Application) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Industrial (Application) Worldwide Sales in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Industrial (Application) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Industrial (Application) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Heat Interface Unit Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 28: United States Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 29: Heat Interface Unit Market in the United States by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 30: United States Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: United States Heat Interface Unit Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Heat Interface Unit Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 33: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 34: Canadian Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: Canadian Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 36: Heat Interface Unit Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 37: Canadian Heat Interface Unit Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: Heat Interface Unit Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by Application for 2009-2017 Table 39: Canadian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 40: Japanese Market for Heat Interface Unit: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 41: Heat Interface Unit Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 42: Japanese Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 43: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 44: Japanese Heat Interface Unit Market in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 45: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Shift in Japan by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 46: Chinese Heat Interface Unit Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 47: Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 48: Chinese Heat Interface Unit Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 49: Chinese Demand for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 50: Heat Interface Unit Market Review in China in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 51: Chinese Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Heat Interface Unit Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 52: European Heat Interface Unit Market Demand Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 53: Heat Interface Unit Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 54: European Heat Interface Unit Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: European Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018-2025 Table 56: Heat Interface Unit Market in Europe in US$ Thousand by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 57: European Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 58: European Heat Interface Unit Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 59: Heat Interface Unit Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 60: European Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 61: Heat Interface Unit Market in France by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period 2018-2025 Table 62: French Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 63: French Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 64: Heat Interface Unit Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 65: French Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Review in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 66: French Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 67: Heat Interface Unit Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 68: German Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 69: German Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 70: Heat Interface Unit Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 71: German Heat Interface Unit Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 72: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in Germany by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 73: Italian Heat Interface Unit Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 74: Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 75: Italian Heat Interface Unit Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 76: Italian Demand for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 77: Heat Interface Unit Market Review in Italy in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 78: Italian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 79: United Kingdom Market for Heat Interface Unit: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 80: Heat Interface Unit Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 81: United Kingdom Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 83: United Kingdom Heat Interface Unit Market in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 84: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 85: Spanish Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 86: Spanish Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 87: Heat Interface Unit Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 88: Spanish Heat Interface Unit Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 89: Heat Interface Unit Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by Application for 2009-2017 Table 90: Spanish Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 91: Russian Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 92: Heat Interface Unit Market in Russia by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 93: Russian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Russian Heat Interface Unit Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 95: Heat Interface Unit Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by Application in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 96: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown in Russia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 97: Rest of Europe Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018-2025 Table 98: Heat Interface Unit Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Thousand by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 99: Rest of Europe Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 100: Rest of Europe Heat Interface Unit Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 101: Heat Interface Unit Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 102: Rest of Europe Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 103: Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 104: Heat Interface Unit Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 105: Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 106: Heat Interface Unit Market in Asia-Pacific by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period 2018-2025 Table 107: Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 108: Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 109: Heat Interface Unit Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 110: Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Review in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 111: Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 112: Heat Interface Unit Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: Australian Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 114: Australian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 115: Heat Interface Unit Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 116: Australian Heat Interface Unit Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 117: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in Australia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 118: Indian Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 119: Indian Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 120: Heat Interface Unit Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 121: Indian Heat Interface Unit Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: Heat Interface Unit Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by Application for 2009-2017 Table 123: Indian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 124: Heat Interface Unit Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 125: South Korean Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 126: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 127: Heat Interface Unit Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 128: South Korean Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 129: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Heat Interface Unit: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 131: Heat Interface Unit Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 132: Rest of Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 133: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 134: Rest of Asia-Pacific Heat Interface Unit Market in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 135: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 136: Latin American Heat Interface Unit Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018-2025 Table 137: Heat Interface Unit Market in Latin America in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 138: Latin American Heat Interface Unit Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 139: Latin American Heat Interface Unit Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 140: Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 141: Latin American Heat Interface Unit Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 142: Latin American Demand for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 143: Heat Interface Unit Market Review in Latin America in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 144: Latin American Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 145: Argentinean Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018-2025 Table 146: Heat Interface Unit Market in Argentina in US$ Thousand by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 147: Argentinean Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 148: Argentinean Heat Interface Unit Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 149: Heat Interface Unit Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: Argentinean Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 151: Heat Interface Unit Market in Brazil by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period 2018-2025 Table 152: Brazilian Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 153: Brazilian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 154: Heat Interface Unit Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 155: Brazilian Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Review in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 156: Brazilian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 157: Heat Interface Unit Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Mexican Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 159: Mexican Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 160: Heat Interface Unit Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Mexican Heat Interface Unit Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 162: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in Mexico by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 163: Rest of Latin America Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 164: Heat Interface Unit Market in Rest of Latin America by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 165: Rest of Latin America Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 166: Rest of Latin America Heat Interface Unit Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 167: Heat Interface Unit Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by Application in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 168: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 169: The Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 170: Heat Interface Unit Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 171: The Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 172: The Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 173: The Middle East Heat Interface Unit Historic Market by Component in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 174: Heat Interface Unit Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 175: The Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 176: Heat Interface Unit Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by Application for 2009-2017 Table 177: The Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 178: Iranian Market for Heat Interface Unit: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 179: Heat Interface Unit Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 180: Iranian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 181: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 182: Iranian Heat Interface Unit Market in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 183: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Shift in Iran by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ISRAEL Table 184: Israeli Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018-2025 Table 185: Heat Interface Unit Market in Israel in US$ Thousand by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 186: Israeli Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Israeli Heat Interface Unit Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018-2025 Table 188: Heat Interface Unit Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 189: Israeli Heat Interface Unit Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SAUDI ARABIA Table 190: Saudi Arabian Heat Interface Unit Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 191: Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 192: Saudi Arabian Heat Interface Unit Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 193: Saudi Arabian Demand for Heat Interface Unit in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 194: Heat Interface Unit Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 195: Saudi Arabian Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 196: Heat Interface Unit Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 197: United Arab Emirates Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 198: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 199: Heat Interface Unit Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 200: United Arab Emirates Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 201: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Table 202: Heat Interface Unit Market in Rest of Middle East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 203: Rest of Middle East Heat Interface Unit Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Component: 2009-2017 Table 204: Rest of Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 205: Heat Interface Unit Market in Rest of Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 206: Rest of Middle East Heat Interface Unit Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by Application: 2009-2017 Table 207: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Distribution in Rest of Middle East by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 AFRICA Table 208: African Heat Interface Unit Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 209: Heat Interface Unit Market in Africa by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 210: African Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 211: African Heat Interface Unit Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 212: Heat Interface Unit Historic Demand Patterns in Africa by Application in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 213: Heat Interface Unit Market Share Breakdown in Africa by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IV. COMPETITION ALFA LAVAL AB COMAP INTERNATIONAL CALEFFI SPA DANFOSS A/S DOCHERTY GROUP DUTYPOINT ELCO HEATING SOLUTIONS ELSON HOT WATER EMMETI SPA ESSCO CONTROLS LTD. EVINOX ENERGY GIACOMINI SPA HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INTATEC LIMITED JOHNSON & STARLEY KAMO GMBH KINGSPAN GROUP PLC KVM-CONHEAT RELIANCE WORLDWIDE CORPORATION (UK) LIMITED. RHICO LTD. S. A. ARMSTRONG LIMITED STOKVIS INDUSTRIAL BOILERS (INTERNATIONAL) THERMAL INTEGRATION LTD. HEATRAE SADIA V. CURATED RESEARCH Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798736/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Three people died Thursday when a Canadian-owned C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in the Snowy Monaro region of Australias southern New South Wales state, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths and crash in comments to reporters as Australia attempts to deal with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, its crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash, said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. He said all three aboard were U.S. residents. Unfortunately, all weve been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors, he said. Berejiklian said there were more than 1,700 volunteers and personnel in the field, and five fires were being described at an emergency warning level. Also Thursday, Canberra Airport closed because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of Australias capital were told to seek shelter. The blaze started Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at the watch and act level. Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations, the airport authority said in a tweet. Another tweet from traffic police said the fire is moving fast and there are multiple road closures in the area. Please avoid the area. Local roadblocks in place. Residents in some Canberra suburbs were advised to seek shelter and others to leave immediately. The defense force is both assisting to a degree and looking to whether that needs to be reinforced, Defense Minister Angus Campbell told reporters. I have people who are both involved as persons who need to be moved from areas and office buildings that are potentially in danger, and also those persons who are part of the (Operation) Bushfire Assist effort, he said. Pakistan's central bank has said that trade between Islamabad and New Delhi plummeted significantly this fiscal, apparently due to the ongoing tensions with India over the Kashmir issue. The State Bank of Pakistan data in the first half of 2019-20 fiscal starting from July 1 showed that Pakistan's exports to India during the period came in at an insignificant USD 16.8 million as compared to USD 213 million in first half of 2018-19, Dawn news reported. But the declining trade across the border had not affected the balance of trade which was still heavily skewed in favour of India, it said. Meanwhile, imports from India also fell to USD 286.6 million as against USD 865 million in the same period. As a result, Pakistan's trade deficit with the eastern neighbour amounted to USD 269.8 million. India on August 5 revoked the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue. Pakistan reacted by downgrading diplomatic ties with New Delhi and banning trade with India. The ties have not recovered from the jolt and trade and commercial activities have suffered. The central bank data showed that imports economy,india,Pakistan,trade,Islamabad,exports,importsfrom China the country's largest trade partner fell to USD 4.8 billion during July-December versus USD 5 billion in same period last year. However, exports slightly rose to USD 936 million, up from USD 889 million in the first half of 2019-20. This meant a trade balance with China at a negative USD 864 billion. With the second largest partner, the United Arab Emirates, there was some improvement as exports to the Gulf country increased to $827m in the period, from USD 638 million. This was driven by a significant decline in imports to USD 3.6 billion, down from USD 5 billion. Pakistan has succeeded to drastically reduce the current account deficit mainly through cut in imports bill, which is also reflected in the above-mentioned two cases. When my wife and I wrote about my old schoolmates who had died from deaths of despair, the reaction was sometimes ugly. They killed themselves, scoffed Jonathan from St. Louis in the reader comments. It was self-inflicted. Our essay, drawn from our new book, Tightrope, explored the disintegration of Americas working class through the kids on my old No. 6 school bus in Yamhill, Oregon, particularly my neighbors the Knapps. The five Knapp kids were smart and talented, but Farlan died after years of drug and alcohol abuse, Zealan died in a house fire while passed out drunk, Nathan blew himself up cooking meth, Rogena died of hepatitis after drug use, and Keylan survived partly because he had spent 13 years in the Oregon State Penitentiary. Working-class men and women like them, of every shade, increasingly are dying of deaths of despair from drugs, alcohol and suicide. Thats why life expectancy in the United States, for the first time in a century, has declined for three years in a row. Plenty of readers responded with compassion. But there was a prickly scorn from some that deserves a response because it reflects an ideology that underlies so many failed policies. It arises from the myth that we live in a land of limitless opportunity and that those who struggle have simply made bad choices and failed to muster personal responsibility. Ben Carson, who grew up poor and black in Detroit and is now the nations housing secretary, has described poverty as more of a choice than anything else. This personal responsibility narrative animated some reader critics of the Knapps. This article describes ruined, pitiful people, one reader commented. The main problem they have is weakness of character. Over the last half-century, this narrative has gained ground in America; its an echo of the social Darwinism that circulated a century ago. Ive come to think that the biggest impediment to strengthening the country isnt a shortage of resources but this personal responsibility obsession. When we underinvest in our own human capital, when so many Americans are only marginally literate or numerate or suffer from ill health or dependencies, then our entire country suffers. If America wants to compete with China, we should worry less about intellectual property protections and more about investing in the well-being of young Americans. Yet the personal responsibility narrative leads states to refuse to expand Medicaid. It leads us to lock up drug users instead of providing them help, even though each dollar invested in treatment can save $12 or more in reduced criminal justice and health costs. When we as a nation are willing to pay extra so that we can lock people up and rip apart their families, thats gratuitous cruelty posturing as policy. Of course personal responsibility matters. But imagine if we took the personal responsibility obsession to auto safety. That would look something like this: Auto crashes often are a result of speeding, drinking or texting. If we coddle drivers with air bags and padded dashboards, and have ambulances ready to rescue them, theyll never learn to drive responsibly. Better to implant spikes in dashboards so they appreciate consequences! A newborn in a ZIP code of North Philadelphia with a largely poor and black population has a life expectancy 20 years shorter than a newborn in mostly white central Philadelphia just four miles away; thats not because one infant has displayed weak character. Britain reduced child poverty by half under Tony Blair. Its not that British infants suddenly showed more personal responsibility; its that the government showed responsibility. Here in the United States, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine laid out a blueprint for reducing Americas child poverty by half, yet Congress and President Donald Trump do nothing. In that sense, Carson is right: Poverty is a choice. But its our choice. We moved from an inclusive capitalism in the postwar era to a rigged system that hobbles unions, underinvests in children and then punishes those left behind. This is the moral equivalent of spikes on dashboards. What would a better social narrative look like? It would acknowledge personal responsibility but also our collective social responsibility especially to help children. It would be infused with empathy and a morality of grace that is less about pointing fingers and more about offering helping hands. It would accept that a country cannot reach its potential when so many of its citizens are not achieving theirs. Nicholas Kristof is a columnist for The New York Times. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of something not even happiness, maybe, as much as permanence, or just the absence of overwhelming fear lie at the center of two new books out this month. One, Marcelo Hernandez Castillos Children of the Land, is nonfiction, though it often reads more like a diary or a dream journal; the other, Jeanine Cummins American Dirt, is a novel whose premise could have been stripped from a CNN news crawl. Both present flawed but deeply compelling embeds in a subject whose currency is hardly in question: leaving behind the known hardships of Mexico for the increasingly uncertain opportunities of America. Dirt will likely be considered the more accessible of the two and arrives, accordingly, with the bigger megaphone; one glowing blurb nestled next to high praise by the likes of Stephen King, Ann Patchett, and John Grisham calls it a Grapes of Wrath for our times. (Oprah Winfrey also selected it for her book club.) Grisham singles out the story for being important and timely, but not political, a subjective kind of compliment that may also be key to the books future success: Cummins cleanly drawn tale of a woman and her young son fleeing cartel violence in the once-idyllic resort town of Acapulco speaks in the universal language of mothers and children, grief and perseverance (though her actual prose dips, early and often, into vivid fragments of Spanish). Flatiron Books; Harper Happily married and devoted to 8-year-old Luca, bookstore owner Lydia Quixano Perez watches her tidy world suddenly and savagely implode when a piece that her journalist husband has written about the local drug kingpin invokes el jefes rage, and a subsequent massacre at her nieces backyard quinceanera. Within minutes 16 members of her immediate family are dead, and Lydia, a traumatized Luca in tow, is on the run. Without the proper documents required for international travel returning home for them means almost certain death the pair are forced to follow the route of countless migrants before them: a journey riddled with danger and desperation but blessed by crucial acts of human kindness, too. Story continues That Cummins (A Rip in Heaven) has approached her subject with extensive research and clear empathy cant quite mitigate the discomfort that, as a white woman so far removed from the migrant crisis, this story isnt strictly hers to tell. If Dirt offers engaging, approachable fiction, Castillos Children has the much sharper ring of lived experience; after crossing over at age 5 in 1993, he spent years in a liminal state of not knowing: Would a rolled stop sign, an unguarded moment, lead to arrest and deportation for himself, his siblings, his parents? I saw agents in trees, he recalls. I saw their heads popping out of the ground like tulips. I felt their hands touching every coin in my pocket. His dad eventually gives up the fight, and returns to rural Tepechitlan; his mother does everything she can to remain with the family in California. For Castillo, a poet and professor, its never as simple as staying or going, even with a DACA permit and a wife whose own papers are his easiest path to legal residency. A profound sense of disconnection follows him on both sides of the border; as do his struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, substance abuse, and estrangement from his father. Those psychic loops, though, and the sometimes fragmentary quality of his writing, feel only appropriate. And it makes sense too that the titles of both books evoke some sense of rootedness, or soil; in an era defined more and more by man-made boundaries and enforced otherness, what could be more human than wanting to claim a place, and call it home? Children of the Land: B+ American Dirt: B Related content: What you need to know about Oprah Winfreys controversial new book club pick American Dirt These gorgeous new novels explore sex with empathy, complexity, and radical honesty Book reviews: How 3 buzzy new novels find humanity (and healing) in the bizarre On Thursday the last flight from Wuhan arrived in Sydney with passengers saying Chinese authorities had checked on their temperatures, coughs and how they spent their time within the city. Pedestrians wear face masks in Hong Kong amid the coronavirus outbreak. Credit:Getty Images Flight operator China Eastern told the Herald further flights from Xi'an via Wuhan would be cancelled through to March 29. "We are contacting our customers and travel partners to provide this update and assist those who may need rebooking options," the statement said. "The health and safety of our customers and employees is our number one priority." Seventeen people have died in the outbreak, all of them in and around Wuhan. Close to 600 have been infected, the vast majority of them in Wuhan, and many countries have begun screening travellers from China for symptoms of the virus, which can cause fever, coughing, trouble breathing and pneumonia. Chinese officials have not said how long the shutdowns will last. While sweeping measures are typical of China's communist government, large-scale quarantines are rare around the world, even in deadly epidemics, because of concerns about infringing on people's liberties. And the effectiveness of such measures is unclear. "To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science," Gauden Galea, the World Health Organisation's representative in China, said. "It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work." Jonathan Ball, a professor of virology at molecular virology at the University of Nottingham in Britain, said the lockdowns appeared to be justified scientifically. "Until there's a better understanding of what the situation is, I think it's not an unreasonable thing to do," he said. "Anything that limits people's travels during an outbreak would obviously work." But Ball cautioned that any such quarantine should be strictly time-limited. He added: "You have to make sure you communicate effectively about why this is being done. Otherwise you will lose the goodwill of the people." During the devastating West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, Sierra Leone imposed a national three-day quarantine as health teams went door-to-door searching for hidden cases. Frustrated residents complained of food shortages amid deserted streets. Burial teams collecting Ebola corpses and people transporting the sick to Ebola centres were the only ones allowed to move freely. In China, the illnesses from the newly identified coronavirus first appeared last month in Wuhan, an industrial and transportation hub in central China's Hubei province. Other cases have been reported in the US, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong reported their first cases on Thursday. Most of the illnesses outside China involve people who were from Wuhan or had recently travelled there. Images from Wuhan showed long lines and empty shelves at supermarkets, as residents stocked up for what could be weeks of isolation. That appeared to be an over-reaction, since no restrictions were placed on trucks carrying supplies into the city, although many Chinese have strong memories of shortages in the years before the country's recent economic boom. Local authorities in Wuhan demanded all residents wear masks in public places. Police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops guarded Wuhan's train station. Liu Haihan left Wuhan last Friday after visiting her boyfriend there. She said everything was normal then, before human-to-human transmission of the virus was confirmed. But things had changed rapidly. Her boyfriend "didn't sleep much yesterday. He disinfected his house and stocked up on instant noodles," Liu said. "He's not really going out. If he does, he wears a mask." Loading The sharp rise in illnesses comes as millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year, one of the world's largest annual migrations of people. Chinese are expected to take an estimated 3 billion trips during the 40-day spike in travel. Analysts predicted cases will continue to multiply, although the jump in numbers is also attributable in part to increased monitoring. "Even if (cases) are in the thousands, this would not surprise us," the WHO's Galea said, adding, however, that the number of those infected is not an indicator of the outbreak's severity, so long as the mortality rate remains low. The coronavirus family includes the common cold as well as viruses that cause more serious illnesses, such as the SARS outbreak that spread from China to more than a dozen countries in 2002-03 and killed about 800 people, and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, or MERS, which is thought to have originated from camels. China is keen to avoid repeating mistakes with its handling of SARS. For months, even after the illness had spread around the world, China parked patients in hotels and drove them around in ambulances to conceal the true number of cases and avoid WHO experts. In the current outbreak, China has been credited with sharing information rapidly, and President Xi Jinping has emphasised that as a priority. "Party committees, governments and relevant departments at all levels must put people's lives and health first," Xi said on Monday. "It is necessary to release epidemic information in a timely manner and deepen international cooperation." Health authorities were taking extraordinary measures to prevent additional person-to-person transmissions, placing those believed infected in plastic tubes and wheeled boxes, with air passed through filters. The first cases in the Wuhan outbreak were connected to people who worked at or visited a seafood market, which has since been closed for an investigation. Experts suspect that the virus was first transmitted from wild animals but that it may also be mutating. Mutations can make it deadlier or more contagious. Loading Boris Johnson has been speaking with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman over WhatsApp, ex-government figures have claimed, raising potential security concerns following the alleged hack of Jeff Bezos' phone using the platform. The prime minister would often hand out his private number to world leaders when he was foreign secretary, sources said, with one insisting they were '99 per cent sure' Mr Johnson had sent messages to the Saudi royal using the messaging service. It is alleged that bin Salman was involved in hacking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' phone over WhatsApp, sending a corrupt video that granted access to his device. Four sources told the Daily Telegraph they suspected Mr Johnson may have used WhatsApp to communicate with bin Salman, with one ex-Foreign Office source saying: 'He certainly had his number and would ping him the occasional message.' Mr Johnson's press secretary said: 'It's not something we would comment on.' Then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is pictured with Mohammed bin Salman and former Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of a meeting inside 10 Downing Street on March 7, 2018 It is alleged that bin Salman was involved in hacking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' phone over WhatsApp, sending a corrupt video that granted access to his device (both pictured in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 2016) One British source, who had an overlap with Mr Johnson in government, said they remembered hearing he had talked about messaging the Saudi royal over WhatsApp. Another former Foreign Office source said talking with Middle Eastern figures using the messaging app was 'commonplace', adding they 'wouldn't be surprised' if Mr Johnson had done so with bin Salman. A fourth source said that during Mr Johnson's tenure as foreign secretary between July 2016 and July 2018 he would often hand out his number to overseas counterparts. It was also reported the UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia Simon Collis is understood to have shared messages over WhatsApp with the crown prince. UN investigators have demanded United States authorities 'immediately' launch an investigation into claims that Mr Bezos' phone was hacked by bin Salman. President Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. UN investigators have demanded United States authorities 'immediately' launch an investigation into claims that Mr Bezos' phone was hacked by bin Salman This is the message that Mohammed bin Salman sent Jeff Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone Saudi Arabia has strenuously denied that Bin Salman was involved in the hack, with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud calling the claims 'absurd.' The Saudi crown prince and Bezos exchanged phone numbers at a Hollywood dinner in April 2018, and on May 1 bin Salman reportedly sent him a WhatsApp video containing imagery of Swedish and Saudi Arabian flags draped over one another with Arabic lettering written across them. HOW THE 'HACK' OF JEFF BEZOS'S PHONE UNFOLDED September 2017: David Pecker, the publisher of AMI, reportedly meets Mohammed bin Salman April 2018: The crown prince attends a dinner in Hollywood hosted by producer Brian Grazer where he meets Jeff Bezos May 1: The video is sent from the prince's phone to Bezos' via WhatsApp October 2018: Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered by Saudi regime January 2019: The National Enquirer publishes its expose on Bezos' affair with Lauren Sanchez March 2019: Bezos' private investigator Gavin De Becker says he has proof Saudi Arabia hacked Bezos' phone - Saudi Arabia denies it January 2020: The Guardian reports that the prince's message was the source of the hack. A UN report comes to the same conclusion Advertisement Bezos's team say that video was the Trojan horse that hacked the billionaire's phone. Ex-UK Foreign Office insiders have said today's generation of Middle Eastern royalty 'love their phones' and British ministers will use WhatsApp to stay in contact. The communications mean British government phones could be vulnerable to hacking, but a security expert played down these fears. Former UK national security adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant said that prime ministers he worked with were 'fully aware' that those forms of communication were 'not 100 per cent secure', and most text or WhatsApp messages were relatively short in his experience. Mr Johnson had written a positive opinion piece about the young Saudi for The Times in 2018. The Daily Telegraph established the use of WhatsApp communication between Middle Eastern figures and British officials by contacting a dozen current and ex-UK government figures. The ex-ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch, is understood to have not been communicating with bin Salman over WhatsApp. Sources claimed former prime minister Theresa May did not regularly use WhatsApp but David Cameron made a habit of sending texts to politicians. The Prime Minister's official spokesman told The Telegraph they had 'no idea' whether Mr Johnson had communicated with bin Salman using WhatsApp, and his press secretary said they would not comment on the security arrangements of ministers. The American Red Cross has extended its urgent call for donors of all blood types to give blood or platelets. With influenza escalating across the country and preventing some donors from giving, and winter weather threatening to cancel blood drives, the Red Cross now has a critical shortage of type O blood and urgently needs donors to restock the shelves, according to an announcement from the agency. O so needed Currently, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of type O blood available for patient emergencies and medical treatments. Type O positive blood is the most transfused blood type and can be given to Rh-positive patients of any blood type. While just 7 percent of the U.S. population has type O negative blood, it can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what hospital staff reach for during emergencies when there isnt time to determine a patients blood type. Help replenish the blood supply Every day, the Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood donations and more than 2,600 platelet donations for patients who rely on blood to survive. Shortfalls in donations can cause delays in essential medical care for patients like 12-year-old Dagan Hawkins. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November, Dagan has required platelet and blood transfusions during his cancer treatments. There was a time when they needed to have blood products delivered from another hospital because they were unavailable there, said Dustin Hawkins, Dagans father. Donors of all blood types especially types O positive and O negative are urged to make an appointment to give blood or platelets now using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Here is a list of upcoming blood donation opportunities in Chester and Montgomery counties: Exton 1/26/2020: 8 a.m. 1 p.m., Clarion at Exton, 815 N. Pottstown Pike 2/3/2020: 12 p.m. 5 p.m., West Chester School District, Administration Building, 782 Springdale Road Phoenixville 2/2/2020: 10 a.m. 3 p.m., Phoenixville YMCA, 400 E. Pothouse Road 2/8/2020: 9 a.m. 2 p.m., St. Anns Roman Catholic Church, 502 Main St. 2/13/2020: 7 a.m. 12 p.m., Phoenixville Area Middle School, 1000 Purple Pride Parkway 2/14/2020: 8 a.m. 1 p.m., Schuylkill Elementary School, 290 S. Whitehorse Road South Coventry 1/30/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., Coventryville United Methodist Church, 1521 Old Ridge Road West Vincent 2/3/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., East Vincent Township Municipal Complex, 262 Ridge Road Collegeville 1/31/2020: 10 a.m. 3 p.m., Ursinus College, Wismer Building, 601 E. Main St. 2/1/2020: 10 a.m. 3 p.m., St. Eleanors Roman Catholic Church, 647 Locust St. Oaks 2/7/2020: 10 a.m. 3 p.m., Dunkin, 108 Black Rock Road 2/10/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., Hampton Inn & Suites, 100 Cresson Blvd. Pottstown 2/3/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., Comfort Inn, 99 Robinson St. 2/10/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., Pottstown YMCA, 724 N. Adams St. Royersford 1/27/2020: 10 a.m. 3 p.m., Parkhouse Nursing and Rehabilitation, 1600 Black Rock Road 2/8/2020: 8 a.m. 1 p.m., Dunkin, 800 Main St. Schwenksville 1/31/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., Heildelberg Church, 251 Perkiomen Ave. Skippack 2/4/2020: 2 p.m. 7 p.m., Skippack Fire Company, 1230 Bridge Road How to donate blood All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass(R) to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. This article first appeared as a post in The Digital Notebook blog. (Natural News) New findings from a team of researchers from the University of Miami (UM) revealed significant damage to anywhere between 50 to 90 percent of Miamis coral reefs during the 16-month dredging operation at the Port of Miami. This study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, found that upwards of 560,000 corals within 500 meters of the dredged channel were killed. Furthermore, they believe that the impact of the dredging operations may have spread across more than 15 miles of Floridas reef tract, possibly killing tens or hundreds of thousands more. Andrew Baker, associate professor from UM and senior author of the study, laments the damage done to Floridas reefs, stating that if we want to conserve these ecosystems for the generations that come after us, its essential that we do all we can to conserve the corals we still have left. The research team reanalyzed data originally collected by consultants as part of the environmental monitoring program of the dredging project. In that report, the consultants attributed most of the coral deaths to a region-wide outbreak of a disease. To test this claim, Baker and his team controlled for these impacts by looking for losses of coral species that were not susceptible to the disease the consultants cited. Afterwards, they tested whether corals located closer to the dredge site were more likely to die during the dredging period than corals that were further away. Dredging, not disease, caused coral death Their analysis revealed that most of the coral deaths were in fact a result of the dredging operations. In a statement, lead author Ross Cunning stated we brought together all the available data from satellites, sediment traps, and hundreds of underwater surveys. Together, the multiple, independent datasets clearly show that dredging caused the major damages observed on these reefs. (Related: We can prevent shoreline erosion by protecting coral reefs: Restoring them helps protect islands.) Furthermore, the researchers were able to uncover more evidence that the dredging operations hurt the reefs. The projects created great plumes of sediment. They were so large that the milky clouds of suspended dredging sediment could be seen from space. The researchers stated that these satellite images of the underwater clouds closely matched with coral impact. This was the first study that showed that satellite images can be used to predict the impact of dredging on corals and other underwater habitats. The reef tract in Florida is the only nearshore reef in the continental United States. Coral cover has been declining since the 1970s, with some estimates believing that coral cover has diminished by at least 70 percent. The areas within and around the dredge site are of high conservation value, and have been designated as a critical habitat for staghorn corals, which were once very common in shallow waters but are now critically endangered. Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems of the planet: they support fisheries, protect coastlines from potential storm surges and fuel local economies throughout the world through tourism, through activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving tours. In Florida alone, scuba diving and snorkeling accounted for almost nine million visitor-days and created nearly 30,000 tourism-related jobs, contributing untold millions of dollars to the economy of Florida. Furthermore, coral reefs provide over $1.8 billion in flood risk reduction annually. This study provides a clear and scientifically robust estimate of the impact of this dredging project on Miamis coral reef resources, said Rachel Silverstein, co-author of the study. We hope that these findings will provide valuable information to guide restoration of the impacted reefs and prevent these kinds of impacts in the future. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com ScienceDirect.com Marine.USF.edu Antonio Guterres warns terrorism spreading in the Sahel and a threat to nations such as Ivory Coast, Beni, and Ghana. Libyas civil war threatens to spill over into the already-restive Sahel and Lake Chad regions after becoming a playground for foreign forces in North Africa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. World powers have stepped up pressure on the warring factions to resolve the years of fighting in recent weeks, though several have supported opposing sides in the Libyan conflict. Currently, a fragile truce is in place, however, there have been reports of sporadic fighting and attacks on the international airport in the capital, Tripoli. Libya has been a centre, a cancer for arms export and fighters export and the most worrying impact is of course with the Sahel and Lake Chad. And more and more these things are interlinked, Guterres told Al Jazeera in Davos, Switzerland. What we are having with the Sahel and Lake Chad is a war with terrorist organisations that we are not winning. Terrorism is spreading. It is now threatening the countries of the coast Ivory Coast, Ghana, Beni. Guterres asserted the current security system in place in the Sahel region was not enough and advocated for an African force that is a peace-enforcing and a counterterrorism force with UN Security Council financing. Algeria meeting Top diplomats from Libyas neighbouring countries and beyond met in the Algerian capital on Thursday amid intensifying international efforts to end the conflict tearing apart the oil-rich North African country. The meeting included foreign ministers from Tunisia, Egypt and Chad, as well as diplomats from Sudan and Niger. Mali sent a representative while Morocco was absent from the talks. All but Mali border Libya and all have suffered the fallout from the fighting between Libyas UN-recognised leadership based in Tripoli and eastern-based forces led by renegade General Khalifa Haftar. 200113195026108 World powers are pushing both sides to respect the tentative truce. Algerias government said the meeting was aimed at consolidating coordination between countries neighbouring Libya and international players to accompany Libyans in reviving the political settlement process, and to help Libya build solid institutions and restore stability. Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, and Haftar refused to meet in Berlin at a Libya peace summit last weekend and are not participating in the Algeria talks. Persistent pressure German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said international actors must maintain persistent pressure on the warring parties in Libya to ensure the temporary truce can become a stable ceasefire. Maas said Sundays summit in Germany managed to win support from key actors for efforts to end the proxy conflict, nine years after long-term Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was deposed. He said his country would support efforts by the UN to harden the fragile truce through a meeting between representatives of al-Sarraj and Haftars Libya National Army. Haftars forces, which control the east and much of the south, receive support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, with evidence France and Russia also contribute. The Tripoli-based government is backed by Turkey and to a lesser degree Qatar and Italy. What has happened in Libya is that it became a playground of neighbours and other players, Guterres said. Libyan people deserve peace. One of the things that was achieved in Berlin was for foreign powers to agree not to interfere in the internal affairs of Libya. Guterres said there was an element of hope in achieving peace because of how serious the situation became. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global intracranial pressure monitoring devices market size is expected to reach USD 1.9 billion 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing neurological disorders and growing awareness regarding various treatment options available is spurring the growth of these devices on a global level. In addition, constant rise in patient numbers suffering from severe brain diseases that lead to high intracranial pressure (ICP) is expected drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Mainly, high disease prevalence and increased research funding together are expected to positively affect the growth of the ICP monitoring devices market. However, high cost of the devices and lack of skilled professionals in the developing regions are some of the prime factors hindering growth of the market. Further Key Findings from the Study Suggest: The market study suggests that invasive technique dominated the overall market in 2015 due to accurate and continuous measurements of intracranial pressure with intermittent drainage (hourly), unless clinically indicated Among the invasive techniques, External Ventricular Drainage (EVD) occupied the largest share as it is considered as the gold standard for monitoring of intracranial pressure. EVD also enables drainage of cerebrospinal fluid and administration of medicine intrathecally, which is positively impacting the growth of this segment North America dominated the vertical with the largest revenue share in 2015. Presence of a large target population suffering from traumatic brain injury and high adoption rate of advanced treatment options are some of the factors driving the growth of the intracranial pressure monitoring devices in North America. Asia Pacific is anticipated to show significant growth during the forecast period. Growth of the region is primarily attributable to increasing government initiatives, growing awareness regarding neurological disorders, and the availability of diagnostic procedures for their treatment. Some of the top companies operating in this market are Medtronic plc; Codman & Shurtleff, Inc.; RAUMEDIC AG; Vittamed; Sophysa Ltd.; Orsan Medical Technologies; Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation; and Spiegelberg GmbH & Co. KG. Grand View Research has segmented the global intracranial pressure monitoring devices market on the basis of technique, application, and region: ICP Monitoring Devices Technique Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Invasive External Ventricular Drainage (EVD) Microtransducer ICP Monitoring Noninvasive Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography Tympanic Membrane Displacement Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter MRI/CT Fundoscopy (papilledema) ICP Monitoring Devices Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Traumatic Brain Injury Intracerebral Hemorrhage Meningitis Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Others (Cerebral Edema, CNS Infection, etc.) ICP Monitoring Devices Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific China Japan Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa Access full research report on global intracranial pressure monitoring devices market: www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/intracranial-pressure-icp-monitoring-devices-market Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], Jan 23 (ANI): India's westernmost state, Gujarat will present 'Rani ki Vav: Jal Mandir' (Queen's Stepwell) tableau for the Republic Day parade in Delhi, showcasing the state's culture, civilization, arts, and water conservation system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's younger brother named Pankaj Modi is the Deputy Director in the Gujarat government's Information Department and is in Delhi as part of the Republic Day tableau team from Gujarat. "Gujarat will present the 'Rani ki Vav: Jal Mandir' tableau in the national parade organised as a part of the Republic Day celebration to be held in New Delhi on January 26," an official statement read. "This 'Rani ki Vav' tableau is going to exhibit the great heritage of Gujarat to become a central attraction for the nation at the national parade," the statement further read. 'Rani ki Vav', which was built by Rani Udayamati as a memorial to her husband King Bhimdev I in the 11th century in Patan district, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014. The original grandeur seven storeyed mausoleum monument of 'Rani ki Vav' is located on the banks of historical Sarasvati River at Patan town in Gujarat. The water wells and reservoirs (chiefly lakes) have always been the lifeline of Gujarat; among them, the 'Rani ki Vav' has remained vitally important as 'Jal Mandir' (water temple) since centuries. According to the statement, Gujarat's tableau will showcase the grandeur of the 'Rani ki Vav'. To exhibit the importance of the precious water resources, a large sculpture of rural Gujarat with water-filled earthen pots has been placed in the foreground of the tableau. In the trailer part of the tableau, the sculpture of 'Dashaavtar of Lord Vishnu' as the main theme, along with the idols of women showcasing their different forms of beauties in complete traditional Indian style have also been placed. The original grandeur seven storeyed mausoleum monument of 'Rani ki Vav' has been symbolised with the three-storeyed replica set on the tableau. In the top portion of the 'Rani ki Vav' tableau, 10 artists, including a character of the mother and a young daughter, will simulate a scene of tourists being offered drinking water by women who are on way to Rani ki Vav to fetch the drinking waters. "The guidance and direction in building this tableau were given by Ashwini Kumar (IAS), Secretary, Information and Broadcast Department, Gujarat Government; Ashok Kalaria, Information Director; Arvind Patel, Additional Director; Pankaj Modi, Deputy Director; and Hiren Bhatt, Deputy Director," the statement informed. (ANI) Candidates with real estate business contested in many of the divisions in these Corporations. It is reported that almost all leading parties, TRS, Congress and BJP pu-mped in unprecedented amounts for a local body election. Hyderabad: Candidates from the ruling and Opposition parties, who contested in Urban Local Bodies elections in the Medchal-Malkajgiri and Ranga Reddy districts, spent huge amounts during electioneering. The newly created Mun-icipal Corporations of Badangpet, Meerpet and Bandlaguda Jagir of Ranga Reddy district and new Corporations of Bod-uppal, Peerzadiguda Jaw-aharnagar and Nizampet are considered real estate hot beds and the candidates here had to splurge more than what an Assembly aspirant spent in 2018. Candidates with real estate business contested in many of the divisions in these Corporations. It is reported that almost all leading parties, TRS, Congress and BJP pu-mped in unprecedented amounts for a local body election. Now, it is almost known that candidates shelled down between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 50 lakh to get tickets from their respective parties and then spent heavily to woo voters. Apart from the corporations, municipalities which are under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Authority limits, including Peddamberpet, Ibrahimpatnam, Jalpally, Shadnagar, Turkayamjal, Shamshabad, Manikonda, Narsingi, Adibatla, Shankerpally, Thukkuguda Medchal, Dammaiguda, Nagaram, Pocharam, Ghatkesar, Gundla Pochampally, Thumkunta, Kompally and Dundigal also had valuable real estate lands. Here also realtors have swung into the elections so that they could have a grip over the area and expand their business interests. Political circles believe that candidates for municipal wards spent Rs 1 to 2 crore whereas division candidates spent up to Rs 4 crore. Candidates in Boll-aram, Tellapur and Ameenpur of Sanga-reddy district have reportedly spent up to Rs 2 crore as those towns also have valuable lands. A candidate in Bandlaguda Jagir is said to have distributed 5 grams gold coin to voters and another one in Choutuppal Municipality allegedly bought six votes of a family for Rs 2 lakh! Meanwhile, in an interesting development, one candidate has allegedly issued a post-dated cheque for Rs 2 lakh to a colony welfare association in Peerzadiguda urging them to draw the amount after his victory. A candidate in Kompally apparently supplied Rs 4, 000 worth of scotch bottles to each voter. The value of property deals this year may fall to about only half of the record 7.3bn seen in 2019. Hannah Dwyer, director at JLL, said that she does not expect activity to continue at these record levels, "but they may return to more recent averages in the region of 3bn to 3.5bn". Michele Jackson, of TWM, said it could be around 4bn, while Marie Hunt of CBRE said it's hard to call "but I suspect 2020 will be a more normalised level of trading in line with the previous peak of 4.6bn". Both Ms Hunt and Ms Dwyer signal prospects for large-scale deals this year and Ms Jackson and Ms Dwyer see continuing strong demand. Ms Dwyer also added: "Values are expected to remain steady, but they will be sector specific, with some opportunity for value increases in the industrial and PRS sectors specifically." The market continues to be dominated by overseas purchasers who accounted for 59pc of volumes in the last quarter of 2019. As well as Henderson Park, which purchased Green REIT, other active overseas purchasers in the last three months include Blackstone, KTP Investments/KTB Asset Management, and Deka. One of the last big deals of 2019 saw Blackstone purchase the Cedar portfolio of five Dublin office complexes along with 45 residential units from Starwood for around 530m. With combined floor areas totalling 55,810 sq m, it includes 75 St Stephen's Green, the Watermarque building, Iveagh Court, Marsh House, 29-31 Adelaide Road and 1 and 2 Parkgate Street. Selling agents CBRE and Eastdil Secured had been guiding 535m for the portfolio. Ms Dwyer says overseas investors "are mostly looking for scale and are showing greatest interest in PRS and office opportunities greater than 50m that are located in Dublin. Asian investors remain particularly active as does German capital. Positively we also continue to see new entrants in the market". Ms Hunt attributes the attractiveness of the Irish market to a combination of yields which are higher than other European countries, as well as underlying economic and occupier fundamentals. She also expects to see continued appetite from both Irish and European institutional funds and increased appetite from Asian investors, specifically those from Singapore and Hong Kong. Nevertheless, she expects returns to continue to stabilise in line with an easing in global growth expectations. "Investors will, in many cases, be looking to take more defensive positions at this particular point in the cycle, particularly those investors who have concerns about further government interference. We are expecting to see some high-profile investment trades this year but coming off 2019's record high overall investment spend in 2020 is expected to be somewhat lower than last year," she added. D onald Trump will become the first president to attend the annual anti-abortion gathering in Washington called the March for Life, the White House has confirmed. The US leader has made it a priority to embrace social conservatives, particularly on the issue of abortion, and in past years he has sent officials to speak at the march. Mr Trump has spoken to the event via video link, but this time around he will attend in person, the White House said. "See you on Friday ... Big Crowd!" Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday as he returned to the White House after a trip to Switzerland. "We are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn," said Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life. This year's rally comes just weeks before the US Supreme Court hears its first major abortion case since the addition of two justices appointed by Mr Trump. BOTHELL, Wash., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Highly-touted hospitality leader, Joseph Carino, takes on the multifamily industry as Chief Revenue Officer of Conversion Logix. Choosing to back a company that is making breakthroughs in attribution, Carino seeks to revolutionize how multifamily property managers connect apartment seekers to communities and collect marketing data to optimize spend in the process. His expertise makes him the ideal player to assist Conversion Logix in this revolutionary act. Carino brings nearly twenty-five years of business development, sales, and marketing experience to the company, which is one of the fastest-growing companies in Washington state. When asked how his entrance to the company will enhance the experience of Conversion Logix clients, Carino said, "I have a vision for our companywe will provide hands-on support for each client and produce technology specifically designed to meet leasing goals in a cost-effective way." His vision for innovation is rivaled only by his plans for expansion. After growing many companies before this, he is cognizant of how a scaling company can benefit its clients. "As we grow, our clients will benefit from the increasing knowledge and resources that we onboard across the country," said Carino when asked how a bigger company can be a better company. He went on to explain, "This company has grown every year since its inception and the service has continued to improve with scale. Therefore, our plans are to accelerate that growth with continued success and focus on our customers and community." Carino is not the only person who is confident about future growth within the company. Co-Founder and CEO of Conversion Logix, Jeff Jobe, spoke to Carino's integral role in this expansion. "At a time of unprecedented growth in our company, bringing a strategic partner on to our team is key. Joe is a pivotal player in creating a foundational structure within all of our sales efforts in order to sustain our current growth curve." With an acutely aligned vision for the next decade, Carino and Conversion Logix are focused on creating the most effective lease-driven strategies for multifamily communities. About Conversion Logix Founded in 2010, Conversion Logix is a full-service digital advertising and marketing technology company that serves multifamily and senior living management companies across the US. With industry-leading customer service, the expert team creates campaigns specifically tailored to the needs of each community. Superior results and customer service placed Conversion Logix on the Inc. 5000 honoree list and the Puget Sound Business Journal list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Washington State from 2016 through 2019. In 2018, Conversion Logix introduced The Conversion Cloud to optimize communities' digital ad campaigns. The Conversion Cloud transforms website visitors into high-quality leads, tracks the lead-source, and provides insights to optimize your marketing mix. For more information, visit www.conversionlogix.com or www.theconversioncloud.com. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE Conversion Logix Related Links http://www.conversionlogix.com LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Acumen Research and Consulting, Recently Published Report on "Hermetic Packaging Market Size, Share and Forecast, 2019 - 2026". Free Download Sample Report Pages for Better [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/1689 Geographically, the global market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the market due to high energy needs, the presence of emerging economies, and increasing defense spending. China, Japan, India, and South Korea are some of the key contributing countries in the region. Furthermore, the local presence of market players and expanded consumer electronics sector in the region are also contributed for the dominance of the region. North America held the second largest market across the world in 2018. Aeronautics and space industry is one of the major consumers for hermetic packaging in this region. The high cost of hermetic packaging is responsible for ongoing research to find a substitute, which is anticipated to hinder the market growth. Based on the type, the market has been segmented into ceramic to metal, glass to metal, transponder glass, reed glass, and passivation glass. Ceramic to metal sealing type segment held the largest market in 2018. This can be attributed to its ability to provide long and durable hermetic sealing; the broad range of applications in various industries, and it offers great insulation from electrical signals when compared to glass to metal seals. Ceramicmetal seals are utilized in industries that demand high voltage, high operating temperature, special chemical resistance, or biocompatibility. Transponder glass is gaining demand in the Asia Pacific region due to the huge livestock market in the region. The increasing access to technology, growing disposable income, and awareness about hermetic packaging across the region are facilitating the usage of RFID devices by farmers, thereby driving the demand for transponder glass-based hermetic packages. View Detail Information with Complete [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/hermetic-packaging-market Based on the application, the global hermetic packaging market is segmented into aeronautics & space, military & defense, automotive, healthcare, telecom, and others. The military & defense segment held the maximum share of the market in 2018. Growing military and defense budgets, rising internal and external security threats across the world, stable growth in global GDP, and falling crude oil pricesare some of the key factors expected to propel investment in the defense sector, which would further lead to an increase in demand for hermetic packaging during the forecast period. The application of hermetic packaging in the field of space & aeronautics and the automotive sector is growing rapidly. Growth in disposable income, increase in the need for automobiles, in addition to the growing affordability of automobiles, areexpected to propel the market growth during the forecast period. Key players operating in the hermetic packaging market are Ametek, Inc., Egide S.A., Kyocera Corporation, Legacy Technologies, Inc., Mackin Technologies, NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., Schott AG, Sinclair Manufacturing Company; Special Hermetic Products, Inc., SST International, Teledyne Microelectronic Technologies, and Willow Technologies. Key players operating in the industry are adopting various inorganic and organic strategies to expand their geographical as well as technical presence. Mergers, acquisition, product launch, and collaboration agreement were some of the activities that were carried out by companies in the last few years. Some of the key observations regarding the hermetic packaging industry include: In September 2019 , Schott AGexpanded its portfolio of hermetic packaging by innovating HEATAN technology. The technology facilitates reliability in ultra-high temperature applications even beyond 1000 0 C. Schott AG utilized Primoceler glass micro bonding method to designed ultra-miniaturized chip-size sensor packages. , Schott AGexpanded its portfolio of hermetic packaging by innovating HEATAN technology. The technology facilitates reliability in ultra-high temperature applications even beyond 1000 C. Schott AG utilized Primoceler glass micro bonding method to designed ultra-miniaturized chip-size sensor packages. In February 2019 , Windjammer capital Investors acquired Hermetic Solutions Group, hermetic packaging and components provider. The company designed products that can reliably work in demanding environments such as space, vibration, weight, moisture, and temperature. , Windjammer capital Investors acquired Hermetic Solutions Group, hermetic packaging and components provider. The company designed products that can reliably work in demanding environments such as space, vibration, weight, moisture, and temperature. In July 2018 , SCHOTT acquired Primoceler to expand SCHOTT's hermetic packaging portfolio with an innovative new glass micro bonding technology that will create new possibilities for electronic implantable devices. An international technology group, Primoceler, specializes in hermetic packaging.The company also designed hermetic packaging to protect sensitive electronics in medical implants. The acquisition allowed SCHOTT to utilize Primoceler's micro bonding method that uses laser technology to manufacture ultra-miniature electronic, vacuum-tight, and optical devices without any added materials or heat. Request for [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-customization/1689 The report is readily available and can be dispatched immediately after payment confirmation. Buy this premium research [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/1689 If you would like to place an order or have any questions, please feel free to contact at [email protected] | +1 407 915 4157 OR +1 408 900 9135 About Us Acumen Research and Consulting (ARC) is a global provider of market intelligence and consulting services to information technology, investment, telecommunication, manufacturing, and consumer technology markets. ARC helps investment communities, IT professionals, and business executives to make fact based decisions on technology purchases and develop firm growth strategies to sustain market competition. Among the industries served include aerospace and defense, information and communication technology (ICT), semiconductor and electronics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, advanced materials, banking, finance services and insurance (BFSI), and others. Our collective industry experience of over 100 years has helped us to offer appropriate market information and our global reach and regional connects ensures appropriate insights into regional markets to guarantee apt delivery of information. Our regional market intelligence helps our clients to identify potential opportunities and develop growth strategies across regions and countries. Our services are geared towards offering best market research to our clients. Contact Us: Mr. Frank Wilson Acumen Research and Consulting 17890, Castleton St #218, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 United States Tel: +1-407-915-4157 OR +1-408-900-9135 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com SOURCE Acumen Research and Consulting Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 16:28 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b29f6 1 Business islamic-government-bonds-SBSN,finance-ministry,infrastructure-development,Public-Works-and-Public-Housing-Ministry,transportation-ministry,railway,infrastructure-project,Education Free The Finance Ministry is set to issue project-linked Sharia sovereign bonds (SBSN) this year to fund the development of 728 projects worth Rp 27.35 trillion (US$2 billion). Finance Ministry Financing and Risk Management Director General Luky Alfirman said the SBSN issuance was an alternative way to finance government projects ranging from infrastructure to education programs. We will fund several infrastructure projects from the Public Works and Housing Ministry and the Ministry of Transportation, Luky told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday. According to the ministrys presentation material, the bonds will finance 171 road and bridge construction projects, 66 water resources projects, 19 railway stations, four seaports, four airports and 25 college building and facilities projects, among other things. Last year, 619 projects with a total value of Rp 28.43 trillion have been financed through such project-linked SBSN, according to ministry data. Approximately 32 percent of the amount was used to finance infrastructure projects under the Public Works and Housing Ministry. Project-linked SBSN were first issued in 2013 to build an Rp 800 billion railway connection between Cirebon and Kroya in West Java. The government has raised Rp 1.23 quadrillion in funds with a total outstanding of Rp 738.37 trillion through the issuance of project-linked SBSN. Contributed Photo / Department of Justice / Contributed Photo SHELTON A city man who faced up to 20 years in prison was sentenced Wednesday to serve 30 days in federal prison for distributing oxycodone, officials said. Salvatore Perry couldve been sentenced to the maximum term of 20 years in federal prison during his sentencing. Instead, Judge Victor Bolden a federal judge in Bridgeport sentenced 45-year-old Perry to serve 30 days in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a news release from U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham said. 23 January 2020 On the 26 November Nordea Markets sold on behalf of Kvrner ASA 1 430 429 shares in relation with the company's share purchase programme for employees. Following the transaction, Kvrner ASA holds a total of 1 093 777 own shares. The price was based on the average volume weighted share price on Oslo stock exchange over the five days period from 18 November to 22 November 2019 giving a price per share of NOK 12.46 More than 2 450 employees in Norway were invited to participate in Kvaerner's fifth share purchase programme where they were offered to buy shares for up to NOK 60 000 each. The participants in the employee share purchase programme were offered a discount of up to NOK 3 000 in addition to a price reduction of 20 percent on the share price. The shares purchased by the employees through the programme are subject to a two year lock-up period from the date of delivery. In the release dated 5 December Kvrners ASAs total shareholdings of own shares contained an error by missing on digit. Correct shareholding is: Kvrner ASA holds a total of 1 093 777 own shares. ENDS For further information, please contact: Media inquiries: Torbjrn Andersen, Head of IR & Communications, Kvaerner, Mob: +47 928 85 542, email: torbjorn.andersen@kvaerner.com Investor inquiries: Idar Eikrem, EVP & CFO, Kvaerner, Mob: +47 950 28 363, email: ir@kvaerner.com About Kvaerner: Kvaerner is a project execution specialist and a trusted advisor for our clients. We provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services and deliver advanced offshore and onshore installations around the world. We have offices in seven countries and approximately 2 800 employees. Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) has the highest priority in our work, and we aim to deliver technology and solutions in a safe and sustainable way. Our passion, experience and expertise realise values for clients and societies. Kvrner ASA, through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Kvaerner"), is an international contractor and preferred partner for operators and contractors within oil and gas, renewable energy and in the field of engineering and fabrication. In 2018, Kvaerner's Field Development segment had consolidated annual revenues of NOK 7.3 billion and the company reported an order backlog at 30 September 2019 of NOK 8.3 billion. Kvaerner is publicly listed with the ticker "KVAER" at the Oslo Stock Exchange. For further information, please visit www.kvaerner.com (http://www.kvaerner.com). To subscribe or unsubscribe to our press releases, please see our web page: https://www.kvaerner.com/investors/news-and-stock-exchange-announcements/subscribe-to-releases/ Attachment If you own shares in Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. (CVE:CEM) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The second sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market. Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk' in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one. See our latest analysis for Constantine Metal Resources What CEM's beta value tells investors Using history as a guide, we might surmise that the share price is likely to be influenced by market volatility going forward but it probably won't be particularly sensitive to it. Many would argue that beta is useful in position sizing, but fundamental metrics such as revenue and earnings are more important overall. You can see Constantine Metal Resources's revenue and earnings in the image below. TSXV:CEM Income Statement, January 23rd 2020 How does CEM's size impact its beta? Constantine Metal Resources is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of CA$9.1m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It doesn't take much money to really move the share price of a company as small as this one. That makes it somewhat unusual that it has a beta value so close to the overall market. Story continues What this means for you: It is probable that there is a link between the share price of Constantine Metal Resources and the broader market, since it has a beta value quite close to one. However, long term investors are generally well served by looking past market volatility and focussing on the underlying development of the business. If that's your game, metrics such as revenue, earnings and cash flow will be more useful. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Constantine Metal Resourcess financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Past Track Record: Has CEM been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of CEM's historicals for more clarity. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Brazil on Thursday expressed willingness to import items such as wheat, rice, millets, and sorghum, from India, said an official release after a meeting of ministers of the two countries. Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar held a meeting with Brazilian Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Tereza Cristina Correa da Costa Dias to discuss various bilateral trade opportunities, interests and issues. Both ministers affirmed that agriculture is a priority for both Brazil and India and resolved to strengthen cooperation in the agriculture and allied sectors, said the release. It added that Dias said both the countries share a common challenge with a huge part of the population being engaged in agriculture and most of them being small and marginal farmers with low income and lack of market access and very little access to new technology and innovations. During the meeting, she said removal of bottlenecks will provide a major impetus to boosting trade and business ties. She said wheat, rice, millets, and sorghum are some of the products that India would like to export to Brazil and that she will try to move forward on this as far as possible, the release quoted her saying. Tomar, who also holds the portfolios of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, said the bilateral trade at USD 1.045 billion in 2018-19 was way below potential and is not reflective of the strengths of both economies and there is a need to encourage more trade given the huge complementarities and synergies that exist between India and Brazil. He said India is interested in diversifying the commodity basket with regard to agricultural exports to Brazil. Brazil imports onions, fresh and dried grapes, wheat and meslin, maize, rice, soyabean and cotton from various countries. The Union agriculture minister requested Brazil to explore sourcing these agricultural items from India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ISG Provider Lens report finds U.K. business also looking to digital business providers to help them with mobile applications and artificial intelligence LONDON, Jan. 23, 2020)), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. The 2019-2020 ISG Provider Lens Digital Business - Solutions and Service Partners Report for the U.K. finds enterprises in the country embracing robotic process automation to automate processes and reduce their dependency on manual labor. "U.K. enterprises are leveraging digital transformation to manage market changes and sluggish growth," said Barry Matthews, partner and head of ISG UK. "Digital business providers are helping enterprises solve operational changes and sustain themselves during this time of uncertainty." Digital business service providers are preparing for Brexit by setting up risk assessment committees to constantly track changes and assess their impact, the report says. They are helping their enterprise clients prepare for the split from the European Union by providing them with impact assessments and managing logistical changes. In many cases, U.K. businesses are seeking providers that specialize in their industry to help them with their digital transformation journeys, the report says. Meanwhile, U.K. businesses are also focused on improving their customers' experience through mobile applications, the report says. The healthcare and the banking, financial services and insurance sectors are leading the move to mobile apps. In addition, enterprises increasingly are adopting artificial intelligence and analytics technologies to use in their supply chains, the report says. In many cases, U.K. enterprises are using automation to help them with insourced projects. Many U.K. companies now favor insourced services, and automation helps them enhance human resource allocation for those projects. U.K. business are also beginning to focus on product-oriented thinking, the report says, with customers invited to test new products before they are formally launched and modifications made based on their feedback. In addition, the report finds U.K. enterprises wrestling with a shortage of skilled workers. With an increase of digital technologies being used, U.K. companies have launched significant efforts to up-skill current employees and hire new graduates with related technology skills. Many companies are concerned that Brexit could lead to cross-border labor restrictions. The 2019-2020 ISG Provider Lens Digital Business - Solutions and Service Partners Report for the U.K. evaluates the capabilities of 32 providers across four quadrants: Customer Journey Services, Digital Product Lifecyle Services, Digital Backbone Managed Services and Blockchain Services. The report names Accenture, Atos, HCL and Tech Mahindra as leaders in all four quadrants and Cognizant, Infosys and TCS as leaders in three. IBM is named as a leader in two quadrants, and BT, Capgemini, DXC Technology, Mindtree and Wipro are named as leaders in one. A customized version of the report is available from Zensar , named a "Rising Star" in Customer Journey Services. The 2019-2020 ISG Provider Lens Digital Business - Solutions and Service Partners Report for the U.K. is available to ISG Insights subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage. About ISG Provider Lens Research The ISG Provider Lens Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe and Latin America, as well as in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., the Nordics and Brazil, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage. The series is a complement to the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, which offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types. About ISG ISG) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 70 of the top 100 enterprises in the world, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries-a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry's most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com. New York (AFP) - "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra, who says Harvey Weinstein raped her in the 1990s, was called to give evidence in his trial Thursday as prosecutors try to prove the fallen movie mogul was a sexual predator. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping actress Jessica Mann, in the high-profile proceedings seen as key to the #MeToo movement. Sciorra, best known for her role as Gloria Trillo in American mob drama "The Sopranos," alleges that Weinstein raped her in her New York apartment on an unknown date sometime in the winter of 1993-94. Her allegation is too old to be included on the charge sheet but the prosecution has called her as a witness to support a charge of predatory sexual assault. That charge, which requires prosecutors to prove he sexually assaulted at least two people, carries possible life imprisonment. In opening arguments Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast, told the court that Weinstein "violently" raped Sciorra after forcing his way into her home in Manhattan. He then forcibly performed oral sex on the actress, the prosecution said. The attack left her "emotionally and physically destroyed" and led her to drinking and even cutting herself, Hast added. Sciorra was too scared to tell the police, the prosecutor said, and did not reveal the alleged assault publicly until October 2017 when her account was published in The New Yorker magazine. Hast also told the court that Weinstein turned up at Sciorra's hotel room in Cannes in 1997 wearing just his underwear while carrying a bottle of baby oil in one hand and a video cassette in the other. Weinstein's defense attorneys are expected to ferociously challenge Sciorra's account. During opening arguments, lawyer Damon Cheronis said there was no evidence of the alleged attack. "Because there is no date given we can't interview people to find out where Harvey Weinstein was that day. We can't interview neighbors," he told the court. Cheronis said Sciorra once told a friend she "did a crazy thing" with Weinstein. "She didn't describe it as rape because it wasn't," he said. Brunswick, Georgia, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data from the OCEARCH Tracker (www.ocearch.org) shows our tagged white sharks ranging from adult to juvenile ages are converging right now in a region off the U.S. Southeast Coast, which OCEARCH and collaborating scientists refer to as the Northwest Atlantic Shared Foraging Area (NASFA). OCEARCH is returning to the heart of this region, which extends from Cape Canaveral, Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, for its 37th expedition to conduct our most advanced research yet of white sharks behavior, biology, health, and habitat usage. The expedition starts in Brunswick, Georgia on January 23 and concludes in Savannah, Georgia on February 14. Throughout the expedition, OCEARCH and collaborating scientists will collect biological samples to support 18 separate research projects led by 31 scientists from 22 institutions. This is going to be a very collaborative effort, says Expedition NASFA 2020 Chief Scientist Dr. Kim Ritchie who is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort. Were going to have scientists with a diverse range of expertise on this ship together. Well be able to combine expertise so that we can start answering more complex questions than ever before about these important predators. Its really exciting. This research expedition is so important because we suspect nearly all white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic utilize this NASFA region during the winter and early spring months, says OCEARCH Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer. Last years expedition to the NASFA region resulted in four tagged white sharks including Brunswick, who became the first shark on the OCEARCH Tracker to travel to northern New Brunswick, Canada. White sharks Lydia and Hilton were both tagged on earlier expeditions in the NASFA region and were instrumental in revealing Nova Scotia as an important white shark aggregation site during the fall. Additionally, new data analysis shows inflammatory markers in some white shark blood samples taken in the NASFA region that are not present in sharks tagged farther north. Researchers will look for additional clues about what could be causing these stress indicators. Story continues Each time we come to this part of the world, the scientific discoveries we make are remarkable. We wouldnt be able to make breakthroughs such as learning to look for white sharks in Canada if we didnt work here first or if we focused all of our work in just one small area, added Fischer. White sharks tagged on this expedition will be added to OCEARCHs brand new Shark Tracker App, which allows audiences to follow tagged sharks and other marine animals in near real-time. The new app is now available for free in both the Apple Store and Google Play for all mobile devices. Additionally, OCEARCH will keep audiences up to date on the latest expedition developments both on the new app and across all of its social media channels. Everyone is encouraged to follow along! from the OCEARCH Tracker (www.ocearch.org) shows our tagged white sharks ranging from adult to juvenile ages are converging right now in a region off the U.S. Southeast Coast, which OCEARCH and collaborating scientists refer to as the Northwest Atlantic Shared Foraging Area (NASFA). OCEARCH is returning to the heart of this region, which extends from Cape Canaveral, Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, for its 37th expedition to conduct our most advanced research yet of white sharks behavior, biology, health, and habitat usage. The expedition starts in Brunswick, Georgia on January 23 and concludes in Savannah, Georgia on February 14. Throughout the expedition, OCEARCH and collaborating scientists will collect biological samples to support 18 separate research projects led by 31 scientists from 22 institutions. This is going to be a very collaborative effort, says Expedition NASFA 2020 Chief Scientist Dr. Kim Ritchie who is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort. Were going to have scientists with a diverse range of expertise on this ship together. Well be able to combine expertise so that we can start answering more complex questions than ever before about these important predators. Its really exciting. This research expedition is so important because we suspect nearly all white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic utilize this NASFA region during the winter and early spring months, says OCEARCH Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer. Last years expedition to the NASFA region resulted in four tagged white sharks including Brunswick, who became the first shark on the OCEARCH Tracker to travel to northern New Brunswick, Canada. White sharks Lydia and Hilton were both tagged on earlier expeditions in the NASFA region and were instrumental in revealing Nova Scotia as an important white shark aggregation site during the fall. Additionally, new data analysis shows inflammatory markers in some white shark blood samples taken in the NASFA region that are not present in sharks tagged farther north. Researchers will look for additional clues about what could be causing these stress indicators. Each time we come to this part of the world, the scientific discoveries we make are remarkable. We wouldnt be able to make breakthroughs such as learning to look for white sharks in Canada if we didnt work here first or if we focused all of our work in just one small area, added Fischer. White sharks tagged on this expedition will be added to OCEARCHs brand new Shark Tracker App, which allows audiences to follow tagged sharks and other marine animals in near real-time. The new app is now available for free in both the Apple Store and Google Play for all mobile devices. Additionally, OCEARCH will keep audiences up to date on the latest expedition developments both on the new app and across all of its social media channels. Everyone is encouraged to follow along! John Kanaly OCEARCH (303)217-1680 jkanaly@ocearch.org Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Aadarsh Baijal and Usman Akhtar (The Jakarta Post) Singapore/Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 08:54 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062e5a21 3 Opinion opinions,finance,financial-services,digital-finance,Southeast-Asia,digital-economy,financial-industry,fintech,financial-technology,digital-platform Free With a population of 570 million and a booming gross domestic product (GDP) expected to reach US$4.7 trillion by 2025, the six largest markets in Southeast Asia Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam represent one of the worlds fastest-growing regions. Within the region, the digital financial services industry holds big potential that could be unleashed if fundamental underlying challenges are addressed. By 2025, we expect digital financial services to generate $38 billion in revenue, with Indonesia accounting for $8.6 billion of that sum. Based on research conducted by Bain & Company in collaboration with Google and Temasek, Indonesias digital financial services industry is likely to grow by 34 percent annually through 2025. Only Vietnam will see faster growth. However, the industry could become substantially larger, reaching $60 billion in revenue throughout the region, if certain conditions are met. It is well known that Southeast Asias consumers have more limited access to financial services than their peers in developed markets. In Indonesia, nearly eight out of 10 adults are either underbanked meaning they have no access to credit cards or have no long-term savings product, for example or unbanked, without access to a basic bank account. In addition, millions of the regions small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) face large funding gaps. Now all eyes are on digital financial services including payments, remittances, lending, investments and insurance to overcome these and other challenges. Four factors have stymied the growth of digital financial services in the region. First, consumers and merchants alike have been slow to abandon cash and make the move to digital. Another obstacle has been the lack of a reliable digitized identification system in most Southeast Asian markets. In addition, regulators have taken a cautious approach. A final issue: The regions financial infrastructure remains largely underdeveloped, with an absence of robust credit bureaus, for example. Despite these impediments, the market is poised to grow fast. High smartphone penetration and engagement will speed customer adoption of services like e-commerce and ride hailing, while paving the way for embedded financial services. Regulatory policies are also becoming more open. Among the five services we studied, digital payments and remittances are the most advanced, with payments expected to exceed $1 trillion in transaction value by 2025. The other services lending, investments and insurance are still emerging, but each should grow by more than 20 percent annually through 2025. At that point, lending will make up half of all digital financial services, led by innovations in consumer lending and SME working capital financing. We expect digital lending to achieve 61 percent annual growth in Indonesia through 2025. Today the industry is a free-for-all among four major types of players, none of which has everything it will take to win. For example, established financial services players such as banks and insurance companies have broad financial services expertise, a large customer base, customer trust and access to low-cost funding. But fintechs the new generation of independent players with innovative business modelsbenefit from a more flexible cost structure and cleaner technology stacks, allowing them to provide competitive pricing and better user experiences. Established consumer players such as telcos, airlines and retail companies are expanding into financial services, bolstered by broad distribution networks and massive amounts of customer data, but they may lack the digital capabilities to leverage those assets. Consumer technology platforms such as ride-hailing and gaming companies have a large online customer base for cross-selling of financial services and digital capabilities, and they offer an online-to-offline experience. We found that new entrants are gaining trust in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia and Vietnam. As this field of competitors quickly expands, lines are blurring between different categories of players in the ecosystem, and partnerships are becoming more common. Disruption will more likely come from consumer technology platforms than from pure-play fintechs offering niche services. We expect that more banks will partner with established consumer players or consumer tech platforms to expand their user base and build volume. Companies that are more nimble and technology-savvy will outpace competitors and gain share. DBS, for instance, has targeted the tech-savvy population in Indonesia, including both banked and under-banked consumers, through Digibank, which offers uncollateralized loans within certain limits, among other digital-only services. Digital financial services development will play out differently in three distinct customer segments. The banked segment (representing 23 percent of Indonesias population) will remain a major focus for established players. Under-banked consumers (26 percent of the population) will be served by new technology-enabled business models. This segment represents the true growth engine in digital financial services. While all competitors can pursue this market, consumer technology platforms have some distinct advantages. They have leaner cost structures, no antiquated legacy technology systems, access to rich data sets and digital-native customer engagement. We are seeing new business models in unsecured consumer lending and merchant lending emerge. For example, online marketplace Tokopedia provides consumer purchase financing in partnership with pure-play fintechs such as OVO, and has begun lending to its merchants in partnership with both established players and pure-play fintechs. But digital financial services will not be a panacea for reaching the unbanked (51 percent of Indonesias population), although some fintechs have achieved early success. For example, with three million customers across rural Indonesia, Mapan (under the Gojek umbrella) offers a unique program in which participants take turns making interest-free loans from pooled money to buy white goods. Overall, however, pure-play fintechs and consumer tech platforms are not yet making a meaningful impact. Governments and telecom companies will need to play a key role in accelerating development of this segment. In addition, SME merchants, such as independent restaurants and shops, are set to become an important digital financial services battleground. Digital advances are rapidly opening up new business models to serve a potentially huge market. Our survey of more than 250 SME owners in Indonesia found that 76 percent already accept digital payments or are likely to accept them in the next three years. All four types of digital services players will fight it out for the vast SME market. *** Aadarsh Baijal and Usman Akhtar are Bain & Company partners based in Singapore and Jakarta, respectively. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. The African swine outbreak in China, which was first detected in 2018, is mushrooming fast. A big factor that has allowed the disease to spread so quickly in the communist nation is that farmers and local officials were slow to report outbreaks out of fear they would be entangled in a bureaucratic nightmare. The disease-caused devastation in the Chinese pork industry will have a monumental impact on trade this year and beyond. The virus, which is deadly to hogs but not a risk for humans, has wiped out one-third of the Chinese swine herd and caused pork prices to skyrocket. The swine population may have stabilized after hitting rock bottom, but rebuilding the herd may take years. China raised 700 million hogs annually before the African flu, which is 100 percent fatal to pigs, hit. Chinese pork imports reached 2 million tons in 2019 despite the 62 percent tariff placed on U.S. imports. The communist government promises to increase its import of U.S. pork products as part of Phase 1 of the long-anticipated trade deal. The European Union recently met with Chinese officials to discuss its additional pork exports. ADVERTISEMENT Even if the Chinese can work out deals with pork importers, experts are in general agreement that that more pork imports wont meet growing internal demand. China gobbles up more than 50 percent of the worlds pork supply. The Chinese government, which is anxious to keep small farmers on the land so that their population doesnt relocate to already overcrowded urban centers, expects many smaller producers will not return and will be replaced by larger swine operations. U.S. swine producers and scientists are concerned the disease might jump to the United States. Fortunately, the U.S. industry is in much better shape in regards to biosecurity. Authorities must be prepared as the risk of various disease outbreak grows in an increasingly rapid-transit world. Greater cooperation is needed with governments the world over to share information and prevention measures. U.S. hog producers have well-established biosecurity measures to quickly identify and protect against specific diseases. The National Agricultural Biosecurity Center on the campus of Kansas State University is an invaluable resource for livestock producers in the Midwest. The center develops and manages research projects for several state and federal agencies, including the USDA. It also focuses on creating biosecurity procedures and increasing the publics awareness about possible livestock and grain disease threats. The United States is well-positioned should potentially devastating disease outbreaks occur. Thats not to say all can be prevented. Avian flu, which jumped from England to the United States in 2015, is proof enough of that. ADVERTISEMENT Bird flu devasted turkey and chicken flocks across Minnesota and Iowa. More than 9 million chickens and turkeys were lost in Minnesota alone during the outbreak. The disease vulnerabilities that exist in the United States are real. Pork producers and industry leaders, including the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, are doing good work to keep tabs on the threats. As it stands, the Bloomberg advertising campaign is squarely focused on states that could help get Bloomberg the nomination, with only about 1 in 4 dollars going to the six swing states that his advisers expect to be competitive in the general election, according to Facebook ad spending data and a source familiar with the television buys, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because that person was not authorized to share the information publicly. It would be great if everyone was polite and let you finish or paused to ask what youre thinking. This doesnt always happen. If someone interrupts you and you become annoyed, that can kill your motivation to speak up again. Or you might become visibly agitated and demand to be heard, which can be off putting and make people less likely to want to listen to what you have to say. Instead, Chris Macleod, counselor and author of The Social Skills Guidebook, suggests accepting that group conversations are a vortex of noise and chaos and going with the flow. Dont spend all your time trying to fit in that one thing you badly wanted to say. Instead, go with the flow of the conversation and look for new opportunities to jump in. When you do, speak loudly and with confidence. More practical tricks like keeping your stories short or framing a complaint as a story can smooth over the experience, but regulating your own frustration and annoyance is the foundation these tricks build on. Make (and keep) new friends as an adult When youre young, making friends can be relatively easy. School often means that theres a group of people youre required to hang out with who are your age. You may share some interests, and youll see one another almost every day. As an adult, it can be harder. Everyones busy, everyones tired, and time feels in short supply. Or so it seems. What really may be lacking is motivation. As Vox explains, one of the most important keys to developing a new friendship is, well, showing up. You both say, We should hang out sometime! but for some reason you never do. Why? Sure, you have things going on, but you still managed to binge watch the latest Stranger Things. Theres nothing wrong with a little me time, but its also O.K. to spend some of it reaching out to someone new. When making new friends, you have to start with some internal motivation. Decide for yourself that youre going to make friends and then put yourself in situations where that can happen. Take a class, join a club, or just talk to people you know but arent friends with yet. More important, follow up. If you find someone you want to be friends with and especially if there are indications that person wants to be friends with you, too put it on the very top of your to-do list to follow up. Youll be surprised how easy it is when you do it on purpose. Strike up a conversation with someone new Talking to a stranger for the first time whether its at a party, a work event, or just on the street can be complicated. You never know less about someone than when you first meet them. Thats also something you can use to your advantage. People like to talk about themselves. So much so that, according to research from Harvard University, people will sometimes even give up money to be able to talk about themselves. You might feel awkward or uncomfortable when youre out on your own, but practicing a little empathy can reveal a powerful truth: So does everyone else. Research from the University of Chicago found that less than 47 percent of its participants believed a stranger would be willing to talk with them. In reality, every attempt was successful. Most of us are willing to have a conversation, we just dont always want to be the one to make the first move. by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, January 22, 2020 With a spring campaign called Color-Full, Banana Republic is using Black History Month as a jumping-off point for a rich new take on diverse content. The effort includes short BR Presents films, focusing on dancer and movement artist Jon Boogz and poet and screenwriter Chinaka Hodge. The company shot both films in the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, overseen by in-house creative director Len Peltier. It also showcases its spring collection in digital spots by artists like Koto Bolofo, Melodie McDaniel and Campbell Addy. advertisement advertisement What makes this special to us is that its not just that we went out and found black artists, Peltier tells Marketing Daily. These are creatives weve worked with often and consider friends. So when we asked them to help create this authentic expression of what Banana Republic is, the whole thing just became this fun conversation about colors and personalities. Its a kind of powerful and personal storytelling. McDaniel, for example, set her shoot up against bright walls of color in Compton, California, with models that include local artists, teachers and an NFL-player-turned-mayoral candidate. Those are the kind of boundary-breakers the brand thinks are most likely to buy its clothes. We like to help people tell our story as part of their story, says CMO Mary Alderete. The main product story is that people want spring clothes, with color and optimism. And the outfit and styling of each person so reflect their personality. She tells Marketing Daily that by appealing to a wider audience with a relevant story and pushing forward with real people and an exceptional styling point of view, well drive the business forward. The Gap-owned retailer says it hopes to bridge the campaign from Black History Month in February to International Womens Day and World Water Day in March, BY connecting culturally relevant moments for several months, instead of a couple of one-offs, according to Alderete. The work is running on the companys website and scheduled to roll out on Instagram, Facebook and Blavity early next month. The new effort also builds on True Hues, launched last year as part of Gaps corporate diversity efforts, an inclusive range of nude necessities designed for every skin tone, spearheaded by the companys Color Proud Council. Bananas campaign comes at a time of upheaval at its parent company. Gap CMO Alegra OHare has left the San Francisco-based company after less than a year in the job, as Gap reportedly redefines the CMO position. And it recently pulled the plug on plans to spin off Old Navy, months after the firing of CEO Art Peck. It also announced the departure of Neil Fiske, president and CEO of Gap brand. Many observers are happy about the Old Navy decision. We had previously argued that the separation of Old Navy, which we believe generates about 80% of Gaps operating income, from the rest of Gap provided little strategic sense and would destroy value through expected direct costs, capital expenditures, and gross dis-synergies of as much as $1 billion, writes David Swartz, an analyst who covers the company for Morningstar. In its most recent quarterly results, the company says comparable sales at Gap fell 7%, at Old Navy dropped 4% and Banana Republic was down 3%. New Delhi : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has brought senior Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh, arrested while ferrying three terrorists out of the Union Territory, to Jammu on a transit remand. According to sources, Davinder Singh has been brought to Jammu on a transit remand and the investigation agency will take him on formal remand from the NIA court for interrogation on Thursday. Earlier on Wednesday, NIA conducted fresh raids at Singh's residences in Srinagar. Singh was caught along with Naveed Babu, self-styled district commander of banned Hizbul Mujahideen, a new recruit Atif and an advocate Irfan Mir. According to sources the two terrorists and the lawyer had plans to travel to Pakistan after reaching Jammu. Police recovered arms and ammunition from the car they were travelling in near Qazigund on the national highway in south Kashmir. After receiving orders from the Union Home Ministry, the NIA took over the case. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh said the force has recommended dismissal of DySP Davinder Singh. He said the police has also recommended for taking back the gallantry medal awarded to Singh by the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state on Independence Day in 2018, stressing that the police will act very ruthless as we dont believe in sheltering or protecting people who have no loyalty towards the force, nation and their people. Role in Parliament attack? Was arrested Jammu and Kashmir Police officer Davinder Singh involved in 2001 Parliament attack? This is the question that the security agencies would be probing, a latest report on Thursday said. According to a media report, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbagh Singh said that nobody is above the law and everything can be probed. The remark gains significance amid the ongoing probe by the National Investigation Agency. Now-suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police, Davinder Singh was arrested on Saturday in a car along with three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. The links between Davinder Singh and the 2001 Parliament attack are not new. Earlier, Afzal Guru, the prime accused in the case had alleged that it was Singh who had sent him to Delhi and made other key arrangements just before the attack. The letter In a letter to his lawyer, which is being widely quoted by media reports, Afzal Guru had claimed that Davinder Singh tortured him and was forced to help one of the terrorists that carried out the attack on Parliament under pressure from Singh. The letter is detailed in Arundhati Roys book The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the strange case of the attack on Indian Parliament. In the letter, Guru had said that he started facing trouble after his failed separatist bid and returned to Kashmir. He had written in his letter how the STF started torturing him. He had claimed that it was the STF that provided him with the phone that was found on the body of one of the terrorists killed in the attack. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. For a relic youre in excellent shape, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard is told in the opening episode of the new Amazon series Star Trek: Picard. And both points are right. Patrick Stewart and his Star Trek character have indeed aged since his last adventure Star Trek: Nemesis and is noticeably slower in agility and action scenes. Yet at 79, its remarkable that he can lead a series and has the fire in the belly to revive a much-loved role. TV rarely puts the weight of a series on the shoulders of seniors Picard is now Earth-bound at Chateau Picard in France, happily growing grapes, sipping Earl Grey Tea and fussing over his bulldog, Number One. He is assisted by Romulan staff Laris (Orla Brady) and Zhaban (Jamie McShane) who stand strong with him over his controversial exit from the Star Fleet many years earlier. It was no longer Star Fleet, he insists. Even agreeing to an interview on the anniversary of his departure, Picard murmurs, Im beginning to regret that I ever allowed myself to be talked into this (a comment on the series itself, perhaps?). But memories are hard to shake, including those of Data (Brent Spiner) who is back in all his gold glory, if only as a fleeting vision. Picards energy will be reignited by the realisation that a part of his old friend may still be alive and his legacy needs protection. I havent been living, Picard admits. Ive been waiting to die. Meanwhile in downtown Boston a young woman Dahj (Isa Briones) comes under attack from forces which triggers unknown fury within her. She has questions that need answering, and only Picard can assist. I wont spoil While Picard attends to earthly matters theres a galactic fight involving synthetics, enemies and Star Fleet and the series will whiz around San Francisco, Paris and Okinawa, Japan, where Picard meets Dr. Agnes (Alison Pill) whom he comes to befriend. Meanwhile at a Romulan Reclamation Site, a hint of romance is in the air for Narek (Harry Treadaway) However amid all this complex set-up, the driving concern for Picard is to take flight. Its surely what viewers want too. Commandeering a new ship will not come easy given his frosty relationship with Star Fleet. Even as a senior, he is still determined to do things his way. I dont consider myself a Trekkie, but Ive enjoyed all of the very progressive Star Trek: Discovery. Picard is far more Earth-bound, more tangible, opens with Bing Crosby singing and is even a little more Euro. It relies more on its star than its ensemble, and more on philosophical than action scenes, with the odd humorous reference. This facility has gone 5843 days without an assimilation is straight out of Matt Groenings mind. So far Picard is measured and probably one for the fans, elated a favourite actor has revived a revered role. Patrick Stewart is clearly at home as the Admiral, and wisdom drips from his every mellifluous sentence. Fans will doubtless cheer for appearances by Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) as the series rolls out. It should also be said this was produced for CBS All Access in the US but has oddly landed at Amazon Prime Video in Australia, suggesting CBS is more interested in its profit line than in building up 10 All Access. That may make the latter a final frontier, perhaps? Star Trek: Picard premieres Friday on Amazon Prime Video. When it comes to hip San Francisco coffee shops, oat milk lattes and nitro cold brew are old news at this point. For those feeling a little more adventurous, one coffee shop is embracing an eccentric new way to order your coffee: with a side of mushrooms. The Chaga Company has teamed up with Fearless Coffee at 303 Second St. in San Francisco to launch "the City's first-ever mushroom cafe." On Wednesday, the pop-up celebrated its grand opening with balloons, new decor resplendent with plants and crystals, and of course, a mushroom-focused menu. Pretty much any regular coffee drink can be ordered with a "Chaga boost," meaning a scoop of the company's supposedly medicinal mushroom powder (Don't get too excited: it's not the psychedelic kind). You can order a "Chagaccino" ($5), a Chaga Cold Brew ($5), or a Chaga-infused tea ($4). I ordered an almond milk chaga mocha. Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, so I was fascinated at the thought of what mushroom-y coffee might taste like. But rather than arrest my taste buds with an uncanny new flavor, I discovered the mushroom powder was mostly tasteless. It was a great mocha, but an ordinary-tasting one. Well, maybe that's for the best. Chatting with the Chaga Company's founder and creator, Gavin Escolar, I also got to taste the powder by itself, which was reminiscent of wood chips. Mixed in a glass of water, it resembled a cup full of dirt but barely tasted of anything. After all this, I asked Escolar to explain why exactly I should put mushroom powder in my coffee. "Chaga is really good for fortifying your body full of antioxidants," said Escolar. "It is also a really powerful adaptogen that's helps us with anxiety and stress." Chaga is a mushroom that grows on birch trees in northern climates, in places such as Russia, Alaska, Sweden, and Canada. Traditionally, it is ground up and mixed in coffee or tea. Escolar says he was introduced to it by native Alaskan people when he was living in Juneau. On the Chaga Company's website, other alleged health benefits of the chaga mushroom are boosting the immune system, aiding metabolism and combating viruses and infections. However, none of this has sufficient scientific evidence to back it up. WebMD says that "people take chaga by mouth for heart disease, diabetes, stomach and intestine cancer, liver disease, parasites, stomach pain, and tuberculosis" but that "more evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of chaga for these uses." WebMD also warns that the possible side-effects of chaga are not known, as it contains a chemical called oxalate, which can damage the kidneys. Escolar, however, says that Chaga helped cure problems with his sciatic nerve he was experiencing due to inflammation. And while he told me that most of chaga's benefits are only felt after a week or two of use, he said that after drinking my single mocha, I would feel "a lot of energy, clarity and focus." All I got was your typical caffeine high, although more jittery than usual (this is almost definitely just because I already had a coffee this morning and I am pretty sensitive to caffeine). My thoughts aside, Escolar believes that everyone should be taking chaga. One day, he hopes to see it served in every independent cafe in San Francisco. Escolar first started peddling his mushrooms at farmer's markets around the Bay Area, and this Fearless Coffee collaboration is his first "pseudo-permanent pop-up," he said. With the new decor he brought into the cafe alongside his chaga products, he wanted to "create a sanctuary space with plants and crystals where people can recharge." Meanwhile, Escolar isn't the only one who's fallen under the spell of the supposed superfood. In a quick Google search whose results will surprise no one, I determined that you can purchase a 20-serving pack of "Chaga Mushroom Elixir Mix" from Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand Goop for $38. One thing I'll give Escolar is that he only charges $8 for a 30-day supply. Its health benefits may be inconclusive, but if chaga's your thing, at least it won't drain your bank account like a Goop purchase would. Madeline Wells is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22 DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- China's diary giant Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group joined hands with the world's health industry leaders in Davos on Wednesday in launching an initiative on global health ecosphere to boost health and sustainable development. During WEF, Mr. Pan Gang, Chairman and President of Yili Group, met and communicated with distinguished guests including representatives of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board; Sharon Thorne, Chairman of the Deloitte Global Board; Barry O'Byrne, CEO of HSBC Global Commercial Banking; Liao Yijian, President of HSBC China; and Zhang Yong, Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group. The initiative release was made at the "Yili Healthy Soiree", which, held by Yili, attracted many industrial leaders, experts and entrepreneurs to discuss development of ecosphere economy amid the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting. Under the initiative, Yili calls on all partners involved in the global health ecosphere industry chain to advocate healthy living and working methods, put into place the concept of health and sustainable development in work, and let the whole world share results of the health development by win-win cooperation. Key speakers participating included Joao Campari, Global Leader of the Food Practice at the World Food Foundation (WWF); Paul Andersson, President of Firmenich China; Mark Wilson, Member of Board of Directors of Chr. Hansen; Amy Byrick, President of Food & Beverage Global Business at Dupont; Illia Aprcovic, Executive Vice President of GEA Group; Liu Jiayu, Silver Medalist of Changping Winter Olympics; Qin Shuo, China Media Influencer; and Gerrit Smit, Nutrition expert. "Ecosphere economy" will become an important development pattern of the world economy in the future, said Yili's chairman Pan Gang at the forum, noting that Yili has always taken an open and inclusive attitude, with innovation-driven ideas and win-win methods, to build a "Global Health Ecosphere" and promote more comprehensive and deeper cooperation in the global health industry. "Taking the building of a Global Health Ecosystem as its mission, the Yili Group has re-established its leading position in the industry, shaping global thinking towards a healthier world," said Adolfo Orive, president & CEO of Tetra Pak, a leading food processing and packaging solutions provider. "I am very happy that Cargill can be here to witness it and can join Yili in further promoting health and sustainability," said David Maclennan, chairman and CEO with Cargill, a transnational long partnering Yili in providing safe, healthy, and nutritious products to dairy consumers worldwide. Efforts should be made to provide healthy, nutritious and sustainable products globally, said Edouard Roquette, chairman with Roquette Freres, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and new vegetal proteins, who also expressed willingness to team up with Yili for development of health industries. Yili and Davos have worked together since 2017. Yili is the first leading Chinese healthy food enterprise to enter a strategic partnership with WEF. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081143/Yili_Davos.jpg Dozens of world leaders descended upon Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating rising modern-day anti-Semitism, a politically charged event that has been clouded by rival national interpretations of the genocide. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, the Prince of Wales, Vice President Mike Pence and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The three-hour-long ceremony at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, called Remembering The Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism, looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence. But the unresolved remnants of Second World War politics have permeated the solemn assembly over the differing historical narratives of various players. Visit to #TelAviv: 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by the Red Army and Holocaust Remembrance Day https://t.co/LhPX86iU5k pic.twitter.com/7FnSWoEJLn President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) January 23, 2020 Polands president, who has been criticised for his own wartime revisionism, has boycotted the gathering since he was not invited to speak. Mr Putin was granted a central role even as he leads a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and shift responsibility for the wars outbreak on Poland, which was invaded in 1939 to start the fighting. On the eve of the gathering, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin implored visiting dignitaries to leave history for the historians. Story continues The role of political leaders, of all of us, is to shape the future, he said. Just arrived in Israel with @SecondLady to represent the United States as we mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum. Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 23, 2020 But Mr Putin quickly ventured into the sensitive terrain shortly after his arrival, claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about one million were Soviet. Mr Putins controversial figure appears to include an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pact with the Nazis. When it comes to the tragedy of the Holocaust, 40% of tortured and killed Jews were Soviet Union Jews. So this is our common tragedy in the fullest sense of the word, he said during a meeting with Mr Rivlin. Arkadi Zeltser, a Yad Vashem historian, said the accuracy of the statement depended on rival definitions of when the war began. Yad Vashem, along with all other reputable institutions, considers the war to have been sparked on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland. The Soviets generally consider their Great Patriotic War to have started two years later, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. It was the latest chapter in a bitter dispute over Soviet actions in the Second World War. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Aleksey Nikolskyi/AP) Mr Putin has been leading a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and focus instead on its role in defeating them. Israel has given Mr Putin a warm welcome, hosting him for the dedication of a monument honouring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St Petersburg, is Mr Putins hometown. The event marks one of the largest political gatherings in Israeli history, as a cascade of delegations including European presidents, prime ministers and royals, as well as American, Canadian and Australian representatives, arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport. More than 10,000 police officers were deployed in Jerusalem and major roads leading to it. Large parts of the city were shut down ahead of the event. For prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu it offered another opportunity to solidify Israels diplomatic standing and boost his profile as he seeks re-election on March 2. He was hoping to use his meetings with world leaders to bolster his tough line toward Iran and rally opposition to a looming war crimes case against Israel in the International Criminal Court. For historians, though, the main message is one of education amid growing signs of ignorance and indifference to the Holocaust. A comprehensive survey released this week by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organisation responsible for negotiating compensation for victims of Nazi persecution, found that most people in France did not know that six million Jews were killed during the Second World War. Among millennials, 45% said they were unaware of French collaboration with the Nazi regime and 25% said they were not even sure they had heard of the Holocaust. Out with the old, in with the new. This year could be the start of a new you with a new budget-friendly wardrobe. Your new look doesnt have to break the bank, if you know where to look. Luckily, Southeast Texas has a wide variety of secondhand shops, estate sales and sother hot spots for vintage finds. You can even donate your old wardrobe and help others find their new 2020 look. I love finding a special outfit and helping others, said Cynthia Suire, manager at La Mision Thrift Store in Nederland. Everything from our thrift store is donated, and profits help centers like MHMR and the Women and Childrens Shelter. I have seen women come in with nothing and leave with an entire wardrobe. They can get needed inexpensive professional attire. A new year of thrifting can transform your wardrobe with unique styles. Letting go of old clutter could be a new start for you and your old pieces. Here are some inspiring thrift enthusiasts: Kourtney Holmes, 27 I love my thrift outfit because it expresses who I am. The Steve Madden boots and Forever 21 T-shirt are from Ready, Set, Sell Estate Sales. The Ava & Viv Jeans were bought at La Mission Thrift for $2. The Betsy Johnson rocket purse, from Facebook Marketplace, was an eighth of its original price. I love giving items a new chance at life. Everything deserves a second chance. Where to find thrifty styles BAW Resale & Interiors: 280 Orange Ave., 786-209-9712 Goodwill: 4380 Dowlen Road, 409-347-2350; 1180 S. 11th, 409-212-8354; 4352 FM 365, Port Neches, 409-722-4352 La Mision Thrift Store: 126 N. 12th, Nederland, 409-300-6310 Ready, Set, Sell Estate Sales: 409-726-6164, facebook.com/readysetsell Treasure House: 805 North St., 409-832-0253 See More Collapse Marilyn Manson-Hayes, 65 I love my thrift outfit because it fits so well. It is the perfect length. I can tell its vintage. It has a fun 60s vibe. The leather purse with pleated closure is from the Treasure House in Beaumont. The red wool coat dress, vintage earrings and Mary Jane-style shoes are from Goodwill. Some new clothes are worth the money, many are not. Wearing things that look like everyone else is not fun. Clothes should be fun. Roxanne Hayes, 27 I love my thrift outfit because it is unique. The red Tommy Hilfiger boots are from Goodwill. The necklace and other accessories are from an estate sale. The Baby Phat pants, Neiman Marcus wool sweater and Express chiffon undershirt were free. I got them at a clothing swap at the Logon Cafe in Beaumont. They have (a clothing swap) three times a year. Thrifting and clothes swapping are fun ways to find unique outfits. Also, its good for the environment. Barb Wilson, 49 I love my thrift outfit because it has a 1970s style. I am a 70s baby. I own BAW Resale & Interiors. Everything is from my shop. The boots are vintage leather Bandolino. I love the look of the figure-flattering Forever Young dress and the Mr. Martone blue-and-white leisure suit. I would wear every 70s vintage housedress we have. I love the resale business. Every day is like Christmas. The best part is when you find just the right piece. Daniel Elliot Wilson, 28 I love my thrift outfit because I feel confident and comfortable when I wear it. Everything I wear is from BAW Resale & Interiors. The shoes are Italian leather from Johnson and Murphy. The jeans are Levis. The felt fedora with pleated band does not have a brand name, but it looks good with the rest. My mother owns BAW Resale & Interiors. Ive been doing this all my life. Thrifting has made a huge impression on my style. Angel Oak Home Loans has continued to grow its consumer-direct division with the appointment of an industry leader and the opening of another division in Louisiana. The mortgage lender appointed Ed Powell to head the new unit in Charlotte, N.C., as regional manager. After the recent opening of its Atlanta division, Angel Oak said it plans to expand its consumer-direct channel further into the Southeast under Powells supervision. The company will also open a third division in Baton Rouge, La., and will hire additional staff to support the expansion in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Louisiana. London, Jan 23 : The House of Commons (lower house of British parliament) on Wednesday overturned five amendments to the government's Brexit bill made by the House of Lords (upper house), less than 10 days before Britain is set to exit from the European Union (EU). The House of Commons rejected all five amendments, covering issues such as child refugees and EU citizens living in Britain, put forward by peers in the House of Lords. Before the bill returned to the Lords, main opposition Labour Party and other political parties, including the Scottish National Party, had urged the government to accept the changes, the Xinhua news agency reported. Ministers argued that the bill was not the appropriate vehicle for dealing with the issues, as it would reduce Britain's leverage during upcoming negotiations over future relations with the EU. The House of Lords will later consider the rejection of its amendments. Observers say the solid support in the House of Commons makes the Brexit bill unstoppable. The bill, which ensures Britain leaves the EU on Jan. 31, will pass between the Houses until both sides agree on the wording. Once the process is finished, it will go to the palace for Royal Assent by Queen Elizabeth II. PeopleImages/Getty Images En espanol | He wanted to buy the kids an expensive piano. I thought a starter keyboard would do. Ill be the one nagging the kids to practice, I said, rolling my eyes. Lets see if they even like piano first. Youre just being cheap. Cheap? I was winding up for a smackdown retort, and then it hit me. Are wefighting? I burst into laughter as my husband looked confused. It had been a year since Id challenged Bob or used a harsh tone. I suddenly understood that my sparring partner was back, my intellectual confederate, the person who could call me out on my failings, forgive the low blows and still love me. Bickering had never felt so delicious. In 2006, our world turned upside down when a roadside bomb in Iraq exploded next to Bobs vehicle while he was covering the war in Iraq for ABC News. The prognosis, as they rushed him into surgery in Balad, was not good. Hed taken shrapnel to the brain and the quick-acting surgeons had removed half of his skull to save his life. Like so many caregivers who live through trauma, I can still feel the way my heart twisted and splintered, still recall the sense of a demarcation line between before and after. During his 36 days in a coma, my aperture shrunk down to our four children and praying my husband would wake up so we could know what was left of him. Dealing with the unknown When Bob finally did emerge, euphoria gave way to reality. He was riddled with deficits and needed to relearn how to speak, read and write. There was no guarantee of recovery with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), no percentages or potential outcomes offered. I teetered between hope and despair, even after it was clear his recovery was moving in the right direction. Would the old Bob come back? Or would he be a simpler, less capable version of my husband? Would we be us again, or would I be living with a stranger? Marc Benioff, the co-CEO of Salesforce and owner of Time, on Thursday defended the magazine's selection of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg as its Person of the Year. "She has been the spokesperson that we have needed," Benioff said in a "Squawk Alley" interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Benioff was partly responding to criticism this week from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who questioned Thunberg's credentials to speak out on fossil fuel investment. The 17-year-old Thunberg has become a leading voice on climate change over the last 18 months, beginning with her protest outside Swedish parliament in 2018 that gained widespread attention. She has since helped bring thousands of young people to streets around the world as part of a Global Climate Strike and given high-profile speeches at the United Nations and the past two World Economic Forums. "Look at what she has done over the last year," Benioff said in reference to Thunberg's 2019 speech in Davos. "It has been spectacular, and I think that a lot of the change and understanding that's happened around climate, a lot of it I think has been led by her." Thunberg also attended this week's World Economic Forum, which had a focus on the intensifying climate crisis. Thunberg was named Time's Person of the Year for 2019 last month, a decision that President Donald Trump said was "so ridiculous." TWEET Trump has not only criticized Thunberg's climate activism but he previously called climate change a "hoax" pushed by the Chinese. Trump has since said "nothing's a hoax" about it. But his administration has moved aggressively to roll back more than 80 environmental regulations, including a proposal to significantly change the nation's landmark environmental law, while also withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. Mnuchin continued the Trump administration's criticism of Thunberg on Thursday, deriding her calls to stop ongoing investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction. "Is she the chief economist or who is she? I'm confused," Mnuchin said in Davos, before adding this was "a joke. That was funny." "After she goes and studies economics in college she can come back and explain that to us," Mnuchin said. Thunberg responded in a series of tweets that didn't mention Mnuchin by name but included a graph that depicted rising carbon emissions. "So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," she wrote. TWEET Thunberg's growing activism has coincided with a 12-month period that contained the hottest year on record for the world's oceans, the second-hottest year for global average temperatures and wildfires from the U.S. to the Amazon to Australia. Thunberg told the global leaders at the World Economic Forum this week that their lack of action on climate change was "fueling the flames by the hour." Benioff and his wife, Lynne Benioff, bought Time magazine in September 2018. Benioff is known to be outspoken on social and environmental issues. He has urged companies to reorient their goals away from simply maximizing shareholder return, advocating for what he calls a "new capitalism." On Thursday, he said more than 300 companies have agreed to his latest initiative to plant one trillion trees in the next 10 years. Trump said the U.S., one of the world's leading carbon emitters, will join the initiative. CNBC's Sam Meredith contributed to this report. - A woman has shared a story of how her boyfriend of seven years surprised her with a house and a car - According to her, she stayed with him when he was a nobody and now she is enjoying the fruits of her patience and faithfulness - She, therefore, took the opportunity to advise young ladies to remain with their partners even in difficult times Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A Twitter user who identifies herself has @UrModa, has revealed that her boyfriend recently bought her a house and a car. According to her, she stayed with him during the time he had nothing to his name and in that regard, advised women to stay with their men when the going gets tough. She added that she is convinced it is the best course of action for women to stay with their men because there is always a brighter day for a hustler. Source: celebritiesbuzz.com.gh Source: UGC READ ALSO: Doctor drops serious warning about gari soakings; says it could cause fever Celebritiesbuzz.com.gh reports that she disclosed she has dated her man for seven years. In other news, the head pastor of the Life Assembly Worship Center, Dr Christian Kwabena Adu, has slammed the NPP governments Free Senior High School (SHS) programme. According to Dr. Adu, who is also the flagbearer of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), the programme is a useless one. He explained that the government has destroyed Ghanas educational system and the modules where students run on shifts have not been helpful in any way. In an interview with Accra FM, Dr. Adu, also known as Osofo Kyiriabosom, went on to say that students are not given enough tutorials. This, per a report by classfmonline.com, is due to the changes in the academic calendar and the limited time they spend in school. Nana Addos Free SHS is useless, it has not helped the country in any way, the government has destroyed the educational system. Did Nana Addo (President) and the minister of education Mathew Opoku Prempeh think through before coming up with the Free SHS policy? How can you tell students to stay in school for three months and return home for another three months? Are you sick? The government must be kicked out because they are only interested in amassing wealth and not fight for the plight of Ghanaians, we cannot continue to eat their crumbs, he said. READ ALSO: Photos of a one-lane underbridge in Accra causes stir; Ghanaians react Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: YEN.com.gh Geneva: The WHO Emergency Committee held a discussion on Wednesday over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, but it did not come to a concrete decision whether to declare a global state of emergency. The committee is reconvening on Thursday to consider further steps. Director-General of World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros said on Wednesday that the organisation needs more information to decide if the Emergency Committee should declare a public health emergency, adding that the decision is very serious. "The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence", Dr Tedros said at the meeting. Dr. Tedros asked the committee to meet again on Thursday to continue the discussion on the issue, adding that it is an "evolving and complex situation". He also commented on the travel ban introduced in the Chinese city of Wuhan - the center of the virus outbreak, saying that "what they are doing is very, very strong measures and with full commitment". ANI BLACKMAN TWP., MI Construction was delayed for eight weeks when Mike Hirsts opioid rehabilitation apartment project got caught up in Gov. Gretchen Whitmers budget vetoes last fall. Eventually, he couldn't wait any longer. Hirst and his team personally guaranteed the $750,000 that was in limbo from the state so construction on Andys Place Apartments in Jackson County could begin. "We can't let people sit and die over money," Hirst said. "The financial risk, it's out there. But we thought saving lives was much more important." While not all of Whitmers $947 million in vetoes were restored, the funding for Andys Place was. The project has had bipartisan support, and Whitmer has been behind the project since her start, Hirst said. The veto was simply a chess move in a big political game, he said. Construction is underway on the $13-million project at 2388 W. Michigan Ave., as the footers are in the ground for the first building, and concrete pouring coming soon, Hirst said. The building on the property, formerly the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Home for the elderly, has been demolished. The 50,000-square-foot development includes 50 apartments 39 one-bedroom spaces and 11 family units. Its on pace to open in November or December, Hirst said. People will be referred to the space from the drug courts and rent is based on their income. Long-term living space is needed, as 30-, 60- and 90-day programs often arent enough, Hirst said. Hirsts son, Andrew, died in 2010 of a heroin overdose at 24 years old. Since then, Hirst has fought the issue, starting the nonprofit Andys Angels to educate others about opioid addiction and support those suffering from it. Now that funding for the construction is in place, Hirst is working on developing programs to help the residents tackle addiction. Delta Dental is the latest group to chip in, announcing last week it's giving $150,000 to the project. Financial education and career connecting services are among the programming, Hirst said. He wants to connect people with jobs that excite them going to a job you hate only encourages substance abuse, Hirst said. "Instead of a drug being their addiction, it's this goal in mind, this job that they want, this business that they want to operate someday let's get addicted to that," Hirst said. Opioid addiction isnt a problem the government or police departments can fix by themselves, Hirst said. Hes excited as (he) could be that others are joining in his passion. If we really want to solve this problem, then we need to get everybody involved, Hirst said. Unfortunately, (its) been a little easy because of the statistics. It really touches everybody. Related stories: Jackson-area programs caught in political fight of Gov. Whitmer budget vetoes This ones all about you, buddy: Father dedicates opioid rehab apartments to late son 55,000-square-foot apartment space announced for long-term opioid rehabilitation The English language is nobody's special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself. Derek Walcott St Lucia (West Indies) Poet and Playwright In 1961, the Queen of England arrived on the shores of Ghana. A minister of state, that is, Minister Plenipotentiary, call him Krobb Aduss, remarked in Twi: The white people have come; what is left is the English to meet them. One cannot deny the fact that the said minister was sufficiently articulate and powerfully communicative in his intimacy with his constituents. But, the potentate herself was coming, so the people meeting her ought to be as glib in speech as they were to be slick in appearance. After the Queen had left, the same minister was to be probed for alleged improprieties which included purchasing a golden bed for his wife. That was the story then; but would the bed have been golden or gilded (covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint). Making a straight line linkage between probe and improbable, the minister said he was improbe-able, meaning (for him) he could not be probed. Dear reader may remember the Akyem Oda District Commissioner. You may call him Kwakwatts. He had a very lively way of reaching out to his constituents. In his praise of the President, Kwame Nkrumah, he would say: If not for Kwame Nkrumah, I am the who? This is where those who like to show off, the fussy people (in the Ghanaian context: too known people) displaying their Englishry (abrofosem) might say: But for the gargantuan generosity of the potentate whither would my ego go? This time round, it is the Ghanaian President who has travelled to the Queen's country: to get the Ghana-UK ties strengthened. The people over there need not learn Ghanaianisms because our president is as glib-tongued as his counterpart(s). At tea-break, he will ask for savouries, not small chops, and he will not write integrated as intergrated. When the British Prime Minister touted his country as the ultimate one-stop shop for trade, education and tech he might not have appeared to be boasting because if one looked around the world today, one would swiftly see that the UK is not only the obvious partner of choice; we're also very much the partner of today, of tomorrow and decades to come. Our president reiterated what he had said time and time again: Nobody is looking for gifts or charity but did not fail to acknowledge the role of the London Stock Exchange which he thought could play a really significant and important role in this new thinking (which included securing a loan for an international airport in Kumasi. Should the Queen decide to abdicate the throne now, or should any mishap befall her and she is no more the Queen, one of the children of Charles: Prince Harry or Prince William might be the successor, and so we would have the King's English. But one would ask, with Harry shirking his royal duties and engaging in all kinds of anti-royal activities, would that situation ever arise in our life-time? Perhaps, after some of us have gone to heaven or to hell. And this takes us to the passing of a colleague lawyer in Kumasi, an affable man called Frank Otoo. The story has it that he had dispatched his wife to her mother's residence at Danyame and was living alone at their new residence a plush (NOT: portable) house at Agric Nzema. The wife was weaning a two-month old baby and she needed her mother's assistance. When the wife called Lawyer Otoo several times on the phone and he did not respond, she decided to go to the matrimonial home to find out what was happening. She found her husband lying on the floor of his room; so with the help of the driver with whom she went, she bundled him into the car for the hospital. He was declared dead on arrival. A younger sister (NOT: junior sister) and an elder brother (NOT: senior brother) of his (NOT him) corroborated (NOT: collaborated) the story. 'Brofo ye duru' shortened as: Brofoyedu (English is heavy, literally speaking), the holy village of I.K. Gyasi our elders have repeated same and we have inherited it, though declaring English as our official language. So, if one passes all the SHS subjects and fails in English, one cannot proceed to the university. There have been suggestions about adopting one of our indigenous languages as official language but discreet persons have avoided the discussion, because of so many interpretations given for the one who suggests: Dagaare or Nzema or what? Who would want to be tagged a tribalist or an ethnocentrist? So, English remains our language; English is also an indigenous language, for after all, we have contributed the words kwashiorkor and dumsor in respectable English dictionaries. You see, being an afraid-man, sorry, being discreet, I have avoided mentioning some of the highly competitive local languages. You may have read similar articles authored by our good selves in another paper 15 years ago (NOT: the last 15 years). In 'Politics and the English Language', George Orwell declared: A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English Language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. But, writers of English, may note the injunctions proposed by George Orwell's Remedy of Six Rules: Never use a metaphor, smile or other figure of speech you are used to seeing in print; never use a long word where a short one will do; if it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out; never use a scientific phrase, a scientific word or a jargon if you can think of an everyday equivalent; BUT break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. Derek Walcott won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992, two years after publishing his epic poem 'Omeros'. He was fond of writing about the harsh legacy of colonialism and the complexities of living and writing in two cultural worlds, white and black. For those people who regard critics of bad English as being finicky, let them check these from Master's level theses some of us have read. He will definately report to work (definitely), Hanne did so with the intension of running from home (intention). With regards to the letter, the message was not properly crafted (regard). This was done in-order to enforce discipline (in order). They disposed off ceased vehicles (disposed of seized vehicles). Should we say with Sir Winston Churchill: This is the sort of English up with which I will not put? [email protected] By Africanus Owusu Ansah Hours after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's name appeared in Congress' star campaigners list for Delhi assembly polls, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president and Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Wednesday said that Kamal Nath will be dragged out by his collar if he addresses a public rally here. Asserting that Nath will not be allowed to campaign in Delhi at any cost, Sirsa told ANI, "We challenge the Congress party that in any case, Kamal Nath will not be allowed to address any public rally in any corner of Delhi. We will drag him by his collar and bring him down." "Kamal Nath will not be allowed to address any public rally in any corner of Delhi. We challenge Congress to try and send Kamal Nath on stage during public rally, then we will drag him down by pulling his collar." Levelling allegations on Kamal Nath for his alleged role in the 1984 Sikh riots in Delhi, Sirsa said, "Congress has been promoting the killers of Sikhs. Kamal Nath is also the killer of the 1984 Sikh riots. After much struggle against him, we managed to open his case. Congress repeatedly promoted him, sometimes by giving him a ticket, sometimes by becoming making him a minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The best international treaties are as specific as possible, and that particularly applies to trade deals. They usually involve hard numbers and measurable expectations of what will and will not be done by each country involved. If youre looking for those qualities in Phase 1 of the U.S.-China trade deal signed last week, youll be disappointed. The deal is built on almost openly promises that probably cant be kept. It supposedly sets the framework for Phase 2 of this agreement, which will contain even harder goals. Meeting them would be difficult under the best of circumstances, but with the smoke and mirrors of Phase 1, that looks about as likely as Bernie Sanders becoming a venture capitalist. For example, Phase 1 requires China to buy $40 billion a year in U.S. farm products. And if it did that, the boost to American farmers and our entire economy would be significant. But China has never imported more than $26 billion a year in U.S. ag products. Its unlikely that China could virtually double those purchases or has that kind of need for ag imports. The better news for Texans and particularly Southeast Texans is that China has also agreed to buy $52.4 billion of additional U.S. energy products, including liquefied natural gas and crude oil. Both of those products are exported in large quantities from Southeast Texas. The areas three massive LNG terminals were built (or repurposed, actually) for that very purpose, and LNG exports to China were growing nicely before the tariff tiff. The recent financing flap involving McDermott International and the Golden Pass and Cameron LNG terminals is an unwelcome wrinkle for those two facilities, but the best cure for a shaky future is more sales. LNG producers in the U.S. have more supply than demand. China, the worlds fastest-growing importer of heating and power-plant fuel, hadnt accepted any U.S. shipments since February 2019. If that changes in a big way this year, our local and national economy will benefit. The deal also leaves in place tariffs on about $360 billion in Chinese imports, when the whole reason this agreement was reached was to end the tariff wars between our two countries. Those continuing tariffs suggest that China is not going to meet other goals in the treaty, so they will be left in place as a kind of offset. But these issues are childs play compared to what is still to be negotiated in Phase 2 an end to Chinas thefts of U.S. technology and intellectual property, along with real competition in Chinese market sectors that have been subsidized by Beijing for years. Those disputes are the meat-and-potatoes of the trade differences between our two countries. They are also central to Chinas dream of becoming the worlds undisputed superpower by 2040 and pushing us to a clear No. 2. So why would the man who wrote The Art of the Deal agree to a pact like that? And why would China promise in theory to buy as much soybeans and LNG as we could cram onto ships? U.S. states with most exports to China 1) Texas - $16.3 billion 2) California - $15.8 billion 3) Washington - $12.1 billion 4) South Carolina - $5.6 billion 5) Illinois - $3.8 billion 6) Ohio - $3.6 billion 7) Michigan - $3.6 billion 8) New York - $3.3 billion 9) Alabama - $3 billion 10) Georgia - $3 Source: Statistica.com, for 2018 See More Collapse The logical answer is that because an imperfect settlement now was better than the continued tariff war that was harming the economies of both countries. China needs to export low-cost consumer goods to the U.S., and wed like to sell them ag products and energy. And while Chinas president doesnt have to worry about elections, ours does. President Trump wants to keep the jobless rate low and the stock market high until Nov. 3 preferably beyond but at least until Election Day. Its his best chance maybe his only chance to get a second term. And give Trump credit for the tough tariffs that got Chinas attention and at least forced it to make minimal concessions. So after months of tough negotiations, both sides figured out that an uneasy truce was better than nothing. The growing uncertainty about international trade was starting to worry economists. Last year, it produced a brief flurry of worry about a recession. That concern has faded, but boards of directors and Wall Street investors operate by what might happen in the future. If the horizon looks bright, theyre more inclined to build and buy, and thats keeps the cash registers humming. Thats welcome, but its still odd. Both sides are pretending theyre halfway to the kind of long-term trade treaty they want, when theyre probably settling for hazy pledges to keep trying and probably not succeed. Its strange, and its unlikely to produce truly free trade between the worlds two biggest economies. Until that goal is met, no worker or CEO in America should be satisfied. TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com Dozens of world leaders descended upon Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating rising modern-day anti-Semitism, a politically charged event that has been clouded by rival national interpretations of the genocide. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, the Prince of Wales, Vice President Mike Pence and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The three-hour-long ceremony at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, called Remembering The Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism, looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence. But the unresolved remnants of Second World War politics have permeated the solemn assembly over the differing historical narratives of various players. Visit to #TelAviv: 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by the Red Army and Holocaust Remembrance Day https://t.co/LhPX86iU5k pic.twitter.com/7FnSWoEJLn President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) January 23, 2020 Polands president, who has been criticised for his own wartime revisionism, has boycotted the gathering since he was not invited to speak. Mr Putin was granted a central role even as he leads a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and shift responsibility for the wars outbreak on Poland, which was invaded in 1939 to start the fighting. On the eve of the gathering, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin implored visiting dignitaries to leave history for the historians. The role of political leaders, of all of us, is to shape the future, he said. Just arrived in Israel with @SecondLady to represent the United States as we mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum. Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 23, 2020 But Mr Putin quickly ventured into the sensitive terrain shortly after his arrival, claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about one million were Soviet. Mr Putins controversial figure appears to include an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pact with the Nazis. When it comes to the tragedy of the Holocaust, 40% of tortured and killed Jews were Soviet Union Jews. So this is our common tragedy in the fullest sense of the word, he said during a meeting with Mr Rivlin. Arkadi Zeltser, a Yad Vashem historian, said the accuracy of the statement depended on rival definitions of when the war began. Yad Vashem, along with all other reputable institutions, considers the war to have been sparked on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland. The Soviets generally consider their Great Patriotic War to have started two years later, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. It was the latest chapter in a bitter dispute over Soviet actions in the Second World War. Expand Close Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Aleksey Nikolskyi/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Aleksey Nikolskyi/AP) Mr Putin has been leading a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and focus instead on its role in defeating them. Israel has given Mr Putin a warm welcome, hosting him for the dedication of a monument honouring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St Petersburg, is Mr Putins hometown. The event marks one of the largest political gatherings in Israeli history, as a cascade of delegations including European presidents, prime ministers and royals, as well as American, Canadian and Australian representatives, arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport. More than 10,000 police officers were deployed in Jerusalem and major roads leading to it. Large parts of the city were shut down ahead of the event. For prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu it offered another opportunity to solidify Israels diplomatic standing and boost his profile as he seeks re-election on March 2. He was hoping to use his meetings with world leaders to bolster his tough line toward Iran and rally opposition to a looming war crimes case against Israel in the International Criminal Court. For historians, though, the main message is one of education amid growing signs of ignorance and indifference to the Holocaust. A comprehensive survey released this week by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organisation responsible for negotiating compensation for victims of Nazi persecution, found that most people in France did not know that six million Jews were killed during the Second World War. Among millennials, 45% said they were unaware of French collaboration with the Nazi regime and 25% said they were not even sure they had heard of the Holocaust. [January 23, 2020] Instacart Launches New "Instacart Meals" Product For Grocers SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart, a North American leader in online grocery, today announced the launch of Instacart Meals a new grocery meals product that powers easy ordering, delivery and pickup of made-to-order food. The launch marks Instacart's move into grocery meal delivery, helping retailers bring more in-store aisles and experiences online for customers across North America. The new Instacart Meals product makes it easy for customers to order specialty counter items alongside their groceries and household essentials, all to be delivered or picked up from the store. As a first step, Instacart has collaborated with Publix to introduce the product with a new digital deli counter including its popular Publix subs. The product will roll out to Publix locations across Florida in the coming weeks and to nearly all Publix stores across the Southeast in the months ahead, following a Florida pilot. "We're excited to introduce Instacart Meals to customers nationwide. At less than half the price of an average fast-casual food order, made-to-order grocery meals offer busy people and families access to a fresh and more affordable option when life is hectic and dinner is now," said Nilam Ganenthiran, President, Instacart. "Made-to-order food counters are among the fastest growing aisles in the grocery store these items represent up to 15% of sales for our grocery partners and have among the highest margins of anything sold in-store. It's critical that our grocery partners are able to capture these sales online with delivery and pickup it's a boost to their business and a key part of the shopping experience for customers." The new Instacart Meals product includes a number of innovative features designed for grocery, including: Digital Deli Counter - Just like shopping in-store, customers can design the perfect made-to-order meal using the "Build your Own" functionality within the online storefront. Extra Cheese? No Mayo? As part of the Publix rollout, customers can now build their own sub from endless configurable combinations by choosing from a variety of breads, meats, cheeses, veggies and condiments using a streamlined user interface. Just like shopping in-store, customers can design the perfect made-to-order meal using the "Build your Own" functionality within the online storefront. Extra Cheese? No Mayo? As part of the Publix rollout, customers can now build their own sub from endless configurable combinations by choosing from a variety of breads, meats, cheeses, veggies and condiments using a streamlined user interface. Counter Integration - Instacart Meals plugs directly into a retail partner's ordering system, allowing store employees to receive orders through an existing and familiar infrastructure and begin preparing right away. Intacart shoppers can then simply swing by the counter and pick up any items, driving down wait times in-store and making it easier for customers to get exactly what they want as part of their weekly shop. Instacart Meals plugs directly into a retail partner's ordering system, allowing store employees to receive orders through an existing and familiar infrastructure and begin preparing right away. Intacart shoppers can then simply swing by the counter and pick up any items, driving down wait times in-store and making it easier for customers to get exactly what they want as part of their weekly shop. Intuitive Timing - Instacart Meals works hand-in-hand with order management systems to generate precise preparation and counter pickup windows at the end of the Instacart shopper's shopping route. This ensures that the customers' sandwich and grocery essentials get from the store to their door as fresh as possible. Instacart Meals works hand-in-hand with order management systems to generate precise preparation and counter pickup windows at the end of the Instacart shopper's shopping route. This ensures that the customers' sandwich and grocery essentials get from the store to their door as fresh as possible. Smart Cart Combos - When customers add a made-to-order meal to their cart, the Instacart Meals product automatically offers all applicable combo options and discounts, enabling customers to capitalize on deals and savings just as they would in-store. With the rollout, Publix's signature sub combo is available online for the first time ever via Instacart, creating the ultimate ordering experience and offering customers one more way to take advantage of Publix's great savings. Maria Brous , Publix Director of Communications. "Our expanded collaboration also means that our customers will not have to wait in line for our popular Publix subs. From delivery and pickup in as fast as two hours, to alcohol delivery and now, the deli and subs, we've brought our store online with Instacart and made it even easier for our customers to enjoy the food they love with friends and family just in time for the big game." "Instacart Meals wasn't a simple technical feat the team built an entirely new set of features right into our existing app and folded minute-to-minute counter collection windows into our already complex fulfillment chain," said Mark Schaaf, Chief Technology Officer, Instacart. "All of these technologies work together, enabling customers to design their perfect made-to-order meal from millions of order combinations, all with the tap of a button." Instacart Meals comes on the heels of a number of recent Instacart product expansions designed to extend the aisles and options for busy people and families moving their weekly grocery shop online. The company recently announced an enhanced Instacart Pickup product as well as the continued expansion of its alcohol delivery offering. Instacart today partners with more than 350 beloved national, regional and local retailers to offer delivery from more than 25,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Instacart delivery is currently available to more than 85% of households in the U.S. and more than 70% of households in Canada. About Instacart: Instacart is a North American leader in online grocery and one of the fastest growing companies in e-commerce. Instacart's same-day delivery and pickup services bring fresh groceries and everyday essentials to busy people and families across the U.S. and Canada in as fast as an hour. Instacart has partnered with more than 350 beloved national, regional and local retailers, including Albertsons, ALDI, Costco, Kroger, Loblaw, Publix, Sam's Club, Sprouts, Walmart Canada, and Wegmans, among others, to deliver from more than 25,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Instacart's delivery service is available to more than 85% of U.S. households and 70% of Canadian households. The company's cutting-edge enterprise technology also powers the e-commerce platforms of some of the world's biggest retail players, supporting their white-label websites, applications and delivery solutions. Instacart offers an Instacart Express membership for unlimited free delivery on orders over $35. For more information or to start shopping, visit www.Instacart.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/instacart-launches-new-instacart-meals-product-for-grocers-300991778.html SOURCE Instacart [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] At the same time that Americans are feeling the financial pinch of the holidays, theyre gearing up for 2020, with their top two goals being to save more and increase their credit scores, according to a national consumer survey by Experian. Almost three out of four consumers surveyed are motivated to improve their finances. To reach their New Year goals, survey respondents say theyll spend less money to improve their credit score (59 percent) and pay off credit card debt (58 percent). To help get you started, Experian Boost ambassador, actor and financial empowerment activist, Hill Harper is providing these money tips: Create a financial blueprint The first step is to create a blueprint identifying your money, saving and investing goals. Examine your priorities and determine how much money you require to meet your basic needs. From there, you should assess what else you need to be happy and how you can use money as a resource to achieve it. Assess the cost of being you The official offered to include representatives of the unrecognized "LPR-DPR" in Normandy talks, without being authorized to do so. Ukraine is now coming back to the PACE, mainly due to the need to refute Russia's aggressive strategy in the organization and beyond. Ukraine is set to employ all international law instruments available to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The need for such decision was a result of persistent moves by certain pro-Russian politicians in the PACE, including German AfD's Ulrich Oehme, Guildhall reports. Following his meeting with representatives of the so-called "LPR-DPR" Natalia Nikonorova, Vladislav Deinego and Rodion Miroshnik, he made a statement suggesting the need to involve representatives of separatist "republics" in Normandy talks. The statement was immediately picked up by Russian propaganda outlets (RT, Channel 1, Komsomolskaya Pravda, etc). In Russian media, it was presented as an official position of the PACE, which is not the case. Oehme's very meeting with representatives of unrecognized entities is yet another element of Russia's hybrid warfare, another provocation giving Kremlin propaganda pundits a perfect opportunity to revive their media campaign aimed at legalizing the illegal formations set up in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. AfG's Ulrich Oehme has not been authorized either by Bundestag or the German Federal Government to put forward an offer to include "DPR-LPR" representatives into the Normandy Four talks. Read alsoParliament in Ukraine approves return of country's delegation to PACE "The offer is senseless simply because the format implies participation of actual states, while "DPR-LPR" have never been recognized as 'states' from an international law perspective," the report notes. International law sees these areas as temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, therefore Oehme's interlocutors were in fact wanted criminals charged with multiple crimes, rather than "representatives of republics" Oehme's actions could be seen as "discrediting the Normandy format and the position of Berlin", the report reads. It should also be noted that Oehme's offer was widely praised in Russia's Federation Council. The methodology used in the study indicates the actual number of people physically located in Ukraine as of December 1, 2019. Minister Dmytro Dubilet says over 37 million people live in Ukraine, that's according to the actual population estimates. "Three methods yielded almost the same result, namely 37,289,000 people live in Ukraine," Dubilet told a press conference in Kyiv January 23, an UNIAN correspondent reports. Dubilet has clarified this is the number of people physically located in Ukraine as of December 1, 2019. "A total of 3.7 million people reside in the city of Kyiv," the minister said. Read alsoUkraine's census in 2020 may be conducted online PM Honcharuk Dubilet also noted 15% of the total population is children, almost 10% young people of working age, 44% people of primary working age, 14% people of mature working age, and 6 million elderly people over 65 out. The minister said the experts had applied three methods in the latest population count. The results varied within 2.86%, the official noted, adding that no higher accuracy is needed "to make effective management decisions." The first method is based on data from mobile operators, Dubilet said. The second one is the so-called "Christmas tree," that is, distribution by gender and age. Data from the State Statistics Service and electronic registers were used, as well as data from the Pension Fund, to be extrapolated by age and gender. The third method is using data of the State Register of tax payers. "We will work further to systemize the information by individual settlements. Next, we want to get the age and gender estimates by individual regions, individual settlements, and districts. Next, we will provide information on income," he added. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The benchmark indices have given positive returns in the past three years (2017-2019) despite economic slowdown and global concerns. The Nifty50 rallied nearly 49 percent during 2017-2019, against the Nifty Midcap 100 index (up 19 percent) and Smallcap 100 index (up 0.93 percent). But the rally has been very narrow with the indices being driven by a handful of stocks. In Nifty only 6 stocks outperformed consistently while giving double-digit returns for three straight years due to their earnings growth, earnings potential in the longer run, strong business model and leadership in the segment. These stocks were Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, HDFC and Reliance Industries. These stocks together have a market capitalisation of more than Rs 26.3 lakh crore as January 22. Table: Gains in percentage terms for each of these stocks in last 3 years Will the bull run continue? Experts feel that five out of these six stocks can retain their double-digit returns in 2020 as well. "Asian Paints is expected to do well supported by its use of disruptive technology, expansion into home improvement business and robust paints business. Bajaj Finance might outperform its peers considering its strong risk management system with a large customer base and strong asset quality with good pricing power. With uncertainty in consumer demands and risk aversion in current market scenario, Bajaj Finserv might see some challenges in its performance," Gaurav Garg, Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research - Investment Advisor told Moneycontrol. "On the other hand, HDFC Bank is expected to continue its outstanding run as state-owned banks are facing capital issues and asset quality challenges. Increase in use of credit cards & digital transactions with higher retail lending are helping the bank to outperform. HDFC is also expected to continue its bull run, he said. "Reliance industries' plan to deleverage its balance sheet and its deal with Saudi Aramco will bring momentum to the stock. However, it might not sustain its double-digit growth," he added. Nirali Shah, Senior Research Analyst, Samco Securities also said Reliance has major exposure to cyclical businesses and has already returned 41 percent CAGR returns in the past 3 years, hence, it is possible that Reliance will give comparatively muted returns this year. He feels the economy is likely to pick up this year and hence being leaders in their respective fields these stocks are going to further pick up pace. "Hence, Bajaj and HDFC twins are likely to maintain their double-digit returns in 2020 as well. In the past 3 years, Bajaj Finance has returned the highest CAGR of 68 percent while Bajaj Finserv stands second with 46 percent CAGR returns. Compared to the Bajaj twins, HDFC Limited and Bank provided over 25 percent CAGR returns," Shah said. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. A Met Police officer who managed to Taser his attacker as he hacked at his skull with a machete has said he was just doing his job. PC Stuart Outten, 29, dubbed Britains hardest cop in the press, took six blows to the head from a 2ft-long rusty blade as Muhammad Rodwan lashed out at the officer in August last year in Leyton. He had stopped Rodwan who was today found guilty of wounding with intent but cleared of attempted murder and possessing an offensive weapon in east London when he suspected his van was uninsured. Jurors at the Old Bailey trial were shown graphic police body-cam footage which showed Rodwan punching the officer before grabbing a sharpened machete as PC Outten attempted to arrest him. On that night I was just doing my job, doing what Im trained to do, but more importantly making sure I didnt die, because that was a distinct possibility had the attack carried on, PC Outten said. Once hes started hitting me in the head with the machete, then I realised it was escalating very quickly and I was having to now fight for my life. I recall specifically as I was falling to the floor, having fired the first shot and aiming for the second (thinking) that if this doesnt work, this might be it. PC Stuart Outten at New Scotland Yard in London (PA) But luckily the Taser worked. It did its job. He fell incapacitated next to me and I was able to use it to keep him on the floor and to keep myself alive. Gruesome pictures of PC Outtens wounds have been released by the Met, and clearly show his bloodied head. Rodwan is due to be sentenced on Friday. He has previous convictions for rape and two machete attacks. PC Outten said: It feels good to see the system going through the paces, but personal feelings for him? I dont have any. Theres no hatred. He did what he did, hes now paying the price for it. I dont feel the attack was personal. He was attacking an officer in uniform and I responded as such. But he dismissed the Britains hardest cop tag attached to him. Story continues Luckily I have the size and build that I can take a couple of machete blows to the head apparently and I can act afterwards, he said. The machete wounds on PC Outten (PA) Detective chief superintendent Richard Tucker, commander for the Waltham Forest and Newham area, called on the public to spare a thought for extraordinary police officers and said they should lend a hand if they are in trouble, rather than film on mobile phones. Speaking of PC Outten, he said: He did what I would hope the vast majority of police officers in the country would do. He had the training, he put that into action, notwithstanding he was very, very lucky that day and Im very, very proud of Stuart. He did an amazing job to apprehend that individual. He added that there had been a rise in attacks on police in the capital, with 16 recorded every day. But he said: We are not going to arm our officers because its not necessary in terms of our demand. Detective chief superintendent Richard Tucker speaks to the media at New Scotland Yard in London (PA) You will always come across people who are prepared to have a go at the police. I can never plan for every eventuality. We try to. We risk assess our big operations. The incident involving Stuart, thats what we do every single day. We patrol. We stop cars that have not got insurance and we deal with people, and in a city of nine million people some of them are quite violent. So other than, I dont know, having everyone carrying guns and everyone going out in fours, sometimes these incidents happen. A total of 5,900 police officers and staff were attacked in 2019, the Mets figures show. Some 45% involved some form of injury and of those, 10% amounted to either grievous bodily harm of grievous bodily harm with intent. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- Independent maverick, Peter Casey, looks unlikely to take a Dail seat in his Donegal home base, a new opinion poll suggests. The new survey in the five-seat Donegal constituency for TG4 television shows Sinn Feins Padraig MacLochlainn is in contention to return to the Dail in the February 8 general election. But the Independent candidate, Peter Casey, is showing on just 2pc support and not rated to win in a survey done even before he announced he would also stand in Dublin West against the Taoiseach. In October 2018 one in four voters backed Mr Casey in the presidential election after he was involved in controversies - including contentious comments about Travellers. The TG4/Ipsos MRBI Donegal constituency poll shows Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty likely to receive a quota and a half, with an impressive 27pc of first-preference votes. Fine Gaels Education Minister, Joe McHugh, is predicted to be in second place on 17pc and could be elected along with Doherty on the first count. The figures suggest that Senator Padraig MacLochlainn, also of Sinn Fein on 12pc, could regain the seat he lost in the 2016 General Election with help from Pearse Dohertys surplus. Fianna Fail could retain their current two seats in the five-seater constituency. The fifth and final seat will be all about transfers between one of the Fianna Fail candidates, either Charlie McConalogue (12pc) or Pat The Cope Gallagher (10pc), and current Independent TD Thomas Pringle (6pc). Independent Peter Casey has polled poorly at 2pc of the vote despite getting 23pc nationally in the 2018 presidential election. Read More There is no sign of a Green wave in Donegal with Michael White of the Green Party polling at 4 pc. The TG4 Ipsos MRBI Donegal constituency poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday of this week, January 20 and 21 with a sample of 550 people and a margin of error of 4pc. Sinn Feins Padraig Mac Lochlainn lost in 2016 in large part because the party stood three candidates as two three-seat constituencies were merged into a unitary five-seater. The second Fine Gael candidate this time is Cllr Martin Harley of Ballybofey who is put on 3pc and way off the pace for a seat. Appointment 23 January 2020 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is delighted to announce a new Global Brand Ambassador - the Oscar-winning actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Susan Sarandon. In this unique role, Ms. Sarandon will star in a global brand campaign that will portray the transformative power of travel, connecting Fairmont's history and majestic hotels with modern sensibilities and the dreams of a new generation of travelers. The campaign is expected to be revealed in key markets around the world in Spring 2020. "Fairmont and Susan Sarandon share a spirit of adventure, a passion for thinking globally and acting locally, and a history of turning words into action," said Sharon Cohen, Vice President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. "We chose Susan to represent the essence of Fairmont - representing a strength of character and timeless sophistication." The collaboration between Ms. Sarandon and the Fairmont brand will focus on their shared values. Both Fairmont and Ms. Sarandon are dedicated to professional excellence and award-winning acheivement. With Oscar, BAFTA, and SAG awards, along with a filmography of over 100 films, Susan Sarandon continues to inspire audiences with new work, including roles in The Meddler, The Jesus Rolls and Ray Donovan. "It is a privilege to work with Fairmont, a company for whose values I have great respect and whose extraordinary hotels are a joy to experience," said Ms. Sarandon. "Together we hope to convey a sense of life as a grand journey that we hope will be meaningful and inspiring to guests and fans of Fairmont around the world." Similarly, Ms. Sarandon is known among her industry as a trailblazer who leads with her heart. From her early work in the cult classic film, Thelma & Louise, to her recent performance as the face of Roger Vivier's autumn/winter 2019 campaign, and starring in the 2016 music video "Fire", by French electronic-pop duo Justice, Ms. Sarandon consistently portrays strong characters with independence, grace and great authenticity - qualities that Fairmont holds in high esteem. Fairmont also shares Ms. Sarandon's commitment to environmental concerns, and her passion for exploration. Fairmont's first hotels, which can easily be described as grand castles, were born in the rugged hills of California and the majestic Canadian Rockies. The intrepid William Cornelius Van Horne chose the site of the Fairmont Banff Springs with the remark, "If we can't export the scenery, we'll import the tourists." Fairmont's pioneering approach to hospitality extends to its mission for preserving and protecting the landscapes it calls home. Nearly 30 years ago, Fairmont became the first luxury hotel brand with a comprehensive and global sustainability program, that now forms part of the Accor's Planet 21 program. Along the way, the brand has built an enviable reputation as a company that continuously invests in its colleagues, guests, and destinations in order to provide genuine hospitality and authentically local guest experiences in diverse parts of the world, without compromising long-term sustainability and responsible tourism. Over the last few years, standout initiatives have included the brand's 2015 pledge in coordination with WWF to reduce CO2 emissions, its 2018 commitment to ban the use of single-use plastic straws and its ever popular Bee Sustainable program, launched in 2008, which focuses on bee habitat protection and pollination. The new partnership with Ms. Sarandon further builds on Fairmont's history of connections in the world of cinema. Generations of filmmakers and directors have focused their cameras on Fairmont properties to portray luxury accommodations that truly represent their destinations. As part of its Fairmont Loves Film event series, the brand has also worked with film director and screenwriter Gia Coppola as well as artist Cuba Tornado Scott, who created a short film at Fairmont San Francisco exploring Fairmont's historic connections to the world of cinema and the attachment to the brand's legendary hotels. MANZINI- The First National Bank (FNB) employee alleged to have stolen E2.8 million belonging to the financial institution revealed that he committed the offence because he was swimming in debt. The accused, Thulani Nkambule (30), who surrendered to the police on Tuesday afternoon, made a confession yesterday before acting Magistrate Innocent Mahlalela. Nkambule, who was due for a remand hearing after he had been charged, is alleged to have opted for a confession instead. The accused will be remanded today at the Matsapha Circuit Court. Nkambule arrived in court before 9am accompanied by plain-clothes police officers from the Fraud Unit. He was immediately taken to one of the court clerks offices, which has been turned into temporary chambers where he waited for the magistrate. During the confession, the accused revealed that before the commission of the offence, he allegedly ran a car dealership business on the side and sold import vehicles to members of the public. Accumulating Nkambule said due to accumulating debts, he would be tempted to use the money he received from his customers who were interested in purchasing vehicles from him. I would use the money they gave me for my issues or debts and when the time came for me to deliver (the car), I would fail to do so. As the debts accumulated, I became too stressed and contemplated a lot of things. My two friends and I then came up with a plan to commit the offence and since I was employed by a bank, I was the only one who could steal my employers money and come up with a plan to divert the money to different bank accounts, some in South Africa, Nkambule said. He added that the money was deposited in amounts ranging from E70 000 to E200 000 to his friends accounts. Nkambule also confirmed that the total amount of money he allegedly stole from the bank was E2.8 million and after allegedly committing the offence, he managed to sort out most of the debts he had before escaping to Mozambique. Before we left, we bought a car, an Altezza sedan, which we used to cross through the Mhlumeni Border to Maputo where we lived a lavish lifestyle, renting expensive guest houses, drinking and dining in lavish restaurants until we ran out of funds, Nkambule is said to have revealed. Still narrating events of the theft incident, Nkambule revealed that while in Mozambique, things got bad financially and they eventually decided to sell the vehicle to Mozambique nationals for quick cash. At the time, I knew I was a wanted man as I was communicating with other people back home. Accounts were frozen and reality struck, I started getting depressed and knew that I needed to return home and do everything right by first handing myself over to the police, Nkambule stated. Returned The accused, who allegedly committed the fraud offence in December 2018, returned to the country a few days ago after allegedly spending time in Mozambique, Matola. Well placed sources revealed that he allegedly informed officers that he had decided to surrender himself to the police after a hard life in that country, where he ended up cashless. It was gathered that the accused was once arrested while in Mozambique and detained after he was nabbed driving a vehicle without valid documentation. His attorney said Nkambule allegedly contacted him on his cellphone, last week Friday, where he revealed his side of the story and requested that he hand him over to the police. Allegations are that Nkambule informed a team of police questioning him yesterday that he did not have a lot of money while in Mozambique, but about E400 000, which immediately got finished as he allegedly lived a flashy lifestyle. GEELONG, Australia, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Every Australian wine will have the benefit of augmented reality, as a ground-breaking smartphone App prepares to launch worldwide. From April 2020, consumers with the Winerytale app will be able to scan the label of almost any Australian wine label to see the story of the wine and the winery come to life with stunning augmented reality. Augmented Reality Wine Labels in action - Winerytale. Winerytale's Augmented Reality Platform for every winery. More than 2,000 Australian brands will benefit from the initiative, in what is being touted as a tremendous opportunity for the local industry. View the demonstration video Bold Move to Benefit Smaller Australian Wineries Winerytale Managing Director Dave Chaffey said the technology was being rolled out at no cost to Australian wineries in a move designed to level the playing field for small and medium-sized wineries, for whom the technology and marketing magic of augmented reality has been too expensive and complicated to access until now. Chaffey said the company was opening up the market - and the increased sales potential - to all Australian wineries embracing the groundbreaking technology. "In the past few years a handful of wine producers have created augmented reality apps for their specific brand," Chaffey said. "Winerytale is blowing the augmented reality door open to any winery." "Making technology accessible is our aim. Up until now smaller wineries have been priced out of the technology and the profits. This levels the playing field and in fact means wineries have a fair chance of increasing their sales against the big players." Showcasing Australian Wine to Aid Exports Chaffey said Winerytale is currently taking existing available content for each winery and turning it into an impressive augmented reality display. Wineries haven't had to do anything different, though they may wish to opt out, or add additional content in the future. The technology behind the App is designed to work on any wine label, using artificial intelligence to scan and recognise labels and augmented reality to showcase the wine's backstory from a virtual space in front of, and within the bottle. Field testing of the Winerytale App attracted world-wide interest and more than 500 leading wine producers are already on board from across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and North America. Chaffey said the augmented reality app offer would shortly be extended to wineries in the rest of the english-speaking world. "We're really excited by the endless possibilities of augmented reality for the wine industry," he said. "Both wine and augmented reality are growth industries and demand will continue to soar in such competitive sectors. "This is a world-class opportunity to be part of the push into a future that successfully makes the most of both." WINERYTALE MEDIA CENTRE For information, demonstration videos, and images please visit https://winerytale.com/media Download the App | Google Play | iOS Media inquiries: Dave Chaffey, [email protected] | Ph: +61 1300 633 390 SOURCE Winerytale Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Luxembourg police have just issued a warning against what appears to be an attempt to steal data on social networks. Data thieves have implemented another phishing attempt, sending messages purporting to be friends on Facebook Messenger in order to steal personal information. The message reads "Hi, is it you in this video?" in Luxembourgish, followed by a link. The link does not lead to a video, but to a site where you will be invited to log in with your social media credentials. If you fall victim to this scam, it is advised to immediately change your password on all the online services on which you use the same username and the same combination. The police also recommend deleting the message and blocking the person who sent it to you. If it is not a fake account but the real profile of an acquaintance, notify them via another means of communication that it has been hacked. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event on foreign policy at a VFW post in Osage, Iowa, on Jan. 22, 2020. (John Locher/AP Photo) Biden Says He Doesnt Want to Testify in Senate Impeachment Trial Former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic presidential contender, said he doesnt want to be part of any deals made between Democrat and Republican lawmakers that would see each side get one or more witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial. The reason why I would not make the deal, and the bottom line is, this is a constitutional issue and were not going to turn it into a farce, into some kind of political theater, Biden said while campaigning on Jan. 23 in Osage, Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. Theyre trying to turn it into political theater but I want no part of being any part of that, he added. Democrats have publicly rejected hypothetical deals that would see Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, or another witness Republicans want to hear from in exchange for hearing from acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney or former national security adviser John Bolton. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are among the GOP members who have said theyd deal in witnesses, one way or another. Bidens son Hunter Biden sat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings from 2014 to 2019. President Donald Trump during a July 2019 phone call with Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky, inquired about Burisma and corruption investigations that were shut down in 2016. Trump noted that Joe Biden said in 2018 that while still in office in 2016, he threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid from Ukraine unless a prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, was ousted. Shokin at the time was investigating Burisma. Theres a lot of talk about Bidens son, that Biden stopped the prosecution, Trump told Zelensky. And a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin holds a press conference in Kiev on Nov. 2, 2015. Shokin has claimed he was pressured to drop a probe into Burisma, a Ukrainian company that employed Joe Bidens son, Hunter. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images) Ukraines Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka speaks during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 4, 2019. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters) Hunter Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, waits for the start of his fathers debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2012. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo) I understand and Im knowledgeable about the situation, Zelensky said. The countrys new top prosecutor would look into the situation, he added, which Ukraine announced later in the year. The probe was expanded a few months after that. Both Bidens have denied wrongdoing, though Hunter Biden said it was poor judgment to be on the board of Burisma while his father was in office and dealing with the country. Joe Biden on Wednesday defended his son, claiming that no one has suggested Hunter Biden did anything wrong. Nobody has indicated that there was a single, solitary thing that he did that was inappropriate other than the appearance. It looked bad because he was there, Biden said, the Register reported. He did not sign up for a second term on that board but he acknowledges, he acknowledges that he in fact made a mistake going on the board. Stephen Delgado, a 70-year-old retiree from Arizona who drove to Iowa to see Biden and was the one who asked the former vice president about testifying, told The Washington Post later that he thinks Biden should testify. He should call the bluff. Trump is a bully and he needs to stand up to him. Democrats have to stop all this When they go low, we go high. This is a street fight, Delgado said. It would clear the air. The people would get to see what a good, decent man he is. Rudy Giuliani threatened on Thursday to go public with evidence that Joe and Hunter Biden made 'millions' in the Ukraine by 'selling public office.' He offered no timeline nor evidence of his claim, which he made as Democrats prosecuted Donald Trump on the floor of the Senate. 'Everything I tried to tell the press last March is now coming out, and more. I will now start to reveal the evidence directly to you, the People. The Biden Family Enterprise made millions by selling public office. Then when Joe was Obama's Point Man, they ALL made millions,' the former New York City Mayor wrote on Twitter. Rudy Giuliani threatened to go public with evidence that Joe and Hunter Biden made 'millions' in the Ukraine Giuliani traveled to Ukraine in December and has said since that time he would release a report on what he found there. The former New York City mayor has claimed - but has yet to offer proof - that Hunter Biden made millions from his work on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, and from advising a Chinese hedge fund. Giuliani, one of Donald Trump's personal attorneys, is not serving on the president's defense team during the impeachment trial in the Senate. He lobbied to be a part of it but the former New York City mayor is also a potential witness in the case should the Senate vote to call additional ones. 'I'd love to have Rudy on my team,' Trump said at a press conference in Davos, Switzerland, this week. 'But, you know, he could be a witness at some point, if this whole sham continues.' The president has been supportive of his lawyer and his work, however. 'He says he has a lot of good information,' Trump said in December about Giuliani's trip. 'I hear he has found plenty.' The former mayor has played a controversial role in the Trump administration. Officially he is not part of the government. But being the president's private lawyer and his work in the Ukraine - he was part of a shadow group of advisers known as the three amigos - has made him ground central in the impeachment inquiry. Several administration officials have been said to be frustrated with Giuliani, who has made frequent television appearances to peddle his theories about the Bidens and the Ukraine. Trump is said to appreciate Giuliani's robust defense of him. The president has made Hunter Biden and his work in the Ukraine and China a frequent target of his political taunts at his campaign rallies. President Trump has made Joe and Hunter Biden a frequent political target Joe and Hunter Biden have not been charged with any wrong doing in regards to the Ukraine Hunter Biden sat on the board of BHR, a Chinese equity firm, that was trying to raise a $1.5 billion financial stake - a number the president has latched on to to accuse Hunter Biden of personal financial gain. Hunter Biden told ABC News last fall he didn't make any money from that work. 'No. Definitely not 1.5 billion,' he said. But he would not say how much money he has made with any of his work. 'Look, I'm a private citizen,' he said. 'One thing that I don't have to do is sit here and open my kimono as it relates to how much money I make or make or did or didn't. But it's all been reported.' Hunter Biden also said he never discussed his work in Ukraine or China with his father. Giuliani and Trump allies claim Joe Biden, when he was vice president, pushed the Ukraine to fire a prosecutor to help the company Hunter Biden worked with. Joe Biden said he was following international and Obama administration policy in regards to the prosecutor, whom there were concerns was not doing enough to fight corruption Neither Biden has been charged with any wrong doing. Giuliani also has pushed the unproven theory that it was the Ukraine - and not Russia - that interfered in the 2016 election. Romania's Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu will be attending an informal meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) in Zagreb, Croatia, on January 23 and 24. According to a press statement released on Thursday by the Ministry of Justice, this is the first meeting of the JHA Council at ministerial level held under the Croatian presidency of the Council of the European Union.In the section dedicated to justice of the informal JHA meeting, the justice ministers will discuss progress with strategic orientations in the field of freedom, security and justice, judicial education and the importance of judicial networks in the civil and commercial law field."At this JHA meeting we will discuss ways to improve and harmonise European and national legislation and institutions so that the citizens of EU member states may enjoy the same standards of protection of their rights, security and justice, throughout the entire continent. Specifically, we will discuss cooperation in civil and criminal matters, border protection, upgrading the judicial systems, digitisation and adaptation to the impact of artificial intelligence. I find appropriate the European concerns with a uniform evaluation of judicial systems in all member states, with the proviso that only a uniform mechanism for each country would provide sufficient guarantees that the freedoms and security of the citizens are observed and respected," Predoiu is quoted as saying in the statement. AGERPRES An Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia has tested positive for coronavirus, but with a different strain from the one that has claimed 18 lives in China, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah said on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs V Muraleedharan said an Indian nurse working at Al-Hayat hospital in Saudi Arabia was tested positive for coronavirus. In a tweet, he said, "Update from @CGIJeddah: About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well." The minister said he spoke to the Indian Consulate in Jeddah after the Indian nurses were quarantined at the hospital due to the coronavirus threat. Responding to his tweet, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah clarified that the nurse found positive for coronavirus was suffering for MERS-CoV and not 2019-NCoV (Wuhan). "Dr Tarik Al Azraqi, Chairman, Scientific Regional Infection Control Committee, Aseer Region, has confirmed that d Indian Nurse being treated at Aseer National Hospital is suffering from MERS-CoV & not 2019-NCoV (Wuhan). We request everyone to refrain from sharing incorrect info," it said in the tweet. The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, while the 2019 Wuhan coronavirus is a novel one, meaning a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. The coronavirus strain that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province has so far infected over 630 people and left 18 others dead. Confirmed cases have been reported from several regions including Xinjiang and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as in the US, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also wrote to External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to take urgent steps in ensuring expert treatment and protection to those affected from the virus in Saudi. There were media reports that the affected nurse was from Ettumannur in Kerala's Kottayam district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Prince of Wales and Greta Thunberg have made each others acquaintance for the first time at Davos 2020. On Wednesday 22 January, Prince Charles delivered a keynote address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to launch the Sustainable Market Council. Following his speech, the royal was introduced to environmental campaigner Thunberg, marking the pairs first meeting. The official Twitter account for Clarence House shared two photographs of Prince Charles and Thunberg on the social media platform. In one of the pictures, the royal shakes hands with the climate activist, while in the second they stand next to one another smiling at the cameras. An extract from his speech, in which he outlined his hope for 2020 to kickstart a decade of action for people and planet, was released online prior to his appearance at the summit. With consumers controlling an estimated 60 per cent of global GDP people around the world have the power to drive the transformation to sustainable markets, Prince Charles said. Recommended Greta Thunberg blasts Trump over climate change stance Yet, we cannot expect consumers to make sustainable choices if these choices are not clearly laid before them. The prince expressed his hope that the Sustainable Markets Council will help bring together leaders from public and private sectors, charitable organisations and investors in order to ease a transition to sustainable markets. For a transition to take place, being socially and environmentally conscious cannot only be for those who can afford it, the 71-year-old stated. If all the true costs are taken into account, being socially and environmentally responsible should be the least expensive option because it leaves the smallest footprint behind. On Tuesday, Thunberg launched a scathing attack against US president Donald Trump at Davos. Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Show all 57 1 /57 Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Create Solutions Not Pollution New Delhi, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Skolstrejk For Klimatet (School Strike For The Climate) Turin, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Too Poor To Care, Too Rich To Share, Now You Dare To Breathe? Hanoi, Vietnam AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Change Now Hanoi, Vietnam AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Make Earth Cool Again Kolkata, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 If You Don't Act Like Adults We Will Kolkata, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 If Not You, Who? If Not Now, When? If No Future, Then What? Stockholm, Sweden EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Sea Levels Are Rising, So Are We! Kolkata, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Die Dinosaurier Dachten Auch, Sie Hatten Zeit (The Dinosaurs Also Thought They Had Time) Vienna, Austria AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Why Aren't All Forests World Heritage Sites? Mumbai, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 The Earth Must Go On Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Game Over Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Respect Your Mother Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Don't Burn Our Future Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Right Here Right Now Stockholm, Sweden AP Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 CO2 Is In The Air Vienna, Austria REUTERS Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 How Dare You? Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Be Part Of The Solution, Not Pollution Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Mua Pelottaa (I'm Scared) Helsinki, Finland AP Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 I Want To Surf In Water Not Plastic Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 The Earth Is Getting Hotter Than My Crush Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Act Now Or Swim Later Budapest, Hungary EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 SOS Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Look Me In The Eye Tel Aviv, Israel AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 When Our World Is Dead, Where Do We Go? Tel Aviv, Israel AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 The Climate Is Changing, Why Aren't We? AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 If We Don't Hurry Up Now Then Winter Ain't Coming Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Fight For My Future McLeod Ganj, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Not One More Penny For Dirty Energy McLeod Ganj, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 I Like My Boys Hot Not My Earth The Hague, Netherlands REUTERS Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Help Me! Barcelona, Spain AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 You Can't Comb Over Climate Change Budapest, Hungary EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Stop Being Fossil Fools! New Delhi, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 No Nature No Future New Delhi, India EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Il Mondo E Un Bel Posto E Per Esso Vale La Pena Di Lottare (The World Is A Beautiful Place And It Is Worth Fighting For It) Milan, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 I Am The Solution! Milan Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 I Just Took A DNA Test Turns Out I'm 100% Terrified For Our Future Lausanne, Switzerland REUTERS Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 There's No Planet C Either Milan, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Temptation Island 2019 Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Climate Justice Turin, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 The Oceans Are Rising And So Are We Turin, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Salviamo La Nostra Terra? (Do We Save Our Earth?) Naples, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 L'Amazzonia Brucia Come I Vostri Neuroni (The Amazon Burns Like Your Neurons) Naples, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Is Anybody Here? Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Sick Of Pollution Kathmandu, Nepal REUTERS Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Se Riciclassimo Una Bottiglia Di Plastica Per Ogni Volta Che Apriamo Insta In Breve Tempo L'Oceano Sarebbe Pulito! (If We Recycle A Plastic Bottle Every Time We Open Up In A Short Time The Ocean Would Be Clean!) Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 You'll Die Of Old Age, I'll Die Of Climate Change Rome, Italy EPA Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Climate Change Is Worse Than Homework Kathmandu, Nepal REUTERS Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 There's No Planet B! Helsinki, Finland AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 The Climate Is Changing So Why Aren't We? Auckland, New Zealand Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 I'd Be In School If The Earth Was Cool Auckland, New Zealand Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Make History Or Be History Auckland, New Zealand Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 There Is Still Time Auckland, New Zealand Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Earth Will Survive Climate Change, We Won't Auckland, New Zealand Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Change For His Future Wellington, New Zealand AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 Fossil Fools Wellington, New Zealand AFP/Getty Images Best Global Climate Strike protest signs, Friday 27 September 2019 There Is No Planet B Christchurch, New Zealand Getty Images The 17-year-old condemned Trumps stance on the climate crisis, stating his inaction is fuelling the flames. Speaking to world leaders and industrialists, the Swedish activist stated: Unlike you, my generation will not give up without a fight. Our house is still on fire. In June 2019, Prince Charles warned that it may be too late to save the planet from an environmental crisis. Three persons were arrested and detained by the Amasaman Divisional Police Command in the Greater Accra Region for their involvement in the protests at the GA West Municipal Assembly officer today, Thursday. During what the police have described as rioting, scores of New Patriotic Party (NPP) foot soldiers demonstrated to demand the removal of the GA West Municipal Chief Executive, Clement Wilkinson. The demonstrators were upset with the persons listed to be government appointees on the assembly and accused the MCE of not toeing the party line by not ensuring consensus NPP members were placed in the assembly. There are 25 assembly members, 17 of whom are elected and eight which are appointed by the government. The protest came as newly elected Assembly and Unit Committee members across the country were being sworn in. Police arrived on the scene to disrupt the protest because it was illegal as the demonstrators had not sought prior permission. The Amasaman Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Christopher Klomega, told Citi News most of them were still very recalcitrant and chanting war songs when police tried to calm them down. Since they did not take the police advice, those who were misbehaving were arrested. So far three people have been arrested and detained, Supt. Klomega said. Following the claims by protestors, the MCE, Clement Wilkinson, said he was ready to engage the aggrieved persons. If they aren't getting things right, I'm the MCE, they can come to me and we can [iron things out] and move forward engage everybody, he told Citi News. citinewsroom It began with the Clock Tower in Lucknow and has now found an echo in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Etawah and Rampur. The sit-in protests against the citizenship laws which began in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, have caught on in a big way in Uttar Pradesh. Last Friday, a group of about 15 women arrived at the Clock Tower with placards against CAA and NRC, hidden under their burqas, and began the protest. As soon as they took out the placards, traffic on the main road slowed down and within three hours, more than a hundred women had collected at the site. The police took away their blankets and food packets, doused bonfires with water in a bid to deter their efforts. However, the women did not budge. The number has been swelling with each passing day and the seven-day-old dharna shows no signs of ending. After Clock Tower in Lucknow, it was the Mansoor Ali Khan Park in Prayagraj where women started a sit-in protest What initially seemed to be a one-day protest has been continuing for five days now. More than 5,000 women, men and children are camping at the park, braving the freezing temperatures. "Yes we have been inspired by Shaheen Bagh. If our sisters can protest there, we can do it here too," said Renu Varma, a mother of three. Delhi's Shaheen Bagh entered Day 39 on Thursday. At the Mansoor Ali Khan Park, women can be seen listening to speeches made by student organizations from the Left and the Samajwadi Party while others are recording the events on their cell phones. "I just want to say that we will be here for as long as required, till someone from the government speaks to us," said Fatima, an octogenarian who has joined the protest. The Jama Masjid in Rampur has also turned into a protest site with women assembling in large numbers. In Etawah, on Wednesday, the cop chased and caned women who had started collecting in the Pachraha area to start a sit-in against the citizenship laws. "The police did not let us protest yesterday but we will be planning and will do it again. Let us see how long they shoo us away," said Arushi Yadav who is now painting anti-CAA posters. Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, faced fresh trouble on Thursday when scores of women tried to stage a protest at the Benia Bagh ground. As soon as they spread a 'durrie' on the ground, the cops arrived on the scene and tried to dissuade the women from staging dharna. The women were unrelenting and as soon as the police tried to arrest the protesters, a mob standing close by started pelting stones at the cops. Additional forces have been deployed in the area to prevent the protestors from returning. The protests against the citizenship laws are now spreading to the rural areas as well. Ujariyagaon, a village on the outskirts of Lucknow, is also witnessing a protest, albeit smaller in size. What is common in all these protest is that the women are inspired by the Shaheen Bagh protest. Initially, the protests began with Muslim women but now Sikh men and women have joined in a big way. Hindu women are not only participating in the dharna but are also arranging for food and blankets for the other protestors. At the Clock Tower, Sikh men have even set up a community kitchen for women and children. While majority of the protesters may not understand the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), they insist that it will ruin the future of their children. "If women are protesting in 32 cities, braving the freezing temperatures, there has to be a reason. Even if you want to believe that we are illiterate and are being misled, how do you explain that educated children form universities, IITs and IIMs are also staging protests?" asked Roshanara, a protester at Clock Tower in Lucknow, who has had much of a formal education. The women are all the more determined to continue their protest after the ruling BJP alleged that they were being paid money to protest. "Fine, we are being paid -- so let us make some good money and continue with our protest. If these leaders also want money, they can send their women to protest with us," said Ruchi Sahni, a young protestor at Clock Tower. Pothole menace: MNS dig up roads in front of Mantralaya in Mumbai On Balasaheb's 94th birthday, MNS unveils new saffron flag, fuels speculation on ideology India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Jan 23: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday unveiled his party's new flag which is saffron in colour, setting tongues wagging in political circles about a possible ideological shift. Thackeray unveiled the new flag, which in the centre bears a 'rajmudra' (royal seal used during the times of warrior King Shivaji), at the party's plenary meeting in suburban Goregaon. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue and green colours. Before unveiling the flag, the MNS chief paid tributes to his uncle and late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on the latter's 94th birth anniversary on Thursday. Fadnavis meets Modi-baiter Raj Thackeray in Mumbai amid tie-up speculation During the inaugural session of the MNS plenary meet, he also paid respects to Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar besides Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B R Ambedkar and his grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray. The MNS was set up in 2006 after Raj Thackeray split from the Shiv Sena. He was in August last year questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) loan to Kohinoor CTNL. Naseeruddin Shah Opens Up About CAA-NRC, Says "I Don't Have A Birth Certificate"! The concrete global treaty to protect our planet's atmosphere, known as the Montreal Protocol, is beginning to show cracks. A few years after a mysterious spike in a regarded ozone-destroying chemical, some other of the protocol's banned substances is likewise on the rise. Despite international promises to dial down using hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) - 'super' greenhouse gas with a global warming potential up to 3,000 times that of carbon dioxide - said reductions do not match the reality. Research in Nature Communications says that someone, somewhere, appears to be fudging the numbers. Atmospheric chemist, Matt Rigby from the University of Bristol, said the team got excited to take a closer look at the atmospheric data when they saw the reports of widespread emissions reductions from India and China. "This powerful greenhouse gas has been developing rapidly in the atmosphere for many years now, and these reports cautioned that the upward push needs to have almost absolutely stopped in the region of two or three years," he said. Except it didn't. Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) concentrations actually set an all-time record in 2018. Scientists had been looking ahead to a 90 percent drop in emissions between 2015 and 2017. Using atmospheric facts from 2015 through 2018, Rigby and his colleagues reveal that actual emissions hit their maximum at any point in history when emissions had been at their lowest in 17 years. More specifically, it is the hydrofluorocarbon HFC-23 - also called fluoroform - that have hit new highs. It's a bad one, too, with one tonne of the fuel having the same greenhouse potential as nearly 12,000 heaps of carbon dioxide. The actual supply of this greenhouse gas continues to be unknown, but given the value of the mismatch and the fact that China and India are two of the most important emitters, the authors suspect these two have now not been a hit in reducing HFC-23 as they claim. HFCs had been originally delivered as a substitute for ozone-destroying chemical substances in refrigeration and air-conditioning products. But at the same time as their use is a good thing for ozone, their capability to act as a mighty greenhouse gas has since become all too clear. That's why, in 2016, an amendment was delivered to lessen the climate impact of HFCs. Atmospheric scientist Kieran Stanley from the Goethe University Frankfurt said countries who've ratified the Montreal Protocol are required to ruin HFC-23 as far as possible to be compliant with the Kigali Amendment. Stanley added while India and China are not yet bound through the amendment, their abatement would have put them on the path to be consistent with Kigali Some numbers are certainly slipping via the cracks, and officials may not even know. Last year, a New York Times record discovered that violations of CFC-eleven emissions were probably coming from factories in China that have been ignoring the rules to store money. But there's another explanation. The authors say they can not exclude the opportunity that China has indeed met its HFC reduction commitment of 98 percent. However, there might be a 780 percent increase from wealthy countries, a 690 percent increase from India, or an unaccounted 4,250 percent of the mentioned global production. Rigby says the magnitude of the carbon dioxide emissions suggests simply how amazing this greenhouse gas is. The research team now desire to work with other international companies to better quantify India and China's man or woman emissions the usage of regional, as opposed to international, records, and models. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin attends a session at during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, on January 21, 2020. Photo: Getty Images France has pressed pause on its plan to implement a digital tax that would hit the worlds biggest tech companies especially those in the US. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Frances minister of economy and finance of France Bruno Le Maire confirmed the halt, saying that compromise would be better than a trade war between the US and Europe. In a session entitled How to tax the digital economy, Le Maire said that we have found an agreement with US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and we are still in the process of defining the basis with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). We think it [would be] far better for all of us to have an international negotiation at the OECD with a view of finding a compromise and agreement by the end of 2020 instead of entering into a trade war between the US and Europe. Because a trade war would have two consequences. First, a slow down in growth and then it would mean an end in the international negotiation, the end of an international solution for both digital taxation and minimum taxation, he added. So, I really think that we all have the chance to this this international negotiation, we are united in Europe and I hope that by the end of 2020 we will get this new international taxation system. The comments come just a day after the OECDs Secretary General Angel Gurria told press at the WEF that there needs to be a global agreement otherwise it could spark countries implementing their own version of the digital tax as and when they want in a non-standardised way. READ MORE: US threatens tit-for-tat levy if UK pursues 'Big Tech' tax He then asked the UK to pause its planned 2% tax on the UK sales of search engines, social media companies, and online marketplaces from April this year following in line with France. The UKs initial digital tax move came shortly after France imposed a new law last year. It was set to retroactively go into effect from early 2019 and would apply to any digital company with sales of more than 750m (670m, $850m), in which 30 companies are expected to be affected. Story continues However, Le Maire emphasised that while the tax was on pause the digital companies in France will pay their due taxes in 2020. They want to be very clear on that. We were the first country to introduce a digital taxation in 2019 for one simple reason... There is a loophole in international tax system and the loophole is digital activities. The biggest companies in the world are making huge profits with millions of consumers in territories where they do not pay their due taxes. Nobody can accept that and we will never give up, he added. A report last year accused six US tech firms Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), Netflix (NFLX), Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) of aggressively avoiding $100bn of global tax over the past 10 years by moving sales and profits through low-tax countries such as Bermuda, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Lets be clear, we have decided to introduce a fair digital taxation at national level, it has been paid in 2019, said Le Maire. We have just given some time to have a international solution at OECD on the basis of the excellent work of the OECD because we are all in the view [that it is] far more preferable [for] one single international solution for a fair and efficient taxation of activities instead of national taxations all over the world, especially in Europe. He repeated, lets be clear in 2020 all digital companies under the scope of the OECD or national taxation will have to pay but we want to give a chance of an international solution. READ MORE: UK told to hold fire on big tech digital tax This week, US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin hinted at possible tariffs on the UK if it presses ahead with plans for a tax on Big Tech companies. He said at a panel discussion: Weve been pretty clear that we think that the digital tax is discriminatory in nature. Theres an OECD process that were participating in. International tax issues are very complicated, they take long times to look at. If people want to just arbitrarily put taxes on our digital companies, well consider arbitrarily putting taxes on car companies. READ MORE: What is the digital services tax? How it impacts big tech companies and the US Everyone at Davos this year really wants you to know that the corporate world is cleaning up its act. Yes, O.K., maybe theyve said things like that before, but this year they mean it. Walking around, I thought at times that I had mistakenly wandered into a business-casual Bernie Sanders rally: unrestrained capitalism has gone too far; corporate greed has endangered the planet; the time has come for radical change. On the train into Davos, a representative of Philip Morris told me that the company was dedicated to a smoke-free future. I blinked; she said the company had a duty to millions of addicted smokers. Woke capitalism, in short, was the dominant motif at Davos 2020. Its visual symbol was a group of teenage girls and boys who were invited to Davos as change-makers, a gang of Greta Thunbergs-in-training. They provided a visual contrast to the great masses of aging men in bluish suit jackets, and they were a particular delight to photographers, who stalked them like rare animals, which in a way, they are. The forum used to be made up of a lot of old, rich white men, explained Naomi Wadler, a 13-year-old anti-gun activist, who perhaps was unaware that it still is. Though, to be fair, a record 24 percent of the participants this year were women. At an anti-capitalist capitalist event, revolutionary sentiments can erupt in unexpected places. Will. I. Am, the musician, interrupted a fancy private concert co-hosted by a billionaire, Marc Benioff, to explain that he has come to see talentism in which human ability is the dominant resource as the replacement for capitalism. Mr. Benioff himself declared the next day that capitalism as weve known it is dead, and called for higher taxes on the wealthy. The range was broad: At an event titled 2030, Lucian Tarnowski and his cohort predicted a new golden age of human thriving following various radical changes, such as the overcoming of material wants and broader use of psychedelics for emotional health. And in an official nod to the revolutionary spirit, the World Economic Forum itself, which runs the show, released a new Davos Manifesto, for the fourth industrial revolution. That Davos Manifesto is, I hasten to say, good stuff (as is the forums new ESG metric, designed to complement profit as a measure of corporate success). Companies, the manifesto says, must pay their fair share of taxes; treat suppliers and workers well; accept fair competition; and have zero tolerance for corruption. A 19-year-old suspected drug dealer was charged with selling the fatal dose of heroin and fentanyl that killed a man in Toms River late last year, authorities said Thursday. Shemar Jackson was charged with strict liability drug induced death in the overdose that killed a 24-year-old man, according to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office. Police were called Dec. 5, 2019 to a home in Toms River and found the man dead from an apparent drug overdose, the prosecutors office said. Further investigation and laboratory analysis confirmed that the heroin and fentanyl found in the victims system the same heroin and fentanyl supplied by Jackson and sold to the victim -- were the cause of the young mans death, the office said in a statement. Authorities said Jackson was arrested at his Galloway Township home earlier on Thursday. We will continue to prosecute strict liability deaths to send a clear message to these drug dealers that you will be held responsible, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement. Anyone that chooses to pedal potentially deadly narcotics in Ocean County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Press Release 23 January 2020 Factory workers manning their stations. Poised to fend off the imminent invasion of robots, coming to steal their jobs and rob them of their livelihoods. Wielding their health-and-safety-mandated gloves like pitchforks, ready to fight for what's theirs Granted, our idea of artificial intelligence and robotics taking over the workplace has been somewhat refined since the early days of digitalisation, but the threat of automation still looms large. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in conversation with Deloitte Insights, managers said they are worried about the impact new technologies might have on jobs and about what they should be doing to prepare. Advertisements Some 38% of 2019 Global Human Capital Trends survey respondents are planning to cut certain job profiles in the next three years, with many more being transformed. With 90% of respondents redesigning jobs for the future, the need to up- and reskill employees is starker than ever. A recent World Economic Forum report forecasts that over half the global workforce will require training by 2022. Changes in corporate longevity, work practices and business models mean the working world is shifting too quickly for educational institutions to keep up, as major curriculum adjustments often entail long lead times. This eliminates the possibility for companies to rely on fast-paced hiring and firing practices to fill the newly emerging roles. Competition starts where automation ends In a future where machines take care of straight-forward execution tasks and perform high-complexity analysis, the added-value of humans will lie more predominantly in how they post-process the information yielded electronically. In an open letter, a Harvard Business School professor and a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative learning engineer warn business leaders to get their people ready. Companies' competitive edge will soon lie in their employees' ability to interact with modern tools and perform complex decision-making. Millennials spearhead upskilling With a sense of unease hanging in the air, people are taking it upon themselves to fill their skills gaps. Millennials, in particular, see lifelong learning as an integral part of professional development and, in turn, of their own long-term success. Their work-related priorities differ from previous generations. This is a generation that doesn't have the time of day for jobs they find unfulfilling or purposeless. A generation that has largely been free to muse over their visions. Perhaps an inclination towards lifelong learning is simply a product of a lifetime of micro-learning, where the only thing between you and your next skill is a YouTube video? Millennials value happiness and recognize the beneficial impact of lifelong learning on personal growth, relationships and issues in society at large. Having recognized that "jobs for life" are on the decline, they understand the need for continuous skills development. According to the Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision report from Manpower, more than a quarter of young people believe job security means having a skill set that matches the demands of the market. Four out of five millennials rate the opportunity to pursue lifelong learning as a key factor in job selection. Lifelong learning boosts employee retention Long after reeling in new hires, fostering a culture of lifelong learning works to a company's advantage. From an operational standpoint, training can lead to productivity hikes, boosting revenues. What's more, employees who feel valued - that their employer is invested in their professional development - are more likely to want to stick around. This holds true across the board, as the benefits of lifelong learning are felt in many ways, beyond skillset development and career path definition. As recently reported in a Hospitality Insights article comparing lifelong learning to pizza of all things, besides improving your skills and making yourself more marketable, adopting a lifelong-learning mindset keeps you young, gets your innovative juices flowing and grounds you with a humble attitude. From concept to implementation Just how does one go about harnessing the power of lifelong learning to boost performance and employee retention? A look at some high-profile companies reveals a thing or two: com encourages staff to learn in the interests of better serving customers. Managers help employees find the value in both success and failure, pursuing an explorative learning approach and one-to-one mentoring. encourages staff to learn in the interests of better serving customers. Managers help employees find the value in both success and failure, pursuing an explorative learning approach and one-to-one mentoring. Dropbox holds Hack Week sessions, which allow everyone to break free from the day-to-day and tackle problem-solving from a fresh perspective - often generating inspired solutions that provide performance uplift. holds Hack Week sessions, which allow everyone to break free from the day-to-day and tackle problem-solving from a fresh perspective - often generating inspired solutions that provide performance uplift. Philips understands the learning value of face-to-face interaction and affords its employees independence, flexibility and resources to travel and step outside of their roles every now and then. Further strategies include setting learning goals, encouraging and incentivizing learning outside of the work environment, integrating learning initiatives into the workflow, having employees from different departments cross-fertilize and rewarding upskilling well done. If millennials are to make up over a third of the global workforce by 2021, it is in business leaders' interests not only to cater to them, but to feed their appetite for lifelong learning. This hunger, this drive to strive for happiness can become the pulling power your company needs to tackle the hurdles our evolving economy has in store. So, there may not be an actual robot invasion on the horizon But who says we shouldn't rally the troops? On Monday, the United States observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a holiday commemorating the birth of the civil rights leader. Martin Luther King, Jr. during his I Have a Dream speech at the 1963 March on Washington Since its inception in the 1980s, the holiday has aimed to turn King into a harmless icon of social conciliation, while obscuring his radical criticisms of American capitalism and militarism. But now, in 2020, this has been joined by a new thrust. Kings conception of a mass democratic movement for civil rights based on the unified action of all the oppressed sections of the population is being replaced with an essentially racialist narrative that presents all American history in terms of a struggle between whites and blacks. This racial narrative requires the marginalization of Kings historical role. This is exhibited starkly in the New York Times 1619 Project, whose reframing of the history of American race relations makes no mention of King. This is not an oversight on the part of a project that proclaims itself as nothing less than a new curriculum for school children. The core of Kings politicsthe struggle for equalityruns counter to the aims of contemporary liberalism, which is predicated on a fight for privileges among the upper-middle class. King, a Baptist minister and theologian, emerged as the most prominent leader and voice of the mass civil rights struggle for racial equality that emerged in the period after World War IIfrom the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott in 1955 against Jim Crow segregation until 1968, when King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while supporting striking sanitation workers. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, during a period that scholars have called the nadir of American race relations. In the Jim Crow South beginning in the 1890s, a raft of laws stripped the right to vote from the vast majority of blacks. All public space was segregated by law or customschools and colleges; busses, trains, streetcars; water fountains and bathrooms; diners and movie theaters. Interracial marriage was illegal, and even casual interactions between whites and blacks, for example on city sidewalks, were to play out in a custom designed to humiliate and degrade blacks. The Democratic Party ruled the Jim Crow South unchallenged. Behind it stood the ever-present threat of state-sanctioned racist violence. By one count, mobs and bands of killers lynched more than 4,000 blacks in the South from the 1870s through the 1940s. King described The Strange Career of Jim Crow as the historical Bible of the civil rights movement Yet racism was not an end in and of itself. As C. Vann Woodward long ago established in The Strange Career of Jim Crow (1955), it was imposed as a direct response to the Populist movement of poor farmers, which, in the 1880s, had raised the specter of interracial unity among the oppressed. That Woodwards book was upheld as the historical Bible of the civil rights movement reflected that movements agreement with its key finding, that, as King put it, racial segregation as a way of life did not come about as a natural result of hatred between the racesthe position advanced by the 1619 Projectbut was really a political stratagem employed by the emerging Bourbon interests in the South to keep the southern masses divided and southern labor the cheapest in the land. The Populist movement collapsed a few decades before Kings birth. Its inability to overcome the southern oligarchy resulted from its social composition among isolated rural farmers, an undifferentiated and rapidly declining section of the population. Yet its achievements were extraordinary. Shaking the two-party system to its foundations, Populisms challenge to capitalism ultimately fed into the emergence of American socialism. The Great Migration and the growth of the working class While King looked to Populism for inspiration, it was ultimately a far more profound transformation, arising from the powerful development of American capitalism, that provided the basis for the civil rights movement: the development of the working class. In 1900, after the defeat of the Populist movement, 90 percent of African Americans lived in the South, most in conditions of rural isolation. In the 1920s, over 1.5 million blacks left the South for northern cities, bound for wage work. Many more moved to cities in the Southincluding Atlanta, where King was born, as well as Alabamas industrial cities of Birmingham and Montgomery, which birthed the modern civil rights movement. By 1960, only 15 percent of African Americans remained on farms, a dramatic social transformation which historians now term the Great Migration. Panel 40 from Jacob Lawrences Migration Series In the cities, the black migrants faced new forms of racism and, as in East St. Louis in 1917 and Chicago in 1919, occasional paroxysms of vicious violence, typically overseen by their historical antagonists in the Democratic Party. Yet it is undeniable that this vast movementfrom country to city, from farm to factory, and from South to North and Westwas an intensely liberating development. Its impact on American culture can only be called exhilarating. The arrival in the cities of this brutally oppressed people, a mere half-century separated from chattel slavery, germinated the cultural and intellectual florescence associated with the Harlem Renaissance, the first mass African American political organizations and trade unions, as well as the great forms of popular music including ragtime, rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. The Great Migration raised African-American workers as a critical section of the working class. But the fusing of that class across racial and national lines was no mean task under conditions in which capitalist employers knew well that they could pit workerswhite, black, immigrantagainst each other in wage competition. The American Federation of Labor, among the most provincial and reactionary labor organizations on the planet, fed into these divisions. Most of its unions imposed racial exclusions against blacks and agitated against immigrants. Reformist socialists that oriented to the AFL, such as Victor Berger of Milwaukee, also excluded blacks from their conception of the working class. Under these conditionsthe emergence of a powerful industrial working class, but one hamstrung by outmoded forms of organizationthe Russian Revolution of 1917 hit with meteoric impact. Among the black intellectuals inspired by the Bolsheviks were Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, and A. Phillip Randolph, who co-founded the socialist magazine The Messenger in 1917 and went on to head the largest predominantly black trade union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. These intellectuals immediately drew comparisons to the situation of Jews under the seemingly eternal Romanov dynasty. For American Negroes the indisputable and outstanding fact of the Russian Revolution, McKay explained in 1921, is that a mere handful of Jews, much less in ratio to the number of Negroes in the American population, have attained, through the Revolution, all the political and social rights denied them under the regime of the Czar. A. Philip Randolph with members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters In the North, socialists took the lead in the fight for the great industrial unions in auto, meatpacking, rubber, and steel, insisting that blacks be accepted on equal footing with all others. Even in the Deep South, socialists fought under the banner of the Russian Revolution in the 1920s and 1930s, winning the allegiance of militant workers, black and white, in such places as Alabama, where the defense of the Scottsboro Boys, nine African-American youth falsely accused of rape, won the support of workers the world over. It is difficult to overstate the heroism of these workers who braved the wrath of the southern lawmen as well as the Ku Klux Klan. The Stalinists of the Communist Party, along with the supposedly left CIO bureaucracy, betrayed these workers in the name of their alliance with the Democratic Party, whose southern wing remained in the hands of the white supremacist oligarchy. Nonetheless, socialism remained the bete noire of the Jim Crow politicians, who saw in every stirring of the southern workers the work of outside agitators and communists. And, despite the best efforts of reactionary red-baiters, socialism continued to influence a layer of southern intellectuals and leaders. The significance of King King was neither a Marxist nor a revolutionary. But his socialist sympathies, and those of his wife, Coretta Scott King, were well-known. He agitated for a significant economic restructuring of American society, albeit without calling for the overthrow of the capitalist system. Even though he cautiously adapted his politics to the pressures of the red-baiting environment of the United States in the 1950s, King spoke a language utterly incompatible with the racial narrative of contemporary rightwing affluent petty-bourgeois nationalists. Communism should challenge us first to be more concerned about social justice, King noted in a sermon first delivered in 1953. However much is wrong with Communism we must admit that it arose as a protest against the hardships of the underprivileged. The Communist Manifesto which was published in 1847 by Marx and Engels emphasizes throughout how the middle class has exploited the lower class. Communism emphasizes a classless society. Along with this goes a strong attempt to eliminate racial prejudice. Communism seeks to transcend the superficialities of race and color, and you are able to join the Communist party whatever the color of your skin or the quality of the blood in your veins. King eloquently articulated the democratic sentiments of Americans of all races and ethnicities striving to tear down all the artificial barriers erected by the ruling class in a conscious effort to divide the working class. In a 1965 sermon King explained that the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson, that all men are created equal, were the cornerstone of the civil rights movement. He did not see that document, which gave expression to the Enlightenment principles which animated the American Revolution, as a cynical ploy or a lieas 1619 Project figurehead Nikole Hannah-Jones imagines itbut an as yet unfulfilled promise, lifted to cosmic proportions, and one the civil rights movement was fighting to make a reality. He and many others who were part of the mass movement in the 1950s and 1960s understood very well that no lasting progress could be made without the unity of the working class and recognized that under capitalism workers were being oppressed regardless of the color of their skin. Writing in 1958, King noted that two summers of work in a factory as a teenager had exposed him to economic injustice firsthand, and [I] realized that the poor white was exploited just as much as the Negro. Through these early experiences I grew up deeply conscious of the varieties of injustice in our society. Whether or not Kings assassination was more than the work of the small-time hood James Earl Ray, it is a documented fact that, from the early 1960s on, the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover aimed to destroy the civil rights leader through a campaign of dirty tricks, media leaks, intense surveillance, and even encouraging King to kill himself. Yet somehow, historian William Chafe writes, King emerged from the ordeal a stronger, more resolute, more courageous leader. King responded to the attack from the FBI in 1967 by launching his interracial Poor Peoples campaign, an initiative seeking economic justice for all impoverished Americans. He also became among the most outspoken critics of the American onslaught in Vietnam, memorably denouncing the United States government as the greatest purveyor of violence today in his 1967 Riverside Church speech. He had become convinced, King told his staff the same year, that we cant solve our problems now until there is a radical re-distribution of economic and political power. It was time, he said, to raise certain basic questions about the whole society We are engaged in a class struggle dealing with the problem of the gulf between the haves and the have nots. Kings recognition of the necessity of interracial struggle and the contributions that whites had made to the civil rights movement informed Kings criticism of the racial separatism espoused by the Black Power movement, which he rightly called, in 1967, a cry of disappointment born of the wounds of despair. King and the 1619 Project Kings turn to the left caused alarm among conservative civil rights leaders. To them, King respondedin words that echo with the same force against the lavishly funded race experts of todayWhat youre saying may get you a foundation grant but it wont get you into the Kingdom of Truth. The logic of these positions, indeed his entire lifes work, placed King on a collision course with the Democratic Partythe same party that ruled over the Jim Crow South and the big city political machines in the North, and had led the United States into Vietnam. Even if his political limitations caused him to delay this reckoning to the end, his lifes work had a real impact on the lives of millions. Now the universal, Enlightenment principles King fought for and defended are under vicious assault. It is striking that in the 1619 Project, the Times initiative to write the true history of America as rooted in slavery and racism, Kings contribution to the fight for equality is totally ignored. This doesnt represent a different interpretation of facts or a mere oversight but an outright historical falsification. The Times is seeking to impose a new narrative on US history in which anti-black racism is presented as an immutable feature of Americas DNA. This, Hannah-Jones argues, emerged out of the original sin of chattel slavery, itself a function not of labor exploitation, but of white racism against blacks. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King lead the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights Promoted by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, which is heavily endowed by corporations and billionaires, the 1619 Project proposes itself as a new curriculum for public education. Crumbling schools and hungry children from Chicago to Buffalo are being given lesson plans that argue the American Revolution and Civil War were conspiracies to perpetuate white racism, and that all manner of contemporary social problemslack of health care, obesity, traffic jams, etc.are the direct outcomes of slavery. Following other eminent historians interviewed by the World Socialist Web Site, Stanford Professor Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, criticized the 1619 Project from the standpoint of its treatment of history, its dismissal of the American Revolution, and the obscure and rapid process through which it was produced. He went further, however, making powerful observations about King and the civil rights movement he came to leadtwo subjects almost entirely absent from the 1619 Project. Carson noted that the ideals of the American Revolution and the Enlightenment played a key role in the civil rights movement and Kings own role as a political leader. One way of looking at the founding of this country is to understand the audacity of a few hundred white male elites getting together and declaring a countryand declaring it a country based on the notion of human rights, Carson explained. Obviously, they were being hypocritical, but its also audacious. And thats what rights are all about, he noted. It is the history of people saying, I declare that I have the right to determine my destiny, and we collectively have the right to determine our destiny. Thats the history of every movement, every freedom movement in the history of the world. At some point you have to get to that point where you have to say that, publicly, and fight for it. It is these principles and perspective which are being explicitly rejected by the New York Times as upper middle-class layers marshal various forms of identity politics to jockey for a greater share of the massive amounts of wealth which have been piled up in the coffers of the top one percent. In this struggle for privilege and wealth the political principles which King stood for can find no place and therefore he too must be excised from the historical narrative. Update 3.10pm, January 27,2020: Following the discovery of a body, the missing person search for Martin Faherty has been stood down, gardai have said. Gardai have thanked the public for their assistance. January 23, 2020: Gardai in Co. Cork are asking for help to find a man who has been missing for nearly three weeks. Officers in Kinsale are looking for 42-year-old Martin Faherty who was last seen in the Kinsale area, on January 3 at around 12.10am. Martin is described as being five foot seven inches tall with a slight build, brown eyes and he is bald. When last seen Martin was wearing a green woolly hat, a shirt, jeans and brown boots. Gardai and Martins family are concerned for his welfare. Anyone who may have seen Martin or has information on his whereabouts are asked to contact Kinsale Garda Station on 021 477 9250, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Clinical trials for a vaccine against the new virus sweeping China could be carried out in the summer, the head of an anti-epidemic coalition said on Thursday, as different companies announced research into the disease. "We can announce that we have three partnerships to develop vaccines against the novel coronavirus," Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said in Davos. "Our goal is to have these vaccines developed very rapidly and to move very rapidly to begin clinical trials, perhaps as early as the summer," Hatchett said during the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort town. A fourth company, Novavax, which has worked on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), said earlier it had also initiated development of a vaccine candidate. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment against the novel coronavirus detected in China, which has killed 18 people so far and has now spread internationally. Hatchett said the three partnerships were with Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a US-based company, the University of Queensland in Australia and Moderna, another US biotech firm. Moderna is working with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a US government agency. Shares in Inovio jumped 6.68 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, while Moderna stock was up 1.37 per cent and by a total of 6.5 per cent over two sessions. Shares in other biotech companies also rose in expectation of growing interest in a vaccine against the virus. Stock in Novavax jumped 11.42 per cent after their announcements, while NanoViricides, which is conducting research into Ebola, rose 36.91 per cent. Hatchett said that even if the virus had disappeared by the time a vaccine is developed, having one would still be "very advantageous". "If the virus doesn't disappear and it spreads globally, we will be glad that we made these investments today," he added. Stephane Bancel, chief executive of Moderna, told AFP that his company planned to develop the vaccine at its plant in Boston with financing from CEPI. Bancel also said he planned clinical trials by the summer, adding "normally to develop traditional vaccines the same process would take two or three years". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Marine City officials are continuing to mull their options for recreational marijuana businesses in the community. At its Dec. 9 meeting, the city commission determined the community had the room for recreational marijuana retail businesses, but did not decide if they would be allowed in the city. On Jan. 16, commissioners further discussed their options going forward. I was presented with some questions, very well-written questions, and I wanted to just go through a couple of those answers, City Attorney Robert Davis said. He explained there is an excise tax that is placed on facilities above the 6% normal sales tax in the amount of 10%. It was raised to try to make up for the loss of the 3% tax that falls off of medical marijuana facilities when the recreational facilities come into effect, he said. There are a couple of big blocks of money that have to get taken care of, but eventually when facilities are up and running, over time there will be some tax benefit that flows back to the municipalities where the establishments are housed, Davis said. I think theres about 20-some million dollars that has to go back to the state and then the state has to recoup all of its costs, he said. Then 35% goes to roads, 35% will end up going to schools, 15% to counties and then 15% back to the municipalities of the money that is then available. He said there is no ability for Marine City to create its own sales tax and no way for the city to create taxes on the transit of materials through the community. Davis also pointed out that there are now over 30 municipalities in Michigan that have opted back in and are heading toward an ordinance and almost 1,500 who are still out. I dont raise those figures to say whats good or bad, Im just telling you that a lot of people are still out, he said. Theyre on their way back in, but they are still working and it takes a lot of time. The communities that are opting back in are in various stages of the process, Davis said. He said the planning commission did some legwork for the commission in finding out if facilities could be established, but there is probably more it could do. The legalization of marijuana as a recreational aspect was approved, but did each community really vote to have it distributed and managed and sold and packaged and grown in their communities? Davis asked. That was not on the state ballot. He said some communities have gone on the ballot in their own communities to ask what people think and said the commission should consider doing the same. Thats always an option and that can be done, he said. Theres already ballot language floating around for those examples, and really get the feel for your own community. Other communities have scheduled town hall meetings, which Davis believed also could be effective, but was concerned about not getting enough representatives there. Its a pretty major decision, Davis said. Its tough for you to probably make this decision and go down a road, so I wouldnt be opposed to you thinking about both of those options and getting more public feedback directly on the issue. Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick asked if a community could choose whether it had recreational or medical facilities. Davis said the city already made the decision not to participate in medical and temporarily opted out of recreational. He did not know if the city could opt back in to medical, but said the commission could take as long as it wanted to opt back into recreational. Commissioner Jacob Bryson asked if there would be any restrictions on the money the city would get from the facilities or if it would go to the general fund. Davis replied it would go to the general fund. And remember, on your annual registration and licensing you can charge up to $5,000 per facility annually to help offset your costs of paperwork and enforcement and increase whatever, he said. You have to kind of justify it, but if the law says you can go up to $5,000, its pretty much $5,000. So you would have that annual fee coming in per facility, as well. Mayor Dave Vandenbossche said the city would only get 15% of the 10% in growth sales. Until 2022 or for at least two years, $20 million from the fund must annually go back to the clinical trials approved by the (Food and Drug Administration) that are researching the efficacy of marijuana in the treatment of U.S. armed service veterans preventing veteran suicide, Davis said. So $20 million has to go there, and then you got to wait a few years, and then eventually therell be this pot of money of which youll get 15% at max. Commissioner William Klaassen noted that a problem with recreational marijuana is the odor and that there are communities that are looking at odor ordinances. Davis responded that many of the ordinances in development do have odor control provisions, as well as some security and other unique features. Some people are going with licenses, some people are requiring special use permits for the land, and then a license, some people are limiting the numbers, he said. Some people are limiting, if you have one here, then you cant have one in the immediate adjacent property. Klaassen also noted that the federal government could also come in any time and shut facilities down. Yeah, and in fact, in one ordinance I worked on, I put a provision in there that said nothing in this ordinance is meant to create any form of immunity from prosecution under federal law and now a lot of ordinances are adopting that because you dont want the defense to the prosecution to be, Well, the city of Marine City said it was OK,' Davis said. He said there have been some breakthroughs with banks. Most of them would not handle the revenue coming from the operations because it could be subject to seizure under federal law, but a couple of credit unions are now willing to do it. One of the local problems you do have is that it is a cash transaction, he said. Big cash transaction. And everybody knows that. And thats what creates a little bit of a patrol issue, when you knowingly have a facility that maintains lots of high-volume cash transactions, its a breeding grounds for potential issues. City Manager Elaine Leven said when the planning commission looked at the areas where the city could have facilities, it did not take into consideration the neighboring communities zoning. Davis said there is not a mandatory setback from residential zoning areas but most are adopting setbacks from the residential lines. He did not know if the city boundaries up against any residential zones. We didnt take that into consideration because it was just one of those things that didnt occur to us, planning commission Chairman Joseph Moran said. I guess the theory is we cant stop at our boundaries with these setbacks, Davis said. We cant pretend Marine City is in its own box. We do have to look at what surrounds us immediately. For example, he noted there is a school right on the boundary that Marine City has to make sure its buffering from, even if it is not in the city. We should probably look at some of those things, he said. I think I would ask you to start thinking about how you might want to check the pulse of your community. Emily Pauling is a staff writer for The Voice. She can be contacted at 586-273-6200 or epauling@medianewsgroup.com. The Brandon Chamber of Commerce hosted the co-owner of a prize-winning business for their first luncheon of 2020 on Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Hailey Jefferies of Prairie Fava talked about her company's successes and failures while getting established, during Wednesday's Chamber of Commerce luncheon. (Colin Slark/The Brandon Sun) The Brandon Chamber of Commerce hosted the co-owner of a prize-winning business for their first luncheon of 2020 on Wednesday. While the event had some big-name guests like provincial Economic Development Minister Ralph Eichler and Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president Chuck Davidson, both in town for Ag Days, speaker Hailey Jefferies was the events main draw. Hailey and husband Cale, a former Brandon Wheat Kings forward, have built a successful business with Prairie Fava, growing fava beans at the Jefferies family farm in Glenboro. Their success was recently recognized at the annual Manitoba Chambers of Commerce Awards, where Prairie Fava was named startup of the year. It was a bit of a homecoming for Hailey, having previously worked for the Chamber of Commerce before starting Prairie Fava. Starting off, she joked that she was going to introduce the audience to her favourite four-letter "f" word. That being fava, of course. She said that the bean her business is built on has the most neutral taste and highest protein content of any bean. "Youre probably wondering how a girl like myself decided to launch a business around a bean that, lets be real, other than a select group of farmers and people, no one has ever heard of," she said. It all started when Cale and Hailey moved back to Manitoba from Ontario five years ago to take control of the family farm. At one point, Cale wondered how they could better market fava beans and Hailey set to work. A key element of their early success was getting into one of former "Dragons Den" cast member Arlene Dickinsons mentorship program. Eventually, they got an investment deal through that program. During her talk, Hailey spoke of some of the successes the company has had as well as some problems theyve had to overcome. One of the companys biggest triumphs was nearly ended before it got off the ground. Approximately a year and a half ago, Prairie Fava sent a team to an expo in Japan to try to establish connections there. Hailey recounted that they had been warned that foreign companies almost never hit paydirt on their first visit, so they decided theyd give it their best effort and maybe try to connect with other Canadian companies also at the expo. However, with the help of an interpreter, Prairie Fava managed to make an impression on a prospective client. After a couple of days at the expo, they were invited out for a tour of downtown Tokyo that included a taxi ride in a Maserati. "I remember telling other Canadian companies, We just got invited out for drinks with Japanese buyers. They almost fell over," she said. A couple of months later, they received an order from the company their first overseas deal. A shipment was arranged to get sent to Japan from their farm and payment would be processed as it arrived. But it never came. Eventually, they found out that Haileys email had been compromised and some dastardly soul posing as her had gotten the company to send payment to a Mexican bank account. "When our buyer asked why we had wanted the payment sent to Mexico, I had apparently responded Because Canadian taxes are too high, we do offshore banking," she said. "Needless to say, all the money was gone." Eventually, things were worked out between Prairie Fava and the Japanese client, but it taught them a lesson about the difficulties of establishing a business presence on other continents. The next Chamber luncheon is on Feb. 13. At that event, World Trade Centre Winnipeg president and CEO Mariette Mulaire will be giving a talk on the effects of digitization on Manitoba businesses. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark A new study published in the journal American Journal of Psychiatry reports that the use of cannabis for non-medical indications is much more common in adults who have pain than in others. This includes those who use marijuana very often or heavily enough to be considered to have a problem with dependence. What is marijuana? Marijuana is the term used for the dried leaves, flowers, stems and seeds of the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plants. These are used as mind-altering drugs due to components such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which have profound psychological effects. Marijuana is currently the Number 1 psychotropic drug, and only alcohol is more commonly used. Many young people, including students in middle and high school, are using marijuana, and it is becoming a substance used in e-cigarettes as well. Image Credit: Lifestyle discover / Shutterstock Marijuana can now be used for medical or recreational purposes in 34 and 11 states of the USA, respectively. However, many papers have reported that using large doses of cannabis can heighten the risk of vehicle accidents, mental symptoms, breathing distress and cannabis use disorder, like addiction. Nonetheless, cannabis is still considered to be a harmless drug and many people use it without a medical indication almost every day. In particular, more students today say they think regular use of marijuana is not a risky act. Effects of marijuana Marijuana smoking produces both short-term and long-term effects. THC from smoke quickly enters the blood, reaches the brain and other organs, and acts on endocannabinoid receptors. These are receptors that are designed to react to natural substances which act like THC and are important in the natural growth and development of the brain. When marijuana is ingested, the effects are delayed in onset, generally seen after 30 minutes to an hour. THC activates brain regions with the highest number of these receptors, causing the person to feel a high, as well as to experience more vivid sensations, mood changes, difficulties with movement and cognitive processing (thinking, judgment, memory and logic), hallucinations and delusions. Frank psychosis, or mental imbalance, can also occur and is most likely if the individual is on highly potent preparations of marijuana on a regular basis. The long-term effects include impaired brain development. If the drug is first begun in adolescence, the developing brain is vulnerable to impairments of cognition, causing difficulties with learning, memory and thinking. It seems to affect the nerve connections that are normally grown between the different brain regions that act together to execute these complex tasks. It is still unclear if these changes are transitory or persist over time. Other problems include respiratory difficulties due to lung irritation, a higher heart rate, lower fetal weight as well as a higher risk for poor brain and behavioral development if the drug is used in pregnancy, and intense vomiting. The study The purpose of this study was to find out what factors drove the risk of cannabis addiction. The researchers drew data from the National Epidemiologic Surveys on Alcohol and Related Conditions in 2001-2002 and 2012-2013, related to the use of cannabis. They looked at the patterns of use for non-medical reasons in adults, both those who had and those who did not have pain. The findings The study shows that about 20% of individuals in either survey said they had pain of moderate to severe degree. The use of non-medical marijuana went up to almost 10% in 2013, from 4% in 2002. The scientists also observed that the increase in frequency was significantly skewed towards patients with pain compared to those without, at 5% vs 3.5%. The same was the case with the risk of addiction, which occurred in over 4% in those with pain but in less than 3% in those without it. The researchers point out the paradox that most meta-analyses of the efficacy of cannabis in the treatment of pain show mixed results, even while 2 out of 3 American adults believe that it helps significantly to manage ones pain. In view of the fact that about a fifth of the adult population has moderate to severe pain, the number of adults who are at risk for cannabis addiction because of their non-medical use of the drug is very high. It should be noted that marijuana preparations available today are steadily becoming more potent compared to earlier times, which is one factor behind the increasing number of emergency room visits following the use of this drug. The regular use of high-potency cannabis also increases the risk that the person will become addicted and also the risk of psychosis. The solution The study authors recommend a balanced reporting about the effects of marijuana and the issues associated with its use. Says researcher Deborah Hasin, Greater balance is needed in media reporting of marijuana issues, including messages that convey credible information about the nature and magnitude of health risks from non-medical cannabis use, including among the large group of US adults with pain. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals treating patients with pain should monitor their patients for signs and symptoms of cannabis use disorder. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michael Andrew (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 17:42 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b5582 1 World Indonesia,media,environment,criminalization,Mongabay Free International journalists and agencies have condemned the arrest of American environmental journalist Philip Jacobson, who has been detained in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, for allegedly misusing his residency permit. The reporter and editor of Mongabay, a United States-based environmental news website, was detained on Tuesday after being placed under city-arrest for more than a month while immigration officials investigated his alleged visa violations. Arrested under Article 122 of the 2011 Immigration Law, Jacobson could be subjected to a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to Rp 500 million (US$36,556) if convicted of the charges. International media freedom agency Reporters without Borders (RSF) has issued a statement denouncing the arrest as an act of intimidation. The Central Kalimantan immigration officials have massively overstepped their powers. We call on the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, which oversees the Directorate General of Immigration, to ensure that this journalist is immediately released in accordance with the rule of law, the head of RSFs Asia-Pacific desk, Daniel Bastard, said in a press release on Wednesday. RSF said it had contacted Jacobson in Palangkaraya in early January before his arrest. Jacobson told the agency immigration officials were carrying out an investigation into his case and that he had done nothing more than attend a public meeting. The director of New Zealand-based news agency Pacific Media Center, David Robie, called the punitive measures against Jacobson unjustifiable and unacceptable. This slow detention then arrest of one of the worlds leading environmental journalists will do untold damage to Indonesias reputation on media issues and democracy, he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. The issue of a business visa is merely a technicality and can be solved bureaucratically. The reason why some journalists have other types of visas is because of the secretive and red-tape-mired processes applying to foreign journalists visiting the country. Robie said the type of journalism carried out by Jacobson and Mongabay were vital for confronting the existential crisis of our time. By arresting journalists, authorities clearly are wanting to bury their heads in the ground and refuse to face the facts and truth. Journalists like Jacobson, who has a highly respected track record as an environmental journalist, should be lauded not hounded. Other journalists and environmental activists have taken to social media to voice their support of Jacobson with the hashtag #freephilipjacobson circulating on Twitter. In a tweet, Sydney-based Indonesian sustainable forests executive Aida Greenbury called Jacobson an honest, passionate and dedicated journalist. He has been arrested. Indonesia: we are better than this. Revealing the truth is not a crime, she tweeted. The Australians Southeast Asia correspondent Amanda Hodge tweeted that Jacobson had done some of the most important work in Indonesia on [the] intersection of corruption [and the] environment. The long-form pieces hes written/ helped produce w @gekkoprojekt are essential reading. His arrest is deeply disturbing #freephilipjacobson. The Indonesian Journalists Safety Committee has also weighed in on the issue, calling the arrest of Jacobson an excessive measure that tarnished Indonesias democracy. The excessive actions against Jacobson call into question the governments motives and should not reflect authorities allergy to criticism and oversensitivity toward his investigations on the environment for Mongabay. It called for Jacobsons immediate release and for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to guarantee the protection of journalists working in Indonesia and of the transparency of information and access of foreign journalists to cover in Indonesia on the basis of press freedom, freedom of information and human rights. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2019 democracy index, Indonesias democracy has not climbed from its position of 64th of 167 countries. Press freedom is also languishing with Indonesia ranked 124th of 180 countries in RSF's 2019 World Press Freedom Index, above Uganda and below Malaysia. The writer is an intern under the ACICIS program. Topics : Indonesia media environment criminalization Mongabay JERSEYVILLE Ameren Illinois announced on Wednesday a two-year, $18.4 million electric grid project to enhance service reliability for customers in Jersey and Macoupin counties. Ameren officials said the company is fortifying power lines and poles to withstand high winds during storms, as well as making enhancements at substations in Jerseyville, Piasa and Brighton. The upgrades are part of our overall statewide plan to build a cleaner, greener, more resilient grid, said Richard Mark, president of Ameren Illinois. With these enhancements, Ameren Illinois is taking proactive steps to prepare for the future needs of our electric customers, he said. During the first phase, scheduled to start this month, crews will upgrade 13.5 miles of power lines and replace more than 300 power poles from Jerseyville to Brighton. Part of the project includes installing a new 3-mile circuit to connect the Piasa Junction and Brighton substations. This will improve the resiliency of the grid and allow for power to be re-routed between the two substations in the event of a service outage. More than 50 composite fiberglass poles will be erected at strategic points along the route to strengthen the lines and prevent poles from breaking during sustained high winds. Composite poles are flexible and able to help the entire power line to better withstand the impacts of severe weather, said Chad Cloninger, division director for Ameren Illinois. We anticipate that this enhancement will improve electric service reliability for more than 4,200 customers in Jersey and Macoupin counties. The project represents an estimated investment of $10.5 million, according to Ameren. During the second phase, in 2021, electricians will begin making upgrades to the Jerseyville, Piasa Junction and Brighton substations to add more resiliency to the grid. New equipment will be added at each substation to meet future electric load increases and to assist in re-routing power to the other substations in the event of an outage. The project represents an estimated investment of $7.9 million, according to Ameren. Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has opened registration for the 2020 Pick Up Pennsylvania, an initiative supporting the Great American Cleanup. This annual event begins on March 1 and ends on May 31. During this period, registered events can get free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests donated by the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT and Keep America Beautiful, as supplies last. Events can include litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, community greening and beautification, special collections and education events and must be registered at gacofpa.org to receive free cleanup supplies. As part of this event, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association are sponsoring free or reduced cost trash disposal for registered program participants at participating landfills from April 1 through April 30, with prior approval. During the 2019 event, 92,342 volunteers were instrumental in cleaning up more than 6 million pounds of trash during 5,356 events held across the state. Groups, individuals and local governments participate in the annual initiative as a way to rally volunteers, reduce cleanup costs and be connected to a larger movement. To host an event or join a cleanup event near you visit gacofpa.org. Qestions can be answered by Michelle Dunn, Pick Up Pennsylvania Program Coordinator, at 877-772-3673 ext. 113 or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org. Anyone participating in Pick Up Pennsylvania can earn cash prizes for their nonprofit or charity of choice by entering the groups Pick Up Pennsylvania Video Contest. To participate, send Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful a 60-second video of your event showing how you keep Pennsylvania beautiful. For details go to gacofpa.org and choose Video Contest. Current 2020 Pick Up Pennsylvania supporters include: Coca-Cola, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation, Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association, Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Sheetz and Wegmans. Those who are interested in becoming a supporter of the 2020 Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative should contact Barb Christner at 724-836-4121 or bchristner@keeppabeautiful.org. It's a rare papal slight that receives a public airing and this one was aimed directly at Philadelphia's Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. But Pope Francis' purported reproach of the region's top Catholic as too "right-wing" as stated this weekend in a public letter penned by one of the pontiff's most vocal critics offered more than just an unusual glimpse into the Vatican's dirty laundry. It underscored a widening rift between the church hierarchy's conservative and liberal wings, and suggested evidence of a flinty relationship between two men who may best epitomize both sides. In public, Chaput, an unswerving traditionalist, and Francis, embraced by liberals as a Vatican "change agent," have professed mutual admiration most notably as the two stood side by side during the pope's visit to Philadelphia in 2015. And yet their public pronouncements have put them at apparent odds on issues ranging from same-sex relationships to divorce and the church's role in politics. The perception of a split between the men has so often garnered attention that Chaput complained to the Washington Post in 2015 about the tendency to pit him as Francis' foil. It "is a great narrative," he said, "except that it's not true." Yet Saturday brought more confirmation of a divide. In a published letter, the Vatican's former top diplomat to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a staunch Francis critic, called on the pontiff to resign, alleging that he and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, had long known about the sexual misconduct of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, who was forced to step down this summer amid scandal. In an unrelated passage tucked into the 7,000-word memo, Vigano recounted a five-year-old exchange in which Francis allegedly took a swipe at Chaput. "The bishops in the United States must not be ideologized," Vigano said Francis told him at a 2013 gathering of papal ambassadors in Rome. "They must not be right-wing, like the archbishop of Philadelphia." Vigano wrote that Francis also said bishops should "not be left-wing" either, adding, "And when I say left-wing, I mean homosexual." Francis has not denied Vigano's characterization of his remarks. He sidestepped questions from reporters aboard the papal plane Sunday as he was returning from Ireland, saying he would not dignify the former diplomat's letter with a response. "I will not say a single word about this," he said. "I believe the statement speaks for itself." Chaput, meanwhile, declined to respond directly, saying through a spokesperson that Vigano's claims were "beyond his personal experience." But he vouched for the former ambassador's character, saying he "found his service to be marked by integrity to the church." Those words might hardly seem inflammatory to most lay people, but longtime Catholic Church observers saw hints of palace intrigue. "We know that Archbishop Chaput had words of praise for Bishop Vigano," said Massimo Faggioli, a theology professor at Villanova University. "And that is surprising, given that Vigano put pressure on the pope to resign. One would expect a bishop to say that no one has the right to ask the pope to resign." Chaput and the pontiff first met at 1997's Synod for Bishops for America in Rome, when Francis was Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. The paths their careers have taken since have increasingly put them at odds, at least in tone if not on issues of doctrine. Both men, observers say, view the Catholic Church as at a crossroads. They differ on which path to take. Francis, since his election in 2013, has warned church leaders away from engaging in politics, and advocated opening the Catholic tent to better engage with a changing world a vision perhaps best crystallized by his response to reporters' questions that same year on his views about participation by homosexuals in the church. "Who am I to judge?" the pontiff replied. Chaput, meanwhile, has emerged as one of conservative Catholicism's leading voices in America an unapologetic culture warrior who has thrown himself into political debates on same-sex marriage and abortion with relish, strongly arguing against both. From the pulpit, he has advocated for strict adherence to traditional doctrine, fearing that accepting loosening public mores without a fight could set the church irrevocably adrift. "Stuffing your Catholic faith in a closet when we enter the public square or join a public debate isn't good manners," he told a room full of Catholic lawyers in Harrisburg in 2006. "It's cowardice." Despite their differences in approach, Chaput has never publicly criticized the pontiff and has said they agree on fundamental church teachings against gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia and contraception. In a 2013 interview with the National Catholic Reporter, he said the pope's seemingly more permissive statements have been misinterpreted by people who "want to use [him] to further their own agendas." And yet, Chaput's approach and Francis' vision have appeared at times to be at directly odds. For instance, when Francis in 2016 issued a pronouncement that appeared to give bishops more latitude in deciding whether to give Holy Communion to divorcees or those in same-sex relationships, Chaput four months later issued a decree insisting that Catholics in "irregular" sexual relationships should still be denied within the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Two years prior, when the pope convened a meeting in Rome to encourage more open debate on the church's stances on controversial social issues, Chaput, in public remarks, worried that it left an impression of uncertainty. "I think confusion is of the devil," he said. Some church watchers cited that apparent difference in worldviews to explain Francis' passing over Chaput when he named 17 new American cardinals in 2016. The five previous archbishops serving the Philadelphia Archdiocese had all been elevated to cardinal. For all the public discussion of their differences, Philip Cunningham, a theology professor at St. Joseph's University, said he sees the divide as more one of style than substance. "Chaput's way of doing theology and relating to the traditions is with a different style, and with a different set of priorities, than the pope," he said. "They're not mutually exclusive by any means, but they are different." Fianna Fail will spend an additional 100 million per year and freeze higher education fees at their current levels should it be elected, while reducing primary teacher-student ratios to 20:1, the party said. At its education policy launch at party HQ in Dublin, Fianna Fails education spokesman Thomas Byrne said the plan was based on not what we want to do or all that we would like to do, but on what we think we can do with the money thats available. The partys policy document further commits to tackling pay inequality for secondary school teachers, and the establishment of a new Department of Higher Education and Research with the goal of bolstering the rankings of Irish universities worldwide, which have been on the slide. The Government has been dismissive of those rankings, but they remain important, he said. One niche commitment would see the geography secondary school curriculum amended to focus on climate change. Mr Byrne said that in power his party would commit to the full restoration of the post-graduate grant. He argued that the additional 100 million mentioned represents a step change away from the status quo. He argued that there is something seriously wrong with the demographic planning of the Department of Education, with some primary schools - he mentioned Dunshaughlin in Meath and Swords in north Dublin - being wholly undersubscribed with others battling unsustainable lists. We need to always plan five years ahead, Mr Byrnes colleague, and spokeswoman on equality, Fiona OLoughlin said. People want politicians to do what they say they would do, Mr Byrne said, adding that his party has shown its trustworthiness in keeping to its commitments to coalition after the last election. Regarding the issue of one student in four in DEIS schools presenting as being homeless, Read More: He said that homelessness in education has proven long term effects on those afflicted. It would be a priority for us, one of the first things we would do is issue that circular. The issue was raised to deaf ears in Government, he said. This is an issue that has been normalised over the past four years, said Jack Chambers, Fianna Fails communications spokesman. In the future well look back with shame on what has happened with homelessness under Fine Gael. Meanwhile, Mr Byrne dismissed the idea of a grand coalition between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael post-election, something Read More: Micheal Martin has said as much hundreds of times. Were going into Government to get Fine Gael out, theyre out of touch, he said. WASHINGTON Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, the House Republican leader, hails from an era four years ago when gaffes could cost a lawmaker a job. In 2015 he lost his shot at the speakers gavel after he said the quiet part out loud: The true purpose of Republicans two-year inquiry into a deadly 2012 attack on the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was to dent Hillary Clintons poll numbers. But in these times, when such impolitic truths are uttered often by the commander in chief, McCarthy has found a moment. He stayed on as the House Republicans No. 2 after failing to grab the speakership, rising to the conferences top spot last year after Paul Ryan retired amid the anti-Trump wave of 2018, which handed the speakers gavel to Nancy Pelosi. Unburdened by Ryans strong ideologies or the self-certainty of a Newt Gingrich, McCarthy has become the happy warrior of the age, one colleague said, posing for photographs with players in the Ukraine saga, like Lev Parnas, shouting encouragement to his compatriots from his leadership perch and shepherding a fractious Republican conference behind President Trump, wrecker of Republican tradition. Congress no longer operates as an independent branch of government, but as an appendage of the executive branch, said Tom Davis, a former Republican House member from Virginia. He is made for that role. In recent weeks, McCarthy has called House impeachment a national nightmare, rigged and a last attempt to stop the Trump presidency. He claimed the FBI broke into Trumps campaign in a modern-day Watergate. He suggested that former Vice President Joe Biden should suspend campaigning while many of his top rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, sit as captive jurors in the impeachment trial. The impeachment saga has, however, most likely tainted McCarthy. Late last year, his awkward defense of the president in the Ukraine affair on 60 Minutes he appeared unfamiliar with the rough transcript of Trumps now-infamous call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky prompted Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who left the Republican Party last year over the presidents conduct, to tweet, Kevin McCarthy again displays his unique brand of incompetence and dishonesty. Photographs have trickled out in recent days showing the minority leader hobnobbing with characters central to Trumps effort to enlist Ukraine in discrediting Biden. Those include Parnas, an associate of the presidents personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Robert Hyde, a Republican congressional candidate who suggested in encrypted messages to Parnas that he was secretly tracking the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine at the time, Marie Yovanovitch. Beneath the bravado, McCarthy may be feeling the walls closing in on him. After Republicans 2018 midterm shellacking, he is one of only a half-dozen Republicans left in Californias 53-member House delegation. There were 19 elected in 2006, when he first won his seat. Elizabeth Williamson is a New York Times writer. Russian lawmakers on Thursday unanimously approved a sweeping constitutional reform bill put forward by President Vladimir Putin in its first reading, after less than two hours of debate. All 432 lawmakers present in the lower house State Duma voted in favour of the bill, just three days after the amendments were presented to Parliament. "This was a powerful show of unity," Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said after the vote, adding that the key second reading was expected on February 11. The bill will then face a third reading, but with parliament dominated by Kremlin-loyal lawmakers it is unlikely to face much pushback. Putin made the call for reforms last Wednesday and it was quickly followed by the resignation of the government and the appointment of a new premier and cabinet. The breakneck speed of the changes has fuelled speculation about Putin's plans, with some saying he is laying the groundwork to hold on to power after his current term expires in 2024. The Russian leader has kept observers guessing with the plan, saying it will transfer more authority to parliament and other state bodies, but also maintain a strong presidency. Once approved in three readings in the Duma, the bill will go to the upper house, the Federation Council, before a final signature by Putin. The president has also promised a nationwide public vote on the reforms that some officials suggest could take place within weeks, but it is not clear what form this will take. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny tweeted that any public vote would be irrelevant once the bill is formally approved through regular channels. "First the lawmakers will vote for (the amendments), and then they will offer people a 'toy vote' to create the illusion that it was adopted by them," he said, insisting the vote "would mean absolutely nothing". In his state of the nation speech last week, Putin suggested altering the constitution because "things have changed dramatically" since it was adopted in 1993. He outlined some proposals, including boosting the role of the State Council, currently an advisory body, giving more responsibilities to parliament, and introducing more stringent requirements for public officials. Among the proposed changes, according to the text of the bill on the parliament's website, lawmakers, rather than the president, would confirm the prime minister but the president could still sack any candidate. The president would also receive additional powers to overrule a bill adopted by a two-thirds parliamentary majority. Instead of being forced to sign such a bill, the president would be able to filter it through the Constitutional Court, where he can dismiss any judge. Asked about the future role of the State Council, United Russia lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov said it would be formed by the president to "deal with foreign and domestic policy and strategic issues". Some have suggested Putin could head the council after 2024 to keep the grip on power he has maintained for over two decades. Putin on Wednesday reiterated his belief that Russia needs a strong presidency, saying parliamentary republics in Europe have been "malfunctioning". "They can't form a government for six months: imagine if Russia lived with no government for six months, (it would be) a catastrophe!" he said, in what appeared to be a reference to Belgium. "Russia... needs strong presidential authority." Putin formed a "working group" of 75 people, including athletes and celebrities, to work on the amendments. The group met only twice, however, and one of its members said it was clear that the bill had been written far in advance, before any input from the hastily formed group. "I didn't work (on the amendments)," Yelena Alshanskaya, who heads a major orphan charity, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. "Clearly our role is merely ceremonial. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several BJP activists were arrested by the police from Titagarh area of North 24 Parganas district on Thursday for putting up inflammatory posters against CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is scheduled to address rally there. The local BJP organised a sit-in the area in protest and the police sent them back. According to the police few BJP activists had put up inflammatory and derogatory posters against Kumar, who is scheduled to address a rally in the area later in the evening. "We received complaints from locals and on the basis of it we arrested some BJP activists," a police officer said. The local BJP leadership when contacted said it is not a crime to put up posters against political opponents. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LAS VEGAS, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galaxy Gaming, Inc. (OTCQB: GLXZ) a developer and distributor of casino table games and enhanced systems, announced today that it has received licensing approval from the California Gambling Control Commission as a Gaming Resource Supplier. California is the largest table games market in North America. We couldnt be more pleased with the State of Californias recognition of our efforts to re-build our company. We are excited to return to California after a 6-year absence. We have been working toward this for many years and are pleased to meet the demand for our products in California. This is an important market for Galaxy, and we look forward to providing our games and proprietary Progressive Systems to casino operators throughout the state, stated Todd Cravens, Galaxys President and CEO. This approval marks the thirteenth license approval for Galaxy Gaming since its May 6th, 2019 redemption of shares of its former majority stockholder, Robert Saucier. Cravens further stated: Since the redemption, among others, we have received licenses from the province of Ontario, the states of Maryland, Wisconsin, Arkansas and now California. We will continue to expand our jurisdictional footprint in 2020 and beyond. Today is a great day in the Galaxy! Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Galaxy cautions readers that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information due to a number of factors, including those listed from time to time in reports that Galaxy files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Galaxy Gaming Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Galaxy Gaming (galaxygaming.com) develops, manufactures and distributes innovative proprietary table games, state-of-the-art electronic wagering platforms and enhanced bonusing systems to land-based, riverboat, cruise ships and online casinos worldwide. Galaxys games can be played online at FeelTheRush.com. Connect with Galaxy on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Contact: Media: John Strickland (702) 938-1753 Investors: Harry Hagerty (702) 938-1740 A rooftop solar power system in a house in the southern province of Can Tho. - Photo thanhnien.vn The ministry had said it was essential to maintain this tariff until 2021 to encourage the development of rooftop solar. The ministry has also asked EVN to be responsible for connecting rooftop solar power systems to the national electricity grid without overloading it. More and more companies and households are installing rooftop solar power in HCM City. Tran Trung Kien, owner of a home decor store in HCM Citys Cu Chi District, spent nearly VND100 million (US$4,300) installing solar panels on the roof of his newly built house. He uses this power for daily activities and draws much less than he used to from the grid. At the Saigon Hi-Tech Park, Sacom - Chip Sang Co., Ltd is using energy from a solar power system it installed atop its building. The panels are also being installed at schools and peoples committee offices around the city. The HCM City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) has, in co-operation with suppliers of rooftop solar power facilities, installed them at many schools. The Peoples Committee of District 12 has installed a system on its 300sq.m office. Binh Chanh District has 166 rooftop solar installations with a combined capacity of 5,283 kWp, 50 per cent higher than the target set by EVN, 152 in houses (1,945kWh), and the remaining at commercial establishments. The Binh Chanh Power Company, a subsidiary of EVN, said it has launched campaigns to educate the public about the benefits of rooftop solar. Besides, EVN and suppliers of rooftop solar power facilities offer incentives and promotions like a 10 per cent discount on solar panel prices, interest-free loans and payment in instalments. It takes five to six years to recover the cost of the solar panels. The citys solar energy potential is very high since it has solar radiation of nearly 1,581 kWh per square metre per year. The average number of sunshine hours is 100-300 and lasts throughout the year unlike in the northern region. The highest radiation level is 6.3 kWh per square metre per day in February and the lowest is 3.3 kWh in July. According to the World Banks Report on Technical Assessment of Rooftop Solar Energy Potential in Viet Nam in 2017 HCM City had solar power potential of 6,300MW. Pham Viet Anh, deputy head of communications at EVN in HCM City, said 3,741 households, offices and enterprises in the city had installed 42.7 MWP of rooftop solar. and 3,521 are connected to the grid. Authorities should make installation of rooftop solar compulsory for administrative and non-commercial agencies and beneficiaries of public funding, and make it a criterion for evaluating and ranking enterprises, it said. To encourage people to use rooftop solar, there should be subsidies and other support, it added. The city grid has sufficient capacity to accept power supplied from rooftop solar systems. The high cost of installing solar energy systems discourages many people and the solution is to offer preferential loans or incentives. Nationally, rooftop solar power installation is expected to reach 2,000MW by the end of 2020, according to EVN. As traditional power sources run out, the development of renewable energy infrastructure, including rooftop solar power, is crucial to providing enough power to Viet Nam's burgeoning needs. Renewable energy experts said the countrys central and southern regions have huge potential to develop rooftop solar systems since they average radiation of 4.2-4.8kWh per square metre per day. NICASIO, Calif. - The killing of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 was a historic event, a brutal wake-up call about the fragility of free speech under a supposedly reformist Saudi Arabian leader. Now it's poised to turn into something else: a cinematic event. On Friday, the Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel, who previously made the Russian-doping investigation "Icarus," will unveil a documentary about Khashoggi, called "The Dissident," at the Sundance Film Festival. Layered with news, drama and moral excoriation, the film not only unpacks one of the most shocking events in modern Middle East-U.S. relations but is likely to shine an uncomfortable spotlight on both Saudi Arabia and the profit-minded American companies that do business with it. The movie, viewed by The Washington Post, already has influenced developments this week by pushing the United Nations to release its own conclusions about the alleged Saudi hacking of a phone belonging to Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. One of those investigators, Agnes Callamard, who is interviewed in the film, believes that this is only the beginning of its impact. "It's far more powerful than any report I can write in terms of delivering the story to a great number of people," Callamard told The Post in an interview. "I don't think the court of public opinion is the same as a judicial proceeding," she added, "but it is a form of accountability." Fogel described the story's appeal to him last week as he worked on the film at Skywalker Ranch, the Northern California grounds where directors conduct postproduction work. "This is a story that has a distant repressive regime," he said. "It has a slain journalist. It has a fiancee waiting for love. It has American complicity. It ticks all the boxes." Post columnist Khashoggi was killed Oct. 2, 2018, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in an act the CIA believes was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "The Dissident" tells that story, along with the complicated quest for the truth in the 16 months since. It features a slew of details from Turkish investigators alleging how the killing was committed and covered up; on-camera interviews with figures like Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz; and a parallel story of Khashoggi's fellow dissident taking refuge in Quebec, who the film shows to be subjected to similar targeting. A number of Post figures, including columnist David Ignatius, senior reporter Shane Harris and publisher Fred Ryan, appear in the movie. Fogel said The Post had no financial involvement in the film. In a blistering final section, "The Dissident" also takes to task the American companies that continue to work with Saudi Arabia, highlighting the role of Western business interests in empowering Mohammed. The movie could inadvertently prove its own point. Independently financed by the Human Rights Foundation, "The Dissident" will screen at Sundance for prospective buyers. Given the importance of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, it remains an open question which global streamers or studios will jump at the chance to acquire it. Fogel made the movie to explore the consummate insider-turned-exile - Khashoggi at times was uncomfortable with the "dissident" label - who shed light on a government and in turn became one of its biggest targets. By taking a slick and almost thriller-like approach, Fogel hoped to attract a wide audience without sacrificing nuance. Mohammed has said he takes "full responsibility" for the killing because it was perpetrated by Saudi government employees but has denied ordering it himself. Saudi Arabian foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud called the U.N. report about the Bezos hacking "absurd" and "absolutely silly." Using transcripts and other evidence, "The Dissident" lays out the plan to kill Khashoggi, who died just days before his 60th birthday. The plan was allegedly designed by Saud al-Qahtani, then one of Mohammed's chief advisers, and Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy, the forensic doctor who allegedly worked out how to eliminate evidence. With grim specificity, al-Tubaigy is shown via transcript describing how to cut up Khashoggi's body so it can be easily removed. The body was never found, but Fogel cites Turkish investigators who say it was taken to an oven that had been bought and installed at the consul general's house and burned. The consulate at that time also had purchased 70 pounds of meat at a local restaurant - ideal to burn and mask the smell of an incinerated corpse. Al-Tubaigy is believed to be one of five people the Saudis say were sentenced to death after a closed-door trial conducted by the Saudi government. Callamard objected to the proceedings, after which she tweeted the "masterminds . . . walk free." The film features extensive on-camera interviews with Omar Abdulaziz, a 28-year-old democracy activist who fled Saudi Arabia before the Khashoggi killing and now lives in Montreal. Abdulaziz recounts how agents of the crown prince threw his friends and relatives in jail while using both threats and enticements to try to get him to return to Saudi Arabia or one of its consulates - for what purpose he can only speculate. Little known before the attack, Abdulaziz turns out to be a central player in the narrative. He and Khashoggi had collaborated to launch "the bees" - a democracy-minded Twitter offensive to counter Mohammed's jingoistic troll farm known as "the flies." Abdulaziz believes that this effort, along with $5,000 Khashoggi wired him to get it off the ground, cemented the decision to kill Khashoggi. In the wake of Khashoggi's death, Abdulaziz has struggled with guilt. "Whenever I remember him, I feel I have to do more," the activist says on-screen. "I don't want to fail him." There are parallels in Abdulaziz's story to the main character in "Icarus," Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who helped design the Russian doping plan before risking his life to blow the whistle on it in a Fogel film. Fogel said the two movies are companion pieces of sorts, both growing out of his desire to use former insiders to show cutthroat behavior by bad state actors - a "real-time instead of a retrospective look at evil and the heroes who try to stop it." "Icarus" became not just a hit for Netflix but an activist cause for Fogel and his producing partners, who have since spent several years trying to keep Rodchenkov safe. The whistleblower remains in hiding in the United States years after the doping scandal broke. Fogel sees a similar pattern here. Harsh Saudi tactics, he suggests, didn't end with the killing. The movie lays out in detail the hacking that continued, via the phone-trawling program Pegasus, of key figures in the West. Chief among them is Bezos, whose Amazon had plans to build large data centers in Saudi Arabia - plans that stalled after the killing. According to one of the U.N. investigators in the film, David Kaye, a seemingly innocuous video file that Mohammed sent to Bezos via WhatsApp in April 2018 - five months before Khashoggi's death - likely contained Pegasus. Reams of data were then found to have been extracted from Bezos's phone. "It's shocking they were able to hack someone like Jeff Bezos from a cybersecurity standpoint," Fogel said. "But in light of what we know in the overall story and what they did to Jamal [Khashoggi] it makes perfect sense." The fallout from Khashoggi's killing was intense. Many companies pulled out of an economic forum scheduled for late that fall, while Hollywood firm Endeavor, the holding company that controls a large talent agency as well as the mixed martial arts promoter UFC and other entities, returned a $400 million investment. But it was also brief. Many companies that did not attend Mohammed's forum in 2018 returned in force in 2019. "I saw how little has really changed after Khashoggi," Fogel said. "And it's angered me." This is one reason, he noted, that he wished to spotlight them in the movie, even offering at the film's end a list of companies still doing business in Saudi Arabia. (In the version The Post viewed, the company names had not been finalized.) Fogel hopes that as the movie is shown around the world, companies once again will feel pressure to back away from partnerships with the oil-rich nation. But pressure could go the other way - on companies not to do business with the film. One obvious contender to buy "The Dissident" is Netflix. Fogel said he'd love to work with the company again; the feeling might be mutual, given that Fogel helped the streamer win one of its first major Oscars two years ago. But Netflix has a reputation for caving to Saudi Arabia. Last year it pulled an episode of the Muslim American comedian Hasan Minhaj's show "Patriot Act" after pressure from the Saudi government. The topic in question? Khashoggi. Asked whether she anticipated pushback from any studios, Rena Ronson, the film's sales agent at United Talent Agency, said, "Documentary films can often be politically and artistically controversial by nature, and the studios in the nonfiction game understand that and find value in being a platform for these stories." Netflix did not provide comment. If the film does land a big distribution deal, the impact could be great. "The Dissident" makes visual and dramatic what had often been told largely in other formats. It portrays both the serious and graphic extent of the plot in new ways. Particularly chilling is following a man as he goes from trusting to wary to the dawning realization that he is about to be killed. Central to the film's influence will be Cengiz. Khashoggi is shown to love his fiancee dearly and wished urgently to marry her (a marriage license was his reason for visiting the consulate). She waited anxiously outside the consulate for Khashoggi to reappear. And it is she who has often carried the baton after his death. Alternately bereft and resolute, Cengiz appears in key moments to provide a human access point for the viewer. Cengiz is incredulous as she reflects on what happened. "It never crossed my mind they could kill people in a consulate," she says at one point. "I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it." Other times, her presence resonates simply by giving voice to what's been lost. "What's so difficult," she says, imagining what she'd like to tell her late fiance, "is that you left people in a world of politics deprived of your ideas." English French OTTAWA, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Parliament prepares to resume, a coalition of pharmacare advocates gathered in Ottawa to strategize the next steps to ensure the successful delivery of universal pharmacare. With polls showing over 90 per cent of Canadians in support of a national pharmacare program, and the Hoskins Report providing a clear path to implementation, 2020 is set to deliver big change to the way Canadians access their prescriptions. The Hoskins Report is done, the election promises have been made, the Ministers mandate letters are clear and the majority of MPs are with us. Canadians are ready. Its time for pharmacare, said Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff. With a critical mass of support, its time for this Liberal government to seize this historic opportunity to implement universal, single-payer national pharmacare. The Hoskins Report stated that an initial investment of $3.5 billion will be required in Federal Budget 2020 to the first step toward implementing universal pharmacare. The group of advocates emphasised this investment is the needed immediately to kick start this process. Right now, 7.5 million Canadians have inadequate drug coverage or none at all. In fact, 16 per cent of people in Canada go without medication for heart disease, high blood pressure or cholesterol because of cost, added Heart & Stroke CEO Yves Savoie. We cant wait any longer. Besides Budget 2020, stakeholders identified other milestones to ensure the implementation of this key missing piece of Medicare can be a success. Most importantly, they discussed how to bring pharmacare supporters and Canadians along this historic journey, and where it can lead us into the future. The cost savings of a single-payer model has been proven time and again, added Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas. With government and opposition support, were closer than ever to making single-payer pharmacare a reality, The group of pharmacare advocates is made up of organizations representing civil society, business, labour and patient interest groups. For more information: [January 23, 2020] WSO2 Recognizes Integration Specialist Yenlo with Partner of the Year Award 2019 Netherlands, Amsterdam, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global integration specialist Yenlo, today announced that it has been awarded Partner of the Year 2019 by WSO2. The award, which Yenlo also received for 2018, recognizes the continued strong performance of Yenlo in its multi-year partnership with WSO2, the leading open source integration vendor. Yenlo also received WSO2s Most Certified Partner of 2019 award in acknowledgement of its success in having the highest number of WSO2-certified consultants worldwide. The awards were presented at the yearly strategic kick-off for WSO2 team members and key partners and was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Yenlo brings more than 12 years of expertise in delivering solutions for enterprise applications, middleware and database platforms for traditional servers, private clouds, and public clouds. As a WSO2 VAR and Premier Integration Partner, Yenlo delivers integration and API management solutions based on the WSO2 Integration Agile Platform that enable agile digital transformation and support organizations API-first strategies. Last year, Yenlo introduced Connext, a fully managed integration WSO2 cloud platform built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the WSO2 Platform. Notably, Connext is the solution of choice for many banks that need to comply with open banking API standards. We are excited to recognize Yenlo with our awards for Partner of the Year and Most Certified Partner, said Shevan Goonetilleke, WSO2 president and COO. Yenlo has been a valued partner for several years and has played a strategic role in growing adoption of the WSO2 Integration Agile Platform. With its extensive team of WSO2-certified professonals, Yenlo is enabling enterprises across Europe, North America, and Asia to grow their digital business and become agile. It is a great honor to again receive WSO2s award for Partner of the Year. It is a true recognition of Yenlos success as a WSO2 partner and our commitment to open source integration. And Im proud of the extensive expertise of our worldwide team in achieving this superior performance, said Ruben van der Zwan, CEO and co-founder of Yenlo. Ruben added, We are delighted to further extend our partnership with WSO2 in 2020 and to accelerate global adoption of WSO2 by demonstrating to every enterprise the power of this open source integration solution. This year, we will place an extra focus on the Asia-Pacific region; thats why we opened an office in Sri Lanka last July. We will also continue to focus on the open banking market where our Connext platform is a perfect fit for the banking industry. The awards will make this possible and strengthen this focus. About WSO2 WSO2 is the worlds #1 open source integration vendor, helping digital-driven organizations become integration agile. Customers choose us for our broad integrated platform, approach to open source, and agile transformation methodology. The companys hybrid platform for developing, reusing, running and managing integrations prevents lock-in through open source software that runs on-premises or in the cloud. Today, hundreds of leading brands and thousands of global projects execute 6 trillion transactions annually using WSO2 integration technologies. Visit https://wso2.com to learn more. About Yenlo Yenlo is a global system integrator and specialist in enabling digital transformation with open source and agile technology. Yenlo is the most advanced Certified Premier Integration Partner (CPP) and Value-Added Reseller (VAR) of WSO2 and has offices in The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, United States and Sri Lanka. Our business is founded on the belief that enterprises need to regain their agility and become digital agencies to optimize their customer intimacy; achieve operational excellence; or add new services, products, or business models. We believe this agilityin technology, knowledge and financecan be created by applying an open source-first, API-first, and cloud-first strategy. At Yenlo, we bring agility to enterprises by delivering first-class professional services based on deep expertise. Our services range from enterprise and solution architecture to software development; operational support; and WSO2 product support, training and certification programs. These are complemented by our pre-built solution-as-a-service offerings, including our Connext service, a fully managed integration-platform-as-a-service. Visit www.yenlo.com for more information. Trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Yenlo | Connext Tamara de Lange Office: +31 20 2700 700 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Given the difficult financial and economic conditions in Lebanon, IMA is looking to alleviate some of the pressure of the situation by providing current and prospective candidates with an opportunity to remain abreast of the global industry changes by pursuing professional certification. "Individual development and career aspirations can easily take a backseat during such trialing times," said Hanadi Khalife, senior director of MEA, India, and Africa operations at IMA. "We hope this arrangement encourages aspiring finance and accounting professionals to keep pursuing their goals despite the current hurdles they are facing. Through this reduction, we are affirming our commitment to them during this difficult time and would like to inform them that their future need not be placed on hold and that gaining the necessary skills to thrive in today's fiercely competitive business environment remains within their reach. "IMA is dedicated to empowering accounting and finance professionals around the region during all phases of their careers by helping them upskill and accelerate their progression within the management accounting sector," added Khalife. Professionals, university students, and faculty members are all eligible to receive the 50% discount which applies to the IMA membership fee, CMA entrance fee, and the fees for both exams. This discount is valid till June 30, 2020. As part of IMA's commitment to promote and support the finance and accounting profession in Lebanon, IMA Lebanon Chapter hosted a workshop that covered "The Lebanese Economy and latest crisis" to identify the causes of the crisis and the respective developments within the banking sector. The interactive session conducted by Ziad Jehayem, treasurer of the IMA Lebanon Chapter and attended by business professionals and CMAs highlighted the impact of the monetary strategies on the Lebanese economy and the local currency. About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) IMA, named the 2017 and 2018 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) and CSCA (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) programs, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 125,000 members in 150 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit http://www.imanet.org/ Contact Rouba Zeidan IMA Email: [email protected] SOURCE IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) Related Links http://www.imanet.org/ EAST MEADOW, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Instant Home Sale Offers Comes to Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. The Mackenzie Rae Team (MRT), a Sales Team at Century 21 American Homes, now provides sellers a cash offer and quick closing, eliminating the conventional house sale process. Typically, a seller needs to wait months for offers from potential buyers. MRT Real Cash Offers eliminates all the hassle by providing a quick way to cash out on a house. There is no longer the need to handle repairs and upgrades or hope that a buyer's loan comes through. To achieve this, MRT has partnered with investors who will provide a cash offer to any home seller in their footprint. All cash offers are subject to inspection and are valid for 30 days from the delivery of the offer. "Because of the size of our team and company we are able to provide cash offers in a market area that other companies have not been able to penetrate. Coupled with our extensive historical data and predictive analytics our offers are more in line with the market areas and conditions our customers are selling in," says data specialist, Eric Uzzo MRT Real Cash Offers is a natural extension of the services offered to real estate owners in the New York area. There are many reasons sellers need to close quickly and the traditional sales process does not allow for it. Through partnerships, local knowledge, technology and a strong internal team the Mackenzie Rae Team has been able to apply their proprietary analytics to any property in Brooklyn, Queens, and on Long Island, and provide sellers an offer that is both competitive and hassle free. "We are really excited about the launch of MRT Real Cash Offers. The team has pulled together experts in Finance, Analytics, Construction and of course Residential Real Estate to ensure they are providing a relevant and needed service to our customers," says Mike Litzner, Broker Owner of Century 21 American Homes "While we have always worked with sellers who needed to cash out quickly, the Mackenzie Rae Team now provides a way to formally and professionally offer this unique service." MRT Real Cash Offers is a resource by local investors who are experts in the residential real estate market. About The Mackenzie Rae Team (MRT) Century 21 American Homes CENTURY 21 American Homes has been a valued CENTURY 21 company since 1996. The company has offices in the New York metropolitan area of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. Press Contact: Mike Litzner 5167968900 [email protected] Website: https://mackenzieraeteam.com/real-cash-offers/ SOURCE Mackenzie Rae Team Related Links http://mackenzieraeteam.com [January 23, 2020] MedicareCompareUSA Announces Formation of Holding Company and Appointment of New CEO as Part of Corporate Reorganization MedicareCompareUSA announced today a corporate reorganization that includes the formation of a holding company; new senior-level appointments; and an enhanced focus in helping hospitals attain, retain and serve Medicare patients. The move was propelled by the rapid growth of the company, which today supports more than 600 hospitals and health systems that collectively care for more than 10% of the nation's Medicare population. The company anticipates serving more than 1,000 clients by the end of 2022, representing about 20% of the marketplace. Central to the reorganization is the creation of MCUSA Holding Company, which will be responsible for development and adherence to the corporate mission and oversight of business unit operations. Initial divisions within MCUSA Holding Company are MedicareCompareUSA and MCUSA Consulting, plus additional business units and joint ventures with partners who share MCUSA's mission and can add significant value to a hospital's Medicare strategy and marketplace positioning. Concurrent with the reorganization, Kerri Lenderman has assumed the role of chief executive officer. Formerly the company's managing partner and director of consulting services, Lenderman had been serving as acting CEO for much of 2019. Company founder and immediate past CEO Paul Gauthier has undertaken the newly created position of chairman of the board of MCUSA Holding Company, and in that role will continue to be actively involved in the company's strategic direction and growth. "As America's population continues to age and as hospitals continue to place enhanced value in retaining their Medicare patients, MedicareCompareUSA has experienced unprecedented marketplace growth and receptivity," said Gauthier. "This reorganization will allow us to better serve our exsting and future clients by offering an expanded array of services that will position them as the marketplace leader in the Medicare space, while fulfilling their strategic and business goals." Toward that end, Gauthier says that the new structure will help the organization better address the unique needs of its larger national clients through the streamlining of many of its internal common functions. "Most importantly, it brings collective strengths to the needs of providers, while assuring high compliance standards across all activities. Today we are better positioned than ever to support providers of all sizes through relationships that presently connect over 35,000 agents and mega-sized insurance call centers," he says. MedicareCompareUSA, formed in 2011, is the nation's largest Medicare insurance-solution network for national and community hospital systems and physician groups. The company helps Medicare beneficiaries select a health plan that is accepted by their existing hospital and doctors through dedicated helplines that provide free and unbiased information about the health plan options available in their community. MCUSA Consulting is a full-service consulting practice specializing in Medicare insurance strategic planning, CMS compliant patient messaging and Medicare insurer relations. MCUSA Consulting provides Medicare patient and market analytics, patient communication services (digital, mail and telephonic), and compliance audit and review, all geared to assist health systems in growing Medicare market share and protect existing patient-provider relationships. The company is considered the national expert in assisting health systems and patients impacted by Medicare Advantage contract terminations or when a plan leaves a service area. "Timing is critical when a national Medicare Advantage contract is terminated," says Lenderman. "Tens of thousands of Medicare patients can be impacted in one fail swoop, requiring swift and clear patient communication and agent coordination. Our proven track record provides compliant and systematic support to mobilize all necessary resources for a successful outcome." Looking ahead, Lenderman says that in 2020 the company will launch a new initiative focused on the unique needs of rural health clinics and critical access hospitals. In addition, the company hopes to partner with an insurer to bring to market a Medicare Supplement product that will support Accountable Care Organizations; Medicare population management initiatives; and, to the extent possible, patient-centric medical homes. With its strong foundation and impressive track record, an increasing number of hospitals and doctors are looking to MedicareCompareUSA and MCUSA Consulting as an indispensable part of a proactive patient-communication and population-management strategy. medicarecompareusa.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005239/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chinese citizens fear the government is not disclosing every thing it knows about the new, mysterious coronavirus that is spreading across the globe. The virus, known as 2019-nCoV, was first discovered in the city of Wuhan, home to 11 million people and capital of the Hubei province. So far figures show more than 800 people have been afflicted and 25 have died, and China's government, which has tight control on the country's media and Internet, has been showing signs of greater transparency than usual. But citizen are wary, remembering how authorities covered up the SARS outbreak from 2002 to 2004, which - experts say - led to so many deaths. The Chinese government has attempted to be transparent about the new coronavirus outbreak, but citizens are wary, remembering cover-up of the SARS epidemic from 2002 to 2004. Pictured: Chinese passengers, most wearing masks, arrive to board trains before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station, Thursday When the first cases of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), first popped up in China in November 2002, the government hid it for four months. It was not until late January 2003 that officials classified the disease's spread as a potential spread and not until mid-February that they announced it publicly. By the time it was contained in May 2004, 8,098 people had been made ill by the virus and 774 people had died. China promised to be more transparent but the cover-up surrounding the new Wuhan coronavirus is oddly reminiscent of past actions. Previous reports say the first case was reported on December 31, but, according to The New York Times, the first case was actually report on December 8. Officials insisted the condition was 'mild', 'under control' and could not be transmitted between humans. Even Wang Guangfa, a top government respiratory expert who told the media on January 10 that the Wuhan outbreak was 'preventable and controllable,' contracted the virus. In fact, other cities in mainland China didn't reveal they had cases until Hong Kong news media reported that cases of the virus had been confirmed in its region. Posts about the outbreak have also been disappearing from social media. The People's Daily, the Communist Party-sponsored newspaper, posted on social media that Wuhan province was running low on masks, but it was deleted shortly after, reported The Washington Post. In another instance, a post from Wuhan Railway, the commuter rail service, which reported that 300,000 people left Wuhan via train on Wednesday also disappeared. The Times also reported that journalist Rose Luqiu wrote an article for qq.com, a news website by Chinese tech giant Tencent about steps Hong Kong's government had taken to handle the virus - only for it to be deleted 10 hours later. Additionally, according to TVB, a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong, a group of journalists from the station were held after the visited the hospital in Wuhan, Jinyintan Hospital, that had the most coronavirus patients. Police reportedly asked them to delete material they'd shot at the hospital as well as to turn in their phones and cameras so they could be examined. The Wuhan coronavirus is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market, with experts suggesting the virus was passed to humans from snakes or wolf cubs. Most of the cases are in China, but patients have been confirmed in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the US. Almost all of the 25 deaths have occurred among older males who had pre-existing conditions. According to the Centers for Disease of Control and Prevention, signs may appear as quickly as two days or as far as 14 days after exposure. The agency says this is based on what was seen in the incubation period for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a cousin of the new virus that originated in Saudi Arabia in 2012. There is no cure for the new virus or vaccine to prevent it, and the National Institutes of Health says research to develop a vaccine is in 'very preliminary stages.' The federal government and the governors of the six South-west states have agreed on how Amotekun, the new security outfit set up by the region, should proceed, Vice President Yemi Osinabjo said Thursday. Mr Osinbajo met in Abuja on Thursday with the six South-west governors, alongside Attorney-General Abubakar Malami and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar. His spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said the meeting was at the instance of the governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun initiative. Due to the presidents absence, he asked the vice president to host the meeting. The meeting was very fruitful and unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward, Mr Akande said in a statement. Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the Community Policing strategy of the Federal Government. It was also agreed that necessary legal instruments will be put in place by each of the States to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, who spoke to journalists after the meeting, corroborated the vice presidents statement. What I believe is our resolution is that Amotekun is there, you know the federal government is starting community policing, in essence really is about community. So, we are going to work together to see the community policing and Amotekun work in a way, he said. The creation of the security network to check rampant attacks and kidnapping in the region triggered controversy, with many Nigerians backing the effort while the federal government initially said it was unconstitutional. Thursdays meeting means both sides have agreed to pull back from confrontation and work together under the federal governments community policing initiative. Read Mr Akeredolus remarks after the meeting on Thursday: Well we had a very fruitful discussion. Governors of south west as you know we were all there. The meeting was presided over by the Vice President. The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation was there as well as the Inspector General of Police. So, we have robbed minds and all of us have agreed on the way forward. The most important one is that we are going to have legal framework to back this Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to be one which we all are going to look at and will be sure to go without any hinderance. READ ALSO: Does it mean the establishment of this outfit has been put on hold until the legal framework is developed? No. What I believe is our resolution is that Amotekun is there, you know the federal government is starting community policing, in essence really is about community. So, we are going to work together to see the community policing and Amotekan work in a way. Why was there no such consultations before the launch of the outfit? No no no, there were consultations, dont say there were no consultations. There were consultations because, we held discussions with the IG then and what has developed is what has led to this, not that there were no consultations. We just felt that with all these noise outside it is better for us to sit down. Remember that immediately the noise started, I said that we are going to explore political solution and all of us are here, my colleague the deputy governor of Oyo who is of the PDP, all of us are here. So we have looked at this solution to it now, both political and legal solutions to it and all of us will do it. On what he will tell those protesting that government is trying to stop it? No, the government is not trying to stop it. The attorney general has spoken on that, Im sure you have all read the statement that he was misinterpreted. So its so clear, there was no time that government wanted to stop Amotekun and the AGF having spoken, its all about us, so there is no problem. 9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump was asked at Davos if cutting entitlements will ever be on his plate, and he said they would be if he wins a second term. In an interview with CNBC, Trump said, At some point, they will be. We have tremendous growth, were going to have tremendous growth. Next year, it will be towards the end of the year, the growth is going to be incredible, and at the right time, we will take a look at that. You know, thats actually the easiest of all things, because its such a big percentage. Trump was lying about the projected growth. Economic growth is projected to slow in 2020 to 1.9% according to projections by the Chicago Federal Reserve. Trump is saying that if he wins a second term, he is going to cut Social Security and Medicare. Video: The president wants to cut Social Security and Medicare to pay for another round of tax cuts for the wealthy. Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, President Trump and the GOP cant seem to help themselves: their core goal is to cut taxes for the rich and corporations, then turn around and try to pay for those cuts by slashing vital public services working families depend on and have spent years paying into. But this time the American people are wise to the trick and wont put up with it. Trump wants to take America back to the time when older people and individuals with disabilities spent their lives and golden years in an all-consuming state of poverty. At a time when people on Social Security and Medicare need more assistance, Trump is plotting to take away what they have. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to take away Social Security and Medicare. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Prince Harry reunited with his wife Meghan Markle in Canada on Monday after their bombshell exit from the British royal family. In an official statement on their website, the couple said they are working to become "financially independent" after stepping back as senior members of the royal family. Together, they are worth $30 million. To be able to earn and support their lavish lifestyle, the couple must hustle since they will no longer receive allowances from the "Sovereign Grant." Meghan, who was photographed taking their son Archie and their two dogs out on a stroll in Vancouver Island on Monday, is reportedly planning to build a Kardashian-like lifestyle, according to Page Six's sources. Both the Sussexes and the Kardashians have two things in common: connections to a lot of money and their platform that could earn them millions of dollars. What's Next For The Sussexes? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently staying in a multimillion-dollar home. Their $14 million waterfront home is rented from their billionaire friend, and they are expected to remain there for the foreseeable future. They are also pulling a "Kardashian" move by trademarking the "Sussex Royal" brand on more than 100 items. The Sun previously reported that the list includes footwear, printed material, clothes and even newspapers. Harry and Meghan are also reportedly still working on the launch of their Sussex Royal Foundation with New York City PR firm Sunshine Sachs, and the are said looking for someone to lead the foundation. With the PR film, the Duke and Duchess will start building their expected commercial empire after getting the freedom to earn millions and sign different deals that would benefit them. Similar to how the Kar-Jenner's work, Prince Harry and Meghan are waiting for endorsement deals and brands who would want to work with them and pay them millions of dollars per social media post, per appearance or per mention in their speeches. However, it does not stop there. Royal watchers might also see the couple on TV, the big screen or in streaming platforms. Ted Sarandos, the Netflix personnel who signed President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production deal, has already hinted that he would be hiring Prince Harry and Meghan for work. According to Page Six, there is already a possibility of having their documentary channel where they could showcase their charity works for the world to see that they are still invested in helping. Prince Harry already has a few major charity events in the works, as reported by the London Evening Standard. Meghan For President? In the Kardashian family, only Kanye West expressed his desire to run for presidency. Meghan, on the other hand, is reportedly someone who many see would also run for presidency. Since the former "Suits" actress has ambitions, many could see her running for president in 10 years. After finalizing Megxit, the couple must be relieved for having some breathing space for all that has happened to them. The pair are reportedly eager to finally have a fresh start. "With the kind of work that Meghan and Harry want to do, they have to be free from palace protocol and Politics," Top British PR and branding expert Mark Borkowski told The Post, via Page Six. Borkowski added it is difficult to speak your mind out properly "with the Palace breathing down your neck." However, he said that he hopes the prince and his wife is savvy enough so they would not make themselves look tactless. Although many reports claim that it was Meghan who convinced and forced Prince Harry to step back from the royal family, s Page Six source reported that they made the decision together. As described, the Duke of Sussex is knowingly a man who "loves his wife, his child and the family they are creating together." Navalny, Sobol challenge order to pay $1.4 mln in compensation to school food supplier RIA Novosti 10:55 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) - Alexey Navalny and his associate Lyubov Sobol have filed appeals with the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals against a court ruling recovering 88 million rubles ($1.4 million) from them in favor a company supplying food to school, according to court records. Earlier, a similar complaint was lodged by a foundation established by Navalny. In late 2019, the Moscow Commercial Court issued its ruling in favor of Moskovsky Shkolnik. Navalny was also ordered to retract and remove certain incorrect information from his YouTube channel. Moskovsky Shkolnik, a company catering Moscow schools and residential care facilities, claimed it had lost a customer after the information was published. On November 1, Moscows Zamoskvoretsky District Court, upheld a decision of the Justice Ministry to add the nonprofit organization created by Navalny to the list of NGOs acting as foreign agents. Russias Justice Ministry published its respective decision based on the Federal Law on NGOs in early October. The fact of the organizations conforming to the foreign agent criteria had been established during the monitoring of its activity conducted by the Justice Ministrys Moscow Main Directorate, the Ministrys official website informed at that time. The decision to give Navalnys foundation the status of a foreign agent was made based on evidence of its funding from abroad, the acting director of the Justice Ministrys NGO affairs department Vladimir Titov told journalists. The organization was to be brought to administrative liability by court if it failed to comply with legislation and refused to register as a foreign agent, according to the official. MONTREALFernand Daoust, a longtime Quebec union leader best known for his time with the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ), has died at 93. The cause of death wasnt made public but Daoust, who died Wednesday, had been ill for some time. Daniel Boyer, president of the Quebec Federation of Labour said in a statement on Thursday he was profoundly saddened by Daousts death. Boyer paid tribute to Daoust as a man dedicated his life to making Quebec a modern, fair and democratic society and for shaping the federation into the influential position it holds today as the provinces largest union. Denis Bolduc, the organizations current secretary general, said Daousts death marks the end of an important chapter in the history of Quebecs union movement. Known as the le grand Fernand, Daoust was often seen alongside Louis (Ti-Louis) Laberge, his running mate at the helm of the FTQ for a quarter-century. Daousts professional life was marked by two major causes the defence of workers and the defence of the French language. His labour union involvement spanned more than four decades from 1950 until 1993. Born Oct. 26, 1926, the son of a mailman and a seamstress, Daoust studied economics and industrial relations at the social sciences faculty at the Universite de Montreal. He got his start in organized labour in 1950, first with the hatmakers union and then at the Canadian Labour Congress. In 1959, he was an adviser to the union representing petroleum industry workers and in 1968, he became the Quebec director of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. In 1964, Daoust lost the presidency of the Quebec Labour Federation by a single vote to Laberge, in the process becoming his right-hand during more than a quarter century as secretary general, a post he held until 1991, after which he became president. If Laberge, who died in 2002, had the reputation of being hot, colourful and direct, Daoust, his right-hand man, embodied the intellectual, reserved, affable diplomat. Daousts other major passion was defending the French language. He often paired the two, fighting for the strengthening of French in the workplace. In 1977, he sat on the board of directors of the Office de la langue francaise Quebecs French language watchdog and was also a member of the Mouvement Quebec francais, a French language rights group. The union says funeral details will be made public later in the week. Read more about: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged Pakistan premiere Imran Khan to ensure the safety of a Sikh leader who has alleged persecution by fundamentalists in that country. Sikh leader Radesh Singh Tony had tweeted on Thursday that he was getting threats from hardliners in Pakistan. "Urge @ImranKhanPTI to ensure safety of @aoepoeRadesh. I understand he's feeling unsafe in Pakistan, which has seen many Sikhs being persecuted in recent months. The @pid_gov should take immediate steps to protect him and others like him and facilitate their safe passage if needed," the chief minister tweeted. Radesh Singh Tony, who had contested the 2018 general election in Pakistan as an independent candidate, is reportedly facing threats along with his wife and three sons. Tony, who is also the chairman of the Khalsa Peace and Justice Foundation, had initially fled to Lahore in November 2018 from his native city of Peshawar in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leaving behind his business and property. The Sikh leader had posted a one-minute video on his Twitter handle, explaining his plight and seeking the help of Akali leader and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara ManagementCommittee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa. "I am getting assassination threats from Pak hardliners. The life of my family is in danger. Living in Pakistan is very dangerous for my family. Please please extend me help/refuge any further delay would cause serious troubles for my family," he wrote tagging Sirsa. In a video message, Tony said, "The world knows whatever has happened with me. I request Manjinder Singh Sirsa to help my family which is in trouble at this time". He urged Sirsa to seek the help of the UN to take him out from "where he was currently living". He did not disclose his location in the video. Tony said he would like to be taken to any place which is safe for him like Europe, America, Canada and the UK. "I am still getting threats. I am in deep trouble and I want you to help me," he urged Sirsa while seeking support of the Sikh community. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Press release LEM announces new initiatives for operations in Switzerland and in Malaysia Changing role of headquarters (HQ) results in loss of 21 jobs in Geneva New Geneva HQ purpose built for around 250 employees, including R&D department, to open in 2021 Swiss holding company to transfer from Fribourg to Geneva Investment in Malaysia production facility to serve customers worldwide from 2021 Fribourg, Switzerland, 23 January 2020 - LEM (SIX: LEHN), a leading global company in electrical measurement for industry and automotive applications, announces today a number of initiatives impacting its Swiss operations, with an evolution of the HQ role and the loss of 21 jobs in Geneva. The company is also investing in a new global headquarters in Geneva and a new production facility in Malaysia to meet growing customer demand. Frank Rehfeld, Chief Executive Officer, said: "The investments we are announcing today demonstrate how LEM is anticipating and adapting to changes in our markets, and the new technologies and skill sets we must master to better meet customer requirements. We have the strength of a diversified global footprint and are making the organization more agile to capture growth opportunities. We are pleased to reinforce our commitment to our home city of Geneva, with an investment of around CHF 10 million in a new global headquarters that will do justice to the quality and leadership of our teams. However, the changing role of this HQ does mean some limited job losses in Geneva. We are also excited by the opportunity to build a new production facility in Malaysia which will provide flexibility as geopolitical events may impact supply chains for our customers. I would like to thank the commitment and ingenuity of our 1,500 people across the world; we are proud to develop and recruit the best global talent, working at the forefront of mega trends such as renewable energy, mobility, automation and digitization." Changing role of headquarters Over the past few years there has been a change in roles for the Geneva HQ based teams, who are now focused on setting strategy and standards, leading innovation and coordinating all global sites. The teams in countries such as China, Bulgaria, Japan and France have been empowered with skills and decision making in R&D, operations, sales and quality control. As part of this process, the company is making redundant 21 employees in Geneva, mostly in activities such as production support, supply chain and support functions. Some of these roles will now be performed in other countries. The affected employees are being accompanied with appropriate care and support. This will result in a one-off charge of CHF 1.5 million to the company's results for the current year 2019/20. New global headquarters situated in Meyrin, Geneva Based since 1983 in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, the global headquarters will be relocated to a new campus "The Hive" in Meyrin, Geneva, with an expected investment of around CHF 10 million. The new custom-built 7,000 sqm building will offer a modern work environment, better suited for collaboration, with the majority of the space dedicated to R&D and innovation. The campus is already home to other corporations such as Hewlett Packard, with excellent local amenities and easy access to car, train and airport networks. The first construction activities are scheduled for February 2020, and completion is expected in Q3 2021. This new Geneva site will be home to about 250 employees, out of a total of around 1,500 worldwide. Simplification of Swiss legal structure In parallel with the physical changes to the company's Swiss operations, there are also changes to its legal structure to reduce complexity and simplify internal processes. This will result in the merger of LEM International SA and LEM Switzerland SA on 30 June 2020 and the relocation of LEM Holding SA from Fribourg to Geneva, the latter subject to shareholders' approval. These changes will not result in any job losses, but rather the relocation of some staff to Geneva. New production facility in Malaysia The company has selected a site in Penang, Malaysia, for a new production facility of 5-10,000 sqm to meet growing demand from both industry and automobile clients worldwide, with an expected investment of between CHF 5-10 million. The facility is expected to open in fiscal year 2021/2022, employing about 50 people in the first year, and then growing to around 250 at full capacity after 5 years. This facility complements the company's existing major production sites in China, Bulgaria and Switzerland. LEM - Life Energy Motion A leading company in electrical measurement, LEM engineers the best solutions for energy and mobility, ensuring that our customers' systems are optimized, reliable and safe. Our 1,500 people in over 15 countries transform technology potential into powerful answers. We develop and recruit the best global talent, working at the forefront of mega trends such as renewable energy, mobility, automation and digitization. With innovative electrical solutions, we are helping our customers and society accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 1986, the company's ticker symbol is LEHN. www.lem.com Contact: Investment community Andrea Borla, Chief Financial Officer Phone: +41 22 706 1250 Email: investor@lem.com Contact: Media Cabinet Prive de Conseils s.a. (CPC) Nick Miles, miles@cpc-pr.com, direct +41 22 552 46 26, mobile +41 79 678 76 26 Michael Fuglister, fuglister@cpc-pr.com, direct +41 22 552 46 29, mobile +41 78 839 07 62 But the team of writers which includes Michael Chabon, Alex Kurtzman and Kirsten Beyer also wrote the character in a way that reminds fans of why they fell in love with the character to begin with. Part of the issue with Picard is that the television version has historically been significantly different than one weve seen in the films. In the original series, which aired from 1987 to 1994, Picard was a measured diplomat with a talent for staying calm. In the movies, Picard became something else entirely: an action hero, and an impulsive one at that. (Picards most famous line, from Star Trek: First Contact, The line must be drawn here and no further, is well delivered by Stewart because of his talent, but it was quite out of character.) This Picard, a version 20 years older than the one we see in Nemesis, is closer to the one we saw on our television screens: witty, warm, inquisitive and fierce about his beliefs in right and wrong. (It makes sense to see Picard tending to a dog named No. 1. But the sight of Picard shooting at his own assimilated crew members in First Contact, not so much.) We learn in the premiere that Picard is retired and living at Chateau Picard in France. He is under the care of two Romulans, Laris (Orla Brady) and Zhaban (Jamie McShane). Picard gives his first ever television interview how convenient for exposition purposes! in which a rather feisty reporter very kindly reminds him what hes been up to. He has written books! He became an admiral! But the plot really takes off when we learn that Picard pushed for the Federation to assist the Romulans, whose home planet was about to be destroyed by a sun that went supernova (as seen in the J.J. Abrams feature-length reboot from 2009, Star Trek.). The Romulans were the Federations enemy and many in Starfleet disagreed with Picard. Here is a departure from Generation: In the show, Starfleet is often painted as an unflinching force for good. The notion that it would not help save the inhabitants of an entire planet from being wiped out would be unthinkable, enemy or not. (The precedent here is Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, when there was much internal grumbling about Starfleets trying to negotiate peace with the Klingons, who were also about to die out.) Initially, the Federation, at Picards urging, did assist Romulus. Picard even led the armada to ferry Romulans beyond the supernovas reach. (This is presumably how Laris and Zhaban end up at Chateau Picard.) But at some point, a group of androids went rogue, destroying Utopia Planitia, a crucial shipyard near Earth, as well as some of the armada. Androids were banned in the aftermath and Starfleet quit the rescue efforts, much to Picards chagrin. Kildare man Ben Kavanagh, who is working as a teacher in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has told of the precautions people are taking to avoid contracting the coronavirus. Its almost like a ghost town, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland. Mr Kavanagh explained that with the Chinese New Year, he has been on a break from school since last Friday and has not gone outside his apartment for two to three days. He said that he lives near a dual carriageway that is usually very busy, but it is very quiet now. You are allowed out, but there are so many rumours and people are worried, its better not to. The latest news he heard was that the virus is spread through the eyes and people are now wearing eye protection as well as masks. I have enough water for a few more days, but I will probably have to head out to the shops for food. He had heard that prices for some products, such as celery, have already tripled because of shortages. Mr Kavanagh said that when he ventures out he will wear a surgical mask over his mouth and nose and swim goggles over his eyes. The timing of the virus could not be worse, he said as people are travelling to visit their families for the new year celebrations. While he is not very worried, he did admit that the issue does play on the mind a bit. People are taking the situation very seriously. I have no idea what to expect, he said. Most of the people who had died from the virus to date were elderly, he said. When asked if he would prefer to be at home in Kildare listening to election debates or dealing with a killer virus, he said it was 50/50. "The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence"-@DrTedros on new #coronavirus World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 22, 2020 The HSEs director of Public Health Dr John Cuddihy has said that the response to a suspected case of the coronavirus at a Dublin hospital earlier this week demonstrates that the protocols in place are effective. Following assessment the case was determined not to be the virus and the situation was de-escalated, he told RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke show. Dr Cuddihy said that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had determined that the risk of the Corona virus in Europe at present was low to moderate. The ambulance service, hospitals and primary care have protocols in place and the incident this week showed that the system works, he said. The key here is the travel history, anyone who has been in Wuhan in the last 14 days he added. The symptoms are similar to the flu virus he said, coughing, shortness of breath. The combination of clinical criteria and epidemiological criteria will be assessed by GPs, the ambulance service and emergency departments. Procedures have been in place since the ebola and Sars outbreaks, said Dr Cuddihy and the incident in Dublin this week indicated that the protocols work. Disease expert Prof Hugh Pennington told the same programme that the response to the incident in Dublin had been the right thing to do. They were extremely well prepared and it shows that the system works very well. [January 23, 2020] SoundHound Inc. Principal Scientist Bernard Mont-Reynaud Recipient of the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association's 43rd Inventor of the Year Award SoundHound Inc. is thrilled to announce that Principal Scientist Bernard Mont-Reynaud has been selected as the recipient of the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association's 43rd Inventor of the Year Award. The award presentation by SVIPLA was made on January 22, 2020, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto (News - Alert). For additional program details, please visit: www.les-svc.org. Mont-Reynaud is a co-inventor on over 20 granted patents, with many more pending. In his 10 years at SoundHound Inc., he has been one of the driving forces behind technologies that helped propel SoundHound from startup to a Silicon Valley unicorn. Mont-Reynaud is notably a co-inventor of conversation state technology. Besides enabling natural follow-up queries and the ability to modularize natural language domains, his invention makes SoundHound's Collective AI scalable. Conversation state technology is an integral part of SoundHound's voice AI platform Houndify, powering the conversational interface for global brands including Mercedes-Benz, iHeartMedia, Honda, Hyundai, Pandora (News - Alert), and more. After Mont-Reynaud graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, France, he did research at INRIA at Stanford University, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He taught computer science at UC Berkeley before joining the Stanford Center for Compter Research in Music and Acoustics, researching music analysis. The analysis, visualization and perception of music and audio have been major themes of his work over the years, along with image processing, real-time systems, advanced UI design, and natural language understanding. Mont-Reynaud has also worked at Lucasfilm, Xerox PARC, Studer Editech, FXPAL, Sony, Audience (News - Alert), and Cadence. "I am truly honored to be the recipient of this year's prestigious SVIPLA's Inventor of the Year Award," said Mont-Reynaud. "To be recognized in the same category as Silicon Valley giants such as Bob Noyce and Marcian 'Ted' Hoff is humbling. I look forward to making continued impactful contributions at SoundHound Inc. that will help shape the next decade-plus of voice technologies." In addition to the award, a one-hour Ethics CLE presentation, "Ethics in IP Litigation, IPR Proceedings, and Patent Prosecution," was presented during the program by Sarah Moore, IP Litigator at Cooley LLP. She discussed recent ethics opinions and the application of the ethical duties to different stages throughout the IP litigation lifecycle, IPR proceedings, and patent prosecution. About SoundHound Inc. SoundHound Inc. turns sound into understanding and actionable meaning. We believe in enabling humans to interact with the things around them in the same way we interact with each other: by speaking naturally to mobile phones, cars, TVs, music speakers, and every other part of the emerging 'connected' world. Our consumer product, Hound, leverages our Speech-to-Meaning and Deep Meaning Understanding technologies to create a groundbreaking smartphone experience and is the first product to build on the Houndify platform. Our SoundHound product applies our technology to music, enabling people to discover, explore, and share the music around them, and even find the name of that song stuck in their heads by singing or humming. Through the Houndify platform, we aim to bring voice-enabled AI to everyone and enable others to build on top of it. We call this Collective AI. Our Mission: Houndify everything. About the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association For over 40 years, the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association (SVIPLA) has been an active professional association serving members who focus their practice on intellectual property matters including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, litigation and other related fields. Since 1977, SVIPLA has honored annually a member of the intellectual property community as its Inventor of the Year. The recipients have made outstanding contributions to the technology industry, including such inventions for: integrated circuit technology, basic gene splicing, automobile navigation systems, over the counter medications drug delivery systems, the bar code, the optical mouse and many more impressive and recognizable inventions. SVIPLA conducts monthly meetings featuring in-house and law firm representatives discussing topics relevant to current intellectual property issues. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005263/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] And OK, yes, our registration and voting processes should be as accurate and legal as possible. Even though the error rate was minimal the Secretary of State forwarded the voter information of more than 700,000 applicants to election boards over that same time, and The Associated Press reports that at least three of the 16 voters in question were actually eligible U.S. citizens who answered the question incorrectly officials must always be sure their software obeys the law. New Delhi, Jan 23 : The Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union is "irreversible". Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, replying on the batch of petitions filed challenging the revocation of Article 370, explained how the process of accession of J&K into the Indian Union took place. A five-judge bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, R. Subhash Reddy, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant, is hearing the case. Emphasizing the purpose of the story on J&K's integration, Venugopal told the court the integration of the Indian States shows the consolidation of the country. "I want to show that the sovereignty of J&K was indeed temporary. We are now a Union of states," said the AG. Delving into the history of the state, the AG said that he will differ on many counts. For instance, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir had entered into a Standstill Agreement with Pakistan. The AG also cited excerpts from V.P. Menon's book called "Integration of the Indian States". He contended that this book showcases the relationship between the Maharaja and Pakistan and the basis of Maharaja's subsequent decision approving the Instrument of Accession with India. In support of his argument, the AG wanted to hand over the court copies of Pakistani media reports during the hearing. However, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan opposed terming it a political argument. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta interjected stating that the most of the arguments made by Zafar Ahmed Shah, appearing for J&K High Court Bar Association challenging the revocation of Article 370, were also political. "No arguments justifying secessionism in J&K can be permitted...we are placing correct against wrong narrative," said Mehta. The arguments will continue post lunch. - Josephine Kwabiwaa, a heavily pregnant Ghanaian woman has been held in isolation in an Israeli prison - This follows the 32-year-old woman's refusal to take a required medical test for prisoners for fears that the test could affect her pregnancy - Israeli Prison Service has also for the past two weeks attempted to jet off Kwabiwaa back to Ghana against her will Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A 32-year-old heavily pregnant Ghanaian woman has been held in solitude for over four months in an Israeli prison after she refused to be tested for tuberculosis. Josephine Kwabiwaa notes that she is agitated by the thought of taking the medical tests which include x-ray and a requirement for all African prisoners over fears that the radiation could affect her pregnancy. Although details of why she has been jailed are not readily known, an Israeli online portal, Haaretz.com, writes that the Israeli Prison Service has for the past two weeks attempted to jet off Josephine to Ghana against her will. The Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) which has been critical of the prison service for jailing her has also refused to put her on board a flight back to Ghana. Her detention is in violation of the World Medical Association and United Nations directives on holding pregnant women in isolation which could severely hurt their physical and mental health and potentially harm the fetus. READ ALSO: Gifty Anti shows swag; flaunts curves & expensive motorbike in recent photos ahead of b'day Jossephine Kwabiwaa: Photo credit: graphic.com.gh Source: UGC Haaretz.com also reports that Kwabiwaa's lawyer in an interview stated his client is highly depressed and cannot continue to tolerate her conditions. ''She also says that the prison service is demanding that she pay for examinations and supplements for pregnant women, like folic acid and iron,'' he was quoted by graphic online to have said. Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service says Kwabiwaa is being held separately because of her refusal to cooperate with prison procedures for entering a regular wing. READ ALSO: Apostle Safo, Obinim, Obofour among rich Ghanaian pastors with powerful luxury cars The prison service however stated in the report that she had been given all required medical examinations during her detention, including monitoring of her pregnancy. The prison service however stated in the report that she had been given all required medical examinations during her detention, including monitoring of her pregnancy. ''The detainee was not required to pay for the examinations, except for purchasing nutritional supplements and tests performed at a private clinic for foreign workers that are not part of services and medications provided by the HMOs.'' ''The prison provided the detainee with clothes adjusted for her pregnancy. Furthermore, requests from the detainee regarding clothes or equipment did not reach the prisons management; if such requests did arrive, it would have been possible to try and provide them. Holding her separately is the product of her refusal to cooperate with prison procedures for entering a regular wing,'' the service said. In other stories, YEN.com.gh reported Ghanaian TV journalist and broadcaster, Gifty Anti, has shared some admirable images on social media ahead of her birthday on Thursday, January 23, 2020. The prominent TV personality posted stunning photos of herself rocking in ripped jeans, silver medium long sleeve top and a cowboy hat ahead of her birthday. The latest images also show the single mother of one flaunting her expensive motorcycle while indicating she had been a biker for years before she tied the knot with her husband, a colleague TV personality and Chief of Akwamu Adumasa Nana Ansah Kwao IV. Gifty Anti hit a milestone in 2019 after a new title was conferred on her after she was awarded a Fellowship of the Boardroom Institute, FBI, by the Accra Business school. READ ALSO: Apostle Safo, Obinim, Obofour among rich Ghanaian pastors with powerful luxury cars Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Jerusalem [Israel], Jan 23 (Xinhua/ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz were invited to a presentation in Washington on US President Donald Trump's "Deal of the Century" for Israeli-Palestinian peace, local media reported on Thursday. The presentation would include full details of the peace plan. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Gantz were not immediately available for comment on the reports. An official announcement by the White House was scheduled to be made by Friday. The move comes as Netanyahu and Gantz are in a tight race ahead of the general elections on March 2. The economic part of Trump's peace plan was unveiled during a US-led conference in Bahrain last June, a convention boycotted by the Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas severed ties with the Trump administration in 2017 after the US recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The last round of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians broke down in 2014 amid Israeli expansion of the settlements in the West Bank. Israel seized the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has since controlled or blockaded them despite international criticism. The Palestinians wish to establish an independent state on these lands with East Jerusalem as its capital. (Xinhua/ANI) Dozens of world leaders, including Prince Charles, President Vladimir Putin and US Vice President Mike Pence, gathered in Jerusalem on Thursday to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in what Israel has billed as its biggest ever international event. Delegations from nearly 50 countries, including 41 heads of states, congregated Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre for the fifth World Holocaust Forum to remember more than one million people, most of them Jews, who were held and murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau. There Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the attendees and the world to help battle a rising tide of anti-semitism. Mr Netanyahu used his speech to highlight the Iranian leadership, calling it "the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet" and "the tyrants of Tehran". Prince Charles was among those who spoke alongside Mr Putin, Mr Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. His attendance is the highest-level official visit by a member of the British monarchy to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Paying homage to his grandmother, Princess Alice who sheltered Jews in Nazi-occupied Greece, Prince Charles warned that "hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart", but society must remain "resolute in resisting words and acts of violence". Notably absent from the proceedings however is Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, where Auschwitz-Birkenau was built during the Nazi occupation of the country. 'We want to keep our father's story alive': A new generation is taking Holocaust stories into classrooms Show all 2 1 /2 'We want to keep our father's story alive': A new generation is taking Holocaust stories into classrooms 'We want to keep our father's story alive': A new generation is taking Holocaust stories into classrooms 542091.bin DAVID SANDISON 'We want to keep our father's story alive': A new generation is taking Holocaust stories into classrooms 542090.bin DAVID SANDISON Mr Duda declined an invite amid disputes with both Russia and more recently Israel. In an interview with The Times of Israel Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum also accused the forums organisers of trying to replace an annual ceremony in Poland. Poland will host its own commemorative event at the Museum on 27 January. Nazi Germany systematically murdered more than a million people in Auschwitz. Located in German-occupied Poland it was the largest of the Nazi death camps holding over 1 million Jews and 200,000 Poles, Russians and others. Despite the diplomatic tensions, President Israeli President Reuven Rivlin pressed ahead with the events, hosting visiting leaders on Wednesday evening at his official residence where he raised the issue of rising anti-semitism in the US and Europe. He reiterated those words in his speech on Thursday. Calling anti-Semitism and racism a "malignant disease,' he added that "no democracy is immune." US Vice President Mike Pence echoed Mr Netanyahu's speech and in an emotional speech called on world leaders to confront Iran. "In that same spirit, we must also stand strong against the leading state purveyor of anti-Semitism, against the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The world must stand strong against the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said. The German president Steinmeier expressed his "deepest sorrow" for the Holocaust while warning that the "spirits of evil" are re-emerging in the form of modern anti-Semitism. "I wish I could say that we Germans have learnt from history once and for all. But I cannot say that when hatred is spreading." A global survey by the US-based Anti-Defamation League in November found that global anti-semitic attitudes had increased, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe, over the last several years. The damning report also found that large percentages of people in many European countries think the Jewish population talk too much about the Holocaust. Among the sombre events which took place on Thursday was the dedication of a monument honouring the veterans and victims of the siege of Leningrad. The presidents of Italy and Ukraine were in attendance alongside the Kings of Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. Some 10,000 Israeli police officers were deployed to the streets Thursday morning with swathes of the main highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv closed as world leaders touched down. The event has, however, dredged up unresolved issues from the Second World War as well as tensions within the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Duda turned down an invitation to the conference, expressing anger that Poland would not be permitted to speak alongside the representatives of Russia, France, Britain, the United States and Germany. Israeli organisers had said only the four World War Two allies, and Germany, would address the gathering. Comments Mr Putin made last month suggesting Poland shared responsibility for the war have also angered the Polish leadership. The Polish government have argued that Poland was a victim of World War Two: 90 per cent of Polish Jews were killed by the Nazi occupiers. US Vice President Mike Pence (L) and his wife Karen disembark from a plane upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport to attend the World Holocaust memorial (Photo by AMMAR AWAD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) "Above all, we are asking that the memory of the Holocaust, that terrible crime, the memory of its victims, is not exploited for political reasons," Poland's deputy foreign minister, Szymon Szynkowski vel SAk, said on Tuesday. That would be vile." Meanwhile, President Rivlin has alluded to an upcoming probe by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into alleged war crimes committed within the occupied Palestinian Territories during events surrounding the forum. In public remarks at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on 22 January, President Rivlin said Israel will not accept claims against the implementation of our right and duty to protect ourselves, an apparent reference to the ICC war-crimes complaint. In Jerusalem, Israeli media speculated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would also use several planned meetings to raise the same issue. Left-leaning daily Haaretz reported that Netanyahu intended to urge state leaders to back Israeli efforts to prevent the ICC probe taking place as well as to take a tougher stand against arch-enemy Iran. Mr Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival after he was indicted on corruption charges just ahead of a 2 March election, Israels third ballot in less than a year. Some Israeli commentators therefore, criticised the forum, saying the political dimension and lavishness of the gatherings cheapened and exploited the horrific events of the Holocaust. Recommended Poland is in denial about the Holocaust In a column in Israels largest daily Yediot Ahronot, Shoshana Chen, the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor, slammed the gala dinner at the presidential residence, citing the reports of skeletal survivors liberated at the concentration camps. Other writers referenced a cocktail and live music event that mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, organised for foreign journalists covering the Holocaust commemoration which included an after-party at a tourist site in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem Writing in Haaretz, columnist Uri Misgav said, World leaders are flown here and between the cocktails and after-party and lip-service to the memory of the Holocaust, an attempt is made to recruit them for the struggle against the ICC in the Hague. Several leaders including Prince Charles used their trips to visit both Israel and the Palestinian leadership. French President Emmanuel Macron met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday and discussed the prospect of peace in the Middle East. He also met Mr Netanyahu and discussed the region. Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that runs Gaza, was quick to slam the event saying that world leaders will attend the Holocaust memorial ceremony while the Israeli occupation has been inflicting all forms of racism and committing heinous crimes against the Palestinian people". Residents of Pathri in Parbhani district on Thursday decided to approach court to get legal sanctity to their claim that 19th century saint Saibaba was born in their village. Members of the Sai Janmabhoomi Pathri Sansthan said they will file a petition in the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court with evidence to prove that Saibaba was born in Pathri. A controversy has erupted over the purported birthplace of the revered saint, 102 years after he took 'samadhi' in Shirdi. Some residents claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had retracted his statement on Pathri being Saibaba's birthplace under pressure from the Shirdi temple trust. MLC and president of the action committee, Babajani Durrani, said Pathri residents will move court on the issue. "Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Jadhav had met Thackeray to seek his appointment for meeting Pathri residents but it was denied and we were told not to take the controversy any further," Durrani told PTI. "We have decided to go for legal procedure to resolve this issue and won't be meeting Thackeray. A team of advocates will visit Pathri and we will file a petition in the court next week," he said. "We won't mind if the government grant for Pathri doesn't come but we will never give up our claim that Pathri is the birthplace of Saibaba," he said. The Sena on Tuesday said Thackeray should not be blamed for the "uncalled for" controversy over the birthplace of Saibaba as nobody can tell whether the 19th century saint was actually born in Shirdi. Noting that the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan's assets are worth over Rs 2,600 crore out of which social works are done, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' had said Shirdi became rich because of the saint, and none can snatch away the richness of the town where he died. It also said that Thackeray did not refer to Pathri as Saibaba's birthplace "on his own", but on the basis of versions of some historians. During a state Cabinet meeting on January 9, Thackeray said Pathri, considered the birthplace of Saibaba, would be developed as a site of religious tourism, and announced a grant of Rs 100 crore for the place. The led to a row following which locals from Shirdi called for a bandh in the temple town on Sunday. The bandh was, however, called off on Sunday midnight and Thackeray met some residents of Shirdi on Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee addresses during her party's protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 and National Register of Citizens (NRC), in Kolkata on Dec 26, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Darjeeling, Jan 23 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday regretted that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary was yet to be declared as a national holiday, as she criticised the BJP-led NDA government for not being "serious" in solving the mystery behind his disappearance. She also recalled the revolutionary leader's opposition to the "divisive politics" of the Hindu Mahasabha. Addressing a function celebrating the 123rd birth anniversary of Bose, Banerjee recalled his speech at a public meeting on May 12, 1940, where he had strongly criticised the Hindu Mahasabha. "Netaji had opposed the Hindu Mahasabha's divisive politics. These thoughts are very much relevant today. He had fought for a secular India, a united India, but now efforts are on to oust those who follow secularism," Banerjee said during a programme organised at the Darjeeling Mall. Refering to the mysterious disappearance of Bose since August 18, 1945, Banerjee said the Modi government only declassified a few files, but did not take any measure to find out what actually happened to Bose. "I find they are not serious in finding out what happened to him. It is a shame that after over 70 years, we still don't know what happened to him," she said. Banerjee said since coming to power in 2011, she has been demanding that January 23 be declared a national holiday. "But this has not happened yet.". "We will continue to follow the path shown by him. None can snatch his place from our heart." Kansas City Nightclub Shooting Exposes Rift Between Democrat, Republican Solutions For Gun Violence Missouri lawmakers are at odds on how to solve the spike in gun violence and gun deaths in urban areas across the state, discussing it this week in the wake of one of Kansas City's worst shootings in recent memory. Hyperlocal analysis and reporting of the Jeff City response to deadly club gunfire . . . One set of politico targets guns and hopes for prevention whilst the other demands punishment and deterrence . . . Read more: The Duchess of Cambridge kicked off her 24-hour tour of the United Kingdom on Tuesday to promote her latest initiative in support of early childhood development, 5 Big Questions. Following a visit to MiniBrum at the Birmingham Science Museum, the duchess then traveled to Cardiff, Wales, on Wednesday to take part in a baby sensory class at the city's Ely and Careau Childrens Centre. Although it was a departure from her usual style, Kate looked chic as ever for the engagement, rocking a camel coat by Massimo Dutti and a leopard midi print skirt from Zara. "I want to hear the key issues affecting our families and communities so I can focus my work on where it is needed most," the mom-of-three said. The initiative aims to generate conversation on early childhood nationwide to bring about "positive, lasting change for generations to come." "Im here today to help launch a survey to hear societys views about raising the next generation. Parents, carers and families are at the heart of caring for children in the formative years so that is why I want to listen to them," Kate said at the launch of the initiative on Tuesday. The royal continued: As a parent, I know how much we cherish the future health and happiness of our children. I want to hear the key issues affecting our families and communities so I can focus my work on where it is needed most. My ambition is to provide lasting change for generations to come. Passengers on the last flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan arrived in Sydney carrying suitcases and wearing face masks. Many were not aware the city they had left had been shut down as Chinese authorities try to stop the spread of a new coronavirus by grounding planes and trains from the city, and suspending buses, subway trains and ferries. Passengers arrive at Sydney Airport from Wuhan wearing masks. Credit:Janie Barrett Kevin Ouyang, 40, said he spent the night in Wuhan but didn't leave his hotel room because he was "afraid" of the virus. He said he was wearing a mask because he had experienced the SARS virus in Beijing 17 years ago. What is Cat Que Virus? What are the signs of infestation? Scientists identify more than 54,000 viruses living in people's poop, 92 per cent of which unknown to scientis At least four people came in contact with asymptomatic Marburg virus victim: WHO Explained: The new SARS-like virus and Chinas biological warfare India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Jan 23: A new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS)-like virus has killed 17 people in China, infected hundreds and reached as far as the United States, with fears mounting about its spread as hundreds of millions travel for Lunar New Year celebrations, which will start from Friday. Many countries have stepped up screening of passengers from Wuhan, the Chinese city identified as the epicentre. As per the latest reports, the virus has travelled to Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the US. While the scientists are yet to find how the virus jumped from animals to humans, initial investigations point to the sale of live animals at the seafood market in Wuhan. Comparisons of the new virus have understandably been made with 2003's SARS outbreak: The virus is entirely new as the pathogen appears to be a never-before-seen strain of coronavirus -- a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to SARS, which killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2003. It can be recalled that the virus of atypical pneumonia, better known as SARS, had severely disrupted the economies of Asian countries. Explained: What is Coronavirus? SARS had caused a large demand shock in East Asia, particularly to the consumption of services, especially travel. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Tourism revenue In 2003, the country saw a fall of foreign tourism revenue as much as 60 per cent. While countries like Singapore and South Korea witnessed 40 per cent falls and Thailand and Malaysia saw a drop of more than a third. At the peak of the outbreak, thousands of regional flights were cancelled due to a lack of demand. The public transport network saw daily ridership drop by half during the same period. Economists have also estimated that SARS was responsible for a 1-2 per cent dent in China's economic growth, and 0.5 per cent across Southeast Asia in 2013. During the nine-month outbreak, there were more than 8,000 cases of SARS were confirmed and 775 people died. It should be noted that the SARS outbreak in 2003 was linked to the animal market in China and the H7N9, which spread in China in 2013, was linked to a market of live birds. However, the China government did not inform the World Health Organization of the outbreak until February 2003. It was even reported that doctors in Beijing were advised to hide SARS patients from the WHO official who would come for the inspection. An initial cover-up of the epidemic had also led to the sacking of Beijing's mayor and the health minister, and also scores of conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus. The tight-lipped response from the Chinese government on the outbreak was termed as both political and economic move which means that they wanted to reduce public panic and keep the status quo within the country. Biological warfare: The Reuters reported that the Taiwan legislators even accused China of unleashing the SARS-like virus as part of a biological warfare campaign, though no conclusive evidence has been found. China finally apologized in 2003 for its slow reporting. IT should be noted that Biological warfare agents may be more potent than conventional and chemical weapons. Early usage: Infectious diseases were recognized for their potential impact on people and armies as early as 600 bc. The crude use of filth and cadavers, animal carcasses, and contagion had devastating effects and weakened the enemy. Polluting wells and other sources of water of the opposing army was a common strategy that continued to be used through the many European wars, during the American Civil War, and even into the 20th century. Although China has consistently claimed that it has never researched or produced biological weapons, it is nonetheless believed likely that it retains a biological warfare capability begun before acceding to the BWC. China is commonly considered to have an active biological warfare program, including dedicated research and development activities funded and supported by the Government for this purpose. There is essentially no open-source data on the subject. Now even after so many years, the country faces a similar health emergency, after 444 cases of a new coronavirus emerged in the city of Wuhan. While China is better prepared for viral outbreaks following the experiences of the 2003 SARS episode, global markets are still prone to take fright when faced with such 'unknowns' - evidenced by the losses seen in the first half of this week. Stock markets and commodity prices turned sharply lower. According to Wall Street's big investors and strategists, the coronavirus, which appears to have spread from seafood or meat, has created a new level of uncertainty for global markets. While some analysts said that it's too early to predict anything as the new virus does not seem to be as lethal as SARS, which killed about 10 per cent of patients. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have acknowledged that the virus was now being transmitted between humans, creating more concern of a mass epidemic. The new strain of SARs-like coronavirus infection can create respiratory problems, coughing, fever and in more severe cases, pneumonia. These are some of the businesses that are already on the verge of creating massive employment opportunities over the next few years. India, which had opened its gates to many foreign players via the foreign direct investment (FDI) route to promote ease of business and roll out ample job opportunities, is finally shifting its focus on the home-grown startup ecosystem seeing the slowdown in the IT hiring. NASSCOM has even predicted that the IT-BPM sector will hire at a rate of 3-3.5% year-on-year to reach 45 lakh total jobs by 2022. Meanwhile, the countrys risk-taking home-grown business ecosystem is driving India towards a better future, transforming it into an unrelenting economic powerhouse. These businesses have yielded 500+ acquisitions and created 750,000 jobs since 2014. Some of these businesses that are already on the verge of creating massive employment opportunities over the next few years are: Flipkart: The e-commerce giant Flipkart has decided to expand its supply chain by opening two of its largest fulfilment centres (FCs) in Haryana which is expected to generate more than 5000 jobs in the Farukkhnagar region. The e-commerce giant makes over 40 million deliveries in a month and employs more than 120,000 people across the country. With the addition of these two facilities, the supply chain will strengthen further and build capabilities to enable an ecosystem for MSMEs, local manufacturers and thus, in turn, will result in creation of quality local jobs. 1-India Family Mart: The countrys fastest-growing value retail chain which has a wider reach and a better brand recall with more than 100 stores across 9 states, aims to employ over 8000 workers in the next 5 years. Moreover, with the recent policy measures taken by the Indian government to improve the investment climate and private consumption, there will be a boost in economic growth by the next two fiscals. Nykaa: Nykaa, the countrys leading online beauty products marketplace, which is also at the forefront of a billion-dollar-plus valuation, is all set to double its headcount this year on the back of the massive $14 million raised from Singapore-based TPG Growth IV SF last year. They will be offering competitive pay packages to hire and retain top talent, which is almost at par with the unicorns and top tech players. Aadvik Foods: Bikaner-based start-up, Aadvik Foods Indias first camel milk brand, directly with the camel breeders of Rajasthan and Gujarat not only creating a sustainable source of income for them but also helping them take care of the animal, thereby maintaining its population. The founders have till now worked with more than 100 camel breeders, making camel milk a successful business plan eventually not only for the Indian start-ups but also for providing a sustainable livelihood to the camel. Aadvik Foods also take the responsibility of training the camel herders and farmers to leverage business potential. V Mart: The value fashion and lifestyle products retailer, which mainly operates in tier-II and III cities, plans to add 60 stores to its portfolio taking its total count to 275 this fiscal. To operate the same, the company will now hire 2,000 people in 2020 to enhance its back-end support and manpower, which presently comprises 7,000 employees. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. JERUSALEM - The latest on the gathering in Jerusalem of dozens of world leaders for the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp (all times local): 7:36 p.m. Britains Prince Charles appeared to snub U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence during Thursdays World Holocaust Forum. But both mens offices quickly played down the incident. As he arrived for the event in Jerusalem, Charles shook hands with the events organizer, Moshe Kantor, then walked by Pence, looking him in the face, before continuing on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pence stood silently as the prince walked by, but appeared to pat him gently on the back. Pences office said the two men had just met for several minutes before entering the hall, and that they shook hands following Pences speech at the ceremony. Prince Charles Clarence House office declined to directly comment on the matter. But his office told Britains Press Association that there was no snub. Shortly before the Yad Vashem memorial event began, the prince and vice-president Pence and his wife had a warm and friendly chat, which is why they did not greet each other again in the room, Press Association quoted the spokeswoman as saying. ___ 7:10 p.m. Vice-President Mike Pence has visited Jerusalems Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. He was accompanied Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Israels ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer. After a prayer by the Western Walls chief rabbi, Pence, wearing a black skullcap, took a moment of silent reflection and then placed a note inside the crevices of the wall, as is customary. Netanyahu did the same after. The two of them took photos together and did not comment to reporters. Pence arrived after delivering comments at the World Holocaust Forum, where dozens of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, convened to remember the Nazi genocide and denounce anti-Semitism. The gathering coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. ___ 6:10 p.m. Britains Prince Charles appeared to snub U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence during Thursdays World Holocaust Forum. As he arrived for the event in Jerusalem, Charles shook hands with the events organizer, Moshe Kantor, then walked by Pence, looking him in the face, before continuing on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pence stood silently as the prince walked by. Pences office played down the encounter, noting the two men had just met before entering the hall, and that they shook hands following Pences speech at the ceremony. A Buckingham Palace official told the BBC there was no snub and that the prince and the vice-president had a long and warm conversation before the ceremony began. ___ 5:10 p.m. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has expressed his deepest sorrow for the Holocaust while warning that the spirits of evil are re-emerging in the form of modern anti-Semitism. Like other postwar German leaders, he expressed deep remorse on behalf of his country for the killing of 6 million Jews during World War II, as he addressed a Holocaust forum in Jerusalem attended by world leaders. He opened and closed his speech by reciting prayers in Hebrew. He said: The spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise, presenting their anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian thinking as an answer for the future, a new solution to the problems of our age. And I wish I could say that we Germans have learnt from history once and for all. But I cannot say that when hatred is spreading. He spoke at the World Holocaust Forum, where dozens of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence were gathered to remember the Nazi genocide. The gathering coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. ___ 4:35 p.m. Britains Prince Charles says the lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. Addressing the World Holocaust Forum, Charles told fellow participants Thursday that if we dont make the connection between memories of past atrocities and the present there isnt any point to it. The British heir to the throne is one of several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, attending the forum, which this year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Like other speakers, Charles peppered his address with words in Hebrew. He warned that hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart. The magnitude of the genocide that was visited upon the Jewish people defies comprehension and can make those of us living in the shadows of those indescribable event feel helplessly inadequate. But he warned that the Holocaust must never be allowed to become simply a fact of history. ___ 4:25 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron says anti-Semitism is once again rearing its violent head and is not only a problem for Jews. Addressing world leaders at an international Holocaust forum in Jerusalem on Thursday, Macron said anti-Semitism is first and foremost the problem of others. He added that in our history, anti-Semitism always preceded the weakening of democracy. He was speaking at the World Holocaust Forum, which brings together dozens of heads of state and coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Macron inveighed against Holocaust denial, saying the murder of 6 million Jews is not some history you can play with or distort. He also said no one has the right to use the memory of the dead to justify some kind of contemporary hatred. He said another lesson of the Holocaust was that Europe must be unified and never forget, and never fall into conflict again. ____ 3:55 p.m. U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence is calling on world leaders to confront Iran. Addressing the World Holocaust Forum, Pence told fellow participants Thursday to confront and expose the vile tide of anti-Semitism around the world. In that same spirit, we must also stand strong against the leading state purveyor of anti-Semitism, against the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The world must stand strong against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Pences remarks received a loud applause from the Israeli audience. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy. Pence spoke emotionally about the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators. Today we gather, nearly 50 nations strong here in Jerusalem to say with one voice never again, he said, drawing more applause. He ended his speech with a Hebrew prayer for peace, receiving another loud ovation. ___ 3:50 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Holocaust was one of the most terrible chapters of human history. In an address to the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem on Thursday, Putin said we remember all the victims of the Nazis, including 6 million Jews who died in camps. He claimed 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet citizens, something contested by historians. He said the Red Army, which liberated many of the Nazi death camps, had put an end to these crimes. Putin is one of several world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, attending the forum, which this year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by Soviet forces. Of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about 1 million were Soviet. Putins controversial figure appears to include an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pre-war pact with the Nazis. ____ 3:15 p.m. Israels prime minister is calling on world powers to confront Iran, comparing it to Nazi Germany in a speech before the World Holocaust Forum. Benjamin Netanyahu said at Thursdays ceremony that he was concerned that we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet. He went on to thank President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, who was in attendance, for confronting the tyrants of Tehran. He called on other governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran. He spoke at the World Holocaust Forum, a gathering of dozens of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. The forum coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Israel has long viewed Iran as its greatest threat. ___ 2:40 p.m. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is thanking world leaders for expressing their solidarity with the Jewish people by attending the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. He spoke on Thursday at the start of the ceremony, where several world leaders were expected to address the remembrance of the Holocaust and condemn modern-day anti-Semitism. Rivlin says that anti-Semitism does not stop with the Jews, and calls anti-Semitism and racism a malignant disease. He added that no democracy is immune. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britains Prince Charles, Vice-President Mike Pence and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending the forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. ___ 1:55 p.m. Israels prime minister says the Soviet sacrifice and contribution during World War II should not be obscured. Benjamin Netanyahu made the remarks at a Jerusalem ceremony dedicating a memorial for the 900-day siege of Leningrad. He highlighted that millions of Soviet residents were killed during the war. He said: We mustnt for even one second blur the sacrifice and the contribution of the former Soviet Union in defeating the Nazi monster. Thursdays ceremony was taking place ahead of a gathering of world leaders commemorating 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The event has been marred by squabbles over the rival historical narratives of World War II. Netanyahus comments came after visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin ventured into the charged battle by claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet, a figure disputed by historians. Polands president skipped Thursdays event to protest the central role given to Putin. Poland, which has been criticized for its own wartime revisionism, accuses Putin of unfairly blaming it for the wars outbreak. ___ 12:45 p.m. Israeli and Russian officials are attending a dedication ceremony for a monument honouring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a guest at the Jerusalem ceremony, which is taking place on Thursday ahead of the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg, is Putins hometown. Earlier, Putin ventured into the charged battle over the rival historical narratives of World War II by claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. Of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about 1 million were Soviet. Putin has been leading a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and focus instead on its role in defeating them. ___ 12:30 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ventured into the charged battle over the rival historical narratives of World War II by claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. It was the latest chapter in a bitter dispute over Soviet actions in World War II. Putin has been leading a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and focus instead on its role in defeating them. Of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about 1 million were Soviet. Putin appeared to be adding an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pact with the Nazis. Putin is in Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust. But it has been marred by the historical squabbles. Polands president skipped Thursdays event to protest the central role given to Putin. Poland, which has been criticized for its own wartime revisionism, accuses Putin of unfairly blaming it for the wars outbreak. ___ 11:55 a.m. Russias president has praised Israels efforts to commemorate World War II and has called for an end to anti-Semitism. Vladimir Putin made the remarks in a meeting on Thursday with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Putin is among dozens of world leaders visiting Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. He will also attend a dedication ceremony for a monument honouring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The unresolved remnants of World War IIs politics have permeated the solemn assembly over the differing historical narratives of various players. Nationalist governments in Russia and Poland have sought to use their own interpretation of the past for contemporary political gain. ___ 11:30 a.m. Russias president has told the mother of an Israeli tourist jailed in Russia that everything will be alright. But Vladimir Putin on Thursday stopped short of a hoped-for pardon for Naama Issachar, teh Israeli backpacker who has been held for months in Russia. She has been accused of carrying a few grams of hashish. Issachars mother, Yaffa, attended a meeting with Putin and Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Putin made the remarks in a statement after the meeting, with Yaffa and Netanyahu by his side. Putin is in Israel on a brief visit where he will attend a dedication ceremony of a monument honouring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. He will also attend an event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. ___ 11:10 a.m. Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial has questioned the offer by the Ukrainian president to give up his delegations seats to include more Holocaust survivors at a major gathering of world leaders in Jerusalem. In a statement on Thursday, Yad Vashem called Volodymyr Zelenskiys gesture odd, saying it explained to him that survivors who expressed interest in attending the event were invited and that it is impossible to trouble survivors in the current conditions. It said it was a shame that he took such a step. Dozens of world leaders are attending the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. Event organizers have come under criticism for not sufficiently including Holocaust survivors and instead focusing on the panoply of visiting dignitaries. In response, Zelenskiy tweeted that his delegation was giving up its seats to allow more survivors to attend. ___ 10:50 a.m. Israels president is meeting with Britains Prince Charles ahead of a gathering in Jerusalem marking 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Charles is among dozens of presidents, heads of state and dignitaries who have descended upon the city to attend the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. President Reuven Rivlin thanked Charles for attending Thursdays gathering. The three-hour-long event at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence in the continent and around the world. ___ 10:35 a.m. Israels prime minister is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of a gathering in Jerusalem marking 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Ahead of their meeting on Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu praised the ties between Israel and Russia, which have grown closer since Russia began its involvement in the war in neighbouring Syria. During Putins visit, Netanyahu will dedicate a monument honouring the the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St. Petersburg, is Putins hometown. Putin also plans to meet with the mother of an Israeli tourist who was jailed in Russia for carrying a few grams of hashish. Her mother told reporters earlier Thursday she was optimistic that her daughter, Naama, would be pardoned. Abraham Lincoln closed the Gettysburg Address on a hopeful note, promising a new birth of freedom so that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth. Today, as the Democrats push their partisan impeachment forward in the Senate chamber, the sentiments expressed so eloquently by a beleaguered president in the midst of the Civil War are worth remembering. Its worth remembering that a government of the people must, by definition, be formed by the people. Impeachment, as the framers saw it, was a constitutional necessity to protect the country from presidential corruption, but it was also meant to be a rare avenue for Congress to embark on, and in only the most dire of circumstances, because impeachment is, de facto, the overturning of a national election. These same Founding Fathers also understood that there is an alternative to impeachment, and its called an election. Thomas Jefferson said, Should things go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise of their elective rights. Its a truth Democrats have decided to ignore in their loathing of this president and rush to placate their angry base. Andy Serkis will be honoured with the outstanding contribution to cinema award at the British Academy film awards. The actor, producer, director and founder of The Imaginarium Studios, who is hailed by Bafta as nothing short of revolutionary, will receive the accolade at the ceremony in London on February 2. Lord Of The Rings star Serkis, 55, said: Im deeply honoured and thrilled to receive this award, and count myself extremely lucky to be on such a continually fascinating journey in visual storytelling, one that has given me the opportunity to collaborate with many of the worlds greatest artists, technologists and craftspeople, with whom Id like to share this wonderful accolade. Expand Close Andy Serkis (Bafta) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andy Serkis (Bafta) The accolade is one of Baftas highest honours, and he follows previous recipients including Sir Ridley and Tony Scott, Sir John Hurt, Mike Leigh, Tessa Ross, Peter Greenaway, BBC Films, Angels Costumes and Curzon, the cinema chain. Marc Samuelson, chair of Baftas film committee, said: Andys work on and off screen has been nothing short of revolutionary, inspiring audiences and his peers alike. His pioneering influence as a performer, an educator, a leading innovator and an employer has helped shape the global film industry and the positive impact will be felt for years to come. Hes a truly remarkable ambassador for our industry and a thoroughly deserving recipient of this years outstanding achievement award. Considered a leading actor in performance capture, Serkis has long been loved by audiences for his creation of characters such as Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit series, for playing Caesar in the Planet Of The Apes trilogy, the titular gorilla in King Kong and Leader Snoke in the recent Star Wars film trilogy. Expand Close Andy Serkis brought the character of Gollum to life in the Lord Of The Rings films (Yui Mok/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andy Serkis brought the character of Gollum to life in the Lord Of The Rings films (Yui Mok/PA) Video of the Day The London-born star, who studied visual arts at Lancaster University, has been integral to the development in performance capture technology, bringing to life characters for film-lovers like never before. In 2011, he and film producer John Cavendish founded The Imaginarium, a production company and digital studio dedicated to creating believable and emotionally engaging digital characters using performance capture technology. Serkis has also consulted on motion capture on films such as the 2014 Godzilla film and for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His other acting work includes roles in Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll and in TV film Longford, both of which saw him nominated for Baftas, as well as roles in Marvel films Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Black Panther, Brighton Rock, 13 Going On 30, The Escapist and Wild Bill. Serkis made his directorial debut in 2017 with the film Breathe, and he has also directed Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle, based on the Jungle Book. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has seen no uptick in Islamic State activity in Iraq and northeastern Syria, U.S. special representative for Syria James Jeffrey said on Thursday, weeks after a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad. Jeffrey said U.S.-led coalition operations have been on pause in Iraq as the focus has been on force protection and talks with the Baghdad government on the way forward after Iraq's parliament voted to expel foreign troops. The lawmakers were furious at the Jan. 3 drone strike on Iraqi soil that killed Soleimani, the architect of Irans drive to extend its influence across the region, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. "We have not seen an uptick in violence in Iraq by Daesh in this period," Jeffrey told reporters at the State Department, using a term for Islamic State. Jeffrey said officials will meet in Copenhagen on Wednesday to discuss the way forward in the U.S.-led operation against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. "The coalition is very, very much committed to this mission," Jeffrey said. Jeffrey acknowledged the pause in Iraq could hamper the fight against Islamic State if it continues. "Over time, obviously there is a possibility of a degradation of the effort against Daesh if we're not able to do the things that we were doing so effectively up until a few weeks ago," he said. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis) By AFP SINGAPORE: Singapore on Thursday confirmed its first case of the new SARS-like virus which has killed 17 people in China and spread to multiple countries including the United States. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the patient was a 66-year-old man from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with his family on Monday. He was immediately isolated after arriving at a hospital with a fever and cough, and test results later confirmed he was infected with the coronavirus. One of his traveling companions, a 37-year-old man from Wuhan, has also been admitted to hospital as a suspect case. Prior to admission, they had stayed at a hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, the ministry said. It added that Singapore was expecting more cases and alarms "given the high volume of international travel". Singapore's Changi Airport started screening flights from Wuhan at the beginning of the month, and on Wednesday extended the checks to all flights from China. The travel hub receives over 430 flights from China every week. The virus has caused alarm in China and abroad because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. Singapore was among the hardest hit by SARS with 33 deaths. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is in Davos for the World Economic Forum, said there was "no need to panic". Speaking to reporters traveling with him, Lee said Singapore has beefed up its hospital facilities and laid out response measures since the SARS epidemic. "I think we are much better prepared now," he said in remarks carried by the Straits Times newspaper. Passengers at a train station in the city of Wuhan in southern China wear face masks after the oubreak. Picture: AP A suspected case of the new killer Chinese coronavirus sparked concern among paramedics at a Dublin A&E, leading them to carry out a decontamination exercise, it emerged yesterday. The health scare emerged after ambulance staff brought the patient, who had a fever and had returned from China, to the A&E of the Mater Hospital on Tuesday. A global alert is under way to halt the spread of the new virus, which originated in Wuhan, China. It has since infected over 500 people including in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Washington state in the US, killing 17. The ambulance crew who brought the female patient to the Mater carried out a decontamination exercise as a precaution. Dr Jack Lambert, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Mater, said the patient was assessed and did not have the virus and was not in isolation. There was no need for the ambulance crew to implement the decontamination, he added. It is understood that suspected cases have also presented to the A&E of St Vincent's Hospital. Dr Lambert said emergency departments were on "heightened alert" for potential patients who might have the virus after returning from travel in China. "We need to have a heightened awareness," he said. It is necessary to take the travel history of patients and if they have suspected symptoms, which are similar to flu, they need to be isolated, he said. Dr Lambert said emergency departments had been issued with guidance from the country's disease watchdog, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). This sets out the steps which should be taken in the management of a suspected case. Spreading "It is highly likely there will be cases of the coronavirus in Europe over the next month," he said. It appears to be less lethal than the Sars infection, which also originated in China in 2002, he added. It comes as hospital emergency services are already struggling here with overcrowding and the impact of the winter flu. The new virus is spread like flu through coughs and sneezes. Heathrow Airport in London has started channelling passengers from Wuhan through a separate section. The HPSC in Dublin said it was closely monitoring the outbreak. It said symptoms include, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties and fever. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. The risk of it spreading has escalated due to the travel rush marking the Chinese New Year this weekend. The Department of Foreign Affairs advised travellers to China to exercise a high degree of caution, but it did not ask them to change their plans. Yesterday, China advised people to stop travelling in and out of the city of Wuhan. The first case in the US was confirmed in a man in his 30s outside Seattle, Washington. His condition is described as good and he is being closely monitored. It's the longest running non-musical play in the history of the United States; look it up in the Guinness Book of World Records if you don't believe me. There's been 50 different productions in the United States, and it has been translated into 23 foreign languages and performed in Spain, Brazil, France, South Africa and Israel (to name a handful of nations). In January 1980, the team of actor-director Bruce Jordan and actor Marilyn Abrams brought their improvisational comedy "Shear Madness" to Boston's Charles Playhouse for a pre-Broadway trial run. It didn't get to Broadway. Instead, Charles Playhouse became its permanent base of operations, and a launching pad for one of the most unique and successful shows going. Abrams and Jordan are celebrating the 40th anniversary of that Boston debut this month. While January may celebrate the play's official start, the roots of "Shear Madness" and its actual beginnings can be traced back to 1976 and the Capital Region. "I grew up in New York (City), lived in New York, but at that time I was bringing up my family in Albany," Abrams recalled. An actress who had a "big preference in doing musical comedy," Abrams was active in the local theater scene, performing with the Albany Civic Theater and Schenectady Light Opera. Back in NYC she had performed in "I Do I Do," and when a Lake George theater company chose to launch its own production of it in 1976, casting Abrams was an obvious choice. "Bruce was the director," she said. "We became friends right away." The pair kept in touch after "I Do I Do" wrapped that summer. Then Jordan had an idea that changed the course of both their lives: take a serious, participatory German murder mystery play and turn it into a comedy that's largely improvisation and audience interaction. "When Bruce showed me his idea, at that time, if I hadn't worked with him before, I would have run out the door," Abrams remarked. "It was a very unusual idea at that time, incredibly unusual to have something that uses the audience and improvisation like this." The basic structure of "Shear Madness" is as follows: there's a hairdresser (originally played by Jordan) and his manicurist assistant (portrayed by Abrams). There's a murder, and through a series of spectator questions and engagement, the crime is solved. For its trial runs in 1978 and 1979, Jordan and Abrams returned to the scene of their first collaboration. The Lake George incarnations of "Shear Madness" were crucial for a multitude of reasons. Neither of them were masters of improvisational theater; in fact, Abrams stated that she "was scared to death" at first. These performances allowed them to hone those skills. They also gave them their first taste of playing off the audience, what to expect and how to make that portion run smoothly. "We spent two summers in Lake George and got used to what to expect," Abrams said. "We had to think very much on our feet once the audience became involved. As there were more and more questions, we became more and more comfortable with the audiences. It was interactive and immersive before those were buzzwords. "That's what has helped keep it so fresh for the past for 40 years," she added. "As an actor, you need to be in character throughout and be ready for whatever the audience is going to do. It keeps you on your toes." After two successful summers in Lake George, Abrams and Jordan were asked to bring the show to Boston. After a disappointing start in winter 1980, "Shear Madness" found success in the summertime. From there, the pair performed and co-produced it in Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and eventually Europe. In addition to the improvisational and participatory aspects, Abrams feels that part of what's helped "Shear Madness" endure is its ability to adapt to the local flavor and happenings of wherever it's being presented. "It always takes place in whatever city we're in, so it's always topical to local humor and dialect," she enthused. "The fact that it's located wherever it plays, at the current day in that city, means people never see the same show twice. The clues change all the time, too. And so do the suspects." "Shear Madness" last played in the Capital Region back in 2009 with a run at Capital Repertory. This summer, Abrams plans to bring it back to Lake George. With the show hitting the 40-year milestone in Boston, Abrams has been more reflective than normal and looks forward to bringing it back to the place where it all started. "Right now, it's very exciting and still a lot of fun," Abrams said. I have to say that now that we're in celebration of 40 years, I think about it a lot, the early days in Lake George. "I still pray for rain every opening night because it rained the first night in Lake George," she added. "I think about those days much more now than before." Jim Shahen Jr. is a frequent contributor to the Times Union. New Delhi, Jan 23 : With an eye on Dalit votes, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has put up 70 candidates in Delhi which has a 25 lakh Dalit population and 12 reserved seats. The dozen seats, where the Dalits have a sizable population, can make or mar the prospects of other parties. Delhi BSP chief Laxman Singh told IANS, "If only Dalits vote for the party we do not require anybody else but ours is the inclusive and secular party and that is why we have given tickets to each community including minorities and Brahmins." The BSP has fielded N.D. Sharma, an MLA from the AAP, in the elections while its Ex-MLA Ram Singh Netaji switched sides and went to the AAP. The party is pitching its leaders to campaign in each constituency but it is not clear whether party chief Mayawati will be hitting the campaign trail in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party won all the 12 reserved seats in Delhi in 2015. The BSP won two seats in 2008 and was second in 5 constituencies. In 2013, it could not win any seat but came second on 5 seats. Aware of the strength of the Dalit votes, the AAP reached out to 6000 Dalit households even before the elections were announced in Delhi. An AAP insider said, "we have established a network with the people in these localities through Mohalla clinics, free electricity and schools which have proved beneficial to them. So they are not going anywhere." The BJP is also targeting the Dalit voters and have reached out to them through various programmes. The party claims that the Narendra Modi government has done so much for this community that in the elections the party is hopeful that it will get its fair share of Dalit votes. The Congress is also hopeful of getting Dalit votes. Spokesperson Jitendra Kochar said, "Dalits have seen the AAP for 5 years and now they know that Congress is the only party which thinks of them and they will vote for the party." Before the emergence of the AAP, the Dalits had been voting for the Congress and the party used to win at least 8 to 9 of the 12 reserved seats, while the BJP had a lesser share. However, things have changed now and the Dalits are core voters of the AAP. Nigerian investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, has uncovered the spate of corruption at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, popularly known as Yaba Left. Soyombo went undercover for three weeks in November, disguising himself as a patient spending 10 straight days on ward admission. In the report published by The Cable, the journalist revealed how he had to pay off staffs before being able to secure a bed-space at the infamous hospital. The report read; On Thursday, Olawales call was what roused me from sleep. He had found a hospital staffer by the name Tosin Karunwi, who was willing to secure bed space for me, provided we understood that nothing comes free. We werent sure if Karunwi was a nurse, an orderly or a Crisis official, but we established that she indeed worked at the hospital. Olawale announced that Tosin had demanded N10,000 to help lock down a bed space for me, but he successfully negotiated a N7,000 deal. He asked us to forward the money to Account Name Olaniyi Olawale Matthew with Access Bank because Tosin didnt want the money sent to her. He passed the money on to Tosin, after she agreed to return it if she didnt secure a bed space. To our utmost shock, once she took possession of the money, Tosin began to sell Oshodi to us. Actually, Oshodi, the neuropsychiatric hospitals annexe, was even worse managed than Yaba. It was graveyard-like, largely abandoned. Oshodi was technically the hospital into which Yabas vomits were spilled. But Tosin argued otherwise. Wait a minute, why dont you want Oshodi? shed asked on phone in the evening of Thursday November 14. Oshodi and Yaba are the same. Three bed spaces are vacant at Oshodi; Id advise you to take one of them. Read Also: We Will Not Negotiate With Bandits: Yahaya Bello On December 3, three full weeks after Tosin was paid for the bed space that never came, she was told to refund the payment, but she refused, and blatantly too. You cannot get N7,000, she snapped. The [two] nurses I gave money to, do you expect me to pay back on their behalf? Maybe I can send N4,000 to you; its just maybe. Maybe. Thats even if Im able to raise it. Do you expect me to hold the cash or keep it in the bank? Tosin claimed that no space had opened up at all, both at Yaba and Oshodi since last week. What she didnt know was that Id gone in (and come out) as a patient because a space indeed opened up for me, and that at least two more opened up during my stay. Soyombi also revealed the decrepit state of the hospital itself where huge rats serve as roommates. In his words, I would learn about Yaba Left rats in the evening of my second day at the ward. Well-fed and therefore robust, they roamed the greenery separating Tolani Asuni from Adeoye Lambo in their droves every night. Not that I hadnt seen rats before, I just didnt know rats so big existed anywhere in the world. Its been brought to the attention of the Chief Medical Director several times, but she said theres nothing wrong with it, one patient told me. Reacting to the report, Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, took to Twitter on Wednesday to reveal that the delapitating state of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos will be looked into. Ehanire tweeted; This will be looked into immediately. See the tweet below: Rheumatoid Arthritis Market Overview: As per Market Research Futures (MRFRs) report, the global rheumatoid arthritis market has the potential to gain a robust growth during the forecast period of 2016 to 2022. Rheumatoid arthritis can be defined as an autoimmune disorder that affects mainly joints. Joints get swollen, warm, and the disease increases suffering by making the event painful. It can get affected from both sides and prevent the normal functioning of joints. However, recent advancements in the segment have shown high probability for the market to attain strong growth in the coming years. Get Latest Sample Copy @https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1658 Among major factors, geriatric population is expected to trigger high intake of various rheumatoid arthritis treatments like therapies and medications. Their age make bones brittle and it can be affected more by increasing cases of smoking and rising consumption of alcohol & soda. Various research teams are also benefiting from strong inclusion of biologics & biosimilars drugs, which can improve the market scenario. Further thrust is getting provided by various the growing demand for personalized drugs. However, researches havent stopped as permanent cure is still a matter of speculation. Various companies are spending substantial amounts to ensure easy percolation of the market. Segmentation: MRFRs report makes some solid statements about the global rheumatoid arthritis market, which was backed by an intense study of various segments that includes drug type, diagnosis, and treatment. By drug type, the rheumatoid market includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug type (NSAID), steroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug type (DMARDs), and biologic agents. By treatment, the rheumatoid market comprises joint fusion, synovectomy, tendon repair, and total joint replacement. By diagnosis, the rheumatoid arthritis market encompasses ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate) test, CCP, C reactive protein (CRP) test, and synovial fluid analysis. Rheumatoid Arthritis Market Regional Analysis: Region-specific segmentation of the global rheumatoid arthritis market includes Asia Pacific (APAC), North America, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). This analysis has its entire focus on various dynamics and demographic challenges that can hinder the global market. North America leads the market as its superior infrastructure, high investment capacity, better reimbursement policies, and other factors are strongly bolstering the growth of the regional market. The US and Canada are expected to play significant roles in the development of the regional market. People are also quite aware of various stages of this disease, which help them in getting better medical attention. Both private and government organizations are showing interest in taking the market forward. Europes growth largely depends on similar features that also include high investment for the research & development sector. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK), are expected to better the market revenue amount. The APAC is expected to touch the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Countries, such as India, China, Japan, and Australia has the potential to make substantial contribution. Rheumatoid Arthritis Market Competitive Landscape: Several companies are playing crucial roles in the rheumatoid arthritis market to take the market to the next level and ensure solid growth for themselves in the process. MRFR enlisted these companies to profile them and their growth chart to understand how the market is expected to flow in the coming years. These companies use strategies like merger, acquisition, marketing, branding, innovation, and other methods to stay abreast in the competitive market. Several companies like Pfizer Inc (U.S), AstraZeneca (U.K), Eli Lilly and company (U.S), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (U.S), Novartis AG (Switzerland), Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (U.S), Sanofi (France), and others are expected to make notable contributions. In August 2019, FDA approved a new type of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. This type approves AbbVies upadacitinib (Rinvoq) 15 mg, as a once-daily oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. The treatment can be applied on adults who are not responding much to methotrexate (MTX-IR). Read Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/rheumatoid-arthritis-market-1658 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com "We live in a world where it still pays financially to be part of a destructive system, so we need to outcompete this model. How do we do it? In Davos, we will be exploring the creation of a new system which would be better for people and nature, and at the same time actually generate more economic value for everyone," commented Rutger van Zuidam, Founder and CEO of Odyssey. The conversation will focus on new alternatives to current economic paradigms which prevent society from solving the challenges it currently faces, such as climate change and lack of economic inclusion. Attention will be paid to how technology such as blockchain and Artificial Intelligence can facilitate moving towards better economic conditions for future generations and environmental sustainability. The panelists: Sanjay Poonen , Chief Operating Officer, Customer Operations, VMware , Chief Operating Officer, Customer Operations, VMware Yuval Rooz , Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Asset , Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Asset Kavita Gupta , Lecturer, Stanford University ; Managing Partner, Katapult. AI , Lecturer, ; Managing Partner, Katapult. AI Rod Beckstrom , Former President & CEO, ICANN; Founder & CEO, BECKSTROM , Former President & CEO, ICANN; Founder & CEO, BECKSTROM Rutger van Zuidam , Founder & CEO, Odyssey.org Sanjay Poonen, COO VMware: "We aim to leave ahead a better future - to put back more than we take into the environment, society, and our global economy. It is important that we engineer new systems that provide better economic outcomes and are better for people and the planet. The Odyssey 2020 Track 'Outcompeting Destructive Systems,' that VMware is participating in with Digital Asset and DAML, will explore this challenge." "The conversation at Davos this week has centered around the need for open, collaborative ecosystems to truly affect change. Odyssey recognizes this, that to outcompete destructive systems we need the right incentives applied to the right technology. Smart contracts enable these collaborative processes to connect stakeholders across industries in ways which weren't possible before. DAML and VMware Blockchain allow for the type of open collaboration needed to allow anyone to innovate for all of our benefit," said Yuval Rooz, Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Asset. "The GBBC welcomes Odyssey as a new member. We are proud to support Odyssey's mission, focusing on disruptive systems and decentralized solutions for a better, more equitable society," said Sandra Ro, CEO GBBC. Rutger van Zuidam: "Driving sustainable growth in the 21st century will require the replacement of systems that have already contributed to so many contemporary civic and environmental concerns. Many different stakeholders will need to collaborate to enable the shift to a more profitable, transparent and inclusive society. Such a grassroots, cross-industry collaboration is at the very heart of the Odyssey Program and Hackathon." The VMware and DAML track of Odyssey Hackathon 2020 challenges teams to build new solutions for turning around two complex modern-day issues: plastic pollution and carbon emissions . Team applications for the hackathon are now open . Applicants from all over the world are vying for the 105 available spots in the Odyssey Hackathon 2020. Selected ones will co-create new solutions to 21 complex global challenges together with corporate, governmental, and non-profit challenge lead partners and their stakeholders on April 3-5 in Groningen, the Netherlands. About Odyssey ( www.odyssey.org ) Odyssey Open Innovation Program connects governments, corporations, and non-profits with innovative entrepreneurs from around the world to jointly tackle 21st-century challenges. Each season is a 10-month journey during which the challenges are identified, prototype solutions are built, and pilots are implemented. Since the initiation of the program, more than 230 prototypes have emerged from the program addressing the challenges of over 40 partners. Odyssey Hackathon 2020 brings together 2,000 participants who will collaborate on new solutions for the 21 identified challenges . 105 selected teams will build prototypes together with the challenge leads, their stakeholders, and end-users. Besides being supported in scaling their solution, the best-performing teams will also get 200,000 in total cash rewards. The 21 challenges of Odyssey 2020 were contributed by, among others: Vattenfall, VMware, City of The Hague, KLM Cargo, the Dutch National Police, Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Dutch Ministry of Defence, Grid Singularity, Engie, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the International Council for Environmental Law. All Odyssey 2020 challenges are tied directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. About Global Blockchain Business Council ( www.gbbcouncil.org) The Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) is the leading industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem. Conceived on Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island, the GBBC is a Swiss-based non-profit launched in 2017 in Davos, Switzerland. The organization brings together innovators and thought-leaders from over 50 countries to further adoption of blockchain technology by engaging and educating regulators, business leaders, and lawmakers on how to harness this groundbreaking technology to create more secure, equitable, and functional societies. Note for the editors - not for publication Panel date and time: Thursday, January 23 (17:00-18:00) Location: GBBC Blockchain Central Lounge (Level 2 Hotel Europe, Promenade 63 in Davos, Switzerland) SOURCE Odyssey Related Links http://www.odyssey.org The Akwa Ibom government is to commence the payment of N30, 000 minimum wage to civil servants this January. A statement from the head of the civil service in the state, Effiong Essien, Tuesday, said the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, has also approved the payment of one-month arrears of the minimum wage to the workers. Mr Essien said the commencement of the payment is in fulfillment of Mr Emmanuels earlier assurances to workers on the issue. The governor, Wednesday, took to Twitter to thank the workers for their patience and understanding. He urged the workers to reciprocate the governments gesture with their dedication to duty to fast-track the actualization of the completion agenda. In another development, Governor Emmanuel on Tuesday attended a meeting at the Qua Iboe Terminal, Ibeno, between Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom government, and the host communities to the American oil company. The essence of the meeting, the governor said, was to strengthen the relationship between Akwa Ibom government, Mobil, and the host communities. My visit here is a means of interaction, collaboration and partnership that we need one another. The government needs ExxonMobil, ExxonMobil also needs government; thats the essence of the visit. It is that essence of collaboration that made this meeting possible, Mr Emmanuel said at the meeting which was attended by the managing director of Mobil, Paul McGrath, the vice-chairman of Mobil, Udom Inoyo, and other top management staff of the company. We have decided that we will see a way to have that cordial working relationship between not just government and ExxonMobil including the host community as well and even the staff, so we look at the welfare of everybody. I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the executive and management of ExxonMobil led by the CEO, and also thank the host communities for their peaceful co-existence with ExxonMobil in the past three years; we expect a lot more, the governor said. Mr Emmanuel administration has been putting pressure on Mobil to relocate its headquarters from Lagos to Akwa Ibom. It is unclear if the issue was raised in the meeting. By Trend Georgia and Croatia noted the potential for development of bilateral economic relations, Trend reports with reference to the press service of the Georgian government. Georgian Prime Minister Georgi Gakharia met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrei Plenkovich within the scope of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. At the meeting, attention was focused on the Summit of Eastern Partnership, which will be held in Brussels in June 2020. Vision of Eastern Partnership will be developed at the referred event on the agenda ahead. The parties also discussed the preparatory process for the Eastern Partnership Summit. Also at the meeting, the parties emphasized the great potential for the bilateral development of economic relations. Georgia and Croatia established diplomatic relations in 1993. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Commentary: We cannot address the symptoms of deep-seated cultural change through political fixes. Instead, we need to change the way we live. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)It's been a little more than a year since a large fire broke out at the Twyckenham apartment complex. Many people were left with minor injuries, but one little girl wasn't so lucky. Seven-year-old Kenzie Mosgrove spent several months in the hospital after more than half of her body was severely burned. News 18 has been following Kenzie's story since the fire happened on December 16, 2018. News 18 also checked in with Kenzie in May, when she returned to school after being released from the hospital. Now, one year after the fire, Kenzie said, "I'm happy, really happy." Jessica Delaney, Kenzie's Mother, validated that. "She's Kenzie. She's talkative and playful and not shy." Kenzie Mosgrove is keeping busy. "I dance and sing and draw and color and read my Harry Potter books," she said. On top of her standard 7-year-old duties, like being embarrassed by her little sister Teagan, Kenzie has had a lot of healing to do. When Kenzie was just six-years-old, the Lafayette apartment complex where her father lived went up in flames. The fire started in the unit below his, where a candle caught a couch on fire. Kenzie's dad made it out of the building with all his children, except her. After that night, Kenzie's life changed forever. "She's just so young," Jessica said. "She's still at that stage where she doesn't get it or why this has happened to her." Fire crews saved Kenzie's life. However, she suffered burns to more than 60 percent of her body and spent several months at Riley Hospital for Children. "She has a limp when she walks, she does not have her left fingers, she has the scarring on her face," Jessica explained. Kenzie's mom said the past year has been tough, but her family has learned to adapt to the changes. She said there's a lot that Kenzie needs to be careful with. "If she gets a cut or a scrape we have to be really on that to get her healed up again because she can get blisters," she said. "She no longer can sweat on the side that she's burned on. She has to wear her garments for 23 hours a day." While Kenzie still needs help with some every day things, Jessica said she's getting more and more independent. "Her healing is amazing. Her skin is so soft. Her scarring has done so well. But the more she grows and the more her body starts forming we'll have to definitely have to do reconstruction." Kenzie said she knows she looks a little different now, but it's okay. She's even got a new friend that's just like her. A doll named Phoenix, who has the exact same burns on her body as Kenzie does. "Phoenix's hands have the same, the same thing, like I don't have any fingers on this hand," Kenzie said. "And she's just like me." In February, Phoenix will have to get a new accessory to match Kenzie. "Soon I'm getting a prosthetic for lefty." ('Lefty' is what Kenzie calls her left hand, which has no fingers). "And I'm getting a hook too! So I can climb on the monkey bars." "She's got it. She's gonna keep on climbing that mountain and she will be running down one day," Jessica said. News 18 asked Kenzie, "Do you feel stronger since we last talked to you?" Kenzie: "Yeah!" Reporter: "How do you feel stronger?" Kenzie: "To be happy and good, and I just like being home with Phoenix." Jessica said Kenzie will undergo laser surgery on the areas she was burned. The laser should help with itching, although Kenzie will deal with that discomfort her entire life. There is currently a fundraiser to help Kenzie and her sister, who suffered minor burns from the fire, get a support dog. If you would like to donate, click here. The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Parliament to ponder over the power of the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in deciding petitions seeking disqualification of lawmakers On Tuesday, the Supreme Court asked the Parliament to ponder over the power of the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in deciding petitions seeking disqualification of lawmakers. Observing that the Speaker also belongs to a political party, the apex court said that an independent tribunal ought to be appointed instead to determine the fate of an MP or an MLA who has switched sides for money and power. The court also suggested that a permanent tribunal headed by a retired Supreme Court judge or a former High Court Chief Justice. The court made the remarks while giving its judgment on a plea moved by Congress leaders, seeking the court's direction to the Manipur Assembly Speaker to take a decision on the disqualification of BJP lawmaker and Manipur forest minister Th Shyamkumar. While passing its judgment, a bench headed by Justice RF Nariman, also granted liberty to Congress MLA Fajur Rahim and K Meghachandra to approach it again if the Assembly Speaker fails to take a decision within four weeks on their plea seeking disqualification of the BJP minister. The BJP minister had won the Assembly election on a Congress ticket and later joined the BJP. This led to the filing of the plea seeking his disqualification. Karnataka an example of Speakers role-taking political colour The Manipur MLA's case comes just months after the Karnataka political turmoil, which saw the fall of the HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) alliance govt after 13 Congress and 3 JD(S) MLAs resigned from the legislative Assembly, and their subsequent disqualification by then speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution gives the Speaker the power to conduct the House and amend records regarding its proceedings and thus has to maintain a position of neutrality. He holds a quasi-judicial, Constitutional post and is expected to act in a non-partisan manner, even though he or she contests the election for the post on a party ticket and may have ambitions to contest elections in the upcoming term. Amidst the political turmoil, Kumars power to disqualify the MLAs was questioned. The then-Speaker, also a nine-time Congress MLA from Srinivaspur, was also blamed for delaying the floor test in the Assembly in the face of the imminent collapse of the JD(S)-Congress state government. On being asked by the Supreme Court about the fate of the rebel MLAs, Kumar had reportedly said that he could not act at lightning speed". Though the Supreme Court, in a November 2019 verdict upheld the Speakers decision regarding the disqualification of the rebel MLAs, the apex court said that the Speaker acts as a "quasi-judicial authority" and that the scope of the Assembly Speaker's inquiry is limited to examine whether the resignation of MLAs was voluntary or not. In a 109-page judgment by a three-judge Bench led by Justice NV Ramana in the Karnataka MLAs disqualification case, the court had held that a Speaker who cannot stay aloof from the pressures and wishes of his political party does not deserve to occupy the chair. Additionally, Article 190(3)(b) of the Constitution mandates that the acceptance of resignation by the Speaker is not a matter of right of a legislator, but subject to the Speakers discretionary satisfaction about the authenticity of the resignation. Not the first judicial intervention in a Speaker's decision Kumars role during the Karnataka political crisis and a deadline by Governor Vajubhai Vala to the HD Kumaraswamy government to prove majority was also reminiscent of a 25-year-old battle which led to the landmark SR Bommai judgment. It involved the Speaker, the Governor, the ruling party and the Supreme Court. Bommai was the Chief Minister of Karnataka but his government was dismissed by the then-governor on the account of withdrawal of support of 19 MLAs. The Supreme Court had held the dismissal of the government unconstitutional. Likewise, in January 2018, the Madras High Court had to intervene in the matters of the Tamil Nadu Assembly whose Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 AIADMK MLAs after they declared allegiance to ousted AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, expressing their lack of confidence in Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. According to the Supreme Court's 2007 judgement in the Raja Ram Pal vs The Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha and Others case, the British system of parliamentary supremacy mandates that courts arguably play no role in monitoring the exercise of parliamentary privilege. However, the political nature of the Speaker's election to the House interferes with his/her ability to main neutrality of the post. When a Speaker fails to maintain institutional balance, and his actions seem to have an unwarranted conflict of interest, the impacted parties have no option but to call for judicial intervention. Another popular example of the Speaker taking sides in matters of the House is from Tamil Nadu. In 1988, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker PH Pandian disqualified six senior AIADMK ministers for giving up their party membership, along with 27 other MLAs (disqualified for not attending a confidence motion), identified with the pro-Jayalalithaa faction. The Meghalaya Speaker, PR Kyndiah, suspended the voting rights and later even disqualified five MLAs in the 1990s, just prior to a no-confidence motion. In a similar case, in 2016, 16 MLAs in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly (out of a total of 41 of the ruling party) were disqualified by the Speaker, Nabam Rebia, despite not officially leaving the party or defying its directives. The same year, Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker, Govind Singh Kunjwal, disqualified nine MLAs from the ruling party despite the MLAs not leaving the Congress or voting against it in the Assembly. The passing of the anti-defection law in 1985 gave Speakers the power to expel MLAs and MPs for anti-party activities, both inside and outside the legislature, effectively making the Speaker an active player in the politics of government formation and survival. However, there are several examples when Speakers failed to show impartiality in their decisions. The question that then comes to the mind is: Is scrapping the anti-defection law a solution? Perhaps, a possible solution would be that decisions falling under the ambit of the anti-defection law may be suggested by the House, but finalised by a body or office-holder with no vested interests like the Election Commission. Additionally, since courts look on conflicts arising out of the Speaker's actions on a case-by-case basis, constitutional safeguards are the need of the hour. Mahatma Gandhi, in 1931, observed, Democracy is a great institution and therefore it is liable to be greatly abused. The remedy, therefore, is not the avoidance of democracy but the reduction of the possibility of abuse to a minimum. A solution other than stripping the Speakers powers in respect of the anti-defection law could be doing away with the law itself. With inputs from PTI Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, during the 50th annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said India was not willing to engage with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) unless there's "greater degree of transparency". Amid ongoing controversy over adjusted gross revenues (AGR), Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio has reportedly cleared its dues to Department of Telecommunications (DoT). SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar has said that private lender YES Bank will not be allowed to fail and some "solution" will emerge to straighten its financial condition. Read for more top stories from the world of business and economy: 1. India won't engage with RCEP unless there's greater transparency: Piyush Goyal at Davos Goyal says India backed out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership because it was an 'unbalanced trade agreement', which was not fulfilling RCEP's guiding principles. 2. Reliance Jio pays Rs 195 crore AGR dues to DoT; Voda Idea, Airtel seek more time Reliance Jio has become the first telecom company to clear its dues within Supreme Court deadline of 23 January. 3. YES Bank will not be allowed to fail, some solution will emerge: SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar The private lender's shares have taken a beating in the past one year, plunging over 80 per cent, primarily after the sudden exit of promoter Rana Kapoor, asset quality deterioration, NPA divergences and lower capital levels. 4. India ranks 72 in Global Talent Competitiveness Index; Switzerland, US lead the list India fares poorly even when compared to two BRIC nations. China ranks at No. 42 while Russia is at 48. India does better than Brazil, which ranks 80 in the index. 5. Infra drives PE-VC investments to an all-time high in 2019 Buyout activity in Indian PE/VC industry has grown from strength-to-strength as India moves towards global norms where buyouts are usually the largest deal type of PE/VC investment. Even as destroyed US military aircraft smoldered from an al-Shabab attack that killed three Americans this month in Kenya, the al-Qaida-linked group issued a taunting message to African troops: The US will abandon you just as it did the Kurds. Islamic extremists are already exploiting possible US military cuts in Africa that have caused a rare bipartisan outcry in Washington, with lawmakers stressing the need to counter China and Russia and contain a growing threat from Islamic State group affiliates. Here's a look at the issue that has caused alarm among some US security allies, while the US probes the deadliest attack against its military in Africa since 2017. WHAT'S AT STAKE? Worried U.S. partners have pointed out the poor timing of reducing the US military presence: Africa's extremist groups "set a record pace of activity in 2019" with more than 10,400 killings, a doubling of activity since 2013, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies says in a new report. The US Africa Command, signaling concern over the Pentagon's potential cuts, has emphasised the Somalia-based al-Shabab as a threat after its leader in November made an unprecedented call to attack Americans wherever they are. Neither China nor Russia is doing much to counter Africa's extremist groups, US Africa Command officials added in a briefing last week. The Pentagon's possible reduction of U.S. troops in Africa is part of a worldwide review by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who is looking for ways to tighten the focus on China and Russia. It is not known when a decision will be announced, but officials say Esper has made clear the US will not withdraw from Africa entirely. France, which held a counterterror summit with West African leaders this month, has been blunt about the need for U.S. military support in the Sahel, the region just below the Sahara Desert, as groups linked to al-Qaida and IS move closer to well-populated coastal cities in countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast. The French are increasing their presence in West Africa against what is now Africa's most serious extremist threat, this month announcing additional troops for its 4,500-strong operation in the Sahel and last month carrying out its first armed drone strike there. "If the Americans were to decide to withdraw from Africa, it would be bad for us. I confirm it, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the summit. I hope I can convince President Trump that the fight against terrorism, in which he is deeply engaged, is also at stake in this region." The US, in turn, calls the French presence critical in the Sahel, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has suggested as the next focus for the global anti-IS coalition. The French have more in the Sahel than we have U.S. service members on the entire (African) continent, Maj. Gen. William Gayler, the U.S. Africa Command director of operations, acknowledged last week. He called for a larger European contribution to support them. The U.S. has about 5,200 Africa Command personnel, troops and others, on the continent, plus about 800 other Department of Defense personnel. WHY ARE U.S. LAWMAKERS SPEAKING OUT? High-profile Republicans and Democrats have warned the Trump administration that cutting the U.S. military presence in Africa would hand over influence on the youthful, booming continent of 1.2 billion people to an assertive China and Russia. That goes directly against national security strategy, the lawmakers say. Both countries view Africa as a critical battlefield to fulfill their global ambitions and challenge U.S. interests including along critical maritime routes, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Jim Inhofe, said Friday. "Significant" US troop cuts are being considered, he said. Other lawmakers pointed out the recent establishment of China's first overseas military base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti a short distance from the US military's only permanent base in Africa as well as growing Russian activity via mercenaries and military cooperation deals. The presence in Africa of about a dozen extremist groups linked to al-Qaida or IS, including an IS-linked offshoot of Boko Haram in Nigeria, also has raised concern. Any withdrawal or reduction would likely result in a surge in violent extremist attacks on the continent and beyond, senators Lindsey Graham and Chris Coons wrote to the defense secretary last week. WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT AMERICANS KILLED IN KENYA? The al-Shabab attack in Kenya slipped largely under the global radar as the US and Iran faced off over the U.S. killing of Iran's top military commander. But the January 5 attack was notable as al-Shabab's first against U.S. forces in Kenya, East Africa's economic hub. According to internal Kenyan police reports seen by The Associated Press and U.S. Africa Command statements, the al-Shabab fighters killed a U.S. service member and two Defense Department contractors, wounded two other Defense Department members and destroyed several U.S. aircraft and vehicles at an airfield used for counterterror activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police at the Engineer police station in Kinangop arrested a man accused of killing her lover after a reported lovers quarrel. The suspect, a 25-year-old security guard based in Western Kenya, is said to have stabbed Consolata Wambui multiple times on the head and chest. According to neighbours, the two had separated before the incident and had only met briefly to discuss their relationship. Wambui was living with her mother and brother at the time. The victims brother reported that he was alarmed by screams from his mothers house and upon arrival, he found the suspect with a knife covered in blood. His sister lay motionless and was oozing blood from the stab wounds. Neighbours who rushed to the scene overpowered the suspect as others rushed Wambui to a hospital. Citizen reports that she bled to death on her way to the hospital. It took the intervention of police officers on patrol to rescue the suspect from the irate residents who were baying for his blood. The suspect is awaiting his arraignment in court. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in association with Turismo de Portugal and Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, have named the eight winners of the 2nd Tourism Startup Competition. Launched in 2018, this initiative works to identify and reward the new companies that will lead the transformation of the global tourism sector within the framework of innovation and sustainability. The final event took place in Wakalua, the tourism innovation hub promoted by Globalia in collaboration with UNWTO. This event was held on eve of FITUR, Spains biggest and most important tourism trade fair and was attended by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and the CEO of Globalia, Javier Hidalgo as well as representatives from the collaborating companies that will participate in the promotion, investment search and implementation of projects with the winner companies. Among the stakeholders was Miguel Arias, Global Entrepreneurship Director of Telefonica, Luis Araujo, President of Tourism of Portugal. Joining them was Begona Gomez, Director of the Africa Center, Rufino Selva, adjunct director general of the Society of Thematic Projects of the Valencia Community, Raquel Rodrigo, Senior Analyst of Amadeus and Julie Moorhouse, responsible for the New Concepts in Intu Costa del Sol. In the Deep Tech category, rethinking the location and geolocation, driven by Amadeus, the winner is Klustera (Mexico), which works in the field of digital transformation and human behavior. Within the Intelligent Mobility category, awarded in alliance with Telefonica, the winning startup is Eccocar (Spain), company that allows vehicles and fleets to be managed more ecologically. In the Smart Destinations category, awarded with the collaboration of the Digital District of Valencia, the award went to Visualfy (Spain) which aims to help people with hearing loss overcome barriers and enjoy their leisure time. Within the category of Disruptive Hospitality, awarded in partnership with Intu Costa del Sol, the award to Questo (Romania) which helps create unique experiences in destinations inspired by movies, books or local legends. In the Rural Development section, promoted by Globalia, the winner is Like Local (The Netherlands) which connects tourists local communities in developing countries in order to offer more authentic and personal travel experiences. In the Innovative Solutions in Tourism award thw winner is HiJiffy (Portugal), a startup that centralizes, automates and measures all hotel customer service activities. The winners of the Social Innovators Retreat competition at the IE Africa Center are Enjoy Agriculture (Senegal), a startup that provides experiences for tourists related to agrotourism, and EBikes4Africa (Namibia), which offers electric bikes for both local citizens and tourists. Finally, the Special Recognition in Sustainability prize, supported by UNWTO and Globalia has gone to Live Electric Tours (Portugal), which offers tours in 100% electric vehicles. Growth and consolidation are usually the biggest challenges at the beginning of any project, and our startup competition has, thanks to the support of UNWTO and our partners, become a benchmark within the sector. We have received proposals from more than 150 countries and in this second edition they come from more mature emerging companies. In fact, 10% of the companies that presented themselves invoiced more than 500,000 euros in 2018, said Javier Hidalgo, CEO of Globalia. Zurab Pololikashvili underlined that innovation offers many solutions to big challenges with of the tourism sector as a global economic leader that is growing faster than the global economy, generating employment and granting opportunities for all. He added that without the support of Globalia we could not have identified and promoted the potential of these companies, which no doubt will be very successful in the future. Luis Araujo, President of Turismo de Portugal, added: Innovation is a major force for growth and sustainability, providing the ingredients for a long-term success in the tourism sector. The UNWTO Tourism Startup Competitions finalist applications highlight the most innovative solutions to the future of the tourism sector. This provides a great opportunity to establish international contacts and to push innovation to the next level. In its first two editions, the UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition has received proposals from almost 5,000 startups. This year, the Wakalua innovation hub hosted the winning companies and will follow-up with them in Barrabes.biz, the consultancy specialized on innovation which is also a collaborator as an associate. The Globalia and UNWTO Startup Competition has become a milestone in the transformation of the tourism sector. Image Credit: UNWTO YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The suspect who opened gunfire at the Erebuni Business Center in Yerevan has been apprehended and taken into custody, police said. At 14:00 police received a call that there is an active shooter in Erebuni Plaza. Top police officers and tactical units were immediately dispatched to the scene, police said. According to police, the suspect a man whose identity hasnt been disclosed yet surrendered after Chief of Police Arman Sargsyan conducted negotiations with him. Sargsyan personally escorted the suspect to the police station with his vehicle. No one was injured in the incident. The circumstances are being determined, police said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Open up TikTok and theres a good chance youll be confronted by a teenager in the bathroom. Most home bathrooms are well lit and have nice, bright acoustics. Unlike the kitchen, living room or even bedroom, bathrooms are private spaces, where parents and siblings are trained to not barge in. Its almost inevitable that they would become the perfect stage set for the dramatic entrances, exits, skits, dances and story times of TikTok, the short-form social video app that has grown wildly popular in the last year. Videos shot in the bathroom consistently outperform those shot elsewhere, many creators say. They call it the bathroom effect. Milli2nd, a 21-year-old music producer known for performing with a mirrored pyramid over his head, said he has shot the same video in multiple settings and the bathroom versions win. Ones Ive done in the bathroom get much more views, he said. When leaders of Grove United Methodist Church in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota, gathered last Sunday to discuss their new plans for saving the church from extinction, the churchs current members did not exactly welcome them to the stage. Before the pastors began to speak, according to one attendee, a little old woman in a wheelchair interrupted. Shut up and sit down, she shouted. Im going to talk now! She relented only when another older woman wheeled over to encourage her to let the leaders speak. Advertisement Tensions are high now at the Cottage Grove church, days after a St. Paul Pioneer Press article declared the churchs alleged plans to usher out gray-haired members in [an] effort to attract more young parishioners. That article quoted one member accusing the church of age discrimination in its attempt to expel elderly congregants. The accusation was abhorrent enough to turn a tiny Midwestern churchs internal politics into national news. It confirmed every stereotype about contemporary churches obsessed with growth over depth, branding over authenticity, and youth over wisdom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This church is dying. You look at a human gathering where the median age is 70, and you do the math. William Willimon Groves leader, Rev. Dan Wetterstrom, age 59, told me on Tuesday that the church is not singling out elderly people for exclusion. Instead, he says, he is trying to save the tiny church from certain death. Grove United Methodist Church has two locations in the St. Paul area, and according to Wetterstrom, the Cottage Grove campus currently has just 30 people attending most servicesa number that has remained stubbornly low despite multiple efforts to revitalize it. (The other location attracts about 400 people each Sunday.) The majority of Cottage Grove members are older than 60; when the Pioneer Press reporter visited on a recent Sunday, he saw only one family with children at the service. Wetterstrom, who heads both church locations, said he has tried out several campus pastors in the past several years and made efforts to reach out to the local community. Everybody agrees that we have not been able to be successful at that, he said. Our goal is to launch a thriving intergenerational church. Advertisement Advertisement Without further intervention, a church in that condition will die a natural death in the next five years, said William Willimon, a professor of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School and a bishop in the United Methodist Church. Ive been in that situation, and you hate to see a church die, he said. But this church is dying. You look at a human gathering where the median age is 70, and you do the math. Advertisement Consulting with denominational leaders, the Cottage Grove churchs leadership team voted last year to temporarily close the Cottage Grove campus starting in June 2020. They hired a 32-year-old planting pastor, Jeremy Peters, who will be charged with redesigning the churchs programs and Sunday worship style, and updating the building with the goal of attracting newand yes, youngermembers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peters held his first meeting with the Cottage Grove congregation on Tuesday evening, where he said that he invited all current members to serve on the transition team. Current members will not need to reapply to attend the church in its new form. We have not, nor ever would, suggest someone must apply to be welcome at our church, Peters said. But Wetterstrom did say that the current members who simply want to attend worship at Cottage Grove are encouraged to wait 15 to 18 months to return. This suggestion that members delay their return to the church by up to 18 months was the main source of the controversy. It was a bolt from the blue, handed down from on high and very shocking to the current members, said Jim Baker, 82, who founded the church in 1989 and now attends as a member. The congregation was eager and totally open to a new approach, and particularly to [the idea of] a new minister [being] appointed or to start[ing] a renewal process. But they really wanted to be included in that. (Wetterstrom insisted that the timeline is a suggestion, and that no one will be turned away.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I pray the congregation will find a way to be supportive for people like dear Kathy, who pushes a walker carrying an oxygen machine four blocks to get to church." Jim Baker The plan is to relaunch the church later this year. This close and then relaunch model has been successful for other struggling Methodist churches, including others in Minnesota. The historic Vineyard UMC in Hutchinson, 75 miles west of Cottage Grove, closed most of its operations for almost a year recently to focus on remodeling and figure out how to attract new attendees. That church reopened in October with significantly more weekly attendees than when it closed. The Cottage Grove churchs internal drama is happening concurrently with a larger denominational drama over same-sex marriage and gay clergy. Earlier this month, UMC leaders proposed a plan to formally split the denomination, with traditionalist churches leaving the existing church. Both Grove UMC congregations fall on the progressive side of that conflict, Wetterstrom said. Advertisement Advertisement Wetterstrom emphasized that the congregations size alone is not the measurement of its failure or success. In a small rural community, the faithful thing to do would be to stay open until the last person is around to turn off the lights, he said. But the town of Cottage Grove is not a dwindling rural outpost. It is a fast-developing suburb of the Twin Cities, expected to grow in population by more than 20 percent in the next 20 years. By definition, a church in a setting like that is failing if it is not attracting any of its new neighbors. Advertisement Willimon, who has made his own similar decisions to close and relaunch struggling churches, said that accusations of age discrimination paint the churchs last remaining members as victims. But he views younger people in the community as victims, too, because they do not have a church that meets their needs. Meanwhile, he said, the United Methodist Church has effectively been subsidizing a small weekly gathering of friends. If you print this, Ill get people saying, How dare you criticize these sweet, wonderful, faithful people, Willimon said. But they have also been propped up by the larger church. Advertisement Historically, the United Methodist Church has been hesitant to close churches that are obviously withering. It has long been a denominational point of pride that there are said to be more Methodist congregations than U.S. post offices. But the denomination, founded in the 18th century, is also shrinking in the United States. This year, experts predict that U.S. members will become a minority in the global Methodist church for the first time. Almost one-third of UMC church members are 65 or older, according to Pew. Im 73, and its almost like the UMC has passed a rule that no one under 40 can be a member of our churches, Willimon said. We didnt actually pass a rule, but we didnt have to. The way we do church mostly appeals to one generation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baker acknowledged that the Cottage Grove church is small and predominantly elderly, but he described it as tightknit, loving, and committed. If the policy is to go into these dying congregations and clean them out to make way for new blood, thats really not very kind, and I think its counterproductive, he said. I pray the congregation will find a way to acknowledge difference, and to be a supportive community for people like dear Kathy, who pushes a walker carrying an oxygen machine four blocks to get to church, or for Joan in her wheelchair, or other aged people who have come to our church because they want to be a part of what they themselves describe as warmth and acceptance. Twenty Lee University students departed for the annual United Kingdom Semester Study Abroad program. During the 12-week program, students will spend time in class at Girton College and travel throughout the U.K. This years trip director is Dr. Mike Iosia, chair of Lees Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Secondary Education. He will also be accompanied by his wife, Kim, and their two sons, Isaac and Luke. I was incredibly humbled to be selected to lead this years U.K. semester abroad trip, said Dr. Iosia. Having led trips to the Philippines, Ive seen firsthand the powerful impression a two-week Global Perspectives trip can have on a student. Im excited to experience and observe the impact a semester will have on our students in their growth and understanding of the Lords world. While overseas, students will take 15 hours of courses, taught by Lee professors through a specifically-designed online program. This year, the courses will include The World of C.S. Lewis and Cross-Cultural Experience, both taught by Dr. Matthew Melton; British Theatre, taught by Dr. Christine Williams; For King, Queen, and Country: The Monarchy in British History, taught by Dr. Randy Wood; and British Sport: Culture and Context, taught by Dr. Iosia on site. Outside of class, the students will travel throughout the U.K. In England, highlights will include visits to Windsor Castle, the home of C.S. Lewis, Harry Potter Studios, the Lake District, and Hadrians Wall. The students will spend several days in the town of Bath, where they will be officially received by the mayor. During a long weekend in London, the students will see several theaters, including attending Matilda at the West End Theatre. They will also visit the Houses of Parliament and attend worship at Westminster Abbey. While in Edinburgh, Scotland, students will have the chance to hike Arthurs Seat, as well as explore Edinburgh Castle. During their March spring break, the students will travel to Ireland, where they will visit Galway and Dublin. The semester will conclude with two weeks of independently-arranged travel before the students meet in London for their return to the United States on Saturday, April 11. During those two weeks, students will arrange their own itineraries and accommodations in the countries that interest them. In the past, students have traveled to Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and many others. This is the 31st group of students to spend the semester in the U.K. as a part of Lee Universitys original academic cross-cultural experience program which began in 1990, said Angeline McMullin, director of Global Perspectives. We now have students participating whose parents went to Cambridge as students and teachers in the 1990s, and it is exciting to see things come full circle. The students on this years trip include Kelly Berry, Claire Carlson, William Clark, Emily Ell, Hope Fischbach, Lydia Horrigan, Tory Irmeger, Kailee Isham, Haley Jones, Bailey Lancaster, Jack Lenz, Peyton Looney, Erin McLaughlin, Victoria Pace, Chloe Phelps, Christian Schweer, Grace Tinsley, Austin Urban, Bradley Walker, and Madison Wickam. For more information about Lees Global Perspectives program, call 614-8357 or visit https://globalperspectives.leeuniversity.edu/. An AFL superstar has weighed in on the Australia Day debate with a message of unity and respect for the country's history. West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui - who is of Fijian heritage - took to Twitter on Thursday to share a lengthy post on his feelings around January 26. 'Not everyone's gonna agree with me but ah well. At the end of the day unity is so much more fun, division is boring as s***,' he wrote above his message. West Coast Eagles star Nic Naitanui weighed in on yearly Australia Day debate saying he wanted to see the country united and if changing a date could achieve that he was 'all for it' He posted the message (pictured) knowing not everyone would agree with him but all he wanted was to see the country unified and Indigenous Australian culture honoured 'If a simple change of date helps to appease tension, unify Australians and collectively allow us to celebrate this amazing country I'm all for it,' he said. 'Although 1788 marks a dark period for Indigenous Australians, acknowledgement and not shying away from historical events for educational/progression purposes is important. 'I'd love the WA population to lead the way in this space and find an appropriate date. 'We celebrate other holidays on the calendar differently to the east coast so why not this one?' He finished his message by saying he was fed up with the constant debate surrounding January 26. 'To be honest it's tiring seeing the protesting, these debates and the hate in people's hearts this period every year.' Naitanui's followers commended the star for making his stance on Australia Day public. The West Coast eagles ruckman received positive feedback for his post however some said they didn't think changing the date would 'appease' the situation 'The simplest way to look at it is; I don't care about keeping the date more than others do about changing it. Good on you for leading, mate,' one user wrote. 'Good for you Nic! I want to be able to celebrate our wonderful country on a day that does not cause pain to others,' another added. 'The hope of a harmonious, inclusive celebration, however, is something I hold very dear.' Naitanui set up a poll asking people if the date should be changed. It was split almost down the middle at 50.5 Yes and 49.5 No. 'Nah it will make no difference mate, we could change the date and everything will be exactly the same,' one user replied. 'No matter what the date someone will be unhappy or offended leave it alone,' another wrote. 'As you say not everyone will agree with changing the date. I respect your views as long as you respect those who don't agree with changing the date too,' a third added. The post came on the same day Labor leader Anthony Albanese (pictured) said he supported keeping Australia Day on January 26 and wanted more education on Indigenous culture The post came on the same day Labor leader Anthony Albanese said Australia Day should remain on January 26. While the opposition leader said he acknowledged the 'devastating impact' colonisation had on Indigenous Australians he supported the date staying the same. 'I think that we do need to recognise that Australia Day for Indigenous Australians is a difficult day,' he told 2GB Radio. 'One of the things we need to do is seek ways to unite Australia, rather than engage in culture wars. It's really counterproductive.' He said Australia Day also provided the opportunity to educate people about the 'dispossession and the consequences of' the First Fleet. 'And it's given a focus on that day,. We need to recognise that Australian history didn't begin when the First Fleet arrived. It goes back,' he said. 'And we should be proud of the fact that we have the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet.' Saudi officials were reportedly aware of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's alleged plans to hack Jeff Bezos' phone, which was allegedly part of a wider intimidation scheme against murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The cellphone of the Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post was likely hacked after he received an MP4 video file sent from Salman's WhatsApp account after the two men exchanged phone numbers during a dinner in Los Angeles in 2018. Officials said the video file was sent to Bezos' phone five months before Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi government agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of Salman's simultaneous clampdown on dissent. According to The Wall Street Journal, it appears those closest to bin Salman knew of his alleged plan to steal Bezos' data. The sources told the newspaper that they were 'aware' of a plan to hack Bezos' phone but not of attempts to use that information for blackmail. According to the Journal, Salman's former senior adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, was also involved in the hacking as part of a broader intimidation campaign against Khashoggi. As news of the hacking made international headlines, Bezos tweeted an image of himself alongside Khashoggi's former finacee along with the hashtag 'Jamal' as an apparent reminder that the journalist was killed by the Saudi state. Scroll down for video Saudi officials were reportedly aware of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's (right) alleged plans to hack Jeff Bezos' (left) phone Salman's former senior adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, was also involved in the hacking as part of a broader intimidation campaign against Jamal Khashoggi (pictured), who was killed in 2018 Amid the fallout from the story, Bezos tweeted an image of himself alongside Khashoggi's former fiancee with the hashtag 'Jamal' as a reminder of the journalist's death The image was taken outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi was tortured to death, on the one-year anniversary of his murder. On Wednesday, UN experts demanded an immediate investigation by the US and other authorities into allegations that Salman was involved in the hack. The UN special rapporteurs, Agnes Callamard and David Kaye, said that they had information pointing to the 'possible involvement' of Salman in the alleged 2018 cyberattack, which preceded alleged threats by the National Enquirer to publish intimate photographs of the billionaire tech tycoon. Callamard, the special rapporteur for extra-judicial killings, and Kaye, special rapporteur for free expression, said in a statement that they believed the hack was carried out 'in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia' and called for an 'immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities'. Their recommendation is not binding, and how quickly - if at all - US officials might act on it was not immediately clear. They added: 'The allegations reinforce other reporting pointing to a pattern of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents and those of broader strategic importance to the Saudi authorities, including nationals and non-nationals. 'These allegations are relevant as well to ongoing evaluation of claims about the crown prince's involvement in the 2018 murder of Saudi and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. On Wednesday, UN experts demanded an immediate investigation by the US and other authorities into allegations that Salman was involved in the hack. Bezos is seen with Salman in November 2016 The first messages between Bezos, in green, and the Saudi prince were in April after they met at a dinner in Hollywood This is the message that Salman sent Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone In November, he sent this one - a forwarded meme showing a woman with the words 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The cyber firm Bezos hired to look into his phone and whether or not it had been hacked say this suggested bin Salman knew he was getting a divorce - something that was not public at the time. The experts say she 'resembled' Lauren Sanchez A final WhatsApp mesage sent to Bezos by bin Salman within hours of Bezos being told via phone call that Saudi Arabia had launched an online campaign against him. The cyber security experts say the timing of the message was suspicious given Bezos and Salman had not spoken for more than three months and he had just been told over the phone about the campaign UN investigation suggests Israeli spyware may have been used in Saudi hack of Jeff Bezos' phone A report issued by the United Nations suggests that malicious spyware created by Israeli company NSO Group may have been used by Saudi Arabia to hack Jeff Bezos' phone and steal his nude selfies. The report issued on Wednesday by UN Special Rapporteurs suggested that NSO Group's Pegasus spyware was the 'most likely' explanation for data that was stolen from Bezos' phone. A video file that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent Bezos on WhatsApp on May 1, 2018 was identified in the report as the likely source of the malicious code. The report notes that the Saudi Royal Guard acquired the Pegasus-3 spyware from NSO Group in a November 2017 contract. The logo of the Israeli NSO Group company on a building where they had offices in Herzliya, Israel is seen in a file photo. A UN report ties the company to the suspected Saudi hack of Jeff Bezos' phone The firm's wares have been used by governments to target journalists in Mexico, opposition figures in Panama and human rights activists from the Middle East. The U.N. experts said Bezos' phone hacking occurred during a period in which the phones of two close associates of Jamal Khashoggi were also hacked, allegedly using the Pegasus malware. Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi hit squad in October 2018 after writing columns critical of bin Salman in the Washington Post, which Bezos owns. NSO Group said in a statement it was 'shocked and appalled' by the reports linking its software to the Bezos phone hacking. 'If this story is true, then it deserves a full investigation by all bodies providing such services to assure that their systems have not been used in this abuse,' the company said. 'Just as we stated when these stories first surfaced months ago, we can say unequivocally that our technology was not used in this instance,' the company said. In October, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, sued NSO in the U.S. federal court in San Francisco, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of about 1,400 users across four continents. Targets of the alleged hacking spree included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. NSO has denied the allegations, saying it solely 'provides technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime'. Amnesty International will ask an Israeli court on Thursday to order Israel to revoke the export licence of NSO Group, whose software is alleged to have been used by governments to spy on journalists and dissidents. Advertisement 'The alleged hacking of Mr Bezos's phone, and those of others, demands immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities, including investigation of the continuous, multi-year, direct and personal involvement of the crown prince in efforts to target perceived opponents.' An FBI investigation into the hack was ongoing. The bureau declined to comment. Earlier on Wednesday, screenshots of the WhatsApp message Salman reportedly sent to Bezos emerged. The January 2019 National Enquirer expose which Bezos' team have suggested was an orchestrated take down by AMI and the Saudi Arabian government Vice Motherboard published the images after obtaining them from the cyber security firm report into Bezos' phone. The firm - FTI Consulting - had been asked to look at the Amazon founder's devices after the Enquirer expose about his relationship with Lauren Sanchez. They discovered the messages from bin Salman including one which they say likely led to a trove of data being taken from his phone. It was sent in May 2018 and showed a Saudi flag and a Swedish flag with Arabic writing across it. They also found a message from bin Salman to Bezos of a photograph of a woman who the firm said resembled Sanchez. He sent it along with the joke: 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The firm noted in its report that this was pertinent because anyone with access to Bezos' phone would have known about his then secret romance with Lauren and looming divorce from his wife. 'Our investigation learned of at least 2 instances in which texts sent to Bezos from MBS' WhatsApp account may reveal awareness of private information that was not known publicly at the time. Sanchez and Bezos in India this week. The pair were in a relationship for months before it was exposed by The National Enquirer in January 2019 along with some of their private messages and photos of Bezos 'The first such text was sent on November 8 2018 and contained a single photograph of a woman resembling Lauren Sanchez, with whom Bezos was having a then-secret personal relationship. 'For context, this was after the relationship would have been obvious to persons with access to private texts, calls, and images on Bezos' phone, but months before the relationship was known or reported publicly. 'The photo and cryptic caption were sent precisely during the period Bezos and his wife were exploring divorce,' the report reads. They also found it suspicious that in February 2019, after more than three months during which the pair did not speak, Bezos received an unsolicited WhatsApp message from the prince within hours of receiving a briefing from someone about an online campaign by Saudi Arabia against him. HOW THE 'HACK' UNFOLDED September 2017: David Pecker, the publisher of AMI, reportedly meets Mohammed bin Salman April 2018: The crown prince attends a dinner in Hollywood hosted by producer Brian Grazer where he meets Jeff Bezos May 1: The video is sent from the prince's phone to Bezos' via WhatsApp October 2018: Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered by Saudi regime November 2018: Bin Salman sends Bezos a text with the photo of the woman resembling Sanchez January 2019: The National Enquirer publishes its expose on Bezos' affair with Lauren Sanchez February 2019: Bezos receives a report that Saudi Arabia has been conducting an online campaign against him. Within hours of getting that phone call, bin Salman - who he has not spoken to for three months - WhatsApped him out of the blue to say there was no attack against him. March 2019: Bezos' private investigator Gavin De Becker says he has proof Saudi Arabia hacked Bezos' phone - Saudi Arabia denies it January 2020: The Guardian reports that the prince's message was the source of the hack. A UN report comes to the same conclusion Advertisement 'The second text that demonstrates an awareness of non-publication information that could have been gained via surveillance of Bezos' phone was sent after more than three months of no communication. 'Bezos was provided a detailed briefing about the extent of the Saudi online campaign against him. The briefing was provided in 2 calls on his phone. 'This text evinces an awareness of what Bezos had just been told.' The message contained a photograph of a woman who closely resembled Sanchez, the Times reports. Along with it, the prince included a joke: It is unclear if Bezos replied. At the time, the National Enquirer had been trailing him and Lauren and were aware of their romance. Bezos' team has suggested in the past that the Saudi government and The Enquirer's publisher, David Pecker, were in cahoots to take him down - a claim both the Saudis and Pecker vehemently deny. After the text with the joke, Salman sent Bezos one more WhatsApp message, according to The New York Times. That text was in February last year and was after Bezos' divorce and affair with Sanchez made global news. It said: 'There is nothing against you or Amazon from me or Saudi Arabia.' Again, it not known if Bezos replied. Saudi Arabia has called the allegations that it hacked the billionaire's phone 'absurd' and 'silly'. American Media Inc, the Enquirer's publisher, has also denied any wrongdoing in its reporting of the Bezos/Sanchez affair. Bezos issued strongly worded statements after the story emerged alleging blackmail by AMI to quash the story. In the end, he and his wife MacKenzie settled their divorce for a record-setting $36billion. His net worth is now an estimated $115.6billion. The news and Deepika Padukone seem to be inseparable, whether its her movie Chhapaak, controversies around it or her, her achievements, Deepika is always in the spotlight. And now the actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and fashionista has added another feather to her cap. There are no two ways about Deepika being one of the best-dressed actors in Bollywood, in fact, it wouldnt be an overstatement to say she is definitely the best dressed of all. And to put an official tag on this title, Deepika is now officially one of the twenty-four faces of Louis Vuittons pre-fall 2020 campaign. This makes Deepika the first and only Bollywood celebrity to be featured on Louis Vuittons campaign. The campaign based on Louis Vuittons rendition of posters of pulp horror movies and books is the brainchild of Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere. Ghesquiere has been the creative director at the fashion house since 2013. Deepika took to Instagram to share the news with her fans, she posted a picture of herself in a movie poster called Dont Turn Around, a fiction thriller by Michelle Gagnon. The poster shows Deepika sitting in a black and white checked dress with a brown micro fanny pack around her waist, a grey overcoat and very gorgeous turquoise boots. Behind Deepika, there is a monster with shining red eyes, and the poster reads, Guess Who? The Past, Thats Who! Deepika captioned the post, I am beyond thrilled to be joining the Louis Vuitton family! To be a part of Nicholas Ghesquieres vision for the worlds most iconic brand is not only exciting but also very humbling! Presenting... Louis Vuitton prefall 2020. Her husband, actor Ranveer Singh seemed very proud of his wife as he wrote Next level! on Deepikas post. Last year, Ghesquiere had hand-picked a list of house ambassadors to debut each look, including Sophie Turner, Lea Seydoux, Jennifer Connelly, Chloe Grace Moretz, Michelle Williams, Indya Moore. Also read| Depression is like any other illness: Deepika Padukone at the World Economic Forum 2020 Deepika is presently at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland where she was honoured with the Crystal Award. The actor was given the award for her leadership in raising mental health awareness, which she did by going public with her own experience with anxiety and depression. The WEF aims to get world leaders to discuss the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of every year, with one mission in mind: to improve the state of the world. Deepika pulled off some seriously stylish looks at the Forum. Check them out! We absolutely love this all-black ensemble by GAUCHERE Paris on Deepika, she paired her business attire with a Prada overcoat and Christian Louboutin pumps. She sported dramatic eyeliner and delicate diamond jewellery in her ears and neck. And then this all-white Roksanda pants and blouse with a dramatic bow around the neck and ruffled sleeves. She wore an off-shite coat from The Row and white pumps by Manolo Blahnik. We also loved her all Prada plaid look. Although it was very reminiscent of Sonam Kapoors schoolgirl style, convent lenght skirt, coat, socks or stockings, and respectable hemlines and necklines. Its still a great look though. Which is your favourite look? Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 34-year-old man, who allegedly trained the accused in the 2018 Nalasopara arms haul case, was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from West Bengal. Pratap Hazra was arrested from his residence in Usthi in South 24 Parganas district on January 20, officials said. Hazra was produced in court on Thursday and has been remanded in police custody till January 30. According to ATS officers, Hazra played a major role in assembling bombs and providing pistols to the accused. He also trained the accused in assembling bombs. Hazra had brought one of his aides to Nalasopara, who was also an expert in assembling bombs and helped Hazra in the training. Hazras associate is still wanted, said an ATS officer, requesting anonymity. Twelve people Sharad Kalaskar,25; Vaibhav Raut,44; Sudhanwa Gondhlekar,39; Shrikant Pangarkar,40; Avinash Pawar,30; Leeladhar Ukhirde, 32; Vasudeo Suryawanshi, 19; Suchit Kumar Rangswamy, 37; Bharat Kurne, 37; Amol Kale, 34; Amit Baddi, 27 and Ganesh Dasharath Miskin, 28 were charge-sheeted by the ATS in December 2018 for plotting a terror attack and possessing arms in huge quantity. Some of these accused have also been booked by other agencies in the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh, rationalists Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi. The ATS said the accused were members of Hindutva organisations Sanathan Sanstha, Hindu Janjagruti, among others. They had drawn their motivation of working towards the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra as explained in the book, Kshatra Dharma Sadhana, which was published by Sanathan Sanstha. They had conspired to form a terrorist gang of youths with a similar mindset to work towards undermining the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country, ATS had stated in its charge sheet. The arrests were made in August 2018 after the ATS found that the accused had planned to target the Sunburn music festival in Pune, and that the group had planned to use country bombs, petrol bombs and indulge in heavy stone hurling to scare followers of Western music. The ATS in a raid at the residence of Vaibhav Raut had found 20 crude bombs, two gelatin sheets, a note on how to prepare bombs, one six-volt battery, a few loose wires, transistors and glue from them. Several raw materials to make more bombs and detonators were also seized. Eleven country-made pistols with magazines, one air gun, 10 pistol barrels, six pistol magazines, six partially made pistol bodies, three partially made magazines, seven partially made pistol slides, 16 relay switches, six number plates for vehicles and an explosive-making handbook. The police also found one trigger mechanism, springs of different lengths, knives, six number plates of vehicles, relay switch circuit drawings, and several printouts about explosives and mobile switches. Another search at Rauts place saw officials recover five country pistols, three incomplete pistols, 11 9mm cartridges, 30 7.65 cartridges, scores of loose parts of firearms such as springs and triggers. O prah Winfrey says she supports Meghan and Harrys exit from the royal family 1,000 percent. The American talk show host said the couples decision to "move forward in peace" had been made after "months" of consideration. The 65-year-old made the comments while out in New York with her friend Gayle King. I support them 1,000 percent, Winfrey told TMZ. Oprah Winfrey said the pair had to do what was right for their family / @adamglyn You know why I support them? I support them because I believe, when you have thought about this as long as they have and even in the Queens statement [she] says, This has been going on for months, these discussions have been going on for months and when Harry said in that charity statement the other day [that] he had to make the decision to move forward in peace with his new family. "Who doesnt feel what that takes to make that decision - to give up everything youve known your whole life; to say 'Im going to choose this new life or what I believe to be the truest vision for myself'? Winfrey condemned anyone who had negative comments about the decision and said the couple should not be judged. Gayle King also spoke out in Harry and Meghan's defence / REUTERS He did what he needed to do for his family. I dont think anybody has any right to say anything, she added. "When a person has thought what is the best decision to make for my family and then he makes that decision none of us have any right to say anything about that. Ms King added that Meghan and Harry didnt make the decision in a vacuum. There were a lot of conversations. Thats why I thought it was very unfair to say the Queen was blindsided," she added. CONWAY, S.C. More than 2,400 Coastal Carolina University students were named to the deans list for the fall 2019 semester. Thats nearly 20 percent of the student body with a grade-point average between 3.5 and 3.99 for the spring semester. Locals are: Logan Bellos, a languages and intercultural studies major from Ivoryton, Nicholas Carta, a undeclared major from Chester, Bryce Cote, an accounting pre-major from Portland, Nikolaus Czarnota, a recreation and sport management major from East Hampton, Jackson Mantel, a hospitality resort and tourism management pre-major from Cromwell. An additional 802 students were named to the presidents list for achieving a 4.0 grade-point average during the spring semester. To be honored, students must achieve a 4.0 grade-point average for the semester. They include Rachel Russo, a management pre-major, who lives in Clinton. In other news, Shane Fiala of East Haddam earned a bachelor of science in business administration in accounting Dec. 17 during the fall commencement ceremony. Nichols College DUDLEY, Mass. Many students at Nichols College achieved deans list or presidents list honors during the fall 2019 semester, including locals Kevin Radavich of East Hampton, Ethan Powers of East Hampton, Benjamin Molesky of Old Saybrook, Alexis Finnerty of Chester and Elexa Belin of Middletown. These honor rolls give recognition to those students who achieve high grades during a single semester. In order to be included on the deans list, a student must have a minimum average of 3.5 for at least 12 undergraduate credit hours, and have received no grades below a B- during the semester. Students whose semester average is 3.85 or higher for at least 12 undergraduate credit hours with no grades below a B- achieve presidents list. Southern New Hampshire University MANCHESTER, N.H. Southern New Hampshire University congratulates the following area students on being named to the fall 2019 presidents list: Erika Cantarella of Cromwell, Gyanna Russell of East Hampton, Megan Decker of Durham, Samantha Glance of Deep River, and Samantha Chapps of Old Saybrook. Eligibility requires a student accumulate an academic grade-point average of 3.7 to 4.0 and earn 12 credits for the semester. Trinity College HARTFORD The following local students were awarded faculty honors for the fall 2019 semester at Trinity College. These are awarded to students with a semester grade-point average of at least 3.667 on four graded courses, with no individual grade below a B-, and no incomplete grades pending. They are: Gabe E. Mangiafico of East Hampton, Zach M. Herrmann of Killingworth, Brooke A. Agro of Middletown, Leah Joy Latimer of Middletown and Ryan Lau of Middletown. Spirit Airlines is facing backlash after a Michigan woman claims a fellow passenger assaulted her during a flight from Atlanta to Detroit. 22-year-old Tia Jackson told CNN that she was seated in the middle seat on her flight Tuesday, with her friend sitting in the window seat and a stranger sitting by the aisle. At one point during the two-hour flight, Jackson put on her AirPods to take a nap and leaned on her friend, with her back to the stranger in their row. Towards the end of the flight, Jackson said she felt the person in the aisle seat touch her and dismissed it as an accident until she felt his hand slide down the back of her pants. Jackson said she reacted immediately and pushed the call button above her seat for help before turning to the man and yelling, "Hey! You are going to stop touching me! Get off of me!" The flight attendant answered Jackson's call and offered to move Jackson's seat, which Jackson declined because she didn't want to leave her friend with the man. "He touched my bare ass! He needs to be moved!" she reportedly told the flight attendant. But, according to Jackson, ultimately no one was moved. Jackson said she spoke to the pilot while deboarding the flight and was told to talk to the gate agent. Instead, Jackson said she felt her complaints were being dismissed by the airline, so she filed a police report. Spirit Airlines responded to the allegations and explained that the cabin crew did not want to move the man in the aisle seat because it would leave him with an empty seat on one side and the aisle on the other. They also said when Jackson refused to take the flight attendant's offer to be moved to a different seat on the plane, it was already time to prepare for landing, and they felt like there was nothing else that they could do. "Law enforcement began its investigation immediately after the flight arrived," the airline said, according to CNN. "We are supporting law enforcement as they investigate. Questions about that investigation should be directed to them." Jackson says she's unimpressed with the response and worried about future potential victims. "He needs to be held responsible. He is a predator. He displays predatory behavior. Who knows who else he has done this to," she told CNN. "I don't want anyone else to ever have to fall victim to him." Financial Supervisory Service Governor Yoon Suk-heun speaks during a briefing on the agency's restructuring at the FSS headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times file By Kim Bo-eun The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said Thursday it will beef up its consumer protection department, doubling the number of affiliated divisions. The restructuring is seen as taking into account financial authorities' alarm over losses incurred by investors in derivative options last year and growing concerns over the option-based funds managed by Lime Asset Management. FSS Governor Yoon Suk-heun said after the reorganization, the consumer protection department will increase from six divisions and 26 teams to 13 divisions and 40 teams. This will take place after the agency's personnel reshuffle is completed. "We are bolstering the consumer protection department to boost supervision for the design and sales process of high-risk financial products," Yoon told reporters at a briefing at the agency. Half of the department will be in charge of efforts preventing financial losses for consumers and the other half in dealing with cases that occur. The former half will review the terms of investment options, as well as look into sales channels. The tasks were originally assumed by each department in charge of banks, brokerages or insurers. The latter half will set up a new center for financial consumer complaints aimed at speeding up processing the filed cases. Each section will have a deputy governor in charge. The FSS said it has benchmarked the U.K.'s Financial Ombudsman Service for its changes. The consumer protection department will be able to take part in inspections of financial firms with related departments in charge of banks or brokerages. The department will also be able to discuss sanctions for serious cases. The FSS will have 356 employees in its consumer protection division, up from 278, and seeks to further increase. The agency said it will create a "SupTech" innovation team as part of its drive for digitization. SupTech stands for supervisory technology and refers to the use of innovative technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning by supervisory agencies to support supervision. The FSS will also integrate its international cooperation and financial hub departments to enhance efficiency. A new team will be set up under the international department that will help local financial firms' expansion in Southeast Asia. Courtesy of Dia de Los TaKos Anyone who reads this section knows there are two things I love more than anything else: Tacos and booze. So much so, in fact, that Weekly Alibi did two food weeks on those tasty topics last year. Ive also spoken highly of the insane creativity and dedication to perfection found at Dia de Los TaKos, which recently transitioned back to a food truck. I was over the moon, as you might imagine, when I heard of a collaboration between Dia de Los TaKos and Hollow Spirits. I was so excited about it that I immediately reached out to Chef Dominic Valenzuela to get all the info. Weekly Alibi: For those who don't know you or your work, tell us a little about Dia de Los TaKos. Chef Dominic Valenzuela: Well Dia de Los TaKos began as a food truck in 2013, providing beer-battered fish TaKos and world-inspired TaKos. After closing up shop and moving to San Diego for six years, Dia de Los TaKos returned, this time with a standing location inside of Albuquerque Indoor Karting. Introducing an expanded menu, including house-cut fries and burgers, we gained a lot of popularity over this past year, including many accolades including Best Chef, Best Hot Tacos, Best Craft Tacos and Yelp Top 100 Places To Eat In America. Now weve returned to a food truck for the meanwhile as we are building up our standing location. What are some of the things people should expect out of this collaboration with Hollow Spirits? This collaboration is all about a party! Good music, good food, good drinks and good times! What's your history working with Yannis mixologist Sheldon Auge and Andy Domski from Bosque Brewing Co., who are running the bar that night, if at any? If not, are you excited about getting the chance to work with them? Sheldon, Andy and I have never collaborated or even worked together. Im excited to work with them because theyre professionals and passionate. Plus they build off of a theme, which I do as well. What kind of pairing work are you all doing together? What inspiration will they be pulling from for the drinks side of things? So the guys decided to do drinks inspired by the music of The Menzingers. Theyre kind of a 30-plus punk band. The band is from Pennsylvania and plays fun party music. So I wanted to create some food that didnt outshine anythingjust something that really enhances the experience and vibe. One of the things I came up with is the Steel Town Fries, which are $15 crispy waffle fries. Drizzled with gooey homemade pimento cheese, chopped steak, caramelized onions and served with a trinity of sauces: bacon ketchup, green chile-garlic aioli and pickled yellow pepper chutney. My mouth is already watering. Where does the inspiration for your dishes come from? You're definitely known for making some really fascinating flavor combinations work. My inspiration is pulled from good flavorful food, first off. Thats the most important thing to me. Food with a story and food with thought. Kind of like a CliffsNotes version of regional cuisine, enhanced with French and Japanese techniques. I love that description! Its a really good fit for the stuff you do. You can expect to see me there. If people want to keep up with the event or the progress of the new restaurant, where can they find you or get in touch with you? Follow Dia de Los TaKos on FB and Instagram! SHANGHAI, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New Zealand Cherry Corp. announces the launch of a new partnership with Techrock, part of the Tael ecosystem, to protect fresh cherries as they travel from the pack-house and orchards in Cromwell, in the South Island of New Zealand, to consumers in the China market. New Zealand Cherry Corp. Techrock is a 'safe product' ecommerce channel for Chinese consumers. NZ Cherry Corp. will employ the unique anti-counterfeiting technology used on Techrock, and throughout the Tael ecosystem, to protect Chinese customers. Once prepared and packed, their cherries will be protected by Tael's high-tech labels and blockchain ledger technology. NFC labels will be applied to the cherry cartons at the NZ Cherry Corp. pack-house in Cromwell, Central Otago. This technology provides consumers in China with verifiable proof that they are not dealing with fraudulent products. Techrock enables Chinese consumers to 'tap' the NFC label on the packaging with their smartphone to view information about the product's journey through the supply chain. For fresh 'cold-chain' products (meaning they are refrigerated at 0-2C through to the consumer) such as NZ Cherry Corp. cherries, supply chain visibility is even more important. Customers are now able to see how long it has been since the cherries left the pack-house and that they have not been tampered with along the way. For every action made in the Tael ecosystem - purchases, verifications, referrals of new customers and more - consumers are rewarded with loyalty point tokens that they can use to subsidise future purchases. This helps to promote repeat purchasing. After a large expansion this year and doubling their orchard size, optimism is high for NZ Cherry Corp.'s 2019/20 season thanks to favourable growing conditions this year and strong demand growth in key markets such as China. About NZ Cherry Corp: With a long history as a cherry grower in Central Otago, New Zealand Cherry Corp. is about more than just growing premium quality cherries. We aim to grow our community and business through a world-class operation that takes cherries to a global export market. We are a vertically integrated operation that combines impeccable planning, modern growing methods and state of the art technology. Our high-tech grading and packing plant ensures a minimum of fruit handling. Constant quality control from orchard to market means only the best cherries are selected for our customers. Our sophisticated systems and processes ensure our fruit gets to market in the best possible condition. Through marketing intelligence, expertise and sustained relationship building, New Zealand Cherry Corp. is a trusted brand in high demand in global markets. About Techrock: Techrock is a 'protected products' ecommerce marketplace which is part of the Tael ecosystem. All products in the Tael ecosystem are secured by high-tech NFC labels and blockchain ledger technology to protect consumers and give them the ability to verify authenticity themselves using only their smartphone. Techrock Media Contact: Wouter de Hoogd Email: [email protected] Related Images new-zealand-cherry-corp-partners.png New Zealand Cherry Corp. partners with Techrock Related Links Techrock website New Zealand Cherry Corp. website SOURCE New Zealand Cherry Corp. Related Links https://www.nzcherrycorp.com President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga in Davos. The sides exchanged views on the deepening of relations between Azerbaijan and Mongolia even further. They noted that there were wide opportunities for cooperation in the field of agriculture, especially in the livestock sector. The investment opportunities in the copper and gold mining industry were discussed. During the conversation, it was noted that Mongolian students were currently studying in Azerbaijani universities. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz BLACKFOOT Blackfoot attorney Justin Oleson has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery dating back to September for an incident that allegedly took place during the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Oleson was charged by Twin Falls Prosecutor Grant Loebs, who is acting as special prosecutor in the matter and acted after two boys and their parents insisted that battery charges be filed. Olesons attorney entered not guilty pleas in the case, the Bingham County Chronicle reported. The incident in question took place on Sept. 7 on the Eastern Idaho State Fairgrounds during admission to the demolition derby, where Oleson was assisting fairgrounds security in handling patrons attempting to enter the pit area. Upon finding that the two boys did not have the proper credentials to enter the event, Oleson allegedly grabbed the boys and removed them from the truck in which they were riding. When Blackfoot Police were summoned to the scene and interviewed Oleson at the time, who said, I do not recall ever touching anyone but did recall that two juveniles were very upset at not being able to get into the demolition derbys pit area because they did not have the proper credentials and being forced to walk into the grandstand area, police said. The police officers who did the initial contact at the scene did not cite anyone. The charges have come four months after the alleged incident. Bingham County Prosecutor Paul Rogers has declined to be involved due to conflict of interest concerns as he and Oleson work closely together on an almost daily basis with work in and around the courthouse. As a result, Loebs was asked to serve as a special prosecutor in the case. Oleson has also been under investigation for a separate incident a few days earlier on Sept. 3 in which he allegedly threatened to shoot down a Tadd Jenkins Auto Group helicopter providing rides to fairgoers. Oleson has not been charged in connection to the threatening phone call. Loebs has confirmed his office is looking into the matter. We were asked to take on and screen the case due to a conflict of interest, Loebs told East Idaho News. We are still looking at it and it shouldnt be long before a decision is made. Oleson also serves as a member of the Eastern Idaho State Fair Board. Oleson and his legal counsel have declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 4 COLLINSVILLE An increased emphasis on apprenticeship programs brought about 100 people representing government, industry, labor and education together Thursday at Gateway Center in Collinsville. Sponsored by Madison County Employment and Training, St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department and the city of Collinsville, much of the meeting focused on the need and structure of apprenticeship programs. Tony Fuhrmann, director of Madison County Employment and Training, said the meeting was intended to get more service partners, including government and education officials, and help businesses understand apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are very important currently as a tool for work-based learning, he said. Our nine-county region, anchored by Madison and St. Clair, are one of the leaders in the state in the apprenticeship area. Traditionally, apprenticeships were driven by trade unions, but that has expanded. The Department of Labor are the keepers of the apprenticeship model, Fuhrman said. There are more than 1,000 professions with registered apprenticeship programs. Most are in manufacturing or construction trades, he said, citing an extreme example of an accordion maker. At the state level we really see it as a new opportunity to really engage businesses in a different way, said Julio Rodriguez, deputy director of the Office of Employment and Training. He said Illinois grows a great deal of talent, but much of it moves out of state. Illinois needs to develop a pipeline to encourage traditional students to train and stay in the state, he said. It also needs to develop programs for nontraditional students, such as older workers who have lost jobs or want to try something new. People need to think out of the box, he said, especially with intergenerational approaches to apprenticeships. Mike Conley, chairman of the Apprenticeship Committee for the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, said apprenticeships are key strategy that requires developing career strategies with structure and goals for both businesses and employees. Nationally its a hot topic, he said. What I really see as a primary impediment is a resistance on the part of businesses and the private sector to embrace it. Conley said he thinks part of it is unwillingness to believe government can provide an effective solution for them. He noted there are other issues ranging from paperwork to dealing with workers challenges such as previous addiction problems and child care. Part of his goal is to bring back the roughly 35 percent of people not participating in the workforce, referring to the difference in the unemployment rate which measures people actively seeking work and the labor participation rate that includes all work-aged people. That would be a huge driver of the economic development if we got something approaching full employment, he said. Panel discussions were held throughout the day, including one with local businesses and institutions. John Caupert, executive director of the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, said a big advantage of apprenticeships especially for non-traditional students or people looking to switch careers is the diversity of experience. He said the center currently has two apprentices; one is a former diesel mechanic and the other is a single mother with five who was working in the food-service industry. Can you be any more diverse than those backgrounds? he asked. Jeff Horvath, vice president of supply chain & operations at Terra Source Global in Belleville, said they use apprenticeships to grow their own workers. Manufacturing jobs like this are not jobs; he said. They are a career path. Weve lost a lot of industry in this area, he said. That makes trying to find people to do what I need very, very difficult. We learned very early on that youre going to have to grow your own, and youre going to have to do it well. Horvath said the company just spent $1.6 million on new equipment. I dont have any machinists to put in front of them, he said, noting machinists job has been advertised for more than 200 days. We have to recruit in a non-conventional way, he added. Were looking at a lot of different things. He said apprenticeships go very well with that, including a system with both mentoring and continuous education that doesnt end. Amber Kasting, an HR specialist at West Star Aviation in East Alton, said apprenticeship programs have allow their company to transfer knowledge from older employees to younger ones. We have a lot of great talent, but theyre going to have to retire, she said. They needed a program to help pass down their knowledge. Apprenticeships were the answer, she said. She also said someone who comes into the company with both certification and work experience is another plus. Many of the companys apprentices are students at Southwestern Illinois College which has an airframe and power plant program, then work second shift, part-time or weekends. People pay more for the people they need, Kasting said. Its a great opportunity for West Star and the apprentices. For more information about apprenticeships in Madison County, call 618-296-4445, or visit www.co.madison.il.us/departments/employment_and_training. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. Organoids have become an important tool for studying many disease processes and testing potential drugs. Now, they are being used in a surprising and unexpected way: for the production of snake venom. On January 23 in the journal Cell, researchers are reporting that they have created organoids of the venom glands of the Cape coral snake (Aspidelaps lubricus cowlesi) and that these glands are capable of producing venom. "More than 100,000 people die from snake bites every year, mostly in developing countries. Yet the methods for manufacturing antivenom haven't changed since the 19th century," says senior author Hans Clevers of the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. "It's clear there is a huge unmet medical need for new treatments." He adds: "Every snake has dozens of different components in their venom. These are extremely potent molecules that are designed to stop prey from running away. They affect systems as varied as the brain, neuromuscular junctions, blood coagulation, and more. Many of them have potential bioprospecting applications for new drugs." Clevers' lab traditionally focuses on organoids made from human and mouse cells. But some of his students decided to study stem cells and develop organoids from reptiles. "This is a field that does not exist, so they thought it was interesting to study the most iconic reptilian organ, the snake venom gland," he says. "Once we grew the venom glands as organoids, we realized that they make a lot of venom." The investigators started with the Cape coral snake because they knew a breeder who was able to supply some fertilized eggs. The snakes were removed from the eggs before hatching, and small pieces of tissue were removed from various organs and placed into gels, along with growth factors. In addition to the venom glands, the researchers also made organoids of the snake liver, pancreas, and gut. "It would have been difficult to isolate stem cells from these snakes because we don't know what they look like," Clevers explains. "But it turned out we didn't need to. The cells soon began dividing and forming structures." In fact, he says, the venom gland organoids grew so fast that in just one week, they were able to break them apart and re-plate them, generating hundreds of plates within two months. He notes that if it could be commercialized, this method would be much more efficient than the way venom is currently produced--by raising snakes on farms and milking their glands. The researchers were able to identify at least four distinct types of cells within the venom gland organoids. They confirmed that the venom peptides produced were biologically active and resembled the components of venom from live snakes. A challenge of the work was determining gene-expression levels in the venom gland organoids. "The genomes of most snakes have not been annotated," Clevers says. The investigators were able to identify certain genes that were active under expansion conditions, suggesting that these pathways--including most importantly the Wnt pathway--may play a role in reptilian stem cell growth. One of the collaborators on the study was Freek Vonk, a herpetologist and well-known Dutch television host who Clevers calls "the Steve Irwin of Holland." Vonk is affiliated with Leiden University and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. ### This study was funded by ALS foundation Netherlands, a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, the Wellcome Trust, and the Royal Society. Clevers is inventor on several patents related to organoid technology; his full disclosure is given at https://www.uu.nl/staff/JCClevers/. Two of the study's authors are employees of MIMETAS BV, the Netherlands, which is marketing the OrganoPlate. OrganoPlate is a registered trademark of MIMETAS. Cell, Post et al.: "Snake Venom Gland Organoids" https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)31323-6 Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, virology and microbiology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signaling, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. Kylie Jenner wants the world to know her daughter's birthday is coming soon. The star, 22, has placed a massive billboard on the intersection of Santa Monica and La Cienaga Boulevard in West Hollywood, announcing Stormi's upcoming makeup collection and second birthday. In the billboard, Kylie gently cradles Stormi as the youngster rests her head upon her chest. Stormiworld indeed! Kylie Jenner has placed a massive billboard on the intersection of Santa Monica and La Cienaga Boulevard in West Hollywood, announcing her toddler's upcoming birthday and makeup collection The reality star is all glammed up as she gazes towards the camera while cuddling her child. 'Stormi', the billboard read, along with the release date of her makeup collection, which coincides with Stormi's second birthday on February 1. The billboard will definitely be getting a lot of attention, as it's located in a highly visited area of West Hollywood. Kylie announced she would be releasing a new makeup collection inspired by her daughter last week. Prime spot: The billboard will definitely be getting a lot of attention, as it's located in a highly visited area of West Hollywood Doting mother: Jenner and her daughter wore matching sunglasses Inspired by Stormi: Jenner unveiled her daughter's makeup collection on Instagram The collection, which will be released on Stormi's birthday on February 1, consists of lip gloss, eye shadow, lip stick and lip liner. 'I think I've been waiting for this moment since the day i found out i was pregnant,' Kylie wrote as she announced the collection. 'An entire collection by @kyliecosmetics dedicated to my beautiful daughter... i can't wait for the reveal!!!! You will fall in love. The Stormi Collection launches 2.1.20.' Spreading her wings: The range has a butterfly design package Kylie spared no expense for her daughter's first birthday and it looks like that will be the case for her second bash. The billionaire is said to be putting together a top-secret soiree for her only child's second birthday that will rival last year's Stormi World, according to Hollywood Life. An insider claims that Kylie is 'being extremely secretive' about her party plans but adds that those plans will include Travis Scott. Coming soon: Jenner announced her daughter's makeup collection on Instagram last week The apple of her eye: Jenner loves posting photos of her toddler on Instagram The source told Hollywood Life: '[Everyone] knows it will be huge and over the top.' 'She's done a ton of meetings and is making sure every little detail is taken care of with the party planner,' they continued. 'She loves everything to be customized with colors, engraving, embellishments etc. Like any Kardashian party, no detail will be missed.' The insider added that Kylie isn't sharing the party details with anyone and 'likes to keep it a surprise like the last party.' Kylie welcomed Stormi into the world with her now ex-boyfriend Travis on February 1, 2018, following a super secretive pregnancy. ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum told visiting envoys from other countries neighbouring Libya on Thursday that he hoped their meeting would strengthen a fragile truce in the country and help avert more foreign influence there. "Libya's neighbours have the responsibility to facilitate a political solution," he added before the start of his meeting with foreign ministers or other officials from Egypt, Tunisia, Chad, Niger, Sudan and Mali. Heiko Maas, the foreign minister of Germany, which hosted a summit on the Libyan crisis on Sunday, also joined the meeting. The eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar launched an assault last year with his Libyan National Army (LNA) to capture Tripoli with backing from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russian mercenaries and African troops. The internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is backed by Turkey, which has sent military advisers and trainers to help its armed forces ward off Haftar's attack. In Berlin, foreign powers active in Libya agreed to shore up a shaky ceasefire but the meeting was overshadowed by Haftar's blockade of energy fields. The conflict's recent escalation has alarmed some of Libya's neighbours, who fear it may provide more space for armed militant groups to operate across the Sahara and the Sahel region. "The Sahel is suffering from this crisis. Proliferation of arms in the region has facilitated the spread of terrorism," said Chad's Foreign Minister Mahamet Zene Cherif. Tunisia, located between Algeria and Libya, is also concerned about a possible influx of refugees. It was not initially invited to the Berlin summit this month, causing anger among many Tunisian politicians. It turned down a late invitation to attend, saying it had not been given time to prepare. (Reporting By Lamine Chikhi; "riting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Alex Richardson) FRONTERA HIDALGO, Mexico (AP) Eight hundred Central American migrants were rounded up and hauled onto buses by Mexican national guardsmen and immigration agents after crossing into the country early Thursday and walking for hours along a rural highway. The migrants had stopped for the day at a shaded crossroads when hundreds of national guard troops advanced their lines to within 100 yards (meters) of the migrants. A brief negotiation stalled after Mexican authorities said the migrants demanded permits for free transit through Mexico to the United States. The migrants knelt to the ground in prayer and began to chant we want to pass. National guardsmen in riot gear advanced banging their plastic shields with batons and engaged the migrants. There was shoving and pepper spray as migrants were rounded up. Many of the people allowed themselves to be escorted to 20 waiting buses without resistance. Women cradling small children or holding kids' hands wept as they walked toward the buses. Others resisted and were subdued by guardsmen. One man dragged by four guardsmen shouted they killed my brother, I don't want to die, presumably in reference to the possibility of being returned to his country. A woman crying as she walked toward a bus said, I have a great need for my children. A paramedic attended to an injured woman lying on the highway shoulder. The road was left littered with water bottles, plastic bags and clothing. An irate man in a blue shirt yelled at the agents this is a war against the Hondurans," gesturing angrily. It was a sudden climax after the day had seemed to be winding down. Carrying U.S. and Honduran flags at the head of the procession, the migrants had been walking on a highway toward hundreds of national guardsmen since crossing the Suchiate river from Guatemala at dawn. Jose Luis Morales, a Salvadoran de facto spokesman for the caravan, said the migrants wanted to negotiate to be allowed to pass peacefully. Story continues The migrants halted late in the morning on the roadside about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of the river border city of Ciudad Hidalgo, and a few miles (kilometers) from where a large deployment of security forces was waiting. Federal officials arrived and began negotiating with Morales. He said afterward that authorities initial proposal was that they turn themselves in for detention while being processed for refuge what he called always the same policy. Instead, they planned to stay put until Friday, Morales said. Mexico has cracked down on the large caravans seen previously following intense pressure from Washington last year. Anibal, who declined to give his last name for fear of reprisal from immigration authorities, joined the majority Honduran caravan from his hometown of Santa Rosa, Guatemala. He and others rested in the shade of a tree Thursday morning after walking for hours along the highway. He was determined to get to the U.S., no matter where, and work to save money and return to his wife and three kids. Back home he worked part time gigs as a laborer, machinist, selling used clothing, but there wasnt enough work. They need to let us pass," he said. Asked about assertions from Mexicos president that migration must be regular and orderly, he said: He needs to have a little more compassion ... we're going out of necessity. We're not going for ambition. Thursday's movement was a resurgence of a migrant caravan that had been diminishing since its last concerted attempt to cross the border Monday was turned back by Mexican National Guardsmen posted along the Suchiate R iver, which forms the border here. The migrants awoke with a plan Thursday. By 4:30 a.m. they had all packed their belongings and were just awaiting the call to move. They would not cross where Mexican authorities were posted across the river. They prayed for about an hour before leaving and then walked upriver on the Guatemala side in the dark to near another bridge that handles commercial traffic between the two countries. There were no Mexican authorities on the opposite bank. There the water was deeper, coming to the waist of a grown man, so a number of young men entered the river first and formed a human chain to keep the women and children who followed from being pulled by the current. When the first migrants crossed at 6 a.m., it was still pitch black. The national guardsmen awaited the caravan outside the community of Frontera Hidalgo, near Ciudad Hidalgo where the migrants crossed the Suchiate river at dawn. Mexico began flying and busing members of the caravan back to Honduras on Tuesday. Seven more buses left Mexico for Honduras on Wednesday, carrying 240 migrants back home, and two flights left with an additional 220 Hondurans, Mexico's National Immigration Institute said. By Wednesday, the number of people outside the Casa del Migrante in Tecun Uman was perhaps half of what it was at its peak Sunday night. In previous caravans, Mexican authorities have allowed caravans to walk for awhile, seemingly to tire them out, and then closed their path. While the migrants have been receiving steady local media coverage since they arrived at the border, they have not surpassed topics of security, economy or corruption in the public agenda. On Thursday, a multi-day march for truth, justice and peace departed the central Mexico city of Cuernavaca bound for the capital. The leader of that march, anti-crime activist Javier Sicilia, said part of Mexico's problem were the dozens of thousands of migrants treated without the dignity of human beings. Meanwhile, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's two-hour daily press conference was dominated by questions about the supply of cancer drugs as parents of children with cancer protested outside the national palace. He has faced some criticism from the left for the more aggressive response to migrants, but seemingly not enough to blunt his high popularity. __ AP photojournalist Moises Castillo en Tecun Uman, Guatemala, contributed to this report. A judge has told Kate Ritchie's estranged husband he's 'lucky he hasn't been sent to jail' for his 'appalling' driving record. Stuart Webb was charged with drink driving on a suspended licence after he was stopped by police and blew 0.083 on March 26. Webb was not joined by his TV actor wife as he faced Waverley Local Court, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, on Thursday - but she did write a letter of support for the former NRL star, news.com.au reported. An AVO is currently in place to prohibit Webb from approaching Ritchie within 12 hours of consuming alcohol. A judge has told Kate Ritchie's estranged husband he's 'lucky he hasn't been sent to jail' for his 'appalling' driving record Court documents concerning the March driving incident said Webb had 'glazed and bloodshot' eyes when he was pulled over by highway patrolmen in Randwick in Sydney's east. He had just run a red light and was also driving on a suspended licence. Webb claimed to be 'unaware' his licence was suspended, alleging he had previously visited a Service NSW office to resolve the matter. He was disqualified from driving for several months, but the ban has come to an end. The court was told there were no records of Webb successfully reapplying for his licence with Service NSW and it remains cancelled. The judge referred to Webb's drink driving record in court. Stuart Webb (pictured in December 2019) was charged with drink driving on a suspended licence after he was stopped by police and blew 0.083 on March 26 'His licence history is that he has PCAs (prescribed concentration of alcohol) in 2004, 2012, 2018, 2019 and he was unlicensed in 2017,' the judge said. 'He's lucky he hasn't been sent to jail it's an appalling record.' The judge said ignorance is not an excuse for driving without a licence. The court was told Ritchie's letter of support referred to Webb's duties in bringing up their daughter. 'Mr Webb, your record is absolutely atrocious. You have five drink driving offences on your record, it's absolutely disgraceful,' the judge said. Webb was put on a conditional release order for two years. He will be allowed to drive. Webb is best known for playing 88 rugby league games for Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra and South Sydney. Essentially no progress has been made on curbing global carbon emissions since Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg rose to prominence with protests in 2018, she said on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, just hours before President Donald Trump was set to address the conference. Thunberg, 17, told Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal climate is now a hot topic because of young people pushing but nothing has been done [because] global emissions of carbon have not been reduced. That is of course what were trying to achieve, Thunberg said. Without treating this as a real crisis, we cant solve it. She called on the global community to dramatically reduce carbon emissions over the next decade, but added that such an effort must include an awareness of equity, which addresses the disproportionate carbon emissions released in affluent countries. Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 17, arrives for a panel on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo credit: Brian Sozzi) Richer countries need to get down to zero degrees much faster, Thunberg said. The panel, entitled Forging a Sustainable Path towards a Common Future, included three other teenage climate activists from Puerto Rico, Zambia, and Canada. Were tired of empty promises, said Salvador Gomez-Colon, a 16-year-old activist who has focused on rebuilding his home territory of Puerto Rico We get stuck in talk. Before the conference, Thunberg and other young activists called on this years World Economic Forum participants including all private and public sector institutions to divest from fossil fuels. Asked about whether the voices of young people are being heard, Thunberg acknowledged her significant platform, which includes four million Twitter followers Im not the person who can complain about not being heard, she said. Im being heard all the time. But in general the science and voice of young people is not in the center of the conversation and it needs to be, she added. Max Zahn is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Find him on twitter @MaxZahn_. Read more: Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser. Photo: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters The CEO of oil giant Saudi Aramco said on Thursday that the world would still be consuming upwards of 100 million barrels of oil per day in two decades, even as climate activists call for a halt to fossil fuel production. Speaking about his companys 2040 scenario planning, Amin H Nasser said that Saudi Aramco would remain a major player in the oil sector. We will be in a higher position compared to now when it comes to [oil] production, Nasser said. Our belief is that it is going to continue at 100 million barrels [a day], he said in response to a question about future oil consumption. There are a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration when you view demand over the long term. READ MORE: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says Greta Thunberg can criticize 'after she studies economics' While activists such as Greta Thunberg have called for a halt to fossil fuel production in order to avert a global climate catastrophe, demand for oil (CL=F) and gas continues to grow. Global oil consumption hit 100 million barrels per day in October 2018, more than twice what it was 50 years prior. Nasser pointed to the comparatively low carbon emissions resulting from Saudi Aramcos oil production processes, which he described as way below average. He said that Saudi Aramco would remain a major player even if oil production decreased because of its competitive edge. READ MORE: France pauses Big Tech digital tax to avoid US-Europe trade war You need to consider what is happening in the world, he said, pointing to 2 billion in predicted population growth and billions who would shift from other energy sources to oil. If you take that all and put it into demand and more people coming to the middle class over the long term, there will be additional demand, Nasser said. And the only way you can meet it is by making sure you continue to provide affordable, reliable, ample energy to the rest of the world. To meet the demand, Nasser acknowledged that the world will need to use traditional energy sources such as oil, as well as alternative fuels and renewable energy. If you look at renewables and electrification and alternatives, it will increase by 2040 definitely. It will be at a much higher level. CAZENOVIA (Jan. 22, 2020) -- How did the work of five very different artists from Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain, come to Cazenovia College? In a suitcase! The exhibit En Route started as just an idea. Cazenovia College art professor Anita Welych had recently started traveling back to the Centre dArt La Rectoria, located outside Barcelona, after a nearly 20-year hiatus. Professional artist Gloria Ortega and Welych met more than 20 years earlier, the first time Welych arrived at La Rectoria on a residency to spend a month making art. The two became good friends and remained in touch. Both had remained active as artists despite busy work schedules. So had Welychs other long-time friend in the area, Jose Vanegas, who she had met in 1980 while living and studying art on a Fulbright Scholarship in Colombia. Falling in love with Catalonia all over again, Welych brought Cazenovia College students to study the art and architecture of the region in 2018. They stayed at the art center, housed in a 17th century building that had been used in the past as the rectory for a nearby church. Reconnecting with artist friends and the art center, she had an idea: What if they organized an exchange exhibit? The artists who organize exhibits at the centers gallery enthusiastically agreed, and Welych located funding from several sources, including a professional development grant from Kappa Pi, the international art honor society. In May 2019, she traveled to La Rectoria to complete another residency, hauling art supplies and a suitcase full of artwork by Cazenovia College faculty and student members of Kappa Pi Art Honor Society. Once there, Ortega, the head of La Rectorias Exhibition Committee, took over. She secured frames and, with the help of Welych and the other artists, organized the exhibit En Route. When Welych returned to the United States in June, her suitcase was filled instead with works on paper by five artists: Gloria Ortega, a Catalan sculptor, ceramist and printmaker, is best known for her public sculpture in steel. Her work in this show comprises mixed print techniques and muscular line work combined with embossed elements to create abstract renditions of Romanesque architectural elements. Albert Cubells, a ceramist known for his ceramic church murals, created a series of softly-hued mixed media paintings of the Mediterranean. According to his statement, they deal with the issues of pollution and degradation of ocean environments. Pere Pich is an instructor of sculpture at the famed La Llotja, a municipal art school where Picasso once attended classes. He submitted original watercolor paintings that illustrate his obsession with the dusty, ancient tomes of sub-Saharan libraries, the oldest in the world. Stefano Puddu Crespellani, a designer and artist originally from Italy, created a series of delicate, colorful abstract monotypes in transparent inks. Jose Vanegas is a Colombian sculptor and printmaker who has lived in Barcelona for decades. His years spent in Japan inculcated a love of strong color and a disciplined, meditative approach to geometric form. He utilizes unique printmaking techniques to create bold, non-figurative forms that hint at multiple meanings. En Route comprises 48 works on paper and one steel sculpture, created by Vanegas during a residency at Sculpture Space in nearby Utica and located on the Cazenovia College campus on long-term loan. The exhibit will be displayed at the Art Gallery at Reisman Hall on the Cazenovia College campus from Jan. 30 through Feb. 20, 2020. The opening reception will be 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. The Art Gallery in Reisman Hall is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 1 to 4 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. The gallery is located at 6 Sullivan Street, Cazenovia, NY. This artwork by Gloria Ortega of Catalonia, Spain, Space/Time, uses mixed print techniques. If you go WHAT: En Route, exhibit of five artists from Catalonia autonomous region of Spain WHO: Albert Cubells, Gloria Ortega, Pere Pich, Stefano Puddu Crespellani, Jose Vanegas WHERE: Art Gallery at Reisman Hall, 6 Sullivan Street, Cazenovia, NY WHEN: Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 1 to 4 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. OPENING: 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020 COST: Both the gallery and the opening are free and open to the public [January 23, 2020] Rockwell Automation Earns Top Marks in 2020 Corporate Equality Index for Eighth Consecutive Year Rockwell Automation (News - Alert), Inc. (NYSE: ROK) proudly announced today that it received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. "This is the 8th year in a row we have received this recognition, and we are very proud of that. We work to create a culture where people can and want to do their best work," said Blake Moret, Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO. "Our commitment to our employees is to ensure that every day they feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work." Launched in 2002, the CEI has become a roadmap and benchmarking tool for U.S. businesses in the evolving field of LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace, using criteria such as workforce protections, inclusive benefits, LGBTQ+ ?internal training and education best practices, and responsible citizenship. Rockwell Automation's focus on an inclusionary culture is evident in all areas of its business, such as its non-discrimination policies that ensure all employees are provided the same rights and protections, such as with healthcare benefits. Additionally, Rockwell Automation's employee resource group (ERG), ROKOut, offers real-time perspectives on workplace issues and helps employees navigate and find solutions that work best for them. Rockwell Automation' recruitment efforts also emphasize its inclusionary mindset, highlighted by a partnership with Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Inc., a non-profit professional association for LGBTQ+ people in the STEM community. This partnership allows Rockwell Automation to connect with the STEM community to discuss future innovation and job possibilities. "I am excited to work for a company that strives to create an inclusive culture everyday," said Rachael Anderson, president of the LGBTQ+ employee resource group, ROKOut. "It's great to have the support of our colleagues as we encourage and foster a welcoming workplace for all." Rockwell Automation joins the ranks of more than 680 major U.S. businesses which earned top marks this year. For more information on the 2020 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei. About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing The Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005836/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Less than a month after the first few cases of a new respiratory illness were reported in Wuhan, China, travelers have carried the virus to at least four other countries, including the United States. More than 500 people are known to have been infected, at least 17 have died and the world is bracing itself for what might come next. On Wednesday, experts at the World Health Organization decided to postpone until Thursday a decision on whether the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, a label given to serious public health events that endanger international public health and potentially require a coordinated international response. A vote by W.H.O.s emergency committee was split down the middle, its chairman said, and the group concluded that it did not have enough information to make a decision. The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, W.H.O.s director general, said at news briefing. Coast to Coast Motors is hosting a Grand Re-Opening Event on Saturday, February 1. Some of the giveaways include a Fire HD8, wireless headphones, Aniker speakers along with a fifty-inch television just to name a few. Coast to Coast Motors is hosting a Grand Re-Opening Events on Saturday, February 1. The event will be from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. and the dealership will be providing free tacos along with various giveaways. Some of the giveaways include a Fire HD8, wireless headphones, Aniker speakers along with a fifty-inch television just to name a few. The best part about attending this event is that individuals will not have to purchase a vehicle to participate in the giveaways. Interested parties simply need to be present to win. Coast to Coast Motors is a buy-here-pay-here car dealership with locations throughout Texas and Oklahoma. A buy-here-pay-here dealership is an option that is especially beneficial for individuals that have bad credit or no credit. Instead of going to a bank to receive a loan, the dealership becomes the lender and virtually no one is turned down because of a poor credit score. Coast to Coast Motors realizes that there is more to a persons situation than a number generated by a credit bureau. Additionally, the team at Coast to Coast Motors has worked with a variety of situations. Each plan that the team puts together is completely customized to meet the specific needs of individuals. Interested parties that would like to learn more about the Grand Re-Opening Event happening at Coast to Coast Motors on February 1 can visit the dealerships website at https://www.ctcautogroup.com/. Otherwise, the dealership can be reached by phone by calling 580-234-3407. Finally, for those that wish to speak with a Coast to Coast Motors team member in person, the dealership is conveniently located at 103 South Van Buren Street in Enid. AMSTERDAM, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iOnctura B.V., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, developing a pipeline of next generation molecules targeting cancer and fibrosis, announces today the closing of a EUR 15 million Series A financing. The financing was led by INKEF Capital and co-led by VI Partners with participation by new investor Schroder Adveq. iOnctura's founding investor, M Ventures, also participated in the fundraise. iOnctura was founded in 2017 as a spin-out from Merck, with Merck and Cancer Research UK providing a best-in-class pipeline of molecules that harness both direct and immune-mediated anti-cancer activities in solid cancers and cancer fibrosis. iOnctura will use the proceeds of the Series A to move its lead molecule IOA-244, a highly selective PI3K-inhibitor, into a Phase I trial in solid tumours and its second program, IOA-289, an ATX-inhibitor, through IND enabling studies. The superior properties of IOA-244 are expected to enable iOnctura to be the first company to clinically demonstrate that highly selective PI3K inhibition not only drives an immune-mediated response but also a direct anti-tumoural effect in a stratified patient population across multiple solid tumour indications. The board of directors of iOnctura BV welcomes Fiona MacLaughlin, of INKEF Capital and Diego Braguglia of VI Partners. Catherine Pickering, Chief Executive Officer of iOnctura, commented: "iOnctura has made significant progress with its two lead molecules which are being developed as next generation dual immune and tumour targeting therapies. We are very excited to move our first molecule into human clinical testing and accelerate our second molecule towards clinical trials. We welcome new investors INKEF Capital, VI Partners and Schroder Adveq to iOnctura and with the continued support from our founding investor M Ventures, we look forward to taking iOnctura into the next stage of development." Fiona MacLaughlin, Director of INKEF Capital, said: "INKEF's strategy is to support talented management teams developing novel treatments that address high unmet medical needs via novel scientific insights and understanding. The highly experienced executive management team led by Catherine at iOnctura have a solid track record in drug development and commercialisation. Together with the scientific contribution of its world class scientific advisory board and its research partner Cancer Research UK, iOnctura has consolidated a scientific understanding we consider to be a true and valuable differentiator." Hakan Goker, Chairman of iOnctura board and Executive Investment Director, M Ventures, added: "We helped found iOnctura to deliver clinical validation of emerging new biology around direct and immune mediated effects of key targets in cancer and fibrosis. The differentiated and targeted clinical approach iOnctura is using offers significant potential to treat patients with life-threatening diseases. We are excited to provide continued support to iOnctura as it advances its pipeline into the clinic." iOnctura's most advanced program, IOA-244, is a clinical phase, next generation PI3K inhibitor with a unique chemical structure, exquisite selectivity, excellent drug-like properties and an expected best-in-class safety profile. Its second program, IOA-289, is a novel autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor with superior potency compared to clinical-stage ATX inhibitors. IOA-289 is being developed as a first-in-class therapy for solid tumour indications that over express ATX and are burdened with cancer-associated fibrosis. IOA-289 has demonstrated anti-tumour and anti-fibrotic efficacy in preclinical models and is in advanced in vivo safety studies. About iOnctura iOnctura BV, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, was founded in June 2017 as a spin out from Merck and funded by M Ventures. It is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of next generation, differentiated molecules that are at the forefront of pioneering new therapies for the treatment of cancer. Each of iOnctura's programs harness the combined effect of immune-mediated and direct anti-tumour activity and aim to deliver molecules with superior clinical efficacy and safety in oncology. The company's lead program, IOA-244, will enter the clinic in Q1 2020. The study is aimed to clinically demonstrate for the first time that a highly selective PI3K inhibition not only drives an immune-mediated response but also a direct anti-tumoural effect in a stratified patient population across multiple solid tumour indications. The Company's second molecule is a novel autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor at IND stage for patients with solid tumours burdened with cancer-associated fibrosis. For more information, please visit www.ionctura.com About INKEF Capital INKEF Capital is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm that focuses on long-term collaboration and active support of innovative healthcare and technology companies. INKEF Capital was founded in 2010 by Dutch pension fund ABP and with 500 million under management is one of the largest venture capital funds in the Netherlands. INKEF focuses on investment opportunities in Healthcare, Technology, IT/New Media & FinTech. For more information www.inkefcapital.com About M Ventures M Ventures is the strategic, corporate venture capital arm of Merck. Its mandate is to invest in innovative technologies and products with the potential to significantly impact the company's core business areas. From its headquarters in Amsterdam and offices in the US and Israel, M Ventures invests globally in transformational ideas driven by great entrepreneurs. M Ventures takes an active role in its portfolio companies and teams up with entrepreneurs and co-investors to translate innovation towards commercial success. M Ventures has a significant focus on early stage investing and company creation, including the creation of spin-offs to leverage the company's science and technology base. For more information, visit www.m-ventures.com SOURCE iOnctura Russia took a chance in 2016 when they built the first arctic patrol ship that combined the capabilities of a Krivak III class frigate and a light icebreaker. This ship, the Okean, is a 2,700 ton vessel that can handle thin, as in about 80mm (three inches) of ice and survive heavier ice. This is less than the older militarized Susanin class icebreakers they were replacing. It was found that during patrol operations Susanin rarely faced the heavier ice that they were built to handle. So the Okean was designed with that in mind. This ship has a top speed of 39 kilometers an hour and a crew of 44 that can stay out for 60 days. Armament is one 76mm gun and two heavy (14.5mm) machine-guns. There is a helicopter pad and a hanger for a Ka-27 helicopter. The first Okean was assigned to the northern Russian coast, where most Russia naval bases are located. The second one, which entered service at the end of 2019 was sent to the Pacific Coast, where is actually more smuggling and other coastal criminal activity during ice season. A third Okean will enter service in mid-2020 and two more are planned. Previously the only ships Russia had for patrolling ice infested waters were eight Ivan Susanin class arctic patrol ships that were basically militarized versions of the eight Dobrynya Nikitich/Susanin class icebreakers built in the 1960s. In the 1970s eight more of these were built but modified to serve as arctic patrol ships. Most of these have been retired or were close to it. The resulting Nikitich class were 3,000 tons displacement and sturdy enough to break up the 200mm (eight inch) thick ice found around many arctic ports. Larger icebreakers handled thicker ice in areas where the coast guard was not likely to find any illegal afloat activities. Russia also built eight Krivak III frigates as coast guard patrol ships in the 1980s and early 1990s. These could not handle ice at all and were used to supplement the Susanins in northern areas when the coast was ice-free. All these patrol ships were operated by the secret police (KGB then, now the FSB) where ice was a problem along Russias northern coast (east of Norway) and in the Pacific (north of North Korea). In both areas there was and is some criminal activity along the coast which continues into the ice season when experienced local mariners would, for a high enough fee, assist in smuggling operations when the coastal waters were full of ice. These older arctic patrol ships were armed with one or two 76mm guns, one or two 20-30mm autocannon and some heavy machine-guns. Crew size was about 80, top speed was a 25 kilometers an hour and endurance a month or two. There was a helicopter pad but no hanger, so the Susanins could not carry a helicopter with them while on patrol. A Longford woman who was found guilty by a majority verdict of ten to two last Friday afternoon, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment, with the final year suspended for a period of seven years, subject to a number of strict conditions. Helen Doyle, 4 Cluain Ard, Ardnacassa, Longford, appeared for trial at Longford Circuit Court last week before Judge Keenan Johnson and a jury of eight women and four men, charged with robbing local furniture store owner, Pat Lynch, of 110 in August 2018. Following a two-day trial, Ms Doyle was found guilty. Before Judge Keenan Johnson yesterday afternoon, Detective Garda Sean Galvin told the court that Ms Doyle has 73 previous convictions including 37 for theft, two for assault, three for burglary, four for criminal damage, one for section three drugs, one for affray, one for larceny, seven for failure to appear, nine for traffic offences and eight for public order. Det Gda Galvin also told the court that, since the robbery offence on August 18, 2018, Ms Doyle had committed a number of offences, including burglary and theft, with the most recent thefts taking place in November 2019. "I know Ms Doyle a number of years. She was in Longford when I originally came to Longford. She has a chaotic lifestyle. She has two children - a son and a daughter. She was married but that marriage has broken down. She's had a number of relationships since then," Det Galvin explained. When addressed by Barrister for the Defence Mr Gerard Groarke, Det Galvin said that there was no physical injury to Mr Lynch following the incident. Mr Groarke then asked Det Galvin if he was aware of the violence that Ms Doyle went through in her younger years at the hands of her local community when she came out as bisexual. "I don't know anything about that. I've had dealings with her before and she never said any of that," said Det Galvin. When called to the stand, Ms Doyle told Judge Johnson that she has been off alcohol for 19 months and has not taken drugs since August 2019. "I'm stable at the moment. Last August was the last time I used drugs," she said. Addressing a number of thefts that took place in November 2019, Mr Groarke asked Ms Doyle if she had been drunk or on drugs when she committed the offences. "I'm not sure," she replied. "How can you tell me you're off drugs since August if you can't remember if you were on them in November?" Judge Keenan Johnson asked. Ms Doyle clarified that she was referring to offences committed in November 2018. When questioned by Mr Groarke, she said that she was "probably looking for food" when she committed theft in Cara Pharmacy but insisted she wasn't drunk or on drugs. When Mr Groarke brought up the theft in Boots pharmacy, Ms Doyle said "I don't remember that. I just don't remember." "Were you on alcohol or drugs?" Mr Groarke asked again. "I'm really not sure," she replied. Mr Groarke explained to the court that Ms Doyle was 16 when she got married. She had two children - Jenny (18) and David (23) - through that marriage but, due to violence and a relationship she'd had with a woman, her marriage broke down. Ms Doyle realised she was bisexual, Mr Groarke explained, and when she came out, her community attacked her daily. "I had a massive breakdown and that's where the problem was. I forgot how to read. I forgot how to drive. I turned to alcohol and moved to Athlone with my two children," Ms Doyle explained, adding that her daughter, Jenny, has her own problems with her mental health and that she wants to be there to help her with her 18-month-son. "When I had the massive breakdown, Jenny was in care for three years and she got pregnant. She has a baby now called David. He's 18 months old. She's had post natal depression and I help her. I take the baby off her when she needs help. This is what I stay alive for." "How do you get to Athlone?" Judge Johnson asked. "Gerard has a car," said Ms Doyle, referring to her current partner, Gerard Britton, with whom she has been living. "And I have a disability pass for the bus. My left foot and my left hand are partially paralysed from a beating I got," she added. Ms Doyle indicated that, as part of her sentence, she would appreciate some sort of drug rehabilitation programme so that, when she gets out, she can help to raise her grandson. Read also: Woman on robbery charge facing trial at Longford Circuit Court "I don't want the same thing to happen to the baby as happened to my two kids. They were in the system and I feel like I was let down by the system," she told the judge. "I had a massive breakdown. I forgot how to read and drive. I felt like an outcast. I offended but I'm trying my best. Jenny is young and vulnerable. She's self-harming and I'm afraid for the baby," she added, asking the judge to take the hardship in her life into consideration. "Do you have anything to say to Mr Lynch?" Mr Geraghty asked. "No," she replied. "Do you accept the jury's verdict?" Mr Geraghty asked. "No," Ms Doyle replied. Local furniture store owner, Pat Lynch, had prepared a victim impact statement for the court, which Detective Garda Galvin handed in but which, at Mr Lynch's request, was not read aloud to the court. Judge Johnson noted the stress that the incident and the trial had caused Mr Lynch and said that, while Mr Lynch was not present in court, his son, Kevin, was in attendance. "I want to commend Mr (Pat) Lynch for his stoicism in the face of adversity," said Judge Johnson. "He's clearly a decent man. People like him are an inspiration to us all. It is an appalling state of affairs that he was subjected to this violence and robbery. This was a nasty offence. Ms Doyle picked a vulnerable individual. She has an appalling record and she's at high risk of re-offending - that's evident by the fact that she offended while she was on bail for this offence. "There has been no attempt at recompense made to Mr Lynch and no expression of remorse. Ms Doyle doesn't enjoy the significant benefit of mitigation that would have attracted to a plea of guilt. The accused did not cooperate with gardai," he continued. Mitigating factors include Ms Doyle's chaotic lifestyle, Judge Johnson noted, taking into account her abuse of drugs and alcohol, her violent marriage, her disability for injuries she suffered at the hands of others, her breakdown in the UK and the fact that she has two children and a grandchild. "If she's incarcerated, she can't look after her grandson," he said. "She's in a relationship with a man called Gerard Britton, which may be a stabilising factor in her life. She said she's been alcohol and drug free since August, but committed offences since and can't remember if she was intoxicated at the time. "She looks in much better shape than she was before. It's clear she's not drinking at the moment and she clearly has a stable regime in prison, which is a hopeful sign for the future," said the judge, turning to Ms Doyle. "Ms Doyle, you're 42 years of age now and you owe it to yourself, your two children and your grandchild to grab hold of your life. If you keep taking drugs and alcohol, you'll spend your life in and out of prison." When considering a sentence, Judge Johnson noted that this particular offence was on the lower end of the scale. He said that, while the offence was "disgraceful", it was minor compared to other cases dealt with in the Circuit Court. He also noted that Mr Lynch suffered no lasting physical injury and that, despite the stress and fear he had suffered, he was dealing with it. The sum of money taken from Mr Lynch was never recovered but it was a small amount, which the judge also took into consideration. "The maximum sentence for robbery is life imprisonment," Judge Johnson explained. "For an offence on the lower end of the scale, before mitigation, the sentence goes down to five years. Taking mitigation into account, that goes down to three years. I'm imposing a sentence of three years with the final year suspended for seven years." Judge Johnson attached a number of conditions to the sentence, including the condition that she keep the peace for seven years after she is released from prison. She must also remain drug and alcohol free, take part in a rehab programme and can have no contact with Pat Lynch or any member of his family. He concluded his sentence by backdating it to the date the trial started, which was January 16, 2020. More on this story: Woman who pinned 86-year-old man down and robbed him is found guilty by majority verdict The Trump administration has concluded plans to block pregnant women in foreign countries from obtaining US tourist visas. The mo... The Trump administration has concluded plans to block pregnant women in foreign countries from obtaining US tourist visas. The move is to stop, birth tourism, the term coined for persons who travel to another to give birth. Under this rule, if a consular officer has reason to believe a B nonimmigrant visa applicant will give birth in the United States, the applicant is presumed to be seeking a visa for the primary purpose of obtaining US citizenship for the child, a draft rule obtained by BuzzFeed News reads. To rebut this presumption, the visa applicant must establish, to the satisfaction of a consular officer, a legitimate primary purpose other than obtaining US citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States. The draft guidance to be issued for consular officers reads: Any B nonimmigrant visa applicant who you have reason to believe will give birth during her stay in the United States is presumed to be traveling for the primary purpose of obtaining US citizenship for the child. The applicant can overcome this presumption if you find that the primary purpose of travel is not obtaining US citizenship for a child. A State Department spokesperson told the platform that, this change is intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry. We expect the rule will be published shortly. More details will be available when the rule is published. However, officers, however, are told not to ask as a matter of course whether the applicant is pregnant or intends to become pregnant, or require an applicant to provide evidence that they are not pregnant. Meanwhile, the U.S President, Donald Trump is set to slam travel ban on more countries including Nigeria, Africas biggest nation. An announcement is expected on Monday, January 27, exactly three years after Trump signed the original travel ban on January 27, 2017, just a week into his tenure. Recall that the ban was upheld by the US Supreme Court in June 26, 2018. It affected Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea. For the new restrictions, countries on the list include Belarus, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania, White House spokesman, Hogan Gidley, said: The travel ban has been profoundly successful in protecting our country and raising the security baseline around the world. The inquest into the death of four-year-old Cillian O'Driscoll, who was found unresponsive at a creche in Co Cork has been told that he died of viral infection in the lungs which attacked his heart and caused his sudden death. Photo credit: Cork Courts THE HEARTBROKEN parents of a four-year-old boy who died from an acute viral infection after being found unresponsive while sleeping in an indoor tree house at an Irish creche have pleaded for lessons to be learned from his tragic death. John Paul and Deirdre O'Driscoll issued the plea as they said they don't want any other family to endure their nightmare of loss. The couple - from Douglas in Cork - called for all Irish creches to have adequate policies to ensure they are safe places for children especially in respect of proper sleep monitoring and record keeping. They also demanded that Tusla ensure all such policies are in place and enforced before a creche is allowed to open. Further, they said that any child like Cillian - who had autism - should not have their vital assistance curtailed because of financial constraints from the State. The inquest before Cork Coroner Philip Comyn heard that Cillian had slept for almost two and a half hours in the indoor tree house at the creche that day - a very unusual thing for him as he was a very active child. Several staff at the creche said that they glanced at various intervals (at Cillian). A special Sleep Rest Chart had not been filled out that day for the children, it had not been filled out for several days beforehand - and one staff member said she was unaware that details of children's individual rest times, appearance and even room temperature should have been logged. Cillian had been dropped as usual by his father to the Kindercare Creche in Ballincollig, Co Cork at 8.10am on December 14 2018. Cillian - who had been ill with tonsillitis the previous month - had been in good form and greeted his special Department of Education-sanctioned tutor, Christine Murray, with a 'Hi' and a hug that morning. He played for a while wearing his Christmas jumper until his tutor noticed he was sleepy and she brought him to the indoor tree house which was described as his "comfort place." He then fell asleep on a cushion while she sat beside him. Ms Murray checked on him every 10 minutes before she finished work around lunchtime. She then asked other creche staff to check on the little boy and to wake him for his lunch. When she left, he was breathing normally and had "rosy cheeks." Creche worker Ciara O'Connor said she checked on Cillian and, at around 1.15pm, saw him briefly sit up and look around before lying back down and continuing sleeping. Later, when another creche worker checked on Cillian she became concerned. Other staff members ran to her aid when she shouted in distress after being unable to rouse the little boy. Ms O'Connor performed emergency cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while the emergency services were alerted. The little boy vomited as CPR was being performed. Cillian was later rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH) while his parents were contacted and they raced to CUH. John Paul and Deirdre O'Driscoll said they were shocked to discover, on arrival at CUH, that their son was critically ill. "We were eventually allowed to see Cillian in the intensive care unit. As soon as we saw him we could see our little boy was no longer there," Mr O'Driscoll said. Cillian was later taken off life support and died. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster found that Cillian had died from a cardio-respiratory attack as a result of a severe viral infection which had first attacked his lungs and then his heart muscle. She said he must have had the viral infection for some time but that it was likely it was sub-clinical or displayed absolutely no symptoms of the illness. The inquest jury returned a verdict of death by natural causes. His family expressed concern that the little boy had been asleep for almost two and a half hours - and that a vigorous check on him during his unusually long sleep might have spotted indications of the advancing viral infection. "Whilst nothing can bring Cillian back, and our pain will be with us forever, we do hope that lessons can be learnt from today." The creche had passed a full Tusla inspection in May 2018 - just seven months before Cillian's death. However, Tusla highlighted the absence of a sleep monitoring policy for older children in the creche. A Tusla official said the creche had been inspected again in December 2018 as well as March and September 2019 and the issues raised had been dealt with. Safe sleep policies and monitoring are all in place. "A child asleep at any stage should be recorded in the sleep record - not only does it need to be recorded but the child needs to be in the appropriate place to sleep," a Tusla report stressed. French English PRESS RELEASE Neuilly-sur-Seine, France January 23, 2020 Bureau Veritas to hire over 12,000 people around the world in 2020 Bureau Veritas , a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services, plans to bring on new talent across every continent in 2020 including engineers, surveyors, inspectors, auditors, laboratory technicians, as well as business support. To support its robust growth, Bureau Veritas is expanding its recruitment efforts to bolster its talent pools. Helen Bradley, EVP Human Resources at Bureau Veritas, said: Every day, new talented people are choosing Bureau Veritas to ensure that companies, governments and citizens produce, build, consume and live better. Our company is clearly attractive to jobseekers because at Bureau Veritas, people can truly leave their mark. We are looking forward to welcome new people on board in 2020, everywhere in the world, and share with them our core values: Trusted, Responsible, Ambitious & Humble and Open & Inclusive. The region with the largest part of this recruitment activity will be Asia-Pacific Bureau Veritas plans to hire more than 8,000 people. In the Americas, Bureau Veritas intends to hire more than 2,000 positions. In Europe, Bureau Veritas is seeking 2,000 new talents. In Africa, the group is looking to welcome 550 new team members across the continent. In November 2019, Bureau Veritas launched its Employer Brand, which highlights the role played by each and every team member. Through their commitment to transforming the world we live in, Bureau Veritas employees truly leave their mark, collaborating on projects that make a tangible impact on society. Bureau Veritas is also committed to creating an inclusive, diverse workplace and culture, as illustrated by its inclusion on the Financial Times inaugural list of Diversity Leaders , recognizing companies performance in promoting diversity in all its forms. Bureau Veritas key countries for recruitment Asia-Pacific - 8,000 permanent positions 3,500 in China 900 in India 200 in Singapore, Vietnam and Qatar 200 across Oceania, mainly in Australia Americas - 2,000 permanent positions 900 in the US 650 in Canada 400 in Brazil 300 in Chile 100 in Argentina Europe - 2,000 permanent positions 1000 in France 200 in the UK 200 in Russia 100 each in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands Africa - 550 permanent positions across the continent About Bureau Veritas Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 77,000 employees located in more than 1,500 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions, in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI. For more information, visit https://bureauveritas.com ANALYST/INVESTOR CONTACTS MEDIA CONTACTS Laurent Brunelle Caroline Ponsi Khider +33 (0)1 55 24 76 09 +33 (0)7 52 60 89 78 laurent.brunelle@bureauveritas.com caroline.ponsi-khider@bureauveritas.com Florent Chaix DGM Conseil +33 (0)1 55 24 77 80 +33 (0)1 40 70 11 89 florent.chaix@bureauveritas.com thomasdeclimens@dgm-conseil.fr / quentin.hua@dgm-conseil.fr Attachment Kiwifruit company Baygold has been convicted on two charges of restricted land use and fined $49,875 for their involvement in an orchard development project. The company previously pleaded guilty to both charges and has been ordered to pay 90 per cent of the imposed fine to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The ruling comes after the company was sentenced in Tauranga District Court on Tuesday. Council describes the charges as being in relation to earthworks carried out that contravened the conditions of Baygolds resource consent and for discharging a contaminant onto or into land in circumstances where it may enter water. In 2018, sediment laden storm water flowed over land into the Otamarakau wetlands as a result of two ponds not being constructed as required in the resource consent. A regional council scientist consulted for the trial says that due to the proximity of the site to the wetland the incident had a cumulative impact on the wetlands sediment levels. In court on Tuesday, Judge Melinda Dickey said she considered the defendant acted responsibly by sourcing consent but they should have taken more care in ensuring this was complied with. She says the case was moderately serious in context of the sites proximity to the wetlands and the defendant was highly careless but not reckless. Spains coalition government is planning on reforming the countrys criminal code to lower the sentence for sedition, a crime that came into the spotlight following last years Supreme Court ruling on the Catalan separatist leaders involved with the 2017 breakaway bid in the northeastern region. Spains top court found nine of the defendants guilty of offenses including sedition and handed down lengthy prison sentences, sparking mass protests and disturbances in Catalonia. Reforming the criminal code will not be easy in Spains fractured Congress For this reform to be approved, the governing Socialist Party (PSOE) and anti-austerity Unidas Podemos need an absolute majority of 176 votes. But Spains lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies, is deeply divided on the issue. The political parties that supported Sanchezs investiture bid are open to negotiating the reform, but the right-wing bloc the Popular Party (PP), Ciudadanos (Citizens) and far-right Vox is strongly opposed to the measure. The government would need to secure 10 more votes than the 166 that allowed Sanchez to be voted back as prime minister. The success of Sanchezs investiture bid hinged on the pro-independence Catalan Republican Left (ERC), which agreed to abstain from the investiture vote on the condition that the PSOE commit to negotiations about the political situation in Catalonia and the future of the region. But Spains Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said in a radio interview on Wednesday that the reform was in no way part of this commitment, and that it would not be discussed by Sanchez in his upcoming meeting with Catalan premier Quim Torra or during his planned visits with the rest of the regional leaders in Spain. Europe has sent us a message that something has to change in the criminal code Deputy PM Carmen Calvo The reform of the criminal code is a legislative instrument that is not going to be subject to any negotiation, it is only going to be subject to parliamentary debate, Calvo told Cadena SER. She added that it was not an urgent priority, but should be addressed so that criminal sentences match up to Europe. Europe has sent us a message that something has to change [in the criminal code], she said, explaining that some Spanish sentences have appeared strange to the German justice system. In 2018, a German court rejected the charge of rebellion brought by the Spanish judiciary against ousted Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont, arguing it was not equivalent to high treason, a crime that can lead to 30 years in prison under German law. According to sources close to Calvo, the PSOE had begun working on reforms during the previous mandate and made significant advances in some areas, particularly regarding how the criminal code defines consent in sexual relationships an issue that came to the fore following the high-profile La Manada (or, Wolf Pack) case, where a group of five men were acquitted of gang raping an 18-year-old woman at the 2016 Running of the Bulls fiestas in Pamplona because the judges found intimidation had not been used against the victim. On appeal, the Supreme Court ruled that the men were guilty of the more serious offense of sexual assault. In his first interview since being named deputy prime minister, Unidas Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias last week said that changing the laws on sexual violence was a priority of the new government. The review of the criminal code, which has been tasked to Justice Minister Juan Carlos Campo, will also consider adding new environmental crimes. The Catalan Republican Left and Basque Nationalist Party are open to negotiating the reform But making this reform and other possible changes to the crimes of sedition, rebellion and holding illegal referendums, will not be easy in Spains fractured Congress. The ERC, however, is pleased by the proposal and willing to negotiate the reform. The pro-Catalan independence party is led by Oriol Junqueras, who is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence for sedition for his role in the 2017 independence drive. According to sources from the party, the reform will be considered because it goes in the right direction of de-judicializing the problem in Catalonia. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) also supports the move. Under the past two governments, the party tried to reform the criminal code to repeal permanent reviewable prison sentences the equivalent under Spanish law of a life sentence and change several parts of the so-called Gag Law, which introduced a series of restrictions related to public protests and taking photos of the Spanish authorities. However, the Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party, which is led by Puigdemont who is in self-imposed exile in Brussels, is more skeptical about the proposed reforms and doubts whether the government will be able to secure enough votes for it to pass in Congress. English version by Melissa Kitson. Ajay Kamalakaran's latest work captures a week-long journey of the protagonist, Svitlana Khristenko, a single mother, in modern-day Moscow as she juggles multiple roles while retaining her acute political sensibilities amid the growing tension between Russia and her native Ukraine Russophile journalist-turned-author Ajay Kamalakaran is a quintessential global Indian with no fixed address. He traces his roots to Palakkad, Kerala, is a Mumbaikar by birth and heart, and did most of his schooling in New York since his father worked as a banker in the Big Apple. Kamalakaran found fame in Sakhalin as the editor of the weekly Sakhalin Times in the remote eastern Russian islands capital Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from 2003 to 2007 amid the oil and gas boom. His stint in Sakhalin led to his debut work of fiction, Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island, in 2017, which uncovered a part of Russia that was unknown to many Russians. On 5 November 2019, his second work of fiction, A Week in the Life of Svitlana, was released in Colombo by renowned Sri Lankan author and artist Sybil Wettasinghe. His latest work captures a week-long journey of the protagonist, Svitlana Khristenko, a single mother, in modern-day Moscow as she juggles multiple roles while retaining her acute political sensibilities amid the growing tension between Russia and her native Ukraine. Kamalakaran spoke with Firstpost about his book. Edited excerpts: How difficult is it for a single mother like your protagonist Svitlana Khristenko to battle the odds in Moscow and Russia at large? Imagine a similar situation in Mumbai and add the freezing cold weather Jokes aside, despite the fact that several decades of socialism helped make the country a much better place for women, Russia is still largely a patriarchal society. Women bear the lions share of responsibilities when it comes to parenting. Being a single mother is all the more difficult, if there is little support from the father. It is also a bit more difficult for a single mother to find a life partner. On top of that, a problem unique to Russia is that there are more women than men, making the dating and relationship game a lot more difficult for the fairer sex. Are Svitlanas struggles aggravated because of her innate disagreements with the politics of her life and times? The fact that she has conflicting loyalties surrounding the geopolitical fallout between Russia and Ukraine doesnt reduce the stress in Svitlanas life. It isnt easy to oppose the popular rhetoric whether in Moscow, Kyiv or even Delhi. Svitlanas life revolves around three women her four-year-old daughter, her friend, and her mother living in her native Ukraine. Why this trinity of women across age groups? She hasnt been too lucky, when it comes to romantic relationships. So, Svitlana really values the women in her life. And each of the women in her life represents a thought process unique to their own generation. Even, Nelle is highly opinionated for a four-year old. Was it a conscious choice to portray Svitlana as a Ukrainian? For the uninitiated, what are the fundamental differences between a Russian and Ukrainian in a Balkanised and post-Cold War era USSR? Russians and Ukrainians are closely linked, but the latter have been trying hard to assert their own unique identity as Eastern Europeans distinct from Russians. While ethnic Ukrainians living in distant Russian regions in Asia choose to identify as Russians now, there is this grey area for those who have dual citizenship or those who have lived in Ukraine for a long time. You chronicle Svitlanas travails over a week, as the title of your book suggests. Why seven days? The idea was to give the reader a glimpse of contemporary Moscow. Life in Russias biggest city is fast-paced, exciting and dynamic. Too many visitors to Moscow dont go beyond the tourist circuit, and have little idea of the vibrancy and diversity of the city. Is Svitlana an epitome of many non-Muscovites, who fail to cope with the trials and tribulations of the city and throw in the towel in despair? Quite the opposite actually! Shes a brave woman who fights back and stays strong despite all the challenges she faces in life. Muscovites are tough, resilient and forward-looking. Theres an old saying, Moscow does not believe in tears. Can Svitlana be loyal to both Russia and her native Ukraine amid the growing tension between two neighbours with a shared culture and history? This is a dilemma that any person faces when their native country is at odds with the country they live in, even if there is no shared culture and history. Lets look at Indian-Americans. How did they feel in the days after the 1998 nuclear tests when the then US President Bill Clinton imposed sanctions on India? Closer home, we have an entire religious community that is forced to prove its patriotism even 72 years after independence. A Week in the life of Svitlana is marked departure from your earlier work, Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island. What next? I would love to try my hand at non-fiction. I definitely need to spend more time in India and have a deep and dispassionate look at whats going on in my own backyard. I would also like to write more about the Russian Far East, given how people took a great interest in Sakhalin after my first work of fiction was out. *** Read an excerpt from A Week in the life of Svitlana As the clouds turned crimson and helped form a blue, white and red collage in the twilight sky, the music on the boat became even more romantic. He gently held her hand and took her to the open area. As they looked at the Kremlin, he told her that he loved Moscow as it symbolized hope Hope for a better life. This is why everyone comes here to Moscow. To have a fair chance at pursuing their dreams, he said. Marat gently looked at her green eyes and they kissed. Svitlana was elated but kept her composure. Not wanting to look like she was an easy woman, she gently pulled herself away from him. Marat, youre a wonderful man, but you live in Chechnya and I am sure that there isnt a shortage of lovely women waiting for a man like you there, she said. He laughed and insisted that he remained single and lonely in a place where he was almost like a fish out of water. Chechnya is becoming increasingly radicalised every day, he said. Until very recently, we were never a conservative Islamic society, and now you can see so many women covering their hair and even wearing a full veil. They even have shops selling burkinis in Grozny. This is all part of a political agreement that bought peace! And the women are the losers. He said he wanted to permanently move to the Russian capital. If I play my cards right, I could end up right here in Moscow in the not so distant future. Marats words on womens rights and his denunciation of radical Islam were music to Svitlanas ears. The cruise had ended and the chilly autumn breeze made Svitlana put on an Orenburg shawl. They kissed once again before she said it was time to go. Let me drop you home. I have a car and chauffeur here, Marat said. She politely turned him down and said shed call him the next day. The Chechen official was due to stay in Moscow till Monday. They could definitely meet at least one more time, she thought. Svitlana would not let a man kiss her unless she was dead serious about him. Like many teenagers in the 1990s, Svitlana broke many hearts. In the summer of 1997, she took up an internship with the police. She looked totally irresistible in a navy blue police uniform, getting plenty of second looks from men. This was the summer before the major rouble crash and financial crisis. Moscow was buzzing with expats and a new breed of Russian men, for whom communism was a thing of the past. She believed that she could change casual boyfriends like gloves and that there would no repercussions. In fact, Svitlana considered herself a classic Slavic beauty until she became pregnant. Nelle spoiled my beauty, shed repeatedly tell her friends. Even with her beauty supposedly spoiled, she was cautious about how far she would go with men. On the metro ride back home, Svitlana noticed an old woman in her 70s. She had aged gracefully, but for some reason looked morose. There was a visible sadness in those cold blue eyes, which kept her beautiful despite the large wrinkles on her face. Dressed well, she was reading Altai-Himalaya, a book written by Russian artist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich, who travelled from India into Central Asia through the Himalayas. Svitlana was sure that the woman had an interesting story to tell, but something that ended in some sort of longing and unfulfilled desires. She actually wanted to talk to her and find out more about her, but it clearly went against the etiquette of the Moscow metro. Why did those eyes look so sad, Svitlana wondered. She wasnt the only one observing the beautiful old woman. Sitting close to her, was a man in his early 50s, who decided to draw a portrait of this woman. He walked up to her and gifted the pencil sketch that almost did justice to the womans beauty. Those sad blue eyes suddenly lit up and she smiled, making her look even more stunning. Thats the kindest thing anyone has done for me in many years, she told the artist. Retired life can be a mixed blessing if you have no one to share it with, she told him and he gently hugged her before he disembarked at the next stop. Was this the fate that awaited Svitlana after a few decades? Loneliness? Nelle, even at the age of four, had already displayed a basically selfish personality. Russian society was continuing to undergo a wave of changes with Moscow in some ways becoming more European and western. The strong family values that existed in the Soviet days were all but gone, and no one struggled more than pensioners. Earlier in the summer, she saw one of her neighbours desperately trying to sell roses from the dacha. The woman was virtually begging and in tears. Whats the matter? Svitlana asked her. The woman replied that almost her entire pension was being used to pay the rising utility bills, and that she hardly had any money to buy food. That day, Svitlana bought all her flowers and tried to help her as much as she could, but wondered what the oil rich Russian state was doing to help its most vulnerable citizens. There were reports about senior citizens in smaller towns buying one potato from a shop or market, as that was all they could afford. She felt it was so unfair that people in places like Alaska and Norway got so much support from the state, while Russia had adopted an extreme form of capitalism. Moscow is the city of billionaires, fancy cars and lunches that can cost hundreds of dollars, but it is also a place where rising costs are leading to new urban poverty. Svitlana understood that those in small towns and villages had it much worse. It was indeed a terrible thing to be old and poor in Russia. A Week in the Life of Svitlana by Ajay Kamalakaran | Independently published | Pages 128 | Price: Rs 300 (Kindle), Rs 803 (Paperback) Knife crime in England and Wales hit a record high in the year to September, up by seven per cent on the previous 12 months. Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 44,771, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday show. This is the highest on record, up from 41,858 in the previous 12 months and 46 per cent more than when comparable records began in the year ending March 2011 (30,620). The figures prompted Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan to reiterate calls for the Government to take 'urgent action' to 'break the spiral of violence'. The news comes just two days after two men were knifed in front of a Costa coffee shop during rush hour on Seven Sisters Road in North London. A file photo shows a man holding a large knife behind his back. Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan to reiterate calls for the Government to take 'urgent action' to 'break the spiral of violence' A graphic shows knife crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales since the year 2010/2011 The Metropolitan Police sealed off an area outside a Costa coffee shop on Seven Sisters Road in north London on Monday after two men were stabbed on the street. The victims were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital The total number of homicides recorded by police fell by six per cent, from 654 to 617. There was also a 20 per cent drop in homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was used, to 221 offences, mainly driven by a decrease in London. The rise in robberies was 'evident for the fourth consecutive year', the ONS said, with a 12 per cent increase to 82,542 offences. A graphic shows police-recorded homicides in England and Wales since the year 2007/2008 The ONS report said: 'While recording improvements are likely to have contributed to the rise, some of the increase is likely to reflect a real change.' The number of crimes of violence against a person rose by 12 per cent in the 12 months to just over 1.6 million. Vehicle offences also rose four per cent to 441,351, 'continuing the rising trend seen over the last three years', the ONS said. But the number of burglaries recorded by police fell by four per cent to 380,567 offences, while the number of gun crimes remained almost identical to the previous year at 6,144. Criminal damage and arson fell by two per cent to 531,662 offences, while criminal damage to a vehicle dropped seven per cent to 196,790 offences. In total, police-recorded crime rose by seven per cent to almost 5.8 million. Excluding fraud and computer misuse offences, this stood at just over five million, an increase of five per cent from the previous year. The figures do not include Greater Manchester Police, which records data differently. Meanwhile, separate figures also released on Thursday show the proportion of crimes in England and Wales resulting in a charge or summons has halved in four years from 14 per cent to 7.3 per cent, in a steady decline since records began in 2015. A January 2020 file photo shows Police Federation chairman John Apten at their HQ in Surrey. Apten said police should not be 'expected to fight this crime epidemic alone', claiming recorded crime would rise until officers get the resources they need This meant suspects were charged or ordered to be in court on 430,178 occasions during that time, slightly fewer but largely the same as in the previous period, according to the Home Office data. In almost 45 per cent more than 2.2 million cases, the investigation was completed but no suspect was identified. In nearly a quarter of cases, more than 1.2 million, the victim did not support further action. Last week Ministry of Justice data showed the number of knife crimes resulting in a conviction or caution was the highest in a decade. There were 22,286 knife and offensive weapon offences formally dealt with by the criminal justice system in England and Wales in the year ending September 2019, according to the figures. This is a three per cent rise on the previous year (21,553) and the highest since September 2009 (26,364) driven by the number of offences for possession of a knife or weapon, the report said. The Prime Minister announced he would lead a new Cabinet committee looking at ways to tackle crime. Boris Johnson also told ministers that every department should consider itself a criminal justice department as part of a drive to look at the 'complex causes of crime' which would involve long-term reforms to improve health, social care, youth services and education. A graphic shows police-recorded robberies in England and Wales since 2007 John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation, said police should not be 'expected to fight this crime epidemic alone', claiming recorded crime would rise until officers get the resources they need. He reiterated calls for 'long-term, sustainable funding', adding that cash pledges made by the Government are 'a move in the right direction' but they are not enough to undo the 'damage' of previous cuts. Minister for crime and policing Kit Malthouse said the numbers are 'extremely concerning' overall, with violent crime 'still too high'. He added: 'We are throwing everything we have got at this issue. We all have to work together to win this fight and we won't stop until we do.' Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, during the 50th annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said India was not willing to engage with RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) unless there's "greater degree of transparency". He added that it could only happen if member nations would engage in "open government, regulatory practices" and provide "greater market access for Indian goods and services on a reciprocal basis". On India's decision to back out from the biggest trade deal, Goyal said it was an "unbalanced trade agreement," which was not fulfilling RCEP's guiding principles. "Therefore, India chose not to participate in it," he added. He added trade negotiations were very complex issues. "We aren't negotiating trade with deadlines and in a hurry. The FTAs that were entered into from 2009-12, sadly did not have as many stakeholder consultations as our government is doing," he said. Also read: WEF 2020: Alphabet CEO Pichai eyes major opportunity in healthcare, says will protect privacy Talking about the future of business in India, he said several companies had told him they would have at least 50 per cent of their workforce in India in future. He said that the economy was well poised to take off. Blaming the previous UPA government for current economic woes, Goyal said the NDA inherited the economy in 2014 in a "pretty bad" shape. "We largely spent the first term in getting the economy back in shape and getting the confidence of the world," he added. He said all investors could now see India was the place to "expand and invest", where there were equal opportunities and integrity in work. Talking about the Centre's initiatives in strengthening public sector banks, Goyal said the Modi-led NDA had cleaned them up. "We brought to fore a lot of problems that had accumulated over the years but not recognised in banks," he said. On the issue of liquidity crunch, he said the government was looking at "innovative ways" to resolve the issue. "We are bringing a new scheme for export financing, where we are backstopping any losses exports could lead to banks, up to the extent of 90 per cent on principle and interest," he said. Also watch: In September 2019, Ron and Marilyn Drozdowski, of Loudonville, Ohio, traveled to both Namibia and Zimbabwe in Africa and toured each country. In Namibia, they visited Etosha-Okaukuejo National Park, a huge game preserve. They then visited Victory Falls National Park in Zimbabwe, where they enjoyed fishing for tiger fish, with Farm and Dairy, on the Zambezi River. 1 of 3 Cloud and emerging technologies such as machine learning are enabling new types of businesses around the world. Although cloud uptake in Africa lags behind most other regions, early adopters on the continent are beginning to spring up. Intergreatme, maker of its namesake digital identity platform, is one of them. In its efforts to help enterprises combat identity fraud and financial crime, Intergreatme (also known by the IGM brand) is tapping cloud, machine learning and automation technologies to enhance trust and transparency in data sharing as well as save time and money for its diverse clients. The companys digital ID platform includes a consumer app that enables users to create their digital identity using biometrics and passport or driving licence IDs. For businesses, it is designed to ensure that enterprises gain ethical access to verified customer identities in a secure, regulations-compliant, and instantaneous manner. To get more insight into the impact of cloud, AI and automation technologies in the Know Your Customer and ID verification arena which is expected to continue to grow as more people and businesses in Africa go digital we talked to James Lawson, chief information officer and founder of Intergreatme. Edited excerpts follow: What skills are important for CIOs to learn in order to cope with the rapid pace of technological change and disruption to business models? Having a clear vision of the product or service you are building is key. Intergreatme James Lawson, CIO and co-founder of Intergreatme. Understanding current and future political and regulatory laws for example what weve witnessed in South Africa with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and other regulatory obligations coming into force. At IGM, weve looked closely at incoming laws around the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI) in South Africa and it was important from a CIOs standpoint to familiarise myself with the legislation in order to better guide the business in its technological developments. What technologies do you think will have the biggest impact on the sectors you service in 2020? Machine learning and automation will provide us with the biggest impact in the KYC arena. Our business is reliant on them, and so they are at the forefront of product design and innovation in the business. With the advent of cloud technology providers such as Microsoft Azure and AWS coming to South Africa, it makes it easier for smaller businesses to provide services to companies. This has provided us with the ability to host data and services locally, and we look forward to being able to geographically replicate services between regions. A further advantage with cloud hosting means you are able to create instances close to your customer, as well as comply with local regulatory laws, so for instance, most of our customers in South Africa required us to store data locally. When we need to service customers in a different geographic region, we can easily host our service and data layers in those countries, so it makes for easier sales in those regions. With cloud, youre able to spin up more instances of your technology stack to handle the additional throughput if you need to scale your operations; and then wind down those instances when the load decreases. Not only are you saving on salaries, but youre also optimising IT spend. What are the key technologies your business depends on and what aspects of your technology create the most risk in your business? There are four main concerns that our business depends on: Cloud hosting providers, and the location of their data centres we are reliant on availability and scalability, as to handle the volume of data coming through our platform, we have placed specific emphasis on being able to scale all layers of our technology stack from front ends, services, and databases. Machine Learning, and the continual enhancement and investment in it while there are some companies that provide ML-as-a-Service (AWS and Azure come to mind), we decided to invest in the technology and hired talented people to build these services for us. It provides us with exactly what we want, without needing to jerry rig the pieces of the puzzle together. Scalable database technologies since we provide real-time services for our customers, a database going offline is pretty disastrous for the company. We have used queues in most places to allow services to continue running if a DB gets knocked offline, and are starting to invest into database engines that are clustered by nature, although our document repository is fairly large and runs off of scalable NoSQL technology. We are looking to try and reduce our technology spread between database technologies, and use a unified database engine with multiple databases in the future. Security technologies storing personal information brings with it the complexity of keeping it all secure. If our security layer faulters, we have the potential risk of data leaking from the business. We attempt to secure as much as we can, taking the security of information and services as a core to the business ethos. What is the biggest technological challenge your clients are likely to face and how do you plan to use IT to help them gain competitive advantage? Within the landscape that IGM operates, one of our core focus areas has been around Know Your Customer (KYC). In the current landscape in South Africa, this is largely a manual process, where a business customer needs to provide identification and proof of residence documentation in person. In some financial industries, the individual is expected to provide this documentation when they reach the branch; in others, the company will send staff out to collect this information from their customers. This further burden is put on businesses with the new risk-based KYC laws that were passed, where based on the risk profile of a customer, they need to provide their FICA documentation on a more regular basis. IGM has built a digital onboarding and KYC solution which allows us to collect, validate and verify a person, helping our clients manage their regulatory obligations with their customers. Our existing product allows a customer to completely FICA or RICA within 6 minutes, including the use of liveliness detection. This gives our customers a competitive advantage as they can now remotely onboard their customers while complying with the local regulation. IGM has the capabilities to either build the UI layers, or provide access to our API which allows an organisation to build their own UI around our technology. Finally, as the IGM ecosystem develops and grows, we move away from this concept of Self-KYC, where our clients use a white labelled version of our software, towards an era where any IGM user is able to interact with any IGM client. The difficulty here is getting our clients to see the advantages of participating in this kind of environment, as larger entities still fight over the ownership of personal information data, even though the upcoming regulatory changes in terms of POPI shift the data ownership back into the hands of the customer. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 Trend: What is Regulatory Impact Assessment? As the name suggests, Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) assesses the impact of the States regulatory activity i.e. laws, administrative decisions, regulations, standards, etc., on the stakeholders of the said activity such as social, economic, environmental, and in some cases more specifically on regional development, SMEs etc. According to the OECD webpage, Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) is a systemic approach to critically assessing the positive and negative effects of proposed and existing regulations and non-regulatory alternatives. From the World Banks perspective, RIA is a tool that helps policymakers ask systematic questions about the different policy options and consequences of government interventions (World Bank 2010b). The output of that process is an assessment report that provides high-quality evidence for comparing different policy options (World Bank 2010a). (GIRG, Worldwide practices of Regulatory Impact Assessment) RIA is included in the regulatory frameworks of 32 out of 35 OECD countries and 46 out of 58 high-income economies. Many developing countries from all the regions of the world such as Vietnam, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Romania, have also developed good RIA practices in recent years. The benefits of implementing RIA are manifold, including economic such as eliminating the unnecessary regulatory burden, which can cause public or private spending, sometimes estimated in millions of dollars. In a well-known example, the first proposal of the regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) from the European Commission could have imposed a 10 billion euro cost on the European chemicals industry. However, after conducting a thorough RIA and holding a public debate discussing various regulatory alternatives, the regulation was revised to make it more cost-effective and less burdensome for the private sector, while preserving the major benefits of the proposal. The final cost to the industry was reduced to two billion euros. The entire RIA was estimated to cost one million euros making a return on investment of 10,000 to one (World Bank 2010b). General Principles of RIA \RIA enshrines the following principles of regulatory best practice: Proportionality regulators should only intervene when necessary. Remedies should be appropriate to the risk posed, and costs identified and minimized. Accountability regulators must be able to justify decisions and those decisions shall be subject to prior consultation with stakeholders such as businesses, community, Non-profits (for example, specialized in environmental impact assessment, protection of vulnerable categories of society, etc.). Consistency governmental rules and standards must be coherent and implemented fairly. Transparency regulators, should be open and keep regulations simple and user-friendly. Targeting regulation should be focused on the problem and minimize side-effects. International best practices of RIA In many countries, RIAs focus on the economic impacts of a proposed or existing regulation, particularly on SMEs. Others, such as Estonia, which is a high-income developed country and has, recently, also been acknowledged among the fastest growing economies in the EU has more comprehensive impact assessments. (GIRG, Worldwide practices of Regulatory Impact Assessment) According to Estonias guidelines, explanatory memorandum of the RIA shall contain the following presumable impacts: 1) social, including demographic impact; 2) impact on national security and international relations; 3) impact on the economy; 4) impact on the living environment and natural environment; 5) impact on regional development; 6) impact on the organization of state agencies and local government agencies; and 7) any other direct or indirect impact. Other sophisticated examples of RIA would be Canadas RIA writers Guide, British Regulatory Impact Assessment Governmental Handbook etc. Many best practices also suggest implementing both ex-ante, the traditional form of RIA described so far, and ex-post assessment of regulations, i.e., evaluation of the impact by already enacted regulations. According to OECD, this allows holding the policy-makers involved in the regulatory process accountable for the economic resources and political capital invested in developed regulations. The ex-post evaluation also allows collecting evidence and data for further review of the effectiveness of policy tools used in practice, for a review of their performance and for improving the design and implementation of the policy. OECD 2003 Azerbaijans RIA Framework and its shortcomings Elements of RIA exist in the Azerbaijani legal framework as well. According to Article 59 II of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, The State implements the regulation of entrepreneurship only to protect state interests, human life, and safety. According to the Constitutional Law on Normative Legal Acts, regulatory activity in Azerbaijan shall be based on proportionality and accountability [to citizens], democracy and transparency, coherence of legal acts, protection of human rights, freedoms and legitimate interests and social justice, systematisms and unity of legal regulation of public relations. (Article 8. Principles of regulatory activity) The Law on Licenses and Permits dated 15 March 2016, stipulates that regulatory impact analysis is one of the principles of state regulation in the field of licenses and permits. (Article 10. Principles of state regulation of license and permit system) Further, Article 16 of the Law is specifically devoted to regulatory impact assessment. According to that article, RIA shall incorporate the following: Assessment of the impact on entrepreneurship of proposed legal acts on the establishment of activities requiring license and permit; Assessment of the impact on entrepreneurship of existing legal acts on the establishment of activities requiring license and permit. (The Law on Licenses and Permits, Article 16.1) Regulatory impact assessment is implemented by the relevant authority and the authority issuing the license and permit (The Law on Licenses and Permits, Article 16.2). Specific examples of RIA exist in other legal acts of Azerbaijan. For example, the Law on Protection of Environment stipulates that the state has to implement legal and economic regulations enabling the protection of the environment. On 2 November 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers has enacted the Rules of regulatory impact assessment (hereafter, the Rules) in accordance with the Law on Licenses and Permits, which identifies the Ministry of Economy as the authority implementing RIA. However, the Rules have certain shortcomings. First, as they are prepared in the context of the Law on Licenses and Permits, the Rules focus on state regulation of licenses and permits (but see, Article 2.2 of the Rules stipulating that the Regulatory Impact Assessment of draft laws are done in each case). However, the States regulatory impact on economy and society is not limited to issuing licenses and permits only. For instance, the State through amending individual legal acts such as the Tax Code, or the Criteria for defining entity size (see the Cabinet of Ministers Decision on confirmation of criteria for micro, small, medium and big entities) can cause huge impact on the economy. Second, the Rules limit RIA to draft laws and thus skip hundreds of other legal acts such as Presidential decrees and edicts, the Decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers, the rules and regulations of other authorities such as the Central Bank that has no lesser impact. And third, but not least the Rules fail to provide clear methodology for implementing RIA. The Impact Assessment section of the Global Indicators of Regulatory Governance (GIRG) Project by the World Banks Global Indicators Group specify other shortcomings of Azerbaijani RIA frameworks such as the lack of specialized government body tasked with reviewing and monitoring regulatory impact assessment conducted by other individual agencies or government bodies. See Figure 2 (extracted from the page of the Project). Figure 2 Source: GIRD database, https://rulemaking.worldbank.org/en/data/explorecountries/azerbaijan# Conclusion Implementing Regulatory Impact Assessment can be very beneficial for the development of the economy and the welfare of people living in Azerbaijan. The existing national RIA framework of Azerbaijan already allows implementing a certain level of RIA which is testified by recent legal and economic reforms by the Government of Azerbaijan. However, the existing national framework can be improved for the benefit of the country. For example, the Rules on Regulatory Impact Assessment could be amended in accordance to international best practice to cover all regulatory activities of the State, a specialized government body could be established to review and monitor RIAs implemented by all state bodies, and continuing cooperation with jurisdictions with successful RIA models could build. Sources International Global Indicators of Regulatory Governance: Worldwide practices of Regulatory Impact Assessment, http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/905611520284525814/Global-Indicators-of-Regulatory-Governance-Worldwide-Practices-of-Regulatory-Impact-Assessments.pdf OECD 2003, Proceedings from the OECD Expert Meeting on Regulatory Performance: Ex Post Evaluation of Regulatory Policies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/regreform/regulatory-policy/30401951.pdf Government of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, RIA writers Guide, https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rtrap-parfa/riaswg-grrier/riaswg-grrier-eng.pdf British Regulatory Impact Assessment, Governmental Handbook, http://regulatoryreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Israel-Regulatory-Impact-Assessment-Government-Handbook-2013.pdf Local The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, http://e-qanun.az/framework/897 The Constitutional Law on Normative Legal Acts, http://e-qanun.az/framework/21300 The Law on Licenses and Permits, http://e-qanun.az/framework/32626 The Rules on Regulatory Impact Assessment, http://e-qanun.az/framework/34013 The Law on Protection of Environment, http://e-qanun.az/framework/3852 EKVITA is a full-service legal, tax and management consulting company with circa 40 full time professionals. Its active clients include several Fortune 500 companies operating globally. The company have also been engaged in government projects as well as worked for international donor organizations such as World Bank. EKVITA company delivers integrated professional services combining general business advisory support with very strong legal, finance and tax practice. The leading position of EKVITA in the market has been recognized by international ranking institutions and other relevant international standards. WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is working overtime to defend President Donald Trump as House Democrats present their impeachment case to the Senate. Cruz is putting out a daily impeachment podcast that he records every night after the Senate impeachment trial lets out. He taped the first episode at 2:45 a.m. The title is VERDICT and the Texas Republican has been clear what he believes the verdict will be. At the end of this process, after a fair trial, the president will be acquitted, Cruz said in a video he posted to Twitter last week while he was on his way to be sworn in for Senate trial. He called it the beginning of the end of the abuse of the Constitution. For subscribers: Ted Cruz is everywhere defending Trump against impeachment Its the latest example of the lengths Cruz has gone to defend Trump, a one-time bitter political rival who called Cruz Lyin Ted and whom Cruz branded a pathological liar on the 2016 campaign trail. The House impeached Trump, accusing him of abusing his office when he withheld military aid from Ukraine as he sought to pressure its leaders to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump also is accused of obstructing Congress during the impeachment inquiry. A spokeswoman for Cruz said the senator sees the podcast as a way to speak directly to the American people, bypassing traditional news outlets. He wants to put episodes out as frequently as possible. In the first episode, Cruz said he thought the House managers the Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston, presenting the impeachment case did a good job to start. They sounded more reasonable, they sounded less partisan than they had, he said. But then they started just droning on over and over and over again. The first days proceedings went well after midnight. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox I dont think anyones mind was changed. I think anyone who came in as a yes is still a yes and anyone who came in as a no is still a no, Cruz said. I think thats true for the 100 senators, but I think thats also true for the people at home. Cruz says he believes a president must break the law to be impeached and that Trump did not. In the second episode, Cruz said the Senate needs to bring in Hunter Biden, the son of the former vice president who was on the board of directors of a state-run natural gas company in Ukraine. If the Senate does call in new witnesses, he said, Im very confident we will call Hunter Biden. You want talk about something to terrify 47 Democrats in the Senate. It is the fact that the Senate could grant Hunter Biden immunity and hear his testimony and hear about whether or not there was corruption from Joe Biden, Cruz said. This is not about (Hunter Biden.) This is a question about whether his dad abused his power. In an October interview with ABC news, Hunter Biden said taking the job was poor judgment on my part but denied any impropriety. I joined a board, I served honorably. I did I focused on corporate governance, he said, adding that he had one brief exchange with his father about his service on the board but no other discussions with him about his work with the company. What I regret is not taking into account that there would be this ridiculous conspiracy idea, he said. ben.wermund@chron.com Lifestyle Myanmars LGBTIQ Festival is Back With a New Campaign: Love Is Not a Crime People celebrate the 6th edition of Yangon Pride, Myanmar's LGBTIQ festival, at Asia's only LGBTIQ boat parade on Jan. 18 at the Botahtaung Jetty. / &Proud Organization The 6th edition of Myanmars LGBTIQ festival of love and pride is back with a bigger celebration than in years past, across three weekends and in 10 locations around Yangon. This year the festival is declaring that Love Is Not a Crime through a new national campaign calling for solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) community. The festival is organized by &PROUD with support from the Embassy of the Netherlands, the UK Embassy and Heinrich Boll Stiftung Foundation. The celebration began at Botahtaung Jetty last weekend with Asias only LGBTIQ Boat Parade, drawing nearly 800 participants on three boats for a rainbow-colored sunset cruise. Along with the event, the organization launched its Love Is Not a Crime campaign, which has gone viral on social media along with calls for LGBTIQ people to be treated equally both by society and under the law. Acceptance is an important part of the campaign. We are asking everyone to turn their little finger pink and to share a picture. By showing your pink pinky, you show that you love and support people no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity is, and you are helping to raise awareness for the equality of LGBTIQ people, said Hla Myat Tun, co-director of &PROUD. They asked everyone in Myanmar to show their support by updating their Facebook photo with the pink pinky logo and all are invited to join Yangon Pride. The campaign will be very visible at the festival site, with photo exhibitions, information about Myanmar laws that affect LGBTIQ people, and of course a photobooth where everyone can get their own pink pinky photo taken, said Willem van Rooij, head of the Yangon Pride festival. Yangon Pride began as a small film festival six years ago and is now in its sixth iteration. During this time, Myanmars LGBTIQ community has become increasingly visible. Were so happy about that. It shows that acceptance of the community is really on the rise, in Yangon but also in the rest of Myanmar, said Hla Myat Tun. The community has become visible and we can celebrate the festival in public but there are still laws that control LGBTIQ peoples love, he added. We all have a right to love the person who we want to love but we understand that we cant change the countrys law in this short period. We just want to request that they consider changing the laws. Section 377 of Myanmars Penal Code, which dates back to 1861, deals with unnatural and same-sex sexual acts and allows for sentences from 10 years to life in prison. Currently, the fact that the government has allowed us to celebrate in public is a positive development and a reason to hope for more change in the future, said Hla Myat Tun. The festival has grown and is a celebration of the LGBTIQ community enjoyed by Yangon residents, families and friends. This year, the festival will bring all colors of the rainbow to Thakhin Mya Park on Friday, Jan. 24, with performances by artists Htun Eaindra Bo, Ni Ni Khin Zaw and Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein. There will be a drag queens performance as well as with films, dance and photography. Pride is very much a celebration of our colorful community. We will do our best to make this a weekend where everyone can be free to be themselves and well pack three full days with performances by the LGBTIQ community, said Willem van Rooij. On Saturday, Jan. 25, there will be a gala evening and the yearly LGBTIQ hero awards, another highlight of the festival which celebrates an LGBTIQ person. Swe Zin Htet has already been announced as the winner, as she courageously took the world stage to become the first openly lesbian contestant in the Miss Universe competition. Im so proud to accept this award. Thank you so much to &PROUD. We all have a right to express ourselves freely. I respect myself for who I am and respect other people too. We cant judge other people by their sexual orientation, said Swe Zin Htet. The last weekend of this years Pride will start on Jan. 31 at the French Institute with films, debates, theater and performances by Ar-T and Thailands top drag queens, Annee Maywong and Dearis Doll. All events schedules are posted on the and PROUD Facebook page. All events are free of charge and no tickets are needed. &PROUD is a non-profit organization founded in Yangon in 2014 to create greater understanding and awareness of LGBTIQ identities and rights and to create stronger linkages within the community and with Myanmar society. On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO Globeleq, the leading independent power producer in sub-Saharan Africa, has signed a joint development agreement with the Togolese government to develop a utility-scale renewable energy project. Under the terms of the agreement, Globeleq and the Togolese government intend to develop between 24MW and 30MW of reliable, low cost and 100% renewable energy to support Togo's industrial development policy. The project could take the form of a pure hydropower plant, a combined hydropower and solar power plant, or a solar power plant with large capacity battery storage. The development area of the project would be between Kara and Dapaong depending on the technological choice that will be made and will be connected to the Kara-Mango-Dapaong transmission line currently under construction. The agreement was signed in Lome on 5 December 2019 and will be developed on a PPP (public-private partnership) model. It is part of the National Development Plan 2018-2022 and is the concrete manifestation of the Government of Togo's desire to increase economic relations with the United Kingdom. Globeleq CEO Mike Scholey said: "We are delighted to be working with the Togolese government on this innovative project. It will bring new low-carbon power generation to northern Togo and promote development and growth in the region. The Togolese Minister of Mines and Energy, Dederiwe Ably-Bidamon, said "Togo is resolutely committed to the promotion of renewable energies to ensure its energy independence and guarantee the low prices necessary for the industrial and job-creating policy desired by the President of the Republic. We are delighted to be able to move forward on this path with the support of Globeleq and, through it, of the British government." About Globeleq Globeleq is a leading developer, owner and operator of electricity generation in Africa. Its experienced team of professionals have built a diverse portfolio of IPPs, generating more than 1,400 MW in 13 locations across 5 countries. With an additional 305 MW in construction and around 2,000 MW of power projects in development Globeleq has a long-term commitment to the power sector in Africa. www.globeleq.com Project Enquiries: David Wilson, Special Projects Director, PH: +44 (0)203 823 5500 Media Enquiries: Fiona Gonyea, PR/Corporate Communications, fiona.gonyea@globeleq.com ixlayer- A complete solution for Precision Health Testing The most exciting part of this program is that these tests can be ordered online by physicians and results returned through the electronic record. Results will be available to patients and physicians to guide clinical care ixLayer, a San Francisco based start-up is launching a first of its kind platform to simplify the complex relationship between precision health tests, physicians, and patients. The platform is the culmination of two years spent working closely with health systems, clinical laboratories, physicians, and patients. The venture backed company is funded by Health-tech focused firms such as Pear VC, FundRx, Village Global, and Maky Zanganeh & Associates. There has been a heavy focus on enabling direct to consumer genomics over the last couple of years, but we cannot forget that most of this testing is still being ordered in a clinic. We are now taking our expertise creating patient centric products within genomics and digitizing processes associated with ordering this complex testing in clinics. We want to make sure that both physicians and patients are at the center of everything we build. says CEO of ixLayer Pouria Sanae. True to its name, the value of the platform is to be the layer of technology that brings together the key components needed to simplify the ordering and delivery of complex test results. These components include direct integrations into laboratories, on-demand genetic counseling services, integrations into electronic health records, patient engagement tools, and digital representation of patient health data. The goal of the platform is to remove barriers to the adoption of precision medicine and speed up the launch and delivery of new diagnostic tools. Current use cases of the platform include: 1. Providing an easy way for community physicians to work in partnership with labs to enroll patients into research studies involving diagnostic testing. The platform removes the burden of enrollment, patient education, sample collection, etc. from the physicians plate and gives the laboratory a dashboard with insight into what is happening at each site. This flow can also be used for enrolling patients into clinical trials and maintaining patient engagement, all through their patient portal. 2. Enabling large scale population health projects to roll out quickly without putting the burden of building infrastructure on the institution. The platform can easily engage community members and accelerate research and disease prevention at scale. By integrating with the health system electronic health record, the platform enables results from tests ordered virtually to be available directly to physicians. 3. Simplifying the process by which patients with rare diseases are engaged and identified. Many therapies today are based on biomarker testing which is typically only available in a physician's office. The ixLayer platform can be integrated into any patient website and walk a patient through the entire testing process. The platform is integrated with comprehensive physician and counseling services, who can then help triage that patient into local care for treatment. ixLayer is partnering with the Innovation Institute and Invenio Genetics to streamline the delivery of genetic testing and results to its members. The first hospital to roll out testing on the ixLayer platform is Avera Health. Through ixLayer, Avera will offer genetic testing to over one million members. The most exciting part of this program is that these tests can be ordered online by physicians and results returned through the electronic record. Results will be available to patients and physicians to guide clinical care" says Joe Randolph CEO of Innovation Institute. We saw a lot of precision medicine programs being launched in the market and realized one that recognized the patient and physician relationship is the best way to ensure appropriate patient care." Looking forward, ixLayer is laser focused on improving the delivery of diagnostic testing. Whether testing is being offered through population health programs, the patient's physician, a consumer test, or a research study, ixLayer strives to provide optimal user experiences and transparency, We want the platform to be a catalyst for dramatic change in the industry, getting patients engaged, and improving outcomes, Says Sanae. Potential partners who are interested in learning more about how ixLayer is digitizing the ordering and delivery of precision health testing can visit:ixlayer.com/precision-health-testing platform-announcement About ixLayer: Ixlayer powers the delivery of precision health testing for physicians, health systems, health focused companies, and pharmaceutical partners. The end to end solution brings together all of the components needed to deliver complex testing and results to patients. We are committed to improving outcomes and removing barriers to the access of precision medicine. For more information on Innovation Institute, please visit: ixlayer.com About Innovation Institute: The Institute supports medical device innovation through its Innovation Lab where medical device and healthcare innovation solutions are developed. We also raise medical innovation funding to take the most important medical and healthcare innovations to the healthcare marketplace. We encourage innovators to submit their invention ideas to our Innovation Lab for cultivation. Our healthcare innovation experts provide the healthcare innovation support needed for success. The Lab sets forth local and global healthcare challenges to serve as facilitators of world healthcare innovation or world medical innovation.For more information on Innovation Institute, please visit: ii4change.com Ixlayer Media Kit Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:07:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ATHENS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A car carrying 11 migrants crashed in northern Greece on Thursday resulting in one dead and four injured, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. The accident happened in the outskirts of the city of Kavala near the land border with Turkey after the driver lost control of the car in an attempt to break through a police check, according to the report citing police sources. The nationalities of the victim and injured, as well as the rest of the passengers, have not been identified yet. Similar cases have been reported in recent months, as refugee, migrant influx through the land border reached 14,891 people in 2019, according to the UN High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) data, in addition to 59,457 who landed on the Greek islands. Earlier in January, 13 people were injured in a similar accident in Thessaloniki city, including a Greek driver whose car was hit by a speeding car carrying mainly migrants from Bangladesh. Two Syrians, including the 17-year old driver of the car, were arrested on charges of human smuggling. Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk is satisfied with the negotiations with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva held on January 22 and is waiting for the launch of the new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) in the amount of $5.5 billion, on which Ukraine and the IMF reached the agreements in 2019. "We expect that in the coming months [the new] program with the IMF will be launched," Honcharuk said on Thursday on the sidelines of Ukrainian Breakfast in Davos, Switzerland, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. Earlier the press service of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Zelensky in Davos during a meeting with Georgieva discussed the course of the judicial reform, strengthening of the rule of law and implementation of structural reforms. The implementation of the EFF in the amount of $5.5 billion was also discussed at the meeting. The parties commended the speed and quality of Ukraine's cooperation with the IMF. Khan urges UN action over Kashmir dispute with India Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 7:14 PM Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the United Nations to help in the dispute with India, a fellow nuclear power, over the region of Kashmir. Speaking during a media briefing at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Khan said "This is a potential flashpoint." He added that it was time for the "international institutions ... specifically set up to stop this" to "come into action". New Delhi announced it was revoking the Muslim-majority Himalayan region's constitutional autonomy on August 5. Kashmir is generally considered disputed territory. It has been split between India and Pakistan since their partition in 1947. The countries have fought three wars over the territory. Khan noted that he had held talks with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and discussed the prospect of war between his country and India. Trump later said he had offered to help mediate between the two countries. The Pakistani premier also expressed fear regarding how New Delhi would respond to ongoing protests in India over a new controversial citizenship law that is widely considered anti-Muslim. "We're not close to a conflict right now ... What if the protests get worse in India, and to distract attention from that, what if ..." The law, backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allows granting citizenship to the millions of migrants who legally or illegally came into India from Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Afghanistan before December 2014 but not if they are Muslims. Critics say the law will be used in conjunction with a citizenship list that could require all Indians to produce documents proving their origins, a challenge in a country where many people lack official records, including birth certificates. Muslims fear the new law may be misused to strip them of their citizenship. The ruling BJP, however, argues the law has nothing to do with the country's Muslims but aims to help those suffering alleged religious persecution in the neighboring countries. Widespread demonstrations have rocked the Hindu-majority nation since the law was approved by parliament in December. At least 27 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in clashes with police, which has been accused of using disproportionate force in several states. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Google researchers have found multiple security flaws in Apple Inc's Safari web browser that allowed the tracking of users' browsing behaviour, the Financial Times reported. The vulnerabilities were found in a tool specifically designed to protect privacy and could have allowed third parties to obtain sensitive information about the browsing habits of users, the report added. Alphabet Inc's Google disclosed the flaws to Apple last August, according to the report. In a blog post in December, an Apple engineer said that the company had fixed flaws disclosed to it by Google researchers. An Apple spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that the flaws found by Google and highlighted in the Financial Times' story were patched last year. Google did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of the Boko Haram terrorist group, has released a video showing the execution on 20 January of a 22 year-old Christian student from Plateau State, Nigeria, by a minor. Ropvil Daciya Dalep from Jing village in Pankshin Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau state, studied biology at the University of Maiduguri. He was abducted on 9 January on the outskirts of the Borno State capital along with 20 year-old zoology student Lilian Daniel Gyang, also from Plateau State. Both were returning to university following the Christmas holiday. A third person who was abducted with them was later released. The video shows Mr Dalep kneeling as a masked child stands behind him brandishing a pistol. Prior to shooting him the child, who began by chanting in Arabic before speaking in Hausa, claims that Mr Daleps execution is in revenge for bloodshed, allegedly by Christians. The boy says: In particular, this is one among the Christians from Plateau State. We are saying to Christians, we have not forgotten what you have done to our parents and ancestors and we are telling all Christians around the world, we have not forgotten and will not stop. We must avenge the bloodshed that has been done like this one This is the second video released by ISWAP that has linked executions with both the faith and the state of origin of its victims. In a video released on 22 September 2019 terrorists wielding AK- 47s described the beheadings of Christian humanitarian aid workers Lawrence Dacighir and Gedfrey Ali Shikagham as the beginning of revenge on Christians in Plateau state. They alleged that Christians from the state kill our women and children and eat their meat. Both men were from Plateau state, and were members of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN). Meanwhile news has emerged that prior to executing the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Adamawa, Rev Lawan Andimi, on 20 January, the Shekau faction of Boko Haram had demanded 2 million in ransom and rejected an offer of N50 million (approximately 105,162). In a statement on Rev Andimis murder that also drew attention to the murder on 19 January of Rev Denis Bagauri in his home in Adamawa state by unknown gunmen, the National President of CAN, Rev Dr Samson Supo Ayokunle, challenged the federal government to be more proactive, in addressing Nigerias security challenges. CSWs Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Ropvil Daciya Dalep. CSW is deeply concerned and saddened by the daily reports of violence against Christians in northern and central Nigeria, who are under siege from a multiplicity of armed non-state actors. We join the President of CAN in appealing for President Buhari and the government of Nigeria to be more proactive in addressing these issues. The continuing deterioration in security clearly highlights the urgent need for a recalibration of military strategy to ensure that security forces are sufficiently resourced to combat every armed threat and to protect every citizen, regardless of creed or ethnicity. Elsewhere, the children seized by the Nigerian Police and Kano state Government from the Du Merci orphanages in Kano and Kaduna on 25 and 31 December 2019 respectively have been unable to attend school since they were placed in the government-run Nasarawa Childrens home in Kano, where they are prevented from leaving the premises. Initial reports by the state police and other authorities that the children they seized are aged between 3 and 12 have proved erroneous, as the group includes a 30 year-old female graduate, a 22 year-old man, and a married woman who is over 22 years old who was visiting the home with her new born baby. There are worrying indications that efforts may be underway to implicate the orphanage's co-founder, Professor Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa, in some form of wrongdoing. In a video received by CSW Nigeria, the 30 year-old woman and 22 year-old man complained of being threatened by police for staging a protest in the government home, where they stated they had been held against their will for over two weeks and wanted to return to the Du Merci orphanage. In addition, in a broadcast by Nigerian media house Channels TV, the married former resident, who did not speak, was described by the journalist in a voiceover as having been forcibly married. The broadcast stated that the orphanage was a baby making factory, allegedly for trafficking, and quoted the Kano state Commissioner of Womens Affairs and Social Development as claiming there was no record showing the existence of any Du Merci Childrens Home in the state. The broadcast included a clip of the professor asserting the orphanage is duly registered, as he was being paraded before journalists alongside armed robbery and kidnapping suspects. The professors lawyer subsequently recorded a rebuttal to these allegations. Mr Thomas added: CSW continues to be deeply concerned by the ongoing detention of Professor Tarfa and at what are obvious attempts to implicate him in crimes for which he is not responsible. We are also highly concerned by reports that the children from the Du Merci centre have been prohibited from leaving their new orphanage, even to attend school. This is clearly not in the best interests of the children. We urge the Kano state authorities to release Professor Tarfa immediately and without condition, and to allow the children and the adults who were seized with them to return to the Du Merci centre and continue with their lives. Planning and Co-ordination Officer, Vienna, Austria Organization: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Country: Austria City: Vienna, Austria Office: OSCE Vienna Closing date: Monday, 10 February 2020 Issued by: OSCE Secretariat Vacancy number: VNSECP01499 Vacancy type: International Contracted Field of expertise: Political Affairs Grade: P3 Number of posts: 1 Duty station: Vienna Date of issue: 13 January 2020 Deadline for application: 10 February 2020 - 23: 59 Central European Time (CET/CEST) Background The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis. The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions. The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) plays a key role in supporting and co-ordinating the OSCEs activities in the field, in providing analysis and policy advice to the Secretary General (SG) and the Chairmanship, in leading work on all aspects of the conflict cycle, and in supporting the various formats dealing with protracted conflicts. The CPC also serves as the focal point in the Secretariat for co-ordinating and developing the OSCEs role in the politico-military dimension. Tasks and Responsibilities As Planning and Co-ordination officer, you will assist the Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre (D/CPC), and Deputy Directors, or the Officer-in-Charge of the CPC, in discharging their responsibilities, co-ordinate administrative and management issues, and follow up on work assigned to CPC staff/sections. More specifically, you will carry out the following duties, under the supervision of the D/CPC: Planning, co-ordinating and managing departmental tasks on a daily basis, including the Directors work plan, priorities and follow-up activities; Facilitating the implementation of CPCs overall work plan by liaising with other units in the Secretariat as well as the OSCE delegations and the Chairmanship; Following up on ongoing CPC tasks and ensuring responses are received within the requested timeframe from the relevant staff; co-ordinating with designated liaison officers in the Office of the Secretary General and other departments in-house where feedback is required from CPC on common tasks; Participating in meetings and drafting minutes for internal circulation, as required; following up on further action required; Co-ordinating and preparing the departments contribution to the unified budget proposal based on performance-based programme budgeting; following up on CPC related issues raised in the Advisory Committee on Management and Finance (ACMF); Accompanying D/CPC, and/or participating in internal and external administrative meetings (Permanent Council, ACMF, Preparatory Committee, Task Force meetings); writing up minutes and following up on action to be taken with regard to decisions adopted; Preparing initial drafts of internal administrative policy papers and assisting senior managers in the department by obtaining and incorporating any additional input; as well as reviewing administrative policies put forward by other departments; Reviewing incoming communications and documentation; identifying problems and issues to be addressed and proposing action; drafting substantive responses for D/CPCs signature as necessary; Performing other related duties as required. As part of its global program to sell assets, ExxonMobil is about to launch a process to sell its upstream oil and gas operations in the UK and Germany, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, quoting people familiar with the plans. The beginning of the sale process for Exxons UK assets is expected to be imminent, while the U.S. supermajor will start pitching its German assets to potential buyers after that, according to Bloombergs sources. For months, Exxon is reported to be looking to sell its assets in the UK, which will make it the latest U.S. oil company to quit the UK North Sea. Exxon has interests in nearly 40 producing oil and gas fields in the UK North Sea, and its investment offshore the UK is managed through a 50/50 joint operation with Shell, which is the main operator of many of the fields in the joint operation. Exxons output accounts for around five percent of UK oil and gas production, supplying the UK and international markets with an average of 80,000 barrels of oil and 441 million cubic feet of gas a day, the U.S. supermajor says. Exxons upstream assets in Germany had total production of around 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2018, according to a review of the company cited by Bloomberg. Two months ago, banking sources told Reuters that Exxon is considerably increasing its global asset sales program, expecting to shed oil and gas assets in Asia, Europe, and Africa worth up to US$25 billion. According to Rystad Energys estimates, Exxon could raise between US$1 billion and US$2 billion from its UK North Sea assets. Exxon has an official target to sell US$15 billion worth of non-strategic assets by 2021. By the end of Q3 2019, the supermajor had reached nearly one-third of the US$15-billion asset sale target, chairman and chief executive officer Darren Woods said in the Q3 results release in November. Exxon is selling assets it no longer considers core operations as it is now focused on the Permian and Guyana. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilpric.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Dems appeal for GOP open minds as impeachment arguments open House Democrats opened arguments in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial Wednesday, appealing to skeptical Republican senators to join them in voting to remove Trump from office to protect our democracy. Trumps lawyers sat by, waiting their turn, while he blasted the proceedings from afar, threatening jokingly to face off with the Democrats by coming to sit right in the front row and stare at their corrupt faces. Democratic accusers say Trump was the one with the corrupt scheme to abuse his presidential power and then obstruct Congress investigation. ADVERTISEMENT The challenge before the House managers is clear. Democrats have 24 hours over the next three days to prosecute the charges against Trump, trying to win over not just fidgety senators sitting silently in the chamber but an American public, deeply divided over the president and his impeachment. Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appealed to senators not to be cynical about the politics of impeachment, asking them to draw on the intent of the nations Founding Fathers who provided the remedy of impeachment. Over the coming days, we will present to youand to the American peoplethe extensive evidence collected during the Houses impeachment inquiry into the presidents abuse of power, said Schiff, standing before the senators. You will hear their testimony at the same time as the American people. That is, if you will allow it. Florida Rep. Val Demings, a House manager during the Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, joined ABCs The View, on Wednesday morning, reinforcing her dedication to ensuring a fair trial and not letting the defense turn the trial into a circus. I believe the presidents team and the president of course is trying to turn this very serious trial into a circus, Demings told the hosts. Were going to do everything we can not to let them do this. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, (D-NY) a House manager took a line from Notorious B.I.G. on Tuesday when responding to a question from Jay Sekulow, an attorney on President Trumps impeachment defense team, who asked, Why are we here? ADVERTISEMENT We are here, sir, because President Trump pressured a foreign government to target an American citizen for political and personal gain, the New York Democrat responded, adding, We are here, sir, because President Trump solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election and corrupted our democracy. And we are here, sir, to follow the facts, follow the law, be guided by the Constitution, and present the truth to the American people. That is why we are here, Mr. Sekulow. If you dont know, now you know, Jeffries said, closing with a line from the rap icons 1994 smash hit Juicy. The proceedings re unfolding at the start of an election year and there are few signs that Republican are interested in calling more witnesses or going beyond a fast-track assessment to bring a quick vote on charges related to Trumps dealings with Ukraine. The trial marks just the third time the Senate has weighed whether an American president should be removed from office. Democrats argue Trump abused his office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rivals while withholding crucial military aid, and also obstructed Congress by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House probe. Republicans have defended Trumps actions and cast the process as a politically motivated effort to weaken the president in the midst of his reelection campaign. Sen. Kamala Harris says that Republican senators and President Trumps defense team are strategically bogging down the proceedings by throwing out all these misleading statements, these lies that Democrats then have their speaking time to correct before getting to arguments about the amendments and resolutions. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows the public is slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not, 45% to 40%. But a sizable percentage, 14%, say they dont know enough to have an opinion. One question theres wide agreement on: Trump should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial. About 7 in 10 said so, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats, according to the poll. The idea over witnesses, though, seems all but settled after wrangling over rules for the trial stretched late into the previous night, with Republicans shooting down one-by-one Democratic efforts to get Trump aides including former national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, to testify as witnesses. Senators are likely to repeat those rejections next week, shutting out any chance of new testimony. Chief Justice John Roberts gaveled open Wednesdays session as senators settled in for the long days ahead. Trump, who was in Davos, Switzerland, attending a global economic forum, praised his legal team, and suggested he would be open to his advisers testifying, though that seems unlikely. He said here were national security concerns that would stand in the way. After the House prosecutors present their case, the presidents lawyers will follow with another 24 hours over three days to mount a defense. They are expected to take only Sunday off. Then there will be 16 hours for senators, who must sit quietly at their desks, no speeches or cellphones, to ask written question, and another four hours for deliberations. By the end of next week there is expected to be one last vote on whether or not they want to hear from more witnesses, and it appears increasingly likely that will be the end. The impeachment trial is set against the backdrop of the 2020 election. All four senators who are Democratic presidential candidates were off the campaign trail, seated as jurors. Ahead of opening arguments, Republicans appeared to mock assertions by Democrats that they had overwhelming evidence against the president. I am really excited to see this overwhelming evidence, said Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. And once weve heard that overwhelming evidence, she added, raising her voice sarcastically, I dont know that well need to see additional witnesses, but lets hear about that overwhelming evidence. The trial began with a setback for Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who backed off his plans to limit each sides arguments to two days, as the White House had preferred. But the GOP leader has been skilled at keeping even the most wayward Republicans, those with some concerns about Trump, united in batting back Democratic requests for witnesses and testimony. They ultimately approved a rules package that pushes off a final decision on whether or not to seek additional testimony until later in the trial. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer bemoaned the limitations, saying Wednesday the impeachment trial begins with a cloud hanging over it, a cloud of unfairness. Republicans were eager for a swift trial. Yet Trumps legal team passed on an opportunity to file a motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday, an acknowledgement that there were not enough Republican votes to support it. Procedural wrangling and political posturing dominated the trials opening this week, but those steps quickly began to take on tone and content of opening arguments. The White House legal team, in its court filings and presentations, has not disputed Trumps actions. But the lawyers insist the president did nothing wrong. Absolutely no case, said White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. The federal government and governors of states in the south-west have reached the agreement to draw up a legal framework for the Weste... The federal government and governors of states in the south-west have reached the agreement to draw up a legal framework for the Western Nigeria Security Network code-named: Amotekun.Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo state, disclosed this to state house correspondents at the end of a meeting Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had with the six governors from the region on Thursday.Akeredolu said the legal framework will help resolve all burning issues surrounding the security network.Asked if the governors failed to draw up the legal framework for the outfit before the launch on January 9, Akeredolu said the inspector-general of police and other relevant security agencies were duly consulted. Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, who had described the outfit as illegal, was part of the meeting.While the meeting was ongoing, Malami had insisted that the outfit was illegal.Well we had a very fruitful discussion. Governors of south-west, as you know, we were all there. The meeting was presided over by the Vice President. The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation was there as well as the Inspector General of Police, he said.So, we have rubbed minds and all of us have agreed on the way forward. The most important one is that we are going to have legal framework to back this Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to be one which we all are going to look at and will be sure to go without any hindrance.Responding to a question on if establishment of the outfit had been put on hold until the legal framework is developed, he said: No. What I believe is our resolution is that Amotekan is there, you know the federal government is starting community policing, in essence really is about community. So, we are going to work together to see the community policing and Amotekan work in a way.We felt that with all these noise outside it is better for us to sit down. Remember that immediately the noise started, I said that we are going to explore political solution and all of us are here, my colleague the deputy governor of Oyo who is of the PDP, all of us are here. So we have looked at this solution to it now, both political and legal solutions to it and all of us will do it.He said there was no time that the federal government tried to stop Amotekun.Laolu Akande, spokesman of the vice-president, also issued a statement on the meeting with the south-west governors.Akande said the meeting was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari.Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, met today with South West Governors, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police, the statement read.The meeting was at the instance of the Governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun Initiative. However due to the Presidents foreign engagement, he asked the Vice President to host the meeting.The meeting was very fruitful and unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward. Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the Community Policing strategy of the Federal Government.It was also agreed that necessary legal instruments will be put in place by each of the States to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure. Jaipur, Jan 23 : As the pleasant winters wrap up paving way for spring, the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) makes a comeback here in Diggy Palace to bring in fresh breeze of ideas, debates, dialogues and perspectives on subjects ranging from Kashmir to Indian Constitution, to climate change to artificial intelligence among many others which have been discussed on the global map. The festival starts from January 23 and will continue till January 27 witnessing interesting sessions a few of which include 'Kashmir: Of Barbed Wires And Almond Blossom', 'Of The People, By The People: The Indian Constitution' and 'Vivekanand, Savarkar And Patel: Echoes From The Past'. Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts says that JLF in present circumstances holds immense significance when jingoism seems to be ruling the world. He says that people in present times have forgotten what is right amid the ongoing debate on the Right and the Left. "In fact they have also forgotten the fact that they belong to one race. Humans need to remember that they are not dinosaurs vs crocodiles vs fish vs whatever but they are people belonging to the same race, dwelling on the same planet. Earth will live as it has done for millions of years, but what about humans. We need to know that many of our species have already become eliminated. Now we are outdoing ourself hating each other," he said speaking about worrying trends when the world seems moving towards the right. Roy was speaking in a candid chat with the Jaipurites on the genesis and future of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). As the world seems to be moving towards right and doesn't allow one to speak, it becomes our responsibility to bring such festivals where one can speak his mind, he said. Namita Gokhale, co-director of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), told IANS, "Ever since its inception 13 years ago, we at the Jaipur Literature Festival have tried to give voice to our plural and multilingual culture. We live in a nation which is defined by its diversity, and it is our effort to present a range of perspectives, opinions, and points of view, which together build up a cross section of current thinking. We seek mutual respect and understanding in our panels - it is important to us that these often conflicting ideas are respectfully presented and heard. We also resist predictable and self important all-male panels, and try to ensure that the vital voices of women resonate through all aspects of our programming." The session on 'Kashmir: of Barbed Wires and Almond Blossom' to be held on January 26, will explore the paradoxes and polarities that define the region in the context of the human, the personal and the political. Poet, teacher and academic Asiya Zahoor will be in conversation with journalist and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation Manoj Joshi who has written extensively on issues relating to Siachen, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka and terrorism in Kashmir and Punjab. They will be in discussion with Padma Shri Amitabh Mattoo who is Professor of Disarmament Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Honorary Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne. Together, they will speak of Kashmir, its past, its troubled present and its 'uncertain' future. In the session, 'Of the people, By the people: the Indian Constitution' to be held on January 25, India's former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, writer Madhav Khosla and former governor Margaret Alva will be in conversation with advocate Saif Mahmood on Indian Constitution The session 'Vivekanand, Savarkar and Patel: Echoes from the Past' on January 27, will have Vikram Sampath talking about the intellectual fountainhead of Hindutva ideology, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the 20th century. Sengupta will talk about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who brought to the Freedom Struggle the vital pragmatism that held the national movement together and formulated the first ideas of independent India. Paranjape willl speak of the great spiritual leader and reformer Swami Vivekananda, who paved the way for modernist Hindu ideals and revamped the image of Hinduism in the West. Together, they will discuss these iconic men and why their legacies matter to us today. Roy further speaking in current perspectives, says that arts comprise a great way to address world issues in a way that is more acceptable and accessible. He also says that Jaipur makes the perfect city for this festival as the city matches with the soul of the festival. "As each lane of this city has an impressive story to tell, Jaipur has been the best place for this festival," he says adding that warm and hospitable Jaipur as a city has been in not only accepting the festival but also propagating it. As many as 550 speakers will be participating in the festival. Out of these, 120 are award winning speakers, he informed. "Once again, the world visits Jaipur and Jaipur visits the world," says Namita. Low cost carrier Wizz Air handled the fifth-millionth passenger on its operations to Serbia yesterday, some ten years after launching flights to the country. The traveller arrived in Belgrade on a flight from London Luton and received a 200 euro voucher, which can be used on any of the airlines flights. Belgrade was one of the first airports we served in south-eastern Europe with services from Dortmund and London. Since then, Wizz Air has been constantly growing its network from Serbia. Today, Wizz operates thirteen routes to seven countries to and from Belgrade, as well as five routes in four countries to and from Nis, the airline said in a statement. During 2019, Wizz Air handled some 895.000 passengers on its Serbia flights, representing a new record. "We are delighted to be marking such an important milestone at Belgrade Airport. We are very happy with the results we have achieved in Belgrade last year and the feedback we have received from passengers at this airport, which is important for the entire Balkans. Whether travelling on business or leisure, our crew looks forward to welcoming our passengers on board", Wizz Airs Corporate Communications Manager, Paulina Gosk, said. North Korea will send a delegation to the Munich Security Conference for the first time in the 56-year history of the top diplomatic gathering, organisers said Thursday. An MSC spokesperson confirmed that North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Son Gyong would attend next month's event. The announcement comes a month after Pyongyang declared it was abandoning moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. The self-imposed ban on tests had been the centrepiece of two years of nuclear diplomacy between the US and North Korea, including three meetings between the two countries' leaders Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Also expected to attend the Munich talks this year are US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. The Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is likewise expected to attend. Founded in 1963, the Munich Security Conference hosts hundreds of high-ranking officials and dozens of world leaders each year to discuss security challenges. The 2020 edition will be held from February 14 to 16. The programme and full list of participants is to be published in the coming weeks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It would be a disaster for the Gulf countries if theres a conflict between the U.S. and Iran, Pakistans prime minister said on Wednesday, reports CNBC. The impact a conflict would have, I repeat, on the oil prices. It just ... would be a disaster for the whole area, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told CNBCs Hadley Gamble at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. When asked if he thinks U.S. President Donald Trump wants dialogue with Tehran, Khan said that would be sensible. Just look at Afghanistan its almost now 19 years, he said. Were still finding a solution, still trying to get peace talks going. Does the U.S. want another conflict? he asked. Trust me, Iran will be (a) much, much more difficult conflict than even Afghanistan. Yahoo Singapore and a Singaporean journalist have complied with a government order to retract stories on brutal executions of death row inmates at Changi Prison and publish notices of correction as ordered by the government. Yahoo and reporter Kirsten Han submitted to the order invoked yesterday under the fake news law that also demanded the same of The Online Citizen news site and the Malaysian legal rights group that published the original report. The ministry called the allegations made in the report by Lawyers for Liberty untrue, baseless and preposterous. While the Online Citizen said yesterday it would appeal the order, Yahoo Singapore complied, saying it would not shy away from that responsibility. People around the world rely on Yahoo as a credible and trusted news provider and we will not shy away from that responsibility. We are a trusted platform and media brand, and believe strongly in unbiased reporting and credible news coverage, it told Coconuts Singapore through an unidentified spokesperson for owner Verizon Media hours after the notice was published. Invoking fake news law, Singapore refutes report on brutal executions at Changi Prison Singaporean journalist Kirsten Han, the chief editor of New Naratif, published her correction yesterday with a note calling on the authorities to be more forthcoming to the public. In the interests of dealing with fake news, I hope that government and public agencies can be more responsive to queries from journalists and/or civil society groups when they are seeking information that can clarify matters, she wrote, one day after inking an op-ed on Singapores so-called fake news law in the New York Times. Han had posted the rights groups original statement detailing its report to her Facebook page at the same time she was seeking a response on its substance from the Singapore Prison Service. Lawyers for Liberty, which is in Malaysia, said it would not back down. Story continues The group said yesterday it would absolutely stand by its report, adding that it has evidence supporting its assertions that brutal executions have been carried out at the Singapore prison. The group also criticized the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, or POFMA, as oppressive and undemocratic. Among the charges made by the group, it said an anonymous prison executioner acting as a whistleblower recounted instances of prison officials using their feet to kick the back of the prisoners neck in the event the rope breaks. Singapores home affairs denied this, saying the ropes used on its gallows for hangings had never broken. Any acts such as those described in the [groups] statement would have been thoroughly investigated and dealt with, the ministry said yesterday. Singapores capital punishment is a concern in Malaysia, as a number of its citizens convicted of drug trafficking have been sent to the gallows in the city-state. Among them was 36-year-old Abdul Helmi Abdul Halim, who was hanged in November. Related: Invoking fake news law, Singapore refutes report on brutal executions at Changi Prison This article, Yahoo, Singapore journalist comply with fake news order on Changi Prison allegations, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! An oil thief, Abednego Ogede, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and convicted in absentia by Justice Rilwan Aikawa of a Federal High Court, Lagos, on December 18, 2019, was on Wednesday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Aikawa had on December 18, 2019 pronounced the convict alongside a vessel, MV Shirley and a company, Sagwe International Limited, guilty of all four counts of conspiracy, illegal and unlawful dealing in 145,000 metric tonnes of Automated Gasoline Oil (AGO) brought against them. Upon declaring the convict guilty of the charges, the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, had urged the court for forfeiture of the vessel and the company charged with the convict to the Federal Government of Nigeria. He also pleaded with the Court to empower all security agencies to arrest the convict and bring him to court for the purposes of sentencing him. At the court on Wednesday, Oyedepo informed the court of the convicts arrest and urged the court to sentence him as prescribed by Section 1(17) of the Miscellaneous Act, 2017. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Burkina Fasos parliament has approved legislation allowing the military to use civilian volunteers in the fight against armed groups. Legislators in the West African nation on Thursday allowed the understaffed military to arm civilians, a move that underscores how outnumbered the countrys soldiers are amid rising attacks. Defence Minister Cherif Sy said the civilian recruits will undergo two weeks of training. He said the volunteers must be 18 years old and will undergo a moral investigation before being allowed to serve. It is not a question of making cannon fodder, he said. We want to prevent these volunteers from becoming militias. Burkina Fasos military has struggled to contain the spread of violent attacks despite training and assistance from France and the United States. It has also been criticised for committing abuses during its crackdown on suspected fighters. Corinne Dufka, West Africa director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), said on Thursday the government has failed to investigate a pattern of alleged killings by its own security services. This new plan to subcontract security operations to civilians threatens to lead to even more abuses. The rights group last year said more than 150 men mostly ethnic Peuhl herdsmen were killed by Burkinabe security forces after being accused of supporting armed groups. Continuing attacks The government on Tuesday declared two days of national mourning following an attack on two villages, in which at least 36 civilians were killed, in the latest violence to rock the country. The incidents prompted hundreds of people to flee the area and take refuge in the city of Kaya, residents told the AFP news agency. Burkina Faso, as well as neighbouring Mali and Niger, has seen frequent attacks by armed groups since the start of 2015 when violence began to spread across the Sahel region. According to the United Nations, some 4,000 people were killed in attacks in the three countries last year. Telangana Industries Minister K T Rama Rao held bilateral meetings with several industry leaders from across the world at the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos seeking to promote Telangana as an investment destination. Saudi Communications Minister Abdullah Alswaha interacted with Minister KTR at a business gathering in Davos. Minister invited the Saudi Minister to visit Hyderabad to explore potential collaboration opportunities. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra also met Minister KTR at Davos, an official release said late on Thursday. Coca Cola CEO James Quincey and Rama Rao met at a business gathering on the sidelines of WEF in Davos, it said. Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, met top executives of several other companies as well, according to the release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's central bank has said that trade between Islamabad and New Delhi plummeted significantly this fiscal, apparently due to the ongoing tensions with India over the Kashmir issue. The State Bank of Pakistan data in the first half of 2019-20 fiscal starting from July 1 showed that Pakistan's exports to India during the period came in at an insignificant $16.8 million as compared to $213 million in first half of 2018-19, Dawn reported. But the declining trade across the border had not affected the balance of trade which was still heavily skewed in favour of India, it said. Meanwhile, imports from India also fell to $286.6 million as against $865 million in the same period. As a result, Pakistan's trade deficit with the eastern neighbour amounted to $269.8 million. India on August 5 revoked the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue. Pakistan reacted by downgrading diplomatic ties with New Delhi and banning trade with India. The ties have not recovered from the jolt and trade and commercial activities have suffered. The central bank data showed that imports from China the country's largest trade partner fell to $4.8 billion during July-December versus $5 billion in same period last year. However, exports slightly rose to $936 million, up from $889 million in the first half of 2019-20. This meant a trade balance with China at a negative $864 billion. With the second largest partner, the United Arab Emirates, there was some improvement as exports to the Gulf country increased to $827m in the period, from $638 million. This was driven by a significant decline in imports to $3.6 billion, down from $5 billion. Pakistan has succeeded to drastically reduce the current account deficit mainly through cut in imports bill, which is also reflected in the above-mentioned two cases. Michelle Carter sits in Taunton District Court for sentencing in Taunton, Mass., on Feb.11,2019. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool, File) Massachusetts Woman Convicted in Texting Suicide Case Is Released From Jail Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts woman who encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself, was released from prison on Thursday morning after spending less than a year behind bars. Carter, 23, was released months early on good behavior after having been sentenced to 15 months in prison, according to Jonathan Darling, spokesman at the Bristol County Sheriffs Office. Ms. Carter has been a model inmate here at the Bristol County House of Corrections. She has participated in a variety of programs, held a job inside the jail, has been polite to our staff and volunteers, has gotten along with the other inmates, and weve had no discipline issues with her whatsoever, Darling told CNN. According to video footage from local media, she left the Bristol County House of Correction at about 9:30 a.m. WHDH reported that she wearing a black turtleneck, a tan blazer, and black pants. Those were the same clothes she wore when she was sentenced months ago. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld Carters conviction last February before she began serving out her prison term. She was also denied parole in September. After she convinced him to get back into the carbon monoxide filled truck, she did absolutely nothing to help him: she did not call for help or tell him to get out of the truck as she listened to him choke and die, Justice Scott Kafker wrote in the state Supreme Judicial Courts decision, reported The Associated Press. It comes after the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13 rejected an appeal from Carters legal team. Her lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to take up her case and argued that her conviction three years ago violated her First Amendment rights. In February 2019, after an appeal, the highest court in Massachusetts upheld her conviction. Prosecutors said Carter, in 2014, had pressured her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, into killing himself even after he expressed hesitation. I thought you wanted to do this. The time is right and youre ready, you just need to do it! You cant keep living this way, she wrote in one text message to him. Prosecutors also said Carter listened over the phone while he died of carbon monoxide inhalation in his truck, adding that she did not tell Roys parents or authorities after his death. Although we are very pleased with the verdict, in reality there are no winners here, prosecutor Katie Rayburn told reporters at the time. Two families had been torn apart and will be affected by this for years to come. We hope verdict will bring some closure Its been an extremely emotionally draining process for everyone involved. Carters lawyers argued she was being dragged into participation in Roys suicidal tendencies and said he was intent on killing himself. The evidence actually established that Conrad Roy caused his own death by his physical actions and by his own thoughts, defense attorney Joseph Cataldo said, according to CNN. Youre dealing with an individual who wanted to take his own life. He dragged Michelle Carter into this. Suicide Hotlines If you are in an emergency in the United States or Canada, please call 911. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255. Youth can call the Kids Help Phone on 1-800-668-6868. In the United Kingdom, call Samaritans at 116 123, Papyrus at 0800 068 41 41, or Childline at 0800 1111. In Australia, the suicide prevention hotline at Lifeline is 13 11 14. You can also visit the Lifeline website at lifeline.org.au. Youth can contact the Kids Helpline by phoning 1-800-551-800 or visiting headspace.org.au/yarn-safe If you are in an emergency in India, call Befrienders IndiaNational Association at +91 33 2474 4704. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sixteen days. Thats how long it took for Delaware County to record its first homicide. A 44-year-old man was gunned down in the area of West 10th and Booth streets in Chester. A few days later, and a few miles away, a similar scene played out in Upper Darby. The township recorded its first homicide of the new year and new decade when a 35-year-old man was shot to death Sunday night in the 7000 block of Clover Lane. Police believe robbery may have been a motive. Tuesday night the friends and family of Angel Perez gathered for a vigil to honor the father of two young girls and seek justice for the person who gunned him down. At almost the same time, a surreal scene was playing out just a few miles away, just over the city line in the Wynnefield Heights section of Philadelphia. Gunfire broke out in the crowded parking lot of the Target store in the 4000 block of City Line Avenue about 9 p.m. One man was killed; two others were wounded. Its absolutely dangerous, said acting city Police Commissioner Christine Coulter, in what could be the understatement of the new decade. The fact that someone would either want something bad enough or want to protect something bad enough to open fire in a parking lot is absolutely frightening. Frightening? Absolutely. Surprising? The danger is that seemingly with each passing day, it becomes less and less so. There was a time when such outrageous conduct, such total disregard for human life, would have sparked outrage. The danger we face today is that as a society we are slowly becoming numb to such incidents. Theyre no longer confined to any one geographic area. They happen everywhere. And there usually is a common ingredient guns. Not legal guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Thats not our problem. Our problem is the fact that we are a nation awash in illegal guns, or at least guns illegally possessed by people who are not supposed to have them. The question then becomes what to do about it while also respecting the Second Amendment right of citizens to bear arms. Just in case you have not been paying attention, that is still the law of the land. It is not going to change anytime soon and you can make a solid argument that it should not change. Unfortunately, something else is not going to change as well. We will continue to see guns used to commit crimes and snuff out lives. Gun rights supporters insist the answer is merely enforcing the laws on the books. They bridle at any suggestion of toughening background checks, or expanding them to cover all firearms sales. How divided is the country when it comes to guns? Look at what happened earlier this week in Richmond, Virginia. Tens of thousands of gun-rights activists, many openly and legally brandishing their firearms, rallied in the state capitol to protest new gun-control legislation being proposed in the state. The Virginia Legislature is considering measures that would institute universal background checks in restrict buyers to a one-handgun-purchase-a-month mandate. One protester toting an AR-15 rifle quipped, I love this. This is like the Super Bowl for the Second Amendment. Fears of violence at the rally, with the images of what went down at a rally in Charlottesville where marchers carried torches and chanted white supremacist slogans, never materialized. You want to debate the definition of peaceful at a rally where many were openly toting a wide variety of weapons, be our guest. Some residents and lawmakers said they were scared. One legislator received threats. One arrest was made, a woman facing a felony charge for wearing a mask in public. Here in Pennsylvania, the next battleground likely will be so-called red-flag or ERPO laws. That stands for Extreme Risk Protection Order. Such laws would allow family members or law enforcement to petition the court to temporarily remove guns from those deemed a danger, either to themselves or others. It is being boosted by Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown. It is opposed by gun rights groups. The debate goes on. So does the killing. If you have an idea, by all means now is the time to bring it up. RIP, Gene London, a friend to Philly kids He was Fred Rogers before there was Fred Rogers. At least in Philadelphia. If you grew up in the Philly area in the 60s, the name Gene London was magic. He hosted a show on WCAU (Channel 10) called Cartoon Corners. Gene London, whose real name was Eugene Norman Yulish, died Sunday in Reading. He was 88. On his show, the mild-mannered, reserved London would dazzle kids as an artist and storyteller, using a sketch pad to illustrate his story as a region of wide-eyed kids looked on, mesmerized at the ease with which he composed his creations. Just a few bars of that familiar theme song provided kids with a reassuring, calm vision. Every trip to The Gene London Show and his General Store provided kids with an important life lesson. London proved the equal of other Philly childrens TV icons such as Pixanne, Sally Starr, Captain Noah and Chief Halftown. RIP, Gene London. You were a friend to Philly kids. A double shooting in New Orleans East that occurred sometime this afternoon is under investigation, according to New Orleans police. Two men were shot at Reynes and Warfield, authorities said in an update around 7:15 p.m. Police originally reported that only one person was shot in the area around 4:40 p.m. One man was taken to the hospital by Emergency Medical Services, while a family member took the other man to a nearby hospital. Their conditions are unknown at this time. Details on possible suspects or a motive were also not immediately available. After a series of Project Runway challenges that have, so far, at least, revealed the judges love of some designers (this means you, Victoria Cocieru), and seen others go home, Season 18 returns Thursday night, promising even more drama. Among the remaining designers, Portlands Dayoung Kim has shown talent, but shes also experienced some health issues. Will the cosmopolitan Kim -- who, according to her Project Runway bio, was born in Seoul, Korea, lived in India as a teen, attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and the Samsung Art and Design Institute in Seoul, and won the Korean show, Project Next Designer earn a victory in the Thursdays Episode 7? Or will something else happen? (How to watch Project Runway": Project Runway airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays on Bravo. No cable or antenna? Live stream Project Runway on fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, or buy episodes on Amazon Prime Video.) We dont know yet how Kim may fare, but the teaser for the Jan. 23 episode shows that Kim is not feeling well, and there may be a health emergency. In a preview clip, Kim is in the workroom, and clearly not doing well. She says shes worried about her energy level declining rapidly. Fellow designers, including Geoffrey Mac, are obviously concerned. Well have to wait for the episode to find out if Kim is all right. This much we know: The challenge asks the designers to collaborate with artist Ashley Longshore, whos known for her colorful, playful work. Even though Project Runway has been around for what feels like forever, this is only the second season featuring new host, Karlie Kloss, new mentor, Christian Siriano, and new judges Brandon Maxwell and Elaine Welteroth. This season made a bit of non-fashion news, in the Jan. 2 episode. As the Bravo website says, this happened: After contestant Tyler Neasloney sent a dress with a black skirt and a white halter top with a ruffle on the front down the runway for the challenge to create an upcycled look for Karlie Kloss to wear to a CFDA event in Paris, he found himself in the bottom three. I cannot see Karlie wearing it anywhere, honestly, judge Brandon Maxwell said, to which Tyler replied, Not even to dinner with the Kushners?" Kloss is married to Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, and who serves as an adviser in the Donald Trump administration. The Bravo item continues: The moment quickly grabbed headlines and went viral after the episode aired. Karlie shared her reaction to all the buzz surrounding Tylers comments during her appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on January 15. Well, listen, I was honored to be one of the first memes of the decade, she said in the above clip. But, honestly, the real tragedy of this whole thing is that no one is talking about how terrible that dress was. Thats why he went home! And no, I would not wear that dress to any kind of dinner. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The neo-Nazi group Combat 18 has been banned in Germany as part of a crackdown on right-wing extremism following the assassination of a political official. Interior minister Horst Seehofer announced the move as state police raided the homes of leading members of the organisation, which has spread around the world since it was founded in the UK in 1992. Todays ban is a clear message, said Mr Seehofer. Right-wing extremism and antisemitism have no place in our society! Explaining his decision, the minister directly referred to last years murder of Walter Lubcke, an official in Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union, the shooting at a synagogue in Halle and a series of murders by the National Socialist Underground. He said in a statement that the incidents have shown us brutally that right-wing extremism and antisemitism are a significant danger to our free society. The ban on Combat 18 would effectively protect our free democratic basic order and our value system, he added. Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Show all 24 1 /24 Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police officers secure a synagogue in Halle. At least two people have been killed in the shootings at multiple locations in Germany AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A man shots from a long-barreled gun ATV Studio Halle/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A police tank patrols at a crime scene near the Synagogue. The attack came during Yom Kippur, a Jewish religious festival that sees observers fast and pray at synagogues to atone for sins. EPA Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos The shooter walking in Halle ATV Studio Halle/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos One victim's body was in the street outside the synagogue, while another victim was said to have been shot at a nearby kebab shop dpa via AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Policemen climb over a wall close to the site of a shooting in Halle dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos The shooting took place in the eastern German city of Halle, with the incident taking place on Humboldtstrasse, which houses a synagogue and Jewish cemetery Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Synagogue's in over parts of Germany had a police officer presence, including Dresden AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Local reports said one of the victims was killed outside a kebab shop around 600m away, where witnesses told Focus the assailant was wearing a helmet mounted with a camera, and wearing combat fatigues dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police officer runs on a road in Halle dpa via AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police guard a crime scene EPA Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Bullet casings after the shooting Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police officers block a road AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A spokesperson for the local Jewish community told Der Spiegel that up to 80 worshippers were inside the synagogue at the time, but security measures at the synagogue's entrance "withstood the attack" Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Policemen walk through a street close to the site of a shooting dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police secure the area Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A police officer walks onto the street at the scene of a fatal shooting in Halle Nonstopnews/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos MZTV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police block the area around the site of the shooting dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos First responders attend to the scene Nonstopnews/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police gather Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Reuters In the early hours of Thursday morning police seized weapons, Nazi memorabilia and propaganda materials during searches of properties in six federal states, including Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. A total of 210 state officers were involved in the operation. The interior ministry said Combat 18 Germany were mostly active in the sale of extremist merchandise, the distribution of antisemitic music and the organisation of far-right concerts. However members of the group were convicted of illegally transporting ammunition to Germany from the Czech Republic in September 2017. The last time the federal law was used to ban a right-wing extremist group was in February 2016 against the neo-Nazi White Wolves Terror Crew. Germany has increasingly sought to tackle right-wing extremism in recent years, amid rising concern over the growth of support for anti-immigration movements such as Pegida and Alternative for Germany (AfD). Mr Lubcke, a conservative politician known for his pro-migrant views, was shot dead at his home near the German city of Kassel in June last year. Suspect Stephan Ernst, who is said to be a far-right extremist, still awaits trial. Neo-nazi Stephan Balliet, 27, also awaits trial on two counts of murder following the Halle synagogue attack in October. Approximately $4 million in tax-increment financing was approved by the Rochester City Council last year. Its contributing to the construction of 244 apartments with rents below market rate and 235 hotel rooms. "We had a relatively active year with projects," Assistant City Administrator Terry Spaeth said Wednesday in giving the Rochester City Council an update on the citys use of tax-increment financing, commonly known as TIF. The city uses TIF to help developers meet gaps in funding needs. The financing mechanism typically is used to support projects seen as having some community benefit or including public amenities. In three of the four projects approved last year, the financing helped start construction of rental housing that will be priced below market rates. ADVERTISEMENT The four projects approved for TIF were: Harvestview Place II, a 76-unit complex being built by Rochester developer Joe Weis near the intersection of 55th Street and 55th Avenue in Northwest Rochester. All apartments are expected to be priced for households earning 60% of the area median income. Jeremiah Program project, a 40-unit housing complex being built by the program to help single mothers escape poverty through education and other supports, including child care. Rents will be based on 30% of participants income. Bella Grove Apartments, a 128-unit complex being built by Village Capital, west of East River Road near 37th Street Northwest. The project is expected to provide 13 apartments priced for households earning 50% of the area median income and 115 apartments at the 60% rate. 1102 Project, a 235-room hotel being built at the intersection of Second Street Southwest and 11th Avenue. After approving the 1102 Project, which is being developed by EKN Development, the City Council asked to tweak its TIF policy to state that the development of new hotels is not considered a priority for TIF assistance. Four of the 29 most recent projects receiving TIF support are hotel projects. Ten older TIF agreements remain in place, but Spaeth said none are connected to a hotel. Some council members indicated they dont expect to see many additional hotel pitches for TIF, even though the policy doesnt forbid a request. ADVERTISEMENT "I feel putting the language in there about hotels has dissuaded it," said Council member Nick Campion. Council President Randy Staver said he doesnt want the action to stop innovation, which could include a hotel being built in connection with community-based amenities, such as a day care facility. "I would hate to paint ourselves into a corner," he said, noting he agrees most hotel projects wouldnt be a priority. Housing is a more common use for TIF locally. Nineteen of the 29 newest projects are designed to provide housing, with 14 including at least some units priced for households earning 60% of the area median income or less. Spaeth said about half of the 10 older projects are also for housing development. The TIF support to the projects involves a portion of taxes paid by a developer being returned on an annual basis until the TIF agreement is fulfilled or time runs out. The amount is based on the increase in taxes beyond the property tax collected before the start of the project. As a result, the amount of property tax collected from a property doesnt drop below what was generated before the project was approved. The actual percentage of Rochesters increasing property tax capacity that has been collected in recent years has fluctuated, but has been below 2% since 2014. ADVERTISEMENT This year, the percentage is expected to top the 2% mark, Spaeth said. The increased percentage, to 2.72%, is being attributed to TIF commitments to several large redevelopment projects, including the Broadway at Center Hilton Hotel project, which was approved for $6.5 million in TIF; the Maven Apartments at 425 S. Broadway Ave., which was approved for $3.8 million in TIF; and the Berkman apartment project at the intersection of Second Street Southwest and 14th Avenue, which was approved for $10.5 million in TIF. Spaeth noted that the citys TIF tax capacity remains below other Minnesota cities, particularly those with populations of more than 100,000. Last year, Minneapolis saw 7.79% of its $662.2 million in property-tax capacity dedicated to TIF, and Duluth had 4.32% of its nearly $77.5 million in tax capacity providing financing support. In 2018, St. Paul committed nearly 8.6% of its $284.6 million in tax capacity tied to helping projects through tax-increment financing. "I still believe the city (of Rochester) is being pretty conservative in its use of tax-increment financing," Spaeth said. He added that he expects the council to see two new TIF applications in the coming months, one for a Badger Hills senior housing development and another for the Discovery Square Two project, which is the second phase of development at 202 4th St. SW. The initial Discovery Square project was approved for $4.9 million in TIF in 2017. The percentage of Rochesters property tax capacity that has been captured as a result of tax-increment financing has fluctuated in recent years, from a low of 1.31% in 2007 to the most-recent high of 4.48% in 2004. Below is a look at the overall tax capacity, the dollar amount captured and the percentage of the tax capacity since 2004. 2004$69,990,826, $3,138,517, 4.48% 2005$79,210,426, $1,106,216, 1.40% 2006$86,117,454, $1,134,097, 1.32% 2007$91,771,403, $1,204,141, 1.31% 2008$96,482,698, $1,405,611, 1.46% 2009$103,866,962, $1,561,049, 1.50% 2010$106,415,330, $1,754,288, 1.65% 2011$106,709,645, $1,713,705, 1.61% 2012$100,470,797, $2,299,148, 2.29% 2013$100,881,956, $2,299,148, 2.28% 2014$103,677,566, $2,050,400, 1.98% 2015$108,477,905, $1,755,583, 1.62% 2016$113,735,871, $1,764,449, 1.55% 2017$124,901,503, $1,936,107, 1.55% 2018$133,862,332, $2,042,663, 1.53% 2019$144,545,465, $2,570,645, 1.78% 2020$158,345,101, $4,303,173, 2.72% Source: City of Rochester Germany has today banned the neo-Nazi group Combat 18 Deutschland and carried out a series of raids on the offshoot of the British far-right organisation. Police hit six addresses across the country in what a top security official said was a 'clear message' against far-right extremism and anti-Semitism. More than 200 police officers carried out the raids early on Thursday, seizing cellphones, computers, unspecified weapons, Nazi memorabilia and propaganda material, the Interior Ministry said. The group had spread 'far-right extremism and anti-Semitic hatred' in German society by producing neo-Nazi music and staging concerts for extremist bands, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said. The group is an offshoot of Combat 18, which was founded in Britain in the early 1990s as a militant wing of the British National Party. Police officers standing in front of an apartment building in Erfurt, Germany, today.Combat 18 Deutschland was banned in Germany and police seized a haul of evidence Models of seized weapons are on display during a press conference by the state police in Kiel, northern Germany in a file photo from 2003 Investigators carrying boxes to their car as they secure evidences in Castrop-Rauxel, western Germany, where a raid took place in connection with the ban of the neo-Nazi group Combat 18 The number 18 stands for the first and eighth letters of the alphabet, AH, which are the initials of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The German chapter of Combat 18 'enjoys great respect within the far-right extremist scene' and is regarded as a symbol of violent extremism, Seehofer said. Some of the group's members were convicted of illegally importing ammunition to Germany as they returned from firearms training in the Czech Republic in September 2017. Suspected members of a Combat 18 section were stopped by special unit GSG 9 on their return trip from shooting training in the Czech Republic at the German border. The federal police found ammunition from them, the case ended up in court, and several men were later convicted. The police raids were carried out in Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia states. Confiscated guns and neo-Nazi propaganda displayed during a news conference at a police station in the northern German town of Kiel in 2003 Police officers standing in front of an apartment building in Erfurt, Germany, today. Six raids were carried out across the country Irene Mihalic, a member of the opposition Green party, said the neo-Nazi group should have been banned sooner. She called for links between Combat 18 and other actors in the far-right scene to be investigated, including the suspect in the killing of regional politician Walter Luebcke last year. Mihalic added: 'At last we take into account the dangerousness of Combat 18 and put an end to years of trivialisation.' Combat 18 is considered the armed wing of the Blood and Honour neo-Nazi network, which is banned in Germany. Seehofer said: 'Today's ban is a clear message: Right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism have no place in our society. 'With the ban on these associations, the Basic Law gives us a sharp sword in order to effectively protect our free democratic basic order and our values system.' WASHINGTON, DCWhen he appeared as a witness for the prosecution, Sen. Lindsey Graham was out of the room. So he wasnt there to see a video clip of himself, taken from the 1998 impeachment of Bill Clinton, explaining that constitutional high crimes and misdemeanours dont require any violations of criminal law to be impeachable. While the debate about whether new witnesses will be allowed during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump remains a key question, the Democrats presenting the case against Trump have made ample use of video clips to get testimony into the record in a TV-friendly way. Graham wasnt the only steadfast Trump supporter to have his words broadcast from the witness stand: on Thursday, Attorney General Bill Barr, FBI Director Christopher Wray, former Trump Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert, and even lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who is on Trumps impeachment defence team, saw themselves appear onscreen as part of the prosecution case. And, of course, Trump himself, repeatedly. It has been part of a polished and persuasive case presented so far over two days by the team sent over by the House of Representatives. The way the House managers are using video clips to tell the story of #Ukrainegate despite Trumps stonewalling is truly brilliant, Harvard constitutional law professor Lawrence Tribe tweeted about the legal performance on Wednesday. (Rep. Adam Schiff) is a one-man master class in effective advocacy. Hes spellbinding without showboating, clear as a bell without being boring, educational without being condescending, and piercingly logical without being pedantic, he added in a separate tweet. Over two days of extended argument, Schiff and the other members of his team have outlined a clear chronology of events, explained complicated intergovernmental communications and shown how the law applies to a corrupt scheme to secure foreign help with his re-election in other words, to cheat, as Schiff put it. They outlined how the presidents own words, the public statements of those around him, and the testimony of those who worked on his behalf paint a clear picture. First, they say, he asked the government of Ukraine to announce it was opening two investigations that would have helped him politically. Then he withheld, first, a White House meeting with Ukraines president and then approved military aid to the country in order to pressure the country to comply. The Democrats have shown how alarmed Trumps political and career diplomatic staff were at this, how they viewed it as improper. This conduct is not America First, Rep. Jerry Nadler said Thursday. It is Donald Trump first. Citing writings from Americas founders and testimony from expert witnesses, Nadler said this was inviting foreign interference to corrupt an election, precisely the kind of abuse the framers had in mind when they wrote the impeachment clause. Rep. Sylvia Garcia tackled the conspiracy theories Trump was requesting investigations into, demonstrating they had been thoroughly discredited by Trumps own staff, American intelligence authorities and Ukrainian authorities. Trump and his Republican allies have targeted Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, for Hunters work in Ukraine and China, making baseless claims of corruption. Garcia characterized the theories as Russian propaganda that Trump had bought into or adopted out of convenience. It has been a theme of the presentations that other than Trump himself, the chief beneficiary of the presidents actions has been Russia, helping both its disinformation campaign in the U.S. and its war against Ukraine. The Trump defence has yet to respond theyll get their own three days to present their case beginning Saturday. But the uncontradicted presentation by the House Democrats has seemed remarkably effective. Anyone watching at home might find it surprisingly compelling. What about those in the room? As might be expected, Democrats have offered praise, while Republican reactions have been more mixed. Republican Sen. John Kennedy told a New York Times reporter, Ive learned a lot. Everybody has. Senators didnt know the case. They really didnt. Many more Republicans have been taking the line that there is nothing new in the presentation which Democrats respond is all the more reason they should join the calls to allow new witnesses. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, for his part, sent a clear message on Wednesday when he reportedly dozed off in his seat. The same message, perhaps, as Graham leaving the room during his moment onscreen. On the other hand, Graham congratulated Schiff on doing a good job. Hes well spoken, did a good job of creating a tapestry, taking bits and pieces of evidence and emails and giving a rhetorical flourish, making the email come alive, Graham explained to reporters in the hall outside the chamber Thursday. However, anyone thinking the impressive lawyering might change Grahams mind would have to first assume his mind is open to changing. Previously, he said of impeachment, I will do everything I can to make it die quickly. Read more about: ROCKY MOUNT John Isaiah Hodges, the second defendant convicted in the fatal 2017 shotgun ambush of a Franklin County teenager, on Thursday was ordered to serve 14 years in prison. Hodges was found guilty last April of being an accessory to four major felonies related to the death of 18-year-old Allyn Gray Riddle capital murder, armed robbery, armed burglary and grand larceny of firearms and he had faced punishments ranging from 45 years in prison up to three life terms behind bars. But after two hours of post-trial deliberations, jurors at the time said they were simply unwilling to sentence Hodges, citing what the prosecutor called an inability to tender ... a recommended punishment within the range set forth in the instructions. As stipulated by Virginia code, that task then fell to Judge Clyde Perdue. It was a twist that proved something of a boon for Hodges, 21, on several fronts. Unlike the jury, Perdue was required to consider state sentencing guidelines, and crucially, in Virginia, guidelines are not applied to offenses involving capital murder, which caused Hodges recommendation to be reduced to a range of about eight to 13 years. Also unlike juries, judges can suspend time against a defendant. The Commonwealth ... strongly discourages deference to these discretionary guidelines, Franklin County prosecutor A.J. Dudley wrote in a memo to the court. His filing also included the hypothetical range of punishments Hodges could have faced had his case involved second-degree murder a term of between 12 and 20 years but in his courtroom argument, Dudley urged Perdue to sentence Hodges to life in prison. Ultimately, the judge gave Hodges a total of 100 years, suspending all but 14. Broken down, it came to 30 years with 20 suspended for accessory to capital murder; 30 years with 28 suspended for armed robbery; 20 years with 18 suspended for burglary; and 20 years suspended for grand larceny. I try to be fair. And I may not be, but I just think thats appropriate in this case, Perdue told the crowded gallery. Hodges co-defendant, Aaron Seth Dean, now 22, pleaded guilty in late 2018 to a string of charges, including Riddles capital murder, and is now serving three life terms plus 48 years in prison. Thursdays hearing closed a late chapter of a disturbing and particularly confounding Franklin County tragedy. Dean and Hodges, friends since around middle school, have said that together they had long harbored dreams of setting off on some kind of adventures, missions to places like Iraq or Pakistan, possibly to deliver vigilante justice to terrorists and drug dealers. These seemed clear fantasies they didnt have the money or the training or the language skills for such endeavors. But they did know that Deans friend Allyn Riddle had access to firearms, mostly hunting rifles, and it was at that point their delusions turned deadly. On Aug. 18, 2017, Dean and Hodges drove to Riddles isolated home in Rocky Mount. They spent time with him as he got ready to go work for an evening shift at FedEx. At some point, Dean got a sawed-off shotgun from his car, went back to Riddles room and killed him. The pair then drove off in Deans Toyota Camry. A search warrant later showed that the trunk held a half-dozen stolen long guns, including an M1 Carbine and a Winchester 30-30. Less than 24 hours after Riddles killing, Hodges went to police voluntarily and gave a lengthy statement about what had happened. Soon after, Dean was arrested as well. A key issue during Hodges trial was exactly how much he knew about Deans plan to kill Riddle, and whether he had assisted. During the trial, defense attorney Patrick Kenney called Dean as a witness. He testified that he had not revealed to Hodges his plans to commit murder or robbery. Dean, brought to court from prison, said he did not have a satisfactory answer for the motivation behind his crimes. The question of Hodges culpability re-emerged at Thursdays sentencing, and Kenney brought forth witnesses who cast Hodges as good-natured and eager to please. During Hodges complicated birth, they said, he experienced oxygen deprivation, which reportedly caused lifelong side effects. He also has severe ADHD and possessed a childlike sense of reality well into his teens. Hodges older sister, Tina Malpass, said he was a unique spirit who grew up socially awkward and bullied: His only friend was Aaron. His only friend. Dr. Evan Nelson, a clinical psychologist and expert witness for the defense, said Hodges lack of brain development left him susceptible to influence and subject to poor decision-making. He slid down a slippery slope ... and he failed to exercise an adult level of judgment, Nelson testified. For the prosecution, however, Dudley referenced the fact that less than a week before Riddles murder, Hodges had lost a restaurant job, reportedly for telling a co-worker he wanted to kill citizens. Dudley also cited portions of Hodges recorded three-hour interview with police in which he acknowledged that Dean had asked him to go on a mission to take Riddles guns. The plan was to grab the guns from him. Not to kill anybody, Hodges told a detective in the interview, but he also admitted that he had seen Deans shotgun before their trip began, and that he had given signals to Dean while Dean retrieved the weapon. He acknowledged he had been aware that Dean didnt want to leave any living witnesses. In her testimony, Riddles mother, Allyson Owens, said she was struck by the many opportunities Hodges had that day none of which he took to discourage Dean, to warn her son, to prevent a murderous plan that unfolded across several hours. And yet, she said, Hodges had gone with Dean to Riddles house, was present for the shooting, and had ridden away with his friend and the stolen guns. Later that night, she said, the two men had eaten dinner at Hodges house. They murder someone, and then they go and break bread together? Owens said. I know that he [Hodges] ... was as much a part of killing my son as Aaron was. Hodges will turn 22 in May. Inmates in Virginia typically serve about 85% of their sentence, which in his case would leave him with a term of about 12 years. Hodges has been held since he was arrested in August 2017 and will receive credit for the 2 years he has already served. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Officers in Minnesota were forced to rescue four lost North Carolina tourists from a snowy swamp after locals failed to bring them to safety. The tourists were first found by two locals who attempted to bring them back to the correct path before the six of them got stuck in a swamp and the locals pulled themselves out, leaving the tourists to fend for themselves. Officers believe the tourists may not have survived the night if they hadn't lucking found cell service that allowed them to call 911. The local officers approached the rescue site from both sides on snowmobiles to reach the group and bring them back to safety. Four local tourists were abandoned by locals 15 miles north of their motel in Grand Marais Tourists form North Caroline looking for 'real winter' got lost in the deep snow in Minnesota The tourists, including two sisters in their 70s, one of their daughters and the daughter's boyfriend, strayed from the main snow trail on their rented snow mobiles, getting lost in the Minnesota forest 15 miles north of their motel in Grand Marais. The elderly women were already displaying signs of hypothermia after luckily finding cell service to make a 911 rescue call. 'This could have ended very badly. The temperature was about 10 when we got there. They were wet,' Lt. Dan Thomasen, Minnesota DNR conservation officer supervisor for the Arrowhead region, told TwinCities.com. 'They had winter clothes on. But, by Minnesota standards, especially their boots, they weren't up for what they were doing.' 'By the time we were driving them back (into Grand Marais), it kind of set in for them how much trouble they were in out there,' Thomasen added. 'Everyone needs to be prepared when you're in that kind of remote country. They were lucky this worked out OK.' Tourist rescue timeline Sunday, January 19: Four tourists, two sisters in their 70s, one of their daughters and the daughter's boyfriend, rent snowmobiles in Grand Maris, Minnesota Head north to Ball Club Lake area about 15 miles from Grand Maris Leave the expressway snow trail for an abandoned narrow trail Realize they are lost in the Pine Lake area Encounter two local snowmobilers who offer to bring them back to the expressway Locals leading the way back get stuck in swamp and decide to leave tourists to find a place to dry off Tourists abandoned struggling to move sleds in waist-deep snow 5pm: Find cell service to make a 911 call and local conservation officers respond to rescue group 6.15pm: Officers arrive to pull sleds from snow and return to Grand Marais 7.30pm: Return to Grand Marais, older women showing signs of hypothermia Advertisement Minnesota conservation officers were forced to rescue the winter-seeking tourists on Sunday night, January 19, a second attempt at escape for the group who had already been abandoned by two local snowmobilers about 15 miles from the Canadian border. The group from La Grange, North Carolina, were on two-person, four-stroke rented snowmobiles traveling up to the Ball Club Lake area, about 15 miles north of Grand Marais, when they veered off the snow expressway and continued along a narrow abandoned track. Realizing they were lost, the group counted their lucky stars to come across two local snowmobilers who offered to show them the way back, only to be abandoned by the locals again after the six of them got stuck in a swamp. 'That's when it got really interesting,' Thomasen said. 'The other two guys were ahead of them and got stuck in the swamp, got wet and decided they needed to get somewhere to warm up fast so they got their own machines unstuck and basically said they were out of there, going out the other side. They left the North Carolina family high and dry. 'So they have these big, heavy, two-up snowmobiles. The trail is too narrow for them to turn around. And one of the two machines is stuck in the swamp. 'They were absolutely not ready to spend a night in the woods but they got lucky. Somehow they got cellphone coverage.' With temperatures plunging below freezing that night, the group was in severe danger if they had been forced to spend the night out in the woods. On Sunday night, the local Devil Track Airport outside Grand Marais registered 18 below zero on the thermometer. Officers believe the group may not have survived the night in the swamp. It was already 5 pm when the tourists managed to make the 911 call and more than an hour more before officers found them stranded in the Pine Lake Area. Lt Thomasen had been several miles south in the Grand Marais area and he and Conservation Officer Kylan Hill traveled to the group from the west while further conservation officers attempted to reach them off the Pine Road to the east. The heavy snow fall in recent days meant that any snow off the well-beaten trails was waist-deep making it hard to move the heavy snowmobiles around. Eventually officers pulled all tourists and sleds from the snow bringing them back to Grand Marais at abut 7.30 pm where an ambulance was waiting for them. 'The older women were showing signs of hypothermia. But after they warmed up in the ambulance they were OK,' said Thomasen. Comedian Jaboukie Young-White to perform at W&M Comedian: Jaboukie Young-White will perform at William & Mary. Courtesy photo Photo - of - Hide Caption Comedian Jaboukie Young-White, a correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, will perform at William & Mary Feb. 8. Sponsored by Alma Mater Productions and the W&M Student Assembly, the show will begin at 8 p.m. in the Sadler Centers Commonwealth Auditorium. Tickets will be sold the day of the show at the door, which opens at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3 for students, $5 for faculty and staff and $10 for the public. In addition to his work on The Daily Show, Young-White has performed on The Tonight Show and recently taped a half-hour special for Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents. He has appeared on HBOs Crashing and in the featured films Rough Night and Set It Up. Previously, he served as a staff writer for Netflixs American Vandal and Big Mouth. He was named a comic to watch at the 2017 New York Comedy Festival and among Vulture/New York Magazines Comedians You Should and Will Know. Rolling Stone also named him among its 25 Under 25, and Variety counted him among 10 Comics to Watch. The performance will take place during William & Marys annual Charter Day weekend, which celebrates the universitys founding by royal charter in 1693. The Charter Day ceremony is slated to take place at 4 p.m. Feb. 7 in Kaplan Arena. A carnival will follow at 5 p.m. A newly formed committee of 11 prominent women in politics and government invited their female colleagues across the state Thursday to share their own experiences of sexual harassment and misogyny in New Jersey politics. Using anonymous surveys, public forums and private meetings, the members of the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics said they want to gather information to look for ways to change the toxic culture for women in the states political system. The challenge before us is how to ensure that women can come forward and share their experiences safely, privately and without fear of intimidation or retribution from those responsible for the harassment and abuse, from those with a vested interest in protecting the political careers of those responsible or from those who encouraged or allowed a toxic political climate to develop, state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, the committees founder, said at news conference in Newark. The committee, which held its first press conference in Newark Thursday, was formed in response to an NJ Advance Media report published last month that included interviews with 20 women who described their experiences with sexual harassment, sexual assault and the marginalization of women in New Jersey politics. The report triggered calls from lawmakers for changes in Trenton. Members of the Workgroup stressed they are not representing an arm of government. Their priority for now is building trust and keeping the conversation going in the aftermath of the report, they said. There will be at several public listening sessions asking women to discuss their experiences and offer solutions, as well as one closed-door session for those who want to participate privately. And with the help of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Abuse, the committee will conduct an anonymous survey through March (njcasa.org/njpolitics/) on misogyny and sexual misconduct in New Jersey politics. As women, we know we have the strength collectively to change the culture, said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, a former Assembly Speaker who is serving on the panel. "No one should forget we continue to be the majority of civic leaders in our communities and the top voter-getters in our state. And have come to a time where we are prepared if women are not supported then women are not going to to blindly support men who will not step up and take up some leadership on this issue, Oliver said. The NJ Advance Media report, published Dec. 29 on NJ.com and in The Star-Ledger and its affiliated newspapers, described a misogynistic culture controlled by men in which women must endure remarks about their bodies and unwanted touching just to be included. It included accounts from women who said they were the victims of sexual harassment and assault while working on political campaigns and doing lobbying work both in the past and as recently as last year. Several women said they were raped or groped at the state League of Municipalities convention in Atlantic City, one of the states marquee political gatherings. Others said they were groped or felt unsafe on the annual Chamber of Commerce Walk to Washington train trip. None of the women interviewed for the story reported the sexual assaults or misconduct to law enforcement. Many spoke on condition they would not have to identified. Despite the rise of the #MeToo movement, most said they feared they would be retaliated against in their careers if they spoke out. Despite everything we hear about #MeToo, it has not made one difference in New Jersey. It just hasnt. I hate to be so negative, said a veteran Democratic political consultant who has helped lead statewide campaigns. From left: During the press conference, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver talks as Sabeen Masih of Capital Impact Group, left, Patricia Teffenhart of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and Jeannine LaRue of the Kaufman Zita Group listen. State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg announces the members and agenda for Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics today at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark on Thursday.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media The members of the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics are: + State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen; + Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver; + Laurel Brennan, secretary and treasurer, New Jersey AFL-CIO + Alison Accettola, Senate Majority general counsel; + Elizabeth Coulter, director of Public Health, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey; + Sonia Delgado, partner, Princeton Public Affairs Group; + Jeannine LaRue, senior vice president, Kaufman Zita Group; + Sabeen Masih, Vice President of Public Affairs, Capital Impact Group; + Lisa Randall, commissioner, Bergen County Improvement Authority; + Julie Roginsky, founder, Lift Our Voices; + Christine Shipley, executive director, New Jersey Senate Minority Office; + Patricia Teffenhart, executive director, New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Oliver and Gov. Phil Murphy, who described the revelations in the Dec. 29 story as pretty shocking, submitted 17 nominees for Weinbergs consideration, including First Lady Tammy Murphy and Oliver, herself. Oliver was the only Murphy nominee named to the committee Thursday. More members will be added in the future, Weinberg said. Jeannine LaRue, whose career in politics and government began 40 years ago, said she wanted the committee to take a strong stand for young women getting their start. So to the men who may be acting inappropriately, this is a warning: if you are actively intimidating or assaulting women, we will find out who you are. These perpetrators should be very, very nervous, she said. Patricia Teffenhart, of the state coalition against sexual assault, said no one will be expected to name names, but her organization will have trained sexual assault counselors available. Lets also note here that there are a lot of good men in politics, Teffenhart said. So, if youre a guy thats trusted by women, whether in politics or not, be worthy of that trust. Step up. Intervene. Lead your male peers by example. Make sure women are included as equal contributors in decision-making power meetings. Trust women to lead on this one. Why? Because its not about you, she added. Follow our lead. In the days after the initial story was published, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announced it would prohibit hard alcohol from future chamber train rides to Washington, add more security, create a code of conduct for riders and establish a direct phone line that would immediately and discreetly report an incident of harassment directly to security personnel and the organizers. Tell us your experiences with allegations of sexual harassment in New Jersey: Heres how to share your story. Editors note: Laurel Brennan, secretary and treasurer, New Jersey AFL-CIO, also has been named to the committee. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. January 23 : The fashion-conscious Sonam Kapoor Ahuja can ace any style vibe. Undoubtedly a fashion revolution, every couture brand loves to associate with Sonam. Slaying the fashion scene like nobodys business, the fashionista pulls off every chic style. When sister duo Rhea Kapoor and Sonam join forces, you know what magic they can create. Sonam impeccably carried off a Valentino pristine white shirt gown at the Valentino Haute Couture 2020. She accentuated her waistline by belting with a rope, and shelled out major Egyptian royal vibes. The diva accessorised her look with stylish Amrapali gold danglers and a multi-layered gold necklace with a number of rings. She styled her hair in a bun and wore perfect toned makeup with a pop of brown on her eyes and lips. Sonam held a pashmina shawl in her hand, though a little out of place at the Paris Fashion Week, the black and white shawl broke the monotony of her white dress. Watch the video Sonam played the perfect muse to Elie Saab outfit at Elie Saab Couture Spring 2020. Nailing the brown pleated gown like nobody else does it, the divas fashion game snowballed into a style extravaganza. The actress accessorised with sister Rhea Karoors jewellery, who will launch her jewellery line in collaborating with Pipa Bella Jewellery on January 27. Sonam styled her hair in a messy plait and opted for heavy makeup. With intense black eye makeup, a nude lip and highlighted cheeks, the actress looked like a glamorous diva. Jack Hoppe was just a young kid when he went to a showing of The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 and his life changed. As the movie concluded, Hoppe was pleasantly surprised by watching others in the crowd. People were standing up and clapping in the theater, Hoppe recalled. I didnt know then that you could clap in a movie theater. I didnt realize a film could create that kind of reaction. He would later watch some of the behind-the-scenes makings of the movie and instantly became obsessed with the idea of being a filmmaker. I never really thought, I really want to do that; I just kind of thought, I cant wait to do that, he said. Fast forward almost two decades later and Hoppe is a 2018 graduate of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Hes made five short films over the course of the last three-and-a-half years and is now preparing to debut them for Columbus at an event Sunday evening at the Ramada Hotel and Rivers Edge Convention Center, 265 33rd Ave. A cash bar will be featured. Everyone from Columbus has always supported me, said Hoppe, who moved to town with his family about 11 years ago and is a 2014 graduate of Scotus Central Catholic High School. I just hope everybody enjoys the films and has a nice night. Theres going to be something for everybody. The films vary in length from eight to 20 minutes. Altogether, they run 55 minutes. The movies will start screening consecutively at 6 p.m.; however, there will be plenty going on before and after, as well. The shindig is set to commence at 5:30 p.m. and will allow attendees to view some of Hoppes art via his Heartland Artland business. A son of local sculptor Fred Hoppe, who crafted bronze eagles for the Columbus Police Department, the Pinnacle Bank East location along 23rd Street and the 9/11 tribute at the Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial in Pawnee Park, the younger Hoppe has sold and will continue to sell his paintings and sculptures to finance his films. I dont like to take something without offering something in return, he said, noting how Columbus residents purchased prints of his works that helped fund some of the films that will be shown Sunday. A Q-and-A session will be held after the screenings, giving people the chance to hear from Hoppe about how they came together. Attendees can expect a variety when it comes to the movies, too. Not wanting to be labeled as a director who sticks to one specific genre, the short films range from comedy and horror to suspense and drama. I wanted to dabble in everything, said Hoppe, who wrote and directed all but one of the films. But theyre all narratives that tell a story. His mother, Donna Hoppe, said she, like probably many parents, wasnt sure what to make of it when her son initially told her he wanted to pursue film as a career. But, shes been supportive and noted that it made total sense. She recalled how a 4-year-old Jack pleaded with her to let him come along with the family to see Disneys animated feature Mulan back in the 1990s. His chair was all folded up, but he sat there and watched the whole movie, she recalled. When Jack says hes going to do something, hes going to pursue it as best he can. He just loves movies and he loves art. She added shes looking forward to her son being able to share his films and art with the community, noting how residents have supported him throughout the years. Im pretty proud of him because he really does work hard and its a pretty difficult field, she said. Im pretty excited because hes a talented guy not only in his film work but also with his art. Hoppes cast and crew for all of the films were fellow students of the Johnny Carson Theatre & Film School. He filmed all of the projects in the Lincoln area, too. But, hes looking forward to showing Columbus what he has been up to the last few years. His hope is to eventually transition into feature films. This has always been something I felt like I was intended to do, said Hoppe, who has been inspired by the works of prolific directors like Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. I always felt like its what I should do with my life. Hoppe has a website. View it at heartlandartland.com. Matt Lindberg is the managing editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at matt.lindberg@lee.net. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CICERO, NY. -- Five teenagers bailed after crashing a stolen car into a pole Thursday morning in Cicero, police said. A vehicle crashed into a pole around 8:25 a.m. in front of the Walmart at 8064 Brewerton Road, the Cicero Police Department said in a news release. The driver and four other juveniles ran from the vehicle, police said. The five teens were taken into custody after a foot chase, police said. Investigators later determined the vehicle was stolen from Syracuse, police said. The driver of the stolen vehicle did not have a license, police said. Charges are pending. No injuries were reported. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The authorities in Huanggang city in China have imposed a quarantine lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. South China Morning Post reported that the authorities in Huanggang announced the lockdown at midnight, halting public transports and trains out of the city. The report in the Chinese daily added that people have been ordered not to leave unless in exceptional circumstances. Citing a media report, South China Morning Post claimed that the southern Guangdong province, bordering Hong Kong, had reported six new infections, taking its confirmed total to 32. At least 17 people have been killed and 570 people are infected with Coronavirus which has originated from Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million. The new virus first emerged in the end of December and is a cousin of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus. Scientist Leo Poon, who first decoded the virus, thinks it likely started in an animal and spread to humans. "What we know is it causes pneumonia and then doesn't respond to antibiotic treatment, which is not surprising, but then in terms of mortality, SARS kills 10% of the individuals," CNN quoted Poon, a virologist at the School of Public Health at The University of Hong Kong, said. Earlier, the authorities in Wuhan city in China where the coronavirus originated, had imposed a complete travel ban on local residents, in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The ban issued by command authority in the city said that from 10:00 am on Thursday, urban buses, subways, ferries and long-distance passenger transport would be suspended in the city. Flights and trains departing from Wuhan were also suspended. So far, the cases of the virus have been detected in the US, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Every year millions of Americans make resolutions, and every year those same Americans fall short of reaching their goals. In the third article of this series, the Invest In You team once again asked readers and viewers to reveal their goals to fuel a commitment toward a healthier financial well-being in 2020. The response was overwhelming and humbling. Several themes emerged, including obtaining financial freedom, owning a business and saving for retirement. Below are highlights from some of the respondents over the past few weeks. OBTAIN FINANCIAL FREEDOM Sean, Grand Forks, North Dakota: "I'm invested to save and invest as much as I can as early as I can because of the power of compound interest. Being able to be financially independent and available to help others has been a dream of mine since high school." Eric, Newington, Connecticut: "I started investing when I was 13 years old, learning about mutual funds in order to help my immigrant parents. Twenty-six years later I'm invested to provide a better life for my family, more financial freedom and to leave a legacy for my son. One of the greatest joys I have now is teaching and guiding family and friends on investing and helping them reach their goals as well." Andrew, Lakewood, New Jersey: "I pledge to get invested for my future: my future family, paying off student debt, retirement and to be able to have the financially independent life I want. A 10-year-old student was hit by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting outside a Southern California elementary school on Tuesday. The Oxnard Police Department revealed on Twitter that the child was hit during a car-to-car shooting near McAuliffe Elementary School around 11.30am. The student was taken to a local hospital with a non-life threatening injury and the parents were notified. All other students were accounted for and safe. Authorities responded to a call that a 10-year-old boy was hit in a drive-by shooting near McAuliffe Elementary School in Oxnard, California Authorities spoke to concerned parents outside McAuliffe Elementary School following the shooting The Oxnard Police Department revealed that the student has non-life threatening injuries and all other students on safe McAuliffe Elementary School was placed on lockdown as officers conduct an investigation of the incident This incident concerns a car-to-car shooting. A ten-year old student at McAuliffe School was struck by a stray bullet and has been transported to a nearby hospital with a non-life threatening injury, they wrote. The childs parents have been notified by the Oxnard School District, and all other students have been accounted for and are safe. The Oxnard Police Department has a strong presence in the area, and an investigation is in progress. Its unclear if the student was on or off-campus at the time of the shooting, but the incident prompted a large police response and McAuliffe Elementary School was placed on lockdown. Authorities cautioned residents from coming near school ground as officers search for parties involved in the shooting. No suspects or vehicle descriptions have been released. The search for a 70-year-old pilot and his wife has been called off after experts said there was no way they could have survived the crash. The pilot and his wife, 52, crashed at high speed into waters near Moreton Island, off the coast of Brisbane, after hiring the plane for a scenic flight on Wednesday afternoon. A may day was sent an hour after take off. The pilot and his wife, 52, crashed at high speed into waters near Moreton Island, off the coast of Brisbane, after hiring the plane for a scenic flight on Wednesday afternoon (search pictured) Investigators continued the search on Thursday morning but the search has been called off at 1pm. 'Significant amounts of debris belonging to the aircraft have been recovered to the east of Moreton Island. All evidence indicates the aircraft ditched into the water at high speed,' an Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman said. 'AMSA has received expert medical advice that the impact would not have been survivable. 'AMSA extends its sincere condolences to the family of both people on board during this difficult time.' The couple's next of kin has been informed and ASMA expressed their condolences to the family. 'Queensland Police Service has taken over coordination and will be launching a recovery effort,' the spokeswoman said. Ben Mihan, a TV traffic reporter, said he heard the call for help while flying near Redcliffe. Investigators continued the search on Thursday morning but the search has been called off at 1pm (search pictured) 'Very sad. The call was very fast and things went quiet straight after with no response from the pilot after Brisbane centre attempted to contact the pilot again,' he tweeted. Michael and Amy Rowe owned and rented the aircraft that crashed to the couple. 'We are absolutely heartbroken for the family,' Ms Rowe told the ABC. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating. Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges of the International Court of Justice for the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague. Yasmin Ullah, activist for human rights, is pictured outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ), after the ruling in a case filed by Gambia against Myanmar REUTERS/Eva Plevier President of the International Court of Justice, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (C) speaks during the ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague (Photo by ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) The United Nations' top court has ordered Burma to take all measures in its power to prevent genocide against the Rohingya. The court's president, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, said the International Court of Justice "is of the opinion that the Rohingya in Burma remain extremely vulnerable". The court added that its order for so-called provisional measures intended to protect the Rohingya is binding "and creates international legal obligations" on Burma. At the end of an hour-long sitting in the court's wood-panelled Great Hall of Justice, judges also ordered Burma to report to them in four months on what measures the country has taken to comply with the order and then to report every six months as the case moves slowly through the world court. Expand Close Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges of the International Court of Justice for the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges of the International Court of Justice for the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague. Hundreds of thousands of mainly Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled Burma, often to Bangladesh, amid a military onslaught. Rights activists immediately welcomed the unanimous decision. "The ICJ order to Burma to take concrete steps to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya is a landmark step to stop further atrocities against one of the world's most persecuted people," said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director of New York-based Human Rights Watch. "Concerned governments and UN bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward." The world court order for what it calls provisional measures came in a case brought by the African nation of Gambia on behalf of an organisation of Muslim nations that accuses Burma of genocide in its crackdown on the Rohingya. At public hearings last month, lawyers for Burma's accusers used maps, satellite images and graphic photos to detail what they call a campaign of murder, rape and destruction amounting to genocide perpetrated by Burma's military. Expand Close Yasmin Ullah, activist for human rights, is pictured outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ), after the ruling in a case filed by Gambia against Myanmar REUTERS/Eva Plevier / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Yasmin Ullah, activist for human rights, is pictured outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ), after the ruling in a case filed by Gambia against Myanmar REUTERS/Eva Plevier The hearings drew intense scrutiny as Burma's former pro-democracy figure Aung San Suu Kyi defended the campaign by military forces that once held her under house arrest for 15 years. Ms Suu Kyi, who as Burma's state counsellor heads the government, was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for championing democracy and human rights under Burma's then-ruling junta. She was not present in court for today's hearing. Buddhist-majority Burma has long considered the Rohingya to be "Bengalis" from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Expand Close Members of the Myanmar Muslims community hold portraits of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi (Thein Zaw/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of the Myanmar Muslims community hold portraits of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi (Thein Zaw/AP) Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless. They are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. In August 2017, Burma's military launched what it called a clearance campaign in northern Rakhine state in response to an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group. The campaign forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh and led to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes, killings and burned thousands of homes. Ms Suu Kyi told world court judges in December that the exodus was a tragic consequence of the military's response to "coordinated and comprehensive armed attacks" by Rohingya insurgents. She urged judges to drop the genocide case and allow Burma's military justice system to deal with any abuses. Thursday's ruling came two days after an independent commission established by Burma's government concluded there are reasons to believe security forces committed war crimes in counter-insurgency operations against the Rohingya, but that there is no evidence supporting charges that genocide was planned or carried out. The report drew criticism from rights activists. Pending release of the full report, Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director, said the panel's findings were "what would have been expected from a non-transparent investigation by a politically skewed set of commissioners working closely with the Burma government". At December's public hearings, Paul Reichler, a lawyer for Gambia, cited a UN fact-finding mission report at hearings last month that said military "clearance operations" in Burma's northern Rakhine state spared nobody. "Mothers, infants, pregnant women, the old and infirm. They all fell victim to this ruthless campaign," he said. Gambia's justice minister Aboubacarr Tambadou urged the world court to act immediately and "tell Burma to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity that continue to shock our collective conscience, to stop this genocide of its own people". The world court's orders are legally binding but it relies on the United Nations to add political pressure, if necessary, to enforce them. The court is expected to take years to issue a final ruling in the case. Three people reported dead following the crash of a firefighting plane as bushfires in southern New South Wales return. Soaring temperatures and strong winds reignited bushfires in Australias southeast on Thursday cloaking Canberra in hazardous smoke and forcing the airport to close, after a few days of cooler weather brought some relief. Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations, the capitals airport authority said in a tweet. Another tweet from traffic police said: The fire is moving fast and there are multiple road closures in the area. Please avoid the area. Local road blocks in place. On Thursday, the countrys effort to fight the raging bushfires turned deadly after a C-130 air tanker crashed in a fireball around 400km (248 miles) south of Sydney. The three people on board the plane were killed. A fire in the Snowy Mountains region and one in the Bega Valley on the south coast of New South Wales (NSW) state both flared up, with emergency authorities warning residents to get out if they did not plan to defend their properties. Fire dangers are just starting to peak, and were in for a long afternoon and night across many areas of NSW, the states Rural Fire Service said on its Twitter account. The Bureau of Meteorology warned that damaging winds were driving up fire dangers in some regions, while Sydney, the countrys biggest city, was again forecast to endure temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) and hazardous air quality levels as a result of smoke from some 90 blazes burning across the state. Further south in Victoria state there were 17 blazes still burning. Since September, hundreds of bushfires in Australia have killed 29 people and an estimated one billion native animals, while incinerating 2,500 homes and a total area of bushland one-third the size of Germany. Tourism brunt In Victoria, the state government on Thursday said it would spend 17.5 million Australian dollars ($12m) immediately to save wildlife hit by the bushfires. It planned to focus on species most at risk, including the brush-tailed rock wallaby, the states most endangered mammal, and the long-footed potaroo and large brown tree frog. The fires have taken a devastating toll on Australias wildlife [File:Jill Gralow/Reuters] The fires, which begun earlier than usual in the spring, hit the peak Christmas and summer holiday holiday season, devastating earnings for businesses dependent on domestic and foreign tourists. The Australian Tourism Industry Council estimated the revenue loss industry-wide at two billion Australian dollars ($1.4bn), including forward sales and the physical damage to tourism facilities across regions ravaged by bushfires. Whatever the numbers ultimately land at, its had a significant impact, said Simon Westaway, executive director of the council, which represents small and medium-sized tourism businesses. Cancellation rates hit 100 percent in fire-affected areas while tourist facilities even in areas not affected by fires were hit with cancellation rates of approximately 60 percent, and there is evidence of international booking cancellations too, he said. People see a state of emergency and dont know if theyll be able to get in or out, Westaway told Reuters. This contagion has really swept across the industry. may be out of the 'Grey List' of the terror financing watchdog next month due to the active support of China and tactical support of some Western countries, official said on Thursday. At a meeting of the FinancialAction Task Force (FATF) held in Beijing, Islamabad submitted its compliance report and got support from the current chair and its "all-weather friend" China and a few Western powers. "The next plenary of the will be held in February in Paris and needs just 12 votes out of 39 to exit the 'Grey List' and move to 'White List'. There is a strong possibility of Islamabad getting enough support to exit the 'Grey List'," an Indian official privy to the development said. In recent meetings of FATF, has got support of Malaysia and Turkey besides China. If Pakistan could convince a few Western nations with their report of taking action against terrorists, the country will be out of FATF 'Grey List', which will be a cause of worry for India, the official said. If Pakistan comes out of the FATF 'Grey List', it will be easy for the countryto get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and the European Union, helping improve its precarious financial situation. The FATF plenary had noted in its last meeting held in October 2019 that Pakistan addressed only five out of the 27 tasks given to it in controlling funding to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, responsible for a series of attacks in India. The FATF said it strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by February, 2020. In the Beijing meeting, Pakistan provided a list of its action taken to comply with the FATF diktat. Pakistan was placed on the 'Grey List' by the FATF in June, 2018 and was given a plan of action to complete it by October, 2019 or face the risk of being placed on the blacklist along with Iran and North Korea. The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the financial system. The FATF currently has 35 members and two regional organisations -- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council. India is a member of the FATF consultations and its Asia Pacific Group and was represented in the meeting by a team of officials from the ministries of Home, External Affairs and Finance. Bayshore Mediterranean Grill | Photo: David S./Yelp Visiting Ballast Point, or just looking to better appreciate what it has to offer? Get to know this Tampa neighborhood by browsing its most popular local businesses, from a Korean eatery to a sushi bar and Asian spot. Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top places to visit in Ballast Point, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of neighborhood businesses. Read on for the results. 1. Arirang Korean Restaurant Photo: Gary t./Yelp Topping the list is Korean spot Arirang Korean Restaurant. Located at 5232 S. MacDill Ave., it's the highest-rated business in the neighborhood, boasting 4.5 stars out of 276 reviews on Yelp. Expect an array of authentic banchan (side dishes) that include dumplings, egg rolls and kimchi pancakes as well as main dishes like beef gaibi (short ribs), fried chicken and soo-yook (sweet and sour pork). The menu also features soups, salads, rice platters, noodle dishes and more. 2. Bayshore Mediterranean Grill Photo: Julie F./Yelp Next is Mediterranean and Turkish spot Bayshore Mediterranean Grill, situated at 6102 S. MacDill Ave. With 4.5 stars out of 227 reviews on Yelp, it's proven to be a local favorite. Start off with oven-baked hummus, Turkish sausage and lavash bread. Choose from a variety of hot and cold appetizers as well as entrees ranging from the combo doner and kofte plate to shrimp shish (jumbo shrimp are marinated in the chef's special sauce, grilled on skewers and served with salad and white and bulgur rice). Finish off your meal with baklava and Turkish coffee. 3. The Asian Kitchen Photo: Mailoha A./Yelp Sushi bar and Asian fusion spot The Asian Kitchen, which offers poke and more, is another top choice. Yelpers give the business, located at 5415 Bayshore Blvd., 4.5 stars out of 83 reviews. The menu features banh mi sandwiches, noodles, poke and more. Build your own bowl or choose from seven different signature bowls with proteins such as pork belly, chicken, tofu, shrimp and more. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. They were tipped as one of the favourites to win the first-ever winter series in Cape Town. But Leanne Amaning shocked viewers as she confessed she would like to slow down her budding romance with Mike Boateng on Wednesday's edition of Love Island. Insisting 'too much pressure stresses me out', the customer service advisor, 22, admitted she felt relieved after sharing her thoughts on her relationship with the former police officer, 24, before awkwardly rejecting his hug for a high-five. 'Too much pressure stresses me out!' Leanne Amaning shocked viewers as she confessed she would like to slow down her budding romance with Mike Boateng on Wednesday's Love Island Ahead of her conversation with her love interest, the petite beauty confided in the girls about her reservations for Mike. Leanne shared: 'I'm a self-sabotager... If I see potential in someone, I always pick out small things about why I shouldn't like them. 'I thought by spending two weeks with someone nonstop, you'd be in love with them by now, but that's not how it is. It'll be nice to get to know him more so I can have a full picture of how I feel about him.' And when Mike was asked whether he was having doubts of his own by Connagh Howard, 27, he dramatically breathed out before adding: 'Maybe.' Yikes! The customer service advisor, 22, admitted she felt relieved after sharing her thoughts with the former police officer, 24, before awkwardly rejecting his hug for a high-five 'I'm a self-sabotager': Ahead of her conversation with her love interest, the petite beauty confided in the girls about her reservations for Mike Second thoughts? And when Mike was asked whether he was having doubts of his own by Connagh Howard, 27, he dramatically breathed out before adding: 'Maybe' Later into the episode, the couple confronted each other about the progression of their relationship, with the Manchester-based hopeful insisting he's happy, while the London native said she's keen on still getting to know him as it's 'early days'. Mike enthused: 'I feel we're good, there's been a steady progression, we haven't rushed anything. For me, my eyes are completely set on you at the moment.' Throwing her potential boyfriend off-guard, Leanne explained: 'So for me, I feel the same, we're making progress and everything is going steady, but we're just still good getting to know each other. 'I just wanted to make that clear as too much pressure stresses me out. It's getting to me and making me retreat a bit, which you can probably tell.' Different feelings: The Manchester-based hopeful insisted he's happy, while the London native said she's keen on still getting to know him as it's 'early days' 'It's getting to me and making me retreat a bit': Leanne threw her potential boyfriend off guard with her comments Putting all his eggs in one basket, he added: 'Why don't we just focus on us? Let's just enjoy the moment.' Reflecting on their time in the Beach Hut, the stunner shared: 'I feel so much better now, I'm glad I got it off my chest. The pressure has been lifted off my shoulder. 'It's still early days and we're still getting to know each other, that's how it's going to be for the foreseeable future.' Leanne left Mike confused as she rounded off their chat by stating: 'I don't feel like this is a huggy moment, let's high-five.' He's keen! Taking her comments on the chin, he said: 'Now I know where we're at as a couple, and the rate we should we moving in, clearly we were way off' Relieved: Reflecting on their time, the stunner shared: 'I feel so much better now, I'm glad I got it off my chest. The pressure has been lifted off my shoulder' Taking her comments on the chin, he said: 'Now I know where we're at as a couple, and the rate we should we moving in, clearly we were way off. 'If I like someone and I know where my heart is at, I'll pursue them. I'm just going to roll with the punches as they say.' The muscle-bound Islander later took pal Finley Tapp away for a chat as he fed back to him about Leanne, complaining: 'Up until now, I thought we were on a complete uphill spiral, but now, it's almost like we're back to square one. 'Apparently now we're at the high-five stage. I'm like wow, are we going that far back?' 'It's almost like we're back to square one': The muscle-bound Islander later took pal Finley Tapp away for a chat as he fed back to him about Leanne Fans were left divided over Leanne's actions, with some insisting she's 'self-sabotaging', while others claimed there's no problem with her request of wanting to slow things down. One wrote: 'Awww Mike! Leanne stop self sabotaging man #LoveIsland, while another gushed: 'Leanne recieving love, assurance, affection and attention from Mike.' [sic] A third joked: 'Leanne giving Mike a high five has me dead', while another fumed: 'I wasted 45 minutes watching love island to see Mike and Leanne DO A HIGH FIVE #LoveIsland.' [sic] Another Twitter user explained: 'I love Leanne but she's gotta let some gaurd down cause either they're not showing some important developments or her idea of moving too fast is Mike saying "i like you" . Reaction: Fans were left divided over Leanne's actions, with some insisting she's 'self-sabotaging' 'Also refusing a hug and asking for a high five!? Sis if u don't like the man at all be honest.' [sic] Throwing their support behind Leanne, a social media user said: 'Mike, You may high five the bride #loveisland... Leanne is right though, don't rush things, "we are still getting to know each other".' [sic] 'Its literally been 10 days since Leanne got to know Mike... if the girl wants to take it slow then let her... dunno whats yall problem is... she aint cutting him off or anything. Yeah the high five was a bit much but hopefully things will get better. #loveisland.' [sic] They understand: Others viewers claimed there's no problem with Leanne's request of wanting to slow things down Mike and Leanne have come a long way, after he was forced to couple up with fellow contestant Jess Gale. After just a day of being in a partnership with the VIP hostess, the hunk admitted he still had 'butterflies' for the Miss Ghana UK 2017 contestant. However, the future for Mike and Leanne is now unclear, especially with new contestant Luke Trotman admitting the brunette has 'caught his eye'. Love Island continues on Thursday at ITV2 at 9pm. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 22, 2020 / Jordan Lintz is a high scale networker with a great understanding of influencer marketing. At just 23 years old, he owns multiple companies under the brand name, HighKey. Jordan scaled his e-commerce company to achieve the knowledge and connections to begin his social media agency, and Influencer management company. It is reported that Jordan Lintz, along with his partners, will generate over 1-million dollars in sales within one month upcoming in early 2020. They are able to achieve this by running large celebrity giveaway growth campaigns on Instagram. HighKey Clout signs celebrity influencers to help promote their cash and prize giveaway campaigns. These campaigns help grow clients' Instagram accounts. Some notable influencer relationships of HighKey Clout include; @bhadbhabie, @lilyachty, @hammy_tv, @therealtarzann, and more large celebrities with high social media following on Instagram. Jordan Lintz runs an e-commerce company, HighKey Technology Inc., a social media management/branding agency, HighKey Agency Inc., and also the newly founded Influencer management company, HighKey Clout Inc. Influencer marketing is using influencers on social media to gain brand exposure. Jordan Lintz mentioned, "It will be the talk of the next decade." He truly began his influencer marketing journey over three years ago with growing HighKey Technology's following on Instagram. All of the HighKey companies are closely tied in with Influencer marketing. That is how Jordan Lintz's companies have grown continuously on social media. With such success growing multiple businesses, Jordan says it's is the most scalable way to grow your online brand now that it is 2020. He believes people need to invest in their online brand for a more successful future. Jordan Lintz works closely with American influencers to push HighKey's North American brand. The majority of HighKey clients are based in the USA, so they greatly benefit from the targeted quality following. Story continues "The greatest part of influencer marketing is it's a branded audience by the influencer themselves. They are already proven to engage and like the content of influencer enough to respond on a call to action. That's branding. Sometimes, working with influencers can be difficult, but every situation is different. The payoff of dealing with difficult influencers is getting the chance to work with some great influencers that you can work long term business with." Jordan offers some advice when working with influencers effectively; "You should always give more than you take. See both sides of the deal with a large perspective and make sure the influencer is comfortable to make more content," Jordan said. After working in the influencer space for so long, Lintz suggests that Influencers are the future and there's a huge gap in the market, where influencers will be signed eventually like Lebron is to Nike. Jordan Lintz is in full belief that you need to be heavily involved in influencer marketing over the next 10 years. As Jordan concluded, "Anyone can work with influencers! But, if you're just starting or you're in the later stages of building a business and you need marketing, make sure you are still using targeted influencers. Business is based largely in the USA so they must gain majority USA following, or else conversions mean nothing!" Get to know more about Jordan Lintz and the HighKey brand here. CONTACT: Trenten Huss tjh@highkeyagency.com (204) 698-6281 SOURCE: HighKey Agency View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/573829/How-Jordan-Lintz-is-Making-7-Figures-on-Influencer-Marketing The U.S. Capitol in Washington is shrouded in mist on Dec. 13, 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo) Republican Attorneys General Push Back Against Impeachment Trial The Republican attorneys general for 21 states called on the Senate on Jan. 22 to reject the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump as constitutionally flawed, warning that doing otherwise would create a dangerous historical precedent and erode the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. In a 14-page letter (pdf), the attorneys general framed the articles of impeachment as the product of a partisan process meant to undo the results of the 2016 presidential election and influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. If successful, an impeachment proceeding nullifies the votes of millions of citizens. The Democrat-controlled House passing of these constitutionally-deficient articles of impeachment amounts, at bottom, to a partisan political effort that undermines the democratic process itself, the letter states. Even an unsuccessful effort to impeach the President undermines the integrity of the 2020 presidential election because it weaponizes a process that should only be initiated in exceedingly rare circumstances and should never be used for partisan purposes. House lawmakers voted along party lines to approve two articles of impeachment against the president late last year. Every Republican opposed the measure; two Democrats broke ranks with their party against both articles, while a third Democrat voted for one impeachment article. In the first article, the Democrats allege the president abused the power of his office by pressuring the leader of Ukraine to open investigations into his political rivals, including former vice president and Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden. The second article accuses the president of obstructing Congress by defying requests from Democrats who opened an inquiry into his dealings with Ukraine. The Republican state attorneys general argue that the abuse of power charge approved by the Democrats is infinitely expansive and subjective, because it relies on the vague allegation that Trump acted for a corrupt purpose. They say the article essentially charges the president with taking a lawful action for a corrupt purpose, which the Democrats defined as personal political benefit. The President, in other words, is being impeached for political thought crime, the letter states. The threat such a limitless concept poses to the most fundamental principles of our system of government are [sic] plain. It cannot be a legitimate basis to impeach a President for acting in a legal manner that may also be politically advantageous. Such a standard would be cause for the impeachment of virtually every President, past, present, and future. The attorneys general say that the second article is equally flawed, arguing that it shouldnt be permissible to impeach a president who seeks to protect the executive privilege against an overreach by a partisan legislative majority. If the House can impeach a President for invoking executive privilege, the privilege is meaningless because it is under unilateral control of the House, the letter states. The arguments by the attorneys general mirrored some of those put forth by the presidents attorney during the first day of the Senate trial. The Democratic House impeachment managers have rebutted the arguments, calling Trumps conduct, as alleged in the abuse-of-power article, the framers worst nightmare. In responding to the criticism of the obstruction charge, Democrats say that the Houses power to impeach would be permanently weakened if the president could get away with denying document and witness requests. Ivan Eland, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, told The Epoch Times that the Democrats had no choice but to impeach Trump for obstructing Congress because Trumps refusals to cooperate with the inquiry impeded the House from conducting its oversight duties. According to Eland, the power of the executive branch has expanded since the Roosevelt era, setting up for the current clash between the White House and congressional Democrats. He has blatantly said that he is not cooperating and thats a problem from the constitutional view, Eland said. We are at a place where we have unprecedented executive power, so if anything the Democrats are right in this that the article two of the impeachment is the most important one. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters Jan. 22 that Trump rightly blocked requests to question his top advisors to protect the office of the presidency. If you blow through these privileges because you want to impeach the president before the election, and you come to the Senate and you ask me to destroy the privilege, forget it. Im not going to reward this kind of behavior. Wales joins Scotland and Northern Ireland in rejecting Brexit Bill This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 23rd, 2020 On Tuesday AMs voted on whether to give consent to the Withdrawal Agreement (Brexit) Bill. The Senedd has to be asked permission when UK-level laws relate to devolved powers. The Scottish Parliament (92 votes to 29) and the Northern Irish Assembly (unanimous) both rejected it and there was an expectation from the start that the Senedd would reject it too. While the UK Government and Parliament have to ask permission, in practice they can ignore any rejection by the devolved administrations and that will be the case here. Objections not all about Brexit Brexit wasnt the core reason why opponents to the Withdrawal Agreement were going to vote against it nearly everyone who contributed accepted that Brexit is going to happen. Most of the objections revolved around how the Brexit Bill respects or as they argued in this case, doesnt respect, the devolution settlement. Paying tribute to unsuccessful attempts in the House of Lords to amend the Bill in Wales favour, the First Minister criticised the lack of time given to properly scrutinise the legislation, arguing that Welsh interests had been thoroughly ignored and the Bill will undermine the devolution settlement. The chairs of the External Affairs Committee and Constitutional Affairs Committee David Rees AM (Lab, Aberavon) and Mick Antoniw AM (Lab, Pontypridd) respectively expressed disappointment that amendments designed to address perceived weaknesses in the Bill were rejected in London. Mick Antoniw and Alun Davies AM (Lab, Blaenau Gwent) both warned that overriding the principle that devolved legislatures are asked for their consent when the UK makes laws in devolved areas (known as the Sewel Convention) risks breaking up the UK down the line. Delyth Jewell AM (Plaid, South Wales East) criticised the UK Governments failure to compromise, as well as the hubris of Labour and Lib Dems who thought they could beat Boris Johnson and ended up giving him what he wanted a Hard Brexit and possibly another No Deal at the end of the transition period in December. Get on with it Replaying arguments which have been made several times over the last three years, the Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies AM (Con, Preseli Pembs.), and Mark Reckless AM (BXP, South Wales East) said the 2016 referendum result had to be respected and it was time to let the UK Government get on with the job. Mark Reckless added that Remainer parties had gambled on elections going their way and by rejecting previous versions of the Withdrawal Agreement under Theresa May has resulted in things like a customs union and alignment with EU rules being taken off the table. David Melding AM (Con, South Wales Central) argued that the principle that the UK Parliament can effectively do whatever it likes (parliamentary sovereignty) is embedded in all devolution laws; Brexit counted as an abnormal enough situation to justify the UK Government overriding decisions made in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Keep up to date with what is going on in the Senedd via SeneddHome.com The new facility is the first vertical project at The Cubes at Inland 85. The 324-acre industrial park is strategically located between Greenville and Spartanburg, SC, near the GSP Airport, I-85, and less than 2 miles from the Inland Port in Greer, SC. "This project is an amazing example of our integrated delivery model and the value we can bring Fortune 500 clients," said Shawn Clark, President of CRG. "Our ability to provide design, construction and development services allowed CRG to react quickly and accommodate our client's requirement." The expanded building - designed by Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) and built by Clayco - features a cross dock configuration with 36' clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system and ample trailer storage and car parks associated with state-of-the-art logistics facilities. CRG recently began the development of a second project at The Cubes at Inland 85 consisting of 504,060 square feet expandable to 1,341,060 square feet. "The project benefits from great access to major transportation which we know is more important than ever as e-commerce providers are striving to meet the growing consumer demands for quick delivery," said Mike Demperio, Partner and Senior Vice President of the Southeast Region at CRG. "Additionally, the Greenville area is a very attractive investment market because of the strong labor force." The Cubes at Inland 85 is represented by Garrett Scott, SIOR, John Montgomery, and Brockton Hall at Colliers International. Steve Grable, SIOR, and Chris Tomasulo of JLL represented the Tenant. CRG partnered with Esmael Hill of The Net Lease Group to lead the disposition of the asset. CRG, Clayco's real estate arm, develops high-quality real estate projects throughout North America. The company primarily focuses on industrial properties, corporate headquarters, data centers and multifamily development projects. The company recently developed a 1 million-square-foot speculative project at The Cubes at Bridgeport in Atlanta, GA, a 1.2 million-square-foot facility for Kohl's at The Cubes at Etna 70 in Columbus, OH and a 750,000 SF speculative project that was leased to Kimberly-Clark at The Cubes at Dupont in Seattle, WA. The transaction came at a time when tenant demand for modern logistics facilities is at an all-time high and consumer demand to purchase goods online is driving e-commerce globally, while supply of such properties is constrained in most major markets. Retailers are demanding industrial facilities that can accommodate the latest automation technologies and properties that can accommodate increased trailer storage and car park requirements to compete in today's logistics environment, all things CRG can deliver. About CRG CRG is a privately held real estate development firm that has developed more than 8,000 acres of land and delivered over 187 million square feet of commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily assets exceeding $11 billion in value. CRG, headquartered in St. Louis, leverages a powerful North American platform with local market expertise and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Newport Beach, CA and Philadelphia. CRG's philosophy of developing for the future and anticipating the enhanced needs of next generation users led to the creation of their industrial brand, The Cubes, and their multifamily brand, Chapter. For more information, visit CRG's website at www.realcrg.com About The Cubes The Cubes is a North American industrial brand owned and developed by CRG. The Cubes represents CRG's philosophy of developing for the future and anticipating the enhanced needs of tomorrow's modern industrial user. The Cubes are designed with an emphasis on sustainability, and implement state-of-the-art specifications, including maximum clear heights, dock doors and trailer storage to keep pace with the shift to consumer-centric logistic strategies. The Cubes are located on strategic sites that take into consideration both logistics and labor supply, always with the end user in mind. About Clayco Clayco is a full-service, turnkey real estate development, master planning, architecture, engineering, and construction firm that safely delivers clients across North America the highest quality solutions on time, on budget, and above and beyond expectations. With $2.6 billion in revenue for 2018, Clayco specializes in the "art and science of building," providing fast track, efficient solutions for industrial, commercial, institutional and residential related building projects. For more information visit www.claycorp.com. About Lamar Johnson Collaborative Lamar Johnson Collaborative is a full-service design and architecture firm committed to enhancing the quality of the human experience and to improving how design and architecture can impact each individual's emotional being. By harnessing the power of integrated design, including architecture, workplace strategy, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning and engineering, the company achieves its clients' goals and aspirations. For more information, please visit www.theljc.com. SOURCE CRG Related Links https://realcrg.com Shanghai (AFP) - The food market where China's deadly virus surfaced was a smorgasbord of exotic wildlife ranging from wolf pups to species linked to previous pandemics such as civets, according to vendor information and a Chinese media report. The Huanan Seafood Market in the central city of Wuhan came under greater scrutiny on Wednesday as Chinese officials said that the virus which has so far killed nine people and infected hundreds may have originated in a wild animal sold at the food emporium. Past deadly epidemics have been blamed on wild animals -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was linked to Chinese consumption of civet meat -- setting Chinese authorities up for potential embarrassment if lax supervision of wildlife trafficking is found at fault in the latest outbreak. A price list circulating on China's internet for a business at the Wuhan market lists a menagerie of animals or animal-based products including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines, camel meat and other game -- 112 items in all. "Freshly slaughtered, frozen and delivered to your door," said the price list for the vendor, "Wild Game Animal Husbandry for the Masses". Gao Fu, director of the Chinese centre for disease control and prevention, said in Beijing on Wednesday that authorities believe the virus likely came from "wild animals at the seafood market" though the exact source remains undetermined. China bans the trafficking of a number of wild species or requires special licenses, but regulations are loose for some species if they are commercially farmed. AFP was unable to directly confirm the authenticity of the price list. Phone calls to the vendor went unanswered, and attempts to connect to its social media accounts were rejected. The Beijing News published a photo Tuesday showing the same vendor's now-shuttered store front, as authorities in white hazmat suits milled about. Story continues The paper also quoted other merchants as saying trade in wildlife took place up until the market was shuttered for disinfection shortly after the outbreak. A number of the early sufferers of the virus, now known as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), were employees of the market. - Virus 'spillover' - Many exotic species are still widely consumed in China or other Asian countries where they are considered a delicacy -- like the civet or some rats or bats -- or for purported health benefits that are unproven by science. But this brings growing human health risks, said Christian Walzer, executive director of the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society's Health Program. Walzer said 70 percent of all new infectious diseases come from wildlife, with habitat encroachment increasing the chances of pathogens spreading. "Wildlife markets offer a unique opportunity for viruses to spill over from wildlife hosts," he said. "It is essential to invest resources not only into discovering new viruses, but more importantly, in determining the epidemiological drivers of... (the) spillover, amplification, and spread of infectious diseases." Bats are thought to have spawned SARS, which in 2002-03 killed hundreds of people in Asia, mostly China. SARS was also found in civets in wildlife markets in China, with many scientists believing the bat virus infected the cat-like creatures and then humans who ate them. Following SARS, China cracked down on consumption of civets and some other species, but conservationists say the trade continues. China has so far won praise for its openness and handling of the current outbreak in stark contrast to SARS, when it was accused of stifling information and failing to cooperate with the rest of the world. The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Also, sniper fire was employed. Russia's hybrid military forces on January 22 mounted six attacks on Ukrainian Army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA). "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire six times on January 22. One Ukrainian soldier was killed as a result of enemy shelling," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said in an update posted on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 23. Read alsoOSCE Chairperson-in-Office: "Long road ahead to lasting peace" in Donbas The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. In addition, the enemy employed sniper fire. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Pavlopil, Talakivka, Lebedynske, Vodiane, Mayorsk, and Shumy. "Since Thursday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the village of Opytne, using rifles. One Ukrainian soldier was wounded," the update said. A man who had been watching the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Tuesday allegedly choked and punched his girlfriend in a Pennsylvania motel room when she wanted to watch something else, according to charging documents. Lonnie D. Clark, 53, who lives at the northern York County motel, faces charges of strangulation, simple assault and harassment. Police responded to the Scottish Inn at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday after Clark's girlfriend called 911. The woman reported that Clark had assaulted her and that she had left the room, documents state. 'It's like a civil war': Everyday Americans are distressed by the impeachment trial of President Trump Lonnie D. Clark, charged with strangulation, simple assault and harassment. Once Fairview Township Police officers arrived, they spoke with Clark's girlfriend, noting that she had red marks on her neck and right cheek. The woman told police that Clark had been drinking alcohol all day while watching the impeachment trial and "was upset," although documents do not state what caused his anger. When the woman told Clark she "would like to watch something else," Clark began to curse at her and called her "dumb" and "stupid." She tried to talk to Clark while seated on his lap, but he began to choke her with his hands, causing her to have trouble breathing, documents state. 'I got four hours sleep': Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial The woman broke free and tried to leave, but Clark punched her twice and pushed her several times. Clark grabbed her around the neck again and punched her when she attempted to leave a second time, according to documents. She eventually was able to get to the bathroom, where she hid until Clark left. She then ran out of the room and reached the motel's main office, where she called 911. "She advised that she was scared to come back to the room until police arrived," documents state. Latest in impeachment: House Democrats to continue detailing case against President Trump in Senate trial Story continues Police spoke with Clark, who said the two had gotten into an argument and that his girlfriend turned aggressive and so he pushed her away, documents state. "He provided little to no further information," according to documents. Clark was arraigned on the charges and was released on $5,000 unsecured bail. He has a preliminary hearing before District Judge Scott J. Gross scheduled for Feb. 24, according to online court dockets. Clark could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Follow Ted Czech on Twitter: @TedCzechYDR This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Trump impeachment trial on TV leads to Pennsylvania domestic assault BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.23 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) continues to provide support to Georgia, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava and USAID Mission Director in Georgia Peter Wiebler attended the ceremony of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the USAID Economic Security Program, the National Agency of State Property of Georgia and the Produce in Georgia Agency. The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. The memorandum was signed by USAID Economic Security Program Chief Mark McCord, Chairman of the National Agency of State Property of Georgia Georgi Dugladze and Director General of the Produce in Georgia Agency Mikhail Khidureli. The US government is providing unprecedented support to Georgia, which is confirmed by a number of practical actions, said Turnava. According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the purpose of cooperation under this memorandum is to promote employment and investment potential and increase sales and income for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises by promoting the development of new and differentiated products. USAID has long been successfully working with the Georgian government in sectors such as energy, agriculture and others. We are pleased to announce that today a new partnership has begun between the USAID Economic Security Program and the two agencies of Georgia, said Weibler. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 Because her blood-alcohol level was unusually high, a Pennsylvania woman can be prosecuted in a drunken driving case even if her blood was drawn for testing more than two hours after she crashed her car, the state Supreme Court has ruled. In short, Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor found there was plenty of evidence for prosecutors to extrapolate that Michelle Starry was way over the legal limit at the time of the January 2014 wreck. So, Saylor concluded in the courts majority opinion, it doesnt matter that there might have been a more than two-hour delay in securing the blood sample used to charge Starry with a highest rate of alcohol DUI count. The decision upholds an earlier state Superior Court ruling that overturned a Westmoreland County judges dismissal of Starrys highest-rate DUI charge. Starrys case was born when the one-car crash occurred sometime after 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning in January 2014. Police were alerted to the crash on a rural road just after noon. Starry was treated for her injuries at a hospital before her blood was drawn for testing at 1:40 p.m. That test showed her blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.304 percent, nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08, Saylor noted. The highest rate DUI law applies in cases where a motorist is found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.16 percent or greater within two hours of having driven a motor vehicle. Starrys challenge to her highest rate charge was based on timing. She argued that the within two hours provision in the law barred prosecutors from charging her with that offense because her blood was drawn more than two hours after she crashed. A main issue of dispute was when the crash occurred, Saylor noted. Starry left a friends house at 11 that morning. The first report of the wreck was made by a passing motorist at 11:49 a.m. The first cop on the scene was alerted at 12:06 p.m. and didnt arrive on the scene until a half-hour later. Emergency responders said they found Starry asleep in her damaged car. They said she smelled of alcohol, slurred her speech and was incoherent, Saylor wrote. In rejecting Starrys timing argument, the chief justice agreed with the Superior Courts finding that the evidence of her significant intoxication was more than ample regardless of when the blood draw occurred. We conclude that a strong inference may be drawn that (Starrys) blood-alcohol level exceeded 0.16 percent within this two-hour period after driving, Saylor wrote. The highest level DUI statute doesnt say a blood draw has to occur within two hours of when the person was driving, either, he found. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Bengaluru, Jan 23 : Digital payments platform PhonePe on Thursday launched a unique feature called 'PhonePe ATM' on its platform that will help users in need of cash can get instant money from merchants offering this facility. A customer in need of cash can simply open the PhonePe app, go to the 'Stores' tab and click on the 'PhonePe ATM' icon to locate nearby shops offering this facility. Currently, a user can avail Rs 1,000 a day from the merchant via this pilot feature, launched in the Delhi-NCR region to begin with. Go to the shop, click on the 'Withdraw' button and transfer the required amount to the merchant via the PhonePe app. Once the amount is transferred, the merchant will give the customer the cash equal to the amount transferred, the company said in a statement. "The PhonePe ATM allows customers to withdraw cash without any hassle through our trusted merchant partners. It also helps merchants avoid the hassle of storing cash and making multiple trips to the bank branch to deposit their extra cash," said Vivek Lohcheb, Head of Offline Business Development, PhonePe. There will not be any charge for customers or merchants for availing this service. The withdrawal limit for customers will be the same as the limit set by their respective banks. The move will enable neighbourhood stores to act as ATMs for the customers who cannot locate bank ATMs or reach an ATM out of cash. by Larissa Faw , January 23, 2020 Experience Kissimmee, the tourism bureau for the Florida city, is moving away from traditional tourism spots to instead introduce a 27-minute piece of branded content that plays like a travel documentary. The Finding Whelmed film, developed with agency Zambezi and filmmaker Tyler Measom, follows a global travel shows film crew as they go in search of their host, who has gone missing while on assignment in Kissimmee. Naturally the hunt requires these trackers to zip-line, frolic on the beach and engage in other fun Kissimmee activities as part of their search. "Creating a tourism campaign around a condition of perfectly Whelmed allows us to take potential visitors on a deeper journey of discovery, explains Gavin Lester, partner, Chief Creative Officer, Zambezi. He adds this film provides viewers with a taste of the unique vacation experience and state of being [Kissimmee] offers. advertisement advertisement The choice to make branded content in the form of a documentary as opposed to something more traditional like a :30 TV spot was inspired by Kissimmee itself, he says. The documentary format gave us the freedom to show off Kissimmee the place, while exploring the feeling you get from its combination of relaxation and excitement. The long-form documentary is currently running on YouTube, the FindingWhelmed website and Amazon Prime. Trailers appear on Buzzfeed, USA Today, Amazon Prime, among other digital sites. There will also be social media support. Did you know how the #MeToo movement began? Following the exposure of widespread sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood filmmaker Harvey Weinstein in Oct 2017, the #MeToo movement gained momentum in the west. Several women shared their horrifying stories of sexual abuse in order to empower women through empathy and strength. Celebrities came forth too. A lot of big names including Kevin Spacey were exposed. brightspotcdn.com Harvey Weinstein is a "seasoned" sexual predator and rapist who used his power to prey on inspiring women, said the prosecutors as the trial was heard from the first witness. "At the end of this trial, the evidence will be clear that the man seated right there is not just a tycoon in Hollywood, he was a rapist, sexually assaulting these women when they refused to comply with his desires and his orders." zvw.de His defense team, on the other hand, said said that he shared consensual relationships with his accusers, including the "loving one" in which one of the women called him her "casual boyfriend." pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com The woman who said that she was raped by him in 2013 in a hotel room has been identified as Jessica Mann, who said that she first met him at a party in Los Angeles when she was 25. She alleged that she was first raped at a hotel in the New York. Weinstein had injected himself an erection drug, according to the prosecutor. publicbroadcasting.net The producer reportedly raped her again the following Nov, when she agreed to cut Weinstein's hair in another hotel room. "Jessica buried her trauma and she tried to move on... until October 2017 when she finally realised it was not her, it was him," Hast said in court. Weinstein faces life in prison for reportedly sexually assaulting the three women. He has denied the allegations. The United Nation's top court on Thursday ruled that Myanmar must implement emergency measures to protect Rohingya Muslims against violence and preserve evidence of possible genocide. The decision from the International Court of Justice on a request filed by Gambia, represented the first reckoning against Myanmar after decades of alleged atrocities against the beleaguered Muslim minority, including charges of indiscriminate killing, torture and rape. Thursday's ruling, the first step in a legal process that is likely to run for years, did not make a final determination of whether Myanmar, which is run by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, could be found responsible for genocide, among the most severe crimes under international law. Those charges have been resoundingly rejected by Myanmar authorities, who have maintained that they were responding to an insurgency by Rohingya Muslim radicals and did not have any premeditated intention against the group. Yet, it does mean that Myanmar must now cease destroying any evidence of genocide, making it more likely that a court could find proof of this crime further down the road, and will have to take immediate steps to protect the minority living in its borders. Separate international proceedings at the International Criminal Court are ongoing against Myanmar. It also sends a strong signal of hope to the more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who have lived in squalid refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh since August 2017, driven out amid stories of rape, indiscriminate killing and torture. There are also still hundreds of thousands Rohingya inside Myanmar, living without citizenship rights or freedom of movement. "As Rohingya, we feel vindicated today that the International Court of Justice has effectively established that genocide is the possible name of our persecution," said Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition. "Justice is partially served. We know that there is a long road ahead [but] this is a great day for the Rohingya." Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, the current president of the court, said on Thursday that the ICJ is "of the opinion that the Rohingya in Myanmar remain extremely vulnerable." Yet, he added, Myanmar has not presented concrete measures to the court aimed at ensuring "the right of the Rohingya to exist as a protected group." The provisional measures he announced on Thursday mandated Myanmar to "take all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide against the group, including killings, rape, destruction of villages and land, and other actions "calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Rohingya group." Myanmar must also allow access to evidence of genocide, and must report on its progress within four months - with follow-ups every six months thereafter. Myanmar on Thursday also lost its legal challenge against the ICJ, which they contended does not have jurisdiction over the case, as well as against Gambia, which they said had no legal basis to bring the claim to the court. Suu Kyi, Myanmar's civilian leader, defended her country against the charges at The Hague last month, what many saw as the completion of her fall from international human rights icon to a defender of mass atrocities. In an op-ed published in the Financial Times on Thursday, Suu Kyi once again criticized human rights groups which she said have condemned her country "based on unproven statements without the due process of criminal investigation," and defended Myanmar's efforts at accountability. In comments to The Washington Post, Myo Nyunt, spokesman for her ruling National League for Democracy party, said Suu Kyi has urged her countrymen to stand together in the face of the decision. "Right now, we can't say what exactly our next steps will be," he said, expressing sadness at the court's ruling. "We have to study and learn what the impact of this decision will be on our state, which is a sovereign state." In November, Gambia, the smallest country in continental Africa, filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice accusing Myanmar of genocide against Rohingya Muslims, in violation of a 1948 convention that both countries are signatories to. The ICJ can rule on disputes between states. Experts in international justice said the court's ruling that Gambia did indeed have a case against Myanmar set a strong precedent, and also acknowledged at the United Nations' highest court that the Rohingya is a vulnerable group in need of protection. "There was a level of complicity that existed around the Rohingya," said Akila Radhakrishnan, president of the New York-based Global Justice Center. "The ruling not only sends a signal to Myanmar that its flimsy excuses won't be accepted, but also sends a signal to the rest of the international community that there are still some serious risks to the Rohingya that must be acted on." Many in Myanmar have overwhelmingly supported Suu Kyi in her defense of their country at their Hague, and have also backed the military in their clearance operation against the Rohingya. During the hearing in December, hundreds of residents gathered outside the city hall in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, to watch the hearings broadcast live on huge screens. Banners supporting Suu Kyi and the military were erected all over the country. However, some ethnic minority and civil society groups have backed the proceedings at the United Nations' court, seeing the military's actions as a long-standing pattern of behavior dating back decades. A day before Thursday's ruling, over a hundred civil society groups signed on to a statement saying that their country's "political and military policies have always been imposed with violent force and intimidation upon the people of Myanmar, systematically and institutionally, on the basis of their political and religious beliefs and ethnic identities." "We civil societies wish to declare our commitment to working together on the side of truth and justice according to international human rights standards," the statement added, welcoming the ICJ's case. - - - Mahtani reported from Hong Kong. The Washington Post's Cape Diamond in Yangon contributed to this report. Lander & Rogers launched a family and relationship law practice in Brisbane this week. Mark Parker, partner and national head of the practice group, said that the family and relationship law practice of the national firm is well established, with a history of more than 30 years in Melbourne. The firm launched the practice in Sydney in 2016. This expansion to Brisbane will strengthen our ability to service our clients across the eastern seaboard, Parker said. "It's not just about national growth, though. As the world has become smaller, the movement in cross-border jurisdictions has increased. In recent years, we have seen growth in work which has involved Australian family law and its intersection with the family law jurisdictions in the Asian market, in particular Singapore and Hong Kong. The Lighthouse is being hailed as one of the best and strangest films of the year. Its director tells Esther McCarthy about casting Robert Pattinson, and why he used 100-year-old lenses SHOT on black and white film and framed in a screen size not commonly used in movies since the 1930s, The Lighthouse is being acclaimed as one of 2020s best and strangest films. Almost entirely a two-hander between Robert Pattinson and Willem Defoe, the film is set in a remote, storm-blasted New England lighthouse in the 19th century. They play two very different lighthouse keepers whose tempers start to fray during a lengthy stint on the isolated rock. The movie is co-written and directed by Robert Eggers, who was courted by many of the major studios following the huge success of his last horror, The Witch. Instead of churning out a comic-book blockbuster, the maverick filmmaker created this salty, eccentric, Beckett-like tale. I didnt expect The Witch to do very well, he said of the film, which became a sensation, making about $40 million from a $3.5m budget. I thought it was good enough to get some kind of distribution. I hoped that it would be received critically enough that someone might let me make another movie. Instead it was a whole different thing. Because Im an American filmmaker, the doors to Hollywood open and theres lots of offers to take meetings for franchise movies and all this kind of stuff. I didnt want to do that, but I did think, let me try to make some larger movies that are my own because I have an opportunity to do that. I still didnt have the control that I wanted at that scale, so me and the studio that I was working with on two films, neither of us was able to compromise enough to meet the other one in a place where we felt like we were making the same movie that we all wanted to make. The fortunate thing, and again I acknowledge what a lucky position it is to be in, is that A24 and RT Features wanted to work with me again, and they were kind of waiting for these big movies to fall apart. When The Lighthouse became something that could happen, they greeted me with open arms, even though I think they thought: This is the movie he wants to make?! he laughed. They couldnt have been more supportive in allowing me and my collaborators to make a film where the compromises were basically due to Mother Nature, physics, time. Directed by Eggers and co-written with his brother Max, the project gave him the opportunity to work closely with his sibling, and a family shorthand when it came to developing ideas. Im seven years older than him; he has a twin brother, Sal and they were sometimes my props for theatrical endeavours that I was doing. Theres lots of photographs of me dressing them in costumes that they were forced to wear. It was great. Theres trust there and we know each other well. Either of us can babble incoherent sentence fragments and we understand what the other is saying. TECH SPEC Technically, The Lighthouse is a stunning achievement in filmmaking, and a worthy cinematography nominee for the Oscars. Its shot on black and white 35mm film almost unheard of in modern filmmaking where black and white films are originally shot in colour and then converted. Eggers used one camera lens from 1912 and others from the 1930s. The film even has a square, Movietone aspect ratio (1.19:1). Was this ratio in keeping with a style and period he wanted to pay homage to? Yes and no. It wasnt used a whole lot, it was used in the early sound era. Certainly this film was inspired by a lot of films that were made in the early sound era like Man of Aran among others. Its even more square than 133 or Academy 137. But also its a great tool format for our story because youre photographing and framing a vertical object, a lighthouse tower. With Cinemascope, thats not a great aspect ratio for a lighthouse tower. Its better at conveying the cramped interior spaces of the lighthouse. Its also a fantastic aspect ratio for closeups of two of the finest faces and four of the greatest cheekbones. Both Pattinson, who has been forging a fascinating indie film career for himself since Twilight, and Defoe embraced the tough shoot, which involved harsh weather, being submerged in water, eating mud and many other indignities. Willem and Rob knew what they signed up for. I mean, Robs a little bit of a masochist, so its worked out well. I think he always wanted to do this kind of stuff. Thats the impression that I get. If I were an actor at his age and I was offered Edward in Twilight, even if I wanted to be making Claire Denis [French director] movies, I would say yes. HORROR TIME Robert Eggers previous film was The Witch, a hugely popular budget horror. Its an exciting time for the horror genre, with filmmakers like Eggers, Ari Aster (Hereditary), Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Jennifer Kent (The Nightingale) broadening their own approaches to the genre and using it to tell powerful stories. It comes as a surprise, then, to learn that Eggers was not an entrenched horror fan before he made his debut. Horror felt like a genre that given my interests, I could have a good time with. Before The Witch, I didnt really watch very many horror movies. If I had the flu, I would watch Hammer Horror movies, because they were comforting. These genre movies allow filmmakers to make personal films that are interesting and unique with the financial insurance for a distributor or a financier, he added. Thats the lovely thing about genre. And they are also fun its fun to give yourself the challenge to work in a genre and play by the rules and break the rules. The Witch I do see as a horror movie. The Lighthouse, I dont know what I see it as. Im happy to call it a horror movie. Im happy people call it a horror movie. I dont really care. I think its closer to the literary genre of a weird tale like M.R James, Arthur Machen, Blackwood, Lovecraft. He feels that using labels simply helps people have conversations about cinema and storytelling. What frustrates me and I understand because it comes from an earnest place, because Im a nerd and I have my passions. But I do get frustrated with my fellow nerds, who are upset when someone calls something horror, psychological horror, thriller and they feel like theyve used the term wrong because its ticked the wrong boxes. Were just trying to talk about stuff we like. I dont see why we have to argue about things like that. The Lighthouse opens in cinemas next Friday, January 31 Donald Trump will be the first president to attend the annual anti-abortion rally March for Life, the White House has confirmed. Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said: He will be the first president to attend and we are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn. She called Mr Trump and his administration consistent champions for life and praised their unwavering support for the rally, which will be held in Washington DC. After returning to the White House from Switzerland, where he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Trump tweeted: See you on Friday Big Crowd! He announced his attendance on 22 January, the 47th anniversary of the historic Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision to protect pregnant womens choice to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Show all 20 1 /20 Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Missouri AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Alabama Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced New York AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Georgia Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Atlanta Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Alabama AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Missouri Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Alabama AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Georgia Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Georgia Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Missouri AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Washington, DC Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Louisiana AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Louisiana AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Missouri AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Missouri AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Missouri AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Washington, DC AFP/Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Georgia Getty Protests across US after abortion laws enforced Alabama AFP/Getty And one day before the Roe v. Wade anniversary, Mr Trump declared 21 January National Sanctity of Human Life Day to strongly reaffirm our commitment to protect the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death. In 2018, Mr Trump was also the first president to speak at the march via a video feed, and in 2017 became the first sitting president to attend the Value Voters Summit, organised by the Family Research Council, which opposes abortion and homosexuality. From appointing anti-abortion judges to giving millions of dollars to prominent anti-abortion groups, Mr Trump has been dubbed the most pro-life President in history by social conservatives. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, said in a tweet: President Trump has governed as the most pro-life president in history. His presence at the worlds largest pro-life event signals a truly watershed moment for the Pro-Life Movement. The rally comes just weeks before the US Supreme Court hears its first major abortion case since the addition of two justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh who were appointed by Mr Trump. Abortion and womens rights activists have called Mr Trumps attendance at the rally a strategy to distract attention away from his impeachment trial, which started on 16 January. Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said: In a desperate attempt to divert attention from his criminal presidency and fire up his radical base, Trump will be the first POTUS to attend the annual gathering of anti-choicers on Friday, which he announced today on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade because thats how he rolls. Planned Parenthood Action, the political arm of the family planning non-profit organisation Planned Parenthood, said: Since day one, the Trump-Pence administration has sought to undermine our access to health care, including safe, legal abortion. But 77 per cent of us who support that access will have our say in November. Lets make sure that next year, hes there [at the march] as a private citizen. Amelia Bonow, co-founder of abortion rights group Shout Your Abortion, told the Independent: "Trump's appearance at the March for Life is not surprising - his election hinged promising wealthy, evangelical donors the end of abortion rights. But a quarter of American women have abortions, a new study says that 99 percent of them don't regret their decision and 77 percent of Americans support Roe v. Wade. "Even the majority of Republicans support Roe v. Wade. Whatever progress this administration makes in eliminating abortion access will be wildly unpopular and Americans of every poltical stripe will continue having abortions, legal or not." About four months after being shot by a sheriffs deputy at the Jackson County Courthouse, 72-year-old Fred Swearengin was found dead this morning in the rural community of Hytop, Alabama. Swearengins body was found at the bottom of a bluff on wildlife management area land around 10:40 a.m., said Rocky Harnen, the Jackson County sheriffs chief deputy. Harnen said there wasnt any sign of foul play, and it wasnt yet clear whether Swearengin had fallen to his death or suffered some other medical emergency. AL.coms efforts to reach Swearengins family for comment werent immediately successful this afternoon. Swearengin was shot and injured by a deputy last year when he entered the courthouse in Scottsboro while armed with a handgun and loaded magazines. While Swearengin was never arrested and charged with a crime in connection with the incident, Harnen said a grand jury had issued an indictment charging Swearengin with attempted assault. But because Swearengin was still receiving medical treatment, Harnen said, he hadnt yet been taken into custody on the warrant. We figured hed heal better outside of jail, Harnen said. Swearengins family reported him missing earlier this month. He was last seen on Jan. 5. The authorities began searching for Swearengin at the wildlife management area on Tuesday after a hunter found his truck parked near a hunting area. Shortly after resuming the search this morning, a crew in a state law enforcement helicopter saw the mans body. Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks attends her first meeting in City Hall on Jan. 23, 2020. Read more After an election marked by victories for progressives and upstarts and defeats for some longtime incumbents, a new Philadelphia City Council kicked off its first working meeting Thursday with a series of liberal proposals on issues such as housing, workers rights, and gun violence. Freshman Councilmember Kendra Brooks of the Working Families Party called for hearings on whether Philadelphia should adopt a rent control system, kicking off what is sure to be a heated debate. Councilmember Bobby Henon proposed requiring businesses to provide employees with paid leave for family medical emergencies. And Henon joined Councilmember Helen Gym in a proposal to create a permanent Department of Labor to enforce worker-protection rules. Thats what we ran on, said Brooks, the first Council member from outside the two major parties in more than a century. We have to get started immediately, and were ready. Gym said progressives feel urgency to pass legislation as the broader political climate has encouraged activists to focus on local issues. Now more than ever," Gym said, people feel like local politics is where we can effect the most amount of change right now, when a lot of state-level and congressional-level politics has stagnated. Henon had previously proposed establishing a permanent city department for protecting workers, a task now handled by a mayoral office. But he said he believes the measure will fare better this year. I think the timing is perfect for it, not just with this Council but with the policies that were going to be tackling here, Henon said. Council in recent years has passed several significant worker-protection measures, including ones that have put Philadelphia on the front lines of progressive policy-making across the country. Some of the new proposals are sure to meet with skepticism from more moderate members of Council, and from the business community, which has been attempting to reboot its political strategy and gain more influence in City Hall. Councilmember Allan Domb, for instance, said the problem for Philadelphians struggling to stay in their homes is not that rents are too high but that incomes are too low. Do we have a cost problem or do we have an income problem? Domb said. How do we improve the annual incomes of people in the city? ... The other issues are a symptom of that. Combating gun violence has long been on Councils agenda, but its taken on new urgency as last years spike in shootings and homicides has continued in the new year. Council President Darrell L. Clarke on Thursday proposed suing Pennsylvania to allow cities to regulate guns, which courts in the past have ruled is the sole domain of more firearms-friendly state lawmakers in Harrisburg. He introduced a resolution Thursday allowing Council to hire lawyers to begin the case. Every member cosponsored the measure except the bodys two Republicans, David Oh and Brian ONeill. The city has failed in previous attempts to gain the authority to regulate guns. This time, the city will pursue a legal strategy of framing gun violence as a public health crisis, instead of simply challenging language in state law known as the preemption clause that restricts firearm regulation to Harrisburg, Clarke said. People in Philadelphia are tired and frustrated with gun violence happening every day in their neighborhoods, Clarke said. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Lawmakers also introduced a number of bills that either failed to pass in the previous session or were shot down by Mayor Jim Kenney. Kenney in December killed six bills after Council adjourned for the year by letting them expire, a maneuver known as a pocket veto. The move blindsided and angered Council members. Four of the bills were authored by members returning to Council this year, and of those, three were reintroduced Thursday: a Clarke proposal to require developers to negotiate community benefits agreements with neighborhood groups, a measure by Domb to give poor Philadelphians a partial refund from the city wage tax, and a bill by Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson to increase the homestead exemption for property taxes. Domb on Thursday also introduced legislation that could limit members to serving no more than four four-year terms. There are currently no Council term limits, and the longest-serving member, ONeill, has been in office since 1980. Domb previously pushed unsuccessfully for a measure limiting members to three terms. He hopes his latest proposal, which would also exempt all current members, will make it easier to win approval from his colleagues and from voters, who would also have to approve the change to the citys Home Rule Charter in a referendum. Four terms is something thats not hard to say yes to, he said. Security authorities in Ghana are taking drastic measures to clamp down on terrorists and illegal migration. It is against this background that a new platform to boost information amongst security agencies has been launched in Accra. The platform dubbed, the National Border Fusion Centre is under the Security Governance Initiative and funded in partnership with the United States government. The centre will among other things assist in combating illegal migration, terrorism and other border-related illegalities. Speaking at the launch, Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul said the centre will help in closing the gap within Ghanas security architecture. This centre will bring together several of the our intelligence and security agencies notably the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Reasearch Department, Ghana Immigration Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, National Control Board, Ghana Police Service, and several other agencies to run a maritime domain under one roof to facilitate and share information and intelligence in a timely manner. Such coordination will help fight crime and drug trafficking, illegal migration, terrorism, piracy and many other transnational crimes, he said. Fighting Crime Following recent crimes such as the killing of an investigative journalist, Ahmed Hussein Suale as well as the kidnapping of three girls in Takoradi, concerns have been raised about the way the police operates in an era where crime has become more sophisticated. Many stakeholders are asking the Ghana Police Service to embrace the use of modern technology as an effective way of dealing with the complex and changing face of crime in the country. The Bureau of Public Safety last year expressed concern about the growing incident of violent crimes including murder in the country. The bureau in its 2019 half-year report remarked that Crime and Violent Crime continue to be a matter of concern as the two account for over 60% of all public safety events reported between April and June 2019. It noted that violent crimes increased by over 43% in the second quarter and accounted for more than 25% deaths over the first half of the year. Greek minister for migration and refugee said the anxiety and resentment of the inhabitants of the islands at the forefront of the migration crisis are justified, and promised to take measures to combat the increase in the number of arrivals, AP reported. Residents of the Lesvos, Chios and Samos islands held a two-day protest and went on strike, demanding that the government solve the problem of overcrowding of migrant camps. Local mayors and the governor of the region went to Athens to meet the Minister of Migration Notis Mitarakis. We consider citizens anxiety and indignation justified, Mitarakis said after the meeting at the prime ministers office. Our country is indeed dealing with a migration crisis and increased migration flows in 2019. The minister said the increased number of people in the camps was in turn putting pressure on local communities. According to him, the government and local island officials agreed on current priorities, which should reduce the entry of more people, ease overcrowding of island camps, accelerate the return to Turkey, improve the asylum process and medical facilities on the islands. The minister said he would meet with mayors and the governor of the region every two weeks. BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Thursday issued orders barring teachers of government colleges from taking private classes. Any violation will attract serious disciplinary action, warned higher education minister Arun Kumar Sahoo. We have issued an order asking teachers of government colleges not to take private classes. Strong action will be taken if any teacher is found violating the order, the minister told reporters at an event. He called upon the parents present at the event to inform the authorities if they found any college teacher taking private classes. In another development, the government decided to introduce spoken English in elementary education. English will be added to the curriculum from Class I. Currently, English is being taught as a subject from Class III. The new initiative is aimed at improving students enrolment in the state-run schools, sources said. The African-American Film Critics Association held its annual awards show on Wednesday night in Hollywood. And leading the celebrity red carpet were actresses Issa Rae and Garcelle Beauvais. The ladies were a study in contrasts with their sleek fashion choices. Stylish stars: Issa Rae and Garcelle Beauvais led the red carpet at the African-American Film Critics Association Awards on Wednesday night in Hollywood Beauvais, 53, chose a wrap-around long-sleeve black blouse that flashed a little cleavage. She added flared trousers with silver sequin detailing and left her long hair loose. Rae, 35, known for The Hate U Give and Insecure, opted for an ankle-length sleeveless dress. The ochre number had a gold belt around the waist and she added silver sandal heels and pendant earrings. Sleek: Former NYPD Blue star Beauvais, 53, chose a wrap-around long-sleeve black blouse that flashed a little cleavage. Led the red carpet: She added flared trousers with silver sequin detailing and left her long hair loose Pretty: Rae, 35, known for The Hate U Give and Insecure, opted for an ankle-length sleeveless dress Looking good: The ochre number had a gold belt around the waist and she added silver sandal heels and pendant earrings The AAFCA announced the winners of its awards last month. It named Jordan Peele's horror movie Us as the best film of 2019 with Peele honored as best director and star Lupita Nyong'o as best actress. Korean film Parasite won best foreign film and best screenplay and writer and director Bong Joon-ho was on hand to celebrate at the event. Another award: Korean film Parasite won best foreign film and best screenplay and writer and director Bong Joon-ho was on hand to celebrate at the event Family affair: Best Documentary went to Netflix's The Black Godfather, a film about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. Avant attended with his wife Jacqueline, his daughter Nicole Avant and her husband, Netflix head Ted Sarandos, and Reginald Hudlin who directed the film Winners: Da'Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress for her performance in Dolemite Is My Name while best breakout performance went to Kelvin Harrison Jr. for Waves Best Documentary went to Netflix's The Black Godfather, a film about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. Avant attended with his wife Jacqueline, his daughter Nicole Avant and her husband, Netflix head Ted Sarandos, and Reginald Hudlin who directed the film. Eddie Murphy won best actor for Dolemite Is My Name and co-star Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who showed up for the awards show, won best supporting actress for her performance in the comedy. Best supporting actor went to Jaime Foxx for the drama Just Mercy and while he skipped the red carpet, he did take the stage to accept his trophy. Best breakout performance went to Kelvin Harrison Jr. for Waves. The AAFCA's Impact Award was presented to director Melina Matsoukas, 39, for her debut feature Queen & Slim. First movie: The AAFCA's Impact Award was presented to director Melina Matsoukas, 39, for her debut feature Queen & Slim Dazzling: Nia DaCosta, left, Tiffany Tenille, center, and Tichina Arnold, right, all put on a glamorous show as they posed up a storm on the red carpet Star power: Best supporting actor went to Jaime Foxx for the drama Just Mercy and while he skipped the red carpet, he did take the stage to accept his trophy Leading lights: Foxx, 52, posed with his award backstage with Sterling K. Brown and Garcelle Beauvais BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday took the basis of mythology to attack the Opposition over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as he likened the newly enacted law to Lord Krishna and those opposing it to the tyrant ruler Kansa. The Opposition has been protesting against the CAA, deeming it to be discriminatory and against the principles of the Indian Constitution. The Centre, on the other hand, has maintained that the law, which fast-tracks citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, will not affect any existing citizen. Vijayvargiya, in a tweet, compared the new law to the eighth son of Devki and the Opposition to her brother Kansa. "CAA, NRC na hua... Devaki ka aathva putra ho gaya ki paida hone se pehle hi Kansa ko apna aant nazar aane laga (It seems as if CAA and NRC will do what the eighth son of Devaki did, even before his birth Kansa is fearing his end)," the BJP leader tweeted. In Hindu mythology, there was a prophecy that Kansa, the king of Mathura would be killed by his sister Devaki's son. So, Kansa killed all sons of Devaki to defy the prediction and save himself. But Lord Krishna survived and later killed him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing his attention towards a female ascetic hailing from the state who has been on a fast for more than a month with the demand of "concrete action" for Ganga rejuvenation. In his letter, Kumar expressed fears of "deterioration of health" of Sadhvi Padmavati - who hails from his native district of Nalanda, and has been living in Haridwar without food since December 15 last year. The prime minister had last month chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Kanpur and said that rejuvenation of the river should be a shining example of cooperative federalism. According to officials, the central government had made a commitment of providing Rs 20,000 crore for the period 2015-20 to the five states through which the Ganga passes, to ensure adequate and uninterrupted flow. "It is requested that initiatives be taken to address the issues raised by Sadhvi Padmavati, Matri Sadan, Haridwar and she be convinced to call off her fast," Kumar said in the letter. The young 'daughter of Bihar' was spoken about by water activist and Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh, when he was here on January 21 to join Kumar's state-wide human chain organised in support of environment conservation and drives against alcoholism, dowry and child marriage. He had also expressed delight over the Jal-Jeevan- Hariyali campaign launched by the chief Minister last year. The impoverished state's thrust on combating climate change has earned plaudits from luminaries, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates. E leven migrants were picked up by French authorities in the English Channel today. A boat was detected four and a half miles north of Calais at about 1.45am. The patrol craft Aramis was dispatched to the migrant boat, which had engine failure. Air temperatures were thought to be as low as 5C and 10 of the individuals on board had mild hypothermia. The 11th was reported to be in a more serious condition. They were taken aboard the Aramis at 2.47am and brought to the port of Calais. All are now safe. French authorities reiterated warnings about crossing the dangerous shipping lanes. The Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is fast approaching this weekend. It is celebrated on the occasion of the beginning of a new year according to the Chinese traditional calendar. The first day of the Chinese New Year is celebrated when the first new moon appears, which is usually between 21 January to 20 February. The festivities usually start the day before the new year and continue until the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the new year. This year, in 2020, the Chinese new year will be celebrated on 25th January 2020. Each Chinese New Year is characterized by one of the twelve animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac last year was the Year of the Pig and 2020 is the Year of the Rat- the animal which symbolizes wealth and the beginning of a new day. With this festival comes a host of superstitions that are apparently supposed to dictate how the next twelve months will play out for each individual. These superstitions surrounding Chinese New Year are to be avoided on the first day of the festival: 1. Washing Hair: Washing hair on the first day is considered bad luck. In the Chinese language, hair has the same pronunciation and character as fa in facai, which means to become wealthy. Therefore, it is seen as not a good thing to wash ones fortune away at the beginning of the New Year. The same goes for cutting ones hair. Also read: Tokyo, Bangkok, Taipei top destinations for travellers during Lunar New Year 2. Medicine: Avoid taking medicine on the first day, since taking medicine on the first day of the New Year means one will get ill for a whole year. According to the superstitions, you should avoid going to the doctor, getting surgery or shots on this day too. 3. Wifes family: Traditionally, the bride moves into the grooms home after marriage and celebrates the Chinese New Year with her in-laws. Returning to her parents on New Years Day means that there are marriage problems and this may bring bad luck to the entire family. The couple can visit the wifes family on the 2nd day. This could be the perfect excuse to not visit, just in case. B07CM5C58T 4. Going out: A young woman or girl should not leave her house on the first day, otherwise she will be plagued with bad luck for the entire coming year. This is also the reason why the day of the Lantern Festival is also known as Chinese Valentines Day since the girls are allowed to stay out at night and enjoy themselves in social festivities on the last day of the festival. 5. Cleaning: Washing laundry on the first and the second day is considered a taboo because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of Shuishen (the Water God). Even sweeping your home with a broom means sweeping your wealth away too. Each Chinese New Year is characterized by one of the twelve animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac last year was the Year of the Pig and 2020 is the Year of the Rat- the animal which symbolizes wealth and the beginning of a new day. (Instagram/ rudis_photo ) 6. New Year blessings: New Year blessings (bai nian) are very important, and so it is crucial to not wish someone still in bed, otherwise, theyll be bed-ridden for the entire year. Forcefully waking someone up or telling them to wake up is also considered wrong, you dont want someone to be rushed around and bossed around for the year. You can sleep without any interruptions! 7. Crying children: The cry of a child is believed to bring bad luck to the family so parents do their best to keep children as happy as possible or stay away from them if they are not yours. B07YG5C6N7, B07WCFB3PM 8. Sharp objects: The use of knives, scissors and other sharp objects is to be avoided as any accident is thought to lead to inauspicious things and the depletion of wealth. 9. Monochrome fashion: Red is supposed to be incorporated in everything from clothes, hairband to the insoles of shoes. White or black clothes are traditionally associated with mourning and so are barred. 10. Debt repayment: Demanding debt repayment or borrowing money is taboo. On the occasion of harmony and peace, this custom is a show of understanding to let everyone celebrate without worry. Demanding repayment brings bad luck to both parties. However, its fair game after the 5th day. (At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter A majority of GPs say they are not ready to provide free visits to children under eight, according to a new poll. Nearly eight in 10 of a group of 500 GPs said they do not have the capacity to deliver the free visits, despite a Fine Gael pledge that the benefit would be extended to this age group later this year. The poll, carried out by the confidential doctors' portal GP Buddy, found just 12.1pc of family doctors who replied said they would be capable of taking on the under-8s. Another 8.4pc were unsure of their ability to deliver the service at this point. Commenting on the findings, Dublin GP Dr Maitiu O Tuathail said they indicate that talking about the extension of free GP care to children under eight "is largely irrelevant". There is little point in proposing the measure if people cannot access the GP to provide them with that care, he said. "We need to fix the problems in general practice first and bring it to a place whereby it has the capacity to the take on the increased workload that universal access will entail, otherwise general practice will collapse and will be lost forever," he said. "In the UK, universal access to GPs exists, and people there wait two to three weeks for a GP appointment. "That will be replicated here if universal access to GP care is brought in, in an unsustainable way. This is a critical part of the conversation that politicians are not being honest with the public (about). Eligibility to GP care does not necessarily equal accessibility. "Discussions have yet to commence with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) with regards to the extension, so it is unfortunate that promises are being made to the electorate with no guarantee that they will be delivered." Extending free GP care based on age "is not in keeping with the vision of Slaintecare", he added. "Universal access to GP care should be based on medical need and income, so that the sickest and poorest in society get universal access to GPs first. "Giving universal access based on age to those who are well and who can afford it, before those who are sick and cannot, is morally wrong. It is electioneering, nothing more." Health Minister Simon Harris said Fine Gael's election manifesto included a promise to extend free GP care to all under-18s by 2025. "Fine Gael believes a parent should never have to choose between the health of their child and the cost of care," he said. Negotiations with the IMO have been promised in advance of the roll-out. A Federal High Court in Enugu on Wednesday sentenced four women to six months imprisonment each for engaging minors to beg for alms for them. Justice R.O Oghoghorie, sentenced Chinasa Ugwu, 28; Mary Effiong, 19; Grace Bright, 25 and Happiness Asuquo, 20. They had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), charged Ugwu, Effiong, Bright and Asuquo with trafficking and child abuse. Justice Oghoghories, however, gave the women an option to pay a fine of N10, 000 each. NAPTIP accused the women of employing the services of three minors to beg for alms begging and hired out and also hired out the babies for the same purpose. The agency said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 23(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Act 2015. The prosecution counsel, Mr Nnamdi Ezemagu, applied for the review of the facts of the case. Speaking after the judgment, Mrs Comfort Agboko, Enugu Zonal Commander, NAPTIP, expressed satisfaction with the conviction. Agboko said that the matter was transferred to NAPTIP by the Enugu Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). She said that the NSCDC in July 2019 arrested Ugwu who was in possession of three infants on suspicion of child trafficking and abuse. Source:[NAN] A new immersive performance will allow audience members to experience a plane crash. Or at least, some audience members there are two realities and two possible outcomes to their journey. The flight simulator experience, called FLIGHT, will take place in Nottingham and is not recommended for people of a nervous disposition, according to the shows description. Created by Darkfield, the pop-up show takes place in a converted 40ft shipping container thats been transformed into an exact replica of a Boeing 707 aircraft. Once onboard, participants will be plunged into total darkness, while 360 degree sound and sensory effects will put each audience member at the centre the narrative. World's safest airlines 2020 Show all 20 1 /20 World's safest airlines 2020 World's safest airlines 2020 Qantas Check up: the Qantas fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft are being examined Qantas World's safest airlines 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Eva Air Eva Air Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Etihad Etihad Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Heathrow Airport World's safest airlines 2020 Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Emirates Emirates AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Virgin Australia Virgin Australia Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines World's safest airlines 2020 Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic World's safest airlines 2020 TAP Portugal TAP Portugal Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 SAS SAS AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Bjorn Strey/Wikimedia World's safest airlines 2020 SWISS SWISS Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Finnair Finnair Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa Reuters World's safest airlines 2020 Aer Lingus Aer Lingus AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 KLM KLM Getty The performance explores the Many-Worlds theory of quantum mechanics and takes audience members through two worlds, two realities and two possible outcomes to the journey. There are many worlds in which this plane lands safely, says the shows website. We are not responsible for your final destination. Darkfield is a theatrical project that uses binaural sound to create a 3D stereo sound sensation, plus darkness and movement, to immerse the audience in fast-paced, constantly evolving narratives. The show will run from 15-23 February throughout the day; tickets 8. Its not the only way of experiencing a flight without taking off. In July 2019, a hotel in Japan announced it was opening a room with a flight simulator to appeal to aviation enthusiasts. The Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu, inspired by its location near Tokyo Haneda Airports terminal 2, launched the Superior Cockpit Room from 18 July. However, #avgeeks have to book the experience separately as it is not included with the room price. The simulator experience, which must be taken with an instructor, lasts 90 minutes and costs 30,000 yen (221). Meanwhile, if guests book the Superior Cockpit Room 25,300 yen (186) a night for the twin room they are not allowed to sit in the pilots seat in the simulator or touch the instruments, according to the hotel website. Those who do book in for a flight will be able to simulate the experience of manoeuvring a Boeing 737-800 aircraft and flying from Haneda to Osakas Itami Airport. Ordinarily, news of a couple of Montana-made films acceptance to a Montana film festival might not be so newsworthy. But when the films were created by students of two different Indian reservations under the auspices of an award-winning media arts program, and when the festival is the largest of its kind in the American West and a darling of the industry, well, it just might be time to stop the presses. Screen time at the 17th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) isnt the only thing Looking Forward From Yesterday and In This Together, We Are One: The Buffalo Unity Project have in common. Though separated by nearly two hundred miles of Montanas Hi-Line, students at Harlem High School (near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation) and Poplar Middle School (Fort Peck Indian Reservation) have each created gorgeous and powerful short films about reconnecting with nearly-vanished aspects of their cultures. Both films are projects of MAPS Media Lab, the statewide outreach program of the MAPS Media Institute, a nationally awarded Montana-based educational nonprofit that offers free-of-charge, professional instruction in media arts to middle and high school students across the state. Looking Forward From Yesterday is laced with heavy beauty, as a combination of stunning landscape shots, found historical footage, and interviews with tribal elders weave together to tell a tale of pain, of loss, and ultimately of hope. It was filmed and edited in a five-day workshop in May of 2019, a timeline so truncated it makes the films accomplishments of storytelling craft even more impressive. This is the third film project weve done with the students of Harlem High School. These young artists have both skill and heart. They committed themselves to work hard during these few days of filming and editing, and it shows in the depth and creativity in the final production. says MAPS Media Lab Director, filmmaker Dru Carr. Its such an honest and intimate portrayal of a challenging subject, and it was powered by the students commitment and courage. Its been an honor to watch the growth in this groups journey over the past several years. In This Together, We Are One: The Buffalo Unity Project explores cultural reconnection through a more specific lens. Filmed and directed by seventh-grade students at Poplar Middle School, it documents a new program on the Fort Peck Reservation that teaches students about the complex, symbiotic relationship between Plains Indians (the reservation is home to bands of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes) and the American bison. The project culminates in the successful hunt of a reservation bison, with a particular focus on the spiritual connection between hunter and hunted. Because of the age and relative inexperience of the filmmakers, MAPS Media Lab staff were more involved in the production, though the students did plenty of the films heavy lifting. Students are more technically advanced than ever, but we were impressed by the maturity of these seventh graders, Carr says. They learned fast, worked hard, and put so much of themselves into the film. The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival runs Feb. 14 to 23 in downtown Missoula. Over the years it has grown into the premier film event in Montana, and is the largest U.S. documentary film festival west of the Mississippi. Though a hugely competitive festival this years film entries totaled more than 2,000 BSDFF is renowned among documentary filmmakers for its community-centered energy and inclusive access. It is an extraordinary honor to have MAPS productions screen again the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, says MAPS Executive Director Clare Ann Harff. Its such a unique and uplifting event, not only for the community of western Montana filmgoers who flock to Missoula in the middle of February, but also for the documentary film industry itself. And to have two of our student films play alongside some of the best non-fiction films in the world, well, lets just say that were as proud as we can be and the celebration will be grand! Its the second year in a row that a pair of MAPS films will screen at the prestigious festival. One of the 2019 entriesBrowning Rising Voices, about an innovative poetry club on the Blackfeet Indian Reservationrecently won the 2019 National Student Production Award in the Short Form Non-Fiction category, awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts and Science, better known as the presenters of the Emmy Awards. MAPS is able to provide its professional programs at no cost to students through the support of state and federal agencies, with significant investment from private foundations. Looking Forward From Yesterday was made possible in part by generous support from Montana GEAR UP and the Greater Montana Foundation. In This Together, We Are One was made possible in part by generous support from the Greater Montana Foundation and the Poplar School District. For more information about BSDFF, including the screening schedules when released, please visit bigskyfilmfest.org. For more information about MAPS Media Institute, visit mapsmediainstitute.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sea lions have already invaded Pier 39 more than three decades ago, waddling and barking in a perpetual blubbery mass that became a fixture of the Embarcaderos sun-faded docks. But starting this week, a hand-painted series of sculptures in their likeness can be found spread across the waterfront, downtown San Francisco and Golden Gate Park as part of a yearlong public art installation the Aquarium of the Bay hopes will achieve a world record: "Sea Lions in San Francisco." Illustrated by Bay Area artists, each six-foot-tall fiberglass statue serves as a life-sized reminder of the sea lion takeover that occurred just after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. They also warn observers of the hazards threatening the now-endangered marine mammals, which include ocean acidification, sea farming vessels, fishing nets, micro-plastics and PCB pollution, according to a press release from Aquarium by the Bay. MORE: She took a job at Pier 39 over 30 years ago. Then, the sea lions came. Thirty sea lions will pop up around the city one commemorating each year of their presence on the pier marking the path for a touristy, albeit educational jaunt through San Francisco. The walking tour starts at Sea Lion Center and Fishermans Wharf, detours in Union Square and stretches all the way to Agua Vista Park in Mission Bay. Each sculpture tells a unique story. One sea lion, covered in swirling anchovies and octopus tentacles, represents the animals favorite snacks. Doodled with San Francisco landmarks, another depicts a tour of the city. An additional sea lion, adorned with California poppies and Franciscan wallflowers, honors the wildlife native to the Bay Area, sending a broader message about the importance of local conservation and sustainability. Mottled in a blue terrazzo pattern, a closer look at artist Lisa Longs statue reveals surfers swimming in a sea of plastic. Yi Len Peis design recalls a surprising encounter she had with a little boy on Monterey Beach, who picked up garbage that had washed ashore as he played in the sand. "Such an innocent moment is exactly what I am trying to capture in this work that conservation and fun can co-exist," wrote Pei. ALSO: The great 2014 Pier 39 sea lion disappearance According to the press release, the exhibition is the largest public STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) program in California, an initiative that promotes the convergence of science and art in education. Each statue will be accompanied by a QR code that will read the artists statement aloud in one of eight languages. Rebeca Kaplan, the director of institutional advancement at the Aquarium, said they have also partnered with schools around the Bay Area to paint 3,000 mini sea lions. Their goal is to set a new record for the largest congruence of painted sea lion statues in the world. Last week, Mayor London Breed established Jan. 16 as San Franciscos official "Sea Lion Day" as they celebrated the anniversary of the sea lions arrival and kicked off the new project. "The Port is proud to host the sea lion installation all along the waterfront," said Elaine Forbes, the executive director of the Port of San Francisco. "We love seeing the majestic marine mammals in the water and are looking forward to seeing the artistic renderings dot the waterfront." Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the leading voice for the global cruise industry, highlighted today the findings of three independent reports released in 2019 that show Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), also known as scrubbers, when operated in open-loop mode, have minimal impact on water and sediment quality. The most recent report, conducted by CE Delft and co-sponsored by CLIA, analyzed the long-term impact of washwater discharges from EGCS on port water and sediment. Using empirical data from almost 300 EGCS washwater samplesthe most extensive dataset of this kind to dateit was found that such discharges have minimal environmental impact on water and sediment quality as compared to new European environmental quality standards entering into force in 2021. The CE Delft report and its findings follow two additional studies released in 2019 which were conducted to further understand the impact of EGCS on marine environments. This includes a two-year study conducted by DNV GL, which found washwater samples from 53 cruise ships equipped with EGCS to be below the limits set by major international water quality standards. Another recent study, conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, found the impact of scrubbers on water quality and marine life to be negligible. "EGCS systems are designed to effectively remove 98% of sulfur and well over 50% of particulate matter," said Brian Salerno SVP of Maritime Policy, CLIA. "These studies are important validators for the industry that these systems, whether operated in open or closed-loop modes, are safe for the environment, in compliance with the new restrictions set forth in IMO 2020 and in keeping with the industry's commitment to responsible tourism practices." Taken together, the studies further support the use of EGCS technology as a viable means for compliance with the IMO's 2020 sulfur requirements, which went into effect 1 January 2020 and mandate that emissions from maritime vessels not exceed 0.5% sulfur content, compared to 3.5% previously. Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems process emissions from ships to almost completely remove sulfur content and significantly reduce particulate matter found in exhaust. Additional means of compliance with IMO's 2020 regulations include the use of LNG fuel, which has virtually zero sulfur emissions, and use of compliant fuel such as Marine Gas Oil. The CLIA ocean going cruise fleet includes two ships that are currently using LNG for primary propulsion, with another 25 under construction or on the order books. All three reports are available at the following: About Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is the world's largest cruise industry trade association, providing a unified voice and leading authority of the global cruise community. The association has 15 offices globally with representation in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. CLIA supports policies and practices that foster a safe, secure, healthy and sustainable cruise ship environment for the 30 million passengers who cruise annually. The CLIA Community is comprised of the world's most prestigious ocean, river and specialty cruise lines; a highly trained and certified travel agent community; and cruise line suppliers and partners, including ports & destinations, ship development, suppliers and business services. The organization's mission is to be the unified global organization that helps its members succeed by advocating, educating and promoting for the common interests of the cruise community. For more information, visit www.cruising.org or follow Cruise Lines International Association on CLIA Facebook and Twitter pages. SOURCE Cruise Lines International Association Related Links https://cruising.org The United States financial chief on Thursday told Swedish teen Greta Thunberg to go study before calling for a fossil fuel halt, prompting the climate campaigner to reply it doesnt take a degree to understand the science. The spat between US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Thunberg again highlighted the tensions over climate change at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where governments have come under pressure to act on global warming as well as talk about the issue. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday also said in a keynote address that governments were obliged to act on the younger generations concerns over climate change. Mnuchin had earlier advised Thunberg, who has been bitterly critical of US policy during her stay at Davos, to study economics before giving out lessons. Asked about the 17-year-olds demand for an immediate halt to investment in fossil fuels, he told reporters: After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us. But in a thread of tweets, Thunberg dismissed Mnuchins comments in a typically withering response. My gap year ends in August, but it doesnt take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1.5 degrees carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments dont add up, she wrote. So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments, she added. In her speech to the forum, Merkel said that older politicians had to use the positive manner and constructive impatience of young people, who she said have a completely different horizon in terms of time. She did not however in her speech mention Thunberg, who other than Britains Prince Charles has met relatively few top leaders at the forum. - We want this done now - In a speech on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump had castigated the prophets of doom and those that predicted a climate apocalypse, in comments widely seen as an attack on Thunberg who sat in the audience. But either by accident or design, there was no meeting between Trump and Thunberg before the US leader left the Swiss ski resort on Wednesday declaring he would have loved to have met the climate activist, Time magazines Person of the Year. Thunberg at the forum had repeated her climate warnings in sometimes withering terms, hammering home in a speech that it was time to panic because the house is burning. Notably she had called for an immediate halt to investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction and an end to fossil fuel subsidies We dont want these things done by 2050, 2030 or even 2021, we want this done now, she said. Thunberg is to hold a school strike demonstration in Davos on Friday. Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, told AFP during the forum that governments were still failing to act on climate change. Attending the summit was like being at a crime scene where all of the criminals are right there in front of you, she said. But these are the targets. These are the people who have to change. By PTI CHENNAI: Kuwait based Al Kharafi plans to set up an oil refinery and a petrochemical manufacturing facility at an investment of Rs 49,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said here on Thursday. The setting up of the refinery would see the southern districts in the state develop like Jamnagar in Gujarat and Jurong Island in Singapore, he said. The Chief Minister said China-based BYD Group also planned to make investments in the state. He said 59 companies which signed MoUs with the state government in the second edition of the Global Investors meet here in January last year, have commenced production. Another 213 projects are under various stages of implementation, he said after taking part in the foundation stone laying ceremony of DLF DOWNTOWN here. Palaniswami said the AIADMK government has been attracting several new investments from various companies, making the state a front runner in the industry sector. ALSO READ: DLF to invest Rs 5,000 crore in new commercial project in Chennai; TN CM lays foundation stone He said his tri-nation trip last year to attract investments had resulted in MoUs being signed with various companies for Rs 8,835 crore that would generate 35,520 jobs. Five projects (that were signed during his visit) have commenced operations, he said. The Chief Minister said as part of issuing faster clearances, a committee headed by him had so far issued single-window clearances to 36 projects valued at Rs 14,728 crore, that would generate 22,763 jobs. He said plans were afoot to set up Defence and Aerospace Parks and an Electric Vehicle park in the state. On suspension of production at the Sriperumbudur factory of Finland-based Nokia, he said the Salcom Group has signed an agreement with the state government to take over the unit. "Companies which had suspended production due to various reasons in the past have commenced production following the continuous efforts taken by my government", he said. The Chief Minister said Foreign Direct Investments have increased to Rs 1.80 lakh crore from 1.33 lakh crore in the past. On the software sector, he claimed the state was the third-largest exporter and also has the highest number of Special Economic Zones in the country. Ex-Speaker John Bercow 'categorically' denied bullying accusations against him today amid calls for him to be blocked from the House of Lords if found guilty. The former Commons custodian also lashed out at the Government for blocking 'the centuries-old convention' that holders of the post are rewarded with a peerage after retirement. It came after former chief Commons clerk Lord Lisvane filed a formal complaint against his old boss and passed a dossier of allegations to the parliamentary commissioner for standards. In a statement this afternoon, Mr Bercow said since he retired in November it has 'become increasingly obvious that the Government has no intention of honouring the centuries-old convention that a departing speaker is promptly elevated to the House of Lords'. He continued: 'Indeed, it has been suggested to me that the Government actively seeks to block any other attempt to nominate me for membership of the upper House. 'I have seen in the media that Lord Lisvane is formally complaining that I bullied staff. 'For the record, I categorically deny that I have ever bullied anyone, anywhere at any time.' A Downing Street source said: 'The Speaker wasn't always a fan of convention.' In a damning intervention which could scupper Mr Bercow's, pictured, chances of gaining a peerage, former chief Commons clerk Lord Lisvane filed a formal complaint against his old boss Andrea Leadsom said Mr Bercow should not be allowed to 'skip from one House to the other' if allegations made by former chief Commons clerk Lord Lisvane are proven Asked to deny Mr Bercow's claim that No10 is plotting against him getting a peerage, the Prime Minister's deputy spokesman said this afternoon: 'It is not a matter for us. It is a matter for the House authorities.' Earlier, Andrea Leadsom said Mr Bercow should not be allowed to 'skip from one House to the other' if the allegations were proven. It comes amid reports than Mr Bercow, who stepped down in November after a decade as Speaker, had been nominated for a peerage by Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader is reported to have acted after No 10 broke with precedent and blocked the regular reward over Mr Bercow's perceived bias against Brexit while a supposedly neutral political referee. Business Secretary Ms Leadsom, who repeatedly clashed with the Speaker in her previous role, told LBC radio: 'As Leader of the Commons, I did a huge amount of work to bring into place a complaints procedure that would mean nobody, whoever they are, from employees of the house right the way to the Speaker of the Commons, could be allowed to get away with bullying, or harassment, or sexual harassment of any sort whatsoever. 'That complaints procedure is in place. Anybody who is found guilty, whoever they are, should, in my view, not be able to skip from one House to the other.' Boris Johnson's official spokesman told reporters today: 'These are very concerning allegations and they need to be investigated thoroughly.' He added: 'There can be no place for bullying or abuse in Westminster or any work place.' According to The Times, the allegations - which Mr Bercow denies - detail incidents in which the Speaker was alleged to have bullied and humiliated staff, including some in which he used inappropriate language. Lord Lisvane, who as Robert Rogers, was clerk of the Commons for three years until 2014, is the most senior official to file a complaint. Mr Bercow has always denied the bullying claims. Last night he said: 'During the five years that we worked together, Lord Lisvane had ample opportunity to raise any accusations of bullying with me. At no stage did he do so... the timing of this intervention is curious.' All nominees for peerages are vetted by the House of Lords appointments commission. Mr Bercow has been facing allegations of bullying for some years. His former private secretary, Angus Sinclair, broke a non-disclosure agreement to allege he had faced angry outbursts and obscene language from the former Speaker. Lord Lisvane (left), who as Robert Rogers, was clerk of the Commons for three years until 2014, is the most senior official to file a complaint. Kate Emms (right, next to the speaker) wa signed off work after less than a year Speaker John Bercow has face allegations of bullying stretching back years in the Commons David Leakey, who served as Black Rod until 2017, said that Mr Bercow had shouted at him and acted in a way that was 'by any definition bullying - it is intimidating, unreasonable, disproportionate', and that he left other members of staff 'fearful'. Another aide, Kate Emms, was signed off sick after less than a year working in his office, which the BBC reported was connected to alleged bullying. John Bercow (pictured in the Commons in May 2019) has been accused of bullying by multiple members of staff He has strongly denied all these claims and maintained that they are without substance. Mr Bercow avoided an inquiry in 2018 into his behaviour. MPs blocked it on the grounds that allegations dating back more than seven years could be investigated only in exceptional circumstances. The system has since been opened to all historical complaints against present and former MPs. However, peers are exempt because they are subject to a separate complaints regime. Ex-Speaker John Bercow may have to join Labour Party if he wants to be a Lord as Number 10 hints it will BLOCK attempts to install him in upper chamber By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent and James Gant For MailOnline John Bercow may have to join the Labour Party if he wants a peerage after Downing Street hinted it will block attempts to install the ex-Speaker in the House of Lords. Jeremy Corbyn is said to have put forward the former Commons custodian for a seat in the upper chamber, as well as some of his closest left-wing cronies. It came after Boris Johnson refused to elevate Mr Bercow - as is customary for a former Speaker - a move seen as a rebuke for his efforts to stall Brexit last year. No 10 suggested it would block any new attempt to place the outspoken former MP in the Lords, and claimed Mr Corbyn could only nominate people from his own party. Jeremy Corbyn is said to have put forward the reviled former Commons custodian for a seat in the upper chamber, as well as some of his closest left-wing cronies Mr Johnson's Official Spokesman told reporters yesterday: 'It is a long-standing convention that leaders of the opposition can nominate people representing their party for peerages.' Mr Bercow could also put himself forward to the House of Lords Appointments Commission, but the PM could still shoot this down. Mr Bercow became Tory MP for Buckingham in 1997 and represented the seat until the December election. In his decade as Speaker he was officially an independent and officially neutral. But he was accused of repeatedly twisting parliamentary procedure to help Remainers thwart the government. Mr Bercow was also embroiled in rows over bullying allegations - which he flatly denied - and his lavish expenses. According to the Sunday Times, Mr Corbyn - who praised Mr Bercow's handling of Brexit - has now nominated Mr Bercow for a peerage. He is also said to have put forward former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, with whom he had an often tense working relationship. And Mr Corbyn's former key aide and chief of staff Karie Murphy could also get a coveted seat in the Upper Chamber. Labour refused to comment on any of the claims. The trio reportedly appear on an eight-strong list of dissolution honours nominations put forward by the Labour chief, who will quit his post in April after leading the party to two successive general election defeats. Vetting is expected to begin on the nominations soon. John Bercow in bullying 'cover-up' row: New complaints process in Parliament comes too late to probe Speaker before he steps down, senior Commons figures warn By Darren Boyle for MailOnline Senior figures who worked closely with Speaker John Bercow and accused him of bullying said there has been an 'establishment stitch-up' in failing to investigate him as he was stepping down. Former Black Rod David Leakey and ex-private secretary Angus Sinclair accused the powers-that-be of dragging their heels over acting on complaints against him, according to a Sunday Telegraph report in October 2019. Parliament's Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme for former staff heard allegations dating back to before 2017. Former Black Rod David Leakey, left, has accused John Bercow, right, of bullying - an allegation he strongly denies Mr Leakey believes Mr Bercow should not receive the peerage traditionally offered former speakers of the Hosue of Commons when they stand down from the role The development came more than a year after a report by Dame Laura Cox, a former High Court judge, warned of 'deference and silence' being used to cover up misconduct occurring in Westminster. But Mr Sinclair, who broke a non-disclosure agreement to speak out about alleged bullying by Mr Bercow in 2018, told the newspaper the 'horse has long bolted' in terms of probing the Speaker's behaviour. Speaker John Bercow faces police probe over 'bullying' misconduct in public office claims By James Tapsfield for MailOnline John Bercow was reported to the police over alleged bullying amid mounting pressure for him to stand down in May 2018. Scotland Yard was 'assessing' a complaint that the Speaker could have committed misconduct in public office. The news comes after a series of claims surfaced about Mr Bercow's behaviour towards staff and colleagues. He denied any wrongdoing. A member of the public asked the Met Police to consider whether Mr Bercow's conduct could amount to 'abuse of the public's trust in the office holder'. It came two months after then-Prime Minister Theresa May backed calls for a probe into Bercow's alleged bullying. Advertisement The 60-year-old has accused the former Tory MP of mimicking him and said he was prone to 'over-the-top anger'. He said the inaction regarding the bullying allegations was proof that 'as yet the House of Commons is not a safe place'. 'The last year has shown me that when [the Commons] feels it's got more important things to do, that sort of thing [bullying] doesn't matter,' said Mr Sinclair, who was in the Royal Navy for 30 years. Mr Leakey, 67, in 2018 described an incident where the 'red mist descended' on Mr Bercow, who he said 'banged the table, yelled and was highly insulting to me personally'. The former lieutenant general in the Army said Mr Bercow should be denied the usual peerage bestowed upon former Commons speakers. 'The icing on the cake of an establishment stitch-up in the public perception would be for Mr Bercow to be given a peerage,' warned Mr Leakey, who who was one of the most senior officials in the Lords from 2011 to 2017. 'It would be a scandal that Parliament would struggle to live down.' A spokesman for Mr Bercow insisted there was 'no substance' to the allegations by either man and he has always denied claims that he has bullied staff. A new speaker is due to be elected by MPs on November 4. Jesse Thorson(MEDFORD, Ore.) -- A mother of four who died suddenly, just days after giving birth, donated 12 organs that could help save a dozen lives. On Dec. 29, Kathleen and Jesse Thorson of Medford, Oregon, welcomed their fourth child, a boy named Teddy. On Jan. 3, Kathleen was rushed to the hospital after suffering intracerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding inside her brain. Her husband said she appeared otherwise healthy and that the cause was unknown. Doctors performed a craniotomy, a surgical operation to the skull, but Kathleen died a few days later. She was 34. Although Kathleen's family is grieving, her husband told "Good Morning America" that the organ donation provided a moment of positivity amid the tragedy. "I'm glad my kids will know their mom for doing that," said Thorson, who's dad to Danny, 7, Gracie, 6, James, 4 and Teddy, 3 weeks. "My 7-year-old told his third grade class that his mom has 'helped people.'" "As we get to know more about that process ... recipients who receive [Kathleen's] organs, it's something that will be continually lifting us," Thorson told "GMA." He shared the story of how he and Kathleen met -- on the first day of high school. "I was a junior. I put my foot in my mouth, and we've been together ever since," Thorson recalled. "We never spent a minute apart," he added. "We had 14 years and used every minute of it ... there are no regrets of how we spent the time, just about the amount of time we had." Kathleen held a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho, and both she and Thorson completed their graduate studies together abroad at University of Kent in Canterbury, England. The couple married Sept. 1, 2006. "When our son Danny was born [two weeks premature], she asked if it was OK if she was 'just a mom.' I said, 'Absolutely.' That's when I decided to become to a nurse. She wanted to be at home with her kids. That was her chosen career," he recalled. Thorson said Kathleen loved being outside, taking walks enjoying nature. She also loved to bake pies. As a person, Kathleen was very accepting of everyone around her, Thorson added. "I don't know if she ever met someone she couldn't find a way to love and care about," he explained. "Her heart was wide open. ... Her heart and her kindness and her willingness to love, I'm making sure that's in every crack of my home and learning how to do all the things that she did while I was at work." On Jan. 8, family friend Richard Stubbs launched a GoFundMe page in honor of Kathleen. Over $120,000 was raised to help cover medical bills and funeral costs. Stubbs told "GMA" that he and his wife, Janae, truly loved Kathleen and that they will be with Thorson and the kids "for the long haul." "Jesse has amazed us again and again," Stubbs said. "He has remained calm despite his crushing grief, and he has been able to respect the wishes that Kathleen shared with him long before tragedy struck, that should anything happen to her, her organs should be donated to save others." Thorson said the overwhelming amount of emotional support speaks volumes to how much Kathleen was adored. "I feel like my wife collected an army of people similar to her, with very giving spirits, and that has been evident in the last couple of weeks," he said. Nearly 114,000 people in the U.S. are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant, according to the American Transplant Foundation -- and a new name is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes. Thorson said Kathleen always knew she was an organ donor. Kathleen's parents and sister were also on board with her decision. Thorson said he's looking forward to learning more about the recipients of his wife's organs. "It's an education I've never wanted," he added, "but it's something we're all proud of her for." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Trump administration is barring Iranian investors and business people from entering or staying in the United States on certain types of visas, AP reports. In new regulations published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said Iranians and their families are no longer eligible to apply for or extend what are known as E-1 and E-2 visas. The ban will take effect on Thursday, according to the notice from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Those visas allow foreign traders and substantial investors in U.S. companies to live and work in the United States. CIS said the change is a result of the U.S. withdrawal last year from a 1955 treaty with Iran that had sought to promote commercial and economic ties between the countries. Iranians in the United States on the affected visas will be required to leave the country when their visas expire, it said, although the new regulation does not bar Iranians from applying for or extending other types of visas for which they are eligible. The number of Iranians in the U.S. on those types of visas was not immediately clear although it is believed to be relatively small. Out of more than 10 million U.S. non-immigrant visas issued annually, only about 48,000 E-visas are issued to people of from all nations. Sanjay Raut on chopper tragedy: We claim to have modernised armed forces, how could this happen? Will invite Cong, NCP to join Thackeray on Ayodhya visit: Sanjay Raut India oi-PTI Mumbai, Jan 23: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said their allies Congress and NCP are welcome to join Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray when he visits Ayodhya in March to mark the completion of his 100 days in power. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram has got nothing to do with the common minimum programme, on the basis of which the three ideologically different parties came together to form government in Maharashtra. It will be the first visit of Sena chief Thackeray to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh since his party severed ties with the BJP over sharing of power after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared in October last year. "We will invite everybody, including our allies to join. Everyone worships Lord Ram at home. So, they can join us in offering prayers at Ayodhya," Raut told PTI. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram had nothing to do with the common minimum programme decided by the three parties while forming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government. I take back my statement, says Sanjay Raut after remarks against Indira Gandhi Thackeray earlier put off his November 24, 2019 visit to Ayodhya, after the NCP's core committee resolved to form an alternative government in the state. The Shiv Sena subsequently joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra. Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28, 2019 and recently completed 50 days in office. "The government is working and will complete five years with the blessings of Lord Ram. On completion of 100 days in power, Thackeray will visit Ayodhya to seek blessings of Lord Ram and chart out his future course of action," Raut tweeted on Wednesday. Thackeray last visited Ayodhya in June last year and offered prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with 18 MPs of his party (who were elected after the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May 2019). For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 15:32 [IST] Click here to read the full article. EXCLUSIVE: BBC Films is at the Sundance Film Festival with a record five movies playing in official selection. Its one of the UK producer-financiers biggest hauls at any overseas festival. Debuting in Park City this year are Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyds Herself, Remi Weekes debut His House, Sean Durkins Jude Law-starrer The Nest, Eliza Hittmans abortion drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Aneil Karia debut Surge starring Ben Whishaw. Each project was developed from an early stage by BBC Films, which also backed production. Weekes Midnight thriller His House is already making waves after Netflix snapped up global rights yesterday. More from Deadline In a wide-ranging interview, we spoke to the revamped BBC Films team, led by former Film4 executive Rose Garnett since 2017, about Sundance, BBC Films direction, the growing challenge posed by streamers and the #Baftasowhite furore. BBC Films rarely discusses development projects but today we can also reveal a host of intriguing new films being backed by the Brit funder, which has an annual budget of $14.3m (11m). First up, the group has boarded Palme dOr winner Ruben Ostlunds Triangle Of Sadness, the anticipated fashion world satire in which a pair of models find themselves at a crossroads in their careers. Due to shoot in coming months, the $11m project is The Square and Force Majeure directors biggest production to date and his first entirely in English. The financier is also working with Brit actor, writer and broadcaster Reggie Yates on his debut feature as writer and director. Co-developed with Hillbilly Films, whose Polly Leys was a co-producer on The Full Monty and producer on Idris Elba starrer Second Coming, the comedy project is due to go into production this year. The script is warm, dynamic and direct, the broadcaster tells us. Story continues BBC Films is following up its recent work with North American filmmakers Eliza Hittman and Sean Durkin with the new film from U.S. director Anna Rose Holmer (The Fits) and editor Saela Davis (Hala) who are jointly directing a psychological drama called Gods Creatures. The Fits duo are teaming with Ammonite and Lady Macbeth producer Fodhla Cronin OReilly on the Ireland-set feature scripted by Shane Crowley. As we revealed yesterday, the financier is teaming with The Nest director Sean Durkin and former Film4 boss Tessa Ross on a new project about the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers. Finally, the London-based outfit is also working with writer-director Dionne Edwards and producer Georgia Goggin on their debut feature, Pretty Red Dress. The London-set feature about family, gender and identity, is due to start shooting first half of this year. Heres our interview with BBC Films Director Rose Garnett, Commissioning Executive Eva Yates and Head Of Development Claudia Yusef. Deadline: The BBC had nine projects total at Sundance last year, including Joanna Hoggs The Souvenir. This year, BBC Films has five movies at the festival. Given the film teams direction since you joined, that doesnt feel like a coincidence Rose Garnett: This year, lots of great projects came together at the right time. But definitely when we got here and began to think about what success looks like and the landscape we want to be in, it felt like Sundance was the festival that we wanted to have a real presence at quite quickly. Deadline: How do you achieve that? Garnett: I think its about admiring the festival for a long time. Eva knows it really well. Its about BBC Films being an invigorated, dynamic space for new voices, for author driven voices, and stories about now. Its that sense of urgency that we want all our work to be imbued with in very different ways. Sundance feels like a festival where, through the work, we can begin to make the announcement of who and what we are. This festival probably does that more than any other. But every film finds its right home. Were never trying to get a film to back into a space that we think is right for it. Build it first, and then explore festival options. Deadline: Last year, speaking at the Zurich Summit, you said when you joined BBC Films you reinvigorated the slate and the mission. What did you mean and why was that necessary? Garnett: I think the necessary bit isnt as key, because I think if youre joining somewhere you want to think about what its going to be, rather than what it has been. We inherited a wonderful department with a great legacy and a great set of films. So its not that it was necessary. As we all joined, it was more about the question, what do we want to do in this space? Deadline: And that mission was? Garnett: It was about going back to the heart of what public service film-making could be and what being a public service department means in this extraordinary organization with these freedoms to really explore authorship, new voices and what the future of mainstream looks like. And to think about the platform of the BBC in terms of how your work can be seen, both on linear TV and iPlayer. Its about having an appeal to as many people as possible, while at the center of that, keeping a really strong sense of what we are here to do and what we can uniquely do: be a home for people and projects that havent yet found their space, that need time to develop. With the more established film makers, they need privacy in order to explore what they want to do next. At the same time, embracing and inviting in films that perhaps are more instinctively audience facing, like Judy or Misbehaviour. So, to make sure weve got a really mixed palette. At the center of it is a sort of dynamism based on the philosophy that probably this film needed our help to get made, this film needed the belief of a department and a team that arent driven by market forces and that arent driven by being reactive. When we get involved in a film, we need to invite rather than persuade other people to believe in it. Thats a key difference to a lot of other funders out there. Of course, we are lucky to have great partners, too, such as the BFI. Deadline: Widest possible audience vs original voices is always a tricky balance Garnett: Really tricky. As is having a robust relationship with being bold and making sure that were curating, were rigorous, were expansive, were generous. But its not about one point of view. Its not about one perspective. Its a massively privileged job. Its about how you use that privilege wisely and with generosity. Deadline: You probably hate the word edgy. But the perception is that since you joined, BBC Films direction has become more adventurous and edgy, more bold and risky. Eva Yates: Adventurous is a good word. Were working with a really broad range of voices, so there are always going to be things that sit at all ends of extremes. Thats kind of the point. If the work is going to provoke a conversation, then were interested in what that conversation is. But we put development at the center of everything. Were thinking about how we build people in a way that goes beyond just one film. Claudia Yusef: Were not interested in making niche films. Were not interested in making films that are noisy for the sake of it or being hip. Its none of that. Its really about who are the most exciting voices coming through and how can we support them. How can we be part of their story. And how can we give them the support they need to ensure that their voice is best protected and amplified. Deadline: The previous incarnation of BBC Films backed quite a few broad-appeal movies which went on to make quite a lot of money. Im thinking of films like Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, DMrs. Browns Boys Movie, even Lady In The Van. I dont immediately see as many of those types of movies on your slate. Given the public service remit of the BBC, is that important? Garnett: Judy has made a lot of money. Blue Story has made money. People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan could do very well. Look, films are made to meet audiences. We dont have one definition of what success is. Every film is built, financed and developed in a bespoke way to suit the team behind it. Were over the moon about Renees [Zellweger] journey on Judy. The minute we saw that first bit of footage, thats what we were hoping for. Deadline: Film4 was vocal a couple of years ago about making larger investments in productions and improving their recoupment possibilities. Is that important for you? Garnett: Its not a priority. Were glad if we get money back, because we put it straight back into making more films. But that doesnt motivate us. Deadline: The lineup feels more global than ever. Youre working with Ruben Ostlund, Eliza Hittman, Sean Durkin, Anna Rose Holmer and Saela Davis Garnett: And Jane CampionBut theyre the outliers. The vast majority of what we do is British-built, British-based and British stories. That said, film is global. The BBC is global. Being part of an international conversation of excellence is really exciting. Yusef: Being able to bring world class filmmakers like Jane Campion [whose The Power Of The Dog shoots soon] to UK licence fee payers feels very justified. Deadline: You havent done a foreign-language film yet, right? Yates: No, but we will. I mean, the things we have coming this year which are not English language will be from UK-based film makers who are working in languages that are appropriate to the stories theyre telling. His House is partly in Sudanese dialect, because it tells the story of two Sudanese refugees. But again, its a small piece of the big picture. Yusef: We have parameters and we absolutely can look each other in the eye and say, Should we be doing this? Why should we be doing it? Whos it for? Is this is a good use of our resource, both financially, in terms of energy? But its also about saying, This is going to be a great piece of work. This is a great voice, and we could back that great voice as were one of the worlds best creative organizations. Deadline: Some eyebrows were raised on this side of the pond over your involvement in Never Rarely Sometimes Always seeing as it was shot in the U.S. and is from a U.S. director and producers Garnett: Well, we built the movie. It began in a cafe in Soho with me and Eliza having a cup of coffee. It was originally going to be shot in Ireland but then changes to local laws meant that the U.S. became a better fit. Were very proud to have been part of it. Deadline: Will you work with Netflix? Garnett: We are. The Power Of The Dog is a Netflix acquisition. We developed the film. [This interview was done just before the His House deal on which BBC retains a free TV/iPlayer window in UK]. Deadline: How difficult is it untangling rights and windows with them? Garnett: Its all in the negotiation. But it has been incredibly smooth so far. Deadline: Will you work with them more going forward? Garnett: Every project will find its right home and well always look for the right home for every project. But were also deeply connected to theatrical distribution. Our own iPlayer platform is very important, too. Deadline: Just before our meeting an alert popped up in my inbox saying Netflix will spend $20BN on content in 2020. How do you compete? Garnett: [Laughter] Listen, we do a lot with a lot less moneyYou cant live in the space of what other people might be doing. You have to live in the space of what you can do well and what you can offer, and hope that people continue to choose to work with you. The streamers are the new normal. This is the world we all live in. These are the choices everybodys got. Its got huge upsides and also massive challenges, and actually I think it makes us feel more determined about what we can offer, what we can offer well and what we can do uniquely. People know that were here for the long haul and for the story. Yates: Were here to talk about careers, not just projects. Were here to talk about experimentation, were here to talk about developing a project on its own terms, were here to make sure that creatives have bespoke relationships among a really small team and that we speak as one voice. Our justification is only the work. Its really easy to make an assumption that working with Netflix will be faster. All these films weve got at Sundance joined our slate around two years ago. Deadline: Are you having more dialogue with the industry about TV? Garnett: Were working very closely with BBC drama and BBC comedy. Shows like Sally Rooney adaptation Normal People and People Just Do Nothing. It was probably a little more siloed before. Having Charlotte Moore as a head of content has been great. It feels like were all in it together now. Yates: TV is much more a part of our conversation with talent today than it was 10 years ago. Yusef: Also, young talent dont particularly think of themselves in terms of genre anymore. Its more about voice. Deadline: It feels like there is a lot of excitement around new voices just now. Movies like Les Miserables from France have really hit home. Blue Story here. Yates: Thats where a lot of our excitement lies. I would say that is an embrace of new voices. But I think theres always been so much energy around new voices. Yusef: I think were in a very healthy phase of new talent at the moment. I think its exciting to us how many people cross our desks every week who we would be really thrilled to work with. Garnett: Volume-wise its expanded a lot from five or 10 years ago. It feels like theres a very healthy appetite for first films and a very healthy pipeline and infrastructure for them. Yusef: Doorways have opened to a lot of people who may not have thought to come and ask for funding in the past. Deadline: That said, weve just had the BAFTA nominations. Your movies got four nominations, or five including Micheal Wards Rising Star nomination for Blue Story. But there was widespread frustration over the lack of diversity. Director Steve McQueen said the awards risk becoming irrelevant if they dont change. How big a problem is this? Garnett: I think the industry and BAFTA are now two different questions. I think theres some extraordinary work that the industry has made this year. Its great seeing Renees journey. Sorry We Missed You is a wonderful film. Im so happy Micheal Ward will be celebrated. Im also really disappointed that a lot of films we were part of last year werent recognized and seen. I guess the two most obvious examples in terms of their impact were Blue Story and The Souvenir. It was a real shame not to see them being acknowledged in the BAFTA film nominations. BAFTA have said they need to do things differently and that would be very welcome. Yusef: I would love to be a part of that conversation. Deadline: Do you think decision makers in the UK film industry are from diverse enough backgrounds? Yusef: Probably not. Garnett: You need a range of perspectives in leadership roles. You need a range of tastes. And as people get into decision-making positions, its really key that those decisions are being made by people that reflect the world we live in and recognize the stories we need to hear. Thats an ongoing conversation, I would say, around all creative industries in this country at the momentEveryone who recruits has a responsibility. Deadline: There are a number of creatives who have gone on record to say how much they enjoy your approach, Rose. McQueen has been a vocal supporter. He said in one interview that your genius has everything to do with your gender. What do you make of that comment? [BBC Films staff is 80% women] Garnett: [Laughter] I live in a pleasurable combination of excitement and outrage, and that goes a long way Deadline: What is coming up for BBC Films? Garnett, Yates & Yusef: A lot. Just to give you a flavour: Mughal Mowgli with Riz Ahmed, Stacey Greggs thriller Here Before, Supernova with Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, The Souvenir: Part II, Microwave film Sweetheart, People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan, Kevin Macdonalds Guantanamo Bay drama Prisoner 760, Clio Barnards Ali & Ava, Ammonite, Misbehaviour Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In one of the largest surrender of militants in Assam, a total of 644 cadres of eight insurgent groups formally laid down arms on Thursday. Guwahati: In one of the largest surrender of militants in Assam, a total of 644 cadres of eight insurgent groups formally laid down arms on Thursday. The members of the insurgent groups ULFA (I), NDFB, RNLF, KLO, CPI (Maoist), NSLA, ADF and NLFB joined the mainstream in front of Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said, "People are happy that you have returned to the mainstream for the development of Assam. You have inspired all those who believe in democracy. I appeal to people still outside (the mainstream) to come forward and work for making India a strong country. Without peace, progress is not possible. In all the countries excelling in different fields, peace prevails and we have to do the same." The government will carry out its constitutional duty for the rehabilitation of the surrendered extremists, who can avail the benefits of existing government schemes for their sustenance, Sonowal said. The highest number of 301 militants who surrendered belonged to the National Liberation Front of Bengali (NLFB), followed by 178 from Adivashi Dragon Fighter (ADF) and 87 from the National Santhal Liberation Army (NSLA). The others who surrendered included 50 cadres of the United Liberation Front of Assam -Independence (ULFA(I), 8 militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), 6 insurgents of the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), 13 members of the Rava National Liberation Front (RNLF) and one Communist Party of India (Maoist) militant. Besides 177 arms, the militants also laid down 58 magazines, 1.93 kg explosives, 52 grenades, 71 bombs, three rocket launchers, 306 detonators, two RT sets and 17 khukris. "This is an important day for the state and the Assam Police. Altogether 644 cadres and leaders of eight militant groups laid down their arms. This is one of the largest surrender of militants in recent history," Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told reporters. Addressing the former militants, Mahanta said, "Many forces keep trying to hamper peace in Assam, but you overcame that. You may have had anguish over different issues, but you realised that by giving life instead of taking away life is more important for the development of the state." Inspector General of Police (Special Branch) Hiren Chandra Nath said, the surrendered militants came to a unilateral ceasefire between 2015 and 2019. "Today they formally laid down arms in an official function in front of the chief minister. These groups are not related to NDFB(S) militants, who declared ceasefire earlier this month," he said. SYDNEY, Australia - Three American firefighting airplane crew members were killed Thursday when the C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker they were in crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths in the states Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Canada-based Coulson Aviation said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the accident was extensive but had few other details. The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, its crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. He said the crewmen were aged 42, 43 and 45. We will be forever indebted to the enormous contributions and ultimate sacrifice thats been paid by these extraordinary individuals, Fitzsimmons said. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she had conveyed Australias condolences to U.S. Ambassador Arthur Culvahouse Jr. Our hearts go out to their loved ones. They were helping Australia, far from their own homes, an embodiment of the deep friendship between our two countries, she said in a statement. Payne added: Thank you to these three, and to all the brave firefighters from Australia and around the world. Your service and contribution are extraordinary. We are ever grateful. The tragedy brings the death toll from the blazes to at least 31 since September. The fires have also destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 10.4 million hectares (25.7 million acres), an area bigger than the U.S. state of Indiana. The three were part of a crew on a California-based tanker, the governor of that state said in a statement on Thursday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not identify the crew members but called them heroes. Coulson grounded other firefighting aircraft as a precaution pending investigation, reducing planes available to firefighters in New South Wales and neighbouring Victoria state. The four-propeller Hercules drops more than 15,000 litres (4,000 gallons) of fire retardant in a single pass. Spokeswoman Robyn Baldwin of Coulson, with headquarters in the Canadian province of British Columbia and extensive U.S. operations, declined to identify the crew members or say what U.S. states they were from. We ask for privacy at this time as we mourn the loss of our crew members, Baldwin said. Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the national air crash investigator, and state police will investigate the crash site, which firefighters described as an active fire ground. There is no indication at this stage of whats caused the accident, Fitzsimmons said. Berejiklian said there were more than 1,700 volunteers and personnel in the field, and five fires were being described at an emergency warning level the most dangerous on a three-tier scale across the state and on the fringes of the national capital Canberra. Also Thursday, Canberra Airport closed temporarily because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of the city were told to seek shelter. The airport reopened after several hours with Qantas operating limited services, but Virgin and Singapore Airlines cancelled flights for the rest of the day. The blaze started Wednesday, but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at a watch and act level the middle of the three tiers. Residents in some Canberra suburbs were advised to seek shelter and others to leave immediately. The defence force is both assisting to a degree and looking to whether that needs to be reinforced, Chief of Defence Angus Campbell told reporters. I have people who are both involved as persons who need to be moved from areas and office buildings that are potentially in danger, and also those persons who are part of the (Operation) Bushfire Assist effort, he said. ___ Associated Press writer Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report. Published January 23, 2020 One of the upsides of being transgender is that when it comes to figuring myself out, everything else kind of pales in comparison. College applications have recently taken over my life. Its a monumental decision, but I dealt with far more complicated questions at the measly age of 12. This feels easy in comparison, both because Im older, and the choice between universities wont change the way literally everyone else in the world sees me. One of the detriments of being transgender is that, at least for me, the figuring myself out never really stops. However, 18 years into life and six years into having finally gotten it right, Im getting pretty good at it. In sixth grade, while all of my friends were busy with standardized testing, I was cooped up in the adolescent ward of a psychiatric treatment facility. Most likely doing a puzzle at any given time. There wasnt a whole lot to do, given that anything and everything could either be used to hurt myself or overstimulate my fragile mind. But there sure were puzzles, and fitting little plastic pieces together with pre-formed grooves and edges seemed like a good alternative to thinking about the state of my life. Leon Burgher, 15, shaves to get ready for the prom hosted by Montrose Center's Hatch Youth, a group empowering LGBTQ youth from age 13 to 20, Thursday, June 1, 2017, in Houston. He accidentally cut his upper lip while shaving. less Leon Burgher, 15, shaves to get ready for the prom hosted by Montrose Center's Hatch Youth, a group empowering LGBTQ youth from age 13 to 20, Thursday, June 1, 2017, in Houston. He accidentally cut his upper ... more Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Leon Burgher has always known who he is: an artist, a metalhead, a boy and finally, happy 1 / 15 Back to Gallery Long story short, I really, really wanted to die, and had wanted to for almost two years. During my stay at that facility, I was often asked why. My vague, introspective excuse was always the same: I feel like a mistakes been made. At the time, I thought the mistake was being born at all. Ive since learned that the truth is a lot more hopeful, but a hell of a lot more complicated. Even though I have come to a place where I am fairly content, growing up trans was hard. Really hard. My identity and my relationship with my identity has gone through a lot of changes. STAY IN THE KNOW: Get caught up on what's going on in and around Houston with newsletters from HoustonChronicle.com In middle school, I wanted so, so desperately to be masculine. Id show up to class in the new jeans my mother picked from the mens side of American Eagle while I huddled in the dressing room, too scared to leave. You know that expression, Id give my right arm for something? I used to dream of sawing to the bone in exchange for being cisgender. Thoughts of a post-surgery future floated through my brain constantly, along with the idea that if I could just get as close to a cisgender male as possible, I would be less miserable. I really and truly hated who I was, and wanted to be practically anyone else. I was also bullied in middle school. Mostly the usual stuff, chewed-up gum put in my backpack, messages scribbled on restroom stalls, classmates claiming I was an It. Stuff like that. Occasionally, it would go further, like the time a group of boys surrounded me after school, debating my gender while I tried to ignore them. One boy suggested kicking me in the crotch to see if his foot got stuck as a means of figuring it out. Then there were the adults. I remember a gym teacher screaming at me to go to the girls locker room with the rest of the girls, not knowing I changed in the nurses bathroom. She continued yelling while I froze, crying, until another teacher told her to stop. What hurt most of all was the indifference. When my drama teacher sorted scripts by gender, male parts on one side of the room and female parts on the other, and I asked her which side I should go to, she refused eye contact and gave me a vague, dismissive answer. I went to the male side. And when classmates made an issue of it, I found her more interested in picking at her fingernails than helping me. My whole life, Id been told that if I had a problem I needed help with, I should tell an adult. But as a 12-year-old embarking on a journey to be myself and be happy, I stepped into a world of animosity and resentment. I was overwhelmed and scared. And when I turned to people I had been reassured would be a source of safety, I was ignored and left to fend for myself. I internalized the hatred and indifference, thinking I was somehow the problem, not them. Transphobia and oppression were broad concepts, too overwhelming and abstract for me; blaming myself was easier. I was in a horrible, toxic environment, and I knew I needed to get out. In eighth grade, I transferred to a new, smaller school. I was the only trans student. But the principal, whose sister was transgender, took down the gender labels on the restroom doors for my sake. Bullying was practically non-existent, but best of all, I felt like the adults cared. They didnt look the other way when I needed help. And that, I think, was the push I needed to start tearing down the walls Id built around my identity. I entered on the first day as a boy overperforming masculinity in baggy jeans and a snapback cap, trying to slouch and manspread as much as I could while still looking natural. But it wasnt natural; it was a performance born from a desperate need to not just fit in, but blend in. Freshman year I started experimenting with dyeing my hair and painting my nails. They were such little things, but compared to the kid who had practiced lowering his voice alone in his bedroom at night, they felt like leaps over a massive chasm. PERSONAL ESSAY: A wallet, a receipt, a note it's all one writer has, and knows, of his father I started hormone replacement therapy. Before, my body had felt like a ticking bomb, getting more and more feminine and harder and harder to change or reverse. I felt like I finally had control over my body and my life, and I could finally breathe without this all-encompassing doom suffocating me. It was around this time that I began feeling like I was allowed to just be a teenager. There were still obstacles to come: my birth certificate; my assigned name. But for once, I looked forward to the future instead of just trying to survive. I started figuring out what kind of person I was and how that might carry me through the rest of my life. I adopted a crested gecko and named him Tiny Dancer in homage to my LGBT forefathers. I learned to paint. I continued to train with the karate teacher Id had in middle school, no longer just for safety but as a way to connect with other people and feel good about myself. I learned I had a passion for chemistry and physics. I worked as a teaching assistant at a theater summer camp to be a more accepting and caring theater educator than my middle school teacher. I didnt suddenly stop being transgender. It didnt even stop being important to me. I had just been able to move to an environment where my status as a transgender person didnt have to be a source of existential fear. It was no longer something I wanted to be rid of because I felt it consumed me. It was no longer a target other people had placed on me, instead becoming a bright, glittery sign I held up for the world to see. It is just as intrinsic to my identity as being male is. Im not just a male, Im a trans male, and the two are inseparable. I am transgender, and I love being transgender. This radical self-love came from the fact that, in my first couple of years after coming out, I felt I was transgender on other peoples terms. My gender was a fact it seemed everyone knew and had opinions about, like it was some kind of public debate or spectacle. But now, I am transgender on my terms. My experience of my gender is mine alone, and it is not an experience caked with masculinity, with baggy jeans and loose polo shirts and snapback caps, along with facial hair and a sculpted, flat chest. That may be someone elses, but not for me. I am a guy who is androgynous, who wears eyeliner and paints his nails black, who doesnt care whether his clothes are meant for men or women as long as they look cool. I do not feel like I was born in the wrong body or trapped in a body that isnt mine. I am a boy, and this is my body; therefore, it is a boys body. I choose how I define myself. Being trans is not a source of suffering or something that I am happy in spite of. I am a lot of things, and trans is one of them. I am an artist, I am a red belt in karate, I am an aspiring scientist, I am a reptile enthusiast, I am a metalhead, I am gay, and I am transgender. And Im happy. Support our journalism Help our journalists uncover the big stories. Subscribe today. Editors note: Houston Chronicle photographer Yi-Chin Lee met Leon Burgher in the spring of 2017, when Burgher was 15 years old. Lee spent more than two years documenting Burgher, who is now 18. The result is an intimate portrait of Burghers life as a transgender teen in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee joined the Houston Chronicle as a staff photographer in 2016. Lee previously worked at the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc, Wis. She was born in Taiwan and spent most of her teenage and adult years in Minnesota. Lee is an alumna of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the University of Missouri. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter, or reach her by email at yi-chin.lee@chron.com. Photo: Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse/Yelp In search of a new favorite Brazilian spot? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end Brazilian restaurants around Jacksonville, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you're on the hunt. 1. Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse photo: terra gaucha brazilian steakhouse/yelp Topping the list is a location of Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse. Situated at 4483 Southside Blvd. in Windy Hill, the Latin American steakhouse is the highest-rated high-end Brazilian restaurant in Jacksonville, boasting 4.5 stars out of 577 reviews on Yelp. "The owners, all originally from Brazil, have worked through the ranks of several 'churrascarias' (Brazilian steakhouses) perfecting their skills and gaining knowledge about this uniquely authentic concept," the business says in the history section of its Yelp profile. Aside from high-quality cuts of beef, pork, chicken and lamb grilled over an open flame, you can also order from the gourmet salad bar, which features fresh vegetables, cured meats, cheeses and hot sides. Check out the full menu here. 2. Fogo De Chao Brazilian Steakhouse Photo: fogo de chao brazilian steakhouse/Yelp Next up is Windy Hill's outpost of Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse, situated at 4784 Town Center Parkway. "Fogo de Chao is a leading Brazilian steakhouse, or churrascaria, which has specialized in fire-roasting high-quality meats since 1979 utilizing the centuries-old Southern Brazilian cooking technique of churrasco," it writes on Yelp in the section explaining specialties. "Fogo offers guests a wide variety of simply seasoned meats that are carefully fire-roasted to expose their natural flavors, including the house specialty picanha sirloin, filet mignon, ribeye, and lamb chops, to name a few." The restaurant's menu also features fresh salads, soups, vegetable sides and "feijoada," a traditional black bean stew served over rice. With four stars out of 209 reviews on Yelp, the Brazilian steakhouse has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge. Story continues 3. Texas de Brazil Photo: texas de brazil/Yelp Windy Hill's location of the national chain Texas de Brazil, located at 4634 Town Center Parkway, Suite 100, is another top choice. "Texas de Brazil is a churrascaria, or Brazilian steakhouse, that features several cuts of flame-grilled beef, lamb, pork, chicken and Brazilian sausage as well as an extravagant salad area with a wide array of seasonal chef-crafted items," it writes on Yelp in the section explaining specialties. Yelpers giving the fancy Brazilian steakhouse four stars out of 88 reviews, and you can check out the full menu here. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. The bill bans double bunking, the practice of putting two inmates in a single restrictive housing cell for any period of time. Double bunking is believed to have been a factor in the 2017 death of Terry Berry, 22, at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. He was found unconscious on the floor with a towel around his neck in the cell he shared with Patrick Schroeder. He was taken to a Lincoln hospital, where he died five days later. It would also disallow discharging an inmate from long-term restrictive housing directly into the community, and would require giving them at least 120 days to transition from restrictive housing to the community. Other bills introduced on Thursday: * BRAND COMMITTEE: The Nebraska Brand Committee would move under the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The bill (LB1165) from Sen. John Stinner of Gering would retain cattle producers rights to own and use registered brands, but would remove the inspection requirement. * OPEN MEETINGS: Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston introduced a bill (LB1167) requiring public bodies to allow members of the public to speak during open meetings. Hardly a week has passed since Vladimir Putin used a state of the nation address to announce a radical constitutional shake-up. In just seven days, government has not only acted upon the presidential suggestions but scribbled them up, submitted them to a hastily-convened constitutional committee, and put them before Russias parliament. On Thursday morning, the changes were accepted by the Duma at the first reading, voting in traditionally combative style 432 in favour, zero against, with zero abstentions. At first, the proposed constitutional changes appeared to be a thinly disguised attempt by Vladimir Putin to hold on to power beyond his term limit in 2024. But developments since then have complicated such an easy interpretation. The Kremlins haste in drafting and passing the changes a full four years before Mr Putins term is up have dumbfounded experts. Those who have worked with the Russian president say such speed is out of keeping; Mr Putin has traditionally preferred to keep decisions until the last moment. 20 years of Putin Show all 21 1 /21 20 years of Putin 20 years of Putin 1999 Russian President Boris Yeltsin (R) poses with the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Alexei II (L) and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (C) at the Kremlin in Moscow 31 December 1999. Yeltsin announced 31 December 1999 that he was resigning immediately and that Putin, according to the Russian constitution, would run the country as acting president until presidential elections in March 2000. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2000 Russian President Vladimir Putin poses with his wife Lyudmila in front of the Taj Mahal 04 October 2000. Putin is on a three-day visit to India. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2001 Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and US President George W. Bush (R) smile following press conference at Crawford High School in Crawford, Texas 15 November 2001. Presidents Putin and Bush spoke about their meeting at the Bush ranch at a press conference at Crawford High School. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2002 British Prime Minister Tony Blair (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) discuss as they walk in the residence of Zavidovo , in the Tver region, some 120 km north-west of Moscow, as Cherie Blair (C) and Lyudmila Putina (not pictured) follow them 11 October 2002. Tony Blair arrived in Russia for two days of face-to-face talks with President Vladimir Putin on fresh UN action to force Iraq to give up weapons of mass destruction. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2003 Russian President Vladimir Putin is accompanied by Her Majesty The Queen during a procession at The Mallat during the start iof his state visit on June 24, 2003 in London, England. Putin is on a 4 days visit in Great Britain and will attend a number of functions during his time in the country. The visit is the first by a Russian President since 1843. Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2004 President Vladimir Putin pets his dog Conny before one of his meetings with officials in his office in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, 03 March 2004. Putin met Wednesday with his nominee for prime minister, Mikhail Fradkov, and expressed hope that the government and parliament would work closely in the future. At left is a bodyguard. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2005 Russian President Vladimir Putin seen during the recording of his annual televised New Year's message at the Kremlin, with the Spassky Tower in the background, in Moscow, recorded early, 29 December 2005. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2006 Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a pistol during his visit to a newly-built headquarters of the Russian General Staff's Main Intelligence Department (GRU) in Moscow, 08 November 2006. ?Some countries are seeking to untie their hands in order to take weapons to outer space, including nuclear weapons,? Putin said at the Chief Military Intelligence Department on Wednesday. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin fishing on the Khemchik River near the foothills of the Western Sayan Mountains in the Republic of Tuva. Time magazine named President Vladimir Putin its "person of the year" 19 December 2007 in recognition of the Russian leader's role in making Moscow "a critical linchpin of the 21st century. The award, which is not considered an honor so much as a recognition of the most powerful forces shaping the world, was awarded for Putin's role in reshaping a country that Time's Managing Editor Richard Stengel said had "fallen off our mental map." AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2008 Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) stands next to Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi during the signing of agreements between the two countries April 17, 2008 in Tripoli, Libya. Putin is in Libya for a two-day official visit to rebuild Russian-Libyan relations. Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2009 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is pictured with a horse during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2010 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays piano during a charity concert in Saint Petersburg AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2011 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) rides a motorbike as he takes part in the 16th annual motorbike festival held by "The Night Wolves" youth organization in the southern Russian town of Novorossiysk AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2012 Russian President Vladimir Putin pilots a motorized hang glider while flying with cranes as he takes part in a scientific experiment as part of the "Flight of Hope", which aims to preserve a rare species of - cranes on September 5, 2012. At the helm of a motorized hang glider that the birds have taken as their leader, Putin made three flights - the first to get familiar with the process, and two others with the birds. AFP/Getty 20 years of Putin 2013 Russin President Vladimir Putin as he plays with his dogs 'Buffy' (up) and 'Yume' at his residence Novo-Ogariovo, outside Moscow. Bulgarian shepherd dog 'Buffy' was presented to Putin by his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov while Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda offered Putin the puppy 'Yume' as a gift during the G20 in Mexico in June. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin visits USA House in the Olympic Village 20 years of Putin 2015 Russias President Vladimir Putin works out at a gym at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2016 Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on June 25, 2016 in Beijing, China. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China to discuss more economic and military cooperation between the two countries. Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin fishes in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia. AFP/Getty Images 20 years of Putin 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on the phone in his office in Saint Petersburg on December 15, 2018 with Artyom Palyanov -- a boy with brittle bone disease who wished to see a bird's eye view of the city. - Earlier the President promised to make his dream come true by sending him on a helicopter tour of the city. AFP/Getty 20 years of Putin Britain's Prime Minister, Theresa May, meets Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, during a bilateral meeting on the first day of the G20 summit on June 28, 2019 in Osaka, Japan. U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Osaka on Thursday for the annual Group of 20 gathering together with other world leaders who will use the two-day summit to discuss pressing economic, climate change, as well as geopolitical issues. The US-China trade war is expected to dominate the meetings in Osaka as President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on Saturday in an attempt to resolve the ongoing the trade clashes between the world's two largest economies. Getty Images The eventual wording of the amendments also brought surprises. In particular, they offered no obvious constitutional short circuit for Mr Putin to exercise formal power outside the presidency. Far from weakening the powers of a successor in favour of parliament or some new body, the changes actually strengthen the role. Any future president will be able to fire constitutional judges, and will also get an extra veto to block parliamentary votes. So what exactly are Mr Putins intentions? And if we assume that he is leaving the presidency, where does he want to end up? The honest answer is nobody knows. The Russian president has kept his cards close to his chest, and is unlikely to reveal them for some time. For the time being, his most likely post-2024 destination seems to be a role as head of a beefed-up State Council, a federal body comprised of regional governors which up to now wielded only limited power. At his state of the nation address, Mr Putin suggested strengthening the council further. Many experts surmised that meant it could grow into a committee like the Soviet Politburo, with a broad purview covering most policy areas. Recommended Russia looks to prospect of future without Vladimir Putin The constitutional amendment passed on Thursday fell roughly in line with such expectations. The State Councils role was determined as follows: Ensuring proper functioning and interaction between state bodies, and determining the main directions of domestic, foreign and socio-economic policy. The exact scope of its powers will become clear in a separate law yet to be published. But whatever powers the State Council will eventually receive, it has already been made clear that it will remain formally subordinate to the president. Mr Putin has also appeared to rule out the very idea of him carving out a supervisory role above any successor. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Putin said he did not intend to stay on and mentor in the way Singapores long-time leader Lee Kuan Yew did in the 1990s. In different countries there are different situations, different histories, different cultures, he said. In Russia, if you put an institution above the president, it would mean dual power a fatal situation for a country like ours. All of which brings us to a more logical inference of Mr Putins constitutional rewrite: that he may, in fact, be paving the way for a genuine successor in 2024. Viewed from this perspective, the complicated constitutional trickery makes much more sense. The changes look to be geared less towards ensuring the continuation of Mr Putin as they are of guaranteeing the survival of Putinism and its ideologies. Russian lawmakers voted unanimously for constitutional amendments (AP) The changes do not limit presidential prerogative in any real way and do not offer an obvious way for Putin to stay on, says Tatyana Stanovaya, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Centre. What they do is strengthen the authority of the centre, as well as creating a transitory period in which Putin can observe a chosen successor from afar. Wherever he ends up in 2024, Mr Putin will retain hold of three important levers of informal power, the expert says. He will remain the most popular politician in the land. He will be able to exercise power via United Russia, the ruling party he set up (and is likely to head). And he can act via the hundreds of people he appointed to high office. In todays Russia, such levers count for an awful lot. It should be enough for him to remove a successor and try another one if he thinks it is necessary, Ms Stanovaya says. Social media has been awash with possible theories as to why the president is acting in such a rush. Is he ill? Is he spooked by falling popularity? Is he acting on the advice of a psychic who advised him it was now or never? Or, more bizarrely: is there a lady, a Meghan Markle type, dragging him from the limelight? Recommended How 20 years of Putin has shaped Russia and the world Political analyst Konstantin Kalachyov suggests Mr Putins haste is most likely provoked by a combination of factors. We obviously cannot discount the idea that Mr Putin has a diagnosis of some kind, one that may not have a clear expiry date, the analyst says. At the same time, hes already made it clear that he does not want to go down in history as a bumbling old Brezhnev-type figure. He understands its better to arrange these things while there is time and opportunity to do so. The Russian president seems to be using the moment to ensure that a successor doesnt change course. All the amendments are about extending the life of Putinism. The central idea of national independence. The exclusion of external influence. The continuation of statism and a conservative ideology, Kalachyov says. The one thing Putin doesnt want is a repeat of what he did to Yeltsin which was to rip up an entire legacy. No kindness goes unpunished in John Henry, a thug-life thriller so frequently preposterous that it almost resembles a parody. Like John Wick, its action is juiced by the killing of a dog; unlike that movie, its titular character (played by the likable Terry Crews) is stoically disinclined to vengeance. A gentle giant with shoulders like an ox, hes so determined to escape his gangbanging past that when he finally lumbers into action, his weapon of choice is a sledgehammer, not a gun. And his first victim is a car windshield. The plot which distractedly follows John Henrys attempts to protect a Honduran woman from his former gang is burlesque and the dialogue is a trip. Ken Foree, as John Henrys salty, disabled father, has a blast delivering a sentimental paean to his characters once-legendary penis, and a pair of bangers debate the relative merits of being the front, back or center victim in The Human Centipede. Gritty home video from the 1990s outlining John Henrys back story interweaves with scenes of bad guys talking trash and playing cards, while dazed-looking women hang out in the background like dessert. For some reason, all the gang members wear impractical snow-white sweatsuits, probably to enhance our appreciation of the gore when they inevitably get plugged. (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire George Soros said that nothing is keeping Facebook Inc. from spreading disinformation and the company may be in cahoots with President Donald Trump to get him re-elected. I think there is a kind of informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook, Soros, 89, said Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Facebook will work together to re-elect Trump, and Trump will work to protect Facebook so that this situation cannot be changed and it makes me very concerned about the outcome for 2020. Soros didnt offer any evidence for his claim. This is just plain wrong, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in response. Soros has used his annual Davos speech as a platform to criticize the social media giant in the past. In 2018, he compared Facebook to a gambling company that fosters addiction among users, and last year reiterated the need to regulate technology firms. Facebook has come under increased scrutiny from governments worldwide on multiple fronts, but especially related to the Russian misinformation campaign that ran undetected on the social network in the months prior to the 2016 election. The company has since worked to improve its technology for taking down what it calls coordinated inauthentic behavior -- efforts by foreign governments to manipulate public conversation. But critics argue that Trump is helped anyway by Facebooks very nature: the platform rewards content with the potential to go viral, and Trump has a tendency to say incendiary things. After public backlash, Facebook debated whether to take down political ads that contain lies. The company decided earlier this year that it would not, with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg citing first amendment values and saying it shouldnt be up to a corporation to determine what political messages are true or false. That message assuaged Republicans, who have interrogated the company about a perceived anti-conservative bias. Still, the companys algorithm may tilt the scales, giving rise to more shocking messages. Story continues Facebook basically has only one guiding principle: maximize your profits irrespective of what harm it may do to the world, Soros said Thursday. After Soross 2018 Davos speech, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg asked staff to look into whether Soros had a financial incentive to criticize the company through his holdings or trading activity. The company also hired an opposition research firm to examine whether Soros financially supported anti-Facebook groups. The decision was later uncovered in a New York Times report about Sandbergs mishandling of crises. (Updates with Facebooks statement in third paragraph.) To contact the reporters on this story: Katia Porzecanski in New York at kporzecansk1@bloomberg.net;Sarah Frier in San Francisco at sfrier1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sam Mamudi at smamudi@bloomberg.net, Alan Mirabella For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Boris Johnson has called for "rancour and division" to be left behind after Parliament approved his Brexit deal, paving the way for the UK to leave the EU with an agreement this month. The Prime Minister said it felt at times that the "finish line" would not be crossed but heralded having "done it" after peers ended a legislative battle last night. The Lords had tried to secure additional rights, including for unaccompanied child refugees, but bowed to the will of MPs after the elected chamber overturned the peers' demands. Now the legislation just needs Royal Assent to be formally granted by the Queen and the agreement to be approved by the European Parliament by Brexit day on January 31. The PM said the nation would "move forwards as one United Kingdom", adding: "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it. Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future - with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country." The Queen's formal approval of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill is expected in the coming days while the European Parliament will hold its consent vote on January 29. MPs had reversed five changes made to the legislation by the Lords during a "ping-pong" phase where the Bill moved between the two Houses until agreement is achieved. Peers had defeated the Government on EU workers having the right to physical proof of their right to remain and on the power of courts to depart from European Court of Justice rulings. They also worked to ensure the rights of unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with their families in the UK post-Brexit. But all five amendments were comfortably reversed by MPs, with majorities ranging from 86 to 103, before the upper House gave way. The deal was able to pass the Commons with ease after Mr Johnson secured an 80-strong majority in the general election. Meanwhile, Labour leadership candidate Emily Thornberry has denied she was "sneering" at voters when she laughed at a colleague's claim that anyone who does not hate Brexit has "something wrong" with them. The frontbencher said yesterday that she was instead reacting with shock at her shadow cabinet colleague Dawn Butler's remarks. Ms Thornberry, who is seen as trailing in the contest to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, received a sustained grilling on the BBC's Andrew Neil Show. The veteran journalist played a video in which she sits next to Ms Butler and laughs at her remark that "if anyone doesn't hate Brexit, even if you voted for it, there's something wrong with you because Brexit has not been good for the country". The shadow foreign secretary said she laughed because she was "quite shocked" at her colleague's "most extraordinary" remarks, adding: "I was not sneering." She said Labour can win back voters by "listening to people" and certainly not by looking down on them. The successor to Mr Corbyn, who led the party to its worst general election defeat since 1935, will be announced on April 4. As the weekend approaches, travel conditions are expected to become hazardous. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued widespread warnings for snow, sleet and freezing rain across central regions of the United States. Travel conditions are forecast to deteriorate on Thursday from Missouri up to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, as snow spreads across the region. In the face of the band of snow, the rain will turn to a dangerous mix of sleet and freezing rain as it hits the colder air over the central Appalachians. The snow is set to fall steadily for several days throughout the Midwest, with many areas accumulating close to 15 centimetres (6 inches) by Sunday. Meanwhile, to the south, heavy rain beginning on Thursday could lead to localised flooding from Louisiana to Alabama. The system bringing the rain and snow will move slowly east on Friday and begin to affect major cities, such as Washington, DC, New York City and Boston. For the beginning of the weekend, the northeast will see the rain changing to sleet and freezing rain, with as much as 1cm (0.4 inches) of ice accumulating in parts of New Hampshire and Maine, producing dangerous travel conditions. On the opposite side of the country, heavy rain and strong winds will continue for the Pacific Northwest, with the possibility of flooding along coastal areas. As the rain heads further inland, it too will turn to snow across the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains and the northern Rockies. The northern Cascades could see as much as 75cm (29.5 inches) of new snow in the coming days, with up to 25cm (10 inches) further south along the mountain range in central Oregon. Parts of the Midwest will also see heavy snow, with areas of Missouri and Illinois also picking up about 25cm by the end of the weekend. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing at an unprecedented rate and with a dynamism that is really incomparable to any other field in tech. Reuters This has made much fear about AI that it can not only take human jobs but also be used for causing disharmony in people's lives while impacting their privacy, among other things. However, Sundar Pichai offered suggestions at the World Economic Forum to get more clarity and control on AI A framework for AI He urged authorities to create a framework in order to approach AI. He said, in a conversation with Klaus Schwab, AI is one of the most profound things we are working on as humanity; its more profound than fire or electricity or any of the other bigger things we have worked on. It has tremendous positive sides to it, but it has real negative consequences. He synonymised the idea for the framework to working on climate change, urging the whole world to participate, stating, you can't get safety by just one company or country working on it - you need a global framework. AI and Facial recognition He also spoke about the use of AI in the field of facial recognition stating, When you think about technologies like facial recognition, it can be used to benefit, it can be used to find missing people, but it can be used for mass surveillance. Reuters He further added, As democratic countries with a shared set of values, we need to build on those values and make sure when we approach AI, we are doing it in a way that serves society. And that means making sure AI doesnt have bias, that we build and test it for safety. We make sure that there is human agency, that its ultimately accountable to people. AI and quantum computing Today we have AI that can help detect cancer instantaneously, help speed up the most tedious process and with faster computing, it can only get better, helping in far more complex scenarios. He spoke about the potential of artificial intelligence when fused with quantum computing and what it holds in store for us, With this, we can simulate nature better and we can better predict weather and climate change. They can make better batteries. It's very profound. MIT He further added, "When I look at future, quantum will be the next big arsenal in the way of technology. We will need to work a lot. The combination of AI and quantum computing would be amazing. Also, quantum's combination with biology would present huge potential, but obviously we will have to be very careful." He concluded by sharing his optimism for this common framework, hoping it will be positively adopted by all countries, "I think there will be common gravitational pull - regardless of who you are, because people will recognise the need of such a framework for the sake of peace and prosperity." 23 Jan 2020, 12:23 PM 'India, China should not be considered developing nations by WTO,' says Donald Trump at Davos US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that India and China should not be considered developing nations by World Trade Organisation (WTO). He made the remarks during a press conference on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2020 at Davos. Donald Trump has made similar comments before. He had said that these two Asian countries were "taking advantage" of the 'developing nation' tag at the WTO and he would no longer allow it. World will realise Pakistan's strategic potential once relations with India normalise, says Imran Khan Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the world will realise the true strategic economic potential of his country when the relationship with India becomes normal, but that has "unfortunately" not been great. He also said his vision is to make Pakistan a welfare state and asserted that economic growth is not possible without peace and stability. Alphabet CEO Pichai eyes major opportunity in healthcare, says will protect privacy Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet Inc and its Google subsidiary, said on Wednesday that healthcare offers the biggest potential over the next five to 10 years for using artificial intelligence to improve outcomes, and vowed that the technology giant will heed privacy concerns. He also spoke at length about harnessing the potential of quantum computing and artificial intelligence in improving lives and how he remains ever optimistic about technology. 'Everyone I met asked about falling Indian economy, social unrest,' says Kamal Nath at Davos Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath said that in all the decades he visited Davos, he had never seen such a subdued buzz around India. Speaking to Rahul Kanwal on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Nath said that all people were asking about was the economic slowdown and the growing social unrest. The MP CM said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about cooperative federalism but when it comes to big issues such as Citizenship Amendment Act, states are not consulted. Other highlights from the day Some other issues that the participants at this year's meet touched upon were reskilling the workforce, the power of youth in a changing world, securing a sustainable future for the Amazon and the dangers to the Arctic. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: A system and software are being developed to read the black box of the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed near Parand city in Irans Tehran province Jan. 8, Irans Minister of Road and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, Trend reports citing ISNA. Eslami said that Iran is responsible for investigating the crash details, as the plane crashed in Iran. The minister added that an Iranian investigation team visited Ukraine to review the planes documents. After the team returns to Iran, a joint team will be formed for investigation of the plane crash with the participation of representatives from all sides involved in the accident, noted Eslami. The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization contacted Boeing Company and the Ukrainian side after the accident, and they sent their representatives expressing willingness to cooperate, the minister said. Eslami noted that the investigation team can decide from which side to ask help if any problems arise with access to information. The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed in Tehran province on Jan. 8, killing all 176 people on board. Iran's Armed Forces General Staff issued a statement on Jan. 11 saying that the aircraft was shot down by the Iranian Air Defense System. New Delhi, Jan 23 : As many as 411 nominations were rejected and three were withdrawn as of Thursday, after the nominations for February 8 elections in Delhi ended and the scrutiny was held on Wednesday. According to the Election Commission, 1,029 candidates had filed 1,528 nominations for the 70 assembly constituencies here. On Tuesday, the last day of filing papers, 806 nominations were filed, including that of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. These nominations also included cover candidates -- fielded to ensure that a political party has a person to contest election in case its official candidate's papers were rejected during the scrutiny. Friday (January 24) is the deadline for withdrawing nominations. A design agency has revealed its concept for an all-electric passenger plane with propellers instead of jet engines. The Zero passenger plane concept, from New-York based JDXP, features an aerodynamic structure, with pin-point sharp nose and long wingspan at the back. Instead of two carbon-belching jet engines, the plane uses batteries and electric generators, which could be charged by solar panels, and three sets of propellers. The vehicle is only a concept, but it's hoped it will catch the eye of the airline industry as an option for frequent flyers who regularly travel on short-haul trips The switch from jet engines to electric motors would mean that passengers on the Zero plane would have to travel for longer to reach their destination an extra 25 minutes for every two hours. But the design is suited to frequent flyers who dont mind spending a bit longer in the air to offset their carbon emissions. Were not breaking the sound barrier, but efficiency is key, Joe Doucet, leader of the firm, told Fast Company. It seems to me theres both achievable technology, and a desire on the part of travellers to travel better, even if travel takes a bit longer. Carbon emissions from plane travel, which are focused in the upper atmosphere, are considered among the greatest contributors to global warming, the company says. By replacing jet engines with three propellers, the planes in-built electric motors allow it to achieve required minimums in distance and duration for flight times. The 'Zero' concept features a pointed nose to reduce air drag and wings right at the back to maximise lift at take-off The longer the flight on the Zero, the greater the additional flight time compared to a standard jet plane, which means the new design is better suited to short haul flights. Zeros wings are larger than todays commercial liners and positioned higher and further back on the body of the plane so that its front naturally points upwards to help take-off. Doucet said that the plane could also glide back to the ground even if it runs out of power or in the case of a malfunction. The design firm says their electric plane has been designed for efficiency rather than speed The company says sustainability is also at the core of its in-flight service. Passengers can therefore expect a menu free from beef burgers or single-use plastics two other sources of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions or an in-flight safety video starring Greta Thunberg. Doucet, who has previously designed playing cards, motorcycle helmets and glassware, is not an aeronautical engineer. Instead of jet engines, Zero uses electric motors to drive three sets of propellers at the back The designer told Fast Company that he doesnt plan to advance Zero past the concept stage himself, but that it catches the attention of the aerospace industry, or the next Tesla of aviation. At its lowest point of impact, it would make people question, Why arent there electric commuter planes?' he said. At the highest impact, producers of short-haul flights, everyone from Airbus and Boeing to your Bombardiers and Gulfstreams [could realise that] beginning an R&D program might be of medium- and long-term interest to their businesses.' A concept electric aircraft from Hyundai can carry up to four passengers with a pilot and fly on trips of up to 60 miles (100 km) Rolls-Royce unwrapped its one-seater jet back in December, revealing a sleek blue and white machine that is set to take flight in 2020 While small electric-powered aircraft date back to the 1970s, larger modern passenger-carrying e-planes are only just starting to advance past the concept stage. Korean motor company Hyundai and Uber revealed a fleet of electric flying taxis at CES this month, each seating four passengers and capable of travelling up to 60 miles. The companies think each aircraft, which are manned by a human pilot, could offer an alternative to ridesharing cars in crowded cities. Luxury car maker Rolls Royce revealed its own zero emission all-electric plane last month, with speeds of 300 miles per hour and a battery pack for 200 miles of flight per charge. Also last year, Dutch airline KLM unveiled a design for a v-shaped plane that burns 20 per cent less fuel than conventional aircraft. The bright blue prototype was modelled after Gibsons Flying V guitar and developed by Delft Technical University in the Netherlands. The International Energy Agency has predicted there will be around 125 million electric vehicles deployed globally by 2030, replacing fuel-powered cars that emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. UPDATED 8:18 P.M. THURSDAY with new number of people notified. SEATTLE A Snohomish County man who was diagnosed Monday with the newly discovered Wuhan coronavirus after a trip to China had close contact with at least 16 people after arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 15, health officials said Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday afternoon, that number had climbed to 43. The man has the United States' first confirmed case of the mysterious respiratory infection, which has killed at least 17 people and infected hundreds. In addition to Wuhan, China, patients have been identified in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. The patient, a man in his 30s who lives alone, had been traveling solo in Wuhan since November. He started feeling symptoms of pneumonia several days after returning to Washington state. He has been hospitalized at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett since Sunday, and is being monitored in a special isolation unit. He is in satisfactory condition. Public-health officials aren't disclosing where the patient went after his return to Washington; instead, officials are opting to directly contact specific people believed to have been near the man during that time. "If there is a location where we are concerned about potential transmission but Public Health cannot contact the individuals individually," the agency will announce that location, said Dr. Chris Spitters, interim health officer for the Snohomish Health District. The notified people are in active monitoring, which means public health workers are contacting them daily to find out if they are experiencing any symptoms such as a fever or respiratory issues, said Dr. John Wiesman, the states health officer, at a news conference Wednesday. Health officials from the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the news conference wouldn't say where the Snohomish County patient flew through to get from Wuhan to Seattle but that the CDC, the airlines and state health departments are working to contact those who came into close contact with the man on his flights. Because the virus from Wuhan is a coronavirus, health officials have an idea of how it will behave. Coronaviruses usually aren't contagious until someone begins showing symptoms, said Dr. Satish Pillai, a medical officer with the CDC, who is in Washington to help with the response. How a coronavirus is transmitted is different when compared to something like measles, which is highly contagious, Wiesman said. "You essentially have to be in contact with somebody, within 6 feet, and they have to have enough contact with you so that droplets are essentially coming on to you," he said. The CDC has updated its travel health notice from a 1 to 2, which urges travelers to practice enhanced precautions when traveling in Wuhan, Pillai said. Coronaviruses can be spread from animal to human, and it is believed the virus made the jump at an animal market in Wuhan. The Snohomish County man told health officials that he didn't visit an animal market while in Wuhan and wasn't in contact with anyone he knew to be ill. Wiesman urges anyone who traveled to Wuhan the past couple of months to contact their doctor or local public health department. Chinese authorities announced that beginning Thursday no trains or planes will be allowed into Wuhan and that all bus, train and ferry services will be halted. Any air travel from Wuhan is being funneled through Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Passengers on those flights will be screened before boarding connecting flights or leaving the airports. No other cases have been reported in Washington, and nobody has been tested for the virus, Wiesman said. Despite no other cases, Wiesman said he wouldn't be surprised if more people are sickened. "I would expect at some point we are going to have more cases in the U.S.," Wiesman said To protect against the virus it is suggested that the public treat it like the flu and wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and stay home from work or school if symptoms are showing, Wiesman said. The county health district has set up a call center where people can ask questions about the coronavirus. The number is 425-388-5088. The call center will be staffed 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. -- The Seattle Times San Francisco-based Uber confirmed the 10-year lease in August. The companys commitment was a key moment in the $800 million-plus redevelopment of the 2.8 million-square-foot former old main post office at 433 W. Van Buren St., which sat vacant for more than two decades before New York-based 601W Cos. took on the project. The first office tenants moved there in October. A non-government organisation says many of the murders in the South American country are extrajudicial killings by police. A non-government organisation says Venezuela has the worlds highest murder rate many of them extrajudicial killings by police. And an elite special forces unit is accused of being given the freedom to terrorise communities. Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman reports from the capital Caracas. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday accused the Central government of being the real 'Tukde Tukde' gang while stating the country has slipped 10 places in the global democracy index owing to 'debilitation' of democratic institutions. Taking to Twitter, former Union Home Minister Chidambaram warned that every patriotic Indian should be alarmed. "India has slipped 10 places in the Democracy Index. Anyone who has closely observed the events of the last two years knows that democracy has been eroded and democratic institutions have been debilitated. Those who are in power are the real 'Tukde Tukde' gang," tweeted Chidambaram. He said that the world is alarmed by the direction the country is taking. India has slipped to 51st position in a 2019 global democracy index ranking. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DETROIT, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading lower-middle-market private equity firm Huron Capital announced today that Julia Kellogg, PHR, SHRM-CP, has joined the firm to provide leadership and oversight of all activities related to human capital management. As Partner, Human Capital, Kellogg will be responsible for working with executives and human resources leaders at Huron Capital's portfolio companies to develop and execute strategies in alignment with the culture and objectives of each company. Kellogg will lead talent management strategies including executive recruitment, assessments, succession planning and performance management. In this role, Kellogg will also provide strategic insight on organizational design, compensation, benefits, retention and engagement matters. "Julia brings 20-plus years of experience in human resources and human capital management expertise to Huron Capital. She has worked in a variety of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, publishing, advertising, and financial services/payment technology," said Huron Capital Senior Partner Peter Mogk. "We expect Julia's leadership skills will translate into tangible benefits for our team members, portfolio companies and investors." Before joining Huron Capital, Kellogg served for five years as Chief People Officer at North American Bancard Holdings, LLC (NAB), a payment solutions provider based in Troy, Michigan. Prior to that, she was Human Resources Director at Valassis Communications, Inc., a Livonia, Michigan-based company that provides media and marketing services. Kellogg has also been invited to speak at several conferences for her innovative ideas and practical insights into human capital projects she led that resulted in improved company performance. "Huron Capital is filled with talented and driven professionals and a fascinating portfolio of companies with tremendous potential," Kellogg said. "I am eager to apply the knowledge and leadership skills I have gained by working across a wide spectrum of Huron Capital's portfolio companies to help them achieve their full potential." Kellogg has been recognized with a number of leadership awards, including: 2019 Vistage Soaring Eagle, 2017 American Society of Employers (ASE) Top HR Executive of the Year, 2018 Golden Bridge Award for Best National HR Department, and 2015 Michigan SHRM HR Professional of the Year. Kellogg received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Human Resources Management and Organizational Behavior from the University of Michigan-Flint, and she is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) as well as a Certified Professional (CP) through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She currently serves on the Advisory Board for Vista Maria and has served as president of the Detroit Society for Human Resource Management, board member of Hatch Detroit, and chapter vice president of ZONTA International. About Huron Capital Based in Detroit, Huron Capital is an operationally-focused private equity firm with a long history of growing lower middle-market companies through our proprietary ExecFactor buy-and-build investment model. We prefer complex situations where we can help companies reach their full potential by combining our operational approach, substantial capital base, and transaction experience with seasoned operating executives. Celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2019, Huron Capital has raised over $1.8 billion in capital through six committed private equity funds and invested in over 190 companies, and our portfolio companies have employed over 11,000 people throughout North America. The Huron Capital buy-and-build investment model includes equity recapitalizations, family succession transactions, market-entry strategies, corporate carve-outs, and management buyouts of companies having revenues up to $200 million. Huron Capital targets both control and non-control equity stakes in fundamentally-sound companies that can benefit from the firm's operational approach to creating value. Huron Capital's sector focus includes business services, consumer products & services and specialty industrials. For more information, please visit: www.huroncapital.com Certain information herein may contain forward-looking statements which are provided to assist the reader in understanding the beliefs and opinions with respect to future opportunities as perceived by Huron Capital and others quoted herein. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance in future periods to differ materially from any projections or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 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 issuer of these statements undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or estimates or opinions should change except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Contact: Brent Snavely, Director Lambert & Co. (313) 309-9516 [email protected] SOURCE Huron Capital Related Links http://www.huroncapital.com Wisconsins environmental policy board has authorized the Department of Natural Resources to move forward on setting limits on the amount of ubiquitous hazardous chemicals known as PFAS allowed in state waters. The Natural Resources Board voted 5-1 Wednesday to approve the DNRs proposed parameters for establishing new standards for surface, ground and drinking water, kicking off a 30-month rule-making process. The DNR, at the direction of Gov. Tony Evers, is working to set numerical standards for the amount of two fluorinated compounds PFOA and PFOS which have been linked to cancer, liver disease and other health problems and have been found in lakes, streams and groundwater reserves throughout Wisconsin. Madisons Starkweather Creek had the highest contamination levels of five water bodies sampled last year, and the DNR earlier this month issued a health advisory after tests found high levels of PFOS in fish from the creek and Lake Monona. Jim Zellmer, the DNRs deputy director of environmental management, said having a single statewide standard will provide regulatory certainty and cost savings. The DNR currently regulates PFAS contamination on a case-by-case basis. First developed around 1950 to create non-stick surfaces, PFAS compounds are sometimes called forever chemicals because their strong bonds prevent them from disintegrating in the environment. The Department of Health has recommended some of the strictest groundwater standards in the nation for PFOA and PFOS, though environmental groups want the agency to regulate all fluorinated chemicals as a class. While most of the more than 4,000 compounds in use have yet to be tested, experts believe studies will eventually show that most if not all PFAS compounds are harmful, said Maria Powell, executive director of the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization. The DHS is currently reviewing possible health effects of another 20 PFAS and is expected to deliver recommendations by the end of this year, which Zellmer said could result in another round of rule-making. The PFAS world is so rapidly evolving, Zellmer said. Theres new information coming out weekly. While it could make sense to set similar standards for some PFAS, Zellmer noted that the safe amount of one chemical might be different from another. They dont necessarily act the same in our bodies, he said. For now we need to look at each individually. Industrial groups including Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the American Chemistry Council sought to limit the regulation to PFOA and PFOS and argued the proposed standards are too strict and would cripple the states economy. More testing As a result of new limits, the DNR says some 2,000 public water systems, including municipal utilities and establishments that serve the public from private wells, would have to begin testing water at least every six years. The DNR estimates 15 to 30 systems would need to treat water or drill a new well. The cost of a new private well is about $11,000, but the DNR said treatment for a large municipal water system would cost more than $25 million. Groundwater standards could result in costs of more than $5 million. The DNR has not determined the cost of surface water standards but says they will be significant. Vanessa Wishart, representing Municipal Environmental Groups wastewater division, said the technologies available to remove PFAS from water are limited and expensive. If PFAS compounds are sent to landfills they are likely to return to sewage treatment plants in the landfill leachate. But environmentalists warn that tainted sludge spread on farm fields could contaminate food supplies. Increased costs Curt Witynski, deputy director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, said the state needs to ensure the costs of following the new regulations are justified. Witynski cited a study from the American Water Works Association that estimates moving from the EPAs 70 ppt health advisory to the proposed 20 ppt standard could result in a 1,000% increase in capital and operational costs. New regulations will undoubtedly increase the costs to people who use waste water and drinking water systems, Witynski said. Zellmer said the DNR could provide variable schedules for communities to comply with any new rules and even hardship variances for some systems. There for life Board chairman Fred Prehn, a dentist and cranberry grower from Wausau, said hes most concerned that PFAS are present throughout the environment and accumulate in the human body. Once they come into my body, theyre there for the rest of my life, he said. But he questioned how the DNR plans to get rid of it. You cant get rid of it, Prehn said. You can contain it or dilute it. William Bruins, a Waupun dairy farmer, was the only member to vote against each of the three scoping statements. Both were appointed to the board in 2011 by former Gov. Scott Walker. The process of drafting the rules is expected to take about a year, after which the DNR must do an economic impact study and hold another round of public hearings before returning to the Natural Resources Board for approval in 2021 and the Legislature the next year. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Patna: The low student-teacher ratio has been a problem across the country. But in a village in Bihars Gaya there is a government school that has two teachers for one student. There is also a cook who prepares mid-day meals for the lone student. Officials said it costs the government over Rs 59,000 monthly for the education of the lone student of class one, who studies in a one-storey school building with four classrooms and a kitchen. The government pays about Rs 58,000 to the two teachers and Rs 1,500 to the cook monthly. Dharmaraj Paswan, the village head, said the people in the area where the school is located are more inclined towards sending their children for quality education to private schools. ...there are many options for private schools for the people. So they do not send their kids to the Mansabigha primary school, he said. The lone student, Jhanvi Kumari, said she gets all the attention from the two teachers and the cook, Gyanti Devi. Sometimes food for her is even brought from a nearby hotel, as preparing it for a student sometimes becomes a difficult task, said one of the teachers, Priyanka Kumari. She added that altogether nine students were enrolled in the school, but just one attends the classes. She will also leave the school after some time, she said. When asked about the syllabus and how her exams are conducted, Priyanka Kumari said, We teach her to our best ability. We will soon launch a drive to sensitize parents to send their kids to the school, which may increase the enrolment, said district education officer Mustafa Hussain Mansuri Khizarsarai block development officer Uday Kumar expressed surprise over the condition of the school. I will inquire why the enrolment in the school is low, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The feared fatal decline of western monarch butterflies in California paused at the precipice this winter, when almost the same number as last year showed up along the coast, giving biologists a granule of hope that the colorful insects can be saved. The striking orange-and-black butterflies have declined more than 99% since the 1980s along the Pacific Coast, where an estimated 10 million monarchs once blanketed trees from Marin County to Baja California. Only 29,418 clustering monarchs were counted in the trees along the coast around Thanksgiving, when the winter population is believed to be at its peak. Thats 2,200 more than during the winter of 2018-19, but volunteers surveyed more sites this year, so the numbers are considered statistically identical. The count last year was an all-time low and 86% below 2017-18. John Blanchard Emma Pelton, a conservation biologist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, said the population is now close to the point at which the species can no longer recover, but the halt in their decline is a hopeful sign. This is still a crisis, but there is still reason to think that if we work hard enough we could bounce back, said Pelton, leader of western monarch research for the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit whose mission is to protect invertebrates and their habitats. Its not all bad, but I think its a pretty good wake-up call, she said. We need to be dealing with this because we dont know how low this population can go before it cant bounce back. Western monarchs spend the winter in more than 300 forested groves of eucalyptus, cypress and pine trees along the California coast, including large populations in Riverside and Los Angeles counties, Monterey, Pacific Grove (Monterey County) and at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. The California butterflies, first observed by a Russian expedition looking for a passage across the Arctic Ocean in 1816, cluster together in trees from November to March, providing viewers with a spectacular winter display of color before they head back north to the Pacific Northwest and Canada for the summer, mating as they go. Pelton said the overwintering population is considered the canary in a coal mine for ecosystem health because declines in pollinating insects and songbirds usually go hand-in-hand. Losing monarchs could send bees, insect-eating birds and the plants and animals that rely on them into similar declines. There are two major migrations of monarch butterflies the eastern and western populations which scientists believe divide themselves at the Rocky Mountains when they head south for the winter from their summer homes to the north. The more abundant eastern monarchs, which spend their winters in Mexico, are famous for covering whole sections of forest in a kaleidoscope of color. It is the largest insect migration in the world but it, too, is in trouble. The eastern monarchs have declined more than 90% since 1996, when scientists estimated there were 1 billion nesting in the trees. The journeys of both populations are remarkable in that it takes several generations of butterflies eggs for each successive generation are left on milkweed plants along the way to make the six- to nine-month journey north after wintering in California and Mexico. The California population has been declining at an average of about 7% a year, according to a 2017 study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That study calculated the point of no return would likely come when there are fewer than 30,000 butterflies. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The die-off has been blamed on a variety of factors, including urban sprawl, the spraying of pesticides and herbicides on corn and soybean crops, and the plowing under of the monarchs milkweed habitat along their migratory route. Xerces Society officials are urging governments to identify butterfly habitat and adopt plans to protect monarch overwintering sites from logging or inappropriate trimming. They have identified 20 sites including stands of trees on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco actively used by monarchs over the past five years that were damaged or destroyed by home builders, utility companies worried about fire danger, park officials or open space managers. We must protect all remaining overwintering sites in order to save our monarchs, said Sarina Jepsen, director of the Xerces endangered species and aquatics program. This is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed by federal, as well as state and local government in California. The group also recommends that Californians begin growing milkweed and other native plants that produce nectar, especially flowers that bloom in early spring. They recommend woolly pod, known scientifically as Asclepias eriocarpa; California milkweed, called A. californica; and heartleaf milkweed, or A. cordifolia. Recent studies have shown that tropical milkweed, like Asclepias curassavica, can interrupt monarch migration and spread disease, effects that are bound to get worse as the climate warms. A recent University of Michigan experiment found that higher carbon dioxide levels from car and factory emissions reduce a natural toxin in milkweed that feeding monarch caterpillars use to fight off parasites. Without immediate action, I fear we will lose these animals from the Western landscape, said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society. Without them ... we will lose the ability for our children to experience the majesty of the monarch migration. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite Australia denies using Chinese spy case to influence Taiwan elections ROC Central News Agency 01/22/2020 08:21 PM Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) The Australian representative office in Taipei said Tuesday that its government's disclosure of a case involving a self-confessed spy from China, who was seeking asylum in Canberra late last year, was not aimed at influencing Taiwan's general elections, as has been alleged. In an exclusive interview with CNA Tuesday, Gary Richard Cowan, head of the Australian Office Taipei, said there was no truth to the allegations that the Australia government or people were seeking to influence Taiwan's election. "There is no circumstance under which Australia would seek to interfere in an election in Taiwan," Cowan said, adding that only the Taiwanese people have the right to choose their leader and decide who should represent them. The case of the self-confessed Chinese spy Wang Liqiang () was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald and other Australian media outlets last November, during the campaign leading up to Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 11. According to the reports, Wang went to Australia's counter-espionage agency last October with information on how China's intelligence officers had been funding and conducting spying operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. China's law enforcement agencies denied the reports, saying Wang was a fugitive wanted for fraud. In Taiwan, some news commentators said the timing of the reports indicated that the Australian government had fed Wang's story to the media in a bid to help Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen () win her second term. Cowan, however, said that was not the case, as the Australian government does not take sides in Taiwan politics. "Australia has had longstanding and good relations with people across the political spectrum in Taiwan for a long time, and we expect that to continue," Cowan said. He congratulated Tsai, her running mate Lai Ching-te (), and all the legislators-elect on their victory and lauded Taiwan's democratic development since its period of martial law ended in 1987. On the question of future cooperation between Australia and Taiwan, Cowan said the focus will be on education, trade, energy and science. This year, he said, the theme of the bilateral relations is "discover Taiwan, discover Australia," as chosen by his office. Meanwhile, Cowan expressed thanks to the Taiwan government for donating 6,000 respirator masks to Australia, which is battling a series of devastating bushfires, and to the Taiwan Red Cross for launching a donation drive. Cowan urged the Taiwanese people to continue visiting, studying, working and investing in Australia, saying those are the best ways to support the country's recovery. "The emergency is ending," he said. "We are very much open for business and looking forward to welcoming people there." (By Chen Yun-yu, Elaine Hou and Emerson Lim) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Polling of Great Lakes states shows some potential trouble for President Donald Trump. Flyover states crack down on tobacco and vaping. And Republicans in Michigan chafe at the idea of the marijuana industry unionizing. Check-in State of play: Republican President Donald Trump didnt fare well against a generic Democrat in a new poll from Baldwin Wallace University measuring voter opinion in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, cleveland.com data guru Rich Exner writes. Among Democrats, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders fared best in the states, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren not far behind, I write for cleveland.com. One surprise candidate seems like hes made some gains: New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, whos spending a ton of cash in Flyover states. As MLives Malachi Barrett reports, hes already spent record amounts in Michigan. Who run the world? One of the biggest things we noticed from the polling, as documented by cleveland.coms Laura Hancock, is the gulf between men and women voters. Women reported that they are breaking away from Trump to the Democratic Party, a trend we saw play out in 2018 that could be a crucial factor in 2020. You can find more comprehensive coverage of the poll from cleveland.com right here. Labor pains: Republicans in Michigan are opposing proposed new rules that would require the states recreational marijuana businesses to enter a labor peace agreement before they can be licensed, MLives Gus Burns reports. A labor peace agreement sets rules for organizing and labor disputes. Republicans in the legislature, which has final say on new rules, likened it to a mob-style shakedown. Smoke screen: Following in the footsteps of its neighbors, Indiana is poised to pass tougher restrictions for smoking on people younger than 21, the Times of Northwest Indianas Dan Carden reports. Fines for selling tobacco products to people underage would double under the proposal. One step further: Meanwhile, Iowa lawmakers are considering banning vaping in public places like bars and restaurants, the Des Moines Registers Ian Richardson reports. Other states could follow suit soon, considering the domino effect when states started banning smoking in public places about 15 years ago. Like a rolling Keystone: PennLive opinion editor Joyce Davis is out with her latest episode of Battleground PA, a podcast breaking down politics and the 2020 election in the Keystone State. This week, Davis discusses the split in the Democratic Party and the start of the impeachment trial in the Senate. Group therapy: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a report saying Pennsylvania needs to do a better job of monitoring its group homes for people with disabilities, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazettes Kate Giammarise reports. The report found thousands of emergency room visits went unreported by Pennsylvania officials, including deaths. They used to make steel there, no? With the Iowa caucuses rapidly approaching, Democrats are focusing their efforts even more on the old, industrial part of the state along the Mississippi River, per the Associated Press Alexandra Jaffe and Tom Beaumont. Iowa is home to more counties than any other state that flipped from supporting Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016. Swing low: No county swung more in 2016 than Howard County, Iowa, the home of Cresco near the Minnesota border. The Wall Street Journals John McCormick asked voters in the rural county how they felt three years into Trumps presidency. Most of those who backed the president still did, but some are tiring of his personal antics and trade decisions. Arrivals/Departures Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was in Dubuque, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign. Former Vice President Joe Biden was in Mason City and Osage, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign. Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland was in Elkader, West Union and Decorah, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang was in Charles City, Osage, Cresco, Decorah and Waukon, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign. Yang will be in Dubuque, Clinton, Davenport, Muscatine and Louisa, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. Yang will be in Burlington, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant and Fairfield, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. The Des Moines Register will announce its presidential endorsement 6 p.m. Saturday. President Donald Trump will hold a re-election rally in Des Moines on Jan. 30, per the Des Moines Register. Vice President Mike Pence will be in Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Des Moines on Jan. 30, per the Des Moines Register. Pence will join Trump on stage for Trumps rally. Pence will be in Madison next week to stump for private school vouchers at the state capitol, per the Wisconsin State Journal. You can gamble on the Oscars in Indiana now, per the Times of Northwest Indiana. This Is Your Captain Speaking He stood there in Pennsylvania and talked about bringing steel mills back and whats happened is weve cut steel lines. We gave companies a big tax cut then took it away with tariffs. These are the pieces that are missing. I think he could have had it all. And he doesnt have it all. -Gary Cohn, Republican President Donald Trumps first National Economic Council director, quoted in Politico on some of the troubling economic trends for the president in the Midwest. Enjoying The Flyover? Be sure and subscribe here. Email Seth at SRichardson@cleveland.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SethARichardson. Strategy Analytics: 11 Leading Analysts to Participate in MWC Barcelona 2020 Eleven (11) industry analysts will be on-site at GSMA MWC in Barcelona, Spain from 24-27 February 2020. The team of leading market and consumer research analysts will be conducting business meetings, moderating conference sessions, attending briefings and providing media interviews. The list of analysts and their respective domain expertise include: Ville-Petteri Ukonaho (Smart connected devices, including handsets, smartphones and wearables) Boris Metodiev (Mobile and connected devices: handsets, smartphones, wearables and, connected consumer electronics) Yiwen Wu (Smartphones and China market) Phil Kendall (Service provider strategies and 5G network evolution) Susan Welsh de Grimaldo (Service provider competitive positioning, data monetization, and revenue growth opportunities) Andrew Brown (IoT and mobile workforce strategies and opportunities) Stephen Entwistle (Strategic studies for components industry clients) Chris Taylor (Radio components in cellular and Wi-Fi, chipsets, FEMs, PAs, filters, 5G & IP) Stuart Robinson (Mobile processors, 5G modems, displays, and memory) Paul Brown (UX innovation and custom projects) Roger Lanctot (Automotive connected mobility) Additionally, our leading analysts will also be participating in key industry events and panels that include (subject to change): Andrew Brown, Moderator, IoT Data Analytics: From Data to Actionable Insights, Tuesday, 25 February, 15:10 - 16:15, Hall 4 Auditorium 4 Phil Kendall, Moderator, Connecting Everyone & Everything High-Frequency 5G Can't, Wednesday, 26 February, 11.00 - 12.00, Hall 4 Auditorium 5 Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, Moderator (2), The Big Debate: Is Consumer 5G an ROI Nightmare?, Tuesday, 25 February, 11:00 - 12:00, Hall 4 Auditorium 5 and Intelligent Automation at Scale: Exploring the Operator AI Implementation Journey, Thursday, 27 February, 12:30 - 13:30, Hall 4 Auditorium 2 Roger Lanctot (News - Alert), Chair, 5GAA Event @ MWC Barcelona 2020, Tuesday, 25 February, 09:30 - 13:00, Hall 8.0 Theatre District - Theatre D Some of the business issue questions that Strategy Analytics (News - Alert) is addressing include: What impact will the growing "woke" status have on selection of preferred brands for autonomous vehicles, smart TVs, smartphones, and wearables? Which customer segments are looking for new brands to match their interests in privacy? Security? Social Responsibility? Will AI start to deliver tangible user benefits in consumer technology? Will new use cases be introduced based on NLP, machine learning, empathetic technology, etc.? As 5G is rolled out in more markets, which new distinctive use cases will emerge to take full advantage of these ultra-high capacity networks, sparking a new wave of UX innovation? Which consumer needs, pain points, and use cases will drive the mainstream adoption of wearables such as smart apparel and accessories? What role does technology have in creating "work-life harmony" in the lives of prosumers? If you would like to schedule a business meeting, briefing or media interview, visit https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/webinars-and-events/events/meet-strategy-analytics/2020/02/24/default-calendar/mwc-barcelona-2020. About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics is a leader in supporting companies across their planning lifecycle through a range of syndicated and customized consumer and market research solutions. Our multi-discipline capabilities include: industry research advisory services, consumer insights, user experience design and innovation expertise, mobile consumer on-device tracking and business-to-business consulting competencies. With domain expertise in: smart devices, connected car, intelligent home, service providers, IoT, strategic components and media, Strategy Analytics can develop a solution to meet your specific planning need. www.StrategyAnalytics.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005470/en/ Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to address five rallies in Uttar Pradesh during a three-month long statewide campaign to highlight farmers' issues, party sources said on Thursday. The 'Kisan Bachao' campaign will be launched in February, they said. Congress workers, in the campaign's first phase, will visit villages and get feedback from farmers on remuneration they get for their produce, availability of fertilisers, water, seeds and power, sugarcane dues and debt-related issues, the sources said here. In the second phase, 'nukkad sabhas' will be held at the block level and later, 'padyatras' will be organised at tehsil and district headquarters. Priyanka Gandhi will address five rallies, the sources said, adding that the party's senior-most leaders are expected to take part in the campaign. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tiny puppies that were packed into a banana box and left on the side of the road just before Christmas are now fighting for their lives. The only reason the two-day-old pups were found is that a driver noticed the banana box sitting on the edge of the road and stopped to investigate. The driver handed them into the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in the town of Whangarei, north of Auckland. 'The puppies had nothing. No blankets, no food, no water, no hope. Only each other for comfort. They were not even old enough to open their eyes yet and they were left for dead.' the SPCA posted to their Facebook page. The only reason the two-day-old pups were found is that a driver noticed the banana box sitting on the edge of the road and stopped to investigate 'The puppies are all girls and we have named them Belle, Moana, Ariel, and Merida. They have become the 'princess puppies'. They are now spending time with a specialised foster parent who is experienced in caring for such vulnerable puppies.' At this age the animals' best chance is with their mother, however, they are being monitored 24 hours a day and are being hand fed nightly by the carer. The SPCA said the puppies were 'doing well but not out of the woods yet.' The post sparked outraged comments from people who could not understand why the animals were just left on the side of the road. 'Thank you for giving them a chance we definitely need a desexing campaign up here in Northland it's ridiculous the amount of cruelty and puppies being dumped,' one person said. 'I read this sad story to my 6-year-old daughter Kassidy and she is going to donate all of her $20 Christmas money to these pups. I will match her. We'll use the link to pay it through now. Thank you SPCA,' added another. Australia's RSPCA has previously said the number of abandoned pets sharply rises around school holidays and Christmas. Anyone who finds an abandoned pet can call the RSPCA on 1300 278 3589. President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land," he said. Srinagar, Jan 23 : Two drug peddlers were arrested with banned psychotropic substances from Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Thursday. The police officers at a checkpoint, established near Budgam's Kawoosa area, intercepted a vehicle bearing chassis number D97761 and arrested two drug peddlers. They have been identified as Nazir Ahmad Khan and Ashiq Ahmad Shergojre and both are said to be locals. The Officers also recovered 550 bottles of banned Rexorid and 1,200 capsules of Spasmo Proxyvon from their possession. An FIR under relevant sections of law has been registered. Further investigation into the matter is going on. Separately, a police party from the same district seized four vehicles loaded with LPG cylinders. These cylinders were being transported for black marketing. Of late, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has been seeking public cooperation in curbing social crimes in their neighbourhood. "Community members can share information pertaining to social crimes with police. We reassure them that our efforts in curbing social crimes shall continue," police said. The world has already entered an exciting and unprecedented phase in technology - with the pace of change and innovation continuing to accelerate. Predicting how the future will play out is difficult, but one can make some educated guesses. To get a sense of how technology will change over the next decade, connecting the dots on how technology has evolved over the last decade could provide some cues. What is certain is that we are in a period of unprecedented convergence and inter-disciplinary cross-fertilisation of what we might think are disconnected fields. India is predicted to be the second largest economy by 2050 and is expected to sustain the leadership position as the fastest growing economy in the world. Industry and services sectors are major growth sectors driving the economy. The demographic dividend is expected to transform India into the largest pool of global human capital. The strong policy push under the Skill India Mission and reforms in labour laws would gradually alter the untrained informal workforce into a trained formal workforce. A series of global megatrends such as rapid urbanisation, demographic shifts, changes in global economic power, political shifts and technology are influencing the way business is run. India, too, is witnessing a fundamental transformation in how work is carried out. Two distinct advantages available are low labour cost and a rich talent pool, which augment the country's global competitiveness as a knowledge-based economy. Education and skill training are both strategic necessities that will deliver employment-enhancing capabilities, which will increase productivity. India has been a front-runner in various avenues, and the government has established various measures to increase the employability of the youths. But the current skill ecosystem needs to be re-engineered to cater to the evolving growth story and demands of Industry 4.0. The Industry is focusing on new age technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, and 3D printing. We as a society should have a clear view of what the future is and what our own actions will look like. In addition, we need to think about India's pivotal role in pushing for educational reforms and bringing about a radical transformation in the mind-set of the youth through proactive interventions, erasing any social stigma that may be attached to vocational training programmes. Digital First Digital technologies are defining business and are an active driver of competitive advantage, business models and even business viability. We have seen disruptive new business models emerge, based purely on technology, owning no assets whatsoever and yet posing a serious challenge to long-established incumbents. These fully virtual entities have used digital technologies to set very high standards in terms of the customer experience using technology, and have fundamentally changed the equation between business and technology. Historically, technology was an enabler of business and a source of efficiency. The next few decades will witness another similar technology revolution; this time, driven by advancements in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. With a rapid increase in connected devices over the years - expected to reach one trillion by 2025 - technologies like IoT and Big Data analytics will be deployed to improve the quality and productivity of life, society and industries. Due to proliferation of smartphones and pervasive connectivity, provisioning public services through mobiles will empower citizens to access services through an 'Anywhere Anytime Anyhow' paradigm and tremendously increase service outreach. Big Data coupled with AI technologies will enable the government to derive deep and sharp insights from multiple sources of huge data and create specific interventions based on these insights. New Skill Sets Industries that are part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution recognise the need to develop a holistic strategy. Organisations need to build a workforce that understands the culture and dynamics of the company, the product as well as the industry. As the workforce embraces the change and focuses on acquiring relevant skills for the future, it will lead to an increase in both efficiency and productivity. It is now clear that automation will result in a major disruption in the way work is getting done. Those workers who perform tasks that cannot be automated will be highly valued, and that means creativity, innovation, imagination and design skills will figure high up on the employer's recruitment agenda. The global fulcrum of economic prosperity will undoubtedly shift to Asia. It is only in India that the working age population will grow; we will have more than 65 per cent of population in the working age group by 2022. However, the growth story of India will have to be supported by sufficient innovation, increased use of technology, reforms in education and skill development sector and matching it with investments. Being Ready for the Future India's working age population will grow, but this will have to be supported with sufficient innovation, increased use of technology, reforms in education and skill development with matching investments. It is important to gauge the impact of new technologies on the 'labour intensive' Indian economy. While technical skills will remain the indispensable foundation for a strong career, to ensure career progression and longevity, a supplement of generic life skills will also be needed. Big Data and AI will enable the government to derive deep and sharp insights from multiple sources of huge data and create specific interventions based on these insights. According to a recent Oxfam report titled 'Reward Work, Not Wealth', global inequality has reached "unacceptable levels". In 2017, around 73 per cent of India's wealth belonged to 1 per cent of its 130 crore people. It increased from 58 per cent a year ago, indicating that economic inequality has widened. Herein lies an opportunity for India to leverage its IT prowess to find solutions that democratise wealth flow, raise the living standards of the poorest of the poor and create a more equitable society. One of the positive impacts on our workforce is the likely shift from an informal labour market to formal, structured organisations. This is going to fuel the need for acquiring formal skills and training. The pace of change is also pushing individual workers towards continuous and lifelong learning. These trends have led to drastic revamping of the current skill development ecosystem to cater to the evolving growth story and demands of Industry 4.0. Advancements in the field of AI, robotics, 3D printing and IoT may promise future prosperity and create new jobs. This may also lead to challenges for a clear majority who would find their jobs becoming redundant or changing so much that their skills become irrelevant. We agree that basic Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills would become imperative for most jobs in various spheres. Along with STEM skills, analytical thinking and innovation, learning ability, leadership skills, critical thinking, creativity, relationship building and collaboration, and cognitive abilities will be required for the future workforce to thrive and sustain in the competitive market. As data becomes the new fuel driving the economy, the ability to acquire, manage and analyse data would become a key skill in the future. Policymakers, regulators and industries must thus collectively invest in the development of new agile learners by improving education and training systems, as well as updating the labour policies to match the realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We need to design a new framework for the skills of the future taking into account the cognitive skills such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence and empathy, management and leadership, relationship building and collaboration, cognitive flexibility and creativity. These skills will be central across all industries and will be over and above the skills related to emerging technologies and different vocations. These new skill sets will not replace the existing skill demand; rather, they will be required in addition to the existing ones, often augmenting the acquired vocational skills. Labour Solutions While the new technologies are already revolutionising the Indian economy and the workplace, it is important to gauge their impact on the 'labour intensive' Indian economy. With rising unemployment having become not just a national but also a global concern, it becomes imperative to ensure timely corrective measures based on the skill requirements to face changes brought in by industry 4.0. These measures are critical to equip the workforce, particularly the youth, with the skills of the future. Further, skills tailored to the needs of industry-specific emerging technologies will be of utmost importance, since technology advancements are expected to have different effects on different industries. Considering the fast-paced and evolving economy, as well as the changing nature of work due to technological breakthroughs, it is critical for India to capitalise on its demographic dividend where nearly 65 per cent of the population is in the age group of 15-59 years, and equip them with employable skills, thus stimulating a sustainable development process. The above challenges are uniform across the length and breadth of the country, except in a few isolated pockets where best practices by industry and training providers have resulted in significant strides in quality training. It is therefore important for the stakeholders to come together and resolve the challenges of the skill ecosystem to achieve the aim of the Skill India Mission - namely skilling with speed, scale and quality and making the workforce ready for future technologies. However, as compared to 60-90 per cent of the workforce in developed economies, only 10.8 per cent of the total Indian workforce has undergone any kind of skill training (2.2 per cent with formal training and 8.6 per cent with informal training). With the advent of Industry 4.0, the tasks to be carried out are becoming more demanding, in both technological and organisational terms. Interdisciplinary competencies are growing in importance. While technical skills will remain the indispensable foundation for a strong career, to ensure career progression and longevity, these technical capabilities will need to be supplemented by generic life skills. This combination will enable an individual to work in different occupation settings and conditions and will go a long way in sustaining the employability of the Indian youth. The current wave of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) brought in by Coursera, Edx, Khan Academy, etc. has brought education and skills into the homes of people. It delivers simplified training for the masses and can morph into personalised modules which can take cognizance of the understanding and learning capability of the student and deliver modules accordingly. The trend has already begun. AI tutors by Carnegie will use this for personalised tutoring of students requiring remedial learning, thereby reducing the cost of collegiate education. AI-based methods for automatic grading of students are gaining popularity. On similar lines, MOOCs can also be leveraged for vocational education by adding a curated set of content, catalogued and organised to teach vocational skills on an open platform. This can help provide the required impetus to the Skill India Mission, thereby helping the country realise the true potential of its demographic dividend at a rapid pace. Technology is driving us at a never before velocity. The pace of change is indeed astonishing and not entirely foreseen even by industry stakeholders. The technological revolution, like all other revolutions before, reflects man's indomitable quest to explore what lies beyond, to invent new things, to search for new knowledge. Our lives and the lives of our future generations rest on our collective wisdom to use these technologies wisely, for development of all rather than for a few, for peace rather than destruction, for preservation of the planet rather than extinction. The skills for the future will need to impart training in critical thinking, relationship building and collaboration, enhancing emotional intelligence and empathy, management and leadership, and cognitive flexibility and creativity, over and above the vocational skills needed to perform a job. Skill augmentation would thus be relevant across industries. Further, it is worthwhile to focus on STEM education as well, to help students make the leap from users of technology to innovators. While the generic/soft skills will enable the existing workforce and new entrants to brave the onslaught of technology disruptions, STEM education at the school level will drive innovation and spur creativity, which will go a long way in building a strong foundation for the future workforce. S Ramadorai is former Chairman of National Skill Development Corp & former CEO of TCS By PTI NEW YORK: Harvey Weinstein is a "seasoned" sexual predator and rapist who abused his power as a movie-producing titan to prey on vulnerable aspiring actresses, prosecutors said Wednesday as his trial got into full swing. His defense team hit back, saying the fallen film producer engaged in consensual relationships with his accusers, including a "loving one" where the woman referred to Weinstein as "her casual boyfriend." That woman, who says Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel room in 2013, was identified for the first time in court as actress Jessica Mann, who had previously remained anonymous. Weinstein, wearing a dark suit, sat shaking his head and scribbling notes for his lawyers as New York Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast painted a picture of a 140-kilogram bully who raped, humiliated and manipulated several women, leaving them traumatized for years. "It will be clear throughout this trial that the defendant knew he was preying on the naive and the defenseless," Hast told the court in the prosecution's opening arguments, saying many of his victims had come from broken homes. "They didn't know they were being lured in on false pretenses. They thought they had got their big break. He was the old lady in the gingerbread house luring the kids." Defense attorney Damon Cheronis team said it was "untrue" and "quite the contrary" to call Weinstein a predator as the "Pulp Fiction" producers' team started laying out their opening arguments. "You will see the case unravel for the state, and it must, based on the evidence," he told the New York state court. Wednesday's hearing started with Judge James Burke reminding the 12-member jury and six alternates that they must decide their verdict based on the evidence they hear in court and must not discuss the trial with anyone outside. Hast then laid out the prosecution's case in a statement lasting around an hour and a half. She said Weinstein raped "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra in the winter of 1993-94 after a pursuit which included him introducing her to the drug valium. "He left her emotionally and physically destroyed and passed out on the floor," the prosecutor told a packed courtroom with more than 100 journalists in attendance. The attorney said Weinstein left former production assistant Mimi Haleyi lying "motionless like a dead fish" after forcibly assaulting her in his New York apartment in July 2006. And Hast accused Weinstein of treating actress Jessica Mann like a "rag doll" when he raped her in her hotel room in March 2013. Weinstein, 67, faces life in prison if convicted of predatory sexual assault charges related to Haleyi and Mann in the New York proceedings seen as key to the #MeToo movement. The trial, expected to run until March 6, will also hear evidence from Sciorra and three other accusers who were named for the first time in court Wednesday. Cheronis said the jury would see hundreds of emails and other correspondence between Mann and Weinstein which would show they were "actually in a loving relationship." A year after the alleged assault took place, Mann wrote "Miss you big guy!" in an email to Weinstein and another which said "Thank you for your unfailing support and kindness," Cheronis said. In February 2017, she wrote to Weinstein: "I love you, I always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call," Cheronis told the court. "Members of the jury, that is not how you talk about predators, that is not how you talk about your abusers," he said. Cheronis argued that Weinstein's accusers changed their attitude towards him as the #MeToo movement gathered steam in 2017. "We will show that the truth has changed since 2013 and the truth can't change. There is only one truth," he said. The prosecution laid out the previously unknown allegations of three women who will take the stand as they try to convince the seven men and five women on the jury that Weinstein engaged in a pattern of predatory sexual behaviour. One alleges that Weinstein raped her. Another says he grabbed her vagina and the third says he masturbated in front of her. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon is leading the prosecution, while Chicago lawyer Donna Rotunno, who has defended numerous men accused of sexual assault, leads the defense. More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct since claims against him ignited the #MeToo movement in October 2017. But many of the alleged crimes fall outside the timeframe for bringing charges. The defense was successful in keeping young white women -- viewed as sympathetic to the #MeToo movement -- off the jury, following an acrimonious two-week selection process. Arriving at court, Weinstein walked unsteadily up a few steps but without the walking frame he has used for recent proceedings. After its digital mapping is completed in Washington and other technical work is done in Pittsburgh, Uber will begin its autonomous operations on District roads with speed limits of 25 miles per hour, company officials said. There will be a backup driver behind the wheel, with a second safety employee sitting beside them. Executives offered no public estimate of when their cars might open to potential customers. Surprise In Belarus, Kyrgyzstan About Reports On Expanded U.S. Travel Ban By Ron Synovitz January 22, 2020 Political observers from Belarus and Kyrgyzstan are reacting with surprise and skepticism to media reports that their former Soviet republics could be added to a U.S. travel-ban list. Officials from Washington, Minsk, and Bishkek refused to comment on the record about reports that Belarus and Kyrgyzstan will be added to the controversial list of states whose citizens face travel bans or severe restrictions on entering the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on January 22 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that his administration planned "very shortly" to expand its travel ban. But Trump did not specify which countries would be added. The current list includes Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, North Korea, and Venezuela. "We are adding a couple of countries to it," said Trump, who suggested the list was being expanded because of security concerns. "We have to be safe," he told reporters at the World Economic Forum. "Our country has to be safe." On January 21, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Politico all quoted unnamed officials in Trump's administration as saying Kyrgyzstan and Belarus were being considered for the travel ban. They said other countries that could be added to the travel-ban list included Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. A Misunderstanding? Those reports said citizens from the banned countries would not necessarily face a total prohibition on visits to the United States. But immigration restrictions could be imposed and additional restrictions introduced on certain types of visas for tourists and business travelers. Artyom Shraibman, a political commentator in Minsk, says that "if Belarus falls under U.S. visa restrictions, it would be the result of a misunderstanding." Shraibman says he thinks any move by the White House to add Belarus to the travel-ban list was probably triggered automatically on the basis of some security criteria. Indeed, one senior Trump administration official told Reuters on January 22 that countries that had failed to comply with Washington's security requirements face the risk of limitations on coming to the United States. AP reported that countries on the proposed expansion list include allies that fall short on certain security measures called for by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security following a review of security protocols in 200 countries. Such measures include the introduction of biometric passports, information sharing, and cooperation on counterterrorism measures. The Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. embassies in Minsk and Bishkek have all refused to comment on the proposed expansion of the travel-ban list. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley also declined to confirm any details about plans to add to the list. He said the existing travel ban "has been profoundly successful in protecting our country and raising the security baseline around the world." "While there are no new announcements at this time, common sense and national security both dictate that if a country wants to fully participate in U.S immigration programs, they should also comply with all security and counterterrorism measures," Gidley said. "We do not want to import terrorism or any other national security threat into the United States." Shraibman says he does not think the White House has coordinated with the U.S. State Department about the idea of adding Belarus to the travel-ban list. That's because Washington has been eager to improve relations with Belarus, which is seen as being heavily influenced by Russia but which also has serious problems in its bilateral relationship with Moscow. One day after the reports of a possible expansion to the travel-ban list, it was announced that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would visit Belarus on February 1 as part of a five-country tour that was postponed amid rising U.S.-Iranian tensions. Sources told RFE/RL's Belarus Service that Pompeo was expected to stay for only a few hours in Belarus before traveling to Kazakhstan later on February 1. Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich notes that the current U.S. travel-ban list is comprised of countries with ongoing military conflicts or where U.S. sanctions already exist. Apparently, he adds, the "structure" for expanding the travel-ban list is "guided by a purely formal approach." "There are U.S. sanctions against Belarus," Karbalevich says. "Some of them have been suspended, but they have not been canceled." Surprise In Kyrgyzstan RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports that possible reasons Kyrgyzstan -- the most democratic country in Central Asia -- could be added to the U.S. travel-ban list include the possible presence of Islamic State (IS) militants in the country as well as a glut of fake Kyrgyz passports around the world. Kyrgyzstan's southern city of Osh is seen as a hub for counterfeit Kyrgyz passports -- which are thought to have been used by organized crime bosses from Russia and other former Soviet republics, money launderers, and suspects in international criminal investigations. Kyrgyz students studying at universities in the United States or coming for visits also have a poor record in terms of overstaying their U.S. visas and remaining in the country as illegal aliens. Kadyr Toktogulov, who was Kyrgyzstan's ambassador to the United States and Canada from 2014 to 2019, describes the reports about Kyrgyzstan being added to the travel-ban list as "bad press for sure." He says it is "confusing why Kyrgyzstan is the pick of all Central Asian countries." He pointed out in a tweet that the Politico report said the ban might apply only to certain government officials or certain types of visas. "I'm interested in what this...means," he added. Toktogulov also noted on Twitter that Kyrgyz passport-holders already had a "relatively high visa-rejection rate for U.S. visas." "These additional visa restrictions that are reported to be considered by the U.S. will probably not make the situation much worse for Kyrgyz citizens who have been eligible to travel to the U.S. before," he wrote in a tweet on January 22. With reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus and Kyrgyz services, Reuters, AP, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/surprise-in- belarus-kyrgyzstan-about-reports-on- expanded-us-travel-ban/30391800.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A staff member checks the body temperature of a passenger after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou, China's eastern Zhejiang province, January 23, 2020. STR | AFP | Getty Images World health officials hesitated Wednesday to designate an outbreak of a flu-like coronavirus that's killed at least 17 people as a global emergency, trying to contain the fast-spreading illness without unnecessarily spooking global trade. The World Health Organization is set to reconvene Thursday after an emergency committee of international health experts were split on deciding whether the virus should be classified as a "public health emergency of international concern," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists. That gives the organization the power to set temporary recommendations to coordinate a global health response with its 196 member countries, including the United States. The previously unknown, flu-like coronavirus strain sent a chill through global markets this week. It's believed to have emerged from an animal market in central Wuhan city, China with cases now detected across Asia and as far away as the United States. Deaths from China's new virus rose to 17 on Wednesday with 571 confirmed cases so far, increasing fears of contagion from an infection suspected to originate from illegally traded wildlife. Stay up to date with the latest on the coronavirus outbreak news here. WHO physicians said they needed more data before declaring a global emergency, but the virus is now spreading through close human contact and in health-care settings, they said. One of the criteria used to determine whether it's an international threat is whether the disease spreads locally once it arrives in new parts of the world, "and that's a nuanced and important distinction to make," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's health emergencies programme, said on the call. The other main criteria is whether it's already interfered or will likely interfere with trade and travel, he said. The WHO committee's goal, he said is to contain an outbreak without needlessly disrupting economic activity just by declaring a global health crisis. "There's a balance here to be struck and that balance is something the emergency committee tries to address in their advice to the director general," he said. The impact on global trade and travel was felt from Beijing to Seattle where a U.S. traveler was under quarantine with the virus in a Snohomish County, Washington hospital after flying back from Wuhan, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. U.S. health officials said they would begin screenings at major airports in Chicago and Atlanta, in addition to the screenings underway at Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York airports, in an attempt to control the spread. Fears that the coronavirus could disrupt travel and commerce and slow economic growth sent a chill through global markets this week, hitting Asian stocks hard as investors grew concerned that the country's Lunar New Year holiday, which begins Saturday, could worsen the spread as millions of Chinese nationals travel domestically and abroad. Confirmation of the first U.S. case Tuesday depressed copper and oil prices, sending investors into safe havens, such as U.S. Treasurys and German bunds. Goldman Sachs predicted that the outbreak could shave $3 from oil prices due to a slowdown in air travel. Salvini predicted his victory would "open an enormous problem" between the governing coalition of his former allies the Five Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party, and make its collapse, and early elections, more likely. Centre of the storm: Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party greeting well-wishers. Credit:Bloomberg Some damage had already been done. On Wednesday, it was widely reported in the Italian media that Luigi Di Maio, the embattled political leader of Five Star, would step down from his political role. (Di Maio's representatives did not return a call for comment.) But Salvini's problem is that the stronger he gets, the less incentive his opponents have to face him in new national elections. "They can't delay forever," Salvini said. In the meantime, liberals worry about the national significance of Salvini winning in Emilia-Romagna, along the Communist buckle of Italy's Red Belt. A victory "would mean that society has different values from before and wants an alternative," said Elly Schlein, a liberal candidate for local office, who took part in a tiny demonstration outside a Bologna theatre where Salvini was warmly greeted at a holiday celebration for the children of police officers. "A nationalist turn." Attendees wave banners during a campaign rally with Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party in Maranello, Italy. Credit:Bloomberg A victory in Calabria would also clearly signal the national reach of Salvini's League, a party born as a northern secessionist movement that exalted an imaginary region in the north called Padania. For years, the party denigrated the south as a thieving leech on the resources of the more prosperous north. But as Salvini has shifted his ire to migrants coming illegally from Africa, he has expanded his base to the south. "Calabrians and Italians first," he now says. "Then the rest of the world." In Emilia-Romagna, he has tirelessly campaigned for his candidate, the League politician Lucia Borgonzoni, seeking to turn out his base in rural districts with his usual recipe of anti-migrant language and nostalgic appeals to the Italian good old days. Loading But Salvini has also sought to convince frustrated workers in the cities that the traditional left had abandoned them for big banking interests and that he was the working man's choice. Above all, Salvini has sought to nationalise the election. "It's not a regional election. Because for the first time in 50 years, we can win," he told supporters in front of an enormous bonfire in Terra del Sole, referring to the left's longtime dominance of the region. "And it's in your hands." Nationalising the race is a strategy that makes particular sense in Emilia-Romagna, a wealthy region governed by the Democratic Party, where unemployment has shrunk, health care services are admired and the quality of life is high. "The region has always been governed by the left, also governed well," said Claudio Casari, a 64-year-old carpenter who cheered Salvini as his "captain" outside a marine museum in Cesenatico. But he said that a general Italian malaise had led young people to leave the country and the region, and that Italy needed a strong leader like Salvini to restore faith. "He brings hope to Italy," Casari said. Salvini's many detractors argued that he used his time in government to draw attention to himself and increase his political support with publicity stunts rather than help get Italy out of its slump. But national leaders of the Democratic Party are loath to make that case on the ground in Emilia-Romagna, and have largely steered clear of the region to keep the race local and play down the consequences if they lose. Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party, center, speaks during a campaign rally in Emilia Romagna. Credit:Bloomberg Enthusiasm there has largely come from the Sardines, a liberal grassroots movement created to stop Salvini. The Sardines packed Bologna's main square with tens of thousands of people Sunday night and plan to close out the race with a rally in the beach club where Salvini spent most of the summer. They have repeatedly taken credit for infusing the candidacy of the region's incumbent governor, Stefano Bonaccini, with life. Bonaccini has himself urged voters to recall that Salvini is not on the ballot and that Borgonzoni, who picked fights with France over Leonardo da Vinci paintings as a Ministry of Culture undersecretary and who struggled to name Emilia-Romagna's bordering regions in a radio interview, was the "ghost candidate." "After Jan. 26, Salvini will leave," Bonaccini, who has not included his party's symbol in campaign posters, has repeatedly said. "But Borgonzoni will stay in the region." Instead of delving into local issues, Salvini, who often dressed in the uniforms of Italy's law enforcement during his time in power, has fully immersed himself in the corduroy pants and jackets, sweaters and suede shoes associated with the liberal intellectuals and Communists who long held sway here. He sings the folk song "Romagna Mia" at events. He waxes poetic about tortellini and elevated Parmesan cheese to a moral value. But for Salvini, the substance of the remarks is often Matteo Salvini. He has developed a knack for victimisation, a tactic in Italian politics perfected by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who Salvini has fully eclipsed as the central player of Italy's right. In the interview, Salvini clearly relished the attacks of his opponents. "Surely it doesn't scare me, or do me harm," he said, adding: "When there are protests against the League and Salvini, it only makes me happy. Because the regular Italian chooses either Salvini or that other stuff there." Most recently, Salvini has identified Italy's judicial system as his preferred foil in an effort to motivate voters. Specifically, Salvini talks about the efforts of Sicilian magistrates to prosecute him for "abduction," related to his refusal as interior minister to let a Coast Guard ship full of rescued migrants dock in Italy. By trying him, he told the cheering crowd in Cesenatico, "they will put the entire Italian people on trial." On Tuesday, he kicked off a "FastForSalvini" campaign, in which he urged his supporters to show solidarity with him in a daylong hunger strike. He began it with a cup of ginseng and vitamins. More broadly, Salvini has managed to remain the object of obsession for Italy's varying political parties and media. His Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok posts reliably generate articles in the country's politically obsessed, and clubby, media. At the marine museum in Cesenatico, when Italian reporters pleaded with him for a sound bite, he used the moment to decide just what the day's subject of conversation would be. "I haven't even read the papers today," Salvini, a little glassy-eyed, said as he popped some mints into his mouth. He opened up Il Corriere Della Sera newspaper on his phone and took a minute to scan through while the reporters waited silently. A reporter of the state broadcaster RAI gave his microphone to a local Salvini supporter who stood next to him. "Let's do it on the trial and the road deaths," Salvini said, pausing to collect his thoughts. "And go." Only days after skeletal remains found in Joshua Tree National Park were identified as those of a missing Canadian hiker, more human bones have been discovered near the park. San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department officials said in a statement that the new remains were found just outside the park last Thursday and retrieved Friday. Based on photographs taken at the scene, the coroner's office confirmed that the partial skeleton was human. County sheriffs department spokeswoman Jodi Miller said no personal belongings were found and there was no sign of foul play. Investigators do no know how long the bones have been at that location or when the person died, according to the San Bernardino Sun. No searches for missing persons were active in the area at the time of discovery. The bones were found just outside of federal land in the Desert View Conservation Area, near the town of Joshua Tree. The rocky desert terrain, covering 600 acres, is laced with secondary trails that are normally safe for hiking. Off-trail bushwhacking can be dangerous however. The discovery of the remains comes two days after a skeleton found in the Fortynine Palms Canyon region of the park in mid-December was identified as Paul Miller, a 51-year-old Ontario man who had been missing since July 2018. His identity was confirmed through dental records. More than 100 search and rescue volunteers combed the area for five days after Miller went missing but turned up no sign of him. But in December, an aerial photo taken by a drone operated by a nonprofit group revealed human remains hidden behind a rock in rugged terrain. Miller had apparently climbed behind the rock for shade. ALSO: It could take years for Joshua Tree to recover from damage caused during shutdown The National Park Service was alerted, and rangers hiked to the area, which is rocky and away from trails, on Dec. 20. They found the bones and personal belongings but no ID. While the mystery of whose bones they are has now been solved, how Miller died remains puzzling. He had not run out of food and water. Both were found in his backpack. "The fact that he still had water and food in his backpack indicates that it was a sudden cause of death, because if it was dehydration or something like that he would have drunk the water, he would have eaten the food," Joshua Tree National Park superintendent David Smith told KESQ News 3. The Desert View Conservation Area case is not related to the Miller case, authorities said. --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate The cities were selected by the gallery for personal and geographical reasons. The Obamas have deep connections to Chicago, for example, and the works will be there when the former president celebrates his 60th birthday. Sherald grew up in Georgia, and Wiley was born in Los Angeles, so those stops made sense, Sajet said. Wileys studio is based in Brooklyn, and its museum has several of his works in its collection. A former minister and BJP leader Badrilal Yadav was booked on Thursday for making an indecent remark against Rajgarh collector Nidhi Nivedita during the BJPs rally at Biora on Wednesday. Police inspector DP Lohia said, An FIR was lodged against Badrilal Yadav on a complaint by sub-divisional magistrate Sandeep Asthana under Sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and Section 294 (Obscene acts) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He said the SDM said in the complaint that Yadav and others violated the prohibitory orders. Yadav also made an indecent remark against the collector. An investigation is going on. No arrest has been made so far in this connection, said the police officer. The BJP had organised the protest rally against, what the BJP leaders said, was the collectors high-handedness during the BJPs pro-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) rally held at Biora on Sunday in which Nidhi allegedly slapped a BJP worker. The collector, however, had accused the BJP workers of abusing and misbehaving with her during the rally. On his part Badri Lal Yadav said, I didnt make any indecent remark against any officer. I hold women in high esteem. Earlier the IAS officers association in Madhya Pradesh condemned the derogatory and disrespectful remarks made by certain public representatives in a public meeting against the district magistrate and other administrative officers of Rajgarh district. A statement issued by the association further stated, Such remarks not only demoralise the administrative machinery but also, demean the dignity of women officials who are proud members of the service and contribute immensely in serving the state and its people. Administrative officials are expected and are duty-bound to maintain law and order and accordingly, act to ensure law and order in their territorial jurisdiction. Meanwhile, the BJP has announced that workers will gherao the collectorate in all the districts across the state on Friday to protest the alleged victimization of the party workers. BJP vice-president Vijesh Lunawat said the Congress government had created a chaotic situation in the state. The glaring example of the same is none other than chief secretary (CS) SR Mohantys letters to all the divisional commissioners in the state while quoting the chief minister (CM) that people are complaining about harassment caused to them by municipal bodies, revenue department and police department in the name of anti-encroachment drive. Visitors pose for pictures with a greeting sign to celebrate the Year of the Rat in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 21, 2020. Israeli Ministry of Tourism announced on Monday that it has placed greeting signs in main tourist sites in honor of the coming Chinese Lunar New Year. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua) By Laman Ismayilova Baku-Moscow-Dialogue of Cultures conference will be held in Baku on January 23-25. The event is co-organized by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture, Moscow Government and TASS News Agency, Trend Life reported. The conference aims at strengthening ties and developing cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. A round table on the theme "Dialogue of cultures - the basis of dialogue of peoples" will be held as part of the project. Moreover, a photo exhibition of prominent representatives of both countries will open its doors to visitors. The photo exhibition is jointly organized by the TASS News agency and the Azerbaijan State News Agency. The books "Formula of Power" and "Formula of Life" by the First Deputy General Director of the TASS News Agency, Honored Journalist of Russia Mikhail Guzman will be also presented at the conference. The event will be attended by government officials, ministers, senior officials and businessmen, cultural, educational and scientific figures, as well as media representatives from both countries. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Gwi-Yeop Son, has denounced the recent attack in Abyei that left 32 people dead, 25 others injured, three children missing and 19 houses torched The Israel Defense Forces published its annual intelligence assessment Jan. 15 and for the first time reportedly included the aggressive regional policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a top danger to watch, but it does not foresee a direct confrontation with Turkey in 2020. Rather, a closer look at the currently chilly relations between Israel and Turkey reveals potential escalation manifested not only in the political realm involving the Palestinians or battling terror, but also in the energy sector. On Jan. 2, Israel, Greece and Cyprus signed an agreement to build a subsea pipeline to carry natural gas from Eastern Mediterranean gas fields to Europe. The EastMed project will transport natural gas from Israeli and Cypriot offshore gas fields to Italy and then on to the rest of Europe, providing the continent with a steady supply of non-Russian gas. Alongside this diplomatic success, however, the project has also further escalated the crisis between the three signatories and Turkey in the arena of natural gas and in general. The signing of the pipeline agreement marks the latest development in a decade of steadily increasing trilateral cooperation after Israel discovered gas beneath its territorial waters. Energy cooperation accelerated a year ago, with the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF). This unique platform, which aims to promote regional cooperation in the field of energy, now includes the original three countries together with Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Italy. France has asked to join, and the United States wants permanent observer status. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked at the signing ceremony, This is a historic day for Israel, because Israel is rapidly becoming an energy superpower, a country that exports energy. This is also a historic day because the cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel is growing stronger. This is a true alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean that is economic and political, and it adds to the security and stability of the region. Netanyahus enthusiasm aside, there is less to the current gas agreement than meets the eye. Its economic viability, with a global gas glut and low gas prices, is unclear. In addition, the technological and security challenges of what will be the longest and deepest underwater pipeline in the world are daunting. Some experts believe that liquefaction in Egypts existing and planned gas liquefaction plants might well be a better alternative. Israel is already enjoying the diplomatic fruits of the pipeline endeavor before the digging has even begun. Relations between Israel, Greece and Cyprus also extend to a political framework, with regular ministerial and leader summits, and increased security and military cooperation, in particular joint exercises. In a roundabout way, the key to this burgeoning alignment is Turkeys increasing assertiveness in regional issues as well as the poor state of Israeli-Turkish relations since Erdogan's rise to power and especially after the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident. From the perspective of Greece and Cyprus, visible cooperation with Israel contributes to deterrence vis-a-vis Ankara. Indeed, Turkey has reacted negatively to the pipeline agreement. It sees the EMGF as an additional instrument by which to contain it geopolitically in the Eastern Mediterranean and to exclude it from the recent gas bonanza. More so, the new project threatens Turkeys strategy of becoming a major East-West energy hub. On Jan. 8, Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the TurkStream gas pipeline, running from Russia to Bulgaria. There also appears to be a genuine desire by Turkeys leadership to assert hegemony in its close environs and assume the Ottoman-era mantle as a naval power in the Mediterranean littoral. This quest is reflected in Ankara's agenda for expanding Turkey's naval force, with an addition of more than 20 ships expected over the next three years. Apart from military and diplomatic motivations, Turkey's energy and naval policies also serve domestic purposes. Confrontation with non-Muslim powers, especially Cyprus, is popular with Erdogans base in the Justice and Development Party as well as with his non-Islamist, nationalist coalition partners. Ankara has therefore been pushing back against encirclement by the Eastern Mediterranean strategic architecture that Israel and Egypt are trying to jointly develop. It sent drilling ships, with naval escorts, to conduct gas exploration in waters claimed by Cyprus and also by the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Turkish naval forces threatened Cypriot survey ships in the disputed areas and in late November forced an Israeli survey ship to leave the area. Also heightening tensions was Ankaras Nov. 27 announcement of an agreement with the internationally recognized Libyan government, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, demarcating nautical boundaries and bisecting the Mediterranean by ignoring the existence of Greek islands. For Turkey, the agreement with Libya was clearly aimed at leapfrogging the EMGF and blocking the prospective route of the pipeline running toward Italy, thus frustrating Cypriot hopes, frightening potential investors and compelling the parties to engage Ankara. The timing of the EastMed signing was apparently intended to challenge Turkey's maneuvering. Ankara's maritime border agreement with Libya was buttressed by stated Turkish intentions to assist Sarraj with a supply of fighters. Recent joint efforts on a cease-fire in Libya by Ergogan and Putin, who supports Gen. Khalifa Hifter and the rival government there, point toward success for the Turkish gambit. Can the Israeli-Turkish rivalry get out of hand? Israel sees Turkey under Erdogan as a rival, albeit one secondary to more pressing and violent enemies. The current tensions have unfolded amid Israel's plans to begin pumping gas from its offshore Leviathan field for export to Jordan and Egypt, which it did Jan. 15 Netanyahu has defined gas production, and specifically gas for export, as crucial to Israels long-term economic security. Israel's arrangement for cooperation on gas in the Eastern Mediterranean and the trilateral strategic alignment are key components of his long-term vision for Israel as an extra-regional power as well as a short-term election-season narrative of strategic virtuosity and success. In attempting to negate this achievement, Turkey may be evolving into a higher-tier threat. Ankara reportedly recently offered to discuss the gas issue with Israel. Having no interest in engaging Turkey in open hostilities, Israel has publicly played down the anti-Turkish aspects of the regional alignment it is shaping. Increased tensions could threaten Israels crucial seaborne trade. In addition, a clash between Israel and a NATO member state would be a daunting situation. Also dictating a measured and non-confrontational position is Israel's understanding that Greece and Cyprus would not be capable of or disposed toward militarily significant countermeasures of their own. It is not, however, improbable that Israeli and Turkish naval forces will shortly be deployed to project national power and protect real and potential assets. As noted, there has already been one (non-violent) incident between Turkish and Israeli vessels, in November. Also, Turkey dispatched warships to visit North Africa in late December, early January and is reported to have deployed armed drones to Turkish Cyprus. The importance of the gas and navigational issues to both Israel and Turkey, the lack of adequate crisis-management mechanisms between the two countries due to atrophied diplomatic and military-to-military relations and the need by both nations' leaders to appear forceful and not back down all serve to raise the potential for friction at sea that could escalate. The possibility of violence between Israel and Turkey has increased, and while not yet high, is no longer negligible. In closing off Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million people, China deployed on Thursday morning a centuries-old public health tactic to prevent the spread of infectious disease this time, a mysterious respiratory infection caused by a coronavirus. Experts said the stunning scale of the shutdown, isolating a major urban transit hub larger than New York City, was without precedent. Its an unbelievable undertaking, said Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan, adding that he had never heard of so many people being cordoned off as a disease-prevention measure. Still, people are going to get out, he said. Its going to be leaky. By Thursday evening, China said it planned to extend the shutdown even further. Officials said they would impose travel restrictions on at least four other nearby cities Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi and Zhijiang affecting millions more residents. Intervention of religious leaders at the World Forum to "generate global awareness for change". The Oxfam report highlighted that wealth remains highly concentrated at the top of the distribution pyramid: the wealthiest 1%, in mid-2019, held more than double the net wealth owned by 6.9 billion people. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pushing to urge awareness of the need to change the current world economic model due to which "the earth is crying and the poor are crying too". For this reason religious leaders went to the World Economic Forum which takes place in Davos, Switzerland, to speak "at the heart of great finance and the world economy". Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for integral human development, spoke about a "global awareness for change" in his speech at the press conference held yesterday afternoon together with the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew I and the chief rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldschmidt. The cardinal, who brought Pope Francis 'message to the meeting, argued that if, as the Pope says in the encyclical Laudato Si' the earth and the poor cry, there is an emergency that must be heeded, and "we must all seek to stop this crying . The prefect continued that religious leaders are united, "because we want to generate global awareness for change." For Turkson, new technologies must not "determine what we are called to become", but must be used "for the common good, the good of humanity, of the earth and its inhabitants". "There is no second planet to live in," he warned, before asking the political world and governments to recognize "the central role of religions and faiths", denouncing the practice, especially widespread in secularized countries, of " relegating religions to the private sphere, denying their influence in people's lives ". To highlight the critical issues of the economic system, on the eve of the Forum the 2020 report of Oxfam was made public. Entitled Time to care, it highlights that global wealth, growing between June 2018 and June 2019, remains highly concentrated at the top of the distribution pyramid: the wealthiest 1%, in terms of assets, held more than double the wealth in mid-2019 net owned by 6.9 billion people. Still: 2,153 billionaires in the world held more wealth than 4.6 billion people, about 60% of the global population. And the wealth of the 22 wealthiest people outweighed the wealth of all African women. If the distances between the average wealth levels of countries narrow, wealth inequality grows in many countries. In a world where 46% of people live on less than $ 5.50 a day, disparities in income distribution remain strong, especially for job seekers. With an average work income of $ 22 per month in 2017, workers in the lowest 10% wage bracket would have had to work nearly three and a half centuries to reach the average annual wages of those in the top 10%. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkeys export of cars to Turkmenistan increased by 3.8 percent from January through December 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, amounting to $23.7 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend. In December 2019, export of cars from Turkey to Turkmenistan dropped by 29.5 percent compared to December 2018, amounting to $1.8 million, a source in the ministry said. Turkeys export of cars decreased by 3.1 percent in 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, amounting to $30.5 billion. In turn, export of cars from Turkey increased by 2.9 percent in December 2019 compared to the same month of 2018, amounting to $2.5 billion or 16.5 percent of Turkeys total export, the ministry said. Turkeys foreign trade amounted to $33.2 billion in November 2019. In November 2019, Turkeys export increased by 0.1 percent compared to November 2018, amounting to $15.5 billion. During this month, Turkeys import increased by 9.7 percent compared to the same month of 2018, and reached $17.7 billion. Turkeys foreign trade amounted to $340.5 billion from January through November 2019. Turkey ranks sixth in Europe on car production. Ford, Fiat, Renault, Toyota, Honda, Opel, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and MAN are assembled in Turkey. Turkey also manufactures local brands of buses such as BMC, Temsa and Otokar. Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu FIANNA Fail leader Micheal Martin has firmly ruled out going into government with Fine Gael after the general election. Mr Martin was responding to Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar's comments in the first televised leaders' debate on Wednesday night. The Taoiseach said he would be prepared to enter government with Fianna Fail if he could not form a government with other parties after the election. But speaking in Dublin this morning Mr Martin ruled this out. "People want a new government, they want a change of government and that involves Fine Gael out of government," he said. He said Fine Gael was "demonising Fianna Fail as the worst possible incarnation" but was now proposing a possible government with the party. "That doesn't make sense to the public." He described it as "Jekyll and Hyde behaviour" that doesn't have credibility. Speaking during the first live televised debate of the campaign, Mr Varadkar last night said it would not be his first choice but said he would work with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in a coalition or under a confidence and supply agreement. "It's not my preference, but if it's the only way we can form a stable government in this country, I am willing to," he said. The Fine Gael leader said his preference was to form a coalition with Labour, Independents and potentially the Green Party. "We're willing to work with any other party with the exception of Sinn Fein," he said. During the debate Mr Martin did not answer the question directly, but instead was critical of personal attacks made against him by Fine Gael TDs during the election. The debate was taking place in Virgin Media studios in Dublin and was moderated by broadcaster Pat Kenny. Mr Varadkar said he had "nothing but respect" for Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, but said she was a "puppet on a string" and did not lead a normal party. Mr Martin said he had a "fundamental problem" with how Sinn Fein was run and said the party "justify" the "murderous campaign" of the Provisional IRA. Both said they believed a united Ireland could be a possibility during their lifetime. Mr Martin also hit out at the "rising cost of living hitting everyone" and said the country needed a new government. "I believe our country needs a new government, a government that will put aside the obsession with party politics," he said. Mr Varadkar addressed claims that Fine Gael was lacking in empathy by saying: "I know what people say about the party and me, but I care deeply about our country." He said that he hasn't put it into words as well as Mr Martin, but added: "I do it in my actions." Both leaders traded blows on the Votegate, Dara Murphy and recent TDs' expenses controversies. Mr Martin said there was "no comparison" between his and Mr Varadkar's time in the Department of Health. Mr Martin said that he increased beds by 1,000 while he was health minister and waiting lists for operations were far lower. Mr Varadkar said Mr Martin was showing "unbelievable arrogance" by claiming Fianna Fail never made any mistakes in government. He also raised a nursing homes funding controversy which Mr Martin was involved in while health minister. Mr Martin refused to rule out appointing Fianna Fail TDs Niall Collins and Timmy Dooley, who were caught up in the Dail voting controversy, to cabinet and excoriated the Taoiseach for backing Mr Murphy's campaign role for the European People's Party. Both leaders agreed politicians' expenses should be reformed in the next Dail. After a debate on crime, both leaders were asked if they had ever taken illegal drugs. Mr Martin said he had never done so. Mr Varadkar attempted to deflect by saying he had answered the question in a 'Hot Press' interview "12 or 13 years ago". However, when pressed by the Fianna Fail leader and Mr Kenny, Mr Varadkar admitted: "Yes, but it was obviously a long time ago." With the pension age controversy dominating the election campaign in recent days, both leaders acknowledged the unfairness in the differences between public and private sector pensions. Mr Martin said this difference does "breed resentment". Is technology really good for your health? Can Apple really make a difference in future healthcare? Questions like this are all perfectly appropriate, argues Apples vice president for health, Dr. Sumbul Desai. You have to test what tech firms claim Desai leads Apples teams in developing health-focused software and sensors, such as Activity, Health, ECG reading on Apple Watch and the companys selection of health-focused research apps. She joined the company in 2017. While she clearly believes in the potential of digital health technologies, (as does her boss, CEO Tim Cook), shes also a health professional in her own right, and understands how important it is that patients and healthcare providers be sceptical as big tech attempts to get into the market. Speaking at a roundtable discussion in London, she said: The scepticism from providers and patients is healthy because you should ask questions, and make sure youre using information in the way you should be using it, according to i-newspaper. She stressed that she believes the best approach to resistance is to work closely with healthcare providers and scientists and across the medical communities to make sure the digital health solutions tech firms provide are actually effective. Proof is essential In essence, thats the big difference between true healthcare product and service provision and snake oil salespeople. In the absence of regulation or effective testing, any tech firm could claim its product delivers health benefits. Stringent testing and the limitations of tight regulatory environments mean tech companies must move at a much slower pace than the move fast and break things workflow the sector is used to. You really dont want to break things if those things are actually people seeking healthcare outcomes. And thats the challenge for all the digital health firms engaged in the application of connected technologies and health. Its why you see so much of the focus in the space on prevention and lifestyle outcomes as its perfectly permissible to say something might be good for your health, but not acceptable at all to say it will be good unless a product or service has been tested. The need to evidence health-related claims is why Apple is investing in research to explore things like womens medical conditions, hearing and heart health. It is also why the company works closely with key medical organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO). The data-grabbing thing Many of the potential big picture outcomes around health relate to artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring and data analytics all of which rely on patient data in order to function. The idea that your devices will be able to monitor your habits in order to pre-emptively warn you of an oncoming problem demands sensors to gather your data and machine intelligence to analyze that information. For quite natural reasons, people are more protective of their health info than most other forms of personal data. Thats why Apples approach it only gathers the information it needs to make its products work and lets users decide whether they want to share it with, for example, research projects gives it an edge. Its the users data and we only ever have access to it if the user is participating in a study they consented too, said Desai. It helps even more that the information is never gathered in one place in the first place. Of course, one place medical information is gathered is in your patient records, and this is certainly a space in which there is room for improvement. Many existing EHR systems simply dont work well together; this is where Apples Health Records app is making a difference. (Desai spoke in a great deal of depth abou this just last year). Once a patients data is held on devices equipped with up-to-the-moment personal health data as well as historical data, thats an opportunity for data analytics to come into its own. This is the kind of thinking thats evidenced by the atrial fibrillation detection feature inside the Apple Watch, the efficacy of which is confirmed by the sheer number of reports of people whose lives have been saved by these devices. The only question around these solutions will be if data is handled privately on the device, or in public using cloud-based systems. The former is secure, if limited by the size of machine-learning models used and device processor efficiency; the latter is far less private and therefore more open to abuse. There is some work to do until our primary care provider really sits on our wrist, but Apple seems to be committed to engaging in that task. Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. A man reportedly admitted raping a child more than a decade ago and giving her $5 to not tell anyone, the Berks County District Attorneys Office announced. James Moore, 29, was arraigned Wednesday night of charges of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child and indecent assault of a child under the age of 13. Moore was sent to Berks County Jail in lieu of $60,000 bail. Investigators said the accuser called ChildLine on Nov. 20 to report she was sexually abused by Moore between the ages of 4 and 7 years; the charges list June 2008 as the date of the offense. In an interview with detectives, Moore reportedly admitted raping the girl, and that he knew she was about 7 or 8 years old when the sexual abuse occurred. Charges were filed Wednesday and a warrant was issued for Moores arrest. He was arrested at about 4:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Mulberry Street in Reading, the district attorneys office said. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The NTSBs preliminary report on the Dec. 29 crash found that the New York-bound pilot, Gordon Allen, had been cleared to fly out of College Park Airport with the aid of the planes instruments, given the poor weather. He was turning right and climbing to about 1,900 feet when the plane began its downward spiral, the report said. From providing a support group for women whose sons and daughters are serving in the military, to performing service projects, the local Blue Star Mothers play a vital role in the region. Kathryn Gross, of Dearborn Heights, is chapter president of the Lake Erie Michigan Chapter 184 of the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc., which usually meets the second Tuesday of each month, at the Flat Rock Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 25570 Telegraph. She said they serve as both a support group for military mothers and as a service organization. One of the most inspiring projects we did was the neck pillows and packages for veterans on chemotherapy, Gross said. It is very important that we dont forget our veterans. That is one of the support networks as well. She said the support group aspect of the chapter helps women beyond when their sons and daughters have been deployed, by helping them when their offspring have returned. What are they going through, how are they dealing with it, the support services available for them and what can we do for those people, when you hear of the suicide rates, Gross said. We also do the gold star honor when someone unfortunately turns from blue to gold. The term gold star describes a person who has lost a family member during active duty in the military. Last year we had two of them, Gross said. You want to be there to support mothers at every point. Gross said her daughter is currently in the Navy, and will be deployed in May. When you are doing something active to help others, it helps you, and thats the point of a lot of what we do here, Gross said. Beverly Boike of Taylor is the oldest Blue Star Mother in Michigan, and her grandmother was one of the original Blue Star Mothers in the country when the organization was organized in 1942 in Flint, Michigan. Boike said the Lake Erie Michigan chapter, which started 11 years ago, started with five members one to serve each of the offices. She said she was drawn to the organization by having family members in the military service and deployed, and experiencing the anxiety that occurred. She said her son Anthony served in the Army, with the Military Police, for three tours, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. She said she currently has a granddaughter in the Navy. It is very important to support our troops and to support each other, Boike said. We all go through the same fears when our kids are deployed. You dont sleep many nights when they are gone, and we pray for them, and we pray for each other, and for our kids. She would encourage a mother whose son or daughter was recently deployed to join them. We support each other, and when you get worried, we talk to each other, Boike said. We help each other as much as we can. Debra Hass of Woodhaven said the Blue Star Mothers understand what other military mothers are going through like no one else can. She said she joined almost 12 years ago, and her son, a Marine, has been deployed five times, which have caused her to have many sleepless nights. I had to give it to the one above, because I said I cant control it, you can, so I got to sleep, so take the wheel, Hass said. She said the camaraderie with other Blue Star Mothers helps her. She said the chapter supports the Veteran Hospitals in Ann Arbor and Detroit, and they mail packages to active military personnel. For Christmas, the group and the helpers that we have sewed 200 deployment buddies, and shipped them to Fort Hood, so that the kids of the deployed will have something to hang on to, because it is rough on a family, she said. You dont just have the deployed person the whole family is involved. Jeannie Kain of Huron Township said she joined the group in 2013, when her son joined the Air Force, and she heard a Blue Star Mother speak following the Flat Rock Memorial Day Parade. I had never heard of the Blue Star Mothers before that, and I was like, Wow, I want to check this group out,' she said. So, I started coming to meetings. My son has never been deployed, knock on wood, but he has been serving stateside all his time, and he is going to have a new assignment in the spring, and it will be an international placement, so he will be assigned somewhere for two to four years. Kain said she has come to rely on the group when it is making things for the Veterans Administration. Even if we just put together a cup with a pair of socks and a chap-stick, that will go on their food trays at the VA, and there is so much gratitude for the simple things like that, she said. We feel really happy to show them we support them. Kain said the group is a gathering of like-minded women who are in similar situations. You can talk about everyday things, and you can talk about your kids without people rolling their eyes like they might do at work or out in the public, she said. Most people, their only experience is their kid goes to college and they see them every holiday and the summer, and they dont know what your problem is. But we cant just be like make good choices at that party, see you at Christmas. I see my son once or twice a year, and I have no idea what he is doing half the time, or what concerns he might have. But these ladies all understand it. Tina Youngblood of Wyandotte said she learned of the Blue Star Mothers through her sister-in-law, Alice Whaley of Trenton. Her son, who went through Reserve Officer Training Corps in college, is currently a First Lieutenant in the Army at Fort Bragg. She said the Blue Star Mothers provide her with a much-needed support group. Other people dont really get what is going on, she said. Youngblood said the service projects the group does provide her with a tangible way to help military personnel and veterans. Whaley, who had three sons in the Army, with her oldest still in the National Guard, said the group lets her support other women who are currently dealing with a son or daughter who is on active duty. I have a lot of military in my family, and I thought, You know, I can do this,' she said. I went online and joined up. She said when a son or daughter is going overseas, she tells those mothers to stop watching television news broadcasts. Dont watch the news, at all, Whaley said. It makes it a lot worse, because it is all bad. You never heard anything good. She said she learned this after 9-11, when one of her sons was deployed. You cant control it; all you do is worry, Whaley said. Youve got to stop and youve got to give it to God. Whaley said now, with email, they can receive assurances faster from offspring deployed overseas. There are messenger apps and communication like email and text, Kain added. Its so much faster you dont have to wait for a letter, Gross said. For more information about the Blue Star Mothers, visit the Blue Star Mothers-Department of Michigan Facebook page, send an email to lvp@bluestarmothers.us or go to bluestarmothers.org. The UNs top court ordered Myanmar on Thursday to take all measures within its power to prevent alleged genocide against Rohingya Muslims. The International Court of Justice granted a series of emergency steps requested by the mainly Muslim African state of The Gambia under the 1948 Genocide Convention. Presiding judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said Myanmar must take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts described by the convention. These included killing members of the group and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. The court based in The Hague ordered Myanmar to report back within four months, and then every six months after that. The Gambia asked for the measures pending a full case that could take years. The accusations refer to a 2017 military crackdown by Myanmar which resulted in around 740,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, bringing allegations of widespread rape, arson and mass killings. Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh will be host to Indias first war memorial for service animals including dogs, horses and mules, according to a report in The Hindustan Times. According to the report, three officials, who did not wished to be named, were quoted as saying It that it would be the countrys first animal war memorial and recognise heroics on the battlefield, devotion to duty and outstanding contribution to military service alongside soldiers. The memorial will come up at the Remount and Veterinary Corps Centre and College in Meerut where the army breeds, rears, and trains dogs, mules and horses. Granite tablets with names and service numbers of more than 300 dogs, 350 handlers and a few horses mules will be inscribed at the memorial. The preliminary design of the memorial and the land has already been identified. Mansi, a Labrador, who was awarded armys highest honour for dogs due to her role in the counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir in 2016, tops the list of animals to be remembered, said the report. Her handler, Bashir Ahmed War, will also adorn the tablet. The army has more than 100 dogs, 5000 mules and 1500 horses. Dozens of world leaders have gathered at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the World War II death camp where the Nazis killed some 1.1 million people, most of them Jews. The presidents of France, Russia and Germany, US Vice President Mike Pence and Britain's Prince Charles were to address the event at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre. Guarded by more than 10,000 police, one third of the Jewish state's national force, the meeting of over 40 presidents, premiers and monarchs is the biggest international gathering ever held in Israel. Alongside the host, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leaders will warn against a resurgence of anti-Semitism in speeches at the memorial site for the six million Jews that Nazi Germany killed in gas chambers, ghettos and forced labour camps. Overshadowed by tensions The ceremonies, which will also bring the kings of Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands to Jerusalem, move on next Monday to the site in Poland of the Auschwitz camp that was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on January 27, 1945. While the focus in Jerusalem will be on the Holocaust and its haunting legacy, modern politics have had an impact on the event, held at a time of soaring US-Iranian tensions and ahead of Israel's March elections. Netanyahu this week drew a direct link between the Nazis' "Final Solution" to exterminate Europe's Jews and the threat that Israel says it faces from the Islamic Republic of Iran. While in the Nazi death camps, he said, "a third of the Jewish people went up in flames", today "Iran openly declares that it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth". 202 passengers from Wuhan land in Rome airport. Rome's Fiumicino airport has created a special 'sanitary corridor' for passengers arriving from the Chinese region of Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of a fatal virus which so far has killed 17 people and spread to six other countries. The 202 passengers and crew aboard a China Southern Airlines flight which landed in Rome at 04.50 on 23 January, direct from Wuhan, were channeled through the special corridor - away from other passengers - where they were screened for symptoms of the deadly virus. No suspected cases were found. The controls, which include scans to check body temperature, are part of strict measures ordered by Italian health authorities to prevent possible contagion of the fatal coronavirus. Rome's Spallanzani Hospital, which specialises in treating infectious diseases, is on standby should airport medics detect a suspected case of Wuhan virus, Italy's health ministry has confirmed. Fiumicino has three direct flights from Wuhan each week, as well as many non-direct flights. Photo La Repubblica [January 23, 2020] Red River Promotes Alan Dumas to Chief Executive Officer Red River, a technology transformation company, today announced the promotion of Alan Dumas to Chief Executive Officer from Achieve 2020, the company's annual conference held this year in San Antonio, Texas. Dumas will immediately assume his new position. Prior to Dumas' role as the CEO at Red River, he served as Red River's Chief Revenue Officer, as well as the President of Red River's Commercial and SLED divisions. At Red River, Dumas has shown stand-out leadership by overseeing sales, support services, partner strategy, business development and the sales engineering organization. Before joining Red River, Dumas served as CEO of Accunet, a company he founded and led for more than 19 years before its acquisition by Red River in 2016. "Alan will ensure that Red River continues to deliver a positive impact for its employees, customers and the communities we live and work," said Rick Bolduc, Executive Chair, Board of Directors at Red River. "Red River has never been stronger and is unmatched in our ability to design, integrate andimplement solutions across the full lifecycle of technology. We are excited for Alan to lead the way." Achieve 2020 is Red River's annual sales kick-off, company meeting, partner summit and community service day. Attendees heard from the company's executive team, participated in trainings, breakouts and celebrated Red River's 25-year anniversary. The conference culminates with a day-long community service project held this year with SJRC (www.sjrctexas.org), an organization that helps children who have been affected by trauma, abuse and neglect in the state of Texas. "Every CEO dreams of leading a company into its next phase of growth and transformation from a position of strength," said Dumas. "I am excited by the opportunity to guide this great company and it's incredibly talented people as we help our customers navigate and transform their business with technology." About Red River Red River brings together the ideal combination of talent, partners and products to disrupt the status quo in technology and drive success for business and government in ways previously unattainable. Red River serves organizations well beyond traditional technology integration, bringing more than 20 years of experience and mission-critical expertise in security, networking, analytics, collaboration, mobility and cloud solutions. Learn more at redriver.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005866/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Britain will soon decide what role Chinas Huawei will have in its 5G telecommunications network but there are only a limited number of alternative providers, business minister Andrea Leadsom said on Thursday, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. Well there other providers but they are limited, ideally there would be more providers of infrastructure similar to the work that Huawei does but the UK is looking very carefully at this issue and we will be making a final decision soon, Leadsom told Sky. It is an ongoing process and there are all sorts of factors to take into consideration as you say like the availability of other providers, like the work that Huawei already done in the United Kingdom, so these discussions are ongoing, she said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) President Rodrigo Duterte is declining American President Donald Trump's invitation for him to come to the United States together with other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. "I just received an invitation to go to United States together with the ASEAN leaders. I haven't been to the States before. I was invited by Obama. I didn't go there," Duterte said in an exclusive interview with a Russian television network, an excerpt of which was released Thursday. Asked if he will go to the US now following Trump's invitation, Duterte said "no." The one-minute video did not provide an explanation, but Duterte went on to recall criticisms made by Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, on his bloody war on drugs in 2016. "One time when I was being criticized by Obama in a press conference, He should have realized that I was also a head of a sovereign state. He should have criticized me in the proper venue. He should have brought the case to the United Nations rather than castigate a President of another country in a presscon," Duterte said. Trump in a November 2019 letter to ASEAN leaders said the "special" meeting "will provide an excellent opportunity for us to broaden and deepen our cooperation on matters of great importance to the nearly one billion people in the United States and ASEAN nations that we have the privilege to represent." He said the meeting can be scheduled in the first quarter of 2020. Duterte wary of U.S. ban Malacanang earlier said Duterte remains reluctant to go to the U.S. because he might be denied entry. "Sabi niya (He said), 'I do not even know if US will issue me a visa and if I'm issued a visa, I do not know if when I arrived in the States, I would be allowed entry,'" Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said at a media briefing, quoting the President. He added that Duterte supposedly tops the list of Filipino officials banned in the US for their involvement in the detention of Senator Leila de Lima, who has been jailed on drug charges since 2017. Some American lawmakers believe De Lima is a victim of political persecution as a result of her criticisms of Duterte's bloody war on drugs, prompting them to propose an amendment to the US' 2020 budget that would bar her accusers from entering the US. The budget law has been passed along with the provision that bans De Lima's accusers, but an official list of those banned have not been released. EXPLAINER: How the US budget law bans Philippine officials Duterte feels he would not be welcomed warmly by some US senators if he ever decides to visit their country, Panelo said. After voicing Duterte's concerns about going to America, Panelo said the ball is now in the US' court, and Malacanang would have to wait for the Americans' next move. Some senators want Duterte to go Still, Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson is urging Duterte to attend the US-ASEAN summit. In a statement on Wednesday, Lacson said he's confident Duterte would be accorded the courtesy fit for any head of state, "so there should be no apprehension on how he will be treated while in the US territory." Lacson added that the meeting "can also serve as an opportunity to clarify whatever issues are being raised especially on human rights and the administrations anti-illegal drugs campaign as well as the countrys judicial system and due process." Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, whose US visa has been canceled, likewise thinks "it's okay" for Duterte to go to the US since he was being invited by a Republican US President, and "not by those gullible democrat US senators who knew nothing about the real situation in the [Philippines]." The law enforcer-turned-lawmaker acknowledges that the drug war killings under his watch as chief of the Philippine National Police from 2016 to 2016 could be the reason for his visa's revocation. He, however, stressed that he was recently told he could reapply for a visa anytime. This makes the cancellation of Dela Rosa's visa a "non-issue," Panelo said, adding that "it's the prerogative and right for any state to disallow or allow any citizen of any country." Reports in December 2019 said the US voided Dela Rosa's visa in line with the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, an American law passed in 2018 that imposes financial penalties and visa ban sanctions on foreign individuals and entities involved in violations of human rights or religious freedoms, and censorship activities. Early this month, the US Senate passed a bipartisan resolution calling on Trump to deny US entry to and freeze the assets of Filipino officials involved in alleged extrajudicial killings and De Lima's detention. Malacanang has repeatedly denied that there are state-sanctioned killings, and stressed that De Lima's drug cases are now being tried by the country's independent courts. File image Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh met senior police officials here on Thursday to review the case of violence at Koregaon Bhima in Pune on January 1, 2018. The meeting is currently underway at the state secretariat in Mumbai, an official said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar last month demand that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the Koregaon Bhima case. NCP leader Deshmukh, after taking charge as Home minister, said earlier this month that he would seek a status report on the case and then take a decision. The term "urban Naxal" was used by the Pune Police probing the alleged links between the Elgar Parishad conclave of December 31, 2017 and the caste clashes around Koregaon Bhima in Pune district the next day. While some rights activists were arrested in the case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. Ekbote was granted bail by the Supreme Court, while Bhide was never arrested. The Pune Police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The parishad, they alleged, instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on January 1, 2018. There was just one rule for Katie Garners children when it came to sleepovers: They were all single gender. But when Garners daughter came out as a lesbian, she had to figure out if her sleepover rule was still relevant. Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Consolidated News Photos/Bloomberg via Getty Images Of the 51 state attorneys general, 26 are Republican. And of those, 21 have signed a new letter denouncing impeachment as an offense to the Constitution. President Trump has tweeted excitedly in all-caps about the letter (or, more precisely, mentions of the letter he has seen on Fox News), and the Wall Street Journal editorial page lavishes the note with favorable attention. Amusingly, the letter is premised on a clear error of fact. In keeping with the claims of Trumps legal team, it asserts that he did not violate the law, and proceeds to argue that a president cannot be impeached for acting in a legal manner. In fact, Trump did violate the law. During the summer of 2019, numerous officials expressed their belief that Trumps refusal to disperse the military aid to Ukraine that Congress had passed into law was illegal. Last week, the Government Accountability Office confirmed the truth of this rather obvious suspicion. What probably happened is that the Republican attorneys formed their argument before the GAO demolished its premise. (Coordinating a 14-page letter, of which 21 politically ambitious people have to agree on every word, takes time.) It is probably too late to go back to the drawing board and devise a completely different legal rationale for letting Trump extort foreign countries to smear his domestic opponents. And so, like the Black Knight with its limbs cut off, the Republican letter simply goes on as if nobody can see that its entire foundation is gone. Proceeding from its debunked claim, the Republican letter argues that, since Trumps actions were supposedly legal, the only basis for impeaching him is his allegedly corrupt motives. And motives are nothing more than thoughts! Article I is based upon a constitutionally-flawed theory that the President can be impeached for exercising concededly lawful constitutional authority motivated by thoughts a House majority unilaterally deems corrupt, it reasons. Therefore, Trump is being impeached for a political thought crime. Obviously, if Trump were being impeached for corrupt thoughts, the articles would include such sentiments as his desires to prosecute his political enemies, ban independent media, beat up protesters, extend his terms in office beyond constitutional limits, and other authoritarian fantasies he has not merely thought but expressed publicly. But then, having reduced Trumps misdeeds to mere thoughts, the letter goes a step further, reducing his desire to smear domestic opponents with trumped-up investigations by a foreign government to a simple desire for political gain. Trump just desired the same thing all presidents desire, the letter argues: Politicians regularly act in an official capacity in ways that are or may have political benefit. This is especially true of Presidents in their role as the nations chief diplomat. In a 1987 speech in Berlin, for example, President Reagan beseeched, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! In 2008, President Bush made multiple personal appeals to then-Saudi King Abdullah to increase oil production in an effort to bring down U.S. gas prices. In January 2015, President Obama asked then-Mexican President Pena Nieto to halt the flow of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. Indeed, Presidents routinely ask other countries to cooperate on a wide variety of matters such as trade, denuclearization, and handling of energy and other natural resources. Under House Democrats corrupt motives theory, however, a President who negotiates a nuclear deal with Iran or a trade deal with China can be impeached for abuse of power if the House majority believes the deal was motivated by a desire to enhance the Presidents reelection prospects rather than to benefit the country. So, really, if you think about it, man, all presidents are trying to be popular, so whats the difference between Ronald Reagan denouncing the Berlin Wall and Trump sending his private lawyer and his mobbed-up partners to demand a client state announce trumped-up probes of his domestic enemies? Of course, there is a difference between foreign policy acts that are intended to advance the national interest, and which benefit the presidents political standing incidentally, and acts that are intended solely to help the presidents political standing. Rudy Giuliani, the presidents lawyer, was perfectly aware of the distinction. Thats why he wrote a letter to Ukraines president saying he represented Trump as a private citizen, not as President of the United States, and requested a meeting in my capacity as personal counsel to President Trump. He was specifically negotiating foreign policy for Trumps personal benefit. This is why the whole scheme had to involve private lawyers. The national security bureaucracy was unwilling to participate in a shakedown for Trumps political benefit. When Reagan gave a speech calling for Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, he was able to do it in public. He didnt need to send off-the-books goons to deliver the message through a series of private threats. The Republican argument that motives cant be considered as part of an impeachment is superficially clever, but it founders on the fact that almost any abuse of power charge will involve motive. If a president ordered audits of the tax returns of his opponents, or offered pardons for anybody who murders them, he might insist he was motivated by a desire to crack down on tax evasion, or to extend clemency to felons. When more than 20 representatives of the Republican legal establishment put their names to the argument that the Senate should not adopt the specious and legally vacuous theories of corrupt motives, they are merely whetting the presidents appetite for more corruption and more abuse of power. Click here to read the full article. Benh Zeitlin was always going to take his time. Seven years ago, his dazzling first feature Beasts of the Southern Wild became the breakout story of the year, premiering to raves and a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It scored distribution with Fox Searchlight and a first-look deal for its director, who eventually landed an Oscar nomination. The success was unusual considering that the dreamlike project had been made by Zeitlin and his New Orleans-based Court 13 collective on a shoestring budget with non-professional actors, mostly children. But the next step in his story was even more unconventional. Once the excitement around Beasts died down, Zeitlin went right back to work, and never really stopped until a few months ago. At this years Sundance, hell finally premiere Wendy, a freewheeling, ethereal reworking of Peter Pan with a cast of energetic children making their acting debuts. Shot at the base of an active Caribbean volcano in 2017 with his usual ragtag team of collaborators as well as side trips to Mexican caves and Louisiana train tracks Wendy once again combines haunting and awe-inspiring rhythms to convey a childs view of the world. The vision is so consistent with Beasts that it could have been made in its immediate aftermath. So why wasnt it? More from IndieWire The answer has much to do with Zeitlins meticulous approach, which demands patience and a willingness to experiment without draining the bank, as it was presented to the studio from the start. While nobody could have predicted the timeline that played out, Zeitlin never really veered off-course. We never had hard deadlines, he said in an interview earlier this month. It was a battle to maintain this process, for sure. But it was an absolute necessity. Story continues In the ensuing years, Fox Searchlight dropped the Fox in its name at the direction of new Disney ownership, and Zeitlin went from a fresh-faced outsider artist in his late 20s to an elusive auteur on the verge of 40. Wendy brings him back to the place it all started. I was at Sundance realizing that everything was about to change, Zeitlin said, reflecting on the aftermath of the Beasts premiere. The New York native had become well-entrenched in the Louisiana film community and started contemplating a return to smaller-scale projects after the swampy Beasts production consumed so much of his life. But the sudden support from Searchlight changed his perspective. He thought back to his childhood in Queens, when he and his sister Eliza had become obsessed with the Peter Pan saga, and how that evolved into ideas for their own adaptation. I had this conversation with my sister and my producers, Zeitlin said, where I told them, We need to skip these other films. This is our moment to make Wendy. Beasts ultimately grossed over $23 million on a $1.8 million budget and scored four Oscar nominations, including one for its eight-year-old discovery, Quvenzhane Wallis, still the youngest nominee in history. When the hysteria died down, Zeitlin launched into years of production and post-production that made his Beasts approach look miniscule. On Beasts and earlier Court 13 endeavors like the similarly expressionistic short Glory at Sea, Zeitlin developed a penchant for burrowing into scenic environments, working with locals to blend documentary realism with lyrical extensions of it. Wendy gave him a chance to do that on studio dime, while forcing his team to confront a Peter Pan complex of their own. Benh forces you to think differently as a producer, said Paul Mezey, who served as an executive producer on Beasts before stepping into a broader role on the new project. Were all personally growing up, so this question of how you approach the world with curiosity and wonder even as we age and gain responsibilities in adulthood is something you think about when youre making films. Whenever an artist vanishes from the scene, rumors abound. Ask around about Zeitlin, however, and no Apocalypse Now horror stories take shape. Zeitlin didnt embark on temporary retirement like Terrence Malick, or spend 30 years chasing windmills akin to Terry Gilliams Don Quixote saga. In the aftermath of Beasts, Zeitlin had no time or interest in auditioning for franchise gigs or ingratiating himself to Hollywood A-listers. Benh never considered an alternative methodology to his filmmaking, said Dan Janvey, one of Zeitlins longtime collaborators from Court 13. There was no transition period where he changed his way of working on movies. He didnt take studio meetings or start working with professional actors. I think because we all were involved with Beasts, it was a remarkably efficient conversation to go to the studio to say, This is exactly what we know about how well embark on this adventure. Of course, Zeitlin saw potential in greater resources. I thought that we could actually do something bigger, but still do it guerrilla style, he said. We had this chance to really dictate a process thats unprecedented, to take principles that existed on Beasts to the highest scale possible. Nevertheless, he wasnt quite ready for the pressure that entailed. Basically my whole life Ive been making art projects, and there is this sort of utopian feeling of being in a Neverland, he said, invoking the themes of Wendy, and not for the last time. Id been in a place where all that matters is adventure and creativity. In the wake of Beasts, Zeitlin faced questions about his next move from every direction. its just a different sensation, he said. Weve been through this several times, but no one cared before. Having settled on directing Wendy next, Zeitlin waited until Beasts hit theaters in June 2012 to pitch the concept to executives at Searchlight, emphasizing the loose production timeline that allowed Beasts to thrive. The expectation was to some degree what happened, said Searchlight president of production Matthew Greenfield. It was going to be a creative exploration and take the time that it took for that process to happen. Zeitlin spent a year promoting Beasts before diving into a complex research phase, getting familiar with the Caribbean islands, casting, and rewriting based on his familiarity with the backdrop over the next four years. The 60-day shoot took place intermittently between February and November 2017; Zeitlin reconfigured the story in post-production, as one editor replaced another, over the next two years. In October 2019, Searchlight finally announced the February 28 theatrical release. Our rule is that we dont date our movies until theyre pretty much done, said Greenfield. Every movie is on a different timeline. He chuckled. Benh is obviously a more extreme version of that. Nevertheless, most studios prefer some assurance of a return on investment. Beasts was made with a grant from New York non-profit Cinereach, while the paychecks for Wendy came from a corporate entity with bottom line concerns. Thats where the Court 13 ethos came in handy. While the filmmaking team declined to comment on the budget for Wendy, sources close to the production estimated it at a little over $6 million, significantly less than many mid-level studio efforts with stars. (Much of the production was non-union.) It was neither cheap nor expensive, said Greenfield. We made a plan at the beginning about what it would cost to get this done. That allowed for a non-traditional process and post-production process that gave us great flexibility. Despite the idiosyncratic setup, Wendy did have a script, and some measure of a traditional storyline. The movie follows adolescent daydreamer Wendy (Devin France), the daughter of a waitress at a grimy New Orleans train station where she watches the cars speed past. When she spots the mischievous child Peter (Yashua Mack) riding the train late one night, she chases him onboard, while her twin brothers (Gavin and Gage Naquin) follow. The journey takes them to the mystical Neverland, where Peter displays supernatural powers at the behest of a glowing undersea being hes dubbed Mother, and obviously nobody grows old. The adventure only gets stranger from there, as the children face the literal fear of adulthood destroying their bonds and the nefarious Captain Hook emerges from an unlikely place. Even Peter Pan fans will never predict where Wendy is heading, and Zeitlin didnt always know, either. He shot the movie so far off the grid that the studio had to wait around for updates. We had the script, but we didnt really know what hed be shooting every day, Greenfield said. Hes trying to meld the plan with the discovery. I found it moving to watch it evolve and grow. Part of that involves Zeitlins relationship to the material itself. Despite a romantic obsession with Peter Pan in his childhood, the adaptation turned into a repudiation. As we went back and looked at every version of Peter Pan wed ever experienced, it had nothing to do with the story we wanted to tell, he said. Theyre all sort of bogged down in some really sexist archetypes. So much of that story is really about adventure for little boys. The girls make them pockets and stay in the house and wait for them to come home. He was especially bothered by the way Wendy came across. In every version of Wendy, including the one in the original text, she just has no agency. Shes this girl who has a crush on Peter. In Zeitlins version, Wendy grows to distrust her troublemaking guide and take control of the situation once Captain Hook becomes a threat. We wanted to create this strong little girl who we were going to make the hero in the film, Zeitlin said, as opposed to the brazen recklessness of Peter. Naturally, Zeitlin saw himself in the material as well. A lot of our core group was moving from being in our twenties to our thirties, and our dreams are changing, he said. Our priorities were changing. Thematically, all these things sort of collided. The bulk of Wendy was shot on the island of Montserrat, two-thirds of which had been destroyed by the volcano that features prominently in the movie. The entire production could only access the island by flying into Antigua and taking a boat. Once Zeitlin settled on the backdrop, his producers spent two years figuring out how to shoot in an active volcano zone, and built an extensive road to reach the base of the mountain. Your first instinct is that this is impossible, Mezey said. Benh delights in that. He rallies people around the challenge. For Zeitlin, the volcano which blows its stack more than once, often at the behest of a telekinetic Peter became a central organizing principle of what the magic in the film would be, he said. The whimsy and the fairy magic in Peter Pan feels very distant and very fantastical, not real. But these phenomenons that are natural of the earth are as mind-boggling as any sort of fairy dust could ever be. The Mother figure, a creature that recalls the giant aurochs in Beasts, became a billowing aquatic creation pitched somewhere between a jellyfish and a large iguana. The idea was that the magic of youth and joy was contained within this creature that Peter has sort of decided is his mother, Zeitlin said. The most unorthodox aspect of Wendy, however, involved the casting process. As with Beasts, the centerpiece of Wendy is a black child in this case, Antigua native Mack, whom Zeitlin found in a Rastafarian compound deep in the forest. While some may question the nature of that decision, charges of cultural appropriation associated with Zeitlins process tend to ignore the organic approach to production and the way the surroundings inform the result. Casting the six-year-old Mack came only after his team back in New Orleans spent a year auditioning some 1,500 kids. During that time, Zeitlin befriended an Antigua local who took him around the islands. In the traditional story, Peter Pan has always been represented as this sort of aristocratic British kid whos just sort of prancing around this imaginary Caribbean landscape, Zeitlin said. But these environments are incredibly difficult to navigate. Theyre between the trees, the vines, the rocks, and these ash fields, crazy volcanic beaches, and water and all these elements. Our Peter had to be able to navigate this terrain with such a level of knowledge, agility and fearlessness that we were never going to be able to bring someone who hasnt experienced this before. That all led us to this idea that Peter should be cast in the region that we were going to shoot this film. Zeitlin also wanted a nimble performer as a reaction against Hollywood storytelling. I thought about films like The Jungle Book, where all the nature is synthesized and youre just running around on a giant green screen, he said. This is the sort of the adventure that kids movies are allowing us to experience these days, and theyre totally divorced from my experience, or I think a lot of peoples experience of childhood, where the greatest thing you could do is go break all the rules and get absolutely filthy in mud, in water, in nature. Production on Wendy was a messy and even dangerous undertaking, so open-ended that even Zeitlins infectious journeyman attitude couldnt smooth every wrinkle. When things got difficult, things were difficult, he said. We were in places where there were no laws, or they were writing the laws of how to permit a film shoot for the production, because it had never been done before. Studio executives couldnt visit the set. It was so challenging to get to the places that we were shooting, that there was no way that there could be an actual physical presence of anybody who wasnt essential to shooting the scene, Zeitlin said. And while the studio may not know exactly how Wendy will pay off in the long-run, Greenfield said he had no regrets about taking on Zeitlins follow-up back in 2012. All filmmakers have a process that they do their best work in, he said. It would be insane for us to take a filmmaker and say, We love your movie, but do it our way. Still, Zeitlin has a hard time believing he made it this far. Man, its surreal, he said. Bringing it to the world will be as shocking to me as anybody else, I think. You have this relationship with this film the dreams and the expectations, the blood, sweat and tears of all the people that helped you make the film and the pressure to finish it was around that feeling. I was not going to leave my best friend behind. Needless to say, Zeitlins back to where he started seven years ago: Heading to Sundance and contemplating another project. I think its going to be a lot smaller in some ways, he said. I want to be able to continue to improvise, make things freely in a way where it is an exploration and I dont necessarily know where its going. But there has been a crucial shift in his fixations. I think now that weve grown up making Wendy, theres a lot to think about being an adult, he said, and laughed. I might take a break from working with children. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday pledged HK$10 billion ($1.3 billion) in relief measures to prop up the economy as it grapples with months of anti-government protests that have hurt business confidence in the global financial hub. Hong Kong sank into recession for the first time in a decade in the third quarter as the sometimes violent protests forced businesses to shut and scared away travellers. The proposed new spending brings the Chinese-ruled city's total stimulus to HK$35 billion ($4.5 billion) since this summer, when protests escalated. The measures target the elderly, unemployed and low-income residents, with plans to provide cash handouts among other benefits. The government said it also aims to increase statutory holidays from 12 to 17 days, subject to discussions with the business sector. The protests flared in June over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party. The demonstrations, which have escalated into calls for greater democracy, have also been powered by a broad perception that Beijing is meddling in the former British colony's affairs, despite a guarantee of wide-ranging autonomy when it returned top Chinese rule in 1997, and by complaints of police brutality. Beijing denies interfering. Police say they have exercised restraint in the face of escalating violence. On Monday, Lam joined other government officials at a regional financial forum in praising Hong Kong's resilience as a financial hub, saying its "strengths and resilience, just like our financial systems, have not been undermined despite (the fact) that we experienced considerable social unrest and challenges". ($1 = 7.7738 Hong Kong dollars) (Reporting By Sharon Tam, Clare Jim, Donny Kwok, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Nick Macfie) Online hotel bookings, e-visas, mobile app travel guides technology has a huge impact on modern travellers. This, amidst stringent norms to ensure data security and privacy of personal information. 20 January 2020: The time to travel is now! According to the World Tourism Organisation, it is estimated that some 1.8 billion tourists are set to travel globally by 2030. Going hand in hand with this burgeoning travelling populace is a technological revolution of sorts. Among the most important and common smart travel offerings are solutions like electronic visa on arrival, eVisa products, biometric smart gates and other smart infrastructure which are increasingly being introduced at several border and immigration checkpoints that are driving the number of people in visiting other parts of the world. The opportunities are endless for the travel industry to transform and adapt itself to take advantage of this growing market. Companies must explore options to the traditional solutions, if they must survive these fast-paced changes. Constant technological updates in the industry, lead to new levels of innovation in services and innovation is the only way organisations can provide the best experience to customers, and retain their competitive advantage. At VFS Global, these changing market dynamics urge us to constantly assess how we can make the traditionally stringent visa process even more streamlined, customised and better suited to the needs of the traveller. A case in point is the pioneering Visa At Your Doorstep solution, which brings the visa application and biometrics process to the customers doorstep. Eliminating the need for the customer to visit the centre, technology has allowed the entire application setup, including the biometric kit, to be taken to outstation customers living too far away from the Visa Application Centres. At the backend, breakthrough solutions like Location Independent Document Processing or LIDPro have been developed by VFS Global for certain client governments. The solution allows consulates to remotely process visa applications submitted in another country, resulting in considerable time and resource savings for the government. In the South African context, biometric and online solutions are also used widely for residence permit programmes for the Department of Home Affairs, and the Lesotho and Zimbabwe governments allowing large volumes of applications to be processed in a streamlined and efficient manner. Another example of experience-driven solutions made possible by versatile technologies is a proprietary Appointment Scheduling System that we use, that automatically arranges appointment slot capacity by analysing date, time-range and visa type. The system can even allocate a queue number at the time of making an appointment, and ensures no customer is allowed to book multiple appointments, ensuring a seamless experience for all customers using the same interface. It is important to note that such solutions are effective for both visa as well as other identity or citizen services projects alike like passport processing. Take the case of our Premium Passport Application Centre project in Ghana which is set up for customers for an enhanced customer experience amidst higher volumes of applications with better accessibility through longer working hours alongside automated crowd management system or avail personalised services like Premium Lounge facility, form filling assistance and most importantly support large group bookings, like student groups -who are the next-gen travellers. Naturally, technology isnt without its challenges. While it has made systems more transparent, it has also heightened concerns of data protection and privacy. Since most travellers information is stored online, robust storing and purging measures are expected to be in place a requirement especially crucial in the visa services space, given the large quantities of user data processed. The implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation across the European Union, effective since May 2018, now acts a global benchmark for data security and privacy measures. We welcome this regulation and consider it as an opportunity for all organisations in this space to implement more stringent data protection policies across their operations. While we have always had robust security frameworks in place, we have used this regulation as an opportunity to further review and strengthen these systems to make them GDPR-compliant to ensure customer data is submitted and shared in a safe and secure environment, while at the same time, continuing to offer personalised and convenient services for the benefit of customers. In the wake of still newer trends in artificial intelligence, blockchain automation, and machine learning, it is only a matter of time how the travel trade and allied industries integrate more such advancements into everyday operations a combination that will be nothing but a win-win for both the company and the customer. About VFS Global VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. VFS Global has Swiss parentage and is a portfolio company of EQT, a leading global private equity firm headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. With 3399 Application Centres, operations in 147 countries across five continents and over 215 million applications processed as on 31 October 2019, VFS Global is the trusted partner of 63 client governments. BEIJING, Jan. 22 -- The upcoming Spring Festival holiday will see a daily average of 1.87 million trips made by passengers through China's entry and exit frontier inspection stations, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said Wednesday. The figure will be 2 percent more than that for the same period last year, the administration said. It said the average daily tourist flow at major airports in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu is expected to reach 77,000, 116,000, 56,000 and 22,000, respectively. It anticipates that Gongbei Port linking the mainland and Macao will see a notable increase with an average of 409,000 inbound and outbound trips each day, up 14 percent from last year. The tourist flow at the ports connecting the mainland and Hong Kong will slightly decline, said the NIA. The NIA asked border inspection agencies nationwide to disclose information on passenger flows in a timely manner and ensure safety and order. The Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 25 this year. The 1,000 MLA pay hike was yesterday branded "absolutely outrageous" with people in Belfast yesterday voicing their dismay at the news. The Assembly confirmed that as a result of the power-sharing institutions returning, the annual MLA salary will rise from 49,500 to 50,500. People on the streets were quick to compare it to recent public sector pay struggles. Read More Kirk Dalrymple (65), from Ballymena, expressed dismay that the pay rise was automatic and compared the situation with the recent health care worker strikes. "The fact they have done nothing for the last three years - for me it would have been more interesting if they had done something in the next three or four months to at least deserve a pay rise," he said. "The fact that they have now been given an extra 1,000 just for going back into work again is terrible. When the nurses went on strike they didn't get any pay." In light of this news, Thomas Williams (47), from Belfast, was unconvinced Stormont should have been restored at all. He said: "I wish they were all fired and lost their money completely. We did okay without them. Give them another six months or a year and they will be out on strike again because they don't agree with someone's point of view." Malva (34), originally from Poland, added: "They already owe us for the past three years and now they are going to get paid extra. "It is ridiculous that they should be able to get paid extra money at all when they were already getting paid for not doing their job. "When I take a sick day I lose a day's pay. I am out of money no matter what happens." Angela Paterson (53) and Michelle Love (53) are friends from Limavady. Reacting to the news, Angela said: "They should be paying back the money. It's disgraceful." "I think they should be giving the nurses this pay rise. I think the nurses are the ones that actually do the work. These politicians need to grab a brain, get real and understand what the people want. "I was happy they went back into Stormont, but they need to take a step back and take a reality check." Michelle added: "We only see them (the politicians) when there is a vote coming up. They are only there for a pay packet. "They don't represent the true values of the people, because if they did these nurses would not have had to fight for their rights." Demi Mills (22), from Comber, thought that any additional money given to MLAs should have instead been directed into the health service. "I think it is ridiculous. The money could be better spent elsewhere such as in the NHS," she said. "If they were on minimum wage you would look over it if they wanted a pay rise in April, but they have been paid for three years for doing absolutely nothing." Justin Cole (42), from Belfast, summed up the general sentiment yesterday when he described the situation as "a total waste". He added: "They haven't been in work for three years. It is outrageous they are getting any additional money. Public sector workers have taken a real hammering over the last few years and that doesn't seem to apply to the MLAs. It seems to be that money is no object." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged the European powers not to follow the United States' path by repealing the 2015 nuclear deal and has assured that Iran would not seek nuclear weapons whether or not the deal survives. The US wanted to economically squeeze Iran by unilaterally withdrawing from the deal in 2018 and imposed economic sanctions on the Islamic nation. Trump wanted the European nations to do the same whereas Iran wanted to maintain the deal. READ | Trump Minimizes Severity Of Head Injuries In Iran Attacks Dispute mechanism in place European nations such as The United Kingdom, France and Germany have maintained that they want to preserve the deal. However, they have launched a dispute mechanism this month on the 2015 nuclear deal holding Iran responsible for violation of the deal which had lost its significance after the US' withdrawal. With the launch of the dispute mechanism, it would set in motion the process that could ultimately see the United Nations reimpose sanctions on Iran, resulting in the death of the nuclear deal eventually. READ | Canada, Iran Divided Over Who Should Examine Downed Airliner's Black Boxes After the killing of Iran military general Qassem Soleimani and military retaliation, Iran on January 5 threatened that it would no longer adhere to the restrictions of the deal, however now it has come down to negotiations with the European powers to salvage the nuclear deal. READ | Iranian Lawmaker Announces $3 Million Reward To 'whoever Kills Trump': Report Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on his official website on Wednesday that the United States had made a mistake by quitting the 2015 pact. Do you want to make the same mistake? ... I am emphasizing that if the Europeans make a mistake and violate the deal, they will be responsible for the consequences of their actions," read the Iranian President's statement. However, after French President Macron's trip to Israel, France has vowed to take a tough stand against Iran and is determined that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and expressed the urgent need for military de-escalation in the region. READ | Iran Acknowledges Russian-made Missiles Targeted Ukraine Jet SYDNEY (AP) Three American crew members died Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region as Australia attempts to deal with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Coulson Aviation in the U.S. state of Oregon said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the accident was "extensive" but had few other details. "The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, it's crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash," said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. He said all three aboard were U.S. residents. "Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors," he said. The tragedy brings the death toll from the blazes to at least 31 since September. The fires have also destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 25.7 million acres, an area bigger than the U.S. state of Indiana. Firefighters battle the Morton Fire as it consumes a home near Bundanoon, New South Wales, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (AP Photo (AP Photo/Noah Berger)AP Coulson grounded other firefighting aircraft as a precaution pending investigation, reducing planes available to firefighters in New South Wales and neighboring Victoria state. The four-propeller Hercules drops more than 4,000 gallons of fire retardant in a single pass. Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the national air crash investigator, and state police will investigate the crash site, which firefighters described as an active fire ground. "There is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident," Fitzsimmons said. Berejiklian said there were more than 1,700 volunteers and personnel in the field, and five fires were being described at an "emergency warning" level the most dangerous on a three-tier scale across the state and on the fringes of the national capital Canberra. By ROD McGUIRK, The Associated Press New MNS flag (Image: Twitter/@mnsadhikrut) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on January 23 unveiled his party's new flag saffron in colour. There was speculation in political circles about a possible ideological shift for the MNS. Thackeray unveiled the new flag, which in the centre bears a 'rajmudra' (royal seal used during the times of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji), at the party's plenary meeting in Mumbai. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue and green colours. Before unveiling the flag, MNS chief Thackeray paid tributes to his uncle and late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on the latter's 94th birth anniversary on January 23. Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray was inducted into the party. During the inaugural session of the MNS plenary meet, he also paid respects to Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar besides Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, BR Ambedkar and his grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray. Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray has been inducted into the party today. pic.twitter.com/79QQjCuull ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020 The MNS was set up in 2006 after Raj Thackeray split from the Shiv Sena. He was in August 2019 questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) loan to Kohinoor CTNL. (With inputs from PTI) Years later, after the smoke of war had cleared and the generals had died, their sons formed an unlikely peacetime alliance. Each of them David Montgomery and Manfred Rommel was his fathers only son. Both were born in 1928, served briefly in the military and had successful careers. They also shared parallel personal histories that perhaps only they could fully understand. Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in the high speed train station, in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Read more BEIJING - Major Chinese cities, including the capital of Beijing and virus-hit Wuhan, have banned all large gatherings over the coming Lunar New Year festival, the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, in an effort contain the rapidly spreading outbreak. The announcement came Thursday night as authorities extended travel restrictions imposed on Wuhan to surrounding municipalities, shutting down travel networks and attempting to quarantine some 25 million people - more than the entire population of Florida. The extreme measures were accompanied by other indications that Communist Party authorities were struggling to control of the outbreak, notably the aggressive censorship of all social media and commentary suggesting this was taking place. But some outspoken doctors warned that the controls would not be enough to stop the spread of the pneumonia-like virus, which has now killed 17 people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province. The number of people infected in China stood at 617 on Thursday afternoon. "A bigger outbreak is certain," said Guan Yi, a virologist who helped identify severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. He estimated - "conservatively," he said - that this outbreak could be 10 times bigger than the SARS epidemic because that virus was transmitted by only a few "super spreaders" in a more defined part of the country. "We have passed through the 'golden period' for prevention and control," he told Caixin magazine from self-imposed quarantine after visiting Wuhan. "What's more, we've got the holiday traffic rush and a dereliction of duty from certain officials." The Lunar New Year holiday, a week-long period when millions of Chinese travel to their hometowns, forming the biggest human migration on the planet, officially begins on Friday. Authorities initially said that the virus, which began in a Wuhan food market selling exotic animals for consumption, was mild and could not be transmitted between humans. But that changed this week when the numbers of people infected by the virus, which has an incubation period as long as 14 days, began to rise rapidly. Even one of the government's top experts, who had played down the prospects for widespread infection, contracted the virus. Now cases have been detected around the country, from Harbin in the north to Shenzhen in the south. The Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macao have both reported cases, as have countries including the United States, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Airports around the world, from London to Dubai to Atlanta, have put special screening measures in place to detect passengers arriving from China with fevers. Among the new measures introduced Thursday night, Beijing said that it was restricting public gatherings over the Lunar New Year holiday, which official begins on Friday and is often celebrated with large fireworks displays and popular fairs at temples. "In order to comply with epidemic prevention and control works, and to put people's lives, safety, and health in the first place, mass gatherings should be reduced in order to ensure a harmonious and peaceful Spring Festival," the Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau said in a statement. "It is decided that Beijing will cancel all large-scale events, including temple fairs, effective from today," it said. The Forbidden City, the old imperial palace in the heart of Beijing and one of China's top tourist attractions, said it would close its doors until further notice "in order to avoid cross-infection caused by the gathering of people." Authorities in Wuhan announced even more stringent measures. In addition to banning public gatherings, local officials, wearing masks, announced that the start of the spring semester at all Hubei province schools would be delayed because of the outbreak. In Zhejiang province, home to 57 million people and tech giants like Alibaba, put out a notice requiring the public "to reduce public gatherings to the maximum extent." The organs of China's authoritarian state are creaking under the strain. The ruling Communist Party, which initially tried to show transparency after being criticized for covering up the SARS virus outbreak 17 years ago, has now shown signs of reverting to its default position of censoring bad news. In a post that was online for less than an hour, the Wuhan Health Commission admitted Thursday that it was struggling under the strain of the outbreak. "At present, there is an obvious increase in the number of patients with fever in the city, and it is true that there are long queues and a shortage of beds in fever clinics," the commission said. A post from Wuhan Railway saying that 300,000 people traveled by train out of Wuhan on Wednesday, headed to every corner of the country, was also quickly deleted. Analysts said the heavy-handed reaction underscored the political risks for Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party, already under pressure amid an economic slowdown and accused of mishandling an outbreak of swine flu last year, which led to a sharp spike in prices for China's beloved pork. "This outbreak may be the biggest threat to Xi and the Party in years, which is why they will stop at nothing to try to control and then eradicate it," said Bill Bishop, publisher of the influential Sinocism newsletter. The central Chinese city of Wuhan pulsated with fear and anger Thursday, as 11 million people awoke to news that they were being confined to a metropolis-sized quarantine zone designed to contain a widening coronavirus outbreak. The three main railway stations, 13 bus stations, the entire subway network and almost all city bus lines were shut down at 10 a.m. Thursday. Half of the 566 flights scheduled at Wuhan's international airport for Thursday were canceled, as were 251 ferry sailings on the Yangtze River, according to the Wuhan Transportation Bureau. Many people flocked to the roads to try to avoid getting caught in the quarantine. Television footage showed health workers in hazmat suits taking motorists' temperatures as they waited at toll booths. Others did not make it out. Hubei's highway management authority closed multiple expressways in and around Wuhan, and Wuhan traffic police confirmed that while vehicles were allowed to come into the city, they were prohibited from going out except in special cases. Neighboring Huanggang said it would join Wuhan's quarantine from midnight on Thursday, shutting down transport networks and telling people they should not leave the city without special reason. Nearby Ezhou announced it would close its railway stations "to efficiently cut off channels for spreading the virus." A raft of Chinese companies, both public and private, began to impose their own travel restrictions to try to avoid infection. CITIC Securities, China's largest investment bank, told employees from Hubei province not to return home for the holidays. It said that if they did, they would have to work remotely for 14 days before being allowed back into the office. Other measures were taken to limit public gatherings. English tests scheduled for next month were canceled, and film companies delayed the release of seven blockbuster movies that were expected to attract big crowds over the Spring Festival holiday, which officially starts Friday. "Everyone wishes for peace and health," the producers of "Detective Chinatown 3" said, announcing the delay. "In the face of the virus, our wills are united like a fortress. We will cooperate hand in hand, and we will overcome difficulties together." In Macao, where one case has been found, the government said it might shut down the territory's casinos if the epidemic worsens. Macao's gambling sector is seven times the size of Las Vegas's. The authorities have already called off a public festival to ring in the new year. In Wuhan, a city with about 3 million more people than New York, many residents were incensed at the sudden announcement of the travel restrictions on Thursday. "I didn't even receive a notice," said one woman who found herself stranded at Hankou Station. She had been on her way from Henan province southwest to Sichuan and was changing trains in Wuhan when she got caught up in the suspension. She said indignantly that she would go back to Henan. But when a reporter asked how, she conceded that she did not know. Others interpreted the fact that the health authorities announced the travel ban at 2:30 a.m. as a sign that the outbreak was more serious than they were letting on. "The notice shouldn't come out so late, when everyone's asleep," said Jeffrey Yang, a 27-year-old Wuhan local working in the financial industry. "It makes people panic and feel like they've missed the opportunity to change their fate." Yang had planned to leave Wuhan on Friday to join his parents in the southern coastal city of Beihai to celebrate the new year. After a friend called to warn him, he managed to get a flight out before the travel ban came into force. But when he arrived at his destination, the hotel owner refused to allow him to check in after hearing that he had traveled from Wuhan. "I feel quite nervous," he said. "I think there must be some things about this virus that remain undisclosed." Some people resorted to extreme measures to escape the travel ban. One man who could not get a taxi to the station to catch an earlier train persuaded a food delivery driver to give him a lift on his scooter. The desperate traveler paid $72 to have the delivery man, who would usually make less than half that in a day, drop him at the station. "We were flying," he said. Others, especially those in the age groups most affected by the virus, thought the ban was warranted. "I think we can fully understand why they made the decision; they have no alternative," said Zhu, a 56-year-old university professor in Wuhan who declined to give a full name. "But it's difficult to tell how effective it will be." Still, distrust of authorities is mounting. Although local authorities said they had enough food for residents and medical supplies to treat patients, Wuhan residents posted photos on social media showing empty shelves in grocery stores. Prices have spiked, with cabbages selling for double the usual amount. Wuhan authorities have ordered residents to wear masks in public places, but the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, posted on social media that the province was short of masks and protective clothing. The post, which was widely shared, was soon deleted. Speculation swirled that the government had silenced Zhong Nanshan, the renowned respiratory expert who helped discover SARS in 2003 and is known for his bluntness. Zhong, a member of the National Health Commission's group of experts investigating the outbreak, had been on Chinese television constantly this week and announced the finding that the coronavirus could pass from human to human. But he has disappeared from screens in recent days. Luwei Rose Luqiu, a journalism professor formerly with the Phoenix Television network, tweeted that Zhong was banned from speaking to media after giving an interview to Phoenix in Guangzhou on Tuesday. Zhong did not answer phone calls from The Washington Post. There were also widespread reports on social media of hospitals in Wuhan turning away patients, reports that were indirectly confirmed when the Wuhan Health Commission sent out a notice saying the 61 outpatient fever treatment clinics "should not be closed for any reason." Rebecca Zhang had tried to get treatment for her 65-year-old father, who developed a fever on Jan. 13, at two hospitals in Wuhan, but they were turned away because of "lack of capacity." The hospitals refused to even test him for the coronavirus, apparently to avoid having to admit him, Zhang wrote on Weibo. Other hospitals would not see him without a positive diagnosis of coronavirus. "He was stuck in an infinite loop!" she wrote on Wednesday, saying he had still not been admitted despite scans showing serious inflammation in both lungs. Another Wuhan woman, He Lianna, said that her father, who was feverish and having difficulty breathing, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday only after her complaint on social media about the situation was shared thousands of times. As the uncertainty continued, Guan, the virologist who identified SARS, offered a chilling perspective on the outbreak. "I've seen it all: bird flu, SARS, influenza A, swine fever and the rest. But the Wuhan pneumonia makes me feel extremely powerless," he told Caixin. "Most of the past epidemics were controllable, but this time, I'm petrified." The Washington Posts Wang Yuan, Liu Yang and Lyric Li contributed to this article. Britain's delayed and disputed Brexit bill became law on Thursday, removing the last UK obstacle to the country leaving the European Union in just over a week. The UK is finally leaving the 28-nation bloc more than 3 1/2 years after voters narrowly opted to do so in a June 2016 referendum _ and after interminable rounds of political wrangling. Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans announced Thursday in the House of Commons that the Withdrawal Agreement Act had received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II, the final formality in its legislative journey. An identical announcement was made by the speaker of Parliament's upper House of Lords. Evans' brief announcement, which drew cheers of ``Hear! Hear!'' from some Conservative lawmakers in the Commons, came hours after the bill completed its passage through Parliament late Wednesday by getting approval from the House of Lords. ``At times, it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it,`` Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. The EU Parliament also must ratify the Brexit divorce deal before Jan. 31, Britain's scheduled departure date. The EU Parliament's constitutional affairs committee voted by a large margin Thursday to approve the Brexit withdrawal deal, preparing the way for a vote of all European lawmakers in Brussels next Wednesday. ``It's a historical moment, albeit a somber moment, for us. We deeply regret this outcome,'' committee chair Antonio Tajani said after the 23-3 vote. After years of divorce negotiations between the British government and the EU, UK lawmakers repeatedly defeated attempts by both Johnson and his predecessor Theresa May to finalize Britain's departure terms with the other 27 nations of the bloc. That changed when Johnson's Conservatives won Britain's Dec. 12 election, giving his government the ability to override the objections of opposition parties. Opposition members of the House of Lords battled to amend the withdrawal bill but were overruled by Johnson's 80-strong majority in the Commons. But deep divisions over Brexit remain. After the royal assent was announced, Scottish National Party lawmaker Ian Blackford said the UK was in a ``constitutional crisis'' because the legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland did not back the Brexit bill. ``Boris Johnson has trampled over the democratic votes in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff,`` Blackford said. The Scottish National Party says Scotland should hold a referendum on independence from the UK, which Johnson refuses to allow. Despite Johnson's repeated promise to ``get Brexit done'' on Jan. 31, the day of departure only marks the start of the country's EU exit. Guy Verhofstadt, the leading EU lawmaker on Brexit, said the bloc's parliament would continue to scrutinize the way Britain implemented the divorce agreement -- especially to ensure that the rights of EU citizens living in the UK are protected after Brexit. In February, Britain and the EU will begin negotiations on their future ties, racing to strike new relationships for trade, security and a host of other areas by the end of 2020. Johnson insists he won't agree to any delays in those talks beyond the end of the year. The UK is also keen to begin talks on a free trade deal with the United States, and intends to negotiate simultaneously with the EU and the US. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a deal with Britain was ``an absolute priority of President Trump and we expect to complete that within this year.`` US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said a trade deal between the two countries shouldn't be too difficult because their economies are similar. ``Both are very heavily services oriented and within services, such as financial services, there's already a pretty high degree of integration and coordination, so it should be much easier mechanically,'' he said in Davos. But British opposition politicians are already raising concerns about issues ranging from food-safety standards _ especially the US practice of chlorine-washing chicken to kill germs _ to drug prices. Ross sought to dampen concerns that a trade deal would mean higher drug prices in the UK as US pharmaceutical companies look to gain concessions from Britain's state-run National Health Service. ``What we think is that drugs should have similar prices wherever they are but I don't believe we are in any position to tell the UK what they should pay for drugs,`` he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Subscriber content preview SEATTLE (AP) A federal judge says it's likely that Microsoft was trying to avoid or evade paying U.S. taxes and is ordering the company to hand over financial documents from more than a decade ago. The Internal Revenue Service has been seeking the documents as part of a long-running investigation into how Microsoft structured a Puerto Rico manufacturing facility starting in 2005. The IRS has said Microsoft hired accounting firm KPMG to set up a cost-sharing arrangement with the Puerto Rican affiliate that shifted taxable revenue out of the U.S. . . . President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday may have endorsed Amotekun, the security structure established by governors of the southwest, Nigeria. The President represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN, at meeting with South West Governors, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the Inspector General of Police at the State House, Abuja, agreed on the way forward, while the federal government may have approved aligning the Amotekun security structure with community policing in the southwest Nigeria. A statement from the Presidency, Office of the Vice President, on Thursday indicated that the meeting was at the instance of the Governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun Initiative. It was noted that, however, due to the Presidents foreign engagement, he asked the Vice President to host the meeting. The statement by Laolu Akande, S.A on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, further indicated that unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward. The statement read inter alia: Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the Community Policing strategy of the Federal Government. It was also agreed that necessary legal instruments will be put in place by each of the States to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure. PV: 0 Former president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday cautioned that any attempt to denigrate the Election Commission, which has served its purpose well, will amount to denigrating the electoral process itself. As a firm believer in India's institutions, he said, it is his considered opinion that it is the 'workmen' who decide how an institutional tool performs. "The onus of ensuring institutional integrity in this case lies with the Election Commission of India. They must do so and put any speculation to rest," he said delivering the first Sukumar Sen memorial lecture organised by the poll panel. Institutions like the CAG, RBI, UPSC, Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog) spearheaded India's socio-economic and political resurgence, he said. "The Election Commission, like its peers in other fields, has served its purpose accordingly well and any attempt at its denigration will amount to denigrating the electoral process itself," he said. Mukherjee said there can be no room for speculation that challenges the very basis of our democracy. "People's mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt," he said. In his address, the veteran leader also flagged that the "model code puts brakes" on day-to-day administration. He said holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was a possible solution but it requires consensus and constitutional amendments. Another alternative, he suggested, was to amend the model code to ensure that development works do not stop due to the Lok Sabha or assembly polls. The model code was derived after EC and political parties held long consultations on ways to make polls a level playing field for all stakeholders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australia's Westpac hires 'Mack the knife' McFarlane to chair crisis-hit bank FILE PHOTO: John McFarlane, Chairman of Barclay's, takes part in a panel during the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York By Paulina Duran and Scott Murdoch SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Australia's Westpac Banking Corp named a former Barclays boss as chairman on Thursday, entrusting veteran banker John McFarlane with the task of steering it through the country's biggest money-laundering scandal. The bank, Australia's second largest by market capitalization, said the 72-year-old would become a non executive director in February before taking the chairman's role in April. McFarlane stepped down as chairman of Barclays in May after four years. Previously he had chaired British insurer Aviva which followed nine years as chief executive (CEO) of Westpac rival Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ). Scottish-born McFarlane takes over just two months after Westpac's top two executives stepped down following charges by the regulator for breaching of anti-money laundering laws which potentially facilitated child exploitation. Westpac's current troubles are part of wider ructions in the Australian banking industry. Two of the top four banks that dominate the domestic market have lost their leaders in the wake of damaging revelations from a government-backed inquiry into misconduct in the industry. McFarlane's appointment, however, failed to boost the bank's shares on Thursday as investors said the prospect of a huge fine - estimated by analysts to be up to A$1 billion - for the anti-money laundering breaches continued to weigh on the bank's earnings prospects. Westpac shares closed at $A25.08, down 0.24% while the broader benchmark S&P/ASX200 <.AXJO> lost 0.6%. "I was surprised to see the stock was down. I thought there would have been a better reaction," said Matt Haupt, portfolio manager at Wilson Asset Management, which owns Westpac shares. "I think some investors are still worried about the size of the fine and what will come out of the Austrac investigations." 'MACK THE KNIFE' Story continues Westpac's chief financial officer Peter King, who had flagged his retirement, is currently serving as Westpac's interim chief executive. McFarlane has been a hands-on chairman in previous roles, sparking speculation he may not rush to appoint a new permanent CEO. "He will shake up the executive ranks, and he won't hurry in appointing a CEO, he will back his own ability to be an executive chairman," said Matthew Wilson, banking analyst at Evans and Partners. In Britain McFarlane was nicknamed Mack the knife during his chairmanship of Aviva and then Barclays. In both, he acted as executive chairman for some time. In a statement earlier on Thursday, McFarlane said that the appointment of a "world-class" CEO could "take time". Vas Kolesnikoff, Australian head of governance adviser ISS, said Westpac needed to ensure there was a distinction between the chairman and the executive, with the search for a permanent chief executive underway. "You need to have somebody who is running the bank and you need to have a board that is sufficiently independent to oversee management and addressing all the issues," Kolesnikoff said. Martin Lawrence, governance analyst at Ownership Matters, a proxy advisory firm, said McFarlane came with a reputation for "drastic change". "If there needs to be hard decisions made, I dont think he is going to be afraid to make them," he said. Former Westpac chief executive Brian Hartzer left the bank after the money-laundering scandal was revealed while chairman Lindsay Maxsted also accelerated his departure from the bank's board. At last month's annual meeting, the lender's shareholders voted down executive pay for a second year due to investor outrage over the scandal.. Westpac gave no details on Thursday of McFarlane's remuneration. (Reporting by Paulina Duran, Scott Murdoch and Nikhil Kurian Nainan; Editing by Jane Wardell and Muralikumar Anantharaman) New Delhi: Bollywoods Panga actress, Kangana Ranaut who has been making headlines since she kick-started her movie promotions with bold statements on ongoing nationwide turmoil, celebrity movements and more, recently drew fierce anger over delayed execution of the 2012 gang-rape convicts. The actress was asked her take on the verdict and she was extremely bold and unabashed with her statements. Lashing out at senior lawyer Indira Jiasing, Kangana reportedly said women like her bear rapists. The Manikanika actress further went on to say that Jaising should be kept in jail with rapists for 4 days. Taking potshots at Jaisings tweet appealing Asha Devi that she should forgive the culprits, she said, how dare she make such an appeal. She further claimed that Jiasing never met Nibhayas parents to ask them about their situation and today she is supporting the convicts. Making another huge allegation on Jaising she said, because of people like her who make a living by supporting rapists, victims fail to get justice in this country. While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didnt not want the death penalty for her . We are with you but against death penalty. https://t.co/VkWNIbiaJp Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 17, 2020 Meanwhile, centre moved the apex court following the delay in execution of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, urging modification to the Shatrughan Chauhan judgment in 2014 regarding the right to legal relief for the sentenced convicts. Kangana further opined that the convicts should not be called minors as they did a heinous crime that is not related to any age. She also questioned who has set this standard of age for culprits especially when people of that age are doing rape and more such ugly crimes. She also further added that the convicts should be hanged till death at crossroads amid the public to set an example across the nation. #WATCH Kangana Ranaut on senior lawyer Indira Jaising's statement,'Nirbhaya's mother should forgive the convicts': That lady (Jaising) should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days...Women like them give birth to these kind of monsters and murderers. (22.1) pic.twitter.com/MtNcAca1QG ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020 The delayed verdict on the 2012 gang-rape incident drew flak from social media as well. Nirbhayas mother's has expressed her displeasure over the delay in the verdict. ANI quoted her statement as, "Their tactic to delay hanging has been rejected. I'll be satisfied only when they're hanged on Feb 1. Just like they're delaying it one after other, they must be hanged one by one so that they understand what it means to toy with law." Also Read: Want To Make Film On Chandragupta Maurya: Kangana Ranaut Speaking of Kangana, she was at the event to promote her film, Panga. The film is directed by Ashwiny Iyer, Tiwari that also stars Richa Chadha. The flick is slated to release on 24 January 2020. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. HOLYOKE On Tuesday, the City Council granted a special permit to Four Trees Holyoke LLC to operate a recreational marijuana manufacturing and retail establishment at 1 Cabot St., the former Dennison National building. The company presented its plans during the Jan. 14 Ordinance Committee meeting. Four Trees described itself as a blue-collar startup specializing in large-scale cannabis cultivation. The company is also one of six providing training and technical assistance to other marijuana entrepreneurs through the states Social Equity Program, working with the Cannabis Control Commission, which oversees the medical and recreational marijuana industry. Holyoke City Councilor Rebecca Lisi, who chairs the committee, said Four Trees provided a comprehensive proposal. The company expects 200 customers daily and plans to hire 10 full- and part-time employees for the retail side and a dozen workers for the cultivation end. At the Jan. 14 public hearing, company representative Steven Goldman said, Our dream is to create Four Trees Holyoke as a small craft-growing shop that complements the restoration efforts occurring in the city. He expects a late-fall opening, which is dependent on the state licensing process. The business will occupy 18,000 square feet of the building at street level. The store and offices will occupy 3,500 square feet, with the cultivation side taking up the remaining space. We anticipate interior renovations of the building will begin sometime in the spring of this year, Goldman told the committee. Were going to work closely with all Holyoke departments to make sure its done in a compliant manner. Goldman anticipates the facility would have 15 parking spaces, including a handicap-accessible parking spot. Four Trees will encourage employees to park off-site or take alternative transportation. The plans include building an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp leading to the main entrance, a chain-link fence around the delivery and waste area, repairs to an existing platform, and paving. Four Trees requested operating hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in its application, but Lisi asked the council to amend the special permit allow the company to have more flexible hours, within the limits of city ordinances. The council voted in favor of Lisis amendment. The special permit comes with conditions Four Tree must follow, including submitting a traffic mitigation plan, filling at least 30% of nonsecurity positions with Holyoke residents, giving hiring preference for security positions to retired police officers, no consumption of marijuana on the premises and no home or individual deliveries. The tour will commence in Chicago, June 18, 2021, and will continue, with the works traveling across the country, through May 30, 2022. This is one of several initiatives being set by the Portrait Gallery to engage communities nationwide throughout the next four years. The artworks are expected to reach millions of people who may not be able to visit Washington, D.C. "We view the country as our community," said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery. "Since the unveiling of these two portraits of the Obamas, the Portrait Gallery has experienced a record number of visitors, not only to view these works in person, but to be part of the communal experience of a particular moment in time. This tour is an opportunity for audiences in different parts of the country to witness how portraiture can engage people in the beauty of dialogue and shared experience." Tour venues include: Art Institute of Chicago ; ChicagoJune 18, 2021Aug. 15, 2021 ; ChicagoJune 18, 2021Aug. 15, 2021 Brooklyn Museum; Brooklyn , New YorkAug. 27, 2021Oct. 24, 2021 , New YorkAug. 27, 2021Oct. 24, 2021 Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Los AngelesNov. 5, 2021Jan. 2, 2022 High Museum of Art; AtlantaJan. 14, 2022March 13, 2022 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston ; HoustonMarch 25, 2022May 30, 2022 The paintings were commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and revealed in a special unveiling ceremony Feb. 12, 2018, in the presence of President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, and the artists. Wiley and Sherald are the first African American artists to have been selected for the National Portrait Gallery's official portraits of a President or First Lady. In addition to the paintings, the tour will include an audio-visual element, Portrait Gallery-led teacher workshops and curatorial presentations in each location. In anticipation of the tour, the Portrait Gallery is also publishing a book in partnership with Princeton University Press. The Obama Portraits will be released Feb. 11. With the Obama portraits, the National Portrait Gallery continues its more than 45-year legacy of touring exhibitions. American presidents, in particular, have been the subject of several Portrait Gallery exhibitions. The exhibition "Theodore Roosevelt: Icon of the American Century" (1998 to 2000) traveled to several cities as did "Portraits of the Presidents from the National Portrait Gallery" (2000 to 2005). The museum's acclaimed "Lansdowne" portrait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart toured to seven venues in "George Washington: A National Treasure" (2002 to 2004). The National Portrait Gallery's collection includes more than 1,600 portraits of U.S. presidents and is the nation's only complete collection of U.S. presidents accessible to the public. The National Portrait Gallery recognizes the lead donors to the Obama portraits: Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg; Judith Kern and Kent Whealy; Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia; Clarence, DeLoise and Brenda Gaines; The Stoneridge Fund of Amy and Marc Meadows; Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker; and Catherine and Michael Podell. National Portrait Gallery The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of the United States through the individuals who have shaped American culture. Spanning the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story. The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Connect with the museum at npg.si.edu, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Media website: newsdesk.si.edu @smithsoniannpg, #ObamaPortraitsTour SOURCE National Portrait Gallery After spending years being silent on politics, Taylor Swift revealed that her latest song, "Only the Young," was inspired by the 2018 midterm elections. In an interview with Variety, the pop star said she wrote the song after breaking her political silence and endorsing candidates in the senatorial and gubernatorial races in her home state of Tennessee. At the time, she endorsed Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper, who ran for Senate and House of Representatives, respectively. Bredesen lost the election to his Republican opponent, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, whose voting record "appalls and terrifies me," Swift said in 2018. She was inspired to write the song, which is featured in "Miss Americana," the documentary about Swift premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this week and on Netflix on Jan. 31, after she was "really upset" about the election results. "I wrote it after the midterm elections, when there were so many young people who rallied for their candidate, whether it was a senator or congressman or congresswoman," Swift told Variety. "It was hard to see so many people feel like they had canvassed and done everything and tried so hard. I saw a lot of young peoples hopes dashed," she continued. "And I found that to be particularly tragic, because young people are the people who feel the worst effects of gun violence, and student loans and trying to figure out how to start their lives and how to pay their bills, and climate change, and are we going to war all these horrific situations that we find ourselves facing right now." She now hopes that the song will "hopefully stoke some fires politically." "And maybe engage younger people to form their own views, break away from the pack, and not feel like they need to vote exactly the same way that people in their town are voting," Swift said. A new rumor has surfaced that Alfa Romeo is looking to celebrate its 110th anniversary by introducing a new, limited trim level of the Giulia namely the Giulia GTA . Reports hint that it will be a track-inspired, road-going beast with as much as 620 horsepower and a considerable increase in torque output compared to the 443 pound-feet delivered by the standard, Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter V-6 in the Giulia Guadrifoglio. It was even said that this model would debut in June of 2020. Unfortunately, this latest rumor doesnt seem to hold water. Alfa Romeo Says a Giulia GTA Isnt Happening The report of a Giulia GTA (Gran Turismo Alleggerita) surfaced on January 22, with Mopar insiders claiming that the news came straight from annonymous sources close to MoparInsiders.com. Motor1 was one of the first outlets to pick up on the news but, Alfa Romeos Italian and French divisions were reportedly quick to reach out and deny the rumors, saying there are no such plans to introduce a more powerful Giulia in June 2020. The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA Would be a Monster of a Car The current, range-topping Giulia delivers 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque an admirable number for a car its size. With its somewhat light weight of 3,373 pounds, that 2.9-liter, Ferrari-derived engine is able to push the Giulia Q up to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 191 mph. The rumored and now denied GTA, however, would push the limits with as much as 620 horsepower and upward of 530 pound-feet of torque. Add in some weight-saving measures for the GTA, and were looking at a sprint time in the 3.5-second range, at least, and a top speed closer to 200 mph. The only downside to the whole ordeal is that the initial report indicated that the Giulia GTA would available with nothing more than a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The question of whether it would be AWD or RWD remained to be addressed as well while it was reported that the GTA would be 44 pounds lighter than the current Giulia Q. On that note, word has it that the GTA would be a low-volume car produced for the European market and, despite its flagship status, theres no indication that it would land on North American shores. Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio specifications Engine 2.9-Liter 24-Valve bi-turbo V-6 Horsepower 505 HP @ 6,500 RPM Torque 443 LB-FT @ 2,500-5,500 RPM Transmission six-speed manual 0 to 60 mph 3.8 seconds Top Speed 191 mph The Giulia GTA Actually Makes Sense From All Perspectives Despite the fact that two European Alfa Romeo divisions have stepped right up and pressed the deny button, one cant help but look at the whole picture and see how much the Giulia GTA would make sense. In fact, it would be a silver lining or a blessing in disguise. Remember back in November 2019 when we told you that the long-expected, and previously confirmed GTV and 8C nameplates were nixed? It was only a week after that when we learned that FCA was stripping down Alfa Romeo and announced that the 4C was also canceled. Will all of this still resting a little heavy on our souls, the introduction of a more powerful, hotter Giulia would sort of make up for the GTV and 8C being nixed. And, it would be relatively cheap to add another model to the lineup without spending the oodles of money that have already been spent and would still be spent on bringing the GTV and 8C to market. As of now, the brand only has the Stelvio and the Giulia and, while the Giulia GTA would be a compeltely new model, it would at least be something. If Rumors Turn Out to Be Legit, The Debut Will Happen Soon Alfa Romeo has a special event planned to take place in Milan on June 24, 2020 where it will host a celebration of its 110th anniversary. If the Giulia GTA does actually exist, it will be there that it will be showcased and further details will be announced. If the Giulia GTA rumors are, in fact, a bunch of nonsense, dont lose hope just yet. That event in June is still happening, and there is still something noteworthy of happening. It was originally believed that the event would be used to launch a new, small crossover that would sit between the Tonale and the Stelvio. Of course, this makes a lot of sense as Alfa isnt exactly doing well and, lets be honest, SUVs are selling like crazy. This potential future hasnt been denied by Alfa Romeo so, even if the Giulia GTA is just a bunch of hot gas, theres still potential for a new model to launch in June. Just dont expect it to be a 620-horsepower beast with an appetite for shredding tires. Source: Motor1 Dilip Buildcon Ltd on Thursday said that it has executed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) pact with Uttar Pradesh EIDA for development of a road project worth Rs 1,250 crore. "The company has executed the EPC agreement with the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) for...project in the state of Uttar Pradesh," the company said in a BSE filing. The completion period of the project Gorakhpur Link Expressway (Package II) -- from Fulwariya (Ambedkar Nagar) to Salarpur (Azamgarh) in Uttar Pradesh -- is three years, the filing said. The shares of the company were trading at Rs 422.05 apiece on the BSE, up 0.80 per cent from the previous close. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Singapore on Wednesday denied claims by a Malaysian rights group that it used a brutal "coup de grace" to finish off botched executions and ordered Yahoo and other sites to correct reports of the matter. The Malaysia-based Lawyers for Liberty alleged last week that Singapore prison officers had been instructed to manually break the necks of prisoners if the rope used to hang them broke during executions. This was done by kicking the back of the prisoner's neck, said the group, which based its report on information from an anonymous prison officer. The city-state imposes the death penalty for crimes such as drug trafficking and murder, and hanged 13 people in 2018, according to official data. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday slammed the allegations as "untrue, baseless and preposterous", noting that the rope had never broken during a hanging. It said all executions "are carried out in strict compliance with the law", and the use of any unlawful method would have been investigated and dealt with. It accused the rights group of making the allegations to try and get reprieves for Malaysian drug traffickers. Using a new law against online falsehoods, the interior minister also ordered Yahoo Singapore, a local activist and a political website to carry correction notices alongside their reports on the issue. The minister asked Lawyers for Liberty do to the same, but the organisation said it would not comply. "Singapore has no business interfering with the freedom of speech of Malaysian citizens making statements within our own country," the group said in a statement. An opposition political party has for the first time challenged the law in court amid concerns it was being used to stifle criticism ahead of elections and a judge has reserved judgement on the case. The legislation gives authorities the power to order corrections placed next to posts they deem false. Since the law came into force in October, several opposition figures and activists have been ordered to place a banner next to online posts stating that they contain false information. New York-based grocery chain Fairway Market has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to shut up to five of its 14 locations, along with a distribution center. The company said Thursday morning that Village Super Market, which operates stores under the ShopRite and Gourmet Garage brands, has agreed to make a stalking horse asset purchase of as much as five Fairway shops in New York, as well as the distribution facility, for roughly $70 million. But the stalking horse agreement means there is still the opportunity for other businesses to come in and bid for the properties. The announcement came just hours after Fairway denied a report that said the grocer was planning to pursue a complete liquidation of its business via a Chapter 7 filing. tweet Fairway first filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2016, three years after its IPO. The grocery chain took on too much debt and expanded too quickly, and it has also been unable to fend off rival grocery chains. As chains such as Amazon-owned Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have spread across the New York area, it has put more pressure on Fairway and other businesses with smaller footprints to compete, especially on services like same-day delivery. Other grocery chains that have filed for bankruptcy in recent years include A&P, Winn-Dixie and Bi-Lo. Fairway said Thursday that in court procedures it will continue to negotiate with buyers over its remaining locations in the New York area. The company said that it will receive as much as $25 million in debtor-in-possession financing to be able to continue "to conduct business and serve customers at its stores across the tri-state area" and anticipates that all existing customer promotional and loyalty programs will remain in place. "After careful consideration of all alternatives, we have concluded that a Court-supervised sale process is the best way to meet our objectives of preserving as many jobs as possible, maximizing value for our stakeholders, and positioning Fairway for long term success under new ownership," Fairway CEO Abel Porter said in a statement. Fairway started on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the 1930s as a fruit and vegetable stand. Many New York residents who grew up shopping at Fairway have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction over news that their local store might be closing, for good. tweet tweet Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], Jan 23 (ANI): After Punjab and Kerala, Rajasthan is now set to bring a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the assembly, deputy chief minister of the state said on Thursday. "Everyone has the right to express their dissent. Our government will also bring a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the State Assembly," Pilot said at a press conference here. So far, Punjab and Kerala governments have passed resolutions against the newly amended citizenship law in their legislative assemblies. This comes after the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to put a stay on the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and granted four weeks' time to the Central government to file a reply on the petitions regarding the same. The top court indicated setting up a Constitution Bench to hear the pleas. The citizenship law is facing major protests and opposition across the country. BJP, on the other hand, is also reaching out to the people in a bid to mobilise support for the newly amended citizenship law and "remove misconceptions created by the opposition". The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (ANI) Trump to be first president to address March for Life in person Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Donald Trump will address the annual March for Life in person when the pro-life rally takes place on Friday, making him the first sitting president to do so. The March for Life organization made the announcement Wednesday, which also was the anniversary of the controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. In a statement, March for Life President Jeanne Mancini said that she and her organization are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn. President Trump and his Administration have been consistent champions for life and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering, stated Mancini. We are grateful for all these pro-life accomplishments and look forward to gaining more victories for life in the future. In previous years, Trump, like other presidents, had addressed the March for Life rally at the National Mall, but did so via video message instead of being on the stage itself. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, celebrated the news of Trumps in-person speech, calling it a very important step forward for the cause. President Trump has governed as the most pro-life president in history. His presence at the March for Life, the worlds largest pro-life event, signals a watershed moment for the Pro-life Movement, said Dannenfelser in a statement Wednesday. Pro-choice groups were more critical of the announcement, with NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue taking to Twitter to argue that the move was a desperate attempt to divert attention from his criminal presidency and fire up his radical base. Trump will be the 1st POTUS to attend the annual gathering of anti-choicers on Friday, which he announced today on the anniversary of #RoevWade [because] that's how he rolls, she added. While he once identified himself as very pro-choice in a 1999 interview, Trump has garnered strong support among the pro-life movement for his policies while president. This has included reinstituting the Mexico City Policy, which prevents tax dollars from going to organizations that promote or fund abortions abroad, appointing pro-life judges, and cutting funds to the United Nations' Population Fund due to its ties to Chinas forced abortion policy. Last July, the National Right to Life Committee, reportedly the largest pro-life group in the United States, officially endorsed Trump for the 2020 election. we are proud to endorse the only presidential candidate who stands for the unalienable right to life, said NRLC President Carol Tobias in a statement at the time. From his first day in office, President Trump and his Administration have been dedicated to advancing policies that protect the fundamental right to life for the unborn, the elderly, and the medically dependent and disabled. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday unveiled his party's new flag which is saffron in colour, setting tongues wagging in political circles about a possible ideological shift. Thackeray unveiled the new flag, which in the centre bears a 'rajmudra' (royal seal used during the times of warrior King Shivaji), at the party's plenary meeting in suburban Goregaon. The party's earlier flag had saffron, blue and green colours. Before unveiling the flag, the MNS chief paid tributes to his uncle and late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on the latter's 94th birth anniversary on Thursday. During the inaugural session of the MNS plenary meet, he also paid respects to Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar besides Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B R Ambedkar and his grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray. The MNS was set up in 2006 after Raj Thackeray split from the Shiv Sena. He was in August last year questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) loan to Kohinoor CTNL. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UPDATE: Man shot dead by police was wanted for theft, rammed officer during chase, state AG says A police officer fatally shot a man in Bloomingdale on Thursday morning, the state Attorney Generals Office said. The investigation is ongoing, authorities said. The man has not been identified. Numerous police cars were blocking off Reeve and Pleasant View Avenue in the Passaic County neighborhood north of Route 23 around 11 a.m. Helicopter footage from ABC 7 from above the scene shows a Riverdale police car with what appears to be numerous bullet holes in the window, and two other SUVs parked nearby. According to NorthJersey.com the incident began with a shoplifting in neighboring Riverdale. The man then attempted to flee police and fired shots at them, the report said. The attorneys general office investigates all police-involved shootings, under state law. The office declined to release additional information about the shooting. LIVE: NewsCopter 7 over Bloomingdale, NJ; shots were fired at police after a chase Updates: https://t.co/SSFX6lbH57 https://t.co/TodIgZOmrJ Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) January 23, 2020 An officer on the scene said there was an active investigation underway. A neighbor said she heard a few ambulances go up the hill about a half-hour before that. Residents said they were told to lock their doors. Ismail Gaber, a parent, said he walked up the hill toward where the police were near a dead-end road on Matthews Drive and asked what was going on. He had left his job in Paterson after his wife called him and told him their childrens school was on lockdown. Gaber said he saw a large police presence in front of a house before the police tried to reassure him the children were safe in the school and had him leave the area. I just want to hug them, Gaber said. The intersection is just a quarter-mile from Samuel R. Donald Elementary school in Bloomingdale, which was on lockdown following the shooting. Bloomingdale Schools Superintendent Frank Verducci said just before 1 p.m. that the lockdown had been lifted but that all students will remain indoors until regularly-scheduled dismissals. Jason Konarski, of Wanaque, said his mom lives right where it happened. She didnt answer so I came up here to check on her. She said she just heard helicopters. Its not the neighborhood for this but I guess it can happen anywhere. - Staff reporter Rob Jennings contributed to this report. Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. UTICA, N.Y. -- New York state is providing $340,000 to Oneida County for Census efforts as part of the $20 million Gov. Andrew Cuomo has designated to ensure all residents are represented. The county has launched the 2020 Census Complete Count Program, and held a workshop Thursday morning at Mohawk Valley Community College to discuss strategies to reach all populations in the area during the Census. Committee members gathered to brainstorm ways to encourage participation and engage the community in the Census process. Todays workshop assisted our Complete Count Committee in beginning the 2020 Census process and focusing its collective talents to ensure Oneida County is fully counted and receives all of its just due benefits, said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. Most people dutifully fill out the census form as a matter of civic duty, but for those who do not, it is essential that we find effective ways of identifying and reaching them. Oneida Countys Complete Count Committee includes government officials, as well as representatives from school districts, public libraries, non-profit and support agencies. Those interested in being a part of the 2020 Census Complete Count Program can call the Oneida County Department of Planning at 315-798-5710 for more information. We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here The former executive of a Kerrville consulting company has pleaded guilty to his role in a financial scheme that cost a bank $24 million. Stephen Canty, who worked for HJH Consulting Group Inc. and related entities, faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced April 22 for making a false statement on a loan application. He entered a guilty plea Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio. Canty, 59, followed the instructions of his boss in carrying out the scheme, his plea agreement states. The boss only referred to as person A and as the owner of HJH Consulting served as the mastermind of the scheme and the architect of the alleged fraud. Court records in the 2018 bankruptcy case of HJH and affiliated companies listed Harlan J. Hall as majority owner. Phone messages left for Hall at HJH were not returned Wednesday. He hasnt been charged in the case. On ExpressNews.com: Caught up in scandal, San Antonio-area consulting firm gets bankruptcy plan OKd Prosecutor Gregory Surovic declined to comment after the hearing on why person A has not been charged. He only said not necessarily in reply to a question about whether the case would be over once Canty is sentenced. HJH blamed its bankruptcy on one of its employees (who) manipulated the accounting records of the Debtor to the Debtors detriment. Its bankruptcy lawyer accused Canty of overstating the amount of money clients owed the company so it could tap a line of credit with Texas Capital Bank. Cantys plea agreement offers a far different account of what occurred at HJH, which has provided cost and expense reduction advice to clients for more than 30 years. Canty, who was president of HJH-affiliate U.S. Tax Recovery Partners, was responsible for managing monies owed by customers referred to as accounts receivable. He also oversaw its borrowing base, which is the amount of money a bank will loan a company based on the collateral pledged to secure the debt. HJHs borrowing base was based upon unearned estimates of fees to be earned under contingent fee contracts with its customers, rather than on the accounts receivable, the plea agreement states. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox At person As direction, Canty knowingly submitted falsely inflated figures for those unearned estimates to the bank. The purpose was to convince the bank to continue to loan money. Canty had no understanding that this violated both a 2014 credit agreement with the bank and accounting principles, the agreement says. An investigation by the bank supports an inference that Canty was an unwitting participant, the document states. Canty initially took full responsibility for the entire fraud in a letter to a person he thought was his attorney but who actually was representing HJH. Canty later corrected the misstatement, which was made when he was suffering a major depressive episode triggered by withdrawal from prescribed antidepressants that he been taking for many years. In early 2018, the document says he moved to stop the fraud by calculating the overstatement in the borrowing base and reporting it to person A. He discovered it was about $24 million. Cantys employment with HJH ended in March 2018. HJH filed for bankruptcy the following month. On ExpressNews.com: FBI investigating possible wrongdoing at Kerrville company, sources say Canty and his legal counsel met with the FBI in May 2018 to provide information about the scheme, though his defense attorney, Cynthia Orr, said he had been in contact with the FBI well before that meeting. He provided correct information about all the persons involved in the fraud to the FBI, the plea agreement says. Numerous persons substantially benefited from the fraud financially and submitted false documents to Texas Capital Bank, the document adds. Canty was the only person who, save and except for his employment income, failed to benefit financially from this scheme. Orr praised her client for blowing the whistle. Im proud of Mr. Canty for finding out what the problem was and exposing it before law enforcement was even on to it, Orr said. I think we ought to encourage people to act in that way. Hes taken responsibility and, I think, doing the right thing. What effect that will have on his sentence isnt known yet. Besides a prison term of up to 30 years, Canty faces up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Hes agreed to pay almost $24.4 million in restitution. As part HJHs reorganization plan, the company transferred its potential claims against Canty for fraud, embezzlement and breach of fiduciary duty to Texas Capital Bank. The bank also received from the company insurance claims related to Canty's activities, a court filing indicated. The bank also received a $10 million promissory note from the debtors, which had 18 months to pay it. The note was secured by the companies assets and guaranteed by Hall. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD ANNAPOLIS (January 23, 2020)Maryland lawmakers hope to repeal "archaic" provisions in the state's spousal defense for sex crimes and sodomy laws with the reintroduction of legislation this session. Lawmakers on Jan. 30 expect to hear Senate bill 230, which would repeal the use of marriage as a defense to prosecution of some sex crimes and, earlier this week, introduced House bill 81, which would repeal the crimes of sodomy and unnatural or perverted sexual practice. Under current state law, a person may not be prosecuted for first- or second-degree rape or third- and fourth-degree sexual offenses if the victim is the legal spouse of the assailant at the time of the offense. The bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Susan Lee, D-Montgomery, told Capital News Service that she thinks current law treats a spouse as property. "It's really disrespectful, it's wrong and it's antiquated," Lee said. By 1993, all states and Washington, D.C. had laws against marital rape. In many states such as Maryland, however, certain loopholes still exist in sexual assault laws. Delegate Charlotte Crutchfield, D-Montgomery, who will be the lead sponsor of an identical House bill, told Capital News Service she hopes to reintroduce the legislation this week. She said the legislation would be identical to last session's House bill 958, which failed to advance out of committee. Both Lee and Crutchfield were optimistic about the bills' passage, noting significant support for the legislation. Both said education would be key to the legislation moving forward. "People still just have in their mind this archaic notion that, 'If I am married, I can do anything to them,'" Crutchfield said. Exemptions to the current law allow for prosecution of spousal sex crimes, such as if the person and person's legal spouse have lived apart under a written separation agreement or for at least three months before the alleged incident occurred. Current exemptions also allow prosecution if a person uses force or threat of force and the person does not have the consent of the spouse. The legislation joins House bill 81, which would repeal the crimes of sodomy and unnatural or perverted sexual practice, as another of the "archaic" sex laws in Maryland that lawmakers are looking to repeal. Under current law, the act of sodomy is a felony. Current law also prohibits oral sex with people or animals or "unnatural or perverted sexual practice(s)." During a hearing on House bill 81 Tuesday, supporters argued that the legislation repeals a law that has mostly become obsolete through updates to the state's animal abuse laws and a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled it was unconstitutional to prohibit consensual sexual activity between adults, regardless of sexual orientation. Supporters said current laws can be unfairly used to target members of the LGBTQ community. "There's sort of this long history of sort of the heterosexual side of it being ignored and not enforced, which really leaves the enforcement being on LGBTQ folk, and sodomy has largely become a, like a badge of disdain by the state against queer folk and has been used to punish homosexuals and others," said C.P. Hoffman, an attorney with FreeState Justice, an LGBTQ advocacy group in Maryland, who prefers to be referred to with neutral pronouns and testified at the hearing. "It's really well past time for Maryland to move forward, repeal this vestige of our old like, of our past," they said. Prosecutors have filed several hundred violations in the state's district and circuit courts between July 2018 and the end of June 2019, the Maryland Judiciary reported. Four people were sentenced on five counts of sodomy and 10 were sentenced on 11 counts of unnatural or perverted sex acts over the same period, according to a state legislative analysis. Lisae Jordan, executive director and counsel at Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, testified in support of House bill 81 Tuesday and told Capital News Service she expects to testify on Jan. 30 in support of Senate bill 230 as well. Jordan said repealing both, which she called "archaic provisions of the law," were among her organization's top priorities this session. Laure Ruth, legal director at the Women's Law Center of Maryland, told Capital News Service that she is optimistic the legislation will pass this year and plans to testify in support of the bill. She said the #MeToo movement has helped educate people about what is and isn't acceptable in terms of sexual interactions. "People know what consent is now, or should know what consent is now," she said. Ruth said she doesn't expect a dramatic increase in cases of spousal rape accusations, citing potential privacy concerns. She said many victims may feel shame or humiliation and choose not to prosecute. However, she said this would be a good step. Lee agreed. "It will be a win-win for women who are usually the victims of this and and which the spousal defense is used against," Lee said. "We need to repeal this right away and get us into the 21st century." The first of what could be multiple sexual abuse lawsuits against The Catlin Gabel School in Oregon was filed this month. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Kim Wilson of Portland claims she was molested 80 times by Richardson Shoemaker, a long-time Catlin sixth-grade math teacher. She is seeking $4.5 million in damages. Wilson accused Catlin Gabel administrators of doing little about Shoemaker despite the complaints of 23 female students over the years. She attended Catlin from 1992 to 2000. The posh private school released a report in December detailing decades of abuse at the school by at least nine instructors including Shoemaker. Shoemaker was a popular teacher who worked at Catlin for about 36 years before leaving in 2001. He died in 2018. Catlin posed as a community that was better than outsiders, Wilson said at a Monday press conference. I believe it is important Catlin be held accountable for that vanity because it harmed children. Wilsons lawyer, Gilion Dumas, agreed that Catlins culture fostered sexual abuse and other sexually inappropriate acts by adults with students. The school put its reputation before the safety of the children in its care, Dumas said. The school said in an email that they take the allegations very seriously. We apologize to any students who were subjected to sexual misconduct and abuse when they attended Catlin Gabel, and deeply regret their suffering. The school is committed to truth, transparency, and accountability as we support our survivors. We want to hear from our survivors and to establish a meaningful dialogue with each one who reaches out, Catlin Gabel Schools statement said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Oregon Utilities account for more than 75 per cent of Indias annual coal demand. New Delhi: Indian utilities coal imports jumped 21 per cent last year, rebounding after a three-year slide mainly due to increased purchases by an Adani Power plant in western India, government data showed on Wednesday. Imports rose to 69.51 million tonnes, the highest level since 2015, data from the Central Electricity Authority showed. Utilities account for more than 75 per cent of Indias annual coal demand. Adanis Ultra mega power plant in Mundra, Gujarat, accounted for a quarter of the imports last year, with its shipments rising 75 per cent to 17.35 million tonnes. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the US Capitol on 9 January 2020: Getty Images Donald Trump has retweeted an attack on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, calling the New York Democrat an embarrassing, barely literate moron after she claimed that billionaires are a product of modern day slave wages. Ms Ocasio-Cortez made the comment during an interview on Martin Luther King, Jr, Day, saying that billionaires do not make themselves, because they rely on thousands of low-wage workers to build their fortunes. No one ever makes a billion dollars. You take a billion dollars, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said. She continued: I'm not here to villainise and to say billionaires are inherently morally corrupt. ... It's to say that this system that we live in, life in capitalism always ends in billionaires. Mr Trump later retweeted a post sharing an article based on the interview by Fox News host Mark Levin, who is known for his right-wing political beliefs and endorsement of candidates like senator Ted Cruz. He was briefly declared himself as Never Trump, but eventually endorsed him in 2016 after Mr Trump won the Republican nomination. Mr Trump also shared several other tweets by Mr Levin on Wednesday, ranging from attacks on the impeachment effort against the president and CNN hiring decisions. Mr Trump shared the conservative host's tweet on Wednesday, amid a series of retweets sharing Mr Levin's views (Twitter screenshot) AOC is such an embarrassing, barely literate moron, Mr Levin wrote, using the three-letter shorthand often used for Ms Ocasio-Cortez. Mr Trump claimed his wealth to be as high as $10 billion during the 2016 election, but independent estimates by Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index peg him as having a net worth closer to $3.1 billion or $2.48 billion, respectively. But his fortune was not built alone, and biographers have attributed much of his wealth to inheritance and gifts from his father, Fred Trump, who established a real estate empire in New York City during the 20th Century. Mr Trump, for his part, is known for having had a successful reality TV programme on NBC, but also for a string of bankruptcies and business failures on a range of ventures from his attempts to establish his own airline and his famed Trump Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino in New Jersey. Story continues Read more AOC criticises Democrats: We dont have a left party in the US Campaign depicts Michelle Obama and AOC as domestic violence victims AOC 'groans' at prospect of Joe Biden presidency AOC says 'it would be an honour' to be Bernie Sanders' vice president Chennai, Jan 23 : Tamil Nadu Minister for Co-operation, Sellur K. Raju, said on Friday that the social reforms triggered by Dravida Kazhagam (DK) founder E.V. Ramaswamy, popularly known as Periyar, enabled the remarriage of Rajinikanth's daughter. Raju was responding to reporters in Madurai on the controversy over actor Rajinikanth's recent comments at the 50th anniversary function of Tamil magazine "Thuglak" about a rally in Salem in Tamil Nadu led by Periyar in 1971. "Rajini is being misguided by somebody. His daughter has got married for a second time. The change was due to Periyar. Would they have accepted earlier based on their religion," Raju asked. At the Thuglak function, Rajinikanth had said that "in 1971, naked images of Lord Rama and Sita were allegedly displayed in a rally led by Periyar in Salem". He said that whatever happened in that rally was reported by the media at the time. While the followers of the social activist, who started the 'self-respect movement' and founded DK, said that Rajinikanth's comments were an insult to Periyar, Raju turned his guns at the actor's family. While some groups have demanded an apololgy from Rajinikanth, the actor has categorially refused to do so. Speaking to reporters outside his residence recently, Rajinikanth showed some photocopies of media reports in support of his comments and said that he will not apologise. The Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) has registered a complaint with the Coimbatore police against Rajinikanth for defaming the DK founder. The DVK complained that Rajinikanth's statement was false and urged the police to file a case against him. The DVK also threatened protests outside the theatres showing the actor's latest movie "Darbar" if he did not apologise. The DK does not agree with Rajinikanth's statement that naked images of Lord Rama and Sita were allegedly displayed in a rally led by Periyar in Salem. On the other hand, they agreed that the image of Lord Rama was beaten with a slipper that was allegedly thrown at the rally. Man Sentenced to Life for Murder of Christa Steele-Knudslien Participants in the Walk a Mile event in 2018 hold up signs for Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien. Her death, in which her husband was charged, sparked an ongoing conversation in the city about domestic violence and sexual assault. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The murderer of Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien will spend life in prison. Mark Steele-Knudslien, 49, pleaded guilty on Thursday in Berkshire Superior Court to second-degree murder in the death of his wife. Judge John Agostini sentenced him to life in state prison, with parole eligibility in 25 years. Steele-Knudslien had killed Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, his wife of less than a year, on the evening of Jan. 4, 2018, in their North Adams home by stabbing her and striking her with a hammer. "I send my heartfelt condolences to those who loved Christa dearly and the entire transgender community who looked up to her as a leader," said District Attorney Andrea Harrington. "This is yet another horrific domestic violence homicide in the Berkshires. My office focuses on holding perpetrators of these crimes accountable and this sentence will keep a very dangerous person away from the community for years to come." Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien was well known in the transgender community in the region. She was the first transgender person killed in 2018 and her death had helped spark awareness of the vulnerability of transgender people to violence and domestic violence in general. "I thank the Adams, North Adams, and Massachusetts State Police for their investigation which gave us the evidence we needed to secure this conviction and sentence," Harrington said. "We are holding the perpetrator accountable for his actions." State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office, members of the North Adams and Adams police departments and State Police Crime Scene Services Section conducted the investigation. Switzerland was and still is an important trading partner and one of the largest investors in the Ukrainian economy. President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga plans to visit Ukraine in March 2020 at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's invitation. The discussion of a new assistance program for the next four years will be on the agenda of the visit, according to the Ukrainian president's press service. Zelensky had a meeting with Sommaruga in Davos on January 22 during which he congratulated her on having been elected as president. Read alsoUkraine's Foreign Ministry preparing for French President's official visit Switzerland was and still is an important trading partner and one of the largest investors in the Ukrainian economy, Zelensky said. The two presidents discussed, among other things, progress in promoting peace in eastern Ukraine, including the return of detained persons, ships and the reduction in the number of attacks in Donbas. The issue of extending the mandate of the OSCE mission was also raised. Zelensky expressed gratitude for the support in the implementation of reforms in Ukraine as part of the technical assistance programs provided by Switzerland. They also discussed the issue of rehabilitation of the Ukrainian military, improvement of energy efficiency and an increase in investment. The Ukrainian president elaborated on new programs for investors. "We are preparing an 'Investment Nanny' program. If an investor brings US$100 million or more to Ukraine, he or she will receive a personal manager who speaks five languages and works with the client 24/7. This manager will solve all investor's problems at any time. They will have state guarantees. And those who invest US$10 million or more in privatization in Ukraine in the next two years will be exempt from corporate tax," he said. Davos is hosting the World Economic Forum on January 21-24. Zelensky took part in the Forum on January 22. Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, has described his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as the most selfish person he knows. Ganduje had served as Kwankwasos deputy during his tenure as governor of Kano between 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2015 but the duo fell out shortly after Ganduje became governor in 2015. While receiving some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Kwankwasiyya Movement who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state on Wednesday, Ganduje described Kwankwaso as one who imposes his will on others without taking their interest into cognizance. Muhammad Taraunu, former member, Kano state house of assembly; Binta Spikin, Kwankwasos former spokesperson; Aisha Kaita, a zonal woman leader of PDP in the state; and Idris Bala, a Kwankwasiyya leader were among those received from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to APC. Read Also: Kano PDP Chairman Dumps Party, Days After SCourt Upheld Gandujes Election Ganduje said, It is natural to be a bit selfish but I have never seen anyone as selfish as Kwankwaso. It was such that he imposed his whims and caprices on all and exploited (all) for his personal benefit, as against the collective interest of all. All of us seated here were with him in the past and we made him what he is politically but had to withdraw from his persistent self-conceit. We had initiated reconciliations in the past but Kwankwaso is not the repentant type, it is either his bid that is done or he destroys everything. More than 61,000 people are missing in Mexico, authorities announced this month, one of the largest numbers in Latin America. The majority are suspected to be victims of criminal organizations. In Gomez Gonzalezs case, as in most, his community has been left to piece together its own narrative of what might have happened to him, however incomplete. For now, no evidence points to any particular suspect. Acting US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Alice Wells visited Pakistan on 19-22 January 2020. She met with Pakistani Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Industry, and Textile. A broad range of issues were discussed at official meetings including bilateral relations, trade and investment, passport and visa issues, political and diplomatic issues, Afghan peace issues, regional, geopolitical, India and Kashmir issues. Wells also interacted with civil society and expressed her concerns over CPEC. She again criticized CPEC as being a debt trap, expensive, and lacking transparency. Although all these questions have been clarified in detail many times already, from her anti-CPEC sentiments, it seems that she had specifically planned on an anti-CPEC mission. Pakistans civil society responded precisely and conveyed the strong message that Pakistan wants to restore its relations with the US while keeping its national interests as a prime and strategic interest with China intact. China and Pakistan have been firmly committed to CPEC. It is a consensus-based decision, based on principles of mutual consultation and cooperation for shared benefits. Major progress has been achieved in the past five years, with 32 projects achieving early results. This has significantly improved local transportation infrastructure and power supply, directly created over 75,000 jobs and contributed one to two percent to GDP growth in Pakistan. It shows that CPEC is playing an important role in boosting Pakistan's socio-economic development and improving people's livelihoods. Under the CPEC, during its planning or implementation, every project is mutually discussed, carefully studied and jointly implemented by both China and Pakistan. All Chinese companies participating in the CPEC enjoy an international reputation. All projects strictly follow market-oriented and internationally accepted business models, adopt state of the art technology and strict environmental protection standards. The entire process is open and transparent and is in line with international norms. Regarding the so-called debt issue, according to statistics from the State Bank of Pakistan, the total foreign debt of Pakistan is 110 billion US dollars. In fact, international financial institutions including the Paris Club and IMF are the largest creditors of Pakistan. Loans from the CPEC total about 5.8 billion US dollars, accounting for 5.3 percent of Pakistan's total foreign debt. This will never be a burden for Pakistan. Moreover, China will not make unreasonable demands on Pakistan. Pakistan understands well the ongoing rivalry between China and the US. The US is openly opposing BRI, resisting the rise of China and is overly engaged in containing and countering China. But if they choose Pakistan for this purpose, they might have taken the wrong option. China-Pakistan relations are unique in nature, and cannot be compared with any other countries. During the seven decades of our friendship, we never had any issue or hurdle and hope in future our relations are set to strengthen even further. We are time-tested, all-weather and trustworthy friends. We have stood with each other in all difficult moments. We have supported each other on all domestic, regional and global issues. There exists an absolute harmony between the two Iron Brothers a unique term used only for China-Pakistan relations. The opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to People's Daily Online. Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected] By IANS NEW DELHI: To counter the BJP narrative on National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), youth congress is going to start a campaign to highlight the growing unemployment in India by demanding a 'National Register of Unemployed'. The name of the register has been given NRU. Youth Congress president B.V. Shrinivas said, "Indian Youth Congress is launching a nationwide campaign to highlight the issue of rising unemployment in India." ALSO READ: Mayawati accepts Amit Shah's challenge, says BSP ready to debate on CAA Youth Congress has alleged that there is a menacing problem of unemployment in India. "We give a voice to the plight of young Indians, the Indian Youth Congress has started a campaign to demand National Register of Unemployed," said Amish Ranjan Pandey, the spokesperson of IYC. The demand for NRU is in response to the deplorable state of unemployment in India, which has reached at its highest level in 45 years. The NRU will be launched on January 23 any and every unemployed Indian can support the demand for an NRU, by giving a missed call on a toll-free number. "The youth Congress worker will go to every house and collect data of unemployment to give a push to this issue," said Krishna Aravalu, Secretary AICC. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will join the process on January 28 when he will raise the issue of economic distress and unemployment. The father of slain California businessman Chris Smith, who was murdered over a $1.2million debt by his work partner in 2010, is speaking out. Smith, 32, was beaten to death by his business partner Ed Shin, now 42, over the unpaid debt for their debt-consolidating company 800XChange. After Smith's death, Shin hijacked his e-mail and for months sent emails to his partner's family to make it seem he was traveling in Africa to throw them off the scent. Shin was convicted of the financially-motivated murder in December 2018 after Smith's blood was found splattered across the pair's San Juan Capistrano office - but the body was mysteriously never found. In an exclusive clip from ABC's 20/20, Smith's father reveals that after his son went missing he became suspicious of Shin and even carried a gun during a tense confrontation about his son's whereabouts. 'I actually brought a gun with me, so I left it in the car. But I did bring a digital recorder to record our conversation,' Steve Smith, Chris' father said in the 20/20 special to air Friday January 24. In 2010 Chris Smith, 32, (right) was beaten to death by his business partner Ed Shin, now 42, (left) over a $1.2million unpaid debt for their debt-consolidating company 800XChange In a new interview with ABC's 20/20 Chris' father Steve Smith reveals that he suspected Shin could know something about his son's disappearance and confronted him about it while taking a gun. In that audio Steve Smith is heard expressing his concern over his son saying, 'We're just getting real nervous, we haven't heard from him in about three months.' 'Three?' Shin interjects. In December 2018 Smith was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole 'We're just freaking out that he could be killed somewhere, mugged or beat up,' Steve continued. But in the end, Shin rambled excuses about Chris' potential whereabouts, refusing to unveil the truth of the murder. He claimed Chris got a fake passport through a man in Las Vegas who referred him to another man in Los Angeles. 'He went on for about an hour of conversation about all kinds of stuff...I think there's something really wrong. He's lying to me. He's either knows what happens to Chris or he knows he's responsible for it,' Steve said. In April 2011 Steve Smith filed a missing persons report with the Laguna Beach Police. Shin was then called in for questioning in June 2011 - one year after Chris was last seen. 'He went on for about an hour of conversation about all kinds of stuff...I think there's something really wrong. He's lying to me. He's either knows what happens to Chris or he knows he's responsible for it,' Steve said in the 20/20 interview 'It was a tough day. Just fell to my knees,' Chris' brother Paul Smith said on discovering his brother was killed. 'The images that come into your mind at that point of someone you love being murdered. Brought in a lot of emotions. And just heartbreak' He told investigators: 'I don't know where he is.' 'Honestly, I think hes on the other side of the world. And he doesnt want to be found,' Shin said. When the family brought in a computer expert to analyze the data in the e-mails Chris was supposedly sending the family, they discovered the e-mails had been sent from the US, not abroad in Africa where he claimed to be. The Orange County Sheriff's Department then went to the 800XChange's former offices and discovered traces of blood that a DNA test confirmed belonged to Chris Smith. Shin was cuffed in August 2011 and claimed that he and Smith got into an argument and Smith fatally hit his head. Shin claimed he paid a mysterious eastern European man $10,000 to $15,000 to dispose of Smith's body. Shin was cuffed in August 2011 and claimed that he and Smith got into an argument and Smith fatally hit his head. Shin claimed he paid a mysterious eastern European man $10,000 to $15,000 to dispose of Smith's body. Chris Smith pictured above Shin maintains to this day he doesn't know where the body is. 'I can't talk about that...because I don't know,' Shin said to 20/20 in a jailhouse interview. 'There is no way I can get into that at this point I wish I could tell you more but, there's something bigger that I just can't talk about.' The news of Chris' death and the lack of a body has broken his family. 'It was a tough day. Just fell to my knees. The images that come into your mind at that point of someone you love being murdered. Brought in a lot of emotions. And just heartbreak,' Chris' brother Paul Smith said. In December 2018 Smith was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The ABC 20/20 special entitled Cutthroat Inc will air Friday January 24. Car giant JLR is cutting jobs at one of its UK plants in a fresh blow to the car industry, according to Unite. The union said it understands the redundancies at Halewood, Merseyside, are a result of ongoing economic uncertainty, with slower than forecast rate of growth for the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport models produced at the factory. It is understood that hundreds of jobs are set to be cut. Workers were told on Wednesday that job losses are a result of changing the shift system to deliver flexibility efficiencies that longer term should benefit employees and the company, which is set to come into effect from April. Staff gather outside the Jaguar Land Rover site in Halewood, Knowsley, on Merseyside in September The job losses comprise a mixture of permanent employees and agency staff, said Unite. National officer Des Quinn said: 'This is a further blow to the UK car industry in general and to our members at Halewood in particular. Jaguar Land Rover builds a higher proportion of its cars in Britain than any other large firm 'Unite will be ensuring that the commitment to limit job losses to voluntary redundancies is fully honoured. 'The challenges being faced at JLR are also being experienced by other UK car factories. 'The UK's car industry has plummeted from being the jewel in the crown of the UK's manufacturing sector in a few short years, directly as a result of Government inaction. 'Until the Government ensures that there is long-term frictionless trade and no tariffs with the European Union, along with meaningful investment in the infrastructure to ensure the success of electric vehicles, the UK's car industry will continue to experience severe challenges.' Jaguar Land Rover became the UK's largest car manufacturer in 2016 but sales have declined precipitously in China in 2018 Labour leadership candidate and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said: 'This is yet another example of the strain our car industry has been under for months. Economic uncertainty, dwindling demand and the challenges of electrification have taken their toll. 'Labour has set out a detailed plan to save our car industry and transition to cleaner vehicles. It is time this Conservative Government did the same.' The firm, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, booked a 90 million pre-tax loss in the three months to September 30, which compared with a 385 million profit in the same period in 2017. It cut around 1,000 jobs in 2018, shut its Solihull plant for two weeks and announced a three-day week at its Castle Bromwich site. JLR was expected to build one million vehicles by 2020, but sales in the first eleven months of 2018 dropped 4.4 percent. Depressed spending in China hit the company hard last year, with the US-China trade war leading consumers in the world's most populous country to hold back from purchasing expensive items - as also seen in Apple's latest figures. China was JLR's biggest market but its sales there fell off a cliff last year, dropping 44 per cent between July and September 2019 and turning China from its biggest sales market to its smallest. Diesel accounts for 90 percent of the firm's British, and 45 percent its global, sales - and demand in that segment of the market has tumbled following new levies in the wake of the scandal. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption on Thursday handed over the preliminary inquiry report to the Madras High Court on the corruption charges levelled by the DMK and an NGO against local administration minister S P Velumani in various contracts. The report was handed over in a sealed cover as directed by a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and Justice R Hemalatha. DMK has sought a probe against Velumani over alleged flouting of laws and corruption in awarding tenders for government projects and contracts 'Arappor Iyakkam', the NGO, has alleged that Velumani, minister for municipal administration and rural development, indulged in brazen abuse of power, favouritism and gross breach of trust in the performance of his public and official duty. Passing interim orders on the petitions filed by the NGO and R S Bharathi, organising secretary of DMK, the bench had on January 7 directed the DVAC to produce the preliminary inquiry report with case files. The bench on Thursday raised several questions to Public Prosecutor (PP) A Natarajan on the scope of preliminary inquiry and how it should be conducted and if full-fledged inquiry can be conducted under its ambit. The State PP in his reply, while quoting several judgments, said no format has been set to conduct the preliminary inquiry and it depends upon case to case. The bench after going through the public prosecutor's submissions posted the matter to February 17 for further arguments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Filipino student Jastine Valdez (24) was murdered after Hennessy abducted her on a busy road in Enniskerry Killer Mark Hennessy was agitated and looked "like a man possessed" in the moments before he was shot inside a car. The 40-year-old, who abducted and killed Jastine Valdez, was shot by 'Garda A', whose evidence was heard at an inquest into his death yesterday. The experienced detective told the inquest he was left with "no option" as he believed that Ms Valdez was in the car and in imminent danger. He told the Dublin Coroner's Court that he had not been on official duty on May 20, 2018, but was catching up on paperwork and said he would be available if needed to help with the search for Ms Valdez. Searches The 24-year-old Filipino student had been abducted on a busy road in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, the previous day. Garda A was conducting searches around Shankill and Dun Laoghaire for the 17D Nissan Qashqai that Hennessy was driving. From a radio call, Garda A was informed that a member of the public was following Hennessy and there was a second person in the car. Hennessy drove into Cherrywood Business Park, and Garda A followed him and stopped in front of the Qashqai. "He was in the driver seat, he was moving from side to side. He looked uneasy and agitated," Garda A told the court. "I blocked the Nissan to the front and another unmarked car blocked it to the rear. I put out an urgent assistance request. "Mark Hennessy was moving around in the front of the vehicle in a very agitated state. He was struggling with something in the front passenger step well area. "I shouted at him 'Armed police, drop the f**king knife'. I shouted this a number of times. "I took up position and began drawing my weapon from the holster because of the seriousness of the situation. I was concentrated on the blade exposed." Garda A said he was satisfied Ms Valdez was in the car given the information received and his assessment of the situation. He said a colleague, 'Garda C', had attempted to open the door of the car, but it was locked. "With the information I had, I was in great fear that Jastine Valdez was in that vehicle," Garda A told the inquest. "I observed the knife moving from a higher position and saw it was being lowered into skin. I thought he was slitting Jastine Valdez's throat. "I had to take decisive action. I shouted: 'He's going to slit her throat'. In that split second, I thought the threat to her life was imminent." Garda A said Hennessy had been non-compliant with all demands and directions. He said he "took aim at his chest and discharged one bullet." After assessing that he was of no further threat, he searched the car for Ms Valdez. He said his "stomach dropped" and his heart sank when he realised she wasn't in the vehicle. The detective told the coroners court: "I had no other option but to do what I did based on what was unfolding in front of me." Knife He added that he had been concentrating on "the track of the knife". "My aim was to rescue Jastine Valdez and arrest Mark Hennessy," he said. He said that from what he had seen, it was "absolutely necessary" to discharge the firearm. Hennessy was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.38pm. The inquest heard pathology evidence from Acting State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan, who gave the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the right upper arm and chest. Hennessy was deemed to have been mildly intoxicated at the time of his death and there was evidence of recent cocaine use, according to the autopsy. The inquest continues today. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal State Police identified the man an officer shot and injured Tuesday morning on the shoulder of Interstate 25 in Northeast Albuquerque. Mark Soriano, a State Police spokesman, said 26-year-old Roman Craig is charged with aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon. He said Craig is being treated for his injuries at the University of New Mexico Hospital. He will be booked into the Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center upon his release, Soriano said. Police say the officer, who was working a traffic safety operation in Albuquerque, shot Craig after Craig approached him armed with a gun on the side of the highway. The details of the shooting remain under investigation, Soriano said. The name of the officer involved will not be released until all interviews are completed. According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Metropolitan Court: A State Police officer conducted a welfare check around 10 a.m. on a Jeep that appeared abandoned and tampered with on the side of I-25, between San Antonio and Paseo Del Norte. Police say the officer was sitting in his vehicle behind the Jeep when another officer, who happened to be driving by, saw Craig walking toward the officer with a gun in his right hand pointing it down at the ground. The officer radioed in to warn the officer, who took cover behind the Jeep and told Craig to stop and show his hands. Dash cam footage shows Craig raised his right hand before the officer gave more commands and fired a single shot striking Craig. Police say as the officer approached Craig to handcuff him he asked the wounded man why he pointed a gun at him and Craig replied, Because youre a pig. Two witnesses, one who was driving on the frontage road and another in a nearby office building, told police they saw Craig point a gun at the officer. One of them turned around to tell her coworkers, heard a gunshot, and turned back around to see the subject on the ground. An academic facing extradition to Spain will become an MEP as a result of Brexit and therefore be granted immunity, her legal team has argued. Clara Ponsati faces a charge of sedition over her role in Catalonias unsanctioned independence referendum in 2017. She appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing. Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez is on the provisional witness list handed to the court (Dan Kitwood/PA) A provisional witness list was given to Sheriff Nigel Ross with the names of the Spanish politicians her legal team intends to cite to court including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Mr Ross set a date of March 5 for legal arguments to be heard about the competency of the warrant and issues surrounding dual criminality, which relates to whether the law is an offence in both countries. It is expected the hearing could last up to two days. Professor Ponsatis solicitor Aamer Anwar argued outside court that Brexit will lead to the academic becoming an MEP because Spain is set to gain five more politicians for the European Parliament. He said When the UK leaves the European Parliament on January 31 its MEPs will lose their seats. At present, Spain is set to be awarded five extra seats. If that is so, Clara Ponsati is on the list to be one of the five MEPS and will become an MEP shortly after January 31 and therefore she will have immunity. The Spanish authorities ought to withdraw the warrant against Clara if and when she becomes immune this is not likely to happen. When Clara becomes an MEP an assessment will be required to be carried out as to how it will affect the warrant proceedings especially if once again Spain shows no respect for the rule of international law. The European Parliament is currently considering a petition from the Spanish authorities to waive the immunity held by Spanish MEPs Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comin, who are living in self-imposed exile in Belgium. Si haguessim de portar algu davant la justicia, hauria de ser l'estat espanyol, per l'orgia de violencia contra el poble catala, pels assalts al dret de vot, de protesta, i dret fonamental d'autodeterminacio @ClaraPonsatiPeticio urgenthttps://t.co/5UH3krTOcP Aamer Anwar (@AamerAnwar) January 23, 2020 Mr Anwar also argued because sedition is abolished in the UK the extradition attempt is not legal. Story continues He said: The actions of Clara did not constitute a criminal offence either in national or international law, nor would it be considered criminal in civilised nations. Spain has misused state power and Spain has abused the process of the European arrest warrant to seek the extradition of Clara for political purposes, rather than the prosecution of crime. Clara is determined to take on the Spanish state and to expose the injustice at its heart. Mr Ross ring-fenced May 11 for the full hearing to commence. It is expected to last around four weeks. Prof Ponsati, an academic at the University of St Andrews, could be sentenced to 15 years behind bars if convicted, with nine other Catalan officials given jail sentences of between nine and 13 years for the same offence in autumn last year. She faces a single charge of sedition, which relates to the organising of the referendum in her role as education minister, her solicitor Mr Anwar said previously. People arrive to Los Angeles International Airport after touchdown of an Air China flight from Beijing, which serves as a connector from Wuhan, China to Los Angeles, on the first day of health screenings for coronavirus of travelers from Wuhan, on Jan. 18, 2020. (David McNew/Getty Images) Sick Person in Los Angeles Sent to Hospital for Precautionary Coronavirus Screening A passenger who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with symptoms of an illness potentially resembling coronavirus was sent for precautionary testing. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has sickened scores of people in China and has since spread to the United States and other countries. The passenger landed on American Airlines flight 2456 from Mexico City, an airport spokesperson told The Epoch Times. The person, who was traveling with relatives, had flu-like symptoms and was sent for testing. The person landed around 6:30 p.m on Wednesday night. Early this morning, sometime after midnight, that person was transferred to a hospital in LA after the CDC and local health officials decided that that person should go to the hospital for precautionary screening, the spokesman said. The situation was treated the same as any other health emergency, he said. LAX was was one of five airports in the United States screening passengers from China for coronavirus. The first case in the country was reported this week in Washington state. Passengers wear protective masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport, California, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images) Airport officials cautioned reporters about connections with the coronavirus. After an NBC reporter claimed that the person was quarantined at the airport after showing symptoms of contagious and dangerous coronavirus, the airport stated on social media: This is not the information provided by the airport. One passenger overnight was taken to the hospital for a precautionary evaluation. We refer you to CDC for additional information, the airport said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) didnt respond to The Epoch Times by the press deadline. The possible case came after health officers in Los Angeles County said there were no reported coronavirus cases in L.A. county. To date, there have been no reported coronavirus cases in LA County and currently the risk of local transmission is low according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will keep everyone informed as more information becomes available. We are urging the public to remain calm, as it is very unlikely that they are at risk of contracting this virus, Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health, said in a statement. People traveling into the county who displayed symptoms, including having a fever or respiratory illness, would be screened, tested, and cared for, Ferrers office said. Travelers who have visited Wuhan City who are not ill upon their arrival to the LA County are advised to contact a healthcare provider and seek care if they become ill while here. While there is no cure for this virus, hospital partners and clinical providers are able to test and care for ill travelers to minimize transmission and treatment for symptoms, the office stated. We want to underscore that there is no need to exclude anyone who has traveled to or from Wuhan City, or China in general, unless they are symptomatic, at which time they should seek a medical evaluation. Symptoms include fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Contributed Photo / Derby Police Department DERBY City police are asking for the publics help to identify a theft suspect from a local business earlier this month. The individual, captured on surveillance cameras, took items from a New Haven Avenue business on the night of Jan. 2, police said Wednesday. Federal authorities have charged a Trenton man with possessing a firearm in the city last summer one month after he was released from state prison - on a charge connected to the murder of a city teenager. Trenton police arrested Omar Kennedy on May 23, 2019 on several felony charges that accuse him of pointing a loaded handgun a person. One of the charges was possessing a firearm while a convicted felon. Hed been released from state prison on April 22, 2019. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jersey announced theyve indicted Kennedy on their version of that charge - possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by a year in prison. Kennedy pleaded not guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson in Trenton federal court Wednesday, and will remain in jail pending trial, the office said. The case is part of Project Guardian, a federal initiative to combat gun violence that launched in the fall of 2019. The crime that put Kennedy in prison was aggravated assault causing bodily injury. He was present when 19-year-old Lance Beckett was gunned down in an alley off Stuyvesant Avenue in Trenton in September 2016. Kennedy admitted being present, but said he was not the shooter. Prosecutors previously said he stomped on Becketts head to make sure he was dead. Kennedy took a plea deal in the spring of 2018 and a judge sentenced him to a maximum of three years in prison on the assault charge. He did one year. The shooter and a second young man are still in prison. Gunman Mada Eoff, who 17-years-old when he shot Beckett but tried as an adult, is serving a 38-year term. And Quashawn Emanuel, now 21, and who testified against Eoff, is currently serving an eight-year term for manslaughter. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. KALAMAZOO, MI A woman arrested Monday, Jan. 20 for a shooting that occurred at an Oshtemo Township apartment complex was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Kalamazoo County District Court. Jennifer Coelho, 42, was arraigned Jan. 22 on four felony charges, including one count of assault with intent to murder in the shooting of Robert Robinson, who was hospitalized as a result of the incident. If convicted Coelho could face up to life in prison on the charge. During Coelhos arraignment, Kalamazoo County District Judge Kathleen Hemingway cited the affidavit of probable cause, stating that the defendant was armed with a rifle and after a door was opened (at the apartment complex), fired a single round into the chest of Robinson." It was not stated which side of the door Coelho was on when the shooting occurred. Robinson is in critical but stable condition, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Jim VanDyken told MLive Wednesday afternoon. The shooting, VanDyken said Monday, occurred at around 11:40 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Coddington West apartment complex, located at 5555 Coddington Lane near the intersection of 11th Street and Michigan Avenue. Coelho is also being charged with one count of felony assault without intent to commit murder or greatly bodily harm, which carries a penalty of up to 4 years in prison if she is convicted, Hemingway said. Hemingway said the second charge stems from Coelho having pointed the firearm directly at a second man, Travis Weaver, and threatening him. In addition to the two assault charges, Coelho faces two felony firearm charges, both of which carry a mandatory penalty of two years in prison if she is convicted of the other respective charges. Coelho is alleged by deputies to have fled the scene on foot but was located after a brief K-9 track by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Kalamazoo Public Safety, along with officers from the Western Michigan University Police Department, assisted the sheriffs office on the initial investigation. Hemingway set Coelhos bond at $500,000, cash or surety. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 6 in Kalamazoo County District Court. Also on MLive: Suspect arrested after shooting at apartment complex near Kalamazoo Kalamazoo woman pleads guilty to three counts of child sex abuse Kalamazoo man accused of killing former community organizer to stand trial No arrests made in JNU campus violence case in over 1.5 years: Govt informs Parliament JNU to impose night curfew in campus between 10 pm-5 am 10% quota to West UP candidates: Minister warns Jamia, JNU protesters India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 23: Offering an ultimate 'cure' for protesting students, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan sought a 10 per cent reservation for West UP students in Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia. "I request (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh-ji. Those at JNU and Jamia who shout anti-national slogans, there is only one cure for them. Have 10 per cent quota from western UP...everyone will be cured and nothing else will be needed," Sanjeev Balyan said at a rally in Meerut. Protesters have hit street since last month against the new citizenship law that they say discriminates against the minority Muslim community. 'Try implementing CAA, NRC in your chronology': Prashant Kishor to Amit Shah Violence broke out at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia university last month during a protest against the citizenship law; the police were accused of using excessive force on students. Earlier this month, masked goons with armed rods entered the campus and attacked students and destroyed University property. The JNU Students Union has alleged the role of BJP's student wing ABVP in the violence, while the ABVP alleges the role of the Union president and SFI leader Aishe Ghosh in instigating violence first. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News More than 39 students and professors were injured in the violence. Hundreds take out anti-CAA candle light march from Jamia Millia gate to Shaheen Bagh In a shocking statement, Balyan had alleged that the children who were a part of the Anti-CAA protests in Muzaffarnagar came from Madrasas. The protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 20, in Muzaffarnagar, took a violent turn with protesters resorting to stone-pelting. Balyan has urged to conduct a probe on why the children aged 12-18 were involved in the protests. OAKLAND (BCN) Starting in March, Southwest Airlines will expand its nonstop routes to Hawaii from Oakland International Airport, airport officials said. The flights to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii started on Sunday and operate four times a week. Flights to Lihue on Kauai started on Tuesday and run three times a week. On March 7, both routes will operate daily, according to airport officials. The airline also flies to Honolulu on Oahu and Kahului on Maui. With these additions, the Oakland airport will support up to 19 daily flights to Hawaii on Southwest, Hawaiian and Alaska airlines. Southwest will also resume service to Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo in Mexico on March 6. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A health official scans the body temperature of a passenger as she arrives at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia (Tatan Syuflana/AP) As the death toll from the new coronavirus climbs, questions remain about how it spread to humans and how much of a threat it poses across the world. Cases have been confirmed in the US, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, while there are understood to be at least five suspected cases being tested in the UK. Now, fears are growing that the increased travel expected over the upcoming Lunar New Year period could aid the spread. But just how worried should we be in the UK? How does this compare with previous outbreaks? Several experts say the new coronavirus appears to be less severe than its predecessors. Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said typical flu epidemics can kill tens of thousands of people, but that previous new coronavirus outbreaks have led to fewer deaths. For example, severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) killed about 800 people, while Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) led to about 450 deaths. All new outbreaks are worrying, especially in the early weeks when it is not clear how the outbreak could progressPaul Hunter, professor in medicine at UEA Prof Hunter said: This new strain seems to be rather less lethal than the previous two outbreaks, however this could still change. All new outbreaks are worrying, especially in the early weeks when it is not clear how the outbreak could progress. I think it unlikely that the Wuhan coronavirus will cause a major public health issue in the UK, in large part because of our existing health system. US researchers writing in the journal JAMA also said the fatality rate appears to be lower than that of Sars or Mers. Catharine Paules and colleagues wrote: The extent, if any, to which such transmission might lead to a sustained epidemic remains an open and critical question. How easily can it be transmitted? The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday it was too early to declare a public health emergency of international concern. The body said there is evidence of transmission between people in close contact, such as families or those in health care settings. But it said it has not seen any evidence of onward transmission. Dr Andrew Freedman, reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, said it is not clear how contagious the virus is. He said: This is important in determining the risk of a much larger outbreak developing, with spread to people who have not travelled to Wuhan. It is likely that the US and other countries will be considering what further measures are needed to limit the risk of more cases arriving from China. What is the risk to the UK? Englands chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has revised the risk to the UK population from very low to low. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK is one of the first countries to develop a test for coronavirus and the NHS is ready to respond to any cases. He added: The public can be assured that the whole of the UK is always well prepared for these type of outbreaks and we will remain vigilant and keep our response under constant review in light of emerging scientific evidence. The Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Wuhan, but has not changed its advice on other destinations which have reported cases. Could cases be confirmed in the UK? A handful of cases have been identified abroad, including in Japan and the US, but there have been no confirmed cases in the UK. Officials from Public Health England have been monitoring direct flights from Wuhan city to the UK. Border screening and in this case, in the UK, alerting the health system, is not 100% foolproof there could be a mild caseProfessor Neil Ferguson Professor Neil Ferguson, director of the Medical Research Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, said the UK is not a major destination of visitors travelling out of Wuhan. But, he said: Border screening and in this case, in the UK, alerting the health system, is not 100% foolproof there could be a mild case. In addition, the screening will only catch people already showing symptoms. Dr Nathalie MacDermott, NIHR academic clinical lecturer, Kings College London, said: It is wise to implement checks at this stage given the evidence on increasing spread of the virus to other countries and across continents, but largely for the purpose of being in contact with travellers from affected regions in case they become unwell. If they were to be unwell at the airport or become unwell in the future it will allow more prompt isolation and testing of the patient, with appropriate tracing of any people the patient may have been in contact with. This will hopefully limit the amount of people the person may have contact with while unwell and so limit the spread of the virus. Three of the four pieces were arrangements, and the best of them was Francks Violin Sonata, adapted by cellist Jules Delsart and approved by the composer. The sweetness of Soltanis playing on the highest string made the piece work for the cello in a way it sometimes does not. With Elizalde supporting him in every rubato-pulled turn of phrase, Soltani captured the forlorn character of the piece. More romantic loneliness followed in the encore, the unctuous slow movement of Rachmaninoffs Cello Sonata. A scruffy drug-dealer has been mercilessly mocked online for looking like 'Sideshow Bob', while a flasher was compared to 'John Travolta's half-brother' after police released hilarious images of the two criminals. Jakub Kowal was compared to the Simpsons character as well as a New Romantic while others said it looked as if he'd had an electric shock after police released his mugshot. The 21-year-old was jailed for a year after being caught making substantial sums of money peddling ketamine in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. But he was relentlessly ridiculed by web users after police released his custody photo following sentencing at Gloucester Crown Court. Jakub Kowal (pictured left) has been compared to Simpsons character Sideshow Bob (right) Police released an e-fit of a flasher from Cheshire (left) and some compared him to John Travolta (right) One wrote: 'Sideshow Bobs in town. Look out Bart!!' Another put: 'My god looks like he's got his finger in an electric socket' A web user added: 'If thats what drugs do to your hair you can keep it.wow!! or he's s big fan of the early eighties new romantics.' One resident said: 'The hair is a crime in itself.. Clearly keeping a low profile.' The court was told Kowal was caught after police found a small amount of ketamine in his wallet before a search of his van uncovered evidence of dealing. In 2018 South Yorkshire Police released the above e fit, they had been hoping to trace a man believed responsible for a robbery in the Royston area of Barnsley on September 21 Cleethorpes Community Policing Team posted this e-fit in July of a suspect they would like to interview, although fellow social media users claimed the image looked remarkably like SkySports presenter Chris Kamara. The former Leeds United player decided to join the joke by posting a photograph of him wearing a hard hat Officers found 28grams of ketamine, a small amount of diazepam, a set of scales and plastic bags. The value of the seized drugs was 850. This is while Cheshire police released an e-fit of a man alleged to have exposed himself to a woman walking in woods at Grappenhall Heys near Warrington, Cheshire. He 'cycled up to her' and whipped out his privates and the e-fit was compiled after she gave police his description. On social media one user chuckled 'John Travolta's half-egg-half-brother!' Another said: 'If they try searching on Mars they might spot him. He's definitely an alien.' While one added: 'Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty got out his...'. Police said he was in his late 30s, around five feet, eight inches tall, of a heavy build with a bald head and was clean shaven. He was also wearing a grey hoodie which was zipped up to the top, black sport shorts, white trainers and had a white mountain bike with rubber grips on the tyres. PC Kerif Smythe said 'I would urge anyone who may recognise the man to come forward as they may have crucial information to help us with our investigation.' Anyone with information can contact Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or via cheshire.police.uk quoting IML 546835. Information can also be passed on to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the online form at crimestoppers-uk.org. NIA files chargesheet against 7 Khalistani terrorists in case of extortion in Punjab How this ISIS operative from Mangaluru lured her victims and converted them to Islam After NIA raids, Davinder Singh shifted to Jammu India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Jammu, Jan 23: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has shifted suspended Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh to Jammu. The NIA has also taken the other suspects involved in the case to Jammu. The NIA also conducted raids at the residence of Singh located at Indira Nagar in Srinagar and recovered two rifles. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday forfeited Singh's commendation medal and certificate. Davinder Singh was arrested for helping terrorists travel out of J&K, five days after he lost his Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry. An order issued by the Director-General of Police Dilbag Singh announced the forfeiture of DGP's commendation medal and certificate which was awarded the now-disgraced officer on December 31, 1998. From toothbrush to attar bottle to Ak-47: Here is what cops recovered from Davinder Singh Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News "Consequent upon the arrest of Davinder Singh, Dy SP on January 11, while trying to assist terrorists to travel outside J&K and recovery of arms and ammunition, which amounts to disloyalty and conduct that has brought the force into disrepute, the DGP commendation medal along with certificate awarded to him on December 31, 1998, is hereby forfeited," the order read. On January 15, the Jammu and Kashmir administration forfeited the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Davinder Singh in 2018. Police had arrested Singh at Mir Bazar in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Baba and Altaf, besides a lawyer who was operating as an overground worker for terror outfits. Davinder Singh loses certificate, DGPs commendation medal Searches were carried out at Singh's residence in Srinagar, right next to the Army's XV Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment, where he had sheltered Naveed, Altaf and a new joinee in the banned terror outfit, leading to the recovery of two pistols, an AK rifle and a large quantity of ammunition. Two mechanisms could afford an alternative approach to studying and treating severe conditions such as sepsis. A combination of resistance to pathogens by means of fever; and temporary tolerance promoted by controlled hypothermia The human immune system uses two pre-programmed strategies to tackle infection. One is fever, a resistance mechanism that tries to eliminate a pathogen by raising the body's temperature. The other works in the opposite direction, cooling the body down in a controlled manner to permit temporary tolerance of the invader while protecting organs and systems. These two mechanisms act as alternatives according to the intensity of the attack and the overall state of the patient's health. This innovative concept was recently presented by two researchers in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, published by Cell Press. The article proposes a combination of the two defense strategies to study and treat sepsis, a systemic inflammation usually triggered by a localized infection that spirals out of control. Sepsis is the main cause of death in Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs). The study, which was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, was conducted by Alexandre Steiner, a professor in the Immunology Department of the University of Sao Paulo's Biomedical Science Institute (ICB-USP) in Brazil, and Andrej Romanovsky, head of the Thermoregulation and Systemic Inflammation Laboratory (FeverLab) at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona (USA). "We're proposing a model in which to observe not only the immune system in its host defense strategy but also aspects of human physiology. It's clear that the human organism has two defense strategies, and that the immune system and physiological system should be understood in a more integrated manner when analyzing infectious processes," Steiner told. Evolving concepts In the 1970s, researchers in the field of physiology developed what they called "fever theory", according to which a rise in body temperature was a key factor in the host defense strategy. "Fever was no longer considered part of the disease, but as part of the body's defense," Steiner said. In the past two decades, studies with rats have also shown that when an infection becomes acute the host develops hypothermia instead of fever. "We observed the same phenomenon in septic patients admitted to ICUs, for example," Steiner said. Hypothermia was initially seen as a process of dysregulation: the organism was dying and as its systems failed it became unable to maintain body temperature. Not until the 1990s did scientists succeed in analyzing the metabolic and thermoregulatory profile of patients with hypothermia, developing the theory that hypothermia was not a consequence of dysregulation but a deliberate and controlled defense mechanism. In the early 2000s, Steiner performed experiments with rats to study thermal preference behavior, seeking to understand hypothermia: whether the organism actively pursues a cooler state and in what circumstances. "This study showed that in less severe conditions the animals sought a warmer environment and developed fever, whereas when the inflammatory process became severe they preferred a cooler environment and were prone to hypothermia," he said. If an animal seeks a cool environment, it is actively developing hypothermia, according to Steiner, who believes the process involves elements of the central nervous system that slow down the metabolism and produce a controlled fall in body temperature. Fever, on the other hand, requires a significant expenditure of energy to maintain a high temperature and may also exacerbate oxidative stress, an imbalance between the production of oxidizing compounds and the action of anti-oxidant defense systems, impairing tissue homeostasis. "The hypothesis was raised that hypothermia ensues when the metabolic costs of fever exceed the benefits, either because the immune challenge is too strong or because physical debilitation occurs. A regulated hypothermic response could act as a support for a state of immune tolerance in which the organism lives with the pathogen, 'switching off' non-essential systems and defending systems without which it can't survive," Steiner said. In experiments performed between 2008 and 2012, Steiner detected a lower death rate among animals that resorted to hypothermia as a strategy to combat severe bacterial infection than among animals in which hypothermia was blocked. "This finding led us to the conclusion that hypothermia plays a beneficial role in animal physiology," he said. Meanwhile, research in the field of immunology highlighted the phenomenon of immune system activation with the primary aim of killing a pathogen. A shift away from this scientific paradigm began about ten years ago, when scientists discovered that some animals develop a different strategy consisting of activation of a defense mechanism that enables them to tolerate the invader temporarily. In the article published in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, Steiner and Romanovsky advocate an approach to the human organism's defense system from the perspective of the dichotomies between fever and hypothermia - mechanisms studied by physiology - and between disease resistance and tolerance, which pertain to immunology. Thus they suggest a combination of these two knowledge areas that can see beyond the immune system in dealing with infection. "It's a dynamic mechanism in which the organism switches between one strategy and the other. The immune system and the physiological system don't just take one line of defense and stick with it, especially in severe conditions like sepsis," Steiner said. Besides the experiments with rats, Steiner and his team also studied a group of 50 septic patients treated at the University of Sao Paulo's teaching hospital (HU-USP). "We looked for a sub-group of patients who had hypothermia similar to the kind associated with the tolerance mechanism, which is characterized by being transitory and self-limiting. To our surprise, 97% of the 50 patients studied matched this profile," Steiner said. Their body temperature fell by at most 2.0 C - 2.5 C. The patients' condition switched naturally between resistance to fever and hypothermia, possibly associated with tolerance. The shifts occurred as a response of the organism, without being induced by medication or cooling and warming techniques. According to Steiner, the main evidence that the process does not consist merely of body dysregulation is that most of the 25 patients who eventually died had been feverish in the 12 hours prior to death. "If hypothermia were the result of organ dysfunction and failure, we would have observed more hypothermia in these 12 hours preceding death," he said. The studies conducted by Steiner were supported by FAPESP via a Young Investigator Grant, a Regular Research Grant, and a Thematic Project Grant. Next steps The most immediate implication of the results obtained to date is a review of the treatment for sepsis. "Severe infections are currently approached one-dimensionally: the immune system is there either to kill the pathogen or to cause problems for the patient, in case it over-reacts or fails to succeed," Steiner said. "The new findings enable us to think about possible therapies and more personalized treatments based on an analysis showing whether the patient could benefit more from a fever/resistance strategy or a hypothermia/tolerance strategy." Steiner and his group are now planning to test the theory put forward in the article by applying it in specific situations such as infection by fungi, viruses and bacteria. Another line of research will be to evaluate the influence of obesity in defense strategies against infection. ### About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. Mumbai, Jan 23 : ITNL Road Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IRIDCL) has entered into a tripartite agreement with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the lenders of the project led by the Union Bank of India for foreclosure of the Beawer-Gomti Road Concession Agreement for Rs 144.08 crore. "IRDCL will receive from MoRTH (Road Transport Ministry) a settlement amount of Rs 144.08 crore within seven days from the date of the agreement and thereafter will hand over the toll operation of the project of MoRTH," a statement by IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd (ITNL) said on Thursday. IRIDCL is a subsidiary of ITNL, which in turn is a subsidiary of IL&FS. As per the statement, the settlement was reached pursuant to the conciliation meeting convened by MoRTH under the Chairmanship of Director General (Road Development) and Special Secretary with representatives of the lenders and IRIDCL. "The project included the development of two lanes with an aggregate length of approximately 248 Lane km with an option to construct a four lane highway on the Beawar Gomti Highway connecting Beawar to Gomti in the state of Rajasthan," the ITNL site said. "The concession for this project was awarded to us by the Department of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, on a DBFOT (Toll) basis for an initial period of 11 years which is further extendable to 30 years in case the company exercises the option to construct a four lane highway on the stretch within seven years from the appointed date of October 28, 2009," it added. State governors under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum have resolved to address the lingering issue of Right of Way (RoW) charges, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said. According to a statement signed by his technical assistant (Information Technology), Femi Adeluyi, the minister said the governors took the decision following the intervention of the federal government. He said the federal goverment stepped into the issue to deepen broadband penetration in the country and promote a Digital Economy for a Digital Nigeria. The RoW charge is the levy paid to state governments for the laying of optic fibre by telecoms operators. According to the statement, the resolution followed a presentation made by Mr Pantami at a meeting of the Governors Forum. A report by THISDAY newspaper said Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Ondo, Cross River, Kogi, Osun, Kaduna, Enugu, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Imo, Kebbi and Gombe jerked up the RoW fees for telecoms infrastructure. This newspaper reported how the federal government expressed dismay over the increment by the states, saying the increase contravened an agreement reached at the National Economic Council (NEC). The communications minister said the increment is detrimental to the governments digital economy agenda. Mr Pantami said it was disheartening to hear that some states have decided to disregard these resolutions and have, in some cases, increased the RoW charges by over 1,200%. This will no doubt impact negatively on the efforts being made by the federal government. Mr Pantami discussed the many benefits that an increase in broadband access can have on the economy of the various States, the statement said He noted that one of the key benefits is the rapid growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of any country that increases its broadband penetration. He advised the governors to adopt the 2013 resolutions reached by the National Economic Council (NEC), which agreed on a maximum RoW charge of N145.00 per linear meter of fibre. In response, the governors acknowledged the benefits of broadband penetration and the Chairman of the Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi, said Mr Pantami should consider the matter resolved. There will no longer be any need to appeal to the governors on the issue of RoW, the Ekiti State governor was quoted as saying. Also, Mr Pantami discussed with the governors the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) which was unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 28,2019. Mr Pantami urged them to key into the policy and strategy. He informed them of the federal governments plan to help the states with a Digital Economy Strategy, through Policy, Digital Skills and other areas of intervention. State governments defend action Some state government officials spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on why they increased the charges. The Commissioner for Information, Cross River State, Asu Okang, said it was prepared to go into negotiations with telecommunication companies on the possible adjustment of charges they pay for RoW to install infrastructure, particularly telecommunications masts. READ ALSO: However, the state government did not state if the negotiations with the telecommunications service providers would lead to a reduction in the current charges for the location of their masts. The official said the state was open to negotiations on the issues raised by the companies. The commissioner said despite the complaints from telecommunications service providers, the rates charged by Cross River State was lower than those charged by neighbouring states. Advertisements He said the rates charged by the state was within those prescribed by the federal government, adding that the telecommunications companies, of recent, had not been building new masts, but rather adopted the policy of co-location. Also, the Senior Special Adviser to the governor of Ondo State on Information and Telecommunications Technology, Olumbe Akinkugbe, said the agency had designed a policy that could reduce cost of operations for the telecommunication companies. Mr Akinkugbe, who is in charge of State Information and Technology Agency (SITA), however, said the companies had to be open about their infrastructural needs and their plans to achieve same. Murder accused Kieran Greene told gardai that life with his partner's mother Patricia O'Connor had been "10 years of hell" and she "wanted everyone dead, down to the kids". Mr Greene said Ms O'Connor was not moving after he hit her on the head with a hurley in self-defence during a row, and he "let her die because my kids would be safe". He said he believed she had tried to kill her husband by pushing him down the stairs, and had thrown out her husband's collection of World Cup milk bottles. A Central Criminal Court jury was hearing evidence of interviews he gave gardai after he was arrested. Mr Greene (34) denies murdering Patricia O'Connor (61) at the house they shared at Mountain View Park, Rathfarnham, on May 29, 2017. The grandmother's remains were found scattered over a 30km-wide area in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14 that year. He is on trial alongside three other people who have pleaded not guilty to impeding the investigation - his then-partner Louise O'Connor (41), her daughter Stephanie O'Connor (22), and Louise O'Connor's ex-partner Keith Johnston (43). Mr Greene "handed himself in" at Rathfarnham garda station on June 12, 2017, and gave four voluntary interviews over the course of two days, in which he told them he had killed and dismembered Ms O'Connor, the court was told. He said he had first buried her in a shallow grave in a cornfield in Wexford, but returned to it to move the body, could not lift it and instead cut it up and scattered the parts in the mountains. He was arrested and interviewed four more times after he brought gardai to the grave site and they saw what they thought was hair. He told gardai he had sobbed after he dumped the body parts and felt "finally free". They asked what he meant. "My kids would be safe, nobody would have to fear her no more," Mr Greene replied. On one occasion, he said, his partner's lips swelled up after taking a sip of Coke. She was allergic to penicillin. "I honestly think she was trying to kill us, but we couldn't prove it," he said. "She wanted us dead, one at a time, starting with (her husband) Gus, she wanted everyone dead down to the kids," he said. On the night of the alleged murder, he said, as they struggled over the hurley in the bathroom, he hit her and she fell and "hit her head, I reckon". He said he did not know if she was dead or not, but "knew she wasn't moving". Gardai said he'd had a chance to save her but he decided to let her die. "I didn't, it wasn't planned, it was to keep my kids safe," he said. "I let her die because my kids would be safe." He was shown on CCTV at the Mr Price store in Tallaght, where he went to buy a petrol can, blades and tape on June 9, 2017. He said the can was to bring for the trip back to Wexford but he did not use it, and the tape and blades were for decorating. Co-accused Mr Johnston, who was with him, "doesn't have a clue why I bought them", he said. He "came with me because sometimes he drives the car". Gardai told him that following a post-mortem examination, the hacksaw he described to them "does not quite match". He could not explain this. Former deputy state pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head from a minimum of three blows with a solid implement. The dismemberment was "most probably" carried out with a powered tool, such as a reciprocating saw. In contrast, he said, the severed wrists and hands showed more irregularity of bone ends, "raising the possibility that they were removed with a simple, non-powered handheld saw". The trial continues. France and the United States have agreed a deal to end a row over taxing US digital giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple - the so-called Gafa tax - that could have sparked a trade war between the countries, finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday. "We have reached agreement ... on a joint global framework," Le Maire said after talks with his American counterpart Steven Mnuchin at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos. France had been planning to start the digital tax regime imminently. However Le Maire said France would delay the payments required from the firms until December 2020 while the US held fire on its planned sanctions. "France will accept neither the withdrawal nor the suspension of its tax [on digital giants] so long as there is no international solution," he added. Both the United States and the EU support a bid by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to find a compromise to the dispute. "We still need to have a clear understanding of what will be the working basis at the OECD and we want this basis to be solid, credible and fair," Le Maire said. Push Sajid Javid, the British finance minister, said that a 2% levy would be placed on the digital business of firms making 500 million euros a year in global revenues from April. We plan to go ahead with our digital services tax, Javid told a panel discussion in Davos. It is a proportionate tax and a tax that is deliberately planned as a temporary tax. It will fall away when there is an international agreement. Mnuchin told the same seminar: We've been pretty clear that we think the digital tax is discriminatory in nature. And referring to the proposals of several countries to slap levies on digital giants, Mnuchin warned: If people want to just arbitrarily put taxes on our digital companies, we will consider arbitrarily putting taxes on their car companies. CAIRO - The death toll from an attack on a village in the disputed Abyei region on the Sudan-South Sudan border has risen to at least 32 people, a U.N. humanitarian agency said Thursday. Armed men allegedly from the Sudan-allied Misseriya tribe Wednesday stormed the Dinka village of Kolom, about 9 kilometres (5.5 miles) northwest of Abyei. More than two dozen others were wounded in the attack, said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. The Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Gwi-Yeop Son, condemned the attack and called on all parties and stakeholders to refrain from any acts that can result in the loss of lives, increase tensions and chances of violence. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the area, known as UNIFSA, said at least 19 houses were torched. Local activist Kirbino Dout said there were burned corpses inside the torched houses. He said at least 15 children were missing. The village is totally deserted and. Even some neighbour villages like Noong and Dokura are evacuated, he said. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of Sudans Sovereign Council, said a joint investigation with South Sudan would be launched into the attack, according to the official SUNA news agency. He said the two countries were discussing the formation of a joint force, stationed close to Abyei, to protect its people. A decades-long civil war between Sudans north and south ended with a 2005 peace deal that allowed for South Sudan to become independent following a referendum in 2011. The pact also required both sides to work out the final status of Abyei, but its still unresolved. The regions majority Ngok Dinka people are believed to be in favour of joining South Sudan. The Abyei region is rich in oil, one of the reasons both countries are reluctant to give it up. HMAS Adelaide is leaving the NSW South Coast on Thursday as the Morrison government prepares to end the compulsory call-out of thousands of Australian Defence Force (ADF) reservists helping in bushfire-hit communities. The Adelaide will return to Sydney after almost three weeks at sea as part of Operation Bushfire Assist. HMAS Adelaide - which has carried engineers, medics and reservists - has been anchored off NSW's far south since January 4 to help in relief and evacuation operations in communities between Eden and Bega. Credit:Kiran Ridley The decision to send the Adelaide back to Sydney is based on a Defence assessment that it is not being as well utilised as its land and air support in the bushfire recovery effort. The move comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the continuous compulsory call-out of reservists would end on February 7. After 28 days of the call-out powers being used, some reservists will end their compulsory service from February 1. Why wont Trump obey the law and hand over the document? My guess is that his people are afraid to let anyone see the Commerce report because its embarrassingly thin and incompetent. To be honest, I have some doubts about whether the report even exists. Remember, the Commerce Department is run by Wilbur Ross, whom readers of my colleague Gail Collins voted Trumps worst cabinet member, which is quite a distinction given the competition. Beyond all that, why does Trump even want to impose tariffs on European cars? Obviously it has nothing to do with national security. But whats it really about? Part of the answer may be that the self-proclaimed Tariff Man still believes that protectionism will revive American manufacturing, even though the evidence says that his trade war had the opposite effect. Beyond that, it appears that Trump tried to use the threat of auto tariffs to bludgeon European nations into backing him up in his confrontation with Iran. This is, by the way, a clear violation both of U.S. law, which does not give the president discretion to impose tariffs for reasons unrelated to economics, and of our international agreements, which prohibit this kind of bullying. And remember, the nations Trump was trying to bully are or were among our most important allies, part of the coalition of democracies we used to call the Free World. These days, our erstwhile allies can no longer consider America a reliable partner, on trade or anything else. Of course, that probably doesnt bother Trump, who prefers autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman. So how should we think about the auto tariff saga? At one level its part of the broader story of Trumps trade war, which has raised prices for American consumers, hurt U.S. businesses and farmers and deterred business investment by creating uncertainty. But these economic considerations are, Id argue, much less important than the political aspects. Trumps scofflaw behavior with regard to auto tariffs is part of a broader pattern of abuse of power and contempt for the rule of law. On every front, Trump treats U.S. policy as a tool he can deploy as he chooses, in his own interests, without seeking congressional approval or even informing Congress about what hes doing or why. Basically, the man in the White House operates on the principle that letat, cest Trump. Its a principle nobody who believes in American ideals should accept. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Imagine that you met a charming girl in school. She is an excellent student who concerns about the world welfare and is anti-war and anti-nuclear. Which do you think she is most likely to become in the future, a bank counter clerk, or, a bank counter clerk and feminist? Surveys show that most people think it's easy and choose the latter. Their choice is right. However, according to classical probability theory, the probability of the former is definitely higher than the latter because the former contains the latter. That paradox calls for more modeling to be established to better fit facts. Prof. ZHANG Xiaochu and his group developed new frameworks to better explain such human decision-making behaviors using the concept of quantum, and their result is published in Nature Human Behaviour in January 2020. They established the quantum reinforcement learning framework for human decision-making applying concepts from quantum probability theory. For example, they chose quantum probability amplitude rather than classical probability to describe the tendency of selecting a specific action. In this way they proposed quantum models that are comparable to the best classical models. Furthermore, they checked the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of human brain playing the Iowa Gambling Task. They were surprised to find that several important internal-state-related variables involved in their models are represented in the medial frontal gyrus (MeFG), which is important for human learning and decision-making. This shows a unique quantum-like neural mechanism for how the internal state is changed due to external information. In other words, this implies that how human brain works is a quantum-like manner, which is worthy of further research. These models bring people new perspectives on understanding how human brains run. It's inspired by machine learning development and is possible to elevate the efficiency of machine learning. In the meantime, the quantum-like mechanisms in the brain are still not fully understood. This deserves additional studies and is likely to change the history. ### (Written by LIU Zige, edited by YE Zhenzhen, USTC News Center) Kirubhakar Purushothaman By Express News Service Towards the end of a meeting with the press, one of the journalists observed that Udhaynidhi Stalin had become more vocal, and the diffidence, seen during his early days in cinema, had disappeared. Another wondered if it had anything to do with his attending political meetings. Udhayanidhi responded not with words, but a smile that betrayed very little, save for a hint of pride. At his father DMK chief MK Stalins residence, Udhayanidhi was a picture of composure, taking questions about his upcoming thriller, Psycho, and a few about his political career as the partys Youth Wing Secretary. I began by asking if his future films will be influenced by his politics. After a few moments of thought, he responded, It depends... on the story and the director. As such, I have no plan to do a political film. Psycho, he assured, is an out-and-out Mysskin film. Yuddham Sei was supposed to be my debut film but I gave it a miss as I didnt want to start my career with such a dark film. He called me to his office and narrated a story for one hour about aliens and stuff, and again, I turned it down because I didnt understand it. On the way home in the car, he told me a one-liner about a blind person... That turned out to be Psycho. Udhays immediate acceptance of Psychos story is partly because hes a fan of Ayushmann Khurranas Andhaadhun. Ayushmann used a special lens in the film. It was hard to find it here but I managed to procure a set eventually. My wife recorded a video of me wearing it and loitering in the house. Mysskin sir saw the footage eventually and said, Kannamma, super, but we dont need this. Mysskin, on the sets, has a reputation for a being a hot-headed director, with his assistants, usually said to be at the receiving end of his wrath. Once, he shooed away all his assistants and conducted the shoot all by himself. The assistants were calling me from the adjacent road asking if the director had cooled down. It was hilarious. And yet, hes the sort of director to give credit where it is due, no matter to whom. The director also reportedly had arguments with Nithya Menen, who is playing a role called Kamala Das. The two would keep arguing. Now though, both are claiming to be siblings from different mothers. She plays a foul-mouthed character in the film, and you will see her swearing away. She was initially offered Aditis role but she fought for Kamala Das and got it. Aditi Rao Hydari, Udhay said, had two days of shoot with him. There were many more days of shooting with Nithya. Even with the villain, I have only a handful of scenes. Only when I saw the film did I realise how physically strenuous it must have been for Aditi to play her character.From featuring in formulaic films in which his character would fall in love at first sight, to now featuring in a Mysskin film, Udhay has come quite a long way. Manithan was the tipping point. After that, I decided to try out challenging roles. I said no to Paatha udanae kaadhal stories. I wish my grandfather (former CM M Karunanidhi) were around to see Manithan and my performance in the courtroom scenes. His absence during the films release was heartbreaking for me. Udhayanidhi, interestingly, was approached to play his grandfather in a biopic. His answer: Enna vilayaadreengala? He added that no one film could hope to do justice to M Karunanidhi and his achievements. There have been suggestions and offers. MX Player has approached seeking permission to make a series on Thalaivar, but I am yet to discuss it with my family.As the conversation turned political, Udhay showed some resistance, but soon began taking some qustions about his political career. It is a bit hectic handling both at the same time but I am managing it. While I was campaigning in Pondicherry, I was shooting for Psycho by the side. The actor is baffled that while even the parliament election results are out, Nadigar Sangams election, comprising all of 2,000 votes, isnt yet. Vishal met my father after we won the Lok Sabha elections and that seems to be the reason for all the troubles he is facing. They dont want him to enter politics.However, the Manithan actor remains friendly with his colleagues and added that he would have no qualms in producing a film of Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan in the future. If Rajinikanth doesnt have a problem, why would I? But that doesnt mean Udhay wont take a dig at the actor. When one of the reporters asked if he would contest against Rajinikanth in the state elections next year, the young actor shot back: He (Rajinikanth) should first contest.Udhay wont get carried away and noted that he had a long way to go as an actor. I have to improve... a lot, he concluded. A Supreme Court lawyer in Patna has written to the Chief Justice of Patna High Court, to take cognisance of what's happening in Aurangabad, Bihar after a Firstpost article pointed out that the Bihar Police had arrested 13 minors during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests A Supreme Court lawyer in Patna has written to the Chief Justice of Patna High Court, Amreshwar Pratap Sahi, to take cognisance of what's happening in Aurangabad, Bihar after a Firstpost article pointed out that the Bihar Police had arrested 13 minors during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests. These minor were identified as "adults" during protests on 21 December, 2019 after protests turned violent in Aurangabad. All arrested minors are Muslim youths, according to the article. In a letter, the apex court advocate, Anshu Kapoor, has asked the Patna High Court, to take notice of the matter and quoted the Firstpost article, pointing out the contradictions in the age mentioned in the FIR and the age mentioned in the Board Certificate of the arrested minors. The letter further says, "This has been deliberately done by the police, which in many cases, has arrested the children from inside their homes. This appears to be motivated at spoiling the career of the young children and make them practically unemployable due to pendency of criminal cases. At any rate, this reflects legal malice if not actual malice." According to the report, on 21 December, Aurangabad had observed a protest at Ramesh Chowk, where most of the gatherings and speeches are usually held. Rashtriya Janata Dal and its allies had called for a bandh to rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). But the peaceful protests turned violent near the end. When contacted, Aurangabad SP Dipak Baranwal said that the case is an "old one now" and he "does not remember the details". The Supreme Court advocate called the situation "extremely distressful" and said that these arrested were in violation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) 2015. According to PRS Legislative, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) 2015, permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for heinous offences. Also, any 16-18 year old, who commits a lesser serious offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended after the age of 21 years. Firstpost had earlier reported that Bihar Police had altered the age of two minor boys and passed them off as adults in the First Information Report (FIR). The next hearing is on 28 January when the Juvenile Justice Board will decide on their age. The China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, the 48 Group Club and the China-Britain Business Council on Tuesday night jointly held the "Icebreaker" Chinese New Year Dinner 2020 in London, discussing new cooperation between Chinese and British enterprises and the new development of Sino-British economy and trade. More than 500 politicians and businessmen from both sides attended the event. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming said at the event that the development of Sino-British relations should seize major opportunities to achieve new leaps in China-UK financial cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and open a new chapter of China-UK cooperation on innovation. "In the past year, British friends from all walks of life, especially the business community, have been committed to the principle of mutual respect and mutual trust, and have made positive contribution to China-UK cooperation. I would like to express my appreciation for this," Liu said. "It is my hope that, in 2020, you could continue working together with your Chinese partners, respect and trust each other, learn from each other and engage in mutually-beneficial cooperation," he said. John Glen, Britain's Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said that Britain and China are "natural partners" and that the two sides have broad prospects for cooperation in financial services and the "Belt and Road". According to Glen, there are many opportunities for investment in technological innovation in the United Kingdom, and Chinese investment will help the local sectors such as electric vehicle, aerospace, life sciences to unlock greater potential. On the issue of climate change, Britain and China can jointly promote the development of clean technology and green finance, said Glen. Stephen Perry, chairman of the 48 Group Club, said that the potential for cooperation between Britain and China is huge, and he hoped that the two sides would deepen mutual trust, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and establish closer economic and trade relations. Fang Wenjian, President of the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK and General Manager of the Bank of China London Branch, expressed the hope that the United Kingdom will continue to adhere to the market economy and free trade, and provide a fair and open business environment for various local businesses. ISTANBUL Tens of thousands of people fleeing a Russian and Syrian offensive in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib have reached the Turkish border this week, swelling the number of displaced people in the rebel stronghold to nearly a half million as another cease-fire all but shatters. Dozens of people have been killed since Jan. 12, when Turkey brokered a truce with Russia in Idlib, the last opposition-controlled area in war-gutted Syria that has faced intermittent bombing campaigns by Syrian forces and their Russian partners since April. Turkeys top diplomat this week urged Russia to respect the latest cease-fire, calling its violations unacceptable. Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have hammered out a half dozen or so cease-fires for Idlib since last year that have all collapsed. But their continued engagement on Idlib indicates how central the area is in the two countries broader relationship, which includes weapons deals and mutual distrust of Washington, as well as attempts at a settlement for the conflict in Libya. Ankara has shifted its focus to Libya, where it has sent troops (and Syrian opposition fighters) to back the internationally recognized government in Tripoli in exchange for a maritime agreement that could thwart its Mediterranean rivals exploitation of natural gas under the seabed. Russia backs Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who is battling to seize the Libyan capital. Meanwhile, Idlib continues to bleed. Renewed fighting since November has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced as many as 450,000 people in Idlib as Damascus seeks to recapture the last opposition bastion. The government controls about 70% of Syrian territory after almost nine years of a war that has killed an estimated 400,000 people and has vowed that Idlib, too, will fall. In the last 48 hours, some 36,000 civilians have fled the bombing, seeking safety near the Turkish border, according to news reports. People are also trying to reach two areas within Syria controlled by Turkish forces after intense bombardment in Idlib overnight, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday, accusing President Bashar al-Assads forces of targeting residential areas, hospitals and schools. Moscow said on Thursday anti-Assad militants had seized two settlements and forced the Syrian army to abandon some positions. Erdogan warned Jan. 14 that Turkey could be compelled to intervene to stop the Syrian governments breaches of the cease-fire. His army deployed reinforcements in armored convoys to its outposts in Idlib on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Those outposts, set up to monitor what is supposed to be a de-escalation zone in Idlib, are increasingly under threat as Syrian government forces make large gains in their latest push for Idlib. Turkey has said it cannot handle a new influx of refugees while it already looks after some 3.6 million Syrians who have made the country the worlds largest host of refugees. Turkish aid groups are building housing for tens of thousands a few miles inside Syria. An estimated 3 million civilians in Idlib are boxed in between the airstrikes and a closed Turkish border. Refugee camps are sinking in mud, and families huddle in unheated tents that are not weatherproof. Women and children make up the majority of the displaced in the camps, which proper lack schools. Life in Idlib is a daily nightmare, as the humanitarian situation deteriorates, the United Nations said. The UN was only able to renew authorization to deliver cross-border humanitarian aid earlier this month in an 11th-hour deal after Russia, joined by China, vetoed an earlier draft. They eventually agreed only to allow supplies to enter for six months, rather than 12 months. Humanitarian actors complain that the world has largely turned its back on the latest victims of Syrias protracted conflict amid public fatigue with the quagmire. An EU spokesman on Thursday could only offer another statement calling for an end to attacks against civilians in Idlib. The Wests disengagement with Syria has effectively left Ankara as the last defender of the Syrian opposition. But its position at the bargaining table is asymmetric, said Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. Russia leverages pressure [on Turkey] in Idlib, knowing that refugees can be weaponized when there is growing anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey, he told Al-Monitor. On the flip side, Libya and Idlib are Turkeys bargaining chips in its relations with Russia Idlib and Libya can be used as leverage for each other, as well as for the broader conflict in Syria, including Syrian Kurds and an eventual settlement with the Assad regime. Turkey controls about 3,000 square miles of Syrian territory after launching three military campaigns since 2016. The latest was in October to fight a US-allied Syrian Kurdish militia and forced the United States to hastily evacuate from the countrys northeast. After that, Erdogan sealed a deal with Putin to create a buffer zone free of Kurdish militants along that stretch of its border. On the sidelines of Libya talks in Moscow this month, Russia engineered talks between the heads of the Syrian and Turkish intelligence agencies, the first high-level meeting between the two governments since 2011. The surprise meeting not only illustrates how the seemingly discrete geopolitical issues of Libya and Syria are linked for Turkey, but also reveals how Putin may be the ultimate arbiter of both. Cases of meningitis B among young children have fallen by nearly two thirds since a vaccine was introduced, a major study has found. Experts last night hailed the finding as proof of the power of vaccination and a victory for campaigners. Meningitis strikes almost without warning, killing or maiming hundreds each year, with babies and pre-school children most at risk. A stock image shows a child being vaccinated. Cases of meningitis B among young children have fallen by nearly two thirds since a vaccine was introduced, a major study has found The condition, which causes inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, strikes so quickly that it is often too late to treat effectively by the time it is spotted. The new study, published last night in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows 277 cases of meningitis B were avoided in the first three years after the vaccine was introduced in England in September 2015. Only 169 cases were recorded between 2015 and 2018 among pre-school children eligible for the vaccine a 62 per cent fall on an expected 446 cases. Primary school teacher Georgie Hall who is seven months pregnant pictured with a picture of her son Oliver and one of his cuddly toys outside Suffolk Coroner's Court where an inquest is being held into how he died of sepsis linked to meningitis Among babies under the age of one there were only 44 cases in 2018 the lowest level since records began. The MenB vaccine was introduced in Britain the first country in the world to get the jab after a series of stories by the Mail highlighted concerns about the lack of protection against the condition. It is offered as three injections one at two months, a second at four months and a final booster at 12 months. But despite the success of the vaccination programme, uptake of the MenB vaccine is slipping. While 92 per cent of parents take their children for their first two jabs, this drops to 88 per cent for the one-year booster. The Mail is campaigning to improve the uptake of all childhood immunisations, which are falling after years of misinformation, online antivaxx myths and growing apathy. Plea to parents over jab that may have saved boy of six Oliver Hall, six, of Halesworth, Suffolk, who died of meningitis in October 2017 after medics initially failed to diagnose the condition A grieving mother last night urged parents to get their children vaccinated. Two years ago, Ollie Hall, six, died from meningitis B after getting a headache which rapidly got worse. His death came less than 24 hours after his familys growing concerns were repeatedly brushed aside by doctors and paramedics. Tragically, the little boy could have been saved if he had received the MenB vaccination. He was not eligible to get the jab on the NHS as he was too old when it was introduced in September 2015. However, he could have been given it privately. Unfortunately, his parents, teacher Georgie Hall, 40, and music instructor Bryan, 45, had never heard of the jab. Mrs Hall, from Suffolk, who has two other children, said: Take the opportunity that I didnt have and get your children protected. Its too late for me but its not too late for others. Advertisement Dr Shamez Ladhani, the consultant epidemiologist at Public Health England who led the study, said: It is vital that children receive all available vaccines on time to provide the best protection at the age when they are at highest risk. The implementation of the MenB vaccine in 2015 is a great success, it is already saving lives and means fewer parents and young children will experience this devastating illness. Dr Tom Nutt, of the Meningitis Now charity, praised the Mail for doing so much to cut through the misinformation surrounding vaccination. He said: This latest news shows vaccines save lives. I would urge parents to ensure their children receive all three of the MenB vaccinations. If they have concerns, they should talk with their GP and make informed decisions based on the evidence that this report provides and not on social media-based propaganda. About a dozen Marine special operators led a firefight against terrorists who recently carried out a deadly attack on a military base in Kenya that killed three Americans, according to media reports. Members of the North Carolina-based 3rd Marine Raider Battalion led the counterattack on al-Shabaab militants after members of the terror group infiltrated a base at Manda Bay and destroyed surveillance aircraft, The New York Times reported Wednesday in a detailed account of the fight. Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., a 23-year-old from Chicago, was killed in the Jan. 5 attack, along with Dustin Harrison and Bruce Triplett, who were contractor pilots. The incident remains under investigation, according to U.S. Africa Command. But an early assessment of the events shows "a timely and effective response to the attack reduced the number of casualties and eliminated the potential for further damage," the command said in a statement Thursday. Related: US Troops' 'Incredible Heroism' Was Key to Repelling Kenya Attack, AFRICOM Says "U.S. forces and Kenyan Defense Forces repelled the attack, killing five al-Shabaab terrorists with no additional losses to U.S. or Kenyan personnel," the statement adds. "While numbers are still being verified, it is estimated that several dozen al-Shabaab fighters were repelled." The Times reported that the al-Shabaab fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade at Harrison and Triplett's surveillance and reconnaissance plane at Manda Bay. The attack killed the two pilots, but the paper said a third person was able to escape, though he was burned. Mayfield was killed by gunfire while in a truck and serving as an air-traffic controller, according to the Times' account. As the attack continued, the Raiders and Kenyan rangers they were training came from nearby Camp Simba to lead the counterattack. At least one of the Raiders was injured, Marine Corps Times reported. Officials with Marine Corps Special Operations Command and AFRICOM declined to confirm or comment on the reports about the Raiders. AFRICOM said only that U.S. forces at Camp Simba "quickly responded and actively counterattacked the enemy at the airfield." Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, AFRICOM's commander, said the attack at Manda Bay demonstrates that al-Shabaab remains a dangerous and capable enemy. "They are a menace to the people of East Africa and U.S. national interests there, and their sights are set on eventually attacking the U.S. homeland," he said Thursday. "It is important that we continue to pursue al-Shabaab and prevent their vision from becoming a reality." The status of U.S. military operations in Africa has been called into question following the attack. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said that the Pentagon's No. 1 mission "is compete with Russia and China." But no decision has been made on ending U.S. troops' mission in Africa, he told reporters this week. Lawmakers have pushed back against the idea of withdrawing troops from the continent. Esper said he would meet with AFRICOM leaders this week to "dig into what they're doing" and "what they see on the ground, what they are sensing." "But I said for my nomination, my aim was to implement the National Defense Strategy," Esper said, speaking of the plan focused on countering Russia and China. "Everybody knows what that is, everybody should know largely what that looks like. I've talked to members of Congress several times." Military brass and other U.S. leaders warned for years about China's growing influence in Africa. Mayfield, Harrison and Triplett were three of fewer than 350 Defense Department personnel in Kenya. Their missions include training local forces and sharing intelligence. Al-Shabaab is a militant Islamic terrorist group that operates in Somalia, Kenya and other East African countries. Last year, the U.S. carried out 63 airstrikes against the group in Somalia. The Jan. 5 attack in Kenya resulted in increased force protection measures, according to the AFRICOM statement, which pledges to "pursue the attackers until they are brought to justice." -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read more: China Builds Ambitiously in Africa as US Sounds the Alarm Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On January 26, the community of Moree in north-western NSW will mark two very different anniversaries. One celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet. The other commemorates a brutal massacre that occurred on the same day years later. In the morning, revellers will gather in Jellicoe Park for an Australia Day barbecue breakfast. While local awards are handed out and new citizens are welcomed, a procession will begin its silent march through town. As the chairs from the mornings festivities are being stacked away, the mourners will arrive at the park to begin their commemorations. Cutmore, Dossy Tighe and Paul Spearim jnr at Waterloo Creek. Credit:Rhett Wyman I think it's disgusting, said local elder Polly Cutmore. Its not right ... it's not a day of celebration for us. Advertisement In the dying hours of a hot summer afternoon, the Kamilaroi woman gazes out across a dry creek bed that was once a gathering place for Aboriginal families. Spearim at the believed massacre site. Credit:Rhett Wyman It used to be beautiful here, she says. They destroyed it. They destroyed this place with killing. The remote patch of land about a half hours drive from the Kamilaroi Highway along a bumpy gravel road, was the site of one of Australias most horrific mass killings, now known as the Waterloo Creek massacre. In the summer of 1837-38, NSW policeman Major James Nunn and around 30 mounted soldiers and stockmen swept through the Gwydir region on an expedition to repress Aboriginal people, writes historian Paul Irish. They committed a series of atrocities in the area. The Waterloo Creek massacre on January 26, 1838, was among the most savage. Irish says it spurred other vigilante killings, including the infamous Myall Creek massacre six months later when landowners slaughtered at least 28 unarmed Aboriginal people. Advertisement The perpetrators would become the first British subjects to be executed for such crimes. Paying respects at Waterloo Creek. Credit:Rhett Wyman The exact details of what happened at Waterloo Creek are disputed, given the lack of official records and unreliable accounts from the perpetrators, who feared retribution in the wake of Myall Creek. Historian Lyndall Ryan conservatively estimates at least 40 Kamilaroi people were killed. Author Roger Milliss puts the death toll closer to 300. The victims were Cutmores direct ancestors. It makes me really upset to think how they treated my people. They couldn't even just sit and enjoy themselves by a riverbank, she said. It's really, really, raw with us. So we can't celebrate [January 26]. We won't celebrate. Advertisement 'There's another history here that needs to be written.' Activist Lyall Munro jnr The Kamilaroi community in Moree began officially commemorating the anniversary of the massacre seven years ago. Respected elder and prominent activist Lyall Munro jnr says it's vital to keep the history alive. "Anzacs are continuously shoved down our throats, the first and second world wars are continuously shoved down our throats. The representation of those wars - the flag - is continuously shoved down our throats," he said. "There's another history here that needs to be written. There's another history that needs to be told." With the backing of the Moree Plains Shire Council, there are plans to erect a memorial plaque and nominate the site to be legally recognised as an Aboriginal place of significance. Angus Witherby, the councils planning and community director, walks a delicate line on January 26. He presides over the mornings celebrations, before attending the massacre commemorations in the afternoon. Advertisement He says the town is a microcosm of the issues surrounding Australia Day. And because the massacre occurred on the 26th of January, it's perhaps in starker relief here than in many other communities. While Witherby feels that holding Australias national celebration on the current date is just rude, he says the wider Moree community and the local council arent ready to discuss moving the ceremony. The time will come when we're ready to have that debate as a community, he said. Local history further complicates the issue. Until the 1970s, Moree infamously barred Aboriginal people from local shops, schools and the town swimming pool during the racial segregation era. Witherby says the town has come a long way since then, but concedes there are still some residual issues. Paul Spearim jnr, a key organiser of the massacre commemorations, is heartened to see a growing number of non-Indigenous people paying their respects at the January 26 memorial: "This is all of our history." The 35-year-old says it's inevitable that the date of our national celebration will change. Advertisement NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced today that it has been awarded a General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) task order to provide Persistent Multi-Role Operations (PMRO) support to the U.S. Air Force-Europe (USAFE) by the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM). This task order will provide Contractor Owned-Contractor Operated (COCO) manned and unmanned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in support of Air Force requirements in the European and African theaters of operation. The task order has a base period of one year with four option years and a potential value of $954 million. Critical readiness of our defense intelligence enterprise demands unique expertise and advanced technology solutions, said Garry Schwartz, president of Technical Solutions Mission Driven Innovative Solutions group. 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For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Mission Driven Innovative Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 42,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries Statements in this release, as well as other statements we may make from time to time, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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Factors that may cause such differences include: changes in government and customer priorities and requirements (including government budgetary constraints, shifts in defense spending, and changes in customer short-range and long-range plans); our ability to estimate our future contract costs and perform our contracts effectively; changes in procurement processes and government regulations and our ability to comply with such requirements; our ability to deliver our products and services at an affordable life cycle cost and compete within our markets; natural and environmental disasters and political instability; our ability to execute our strategic plan, including with respect to share repurchases, dividends, capital expenditures, and strategic acquisitions; adverse economic conditions in the United States and globally; changes in key estimates and assumptions regarding our pension and retiree health care costs; security threats, including cyber security threats, and related disruptions; and other risk factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There may be other risks and uncertainties that we are unable to predict at this time or that we currently do not expect to have a material adverse effect on our business, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements that we may make. Contact: Beci Brenton Beci.Brenton@hii-co.com (202) 264-7143 Hard-working immigrant mama built a business empire buying and selling stolen goods Fredericka Mandelbaum came to America in 1850 with little more than the clothes she was wearing. She moved into a Manhattan slum, worked hard, invested shrewdly, and, earning the nickname Mother, built a million-dollar business. Mother Mandelbaums rags-to-riches story would be truly inspirational except for the fact that she made her millions buying and selling stolen goods. Mother Mandelbaum was, in underworld parlance, a fencethe smartest fence in America, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. The New York Times went further, in 1884 labeling Mandelbaum the nucleus and center of the whole organization of crime in New York. Mandelbaum was big, standing nearly six feet and weighing well over 250 pounds. She dressed conservatively, in dark clothing of the finest silk or wool, black hair pulled into a bun and topped with her trademark hata black bonnet festooned with feathers. Mother wanted to look like a lady because, as she frequently said, it takes brains to be a real lady. Born in Hanover, Germany, in 1827, Fredericka Wiesener married peddler Wolf Mandelbaum in 1848. In 1850 Wolf and then Fredericka emigrated to New York City, settling on the Lower East Side in a dingy one-room apartment in Klein DeutschlandLittle Germany. They raised four children while peddling rags and used clothing in the street. A shrewd businesswoman, Fredericka quickly realized that she could acquire better goods at lower prices if she bought from thieves. Soon, she was enlisting neighborhood urchins to do the thieving, and setting up an informal academy on Grand Street that taught pocket-picking, burglary, and safecracking. She exhibited maternal concern for young female crooks, especially Sophie Lyons, a neighborhood teenager whose parents had been sent to prison. Mandelbaum took the girl in and trained her in the criminal arts. Lyons matured into a world-famous con artist before going straight. Decades later, she remembered Mother in a memoir. I was very happy because I was petted and rewarded, Lyons wrote in Why Crime Does Not Pay. My wretched stepmother patted my curly head, gave me a bag of candy and said I was a good girl. Business boomed. In 1866, Fredericka and the bedridden Wolf rented a three-story building at the corner of Rivington and Clinton streets. The Mandelbaums, who eventually bought the property, lived upstairs and ran a semi-legitimate street-level dry goods emporium while out back Fredericka went about her felonious fencing trade. Wolf Mandelbaum died in 1875. His widow thrived. She developed a stable of skilled thieves who agreed to sell their loot exclusively to her. In return, she suggested targets for burglaries, bailed out busted second-story artists, and paid notorious shyster lawyer William Howe a $5,000 annual retainer to defend her operatives in court. Mothers inventory of hot goods grew so fast that she was driven to buy warehouses. Her preferred commodities were diamonds, gold, silk, and fancy sterling silverware. She sold the gems and gold to jewelers, the silk to dressmakers and shopkeepers, and the silverware to hoteliers and restaurateurs as far away as Cincinnati. Mother shared the wealth, donating to cops and pols, asking only to be left alone, unburdened by intrusive government oversightlike the enforcement of statutes against selling stolen property. Palms sufficiently greased, the authorities cooperated, and everybody was happy, except the people whose stuff got swiped. Mandelbaum threw elaborate dinners in her pad, decorated with elegant chandeliers and furniture, mostly stolen. At her parties, thieves and grifters mingled with bent cops and pols like Tammany Hall sachem William M. Boss Tweed. Guests washed down lamb and steaks with fine wines and listened as expert safecracker Piano Charlie Bullard played Beethoven sonatas. Mandelbaum was so fond of Bullards playing that when police in Yonkers arrested him for robbery in 1869, she hired a gang of thieves to bust him out of jail. For 20 years, Mothers dinners dazzled guestsuntil 1884, when she found herself targeted by a rarity in Gilded Age Manhattan: a straight-arrow lawman. Appointed district attorney the year before and wanting to prove he was honest, Peter Olney decided arresting the notorious Mother Mandelbaum would seal his reputation. Knowing she had the police force in her pocket, he kept his project secret. To infiltrate Mothers fencing operation, Olney hired Gustave Frank, a Pinkerton detective. Posing as Stein, a crooked silk dealer, Frank gained Mothers trust. During a five-month period, she sold the impostor 12,000 yards of stolen fabric. On July 22, 1884, Stein served Mandelbaum a warrant in her carriage outside her store. You wretch, you! Mother said. And she punched him in the face. His nose bleeding, Frank arrested Mandelbaum, along with son Julius, 24. Suspicious of judges in lower Manhattan, Olney arranged to book the pair in Harlem, charging them with grand larceny and receiving stolen property. Papers headlined the bustsTHE QUEEN OF FENCES HELD FOR TRIALand Mothers arraignment drew a packed courtroom. My name is Fredericka Mandelbaum and I am 52 years old. I am a widow, she said in a statement read by her lawyer. I keep a dry goods store and have done so for 20 years. I have never knowingly bought stolen goods Released on $10,000 bail, Mother realized she and Julius couldnt beat the rap. They gave their Pinkerton shadows the slip and skedaddled to Canada, which had no extradition treaty with the United States. Explaining his clients abrupt emigration in court, her attorney told the judge: I believe Mrs. Mandelbaum acted upon Mark Twains theory that absence of body is often better than presence of mind. Mother went into exile rich. In Hamilton, Ontario, she bought a two-story house, joined Anshe Sholem Hebrew Congregation, and opened a dry goods storein every respect the equal of my late New York establishment, she declared. When daughter Annie, 18, died in 1885, Mandelbaum sneaked into the funeral. The police ignored her. Reporters asked how she liked Canada. Im tired of it, Mother said before fleeing back north. Im sorry I ever left New York. She was 66 when she died in 1894 in Hamilton, Ontariowhere, the paper Hamilton Spectator wrote, residents regarded her as a woman of kindly disposition, broad sympathies, and large intelligence. The clan laid its materfamilias to rest in the family plot at Union Fields Cemetery in Queens, attended by friends, neighbors, cops, pols, and many aging felons. Afterward, several mourners told police that their pockets had been picked at Mothers grave. This story appeared in April 2020 issue of American History. Color of Change PAC spokesman Rashad Robinson said: The stakes are high in this election for the people of Chicago and all of Cook County. Since her election in 2016, Kim Foxx has become a national leader in the movement to end mass incarceration. She accomplished a historic repair of injustice by moving to expunge over 1,000 marijuana convictions from the criminal record in a single hearing. Her office has led the nation in clearing the names of the wrongfully convicted and freeing those still imprisoned. But the police union, the former mayor, and other supporters of the old status quo are threatened by Foxxs power." KYIV. Jan 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) Investigators should take into account the opinion of Canadian experts regarding the identity of the voice of former director of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) Roman Truba on recordings made in his office and objectively investigate criminal proceedings relating to Truba's official crimes, said Ihor Holovan, the lawyer of the fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. At a press conference held at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday Holovan spoke about the publication of the results of a journalistic investigation with the analysis of the "Truba recordings." "An examination ... on identifying voices, studying audio and video recordings ... found that Mr. Truba himself speaks in the recorded conversations, dubbed "The pipe has burst," posted to the Internet. In the recorded excerpt, persons agreed to organize political prosecution and prosecute the obviously innocent fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko ... It has been established that the voice of Truba is heard," said the lawyer. According to him, Canadian experts used the latest biometric research methods, which give a very high degree of probability of conclusion, an almost categorical confirmation of the identity of the voice. The lawyer noted that the expert opinion should be taken into account by the investigator in criminal proceedings relating to the illegal actions of Truba, and Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka should determine which body will investigate in order for the case to be objective and unbiased. Holovan stressed: "This expert study will make life difficult for those representatives of law enforcement agencies and authorities who sabotage the investigation of the facts of the illegal prosecution of the fifth president." The lawyer recalled that Poroshenko's defense applied to court in order to obtain registration of the relevant criminal proceedings. A 15-year-old Hindu girl, who was forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in Pakistan's Sindh province, has been sent to a women protection centre following a court order, officials said. Mehak Kumari, a class IXth student, was allegedly abducted from Jacobabad district on January 15 by Ali Raza Solangi who later married her. Her father Vijay Kumar filed an FIR, claiming that Solangi had abducted and married her forcibly. He also said that her daughter was 15-year-old when she was abducted. Kumari and Solangi were produced before a court on Tuesday from where she was sent to the women police protection centre, according to court officials. The court also directed the Chandka Medical College Hospital to submit a report about her age by February 3. The Express Tribune reported that Sindh Minorities Affairs Minister Hari Ram Kishori Lal has assured Kumari's family of full support. In a telephonic conversation with the leader of a Hindu group of Jacobabad district on Wednesday, the minister said that the Sindh government fully supports the stance of the family and the Hindu group. Lal said that forced conversion of minor Hindu girls has become a common issue, adding that Hindus of Sindh are its oldest inhabitants, and their lives and deaths are linked deeply with the soil of the province. He appealed to the authorities to take notice of the brutality and injustice being committed against Hindu girls and take measures to ensure security for the minority community. Lal, pointing out that Kumari could not marry until she was 18 under the legislation of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, said that her marriage was a crime as per the law. The minister praised the court's decision to send the girl to the women police protection centre, saying that girls in such cases should not be handed over to those who were involved in their abduction. Abduction and conversion of Hindu women has been a major issue in Sindh province where the majority of Pakistani Hindus live. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An American journalist who exposed ecological destruction in Indonesia has been arrested and could face up to five years behind bars, his lawyer has said. Philip Jacobson, 30, is the editor of the environmental science website Mongabay. Mr Jacobson was first detained in Palangkaraya, the provincial capital of Central Kalimantan in Borneo, on 17 December last year, according to Mongabay. The outlet said Jacobson had entered Indonesia on a business visa to attend meetings between the local government and Indonesia's largest indigenous rights advocacy group. On the day he was due to leave, authorities confiscated his passport and ordered him to stay in the city pending an investigation, Mongabay said. Indonesian authorities formally arrested Jacobson on Tuesday night and transferred him to Palangkaraya state prison in Central Kalimantan. Jacobson's lawyer, Aryo Nugroho, said by text message that his client was accused of visa-related breaches which have a penalty of up to five years in prison. Nugroho elaborated that Jacobson was accused of violating Indonesia immigration law by undertaking reporting activities in Palangkaraya. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the arrest. "The detention of Jacobson is unjust and excessive," it said in a statement. "This appears to be a retaliatory attempt to silence media reporting on sensitive topics. Journalism is not a crime and we strongly condemn attempts to criminalise journalists in Indonesia." Andreas Harsono, Indonesian researcher at Human Rights Watch, said he believed authorities were acting excessively. "Journalism is clearly not a crime," Harsono said. "This case is an administrative matter, a visa problem, not a criminal one." Rhett Butler, CEO and founder of Mongabay, said in a statement the company would support Jacobson and try to comply with immigration authorities. Jacobson has worked on environmental stories including some that allege Indonesian companies used falsified permits to clear out a vast area of rainforest in the easternmost region of Papua. Officials at Indonesia's immigration directorate general did not respond to requests for comment. Former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf agreed to a lifetime ban from the banking industry and a $17.5 million fine on Thursday, a result of the fake-accounts scandal that roiled Wells Fargo when he ran the bank. Stumpfs punishment which he agreed to in a settlement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Wells Fargos federal regulator punctuates a dramatic downfall for the once-venerated banker. Taking office as CEO in 2007, he successfully led the bank through the financial crisis and its 2008 acquisition of Charlotte-based Wachovia before resigning in the wake of the banks fake accounts scandal. The OCC also announced charges against five former Wells Fargo executives and settlements with two others Thursday. In total, former executives are facing $59 million in fines from regulators. Carrie Tolstedt, who used to run the consumer bank where the alleged abuses occurred was among those charged. Regulators are seeking an industry ban for Tolstedt, along with a $25 million fine. Enu Mainigi, a lawyer for Tolstedt, said, Throughout her career, Ms. Tolstedt acted with the utmost integrity and concern for doing the right thing. A full and fair examination of the facts will vindicate Carrie. In addition to Tolstedt, the other former executive who were charged were general counsel James Strother, chief auditor David Julian, executive audit director Paul McLinko and consumer bank risk officer Claudia Russ Anderson. Former chief administrative officer Hope Hardison and chief risk officer Michael Loughlin agreed to pay a total of $3.5 million in seperate settlements. The actions announced by the OCC today reinforce the agencys expectations that management and employees of national banks and federal savings associations provide fair access to financial services, treat customers fairly, and comply with applicable laws and regulations, Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting said in a statement. Ex-Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf agreed to a lifetime ban from the banking industry and $17.5 million fine, a punishment for the fake-accounts scandal. Never again Wells Fargo said it is freezing any remaining compensation payments to the former executives while it reviews the OCCs findings. Story continues We must all dedicate ourselves to ensuring that such failings never again occur at Wells Fargo, the banks new outsider CEO, Charlie Scharf, wrote in a letter to staff after the charges were announced. Rather than attempting to move past the fake-accounts scandal as quick as possible, Scharf has expressed direct contrition for the banks actions and emphasized that recovering lost trust and satisfying regulators will take substantial time. Wells Fargo is based in San Francisco and has its largest employment base in Charlotte, where it has about 27,000 workers. Abuse and threats Regulators said that the root cause of the misconduct was the business model in the firms consumer bank, which set unreasonable sales goals on purpose, and then put unreasonable pressure on employees to reach those goals. That fostered an atmosphere that perpetuated improper and illegal conduct, the OCC said. The practice was highly profitable for the banks consumer wing, known as the Community Bank, and Tolstedt, its then-leader, was praised and highly compensated for the units success. That success came at a cost: the pressure to meet the impossible goals led to the opening of millions of accounts in customers names without their knowledge, among other misconduct, regulators said. The Bank tolerated pervasive sales practices misconduct as an acceptable side effect of the Community Banks profitable sales model, and declined to implement effective controls to catch systemic misconduct, the OCC said. Instead, to avoid upsetting a financially profitable business model, senior executives, including Respondents, turned a blind eye to illegal and improper conduct across the entire Community Bank. Management of the consumer bank badgered and intimidated employees to meet the intentionally unattainable goals, the OCC said. Employees were subjected to hazing-like abuse, regulators found, and were threatened with firing or actually fired if they didnt meet the goals. More legal issues After widespread public outcry, the sales goals were removed in 2016. Since the revelation of the sales practices, the bank has struggled to recover. Stumpf and his successor, Tim Sloan, both resigned. In September 2016, the bank was fined $185 million for opening the sham accounts. The Federal Reserve has capped the banks growth since February 2018. Even Saturday Night Live made fun of the scandal. Scharf, an acolyte of JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, got the banks top job late last year with a mandate to fix the mess, get regulators off the banks back, and get the bank growing again. The scandal makes that harder: its spent billions on legal costs, including a $1.5 billion charge last quarter that hurt the firms earnings. The legal woes dont appear to end with the OCCs action Thursday. Federal prosecutors, including those in North Carolina, have opened a criminal investigation into multiple former Wells Fargo executives, American Banker reported this month, and indictments could come as soon as by the end of January. Held where California coastal breezes wash up and over live oaks and black sage atop canyon walls that sweep down to the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean, the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach has showcased juried art each summer since 1932. The panoply of mixed-media works, sculptures, pastels, drawings, serigraphs, photographs, ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts, etched and stained glass, handcrafted furniture and even scrimshaw represents only half of an event that draws as many as 225,000 people. The other half is the Pageant of the Masters, a presentation of tableau vivant (living art). In a rigorous two-phase process, hundreds of local artists competed to show and sell their works at the 2019 festival. Only 140 made the cut, many after repeated entries over the years. Among the chosen few was first-timer Rick Hill, who creates Western and wildlife sculptures and paints oils out of his Orange County home studio. I dont take this honor lightly, he says. Born and raised on the shores of Lake Erie, Pa., he graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1976 and in the early 1980s moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a graphic designer at Hughes Aircraft for 27 years. In the late 1990s Hill took a structural design class and wound up creating his first sculpture. I stumbled on my inner self and walked out of the class a changed individual, he recalls. Some 20 years later his body of work includes a menagerie of sculpted elks, wolves, beavers, bears, birds, horses and cattle. Cowboys also cast shadows across his studio. His bronze Chasin Strays, for example, hints at the challenges hands faced when working cattle on the open range. The bronzes that resonate the most with Hill, however, are those he renders of American Indians, such works as Bear Hunter (Arikara), Distant Enemies (Arapaho), Trade Blanket and Seneca Warrior (Iroquois). The artist recently collaborated with members of the Kizh Nation (aka Gabrieleno Indians, historically associated with Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in Los Angeles County). Hill plans to create a 10-foot bronze tribute to a young Kizh female shaman named Toypurina, who in 1785 led a revolt against the Spanish soldiers and padres at San Gabriel. The Spanish governor of California ultimately banished Toypurina from the mission, and she died in exile at age 39 on May 22, 1799, at Mission San Juan Bautista (in present-day San Benito County), where she rests in an unmarked grave. Over the past two decades Hill has participated in Arizonas select Sedona Arts Festival, Prescott Art & Crafts Festival and Scottsdale Arts Festival, while his works have appeared at the Upstairs Gallery in Carefree, Ariz., and Rinconart Studio in Placerville, Calif. Encouraged by his warm reception at the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, he plans to show his oils for the first time next year, hopefully at the festival itself, but certainly at Art-A-Fair, across Laguna Canyon Road from the festival grounds. WW A man who allegedly harassed women at Sydney's Bondi Beach has been arrested in the ocean after a two-hour stand-off with police. At around 2.30pm yesterday police were called to Bondi Beach, having received reports of a man was intimidating women. The 38-year-old Woollahra man fled into the water when officers approached him on Thursday afternoon and stayed there for two hours. A man who allegedly harassed women at Sydney's Bondi Beach has been arrested in the ocean after a two-hour stand-off with police Police were told that the man was allegedly harassing women in a 'sexually inappropriate way.' Lifeguards, an off-duty officer, a police helicopter crew and water police were called to the beach. The man was eventually caught in the water by two men who jumped from a jetski and grabbed him at the southern end of the beach. He was taken to Waverley police station and was charged with resisting or hindering a police officer and intimidation offences. He was granted conditional bail to front Waverley Local Court on March 3. A shocked onlooker caught the incident on video and posted it to social media. The footage shows up to five officers standing on the beach whilst the man is captured by two men jumping from a jetski. The social media user joked: 'It's all happening at Bondi. Probably overdue parking fines! #bondi #bondirescue #bondipolice' Lifeguards, an off-duty officer, a police helicopter crew and water police became involved and the man was eventually apprehended in the water, by two men who jumped from a jetski and grabbed him A shocked onlooker caught the incident on video and posted it to social media Mumbai, Jan 23 : Kangana Ranaut recently raised a social media storm with her recent criticism of Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan. She insists she hasnt said anything out of line. "I didn't think I have taken any 'panga' (messed with) on this matter (with them). I think it's high time to stop calling out people and to see their expressions or views in an outrageous manner. I have not said anything that is out of the line. It's my own perception of the situations, and there is nothing outrageous about it. I think every time a girl expresses herself, there are a lot of reactions from her surroundings. I think we just have to take it easy," said Kangana at a promotional event for her upcoming film "Panga", which she attended with co-actors Jassie Gill, Richa Chadha and Neena Gupta, besides the film's director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. Earlier, Kangana had criticised Deepika for a promotional video the latter had launched on TikTok, to promote her film "Chhapaak". Deepika portrays Malti, based on real-life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, and in the video, she is seen asking a budding make-up artits to don the Malti look. Social media trolled Deepika as being insensitive, for reducing Laxmi's trauma and pain into a cosmetic look for promotion gig for her film. On Saif, the actor drew widespread flak while speaking of his new release, the historical drama "Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior", where he plays the antagonist Udaybhan Sinh Rathore. In a recent interview, Saif had said: "I don't think this is history. I don't think there was a concept of India till the British gave it one." Kangana retorted saying people were following "smaller narratives" that they had created to suit themselves. Asked if her statements are often misinterpreted, Kangana said: "Yes. I have read headlines saying I 'lashed out' (at someone) or 'khari khoti suna di' (scolded bluntly). If he (Saif) has come up with his point of view then I have also put forth my point of view. I feel that media becomes sensational (in their reportage). I also feel that our country's readers have that kind of taste too, so what can you do about it? It's not media's fault either, because these is a time of clickbait journalism. If they (the media) write a headline like 'Kangana lashed out', then it justifies psychotic behaviour (of the media and readers). I just feel that if you ask me any question and you expect that I shouldn't answer it, then it is better that you should not ask me questions, because I will not give you diplomatic answers. I am inherently a straightforward person." Kangana and Saif worked together in Vishal Bhardwaj's 2017 release, "Rangoon". At that time, both were on a cordial terms. While on Deepika, before she criticised her TikTok video, Kangana as well as her sister Rangoli Chandel had appreciated her effort to highlight the travails of an acid attack survivor on screen in "Chhapaak". Incidentally, Rangoli is an acid attack survivor in real life. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 05:26:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Wednesday ruled out handing over the black boxes of the crashed Ukrainian plane to other countries for decoding, Press TV reported. "The so-called black boxes should remain with an Iranian team that is investigating the incident," said Iranian Minister of Transportation Mohammad Eslami. The data recorders have to be solely analyzed by the accident investigation team at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Eslami added. On Jan. 8, the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying from Tehran to Kiev crashed near Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. Later, Iran's armed forces confirmed that an "unintentional" launch of a military missile in the country shot down the Ukrainian airliner. Visiting the Balearics stand at the Fitur fair in Madrid on Wednesday, Reyes Maroto said that she will be increasing the tourism allocation in the 2020 state budget. The minister for industry, trade and tourism said that this will be in order to "develop good tourism policy" - a state policy. "As minister I am always seeking more resources to meet the needs for a sector which is strategic for this country; one which contributes 12.3% of GDP and employs over 2.8 million people." Maroto advocated greater resources to be available to the secretary of state for tourism, the Majorcan Bel Oliver, in order to meet challenges posed by digitalisation, ecological transition, globalisation and competitor destinations. The minister stated that the government will this year be investing more in modernisation. The commitment to sustainable tourism, she noted, includes investment to improve "mature resorts". She referred to the eight million euros for the Balearics that were provided for this purpose following the collapse of Thomas Cook, adding that this "commitment" to the Balearics will be strengthened in 2020. Referring to the Balearic government's "tourism of excesses" decree, the minister said that it was "very courageous" and necessary in order to ensure the reputation of the islands as a tourism destination. In his new book, Time for Africa, Khaled Igue, an investment banker and president of the Club 2030 Africa advisory group, offers a roadmap intended to reconcile big business and grassroots solutions to ensure the future development of the continent. Named Young Global Leader by the World Economic forum in 2018, Khaled Igue insists that the future of African development must be inclusive and sustainable. Proudly straddling two cultures, having grown up in Benin and studied in Europe and the United States, Igue stresses the importance of African youth. Aided by the think tank that he founded in 2012, Club 2030 Africa, he promotes the conviction that the African disapora has all the solutions it needs to build the continent of the future. "African countries need to focus on cooperation amongst themselves, rather than competition. They need to make changes from within, not wait for outside help," he says. The role of women in Africa's development also takes centre stage in his view, in fact, they will "take men's place in leadership" over the next thirty years. Khaled Igue also explains that international business summits like Davos in Switzerland are not necessarily at odds with sustainable development goals, and that solutions can be found if you combine investment with education and social business. Khaled Igue's book, Time for Africa; towards a sustainable and inclusive development, is due to be published by Hermann Press in English later this year. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Huseyn Safarov - Trend: Azerbaijan is a leading oil and gas supplier in the South Caucasus, therefore, if judged from the point of view of prospects, the forum in Davos is of interest for the country both from a tactical and strategic points of view, Ukrainian political analyst Sergey Slobodchuk told Trend. First of all, the Davos platform is interesting because it is possible to declare a countrys new status in the energy market on this platform by presenting Azerbaijans participation in gas supplies to Europe via the Trans Adriatic gas Pipeline (TAP) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), he noted. We already see that the central topic in connection with which Azerbaijan is mentioned is the supply of gas through the Southern Gas Corridor, Slobodchuk added. Azerbaijani president emphasized that gas can go through the Southern Gas Corridor already in mid-2020. We know that TANAP was connected to the European gas transmission system at the end of November 2019, and the TAP gas pipeline is scheduled to be launched in 2020. In other words, Davos for Azerbaijan is a platform where it is possible to unite the interests of the EU, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia, Slobodchuk noted. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev takes an active part in the World Economic Forum in Davos on a regular basis. As part of the forum, the president actively participates in ongoing seminars, negotiations and conferences with representatives of the business elite, as well as with the heads of partner countries, officials of international organizations. The negotiations held within the forums allowed Azerbaijan to achieve certain positive results. The signing of documents on the opening of the regional center of the World Economic Forum in Azerbaijan can be considered one of such results. Power Minister R K Singh on Thursday urged Brazilian investors to invest in the Indian energy sector, saying it is the fastest growing energy market and its consumption will treble in coming days. Singh also assured investors that India will provide stable policy and regulatory regime to facilitate them. "Meeting our aspirations require us to go on higher energy consumption pedestal.. with our low base (per capita) energy consumption, our energy consumption is going to double or treble in short while. "We want more and more companies to come here and invest here. We can promise of stable policy regime. We can promise a regulatory regime which is fair and decides and totally at arms length from the government. All of you are welcome to invest here," Singh said while addressing a seminar -- India-Brazil Opportunities in Energy and Mining -- here. As far as energy is concerned, no other country will grow as fast as India, the minister added. "We have to treble our energy consumption to catch with the world...I will hold your hand and see that you dont face any difficulty," he said. The minister also elaborated on the scope of investment in power distribution as well as renewable energy segment where the nation is seeing huge expansion and entry of new players. "You will see many large distribution companies emerging in India," he noted. India has set a target of adding 175 GW of renewable power in the energy mix by 2022. It has already added 86 GW. Besides, around 36 GW is under installation and about 35 GW is under bidding stage. The minister exuded confidence that India will have around 50 per cent renewables in its energy mix by 2030. India has established power generation capacity of about 360 GW, which is expected to be trebled by 2030. Singh also drew attention toward India's efforts for shifting to electricity based mobility and cooking which would also push power demand up. He also said India's hydro power companies will be bidding for projects in Brazil whenever auction would be announced. "We have huge companies in energy sector. We have companies in all segment like transmission, generation.. (like) Sterlite, Power Grid," the minister said. Brazilian Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque said, "India imports about 80 per cent of its needs of (crude oil) while Brazil became the net oil exporter. Currently, exports of oil represent the major share in our bilateral trade. I believe that there is room for much more". The Brazilian minister also suggested that the two nations should join efforts and forces to make ethanol a global commodity. He also said that Brazil is expanding its power generation capacity and transmission lines, and the highest share of direct investment from India in Brazil is in electricity. "We welcome Indian capital and technology in the Brazilian power sector," he added. Brazilian Minister for Agriculture Tereza Cristina noted that Brazil and India together account for approximately 55 per cent of world sugarcane production and just over 35 per cent of sugar output. However, she said, "As far as ethanol is concerned, there is a big disparity: while Brazil is the world's second largest producer with over 30 billion liters, India produced only 1.5 billion liters in 2018. In this context, there is a huge potential for cooperation between our nations". She was of the view that an increase in ethanol production in India will provide, in addition to the socio-economic benefits already observed, great environmental gains. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [Read about the events that our other critics have chosen for the week ahead.] THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALVIN BALTROP at the Bronx Museum of the Arts (through Feb. 9). New York City is a gateway for new talent. Its also an archive of art careers past. Some come to light only after artists have departed, as is the case with Baltrop, an American photographer who was unknown to the mainstream art world when he died in 2004 at 55, and who now has a bright monument of a retrospective at this Bronx museum. That he was black, gay and working class accounts in part for his invisibility, but so does the subject matter he chose: a string of derelict Hudson River shipping piers that, in the 1970s and 80s, became a preserve for gay sex and communion. In assiduously recording both the architecture of the piers and the amorous action they housed, Baltrop created a monument to the city itself at the time when it was both falling apart and radiating liberationist energy. (Cotter) 718-681-6000, bronxmuseum.org MAKING MARVELS: SCIENCE & SPLENDOR AT THE COURTS OF EUROPE at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through March 1). This exhibition brings together nearly 170 elaborately crafted objects, many never seen in the United States: the mesmerizing 41-carat Dresden Green, an ornate silver table decorated with sea nymphs, a clock with Copernicus depicted in gilded brass. Some, like a chariot carrying the wine god Bacchus, are spectacularly inventive Bacchus can raise a toast, roll his eyes and even stick out his tongue. Some, like a charming rhinoceros, a collage created from tortoiseshell, pearls and shells, are merely lovely. The show could have been simply a display of ornamental wealth for the one percent of long ago, an abundance of gold and silver that was meant to be shown off in any way possible. But Making Marvels is about more than that. (James Barron) 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org MASTER DRAWINGS NEW YORK at various locations (Jan. 25-Feb. 1). Painting and sculpture often overshadow drawing, or what Roberta Smith, the co-chief art critic of The New York Times, has called the most intimate of art mediums. But this annual showcase on the Upper East Side, which takes place at more than 20 locations clustered around Madison Avenue (as well as at Sothebys and Christies), spotlights works of paper and ink, charcoal or graphite. Among the highlights are Moeller Fine Arts The Enchanted World of Lyonel Feininger, a collection of drawings and painted wooden pieces by that German-American artist, and the reunion of Guercinos recently rediscovered Aurora with its preparatory drawing at Christopher Bishop Fine Art. (Libbey) masterdrawingsnewyork.com CHARLES RAY AND THE HILL COLLECTION at the Hill Art Foundation (through Feb. 15). This Los Angeles-based sculptor is one of the most painstaking artists working today; hes certainly among the slowest, taking years to finish a single statue of silver or aluminum, and that makes every exhibition of his an event. This knife-sharp show, which Ray has installed himself with his habitual exactitude, contrasts five bronzes of the 15th and 16th centuries (of a lion, of Bacchus, of Christ on the cross) with his own sculptures of a sleeping mime reclining on a daybed, or a mountain lion tearing into a stray dog in the Hollywood Hills. Where his Renaissance and Baroque predecessors used molds and wax to cast their sculptures, Ray relies on 3-D scanning and CNC machining: highly precise technologies that translate objects into data that can be output to a robotic mill. But his concerns are the same as artists 500 years gone how bodies can be transubstantiated into precious metal, and take on new meaning and value. (Farago) 212-337-4455, hillartfoundation.org T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR at the American Museum of Natural History (through Aug. 9). Everyones favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only in this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which packed a punch that has never been matched by any other creature; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with believe it! a soft coat of beige or white feathers. (Farago) 212-769-5100, amnh.org The issue in two cases the court agreed on Jan. 17 to hear one from Washington state and one from Colorado is whether individual members of the electoral college are free to vote for whomever they please, or whether states may pass laws requiring them to cast votes for the candidate to whom they pledged their votes prior to the election. Such laws exist in 29 states and the District, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures; they conform to the widespread public expectation, developed over centuries of common practice, that each states electoral votes will go to the winner of its popular vote except for Maine and Nebraska, which award some by congressional district. Vijayawada: Having failed to pass the three capitals Bill, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will recommend to the Centre to abolish the State Legislative Council soon. Replying to a debate on Tuesdays developments in the Council, initiated by minister for legislative affairs Buggana Rajen-dranath Reddy in the legislative Assembly on Thursday, the CM said, I felt pain after witnessing how the Council functioned on Wednesday with the Leader of the Oppos-ition N. Chandrababu Naidu sitting in the VIP gallery and influencing the chairman to take a decision to favour of his party by referring the two Bills to the select committee. This has shattered my hopes and that of five crore people of the State. The chairman failed to take independent decision due to the presence of Naidu in the gallery. We introduced the Bills in the Council with a hope that they may be either accepted, amended or even rejected. But this did not happen. As per rule, there is no chance for the Bills to be referred to the select committee. However, the Chair used discretionary powers despite having no such provision. His decision is unfortunate and if we accept people who misuse the Council, it will not be right and so we should not accept his decision. The chairman admitted to a mistake on the pretext of procedural lapses and again committed another mistake by referring the Bills to the select committee. Is it not murder of democracy? he asked. He said that to avoid such mistakes again, they need to think on the need to have an Upper House in the state as out of 28 states in the country, only six have bicameral legislature. Maintaining that the Assembly has highly qualified members and professionals like doctors, engineers, lawyers, actors, teachers and former civil servants, the CM asked whether the Council was needed to represent professionals and intellectuals. He said that the Council was not using its brains and either delaying or stalling the Bills and flouting norms. When it failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people, there was no need for it to function any longer, he said. In the Constitution, there is no word called capital and it is the seat of governance for administration. People in the State have voted to decentralise governance. Where the CM works with his secretaries is the Secretariat. A resolution is enough to govern the State from anywhere in it. Assembly can also be set up anywhere and under Article 174 of the Constitution, legislation can be done from anywhere in the State. The State Government set up the Legislative Council to give suggestions to it as the Council has intellectuals. It is not mandatory at all. If the Council works with political motives and stalls Bills passed by the Assembly, it will not help the people. We are spending `1 crore a day to run the Council and if it functions for 60 days in a year, we have to spend `60 crore. Lets decide whether to continue the Council or not to clean up the system through a debate in the Assembly on January 27, he said. Earlier, finance minister Buggna Rajendranath Reddy alleged that Mr Naidu sat in the VIP gallery for four hours to influence Council chairman M.D. Sharif. Any attempt to influence the Chair was tantamount to violation of rule. He objected to remarks of Leader of Opposition in the Council Yanamala Ramakrishnudu saying that ministers had entered the Council after consuming liquor on Wednesday. The Council sheltering those who failed to get elected, he said. Criticising Mr Chandrababu Naidu, Minister for Civil Supplies Kodali Venkateswara Rao said that the CMs impact had forced him to sit in the gallery and predicted that Naidu would sit in the Assembly VIP gallery soon. He credited late CM Y.S.R. Reddy with helping Mr N. Lokesh to become MLC as it was he who revived the Council during his regime earlier. YSR Congress MLA Ambati Rambabu slammed Chandrababu Naidu for manipulating the system, including judiciary, legislature and media, and alleged that he was trying to play politics even in the Council session to stall the Bills. Deputy CM Pilli Subash Chandra Bose underlined the need to rewrite the procedures in making legislation if they were being subjected to misuse. He said that when they informed the CM to opt for a Joint Select Committee as they have eight members out of 12 so that they would have an upper hand in passing Bills, the latter refused as he wanted fair play by the Council. After several members spoke at length on the issue, Speaker Tammineni Sitaram adjourned the Assembly to resume on January 27 to discuss the Council issue. Nhan Dan Newspaper shares the story on opening a Vietnamese class of a Vietnamese mother living in Kawagoe, Japan. I was lucky! Once I happened to reopen old videos in my phone, I heard the chirping voice of my daughter when she was in Vietnam at just over three years old. Short poems such as "Green cabbage", "Little duck" or songs like "Goodbye doll" and "I love my grandmother resounded in the pure and immature voice. A regret suddenly rose up in my heart. I realized that I had lost something precious: my daughter's Vietnamese. The cherry blossom season in April 2019 is when I started planning the opening of a small Vietnamese class for Vietnamese children aged six years and older living around Kawagoe, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The classes lessons are designed based on the contents of textbooks from Vietnams Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), mainly books of Vietnamese and Writing Vietnamese. I teach children from grade 1 to grade 5 and beyond. With regards to managing and operating a classroom, I was really confused. Fortunately, I have attended the classroom of my daughter who was in first grade at a Japanese elementary school, and I learned how the teacher managed a classroom of children who could not sit still for a long time. Regarding the venue for the class, from the beginning, I wanted to organize a free class for students. Each week I spend about 10 hours to prepare lessons and teach. Therefore, I wanted to find a study location near the train station for transportation, adequate facilities for the children to feel comfortable, and most importantly free of charge. I was fortunate to receive the support of Kawagoe City and I was provided free use of an International Center's classroom for two hours every Sunday afternoon. So, I had it all! Through a facebook group of Vietnamese moms in Japan with over 20,000 members, I sent a notice about Vietnamese classes in Kawagoe. Teachers, students and parents met in a friendly and warm atmosphere at the first class on July 28, 2019. Efforts for each lesson The students in the class had limited communication ability and a very small vocabulary so their ability to express themselves was much simpler than their peers in Vietnam, so I had to quickly change the lesson plan, add more auxiliary materials to enrich their understanding of life, nature, food, regions, and the history of the country. For example, in a textbook, the vocabulary is introduced as: ca ro (perch), qua me (tamarind), qua khe (starfruit) or be cau (spathe of the areca tree) which are things the students have never seen or heard of, and probably will rarely use. At first, I was eager to set a goal for the class: reading and writing fluently, so I was hasty to teach practicing writing and rhymes. But the students ability to speak was completely "dormant" because Japanese completely dominated their daily lives and studies. After each week, when meeting again, my students and I tell each other about what happened during the week, the delicious food that was eaten, the new items purchased by parents, the achievements or even the sad memories. This is my favorite moment because I will listen to the lovely Vietnamese language of overseas Vietnamese children. Vietnamese language - Connecting wire Each week has only two hours of class time, so I created an additional programme of 30 minutes per day, seven days per week, for the parents to study with their children daily. This functions as homework for both the parents and the children to maintain the habit of studying and using Vietnamese. I feel greatly encouraged by the efforts of families to participate in the class. Some families live far away; every week the whole family drives for an hour to take the children to class. In the evening after the children go to bed, the moms join the class' chat group to send each other videos on learning to read, learning to write or simply to share stories about their children. I understand that Vietnamese parents have tried and worked hard to build a life in Japan. We can work 10 to 12 hours a day and we worry about our children's futures. But we forget that it takes only 30 minutes a day for us to help our children keep the Vietnamese language - the most effective and longest lasting connecting wire between children and their parents, grandparents and siblings, as well as with their homeland. The Vietnamese class is a place where we meet, encourage, and urge each other to maintain this determination. We changed ourselves first, by repeating the habit of using Vietnamese in daily communication within the family. Because families are a small environment in which to communicate in Vietnamese with our children. We have done it together and will continue to keep Vietnamese for our children. More than 40 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, attended ceremonies at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, which held a commemoration on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. which FRANCE 24 visited. The millions who disappeared into the darkness of Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps during World War II are commemorated by miniature sculptures at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, located on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Dr. Robert Rozett, the senior historian in a research institute at the memorial, says "this subject is still central to the world. There are around a million people who visit our museum each year, he told FRANCE 24. The majority come from abroad. They do not necessarily have any connection, through their family, to the Holocaust. I think a lot of people have understood that if you want to understand Israel, you have to understand the Holocaust." Founded in 1953, Yad Vashem is a museum, a memorial and also a research center, with an archive of millions of documents and a library of 170,000 books. It has gathered information on 4.8 of the six million killed during the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people, and it continues its research. "We are constantly discovering new materials which provide new answers and new knowledge on these subjects but which also pose new questions," Rozett says. Click on the player above to watch our special report. Taiwan bans entry of visitors from Wuhan on coronavirus fears ROC Central News Agency 01/22/2020 11:21 PM Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Wednesday that visitors from Wuhan will not be permitted to enter Taiwan for the time being, as the government is seeking to prevent the spread of a deadly new coronavirus that originated in the central China city. The ban applies to independent visitors as well as people in tour groups from Wuhan in Hubei Province, where the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been raging since last December, according to the MAC, the government agency that handles cross-Taiwan Strait exchanges. In a statement, the MAC said the decision was made after a meeting Wednesday morning with representatives from the Tourism Bureau, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, and National Immigration Agency (NIA). After the meeting, the MAC said that as part of Taiwan's efforts to prevent the spread of the pneumonia-like infectious disease, it has decided to limit unnecessary exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, while the NIA said will stop issuing entry permits to tourists from Wuhan. According to the NIA, it has revoked 429 entry permits previously issued for group tours from Wuhan at the end of January. Residents of other cities in Hubei are advised not to apply for entry permits to Taiwan at this time, either for sightseeing, business, medical care, or visits to relatives, the NIA said. Hubei residents who have already obtained entry permits should postpone their travel plans, the NIA said. Taiwan has been taking steps to prevent the spread of the Wuhan virus, particularly after it confirmed its first case on Tuesday. The patient, a Taiwanese businesswoman in her 50s who lives in Wuhan, had returned to Taiwan on Monday with a fever and cough and was immediately hospitalized and quarantined. She later tested positive for the 2019-nCoV. On Tuesday, Taiwan raised its travel alert for Wuhan to the highest level in its three-tier system, advising people not to go there and urging travel agencies to cancel all trips between Taiwan and the Chinese city. (By Huang Li-yun, Shen Peng-ta and Frances Huang) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A look at some of the biggest headlines in the world today. Senate passes impeachment trial rules to punt on witnesses The Senate early Wednesday morning approved rules for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on a party-line vote that delays the question of whether the Senate should subpoena witnesses and documents until later in the trial. Wuhan coronavirus death toll rises to nine with 440 infected says China, sparking fears of wider spread The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus has risen to nine, as dozens more cases were reported across China and as far afield as the western United States sparking fears of a possible pandemic. Ancient aquatic system revealed by bushfires Extensive water channels built by indigenous Australians thousands of years ago to trap and harvest eels for food have been revealed after wildfires burned away thick vegetation in the state of Victoria. Summer in Australia: Fires, floods deadly spiders Australia has already dealt with extreme fires, flooding and hail this year. Now experts are warning people to watch out for deadly funnel-web spiders due to perfect conditions for the arachnid to thrive. Toyota and Honda recall millions of vehicles Two of Japans biggest automakers, Toyota and Honda, are recalling millions of cars over unrelated safety issues. Harry reunites with Meghan in Canada as couple warn media over photos Prince Harrys plans for a more peaceful life away from the royal spotlight have already been cast into doubt as he joined his wife, Meghan, and son, Archie, in Canada on Tuesday amid a fresh paparazzi feud. Boeing has temporarily stopped making 737 Max airplanes The Boeing 737 Max is now on hold. Oldest known asteroid strike may have ended Snowball Earth More than 2 billion years ago, an asteroid slammed into Earth and created a 43-mile wide crater in Western Australias outback. Now, researchers believe it is the oldest known impact crater, predating others by 200 million years. And its possible that the impact led to a great thaw as Earth exited a global frozen state. Man strangles rabid coyote to death after it attacks his son Ian OReilly killed a coyote in New Hampshire Monday after it grabbed his 2-year-old son by his jacket hood and dragged him to the ground. New China virus could mutate and spread further A new virus that has killed nine people could mutate and spread further, Chinese health officials have warned, as they step up containment measures. There are now 440 confirmed cases of the outbreak that originated from a market with illegal wildlife in Wuhan. Saudi Arabia: Bezos phone hack claim is absurd Saudi Arabia has denied that its crown prince was responsible for hacking Amazon boss Jeff Bezos phone. A message from a phone number used by the prince has been implicated in the data breach, according to reports. The kingdoms US embassy said the stories were absurd and called for an investigation into them. The alphabets at risk of extinction On his first two days of school, in a village above the Bangladeshi port of Chittagong, Maung Nyeu was hit with a cane. This was not because he was naughty. It was simply that Nyeu could not understand what the teacher was saying, or what was written in his textbooks. Donald Trumps Impeachment Defense Is That Democrats Are Bad WASHINGTON As the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump began on Tuesday, his lawyers offered a bombastic and truth-challenged defense of the president that insisted the real bad actors in all of this are the Democrats. Trump Tweets Read The Transcripts And Gets Mocked By People Who Have President Donald Trump may be at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, but that didnt stop him from attempting to gaslight America. On Tuesday, the president implored people on Twitter to read the transcripts. Presumedly, he was serious because the tweet was in all caps, the universally recognized signifier that the sender is pissed off about something. Senators bring Apple Watches to Trumps impeachment hearing, breaking no electronics rule Trumps impeachment trial has only just begun yet some senators have already broken the rules, bringing electronic devices into proceedings despite being specifically told not to. As spotted by Roll Call, six Republican senators and one Democratic senator wore Apple Watches during the trials first day on Tuesday, as did an aide to Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Report: Apple to unveil new, cheaper iPhone as early as March If super expensive phones dont get them, maybe cheaper ones will. That seems to be the thinking of Apple, which Bloomberg reports plans to unveil its much anticipated low-cost iPhone as early as March. The phone, which will reportedly look like the iPhone 8, is rumored to have a 4.7 inch screen and a Home button. Doorbell cam captures intense blizzard burying a town in snow Theres snow. And then theres snow. Timelapse footage of a blizzard dumping feet of snow on a neighborhood is giving people a glimpse at how powerful winter storms can be. According to the video description, the video was captured via Nest cam in the town of St. Jeff Bezos reportedly hacked directly by Saudi crown prince over WhatsApp Life is full of grand mysteries. For instance, how did Jeff Bezos dick pics end up in the hands of the National Enquirer? Sometimes, life is kind enough to provide an answer. Or so it would seem today, with the Guardian reporting that the Amazon CEOs phone was likely hacked by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. News outlets have revealed the identity of the gunman who earlier today opened fire in Erebuni Plaza business center. ARMENPRESS reports Hraparak news outlet writes that the gunmans name is Artur Torosyan. Examining his Facebook page it can be assessed that he is the supporter of Robert Kocharyan. Back in August 2019 he made a post, hoping that Kocharyan will be soon in freedom, the news outlet writes, noting that he has many Facebook friends among other supporters of the former jailed President Robert Kocharyan. At 14:45, January 23, Yerevan police received a shots fired call in the Erebuni Plaza Business Center. No one has been injured. The gunman surrendered to the Police after talks with the acting Police Chief of Armenia Arman Sargsyan. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan This company article has been removed. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dozens of government computers sit in a nondescript building here, able to connect to a data model that could help farmers manage the impact of a changing climate on their crops. But no one in this federal agency would know how to access the model, or, if they did, what to do with the data. That's because the ambitious federal researcher who created it in Washington quit rather than move when the Agriculture Department relocated his agency to an office park here last fall. He is one of hundreds of scientists across the federal government who have been forced out, sidelined or muted since President Donald Trump took office. The exodus has been fueled broadly by administration policies that have diminished the role of science as well as more specific steps, such as the relocation of agencies away from the nation's capital. While the administration has come under fire for prioritizing the concerns of industry at the expense of science in government decisions, the cumulative effects are just beginning to appear after three years of Trump in the White House. Some farmers said the USDA staff upheaval has made it harder to access information they need. Torrential rains last spring dashed the plans of Liz Brownlee, who runs a livestock farm with her husband, to expand her pasture in Crothersville, Indiana. Then an unseasonably dry autumn brought 90-degree days that baked the farmers' seeds. "With all this uncertainty from climate change, I need the best data possible" to know when to plant, she said. "I'm worried I'm not going to have it." In the first two years of the Trump administration, more than 1,600 federal scientists left government, according to Office of Personnel Management employment data analyzed by The Washington Post. That represents a 1.5% drop, compared with the 8% increase during the same period in the Obama administration. One-fifth of the high-level appointee positions in science are vacant - normally filled by experts who shape policy and ensure research integrity. Of those who departed, the numbers were greatest among social scientists, soil conservationists, hydrologists and experts in the physical sciences - chemistry, geology, astronomy and physics. At the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 700 scientists have left in the past three years, according to The Post analysis. The EPA has hired 350 replacements. Linda Birnbaum, who spent four decades working on toxicology and public health issues at the EPA and National Institutes of Health before retiring in October, said the loss of expertise weakens the government's ability to make sound decisions. "It's going to take a long time for government science to come back. There's little doubt about that," said Birnbaum, who serves as an adjunct professor at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She added that NIH has remained well-insulated because it enjoys bipartisan support in Congress. "But when I look at colleagues in other agencies, especially any agency that has any regulatory role, they're decimated," she said. Trump administration officials dismiss that notion, saying much of the criticism comes from activists outside the federal government. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt points out that he is the first secretary to enlist a career federal scientist to serve as his scientific adviser. "I've got an ideas box, I haven't seen that," he said in an interview, referring to complaints that science has been de-emphasized. "I do hear that from advocates and external parties. And, you know, anybody that looks at these things objectively tends to find that they're without merit." Last year, the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity accused Bernhardt of pushing aside the conclusions reached by career scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding how a pesticide affected endangered species. Eight Democratic senators sought an investigation. Interior's inspector general concluded there was "no evidence" Bernhardt abused his position. As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump called climate change a "hoax." Once in office, he began dismantling much of President Barack Obama's climate plan. He has installed industry figures in regulatory roles and rolled back scores of rules and policies that he considers harmful to the fossil-fuel industry. Trump's actions spurred scientists into the streets, joining protesters for a March for Science rally on the Mall in 2017 and again in 2018. Many scientists who work for the U.S. government or rely on its funding say the changes brought by the Trump administration are being felt across the country. After historic rainfall last spring swept away livestock and grain in the Midwest, crop planting was delayed by weeks. Andrew Crane-Droesch, 38, a researcher at the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service, started work on a data tool that could predict months in advance the impact of, say, heavy rainfall on crop prices or planted fields. He hoped that knowledge could help farmers, commodity traders and government disaster planners prepare. But when Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue moved forward with his controversial plan to relocate the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture - two key research agencies - to Kansas City, Crane-Droesch headed for the exit. He joined two-thirds of affected employees in his division who either retired or found other jobs rather than move to the greater Kansas City region. At the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which oversees $1.7 billion in scientific funding for researchers, nearly 8 of every 10 employees have left. Crane-Droesch, who took a health-research job in Philadelphia, said there's no one left at the USDA who has the time or the know-how to run the model he created or to finish the project. "All that work was for naught, and they nuked the account," he said. "Even if they hired somebody for my portfolio - which I don't think they did - it would take that person quite a while to get up to speed, just as it took me several years." The move to Kansas City has also meant dozens of reports and millions in research funding have been delayed or scuttled as the Agriculture Department scrambled to keep up with departures. The agency has been forced to hire back 21 retired employees on temporary contracts, to stanch its losses. But experts on bee pollination, organic farming, commodity markets and trade are gone, setting back research that has been in process for months or even years. "They never tried to refute our work; they tried to bury it by getting rid of the people who produced the work," Crane-Droesch said. To restore the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service to their size under the Obama administration, the USDA would have to hire more than 400 people. One USDA official said the department has "well over 150 active recruitments in process between both agencies." Current and former employees interviewed said they felt the move to Kansas City was intended to diminish research areas such as trade policy, farm income and climate change; Perdue is a climate skeptic who recently described the problem as "weather patterns, frankly." A USDA spokesman defended the move, saying that Perdue believes the agencies can better serve "customers" - farmers, ranchers, academic institutions and agribusiness - by relocating to Kansas City, "a hub for all things agriculture in America's heartland." The department estimates it will save $300 million over 15 years from employment and rent in Kansas City. Some federal researchers said they left the Trump administration after concluding their work was being undermined. Dan Costa, who worked at the EPA for 34 years before stepping down as director of its air, climate and energy research program in January 2018, said the tipping point for his retirement came when an EPA spokesman undercut a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that the agency had funded. The study found that long-term exposure to levels of soot and smog lower than current national standards can cause premature death among older Americans. Such a finding suggests that current standards don't adequately protect public health, which would have implications for industries that pollute. An unidentified EPA spokesman attacked the study in an interview with the Washington Times, an act Costa called "scientifically unethical." Peter Van Doren, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Insitute, said in an interview that scientists need to remember that they don't set policy. "When nerds and politicians disagree, nerds lose," he said. "Scientists think, 'We are smart, and we ought to decide.' But we don't get to decide." Elsewhere in the government, political appointees have delayed grants for scientific work. At Interior's U.S. Geological Survey, Director James Reilly "felt that he needed to personally look at every grant that went out," according to Bernhardt's science adviser William Werkheiser, who served as Reilly's deputy before joining the secretary's office. The process stalled grants at the agency's climate adaptation science centers for more than six months. The centers fund university research to help wildlife, lands and people adjust to a changing climate. Robin O'Malley, who retired last month as director of one climate adaptation center, said in an interview that the slowdown in hiring and grant approvals has hampered the centers. "They haven't said no to us at any time, they've just made it difficult to move forward," he said. "You're up a creek." Across the government, the administration is scaling back advisory committees that offer input to policymakers from scientists and other experts. Last year, Trump required agencies to eliminate one-third of their advisory panels, with a few exceptions. Will McClintock, a marine scientist who has helped dozens of countries establish marine sanctuaries, used to serve on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Protected Areas federal advisory committee. After seeing that people were mailing in hand-drawn maps to nominate reserves, McClintock created a Google Maps-like program called SeaSketch that allows fishermen, divers and conservationists to propose sanctuary zones alongside scientists and government officials. "I'm bringing lots and lots of expertise, for free, to our federal government," said McClintock, a project scientist at the University of California at Santa Barbara who volunteered on the advisory panel. But before NOAA could adopt the software, his federal advisory committee was eliminated. Some Republicans have supported the executive order to cut advisory committees. "Based on the characterization made by many of my colleagues and their friends in the media, you would think this order was a death blow to science at all the agencies," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler at a hearing in September. "In reality it just seems like a common sense, nonpartisan way to eliminate wasteful committees." The Office of Management and Budget declined to estimate the cost savings from cutting the committees. "The administration is always looking for ways to end redundant and out of date programs - this is an open and closed case where taxpayer resources are better used elsewhere," the office said in a statement. It is unclear whether the USDA relocation will ultimately save taxpayers $300 million over 15 years as promised. For now, employees transferred to Kansas City are working out of an existing USDA office until permanent space is leased. Earlier this month, the boxy building about six miles outside the city's central business district had the feeling of the first day of school. New hires waited to sign in, get security badges and learn where to park. "We lost a lot of people, and we're trying to rebuild," said Daniel Hellerstein, an economist who researches the economic impact of soil conservation. Hellerstein was one of the retiring employees who was temporarily hired back but remains in Washington. "It's going to be difficult because the slots we need are fairly skilled, and there's a lot of competition out there for qualified people." Much of the impact of the federal government's shrinking science capacity will not be felt for years, observers said. "If we're gone, is the world going to be a worse place?" he mused. "I like to think so. But it's not going to be immediate." The chemical exposure could affect the brain, Phebus said, during the hearing. This was a tragic incident involving one of our Beaver Dam employees outside of work hours, Kraft Corporate media contact Michael Mullen said in an email. Given this is now a legal issue, Kraft Heinz has no additional comment. Phebus said a neuropsychologist would need to examine Medina Espinosa and the doctor would not be available for the examination until the middle of the time when the trial had previously been scheduled. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} We havent got what we need in order to be ready to go, Phebus said. Dodge County District Attorney Kurt Klomberg said the information about the chemical exposure at Kraft Heinz was in the information collected for the trial. They also learned after contacting Kraft that Medina Espinosa had requested to work overtime two days after the incident. The report suggests he wasnt extensively injured, Klomberg said. Klomberg objected to the attempt to delay the trial. Its very rare when a judge doesnt grant a continuation in a serious case, Bauer said. JACKSON, MI A prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole is tough, too tough if you ask convicted murderer Anthony Gelia. He will have to make do, though, as the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence Tuesday, Jan. 21, keeping him in prison for the rest of his life. Gelia, 22, was convicted in 2018 of one count each of first-degree felony murder, first-degree home invasion and felony firearms for the shooting death of 26-year-old Brittany Southwell. Jurors concluded Gelia, then 19, kicked in the door of a house in the 400 block of Jefferson Street in Jackson on election night, Nov. 8, 2016, and fired several shots inside the home, one of which struck and killed Southwell. Jurors watch accused killers Facebook Live recording of fatal shooting Southwell died from a single gunshot wound shortly after being taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Health. She was holding her infant child when she was shot, witnesses said. Jurors watched a Facebook Live video recorded by Gelia which showed him making threatening remarks about police, passing motorists and people watching the stream, challenging them to come fight him all while he waved a handgun in front of the screen. Near the end of the video, it showed Gelia kick in the door of the house and enter. Jurors couldnt see what happened next, as the recording was moving quickly, but they could hear several gunshots and screams along with Gelias voice. I deserve to do this time, man sentenced to life for killing woman on Facebook Live says Gelia argues the life sentence he was given on his felony murder conviction constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, arguing jurors shouldnt have been shown the Facebook Live recording he made of the shooting or listened to the 911 call made by the victims boyfriend. Throughout the trial, Gelias attorney argued a charge of involuntary manslaughter was more appropriate in Gelias case rather than the felony murder charge he was convicted on. The appellate court disagreed, stating Gelia failed to show his life sentence was outside the norm for cases similar to his, and that arguing his age at the time of the crime was not sufficient enough for a reduced sentence. The court found the admission of the video was allowable, as well, as it could have allowed the jury to determine defendants intent leading up to the shooting, notwithstanding the jurys actual verdict with the added benefit of hindsight, the court wrote. In the video, jurors saw Gelia chug a bottle of liquor which he stated, in his appeal, impaired his mental capacity, court records show. In his appeal, Gelia submitted an affidavit from a psychiatrist stating its possible for a person his age, diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, to become temporarily insane after consuming drugs and alcohol. The affidavit bared little weight as it was only a general analysis and that the psychiatrist did not personally evaluate Gelia. To read all the stories related to the shooting, click here. More from The Jackson Citizen Patriot: Opioid rehab apartments in Jackson get state funding restored after governors veto You cannot have our guns: Group urges Jackson to be 2nd Amendment sanctuary county Man sentenced for sexual assault, strangulation, kidnapping in Jackson Officials warn of thin ice as Center Lake dam opens SYRACUSE, NY A former Syracuse surgeon is accusing SUNY Downstate Medical Center of firing him because he complained about problems that caused patient harm and deaths in the Brooklyn hospitals heart surgery and organ transplant programs. Dr. Rainer Gruessner says in a lawsuit SUNY Downstate Medical Center ousted him as chair of the department of surgery and chief of transplant surgery last year after he uncovered deficiencies that plagued SUNY Downstate for years in terms of its significant mortality and morbidity rates. SUNY Downstate recruited Gruessner in 2017 from SUNY Upstate Medical University where he was the transplant surgery chief. Gruessner came to Upstate in 2016 and grew its transplant program. Upstate had only been doing kidney transplants. Under Gruessner, Upstate expanded into pancreas transplants. Gruessner managed the team of surgeons who saved the life of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after she and 18 others were shot Jan. 8, 2011 in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, Arizona. At the time he was the chair of the department of surgery at the University of Arizona. In his lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court, Gruessner says SUNY Downstate recruited him to rebuild and expand its troubled surgical services. SUNY Downstate told the Wall Street Journal it does not comment on pending litigation, but said we take our patient care mission very seriously. After he went to SUNY Downstate, Gruessner hired Karen Olivera, a transplant administrator from Upstate, and Dr. Frederic Joyce, a Utica heart surgeon, to help him turn around SUNY Downstates surgery program, according to the lawsuit. SUNY Downstate also abruptly fired them last year as part of its retaliation, the suit says. Gruessner is still on the faculty at SUNY Downstate. Hes seeking reinstatement to his positions as chair of the surgery department and transplant surgery chief. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. By the end of this school year, students at about 20 Houston ISD campuses could pass through metal detectors under a plan receiving strong consideration from district officials, Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said Thursday. In her first extended comments about school security since the on-campus shooting death of a Bellaire High School student last week, Lathan said her administration is heavily looking at installing metal detectors in all 105 district middle and high schools. HISD officials have received metal detector price quotes and reviewed discipline data to determine which campuses would receive the first batch of machines, which could be installed within two to three months of placing an order, Lathan said. Weve already started that process, Lathan said Thursday following a meeting with students at Bellaire. We know projected numbers for what we would need as it relates to metal detectors. Lathan said district administrators have not definitively decided to employ metal detectors, calling it kind of 50-50 amid ongoing discussions about security. The introduction of metal detectors would require approval from HISD trustees, some of whom have expressed skepticism about the devices. Under preliminary proposals, each campus would receive two to four metal detectors. HISD Interim Police Chief Paul Cordova said each machine would cost $5,000 to $6,000, putting the total price tag for equipping all middle and high schools above $1 million. The district could have to hire additional staff to operate the devices, Lathan said. HISD is expected to receive nearly $2 million in additional state funding this fiscal year for school security, which Texas lawmakers allocated following the May 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 people dead. District officials could use that money to pay for metal detectors in addition to or instead of other safety upgrades. The prospect of metal detectors and other security changes in the states largest school district follows the death of Cesar Cortes, 19, who was fatally shot Jan. 14 by another student on school grounds. A 16-year-old boy, who is charged as a juvenile with manslaughter, appears to have fired the weapon accidentally, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. On HoustonChronicle.com: Bellaire teens classmates call for voice in security changes HISD does not regularly employ metal detectors or require clear backpacks at its campuses. Aldine and Spring ISDs, the regions fifth- and 12th-largest districts, respectively, have employed metal detectors for several years. The metro areas second-largest district, Cy-Fair ISD, implemented a clear backpack mandate after the Santa Fe shooting. HISD did not implement significant security changes following the Santa Fe killings. The prospect of metal detectors has drawn support from some who argue the devices will reduce weapons possession on campuses, as well as criticism from others who fear the logistical challenges and the message it would send to students. I definitely see both sides of the argument for metal detectors, said Ernesto Rodriguez, a junior at Bellaire. But, honestly, if it would make the school safer, then it would be the right direction. During the last five years, HISD has reported an average of 58 disciplinary actions a year against students for possessing or using weapons on campus. Nearly all occurred at the districts middle and high schools, as well as its alternative education facilities. Kaelynn Coleman, a junior at Bellaire, said three recent incidents of weapons discovered on campus prior to last weeks shooting illustrate the need for improved security. She said she supports the addition of metal detectors, but opposes a clear backpack mandate. I dont feel like that would be super effective, and it invades peoples privacy, Coleman said. There are plenty of people who wear stuff on their bodies and in baggy clothes. On HoustonChronicle.com: Slain Bellaire student dreamed of joining Army after graduation Lathans comments Thursday came after a meeting with a small group of Bellaire student leaders to hear their concerns about school safety and suggestions for improving security. Lathan also plans to meet with student representatives from all 45 district high schools and convene community leaders in the coming weeks. An online survey seeking feedback on security measures is expected to go live in the next several days. To our parents, you have every right to be upset, Lathan said. You have every right to be concerned. Im upset. HISD Trustee Wanda Adams said district officials would need to gather more feedback from campus staff and community members before moving forward with significant security changes. Adams said the cost of metal detectors and concerns about their effectiveness could dissuade her from supporting the addition. There are just a lot of questions that have to be addressed and answered before I feel comfortable creating policies around this, Adams said. District officials identified the roughly 20 campuses under consideration for the first round of metal detectors by reviewing the number and severity of incidents involving weapons and contraband. Lathan declined to name the 20 schools, saying administrators first would need to consult with campus staff and develop communication plans. jacob.carpenter@chron.com LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) The girlfriend of a man accused of murder said he and his friend returned with bloody clothes after a stabbing. Prosecutors said it all started with what the victim thought would be a money transaction. Court documents are revealing new information in the brutal killing where 57-year-old Charles Sandefur was stabbed 54 times. Charles Sandefur via Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office Charles Sandefur via Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office Thomas Loveless and Matthew Mace were both charged with murder Thursday by the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office. A landlord found Sandefur dead in an Alabama Street apartment on Dec. 13. Prosecutors say Sandefur was likely dead for 17 days before he was found. Prosecutors said Facebook messages between Sandefur and an account named "Ace Capone" began on Nov. 25. Thomas Loveless later admitted the account was his. "Capone" messaged Sandefur asking for money, according to court documents. An arrangement was made for the two to meet at Sandefur's home. Loveless allegedly asked Sandefur if he lived alone, had any pets or weapons, was a veteran or is rich. Court documents say Sandefur responded saying he lived alone and did not have weapons. "Capone" says he has a friend with him and would like to bring him. Prosecutors said "Capone" messaged Sandefur and said he was at the library. Sandefur said he would be there in a few minutes, and "Capone" would later ask where he was. There is no further communication after this. The "Ace Capone" account was deactivated on the morning of Nov. 26. Police also found a message to the account at 11:19 p.m. from a woman asking for "Matt." Prosecutors said the account replied that they were taking a walk to get some money. The woman would later be identified as Matthew Mace's girlfriend. On Dec. 9, police tracked a purchase on Sandefur's stolen debit card to the Village Pantry on South 4th Street. Prosecutors said two purchases were made, totalling less than $10. Surveillance videos show Mace handing Loveless the card for the purchase. Loveless was later brought in for questioning on Jan 14. Police said he had two cellphones on him, one of which was Mace's. Loveless admitted the "Ace Capone" account was his, but said he didn't send the messages to Sandefur. He also admitted he used the card to make purchases at the Village Pantry without permission. Mace was brought in later that day. Mace said he got the stolen debit card from Loveless. Documents show Mace admitted the two men were messaging Sandefur with his phone, but using Loveless' account. Mace told detectives while they were inside Sandefur's apartment, Loveless choked and beat Sandefur. According to prosecutors, Mace claimed he left, and Loveless later told him he stabbed Sandefur. Mace also admitted to taking a TV, Xbox and games from Sandefur. Loveless' story was different, however, when he was called in for questioning a second time. He claimed it was Mace who stabbed and killed Sandefur. However, he admitted he and Mace took Sandefur's items before they left. Police later talked to Mace's girlfriend, who said the two men brought home an Xbox and games to her place "around the end of November in 2019." She said both men had bloody clothes when they came back. She also said Mace told her he had killed someone, and described the stabbing. Thomas Loveless, 28 of Lafayette, is charged with two counts of murder, robbery, robbery resulting in seriously bodily injury, theft and fraud. Matthew Mace, 29 of Lafayette, is charged with the same. Viewers said they felt sorry for Thomas Markle in tonight's bombshell documentary which charted his relationship with the Duchess of Sussex. In a tell-all 90-minute film, he accused his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him and revealed he cried while watching Meghan walk down the aisle on her wedding day. Mr Markle also said that Meghan had promised to look after him in his 'senior years'. He said: At this point, they owe me. The Royals owe me. Harry owes me, Meghan owes me. What I've been through I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that when I reach my senior years she'll take care of me.' Social media users watching the extraordinary film seemed sympathetic to Mr Markle, with a number of people saying he seemed like a good father and a 'genuine guy'. In a tell-all 90-minute film, he accused his daughter and son-in-law of saying 'trashy things' about him and revealed he cried while watching Meghan walk down the aisle on her wedding day Shanelle Stephens said: #ThomasMarkle seems like he was a really decent dad to Meghan. It's so sad now she's married into a prestigious family she doesn't want anything to do with him. 'It's not like he wasn't there for her when she was growing up. He was in your life #MeghanMarkle reach out to him. Captain Tykey said: 'Bless #thomasmarkle, so sad watching this. Clearly loves her very much.' Another Twitter user said: '#Thomasmarkle has every right to tell his story. The guy has been slaughtered across the news and social media for two years.' And Meg La Maniac, said: 'The Thomas Markle documentary is a tear jerker. He's a sweet humble man. Both taz and I are crying!' Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 Mr Markle's intervention in the monarchy's worst crisis for a generation came as the Queen's top aides finalised a deal for the couple, who are quitting as frontline Royals and leaving Britain to seek financial independence. The 90-minute documentary explores the background to what he calls his 'complicated' relationship with his daughter and their dramatic fallout in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. In addition, it charts Meghan's formative years she lived with Thomas between the ages of 11 and 18. U.S. President Donald Trump invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival, Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, to the White House next week to discuss regional mattes and "the possibility of peace in the holy land," Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday, reports Haaretz. Earlier it was reported that the White House intends to release a statement regarding Trump's peace plan soon, according to Israeli officials. Speaking after a joint meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Pence said that at Netanyahu's proposal, he also invited the prime minister's chief political rival, Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, to join the visit. He added that Gantz accepted the invitation and will also meet with Trump at the White House. Netanyahu reiterated that it was his idea to invite Gantz, "Because it is important we don't lose this historic opportunity, with such backing from the White House." According to Channel 12 News' political correspondent and analyst Amit Segal, the White House will present Netanyahu and Gantz a plan that includes applying Israeli sovereignty to all West Bank Israeli settlements save 15, while creating a territorial continuity. In addition, the plan will once again recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and will allow Israel to immediately annex West Bank communities, with Jerusalem agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state at a later time. Dilip Buildcon Ltd on Thursday said that it has executed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) pact with Uttar Pradesh EIDA for development of a road project worth Rs 1,250 crore. "The company has executed the EPC agreement with the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) for...project in the state of Uttar Pradesh," the company said in a BSE filing. The completion period of the project Gorakhpur Link Expressway (Package II) -- from Fulwariya (Ambedkar Nagar) to Salarpur (Azamgarh) in Uttar Pradesh -- is three years, the filing said. The shares of the company were trading at Rs 422.05 apiece on the BSE, up 0.80 per cent from the previous close. A documentary will air shortly on TG4 on what the end of bog harvesting means for midlands communities including Laois. 'Gan Fod' is a one-hour documentary for TG4 that tells the story of a changing Ireland and of our unique relationship with the bog. The programme makers ask what matters more people and jobs or sustainability and the environment? By 2027 Bord na Mona will cease peat harvesting. But with Climate change on everyones mind and Ireland facing massive fines with carbon tax this has been brought forward to 2020. With a just transition leaving workers in limbo, what does this actually mean for the 1,500 employees that are left? Social media is toxic and a sewer says Laois Offaly election candidate Set up in the 1930s, The Turf Development Boards main aim was to generate fuel and electricity for our country, create employment and bring economic activity to rural Ireland. Since then Bord na Mona and the ESB have been the backbone of the midlands communities. Already 600 employees have applied for voluntary redundancies. Minister Charlie Flanagan - Greens climate change policy "would take us over cliff edge" Its expected that a significant amount of jobs will go in the coming months. Most of these employees are men; their average age is over 50. Being replaced with unmanned wind turbines, changing both the landscape and the economic future of the area indefinitely. But is this about more than loss of jobs? What is it about the bogs that we hold dear? Is it a way of life? TG4 meets the people for whom these bogs provided not just an income but also helped form and connect communities, families and were a source of camaraderie. For these people and the generations that went before them the bog provided a way of life. An lot of people dont know about the bogwe know nothing else, we were brought up and reared on itits all we had - Mick Carey, loco driver with Bord na Mona. Eamonn OHanlon owner of the The Mona Bar talks about the knock on effect that will be felt in towns and villages, schools and churches in the midlands. The whole heart of rural Ireland is gone he says. With peatlands covering 1,200,000 hectares of our island, and 80,000 of that owned by Bord na Mona; we are now faced with the single largest change of lands in modern Irish history. We learn how a bog rehabilitation program works and why this work is vital and more importantly, why it needs to happen now. You are going to see a massive transformation in the next few years as peat production comes to an end and these bogs become colonized again with plants and animals Mark Mc Corrie, Bord na Mona Ecologist from Laois. Is there any room for people or community in Irelands decarbonisation plan? As the machines dig deep, so it seems the roots of the dispute run deep too. For the Midlands it is a waiting game as to see its last tranche of industry disappear. Tabu - Gan Fod is on Wednesday February 5 at 9.30pm, TG4 As of press time, the four Republican senators from Nebraska and Iowa had stood united with their party leaders on those votes. They have expressed support for McConnells plan to decide questions such as new witnesses later in the trial. Sen. Deb Fischer released a column this week in which she said Democrats have been looking to impeach Trump since he took office and faulted them for not fighting harder through the courts for the additional information. As disappointed as I am in the way the proceedings were conducted in the House, I must now fulfill my constitutional duty as a juror in the Senate trial, Fischer wrote. Hagel criticized McConnells approach to the trial, including statements the majority leader has made about working with the White House. When McConnell says well, essentially, Im taking my orders from the president, I mean, my goodness, come on, Hagel said. The Senate is an independent body, first article of the Constitution on three co-equal branches of government. This is supposed to be a fair trial, and that just went out the window. Highly ergonomic and minimally invasive cortical strip electrodes on track for commercialization in 2020 MILAN, Italy, January 23, 2020 / B3C newswire / -- WISE Srl, a medical device company developing next-generation implantable leads for neuromonitoring, neuromodulation and brain-machine interfacing, has completed enrolment in the pivotal clinical study of its first product, the WISE Cortical Strip. The WISE Cortical Strip (WCS) is a single use medical device for IntraOperative Neurophysiological Monitoring during brain tumor and epilepsy surgeries. It is used for continuous recording of the brains electrical activity and for brain stimulation. The WIN Study is a prospective, interventional, multi-center, open-label premarket study performed in expert centers in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The study is designed to confirm the safety, performance and intended use of WCS for CE and 510K certification purposes. The study has enrolled a total of 32 patients at Munich University Hospital, Universitatsspital Zurich, Inselspital Bern and University Hospital of Verona. Early data indicates that the WCS has overcome the stiffness and rigidity of traditional cortical strips, resulting in excellent adaptability and better performance in terms of impedances. WISEs proprietary and patented metallization technology enables stretchable and pliable electronic microcircuits to be embedded into biocompatible silicones. Luca Ravagnan, CEO of WISE, said: This is a crucial milestone on our journey towards commercializing our first product. The high level of investigator engagement was a key factor in completing enrolment and Im looking forward to making this technology available for patients and physicians. Our full results will be published later this year and will be used to complete CE Mark and 510k certification. Prof. Dr. med. A. Szelenyi from Munich University Hospital, coordinating investigator of the WIN Study, concluded: I am pleased that patient recruitment was completed and would like to express my thanks to all collaborators in this multi-center study. Now, we are looking forward to the final analysis, discussion and presentation of the results. The interim analysis demonstrated the good adherence of the flexible strip to the cortex with very good electrical features regarding recording and stimulation. WISE Srl will be exhibiting at the Annual Meeting of The North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), Las Vegas, 23-26 January 2020, and will be presenting at the Emerging Technology Forum of NANS on the 23rd January 2020 on company's products and technology Soft electrodes: New frontiers for brain-machine interfaces. For more information about the meeting please visit: https://conference.neuromodulation.org/ About WISE Srl WISE is developing a genuinely new generation of leads for Neuromonitoring, Neuromodulation and Brain Machine Interfacing by means of its proprietary Supersonic Cluster Beam Implantation (SCBI) technology. Neuromonitoring and Neuromodulation require electrodes and leads to be surgically implanted on neural tissues (as for instance the brain and the spinal cord) to apply electrical stimuli or to record the electrical activity. The leads produced using WISEs new SCBI technology consist of stretchable electronic circuits integrated in very thin elastomeric foils. As a result, WISEs electrodes are highly ergonomic, conformable, soft and thin, thus allowing great adhesion, minimal invasiveness and excellent adaptability on neural tissues. In parallel with the clinical trial for its first product for Neuromonitoring, the WISE Cortical Strip (WCS), WISE is developing the first EXpandable PERcuTaneous SCS lead (SCS EXPERTTM lead) for the treatment of chronic pain by Neuromodulation, a market with large constant growth rates and an unmet medical need. Founded in 2011 by a team of material scientists coming from the University of Milan, WISE has so far received funding from Agite!, Atlante Seed and Atlante Ventures, b-to-v, HTGF, Principia SGR and private investors. Since 2016 the Company has established its Production Plant in Cologno Monzese, Milan, Italy (1000 m2 wide, comprising cleanrooms and production laboratories compliant for the manufacturing of implantable medical devices) and has an office in Berlin, Germany. About Munich University Hospital Munich University Hospital (LMU) treats around 500.000 outpatients, inpatients and semi-residential patients each year at its Grohadern and City Centre Campuses. Just over 2,000 beds are available to its 29 specialist clinics, eleven institutes and five departments, and its 45 interdisciplinary centres. Of a total of 9,450 employees, around 1,600 are doctors and 3,200 are nursing staff. Munich University Hospital has been a public-law institution since 2006. Together with the Medical Faculty of Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich University Hospital is involved in four special research areas of the German Research Foundation (SFB 684, 914, 1054, 1123), three Transregios (TRR 127, 128, 152) belonging to Clinical Research Group 809, and two Graduate Colleges belonging to the German Research Foundation (GK 1091, 1202). This is in addition to the Center for Integrated Protein Sciences (CIPSM), Munich Center of Advanced Photonics (MAP), Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM) and Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy) all institutes of excellence and the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN-LMU), the Graduate School of Quantitative Biosciences Munich (QBM) and the Graduate School Life Science Munich (LSM). About Universitatsspital Zurich Universitatsspital Zurich is regarded as one of the top neurosurgical teaching and research hospitals in Switzerland and in Europe. The founding of neurosurgery allowed the Swiss school of neurosurgery to develop and influenced the rise of modern neurosurgery in Europe. Over the decades, it has laid the grounds for important developments in the specialty; in particular, in the areas of vascular, skull base, epilepsy and neuro-oncological surgery. As such, it continues to be among the top teaching institutions not only in Switzerland, but also in Europe, and is visited by many students, postdocs and surgical fellows. About Inselspital Bern The Inselspital, also named the University Hospital of Bern, is one of the five university hospitals of Switzerland. Currently, the hospital employs a staff of over 7,200 and provides care for 250,000 patients each year. It also provides practical training to 600 medical students and over 1,000 other healthcare professionals. About University Hospital of Verona The University Hospital of Verona is the second largest hospital trust in Italy in terms of the number of hospital beds, and the fifth largest in term of admission. All the high specialties are to be found in the University Hospital of Verona, from heart surgery to organ transplant, from pediatric oncohaematology to the serious burns unit to IORT (intraoperatory radiotherapy). All of them guarantee diagnosis, therapy and care of a very high standard, achieved also through the use of an interdisciplinary approach. Contacts WISE Srl Dr. Luca Ravagnan, CEO +39 02 84962493 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Media enquiries Instinctif Partners Tim Watson / Kiki Zaccagnini +44 20 7457 2844 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Keywords: Humans; Chronic Pain; Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring; Electric Impedance; Silicones; Epilepsy; Brain Neoplasms; Stereotaxic Techniques; Brain; Electrodes; Certification Published by B3C newswire and shared through Newronic Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday finally responded to party leader Pavan K Varmas letter questioning the Janata Dal (United) decision to extend the alliance with the BJP to Delhi. Kumar said he was surprised by Varmas public statements and made it clear that the former diplomat was free to exit the party if he wanted. He can go and join any party he likes. My best wishes, the chief minister said on Thursday, two days after Varma wrote a letter to the chief minister on the BJP alliance for the Delhi elections. Varma had left red faces in his party after he quoted from his private conversations with the chief minister. Nitish Kumar, he had written, mentioned to him that the BJPs policies were inimical to the countrys interests and were leading India into a dangerous space. Also Watch l Free to join any party: Nitish Kumar slams party leader Pavan Varma When you (Kumar) were leading the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), you openly made a call for RSS-mukt Bharat (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh free India), he said. ... I remember your confessing to me in private how the current leadership in the BJP party has humiliated you If these are your real views, I fail to understand how the JD (U) is now extending its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar, when even long-standing allies of the BJP, like the Akali Dal, have refused to do so, Varma had written. On Thursday when reporters asked Nitish Kumar about his party colleague, the JDU boss made his displeasure clear. I respect him even if he does not respect us. He can go where he wants, there is no objection to that. But (he should) try to understand Janata Dal United. Dont try to assess the party on the basis of statements by some people. Janata Dal United acts with determination. Our stand on everything is very clear. There is no confusion, Kumar said. The chief minister had referred to Varmas letter extensively quoting from their conversations. If someone still has a view, he should discuss it. If necessary, at a party forum. But to give a statement like this. You see, it is surprising the kind of statement he has given about what we had spoken about. Now will I say what we had spoken about, he said. Pavan Varma responded to the barbs from his party boss. He told news channel News 18 that he was glad that the chief minister had finally taken cognisance of his letter. This was the second letter, Varma told the news channel, underscoring that the first one, which wasnt released, had gone unresponded. He also rebutted allegations that most of his statements were linked to personal ambition. Varma, who quit the Indian Foreign Service to join Nitish Kumars party, said he has had a good innings at the JDU and never had any regrets about joining the party. The Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at Lamar University has been shuttered after school officials confirmed they were investigating a credible report of physical hazing, the fraternitys national governing board announced Wednesday. Lamar spokeswoman Shelly Vitanza confirmed the university placed the 24-member local chapter on interim suspension last Friday. She declined to elaborate on what kind of hazing was alleged. The university takes seriously any report of a rule violation by campus organizations, Vitanza said. The office of the dean of students immediately began an investigation. At least some of the student members lived in a house off-campus, but Vitanza said it was not a fraternity house just a house that SigEps have shared over the years. Several individuals at the house on Wednesday told an Enterprise photographer to leave. SigEps purpose is to develop balanced men who make a difference in their communities, Sigma Phi Epsilon CEO Brian Warren said in a written statement. Hazing flies in the face of the personal growth and support that SigEp seeks to provide, and there is simply no room for it in the fraternity experience. Other chapters of the male fraternal organization have also shuttered in recent months due to similar allegations of hazing. When students fail to foster a culture of dignity and respect, the fraternity must hold our chapters and individuals accountable for their poor decisions, Warren said. The fraternity left a national association of collegiate men's fraternities in 2019, citing differences over their vision for how to enhance health and safety in the fraternity experience and partner with our host institutions. Sigma Phi Epsilons national website acknowledges that hazing continues to be a real problem within our organization and so many others. SigEp wants to lead the charge to eradicate hazing within all collegiate Greek-letter organizations, the page reads. We promise that any brother who is found responsible for hazing other men will be held accountable for his actions. Vitanza said the investigation is ongoing, and that no legal action is being taken at this time. isaac.windes@hearstnp.com twitter.com/isaacdwindes A rogue wombat dubbed 'Mr Bat' has been forcibly removed after terrorising a community for 12 months in a series of home invasions via cat flaps. The furry animal's rampage through Longford, in Tasmania's northern midlands, ended on Monday when authorities managed to catch him. For a year, Mr Bat has entered homes and ransacked them. Raiding fridges, making beds out of cushions and tunnelling under fences. Wombat 'Mr Bat' (pictured) was detained on Monday in Longford and relocated to Cradle Mountain Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service captured the intruder, who had been hiding out in council pipes during the day and rampaging at night, by setting up a trap in a Burley Street yard. Mr Bat was relocated to Cradle Mountain National Park, 134km west, where a dense population of wild wombats reside. Northern Midlands Councillor Matthew Brooks who has caught Mr Bat snacking on his lawn said his first run-in with the wombat happened three months ago. 'I noticed square droppings on the path first and said to my wife I think we have a wombat and she said don't be ridiculous,' he said. Councillor Brooks said catching Mr Bat (pictured) was harder than authorities imagined and it took a week to lure him into a trap Councillor Brooks said although Mr Bat had behaved like a pest, residents were mainly concerned about his welfare. He had also broken into elderly residents' homes which could be hazardous. 'Our major concern was getting him before he was run over,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'If he had gotten into an elderly person's home, and they got up in the dark to check, he could have potentially knocked them over.' Despite his behaviour, Councillor Brooks said the wombat was not aggressive at all and the four-legged thief was 'quite a cute sight'. 'They [residents] would hear something rustling downstairs at 3am in the morning and get up to go see what it was, and find a wombat greeting them in the passage,' he said. 'It's been quite a comical few months trying to get pictures and find out who had him in their home last night, eating their lettuce and vegetables.' Because the marsupial was not afraid of humans, Councillor Brooks said he was probably hand-raised. 'I reckon someone had raised him up and he's gotten too destructive and they have released him.' BAGHDAD - Government inaction over the rising number of assassinations targeting anti-government demonstrators and supporters is stirring fear and resentment, activists said Thursday. Iraqi security forces, meanwhile, fired tear gas to disperse protesters on a vital Baghdad highway, injuring eight. The latest episode of unrest comes one day ahead of a planned million-man march called for by influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to push for the removal of foreign troops from Iraq. The march has garnered support from other mainstream Shiite political parties irate over a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general on Iraqi soil. Iraqs anti-government protesters recently escalated demonstrations to divert public attention back to pressing domestic issues after soaring U.S.-Iran tensions following the strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The strike sent officials scrambling to contain the fallout and prompted a vote in Iraqs parliament, albeit non-binding, in favour of ousting U.S. troops from the country. Now in its fourth month, protesters are calling for new executive leadership and widespread reforms, including electoral reform. At least 12 people have died since protesters intensified their campaign of civil disobedience last week by burning tires and cutting roads and rallying larger crowds to join their movement, according to figures from medical and security officials in Baghdad and Iraqs south, as well as activists. Over 500 have been killed since Oct. 1, when thousands of Iraqis took to the streets, under fire from security forces. On Thursday, at least eight protesters were injured when security forces fired tear gas to disperse crowds on the vital Mohammed al-Qassim highway, medical and security officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The artery has been the focus of recent protest violence. The highway connects areas in Baghdads Rusafa, a district to the east of the Tigris River. On Tuesday, clashes on the thoroughfare broke out when riot police moved in to disperse a crowd of mostly young men who had gathered there. The recent escalation coincided with an rise in targeted assassinations of protesters, as well as medics and journalists covering demonstrations, according to activists in Baghdad and southern Iraq and medical and security officials. Activists requested anonymity fearing reprisal from authorities, while officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to media. At least four people have been killed by unknown groups in the last two weeks, all in southern Iraq. In each instance plainclothes men in passing cars had shot killed victims. Activists in southern Iraq said the lack of follow-through on the part of security forces to investigate the targeted killings was exacerbating an atmosphere of mistrust between protesters and the authorities. Protesters largely blame Iran-backed militia groups for carrying out the attacks. One protester was shot dead overnight Wednesday in the southern city of Basra, according to a medical official and an activist, after gunmen fired at him from a passing car. On Tuesday, medic Jinan al-Shahmani was killed and three other medics wounded in a drive-by shooting near Basras al-Fayhaa hospital. Two weeks before, Iraqi journalists Ahmed Abdul Samad, a Dijlah TV reporter, and Safaa Ghali, his cameraman known for their coverage of the protests were found shot dead in a car parked near a police station. The Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into the incidents, said one ministry official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media. Activists in Basra and the southern city of Nasiriya said the rising number of incidents compounded with inaction on the part of security forces was creating panic and fear. All of the assassinations that have taken place in Basra, from killings to disappearances, happened in front of the security forces or they occurred in the centre of the city in proximity to security forces, said one activist in Basra, who requested anonymity fearing reprisal. ___ Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj contributed from Baghdad. [January 23, 2020] Moody's Acquires Risk Intelligence Technology Leader RDC RDC, the global leader in risk intelligence compliance screening, announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO). The RDC acquisition positions Moody's Analytics' Bureau van Dijk (BvD), a leading provider of business intelligence and company data, to expand its range of data solutions, creating a global leader in anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) data and due diligence services. It will deepen Moody's experience and expertise as a leader in financial and corporate reporting and analytics, by incorporating RDC's world's largest risk-relevant database and innovative technology, including the first-to-market true AI screening solution. "Joining the Moody's Analytics team is thrilling as it positions RDC to broaden our risk intelligence technology solutions as part of a leading provider of market and entity information and analytics to global financial institutions," said RDC CEO Tom Walsh. "Joining BvD, under the Moody's Analytics umbrella, will help us to expand and extend our artificial intelligence leadership position. It also enables us to re-double our mission of preventing criminal infiltration of the world's financial system and bringing global transparency to areas of social responsibility such as human trafficking." Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets, providin credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody's is the parent company of Moody's Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. Moody's will be acquiring RDC from Vista Equity Partners (Vista), a leading investment firm focused on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. Located in the greater Philadelphia area, RDC has been a part of the Vista portfolio since September of 2016. The compliance screening company provides anti-money laundering and reputational risk software that prevents criminal infiltration of the global financial system, working as an extension of its customers' compliance and safety teams by providing precise risk alerts and ongoing monitoring for enhanced protection and performance. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to RDC and Vista Equity Partners. About RDC RDC, the Smarter Screening company prevents criminal infiltration of the world's financial systems by delivering automated, intelligent customer screening and decision-ready intelligence. RDC supports more than 1,000 organizations and 35,000 compliance professionals across more than 100 countries in strengthening their KYC/AML, fraud and Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) protection, ensuring sanctions and watchlist compliance, protecting their brand and reputation and managing supply chain and vendor risks. Founded by 20 of the world's leading financial institutions, today RDC is a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company. Learn more about RDC by emailing [email protected] or visiting www.rdc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005362/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Farmers must soon submit forms to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) showing the movement of organic manures off their farm. Records for 2019 must be submitted online by 31 January 2020, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said. If the records are not submitted, the slurry export will not be included when calculating a farm's nitrogen loading. Farmers could then find themselves in breach of the rules and they could also face a higher risk of inspection. If farmers are not already using DAERA online services, they will need to register with the government gateway to obtain access to the online export forms. Records sent to NIEA must cover the date moved, type of livestock manure, quantity (tonnes or cubic metres) and the transporter's name and address. The importers name and farm business ID is now also a requirement. Exports of livestock manure (including poultry litter and slurry) to the Republic of Ireland are regulated by animal by-product legislation. This involves applying for authorisation to export. UFU environment chairman, Wilbert Mayne said: Many farmers recognise that importing slurry, chicken litter or manure is a useful source of nutrients on a farm and can displace artificial fertilisers. It is important that these farmers supply their farm business numbers to the exporters of organic manures, to ensure all are compliant with the Nutrients Action Programme rules. The UFU accept that the regulations are complex and onerous, but farmers have a legal obligation to comply regardless of whether they are claiming area-based payments. Failure to do so could result in penalties, said Mr Mayne. With 11 of 15 elementary schools in Rapid City at or above capacity, larger classes are causing some classrooms to be overcrowded. Lynn Arnold, a fourth grade teacher at Rapid Valley Elementary School, told the school board Tuesday night that while she loves every child in her class, 33 of them is too many. Rapid Valley Elementary is at 105% of its functional capacity this year. "We have 33 children in a classroom designed for 25," Arnold said. RCAS Public information Manager Katy Urban said this year's fourth and fifth grade classes are unusually large. "If we would have had the space as in an extra classroom we would have added a classroom, but thats not the case," Urban said. "There isnt even an extra closet at that school." Arnold asked the board why they discontinued a practice that used to work to keep class sizes down. "Class size matters," Arnold said. "In the past, we never had more than 30 students in a class. The overflow students were bused to other schools. I am confused as to why the district decided to no longer bus the overflow students." Urban said managing this situation is a balancing act for the board. "We have tried to maintain stability for kids who would otherwise be getting on a bus, riding 30-40 minutes each way and be removed from peers in their neighborhood," Urban said. "Forced transferring causes trauma for some kids and families and uproots their stability." Arnold said the problem lies in the expectations placed on the teachers. "Differentiation is an expectation for us. We are expected to differentiate for the variety of learners in our class," Arnold said. "In reading alone, we are expected to meet with every child every day. It doesn't happen. It isn't a realistic expectation with so many children in a classroom." She said some students are feeling the effects of being in a large group setting. "Noise canceling headphones are now a requirement," Arnold said. "Students are complaining of headaches. This isn't because they are loud. It is because there are simply too many of them." She said they also have trouble finding substitute teachers when the classes are overcrowded. She asked the board to consider busing overflow students again. "When I hear that other classrooms only have 20, the hair on the back of my neck stands up," Arnold said. "Please do what is best for our students and bus the overflow children to classes where there is more room for them." The board thanked Arnold for her input, but didn't take any action Tuesday night. Urban said the board might consider a change in the policy at a later date, but with the current schools, there aren't a lot of options. "Eleven of our 15 schools are at or above capacity so there really is not a lot of room anywhere," she said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Mamata has led more than ten protest marches and addressed over seven rallies in various parts of the state since the issue snowballed into a major political firestorm last December Mamata Banerjee continued her fight against Citizenship Amendment Act on the streets of Kolkata on Thursday, as the West Bengal government celebrated freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary. Invoking Bose's ideas and his criticism of the Hindu Mahasabha, the West Bengal chief minister said, "Netaji fought for united India, but now efforts are on to oust those who follow secularism. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose while addressing a public meeting in Jhargram on 12 May, 1940, had criticised the Hindu Mahasabha, these thoughts are very much relevant today," Mamata said. Mamata has been protesting against CAA since over a month, and has held various programmes against the law that seeks to make religion the basis of fast-tracking citizenship procedure for refugees. On Wednesday, she took her fight against the CAA and the proposed National register of Citizens (NRC) to the Darjeeling hills, an area where BJP had managed to make inroads during previous polls. Mamata sought clarifications from Union home minister Amit Shah on clauses of the new law, even as she accused the Centre of spreading lies on the issue. Interestingly, BJP's ally Gorkha National Liberation Front, has also opposed CAA and NRC saying that the law will adversely affect the Gorkhas. The GNLF has played a key role in establishing BJP's presence in the hills, in what was previously an impregnable state for the saffron party. Addressing a rally after leading a mega 4-kilometre-long protest march through the serpentine roads of this Himalayan town, Mamata on Wednesday said the Centre is trying to push the CAA only in non-BJP ruled states. She claimed that all states except West Bengal have attended the meeting on the National Population Register (NPR) in New Delhi due to fear of the BJP-led Union government. "Every day the Union home minister is giving new sermons. He said that we (opposition parties) are misleading people. I would like to ask him to clarify whether a person will be declared foreigner first and then allowed to apply for citizenship under the CAA," Mamata said, addressing the rally in Hindi. "The Centre is saying that there is no need for documents for NPR, then why are they asking about date and place of birth of parents. The Centre is actually planning to make two lists one for those who would submit documents and nother for those who wouldn't," she added. Reiterating that the CAA, the NPR and the NRC won't be allowed in West Bengal, Mamata said before forcing any citizen out of the state, the BJP "has to throw her out" first. "Due to the NRC in Assam, lakhs of Gorkhas have been rendered homeless. We will not allow that to happen in Darjeeling as long as I am here," she said. Mamata said that agitations must continue till the contentious law is revoked by the central government. "Suddenly after 73 years of Independence, we have to prove that we are Indian citizens. The BJP does not have the rights to determine our citizenship. Do we have to wear BJP's amulet to prove our citizenship?" she asked. The TMC supremo also slammed the saffron party for making references to Pakistan, which she said is a ploy to divert public attention from issues like economic slowdown and growing unemployment. "Are you people (BJP) Indians or ambassadors of Pakistan? If someone protest against them, they will brand them Pakistani. If someone says we don't have industries, they will say go to Pakistan," she told a thundering crowd. Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, which encompasses both the hills and parts of the plains including Siliguri, has been with the BJP since 2009. Mamata, who has been at the forefront of the anti-CAA agitations, has led more than ten protest marches and addressed over seven rallies in various parts of the state since the issue snowballed into a major political firestorm last December. Her government has also decided to bring in a resolution against the CAA in the assembly on January 27, following such moves by Kerala and Punjab. With inputs from PTI by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, January 23, 2020 I'm giving today's column the honorary rebrand of "RSTBlog" (for Real Serious Time Blog), because of an especially consequential temporal media shift. Indeed, possibly, an existential one. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists late last week announced it is moving the denomination it uses to measure how long we've got before "midnight" to seconds, not minutes. In a media event held this morning in Washington, DC, the Bulletin announced it was making the move, and changing its iconic "Doomsday Clock" from two minutes to 100 seconds to Midnight, because humanity currently faces two simultaneous existential threats -- nuclear war and climate change -- and we're running out of time. The magazine -- and its clock -- were founded in the aftermath of World War II, and the dawn of the nuclear age, to draw attention to the looming threats of manmade technology to annihilate mankind. For most of its existence the focus has been on prospects for nuclear war. Some years ago, it began including the affects of climate change and mankind's contribution to it. advertisement advertisement Last week's announcement -- coming with the split-screen metaphor of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin mocking climate advocate Greta Thunberg during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland -- seems to underscore the reckless disregard for the greatest threats that exist to, well, our own existence. The truth is we've already begun accelerating mass extinction (read Elizabeth Kolbert's "The Sixth Extinction." The only question is if and when our own species will become one of them. As a child of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I grew up during the Cold War and an obsession with nuclear annihilation, and by the time I started studying journalism in college, the Bulletin became one of my favorite reads, and also demonstrated for me the role media can play in influencing humans to make better decisions. Or as the case may be, worse ones. Under the current administration, the prospects for nuclear war seem greater than anytime since the Reagan era. But the prospects for climate devastation are also more real than ever. And grow worse by every day. Nearly a decade ago, I was invited by the late University of Massachusetts professor David Lustick to lead a contingent of executives from Madison Avenue for a symposium to advise climate scientists on media science, and how they could use it to help influence people -- especially climate change deniers. The problem, they said, was that humans aren't wired emotionally to deal with super long-term threats like climate change, because we evolved to deal with far more immediate ones, like feeding ourselves or defending ourselves from predators. A decade later, the climate change threat doesn't seem as far away. We no longer have years to change our behavior. Heck, we no longer have minutes. We only have seconds. There were literally thousands of qualified Trump-supporters eager to join his administration, yet those responsible for personnel decisions decided to retain Obama employees or hire NeverTrumps, who, collectively, either resisted or actively undermined Trump and his America First agenda. The consequences of that neglect are now playing out in the Senate impeachment trial. In his shocking article "Whistleblower Was Overheard in '17 Discussing With Ally How to Remove Trump," Paul Sperry describes a plot hatched by Obama holdovers and Democrat partisans in the White House National Security Council (NSC) to remove President Trump from office. According to Sperry, after a staff-wide meeting called by thennational security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, NSC co-workers Eric Ciaramella and Sean Misko, both Obama holdovers, were overheard talking about toppling Flynn and Trump. Real Clear Investigations' title graphic. "Eric Ciaramella, right. He and a colleague, Sean Misko, below both now central to impeachment were Obama administration holdovers (whitehouse.gov)." Ciaramella said, "We need to take him out," and Misko replied, "Yeah, we need to do everything we can to take out the president." That incident wasn't the only time the pair exhibited open hostility toward the president. During the following months, both were accused of leaking negative information about Trump to the media. Ciaramella has been unofficially identified as the "whistleblower" of the leaked Trump July 25, 2019 conversation with Ukraine's president that provided the pretext for impeachment. Sperry states that former NSC co-workers and congressional sources identified Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who held Ciaramella's old position at the NSC, as the Democrat partisan who leaked the information to Ciaramella on July 26. The same day, House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff hired Misko to head up the investigation of Trump. Sperry also identifies another Schiff recruit believed to be part of the clandestine political operation against Trump. It is Abby Grace, who also worked closely with Ciaramella at the NSC, both before and after Trump was elected. During the Obama administration, Grace was an assistant to Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes. It is disturbing to say the least that such opponents of the administration remained in high positions well into Trump's tenure. What is far more disturbing is that no action was taken against Ciaramella and Misko when their comments at the Flynn meeting were reported, or the fact that many possessing questionable loyalty remain in the Trump administration. For example, why is James H. Baker, an Obama appointee, still director of the Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon? The October 24, 2019 court filing by the defense attorneys for General Flynn alleges that Baker leaked to the press copies of the transcripts from Flynn's December 2016 telephone calls to thenRussian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Baker had regularly scheduled lunches with The Washington Post's David Ignatius, who published an article about the calls in January 2017. Over four years, the Office of Net Assessment paid alleged FBI informant Stefan Halper, linked both to the Flynn case and the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, over $1 million for research papers of dubious value. Trump-supporters have every right to be angry, both those who applied to serve in his administration but were ignored and those who see the agenda for which they voted sabotaged by partisan moles. Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel; trained in Arabic and Kurdish; an I.T. command and control and cyber-security subject matter expert; and a veteran of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa. He receives email at lawrence.sellin@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @LawrenceSellin. Thomas Lifson adds: In an ideal world, yes, the Trump administration would have been able to vet the thousands of willing applicants and replace nearly everyone held over from the previous administration. But who would carry out the vetting before Trump took office? The incoming administration's personnel office would be entirely dependent on the existing Obama carryover staff the very people who would be deemed unreliable by the categorical replacement policy advocated here. Before inauguration, there would be no access to information resources (including classified information) other than through the incumbent Obama administration officials. Keep in mind that there is every possibility that hostile actors, including both domestic political opponents and foreign governments, would seek to insert covert agents into the new administration, and that in the future they could wreak havoc. The incoming Trump administration would be raked over the coals for an "ideological purge" that inserted "unqualified hacks," and the "loss of expertise" would be blamed for anything bad that happened. Keep in mind, also, that many people in important positions enjoy Civil Service protections and cannot be fired. All in all, it was a serious challenge, and more probably should have been done. There is no excuse for ignoring the report of Ciaramella's and Misko's conversation, though I wonder who it was that received the complaint. Another Obama holdover? The sad fact is that the federal bureaucracy as a whole has been weaponized, and replacing it is not possible on a mass basis. In particular, those parts of it where a security clearance is necessary cannot be quickly re-staffed. Trump faced the same sort of problems that any corporate turnaround artist does for instance, Mitt Romney's Bain Capital. But in the corporate world, you can fire people without the Civil Service limitations and do not face the time-consuming, complex process of obtaining or renewing security clearances. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met on January 23 with Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Stef Blok, who is in Armenia on an official visit. At the beginning of the meeting Stef Blok delivered to Zohrab Mnatsakanyan the official request on opening the Embassy of the Netherlands in Yerevan. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan thanked the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for their decision to establish a representation in Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia. Greeting his counterpart, Zohrab Mnatsakayan noted that noted that this is the 1st visit of the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands to Armenia. We see positive dynamics in our bilateral relations. We have very good bilateral agenda that includes different spheres. We have recorded good results in trade and economy, political dialogue. This visit is aimed at activation of our dialogue and we expect continuation of high level visits, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said. The Armenian FM emphasized that the Government is committed to continuing the reform process, noting that they receive also international assistance for that. Your visit takes place in a period when we witness interesting developments in the region and the world, which will be part of our todays agenda. I warmly greet you and expect productive discussion, FM Mnatsakanyan said. Thanking for the warm reception, the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands said, Its a great honor for me and I am happy to be the 1st Foreign Minister of the Netherlands to visit Armenia. We are very interested in the developments taking place here and highlight the progress that we saw during these years. The two FMs expressed satisfaction over the high level political dialogue between Armenia and the Netherlands at different levels, emphasizing the importance of strengthening it further. During the meeting the sides referred to international and regional issues. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented to Stef Blok the recent developments over Nagorno Karabakh issue and the position and approaches of the Armenian side for the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict. At the end of the meeting the foreign ministers gave a joint press conference. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan To beat President Trump, Mike Bloomberg wants to be candidate Trump. The state of play: Axios visited Bloomberg's new campaign HQ in Times Square yesterday, and we were struck by how much his 1,000+-person team is learning from while trying to surpass the Trump campaigns of 2016 and 2020. The big picture: Bloomberg is no Trump, but is trying to beat the president at his own game. Social creature: Trump's re-election campaign has deployed Facebook in a bigger way than any campaign in history, outspending all the Democrats combined. Bloomberg's team openly admires the digital prowess of Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and has built a "content factory" of constantly updating and iterating videos and messages that are narrowly targeted at and constantly fed to promising prospects. Trump's re-election campaign has deployed Facebook in a bigger way than any campaign in history, outspending all the Democrats combined. Bloomberg's team openly admires the digital prowess of Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and has built a "content factory" of constantly updating and iterating videos and messages that are narrowly targeted at and constantly fed to promising prospects. Ubiquity: Trump forced himself into our lives with Twitter taunts and endless TV appearances. Bloomberg is buying his way into the minute-by-minute of our lives with TV ads. Bloomberg's team believes one of the key lessons of Trump campaign is that if voters see you on TV all the time, they'll take you seriously. At Bloomberg HQ, his TV ads play on a constant loop. It takes a while to realize it's not cable news, where his ads seem nearly as persistent. Trump forced himself into our lives with Twitter taunts and endless TV appearances. Bloomberg is buying his way into the minute-by-minute of our lives with TV ads. Bloomberg's team believes one of the key lessons of Trump campaign is that if voters see you on TV all the time, they'll take you seriously. At Bloomberg HQ, his TV ads play on a constant loop. It takes a while to realize it's not cable news, where his ads seem nearly as persistent. Success sells: Like Trump, Bloomberg promises ad nauseam to replicate his professional success in governance. Many of Bloomberg's ads follow the rough arc of: 1) Hit Trump ... 2) Why the problem matters ... 3) What Mike did as New York mayor ... 4) What Mike would do as president. It's a key part of Bloomberg's effort to signal, both overtly and subliminally, that he's running against Trump not the other Dems. Like Trump, Bloomberg promises ad nauseam to replicate his professional success in governance. Many of Bloomberg's ads follow the rough arc of: 1) Hit Trump ... 2) Why the problem matters ... 3) What Mike did as New York mayor ... 4) What Mike would do as president. It's a key part of Bloomberg's effort to signal, both overtly and subliminally, that he's running against Trump not the other Dems. Slogan power: Bloomberg's massive data operation found that Bloomberg's record as mayor was one of his big selling points. And Bloomberg's inner circle thought "Make America Great Again" was an effective slogan. Voila, the Bloomberg slogan: "Mike Will Get It Done." The twist: "It" can mean beating Trump, enacting gun control as president, or whatever the voter imagines. Bloomberg's massive data operation found that Bloomberg's record as mayor was one of his big selling points. And Bloomberg's inner circle thought "Make America Great Again" was an effective slogan. Voila, the Bloomberg slogan: "Mike Will Get It Done." The twist: "It" can mean beating Trump, enacting gun control as president, or whatever the voter imagines. It's all about brand, baby: Bloomberg, like Trump, has set up his campaign so his personal brand shines, win or lose. The former mayor is making plain he will spend up to $2 billion to win himself or, if he loses, allocate some of that to the Democratic nominee and Bloomberg's pet causes. As a down payment, he's showering money on state and local parties to help them, up and down their tickets, regardless of who wins the primary. The bottom line: Bloomberg wants to replicate and build off what Trump's campaign did best, without mimicking his style. Go deeper ... Bloomberg: "Im spending all my money to get rid of Trump" Yahya Jammeh 22.01.2020 LISTEN How quickly did time fly. When I wrote this article three years ago today, former. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (now deceased) was as solid as rock in the presidential palace. He obviously, showed no signs of relinquishing power. Today, January 2020, some of the characters I named in the piece are still in office--grabbing straws. But for how long? The ego of a kite or balloon knows no stop until its brought down by the same squall that gave him an elevation in the first place. So, be reminded that a balloon cannot fly on its own until that rubber sac is inflated with air, then sealed at the neck and let loose. Once upon a time, a little boy had his kite unfastened. Moments later he noticed the object had wandered miles away from him. He cried for help, tried to catch it but the light frame object with thin material continued to soar. It'd stretched its pace floating in the wind, meandering courses, diving in the clouds -from east to west, his eyes tailed the kite as he continued to sob. After a fruitless attempt, the little boy stood still and watched his tiny kite flaunt its weight and ego as it flew high up in the skies. There was a moment the boy thought the reunion with his toy was imminent. Indeed he wanted his kite back. But the object had faked its descent only to be seen going higher and higher and it ducked in the clouds. As hours morphed into days the boy forgot about the kite and minded his own business. But not long afterward the kites glory faded. They say, what goes around comes around. The kite came down but not the same way it had been seen bouncing around --in midair. It'd run out of power, no steam, and no vim. Bottom line it'd reached its endpoint. Did you know that five of the current African leaders combined have ruled their respective countries for nearly 200 years (168 years to be precise) since 1979? Here are the five Africas longest-serving leaders: Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea (36yrs), Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola (36yrs), Robert Mugabe (Grand Papa) of Zimbabwe 35years, Ugandas Yoweri Museveni 29 years and Paul Biya of Cameroon 32 years. The longest, Mr. Nguema born June 5, 1942, has been President of the central African nation since 1979. He ousted his own uncle Francisco Marcias Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup. Without doubt it is this kind of egocentric attitude by some African heads of state that influenced the likes of Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh who took his people for a ride for 22 years. And also thought he could make the Gambia throne his personal asset---and make it a father to son one day. Thank goodness Gambians have had a new president. Thank goodness Jammeh had banished himself. Agyewodin, woagye wani so. What were you thinking? Did you think I was kidding? I told you the people had had enough of you. I told you, you wouldnt have it easy if you chose the Kabila path. But thank Allah that things didnt go the other way. So go in peace with your stolen booty but I can assure you Gambians will come after you soon.Dont sleep too much. On Friday 2 December 2016 Jammeh was defeated by Adama Barrow and conceded defeat. But a week later he challenged the election results at the Supreme Court. He also declared a state of emergency ahead of the deadline given to him to leave office on Thursday 19 January 2017. I dont really know if the action had been triggered by the resignation of some of his key cabinet ministersi.e. finance foreign affairs and environment in his government. And it appeared he wasnt going anywhere any longer. However, pressure had been mounted on him by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the Africa Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to cede power to his challenger in the December polls Mr. Barrow. Midnight Wednesday 18 January 2017, when ECOWAS realized that Jammeh wasnt ceding power it deployed its troops into the tiny West-African country. The regional group had spent weeks working to convince Jammeh to accept the election results. He still wouldnt budge. But what perhaps broke the camels back was when it became obvious that he'd lost one of his final allies, Gambias military. I shall not involve my soldiers in a stupid fight, said Gambian army Chief General Ousman Badjie. At a press briefing on Saturday morning, General Badjie said he recognized Mr. Barrow as his commander-in-chief and not Jammeh. And courtesy of Guinean President Alpha Conde Jammeh had sought temporal exile in Guinea. O ye coward who warned you to flee from the wrath to come, I thought youd hard balls and would choose to stay on just as Muammar Gadhafi in Libya did. You thought you could fool your people forever and ever. Well, the same Allah who you claimed gave you the power to rule had spoken through the Gambian people. And I dont know who you were addressing bragging as a Muslim and a patriot I believe it is not necessary that a single drop of blood is shed. Have you forgotten many had perished under your regime? Brace yourself to face the International Court of Justice tomorrow, for crime against humanity. I can assure you that it will also happen live. Its all a matter of time. In the early hours on Saturday Jammeh went on television telling Gambians how he served the nation and loved its people. I have decided to relinquish in good conscience, the mantle of leadership of this great nation. Who takes you seriously again Jammeh? Wall Street Journal reported that: Until his plane left the tarmac at Banjul airport on Saturday evening many Gambians were still questioning whether his rule was over. Also, reports had it that the deal that was reached on Saturday shielded Jammeh his family and supporters from prosecution and protects his assets from being seized. He also would be allowed to return to Gambia at any time of his choosing, according to a statement from ECOWAS the African Union and the United Nations. But Barrows administration said it was not satisfied with the terms secured by Jammeh and even cast doubt on whether it intended to respect them. That is the perspective from that side, Hallifa Sallah, a spokesman for Mr. Barrows coalition said. This is a lesson we should all heed. Some of us have behaviours that mimic Jammeh, Museveni, Mugabe and many more. Flights in, out of Tripoli airport suspended after attack Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 1:50 PM Libya's embattled UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) says all flights into and out of the sole functioning airport in the capital, Tripoli, have been suspended after it came under a rocket attack. Six military-grade Grad rockets targeted Mitiga International Airport on Wednesday, according to the GNA. Mohammed Gnunu, the spokesman for government forces, labeled the attack as a "flagrant threat" to the safety of air traffic, and condemned it as a "new violation" of the ceasefire. The airport had only reopened early last week following a truce in nine months of fighting for control of the capital with forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar. The attack comes just a few days after a summit on the Libyan crisis was held in the German capital of Berlin at weekend, which saw the formation of a military commission that is supposed to define ways of consolidating a cessation of hostilities. Since 2014, Libya has been divided between two rival camps the Tripoli-based GNA led by Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and a camp supported militarily by Haftar's militias in the eastern city of Tobruk. Haftar, who is mainly backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive in April to capture Tripoli and unseat the UN-recognized government; however, his forces have been bogged down near the capital. After months of combat, which has killed more than 2,000 people, a ceasefire was agreed to take effect on January 12 but was soon ignored. On Sunday, leaders from Turkey, Russia, Egypt, France, Italy, Britain and the United States, as well as Sarraj and Haftar, attended the UN-backed summit in Berlin to help establish a "permanent" ceasefire between the warring sides. The final communique of the day-long summit urged all the parties concerned in the persisting conflict "to redouble their efforts for a sustained suspension of hostilities, de-escalation and a permanent ceasefire." The oil-rich country plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising and a NATO intervention led to the ouster of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his execution by unruly fighters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dismissed criticisms by the climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday, saying that she lacked the expertise to call for a complete divestment from the fossil fuel industry. After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us, he said at a press briefing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where many world leaders and powerful business figures meet annually. Ms. Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist who has led demonstrations around the world, spoke at the forum on Tuesday and urged business leaders to stop investing in fossil fuels immediately. I wonder, what will you tell your children was the reason to fail and leave them facing the climate chaos you knowingly brought upon them? Ms. Thunberg, 17, said at the gathering in Davos, a village on the icy reaches of the Swiss Alps. Our house is still on fire. JERUSALEM President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for vigilance not to miss when the first sprouts of hatred, of chauvinism, of xenophobia and anti-Semitism start to rear their ugly head. Prince Charles warned that hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, still adopt new disguises and still seek new victims. And Vice President Mike Pence urged world leaders to stand strong against Iran the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. As dignitaries from scores of western nations met in Jerusalem to remember the liberation of Auschwitz 75 years ago and express their resolve to combat anti-Semitism, the invocations of the past were as often aimed at scoring present-day geopolitical points as at sounding the alarm about a resurgence of bigotry and anti-Jewish violence. Population growth typically indicates a stronger demand for housing and, therefore, higher price growth. However, Propertyology's analysis of regional housing markets showed that this is not always the case, especially with regional markets with smaller populations. The study found that many small towns witnessed gains in median house prices that are as robust as those recorded in capital cities over a 20-year period. In fact, higher returns on investment were reported in those with populations below 50,000 compared to some capital cities. For instance, Alice Springs in the Northern Territory recorded an average capital growth of 6.1%. This two-decade growth is higher than Darwin's 5.7% average gain in house values during the same period. Alice Spring has a population of 26,500, which is less than 20% of Darwin's. Another example is Bellingen, a small town with a population of 13,000 in New South Wales. Over the past two decades, Bellingen registered an average growth of 7.6%, higher than Sydney's 7%. "These facts are just a few examples to highlight the gross inaccuracies with people's perceptions about Australian locations with smallish population sizes the lifestyle, the real estate opportunities, the risks," said Simon Pressley, head of research at Propertyology. Stability in regional areas There is a common misconception about regional locations being somehow riskier than capital cities, Pressley said. However, the study found that regional towns, especially those with diverse economies, often have superior history of property-price gains compared to capital cities. For instance, Esperance in Western Australia has recorded price gains in 17 out of the last 20 calendar years, whereas Perth only witnessed growth in 14 years. "While big-city investors struggle with eye-watering mortgages and massive holes in their annual cash flow, myriad smaller locations provide investors with cash in their pockets each year along with the capital growth," Pressley said. Amongst the capital cities, Perth and Sydney reported the highest number of annual declines in the 20-year period at six and five years, respectively. The table below shows the towns with the least number of yearly slumps recorded during the period: Regional Area/Town Population Number of Years in Decline Average Capital Growth Alice Springs (NT) 26,500 2 6.1% Barossa (SA) 24.800 3 6.0% Warwick (QA) 12,300 2 5.6% Launceston (TAS) 67,500 3 7.5% Kyabram (VIC) 7,300 1 5.1% Strathbogie (VIC) 10,700 2 7.4% Wangaratta (VIC) 29,000 3 6.2% Esperance (WA) 14,300 3 4.8% Dubbo (NSW) 53,000 3 6.3% Goulburn (NSW) 30,000 2 8.1% Lismore (NSW) 44,000 3 6.5% Orange 42,000 1 6.4% Wagga Wagga 64,900 1 5.9% Pressley said locations with more affordable housing actually reduce the property investment risk. "Locations with a significantly more affordable buy-in price mean that property investors require smaller deposits," he said, "This means that buyers are able to enter property markets sooner and can expand their portfolios more quickly." The increasing number of Australians relocating to regional locations is also a good indication of where the outside-the-capital-city markets are going. "With Australia's eight capital cities included, there are 185 individual towns that have a population of 10,000 or more. Any investor who focuses on their hometown is giving themselves a one in 185 chance of making the best decision," Pressley said. A recent guide by Your Investment Property outlined the top five considerations property investors should have before entering a regional market. Read the guide here. Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margareta, on Thursday addressed a letter to the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi camp in Auschwitz and the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in which she brings to mind the contribution of the Romanian Royal Family to the eradication of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia. "King Ferdinand and Queen Marie made efforts in the 1920s to create a Romanian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, to help the religious of our countries get close. Queen-Mother Helen and King Mihai opposed during their entire lives, anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia. Her Majesty Margareta and prince Radu were the first members of the Romanian Royal House who visited the State of Israel, in April 2014. Representing King Mihai I, the royal couple visited Yad Vashem, took a moment of silence at the stone bearing the name of "Queen Helen," and the Custodian of the Crown lit the flame of eternity in the Hall of Remembrance," reads the letter of the Custodian of the Romanian Crown.On Thursday, in Jerusalem, takes place the most ample public gathering ever hosted by Yad Vashem, 75 years after the liberation of the Nazi Camp in Auschwitz and the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance. The meeting represents the fifth World Holocaust Forum and takes place before a large number of heads of state and Government from the entire world. The event takes place under the aegis of the President of the State of Israel. Romania is represented by President Klaus Iohannis. AGERPRES Dublins success over the coming decade will depend on the next Governments ability to progress and implement the cornerstone projects of the National Development Plan, according to business group, Dublin Chamber. The Chamber today launched its General Election Manifesto which outlines four key areas which they say the Government must focus on to support the strong population growth and opportunities coming Dublins way. The Chambers Manifesto cautions that much of Dublins existing infrastructure, whether it be water, energy or transport, is congested, out-dated and struggling to meet ever-increasing demand. On the transport front, the Chamber has called for the Government to follow through on the delivery of the well-progressed MetroLink and BusConnects projects. Dublin Chamber has also challenged the next Government to have the Dart Underground project shovel-ready by 2025, to allow for construction to start immediately after the completion of MetroLink in 2027. Speaking today, Director of Public & International Affairs at Dublin Chamber, Aebhric Mc Gibney said, "Dublins ability to cope with future demand will depend on how well we can learn from the mistakes of the past. There is a history of going back to the drawing board when Governments change. But the strong economic and population growth and increasing pressure on infrastructure means Dublin cannot afford further delays in key projects. Plans for many of the projects that we badly need in Dublin are already in train." He added, "On the transport front, projects such as MetroLink and BusConnects are moving close to delivery stage. Planning for the much needed Dart Expansion Scheme is underway, but clarity is required regarding the crucial Dart Underground component of the project. Dart Underground has been delayed for far too long and there is a need for timelines to be set for its delivery." Source: www.businessworld.ie Cipla fell 2.25% to Rs 461.15 after the company offered updates on USFDA inspection at its manufacturing facility in Goa. The drug maker informed has informed that that the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has classified the inspection conducted at its Goa manufacturing facility from 16-27 September 2019 as Official Action Indicated (OAI). The company does not believe that this will have any material impact on the US business at this stage. The company has a strong track record of maintaining the highest standard of compliance and will work closely with the agency to comprehensively address the observations received. Cipla is a global pharmaceutical company focused on complex generics. The company's strengths lay in the respiratory, anti-retroviral, urology, cardiology, anti-infective and central nervous system (CNS) segments. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hearing of police claim against illegal Moscow rallies organizers to resume in February RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 18:06 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) Moscows Simonovsky District Court will continue to hear a 4.3-million-ruble lawsuit filed by the Interior Ministrys Moscow Main Directorate against organizers of unauthorized summer rallies on February 13, according to a RAPSI correspondent. The defendants are expected to give their testimony at the next hearing. The plaintiff seeks to collect about 4.3 million rubles (about $70,000) from opposition figures Alexey Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Lyubov Sobol, Vladimir Milov, Georgy Alburov, Alexander Solovyev and Oleg Stepanov. Police insist that the said funds were spent to enhance security during illegal rallies in central Moscow. Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Students living in New Jersey who are children of foreign workers on H1B visas will now qualify for the more affordable in-state tuition for higher education at the states public institutions. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a legislation that exempts students whose parents or guardians hold H1B visas from paying out-of-state tuition charges, subject to criteria that include graduating from a New Jersey high school and having attended a New Jersey high school for at least three years. The H1B programme allows employers in the US to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that normally require bachelors degrees (or higher) in a specialty field. For nearly 30 years, US employers have used the H1B visa programme to employ foreign workers in the US. New Jersey, along with California, New York, Texas and Illinois, ranks among the top 10 destinations for H1B workers. New Jersey higher education officials expect the new legislation will make college more affordable for students who meet the requirements to qualify. Indian-American state Senator Vin Gopal is one of the five primary sponsors of the legislation. Others include M. Teresa Ruiz, Raj Mukherji, Daniel Benson and Robert Karabinchak. Speaking in support of the new legislation, Gopal said, When we deny their children the opportunity to access an affordable college education right here at home, were shutting the door on a whole new generation of brilliance and talent. Children of H1B workers will now be able to enrol in a New Jersey public college or university at the same in-state tuition rate that is charged to their classmates, New Jersey higher education officials said. The new legislation came soon after the state unveiled a new economic plan that prioritises education and training for job seeking residents and access to high quality career opportunities. Immigrants come to the US not only with a dream of a better life for themselves, but also for their children. With this bill, were ensuring that our younger generations have the resources they deserve to realise their dreams, said Deepak Raj of New Jerseys Investment Council. H1B visas feature prominently in US President Donald Trumps Buy American and Hire American Executive Order which directs DHS to suggest reforms to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid petition beneficiaries. The H1B programme allows employers in the US to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Specialty occupations include, but are not limited to, physicians, architects, professors, engineers and accountants. The visa category also includes fashion models of distinguished merit and ability, and Department of Defence (DOD) researchers. The top 30 employers of the H1B programme are large information technology companies. Approximately 66 per cent of the H-1B petitions approved in FY 2018 were for computer-related occupations, according to the Department of Homeland Security data. In FY 2018 alone, USCIS accepted 418,790 H1B petitions which included new petitions, amendments to earlier petitions and renewals. The number of new (initial) H1B visas issued each year are currently limited to 65,000 and an additional 20,000 H1B visas are available only to qualified foreign workers who have a masters degree or higher from a US institution of higher education. GFH Financial Group has announced that it has successfully priced a $300 million 5-year sukuk (the Certificates). This is a landmark transaction for GFH, placing it in the international debt capital market. The successful issuance was supported by a B rating from each of S&P and Fitch with strong demand from international investors reflecting market confidence in GFH and its subsidiaries (the Group) and recognition of its healthy financial position, sound strategy and business model. The order-book for the Certificates was oversubscribed 2.5 times exceeding $750 million. The Certificates saw strong demand from international investors who were allocated 47 per cent of the issuance with the additional 53 per cent taken up by regional investors. In terms of the types of investors, 61 per cent were fund managers and 39 per cent were financial institutions. The proceeds of the Certificates will be used to enhance the financial position of the Group and to fund its next phase of growth. Hisham Alrayes, CEO of GFH, commented: This is another important milestone for GFH and further recognition from the market of the success of GFHs transformation into a sound and well diversified financial group. The strong uptake from both regional and international investors attests to the strength of our strategy, our financial health and performance and, importantly, to our future prospects as we push forward in further building our business and position as a leading regional and international investor. The proceeds of the Certificates will enable us to continue to build and deliver even greater value to our investors, shareholders and the economies in which we invest. Societe Generale and Standard Chartered Bank acted as Joint Global Coordinators. Furthermore, Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, Kamco Investment Company K.S.C.P., Mashreqbank psc, SHUAA Capital psc, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered Bank and Warba Bank K.S.C.P. acted as Joint Lead Managers. -- Tradearabia News Service Haiti - News : Zapping... 15 kidnappings in 21 days Wednesday, Commissioner Michel-Ange Louis Jeune, Spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH) revealed during a balance press conference that from January 1st to 22, 2020, in the metropolitan area 15 cases of kindnapping were reported (8 in the city center, 4 in Delmas, 1 in Leogane (South), 1 in Clercine (Tabarre SUd-Est) and 1 in Croix-des-Bouquets) without being able to say how many hostages had was released by the police. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29825-haiti-news-zapping.html A police offcier killed in the city center On Wednesday, an unnamed police officer was shot and killed in the midst of tension. At La Saline, heavy fire was heard in the early afternoon. Merchents and buyers flee Croix-des-Bossales, the country's largest public market. Senators denied access to their office Wednesday of the Senators of the 2nd third who contest their end of mandate https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29760-haiti-flash-the-senators-react.html : Dieupie Cherubin, Jean Mary Salomon, Youri Latortue Nenel Cassy and Jean Renel Senatus, who were denied access to their office in Parliament by National Police units denounced illegal provisions. Pre-carnival : 3,000 police officers mobilized More than 3,000 police officers are mobilized and 34 checkpoints set up to ensure security on pre-carnival Sundays. See also : hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29820-haiti-port-au-prince-rebalance-of-the-1st-sunday-of-pre-carnival-activities.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-29823-icihaiti-jacmel-launch-of-the-2020-carnival-season.html Appointment of the DG of the National Bank for Agricultural Development In the Official Journal Le Moniteur N14 of Wednesday January 22, 2020, by presidential decree, citizen Faude Joseph, was appointed Director General of the National Bank for Agricultural Development (BNDA)See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29740-haiti-news-zapping.html FAO : Project for 1,200 women farmers Jose Luis Fernandez, the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), met with Evelyne Sainvil the Minister for Women's Affairs, around a socio-economic empowerment project of rural women which will benefit 1,200 women farmers in the South East. HL/ HaitiLibre Flash U.S. House impeachment managers, a group of seven House Democrats acting as prosecutors, started making their opening arguments Wednesday on why President Donald Trump should be convicted and removed from office, as an impeachment trial in the Senate entered the second day. Adam Schiff, the lead manager who, as the House Intelligence Committee chairman, has led the impeachment inquiry, provided his reasoning -- based on findings in the House investigation -- of why Trump's dealings with Ukraine and his ignoring Congress's investigative power amounted to impeachable offenses, arguing that the president should be convicted and removed. In remarks reminding the senators of their duty to act impartially, the California Democrat said the U.S. Constitution entrusts the senators in the trial "to the responsibility of acting as impartial jurors, have a fair trial and weigh the evidence before you no matter what your party affiliation or vote in the previous election or the next, our duty is to the Constitution and the rule of law." If Trump is not convicted and removed from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Schiff warned, future presidents will "operate as if they too are also beyond the reach of accountability, congressional oversight, and the law." As Schiff delivered his speech, the White House reportedly circulated talking points against the impeachment. "Our founding fathers feared that impeachment would be abused as a partisan tool -- rather than the grave remedy it was intended to be," it said. According to a resolution the Senate approved early Wednesday after over 12 hours of contentious debate, House managers and Trump's legal defense team each have 24 hours to present their opening statements. Each side, if they decide to use up the time allocated to them, is required to wrap up their arguments in three days. Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia has suggested that special teams be formed by the Madhya Pradesh health department for the treatment of cancer patients in the state. He was speaking during a visit to the Indian Institute of Head and Neck Oncology here late late Wednesday evening. State health minister Tulsiram Silawat was also present at the institute. "Efforts must be taken right from the state government level to form special teams to treat patients suffering from cancer and other serious ailments," Scindia said. In this campaign against cancer, help can also be taken from specialists working in the non-government sector, he added. The institute's secretary and noted cancer surgeon Dr Digpal Dharkar said Scindia was impressed with the work at the medical facility and donated Rs 25 lakh for the construction of an operation theatre. Scindia has also suggested identifying two to three backward districts in the state to start a campaign against cancer at the grassroot level, Dharkar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new national poll shows Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont with a lead in a national debate qualifying poll for the first time in the 2020 Democratic primary, while a second national survey conducted by a different pollster shows former Vice President Joe Biden in front. The first poll, conducted by SSRS for CNN and released Wednesday morning, showed Sanders with 27 per cent support and Biden following closely behind at 24 per cent support. It was the first time Sanders has led nationally since Biden entered the race last April, though his lead was within the polls margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. The second poll, released later Wednesday by Monmouth University, showed a different picture at the top, with Biden in the lead with 30 per cent support and Sanders in second with 23 per cent. In both polls, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts finished third with 14 per cent support. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York traded places in the polls, with Buttigieg coming in fourth in CNNs poll with 11 per cent and fifth in Monmouths with six per cent, and Bloomberg finishing fourth in Monmouths with nine per cent and fifth in CNNs with five per cent. No other candidate garnered more than five per cent support in either of the polls. The surveys add detail to the portrait of how the race is unfolding nationally. A national survey released last week by Quinnipiac University showed Biden in the lead with 25 per cent support and Sanders in second with 19 per cent. Biden has for months maintained steady support atop national surveys. The only time Sanders has led Biden in a high-quality national poll that the Democratic National Committee has sanctioned for debate qualifications was in August, when he and Warren each garnered 20 per cent support to Bidens 19 per cent. Warren led several national polls in the fall. The polls have shown a different picture in Iowa, where a tight four-way race is underway between Biden, Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg. But Sanders has shown particular signs of strength in some early-state polls, leading a highly anticipated poll of Iowa caucus-goers conducted by The Des Moines Register/CNN and a CBS/YouGov tracking poll of New Hampshire primary voters, both released this month. He also led a Suffolk University poll of New Hampshire voters released Tuesday that will not count toward debate qualification. Read more about: A television screen shows House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) during the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump, at a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Al Drago/Getty Images) Will Impeachment Dominate Trumps Second Term? Commentary Given the hatred meter hovering around 25 on a scale of 1 to 10, will impeachment be renewed in President Donald Trumps second term, possibly even dominate it? Its a question worth pondering if we accept the premise that the president will weather the current impeachment ordeal and eventually win reelection. And, at least for now, I do. What then will Trump 2 look like? How many more impeachments and trials can we look forward toa rather frightening concept, considering the mind-numbing torture by television we are undergoing at present? Some of this will depend on Trumps margin of victory. If his reelection mirrors his previous contesta decent result in the Electoral College (302227, counting two defectors) diminished by a popular vote loss of nearly 3 million, look out. Hell be branded not democratically elected by the left. Goodbye, democratic republic. The Electoral College, not to mention the president, will be under more serious assault than ISIS or al-Qaida. This will be especially true if the Democrats hold the House and, worse yet, take the Senate. But the House alone spells trouble. As we know, they have the power to impeach and, as we also know, are willing to do so on almost any basis. Close your eyes and you can already see the marchers in the streets, demanding the presidents impeachment, if not his resignation. This could continue unabated through 2024, with the attendant stasis in many aspects of governmentzero improvement of infrastructure, zero trade progress, everyone at each others throat in a near civil war, even more than they are now. This is an extreme scenarioand history could intervene as it often, or even usually, doesbut its far from impossible. What would ameliorate it to a significant degree would be a solid Trump victoryeven greater in the Electoral College and something closer to a wash in the popular vote. (A true popular vote victory may be impossible for Republicans with California still part of the United States.) It would also help immeasurably if the Republicans retake the House. That would put the kibosh on impeachment better than anything. The GOP leadership and their rank-and-file know that well. But does that mean they can accomplish it? Its hard to say at this point. The polls arent indicating it, but then the polls are what they are. (Where A.J. Liebling is reported to have said, Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one, we could say, Success in a poll is guaranteed only to the man who owns one.) The zeitgeist, however, points to the possibility of an overwhelming Trump victory. Here, in flyover country, people are sick unto the proverbial death with the impeachment pas de deux. They are only paying scant attention. You could even say, reversing the 60s anthem, The whole world is NOT watching! Impeachment, it feels here, but its Tennessee, is even having the opposite effect, driving people to Trump. But then, all reactions at this point are only anecdotal. No doubt the pollsters are working overtime to tell us what we are thinking and what the future might hold. Nevertheless, remember this: Famed pollster Frank Luntz declared Hillary the victor in 2016 at 6 p.m. on the very night of Trumps election. Anything can happen. But if impeachment dominates American life for the next four years like its dominating it now, we might as well all move to Oh, wait. Theres nowhere to go. Roger L. Simon is The Epoch Times senior political analyst. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. KUNMING, China, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-organizers Hemp & CBD China (HCC) and Asia-Pacific CBD Union (ACU) will be presenting the 520 Asia Industrial Hemp Summit & Exhibition as well as the 1st Hemp Carnival in May 2020. The 520 Asia Industrial Hemp Summit & Exhibition is a comprehensive event of technology communication, investment, brand exhibition, value chain integration, international trade, and public education. Leaders of hemp industries including founders of high-end hemp companies, scholars, industry associations, research institutes, manufacturers, dealers and distributors from Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania will gather in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan to attend this event. Home to some 4.5 billion inhabitants and the fastest growing economy for the next decade, Asia is the world's most populous region. According to the Asian Cannabis Report launched in May 2019, the Asian market alone was calculated to be worth as much as US$5.8 billion by 2024. Just as China has established global dominance in hemp, producing nearly half the world's supply, it is no doubt the region has become a major player in industrial hemp and hemp-derived cannabis oil (CBD). And Yunnan as the first open province for the legalization of industrial hemp will welcome its 10th anniversary in 2020. A series of industrial events are under preparation. Two of the most important events, the 520 Asia Industrial Hemp Summit & Exhibition as well as the 1st Hemp Carnival, will be held May 20-22, 2020, in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan. The event registration is now open. An official website has been set up for this event: www.hemphcc.com/en. 1) Summit Forum The forum will serve for the "International connection and cooperation, deeply exploiting the potentials of hemp industry of Yunnan, the bridgehead of South East Asia, and have an in-depth discussion and present innovation in the whole value chain of the industrial hemp industry. The Belt & Road Initiative is a road for mutual benefit and will promote the economical connections of all the countries as well as the infrastructure construction and mechanism innovation, create new growth points of economic and employment, and strengthen the anti-risk capabilities of countries. 2) Products Exhibition We're inviting the first-class hemp enterprises and research organizations globally, who will exhibit their latest research results and most comprehensive products in the event. We believe this event will promote visitors' understanding of both hemp products and hemp industry. 3) Road Show As the organizer of the roadshow, we strictly inspect all projects from all over the world, providing the project with real potential, it's a platform of investment communication for entrepreneurs and investors. The roadshow will increase communication efficiency, and it's a good opportunity for both sides. 4) Close Door Meeting (Global Industry Expert & Government Officers) This will be an invite-only and no media meeting on hemp policy. In this meeting, we will report the hemp industry development inside and outside China, propose suggestions on industry development, provide government decision basis for making policy, and promote the enhancement of hemp industry regulation and industry standard. After the closed-door meeting, part of the conclusion will be publicly announced or entirely confidential. 5) Field Investigation Visit a hemp industry park of cultivation, deep processing, and derivatives application in Yunnan. 6) Scientific Research Transformation. Promote the cooperation of hemp breeding, cultivation, processing, medicine, health care, edibles and skincare between hemp enterprises and research organizations. The Agenda Covers the Whole Value Chain The agenda of this event is yet to be finalized. It will cover almost all aspects of the hemp industry. Agenda (updating) May 19th Evening - Roadshow May 20th Morning - Opening speeches & keynote speeches: The Last Decade of Hemp in Yunnan May 20th Afternoon - Hemp breeding & cultivation, - Forefront scientific researches - Close Door Meeting: Industrial regulation and standard discussion May 20th Evening - Government promotion meeting for local investment projects May 21st Morning - Industrial hemp from a capital perspective - CBD in the medical market May 21st Afternoon - CBD in the cosmetics market - CBD in edibles, beverage, health care and, vape May 21st Evening - ACU conference and banquet May 22nd - Visit a hemp industry park Who Will Come Here are some executives who have already accepted the invitation to this event before Jan. 15, 2020, Guiqing Han , Chairman of FAO International Network of Black Soils(INBS) and Professor of Royal Agricultural College of UK Jianke Yu , VP of Meilleuer Group Li Wu , Deputy Director of Research Academy, TF Securities Michael Patterson , CEO of US Cannabis Pharmaceutical R&D Paul Benhaim , former CEO and co-founder of Elixinol Ren Wang , Director and Senior Vice President of BGI Group, Director of China National Genebank Rick Trojan , VP of the Hemp Industry Association of US Steve Beven , President of GenCanna A Retrospect to the Past Events HCC is experienced in organized industrial events especially in vape and hemp, in the past years, HCC has organized over 6 hemp events in Beijing, Heilongjiang and Hong Kong, greatly promote the hemp industry both inside and outside of China. The attendees of the events are from over 30 countries and regions. About ACU (Asia-Pacific CBD Union) ACU is an unprofitable organization registered in Hong Kong, it's founded by financial organizations, university, and research organizations, ACU also focus on the research of the hemp cultivation, deep processing, and applications. About HCC (Hemp & CBD China): HCC is the first industrial innovation platform for the hemp and CBD industry in China. HCC provides customers with the latest industry information and match-making service through its online/offline systems as well as a standardized/customized portfolio. It gathers hundreds of domestic and international primary and mid-term projects focused on the hemp/cannabis industry, seamlessly connects entrepreneurs, investors, and operators for either lab technology or finished product, and bridges Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America on information communication, industry integration, and capital cooperation. For more information, please contact: Ethan Liu Phone: +86 18938058834 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Hemp & CBD China SALEM -- Killer Roger Dale Becks latest hearing before the parole board stretched over nearly three hours Wednesday. He spoke at length of his life inside Oregons only maximum-security prison, the anger and violence that consumed him as a young man and the constellation of people who conspired to put him behind bars. What he did not dwell on: his role in the 1978 murder of Kaye Turner, a 35-year-old Eugene woman who vanished on the day before Christmas while running along an isolated road in Camp Sherman. That case, now more than four decades old, came to life again in a hearing room deep inside the Oregon State Penitentiary where Beck is serving a life sentence in Turners killing. The Turner case was part of The Oregonian/OregonLives five-part narrative and documentary series, Ghosts of Highway 20, which published in 2018. Beck and his friend John Ackroyd, a mechanic for the state highway department, were convicted in the case a dozen years after Turner went missing. No physical evidence tied the men to the killing and both maintained their innocence. But Ackroyds own damning statements implicated him in the murder; a half-dozen witnesses testified that Beck bragged about the attack over the years, often while in a drunken rage. They were found guilty in separate trials in Jefferson County Circuit Court. Ackroyd died alone in his prison cell at the state penitentiary late one night in 2016. Beck, now 70, has on three previous occasions asked the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision to deem him likely to be rehabilitated, a finding that would clear the way for eventual parole. Each time, the board has rejected his request, concluding that Beck had not accepted responsibility for his actions and had failed to adequately take part in prison programs aimed at rehabilitation. This was his fourth attempt. He sat across from three board members, wearing prison blues with inmate stamped in orange on his leg. The back of his shirt was marked with the Department of Corrections insignia. As he spoke, he shuffled his feet, clad in white sneakers that he bought from the prison commissary. In a soft and raspy voice, Beck described how work provides structure for his life in prison. He washes linens in the prison laundry for hospitals around the state. He described himself as a recovering alcoholic who has been sober since he was locked up. He has over $1,000 in his prison spending account, most of it savings from work. Before his eventual conviction, he had been arrested more than a dozen times. He served time in Minnesota for a sex crime. Since hes been in prison, Beck said, hes steered clear of trouble an assertion that his clean prison record seems to support. Twenty-seven years ago, I didnt think about what the consequences would be or what it would do to myself or anybody else, he said. It was just, you get in my face, Ill get back in your face. And while he presented a portrait of an older and wiser man, he said he still harbors animosity against one of his sisters who testified against him at trial. And he suggested that his ex-wife who also testified against him bore some responsibility for his violence in their marriage. They had a vendetta against me and probably rightly so, he said. I wasnt a real nice person. When the board shifted to Kaye Turner, Becks affect remained flat. I never seen Mrs. Turner alive. I never seen Mrs. Turner dead, he said. He was pressed by the board about whether he felt empathy for Turners loved ones. I feel bad for anybody who loses a loved one, he said. He recalled seeing Turners mother Catherine Gray sitting through his trial. I felt so sorry for her mother, he said. Turners then-husband Noel Turner submitted a letter to the board opposing Becks attempt to win parole. Jefferson County District Attorney Steve Leriche underscored Turners terrifying and violent death at the hands of two strangers. Leriche said Becks petitions to the board over the years have failed to acknowledge the crime and the damage he left behind. Year after year they get sanitized and repackaged, Leriche said, pointing out that Becks latest application is nearly the same as the one he submitted in 2017. The very first step for rehabilitation would be an acceptance of what you have done. The prosecutor acknowledged the passage of time. He said many of those involved in the Turner case moved on with their lives or have died. I want the board to know that Jefferson County remembers Ms. Turner, he said. Our office remembers her and remembers this case. As the hearing came to an end, the board asked Beck if he wanted to make any last statements. He declined. Board officials told him they would make a decision within 30 days. Beck stood. He thanked them for their time. Then a corrections officer led him out of the room, the large metal gate shutting behind Beck as he returned to the cellblock. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. European Union lawmakers recommended on Thursday that Gerry Cross, a senior Central Bank of Ireland regulator, is not appointed executive director of the bloc's banking watchdog. The European Parliament's economic affairs committee voted on Thursday by 27 to 24 that Cross' candidacy should be rejected, a committee spokesman said. It will be up to full parliament, either later this month or in February, to vote on the panel's recommendation, the spokesman said. A rejection by full parliament would likely force the European Banking Authority to come up with another candidate. Lawmakers were angered that Adam Farkas resigned from his job as executive director of EBA to head a banking lobby group, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME). Lawmakers criticized what they saw as overly lenient departure terms imposed by EBA on Farkas, prompting Cross on Wednesday to offer a two-year cooling-off period if he were to leave the watchdog for the private sector. The EU ombudsman has opened an investigation into how EBA handled Farkas' departure to head AFME from next month. Cross worked for AFME before he joined the Irish central bank. The Central Bank of Ireland had no comment on Thursday's vote. EBA said it acknowledged the outcome of the vote. "This decision will have to be ratified by the Plenary of the European Parliament and we will need to wait until the final vote before deciding on the next steps," an EBA spokeswoman said. Committee members have also said they want more women appointed to EU regulatory bodies. Last year, EBA appointed former Santander banker Jose Manuel Campa as its new chair. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Labour MP Sarah Owen has blasted Piers Morgan A Chinese MP has accused Piers Morgan of making racism permissible in the wake of bigoted abuse aimed at the Chinese for Labour group. Sarah Owen, the MP for Luton North who chairs Chinese for Labour, questioned why the Good Morning Britain presenter has not been reprimanded after he repeatedly mocked the Chinese accent during a segment of the programme on Tuesday. Chinese for Labour, a branch for Chinese members of the party, was targeted with racist abuse on Wednesday after it became the number one Twitter trend having backed Lisa Nandy to be the partys leader. Though Ms Owen doesnt consider Mr Morgan responsible for the abuse, she told Yahoo News UK of his behaviour: It allows an environment where its permissible to racially mock Chinese and east Asians. Its so disappointing. Among the racist tweets aimed at Chinese for Labour were tropes about takeaways and accusations of it being an arm of Chinas government. Ms Nandy and her leadership rival Sir Keir Starmer were among those who called it out. Ms Owen said today: I thought we had got rid of these tropes that we saw in the 70s. The abuse ranged from everything to questioning whether I was Chinese, to jokes about squinty eyes and takeaways, to questioning why we have a socialist society for Chinese people. Chinese for Labour chair Sarah Owen (Sarah Owen) From the accounts I looked at, the majority of it came from the far-right, with a couple left-leaning. Im not surprised because racism against Chinese and east Asians seems to still be OK. We had, the day before, Piers Morgan thinking its OK to mock the Chinese language. The racism being directed at @Chinese4Labour and the East Asian community today is abhorrent and must be tackled head on. This kind of poisonous rhetoric has no place in our political debate or our society. https://t.co/HTkyX2gZrC Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) January 22, 2020 It [the abuse of Chinese for Labour] probably wasnt directly related to him. But he hasnt been reprimanded. He hasnt apologised. It allows an environment where its permissible to racially mock Chinese and east Asians. Its so disappointing. Story continues By Wednesday, Good Morning Britain had received more then 300 Ofcom complaints after Mr Morgan mocked the Chinese language while discussing Peter Phillips - the Queens grandson - promoting milk in a Mandarin-language advert. Mr Morgan described it as yang yank yong ying ming milk and ching chang chong milk. He later insisted he was mocking a member of the British royal family appearing in an advert for Chinese state milk, not Chinese people. But Ms Owen, who said she will be complaining to Good Morning Britain, added: This ilk of commentator - Piers Morgan, Katie Hopkins, Laurence Fox - use being controversial as a platform. And there hasnt been the outrage you would expect had he mocked another ethnicity. Ms Owen, who is due to give birth in two weeks time, added Chinese people are still not visible enough in mainstream society. Read more from Yahoo News UK Britain officially on verge of leaving EU as Johnson's Brexit bill becomes law SNP MP angrily brands Boris Johnson 'desperate liar' as PM criticises party's record in Scotland Nigel Farage says Brexit Party could go down in history as 'most successful ever' In last months general election, she was only the second Chinese MP to be elected into Parliament after Conservative Alan Mak in 2015. She added: We are going to be celebrating Chinese New Year at the weekend and all this is happening in the run-up to it. Its heartbreaking we are being openly mocked on mainstream TV and on social media. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- Sacramento, CA California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging a federal judge to reject Pacific Gas and Electrics (PG&E) bankruptcy blueprint and renewing his threat to turn the utility into a government-run operation. Newsoms lawyers gave a sternly worded rebuke of PG&Es plan in a court filing today (Wednesday). PG&E is trying to dig itself out of a financial hole created by more than $50 billion in claims stemming from a series of catastrophic wildfires blamed on the company. While Newsom does not have the power to block PG&Es current bankruptcy plan, he does have the leverage to make changes because the companys plan hinges on its ability to draw upon a special insurance fund California created last summer to help insulate utilities from potential wildfire losses in the future. The governor is asserting that PG&E is trying to pressure the Public Utilities Commission into accepting a sub-optimal plan. Also, in this latest objection, Newsom expressed frustration that company leaders havent budged much since he sent a letter nearly six weeks ago expressing those concerns and despite further talks with representatives from his office. In a statement, PG&E promised additional changes to the plan are forthcoming. We will continue to engage with the Governors office to address his concerns. The governors latest move was made on the eve of a scheduled hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali that will cover a wide range of unresolved issues in the complex case. Transgenders may soon be recruited in paramilitary forces; Govt mulls at allowing them to take UPSC Cooch Behar: EC says CISF firing absolutely necessary to save lives of voters, bans political visit for 72 hrs Who is Subodh Kumar Jaiswal? Former Maharashtra IPS officer apointed as new CBI Director CISF jawan posted at Mukesh Ambani's Antilia shoots himself, dies India oi-Mousumi Dash Mumbai, Jan 23: A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan who was posted at Antilia in South Mumbai, the residence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, allegedly shot himself while on duty in Mumbai. According to the police the CISF jawan was posted at the residence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani's Antilia in South Mumbai. He shot himself on Wednesday. The deceased CISF jawan purportedly shot himself during his duty on Wednesday, police said. The jawan's post-mortem was reportedly done on Thursday at the Mumbai's JJ Hospital. Meanwhile, police have registered a case of accidental death. According to PTI, it is yet to be ascertained if the jawan committed suicide or his weapon went off accidentally, they said. It, however, looks to be a case of suicide, the officials said. The deceased jawan hailed from Junagadh district of Gujarat and had joined the force in 2014. Mukesh Ambani 9th richest on Forbes' real-time billionaires list The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is entrusted with securing Ambani under the top 'Z+' category of VIP security cover. His wife Nita Ambani is also protected by the force under a similar cover but she has a smaller category of 'Y' cover, as per PTI. SkyPark, a large privately operated parking facility with nearly 1,800 spaces near San Francisco International Airport, is going out of business at the end of the month, citing the cost of the lease as the cause. San Bruno, however, says SkyPark has not forwarded tax payments to the city for 11 months. The company has not remitted the 8% airport parking tax, a tax they collect from (customers) and are supposed to remit to the city, said City Manager Jovan Grogan. The City Council has authorized San Bruno to begin legal proceedings against (SkyPark) to recover the tax due. The city would not disclose the amount owed. The shutdown will occur close to a year after SFO opened a long-term on-site parking structure with 3,600 spaces next to its older one, which had 3,109 spaces. On Dec. 31, SuperShuttle which provided shared van service to airports nationwide, shut down service at SFO and many other airports where it operated. It will cease operations at nine remaining airports at the end of February, according to a customer service representative. SkyPark, started in 1987 by Chet Krouse and a group of investors, does not own the property where it operates. Although SkyPark attempted several times through its decades of operation to purchase the property, it now identifies the cost of the lease as the cause for the otherwise thriving business to close, the company said in a news release. It said the facility includes more than 11 acres with 220,000 square feet of indoor parking, 5 acres of outdoor parking and 15,000 square feet of office space. Green Courte Partners LLC, a private real estate investment firm targeting niche sectors in Lake Forest, Ill., purchased the facility in 2005. Public records show the purchase price was $24.6 million. In a news release at the time, it said it had 1,750 spaces, including 950 covered ones. The facility is operated under a long-term triple-net lease by San Bruno SkyPark Associates, L.P., under the name SkyPark, it added. Green Courte executives did not return requests for comment. Nicolle Krouse Judge, president of SkyPark, said in the release, From the beginning when my father opened SkyPark, the high cost of property in this area kept the company from owning the facility although we tried multiple times to purchase it. Now the value of the property has left us with a lease that although we are a thriving business we can no longer maintain. Judge did not return a request for comment. Im not sure what plans the property owner has for this location but I dont believe they intend to operate an airport parking business, Judge added. I think its a matter of the potential value of this property outweighing all other factors. SkyPark employs 50 people. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Richard Kurovsky, a retired public relations executive, said hes been using Skypark for 15 or 20 years for business and personal trips. They were always considered a high-end operator, he said. They take care of your car when you park it there. He said the airport-parking market has changed dramatically with the advent of Uber and Lyft and the opening of SFOs new structure in February. There is big price competition. I parked there over Christmas. They were trying to push their online abilities with a new website and app, so I was kind of surprised to see it closing, he said. Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender New Delhi, Jan 23 : Bharti Airtel on Thursday told the Department of Telecom that it will not clear any AGR arrears until the Supreme Court hearing next week. "Airtel has written to DoT that it will not be making the AGR dues payment today and wait till next hearing of the Supreme Court on its modification petition," the sources said. With this, none of the telcos will be paying as the January 23 deadline ends as per the October 24 apex court order and will wait till next week for their next course of action depending on the outcome of the hearing. Vodafone Idea had informed the DoT the same thing. Airtel AGR dues are Rs 35,586 crore and Vodafone Idea has to pay Rs 52,039 crore. Vodafone Idea, Bharti Telecom and Tata Teleservices have to pay a total Rs 1.02 lakh crore in AGR-related dues. On Wednesday, the top court agreed to hear next week the modification pleas filed by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to allow the telcos to negotiate with the DoT on conditions and payment schedules of the statutory dues. Last week, the court had rejected a review petition filed by the telcos on the October verdict, which widened the definition of AGR. The telecom sector companies owe the government about Rs 1.47 lakh crore. (Anjana Das can be contacted anjana.d@ians.in) Shares of YES Bank surged over 7% on Thursday trade after State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar said that the private lender 'will not be allowed to fail'. Kumar reportedly said that he's certain "some solutions will emerge" to resolve YES Bank's crisis, which has been on a prolonged quest to raise new capital. "YES Bank is a significant player in the market with an almost $40 billion balance sheet. I have a feeling that it will not be allowed to fail," Kumar told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Switzerland. Reacting to SBI chief comments, YES Bank shares touched an intraday high of Rs 41.35, rising 7.54% on BSE today, against the previous close of Rs 38.45. Volume-wise 64 lakh and 1,261 lakh shares were trading on BSE and NSE counters, both above 5,10 and 30-day average volume traded. Market depth data on BSE suggested 58% buyers bidding against 42% sellers offering the stock. The current market cap of the company stood at Rs 9,819 crore. YES Bank stock has been on gaining spree for the last two days and has risen 6.13% during the period. YES Bank stock price trades higher than its 5-day moving averages but lower than 20, 50, 100 and 20-day moving averages. The stock has gained 1.88% in one week, although fallen 18% in one month and nearly 80% in one year, amid worries about its asset quality and uncertainty about its efforts to raise new capital. In a separate development, YES Bank notified the exchanges today that it has sold 12.2 lakh equity shares, or 2.08% of the paid-up share capital of SICAL Logistics Limited in various tranches, last being on January 22, 2020. Earlier on January 15, YES Bank had, pursuant to invocation of pledge of shares, acquired 60,00,000 equity shares, constituting nearly 10.25% of paid-up share capital of SICAL Logistics. Stocks in news: Biocon, Canara Bank, PVR, PNB Housing, HDFC Life, L&T, SBI Life, Axis Bank and more Share Market LIVE: Sensex up 220 points, Nifty above 12,170; Axis Bank, L&T top gainers post Q3 results The Australian Navy on Friday began sea evacuations of thousands of people trapped by bushfires which have been burning out of control in the southeast of the country and killed at least 19 people since they started in September.Smoke from the Currowan Fire is pictured from St Georges Basin south of Nowra and looking towards Sussex Inlet and Lake Conjola, Australia. (Image: Reuters) We didnt have any idea where we would end up or that we would be taking it this far, but what a journey it has been, Espinoza said. This is five years in the making. This is a monumental day in this case that could make history for thousands of families around the country. At question in the case is a scholarship program passed by the Montana Legislature in 2015 that created a $150 income tax credit for donations that support nonprofit scholarship organizations that help pay for students to attend private schools. Most private schools in Montana are religiously affiliated. But the state Department of Revenue wrote rules that prevented any of the money from going to religiously affiliated schools, citing a provision in the state Constitution that prohibits "any direct or indirect appropriations or payments" from the government to religious institutions or religiously affiliated schools. Espinoza and two other mothers sued, and their case worked its way through a lower court before the Montana Supreme Court on appeal ended the tax credit program for all schools, religiously affiliated or otherwise. The mothers, represented by the Virginia-based Institute for Justice, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard an hour of arguments on both sides of the case Wednesday. Espinoza said she thought the hearing sounded very positive. By the sound of their questions to us, it sounds like we could have a positive outcome at the end of this whole thing, Espinoza said. A decision is expected before the court ends its term in late June. Eric Feaver, president of Montana Federation of Public Employees, which represents educators in the state, said Wednesday that he's always assumed the worst in this thing in terms of how the Supreme Court will decide. We have a turning point here and Im not particularly fond of where we might be turning, Feaver said. Reports from news outlets that covered the hearing said the high court seemed poised to decide in favor of striking down the Montana Constitution's so-called "no aid" provision, though there may be a question of if the mothers have standing because the scholarship program no longer exists. Justices on Wednesday also discussed so-called baby Blaine Amendments, which are named for James G. Blaine. In 1875 he introduced an amendment to the federal Constitution that would have enacted no-aid provisions like Montanas, but it failed to pass. However, states adopted their own similar changes, something historians say came out of strong anti-Catholic sentiment during waves of immigration at that time. The Institute for Justice says 37 states still have no-aid provisions on the books. The Associated Press reported Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose two daughters attend Catholic schools, referred to the "grotesque religious bigotry" against Catholics that he said motivated the original adoption of the Montana provision and others like it in the 1800s. Feaver called the argument about Montanas Constitution being tied to anti-Catholic beliefs pure deception, and pointed out the state rewrote its Constitution in 1972. They effectively assert were a bunch of anti-Catholic bigots and the premise of our entire prohibition of funding religious education is because of the Blaine Amendment. Its so offensive, Feaver said. The best anecdote to that is to read what the surviving members of the Constitutional Convention say." Two of the surviving delegates from the state Constitutional Convention in 1972 were at the court Wednesday, said Raph Graybill, Gov. Steve Bullocks chief legal counsel and an attorney on the case. That included Gene Harbaugh, who authored the minority report on the no-aid clause, and Mae Nan Ellingson. The surviving delegates were one of many parties to brief the U.S. Supreme Court on the case, including U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, both Republicans. Daines attended the opening arguments Wednesday. In the brief from the surviving delegates, they say the delegation in 1972 repudiated any such history of support for Blaine amendments. They also said delegates wanted strict protection of the states funds for its public schools and allowed religiously affiliated schools to still use federal resources. The Montana Constitution had very good reasons for protecting public education and protecting religious institutions from state influence, Graybill said. ... This case is about keeping those protections for public education. It is also about promoting religious freedom. Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation, was also in the chambers Wednesday. MFF drafted the first version of the tax credits bill in 2008. This was the culmination of a 12-year effort on our part, not just the Montana Family Foundation but others too, Laszloffy said. Laszloffy countered the argument that getting state funding would make religiously affiliated schools beholden to state rules, saying that it wouldnt be mandatory for religious schools to accept those dollars. The issue there was not whether or not there were strings attached, it was whether anyone was compelled to participate in that program and the answer is no, Laszloffy said. Laszloffy also said that even though the state Constitution was re-written in 1972 and that some argued Blaine Amendments were not relevant now, that type of discrimination plays out in real life this discrimination is practiced in real life with real people. Lazsloffy felt confident after court Wednesday. Were extremely optimistic. The justices were asking the right questions and we felt like the justices were asking questions that would bolster our side, Laszloffy said. Graybill said how the court writes its opinion will determine its reach. A broad opinion could affect the 36 other states, while a narrow one could put the fate of Montanas scholarship program back in state courts. As the case has played out, Espinoza's children, Naomi, 14, and Sarah, 11, have attended Stillwater Christian School with the help of financial aid. I think that (Wednesday) was surreal for a lot of us. I think my kids have started to really understand the magnitude of it now, where maybe they didnt quite grasp it initially," Espinoza said. "Knowing it was all history in the making was pretty incredible. Its a moment we wont ever forget. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A powerful storm that battered Spain this week has claimed at least 13 lives four people remain missing and devastated coastal areas along the Mediterranean with record rainfall, wind and waves. The latest fatality is a fisherman who was dragged out to sea in LAmetlla de Mar (Tarragona) on Thursday. Authorities are still searching for another sailor who was swept away by a wave in Palamos, a young man who was canyoneering in Mallorca, and two more people who went missing in Ibiza. Barceloneta Beach in Barcelona. EP Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday flew over affected areas in Catalonia and surveyed the storm damage in the Balearic Islands. The leader of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) has called an emergency meeting with several members of his cabinet to craft a response to the effects of Storm Gloria. The unusual weather system has ruined crops, destroyed seaside promenades and damaged beachfront buildings along the 518 kilometers of coastline in the Valencia region. Storm Gloria also affected 699 km of coastline in Catalonia as well as many parts of the Balearic Islands, where some locations were pounded by six-meter waves that swept away entire beaches. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visiting areas affected by Storm Gloria in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. The regional premier of Valencia, Ximo Puig, on Thursday demanded swift decisions from the central government in order to conduct storm restoration in time for the Easter holidays, one of the peak periods for the tourism industry. With an alliance of the public and private sectors, we will forge ahead. We are saddened by this disaster and the recovery will be very tough, but we are going to rise above this, said Puig at Fitur, a tourism fair currently taking place in Madrid. Disaster zones Numerous municipalities in Catalonia continued to experience travel disruption on Thursday, and 130,000 students stayed home from school. In the city of Girona, authorities said that the Ter River has burst its banks in the neighborhoods of Pedret and Pont Major. The towns of Deltebre and Alcanar, in Tarragona province, have asked to be declared disaster zones. Early estimates place storm damage in Deltebre, where 25 meters of coastline have been swallowed up and 3,000 hectares of rice fields ruined, in the range of 9.5 million. A dismembered tuna fish in lAmpolla. JOSEP LLUIS SELLART The Ebro River Delta region in Catalonia has been severely affected by the storm, which pushed waves as far as three kilometers inland, ruining crops and altering fishing activities in the area. The damage is particularly visible in coastal towns between LAmpolla and Deltebre, on the left bank of the Ebro. The sea has covered thousands of hectares of rice fields, where the salty water will damage soil fertility. This means ruin, said Josep Colomines, captain of a fishing vessel from LAmpolla. A dozen red tuna fish lay mangled on the badly damaged seafront promenade, their heads still intact. Knives in hand, several people were busy cutting out the edible parts. (l) The Roman bridge in Besalu in 2015, and on Wednesday. Getty / Agusti Ensesa Every beach in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), from Castelldefels to Montgat, has sustained the worst damage seen in the last 30 years. According to the AMBs head of beaches, Dani Palacios, the damage to beach equipment alone is expected to be in excess of 250,000, and that is without counting the destruction of boardwalks and promenades, or the new sand that will have to be brought in to restore the areas to their former state. Valencia In the Valencia region, the storm has swallowed up entire beaches and dragged sand, seaweed, cane, driftwood, oil drums and even buoys hundreds of meters inland. In Oliva, where authorities allowed residents to keep homes that were built too close to the coastline, one homeowner begged reporters not to publish photographs of the state of his property or else theyll take away even more land from us. Ive never seen anything like this. Maybe in 1982, said a woman named Teresa inside one of the few cafeterias still open in the area. In Javea, the ground-floor premises of the buildings located along its small port promenade have been ravaged despite efforts to stop the waves with metal sheets and wooden planks. Never before has there been so much damage, with such strong waves, said Diego, who works at La Bodeguita, a seafront restaurant in this popular tourist destination. With reporting by Marta Rodriguez, Ferran Bono and Marc Rovira. English version by Susana Urra. Passengers were forced to sleep in an airport after their Jetstar flight was turned around due to a curfew. Peter Eckert was flying from Melbourne to Adelaide on Wednesday after going to the Australian Open. However a combination of dust, gusty winds and heavy rain in Victoria meant flight JQ 776 had been delayed by an hour at Tullamarine airport. Mr Eckert said flights out of the airport had been scheduled to land at Adelaide at 10.10pm. Peter Eckert was flying from Melbourne to Adelaide on Wednesday after spending time at the Australian Open when his delayed flight was turned around However the flight was delayed by an hour and was met with turbulence once it was in the air. 'We left an hour late with what we believe was clearance to land in Adelaide,' Mr Eckert told Daily Mail Australia. 'Like you see on the flight radar the pilot announced landing to the staff then the announcement after that we couldn't land and we were going back to Melbourne.' Mr Eckert said on the return flight back to Melbourne the seat belt sign was on the majority of the time and staff remained seated. The flight arrived back to Melbourne with rainy weather at 12.30am with a rush to figure out accommodation. Mr Eckert said 20 people stayed at the airport overnight and, despite long delays, people were in 'pretty good' spirits. The plane was forced to turn back after it was delayed by bad weather One man said he missed a job interview as a result of the delay. Others went to stay with friends or family until the rescheduled flight at 10am, which was delayed until 10.30am. 'The lady behind me on the cancelled flight had an elderly father coming to pick her up,' Mr Eckert said. 'And not arriving said how her mother would panic and think that the plane had crashed.' One man said he missed a job interview as a result of the the delay (pictured: Adelaide airport) Mr Eckert said he slept on a stainless steal bench at the airport while his friends waited to catch the first flight back. 'Because I slept, I checked but the red eye was full, back to the original allocated flight. Same seats, same flight number, same people, everyone with a story to tell,' he said. A Jetstar spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'Due to weather affecting aircraft departures from Melbourne last night, we were given approval to land in Adelaide after curfew. Unfortunately this approval was revoked on approach to Adelaide and the flight returned to Melbourne. 'We appreciate delays are frustrating for customers and apologise for the inconvenience caused. 'Affected customers were offered the option of a refund or if they wanted to continue to travel on the alternative flight arranged, they were offered accommodation, meal allowances and transport to and from hotels.' New Jersey plans to sue President Donald Trumps administration over rules governing guns made by 3D printers, state officials announced Wednesday. The federal government plans to loosen regulations for firearm-designing software, according to the attorney generals office. That change would make it easier for dangerous people to obtain so-called ghost guns," state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. The federal government should be doing more to keep those files from felons and terrorists, Grewal said. Instead, they keep trying to make it easier to disseminate these deadly weapons." A spokesman said at least 20 other states will join New Jersey in the lawsuit, which will likely be filed later this week. The move is part of a broader campaign in the state against similar types of guns, and the files that make them possible. The state has arrested men for making them, threatened some manufacturers and sued others. New Jersey is also still in court with a Texas-based company thats challenged New Jerseys ghost guns restrictions. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. As India prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of its majestic Constitution that empowered We the people on Sunday (January 26) , its democratic credentials have come under less than flattering scrutiny. The 2019 Democracy Index report of the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released on January 22 placed India at the 51st spot, marking a sharp drop of 10 places from the previous years rankings. While Norway leads the list, and is in the category of full democracies, North Korea, ranked 167, is at the bottom of the ladder and clubbed among authoritarian regimes. India has been placed in the category of flawed democracies, which has a total of 54 countries. It is instructive to note that the worlds oldest democracy, the United States of America, is deemed to be similarly flawed and is at the 25th spot. Furthermore, in the neighbourhood, Bangladesh has moved up eight rungs to the 80th rank. The EIU democracy index has been assessed across five categories: Electoral process and pluralism; the functioning of government; political participation; political culture; and civil liberties. Clearly, 2019 has been a blighted year for democracies, for the report notes that the average global score for democracy declined from 5.48 in 2018 to 5.44, and added that this is the worst average global score since the EIU index was first produced in 2006. India has also been accorded its lowest score since the democracy index was mooted 14 years ago, and the 2019 average was 6.9: derived from electoral process, 8.67; functioning of government, 6. 79; political participation, 6.67 ; political culture, 5. 63 and civil liberties, 6.76. The erosion of civil liberties in India over the last year has been highlighted as one of the primary reasons for the drop in the Indian ranking and the specific allusion was to the abrogation of Article 370 and repealing Article 35A, removing the special status of Jammu & Kashmir. The clampdown in Kashmir and the detention of local political leaders, as also the shutdown of the Internet and other restrictions imposed on citizens found mention in the EIU report. India has, in the past, rejected international assessments that have been critical of its track record even while enthusiastically accepting more positive endorsement of its achievements. Selective petulance is not the hallmark of a self-assured democracy that can accept objective and constructive criticism, and the Narendra Modi government has been particularly sensitive on this score. Recent protests across India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the manner in which the State has responded only reinforces the image of a flawed democracy that uses disproportionate force against its own citizens. Reports from Uttar Pradesh about the local police physically man-handling peaceful anti-CAA protesters reveal the ugly side of the State. Dissent by citizens through peaceful protest is integral to the democratic ethos, and it is ironic that the worlds largest democracy has shown little empathy or patience with such exigencies. The CAA and related initiatives such as the National Population Register have triggered a nationwide, student-led peaceful protest. This has progressively drawn support from a wide cross-section of civil society, including retired bureaucrats, academics and stoic women with young children. This is vintage Gandhian assertion by the collective, but the response of the State has been far from democratic and disappointing. Home minister Amit Shah unambiguously declared in Lucknow on January 21 that, despite the protests, the government would adopt a hardline policy in relation to the CAA, and that come what may, it would not be withdrawn. In short, there is no window for any dialogue with the aggrieved citizens, and this again is antithetical to the democratic compulsion. Ironically, President Ram Nath Kovind, on January 20, dwelt on the centrality of debate in a democracy at a media awards ceremony in Delhi, in which he observed: A democracy like ours deeply relies on the uncovering of facts and a willingness to debate them. The Modi government would be well-advised to objectively ponder over this sage counsel from the President the custodian of the Constitution and initiate a sincere debate in Parliament and with the citizen. It is paradoxical that in the worlds leading authoritarian State, China, where student-led citizen protests in Hong Kong have continued for months, fewer people have died than in the recent protests in India. Arend Lijphart, an eminent academic in the field of comparative politics, reviewed the puzzle of Indian democracy in 1996, and the validity of a consociational (power-sharing) interpretation. Equitable power-sharing through the accommodation of all demographic groups and an empathetic deliberative engagement between the State and the citizen are the desired parameters for a normative democracy. Lijphart concluded that India, despite certain shortcomings, is not a deviant case for consociational theory but, instead, an impressive confirming case. It is moot if this conclusion is as valid or less so in 2020. C Uday Bhaskar is director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi The views expressed are personal STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With more companies allowing their employees to work remotely, its not surprising that a percentage New York City renters would seek to move elsewhere when searching for a new home. Apartment List recently published its updated Renter Migration Report, which analyzes the cities people are looking to call their new home. The study revealed the following about New York City renters: 32.3% of apartment hunters currently living in New York are looking to move elsewhere, while 24.2% of those looking for a place to live in New York are searching from outside the metro area. Among renters looking to move away from the New York metro area, the most popular destinations are Boston (9.2%), Miami (6.6%), or Los Angeles (5.9%). Renters looking to move to the New York metro from elsewhere are most likely to be searching from Philadelphia (6.7%), Washington, D.C., (6.5%), or Bridgeport, Conn. (4.9%). As far as the users who are looking to leave the New York City area, we found that of all our users who are currently living the NYC metro, 32.7% are looking to move elsewhere, said Chris Salviati, a housing economist for Apartment List. This is the No. 12 highest share among the nations 25 largest metros, so NYC doesnt rank particularly high or low on this metric ... NYC is the nations largest metro, with plentiful job opportunities across a wide range of industries. For this reason, it attracts renters from around the country, but because of the high cost of living and fast-paced lifestyle, many who start their careers in NYC eventually move to other parts of the country, he added. Real estate professionals say the high cost of living in the Big Apple makes the migration out of New York for many people not surprising. We have been talking about how the cost of living, coupled with technology decentralizing everything from real estate to employment basis, has been leading to a significant migration out of New York and the city in general, said James Prendamano, CEO and associate broker for Casandra Properties Inc. While the 2020 Migration Report reveals what seemed to be staggering numbers, this should come to no surprise to anyone, as it just confirms what weve been seeing on the ground. ... Its hardly a coincidence the cost of living for the prospective areas are 18.27%, 26.53%, and 24.04% less than New York. The days of having to sit at your desk Midtown to do your work are long gone, he added. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER Monday marks one month since recent crisis began in Rakhine forcing 430,000 people to flee their homes to Bangladesh. Hundreds of people continue to cross the border into Bangladesh one month since the start of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmars Rakhine state where raids by Rohingya fighters prompted a major army crackdown. Since August 25, Bangladesh has been facing the unenviable dual task of looking after 430,000 wretched people while trying to persuade Myanmar to take them back. At least 240,000 of them are children. The influx adds to about 300,000 Rohingya, already located in camps around the Bangladeshi city of Coxs Bazar. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has earned praise for opening up the frontier to the desperate stream of humanity, but diplomats and experts say she cannot expect much international help in either campaign. READ MORE: Myanmar Who are the Rohingya? They also warn that Bangladeshs warm welcome so far could easily cool if solutions are not found. Bangladesh cant deal with this crisis alone, Champa Patel, head of Asia Programme at the Chatham House international affairs institute in London, told AFP news agency. It is densely populated, poor and already home to a historically displaced Rohingya community. While currently welcoming, this could change if the situation becomes protracted without any clear end in sight. There is not enough food, water or medicine to go around. Roads around the camps are littered with human excrement, exacerbating UN fears that serious disease could quickly break out. A shortage of basic sanitation means the ever-present risk of disease, and aid efforts are only starting to meet their needs, said Al Jazeeras Jonah Hull, reporting from Coxs Bazar, near Bangladeshs border with Myanmar. The country has reacted with compassion to the horrific tales of rape and murder which refugees have brought with them. Scores of trucks carrying aid donated by the public arrive each day in Coxs Bazar. But it is not enough. The UNs refugee agency chief has warned that the crisis may be long. We need to be ready for a problem that could last for some time, Filippo Grandi, head of UNHCR, told Al Jazeera. But we also need, as the prime minister of Bangladesh has said many times, to invest in a solution. We cannot ignore that these people have a right to return. At the UN General Assembly last week, Hasina sought global help to solve the problems of the Rohingya, left stateless by Myanmars refusal to give them citizenship. She called for the establishment of safe zones for the Rohingya. Myanmar has not responded. Will Myanmar take them back? Hasina wants pressure on Myanmar to force it to take back a group that has been in Rakhine for generations. But neither Bangladesh nor the western countries who have been shocked by events in Myanmar have any real clout with its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi or the generals who hold the effective power. The Myanmar army holds the key to resolve the crisis, in the immediate and short term, Ali Riaz, a professor of Illinois State University in the United States and an expert on Bangladesh-Myanmar relations, told AFP. An extremist Buddhist nationalist political force has thrived in past decades in Myanmar, Riaz said. Bangladesh has few effective instruments of statecraft at its disposal to make Myanmar take back the refugees, according to Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington and a specialist on Southeast Asian security. No regional group has shown a desire to get involved either. There have been demonstrations in Indonesia and Malaysia for the Rohingya. Both are members with Myanmar of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). READ MORE: Coxs Bazar Chaos all around at Rohingya camps Bangladesh could try to work with Malaysia and Indonesia to pressure Myanmar through ASEAN. But that is not going to work. The Rohingya issue is very divisive within ASEAN, said Abuza. China and India are the keys to influencing Myanmar, but neither seems likely to step in. Both have supported the Myanmar government out of economic interest, said Patel at Chatham House. They have investments in the country that they would not want to be undermined because of the current crisis. The Myanmar generals are not listening to anyone anyway, according to Abuza. The Burmese military leadership has factored in the diplomatic costs of its actions. I think it is important to understand that they have been itching to do this for a long time, he said. Rohingyas Muslims have long been ostracised in Myanmar, where they are considered illegal immigrants and face severe restrictions. A 'tradwife' who believes in domestic submission has told how she 'pretended' to be more feminist than she was before she met her husband. The belief behind the movement is that wives should not work, and rather spend their days cooking, cleaning, wearing modest and feminine dress, and practice traditional etiquette, being submissive to their husbands and 'always put them first'. Many appear to associate the trend with nostalgic memories of a warm kitchen during their childhood, seeking comfort in its old-fashioned connotations. Housewife Alena Kate Pettit, 34,from Gloucestershire, who has started up a 'femininity finishing school' vlog called 'The Darling Academy', appeared on This Morning today where she opened up about her traditional beliefs. She argued that women are reverting back to the '50s because there are no 'good role models' for housewives today, and feels the current style of dressing - influenced by Love Island and the Kardashians - is 'unladylike'. She also insisted that, despite her traditional views, she is a feminist, because to her it means having the choice to live life exactly how you want. Housewife Alena Kate Pettit, 34,from Gloucestershire, (pictured) believes in domestic submission and has told how she 'pretended' to be more feminist than she was before she met her husband A 'tradwife' who believes in domestic submission has told how she 'pretended' to be more feminist than she was before she met her husband on This Morning today Host Holly Willoughby, 38, quizzed her about 'putting on a false impression as a faux feminist' when she met her husband as a working woman. She said: 'I wouldn't say a faux feminist, I am a feminist because I believe feminism is about choice but there are so many. ' However Holly persisted: 'But if he held the door open for you, then you would pretend you didn't enjoy that'. She went on: 'Well no because I liked that, I think I would pretend to the outside world.' Alena has told how she grew up in the age of Spice Girls and Sex and the City, but the feisty all female groups promoting 'girl power' did nothing to inspire her. She argued that women are reverting back to the '50s because there are no 'good role models' for housewives today British housewife Alena Kate Pettit, who has started up a 'femininity finishing school' vlog called ' The Darling Academy ', where she teaches 'always putting husbands first' Alena enjoyed shows from the 1950s and 1960s, and remembered how her single mother worked full-time, with the house becoming a 'huge burden', which became the turning point for her when she realised she 'didn't want the same life' Instead, she looked up to British housewives of the 1950s as her heroes, connecting with the likes of Doris Day and dreaming of growing up to be a wife and mother. She said: 'I told teachers that I wanted to grow up to be a mum and a wife, and they pushed me to do something 'more' - the outside world made me feel ashamed of my dreams, so I squashed them. 'Everyone in my class was obsessed with Spice Girls and Sex and the City and I was being pressured to find a job, explore sex, be out in the working world but I wanted to be a housewife. After heading to London to work as a marketing manager in the beauty industry, Alena met her husband through work in 2008, and says her life was completely turned around when she could finally quit full-time employment. 'I tried the whole career thing, I was going to London every day, said Alena. 'I reached a management position in marketing in the beauty industry and I was absolutely miserable. 'The beauty industry in particular can be quite a cruel industry to work in, and I found office environments to be toxic and unpleasant. 'I was constantly tired and it was making me argue with my partner - we'd fight over who had to go to the shop, whose turn it was to cook or do the dishes. She also insisted that, despite her traditional views, she is a feminist, because to her it means having the choice to live life exactly how you want After heading to London to work as a marketing manager in the beauty industry, Alena met her high-flying husband through work in 2008 'I eventually quit my job because I was so unhappy, and whilst searching for another one, my partner was financially supporting me and I was looking after the home. The tradwife went on explain that another reason for reverting back to the 50s is because there are no longer 'role models' for housewives, and as she prefers a 'ladylike way of dressing' to 'getting it all out'. She said: 'There's no really positive role models out there for us anymore, which is why a lot of us defer to the 1950s.' 'I connected with Doris Day and her expression of femininity with her lovely dresses, and shows like B*witched which were traditional but a bit cheeky', Alena has told. 'Because that was the last time the housewives were celebrate on the global scene. 'The fashion, nowadays it's Kardashian and Love Island and getting it all out and it's a very feminine and ladylike way of dressing. She says her life was completely turned around when she could finally quit full-time employment and finally fulfill her true calling 'So I just think it's not to do with the ideals of the 50s, because so much of that was wrong, it's just cherry picking certain things.' Viewers of the show were conflicted over the idea, however many argued that if Alena and her family were happy then it wasn't down to anyone else to judge them. One wrote: 'I've never seen the hashtag #TradWives but if that's what makes women happy and it works for their marriage then leave them alone.' A second argued: 'If she wants to be a 'trad wife' then who are we to criticise? She's not harming anyone, she's obviously happy.' 'I completely agree with Tradwifes!Feminists have decided the rules when it comes to how women want to live their lives! 'If you want to be a housewife there is nothing wrong with that!Not everyone has big career aspirations and that is fine!Why can't we be traditional?', wrote another. Viewers were conflicted about the idea, with some seeing no harm in doing it if it makes the family 'happy'. However others weren't as keen on the idea, branding her ideals 'absurd' and 'dragging women back to the 50s' However others weren't as keen on the idea, branding her ideals 'absurd' and 'dragging women back to the 50s'. One joked: 'She seems like a barrel of laughs.' 'A tradwife is a woman who submits to her husband and dies what he says. Basically, she's a 1950s housewife.', said another. A third fumed:'This woman on #thismorning is literally trying to drag everyone back to the 1950's.' One more added: 'No. Women have rights and are treated like humans and not property. This is absurd. Shut up. ' Democrats began laying out a detailed case on Wednesday for the removal of President Donald Trump, accusing him at his historic Senate impeachment trial of seeking to cheat to ensure re-election in November. Adam Schiff, the head of the prosecution team from the House of Representatives, took the floor of the Senate for opening arguments after lawmakers were told by the sergeant-at-arms to remain silent "on pain of imprisonment." "President Trump solicited foreign interference in our democratic elections, abusing the powers of his office to seek help from abroad to improve his re-election prospects at home," the California lawmaker told a hushed chamber. "And when he was caught, he used the powers of that office to obstruct the investigation into his own misconduct," said Schiff, who headed the probe that led to Trump's December 18 impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House. Schiff shrugged off Republican arguments that American voters -- and not the Senate -- should decide whether Trump should remain in the White House. "The president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won," Schiff said. "The president has shown that he believes he is above the law." Trump is accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to announce an investigation into Democrat Joe Biden. "It was a smear tactic against a political opponent President Trump apparently feared," Schiff said at the nationally televised Senate trial. "President Trump withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to a strategic partner at war with Russia to secure foreign help with his re-election," he said. "In other words, to cheat. "If this conduct is not impeachable, then nothing is." Interspersing his remarks with videos and graphics and references to the Constitution, Schiff appealed to the members of the Senate to put aside partisanship in deciding Trump's fate. "These are politically charged times," he acknowledged. "Tempers can run high, particularly where this president is concerned." But, Schiff said, "the Constitution entrusts to you the responsibility of acting as impartial jurors." Republicans, who hold a 53 to 47 edge in the Senate, have shown little inclination, however, to break ranks with a president who has a history of lashing out ferociously at his perceived enemies. A two-thirds majority -- or 67 senators -- is needed to remove Trump from office and a series of votes on the ground rules for the trial on Tuesday followed strict party lines. Republicans shot down repeated efforts by Democrats to introduce White House witnesses and documents at the start of just the third impeachment trial in US history. Trump, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos as the historic trial got underway on Tuesday, blasted the proceedings as a "witchhunt" and a "hoax" and said he expected the Senate to clear him "fairly quickly." The president defended the Republicans' rejection of Democratic efforts to force former national security advisor John Bolton and others to testify at his trial saying of Bolton, for example, that it would present a "national security problem." "John, he knows some of my thoughts," Trump said. "He knows what I think about leaders. What happens if he reveals what I think about a certain leader and it's not very positive?" House impeachment managers have 24 hours over three days to make their case that Trump is guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. White House lawyers then have 24 hours to present their defense. Senators will then have an opportunity to ask written questions to be read out aloud by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial. Roberts' role is mostly ceremonial but he did warn both sides during heated exchanges on Tuesday to watch their decorum. "Those addressing the Senate should remember where they are," Roberts said. Trump's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, said the White House will "challenge aggressively the case that they're putting forward." "There's a lot of things to rebut and we'll do it in an orderly and systematic fashion," he told CNN. The next few days are likely to be an endurance test for members of the Senate, some of whom are in their 80s. Senators are barred from having their cellphones and computers at their desks and they have been spending their time chatting quietly or scribbling on notepads when not listening intently. The four Democratic senators seeking to challenge Trump for the White House have been forced to take time off from campaigning ahead of the first state caucuses to choose their party's nominee in Iowa on February 3. Reaction to the impeachment trial has been mixed among voters. "The general consensus I feel I hear from people is 'Why don't they just freaking do their jobs and quit obsessing over this?'" said Rick D'Agostino, the owner of the Sheffield Lanes bowling lanes in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Flavio Quintela, a Washington businessman, said he thought the impeachment trial was "more theatrical now than anything." "Because, you know, the Senate is most likely not approving it," Quintela said. "It really looks like some electoral move, which I don't think is going to work. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Qantas Boeing 747-400 aircraft. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz Boeing's most iconic aircraft the 747 is celebrating 51 years of passenger service in January. Most of the world's airlines, however, are retiring their 747s in favor of new, fuel-efficient jets. The final models will be delivered to cargo giant Atlas Air in 2022, marking the end of the program. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. One of the greatest feats of American aerospace engineering celebrated 50 years of passenger service in January, but to its fate was decided in July. Boeing has announced that production of the iconic 747 will come to an end in 2022 as dwindling customer demand and low sales for its latest variant became the final nail in the coffin for the aging plane line. The 747 was the first quad-jet engine and dual-level passenger aircraft to roam the skies. It's known by many names including Jumbo Jet, Queen of the Skies, and even the Humpback, and is arguably the most recognizable aircraft ever built. Boeing conceived the aircraft in the mid-1960s when it was designed to be the next step up from the similarly four-engined and widely popular Boeing 707 passenger jet. With demand for air travel on the rise, the Boeing 747 would offer airlines greater seating capacity, increased range, and extra room for luxuries such as onboard lounges and bars. Though it took its first flight in 1969, it wouldn't enter service until January 22, 1970 - 51 years ago - with Pan American World Airways. Take a closer look at the story of the Boeing 747, the aircraft that would firmly establish America as a leader in aircraft manufacturing for decades to come. Shortly after the Boeing 707 rushed the world into the jet age, airlines were already looking for bigger and better aircraft, including Pan American and its CEO, Juan Trippe. A Pan American Boeing 707. AP Fresh off the heels of competing for a government contract for a widebody military transport, Boeing used its newfound knowledge in the field to lay the foundation for its newest project. Story continues A Boeing 747 being built by Boeing in Everett, Washington. Dennis Oulds/Central Press/Getty Source: Boeing Over 50,000 employees working on the project at a new assembly plant in Everett, Washington, according to Boeing, that was so large it was given its own zip code. They were called "The Incredibles" and lead by veteran Joe Sutter. A Boeing 747 under construction in Everett, Washington. Barry Sweet/AP Source: Boeing The aircraft they produced would be the Boeing 747-100, the first variant of a new aircraft that featured four engines and two-levels, the first jet aircraft of its kind. The first flight of the Boeing 747. Bettmann/Getty The flying public had never seen anything like it before, with jet aircraft only recently coming to prominence just over a decade prior. Unveiling the first Boeing 747. SSPL/Getty Its first flight flew in the early morning hours of January 22, 1970, from New York to London operated by Pan Am, inaugurating a new era for air travel. A Pan Am Boeing 747 arriving in London for the first time. Rolls Press/Popperfoto/Getty The aircraft was seen as a status symbol for airlines, with the extra space allowing for additional luxuries and extravagances on some airlines. First class passengers in a BOAC Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet are served lunch. Fox Photos/Getty Images Most airlines of the time including Pan Am and Qantas used their upper decks for as bars, lounges, or restaurants. Early Boeing 747s featured lounges, bars, and even restaurants on their upper decks. Getty/Bettmann / Contributor They were a glamorous place where passengers could steal away while flying high in an enclosed tube. Lufthansa 747 lounge. Hutmacher/ullstein bild/Getty It was the most exclusive club in the sky. Spiral stairs lead up to an exclusive club in the sky. Fox Photos/Getty Images The aircraft allowed airlines to fly more people further, with normal passenger capacity for the aircraft growing to upwards of 300 seats in later variants. British Airways Boeing 747s. REUTERS/Toby Melville The range of the aircraft gradually increased over the years with the -400 variant - one of its more modern bestsellers - having the ability to fly over 7,000 nautical miles, enough to connect New York with nearly every continent with a non-stop flight. A Thai International Airways Boeing 747-400. Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Source: Boeing A testament to its popularity, Boeing produced numerous variants of the aircraft over a half-century beyond the initial model. After the 747-100 came the 747-200... A Boeing 747-200 cargo plane. Fasttailwind / Shutterstock.com 747SP... A South African Airways Boeing 747SP. EQRoy / Shutterstock.com 747-300... An Air France Boeing 747-300. aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group/Getty 747-400... A Japanese government Boeing 747-400. REUTERS/Jason Le 747-8i... A VIP Boeing Business Jet 747-8i. Cabinet Alberto Pinto Read More: See inside the the world's largest private jet: a Boeing 747 with an interior so large it took 4 years to design and build And the 747-400LCF Dreamlifter. A Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter. cpaulfell / Shutterstock.com The jets have been used for passenger and cargo flying, as well as military usage, making it incredibly versatile. A Boeing 747 cargo plane. Philip Pilosian / Shutterstock.com Even to this day, the Boeing 747 continues to outlive most of its rivals from the time period, including the supersonic and similarly iconic European Concorde. British Airways operated both the Boeing 747 and Concorde. REUTERS Its supremacy went unmatched for decades despite a long list of competitors until Airbus unveiled a dual-level and quad-engine aircraft of its own, the Airbus A380. An Airbus A380. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol With the rise of fuel-efficient, dual-engine aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB, the need and desire for the quad engine aircraft such as the 747 and A380 has dwindled over the years, despite Boeing's best efforts with the larger and more modern 747-8i. A Boeing 747-8i at the Paris Air Show. Pascal Rossignol/Reuters Most operators of the more recent -400 variant have retired or are in the process of retiring their fleets, with only a handful opting to upgrade to the 747-8i variant. An Air China Boeing 747-400. AP Only three airlines purchased the Boeing 747-8i for passenger service: Korean Air... A Korean Air Boeing 747-8i landing in London. Steve Parsons/Getty Lufthansa... A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i. Markus Schmal / Shutterstock.com And Air China. An Air China Boeing 747-8i. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty The rest were cargo airlines such as UPS Airlines... A UPS Airlines Boeing 747-8F. Thiago B Trevisan / Shutterstock.com Qatar Airways Cargo... A Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 747-8F. Elaine Thompson/AP And Atlas Air. An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8F. Thomas Frey/picture alliance/Getty For cargo carriers, the all-important nose door was a key selling point for the aircraft as the 747 is the only Western-built, mass-produced aircraft to feature it. An AirBridgeCargo Boeing 747. vaalaa/Shutterstock.com Read More: Boeing ending production of the 747 means cargo carriers will lose a key feature and be left scrambling when it's gone Despite being an all-American plane, all US airlines have retired the Boeing 747 from their fleets, with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines as the final two to fly it. The final passenger flight of a United Airlines Boeing 747. Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto/Getty Among the most common operators of the aircraft today are European and Asian airlines such as Korean Air... Suparat_C/Shutterstock ...and Lufthansa. A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i. Larry Downing/Reuters Australian flag carrier Qantas recently retired its Boeing 747 fleet, which was once a staple of transpacific travel, in favor of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A380. A Qantas Boeing 747-400. James D. Morgan/Getty Read More: Qantas just retired the iconic Boeing 747 with a commemorative last flight flown by the airline's first female captain who drew a kangaroo in the sky The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the retirement of the 747 from airlines, including Qantas... A Qantas Boeing 747-400. Bai Xuefei/Xinhua/Getty British Airways... A British Airways Boeing 747-400 at JFK Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Virgin Atlantic Airways... A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400. Virgin Atlantic Airways Corsair... A Corsair Boeing 747-400. Charles Platiau/Reuters And KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747-400. Louis Nastro/Reuters Perhaps the most well-known operator of the aircraft currently is the United States Air Force, which flies the President of the United States on a modified Boeing 747-200 called Air Force One when he's aboard. Air Force One arrives in West Palm Beach with President Trump. YURI GRIPAS/Reuters The blue-and-white 747 with "United States of America" lettering on the side is an iconic symbol of the presidency. Air Force One arrives in Germany. Carsten Koall/Getty While the current model will soon be retired, the next aircraft to be used for Air Force One, the Boeing 747-8i, will soon replace it. The aircraft replacing the current Air Force One is the Boeing 747-8i. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Read More: Biden will be the first president to use the new Air Force One here's what we know about the $5.3 billion aircraft The 747-8i will be the last 747 line as Boeing will be ending production in 2022. The manufacturer confirmed the end of the road for the jet with the last four models going to cargo giant Atlas Air. Michael Sohn / AP Images Read More: Boeing just announced the definitive end of the legendary 747 as cargo giant Atlas Air places an order for the final 4 planes But Boeing will continue to support the plane for years to come, stating: "Our customer commitment does not end at delivery, and we'll continue to support 747 operations and sustainment well into the future." A Boeing 747 carrying the Space Shuttle. REUTERS/Ho New Source: Boeing As the Queen of the Skies nears the end of its reign, its legacy will surely live on forever as the aircraft that revolutionized the aviation industry and made the world a smaller place for over 50 years. A British Airways Boeing 747-400. REUTERS/Toby Melville Read the original article on Business Insider With their translucent bells, moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) move around the oceans in a very efficient way. Scientists at the University of Bonn have now used a mathematical model to investigate how these cnidarians manage to use their neural networks to control their locomotion even when they are injured. The results may also contribute to the optimization of underwater robots. The study has already been published online in the journal eLife; the final version will appear soon. Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) are common in almost all oceans. The cnidarians move about in the oceans with their translucent bells, which measure from three to 30 centimeters. "These jellyfish have ring-shaped muscles that contract, thereby pushing the water out of the bell," explains lead author Fabian Pallasdies from the Neural Network Dynamics and Computation research group at the Institute of Genetics at the University of Bonn. Moon jellyfish are particularly efficient when it comes to getting around: They create vortices at the edge of their bell, which increase propulsion. Pallasdies: "Furthermore, only the contraction of the bell requires muscle power; the expansion happens automatically because the tissue is elastic and returns to its original shape." Jellyfish for research into the origins of the nervous system The scientists of the research group have now developed a mathematical model of the neural networks of moon jellyfish and used this to investigate how these networks regulate the movement of the animals. "Jellyfish are among the oldest and simplest organisms that move around in water," says the head of the research group, Prof. Dr. Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer. On the basis of them and other early organisms, the origins of the nervous system will now be investigated. Especially in the 50s and 80s of the last century, extensive experimental neurophysiological data were obtained on jellyfish, providing the researchers at the University of Bonn with a basis for their mathematical model. In several steps, they considered individual nerve cells, nerve cell networks, the entire animal and the surrounding water. "The model can be used to answer the question of how the excitation of individual nerve cells results in the movement of the moon jellyfish," says Pallasdies. The jellyfish can perceive their position with light stimuli and with a balance organ. If a moon jellyfish is turned by the ocean current, the animal compensates for this and moves further to the water surface, for example. With their model, the researchers were able to confirm the assumption that the jellyfish uses one neural network for swimming straight ahead and two for rotational movements. Wave-shaped propagation of the excitation The activity of the nerve cells spreads in the jellyfish's bell in a wave-like pattern. As experiments from the 19th century already show, the locomotion even works when large parts of the bell are injured. Scientists at the University of Bonn are now able to explain this phenomenon with their simulations: "Jellyfish can pick up and transmit signals on their bell at any point," says Pallasdies. When one nerve cell fires, the others fire as well, even if sections of the bell are impaired. However, the wave-like propagation of the excitation in the jellyfish's bell would be disrupted if the nerve cells fired randomly. As the researchers have now discovered on the basis of their model, this risk is prevented by the nerve cells not being able to become active again so quickly after firing. The scientists hope that further research will shed light on the early evolution of the neural networks. At present, underwater robots are also being developed that move on the basis of the swimming principle of jellyfish. Pallasdies: "Perhaps our study can also help to improve the autonomous control of these robots." ### Publication: Fabian Pallasdies, Sven Goedeke, Wilhelm Braun, Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer: From Single Neurons to Behavior in the Jellyfish Aurelia aurita, eLife, Internet: https://elifesciences.org/articles/50084 Media contact: Fabian Pallasdies Institute of Genetics University of Bonn Tel. +49-30-2093-98407 E-mail: fabianpallasdies@gmail.com Prof. Dr. Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer Institute of Genetics University of Bonn Tel. +49-228-739824 E-mail: rm.memmesheimer@uni-bonn.de PHOENIX An Arizona agriculture lobbyist was put on leave from her job after a newspaper raised questions about a possible romantic relationship with a lawmaker, The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday. Republican Rep. David Cook of Globe and Western Growers lobbyist AnnaMarie Knorr told the newspaper in separate interviews that they are friends and their relationship did not cross ethical lines. The newspaper reports it received a batch of handwritten letters that portray a close relationship between the lawmaker and the lobbyist. The Republic reported that the letters were mailed anonymously. Western Growers, a California-based agricultural trade association, told the newspaper that the group is aware of allegations of professional misconduct and is investigating. Knorr said shes being targeted by her father and her husband, from whom shes seeking a divorce. She said she had not seen the letters sent to The Republic, but said Cook and his wife wrote her letters of encouragement while she was undergoing treatment for a medical condition. All I can tell you is Mr. Cook and I have never had an inappropriate relationship, Knorr said. All his family has done is supported me through one of the toughest periods of my life. Theyre trying to make this into something else. She said her father has sided with her husband and her family is disowning me and trying to ruin me, over her decision to end her marriage. Cook, 51, did not dispute that he had written the letters when asked about them during an interview with The Republic. But he refused to discuss the documents. We are friends for years, he said of Knorr. Cook, who is married, is a member of two committees that hear bills affecting the agriculture industry that Knorr represents the Land and Agriculture Committee and the Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee. He has sponsored bills that Knorr and Western Growers support. Republican leaders in the House are discussing changing the chambers rules , such as by specifying that only members of the chamber could file complaints against representatives. House Majority Leader Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, told The Republic that the changes are not related to Cook. But he described the allegations involving Cook as troubling, if true. Kobolyev's contract with Naftogaz expires in March 2020, extension depends on Supervisory Board 14:40, 23.01.20 1032 At the same time, the CEO did not comment on his possible appointment to the prime minister's post. For this unit, however, we are focusing on just one broad area of informational writing that with a STEM theme. Not only can students find daily models in The Timess Science, Tech and Health sections, but we have also teamed up with Science News and Science News for Students as a partner for our contest so we can provide an even bigger range of writing examples at different reading levels. But if youre a humanities teacher and youre feeling left out, please know that this contest and our four mentor-text lesson plans are relevant to you, too. First of all, your students can take on any topic they like under the broad umbrellas of science, technology, engineering, math and health, and we hope they will choose issues and ideas that have real relevance to their lives. But more to the point, the writing skills we want this contest to teach how to write clearly and engagingly about complex topics obviously span subject areas. And the specific requirements of the contest that students have an engaging hook as an opening, that they weave in quotations from experts and studies, and that they explain why the topic matters are elements they will need to master for all kinds of writing tasks. Below, we provide the core ingredients for our unit, which can be used and adapted whether you are participating in our contest or not. Start with a writing prompt that will help inspire students to investigate topics that matter to them. When reporting on STEM-related issues, journalists often start by asking a question about whats happening in the world around them: Just how safe is vaping? Can exercise make us smarter? How does facial recognition technology work? Why are wildfires becoming infernos? If you touched the moon, what would it feel like? US satellite operator DirecTV is racing to take its satellite out of geostationary orbit due to a battery malfunction that could cause a 'catastrophic' explosion. The satellite service, owned by AT&T, fears that an explosion could take out other satellites in the geostationary orbit around Earth, 22,200 miles above the equator. Satellites in the geostationary orbit follow the rotation of Earth so that antennas dont have to rotate to constantly receive a signal. DirecTV requested permission from the US Federal Communications Commission to conduct emergency operations to de-orbit the Boeing-made Spaceway-1. If these operations are not carried out, Spaceway-1 could explode in a month's time and damage surrounding satellites that transmit TV signals via other providers. An artist's rendition of a Boeing 702HP satellite similar to DirecTV's Spaceway-1 Companies with spacecraft orbiting the Earth are required to discharge all remaining propellant prior to decommissioning a satellite to reduce the risk of explosion. However, in a filing to the FCC, AT&T-owned provider DirecTV has asked for a waiver as this can take two to three months. The risk of a catastrophic battery failure makes it urgent that Spaceway-1 be fully de-orbited and decommissioned prior to the February 25th start of the eclipse season, the filing says. DirecTVs emergency operations are in response to the extraordinary and unforeseen anomaly on Spaceway-1 and will reduce the potential for harm to other geostationary satellite operators. DirecTV is proposing that Spaceway-1 is sent 300 kilometres above the geostationary orbit into what is known as graveyard orbit for disused satellites or the great orbit in the sky. The provider is blaming a major anomaly that resulted in significant and irreversible thermal damage to the batteries on Satellite-1. The batteries cells cannot be guaranteed to withstand the pressures and there is a significant risk the battery cells could burst. Satellites like Spaceway-1 follow the Earth's orbit so rooftop antennas held can receive direct-broadcast satellite television DirecTV terminated the satellites payload and is operating the satellite through its solar panels however the use of battery power will be unavoidable when it passes through Earths shadow from late February. SPACEWAY-1 SPECS Operator: AT&T Model: Boeing 702 Weight: 13,400 pounds Launch date: 2005 Operational position: 22,200 miles above the equator at 103.0 degrees west longitude Advertisement This means DirecTV has about a month to move Spaceway-1 into graveyard orbit before it potentially explodes although it is still finalising its de-orbit plan. Spaceway-1 will first need to increase its eastward drift before turning around and completing a near-continuous burn until it reaches its disposal orbit, DirecTV said. The sequence will take approximately 21 days, leaving at least seven days for venting operations before the spacecraft is to be decommissioned. DirecTV also reminds the FCC that the commission stipulates that it can provide a waiver of its fuel rule for good cause shown as in this particular case as it is in the public interest. Accepting DirecTVs request will limit the risk of accidental explosion and potential harm to other geostationary satellite operators, it said. Spaceway-1 currently shares the orbit with around 400 other satellites, according to Satellite Signals. Spaceway-1 is a back-up satellite providing Ka-band capacity in Alaska and that no customers were affected by the anomaly, the operator said. It is now exploring plans to replace the back-up capacity lost by the decommissioning of the craft. DirecTV had recently requested for the 15-year-old Spaceway-1 to have its operational license expanded until 2025. The malfunction is the latest in a series of issues that fall in the hands of the satellite's manufacturer, Boeing. In March last year, aviation authorities grounded the Boeing 737 MAX passenger aircraft after two of the airplanes killed nearly 350 people over the course of two crashes. Back in 2013, the Boeing 787 airliner was grounded after probables with lithium-ion batteries. US equity index futures gained yesterday as China took steps to contain the spread of a deadly virus that had rattled international markets. The dollar edged lower with treasuries. Contracts on the three main American equity indices all rose, with Netflix and International Business Machines up in the pre-market, while Johnson & Johnson slipped, as traders digested earnings. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fluctuated, with Italian banks slumping as a fresh bout of political turmoil unnerved investors. European car makers lagged after US treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin dangled the prospect of retaliatory tariffs on auto imports if exporting nations enacted digital tax plans. Chinese shares earlier reversed losses after Beijing said it will start a nationwide screening effort to tackle the outbreak. The yuan steadied after tumbling on Tuesday by the most in five weeks in offshore trading, as investors considered the virus's contagion and potential disruption to spending during China's week-long Lunar New Year. While the death toll from the respiratory virus rose to nine, a sense that China is coming to grips with containing it gave traders the chance for bargain-hunting. Investors stayed on the alert, however, with millions set to travel during the holiday period and news that the deadly pathogen had spread to Hong Kong. Helping sentiment was growth data that topped estimates in South Korea, continuing a recent run of macro reports that support the case for a recovery in global economic expansion. "I would expect a lot of people - candidly, like we are - are looking for opportunities to buy rather than sell" amid the dip in stocks caused by virus worries, said Lamar Villere, partner and portfolio manager at Villere & Co. "I don't think this is going to be the beginning of the end." Broker Mizuho Securities said in a report that Facebook was likely to see stronger-than-expected growth in ad revenue in its fourth-quarter results. Mizuho cited a recent investor call with an ad agency that suggested strong ad demand from retail, as well as "surprising strength" in financial services. As part of its annual commemorative programme of events this year, the Bloody Sunday March Committee will host an In Conversation evening, featuring Channel 4 News, Chief Correspondent, Alex Thomson. The event will take place in Derrys Playhouse on Friday, January 31. Alex Thomson is the longest-serving on-screen journalist on Channel 4 News and has been with the channel since it began. In more than 25 years hes covered over 20 wars; led major investigations and he continues to front the programme around the world today. His journalism has won several BAFTA and EMMY awards; two New York Film and TV awards and in 2011/12 he was named TV Journalist of the year by the Royal Television Society. Betty Doherty, who is a leading member of the Bloody Sunday March Committee said: "We are delighted and honoured to have Alex Thomson participate in our programme this year. Alex has been one of the few journalists down through the years who has worked tirelessly to get to the truth about what happened here on Bloody Sunday. "Alex Thomson and Channel 4 News produced some of the most seminal and highly influential reports into the events of Bloody Sunday and his work contributed greatly to peoples understanding about the actions of the British army here that day. More recently he has covered the inquest into the killings of 11 people in Ballymurphy by the Paras and focused on the person of General Mike Jackson and in particular the part he played in what happened in Ballymurphy in August 1971 and the events here in Derry on Bloody Sunday, just 5 months later. Also, over the years Alex has covered many other different stories of significant public interest and just in the last few months and weeks we have seen him again appear on our television screens covering major stories of climate catastrophe across different parts of our world, from how Greenland is polluting itself to the apocalyptic bush fires raging across Australia. So it is for all of these reasons and more that our committee is excited to welcome Alex back to Derry and we urge everyone to come along to the Playhouse Theatre for 8pm on Friday, January 31st for what will be a great night and an amazing opportunity to hear directly from one of the worlds outstanding investigative journalists. For further information click on to: www.bloodysundaymarch.org. While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE) and why it is important. By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of China MeiDong Auto Holdings Limited (HKG:1268). China MeiDong Auto Holdings has a ROE of 30%, based on the last twelve months. Another way to think of that is that for every HK$1 worth of equity in the company, it was able to earn HK$0.30. View our latest analysis for China MeiDong Auto Holdings How Do You Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity Or for China MeiDong Auto Holdings: 30% = CN442m CN1.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.) Most know that net profit is the total earnings after all expenses, but the concept of shareholders' equity is a little more complicated. It is the capital paid in by shareholders, plus any retained earnings. You can calculate shareholders' equity by subtracting the company's total liabilities from its total assets. What Does ROE Signify? ROE measures a company's profitability against the profit it retains, and any outside investments. The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. That means ROE can be used to compare two businesses. Does China MeiDong Auto Holdings Have A Good ROE? Arguably the easiest way to assess company's ROE is to compare it with the average in its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. Pleasingly, China MeiDong Auto Holdings has a superior ROE than the average (10%) company in the Specialty Retail industry. SEHK:1268 Past Revenue and Net Income, January 22nd 2020 That's clearly a positive. I usually take a closer look when a company has a better ROE than industry peers. For example, I often check if insiders have been buying shares. Story continues How Does Debt Impact Return On Equity? Virtually all companies need money to invest in the business, to grow profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but won't affect the total equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking. Combining China MeiDong Auto Holdings's Debt And Its 30% Return On Equity While China MeiDong Auto Holdings does have some debt, with debt to equity of just 0.81, we wouldn't say debt is excessive. Its ROE is very impressive, and given only modest debt, this suggests the business is high quality. Judicious use of debt to improve returns can certainly be a good thing, although it does elevate risk slightly and reduce future optionality. The Key Takeaway Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. A company that can achieve a high return on equity without debt could be considered a high quality business. If two companies have around the same level of debt to equity, and one has a higher ROE, I'd generally prefer the one with higher ROE. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. So you might want to check this FREE visualization of analyst forecasts for the company. If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss thisfree list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. by Bernardo Cervellera No tourist guides talk about this place which draws upwards of 5 million faithful on Marian feasts. A devotion that is also widespread among Buddhists and Protestants. After years of destruction, a new sanctuary is now emerging. Hue (AsiaNews) - The shrine of Our Lady of La Vang is considered Vietnams national shrine. On the feast day of the Assumption, August 15, it is possible to attend solemn masses that draw up to 5 million faithful. Still, no tourist guide, religious or secular, speaks of this enthralling phenomenon in a country that is still for all intents and purposes communist, even if it is taking small steps towards religious freedom. The shrine complex stands on a plain in central Vietnam, in an area not yet reached by the rapid economic development that is transforming the country. It was built in memory of the apparition of the Virgin and Child, which took place over two centuries ago, in 1798 at the Cay La Vang forest (The trees of La Vang), in the province of Quang Tri (today the territory of the archdiocese of Hue). A statue of the Virgin and Child, dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothes, stands on a stone and concrete sculpture in the form of a copse of trees (photo 1). At the end of the 18th century, an edict by Emperor Canh Thinh banned Catholicism from Vietnam, initiating a period of fierce persecution. The Virgin Mary appeared to a group of Vietnamese Catholics who had fled to the forest. Our Lady assured them of comfort and the end of the persecution, indicating a herb ("La Vang") to treat diseases. Even today, the nuns who together with the parish priest are in charge of the pastoral care of the complex, have areas where they grow this miraculous grass. The cult for Our Lady of La Vang is widespread not only among Catholics, but also among the faithful of other religions including Buddhists and Protestants, who pray to the Virgin Mary for special graces and healings. The history of La Vang is intertwined with that of the country and the Church of Vietnam. The church built on the site of the apparition of the Virgin was destroyed during periods of persecution (1830-1885). At the end of the 19th century a new chapel arose, to which Pope John XXIII conferred the title of minor basilica (1961). With the war and reunification of Vietnam under the communist regime, the shrine was left to rack and ruin, while the authorities attempted to curb devotion and any attempt at restoration. In 1998, Pope John Paul II expressed the desire that on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin, the sanctuary could be rebuilt. To date, behind the remains of the old sanctuary, built in the 1800s (photo 2), a new sanctuary is being built which will be inaugurated in six years (photo 3). Many dioceses around the world, together with Vietnamese Catholics abroad, are sending donations for the gigantic sacred building that will be on par with the Marian shrines of Lourdes, Fatima, Czestokowa, or Velankanni. Meanwhile, the complex has been enriched with chapels, hostels, a Way of the Cross and a giant panel dedicated to the 117 Vietnamese martyrs (see video). Each station of the Way of the Cross is accompanied by images and information about some of the martyrs. For example, the station of Jesus who meets Veronica is paired by the presentation of the martyr Thanh Phanxico Nguyen Van Trung, a 22-year-old soldier killed for his faith. The quote taken from him reads: "I am ready to fight and die for my homeland, but do not ask me to renounce my Christian faith" (photo 4). Jeff Bezos' phone was hacked last May, allegedly by Saudi Arabia The FBI is continuing its investigation into the alleged hack of Jeff Bezos' phone, allegedly by Saudi Arabia, and federal prosecutors in New York are continuing a probe into The National Enquirer's report on the Amazon billionaire's affair, specifically the source of nude photographs it obtained of him, according to The Wall Street Journal. As was revealed earlier this week, Bezos received a WhatsApp message from crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in May 2018 which contained a video file that cyber security experts believe was a Trojan horse to hack his phone. It is unclear what kind of data was taken from the device but within hours of Bezos receiving the message, a large amount was stolen and the FBI is now investigating it. Cyber security experts at FTI Consulting who were hired by Bezos have suggested that Saudi Arabia listened in on Bezos' calls and texts for months afterwards, when he was in the throes of his secret affair with Sanchez and planning his divorce from his wife MacKenzie. The security experts even suggested bin Salman appeared to be taunting him about it. In January 2019, the National Enquirer revealed that affair in a scandalous expose which Bezos claims was unfairly, and potentially unlawfully, put together. It included nude photographs of Bezos. American Media Inc (AMI), which owns the National Enquirer, has never confirmed the source of those photos. There were anonymous allegations that it was Lauren's brother Michael who sold them the images, but Michael denied that vehemently. According to The Wall Street Journal, federal prosecutors in New York are continuing an investigation into whether or not Michael really was the source of those photos. That investigation coinciding with the revelations of the Saudi Arabian alleged hack raises questions about AMI's relationship with Saudi Arabia and specifically its owner, David Pecker's ties to the kingdom. Pecker has already been criticized in the past for trying to sway elections by helping Trump arrange hush money payments to two women who threatened to thwart his presidential campaign in 2016 with stories about their alleged affairs with him. WHERE IT BEGAN : THE SAUDI WHATSAPP 'HACK' On May 1, 2018, bin Salman sent Bezos a message via WhatsApp of a video which was believed to be promoting a Saudi telecommunications firm. The preview image on the video was of a Saudi flag and a Swedish flag with Arabic writing scrawled across it. Whether or not Bezos - who had the crown prince's number saved in his phone as MBS - clicked on it to open it or not is unclear. Within hours, unspecified data was hacked from the Amazon founder's phone but he would remain unaware of it for months, according to the FTI Consulting Firms report that VICE Motherboard published on Wednesday. Bin Salman continued to text him. In November 2018, he sent him a meme of an image of a dark haired woman with the joke: 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The first messages between Jeff Bezos, in green, and the Saudi prince were in April after they met at a dinner in Hollywood This is the message that Mohammed bin Salman sent Jeff Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone In November, he sent this one - a forwarded meme showing a woman with the words 'Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree.' The cyber firm Bezos hired to look into his phone and whether or not it had been hacked say this suggested bin Salman knew he was getting a divorce - something that was not public at the time. The experts say she 'resembled' Lauren Sanchez A final WhatsApp mesage sent to Bezos by bin Salman within hours of Bezos being told via phone call that Saudi Arabia had launched an online campaign against him. The cyber security experts say the timing of the message was suspicious given Bezos and Salman had not spoken for more than three months and he had just been told over the phone about the campaign HOW THE 'HACK' UNFOLDED September 2017: David Pecker, the publisher of AMI, reportedly meets Mohammed bin Salman April 2018: The crown prince attends a dinner in Hollywood hosted by producer Brian Grazer where he meets Jeff Bezos May 1: The video is sent from the prince's phone to Bezos' via WhatsApp October 2018: Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered by Saudi regime November 2018: Bin Salman sends Bezos a text with the photo of the woman resembling Sanchez January 2019: The National Enquirer publishes its expose on Bezos' affair with Lauren Sanchez February 2019: Bezos receives a report that Saudi Arabia has been conducting an online campaign against him. Within hours of getting that phone call, bin Salman - who he has not spoken to for three months - WhatsApped him out of the blue to say there was no attack against him. March 2019: Bezos' private investigator Gavin De Becker says he has proof Saudi Arabia hacked Bezos' phone - Saudi Arabia denies it January 2020: The Guardian reports that the prince's message was the source of the hack. A UN report comes to the same conclusion Advertisement At the time, Bezos was having an affair with Sanchez but it was a well-kept secret. He was also planning his divorce from his wife MacKenzie that would turn out to be the most expensive in history with a settlement of $36billion. Cyber-security experts say the texts suggest that bin Salman knew about Bezos' affair with Sanchez and his looming divorce. They allege, in their report into the hack which came months later, that it's possible bin Salman or someone with access to his account had been monitoring Bezos' phone. One more message came to Bezos' phone from bin Salman's which triggered suspicion. It was in February 2019, after the National Enquirer had broken the story of his affair, and he was trying to find out who was against him. Bezos received a phone call from a team of investigators who said there was an online campaign against him that had been launched by Saudi Arabia. It was potentially tied to the fact that Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for Bezos' newspaper The Washington Post, had been murdered at the hands of the kingdom and there was global outcry over it. In his message, bin Salman told Bezos: 'Jeff all what you hear or told to it's not true and it's a matter of time tell you know the truth, there is nothing against you or amazon from me or Saudi Arabia'. The cyber-security firm says it was strange for him to send the message without having spoken to Bezos for three months and that it is further proof Saudi Arabia was listening to his phone. THE SANCHEZ AFFAIR AND THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER EXPOSE WITH THE NUDE PICTURES OF BEZOS In January 2019, the National Enquirer published its explosive expose into the affair between Bezos and Sanchez. The January 2019 National Enquirer expose which Bezos' team have suggested was an orchestrated take down by AMI and the Saudi Arabian government They said at the time that they had trailed the pair for months and that they had well-placed sources. The report included photos of Bezos that he had sent Lauren in which he appeared nude. Bezos and his wife were rushed into releasing a statement announcing they were separating, with a plan to divorce, immediately. He denied infidelity, saying he and MacKenzie had separated some time ago. The Enquirer report was staggeringly personal. It included texts between Bezos and Sanchez where he talked about smelling her and holding her. Questions immediately surfaced about who was the source of it all, and Lauren's brother Michael emerged as a potential figure but he denied ever giving them the photographs. Then, with the heat of the scandal still fresh, Bezos came out swinging: he accused the Enquirer of trying to shake him down by sending him legal letters. They said they never attempted a shake-down and simply wanted his comment for the piece. Bezos was so outraged by the story that he hired a team of security experts to investigate it and how the Enquirer got their information. Bezos and his wife MacKenzie divorced with the world's most expensive settlement - $36billion - after his affair with Sanchez was exposed The head of that team was Gavin de Becker. He quickly claimed that there had been a hack of some sort and, in March last year, suggested Saudi Arabia was in some way involved in it. Saudi Arabia denied the claims. There also came a strain of argument that it had been a joint effort by David Pecker and Donald Trump to take a swipe at the Amazon founder. Bezos is a regular punching bag for Trump who complains about his newspaper's coverage of him. DAVID PECKER, TRUMP AND THE SAUDIS Long before AMI and The National Enquirer set its sights on the Jeff Bezos story, Pecker had a relationship with Donald Trump. The pair came up together in New York in the media and business worlds of the 1980s and 1990s, leaning on each other for a mutually beneficial friendship. When it came time for Trump to run as president, Pecker agreed to alert him or campaign to any negative stories. When he was alerted to Karen McDougal - a former playmate who said she was going to go public with her claims about an affair with Trump - he coordinated a 'catch and kill' plan to buy her story and bury it. When Stormy Daniels said she too would go public, Pecker told Trump's campaign. Donald Trump and David Pecker in 2004. The pair have been friends for years He later admitted to it and came under criminal and congressional investigation for whether or not AMI unfairly contributed to Trump's election chances by helping him so much. They were eventually cleared. Pecker maintains good relationships with Saudi Arabian intermediaries. In July 2017, he brought Kacy Grine - one of bin Salman's advisers - to the White House to meet with Trump. Grine had been helpful in giving advice to Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and the White House Middle East envoy. The meeting also gave Pecker clout to the Saudis and two months later, he traveled there to discuss business opportunities. The tabloid mogul is looking to expanded his business in Saudi Arabia. He recently published a glossy magazine called The New Kingdom which was, in essence, a promotional brochure for Saudi Arabia. He said he published it to capitalize on interest in Mohammed bin Salman. Sources told The New York Times in March 2018 he also sought funding from the Saudis to acquire TIME magazine and that he is devoted to looping them in as he looks to expand his media empire. AMI denied it at the time. WHAT HAPPENS NOW - TWO FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS The FBI launched an investigation into the hacking of Bezos' phone last year. The new claim from the cyber-security firm's report that it was hacked by Saudi Arabia brings a new flavor to it. The UN called for a US investigation into the hack. Its specific concern is to do with death of Jamal Khashoggi and whether or not Saudi Arabia went after Bezos, because he owns the newspaper Khashoggi worked for. In a statement, UN special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said: 'The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Posts reporting on Saudi Arabia. 'The allegations reinforce other reporting pointing to a pattern of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents and those of broader strategic importance to the Saudi authorities, including nationals and non-nationals.' Separately, federal prosecutors in New York are looking in to whether or not Lauren Sanchez brother was the source of the photos or not, according to The Wall Street Journal, on Thursday. AMI has not commented on it. A spokesman did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Thursday. Marc Jacobs fans now have another chance to purchase items from his personal art and decor collection. The iconic fashion designer, who sold a number of paintings and artworks at the end of 2019, is teaming up with Sothebys Home to find new owners for his beloved possessions as he prepares to move into a new residence. Among the items for sale are large gold Japanese vases with delicate bamboo inscriptions all over the exterior; a pair of peach-colored, upholstered armchairs, a Curtis Jere tree sculpture, and a pair of cardinal-and-cream striped fauteuil chairs. Other pieces include a carved sheep sculpture, a rectangular metal serving tray, and a gold painted skull sculpture. Courtesy of Sotheby's Home Im not Marie Kondo, he told Sothebys in an interview last year. I didnt decide everything must go. When you move into a Frank Lloyd Wright house, there isnt a lot of wall space and you cant hang a lot of paintings. As much as I will have a difficult time parting with them, I just felt its time to give myself this window to start again. Courtesy of Sotheby's Home See the video. In April, right after Jacobs's wedding to model turned candle designer Charly Defrancesco, he closed the deal on a stunning 6,000-square-foot home known as the Max Hoffman House in Rye, New York. It was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s for Hoffman, who was an Australian-born businessman. After securing the $9.175 million waterfront home, Jacobs promptly turned around and listed his longtime four-story condominium, situated in New York City's West Village, for $15.995 million. (He had lived there since 2009, when he purchased the home for $10.495 million.) The condominium was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in the late 2000s, and was an apt reflection of Jacobss eclectic taste. Im not big on having a particular concept or look, he told Architectural Digest in 2017. I just want to live with things I genuinely lovegreat Art Deco furniture, pieces from the 70s, and contemporary art. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest A luxury resort in Cebu of the Philippines / Courtesy of Philippine Department of Tourism By Jun Ji-hye Air carriers are offering deeply discounted fares to popular destinations for winter vacationers. Jin Air, the budget affiliate of Korean Air, is holding special promotions until Feb. 2 for those who want to enjoy their winter holidays in warm countries. The promotions cover the Incheon-Cebu, Busan-Cebu, Incheon-Macao, Incheon-Okinawa and Busan-Okinawa routes that operate until March 28. Fares for round-trip tickets from Incheon to Cebu start as low as 270,300 won ($232), while the Busan-Cebu route is priced at as low as 245,300 won. Fares for the Incheon-Macao, Incheon-Okinawa and Busan-Okinawa routes start as low as 209,400 won, 130,800 won and 195,800 won, respectively. The budget carrier noted the fares are changeable in accordance with changes in exchange rates, airport tax and fuel surcharges. Those who depart for warm countries from Incheon International Airport can use a "coat room" service at a discounted rate, in which they can leave their winter coats. Details of the service are available at Jin Air's homepage. "Many tourists are expected to choose warm countries as their travel destinations during winter holidays. We hope they will be able to forget the biting cold for a while and enjoy a variety of activities at vacation spots," a Jin Air official said. Air Seoul, a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines, is also selling tickets for Southeast Asian countries at specially reduced prices until Jan. 31. The carrier is holding special promotions for round-trip tickets from Incheon to Boracay, and from Incheon to Kota Kinabalu, costing as low as 82,400 won and 83,500 won, respectively. The promotions cover flights operating until March 28. Members of the Air Seoul homepage can enjoy various services and discount benefits including unlimited 4G Wi-Fi in the Philippines and a pickup service at Kota Kinabalu International Airport in addition to snorkeling and sunset tours. Details of the discount benefits are available at the Air Seoul homepage. "As January and February is a good season to travel to Southeast Asian countries, we have selected the most popular vacation spots there and prepared special promotions," an Air Seoul official said. "We hope tourists can make the most of our promotions to enjoy their winter holidays at cheaper prices." T'way Air has held a one week long "t'way travel week" event on every third Monday of the month, beginning this month's event on Jan. 20 at its homepage and mobile phone application for winter holidaymakers. The latest promotions cover three domestic routes Gimpo-Jeju, Daegu-Jeju and Gwangju-Jeju and 45 international routes that depart from Incheon, Daegu, Busan and Jeju. Fares for routes to Jeju Island start as low as 8,300 won, while the Incheon-Qingdao and Daegu-Cebu routes are priced at as low as 51,500 won and 76,200 won, respectively. Prices for the Busan-Hanoi and Incheon-Saipan routes begin from 71,200 won and 104,920 won, respectively. "Tourists can check our additional services such as one-click traveler's insurance and pre-orders of in-flight meals at our homepage," a T'way Air official said. There is no tax when an investor switches from one fund to another in ULIP, a pension plan or NPS, but in case of mutual funds, switching from one scheme to another is treated as a sale transaction and could lead to taxable capital gains, Vinay Khattar, Head Research, Edelweiss Wealth Management, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand. Edited excerpt: What are your expectations from the upcoming Budget? We all hope that the government will make it count. Not opting for an expenditure cut is a priority. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its last MPC minutes highlighted the need for fiscal action in play. The government should go counter cyclical. Even in the past instance of 2008-09, higher government expenditure had helped revive growth trajectory. The government could focus on creating demand. And, that could go a long way in reviving the economic activity. Whether it is incentive through a tax cut for buying houses to income tax or GST cuts there are multiple options that the govt can choose from to revive demand. Do you think Govt. will be able to meet this fiscal deficit target? We expect the government will miss fiscal deficit by ~50bps of which ~12bps comes solely with nominal GDP growing slower than expected. I think this is the number which markets have already baked in. In the current times of slowdown, markets will react more positively to fiscal slippage with expenditure intact than to creative fiscal consolidation. Which sectors are likely to hog the limelight in this Budget 2020 and why? India has seen most pain in consumption space, especially automobiles in the year gone by. This budget could mark the introduction of scrappage policy, further subsidies on EV and could also reduce GST rates on two-wheelers and smaller cars. In the case of much talked about Personal Income Tax cut, an increase in disposable income will drive the consumption up further. Rural wages have been subdued for far too long and PM KISAN has been running behind schedule. Therefore, some form of consumption boost is very much possible. The fact that CAPEX needs a boost cannot be denied with FY20 investments expected to grow at meagre 1 percent. This could largely be infra focused. Do you think infrastructure could turn out to be a strong beneficiary in the upcoming Budget? The governments ambitious 102 lakh cr worth of National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), which was unveiled at the end of 2019, has reinstated this regimes focus on infrastructure spending. This program aims to upgrade Indias infrastructure positioning in global markets and initiate a virtuous cycle of higher investments, growth and employment generation in the economy. As against 80 lakh cr infrastructure spending between FY08-19, NIP plans to spend 102 lakh cr between FY20-25E, which we believe bodes very well for the sector. As 39 percent of this plan is to be funded by Centre, we expect budgetary and IEBR allocations for sectors like road, railways, affordable housing, etc to be a key monitorable in this budget. What are the expectations from Budget 2020 from investors or market perspective? Removal of Tax on Capital Gains on switching between MF schemes: There is no tax when an investor switches from one fund to another in ULIP, a pension plan or NPS. However, in case of mutual funds, switching from one scheme to another is treated as a sale transaction and could lead to taxable capital gains. Removal of dividend distribution tax: Currently, the company pays corporate tax, then DDT and then dividends received above 10 lakhs is again taxed at the hands of the shareholder. Market participants expect a relaxation in this triple taxation. If corporates save on DDT, they can use it for capital formation which will then increase the elbow room for corporates to undertake support larger capex budgets. LTCG: There is an expectation of the Long-Term Capital Gains Tax being rolled back or increase the exemption limit from the current INR 1 lakh The govt struggled to meet the divestment target in FY20. What are the estimates you are factoring in for the next fiscal? Until November, GoI has only executed INR 18K cr of the budgeted INR 1.05 lakh cr, despite some major announcements. I believe BPCL will be a big mover. If it doesnt get divested this year, it will contribute heavily to next year's revenue. In that case, next fiscal also GOI will bet on high divestment proceeds of ~ INR 1.2 lakh cr The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Impartiality by all A Jan. 22 Post and Courier letter writer bemoans the fact that Sen. Lindsey Grahams public statements indicate that he will not be an impartial juror in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, and that Sen. Graham should recuse himself. I find it more than strange that this same writer gives the Democratic senators who have repeatedly pronounced the president guilty a pass. I guess it depends upon whose ox is being gored. ROBERT G. CURRIN JR. Palmetto Pointe Lane Edisto Island Justice for all Now that the Senate has received the articles of impeachment, I expect a real and complete trial, including pertinent witnesses such as former White House attorney Don McGahn, acting chief of staff and OMB director Mick Mulvaney, and former national security adviser John Bolton, etc., and the admission of new evidence and documents. I expect the Senate to adhere to and honor the Constitution of the United States of America, and the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. JOANNE VAN SCYOC Old Jacksonboro Road Ravenel Contrition over bluster It seems to me the president would be better served by contrition rather than bluster. Perhaps he is already committed to bluster. WILLIAM MARSHALL MOORE Chisolm Road Johns Island MLKs work unfinished The Jan. 20 Post and Courier editorial on Martin Luther King Jr. should shake everyone down to their bootstraps. Charleston, the most sought-after tourist destination in America and most notorious slave port of entry, should and can be the beacon of equality in the land of the free. That high performing schools are predominately white and struggling schools are black is unacceptable. That infant mortality for blacks is double that for whites, that the prison population is predominately black is a tragedy. I ask, What is wrong with this picture? With the riches in this city, certainly we can readily correct this disparity. We in the Charleston region are in a rich area. Look around at all the wealth, Mercedes, BMWs, Volvos, million-dollar homes. Imagine any student coming out of Charleston or, better yet, South Carolina being sought after as a superior citizen for any vocation. Finally, please remember that in this world, in this country, in this city of Charleston, we are all responsible for each other. MALACHI FORRESTER Haswell Street Daniel Island Methodist breakup With apologies to J. Turnbull Spicknall, my former minister and an orator and spiritualist of the first order, putting lipstick on a pig does little to make it more smooch-worthy. Calling a dispute over bigotry, prejudice and exclusion a Methodist brouhaha does nothing to make the denomination more venerable or less hateful. The Jan. 7 Post and Couriers front-page article to make a despicable attitude seem holy does little to benefit any of the parties involved. If, as they claim, they believe their God made each of us, what is their rationale for rejecting some of us? How is this different from separate but equal? Do South Carolina Methodists believe the tenets of their faith, or do they simply want a public attaboy for their reasonableness? It appears there are parts of the Holy City where holiness takes a back seat to sanctimoniousness and self-congratulation. It makes my decision to leave the UMC in 2000 look like a prescient move in a saner direction. TERRY MUNSON Greenbriar Avenue Pawleys Island Charitable benefits While it may be a minority opinion, all charity involvement can be viewed as selfish. Regardless of the good feeling one gets by supporting a favored cause, it could be agreed that benefits to the donor include: 1. More can be learned about an area of interest; 2. New relationships and friends can come from the involvement. JOHN WINTHROP North Adgers Wharf Charleston Doctor office visits If you are late for a medical appointment by a certain time, some practices will cancel that appointment and charge you as a no-show. But if you arrive on time at a practice and the doctor is delayed due to surgery and you have to wait an hour past your appointment time, nothing is done. Time is valuable. I feel it is the medical offices obligation to advise patients and allow them the option of rescheduling. PAUL A. KRECHMAN Jasimine Court Summerville A three-year-old California girl has been hospitalized for a month with the coronavirus, but it is a different and less severe strain than the deadly virus that has killed dozens of people in China. Aliyah Cardoza, from Azusa, was hospitalised on December 23 with what appeared to be common flu symptoms including a fever and a cough that escalated to a diagnosis of coronovavirus, Mycoplasma, acute respiratory syndrome and pneumonia. A month later, Aliyah is intubated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles with a breathing tube and a chest tube, her mother Gloria Aguilera said. Aliyah was diagnosed with the NL63 strain of the coronavirus, a family of viruses that span from common cold-like symptoms to severe respiratory diseases. The NL63 strain is different than the 2019-nCoV strain, also known as the Novel Coronavirus, that sickened hundreds in China, leading the country to send three cities into lockdown to stop it from spreading. Three-year-old Aliyah Cardoza, of Azusa, California, has been hospitalised for a month with the NL63 strain of the coronavirus She was hospitalized on December 23 with what appeared to be common flu symptoms including a fever and a cough that escalated to coronovavirus, Mycoplasma, acute respiratory syndrome and pneumonia Aliyah is intubated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles with a breathing tube and a chest tube. Doctors are hopeful for a full recovery but are not sure when she'll be released 'They said it is common,' Aguilera said on Aliyah's strain. 'Very, very relieving that she doesn't have that strain,' she added on the China panic. Human coronavirus NL63 was first identified in late 2004 and is a worldwide, common virus related to respiratory tract infections and bronchiolitis. It is common in young children and the elderly. It's believed to be spread through direct person-to-person transmission in highly populated areas. Most mild and moderate infections of the virus go away on their own. Infected patients with more severe symptoms can be given antiviral treatment. The Children's Hospital of Los Angeles said it sees cases of coronavirus each year. Still, doctors are not sure when Aliyah will be able to return home as her lung recently collapsed and she suffered a seizure on Sunday. 'I didn't know she'd end up in this situation to where I'd have to see my daughter go through so much pain,' Aguilera said Ddoctors are not sure when Aliyah will be able to return home as her lung recently collapsed and she suffered a seizure on Sunday. She has coronavirus as well as other respiratory complications So far a GoFundMe page for Aliyah's medical costs and to support the family has surpassed $3,000 as of Thursday morning NL63 strain of the coronavirus Human coronaviruses were first identified in the 1960s. The family of viruses spans from common colds to severe respiratory diseases. NL63 is a common strain that appears worldwide and is related to respiratory tract infections and bronchiolitis. The virus is found primarily in young children, the elderly and immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory illness. It's believed to be spread through direct person-to-person transmission in highly populated areas. Most mild and moderate infections of the virus go away on their own. Infected patients with more severe symptoms can be given antiviral treatment. Advertisement But officials are hopeful she'll make a full recovery. 'I didn't know she'd end up in this situation to where I'd have to see my daughter go through so much pain,' Aguilera said through tears to KTLA. So far a GoFundMe page for Aliyah's medical costs and to support the family has surpassed $3,000 as of Thursday morning. 'She is on different types of medication to help keep her calm. Her fluid in her lungs is clearing up but she is still having a little bit of a hard time breathing. They have not gave me a discharge date yet, so I am not sure how much longer she will be there,' Aguilera said in her daughter's GoFundMe Page. As Aliyah battles the virus in California, China has been sent into a panic where three cities have been locked down to prevent the disease from spreading. The dangerous 2019-nCoV strain was identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and though little is known about this fast-spreading virus, it is confirmed to be passed through human-to-human transmission. Official figures show almost 600 patients have been struck down by the disease - but scientists yesterday warned as many as 10,000 people could have been infected in Wuhan, China alone. The dangerous 2019-nCoV strain was identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and though little is known about this fast-spreading virus, it is confirmed to be passed through human-to-human transmission. Three cities have been sent into lockdown to keep the virus from spreading. A man pictured 'disinfecting' the eerily quiet streets of Wuhan above A pictured captured today shows healthcare workers fitted with face masks helping a mother and child in Hong Kong, China Almost 850 people have now been infected in China and Singapore. The illness has spread to countries including one case in Washington state in the US Singapore today announced its first confirmed case of the coronavirus in a 66-year-old man who had flown there from Wuhan with his family on Monday. This means the illness has now spread to eight countries, including the US. In the US an unnamed man from Washington State, who is in his 30s, was diagnosed on Monday January 20, five days after he returned from China. He came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. ASHLAND, Ohio A week before Election Day 2016, Bill Gedraitis drove into town to cast an early vote that helped propel Donald Trump to the presidency. A little more than two years later, Gedraitis name disappeared from the rolls, a victim of the states 2019 voter purges that removed more than 460,000 registrations, many of them for inactivity. But Gedraitis wasnt an inactive voter. His name was among thousands erroneously targeted for removal last year under a fractured system in which each of Ohios 88 county boards of elections handles its own voter-registration records. Its a system that the states elections chief called antiquated and inefficient. Bill Gedraitis cast a vote for Donald Trump in 2016. But in January 2019, the board of elections in Ashland County, Ohio purged his registration from the rolls for "inactivity." The registrations of Gedraitis and others were reinstated after reporters uncovered the error. Its time to reform that system, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a recent interview in which reporters for the USA TODAY Network and The Columbus Dispatch presented their most recent findings in an ongoing investigation of Ohios 2019 purges. He said he wants to bring it under state control and restore trust in the process. The system we have in place right now is prone to error human error, vendor error, LaRose said. Its unacceptably messy. On Aug. 9, 2016, former Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, now the lieutenant governor, directed county boards of elections to send notices to voters that they had four years to either vote or respond to the notice. Four years from that day would be Aug. 9, 2020, but that date would fall within 90-days before the general election on Nov. 3. Federal law prohibits cancelling voter registrations within 90 days of a federal election. That would push Ohios next voter purge to after the 2020 election, likely in 2021. Ohios experience shows how just one software glitch, like the one that canceled Gedraitis registration, could remove hundreds or thousands of eligible voters from the rolls. In the runup to the pivotal 2020 election, controversies emerged over purges in other high-stakes states where some fear a few thousand ballots could flip the vote. Georgia removed 300,000 registrations last year. Wisconsin is locked in a court battle over whether it must strip 200,000 names. Story continues Across the nation, states canceled some 17.3 million registrations between the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterms, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Federal law requires states to maintain accurate voter rolls under the National Voting Rights Act of 1993. Under that law, states are given broad latitude for when, where and how they remove registrations. It allows a registration to be removed: Upon death When a registrant gives written notice that they have moved outside the jurisdiction On request from the registrant For mental incapacity, as defined in state law On criminal conviction of the registrant, as provided in state law If the registrant fails to respond to a confirmation mailing and fails to vote in two consecutive federal general elections after the mailing Ohio maintains its voter records in a bottom up system in which 88 county boards of elections regularly provide a list of registered voters that populates a statewide database.That means that voter records, and purges, are conducted by some counties that have as few as two employees -- one from each party -- with little oversight from the state. Only eight states employ that approach, according to a 2018 survey conducted by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Forty states, territories and Washington, D.C., use a top-down system. In recent years, Democrats have criticized purges and the errors discovered in Ohio and other swing states as a form of voter suppression. Republicans say that is overstated and that inaccurate lists leave elections open to voter fraud. Voter purges are a potential lever for voter suppression. If theyre done wrong, if there are mistakes, if theres malice and the purges are undertaken in an irresponsible way, which results in eligible voters in large numbers being kicked off the rolls, that we view as voter suppression, said Max Feldman, an attorney with the Brennan Center for Justice. But were also cognizant of the fact that voter list maintenance can be done responsibly and maintaining accurate voter rolls is an important part of election administration. Critics, especially on the left, say those removals are a means of voter suppression and have filed lawsuits to stop them. One suit, filed in 2016, put Ohios purges on hold while it made its way through the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court decided that case in mid-2018. It narrowly upheld the 1995 Ohio law that tells county boards of elections to chop the registrations of inactive voters, those who havent cast a ballot for six years and who have not responded to a mailer to update their registration. Ohio resumed its purges 0n January 11, 2019, when counties removed about 267,000 registrations from the rolls. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose called for a statewide voter-registration system to replace a fractured system that leaves voter purges in the hands of the state's 88 county boards of elections. LaRose called the current system "antiquated and inefficient." LaRose, a Republican, was sworn in the next day. A second purge was planned for September. But LaRose made a crucial change: For the first time, counties had to submit names of voters they planned to cut, which his office then compiled into a single statewide last-chance list. Working from that centralized list last summer, The Dispatch identified more than 1,600 active voters who were incorrectly notified that their registrations were about to be purged for inactivity. Some had cast ballots as recently as 2018. Elections officials blamed a voter-registration-software vendors error. In Columbus, Franklin County elections officials identified about 1,100 others who were flagged for removal for inactivity, even though they had signed petitions. That also counts as voter activity. Increased attention prompted thousands of other voters to contact elections boards or the secretary of states office to update their registrations. Of about 235,000 registrations on the states last-chance list for September, 194,000 were actually purged. No one had checked Ohios previous voter purges, until now Even with those discoveries, LaRoses office did not move to check whether similar errors had occurred in January. So reporters for the USA TODAY Network and The Dispatch set out to review that purge. Last January, Gedraitis was one of at least 17 active voters in five counties who were incorrectly removed as inactive, reporters found. I think its OK to clean up the voter rolls, but look at me, said Gedraitis, a union carpenter who displays a copy of the U.S. Constitution next to the entrance to his cabin in Loudonville. I voted and Im getting pushed out. Gedraitis, who has not tried to vote since 2016, was never turned away at the polls. LaRose said he instructed county boards to immediately reinstate 15 voters who were incorrectly removed. Several county boards had already moved to do that after reporters contacted them. Voters cast ballots at an elementary school in Westerville, Ohio, on Nov. 5, 2019. During that election, dozens of Ohio voters whose registrations had been purged showed up and cast provisional ballots. A settlement in August between a voting-rights group and the Ohio Secretary of State made that possible. That included Gedraitis and eight other voters in Ashland County, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Columbus. In northwest Ohio, Wood County had removed two voters who had cast ballots as recently as 2017. In Butler County just outside Cincinnati, a man who had regularly cast ballots was returned to rolls. There were three in Henry County, southwest of Toledo. In Toledo, a Lucas County official said he could not determine why two voters identified there were removed because the board had changed voter-registration software vendors. It was unclear whether the county would reinstate them. In Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Elections had reviewed its January purge after discovering that it had incorrectly flagged about 1,100 voters for removal in September. When reporters began their statewide review of the January removals, Franklin had already reinstated another 123 voters it improperly removed in January. Ohios voter registration system is prone to error There could be more errors. Inconsistent record keeping and inaccurate voter-registration software make it difficult to check whether purges were conducted correctly. In Shelby County, in western Ohio, the elections board told state officials theyd removed 845 voters in January. But the list provided to reporters had just 210 voters on it. The elections board director said Shelby County switched voter registration software vendors in July and the new vendor could not reconstruct the full list. Reporters also found 12 voters who county boards marked as removed for inactivity, but who had been removed for other reasons. Some had died, LaRoses office said. Several were removed under a separate set of rules for those who cast provisional ballots. When reporters asked for records of voters removed in January, several counties initially provided lists of voters who had nothing to do with the request. Theyd misinterpreted their software vendors instructions for producing the list. Help us to report this story Your right to vote is important. Thats why USA TODAY Network journalists will spend 2020 examining issues of ballot access across the country. We want to know about any experiences that made it tougher for you to vote. Has your voter registration been purged? Have you experienced long lines at the polls? Has your polling place been shuttered? Share your stories, tips and concerns with us. Tell us your story County-by-county voter registration in Ohio leads to a mess of inconsistent data, LaRose said, and should instead be handled by the state. If Im going to be held accountable for this, I want to make sure that its operating at the level of accuracy and efficiency that I would expect, he said. Its currently not doing that, and we need to make a change. Who is purged? Reporters also tested the warnings of purge opponents: That targeting inactive voters even when its done according to the law disproportionately kicks young, Democratic and African-American voters off the rolls. The young were disproportionately purged: Nearly 1 out of 3 purged voters was age 25 to 34. And where a party preference could be determined based on the last partisan primary in which the voter cast a ballot, Democrats outnumbered Republicans almost 2 to 1. Race is not included in voter-registration records. But an analysis of the racial makeup of those purged in January 2019 that determined each voters likely race using census data connected to the voters surname and address estimated that 11.9% of those purged were black. That roughly matches Ohios population makeup. The Supreme Court said Ohio could keep purging inactive voters, but lawsuit led to a safety net Voting rights activists lost their lawsuit to stop Ohio from canceling registrations for inactivity. But they secured a smaller victory: Under whats called the APRI exception, purged voters can cast a valid provisional ballot if they appear at a polling place in the county where they had been registered. A lower court had ruled in 2016 that those purged for inactivity should be allowed to vote in that election on a provisional ballot. A settlement in August between the A. Philip Randolph Institute, or APRI, and LaRoses office extended that exception until the end of 2022 and expanded it to voters purged in previous years. A provisional ballot is given to voters who appear at the polls, but who are not in the precincts poll book or cant prove their identity. Election officials examine the ballot later to determine whether the vote should count. The APRI exception stems from the lawsuit that the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an African-American union group affiliated with the AFL-CIO, filed in 2016 to challenge Ohios voter purge process. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July 2018 that Ohio could cancel the registration of voters who had not voted for six years or responded to a mailed confirmation notice. Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute The court majority said because Ohios law does not solely purge voters for inactivity, it does not violate the National Voting Rights Act. The confirmation notice offers a second test, they said. The ruling did not entirely resolve the lawsuit, though. It did not judge whether the wording of the confirmation notices violated federal law, as the lawsuit alleged. Because the notices were worded incorrectly, a lower court in 2016 ordered the state to allow voters whose registrations were removed for inactivity to cast provisional ballots as long as they lived at the same address. In 2019, Secretary of State Frank LaRose negotiated a settlement with the A. Philip Randolph Institute to extend that exception to voters purged for inactivity in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019. The settlement also said those voters need only live in the same county, not at the same address. In November, during a low-turnout municipal and school-board election, dozens of voters whose registrations had been canceled cast provisional ballots that counted. That included 38 voters in Cuyahoga County, 24 voters in Franklin County, 13 in Summit County and nine in Hamilton County. It was the first test of the expanded APRI exception. Jennifer F. A. Borresen Hilliard resident Jim Buxton was one of those voters. Buxton said he moved to central Ohio in 1996, and voting records back to 2000 show he never had cast a ballot. Franklin County canceled his registration in January for inactivity. But in November, a school issue in the Columbus suburb of Hilliard drew Buxton to the Methodist church that doubles as his polling place. Theres obviously pros and cons depending on what side youre on, Buxton said of canceling voter registrations. I guess the biggest problem would be if that had prevented me from voting that night. Ideally, said Andre Washington, the president for APRI in Ohio, no one would be removed from the voter rolls because they chose not to vote. Like Buxton, they might be waiting for an issue that moves them. But hes proud of the settlement his group reached with LaRose. My position is, if we are able to allow one person in the state of Ohio to cast a ballot who had been legally purged, we have done our job, Washington said. To ensure purged voters dont walk out when presented with a provisional ballot, Washington wants to train poll workers to explain why their vote might count after all. The APRI exception is an imperfect remedy for wrongly purged voters, said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. Provisional ballots take more time for workers to administer and verify, and Miller said voters dont trust them. There are times when voters are afraid their vote wont count if they have to vote provisionally, Miller said. So they just leave. Cleaning up Ohios voter registration mess When your registration has been canceled, its personal. Gedraitis initially wondered whether his support for Trump in 2016 put a target on his registration. An error in a computer program incorrectly knocked Gedraitis and eight other county voters from the rolls, said Shannon Johnson, director of the Ashland County Board of Elections. The program was provided by Elections Systems & Software, the countys former registration vendor. After the September purge, in which ES&S was blamed for improperly flagging more than 1,600 registrations across 14 counties for removal, Ashland County changed vendors. It went instead with Triad, which serves the majority of Ohio counties. Instead of each county purging its own rolls with little state oversight, Johnson, a Democrat and past president of the Ohio Association of Elections Officials, said she prefers a statewide system in which everyone follows the same rules. The instructions would be very specific and maybe this would all be much simpler, she said. Miller said the state needs to review past purges to correct mistakes and modernize its voter registration system. Theres not enough transparency into these practices for us to know how accurate the systems are and where all the failures are, Miller said. I think that lack of transparency is dangerous. The Ohio legislature is considering a bill that would provide more state oversight of voter registration vendors such as Triad and ES&S. Another would automatically update voter registrations when people interact with state agencies, such as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Ohios General Assembly is considering two bills that could drastically change the way voter registrations are managed in the state. A bill introduced in the Senate in 2019 would require the registrar of motor vehicles or deputy registrars to collect information to register or update the registration of eligible voters. LaRose backs that bill, introduced with bipartisan co-sponsors. A companion bill was introduced in the Ohio House in January. Neither bill has emerged from committee. A second bill in the Ohio House would give authority to approve voter registration systems used by county boards of elections to the same state board that signs off on voting equipment vendors. LaRose has advocated for similar federal oversight that, coupled with this bill, would draw voter registration standards closer to those for voting machines and equipment. That bill already has passed the Ohio Senate, but it has not received a hearing in the Ohio House. Lawmakers in 13 states passed laws to change the way they purge voters in the last two years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those new laws include provisions in Georgia to transfer voter registrations for those who move to another county within the state; in Michigan to place inactive voters in a separate file while keeping their eligibility to cast ballots; and in Tennessee to require county election commissions to verify voter addresses every two years. The Ohio bills aim to reduce the margin of error in purging voters from the rolls. But Miller, at the League of Women Voters, said a reduction is not enough. Theres no acceptable margin of error, Miller said. Any eligible Ohioan who is wrongfully removed from the rolls is one too many. MORE ON VOTER ACCESS Contact reporter Rick Rouan at rrouan@dispatch.com and @RickRouan on Twitter, and editor Doug Caruso at dcaruso@dispatch.com and @DougCaruso on Twitter. How we reported this story To evaluate the January 2019 purge of the Ohio voter rolls, the USA TODAY Network and The Columbus Dispatch requested lists of purged voters from each of Ohios 88 counties under the Ohio Open Records Act. Over the next three months, all 88 counties provided the requested records. Reporters standardized spreadsheets, and, where necessary, converted scanned paper records into spreadsheets, creating a single database of about 267,000 purged voters. Those 267,000 voter records were then joined to a copy of Ohios statewide voter-registration file from December 29, 2018, about two weeks before the purge. That file included voter-activity histories for each election between 2000 and 2018. That statewide voter file was provided by a data analyst for the Ohio League of Women Voters who downloads and saves a version of the file every week from the Ohio Secretary of States website. Officials in the Secretary of States office said they were unable to provide that file when reporters requested it. Reporters wrote a script in R to analyze the voting histories of each purged voter to determine whether they had been properly purged for not voting and to identify the partisan primary -- if any -- in which they had last voted. Birth dates on each voter record allowed an analysis of the ages of purged voters. Though race is not listed in voter records, reporters used a statistics package developed and tested by Harvard University Professor Kosuke Imai and Kabir Khanna, now senior manager for elections at CBS News. The package uses census data connected to the voters surname and the census tract of the voters address to determine the voters likely race. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Errors in Ohios voter registration purge prompt call for change Developing neighborhoods are often built around existing mass transit. Northwest Hoboken has managed to draw new businesses and residents despite not having an immediate transit hub. But as major redevelopment for the area takes shape, a light rail stop could come with it. Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla met with representatives of NJ Transit earlier this month to discuss a potential new light rail stop in the northwest corner of the city, an initiative he campaigned on more than two years ago. Vijay Chaudhuri, a spokesman for Bhalla, said NJ Transit estimated that adding the stop on the Hudson-Bergen line would cost about $8 million but that the projects timing and funding sources are still undetermined. Mass transit infrastructure is a critical harbinger to economic growth, Bhalla said. This is why a light rail station at 15th Street is essential to the continued success of this area. I look forward to working with New Jersey Transit and key stakeholders to make this light rail a reality as soon as possible. An emerging North End Redevelopment Plan aims to introduce new businesses, parks and transit opportunities to a 16-block area between 14th and 17th streets, west of Park Avenue. The light rail stop is currently included in the redevelopment plan, which will likely be introduced by the City Council in the coming months and was originally scheduled to be adopted this year. NJ Transit is now assessing what Bhalla proposed and providing the city with insight on the Hudson-Bergen lines operations, said Nathan Rudy, a senior public information officer for the transportation agency. The majority of Northwest Hoboken which includes several Academy Bus lots and industrial buildings remains undeveloped. However, new residential projects and commercial spaces have cropped up in recent years. A luxury residential building opened at the corner of 14th Street and Willow Avenue in 2016, followed by a Trader Joes supermarket on the bottom floor in 2017. Little City Books, an independent bookstore on Bloomfield Street, opened a second location within the redevelopment zone last week. The book store neighbors a new coffee shop and flower store. The Hudson-Bergen line currently stops at the Hoboken Terminal, Second Street and Ninth Street but runs along the western edge of the city past 15th Street. EU calls resumption of Idlib offensive 'unacceptable' Russian airstrike killed entire family Thursday, SOHR (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, JANUARY 23 - ''Airstrikes by the Syrian regime and its backers in north west Syria have killed at least 35 people, many of them civilians, women and children in the last few days. Yet another ceasefire has been flouted. More than 350,000 civilians have been displaced over the last month alone,'' a statement released Thursday by the EU External Action spokesperson. ''The renewal of the offensive in Idlib, including repeated airstrikes and shelling targeting civilians are unacceptable and must cease. The EU will keep the sanctions against the Assad regime under review as long as these brutal attacks continue,'' it added. More civilians were killed Thursday in Idlib, including an entire family. The family was killed by a Russian airstrike in areas held by opposition forces. Reports were from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which said that the bombing focused on Saraqeb, a key city at the crossroads of two highways: Latakia-Aleppo and Hama-Aleppo. The source said that the parents and their three children had all been killed in the bombing.(ANSAmed). MANKATO -- Gov. Tim Walz, during a stop in Mankato Wednesday, made a pitch for better roads and bridges to help rural commerce, for improvement to health care and schools and lauded farmers for feeding the world and becoming more innovative even amid tough economic times. "I understand these last few years have been incredibly challenging," said the governor, speaking at the MN Ag Expo, hosted by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Minnesota Corn Growers Association. Beyond low commodity prices in recent years, Walz noted that the changed climate, an increased demand for food from a growing world and more focus on protecting the environment are all creating challenges for farmers. Walz said everyone in the room expects serious spring flooding that will again interfere with the planting season. The governor gave a plug to environmental programs such as the state's Water Quality Certification Program, where farmers voluntarily adopt best practices to keep soil and nutrients in fields and out of waterways. There are now 500,000 acres enrolled in the program. ADVERTISEMENT "We're seeing smart conservation practices in place but we're still feeding the world." Walz also reiterated support for biofuels, saying ethanol and biodiesel made from corn and other crops have reduced carbon emission and made the country more energy independent. "The innovation comes from the people in this room." But he said big oil interests are pushing back to reduce biofuels. Referring to the ongoing impeachment hearings and the sharp political divide in the country, Walz said Minnesotans, both rural and urban, should be able to come together on a few issues that would propel the state forward: "Build the damn roads, educate our kids and grow businesses." Jamie Beyer, a Wheaton farmer and new president of the Soybean Growers Association, said her group will work in the next legislative session to get fixes to changes made in the tax code that are causing unintended consequences for farmers. Minnesota did not fully conform to a portion of federal tax changes -- section 179 of the tax code -- which she said is now triggering tax bills when farmers trade in machinery. "It's causing problems," she said. ADVERTISEMENT Beyer said they also hope for progress on health-care costs. Her association also wants to see a soy innovation center in northwestern Minnesota come to fruition. The Legislature approved $5 million in planning money for a Soy Innovation Campus in Crookston that would be part of a much larger soybean crushing and biodiesel facility. Mike Skaug, a farmer from Beltrami County, said the facility would be a huge boost to northwestern Minnesota and will lead to innovations in using food-grade oils from soybeans and other crops. The facility, which would crush 42 million bushels of soybeans, would cost an estimated $230 million, funded with both public and private funds. "The soy innovation campus is the public part of it," Skaug said. The campus would have university researchers and others working on ways to refine and market food-grade oils from things like grapes, soybeans, canola and other crops. "There are all sorts of specialty oils. The research from this will snowball," he said. Skaug said the innovation campus would help come up with ways for smaller facilities to profitably process and market the oils. The association hopes the state will put more public funds into the project as private funds are also raised. The Ag Expo continues Thursday at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. ADVERTISEMENT Mental health consultant Cindra Kamphoff, the closing keynote speaker, will speak during Thursday's lunch. There are nearly 100 exhibitors at the event. The trade show runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free but a badge is required for entrance and meals. Those who haven't pre-registered can get a badge at the door. More information: mnagexpo.com . ___ (c)2020 The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.) Visit The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.) at www.mankatofreepress.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. BAGHDAD Members of various religious minorities in Iraq say they are worried that a possible US troop withdrawal could negatively affect the future diversity of the country. Yazidis and Christians said they are especially concerned. In the wake of the victory over the Islamic State (IS), Yazidi and Christian demands were a top priority for the Iraqi government and were often taken on by the international community and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. However, these demands no longer command the same level of public and official interest. Representatives of minorities were unhappy with the Jan. 5 parliamentary vote for the United States to withdraw dismissed the opinions of minorities, including Sunnis and Kurds, seeing it as a Shiite monopolization of national decision-making. These representatives say disputes between various powerful groups will likely mean that the minorities will see their territorial bases shrink, perhaps drastically; this may be particularly the case in Sinjar and the Ninevah Valley, where the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government are fighting for influence. There also is the matter of Turkish and Iranian interventions in Iraq. Meanwhile, the US-Iranian conflict is raging, much of it along the Iraqi-Syrian border, even though Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani was killed by a US drone at the Baghdad airport and US bases away from the border have been targeted. Amid the hubbub surrounding a US withdrawal, there is lack of trust in the Iraqi government. Shiites constitute the largest political grouping in the country, and Shiite elites have stuck with the militias of the Popular Mobilization Units, which often have been in competition with other sectors of society. Iraqi minorities, because they have a weak demographic weight and limited powers of self-protection, have resorted to the international community and notably to the United States as an alternative to the absence or ineffectiveness of the state. Murad Ismail, executive director of the Yazda organization, said Yazidis support Iraqs independence and its firm sovereignty over its territories, but practically, we need international support in the post-IS phase. Ismail said that in terms of economics, 95% of labor in the minority areas comes from international support, while the efforts of the Iraqi government are limited. Politically, the US government recognized the Yazidi genocide, and the Yazidi issue has become an international matter. This international recognition earned Yazidis a seat at the table with the Iraqi government; it is likely that the remarkable progress on the Yazidi issue would not have taken place if the matter had been solely left up to the Iraqi government. Ismail appeared alongside US President Donald Trump when Trump signed the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act, which offered support to religious minority victims in Iraq and Syria who suffered due to the IS genocide, acts against humanity and crimes of war. Ismail said, We need billions of dollars to rebuild the infrastructure in the destroyed areas of minorities and to provide essential services. Without international support, we cannot build a hospital to serve thousands of citizens, as we would like. If Iraq faces the same fate as Iran in the sanctions, this would be the end of our existence, and we would not find any hope to remain in Iraq or return to it. Trump has threatened severe sanctions against Iraq if US troops are made to withdraw. Minorities fear that if US troops leave the country and national security institutions are unable to control the chaos, IS might make a strong return and commit new genocides, and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq might join the fray. Since stability and the return of the displaced are key demands for groups such as Christians in the Ninevah Valley and for Yazidis in Sinjar, minorities want a continued US presence for security, military and other reasons. Mirza Dinnayi, head of Luftbrucke Irak (Air Bridge Iraq), said, A deep conflict is raging on the lands of minorities, especially in Sinjar, which is a strategic location to control the borders with Syria. As regional powers, Iran and Turkey are fighting over influence in the region. Amid the weakness of the Iraqi government and the extent of regional intervention, the international presence remains the best option for minorities. Mona Yako, who teaches constitutional law at Salahuddin University in Erbil, said any observer could see that the situation in Iraq is worrisome, involving as it does security disorder, the ongoing protests and the government 's resignation, among other issues. Declaring the military eradication of IS did not reduce fears that IS sleeper cells could redeploy. Under such a development, minorities likely would be the first victims, as occurred in the Sinjar genocide of the summer of 2014. Yako said, The situation of Christians is delicate, and their existence on their historical lands is threatened due to ongoing migration. Any security vacuum would multiply the number of migrants and lead to negative effects related to a reduced Christian presence. Although Iraqi citizens and minorities generally seek a stable society and a sovereign state the main demand of the public protests that took off more than three months ago ongoing support from a major power with international weight such as the United States remains key for minorities. The United States espouses democratic ideas and human rights protection; Yako said minorities see this as a guarantee in case their rights are violated. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Articulating the case for SB50, state Sen. Scott Wieners bill to legalize apartment construction near mass transit and jobs, a knowledgeable observer noted last week that local municipalities like Palo Alto are incapable of solving the housing crisis. ... When local governments cannot, or will not, solve a problem of regional or state concern, then that is precisely when the state government should step in. This critique did not come from a self-interested developer, Sacramento bureaucrat or outside agitator. Palo Altos own newly elected mayor, Adrian Fine, wrote it in a letter to Wiener, D-San Francisco, noting that he was speaking from experience as a Palo Alto native and city planner who has served four years on the City Council and three more on the citys planning and transportation commissions. As if to prove his point, Fines council colleagues responded by taking him to task for having the temerity to support housing on city stationery. 337 Shares Share Americans are not fans of socialized medicine. Sure, some people want socialized health care payment, including many people who are fans of Medicare for all. But even most Bernie Sanders supporters probably arent in favor of socializing the entire U.S. health care system, thereby making hospitals and medical clinics into government property. Americans are proud of the high quality of care offered by non-government providers, from their local community hospitals to places like the Mayo Clinic. Many are afraid that if doctors and nurses become government employees, the quality of their care would erode. But a recent study of patients with kidney failure highlights the possibility that, at least for some people, socialized medical care is higher quality than private care. The study looked at military veterans whose kidneys were failing, so much so that they might soon need dialysis. The research team, out of Stanford University, looked at how these veterans fared based on whether they received care in the VA system or at private clinics and hospitals. An important factor: The VA system is socialized. When veterans receive care in the VA, their doctors and nurses are employed by the federal government, and the hospitals and clinics where they receive their care are typically owned and operated by that same government. By contrast, even though Medicare is a federal program, it pays for people to get medical care at practically any hospital or clinic in the U.S., whether public or private, for-profit or nonprofit. If socialized medical care is bad for patients, then youd expect people within the VA system to fare worse than veterans who, instead, pay for their medical care with Medicare. Instead, the study provided fairly compelling evidence that the VA offered better care than the typical private provider. The study results are complicated, and Im sure I wont do them full justice. But heres why I find them compelling. For starters, the researchers recognize that veterans who receive care in the VA are different than those who receive care outside the system. In comparing these two groups, therefore, they made great efforts to account for these differences, with a statistical technique called propensity matching. In addition, the researchers got hold of data on more than 11,000 patients, making it unlikely their findings were influenced by a few outliers. What did they find? People receiving care outside the VA were way more likely to get dialysis than those in the VA. Remember, all the patients in the study had kidney problems at the beginning, but werent yet on dialysis. Good management of their kidney failure could potentially slow down the progression of their disease, thus staving off the need for dialysis. Yet, 82 percent of non-VA patients ended up getting dialysis, versus only 53 percent of patients receiving care at the VA. Thats a huge difference. Now you might wonder whether private practitioners are right to offer more dialysis care to these patients and whether, by that same logic, VA providers were refusing to dialyze patients who needed such treatment. Such suspicion of the VA is understandable, given recent publicity surrounding horrendous delays in providing veterans with access to timely care. However, the Stanford team didnt find evidence that the VA refused to give dialysis to patients who needed it. In fact, they couldnt find any difference in survival rates of people who received care in or outside of the VA. In other words, all that extra dialysis didnt prolong peoples lives. How could dialysis not save someones life? Two ways. First, people might get dialyzed before they need it. Second, they might get dialyzed even though theyre too sick to benefit from such treatment. The researchers found evidence of both practices in private practice settings. Some people got dialysis too early. Others got it even though they had other advanced, life-threatening illnesses like dementia or metastatic cancer. Heres a picture showing the researchers results. It shows that the chance of progressing from kidneys-failing to your-doctor-thinks-you-need-dialysis is greater for Medicare enrollees being cared for by private physicians (versus patients receiving care in the VA). Take two 80 year olds with weak kidneys, for example; the one receiving care outside the VA will be WAY more likely to be dialyzed (relative risk of about 1.8). Have metastatic cancer? A VA doctor might recognize you are too sick to benefit from dialysis but the private clinic doctorsfor financial reasons?will dialyze you anyway: My take on this study and on VA care more generally? 1. We have a problem getting newly retired veterans into the VA system, a problem we need to fix ASAP. When we expand the military and involve men and women in long tours of combat duty, we owe it to them to expand the VA system accordingly. 2. Thats because once people get into the VA system, they usually receive excellent care. I practiced medicine in the VA for almost two decades, and was proud of the quality of care the system offered to our patients. 3. Financial incentives sometimes undermine health care quality. Private practitioners often dont get well paid to care for patients with chronic kidney disease; managing their illness in ways that hold off the need for dialysis takes lots of poorly-paid time. VA clinicians are paid salaries and face different incentives than most private practitioners. Similarly, nephrologists in private practice may sometimes have a financial incentive to transition patients to dialysis; VA physicians face no such incentive. The high quality of kidney care in the VA health care system does not prove that socialized health care systems are better than alternatives. But it does prove that socialized systems can provide better care than privatized systems. That should be enough to change the nature of health care debates in the U.S. Peter Ubel is a physician and behavioral scientist who blogs at his self-titled site, Peter Ubel and can be reached on Twitter @PeterUbel. He is the author of Critical Decisions: How You and Your Doctor Can Make the Right Medical Choices Together. This article originally appeared in Forbes. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Tim Hortons has had what is likely one of the strangest years in its history. Most of the iconic chains decisions in recent months have been inexplicable. Canadians have been left scratching their heads. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Tim Hortons has had what is likely one of the strangest years in its history. Most of the iconic chains decisions in recent months have been inexplicable. Canadians have been left scratching their heads. Take the Beyond Meat burger as an example: Tim Hortons took this well-promoted plant-based item off its menu in September 2019, only two months after introducing it at most of its 4,800 locations across the country. The burger is now only sold at Ontario and B.C. outlets. Proteins are not even Tim Hortons strategic focus, so customers had to be confused as to why Beyond Meat was such a focal point over the summer. Tim Hortons is about coffee, doughnuts, muffins, bagels and the odd soup or sandwich. Unlike Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen or Burger King, other chains owned by Tims parent company Restaurant Brands International, Tim Hortons is not about proteins. Given Burger Kings partnership with Impossible Foods, one of Beyond Meats chief rivals, RBI had its portfolio of chains in mind and not the welfare of the Tims brand equity. It was a big mistake. Then RBI announced in December that Alex Macedo, Tim Hortons CEO, was leaving. For a CEO with a reported net worth of about $26 million and an annual salary of $14 million, his departure was strangely discreet. The announcement was made during the holiday season, when most of the continent was at a standstill. Macedo, 41, was North American head of Burger King for several years before becoming CEO of Tim Hortons three years ago. So hes been part of the RBI family for some time. As a Brazilian, he has tried to disconnect himself from 3G Capitals reputation of being cost-obsessed, but to no avail (3G Capital is one of RBIs main shareholders). But it was awkward that the announcement said Macedo would remain available for the transition. Macedo has had a rocky tenure as CEO and leaves a chain reeling financially, trying to figure out how to grow organically and maintain its market dominance in Canada. Then came Timbits cereal. Tim Hortons launched the breakfast cereal on Jan. 7, in partnership with cereal giant Post. Synergies between the food service and retail sectors are becoming more apparent. Increasingly, food service brands such as Swiss Chalet, St. Hubert and others attempt to increase their exposure in retailing. So it wasnt surprising to see Tim Hortons trying to do the same thing, moving beyond coffee. But introducing a sugar-filled cereal with an array of artificial flavours makes little sense when consumers are increasingly conscious of their health. The Dream Donuts line, out of Tim Hortons boutique Innovation Cafe in Toronto, also extended the chains line of unhealthy products, although reviews overall have been positive. Lets be honest extending its doughnut menu made much more sense than the Beyond Meat move last July. Finally, Tim Hortons attempt to capitalize on "Megxit" backfired spectacularly. Hearing that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be moving to Canada, Tim Hortons opted to offer the Duke and Duchess of Sussex free coffee for life through social media. Within minutes, the chain was accused of undermining its low-paid employees and people who suffer from food insecurity. Offering free coffee to two people who could buy several Tim Hortons stores was not a stroke of marketing genius. And, of course, who can forget the much-despised new coffee cup lids, which apparently took two years to develop. Over the last few years, it seems Tim Hortons has deliberately tried to make itself the easiest of targets for criticism. Many company decisions made little strategic sense and have confused the brand identity, at least in Canada. Innovation through trial and error speeds up change. But successive failures will create doubters. Overseas, however, Tim Hortons is getting more traction than ever. After opening its first store in China in February 2019, it has more than 20 stores in the country and plans to open 1,500 stores there within 10 years. But as Tim Hortons grows its global footprint, mishaps have undermined the brand. Tim Hortons is experiencing an identity crisis, which is likely why some changes at the top were warranted. Their marketing and product development groups are simply out of touch with reality. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. RBI is apparently still trying to figure how Tim Hortons can fit with its other mammoth chains, including Burger King and Popeyes, and how it can generate managerial synergies among them all. While total and same-store sales are up for both Burger King and Popeyes, they have been sluggish at Tims for the last 12 months. Perhaps RBI will conclude that Tim Hortons is a unique brand and the store experience is critical to its success. The launch of the Tims loyalty program was likely the chains best move this past year, even if it was long overdue. Despite its blunders made at the expense of franchisees and customers, Tim Hortons enjoys one of Canadas most influential private monopolies. The chain serves eight of every 10 cups of coffee consumed outside the home in Canada. In food service, this is unprecedented The pressure to maintain such market dominance is extraordinary and may be underestimated by many Canadians. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. Troy Media The new the Purdue Polytechnic High School Scholarship, launched by Purdue University President Mitch Daniels and wife Cheri, will provide a boost to students seeking a Purdue education. (Photo provided) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. A new scholarship for graduates of the Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indiana will put the dream of a Purdue college education within students reach. Purdue University opened the first Purdue Polytechnic High School, a free, public charter school, in downtown Indianapolis in 2017 with a focus on STEM education for underrepresented minority students. A second Indianapolis location opened in Broad Ripple, on the citys north side, in 2019, and a third location is planned for South Bend, Indiana. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The inaugural class of the downtown Indianapolis school, currently numbering 115 high school juniors, will graduate in the spring of 2021. For graduates who qualify for admission to Purdues West Lafayette campus approximately one-third of the class the Purdue Polytechnic High School Scholarship will help ensure that financial considerations wont stand in their way. Purdue President Mitch Daniels said the new high schools were created specifically and intentionally to address the unacceptably small number of low-income, first-generation and minority students who leave Indiana high schools and Indianapolis Public Schools with the academic preparedness to succeed at Purdue. Only 12 minority students and 12 first-generation students from IPS are enrolled in Purdues current freshman class. And, for the 2019 10th grade ISTEP test, only 4 percent of low-income students and 4 percent of underrepresented minority students at IPS passed both portions. Statewide, 18 percent of low-income students and 17 percent of URM students passed both tests. Launching these schools with these goals is a truly daunting and uncertain undertaking, he said, but we have to attempt something out of the ordinary because the problem isnt fixing itself. The new scholarship, supported through private giving, is available to students pursuing any major. Daniels, who along with his wife, Cheri, launched the scholarship fund with their own gift, added, We see the tremendous gain in extending educational opportunity and accessibility for Indiana high school students and in increasing the pipeline of students seeking the gold standard of a Purdue education. What a shame it would be to go to the enormous effort involved in creating and operating these schools if students become qualified academically, but then were prevented by finances from becoming Boilermakers. Fundraising is underway for the Purdue Polytechnic High School Scholarship Fund. We are incredibly thankful for the creation of this fund, said Scott Bess, head of school, Purdue Polytechnic High School. This scholarship will enable highly qualified students who would otherwise face significant financial barriers to attend and succeed at Purdue University. The opportunity for a student to attend a rigorous university and focus on their success as a student rather than the financial burden they might otherwise face will be life-changing. To contribute to the Purdue Polytechnic High School Scholarship Fund, visit giving.purdue.edu/pphsgift. Students interested in learning more about the Purdue Polytechnic High School Scholarship should speak with a PPHS college and career director. Media contact: Lisa Tally, 765-494-2181, lhtally@prf.org Source: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu Davos: Ukraine, battling a sharp decline in foreign investment, on Thursday announced a novel plan to attract more cash inflows a "nanny" to look after foreigners wary of putting their money in the country. Prime Minister Oleksiy Goncharuk told investors at the economic forum in Davos that such a nanny would be a multilingual point person within the government for big foreign investors ready to help with any issue. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ukraine has plummeted since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Moscow and the war with pro-Russian separatists in the east which led to the rapid pull-out of Russian investors. "We are offering an investment nanny," Goncharuk told a breakfast meeting of investors at the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) organised by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation. "You will have this opportunity to have a specific individual in the government who will hear you," he added. He pledged that the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky would "show the world that Ukraine is open to investment" notably by fighting corruption, which is regularly seen as the biggest scourge for the economy. "There is no doubt that at the highest level there is no corruption," he said. "But this is not enough." Zelensky, who addressed the forum on Wednesday before heading on a visit to Israel, told investors in a special video message anyone who invests more than $100 million in Ukraine would have such a personal "guardian" from the government. "It is the state that will protect you. You will have a manager an investment nanny who speaks five languages and works with you 24/7," said the president. 'Miracles Come True' FDI to Ukraine dropped in 2018 to under $2.4 billion, according to the UN's trade agency, after registering over $8 billion in 2012. Investors present pointed out to Goncharuk that one of the key needs of a foreign investor is political stability, a sentiment not helped in Ukraine by a political crisis this month that saw the premier offer to resign. Zelensky refused to accept the resignation of Goncharuk, saying he wanted to give the premier "a second chance" in the job after he offered to quit following a leaked recording emerged of him questioning the president's grasp of economics. Repeatedly pressed over his intentions at the conference, Goncharuk insisted he had no plans to quit. "I am not planning to step down. We have wonderful relations within the team. "We will stay as long as we have trust," he added. Zelensky, a former comedian and actor who in a hit show played the part of a teacher who unexpectedly became president, took office in May last year after winning a landslide election victory on pledges to reform the country and end the war in the east. "We do not have sufficient investments," Zelensky told the forum on Wednesday. "Ukraine is the place where miracles come true. Today we are under-invested and under-loved, so don't miss out on Ukraine." Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday sought to know from the police as to whether the United Muslims Action Committee (UMAC) and the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have been accorded permission to hold a midnight protest rally and meeting against the CAA and NRC on the midnight of January 25. Justice T. Vinod Kumar directed special counsel for the state, who was representing the police, to inform the court about the permission by Friday morning. Justice Vinod Kumar was dealing with a writ petition filed by T. Uma Mahendra, a resident of Petla Burj, seeking a direction to principal secretary, home, and Dir-ection-General of Police, to restrain the UMAC and the AIMIM from organising a midnight protest rally. The counsel informed the court that Charminar was a communally sensitive and it would be impossible for police to handle the situation and maintain peace if between one to two lakh people converge at a time in the area. Only motive of petition is publicity: State The petitioner also contended that there was a high probability that leaders of both MIM and UMAC would deliver inciting and provocative speeches, which may lead to communal tensions during the rally. There was a likelihood that the huge gathering might go berserk and lead to failure of law and order. Reiterating the Supreme Court order that communal harmony should be protected by the police by invoking prohibitory orders in communally tense situations in the case of Praveen Togadia versus state of Maharashtra, the counsel submitted that without obtaining permission from the police, organisers had already released promotional and advertising material about the rally, which was in utter violation of law. Mr Mahendra further submitted that Telangana government had identified suitable places for enabling protestors or general public to vent their grievances in Hyderabad and organisers of this rally may kindly be directed to choose such places as identified by the state, rather than choosing a communally sensitive area like Charminar. The special counsel informed the court that no permission had been accorded to the protest gathering. He argued that the petitioner had filed the petition with the sole motive of getting publicity Review at a glance Of all my books I like this the best, said Dickens. It was his favourite child. Tolstoy too admired the novel above all others, saying: If you sift the worlds prose literature, Dickens will remain; sift Dickens, David Copperfield will remain. It is simply a delight, he observed in his diary. David Copperfield is both a profound and moving story about memory and identity and a brilliant comedy. Here, for his third film, Armando Iannucci, its director, producer and co-writer, has turned the novel entirely into comedy, as he did with contemporary politics in In the Loop, and with historical tyranny, in The Death of Stalin. Its half very good, a bit of a disco remix. To fit this long book into a two-hour run-time, the narrative has been very skilfully curtailed and revised. Some characters have disappeared altogether theres no Barkis, so Peggotty doesnt marry, and no Traddles. David doesnt marry Dora and she doesnt die. Nor does Ham. Davids mother doesnt have another baby. And so forth. All of these incisive changes work towards not just keeping the cast manageably small but bringing them all together much more than in the book, so that it becomes a sustained and unified sitcom, not so episodic. The internal voice of the novel, the role of memory in it, has been boldly externalised too, by having David (Dev Patel) appear as an adult to spectate and comment in scenes of his own life, such as his birth. Likewise Davids emergence as a writer is realised by having him all the way through note down memorable phrases from his own life on scraps of paper, later coming together as he becomes a novelist, enjoying such immediate and immense success that he restores everybodys fortunes. Richly cast: Dev Patel as David Copperfield and Aneurin Barnard as Steerforth What these manoeuvres enable is a set of treasurable, comic performances, richly cast all-round, even if some of these actors do screw up their faces in caricature Dickensianism. Patel is superb as David. He has just the naivete and appeal, the intelligence and innocence, the role needs, and it seems such a natural follow-on from the epic journeys of his characters in Slumdog Millionaire and Lion. Perhaps he made the right decision not to read the book? As Betsey Trotwood, Tilda Swinton is worth seeing the film for alone, imperious and cracked, but kind. And likewise Hugh Laurie is at his funniest as mad Mr Dick. Nobody does bafflement better. Paul Whitehouse plays it wonderfully broad as Daniel Peggotty and Ben Whishaw is a surprising and effective Uriah Heep, more like somehow a sinister dark side to David himself than a pure villain. Peter Capaldi, such a resource for Iannuccis comedy as Malcolm Tucker, is Mr Micawber and, although he makes him fascinating, he lacks the core of innocence, the charm, that Dickens gifts his characters. He seems a little too readily a villain, too irreducibly Capaldi. In an ingenious twist, Morfydd Clark plays both Davids mother Clara, so sweet and so helpless, and then later his ditzy love object, Dora Spenlow, a neat way of suggesting that his infatuation is a search of what he has lost. And then, perhaps as much of a gimmick as the one-shot stylisation of 1917, the rest of the casting here is ostentatiously colour-blind, a commonplace in the theatre but still unusual in films, perhaps, its co-producer Kevin Loader has suggested, because people still see film as inherently a realistic medium. So here most of the boys at Mrs Strongs school (although not Aneurin Barnards Steerforth) are black, as is Yarmouths finest, Ham (Anthony Welsh). The biggest film releases of 2020 still to come 1 /14 The biggest film releases of 2020 still to come Portrait Of A Lady On Fire In 18th-century Brittany, a female painter is bewitched by her angry, acutely observant subject (the wonderful Adele Haenel). Look out for the ground-breaking abortion scene (featuring an adorably inquisitive baby). As in Carol and Call Me By Your Name, a gay affair ends in tears, yet we come out smiling. A Quiet Place: Part II In the tense original, a family were preyed on by noise-sensitive aliens. Director John Krasinski seems the last man on earth to make a meh sequel. Yippee! We reckon the adventures of newly widowed-mum-of-three, Evelyn (Emily Blunt), will have us sucking our popcorn so as not to break the spell. Netflix Onward Pixars latest follows a pair of elf brothers (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who head out into the world in source of ye olde magic and the top half of their father, after a spell to bring him back to life only goes so far as his waist. Expect lots of laughs, and more than a few tugs at the heartstrings, too. Octavia Spencer and Julia Louis-Dreyfus also lend their voices. Mulan Disney is at it again with the remakes, turning this beloved 1998 cartoon into a live-action film. Hopefully itll be better than last years Dumbo, and less eerie than the Lion King update. Liu Yifei takes the title role. Disney No Time To Die Bond is back, with Daniel Craig in his fifth and last outing as 007. Craig is joined by Rami Malek as new villain Safin and Ana De Armas as Paloma, a CIA agent on the case with Bond. Expect all the hallmarks of Bond the Astons, the watches as he does his bit to rescue a kidnapped scientist. With Phoebe Waller-Bridge brought in to help tidy up the final scripts, expect it to be a step-up from 2015s dreary Spectre (you know, the one that prompted Craig to say hed rather slash his wrists than return). Rocks When her mum buggers off, 15-year-old east Londoner Rocks (Bukky Bakray; astonishing) is forced to take charge of her little brother. With the help of friends, she keeps interfering teachers and social workers at bay. For a while. Like The Florida Projects Moonee, Rocks wont just break your heart, shell smash it to smithereens. Promising Young Woman In this rape-revenge comedy produced by Margot Robbie, heroine Cassie (Carey Mulligan) sets out to punish the sort of outwardly decent man who sees a blind drunk woman and thinks Im in! One of Mulligans co-stars is the polymath Bo Burnham (who directed last years gem, Eighth Grade). Very promising indeed. Black Widow The endless saga of superhero movies rolls on. Still, at least its for a decent character: Scarlett Johanssons Black Widow has proven hugely popular with fans since her screen debut in Iron Man 2, and has since come to the fore in the Avengers. The first trailer was met with rave reviews, and with a huge supporting cast including David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh and O-T Fagbenle, expect this to be something of a runaway success. Marvel Legally Blonde 3 While there is a literal Barbie film out in 2020 Margot Robbie is set to voice a live-action take on the doll, directed by Greta Gerwig expect more from Reese Witherspoon as she returns for the third time as ditzy-but-not-really Elle Woods. Some 17 years have passed since Woods was last on screen, but like, why wouldnt this be great? Details on the plot, sadly, are very thin. Still, Geminis and law students alike shouldnt object to this one. Top Gun: Maverick Its definitely another case of Playing With The Boys here, as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and the Iceman (Val Kilmer) both return to screens and the skies for the follow-up to the 1986 smash. Three decades later, Maverick is no longer the young hot shot, but a seasoned flight instructor, this time helping train Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of the late Goose. From the first trailer, it looks to be a spectacle of aerial acrobatics, and the rest of the cast is fairly high-flying, too John Hamm, Glenn Powell, Jennifer Connelly and Jay Ellis also star. Tenet Christopher Nolan looks set to continue his extraordinary run of hits which include The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk with this, a psychological, sci-fi thriller set in the future. In it, scientists and secret agents work to prevent World War Three and a fate "worse than a nuclear holocaust". Little is firmly known about the project, though it looks like Nolan is returning to the theme of time travel, and has enlisted some huge names to help him: Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh are the great British thesps starring alongside John David Washington, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Robert Pattinson. Steerforths vile, snobbish mother is very cuttingly played by Nigerian-born Nikki Amuka-Bird. Poor, drunken Mr Wickfield is British-Chinese actor Benedict Wong, while his daughter, lovely faithful Agnes, is Rosalind Eleazar in her film debut. So this is casting colour-blind within families as well as within society at large, particularly pointed when the story is so much about descent and relationships. Iannucci and Loader have both suggested that the London of the 1850s was in fact almost as diverse at that time as it is now. London then and London now was and is a global city. We wanted to make a city that the audience would recognise and the characters would recognise, said Iannucci at the London Film Festival. But it seems odd to justify the diversity as a realistic representation, rather than just an expressive freedom, when it is not maintained within families in the film. Is the point to be that race is completely irrelevant or that it is selectively relevant? It seems clear that what actually happened was that Dev Patel was cast first Iannucci says he didnt have a plan B and might not have made the film if he hadnt taken the role and the rest of the casting followed suit. Young David is played (very touchingly) by young Londoner Jairaj Varsani an entirely plausible precursor to Patel, its worth noting. Hyderabad: The National Green Tribunals (NGT) Southern Bench, on Wednesday, came down heavily on the state government for suppressing facts, pertaining to the Hussainsagar. The court has said that they would now constitute a committee comprising, a member of the Central Pollution Control Board, (CPCB), Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H), Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), State PCB and the National Institute of Hydrology. The members of the committee would take up studies and research the quality of water in the lake. The court has posted the next hearing to April 8. The bench, which was hearing the Hussainsagar restoration case, asked the government why there was no heavy metal analysis in the reports presented to it. The courts also noted that it has been five years since the case was filed in the courts. They then went on to ask the government what action has been taken to restore the lake to its former condition. Why is there pollution in the lake? If the government is taking all the measures it can to prevent further pollution, why is the water quality so poor? Also, why does the government's report not have any heavy metal analysis? The court had asked the government's lawyer, said the petitioner who was formerly a part of Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL). Incidentally, a report published by IIT Hyderabad, in June last year says: 'Lake contamination by anthropogenic activities has become a serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem due to the presence of a high concentration of toxic heavy metals. In this study, the Hussainsagar lake was assessed for toxic heavy metal pollutants at sites associated with industrial discharges and idol immersion activities. The observed high concentration of Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Zinc, Copper and Nickel in the surface water was due to industrial effluent discharge. About 1.5 times the high concentration of the same elements was observed in surface sediments (0-10 cm) by both industrial discharges and idol immersion activities, compared to deep sediments (0-40 cm) associated only with industrial discharge.' Even worse, the water quality of the lake has been downgraded from category D to category E, which means that the water can only be used for irrigation, industrial cooling, and controlled disposal. Also, the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels in the lake have been on a downward spiral, since October, 2019. If the dissolved oxygen is high then aquatic life can be sustained. But, if it is low then there are chances that we might see dead fish floating to the surface by March or April, said B V Subba Rao, a water quality expert. The Taliban ambushed and killed an Afghan intelligence official in southern Helmand province as he was walking home from work, an official said Thursday. It was the latest deadly attack by insurgents even as they hold peace talks with a US envoy. The officer, who headed the intelligence department's press office for the province, was ambushed late on Wednesday, according to the Helmand police chief's spokesman Zaman Hamdard. Another member of the intelligence department was wounded in the attack, the spokesman said. An investigation was underway to find the perpetrators, Hamdard added. Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban now control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan and continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and US forces, Kabul government officials or those seen as linked to the government even as they hold peace talks with the US and have given the US envoy a document outlining their offer for a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Srinagar, Jan 23 : The newly-created Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir will get its own National Disaster Response Force battalion to help in rescue and relief operations during natural calamities. According to details, the Assam Rifles will raise four NDRF battalions, one each in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the NCR region. J&K has seen a series of calamities over the last two decades. The 2005 earthquake caused widespread damage and loss of life while in the 2014 floods, Srinagar and many areas in the valley were inundated when the waters of the Jhelum breached its embankments. At the time, NDRF battalions from Punjab were rushed in for rescue operations and to evacuate people from flooded areas. [January 23, 2020] Unum boosts adoption assistance for employees Employee benefits provider Unum (NYSE: UNM) has a new benefit for its own employees: increased adoption assistance. Starting this month, the company will provide employees who adopt a child a one-time benefit of $25,000 to help pay for the cost. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005790/en/ Unum employee Scott Hagie used Unum's adoption assistance program in 2019 when he welcomed Charlotte (far right) into his family. (Photo: Business Wire) "Adoption is an important avenue to consider for people growing their families, but it can be expensive," said Liz Ahmed, executive vice president of People and Communications. "Offering financial support to employees expanding their families is another way we can help working parents thrive." The average cost of adoption from foster care is $2,500. Private domestic and international adoptions average upwards of $43,000, according to Adoptive Families Magazine's Adoption Cost and Timing Survey. These don't include lost wages from work to bond with the child once adopted. "This benefit may move the needle for people considering adoption and make it a possibility," said Scott Hagie, who used Unum's $5,000 adoption benefit in 2019 to welcome 2-year-old Charlotte into his family. In 2018, Unum increased its infertility benefit to $25,000 for employees who have difficulty conceiving. It also introduced six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents after the birth, adoption, or foster of a child. Other resources for working parents include: Flexible working policies. Dedicated lactation rooms at home offices. Milk Stork services for mothers traveling for business. A simplified tool to help new parents plan for parental leave called LeaveLogic. A Working Parents Network. Pre-tax childcare savings accounts and 529 education plan contributions. Competitive paid time off policy. Student debt relief program to help pay for kids' education. For tips on how working parents can prepare to have or adopt a child, visit Unum's Parental Leave Guide at www.unum.com/parents. ABOUT UNUM GROUP Unum Group provides a broad portfolio of financial protection benefits and services through the workplace, and is the leading provider of disability income protection worldwide. Through its Unum US, Unum UK, Unum Poland, and Colonial Life businesses, the company provides disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision benefits that protect millions of working people and their families. Unum also provides leave and absence management services that streamline the leave experience for employers and employees, and stop-loss coverage to help self-insured employers protect against medical costs. Unum reported revenues of $11.6 billion in 2018 and paid $7.2 billion in benefits. For more information, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005790/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Unconventional shales have not only breathed new life in the Permian Basin oil and gas industry, they have acted as a magnet to attract a new generation of professionals engineers, geoscientists, land managers. And that new generation is increasingly diverse in terms of gender, nationality and religion, prompting companies to address issues of diversity and inclusion. We go to leadership conferences in Houston, in New York, in Dubai where we have discussions on diversity there, said Linda Addison, area sales director-Permian with Weatherford International. But are those discussions being had at the local level? Weatherford last week sponsored the annual Women in the Permian Forum to discuss how energy companies can embrace diversity and inclusion. Midland-Odessa has become very diverse, Addison said. Those new arrivals brought to town by the energy companies are not so transient anymore. Theyre putting down roots here, she said. Many corporations have programs supporting diversity and inclusion, but those efforts need to come from the bottom up, Addison said. We need to start having discussions locally, she said. If we dont have discussions, we dont have awareness and without awareness, you dont have change. Panelist Katie Muras, operations manager, Delaware Basin with XTO Energy, arrived with her husband from Houston last May. She said she immediately noticed a change in culture between the two cities when meeting people. She said she noticed that when meeting new people who asked about their jobs, they turned to my husband, who is a consultant. But when they found out she worked for XTO, they immediately got it. The experience soon had her wondering who else thinks theyre different, what they think about diversity, about fitting in. Muras recalled being in a meeting and incorporating a Muslim colleague. He was so excited about the chance to talk about his background, about his religion and what it means to him, she said. Im trying to bring in different people and understand who they are as opposed to a job title. Addison said it may be uncomfortable having these discussions and foster change, but without those discussions and breaking down barriers to acceptance and inclusion, peoples lives are at risk. Ultimately, she said, its about safety. If youre on a rig in Loving County with someone who gets hurt, you dont see them as black or as female, you say Theyre hurt, and we need to care for them. Its like the military, she said. Its a problem that correlates directly to safety. Each of those fires is relatively close to the coast, with conditions expected to improve through the night as a southerly moves across the state - but the new wind direction is tipped to complicate firefighting efforts. Loading Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jordan Notara said Friday will be a day of severe storms in the north-east of the state, including in the Northern Tablelands, the Hunter and Mid-North Coast. Parts of Sydney could experience thunderstorms, with the temperature likely to hit 27 degrees in the city. "Weather conditions are likely to be more favourable compared to [Thursday] for assigning firefighting efforts," he said. "Temperatures are decreasing across active fire grounds." On Friday, there are no total fire bans in place, with six regions facing "high" conditions, including the Illawarra region, central ranges and the ACT. Other parts of the state will face low-moderate conditions. Meanwhile, Canberras airport was closed as firefighting aircraft used the facility to fight blazes that merged to the south-east of the capital in the afternoon. Trains between Sydney and Canberra were delayed as the train line between Goulburn and Canberra was affected by fires. 'A large fireball' Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said emergency services had received early reports of "a large fireball" after the plane, which was on loan from aviation firm Coulson, hit the ground. The fatal crash pushes the national death toll from this seasons horror bushfires to 32, with 24 of those killed in NSW, where fires have been raging for almost three months from the Victorian to Queensland borders. Properties were lost in the Southern Highlands and South Coast on Thursday. Credit:Nick Moir The conditions experienced by the crew aboard the aircraft as it descended towards the firefront would have been "10 times worse" than any passenger airline turbulence, aviation consultant at Upstream Aviation Tim Collins said. He said the deadly crash was a sobering reminder of the high risks and "tragic consequences" of fighting large bushfires. RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the deadly crash was a sobering reminder of the high risks firefighters face. Credit:AAP "Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors," Mr Fitzsimmons said. It took emergency services several hours to locate the wreckage of the plane, which remains on an active fireground. "These conditions are extreme ... these are not conditions regular pilots want to fly in," he said. "This is exactly what they are trained for." People embrace at the Numeralla Rural Fire Brigade station near where the location of the aircraft's crash. Credit:Getty Images He said the crew would have been made up of two flight crew and one flight engineer. In a statement, the Coulson company said the aircraft had left Richmond air base on a firefighting mission with a load of retardant. The accident is reported to be extensive and we are deeply saddened to confirm there were three fatalities, the statement said. Loading Members of the company are expected to arrive in Australia within 24 hours. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three crew members onboard, a company spokesman said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said flags would fly at half-mast on Friday and added that the fire season was far from over. She said the crash was "a stark and horrible reminder" of the daily risks run by firefighters. The US Ambassador to Australia, Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr, issued a statement on Thursday evening. "I am deeply saddened by the tragic news we received today. The brave Americans who died near Snowy Monaro died helping Australia in its time of need," he wrote on Twitter. "The families and friends of those who we have lost are in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you Australia for your sympathy and solidarity." Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was "deeply saddened" by the "terrible tragedy" and extended his deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the crash victims. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia was in mourning. "We are mourning the three American firefighters who died in the large air tanker crash in the Snowy Monaro area today," she said. "Our hearts go out to their loved ones. They were helping Australia, far from their own homes, an embodiment of the deep friendship between our two countries." The four-engine, 1981-built aircraft was chartered by American aviation operator Coulson Aviation (USA) and was brought out to Australia to assist with bushfire operations. The company has grounded its heavy water bombers as a precaution during preliminary investigations. When parents drop off their children at the front doors of a public school, they are entrusting the custodial care of a vulnerable member of their family to our public school employees. We all expect that our childrens physical safety is their top priority. We want school employees to be assured that they can intervene to protect our children from doing harm to themselves or others and also be able to protect themselves. With those expectations should come freedom from fear of liability or loss of employment if they do so in a safe and reasonable manner. In America, parents have traditionally expected that if their child or other students misbehave, the teacher has the authority to control the learning environment by temporarily removing a student from the classroom. Parents understand that their child or other children may have special needs. No one disagrees that before the early 1990s and the enactment of federal laws to protect these children, they were treated unfairly in school discipline policies. Ankara will not send military advisers to Libya until ceasefire is respected between commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar and head of Libya's UN-recognised government in Tripoli Fayez Sarraj, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "We all agreed that as long as truce, ceasefire is respected, nobody will send any additional advisors or troops or mercenaries from any neighboring countries and no more additional personnel," he said, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. "Everybody committed to that," Sputnik cited Cavusoglu as saying. Nominations have opened for the 2019 Eastern Regional Ghana Tourism Authority Awards, scheduled to be held on 21st March 2020. According to the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), this year's event which will be held on the Dodi World on the Volta Lake in Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District is on the theme Growing Tourism Beyond The Return. A statement released by the Authority and signed by the Regional Manager Frederick Adjei-Rudolf encouraged all media practitioners and houses in the Eastern Region who have produced works in the field of tourism under the year of review to submit entries to be considered for awards in selective media categories. We thank the Lord Almighty for giving us a successful 2019 and blessing us with a new year too. This is to inform you that all too soon another Regional Tourism Awards is here. The 2019 Eastern Regional Tourism Awards will come up in Akosombo on March 21st this year under the theme Growing Tourism Beyond The Return. As usual, distinguished media personalities and media houses will be awarded in selective media categories and to this end, you are kindly requested to submit entries on any tourism-related news item or documentary within the year under review, January to December 2019. Entries should be submitted either personally to our office on the 3rd Floor of the SSNIT office complex, Koforidua or by email from Monday 13th to close of day on Wednesday 22 January 2020. Please note that entries outside the year under review or submitted later than the closing date will not be considered, he announced. Citinewsroom.com won the Tourism Media Oriented Station during the previous award ceremony with Citi News Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku being adjudged the Tourism Writer of the Year 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 15:36:32|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close MANILA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has donated 1 million yuan (around 144,000 U.S. dollars) to support communities affected by the eruption of Taal volcano, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said on Thursday. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian handed the check to Undersecretary Enrique Manalo of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines on Wednesday at the DFA headquarters in Manila. A statement from the Chinese Embassy said Huang "expressed his deep sympathies to those Filipino friends affected by the recent volcano eruption of the Philippines." "Huang said that the Chinese side looks forward to lending more strength to the disaster relief efforts on the Philippine side to overcome the difficulties and help the affected people restore their normal livelihood at an earliest date," the statement read. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines also sent face masks, bags of rice and other relief goods to the victims after the eruption of the Taal volcano. Centene and WellCare have cleared all federal and state antitrust reviews, and today they finalized their merger combining into the largest health insurer by membership, with 23.4 million covered people. Why it matters: The health insurance industry gets a lot more consolidated with this deal, and competition will decline within state Medicaid programs and among federal Medicare plans. The big picture: A combined Centene and WellCare essentially functions as a branch of state and federal governments, because almost all of its $100 billion in annual revenue flows from taxpayer-funded health care programs. Two-thirds of revenue come from Medicaid, where Centene and WellCare serve as the insurance gatekeepers for low-income people in 30 states. The two companies always competed against each other in Medicaid bids. A growing portion of the combined company's revenue stems from private Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare prescription drug plans. WellCare doesn't sell any plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, but Centene is the largest ACA insurer. Taxes subsidize a vast majority of those ACA premiums. Between the lines: Centene had to sell some of its Medicaid and Medicare plans to alleviate competitive concerns raised by antitrust authorities, but those assets are just getting shifted to other dominant insurers. Tamil Nadu Youth Congress on Thursday celebrated freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's 123rd birth anniversary in Chennai. Youth Congress also used the occasion to register their protest against issues of unemployment and price rise by cooking and polishing shoes donning graduation uniform. "The country is witnessing several protests against CAA, NRC, NPR and along with this unemployment in the county is also of great concern. The entire thing of NRC, NPR has been brought by the Modi government to cover up the economic slowdown and employment crisis," youth congress secretary, Jemmi told ANI. Appreciating the Netaji's work, the secretary said, "On Netaji's birthday we appreciate the commitment and determination he has shown for the country. Maybe his method was different from Gandhi Ji but there is no doubt about this work." "While the Prime Minister is talking about CAA, NRC, NPR, the Youth Congress is bringing out the Unemployment Register (NUR), which is a burning issue in the country," she added. Tamil Nadu Youth Congress cadres headed by their chief Hasan Aaron also paid floral tribute to Netaji's photo. While there is controversy over Bose's death in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, the Central government had in an RTI in 2017 confirmed that he had died in the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress faces a tough challenge of getting back its vote base from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the February 8 Assembly elections in Delhi. While the support base of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has remained consistent, the AAP had taken away a large chunk of Congress voters in the last Assembly elections. In 2015, the Congress vote had completely shifted to the AAP as a result of which the grand old party even failed to open its account in the city-state that it had ruled for 15 consecutive years since 1998. Both AAP and Congress fight for the same vote base and that is why the primary opponent of the grand old party is Arvind Kejriwals party and not the BJP. But the AAP in the last 5-6 years has also developed a well-oiled election machine as compared to the Congress which is for long battling internal power struggles and personal ambitions of senior leaders in Delhi. Many of its leaders had apparently refused to contest the elections on one pretext or the other. The BJP, on the other hand, is banking on a good show by the Congress to upset the AAP applecart. BJP leaders privately argue that a rise in the Congress vote will bring down the AAPs share. In the 2013 elections, the AAP won 28 seats out of 70 and got 29.49 per cent vote share. In 2015, it bagged 67 seats and secured 54.3 per cent vote share. The Congress had won eight seats and a vote share of 24.55 per cent in 2013 but that fell drastically to 9.8 per cent in 2015. In 2013, the BJP had won 31 seats and secured a vote share of 33.07 per cent. It reduced by about just one per cent in 2015 and stood at 32.1 per cent but the party barely managed to win three seats. The Congress this time is hopeful of improving its seat tally and the vote share. One reason for this confidence is that the party feels that its aggressive stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has gone down well with Muslim voters and hence could win their support. The Congress has also tied up with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in a bid to tap the Bihari voters who could influence the outcome in at least 4-5 seats. The party has also drawn up an elaborate list of its campaigners. Congress leaders are hoping that party chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will campaign in Delhi. Besides, the party has also named Navjot Singh Sidhu, Khushboo Sundar and Nagma Morarji to pep up its campaign. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The problem, though, goes far beyond what a few airlines and cruise lines are testing. It is common to have your fingerprints scanned and your picture taken at ports of entry around the world, says Scott Shackelford, a professor of business law and ethics at Indiana University and chair of the schools Cybersecurity Program. It is legitimate to question who has access to these data. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will be hosting the 10th annual meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) in New Delhi on January 24 and take over as chair of FEMBoSA for 2020. An International Conference on 'Strengthening Institutional Capacity' will also be organised on January 24. The conference would include, besides delegates from participating FEMBoSA members, participants from Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan Mauritius, Tunisia, and three International Organisations viz. the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) based in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the US-based International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) and International IDEA. There will be three sessions during the conference where representatives from the EMBs and International Organisations will participate and share their experiences, best practices and initiatives are taken towards 'Strengthening Institutional Capacity' of EMBs in various countries. On this occasion, the January 2020 issue of the ECI's quarterly magazine 'Voice International' will be released, which will carry articles on the theme of "Innovative Methods of Voter Registration". FEMBoSA was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of SAARC Countries held at New Delhi from April 30 to May 2, 2012, through a unanimously adopted resolution on May 1, 2012, to establish the Forum. The conference also unanimously adopted the Charter of the Forum. The annual FEMBoSA meeting is held by rotation among the members. The last (9th) annual meeting of FEMBoSA was held in Dhaka in September 2018. Besides ECI, the other seven members are EMBs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The FEMBoSA represents a very large part of the democratic world and is an active regional association of the election management bodies of South Asia. The objectives of the Forum are to promote contact among the EMBs of the SAARC countries, share experiences with a view to learning from each other and cooperate with one another in enhancing the capabilities of the EMBs towards conducting free and fair elections. At the forthcoming FEMBoSA meeting, the delegates would, inter alia, take stock of the activities undertaken by the members during the last year 2019 and discuss or finalise a work plan for its members for the year 2020. On the sidelines of the Conference, ECI will also renew Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the field of election management with the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan. The previous MoU was signed in April 2008 and expired in April 2013. The International Conference is being organised with the purpose of sharing the experience of different EMB's, International Institutions and Experts with regard to the analysis of barriers, policy interventions, strategies, programmes, good practices and technological innovation for 'Strengthening Institutional Capacity' of EMBs. The international delegates will also attend the Voters' Day Celebrations in New Delhi on January 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We last stayed there Thanksgiving weekend 2018. And after we left for the airport, management locked the doors and called in the contractors. The hotel was going through a major face-lift, and we were the last guests out the old doors. And now well never walk through the new doors. Room rates have nearly doubled. 24.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Prince Charles was greeting leaders at the World Holocaust Forum when he blew past Mike Pence without acknowledging him or shaking his hand. Pence shook hands with Prince Charles after his speech, but heres what happened when Charles was done speaking: Im sure Prince Charles just snubbed Mike Pence. Titter pic.twitter.com/M9Hur6jXEs Darren Lethem (@DarrenLethem) January 23, 2020 The video shows Pence turning to anticipate the handshake, and the Vice President appears to be suppressing a look of surprise as Prince Charles walks past him. Here is the scene at the event via the White House Pool Report as provided to PoliticusUSA: Vice President Pence and the Second Lady spoke with Prince Charles for five minutes in the pre-program before they entered the hall, per Katie Waldman. In a bit of an unusual scene, after the President finished speaking an announcement was made President Putin was entering the hall. No other world leader had their arrival announced. He took a seat in between PM Netanyahu and President Macron, but after some shuffling ended up between the President of Israel and Netanyahu, two seats over from VP Pence. After President Putin concluded his speech, he shook hands with the President of Israel, Israeli PM and Prince Charles. He started to sit down, then got up to shake hands with VP Pence. Pence ended up speaking fifth, per Elyse (not forth as previously suggested). Speaker Pelosi clapped throughout Pences speech. Pence shook hands with Macron, Prince Charles, President Putin, and PM Netanyahu after he concluded his remarks. Interestingly the Prince and the Vice President spoke before the event. It is hard to imagine the two having a dispute at the World Holocaust Forum, but the snub is a subtle non-verbal sign of what the world thinks of Trump and Pence. Pence is surrounded by world leaders and it is as if he doesnt exist. Instead of America being respected around the world, Trump and Pence have made the country so irrelevant that Prince Charles walked by Mike Pence without noticing him. The moment captured on video is a microcosm of Trumps weakening of America. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook A resident at a centre for people with disabilities experienced 89 abusive incidents over a nine-month period, a report from the State's health services watchdog reveals. The Health Information and Quality Authority found that the incidents which occurred last the year were as a result of the St John of God centre in Glasthule, Co Dublin, failing to support other residents with their behaviours of distress". The report states that compounding factors included some members of staff not completing training or refresher training in behaviour support and the employment of high numbers of relief staff. There were 13 residents living in the centre when the inspector made an announced day-long inspection last Sept and some expressed concern about their personal safety. The inspector found that a number of residents continued to experience incidents of a safeguarding nature regularly. There were at least 177 incidents recorded last year involving residents experiencing abuse. While the incidents were in the lower risk categories and to have limited impact, they are significant, the report states. Examples of the incidents that took place include aggressive behaviour, shouting and the use of insulting language towards residents. The issue was identified during a risk-based inspection of the centre in June 2019 and while the provider had a plan to address the matter, it hadn't been implemented at the time of the follow-up inspection. Some improvements were since made in providing positive behaviour support but concerns remained about the significant number of incidents at the centre. While reviewing how the rights of residents were protected in the centre, the inspector found that the provider had failed to ensure that the dignity of residents was respected at all times. Because of the frequency and a significant number of safeguarding incidents experienced by residents, the inspector found there was limited freedom for exercising choice and control in their daily lives. There were clear examples in the centre of the privacy and dignity of residents being impacted on a regular basis and affecting residents' personal and living space, personal communications and relationships, the report states. Action taken by the provider since the inspection includes supporting residents to move to more appropriate accommodation where their needs can be met. The inspector also found that there were insufficient smoke and fire detectors in one unit of the centre and an absence of emergency lighting in some areas of all three units. There were no fire doors in some areas and in areas where there were fire doors, they had no self-closing mechanisms fitted or did not work properly. The inspector met and spoke with a number of residents and they appeared happy with the service they were receiving. He also noticed staff treating residents with kindness and respect. Hiqa published 25 reports on disability services and in 20 of the centres inspected a good standard of support and care that met residents' needs was being provided. However, an inspection of a RehabCare centre on Dublin's southside found that ineffective systems were in place for the oversight and management of resident's finances and safeguarding concerns. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL January 23, 2020 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Apple Inc. AAPL, W. R. Berkley Corp. WRB, Tesla Inc. TSLA, MSCI Inc. MSCI and Parker-Hannifin Corp. HP. Here are highlights from Wednesdays Analyst Blog: 5 High-Flying Stocks to Buy Ahead of Earnings Next Week Wall Street is firing on all cylinders since the beginning of this year, breaking one record after another. It seems that the bulls have no intention of taking a breather after completing the best year in the last six years. This years momentum starts from where it ended in 2019. Although several large-cap (market capital >10 billion) stocks have skyrocketed in the past year, some of them are set to beat earnings estimate in the ongoing reporting cycle. Strong earnings results will likely ensure further northbound move in the stock prices of these companies in the near term. Weak Expectations for Fourth-Quarter Earnings Expectations for fourth-quarter 2019 earnings are far from encouraging at present. However, although corporate earnings growth was negative year over year in the first three quarters, results were far better than initially anticipated. Total earnings of the S&P 500 Index are anticipated to be down 3.2% from the same period last year on 3.5% higher revenues. As of Jan 20, just 44 S&P 500 members reported fourth-quarter earnings results. Total earnings of these companies are down 3.8% from the same period last year on 3.9% higher revenues. Of the total, 75% surpassed EPS estimates while 70.5% outpaced revenue estimates. (Read More: Are Earnings Reports Just OK, or Better than Expected?) 5 Large-Cap Stocks Set to Beat on Earnings Next Week Below are five stocks set to beat on earnings next week. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases their chances of an earnings beat. Each of our picks carries a Zacks Rank # 2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Story continues You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Apple Inc.designs, manufactures and sells iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch, HomePod and AirPods. These devices are powered by software applications including iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS operating systems. The company has an Earnings ESP of +4.08% for the first quarter of fiscal 2020 (ended December 2019). Apple has an expected earnings growth rate of 10.7% for the current year (ending September 2020). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 0.7% over the last 60 days. The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 3.6%, on average. Apple is set to release earnings results on Jan 28, after the closing bell. W. R. Berkley Corp.is an insurance holding company, operates as a commercial lines writer in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.03% for fourth-quarter 2019. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 0.7% over the last 60 days. The last four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 32.3%, on average. W. R. Berkley is set to release earnings results on Jan 28, after the closing bell. Tesla Inc.designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles, and energy generation and storage systems in the United States, China, Netherlands, Norway, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Automotive and Energy Generation and Storage. The company has an Earnings ESP of +3.34% for fourth-quarter 2019. Tesla has an expected earnings growth rate of 6,386.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 9.6% over the last 60 days. The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 271.4%, on average. Tesla is set to release earnings results on Jan 29, after the closing bell. MSCI Inc.provides investment-decision-supporting tools for clients to manage their investment processes worldwide. It operates through four segments: Index, Analytics, ESG and Real Estate. The company has an Earnings ESP of +0.51% for fourth-quarter 2019. MSCI has an expected earnings growth rate of 12.5% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 0.6% over the last 60 days. The positive earnings surprise for the trailing four quarters is 4.9%, on average. MSCI is set to release earnings results on Jan 30, before the opening bell. Parker-Hannifin Corp.manufactures and sells motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. It operates in two segments, Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. The company has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 (ended December 2019). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year (ending June 2020) has improved 0.9% over the last 60 days. The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 5.3%, on average. Parker-Hannifin is set to release earnings results on Jan 30, before the opening bell. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.6% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MSCI Inc (MSCI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report W.R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (HP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Redefining Suffrage, Unerasing Black Women Sojourner Truth. Harriet Tubman. Ida B. Wells. Shirley Chisholm. Rosa Parks. These household names, spanning a couple of centuries, qualify for the Suffrage Hall of Fame. Almost a buzz word synonymous with the Year of the Woman, in 2020 the centerpiece of suffrage will be marked by the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting womens voting rights. Referred to as a bold justice movement, suffrage will be celebrated as Americas march to full democracy. ADVERTISEMENT In popular parlance, can we unpack the significance of suffrage and inclusive democracy for Black women? Words matter. But the impact and impetus of their meaning matter more. Heres a composite definition from online dictionaries: Suffrage is the right to vote in public elections. Universal suffrage means everyone gets to vote, as opposed to only men or property holders For example, after trying for about a hundred years, American women were granted suffrage and voted for the first time in 1920. The 19th Amendment was adopted Aug. 18, 1920, after the required number of states ratified the constitutional measure. Though many Black women led suffrage campaigns, the 19th Amendment put white women on an empowerment tract to electoral engagement. Interestingly, the suffrage movement, festooned in the symbolic color white, is often portrayed through a narrow window uncomplicated by the strictures of race and power that framed the Amendment then and now. Look no further than the historical landscape of that moment. Congressional approval of the Act in 1919 was the same year as the infamous Red Summer , a tumultuous white supremacist reign of terror and lynching in Black communities across the country. One year after the 19th Amendment was adopted in 1921 racist mobs set ablaze Tulsa, OK, decimating what was revered as Black Wall Street . The Year of the Woman battle cry is perversely at odds with Black womens unbroken quest for liberation. Although lauded today as the most reliable and consistent voting bloc for democratic change, weve historically endured being marginalized, dismissed and erased. ADVERTISEMENT Black womens demand to be equal and heard extends beyond the century run-up to the 19th Amendment. It was intersectional and linked with abolition of slavery, anti-lynching battles, literacy drives, sharecropper land rights campaigns and the establishment of a radical Black press that was led by many Black women suffragists. Our suffrage quest continued through the Civil Rights Era and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which finally, for the first time, delivered the franchise to Black people in the South. Rewind centuries earlier. Our demand to self-govern predates the formation of this republic, beginning in 1619 when the first Africans, snatched from their ancestral home, landed on these shores. Those nameless suffrage pioneers joined with their men to resist and carry the torch for all people Native Americans, Chinese immigrants and even Irish indentured servants denied fundamental liberty. Then and now, we wage claims to own our bodies, voices and choices. We build on that truth by redefining suffrage beyond the limited act of casting a ballot. For Black women, the narrative is rooted in telling herstory, unerasing the achievements of yesterday and the possibilities for the future. This centennial year is an appropriate time to redefine universal suffrage through the prism of triumphs and tragedies. Trust Black women must be more than a cliche. Unerased Black Women promises to create brave spaces and in alliance with Black newspapers across the country, unfurl a frank public conversation about Suffrage, Race, and Power. Through a digital destination, well turn our ear to a beating heart of resilience, resistance, words and deed. Daughter of slaves, descendants of warriors, writers, journalists, teachers, mentors, activists universal suffragists all have something to say. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper . Anna Julia Cooper . Mary Ann Shadd . Harriet Jacobs . Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. Mary McLeod Bethune . Fannie Lou Hamer . Ella Baker . Gertrude Bustill-Mossell . Charlotta Bass . Marvel Jackson Cooke . Most of these women cant claim household name status in the traditional suffrage roll call. But their noble stories will be unerased. Stay tuned as suffrage, redefined, meets our truth. Gwen McKinney is campaign director of an initiative, Suffrage. Race. Power: Unerased Black Women, that will launch in March. Luckily, she said yes. CBS 21 morning news anchor Jessie McDonough received the surprise of a lifetime Wednesday during the noonday newscast. McDonoughs boyfriend, Danny, proposed to her on live television. Oh my gosh, Im panicking, she said, as he presented her with a flower bouquet. My time in Austin and my time being here definitely made one thing clear, that I love you," he said. You mean a lot and I definitely dont want to be apart again. "With that being said, Jesse McDonough will you marry me? he asked. Oh my gosh, I did not expect this," she said before saying yes. Later McDonough took to Twitter to say, Biggest SURPRISE of my life! Love you Danny We are engaged and man did he surprise me! A Pennsylvania native, McDonough was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and previously worked with news stations in South Bend, Indiana, Jacksonville, Florida and El Paso, Texas. She earned a Pennsylvania Broadcast Award this year for covering the shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. Our own CBS21 Morning News Anchor @JessieCBS21 was in for a huge on-air surprise, when her longtime boyfriend, Danny, proposed during our noon newscast. CONGRATULATIONS JESSIE pic.twitter.com/hvVpusvC0m CBS 21 News (@CBS21NEWS) January 22, 2020 Last month, two hikers from Ithaca had plans to hike Whiteface Mountain via the Connery Pond trail but never made it to the summit. However, they didnt give up. They continued to hike through waist deep snow and kept moving throughout the night and found the trail at 8 a.m. the next day. That incident and others reported by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers occurred between Jan. 12 to 19. All specifics below were supplied by the DEC. Town of North, Elba Essex County Wilderness Rescue: On Jan. 13, at 8:19 a.m., DECs Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from the Lake Placid Police Department regarding two hikers who did not return to their hotel in Lake Placid after hiking Whiteface Mountain. Ranger Kevin Burns responded to the area and located the hikers vehicle at Connery Pond. An additional eight Rangers responded with UTVs and began sweeping the trail past Connery Pond to the Whiteface Summit. The 38-year-old male and 33-year-old female hiker from Ithaca had intended to summit Whiteface via the Connery Pond trail but never made it to the summit. After losing the trail and hiking through waist deep snow, they kept moving throughout the night and found the trail at 8 a.m. At 10:55 a.m., Ranger Robbi Mecus located the hikers just past the wilderness gate at Connery Pond, approximately one mile from the trailhead, and proceeded to walk out with them. The hikers reached the trailhead at 11:30 a.m., and were assessed for possible cold injuries. Both hikers declined further medical assistance and were cleared of the trailhead at 11:45 a.m. Town of Corinth, Saratoga County Wilderness Rescue: On Jan. 12 at 1:15 p.m., Saratoga County 911 transferred a call to DECs Ray Brook Dispatch reporting two lost hikers on Spruce Mountain. County 911 coordinates placed the hikers near the old Spruce Mountain Road. The hikers took the incorrect trail for the summit and became disoriented along the climb. Forest Ranger Joe Hess responded to the trailhead along with three Saratoga County Sheriffs Deputies and they began heading to the hikers last known coordinates. At 3:06 p.m., the rescue crew located the 52-year-old mother and 13-year-old daughter from Latham and started walking the pair back to the trailhead where they were evaluated by Corinth EMS and released. Town of North Hudson, Essex County Wilderness Rescue: On Jan. 14, at 3:21 a.m., Essex County 911 transferred a call to DECs Central Dispatch reporting an injury in the Dix Wilderness. The caller stated that his hiking partner, a 67-year-old male from Towaco, New Jersey, had broken his shoulder after a short distance fall on the Macomb Slide in the Dix range. The caller had to leave the injured hiker alone on the slide to walk out for help. Four Forest Rangers entered the woods at 5:40 a.m., with a six-wheeler and cold weather gear. The slide is approximately four miles from the trailhead and Rangers encountered icy conditions on difficult, remote terrain. The rescue crew reached the injured hiker at 8:34 a.m. Rangers warmed the hiker and waited for a second rescue crew to establish an evacuation method. Once the second crew was on scene, it was determined that the hiker would be carried/walked out due to weather conditions. The hiker was belayed in a harness by Ranger Benjamin Baldwin and carried 450 feet up on the steep angle terrain covered in loose rock and solid ice. Once off the slide, Forest Rangers walked with the hiker to staged ATVs for evacuation to the trailhead. Essex County EMS providers transported the hiker to a local hospital. Utsayantha Lake, Delaware County Flat Ice Rescue Training: On Jan. 17, the newest Forest Rangers in Region 4 participated in simulated flat ice and cold-water rescues at Utsayantha Lake. Instructed by Forest Rangers Rob Dawson and Jeff Breigle, participants rehearsed ice rescue techniques to simulate saving the life of a struggling person who had fallen into icy cold water. The Rangers use cold water gumby suits, throw bags, ice picks, and reach poles to annually practice this important skill. Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County Wilderness Rescue: On Jan. 18, Forest Ranger John Rusher overheard Suffolk County 911 radio traffic regarding a lost female in the Otis Pike Preserve. He responded along with multiple local agencies, Forest Ranger John Gagne, and DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs). While Rangers were searching the interior toward the womans last known location, she found her own way out onto Hot Water Street, where she came upon an ECO who was staged on that road at 4:15 p.m. The 48-year-old woman from Stony Brook/Manorville was directed to the Manorville parking lot for evaluation by EMS. She declined medical treatment and further assistance and all units cleared the scene. Town of Lexington, Greene County Wilderness Rescue: On Jan. 19, six Forest Rangers responded to a call from a hiker stating that his hiking partner had sustained an injury to her lower leg and needed assistance getting back to the trailhead. Rangers located the 59-year-old female hiker from Roxbury approximately 2.5 miles from the parking area near the summit of the trail-less, steep, and rocky Sherrill Mountain. Rangers warmed the injured hiker, provided first aid, and splinted her leg. The hiker was assisted back down the mountain by the Rangers where she was transported by her hiking partner to a nearby medical facility for further treatment of her injury. Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DECs Hiking Safety and Adirondack Backcountry Information page for more information. READ MORE Winter bald eagle watch on Onondaga Lake continues to get better Ice anglers on Oneida Lake: 75 shanties spotted off Sylvan Beach (video) You can rent this entire Catskills ski mountain resort all to yourself for $4,500 a day T here's so much thats compelling about the life of Hashi Mohamed that this entire book could be devoted to telling the story of how he has become a successful London barrister after arriving in this country as a young fatherless Somali refugee. Its a victory over adversity, which included being brought up and schooled in one of the most challenging parts of the capital ,on top of struggles with identity, discrimination and homelessness. However, although the details of his progress from Wembley High School to the Bar via Oxford University are scattered throughout, the authors principal purpose is to rail against the lack of social mobility in Britain. His experience, he insists, is not typical, and the fact that such stories occur does not mean that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. He argues that society is still weighted in favour of the advantaged by education, particularly at private schools, and class barriers. Social attitudes designed to ensure everyone knows their place also reinforce privilege and divide society. Neither education nor meritocracy can solve the social mobility problem when people start from such different positions, Mohamed contends. His proposed solutions such as major investment in education and more mentoring are predictable. As the book veers from addressing societys structural failings into a self-help manual, there are valuable prescriptions, especially on the importance of language and speech. He laments the reluctance of people within the Brent community he grew up in to consider speaking as he does, using received pronunciation, and criticises the way both ends of the social scale expect him to talk the language of the street. He views this as a trap and insists that those from disadvantaged backgrounds must learn to code switch and speak well when needed to improve their prospects. Its a well-made point, but elsewhere the book goes awry by presenting a view of the world that bears little resemblance to reality. One example is the endorsement of the notion that a sooty white man emerging from a coal mine as the Hovis theme tune plays is how people imagine the working class. Adversity: lawyer Hashi Mohamed / Shaista Chishty The authors world view becomes clear when Left-of-centre writers Owen Jones, Afua Hirsch and Faiza Shaheen are quoted approvingly. Theres error too, when in a digression on Shamima Begum, the schoolgirl who joined Islamic State, he wrongly claims that her British nationality was removed on the basis that she was entitled to Bangladeshi citizenship. In fact, the Governments case is that she was already a Bangladeshi national via her parentage. Its sloppy imprecision for a lawyer. It all makes for a flawed, though interesting jumble. But while his book doesnt match the quality of his achievements in life, it seems certain well hear much more of Hashi Mohamed. The number of reported coronavirus cases continues to grow as the outbreak spreads around the world, according to the latest data collected by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. But that's just the number of reported and confirmed cases from an outbreak that has posed a series of challenges for researchers trying to collect reliable data on the spread and severity of the new disease. "There is no way to get everything," said Dr. Este Geraghty, chief medical officer at ESRI, a mapping software company that is working with researchers at Johns Hopkins to map the outbreak. "We're always going to have things missing in the data." Some researchers believe the actual number of coronavirus cases may be much higher that the reported data. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually infect animals but can sometimes evolve and spread to humans. Symptoms in humans include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, which can progress to pneumonia. Physicians recommend basic hygiene, including washing hands with soap and water and avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth. The challenge of data collection in any outbreak starts from the moment someone contracts the targeted illness. Some of those infected may be reluctant or unable to go to a hospital or clinic; those cases will go unreported until they do so. Others may have been infected with the disease and show no symptoms but may still be able to transmit the virus to others. The result is that there is no "official" tally of cases, and the number of reported cases at any moment in time can change rapidly. The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, has said if Iran's new Qods (Quds) Force Commander follows the same path of killing Americans, he will face the fate of his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad on January 3. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed General Esmail Qaani as the new commander in charge of Iran's extraterritorial operations the day after Soleimani was killed by the order of President Donald Trump on suspicion of planning attacks that threatened American lives. Qaani who had served as a deputy to Soleimani has vowed to follow in Soleimani's path. Brian Hook made the threat in an interview with London-based Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of Davos Conference which was published on Thursday. Hook maintained that Soleimani's killing, who he called the world's most dangerous terrorist, is going to make the Middle East a safer place because it will create a "void that the regime will not be able to fill". In the interview with the international Arabic newspaper Hook called on the UN Security Council to condemn Iran's alleged September attack on Saudi oil facilities. The U.S. Special Representative for Iran also argued that Iran's foreign policy is dictated by Khamenei who he said "is called the Supreme Leader for a reason" and the United States judges the Iranian regime by what it does on the basis of Khamenei's decisions, not what the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif says. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been very high since the January targeted killing of Soleimani which Iran retaliated against with its own missile attack on two Iraqi bases hosting American and other Coalition troops. Washington always blamed Soleimani for masterminding attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and other countries in the region. Romania's President Klaus Iohannis participates today in the Fifth World Holocaust Forum dedicated Holocaust remembrance, which takes place at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The forum, organised by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation in co-operation with the Holocaust Remembrance Center - Yad Vashem, is being held in Jerusalem under the auspices of the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, and will focus on strengthening world commitment to Holocaust remembrance and worldwide struggle against anti-Semitism and racism."My visit to the State of Israel and participation in the fifth edition of the World Holocaust Forum 2020 gives me the opportunity to underline that Romania remains committed to continuing its constant support for the preservation of the Holocaust remembrance, the fight against anti-Semitism, the prevention of discrimination and any other form. Romania has endeavoured to become a regional model for taking responsibility for the Holocaust and combating anti-Semitism, " Iohannis wrote on Tuesday in the Guest Book at the Israeli Presidency.Among the international personalities expected at the forum, which also celebrates the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp - "Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Anti-Semitism" are US Vice-President Mike Pence; Speaker of the US Chamber of Representatives Nancy Pelosi; Russian President Vladimir Putin; French President Emmanuel Macron; their German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier; Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, leaders of Italy, Greece, Austria, Cyprus, Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Georgia and other countries.President Iohannis is paying a visit to Israel, Tuesday to Thursday. On Tuesday, he met his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin and on Wednesday he was welcomed by leader of the Blue and White Alliance in Israel Binyamin "Benny" Gantz, and attended an official dinner extended by the President of Israel in honour of the delegation heads present at the forum. AGERPRES It seems airbag issues continue to plague automakers to this day. The most recent airbag issue comes from Toyota. The Japanese automaker will soon be recalling nearly 3.4 million vehicles worldwide. Unlike the Takata inflator issue of the past, the new problem is that the airbag in these vehicles may not deploy in the event of an accident due to an electronic glitch. The recall involves around 2.9 million vehicles in the US which include the 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid. The vehicles listed here may have an electronic control unit with inadequate protection against electrical noise that occurs in crashes. As such, this might result in an incomplete or even non-deployment of the airbags. It could also prevent the operation of seatbelt pre-tensioners. The faulty airbags were identified by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to the agency, two frontal event crashes, one of which was fatal, involved newer Toyota Corolla models. In both incidents, the electronic glitch is suspected as the likely cause of the airbags not deploying. A teenager has become the first woman to join the RAF's infantry unit since a ban was lifted more than two years ago. Leading Aircraftman Georgia Sandover, 19, managed to complete a 20-week course which involved live firing and gruelling fitness tests. Another woman quit in 2018 after just two weeks of training when she fell behind on endurance marches and failed the fitness tests. Leading Aircraftman Georgia Sandover (pictured), 19, managed to complete a 20-week course to become the first woman to join the RAF's infantry unit since a ban was lifted two years ago LAC Sandover is one of 18 recruits who have just completed their Phase 2 training at RAF Honington to become RAF Regiment Gunners. 'I am really proud and thrilled that all of us on the course graduated today,' she said. 'To anyone that is thinking of joining the RAF Regiment, male or female, I say 'don't be afraid to give it a go'.' She said she had always wanted to join one of the services and had been inspired by one of her teachers at the College of West Anglia who had been in the RAF Regiment the Air Force's ground fighting force, which protects RAF bases, aircraft and equipment at home and abroad. The RAF course sees recruits learn basic combat tactics, advanced fieldcraft skills and completed live fire training, alongside a physical training programme. (Stock image) During the RAF course the recruits learned basic combat tactics, advanced fieldcraft skills and completed live fire training, alongside a physical training programme. This included a 2.5-mile march carrying 88lbs with a rifle in less than 50 minutes and a 1.25-mile run carrying 55lbs in less than 16 minutes An RAF spokesman said the latter part of the course was both 'physically and mentally demanding'. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: 'My congratulations to all those graduating today which includes the first female regular serving RAF Gunner.' A handful of women have already taken up frontline roles within the Army. The distillery will be getting special use approval to open in a building that has been vacant since a planned restaurant four years ago never materialized. It will be the first distillery for the village and for Getchel and Keeley. NEWARK, Del., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenwing Technology announced today that they have relocated their offices from downtown Wilmington to Newark, Delaware. Greenwing will be moving all team members to the new location at 314 East Main Street, Suite 401. The move will not only make it more centrally located for all team members, but also allow more meeting and office space. The space is much needed to help accelerate Greenwing's growth and give team members the ability to collaborate. Established in 2010, Greenwing Technology has outgrown the current leased location in Wilmington, Delaware and chose to move out of downtown Wilmington for its location and proximity to the University of Delaware. "By moving our offices to downtown Newark we're excited to have access to more talent as well as work with University of Delaware to develop an internship program to help our future growth. Having our offices right on Main St puts us right in the heart of the downtown business district. The additional space will help drive innovation and provide opportunity to further expand into additional markets and product lines," said Jeremy Friedman, Chief Operations Officer of Greenwing Technology. Team members already have the flexibility to work from home as part of a work-life balance program, but the new office space will have technology-enabled conference rooms and private offices to further encourage team building. "Although I'm the newest member of the team, I might be the most excited about our new move. Besides not having to deal with the Wilmington traffic in the morning, I'm excited to be literally in the backyard of a world class university and to be in close proximity to all of the amenities of Main Street. I believe this will be very appealing to future employees as well, especially recent college graduates," said Curtis Harris, Customer Success Manager of Greenwing Technology. About Greenwing Technology: Greenwing Technology organizations develop B2B Punchout Catalogs, hosted catalogs and electronic Purchase Order/Invoicing systems to integrate with eProcurement systems from Ariba, Jaggaer, Oracle, Coupa and more. Greenwing offers much more than just software; options include the training and resources to educate your team to become an expert in e-Procurement and punchout catalogs. Media Contact: Jeremy Friedman [email protected] 1-877-415-3237 SOURCE Greenwing Technology Related Links http://www.greenwingtechnology.com SIPTU has warned that workers at the country's meat plants may not co-operate with the Cattle Destruction Scheme designed to wipe out BSE. More than 5,000 meat plant workers are members of the union, which fears that the scheme will lead to job losses. Yoga relieves pain and eases traumatic memories. It helps cope with pain by disassociating with the actual pain, focusing on positive thoughts and experiences. Yoga is a traditional system that does not limit a persons existence to merely the body. According to the Upanishads, a person has 5 interconnected layers - Annamaya kosha (made of food); Pranamaya kosha (the prana); Manomaya kosha (the mind and emotions); Vijnanamaya kosha (intellect, wisdom); Anandamaya kosha (bliss, happiness). Every emotional disturbance manifests as diseases. However through prana, knowledge, and yoga one can release the emotional trauma and pain. According to yoga fraternity, hearts can be opened through backbends, and one can surrender through forward folds. Pelvic area is associated with second or Sacral Chakra which is considered the storehouse of stuck emotions. The spine holds our emotional world and every cell radiates the energy of the mind, body and intellect matrix. As per Dr. Candace B. Pert, author of Molecules of Emotion the frequency of healthy body is 62-68 HZ. A cancerous body has energy of 42 Hz and less. Positive thoughts can increase energy by 10 Hz & negative thoughts by minus 12 Hz. Pigeon Pose Pigeon pose or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana is considered a hip opener which releases tension from muscles around the pelvic region. Stuck emotions find vent through hip openers. Instructions Come onto your hands and knees and start on all fours. Bring right knee forward and outward. Then take your left leg backwards and straight. The position of two legs will look similar to L shape. You can come to this position from downward dog pose or from a lunge too. Place your palms on the floor in front of you, lengthen your spine and glide the torso ahead, so that your straightened arms and head touch the floor or mat. Your torso will rest over your right thigh. Your weight should be equally balanced on both hips, and the knee should feel no pain. Continue for 5 breaths or as much as you are comfortable. Slowly with the help of your arms raise the torso and come back on your fours or the downward dog pose. Other popular hip openers are Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana); Childs Pose (Balasana); Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) and Padma Asana. They help to balance hormones as well. Bow Pose Bow Pose or Dhanurasana is a back bend. Back bends helps to open hearts and release pain. It releases stress and fatigue. Instructions Lie on your stomach with your arms resting by the side of your body. Keep the feet hip-width apart. Fold the knees and try to hold on to your ankles. As you breathe in raise your chest and simultaneously pull your legs up from the ground as much as you can. Always look straight and take deep breaths for about 20 seconds. As you exhale, gently bring back the legs and torso to the ground. Release the ankles and relax in the starting position. Other popular back bends are camel pose and cobra pose. Seated Forward Bend Forward bends help one to surrender to higher force or the unknown. It helps to disassociate with the experiencer. Instructions Sit with the legs stretched straight in front of you. The spine should be erect. Raise your arms above your head as you breathe in. Bend forward from the hip joints, bringing the arms down to touch your toes. The spine should remain erect. Resting your hands on your legs, lengthen your spine and touch the toes. Bring the head towards the knees, trying to keep the knees as straight as possible. After about 20 secs, straighten back to the sitting position and lower the arms. Other forward bends are Standing Forward Fold Pose, Downward Facing Dog and Child Pose. Sitting Half Spinal Twist Spine is the nerve network and stores the memories. Spine twists whether sitting, lying or standing help to release experiences. It opens the heart as well. Instructions Sit with the legs stretched straight in front of you. The spine should be erect and the feet should be together. Bend your left leg such that the left foot heel rests besides the right hip and the left knee rests on the ground. Alternatively you can keep your left leg straight. Bend your right knee and take it over your left leg. The positions of your two legs will look similar to standing triangle. Place the right hand behind you and the left hand on the right knee to balance yourself. Twist from the waist up, the shoulders and the neck, to the direction in which the folded legs heel faces. In this case twist to your right. Keep the spine straight and take gentle deep breaths. Gently release the position and relax in the starting position. Repeat on the other side. Other spinal twists include Bharadvaja''s Twist, Revolved Triangle Pose, Revolved Side Angled Pose and Lying-down Body Twist. Malasana Garland pose is a wide-footed, deep squat which is also a hip opener. Instruction Come to the squat position with your feet as close together as possible. Kneels should rest on the ground. Widen your thighs more than the torso width. Lean ahead in anjali mudra and rest your elbows against your inner knees. Shavasana Corpse Pose helps to non-identify with the body, thoughts and pain emanating from loss, heartbreak, broken relationships and abuses. In this position attention is taken to different body parts one by one, and the entire body is relaxed. Instructions Lie flat on your back with legs slightly apart and arms along the body with palms facing the sky. Take the awareness to right foot, then move to right knees and then the hips. DO the same with left leg. Gradually move your awareness through each part of your body up to the head. Relax and move your awareness from head to foot and vice versa. After about 20 minutes, turn to your right side for about a minute. Gently sit in the ease pose. After few deep breaths become aware of your surroundings and body and open your eyes. Yoga is not just about physical exercise. It includes art of living, wisdom, health of mind and elevated prana. Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) that helps one to dissociate from the event and the associated pain. It teaches us that we are much more than the mind-body complex. Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. You are Bliss, untouched by workings of world. Yoga poses help you to become aware of your body, breath and emotions. With practice one learns not to identify with the body, thoughts or pain. During the practice of the poses, no matter how intense the pain, or rapid the thoughts are, do not resist or fight them. Dissociate and become aware of the pain and the thoughts, as they rise and vanish or diminish. Also note that pregnant woman and people suffering from any kind of ailment have to take advice from their doctors before starting the practice. Those suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), fibroids or other hormonal imbalance may face heavy bleeding if the poses are practiced during menstruation. Thus expert advice should be taken to know whether these poses can be continued during periods. It may have been 14 years since Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) retired from Starfleet, but Star Trek: Picard, the new CBS All Access series, shows the hero remains as commanding as ever. Though Stewart long resisted the idea of returning to the role he made famous during the seven-season run of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), and four feature films, his gravity, empathy and dignity ground Star Trek: Picard, and make it surprisingly moving. While diehard Star Trek fans have been eagerly awaiting the eighth series, and the sight of Stewart reprising his classic role, other less Trek-oriented viewers might wonder if Star Trek: Picard is worth jumping into, especially when there are so many other things to watch. (How to subscribe to CBS All Access: Star Trek: Picard is only available on the streaming service CBS All Access. It can be watched on an internet browser, on a tablet or smart phone using the CBS app, or streamed through a smart TV or a regular TV with a streaming device like Roku or Xbox One. Viewing plans start at $5.99, and your first 7 days are free, and you can cancel or change your plan at any time. Sign up for CBS All Access here.) Based on the first three episodes, which were made available for preview, it helps to have knowledge of the backstory, involving the Romulans, the Borg, androids (called synthetics in this series, which takes place at the end of the 24th century) and such. But even if your Star Trek expertise stops with Tribbles, Star Trek: Picard stands on its own, with lovely moments that acknowledge the passing of time (Stewart is 79), the pain of loss, and the importance of believing in something greater than yourself. As the story begins, Picard is retired and living what looks like a rather wonderful life at his vineyard, in France. He dotes on his pet pit bull, which bears the fitting name of Number One (Stewart has, off-screen, been an advocate for the humane treatment of pit bull breeds). Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, with his pet dog, "Number One," in the the CBS All Access series, "Star Trek: Picard." (Photo: Matt Kennedy/CBS) But Picard isnt content. Hes troubled by dreams, in which he sees his old friend, the late Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), the android who was Picards friend (and a fan favorite), and who sacrificed his life to save the captain many years ago. And when Picard reluctantly sits down for a televised (or whatever the 24th-century term might be) interview about the events that contributed to his leaving Starfleet, Picard grows angry with the journalist, defends his actions, and abruptly ends the disastrous interview. All of this makes Picard more than ready to listen when Dahj (Isa Briones) turns up at his vineyard with an alarming story about being attacked, then turning on her attackers with a murderous ability she never dreamed she had. All she knows, she says, is she kept seeing images of Picard, and felt she must see him. That encounter sets Picard off on the action hes clearly missed. By the time the third episode is over, hes put together an unlikely crew, secured a ship, and is setting off once more into space, in search of a missing scientist who may hold the secrets to the mysteries Picard needs to solve. Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, and Michelle Hurd as Raffi in the CBS All Access series, "Star Trek: Picard." (Photo: Trae Patton/CBS) If the dialogue sometimes veers into the geeky, for the most part, Star Trek: Picard benefits from keeping the characters front and center. The executive producers, who include Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, know that Stewart is the jewel in their crown, but hes surrounded by a capable cast. Briones is strong and vulnerable as the young woman with the complicated past, and shes joined by Alison Pill as a scientist who shares Picards quest; Michelle Hurd as an old acquaintance and something more? from Picards Starfleet days; Santiago Cabrera as a rakish pilot (Han Solo, anyone?); and Harry Treadaway as a Romulan who has his own agenda. Patrick Stewart returns as Jean-Luc Picard in the CBS All Access series, "Star Trek: Picard." The show's upcoming episodes will feature guest appearances by familiar "Star Trek: The Next Generation" faces, including Jonathan Frakes as William Riker. (Photo: Trae Patton/CBS)Trae Patton, CBS All Access In addition to Spiner, more Star Trek familiar faces are also scheduled to turn up, including Jonathan Frakes (who played William Riker); Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi); Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh, the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, I, Borg); and Jeri Ryan (who was the Borg Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager). The Star Trek franchise has been around so long its hard to say that any new series boldly goes where no one has gone before. But the values that have always made Star Trek special honoring diverse characters, a belief that doing the right thing is the best thing, and unwavering optimism are built into Star Trek: Picard. And right now, those qualities seem more necessary than ever. The 10-episode series, Star Trek: Picard streams its first episode on Thursday, Jan. 23, on CBS All Access. Following the premiere, new episodes will be available weekly, on Thursdays. More of our coverage: -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Looking back at the last time the spirits panel tasted mezcal, I was shocked to realize that almost a decade had passed. The flavors and the sense of discovery we experienced still seemed so fresh. Yet so much has changed since that tasting in 2010. Back then, mezcal was described as the next big thing. It finally arrived, and with such an impact that the trend authorities over at New York magazine recently deemed it passe, at least as a cocktail ingredient. From the consumers view, the world of mezcal in 2020 is radically different from that of 10 years ago. Del Maguey, which 25 years ago pioneered the discovery and marketing in the United States of small-production, geographically specific bottles, is still going strong, though its visionary founder, Ron Cooper, sold a controlling interest in the brand to the beverage giant Pernod Ricard in 2017. Rather than packaging his discoveries as a luxury brand or with celebrity tie-ins in the fashion of tequila, mezcals agave cousin, Mr. Cooper emphasized the cultural significance of mezcal, highlighting its ability through traditional, laborious methods of production to transmit the character of a place and a people. A Guatemalan dad was among the nine parents who were finally reunited with their children late Wednesday night in Los Angeles, a year and a half after the asylum-seeking families were among the thousands separated by the Trump administration. The group arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Guatemala City in a trip arranged under the order of a federal judge who found the U.S. government had unlawfully prevented them from seeking asylum. An asylum advocate confirmed the nine parents were all aboard the flight. Some of the children were at the airport to greet them, including David Xol's 9-year-old son Byron. David fell to one knee and tearfully embraced Byron for about three minutes, patting the back of his sons head. The Guatemalan dad was shocked with his son's growth spurt during the span of 20 months that they were separated. 'He was small,' David said after rising to his feet. He looked at his attorney - who accompanied him on the flight - raised his hand about chest-high and said, 'He grew a lot.' David, Byron and his attorney, Ricardo de Anda, then embraced in a three-way hug and exchanged words in their huddle. Byron was all smiles. Father, son, attorney and family sponsor eagerly left the airport for their hotel. David Xol-Cholom, of Guatemala hugs his son Byron at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday night as they reunite after being separated about one and half year ago during the Trump administration's wide-scale separation of immigrant families seeking asylum David Xol (left) reunites with his son Byron (center) as Holly Sewell (right), a sponsor mom to Bryon, looks on at Los Angeles International Airport. David, a pastor, and his son fled Guatemala in 2018 and paid a smuggler $6,000 to cross the Mexico-United States border Fernando Arredondo (center) was among nine parents who were allowed to returned to the U.S. after a federal judge ruled that the government unlawfully prevented them from seeking asylum. Pictured are his daughters Andrea (left), Alison (second from left) and Keyli (right) The reunion was a powerful reminder of the lasting effects of Trump's separation policy, even as attention and outrage has faded amid impeachment proceedings and tensions with Iran. But it also underscored that hundreds, potentially thousands, of other parents and children are still apart nearly two years after the zero-tolerance policy on unauthorized border crossings took effect. 'They all kind of hit the lottery,' said Linda Grimm, an attorney who represents one of the parents returning to the U.S. 'There are so many people out there who have been traumatized by the family separation policy whose pain is not going to be redressed.' More than 4,000 children are known to have been separated from their parents before and during the official start of zero tolerance in spring 2018. Under the policy, border agents charged parents en masse with illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, then placed their children in government facilities, including some 'tender-age shelters' set up for infants. David Xol (left) returned to the United States to be reunited with his son Byron (right). A federal judge found that that the government had unlawfully prevented the family, as well as eight others, from seeking asylum Esvin Fernando Arredondo hugs his daughter Alison Arredondo at LAX on Wednesday. The Guatemalan dad-of-three was separated from one of his daughters after they turned themselves in on May 16, 2018, at a Texas crossing and sought asylum legally The U.S. has acknowledged that agents separated families long before they enforced zero tolerance across the entire southern border, its agencies did not properly record separations, and some detention centers were overcrowded and undersupplied, with families denied food, water or medical care. In June 2018, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw ordered the government to stop separating families and reunite parents and children. At least 470 parents were deported without their children. Some of the kids were held in U.S. government facilities and ultimately placed with sponsors. Others were deported to their home countries. Accounts emerged of many parents being told to sign paperwork they couldn't read or understand or being denied a chance to request asylum in ways that violated federal law. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security referred a request for comment to the Justice Department, which did not respond. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the original family separation lawsuit before Sabraw, asked the judge to order the return of a small group of parents whose children remained in the U.S. In September, Sabraw required the U.S. to allow 11 parents to come back and denied relief to seven others. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said Sabraw made clear he would only order the return of people 'who were misled or coerced into giving up their asylum rights.' That will leave other parents who fled violence, poverty and persecution to decide whether to have their children return to their home countries or remain in the U.S. without them. 'Many are going to make the decision that generations of immigrant parents have made - to leave their child in the U.S. and endure the hardship of separation, but to do it for their childs own safety,' Gelernt said. David was forced to flee Guatemala after he and his then eight-year-old son received death threats from a local gang who demanded their allegiance in their hometown San Miguel Limon. Because of his religious beliefs, the pastor turned down the gangsters, borrowed $6,000 and hired a 'coyote' or human trafficker like tens of thousands of Guatemalans who have abandoned the Central American nation. Father and son then traveled through Mexico for three days inside a wooden crate on a tractor trailer. In the middle of the night of May 18, 2018, the coyote sent them and about 20 other migrants on a raft across the Rio Grande, the river that separates the U.S. and Mexico. The Border Patrol was waiting on the other side and apprehended both father and son. David was charged with illegal entry on May 19, the day after they were detained. Two days later, David said a CBP officer told him to sign an English-language document that he could not read. He was told that signing that legal papers would allow him and Byron to be deported together. The agent told him he could sign it and be deported with Byron, which he refused. A second officer entered, and according to David, told him that if he tried to seek asylum, the two would be separated. The pastor dad would be detained for at least two years, while Byron would be given up for adoption. Their only option was to sign the document and be deported together. He signed, renouncing his asylum claim. He didn't know the document would allow the agents to take his son away. As soon as he signed the document, Byron was taken away from him. David was deported to Guatemala seven days later and Byron was placed in government facilities for 11 months. David Xol (left) paid a smuggler $6,000 to get him and his son Byron (right) across the Mexico-United States border in 2018. They were separated by CBP officers and David was deported to Guatemala a week later while Byron remained in the U.S. and was taken in by a sponsor family from Texas David hugs his son son Byron at Los Angeles International Airport as they reunited Wednesdya night after being separated 20 months ago during the Trump administration's wide-scale separation of immigrant families The family's attorney, Ricardo de Anda, persuaded a federal court to force the U.S. to let a Texas family take in Byron. Since May 2019, Byron has lived with Holly and Matthew Sewell and their two children, with regular video calls to his family. Holly Sewell brought Byron, now 9, to meet his father at the airport. They planned to go back to Texas to pack and prepare for Byron to move in with his father once he is settled in California. Before the reunion, Byron kept asking Sewell, his caretaker, when his father would clear immigration authorities. 'They're almost here, youre doing great,' she said. 'Count to 1,000.' '999,' Byron responded. She said she was thrilled Byron could see his dad again but sharply criticized the U.S. government's treatment of asylum-seekers. Esvin Fernando Arredondo was expected to be on the plane. The father from Guatemala was separated from one of his daughters, Andrea Arredondo - then 12 years old and now 13, after they turned themselves in on May 16, 2018, at a Texas crossing and sought asylum legally, according to Grimm, his lawyer. He failed an initial screening and agreed to go back to Guatemala. According to Sabraw's ruling, the government deported Arredondo even after the judge had ordered families reunited and subsequently prohibited U.S. officials from removing any parent separated from their child. He's now being given a second chance at asylum under the court order. Andrea was separated from all family for about a month, living in a shelter as the government struggled to connect children with their parents because they lacked adequate tracking systems. She was finally reunited with her mother, who had turned herself in at the Texas crossing with the other two daughters four days earlier than her husband, on May 12, 2018. She and her two daughters passed the initial screening interview for asylum, unlike her husband, even though they were fleeing for the same reason. Their son Marco, 17, was shot and killed by suspected gang members in Guatemala City. Arredondo's wife, Cleivi Jerez, 41, arrived at LAX less than an hour before the flight landed with their three daughters in tow, ages 17, 13 and 7. 'Lots of nerves, last night I couldn't sleep,' she said in Spanish in an interview after the flight landed. David and his son Byron embraced moments after the Guatemalan dad landed in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The family fled Guatemala after a gang threatened their lives in 2018 Jerez said she planned to stay up late catching up with her husband. She planned to rest at their Los Angeles home tomorrow as well, catching up on their 17 months apart before he has to report to an ICE office Friday in San Diego. Alison Arredondo, 7, said she missed going to the park with her father and she wanted to go to one with him in LA. While the U.S. has stopped the large-scale separations, it has implemented policies to prevent many asylum-seekers from entering the country. Under its 'Remain in Mexico' policy, more than 50,000 people have been told to wait there for weeks or months for U.S. court dates. The Trump administration also is ramping up deportations of Central Americans to other countries in the region to seek asylum there. 'People want to make this a heartwarming story, but its not. Its devastating,' Sewell said. 'There is just no good reason why we had to do this to this child and this family. And he symbolizes thousands of others who have been put in this exact same position.' DJ Simmons /Hearst Connecticut Media WESTPORT The Board of Education will be hosting a final community forum on Feb. 4 for residents to give input on the hiring of the next superintendent of schools. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and is being held in Staples High Schools library. Joseph Erardi, of JE Consulting, will facilitate the one-hour meeting dedicated to gathering feedback for the superintendents hiring committee. The district tentatively plans to appoint a new superintendent in mid-March. A series of chemical incidents occurred Monday morning at ALTIVA Chemical Complex in La Porte, officials announced. Flaring and odors caused by the four incidents may be noticeable to the community, statements released by the complex located at 1901 W. H St. said. We are coordinating with local officials, and working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, the statements read. The incidents began at 10 a.m. and continued through 11:51 a.m., according to the statements. The LaPorte Chemical Complex is the largest merchant producer of specialty and custom phosgene derivatives in North America, according to the company's website. This is a developing story. Please check back later for more details as they become available. hannah.dellinger@chron.com Crisis inside and outside Ukraine he called to be the most urgent challenge for security and stability in Europe Open source The attainment of peace in Ukraine is the key priority for Albania during the presidency in the OSCE in 2020, as Ukrinform reported citing OSCE Chairman Edi Rama. The assistance to peace settlement (in Donbas, - 112.international) is the priority for Albanian presidency in OSCE in 2020. That is why I started my first official visit at the post to Ukraine, Rama stated. Crisis inside and outside Ukraine he called to be the most urgent challenge for security and stability in Europe. Our goal, first of all, should be the provision of the complete and stable ceasefire. In 2020, we will try to improve the situation with the security and daily life of people living in areas suffering from conflict, Rama added. According to him, his special representative in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau will study the ways of how to improve peace in Donbas. Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the extension of the mandate of the OSCE SMM in Donbas with OSCE Chairman Edi Rama. (Newser) On the first day of the first stage of Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou's extradition hearing, more than a dozen apparent protesters were spotted outside the Vancouver courtroom holding signs bearing messages like "Free Ms. Meng" and "Trump stop bullying us." Only ... those weren't actually protesters. They were just people responding to an offer to earn some quick cash, the Guardian and the CBC report, and one says they were asked to return Friday when the hearing is expected to conclude. "I was contacted Sunday night regarding a job as a background performer for next morning," a Vancouver actress wrote in a Facebook post this week. Upon arrival, things like "getting ambiguous instructions about holding a sign and then immediately being approached by a journalist" alerted her suspicions. story continues below "Later that night there it was. Horrible reports all over media attacking my persona, my profession and professionalism," she writes. "And my name, face, social media and personal information all over FAKE NEWS...!" Another "protester" complained about the situation to the Toronto Star, saying she was paid $150 Canadian and that it was not clear what was going on until it was too late. And a third tells the Breaker he was promised $100 Canadian to appear in a music video. "It was like, when there was all these cameras, for a long time I believed it was filming a scene where someone was coming out of a car," he says. "So I was genuinely like, OK, fine to do this. Then reporters start showing up and, I dont feel great about this anymore." It's not clear who was behind the stunt; Huawei claims it had nothing to do with it and the Chinese embassy has not commented. (Read more Meng Wanzhou stories.) Trolls have used the death of Scott Morrison's father as an opportunity to hurl abuse at the Prime Minister within minutes of his touching tribute. Mr Morrison announced on Thursday morning that his father John, a former policeman, died peacefully the previous night aged 84. 'He lived a great life and was much loved,' he wrote of the 'loving husband, wonderful father and devoted grandfather'. Trolls with no sense of decency immediately mocked the grieving family, some even going so far as to write 'both scumbags, good riddance'. Mr Morrison announced the sad news of his father John's passing by sharing a collage of pictures of his father to Instagram on Thursday afternoon. Pictured: John, Scott and Marion Morrison A frequent insult was to parrot the words of radio shock jock Alan Jones, who notoriously said former PM Julia Gillard's father 'died of shame' in 2012 A frequent insult was to parrot the words of radio shock jock Alan Jones, who notoriously said former PM Julia Gillard's father 'died of shame' in 2012. Jones was referring to anger over Ms Gillard's carbon tax policy, which was compared to Mr Morrison's much-maligned handling of the bushfire crisis. 'He probably died of shame with the way ScoMo handled the bushfires,' one said. Another referencing the 'died of shame' line by recalling that Mr Morrison smirked when Tony Abbott repeated Jones' remark in Parliament. One Twitter user said she had little sympathy with Mr Morrison as she claimed that the Liberal Party disability policy had resulted in the deaths of many more people. 'I feel I need a government grant of approximately $190,000 for an Empathy Consultant in order to write a better sympathy card for you,' she wrote. Other critics predicted Mr Morrison and the Liberal Party would exploit John's death for political gain. 'Bet he pumps it for sympathy like someone doing CPR on a fat man,' one wrote. Many social media users even attacked John Morrison himself, either for his police service or merely his relation to the PM Others cynically expected Mr Morrison and the Liberal Party would exploit John's death for political gain Others attacked John Morrison himself, either for his police service or merely his relation to the PM. 'Scott Morrison's father, a cop, passed away. Hell yeah,' one wrote. Another wrote: 'I am pretty sure Scott Morrison inherited his racist and authoritarian worldview from his father, which is why I am pretty sure John didn't die of shame for his vicious son.' A third wrote: 'He did a great job of raising his son what a pity he bred Australia's biggest loser.' Other Twitter users voiced their disgust at the critics, saying that even if you didn't agree with Mr Morrison's politics he should be treated kindly. But many hit back at those who called for a respectful tone. 'Scott Morrison's leadership is far more damaging and offensive to literally everything than joking about his dead father,' one wrote. 'I truly don't care if you get upset by poor taste in these circumstances. If you don't respect basic reality you don't deserve basic respect.' John (centre) served in the Army as part of his National Service and was also a NSW Police Officer and dedicated member for his entire career Many trolls hit back at those who called for critics to have at least an ounce of respect Mr Morrison posted a series of family photos along with his tribute to the former soldier and policeman. 'He was a loving husband to my mum Marion for 57 years. He was a wonderful father to me and my brother Alan. He loved Jen as a daughter and was a devoted grandfather to our girls,' he wrote. 'Love you Dad and well done good and faithful servant.' John served in the Army as part of his National Service and was also a NSW Police Officer and later, Commander. He was a dedicated member of the Force for his entire career. Like his son, John was also a politician who served on the Waverley council. He is pictured with his wife Marion supporting Scott Morrison's election campaign last year John was battling poor health when he celebrated his milestone 84th birthday in December last year. He is pictured with the rest of the Morrison family He also served on the Waverley Municipal Council, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, for 16 years, including for a brief period as mayor. Mr Morrison praised his father for 'living a life of love, faith, duty and service'. 'Dad had a deep and committed Christian faith, which is one of his numerous legacies in my life,' he wrote. 'Our family will miss him terribly, but we are extremely thankful for his great blessing in all of our lives.' John was battling poor health when he celebrated his milestone 84th birthday in December last year. At the time, Mr Morrison wished his father happy birthday on the floor of the House of Representatives. The NSW Police Officer also served on the Waverley Municipal Council, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, for 16 years, including for a brief period as mayor Mr Morrison was very close with his father, who had 'had loved him unconditionally for all off his life' 'If I may take this moment of indulgence, as my father is watching from an aged-care facility near his home, I'd just like to wish him all the very best for his 84th birthday,' the Prime Minister told Parliament. 'Dad, we're all thinking of you at this very difficult time, and I wish I could be there with you.' Mr Morrison said his dad 'had loved me unconditionally for all of my life, and I've been blessed in that respect' for Father's Day in 2018. John is survived by his wife Marion, his sons, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Alan Morrison, and his grandchildren. Despite the tragic news of his father's passing, Mr Morrison gave a press conference in Canberra on Thursday. The Prime Minister addressed the controversial Bridget McKenzie scandal in relation to alleged 'sports rorts'. Just three hours later, Mr Morrison announced that his father had passed away the previous night. Nairobi, Kenya The morning scene is increasingly routine for Kenyans. When its time to start the day, the power is already out. Somewhere nearby, the shell of a wrecked electrical transformer lies on its side underneath the pole where it had been fixed seven metres off the ground. The culprit is an unusual one: A vandal who is selling the toxic oil, drawn from the transformer, to chefs who use it for frying food in roadside stalls. Five litres of the viscous, PCB-laden liquid sells for $60. It looks like cooking oil, but lasts much longer, users say. Kenyans appetite for fried food and cheap frying oil is stalling the countrys urgent efforts to build a modern electrical grid, even as it sows the seeds of a public health crisis, experts say. And with utility companies reporting similar vandalism across East Africa and as far away as South Africa and Nigeria, the crime spree is becoming another thorn in ambitious plans to electrify Africa. Sudden blackouts darken businesses and communities across Africa. In a continent where 70 percent of Africans are not yet connected to grid electricity, the World Bank says even those manufacturers who do have a connection lose 56 days a year, on average, to blackouts. Consumption of PCB-laden chips poses a health risk to Kenyans in a country where health services are already underfunded and doctors are in short supply. - Esther Maina, biochemist Such power losses can cut revenues as much as 20 percent for businesses that cant easily use or afford backup generators, World Bank said. Even companies that dont experience blackouts are likely to suffer as utilities pass on the price of continually replacing transformers. In 2012, replacing transformers cost Kenya Power $4m, about seven percent of its net profit, according to Kevin Sang, a communications officer for the company. Umeme Uganda, a power distributor, had to spend $2m this year, said Patrick Mwesigwa, the companys chief financial officer. One big problem is that the oil that cools electrical transformers is also great for frying cassava, chips and fish. Other than fuel, thieves tout it as a remedy for wounds, and even to make cosmetics, said Tom Muhumuza, a senior project manager for Ferdsult Engineering Services, a Ugandan firm that deals with energy projects. The copper wire from transformers is sold to fix motors and as scrap metal, which enters the global market and can end up as far away as India and China, Muhumuza said. Kenya represents the problem in microcosm. On paper, its goals for electrification seem promising: Its sub-Saharan Africas fifth biggest economy, according to the World Bank, with better infrastructure than most. Kenya Power Ltd aims to bring electricity to 70 percent of all Kenyans within five years, up from the current 35 percent. Kenya has even had some success fighting transformer vandalism. In 2013, 535 transformers were vandalised across the country, a stark drop from 898 in 2011, according to Kenya Power. That may be due to a 2013 law that imposes a minimum 10-year jail sentence on transformer vandals. Kenya Power has also started mounting transformers in more inaccessible places, such as inside homes and much higher up on poles. But thats no comfort to Barnabas Ikahu, who runs a small printing company to supplement his income as a teacher in Kaheho, a town 200km northwest of Nairobi. Ikahus plant churns out calendars, business cards, wedding invitations and photocopying and is typical of the small businesses that are the backbone of Africas economic growth. His business stops every time the power goes out. Hes thinking of buying a generator to keep things going, but that would cost around $300 enough to erase most of his profit when combined with the costs of generator fuel. Even generators arent a possibility for Nderitu Miano, a welder based 30km away from Kaheho, because the machines he uses to fix farm equipment or car parts suck more power than he can get from the type of small generator he could afford. When the power goes out, everything stops, he said. Customers, many of whom dont have electricity at all, dont understand why he cant get their work done. Within hours of the power going out, transformer oil can end up on the street, where it creates another health and environmental problem because it contains highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The United States banned PCBs in 1979. Consumption of PCB-laden chips poses a health risk to Kenyans in a country where health services are already underfunded and doctors are in short supply, said Dr Esther Maina a biochemist at the University of Nairobi. But use of the oil is so widespread that she, herself, got sick from it when she bought chips at a roadside stand. Kenya Power, the firm that distributes power in Kenya, is now thinking about building transformers that dont use oil. Such transformers are not widely used and cost about half as much as ones that do use oil. A version of this story first appeared on Thomson Reuters Foundation news service. [January 23, 2020] Mirakl Announces 77% Year-over-Year Growth and Over $1.5B GMV Achieved by Mirakl-Powered Marketplaces PARIS, BOSTON, LONDON, and MUNICH, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mirakl , the leading global marketplace solutions provider, today announced 77% year-over-year revenue growth and over $1.5B GMV achieved by Mirakl-powered Marketplaces. In 2019, Mirakl added 49 new customers and closed $70M in series C funding led by Bain Capital Ventures. The success of Mirakl and its customers showcases the transformative power of the marketplace model. Major highlights for Mirakl in 2019 included: The launch of Mirakl Connect , The Global Marketplace Ecosystem, which is the first platform connecting marketplace operators with sellers and partners to accelerate the growth of new platform strategies. , The Global Marketplace Ecosystem, which is the first platform connecting marketplace operators with sellers and partners to accelerate the growth of new platform strategies. The release of the Mirakl Connector for Magento Marketplace Sellers, which allows brands, retailers, and distributors using Magento Commerce to easily sell products across Mirakl-powered Marketplaces and manage operations from one central place. Passing the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type I audit, in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Trust Services Criteria (TSC). The acquisition of 49 leading industry incumbents who are leveraging the platform model to establish themselves as digital leaders, including Airbus Helicopters, Changi Airport, NBC Universal, Thales, and Shufersal. Continued investments in Mirakls technology platform and AI, making it easier for operators and sellers to handle marketplace product data quality at scale and grow their marketplace opportunity with advanced catalog management capabilities. A comprehensive commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Mirakl, which found that Mirakl-powered Marketplaces can deliver a significant 162% return on investment within three years and drive revenue up by $412 million over three years. on behalf of Mirakl, which found that Mirakl-powered Marketplaces can deliver a significant 162% return on investment within three years and drive revenue up by $412 million over three years. Being included in Gartners Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, 2019 1 as a Sample Vendor for marketplace operation applications within the Enterprise Marketplace. Gartner gave the Enterprise Marketplace business model a high benefit rating in the 2019 Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, stating, When done right, there are many benefits. It helps enterprises enrich product offerings, reduce selling or procurement costs, test new items or categories before adding them to the product catalog, and improve the customer experience by making the process more transparent and efficient. as a Sample Vendor for marketplace operation applications within the Enterprise Marketplace. Gartner gave the Enterprise Marketplace business model a high benefit rating in the 2019 Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, stating, When done right, there are many benefits. It helps enterprises enrich product offerings, reduce selling or procurement costs, test new items or categories before adding them to the product catalog, and improve the customer experience by making the process more transparent and efficient. New partnerships with leading organizations including Accenture, Avensia, BORN, Deloitte Digital, Gorilla Grop, Optaros by MRM//McCann, Salesforce, ShipStation and Xplore Group to help organizations implement a winning platform strategy. Additionally, our strategic Solution Extension partnership with SAP yielded great results in its first year, helping Mirakl grow in core markets including Germany and Brazil, and new markets such as the Middle East. Being named to the Next40 list of Frances 40 most promising startups, in recognition of Mirakls status as the leading global marketplace solutions provider and a tech industry leader. Next40 is part of a broader initiative by the President of France to grow the number of French unicorns privately-owned startups valued at more than $1 billion USD and boost digital technology and innovation in France. Welcoming four veteran sales and marketplace strategy experts to Mirakls senior team. Brian Callahan joined Mirakl as Executive Vice President of Sales Americas/APAC and Brendan Walsh joined as Executive Vice President of Sales EMEA. Retail digital commerce and data analytics expert Tzipi Avioz also joined Mirakl as Executive Vice President of Customer Success Americas and APAC. And, former Amazon Marketplace executive Luca Cassina was named Executive Vice President of Customer Success EMEA. Additionally, Mirakls customers performance was outstanding in 2019, showing just how quickly the marketplace model is gaining traction: Over $1.5B GMV was achieved by Mirakl-powered Marketplaces, with 1 million orders processed during Black Friday 2019 alone. 41 new Mirakl-powered Marketplaces were launched in 2019 with the majority of launches being completed within four months of becoming Mirakl clients. New marketplaces in 2019 include ABB Electrification, Brico Prive, Coperama, Joules, Maisonette, Metro Cash and Carry, Premier, Simon Properties, Thoughtfull by Indigo Books & Music, and Toyota Material Handling. There were 26,000 active pro-sellers on Mirakl-powered Marketplaces in 2019, representing more than 73 million active offers. We are happy with our decision to add a marketplace. Were in our fourth year, and I even think that we were too slow. Marketplace is a part of our corporate DNA, and [marketplace] sales are a critical component of our growth strategy overall, said Brendan Toupin, Director, eCommerce Retail, Best Buy Canada. The impact of marketplaces extend far beyond B2C retail brands. Nick Ostergaard, Manager of eCommerce Sales & Operations and Marketing Systems at Toyota Material Handling, said, It was critical for our authorized dealers to join us online in an effort to upgrade the customer experience in the material handling industry. The marketplace model provides the perfect solution. To help organizations take advantage of the significant platform opportunity, Mirakl hosted its annual Marketplace & Platform Summit in Paris and the inaugural Marketplace & Platform Summit in Boston in 2019. These exclusive events brought together more than 600 market-leading organizations, innovative technology partners and top industry analysts from across the globe to celebrate the power and potential of the marketplace model. Adrien Nussenbaum, Mirakl co-founder and U.S. CEO, spoke about how platforms are forever changing how people and businesses interact. His message to attendees was, Today, your strength is your relationship with your customers. Tomorrow, your strength is the ecosystem you build between your customers and partners. Gartner projects that more than 60% of online sellers will adopt marketplaces or include third-party sales in their eCommerce ecosystems by 2020. To meet the growing marketplace demand, Mirakl grew its team to 258 employees in 2019. We are proud to see our Platform Pioneers leveraging Mirakl solutions to reinvent commerce as we know it, and reap the benefits of a platform business model, said Mirakl co-founder and CEO Philippe Corrot. Theres no doubt that the digital revolution will continue to drive massive disruption in the years to come. For more information about Mirakl and the Mirakl Marketplace Platform, please visit www.mirakl.com . About Mirakl Mirakl is powering the platform economy by providing the technology, expertise and partner ecosystem needed to launch an eCommerce marketplace. With the Mirakl Marketplace Platform, both B2B and B2C businesses can offer more, learn more and sell more: increase the number of products available for buyers, grow the lifetime value of customers, and anticipate buyer needs and preferences. Committed to ease of use, the Mirakl Marketplace Platform is a turn-key solution thats easy to integrate into any eCommerce platform and Mirakl Catalog Manager makes managing product data quality simple at marketplace scale. Mirakls unmatched marketplace expertise is key to customers success. Mirakl employs a team of 60+ marketplace experts who help clients adopt best practices and client success provides critical long-term strategic guidance. Over 200 customers in 40 countries trust Mirakls proven technology and expertise including Urban Outfitters, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Best Buy Canada, Carrefour, Siemens, Toyota Material Handling USA, Inc. and Walmart Mexico. For more information: www.mirakl.com . Media Contacts: Maya Pattison Senior Director Marketing, Americas [email protected] +1-844-264-7255 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] US tells Thunberg to 'study economics' in Davos climate spat Davos, Switzerland, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 The United States' financial chief on Thursday told Swedish teen Greta Thunberg to go study before calling for a fossil fuel halt, prompting the climate campaigner to reply it doesn't "take a degree" to understand the science. The spat between US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Thunberg again highlighted the tensions over climate change at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where governments have come under pressure to act on global warming as well as talk about the issue. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed his dire warnings about the risks of climate change, telling business leaders that the world was losing the war against global warming and urging rapid action to prevent humanity being "doomed". Mnuchin had earlier advised Thunberg, who has been bitterly critical of US policy during her stay at Davos, to study economics before giving out lessons. Asked about the 17-year-old's demand for an immediate halt to investment in fossil fuels, he told reporters: "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us." But in a thread of tweets, Thunberg dismissed Mnuchin's comments in a typically withering response. "My gap year ends in August, but it doesn't take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1.5 degrees carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don't add up," she wrote. "So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," she added. - 'Not winning this war' - Guterres lamented the "lack of political will" to reach targets on climate change and urged a "meaningful shift of assets" from investments in polluting substances into the green economy. "The planet will not be destroyed. What will be destroyed is our capacity to live in this planet," he said. "We need to act in order to make sure we are not doomed," he said. "It is essential to recognise that climate change is an existential threat to us all. "We are not winning this war and we absolutely must do it," he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday also said in a keynote address that governments were obliged to act on the younger generation's concerns over climate change. In her speech to the forum, Merkel said that older politicians had to use the "positive manner and constructive impatience of young people", who she said "have a completely different horizon" in terms of time. She did not however in her speech mention Thunberg, who other than Britain's Prince Charles has met relatively few top leaders at the forum. - 'We want this done now' - In a speech on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump had castigated the "prophets of doom" and those that predicted a climate "apocalypse", in comments widely seen as an attack on Thunberg who sat in the audience. But either by accident or design, there was no meeting between Trump and Thunberg before the US leader left the Swiss ski resort on Wednesday declaring he would have "loved" to have met the climate activist, Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thunberg at the forum had repeated her climate warnings in sometimes withering terms, hammering home in a speech that it was time to "panic" because "the house is burning". Notably she had called for an immediate halt to investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction and an end to fossil fuel subsidies "We don't want these things done by 2050, 2030 or even 2021, we want this done now," she said. Thunberg is to hold a "school strike" demonstration in Davos on Friday. Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, told AFP during the forum that governments were still failing to act on climate change. Attending the summit was like being at a "crime scene where all of the criminals are right there in front of you," she said. "But these are the targets. These are the people who have to change." The Allahabad University is the fourth-oldest university of the country with thousands of students enrolled in courses related to arts, science, commerce and law. (Photo Credit: File Photo) Prayagraj: Allahabad University officials on Wednesday said salaries of guest faculty which have been pending for up to five months will be cleared in a week. Scores of guest lectures of the varsity and its allied colleges from faculties of arts, science and commerce had gone on a one-day strike to protest the delay in payment of salaries. Around 300 guest lectures, 200 of them at the main campus and others in affiliated colleges, have claimed they have "not been paid a single penny" since their appointment in August and September last year. "It has become a matter of survival for many of us now who live here on rented accommodation and have to pay monthly rent. Some are married and some have medical issues to take care of and we have not been paid," Rama Sharan Mishra, a guest lecturer at CMP college, told PTI. The aggrieved teachers on Tuesday met senior officials of the Allahabad University and handed over a memorandum to them, seeking payment of their salaries. "The guest lecturers have been assured that their salary for two or three months would be cleared in a week by whatever internal arrangement we have to do," Finance Officer, Allahabad University, Sunil Kant Mishra told PTI. "Earlier such payments were made through the 'salary head' but last year the UGC asked us to make these payments under the 'recurring head' but it couldn't be done due to budget constraints. The university has written multiple letters to the UGC but their response is awaited," Mishra added. He also said the salaries of some teachers were paid on Wednesday after the protest. A guest lecturer is paid Rs 1,500 per lecture and a maximum of Rs 50,000 per month along with other dues like examination duty fees, if applicable, according to official sources. A centrally-funded institution, the Allahabad University is the fourth-oldest university of the country with thousands of students enrolled in courses related to arts, science, commerce and law. A man is being treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for symptoms associated with the potentially fatal Wuhan coronavirus. The man is believed to have travelled to Northern Ireland from the city of Wuhan at the weekend and is currently being treated in an isolation ward. The Belfast Trust has declined to comment on the case. It is understood the patient is being tested to rule out coronavirus, but it will be some time before test results are returned. It comes as officials at the Public Health Agency (PHA) have confirmed that they are monitoring developments regarding the outbreak of the potentially fatal Wuhan coronavirus. Read More Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday told the House of Commons that there was an increased likelihood of cases of the virus occurring in the UK. The first cases of the virus originated in Wuhan, China, at the end of December with further reports following from as far away as Thailand and the USA. There are more than 500 confirmed cases of the virus currently, with 17 fatalities in China as a result. The virus causes pneumonia, with those who have fallen ill reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) The Northern Ireland PHA confirmed yesterday that they were working with health bodies around the UK and issued advice to any members of the public travelling to or from China. In a statement they said: The Public Health Agency is keeping abreast of the changing situation around the Wuhan novel coronavirus, and is liaising with partners across the UK including Public Health England and our local Health Trusts on this issue. As part of this, the health service here is monitoring for any potential cases of Wuhan novel coronavirus. The viral outbreak comes at a time when many will travel to and from China as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. Schools and other academic institutions with students from China have also taken additional precautions as a result of the outbreak. Campbell College Head of Boarding, Mr Bert Robinson, confirmed that while there are no boarding students from the affected region, the college houses four students with addresses in other regions of China. He said: Each of these boys has already been assessed by our School Nurse and in consultation with the GP. None of these students are presenting with any symptoms and each student is being assessed on a daily basis as we continue to monitor the situation very closely. The health and wellbeing of our pupils is of the utmost importance and we are following all Public Health Agency guidance to ensure the ongoing safety of all our pupils. In advice to the public, the PHA said: Individuals should seek medical attention if they develop respiratory symptoms within 14 days of visiting Wuhan, either in China or on their return to the UK. People who plan to travel should check the travel advice on gov.uk. This is an evolving situation and we will provide updates and further guidance as required. Pakistani Sikh politician Radesh Singh Tony was forced to flee Pakistan after he received threats and was tortured by some unidentified people last month. Narrating out atrocities faced by Tony, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manjinder S Sirsa said, "Radesh Singh Tony, who had contested the 2018 general elections in Pakistan from Peshawar as an independent candidate, was allegedly tortured by some unidentified people last month. He is receiving threats & is forced to leave the country". On Wednesday, Tony himself has also released a video statement from an unverified Twitter account and where he could be seen appealing to the Sikh community to help him and his family and take them out to "some safe place". Tony asserted that he is still receiving life threats from Pakistan and is concerned about the safe future of his family. Tony's twitter bio reads: "Loves Humanity #PEACE Ambassador Human Rights Activist and want to see my country economically strong and stable Without Terrorism Highly Educated Citizens." "I appeal to my Sikh Community those who are abroad, Please help me and my family and take me out to some safe place at this world," Tony tweeted along with a video on Wednesday. In the 45-second video, he can be heard saying: "...My life was in danger. So, all I could do for my children was to protect their future. I want to see my family safe and sound. Right now, I am getting such calls from Pakistan...which I am not picking up...is troubling me...I should be (helped) to get rid of it." The tweet was re-tweeted by Zar Ali Khan Afridi, a 'Human Rights Defender working in FATA' in Pakistan. "Radesh Tony a known Human Rights Defender from Peshawar needs to be safe. He is at the highest risk. He and his family must be protected. Pakistani state operatives are killing him," tweeted Afridi. Tony had contested the 2018 General election from Peshawar's PK-75 constituency as an independent candidate. As per the Dawn report, the PK-75 candidate was a "prominent member of the local Sikh community and the president of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Pakistan Minorities Alliance." This is not the first time that incidents like this have come to fore. Last year, a former MLA from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Baldev Kumar, had sought asylum in India along with his family following the atrocities by the government. Islamabad is discriminating against its religious minorities, which is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, abduction, rapes, forced conversion to Islam, etc., making the Pakistani Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas, and Shias, one of the most persecuted minorities in the region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Space exploration has captured our imagination and advanced human knowledge for nearly 60 years. From 1961 to June 2018, 561 individuals from more than 40 countries have been to outer space, on over 1,230 spaceflights, with a total of 46,947-person days in space. "A sense of the unknown has always lured mankind and the greatest of the unknowns of today is outer space. The terrors, the joys and the sense of accomplishment are epitomized in the space program." - William Shatner, Actor Seventeen nonfatal yet severe medical emergencies have been documented during spaceflights. Several private organizations have announced plans to commence space tourism. When billionaire and private citizen Yusaku Maezawa takes his planned trip around the Moon on a SpaceX Big Falcon Rocket in 2023, several health issues will need to be addressed. A trip to Mars, of course, will be an extraordinary challenge to the human body. Huge amounts of time, money and effort will have been invested in such a mission; therefore, an astronaut being grounded, or a mission is aborted due to ill health will be unacceptable. Space tourists are less likely to be super healthy, as is expected of astronauts. Future missions to space would involve long-term travel beyond the magnetic field of the Earth, subjecting astronauts to radiation hazards posed by solar flares and galactic cosmic rays, altered gravitation fields and physiological stress. It is unlikely that there will be immediate clinical applications on earth due to the development of Space Medicine. However, knowledge of clinical changes due to microgravity, radiation, isolation, disturbance in circadian rhythms and hostile environment in space on various biological systems and behavioral problems in long duration spaceflight will eventually offer additional insights into how the human body functions on Earth. At least 1770 innovations have already been attributed as spin-offs from work done by NASA in making human space travel a reality. The human mind will be forced to think out of the box and question even fundamentals. India is a paradox,it has more mobile phones than toilets and has a long way to go even to reach the Millennium Development Goals. However, its Mission to Mars was one of the most successful, cost-effective accomplishments that made the world take notice its capabilities. India can also boast of some outstanding healthcare centers of excellence that are better than the best and it wont be an exaggeration to say that in many subspecialties, the world will soon be talking of achieving India class and not world-class. India has been a member of an exclusive SPACE Club for over a decade. ISRO has started in right earnest its ambitious project of sending three Indians on a Low Earth Orbit for 5 -7 days within the next 24 months. Health of the Vyomanauts the Indian term for cosmonauts/astronauts (Sanskrit word "vyoman" meaning sky) is obviously of paramount importance. Closely monitoring health parameters in real-time and providing health care to Vyomanauts 200 km above the Earths surface will soon be a reality in India. The question often asked is to justify the spending of INR 10,000 cores for sending 3 Indians to Space, when clean drinking water is still not available in many parts of the country. However, one needs to understand that the Gaganyan mission is not an ego trip. Gaganyaan in Sanskrit means a "Sky Vehicle." In todays context, it is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight program. The spacecraft is being designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capability. One is reminded of the Pushpaka Vimana, a flying chariot that has been mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana several millennia before the Wright Brothers were even born. My personal venture in Telemedicine twenty-one years ago, though fascinated me, it created boisterous guffaws among my colleagues. Today Telehealth has been recognized as the most important tool to achieve health for all in the world and has now become incorporated into the core of the health care delivery system by most advanced countries. Similarly, my confidence with Space Medicine is that it will eventually lead to better health care due to the spin-offs that will occur from the innovative requirements and necessities for delivery of Space Medicine. Necessity is the mother of invention will come true once more. I belong to the BC era - the last set of neurosurgeons in India who were trained before even the CT scan was available. It has been my privilege over the last four and a half decades to see the growth and development of Healthcare in general and Neurosciences and Telemedicine, in particular not only from the periphery but also from center stage. Today India no longer needs just to follow the West. The stage of riding piggyback is over. We do not even leapfrog. After all, how much can a frog leap? We pole vault. Mark Twain had once remarked the future is always ahead of schedule. The future is not tomorrow, not today it was yesterday. Many of us are afraid of the future. We cling desperately to the present, not realizing that we have already become the past. I wish to place on record my thanks to Dr. Thais Russomano, Editor of this section for introducing me to the fascinating world of space medicine. I am optimistic that in my lifetime, I will see Space Medicine become a reality in India. When the Indian Society of Space Medicine will be launched in 10 years and Medindia can with justifiable pride claim to have looked into the crystal ball and predicted the future!! My team will contribute to Medindias exciting space medicine section, a series of interesting articles, blogs, news, facts and titbits. We will keep you all updated about the happenings in this newly emerging field of medicine as we understand its challenges and work out the best possible solution. Your feedback is important to us and we look forward to this journey into the future. I will end with a quote from the famous science fiction author ~ HG Wells "Life, forever dying to be born afresh, forever young and eager, will presently stand upon this Earth as upon a footstool, and stretch out its realm amidst the stars." New Delhi: The police force of the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will now keep a close watch on criminals with "automatic eyes" worth Rs 329 crore. In the form of closed circuit cameras (CCTVs), these "e Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah flash victory sign as they arrive to address BJP cadres during victory celebrations at the party's headquarters in New Delhi on Oct 24, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Jan 23 : The police force of the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will now keep a close watch on criminals with "automatic eyes" worth Rs 329 crore. In the form of closed circuit cameras (CCTVs), these "eye traps" have been installed across the state. In this new scheme "Viswas" of the Gujarat government, a control room of these 'special eyes' has been created at the office and residence of the state director general of police as well as the Chief Minister's office and residence. In an interview with IANS here on Thursday, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said: "The security of the state is paramount. That is why the state government has found measures for 'smart' and 'sharp' policing, and in the first phase toward this direction, 'Viswas' (faith) scheme has been implemented. Under this 'trust scheme', the state government has covered the police with a net of CCTVs. Rs 329 crore has been spent on this project." "In this scheme, we have currently 33 District Police Headquarters, 7 Yatra Dham (Dwarka, Somnath, Ambaji, Palitana, Girnar, Dakor and Shamalaji) and the Statue of Unity added. Right now, discussions are underway to add 250 taluka places i.e. tehsil headquarters of the state. This scheme was recently launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Gandhinagar," Jadeja said. IANS asked Jadeja why an expensive plan costing Rs 329 crore was given the name of "Viswas". To this, the Gujarat minister said: "The actual meaning of the word 'viswas' is 'Video Integration and Statewide Advanced Security'. Another reassuring and most important part of this plan is 'convinced'." During the conversation, he also said that Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's residence as well as office have been covered so that he can see and "understand the realities" of an incident. After the Chief Minister's office-residence, the state police directorate at Gandhinagar will be the most prominent place that would function as the control and monitoring room of "Vishwas". "This third eye -- the special scheme of CCTV had already started about a year ago," Jadeja told IANS. It has been formally inaugurated recently by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He hoped that by providing a network of CCTVs to the state police, the people of the state will also develop trust towards the government and the police. Gujarat Police would be able to immediately reach the suspect or criminals captured in the CCTV footage. The state police believe that with the introduction of "Viswas", fear of crime and criminals will reduce in the mind of the people. Due to 'faith', criminals will now fear the law and police. Gujarat has 33 districts and 250 tehsil headquarters. The state has a total population of over 6 crore. The government expressed confidence that the network of CCTVs would result in better and more efficient policing. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed, on Monday said the activities of honest Nigerians go largely unnoticed and unrewarded due to the corrupt acts of others which the media prefer to publicise more. He said this on Monday in Abuja during a panel discussion at the Integrity Icon Summit and Awards, organised by Accountabilitylab in partnership with Luminate, Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. The event tagged Integrity Icon Summit and Awards was organised to celebrate government officials who have showcased credible character, accountability and integrity in the discharge of their responsibilities. Lets be frank, when you look through the media, do a content analysis, you will find that the media tries to highlight the good guys as much as possible, the editor said. But the problem were never aware of is that they (good guys) are too few. The bad guys usually drown them out. Also, he urged the organisers of the event to partner with media houses in order to amplify the good work they and other good people are doing. There is no reason as Editor-In-Chief of PREMIUM TIMES, I will become aware of people doing amazing work and not want to talk to you, he said. Years after being a fellow of Ford Foundation, anywhere I travel to, Ford Foundation will arrange media exposure for me to ensure that the important work I am doing gets known around the world, he added. The Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan, who was at the event, said the media has more responsibility to look out for honest officials. Mr Aiyetan, who was one of the panel discussants on the theme: Media as a tool for making governance work through positive messaging, said: the first principal role of the media is to hold government accountable as asserted in section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution. Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution gives directly the media the responsibility of holding the government accountable, he said. He said, Were in a society where corruption is a way of life, that is why the media based most of its reporting strictly on corruption. A hundred media houses like PREMIUM TIMES, Sahara Reporters and ICIR are not enough to deal with the corruption in Nigeria. Augustine Agbonsuremi, the moderator of the panel, said the media has a role not just to report corruption, but to also make sure that those who are not corrupt are also given space (recognition). Augustine Agbonsuremi, That is when the media deliberately looks out for those who are doing well, those with integrity, those who are honest, and celebrate them, calling peoples attention to it. It has a way of diluting, influencing, changing the character of the corruption environment that we have, he said. Other speakers While delivering his goodwill messages, Carl Michael Grans, Ambassador to Sweden, said Here in Nigeria, the Embassy of Sweden considers the drive for democracy as a priority theme. We are glad to partner with Accountability Lab towards the success of this Integrity Icon event because we believe that democracy opens doors for everyone to be involved in building a sustainable future without poverty, oppression and corruption. Claudia Wallin , the author of Sweden: The untold story, said although telling the bad stories sells a great deal in media houses, people are very searching for good things from the media. The media has a great role to play towards projecting and raising more awareness about good people in societies, she said. 'The Congress party hated him because he had not gone to jail, he was not lathi charged, he had not gone on hunger strike.' 'They felt he had lived in London all his life and then he came to India and became an MP and a minister.' IMAGE: V K Krishna Menon in 1965. Photograph: Kind courtesy twitter.com/SiddharthMNair A Chequered Brilliance, The Many Lives of V K Krishna Menon, Jairam Ramesh's latest book, profiles a brilliant man who modern India remembers only for his one failure. V K Krishna Menon is perhaps one of the most misunderstood politicians in modern Indian history. "He certainly did much to make himself misunderstood; his style, the manner of his speaking, the sarcasm... He was too brilliant for his own good. He didn't suffer fools kindly. He was idiosyncratic to the extreme," Ramesh tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier in the first of a two-part interview: You start your book with the statement, 'This is a book on one of India's most compelling, consequential and controversial political personalities'. According to you, what made him compelling, consequential and controversial? From 1930 till 1947, he was a one-man army for Indian Independence in England. He was the link between Jawaharlal Nehru and the (British) Labour Party. He was the indefatigable campaigner all over England for India's Independence. He, in my view did the most to make the idea of Indians independence acceptable to the Labour Party. Of course, he was helped by his guru at the London School of Economics, Harold Laski. That was one reason he was consequential. The second reason why he is consequential is because from 1947 till 1957, he was India's global envoy and the face of India in international forums. He was Nehru's envoy and played a very important role in the United Nations on issues like Korea, Algeria, Cyprus, Suez. In 1955, he almost brought about rapprochement between Communist China and the USA. The third reason why he was consequential is he was Nehru's soulmate. Ideologically, he was on the same wavelength as Nehru; they were both democratic socialists in every sense of the term. Krishna Menon was the only man Nehru felt comfortable with in the Congress party. Both were English-educated, both left of centre, both good British and good Indians. The only other person Nehru would have felt comfortable intellectually was Rajaji, but by the early 1950s, Rajaji had begun to drift apart. Then, Rajaji was in Madras and Nehru was in Delhi. He is controversial because of his role in the 1962 India-China war debacle. When somebody asked him, 'Why does controversy always come to you?' He replied, 'Controversy moves towards me, I move in the same direction, and we meet half way through.' He attracted controversy by what he said and by what he did; he attracted controversy by even his silences. He is compelling because of his personality. He was a remarkably well-read person. He founded Pelican Books. He was a borough councillor in London and a municipal councillor in London for almost 14 years. He was an intellectual who had the best of friends in British intellectual society. He was very close to the Mountbattens, probably closer to them than Nehru, and played a very important role in the negotiations leading to Partition. He was contradictory also; he was a prisoner of his own insecurities and was always unsure of himself vis a vis Nehru, vis a vis the Congress party. Then, he handled himself with great amount of dignity. Did your impressions of Krishna Menon change after you finished your research on him? I was interested in Krishna Menon because I was a student of Nehru and Nehru's politics. I knew Krishna Menon had played a crucial role in Nehru's life from 1935. He was responsible for getting Nehru's autobiography published, then his second and also the third book, Discovery of India. Krishna Menon's pre-1947 period was a surprise to me. I knew a lot of Krishna Menon post-1947. I didn't know about the kind of contributions he had made in pre-1947 times, the kind of lobbying he had made. Was it a revelation for you? Pre-1947 was a complete revelation to me. With the kind of lobbying he had made with the Labour Party, in my view, he made the idea of Indian Independence acceptable to the British. So, I would say one great contribution of this book to my own education, has been the fuller realisation of Krishna Menon's pre-1947. Malayalis will be horrified to know that Krishna Menon was against the creation of Kerala in 1956. He wrote to Nehru in 1955, 'Don't listen to this Malayali' -- he was referring to K N Panikkar -- 'and create an independent Kerala because an independent Kerala will become a red bastion for Communism.' He also wrote, 'Don't split up the erstwhile state of Madras because Madras will become a bastion of fanaticism and separatism.' He advocated the creation of a Dakshin Pradesh. Was he a Communist at heart? He was a member of the Labour Party and in 1969 the Communists were responsible for his election from West Bengal. E M S Namboodiripad (the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader) and C Achutha Menon (the Communist Party of India leader) helped him get elected from Trivandrum in 1971. No, he was not a Communist. He said once and I have quoted him in my book, 'the fact that Communists vote for me does not mean I like the Communists. But the Communists like me.' He became close to the British Communist party because they were the first to argue for full Independence to India. The Labour Party was divided, but the (British) Communist party consistently spoke for India's Independence. That was why he was close to them. Did he admire Communist ideology? He was naturally a leftist; very strong left of centre. He was a great admirer of Karl Marx as was Nehru, and the Marxian mode of enquiry and questioning. But he was not a Marxist. He was a great admirer of the Soviet Union. He negotiated a settlement with China. But I do not agree with the argument that he was a Communist. He was an unrepentant Socialist, a democratic Socialist and not an authoritarian Socialist. IMAGE: Jairam Ramesh. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj for Rediff.com IMAGE: Jairam Ramesh. Krishna Menon was too indisciplined, too much of a maverick, to be a member of the Communist party. The Communist party requires a person to be conformist and disciplined, and toe the party line, but Krishna Menon would never do that because he was too much of an individualist. Yes, he was fond of the British Communist party and addressed meetings organised by them, but he was not a Communist or a Marxist. He used them because it was convenient for him as they advocated for India's Independence. Like he used them after Independence to get elected? Absolutely. In 1967, he quit the Congress party when they did not give him a ticket for the third time. But the Communists accommodated him by giving him tickets in 1969 and 1971. It is interesting, he couldn't speak a word of Malayalam, but got elected from Trivandrum. All of Krishna Menon's campaign materials in his handwriting, were in English. You described his 'chequered brilliance'. He was too brilliant for his own good. He didn't suffer fools kindly. He was idiosyncratic to the extreme. Intellectual arrogance? Yes, he was intellectually arrogant unlike Nehru who had grace. I think the Gandhian influence on Nehru tempered the natural arrogance that would come to somebody of of Nehru's aristocratic background. I think Gandhi smoothened the rough edges. Krishna Menon was a loner and not a team player. Even in his political career, it was just him and Nehru. So, he was not a politician in the strictest term... He was not a politician. A diplomat? For a diplomat, he was notoriously undiplomatic. Is it not surprising that an undiplomatic diplomat had so many diplomatic successes like ending the Korean war, defusing tension between China and the USA, political settlement in Vietnam? Yes, he had succeeded. That was why he was called Formula Menon. When somebody went to him with a problem, he would come up with a formula, whether it was Korea or US-China or Suez Canal. What is the difference between a diplomat and a formula man? A diplomat indulges in a little bit of hypocrisy, he doesn't always say what he means. Krishna Menon was a straight shooter and there was no hypocrisy about him. Still, he succeeded as a diplomat. Yes, he succeeded as a diplomat. That was because of his intellect. He was intellectually brilliant. I think people saw the sharp intellect that he had. Till 1957, Krishna Menon was a great name in international diplomacy. Articles were written about him, books were written about him. People hated him. People loved him. But people could never ignore him. Was he hated in India? In India, the Congress party hated him because he had not gone to jail, he was not lathi charged, he had not gone on hunger strike. They felt he had lived in London all his life and then he came to India and became an MP and a minister. Above all, he was very close to Nehru. Was his closeness to Nehru more than his intellectual arrogance that made Congressmen hate him? Those who couldn't attack Nehru, attacked Krishna Menon. He became a proxy target. It was Rajaji who got him back in 1953. In 1957, Rajaji issued a public statement that a vote for Krishna Menon was a vote for India when he was contesting for the first time from Bombay North for the Lok Sabha. Rajaji was a great admirer of Krishna Menon till 1962. In 1962, Rajaji called for his resignation in the wake of the Chinese war. So, he had friends, he had admirers, but he was hated too. He was a lonely man. He never married. Was that the reason why he was misunderstood as people didn't know the real Krishna Menon? He certainly did much to make himself misunderstood; his style, the manner of his speaking, the sarcasm... Deep down, he was a very insecure man. What was a successful intellectual like him insecure about? He was insecure as his base was only because of Nehru. When Nehru was strong, he was strong. When Nehru was weak, he was weak. He was unsure about it. Actually, he was part of Nehru's family. He was very close to Indira Gandhi. He was very close to Feroz Gandhi. In fact, he knew Feroz Gandhi before he came to know Indira Gandhi. One of the very few people who called her Indu.... Yes. And she called him Krishna though he was 21 years older than her. Feroz also called him Krishna. He was part of Nehru's family. Trump still wants to 'help' India, Pak with Kashmir issue: Imran Khan US President Donald Trump has said that the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir very closely and repeated his offer to help resolve the longstanding dispute, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said after he met President Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort. Addressing the media with the Pakistan Prime Minister prior to their private meeting on Tuesday, President Trump, however, asserted that trade and borders were both critical points for discussion, while Khan said that for him Afghanistan was the top priority. Referring Khan as my friend, Trump said he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ongoing Kashmir issue. The US President is expected to visit India in the coming weeks, marking his first visit after taking up his post in the White House. Whats going on between Pakistan and Indiaif we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely and its an honour to be here with my friend, Trump said. The Pakistan-India conflict is a very big issue for us in Pakistan and we expect the US to always play its part in deescalating the tensions, because no other country can, Khan said. Pakistan has repeatedly approached Trump who was also keen to mediate following Indias 5 August decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories, which Pakistan has been trying to internationalise. For New Delhi, however, the change of status of Kashmir is strictly an internal matter as Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. In fact, according to the government of India, it was the provisions under the Article 370 of the Constitution that proved to be the bane of the Valley, giving rise to external interventions and the growth of militancy in the state. The country took the decision of abrogation of Article 370, which had only given separatism and terrorism to that state, Prime Minister Modi had said in October. New Delhi has also clearly told Washington in the past that issues over Kashmir raised by Pakistan is a bilateral matter and there is no scope for any third-party mediation. Modi, while interacting with the media alongside President Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in the French town of Biarritz in August last year, had categorically rejected any scope for third-party mediation on Kashmir. We dont want to trouble any third country, Modi had said. This was the third meeting between Trump and Khan since the Pakistan premier assumed office in 2018, and New Delhi said it would rather ignore Pakistan raking up the issue. Pakistan is trying to bargain with the United States amid reports that the US and Afghan Taliban were close to striking a peace deal. US needs Pakistans help to enforce the deal. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also made a trip to Washington recently. There are issues we want to talk about. The main issue is Afghanistan because it concerns the US and Pakistan. Fortunately, we are on the same page. Both of us are interested in peace there and an orderly transition in Afghanistan with talks with Taliban and the government, Khan said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 15:50:34|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close CANBERRA/SYDNEY, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three U.S. firefighters were killed when a water tanker plane crashed while fighting bushfire in Australia, local authorities confirmed on Thursday. The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules Large Air Tanker, owned by Canadian operator Coulson Aviation, had been fighting a bushfire in New South Wales (NSW). The plane had served in NSW for several years. The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said earlier it lost contact with the plane on Thursday. A flight tracking website showed that the flight path ended south of Canberra. "Tragically there appear to be no survivors as a result of the crash," said RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, adding all three crew members were U.S. citizens. "It's impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball," he said. Although teams are continuing to search for the wreckage, with two out-of-control fires burning at emergency level, efforts to recover the downed aircraft have been largely hampered. Gladys Berejiklian, premier of NSW, expressed her condolence to families of the deceased. Large Air Tankers have the capacity to dump 15,000 liters of fire retardant in hard-to-access locations, allowing ground crews to create vital containment lines. While firefighters have had some relief over the past week with heavy rain and cooler, more favorable wind conditions, on Thursday, temperature soared to over 40 degrees centigrade in some parts. As a result, simmering fireground once again reignited. "At 3:00 p.m. local time, there's 84 bush or grass fires across New South Wales State with nearly 40 yet to be contained," NSW RFS said on social media. "Five fires are at Emergency Warning level. A southerly change is moving up the coast. It's not likely to reach places like Sydney until early tomorrow morning." The smoke from one grass fire was so bad that Canberra Airport was forced to shut down, with all flights in and out of the nation's capital cancelled or severely delayed. When asked about Thursday's plane crash, NSW Premier Berejiklian told reports that "it demonstrates the dangerous work currently being undertaken, and it also demonstrates the conditions that our firefighters are working under." "There are in excess of 70 aircraft that have been used today alone. Today is a stark and horrible reminder of the dangerous conditions that our volunteers, emergency services personnel undertake daily," she said. The identity of pilots has not yet been revealed by authorities. PARK RIDGE, Ill., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- (AANA)As the 2020 presidential candidates propose to fix U.S. healthcare, rural hospitals across the country continue to close. Since the 2018 midterms, about 66 percent of primary care physician shortages have been in rural and partially rural areas. "Rural healthcare systems are fighting for their lives," according to Randall Moore, DNP, MBA, CRNA and CEO of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). "Statistics remain grim." Since 2010, 118 U.S rural hospitals have closed17 closures in 2019 alone, outpacing previous years. Rural closures also were associated with a 5.9 percent increase in inpatient mortality. "Clearly the nation cannot continue to do what we have always done," said Moore. One solution gaining traction among U.S. policymakers is allowing advanced practice registered nurses, such as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other advanced practice providers, to practice at the full scope of their education and training. "Fortunately, CRNAs are in rural communitieswe are the sole anesthesia providers in the majority of rural hospitals, providing care ranging from surgical, obstetrical, and trauma stabilization services to interventional diagnostic and pain management services," said Moore. Charles Button, MBA, CEO of Regional Medical Center in Manchester, Iowa, said that utilizing a CRNA-only anesthesia delivery model "is the perfect solution." Button's facility employs a team of CRNAs from Iowa Anesthesia, and no physician anesthesiologists. "It would become cost prohibitive to employ [physician] anesthesiologists," he said. "High quality anesthesia delivery is critical. You need someone 24/7, and CRNAs play an absolutely essential role. We are very impressed with the level of knowledge, availability, and personability of our CRNA team. We would not want it any other way. CRNAs are competent and affordable for rural America doing obstetric and other anesthesia care." Since 2000, 33 rural hospitals in Iowa have closed their OB department. Button attributes closures in part to staffing. In rural areas, "obtaining trained OB staff can be difficult and costly." Requirements to increase physician anesthesiologist involvement in OB can threaten rural facilities with additional, unnecessary expenses and jeopardize access to care for maternal patientsmany of whom travel great distances for OB care. "We work to provide a first-rate delivery experience for expectant families. Otherwise, why would we consider it? There's too much at stake. Rural [hospital administrators] must be confident and have the support needed, since they are not as resourced as city hospitals. Our community wants us to provide delivery services, and we want what the community wants," said Button, adding that his medical facility is building a new unit for its OB services. Qualified to administer every type of anesthesia in any healthcare setting, CRNAs provide more than 49 million anesthetics every year in the United States. "Serving patients who need us most, when they need us and where they need us, is woven into the fabric of our profession," according to Kate Jansky, MHS, CRNA, APRN, USA LtC (ret), AANA president. "CRNAs have the skills, education and, most importantly, the will to provide rural patients with quality anesthesia care, particularly in labor and delivery anesthesia." Visit aana.com. SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Related Links https://www.aana.com INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Legion announced recently they have received a generous contribution from GreatCall, a leader in connected health for solutions for older adults and their family caregivers. The gift will support the welfare and care of veterans and children through The American Legion Veterans and Children Foundation. The foundation provides temporary financial assistance to eligible active-duty servicemembers and American Legion members with children in the home. It also supports more than 2,500 accredited American Legion service officers who provide free assistance to veterans and their families. "The American Legion Veterans and Children Foundation provides support to our nation's veterans and their families when they are in need of help and also ensures they receive the benefits they earned through their service to our country," said James W. "Bill" Oxford, national commander of The American Legion. "We are pleased that GreatCall, an organization that helps aging consumers live independent lives through use of innovative and easy-to-use mobile technology, has come on board as a supporter and ally." As a part of the relationship, a series of television ads are airing that feature an American Legion member. "Support for our nation's veterans is a responsibility and a privilege we all share and partnering with The American Legion enables us to make a difference," said David Inns, CEO of GreatCall. "Our country's veterans need our support now more than ever, especially those who are aging. Our technology is easier for aging adults to use, and products like Lively medical alert devices and Jitterbug phones with 5Star Urgent Response Service put safety at the fingertips of nearly 2 million American Legion members." Since its creation in 1925, The American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation has delivered over $30 million in financial assistance for disabled veterans, military families and young people. About The American Legion The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans service organization with nearly 2 million members in 12,875 posts across the nation. Chartered by Congress in 1919, The American Legion is committed to mentoring youth and sponsoring wholesome community programs, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting a strong national security and continued devotion to servicemembers and veterans. Learn more at legion.org. About GreatCall GreatCall is a leader in connected health for active aging. With health and safety solutions for older adults and their family caregivers, GreatCall's innovative suite of easy-to-use mobile products and award-winning approach to customer care helps aging consumers live more independent lives. Products include Jitterbug Flip, Jitterbug Smart2, Lively Mobile Plus, Lively Wearable, and Lively Home. Health and safety services include GreatCall Link and 5Star Urgent Response. GreatCall's products and services are sold nationwide at leading retailers as well as direct to consumers at 1-800-296-4993 and online at GreatCall.com. GreatCall, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Buy, is headquartered in San Diego, CA. To learn more, please visit GreatCall.com. Scott Miller, Director, Marketing and Business Development [email protected] 317-630-1220 SOURCE The American Legion Related Links https://www.legion.org New Delhi, Jan 23 : The judge who issued death warrant against the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case has been transferred. Additional Session Judge Satish Kumar Arora has been transferred to the Supreme Court as Additional Registrar on deputation basis for one year. Arora before his transfer was also hearing the Nirbhaya rape and murder case. He was hearing the petition of Nirbhaya's parents seeking directions to expedite the execution of the four convicts. During the hearing of this application, the state too moved an application seeking issuance of death warrants against the convicts. According to the last court hearing the hanging was to take place on February 1 at 6 a.m. Amid reports that a Keralite nurse working in Saudi Arabia has tested positive for the new coronavirus, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday urged External Affairs minister to take up the matter with the Gulf nation and ensure expert treatment. Vijayan made the request in a letter to Jaishankar in this regard, a statement from the chief minister's office said here. The government should get in touch with its counterpart in Saudi Arabia and take urgent steps including ensuring expert treatment and protection to those affected from the virus. The matter should be viewed seriously, Vijayan said in the letter. Media reports on Thursday claimed that a nurse from Ettumannur in Kottayam district, working at the Al Hayat hospital in Saudi Arabia, had tested positive for the virus which has killed 17 people in China. According to the reports, at least 30 nurses from the state had also been kept under isolation at the hospital and they had taken care of a Filipino nurse who had tested positive for the virus. However, Health department sources here said they have no information about any nurses from the state having been affected. The department has issued an alert in the wake of the virus outbreak in China. State Health minister K K Shyalaja has said those who have returned from China should inform district medical officers besides instructing officials to step up surveillance in all four airports-- Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur--in the state. The BJP on Thursday alleged that police denied permission for events proposed to be organised here by it, while allowing the programmes of AIMIM and Muslim organisations. A BJP delegation led by Telangana unit chief K Laxman met Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar and appealed to him not to give permission for a rally proposed to be organised by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) at Charminar here on January 25, a party release said. Laxman alleged that there was a danger of the AIMIM trying to foment animosity in the name of the rally. Besides, the Bhagyalakshmi temple was located at Charminar, he said and alleged the AIMIM would try to expand itself in the state by instigating religious animosity. He found fault with police giving permission to AIMIM and Muslim organisations to organise their programmes, while allegedly denying permission for protests and rallies proposed to be undertaken by the BJP. "The AIMIMis trying to strengthen itself in the garb of ruling TRS," he claimed. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and AIMIM are friendly parties. The BJP was unable to conduct programmes as per the call given by the party's national leadership, in which he and Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy were supposed to participate, as the police denied permission, he claimed. Kishan Reddy is the Lok Sabha MP from Secunderabad here. "How far it is correct for police, who confine BJP leadersto their homes during party programmes, to accord permission and provide security to the events organised by the AIMIM," Laxman said. An anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally organised earlier by one Mushtaq Malik had resulted in traffic jams in Hyderabad and inconvenience to the people, he alleged. Laxman also alleged that the AIMIM indulged in low-level politics by finding fault with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attending the 'Halwa' ceremony vis-a-vis budget preparation. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi had recently hit out at the BJP over renaming of places and questioned the customary "halwa ceremony" of the Finance Ministry before printing of the Union Budget documents, citing the Arabic origin of the sweet delicacy's name. The AIMIM has been organising protests against the CAA under the auspices of the 'United Muslim Action Committee' which comprises various Muslim groups. AIMIM has said a 'Mushaira' (social gathering at with Urdu poetry is read) and flag hoisting would be organised on the night of January 25 at the Charminar here to "celebrate India's democracy and defend its Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than a month after an exploding turbine rocked the Sewerage & Water Boards Carrollton power plant, injuring three workers and sending literal shockwaves that broke nearby windows, agency officials have still not answered questions about what caused the motor to blow up. Regardless of the cause, it's unlikely that the more than half-century-old Turbine 5 will ever be brought back into service, Executive Director Ghassan Korban told the S&WB's board of directors Wednesday. The announcement marks one of the first concrete steps in what could be a radical shift for the utility, a move away from spending millions to keep its own archaic power system limping along including extensive repairs to Turbine 5 just two years ago and toward a greater reliance on power from Entergy New Orleans. Such a move has been discussed for years and probably will be outlined in a master plan that's expected to be drafted in the coming months. Meanwhile, the two utilities are moving toward the construction of a substation at the main water plant that would allow the S&WB to begin transitioning to using Entergy as its main power supply. "That's the point of no return," Korban said of the substation. Korban said officials were close to ruling out operator error as the cause of the December explosion. But definitive answers likely wont come until the utility gets a report from an outside firm that was brought in to investigate. Officials did not say how long that study will take. General Superintendent Bob Turner also declined to provide any details on what happened, and the agency has failed to fulfill a public records request submitted more than a month ago for documents about the explosion. Anything I would say now would be totally speculative, said Turner, who said more information would have to come from the analysis commissioned by the utility to provide an outside objective look. +15 After S&WB turbine explosion, Mayor LaToya Cantrell renews call for new Entergy substation Sewerage & Water Board officials said Wednesday that a turbine that exploded at the agency's Carrollton power plant over the weekend will The turbine, one of five that power the S&WBs systems, blew up on Dec. 14 when it was being turned on to replace Turbine 4, which was taken offline because of a compressor problem. The blast shook nearby neighborhoods but did not damage the rest of the utilitys power equipment. The loss of the 20-megawatt turbine leaves the utility with the ability to generate about 66 megawatts of electricity to power its pumps. Thats about 20 megawatts more than is needed to run all of the pumps, but it leaves the utility with less backup power in case of problems with its other equipment. Now we have less redundancy, but we still have more than what we need, Korban 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 Turbine 5 is a natural gas-fired turbine that was built 61 years ago and is the last of that model still in use, Turner said. It underwent nearly a year of repairs after failing during the 2017 summer floods. Though it is supposed to be able to use diesel as a backup fuel source, it failed two tests with that alternative after it was brought back into service. Despite repeated requests, the S&WB has declined to provide the cost of the repairs made on the turbine in recent years. Turner said the agency is coordinating with its insurance company and GE, which performed the repairs. The utility would also not answer questions about the insurance policy covering the turbine. In the meantime, the S&WB has contracted with the ABS Group, a Houston consulting firm that was brought in to study the 2017 floods, to determine what caused the turbine to explode, Korban said. The study will be limited to the immediate cause of the accident, not the broader problems plaguing the S&WB. You could delve very deep and wide and spend a lot of money to tell us what we already know in terms of lack of funding and things like that, so were trying to be very surgical in what we assess as we move forward, Korban said. Years of neglect, broken drainage system the culprit in 2017 floods, report confirms New Orleans officials long failed to respond to the growing threat posed by a broken drainage system, and that neglect contributed to the seve For decades, the S&WB has poured tens of millions into its own power supply, in some cases keeping obsolete equipment running by manufacturing parts itself. The drive to keep sometimes century-old turbines running came, in part, from the fact that half of the pumps that drain the city run on an old and largely abandoned standard known as 25-cycle power, while Entergy uses a different standard. That meant massive investments, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, including pouring more money into rehabbing Turbine 4 than it would have cost to simply buy new equipment. It has also left the system vulnerable. A lack of working turbines or their failure has been blamed both for issues with the drainage system and for pressure drops in the water system. In forgoing efforts to repair Turbine 5, the S&WB would be moving away from that model. Its a massive inflection point because what weve done in the past is repairing and repairing, board member Poco Sloss said. French President Emmanuel Macron has told world leaders commemorating 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp that the Holocaust must not be used to justify hatred or division. Speaking at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem, the French president told the international audience, including more than 40 presidents, premiers and monarchs, that no one has the right to invoke the memory of the Jewish dead to justify division or contemporary hatred. "Those who died," Macron went on to say, "oblige us to tell the truth, to remember, to negotiate. They call us to friendship." Emmanuel Macron asked what finer symbol could be imagined than the commemorative union of world leaders in Jerusalem, "all of us determined to work against denial, against resentment, against calls for vengeance". Pence, Netanyahu call for strong stand against "the tyrants of Tehran" In their earlier speeches, US Vice President Mike Pence and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Israeli prime minister urged action against those he called "the tyrants of Tehran" in a Holocaust memorial speech Thursday, comparing the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany. "There will not be another Holocaust," Netanyahu assured world leaders in Jerusalem. "We have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet," the prime minister continued, "a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. "I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran." Fierce Israeli opposition to 2015 nuclear deal Israel fiercely opposed a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead. The Jewish leader said on Thursday that Israel "salutes President Trump and Vice President Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world. "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future," said Netanyahu. US Vice President Mike Pence then urged world leaders gathered in Jerusalem to "stand strong" against Iran, saying it was the only country where Holocaust denial is "state policy". "The world must stand strong against the Islamic Republic of Iran." If anyone thinks the current Ghanaian leader, Nana Akufo Addo, doesn't know that his government has performed very poorly, since taking office three years ago, then the person is deceiving himself. Apart from Akufo Addo himself, many NPP supporters know that Akufo Addo has burning ambitions to be a president, yet he lacks knowledge in running effective leadership. When persuasion fails, force is applied, definitely, when it comes to leadership failure too, desperate people will always find ways and means to hold on to power. Since coming to office, the NPP keeps accusing the NDC of the economic and political mess, yet Akufo Addo is the only Ghanaian leader who has appointed such a huge number of ministers. I don't know how many ministers Akufo Addo needs to clean up this mess he has been talking about since 2016. The truth is Akufo Addo is not an efficient leader and he knows it himself. Since he is a bad leader, NPP politicians will never stop accusing the NDC of the political and economic mess. They will continue to do so, even if they win the 2020 elections. Akufo Addo has no brain to run a successful government, create employment and fight corruption since the judiciary system in the country is sorrowfully corrupt. He started his leadership with an idea of building a Cathedral, while many banking institutions have collapsed, the country experiencing a high unemployment rate, poor educational facilities, weak judiciary and health systems. What kind of a leader is this? The biggest disgrace Akufo Addo feared and wouldn't let it happen despite the inefficiency of his government is to lose the elections, therefore, he is laying a solid foundation to help him retain power. His involvement in corruption scandals, his hold up in Nyantakyis pocket, the death of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale, his nepotism characterized government, abortive coup attempt, etc, all pose as a threat to him, no matter how brave he wants Ghanaians to see him. Therefore, Nana Akufo Addo is systematically and cunningly doing somethings to facilitate his chances of winning the elections. After buying his way through Ghanaian politics by promoting over 6,000 police and immigration officers, Akufo Addo is never satisfied and wants to do more to secure his victory under his poor leadership. The recent new currencies of 100 and 200ghc should not be in circulation. Despite all the warnings, Akufo Addo refused and ordered the Central Bank of Ghana to issue the currencies, knowing well it will not help the current catastrophic economic situation in the country. Now that the cedi has depreciated, they have set up a committee to investigate the rapid depreciation of the cedi in the country, fools. How can such a party in which ministers have no vision and knowledge on how to lead a country, have such massive support? Evidently, you see the frustration of many Ghanaians and their loss of confidence in the former government, the NDC, which has been an advantage for a very bad political party, the NPP, in power today. The political woes in Ghana are not yet over, you'll see more after the NPP secure another victory in 2020. Wizz Air, the leading greenest low cost carrier in Central and Eastern Europe today, announces new open recruitment day in Gdynia. If you're dreaming of a unique place to work, where you're constantly on the go and meeting new people, you should try cabin crew life at Wizz Air. The airline is continuously searching for cheerful, energetic and positive candidates for flight attendant/cabin crew positions at its Central and Eastern European bases.Since the very first WIZZ flight that took off from Katowice in 2004, Wizz Air has continuously developed its network and increased the numbers of carried passengers on its low-fare routes. Wizz Air currently offers 700 routes to 44 countries from 25 operating bases. To keep up with the stable increase in business, the airline recruits both, experienced professionals, as well as enthusiastic new talents, to its customer-centric team on board. Last year Wizz Air hired over 1100 new employees and increased its team to over 5.000 aviation professionals. To keep in line with this trend, the airline is looking to recruit new employees across its entire network in 2020, including Poland.To give yourself a chance at becoming a flight attendant, simply visit us at one of our WIZZ open recruitment days. Bring an English CV with ID photo of yourself and be prepared to participate in an interview. Please note that interviews can take several hours.- You are aged 18 or over- You are a minimum of 165 cm (ladies) or 175 cm (gentlemen) tall, with an arm reach of 210 cm while standing on tiptoes- You have high school degree- You are fluent - written and spoken - in English and in an additional Central Eastern European language (either Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish, Hungarian, German, Lithuanian, Latvian, Slovak, Czech, Macedonian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Georgian or Bosnian)- You are fluent - written and spoken - in English, additional CEE language knowledge is an advantage- You have a valid passport without limitations (minimum 6 months)- You are able to swim- You live or are ready to move within 60 minutes of your chosen base and prepared to make this journey upon work schedule- You don't have tattoos and/or piercing on parts of the body that are visible when wearing uniform- You are an enthusiastic person who likes working with people- Please note that if you wear glasses or contact lenses and your prescription is above +4 or below -4, you are unlikely to pass the mandatory medical examinationFor more details, please see https://wizzair.com/en-gb/information-and-services/career/cabin-crew-flight-attendant/#/ We are looking forward to seeing there! New Delhi: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said on Wednesday that it will pay a compensation of Rs 100 each to around 630 passengers of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express because of a delay. The Express, the second IRCTC-run train which commenced commercial operations from January 19, was delayed for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon as it was entering Mumbai. The train reached the Mumbai Central station around 1 hour and 30 minutes late. "Passengers will have to apply as per our refund policy. They will be given refund after verification," said the IRCTC spokesperson. According to railway officials, the premium train departed from Ahmedabad at 6.42 am, two minutes late. But it arrived at Mumbai Central at 2.36 pm instead of the scheduled time of 1.10 pm. The Tejas Express and a few other suburban and outstation trains were held up due to a technical problem between Bhayander and Dahisar stations on the outskirts of Mumbai. "...the OHE (Overhead Equipment) on UP fast line between Dahisar and Bhayander did not hold power from 12.15 hrs. It was restored between Dahisar- Mira Road at 12.30 hrs and between Mira Road and Bhayander at 13.35 hrs," said a spokesperson of the Western Railway. Until 3.30 pm at least eight suburban services were cancelled. The IRCTC spokesperson said that as the train was delayed, around 630 (of the total 849 passengers) who travelled up to Mumbai Central will be given compensation. As per the IRCTC's policy Rs 100 are paid for a delay of over an hour and Rs 250 for a delay of over two hours. It means the Corporation will be paying around Rs 63,000 to passengers, depending upon the number of claims. IRCTC officials said that passengers can claim the compensation by calling at 18002665844 or sending email to irctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in. They will have to provide a cancelled cheque, PNR details and Certificate of Insurance (COI) number. Sources said several passengers were irked by the delay. The train was given a two-minute "technical halt" at Andheri for the benefit of those who wanted to reach the airport. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Photo: Alev Takil/Unsplash If you're a theater fan, mark your calendars: There's plenty to do when it comes to stage performances in San Francisco this week, from a tragicomedy to a solo performance festival. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 'Wakey, Wakey' From the event description: The New York Times may have hit the nail on the head when they called Will Eno's breakthrough 2005 play and Pulitzer finalist "Thom Pain (based on nothing)" "stand-up existentialism." His latest, "Wakey, Wakey," offers a similarly tragicomic look at matters of life and death, and this new A.C.T. production stars "Veep" and "Arrested Development" fave Tony Hale. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m. Where: A.C.T.'s Geary Theater, 415 Geary St. Price: $12$45 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets 'You'll Catch Flies' From the event description: Hot goss kicks the kiki up another notch in award-winning playwright Ryan Fogarty's new comedy. This thoroughly modern look at a group of gay friends in the midst of a variety of personal dramas is set to debut at New Conservatory Theatre Center, which is also hosting a number of special pre- and post-show events. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. Where: New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Ave. Price: $16.50 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets PlayGround Solo Performance Festival From the event description: PlayGround has announced the lineup for its third annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, a curation of the best in Bay Area solo performance, celebrating diversity and innovation, running Jan. 23 to Feb. 9 at Potrero Stage. The festival features 12 double-bill performances by 11 local artists over three weeks. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. Where: Potrero Stage, 1695 18th St. Price: Free - $31.50 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Story continues 'How to Transcend a Happy Marriage' From the event description: Sarah Ruhl was still in her 20s (and just two years out of grad school) when her breakthrough play "Eurydice" premiered, ushering her in as a bright new star in the world of theater. Since then, she's been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, nominated for a Tony and announced as a finalist for the Pulitzer twice. This relationship comedy is classic Ruhl, seamlessly weaving together the everyday and the surreal as two couples discuss polyamory. When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. Where: Custom Made Theatre, 533 Sutter St. Price: $17.50 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. This Republic Day, India will host Bolsonaro as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day parade as part of its outreach initiative towards the southern Ameican nation.The Brazilian President will be on a state visit to India from January 24 to 27, his first high-level visit to India.The visit is also considered to be significant as the two countries are a part of the BRICS and are working together to see how to move forward at the United Nations and consult each other regularly on important issues.It is worth mentioning here that Brazil has also supported India's candidature for a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2021-22.Bolsonaro is understood to have been invited as he is an elected leader of an emerging powerful democratic country with which India has substantive relations.This is the third time that a Brazilian President has been invited at the Republic Day. Last time, the Brazilian President as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day parade was invited in 2004.During the high profile visit, Bolsonaro will be accompanied by eight ministers, four MPs and senior officials and a large business delegation.On the first day of his arrival on Friday, the President will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan and then will visit the Rajghat.Official talks with Prime minister Narendra Modi will also take place. The two leaders will hold an exchange of agreements and press statements.Prime Minister Modi will be hosting lunch for the visiting delegation. President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.The Brazilian President and Prime Minister Modi have met twice earlier. First on the sidelines of G20 in June and second at BRICS summit in November."We have a warm and friendly relationship. Our bilateral relationship was elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2006. As two developing countries, we share aspirations," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said."Relations are strong at a plurilateral level as both are members of BRICS and G20. Brazil, the largest population in Latin America -- 210 million -- is a 1.8 trillion US dollars economy," added the spokesperson."We have political, economic, defence cooperation with Brazil. Our economic engagements are growing. Our trade is currently at 8.2 billion US dollars," he said.India exports goods worth about US dollars 3.8 billion including pharmaceutical, agro products, synthetic yarn and some petroleum products to Brazil while New Delhi imports goods worth US dollars 4.4 billion from Brasilia.Responding to why did India invite him despite the controversy surrounding him, MEA Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh said: "President Bolsonaro is an elected leader in a democratic country and is emerging as a powerful one. It is a country we have substantive relations. We give great importance to engage with Brazil." (ANI) Sysco on Monday said it will outsource all of its U.S. customer service functions and layoff an undisclosed number of workers, the latest cost-cutting move by the Houston company to streamline its business amid rising operating costs. The nations largest food distributor said in an internal memo to employees that it has partnered with Cognizant, a New Jersey outsourcing firm, to manage its customer service as part of a new centralized customer care model, which would allow for extended hours and a single point of contact for Syscos customers. Sysco said the move will result in the difficult, but necessary action to eliminate customer service positions from all of its U.S. subsidiaries and its customer service office in Cypress. The layoffs, which will take place by the end of June, would affect approximately 30 employees in the Houston area. The company, which has more than 69,000 employees worldwide, did not disclose how many customer service employees would be affected nationwide. Laid-off employees will receive severance and outplacement services. We very much appreciate the support that our sustomer service associates have provided to our customers, Sysco Executive Vice Presidents Greg Bertrand and Paul Moskowitz, who oversee U.S operations and human resources, respectively, said in an internal memo. We will ensure that all impacted associates receive transition support and are treated with the utmost respect throughout the process. Sysco in recent years has streamlined its business model to offset rising food and transportation costs. The company earlier this month said it would replace its chief executive Tom Bene with Kevin Hourican, president of CVS Pharmacy, in a move the company said would help accelerate performance and drive meaningful operating improvements. Hourican starts Feb. 1. On HoustonChronicle.com: Sysco replaces chief executive, chairman in surprise move to accelerate performance The food distributor reported $453.8 million in net income on revenue of $15.3 billion during its most recent quarter ended September 28. Earnings rose 5.3 percent while sales grew 0.6 percent year over year. The company began looking for efficiencies after billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz became a major shareholder and won two seats on Syscos board in 2015. Peltz co-founded Trian Partners, a multibillion-dollar asset management firm that is Syscos fourth largest stockholder. Peltz sits on Syscos board. Sysco last year laid off nearly 300 finance and accounting staff at its shared services center in Cypress, where the company has centralized some administrative functions such as accounting and payroll. The layoffs represented 10 percent of its corporate support staff. In addition, Sysco consolidated its French and hospitality subsidiaries, and closed some facilities in Canada and Europe, laying off an undisclosed number of workers. A few years ago, the company outsourced information technology work to India. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi In a first, the Prime Minister will pay homage to fallen soldiers at the newly-built National War Memorial here on the Republic Day instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch, officials said. The iconic memorial in the India Gate complex behind the canopy was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25 last year. Amar Jawan Jyoti is symbolised by an inverted bayonet and soldier's helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it. It was built in 1972 underneath the India Gate arch to commemorate soldiers martyred in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Tri-Services chiefs pay respect on occasions of national importance like Independence Day, Republic Day at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the National War Memorial on January 26 morning before the commencement of the Republic Day Parade, and lay a wreath at the memorial in the presence of the three services chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Staff," a senior official of the Army said. Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, all three of them, had assumed charge as service heads last year. "Only the PM will lay the wreath at the National War Memorial," the official said. This will also be the first time, a Chief of the Defence Staff, will take part in the Republic Day celebrations, he said. Former Army chief, Gen. Bipin Rawat on January 1 had taken charge as the country's first Chief of Defence Staff whose mandate will be to bring in convergence in functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force. Spread over an area of approximately 40 acres, National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely -- the 'Amar Chakra', 'Veerta Chakra', 'Tyag Chakra' and the 'Rakshak Chakra' with names of 25,942 soldiers inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets. It also includes a central 15.5-m obelisk, an eternal flame and six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by the Indian Army, Air Force and the Navy in a covered gallery (Veerta Chakra). The memorial is dedicated to soldiers killed during the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999, and also those in the UN peacekeeping missions. The 42 m-high India Gate was built during the British Raj as the All India War Memorial Arch to honour the soldiers who died in the First World War (1914-1918) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919). The landmark has the names of soldiers inscribed on its surface. "Over 80,000 Indian laid their lives in those campaigns and India Gate bears names of 13,516 etched over its surface. Amar Jawan Jyoti was built to commemorate India's victory in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. So, both flames will have their own importance," a senior Army official had said ahead of the inauguration of the National War Memorial. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madhya Pradesh Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Association on Thursday condemned the indecent language used by BJP leaders against Rajgarh district officials, including collector Nidhi Nivedita. BJP leader and former state minister Badrilal Yadav on Wednesday made an objectionable remark against the collector during a protest organised by the BJP at Biaora in Rajgarh district. The collector is accused of slapping a BJP worker during a public meeting in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act four days ago. The IAS Association strongly condemns the derogatory and disrespectful remarks made by certain public representatives in a public meeting against the district magistrate and other officials of the Rajgarh district, Madhya Pradesh IAS Association president ICP Keshari said in a statement. "Such remarks not only demoralise the administrative machinery, but also demean the dignity of women officials who are proud members of the service and contribute immensely in serving the state and its people," he added. BJP national general secretary in-charge of West Bengal, Kailash Vijaywargiya also criticised the collector. "JNU virus has also entered Rajgarh, as she had also studied in JNU," the saffron party leader claimed. Yadav's remarks drew severe backlash from all quarters. State Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza on Wednesday said, "This is exactly what the BJP thinks about women. On one hand they chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', and on the other hand they treat women in this way. It is their ideology and culture." The BJP leadership should apologise for such a comment against a woman officer, Congress leader Narendra Singh Saluja said. Reacting to the development, state BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal had said the party did not endorse the language used by the leader and believed in staging protests in a democratic manner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teenage supermodel Kaia Gerber is to sit on the jury of one of fashions most prestigious prizes, its organisers said Wednesday. The 18-year-old American, the daughter of former catwalk queen Cindy Crawford, has been one of the stars of Paris fashion fortnight, which ends late Thursday. Gerber will sit on the jury of the Hyeres fashion festival on the French Riviera at the end of April to decide one of the top prizes for rising young designers. The model sparked fevered comment on social media when she wore a spectacular wedding dress that closed the Givenchy haute couture show late Tuesday. The gown with a showstopping structured veil - that was somewhere between a halo and its own grotto - made headlines after the reported break-up of Gerbers romance with US stand-up comedian Pete Davidson. Critics raved about Clare Waight Kellers embroidered creation. The British designer also made the wedding dress the Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle wore for her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. Gerber said the dress had left her speechless. Closing Givenchy haute couture, she wrote on Instagram. @clarewaightkeller you have left me completely speechless. Words will never begin to express my gratitude and appreciation for this moment. Thank you to the incredible atelier and everyone who worked so hard to make this so special. The show, in a former convent in the French capital, was accompanied by musicians who were suspended from poles. The Hyeres jury will be presided over by the Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson. As well as his own JW Anderson brand, he is also artistic director of the Spanish house Loewe. The prize they will decide is the oldest in the world for young fashion designers and was won in 2018 by the Dutch couple Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, who were later snapped up to lead the French label Nina Ricci. Their own brand, Botter, made its Paris debut during mens fashion week. Other past winners include the Belgian Anthony Vaccarello, now at the head of Saint Laurent, and the Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf. The festival runs from April 25 to 29. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter WASHINGTON - It was 30 degrees on Wednesday night, and David Putney said it was one of his best evenings in a long time. Dressed in a padded, mustard-yellow full-body jumpsuit he used to wear when he worked in construction, he was still cold. And he asked whether we could stand above a sidewalk grate to talk. It was about 20 degrees warmer in the cloud of dank grate air. He had just endured an intimate 10-minute interrogation from one of the volunteers who fanned out across the city in the annual ritual of trying to count the Americans experiencing homelessness on a single night. "What is your sexual orientation, sir?" the volunteer asked. "Huh?" said Putney, 64. "Are you straight? Bi?" she said. "Oh. Straight. I'm straight," he replied. And he went on through more questions about abuse, addiction, disease - a comprehensive survey to understand more about the homeless population. When he was done, the volunteers gave him a $10 gift card to McDonald's for his time. And they even got one of the counselors he has worked with - at 11:30 at night - on the phone to talk with him. "This makes me feel like I'm not forgotten," he said. But this column isn't going to be all about Putney or guys like him. The folks sleeping in cardboard boxes, tents and sleeping bags on streets don't have to answer all the questions Putney answered. Some get hostile about the interrogation. Some just wave the questions away. And I was most surprised that plenty of them - sometimes 50% of an encampment - refuse to be counted. So let's talk about the ones we don't see. Counting the real number of people experiencing homelessness is difficult. There are the folks like Putney, or the residents of the sprawling tent city in a gentrifying part of town who were recently moved out. They want to be seen, helped, remembered. But there is also an elusive, vulnerable population in the homeless community that wasn't counted in the nationwide January survey. They hide, they fudge the truth, they get off the bus at random stops, walk two extra blocks and never hang out with their better-off friends after school. They're homeless kids. And they are gravely undercounted, according to some folks who are trying to change that. "The situations we hear about are really unsafe - a small child sleeping on a couch, a child sleeping on the floor, Mom's staying with a bad boyfriend," said Cara Baldari, who works on family economics for First Focus on Children, a D.C.-based nonprofit group. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development released numbers last month trumpeting a 5% decrease in the number of homeless families with kids since 2018 and a 32% drop since 2010. The folks at First Focus say that's baloney. They contend the number is actually 27 times what HUD says. And that's not just coming from a bunch of big-hearted social-services softies. The much higher number comes from another federal agency - the Education Department, which counts homeless kids attending public schools. This brings us back to that cold night this week and why we met guys like Putney. The folks living in tents and boxes and warming themselves on the grates are counted in the nationwide Point in Time count. It happens on a night in January in cities across the nation. That is the number that HUD uses - paired with the number of folks checked into shelters that same night - to issue its official count. It becomes the standard most of America uses when talking about homelessness. Kids who aren't in shelters are rarely on the streets. They're tucked away on other people's couches or floors, in a car or sleeping in a mother's arms on an all-night bus or train. Moms might pool together their cash to get a cheap motel room for a night so all the kids will be inside. "We saw one room with 12 kids in it," one counselor told me. I talked to a young woman who experienced homelessness for most of her childhood. She slept on friends' floors, hooked up with older men so she could stay with them, lived like she was in her 20s when she was only a young teen. But no statistic ever showed her as homeless. She didn't tell counselors, teachers or friends. "We got kicked out when I was 11, maybe 12," said the woman, who is now 21, in her own apartment and working as a teaching aide. Seeking a clean slate, she asked that I not use her name. "It was either me in one room in a shelter with my brothers, my mom and her boyfriend, or me on my own." So where do all the kids who have no place to call home at night go during the day? School. While HUD said it counted 114, 829 homeless kids younger than 18, the Education Department reported 1.3 million homeless children in public schools during the same time in the 2016-2017 school year. That's the number 27 times the HUD estimate. And what makes it worse? The Education Department's numbers have grown 10% over two years. So why does this matter? It goes beyond the outrage of seeing a government claiming success when we're actually failing American children. The real crisis is about money. The HUD numbers determine assistance, housing and programs. If the numbers are low, the need for affordable housing looks low. See how the crisis snowballs? There is legislation to address this - the bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 2001). Which, of course, is held up in Congress. It's a complicated bill, but mostly it would amend an existing act to fix the HUD count and expand the definition of homelessness. Because a kid who sleeps on a floor one night, on a bus the next and doubled up in a friend's shelter bed another night isn't considered homeless in the government's eyes. This bill would change that. Thanks to the conversation on that cold night, the District of Columbia government knows about Putney, the guy sleeping outside on a sidewalk near the White House. They know what he needs, who he is and what his circumstances are. But that night, there were thousands of kids across America who don't have a home, a room or a bed to call their own, and who stayed invisible to the rest of the country. It's time to find better ways to see them. For nearly two decades Cabrera, now at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has served as a counselor and outreach coordinator for minority students in higher education, particularly those who live in the United States illegally. She said stigmas tend to keep those suffering from depression, or any other mental illness, from getting the help they need. Jaipur, Jan 23 : A Rajasthan Congress worker, Vinod Jain, who works as a media officer at the Udaipur party office, named his son, born in July, as Congress Jain. The municipal corporation issued a certificate to him on Tuesday which has the name of his son as Congress Jain. According to Jain, "I was quite sad when the BJP launched a campaign 'Congress mukt Bharat' and hence wanted to do something different which can be followed by the future generation." "Therefore, I named my son Congress, so that the next generation can also do the same and the 'Congress mukt Bharat' campaign is never successful, he says. Jain was blessed with a son after around 20 years of marriage. The two daughters of Jain were against this name and even stopped talking to him after he was adamant to name the baby as Congress. However, I know how to convince my daughters, he said, "Despite the fact that his son was born in July, his birth certificate was issued this Tuesday with his name registered as Congress Jain," he added. Senior Jain is quite inspired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and has been working with him since the last many years. To be sure, it's hard if not impossible to assess how much time Americans are spending looking at screens given the countless different ways that people use their devices. And because not all screen time is equally good or bad for you, some experts are calling for a "Human Screenome Project" to assess what we're doing on our screens and to figure out what the consequences might be. Deaths resulting from overdoses of Heroin, Fentanyl or combination of the two drugs more than doubled in 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday. According to preliminary statistics compiled by city authorities, deaths from overdoses of Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine, alone reached 234 in 2019, up from 90 in 2018. Total deaths resulting from overdoses of Fentanyl, Heroin or the two together hit 290, while in 2018 there were 134 such deaths. We had a feeling through the year that we were seeing more and more deaths, but this is really quite staggering, city chief forensic toxicologist Dr. Luke Rodda told the Chronicle. Rodda added that this was one of the reasons preliminary statistics on the deaths were being released this early into the new year: We didnt want to wait six months. Thats good for reports, but not public awareness. The data represents an exponential increase in overdoses since 2009, when 17 people in all were killed by heroin and Fentanyl overdoses. Its devastating. Its awful. Its the most deadly epidemic that weve seen in our city since the HIV/AIDS crisis was killing thousands of people, said Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents the Tenderloin district where the opioid crisis has hit the city hardest. It is painful that this is not something being talked about every day at City Hall. San Francisco, along with Los Angeles, has been struggling with a major homelessness crisis in addition to the opioid epidemic. Close to 30,000 people in the Bay Area are homeless, while 60,000 homeless people reside in Los Angeles County. President Trump highlighted the issue during a September visit to California. We cant let Los Angeles, San Francisco, and numerous other cities destroy themselves, Trump commented to reporters. Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has recently proposed a $1 billion plan to alleviate the homelessness crisis. More from National Review Two Excedrin products have been pulled from shelves over fears the ingredients may have been measured improperly. Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the tablets, announced on Wednesday that it was halting production of Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine. It's currently unclear which ingredients - acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine - the company is concerned about or when the issue was discovered. However, the wrong dosage could leave users with heartburn, ulcers liver damage, and/or stomach bleeding. Officials say they don't believe the drugs pose a safety risk, but that the move is merely a precaution. Excedrin Extra Strength (left) and Excedrin Migraine (right) were pulled from shelves on Wednesday. Their maker, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline say the move is over 'inconsistencies' with the ingredients 'Through routine quality control and assurance measures, we discovered inconsistencies in how we transfer and weigh ingredients for Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets and Geltabs and Excedrin Migraine Caplets and Geltabs,' a statement read. 'We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, but at this point in time cannot confirm a definite date as to when supply will resume.' The company said other Excedrin products are still available to purchase at drugstores, including Excedrin PM Headache and Excedrin Tension Headache. However, the statement recommends 'consumers...consult their pharmacist for the most suitable alternative product.' CNN reports that GlaxoSmithKline described the issue as 'short term', meaning it will be manufacturing the products again soon. But those who depend on the medication say Excedrin is the only drug that has worked for them. Ashleigh Eldred, a resident of Syracuse, New York, who suffers from migraines, told local NewsChannel 9 that no alternatives have worked for her. 'I've been suffering for about 10 years,' she said. 'I've gone to the doctors. I've tried prescription medicines. I had Botox. I've tried medical marijuana and I still end up going back to Excedrin.' GlaxoSmithKline did not immediately reply to DailyMail.com's request for comment. This is not the first time Excedrin - which is sold as Anadin Extra in the UK - has been recalled. In 2012, then-maker Novartis pulled it from shelves after the US Food and Drug Administration feared it could be contaminated with opiate prescription drugs such as morphine, reported ABC 13 Houston. An estimated 39 million adults and children in the US are affected by migraines, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. The headaches are so incapacitating that more than 90 percent of sufferers say they are unable to work or function normally if they have a migraine. It comes on the heels of new that California is currently debating on whether or not to label acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, as a carcinogen. Prime Minister Scott Morrison talks to the media at a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 12, 2019. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Father Dies Aged 84 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisons father died a peaceful death late Wednesday at the age of 84. The prime minister posted a heartfelt tribute to Facebook on Thursday afternoon, saying that he received news on Wednesday night that his father passed away quietly and peacefully. He lived a great life and was much loved, Morrison wrote. The prime ministers father, John Morrison, served in the army, the NSW police force, and in the local community as a councilor and mayor. Dad lived a life of love, faith, duty, and service, Morrison wrote, adding that his father served his church as an elder, youth worker, and in aged care. Dad had a deep and committed Christian faith, which is one of his numerous legacies in my life. Morrison has referenced his father on multiple occasions since taking up the role of Prime Minister in August 2018, according to the ABC. Then-treasurer Scott Morrison receives a hug from his father at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 3, 2016. (Stefan Postles/Getty Images) In his maiden speech to the Federal Parliament in February 2008, Morrison credited both his parents as having laid the foundation for my life. Together with my brother, Alan, they demonstrated through their actions their Christian faith and the value they placed on public and community service, Morrison said at the time. Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard posted a message on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, expressing condolences. My sincere condolences to @ScottMorrisonMP on the death of his father John, she wrote. Losing your dad is always hard, and even more so when you are serving as PM. My thoughts are with him and his family. In closing remarks on Facebook, Morrison expressed his gratitude to his father. Our family will miss him terribly, but we are extremely thankful for his great blessing in all of our lives. Love you, Dad, and well done good and faithful servant. Morrison spent the morning in a roundtable discussion with indigenous peak bodies on how to better close the cap and continue to build stronger partnerships between the government and indigenous peoples all around the country. Morrison also briefed the press on updates from the bushfire frontline and on Chinas coronavirus outbreak. Any attack on Americans or American interests will be met with a decisive response, US envoy to Iran warns. The successor to Irans top commander killed in a US drone strike will suffer the same fate if he tries to kill Americans, the US special representative for Iran was quoted as saying on Thursday. The United States blamed General Qassem Soleimani for masterminding attacks by Iran-aligned militia on US forces in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump ordered the January 3 drone strike in Iraq on Soleimanis convoy. Iran responded to the killing by launching missiles at US targets in Iraq on January 8, although no American soldiers died. After Soleimanis death, Tehran swiftly appointed Esmail Qaani as the new head of the Quds Force, an elite unit in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that handles actions abroad. Qaani has pledged to pursue Soleimanis course of action. If Qaani follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate, US envoy Brian Hook told the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat. He said in the interview in Davos, Switzerland that Trump had long made it clear that any attack on Americans or American interests would be met with a decisive response. This isnt a new threat. The president has always said that he will always respond decisively to protect American interests, Hook said. I think the Iranian regime understands now that they cannot attack America and get away with it. Manly fashion After his appointment, Qaani said he would continue in this luminous path taken by Soleimani and the goal was to drive American forces out of the region, Irans long-stated policy. Qaani earlier this week accused the US of assassinating Soleimani in a cowardly way and promised to hit his enemy in a manly fashion. The US threat to kill Qaani was a sign of governmental terrorism, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Thursday, according to the official IRIB news agency. These words are an official announcement and a clear unveiling of Americas targeted and governmental terrorism, Mousavi said, calling on the international community to condemn Hooks comments. The Revolutionary Guards aerospace division commander said four US military bases in the Middle East were used to deploy aircraft and drones involved in the attack that killed Soleimani, including two bases in Iraq and another in Kuwait. Most of the drones had taken off from Kuwait, Amirali Hajizadeh told state television, without saying if a drone from Kuwait was ultimately responsible for the hit on Soleimani. Terrorist underpinnings US-Iranian tensions have steadily increased since Trump withdrew the United States from Irans nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, and imposed crushing news sanctions that have hammered the Iranian economy. The military flare-up began in December when rockets fired at US bases in Iraq killed a US contractor. Washington blamed pro-Iran militia and carried out air raids that killed at least 25 fighters. After a militia surrounded the US embassy in Baghdad for two days, Trump ordered the drone strike on Soleimani. The war of words continued this week with an Iranian legislator, Ahmad Hamzeh, putting a three-million-dollar bounty on Trumps head. American envoy Robert Wood dismissed the reward as ridiculous, telling reporters it showed the terrorist underpinnings of Irans establishment. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Exactly a decade ago, in the year immediately following the Black Saturday bushfires, I worked in communications. My office then was the same one I walk back into now, in East Melbourne, above a pretty city park a green blanket of watered grass and palm fronds and plane trees. Its the home of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), the peak bushfire research authority in Australia. I used to spend my weekdays here, talking to eminent scientists and industry figures from all over the country, poring over research papers and reports into everything from aerial firefighting to volunteer resilience, and visiting CSIRO laboratories and park rangers in semi-arid West Australian scrub. And in truth I tried gamely, but struggled badly, to describe their highly specific work. Thats my abiding memory. During the last week of my year-long stint here, I sat in the office of the research director, Dr Richard Thornton, a formidably intelligent middle-aged fellow from the English Midlands. Thornton was going over some of my work, an article for the quarterly Fire Australia magazine perhaps, and it was corrected in red. Covered in red. Utterly lit up in scarlet scrawl. As a writer for a general audience, Id been trying to convert academic complexity into the language of the layperson, and Id clearly failed. In trying to make the research readable, Id smoothed out the critically sharp edges of the science. Knowing how hard it can be for anyone who is not a fire scientist to understand fire science, Thornton wore a thin, playful smile and offered a quiet chuckle. He was nothing if not patient. He is now CEO of the CRC and, sitting opposite me a decade later on this mid-January day, wearing the same sympathetic grin. I guess he has to. Thornton is off to Paris in the morning, to speak at an OECD meeting on future wildfire risk his job is communicating research not just within Australia but beyond. After unprecedented fires in California, Canada, Alaska, Greece and Brazil, the world is listening. He was invited before our national bushfire crisis began, and will naturally be a popular panellist. Hell explain the scale of these fires first, because 8.4 million hectares the area thought burnt at the time is a hard number to grasp, and because a lot of Europeans wont understand that the distance between Melbourne and Brisbane is akin to that between Berlin and Barcelona. Hell offer simple enough answers to all the straightforward questions we ask in such moments, all too often posing them as true or false options or more commonly, and perhaps regrettably left or right sides. It must be tiresome. When something so unfathomable happens, the public is insatiable for news and explanation reason within the chaos and so every issue gets its moment of prominence. Work in the industry for a few fire seasons, however, and the pattern is all too familiar. Right now the political issues are arson and climate change but they could as easily be hazard burning, or ignoring Indigenous burning practice, or greenies. They could be a lack of firefighters, or a lack of firefighting planes, or a war between stoic volunteers and paid brigades, or the looting of homes. The evacuation warning system might come up, or the absence of key leaders in the field. Maybe insurance companies will end up in the gunsights, or perhaps well glare at the spending practices of some charity or other. Soon formal inquiries will begin coronial inquests and royal commissions and these will be adversarial, led by lawyers, set up to uncover whats gone wrong and whos to blame. But theyre not really framed to find a new way of thinking. And thats whats really needed, Thornton says. Advertisement Loading After each major fire there is a predictable cycle through the issues, around the causes and solutions. That can be a healthy debate when it attempts to give meaning to something that can be so overwhelming and disempowering for so many. But the discussion must be based on fact, he says. Theres still a lot that will come out of these fires that we cant yet know that we dont understand. Its going to require a lot of conversations. And a lot of thinking. Hes right, of course. Our understanding of fire in this landscape is elusive and evolving. Have you noticed that these megafires have no name yet no catchy Ash Wednesday or Black Saturday moniker? The American researcher and fire historian Stephen Pyne has dubbed them the Forever fires, which feels apt, not merely because they seem so difficult to extinguish, but given they potentially serve as a portent of something yet to come a harbinger of a new era he coined in 2015 the Pyrocene. The Age of Fire. There is an undeniable modern complexity to fire in this country a situation to which we must all adjust. Theres a lot we do know, a lot of known knowns, but theres also a new Australia we need to make a better fist of understanding. Piecing together what weve lost adding and multiplying the devastating data will take months, years. Until that cruel calculus is counted and considered, imagery can tell the stories. I spoke to a few of the frontline photographers featured in this issue of Good Weekend about what they witnessed. Justin McManus of The Age was on hand for the naval evacuation of Mallacoota on the eastern tip of Victoria in early January. At night, watching the devilish light of the fires reflected on the surface of the lakes there, he sensed rising anxiety in parents, and desolate confusion in the eyes of kids forced to wear gas masks. One morning he was told that birds had begun washing up on the shore of nearby Tip Beach. Birds washed up as far as you could see on Victorias Tip Beach in January, destroyed in the fires that threatened nearby Mallacoota. Credit:Justin McManus Advertisement I walked along that beach for half an hour, and there were just dead birds, entombed in this tide of black debris, McManus says. Theyd been blown out to sea during the firestorm, and washed back up on this beach, as far as you could see. All these amazing, beautiful Australian birds. Rainbow lorikeets. Black cockatoos. Honeyeaters. Whipbirds. King parrots and crimson rosellas. That was heartbreaking. It was kind of traumatic. The familiar plumage of our skies, washed up in this tide of ash. It felt like an extinction event. Its not just birds. Im sure youve read the many (although varied) estimates of the number of animals killed or injured, which some put at more than a billion. Our black, denuded country then is littered with charred sheep and cows, twisted wombat carcasses on scorched earth, and scarred and blistered koalas with melted claws. This emblematic animal one of our mascots might now be endangered in some parts of the country. Fleeing kangaroos have been found trapped and torn in barbed wire fences, and tree hollows and other habitats have been erased, threatening the extinction of between 20 and 100 threatened species, including the black-footed tree rat, the Kangaroo Island dunnart and the glossy black cockatoo. There was this sense that summertime isnt going to be that same carefree long stretch at the beach anymore." Justin McManus, photographer for The Age The other reckoning thrown into perspective for McManus was the immediately transformed nature of summer. He met holidaymakers everywhere who were determined to help with the recovery process. Theyd been drawn to the same leisure spot every year, and felt as much ownership of the place as the locals. They wanted to stay and spend and support the rebuild. But he also spoke to a family from Germany, who had been seemingly chased down the east coast by fire throughout their vacation, who said people back home were already talking about a reluctance to vacation here in our hottest months. They werent alone. An eastern grey kangaroo licks burnt paws after escaping from the Liberation Trail fire, visible at the rear, near Nana Glen, NSW, in November. Credit:Wolter Peeters I heard that echoed everywhere, McManus says. There was this sense that summertime isnt going to be that same carefree long stretch at the beach anymore. Theres going to be this apprehension now, especially in those beautiful one-road-in, one-road-out isolated places where youre at the peril of a raging firestorm. A few weeks earlier, facing a different challenge, was Nick Moir, chief photographer at The Sydney Morning Herald. A renowned storm chaser whos followed extreme weather all over the world for a quarter of a century, Moir was close to home this time. He was in Bilpin, about 85 kilometres north-west of Sydneys CBD, not that far from Bowen Mountain, where he grew up. He drove into the southern reach of the gargantuan Gospers Mountain fire. Advertisement Loading I was with three Fire and Rescue NSW units, on Bells Line of Road outside a well-known shop up there called Tutti Fruitti. We got hit three times once from the north-west and then twice from the south. The fire brigade commander had to pull all the units into defensive mode. Three trucks, and we couldnt save the shop, or even one of these homes. We could only save ourselves as the buildings burnt. For me, that was a real breaking point, emotionally. We could only save ourselves as the buildings burnt, says Nick Moir, who documented the destruction in December in Bilpin, NSW, near where he grew up. Credit:Nick Moir That worst moment, though, was also oddly one of his best. That was my moment of most pride actually, watching the professionals do their stuff, Moir says, setting the scene. Were getting hit. We can barely breathe. Its gone from bright sunlight to pitch black. Visibility is two metres. But the commander and three captains each one with a truck just did what they do. They were pointing to spot fires I dont like that, Fix this with no raised voices, just calm. It was awesome to see that unfold. Three trucks, and we couldnt save the shop, or even one of these homes. We could only save ourselves as the buildings burnt. For me, that was a real breaking point, emotionally. Nick Moir, chief photographer at The Sydney Morning Herald Moir found the upside, as have many others across the country, in work and charity and sacrifice. The Australian summer might be changing, but perhaps not Australians themselves. And as dreadful as it might sound, we should feel mercifully spared by the limited loss of human life to these fires so far, given the scale and severity of our summer of burning. Because make no mistake, weve seen blazes of a similar malevolent force to those on Black Saturday, that have swiftly ripped through areas just as densely populated as the ones that razed Victorias Kinglake and Marysville. Yet now we are confronted with the deaths of 32 people rather than 173. It will come as cold comfort to the families of the dead, but weve been relatively fortunate. Advertisement ACT firefighters bringing the North Black Range fire near Braidwood, NSW, under control in early December. It flared up again just days later. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen For that mercy, we owe a debt at least partly to science, and that evolving encyclopedia of fire knowledge we continue to compile. For instance, I remember writing press releases 10 years ago about a scientist named Kevin Tolhurst, whose computerised model for predicting the spread of fire PHOENIX RapidFire was still in its youth. Now its an integral part of any and every bushfire command centre. We are simply better armed for the existence of his software. Similarly, I wrote newsletter items about dozens of obscure studies into firefighter fatigue, bushfire curricula in country primary schools, building codes at the rural urban interface, and community groups vulnerable to fire danger. These incremental advances in often arcane fields ultimately coalesce into something meaningful. They help people fight and flee the flames. Prescribed burning, Thornton tells me, is an important part of the firefighting mix. We probably need to do more, he adds. But exactly where and in what form is far less certain. Take prescribed burning, ordinarily a dry subject but at the moment a highly flammable and politicised talking point. The debate swirling around prescribed burning is perhaps perfect for demonstrating exactly why we need to start valuing answers that are long and difficult to reconcile. Prescribed burning, Thornton tells me, is an important part of the firefighting mix. We probably need to do more, he adds. But exactly where and in what form is far less certain. Many of the areas that this summers fires have burnt through were only recently subject to prescribed burns. And agencies on the ground, says Thornton, suggest that pre-burning of those areas not only failed to stop the new fires, it didnt even slow them down. If a pundit offers an opinion claiming to cut through the bullshit on such issues, they are probably just adding to the pile. Thornton hands me a copy of the CRCs most recent annual report, which lists some of its output, including an appendix with 226 publications. None of the articles or book chapters are titled Prescribed burning is good. Their names are rather more qualified and nebulous, such as: Quantification of inter-regional differences in risk mitigation from prescribed burning across multiple management values. (It sounds exactly like the kind of paper I would have mischaracterised.) Advertisement Hoosier women are less likely to survive childbirth than women in Iran and the Gaza Strip, according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Factbook. The CIA Factbook estimates in 2017, 16 Iranian women out of 100,000 and 27 women in the Gaza Strip out of 100,000 died as a result of childbirth. The maternal mortality rate among white women in Indiana is 41.4 out of every 100,000 births, according to Americas Health Ranking and Indianas Department of Health. For Black women throughout the state, the disparity is even worse. Black Hoosier women die at a rate of 53.4 out of every 100,000 births. These jarring statistics are part of what led Indianapolis resident Joi Barnett to use a midwife for the birth of her fourth child and become a midwife shortly afterward. Midwives have on average two years of medical training and help guide expecting mothers through pregnancy and labor and help her deliver the baby. With my midwife, my [prenatal] appointments were about an hour long, face to face, Barnett said. I often had a comfy couch to sit on, there was tea if I wanted something to drink. We went over everything, not just the baby. We talked about how I was doing from head to toe; she dealt with my brain. After three days of labor an experience she assures wasnt terrible Barnett gave birth to a healthy daughter. This experience was a stark contrast to the birth of her third child. After giving birth to her third child a daughter in Lexington, Kentucky, Barnett complained of pain. She said nurses at the hospital ignored her and didnt check for blood loss, disregarding standard procedure. When Barnett stood up, the issue was clear: she was hemorrhaging. Not being heard After a stint in nursing school, Barnett knew what medication to ask for, massaged her pelvic area to alleviate the blood clot she felt when she stood. The birth of her daughter was traumatic from the start, with hospital staff breaking her water without consent. Despite the negative experience, Barnett could have faced a worse outcome. According to Community Health Network in 2018, African American women die at three to four times the rate of white women nationwide due to childbirth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that roughly 60% of these maternal deaths can be prevented with better health care and communication. What happens a lot of the time is that were just not listened to, Barnett said. We go to a doctor with a concern, and we arent taken seriously, so intervention options are limited because were written off. Not listening to Black women is often a result of racial bias in the health care system and the cause of disparities in national maternal mortality rates, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In addition to her experience, Barnett cited the death of Kira Johnson in 2016 as an example of the consequences of ignoring Black women. Johnson, 39, went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a scheduled cesarean section. After delivering her son, doctors ignored Johnsons complaints that something was wrong. During emergency surgery hours later, doctors discovered her bladder was nicked during the C-section. Johnson died of internal bleeding just 12 hours after giving birth. Her husband, Charles, became an advocate for better maternal health polices nationally. Simply being listened to goes a long way, Barnett said. When Black women complain of pain, were ignored, were overlooked. It could be as simple as a headache, or as extreme as leaving her [Johnson] lying there in a hospital bed bleeding out. As a midwife, Barnett hopes to close the gap in maternal and infant mortality rates between white and Black women in Indiana. After nearly two years of training, she follows the JJ Way, a method started in Florida, a state that has significant racial and socioeconomic disparities in birth outcomes, according to the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs. The program has had some really phenomenal results, Barnett said. In 10 years, the practice hasnt lost a mom or a baby, and all of the babies have been appropriate birth weights. Those are my goals. Reducing deaths In 2019, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced an initiative to decrease both infant and maternal mortality throughout the state Indiana has the seventh highest infant mortality rate in the country. In 2016, 623 babies in Indiana died before their first birthday, according to Community Health Network. To put that into perspective, it is roughly 42 school buses at maximum capacity. Black children made up the plurality of those deaths that year, at 14.4%. Community Health Network found many of these infant and maternal deaths were caused by issues such as hospitals not having universal protocols for obstetrical emergencies and a lack of adequate postpartum education and follow-ups. Doulas are another tool to help reduce the number of maternal and infant deaths. Doulas typically do not have medical training and are there to guide mothers through pregnancy and labor, which can include being an advocate for expecting mothers during hospital visits. Having a doula is really helpful because theyre there for support and are great sources of information, Barnett said. You cant necessarily call your midwife for every little thing, but you can have a conversation with a doula. They cant give you medical advice, but they can tell you if you need to contact your care provider and can sometimes go with you to appointments, not to speak for you, but to help you get your voice heard. Ajaya Divine has been an active doula for one year. After completing a six-week course in Dallas that focused on working within the African American community, Divine, 33, now works in Indianapolis. Taking on one to two clients at a time for full doula services, Divine provides expectant mothers with prenatal care, tips on how to deal with pain and other pregnancy symptoms, as well as preparing women for birth, either at home or in a hospital. A healthy woman can have a baby at home, Divine said. Hospitals are relatively new to birthing. We [Black women] are not as believed when we report symptoms, and inherent racism within the medical world makes birth play out differently for us. Doulas are a great advocate for mothers who may not know what the doctor is talking about, she continued. A doula is a protection barrier to catch all of the mistakes and other issues that can fall through the cracks during birth. Doulas can also provide postpartum care that many hospitals cannot. While it ultimately depends on what the mother wants and needs, Divine aims to visit her clients twice in the six weeks after birth. During these visits, she can talk to the mother about issues related to motherhood, physical pains, or even help run errands. Postpartum care is valuable in that adjustment period, Divine said. Mothers need support, and I believe that a doula is very valuable for mothers who dont have huge support systems after they give birth. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. Black mother giving birthStockbyte Here's a close-up of mitten crabs. CINCINNATI U.S. Customs and Border Protection says its agriculture specialists at the Port of Cincinnati have stopped 51 shipments of invasive mitten crabs from being smuggled into the country over the past four months. The shipments containing 3,700 of the live crabs weighed about 3,400 pounds, originated in China and Hong Kong and were destined for businesses and homes in multiple states mostly New York, a CBP press release said. Nationwide, CBP agriculture specialists and others have refused entry to more than 15,000 mitten crabs since September. The Port of Cincinnati stopped the largest number of the palmed-size crustaceans with furry claws, CBP said. Los Angeles ports of entry ranked second. Watch: Belgian man arrested for trying to smuggle 20 live birds out of Peru airport Watch: Adorable animals saved from smugglers in Indonesia All the Port of Cincinnati mitten crab shipments were labeled as tools and clothing, CBP said. Mitten crabs seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials CBP referred them to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors onsite, and the violations are under review. It is illegal to import mitten crabs into the United States without a permit, CBP said. Mitten crabs are a delicacy in Asia and sell for about $50 each in the United States, CBP said. But mitten crabs can harm the ecosystem and are included in the Invasive Species Specialist Groups list of 100 of the Worlds Worst Invasive Alien Species. The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center says mitten crabs compete with native crustaceans for food and space, interfere with commercial fishing by eating bait and damaging traps and undermine banks along waterways, levees and dikes with their burrowing. CBP says mitten crabs have been found in California waterways, the Hudson River and the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. As a unified border agency, CBP is committed to a fully integrated approach toward international security, Cincinnati CBP supervisory agriculture specialist Barbara Hassan said. In this case, we worked closely with (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) to stop a serious threat to our economy and ecology. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Customs officials at Port of Cincinnati stop mitten crab shipments United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Greta Thunberg on Thursday she should study economics. The jibe prompted the climate activist to say she did not need a degree to know the world was not meeting its climate targets. Asked about Thunbergs previous calls to divest from fossil fuels, Mnuchin told a news briefing in Davos: Is she the chief economist? Im confused After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us. Mnuchin lists a bachelors degree in economics from Yale University on his LinkedIn social network profile. Earlier in the week, United States President Donald Trump and Thunberg sparred indirectly at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort. After Trump said the US had committed to joining the one trillion tree initiative, Thunberg retorted that fixing the climate crisis was not only about trees. Thunberg, who has taken a year off school to advocate action on climate change, hit back on Twitter, saying it did not take a degree to know the world was not meeting its climate targets. So, either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments, Thunberg, said days after addressing a packed panel at the Davos summit, where she has been a star attraction. Before leaving Davos, Trump seemed to extend an olive branch, saying he wished he had seen Thunberg speak. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin attends a session at the 50th World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, where questioned Thunbergs qualifications to calls for fossil fuel divestment [Denis Balibouse/Reuters] Misunderstood Mnuchin said the Trump administrations stance on climate and Thunbergs criticism had been misunderstood. There is a real misinterpretation of the US policy. Let me be very clear: President Trump absolutely believes in clean air and clean water and having a clean environment. Mnuchin later told CNBC he did not believe there were just a few years left to prevent a climate catastrophe. There are a lot of other important issues threatening civilisation, he said, citing health and nuclear proliferation. The youth needs to understand: climate is one issue that needs to be put in contexts with lots of other things. German Chancellor Angela Merkel rushed to Thunbergs defence, saying in Davos that attaining the goals of the Paris climate accord, which the United States has quit, was vital. Time is pressing, so we the older ones, I am 65 years old must make sure that we take the impatience of young people positively and constructively, Merkel said in her speech. This week marks the 68th anniversary of the Cairo fire on 26 January 1952, leading to the ousting of the Egyptian monarchy just six months later Anyone who wants to know the future should start by reading history. I remember that in 1958, the year I started my journalistic career at Al-Ahram, I was assigned with a group of junior reporters to do a feature story on the 1952 Cairo fire. Until that date, no one had known who was behind this event, and this issue, which perplexed everyone, was of great interest to me personally. In 1962, an Al-Ahram editorial entitled A Salute to a Great People revealed the truth. In the article, which took up nearly the whole of the front page, the renowned journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal concluded that it had been the Egyptian public who had burned Cairo in protest against the injustice prevailing at the time. But even so, some historians tackling the event have not taken into account the data included in Heikals article. This week marks the 68th anniversary of the Cairo fire on 26 January 1952. A fire of this magnitude hitting the capital of any country is no ordinary matter, though in Egypts case it was not the first fire of this size to take place. There was a similar fire during the era of the Crusades and another in the days of the French Campaign in Egypt at the end of the 18th century when the Egyptians revolted against the invading French military leaders Napoleon Bonaparte and Jean-Baptiste Kleber, with the latter having no choice but to evacuate the country in the end. The Cairo fire signaled the end of the monarchy in Egypt and the beginning of the greatest coup in Egypts modern history. Six months following the fire, the then king was ousted, and the republican system was established in the country. For nearly 5,000 years and before the 1952 Revolution, Egypt had been under occupation. The titles of the occupiers differed, and their leader was called either a pharaoh, a Roman emperor, an Abbasid caliph, a Turkish khedive, a sultan, or a king. None of Egypts successive rulers was Egyptian, and Egypt had never been ruled by anyone from its own community. On 26 January 1952, the Egyptian people took everyone by surprise and rose up to protest against their despotic rulers. The king was hesitant to ask for the help of the army in putting down the revolt, fearing that the army might join hands with the people. However, this is precisely what happened, since the army saved Cairo from a conspiracy. Its patriotic role became clear when it supported the Egyptian people. On 23 July 1952, the Free Officers made their move and instigated the revolution. The 1952 Revolution came nine months after the cancellation of the 1936 Treaty with the British, when, on 8 October 1951, then prime minister Mustafa Al-Nahhas gave his historic speech before parliament announcing the annulment of the treaty amid the applause of all MPs. Al-Nahhas and his cabinet were greeted with cheers from his socialist opponent, the founder of the Misr Al-Fattah Party Ahmed Hussein. Crowds of people gathered at the headquarters of Husseins party, later known as the Socialist Party, and asked him to take over the leadership, but hidden political discord directed the coming events. Before 26 January 1952, the opposition parties press enjoyed a limited margin of freedom. However, after this date the press exceeded such limits, and the paper of the Misr Al-Fattah Party pressed for revolution. In one famous edition, its headlines read Revolution Revolution Revolution, directly addressing then king Farouk in a challenging tone. Photographs in the paper focused on the suffering and misery of the Egyptian people, with images of people in poverty, children in shabby clothes, sick and homeless people, and a man dying of hunger. The captions read You, the Egyptian Citizen, may also face this Destiny. After this issue of the paper was published, the state prosecution arrested Ahmed Hussein and his companions and sent them to prison. It accused Hussein of inciting the public to revolt against the king and demanded his execution. The government of Al-Nahhas was facing a hard time. It was not easy to hold the stick from the middle, with the press opposing the government, the king acting in an irrational way, and British forces taking hold of Ismailia and trying to impose their control over the Egyptian police there. The government started taking steps to foil any possible revolutionary moves. Volunteer camps were cancelled, political parties were banned from collecting money, and the Shaab Party (socialist in tendency) was not allowed to hold meetings. The period before the 1952 Revolution saw a particularly tense climate. On 8 September 1950, a heated article published in one opposition newspaper threw new light on the governments relationship with the British occupiers. The article, entitled The Negotiations have Failed, noted that the government has accepted all the British demands and that the negotiations between the two sides had been held in a friendly atmosphere. It said that the British did not intend to leave Egypt and added that they intended to do everything they could to defend British interests if a war was waged. But to return to the events that preceded the Cairo fire. The police were angrily demanding overtime payments, and protestors were heading towards the cabinet building. All attempts to calm the demonstrators were in vain. Hussein Sobhi, in charge of security, urged the necessity of restoring calm, but in the confusion Cairo was set on fire. Ahmed Hussein was referred to trial on several charges of his alleged involvement. Hussein and his colleagues were not able to appear before the court, as the session was not held owing to the Revolution, and the case was delayed until 30 July 1952. Hussein was released, along with Ibrahim Shukri, a prominent socialist figure. During the rule of former president Anwar al-Sadat, Shukri became governor of the Al-Wadi Al-Gedeed governorate in 1974 and agriculture minister two years later. The first cabinet following the Revolution was led by Ali Maher, one of the ousted kings supporters. The Revolutionary Command Council that was later to take control of the country was keen not to interfere in government affairs until things got settled. In 1953, Egypt became a republic, and the controversy about the Cairo fire continued to intrigue public opinion. *A version of this article appears in print in the 22 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 06:08:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang speaks at an event to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, on Jan. 22, 2020. The Chinese Embassy in Kuwait held an event on Wednesday evening to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China. (Photo by Ghazy Qaffaf/Xinhua) KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Kuwait held an event on Wednesday evening to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China. The hall of the hotel for the event was decorated with Chinese traditional knots as the red color symbolizes goodness, blessing, happiness for the Chinese people. The event was attended by more than 600 overseas Chinese in Kuwait, with Chinese musical and folklore dances performed by actors wearing the traditional Chinese costume. At the celebration, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang extended sincere greetings and good wishes to overseas Chinese in Kuwait. Hailing China's achievements during the past 70 years, Li said China's GDP exceeded 14 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019. The ambassador also reviewed the success of China in the diplomatic field and its strategic partnership with Kuwait under the Belt and Road Initiative. With the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral relations between China and Kuwait have been developing steadily with fruitful results, he said. The political mutual trust between the two countries has been continuously strengthened with exchanges developing at all levels, he added. Youssef Abdel Aziz, who speaks fluent Arabic and Chinese, told Xinhua that he is keen to contact his mother's family in China during holidays. "My family celebrates all Chinese holidays while making special food just for those occasions," he said. He still remembers how his mother used to give him money inside a red envelope on the occasion of the Spring Festival. Karen Yunis, a young Lebanese woman whose mother is Chinese, said the Chinese Spring Festival is always celebrated by her family. "My family decorates the house in red in preparation for the traditional Chinese festival," she said. American journalist Glenn Greenwald says the Brazilian government's charges against him are the latest strike in a global campaign by governments across the world to use anti-hacking laws to punish and silence journalists. "Governments [are] figuring out how they can criminalize journalism based on large-scale digital leaks," Greenwald told me. Greenwald, who won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on leaked documents from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in 2014, says the charges are baseless. "Even in democracies -let alone in the authoritarian world - there's a real struggle to make the law fit criminalizing leaks of this sort," he said. Greenwald, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, is facing charges stemming from his reporting on leaked cellphone messages that raised doubts about a corruption investigation that aided the rise of Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Greenwald is accused of being part of a "criminal organization" that allegedly hacked into public officials' cellphones last year to copy messages that were published on his news site, the Intercept Brazil. Greenwald compared the Brazilian charges against him to the Trump administration's controversial decision to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange last year under the main U.S. anti-hacking law, the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. "I've been particularly concerned given the Bolsonaro government's subservience to and admiration for the Trump government that they'd look to the precedent the Trump government used to indict Julian Assange," he told me, "trying to concoct a dubious or tenuous theory that he went beyond passing information to participating in the crime itself." The charges come as officials in the United States and elsewhere have faced years of criticism for not updating decades-old hacking laws, which critics say are overly broad and can be used to criminalize innocuous work by anyone who deals with computer networks or large digital files including security researchers and journalists. Brazilian prosecutors allege Greenwald crossed a line by encouraging his anonymous sources to delete their copies of stolen messages to evade detection. That explanation drew quick criticism from press freedom advocates in the United States and Brazil who said it criminalized reporters advising their sources on how to work securely. Greenwald told me he'd scrupulously followed Brazilian law and called the charges "an obvious attempt to attack a free press." In the Assange case, meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors say he violated the law by offering to help then-military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning decipher a password so she could get greater access to a military database and pass more secrets to WikiLeaks. Cybersecurity experts at the time criticized the Trump administration for stretching the 34-year-old CFAA law to fit a situation its authors never could have envisioned. Press freedom advocates were less eager than Greenwald to draw a comparison between the charges against him and Assange. Gabe Rottman, technology and press freedom director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said that Assange's offer to help a source crack a password could be deemed illegal under a reasonable reading of the CFAA, while Greenwald's alleged advice to sources on security does not violate ethical or legal principles. Rottman, who's written extensively about the Assange charges, says he takes this view even though he considers the CFAA so out of pace with modern technology that it can be applied in an unconstitutional manner in many cases. Greenwald acknowledged there may be important distinctions between his actions and Assange's, but he described the two cases as on the same "slippery slope." Greenwald also warned they could lead to reporters being prosecuted for common journalistic practices such as urging sources to contact them using encrypted apps or accepting document leaks through online tools that anonymize the sender. "There's a general aversion to defending Assange by press freedom groups because they don't see Assange as a journalist and they do see me as one," he said. "But there's no question the [Assange] indictment encourages governments to criminalize a person in the role of a journalist." Greenwald added in a statement that he hasn't been detained and plans to keep publishing. Though Greenwald has ruffled some feathers in Washington with his reporting on leaked information, he is getting strong support from many lawmakers. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said the charges will have a "chilling effect" on journalism and said he's crafting legislation to protect journalists from prosecution. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., called the charges "a step backwards that hurts Brazil." "No journalist should face prosecution for reporting critical facts about the government or politicians," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in an emailed statement reported by the Intercept. Advocacy groups also came to Greenwald's defense. The American Civil Liberties Union called the charges an "outrageous assault on the freedom of the press." The Electronic Frontier Foundation called them "a threat to democracy" that "discourages journalists from using technology to best serve the public." Even some former intelligence community officials jumped in. Here's former NSA attorney Susan Hennessey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who runs the Lawfare blog: House impeachment managers and President Donald Trump's defenders agreed early this morningon ground rules for his historic Senate impeachment trial. That trial's sure to delve into conspiracy theories the president embraced that cast doubt on Russia's hacking and disinformation campaign against the 2016 election and hacking threats facing 2020. India's military might and some of the state-of-the-art assets of the armed forces will be showcased during the Republic Day Parade on Rajpath, with artillery gun system 'Dhanush' and a marching contingent of the Army Air Defence set to take part in the ceremonial event for the first time, officials said on Thursday. Besides, K9-Vajra, the anti-satellite (A-SAT) test conducted under Mission Shakti, and Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR) of the DRDO will also be part of the parade. India early last year had shot down one of its satellites in space with an A-SAT missile to demonstrate this complex capability, joining the elite club of countries -- the US, Russia and China -- which have such capabilities. The Army will showcase many of its state-of-the-art assets during the majestic January 26 parade, and artillery gun systems Dhanush and Short Span Bridge system will make their appearance for the first time during the parade, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area, Maj Gen Alok Kacker, told reporters. At a press conference, he also said, 16 marching contingents will take part in the parade from the armed forces, paramilitary forces, Delhi Police, NCC and NSS, along with 21 bands. The 61 Cavalary, consisting of 52 horses, will be marching down the Rajpath as part of the mounted column. Corps of the Army Air Defence has earlier participated in the Republic Day parade with its vehicular columns, but this time a marching contingent of the AAD will take part in the event for the first time, officials said. On January 26, trailblazer officer Captain Tania Sher Gill, will lead the all-men contingent of the Corps of Signals, making her "family of faujis" and the nation proud. The 26-year-old officer of the Corps of Signals, had recently created history by becoming the first woman Parade Adjutant to led all-men contingents during the Army Day function on January 15. A motorcycle display by an all-women team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be another attraction this January 26 parade. The prime minister will pay homage to fallen soldiers at the newly-built National War Memorial here on the Republic Day instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch, officials said. The iconic memorial in the India Gate complex behind the canopy was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25 last year. Amar Jawan Jyoti is symbolised by an inverted bayonet and soldier's helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it. It was built in 1972 underneath the India Gate arch to commemorate soldiers martyred in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Tri-Services chiefs pay respect on occasions of national importance like Independence Day, Republic Day at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the National War Memorial on January 26 morning before the commencement of the Republic Day Parade, and lay a wreath at the memorial in the presence of the three services chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Staff," a senior official of the Army said. Lt Gen Asit Mistry, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, will be the Parade Commander, Maj Gen Kacker will be the Parade Second in Command. "In the mechanised columns, three T-90 Bhishma tanks, three Ballaway Machine Pikate, one Saravatra Bridge system, one five-metre Short Span Bridge system, three Dhanush gun system, three K-9 Vajra gun system, two transportable satellite terminal (TST), two Akash surface-to-air-missiles, will be showcased," Kacker said. Leaders of some of the participating marching contingents -- The Grenadiers (Maj Anirudh Nair), Kumaon Regiment (Capt Rahul Singh Kataria), Sikh Light Infantry or SIKHLI (Maj Anjum Gorkha), Para Regiment Centre (Maj Nikhil Kumar Maurya), Corps of Army Air Defence (Capt Vikas Kumar Sahu), were present during the press interaction held here. "Since, I am leading, my challenge is to make sure the each and every member moves in perfect synchronisation. And, when me march together, it is actually our discipline and team work at display. We march with common heartbeat," said Maj Anjum Gorkha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump will welcome Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House January 28, and has also invited the Israeli prime minister's election rival Benny Gantz to visit Washington, the White House said on Thursday. "The United States and Israel are strong partners, and the prime minister's visit is an opportunity to discuss our shared regional and national security interests," a White House statement said. The visit comes as Netanyahu faces a third election in less than a year. Gantz, his centrist challenger, also accepted a Trump invitation to visit, the White House said, without giving a date. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PITTSBURGH, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) today announced the relaunch of the United States Steel Foundation Sons & Daughters Scholarship Program. The U. S. Steel Sons and Daughters Scholarships Program supports high-achieving children of U. S. Steel employees who wish to pursue higher education. Created in 1995, the U. S. Steel Sons & Daughters Scholarships Program has awarded scholarships to 417 scholars in the United States. The U. S. Steel Sons & Daughters Scholarships Program is a competitive scholarship program with a limited number of awards. Selection of awardees will be based on demonstrated financial need, past academic performance and future potential, school and community activities, work experience, career and educational aspirations and goals, personal or family circumstances and a recommendation. We are thrilled to relaunch the U. S. Steel Sons and Daughters Scholarships to help the children of our employees achieve their academic and career goals, said Richard L. Fruehauf, Foundation chairman and United States Steel Corporation senior vice president. This program allows U. S. Steel to offer additional support to our employees and their families consistent with our commitment to fostering a culture of caring across the company. Applicants must be the children of active, full-time employees of U. S. Steel, which includes the company's Transtar subsidiary railroads in the United States and expatriate employees based at U. S. Steel Kosice in the Slovak Republic. Children is defined as natural children, step-children, legally adopted children and legal wards. In addition, applicants must also meet one of the following two criteria: Be a current high school senior who plans to enroll in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or vocational-technical school in the United States for the entire 2020-2021 academic year; or Be a high school graduate in the classes of 2017, 2018 or 2019 who plans to enroll or is currently enrolled in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or vocational-technical school in the United States for the entire 2020-2021 academic year. Awards of $2,500 and $5,000 are available to eligible applicants. Interested students may read the full program and eligibility guidelines, as well as apply online, at Scholarship Americas U. S. Steel Sons & Daughters Program page, https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/ussteel , between Jan. 15 and Feb. 26, 2020. Awards will be announced in late April 2020. 2020- 006 United States Steel Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., is a leading integrated steel producer and Fortune 250 company with major operations in the United States and Central Europe. For more information about U. S. Steel, please visit www.ussteel.com . BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: More than 132,000 meters were drilled onshore and offshore by the specialists from the National Iranian Drilling Company during 10 months of this Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 through January 20, 2020), Deputy Executive Director of the company Mohammad Al Khamis said. Some 12,686 meters were drilled during the ninth month (from November 22 through December 21), Al Khamis said, Trend reports referring to the companys website. The work on 96 wells was completed during 10 months, deputy executive director added. Some 12 of these wells were modernized during the ninth month and transferred to the corresponding companies. "Two exploration wells, 35 delineation wells and 59 wells for repairing other wells have been drilled and modernized," the deputy executive director said. Some 70 wells were drilled in the territory of the Southern Oil Fields Company, 13 wells - in the Offshore Oil Company, two wells - in the Central Oil Fields Company, three wells - in the Gas Engineering and Development Company and eight wells - in the National Iranian Oil Company, Al Khamis said. Nine oil and gas wells were modernized during 10 months and transferred to the corresponding companies, the deputy executive director said. Ave On The Mile | Photo: Leo G./Yelp Looking to try the best bars in town? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top bars in Stockton, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to venture when cravings strike. Stockton-area shoppers tend to spend more in January at bars and lounges than any other month of the year, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a software provider that helps small businesses get more customers. Total affected businesses at Stockton-area bars and lounges grew to 1 for the metro area in January of last year, 0% higher than the average for the rest of the year. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Thai Me Up PHOTO: STEPH AND JOSH B./YELP First on the list is Thai Me Up. Located at 2125 Pacific Ave. in the University, the bar and Thai spot is the highest-rated bar in Stockton, boasting four stars out of 425 reviews on Yelp. 2. Ave On The Mile Photo: david c./Yelp Next up is the University's AVE on the Mile, situated at 2333 Pacific Ave. With four stars out of 299 reviews on Yelp, the bar and New American spot has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Deliberation Room photo: denise p./yelp Downtown's Deliberation Room, located at 19 N. California St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the bar and pool hall, which offers pizza and more, four stars out of 95 reviews. 4. Westlane Restaurant & Bar Photo: jessalyn p./Yelp Finally, Westlane Restaurant & Bar, a bar and traditional American spot in Tam O'Shanter, is another go-to, with four stars out of 13 Yelp reviews. Head over to 6111 N. W Lane to see for yourself. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have teamed up to work on drafting potential contours for negotiations with Tehran over the countrys nuclear programming and a roadmap for a new deal, according to Graham and two other congressional aides familiar with the matter. Ive been working with Senator Menendez on this for some time, Graham told The Daily Beast in an interview last week. We need a new way forward. And Ive been trying to think of alternatives. Graham told The Daily Beast in an interview in August that he was working with senior Trump administration officials on an alternative to the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal. Part of that effort included fielding ideas from outside actors, including foreign officials. Since then, Graham has met with Menendezalthough only a few timeson how to kickstart a bipartisan congressional effort to reform the administrations Iran policy. According to sources individuals familiar with the Graham-Menendez partnership, the two senators have largely talked about constructing an actionable plan to present to other lawmakers and to the White House. But the two sides have yet to agree on exactly how to get the ball rolling, according to those sources. One individual said Menendez wanted to work with Graham because the South Carolina lawmaker had gained the presidents ear on Iran over the last year. Although the duo has spoken about teaming up for some time, sources say the lawmakers are focused now more than ever on crafting a new deal following the killing of Irans top military leader, Qassem Soleimani. Following the strike, Democrats in the Senate, including Menendez, called out senior officials in the Trump administration for not offering proper intelligence briefings to Congress on what led to the strike. Menendez told MSNBC earlier this month that the administration suggested in briefings there was an imminent threat to American interests but that there was no clear definition of what they consider imminent. Story continues The senator also called on the administration to declassify the official notification provided to Congress about the Soleimani strike. Graham, on the other hand, applauded President Trump and told The Daily Beast that the administration should continue to keep the military option on the table if Iran were to continue to threaten American interests in the Middle East. Graham suggested the U.S. strike Iranian oil assets in the country, pointing to refineries in particular. Menendez, on the other hand, has urged the administration to up its diplomatic outreach following the strike rather than continue to rely on its military might. Despite their division on Trumps decision to strike Soleimani, both lawmakers opposed the Obama administrations 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. I have looked into my own soul, and my devotion to principle may once again lead me to an unpopular course, but if Iran is to acquire a nuclear bomb, it will not have my name on it, Menendez said in a 2015 speech. It is for these reasons that I will vote to disapprove the agreement and, if called upon, would vote to override a veto. At the time of the deals proposal in 2015, Menendez advocated that the Obama administration continue to levy sanctions on Iran in order to change Tehrans behavior and keep it from eventually obtaining a nuclear weapon. Although Grahams and Menendezs public statements on Iran have varied, both lawmakers seem to agree on one point: The Trump administrations strategy isnt working. Since Trump took office, Menendez has criticized the Trump administrations Iran strategy as only emboldening Tehran. And while Graham tends to support Trump publicly, the South Carolina lawmaker has been openly critical of how the White House responds to Irans malign activities in the region. In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, Graham said the Trump administrations maximum pressure campaignmeant to cripple Irans economy with sanctionswas working but needed to be harsher and combined with military deterrence. Team Trump Thought It Could Contain Iran With Maximum Pressure. The Attacks Got Worse. Before the Soleimani strike, Iran policy experts, some of whom worked with the Obama administration, said Tehran would not engage in talks about a revised nuclear deal unless the U.S. rolled back at least some of its sanctions on the country. Now those experts say Tehran, having rolled back its commitments under the former deal, is not likely to engage in any meaningful conversation with the U.S. on nuclear power, at least in the short term. Meanwhile, two officials in the Treasury Department say their unit is continuously drawing up additional sanctions for Iran on the chance Trump wants to hit the country with additional punishments in the near future. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Waymo said Thursday it will begin mapping and eventually testing its autonomous long-haul trucks in Texas and parts of New Mexico, the latest sign that the Alphabet company is expanding beyond its core focus of launching a robotaxi business. Waymo said in a tweet posted early Thursday it had picked these areas because they are "interesting and promising commercial routes." Waymo also said it would "explore how the Waymo Driver" the company's branded self-driving system could be used to "create new transportation solutions." Waymo plans to mostly focus on interstates because Texas has a particularly high freight volume, the company said. The program will begin with mapping conducted by Waymo's Chrysler Pacifica minivans. The mapping and eventual testing will occur on highways around Dallas, Houston and El Paso. In New Mexico, Waymo will focus on the southern most part of the state. Interstate 10 will be a critical stretch of highway in both states and one that is already a testbed for TuSimple, a self-driving trucking startup that has operations in Tucson and San Diego. TuSimple tests and carries freight along the Tucson to Phoenix corridor on I-10. The company also tests on I-10 in New Mexico and Texas. This week, well start driving our Chrysler Pacificas and long-haul trucks in Texas and New Mexico. These are interesting and promising commercial routes, and well be using our vehicles to explore how the Waymo Driver might be able to create new transportation solutions. pic.twitter.com/uDqKDrGR9b Waymo (@Waymo) January 23, 2020 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Waymo, which is best known for its pursuit of a robotaxi service, integrated its self-driving system into Class 8 trucks and began testing them in Arizona in August 2017. The company stopped testing its trucks on Arizona roads sometime later that year. The company brought back its truck testing to Arizona in May 2019. Story continues Those early Arizona tests were aimed at gathering initial information about driving trucks in the region, while the new round of truck testing in Arizona marks a more advanced stage in the program's development, Waymo said at the time. Waymo has been testing its self-driving trucks in a handful of locations in the U.S., including Arizona, the San Francisco area and Atlanta. In 2018, the company announced plans to use its self-driving trucks to deliver freight bound for Googles data centers in Atlanta. Waymo's trucking program has had a higher profile in the past year. In June, Waymo brought on 13 robotics experts, a group that includes Ankis co-founder and former CEO Boris Sofman, to lead engineering in the autonomous trucking division. The advocacy of the students in my district convinced me I had to sponsor this legislation, and their passion helped get it over the finish line, Sims said in a news release. Signing this plan into law broke down a barrier that has long made it difficult for them and other students throughout the state to vote. (TNS) Baltimore, Maryland, has collected no taxes on an estimated 9 million Uber and Lyft rides per year, despite a 2015 state law enabling it to do so, costing the city roughly $2.1 million in revenue annually, according to the city Department of Finance.Revenues from the citys parking tax, meters and city-owned garages, meanwhile, have plunged a collective $4.1 million, or about 6%, in the past two years, according to the finance department, which called the growth of rideshare one of the factors explaining the recent sharp decline.The shift to [rideshare] has reduced income in traditional parking-related sources, but still puts pressure on the Citys aging transit infrastructure," the department wrote in a fiscal analysis last year.Uber and Lyft pay a 25-cent tax on each ride originating in Ocean City, Montgomery County, Frederick, Brunswick, Prince Georges County and Annapolis due to local laws in those areas.Uber, which charged Baltimore riders 25 cents extra for nearly a year in anticipation of having to pay a tax, instead began crediting them with Uber Cash in recent weeks for a city-specific fee that was ultimately not collected by the city.You were charged a city-specific fee for a trip or trips you took in Baltimore, MD between October 2018 and August 2019, the company said in emails to riders. Because these fees ultimately were not collected by the city, weve credited you the amount charged ... in Uber Cash to use on future rides or Uber Eats.Lyft did not collect such a fee from its riders in Baltimore "because there was no law for a per-ride fee, said a Lyft spokeswoman.Despite pressure from a councilman, a bill that would have allowed the city to begin taxing Uber and Lyft rides was not introduced by the administration of then-Mayor Catherine E. Pugh until January 2019, and then it languished without a hearing for the past year in the councils Taxation, Finance and Economic Development committee. It is set to be heard by the committee at 10 a.m. Thursday.Lyft gave a combined $2,000 to Pughs campaign committee in a pair of political contributions in April and October 2016, according to campaign finance records.Lyft like many companies and industries supports a variety of causes, organizations, and individuals that share our goal of providing affordable and reliable transportation, Lyft spokeswoman Campbell Matthews said in a statement. Any questions on Baltimore citys timeline for passing legislation should be directed to the city and city leaders.The yearlong delay in the bill receiving a hearing was a result of Pughs resignation amid a scandal over her self-published childrens book series and the political upheaval that ensued, city officials said.Then-Council President Bernard C. Jack Young took over as ex-officio mayor upon Pughs leave of absence in April, elevating Councilwoman Sharon Green Middleton, the councils vice president and the finance committee chair, to acting council president. But when Pugh resigned in May, and Young was sworn in as permanent mayor, Councilman Brandon Scott was elected by his colleagues to the council presidency.A finance committee hearing on the bill, initially set for October, was rescheduled to allow Scott to be briefed by the finance department, Middleton said.The main holdup was just the briefing, Middleton said. I dont see any other problems with it.Young and Scott, both Democrats, are running for mayor in 2020.The city is aware that Uber collected the 25-cent fee from Baltimore riders, and the law department will attempt to recuperate it, despite no law being in place, said Lester Davis, a spokesman for Young.The citys entitled to the fee," Davis said. The lawyers are going to figure out the next steps.Young believes the rideshare tax bill has the support needed to pass the City Council and plans to sign it "as soon as it crosses his desk, Davis said.Councilman Ryan Dorsey, a Democrat who represents Northeast Baltimore, said he learned in March 2018 that the companies were paying no tax to the city after inquiring about whether the revenue could be dedicated to bicycle infrastructure.Dorsey said he wanted to make the issue public, but decided instead to handle it as amicably as I could, quietly asking Pughs finance department to move forward with whatever needed to be done to collect the fee. He said the city finance and law departments met for months to suss out what needed to be changed in the [citys taxi] law and exactly why.A lot of people at that time were saying that I needed to be more easygoing, not throw bombs," Dorsey said. I shouldve publicly created awareness. It wouldve gotten done a lot faster.Taxing rideshare in Baltimore has been the better part of a decade in the making. When Uber and Lyft launched in the city in 2013, officials passed a 25-cent taxi tax, the only one of its kind in the state at the time, for any trip originating or ending in the city, but the law initially did not include rideshare.The state passed a law, sponsored by now-Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, enabling such taxes to include the rideshare companies, too, beginning in January 2015. Baltimore was exempted from a 25-cent cap on the tax, and is therefore authorized to set its own rate, according to the finance department.Ferguson, who received a $1,000 political contribution from Lyft in October 2015, amended the state law the following year, limiting its scope in three ways:Taxes could only be levied by the trip, not also by the number of passengers in a vehicle.Rides could only be taxed by the jurisdiction where they originated, and not also by where they ended.The state comptrollers office not the city finance department would collect rideshare tax, but any taxes on taxis would still be collected by the city.The Senate President believes that the City should be collecting taxes from ridesharing companies Uber & Lyft, and is disappointed to hear that theyre not being collected," Jake Weissmann, a spokesman for Ferguson, said in a statement.Lyft gave another combined $1,000 to Fergusons campaign committee in 2017 and 2018.The companys other political contributions in Maryland include a $5,000 donation to the Hogan-Rutherford Inaugural Committee in January 2019. Uber also donated to the Republican governors inaugural committee that month to the tune of $10,000, according to campaign finance records.While Uber and Lyft do not release data on the number of rides in each market, Baltimores finance department estimated they give about 14.6 rides per capita, based on data for similarly sized King County, Washington, which includes Seattle. The nearly 9 million rides per year equal about $2.1 million in annual rideshare tax revenue, given a 25-cent tax rate.In its support for the bill to align the citys law with the states, the finance department also recommended doubling that tax rate to generate $4.2 million per year.Given the sharp decline in [parking] revenues, we believe an additional rate increase is warranted, the department wrote in the fiscal analysis.Nick Verderamo was surprised last week by the email from Uber, saying his account had been credited $4.25 in Uber Cash for future rides or Uber Eats, the companys food-delivery service.The 29-year-old Transamerica actuary, who lives in Canton, said he took about 30 or 40 Uber rides in 2019, using the ride-share service a few times a month.I honestly have no idea why the money had been credited to his account, Verderamo said.Upon seeing that the fee had not been collected, he said, his first thought was was city incompetence.How poorly run is our city? he said. I dont know if its a city issue or not, but to be honest, that was my initial thought. "Titan Shrooms & Psychedelics" Formed to Spearhead Investments in New Frontier for Mental Health Treatments VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / Codebase Ventures Inc. ("Codebase" or the "Company") (CSE:CODE)(FSE:C5B)(OTCQB: BKLLF), an investment company, announces that it has formed a wholly-owned subsidiary named Titan Shrooms & Psychedelics Inc. to spearhead its investments into the exciting, emerging market for mental health treatments using mushrooms and psychedelics. "Mushrooms and psychedelics fit our mandate as an emerging sector with tremendous potential for those suffering from certain mental health issues, as was well documented on 60 Minutes at the end of December,"1 said Mr. Brian Keane, Director. "We are encouraged by the fact that the FDA has granted breakthrough therapy status for trials into psilocybin, the naturally occurring psychoactive compound in psychedelic mushrooms. This bodes well for innovative therapies that can help millions of people with mental health conditions ranging from treatment resistant depression to anxiety and addiction - and there are indications that the treatments could become approved at some point in 2021 as reported in Rolling Stone."2 The Company's subsidiary Titan Shrooms & Psychedelics will focus on identifying investment opportunities that meet with Company's investment mandate. The Company may invest up to $2 million CAD in such opportunities. CODE is an investment company and its investments focus upon new technologies or innovative and emerging industries that have the potential to provide shareholders with significant growth. Titan Shrooms & Psychedelics is actively seeking investment opportunities at the forefront of the mushroom and micro-dosing psychedelic healthcare sector. Codebase is not averse to taking management positions as it relates to companies in which they are investing. 1 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/psychedelic-drugs-lsd-active-agent-in-magic-mushrooms-to-treat-addiction-depression-anxiety-60-minutes-2019-12-29/ 2https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/psilocybin-legal-therapy-mdma-753946/ About Codebase Ventures Inc. Codebase Ventures Inc. is an investment company, led by technology and business experts who invest early in great ideas in sectors that have significant upside, including the cannabis sector. We operate from the understanding that technology is always evolving, bringing early opportunities for strategic investments that can deliver the exponential returns to our shareholders. We seek out and empower the innovators who are building tomorrow's standards with platforms, protocols and innovations - not just products. We invest early, support our founders, take their ideas to market and work tirelessly to help them realize their vision. 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. For further information, please contact: Brian Keane, Director Investor Relations Telephone: 1 (778) 806-5150 E-mail: IR@codebase.ventures 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/573897/Codebase-Forms-Subsidiary-to-Invest-in-Mushrooms-and-Psychedelics One abuse was especially outrageous: As the FBI pressed for the Page FISA warrants, it overlooked an August 2016 CIA message that Page had been an occasional operational contact for the agency. Thats not the same as a vetted agent, but it should have made FBI officials wonder whether their assumptions about Pages possible disloyalty and double-dealing were justified. A 25-year old man has knocked at the doors of the Telangana State Human Rights Commission, seeking 'justice', claiming the family members of his lover are opposing their marriage though he converted to their religion as suggested by her. The man from Vikarabad near here said the two belonging to different religions have been in love since their school days and both their families initially agreed to the marriage proposal. However, the woman's family later changed mind. He alleged the woman was badly treated by her family for being in love with him after which she told him to convert to her religion so as to convince her relatives. But, even after he converted to her religion, they were not agreeing to the marriage, he claimed. Sources in the commission said they have received the petition, but declined to elaborate further. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Medicine shops across Bihar on Thursday resumed normal business as a three-day strike that began on the previous day was called off after an assurance from the state government that concerns raised by the association of chemists and druggists will be squarely addressed. According to a statement issued by the Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association, the decision to call off the strike was taken late Wednesday night after its delegation met state health minister Mangal Pandey. The association, which has been livid over making mandatory the deputation of a pharmacist at every medical store, because of inadequate number of such professionals, was told by the minister that the provision was introduced "in accordance with a central law". "The health minister gave an assurance that he would meet the Union health minister to find a way out until the deficit of pharmacists was made up for. "He also said that at present there were two colleges in the state with approved pharmacy courses and a move was afoot to set up another 22," the association said in the statement, signed by its president P K Singh and general secretary Amarendra Kumar Singh. The minister has also assured that police and health department officials will be restrained from causing harassment in the name of inspections, the association claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Phish has announced dates for its 2020 summer tour, including a July 31 concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham. Tickets for the Alabama show go on sale Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. CT via Live Nation/Ticketmaster, priced at $65 and $85, plus service charges. The 7:30 p.m. concert here is one of 27 dates confirmed today by the wildly popular jam band, and the only Alabama stop on the tour. The Oak Mountain concert also is one of three single-show stops on Phishs tour. (The others are in Inglewood, California, at the Forum on July 24, and in Rogers, Arkansas, at Walmart AMP-Arkansas Music Pavilion on July 29.) The rest of the bands agenda, which runs July 14-Sept. 6, features multiple dates in 10 cities. Phish has scheduled two shows in Atlanta at Piedmont Park (Aug. 1-2), for example, and two concerts in Nashville (Aug. 4-5) at Ascend Amphitheater. Four cities -- George, Washington; Commerce City, Colorado; Noblesville, Indiana; and Atlantic City, New Jersey -- will have three concerts apiece. Fans can request tickets online before the Live Nation on-sales via Phish Tickets. Requests can be made there now through Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. CT. A limited number of tickets are now being offered for the upcoming Phish Summer 2020 shows via a ticket request period, the website says. "All requests, regardless of when they are placed, are treated equally in the system. You can request tickets to one or more shows, but your entire ticket request for all shows must be placed at one time. This form serves as a request form only. Filling out this form does not guarantee that you will receive tickets - you are not actually purchasing anything at this time. Our allotment of tickets includes all levels of seat quality and price levels from GA floor to reserved seating behind the stage and GA Lawn tickets. If your ticket request is granted, you will not know your seat locations until after your order is finalized and it is non-refundable. Phish has long been a favorite in Alabama, and fans here also take an active interest in any side projects by the band members: guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboard player Page McConnell. Phish made its last visit to Oak Mountain Amphitheatre on Aug. 2, 2014, playing to about 10,500 people at the sold-out venue. The Vermont rockers remained in brilliant and energized form, storming through two jam-packed sets that surprisingly only featured one song from their 2014 album Fuego, said the review on AL.com. "... The band delivered, as theyre wont to do, with more notably playful interaction with the fans and each other. Guitarist Trey Anastasio found himself in an especially wacky mood, freestyle dancing like James Brown through a Mike Gordon slap-bass solo during You Enjoy Myself. Phish also played at the Amphitheater at the Wharf that year on Aug. 1, just one night before the Oak Mountain show. The band performed at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater in 2015, after a nearly 24-year absence in that city. Heres the full Phish tour schedule: Restaurant group Fallon & Byrne has secured planning permission for a major extension at its flagship store in Dublin. This follows An Bord Pleanala giving the go-ahead for the extension across three floors at the company's Exchequer Street outlet, including a new outdoor terrace on the second floor. Consultants for Fallon & Byrne told Dublin City Council that the business required increased space to further develop and prosper. The plan had stalled after the owners of the adjoining block, Burlington Real Estate Ltd, had lodged an appeal against the Dublin City Council decision giving the project the go-ahead last September. The An Bord Pleanala decision - one month ahead of schedule - comes weeks after the shock closure of Fallon & Byrne's loss-making Rathmines outlet which was the biggest of the group's three outlets at almost 10,000sq feet. Proposal In their appeal, Burlington Real Estate Ltd raised concerns regarding the impacts of the Fallon & Byrne proposal on the adjacent office building in terms of overlooking, noise and disturbance. The owners of the Central Hotel Chambers Building had proposed measures to ensure that their building would not be adversely impacted by the Fallon & Byrne extension. This included awning to be installed on and over the west side of the first-floor terrace in order to protect the privacy of the Central Hotel Chambers office building. In a planning issue that was resolved amicably between the two parties, a letter on behalf of Fallon & Byrne to the appeals board stated that it fully supported the awning proposal. The letter stated that Fallon & Byrne is willing to undertake and carry out the works set out in the grounds of appeal. The letter stated that Fallon & Byrne has no issue with the objection letter and request that the matter be dealt with as swiftly as possible. The appeal was lodged on October 17 last. Boris Johnsons pledge to level-up the UKs regions has been called into question after he was accused of failing to stop a ferry company paying staff less than 2-an-hour in the North. P&O Ferries is changing its current mix of staff on its Hull-based routes serving Holland and Belgium, choosing to bring in about 100 crew from an agency in the Philippines to replace its European staff, who mainly hail from Portugal and Lithuania. Employment laws currently exempt shipping companies from paying the national minimum wage, set at 8.21 for over 25s, if the crew does not reside in Britain, even if they spend many hours docked at UK ports. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said the employment loophole meant foreign catering and cleaning staff on-board P&Os Pride of Hull and Pride of York ferries are earning as little as 1.74 per hour. Labours shipping spokesman Karl Turner said he feared P&Os decision was the thin end of the wedge and the precedent could be used on other international routes serving the UK a move that would effectively bar British workers from being able to afford a career in the shipping sector. Mr Turner, MP for Hull East, where the Bahamas-flagged vessels dock, said the Prime Minister must act if he was serious about delivering on his election commitment to improve the lives of those outside London and the South East. Mr Johnson took a slew of seats across Labours heartlands in the North with his Conservative manifesto promises of boosting prospects and infrastructure across the country. Shadow maritime minister Mr Turner said: The Pride of York and Pride of Hull sail a route that will be absolutely essential to the UK economy post-Brexit, and equally as important if the Prime Minister is serious in his pledges to level-up the UK regions. If the Government fail to act, how long will it be before we see the same thing happen across the industry and on other critical shipping lanes, and in the rest of the UK economy? Story continues .@POferries must STOP exploiting foreign seafarers NOW. Its costing British jobs and is risking safety of crews and passengers. If they want to meet with me, I am available to discuss this issue? Im not going to stop raising it. @RMTunion pic.twitter.com/AfzsFbjSXR Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) January 23, 2020 P&O, which employs around 130 UK residents as part of its Hull operation, also runs other major routes, including between Dover and Calais, Cairnryan to Larne and Liverpool and Dublin. Darren Procter, the RMTs national secretary, said there was a lack of desire from ministers to clamp down on shipping companies not paying the minimum wage. He said: If this was a nail bar or a car wash, they would be screaming about modern slavery. It would be an outrage. Mr Procter said roles being filled by Filipinos entailed working behind the bar, cleaning and making up the cabins, adding: They (P&O) are having people travel 13,000 miles when they could find people in a 5-10 mile radius from the port for these jobs. Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst previously described the pay conditions on board the two Hull vessels as unacceptable and a Government spokesman confirmed it wanted all seafarers to receive a fair wage when in UK waters. P&O has been criticised by Labour (Steve Parsons/PA) The spokesman told the PA news agency the Government would amend legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows. P&O defended the wages being offered, calling them fair rates of pay compared to the money staff could expect to earn in their home countries. The company said safety would continue to be a priority on the Rotterdam and Zeebrugge-bound ferries under its new employment arrangements. These changes are a part of a customer service initiative and nothing to do with costs or terms and conditions, said a P&O spokesman. The incoming crew are highly trained and competent seafarers who will be working on shifts that are completely ordinary across the shipping sector. The majority have no interaction with the British economy as they live on-board on an all found basis during their tour of duty and are employed at fair rates of pay when compared to wage levels in their home countries. Bob Sanguinetti, UK Chamber of Shipping chief executive, said he was confident living and working conditions on the ferries meet and often exceeded minimum standards set by law. An all-party meeting here on Thursday called for a new tribunal to assess river water availability in Punjab, in an apparent reference to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal project. A resolution said Punjab does not have surplus water and is facing a threat of desertification with declining availability of river water and fast depleting groundwater. "In such a situation, it is unanimously resolved that the government of India should ensure that river water in Punjab is not in any way transferred from basin to non-basin areas of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas, as per internationally accepted riparian principle," it said. However, the resolution adopted at the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh did not specifically name the SYL Canal issue. It said alternatives should be ascertained before a final decision to ensure adequate water for Punjab. "The alternatives include amendments to the proposed Inter State River Water Disputes Act to set up a new tribunal for a complete de novo assessment of availability of river water, it said. Punjab has been demanding reassessment of the water volume of the Ravi-Beas river, while Haryana seeking completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre feet of the river water. The Supreme Court had in September last year given four months to the Centre, Punjab and Haryana to find an amicable solution to the SYL canal issue. Expressing concern over the depleting groundwater table, the chief minister observed that the level of rivers in the state has reduced from 17 million acre feet (MAF) to less than 13 MAF. The groundwater, that meets 73 per cent of irrigation requirement of the state, has declined to alarming levels, threatening the livelihood of farmers. Talking to the media after the meeting, Singh welcomed "the positive and constructive suggestions by leaders of all parties" and said his government would seek time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take an all-party delegation to represent Punjab's case. He pointed out that internationally accepted riparian principles had been ignored in distribution of water in the country and stressed on the need to correct the same. He also announced that his government would hold such meetings every six months to discuss important issues related to the state. "When the water level is going down, you have to have a new tribunal to check water availability. First get it checked how much volume of water is in rivers and it will be ascertained by the tribunal," Singh said. His government, the chief minister said, had been pressing the prime minister to form a new commission to assess the current water levels in three rivers of the state. This is imperative in view of the changed situation, he said. During the meeting, Leader of Opposition and AAP MLA Harpal Singh Cheema said the state should file another suit in the Supreme Court seeking fresh assessment of the available water in Punjab and insisted on redistribution of water on riparian laws. Shiromani Akali Dal's Balwinder Singh Bhundar said political parties should unite to protect Punjab's water resources rather than indulging in blame games. Terming the SYL a major issue, Bhundar said apart from legal remedies, it was important to pursue the matter politically. Representatives of other political parties like the BJP, CPM and BSP also attended the meeting. However, Lok Insaaf Party MLAs Simarjeet Singh Bains and his brother Balwinder Singh Bains held protest outside the venue of the meeting for not being invited. The chief minister later clarified that the Bains brothers had not been invited to the meeting as only political parties recognised by the Election Commission had been included in the list of invitees. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kansas City Selfie Upgrade!!! Union Station adds new photo op with massive Chiefs letters Kansas Citians have spoken - and they said they want to see more photo opportunities to celebrate the Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs.Officials with Union Station said Wednesday that another Chiefs feature has been constructed for avid photographers. Fans can now find the massive Chiefs letter logo framed by Union Station's amazing Grand Plaza. Local Retail Hope Westlake Ace CEO: How the chain is bucking trend of retail decline - Kansas City Business Journal Westlake Ace Hardware is defying an industry trend: As brick-and-mortar retailers shrink their store counts, the Lenexa-based Ace Hardware Corp. subsidiary is acquiring and opening new locations. When Westlake Ace CEO Joe Jeffries joined the company in 2014, it had 85 stores in eight states. It soon will boast 140 stores in 12 states. Kansas Healthcare Risk??? 4 Ways Medicaid Expansion Opponents In Kansas Might Still Sink The Deal TOPEKA, Kansas - Medicaid expansion is a done deal, right? Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Jim Denning, the second most powerful Republican in the Kansas Senate, have compromised on a plan. Together, they bring a majority of lawmakers with them. So, game over. Show-Me Bipartisan Violence Solutions After All??? Missouri Gun Violence: Republicans And Democrats See Different Paths To Solution Missouri lawmakers are still at odds on how to solve the spike in gun violence and gun deaths in St. Louis and other urban areas. On Tuesday, House Democrats held a press conference highlighting gun control legislation they believe will address the violence. Candice Shows Off Contemporary Freaky Fashion Candice Swanepoel A$$ in Vogue Japan Magazine - March 2020 Candice Swanepoel A$$ in Vogue Japan Magazine - March 2020, Candice Swanepoel, Booty, Candice Swanepoel Ass, Japan, Magazine, Vogue, Impeachment Roundup Hans von Spakovsky: Senate sets Trump impeachment trial rules -- top takeaways from Day One The first day of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump was largely taken up with procedural issues. Senators argued over and then adopted an organizing resolution laying out the rules under which the trial will proceed. China Sickness Rising Outbreak from new virus rises to 440 in China, with 9 dead BEIJING (AP) - The number of cases of a new virus has risen to 440 in China and the death toll has risen to 9, Chinese health authorities said Wednesday. Deputy Director of the National Health Commission Li Bin told reporters that the figures were current as of midnight Tuesday. Democratic Party Battle Royale Just Beginning Gabbard suing Clinton for defamation over 'Russian asset' comments Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton The Hill's Morning Report - Trump trial begins with clashes, concessions Trump on Clinton's Sanders comments: 'She's the one that people don't like' Hillary Clinton tears open wound with her attack on Sanders MORE for defamation over the former secretary of state's remarks on a podcast characterizing the Democratic presidential candidate as a Russian asset. Some People Can't Handle Political Discourse Police: Man kills pro-Trump boss after argument, puts American flag next to his body ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A worker with anti-government views fatally stabbed his Trump-supporting boss at a highway construction site and placed an American flag next to the body after they got into a political argument, deputies in Florida said Tuesday. More Chiefs Sacrilege Local shop selling Chiefs prayer candles featuring Saint Mahomes, Mother Reid and more KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chiefs fans are doing anything they can to support the team`s run at Super Bowl champs-- some even turned to prayer. At Westside Storey - there`s plenty of chiefs merchandise to choose from. Whether you`re looking for some new or vintage threads to wear Super Bowl Sunday, the shop has you covered. Local Lady Brew "It's really empowering" KC's only woman owned and operated brewery shares recipe for success Courtney Servaes is inspiring other women to go big and live their dreams Weather Right Now Accumulating snow potential continues into Friday FAIRWAY, KS (KCTV) -- A winter mix will continue for the bulk of Wednesday. Treated surfaces should remain in pretty good shape with temperatures in the mid-30s all day. Isolated slick spots, especially on bridges and overpasses and on and off ramps will be problem areas to watch into the evening drive. A quick glimpse at hottie Candice in weirdo fashion, more pop culture, community news and a few more items we found interesting . . .And this is thefor right now . . . The Trade Bank of Iraq is expected to stop processing payments to Iran if US sanction exemptions expire next month, Agence France-Presse reported Tuesday. The bank is used by Iraq to pay for Iranian gas imports that are used to power the countrys electricity grids. About a third of Iraqs electricity supply relies on Iran. Well stop. As simple as that, the head of the bank, Faisal al-Haimus, told the news agency, adding that the bank will not pay for or deal with any Iranian entity over gas or electricity. Why it matters: The statement comes amid escalating US-Iran tensions. In 2018, Washington ordered sanctions on Irans energy sector but has granted Iraq temporary waivers to continue Iranian imports over the last 15 months. US sanctions against Iran have severely impacted Iranian energy exports and stopping payments from Iraq could cause further concerns. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in December that Iran lost $200 billion from US sanctions and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this month said the countrys reliance on oil revenues needs to stop. Whats next: Earlier this month, Iraqs parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the government to expel US troops from the country. Just over 5,000 US troops are in the country to train Iraqi security forces and cooperate in battling remaining Islamic State fighters. The vote followed a US drone strike near Baghdad airport that killed Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian major general and commander of Irans Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraqs Popular Mobilization Units. In response to the vote, US President Donald Trump threatened sanctions against Iraq like theyve never seen before if American troops were forced to leave. If Iraq complies with the sanctions, it could paralyze their electricity sector, which relies heavily on Iranian imports. However, if the country ignores the sanctions after the exemption expires, they could be hit with secondary sanctions, including restricted access to crucial US accounts. Washington is considering blocking Iraqs access to a $35 billion US-based account where Baghdad holds its oil revenues, according to Agence France-Presse. This account contributes to 90% of the national budget. Know more: Read White House correspondent Laura Rozens report on Iraqi President Barham Salihs call for restraint after meeting with Trump in Davos today, and congressional correspondent Bryant Harris story on Senate Republicans support for the White Houses call for Iraq sanctions. After Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, it found itself short of military hardware. In stepped Moammar Gadhafi, and four Turkish DC-9 commercial aircraft with the seats stripped out were loaded with rockets from Libyan stockpiles of U.S.-made weaponry. He refused all payment. "I can never forget the friendship shown by Gadhafi at a very difficult time," retired Turkish diplomat Taner Baytok recalled in an interview with Hurriyet newspaper. "I describe it as a debt of gratitude." Baytok was reminiscing in 2011, the year the Libyan leader was overthrown and the country entered a new era of chaos. Now Turkey is in the ascendancy and Libya a divided, war-ravaged shell. Yet those ties are being rekindled, inflaming a region that's still nursing the wound from the defining events of almost a half century ago. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's pledge to send in troops to bolster the United Nations-backed government in Libya is upsetting the delicate balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean, as countries jostle over lucrative hydrocarbon resources in the waters around the divided island of Cyprus. A maritime agreement signed in November with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's beleaguered administration prompted Turkey to claim rights to parts of the seabed that Athens says is Greek under international law. Erdogan's assertion last week that he will start issuing exploration licences in contested waters on the basis of the new maritime boundary took tensions to new levels-risking a spiral of escalation in an already turbulent region with a history of U.S., Russian and, more recently, Chinese involvement. Erdogan says that Turkey strives to become a global energy hub and "has never sought regional tension." But regional tempers are boiling over regardless. Egypt, which holds the eastern Mediterranean's largest discovered gas reserves, warned of "repercussions" for any measures that violate Cyprus's sovereign rights over its resources and "threaten the security and stability" of the region. Cyprus, split in 1974 and its northern part only recognized as a separate state by Turkey, went further still: "Turkey is turning into a pirate state in the eastern Mediterranean," the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Cyprus has the backing of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France in its standoff with Turkey, according to a senior Cypriot government official who asked not to be named discussing relations with Ankara due to their acute political sensitivity. France, which flexed its naval muscle in the eastern Mediterranean by sending a frigate in the fall, is due to dispatch its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the region in a show of force, said the official. The Saudis are also sympathetic since they too feel threatened by Turkey's expansive ambitions, the person said. In Greece, people are discussing the activities of their eastern neighbor, an historical antagonist, on the street, at bus stops and over coffee, broadly viewing Erdogan's latest moves as just another episode in a long line of Turkish saber-rattling. While not fearing an outright war, they do see an incident involving naval ships as conceivable, with the risk of military engagement posing a threat to the economy just as the country is finally exiting a decade-long crisis. The two countries, both NATO members, came close to conflict in 1996 over a pair of uninhabited islets in the Aegean. Erdogan's recent comment that Turkey and Libya must be consulted on "any exploration activity or construction of a pipeline" in areas between the two countries-effectively carving off the entire eastern Mediterranean-also has ramifications for energy giants including Italy's Eni. The company declined to comment. The tussle for influence is the result of a power vacuum caused by U.S. disengagement from the Middle East and Africa, according to the Cypriot official, who said that all the regional players are trying to fill the space vacated. Ankara's actions in a region that lies at the nexus of Europe, Africa and the Middle East come at a time of shifting global power as the U.S. curtails its overseas engagement and Russia steps in. That dynamic provides Erdogan with an opening to resurrect Turkey's former influence in the eastern Mediterranean with a powerful new ally-Vladimir Putin. Erdogan hosted the Russian president in Istanbul on Jan. 8 to inaugurate the TurkStream pipeline, which will take natural gas from Russia to Europe via Turkey. Erdogan and Putin back opposing sides in the Libya conflict, though are now trying to broker a cease-fire and then reap the rewards. After failing to bring Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar to heel in Moscow and then Berlin, talks are due to move to Geneva. "Erdogan wants Russian support for Turkey's maritime deal, that's why he wants Putin to help him save Tripoli's government from defeat," said Grigoriy Lukyanov, a Libya expert at the Kremlin-founded Russian International Affairs Council. "Russia loses nothing if Turkey advances its interests," while any sanctions on Turkey would simply drive it closer to Moscow, he said. "It's a win-win for Russia." Turkey's alliance with Moscow is already in evidence through Erdogan's purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system in the face of U.S. and NATO protests. Yet it's now adding a new dimension to historic regional rivalries, with the EastMed pipeline project to take Israeli offshore gas to Europe-bypassing Turkey-acting as the lightning rod. Greece signed an agreement this month with Israel and Cyprus on the pipeline's construction. Turkey's Energy Strategy and Policy Research Center has dismissed the project as "incoherent" and the signing ceremony in Athens as an ineffective attempt to respond to Turkey's deal with Libya. Israel, which publicly opposed Turkey's maritime deal with Libya, is watching developments with some concern, but is not yet overly worried by Turkey's moves, according to a person familiar with the government's thinking. Turkey wants to be the corridor to carry eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe, and although Israel has been pushing for the EastMed pipeline, it's not yet proven to be economically viable, said the person, adding that Israel could always sell gas to Europe via Egyptian LNG plants. Low-level talks have been held between Israel and Turkey on restarting gas discussions, said the person, who noted that Erdogan has meanwhile said that no such deal is in the offing. Israel remains vigilant as regards Turkey all the same, said the person, asking not to be named discussing confidential contacts. In December, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to bolster its security and energy cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean, including support for EastMed. The legislation instructs the State Department to report on Russia's security, political and energy goals in the region, and authorizes the U.S. to give security assistance to Cyprus and Greece. Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, has previously accused the U.S. and NATO of building up their military presence in the region "in an openly anti-Russia manner." The state-run Cyprus New Agency on Wednesday cited a State Department official as saying that the U.S. is "deeply concerned" by reports of Turkey's drilling operations in the waters off Cyprus. Assistant Secretary of State for energy Francis Fannon plans to visit the region as the U.S. seeks to use the new discoveries to "catalyze regional cooperation," he said in emailed comments. That includes stepping up work with Cyprus, Greece and Israel "to promote stability and prosperity in the region" as well as cooperation with Egypt. He also plans to visit Turkey for the first time. "Turkey is a valued U.S. ally and we look forward to enhancing our energy cooperation," Fannon said. Those competing interests place Cyprus at the epicenter of geopolitical tensions again. The island has sought good relations with both east and west. A former British colony, it has a Royal Air Force base also used by American units. Its banks have long been a haven for Russian money, with Putin providing aid to the island during the financial crisis. Lavrov is due to visit in March, while his counterpart, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, is due some point this spring. Talks to reunify the internationally recognized Greek-speaking south and Turkish north broke down in 2017, and the island remains divided by a UN-patrolled sliver of no-man's land known as the "Green Line." The discovery of hydrocarbons in Cypriot waters had been seen as the key to unlock reunification efforts. But after the latest talks collapsed, Turkey dispatched two drilling ships to Cypriot waters, the Fatih and Yavuz-both named after Ottoman sultans-and blocked access to what it regards as its own exclusive economic zone. U.S. support is welcome but isn't assuaging regional concerns, in part because of President Donald Trump's perceived soft-pedaling on Putin and Erdogan. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised Turkey's "unacceptable" provocations in a meeting with Trump at the White House this month. History too offers an uncomfortable precedent. Back in 1974, the U.S. failed to intervene when Turkey invaded the north of Cyprus. Despite securing Cypriot neutrality in the Cold War, the Soviet Union welcomed the invasion as a destabilizing factor for NATO. Now, Russians could have similar justification to welcome any Turkish move against Cyprus. There are other parallels. As Cypriots point out, the reason for the U.S. distraction then under Richard Nixon was eerily similar to today: a president caught up in an impeachment process. - - - Bloomberg's Yaacov Benmeleh, David Wainer, Ilya Arkhipov, Stepan Kravchenko and Laura Hurst contributed to this report. Stanford virologist Jeffrey Glenn, MD, PhD, did not set out to tackle cancer. For years, he and his lab have worked to develop new ways of battling viruses like the ones that cause hepatitis delta and the common cold. But the lessons theyve learned fighting viruses have led to a new kind of drug that has been effective at treating cancer in mice. The underlying idea, Glenn said, is to disrupt otherwise normal cellular processes that both viruses and some cancer cells rely on to grow and spread. Now, tests in mice show that drugs based on that idea can shrink tumors and prevent their spread. A paper describing the findings was published Jan. 22 in Science Translational Medicine. Development of the new drug could not have happened without an unusual series of events and collaborations that spanned several academic disciplines, said Glenn, professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology. His lab developed the compounds with the assistance of Stanford ChEM-Hs Medicinal Chemistry Knowledge Center and support from ViRx@Stanford, a National Institutes of Health-sponsored Center of Excellence for Translational Research led by Glenn. Weve been working for many years on potent drugs that we had shown were important for viruses, said Glenn, who is also a member of Stanford Bio-X, the Maternal & Child Health Research Institute and ChEM-H. This is just an important target that hasnt really been appreciated in cancer, and we had the perfect drugs to get this started. An antiviral surprise Originally, when they were looking for new ways to stop viruses such as hepatitis delta, Glenn and his colleagues thought they might try a sort of end run around the virus and target cell functions that viruses hijack to replicate and spread. That way, even if a virus does infect a cell, thats more or less the end of it. Glenns approach worked. In 2015, he and colleagues at the NIH showed that the new approach prevented hepatitis delta from replicating and releasing new copies of the virus in patients. Later, they modified their strategy to attack enterovirus 71, which is best known for causing hand, foot and mouth disease but can also lead to polio-like paralysis symptoms in children. Glenn and his lab have continued to develop antiviral drugs, but their focus changed somewhat when their antiviral efforts caught the attention of Jonathan Kurie, MD, professor of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Kurie had learned that the same cellular processes Glenn and colleagues had successfully shut down was also involved in metastasis. After reading a paper describing the earliest compounds Glenn and his colleagues had developed, Kurie wrote Glenn asking for one of them. I told him we had much better molecules now, and we have known for a long time that they would also work in cancer, Glenn said, and he sent along two new compounds that he had developed with Mark Smith, PhD, a senior research scientist at Stanford who heads the Medicinal Chemistry Knowledge Center. Cancer translation The new paper found that the same drugs Glenn, Smith and colleagues were developing to treat enterovirus can also treat certain kinds of cancers, at least in mice and human cancer cells in a lab dish. In mouse studies, a drug the team tested reduced how often a human cancer implanted into the animals in one lung spread to the second lung. With another compound, there were no detectable metastases at all, and both drugs reduced the size of tumors in the first lung. Human breast cancers growing in mice also shrunk in half after just one week of treatment. The team also looked at an earlier drug developed in collaboration with Kevan Shokat, a professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology at the University of California-San Francisco, and a professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. That drug, they found, also curbed cell growth in human lung cancer cell lines. In addition, the team gained some insight into which mice might benefit the most from the new drugs. They found that mice with extra copies of a particular gene responded much better to the drugs. They hope one day to apply the same approach to humans. Now, Glenn said, My goal is to take this all the way to the clinic. The right brew Glenn said the teams success is due in part to a significant shift in the last few years in what his lab does, building on an infectious brew of researchers from a range of academic disciplines. I think thats the secret thing, having chemists physically in the lab with biologists, virologists and physician-scientists, Glenn said. Weve leveraged the special enabling environment of Stanford to create a unique group that has never existed before here or in academia. Its allowed things to happen that just wouldnt have happened otherwise. That team is also starting to think about new ways to use their drugs for example, in combination with existing therapies to make them better against drug-resistant tumors, which might be susceptible to a new approach. Weve shown a proof of concept, and I think this could be useful in many cancers, Glenn said Other Stanford co-authors are Edward Pham, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in Glenns lab and a ChEM-H physician-scientist research fellow; Kaustabh Basu, a graduate student in chemistry; and research associates Khanh Nguyen and Grace Lam. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, UCSF and the University of Texas contributed to the study. The research was supported by grants from the NIH, the Lung Cancer Research Foundation and the Department of Defense. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Unite Group plc. (UTG.L), a provider of student accommodation, announced Thursday that it has received resolution to grant planning permission for its 416-bed student accommodation development in Bristol city centre. The company will be converting the former Georgian hospital building into 62 rented residential homes. The site occupies a prime location in Bristol city centre. The deliveries are expected for the start of the 2021/22 academic year. Unite said it is in advanced discussions with the University of Bristol for a long-term nomination agreement on the scheme. The talks are part of a wider University Partnership discussion with the University of Bristol covering around 3,000 beds. 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. Travel Myanmar Lifts Tourism Restrictions in Kayah A Kayan woman. / The Irrawaddy YANGONMyanmars Ministry of Hotels and Tourism has relaxed travel restrictions for foreigners visiting Kayah State, allowing them to visit two previously restricted areas. To commemorate the 68th anniversary of Kayah State Day on Jan. 15, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism on Wednesday lifted restrictions on visiting Daw Ta Ma Gyi Village in Demoso Township and Htei Kho Village in Hpruso Township. Those villages already have community-based tourism. Previously, foreigners had to seek prior approval from authorities to visit those villages. Now, they dont need to do so, said a ministry official who asked not to be named. He said that previously, foreigners could only visit urban areas of those townships freely. He added that the Hotels and Tourism Ministry may coordinate with the Home Affairs Ministry and the state government for the security of foreign visitors, if necessary. According to the Loikaw branch of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar tourism authorities and their Thai counterparts are also involved in negotiations to establish the border between Thailands Mae Hong Son Province and Kayah States Mese Township as an international border gate. During a session of the Lower House of Parliament in December, deputy Hotels and Tourism Minister U Tin Latt said his ministry would work to develop tourist sites in Mese Township. U Aung Lin Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Tour Guide Association, told The Irrawaddy that until this week, foreigners wanting to visit the Daw Ta Ma Gyi and Htei Kho areas had to apply for a special permit at least three days in advance. Some [foreign travelers] want to visit places that are not included in travel packages. In that case, in the past, they had to seek permission and they were often rushed. Now, they can travel as freely as they wish, said U Aung Lin Tun. Those areas are mostly visited by European travelers, he added. The area primarily attracts French, German, and Italian travelers but very few Asian travelers. Nearly 100,000 local and foreign travelers have visited Kayah State annually for the past few years, according to the Loikaw branch office of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Three Myanmar Cities Win Asean Clean Tourist City Awards Myanmar to Grant Visa-On-Arrival for Six More Countries 44 Places in Myanmar to Inspire and Delight Introduce new criteria for selection of the crew and diversify the process of selection to help doctors, scientists, engineers and others to make the cut. BENGALURU: Astronauts from across the world held out a message for Isro on the parameters for selection of crew members for a journey into space: Introduce new criteria for selection of the crew and diversify the process of selection to help doctors, scientists, engineers and others to make the cut. Reason: If all crew members are combat pilots, they will think alike about solving a problem during the space odyssey but if the crew includes doctors, engineers, scientists or scuba divers, they will think in diverse ways about solving the problem. The message emerged at a discussion among astronauts from France, Germany, US, UAE and a lone cosmonaut from Russia held in Bengaluru on Thursday as part of the international symposium on Human Spaceflight & Exploration: Present Challenges & Future Trends. It was Sultan Al Neyadi of the UAE who mooted the idea of a change in the selection process of crew members. Being an engineer helped me a lot as we have the mindset to deal with equipment and communicate with colleagues who are working in different modules. I know that many people think that pilots are most favourable candidates for space flight, but though that is true, everyone provides inputs to make a successful flight, whether a doctor or an engineer, he explained at the discussion. He was backed by French astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy who said, If all the crew members are pilots, they will think the same way about a problem but if the astronauts are doctors, engineers or scientists, such a diverse combination will increase the possibility of evolving innovative solutions to the problem. Russia took the initiative to diversify the crew from pilots to engineers, but Nasa, with the Space Shuttle programme, got scientists or even scuba divers to join the crew. He said new criteria must be introduced for selection of crew for missions to Mars as the crew members will face many psychological challenges during the long journey to the Red Planet. Russian cosmonaut Dr Oleg Kotov said, I am still a physician though I served as commander of the mission, so theres no transition from a physician to a commander. On decommissioning of the Space Shuttle by Nasa in 2011, astronaut Alvin Drew said, We expected a new spacecraft sitting at the Kennedy Space Station, but it did not happen that way. We were all emotional when we got to know about decommissioning of Discovery. insights from industry Dr, Kristin Folmert Application & Academy Knauer An interview with Dr. Kristin Folmert, Application & Academy, Knauer Please give an overview of sugar analysis with HPLC-electrochemical detection. Carbohydrates such as sugars are an important class of substances for the metabolism, structural biology and energy production of cells. Therefore, they also play a central role in pharmaceutical, biological and food science. Furthermore, a progressive way of science is oriented towards the energy production in nature from sugar and tries to produce modern, green fuels from biological raw materials. With our dedicated AZURA HPAEC system we develop methods to support these important branches of science with ultra-high resolution and reliable analytics. Image credits: qoppi | Shutterstock Carbohydrates are weak acids with pKa values between 12 and 14. Consequently, they can be completely or partially ionized under basic conditions with pH >12. Due to these harsh conditions, only polymeric anion exchange columns are suitable for the carbohydrate analysis. The retention time with AZURA HPAEC is inversely correlated with pKa value and increases significantly with the molecular weight of the carbohydrate. How does electrochemical detection differ from other detection methods? What are the advantages and limitations of using electrochemical detection? The most common detection methods in liquid chromatography are UV, DAD, fluorescence and MS detection. However, most carbohydrates do not have chromophore groups and therefore cannot be detected by absorption or emission spectroscopy methods. To use one of these popular techniques a derivatization step before or after the column would be necessary. This would require special equipment and method development. Often this derivatization also worsens the resolution of the separation. MS detection, on the other hand, is very cost-intensive. In addition, the solvents used for sugar LC separation are often not easy to evaporate and thus make high-resolution detection difficult. A Refractive Index (RI) detector is an alternative to the methods mentioned, which is also very easy to use and inexpensive to purchase. However, RI detectors are non-specific in their detection and have a significantly lower sensitivity and thus worse limits of detection (LOD) compared to the other detection methods. Another alternative is detection with an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD). The ELSD is more sensitive than the RID, but still less sensitive than electrochemical detection (ECD). Method development with an ELSD is quite simple as long as the eluent is easier to evaporate than the analytes. However, for ELSD a constant, highly pure nitrogen stream is necessary, which makes the application quite costly. ECD takes advantage of the fact that carbohydrates are present in solution in a redox equilibrium. Amperometry uses this fact for highly sensitive quantitative detection. An electrolysis current is measured at a working electrode under pulsed electrochemical potential. The electrolysis current is proportional to the concentration of the oxidized/reduced analyte. Depending on the analyte, the sensitivity of ECD can be 1,000 to 5,000 times higher compared to RI detection. On the other hand, RI detection is much easier to use, does not require such long equilibration times and the measuring cell is less sensitive to changes in the method. However, the sensitive SenCell in the ECD has the advantage that its volume can be individually adapted to the analytical and up to preparative conditions of the LC method. Please give an overview of Knauers HPLC-ECD system. What features does this system offer to researchers? The AZURA HPAEC system is composed of bioinert modules that have no metal or glass surfaces in contact with the eluent to prevent the formation of interfering ions. Our carbohydrate applications were performed with an autosampler that can cool the samples and an LPG (low pressure gradient, quaternary) pump. However, the user can choose between different bioinert pumps and injection methods according to his needs. The heart of the system is the AZURA ECD 2.1 electrochemical detector. The detector can temper the measuring cell to guarantee the robustness of the method. At the same time the column can be clamped into the detector. Thus, the detector is also a column thermostat. This reduces the dead volume and prevents temperature gradients. Different flow cell types can be used, which is especially important if you want to switch between pulsed and constant amperometry as a detection method for different applications. The SenCell HyRef gold flow cell suites best for carbohydrates. The volume of this highly sensitive flow cell is very easy variable and allows the user to perfectly optimize his method. Other advantages of this flow cell are its longevity and easy cleaning, which takes only a few minutes. Here KNAUER has clear advantages towards comparable competitive systems. What makes Knauers HPLC-ECD system so sensitive to the detection and selection of oxidizable and reducible substances? First, any analyte that can be oxidized or reduced is a candidate for electrochemical detection. Classical amperometry works discontinuously: filling the reactor, measurement or titration, emptying reactor, cleaning, regenerating, next measurement and so on. That means it cant be used in combination with HPLC separation. The sugar analysis chromatography system from KNAUER uses pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) including regeneration of the electrode, required for sugar detection. Using a very small measuring cell volume, this technique enables rapid measurements in only 500 milliseconds. To realize the highest detection sensitivity, a three-electrode configuration is used consisting of a working electrode, a reference electrode and an auxiliary electrode. The auxiliary electrode is kept at precisely the same potential as the reference electrode via a voltage clamp, compensating for any polarization effects that might occur at the electrodes. Together with the extremely small cell volume of the SenCell, which can be variably adjusted between 0 to 300 nL, the AZURA ECD 2.1 is very well suited even for (U)HPLC applications. 4-step PAD potential waveform for the detection of monosaccharides and other carbohydrates. The sample detection occurs during the highlighted time period t sample . Where is carbohydrate analysis used within industry and why is it important to have known sugar levels in the products that are produced? Mono- and polysaccharides, i.e. the different classes of sugars, are extremely versatile in their properties. Due to their water solubility, they have good bioavailability and they are generally non-toxic. In the pharmaceutical industry, sugar is not only used as an active ingredient but also as a filler in tablets or as an additive in juices. In the food industry, sugars are used as a sweetener but also as a stabilizer in the form of starch. There is hardly any food that does not contain some form of sugar. Manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and food industries must provide accurate information on the nature and composition of the ingredients. For this purpose, analytical methods are important which can quantify all types of sugars very sensitively and reliable. Other substances that can also be analysed in the same mode and which are interesting for industry are for example aminoglycosides, aliphatic alcohols, amino acids and glycoproteins. Looking specifically at the food and beverage industry, how can Knauers HPLC-ECD system be used to identify different sugars, for example separating glucose, fructose and lactose? To distinguish glucose, fructose and lactose from each other is basically quite simple. The key is the right column and method. Normally ion exchange columns are used for sugar analysis. In combination with electrochemical detection, care must of course be taken to ensure that the column material is also stable in the basic state. For example, the Eurokat Na column, which is also modified with sodium hydroxide solution, is recommended here. Food quality, like physicochemical properties of foods such as sweetness, appearance, stability and texture depend on the type and concentration of the present carbohydrates. For many questions in the food industry, however, detection with an RI detector is sufficient. In some cases, for example, the EU or FDA prescribe very low limit values which must be declared and then the AZURA ECD 2.1 detector is the right choice. One of those examples is lactose in lactose-free products. The prescribed detection limit of 10 mg/100 g is thus easily reached and, with an LOD of 1.5 g/100 g, far below. This gives the manufacturer and the end user the necessary safety. Calibration curve for lactose concentrations in the range of 2.18 g/100g to 109.00 g/100 g. Why is sensitive analysis of sugars important for the pharmaceutical industry? There are numerous effective sugar-based active ingredients. For example, novel antibiotics from sugar oligomers are interesting, or when sugar is used in combination with other molecules like lipids or proteins to obtain new classes of active ingredients. For instance, glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans are particularly potent. The combination of proteins with sugars can, for example, increase bioavailability or improve metabolism. A high-resolution analytical method is particularly important for monitoring the low concentrations of active substances in the organism or for identifying metabolic products. How does the sensitive sugar analysis impact biofuel production and refining? In times of climate crisis and scarcity of raw materials, research is looking for new alternatives for green effective fuels. So far, biofuels have mostly been produced from grain or maize and are therefore in competition with food production. In addition to grass and food waste, the focus is on wood waste as an alternative raw material source for biofuel production. Regardless of the source, biomasses, rich in cellulose, are always thermally or chemically broken down and then enzymatically fermented to obtain lower or monomeric sugars. In the case of wood, the sugars fucose, rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose and mannose as well as the sugar acids galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid are produced. A quantitative evaluation of the decomposition products is crucial for the evaluation of the process in order to calculate the effectiveness of the raw material utilization. This is because the proportion of different carbohydrates is directly proportional to the bioethanol yield generated from these sugars in the next step. In addition to the reliability of the analytical method for the investigation of wood sugars with electrochemical detection, which we describe in an application (https://www.knauer.net/en/sensitive-and-selective-analysis-of-wood-sugars-and-uronic-acids-for-biofuel-research-with-electrochemical-detection/a24748), the use of aqueous eluents also speaks for the use in this very ecological field of research. Chromatogram of a standard mixture containing 0.1 mg/mL fucose (1), rhamnose (2), arabinose (3), galactose (4), glucose (5), xylose (6), mannose (7), galacturonic acid (8) and glucuronic acid (9). And a zoom into the peaks for the uronic acids. What is the future of HPLC-ECD and carbohydrate analysis systems from KNAUER? At the moment we are testing different column types to increase the variety of methods for our AZURA HPAEC system. We are also exploring new fields of application. Glutamates, cortisones or polyphenol-based additives, for example, would be interesting for the food industry. For the pharmaceutical industry, for example, aminoglycosides are an interesting topic for antibiotics research that can be addressed well with electrochemical detection. Where can readers find more information? For example, we have set up a Q&A section on our homepage where users can find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the methods, amperometry and the system (https://www.knauer.net/en/Support/FAQ/Detection?utm_source=DNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DNL109_2019-12#ECD). For the system and the carbohydrate topic was also dedicated a separate page where you can read a bit more about it (https://www.knauer.net/en/Food-Analysis/HPLC_ECD_Saccharides_Applications). And of course, we have several application notes on our homepage about sugar analysis with different kinds of detectors and of course with electrochemical detection (https://www.knauer.net/en/Applications/applications-start). About Dr. Kristin Folmert Dr. Kristin Folmert studied chemistry at the Freie Universitat Berlin and received her Master of Science in 2012. She then completed her dissertation at the FU Berlin until 2017 with the focus on the analysis of aggregating peptides and photoresponsive molecules. Since 2018 she has been working for KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH in the Applications and Academy Department. Her tasks include HPLC method development, feasibility studies and regular representation of KNAUER at trade fairs and conferences. She is also very active as a trainer at the Knauer Academy. Palantir Technologies co-founder and CEO Alex Karp said Thursday the core problem in Silicon Valley is the attitude among tech executives that they want to be separate from United States regulation. "You cannot create an island called Palo Alto Island," said Karp, who suggested tech leaders would rather govern themselves. "What Silicon Valley really wants is the canton of Palo Alto. We have the United States of America, not the 'United States of Canton,' one of which is Palo Alto. That must change." "We'd rather be regulated as a foreign island than be a part of the United States proper," he told Andrew Ross Sorkin from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Government oversight has become a renewed topic in Silicon Valley this month, after Apple refused to provide a "backdoor" to password-protected iPhones used by the shooting suspect who killed three people in December at the Pensacola Naval Air Station before being fatally shot. Attorney General William Barr said last week the tech company failed to provide "substantive assistance," a claim that Apple denied. Apple said it provided law enforcement with the suspect's iCloud data. President Donald Trump on Wednesday stepped up his pressure over the refusal, telling CNBC that he's "very strong on it." The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested a software developer Ghulam Mustafa from Jharkhand in illegal ticketing racket which has links to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Dubai with suspected involvement in terror financing. While his wife has denied the accusations and has demanded an investigation, the RPF suspects his involvement in money laundering and terror financing case. The accused is being interrogated. ELMWOOD TWP, MI -- A 53-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly punched his 20-year-old daughter in the face three times and stabbed a man who was visiting the woman. The Leelanu County Sheriffs Offices says the 23-year-old man who was stabbed suffered a collapsed lung after being stabbed in the back. The stabbing victim was transported to Munson Hospital, but his condition was not released. The woman was treated at the scene for injuries to her face. Police were called to a home on Lucille Street Wednesday at approximately 5:43 p.m. for a reported assault and stabbing. When officers arrived they found the female victim on the scene, however the suspect had fled on foot. The suspect was eventually found hiding in a nearby shed where he was then arrested and taken to the Leelanu County Jail on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and domestic assault. Police determined the 23-year-old man from Traverse City was visiting the woman at the home when the father became upset and punched her. When the 23-year-old intervened, he was then allegedly stabbed by the suspect. The stabbing then fled the scene and was taken to the hospital by a friend. The identities of the victims and the suspect have not been released by police. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has agreed to pay an Ohio man $5,000 after the man alleged he was severely injured during a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally two years ago in Virginia attended by Duke, according to attorneys and court documents. Bill Burke, of Athens, Ohio, says he was struck by a car driven by James Alex Fields Jr. in a crash that killed counterprotester Heather Heyer during the August 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Burkes physical injuries still require medical treatment and may be permanent, and he has experienced severe psychological and emotional suffering, according to Burkes May 2019 federal lawsuit. The lawsuit names multiple defendants, including Fields and Duke. Burke on Tuesday accepted an offer of judgment from Duke for $5,000, according to court records and Dukes attorney. The judgment is a step in the right direction for those who refuse to be silenced or intimidated by white supremacy, said Michael Fradin, representing Burke. Kyle Bristow, a lawyer representing Duke, noted that Duke categorically and vigorously denied the allegations in the lawsuit. I merely attended a rally to defend the heritage and rights of European-Americans, Duke said in a statement provided by Bristow. I have always been dedicated to non-violence and human rights, and I condemn violence. The Unite the Right rally on Aug. 12, 2017, drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. In December 2018, Fields was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Heyer and multiple charges for injuries caused to others in the car attack. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years. He is appealing his convictions. Fields, of Maumee, Ohio, already is serving life sentences after accepting a plea agreement in a separate federal hate crimes case. Forget breakfast at Tiffanys, its all about afternoon tea as Europes first Tiffany Blue Box Cafe is due to open in Harrods, London this February. Located on the lower ground floor of the Knightsbridge store, the cafes interior decor mirrors that found in the Blue Box Cafe in the Tiffany flagship store on New Yorks Fifth Avenue. Tiffanys iconic shade of blue features throughout the cafe, while guests can dine surrounded by jewels. The menu is described as a refined and playful take on contemporary cuisine, with set breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner menus available. Items offered include an all-butter croissant with a choice of truffle eggs Florentine, smoked salmon and caviar for breakfast; chocolate cake with a golden Tiffanys signature; and The Blue Box Celebration Cake. The afternoon tea, meanwhile, includes finger sandwiches with a luxury twist, freshly-baked scones and a selection of patisserie inspired by Tiffanys heritage. I had the pleasure of creating the concepts we wanted to bring to life within the menu. We took steering from what Tiffanys had originally done in New York, used that as a starting point for our development and had the pleasure of emulating our own ideas onto that canvas, said Markus Bohr, executive head pastry chef at Harrods. The Big Apple is my absolute favourite item on the menu. We started out with the idea of a homage to the most eponymous of American classics, the apple pie. I had an epiphany of creating a red apple and building it from the inside out, with all the parts that ordinarily comprise an apple pie, and I am so proud that we were able to bring it to life. Andy Cook, executive head chef at Harrods, added that the menu showcased the skillset of talented chefs within the business as everything is made in-house. One item that brings an interesting and playful twist to a classic dish is our savoury Parmesan Madeleine, which is served warm alongside a serving of sour cream disguised in a caviar tin, he said. Cook also highlighted the twist on the classic New York salmon bagel. Harrods version features a toasted bagel served with Faroe Island cured and smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, grated lemon zest, freshly picked dill with thinly sliced onion. A school bus collided with a cluster bus on Thursday morning in west Delhi's Naraina area, leaving seven students and a teacher injured, an official said. Police said students and teacher suffered minor injuries on their hands, legs and face in the incident. According to the Fire Department, it received a call at 7.10 am regarding the accident. The seven students, who were injured in the collision, were rushed to nearby Mehta Hospital and Kapoor Nursing Home with the help of locals, the official said. The injured students have been identified as Vishant (16), Vansh (17), Vishank (7), Aryan (16), Shooksham (16), Tanya (17) and Mhul (16). Tulsi, a teacher, also received injuries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eighteenth Chinese city locked down to contain virus as countries worldwide take action to prevent global pandemic. China has locked down 18 cities at the hub of a new coronavirus outbreak that has killed 41 people and infected at least 1,300, as health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a global pandemic. The lockdowns on new cities affect more than 56 million people. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged that the respiratory illness is an emergency in China, but said it was too early to declare it a global one. Health officials fear the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad during week-long holidays for the Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday. Friday, January 24 This blog is now closed. You can find the latest updates here. Regional airline cancels flights to and from Wuhan AirAsia, one of the leading regional airlines in Asia, cancelled on Friday all flights to and from the city of Wuhan, following the Chinese governments decision to put the city under lockdown. The move is meant to assist in controlling the current Wuhan novel coronavirus outbreak situation and comply with Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) requirements, the airline said in a statement. According to Reuters, at least 10 cities around Wuhan have also been placed on lockdown, as the government attempts to stop the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, Shanghai Disneyland also announced that it was temporarily suspending operations over concerns of the virus. China confirms 830 coronavirus cases, with 26 deaths The number of cases of patients infected with the new coronavirus as of January 23 has gone up to 830, while the death toll from the virus has risen to 26, the National Health Commission announced on Friday. The virus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei late last year and has spread to other Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the United States, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. Earlier on Friday, Japan confirmed a second case of coronavirus. Meanwhile, another city near Wuhan halted transport on Friday and closed its river bridge as the country escalates efforts to contain the disease. Huangshi city in Hubei province announced that transport routes and a ferry terminal were shut down starting at 0200 GMT on Friday. In all, at least 10 cities have already been ordered on lockdown. Singapore PM: Wuhan virus does not appear to be as deadly as SARS Singapores prime minister said on Friday that the city-state was well prepared to tackle the Wuhan coronavirus, adding that it did not appear to be as deadly as the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic. On Thursday, Singapore confirmed its first case of the coronavirus strain, which originated in China, and said another case has preliminarily tested positive. Singapore suffered 33 deaths due to SARS, making it one of the worst-hit countries outside China. We are well prepared because we have been gearing up for such a situation ever since we dealt with SARS in 2003, Lee Hsien Loong said in an annual Chinese New Year speech. MOH (Ministry of Health) has now activated plans to counter the spread of the virus, which so far does not appear to be as deadly as SARS was. Japan, South Korea confirm new cases of Wuhan virus Japan has confirmed its second case of infection by the new coronavirus from China, the health ministry said on Friday. The infection was confirmed in a man in his 40s who lives in Wuhan the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak and travelled to Japan, the health ministry said in a statement. The man, who arrived in Japan on Sunday, is currently hospitalised, the ministry said. South Korea also confirmed on Friday the second case of coronavirus that originated from China, according to the countrys Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Thursday, January 23 Gilead assessing Ebola drug as possible coronavirus treatment Gilead Sciences Inc said it was assessing whether its experimental Ebola treatment could be used to treat coronavirus infection. Gilead is in active discussions with researchers and clinicians in the United States and China regarding the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus outbreak and the potential use of Remdesivir as an investigational treatment, a company spokesman said in an emailed statement. The company said there was no antiviral data on the drug that showed activity against the coronavirus that was identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. But testing in animals had shown that the drug was effective against the SARS coronavirus. WHO decides coronavirus not yet global emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) says a viral illness in China that has sickened hundreds of people is not yet a global health emergency. The United Nations health agency announced the decision after independent experts spent two days assessing information about the spread of the newly identified coronavirus. WHO defines a global emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. Chinas Hebei province confirms first death outside epicentre Chinas Hebei provincial health authority said a patient infected with the new coronavirus has died, marking the first confirmed death outside Hubei province where the outbreak began. The Health Commission of Hebei Province said in a statement that the patient, 80, died on Wednesday but was not confirmed to have been infected with the virus until Thursday. The death toll from the outbreak now stands at 18. Four more cities in Chinas Hubei province impose travel bans Chinas Huanggang, Xiantao and Ezhou cities have joined Wuhan in shutting down railway stations and suspending long-distance buses as well as ferry services, according to statements on the cities websites and state media. Playgrounds in Xiantao have been closed, as have markets with live birds and entertainment venues. The smaller city of Chibi said public transport and connections to other places would be suspended from midnight (16:00 GMT). China allocates one billion yuan ($145m) to Hubei province Chinas Finance Ministry said it was allocating one billion yuan ($145m) in funding to the Hubei provincial government to help with efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Hubei has been the region hardest-hit by the outbreak, which began in the provinces capital, Wuhan. Hong Kong confirms two cases of coronavirus Hong Kong confirmed two cases of the coronavirus and was tracing the potential people who have had close contact with the patients. Acting Chief Executive Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said in a news conference that the Centre for Health Protection was investigating the matter. He also said schools have been advised to postpone any trips to the mainland, where the infectious disease was first reported. US warns travellers to exercise increased caution in China The US State Department warned travellers to exercise increased caution in China due to the coronavirus outbreak. BREAKING: U.S. issues travel warning for China amid coronavirus outbreak and raises travel advisory level from 'exercise increased caution' to 'reconsider travel' https://t.co/lSEXgEWjO7 CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) January 23, 2020 Singapore confirms first case of Wuhan virus Singapore confirmed its first case the new coronavirus with the Ministry of Health (MOH) saying the patient was a 66-year-old man from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with his family on Monday. He was immediately isolated after arriving at a hospital with a fever and a cough, and test results later confirmed he was infected with the coronavirus. One of his travelling companions, a 37-year-old man from Wuhan, has also been admitted to hospital as a suspected case. Vietnam confirms two cases of coronavirus Two Chinese nationals in Vietnam have tested positive for the coronavirus and are being treated in hospital, officials said. A Chinese man living in Ho Chi Minh City was infected by his father who travelled to Vietnam on January 13 from the Chinese city of Wuhan. The father was hospitalised on January 17 with a high fever, days before his son showed symptoms, health officials said. Wuhan to build designated hospital to treat coronavirus patients The Chinese city of Wuhan, the core of a new coronavirus outbreak, will build a dedicated hospital to treat patients, which it aims to complete in six days, state media outlet Beijing News reported. It cited an unnamed source at the construction company that will build it. Wuhan residents react to quarantine Wuhan residents called for help and shared worries of food shortages, with streets in the virus-hit central Chinese city deserted after it was put on lockdown. 200122194509687 Planes and trains out of the city were cancelled with public transport suspended and residents ordered not to leave in a bid to control the spread of the disease. I try my best to stay home and only come out to buy the necessary goods when needed, a man surnamed Sun told AFP news agency from a small supermarket, which already had a few empty shelves. Wuhan is sealed off trends on social media The search term Wuhan is sealed off had been read more than 1.2 billion times on Chinas Twitter-like Weibo platform with about 376,000 discussion posts. One writer, a 26-year-old surnamed Mao, said: I have not gone out of the house for around two days. He said last time he went out, surgical masks were selling for a higher-than-normal price of $7 each. After he bought some, the person behind him in the queue bought the remaining stock in the shop. Wuhan health facilities overrun In an interview with the Peoples Daily, the Wuhan Health Commission said there were long queues at fever treatment centres, as well as a tight situation in terms of beds available. It said seven hospitals were being fully utilised with 3,000 beds set aside to treat suspected and confirmed cases. The Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University issued an appeal for donations of masks and protective clothing to alumni. WHO to decide whether to declare global health emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) said it will decide whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency, which would step up the international response. If it does so, it will be the sixth international public health emergency to be declared in the last decade. The lockdown of 11 million people is unprecedented in public health history, so it is certainly not a recommendation the WHO has made, said Gauden Galea, the WHOs representative in Beijing, of the quarantine of two major Chinese cities. .@WHO Director-General @DrTedros is reconvening the Emergency Committee later today to continue deliberations on whether #nCoV2019 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern and recommendations to manage it. World Health Organization Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) January 23, 2020 UK screening China flights for coronavirus British public health officials have been carrying out enhanced screening of flights following the spread of the deadly new virus in China, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock confirmed. Speaking in Parliament, Hancock said there were no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United Kingdom so far. However, in response to the viruss spread in other countries, the UKs chief medical officer revised the risk to the population in the UK from very low to low, with Hancock saying that while there was an increased likelihood that cases of coronavirus may arise, we are well-prepared and well-equipped to deal with them. Epidemic response group starts work on three possible virus vaccines Three separate research teams will start work on developing potential vaccines against the new coronavirus that is causing a disease epidemic in China, a global coalition set up to fight diseases said. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which is cofunding the emergency projects, said the plan was to have at least one potential vaccine in clinical trials by June. Our aspiration with these technologies is to bring a new pathogen from gene sequence to clinical testing in 16 weeks, said Richard Hatchett, CEPIs chief executive. There are no guarantees of success, but we hope this work could provide a significant and important step forward in developing a vaccine for this disease. Qatar advises against unnecessary travel to affected cities Qatars Ministry of Public Health issued national guidelines for dealing with new cases of coronavirus, alerting all hospitals in the country to report any suspected respiratory infections, especially in travellers returning from the affected countries within 14 days of their arrival. The National Committee for Epidemiology approved the application of thermal examination at Hamad International Airport to all travellers coming from China. The ministry also advised against unnecessary travel to avoid cities where the virus is present in China, to avoid close contact with animals in the affected areas and not to mix closely with people who show symptoms of respiratory infections, while continuing to wash hands with soap and water. Beijing cancels New Year events to curb virus spread Chinas capital city, Beijing, cancelled important public events including two well-known Lunar New Year temple fairs, the state-run Beijing News said, as authorities try to curb the spread of a deadly coronavirus outbreak. Separately, the countrys railway operator, China State Railway Group, said passengers would be able to receive full refunds on tickets nationwide starting on Friday. Jack Van Impe, a televangelist who reached a wide audience interpreting current events through apocalyptic passages of the Bible and prophesying the end of the world, died on Saturday at a hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. He was 88. His death was announced by his organization, Jack Van Impe Ministries International, which did not specify a cause. He had been hospitalized after a fall this month, his longtime consultant E. Dale Berkey said. Mr. Van Impe (pronounced IMP-ee) often pronounced the imminent return of Jesus Christ and mingled discussion of Bible passages with the news of the day on his weekly television program, Jack Van Impe Presents. The program aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, through cable and satellite, for more than two decades and was said to have reached about 25,000 cities. He was something of a pioneer televangelist, someone who was utterly confident about his esoteric interpretations of biblical prophecies, Dr. Randall Balmer, professor of religion at Dartmouth College, said by phone. The New York Police Department are operating a new forensics lab to try and hack into smartphones to collect evidence from a persons texts messages, GPS data, and voicemail transcripts and more. The lab cost roughly $10 million and is located in the Lewis J. Lefkowitz Building in lower Manhattan, across the street from the county Supreme Court. It features a radiofrequency isolation chamber, which prevents any incoming or outgoing signals from reaching the phone, ensuring it can't be remotely accessed or wiped. The NYPD spent $10million on a special forensics lab in lower Manhattan where experts try to crack into smartphones to get around end-to-end encryption and gather evidence from a person's text messages, GPS data, voicemails and more The NYPD says that at any given time, there are around 3,000 smartphones in the lab that police havent been able to crack. Because both Apple and Google rely on end-to-end encryption for their smartphones, the only way to gain full access to a phones contents is to unlock the physical device. New York District Attoney Cyrus Vance says this has become a major obstacle for police conducting investigations. You entrust us with this responsibility to protect the public, he told Fast Company. At the same time, [Apple and Google] have taken away one of our best sources of information. Just because they say so. When the lab gets a new phone, the staff connect them to one of a number of computer stations that generate passcodes to try and get past the lock screen. The NYPD forensics lab is located in the Lewis J. Lefkowitz Building (pictured above) in lower Manhattan, across from the county Supreme Court WHAT IS END-TO-END ENCRYPTION? End-to-end encryption ensures only the two participants of a chat can read messages, and no one in between not even the company that owns the service. End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data being read or secretly modified when it is in transit between the two parties. The cryptographic keys needed to access the service are automatically provided only to the two people in each conversation. In decrypted form, messages are accessible by a third party which makes them interceptable by governments for law enforcement reasons. Facebook-owned WhatsApp is already encrypted, and now Mark Zuckerberg is looking to do the same with Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. Advertisement After six failed attempts, iPhones will disable the function for one minute, which limits the police to 360 attempts per hour, or 8,640 per day. Even though the correct passcode cold be randomly generated in a second or less, it would still take up to 115 days to input all the options. According to Vance, the number of locked phones coming into the lab have steadily risen, from 52 percent in 2014, to 82 percent today, but only half of those will ever be unlocked. In the past, Apple has been willing to provide data from iCloud accounts, but has generally refused to help law enforcement access the devices themselves, which it began encrypting in 2014 with the release of iOS 8. Even if we are lucky enough to get into the cloud or even if we're lucky enough to get some of the metadata, we're still missing an awful lot of important information that's critical to the investigation, Steve Moran, director of the High Technology Analysis Unit, said. Some worry that the data collection will only lead to more prosecutions, but Moran says the cracked phones can sometimes get people out of charges too. New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance (pictured above) has been an outspoken critic of Apple's end-to-end encryption policy, saying 'they have taken away one of our best sources of information. Just because they say so.' He points to 16 cases where evidence found on a locked phone was used to dismiss a case. Earlier this month, Apple confirmed it had abandoned a plan to expand its encryption services to iCloud accounts after the FBI complained. The company has said it remains committed to using end-to-end encryption for its smartphones and tablets. Serbia's Ruling Party Sends Controversial Election Bill To Parliament By RFE/RL's Balkan Service January 22, 2020 BELGRADE -- The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has submitted a controversial bill to parliament that would reduce the electoral threshold for parties from 5 to 3 percent. The SNS says the proposal would allow a better representation of the citizens in parliament while only being detrimental to the governing party. However, European lawmakers and observers have warned that lowering the threshold -- only four months before Serbia holds parliamentary election and without consensus among all parties -- raises questions about the fairness of the electoral process. Defending the project on January 22, Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic, who is also an SNS leader, said the party "is the only one that will suffer because of the lower threshold." "But our decision was to allow the citizens to return to parliament," Mihajlovic said in a statement. The reform was initiated by President Aleksandar Vucic, who also leads the SNS. He told local media on January 12 that the change would "bring life back to parliament." Tanja Fajon and Vladimir Bilcik, the members of the European Parliament's delegation in an inter-party dialogue aimed at preventing an election boycott by the opposition, have said the matter was not discussed during the talks last autumn. Bilcik told RFE/RL that lowering the electoral threshold was legally possible, but warned that changes of election rules ahead of the vote would put into question the fairness of the electoral process. In an interview with the Belgrade daily Blic, Fajon said that introducing "radical changes" at this time would be a "very dangerous tactic." She said that if late changes were necessary, it should be an agreement among the participants in the elections. Rasa Nedeljkov of the Center for Research, Transparency, and Accountability, a nongovernmental organization that participated in the inter-party dialogue, said that "in theory, in legal terms, a lower electoral threshold benefits the smaller parties, not the big ones." But he said the timing for the proposed change indicated that the SNS did not really want to democratically improve the electoral and media environment ahead of the parliamentary vote but to improve its legitimacy. "The change of rules comes at a time when most of the opposition is boycotting the elections. There is no genuine intention to democratically improve the procedures, this is just a calculative gesture by the ruling coalition to satisfy its own interests," according to Nedeljkov. The SNS, without its coalition partners, holds 92 seats in the 250-member parliament. Most opposition lawmakers have been boycotting the legislature for about a year, saying their right to be heard had not been respected. A 3 percent threshold would not have changed the composition of the current parliament that was elected in 2016. All those parties that were denied a seat failed to win at least 3 percent of the vote. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-ruling- party-sends-controversial-election- bill-to-parliament/30391825.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address [January 23, 2020] Emergency Savings Solution Now Available to All Workers Who Participate in a MassMutual Retirement Savings Plan As many American workers struggle to cover emergency expenses, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is offering an emergency savings solution to every worker who participates in one of the insurer's 401(k)s or other defined contribution plans. The emergency savings solution is being made available to 2.6 million plus retirement plan savers for which MassMutual is their plan's administrator or recordkeeper. These funds are administered by Millennium Trust Company, LLC, which is a leading provider of specialized retirement services for institutions, small businesses and individuals, and MassMutual's provider for automatic IRA rollovers. Millennium Trust created this emergency savings fund product to give retirement providers a way to offer plan participants access to an easy and automatic way to save for unexpected expenses. "MassMutual's research shows that three out of four American workers lack enough savings to cover at least six months of expenses in case of an emergency. One in four workers has less than a months' savings or no savings1," said Paul Lapiana, Head of Product for MassMutual. "The lack of emergency savings often prevents people from saving enough for retirement." To combat that problem, MassMutual is making the emergency savings solution available automatically through MassMutual's MapMyFinances financial wellness tool, which helps workers prioritize their personal finances and employee benefits based on their family needs and budget. Emergency savings is a common priority given many people's lack of savings, according to Lapiana. The accounts require a minimum deposit of $25 per month, are FDIC-insured, taxable and through Millennium Trust's cash account sweep program earn a competitive market rate of return. The maximum amount workers can accumulate in their emergency account is $250,000. "Americans need to save for retirement, but also for unexpected expenses that could potentially derail their retirement strategy," said Erik Beck, Chief Growth Officer at Millennium Trust. "That's why we created this platform-to provide individuals with an easy and automatic way to save for emergencies. This will help protect Americans' retirement nest egg should emergencies arise, and will help them achieve greater financial wellness." By helping workers better manage financial emergencies and other short-term financial needs, MassMutual aims to enable them to achieve greater financial security. Once workers have their shorter-term financial needs under control, Lapiana said, they are better able to focus on longer-term financial goals such as retirement. "If you are worried about how to pay a hospital emergency room bill, an unexpected car repair or other sudden financial need, it's hard to picture living securely in retirement," Lapiana said. "Relieving workers of their short-term financial worries over time enables them to focus and ultimately realize their longer-term financial goals." Employers are also recognizing the need to address workers' financial wellness issues, according to Lapiana. Financial stress can sometimes intrude upon the workday and productivity, he said. The 2019 MassMutua Workplace Financial Wellness Study2 finds that 79% of employers say their workers are struggling financially. Although employer estimates vary about how many employees are plagued with financial problems, half of employers (51%) estimate that at least 25% or more of their workers struggle financially and 15% of employers say at least half of their workers are plagued by financial woes, the study finds. Proof points for employees' financial struggles include managers' conversations with employees, employees' lack of participation in retirement plans, working second jobs, taking loans from retirement plans, asking for paycheck advances and other indicators. The most prevalent employee financial problems cited by employers include credit card or other consumer debt, day-to-day expenses for housing and childcare, the inability to save and prepare for retirement, a lack of emergency savings, and high medical costs, according to the study. Money worries accompany many Americans to work. Four in 10 (40 percent) middle-income workers - those with household incomes of between $35,000 and $150,000 - say they worry about money at least once a week while at work, according to the 2017 MassMutual Middle America Financial Security Study3. Half (51 percent) of Americans who are less affluent - those earning less than $45,000 - reported bringing their financial concerns to work at least once a week and 20 percent said daily. "The availability of emergency savings through the workplace is one more way employers and their employees are working together to address the problem of financial wellness," Lapiana said. "It's also one more way that MassMutual is working to accomplish its goal of helping all Americans achieve financial security." About MassMutual MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. MassMutual offers a wide range of financial products and services, including life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, annuities, retirement plans and other employee benefits. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com. About Millennium Trust Company Millennium Trust Company is a leading provider of specialized retirement and institutional custody services with more than 1.3 million accounts holding over $27 billion in assets. We are committed to the evolving needs of individuals, employers, advisors and retirement services partners and empower clients with trusted expertise, exceptional service and access to a wide range of solutions. Whether clients are managing corporate retirement assets, running a business or wanting choice beyond traditional asset options, we provide flexible and digital solutions to support our clients' success. Millennium Trust Company performs the duties of a directed custodian, and as such does not provide due diligence to third parties on prospective investments, platforms, sponsors or service providers and does not sell investments or provide investment, legal, or tax advice. For more information about Millennium Trust Company, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 1State of the American Family Study, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), August 2018, https://www.massmutual.com/about-us/news-and-press-releases/press-releases/2018/08/was-it-only-just-a-dream-1-out-of-3-americans-believe-the-american-dream-could-be-disappearing 22019 MassMutual Workplace Financial Wellness Study, https://retire.massmutual.com/retire/pdffolder/rs47968.pdf 32017 MassMutual Middle America Financial Security Study, https://www.massmutual.com/~/media/files/MM-Financial-Security-Study-GEN-POP-617 RS-48343-00 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005420/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to debate with him on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from three countries of India's neighbourhood- Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Addressing a gathering in Madurai, the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said: "Amit Shah invites everyone to debate about CAA. Is he ready to debate with me? The AIADMK government should raise voice against CAA. The implementation of the NPR and NRC would be against the Muslims. You have my support for the entire struggle against CAA." Besides Owaisi, Thirumurugan Gandhi and Velmurugan were also present. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Tuesday attended a BJP party event in Lucknow where he said that the Opposition is spreading rumours about the CAA. "I have come to you for a Jan Jagaran Abhiyan in Lucknow. Our government is hardly 8 months old but we are conducting this campaign to dispell the falsities being spread by the opposition against CAA. I challenge Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav to engage in a debate on CAA," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Flower pots with many varieties of flowers have been arranged on the sides of several streets like Hoang Van Thu, Dinh Tien Hoang or Tran Khat Chan. The work of decorating Hanoi streets finished Wednesday, January 22, the last working day of the lunar year. Authorities are yet to confirm whether debris found off Moreton Island is from a light plane that went missing with two people on board. A mayday call was made about 4.30pm Tuesday before the aircraft dropped off the radar during a scenic flight over the island from Caloundra. The flight path of a rescue helicopter involved in the search off Moreton Island on Thursday morning. Credit:Flight Radar 24 The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said debris was found floating in the water southeast of Cape Moreton overnight during the extensive search, though authorities were yet to confirm its origin. The search was suspended around midnight because of rough seas and storms. Recent tragedies on Everest have exposed growing resentment felt by some Sherpas towards foreign climbers and the foreign companies profiting from the mountain. One source of dispute has been Sherpa concern that some climbers are not fit enough to cope with the altitude. Now Cambridge historian Lachlan Fleetwood has found evidence of closely-related friction going back to the early 1800s. In an article published in Itinerario, he shows that attitude sickness undermined British imperial expectations that white bodies would outperform those of their new Himalayan subjects. Having studied dozens of rare journals, letters and reports written by British surveyors, explorers and travellers, Fleetwood shows how this fuelled distrust between British travellers and Himalayan peoples in some of their first encounters with an expansionist British India. He also reveals that both Europeans and locals exploited uncertainty about altitude sickness for personal gain. Today, the causes, symptoms and treatment of altitude sickness are common knowledge but in the early nineteenth century, this invisible force was poorly understood. Recent scientific research has shown that Sherpas, an ethnic group from the mountain regions of Nepal, have evolved to become particularly efficient at producing energy even when oxygen is scarce. Fleetwood, a historian of science and empire, explains: "The British struggled with two competing aims - they wanted to describe their physical trials to secure heroic authority at home. But in doing so, they didn't want to upset racial hierarchies by suggesting that white bodies suffered more than Asian ones." This tension is palpable in the writing of the Bengal infantryman Alexander Gerard. In the 1820s, he described how he and his brother James overtook their Himalayan porters and "had infinite trouble in getting them to go on". But he then admitted: "we could not have walked much faster ourselves, for we felt a fulness in the head, and experienced a general debility." Even more telling, while ascending towards the frontier with Tibet, Alexander wrote: "we were so completely exhausted at first, that we rested every hundred yards; & had we not been ashamed before so many people, some of whom we got to accompany us after much entreaty, we should certainly have turned back." This striking admission of shame appears in an unpublished report to the East India Company and in a published version of the same incident, a remarkable additional sentence was inserted: "we observed the thermometer every minute almost, in order to show the people we were doing something." Fleetwood says of this: "It's fascinating to picture these brothers pretending to do Western science to mask their physical shortcomings. This is a far cry from the popular image of heroic Victorian explorers." "The narrative shifted in the late nineteenth century so that Sherpas came to be valorised as heroic in their own right. This involved a growing acceptance that their bodies are better adapted to high altitude. But recent events on Everest show that comparisons of physical performance remain a major source of tension." Much of Fleetwood's evidence comes from East India Company employees, especially Bengal infantryman seconded to surveys in the mountains. In the late eighteenth century, travelling to very high altitudes was something largely new for European travellers and then as today, their progress in the Himalaya relied on extensive pre-existing routes and co-opting Himalayan people (especially Bhotiya, Tartar, Wakhi, and Lepcha) to show them the correct paths, carry their supplies, and take on significant risk. This forced British travellers to compare their physical performance with that of the indigenous population. Nineteenth-century attempts to conceal vulnerability to altitude sickness could be embarrassingly unconvincing. After reaching the Bamsaru Pass, the Scottish artist James Baillie Fraser remarked: "It was ludicrous to see those who had laughed at others yielding, some to lassitude, and others to sickness, yet endeavouring to conceal it from the rest. I believe I held out longer than any one; yet after passing this gorge every few paces of ascent seemed an insuperable labour, and even in passing along the most level places my knees trembled under me." Measuring pulses and rates of breathing added a new dimension to the 'politics of comparison', as European travellers tried to make sense of wildly differing symptoms. While in the Pamirs, the naval officer and surveyor John Wood took the pulses of everyone in his party and noted with surprise that his was the slowest. Fleetwood is skeptical about this data and Wood admitted that his comparisons were not entirely fair, not least because the men had been carrying different loads. While Fleetwood's focus is on the behaviour of Europeans, he suggests that guides and porters may have attempted to exploit the uncertainty around altitude using the idea of a poisonous plant to resist unpleasant and perilous labour. Himalayan people often told European travellers that their suffering was caused by Bis-ki-huwa, or simply the Bis, which was translated as 'Wind of Poison'. Most European observers dismissed the idea mainly because the plant rarely appeared where altitude sickness was felt. From the 1850s, scientific knowledge about altitude sickness significantly improved thanks to more systematic scientific studies of respiratory physiology, but European travellers continued to play down their vulnerability. ### Reference: Lachlan Fleetwood, Bodies in High Places: Exploration, Altitude Sickness, and the Problem of Bodily Comparison in the Himalaya, 1800-1850. Itinerario (December 2019), pp. 489-515. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0165115319000573 Sexual minorities deserve to serve in military The Army's decision, Wednesday, to discharge the country's first transgender soldier against her will is creating a stir. This is another symbolic incident showing where the South Korean military stands in terms of protecting the rights of sexual minorities. Officially, the military still says it does not discriminate against these people, but it is true that it has maintained a rigid legal system to justify discrimination. In the case of Byun Hee-soo, a 22-year-old staff sergeant belonging to the 5th Armored Brigade, a medical officer classified Byun as a "mentally and physically disabled" person, and the Army used this report in justifying its decision. Byun voluntarily enlisted as a man in 2017 and had gender reassignment surgery during leave in November last year. On Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission recommended that the Army delay making any decision on whether to discharge her until the commission had completed its own examination of her case. However, the Army ignored this and decided to discharge her. What is notable is that Byun's colleagues were aware of her sexual orientation and backed her decision to get a surgery. She also clearly stated that she would undergo gender reassignment surgery when she applied for leave. All this suggests that the Army only needed an excuse to discharge her. But we respect Byun's decision to live as a woman and to continue to serve the nation as a female soldier. Byun said she will file a lawsuit to undo the Army's decision and regain her status as a soldier. It was also not an easy decision for her to show herself in public. During an emotional press conference, Wednesday, Byun, in uniform, called for the military to treat sexual minorities equally. "I understand that our military is not yet ready to embrace transgender soldiers like me. But I hope that all sexual minorities will be able to carry out their military duties without discrimination," she said. "I want to be an example. I want to make that happen." She said she has performed well as an armored vehicle driver and that she wanted to keep doing that job, adding her performance will not change although her gender has changed. "Please give me a chance to defend the nation as a Korean national." The Army said in a statement that the decision to discharge Byun was lawful, being based on the results of a medical examination. It said it will make efforts to protect human rights of service members and to prevent any undue discrimination in barracks. Few will believe this. The military has prosecuted more gay soldiers in recent years, using rules that justify punishment against those found to have engaged in "indecent" acts, regardless of being consensual acts or occurring while soldiers were off duty. It would have been equally controversial if the military allowed Byun to serve as a female soldier. We understand that. But the fact is, there has been systemic discrimination against sexual minorities in the military and that the military has been two-faced in dealing with the problem. It should change, and the first step toward change is acknowledgment that a soldier's sexual orientation is not relevant to his or her ability to serve. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Israel today. The trip will take one day instead of two due to the renewal of the government. Nevertheless, Putin will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has retained his post in the Cabinet, and representatives of several other ministries. The visit's main event is participation in the 'Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism' forum, which will bring together leaders and senior representatives of more than 40 countries. The forum will also be attended by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Prince of Wales Charles. As for the bilateral agenda, senior research fellow at Department for Israel and the Jewish Communities studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Maryasis said that relations between the two states are multifaceted: "Through tactical interaction in the framework of the Syrian conflict, we know that there are information exchanges and cooperation at the level of special services and at various other levels. Not without failures, of course, not without problems, but this cooperation is underway. And the Russian language's advantage is very important here, because its precisely the Russian-speaking representatives of the Israel Defense Forces and other relevant services who coordinate relations with Russian representatives, in particular in Syria. This facilitates understanding, helps to avoid ambiguity, difficulty in the conversion." "Trade and economic cooperation has stabilized at a certain level. They will discuss this either, but I think that one of the main topics of the meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu will be Naama Issachar, an Israeli woman who flew from India to Tel - Aviv via Russia a year ago, and 10 grams of hashish were found in her luggage. Recently, she was sentenced to 7 years. It is currently being discussed whether she will be pardoned or not. The Israelis took this situation negatively, because for the first time in the modern history of Russian-Israeli relations, a simple girl became a "hostage" of political games, as they believe. They take any problem with an Israeli citizen abroad very hard and try to influence the situation very actively, both at the public level and at the political level. If Naama Issachar is pardoned, this will make the visit even positive," Maryasis believes. Yesterday it became known that Putin will meet with Naama's mother Jaffa Issachar and Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also take part in the conversation. At the same time, Moscow does not reconcile the issue of pardoning Issakhar and returning the historical Russian Compound in Jerusalem to Russia. Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL launched the first diesel-electric submarine built in Indonesia on April 11, 2019, in Surabaya. The Alugoro (405) is the third of the Nagapasa-class submarine (also known as the DSME 1400 design or Improved Chang Bogo-class) for the Indonesian Navy. Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL launched the first diesel-electric submarine built in Indonesia on April 11, 2019, in Surabaya. The Alugoro (405) is the third of the Nagapasa-class submarine (also known as the DSME 1400 design or Improved Chang Bogo-class) for the Indonesian Navy. The Alugoro (405) is the third of the Nagapasa-class submarine (Picture source: DSME picture) Alugoro (405) is a submarine of the Indonesian Navy. She is part of the improved Chang Bogo class, also known as the Nagapasa class. The vessel was assembled by PT PAL and was launched in April 2019, with plans for it to be commissioned sometime in 2019. She is the first submarine to be assembled in Indonesia. The diesel-electric Alugoro has a length of 61.2 metres (201 ft) with a beam of 6.25 metres (20.5 ft) and a hull draught of 5.5 metres (18 ft). She has a peak speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h) when submerged and 11 knots (20 km/h) surfaced. The vessel is powered by 4 MTU 12V 493 diesel generators. Submarines of the Nagapasa class also possess ZOKA acoustic torpedo countermeasures manufactured by Turkish company Aselsan. The ship was ordered on 21 December 2011 as part of a US$ 1.07 billion contract between Indonesia and South Korea to provide three submarines, with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering being awarded the contract. As part of the deal, two of the submarines (Nagapasa and Ardadedali) were constructed in South Korea, while the third one was constructed in PT PAL's shipyard in Surabaya as part of a technology transfer program. Alugoro was the first submarine to be assembled and launched in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. She was launched at PT PAL's dockyard in Semarang on 11 April 2019 and is scheduled to be commissioned sometime in 2019. The name Alugoro - originating from a weapon name in wayang tradition - was previously assigned to a Whiskey-class submarine built by the Soviet Union which was used during the 1962 Operation Trikora. Sanders has often said that he is not in the business of disparaging his rivals in a personal way, preferring instead to draw contrasts over policy. As he put it on the campaign trail in New Hampshire last weekend, Should we be engaged in ugly personal attacks against each other? I think not. He added, Why do you run for office if you dont talk about your vision and your record? Lebanons new cabinet met for the first time on Wednesday, but the country's tenacious protest movement hasn't seemed to lose momentum. With the countrys security forces now accused of using excessive violence against demonstrators, including the misuse of teargas and rubber bullets, FRANCE 24 took an inside look at their increasingly tough tactics. Human rights observers have been accusing security forces of the misuse of rubber bullets and tear gas, as some are being fired at close range or targeting delicate parts of protesters bodies, causing many injuries at the Beirut protests. It took emergency personnel 56 stitches to reconstruct Jean-Georges Prince's lip and chin after he was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by riot police while protesting outside Lebanon's parliament on Saturday. "I heard the first shot and I saw a guy fall to the floor next to me, then I took my hand off my face and realised it was extremely bloody, he told FRANCE 24s Leila Molana-Allen. A friend of mine was behind me, he looked at my face and he looked horrified. I'm a boxer, so I'm used to taking punches to the face. I never felt anything like that. It literally pushed me back three or four steps. You never expect to get shot in the face, you know," he added. International guidelines say rubber bullets should only be shot at the lower body, and weapons experts recommend a minimum distance of 40 meters. Prince says the policeman who shot him was only 4-5m away. He wasn't the only one wounded: over 500 protesters were hospitalised with injuries from rubber bullets and tear gas canisters over the weekend. Several lost an eye. Tear gas canisters are fired from a launcher at an angle meant to allow the contents to disperse into the air. But shoot them directly at a crowd, and the impact can cause serious injury. It's the misuse of these instruments, as well as rubber bullets, that human rights observers say caused so many injuries at the Beirut protests. "There's an absurdity to it, that's the only word, when you're getting this kind of reaction from the people who are supposed to guarantee your safety", Prince says. Click on the player above to watch our special report Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is updated on the steps being taken to control the coronavirus at the National Incident Room of the Department of Health in Canberra, Australia, on Jan. 22, 2020. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NSW Investigating Possible Case of Coronavirus Health officials in New South Wales are investigating if a person has contracted the deadly 2019-nCoV, a coronavirus originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, just hours after a flight arrived from the city into Sydney. In a press conference on Jan. 22, New South Wales Chief Health Officer Dr. Kerry Chant said authorities are currently investigating one potential case of the virus and that doctors will soon know if they are infected or have something minor such as a common cold. We have one case that is currently under investigation. We are able to rapidly undertake testing of cases that come to our attention and either exclude or confirm those cases in a very short time frame, Chant said. Whilst we are announcing today we have one case under investigation, that number will obviously change, it may change by the time I go back to the office, and so that number will be a revolving number. Chant added that authorities will provide regular updates on confirmed cases of the virus but did not elaborate on the age or location of the individual currently being examined. She also noted that it is currently the flu season in China which may be the reason why travelers returning from the country are suffering from a cough and fever. China Eastern flight MU749 was the last one to leave the city of Wuhan before it was placed on lockdown this week, with outbound trains and planes temporarily shut down. All public transport services have also been suspended in the city which has a population of 11 million, as authorities attempt to contain the virus. Scores of people in China have been infected with the deadly disease. It has since spread to at least four other countries in Asia which are Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. On Jan. 21, a man who had recently returned from Wuhan to Washington state in the United States was confirmed to have contracted the virus. On Jan. 21, NSW Health announced that it would be screening passengers arriving from Wuhan into Sydney airport in a bid to help contain the virus. Dr. Jeremy McAnulty, Director of Health Protection at NSW Health, said advice is being provided to travelers who may have already returned to NSW from Wuhan as it can take up to two weeks for symptoms of the virus to develop. Symptoms of the virus include a fever with respiratory symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath, McAnulty said. There is no need for alarm, but people should be aware of the emerging situation and if they develop symptoms on returning from affected areas overseas, they should call ahead before seeing their GP. This virus does not appear to spread easily between people, but anyone with symptoms should practice simple hygiene by covering their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow and washing their hands thoroughly. Health workers in NSW public hospitals as well as community-based GPs have also been issued precautionary advice to help them identify and apply infection control measures for any cases of the infection. What Is Coronavirus? Health experts have been comparing the Wuhan virus with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), all belonging to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses. It is believed to have originated from animals before spreading to humans, but health experts do not yet know which animal may have caused the current outbreak in Wuhan. What we know is it causes pneumonia and then doesnt respond to antibiotic treatment, which is not surprising, but then in terms of mortality, SARS kills 10 percent of the individuals, Leo Poon, a virologist at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, told CNN. Symptoms of the virus include sickness, runny nose, cough, sore throat, and sometimes a headache which may last for a few days. It is usually accompanied by an upper respiratory tract illness and can be more severe in older people. [January 23, 2020] Bluebird Network Completes Fiber Expansion in Springfield, MO Bluebird Network LLC, a Midwest telecommunications company, today announces the completion of its fiber expansion and investment in Springfield, MO. This expansion interconnects major business areas in Springfield to the Bluebird Underground Data Center - also located in Springfield, and to its 9,300-plus-mile fiber network throughout the Midwest. The expansion gives Springfield businesses expanded options for their internet and networking needs with new competitive solutions. This 61-mile fiber expansion continues the momentum that began in late 2014 when Bluebird purchased Springfield's only colocation data center from City Utilities. That momentum will be further reinforced with a currently planned fiber buildout in Strafford, MO, followed by upcoming projects occurring throughout the Midwest over the next few years. These expansions also supplement Bluebird's recent Midwest fiber acquisitions in Illinois. Bluebird Underground customers also benefit from this announcement with the ability to leverage fiber connections to hosted cloud service providers such as AWS, Google, Microsoft (News - Alert), Oracle and IBM. "Bluebird Network is proud to provide cutting-edge Ethernet and internet connectivity to businesses in Springfield that span the healthcare industry, governmental agencies, fnancial institutions, wireless providers and other businesses within the community," said Michael Morey, President and CEO of Bluebird Network. "Our agility and reach have enabled us to rapidly respond and deploy new fiber services and products as we continue our expansion in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and surrounding states. The fiber build in Springfield is here, it is complete, and Bluebird is ready to deploy services!" Bluebird is dedicated to increasing its fiber routes and expanding its reach into new and underserved areas. The company's advanced network capabilities provide speeds up to 100 gigabytes through a variety of different services, including Dedicated Internet Access, Virtual LAN and Wide Area Networking capabilities. To learn more about Bluebird Network, please visit www.bluebirdnetwork.com. About Bluebird Network Since 1999, Bluebird Network, headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, has provided internet and fiber transport services to Carriers and Enterprises in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa and the surrounding states. In 2014, an underground data center was acquired, adding the Bluebird Underground Data Center facility to the Bluebird suite of services. Bluebird now has over 9,300 fiber route miles of high-speed broadband and fiber-optic connections with over 151 Points of Presence (POP) sites spanning the Midwest, including the major cities of Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield (MO and IL), Tulsa, Peoria, Rockford, Bloomington, Normal and the Quad Cities. To learn more, please visit Bluebirdnetwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005647/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Supreme Court has expressed that it will likely rule in favor of allowing religious schools to receive public funding from the state coffers. According to NBC News, the court's conservative appointees indicated that they would consider loosening restrictions on the separation between church and state in order to allow faith-based schools to receive taxpayer dollars. The case surrounds a Montana program that provides tax credits for individuals who donate money to organizations that offer cash scholarships to students. When an organization called Blue Sky identified the program as an incentive-led way for educational institutions to raise money, several religious schools also signed up to the initiative. However, soon after the program launched, the state passed a constitutional amendment that prevented taxpayer aid from being directed to religious institutions, citing a portion of the Montana constitution which prohibits "any direct or indirect appropriation or payment ... to aid any church, school ... controlled in whole or in part by any church." The Montana Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the scholarship program was in violation of the state constitution and struck down the law completely, meaning that neither secular nor religious schools could benefit. Now, the Supreme Court justices are questioning the state-level decision to ensure that it doesnt discriminate. "What if the state said you can use scholarship funds for private schools, but not for Jewish or Protestant schools? Wouldn't that be discrimination?" asked Justice Brett Kavanaugh at Wednesdays courtroom argument. Though the decision is likely to go the way of Montana being required to include religious schools in the program, there is still a possibility that Chief Justice John Roberts will dissent. In court, Roberts hinted that the parents who brought the original case might not have attained the correct legal standing to do so. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Brian P. Irwin Will Maule is a British journalist who has spent the past several years working as a digital news editor. Since earning a degree in international relations and politics, Will has developed a particular interest in covering ethical issues, human rights and global religious persecution. Will's work has been featured in various outlets including The Spectator, Faithwire, CBN News, Spiked, The Federalist and Christian Headlines. Follow him on Twitter at @WillAMaule. The ancient Samaria ostraca -- eighth-century BCE ink-on-clay inscriptions unearthed at the beginning of the 20th century in Samaria, the capital of the biblical kingdom of Israel -- are among the earliest collections of ancient Hebrew writings ever discovered. But despite a century of research, major aspects of the ostraca remain in dispute, including their precise geographical origins -- either Samaria or its outlying villages -- and the number of scribes involved in their composition. A new Tel Aviv University (TAU) study finds that just two writers were involved in composing 31 of the more than 100 inscriptions and that the writers were contemporaneous, indicating that the inscriptions were written in the city of Samaria itself. Research for the study was conducted by Ph.D. candidate Shira Faigenbaum-Golovin, Dr. Arie Shaus, Dr. Barak Sober and Prof. Eli Turkel, all of TAU's School of Mathematical Sciences; Prof. Eli Piasetzky of TAU's School of Physics; and Prof. Israel Finkelstein, Jacob M. Alkow Professor of the Archaeology of Israel in the Bronze and Iron Ages, of TAU's Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology. The study was published in PLOS ONE on January 22, 2020. The inscriptions list repetitive shipment details of wine and oil supplies to Samaria and span a minimal period of seven years. For archaeologists, they also provide critical insights into the logistical infrastructure of the kingdom of Israel. The inscriptions feature the date of composition (year of a given monarch), commodity type (oil, wine), name of a person, name of a clan and name of a village near the capital. Based on letter-shape considerations, the ostraca have been dated to the first half of the eighth century BCE, possibly during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. "If only two scribes wrote the examined Samaria texts contemporaneously and both were located in Samaria rather than in the countryside, this would indicate a palace bureaucracy at the peak of the kingdom of Israel's prosperity," Prof. Finkelstein explains. "Our results, accompanied by other pieces of evidence, seem also to indicate a limited dispersion of literacy in Israel in the early eighth century BCE," Prof. Piasetzky says. "Our interdisciplinary team harnessed a novel algorithm, consisting of image processing and newly developed machine learning techniques, to conclude that two writers wrote the 31 examined texts, with a confidence interval of 95%," said Dr. Sober, now a member of Duke University's mathematics department. "The innovative technique can be used in other cases, both in the Land of Israel and beyond. Our innovative tool enables handwriting comparison and can establish the number of authors in a given corpus," adds Faigenbaum-Golovin. The new research follows up from the findings of the group's 2016 study, which indicated widespread literacy in the kingdom of Judah a century and a half to two centuries later, circa 600 BCE. For that study, the group developed a novel algorithm with which they estimated the minimal number of writers involved in composing ostraca unearthed at the desert fortress of Arad. That investigation concluded that at least six writers composed the 18 inscriptions that were examined. "It seems that during these two centuries that passed between the composition of the Samaria and the Arad corpora, there was an increase in literacy rates within the population of the Hebrew kingdoms," Dr. Shaus says. "Our previous research paved the way for the current study. We enhanced our previously developed methodology, which sought the minimum number of writers, and introduced new statistical tools to establish a maximum likelihood estimate for the number of hands in a corpus." Next, the researchers intend to use their methodology to study other corpora of inscriptions from various periods and locations. What do a piece of Blue Pottery from Jaipur, a mural of the 2nd century BC Ajanta Caves, and a fresco on the wall of the Martyrs Memorial Auditorium in the sleepy town of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh have in common with the Preamble of the Indian Constitution? The fine arts faculty of an art school in West Bengal. In December 1946, as a newly-formed Constituent Assembly began its task of deliberating over the shape the Constitution must take, in West Bengals famous Viswa Bharati school at Santiniketan, a group of artists led by Nandalal Bose and which included his protege, Rammanohar Sinha as well as Kripal Singh Shekhawat , was giving shape to another kind of vision. Within a few years, their artistic vision would find its way into the Indian Constitution, turning the legal document into an artifact of immense historic and artistic value. Under his tutelage, Boses students went on to illuminate the pages of the Constitution with scenes from the countrys history dating back to the Harappan civilisation; Sinha,who is credited for making the rich border around the Preamble, went on to create frescoes in a memorial in his birthplace. And Shekhawat, who also contributed to the art in the Constitution, went on to revive Blue Pottery in Jaipur. Look closely and the blossoming twines that surround the text of the Preamble can be seen making their way up the slender neck of many pottery pieces sold in the city even today. What did the students of Kala Bhavan, set up by Bose in Viswa Bharati, help make? Each of the 22 chapters of the Constitution is headed by an illustration, and some of the pages are encapsulated by ornate borders. These include the famous Harappa-Mohenjodaro seal of a bull, a scene from a gurukul (students sit cross-legged as around them, birds and animals sit in equal repose, and in the foreground, a teacher performs a prayer around a fire), a peacock holding a flower in its beak for a meditating Buddha; Emperor Asoka; Emperor Akbar; Portraits of Rani Laxmibai and Tipu Sultan; Mahatma Gandhi brokering peace in the communally sensitive Noakhali; and a proud-looking Subhas Chandra Bose and members of the Indian National Army. What explains such a catholic collection of images? To understand the art in the Constitution is to understand an important slice of both modern Indian art and modern Indias histories. The year 1922 was an eventful one. The Non-Cooperation movement launched by MK Gandhi had come to an abrupt end after a group of men set fire to a police station in Chauri Chaura in what is now Uttar Pradesh. For Gandhi, the Khilafat movement, that began in 1919 and a non-violent Non Cooperation movement, which he called a year later, were both significant; both signalled a rise in the political consciousness of Indians. Nandalal Bose, then a 40-year old artist, was invited to set up Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan. Already deeply influenced by Abanindranath Tagore, Bose came to be associated with the Bengal School. Simply put, the proponents of the school looked to ancient murals (such as those in Ajanta caves), temple sculptures, and Mughal miniatures to develop an artistic idiom, eschewing the dominant classical one, inflected with Western and European influences (think Raja Ravi Varma, or even Company Painters), prevalent at the time. However, it is important to remember that while this was clearly a response to the growing fervour of nationalism, the Bengal school cast its net far and wide to construct its own idiom, including for instance, the Japanese wash technique, which many, including Bose, became masters at. This was no narrow nationalist art, but an expansive, catholic range, which we see reflected in the Constitutions art, too. The Kala Bhavan ethos comes through in the collaborative nature of the chelas (apprentices) working with their ustaad. Master Moshai, as Nandalal was known to his students, embodied and carried on very much with the tradition of the gurukul set up by Rabindranath Tagore. Nandalal joined Santiniketan where he was under the guidance of Abanindranath Tagore, and his exposure to a variety of art styles Oriental (Japanese) as well as Western developed to create one of the most extraordinary forces of an Indian aesthetic of modernism, said Naman Ahuja, the dean of the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and independent curator. The Constitution was also hand-written. Calligrapher Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena) wrote the text in both, Hindi and English reportedly, over six months. It is said that he did not take a single rupee for this work. All 284 members of the Constituent Assembly signed the Constitution two days before it was adopted on January 26, 1950. The process of making this document was thus laborious: The pages which had illustrations were painted and then passed on to the calligrapher, Ahuja said. The calligraphy was done on pages that were given to be framed in the hashia-style borders in the traditional way, as used to be the case with Mughal and Sultanate manuscripts. This division of work and its sequencing, going from calligrapher to framer, allowed ateliers to work independently and also ensured that if there was a mistake in the calligraphy, the entire illumination of the page would not have to be redone, he added. And while two original hand-written copies were made, 1000 photolithographed versions were printed in Survey of Indias Dehradun press in 1955. It is unknown how many of those still survive, but the originals are preserved by Parliament, while a replica sits encased in a helium-filled container in the library of the Parliament. It serves as a reminder of not just the work that went in to make this important historical document, but also how vital it is to preserve this piece of art. Search continues for three missing Costa Maya fishermen Xcalak, Q.R. State authorities say the search will continue for three area fishermen who went missing Monday during the first day of the Cold Front that caused strong wind gusts and sea swells. The search for the three was initially called off by the Navy after two days of searching failed to locate the missing men. The families were told they would have to raise approximately 18,000 peso to pay for an aircraft to provide flyovers along the Belize border, which is where the trio may have drifted. Adrian Martinez Ortega of la Coordinacion Estatal de Proteccion Civil (COEPROC) said they, along with other federal agencies, would support those who are out looking for the men. Estatal de Proteccion Civil has provided boat fuel, food and water to local fishermen who are helping in the search. Participating in the on-going rescue operation are the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the Andres Quintana Roo Cooperative of local fishermen, Capitania de Puerto de Xcalak, COEPROC and the Secretary of the Navy who will provide helicopter flyovers. The Coast Guard of Belize is also helping to locate the missing men. Cristian Enrique Valencia Cab, Francisco Arturo Cordero and Luis Angel Clara Miravette, the three missing men, set out Monday in their fishing vessel Maria Eloida, but failed to reach their destination of Banco Chinchorro. Officials say that due to the strong currents, it is possible they were dragged into international waters. In providing this resource we are accomplishing two important goals. First, we are delivering tremendous educational support to help our Agents achieve more success and second, we are delivering greater service levels to our countrys past, present and future service men and women, says Rick Haase United Real Estate, one of the fastest growing national real estate organizations, today announced its partnership with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage. The partnership allows United agents to become VA certified in VA lending practices and deepens United Real Estates quest to provide service excellence to service men and women across the Nation. In providing this resource to our Agents we are accomplishing two of our important goals. First, we are delivering tremendous educational support which will help our Agents achieve more success in their individual real estate practices and second, we are delivering greater levels of service to our countrys past, present and future service men and women, says Rick Haase, President of United Real Estate. We couldnt be more excited to partner with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage in this effort. They are truly knowledge leaders in the VA lending space, added Haase. Starting in 2020, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 will change the dynamics of the VA lending opportunities for Active Duty, Retired, Veteran, Reserve/National Guard military members by removing the maximum loan limits and extending zero-down buying power. Currently, the VA loan limit ranges from $484,350 up to $726,525 in high balance counties. This rule effectively gives the eligible borrower unlimited buying power with no down payment requirement. The new rule also allows for an Active Duty service member who is a recipient of a purple heart to have his or her VA funding fee waived. Mutual of Omaha Mortgage is so pleased at the VAs changes which will enable more of our cherished veterans to purchase their dream homes, expressed Jeff Gennarelli, President of Mutual of Omaha Mortgage. We are also very excited to play a small part in helping United Real Estate achieve their goals. In a short time, we have learned the many cultural similarities between our two phenomenal brands and anticipate a long mutually beneficial relationship. Real estate agents interested in participating in the VA agent certification program or career opportunities with United Real Estate can visit JoinUnitedRealEstate.com or call 877-201-7640. To learn more about United Real Estate, brokerage succession planning, brokerage valuation and sale or franchising opportunities, visit GrowWithUnited.com or call 877-201-7640. A Closer Look at United Real Estate United Real Estate a division of the United Real Estate Group was founded with the purpose of offering solutions to the challenges facing agents in the residential real estate brokerage industry. Providing the latest training, marketing and technology tools to both agents and brokers under a 100-percent commission strategy, United Real Estate makes it more profitable for an agent to sell real estate and for real estate brokers to leverage a complete system to better grow a successful, thriving real estate brokerage. Named as a "frontrunner" in the real estate industry in 2013, "part of the next generation of real estate brokers" in 2014 by the Swanepoel TRENDS Report, as well as being listed in the "Power 200 Most Influential" from 2015-2019 by Swanepoel Power 200. United Real Estate has more than 85 offices and over 4,900 agents. Through a worldwide franchise solution, United continues to rapidly expand and was named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies in 2015-2019, Entrepreneur 2018 Franchise 500 - Ranked in Top 100 New Franchises, Top Franchises and Top Brands. Driven by an unwavering commitment to giving back, a pillar of United's core values and guiding principles, United Real Estate is proud to support and partner with Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, as United's charity of choice. Flash Russia with its vast territory, huge population, multiple religions and a large number of ethnic groups needs a strong president, and is not ready to switch to a parliamentary system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "In order to make a parliamentary republic run effectively, it is necessary that the political structure develops for a long time," Putin said at a meeting with the public in the western Russian city of Lipetsk. He said that in Russia, no party has many years of experience, while in Europe, some parties have existed for centuries. It is hard to say whether political parties can survive without their leaders, as they are used to maintaining strong connections with their leaders, Putin said. He also recalled that Western experts claim that parliamentarism is experiencing a crisis as well. They are thinking about how to revive it, to give it a new quality, as well as how to make their parliamentary systems more efficient. In some countries, despite the existence of a political infrastructure in the form of stable political parties, they cannot form a government for six months, which could lead to a disaster if something like this happened in Russia, Putin said. Buckingham Palace dismissed suggestions that Prince Charles deliberately ignored US Vice President Mike Pence at a Holocaust memorial ceremony in Jerusalem on Thursday, saying the two had a "warm and friendly chat" before event. A video, which was circulating widely on social media, shows the prince chatting with various dignitaries at the ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem. Charles, 71, then approaches Pence, briefly looks at him, but moves on without shaking the US vice president's hand and greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Shortly before the Yad Vashem memorial event began, the prince and Vice President Pence had a warm and friendly chat, which is why they did not greet each other again in the room," said a statement from the office of the Prince of Wales said. In his address to the ceremony, where more than 40 heads of state and government were marking 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, Prince Charles warned that "the lessons of the Holocaust are still relevant to this day". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WESTPORT Despite the possibility the fill pile at Barons South may consist of naturally occurring traces of arsenic, the town wants more testing done at the property. We have sort of an arsenic belt that goes from Maine, New Hampshire and through Connecticut, said environmental consultant Darby Hittle, of Thunderbird Environmental, during a special Board of Selectmen meeting Wednesday. So its difficult for environmental professionals with a limited data set to determine if the presence of elevated arsenic has a naturally occurring background. SIGN UP here to get daily Westport News and alerts on breaking news Concerns for the pile arose after one sample from the excavated earth near the Westport Center for Senior Activities tested at 13 milligrams per kilogram 3 milligrams above the Residential and Industrial/Commercial Direct Exposure criteria. One sample later tested at 17.5 milligrams, while other samples tested as low as 8 milligrams. Unfortunately, the contaminants that are in the pile at the senior center are very common throughout Connecticut, Hittle said, adding DEEP provides guidelines to reuse polluted soil. Hittle outlined options for the BOS that included relocating the contaminated soil to a facility in New Jersey for a cost of $225,000 to $500,000, moving the fill to a site by the Greens Farms train station, or covering it in its current location. While Hittle recommended the town make a risk analysis in any decision made, he noted the data suggests the arsenic is naturally occurring. The property is also not under any regulatory programs overseen by DEEP. The DEEP, in my opinion, would not have the appetite to get involved with a site like this, Hittle said. Though the BOS pushed for further testing and a professional to do a health risk assessment, the meeting got testy when residents voiced concerns of the fills use. Westport resident Morley Boyd cited an email chain from June 2018 between town officials discussing moving the soil off site. The emails, which he obtained through a Freedom of Information request, show an exchange between Parks and Recreation Department Director Jennifer Fava and operations manager Dan DeVito about using the fill for a berm in the Soundview parking lot. Thats a public parking lot adjacent to a residence and across the street from a playground, Boyd said, adding he took pictures of soil at the Soundview lot that appeared to be from the Barons South property. A reasonable assumption is that Parks and Recreation did what they said they were going to do, and put it where they said they were going to put it, he said. However, Public Works Director Pete Ratkiewich said the emails did not support Boyds position, noting there had been other conversations about using the soil at Longshore before Fava explicitly stated the fill would not be used. I maintain this is hearsay, Ratkiewich said. Theres no confirmation in the email chain that it actually happened. Representative Town Meeting member Sal Liccione, however, said he was disturbed by what he heard and requested all of the soil at Barons South be tested. Something has to be done about this, Liccione said. But Lou Mall, another RTM member, defended town officials and agreed the fill did not pose a danger. This is not hazardous, contaminated, immediate, or a health hazard to anyone, Mall said, claiming town employees were being harassed through FOI requests. I think the public needs to find out how our employees are being treated. RTM member Kristin Schneeman said further testing and judment from a health risk assessor could help determine what best to do with the pile. Testing that soil on the rest of the property is really important, she said. Ratkiewich will report back to the BOS with remediation estimates in six to eight weeks, following further soil tests. Id like to conclude with this problem isnt anyones fault, Ratkiewich said. Its inherent to the soil that we inherited. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Evans Vestal Ward/NBCUniversalRosario Dawson appears to be making an official jump from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the DC Extended Universe. According to Variety, Dawson has been cast as the lead in the upcoming HBO Max pilot DMZ. As previously noted, Ava DuVernay is already on board to direct and Roberto Patino will serve as showrunner. The potential series, based on the DC comic books of the same name, is described as an American Civil War drama set in the future. The series will follow Alma Ortego, a New York medic played by Dawson who, in addition to saving lives in the war-torn city, is desperately searching for her lost son. She eventually becomes an unlikely source of hope in America. This is the latest project for Dawson, who is also set to star in the Sam Esmail-produced USA Network anthology series Briarpatch next month. Production on DMZ is expected to start soon. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. A woman is facing public backlash after telling a group of fellow bus riders to speak English in Western Massachusetts. In a series of videos posted on Twitter, a woman is seen shouting at passengers on a bus in Amherst after being called out for saying, When they come to America it would be nice if they spoke English. Editors note: The video contains profanity. A racist white woman on a bus in Amherst, Ma., attacked a couple foreign college kids for speaking their language. Another passenger saw this, stood up to this, & put her in place. Also, she said she wants to go viral so let's help her out. pic.twitter.com/hK5XP5jcU5 Kerry (@KerrrryC) January 22, 2020 The woman in the video hasnt been identified but was frustrated that she didnt understand the language the people were speaking. UMass spokesperson Mary Dettloffs team were aware of the video when it was posted a month ago in December. We have no report from any of our students regarding this event, which took place in Amherst on or around Dec. 23, Dettloff said. At least two other passengers that overheard the womans comments got involved by pointing out that not only is the young man able to speak in any language he chooses in public, but also, that the United States doesnt have an official language. An argument broke out after the woman took offense that others had joined in the discussion. So, you get to harass me, said the woman. I was talking to them and all of a sudden, you chimed in. The hypocrisy wasnt lost on the passengers that leapt to the defense of the students. See how this works, said the passenger. If you chime in on someone elses conversation then you have to expect it. After a brief pause, the women starts to complain that there are no working-class bus systems anymore and that the buses cater to students. The onlookers chuckle and tell her that the video is, going viral. I dont care if it goes viral, she said. I want it to go viral. Thank you, sir. Soon after a police officer shows up and boards the bus. An officer asked the women to exit the bus so they can speak. Shortly after, in the third video posted showing the exchange, the officer boards the bus again and asks to see identification from bus riders. MNS President Raj Thackeray (File Photo) On the political fringes since the past over 13 years of its existence, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has consciously turned into a new leaf with a new flag, symbol, ideological direction and a new future leader, here on Thursday. MNS President Raj Thackeray unveiled the party's new flag in a rich saffron hue with the symbol of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Royal Seal as its symbol, at the party's first mega-convention held at NSE Grounds, Goregaon. The party also turned right with the garlanded pictures of Vinayak Damodar alias Veer Savarkar along with his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray, Savitribai Phule and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, marking the 94th anniversary of Raj Thackeray's uncle and founder-patriarch of Shiv Sena, the late Balasaheb Thackeray. The Royal Seal (translated from Sanskrit) reads: Ever-Increasing Like The Crescent Moon, The Kingdom Of Shivaji, The Son Of Shahaji, Will always seek the welfare of the people Barely had the new flag started fluttering in the sunny, mildly cool winter breeze, a storm of protests erupted from the Sambhaji Brigade, Maratha Kranti Morcha and others who called upon Raj Thackeray to refrain from exploiting the Royal Seal for political purposes. While Sambhaji Brigade lodged a complaint with the Pune Police, the Maratha Kranti Morcha has threatened to drag the MNS to court on the issue. On the momentous occasion, Raj Thackeray formally anointed his son, Amit Thackeray as a 'Leader' of MNS, paving the way for another member of the state's numero uno Thackeray clan's gen-next to enter politics. A new controversy erupted as senior MNS leaders also proclaimed Raj Thackeray as the new 'Hindu Hridaysamrat' (Emperor of Hindu Hearts), a term usually reserved for his uncle and Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray. The development came amid changed political permutations and combinations after the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress joined hands to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray's estranged cousin. Hitting back, senior Sena leader Anil Parab and others said that only the late Balasaheb Thackeray is the 'Hindu Hridaysamrat' and nobody else can claim his 'illustrious legacy', but declined to comment if his nephew Raj Thackeray was attempting to 'hijack' the title. Trump impeachment trial: Democrats make 'abuse of power' case originally appeared on abcnews.go.com -House managers make 2nd day of arguments at Senate impeachment trial -Lead manager Adam Schiff: Focus on first article alleging 'abuse of power' -President Trump's constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz argues a president cannot be impeached for 'abuse of power' -Schumer says a Trump acquittal will have 'zero value' if no witnesses -Graham compliments Schiff on presentation of House case, but asks 'will it stand up? -Nadler: Trump 'puts President Nixon to shame' in abusing power -Trump legal team concerned Saturday arguments will get buried, may request time change As the Senate trial of President Donald Trump resumed Thursday afternoon, lead House manager Adam Schiff argued the law and the Constitution, applied to the facts, support the article of impeachment that accuses him of "abuse of power." On Wednesday, after laying out the timeline of Trump's pressure campaign against Ukraine, including withholding military aid to get Ukraine to announce an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, Schiff argued that the president violated the Constitution. PHOTO: Adam Schiff speaks on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 22, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) Alan Dershowitz, the former Harvard Law School professor who is playing a role on Trump's defense team, is expected to argue, as he's been doing on TV, that a sitting president cannot be impeached for abuse of power as Democrats charge. PHOTO: Alan Dershowitz appears on 'The View,' May 2, 2019. (ABC News, FILE) Also on Wednesday, the first of three days of opening arguments, Democrats flatly dismissed the notion of offering Joe or Hunter Biden as witnesses in exchange for Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton. "That trade is not on the table," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. MORE: Democrats make their case against Trump: 3 things to know about the Senate trial As Thursday's session opened, Chief Justice John Roberts announced that Democrats had 16 hours and 42 minutes left to use over two days before the president's legal team takes the Senate floor on Saturday to begin 24 hours of opening arguments over three days. Story continues MORE: Senate impeachment trial: Democrats make their case against Trump The ABC News team of correspondents and producers is covering every aspect of the story. This is how the day is unfolding. Please refresh for updates. 10:43 p.m. Final statements of the day In his final statements for the day, Rep. Adam Schiff wrapped up arguments by pointing senators back to the transcript of the Zelenskiy-Trump July 25 phone call, asking senators to view the transcript in the context of the information they'd been listening to all day. Schiff ended on an impassioned note, telling senators that Trump's actions demonstrate that he cannot be trusted to act in the best interest of the country, and telling them that they must remove Trump if they find he is guilty of the actions he's accused of. Schiff used the end of his time to argue against the narrative that Republicans seem to be getting ready to argue. He asked senators to consider, if Trump is guilty, does he really need to be removed from office for these actions? "If you find him guilty you must find that he should be removed," Schiff said, "because right matters. Because right matters and the truth matters, otherwise we are lost." Schiff said Trump's decision to "choose Rudy Giuliani" over the guidance of national security advisers, the FBI and the country shows that Trump is self-interested and cannot be trusted to act in the country's best interest leading up to the election, especially with anticipated election security threats from Russia and China. "You may be asking, 'How much damage can he really do in the next several months until the election?' Schiff said. "A lot. A lot of damage." Schiff ended by pointing to remarks from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who said during his House testimony that "right matters." Schiff repeated it multiple times before closing. "If right doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how good the Constitution is. It doesn't matter how brilliant the framers were. It doesn't matter how good or bad our advocacy in this trial is," he said. "If right doesn't matter, we're lost. If the truth doesn't matter, we're lost." He also threw some of the president's remarks back at him. "At the beginning of the trial you may have seen the president tweeted a common refrain: 'Read the transcript,' so I thought at the end of the evening I would join in the president's request that you re-read the transcript because now that you know a lot more of the facts of this scheme it reveals a lot more about that conversation." -- ABC News' Allie Pecorin 9:42 p.m. Hang in there, Dems say With Republican senators sounding increasingly irritated by the managers' presentation during their breaks -- telling reporters they are repetitive, etc. -- the managers continued to thank the senators for listening. House Manager Rep. Zoe Lofgren said, "It's a long day. You are here without your cellphones or any access to other information. It's not easy, but you're paying attention, and the country and the managers thank you for that. Rep. Jason Crow later echoed the same message as the clock neared 9:30 p.m.: "Just bear with us a little while longer. I promise we are almost there." Lofgren used her time after a brief recess to detail the hold on military aid to Ukraine, how Trump "knowingly" and "willfully" broke the law by freezing it and how that related to his abuse of power. "The hold had nothing to do with the national interest. It had to do with the interest of just one person: Donald J Trump. The demand for Ukraine to announce these investigations was not a policy decision but a personal decision by the president to benefit his own personal interests," Lofgren said. She also pulled out a pocket Constitution to remind senators of their responsibilities. "Every year we print a new copy of the Constitution and this year in the back we printed a quote. At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked, 'What have you wrought?' and he answered, 'A republic, if you can keep it.' That's the challenge that all of us face and that you senators face." 8:43 p.m. 'Doomsday' scenarios for witnesses Senate Republican leadership is laying the groundwork in its caucus for a vote against subpoenaing witnesses by warning that a guaranteed White House court fight over executive privilege would stall the trial and paralyze the Senate for months. Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey was called in on Wednesday to lay out the scenarios for GOP senators, sources familiar with the meeting told ABC News. Mukasey explained how "cumbersome" it would be to subpoena any of the four White House officials sought by the House Democratic managers, the sources said. Several Republicans in the meeting have told us that they'd expect an executive privilege fight over a Senate trial subpoena to take "weeks or months" leaving the body no choice but to remain idle. Thered be nothing else we could do in the interim, said Sen John Cornyn of Texas. It would basically hijack the senate. In the meantime, the Senate can't do anything else; we can't confirm judges, we can't have hearings, we can't even introduce legislation. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said lawmakers would get an earful from their constituents -- especially independent voters. "Every day we spend doing this, we're not doing -- I'm a doctor. I want to lower the cost of insulin. I want to deal with this surprise medical billings issue. ... But because we're stuck with this, and the longer you are going, and the longer you're dealing with witnesses, the harder it is to get to the things that I hear about in Wyoming." -- ABC News' Devin Dwyer PHOTO: Chuck Schumer cheers press photographers saying, 'Here's to a fair trial!' as he walks back to the Senate floor following a dinner recess in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) 8:25 p.m. Jeffries returns to the mic after break Rep. Hakeem Jeffries continued speaking when the Senate returned from its break around 7:15 p.m. Jeffries' presentation got into the minutia of attempts by top officials to get a meeting planned between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He pointed to multiple instances in which the importance of an investigation was emphasized as a necessary concession to getting a meeting scheduled. "President Trump had immense power over Ukraine and President Trump knew it, so when President Trump asked for a favor on the July 25 call he knew that President Zelenskiy would feel incredible pressure to do exactly what President Trump wanted," Jeffries said. After displaying text messages between administration officials, Jeffries sampled a portion of the phone call between Trump and Zelenskiy in which Zelenskiy again emphasizes his desire for a White House meeting and spoke to his efforts to possibly pursue "the investigation." Jeffries said the transcript is damning. "Read the transcript, President Trump says. We have read the transcript and it is damning evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo," Jeffries said. "The evidence against Donald Trump is hiding in plain sight." Jeffries concluded his comments at 7:47 p.m. -- and Sylvia Garcia took to the podium. She continued presenting evidence laying out attempts by Rudy Giuliani to get confirmation of an investigation, and by administration officials to get a meeting scheduled. "The evidence is very clear the White House meeting would only be scheduled if Ukraine announced the investigations that everyone, including the Ukrainians, understood to be purely political efforts to benefit the president," Garcia said. "The only way to come to a different conclusion is to ignore the evidence." -- ABC News' Allie Pecorin 8:08 p.m. Vindman's lawyer slams Sen. Blackburn's tweets attacking client Following a series of tweets Thursday afternoon by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., which questioned Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's motivation to testify and his patriotism, his attorney slammed the comments. Adam Schiff is hailing Alexander Vindman as an American patriot. How patriotic is it to badmouth and ridicule our great nation in front of Russia, Americas greatest enemy? Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 23, 2020 Alexander Vindman broke the chain of command and leaked the contents of the Presidents July 25th phone call to his pal, the whistleblower. Over a policy dispute with the President! How is that not vindictive? Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 23, 2020 Vindmans commanding officer, Army Lt. Col. Jim Hickman: Do not let the uniform fool you. He is a political activist in uniform. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 24, 2020 "This difficult moment in our country calls for seriousness and seriousness of purpose," David Pressman, who serves as counsel to the Army officer who defied White House orders and appeared before the House impeachment probe, said in a statement. "Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman has sacrificed enormously for our country. He believes in our country. And he believes in our countrys great institutions, including the United States Senate," the statement continued. "That a member of the Senate -- at a moment when the Senate is undertaking its most solemn responsibility -- would choose to take to Twitter to spread slander about a member of the military is a testament to cowardice. While Senator Blackburn fires off defamatory tweets, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman will continue to do what he has always done: serve our country dutifully and with honor." -- ABC News' Benjamin Siegel MORE: Who is Alexander Vindman, the Army officer defying the White House to testify about Trump's Ukraine call? 6:01 p.m. Democrats argue Giuliani played a key role in ambassador's firing Over the past hour, House managers Zoe Lofgren and then Val Demings have laid out in detail Rudy Giuliani's efforts, they argue, to conduct shadow diplomacy in Ukraine to further President Trump's political interests, culminating in the firing of Ambassador Marie Yovanovich. Just as the managers have used Trump's own words against him in clips, this hour of presentation featured multiple videos of Giuliani's prolific media appearances, peddling what Democrats call conspiracy theories, including his comments in this Fox News video clip: "That there were a group of people in the Ukraine working to help Hillary Clinton and were colluding really with the Clinton campaign and it stems around the ambassador and the embassy being used for political purposes. So I began getting some people that were coming forward and telling me about that. Then all of a sudden they revealed this story about Burisma and Biden's son and Biden's son being on the board," Giuliani said in a Fox News appearance. Demings and Lofgren use WhatsApp exchanges provided by indicted Giuliani associated Lev Parnas between himself and Giuliani as more evidence that Giuliani pushed for the firing of Yovanovich. "President Trump removed Ambassador Yovanovitch because she was in the way. She was in the way of the sham investigations that he so desperately wanted. Investigations that would hurt former Vice President Biden and undermine the Mueller investigation into Russia election interference. Investigations that would help him cheat in the 2020 elections," Demings insisted. And they played the damning bite from EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, when he admitted that though he believed State Department personnel should take responsibility for Ukraine matters, he felt he had no choice but to conduct diplomacy through Giuliani. "We chose the latter course, not because we liked it, but because it was the only constructive path open to us," Sondland said in the clip - ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky 5:45 p.m. House manager Demings says 'trial bigger than any one election' PHOTO: Val Demings speaks on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) House manager Val Demings of Florida countered the Republican accusation that Democrats are trying to skew the 2020 presidential election away from President Trump. "This trial is much bigger than any one election and it's much bigger than any one president. This moment is about the American people, this moment is about ensuring that every voter, whether a maid or a janitor, whether a nurse or a teacher or a truck driver, whether a doctor or mechanic, that their vote matters and that American elections are decided by the American people," she says. Rep. Val Demings: "When it came down to choosing between the national interest of the country and his own personal interestshis reelectionPres. Trump chose himself." https://t.co/gLGhJmLYxg pic.twitter.com/nb8QBdJsiy ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 23, 2020 Some senators appeared restless as the arguments continued in the afternoon session. GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee slid her desk drawer open revealing a copy of Resistance at All Costs by Kimberly Strassel. Blackburn also used a blanket to stay warm as did Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota enjoyed some chewing gum as she observed Schiffs performance. Sen. Richard Burr ordered a glass of milk from a page at 3:31 p.m. Three minutes later, at 3:34 p.m., the milk was delivered to his desk, and he quickly chugged more than half before setting it down. By 3:39 p.m., the milk was fully consumed and a page quickly cleared his empty glass. I noted at 3:48 p.m. that every senator was at his or her desk. None were standing or absent at that point. Adam Schiff had the rooms full attention. -ABC News' John Parkinson PHOTO: Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) It was interesting to watch Schiff seemingly direct parts of his monologue on Ukraine and Russia at Utah Republican Mitt Romney - who is seated in the back row to Schiffs left. Romney -- famously a Russia hawk -- appeared riveted as Schiff laid out his argument that Trump's actions toward Ukraine implicates Russia and Putin. The two seemed to be making eye contact from my vantage point. Romney was noting line by line down his notepad the enumerated ways that Schiff said Donald Trump put himself first. Overall, the entire chamber seemed to me much more engaged than yesterday afternoon. Most senators on both sides could be seen watching the Democratic slideshow and taking notes. Only GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas was using a fidget spinner, as far as I could tell. -ABC News' Devin Dwyer 4:50 p.m. Schiff argues Trump was not truly concerned about corruption in Ukraine As Schiff continues to lay out the Democrats' argument, he targets an expected talking point for the defense -- that Trump was legitimately concerned about corruption within Ukraine. Schiff argues that then-incoming Ukrainian President Zelenskiy had run on a campaign of reforming corruption, so why was it Trump's focus now instead of on the former administration? He adds that President Trump badmouthed U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch in his July 25 call with Zelenskiy, despite her reputation for being a strong corruption-fighter in Ukraine. PHOTO: Adam Schiff speaks on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) He repeats the point that Trump's interest in Ukraine only came after Joe Biden became a rival candidate for the presidency in 2020. "The evidence is consistent. It establishes clearly that President Trump did not care about corruption, to the contrary he was pursuing a corrupt aim. He wanted Ukraine to do the exact thing that American policy officials have tried for years to stop foreign governments from doing - corrupt investigations of political rivals," Schiff said. Rep. Adam Schiff: "There is no evidence that Pres. Trump cared one whit about anti-corruption efforts" in Ukraine "at all." https://t.co/gLGhJmLYxg pic.twitter.com/2N42VQF8ag ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 23, 2020 Earlier in the afternoon session, Schiff continued to lay out evidence to support the reasons the Democrats say President Trump put his own personal and political interests ahead of his official responsibilities. At one point he scrolled through photos of other presidents on calls with world leaders to make a point that the purpose of those calls is to encourage other countries to do what is in the best interest of the country. Schiff said that when Trump used a call with a foreign leader -- the president of Ukraine-- to push for investigations that would benefit him personally -- it was an abuse of power. "President Trump abused his authority as commander in chief and chief diplomat to benefit himself and he betrayed the interest of the American people when he did so," Schiff said. To add to his argument, Schiff cited quotes from the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, in The New York Times where Giuliani was quoted saying "someone could say it isn't foreign policy and it's improper" and "my only client is the president of the United States." 2:55 p.m. Trump legal team concerned Saturday arguments will get buried, may request time change Several GOP sources tell ABC News that senators are actively considering an abbreviated session this Saturday. The Trump legal team is concerned about their opening arguments getting buried on a Saturday. The situation is fluid, but these same sources tell ABC that the time frame is roughly 10 a.m. until possibly 1 p.m. Save 10-1, expect 10-twelvish, one senior administration official said. One GOP source said eliminating the Saturday session is also a possibility, but again, the situation is fluid. PHOTO: Jay Sekulow speaks with reporters during a break in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, at the Capitol in Washington, DC. (ABC News) When asked whether there would be a short session on Saturday, the president personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, says, "The Senate sets the rules on how we go, so we'll see how that goes." Prior to now, he's said that "we're going to begin our robust case when the Senate says it's time to start." Sekulow said that if the Senate wants them to go two hours they will, if they want them to go eight hours, fine -- responding to questions about whether they are saving their major presentation for Monday. "I am confident that whether it is Saturday or Monday or Tuesday that the case will be made defending the president. I have no doubt," he says. --ABC News' Trish Turner and Katherine Faulders 2:48 p.m. Democrats: Trump only cared about Ukraine corruption after Biden entered race House manager Sylvia Garcia lays out evidence the Democrats' say support that Trump abused his power in pushing for investigations into the Bidens and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. She says the timeline and lack of evidence that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election show that Trump's push for the investigations was politically motivated to benefit his campaign and based on Russian misinformation that Ukraine, and not Russia, interfered in American elections. PHOTO: Sylvia Garcia speaks on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) "What is so dangerous is that President Trump is helping them perpetuate this. Our own president is helping our adversary attack our processes and help his own re-election," she says. As soon as President Trump took office, he increased military support to Ukraine in 2017 and in the next year, 2018, but it wasn't until 2019, over three years after Vice President Biden called for Viktor Shokin's removal (Shokin, Ukraine's prosecutor general, was ousted in 2016) --three years after -- that President Trump started pushing Ukraine to investigate his alleged conduct. So what changed? What changed? Why did President Trump not care at all about Biden's request for the removal of Shokin the year after it happened in 2017? Or the next year in 2018? Senators, you know what changed in 2019 -when President Trump suddenly cared -- it is that Biden got in the race. On April 25, Vice President Biden announced he would run for president in 2020," she says. Rep. Sylvia Garcia on debunked theory of 2016 election meddling: "Where did this theory come from? You guessed it: the Russians." "What is so dangerous is that Pres. Trump is helping them perpetuate thisour own president is helping our adversary attack our processes." pic.twitter.com/7ShLtCjKYy ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 23, 2020 2:15 p.m. Inside the Senate chamber: Fidget spinners, Graham only senator absent when 1999 clip of him played Fidget spinners --- thats apparently one thing you can bring into the Senate chamber for a distraction when you're not allowed to have your cell phone or other electronics. As the Democratic arguments continue for a second hour, GOP Sen. Richard Burr is the only one who has used his -- on and off so far. No milk drinkers yet. Republican Sen. Rand Paul has drawn a very impressive sketch of the U.S. Capitol. After further examination, however, it appears he is tracing it. He has placed it on his desk so as to display it to the press above. Its the only writing on his white legal pad. GOP Sen. Marcia Blackburn is reading a novel (it's unclear which one) but the book below the current novel shes reading is The Case for Trump." Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is sitting next to Blackburn, has the book The Chosen on her desk, but hasnt started reading it yet. Most senators are taking notes and following along with the presentations. They have printouts of the slides and video elements the Democrats are using. When the clip of Sen. Graham was played Graham was the only senator absent from the chamber. Some Republicans smirked when they looked over and saw he wasn't there. - ABC News' Katherine Faulders 1:39 p.m. Nadler speaks of the 'ABCs of impeachment' Nadler boils down the Democratic case to the "ABCs of impeachment." "Abuse: We will show that President Trump abused his power when he used his office to solicit and pressure Ukraine to meddle in our elections for his personal gain. Betrayal: We will show that he betrayed vital national interests, specifically our national security, by withholding diplomatic support and military aid from Ukraine even as it faced armed Russian aggression. Corruption: President Trump's intent was to corrupt our elections to his personal political benefit. He put his personal interest in retaining power above free and fair elections and above the principle that Americans must govern themselves without interference from abroad. "Article One thus charges a high crime and misdemeanor that blends abuse of power, betrayal of the nation, and corruption in elections into a single unforgiveable scheme. That is why this president must be removed from office, especially before he continues his effort to corrupt our next election," Nadler says. Citing legal scholars who agree with the House case, Nadler cites the former Harvard Law School professor who will argue for Trump on the Senate floor that the Constitution does not support that a president can be impeached for abuse of power. "Another who comes to mind is professor Alan Dershowitz. At least Alan Dershowitz in 1998. Back then here is what he had to say about impeachment for abuse of power," Nadler says before showing a video clip of Dershowitz from 1988. "It certainly doesn't have to be a crime. If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of president and who abuses trust and who poses great danger to our liberty, you don't need a technical crime," Dershowitz says in the clip. "But we need not look to 1998 to find one of President Trump's key allies espousing this view. Consider the comments of our current Attorney General William Barr, a man known for his extraordinarily expansive view of executive power. In Attorney General Barr's view, as expressed about 18 months ago, presidents cannot be indicted or criminally investigated, but that's okay because they can impeached. That's the safeguard," Nadler says as a memo written by Barr in June 2018 appears in exhibits. "And in an impeachment, Attorney General Barr added, the president is answerable for any abuses of discretion and may be held accountable under law for misdeeds in office. In other words, Attorney General Barr, who believes along with the office of legal counsel that a president may not be indicted believes that that's okay, we don't need that safeguard against a president who would commit abuses of power. It's okay because he can be impeached. That's the safeguard for abuses of discretion and for his misdeeds in office," Nadler quotes Barr as writing. "When the president betrays our national security and foreign policy interests for his own personal gain, he is unquestionably subject to impeachment and removal," Nadler continues. "The same is true of a different concern raised by the framers, the use of presidential power to corrupt the elections and the office of the presidency. As Madison emphasized, because the presidency was to be administered by a single man, his corruption might be fatal to the republic." Anticipating another of the arguments from Trump's defense team --- that no specific crime is alleged-- Nadler says, "In a last ditch legal defense of their client, the president's lawyers argue that impeachment and removal are subject to statutory crimes or to offenses against established law, that the president cannot be impeached because he has not committed a crime. This view is completely wrong. It has no support in constitutional text and structure, original meeting, congressional presence, common sense or the consensus of credible experts. In other words, it conflicts with every relevant consideration." Then, he uses a video clip of GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had left the chamber. "I might say the same thing of then House manager Lindsey Graham who in President Clinton's trial flatly rejected the notion that impeachable offenses are limited to violation of established law," Nadler says before playing a clip from Graham on the Senate floor in Clinton's 1999 impeachment trail. "What's a high crime? How about if an important person hurts somebody of low means? It's not very scholarly, but I think it's the truth. I think that's what they meant by high crimes. Doesn't even have to be a crime. It's just when you start using your office and you're acting in a way that hurts people, you have committed a high crime," Graham says in the clip. Rep. Jerry Nadler argues impeachable offenses are not restricted to criminal violations: "The Constitution is not a suicide pact. It does not leave us stuck with presidents who abuse their power in unforeseen ways that threaten our security and democracy." https://t.co/gLGhJn3zoO pic.twitter.com/LV45GeeObp ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 23, 2020 1:09 p.m. Nadler: Trump 'puts President Nixon to shame' in abusing power Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., one of the lead House impeachment managers takes the floor after Schiff to begin outlining the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. PHOTO: Jerry Nadler speaks on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) "President Trump used the powers of his office to solicit a foreign nation to interfere in our elections for his own personal benefit. Note, that the act of solicitation itself, just the ask, constitutes an abuse of power. But President Trump went further," he says. "The president's conduct is wrong. It is illegal. It is dangerous, and it captures the worst fears of our founders and the framers of the Constitution," Nadler says. "No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections. Prior presidents would be shocked to the core by such conduct, and rightly so. "This presidential stonewalling of Congress is unprecedented in the 238-year history of our constitutional republic. It puts even President Nixon to shame. Taken together, the articles and the evidence conclusively establish that President Trump has placed his own personal political interests first. He has placed them above our national security, above our free and fair elections, and above our system of checks and balances. This conduct is not America first, it is Donald Trump first," Nadler says. "Donald Trump swore an oath to faithfully execute the laws. That means putting the nation's interests above his own, and the president has repeatedly, flagrantly violated his oath." Rep. Jerry Nadler: "The charges set forth in the first article of impeachment are firmly grounded in the Constitution of the United States. Simply stated, impeachment is the Constitution's final answer to a president who mistakes himself for a king." https://t.co/7AM2FncOiw pic.twitter.com/FpejWF30jo ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 23, 2020 1:05 p.m. Schiff: 'There is some method to our madness' Schiff again took the lead as Democrats begin a second of opening arguments. But first he offers some humor, possibly referring to reports of restless senators talking and walking around the chamber -- and some leaving. PHOTO: Adam Schiff speaks on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. (ABC News) "I am not sure the chief justice is fully aware of just how rare it is, how extraordinary it is for the House members to be able to command the attention of senators sitting silently for hours or even for minutes for that matter. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the morning starts out every day with a sergeant at arms warning you that if you don't, you will be imprisoned." In a brief moment of levity, Rep. Adam Schiff notes "how rare it is, how extraordinary it is" for House members to command a silent audience with the Senate "for hoursor even for minutes." https://t.co/8EesyHBT1V pic.twitter.com/3cCK7rvsNO ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 23, 2020 Then he outlines how House managers will go through the first article and what he says are the constitutional underpinnings of abuse of power. "You have now heard hundreds of hours of deposition and live testimony from the House condensed into an abbreviated narrative of the facts. We will now show you these facts and many others and how they are interwoven. You will see some of these facts and videos therefore in a new context, in a new light, in the light of what else we know and why it compels a finding of guilt and conviction, so there is some method to our madness." 12:38 p.m. Graham compliments Schiff on presentation of House case, but asks 'will it stand up?' Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to reporters shortly before Thursday's proceedings begin, and when asked about a reported he had with Schiff after Wednesday's trial session ended, Graham confirms that he complimented Schiff, a fellow former prosecutor, on his presentation. PHOTO: Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to the media before attending the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Jan. 23, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) "He's well-spoken, did a good job of creating a tapestry, taking bits and pieces of evidence and emails and giving a rhetorical flourish making the email come alive," he says. "Quite frankly, I thought they did a good job of taking bits and pieces of the evidence and creating a quilt out of it," he says. "But will it stand up?" "The point is: let's see what the other side says then we'll make a decision about what the president actually did or didn't do," he adds. "All I can do tell you is it from the presidents point of view, he did nothing wrong, in his mind." "There are bunch of people on my side who want to call Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. I want to end this thing sooner rather than later," Graham says, explaining he will not vote for witness and documents. "I want the American people to pick the next president not me, and so what I think is the best thing to happen is to have oversight of Ukrainian potential misconduct and move on to the election. I am not going to use my vote to extend the trial," Graham continues. "I love Joe Biden, but I can tell you, if the name was 'Trump' a lot of questions would be asked." 11:48 a.m. Schumer says a Trump acquittal will have 'zero value' if not witnesses At a morning news conference, without saying their names, Schumer calls again on four Republican senators -- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee -- to join Democrats in calling for witnesses and documents, before directly addressing the president and his GOP allies. PHOTO: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to the press ahead of opening statement in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 23, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) "I will say this to president than any of my Republican friends: if the American people believe this is not a fair trial, which right now they seem to believe because there were no witnesses and documents, acquittal will have zero value to the president or to the Republicans," he says. "The bottom line is the president is clearly covering up, his people are covering up, and the question is: Will our Republican colleagues rise to their constitutional mandate to create a fair trial?" Schumer adds, "and I don't think it will sit very well with history or with the American people if they don't." Asked about reports of possible deal on witnesses, Schumer says not a single Republican has approached him on the subject -- further shutting down the idea. "No Republicans are talking to us about deals. We want these four witnesses ... they go to the truth," he says. (Yesterday, when asked a similar question, Schumer said witnesses should be relevant to the case, seeming to say a deal involving Biden testimony would be off the table for him. Today's answer seems a bit more open-ended.) --ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky Ho Chi Minh City's urban development project that Mitsubishi and Nomura intend to make into a smart city (Source: asia.nikkei.com) The Japanese companies will invest nearly 100 billion yen (908 million USD) in the project. Vingroups commercial real estate developer Vinhomes is carrying out a massive residential area project in HCM City and the project is expected to be completed in 2023. It will be equipped with nearly 50,000 residences as well as schools, hospitals and commercial centres. For the urban development project, Mitsubishi and Nomura Real Estate are partnering with Vinhomes to construct 21 apartment buildings. The project is expected to add approximately 10,000 homes to the city. The two Japanese firms will each invest 40 percent and Vinhomes the remaining 20 percent in the subdivision. Mitsubishi and Nomura intend to move out in front of the competition as Asia rushes toward smart cities. The companies will propose a facial recognition system to monitor those entering the area, autonomous buses and other technologies. According to the United Nations, 61 percent of Asias population is expected to be concentrated in urban areas in 2040, surging from 47 percent in 2015. The U.S. government announced Thursday that former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf has been banned from ever working at a bank again and will pay $17.5 million for scandals in which millions of fake accounts were set up to meet sales quotas. The notice from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said the regulator plans to target other individuals, including former executives, for their role in the scandals. "The actions announced by the OCC today reinforce the agency's expectations that management and employees of national banks and federal savings associations provide fair access to financial services, treat customers fairly, and comply with applicable laws and regulations," Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting said. In addition to the $17.5 million fine, Stumpf's settlement declares he shall not participate "in any manner" at any bank regulated by the OCC or participate or attempt to participate in a bank's corporate board votes. Erin Bivona was named Covington's new chief administrative officer at the City Council's January meeting. Bivona, a Picayune, Mississippi, native who has lived in Covington for 12 years, is a certified urban and regional planner who spent the past 14 years as the assistant director of development for St. Tammany Parish Government. In that capacity, Bivona served as a liaison between the parish and agencies such as the state Department of Transportation and Development and the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, and she also managed various projects, such as the Cane Bayou Mitigation Bank, the parish's rewrite and reorganization of development code and various street planning and enhancements initiatives. Bivona earned a Bachelor of Science degree in architectural engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of New Orleans. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Covington Mayor Mark Johnson praised Bivona's previous work, saying he met her when she was a member of the 2008 Class of Leadership St. Tammany. The council unanimously approved the appointment. Also at the January meeting, Diane Weiss was named an interim at-large member of the council. Weiss fills the hole created when previous Councilman At-large Patrick McMath resigned after winning the District 11 state Senate seat. Weiss, who has worked in health care management for more than 30 years, previously served as interim councilwoman for District C when Mark Wright was elected to the state Legislature. The six sitting members of the City Council selected Weiss, and she will serve as one of the board's two council members at-large until a special election to fill the seat is held April 4. A runoff, should it be necessary, would take place May 9. Four candidates registered to fill the remainder of McMath's at-large term. They are former Councilmen Jerry Coner and Rick Smith, as well as political newcomers Steve Stokes and Grant Waters. Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg at Davos. Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters The EUs new far-reaching plan to slash emissions would not be here without young activists demanding action on climate change, according to a senior European politician. Frans Timmermans, an executive vice-president at the European Commission, praised younger generations for protesting and injecting urgency into efforts to reduce carbon emissions. He was speaking at an event at Davos to highlight the EUs Green Deal, a package of reforms aimed at making Europe the worlds first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The measures unveiled last month include targets not only to reduce emissions, but also to invest in research and preserve the natural environment. Dutch politician Timmermans said at the event at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Switzerland on Thursday: Its very clear without Generation Z, without millenials we would not be here. They are going to the streets. They are shaping the politics of the future. They are taking this into their hands, and thats a good thing. READ MORE: Professor warns climate change will make food less nutritious It comes as the Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has attracted many headlines after being invited to this years Davos summit for the second year in a row. She became embroiled in a spat with US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday, after he said she should go and study economics before calling for fossil fuel divestment. Thunberg hit back on Twitter: It doesnt take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1.5 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments dont add up. Without public support we would not be where we are today with the #EUGreenDeal. This transformation is demanded by European citizens. pic.twitter.com/3RX4SLI2pN Frans Timmermans (@TimmermansEU) January 23, 2020 Timmermans also said there had been a rise in public concern about climate change that affected the European parliamentary elections last May. Story continues Why are we here? Because everyone saw, all the politicians who were in the EU elections, that this is the one issue that captures the imagination of Europeans across the continent. Its one of the few issues where no one doubts that we need to act on a continental scale if we really want to make a difference. READ MORE: Expert warns London will flood if temperatures rise by two degrees Shadow banking refers to often high-yield lending undertaken by NBFCs that takes place outside the regular banking sector. They are not subject to strict regulation and can sometimes be risky. Rajnish Kumar, chairman of the State Bank of India, acknowledged that India's non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) often referred to as shadow lenders faces funding challenges, but he struck an optimistic tone about the outlook. India's troubled shadow banking sector is not out of the woods yet, but it may be in a "much better position" than before, said the chairman of the country's largest public lender. Some (NBFCs) which may be weak or facing solvency issues, that may still be a cause of concern and that needs to be washed out. But today, we're in a much better position. "In the last two years, we have been doing clean-up and clean-up. So we are coming out of that," Kumar told CNBC's Karen Tso at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier this week. "Some (NBFCs) which may be weak or facing solvency issues, that may still be a cause of concern and that needs to be washed out. But today, we're in a much better position," he said. India's non-bank financial sector has been facing a crisis in the past few years, with many non-bank lenders struggling with bad assets and corporate governance issues. Non-bank lenders dish out long-term loans to companies and fund them by taking short-term loans from banks and mutual funds. But many of those companies that borrowed money from the shadow lenders defaulted on payments, and left the NBFCs unable to service loans they took from the banks and mutual funds. One high-profile case was when the government took over operations at a financing firm, called Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services, after they defaulted in 2018. Another company Dewan Housing Finance had multiple defaults on interest payments last year, citing cashflow problems. That led to India's central bank warning last year that the collapse of a large Indian non-bank financial company could inflict as much damage as that of a commercial bank. Now the shadow banks are becoming more strategic in raising funds, according to Kumar. "They have been able to raise funds in international markets, they have been able to raise funds in equity markets. I don't think that we need to take such a gloomy view, but I would not say that we just don't keep an eye or don't be watchful," he said. "My assessment is ... we're much more confident than we were six months ago." India's banks have also been laden by debt and are said to have the highest exposure to bad loans. But the government has pumped billions of dollars to help those troubled lenders, in exchange for them implementing reforms. Those reforms are set to strengthen the sector over the next few years, analysts have said. Last December, the Reserve Bank of India said that India's financial system "remains stable" even as domestic growth is weakening. It said the resilience of the bank sector has improved following a restructuring of public sector banks. MANCHESTER, N.H., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New Hampshire public charter school students, private school students, homeschool organizations, and community members will celebrate School Choice Week with dancing, band and chorus performances, a cheer squad performance, and more at a student showcase on Thursday, Jan. 30. The celebratory showcase, New Hampshire's biggest event during National School Choice Week, will take place 4-7 p.m. and be emceed by WZID's Heather Bishop. With student performances and YouTube sensation Christopher Duffley, the free event will include fun for the whole family, including a photo booth, a robotics club demo, educational resources, and free snacks. Mr. Rich, a professional drummer who tours nationally and founded Youth Beatz to share the benefits of rhythm with students, will also perform at the event. The student showcase will take place in the Armory Room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, located at 700 E. Elm St. This event is free, open to the public, and planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2020, which will feature more than 50,000 school choice events across all 50 states. "All New Hampshire children, regardless of their income or neighborhood, should have the education that is the right fit for them to realize their potential," said Kate Baker, executive director of Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire. "A school that works for one child may not be the best fit for another and there are many reasons you might seek educational opportunities. Whatever the reason, this is our week to celebrate! Join us in celebrating the wealth of educational opportunities we have in the Granite State and inform yourself about the best educational options for your children. You are your child's best advocate!" Event planners include Children's Scholarship Fund of New Hampshire and School Choice for New Hampshire. As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country. From January 26 through February 1, 2020, more than 50,000 independently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com/new-hampshire. SOURCE National School Choice Week Related Links www.schoolchoiceweek.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 22:36:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KIEV, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government is to offer new benefits to foreign investors looking to do business in the country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said via a post on social media platform Telegram on Thursday. "Every major investor who invests over 100 million U.S. dollars in Ukraine will receive direct guarantees from the government," Honcharuk said, adding that "we will provide special conditions for those investors involved in privatization." According to the prime minister, foreign investors who buy enterprises in the country worth at least 10 million dollars will also receive a "tax vacation" for up to 5 years. "We will create special international arbitration, (and) it will be useful for settling smaller investment requirements (under 10 million dollars) that otherwise would be too expensive to address through arbitration," added Honcharuk. The government leader said he made the remarks at the ongoing annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Headed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukranian delegation plans to hold a number of high-profile meetings with top European politicians and potential investors during the forum. Sex must be confined to heterosexual marriage and Christians in gay or straight civil partnerships should be sexually abstinent, according to the Church of England. Bishops from the institution have released new pastoral guidance confirming their stance on marriage and sex outside of marriage after mixed-sex civil partnerships were introduced last year. The statement from the House of Bishops says the churchs teaching on marriage remains unchanged, claiming sex outside of marriage is falling short of Gods purpose for human beings. It adds: For Christians, marriage that is the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows remains the proper context for sexual activity. However the church seeks to uphold that standard in its approach to civil partnerships and to affirm the value of committed, sexually abstinent friendships. Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland Show all 5 1 /5 Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland Revellers celebrate equal marriage at Belfast's Maverick Bar Martha Brown and her partner Louise McCullough and equal marriage supporters at Maverick Bar, Belfast, celebrate the change to abortion and same sex marriage laws in Northern Ireland at 00:01. The law passed by Westminster MPs will decriminalise abortion and pave the way for the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland Liam McBurney/PA Wire Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland Celebration time for same-sex couples and campaigners Same-sex couples and campaigners in Northern Ireland had an early celebration at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast on Monday to mark the historic change Rebecca Black/PA Wire Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland Christopher and Henry Flanagan-Kane in Belfast Christopher and Henry Flanagan-Kane in Belfast on Monday. The pair were one of the first same-sex couples in the UK to have a civil union in 2005. Now they are looking forward to changing their civil union to a marriage over a decade later Rebecca Black/PA Wire Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland Drag Queen, Titty Von Tramp, at Belfast's Maverick Bar Drag queen Titty Von Tramp at Maverick Bar, Belfast, counts down the clock to midnight as a change in the law passed by Westminster MPs will decriminalise abortion and pave the way for the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Marriage equality celebrations in Northern Ireland A landmark day for equal rights in Northern Ireland Martha Brown with her partner Louise McCullough and equal marriage supporters at Maverick Bar, Belfast, celebrate the change to abortion and same sex marriage laws in Northern Ireland at 00:01. The law passed by Westminster MPs will decriminalise abortion and pave the way for the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland Liam McBurney/PA Wire Those in mixed- or same-sex civil partnerships can still be ordained but only if they abstain from sex, the bishops added. But members of the clergy are also instructed not to provide a blessing for couples registering a civil partnership. The Civil Partnership Act was passed in 2004, with the first ceremonies taking place in December 2005. The act was designed to give same-sex couples identical rights and responsibilities to those of married, heterosexual couples, including property, inheritance and tax entitlements. In 2013, same-sex marriage was legalised, and in March 2019 a bill legalising mixed-sex civil partnerships was passed, with the first registered last month. The bishops statement says legislation for civil partnerships leaves entirely open the nature of the commitment that members of a couple choose to make to each other, and in particular is not predicated on the intention to engage in a sexual relationship. Because of the ambiguity about the place of sexual activity within civil partnerships and the churchs teaching that marriage between a man and a woman is the proper context for sexual intercourse, the House states it does not believe it is possible for the church to unconditionally accept civil partnerships as unequivocally reflecting the teaching of the Church. New York, NY, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank, and among Americas largest and fastest-growing digital banks, today announced that Executive Chairman Jay Sidhu, who is also the Chairman and CEO of Customers Bancorp, will be speaking at the upcoming Paris FinTech Forum. Sidhu and Anthony Jenkins, Executive Chairman, 10x Future Technologies Group, will have a joint session entitled, Is technology the future of financial services? which will take place on January 28, 2020 at 2:30pm CET. Sidhu will also participate in the Ask me anything sessions with Fintech CEOs, which will be moderated by Feliz Hass, Chair of Bits & Pretzels, and Johan Lorenzen, Serial Fintech Entrepreneur, at 4pm CET. The Paris FinTech Forum is a two-day conference that brings together CEOs and executives from banks, insurance companies, regulators and fintech companies from all over the world to discuss the latest advancements in the industry. I am excited to return to the Paris FinTech Forum for the second year in a row and discuss why I think technology is transforming the financial services industry, stated Sidhu. Customers Bancorp has invested in BankMobile heavily over the past five years in order to build a transparent, simple and financially-empowering bank. We are particularly committed to developing the best-in-class technology infrastructure, with over 40% of BankMobiles employees focused on technology development and user experience design. We think technology is changing the way the industry operates and will continue to do so. I look forward to sharing my insights with the audience about the importance of this digital disruption. During his sessions, Sidhu will discuss how he cofounded BankMobile five years, its focus on using technology to innovate and technologys impact on the industry. Launched in January 2015, BankMobiles mission is to provide a mobile-first bank that is fully compliant, simple, affordable and financially empowering. Over the past five years, BankMobile has grown to be in the Top 15 banks in the U.S. in terms of number of consumer checking accounts serviced. Named Most Innovative Bank by LendIt in 2019, BankMobile has also developed its own proprietary technology meant to attract and engage customers for full-service consumer banking with a focus on exceptional customer experience. The bank also has a disruptive, multi-partner distribution model, known as Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS). Today, BankMobile provides its BaaS platform to colleges and universities through BankMobile Disbursements, which serves more than five million students on nearly 800 campuses nationwide. Through this distribution channel, BankMobile serves one in every three college students in the country. BankMobile also recently announced it will offer a two-day paycheck advance, a savings account with a rate that is equal or higher than that offered by Marcus, Ally and Capital One 360, and a team of personal bankers for every direct deposit customer. All three enhancements will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2020. Sidhu will also be discussing BankMobiles latest developments during his sessions at the Paris Fintech Forum. The forum is taking place on January 28-29, 2020 at Palais Brongniart in Paris. # # # About BankMobile Established in 2015, BankMobile is a division of Customers Bank and among the largest and fastest-growing mobile-first banking platforms in the U.S., offering checking and savings accounts, personal loans and credit cards. BankMobile, named the Most Innovative Bank by LendIt Fintech in 2019, provides an alternative banking experience to the traditional model. It is focused on technology, innovation, easy-to-use products and education with the mission of being customer-obsessed and creating customers for life. The disruptive, multi-partner distribution model, known as Bank-as-a-Service (Baas), created by the executive team enables BankMobile to acquire customers at higher volumes and substantially lower expense than traditional banks. Its low-cost operating model enables it to provide low-cost banking services to low/middle-income Americans who have been left behind by the high-fee model of traditional banks. Today, BankMobile provides its BaaS platform to colleges and universities and currently serves over two million account-holders at nearly 800 campuses (covering one out of every three students in the U.S.). It is one of the Top 15 largest banks in the country, as measured by checking accounts. BankMobile is operating as the digital banking division of Customers Bank, which is a Federal Reserve regulated and FDIC-insured commercial bank. For more information, please visit: www.bankmobile.com. About Customers Bank Customers Bank is a super-community bank with $11.7 billion in assets as of September 30, 2019, offering commercial and consumer banking services along the I-95 corridor from Greater Washington to Boston; and in Chicago. Commercial products include cash management; commercial and industrial loans; small business loans; SBA government-guaranteed loans; commercial and multi-family real estate loans; and financing for leasing businesses and residential developers. Customers Bank provides consumer banking services including savings, checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; residential mortgages; and consumer loans. Additional consumer products include BankMobile Vibe online banking, marketed by the BankMobile Division and Ascent Money Market Savings, marketed by the Customers Bank Digital Banking Division. Customers Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Customers Bank is an equal opportunity lender. Customers Bank takes pride in delivering extremely high levels of customer service while charging comparatively very low fees; service that makes our clients say, Wow. Commercial clients enjoy Single Point of Contact service with one team to handle all banking needs. Retail bank clients are afforded Concierge Banking Services that brings banking to them, when and where they need it. Customers Bank, with its headquarters located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, is a subsidiary of Customers Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company. The voting common shares of Customers Bancorp, Inc. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUBI. Attachment Fashion chain Express said in a statement Wednesday it will shutter about 100 stores by 2022, including nine that have already closed and another 31 that will by the end of this month. An Express spokeswoman told NJ Advance Media that New Jersey is not affected in the current round of closures. Future store closings have not yet been disclosed. There are currently 17 Express stores in New Jersey, according to the companys website. In its statement, Express said its goal is to increase free cash flow from about $90 million to $110 million by 2022. CFO Perry Pericleous told investors the closures "are part of a three-year, $80 million expense reduction plan that, in addition to the brick-and-mortar adjustments, will entail finding efficiencies in e-commerce, marketing and the supply chain, according to a report by Retail Dive. Express is just another apparel chain in a long list of stores to be hit by the retail apocalypse. Forever 21 announced the closure of 178 stores last year, along with filing for bankruptcy. Pier 1 Imports will shutter up to 450 and Bose will close all its stores, too. Founded in 1980, Express is based in Columbus, Ohio. Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE: Spring break 2020 travel deals: Flights, hotels, cruises, trains, vacations Amazon joins the wireless earbud craze with Echo Buds Pier 1 Imports will close 450 stores. Heres the status of each N.J. location. Australian health authorities have prepared isolation units, stockpiled 10 million masks and are developing a one-step test for the deadly coronavirus as Chinese officials seal off a city of 11 million people in a bid to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease. Biosecurity officers met all passengers on the last flight out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan to arrive in Australia on Thursday. Australia's chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, warned it could be weeks before any infected passengers showed symptoms. Passengers from Wuhan arrive at Sydney Airport wearing masks. Credit: Janie Barrett "It is always possible that ... people could be incubating the virus on that plane today," he said. NSW Health confirmed it was investigating whether a NSW person who had travelled to Wuhan had contracted the coronavirus. A Brisbane man who was being tested was cleared by Queensland health on Wednesday evening. An unattended crane repeatedly smashed into James Packer's $2.4billion casino on Sydney Harbour as intense winds smashed the city. Construction workers at the Barangaroo worksite clocked off just hours earlier as temperatures soared to 40C in the harbour city on Wednesday. By about 2pm, winds had picked up and office workers in surrounding buildings noticed the crane begin swinging in the wind. The crane repeatedly collided with a single window pane in the highrise building, which will become a casino and luxury apartment block upon completion. James Packer's (pictured) new casino in Sydney was damaged in the incident, when a crane smashed into a window pane, on Wednesday afternoon A spokeswoman for Crown Resorts confirmed one of the window panes was shattered in the incident. 'The site was closed at the time, and nobody was injured,' she said. 'A full safety review of the crane equipment is being conducted. Crown is committed to the safety of its employees, contractors and visitors.' Carlos Gomez, an office employee at nearby HSBC, told The Daily Telegraph he witnessed the incident. 'We saw the crane, it was completely out of control and it hit the window at least three times, it was scary,' he said. 'The same window three times, it completely smashed it.' The crane connected with a window pane on three occasions after the wind pushed it into the building Pictured: Packer surveying the construction site when he visited Sydney on January 8, 2020 Mr Gomez said he was worried people were on site because there are normally up to 30 people in the vicinity, but the high temperatures forced them off the job by late morning. Mr Packer previously purchased two floors of the building, which will be converted into a home on completion. It is not yet known which floor was damaged in the incident. Though he currently divides most of his time between Aspen and Los Angeles, Packer said he hopes to spend more time in Sydney once the project is complete. 'Having this hotel gives Crown three incredible resorts across the country, employing thousands of workers and attracting tourists from across the globe,' he previously told Daily Mail Australia. 'I grew up in Sydney and my kids still spend time here, it's a beautiful place and I hope to spend more time visiting.' Mr Packer said Barangaroo will be among the best precincts in the world once construction is complete. Hitting out at the parties supporting protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, BJP President J P Nadda on Thursday said vote comes first for them and country later. Slamming the Congress for backing the Shaheen Bagh protest, Nadda said in 2003, the then Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Manmohan Singh had urged deputy prime minister L K Advani to grant citizenship to minorities in Bangladesh. "Some people are sitting in protest against CAA but not a single Congress leader has condemned it, that is their character. If anything happens in JNU, they reach there without any delay and start crying foul," Nadda said, addressing a public meeting in Palam constituency. In a veiled attack on Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for supporting the Shaheen Bagh protest, Nadda said, "Vote comes first for them and country later. For us country is important not the vote," he said, adding that those opposing CAA should explain what is wrong with the act. In an interaction with a channel, Sisodia said he stood with the Shaheen Bagh protestors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Home Minister on Thursday accused and of provoking the youth and the main minority community to cause "riots" in the national capital during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said Rahul Gandhi and had spoken in favour of those who had raised anti-India slogans on the JNU campus two years ago. Addressing an election rally at Matiala here to start the BJP's campaign for Delhi assembly elections, Shah took repeated digs at the Delhi Chief Minister and said if the competition to make false promises is held in the country, "Kejriwal will definitely come first". Apart from his rally at Matiala, Shah addressed a rally at Nangloi Jat and held a roadshow at Uttam Nagar. He alleged the people in the national capital were getting "the worst quality of water" in the country and alleged that the government has not implemented Ayushman Bharat Scheme so that the poor do not vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the and its leader have not won any election in the last five years after winning the Delhi polls. He urged the people to give Prime Minister Modi a chance to transform Delhi into a front-ranking world capital city and talked of the surgical strike in PoK and aerial strikes in Balakot in Pakistan on terror targets as also of revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He also referred to the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case. Referring to the CAA, Shah accused leader Rahul and Kejriwal of creating obstacles in refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh getting Indian citizenship. "Should refugees who have come from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh get Indian citizenship or not. They have faced atrocities. Where should they go? We talked of giving them citizenship but Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi are creating obstacles," he said. Shah said AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said that they are with those protesting at Shaheen Bagh against the CAA". "These people started provoking the youth, minorities and caused riots in Delhi," said Shah, without taking any names. "Today also Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says unashamedly that they are with those protesting at Shaheen Bagh," he added. The leader said slogans that 'India gets divided into 100 parts' were raised at JNU two years back."Modiji put them (those responsible) into jail but Kejriwal and Rahul and company immediately reached there and started saying these people have right to free speech," he said. "Rahul Baba and company, please listen carefully. Abuse us as much as you want, abuse our party as much as you want but those who speak of breaking India will be put in the jail," said Shah. He accused the Kejriwal government of not giving permission to charge sheet the accused. Shah said Narendra Modi has taken the country forward, has enhanced India's image abroad and "hit the enemies of the country in their house." The leader said Kejriwal and Rahul baba had sought proof during an airstrike and surgical strike and accused them of speaking the language of Pakistan. "If you had seen Pakistan TV channels, there would not be the need for a bigger proof," he said. Shah said the Tricolour was touching the sky in Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370. " used to say if the Article is removed, there will be rivers of blood. Nothing of the sort happened and Kashmir became an integral part of India". He alleged that the Kejriwal government did not give permission to charge sheet those who had raised anti-India slogans. Shah said that it had been the wish of generations of Indians to have a magnificent temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. "It will happen in four months," he said and accused Congress of having tried to delay the court verdict in the past. leader also accused Kejriwal of not fulfilling promises made to the people and said he had not implemented the legislation concerning the Lokpal. "I've come to remind Kejriwalji that you forgot the promises you made but neither the people of Delhi nor workers of BJP have forgotten. You became CM with the help of Anna Hazare but couldn't bring a law for the Lokpal and when Modiji brought it, you didn't implement it here," he said. Taking a dig at AAP over its poll slogan "Lage Raho Kejriwal (Keep working Kejriwal), he said: "For 4.5 years Kejriwalji kept saying that Modiji didn't let him work. So development work could not be done in Delhi. Now he says that he developed Delhi in 5 years so 'Lage Raho Kejriwal." He said that voters have to decide if they want a government, which works like Modiji or one that resorts to agitations. Shah said people and BJP workers have not forgotten the promises made by Kejriwal and he had promised to construct 1,000 schools and 20 colleges, install 15 lakh CCTV cameras, get 5,000 buses, provide wi-fi but none of them has been fulfilled. He said the AAP talked of giving jobs to eight lakh people but ad hoc employees have not been regularised. "You said you will make the Yamuna clean but not to talk of cleaning the river, you have even made the water that comes to our houses unclean. Today residents of Delhi are getting the worst quality of water in the country. You are not capable of cleaning the Yamuna. Modiji and Yogiji (Yogi Adityanath) are working to clean Ganga. They will also clean the Yamuna," Shah said. He said Kejriwal had talked of building flyovers but alleged that the AAP government had created roadblocks to works being done by the Modi government. He accused Kejriwal of creating roadblocks in the task of regularising unauthorized colonies in Delhi and said Modiji had provided people in 1,731 illegal colonies property rights in about Rs 5,000. Shah said the poor in Delhi were not getting free treatment of Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat."The way Modiji regularised unauthorised colonies, in the same way, the BJP will provide two-room flat at all places where jhuggis exist," he said. Shah accused the Kejriwal government of implementing the urban housing scheme of the Modi government. "There are 112 such schemes in which Kejriwal is an obstacle. Once this obstacle is removed, the schemes will reach the people of Delhi," he said. Shah said Modi promised to provide water to all people by 2024 and days later Kejriwal made a similar promise for the people in Delhi. "Is Delhi not in the country," he asked. Shah said the Modi government will work to provide mineral-quality piped water to the people. Delhi goes to polls on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 11. He said Kejriwal had stated that he will not take government facilities but he is staying in an official bungalow. By Express News Service BHOPAL: A criminal case was registered against former Madhya Pradesh minister and BJP leader Badrilal Yadav on Thursday for making indecent remarks abou a woman collector of Rajgarh district at the saffron party rally on Wednesday. The case was registered against Yadav under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 294 (indulging in obscene act in any public place causing annoyance to others). ALSO READ: Ex-MP minister makes 'objectionable' remarks on women district collectors who slapped CAA supporters Yadav made the remarks from the stage of the BJP rally which was organized in Biaora town of Rajgarh, to protest the alleged slapping of CAA supporters and BJP workers by the district collector, Nidhi Nivedita, and her deputy Priya Verma in Biaora town on Sunday. While addressing Wednesdays rally, he made indecent and objectionable remarks about the female collector, alleging that she appeased Congress leaders, but used slaps and canes to deal with BJP workers. He later justified his remarks, saying he meant to say that the present district collector supports ruling Congress people, but treats the national flag wielding BJP people with canes and slaps. The former minister remarks sparked protests in Rajgarh and Bhopal by the ruling Congress workers, who set his effigy ablaze, demanding action against him. ALSO READ: CAA - Major political unrest in MP after women district collectors slap protesting BJP workers The Madhya Pradesh IAS Association also condemned the derogatory and disrespectful remarks against the district magistrate and other administrative officials of Rajgarh district. Such remarks not only demoralize the administrative machinery but also demean the dignity of women officials, who are proud members of the service and contribute immensely in serving the state and its people. "Administrative officials are expected and are duty-bound to maintain law and order and accordingly act to ensure law and order in their territorial jurisdiction. MP IAS Association unequivocally condemns the usage of inappropriate language and undignified conduct with respect to any officer of the State on duty, the Association said in a statement. WATCH: BJP men get into scraps with women officials at pro-CAA rally in Madhya Pradesh, Twitter erupts On Thursday, state government employees posted in Rajgarh district observed pen-down strike and wore black bands to protest Yadavs remarks on the district collector. Further, the MP Mahila Congress has decided to honour the 2012 batch IAS officer and Rajgarh district collector Nidhi Nivedita and deputy collector Priya Verma on International Women Day in Bhopal. State Congress leader Narendra Singh Saluja on Thursday questioned the silence of BJP leaders over the issue, even after a case was registered against Yadav. According to Rajgarh district police superintendent Pradeep Sharma, the case was registered on the complaint by the SDM and further investigations are underway. Peel Region police are investigating a possible road rage incident between two drivers in Brampton that sent one man to hospital. Peel police tweeted that around 6:30 a.m. there was an altercation between two drivers near Airport and Coventry roads and that one of them was subsequently struck by a vehicle. According to police, the other person involved fled the scene but was later found a short distance away and is in police custody. The victim was sent to local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Speaking to media at the scene, Const. Sarah Patten urged drivers not to engage in road rage and instead look for police help with any traffic disputes. Patten said the investigation is on-going. Sabrina Gamrot is a reporter with the Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach her via email: sgamrot@mississauga.net Read more about: It doesnt matter if youre documented or undocumented, Kelly told the audience. I know there are some scary things going on. When you fill out the census (form), it does remain private. No one else sees it. I know a lot of people are afraid about that. A Wyoming company has settled a federal lawsuit by a former employee who claimed she was pressured to take Scientology courses as a condition of her employment. Julie A. Rohrbacher filed the lawsuit in 2018 against Teton Therapy, which operates physical and occupational therapy offices in four Wyoming locations. Rohrbacher claimed that owner Jeff McMenamy declined to promote her and then forced her to resign in 2013 after she refused to enroll in Church of Scientology courses. She sued under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious harassment and discrimination at work. The suit was settled on Jan. 2, and Chief U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl dismissed the case, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Settlement terms werent disclosed. Scientology is a church founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s. The church has about 10 million members worldwide. Steven Murray, an attorney for Rohrbacher, declined to comment on the settlement. Teton Therapy owner Jeff McMenamy told the Star-Tribune on Monday that he used work training for business purposes and doesnt practice the religion. I have no intention of using any type of Scientology practices in my business, McMenamy said. Court documents state that Rohrbacher, who worked at an office in Lander, was told to study a training manual that included quotations by Hubbard. Rohrbacher also was required to participate in training in which McMenamy and other participants yelled derogatory remarks at each other to try to prompt a reaction, the documents state. Rohrbacher alleged in one court filing that she was offered a promotion only if she agreed to attend a Scientology-based training course at the churchs spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. She refused. In December, Skavdahl dismissed one claim of religious harassment but allowed a claim of religious discrimination to proceed. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Training Development As many as one in six computer users could be left at a higher risk of online banking fraud, after Microsoft pulled the plug on security support for Windows 7 last week. The popular operating system, estimated by website StatsCounter to be used by almost 17 per cent of Windows PCs in Britain, will no longer have any flaws or issues patched. As increasing numbers of people use the internet as their primary means of banking and shopping, many may be worried about their security, especially if they're not in a position to buy a brand new computer. Both the National Cyber Security Centre - part of GCHQ - and the police force behind reporting service Action Fraud have told those using Windows 7 to avoid it for online banking or for accessing other sensitive accounts. Microsoft pulled the plug on support for the 11-year-old operating system on Tuesday 14 January, urging those still using Windows 7 to upgrade to Windows 10 This is Money has asked experts about what you can do next if you're worried about your security. What happens now? As anyone who tried to turn on their PC last Wednesday can attest, Microsoft no longer supporting the 2009 operating system does not mean it will no longer work, nor that people will be infected with hundreds of viruses overnight. Instead, it means any vulnerabilities will no longer be fixed, meaning users may become more vulnerable over time. Jake Moore, a cybersecurity specialist at antivirus provider ESET, said: 'Windows 7 users leave themselves open to multiple vulnerabilities on this now outdated operating system. 'If users are choosing to move forward with it, they could be preyed upon by cyber-criminal gangs who can search to see who are still using it. 'The ransomware attack that affected the NHS in 2017 was possible due to outdated software that was not patched and updated. 'This will be another way that threat actors will try to exploit and extort people using Windows 7.' What should you do about online banking? Likely, the most concerned will be those using the Windows 7 operating system on computers for online banking. Consumers are often inundated with stories about stolen banking details being auctioned off online, or about hacks putting personal, bank and card details at risk. Mr Moore added: 'Online banking lends itself to being an attraction to cyber criminals who are eager to exploit any given vulnerability. Action Fraud, run by the City of London Police, urged people not to use Windows 7 for online banking anymore 'If hackers were to create something called a key logger and deploy it on a PC, users would be at risk of having all of their keystrokes (including usernames and passwords) monitored and copied by the criminals. 'This opens up a huge problem to users and puts their money at risk.' According to trade body UK Finance, instances of remote purchase fraud, where criminals use stolen card details to buy things on the internet, ticked up 16 per cent in the first half of 2019 compared to the same six months in 2018. 237.4million was stolen in the first six months of last year. The City of London Police told This is Money: 'We would also urge people to avoid accessing sensitive online accounts, such as online banking or email accounts, on devices running Windows 7.' One alternative in the short-term might be to sign up for mobile banking. All big banks offer mobile apps, and new EU fraud prevention rules Britain has signed up to have meant they have recently had to bump up the security required to log-in. Plenty also allow you to set up biometric authorisation, which means you can only log on using your fingerprint or use your voice for telephone banking - both of which have been described as safer than using traditional passwords. Ashley Hart, head of fraud at TSB, said: 'We always recommend that customers install the latest updates for their devices, and when a product is no longer supported they should consider upgrading. 'As time elapses, the risk of vulnerabilities targeting users Windows 7 being exploited by fraudsters increases.' This is Money has contacted a number of big banks who have encouraged customers to move to online services, including Barclays, HSBC and NatWest, for their advice on Windows 7. HSBC will contact customers potentially at risk, but at time of publication we did not receive a response from either Barclays or NatWest. If in doubt, contact your bank, building society and other financial firms you use to get up-to-date information. How can you ensure your PC is protected? The City of London Police added: 'We strongly recommend that people upgrade their Windows 7 devices as soon as possible, allowing them to continue receiving software updates that help protect their devices.' Perhaps unsurprisingly, Microsoft has encouraged users to purchase a new PC which comes with its latest operating system, Windows 10, used by around three quarters of Windows computers. Around 5 per cent of desktops instead use either Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. These operating systems will no longer be supported at all by Microsoft in January 2023, and are currently in a phase known as extended support, a halfway house where users are offered paid support. Installing Windows 10 Home on a Windows 7 PC will cost you 119.99, while Microsoft offers a quiz which will determine whether or not you should purchase the operating system on an existing PC or buy a new one which comes Windows 10 installed by default. If you are looking for a new laptop to run Windows 10, prices from Argos start from 179.99, and prices from Currys PC World from 169. Meanwhile, desktop computers start from 219.99 from Argos and 249 from Currys PC World. On Jan. 27, 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated the Auschwitz death camp in German-occupied Poland. The Germans had already fled westward, leaving behind the bodies of prisoners who had been shot and thousands of sick and starving survivors. Now, 75 years after the liberation, hundreds of survivors from across the world will travel to Auschwitz and other locations to mark the anniversary this week and next week. More than 1.1 million Jews were killed in Auschwitz and the adjacent Birkenau death camp in gas chambers or from starvation, disease and forced labor in the meticulous Nazi effort to rid Europe of its Jews. Overall, the Holocaust claimed 6 million Jewish lives, wiping out a third of world Jewry. The main ceremony will be the World Holocaust Forum today, Jan. 23, in which dozens of world leaders will arrive in Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the genocide and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prince Charles and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria are among the more than 40 dignitaries who will be attending the event. Audiences attending the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) can look forward to a plethora of writers, poets and activists who will be conversing on a range of topics from history to politics to artificial intelligence at the five-day literary extravaganza The "Kumbh Mela of Literature" is back with its 2020 edition, kicking off on 23 January 2020 at the Diggi Palace Hotel in Jaipur. Audiences attending the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) can look forward to a plethora of writers, poets and activists who will be conversing on a range of topics from history to politics to artificial intelligence at the five-day literary extravaganza. JLF 2020 will open on the Front Lawn on a soft, wintry morning with the inaugural address, Each Other's Stories delivered by festival co-directors, Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple along with Sanjoy K Roy. This will be followed by the keynote address, The Arts Sciences and Creativity to be presented by Hindustani classical vocalist Shubha Mudgal and author and mathematician, Marcus du Sautoy. Also part of the morning session at the festival will be a talk titled Mythology for the Millennial to be held at the Mughal Tent. Introduced by Jayshree Periwal, two prolific writers of the genre, columnist and author Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan and Anand Neelakantan will engage in a discussion with writer and editor Malashri Lal. Journalists Lindsey Hilsum and Christina Lamb, who will also be attending JLF 2020, will converse at the Bank of Baroda Baithak during the course of the morning in a discussion titled, In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin, on the writer and journalist known for covering the conflict in Syria. At the same time, historian Miranda Carter will be conversing with the art critic William Feaver at the Durbar Hall about his work The Lives of Lucian Freud, the 2019 biography that documents the life of the 20th century artist. In the afternoon, audiences can look forward to Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain at the Mughal Tent, a discussion with journalist Fintan O'Toole around his work by the same name. He will be seen in conversation with writer Suhasini Haider. At Twice Alive, to be held on the Baithak grounds, the American poet Forrest Gander will engage in a talk with author Chandrahas Choudhury while in the evening, Rachel Dwyer, Oscar Pujol and Madhura Godbole will converse with author Makarand R Paranjape on Sanskrit As A Living Language. Also a part of the talks on Day 1 of the ZEE JLF 2020 will be the discussion, On Susan Sontag, between Chiki Sarkar and Benjamin Moser, who is well-known for his extensive research on the American activist. Audiences can also listen in on A State At Any Cost: The Live of David Ben-Gurion, at Samvad, a discussion with Tom Segev around his biographical work on Isreal's first prime minister. He will be joined in conversation with historian and Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford, Avi Shlaim and journalist Max Rodenbeck. Towards the close of Day 1 of JLF 2020, audiences can unwind at the Poetry Durbar which will host a panel comprising Annie Finch, Ashok Vajpeyi, Chandra Orakash and Ranjit Hoskote in a session moderated by Lakshya Datta. The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 will go on from 23 January to 27 January at the Diggi Palace Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan. More details here. CMU Joins Universities in Open Access Deal with ACM January 22, 2020 Carnegie Mellon University has joined three leading universities in entering into transformative open access agreements with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the worlds largest scientific and educational computing society. Carnegie Mellon reached the agreement with some of ACMs largest institutional customers, including the University of California (UC), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Iowa State University (ISU). CMU is the single biggest contributor to ACM. The agreements, which run for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2020, cover both access to and open access publication in ACMs journals, proceedings and magazines for these universities, and represent the first transformative open access agreements for ACM. This joint agreement shows our universities collective power to secure the widest possible readership for our research, said Keith Webster, Carnegie Mellons dean of University Libraries and director of emerging and integrative media initiatives. By doing so, scholars at Carnegie Mellon University and other institutions can more rapidly advance innovation and discoveries that benefit society. If we want to see real momentum in changing from restrictive, costly publishing models to those that provide open access to our scholarly work, libraries must work together to build the business models of the future. Under the new agreements, faculty and students of CMU, UC, MIT and ISU will continue to receive unlimited and unrestricted access to all articles in the ACM Digital Library during the three-year term. Beginning January 1, 2020, articles with corresponding authors from these institutions published during the period of the agreements in ACM journals, conference proceedings and magazines will be made openly available at the time of publication at no cost to the authors. Additionally, ACM will make deposits into institutional repositories for all co-authors from these universities. The new agreement also expands the range of rights authors retain when publishing with ACM. This agreement brings to life a bold vision for how society publishers and universities can work together to make full open access a reality, said Jeff MacKie-Mason, university librarian at UC Berkeley, co-chair of the team overseeing UCs publisher negotiations and a member of ACM. We can and will work with publishers of all sizes to navigate the transition to open access so that researchers and the public have free and immediate access to the world's knowledge. This new transformative open access publishing model was developed in collaboration with CMU, UC, MIT and ISU. What began as a conversation at an open access workshop led to many long hours of truly collaborative work and has resulted in a model that we believe has the potential to transform ACMs publications program, said Scott Delman, ACM director of publications. We believe that the new model, which were calling ACM OPEN, brings the computing community closer to a sustainable future where all scholarly articles are immediately open at the time of publication. I appreciate the willingness of ACM and the libraries to collaborate on a creative agreement that moves us toward an open access model for publishing, said Hilary Seo, Iowa State University interim dean of Library Services. This is what happens when libraries and publishers deviate from traditional models and build agreements with access, trust and innovation at the core. This agreement with ACM is a model for new kinds of collaborations between research libraries and scholarly societies, said Chris Bourg, director of Libraries at MIT. We are especially pleased that it aligns with the MIT Framework for Publisher Contracts, published in October 2019 and endorsed by over 100 libraries and consortia. When scholarly societies and libraries work together, we can forge sustainable paths to achieving immediate open access to scholarly research. These new agreements express ACMs commitment to open access publication and its transition to full open access within the next several years. ACM is extending the principles of the new access model to universities throughout the world under the rubric ACM OPEN. About ACM ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking. About Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon is a private, internationally ranked university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 14,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small faculty-to-student ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real world problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. About the University of California Libraries and the California Digital Library Individually and collectively, the University of California libraries provide access to the worlds knowledge for the UC campuses and the communities they serve, directly supporting UCs missions of teaching, research, and public service. The California Digital Library, situated within the UC Office of the President, was founded in 1997 to provide transformative digital library services that amplify the impact of the libraries, scholarship, and resources of the University of California. About MIT Libraries The MIT Libraries advance knowledge at MIT and beyond by providing a trusted foundation for the generation, dissemination, use, creative engagement with, and preservation of information. The Libraries envision a world where enduring, abundant, equitable, and meaningful access to knowledge serves to empower and inspire humanity. About Iowa State University Library The Iowa State University Library is a signatory of the Open Access 2020 Initiative and is active in national and international efforts to advance open access. As part of a land-grant university with a mission to create, share, and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place, the University Library works to ensure the free dissemination and preservation of the universitys research and scholarly outputs. January 22, 2020 News By Terri Moon Cronk Defense.gov Focus Remains on Enduring Defeat of ISIS, Military Official Says Even amid significant successes, the enduring defeat of ISIS remains the focus of U.S. forces and partners in Iraq and Syria, an effort that is vital to U.S. national security, the deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon today, Air Force Maj. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich said important progress has been made lately in the OIR realm. "I would say [we've made] very good progress, to the point we're able to shift the focus of CJTF-OIR more along the lines of training, advising and assisting the Iraqi security forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces on the Syrian side of the border, and they've shown themselves to be willing partners throughout the last nine months I've been deployed there," the general said. The big picture he added, is that ISIS still poses a threat. "They have the potential to resurge if we take pressure off of them for too long a period of time," Grynkewich said. "In the short term, as we've adjusted some of our activities downrange and in Iraq and Syria, I don't think there's an immediate threat of an immediate resurgence. But the more time we take pressure off them, the more that threat will continue to grow." The United States stays in constant contact and communication with its partners in Iraq and Syria, who have been helpful in assisting the United States with force-protection concerns over the last several weeks, Grynkewich said. In Syria, he said, the United States continues to partner with the SDF in addition to its efforts to secure critical infrastructure to prevent any of it from falling back into the hands of ISIS. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Over $1 billion was saved as a result of transportation of gas extracted with oil on Siri Island in Irans southern Hormozgan province to the Kish Island, director of the Iranian offshore oil companys branch in Kish Island Shahsevar Argash said. Argash made the remark at the 16th Kish energy exhibition, Trend reports referring to SHANA news agency. These funds were saved as a result of saving over 15 million barrels of diesel fuel, the director said. The gas produced with oil on the Siri island is transported to Kish Island through a 82-kilometer pipeline. "This gas is used as fuel for power plants on the Kish island and 2.3 billion cubic meters of gas have been transported as of Jan. 22," Argash said. The 16th Kish International Energy Exhibition kicked off on the Kish island in Iran. It will last until January 23. Over 140 local and foreign companies, including representatives of firms from China, Italy, Japan, the UK, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, South Korea, as well as manufacturers and specialists in the field of oil, gas production, oil refining, petrochemical industry and electric power industry are participating in the exhibition. Advertisement Some hotel reviews write themselves. The very second you enter the premises, the hoteliers deluge you with surprising, quirky features to tell friends about and inevitably share on Instagram. Welcome to NYX Hotel Prague, which does that in spades. Located slap-bang in the centre of Prague, you might momentarily mistake the hotel for an art gallery. The slate grey lobby is indeed something of a blank slate upon which local artists have indelibly daubed their work. This turns out to be the signature touch of NYX, which originated in Tel Aviv and also has hotels in Milan, Munich and Madrid. They welcome upcoming local artists to make their mark and treat the hotel as something of a blank canvas. Inside NYX Hotel Prague, which is located slap-bang in the centre of the Czech capital NYX Hotel Prague welcomes upcoming local artists to make their mark and treat the hotel as something of a blank canvas The colourful sofas and furniture inside the hotel's lounge. NYX, which originated in Tel Aviv, also has hotels in Milan, Munich and Madrid Duly, as you step inside the Prague hotel, graffitied jungle animals by young local painter Martin Krajc jump out at you. Backlit panoplies of Prague skylines are embellished with cheeky, irreverent cartoons by twenty-three-year-old Sofie Tobiasova. An explosion of colourful geometric shapes leaps like wildfire up the circular staircase, courtesy of another local talent, Jana Babincova. Theres a brochure in every room telling you more about each artist. It seems the hotel sincerely wants them to be one of the memories you take away from your trip to Prague. Its certainly fun to see these boundless young activists breathing fresh life into premises that used to house a rather austere bank. Upstairs, vast monochrome photos of hawks and zebras flank darkened corridors. In my bedroom, in place of a headboard, theres an equally arresting shot of a lion. One of the bedrooms at NYX Hotel Prague. MailOnline Travel's James Murphy says his room was 'amply appointed' with boutique furnishings. He added: 'Everything is low-lit, so much so that you may feel youve stepped into an artwork yourself' If all this starts to sound like style over substance, rest assured they havent skimped on the fundamentals. My room is amply appointed with boutique furnishings. At the foot of a huge bed is a comfortable sofa, plus other stylishly-upholstered chairs, each component complementing the others in a palette of cool greys, blues and orange. Everything is low-lit, so much so that you may feel youve stepped into an artwork yourself: the effect is redolent of the moody, atmospheric paintings of Edward Hopper. The bathroom is brighter, lined with white butcher tiles. Its big enough to fit a whole flotilla of bathtubs, so Im surprised it only has a shower, admittedly a very spacious one at that. Still, its sufficiently scorchio to blast away the toll of marching around the citys many attractions for hours. An arcade game in the breakfast room at NYX Hotel Prague. James says that as the hotel is right at the heart of Prague, it's handy to return to sporadically during the day The restaurant where breakfast is served, which James described as 'a cheerful atrium popping with rainbow colours' The vast breakfast buffet at NYX Hotel Prague. James says he saw many guests availing themselves of the complimentary Prosecco There are lots of different bath products to try and jars of nibbles to sample. Each jar is labelled funky, classy and sassy. I opt for the latter. Im not sure what this says about me but the perky combo of peanuts, cranberries and chocolate chips keeps me sustained till the next bout of goulash. Equally sustaining is the breakfast served in a cheerful atrium popping with rainbow colours, where you can choose to sit at high stools, regular tables or sink into deep sofas, depending on how swiftly or not you desire to get out and pinball around the city. I see many guests availing themselves of the complimentary Prosecco, though I favour the selection of freshly-made smoothies. NYX Hotel Prague is next door to the museum dedicated to Alphonse Mucha Being right at the heart of Prague, its such a handy hotel to return to sporadically during the day. Youre amid countless shops and restaurants and just next door is the museum dedicated to Alphonse Mucha, an artist whose name you may not know but whose style you will instantly recognise. Its tantalising to wonder if, in decades to come, the young artists the hotel aims to celebrate will join him as enduring icons of Pragues artistic story. If so, you can always say you saw them first when you stayed at the NYX. 'Vyommitra' - the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) half humanoid to go as a trial to space before 'Gaganyaan' goes with astronauts. Union Minister Jitendra Singh tweeted a 31-second video and wrote, "In the run-up to the first Human Space Mission by India at @isro ... 'Vyommitra', the humanoid for #Gaganyaan unveiled. This prototype of humanoid will go as a trial before Gaganyaan goes with Astronauts. #ISRO" The Gaganyaan mission is aimed at sending astronauts to space in an orbital spacecraft. ISRO's half humanoid 'Vyommitra' will be placed in the first unmanned mission under 'Gaganyaan' and will simulate most of the human body functions. Speaking to ANI, Sam Dayal, ISRO scientist said, "Legs are not there. It will try to simulate a human and report back to us. We are doing this as an experiment." 'Vyommitra' introduced herself as a prototype of the half humanoid being made for the first unmanned Gaganyaan mission to the visitors here at an event. "Hello everyone. I am Vyommitra. The prototype of the half humanoid being made for the first unmanned Gaganyaan mission. I can monitor few module parameters, alert you, and perform life support operations," the robot would say. ISRO chief K Sivan on Wednesday said that four astronauts have been short-listed for the Gaganyaan mission who will go to Russia for training by the end of this month. "Four astronauts have been short-listed and they will go to Russia for training by this month-end. In 1984, Rakesh Sharma flew in a Russian module, but this time the Indian astronauts will fly in an Indian module from India," he told reporters. The four astronauts will receive training for 11 months. All the four astronauts selected for the mission are men but their identity cannot be revealed, Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh had said earlier. After 11 months of training in Russia, the astronauts will receive module-specific training in India. They will be trained in crew and service module designed by ISRO, learn to operate it, work around it and do simulations. As per the ISRO sources, India's heaviest launch vehicle "Bahubali" GSLV Mark-III will the carry astronauts to space. The Narendra Modi government has sanctioned Rs 10,000 crores for the Gaganyaan project. The launch will coincide with the 75th year of India's independence in 2022. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A rebel missile attack on the home of a Yemeni lawmaker killed two of his relatives, authorities said Thursday, drawing condemnation from the UN after a recent strike in the area left 116 dead. Yemen's internationally recognised government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- has been battling the Iran-allied rebels since 2014, when they overran the capital Sanaa. The attack on Wednesday night targeted the home of parliamentarian Mossad Hussein al-Sawadi in Marib province, east of the capital, killing his daughter-in-law and 16-year-old granddaughter, according to the official Saba agency. "Sawadi was seriously injured along with three other members (of his family)," said Hussein al-Huleissi, director of the criminal investigation department in Marib. "The strike destroyed the home completely and caused panic in the residential neighbourhood." United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths condemned the attack and called for a halt to the recent military escalation in Yemen, which comes after several months of relative peace. "Targeting MPs and civilian areas is unacceptable and against international law," he said in a tweet. The attack came after a missile strike blamed on the Huthis killed 116 people including civilians at a mosque in a military camp in Marib on Saturday. On Thursday, authorities in Marib said they dismantled two Huthi-linked "cells" that took part in planning the strike. The attack on the mosque, one of the bloodiest single incidents since the war erupted, came a day after coalition-backed government forces launched a large-scale operation against the Huthis in the Nihm region, north of Sanaa. Army spokesman Abdullah al-Shandaki told AFP on Tuesday that 72 Huthis had been killed in the fighting. Saba said the fighting had continued into Thursday, and medical sources reported dozens of dead and wounded on both sides. Meanwhile, heavy fighting between coalition-backed government troops and the Huthis broke out in the northern province of Jawf on Thursday. Since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the conflict, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) According to a company press release [about the two artistic directors], Ohman is leaving to accept a directorship at Swedish contemporary dance presenter Dansens Hus. Waltz whose appointment was greeted with fury by the companys dancers (though they later patched things up) has chosen to depart at the same time rather than become sole artistic director, though she will continue to be artistically involved with the company through 2021 as a choreographer. Dance Magazine VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premier Health Group Inc. (CSE: PHGI, OTCQB: PHGRF, Frankfurt: 6PH) (the Company or Premier Health), a technology Company focused on revolutionizing the delivery of healthcare, is pleased to announce it has a total of 90,000 patients onboarded to its MyHealthAccess telemedicine patient portal. MyHealthAccess will enable the Companys Juno Electronic Medical Records (EMR) patient database to directly interact with their healthcare providers and primary care clinics via a user-friendly smart device application. Through the portal, patients are able to book appointments in real-time 24/7, chat with clinical staff and see their doctor from the comfort of their home or office via telemedicine. MyHealthAccess will continue to evolve into a comprehensive patient portal that provides users a singular access point for all interactions with their healthcare providers and support staff. Additional features include the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to triage patient care. Using the application, the patient will answer a series of questions ahead of their appointment, which will be relayed to the physician along with a differential on possible diagnoses. This information will automatically be prepopulated to the physicians charting system and will provide key patient information prior to the scheduled virtual visit, not only saving the doctor valuable time but leading to a much more effective patient-doctor interaction. We are thrilled to announce 90,000 users and counting, said Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO of Premier Health. The positive reception we have received from our physicians and patients alike has been overwhelming. With our latest acquisition of Livecare, we look forward to expanding our offering to MyHealthAccess users to include access to kindredPHR a personalized health record used for storing, managing, and sharing your health information. The current state of healthcare is unsustainable and Premier Health is at the forefront of disrupting the status quo with our technology. With further integrations, our patients will have increased access to their charts, lab results, the ability to securely chat with clinical staff, reorder prescriptions and share remote health monitoring data with their doctor all at their fingertips. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Essam Hamza, MD" Chief Executive Officer About Premier Health Premier Health is a Canadian company that is strategically poised to take advantage of business opportunities in the global health care industry. We are focused on innovative health care approaches that combine human skill-based expertise with emerging technologies. In conjunction with its subsidiary Cloud Practice, which offers SAAS based health technology solutions including a cloud based Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software, medical billing software and an online patient portal, the Company is developing proprietary technology to deliver quality healthcare through the combination of connected primary care clinics, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence (AI). We currently have a combined ecosystem of 315 clinics, over 3000 licensed practitioners and almost 3 million registered patients. The Company recently acquired Livecare, a pioneer in telehealth and a key enabler for sustainable health in geographically disperse populations. The Premier Health team has deep clinical, operational and financial expertise and a passion for improving healthcare for all patients. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Premier Health Group Inc. www.mypremierhealth.com Email: investors@mypremierhealth.com India's ranking in the latest global Democracy Index has dropped 10 places to the 51st spot out of 167 owing to violent protests and threats to civil liberties challenging freedoms across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has been criticized by rights groups and western governments after shutting off the internet and mobile phone networks and detaining opposition politicians in Kashmir. Read More A private investigator turned 'Coffin Confessor' who gets paid to gatecrash funerals at the request of the dead - reading from letters they prepared when they were alive - says his new business has taken a peculiar turn. Bill Edgar's was asked by an elderly man to interrupt his own burial two years ago to tell his so-called best mate that he knew he was 'trying to screw' his wife. Since then the Gold Coast local has gatecrashed nearly twenty funerals and followed through on various requests, such as telling a dead bikie's family and friends he was gay. But Mr Edgar said he spends most of his time at work cleaning houses, 'which is really bizarre'. 'You know, if an elderly person has a fall in their home they are taken to hospital straight away. Some of them never come home again. They get in touch with me and say can you go and clean it,' he told The Gold Coast Bulletin. Bill Edgar's unique coffin confessor business has taken another strange turn Mr Edgar often finds himself disposing of 'embarrassing' items in people's homes including pornography, lingerie and photos, and dealing with aggressive family members regarding the will. 'It's a real tragedy. You know the biggest problem with death is people dont respect you after youre gone and while you are going. They are like vultures. Its really hard because those people knocking on deaths door, theyre basically seeing how their family and loved ones react,' he said. When crashing funerals, Mr Edgar said the majority of his cases involve the deceased revealing their own infidelities - and some even uncovered minor crimes. While the premise of the business focuses on airing people's dirty laundry, Mr Edgar warns his clients he will take confessions about more serious crimes to the police. Despite the job being daunting and uncomfortable, Mr Edgar makes a good living off it - charging several thousand dollars per funeral, varying depending on the circumstance. But the messages Mr Edgar shares aren't always of vengeance and resentment. Once a month, he sends a letter to a man telling him that his wife loves him and will never forget him, at the dead woman's request. Mr Edgar is also using his business as an inspiration for a television series, where he is working with producer John McAvoy to write a confronting drama. The Coffin Confessor previously told Daily Mail Australia of some the most bizarre requests he had followed through with. Bill Edgar's foray into the world-first business started last year when he interrupted an elderly man's burial to call out his so-called best mate for 'trying to screw' his wife Telling a dead bikie's family he was gay 'He didn't have the guts to come out while he was alive, and his lover was actually there at the funeral,' Mr Edgar told Daily Mail Australia. The declaration was understandably met with shock, particularly from his club members - some of whom stood up and told Mr Edgar to 'f**k off'. 'But the crowd turned and said "let's hear him out," once you get into it and get the crowd on your side you can't be stopped,' Mr Edgar said. 'They want to know what their loved one has to say.' But Mr Edgar's off-beat job isn't restricted to interrupting funerals on the behalf of his deceased clients. Asked to kill a dog A more morbid case Mr Edgar was faced with came from a man on his death bed with pancreatic cancer, whose dying wish was to have his beloved pet dog die with him. 'His instructions were that he wanted to take his dog with him, and he wanted someone to take his dog's life so they could be together in heaven,' he said. Unsurprisingly, this was one of the very few cases Mr Edgar turned down. Despite Mr Edgar saying he would jump at every opportunity if it paid, he draws the line in assisting with death, saying it's something he would never do. Mr Edgar said he's had two separate requests from people who've asked him to dress up as Homer Simpson for their funeral Told family members at a funeral to 'f**k off' Although Mr Edgar's intrusions at funerals are often met with hostility from mourners, some of his clients' family members actually thank him for his help. 'I had the daughter of a man that died came up to me and said her dad would be so proud that you told his brother and sister-in-law to "f**k off",' he said. Mr Edgar said at this particular funeral he even improvised and added in a few choice words of his own. 'The priest got the (dead) man's name wrong three times. So I said "no disrespect to you but you need to sit down mate",' Mr Edgar said. 'Then he sent one of his people to tell me to leave, and I said "If I leave, I'll take the coffin and my client with me".' Infidelity is a common theme for his clients' requests, with many using him as the mouthpiece to come clean after they die. 'I had a lady in her 70s tell me she's been having affairs for quite some time behind her husband's back, and she wanted him to know,' Mr Edgar revealed. While a number of Mr Edgar's prickly requests pertain to family scandals, he says anything that errs too far on the wrong side of the law will be taken to the police. 'Before a potential client says anything I let them know if they divulge a serious crime of murder or rape, Im obligated to tell police,' he said. 'But if a client gives me a sealed envelope with their secrets inside, even if they say they've done something really bad, I won't open it and it stays that way til they die'. However not all of his services have stemmed from his clients' deep seeded resentment and underling hatred for their loved ones. While a number of Mr Edgar's prickly requests pertain to family scandals, he says anything that errs too far on the wrong side of the law will be taken to the police Asked to dress up as Homer Simpson for a funeral Mr Edgar said in the last three days he's had two separate requests from people who've asked him to dress up as Homer Simpson for their funeral. 'I think it's for more of a themed-funeral, it's more lighthearted. I guess people pick their idol and want me to surprise everyone,' he said. Mr Edgar said a woman from the United Kingdom asked him to dress up at her funeral as Matt Lucas - one half of the Little Britain co-creation. 'The lady said she loves him so much she wanted me to even act like him,' he said, admitting he had to google who Matt Lucas is. Among the bizarre requests, Mr Edgar says he received a particularly peculiar phone call from a woman in the UK over the weekend. 'At ten past two in the morning, I had a call from a woman asking if Ricky Gervais had contacted me yet, without any explanation,' he said he still doesn't know what the woman was talking about. Mr Edgar can make up to several thousand dollars per request, leaving some to wonder if he could simply not fulfill his client's wishes and pocket the cash after they die. 'My clients say to me "look I'm paying you this money, if you rip me off I won't know but I'll see you one day in heaven",' he said. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A masked protester stretches his arm out through a cloud of tear gas, trying to reach a comrade fatally injured by a blow to the head during clashes with security services in Iraq. Others crowd round the young man's limp body. One grabs at his shirt, as they lower him to the ground. It was the moment captured by Reuters photographer Khalid al-Mousily during a series of rallies and running street battles in the centre of Baghdad. Mousily, who has been covering the surge of anti-government protests since they erupted in October, got to the scene early on Tuesday as youths gathered at the Mohammed al-Qassim highway to try and block the key route into the city. All was quiet, so he stood back and scanned both sides of the demonstrations with his telephoto lens. "I saw signs that the security services were planning an advance ... Minutes later protesters started to scream 'Look out everybody tear gas canisters'. "I ran towards a blast wall to take shelter and started to take images of the running protesters ... I could hear bullets ... whizzing over my head." He kept changing positions, first behind an electricity pole, then to another part of the highway where protesters were starting to gather. One group of youths started advancing, carrying a large metal sheet in front of them to shield them against bullets. He spotted one thin youth trying to climb up the side of a wall on his own to reach the security forces gathered above him. "I pointed the camera in his direction, then I saw his body roll down the wall. I kept pressing the shutter and the protesters around me started screaming with grief: 'A protester down. A protester down!' 'Hit by a tear gas canister!'." It was obvious the young man was badly wounded and probably dead. "I had seen before what happens, when a protester gets a direct hit from one of those canisters," Mousily said. The young man was one of two people killed in that day's protests, which had surged over the weekend after a lull of several weeks. Story continues Iraqi authorities declined to comment on the incident. Reuters could not determine the identity of the victim. Iraqi security forces deny they have deliberately killed peaceful protesters. The government has blamed many violent escalations and deaths on unidentified infiltrators it says aim to stir up sedition. The violence came amid mounting tensions in the region following the U.S. killing of Tehran's top general in an air strike inside Iraq. "I still can't get the image of him out of my head, of his face covered with blood and his body rolling down the wall," Mousily said. "I feel sorry for him, he was too young to die." 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Roy, a member of the BJP national executive, was grilled at the Suri police station in the presence of senior officers about the 2010 triple murder at Labhpur in the district. Roy was recently grilled in the Dubrajpur police station in relation to the sensational case. Once the second in command of the Trinamool Congress, Roy crossed over to the BJP in November 2017, following which his name was included in a subsequent charge sheet which was submitted to the Bolpur court in October 2019. While Labhpur MLA Manirul Islam was named in the first information report (FIR) filed after the incident, his name was subsequently dropped from the charge sheet that was filed four years after the incident. Later, his name was again included in a supplementary charge sheet after he crossed over to the BJP last year. Incidentally, Islam in July 2013 has publicly admitted to the murders. "I have crushed three people to death with my feet," Islam had said in his address during a party rally that was video-graphed and widely broadcast and reported upon. This kind of military force will be entrusted two missions namely sovereignty protection and economic development. Vietnam will build maritime militias in 14 provinces across the country with an aim to contribute to the sovereignty protection and maritime economy, according to chief of the general staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army. The militias will be firstly available in six southern central provinces and then expand to 14 provinces nationwide, Colonel General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army, said at a meeting on December 31, 2019. Maritime militias would be available in 14 provinces The move aims to mobilize the general strength of the nations all forces. A plan on establishing maritime militias was proposed in July 2018 by the Central Military Commission to the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the government. According to the Central Military Commission, the operations of maritime militias are urgent and crucial to the protection of territorial waters in the current circumstance, VnExpress reported. The militias would focus on two major missions namely sovereignty protection and economic development, greatly contributing to the prevention of armed conflicts at sea. Colonel Gen. Phan Van Giang said that in the context of complicated developments in the South China Sea in 2019, the Ministry of National Defense has fulfilled its tasks in advising the Party and State to anticipate and avoid unexpected incidents. The Vietnamese militarys general strength and fighting capacity have been strongly enhanced, he asserted. According to an article posted on the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), Vietnams 2019 Defense White Paper reaffirms the motto of defending the Homeland from afar, which includes exhausting all non-military channels to keep the homeland from being threatened in the first place. While the armed forces remain at the core of this system, the goal of the all-people defense doctrine is to use these other capacities to prevent and push back the risks of war. Hanoitimes Linh Pham The state Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide whether corporations, including Pacific Gas and Electric, can be required to pay the states costs in fighting fires that were started carelessly or spread by company employees. The justices unanimously granted review of an appeal by a corporation, Presbyterian Camp and Conference Centers, from a lower-court ruling in November that allowed a state agency to sue the company for the costs of investigating and fighting a fire in Santa Barbara County in June 2016. The ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal in Ventura was at odds with a 2017 decision by a state appeals court in Sacramento, in another case, that California laws did not authorize the state to recover costs from corporations whose employees negligently caused wildfires. When lower courts disagree on an issue, the states high court generally steps in to resolve the dispute. The case does not affect the well-established responsibility of corporations to reimburse victims for the deaths, injuries and property damage from fires caused by their employees, the source of much of the debt that drove PG&E into bankruptcy a year ago. PG&E is also being billed for hundreds of millions of dollars by federal and state agencies, including Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The validity of that debt may depend on the meaning of a 1939 state law that the court will now consider. The law allows Cal Fire to recover costs from any person who negligently sets a fire or allows it to spread onto others property. In the Santa Barbara County case, the appeals court said the law defines any person to include a company or corporation, and must be read to hold corporations responsible for their employees actions. Under state law, a corporation must pay the costs when one of its employees negligently, or in violation of the law, sets a fire, allows a fire to be set, or allows a fire kindled or tended by (them) to escape onto any public or private property, Justice Martin Tangeman said in the 3-0 ruling, quoting the law. The June 2016 blaze, called the Sherpa Fire, burned 7,500 acres in the Santa Ynez Mountains. It started in the companys camp and conference center. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. When a chimney malfunctioned and filled a cabin with smoke, the court said, an employee took a burning log from the fireplace, carried it outside, and accidentally spilled embers onto dry vegetation, starting the fire. An investigation also found that Presbyterian Camp and Conference Centers had failed to properly maintain the chimney, to fully clear dry vegetation or to inspect and maintain fire safety devices, the court said. Cal Fire has sued both the corporation and the employee for more than $12 million. The case is Presbyterian Camp and Conference Centers vs. Superior Court, S259850. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com The Delhi government scheme has also helped victims of road accidents, fire incidents, strokes while serving as the feeder services for ambulances. The bike ambulances, which carry more than 16 equipments, provide immediate care to victims of road accidents, strokes, bone fractures, decrease in oxygen levels in the body and have even delivered babies. Be it the protesters on the streets of Delhi outraged by the Citizenship Amendment Act or the plummeting temperature in the city Rajendra Saini, a trained paramedic working with the state government braves them all everyday on his bike ambulance and attends patients in need of emergency medical care. He feels his job is special, because it earns him friends from across different caste, creed and religion as the debate over citizenship law has revived old fault lines in the society. "It does not matter what the weather is or what the law and order situation is. My job is to attend the patients who are in need of emergency medical care and win their hearts with my service," he said. Saini is among the 16 paramedics appointed by the Delhi Health Department to carry out "quality emergency health care with speed" on a motorcycle. While four-wheeler ambulances aren't a novelty, bike ambulance scheme is first of its kind in India. Last year in February, the Delhi health department launched the unique First Response Vehicle scheme comprising of 16 bike ambulances to attend to the medical emergencies as and when required. "Some medical emergencies are so painful that they require immediate care to prevent further deterioration of the condition. For example, if a bone fracture is not immediately guarded by a splinter than it may result into further damage. Similarly, patients with breathing problem may face serious health disorders if they are not provided with oxygen immediately. But in a number of congested localities in the city, ambulances take time to reach the patients sometimes because of narrow lanes. The bike ambulances come handy in such situations," said an official from the Delhi health department. Delhi has 1,797 unauthorised colonies which are home to more than 40 lakh of the National Capital's population and 685 jhuggi jhopdi clusters with 4,20,000 households. These colonies are infamous for their narrow lanes which makes it difficult during emergency situations. A major chunk of these colonies are in the East Delhi area of the capital city. The bike ambulance scheme was launched mainly to cater to these colonies. The Delhi health department owns 200 four-wheeler ambulances which can be availed at a phone call to the number 102. The call centre in Laxmi Nagar, armed with 60 professionals, get calls from patients and deploy the bike ambulances accordingly. According to official records, every month over 800 such cases are recieved which can be attended only by bike ambulances. In the last one year, the service of these vehicles have helped save more than 1,600 lives, official records show. "There are more than 10 categories of medical emergencies which bike ambulances attend. The call centre takes the decision about whether a bike ambulance is required or not," said a source in the Delhi health department. According to Bhupendra Rawat, a human rights activist, the scheme has achieved much more than just providing emergency medical care. "The question is not only about how many lives the service has saved, but the sense of security it has provided to the people travelling in the capital city. Hope the Delhi government extends the service to the less congested areas also," he said. Jaswant Singh Rana, the administrative officer running the ambulance scheme under the health department told Firstpost that it is likely to be extended to the lesser congested areas of the city as well. "We have already submitted proposal for the extension and hope that it will be done in the next financial year," he said. The fleet of bike ambulances have also proven to be a rescue team, says Shahnawaz Khan a resident of East Delhi who availed the services of bike ambulances to save a life. "Five months ago while driving across East Delhi, I saw a man lying on a street. I called the police control room which assured to send a team of police officials to the spot. I was also told to call the 102 phone number for an ambulance. To my surprise within 10 minutes after I made the call, a paramedic arrived at the spot on a bike even before the police and treated the person. He also told me that I could leave if I wanted to because it is his responsibility now to ensure that the person gets the immediate medical care and is shifted to a hospital," Khan said. Rakesh Sharma, another resident of East Delhi, who availed the bike ambulance scheme told Firstpost, "I called the bike ambulance three months ago when I met with a road accident in Shastri Park area. The paramedic arrived within 10 minutes of the call. He took me by the roadside and did required diagnosis including testing level of oxygen in my blood. He gave me medicines and oxygen. Soon I felt better. For the first time I felt that I am not helpless in Delhi." The Delhi government scheme has also helped victims of road accidents, fire incidents, strokes while serving as the feeder services for ambulances. The bike ambulances, which carry more than 16 equipments, provide immediate care to victims of road accidents, strokes, bone fractures, decrease in oxygen levels in the body and have even delivered babies. They also are equipped with a foldable stretcher to carry patient out of congested localities into a four-wheeler ambulance. The two-wheeler First Response Vehicles are small but innovative part of the vast medical care infrastructure built by the Delhi Health Department. Apart from saving lives by providing immediate interference it also enables the larger facilities to function effectively by streamlining the treatment in the right direction," says Shaleen Mitra secretary to the Delhi health minister. Significantly, in the last five years of the AAP government the capital city witnessed a massive increase in it's health budget from Rs 3,500 crore to Rs 7,500 crore. In its very first year, the Delhi government came up with Mohalla Clinics where primary healthcare is provided free of cost. Healthcare in the National Capital under the Kejriwal government has recieved many accolades. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain recently told the media, "The 450 functional Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinics offer 125 free medicines and 212 free lab tests. Since its inception in 2015 till December 2019, clinics have seen over 2 crore OPDs with over 15 lakh laboratory tests. Most of them are digital with the data with respect to the name, age, ailment, prescribed medicines and lab tests are captured in eTablets." BJP's core voter bank remains unimpressed Though these schemes go well with the partys core voter base, but voters who are financially well off have shown indifference to these schemes. "The poor might have benefitted from the health schemes. But they dont seem to have made any dent in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime vote bank who are mostly in the middle class and upper middle class segment as they hardly ever go to avail these schemes. For example the traders have got no benefit from the AAP government, said Sumit Agarwal trader himself who has his business establishment in Chattarpur. Interestingly, the BJP is trying to downplay the scheme by questioning it's utility. Ramesh Khanna, a leader in saffron party's Delhi unit told Firspost that the infrastructural deficiencies in Delhi's health sector should have been met with before launching schemes like Bike Ambulance. "The AAP claims development in the health sector. They could have made this claim only if the government hospitals had medical infrastructure like private hospitals. But in Delhi this is still not the case. If we visit any government hospital in Delhi, we would see that there not enough beds in them. Patients have to sleep on the floor. When there aren't enough beds for patients in hospitals, what good will schemes like bike ambulance or publishing advertisement of schemes be of any help? The BJP is committed to develop core competencies in the sector rather than launching schemes for gimmicks," he said. Core BJP supporters have dismissed schemes launched by the ruling AAP and said that the problems that existed five years ago, still remain and the AAP government has not been of much use to solve them. Ravinder Singh, a trader from Delhi who identifies himself as a BJP supporter, hold grudge against the Kejriwal government over the sealing drive and how the AAP did not stand up for the traders. "For the past few months thousands of buildings have been sealed because they violated norms. The AAP government was of very little help. Due to the sealing drive, thousands of traders have lost businesses. We did not receive any help from the government," he said. More than 6,000 buildings have been sealed since the drive began in December 2017. Thousands have been rendered jobless due to the Supreme Court monitored drive. Another BJP voter Ambarish Sharma told Firstpost that the issue which concerns him the most is regularisation of unauthorised colonies which the AAP could not solve. "I live in an unauthorised colony in Badarpur. Though I bought my house nearly 15 years ago, I do not have ownership documents of the property. I could not get loan due to this. Moreover, buyers offer price far lower than the market rates for the property even if I try to sell it. But the Centre has recently decided to open regularisation process of these colonies solving my decade-long issue. I am not going to vote on the small benefits the AAP government is doling out," he said. The Centre recently passed a bill to regularise 1,797 unauthorised colonies. The Delhi Development Authority kickstarted the regularisation process on the month of December 2019. New Delhi: Lashing out at anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh and other places in the city, Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Thursday termed the assembly elections next month a contest between India and Pakistan. Mishra, a former minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government, is the BJP's candidate from Model Town. In a series of tweets, Mishra said, "India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8.""Pakistan has already entered Shaheen Bagh and small pockets of Pakistan are being created in Delhi," he added. Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) January 23, 2020 In another post, Mishra asserted that the BJP will win the February 8 elections and Kejriwal will resign from his post when votes are counted on February 11. Live TV The former AAP leader was removed as minister by Kejriwal in 2017. Last year, he was also disqualified as AAP MLA under the anti-defection law. Mishra faces AAP MLA Akhileshpati Tripathi in the elections. He has revealed his children are 'sick' of seeing him play villainous roles. But Colin Farrell said he is pretty excited to be playing the iconic Penguin character in an upcoming Batman reboot during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday. The Hollywood actor, 43, heaped praise on the superhero flick's writer-director Matt Reeves for creating a 'gorgeous' script for the project, but insisted details were still being hammered out. Next role: Colin Farrell said he is pretty excited to be playing the iconic Penguin character in an upcoming Batman reboot during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! 'I'm in the process of talking to Matt Reeves, who's the director, who wrote the script, and wrote a really beautiful, dark, moving script, really gorgeous,' Colin told host Jimmy. 'It's all very hush hush,' he added, 'but it's a really beautiful script that he wrote and he has a real love for it, Matt. 'So, we're in the process of finishing designing the aesthetic of the character.' Joking that the Penguin is usually played by shorter, wider actors, the buff star said he had three weeks 'to do some damage' to his shape before the film starts shooting. Plans: The actor, 43, heaped praise on the superhero flick's writer-director Matt Reeves for creating a 'gorgeous' script for the project, but insisted details were still being hammered out Colin joins Robert Pattinson, who was revealed last year as the next Batman after pipping Nicholas Hoult to the role. Also in the cast are Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. Zoe previously voiced Selina Kyle/Catwoman in 2017's The Lego Batman Movie. Legend: The In Bruges star has received the blessing of his predecessor in the role in 1992's Batman Returns, Danny DeVito This isn't the first time Farrell played a comic book baddie, having previously played Bullseye in Daredevil. 'My kids are tired of me playing a villain They're kind of embarrassed by it,' Farrell said. The In Bruges star has however received the blessing of his predecessor in the role in 1992's Batman Returns. 'Colin's a great actor,' DeVito recently told ScreenRant. 'He's a good friend of mine. I've known him for many years and I think he's going to do a great job as the Penguin. It's going to be really interesting to see his take on it.' Caffeinated: The actor was spotted out and about in Los Angeles earlier this week, hitting up his local Starbucks The film has a tentative release date of June 2021. Colin was on Kimmel Live! to promote his new film The Gentleman alongside A-listers Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, and Charlie Dunham, and directed by Guy Ritchie. The story, written and directed by Guy Ritchie, revolves around Mickey Pearson (McConaughey), who is a British drug lord, who tries to sell off his empire to a 'dynasty of Oklahoma Billionaires.' The sources say that none of the four Nirbhaya convicts have replied to the questions posed by the Tihar officials. (Photo Credit: File Photo) New Delhi: Whats your last wish, who do you want to meet for last time these are some of the questions that the Tihar Jail officials have reportedly asked the four Nirbhaya convicts on death row ahead of the February 1st execution. The questions are part of the pre-defined prison procedures. According to prison sources, the convicts were also asked whether they would like to leave their property to anyone. However, the sources added that none of the four convicts have replied to the questions posed by the Tihar officials. Meanwhile, the Centre on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court urging to seeking modification of the Shatrughan Chauhan judgment on rights available to death row convicts. The plea seeks imposition of time limit to file curative petition after review is rejected and says the convict should file his or her mercy petition within seven days after black warrant is issued. Welcoming the government move, Asha Devi, the mother of Nirbhaya, said: I want the Supreme Court should issue fresh guidelines for hanging the convicts. The Centre moved the apex court following the delay in execution of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, urging modification to the Shatrughan Chauhan judgment in 2014 regarding the right to legal relief for the sentenced convicts. The Centre's move comes in the context of the pending executions of the death warrants of four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape-murder case. A 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang-raped and savagely assaulted on the night of December 16, 2012, in a moving bus in South Delhi. She died of her injuries a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital. Six peopleMukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, Ram Singh and a juvenilewere named as accused. On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the plea of a death row convict in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case challenging the Delhi High Court order, which had dismissed his claim of being a juvenile at the time of the offence. A bench comprising Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bushan, and AS Bopanna dismissed the plea of convict Pawan Kumar Gupta and upheld the Delhi High Court verdict. The death-row convict in the Nirbhaya case had moved the top court on Friday. Pawan Gupta had also sought a direction restraining the authorities from executing the death penalty, scheduled for February 1. The bench said the claim of being a juvenile was not taken initially during trial in the Nirbhaya case. However, Guptas lawyer contended that it was taken as a mitigating circumstance at the time of sentencing in the case. Beijing (AFP) - A new strain of coronavirus that emerged in China may have originated in bats or snakes, according to genetic analysis of the virus that has so far killed 17 people. The theories are based on examination of the genome sequence of the virus released by authorities in the wake of the outbreak, with two studies pointing to the likely role of bats in the outbreak. One study, published Tuesday in the journal Science China Life Sciences, which is sponsored by Beijing's Chinese Academy of Sciences, looked at the relations between the new strain and other viruses. It found the coronavirus that emerged from China's Wuhan was closely related to a strain that exists in bats. "Bats being the native host of the Wuhan CoV (coronavirus) would be the logical and convenient reasoning, though it remains likely there was intermediate host(s) in the transmission cascade from bats to humans," the researchers from several institutions in China wrote in the paper. That study did not speculate about which animal could have been an "intermediate host," but a second study published Wednesday in the Journal of Medical Virology identifies snakes as the possible culprit. "To search for (a) potential virus reservoir, we have carried out a comprehensive sequence analysis and comparison. Results from our analysis suggest that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir," the paper says. The researchers caution that their conclusions require "further validation by experimental studies in animal models". Neither study explained how the virus may have been transmitted from animals to humans. But they could offer clues to Chinese authorities as they hunt for the source of the outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people in the country and has been confirmed as far afield as the United States. The food market where the deadly virus surfaced offered a range of exotic wildlife for sale, including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines, camel meat and other game. Story continues Gao Fu, director of the Chinese centre for disease control and prevention, said in Beijing on Wednesday that authorities believe the virus likely came from "wild animals at the seafood market" though the exact source remains undetermined. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, was linked to Chinese consumption of civet meat. Many exotic species are still widely consumed in China or other Asian countries where they are considered a delicacy -- like the civet or some rats or bats -- or for purported health benefits unproven by science. Weeks after the administration of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) asked its employees to act according to its code of conduct and not make statements that may be construed as criticism against the central government, the director of the institute reiterated this statement in an open house with students on Wednesday. The director, Subhasis Chaudhuri asked students to express their own political views outside of the campus, and never make a statement using the name of the institute. The director was invited to the open house as most students attend the open house and this would have been a good opportunity to interact with the institute head about the ongoing protests, said one of the students. Students said that the director made it clear that IIT Bombay is a government funded Institute and an institute of eminence, with the primary purpose of producing high quality engineering graduates and research that could be of help to the society at large. He (director) said that we can express our opinions, especially political ones, outside the campus as individuals without using IIT Bombays name, said a student. While the Institute has not taken any action against staff or students participating in protests ever since violence erupted on the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), a circular was released on January 9 quoting the service conditions and conduct rules under the IIT Act. It asked staff and employees to refrain from making public statements that could embarrass the relations of the institute with the central government. Since January 6, staff and students of IIT-B have participated in protest marches and discussions everyday on campus. For the past few days, students have also been organising a preamble lecture series outside their hostel, inviting speakers to explain the Constitution and preamble of the country to all those interested. When asked about his statement at the open house, director Chaudhuri said the open house is an internal matter of the institute and not meant for public consumption. IITB further refused to release any statement on the issue. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. A gunman has opened erratic gunfire in the direction of the Erebuni Plaza Business Center in downtown Yerevan, ARMENPRESS reports. No injuries are reported, according to preliminary reports. The area is cordoned off by police. According to preliminary information the shooter is still at-large and is inside the building. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan UPDATES: 15:23 - According to updated information the shooting took place inside the building. Rentec Direct releases a resource providing an overview of landlord-tenant law in the state of Texas. In addition to providing superior software solutions to the real estate industry, we believe that it is also our responsibility to serve as an educational resource, said Nathan Miller, President of Rentec Direct. Rentec Direct, the highest-rated property management software solution, is pleased to announce the release of Texas Rental Laws: A Landlord-Tenant Guide. Designed as a starting point for landlords, property managers and other real estate professionals, the resource guide provides a comprehensive overview of landlord-tenant law in the state of Texas. In addition to providing superior software solutions to the real estate industry, we believe that it is also our responsibility to serve as an educational resource, said Nathan Miller, President of Rentec Direct. Our hope is that this guide will provide the landlords and property managers of Texas with relevant information that may otherwise be confusing and difficult to find. The Official State Statutes of Texas and other reputable municipal sources are cited in the guide. Direct links to related educational resources are included for readers to research further. Texas Rental Laws: A Landlord-Tenant Guide includes nine sections covering landlord-tenant laws, security deposits, rental applications, rent, leases, landlord responsibilities, property maintenance and repairs, legal disclosure requirements, and miscellaneous tenant laws. Each section outlines relevant laws and regulations specific to the state of Texas. In the state of Texas, there is no official government agency that has the power to intervene in a dispute between a landlord and tenant. Landlords and tenants who cannot resolve a dispute on their own must use the court system - either directly or through a lawyer - to enforce their own legal rights. Property managers and landlords can better educate themselves by developing an understanding of rental laws that may affect their business. Rentec Direct has also released landlord-tenant guides for California, Oregon and Georgia, and plans to continue this educational work with additional state rental law guides. To view Texas Rental Laws: A Landlord-Tenant Guide in its entirety, visit: https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/texas-landlord-tenant-laws/. ### About Rentec Direct Rentec Direct offers industry-leading property management software and tenant screening solutions for real estate professionals. Features include online rent payments, tenant and owner portals, the industrys largest vacancy listing syndication network, full property, tenant, and owner accounting, 1099-MISC reporting and more. Rentec Direct received the Real Estate Company of the Year Award in the 2019 American Business Awards, has been named to the Inc 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies for three years in a row (as of 2019), and also was included on the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Entreprenuer360 list for Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America. http://www.rentecdirect.com Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 22) Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel has filed a resolution on Wednesday seeking to declare Angeline Xiwen Tham, founder and Chief Executive Officer of motorcycle taxi firm Angkas, as a persona non grata for violating ownership law and bullying the government. Pimentels Senate Resolution 287 sought to probe Tham and her high-handed, arrogant and irresponsible acts as a foreign national doing business in the country. The senator mentioned Tham, a Singaporean, and her 99.996% share of Angkas, calling it a blatant transgression of the law which states that Filipinos must own 60 percent of public transport companies. However, on January 8, Angkas announced that Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca now owns 60 percent of the company. Royeca earlier explained that Angkas stakes were divided among six owners, with his stake fulfilling the laws requirement, but the Department of Transportations (DOTr) technical working group (TWG) took it as a "blatant display of defiance and arrogance. 'Arrogant acts Pimentel also mentioned Angkas indignation rally in December, wherein thousands of riders participated to paralyze traffic in Metro Manila. He also noted the social media campaign that aimed to shame government agencies with misleading information. The topic #SaveAngkas, which the firm spearheaded, trended on Twitter late December in an effort to call for action against the DOTr's order for a 39,000-cap on motorcycle taxis in the country. The limit meant the three available motorcycle taxi firms were only allowed to have 10,000 riders in Metro Manila and 3,000 in Cebu. Angkas said the order would result to 17,000 of its riders losing their jobs. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board later denounced the online campaign, calling it false, explaining that the cap will still allow riders to join other motorcycle ride-hailing firms such as JoyRide and Move It. Angkas also held the indignation rally at the EDSA Kalayaan Shrine the same week. The senator stressed that such moves by Angkas had Thams tacit approval. Tham is merely a guest in our country, yet she is already acting like an oligarch which seems hell-bent on becoming at our expense, the resolution stated. CNN Philippines has reached out to Angkas for comment. This development comes after authorities revised the motorcycle taxi cap to 63,000 which now also covers Cagayan De Oro. The firms accepted the new limit. The DOTr earlier said the pilot study of motorcycle taxis in the country would continue until March, despite earlier saying it would have to terminate the test and declare the taxis illegal due to insufficient data on the services safety. Transportation Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing later admitted its order to stop the pilot test was because Angkas filed a suit against them regarding restrictions during the test period. No political influence? Pimentel, an ally of President Rodrigo Dutertes administration, admitted in early December to endorsing Angkas competitor JoyRide to authorities. He explained then that the endorsement was an effort to dissolve Angkas monopoly on motorcycle ride-hailing services. JoyRide denied that its entry to the governments pilot study was due to the endorsement of Pimentel, who is also the president of ruling political party PDP-Laban. Suansing also maintained there was no political influencein the decision to include the two new firms to rival Angkas. Senator Bong Go, another political ally, also denied stakes in JoyRide after allegations of his ties to the company surfaced online. On January 21, Go, in a statement, urged Angkas to follow the law, also raising the issue of foreign ownership. Before outgoing Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn disappears to the backbenches to resume his long career as a loyal non-entity, he is bringing his capitulation to the Blairites to a new level of self-abasement. As one of his final acts, Corbyn has nominated eight political figures to be elevated to the House of Lords as life peers. Chief among these is Tom Watson, a bitter critic of Corbyn and a leading figure of the Blairite right, with a career going back 20 years. Tom Watson [Source: Wikipedia Commons] Corbyn also nominated the pro-European Union former speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, who started his career as a prominent member of the Conservative Partys Monday Club, advocating the repatriation of immigrants from Britain. Corbyns final outreach to Watson is a fitting end to his fraudulent claim to represent an alternative to the Blairites. Watson has led the campaign to remove Corbyn and drive the hundreds of thousands of Labour members and supporters who elected him out of the party. Watson started his political career as the chair of the right-wing National Organisation of Labour Students from 1992 to 1993. He was then employed by Labour as the national development officer for youth and as the deputy coordinator in the 1997 general election campaign, which brought Labour to power with Tony Blair as prime minister. Watson was seconded to various highly important tasks, including ordering an IKEA sofa for the office of Blairs key adviser, Peter Mandelson. He then became national political officer of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, and four years later was elected MP for the safe seat of West Bromwich East. Watson voted for the illegal war against Iraq and then opposed an investigation into the lies used to justify the war. He was appointed assistant government whip in September 2004. He was responsible for a filthy racist Labour leaflet that year in a Birmingham by-election, which read, Labour is on your sidethe Lib Dems are on the side of failed asylum seekers. In 2006, in order to rescue the hated Labour government, Watson signed a letter urging Blair to stand down. He became a leading figure in Gordon Browns 2007 government. In an interview with the Guardian last December, the newspaper said Watson described his move against Blair as one of his great regrets. With the backing of the Blairites and Brownites, Watson won the deputy leadership of the party when Corbyn won the leadership in 2015. In a perfect illustration of Corbyns political stupidity and the ruthlessness of his Blairite opponents, Watson told the Guardian, We had just won the leader and deputy leader ballots, and we were in this room on our own, and the first thing he said to me was, Weve got our party back. I remember thinking to myself, Ive never really lost this party. Were going to have a bit of fun here, Jeremy. The conversation served as the template for everything to follow, with Corbyn acting as the left figurehead for a right-wing party, whose character as a pillar of British imperialism was not changed one iota by his election as leader. The right wing was given everything it wanted by Corbyn from the get-go. Watson was one of the 66 Labour MPs who in December 2015 voted to bomb Syria after Corbyn gave MPs a free vote on the issue, allowing bombing raids to start within hours of the vote. Watson also abstained on a Labour motion withdrawing British support from the Saudi Arabian-led war in Yemen. Following the 2016 defeat of the Remain campaign in the Brexit referendum, the Blairites launched a coup against Corbyn on the basis that he was only lukewarm in campaigning to remain in the European Union. More than 50 MPs resigned from Corbyns front bench, and 172 MPs in total, the vast majority, supported a vote of no-confidence in him. The deputy leader is elected to support the leader, but Watson publicly called for Corbyn to stand down. In his Guardian interview, Watson said, I thought Jeremy should have resigned and he nearly did. In the subsequent leadership election, Watson secretly backed the Blairite candidate, Owen Smith, admitting this only three years later in his Guardian interview. With Watson fulminating against Trots (Trotskyists) seeking to take over the Labour party as a vehicle for revolutionary socialism, a purge was then organised by Labours National Executive Committee, of which Watson was a member, to throw out Corbyn supporters and deny them a vote. This campaign was called Operation Icepickafter the weapon used by the Stalinist assassin of Leon Trotsky. But despite thousands being undemocratically denied a vote, Corbyn was able to defeat the Blairites for the second time. Central to the moves against Corbyn and his supporters was the bogus claim that they were anti-Semites because they opposed Israels repression of the Palestinians. Last year, following the BBC airing of its Panorama programme Is Labour anti-Semitic?a platform for politically hostile former Labour Party staff members to air their allegationsWatson declared, Very serious questions now have to be answered. He demanded that the partys rule book be changed, with automatic exclusion from the party of members accused of anti-Semitism. This was a de facto call for criminal prosecutions, with the Blairites working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to launch an investigation into Labours handling of the manufactured anti-Semitism crisis. Last February, seven right-wing MPs resigned from the Labour Party, including Luciana Berger and others who played a critical role in the anti-Semitism campaign. While thousands of Labour members were celebrating their departure, Watson declared, I would like to place on record my complete respect for Luciana and my understanding of the decision to which she has been driven. Labour, he claimed, had been slow to acknowledge we had a problem and even slower to deal with it. He put out a video defending the seven renegades, saying, I do not regard those who have resigned today as traitors, and attacking the hard left for forcing them out. Berger and the less than magnificent seven formed the Independent Group for Change, alongside three pro-EU Tories. She, Chukka Umunna and Angela Smith then joined the Liberal Democrats, with all failing miserably to win a seat in last Decembers general election. Last March, Watson founded his Future Britain faction. Its inaugural meeting in parliament was attended by former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and Blairs chief adviser, Mandelson (clearly still thankful for the IKEA settee choice), Blairs home secretary David Blunkett and his deputy prime minister, John Prescott. The 90 MPs and peers present also included right-wingers Caroline Flint, Hilary Benn, Rachel Reeves and Liam Byrnethe Birmingham MP who was elected with the help of Watsons anti-asylum seeker leaflet. One MP said of the meeting, This is about a coming together of the TBs [Tony Blair supporters] and GBs [Gordon Browns]. There was no depth to which Watson would not sink and nothing that would prompt action against him by Corbynthe Blairites protector in chief from Labours rank-and-file. In the run-up to Labours conference last September, with attempts being made by constituency Labour parties to vote out and de-select right-wing MPs, Corbyn intervened to prevent a vote to abolish Watsons post of deputy labour leader. This had been moved on the National Executive Committee by Jon Lansman, who leads the pro-Corbyn Momentum group, to make a show of opposition. The vote was delayed and then pulledat Corbyns instruction. Last November, Watson decided to quit the party leadership and resign as deputy leader, citing personal reasons, before whining to the Guardian a month later that he had been forced to quit by the brutality and hostility he faced from the left day to day. Thousands of Labour members and supporters celebrated Watsons demise, whereas Corbyn penned him a veritable love letter, asserting, Few people have given as much to the labour movement as you have and I know that many thousands of members and trade unionists that you have inspired and worked with over the years will be very sorry to see you go. Watson is now preparing to don ermine robes and claim his 305 per day attendance allowance on top of his substantial parliamentary pension as an MP. Thanks to Corbyn, he will be able to use his seat on the Lords benches as a platform from which to continue his campaign against the left. He has already announced the imminent publication of The House, trailed as a political thriller set in a world where virtue is seen as a rare commodity. Nobody is better equipped than Watson to understand the absence of virtue, within both parliament and the rotting corpse of the Labour Party, whose control of the working class Corbyn has done everything possible to protect. The author also recommends: A tale of two UK Labour MPsChris Williamson and Tom Watson [8 November 2019] New South Wales [Australia], Jan 23 (Sputnik/ANI): The Australian authorities have lost contact with a firefighting plane in the southeastern state of New South Wales (NSW), the regional Rural Fire Service said on Thursday. Australia is currently witnessing the worst wildfire disaster in its history, with many planes fighting the blazes. "The NSW Rural Fire Service is investigating reports of a serious incident involving an aircraft in southern NSW this afternoon. Contact was lost with a Large Air Tanker which was working in the Snowy Monaro area. Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed," the service wrote on its Twitter page. The authorities added that a number of helicopters were involved in the search and rescue operation. (Sputnik/ANI) Investigators demand forced treatment for man accused of murder of boy in kindergarten RIA Novosti, Alexey Kudenko 11:48 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) Investigators have asked court to send a resident of the Nenets Autonomous Area's Naryan-Mar, who stands charged with killing a 6-year boy in a local kindergarten, to compulsory medical treatment, the Investigative Committees press service reports. The probe into the case is completed, the statement reads. Earlier in January the Investigative Committee reported that the defendant had been found insane. According to the results of a psychiatric examination, the man suffers from a mental illness and was of unsound mind when committing the crime, the statement reads. Investigators claim that on October 31, the resident of Naryan-Mar in a drunken state entered the local kindergarten and stabbed a child of 6 years with a knife. The boy died on the scene. Initially, the man refused to give testimony, but later he pleaded guilty to the murder and told an investigator that he heard voices in his head. The defendant was put in detention. Moreover, law enforcement officers arrested a guard of the kindergarten, who allowed the alleged murderer to enter the pre-school institution without obstruction. The guard was charged with providing substandard services that negligently led to the death of a minor, according to investigators. The Gun Violence Prevention rally to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day was canceled because of the threat of violence. It would have been the rallys 28th year. Our constitutional right to speak up for sensible gun laws to save lives was shut out by the threat of violence. Some Virginia legislators received death threats; one spent the night in a safe house with his family, and the capital was on lockdown because of threats. How much was spent on extra security for the supposedly peaceful rally? However, Carroll pointed out that a state task force is working on recommendations for a property tax relief bill. He is on a sub-committee of the task force and said they are working on legislation thats going to take small bites to be able to get to the core, as theres no one way to address the issue. Ukraine to integrate energy system into European one by 2023 PM 19:10, 23.01.20 973 The country maintains a course toward European integration, the prime minister says. Man arrested with $3.7 million worth of drugs found in his car originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A Utah man was arrested in Arizona when he got caught with nearly $3.7 million worth of drugs in his car, authorities said. Logan Lewis Pederson, 30, of Sandy had four different substances on him that tested positive for methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and THC, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. MORE: $820 million worth of methamphetamine seized in massive drug bust in Australia Officers found the drugs during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 near Beaver Dam and Littlefield, authorities said. PHOTO: Logan Lewis Pederson in a police booking photo. (Mohave County Sheriff's Office) Pederson "would not make eye contact with deputies and appeared extremely nervous" so authorities asked for a K-9 to assist, according to authorities. The K-9 alerted officials to the presence of narcotics. In his car was 66 pounds of a liquid substance in jugs that tested positive for methamphetamine, six bricks of a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, 2.2 pounds worth of a substance that tested positive for MDMA and 1,000 packages of candy-infused THC products, according to the sheriff's office, who said the estimated street value was $3,696,720. PHOTO: Logan Lewis Pederson was arrested in Arizona with nearly $4 million worth of drugs in his car. (Mohave County Sheriff's Office) Pederson was charged with six felonies: dangerous drug possession, dangerous drug possession for sale, transportation of dangerous drugs, narcotic drug possession, narcotic drug possession for sale and transportation of narcotic drugs. He is being held at Mohave County Adult Detention Facility on $300,000 bail, online records show. It was not immediately clear if Pederson had obtained legal representation. Not one bikie has been convicted in the past few years under Queensland's "tougher" consorting laws aimed at cracking down on gangs involved in drugs, guns, child exploitation and fraud. Despite 389 official warnings for consorting, only three people were charged last financial year, the Queensland Public Interest Monitor revealed. There have been no convictions under the Queensland government's consorting laws for the past two years. Credit:Kate Geraghty Those people were still before the courts. Since the Palaszczuk government's "stronger and tougher laws" came into effect in 2017, two people have been convicted of habitual consorting. US troops in northeastern Syria confronted a Russian military convoy last weekend, refusing to allow it to proceed down a major roadway near the town of Rmelan in al-Hasakah province. While the incident ended with the Russians withdrawing back to their base and with no shots fired, the confrontation laid bare the sharp tensions that are building up in the area following the shift in US policy after US President Donald Trump green-lighted a Turkish invasion of the border region last October and subsequently ordered the redeployment of US troops to Syrias northeastern oil fields. An American military convoy in Syria [Credit: AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad] The confrontation was first reported by the Turkish state news agency Anadolu, which cited its sources in the Syrian-Turkish border region. The US government-run outlet Voice of America said that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had reported the incident on Tuesday and quoted a local reporter, Nishan Mohammed, who said he had witnessed the standoff between the US and Russian troops. This is the third incident that occurred within a week, Mohammed said in a phone interview with VOA. The YPG Kurdish militia, which the Pentagon has employed as its proxy ground force in Syria, reportedly also blocked Russian forces from accessing a road through the area last week. Russian forces moved into the area as part of an agreement reached with Turkey to conduct joint patrols along the Syrian-Turkish border in the wake of the Turkish incursion, which was aimed at driving the Kurdish YPG militia from the area. Ankara regards the YPG as a terrorist extension of Turkeys own PKK Kurdish separatist movement, against which it has fought a bloody counterinsurgency campaign for decades. While Russian troops took over at least three abandoned US bases on the border, the American military has, according to the Turkish media, built up a new network of at least 11 bases and military outposts in northeastern Syria, including five in al-Hasakah province, four in Deir Ezzor and two in Raqqa. According to the Pentagon, the US has little more than 500 troops deployed in northeastern Syria, but along with military contractors and forces rotated in and out from neighboring Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, the number is undoubtedly higher. Trump had repeatedly vowed that he was withdrawing all US forces from the country, only to bow to pressure from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as from within the military and intelligence apparatus, and leave troops in Syria. He has now repeatedly advanced the position that US forces are in Syria to take the oil, even suggesting that he intends to bring in a US-based energy conglomerate like ExxonMobil to exploit Syrias resources, an act of pillage that would constitute a war crime. In an interview last week with Laura Ingraham, a right-wing Fox News host, Trump dismissed criticism that he had left troops in Syria, stating, Do you know what I did? I took the oil. When Ingraham attempted to re-phrase Trumps statement, suggesting that he meant to say he had left US forces behind to guard Syrias oil installations against ISIS, he cut her off, declaring, I dont know, maybe we should take it, but we have the oil. Right now, the United States has the oil. We have the oil. Similarly, at a rally last week in Wisconsin where he boasted of his criminal assassination of Irans General Qassem Suleimani, Trump told the crowd: People said to me, Why are you staying in Syria? Because I kept the oil, which frankly we should have done in Iraq. He went on to insist that I did pull out, but We have the oil, really secure. Well see what happens with it. Whatever Trumps gangster illusions about stealing Syrias oil and turning a profit off of it, the deployment of US troops in the oil fields represents a continuation of the essential strategy pursued by US imperialism over the course of the bloody CIA-orchestrated war for regime change that has raged in Syria for nearly nine years, beginning under the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama. The aim is to deny energy resources to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad in order to deepen the countrys economic crisis and deny it the ability to reconstruct its devastated cities and infrastructure. In terms of profitability, Syrias oil is of very limited importance. Before the regime change war robbed it of its oil fields, the country produced less than 400,000 barrels of oil a day. The Damascus government has, however, signed multiple contracts with Russian oil firms connected to the Kremlin to revive production in the countrys northeast and begin exploration of offshore oil deposits in the eastern Mediterranean. The US troops are also being kept in Syria to sabotage these plans and to counter both Russias and Irans influence, as well as that of Chinawhich stands to win reconstruction projectsin both Syria and the broader Middle East. The dangers posed by this strategy were made clear in February 2018 when a pro-Syrian government force that included large numbers of Russian military contractors advanced on an oil and gas field held by Washingtons Kurdish YPG proxies. The US military responded with a devastating assault by attack helicopters, an AC-130 gunship and artillery massacring scores of the fighters. The Russian government subsequently said that it would retaliate against any attack on its forces in Syria. With US, Russian and Turkish military forces operating in a small geographical area, each pursuing their own conflicting interests, the threat of an armed confrontation spilling over into a major war is only growing. With the support of Russia and Iran, the Assad government has succeeded in re-asserting its control over most of the country, outside of the US/YPG-occupied area in the northeast and part of Idlib province in the northwest, the last remaining redoubt of Western-backed Al Qaeda-linked militias. Its position, however, is far from secure as the countrys economic and social crisis continues to deepen. The value of the Syrian pound has been cut in half over the past 12 months, in large measure as a result of the financial meltdown in neighboring Lebanon, which has served as Syrias main point of access to hard currency under conditions in which the country has been subjected to a near total financial and economic blockade by Washington and its allies. The stunning depreciation of the national currency has meant a spiraling increase in prices for basic goods under conditions in which an estimated 80 percent of the population is living below the poverty line, and 50 percent of Syrians are unemployed. Anger over deteriorating social conditions erupted into protests in the government-controlled southern city of Suwaida, where residents took to the streets for two days running, chanting This is a government of thieves. Security forces did not seek to suppress the demonstrations. In the end, even if the bourgeois nationalist government of Bashar al-Assad is able to eradicate the last remnants of the Al Qaeda-linked militias that were unleashed upon the country by Washington and its allies, it will face a far more intractable threat from the struggles of the Syrian working class. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 10:26:03|Editor: zh Video Player Close LONDON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Royal Mint has marked the start of the new Lunar cycle in 2020 with the first sign of the calendar, the Rat, to celebrate its diverse multi-cultural society, and lend a unique British angle to an ancient custom. The centuries-old mint is celebrating this ancient Chinese custom by marking each Zodiac symbol on a coin as part of its Shengxiao Collection. It has grown to become an eagerly anticipated annual event among coin collectors across the globe since first being launched in 2014. "During Chinese New Year, it is common to exchange tokens and gifts of money in red envelopes symbolizing good wishes for the recipient's health, wealth and prosperity," said a spokesperson for the Royal Mint. "The Shengxiao Collection combines centuries of The Royal Mint's craftsmanship and artistic skills with a centuries-old Chinese tradition," said Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint. The Royal Mint highlighted some of the famous people born in the Year of the Rat, including famous British playwright William Shakespeare, the heir to the British throne Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and the actress, who all share the sign associated with intelligence and optimism. "The rat is thought of as a godly creature in the Chinese culture, and people born in the Year of the Rat are considered to be optimistic and great at building relationships. Known to be generous and resourceful, the curiosity and intelligence of people born in the Year of the Rat leads them to seek out knowledge," said the Royal Mint. The Lunar Year of the Rat commemorative coins are available in a range of precious metal and for the first time in a Brilliant Uncirculated finish. The most expensive coin available from the Royal Mint in the new series is a gold proof 1,000-pound coin, costing 59,995 pounds (27,213 kg), though only eight have been made. The Royal Mint, which for over 500 years was based in the famous Tower of London, has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back over 1,100 years. Albany Gov. Andrew Cuomo is recommending a proposal that would give him the ability to close state prisons on a faster timeline. The measure is included in Cuomo's budget proposal, which was rolled out Tuesday. The proposal would allow the governor to close state prisons if he gives at least a 90-day notice to legislative leaders. Current law requires the head of New York's prison agency to give a year's notice before closing a correctional facility, according to a memorandum in support of the proposal. It says that the state's prison population has fallen by thousands since late 1999 and that more than a dozen facilities have closed since the early 2010s. New York "must be able to act expeditiously to eliminate excess prison capacity in order to use scarce taxpayer dollars as efficiently and prudently as possible," according to the document. The correctional officers' union criticized Cuomo's budget and said past prison closures under the governor's administration have forced the state's "most dangerous criminals into close quarters with one another." "We will fight tirelessly for our members to preserve their livelihood and make sure our prison system is as safe as possible," Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, said in a prepared statement. Rich Azzopardi, senior adviser to Cuomo, took issue with the union's assertion that dangerous criminals were forced close together because of the prison closures, saying that "as past closures have not touched maximum security prisons, their argument doesn't stand up to the facts." If approved, the measure would be effective from April 2020 through March 2021. John Flanagan, the Republican state Senate minority leader, described the 90-day notice as unfair and arbitrary and said the union should be involved on the topic. "The timeline is too short, and it doesn't give enough input from people who are affected," he said. Explained: Who is John McAfee, the pioneer who died by suicide in Spanish prison? Storm 'Gloria' kills 11 in Spain, causes massive coastal damage International oi-PTI Madrid, Jan 23: A calamitous storm has killed at least 11 people in Spain and left five others missing, as well as causing rivers to overflow their banks and contaminating vast agricultural areas in eastern Spain with salty seawater. New reports of disappearances in northeastern Catalonia and the Mediterranean nation's Balearic Islands increased fears that the death toll from Storm Gloria could still increase. The storm has dragged people to their deaths with surging sea waves, trapped others in vehicles amid flooding and hit them with loosened building debris. At least two homeless people died of hypothermia earlier in the week, when temperatures plummeted across the country. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited some of the hardest-hit areas on Thursday, flying over in a helicopter and meeting with rescue and emergency teams on the ground. He said he would approve state funds for the five regions most affected by the storm. The storm has lasted for five days, accompanied by heavy winds, snow and hail, although weather authorities said the worst of it had passed on Wednesday. Satellite imagery from the European Union's Emergency Management Service showed how salt water had surged into the delta of the Ebro River, a major artery in eastern Spain, flooding rice paddies and protected wetland areas. The sea water extended 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) inland. Lluis Soler, mayor of the delta region's town of Deltebre, called for the area to be granted catastrophic status, which frees up compensation for those affected by the storm. The hard-hit regions include northeastern Catalonia, where authorities on Thursday were still monitoring several rivers for fear they could overflow, and southern Andalucia, parts of which were hit by a sudden hail storm early Thursday. In Mallorca, one of the Mediterranean islands off Spain's eastern coast, rescuers and firefighters have been looking since Monday for a man who disappeared when he was mountain climbing. More than 2,000 evacuated as dreadful cyclone 'Sarai' hammers Fiji Two more people, a Spaniard and a British citizen, were still missing on the nearby island of Ibiza, with authorities saying they were most likely dragged into the sea by unusually high waves. Authorities in Catalonia said they were working to return power to more than 10,000 people and school closures from the storm were affecting some 130,000 students. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 21:15 [IST] Has your local restaurant been violating the Michigan Modified Food Code? On Wednesday, County Commissioner Kristen Nelson (D-Waterford) introduced a resolution that would require the health department to publish restaurant and food inspection reports online for public view. Currently, residents must submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the department before reports can be released. The searchable online database would allow residents to more easily access this information rather than waiting on their formal requests to be approved. Nelson said consumers have a right to know theyre being provided safe food. She added that Wayne and Macomb counties have adopted similar policies to provide these reports online. In todays digital age, citizens are accustomed to finding information like this online, she said. Oakland County must join the State of Michigan and other local governments in providing this information in a transparent, easily accessible format. The departments food safety program provides several services to ensure the proper handling and distribution of food being served to the general public. These services include conducting routine inspections of restaurants as well as conducting investigations of foodborne illness complaints and outbreaks. Oakland County Health Officer Leigh-Anne Stafford told The Oakland Press that the health division welcomes the opportunity to discuss the availability of restaurant inspection reports. We are in the midst of building a new digital restaurant inspection system that will include the capability of sharing restaurant inspection reports, she said. We look forward to determining what the best practices will be in implementing that system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 48 million Americans get sick from foodborne diseases annually. About half of those illnesses are associated with restaurant meals. All inspection reports involving restaurants, coffee houses, etc., are made available through local health departments. Inspection reports involving grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations and processing facilities are made available by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The resolution must be reviewed by the boards healthy communities and environment committee before it can be presented to the full board for consideration and final approval. After years of saying no, Patrick Stewart tells Georgia Humphreys why he finally agreed to reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard PATRICK Stewarts career may have spanned seven decades but there is one role he is synonymous with. Star Treks Jean-Luc Picard, a loyal, enthusiastic, kind leader not dissimilar from the actor himself, whos what you would describe as a real gentleman. Its been 18 years since we last saw the 79-year-old, who was born in West Yorkshire, on screen as Picard, in the film Star Trek: Nemesis. But now hes reprising the iconic character for new 10-part series, Star Trek: Picard, now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Having played the captain of the starship USS Enterprise for seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the part is second nature for Stewart. Picard and Patrick became very close friends, he quips, smiling. There was a point, certainly I think by halfway through the second season of Next Generation, that I began to realise that I didnt quite know where Patrick left off and Jean-Luc began, that we had merged. And I was comfortable with that, because I didnt have to sit and brood who the man was and what hed had for breakfast, to play a scene on the Enterprise. The sci-fi drama (which is produced by CBS Television Studios, and has already been renewed for a second series) follows Jean-Luc into the next chapter of his life. In the first episode, its the end of the 24th Century, 14 years since he retired from Starfleet. Still affected by the loss of Lieutenant Commander Data and the destruction of Romulus, he is living a quiet life on his vineyard. But then he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj (Isa Briones), in need of his help and soon he realises she may have personal connections to his own past. The show is certainly a dream come true for hardcore Trekkies. But when it came to getting Stewart on board, the writers and producershad a tough job on their hands at first. For many years, any suggestion that I might revive it in different formats and contexts, I passed on immediately, straight away, without hesitation, admits Stewart, whos also famous for the X-Men films. Not because I wasnt proud of what we did on Next Generation I was, and I loved all the people I worked with very much. But, I thought Id said and done everything that could be said and done about Jean-Luc and the Enterprise and his relationship with the crew. But when I found myself sitting in front of [producers] Akiva and Alex and Kirsten and James Duff, they at once began to talk about the new series in a way that was unexpected. However, he still made a long speech in which he turned the role down, which took them by surprise. The determined creative team didnt give up though. More talks ensued and they went into more detail about the storyline. It was this that won their lead star round. Stewart is well known for speaking his mind about politics. Just last week at the premiere of Star Trek: Picard in London, the Remain campaigner and supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign described Brexit as the grimmest thing to have happened to him in his political life. And while he suggests theyre not hammering anything home, its clear the script relates to real-life, reflecting society in the present day. What I liked about the proposal that Alex and the team made was that the world of the federation had changed, and was no longer the secure, trustworthy, reliable place that it had been, that there were other interests and so forth. And that was one of the major things that convinced me that I should look seriously at reviving this. Seeing as one of the themes of the series is trust, who can Stewart trust nowadays? There are individuals that I believe in, he notes. For instance, I believe in David Miliband, who is now running the International Rescue Committee from New York and ought really to be running the UK. But you know what happened there... There are some of the contenders for the American presidency who I have great respect for, he adds. Though I also have profound anxiety that its not going to turn out the way I would like it to turn out. Well, regardless of the issues facing us in the real world, people will always be able to find comfort in watching their favourite telly shows. And Jean-Luc is an example of a beloved character who has inspired people greatly in their personal lives, as Stewart is very much aware. The most affecting communication I ever had was from a police sergeant in the Las Vegas police force, who wrote me quite a long letter about his life as a policeman, and how much he loved the job and he had always wanted to be in the police, he recalls. But, he said, There are days when I come home when what Ive seen and heard and witnessed is so unpleasant, I feel at times close to despair. And when I feel that I go to my shelf and I take down a tape of Next Generation and my hope returns, which was lovely. Star Trek: Picard launches on Amazon Prime Video on January 24. Scientists warned in 2017 that a SARS-like virus could escape a lab set up that year in Wuhan, China, to study some of the most dangerous pathogens in the world. Now, a SARS-like coronavirus has infected more than 800 there, spread to at least 10 other countries and killed 25 in Wuhan and nearby provinces. China installed the first of a planned five to seven biolabs designed for maximum safety in Wuhan in 2017, for the purpose of studying the most high-risk pathogens, including the Ebola and the SARS viruses. Tim Trevan, a Maryland biosafety consultant, told Nature that year, when the lab was on the cusp of opening, that he worried that China's culture could make the institute unsafe because 'structures where everyone feels free to speak up and openness of information are important.' In fact, the SARS virus had 'escaped' multiple times from a lab in Beijing, according to the Nature article. The Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory is located about 20 miles away from the Huanan Seafood Market and some have wondered if the outbreak's epicentre is coincidental, but the scientific community currently believes that the virus mutated through and jumped to people through animal-human contact at the market. But, 'at this point there's no reason to harbour suspicions' that the facility had anything to do with the outbreak, besides being responsible for the crucial genome sequencing that lets doctors diagnose it, Rutgers University microbiologist Dr Richard Ebright told DailyMail.com. China's highest-grade lab for studying viruses is located in Wuhan, the same city at the centre of the current coronavirus outbreak The Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, housed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was set up in the hopes of helping China contribute research on the world's most dangerous viruses. Constructed in 2015, the lab was still undergoing safety testing, but near ready to open in 2017. It was the first ever lab in the country designed to meet biosafety-level-4 (BSL-4) standards - the highest biohazard level, meaning that it would be qualified to handle the most dangerous pathogens. BSL-4 labs have to be equipped with airtight hazmat suits or special 'cabinet' work spaces that confine viruses and bacteria that can be transmitted through the air to sealed boxes that scientists reach into using attached high-grade gloves. There are about 54 BSL-4 labs worldwide. China's first, in Wuhan, received federal accreditation in January 2017. Upon opening, it planned to first take up a project that required only BSL-3 precautions to be in place: a tick-borne virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. It's as highly fatal disease, killing 10 to 40 percent of those it infects. SARS, too, is a BSL-3 virus. According to Nature's interview with the lab's director, Yuan Zhimin, the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory planned to study the SARS virus. In January 2018, the lab was operational 'for global experiments on BSL-4 pathogens,' wrote Guizhen Wu in the journal Biosafety and Health. After a SARS virus escaped in a 'leak' from another lab in 2004, Chinese officials worked to improve safety, but also to expand the country's capacity to continue to study the very viruses its lab had let out. Scientists at the Wuhan Virology Institute wear high-grade hazmat suits. On the institute's grounds is the Wuhan Biosafety Laboratory, which is designated to study the most dangerous pathogens, including viruses like Ebola and SARS These Hazmat suits are intended to protect scientists from easily transmitted viruses, like those that can be caught by breathing in, while working at the Wuhan lab 'After a laboratory leak incident of SARS in 2004, the former Ministry of Health of China initiated the construction of preservation laboratories for high-level pathogens such as SARS, coronavirus, and pandemic influenza virus,' wrote Guizhen Wu. It's not clear what or where those labs were. The Wuhan lab is also equipped for animal research. In 2017, the scientists who spoke to Nature acknowledge the opportunity this presents for the development of vaccines and treatments. Regulations for animal research - especially that conducted on primates - are much looser in China than in the US and other Western countries, meaning these studies are less costly and face fewer barriers that could limit or slow them. But that was also cause for concern for Trevan. Studying the behaviour of a virus like 209-nCoV and developing treatments or vaccines for it requires infecting these research monkeys, an important step before human testing. Monkeys are unpredictable though, warned Ebright. 'They can run, they can scratch they can bite,' he said, and the viruses they carry would go where their feet, nails and teeth do. Another of these large-scale storm systems will move through Michigan Friday into the weekend. This coming storm will have a few differences compared to the last two weekend storms. This storm system doesnt have quite as much precipitation amount potential as the past two weekend storms. It will still be a moisture-laden, widespread precipitation maker. The coming storm will also move a little slower than the past two storm systems. As opposed to precipitation ending by early Sunday, our new weekend storm could continue occasional precipitation into Sunday. The biggest difference with the recent storms is the temperature profile into which this storm is moving. It will be a borderline temperature situation for snow. In the end this means we will see precipitation varying back and forth between rain and snow during this storm. Heres a look at the radar forecast for you to get a timeline on the precipitation. Radar forecast from noon Thursday, January 23 to Sunday, January 26. You can see areas of precipitation wrapping around the storm center. If you get an area of precipitation during the middle of the day, youll probably have rain or wet snow. If it precipitates at night, it will lean toward snow, but still be a wet snow. Look at the temperatures expected over the next few days. Temperature forecast today into Sunday. Most of the time through the weekend all of Michigan will be in a 32 degree to 37 degree temperature range. This is why I say the storm will struggle to be real wintry. But there will be some snow accumulation. Lets look at two models and the human forecast. Snowfall forecast from the European Model, which seems to be the best model lately. The image just above is the total snowfall now through Sunday evening. I like this model. If it verifies, its a one to three inch snow over the southeast half of Lower Michigan, and a three to five inch snow over northwest Lower. The Upper Peninsula is a four to eight inch snow. Thats if the European Model above verifies, and its usually pretty good. But remember there will be occasional melting and then another burst of snow will stack up more snow. Also remember the numbers above are when the storm is done Sunday. Heres the U.S. model. Total snowfall forecast through Sunday from the GFS Model from NOAA. This is the same long timeframe, but snowfall forecast totals are about half of the European. The human forecast, which is produced by the National Weather Service, shows a forecast in between the two models. Total snow forecast through Sunday morning. Forecast produced by the National Weather Service. Right now, I still like one to three inches over the southeast half of Lower Michigan. I lean toward the one inch amount in the far southeast, including Detroit, Ann Arbor and Jackson. I lean toward three inches in Grand Rapids and the Saginaw/Bay City/Midland area. Northwest Lower should be able to get at least three inches of snow, and maybe up to five inches. With temperatures in the 30s, plowed and salted roads should turn wet today the warmer daylight hours. Dangote Cement receives approval for share buyback 23 January 2020 Nigerias Dangote Cement has received shareholder approval to complete a share buyback scheme within 12 months. Under the plans, 1.7bn out of a total of 17.04bn ordinary shares will be repurchased. Aliko Dangote, Dangote's chairman, has confirmed the scheme will be funded out of the profits of the company. He also noted that a number of shares under the programme are required to be cancelled in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission and Nigerian Stock Exchange rules. As a result, issued share capital is set to decline. Published under WASHINGTON - Bernard McNamee, a former advisor to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, said Thursday he would not seek a second term on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. With only six months left in his term, the announcement puts a near end date on the service of a powerful conservative voice at FERC, who has argued against policy encouraging energy companies to shift away from fossil fuels as unlawful and detrimental to the U.S. economy. In a statement Thursday, McNamee said he made the decision based on his family. "This is one of the most interesting and rewarding jobs I have ever had. I have enjoyed the work, the issues, and the people. In short, I have loved this job; but I love my family more," he wrote. RELATED: In climate debate, Texas lawyer stands as possible roadblock From the moment President Donald Trump nominated him in 2018, McNamee has proved controversial. As the Senate debated his confirmation, video emerged of him calling climate change efforts, "an organized propaganda war against fossil fuels. Last month, he and Chairman Neil Chatterjee ruled that state power regulators had the right to assess a surcharge on power sources that receive government subsidy, a blow to wind and solar farms, along with nuclear power plants, facilities many states are trying to grow in an effort to reduce their carbon footprints. "McNamee has an abysmal record of approving dirty fossil fuel projects and obstructing urgently needed clean energy reform, said Jean Su, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Its critical for the Senate to approve a new FERC commissioner who isnt a fossil fuel flunky." But within FERC headquarters in Washington, McNamee had a reputation as scholarly and friendly, regardless of ideological differences. Commissioner Richard Glick, a Democrat, tweeted Thursday, "Although Commissioner [McNamee] & I havent always seen eye to eye, I have always respected his intellect & his strong commitment to public service. I will miss our spirited exchanges of ideas." nktwentythree/iStock(SALT LAKE CITY) -- Utah officially banned the controversial practice of conversion therapy on minors this week, ending a long battle between local LGBTQ activists and religious groups. The ruling, which went into effect Tuesday, outlaws the discredited practice grounded in the belief that being LGBTQ is unnatural. Conversion practices sought to convince a person who felt otherwise to identify as heterosexual or, in the case of transgender persons, to identify with their birth genders. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, announced the decision in November, saying it could go into effect as early as Jan. 22. His office confirmed it went into effect on Tuesday, but declined to comment further when reached by ABC News. Herbert said he issued the ruling after reaching common ground with LGBTQ rights groups and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which previously expressed concerns over a potential ban due to possible infringements on religious freedoms. In a statement at the time, Herbert said he'd "learned much" through the process of crafting the rule alongside LGBTQ advocates. "The stories of youth who have endured these so-called therapies are heartrending, and I'm grateful that we have found a way forward that will ban conversion therapy forever in our state," Herbert said in a statement. "I'm grateful to the many stakeholders who came to the table in good faith, with never-ending patience." Eighteen other states, the District of Columbia, and more than 60 municipalities have adopted similar protections, according to the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "Utah's emergence as the most conservative state to address this issue shows how rapidly attitudes toward LGBTQ youth are changing in every part of this country," Shannon Minter, the center's legal director, said in a statement Wednesday. "No matter what one's political or religious affiliation may be, more and more people are recognizing that public officials have a responsibility to protect vulnerable youth from this life-threatening harm." Many of the country's most prominent medical and mental health professional organizations, most recently the American Medical Association, have come out in support for a federal ban on conversion therapy. Equality Utah, which had been fighting for a ban alongside other LGBTQ advocacy groups, celebrated the ruling in a statement Wednesday. "Every reputable science-based organization in the country recognizes that conversion therapy is a dangerous fraud," Troy Williams, the group's executive director, said. "It exacerbates depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation. We are grateful to Governor Herbert and the Board of Psychologists for acting swiftly on behalf of LGBTQ youth." Research shows that nearly 700,000 LGBT adults between age 18 and 59 admitted to enduring conversion therapy, including about 350,000 subjected to the practice as children, according to a study released in June 2019 by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. Separately, two-thirds of LGBTQ youth surveyed by the The Trevor Project, which provides support for LGBTQ youth as well as resources for crisis and suicide prevention, reported that someone tried to convince them to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the nonprofit group's 2019 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health. Young people who have undergone conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who did not, according to the survey. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The owners of a Co Tyrone livestock mart are to stand trial on health and safety charges following the death of an elderly farmer, who succumbed to injuries after an incident involving a bullock. Harry McAnespie (80) suffered severe head trauma at Clogher Mart on June 23, 2018. He was airlifted to hospital but passed away in the early hours of the following day. The Health & Safety Executive launched an investigation which led to proceedings against Clogher Valley Livestock Producers Limited. At Dungannon Magistrates Court, the company was represented by director Edwin Boyd. Charges included two counts of failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, as well as non-employed persons who may be affected by exposure to risks. Mr Boyd confirmed he understood the charges against the company, and did not object to the court proceedings. He declined to call witnesses or give evidence on his or the company's behalf at this stage. A prosecution lawyer said there is a case to answer, which was agreed by District Judge Michael Ranaghan. He ordered the matter to be returned to Dungannon Crown Court for arraignment next month. Judge Ranaghan noted the presence of Mr McAnespie's widow and several family members, seated quietly in the public gallery. "The court expresses it condolences on this very tragic incident," he said. Bail was fixed at 750 and a defence barrister asked if his client could be excused from the standard procedure of going into custody to sign this, given the particular circumstances of the case. The judge said he has previously ruled bail will always be signed in custody, "but this is an entirely different and tragic situation". At the time of the incident, Clogher Valley Livestock Producers extended sympathy to Mr McAnespie's family, describing him as a long-standing customer. They said: "This has been a most tragic incident. Harry was very well-known and highly respected in the farming community, and his loss will be keenly felt." LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EB5 BRICS announced today its scheduled travel to India, Dubai and Singapore to meet with families who are interested in immigrating to the United States via the EB-5 Investor Visa Program. The trip, scheduled for January 24th through February 10th, 2020, will include India - New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Dubai, UAE and Singapore. EB5 Visa India "With the recent changes to the EB-5 Visa program, we feel this is a crucial time to make this trip," said Vivek Tandon, EB5 BRICS Founder and CEO. "We are looking forward to meeting with our current clients to discuss the changes to the program, as well as meet with and answer questions for individuals in India who are interested in learning more about immigration to the U.S. through an Investor Visa." Tandon, an EB-5 investment banker and attorney, will make the trip on behalf of EB5 BRICS. Through the EB-5 program, investors have a direct route to permanent residency in the U.S. for themselves, spouse and children under 21 by making an investment in a project that creates jobs. The minimum investment of U.S. $900,000 in a new, job-creating project in a targeted employment area will create 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers. The targeted employment areas (TEAs), are geographical areas that have experienced significant unemployment or rural areas within the U.S. The benefits to the investor and their family include the ability to live, work, and retire in the U.S., ability to attend college or university with resident costs, and all of the benefits of U.S. permanent residency status. EB5 BRICS provides foreign investors with the opportunities and tools to fast track permanent residency to the U.S. Their team of experts collaborates with Regional Centers, business and tax law experts, and real estate and business management professionals to work as a team to help its clients reach their goals of immigration to the U.S. through investment. "Even with the recent changes to the investment amount, immigration through the EB-5 Investor Visa Program continues to be the fastest route to permanent residency," said Tandon. "There is no better time than now to pursue this avenue." For more information, please contact Vivek Tandon. About EB5 BRICS: EB5 BRICS is offering one-on-one meetings in several cities in India, Dubai UAE and Singapore within the next two weeks to assist potential investors. The meetings, facilitated by an experienced U.S. Immigration lawyer will help individuals learn about the changes, as well as select USCIS pre-approved EB-5 projects offered by leading EB 5 regional centers. Other EB5 News Media Contact: Vivek Tandon, Esq EB5 BRICS, LLC 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 800 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 213.344.5941 [email protected] https://www.eb5brics.com SOURCE EB5 BRICS LLC Highlights Samsung has launched the Galaxy S10 Lite in India at a price of Rs ... The Galaxy S10 Lite comes as a direct competitor to the OnePlus 7T the smartphone brings 8GB of RAM and a 48-megapixel lens based triple camera set-up After unveiling the device at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020, Samsung has finally unveiled the Galaxy S10 Lite in India. The smartphone comes as the latest smartphone to have been launched in the sub 40k segment of the market. Interestingly, the device has been launched just two days after the Galaxy Note 10 Lite was also brought by Samsung to India. The two phones will now attempt to take on the challenge posed by the OnePlus 7T which is currently the market leader in the segment. Unlike the Note 10 Lite which focuses on the value it brings with its S Pen, the S10 Lite appears to focus more on hardware, with the device sporting Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 chipset and 8GB of RAM sat next to 128GB of storage. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite: Price and availability The smartphone has been launched in a single variant that will start retail in the country at a price of Rs 39,999. It comes in Prism Blue, Prism Black, and Prism White colours. The S10 Lite has been announced to go on sale by the company from February as a Flipkart exclusive. The purchase offers include a cashback of Rs 3,000 on ICICI Bank credit card EMI payment option, no-cost EMI for 12 months, and one-time free screen replacement worth Rs 1,999. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite: Specifications On the outside, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite flaunts an edge-to-edge 6.7-inch punch-hole Infinity-O display capable of Full HD+ resolutions and a maximum pixel density of 394 ppi. But unlike the display on the S10 and S10 Plus, this display is not curved. Under the hood, it houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. For cameras, the device gets a powerful set-up comprising of three lenses, with the primary being a 48-megapixel main camera sat next to a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 5-megapixel macro lens. The front of the phone will also feature a 32-megapixel lens for clicking selfies. Keeping the lights on the Galaxy S10 Lite is a massive 4,500mAh battery that supports super-fast charging. The device will also support Samsung Pay. Samsung has also announced that the smartphone will run Android 10-based One UI 2. ALSO READ: | OnePlus phones go cheaper on Amazon up to Rs 10,000, lots of EMI and exchange offers on latest models Obrascon Huarte Lain, S.A.'s (BME:OHL): Obrascon Huarte Lain, S.A. engages in the concessions and construction businesses primarily in Spain, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Central Europe. The 399m market-cap companys loss lessens since it announced a -955.4m bottom-line in the full financial year, compared to the latest trailing-twelve-month loss of -180.9m, as it approaches breakeven. As path to profitability is the topic on OHLs investors mind, Ive decided to gauge market sentiment. Ive put together a brief outline of industry analyst expectations for OHL, its year of breakeven and its implied growth rate. View our latest analysis for Obrascon Huarte Lain According to the 4 industry analysts covering OHL, the consensus is breakeven is near. They anticipate the company to incur a final loss in 2021, before generating positive profits of 11m in 2022. Therefore, OHL is expected to breakeven roughly 2 years from now. How fast will OHL have to grow each year in order to reach the breakeven point by 2022? Working backwards from analyst estimates, it turns out that they expect the company to grow 65% year-on-year, on average, which signals high confidence from analysts. Should the business grow at a slower rate, it will become profitable at a later date than expected. BME:OHL Past and Future Earnings, January 23rd 2020 Given this is a high-level overview, I wont go into details of OHLs upcoming projects, however, keep in mind that typically a high forecast growth rate is not unusual for a company that is currently undergoing an investment period. Before I wrap up, theres one issue worth mentioning. OHL currently has a relatively high level of debt. Generally, the rule of thumb is debt shouldnt exceed 40% of your equity, which in OHLs case is 96%. A higher level of debt requires more stringent capital management which increases the risk around investing in the loss-making company. Next Steps: There are key fundamentals of OHL which are not covered in this article, but I must stress again that this is merely a basic overview. For a more comprehensive look at OHL, take a look at OHLs company page on Simply Wall St. Ive also put together a list of essential factors you should further examine: Valuation: What is OHL worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether OHL is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business take a look at who sits on Obrascon Huarte Lains board and the CEOs back ground. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Liberty U founder discusses American Christianity, Trump and church growth Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Elmer Towns, a respected Christian academic and co-founder of Liberty University, weighed in on the state of American Christianity, politics and church growth patterns in a wide-ranging interview with The Christian Post. At 87 years old, Towns is one of the most respected Christian academics of today. In addition to serving as a pastor and college professor, hes penned over 170 books and given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in the United States and abroad. He told The Christian Post that his latest book, The Bible by Jesus: Featuring the Complete Old and New Testament, is a paraphrase, not a translation. Despite having eight years of Greek and four years of Hebrew training under his belt, Towns clarified he doesnt view himself as a Hebrew or Greek scholar. I call myself one who is dedicated to the Word of God. I believe in the inspiration of Scripture. I love Scriptures, he said. Towns said the inspiration for the Bible by Jesus book came while reading Psalm 37:4, which reads: Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. As I was reading that passage, I said, God, I prayed many times, but I don't get what I want, he recalled. Then I translated it very freely, and it said something like this: If you make God number one in your heart, then what you want is what He wants, and He will give you what you ask for. What followed was a 13-year-process of interpreting the Bible, from the Psalms to the book of Job. Ultimately, he explained, The Bible by Jesus is a unique presentation of the Old and New Testaments from the perspective of Jesus, the author Himself. It's a tool in the hands of the people to help them understand and apply the Word of God to their hearts, he said. In 1971, Towns co-founded Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, alongside Jerry Falwell. Today, it is the largest private nonprofit university in the world, including students on campus and in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online). Throughout his career, Towns has written and lectured on various aspects of church growth, with an emphasis on effective Christian education organizations and pastoral leadership. The secret to Libertys success, according to the storied professor, is its dedication to raising up and training young men and women who use their talents for the benefit of the Body of Christ, the Church. Every student who attends Liberty is required to participate in weekly worship gatherings, local service projects and global mission trips. Liberty, Towns told CP, has sought to intersect education, evangelism, and church growth from the very beginning. I said, We're going to start a college. We're going to train people for ministry, he recalled. I said, If you can tie [academics] to churches, youll have two things: Youll have God's blessing on you because God loves the church. Jesus owns the church. The church was His body. And number two, you'll have the blessing of God's people because everyone's tied to a local church. Thats the secret of the success of Liberty. Many Bible colleges train people for ministry, but we train people for local church ministry by being in ministry. The former editor of several Christian publications and founder of Fundamentalist Journal and The Journal Champion, Towns also weighed in on Libertys prominent role in politics. Towns contended that progressive liberals are blinded, believing truth is subjective rather than objective. They feel they are operating according to the truth ... they are people with strong opinions, he said. And on the other side of the aisle is [President] Trump, who is a very strong conservative. Towns recalled how back in 2016, he told then Republican nominee Donald Trump: You want our support? Some of these people are going to doubt if youre even a Christian because of your identification with playmates and Playboy magazine and some of those sexual things that surround your reputation. Trump told him hed joined a Presbyterian church at a young age, believed Jesus had died for his sins, read the Bible, and abstained from smoking and drinking hard liquor. He (Trump) said, Ive always believed that; I havent changed my mind, Towns said. He said, If you want to judge me about my Christianity, you judge a man by his children. Hes only as good as his children. He said, My children are good Christians.' From that conversation, I think Trump has American Christianity. Whether hes saved or not, I dont know. Only God knows that, he continued, adding that he understands why many progressives and some conservative evangelicals are anti-Trump. However, he added that Donald Trump agrees with some of the positions of evangelicals some of the time," which is why many support him. When it comes to how Christians should vote in the upcoming election, Towns offered the reminder that were not electing a Baptist preacher; were electing the president of the United States. Does he have the principles to be the president of the United States? Dont get into the issue of character, he advised. He doesnt have the character to be a Baptist preacher, but does he have the principles to be the president of the United States? There have been other men who have the right principles but the wrong character. He has the right principles. Therefore, vote principles, and vote him in." Towns, who has studied church growth patterns for decades, said he believes the world is coming close to the coming of Jesus Christ. Something's happening in the world. Western Christianity has plateaued, he said, adding that the largest churches are no longer made up of westerners, but of refugees. The growth of Christianity in Africa is amazing. The growth of Christianity in South America and Indonesia is amazing, the former pastor stressed, explaining that the persecuted church has strong Christianity, while American Christianity is becoming weak. Towns pointed out that vibrant, thriving churches are meeting in homes around the world, online, and in underground locations. He explained that the face of the church as an organization is rapidly changing. The forms of Christianity around the world are changing, he said. Our concept of what a church is, is radically changing. In other words, we think in terms of the building or how big it is. Weve got to think differently; weve got to think about the multisite church. Towns contended that the strength of Christianity today are pentecostal churches that reflect the church in Ephesus addressed in the book of Revelation. Pentecostal, he said, is not spelled with a capital P, adding: Theyre very quiet. They dont emphasize their doctrinal differences. They emphasize Jesus. Edward Shih contributed to this interview with Elmer Towns. By Jamie Freed SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will allow cabin crew to wear a surgical mask while operating mainland China flights due to concerns over a new coronavirus, and passengers to Wuhan to change or cancel flights without charge through Feb. 15. The airline's flight attendant had on Tuesday called for permission to wear masks on all flights globally as cases have also been confirmed in the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The coronavirus outbreak, which began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, struck as millions of Chinese prepared to travel for the Lunar New Year, heightening contagion risks. It poses a fresh threat to demand for the airline, which has been battered by months of sometimes violent anti-government protests in Hong Kong. The Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union said it had received a "tremendous" amount of emails and messages from members concerned over catching the virus given they are exposed to over 300 passengers from numerous places on a single flight. "All of them are worried about the risk they are taking every time they go to work," the union said on its Facebook page on Tuesday. "It is time for the Company to properly address their concerns and allow Cabin Crew to wear masks on all flights." Cathay said on Wednesday it had told crew they could use their discretion and choose to wear a surgical mask while operating on mainland China flights. On Tuesday evening, its website said with immediate effect, rebooking, rerouting and refund charges would be waived for all tickets arriving to or departing from Wuhan through Feb. 15. China's aviation regulator on Tuesday evening told mainland carriers to refund or change flights to Wuhan without charge at the request of passengers, which analysts at Daiwa said had affected more than 24 airlines. Some other travel firms are also allowing free cancellations on bookings to Wuhan. Story continues Authorities have confirmed more than 300 cases of the virus in China, mostly in Wuhan where authorities on Tuesday said six people had died. The disease has spread to other parts of China, including five cases in capital Beijing. CATHAY'S VIRUS FRONTLINE Cathay said that as required by the Hong Kong health authorities, it was distributing health declaration forms and will be making face masks and antiseptic wipes available at the boarding gate to passengers travelling from Wuhan to Hong Kong. "Our frontline staff are reminded to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene, and to remain alert and vigilant while being on the lookout for passengers presenting with infectious disease symptoms," the airline said. Cathay has already been hit by plummeting demand as a result of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, leading it to cut capacity and defer the delivery of four planes. Shares in Cathay have fallen by 10% since the start of January as the virus has spread. Jefferies analysts said shares in Cathay and mainland Chinese carriers could remain under pressure for some time if the coronavirus situation paralleled the 2003 SARS outbreak and cases continued to increase. That coronavirus outbreak killed nearly 800 people. "During SARS in 2003, share prices only bottomed two months after first being recognised by the WTO on 26 Feb 2003 despite China total passenger traffic declining until June 2003," the analysts said in a note to clients on Tuesday. (Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney; additional reporting by Donny Kwok in Hong Kong and Brenda Goh in Shanghai Editing by Michael Perry) Japanese food processing and seasoning company Ajinomoto is looking to expand its market share of MSG (Monosodium glutamate) in India, a company official has said. Ajinomoto India, an entity owned by the Japanese parent company, has also plans to expand its market presence in the northern and western regions in India by expanding sales network. Presently, Ajinomoto products are sold for food service, mainly in the southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and in the north-eastern regions, where average consumption of noodles is high. "We will expand our market presence in parts of North and West India," Ajinomoto India Manager Marketing Govinda Biswas said. Moreover, the company also expects India's global ranking in Ajinomoto's overall business will improve in the coming years. Biswas said that presently it is very low. The top markets in Asia are China, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand. However, it has not shared any financial details regarding its operations in India. Ajinomoto, which entered India in 2003, operates from Tamil Nadu, where it has set up unit at Kancheepuram district. According to Biswas, the Indian MSG market is estimated to be around 10,000 tonnes annually and is almost flat from last five years as it is facing regulatory hurdles. Around 90 per cent of this market is dominated by the unorganised players, mainly from China and rest 10 per cent is with established branded products. "One of the reasons for stagnancy in the MSG market is the regulatory hurdles, which has created misconceptions about the product," Biswas said. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules mandates that all advertisements on food packages containing added MSG must declare it. The food regulator has also fixed the maximum permissible limits of MSG's usage. According to Biswas, MSG is used as a flavour enhancer with umami taste the so-called "fifth taste" -- which is responsible for meaty and savory flavour of food and it is popular in Korean, Japanese and Chinese dishes. He further said the firm is in discussions with FSSAI over it and consumption of MSG is safe as it is sourced naturally. "The problem in Indian market is that more than 90 per cent of MSG found here is fake. However, Ajinomoto's MSG is produced from natural resources like Sugarcane or Tapioca through natural fermentation, which is approved by the FSSAI In India," Biswas said, adding that the group has requested the government and FSSAI to take action. Presently, Ajinomoto India imports MSG for the domestic market from Thailand, which is its one if the largest production hub with three plants. Besides MSG, the company also sell AJITIDE I+G, which is for its institutional clients. Apart from that, Ajinomoto India has also presence in some other category such as -- 3 in 1 premix-Coffee and Masala chai, which is sold under brand name Blendy. The company also produces menu specific seasonings in India under Hapima brand. Also, Ajinomoto India have launched Japanese style instant noodles under the brand name A&M noodles. Its a joint venture between Ajinomoto India and Maruchan company. Founded in 1909, Ajinomoto is global manufacturer of seasoning, processed foods, beverages, amino acids, pharmaceuticals and special chemicals. It operates in 27 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The world was a very different place in 1997 when Chris Bohjalian published Midwives, the first of his best-selling novels. The action unfolds in a sparsely-populated state before cellular phones, the Internet or email, when midwifery was still not viewed as mainstream in all circles. Thats one reason the novelist wanted to revisit the story. His two-act drama, premiering at George Street Playhouse and running through Feb. 16, brings the action into 2020 and adds new depth to a story so compelling that it was made into a acclaimed television movie soon after the books original release. I hope people leave the show emotionally and physically exhausted, Bohjalian said. I hope they love every minute of both acts. I hope theyll be at the edge of their seats, gripping with their fingers, turning to each other and saying, Oh my God but in a good way. George Street Artistic Director David Saint, who is directing the production, said the show has the wow factor he wanted when he planned the playhouses first season in its new home, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. In your first year in a new space, a lot of people are going to be coming to see the venue. But as wonderful as the new setting is, the shows are what keeps people coming back, Saint said. Weve made an effort to do new and exciting work (this season). Midwives centers on Sibyl, an experienced midwife, who is guiding a woman through a home birth at a home in rural Vermont as a snow squall rages outside. When the birth becomes complicated and outside help is out of reach, Sibyl has to make a choice that will affect not only the mother and child but will set off a series of events that will decide her future. Bohjalian said the subject matter is one reason he chose Midwives as the first of his books he would adapt for the stage. Its such a universal story. Birth, he said. Everybody we know has an amazing birth story or knows someone with an amazing birth story. Bohjalian is an internationally best-selling author of 20 novels including The Law of Similars, The Sandcastle Girls, The Light in the Ruins and the soon-to-be-released The Red Lotus. But hes relatively new to playwriting and he said its been revelatory to see how much impact the actors and director can have on the storytelling and an audience. Im essentially creating a moment in time with a couple of characters speaking but they really bring it to life, he said. I love live theater especially in the digital age. Its one of those places where everyone is gathered together for the same reason and we arent staring down at our phones. We arent multi-tasking. Were there watching the same thing and interpreting it through our own lenses but interpreting it together. Saint said individual interpretations of events is a key element of the drama. He wants the audience to question what they saw in the first act as they watch the second as the characters in the play do the same. The story hinges on different peoples recollections of what happened that night, he said. Memory is tinged by your emotions at the time. Traumatic events are slightly disorienting. The nine-member cast of Midwives includes Ellen McLaughlin, who originated the role of Angel in Angels in America; television regulars John Bolger and Lee Sellars; and Grace Experience, who is also Bohjalians daughter. Nature, too, becomes a character with staging that brings the outside in and ensures watchers can feel the isolation of the Vermont woods and hear the creaking tree branches and the crack of ice pellets hitting the house. My goal is to take their breath away and I think its going to make for a very taught, tense, suspenseful drama, Saint said. Im just hoping we dont get an ice storm. MIDWIVES George Street Playhouse at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center 11 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. Tickets: $25-70, available online at georgestreetplayhouse.org. Through Feb. 16. Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. Kabul, Afghanistan: The Taliban ambushed and killed an Afghan intelligence official in southern Helmand province as he was walking home from work, an official said Thursday. It was the latest deadly attack by insurgents even as they hold peace talks with a US envoy. The officer, who headed the intelligence department's press office for the province, was ambushed late on Wednesday, according to the Helmand police chiefs spokesman Zaman Hamdard. Another member of the intelligence department was wounded in the attack, the spokesman said. An investigation was underway to find the perpetrators, Hamdard added. Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban now control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan and continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces, Kabul government officials or those seen as linked to the government even as they hold peace talks with the U.S. and have given the U.S. envoy a document outlining their offer for a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan. Murderer Mark Hennessy was agitated and looked "like a man possessed" in the moments before he was shot inside a car. The 40-year-old, who abducted and killed Jastine Valdez, was shot by 'Garda A', whose evidence was heard at the inquest into his death yesterday. The experienced detective told the inquest he was left with "no option" - as he believed the young woman was in the car and in imminent danger. He told the Dublin Coroner's Court that he had not been on official duty on May 20, 2018, but was catching up on paperwork and said he would be available if needed to help with the search for Ms Valdez. The 24-year-old Filipino student had been abducted in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, the previous day on a busy road. Garda A was conducting searches around Shankill and Dun Laoghaire for the 17D Nissan Qashqai Hennessy was driving. From a radio call, Garda A was informed a member of the public was following Hennessy and there was a second occupant in the car. Hennessy drove into Cherrywood Business Park. Garda A drove into the car park and stopped directly in front of the Nissan Qashqai that Hennessy was driving. "He was in the driver seat, he was moving from side to side. He looked uneasy and agitated. "I blocked the Nissan to the front and another unmarked car blocked it to the rear. I put out an urgent assistance request. Mark Hennessy was moving around in the front of the vehicle in a very agitated state. He was struggling with something in the front passenger step-well area," Garda A told the court. "I shouted at him 'Armed police, drop the f***ing knife,' I shouted this a number of times," he said. "I took up position and began drawing my weapon from the holster because of the seriousness of the situation. I was concentrated on the blade exposed." Garda A said he was satisfied Ms Valdez was in the car given the information received and his assessment of the situation. He said that a garda colleague, 'Garda C', had attempted to open the door of the car, but it was locked. "With the information I had, I was in great fear that Jastine Valdez was in that vehicle. "I observed the knife moving from a higher position and saw it was being lowered into skin. I thought he was slitting Jastine Valdez's throat. I had to take decisive action. "I shouted 'He's going to slit her throat'. In that split second I thought the threat to her life was imminent," he said. Garda A said that Hennessy had been non-compliant with all demands and directions. He said that he "took aim at his chest and discharged one bullet". After assessing that he was of no further threat, he searched the car for Ms Valdez. He said that his "stomach dropped" and his heart sank when he realised she wasn't in the vehicle. The detective told the coroner's court: "I had no other option but to do what I did based on what was unfolding in front of me." He said that he had been concentrating on "the track of the knife". "My aim was to rescue Jastine Valdez and arrest Mark Hennessy," he said. He said that from what he had seen, it was "absolutely necessary" to discharge the firearm. Garda A, a detective for the past 18 years, added: "The behaviour, he looked like a person possessed, his eyes, I will never forget it." Hennessy was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.38pm that night. The inquest heard pathology evidence from Acting State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan, who gave the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the right upper arm and chest. A 21.3cm-long incision on Hennessy's left forearm was a contributory factor. Hennessy was deemed to have been mildly intoxicated at the time of his death and there was evidence of recent cocaine use, according to the autopsy. The inquest continues today. The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will consider after three months the plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to the Centre for declaring 'Ram Sethu' as a national heritage monument. Ram Sethu is a chain of limestone shoals between coasts of India and Sri Lanka. According to the epic Ramayana, the Ram Sethu bridge was built by the 'Vanara army' to rescue Sita, who was kidnapped by Ravana. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde took note of the submissions of Swamy that his interim application be listed for urgent hearing for declaring the Sethu a national heritage monument by the Archaeological Survey of India. "You please mention this after three months. We will entertain this then," the bench which also comprised justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna said. The BJP leader submitted that he has already won the first round of the litigation in which the Centre accepted the existence of Ram Sethu. He further said the union minister concerned had called a meeting in 2017 to consider his demand to declare the Sethu as a national heritage monument but subsequently nothing happened. The top court referred to pendency of several cases before it and asked Swamy to mention his plea after three months for an urgent hearing. The BJP leader had earlier raised the issue of declaring Ram Sethu as a national monument in his PIL against the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Channel project, initiated by the UPA-I government. The matter had reached the apex court, which in 2007 had stayed the work for the project on the Ram Sethu. The Centre had later said that it considered the "socio-economic disadvantages" of the project and was willing to explore another route to the shipping channel project without damaging the Ram Sethu. "That the Government of India intends to explore an alternative to the earlier alignment of Sethusamudram Ship Channel project without affecting/damaging the Adam's Bridge/Ram Sethu in the interest of the nation," the affidavit filed by the ministry had said. The court had then asked the government to file a fresh affidavit. The Sethusamudram shipping channel project has been facing protests from some political parties, environmentalists and certain Hindu religious groups. Under the project, a 83 km-long deep water channel was to be created, linking Mannar with Palk Strait, by extensive dredging and removal of limestone shoals. The apex court had on November 13 last year granted six weeks to the Centre to clarify its stand on the Ram Sethu. It had also granted liberty to Swamy to approach the court if the response of the Centre was not filed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (L-R) Tom Steyer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) listen as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) (3rd R) speaks during the Democratic presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 14, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) 2020 Democrats Stuck During Impeachment Deny Wanting to Campaign in Iowa Several U.S. senators who are Democratic primary contenders, but must be in Washington for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, say theyre not frustrated with having to be away from the campaign trail as the Iowa caucuses approach. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), have to spend six days a week on Capitol Hill to serve as jurors in the impeachment trial. Meanwhile, the Iowa caucuses are Feb. 3, and the New Hampshire primary comes about a week later. While the trial lasted until about 9:30 p.m. local time on Jan. 22, it was far more grueling a day earlier, as senators were forced to stay in the Senate chamber until the early-morning hours to hash out ground rules for the proceedings. The lawmakers also are prohibited from using smartphones and other electronic devices during the trial, which means they cant communicate with campaign staffers or send out Twitter messages to supporters. In recent interviews, the four senators were asked where they would rather be: Washington or Iowa? None of the senators vying for their partys nomination said they would rather be campaigning on the ground. This is my responsibility, Warren told the Washington Examiner on Jan. 22. I took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution, and thats why Im here. Some things are more important than politics. My focus today is on a monumental moment in American history: the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Sanders told NBC on Jan. 21. Tomorrow, I will be in an impeachment trial, Sanders told supporters a day earlier in Des Moines, Iowa, according to The New York Times. How long it lasts? Honestly dont know. I am not going to be able to be here as much as I would like. So you guys are going to have to carry the ball. The campaign for Sanders announced on Jan. 21 that he would have to cancel at least one campaign stop in Iowa because of the impeachment trial. Instead, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will be deployed to host campaign events in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Ames on Friday and Saturday before Sanders joins her at an Iowa event on Jan. 26his only day off during the impeachment trial. This is my constitutional duty, Klobuchar told reporters in the Capitol. That is the fact. NBC News reported that she took a 6 a.m. flight on Jan. 21 to return to Washington from Iowa. I am here doing my constitutional duty; the people of Iowa understand that, Klobuchar told the Examiner, adding that she has campaign staffers standing in for her. Having people on the ground that are people that see folks in the supermarket or at workthat matters. Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, told reporters on Jan. 21 that hes seeking to gain an advantage over his opponents who are tied up with impeachment. Look, realistically, a lot of people are going to make up their minds in the last few days in each of the early states and here in Iowa, too, Buttigieg said. So were going to make the most of every moment that we have on the ground. Former Vice President Joe Biden didnt appear to relish his on-the-ground advantage, but said he wasnt paying attention to the impeachment proceedings. I didnt get to see it all because I was out here campaigning in Iowa, doing town meetings, he told MSNBC on Jan. 22. But what I saw the reruns of, it wasI have a great respect and reverence for the Senate, for real. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Biden is leading in Iowa at 21 percent. Hes followed by Sanders at 17.3 percent, Warren at 16.7 percent, Buttigieg at 16.3 percent, and Klobuchar at 8.3 percent. By Express News Service BHOPAL: BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya made a sensational claim on Thursday, stating that a 'Bangladeshi terrorist' was targetting him and hence doing his recee since more than a year. Addressing a program in Indore in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the BJP leader said, Did any of you see so many gun-wielding security personnel escorting me in the past. Even when I was a minister in the Madhya Pradesh government, I didnt take so much security. You would be surprised to know that a terrorist from Bangladesh has been doing my recee since a year and half, said Vijayvargiya. ALSO READ: BJP leader suspects nationality of construction labourers over 'eating habits' While backing the CAA, the BJP leader said, I appeal one and all not to be misled and confused by rumours being spread about the CAA. Its a law in the countrys interest, which will give Indian citizenship to religious minorities persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, but will also help in identifying intruders, who have become a grave threat to the countrys internal security. Reacting to Vijayvargiyas claim, Congress leader Bhupendra Gupta said, Terrorism is a universal phenomenon and many politicians in our country and across the globe are on terror target. But whats the need for publicly saying it to support the CAA. Later talking to journalists, when questioned about recent utterances by Bengal BJP leader Chandra Bose (who is also the grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose), Vijayvargiya said Chandra Bose who has come from the Forward Bloc, is a new entrant in BJP. At times he doesnt comprehend the BJP ideology, which is why we dont take his statements very seriously. Meanwhile, Chandra Kumar Bose, who is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's grandnephew, had on Thursday expressed concern over the controversial picture of Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses statue holding the BJP flag and demanded that Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh should immediately look into the matter. In the recent past, Bose has been critical of BJPs stand over the contentious CAA and has reportedly made it clear that he may have to rethink his decision to remain in the BJP if much-needed modifications arent made in the amended Citizenship law. Meanwhile, an Indore-based local BJP leader Raziq Farshiwala announced his decision to quit BJP along with 90 other members on Thursday over CAA-NRC-NPR. He is considered close to Kailash Vijayvargya. More recently, BJP minority cell office bearers in Bhopal, Indore, Khargone and Guna districts have also quit the saffron party in protest against CAA-NRC-NPR. When questioned about it by the journalists in Indore, Vijayvargiya expressed ignorance about it and added that Well talk to them and convince them to change their decision. A local organisation working on civic issues on Thursday demanded rail connectivity between Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-Pune cities to fuel the growth of the Marathwada region. Maharashtra's Aurangabad district is witnessing economic growth and is transforming itself into a commercial hub, the NGO 'Aurangabad First' stated. "A railway line connecting Aurangabad and Ahmednagar and then moving ahead to Pune and Dighi port will generate massive revenue for railways, as these cities are big industrial zones," Aurangabad First president Mansing Pawar said. The organisation is seeking an appointment with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to highlight this issue, he added. With this connectivity, the industrial areas like Jalna, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Pune, Shirur, Chakan, Waluj, Shendra and Kedgaon will come on single track with this connectivity, a local industrialist Prasad Kokil said. Meanwhile, Member of Parliament from Ahmednagar Sujay Vikhe Patil assured that he will follow up on the issue of Aurangabad-Ahmednagar railway line. This project needs to be looked at from an industrial transport point of view, he said. The time taken to travel between Aurangabad and Pune will come down to three hours from the current five-hour travel time, Patil added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canadian Dollar Talking Points: Canadian Dollar breaks down after yesterdays Bank of Canada rate decision. USD/CAD is trading at fresh 2020 highs. Bank of Canada Drives Loonie Weakness, USD/CAD Jumps Yesterday brought a couple of notable risk items for the Canadian Dollar, with the early-morning CPI release followed by a Bank of Canada rate decision. The big driver yesterday was the commentary, as the BoC sounded far less optimistic than they had previously as Stephen Poloz noted that policymakers were unsure whether the recent slowdown in data was transitory or being driven by less-controllable global factors. This amounted to a quick run of weakness in the Canadian Dollar and that move has continued through the overnight session. USD/CAD is now trading at a fresh 2020 high, breaking through two key resistance zones as buyers further clawed back the late-2019 sell-off in the pair. USD/CAD Four-Hour Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; USDCAD on Tradingview On a short-term basis, theres even been signs of support at prior resistance even after yesterdays bullish breakout in USD/CAD. The level of 1.3132, which is the 61.8% retracement of the May-September 2017 major move has come in to offer a bit of higher-low support near yesterdays US close; and a bit higher, around the 1.3150 marker, buyers appear to be trying to do the same with this level helping to hold this mornings low. USD/CAD Hourly Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; USDCAD on Tradingview USD/CAD Moving Forward Levels to Know At this point, additional resistance potential exists just a bit-higher on the chart, running from the approximate 1.3181-1.3205. This zone caught a group of swing highs in mid-December and should this bullish move in USD/CAD continue, that zone could be an area to follow for exhaustion. Underneath current price action and those two quick stops of higher-low support from the past 24 hours, deeper support potential exists around the 1.3100 level, which came in as a key spot of resistance earlier this month but, as yet, hasnt been tested for support since yesterdays bullish breakout. USD/CAD Four-Hour Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; USDCAD on Tradingview --- Written by James Stanley, Strategist for DailyFX.com Contact and follow James on Twitter: @JStanleyFX The Saudis dismiss reports of the kingdoms involvement in the suspected hack, but the UN wants the US to investigate. United Nations human rights experts are asking the United States and others to investigate a suspected hack that may have siphoned data from the personal smartphone of Jeff Bezos Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post and which may have involved Saudi Arabia. UN investigators said they had received information suggesting spyware such as the NSO Groups Pegasus-3 malware was installed on Bezoss phone via a WhatsApp message from an account utilized personally by Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). But the forensic evidence the UN experts cite comes from an incomplete study of Bezoss phone, raising multiple questions. The White House on Thursday said its taking reports about the alleged hacking seriously. Heres a quick guide to whats known, and what remains unknown, about the findings so far. What happened to Bezoss phone? According to a cybersecurity firm run by a former Obama administration official, evidence on the phone suggests it was infected by spyware in May 2018 via a WhatsApp message from the account of MBS. That message included a video file that the firms investigators say likely contained malware. Bezoss personal security adviser had been counseled in February 2019 to have the phone examined by an intelligence official who has not been named. Bezos went public with the suspected hack shortly thereafter, saying the National Enquirer tabloid had threatened to publish his private messages and photos. Are the forensic findings conclusive? Not at all. Outside security researchers highlighted several issues with the forensics report by FTI Consulting, run by former Obama administration National Security Council cybersecurity official Anthony Ferrante. For instance, the FTI report, dated November and obtained Wednesday by the Vice News site Motherboard, said researchers didnt find any malware on the phone, nor any evidence that Bezoss phone had surreptitiously communicated with known spyware command servers. Further, an examination of the crucial root file system where top-flight hackers often hide their malware was still pending when the report was written. iPhone security expert Will Strafach, CEO of Guardian Firewall, said that if the FTI investigators didnt look at the root file system, they didnt do a thorough forensic exam. I think the UN intentions are good but the details really matter here and the public reporting falls short of any real firm smoking gun, said Strafach. Other security experts questioned the FTI teams forensic chops, wondering on Twitter and in blog posts why it was unable to decrypt the software that would have delivered the malware payload along with the video file. Alex Stamos, a cybersecurity expert at Stanford University, tweeted: The funny thing is that it looks like FTI potentially has the murder weapon sitting right there, they just havent figured out how to test it. FTIs Ferrante did not respond to emails and text messages seeking comment. The company said in a statement that all FTIs work for clients is confidential and that FTI does not comment on, confirm or deny client engagements. Facebook said the outfit did not reach out to WhatsApp to request assistance with its probe. Could hackers have erased all the evidence of intrusion? Absolutely, said Strafach. Elite hackers plant malware that erases itself after surreptitiously sending sensitive data to command servers. It scoops up everything they want and removes itself so theres no trace, no evidence, he said. Anyone who knows what they are doing [is] going to cover up their tracks. Sophisticated mobile spyware such as the package called Pegasus, made by the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group is designed to bypass detection and mask its activity. Saudi Arabia is reported to have used Pegasus against dissidents and human rights activists within weeks of the suspected Bezos hack. On Wednesday, NSO Group unequivocally denied that its technology was used in the Bezos hack. Why is the United Nations involved? One of the two UN officials seeking answers in the case, Agnes Callamard. focuses on extrajudicial killings and has already investigated the Saudi governments role in the October 2018 murder in Turkey of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The other, David Kaye, is the UN point person on free expression. He focuses on the growing and lawless use of malicious spyware to monitor and intimidate human-rights defenders and journalists. Both are independent experts in the UNs human rights arm, not employees of the international organisation. Kaye said via text message that he received the FTI report in November. Are other public figures at risk? Its difficult to say at the moment. Prince MBS has attended gatherings with numerous US entertainers, technology executives and sports-team owners. Why isnt the US government more involved? A top US Justice Department official, Adam S. Hickey, would not say whether federal investigators were looking into the allegations. Trump has been reluctant to condemn the Saudi prince over the Khashoggi killing and often expresses satisfaction with the Saudi governments purchases of US weapons. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, second from right, and party leaders wave hands to travelers heading back home for the Lunar New Year holiday at Yongsan Station in central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap By Yi Whan-woo The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is looking to its bigwigs to run in constituencies that the party sees as strategically important to outstrip its rival parties in the April 15 general election. The ruling party has so far asked former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon to run in central Seoul's Jongno District, and ex-South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Doo-kwan to run in Yangsan-A a provincial constituency. The party has also been requesting former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok to re-consider his decision not to run in the elections. Some officials said Im should compete in the Gwangjin-B constituency where former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will seek a seat for the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP). On Thursday, Lee agreed to run in Jongno the country's most "sought-after" district after stepping down as the prime minister and joining the party, Jan. 15. Lee has also accepted the party's call to serve as co-chairman of its election campaign committee. Serving for two years and eight months, Lee was the longest-serving prime minister since the country established its current political system in 1987. The Jongno district was represented by Chung Sye-kyun, who was National Assembly speaker before replacing Lee as prime minister. The LKP is believed to be heavily debating who should compete against Lee. One possible candidate is LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn who was also a prime minister under ousted former President Park Geun-hye. "It's an honor to continue my career as a politician in Jongno the symbol of the Republic of Korea's politics," Lee told reporters at Yongsan Station, Thursday, where he and the DPK leadership greeted travelers heading home for the Lunar New Year holiday. "At the same time, I am burdened by being responsible as a candidate and a head of the election campaign. But I will certainly accept those responsibilities." Kim was the governor of South Gyeongsang Province from 2010 to 2012, before being elected as a DPK lawmaker in Gimpo-A district in Gyeonggi Province. South Gyeongsang Province has been a stronghold of conservative parties for the most part, but the DPK expects Kim to "play a central role" in wooing voters in the region. Kim accepted the party's call, Thursday, to run in Yangsan-A. He will also oversee the election campaign area encompassing Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province. "I know this is hard, but I have decided to follow the party's order," he said, adding he will make "every effort" for the DPK to win more than half of the Assembly seats assigned to the province. Also a former lawmaker, Im announced he would leave politics after serving as chief of staff for President Moon Jae-in from 2017 to 2019. However, he delivered a TV speech on DPK policy, Jan 21, fueling speculation he may soon join the party. "Im is undecided about running in the election, but he may change his mind if we convince him to reconsider," a party official said. Canadian government lawyers on Wednesday laid out a case for extraditing a senior Huawei executive to the United States, saying it is based on "a fraud on a bank." The US alleges Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of tech giant Huawei, lied to the bank HSBC about Huawei's relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Tehran. Meng has denied the allegations. "Fraud is at the heart of this case," Crown counsel Robert Frater told the court. "Lying to a bank to obtain financial services is fraud," he said, disputing defense claims that the US was effectively, through its extradition treaty, seeking to get Canada to enforce US banking sanctions against Iran that Canada and other allies repudiated. Were Canada to agree to Meng's extradition, defense lawyer Eric Gottardi said earlier this week, "we would be allowing a foreign state to criminalize conduct in Canada" that is not illegal in this country. Frater said the sanctions merely provide context "to better understand why HSBC's economic interests were at risk." Defense arguments, he said, "only serve to obscure the essence" of Meng's actions. In order to win extradition, lawyers for Canada's attorney general on behalf of the US Justice Department must demonstrate that the US accusations against Meng would be considered a crime in Canada if they'd occurred here. This is a key test referred to as double criminality. Many of the arguments for and against Meng's extradition so far have relied on a precedent case involving arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber, who was sent to Germany in 2009. He was prosecuted for his role in a kickbacks scheme in the sale of planes and tanks to Canada, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. But "there is no case exactly like this one," Frater commented. In court filings, the Crown said Meng's actions amounted to "a fraud on a bank," saying she made "several misrepresentations to a bank to secure financial services." They assert that Huawei controlled the operations of Skycom in Iran; that its staff used Huawei email accounts and security badges; and its bank accounts were controlled by Huawei. Meng, however, told HSBC executives in a presentation in Hong Kong in 2013 that Huawei no longer owned Skycom and that she had resigned from that company's board. From 2010 to 2014, meanwhile, HSBC and its American subsidiary cleared more than US$100 million worth of transactions related to Skycom through the US. "Simply put, there is evidence she deceived HSBC in order to induce it to continue to provide banking services to Huawei," the Crown said in court documents. During this period, HSBC was Huawei's most important international bank with dealings in over 40 countries. It coordinated a USD$1.5 billion syndicated loan to Huawei, contributing US$150 million of its own funds. Had HSBC known of Huawei's alleged skirting of US sanctions against Iran it would have reassessed its ties to Huawei, Frater said. "The bank has to ask if doing this business is going to lose them other business," he said. "The bank is entitled to honesty in being able to assess whether it is going to be at risk." The Crown noted that HSBC forfeited US$1 billion and paid US$665 million in fines for past sanctions violations by conducting transactions with Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Myanmar. Violating its deal with US prosecutors allowing it to avoid a trial in that case "could have subjected HSBC to criminal charges relating to the previous conduct," it said in court filings. "Continuing a relationship with Huawei/Skycom also exposed HSBC to new civil and criminal sanctions." Meng's arrest during a stopover of a Hong Kong-to-Mexico flight in December 2018 caused a major rift in Canada's relations with Beijing, which followed up by detaining two Canadians and restricting Canadian agricultural imports. The arrests on espionage suspicions of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been widely interpreted as retribution by Beijing aimed at pressuring Canada to free Meng. While Meng is out on bail, the two Canadians remain in China's opaque penal system. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected domestic calls to free Meng in a "prisoner swap" for the pair in order to normalize relations with China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With roots in Atlanta and branches that extend to every continent, Emory Universitys global impact is a distinguishing factor in its reputation as a leading research institution. The scope of the universitys international work is strengthened by the efforts of faculty, staff and alumni who extend Emorys reach well beyond its campus. International work is part of the fabric of Emory University, says Philip Wainwright, vice provost of global strategy and initiatives. Our world-class faculty, internationally engaged staff and community of highly talented international students, scholars and alumni develop initiatives and collaborations that have global scope, and the International Awards were established to celebrate these exemplary people as they further Emorys impact around the world. Every year, the Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives recognizes three members of the Emory community whose work has expanded the universitys global engagement. The International Awards celebrate the extraordinary work of a faculty member, an international alumnus and a staff member. The 2019-20 International Award recipients are: Dennis Liotta, Marion V. Creekmore Award for Internationalization Mabel Magowe, Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award Frank Gaertner, International Outreach Award Creekmore Award for Internationalization Dennis Liotta, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry in Emory College of Arts and Sciences and executive director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development, has been named the winner of the 2019-20 Marion V. Creekmore Award for Internationalization. The award celebrates the achievements of an Emory faculty member whose work contributes to the advancement of the universitys commitment to internationalization. In the 43 years that he has worked at Emory, Liotta has made discoveries in drug development that have helped transform HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a chronic infection in which many patients are able to live active, near-normal lives. Additionally, his contributions to the development of life-saving drugs are felt by hundreds of millions of people worldwide affected by a variety of viral infections and Hepatitis B and C. Following these significant contributions in drug development, Liotta recognized that his drug discoveries were not universally available around the globe. As a result, Liotta established joint efforts with academic, research and government institutions in South Africa to spearhead initiatives that would address challenges in the regions supply of life-saving drugs and to rejuvenate the local scientific community through partnerships and collaborations. Most recently, Liotta fostered collaborations with university and medical research institutions in Australia to create avenues for faculty partnerships and scholarly exchange and collaboration, particularly in the areas of brain health, cancer and infectious diseases research. Liottas contributions in public health exemplify faculty excellence that transcends borders and extends the reach of Emorys impact to people all over the world. Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award Mabel Magowe, who earned her PhD at Emory in 2008, is the winner of the 2019-20 Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award. The honor recognizes international alumni who are highly distinguished in their field and have made outstanding contributions to humanity, science, art or human welfare. Magowe, who studied in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, now serves as the deputy dean in the faculty of health sciences at the University of Botswana, where she teaches courses on HIV/AIDS education and midwifery. Her research focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention and improving womens health has manifested in collaborative projects in coordination with colleagues in both Botswana and the U.S. She applies her expertise to the mentorship and development of nursing students pursuing advanced degrees in institutions in Botswana and throughout the region. Marcia McDonnel Holstad, Marcia Stanhope Professor of Public Health in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, described up Magowes contribution to Emorys global work in her nomination letter: Magowe is dedicated to producing the next generation of nursing and health researchers ... (She) is an inspiration for both Emory students interested in international research as well as students in Botswana who want to extend their reach and scope of research and practice. Holstad went on to add that Magowe embodies the principles of national and international collaboration. Magowes work reflects the innovation that is possible through scholarship and exemplifies the vast international reach of the research and training that happens on the Emory campus every day. International Outreach Award Frank Gaertner, associate director of undergraduate advising in the Office for Undergraduate Education in Emory College, has been selected as winner of the 2019-20 International Outreach Award. The award recognizes professional staff who have made significant contributions to Emorys internationalization through the programs, schools and units in which they serve. Gaertners work at Emory has spanned 25 years. He currently serves as academic adviser to the international students in Emory College. Along with advising, he manages the Academic Fellows program and developed the international student orientation known as International Student Welcome (ISW). His comprehensive approach to international student advising supports the unique needs of the 1,000 international students who make Emory their home away from home. He has prioritized programmatic support for students in transition including first-year students, transfer students, Oxford College continuees and Korean men returning to Emory after their compulsory two-year military service. Most recently, Gaertner participated in a new initiative called Passport to Emory that provides pre-departure orientations on-site for international students in locations that are home to the largest student populations. Jaewon Jeong, an Emory College student, wrote a letter as part of Gaertners nomination that summed up the ways his advising and support are critical factors in the Emory experience for international students: Frank made Emory feel like home. Gaertners work with international students cultivates a thriving campus and a compelling student experience, and demonstrates one of the reasons Emory is the academic community of choice for students from all over the world. 2.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard In a powerhouse presentation, Adam Schiff is forcing Republican Senators to hear the evidence of Trumps corruption. Schiff said: This is a president who truly feels that, under article two, he can do whatever he wants. And that includes coercing an ally to help him cheat. In an election. And if hes successful, its not a remedy for that. A remedy in which the president can cheat is no remedy at all. Which is why were here. This was not about corruption, which brings me to number ten. The ten reasons you know President Trump put himself first. Ironically the president has argued his corrupt conduct in soliciting sham investigations was driven by his concerns about corruption in Ukraine. This attempt to legitimize his efforts is not credible, not the least bit believable given the mountain of evidence in the presidents corrupt intent. There is no evidence that president trump care said one wit about anticorruption efforts at all. Thats the tenant reason you know this was political. Video: Adam Schiff is forcing the Republican Senators to listen to the evidence of Trump's corruption. #ImpeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/vjCtDrROAN Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 23, 2020 Schiffs presentation will have 2020 consequences because the vulnerable Republican incumbent Senators who are running for reelection are going to have to go home and explain to their constituents how they were able to ignore the evidence that put right in front of their faces and vote not to convict Donald Trump. Rep. Schiff is forcing Republicans to hear the truth about their president. The American people are watching and the Senators who are denying reality are going to have to face the voters and explain their denial of reality. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, January 24 2020 Indonesia has launched the operation of its largest coal-fired power unit to date, which offset all renewable energy power progress in the Southeast Asian country last year. Java 7 Unit 1, launched in December 2019, is over twice as powerful as all renewable energy plants launched the same year. The Banten-based plant has a capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW), 2.7 times greater than the 376 MW worth of green energy plants introduced in Indonesia last year. The plants majority owner, Beijing-based coal miner China Energy Investment Corporation, described it as the largest individual installed capacity of any overseas thermal generation unit invested in and built by a Chinese enterprise. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Latest News Sydney property prices might not drop yet, as planning problems persist NSW planning approvals have fallen off a cliff since October, showing that the supply crisis might yet continue The key trends for property investment in 2022 analysed The key trends for property investment in 2022 analysed, with rentvesting and borderless investing likely to surge Westpac has announced the appointment of its new non-executive director and chairman-elect, who will play an integral role in the appointment of a permanent CEO following the resignation of Brian Hartzer. John McFarlane, scheduled to assume the role in February subject to regulatory approvals, will succeed Lindsay Maxsted and work closely with Peter King, current acting CEO. McFarlane has more than 44 years experience in financial services, across retail and wholesale banking and markets, as well as in life and general insurance. This experience, coupled with his strong customer and employee focus, will be invaluable to Westpac as the organisation executes its strategy and implements its Response Plan for the AUSTRAC Statement of Claim, said Maxsted. As chairman-elect, McFarlane will be responsible for appointing a permanent CEO, with an internal and external search process currently underway. In the interim, he will work closely with the acting CEO, Peter King and the board, to effect needed change. Most recently, McFarlane was chairman at Barclays in London over the decade of challenge following the global financial crisis. During his four years as chairman, the company was streamlined, repositioned and has sustainably returned to profit, Maxsted said. Prior to this, he delivered a successful turnaround program at UK insure,r Aviva, a company similar in scale to Westpac. McFarlane also possesses a deep understanding of Australias banking sector, given his previous 10-year tenure as CEO of ANZ from 1997 to 2007, as well as 10 years passed as director of the Australian Bankers Association. The newly named chairman has returned to live in Australia permanently and has dubbed the appointment an honour. People close to me know that on my return to Australia, I hadnt intended to take another major leadership role. However, Im passionate about the Australian banking sector, and Im excited by the challenge of returning Westpac to its place as a leading global bank, following recent events, McFarlane said. To some extent, the internal and external challenges ahead for Westpac are not dissimilar to those in my last five financial institutions, and I have therefore grown comfortable about my capacity to work with the board and management to effect the necessary change. Nevertheless, Im sufficiently battle-hardened to realise things can be tougher than you think and that in banking, nothing is ever certain. McFarlane has communicated that the appointment of a world-class CEO can take time. In the interim, momentum is important. I will work closely with Peter King and the board to continue to make any changes necessary. People should expect to see positive change during this period, he said. My focus initially will naturally be on resolving the companys current issues but equally important, to position it as quickly as possible for long-term success. Fortunately, Westpac has wonderful core customer franchises, each with significant opportunity. One more doctor at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), set up for survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, quit on Thursday, a day after 13 doctors at the facility resigned, a source said. They are upset over lack of infrastructure at the hospital and denial of promotions, one of the doctors who resigned said on condition of anonymity. Before the series of resignations, there were 15 doctors at the facility, he said. "While 13 doctors put in their papers on Wednesday, one of our colleagues resigned today. Now, only one doctor is left who has not quit," he added. The doctors earlier submitted their resignations to BMHRC director Dr Prabha Desikan, who could not be contacted for comments. "We have also emailed our resignations to the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today," the doctor said, adding that in their resignation documents they have mentioned that they would not report on duty after a month. He said they were unhappy over being denied promotions despite repeated pleas. "Besides, many times we do not have necessary medicines or surgical appliances to treat patients or carry out operations. The situation has come to such a pass that we have to wait for months before conducting a surgery (as medicines or appliances are not readily available)," he said. Meanwhile, social activist Rachna Dhingra appealed to the doctors not to think about themselves, but about the Bhopal gas tragedy survivors who were dependent on them for medical help and treatment. "The ICMR should intervene and help the hospital overcome the mess," said Dhingra, who is member of Bhopal Group for Information and Action, an NGO working for the tragedy survivors. On an average 4,000 patients visit the hospital daily. The BMHRC was built, on the Supreme Court's direction, to treat the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak incident, considered the world's worst industrial disaster. At least 3,000 people were killed and thousands of others suffered grievous health consequences when toxic gas leaked from the (now defunct) Union Carbide pesticide factory here on the night of December 2 and 3, 1984. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A gang of teenagers who allegedly stole thousands of dollars' worth of luxury items from a Kings Street store and posted photos of themselves with the haul online have been charged by police. The group of five teenagers broke into Perth's Gucci store in the early hours of Tuesday, dressed in hoodies and balaclavas, and stole several handbags and clothes before fleeing the scene. Two of the teenagers pose with the stolen goods before being arrested by police. Credit:Instagram Shortly after, some of the gang bragged about the haul on social media, posting several photos of themselves posing with the stolen goods in a local park, and attracting more than 200 likes. The Instagram account of one of the teenagers also shows the boys posing with large sums of cash, expensive watches, handbags, cars and mobile phones. A top doctor today warned Britons who fear they may have contracted coronavirus to stay at home rather than attending a GP or hospital, as global efforts stepped up to contain the outbreak. Dr Peter Holden became the latest expert to admit it was possible the deadly respiratory virus had entered the UK, as China said its death toll had risen to 25, with a total of 616 people infected. Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, was in lockdown, while residents in Huanggang, 45 miles away, were told not to leave the city. Dramatic scenes were shared on social media apparently showing a passenger arriving in Shanghai from Wuhan being transferred from the airport in an airtight container. Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport / AFP via Getty Images In the latest developments: Experts from the World Health Organisation were meeting to decide whether to declare an international public health emergency. Global markets slumped, with Chinese stocks recording the biggest decline in eight years and oil prices hit a seven-week low. Four NHS hospital trusts, including two in London, have been put on standby to receive suspected patients. Screening was stepped up at international airports and precautionary measures to stop the killer virus from entering Britain were to be extended beyond Heathrow to other airports. Tech giant Huawei postponed a conference in Shenzhen, 600 miles south of Wuhan, until the end of March. Public Health England has been told that a small number of people returning from China had presented with symptoms but there had been no confirmed cases. Dr Holden, British Medical Association lead on emergency preparedness, told Sky News: If you have been to China, to Wuhan in particular, then stay at home and ring up. Please dont come to the surgery or A&E. Help will be organised to take you to somewhere we can examine you in safety, without contaminating all the rest of the healthcare assets. He said it was important for people who suspected they may have contracted the virus to be honest with your doctor and not attempt to disguise their symptoms. It can take about five days for flu-like symptoms to appear. I dont know whether its already here or not, Dr Holden said. Its a hazard of mass travel. We mitigate risks. We cannot eliminate them. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: Obviously this is a concern for the world but its important to have a measured reaction. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom / AFP via Getty Images The World Health Organisation was reconvening earlier to decide whether to declare an international public health emergency, after being unable to make a decision on an evolving and complex situation last night. A declaration would require countries to share information about patients and could also lead to restrictions on travel. There is no antiviral treatment or vaccine available. The virus is transmitted by coughing or contact with oral fluids. A staff member checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau / AFP via Getty Images Experts fear the Chinese new year celebrations this weekend could increase the risk of contagion. Screening of passengers arriving from Wuhan was introduced at Heathrow airport yesterday, though those arriving last night said they were only handed information leaflets. Guys and St Thomas trust, which has isolation rooms at St Thomas Hospital in Lambeth, has been put in the lead. The Royal Free, Hampstead, where UK victims of Ebola were treated in 2014, has also been designated. Passengers wear face masks at Hong Kong's international airport / AFP via Getty Images The Department of Health said: We are well-positioned to be able to detect this virus in patients who may be infected and manage them effectively. A handful of cases have been identified beyond China, including in Japan and in Washington state in the US. WASHINGTON - D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine sued President Donald Trump's inaugural committee and business Wednesday, alleging that the committee violated its nonprofit status by spending more than $1 million to book a ballroom at Trump's District of Columbia hotel that its staff knew was overpriced and that it barely used. During the lead-up to Trump's January 2017 inauguration, the committee booked the Trump International Hotel ballroom for $175,000 a day, plus more than $300,000 in food and beverage costs, over the objections of its own event planner. The committee was formed to organize the events around the inauguration, but Racine alleges it instead "abandoned this purpose and violated District law when it wasted approximately $1 million of charitable funds in overpayment for the use of event space at the Trump hotel." "These charges were unreasonable and improperly served to enrich" Trump's business, the complaint reads. He alleges that Trump and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, were probably aware of the charges, based on documents Racine subpoenaed from the committee and the Trump Organization. District law requires that nonprofit organizations not operate for the purpose of generating profits for private individuals.In the civil suit, Racine, a Democrat, asked for an order from District Superior Court directing that the money be returned and given to charities promoting civic engagement. In an email, a spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee said: "The facts will show that the PIC operated in compliance with the law and this suit is without merit. . . . Despite the PIC's cooperation with his office's investigation, the DC AG did not coordinate with the PIC's legal counsel to interview a single former PIC employee or staff member nor discussed with counsel any particular concerns about the PIC's full compliance with the law. In fact, the PIC has received no outreach from the DC AG since last summer." In response to previous inquiries about spending by the committee, its chairman, Thomas Barrack Jr., issued a statement saying that the inauguration and the more than 20 related events "were executed in elegance and seamless excellence without incident or interruption, befitting the legacy and tradition that has preceded us." The Trump Organization issued a statement Wednesday calling the lawsuit "an attempt to regulate what discounts it believes the hotel should have provided" and "a clear PR stunt." "The rates charged by the hotel were completely in line with what anyone else would have been charged for an unprecedented event of this enormous magnitude and were reflective of the fact that hotel had just recently opened, possessed superior facilities and was centrally located on Pennsylvania Avenue," the company said. The company also released an email from Ivanka Trump to Trump hotel executives saying that the company should charge a "fair market rate." Racine's lawsuit specifically targets a $1 million deal made between the committee and the Trump Organization for the ballroom during four days around the inaugural, which he alleges was a knowing waste of the nonprofit's resources to benefit the Trumps. Racine has litigated against other nonprofit groups in the past, including charter schools and the organization managing the Howard Theatre. Documents submitted with the 18-page complaint show discussions between Trump's company and his inaugural committee, ending in a deal that Racine argues is such a waste of the committee's funds that it violates the law and the organization's mission "to further the common good and welfare" of American citizens "by supporting the activities surrounding the 2017 Presidential inauguration." Hotel management emailed the committee in November 2016 saying an eight-day package of meeting rooms, food and drinks would cost $3.6 million - an enormous number even by the standards of luxury hotels during the inauguration. Rick Gates, a lobbyist and the committee's deputy chairman, then emailed Ivanka Trump to say that cost "seems quite high compared to other properties" and said he worried it would generate negative publicity. Ivanka Trump, then an executive at her father's business, responded to say she had directed the hotel's general manager to speak with Gates directly. (Gates was later sentenced to 45 days in jail plus three years probation for conspiracy and lying to the FBI as part of special counsel Robert Mueller III's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.) After hotel management agreed to charge $175,000 per day for meeting space and to charge separately for food and beverage, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a friend of first lady Melania Trump who had previously produced the Met gala and New York's Fashion Week, expressed alarm, writing that other properties had been offered to the committee at little or no cost. She warned that one of the committee's two planned events at the hotel was for the Trump family and that "when this is audited it will become public knowledge." Wolkoff said the meeting space should cost a maximum of $85,000 per day. Even that was pricey compared with offers from other hotels. The committee separately received free meeting space from the Fairmont hotel near Georgetown after booking a large block of rooms and agreeing to spend at least $46,000 on food and drinks, according to the documents. The committee also received two meeting rooms at no cost from the W Hotel near the White House after booking a block of guest rooms and agreeing to spend at least $75,000 on food and drinks. There is disagreement about how many guest rooms the committee booked at the Truimp hotel, a figure that hotels often use to determine whether to offer discounted meeting space. Racine's staff said they determined the committee booked up to 80 percent of the rooms the week of the inaugural. Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten said that the committee paid for 5 or 6 percent of the hotel's rooms at most. "Not only was there never any room block but in the end the PIC was only responsible for a nominal number of rooms," he said. Neither side provided evidence to support their claims. The lawsuit is the second brought by Racine over Trump's business practices. In the other, Racine and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, allege that Trump violates the Constitution's foreign "emoluments" clause by doing business with foreign governments. The Trump inaugural committee raised a record-shattering $107 million, more than double the largest haul for any other incoming president. Trump broke with the practice of most recent inaugural committees and placed no limits on corporate or individual donors, leading more than 45 individuals and companies to donate at least $1 million each. In the three years since, negative revelations about the committee's work have emerged. Federal prosecutors in New York are pursuing a criminal investigation related to donations and spending by the committee and have issued their own subpoenas. Wolkoff was criticized also after the committee directed $26 million to her 12-person firm, though all but $1.62 million of that was reportedly routed to subcontractors. Although Trump and his children weren't managers of the committee, they have since run into trouble for misuse of charitable funds when a judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million in damages for using funds from his foundation for his own benefit. Trump agreed to close the organization. The documents appear to show that Wolkoff planned to raise the issue of the hotel prices with the president-elect. On Dec. 16, 2016, according to her task list, Wolkoff had a meeting scheduled with Trump at which the "cost of ALL EVENTS at Trump Hotel" was on the agenda. The cost of the ballroom was raised at least two other times by committee officials, according to the documents. The hotel had earlier booked another group, the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, for the morning of the inauguration - meaning the ballroom was double-booked. Correspondence between the committee and hotel management appears to show that committee staff expected a $70,000 discount since the room was unavailable for half that day, but ended up paying full freight anyhow. (The prayer breakfast was booked before Trump's victory for $5,000.) Gates later discussed with hotel management the possibility of canceling a Friday night event he originally thought would host 1,250 people. He wrote to Ivanka Trump to say: "There will be an after party at the [Trump hotel] following the inaugural balls on Friday. DJT is not expected to attend but was more for you, Don and Eric," referring to the president and his adult sons. Racine cites this as misuse of charitable funds to benefit the Trump family. The cost for the ballroom at the Trump hotel never came down. Trump's company is now trying to sell its lease to the hotel. Initial bids are due Thursday for the property. Conversion therapy is a practice used to try to change sexual orientation or gender identity. Many people who have been through it say it deepened feelings of depression and increased thoughts of suicide. The new rule bans licensed Utah therapists from subjecting LGBTQ minors to the practice that the American Psychological Association has said is not based in science and is harmful to mental health. The Utah Psychological Association also spoke in favor of the rule. A mother feared one of her breasts would explode after an implant ruptured and caused it to swell to the size of a melon. Hannah Packham, 30, paid almost 4,000 for breast enlargement surgery in 2014 to boost her from a size 32A to 32D. She lived symptom-free with her 'perfect boobs' for years until she noticed one was growing bigger than the other in October 2018. Within a week her left breast ballooned 'five times' bigger than the other and became increasingly covered in veins. Mrs Packham, from Brighton, was petrified it was a sign of breast cancer after researching the symptom online. Hannah Packham, 30, paid almost 4,000 for breast enlargement surgery in 2014 to boost her from a size 32A to 32D She flaunted her 'perfect boobs' for years until she noticed one was growing bigger than the other in October 2018 Within a week her left breast ballooned 'five times' bigger than the other and became increasingly covered in veins But medics revealed her silicone implant had ruptured and they would need to operate quickly to remove it. While waiting for the surgery, she had to cut the left cup out of her bras, just to accommodate her massive swollen breast. Recalling the ordeal, Mrs Packham said: 'It was beyond scary. It just blew up to the size of a melon. 'It felt as heavy as one too. It went five times as big. It was like I was nine months pregnant. 'Every day I would wake up and it would be just that little bit bigger and there were loads of blue veins. 'As you do I Googled it and I just convinced myself I had breast cancer. I just felt I couldn't be close to my husband. While waiting for surgery to have the implants removed, she had to cut the left cup out of her bras, just to accommodate her massive swollen breast She said she wore nothing but a hoodie for months after surgery because she felt 'unsexy' and as if she had 'the chest of a 10-year-old' The mother had new 32F implants inserted last month but said her 'once perfect boobs' are now misshaped 'I was so embarrassed. They're still not perfect but it was the best of a bad job. I still have saggy skin on my left boob from where it stretched so much. 'I used to love my perfect boobs but now I have two misshapen ones. One is perfectly round and the other is oval shaped.' Mrs Packham had to have both implants removed so she was not left with wonky breasts. She said she wore nothing but a hoodie for months after surgery because she felt 'unsexy' and as if she had 'the chest of a 10-year-old'. The mother had new 32F implants inserted last month but said her 'once perfect boobs' are now misshaped. She added: 'I had always wanted a boob job. My sisters both had theirs done and it seemed to work out fine for them.' There is a difference between seeing a patient with a catalogue of two or more serious chronic diseases and a healthy patient who just needs a prescription to treat a case of cystitis. A new Danish study from the Research Unit for General Practice at Aarhus University, Denmark, shows that having many patients with multiple chronic diseases - known as multimorbidity - places general practitioners under mental strain. And to such a degree that they risk burnout. What's more, other studies have shown that the patients with multimorbidity also receive worse treatment in the healthcare system. The study is based on previous research showing that there are increasing numbers of patients with multimorbidity, meaning that the prevalence of GPs with symptoms of a lack of well-being and a risk of burnout is also increasing. This is the conclusion of Anette Fischer Pedersen, who is senior researcher at the Research Unit for General Practice and an associate professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University. She is heading the current study, which has just been published in the scientific journal British Journal of General Practice. "One of our findings in the study is that among the quarter of general practitioners who had the fewest number of patients with multimorbidity in 2016, seven per cent had what we call full burnout syndrome. This contrasts with the figure of twelve per cent among the quarter who had the highest number of patients with multimorbidity. "She believes that the result shows the importance of looking closely at the working conditions of general practitioners. "As things are today in the context of general practitioners' time and remuneration, there is often no difference between treating a patient with a long and complex history of illness and a normally healthy patient who is there to get treatment for an uncomplicated illness. This puts general practitioners under a lot of pressure," says Anette Fischer Pedersen. One of the focal points of the study is that it documents the correlation between the number of patients with multimorbidity and the well-being of GPs - or lack of well-being, which was pronounced when the proportion of patients with multimorbidity was high. According to Anette Fischer Pedersen, the challenge cannot only be solved by general practitioners allocating more time to complex patients within the framework that general practice works under today. "It's no secret that there are areas in Denmark where there's a lower level of public health than in others. This may mean it will be difficult to get GPs to work in areas where the need for competent medical treatment is highest, simply because working there is an unattractive proposition. If we're determined to work towards reducing the risk of burnout among general practitioners, we will also help to prevent inequality in health," she says. Since 2004, the Research Unit for General Practice at the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University has carried out a number of research studies into burnout among general practitioners. In 2016, the researchers were responsible for a major study in collaboration with the Organization of General Practitioners in Denmark, in which the degree of burnout among general practitioners was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory method. At the time, 50.7 per cent of Denmark's 3,350 general practitioners participated in the study. ### Lauding the efforts of students and common people who have been protesting against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), actor Nandita Das said on Thursday that more places like Shaheen Bagh are coming up across the country. Das also exhorted people to speak up against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). "They (government) are asking those who have been living here for four generations to prove that they are Indians. This is very sad. I think everyone should speak up," she said on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). The actor said the protests against the CAA and the NRC are "spontaneous" and no political parties are involved in them. "These are led by students and common people. The youth has created a hope in the country. Every other place is becoming a Shaheen Bagh now, and I think as human beings, we should speak up against these laws," Das said. She emphasised that with the economic slowdown, growing unemployment rate, and now with the CAA and the NRC, the country has become a topic of discussion across the world as "people are being divided on the basis of religion". "We haven't seen this kind of unemployment in possibly 50 years. The economy is going down. International newspapers are writing about what's happening. This is the first time that we are being divided on religious lines. "Our Constitution has given us the right to equality. You may belong to any caste, gender or religion but you are equal under the Constitution. And if you believe in that equality, you wouldn't want to see any sort of segregation," Das said. She added it was a great thing that people from the film fraternity have also spoken strongly against the CAA and the NRC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian stand-up comedian Aleksandr Dolgopolov has fled Russia fearing for his safety after learning police had started investigating videos taken at his performances in different clubs. Dolgopolovs lawyer Leonid Solovyov and his concert director Armen Gandilyan confirmed with Current Time on January 23 that the comedian had decided to leave his homeland, though they did not say where. Police officials in Moscow said a day earlier that Dolgopolov's performances caught the eye of law enforcement after an unidentified resident of the city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo near Moscow had filed a complaint against the comedian, accusing him of "insulting the feelings of believers" in God. No details were given on what exactly in Dolgopolovs act offended the man. Dolgopolov told Current Time on January 22 that he had to cancel a performance in a Moscow bar after he learned that a man in civilian clothes asked the bar's managers whether the comedian was already inside the establishment. The comedian added that after he was informed about the man, he and his team decided to leave the bar immediately. He later left the country. "I just speak, tell jokes, I didnt plan to be persecuted for just joking," he said. Dolgopolov wrote on Instagram that Moscow police had sent a formal letter to the HopHead standup club in St. Petersburg, asking to confirm if it was the venue for Dolgopolov's performance called An Hour of Jokes in February 2019. In the show, Dolgopolov tells expletive-laden jokes about a Slavic name -- Bogdan (which translates from Russian to God given) -- and why Mary chose the name Jesus for her child. He also mocks his childhood religious beliefs and the church in general. Dolgopolov also takes shots at President Vladimir Putin in some of his shows. "If Putin issues a decree, ordering all Russians to jump into lava, they will say: 'Oh, God, where will we find lava, we don't have it in our yard. What shall we do, our wise chief?" Dolgopolov jokes in the performance in question. Exclusive: Grab, Razer, AirAsia exploring bids for Malaysia digital bank licence: sources A Grab logo is pictured at the Money 20/20 Asia Fintech Trade Show in Singapore By Anshuman Daga and Liz Lee SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Ride-hailing group Grab, gaming firm Razer, AirAsia, telecoms firm Axiata and lender CIMB are among companies looking to apply for digital banking licences in Malaysia, sources told Reuters. Some of these companies have begun talking to consultancies as they explore a possible foray into digital banking, the people familiar with the matter said. Across Asia, regulators are opening up banking to new digital players, encouraged by a boom in mobile connectivity and the prospect of tech firms - not shackled to expensive physical branches - offering low-cost financial services. This month Singapore said it received 21 applications for five digital bank licences. In December, Malaysia's central bank announced plans to issue up to five licences to new online banks offering either conventional or Islamic banking under a proposed licensing framework set to be finalised by the end of June. "The path to profitability will be regional expansion in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," said Sivaram Krishna, who leads digital banking strategies for Accenture in Southeast Asia. He said anyone applying for a licence in Singapore would consider seeking a licence in Malaysia as well. "The minimum capital entry requirement is substantially lower for them and it's a much bigger market," he said. Malaysia has said it prefers bidders whose equity is controlled by local companies. The people said Razer - whose fintech unit led a consortium for a Singapore application - was in talks with a local conglomerate for a Malaysian licence. Local lenders Hong Leong Bank and Maybank are also considering bidding for a licence, the people said. Razer Fintech's CEO Lee Li Meng told Reuters the company had extensive operations in Malaysia in the digital payments space and would evaluate the digital banking opportunity. One option for Axiata is to apply through Axiata Digital Services, which houses all of the group's digital ventures and owns the e-wallet Boost. AirAsia's financial services venture, BigPay, operates an e-wallet that comes with a prepaid card. Story continues Ant Financial and Touch n' Go's e-wallet is the largest e-wallet service in Malaysia with 6.9 million registered users. CIMB, which owns a majority stake in Touch n' Go, is exploring a licence bid, the people said. In a report issued on Wednesday, Fitch Ratings said new entrants would be likely to target "under-served retail and small and medium-size enterprise segments, which typically have a higher risk profile and lower income". Axiata Digital said it had signalled interest for digital banking. Grab and AirAsia declined to comment. CIMB did not respond to Reuters queries, while Ant Financial said it was too premature to comment. Maybank declined specific comment but said that under its existing licence, it could also operate as a digital bank without having to apply for a new licence. Under Malaysia's draft proposals, digital banks have to offer products and services to address market gaps in "under-served and unserved segments" and maintain 100 million ringgit ($24.5 million) in capital initially and ramp that up to 300 million ringgit. ($1 = 4.0730 ringgit) ($1 = 1.3499 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Anshuman Daga in Singapore and Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur; Additional reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Barbara Lewis) San Francisco Mayor London Breed has officially switched her 2020 allegiances. Previously a supporter of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) before she dropped out late last year, Breed announced Thursday she would endorse former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for president. "He has the ability to beat Donald Trump this November, and that is of the most concern to me," Breed, who was elected in a ranked-choice vote in 2018, said. While she "thought long and hard" before making her decision, Breed said Bloomberg's "track record of what he's done as New York City mayor and what he's done afterward has been significant." Breed will start advising Bloomberg on homelessness and housing and climate change, she said, noting Bloomberg has used his wealth to "improve the climate and the quality of life in other communities." One of the candidates Breed beat out was Jane Kim, who's now a regional director for Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2020 campaign. Breed was considered more of a moderate in that race, making her the latest addition to Bloomberg's slate of moderate mayoral supporters that includes the leaders of Louisville, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Philadelphia; and San Jose, California. Still, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is dominating the mayoral endorsement market in terms of sheer numbers. He's got some big-city backers in the mayor of Austin, Texas and a former mayor of Houston, but mostly excels in rounding up support from mid-size and smaller cities. More stories from theweek.com Trump is reportedly threatening Republicans to keep them in line on impeachment 34 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the Iranian strikes. Trump called them 'headaches.' Eli Manning talks Derek Jeter's Hall of Fame vote, Tom Brady's jealousy in retirement conference [January 23, 2020] Valimail Recognized as a Microsoft Security 20/20 Partner Awards Finalist Valimail today announced it has been named a finalist in the Microsoft (News - Alert) Security 20/20 Security Trailblazer award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation, integration, and customer implementation with Microsoft technology. "Valimail is honored to be recognized for our groundbreaking approach to email security," said Steve Mock, vice president of business development for Valimail. "In the past year, we've worked with over 3,000 companies using Microsoft Office 365 to provide increased visibility and protection for their email environments, complementing Microsoft's Advanced Threat Protection and eliminating the need for third-party email security solutions." The inaugural Microsoft Security 20/20 partner awards will celebrate finalists in 16 categories that span security integration partners, system integrators and managed security service providers. Valimail has been nominated as a finalist in the Security Trailblazer category. "The themes for the new Microsoft Security 20/20 partner awards are vision and clarity. Microsof Security is focused on protecting our customers and there is no vision for the future that doesn't involve security partners," said Rob Lefferts, CVP, Microsoft Threat Protection. "We are hosting the first Microsoft Security 20/20 partner awards gala to honor security partners that are making an impact through technology development and customer enablement." Only through collaborations can organizations help customers get clarity and become more secure. The security ecosystem must work together to create a vision for the future where people, information, and companies are made safer. Microsoft Security 20/20 provides an opportunity to honor Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions and services during the past year. Valimail is a pioneering, identity-based, anti-phishing company that has been ensuring the global trustworthiness of digital communications since 2015. Valimail delivers the only complete, cloud-native platform for validating and authenticating sender identity to stop phishing, protect and amplify brands, and ensure compliance. Valimail has won more than a dozen prestigious cybersecurity technology awards and authenticates billions of messages a month for some of the world's biggest companies and organizations, including Uber, Splunk, Yelp (News - Alert), Fannie Mae, Mercedes Benz USA, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. For more information visit www.valimail.com. Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005135/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Burma Myanmar State Counselor Says Intl Condemnation of Country Over Rohingya Crisis Is Unfounded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi defends Myanmar against the genocide case brought by The Gambia before the International Court of Justice on Dec. 11. / Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Facebook YANGONState Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has criticized the international condemnation of Myanmar over the Rohingya issue, saying it has had a negative effect on the countrys endeavors to bring stability and progress to Rakhine State. In a very rare opinion piece published in the Financial Times on Thursday, she wrote that the international community presented a distorted picture of Myanmar and that this had affected the countrys diplomatic relations. Should countries with even fewer resources than Myanmar be similarly condemned, the consequences for them could be dire, the State Counselor said. Myanmar has faced heavy international condemnation since late 2017 following the killings and displacement of Rohingya in Rakhine State. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh after the governments security forces launched clearance operations in northern Rakhine State in response to a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on police outposts in the area in August 2017. Those who fled recalled arbitrary killings, rape and arson against their property by Myanmar security forces. UN investigators said the operations had genocidal intent. Both the Myanmar government and military have denied the accusation. Cases have been brought against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, and a private lawsuit has been brought in Argentina accusing the country of committing genocide against the Rohingya. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said all the cases [against the country] rely extensively on a fact-finding mission by the UN Human Rights Council, which is precariously dependent on statements by refugees in camps in Bangladesh. The State Counselor said a comprehensive inquiry into the 2017 violence and mass displacement in Rakhine was conducted by the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE), which was established on the orders of her government. The commission presented its final report to the President on Monday. She said the ICOE reported that some refugees may have provided inaccurate or exaggerated information. She wrote that the voice of victims must be heard and must always touch our hearts. But it is equally important that fact-finders are vigilant in their search for truth. While this is understandable, we have to recognize that there is a systemic challenge. The international justice system may not yet be equipped to filter out misleading information before shadows of incrimination are cast over entire nations and governments. Human rights groups have condemned Myanmar based on unproven statements without the due process of criminal investigation, the State Counselor said. She said that to provide the strongest protection for human rights, it was necessary to reform the ways in which unsubstantiated narratives are relied upon by the UN and non-governmental organizations. The ICOE concluded that war crimes were committed during the internal armed conflict with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army by members of Myanmars security forces and civilians, and recommended further domestic investigation and prosecution. Myanmars government has promised to act on the commissions recommendations. The report details killings of civilians, disproportionate use of force, looting of property, and destruction of homes abandoned by Rohingya, but denied that the crimes against the Rohingya had genocidal intent, contradicting the findings of UN investigators. In the article, the State Counselor again promised investigations of civilians accused of looting or burning villages, adding that war crimes that may have been committed by members of the defense services will be prosecuted through the military justice system. But she acknowledged that ensuring accountability on the part of the armed forces wouldnt be easy. It is never easy for armed forces to recognize the self-interest in accountability for their members, and then follow through with actual investigations and prosecutions. This is a common challenge around the world, she said. But the countrys de facto leader said that does not mean that international justice should immediately come into play, and urged that Myanmar be given more time. An informed assessment of Myanmars ability to address the issue of violations in Rakhine can only be made if adequate time is given for domestic justice to run its course. Justice can help us overcome distrust and fear, prejudice and hate, and end longstanding cycles of intercommunal violence. This has always been my goal, she said. You may also like these stories: UN Says Rohingya Still in Myanmar Face Threat of Genocide Top UN Court Orders Myanmar to Protect Rohingya Rights, End Genocide President Recep Tayyip Erdogans approach to Libya has the hallmark of his general approach to foreign policy. Some seasoned diplomats call this a jump first, think later approach. As was the case in Syria, his current Libya policy carries the risk of producing fewer long-term gains than expected, whatever the short-term gains may be. For now, though, Erdogan has put Turkey on center stage in Libya, which has resulted in accolades from his supporters and members of his government. Our presidents effective and multidimensional diplomacy has made Turkey one of the key actors [in Libya], Erdogans spokesman and foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin said in a Twitter message Jan 19. Until recently, the Libyan crisis was simmering in the background while the world was more focused on Syria and Iran. Erdogans decision to officially abandon neutrality in the Libyan conflict and provide military support to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli undoubtedly helped turn international attention to this dispute. Many believe Erdogans decision also expedited last weeks Berlin Conference on Libya, taken as a sign of Turkeys political clout. Be that as it may, the Libyan crisis, with its many stakeholders most of who are opposed to Turkeys involvement in that country is far from over. To start with, it remains to be seen if the results of the Berlin Conference, stipulated in the long, final statement issued after the gathering, can be implemented. The Berlin Process, as it is being referred to, calls for a cease-fire, for the UN-imposed arms embargo on that country to be honored and for those using proxies in this conflict in pursuing their interests to desist. Although Erdogan signed on to it, the final statement does not quite tally with Turkeys current military presence and objectives in Libya. Erdogan can nevertheless take comfort in the fact that Turkey is not the only one taking sides in Libya, where opposition strongman Khalifa Hifter is supported by a host of countries including influential ones like France and Russia. The only difference is that, unlike Turkey, these countries are doing so mostly behind the scenes and are also reluctant to burn their bridges with the GNA in order to keep their options open. Erdogans ultimate fear is that his latest regional bete noire, the Libyan warlord Hifter, will gain international legitimacy over time. He is working hard to prevent this by demonizing Hifter as a putschist. Hifters Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA) is trying to wrest control of the capital city of Tripoli from the GNA headed by Fayez al-Sarraj. Erdogan has vowed to prevent this by any means necessary. Erdogan continues to detest Egypts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who toppled his close friend and fellow Islamist, the late Mohammed Morsi, in a coup in 2013, and refuses to deal with him. Erdogan is aware, however, that Sisi was eventually accepted by the world as a legitimate interlocutor, regardless of the undemocratic way he grabbed power. He doesnt want to see the same happening with Hifter. Nevertheless, the Berlin conference, to which both Hifter and Sisi were invited, provided an unwelcome reminder as to how things can go wrong for Erdogan in the ever-shifting environment of international politics. Erdogan reportedly left Berlin early because he did not want to attend Chancellor Angela Merkels official dinner to which Sisi was also invited. Still, he was forced to bite the bullet and participate in the family photo taken in Berlin, which also included Sisi. Erdogan made his position on Hifter clear in an opinion piece for Politico on Jan. 18 in which he also lambasted some of the countries expected to take part in the Berlin talks the next day. Libyas government, which the United Nations recognizes, has been under attack by the warlord Khalifa Hifter for several years. His armed group, which seeks to carry out a coup detat in the country, enjoys support from the anti-democratic governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), among others, Erdogan wrote. Erdogan also censured Europe for betraying its own core values by leaving Libya at the mercy of a warlord. He has repeated this argument against Europe in the past with regard to Sisi, albeit to no practical avail. Casting aside any impartiality in Libya, Erdogan also promised unwavering support for the Sarraj government. Under the most recent security and military cooperation agreements, we pledged to protect the Libyan government from coup plotters, Erdogan wrote. He was referring to the memorandum of understanding on military cooperation signed Nov. 27 between Turkey and the GNA. As was the case with Morsi, Erdogan feels an affinity for Sarraj, whose government is comprised of elements close to the Muslim Brotherhood. This, however, is not the main reason why Erdogan wants to ensure that Sarraj remains in power. Ankara and the GNA also signed a memorandum of understanding delineating their share of the eastern Mediterranean between the shores of the two countries facing each other. This was designed to cut through the region jointly claimed for energy exploration by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, who also have the support of the United States, the European Union and Israel. Hifter has promised to trash this deal if he comes to power, and he even traveled to the Greek capital of Athens just before the Berlin Conference to poke Turkey in the eye. This is why Ankara has to ensure that he doesnt achieve his goals in Libya. As he was flying back from Berlin, Erdogan told reporters on his plane that he also rejected any notion of Turkey acting as mediator between Sarraj and Hifter. Ratcheting up his vitriol against Hifter, Erdogan said he would never sit at the same table with a terrorist. Taking his remark a step further, he said he would also not allow others to do so. However, as he was speaking, Erdogan had already been contradicted by the fact that Hifter was already a participant in the Berlin Process. Many Turks believe that Erdogans approach to Hifter is as diplomatically flawed as his approach to Syrias Bashar al-Assad was. After refusing for a long time to have any high-level dealings with the Assad regime, Ankara was recently forced under Russian pressure to accept such a meeting in Moscow between its intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, and his Syrian counterpart, Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk. Galip Dalay from the Sharq Forum and a nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center pointed to the risk facing Ankara with regard to Hifter. The actors supporting Hifter will want him to participate in the powers and mechanisms of the legitimate authority. This will accelerate the process that will enable him to transform himself from a militia leader to an actor who enjoys international legitimacy, Dalay wrote in his column in Karar daily. Dalay went on to argue that Hifters LNA is already being treated as a regular army, while there is discomfort over the presence of Syrian mercenaries in Libya who are supporting the GNA. Press reports claim Turkey is organizing these mercenaries. Ankara denies these reports. According to Dalay, the Sarraj government might also be increasingly treated as Turkeys proxy the implication being that this could lose it international support. Turkeys difficulty is that it is not only facing regional powers such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Libya, but also most of Europe, barring Italy. Russias indirect support for Hifter is also a source of displeasure for Ankara. The majority of the stakeholders in Libya have expressed opposition to Turkeys military activities in the country, even if it is clear now that this will be a token presence and only provide training. With so many outside hands in Libya and clashing interests at play, a return to normality in the country anytime soon appears highly unlikely. This will give Ankara time to work out new steps aimed at making its presence in Libya felt while keeping Erdogan in the headlines as a key actor. The bottom line, however, is that Ankara will be the greatest loser should Hifter gain control of Libya whether by force or under another arrangement. This is why many Turks worry that Erdogans policy of jumping first and thinking later while others tread cautiously will ultimately work to Ankaras disadvantage in Libya, as it did in Syria. The orthopedic implants market size is set to touch USD 64.0 billion by 2026, exhibiting a modest CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period. Unprecedented rise in geriatric population across the globe to be the key growth driver of this market. According to the United States Census Bureau (USCB), the proportion of aged people to the total world population is steadily climbing. For example, in 2012, world population had reached 7 billion and the people aged 65 and above were 8% of this number or 562 million. In 2015, the number rose by 55 million, with the percentage increasing to 8.5% of the total population in a span of 3 years. The USCB predicts that between 2025 and 2050, this geriatric population will double to reach 1.6 billion, whilst the total population will grow only by 34%. This, the USCB states, is attributable to the reduction in fertility rates around the world and lengthening lifespans due to advancements in medical technologies. This is expected to substantially broaden the base of the market, especially the joint reconstruction segment, as per the orthopedic implants market trends. Highlights of the Report: In-depth analysis of various insights, namely, orthopedic implants market trends, growth drivers, opportunities, and other related challenges. Comprehensive details of key market players, their core competencies, and orthopedic implants market share. The potency of suppliers and buyers to make better business decisions. Lists out the market size in terms of volume. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/orthopedic-implants-market-101659 North America to Hold a Commanding Position; Europe to Grow at an Impressive Rate Among regions, North America is expected to dominate the global orthopedic implants market share owing to the increasing incidence of osteoarthritis in the region. Europe is projected to grow at a considerable rate on account of rapid spread of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity in the continent. In Asia-Pacific, rise in healthcare expenditure and increasing disposable incomes will propel the market in the region, as per the orthopedic implants market analysis by Fortune Business Insights. However, the market growth in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East is anticipated to be slow due to low levels of development in these regions. Key Companies and Manufacturers Covered: The study covers key players operating in the market along with prime schemes and strategies implemented by each player to hold high positions in the industry. Such a tough vendor landscape provides a competitive outlook of the industry, consequently existing as a key insight. BioTek Instruments, Inc. Zimmer Biomet Integra LifeSciences Corporation DePuy Synthes Companies (Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.) ArthroCare Corporation Medtronic CONMED Corporation Smith & Nephew New Product Launches to Intensify Market Competition Key players are looking to gain an edge in the competition through development and launch of new products. For instance, in September 2019, Zimmer Biomet, after receiving FDA approval, commercially released its customizable revision knee replacement device called Persona Revision Knee System for patients in the US. Some other players are engaging in sprucing up their research capacities through commissioning of trials and studies. For example, in September 2019, Medtronics clinical trial for testing its spine correction surgical procedure, Infuse Bone Graft in Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF), was green lit by the FDA. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts:https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/orthopedic-implants-market-101659 Report Metric Details Study Period 2015-2026 Base Year 2018 Forecast Period 2019-2026 Historical Period 2015-2017 Unit Value (USD Million) Market Segmentation: By End-user Hospitals Orthopedic Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers Others By Geography North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Research Methodology: Fortune Business Insights follows a robust research methodology that involves data triangulation based on top-down, bottom-up approaches, and validation of the estimated market numbers through primary research. The information used to estimate the market size and forecast for various segments at the global, regional, and country level is derived from the most credible published sources and through interviews with the right stakeholders. Growth rate or CAGR exhibited by a market for a certain forecast period is calculated on the basis of various factors and their level of impact on the market. These factors include market drivers, restraints, industry challenges, market and technological developments, market trends, etc. Reasons to Purchase this Report: Estimates orthopedic implants market trends with SWOT analysis. Detailed business profiles including product offerings, recent developments, key financial information, and strategies employed by main market players. Analysis of various regions and countries that includes the demand and supply based actions, which consequently have a major influence on the markets expansion. Market dynamics and opportunities for growth for players in the near future. Competitive landscape describing the market revenue shares of key players. Market segmentation analysis that deals with quantitative and qualitative research, discussing the influence of policy-based and economical aspects. 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Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email:sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Linkedin | Twitter | BLogs Chicago rapper Juice Wrld died of an accident overdose in December, a medical examiner has found. The up-and-coming musician - real name Jarad Higgins, had toxic levels of oxycodone and codeine in his system, an autopsy report details. It's consistent with previous reports that said the 21-year-old suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest after he swallowed a large amount of Percocet pills in an attempt to hide them from police after flying from Los Angeles to Midway Airport in Illinois. Oxycodone is the main active ingredient in Percocet - prescribed to treat moderate pain - and Juice Wrld often rapped about getting high on 'lean' - a codeine cough medicine concoction. A medical examiner found toxic levels of oxycodone and codeine in the system of Chicago-born rapper Juice Wrld. His overdose death in December was ruled accidental on the report Juice Wrld (far right, on his jet earlier this year with his friends and girlfriend Ally Lotti) died on the jet during a police raid. It was previously reported he had a seizure after swallowing a large amount of Percocet pills to hide them from police. Oxycodone is an ingredient in the drug The search of luggage aboard the jet yielded 70 pounds - or 41 'vacuum-sealed' bags - of marijuana and six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup Lyrics to his 2018 track include: 'Lean with me, pop with me. Get high with me if you rock with me. Smoke with me, drink with me. F**ked up liver with some bad kidneys.' He also appeared to predict his premature death with lyrics: 'If I overdose, bae, are you gon' drop with me?' and 'Told her if I die I'ma die young. Every day I've been gettin' f**ked up.' Cops searching his aircraft found six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup, two 9 mm pistols, a .40-caliber pistol, a high-capacity ammunition magazine and metal-piercing bullets in Higgins' and his entourage's luggage, the Chicago Tribune reported. They also discovered 70lbs of marijuana on the private plane he had used. His mother confirmed he had a problem shortly after his death last month. 'We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short. As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency,' Carmella Wallace told TMZ. 'Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it. Jarad was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction.' Now Juice Wrld's family hopes his story can help others who abuse drugs. 'We hope the conversations he started in his music and his legacy will help others win their battles as that is what he wanted more than anything,' she added. 'We know that Jarad's legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on.' Up-and-coming rapper, born Jarad Higgins, died after suffering cardiac arrest at a private hangar at Midway Airport, authorities said Hours after Juice Wrld's family and closest friends had gathered for a funeral for the late rapper, thousands of fans held their own vigil for the young star at Cloud Gate, better known as the Bean, in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. Some carried signs, while others carried bluetooth speakers blaring his music, with dozens more singing along. 'The impact he had on me, I can't even describe,' said 22-year-old Jeremy Hill of Elgin to ChicagoBookClub. 'I was in a dark place when I got into him and he helped me get over a heartbreak. He really gave voice to the voiceless. It's like he was one of us.' At one point, some balloons were released and the crowd moved along Michigan Avenue before as they sung Juice Wrld songs before heading back to Millennium Park. Eddie Bravo, 18, from Chicago, said the rapper 'made music that we all could relate to. I loved him. All the legends die young,' he said. 'He was one of my favorite rappers. He really helped me through some stuff with some family issues,' Alayssha Martinez, 17, said to the Tribune. 'We saw this event and thought no way this could be happening.' 'We wanted to spread some love and support,' Vanessa Solis, 21, said as she carried a picture of the rapper. 'We lost a good-ass artist. Always keep him in your heart.' Family members paid tribute in a funeral program to the rapper whose real name was Jared A fan holds a sign in memory of rapper Juice Wrld during the Memorial at Millennium Park His siblings, Brian, Alyssa and Maya Wallace also paid tribute to the their brother fondly in the funeral program as well. 'Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, fight to the imagination and life to everything. Jarad, you brought life, light and laughter to everyone you met. We will carry you in our hearts always. We love you.' Juice Wrld rose to fame off the back of his 2018 album Goodbye and Good Riddance, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The main single Lucid Dreams peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also won the Top New Artist Billboard award earlier this year. 'Juice made a profound impact on the world in such a short period of time,' Interscope Geffen A&M Records said in a statement. 'He was a gentle soul, whose creativity knew no bounds, an exceptional human being and artist who loved and cared for his fans above everything else. 'To lose someone so kind and so close to our hearts is devastating. Our thoughts are with Juice's family and friends, everyone at his label Grade A, and his millions of fans around the world.' Dr. Joong Han (Jonathan) Jung, Dr. Hyeri Choi, and Dr. DoYeon Kim will join forces to perform a diverse chamber music program at Squires Recital Hall on Lee Universitys campus Monday at 7:30 p.m. The performance will feature the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Cesar Franck, and Dmitri Shostakovich. South Korean-New Zealand pianist Dr. Jung concertizes regularly across the United States, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Japan. He has performed with the Eastman Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Philharmonic Orchestra of New Zealand, University of Auckland Symphony Orchestra, and Auckland Youth Orchestra. Dr. Jung, an assistant professor of piano at Lee, has been featured as a guest artist at the Texas State International Piano Festival and Brevard Summer Music Festival. He has also premiered and performed his own compositions at Carnegie Hall, University of Southern Mississippi, Tulane University, Hatch Recital Hall, and Brevard Music Center. Dr. Jung earned his Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Arts in theory pedagogy, and Master of Music from Eastman School of Music. Dr. Choi is an assistant professor of violin at Idaho State University and the appointed concertmaster at the Idaho-Civic Symphony. Dr. Choi, an orchestra, solo, and chamber musician, served as a guest concertmaster of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra and principal second violin of the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra in Korea. As the first prize winner of the 2014 American Protege International String and Piano Competition, Dr. Choi performed at Carnegie Halls Weill Recital Hall. She also performed a solo recital in the Musicales Concert Series at the George Eastman House. Dr. Choi has performed internationally at the Kirishima International Music Festival in Japan and the Music Alp Festival in France. She received her doctorate and masters degree from Eastman School of Music and her bachelors degree from Ewha Womans University in Korea. Distinguished for her charisma and communicative power, cellist Dr. Kim is an award-winning soloist and collaborative artist, performing across North America and her native country, South Korea. Dr. Kim received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati and recently joined the faculty at the Ocean County College. Dr. Kim made her New York debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie as the first prize winner of the 2016 American Protege International Strings and Piano Competition. Dr. Kim is the first prize winner of the Adrian Boyer Competition, The International Music Competition 2017 Rome Grand Prize Virtuoso, the 34th Music Education Journal Competition, and the Grand Rapids Federation of Musicians Madura Scholarship Competition. This event is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. Squires Recital Hall is in Lees Humanities Center on Parker Street. For more information on the recital or the Lee University School of Music, email music@leeuniversity.edu or call 614-8240. Sai Janmabhoomi Pathri Sansthan is set to approach the Bombay High Court over Sai Baba birthplace controversy, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLC Babajani Durrani said on Thursday. Durrani, who is also a member of the Kirti Samiti of Sai Janmabhoomi Pathri Sansthan, said that the Pathri's Kirti Samiti in a meeting decided to take the issue to Bombay High Court. "We have not received any invitation from the Maharashtra government. Chief Minister has not even talked about the documents we have over the matter. Our main issue is the Sai birthplace and it has been decided in the Kirti Samiti to take the matter to court," Durrani said. The decision comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently decided to allocate funds to develop Pathri town in Parbhani district for religious tourism, calling it the birthplace of Baba. This has sparked a controversy with a clash between Pathri and Shirdi over the temple. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 23, 2020] ESET to Lead Linux Malware Workshop and Showcase Groundbreaking Amazon Echo KRACK Research at RSA 2020 ESET, a global leader in IT security, today announced a number of activities at next month's RSA Conference 2020 (February 24-28 in San Francisco). ESET (News - Alert) Malware Researcher Marc-Etienne M.Leveille will lead a main stage workshop titled "Hunting Linux Malware for Fun and Flags." The 50-minute workshop will take place on February 27 at 1:30 PM at Moscone West 3002. Attendees will learn to fight real-world Linux malware targeting server environments, searching for malicious processes and concealed backdoors in a compromised web server. Several examples of malware will be demonstrated with increasing layers of complexity, from scripts to ELF binaries with varying degrees of obfuscation. ESET Senior Malware Researcher Robert Lipovsky and Senior Detection Engineer Stefan Svorencik will present a 30-minute session on "Kr00k: How KRACKing Amazon Echo Exposed a Billion+ Vulnerable Wi-Fi Devices" on Wednesday, February 26 at 3:40pm PT. On the RSA (News - Alert) tradeshow floor, ESET will be located at booth #753 in the South Hall. Senior Malware Researcher Robert Lipovsky will discuss ESET's latest cutting-edge threat research, including Operation Ghost and KRACKing the Amazon Echo. Malware Removal Support Supervisor James Rodewald will be leading demonstrations of ESET's award-winning enterprise, SMB and consumer products. Malware Researcher Marc-Etienne M.Leveille will also review his conference presentation and answer questions from attendees. Directly outside the conference, ESET will be running a four-day contest. Attend any of ESET's inspiring presentations or live demos and get a chance to win the ewest MacBook Pro 13, an iPhone (News - Alert) 11, iPad, or Apple Watch in a prize raffle. Please see here for more details and contest rules. "RSA is a fantastic opportunity for our customers - both current and prospective - to see our multilayered suite of security solutions in action," said Tony Anscombe (News - Alert), chief security evangelist at ESET. "The cybersecurity landscape has evolved drastically over the past decade, and we expect this to continue in the years to come. ESET is proud to be at the forefront of the field, and we are looking forward to showcasing our groundbreaking research, both on stage and at our trade show booth. We're excited to meet and talk to attendees next month at RSA." Want to meet on-site with ESET at RSA? Please visit https://www.eset.com/us/rsac/. About ESET For more than 30 years, ESET has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint and mobile security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET's high-performing, easy-to-use products give consumers and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D centers worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single "in-the-wild" malware without interruption since 2003. For more information, visit www.eset.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005136/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In a terrifying incident, an Indonesian boy needed a lifesaving surgery after being impaled in the neck by a flying needlefish. The freak accident took place when the boy named Muhammad Idul was fishing with his parents in Buton waters off the South East Sulawesi province. Suddenly a needlefish jumped out and impaled him. He got knocked off the boat and managed to swim to the surface... with the fishs mouth embedded inside him. Twitter The fish's long slender snout sliced straight through the 16-year-old's neck, so much so it pierced the back of his skull. According to Mail Online, he was taken to hospital for treatment before undergoing risky surgery to remove the fish from his neck two days later. The delicate two-hour operation involved three surgeons and two anaesthetists. twitter 'To remove the fish snout, one must be very careful because there is a large vessel in the neck, Professor Dr Syafri K. Arif told local news site Makassar Terkin. Needlefish (Belonidae) are known for their distinctive long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth and are capable of making short jumps out of the water at up to 37mph. They have certainly found themselves a palace. No ballrooms or thrones perhaps, but a stunning $20m (15.3m) property on a secluded headland with views that sweep west over the Saanich Inlet. Close by, on a bench overlooking the water, are inscribed the words: Enjoy the sunset. Whether this property on Canadas Vancouver Island will be a long term haven for Meghan Markle and Henry Windsor remains to be seen. Having given up some of their royal titles and duties, and decided to forgo taxpayer money, the royal couple have in recent weeks been holed up here going for walks with their dogs, posing for selfies with their eight-month-old son Archie, and dropping in at farmers markets for sandwiches and coffee. Yet, the royal couple have already complained about press intrusion; this week their lawyers accused the media of using long range lenses and hiding in bushes to photograph the 38-year-old Ms Markle, as she walked in a park close to the property. The lawyers accused the media of harassment and threatened legal action. World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Show all 24 1 /24 World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down US World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Canada World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Italy World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down US World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Canada World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Argentina World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down US World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Belgiam World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down US World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Brazil World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Chile World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Belgiam World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down Canada World reacts to Prince Harry and Meghan stepping down UK There are serious safety concerns about how the paparazzi are driving and the risk to life they pose, said the letter, in what appeared to a reference to the death of 35-year-old Harrys mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 Paris car crash while being being pursued by press photographers, and with her driver having drunk three times the legal limit. If they do stay, it will likely be in large part to residents here who appeared to have offered not just a warm welcome, but also sought to defend their privacy. Ive seen them a few times and said hello once. I said hello to them both and Harry said hello back, said one 76-year-old man, was walking his dog in Horth Hill Regional Park. They were quiet. He added: I like what theyre trying to do to start over. But I dont think it will be an easy life. After Dianas death Harry was very depressed and he says that the click of a camera shutter sets off bad memories. In many ways, North Saanich, quiet, largely rural and which has a population of around 11,000, makes an unlikely destination for the couple, who said they had no other option but to stand down from royal duties if they wanted a more peaceful life. It is certainly a long way, approximately 4,400 miles and with markedly wetter weather, from Mustique, the private Caribbean island where another disillusioned royal, Prince Margaret, sought refuge in the 1970s with Roddy Llewellyn. Prince Harry arrives in Canada on Monday night to join wife Meghan and son Archie Margaret, who declared it to be the only place I can relax, also thundered about press intrusion after being photographed there with Llewellyn by the News of the World, which published the images and exposed her affair. (The incident featured in the third season of The Crown, the dramatic recreation of royal life, in which Margaret is played by Helena Bonham Carter.) Yet, in other ways North Saanich is almost perfect. Its a quiet place not crowded, said Gary Witton, who was eating lunch in the town of Sidney. And where they are living is very beautiful. There are lots of little farmers markets and artisanal shops. Then there is the issue of privacy. Its quiet, away from the city, said a woman who lives in a property near to that occupied by the couple. Theres clean air. Its very small. And we value each others privacy. As locals swap and compare notes about their encounters with the international media one of the Sussexes neighbours pulled out his cellphone to display images he had taken of a Japanese television crew earlier in the week there may be caveats to the sometimes po-faced requests to leave them alone. Harry and Megan visited Canadian officials at Canada House in London this month to thank them for the nations hospitality (Getty) A number of residents have been quoted as being excited by the royal arrivals and at the Deep Cove Market, where Harry and Meghan stopped to try the homemade sandwiches and where a piece of white A4 paper taped tp the door read Press Free Zone, a metal rack offered a range of newspapers, including the international edition of the Daily Express whose front page on Wednesday featured a large photograph of the couple and a headline that read: Its Freedom but at a price. The local newspaper, the Times Colonist, had limited news of Harrys return to Vancouver Island this week after securing agreement to quit from the Queen, to a single column on page five. That may have been because it had a cracking front-page story about police being called to a road traffic accident and discovering a dead body, believed to be the victim of a paid hit job. This isnt just a simple collision, police spokesperson Nancy Saggar told the newspaper. Perhaps the simplest reason Harry and Meghan have come to Vancouver Island, a short flight or ferry ride from the buzzing, diverse city of Vancouver, is that everything must seem so familiar. Unlike in the US, also just a short drive or flight away, Canadian bakeries are packed with meat pies and Cornish pasties, tea is as popular as coffee, and Queen Elizabeths image features on bank notes and coins. Though Canada ended its dominion from Britain as far back as 1867, and secured complete independence with passage of the 1982 Canada Act, Harrys grandmother remains the head of state, and Canada is an enthusiastic member of the Commonwealth. As such, Canadas official welcome to the couple appears to have been as heartfelt as that offered by the residents of Vancouver Island. John Horgan, premier of British Columbia, told reporters he had spoken to prime minister Justin Trudeau, about the couples arrival. Mr Trudeau has declined to say whether Canada will pay for any security costs incurred by their presence, but Mr Horgan suggested only good would come of them being here. Were both kind of giddy about it. Canada is a cool place to be. We are all pretty happy about that as Canadians, he said. And the fact that they felt comfortable here speaks to us as a society and that gives us a reason to pat ourselves on our back. He added: That we are good and kind people who dont want to intrude in the lives of famous people. Were excited when we see them but leave them be. At the Fickle Fig coffee shop and market in North Saanich, another place where Harry and Meghan are said to have enjoyed a lunch or coffee in recent weeks, an Englishman and his North American wife were getting ready to leave with their toddler. The man, who may have been in his 30s and who asked not to give his name, said he had moved to the island a couple of years ago to be with his wife. Its a quiet place. Its hard to get to, he said, asked why he thought the royal couple had selected it. And Vancouver Island is a wonderful place to live. In most cases, hair starts to gray in the thirties, and becomes pronounced in the fifties, at which time the head is typically crowned with a thatch of white, gray and perhaps some hair of the original color. A new study published January 2020 in the journal Nature, shows that this process is speeded up significantly by acute stress persisting over a period, or by severe trauma. Historically, the French queen Marie Antoinette is said to turned gray in one single night, developing a pure white head after she heard of her projected end under the guillotine, when the French Revolution was at its peak in 1793. Scientists call this phenomenon canities or achromotrichia. The contribution of stress to this graying has been a matter of commonly accepted but not medically proven fact so far. The researchers say, Our study proved that the phenomenon does indeed occur, and we identified the mechanisms involved. In addition, we discovered a way of interrupting the process of hair color loss due to stress. Image comparing mice submitted to pain-inducing experiment, which resulted in loss of pigmentation [bottom], to dark-colored mice in the control group. Image Credit: William A. Goncalves How the study came about Researcher Thiago Mattar Cunha explains, We were conducting a study on pain using black C57 mice, a dark-furred laboratory strain. In this model, we administered a substance called resiniferatoxin to activate a receptor expressed by sensory nerve fibers and induce intense pain. Some four weeks after systemic injection of the toxin, a PhD student observed that the animals' fur had turned completely white. This was followed up several times but finally it became evident that the gray hair was a consequence of the application of resiniferatoxin. This chemical is sourced from nature, being found abundantly in the resin spurge (Euphorbia resinifera), which is a native Moroccan cactus-like plant. The study and its findings The experimental setup for the current study was simple and designed to evaluate just one thing: does the stress of something painful cause the fur to change color? Says Cunha, "We designed a very simple experiment to see if the phenomenon was dependent on activation of sympathetic nerve fibers. The sympathetic nervous system is part of the autonomic nervous system from where most of the control of involuntary and visceral action takes place. It is made up of spinal ganglia, or knots of nerve cells, from where fibers branch out to travel all over the country. The sympathetic system is well known, because it controls the level of epinephrine that directly influences the body. It regulates the well-known fight or flight response when the body is faced with a very risky situation, through both epinephrine and cortisol release. Sympathetic stimulation means an increasing heartbeat, a higher blood pressure, faster breathing and a dilated pupil, and other systemic effects. Sympathetic blockage and preserved hair color The mice were first administered resiniferatoxin, and then they were treated with guanethidine, a drug that inhibits the neural sympathetic fibers and so can arrest the expression and transmission of sympathetic nerve signals. They found that guanethidine prevented the loss of hair color over the weeks following the induction of stress, by blocking sympathetic inputs following the pain-inducing injection. Another experiment involved the removal of sympathetic fibers surgically, following the induction of pain. When the sympathetic system was blocked, fur color was preserved. The researchers concluded that signal transmission through the sympathetic nerve system is a powerful role-player in achromotrichia. Next, they turned their attention to the why of this finding. Why stress causes graying of hair Skipping ahead a few years, it was Cunha who, during a scholarship stint at Harward, heard of and later joined a group there which had discovered something similar, partly by a lucky observation. They focused on their new discovery that stress due to pain was speeding up the maturation of the melanocyte stem cells within the bulb of the hair follicle beyond normal limits. Only young cells, which are undifferentiated, produce melanin. As the cell matures, it differentiates and melanin release stops. The researcher explains, We used various methodologies to show that intense sympathetic activity speeds up differentiation significantly. In our model, therefore, pain accelerated the aging of the stem cells that produce melanin. Professor Ya-Chieh Hsu, who leads the group, chimes in: When we started to study this, I expected that stress was bad for the body - but the detrimental impact of stress that we discovered was beyond what I imagined. After just a few days, all of the pigment-regenerating stem cells were lost. Once they're gone, you can't regenerate pigment anymore. The damage is permanent." Another researcher, Bing Zhang, describes it as a permanent depletion of stem cells due to acute stress. Thus, instead of the fight-or-flight response benefiting the animal by helping it to survive, it is causing long-term harm to the animal. Such effects are probably affecting other regions of the body too. Cunha says, I'm currently working with other researchers on an investigation of the effects of sympathetic activity in other stem cell subpopulations." Gene expression and hair graying Using RNA sequencing as a tool, the researchers also examined the processes which enhance the differentiation of melanocyte stem cells, and compared how genes were expressed in mice that were injected with resiniferatoxin and thereafter showed signs of pain, stress and loss of hair color, with the way they were expressed in control mice injected with a placebo. Their goal was to find genes that were expressed at very different levels after the animal developed stress. They were arrested by one gene that encodes an important enzyme called CDK, or cyclin-dependent kinase, which helps the cell divide. When a CDK inhibitor was given to the mice after inducing pain, the result was a blockage in the differentiation of melanocyte stem cells, and in color loss. Cunha explains: This finding shows that CDK participates in the process and could, therefore, be a therapeutic target. It's too soon to know whether it will actually become a target someday in clinical practice, but it's worth exploring further. In another experiment, a strong sympathetic stimulus was used. As a result, the scientists found that the nerve fibers to the hair follicle bulbs secreted noradrenaline close to the melanocyte stem cells, causing them to differentiate. Cunha describes the findings: We showed that melanocyte stem cells express the protein ADRB2 [beta-2 adrenergic receptor], which is activated by noradrenaline, and we discovered that the stem cells differentiate when this receptor is activated by noradrenaline. They then repeated the experiment with mice that could not express ADBR2, and thus could not pass on sympathetic signals. These mice remained their original color even after a resiniferatoxin injection was given. The final test was to treat human melanocytes in culture, which they had taken from the volunteers, with noradrenaline. This mimicked the effects of sympathetic stimulation and produced a rise in the expression of CDK like that which occurred in the whole mice. About the applications The researchers are not yet sure whether these findings will be useful for actual aesthetic purposes, such as developing a new drug to preserve the original hair color. They could use CDK inhibitors for this, but they need to look for side effects, and whether these outweigh the benefits. However, they are confident that they have found how and why pain-induced acute stress causes our hair to turn white. The Ukrainian leader says he sees Ukraine's future belongs to the EU. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says now is the right moment for Ukraine to join the European Union after Brexit. "We see our future within the EU. What should the EU do? Just admit Ukraine as an EU [member]. These are very complex things, although to me they seem to be very simple solutions. We've signed the Association Agreement with the EU, we support the course towards the EU, but we must understand that not only Ukraine should [want] and wants to [join] the EU ... but the European Union should also want this," he said while addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Read alsoZelensky in Davos: World needs to update and rethink international security rules According to him, many EU countries support Ukraine in the issue of its future EU membership. "The question is not when we join the EU. The question is what status Ukraine will have in the European Union, what attitude will be to our country the attitude as to a powerful player, as an equal player, to a country that is respected, the one they do not look down on. And it seems to me that now is that very right moment. One large country [the United Kingdom] has exited, perhaps it is time for Ukraine to enter," he said. The UK will officially leave the 27-member bloc at 11.00 GMT on January 31 more than three and a half years after the country voted for Brexit in a referendum in June 2016. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The United States and European allies will discuss next week in Brussels the possibility of imposing new sanctions against the Syrian government of Bashar Assad, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey told reporters on Thursday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) The United States and European allies will discuss next week in Brussels the possibility of imposing new sanctions against the Syrian government of Bashar Assad, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey told reporters on Thursday. "I'll be going out next week to Brussels to talk about sanctions and other economic issues related to keeping the pressure on the Assad regime," Jeffrey said. "We'll be talking to the Europeans who are also, of course, implementing sanctions against the Assad regime and are contemplating additional ones, so we'll have an exchange on that." Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Thursday said the state government will introduce a resolution against the CAA in the budget session beginning Friday. Kerala and Punjab have already passed resolutions seeking the withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Pilot said the Centre should listen to people protesting against the Act across the country and asserted that democracy weakens if there is no dialogue. "We are requesting the central government to reconsider the Act. The Constitution has given the right to protest but if someone does it, they are attacked and called anti-nationals," Pilot, who is also the chief of the Pradesh Congress Committee, said on Thursday. "The Rajasthan Assembly will pass a resolution against the CAA in this session," he told reporters after reviewing preparations ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's rally in Jaipur on January 28. Pilot said the legality of the CAA will be decided by the Supreme Court. People have the right to express their disagreement in a peaceful manner and within the boundary of the law, he said, adding, "We do not support those who take law in hand". He claimed that besides party workers, Gandhi's 'Aakrosh Rally' will be attended by youths and students in large numbers. "There is unrest among youths in the country today. The educated are unemployed and the economy is in a poor state and Rahul Gandhi wants to focus on it. The message from the rally will go across the country," he said. "Gandhi will raise issues concerning people. After Rajasthan, he will hold rallies in other states also. In view of the Union Budget, the Congress wants the central government to focus on the issues which help the economy run," Pilot added. Reacting to the proposed resolution, BJP state chief and MLA Satish Poonia said their party will oppose it in the assembly. "We will oppose any such resolution in the assembly," he said after a meeting of BJP legislators here. The BJP also slammed the government for calling the assembly session on a short notice. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Gulabchand Kataria, said a 21-day prior notice was required to be served but the rule was not followed by the government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: The Canadian Press Local authorities join the U.S. Coast Guard in search for person who reportedly went overboard from cruise ship. The U.S. Coast Guard said it was searching late Wednesday for a person who reportedly went overboard from a cruise ship just off Puerto Ricos north shore. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad told The Associated Press that the incident involved the Oasis of the Seas ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. The vessel was in San Juan Bay when the event occurred, he said. The person being searched for was not identified and no further details were immediately available. A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean could not be immediately reached for comment. MANILA, Philippines The Department of Health (DOH) is now closely monitoring incoming international flight passengers, particularly those coming from China amid the scare of a new coronavirus strain that originated from Wuhan City. As of the latest data, the DOH is keeping watch over a suspected novel coronavirus case. The health department said it is conducting precautionary measures to help curb the possible spread of the said infectious disease that could possibly have been brought by passengers coming from other countries. The Bureau of Quarantine is leading the team that checks passengers after they get off from the plane. Each passenger must go through scanners that are installed in the airports. Those who are found negative of symptoms such as high body temperature or fever will be free to go. However, those who will show signs of the disease will be held by the BOQ personnel so that swab samples and necessary interviews will be conducted on them. When the initial check-up shows signs of respiratory illness, fever, cough and colds, shortness of and difficulty in breathing, the doctors will recommend hospital admission. DOH Spokesperson Usec. Rolando Enrique Domingo, the DOH will take care of the hospital treatment. Pagdaan nila sa quarantine ngayon makikita naman sila kung mayroon signs and symptoms kung may sign and symptoms then they have to go our quarantine office or to our clinic for history taking or medical examination, said Domingo. The patient may only be discharged from the hospital if he or she is already found negative of two more tests. The DOH also reminds the public, particularly those who will travel internationally, to always fill out and submit the health declaration card to be issued to them during flight. Included in the checklist is the pertinent information, such as the country of origin, so that passengers can easily be traced and located, should the need arise. The DOH will also give out flyers to passengers for them to be more aware of the new coronavirus. The health department will also meet with airline operators who have direct flights to and from Wuhan, China, together with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on the measures to take to address the said health issue. (from the report of Dante Amento) /mbmf The post DOH closely monitors passengers from China appeared first on UNTV News. Thursday, January 23rd, 2020 (12:40 pm) - Score 2,707 UK ISP Virgin Media has today completed an extension of their new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband and TV network to cover 1,200 premises in the Northumberland town of Cramlington, which is home to around 30,000 people and resides just 9 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne. As part of the aforementioned deployment Virgin Media recently connected a few hundred homes in Klondyke to its ultrafast broadband network and has now brought its services to new housing developments, working with major developers at sites across Cramlington, including Barley Meadows, Arcot Manor, St Nicholas Manor and The Fairways. As usual all of this work forms part of Virgin Medias 3bn Project Lightning build, which originally aimed to add an additional 4 million premises to their UK coverage (so far theyve completed around 2 million) using a mix of FTTP via Radio Frequency Over Glass (RFoG) and Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) technology. Both methods make use of the DOCSIS standard so as to harness the same consumer hardware. On top of that the operator last year started to deploy their new DOCSIS 3.1 network upgrade (here), which by the end of 2021 hopes to have boosted their top broadband download speeds from 500Mbps+ to 1Gbps+ (currently live around Southampton, Greater Manchester and Reading). Cllr Nick Oliver, Northumberland County Council, said: The council is very keen to support full fibre broadband roll out across Northumberland and is working with the Government and private sector partners towards wide coverage. We have been working with Virgin Media for a number of years with a view to them bringing their FTTP technology to parts of the county, and I am extremely pleased to see the first properties being connected. End. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will release his long-delayed Middle East peace plan before a surprise meeting next week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief political rival, Benjamin Gantz. Its a great plan. Its a plan that really would work, Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Florida. He said the White House will release the secretive deal "a little bit prior" to the meeting with Netanyahu and Gantz in Washington. That unusual session, set for Tuesday, comes as Israel lurches toward a third election on March 2, which will pit Netanyahu's conservative Likud party against Gantz's more centrist Blue and White party. Israeli voters have twice failed to give either faction a clear majority, leading to an unprecedented third showdown. Vice President Mike Pence first confirmed next week's visit during a trip to Jerusalem on Thursday. Pence made it clear they were not initially planning to invite Gantz, the former head of Israel's military. "President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues, as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land," Pence said. "At the prime ministers suggestion, I also extended an invitation to Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White Party, and he has accepted the invitation," the vice president said. Trump expressed surprise that they both agreed to come to Washington so soon before the election. We have both candidates coming unheard of, he said. Netanyahu has made his close relationship with the American president a centerpiece of his campaign, and Trump has made it clear he favors Netanyahu. Although Trump hasn't officially endorsed Netanyahu, he has made a series of policy pronouncements that seemed timed to boost the Israeli incumbent ahead of the two previous elections. Story continues President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on March 25, 2019. Last spring, for example, Trump recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a disputed territory. Trump's decision reversed decades of U.S. policy; previous American presidents labeled the territory "occupied" and declined to recognize Israel's annexation. Trump tasked his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner to craft the peace plan early in his presidency. Trump has touted the proposal as the Deal of the Century. But its rollout has been repeatedly delayed and its fate is bleak. If the White House does release the proposal next week, it may be viewed as yet another effort to help Netanyahu as he vies to hold onto power in Israel. Netanyahu faces charges of fraud and bribery. Trump touted the deal on Thursday, even as he conceded the Palestinians might not like it. Weve spoken to them briefly," Trump said of Palestinian leaders. "They have a lot of incentive to do it. Im sure they maybe will react negatively at first, but its actually very positive for them. The plan is unlikely to break the decadeslong stalemate between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The White House has alienated the Palestinians with a series of provocative actions, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and cutting U.S. aid to Palestinian refugees. In the wake of those steps, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has refused to engage with the Trump administration, saying the White House is not a neutral broker. Id love to be able to do that deal," Trump said Thursday. "They say thats the hardest of all deals. Contributing: David Jackson This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump to meet with Israel's Netanyahu and Gantz on Mideast peace Federal spending on road infrastructure is struggling to keep up; federal lawmakers staved off a cut to the national Highway Trust Fund last year that would have pulled $7.6 billion away from state highway budgets. This has left the states to fill in some of the gaps, and voters around the country last year approved huge transportation investments via ballot measures. The ballot results are a great reminder infrastructure investment remains one of the few areas where red states, blue states, Republicans and Democrats can all come together, Dave Bauer, president of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, said in a statement. It should also demonstrate to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the public will be on board for the passage of a long-term bill that significantly boosts highway and transit investment at the federal level. The need is great. Most systems that make up our network of interstate highways are at least 50 years old, so there has to be substantial reinvestment to make sure those assets can keep up with daily wear and tear, Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said in an interview. States and localities are doing their part, and this is a great opportunity for the federal government to do its part. The American Society of Civil Engineers says there is a huge backlog of federal highway projects that need funding, to the tune of $836 billion. Voters are unlikely to know those details only that their commute is bumpy. But out of 305 transportation-related state and local ballot measures that went before voters last year, 270 more than 88 percent were approved, according to the Transportation Investment Advocacy Center at the road builders group. The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, on Thursday, discharged and acquitted a former Chief Whip of Oyo State House of Assembly, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, and three others charged with the murder of a former member of the House of Representatives, Temitope Olatoye (a.k.a. Sugar). Justice Maruf Adegbola also discharged Rafiu Adebayo, Rasheed Oladele and Kazeem Ayinde. Mr Adegbola held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubts. He held that the prosecution did not show any evidence in court that the defendants were at the scene of the crime. The evidence before the court exonerated the defendants. The prosecution has not established any nexus to connect any of the defendants to the murder of Olatoye and I, therefore, hold that the prosecution has not proved any of the ingredients relating to the charges against the defendants. The prosecution failed totally to prove any of the ingredients of the offence of murder against the accused persons. It will amount to turning on the defendants to prove their innocence which is not a requirement of the Nigeria criminal justice system. In fact, doing so, contravenes section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitutional (as amended) and the rights of the defendants. The prosecution has not established any of the ingredients of the offence of murder charged so as to warrant the court to ask the defendants to enter their defence, the judge said. NAN reports that Sugar, as he was popularly referred to, then a serving federal lawmaker representing Lagelu/Akinyele Federal Constituency in Oyo State, was shot in Elesu village in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State on March 9, 2019. He later died at the Accident and Emergency Centre of the University College Hospital in Ibadan. (NAN) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 21:57:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui reiterated on Thursday that Pakistan firmly supports the one-China principle, stressing that Taiwan-related affairs are China's internal affairs. "There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China," the spokesperson said at her weekly briefing when asked about the recent leadership election in China's Taiwan. In response to rumors concerning the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Farooqui said Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and the CPEC is a transformational project for Pakistan. "The expeditious completion of CPEC projects is the number one priority of our government," the spokesperson said, adding that CPEC has helped to address development gaps in energy, infrastructure, industrialization and job creation in Pakistan and CPEC is also beneficial in the context of both regional connectivity and regional prosperity. "All countries are welcome to invest in the special economic zones of CPEC," she said. In an interview with American media outlet CNBC on Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan is grateful to China, because when China came to help Pakistan with the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC, Pakistan was at rock bottom. Because of the Chinese investment, Pakistan has been able to attract more foreign investment and Pakistan is establishing special economic zones under CPEC, Khan added. The Intercept and Greenwald both released statements Tuesday decrying the federal prosecutors accusation as an attack on Brazils free press in line with recent abuses by the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Abuses committed by Justice Minister Sergio Moro when he served as the presiding judge in Operation Car Wash were central to The Intercepts reporting in the Brazil Secret Archive series. The denunciation will now go before a judge who can approve or deny the request for charges. January 21, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - On Tuesday, a federal prosecutor in Brazil announced a denunciation of American journalist and Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald related to his work on a series of stories published on The Intercept and The Intercept Brasil . The denunciation is a criminal complaint that would open the door to further judicial proceedings. It alleges that Greenwald directly assisted, encouraged and guided individuals who reportedly obtained access to online chats used by prosecutors and others involved in Operation Car Wash, a yearslong, sprawling anti-corruption investigation that roiled Brazilian politics. Greenwald denied the charges in his statement, citing a previous Brazilian Federal Police investigation that concluded he had committed no crimes and noted his careful and distant posture regarding the execution of the alleged hacks. We at The Intercept see this as an attempt to criminalize not only our journalism but also that of the dozens of partners who collaborated with our staff in over 95 stories based on the archives, The Intercept said. There is no democracy without a free press, and defenders of the press everywhere should be deeply concerned about Bolsonaros latest authoritarian move. The Bolsonaro government has repeatedly made it clear that it does not believe in basic press freedoms. Todays announcement that a criminal complaint has been filed against Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald is the latest example of journalists facing serious threats in Brazil, The Intercept said in its statement, which can be read below in full. We are appalled that Brazils Public Ministry has decided to file such a blatantly politically motivated charge against Greenwald, in apparent retaliation for The Intercepts critical reporting on abuses committed by Justice Minister Moro and several federal prosecutors. Operation Car Wash prosecuted major Brazilian construction firms and politicians. Among its most controversial convictions was that of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose imprisonment on corruption charges removed him from contention in the 2018 presidential elections, despite leading in the polls. Instead, Bolsonaro won the office and quickly appointed Moro, the judge who convicted Lula, as his justice minister. After the Secret Brazil Archive reporting, the Brazilian Supreme Court released Lula on the basis of a procedural argument, a stinging rebuke of Moros work. This accusation brought by the same prosecutor who just tried and failed to criminally prosecute the head of the Brazilian Bar Association for criticizing Minister Moro is an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about Minister Moro and the Bolsonaro government, said Greenwald, who also co-founded The Intercept Brasil. We will not be intimidated by these tyrannical attempts to silence journalists. I am working right now on new reporting and will continue to do so. Less than two months ago, the Federal Police, examining all the same evidence cited by the Public Ministry, stated explicitly that not only have I never committed any crime but that I exercised extreme caution as a journalist never even to get close to any participation, Greenwald said in the statement, which can be read below in full. Even the Federal Police under Minister Moros command said what is clear to any rational person: I did nothing more than do my job as a journalist ethically and within the law. The series of Intercept stories about Operation Car Wash relied on a trove of previously undisclosed materials and provided an unprecedented insight into the anti-corruption investigation. The revelations included scheming by purportedly apolitical prosecutors to ensure that Lulas Workers Party did not win the election; prohibited collaboration between the Car Wash prosecutors and Moro; and controversial personal enrichment by prosecutors, among many other revelations published in English and Portuguese The Brazilian federal prosecutor who filed the criminal complaint, Wellington Divino Marques de Oliveira, who works in Moros Justice Ministry but has prosecutorial independence, wrote in the complaint that Greenwald had directly assisted, encouraged and guided the criminal group, DURING the criminal practice, acting as guarantor of the group, obtaining financial advantage with the conduct described here. Bolsonaro has himself previously suggested that he would like to deport Greenwald and threatened to imprison the journalist for his work. At the time, The Intercept condemned the threat in a statement and reiterated that Greenwald and The Intercepts other reporters enjoy free-press protections under the Brazilian constitution. Read The Intercepts full statement: The Bolsonaro government has repeatedly made it clear that it does not believe in basic press freedoms. Todays announcement that a criminal complaint has been filed against Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald is the latest example of journalists facing serious threats in Brazil. The evidence cited today by Brazils Public Ministry is the same that was rigorously analyzed by the countrys Federal Police, leading the agency to conclude that Greenwald did not commit any crimes in his contacts with the alleged source of our Secret Brazil Archive stories. Glenn Greenwald was not formally investigated by the Federal Police, but they concluded that there was no indication of wrongdoing committed by him. We are appalled that Brazils Public Ministry has decided to file such a blatantly politically motivated charge against Greenwald, in apparent retaliation for The Intercepts critical reporting on abuses committed by Justice Minister Moro and several federal prosecutors. We at The Intercept see this as an attempt to criminalize not only our journalism but also that of the dozens of partners who collaborated with our staff in over 95 stories based on the archives. There is no democracy without a free press, and defenders of the press everywhere should be deeply concerned about Bolsonaros latest authoritarian move. Read Glenn Greenwalds full statement: The Bolsonaro government and the movement that supports it has made repeatedly clear that it does not believe in basic press freedoms from Bolsonaros threats against Folha to his attacks on journalists that have incited violence to Sergio Moros threats from the start to classify us as allies of the hackers for revealing his corruption. Less than two months ago, the Federal Police, examining all the same evidence cited by the Public Ministry, stated explicitly that not only have I never committed any crime but that I exercised extreme caution as a journalist never even to get close to any participation. Even the Federal Police under Minister Moros command said what is clear to any rational person: I did nothing more than do my job as a journalist ethically and within the law. This accusation brought by the same prosecutor who just tried and failed to criminally prosecute the head of the Brazilian Bar Association for criticizing Minister Moro is an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about Minister Moro and the Bolsonaro government. It is also on an attack on the Brazilian Supreme Court, which ruled in July that I am entitled to have my press freedom protected in response to other retaliatory attacks from Minister Moro, and even an attack on the findings of the Federal Police, which concluded explicitly after a comprehensive investigation that I committed no crimes and solely acted as a journalist. We will not be intimidated by these tyrannical attempts to silence journalists. I am working right now on new reporting and will continue to do so. Many courageous Brazilians sacrificed their liberty and even life for Brazilian democracy and against repression, and I feel an obligation to continue their noble work. This article was originally published by "The Intercept" - Washington: Former California governor Jerry Brown has blasted the Australian government's "utter and absolute" denial of the threat of climate change at an event warning the world is closer than ever before to a man-made apocalypse. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Thursday (Friday AEDT) announced it was moving its famous Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than at any point in its 73-year history because of the growing risk of climate change, nuclear war and disinformation. Several speakers at the announcement in Washington DC held up the Australian bushfire crisis as an example of the extreme and deadly weather events that will become more common unless the world dramatically reduces its carbon emissions. Brown, who oversaw the response to California's most destructive wildfire crisis in 2018, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age he had no hope the Morrison government would become a global leader on tackling climate change. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:22:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Intense clashes erupted on Thursday between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi rebels in the country's southern province of Dhalea, leaving 10 killed from both sides, a military official told Xinhua. The government forces engaged in intense clashes with the Houthi attackers who were trying to advance in the northern parts of Dhalea, the local official said on condition of anonymity. "The government forces repulsed the Houthi attack and killed six of the rebels while four soldiers also died in this battle that continued for hours," the source added. The Houthis prepared for a large military offensive against the sites of the government forces in the northern parts of Dhalea but faced strong resistance, according to the source. Earlier this week, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths called on all the parties involved to take all necessary measures to cease all military activities including movement of troops, airstrikes, missiles and drone attacks. He also urged the parties to implement and enhance the de-escalation initiatives, saying reduction of violence is crucial for sustaining the progress made so far in de-escalation. "We all have to work toward advancing the peace process, not setting it backward. Yemen has suffered enough," Griffiths said. The northern and western parts of Dhalea, 138 km north of Aden, have been witnessing non-stop fightings between government forces and Houthi fighters for about four years. Yemen has been plagued by a civil war since late 2014 after the Houthi rebels forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile. Free to leave: Nitish Kumar rebuffs Pavan Kumar who questioned Delhi alliance with BJP India oi-Deepika S Patna, Jan 23: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday broke his silence on senior JD(U) leader, Pawan Varma, publicly calling him out on his stand on ally BJP and the decision to extend the alliance to the Delhi election. "If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within the party or at party meetings, but such kind of public statements are surprising. He can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes," the Chief Minister said on Thursday, two days after Varma wrote a letter on the BJP alliance for the Delhi elections. Disgruntled Pavan Varma had sought "ideological clarity" from party president Nitish Kumar over aligning with the BJP in the Delhi elections, referring to the Bihar chief minister's "private apprehensions" on how the saffron party is leading the country. JD(U) leader perplexed by BJP tie-up for Delhi, writes to Nitish Kumar Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Varma, JD(U) national General Secretary, had questioned Kumar for aligning with the BJP outside Bihar in Delhi despite having expressed apprehensions 'in private' about the BJP-RSS leading the nation into a 'dangerous space'. 'On more than one occasion, you have expressed your apprehensions about the BJP-RSS combine. 'In my first meeting with you in Patna in August 2012, even before I had resigned from the IFS, you had spoken to me at length and with conviction on why Narendra Modi and his policies are inimical for the country,' Varma, one of the most articulate spokespersons of a political party, said. In comments that may embarrass Kumar, Varma claimed that the JD(U) leader, even after joining hands with the BJP again in 2017, had confessed to him how the current saffron party leadership had 'humiliated' him. Nationwide NRC needless: Nitish Kumar reiterates points to Modis clarification 'You mentioned on more than one occasion that the BJP was leading India into a dangerous space. It was your personal view, as conveyed to me, that the BJP is destroying institutions and that there is a need for democratic and socialist forces within the country to regroup, a task for which you actually assigned a senior party official,' Varma added, without disclosing who the JD(U) leader was. Foreign students in the central Chinese city where the coronavirus began buy their groceries as normal, despite a government-imposed lockdown. Footage filmed by Indonesian student Yuliannova Lestari on Thursday (January 23) just hours after the shutdown began shows students from Central China Normal University going to a local grocery store in Wuhan. At the store some of the group purchase essentials such as milk and fruit. They also purchase Nutella chocolate spread. While the grocery store is busy, the road outside is deserted. Lestari - originally from Indonesia and studying a PhD in International Relations - told Newsflare: "There is some action that has been done by the university, such as providing free masks, a thermometer and also liquid hand wash to the international students. "The university created a WeChat group for the students to make a daily report regarding their body temperature. It's supposed to be reported daily before 12 o'clock every night. "The corridor, entrance, the elevator in the International Students Dormitory also has been cleaned with disinfectant daily. "We are also told by the university that we need to avoid crowded places full of people. "The public transportation systems have been closed as per January 23 from 10am, including MRT, Bus, as well as airports. "All flights outgoing from Wuhan also has been cancelled." In a recent Salem Statesman Journal article about the latest version of Legislative Concept 19, which would cap greenhouse gas emissions, Senate Minority Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr., R-Grants Pass, says Republicans have been kept out of the negotiations. In the next paragraph, Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, denies Republicans have been kept out. Obviously one of them is lying, but most disturbing is that the argument is about who was or wasnt involved. This problem cant be solved in a political environment where one side wins. It isnt one where forcing the majoritys position is right. We have an environmental problem that must be solved. To deny the problem is an ostrich-head-in-the-sand position that will last only until the sand gets too hot for the ostrich to survive. As a voter, I want to know that people who will be affected have been involved in the discussion, the solutions presented, the facts and evidence supporting those solutions, the pros and cons for each, and the recommended best action. Our legislators have a responsibility to develop a path toward solving the problem. If they want to express their concerns about specific aspects of the recommendations, do so; but to say that the other side would not let us play with their toys, so were going home, is not what we want and expect from our legislators. Nor do we want something jammed through without involving all affected parties being part of the solutions. Lets get back to work. Ted Risser, Grants Pass In China, 17 dead, 630 infected; public transport suspended. It may have originated in bats, according to genetic analysis, but researchers say there could have been an intermediate host in the transmission to humans that one study suggested could have been snakes. New Delhi/ Thiruvananthapuram: An Indian nurse working at a hospital in Saudi Arabia tested positive for the novel coronavirus when she and nearly 100 of her Indian colleagues, mostly from Kerala, were screened, the government said on Thursday. The affected nurse is being treated at the Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well, minister of state for external affairs V. Muraleedharan said. Some reports said that the nurse, who is from Ettumannur in Keralas Kottayam district, contracted the virus while providing nursing care to one of her Filipino colleagues. In a tweet, Mr Muraleedharan said, Update from @CGIJeddah : About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by coronavirus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well. Mr Muraleedharan said he had earlier spoken to the Indian consulate in Jeddah on the Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, due to the coronavirus threat. They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign ministry. Have asked our consulate to provide all possible support, he said. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and asked him to take urgent steps in ensuring expert treatment and protection to those affected by the virus. The letter was sent following reports that 30 nurses working in the hospital were quarantined. Of these the samples of 20 were sent for laboratory investigations. However, authorities said only one nurse was infected with the virus and the rest were quarantined as a preventive measure. Earlier, the Malayali nurses had sent a message to Indian embassy in Riyadh complaining that they were not being given proper medical care or food by the hospital authorities. Kerala health minister K.K. Shyalaja said those who have returned from China should inform district medical officers and instructed officials to step up surveillance in all four airports Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur in the state. The state minister also said that the government is taking all possible steps through Non-Resident Keralites Department (NORKA) to provide help to the nurses. Isolation wards have been set up in all medical college hospitals in the state for suspected coronavirus cases. All hospitals have been directed to screen patients with influenza like illnesses and report the cases to district medical officers. The coronavirus has infected over 630 people and left 17 others dead in China, where authorities have locked down five cities, including Wuhan, and suspended all public transport in an unprecedented move to contain its spread. The Union health ministry has said 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for novel coronavirus infection till January 22 but no positive case has been detected in the country so far. Union health secretary Preeti Sudan is reviewing the evolving scenario and the preparedness status. She has asked states and Union Territories to review hospital preparedness in terms of isolation and ventilator management of critically ill patients, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance and laboratory support, an official statement said. Thermal screening is being done at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin. The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India. A travel advisory was issued on January 17 and put up on the ministrys website and also on the Twitter handle for wider circulation. Port and airport health organisations have been sensitised and thermal screening has been initiated at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin airports, the statement said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is leading a congressional delegation to Israel this week amid an intraparty debate over conditioning military aid to the close US ally and Democratic efforts to limit President Donald Trumps ability to attack Iran. And no matter what our party or wherever we are within our party the fact that we have the shared values with Israel and that is one reason for our joy in the creation of Israel as a historical miracle, the greatest accomplishment of the [20th] century, Pelosi said at a working lunch with Knesset members. Pelosi also singled out Tehran despite holding a vote earlier this month on legislation intended to limit Trumps ability to strike Iran, which the House passed 224-194 largely along partisan lines. Its not just about Israel having the fight with Iran; thats a fight for the whole world that the whole world has with the danger Iran poses, said Pelosi. The speakers congressional delegation includes five staunch pro-Israel Democrats and one Republican. They include House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., as well as Reps. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., and Joe Wilson, R-S.C., the leading Democrat and Republican on the Middle East Panel. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Brad Schneider, D-Ill., also joined the delegation. Why it matters: Still, Pelosis delegation comes as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers, presidential candidates and left-leaning advocacy groups call for the United States to condition military aid to Israel over its occupation of the West Bank. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, have both followed the liberal lobbying group J Streets lead and said that US taxpayers will not foot the bill for any Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has gone further and wants to tie Israeli aid to human rights conditions in Gaza as well. Former Vice President Joe Biden has said conditioning Israeli aid would be absolutely outrageous. Al-Monitor first reported last month that Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is gathering signatures on a J Street-backed letter asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to clarify whether Israel has used US military equipment while demolishing Palestinian homes in the West Bank. The letter notes that the Arms Export Control Act places conditions on how military aid recipients can use US equipment. But three members of Pelosis delegation pushed back against the growing pro-Palestinian branch of the party by amending a J Street-backed resolution last month that reaffirmed lawmakers support for a two-state solution to the conflict. The three members Deutch, Wasserman Schultz and Schneider only came onboard the symbolic resolution after amending it with language supporting Israels annual $3.8 billion in military aid. Whats next: Vice President Mike Pence also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the US Embassy in Jerusalem today, where he reportedly invited the embattled Israeli premier and opposition leader Benny Gantz to Washington next week for an update on the Trump administrations long-stalled peace plan. The visit will reportedly take place Jan. 28 the same day the Knesset has scheduled a vote on establishing a committee to examine Netanyahus request for parliamentary immunity from corruption charges. Know more: For more on the brewing Israel debate among Democrats, read congressional correspondent Bryant Harris inside story on the House vote last month to endorse Israeli military aid alongside a two-state solution. VANCOUVERWithin hours of announcing their airtanker had crashed while fighting fires in New South Wales, more than a thousand people, mostly from Australia, had written Facebook comments to Coulson Aviation, thanking the Canadian company for its role in fighting the persistent and devastating wildfires. Three U.S. firefighters died when the plane crashed Wednesday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three crew members onboard, said a statement signed The Coulson Family. Australian political cartoonist Peter Broelman posted his drawing of Coulsons Lockheed C-130 airtanker releasing fire retardant over a burning landscape, with the words Thank You, to Twitter and Facebook. In the past year, the Port Alberni, B.C.-founded Coulson Aviation and its planes have helped fight the California wildfires, the Amazon fires in Bolivia and forest fires in Chile. Coulson develops and installs firefighting systems for planes tanks that hold and release mixtures of water and chemicals that help to slow the spread of fires. The company owns a fleet of planes and helicopters outfitted to take off and land in unpaved areas, and to carry large amounts of fire retardant. The company has been posting regular updates on its Facebook page about its aircraft contracted by the Australian government to combat fires. It sent at least four aircraft to the burning east coast of Australia, including a 137 tanker, which is a commercial Boeing 737 jet converted to fight fires. Coulson, which was founded in 1960 as a logging company in Port Alberni, began working in aviation 25 years later. Its a family-run company whose CEO, Wayne Coulson, is the son of the founder. Waynes two sons are also involved in the business. The plane that went down near Snowy Monaro on Wednesday was a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which the companys website describes as its leading attacker in firefighting for its 15,000-litre Coulson tanking system and military construction. Coulson bought its first Hercules in 2013, and described the purchase as a milestone. The C-130H Hercules ... is quite a force to be reckoned with, its website description reads. According to information posted to the New South Wales government website, the Australian state entered into a contract with Coulson on Nov. 25 to provide aerial firefighting support efforts. The value of the contract was $2.5 million, and lasts until Feb. 23, 2020. In a separate $25-million contract ranging from 2019 to 2024, the company was hired to provide Management, Operation, Maintenance and Support Services for the states aerial firefighting. A subsidiary company, Coulson Aviation PTY, was founded in 2010 to focus on Coulsons firefighting activities in Australia. Coulson Aviation USA is the subsidiary that focuses on fire suppression in the U.S. Read more about: THE Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Picpa) is hosting the Picpa Non-Government Organization (NGO) Congress on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino. This event is open to those currently registered NGOs or those planning to register as an NGO. Certified public accountants who will participate in the event will be entitled to eight Continuing Professional Development units under competence area A. The NGO Congress is designed to continually develop the NGOs in their financial and regulatory compliance to ensure their sustainability and longevity by properly preparing their programs in line with their objectives to which their exemptions and certification have been issued. This seminar will also update all participants on regulatory compliance concerning the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Speakers The pool of esteemed speakers is composed of Luis Morales, executive director of PCNC; Cynthia Ilano of the DSWD; Celia King, deputy commissioner of the BIR; Ma. Gracia Diaz of KPMG Philippines; Carmen Linda Atayde of the SM Foundation; Veronica Gabaldon, executive director of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation; and Rhodora Icaranom of the RGI Accounting and Auditing. This event is made possible by the Picpa National Office in coordination with Picpa Eastern Visayas and Picpa Cebu Chapter. (PR) Luxembourg's PM was at the World Economic Forum - Davos this week and held pow wows with huge names in tech and business. "Communications dont stop at national borders anymore - which is why its crucial to deepen the European digital market" said Bettel via Twitter as he cosied up to one Tim Cook, Apple Inc. CEO. With @Apples @tim_cook we discussed the opportunities of mobile connectivity & the future of telecommunications on a global level. Communications dont stop at national borders anymore - which is why its crucial to deepen the European digital market. #WEF20 pic.twitter.com/Q4cWTCraTR Xavier Bettel (@Xavier_Bettel) January 22, 2020 Given that Luxembourg was ranked 2nd in a global study by The Cisco Global Digital Readiness Index, what chances that inter-connectivity was on the casual chit chat roster? With @Ciscos @ChuckRobbins we discussed their Country Digital Acceleration Plan that has turned into a real success in Luxembourg and I am pleased that CISCO will continue investing into our digital future. #WEF20 pic.twitter.com/vaaR2RrqAt Xavier Bettel (@Xavier_Bettel) January 22, 2020 Either that, or the Grand Duchy's leader was trying to get the inside scoop on the iPhone 12. While at Davos, Xavier Bettel also met up with PWC Chairman, Bob Moritz, discussing the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, Dan Schulman of PayPal who Bettel describes as "one of Luxembourgs partners in providing innovative, sustainable financial solutions" and Karan Bhatia, Google's Vice President on "providing digital resources to our citizens & businesses". Constructive exchange with @Googles VP Karan Bhatia on digital data services. Through its top tier infrastructure Luxembourg has become a leader in providing digital resources to our citizens & businesses thus making it a strong competitor in the global data economy. #WEF20 pic.twitter.com/uYVbovuRL2 Xavier Bettel (@Xavier_Bettel) January 22, 2020 Meeting with ArcelorMittal CEO, Lakshmi Mittal, Luxembourg's Prime Minsiter tweeted: "Luxembourg is proud of its industrial past and we remain attached to @ArcelorMittal as a piece of our history, present and future." At the beginning of each year, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters is an ideal opportunity for decision-makers in the economic, political and social world to discuss the pressing issues of our societies in order to shape the global economic agendas, both regionally and nationally. This year, discussions will revolve around several key themes: the struggle to save the planet, the future of work, a fairer economy, technology for the benefit of all and global collaboration. A series of bilateral meetings allowed the Luxembourg Prime Minister to meet political decision-makers, business leaders, as well as representatives of civil society. This article is part of the Debatable newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Monday, President Trumps chief lawyers in his impeachment trial, Jay Sekulow and Pat Cipollone, submitted a 110-page brief to the Senate laying out the case for his acquittal. The articles of impeachment, they say, are an affront to the Constitution brought about by a rigged crusade against a president who did absolutely nothing wrong. Reminder: The House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment in December. The first article accuses Mr. Trump of abusing the power of the presidency to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election by withholding military aid to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to announce investigations into a likely opponent in Novembers election, Joe Biden. The second article accuses Mr. Trump of obstructing the Houses sole Power of Impeachment by directing an unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas related to the Ukraine affair. Here are the key points in Mr. Trumps defense against the charges and how legal experts are responding to them. No crime or violation of law whatsoever Mr. Sekulow and Mr. Cipollone argue that abuse of power is not a crime defined in the federal legal code, and so it cannot be considered an impeachable offense. After focus-group testing various charges for weeks, House Democrats settled on two flimsy Articles of Impeachment that allege no crime or violation of law whatsoever much less high Crimes and Misdemeanors, as required by the Constitution, they write. Donald Trumps treasury secretary has followed the US president in taking a swipe at Greta Thunberg, suggesting the teenage climate activist should study economics at university before she offers advice on how to tackle global warming. Steven Mnuchin questioned the 17-year-old Swedes credentials after she called for public and private sectors to divest from fossil fuels. Speaking at the Davos summit on Thursday, Mr Mnuchin said: Is she the chief economist? Who is she? Im confused. After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us. Ms Thunberg who has taken a year out of school to campaign globally for climate action responded in a tweet: My gap year ends in August, but it doesnt take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments dont add up. So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments. Davos 2020 - in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Davos 2020 - in pictures Davos 2020 - in pictures U.S. President Donald Trump walks out of the Marine One helicopter as he arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020 REUTERS Davos 2020 - in pictures Spotters gather on a viewpoint to take pictures of Air Force One (not pictured), carrying US President Donald J. Donald Trump, as it lands at Zurich Airport, Switzerland, 21 January 2020. Trump arrived in Switzerland to attend the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos EPA Davos 2020 - in pictures U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020 REUTERS Davos 2020 - in pictures A Secret Service agent takes a photo as the Marine One helicopter carrying U.S. President Donald Trump flies nearby en route to the Word Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland January 21, 2020 REUTERS Davos 2020 - in pictures US President Donald J. Trump smiles before addressing a plenary session during the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2020. The meeting brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, corporate and political leaders in Davos under the topic 'Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World' from 21 to 24 January 2020 EPA Davos 2020 - in pictures Ivanka Trump, special adviser to the president and senior advisor Jared Kushner listen as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020 REUTERS Davos 2020 - in pictures Artists from Fete des Vignerons perform a song "Ranz des Vaches" before U.S. President Donald Trump's speech during the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020 REUTERS Davos 2020 - in pictures US President Donald J. Trump (R, red tie) walks in the Congress Centre after addressing a plenary session during the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2020. The meeting brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, corporate and political leaders in Davos under the topic 'Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World' from 21 to 24 January 2020 EPA Davos 2020 - in pictures Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses a panel session during the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2020. The meeting brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, corporate and political leaders in Davos under the topic 'Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World' from 21 to 24 January 2020 EPA Davos 2020 - in pictures Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg (C) listens to a speech by US President Donald J. Trump at a plenary session during the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2020. The meeting brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, corporate and political leaders in Davos under the topic 'Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World' from 21 to 24 January 2020 EPA Davos 2020 - in pictures U.S. President Donald Trump speaks dutring a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020 REUTERS Davos 2020 - in pictures Demonstration organized by Juso Schweiz (Young Socialist Party) on the sideline of the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2020. The meeting brings together enterpreneurs, scientists, chief executive and political leaders in Davos January 21 to 24 EPA Davos 2020 - in pictures Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney attends a session at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 202 Reuters Davos 2020 - in pictures U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with the President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga during a bilateral meeting at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland REUTERS Mr Mnuchins comments in the Swiss resort came after the teenage activist and the president clashed over the Trump administrations climate record at the World Economic Forum earlier this week. Ms Thunberg has been an outspoken critic of the US governments inaction over global warming, and said in Davos that the president was fuelling the flames of the climate crisis. Mr Trump criticised the teenagers pessimism, made remarks about her age, and accused environmental campaigners of being prophets of doom. The president was been widely criticised for his decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate change agreement, but his treasury secretary told a press briefing in Switzerland on Thursday the move had been misinterpreted. He claimed the president, who has repeatedly described manmade climate change as a hoax, absolutely believes in environmentalism. What the president objects to is the Paris agreement, because he thought it was an unfair agreement for the United States, he added. Mr Mnuchins remarks about Ms Thunberg were described as patronising and smug by commentators on social media. Author and climate activist Naomi Klein tweeted: Somebody should tell Mnuchin about the hundreds of Harvard faculty members and thousands at other universities who have called for fossil fuel divestment too. Questioned about his comments in a later interview with CNBC, the treasury secretary said he had nothing against the climate issue but added: I think that the youth needs to understand climate is one issue that needs to be put into context with lots of other things. This is not the doom and gloom issue that is going to impact everybody over the next 10 years. It is an issue that should be considered along with a lot of important issues. The US government was much more focused on Iran not having nuclear weapons, he said. Farmers will be on high alert after a case of Mycoplasma bovis has been found in the Bay of Plenty. A dairy farm in Waiotahi, near Opotiki has a confirmed case of the bacterial disease, says Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty president, Darryl Jensen. Mycoplasma bovis is a bacterial disease that can cause a range of serious conditions in cattle, including pneumonia, arthritis, late-term abortions and mastitis that doesnt respond to treatment. The disease has been determined to be present through a number of rounds of testing, a MPI Mycoplasma bovis programme spokesperson says. This is the first case of the disease in the BOP and Darryl hopes its the only one. One property is one property too many, to be honest. We've been very fortunate up until now that the Bay of Plenty has had no M. bovis positive properties, but this one has occurred and we hope that this is the first and the last one we get. He says theres a slight risk the disease could reach nearby farms or the wider Bay of Plenty, so Ministry for Primary Industries protocols need to be adhered to. As long as MPI protocols are adhered to that keeps the risk to a very low level and we just all need to comply. All those neighbouring farmers will be educated about what is the best practice and how to minimise the risk of contracting M. bovis. The infected farm is under MPI protocols now which involves a lockdown, culling the entire herd and quarantine, says Darryl. Those animals are all culled and then it goes through a quarantine process, then the property is all disinfected and we do the best that we can to make sure there's no M. bovis on the property. Then after 55 or 60 days the property then gets an all clear and can be started to be repopulated. That process is taking place at the present time, and we hope it gets done as quickly and swiftly as is possible, so we can return that farmer to normality. The MPI spokesperson says testing for M. bovis is done at the herd level, as there is no individual animal level test available. Therefore all animals in an infected management group are culled to ensure that the disease will be eradicated. The number of animals on the farm and where the M. bovis originated from is confidential, Darryl says. He says the national animal identification and tracking system will enable them to find the origin of the disease for this farm. The disease is spread to other areas by the movement of affected animals and is spread from animal to animal through close contact, bodily fluids and feeding infected milk to calves. The MPI spokesperson says, the risk to neighbouring properties is very low, and they have not seen across the fence transmission in New Zealand. This is the first confirmed case of M. bovis in the Bay of Plenty region. There is no reason to believe that because it has arrived on one farm in the Bay of Plenty that it is more widespread in the region, or that it will spread further. We know that learning M. bovis is present on-farm is disruptive and stressful for farmers, families and workers. Federated Farmers and the Rural Support Trust are helping the affected farm, Darryl says. We feel for this farming operation and we're doing the best we can to support them. Were just making sure that theyre not being left out on a limb or anything like that, because there is the mental cost of this as well. We've got to make sure that we help these people the best way we can to get over this hurdle that theyve incurred in their farming life. An MPI spokesperson says the joint MPI, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Mycoplasma bovis programme offers support to farm families through regional staff, and by funding the Rural Support Trusts to provide support to affected farmers and their families. The programmes regional teams have recovery specialists who help farmers get back to farming free from disease. In addition, farmers with verifiable losses are eligible for compensation. M. bovis is currently on 25 properties around New Zealand - 195 properties that had the infection have been cleared to return to farming. As part of the ongoing effort to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis from New Zealand, 130,000 animals have been culled across the country. M. bovis first arrived in New Zealand in late 2015, early 2016 and isnt widespread. If we allowed it to go unchecked we estimate it would cause $1.3 billion in productivity losses in the first ten years. Actor Rosario Dawson is set to topline filmmaker Ava DuVernay's pilot episode of the series "DMZ". According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series, set at HBO Max streaming service, is based on the comic book of the same title. It is set in a United States torn apart by a second civil war, leaving Manhattan a demilitarised zone (DMZ). Dawson will play Alma, a fierce medic who saves lives while desperately searching for her lost son. "Westworld" scribe Roberto Patino is adapting the comic and will serve as showrunner on the pilot. DuVernay will direct and executive produce with Patino. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sanders (and Trumps Russian trolls) had brainwashed some liberals and independents into believing that Clinton was horribly corrupt. That helps explain why 20 percent of those who voted for Sanders in the primaries did not vote for Clinton in the general election. Some of his supporters are now spreading the fear that history could repeat itself if a moderate such as Biden becomes the nominee. Elaine Godfrey wrote in The Atlantic that progressive organizers she has spoken with said they are worried that, absent a Democratic candidate who excites them, many Americans might not vote at all. Trump should excite them enough. People who dont get that they are voting against as well as for are political neuters. Are they going to help reelect Trump on Tuesday and then rage on Wednesday that hes burning up the planet? Yes, mainstream Democrats had to have it out with the heretic hunters of the left. The person most displeased by this counterattack on Sanders surely must be Trump. Sanders is the candidate Trump most wants to run against. And that should tell Democrats something. Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. - The United States of America discloses that it will stop issuing visas to foreigners who want to give birth in the country - The Donald Trump administration says the new visa rules are aimed at restricting women from travelling to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport - The US state department explains that in enforcing the new rule, applicants will be denied tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The United States of America has said it will no longer issue visas to foreigners who want to give birth in the country. Aljazeera reports that the administration of Donald Trump on Thursday, January, 23, disclosed that the new visa rules are aimed at restricting women from travelling to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. The US state department explained that in enforcing the new rules, applicants will be denied tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth. READ ALSO: Kim Kardashian-West drops photo of hubby & cute 4 kids to give fans glimpse into life of her family The administration of Donald Trump says the new visa rules are aimed at restricting women from travelling to the United States to give birth so their children can have a US passport Source: UGC It said pregnant persons with medical needs will be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment but must prove that they have the money to pay for it - including transportation and living expenses. The US government stated that the new rules will take effect on Friday, January 24. While Trump has been clamping down on immigration, he has not been able to do much about birthright citizenship. PAY ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Meanwhile, the reported plan by the United States government to slam a travel ban on Nigeria and some other countries is still speculative and does not require a reaction yet, the presidency has said. Garba Shehu, spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, noted that though the Nigerian authorities are aware of the report that Nigeria is listed among the country to face such sanction, it would not say anything until it becomes formal. Apart from Nigeria, other countries listed are Belarus, Myanmar, Sudan, Eritrea, Tanzania and Kyrgyzstan. READ ALSO: Sadio Mane: Liverpool star look-alike spotted on the streets of Accra Daily Sun quoted Shehu as saying the presidency read about the plan by Donald Trump's government. The report had stated that the countries wouldnt necessarily face blanket bans on travel to the U.S., but could have restrictions placed on specific types of visas, such as business or visitor visas. Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Heavily pregnant Ghanaian migrant jailed in isolation in Israel for refusing medical test Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh George Soros, billionaire founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2020. Liberal billionaire George Soros said Thursday that the U.S. economy could be headed for calamity as a result of President Donald Trump's efforts to juice American business and stock prices ahead of the 2020 election. "Trump's economic team has managed to overheat an already buoyant economy," Soros warned his guests at an informal dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The stock market, already celebrating Trump's military success, is breaking out to reach new heights," he said. "But an overheated economy can't be kept boiling for too long. If all this had happened closer to the elections, it would have assured his reelection." "His problem is that the elections are still 10 months away, and in a revolutionary situation, that is a lifetime," Soros said. Soros, an 89-year-old Democratic megadonor whose net worth peaks at more than $8 billion, delivered the remarks at the dinner held during the forum, an annual conference set in the Swiss Alps and known for featuring elite business and political leaders. A grandmother has suffered horrific bite marks to her back and arms after a Staffordshire Terrier attacked her and her dog. Barbara Verstandig, 63, and her eight-year-old granddaughter were out walking their dog Daisy along the water at Deception Bay in Brisbane when the staffy came charging toward them. Ms Verstandig scooped Daisy up as the dog attacked her and tried to pull her pet out of her arms. Barbara Verstandig (pictured) scooped Daisy (pictured) up as the dog attacked her and tried to pull her pet out of her arms 'I just picked Daisy up and then held her as hard as I could but this dog was trying to drag Daisy out of my arms,' she told Nine News. 'Then I felt the dog bite me, I felt the dog bite me on my back.' Ms Verstandig was rushed to hospital where she treated for the deep dog bites. Her dog Daisy was also rushed to the vet after suffering bites from the staffy. The staffy was later found wandering the streets and the owners agreed to put him down. Staffy's are known to be human-oriented and loyal, but they can be aggressive to other dogs. Victoria Derbyshire has said she is 'absolutely devastated' at the BBC's shock decision to axe her award-winning show. In a series of tweets she said how 'unbelievably' proud she was of her young colleagues and also revealed that the first anyone on her team knew of it was when they read it in yesterday's Times. The acclaimed journalist opened today's show by issuing a rallying cry, telling viewers: 'We are still here, we won't give up.' Mrs Derbyshire, who is one of the broadcaster's highest earners pocketing around 215,000-a-year, opened Thursday's programme by insisting: 'We are still here telling your stories and covering the issues that are important to you in your life.' Adding: 'And do you know what? We don't give up.' Mrs Derbyshire, who is one of the broadcaster's highest earners pocketing around 215,000-a-year, opened Thursday's programme by insisting: 'We are still here telling your stories and covering the issues that are important to you in your life' Today Ms Derbyshire wrote on Twitter: 'Absolutely devastated at the plan to end our programme. I'm unbelievably proud of what our team and our show have achieved in under five years, breaking tonnes of original stories' Today Ms Derbyshire wrote on Twitter: 'Absolutely devastated at the plan to end our programme (which I first learned about in yesterday's Times). 'I'm unbelievably proud of what our team and our show have achieved in under five years, breaking tonnes of original stories (which we were asked to do); attracting a working class, young diverse audience that BBC radio and TV news progs just don't reach (which we were asked to do): and smashing the digital figures (Which we were asked to do). 'I'm gutted particularly for our brilliant, young, ambitious, talented team - love 'em. And for all those people we gave a voice to. Love them too.' Show staff are furious. One member also told MailOnline they the leak of the decision forced Gavin Allen, the BBC's deputy head of news, to call a hastily-arranged meeting to inform Ms Derbyshire and her editor, Liz Gibbons, yesterday. A show said: 'It was all very rushed. They told Victoria and Liz first, in separate rooms, then they summoned the rest of the team. 'They gave us no details. We don't even know when the show is due to stop. There's talk of retaining some sort of online presence, though frankly I don't think anyone's holding out a huge amount of hope for that one.' Mr Allen insisted to staff that the programme was being cut to save money. 'The message was, you've done a brilliant job but something's got to give,' the source said. 'There's a move away from expensive TV programmes in studios towards digital output. We have a whole team of people down in a big studio. They're saving in that area.' Some journalists were outraged at the termination of a BBC programme with a female-dominated staff. 'The presenter and editor are female, the deputy editor is female, the planning editor is female, the two reporters are female, the production team is split but is predominantly female,' one said. 'What are they doing, getting rid of that? 'We've been told for God knows how long that we need to get to these unrepresented, diverse audiences. In a series of tweets she said how 'unbelievably' proud she was of her young colleagues and also revealed that the first anyone on her team knew of it was when they read it in yesterday's Times Today Ms Derbyshire wrote on Twitter: 'Absolutely devastated at the plan to end our programme (which I first learned about in yesterday's Times) 'We do that, and then it's like, you know what? You're too expensive. We're going back to an interview on Skype with a professor of some university somewhere.' Despite pulling in an average of just 250,000 viewers, the show has won praise for tackling a wide range of important issues including the Windrush scandal, knife crime, facial recognition technology, domestic abuse and home-grown terrorism. In similar time slots BBC Breakfast pulls in 1.5 million viewers and Good Morning Britain more than 800,000, at last report in 2018. The presenter also won an army of fans documenting her breast cancer treatment and remission in a series of frank pieces highlighting her difficult road to recovery. The acclaimed journalist's husband Mark Sandell also swung in to support of his wife, taking the BBC to task in a heartfelt Facebook post this morning. The fellow journalist wrote: 'Can you come up with a daily TV show that breaks stories, does investigations, serves an audience usually ignored by BBC News, and celebrates diversity in all its forms? 'Can you make sure the young, passionate, predominantly female and committed team are so good that they'll win BAFTA, RTS and Pink News awards, presented by a multiple Sony award winning journalist?' The presenter also won an army of fans documenting her breast cancer treatment and remission in a series of frank pieces highlighting her difficult road to recovery Viewers were left 'devastated' after the BBC announced the show would be axed over its soaring costs ahead of its 2022 mid-term review The former BBC World Service producer, clearly angered at the lack of support given to the programme, finished off by saying: 'Yes? (to the above). Thanks all the same....' The decision also shocked Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, who slammed the BBC over its 'very strange decision' to axe it from the morning schedules. Piers also suggested the decision, which has been greeted with anger by viewers, is because the broadcaster is having to tighten its belt amid a series of ongoing gender pay gap disputes. Calling Mrs Derbyshire a 'superb journalist', he tweeted: 'Surely the BBC isn't now finding the cash to pay for its gender pay fiasco by cancelling other women's shows?' It remains unclear whether the show will disappear from air entirely or whether a streamlined version will be produced for BBC iPlayer. The director of BBC News and current affairs Fran Unsworth said it had 'not been an easy decision' to cancel Derbyshire's programme, blaming changing audience behaviours for the move. In an email to staff on Thursday, Ms Unsworth wrote: 'Over the last five years, the programme has delivered award-winning, distinctive journalism, exploring topics which the BBC has not traditionally covered. 'From its ground-breaking interviews on abuse in football to uncovering the complications caused by mesh implants and revealing failures in the tax credit system which affected working-class women, the programme has championed important stories and fresh reporting talent. 'This is exactly the type of journalism we need to continue, reaching audiences who are often under-served by the BBC, and we will be retaining some of the programme's journalism roles to enable us to continue this work. We will outline further details of this next week.' She said: 'Victoria is a hugely talented and engaging presenter and will continue to be a central part of the BBC News team. 'She will be taking a wider role across our broadcast and digital output and will continue to lead on some of the high-profile audience events and original stories she has championed so effectively in recent years.' Media editor at BBC News Amol Rajan, posted an update on Twitter claiming the award-winning show successfully reached out to audiences the outlet 'struggles to connect with' The move comes ahead of the mid-term and the renewal of its charter in 2027, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly open to reviewing the licence fee. MailOnline approached the BBC press department for comment which declined to comment. BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan reported last night that the cost of the programme was 'deemed too high'. He said: 'The Victoria Derbyshire Show is coming off air. I understand @BBCNews is committed to Victoria + the (award-winning) journalism of the show. 'Cost of doing it on linear channel when savings are needed deemed too high. BBC declined to comment ahead of an announcement next week. Viewers were left 'devastated' after the BBC announced the show would be axed over its soaring costs ahead of its 2022 mid-term review. Reema Patel said: 'The quality of Victoria Derbyshire's journalism is second to none.' The Victoria Derbyshire Show began in 2015 and broadcasts live on BBC Two and BBC News every weekday from 10am. The programme won a Bafta in 2017 and has been nominated for several awards, including RTS Presenter of the Year Suzy Elneil said the announcement was 'devastating' with the show have 'consistently won awards for its work on bringing human suffering to light.' Former editor of the show Louisa Compton described the plan to axe the show as 'madness', saying: 'An organisation that values original journalism and underserved audiences should not be doing this.' She added that the programme 'consistently breaks huge stories, has won countless awards including a BAFTA and has broken new ground'. Journalist Emma Ailes, who works on the programme, said it was 'devastating news'. She posted on Twitter: 'Sitting here putting together tomorrow's @VictoriaLIVE. 3 other journalists on the team here with me, all young, female and so talented. And busting a gut to make it as brilliant a programme as ever despite devastating news today. I've never worked on a team that cared so much.' Ill be looking into why @VictoriaLIVE is being taken off air. Rigorous campaigning & commitment to public having their say made it pretty unique in daytime TV. Victoria herself was sharp & approachable with a personal journey that made her relatable.https://t.co/zt0wc8OyXC TracyBrabin (@TracyBrabin) January 22, 2020 Anna Collinson, who also works on the show, added: 'It's gutting this could mean the end of a young, talented, diverse team who are led by strong, female editors and a fantastic female presenter. 'It's gutting for our viewers. The BBC is constantly criticised for failing underserved audiences. The same audiences we were proud to serve and served well. I have already heard from interviewees who are devastated by this news. 'We are a scrappy, feisty and passionate bunch and always did our absolute best to hold those in power to account. 'Whatever happens now, I will forever be proud of working for this award-winning programme and will never forget everything it taught me.' Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin said she would be 'looking into why (the show) is being taken off air'. This is really sad to see, political programming that reached a largely working class audience. Without their work on Family courts I really believe that we would not have got the Government to agree to the review, which is just one example of the good journalism done by the team https://t.co/D8b5jc03hj Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) January 22, 2020 She tweeted: 'Rigorous campaigning & commitment to public having their say made it pretty unique in daytime TV. 'Victoria herself was sharp & approachable with a personal journey that made her relatable.' And Conservative MP Damian Collins, who is bidding to be re-elected as chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said the reports were 'disturbing'. 'There needs to be a proper review of BBC finances as well as asking license fee payers what they value and want to see more of,' he said. The Victoria Derbyshire Show began in 2015 and broadcasts live on BBC Two and BBC News every weekday from 10am. The programme won a Bafta in 2017 and has been nominated for several awards, including RTS Presenter of the Year. Herb Wesson Overwhelmingly Wins New Frontier Democratic Club Endorsement The New Frontier Democratic Club, the oldest and largest African American democratic club in the State of California overwhelmingly endorsed Councilman Herb Wesson for Supervisor. Wesson secured over seventy votes from club members while former councilwoman Jan Perry had 18 votes and State Senator Holly Mitchell had 10. While all of the candidates for Supervisor were members of New Frontier, it was Wesson who the majority of members believed was the right candidate for leading District 2 on the Los Angeles County Supervisors. In 1960, the New Frontier Democratic Club (NFD) was founded by a few African American leaders in Los Angeles whose concern was to provide this community with a political vehicle for involvement in the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. In the 1990s many of the same issues evident in 1960 demanded that New Frontier Democrats play an even larger role in the communitys fight for increased political and economic power. ADVERTISEMENT District 2 has the largest number of African Americans living within the boundaries of the county of Los Angeles and has been a stronghold for African American leadership for the past 25 years. Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke was elected to the seat following the retirement of highly popular Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and was the first African American elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1992 and served as supervisor for over 16 years. She was followed by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is terming out of the seat this year. Wesson, who worked as chief of staff under Burke, later went on to be the Speaker of the California Assembly and then to the Los Angeles City Council where he served as council president until he recently stepped down to focus on his campaign for the Board of Supervisors. On Thursday, Jeff Bezos posted a photo of him attending a vigil of 2019 commemorating the one-year anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo Credit: File Photo) New Delhi: Jeff Bezos, the billionaire at the centre of latest Saudi-sponsored phone hacking scandal, has finally broken his silence. The Amazon boss took to Twitter to post a cryptic message that will set the tone for the faceoff between one of worlds richest men and a powerful prince. On Thursday, Bezos posted a photo of him attending a vigil of 2019 commemorating the one-year anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The columnist with the Bezos-owned The Washington Post was brutally murdered in October 2018. Known for his staunch line against the Saudi Royals, many believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for Khashoggis murder. With Jamal tweet, Bezos has upped his ante against the Saudi royals as latest reports suggest that the Saudi Crown Prince was responsible for hacking phone of Amazon boss via a malware. A sensational Guardian report recently said that Crown Prince MBS allegedly sent an encrypted file to Jeff Bezos on May 1st, 2018. The report added that it was this malware that allowed MBS to hack Bezos phone. The hacking was done months before Khashoggis murder in October. The report also linked the hacking to Bezos affair. The report comes a year after Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced that they would divorce after 25 years of marriage. Based on intimate text messages, the National Enquirer subsequently disclosed an extramarital affair between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor. However, clearing the air on this Bezos published a blog post accusing the tabloid of threatening to publish more embarrassing text messages and pictures unless he publicly affirmed that there was no outside force behind the tabloid's coverage. Bezoss security consultant Gavin de Becker later said, he believed the Saudi Arabian government had accessed Bezos's phone before the massive expose. Bezos also accused the publisher of the National Enquirer of blackmail after it threatened to publish intimate photographs sent by the billionaire to his mistress if he did not cease an investigation into the newspapers alleged links with Saudi Arabia. However, Saudi Arabia has rejected the allegations. Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd. We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out, Saudi Embassy USA said in a tweet. According to a Bloomberg report, the United Nations will be releasing an investigation report on the hacking of Jeff Bezos's phone and also confirm whether the Crown Prince was involved in this. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Havas Creative has started the year with a bang by winning the integrated communication mandate for William Grant & Sons, following a rigorous multi-agency pitch in December. The agency will be handling the entire India portfolio business, which includes brands like Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Grants, Monkey Shoulder, Hendricks and Drambuie. As part of the mandate, Havas will be responsible for the creative strategy and execution across online and offline platforms. The business will be managed out of the agencys Delhi office. Payal Nijhawan, Head of Marketing, William Grant & Sons India, said, We are very excited to have Havas Group India on board as we head into the next stage of our journey in India. Together with the teams at Havas Group, we will continue building momentum with our brands and speaking to our consumers through an integrated marketing approach. Speaking on the win, Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India, said, We are delighted to partner with a legendary brand like William Grant & Sons, who have a bouquet of iconic brands like Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Grants, Monkey Shoulder and Hendricks, and our task will be to take the brands further with unique and meaningful ideas. With our Havas integrated Village model, we will continue to make a meaningful difference to the brands by providing seamless and agile business solutions. We look forward to further strengthening their legacy in the Indian market. William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the worlds leading brands of Scotch whisky, including single malt brand Glenfiddich, The Balvenie range of handcrafted single malts and the worlds third largest blended Scotch Grants as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendricks Gin, Sailor Jerry, Milagro Tequila and, most recently, Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey. Also Read: Havas Group acquires Shobiz Havas Group acquires Langoor, its second digital acquisition this year But for the prevalence of cool heads at the Gbewaa Palace, abode of the Ya Na, King of Dagbon, a few days ago, we would have been stunned by a disturbing story. Indiscreet police officers reportedly pursued a driver and his 'mate' into the bosom of the palace against traditional standards common to all ethnic groups in West Africa and assaulted them. One of them was reported to have asked contemptuously 'who is Ya Na?' as the assault continued. The daredevil action of the police officers was the height of disrespect to the King whose minders and other subjects at the palace should be commended for their calmness even in face of the provocation. Their decision not to react to the show of indiscretion by the police officers saved all of us from what could have been an unsavoury situation. Police officers because of the deserving powers at their disposal in enforcing the law must be professional in their approach to issues. Their grasp of local values should be above board. Even in our local settings when a child flees punishment into the hands of an adult, the parents stop the pursuit as they succumb to the pleas for forgiveness on behalf the defaulting child. In the case under review, the young cops defied all odds and breached the security of the palace simply because they wanted to show their powers inappropriate hallmark of most police officers. The cops under review lacked wisdom, a shortcoming which can cost a law enforcement officer his or her life and even endanger the lives of their colleagues. We wish to, once more, ask that the training manual for recruits at the police training schools across the country should include such simple yet important subjects as basic public relations and ethnic values. A divisional crime officer in the Northern Regional Police Command when he went to a crime scene where a mentally deranged man had murdered his mother was prevented from conveying the corpse to hospital for autopsy as contained in a story elsewhere in this edition. Being a professional, he avoided using force because according to him he appreciated the faith values of the local people which is opposed to autopsy. He had to invite a pathologist to do an on-the-spot autopsy and so a potential consequence was obviated. A law enforcement officer must use their discretion with wisdom. The Gbewaa Palace is one place which should be spared security breaches which paradoxically was nearly visited by the erring cops. We cannot but doff our hats for the Police Administration for the swift action they meted out to the defaulting cops. Such punitive actions as in interdictions are necessary prior to investigations so that police officers who think being a cop is a licence to misbehave and erroneously think they are above the law. We are aware that the palace has asked for the dismissal of the erring cops but would want to plead with the traditional authorities to allow for the completion of the ongoing investigations in line with administrative standards in the police. The Congress on Thursday hit out at BJP leader Kapil Mishra for terming the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls as a match between India and Pakistan, saying it is against the country's honour to compare the opposition with a hostile neighbouring country. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said such comments, be it from the Congress, the AAP or the BJP, are against democracy. He cited the example of BJP raising the slogan of a "Congress-free" India in 2014. "As stated in 2014, to make India Congress-free is against democracy. To compare the opposition with a neighbouring country, whom we accuse of attacking India through terrorism, is against the country's honour," he told reporters when asked about Mishra's remarks. "We condemn such remarks, be it by anybody. You defeat us through democratic means and win, we will welcome it," he said. In response to another question on whether there is desperation to polarise the country, the Congress leader said there is certainly no doubt about that. "There is certainly an attempt at polarisation. The kind of things that are being said, Delhi people are very aware and I feel these bad statements would not make any difference and by saying so they are exposing themselves. You can see desperation when these things happened," Singhvi said. Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra termed the anti-CAA protest sites in the national capital as "mini-Pakistan" and said the upcoming assembly elections will be a contest "on Delhi roads between India and Pakistan". "India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will be a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8," Mishra said on Twitter. In a series of provocative tweets, the BJP's candidate from Model Town also said Pakistani rioters have taken over the streets of Delhi. Mishra, who left the Aam Aadmi Party to join the BJP, said, "Pakistan has made its entry in Shaheen Bagh. Many mini Pakistans are being formed in Delhi. Indian law is not being followed in Shaheen Bagh, Chandbagh, Indralok. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Representative image Here are some key features of coronaviruses and what we know about the new virus that was identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. - Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that get their name from what they look like under a microscope - they are spherical and their surfaces are covered with "crown"-like spikes. - Coronavirus infections can lead to respiratory illnesses - some of which can be severe and deadly, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and some of which can be much milder, such as the common cold. - Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death. - Coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people and can evolve into strains not previously identified in humans. - Preliminary research has suggested that the Wuhan coronavirus may have made the jump into humans from snakes. But Chinese government medical experts have also suggested badgers and rats as possible sources. - Like other coronaviruses, the new China virus is being transmitted from person-to-person via droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also spread via contaminated surfaces such as door handles or railings. - Like the viruses that cause MERS and SARS, the new China virus is an RNA virus, which means it has RNA rather than DNA as its genetic material. This means the virus blends with its host's DNA, and also means it can mutate rapidly. - Testing for the new China virus involves using a real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which identifies the viral RNA in a sample. These could be from a throat swab, a cough sample, or a blood sample if the patient is very ill. - 1000 bags of sachet water have been supplied to residents in villages along the Tano River that was recently poisoned - YEN.com.gh recently reported of an accident in which a truck spilled a substance suspected to be cyanide - As a result of the accident, several fishes and crocodiles have died Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Information available to YEN.com.gh shows that villages that depend on the Tano River for drinking water now have to resort to drinking sachet water. The decision to resort to sachet water follows the pollution of the river by an articulated truck carrying chemicals which spilled a chemical suspected to be cyanide into it. The accident resulted in the deaths of several aquatic animals such as fishes and crocodiles. Source: adomonline.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Nana Addo's Free SHS is bogus; they must be kicked out - Osofo Kyirisbosom The National Disaster Management Organisation revealed that the acid in the batteries have diluted into the water after a truckload of batteries from Kumasi to Burkina Faso fell into the Tano River at Techiman-Tanoso. The accident is said to have occurred directly opposite the Ghana Water Company treatment plant at Techiman-Tanoso. Per a report by adomonline.com, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in a statement signed by the Offinso District Director, Elijah Mamos, explained that the Tano River had been polluted and not safe for drinking until further notice. He went on to say that the surrounding villages have all been supplied with 1000 bags of sachet water for a week for their domestic activities. In other news, a video of a woman seriously washing a portion of a road with sponge and soap has caught the attention of social media users. In the video, the woman, who is wearing a straight dress, is seen on her knees and wiping the road with a sponge. Beside her is a blue bucket which appeared to be filled with soapy water and passersby stared at her as she busily wiped the road clean. YEN.com.gh is yet to ascertain the reason behind the woman's actions. READ ALSO: Doctor drops serious warning about gari soakings; says it can cause fever Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: YEN.com.gh Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged action against "the tyrants of Tehran" in a Holocaust memorial speech Thursday, comparing what he considers the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany. "There will not be another Holocaust," Netanyahu told world leaders in Jerusalem. He lamented that "we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. "I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran." Israel fiercely opposed a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead. He said Thursday that Israel "salutes President Trump and Vice President (Mike) Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world. "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future," said Netanyahu. Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in a subway station, in Hong Kong on Jan. 22, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo) Brazil Reports Suspected Case of Coronavirus Brazilian officials said on Wednesday that a woman who recently traveled from China likely has coronavirus, the first case of the virus in the South American country. As Chinese officials announced they were quarantining Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, Brazilian officials said the 35-year-old woman arrived in the city of Belo Horizonte on Jan. 18 with respiratory symptoms. The case was flagged as a suspected coronavirus case in view of the woman traveling from China, the Department of Health in the state of Minas Gerais said in a statement. The case was notified as a suspect. Considering the current epidemiological context of the country where the patient was, the hypothesis of illness caused by the new Coronavirus, which is a microorganism of international health alert, was considered, considering the potential pandemic with high risk to life and impact on care, it stated. Despite not showing any sign of clinical severity, the patient was quickly taken to the [the hospital] for careful observation in a hospital setting. The woman told authorities that she wasnt in the Wuhan area and that she didnt think she had contact with anyone who had coronavirus. Test results havent come back yet confirming a coronavirus diagnosis or clearing the patient, who was described as clinically stable. Symptoms include respiratory symptoms, fever, and shortness of breath. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. A health official scans the body temperature of a passenger as she arrives at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo) Hundreds of people, mostly in China, have contracted novel coronavirus in recent weeks, with over a dozen dying from the virus. The first case outside China was reported after a woman from Wuhan traveled to Thailand on Jan. 8. Cases have since been confirmed in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao. Canadian officials said this week it ruled out three possible cases of coronavirus after the three people traveled to Wuhan. Australian health authorities also said they cleared a man who fell ill after visiting family in Wuhan and returning to Brisbane. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that officials there are looking into a potential case of coronavirus, while officials already ruled out another possible case. The man still under observation recently traveled to Wuhan. Chinese health authorities said they were shutting down all public transportation in Wuhan, a city with a population of some 11 million, and restricting locals from leaving the city save for special circumstances. The United States, meanwhile, has a plan to contain the coronavirus, President Donald Trump told reporters in Switzerland, praising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We do have a plan and we think it is going to be handled very well. Weve already handled it very well, he said. The CDC is terrific. Very professional. Ileana Alescio contributed to this report. London came in at number two in the ranking of top cities for global talent. Photo: Getty The UK has fallen three places to number 12 in an annual global talent ranking covering 132 countries. The Global Talent Competitiveness Index measures the ability to attract, retain, train, and educate skilled workers according to an annual ranking by the Adecco Group, international business school INSEAD, and Google (GOOG). The drop is mainly due to the countrys uninspiring performances in its ability to attract and retain talent with lack of political stability and poor tolerance of minorities to blame. This is reflected in its low score in the area of Internal Openness which would be improved through greater tolerance of minorities, a category for which the UK fell to 78th place this year from from 54th last year. The report also draws attention to the area of Vocational and Technical Skills, and suggests that the UK could do more to improve secondary education by making it more relevant for the labour market. However, the UK ranked among the top countries in growing talent, coming in at number five, and in having a strong pool of Global Knowledge Skills, in which it came third. Switzerland takes the top spot, followed by the US, Singapore, Sweden, and Denmark. Some individual cities are also cementing their role as talent hubs, with Londons efforts to attract and retain top talent paying off. The capital leapt into the number two spot from number 14 last year. The report puts this down to Londons ability to be flexible and open to new trends and patterns, and provide capacity for future readiness in developing areas such as artificial intelligence or advanced technologies, such as fintech and medtech. Three other British cities also feature in the ranking Edinburgh (45th), Birmingham (76th), and Cardiff (77th). New York comes in as the top city for global talent. Following London are Singapore, San Francisco, and Boston. Global Talent Competitiveness Index top 20 countries: Switzerland United States Singapore Sweden Denmark Netherlands Finland Luxembourg Norway Australia Germany United Kingdom Canada Iceland Ireland New Zealand Austria Belgium Japan Israel Global Talent Competitiveness Index top 10 cities: A Swiss cheese plant has sold for almost $5,000 after botanists battled for the monstera in a fierce online bidding war. There were 182 bids for the monstera deliciosa albo variegata - otherwise known as the Swiss cheese plant - by the time the auction closed on New Zealand website Trade Me at 7:30pm on Tuesday night. The sought-after plant is known for distinctive holes in its leaves and is popular among trendy cafes and Instagram influencers. Kiwi botanist Jessica, who buys and sells plants as a hobby, earned $4,930 from the sale, which is highest price a monestera has ever fetched on the site. A Swiss cheese plant (pictured), also known as a monestera, sold for $4,930 after a fierce bidding was on New Zealand website Trade Me on Tuesday night Speaking to Stuff.co.nz, Jessica said she was surprised by the result and only expected the plant to sell for $2,000. 'When I put my phone down it was at $1600 I came back 45 minutes later and couldn't believe it,' she said. The busy botanist said she would use the profit to buy more plants to nurture and eventually resell for a profit. Jessica's plant was more valuable than other plants on the site as it was a mature mother plant, meaning that cuttings or offshoots could be used to grow more. The sought-after plant is known for its distinctive Swiss-cheese-like holes in its leaves and is popular among trendy cafes and Instagram influencers. Pictured: US plant influencer Lindsey with a monestera to her right Poll Would you pay $5,000 for a monestera plant? Yes No Would you pay $5,000 for a monestera plant? Yes 1 votes No 20 votes Now share your opinion Currently, there are 230 monestera plant listings on Trade Me, one of which is a variegated monstera with a starting price of $2,000. In the bidding war for Jessica's plant, the price was largely driven up by two determined plant enthusiasts. Anonymous bidders 'Thunnus' and 'New_birdlander' drove the price up by $420 in the last five minutes alone. At one point, Thunnus even upped the bid by $100 - but it was New_Birdlander who came out on top with the final bid of $4,930. In order to sell the plant, Jessica wrote a 'Lord Of The Rings length description' detailing the plant's properties. She described it as 'a great investment plant' that 'should be able to detach three separate plants by winter'. Anonymous bidders 'Thunnus' and 'New_birdlander' drove the price up by $420 in the last five minutes alone. New_Birdlander came out on top with the final bid of $4,930 'No need to ask for pics of the mother plant, this IS the mother plant! Have not seen such a mature, rooted one on offer before,' Jessica wrote. Monesteras are very popular on Instagram, where the hashtag is about to break one million individual posts. At Bunnings, Swiss cheese plants range from as little as $8.70 to as much as $293. A Turkish prosecutor called for a sentence of up to 18 years for a delivery man who spat on a customer's pizza before handing it over, local media reported Thursday. The incident -- which happened in 2017 in the central city of Eskisehir -- was captured by a security camera in the customer's apartment block, according to agency DHA. The footage showed the delivery man, identified as Burak S., spitting on the pizza and recording the moment on his mobile phone. His motive was unknown. The defendant has already been fined 4,000 lira (600 euros) for endangering a customer's health, and prosecutors are now seeking a lengthy prison sentence for "poisoning food", DHA reported. The owner of the apartment building alerted the customer after watching the security footage, prompting the criminal complaint. Even by Turkey's often tough judicial standards, the requested sentence is heavy, given that "membership of an armed terrorist organisation" carries a sentence of up to 15 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of England's top healthcare watchdogs, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), has officially decided to stay the course and reject AstraZeneca's (NASDAQ:AZN) lung cancer drug Tagrisso. A few months ago, the pharmaceutical giant argued that the drug should receive approval as the first line of defense for patients with EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer -- about 10% of all lung cancer patients. Clinical data has shown that Tagrisso can delay cancer growth for almost 19 months, in comparison to the 10 months that a pair of rival drugs were able to demonstrate. However, NICE found the drug to be too expensive relative to its effectiveness, costing 5,770 pounds ($7570) for a 30-day supply. "The cost-effectiveness estimates vary from slightly below to above the range considered to be a cost-effective use of NHS resources," read an official statement from NICE. Continuing regulatory scrutiny The decision is a harsh blow to AstraZeneca. Tagrisso was its top-selling treatment for most of 2019, generating $2.3 billion in the first nine months of the year. The drug received approval in the U.S. back in April 2018, with additional approvals from Canada and the EU following shortly after. NICE has rejected a number of drugs from coverage recently based on cost-effectiveness criteria. Earlier today, the watchdog also published a note rejecting Astellas Pharma's gilteritinib for patients with myeloid leukemia. Johnson & Johnson's ulcerative colitis drug, Stelara, also fell under scrutiny by NICE on Wednesday, although the company still has until mid-February to provide new evidence that would support a decision to cover it. - Kris Aquino posted on Instagram to share some updates about her current health problems - She also uploaded some photos of her undergoing treatment and medical procedures for her condition - The actress-host said that she experienced inflammation of her right hand, weeks of coughing, anemia, thyroid issues, and allergy - In response to these health issues, the Queen of All Media had to undergo blood tests, receive additional medicines and immunity-boosting supplements PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Kris Aquino took to social media to share some details about her current health problems. KAMI learned that she also uploaded some photos of her undergoing treatment and medical procedures for her condition. According to Kris, she experienced inflammation of her right hand, weeks of coughing, anemia, thyroid issues, and allergy. For these reasons, the Queen of All Media had to undergo blood tests, receive additional medicines and immunity-boosting supplements. Part of having several autoimmune conditions is knowing some others may now be dormant, but they can wake up and its reasonable to avoid challenging your immune system and closely monitoring numbers... i wont bore you, will summarize. i had inflammation in my right hand, coughed badly for 3 straight weeks; had blood tests last night. 4th pic in this carousel was my mindset today- i told myself if my tests showed positive, early detection was still my friend... results i got this afternoon were a reason to be grateful, because my results in November are still the same this January. i still need to battle anemia, control my thyroid issues (explanation for my weight loss), and other stuff (some hereditary, others environmental) BUT a positive attitude is so beneficial to wellness. i may not be healthier, but im not worse. My doctor gave additional medicines & immunity boosting supplements, but she also gave the go signal to honor a commitment on Thursday & go back to work on Friday... ive stopped asking why, but rather THANK YOU because each new day is a blessing... and a good friends birthday on monday is a chance to help his outreach for those still displaced in Batangas. Theres good in this world, we should never get tired of finding it, Kris wrote on Instagram. Swipe to the left to see all of the photos in Kris viral Instagram post: PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! KAMI previously reported that Kris reacted to Liza Soberanos post about her new house. Kris Aquino is a famous actress, host, and endorser in the Philippines. She has two children Josh and Bimby Aquino. Joshs father is Philip Salvador and Bimbys father is James Yap. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh Malaysia's top sugar refiner said it will increase purchases of the commodity from India, which according to two sources is part of efforts to placate New Delhi amid an ongoing spat over palm oil. MSM Malaysia Holdings Berhad will buy 130,000 tonnes of raw sugar from India in the first quarter, the company told Reuters. The company bought around 88,000 tonnes of raw sugar from India in 2019. The company did not cite the palm oil dispute as a reason for the increase in purchases. India, the world's largest edible oil buyer, this month halted Malaysian palm oil imports in a move seen as retaliation to Malaysian prime minister's comments criticising New Delhi over its policy on Kashmir. [January 23, 2020] Nutrien Ag Solutions, Simmons Bank and Others to Partner with Discovery Park of America on Exhibit about Innovation in Agriculture UNION CITY, Tenn., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Discovery Park of America announced the initial sponsors and partners for "AgriCulture: Innovating for Our Survival." The permanent exhibit, dedicated to telling the story of innovation in agriculture, will open Oct. 22, 2020 and will be located in the 8,900-square-foot building that currently houses the museum and heritage park's antique tractor exhibit. The building will be named the Simmons Bank Ag Center. Because innovation in the field of agriculture is always changing, an important part of the exhibit will be a state-of-the-art main stage sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions. In addition to being used by Discovery Park's educators on a regular basis, the space will be made available to others in the community for agriculture-related teaching, programs and special events. "Innovation is core to Nutrien Ag Solutions," says Brent Smith, Vice President of Marketing + Innovation at Nutrien Ag Solutions. "We are excited to be part of Discovery Park's agriculture exhibit, as they work to educate park goers on our industry and the importance of agricultural innovation to feed the world now and in the future." "A top 40 farm lender in the United States, Simmons Bank has been committed to supporting farmers and helping our communities prosper for more than 100 years now," said Tony Gregory, Executive Vice President and Tennessee division president. "We believe this exhibit will be a wonderful tribute to agriculture's rich history while also celebrating the innovations taking place in the field today." In addition to Simmons Bank and Nutrien Ag Solutions, other confirmed major sponsors of the exhibit are the Tennessee Corn Promotional Board, Tennessee Farm Bureau, Tennessee Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and the Tennessee Soybean Promotional Board. Supporting sponsors currently confirmed include AgLaunch Initiative; Obion County Farm Bureau; Danny Larcom Heating & Air; Tennessee Department of Agriculture; Tennessee Tractor; Tosh Farms; Will Wade and Pat Wade. Currently, in-kind sponsors include FarmSpace Systems, LLC; The University of Tennessee at Martin; and WCTE, Upper Cumberland PBS. More sponsors and partners will be announced soon. A landing page has also been launched that will allow individuals and families to make a pledge to contribute to the funding of the exhibit. Everyone who provides a gift of any amount will be included as a "Champion of Agriculture" on the exhibit's partnership wall. "When we open the doors of this exhibit, it will be the most interactive, state-of-the-art experience about innovation in agriculture in any museum or attraction in the world today," said Scott Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Park. "We're immensely grateful to all our sponsors, partners and those who have been helping the team with content development. All of us are passionate about creating a fun, interactive way to tell the story of how those in agriculture today are working to develop new ways to sustainably provide food, fuel and fiber for a growing population." As companion pieces for the permanent exhibit, Discovery Park will be producing education materials for school groups of all ages and will also be hosting panel discussions, programs and product demonstrations on the topic of innovation in agriculture throughout the year. Since opening, the museum has done this for a variety of subjects including STEM, art, music and history, but this will be the first time there will be a focus on agriculture. Some of this programming will be led by AgLaunch Initiative and will feature entrepreneurship modules that highlight opportunities to solve global food and agriculture problems by creating new ventures. AgLaunch Initiative will also be part of a "what's next" section of the exhibit produced with a variety of mediums and tools to showcase emerging innovations in agriculture that are creating new opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs. Louisville, KY-based Solid Light, a leader in the exhibit design and fabrication field, has been working on the content of the exhibit since being selected to head the project in August. "Those at Solid Light who have been working with the Discovery Park team on this exhibit have now heard from hundreds of agriculture professionals and farmers in focus groups and individual meetings," said Cynthia Torp, Solid Light's owner and president. "We're now beginning to pull all the ideas together and looking for the best stories, artifacts and exhibit components that will create the 'mind-blowing, myth-busting farming exhibit' that we've promised." When opened, "AgriCulture: Innovating for Our Survival" in the Simmons Bank Ag Center will include sections on past farming innovations that changed the world, careers in agriculture, modern tools used by farmers today and an exploration of how enough food, fuel and fiber will be provided to meet the needs of a growing population. Also explored will be issues that can sometimes be both confusing and controversial including precision ag, animal welfare, chemicals, GMOs, organics and sustainability. For more information on "AgriCulture: Innovating for Our Survival," visit DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com/Agriculture. About Discovery Park of America The mission of Discovery Park of America, a premier world-class museum and 50-acre heritage park located in Union City, Tennessee, is to inspire children and adults to see beyond. Included is a 100,000-square-foot museum featuring 10 interactive exhibit galleries with additional space for temporary exhibits from around the world and a 50-acre heritage park. Discovery Park of America is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations including its principal funder, the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation. For more information, visit DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact: Katie Jarvis 731-885-5455 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nutrien-ag-solutions-simmons-bank-and-others-to-partner-with-discovery-park-of-america-on-exhibit-about-innovation-in-agriculture-300992326.html SOURCE Discovery Park of America New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Apart from collaborations in sectors like energy, biofuel, agriculture and defence, India will take up the issue of terrorism with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during his four-day visit here. This Republic Day, India will host Bolsonaro as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day parade as part of its outreach initiative towards the southern Ameican nation. The Brazilian President will be on a state visit to India from January 24 to 27, his first high-level visit to India. The visit is also considered to be significant as the two countries are a part of the BRICS and are working together to see how to move forward at the United Nations and consult each other regularly on important issues. It is worth mentioning here that Brazil has also supported India's candidature for a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2021-22. Bolsonaro is understood to have been invited as he is an elected leader of an emerging powerful democratic country with which India has substantive relations. This is the third time that a Brazilian President has been invited at the Republic Day. Last time, the Brazilian President as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day parade was invited in 2004. During the high profile visit, Bolsonaro will be accompanied by eight ministers, four MPs and senior officials and a large business delegation. On the first day of his arrival on Friday, the President will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan and then will visit the Rajghat.Official talks with Prime minister Narendra Modi will also take place. The two leaders will hold an exchange of agreements and press statements. Prime Minister Modi will be hosting lunch for the visiting delegation. President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Brazilian President and Prime Minister Modi have met twice earlier. First on the sidelines of G20 in June and second at BRICS summit in November. "We have a warm and friendly relationship. Our bilateral relationship was elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2006. As two developing countries, we share aspirations," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said."Relations are strong at a plurilateral level as both are members of BRICS and G20. Brazil, the largest population in Latin America -- 210 million -- is a 1.8 trillion US dollars economy," added the spokesperson. "We have political, economic, defence cooperation with Brazil. Our economic engagements are growing. Our trade is currently at 8.2 billion US dollars," he said. India exports goods worth about US dollars 3.8 billion including pharmaceutical, agro products, synthetic yarn and some petroleum products to Brazil while New Delhi imports goods worth US dollars 4.4 billion from Brasilia. Responding to why did India invite him despite the controversy surrounding him, MEA Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh said: "President Bolsonaro is an elected leader in a democratic country and is emerging as a powerful one. It is a country we have substantive relations. We give great importance to engage with Brazil. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Morocco on Wednesday integrated waters off the coast of Western Sahara into its maritime territory, adopting two laws that extend its legal jurisdiction over the disputed former Spanish colony. "These laws aim to update the national legal arsenal" in line with "the full sovereignty of the kingdom over its land and maritime borders," Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said before parliament in Rabat passed the laws. The laws, intended to establish Morocco's jurisdiction over territorial waters stretching from Tangiers on the northern coast as far as Lagouira, on the border with Mauritania, were unanimously backed by lawmakers and greeted with applause. The vast desert territory of Western Sahara lies north of Mauritania and is bordered to the west by around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of Atlantic coastline. Morocco has controlled 80 percent of the territory since the 1970s and views it as an integral part of the kingdom. That is disputed by the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed independence movement. The United Nations in 2018 oversaw talks between Morocco, Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania, followed by a second round in March last year, but no breakthrough was made. By Fabrice COFFRINI (AFP/File) The Polisario fought a war for independence from 1975 to 1991 and wants a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara choose between independence and integration with Morocco. Rabat has instead offered autonomy, but insists it will retain sovereignty. Supporters of the Polisario claim that 92 percent of Moroccan fishing is done in "pillaged" Western Saharan waters. In the works for years, the delimitation of the maritime territory, whose status is still unresolved, has in the past sparked tensions between Morocco and Spain, particularly after oil exploration in the area. The issue will be addressed on Friday during the first visit to Rabat by new Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez, according to Bourita. "We do not want to impose a fait accompli, but we are ready to engage in dialogue with Spain in the framework of our essential rights and sovereignty," he told parliament. In mid December, the Spanish government reminded Morocco that the delimitation of maritime borders with neighbouring countries was government by "mutual agreement". I was watching 'End of theF***ing World' on Netflix, and this idea of two people burning their lives down was enchanting to me. Then, I wondered why no one ever writes stories like THAT about women in their 40s. So, I wrote about it. And FANFARE was born. Ann Mahoney and Jason Kirkpatrick of AMC's The Walking Dead host a live reading of Mahoney's original rom-com entitled, FANFARE, a timely women-centric project at The Warren Club, 818 N. Highland Ave N.E. on Wednesday, February 5th, at 7:30 pm. Cash bar and meet and greets available before and after the reading. Ann Mahoney says, "I was watching 'End of theF***ing World' on Netflix, and this idea of two people burning their lives down was enchanting to me. Then, I wondered why no one ever writes stories like THAT about women in their 40s. So, I wrote about it. And FANFARE was born." Jason Kirkpatrick, known for his work on The Walking Dead and Deepwater Horizon, said, "What's great about this script is this idea that you make these stupid, rash decisions as a young person, based on what people tell you should and shouldn't be, and then you wake up one day and realize you're 40, and stuck in a life you don't recognize. It sounds tragic, but it's simultaneously touching and hilarious because everyone recognizes that struggle." The event is open to the public and will be attended by potential producers looking for women-centric films, as well as several female directors. The cast, who will read multiple roles, is stacked with fellow Walking Dead alums, including Jeremy Palko, who recurred as Andy from The Hilltop. Palko expressed his excitement about the reading, "I laughed out loud on every page! I've been a big fan of Ann's writing for some time now, and she isn't afraid to go to any lengths to show the humor in humanity. She can craft a slapstick comedy moment, just as well as she tells a shit joke." Adding to the talented cast slate will be 2019 Broadway World's Best Actress, Wendy Melkonian, renowned beauty queen and stand-up comedienne Lace Larabee, and Scream Queens actress Hope Leigh. The US has stepped up its war of words with climate change activist Greta Thunberg. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin mocked the teenager, saying: 'Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I'm confused.' After explaining he was joking, the former Goldman Sachs banker went on to challenge the 17-year-old's call for investors to ditch fossil fuels. US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin mocked teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg, saying: 'Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I'm confused.' 'After she goes and studies economics in college she can come back and explain that to us,' said Mnuchin, 57. 'There are significant economic issues issues with jobs. There's no question that many economies are transitioning to more efficient and cleaner energy, that doesn't have to be all renewables.' His comments which highlighted the rift between the US administration and climate campaigners came just days after President Trump branded the green lobby 'prophets of doom'. Thunberg has played a central role at this week's Davos summit, where climate change has been one of the dominant themes. As well as clashing with the Trump administration, she met Prince Charles and argued that governments and business leaders were doing too little to save the planet. 'Unlike you, my generation will not give up without a fight,' she told gathered heads of state and the business elite. Nemesis: Thunberg has already clashed with president Trump 'Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fuelling the flames by the hour. And we're asking you to act as if you love your children more than anything else.' Trump has been criticised for pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement, which calls on governments to cooperate and keep global warming below 2C this century. But striking a defiant tone in Davos, he said: 'This is not a time for pessimism. This is a time for optimism. 'To embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse. They are the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers. 'They want to see us do badly, but we don't let that happen. They predicted an overpopulation crisis in the 1960s, mass starvation in the 70s, and an end of oil in the 1990s. 'These alarmists always demand the same thing: absolute power to dominate, transform and control every aspect of our lives. We will never let radical socialists destroy our economy, wreck our country or eradicate our liberty.' Mnuchin said there has been a 'real misinterpretation' of US's environmental policy. He said: 'President Trump absolutely believes in clean air, clean water, and having a clean environment. If you look at the US it has been a leader in reducing carbon emissions. Our industry has absolutely strives towards clean energy. 'What the president objects to is the Paris Agreement, and the reason why he objects is he thought it was an unfair agreement to the US. 'This is nothing against China and India, but the real environment issues right now are in both those countries.' GALVESTON The local ordinances seemed innocuous enough any gun store in Galveston had to set up shop a reasonable distance from a school, place of worship or public park, and any outdoor gun range had to keep noise to a minimum. But then the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton an ardent gun rights supporter got wind of the Galveston regulations. Paxton warned Galveston city officials that their ordinances, which had been in place since 2003, ran afoul of state law and threatened to sue the city if it didnt make changes. This past week, the city council on this resort island backed down and scrapped the restrictions. The unanimous vote Thursday to approve the amended land-use regulations with two council members absent means that the citys limited use standards for gun shops such as prohibiting outdoor shooting ranges, noise limitation, and requiring a minimum distance from a school, place of worship or public park are no longer in effect. Gun shops in Galveston will now be treated the same as any other commercial retail entity. Shooting ranges will also have a new land-use designation and will no longer be required to limit noise to a certain decibel level. City leaders said they made the revisions to comply with state law and avoid a potential lawsuit from Paxton, a Republican who has previously interceded in cases where he believes localities have infringed upon Texans right to bear arms. Assistant Attorney General Cleve Doty wrote to Galveston on Dec. 17, asserting the city was violating state law with its ordinance prohibiting gun shops from locating within 200 feet of schools, public parks or places of worship. Doty added that a separate city ordinance limiting the noise level of gun ranges also ran afoul of state law. The Office of the Attorney General demands that the City repeal these regulations and any like them immediately, Doty wrote. Rather than file litigation now, we are confident that the City of Galveston intends to comply with Texas law and will rescind regulations that are in violation of Texas law. The state law cited by Doty prohibits local governments from adopting regulations relating to commerce in firearms as well as ammunition. Texas law also prohibits local regulation of the discharge of a firearm or air gun at a sport shooting range. The Galveston Planning Commission approved the changes that eliminate the zoning restrictions specific to gun shops and shooting ranges on Jan. 7, paving the way for the city council to make the changes official. Nobody wants to be sued, especially if we can conform (with state law), said Donna Fairweather, an assistant city attorney. Even City Council members such as Jackie Cole, who strongly disagrees with Paxtons interpretation of state law, acknowledged they had limited options for recourse. They have tied our hands, Cole said. The financial hit for a legal battle on these grounds is more than the city would be able to do. Catherine Gorman, assistant director of development services for Galveston, said the changes would effectively allow gun stores to be located anywhere on the island that allows commercial retail businesses. We would only be looking at whether commercial zoning would be allowed where a gun store wanted to locate, Gorman said. Outdoor shooting ranges in Galveston had been included in a limited use zoning designation, barring them from locating in the citys central business districts or in close proximity to a residential area. They will now be allowed in nearly any zoning district without restriction. Gorman added that the city has never denied a gun store or shooting range a location on the island. Paxtons decision to preempt local rule over gun regulations has precedent. He sued Waller County in 2016 to require officials to remove signs warning the public against carrying handguns into the county courthouse, and also sued the city of Austin for barring residents from bringing firearms into its city hall. More recently, Paxton issued a clarifying opinion last year on the states firearm preemption law after San Antonio studied whether to enact its own gun regulations. State Sen. Donna Campbell, a New Braunfels Republican who requested the opinion from Paxton, also put Galvestons local ordinances in his crosshairs. Campbell took issue with three potential ordinances that a committee of the San Antonio City Council studied last fall, specifically a proposed measure to prohibit gun stores from locating within 200 feet of schools, public parks or places of worship, and noted that Galveston has a similar law. Prior to the vote on Thursday, Galveston City Council members acknowledged they had little recourse but to make the changes. I dont think we have a lot of gun stores that are gonna pop up, I dont think anythings going to change in town, said John Paul Listowski, a city council member and member of the planning commission. But I never like being forced to do something that we might not want here. Cole, who was not present for the council meeting on Thursday, noted that Texas politicians frequently blanche at federal regulations interfering with state rights, and questioned why the state doesnt extend the same independence to its cities. It seems as though the people in the state dont like Washington telling them what to do, that local control is good, but its only good at the state level, Cole said. For them to be able to tell us from Austin that in Galveston the citizens cant decide where they want to have a gun range or that they dont want a gun range next door to their schools is amazingly outrageous. nick.powell@chron.com New Delhi: For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay respects to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial on the Republic Day and not at the Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch. National War Memorial built to honour Indian soldiers, who fell while defending the country after Independence, was dedicated to the nation in February 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the National War Memorial on January 26 morning, before the commencement of the Republic Day Parade, and lay a wreath at the memorial in the presence of three services chiefs and the chief of the defence staff," said a senior army official. Names of 26,700 armed forces men from three services who died in the service of the nation after 15th August, 1947 is inscribed on the walls of the Memorial in golden letters. Now all the wreath laying ceremonies to honour the Indian soldiers are held at the National War Memorial and not at the India Gate. National War Memorial has a layout of four landscaped concentric circles spread over 40 acres. At the Centre is The Amar Chakra (circle of immortality) which has an obelisk with "eternal flame". Veer Chakra (circle of bravery), a covered gallery that exhibits six murals crafted in bronze depicting valiant battle of the armed forces. Premier Brian Pallister and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought this week to assure Manitobans they are fully engaged in a dialogue to break the impasse between the provincial and federal governments on carbon taxes. There are good reasons to doubt those assurances. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Premier Brian Pallister and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought this week to assure Manitobans they are fully engaged in a "dialogue" to break the impasse between the provincial and federal governments on carbon taxes. There are good reasons to doubt those assurances. Manitoba has been fighting with Ottawa since 2018 when, without warning or adequate explanation, Mr. Pallister killed plans to introduce his own $25-per-tonne carbon tax. As a result of that decision, Manitobans this past year were forced to pay a $20-per-tonne federal levy, known as the "federal backstop." The levy increases to $30 per tonne this year, and Ottawa plans to increase the backstop annually until it is at least $50 per tonne. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister Mr. Pallister says he wants consent from Ottawa for Manitoba to levy its own tax at a level that is below the backstop. Although Mr. Trudeau has rejected that proposal before, following a meeting between the two leaders this week in Winnipeg during a federal cabinet ministers retreat, there was a glimmer of hope that a compromise might be available. Dont hold your breath. Although the language was conciliatory, there realistically is very little room here for a compromise agreement. Mr. Pallister claims he is willing to discuss a new Manitoba green plan with a revised price on carbon, but he made it clear he does not want a tax that is going to slowly increase. And that means once you strip away all the diplomatic language, Mr. Pallister appears not to be offering Mr. Trudeau a negotiation, but rather an ultimatum. Mr. Pallister claims he is willing to discuss a new Manitoba green plan with a revised price on carbon, but he made it clear he does not want a tax that is going to slowly increase. And that means once you strip away all the diplomatic language, Mr. Pallister appears not to be offering Mr. Trudeau a negotiation, but rather an ultimatum. Of course, Mr. Pallisters position suggests there is a quid pro quo: Mr. Trudeau needs help wooing other aggrieved Conservative premiers who have declared a holy war on the federal carbon tax. At a news conference following his meeting with the prime minister, Mr. Pallister indicated Manitoba is willing to be a "bridge" to calm future skirmishes with the leaders of Canadas "conservative movement" but only, it seems, if he gets a special deal that was not offered to other provinces. That kind of deal will be hard to come by. Mr. Trudeau and his cabinet ministers have made it clear that Ottawa is not backing away from its desire to see a slowly escalating carbon tax imposed from coast to coast to coast. Mr. Pallister has hinted that he may be willing to move off his number to ease negotiations. If thats the case, then he should make his new number public as soon as possible and seek support from Ottawa. The longer Mr. Pallister delays, the longer Manitobans will have to wait for meaningful climate-change policy. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Although he has often lauded the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan, it has been mostly a bust. Big-ticket items that would really reduce our carbon emissions subsidies for electric cars, electric buses in Winnipeg and the electrification of gas-fired farm machines have not been undertaken because Manitoba is not collecting its own tax and thus has no money dedicated to such initiatives. Ottawa is remitting funds from the federal levy to Manitoba, but most of that money is going to individual households in the form of rebates. After nearly two years of continuing disagreement, a compromise by both leaders that leads to a meaningful and effective carbon tax plan would be in the best interests of all Manitobans. And, of course, of the planet. South Carolinas biggest and most important challenge, far and away, is providing all the children in this state with a good education. Without that education, children wind up in dead-end jobs that force the rest of us to provide for their families; some become criminals, and we have to pay for more police and courts and prisons, and may even become their victims. Tax cuts, teacher raises and tuition: McMaster hits familiar themes in State of State Gov. Henry McMaster's third State of the State address sounds a lot like his first two, as he touched on familiar themes of improving education, giving taxpayers their money back, and supporting law enforcement and the military. With it, they grow up to be productive, contributing members of our communities, whose talents entice companies to create good-paying jobs and convince parents of the next generation that this is a place to raise their families. That is: people who make our state stronger and more prosperous. So it might seem obvious that Gov. Henry McMaster would again make improving our schools the centerpiece of his State of the State address on Wednesday. After all, the annual speech to a joint session of the General Assembly traditionally provides an overview of what our state is doing well and poorly and focuses on what the governor wants to do to improve it. Although he correctly told a receptive Legislature that The path to prosperity goes straight through the classroom, education hasnt always been so clearly the priority of our governors. We welcome his clear focus. Echoing his executive budget proposal from last week, Mr. McMaster called on lawmakers to follow up last years significant teacher salary increases with $3,000 pay raises for all teachers and to finish work on a House-passed package of reforms that improve working conditions for teachers and make it easier to save failing schools and districts from leaders who are overseeing that failure. Most significantly, he asked them to expand the states 4-year-old kindergarten program to poor students in all school districts. Our lower-income five-year-old children are increasingly entering kindergarten unprepared for learning, lacking the necessary literacy and language skills, the governor told lawmakers, adding: The facts are clear: to change the path of a childs future, to enhance the prosperity of our economy, to maximize the success of our state, we have to make sure that every student is ready to learn when he or she enters the classroom. Mr. McMaster also urged legislators to improve and expand our workforce by supporting collaboratives between school districts, technical colleges and businesses, increasing state funding for need-based scholarships and providing enough money for colleges and universities to avoid tuition increases all smart investments in tomorrows economy. +2 Scoppe: Mark Sanford, Henry McMaster and the futile fight against pork After Mark Sanford hauled defecating piglets up the ornate Statehouse staircase to the House chamber in a made-for-TV protest of all that spen And he wisely focused on long-overdue upgrades to make our prisons more secure, and pay raises to attract and retain corrections officers and other state law enforcement officials. Editorial: $1.8 billion is a lot of money, but not enough for more SC tax cuts S.C. budget writers started talking about tax cuts after they learned last week that theyll have an additional $1.8 billion to spend in next years budget. But even if it made sense to raise or reduce taxes based on one years revenue, it wouldnt make sense in this case, because the additional revenue is largely the result of budget forecasters being too conservative in the past two years. Mr. McMaster also should be commended for addressing flooding, including a vow to upgrade the states drainage systems, protect its marshes and improve its resiliency plans. He also called for ensuring that cities and towns have access to recovery funds, but the state also can and should do more to help raise money for preventative work. Were not convinced that lawmakers need to send out a second round of tax rebates, as the governor proposed. And certainly they shouldnt embark on a five-year phase-in of a 15% reduction in income taxes, which by the final year would cut state revenue by more than all the additional spending Mr. McMaster is asking lawmakers to approve this session. Cutting taxes is a must-do if taxes are so high that theyre hindering economic development, and its a good thing to do if youre collecting more revenue than you need to meet your obligations. But neither is the case in South Carolina. Although we like several of Mr. McMasters funding initiatives, they dont cover all of our needs. Until they do, lawmakers should hold the tax cuts. Some of the countries with the highest rates of high school graduation in the world are among the most developed in the globe. Some of the things that increase the chances of high school graduation include the presence of well-established policies on education and strong economies translating to more resources for the education sector. Other factors include smaller populations, which equate to a low teacher to student ratio, as well as educations systems that keep learners in compulsory school for longer. Below is a selection of some of the countries with the highest high school graduation rates. Countries With the Highest Graduation Rates Japan Japan has a population of around 127 million people, which makes it incredible that the country has a literacy rate of almost 100%. The country has an intense focus on education, which begins as soon as a child turns six. At the elementary and lower secondary school levels, the law states that it is mandatory for every child to attend school. Most children attend public schools although private schools are available, especially at the upper secondary and tertiary levels. Among OECD countries, Japanese students usually rank the highest in subjects like math, sciences, and reading literacy. The education sector in Japan is better than that of most countries in the OECD despite the countrys expenditure being below the OECD average. The economy of the country demands a workforce that has a high quality of education to run the highly technological and scientific economy. Historically, education has proven to be an important cog in the nations economy. For example, in the years after World War II, the recovery and meteoric rise of the countrys economy can be attributed to education. However, the education system has been the subject of many critics who perceive it as being too rigid and the source of too much pressure for students. South Korea South Koreas system is standardized as much as, if not more, than Japans system above. Unlike Japan, both private and public schools receive financial aid from the government although public schools receive more funding. In fact, the country spends about 4.7% of its gross domestic product on education, which is around the OECD average spending. Among the OECD nations, South Korea also has some of the highest figures for sciences, math, and reading literacy, which translates to a high rate of literacy (about 99.9%). For example, a ranking on the performance of students in math and sciences in 2014 by the OECD, South Korea emerged second. Looking at high school life, it is evident that high school students work more than their counterparts do in other countries. As they move closer to graduation, these students study for longer hours in order to get sufficient grades for top universities. A typical schedule of a high school student starts at 5 am in the morning and spends the day in school until 4 pm. After that, students usually have a period of self-study (called Yaja) in the evening until 10 or 11 pm. After Yaja, they may even attend specialty schools until 2 am. The United Kingdom With a population of around 64 million people, about 99.9% of the youth aged at least 25 years in the UK have a secondary education. Every child is required by the law to attend primary and secondary school between the ages of 5 and 16. After that, education is optional and a student is free to advance their studies or go to a vocational school. For each of the countries making up the United Kingdom, education is a devolved matter. However, one of the things that explain the overall success of the countries is the high amount of expenditure that goes into education. In 2015/16, the countries had a combined spending of a whopping 83.4 billion ($106.6 billion) on all stages of education with high schools getting the biggest share at 38.2 billion ($48.8 billion). Armenia At some point in Armenias history, in the early stages of the 1960s, the country had a 100% literacy rate. The culture and the government places a high emphasis on education, which is why primary and secondary school education is completely free. In addition, the government has made it compulsory for everyone to complete high school. Unfortunately, this high rate of literacy has its drawbacks. Studies conducted by UNICEF show that there has been an increase in the number of school dropouts due to a low quality of education and child labor. The studies showed that the rates of school dropouts increased to 250% every year between 2002 and 2005. To put this into figures, about 1,531 students dropped out between 2002 and 2003 while a whopping 7,630 students dropped out between 2004 and 2005. We're definitely into long term investing, but some companies are simply bad investments over any time frame. We don't wish catastrophic capital loss on anyone. Anyone who held Canadian Spirit Resources Inc. (CVE:SPI) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 84% in that time. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 40%. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 31% in the last three months. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway. Check out our latest analysis for Canadian Spirit Resources With zero revenue generated over twelve months, we don't think that Canadian Spirit Resources has proved its business plan yet. We can't help wondering why it's publicly listed so early in its journey. Are venture capitalists not interested? So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. For example, they may be hoping that Canadian Spirit Resources finds fossil fuels with an exploration program, before it runs out of money. We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. There is usually a significant chance that they will need more money for business development, putting them at the mercy of capital markets. So the share price itself impacts the value of the shares (as it determines the cost of capital). While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Canadian Spirit Resources investors might realise. Canadian Spirit Resources had liabilities exceeding cash by CA$2.0m when it last reported in September 2019, according to our data. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived -31% per year, over 5 years , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. The image below shows how Canadian Spirit Resources's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Canadian Spirit Resources's cash levels have changed over time. Story continues TSXV:SPI Historical Debt, January 23rd 2020 Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. Given that situation, would you be concerned if it turned out insiders were relentlessly selling stock? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling. A Different Perspective Investors in Canadian Spirit Resources had a tough year, with a total loss of 40%, against a market gain of about 14%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 31% per year over five years. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 7 warning signs with Canadian Spirit Resources (at least 4 which are a bit unpleasant) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. A Canadian shopkeeper who shared a hug with the Duke of Sussex when he visited her home decor store before Christmas said she is happy he has returned 'home'. Chris Stephen owns Lilaberry in Sidney, British Columbia, near to where Harry, the Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie are staying as they attempt to forge a new life for themselves. The duke touched down in Canada on Monday and the family's arrival has made headlines around the world following their decision to step back from the monarchy. Chris Stephen (right), owner of Lilaberry Home decor store in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, store where Prince Harry visited during shopping trip. She said she was happy to hear the couple were both back 'home' in Canada where she said they were welcome to stay Residents in Vancouver Island, on the country's Pacific Coast, have largely welcomed the new arrivals, though many are concerned about taxpayers potentially footing the bill for their security costs. Ms Stephen, who said she has had a special place in her heart for Harry since watching the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, is glad he has returned after he visited her shop in December. She said: 'It was funny last night when the news said that he had arrived back, I immediately thought, 'oh good, I'm glad he's home'. I don't have to worry about him. 'And when I say worry about him, worry about the press and all the nastiness and negativity that seems to be out there. People passing opinions, who you would think they live under the same roof and know all the ins and outs of what they're going through.' Harry and Meghan have decided to make Vancouver Island their home for the foreseeable future, after they announced this month they'd be taking a step back from royal duties and relinquished their royal titles Geraldene Coats, 66, moved from Stock-onTees in 1975 and owns Marmalade Tart Boutique in Sidney. She said while she supports the royal family, she is 'absolutely against' Canadian taxpayers footing the bill for Harry and Meghan's security costs. 'As a taxpayer I don't want to pay for it,' she said. 'The royal family should pay for them or through the royal family, through Britain, however it was. I definitely don't want to do it. And I think that's the majority. 'Anybody I've spoken to, friends, customers, they say the same thing. Absolutely, come here, it doesn't make any difference, we just don't want to pay for it. I'd like to see dollars that would go towards their security, that they don't need, go to the education system. Not for this.' Chris Stephen, owner of Lilaberry Home decor store in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, store where Prince Harry visited during a shopping trip. She said life on the island has been a bit chaotic since news of Harry and Meghan's arrival. She called on the paparazzi to move on and leave the couple in peace Ms Stephen, 60, said life on Vancouver Island has been 'a bit of a carnival' since news of the Sussexes's arrival broke and called on the paparazzi to leave the couple in peace. 'Now that the excitement has sort of worn off, they've made their plans known, it's time to just allow them to get on with the changes in their life,' she said. 'The paparazzi needs to go home and leave them alone and let them do what is coming natural to them and wanting to be independent and raise their child in peace and be able to do what they want to do and not be hounded. I think it's time.' Ms Stephens, a mother of three sons, said she has had a soft spot for Harry since Diana's death and always hoped to one day give him a hug. Her chance came before Christmas and the store owner said she was immediately struck by Harry's blue eyes when he visited to buy decorations. 'As luck would have it, he came into my shop and that emotion came flooding back,' she said. 'And I asked and I was granted the opportunity to give him a hug and it's a gift that I will cherish and carry in my heart forever. 'It was very special, he was very lovely, and very accommodating and just a nice young man. Just a very, nice, pleasant young man.' Ms Stephen also said the Sussexes have an open invitation for dinner at her home. 'As a Canadian, I welcome them and I still hope to invite him to dinner and hope he'll come for a good old Canadian barbecue,' she said. MERIDEN An ad hoc committee of the Board of Education has asked school officials for financial and enrollment information to help ease overcrowding in city middle schools. The committee members also asked for an accounting of expenses regarding the current operation of Edison Middle School, a magnet school owned by the city which enrolls 512 Meriden students and students from outside towns. It is equipped for 800 students. The citys contract with the schools operator, Area Cooperative Educational Services, expires on June 30. This is going to be a financial decision and one that we cant make lightly, Superintendent Mark Benigni told committee members. We want to do what is best for Meriden students. According to school officials, Washington Middle School is projected to peak next year at 121 percent enrollment, while LIncoln Middle School has hit its highest enrollment at 115 percent. A bubble in middle school enrollment is expected to add about 130 students over the next two years before leveling off. But were still going to be over that 100 percent utilization, said Assistant Superintendent Michael Grove. Any programming expansion or changes could change functional capacity. Space constraints A study by consulting engineers MIlone and McBroom found that Washington Middle School was an older school on a tighter site, with significant congestion within the buildings, no available classrooms, and has significant site issues regarding parking bus loop functionality, and walkers. Washington Middle School Principal Dan Corsetti said the school has been shuffling teachers and sharing classrooms for some time. It can implement 90-minute block scheduling on a rotating basis to allow for additional instructional time and sharing space. Lincoln Middle School is a newer building on a larger site, contains more mid-sized classrooms for non-traditional classrooms/programs but has limited classroom availability and is near capacity in the cafeteria during lunch waves. It can hold 750 students, the report stated. Benigni said although the engineers say Washington can support 1,000 students, anyone who has walked the halls of Washington Middle School would know it would be chaos to have 1,000 students. Edison contract School officials also discussed the contract with ACES to operate Edison Middle School, a $40 million school built in 2001. Committee members asked school officials to gather financial information about the administrative, maintenance, technical support, fees, lease agreement and other associated costs. Special education costs are significant as Edison bills the district for high needs students. Youre talking about thousands and thousands of dollars of differential, Benigni said. Edison has changed over time, voting rights on the budget have changed over time. We do have this bubble at our middle schools. In addition to Meriden, Edison accepts students from Middletown, Waterbury, Wallingford and other towns. Meriden school board President Robert Kosienski said it would be important to reach out to partners and participating districts for their long and short term plans, particularly if they are building any new facillities. What are we paying for maintenance, tech support? We are the largest client in the lease and what are the other associated costs? Kosienski asked. It can still be a Meriden public school and not be much different than what is going on now. There is a $40 million expense to build a new middle school, and guess what folks, Meriden isnt going to pay for that right now. School officials are also in discussion with their lawyers and state lawmakers about the possibility of keeping Edison a magnet school but giving Meriden Public Schools operational control. According to the districts agreement with ACES, partners have to give the school one year notice if they want to end participation. ACES officials held a meeting with Edison parents to talk about Meridens enrollment study earlier this month and said they would welcome a contract renewal without interruption. They asked to be kept apprised of the situation to keep parents, particularly those with new students, updated. The Middle School Study Committee did not set a date for its next meeting. mgodin@record-journal.com 203-317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz In the high-stakes litigation over Baton Rouges controversial red light cameras, the city-parish now stands to lose millions of dollars rather than just thousands if a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 12-year-old program is successful. The city-parish government began using cameras to issue tickets for red light violations in October 2007. A number of people sued in December 2018, saying it didnt have the authority to do so. The city-parish believes any ticket issued before December 2017 should remain valid because it was written more than a year before the lawsuit was filed. The plaintiffs argued a 10-year prescriptive period is appropriate because they are seeking reimbursement for the payment of a thing not due. Lower courts previously ruled for the plaintiffs, and justices Wednesday agreed without giving a written reason. The city-parish's attorneys had warned in an November filing at the Supreme Court that a ruling in the plaintiffs' favor "will obligate the City/Parish, and ultimately the taxpayer, to incur substantial and unduly burdensome litigation costs and potentially millions of dollars in claims." "This Court's reversal of the trial court's ruling ... would terminate approximately 90% of the instant litigation, or a decade's worth of red light camera violations," the city-parish stated in the filing. The Supreme Court, however, declined to reverse state District Judge William Morvant's ruling. The state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal had affirmed his ruling in October. Greg Rome, director of litigation and risk management for the Parish Attorneys Office, said Thursday the office does not comment on pending litigation. Loyola University New Orleans law professor Dane Ciolino said now that the plaintiffs have been given the green light to reach back 10 years, it would behoove the city-parish to entertain settlement discussions. If the Supreme Court had reversed Morvant and agreed to a one-year prescriptive period, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued in a December filing at the high court that the amount of money potentially recoverable would have been in the thousands of dollars rather than the millions. The lawsuit filed in late 2018 estimated the city-parish had collected roughly $10 million in fines from more than 80,000 citations issued over the life of its program. Red light cameras staying up in East Baton Rouge in 2019; lawsuit aims to bring them down East Baton Rouge Parish intends to leave its red light cameras up and operating after Jan. 1 even though its contract with the firm in charge The lawsuit claims the city-parish's Department of Public Works doesn't have the authority to enforce laws spelled out in the parish's home rule charter. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "It's mandated that the police department is responsible for enforcement of the ordinances of the council," according to Metairie lawyer Joseph McMahon III and Hammond lawyer Antony Maska, who represent plaintiffs Chad Soileau and Greg Duhon in the case. There is no provision with the city's home rule charter authorizing DPW to enforce any traffic ordinances." McMahon and Maska have already scored wins in similar suits in the New Orleans area. Jefferson Parish did away with a program that was in place between 2007 and 2010 after questions arose about payments from its vendor, Redflex, to local lobbyists. A judge ruled in 2015 that the parish owed $7.1 million to 147,000 drivers who received tickets while the cameras there were in use. In neighboring Orleans Parish, a judge ordered the parish to reimburse about $26 million in fines the parish collected over the initial three years of its program. The judge found that, for the period of 2008 through Nov. 3, 2010, the red light/speed light camera program was illegal under the Orleans Home Rule Charter, which mandated that the New Orleans Police Department not the Department of Public Works enforce traffic ordinances. The New Orleans City Council on Nov. 4, 2010, moved enforcement of the camera ordinance from DPW to NOPD, curing the problem. Maska said Thursday that he and McMahon expect the Baton Rouge case will now proceed much like the New Orleans case did as the legal issues are nearly identical. But Darryl Gissel, chief administrative officer for East Baton Rouge, has said the Baton Rouge lawsuit doesnt have much validity given how the city-parishs red light program is set up compared to the ones in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. In our case, a police officer reviews every piece of footage to make sure the citations are done correctly, he said previously. Baton Rouge Metro Council agrees to new contract for red light cameras; see vote breakdown The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council has agreed to extend the contract for the red light camera program for another four years, after wee The East Baton Rouge Metro Council agreed in November to extend the contract with Verra Mobility for the red light camera program for another four years. The California-based company operated under the name of American Traffic Solutions when the program was first implemented. The city-parish currently has 24 cameras stationed across 16 intersections. McMahon and Maska contend Verra Mobility isnt authorized to issue citations under the parishs home rule charter. The program has generated significant revenue: $3 million annually from 2016 to 2018 and more than $3.5 million in 2019. The 2020 budget projects $2.205 million in revenue from the program. Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday criticised the ongoing protests against the new citizenship law, saying it is "shameful" that the men sitting in the comfort of their homes have sent the women and children out on the streets to agitate. Addressing a rally in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Kanpur, Adityanath said, "These people do not have courage to participate in the protests themselves. They know if they indulge in vandalism, their property will be seized. Now what have they done? They started making the women sit at roads. The children have been made to sit. It's such a big crime that the men are sleeping under the quilt and the women are made to sit at roads. It is shameful," he said. At several places, including in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and in Lucknow, women have been leading the protest against the law, alleging it is discriminatory and fearing it targets the Muslim community. Some of the protests turned violent in Uttar Pradesh last month in which about 20 people died and the Adityanath government cracked down on those who indulged in arson. The UP government issued notices to the protesters, seeking compensation for the damage they caused to the public property. The central government has defended the law, saying it grants citizenship to religious minorities escaping persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who have come to India by 31 December, 2014. It has reassured people that the new law does not take anyone's citizenship. On Wednesday, Adityanath also accused the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Left parties of doing politics at the cost of the nation. "Those who do not know what the CAA is are staging sit-ins. If you go and ask anyone why are they sitting on 'dharna', they will say the men of the house feel that they have become so incompetent that they cannot do anything, so they want the women to go and sit on 'dharna'," he said. "For them, the country is not important. The Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis are not important. Now, for the Congress, even the Christians are not important. And they have said the protests will continue against the CAA until the ISI agents are given entry into India," he alleged, adding, "This is a shameful statement made by Congress leaders". He said protesting peacefully is everyone's right but if a person damages public property, "we will recover the damage caused from that person's property and will punish them so that the next generation remembers it." "I would like to say from the soil of India, and especially from the soil of Uttar Pradesh, that if pro-azadi slogans are raised here in the name of protests, like there used to be in Kashmir, then it will come in the category of sedition and stringent action will be taken by the government," Adityanath said. Nobody will be allowed to hatch conspiracy against India while living in India, he added. HOUSTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Houston College of Medicine has received a $5 million gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX). The gift will provide $3.5 million for scholarships to at least 35 medical students and $1.5 million to create a pipeline program to attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds who have an interest in practicing primary care medicine. The new medical school aims for at least half of each graduating class to practice primary care to address the significant statewide shortage of physicians in underserved urban and rural communities where health disparities take their heaviest toll. Houston has grown by more than 4 million people since its most recent medical school was founded in 1972, and Texas ranks 47th in primary care physician-to-population ratio. "The gift to the UH College of Medicine holds true to our focus on lowering health care costs through long-term, sustainable community investments. This investment is about the future of health care. Primary care physicians will be the cornerstones of that future," said Dr. Dan McCoy, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. "Developing and training primary care physicians is a crucial step towards building a system of care that is patient-centric and less complicated, while also improving quality and lowering cost. We believe this investment on the front end will yield great results for health care on the back end." Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Scholarships - $3.5 million BCBSTX scholarships will provide $100,000 four-year scholarships for at least 35 medical students. The medical school will use a holistic admissions process that not only factors in Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade point average, but also carefully considers predictors for those most likely to pursue primary care. Those predictors include: individuals who have family members in service-oriented careers those pursuing medicine as a second career candidates who are African American, Hispanic or from rural areas individuals with previous experience in primary care in another capacity Blue Cross and Blue Shield College of Medicine Pipeline Program - $1.5 million To meet its core mission, the UH College of Medicine will use pipeline programs to target ethnically and socioeconomically diverse K-12 and pre-medicine college students with an interest in primary care. Funding will be used to hire a director of outreach and diversity who will study successful pipeline programs and promote hiring a diverse faculty; and provide initial funding for a Ph.D. faculty member to develop an academic support system that includes peer mentoring/tutoring, test-taking and study skills development, and faculty mentorship training for student academic success. "With a focus on improving health, we will educate physicians who will be able to provide a path to a productive and more enjoyable life for the residents of our city and state," said Renu Khator, University of Houston president. "Recruiting and retaining the most diverse and academically competitive students, regardless of financial resources, is a top priority for our medical school. I'm extremely thankful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for sharing in our vision." The College of Medicine will admit 30 students in its inaugural class, pending accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, reaching a total of 120 students per class and a total of 480 students at full enrollment. Tuition and fee rates for the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at UH will begin at $23,755 per year. According to Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the medical school, one effective way to increase the number of graduates who practice primary care is to provide scholarships to students with a stated desire to become a primary care physician. "Student loan debt is a significant deterrent to pursuing primary care specialties. The result is more physicians in non-primary care specialties, and a marked decline in primary care doctors," said Spann. "This is precisely why training primary care physicians is an urgent need. We're grateful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for enabling more students to pursue their medical education at the University of Houston." With the gift, BCBSTX is welcomed into the UH Vanguard Society, the university's corporate donor recognition circle. The society recognizes corporate benefactors who have given a total of $5 million or more to the university. The gift is part of the "Here, We Go" Campaign, the University of Houston's first major systemwide fundraising campaign in more than 25 years. The University has raised more than $1 billion to address key priorities, including scholarships, faculty support and strengthening the university's partnership with Houston, and momentum continues as UH moves beyond its original billion dollar goal. "Through this generous gift, our students will be able to fully immerse themselves in their studies and learn how to deliver value-based, compassionate care," said Eloise Brice, UH vice president for university advancement. "We thank Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for providing this incredible opportunity." About University of Houston The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian-American-Serving institution with enrollment of more than 46,000 students. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 80,000 physicians and healthcare practitioners, and 500 hospitals to serve more than 5 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico), the country's largest customer- owned health insurer, and fourth largest health insurer overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSTX.com | Twitter.com/BCBSTX | Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas | YouTube.com/BCBSTX About the "Here, We Go" Campaign The "Here, We Go" Campaign is the University of Houston's first major systemwide fundraising campaign in more than 25 years. Gifts made from 2012 to 2020 will contribute toward the University's key priorities, including scholarships, faculty support and strengthening the University's partnership with Houston. SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Related Links www.bcbstx.com GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin is sending Illinois teen Max Zinzilieta to college for just one penny. Zinzilieta, who plans to begin college this year, was awarded a $100,000 scholarship for using a penny to check the tread depth of his tires. Michelin's #PennyForAFreeRide scholarship sweepstakes was developed to help young drivers pursue their dreams and remind them to practice safe driving habits. Teen drivers had the chance to win a free ride to college just by checking their car's tire pressure or tread depth and sharing it on social media. Zinzilieta, from Mt. Vernon, Illinois, was randomly selected for the scholarship out of thousands of entrants throughout the U.S. "We are thrilled to award Max the #PennyForAFreeRide scholarship, and offer him a better way forward in his college endeavors," said Alexis Garcin, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Inc. "We hope this program sets an example for teens throughout the country and raises awareness of these simple, yet life-saving actions." Car crashes remain the No. 1 killer of teens in America,i according to analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and 738 tire-related deaths occur each year.ii Additionally, according to federal data, 457 distracted-driving deaths involving cell phones occurred in 2016.iii "The #PennyForAFreeRide sweepstakes brought an important issue to my attention," Zinzilieta said. "I never checked my tires, but then I saw the scholarship and learned how to check mine for the first time. When I learned more about the number of teens involved in accidents each year, I understood just how critical tire safety is." Teens face a lot of pressure every day, and the pressure of going to college is high on the list. Rising college tuition prices force many teens to make education choices based on debt alone. In the last 20 years, college tuition fees at public universities have increased 221%.iv "This scholarship will help me focus on pursuing my education at a four-year college without taking on debt," Zinzilieta said. "I plan to study computer science and linguistics two areas I'm passionate about." The #PennyForAFreeRide scholarship sweepstakes is a part of Michelin's larger safety initiative, Beyond the Driving Test, which was first introduced in 2014 in partnership with Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Beyond the Driving Test set a goal of gaining commitments from all 50 U.S. states to include consistent information about tire safety in new-driver training materials. That milestone was reached in 2017, more than two years ahead of plan. Today, 38 states have published life-saving tire-safety information in their training materials for new drivers, with new states added every year. To learn more about tire safety and #PennyForAFreeRide, visit: https://beyondthedrivingtest.com/pennyforafreeride About MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA, INC. Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. Michelin also offers a full range of innovative services and solutions that help make mobility safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. To create unique mobility experiences, Michelin publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America, Inc. employs more than 20,000 people and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada. About Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world's leading mobility organizations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a nonprofit organization. It brings together 246 Mobility and Sport Clubs from 145 countries on five continents. Its Member Clubs represent more than 80 million road users and their families. The FIA promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users around the world. i https://driving-tests.org/driving-statistics/ ii https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/tires iii https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812517 iv https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-20/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities SOURCE Michelin Related Links http://www.MichelinMedia.com Eh I'm not always a big fan of modern B&W films. It just feels unnecessary at times. That said I need Parasite to win BEST PICTURE!! The reception and win at the SAG awards kinda give me hope that it might pull the win but best cast win doesn't always predict that so knows but I have HOPE!! Reply Thread Link To me, the B&W release and orchestra performance feel mostly like ways to keep the movie fresh in the minds of Oscar voters. Neon is really going all out, I hope it works! Reply Parent Thread Link LOL that's a good point! I didn't even think of that! The orchestral piece I can accept in general cause we love a live ensemble. It just reminded me of when a B&W version of Max Mad: Fury Road was also done. I kept thinking "why??" the color palette in that movie is absolutely a necessary player. The B&W may take away from it. GO HARD NEON I JUST WANT THIS FILM TO WIN! Edited at 2020-01-23 01:29 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Ngl, there is one Oscar voter on twitter named Tony something legit said that they put Parasite dead last on ballot, and that old white fucker loves Richard Jewell and its racist director, pretty much shitting on Parasite bc its foreign. So, honestly, I really dont have hopes because these old bitter racist fuckers aint never gonna vote for Asian film not in English. Reply Parent Thread Link I really liked the color palette of the movie. Subdued but effective. Reply Thread Link oh, i REALLY wanna see this black and white version of parasite. Reply Thread Link wheres the article that says the hbo parasite show will be about the in-between bits of the story that couldnt be shown in the film? it makes it sound like hes getting all the original actors back Reply Thread Link Yeah that's the feeling I got too! He mentioned that it would've been a 5-6 hour movie if he added those in-between movies. So that gives me security that it's gonna be an all-asian cast because I was kinda worried there for a sec haha. Reply Parent Thread Link i just want more of the rich mom lol, her performance is so funny and wacky and i cant think of a single american actress who could pull it off Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Watch HBO want it to follow the random German family that moved into the house at the end, but they're not really German, they're American. Starring Jennifer Lawrence as the new mother and Ryan Gosling as the father. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I mean its possible but also likely he's just referring to the characters themselves and not the original actors. Bong is strongwilled af so I'd hope if that's a possibility they'll do it but my hopes aren't up with the american people involved. Reply Parent Thread Link Adding it now, thanks! Reply Parent Thread Link Oh man, I am not a fan of this B&W version thing. First Mad Max (which, HELLO, the beauty of the colors was half the point?!), then Logan, now this? idk, if a movie wasn't shot that way in the first place, to me it'd just take something away to present it that way. And by the same token I wouldn't really want to see a color version of The Lighthouse or something. idk. I still don't think those old Academy fucks will be willing to give it two big awards (three if we're counting director), but we can dream!!! Reply Thread Link I'm going to the orchestra showing! It'll be my third time watching in theaters. Idk I feel like a B&W version would better suit a film like Mother, but I'd be curious to see if it sets a different tone. Reply Thread Link That's awesome! I'm debating on going... I love the Ace and that seems like the perfect sort of movie to do that kind of screening with, considering you don't need to hear the dialogue. Reply Parent Thread Link Tickets are very reasonably priced so I jumped on it. I'm gonna be all the way in the upper balcony though since I don't need to watch so closely the third time around. It's gonna be my first time at the Ace for a show! Sun night is an awkward time, but you should def go! Reply Parent Thread Link I just wanna know when I can rent it Reply Thread Link I watched this finally!!! It was pretty good but lol at all the reviews saying there's ~no villain lmao there's def a villain it was a fun watch but not rocket science like some of the reviews claim tbh Reply Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link Fave modern B&W would be Lady Vengeance and how the colour slowly drains throughout the film... works really well. Reply Thread Link park so-dam looked so cute at the sag awards, she's cute all the time, i'm in love with her tbh Reply Thread Link I really think it's second to 1917 now in it's shot for Best Picture. I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. Nothing will make up for this shitty season of snubs, but at least do it to make up for fucking giving it to Green Book last year. Reply Thread Link I was reading about the surprising success here in Mexico considering is not an American film and the limited number of screens it has, but the buzz from the press and word of mouth must be working because it's moving up on the Mexican Box Office on its fourth week, I'm happy about it because it deserves it obviously but also hopefully distributor companies are willing to bring more foreign movies because we mostly get Hollywood stuff. Reply Thread Link Timely post, I just got back from seeing it for a second time (this time legally with a big crowd). It's such an amazing film, it 100% deserves all of its success. Reply Thread Link STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying a man sought for questioning in connection with a grand larceny pattern that spanned across Staten Island, Manhattan and Queens. In three separate instances, an unidentified man impersonated a family member of a senior citizen while asking for money for pending legal cases, medical treatment and rehab, according to a written statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. All of the victims are in their 70s and 80s, the statement said. The first incident, which took place within the vicinity of Radcliff Road and Briarcliff Road in Grasmere on Oct. 23, 2019, occurred after a 77-year-old woman received a phone call from an individual who she believed was her nephew that had been arrested. The unidentified man on the phone informed the 77-year-old that he needed money for bail and instructed her to withdraw $12,000 from her bank. The man further said he would send a courier to the womans home to collect the money, according to the police statement. An unidentified man went to the womans front door, where she handed him the money inside an envelope, according to police. Police provided a video of the man sought for questioning, taken from the vicinity of that location. Less than two weeks later, on Nov. 2, 2019, an 81-year-old woman who lives in the vicinity of East 87th Street and York Avenue in Manhattan, received a phone call from an unidentified male who she believed was her grandson, according to the NYPD statement. The unidentified man said that he wanted the woman to speak to his lawyer, and a man claiming to be a lawyer for a criminal case asked for $30,600 so her grandson would not face criminal charges, police said. The victim agreed, and the lawyer said he would send a courier to the womans home to collect the money, where she handed the cash over, according to the statement. The unidentified man then called a second time asking for $33,600 from the 81-year-old woman for rehab and medical expenses, police said, and the victim relinquished the additional cash. Six days later, it was reported to police that an 81-year-old man, who lives in the vicinity of Station Road and 194th Street in Queens, received a phone call from a man who stated he was the lawyer for the victims grandson and needed $12,500 to be mailed to him, the NYPD statement said. Shortly after, police said that the unidentified man told the victim that a courier was available to pick up the package from the 81-year-olds residence. The package was retrieved, and the male picked up the cash and fled westbound on Station Road, police said. The victim received another phone call requesting another $12,500 to be sent via Federal Express to a location in Georgia, according to the police statement, and the 81-year-old complied with the request. Police provided a sketch of the unidentified man who came to the residence. Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this male is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential. One of the most popular agencies in Ukraine, which provides private city tours in Kyiv for foreign tourists, launches city tours in Lviv. Lviv is the second city in Ukraine in the number of tourists after Kyiv, in 2018 the city hosted 2.2 million foreign tourists. Most tourists come from Poland, Belarus, Germany, the United States, Canada. Also, according to the press service of the Lviv City Council with reference to The closure of an east Belfast factory resulting in 63 job losses has been branded "a body blow" for manufacturing in Northern Ireland. Crane Stockham Valve, part of US firm Crane Co, employs 89 people who were left in shock on Tuesday when its US owner flew in to announce the Belfast site will close. The Unite union said there will be 63 redundancies at the Belfast base on Alexander Road as it is run down over a 24-month period. If the closure proceeds, the job losses will start early next year and finish by November. Unite's regional officer George Brash is due to meet with employees this morning. "They may have been aware of financial difficulties in the Belfast shop, but I think the closure announcement was certainly a surprise when I spoke to them on Tuesday," he said. "Redundancy is one thing, but an actual closure is completely different. I would say it's a shock." He added: "It's a body blow to manufacturing in east Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole." A collective agreement is in place for workers to receive an enhanced redundancy package. Mr Brash said in a statement that manufacturing had been left "defenceless" by the absence of a Stormont strategy. "For its part, the company are citing global competition, market pricing pressure and financial performance in Belfast as justifying their decision, but it is likely this is about the race-to-the-bottom in production going to lower-cost locations," he said. The business was established in 1955, manufacturing valves for the oil and gas, power, petrochemical and water markets. A Crane Co spokesman said on Tuesday that some staff could be offered jobs at other Crane sites and in a smaller Belfast office. Manufacturing NI chief executive Stephen Kelly said the closure was a consequence of falling prices in the gas and oil market. Local DUP councillor David Brooks called it "terrible news". LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents some of the most popular car insurance myths. For more info and free auto insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/top-auto-insurance-myths/ Car insurance can be confusing, and it's made even more so by the myths circulating. Many car insurance myths are spread as truths by persons with no knowledge of how the car insurance industry works or by bad-intended persons. The most common myths in the car insurance industry are the following: The color of the vehicle can determine the cost of car insurance. Many believe that persons with red cars pay more on their premiums. This is not true. Car insurance companies will never ask someone about the color of their vehicle. In a standard application, drivers will be required to list the make, model, year, and any non-standard specifications of their vehicles, as well as providing a slew of personal information about themselves. According to numerous studies, there's no evidence to show that red cars are pulled over by the police more often than cars of other colors. Many believe that persons with red cars pay more on their premiums. This is not true. Car insurance companies will never ask someone about the color of their vehicle. In a standard application, drivers will be required to list the make, model, year, and any non-standard specifications of their vehicles, as well as providing a slew of personal information about themselves. According to numerous studies, there's no evidence to show that red cars are pulled over by the police more often than cars of other colors. No-fault policies will absolve a guilty driver. The name of the policy can be deceiving for many. A no-fault policy can be used by policyholders to receive reimbursement for medical bills, regardless of who was at-fault in a car accident. This means that the insurance companies will first pay for the medical expenses of their customers and then they will wait until the police decide who was at fault. The driver who is found guilty for the accident will have its insurance premiums increased. The name of the policy can be deceiving for many. A no-fault policy can be used by policyholders to receive reimbursement for medical bills, regardless of who was at-fault in a car accident. This means that the insurance companies will first pay for the medical expenses of their customers and then they will wait until the police decide who was at fault. The driver who is found guilty for the accident will have its insurance premiums increased. If another person drives the vehicles, his/her policy will cover the accident . Usually, the car insurance covering the vehicle is considered the primary insurance. This means that the car owner's insurance provider will have to pay for the damages caused by an accident, regardless of who is behind the wheel. . Usually, the car insurance covering the vehicle is considered the primary insurance. This means that the car owner's insurance provider will have to pay for the damages caused by an accident, regardless of who is behind the wheel. A credit score has no effect on the price of insurance. Only a few states don't allow the insurers to use the credit score of their customers to determine the insurance rates. In all other states, the credit score is an important factor used to determine insurance premiums. Drivers with a good credit score are considered more responsible and will pay less on the insurance than people with poor credit scores who are seen as less responsible. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://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. "Many myths regarding the car insurance industry are spread by persons who have very little knowledge of how this industry works. Fortunately, these myths are not true and most of them are easy to debunk", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing Company Person for contact Name: Gurgu C Phone Number: (818) 359-3898 Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.biz Website: https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ SOURCE: Internet Marketing Company View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/573923/Car-Insurance-2020-Tips-What-Are-The-Most-Common-Myths-About-Auto-Insurance Pakistan's T20 skipper Babar Azam has defended the decision to recall veterans Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, saying the experienced duo's presence will help the team in its pursuit of retaining the number one spot in the shortest format. Desperate to hold on to its numero uno status in T20 rankings, Pakistan has recalled Malik and Hafeez in the team for the three-match series against Bangladesh. After the 0-3 drubbing at the hands of Sri Lanka last year, desperate time awaits Pakistan as they need to win all the three matches against Bangladesh, failing which they will slide to second spot behind England or India in the T20 rankings after holding on to the top spot since January 2018. "I felt that we needed these two (Malik, Hafeez) seniors. They were part of the number one team last year," he said. "I gave my opinion to the selectors and they heard me. Their presence will help me and the team. I will learn from them on captaincy as well," Babar added. The 25-year-old batsman said Pakistan is under no pressure in the series against Bangladesh, especially after the thrashing in last T20 series against Sri Lanka at home in October last year. "No there is no pressure for us because what is done is done but we will not try to repeat the same mistakes we did against the Lankans," Babar said. Babar made it clear that they were not taking Bangladesh lightly. "Bangladesh have a good combination of youngsters and seniors and it will be a good competitive series. Their players have the advantage of having come here fresh out of the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League)," he said. This is the first time in 12 years that Bangladesh is touring Pakistan and on the first leg of the visit, they will play the T20 series at Lahore before flying back home. Babar, who is the top batsman in the ICC T20 rankings, said the series was important for Pakistan as they wanted to retain their number one rankings besides they were also trying out some new players. The Pakistan captain, however, said that a clear picture about the composition of Pakistan's World T20 squad would come after the Pakistan Super League in February-March. An excited Babar also said it is a big moment for him to lead Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium here, a venue where 13 years back he served as a ball boy. "It has been a long journey for me and I am very excited about captaining Pakistan for the first time at home and that too at the Gaddafi Stadium," Babar told the reporter. "No doubt it is a big moment for me because 13 years back I was a ball ball at this stadium. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) She's the Channel Nine Journalist fans are used to seeing primped and preened to perfection. But Leila McKinnon has proved she is just as beautiful when going au naturel. The 47-year-old posted a make-up free selfie to Instagram on Thursday, posing in homemade beanies with her son Ted, seven. Natural beauty: Leilia McKinnon proved she is a natural beauty in this make-up free selfie she posted to Instagram of her posing with her son Ted, seven, in homemade beanies 'In our spare time we model homemade hats,' Leila captioned the post. In the adorable snap, Leila and her son are rugged up on a chilly morning at the snow. The busy mum of two looked casual chic in a black sweater with a pink, grey and black shawl thrown casually over her shoulders. Her face is naked except for a large pair of pink framed glasses and a beaming smile. Glamorous: Fans are used to seeing Leila primped and preened to perfection when she presents popular Channel 9 shows like A Current Affair Sea change: Leila and her husband David recently moved to Northern New South Wales with their children, Ted and Gwendolen, five She also wore a hot pink beanie while her son Ted donned a red one. The talented TV presenter knitted them herself. It is a hobby Leila has found more time to indulge in since she and her husband David Gyngell moved from Sydney to Northern New South Wales in 2018 with their two children, Ted and Gewndolen, five. Relaxing: The 'news junkie' finds knitting is perfect way for her to wind down Leila spoke to Nine Honey about her hobby and how it helps her wind down. 'I've had this lifelong desire to be cool and never quite made it and I think I've just surrendered to the fact that, no, I'm just a crafty nanna,' she said. 'I'm starting to get into crochet now - as I said, my challenge is to relax and to slow down, and I think [knitting and crocheting is] almost the antidote to Instagram and Twitter and being a news junkie. 'So it's really meditative in a way they call it the new yoga on Instagram. It's good for me but it's a little embarrassing.' BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Anastasia Savchenko Trend: About 528.4 million tons of oil (along with condensate) were extracted from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of fields and Shah Deniz field since the date of commissioning the fields until January 1, 2020, Trend reports on Jan. 23 referring to the report of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy. Some 500.4 million tons of oil accounts for ACG while 28 million tons of condensate - for Shah Deniz. The production of oil (along with condensate) amounted to about 37.5 million tons in 2019, which is 1.3 million tons less (by 3.5 percent) than in 2018 (38.8 million tons), the report said. Some 526.6 million tons of oil (along with condensate) were exported since the date of commissioning the fields until January 1, 2020. Some 31.2 million tons of oil (along with condensate) were exported in 2019, the report said. The contract for the development of the ACG block was signed in 1994. A new agreement on the development of the ACG block - until 2050 was signed in Baku on September 14, 2017. The equity participation in the project is as follows: BP (operator) - 30.37 percent, AzACG (SOCAR) - 25 percent, Chevron - 9.57 percent, INPEX - 9.31 percent, Equinor - 7.27 percent, ExxonMobil 6.79 percent, TP - 5.73 percent, ITOCHU - 3.65 percent, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) - 2.31 percent. FINE Gael are promising a crackdown on social media influencers who don't fully disclose ads or sponsored content. Under the plans the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) would take a more active enforcement role to ensure there is transparency about the relationship between influencers and brands. The plans come as Fine Gael set out it's policies for protecting children online. There has been a massive growth of influencers on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat where they can make lucrative incomes by promoting make-up, fashion and travel destinations on behalf of major companies. Blogging currently falls under the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) code which outlines how hashtags like #ad, #spon and #workwith should be used to identify such content. Fine Gael are seeking to toughen up the regime for influencers. The party's Dublin West candidate Emer Currie outlined the policy this afternoon saying that Fine Gael will "ensure social media influencers are properly regulated, recognising their increasing power with consumers." The CCPC will be required to "take a more active enforcement role and ensure that there is full disclosure in relation to partnerships, sponsorships and other advertising relationships between media influencers and brands." She added: "Social media influencers are a key part of the marketing landscape now and we must ensure that they meet the same standards we expect elsewhere." Ms Currie was at the launch of the election pledges with constituency running mate, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Communications Minister Richard Bruton. Mr Varadkar said his party is committed to online safety, particularly for children and he claimed that the planned Digital Safety Commissioner will "end the era of self-regulation among social media companies". He said it will have robust powers including financial penalties for companies that breach the rules. Mr Bruton said Fine Gael will reform the law by passing legislation to tackle harrassment including stalking, 'upskirt' photos, and revenge pornography. It was the Labour Party's Brendan Howlin who first put forward legislation on revenge porn, with the proposals forming the basis for the Fine Gael-led government's planned legislation on the issue. Appointment 23 January 2020 Winnow announce ex Head of Business Development, Global Strategic Accounts at Sodexo as Managing Director, Europe. Winnow, the hospitality tech firm who tackle food waste in commercial kitchens with Artificial Intelligence (AI), has appointed Jess Tausig (formerly ex Head of Business Development, Global Strategic Accounts at Sodexo) as their new Managing Director for Europe. Jess' arrival into the company follows a successful year for Winnow, with the launch of Winnow Vision, an AI-enabled technology which gives chefs powerful insight to help them cut waste by over 50% on average, and leads to significant cost reductions trusted by brands like IKEA and IHG. In addition, the company also celebrated their largest fundraising to date and notably being ranked as the 78th fastest growing company in Europe. Jess has joined Winnow to manage operations and accelerate business development in the European market. Jess brings with her a wealth of experience and demonstrated history of working in the facilities services industry. This includes, during her tenure at Sodexo, working as Head of European Business Development across the corporate services segment, with delivery of $350m top line revenue growth annually and 100% retention as a key achievement during this time. Using a camera, a set of smart scales and the same type of machine learning technology found in autonomous vehicles, Winnow Vision 'learns' to recognise different foods being thrown in the bin and calculates the financial and environmental cost of this discarded food to commercial kitchens. Businesses and chefs can then adjust their food purchasing decisions accordingly, reducing their spending and tackling a fundamental problem of food waste: overproduction. A typical kitchen would expect to cut food waste in half within a year, saving 3%-8% on food purchasing costs. Globally, a third of all food never reaches our forks. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses after the USA and China. Food waste is also a completely unnecessary financial burden for businesses to bear, costing the global economy around $1 trillion in lost output - equivalent to around 1.5 percent of global GDP. Food waste costs commercial kitchens between 5 and 15 percent of all food purchased, with some kitchens wasting up to 20 percent of all the food they buy. Food waste costs the hospitality industry alone around $100bn every year - a number that Winnow's aims to slash. A man in his thirties has been threatened with a gun after being approached by men on a red motorbike in Bartley's Wood in Ballywalter. It happened shortly after 6pm on Tuesday near Newtownards, after which the men on the motorbike made off in the direction of Greyabbey Road. The man was left badly shaken by the incident but was uninjured. Detective Sergeant Bell said: "The man armed with the suspected firearm is described as being in his 50's, 5 foot 10 inches tall, medium build with bushy ginger/grey eyebrows wearing a black Berghaus coat that came just past his kneecaps, dark jeans and white trainers which were dirty and old looking. "He also wore a plain matt finished black helmet. The second male is described as wearing a dark coloured coat, a shiny black helmet that had white writing on the front and an unusual coloured visor. "Did you see a motorbike with two people on board? Do you have dash cam footage that may have images of this motorbike? "If you have any information that may assist please contact Detectives on 101 quoting reference 470 of 22/01/20. Alternatively, information can also 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." Making clear it will not stay the Citizenship (Amendment) Act without hearing the Centre, the Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the government four weeks to respond to petitions challenging the CAA and said a five-judge Constitution bench will hear the matter. Hearing a batch of 143 petitions, an apex court bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice to the Centre and restrained all high courts from hearing pleas on the CAA till it decides on the pleas. BCCL The bench, also comprising Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna, said it will hear the petitions pertaining to Assam and Tripura separately as the problem with the CAA in these two states is different from rest of the country. "The matter is uppermost in everybody's mind. We will form a five-judge bench and then list the case," the court said. ALSO READ: CAA Protests: Shaheen Bagh Women Send Notice To BJP's IT Cell Head Over 'Paid Protests' Remark Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for some petitioners, said the issue be referred to a Constitution bench and the NPR exercise be postponed by a couple of months. He also urged the bench to put on hold the operationalisation of the CAA. The bench said, "Even we think that the matter should be heard by a Constitution bench." Asserting that it will not grant any stay on the CAA without hearing the Centre on the matter, it said, "Will pass order on granting any interim relief to petitioner opposing CAA after four weeks." The court also made it clear it will not pass any ex-parte order without hearing the Centre on staying the operation of the CAA and exercise of the National Population Register (NPR). It said the earlier cut off date for citizenship in Assam was March 24, 1971 and noted that it has been extended till December 31, 2014 under the CAA. The petitions concerning Tripura and Assam as well as the matters related to Uttar Pradesh, which is going ahead with the implementation of CAA without framing any rules, can be dealt with separately, the bench said. ALSO READ: As CAA & NRC Protests Continue, Delhi Police Can Now Detain Anyone Without Any Charge Under NSA The bench said it will decide in-chamber the modalities of hearing the batch of petitions on the CAA and may fix them for day-to-day hearing after four weeks. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench the government has been given copies of around 60 pleas out of the 143 petitions. He said it wanted time to respond to all the pleas. The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain and Parsi communities who came to the country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014. President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on December 12, turning it into an Act. Several petitions have been filed challenging the constitutional validity of the CAA. Among those who have filed pleas are the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, RJD leader Manoj Jha, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. Reuters The IUML said in its plea that the CAA violates the fundamental Right to Equality and intends to grant citizenship to a section of illegal immigrants by making an exclusion on the basis of religion. The petition had alleged that the government's CAA was against the basic structure of the Constitution and intended to explicitly discriminate against Muslims as the Act extended benefits only to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. ALSO READ: After Leading Protests & Passing Resolution Against It, Kerala Takes Anti-CAA Fight To The SC The plea filed by Ramesh said the Act is a "brazen attack" on core fundamental rights envisaged under the Constitution and treats "equals as unequal". The other petitioners include the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the All Assam Students Union (AASU), the Peace Party, the CPI, NGOs Rihai Manch and Citizens Against Hate, advocate M L Sharma, and law students. CHICAGO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Becknell Industrial announced today that it has completed the construction of a 319,600 square-foot distribution facility for siffron, a manufacturer of point of purchase and display products, specializing in the visual presentation of merchandise. siffron serves most of the top 100 retailers in the world, as well as many recognizable brand names, including Walmart, Target, Dollar General, CVS, Kroger, Proctor & Gamble, Lowes, Red Bull and Whole Foods. Located in The Business Park at Spring Creek Lakes in Loves Park, Illinois, the building is situated on 27.5 acres and features 32' clear height, 30 dock doors (expandable to 62), two drive-in doors and abundant car and trailer parking. The building can be expanded by 180,950 square feet, to meet siffrons potential growth needs. In addition, the property includes 50' x 50' column spacing with 60' loading bays, ESFR sprinkler system and LED lighting with motion sensors. Construction commenced in June this year and was completed last week. Becknell is pleased to partner with siffron as they expand their footprint in Illinois. This location provides them with excellent interstate access in space designed to accommodate their growth, said Dan Fogarty, Becknells Executive Vice President - Development. This location complements siffrons existing manufacturing location in Rockford and we look forward to being a long-term partner. Spring Creek Business Park is conveniently situated at a full-interchange along I-39, the major north-south thoroughfare of Northern Illinois within the Rockford MSA. The location is 75 miles west of downtown Chicago and 60 miles west of O'Hare International Airport. The new building will be an integral component to siffron's operations in the Rockford area. The new facility provides a modern, highly efficient storage and distribution platform for product that is manufactured and assembled at the companys local manufacturing facility located nearby at 1400 Eddy Avenue in Rockford. About siffron For more than 60 years, siffron has been a leader in the retail display and merchandising industry, providing solutions designed to increase sales, improve category management, limit shrink and reduce labor at the point of sale. These products include custom product displays; merchandising and loss prevention systems; label, sign and literature holders; product merchandisers and display components; as well as fresh area merchandising products, supplies and backroom organization solutions. siffron offers start-to-finish custom solutions, including consultation, design, prototyping, production, fulfillment and purchase consolidation. Learn more at siffron.com. About Becknell Industrial Becknell Industrial specializes in the development, investment and management of industrial properties across the United States. The company currently owns interests in 173 properties totaling more than 25.4 million square feet. Vertically integrated, Becknell is responsible for every aspect of the project providing the decision-making authority and expertise to meet client expectations for a high-performance facility delivered on time and on budget. More information about Becknell is available at becknellindustrial.com. Contact Information: Shona L. Bedwell 317.669.6005 sbedwell@becknellindustrial.com Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it has obtained a court order authorizing the distribution of over $63 million to investors in connection with a previously filed action. This amount represents the full return of funds to those who invested. The SEC's complaint, filed in May 2019, alleged that Robert C. Morgan, a New York residential and commercial real estate developer, and two of his entities, Morgan Mezzanine Fund Manager LLC and Morgan Acquisitions LLC, engaged in a fraudulent real estate investment scheme. As alleged, Morgan financed his real estate development projects through, among other ways, the sales of securities to more than 200 retail investors, many of whom invested through their retirement accounts. Morgan represented to investors that their money would be used to improve multifamily properties. Instead, as alleged in the complaint, Morgan and his entities diverted investor funds to facilitate payments to earlier investors and made misrepresentations to later investors about prior fund performance. Upon filing this action, the SEC sought and obtained certain emergency relief, including the appointment of a receiver responsible for maximizing the monetary recovery for investors. Since filing, Morgan voluntarily liquidated certain assets to generate funds for collection by the receiver. On Jan. 21, 2020, the court approved the receiver's plan to distribute over $63 million to harmed investors. "Getting money back to defrauded investors is one of our top priorities at the SEC," said Daniel Michael, Chief of the SEC's Complex Financial Instruments Unit. "Although this case is ongoing, the return of funds to investors is an extremely important development and the product of considerable effort by the parties and the receiver." The SEC's continuing investigation is being conducted by Joshua Brodsky and Daniel Nigro of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit and Lee A. Greenwood and Kerri L. Palen of the New York Regional Office. The investigation is being supervised by Osman Nawaz. The litigation is being handled by Mr. Greenwood, Neal Jacobson, and Alexander Vasilescu with assistance from Alistaire Bambach. The dreamy detachment thats a hallmark of the cinematic style of the French director Bertrand Bonello sometimes invites accusations of glibness, and worse. Bonellos last film, 2017s Nocturama, about a cadre of attractive teenage terrorists who hole up in an upscale shopping center, was called repellent in this paper by A.O. Scott, who also accused the filmmaker of shallow cynicism. If Nocturama was a glossy execution of a superficial conceit, Zombi Child, the directors new film, is a scintillating act of discretion or, if you are disinclined to trust Bonello, of evasion. The connection between ritual and revenge in Haitian custom and race and class hierarchies in contemporary France gets a deliberate teasing out here. The movie opens in Haiti in 1962. In a dark room, a man chops up a dead blowfish. He pulverizes the parts into powder, which he sprinkles on the insoles of a pair of shoes. Those shoes incapacitate another man wearing them; he dies, is buried and is revived as a zombie, enslaved, to cut cane in a field with other such afflicted people. Bonello then moves to a girls boarding school in present-day France. A professor lectures on the French Revolution and Napoleons co-opting of it, which, he argues, also paradoxically fulfilled it. He points out that liberalism obscures liberty. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday paid tribute to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Thackeray, who had been an influential figure in Maharashtra, had died in Mumbai in 2012 due to cardiac arrest. Prior to joining politics, he had begun his professional career as a cartoonist with the English language daily 'The Free Press Journal' in Mumbai, but left it in 1960 to form his own political weekly 'Marmik'. In 1966, Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena party to enter political battlefield. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A leading virologist who helped tackle the SARS epidemic in Asia in 2003 has warned that a new strain of deadly coronavirus from China could lead to an outbreak at least 10 times worse than the health crisis 17 years ago. Dr Guan Yi, director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, confessed to Chinese media that the situation in Wuhan - where the virus originated - was already 'uncontrollable'. He also claimed that the Chinese authorities missed the 'golden period' to control the virus and prevent it from spreading. 'I have experienced so much and never felt scared. Most [viruses] are controllable, but this time I am scared,' Dr Guan told the press, predicting the worst is yet to come. A third city in China is going into lockdown as officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed 25, left hundreds seriously ill and potentially infected thousands. Pictured, passengers arrive from the city of Wuhan - where the virus originated - arrive at Narita Airport in Chiba, Japan, today. One case has been confirmed in Japan In the picture taken yesterday, workers are seen producing face masks at a factory in Handan in China's northern Hebei province. The Wuhan government has ordered all residents to wear the medical product after the virus broke out in the city, leading authorities to lock it down Dr Guan Yi (pictured), director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, claimed that the situation in Wuhan was already 'uncontrollable' The expert, who was in Wuhan this week, claimed he had to 'escape' from the city yesterday after noticing the 'jaw-droppingly' poor preventative measures enforced by the local authorities. The new fatal virus, which emerged in Wuhan last month, has killed at least 25 people, sickened more than 800 and caused the central government to put the provincial capital of 11million under lockdown. Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. Scientists in China have recognised its similarity to SARS, which turned into a global killer between 2002 and 2003. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by the SARS coronavirus, known as SARS Co, and first emerged in China in 2002. By the end of a nine-month outbreak, the virus had spread to several other Asian countries as well as the UK and Canada, killing 775 and infecting more than 8,000. Passengers from an international flight have their temperature checked as they pass a thermal scanner monitor upon arrival at the Adisucipto International Airport today in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Countries around Asia have stepped up health checks at airports and train stations Children wear protective masks queue at a check-in counter at the Changi Airport in Singapore today. One person was diagonsed with the virus in Singapore today People queue for receiving treatment at the fever outpatient department at the Wuhan Tongji Hospital in Wuhan. The city's government said the number of fever patients had surged Dr Guan and his team were the first to identify the SARS coronavirus during the epidemic and track down its source to wildlife, particularly the masked palm civet. He also took the lead to urge the government to ban wildlife markets, which prevented a second outbreak of the virus. The new virus, which can cause pneumonia, is poorly understood. Scientists now fear it may have spread to humans from snakes or bats. In an interview with Chinese news outlet Caixin, Dr Guan feared that 'much more' people from Wuhan had been infected by the new virus than the total number of SARS cases, and many of them had already left Wuhan because of the Chinese New Year. He doubted the effect of putting Wuhan under lockdown right now, claiming that the sources of infection had 'spread out completely'. WHAT IS SARS? Severe acute respiratory syndrome is caused by the SARS coronavirus, known as SARS CoV. Coronaviruses commonly cause infections in both humans and animals. There have been two outbreaks, which resulted in a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening form of pneumonia. Both happened between 2002 and 2004. Since 2004, there have not been any known cases of SARS reported anywhere in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor countries throughout the world for any unusual disease activity. Where did it originate? In China in 2002. It's thought that a strain of the coronavirus usually only found in small mammals mutated, enabling it to infect humans. The SARS infection quickly spread from China to other Asian countries. There were also a small number of cases in several other countries, including four in the UK, plus a significant outbreak in Toronto, Canada. The SARS pandemic was eventually brought under control in July 2003, following a policy of isolating people suspected of having the condition and screening all passengers travelling by air from affected countries for signs of the infection. During the period of infection, there were 8,098 reported cases of SARS and 775 deaths. This means the virus killed about one in 10 people who were infected. People over the age of 65 were particularly at risk, with over half of those who died from the infection being in this age group. In 2004 there was another smaller SARS outbreak linked to a medical laboratory in China. It was thought to have been the result of someone coming into direct contact with a sample of the SARS virus, rather than being caused by animal-to-human or human-to-human transmission. How does it spread? In small droplets of saliva coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. If someone else breathes in the droplets, they can become infected. SARS can also be spread indirectly if an infected person touches surfaces such as door handles with unwashed hands. Someone who touches the same surface may also become infected. The virus may also be spread through an infected person's faeces. For example, if they do not wash their hands properly after going to the toilet, they may pass the infection on to others. Symptoms of SARS SARS has flu-like symptoms that usually begin two to seven days after infection. Sometimes, the time between coming into contact with the virus and the start of symptoms (incubation period) can be up to 10 days. The symptoms of SARS include: a high temperature (fever) extreme tiredness (fatigue) headaches chills muscle pain loss of appetite diarrhoea After these symptoms, the infection will begin to affect your lungs and airways (respiratory system), leading to additional symptoms, such as: a dry cough breathing difficulties an increasing lack of oxygen in the blood, which can be fatal in the most severe cases Treatment for SARS There's currently no cure for SARS, but research to find a vaccine is ongoing. A person suspected of having SARS should be admitted to hospital immediately and kept in isolation under close observation. Treatment is mainly supportive, and may include: assisting with breathing using a ventilator to deliver oxygen antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause pneumonia antiviral medicines high doses of steroids to reduce swelling in the lungs There's not much scientific evidence to show that these treatments are effective. The antiviral medicine ribavirin is known to be ineffective at treating SARS. Source: NHS Advertisement Wuhan, a major transport hub in central China, yesterday blocked all of its means of transport. Huanggang and Ezhou, two nearby cities, are going into lockdown today. But Dr Guan said the locals were not paying attention to the epidemic. 'Even though the central government issued orders [to urge people] to pay high attention a couple of days ago, the local health and prevention [authorities] have not upgraded the measures at all,' he told the reporter. Viral footage purports to show a fashionable Chinese young woman biting one of the wings of a cooked bat at a fancy restaurant. The deadly coronavirus could come from the animal Pictures emerging on Twitter shows soup cooked with a bat. Bats are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a series of illness, including coughing, Malaria and Gonorrhea A third city in China is going into lockdown as officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed 17, left hundreds seriously ill and potentially infected thousands. Major Lunar New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains as well as ordering cinemas and internet cafes to close their doors. The development comes as Wuhan the city at the centre of the outbreak remains in lockdown, with all flights in and outbound cancelled, residents banned from leaving and scenes of chaos as desperate families fight for food supplies. Official figures show moe than 800 patients have been struck down by the disease - but scientists yesterday warned as many as 10,000 people could have been infected in Wuhan alone. Experts said they couldn't rule out the SARS-like virus already being in the UK. Others have said no virus has spread this far this quickly since SARS in 2003. Chinese officials are disinfecting whole streets and parks with clouds of gas and chilling footage has emerged of roadside quarantine tents, hastily erected to isolate suspected cases. One resident told the BBC the atmosphere in the city felt like 'the end of the world'. A worker sanitises the square in front of the Hankou Railway Station today. The hub was closed after the city of Wuhan was locked down following the outbreak of a new coronavirus Commuters wearing face masks as a precautionary measure to protect against the possible spread of a SARS-like virus outbreak at an MTR subway station in Hong Kong today Travellers have spread the coronavirus to seven countries already, including the US. European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent, with the UK and other nations already on high alert. It was revealed on Tuesday that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. According to health officials, the unnamed man from Washington state, who is in his 30s, wasn't diagnosed until Monday, January 20 - five days after he returned from China. The World Health Organisation is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. Wuhan's Health Commission said the city is 'witnessing a fast growing trend of fever patients' and hospitals are facing bed shortages because of the virus, which has still yet to be named. Last night British government ministers ordered a clampdown on flights from Wuhan, and took the extraordinary measure of effectively quarantining passengers from China. The virus, which can cause pneumonia, is poorly understood. Scientists now fear it may have spread to humans from snakes or bats. One professor yesterday warned the outbreak has a death rate similar to the global Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, which went on to kill more than 50million people. Data suggests two in 100 people who catch the virus will die. We are saved by the grace of God alone (Romans 6:23). Grace can more simply be defined as unmerited kindness (1 John 4:10). There is nothing good in us, we are sinful beings at the core, children of wrath, but through Gods great grace His unmerited kindness towards us He gave us the opportunity to become children of God (Ephesians 2:1-10). It is a gift, one that cannot be earned, and is so very scandalous in nature, as it is so undeserved (1 Timothy 1:15). 4. Solus Christus (Christ alone) Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King. God sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus alone is the bridge that allows us to walk across, freed from sin, into the loving arms of the Father. We see the theology of Christ Alone in Colossians 1:15-20: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 5. Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God alone) We live for the glory of God alone. Our chief purpose is to know God and make Him known (Philippians 2:9-11). Although a byproduct of salvation is exceeding joy, growing in godliness, and a new identity, it is not the central motivation of salvation, it is Gods glory. He did not choose to save us for our own benefit, but rather, that His own glory would be magnified through us (Ephesians 1:17-21). As John Piper so beautifully puts it in the book Desiring God, God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him. So, let us do all things to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and let us rejoice and ever sing for joy in Him (Psalm 5:11). Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White Former vice president Joe Biden categorically denied Wednesday that he would even consider testifying in President Trumps impeachment trial, calling it a constitutional issue and saying that were not going to turn it into a farce or to some kind of political theater. Asked during a campaign event in Iowa if he would testify, Biden said Republicans efforts to compel his testimony were part of a cynical political effort to distract from the presidents misconduct. Theyre trying to do that. I want no part of that, Biden said, adding that he was not going to play Trumps game. The Senates job is now to try him. My job is to beat him, Biden stated. But the voter who posed the question was not satisfied with Bidens answer, insisting Biden should clear the air after Republican allegations that he and his son Hunter were involved in a Ukrainian conflict of interest while Biden was serving as vice president. He should call the bluff. Trump is a bully and [Biden] needs to stand up to him, Stephen Delgado, a 70-year-old retiree from Arizona, told The Washington Post. Democrats have to stop all this When they go low, we go high. This is a street fight. Biden also shot down reports that Democrats were even considering a swap deal, which was first proposed by Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) last week. No theyre not, Biden said three times to reporters. A Post report Tuesday night cited anonymous sources who said several Senate Democrats were considering Cruzs offer: the testimony of a key White House witness, like former NSA adviser John Bolton, in exchange for Joe or Hunter Bidens testimony. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., NY.) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) both ruled out such a deal on Wednesday. I think its off the table, Schumer said during a break in the second day of opening arguments. First of all, the Republicans have the right to bring in any witness they want. They havent wanted to, and that trade is not on the table. More from National Review gettyimagesbank China's financial liberalization puts Korea in worse footing By Lee Kyung-min Korea's long-term vision of becoming a financial hub in Asia has become more and more "elusive" as China has decided to open its financial market worth $45 trillion (52.5 quadrillion won) by removing regulations on the ownership of foreign financial players operating there. Given that Korea is already struggling to attract foreign investment due to its militant unions and anti-business policies, this latest development will make it harder for Seoul to become a regional financial center. A recent report by Bloomberg stated that the Chinese Communist Party will "enact the most sweeping changes in decades this year starting with its insurance and futures markets to allow the likes of Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and BlackRock to expand their footprint in China and also compete with local firms." Once Beijing's plan is put into action, foreign financial firms are expected to invest $1 trillion over the next few years, expecting annual profits to top $9 billion, according to the report. Drawing particular interest is life insurance, a segment dominated by locals China Life Insurance and Ping An Insurance Group. Under the new changes, foreign insurers will be allowed to launch 100 percent-owned units offering life insurance. Also, overseas firms can set up their own entities to trade futures in a market crowed by 150 local players. A night view on Yeouido Stock Street in Seoul / Korea Times file Chinese auxiliary police officers wear face masks to avoid contracting coronavirus (Zhao Qirui/ Costfoto/Sipa USA) Six people in the UK are being tested for potential coronavirus. Five people have been admitted to hospitals in Scotland and one person is being tested in Northern Ireland. None of the cases have been confirmed as the virus so far. However, two of those being tested in Scotland had been diagnosed with influenza after travelling to Wuhan, China, where the virus is thought to have originated. A third person is undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis. The Scottish government said in a statement: There are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus (WN Co-V) in Scotland and the risk to the Scottish public remains low. Following travel to Wuhan, China, two people confirmed as diagnosed with influenza are now being tested for Wuhan Novel Coronavirus as a precautionary measure only. Three further people are also undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis. Coronavirus: confirmed cases. As the situation develops we will update should there be any confirmed cases of coronavirus, rather than provide a running update on cases being considered on a precautionary basis. The sixth person is being tested to rule out coronavirus at Belfasts Royal Victoria Hospital. The patient arrived at the hospital showing symptoms which may be associated with the condition but it will be some time before test results are returned. The patient in Belfast developed flu-like symptoms after travelling from China, according to the BBC. Downing Street said Boris Johnson is being kept updated with ministers and officials keeping the situation under close review. At least 17 people have died in China as a result of the illness, with hundreds more cases confirmed. On Thursday night, the World Health Organisations emergency committee said it was too early to declare an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, said: Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China. Story continues But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one. On Wednesday night, China suspended all flights, including international services, out of Wuhan city the epicentre of the outbreak. Another city close to Wuhan, Huanggang, is also under quarantine as officials try to contain the spread. Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, health secretary Matt Hancock said the NHS is ready for an outbreak of coronavirus. He said: The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from very low to low, and has concluded that while there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them. The UK is one of the first countries to develop a world-leading test for coronavirus, the NHS is ready to respond appropriately to any cases that emerge, clinicians in both primary and secondary care have already received advice covering initial detection and investigation of possible cases, infection control and diagnostics. The public can be assured that the whole of the UK is always well prepared for these type of outbreaks and we will remain vigilant and keep our response under constant review in light of emerging scientific evidence. Read more from Yahoo News UK: How did the coronavirus outbreak start? Coronavirus 'may be missed at airport screenings North Korea to ban foreign tourists to stop coronavirus spread How worried should we be about coronavirus? Experts say the UK is well equipped to deal with the virus but that authorities should take the risk seriously. Prof Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: " I think it unlikely that the Wuhan coronavirus will be cause a major public health issue in the UK in large part because of our existing health system. If the outbreak developed into a pandemic with very large number of cases then it would be a very serious issue for us all. However, I doubt that this will happen, though we still do need to take the outbreak seriously and monitor the situation carefully. A passenger arrives at Heathrow Airport wearing a face masks amid a coronavirus outbreak (SWNS) Passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport wear face masks as four patients are tested for coronavirus in Scotland (SWNS) Prof Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: For a virus outbreak that was identified around a month ago, the number of exported cases and the recent uplift of numbers is concerning; particularly as the suspected source of the outbreak a fish market that supposedly also traded in live animals has been closed for some time. This, together with reported chains of human to human transmission means this is an outbreak that the international community needs to take seriously. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 05:59:01|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close U.S. President Donald Trump (R) leaves for Florida at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 23, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss regional and security issues with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here next week, the White House said on Thursday. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss regional and security issues with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here next week, the White House said on Thursday. Netanyahu will visit Washington on Jan. 28, the White House said in a statement, adding that the visit "is an opportunity to discuss our shared regional and national security interests." Benjamin Gantz, Blue and White Chairman and elections rival of Netanyahu, also accepted Trump's invitation to come to Washington, according to the statement. Trump is expected to discuss his Middle East peace plan with his Israeli guests. Media reports speculated that Trump could release the plan before the elections in Israel on March 2. Trump has postponed several times the publication of his "Deal of the Century" for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The economic part of Trump's peace plan was unveiled during a U.S.-led conference in Bahrain last June, a convention boycotted by the Palestinians. Political ties between Palestine and the United States have been severed right after Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017 and moved the U.S. embassy to the city in 2018. But the DOJ disputes those claims. The agency says there are no administrative rules to address the processing of sexual assault kits, and that Schimel had only requested that sexual assault kits be submitted to state crime labs, which is not binding on the hospitals that submit those kits. If the bill Kaul is championing is enacted, law enforcement agencies would be required to submit kits to the state crime labs within two weeks of when the agencies receive the kits for victims who choose to report to law enforcement. The DOJ also argued that the proposed sexual assault kit legislation would not slow down processing of the kits. The DOJ said the bill sets a baseline for how quickly sexual assault kits should be submitted and retained, and that agencies can submit kits more quickly if they wish. In an interview, Sanfelippo said the DOJ had misunderstood his comments in the letter. He said he was referring to the process Schimel put in place to address the backlog, not any administrative rules. Sanfelippo said he thinks the bill does little to address the sexual assault kit backlog, which has been addressed. He said he wants to wait to see whether better bills on the topic surface. STEM PASCO Adds Google Integrations to Science Gear PASCO Scientific, which supplies schools with science products, has joined a Google for Education integrated solutions initiative. PASCO said it hopes its participation will improve the efficiency of science learning and classroom experimentation with its gear in schools where Google products are being used. This isn't the first time PASCO has focused on Google integration. According to Richard Briscoe, the company's president and CEO, "teachers and students have been using SPARKvue software to collect and analyze data on their Chromebooks and Android devices for years." The latest commitment means PASCO will optimize more of its education applications and tools to work with Chrome OS, Google Classroom and G Suite for Education. The first set of integrations includes the abilities to: Connect PASCO sensors to the Google Science Journal app on Android; for example, users of Science Journal will get the same plug-and-play functionality already available to SPARKvue users when using PASCO wireless sensors; Export data directly to Google Sheets on Android; and Share lab resources including digital experiments from PASCO.com through Google Classroom, with the use of a new "share to classroom" button that lets teachers export their experiments to the whole class with a click. "At PASCO, we are excited to be partnering with Google in our mission to promote accessible science learning and data literacy," said Briscoe in a statement. "We are consistently striving to provide educators with innovative teaching solutions that improve the efficiency of their classroom." More information about the integrations is available on the PASCO website. Dutch-registered Startmail.com website has been sending thousands of hoax bomb threats to courts, schools, hospitals, shopping malls and other facilities across Russia since November 2019, Russias Federal Security Service said. "Since November 28, 2019 until now, the foreign service Startmail.com (in the Netherlands) has sent more than 1,000 anonymous reports with bomb threats to emails of judicial authorities in 16 Russian regions," TASS cited the FSB Public Relations Center as saying. More than 16,000 social infrastructure facilities such as schools, kindergartens, hospitals, transport and shopping centers received bomb threats, which turned out to be a hoax, TASS reported. "Starting from January 23, 2020 access to information resources of the foreign service Startmail.com will be banned," the FSB said, noting that the decision was made based on a demand of the Prosecutor-Generals Office and Roscomnazdor. The mother of a Perth woman who fatally stabbed her de facto says he had attacked everyone in the room and she thought he would kill them all. Tracey Bridgewater, 41, is on trial in the West Australian Supreme Court, charged with the manslaughter of Nicholas Josephs, 44, at their Hamilton Hill home in September 2018. Tracey Bridgewater leaves court after an earlier appearance last year. Credit:Richard Wainwright/AAP Mr Josephs became violent after Bridgewater threatened to call police over heavy metal he refused to turn down, assaulting his much-smaller girlfriend before turning on her parents. That's accepted by the prosecution, but it argues Bridgewater's actions were not authorised, justified or excused by law, saying she should have sought help instead of escalating an already tense situation. New Delhi : Ahead of Assembly elections, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday came out in support of the women protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Speaking at the News18 conclave, Sisodia said that he stands with the people of Shaheen Bagh, who have been protesting against the unconstitutional law for the last 40 days. The remarks of Sisodia extending support to the anti-CAA protest came hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the contentious Citizenship Act an issue and said that his party does not support the divisive NRC. Kejriwal said that his party had opposed the CAA in Parliament and he himself spoke against it in his rallies. Until today, the AAP had been relatively silent on the iconic Shaheen Bagh protest in spite of voting against the CAA in Parliament. No big leader from the AAP had visited the protesters at Shaheen Bagh, which led to criticism from the other Opposition parties. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that Kejriwal's "subdued" response to the issues (CAA, Jamia, JNU violence) "smacks of opportunism". "He (Kejriwal) did not show up in Jamia (Millia Islamia), he did not show up in JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University). His statements were not frequent enough, strong enough and open enough, Sibal had told news agency PTI. According to experts, the AAP didnt want to lose Hindu voters and was maintaining silence on the issues. However, Muslims in Delhi also account for nearly 13 per cent of the voters and not speaking up for them could have hurt AAP in the February 8 Delhi Assembly elections. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. "Rampant" cocaine use is fuelling domestic violence and dominating family court cases in Ireland, it has been claimed. Recreational use of cocaine has become so widespread it is impacting the lives of people from every economic background, and a rising number of addicts are choosing the drug over their children, according to a family law solicitor. Sandra McAleer, based in Dublin, said it is involved in almost every other court case she deals with. "Cocaine is rampant. It's either the cause or it's the financial burden because of people taking cocaine," she said. "People taking cocaine get cocky, and when they get cocky they get paranoid and that's when the arguments start. "People can't go out for a few drinks any more, they have to go to the toilet. "Domestic violence is being fuelled by cocaine. Everybody is going at it. "Normal working mums are losing their kids over cocaine." Ms McAleer said that, while cocaine was previously seen as a "rich man's drug", it is now also being used by people on low incomes and parents with nine-to-five jobs. Debts She added that cocaine is given out "on tap", leaving people facing mounting debts as they spend hundreds of euro each weekend on the drug. Ms McAleer said it has become socially acceptable to openly do a line of cocaine during nights out. "I can't comprehend how men and many women are choosing the white stuff over their children," she added. "There's a lot of money in it and the only people that are fuelling it are the Joe Soaps. "A dealer told me that he can get up to 1,000 for a good bag." One victim of domestic violence wants abusers to be made to sign a national register to help prevent other women from experiencing similar abuse. Dublin mother Priscilla Grainger was emotionally and physically abused throughout her marriage and was afraid to seek help. After she eventually ended the marriage she found little help for victims. In 2014, she and her daughter set up Stop Domestic Violence in Ireland, which provides help for people trying to get out of violent and abusive relationships. "Myself and my daughter were physically and emotionally abused and it became extremely dangerous," Ms Grainger said. "I realised we need to help other people, and the only way to stop domestic violence is by helping other people and exposing it, as domestic violence is not a crime." She said the organisation had a huge increase in calls for help over the Christmas period, with financial abuse and cocaine among the main factors. "You could see the fear in people's faces because they've obviously had a horrendous Christmas and it's all down to these narcissistic men and women. Abusers are not just men, there are women too. "The next government needs to make domestic violence a crime and introduce a register which perpetrators have to sign," she added. There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue which has to be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan and the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment for engagement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. New Delhi: There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue which has to be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan and the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment for engagement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The ministry's assertion came in response to US president Donald Trump's fresh offer to "help" in resolving the issue. "There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said when asked about Trump's offer. MEA: If there are any bilateral issues b/w India & Pakistan that needs to be discussed, it should be done b/w the 2 countries under provisions of Shimla Agreement & Lahore Declaration. But onus is on Pak to create such conducive conditions - free from terror, hostility & violence https://t.co/z0TRVDyAp7 ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020 "Our position has been clear and consistent on Kashmir... It is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan," he said. Addressing the media with Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan in Davos on Tuesday, Trump said that the US was watching the developments related to Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the matter. Kumar said issues have to be resolved bilaterally and the onus was on Pakistan to create an environment for engagement. Pakistan's attempt to create an alarmist situation in Kashmir failed and the global community understands its double standards, he said in response to another question. He was responding to a question about the Times investigation from Francisco Guerreiro, a European lawmaker from Portugal. Mr. Wojciechowskis response, if short on specifics, signaled that top officials in Brussels are considering direct steps to combat corruption in the subsidy program. European officials had previously said that it was up to national leaders including those who have manipulated and benefited from the subsidies to institute reforms or crack down on abuses. The Times tracked at least $49 million in subsidies to companies controlled by Prime Minister Andrej Babis of the Czech Republic, for example. And reporters mapped government farmland sales in Hungary that made the family and friends of the prime minister, Viktor Orban, eligible for millions of dollars in subsidies. Despite such problems, any significant changes proposed by Mr. Wojciechowski are likely to be hotly contested. Some of the European lawmakers who write the subsidy policy also benefit personally from the program, a situation that is allowed by Europes weak and murky conflict-of-interest rules. Cracking down will also be difficult because much of the abuse documented by The Times can be traced to the subsidy formula itself. The European Union pays farmers based on how much land they control, a system that encourages farmers to acquire more and more property. President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed the head injuries sustained by US troops in the January 18 Iranian missile attack as 'headaches' as he was pressed on why he had claimed no troops were injured in the attack. 'I heard they had headaches and a couple of other things...and I can report it is not very serious,' Trump said at a press conference in Davos, Switzerland. He said that potential traumatic brain injuries are less severe than, say, missing limbs. But these injuries can be debilitating, increasing lifetime risks for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide - leading causes of veteran disability. Some 8,000 military personnel sustained 'severe or penetrating' head injuries between 2010 and 2015. 'No, I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen,' the president said, and described meeting previously with US troops wounded by roadside bombs. 'I've seen people with no legs and with no arms. I've seen people that were horribly, horribly injured in that area, that war.' 'No, I do not consider that to be bad injuries, no,' he added. Yet 11 service members were flown out of Iraq on January 10 and 15 after on-site medical screening flagged them for concussion-like symptoms. US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Trump's two-day stay in Davos is a test of his ability to balance anger over being impeached with a desire to project leadership on the world stage. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump has repeatedly claimed that no Americans were harmed in the Iranian missile strikes on January 8, which came in retaliation for a US drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran's top general. And Trump had said that outcome drove his decision not to retaliate further and risk a broader war with Iran. That movement was not reported to Defense Secretary Mark Esper until the day it was publicly announced, last Thursday - in line with the usual practice of not reporting injuries to the Pentagon unless they involve the loss of life, limb or eyesight. In addition, defense officials said that about 10 more service members were flown to Germany in recent days. Most were being treated for symptoms related to possible traumatic brain injury. A smaller number may have been suffering from psychological trauma, according to two defense officials who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity. The exact nature and severity of the apparent brain injuries has not been publicly released. And at the Pentagon, the deputy commander of US military operations in Iraq and Syria told reporters that the extent of potential brain injuries was not clear in the first days following the Iranian attack. Air Force Major General Alexus Grynkewich, who visited the troops at Ain al-Asad air base a few days after the attack, said that even now, it is too early to know the severity of injury suffered by those who have been evacuated to Germany and Kuwait. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, has been an increasing cause of concern in the military since the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan began, with the Department of Defense reporting more than 375,000 incidents between 2000 and 2018, according to a National Academy of Sciences report released last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the effects of a TBI can vary significantly depending on the severity - ranging from short-term symptoms to life-long debilitating impacts on cognitive and motor function and behavior, including significant changes in thinking and behavior, depression, anxiety and aggression. In 2014 alone, TBIs resulted in approximately 288,000 hospitalizations and were related to nearly 57,000 deaths. 'Each year, TBI causes a substantial number of deaths and leads to life-long disability for many Americans. In fact, TBIs contribute to about 30 percent of all injury deaths in the United States,' the CDC reported. It added that, 'The consequences of severe TBI can affect all aspects of an individual's life, including relationships with family and friends, the ability to progress at school or work, doing household tasks, driving, or participating in other daily activities.' US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement Tuesday evening that given the nature of the reported injuries, 'it is possible additional injuries may be identified in the future.' Trump told reporters he was informed of the concussion issue 'numerous days' after the attack. -- Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. BP is back in the Permian Basin thanks to its 2018 deal to buy the U.S. shale assets of BHP Billiton for $10.6 billion. That gave the company holdings not only in the Permian but in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville. With the acquisition completed last year, BPs U.S. arm known as BPX Energy, is preparing to develop those holdings that are situated in the Delaware Basin portion of the Permian. Will Burton, vice president, midstream operations said that whats different about the companys Permian Basin presence is the significant investment it plans. The Permian will provide significant growth for us in the next five years, he said in a phone interview. The first step is building up the companys midstream infrastructure, expanding the midstream assets the company acquired from BHP, Burton said. While declining to provide a specific amount, he said the company is making significant capital expenditures in infrastructure, including pipeline and gathering lines for gas, oil and water and nine central delivery points with adjoining water disposal facilities. The first central delivery point is currently under construction in the Orla region of Reeves County. The first two are expected to be completed by the end of the year, at which time BPX will begin ramping up its drilling operations later and carrying through the next four to six years, Burton said. The company is planning job fairs for Friday and Saturday for a mix of positions -- from power systems, plant and pipeline site managers to facilities engineers, electrical engineers, control/I&E engineers to electrical specialists, maintenance specialists, plant operators and pipeline technicians. Were looking for people that demonstrate the values that are key to our future success: Innovation, motivation, trust and teamwork, Burton said. BPX Energy job fairs --noon-6 p.m. (MST) Friday: Pecos River Village Conference Center, 711 Muscatel Ave. in Carlsbad, New Mexico --8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (MST) Saturday at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, at 305 E. 5th St. See More Collapse BPs new midstream infrastructure will use what Burton called the latest and greatest technology designed to limit emissions while the company increases its oil and natural gas production. Technology will include drones and enhanced automation and controls, all designed to reduce BPs operational footprint. By operating our midstream infrastructure, it is the best way to get all our resources in a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly way, he said. This footprint will drastically reduce greenhouse gases versus traditional treatment plant buildout. The centralized delivery points will not only lower greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing electrically-driven compressors that will emit less greenhouse gases than natural gas or diesel-driven compressors, he said. Were trying to be good stewards of our environment by having the lowest methane footprint, he said. Lewis Metropolitan CME Church Observes 73rd Year Praises and thanks to God will highlight the observance of Lewis Metropolitan CME Churchs 73rd anniversary on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The theme is Growing Stronger, Growing Deeper, and Reaching Higher, based on Isaiah 40:30, and the greater L.A. community is welcome to attend, said Pastor Travis A. Morris. We are inviting everyone to join in this spiritually blessed day of thanksgiving as we pray that God will continue to dwell in our hearts, mind and spirit through faith that is rooted and grounded in love, explained Morris, who will preach at the morning worship. ADVERTISEMENT Morris, a third-generation preacher, also serves as presiding elder of the San Diego/Los Angeles District of the CME Southern California Region. A pastor for 22 years, he accepted his call to the ministry in 1996. Following the service, a celebration dinner will be held in C.E. Mitchell Fellowship Hall. The Rev. Michael J. Ealey, pastor and founder of Prevailing in Christ Ministries in Carson, will deliver the sermon at the afternoon service. Ealey is well known for his messages that inspire spiritual growth and victorious living in the Lord. He earned his Bachelors degree at Long Beach Bible Institute and completed studies at Oxford University in London. Lewis Metropolitan CME Church is located at 4900 S. Western Ave., in Los Angeles. To learn more, call (323) 292-0179. The Russian delegation will raise, at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the issue of media freedom in Europe and the situation around Sputnik Estonia, State Duma deputy speaker, delegation head Pyotr Tolstoy told reporters Thursday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) The Russian delegation will raise, at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the issue of media freedom in Europe and the situation around Sputnik Estonia, State Duma deputy speaker, delegation head Pyotr Tolstoy told reporters Thursday. "We plan to inform the rapporteur and other colleagues about discrimination against Sputnik Estonia and violation of the rights of journalists in Ukraine," Tolstoy said. Earlier, employees of Sputnik Estonia received direct threats from the leadership of the Estonian Police and Border Guard board that criminal proceedings would be initiated against them if they did not terminate their employment relations with the parent organization by January 1, 2020. On January 1, the Sputnik Estonia website passed on to emergency operation. The Estonian authorities cited sanctions imposed by the European Union on March 17, 2014 against a number of individuals and legal entities in the light of events in Ukraine as justification for the actions. However, the EU sanctions were introduced not against Rossiya Segodnya, which includes Sputnik, but personally against the agency's Director General Dmitry Kiselev. The page youre looking for cannot be found. Check the address and spelling are correct. If youre still encountering problems, please Contact Us. Donald Trump is poised to make a last-ditch bid to persuade ministers to exclude Huawei from Britains 5G network. With a decision expected next week, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to raise the issue with Chancellor Sajid Javid over the weekend. No 10 officials are also braced for President Trump to call Boris Johnson to lobby him on the issue. Donald Trump is poised to make a last-ditch bid to persuade ministers to exclude Huawei from Britains 5G network. A full ban on Huawei equipment would delay the widespread introduction of 5G by at least two years, and result in delays to the availability of super-fast broadband The US wants a blanket ban on the Chinese tech firm after warning it is a security risk. The Prime Minister is likely to reject the demand despite fears it will lead to a rift with our closest ally. Last year, the US imposed trade restrictions on Huawei over concerns about its security and ties to the Chinese government, with allegations its equipment could be used to spy on people. With a decision expected next week, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to raise the issue with Chancellor Sajid Javid over the weekend. The Chancellor is pictured above in Brussels earlier this week Huawei has repeatedly denied this. Australia, which is also part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, has also imposed a ban. Security officials have advised Mr Johnson that any security risk can be managed if Huawei is barred from the core elements of the fifth-generation mobile phone network. A full ban on Huawei equipment would delay the widespread introduction of 5G by at least two years, and result in delays to the availability of super-fast broadband. Mr Johnsons official spokesman said work on the issue of high-risk 5G partners is ongoing. A final decision by ministers on the National Security Council is expected next week. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom argued the alternatives to Huawei were limited. She told Sky News: Ideally there would be more providers of infrastructure similar to the work Huawei does. She said the country is looking very closely at the issue. Tory MP Bob Seely, who sat on the Commons foreign affairs committee last year, urged the Government to be cautious about allowing Huawei equipment to form part of the 5G infrastructure. Mr Seely, who is opposed to the firms involvement, said it was one of the most critical issues that will define the coming decades. Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said this week that the US is over-concerned about the Chinese company. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, he said Huawei had been blacklisted by Washington because the US was uncomfortable with foreigners challenging its own tech expertise. Maharashtra Police on Thursday informed state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh about the status of probe in the case of violence at Koregaon Bhima in Pune on January 1, 2018, an official said. Pawar, Deshmukh and senior state police officials held a review meeting on the case at the state secretariat here in the morning. The meeting began around 8 am and went on for over an hour. "Senior police officers briefed the deputy chief minister and the home minister about the status of probe in the violence that took place on January 1, 2018," a home department official said. Another round of briefing is expected to take place soon, he added. The meeting assumes significance as NCP chief Sharad Pawar last month demand that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the Koregaon Bhima case. NCP leader Deshmukh, after taking charge as Home minister, said earlier this month that he would seek a status report on the case and then take a decision. The term "urban Naxal" was used by the Pune Police probing the alleged links between the Elgar Parishad conclave of December 31, 2017 and the caste clashes around Koregaon Bhima in Pune district the next day. While some rights activists were arrested in the case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. Ekbote was granted bail by the Supreme Court, while Bhide was never arrested. The Pune Police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The parishad, they alleged, instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on January 1, 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) H ealth Secretary Matt Hancock has said that the NHS is well-prepared for any outbreak of coronavirus in the UK amid an "increased likelihood" of the disease arriving on British shores. In a statement to the Commons on Thursday, he said that the UK was "well equipped" to deal with an cases. At least 17 people have died from the virus, and hundreds more have been positively diagnosed. The majority of cases are in Wuhan, which is one of two Chinese cities on lockdown, but there are also confirmed cases in Japan, South Korea and the US. At least 17 people have died from the disease / Getty Images Making a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, Mr Hancock said Englands chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, is in contact with international experts and his counterparts to monitor the situation. He said: The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from very low to low, and has concluded that while there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them. The UK is one of the first countries to develop a world-leading test for coronavirus, the NHS is ready to respond appropriately to any cases that emerge, clinicians in both primary and secondary care have already received advice covering initial detection and investigation of possible cases, infection control and diagnostics. The public can be assured that the whole of the UK is always well prepared for these type of outbreaks and we will remain vigilant and keep our response under constant review in light of emerging scientific evidence. Supermarkets have been cleared out after the city of Wuhan was put on lockdown / Getty Images He added: "We are working closely with our counterparts in the devolved administrations and the public can be assured that the whole of the UK is always well-prepared for these types of outbreaks. "And we'll remain vigilant and keep our response under constant review in the light of emerging scientific evidence." Mr Hancock said it could take up to 14 days for those who are infected to show symptoms. A flight from Wuhan landed at Heathrow on Wednesday to a separate disembarking area for checks. Some passengers were reportedly only given a leaflet about what symptoms to look out for. Addressing this, Mr Hancock said: Symptoms for the Wuhan novel coronavirus do not usually appear for the Wuhan novel coronavirus do not usually appear for five to seven days, and sometimes up to 14 days. The advice is that that most important part of the monitoring is to ensure that everybody knows what to do if the symptoms arise because often the symptoms wont be there for someone who was on the flight. The symptoms for the coronavirus are similar to the flu - fever, fatigue, a sore throat and a dry cough. Doctors have also advised people who think they may have contracted the coronavirus to stay at home and call the NHS. He told Sky: If you have been to China, to Wuhan in particular, then stay at home and ring up. Please dont come to the surgery or A&E. Help will be organised to take you to somewhere we can examine you in safety, without contaminating all the rest of the healthcare assets. JAKARTA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures fell 1.3% in early trading on Thursday, giving up some gains from a rally in prices in the previous session on subdued demand. The benchmark palm oil contract for April delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange eased to 2,935 ringgit after jumping 3% in the previous session. "The market is adjusting after Wednesday's euphoric recovery," said Anilkumar Bagani, research head at Sunvin Group, a Mumbai-based vegetable oil broker. The contract on Wednesday rose after an industry body forecast a bigger-than-expected drop in output and on hopes that India would reduce duties on imports of the vegetable oil. The Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) forecast a drop of 17% in Jan. 1-20 palm oil production, compared with a 5% to 10% fall expected by the market. The surge, however, was expected to be short-lived due to lower demand, traders told Reuters. Prices were further weighed down by rumours that India may reduce import duties on other vegetable oils more than on palm, a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said. Soyoil futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 0.5%, while palm oil futures contract traded 2.2% higher. Soyoil on the Chicago Board of Trade last traded down 0.7%. Palm oil is affected by price movements in related oils as its competes for a share of the global vegetable oil market. FUNDAMENTALS * Profit-taking pulled down Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures on Wednesday after robust global demand and concerns about tightening supplies pushed the most-active contract to its highest price since August 2018. * Oil prices fell to their lowest in seven weeks on Thursday on concerns that the spread of a newly identified respiratory virus from China may lower fuel demand at the same time a report showed oil inventories in the United States rose last week. MARKET NEWS * Asian shares and U.S. stock futures edged lower on Thursday as investors remained anxious about the spread of a new flu-like virus in China just as millions prepared to travel for the Lunar New Year. Story continues * Technology shares led the S&P 500 marginally higher on Wednesday, as a healthy forecast from IBM helped mitigate worries over the developing coronavirus outbreak. * The safe-haven Japanese yen was firm and the Chinese yuan fragile on Thursday as traders kept a wary eye on the spread of a virus in China, while the ailing Australian dollar jumped after a surprise drop in unemployment. DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0030 Australia Employment, Unemployment Rate Dec 1245 EU ECB Refinancing, Deposit Rates Jan 1330 US Initial Jobless Claims Weekly 1500 EU Consumer Confid. Flash Jan 2350 Japan Bank of Japan releases minutes of monetary policy meeting (Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Editing by Anil D'Silva) (Photo : Unsplash) After you've been involved in a car accident, you might be overwhelmed and full of questions. Having an understanding of the legal process will help make it far less stressful, and will allow you to have reasonable expectations about the Talk With Your Attorney Hiring an attorney is a stressful first step, and that is why it is crucial to take this part seriously. You want an attorney you can trust, who will work with you personally, rather than having their aides or assistants call you. Once you have found a car accident lawyer you can trust, it is up to them to determine if there was actual negligence, carelessness, or intent behind your injury, and someone who is responsible for your injuries. They will consider how severe your injuries are, like if you need surgery or extensive physical therapy. They will start to gather the medical bills you start getting, even if you are still receiving treatment for your injury. Once a defendant for which you are seeking compensation from is identified, your attorney will begin to go over with you what your legal options are. Many attorneys offer free consultations to potential clients. This is an excellent way to interview different lawyers and find which one you trust. Investigating Your Claim It is critical in this stage to ensure you send your attorney the required documents promptly. If the hospital sends you a notice, for example, then that will be necessary for your attorney to look over. Other documents your attorney will need include: The police report Photographs Medical bills, and letters from your physician Witness testimonies Your salary or wages Employment verification, and a character reference from your employer if they would be willing to write one Reconstructing the Scene of the Accident One of the most important duties of an attorney is to reconstruct the scene of the accident with reconstruction experts. They are expert witnesses who can provide collision analysis, reports on collision speed, and traffic accident and injury reconstruction. Settlement Demand Now your attorney is ready to send a demand letter to the insurance company that outlines the damages you are seeking. The most common types of damages people sue for are: Lost wages Future lost wages Physical injuries, from mild to severe Medical bills Future medical expenses Pain and suffering Loss of companionship or enjoyment of life The attorney and the adjuster for the insurance company will look over your settlement and determine if they agree with the amount you are asking for. If they do, then that will be the amount paid out. If they do not, then you will have to file a lawsuit. Filing A Lawsuit If your attorney cannot agree with the insurance company's adjuster and attorney, then they will file a suit on your behalf. In this step, a mediator may be brought in to settle the case before it goes to trial. During mediation, which is an informal process, both parties try to come to an agreement with each other. Trials are very time-consuming and stressful, so your attorney will do their best to come to a quick resolution, without compromising what you deserve. Trial If the matter cannot be resolved, then your case will go before a judge and possibly a jury. During the trial, the facts of your car accident will be debated. Expert witnesses may be brought in. And if you pick an excellent attorney, you may win your case. Against the backdrop of violence in JNU and ideological fault lines running deeper than any other social cleavage, we need to take cognisance of a significant trend that has emerged in the past few years; ie ideological assertion by citizens and its impact on various fields including economy, foreign policy, education, defence For a civilisation that originated over 10,000 years ago and survived several invasions, every moment of its lifetime can be summed up by Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Most observers and traveller accounts suggest that pluralism, diversity, multiformity was embedded in the very mosaic of India since its very inception. While this diversity manifested itself in writings, poetry, theatre, folk songs, cinema, architecture, festivals, religion and politics, the very kernel of this diversity lay in the diversity of ideas. It is observed that as ideas mature, they graduate from being discussions to discourse, and discourse becomes one of main identities of an ideology. Today, India is witnessing a struggle between discourses. Against the backdrop of violence in JNU and ideological fault lines running deeper than any other social cleavage, we need to take cognisance of a significant trend that has emerged in the past few years; ie ideological assertion by citizens and its impact on various fields including economy, foreign policy, education, defence. When the Republic of India was born in 1947, access to education was a privilege that few enjoyed, and access to international community was reserved for the select few. Obviously, the so-called unwashed masses did not have the luxury to discuss their plight; their only option was to fight and survive one generation at a time. The masses were too anguished by their daily war for bread to even think of playing a role in nation-building. Moreover, they were convinced of their incompetence just due to their lack of fluency in English and the ways of the classes. Unfortunately, those who were then steering India ahead did not have any ideological direction. As a result, the nation grew in all directions, divided by individual ambitions. While the struggle for the masses to economically and socially empower themselves was incremental, Indira Gandhi's decision to impose Emergency played the role of a catalyst. When India elected her, she represented someone who had inherited the right to rule India (it was largely acceptable, since dynastic politics had not become deleterious as yet); when she imposed Emergency, she represented her who had also inherited the right to trample India. The 18 months of Emergency activated the known unknown among Indians; common Indians who otherwise didn't mind being ruled and controlled, hit the streets. India was divided between those who were determined to speak and those who wouldn't let them speak. The dormant seed of ideology had germinated. As the masses empowered themselves and reached the minimum economic threshold where they could afford to spend time and energy to ponder over issues beyond their daily bread, they wanted a say and stake rather than just universal adult suffrage. This included representatives who represented their lives, outfits that essayed their demands, activists who stood for their struggles, intellectuals who articulated their arguments, artists who narrated their story, newspapers that carried their voice etc. Humble families focussed on education; students worked hard to crack JEE/UPSC/AIIMS; and eventually became a part of those corridors that controlled the country in more ways than one. Ironically, as economic and social variables of the masses converged with the select few, the two groups never assimilated. The climbers were determined to take charge from inheritors and challenge the status quo strengthened with every passing decade. This was also the reason why the middle-class of India emerged as an identity, bound by a common value system, irrespective of their ethnic individualities. It is important to grasp the historical context to appreciate the rising assertion of the non-Left ideology (hereafter referred to as Neo-Right) in India. In the Triangle of Communication, from ideas to discussion to discourse to ideology, it has taken decades of persistence for the Neo-Right to equip itself with vocabulary and vehicles to communicate what it stands for. Conspicuous by their middle-income status, and unwillingness to compromise their value system, the Neo-Right held the inheritors responsible for their delayed access to resources and the permanent 'developing nation' status of India. For example, there were multiple efforts to give Ram Janmabhoomi the shape of a country-wide movement. Right from the 1950s to the Dharma Sansad in 1984, the struggle was united by cause but limited by means. It was only in 1990s, when the middle-class had found a voice for itself across cinema, literature, media, and politics that LK Advani's rath yatra established a connection with this section of society. Similarly, it has taken three decades for the rendition of Kashmiri Pandits to become a mainstream issue. With this in view, to say that policymaking is divorced from ideological bent would be grossly incorrect. Every policy has an objective. This objective is linked to the larger vision of the policy makers (here: Lawmakers). For example, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a policy intervention guided by the intention to reduce in house air pollution improve ease of living, dominated by the larger objective of women empowerment. MUDRA is a policy intervention to buttress entrepreneurship and eventually drive India towards a self-sufficient nation, guided by the principle of Swadesi. The Citizenship Amendment Act which aims to provide dignity to those religious minorities who have been denied their basic rights due to their belief system, is influenced by the overarching sentiment against partition of India on religious lines. Free market philosophy is reflected in increased privatisation and new liberties for businesses. Strong alignment of policymaking with the overarching ideology makes for robust political communication too. Between a party that spells out its promises and a party that presents a blueprint, the choices are obviously in favour of unambiguity. As India grows economically and the masses catch up with the classes, political parties will need to offer ideological coherence with their promises and express what they stand for. They will no more be able to balance their vote banks by toggling on their stance based on convenience; If they stand for minorities, they will have to do so for minorities of Pakistan too; if they support gender equality, they will have to oppose practices like triple talaq. This is perhaps also the rise of an India where the common citizens have staked their claim and demand their due share across dimensions of nation-building. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Drug firm Cipla said it has received observations from the USFDA for its Goa manufacturing facility. It further said that the developments will not have any material impact on the company's US business at this stage. "The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has classified the inspection conducted at its Goa manufacturing facility from 16-27 September 2019 as Official Action Indicated (OAI). The company does not believe that this will have any material impact on the US business at this stage," the drug major said in an exchange filing. Cipla further said it has a strong track record of maintaining the highest standard of compliance and will work closely with the agency to comprehensively address the observations received. TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Restaurants Canada is proud to announce its newest membership savings program partnership with Superior Propane, Canadas largest propane supplier. Effective today, Restaurants Canada members will receive exclusive credits with their Business Bundle when they switch to Superior Propane. Whether its staffing or food matters, we know operators have more important tasks to juggle than monitoring and ordering propane, said Director of Membership at Restaurants Canada, Christopher Barry. They need the convenience and reliability that comes with Superior Propanes SMART* Tank monitoring technology and industry-first mobile app, which make it easy for our members to manage their propane needs and stay focused on their business of creating great customer experiences." With the largest delivery network in Canada, serving over 10,000 communities, Superior Propanes exclusive Business Bundle includes: Preferred business rates Wireless SMART* Tank with notifications Automated fuel delivery 24/7 access to mySUPERIOR customer web portal and mobile app "Propane is a safe, affordable, and versatile energy solution, and were excited to be able to offer our exclusive Business Bundle to Restaurants Canada members, said Dominic Palladino, GM of Commercial Sales at Superior Propane. Its a no-stress solution that allows operators to keep their kitchen cooking and their guests comfortable while being in full control." To learn more about the Superior Propane program offer for members of Restaurants Canada, visit rcsave.ca/propane or call 1-800-387-5649 and speak to a Member Services representative. About Restaurants Canada Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit association advancing the potential of Canadas diverse and dynamic foodservice industry through member programs, research, advocacy, resources and events. Canadas foodservice sector is an $89 billion industry that directly employs 1.2 million workers, is Canadas number one source of first jobs and serves 22 million customers across the country every day. About Superior Propane Superior Propane is Canada's largest provider of propane and related equipment and services with approximately 200 service and distribution points to efficiently serve residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial customers in over 10,000 communities. In business since 1951, Superior Propane employs more than 1,500 Canadians and delivers over 1.5 billion litres of propane annually. Superior is headquartered in Mississauga, ON and is part of the Energy Distribution division of Superior Plus LP. *Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. Superior Propane and SMART* Tank are registered trademarks or trademarks of Superior Plus LP in Canada.A minimum estimated annual propane consumption of 10,000 litres is required. $1,000 credit will be applied to your account after your first delivery within 6-8 weeks. Terms and conditions apply. Offer valid for new Superior Propane customers and proof of membership status with Restaurants Canada (RC) will be required. Your preferred business rates are based on your annual propane consumption. Taxes extra. Please call for details. Philadelphia Archbishop-elect Nelson J. Perez addresses those assembled at the Archdiocese's offices after his introduction by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, as the 14th Bishop and 10th Archbishop of Philadelphia, on January 23, 2020. . Read more Yocasta Lora hadnt been to church for about three years. But the Dominican living in the Northeast had been a student of the Rev. Nelson Perez then a parish priest at St. Williams in Lawncrest for a religion class at La Salle University, and she remembered him as charismatic. She wanted to hear him give an homilia in action. It would be her first visit to a Roman Catholic church in the United States, and that experience eventually reconnected her with her faith and cultivated a new respect for religion. She said she was disappointed when he left for New York about eight years later in 2012. I still visit the Catholic Church, but I havent yet found a priest like him, Lora, 39, said. The announcement that Pope Francis had appointed the Cleveland bishop as Philadelphias new archbishop Thursday morning sparked joy and hope in Latino communities in the region as they expected his appointment to have a significant impact on people here and abroad. The 58-year-old of Cuban American background will be the first Hispanic to lead the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and one of three Hispanic archbishops in the country. Its a great achievement for the community to have one in the faithful leadership, said Jose Herrera Galan, 55, of Oxford Circle, who studies social ideology and is a political campaign adviser both here and in the Caribbean. READ MORE: A look at the career of Nelson Perez, Philadelphias next archbishop Galan said Perezs appointment signals to cardinals and archbishops in Latin America and the Caribbean that the pope has a revolutionary idea of younger, more liberal religious leaders that could eradicate conservatism in the hierarchy, or en la cupula. In those countries, this could be a push for more conscientious and fair interactions between the church and political leadership, Galan said. He was interested to see how this would trickle down to Latin American countries, some of which still prohibit abortion and same-sex marriage. He also thought this would affect the internal structure of the church to give women more leadership possibilities, and allow priests to marry. Perez, born in Miami and raised in New Jersey, had served as a parish priest for more than two decades in West Chester and the Olney and Lawncrest sections of Philadelphia before being elevated to the hierarchy as an auxiliary bishop on Long Island. Bishop Daniel Gutierrez is the first Hispanic to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania and one of only two in a top position serving the Episcopal Church outside Latin America and the Caribbean. Gutierrez, who left the Roman Catholic Church to become Episcopalian, said this announcement marks an important change of voice in the church. The appointment of Perez means Latinos are no longer an outreach project, second-class citizens, or people to minister to. Instead, they are the church. It is a blessing," he said. "Its part of the wisdom of the pope of sending a shepherd into the field that reflects a community that is growing in Philadelphia and in the United States. Gutierrez, who has never met Perez, said he sees someone with whom he can work to heal divisions within Christianity. He hopes they can become brothers, and specifically help youth affected by poverty. Im excited to meet him," Gutierrez said, "have him introduce me to ropa vieja, speak in Spanish, and bond heart to heart and soul to soul. READ MORE: Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez has been named Phillys next archbishop, replacing Charles Chaput The Rev. Eduardo Montero was once the only Cuban clergyman in the Diocese of Philadelphia until the day about 30 years ago when a colleague introduced him to the new priest in town. Perez had recently arrived in Philadelphia. The two quickly bonded over their shared love of Cuban food, as well as trips to Miami, a city they both visited often. Sometimes Perez, a founding director for the Catholic Institute for Evangelization, asked Montero to help him by teaching a class there in Spanish. Montero, who works in the Tribunal of the Archdiocese and is also a pastor in Wynnewood, was in the audience Thursday as the archdiocese announced Perezs homecoming. Haga click aqui para leer este articulo en espanol. Its a wonderful thing, Montero said. A wonderful thing for us all and for the Hispanic community, which is growing in such leaps and bounds. Israel Colon, 70, a longtime activist in Philadelphias Puerto Rican community, referenced the recent unprecedented growth among nondenominational churches in Philadelphias Latin communities, a result, he says, of Latinos seeking spiritual guidance in the wake of the Catholic Churchs sex-abuse scandals. An archbishop who speaks the language of the most vulnerable and poverty-stricken sectors of our society could help the church regain relevance in the community, Colon said. Perez is one of the leaders of V Encuentro, a process to find new ways to engage and strengthen Hispanic and Latino Catholics and address their pastoral needs, and traveled to the Vatican in September to present recommendations to Pope Francis. Perez is also chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs and a member of the conferences Working Group on Immigration. Staff writer Allison Steele contributed to this article. US churches and Christian groups have pushed for years to expand access to public dollars for religious schools. The United States Supreme Court appeared divided on Wednesday in a major legal battle over taxpayer funds going to religious schools. Chief Justice John Roberts is emerging as the potential pivotal vote in a Montana case that could open the door to more public aid for faith-based institutions. The nine justices heard about an hour of arguments over a Montana tax credit programme beneficial to private religious schools. Three mothers of students at a Christian school in Kalispell, Montana, challenged a lower court ruling that struck down the programme as a violation of the state constitutions ban on government aid to religious schools and churches. The ruling in the case, expected by the end of June, could narrow the separation of church and state. Some conservative justices expressed sympathy for the challengers, suggesting that excluding religious schools from the tax-credit programme amounts to impermissible discrimination. Liberal justices countered that there was no discrimination because the entire programme had been struck down. The court has a 5-4 conservative majority. Roberts, a traditional conservative who is considered the courts ideological centre, asked questions that reflected a concern for public education and for the protection of religious people. Roberts questioned how public school funding could be affected. He also wondered whether discrimination seen in this case is different from racial discrimination in a scenario such as officials shutting down all public swimming pools that could be used by African Americans. Roberts is doing double duty, afterwards presiding over US President Donald Trumps impeachment trial in the US Senate. The mothers of Stillwater Christian School students sued in 2015, arguing that excluding religious school pupils from a scholarship programme that helped pay tuition costs violated their rights under the US Constitution to free exercise of religion and equal protection under the law. School choice Churches and Christian groups in the US have pushed for years to expand access to public dollars for religious schools and places of worship, testing the limits of secularism in the country. Much of the litigation has involved attempts to create vouchers or other subsidies for private religious schools in states such as Montana where constitutions explicitly ban such funding. Republican Trumps education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is a prominent supporter of such school choice plans. The plaintiffs in the Montana case are backed by Trumps administration. Critics of the programmes have said they would siphon off scarce resources from public schools. These critics have said a ruling in favour of the plaintiffs would require taxpayers to underwrite religious institutions despite the US Constitutions prohibition on government establishment of religion. They also said some of these religious institutions may discriminate against LGBT students or employees. The Montana case gives the court a chance to build on its major 2017 religious rights ruling in favour of a Missouri church, Trinity Lutheran, that challenged its exclusion from state playground improvement grants generally available to other non-profit groups. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in that case that churches and other religious entities cannot be flatly denied public money even in states where constitutions explicitly ban such funding. But the ruling was narrow and emphasised it was not addressing religious uses of funding or other forms of discrimination. On Wednesday, some liberal justices emphasised that while that case involved excluding a church from a secular benefit, the Montana case involves subsidising religious activity. Thats a far cry from Trinity Lutheran, liberal Justice Elena Kagan said, adding that a state might not want to subsidise religious entities out of concern for burdening religion or promoting divisiveness. Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer wondered whether a ruling for the plaintiffs would require states to fund private religious schools as they do secular public schools. The Montana tax credit programme at issue in the case, created in 2015, provided up to $150 as an incentive for donations to groups that fund scholarships for private school tuition. The one such scholarship organisation currently operating provides $500 payments to schools, primarily to help low-income students attend. State tax officials limited the programme to non-religious schools to comport with the state constitution, which forbids public aid to any church, sect or denomination. Thirty-eight states have such constitutional provisions. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who is Catholic, noted that those provisions were historically rooted in grotesque religious bigotry against Catholics. He wondered how barring religious people from the tax credit benefit is not telling them that theyre not entitled to equal treatment under the Constitution. The Montana Supreme Court in 2018 struck down the scholarship programme entirely because it could be used to pay for religious schools. Most private schools in Montana are religious. In 2014, the Radius Gallery opened in downtown, betting that there was an untapped audience for contemporary art, particularly work made by local artists who didn't often exhibit in their home city. They felt that Missoula "desperately needed a contemporary art gallery that was front and center," said Lisa Simon, who co-owns Radius with her partner, Jason Neal. Both had pivoted from careers outside the world of galleries, meaning that the venture was a risk. On Friday, they'll reopen in a brand-new, two-story building right on Higgins Avenue next to the Merc hotel, giving their roster of local and regional artists an even more prominent showcase. Brian Sippy, a retired surgeon-turned-arts patron who built and owns the new building, said he admired Radius' emphasis on the artists and on community and education, and "felt that downtown didn't have a jewel box for the fine art being made in our backyard." *** The grand opening for that jewel box is on Friday with an exhibition, "The Creative Act," showcasing work by Rudy Autio, one of the most famous artists Missoula, or Montana, has ever produced. The ceramicist, who died in 2007 at age 80, made his mark on the art form nationally, pushing it into an expressive realm rather than a strictly functional one. Radius worked with his family to select work from their collection, including large figurative pots and prints and works on paper, largely created after he retired from the University of Montana, and many of which have never been seen before. "We thought it was a perfect pairing because he is at the inception of contemporary art" in Montana, Simon said. In February, they'll host a publication party for a second printing of his memoir, "It Comes Around Again." *** As a whole, they liked their original space on East Main Street. The new one, though, "allows us to do more things simultaneously," Neal said. They were limited not by size necessarily, but the number of shows. Since wall space was at a premium, exhibitions could hang for a limited amount of time. "And every six weeks, we took that thing down and created a whole different thing." In the new building, "we can have an exhibition here that's on a different timetable than an exhibition upstairs that's on a different timetable from how we're changing the art in the front part of the gallery." The new building, which was designed by Don MacArthur of MMW Architects, is a sleek space. Some features echo the historical "pharmacy building" section of the Merc across the alley, with arches and bricks, forming a "contemporary cousin," Simon said. When you walk in off Higgins, there's a space with 16-foot-high ceilings and museum-grade lighting, that will be dedicated to work by its represented artists and regulars, which include ceramic artist Julia Galloway, and 2D artists like Courtney Blazon, Stephanie Frostad, and more. Continue through, and you'll enter the large space for rotating exhibitions, which will no longer compete with the gallery's represented artists. Head up the airy staircase, which was made with U.S. steel and reclaimed wood like the rest of the building, and you'll find a new feature. With plate-glass windows overlooking Higgins, they're creating a dedicated ceramics gallery where they eventually want to "tell the story of Montana ceramics," including figures like Autio and Peter Voulkos who revolutionized the art form around the country starting in the 1950s onward. Toward the back of the second floor, they've created a "heritage gallery," that will focus on art and artifacts from earlier eras in a history-minded contrast to the contemporary bent of the other spaces. *** The gallery is another visible marker that the arts community is growing along with the city as a whole. A few blocks away on Main Street, the Zootown Arts Community Center occupies a renovated Studebaker Building, with multiple spaces for gallery shows and other arts activities. Last year, the Montana Museum of Art & Culture announced a $5 million donation toward a dedicated facility on the University of Montana campus; and the Drift, a $100 million civic center with a large performing arts venue at Front and Orange streets, is moving ahead. Radius is a signal of the potential for a commercial gallery. Before they opened in 2014, Simon taught English at the college level and her partner, Neal, a web developer, saved for years and pivoted mid-career to open a gallery with a modern sensibility. "We still love landscapes, we still love buffalo, but we love them in a contemporary way that shows the hand of the artist, that is expressive, that is not just pure realism," Simon said. They sought out artists like Galloway, a ceramics professor at the University of Montana, and Adrian Arleo, a ceramic sculptor, who live in the area but didn't often show their work in Missoula, instead shipping it to larger art markets. "They're very excited to let Missoulians, to let people in the community where they live, actually see the work they make," Neal said. In an email, Galloway said the two are "sincerely interested" in helping bridge artists like herself and residents. "Advocates for community, Lisa and Jason have developed a gallery that brings people together. The new display space is tremendous; beautiful design and lighting, it glows warmly over Higgins (Avenue) at night. This gallery is a treasure to have in Missoula, and raises up contemporary art in Montana and the Northwest," she wrote. *** Again, that local flavor drew in the Sippys, who bought the Uptown Diner and demolished it for the new $2.9 million building, specifically with Radius in mind as a tenant. Karen Sippy grew up in a family of artists, and Brian, a retired ophthalmologist, served on the board of the Missoula Art Museum for nine years. They're opening a new business, Art Vault, in the basement, offering secure climate-controlled storage for art and other valuables. Their tag line is, "900 square feet of secure storage for precious things," a complementary mission with the gallery's. Brian said they want to tie the new building to a previous occupant of the lot, if not the same physical structure that once was the Uptown Diner: the McKay Art Company, owned by photographer Rollin H. McKay. They're planning a faux-ghost mural referencing his life, along with a new-to-Missoula feature: a removable mural project for the alley that the building shares with the Merc hotel. Panels could be hanged on a peg system, and artists, schools or visiting organizations could create a mural, and after a set period of time it could be removed either for sale or display elsewhere. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Photograph: Spencer Selvidge/Reuters An army of robots now scrub floors, grow microgreens and flip burgers. Due to advances in artificial intelligence, computers will supposedly take over much more of the service sector in the coming decade, including jobs in law, finance and medicine that require years of education and training. Related: Republicans have turned the impeachment trial into a dangerous sham | Andrew Gawthorpe Will automation-induced job loss tear society apart? The question has even influenced the US presidential race. Candidate Andrew Yang blames automation for a long-simmering crisis of underemployment. He plans to hand out free money to every American citizen in the form of a monthly dividend of $1,000. Poor job quality and stagnant wages are major problems in America and across much of the world, but it is wrong to blame these problems on an accelerating pace of automation, which is hardly in evidence. Automation Cassandras often point to the manufacturing sector as the precedent for what will happen to the rest of the economy. It is true that, for the manufacturing industry, a jobs apocalypse has already taken place. And this process is occurring across the world: according to the UN, the share of all workers employed in manufacturing is falling globally, even as industrial production per person continues to rise. This is the case in wealthy and poor countries. Yet it is hasty to ascribe these trends to accelerating automation. While machines now make everything from shoes and shirts to cars and computers, there has been no significant uptick in the pace of labor-saving productivity growth in industry in recent decades. On the contrary, industrial efficiency has been improving at a sluggish pace for decades, leading the Nobel-prize-winning economist Robert Solow to quip, in 1987: We see the computer age everywhere except in the productivity statistics. Our collective sense that the pace of labor-saving technological change is accelerating is an illusion. Its like the feeling you get when looking out of the window of a train car as it slows down at a station: passing cars on the other side of the tracks appear to speed up. Labor-saving technical change appears to be happening at a faster pace than before only when viewed from across the tracks that is, from the standpoint of our ever more slow-growing economies. Story continues That is the real problem: a pervasive and increasingly global economic stagnation affecting industry especially that is marked by low rates of investment, low rates of economic growth and hence low rates of job creation. In the context of economic stagnation, even small increases in productivity are enough to destroy more manufacturing jobs than are created. Countries with high levels of robotization are not necessarily the ones that have lost the most industrial jobs The best explanation for this worsening economic stagnation is that, since the 1970s, more and more countries adopted export-led growth strategies, built up manufacturing sectors and began to compete in global markets. That led in turn to heightened competition, making fast-paced industrial expansion and fast-paced economic growth much more difficult to achieve. In this context, countries with high levels of robotization are not necessarily the ones that have lost the most industrial jobs. On the contrary, Germany, Japan and South Korea have some of the highest levels of robots per manufacturing worker but also boast higher manufacturing employment shares. In Germany and Japan, automation helps firms preserve jobs in manufacturing in the face of intense international competition. Chinese firms have been investing heavily in robotics in the past few years, to preserve jobs as domestic wages rise and competition from even lower-cost countries intensifies. Meanwhile, no other sector has replaced industry as a major economic growth engine. In country after country, slowing industrial expansion has been accompanied by falling rates of economic growth. Some services like wholesale trade have seen spurts of rapid productivity growth, but these fail to coalesce into sustained, sector-wide efficiency gains like those endemic to manufacturing over the history of its development. The wider environment of slowing growth explains the prevailing low labor demand largely by itself. Once again, the major problem in labor markets is a slowing pace of job creation, associated with this sluggish economic expansion, rather than an accelerating pace of automation-induced job destruction. Related: The Jeff Bezos hacking allegations destroy the myth of a new Saudi Arabia | David Wearing From the 1970s, when industrial competition began to heat up and economic growth rates deteriorated, unemployment levels in many countries first rose and then stubbornly refused to fall. Politicians began to push for weakened job protections and scaled-back unemployment benefits. Workfare came to serve as the main response to job loss. Outside of a few countries that still provide generous benefits to the unemployed, such as France, few workers can afford to remain unemployed for long. Job-losers tend to join young labour-market entrants in part-time, temporary or no-contract work. In most countries, these non-standard workers have few legal protections and are economically precarious. They are forced to moderate their demands in slow-growing economies. Workers who are not protected by powerful unions or labor laws find it difficult to pressure employers to raise their wages or improve working conditions. As long as underemployment persists, inequality is likely to intensify. An expanding gap between the growth of real wages and productivity levels has contributed to a 9% shift from labor income to capital income in the G20 countries over the past 50 years. In sluggish economies periodically racked by economic crisis and austerity, it is easier to blame the resulting social deterioration on robots, or on vulnerable sections of the workforce such as immigrants, women, and racial or religious minorities, than to face its true causes. Given the winding down of the industrial-growth engine which has accompanied the spread of productive capacities around the world restoring previously prevailing rates of economic growth will prove difficult if not impossible. Unless we find some way to share the work that remains, beggar-thy-neighbor politics really will tear our societies apart. It can be confusing to understand the difference in the biblical directives not to judge others and to offer a loving rebuke. The Bible has much to say on how we are to treat one another, including how to address sin. But Scripture doesnt suggest that we be sinless before admonishing another person in love and truth. What does the Bible mean when it instructs us not to judge others? What judgments does the Bible permit? Proclaiming, judge not with a full stop, as many do, neglects to apply Matthew 7:1 for its intended use. Such disregard is revealed as we continue reading the verse in its entirety, Judge not, that you be not judged. Aiming to avoid ruffling feathers, this snippet of Scripture has become a mantra for avoiding conflict and excusing sinful choices. At the first sign of sin or struggle, some shrug off the issue while declaring, its not my place to judge or you shouldnt be so judgmental. Typically, these remarks do not refer to critiques or observations regarding the general judgments we make on a daily basis. While these responses are at times appropriate, their use is often misplaced asserting that a person isnt permitted to address wrongdoing. The Bible instructs us to deal with our own sin prior to confronting another persons sin (Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42). Before we are able to rightly address sin, it is important that we understand how the Bible defines judging. The Greek word for judging is and translates as; to pass judgment upon (and thereby seek to influence) the lives and actions of other people and judge, pass judgment upon, express an opinion about (Mt 7:1a, 2a; Lk 6:37a; John 7:24a). Additionally, it means pass an unfavorable judgment upon, criticize, find fault with, condemn (Ro 2:1abc, 3; 14:3f, 10, 13a). What Is Right Judgment? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment (John 7:24). As we peel back the layers of confronting sin in conjunction with the Scriptures, we will uncover attributes of righteous judgment. In doing so, we must proceed with prayerful discernment and humility before vocalizing reasonable judgment upon others. Gods law applies to all of humankind; however, Christians are only permitted to offer biblical judgment to other believers. 1 Corinthians 5:12 explains whom Christians are to judge, For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges everyone, those inside and outside of the church (1 Corinthians 5:6; 2 Corinthians 5:12; Romans 14:12). This is not to say that a Christian would be wrong to reveal the wrongdoing of a non-believer. It is to say, we cannot confront them in the same manner as a believer, nor have the same expectations of repentance and restoration. In Luke 17:3, we are instructed to rebuke those inside of Gods family and forgive those who are repentant. Christians do not sit in Gods judgment seat pronouncing soul judgment onto others. In other words, no human is permitted or able to choose where a persons soul shall spend eternityonly God judges in this capacity. Gods judgment over the sins of humanity is displayed throughout Scripture. God is the only righteous Judge, holding all authority. No one knows the final judgment God has for each person. How Does God Judge Us? Righteous judgment never comes from us, it solely belongs to God. That is, we do not define sin the Bible deems what is sinful we simply reiterate what Scripture declares. The judgment Christians are called to employ is informative, not authoritative. Scripture does not call Christians to judge with Godlike authority, but it does instruct us to identify and confront sin. The judgments we are directed to bring about are observations to ascertain right from wrong as defined by Scripture, and appropriately bring them to light (James 4:11; Matthew 18:15-17). Knowing the facts regarding a potential sinful situation prior to drawing conclusions or formulating an accusation is a vital step in biblical judgment. Additionally, be certain the allegation is not based on presumptions or mere opinion. God is the only one who knows the secrets we hold in the depths of our hearts. Gather truthful information and use discernment to determine if and how the person should be approached (1 Thessalonians 5:21). In instances where another party is brought into the situation, prioritize using discretion and speak only truth (Proverbs 12:22; Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:25). Spurred by love for God and people, righteous judgment seeks to bring restoration. Paul instructs us in Galatians 6:1, Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Our aim is to help the person refocus their lens towards what is holy (James 5:20). Approach with the Right Attitude Applied correctly and with kindness, rebuking a fellow Christian is one of the most loving deeds we can extend to one another. More harm will likely occur by being silent than by confronting sin. In Ecclesiastes 7:5 we read, It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. Often, it is painful to receive hard truths let alone deliver them. None of us enjoy having our sin exposed, but when thoughtfully delivered, the sting of conviction can develop into sweet redemption (Proverbs 27:56; 1 Corinthians 16:14). We are to approach those needing rebuke with humility we are all sinners. Given with righteous motivations, proper rebukes are not rooted in hypocrisy. To confront another persons sin without recognizing personal sin is self-righteous, proud, and hypocritical (1 John 1:8; James 3:2, 4:6). The Bible warns us not to confront someones sin that we also struggle with in a manner suggesting we are somehow above reproach (Matthew 7:3-5). When we encounter another Christian who shares a similar sin, such as gossip, we do not refrain from addressing the issue. Instead, we confront the sin while recognizing it is also our personal struggle. Humbly, we ought to invite the person to join us at the foot of the cross in repentance, together, seeking forgiveness and restoration. Spurgeon remarks in The Gospel of the Kingdom, Our reformations must begin with ourselves, or they are not true, and do not spring from a right motive. Sin we may rebuke, but not if we indulge it. We may protest against evil, but not if we willfully practice it. Judging in a Way That Does Not Usurp Confronting another persons sin should never hold applause or drama. Instead, we are to guide one another towards righteousness with understanding, love, and biblical truth. It should never be delivered on the tip of a persons waving finger with the intent to cut them down in humiliation. Seeking to shame someone into repentance, we are whether intentionally or not attempting to usurp the job of the Holy Spirit. We are not to bring shame or condemnation onto those confronted with sin. Christians are called to lovingly identify sin and compassionately walk alongside the person on their journey to Jesus feet in repentance. We have untangled the differences between unrighteous and righteous judgments, along with identifying whom Christians are to judge. Taking care as we confront the sins of others, we are better able to love and serve one another in a manner that honors God. When our focus is on restoration, not retribution, we can walk alongside our brothers and sisters as we are conformed to Christlikeness. Hope for restoration is given to sinners when in true repentance wrongdoings are laid at the foot of the cross. It is there that we are given refuge from Gods wrath we are forgiven. Sources William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000). Louis A. Barbieri, Jr., Matthew, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985). C. H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Book of Matthew (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1893), 41. Photo credit: Getty Images/SIphotography Christine A. Carter is an author for Wrath and Grace Publishing. You can connect with her on Facebook. Christines roots are planted in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four children. She holds a deep desire to know God and His word in depth, while also pursuing the gifts He has given her. Additionally, Christine is a writer and artist for rightbraintheology.com, and a biblical counselor. A human rights crisis looms in Egypt and it touches close to home in Lancaster PA. Reem Desouky, a U. S. citizen and Lancaster resident, has been detained since July 2019 without due process. She and her young son were detained while traveling, and Ms. Desouky has been incarcerated ever since on charges of improper use of social media (Congressional Research Service report Egypt: Background on US Relations, November 2019). Independent human rights negotiators report the following: that Ms. Desouky has had little access to medical care or her attorney; is engaging in a hunger strike; and is being tortured. Human Rights Watch has documented abusive conditions, denial of medical care, and arbitrary and extended detention in prisons which hold tens of thousands of Egyptian political prisoners. More than 300 of them began a hunger strike (last) week in protest of these terrible conditions (Human Rights Watch website.) Several outlets including the Washington Post reported that US citizen Mustafa Kassem of New York died last week after several years of detention, alleged abusive conditions and a hunger strike. Notably, the U.S, State Department cited forced disappearances; torture; arbitrary detention; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; political prisoners in its 2018 report on human rights abuses in Egypt. In the United States, it is hard to imagine being imprisoned and tortured because of something posted on social media. Reem Desouky is a mother, a worker, a taxpayer and a real human enduring an unconscionable situation. She is admirably invested in her sons education, including the parent-teacher organization where we met. She is a PTO mom. Her faithful son remains in Egypt, living in an unfamiliar place, missing school, but unwilling to leave his mother. Our state department has options to negotiate Reem Desoukys immediate release from prison and secure a safe return for her and her son to their residence in Lancaster PA. There is a burgeoning bipartisan effort to end human rights abuses in Egypt through restriction of visas to Egyptian officials and upholding sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Further, it is the duty of our administration to demand the release of US citizens falsely imprisoned abroad. 22 USCode 1732 states, Whenever it is made known to the President that any citizen of the United States has been unjustly deprived of his liberty by or under the authority of any foreign government, it shall be the duty of the President forthwith to demand of that government the reasons of such imprisonment and if it appears to be wrongful and in violation of the rights of American citizenship, the President shall forthwith demand the release of such citizen, and if the release so demanded is unreasonably delayed or refused, the President shall use such means, not amounting to acts of war and not otherwise prohibited by law, as he may think necessary and proper to obtain or effectuate the release; and all the facts and proceedings relative thereto shall as soon as practicable be communicated by the President to Congress. For FY2020, the Trump Administration has requested a total of $1.382 billion in bilateral assistance for Egypt continuing Egypts status as the second-largest recipient of US aid (Congressional Research Service). Our current president has called the Egyptian leader my favorite dictator. In the face of a human rights crisis, this course is unacceptable. It is time to bring our citizens home before another senseless and immoral death occurs. Letters and phone calls from ordinary citizens to U.S. senators and representatives imploring them to contact the State Department on Reem Desoukys behalf are needed at this time. Elected officials can be encouraged to join the bipartisan effort to end human rights abuses abroad. For more information on the current crisis, visit the non-partisan Project on Middle East Democracy www.pomed.org. A 28-year-old Harrison man faces four different charges after he attempted to flee from deputies of the Clare County Sheriffs Office. Joshua Carlton was charged Wednesday with fourth-degree fleeing and eluding, driving a motor vehicle without insurance, driving an unregistered car and driving with a suspended license (second offense). Carlton was driving a blue Kia west on 5th Street in the city of Clare at approximately 7:21 p.m. Tuesday, when deputies from the Clare County Sheriffs Office parked near the intersection of 5th and Maple saw that the car had no registration tag and faulty equipment. When deputies turned onto the road to stop the car, Carlton turned south on Grant Avenue, a press release from the sheriffs office said. He accelerated and fled into northern Isabella County, where Grant Avenue becomes Crawford Road. He got three miles into Isabella County before losing control of the car near the intersection of Crawford and Stevenson Lake roads and ran into a snowbank. Deputies arrested him at the scene and he was taken to the Clare County Jail. READ MORE: The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 22, 2020 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo: Courtesy of Getty With a keen interest, I've followed Prince Harry and his quits from the life of royalty he's known all his life. As a little kid, growing up, I, alongside my mom, followed everything about Princess Diana and the lives of her kids. Truth be told, we always felt her death was an orchestration of powerful forces. Whether it was a decree from the Windsors or probably the British government's bid to save its traditional institution, the monarchy, from being polluted with Arab blood, it's a mystery for ages to come. But Harry and Meghan's announcement of quitting from the royal life is a bubbling which began since his mother was killed in that horrible car crash in August 1997 under the tunnels of Paris. To make it worse, he, alongside William, were coerced - by the dictates of so-called royal protocol - to painfully "man up" and walked behind his mother's coffin - in the full glare of the world - to Westminster Abbey. This, I believe, was the breaking point and detachment of Harry from everything royal. Shoving aside his emotions to "man up" for the rest of the world was the cruelest thing to do to a young child. Urging boys to man up and shove aside emotion is the breeding ground for fragile masculinity. This is a situation which isn't unique to the royal family. Across Africa, boys are brought up not to show emotions but to man up. This has often led to insecurity, and at the tail end of those insecurities, women and girls bear the brunt of it. Boys become men become violent. This leads to gender and sexual gender-based violence. Stanford professor Judy Chu argues in her recent book When Boys Become Boys that it is culture rather than nature that incapacitates boys social and emotional skills. Harry needed to cry. He needed to let it out. But on whose shoulders were it going to happen? Not on his father's who certainly didn't have emotions for kids because his mother's royal duties made him lost all that and he had to be cared for by nannies. Not from Uncle Earl of the house of Spencer, or his aunties who were estranged from his mother. Certainly not from his nannies or governesses. And so, when he grew up, he became rebellious. Wearing Nazi Swastika to costume parties, partying naked in America, he tries to find the meaning of his life. He hated deeply the culture, traditions and norms of royalty because it left him emotionally vulnerable for a long period. They robbed him of the tears he genuinely wanted to shed over his mother. Until he met Meghan, his life would never be the same. In her, he found a strong woman - one who would not cower. He could. Without her, he wouldn't have had the fortitude to stand up and challenge norms and traditions which are placed over the existence of one. He would protect her from the rabid tabloids who hounded his mother in that tunnel in Paris following her departure from the Ritz Carlton, and she would man him up to challenge those norms and traditions. And now, they have the full backing of the world, even if the rest of the United Kingdom are against them. And you know what they say: "Once you go black, you never go back." About the author: Gboko Stewart is a freelance writer, journalist and also the founder of journalRAGE, Liberias fist LGBT news magazine T he husband of jailed mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has told Boris Johnson he must be brave in dealings with Iran as he took his battle for her release to Downing Street. The Prime Minister was meeting Richard Ratcliffe and his daughter Gabriella to discuss next steps in securing his wifes freedom. The British-Iranian charity worker, 42, has been jailed in Tehran for almost four years on charges of spying which are vehemently denied. Mr Ratcliffe said today that he would hold the PM to a promise he made in 2017, as foreign secretary, to leave no stone unturned. AFP via Getty Images He told Sky News: Ill be going there partly to ask him whats his plan and how does he plan on getting Nazanin home, getting the others home. How does he plan to de-escalate things? Then looking to ask him to be brave both in terms of building a relationship with Iran. "And signalling really clearly you cannot keep taking innocent people to use as leverage. Scientists are set to reveal whether we are any closer to our impending doom, with the symbolic Doomsday Clock due for an update later today. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will gather at the National Press Club in Washington DC at 10am (3pm UK time), where they will announce the latest assessment of the experts on its science and security board. Pundits may well be expecting the clock to tick ever closer to midnight for the first time since 2018, with the new year having already brought heightened tensions in the Middle East , a deadly viral outbreak in China , more devastating wildfires in Australia , and further warnings about the threat of climate change . According to the clock, humanity moved closer to disaster in 2017 and 2018 , mostly due to the threat of nuclear war between the US and North Korea. It stabilised last year at a merciful two minutes to midnight, but only because the scientists behind the clock said the threats we face had become "normalised". "Humanity now faces two simultaneous existential threats, either of which would be cause for extreme concern and immediate attention," said their 2019 statement. "These major threats - nuclear weapons and climate change - were exacerbated this past year by the increased use of information warfare to undermine democracy around the world, amplifying risk from these and other threats and putting the future of civilisation in extraordinary danger." While the scientists did offer some hope that the Doomsday Clock could move away from catastrophe, they said it was reliant on world leaders channelling their "wise" predecessors who "acted under pressure from informed and engaged citizens around the world". Twelve months on and it seems unlikely that they would have been encouraged, with US President Donald Trump having used his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to dismiss those calling for more action on climate change as "perennial prophets of doom" and "heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers". Story continues Earlier this month, Mr Trump traded hostile rhetoric and missile strikes with Iran over his decision to assassinate a top military commander in the country. With both sides on high alert, a Ukrainian passenger jet was accidentally shot down by the Iranian military, threatening further deterioration in relations between Tehran and the West. Two minutes to midnight is the closest to apocalypse the clock had been since 1953, when the US and Soviet Union started testing hydrogen bombs during the Cold War. The safest we have been was in 1991, when the clock stood at 17 minutes to midnight to mark the end of the long-running conflict. If it does tick closer to midnight on Thursday, we will be closer to our collective demise than any time since the clock launched following the end of the Second World War. Kolkata, Jan 23 : Three persons were arrested near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass here on Thursday and a tiger skin seized from them, officials said. Following a tip-off, a joint team of the Eastern Region office of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of West Bengal Forest Directorate carried out a raid and seized the tiger skin from a hotel in the evening. The accused were identified as Aninda Mukherjee, 52, Tarak Halder, 57, and Ebrahim Mondal, 42. According to wildlife officials, the metropolis, because of its proximity to a number or southeast Asian countries, serves as a transit route for smuggling. Several wildlife agencies have made seizures from time to time from the metropolis over the past few years. https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Israels-Biggest-Diplomatic-Event-Sends-Powerful-Message.html Why Jerusalem is the right place to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Israel is the right place to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where the Nazis murdered 1.3 million people, 1.1 million of them Jews. The camp was liberated on January 27, 1945 by the Red Army as they advanced from the East. Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Vice President Mike Pence and Prince Charles of Great Britain are among the glittering array of world leaders descending on Israels capital for the largest diplomatic event in its history, organized by the Holocaust Forum Foundation, Yad Vashem and the Office of the President Reuven Rivlin. Despite delegations from 49 countries, including 41 heads of state, not everyone approved. The director of the Auschwitz Museum in Poland is fuming. Piotr Cywinski argued that holding a commemorative ceremony anywhere else but the site of the death camp was inconceivable. Describing the choice of location as a provocation, Cywinski also accused the Holocaust Forum Foundation of immaturity by holding a commemoration outside of Poland Souring Relations The argument continues to sour Israels relations with Poland who recently passed laws criminalizing suggesting the country was complicit in the murder of Jews during World War Two. Both Yad Vashem and the Israeli government objected to the white washing of history, pointing to several notorious accounts of Polish anti-Semitism during and after the Nazi occupation. The Polish President is a noticeable absence from the events in Jerusalem this week, having not been granted a speech at the main ceremony held at Yad Vashem. But the decision to hold the event in Jerusalem and not in Auschwitz was the right one. Celebrating Jewish Life Holding the event in Jerusalem is the most tangible way of not only commemorating Jewish deaths but also expressing support for Jewish life. Communities across the world are having to battle those who seek to ban crucial elements of Jewish practice such as circumcision, and the kosher slaughtering of animals. Holding this forum in Jerusalem, strengthens the international commitment to Jewish life and to Jewish living, stating unequivocally that the Jewish People is not a museum piece, but a thriving, living, breathing nation. At this major milestone, with attacks on Jews on the rise especially in the US and across Europe and anti-Zionism a constant feature, asking world leaders to commit to fighting anti-Semitism at an event in Jerusalem sends out a powerful message. It counters the trend that says it is okay to fight anti-Semitism and still be an anti-Zionist. As Israels right to a Jewish homeland is questioned, anti-Semites posing as anti-Zionists are sadly now a feature of mainstream political parties with Britains Jeremy Corbyn a prime example. Commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz in Jerusalem sends out a powerful message to world leaders that standing up against racism in their own countries isnt enough if they turn a blind eye to the delegitimization of Israel. The denial of Israels right to a national homeland is anti-Semitism mutated on the world stage. Traffic Jams are an easy price to pay As convoys of limousines traverse the citys main arteries, from their hotels to their various engagements, 10,000 police are securing the event. For residents of the city, road closures and traffic jams are a fair price to pay for the knowledge that they live in the center of the world. Whether its Putin, Pence, or Prince Charles, visits from world leaders remind us that the world looks to Jerusalem for hope, and in contrast to the horrors carried out by Nazi Germany its destiny is to shed light to the world. The Chief Minister is supreme, said Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Thursday after he was divested of the charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) department. "I have always said that the Chief Minister is supreme and he can give or take any department from his ministers whenever he wants. I was only demanding that the CID department brief me until I was Home Minister. I have no objection whosoever has the CID department," Vij told reporters here. In a major reshuffle in state cabinet portfolios, Chief Minister Khattar has been allocated with the CID, in addition to his existing portfolios, with immediate effect. The notification issued by the Haryana government read, "Governor of Haryana, on the advice of the Chief Minister, has allocated some new portfolios to the Chief Minister and to two Ministers. As per a notification issued by the Chief Secretary, the portfolios of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and the departments of Personnel and Training and of Raj Bhawan Affairs have been allocated to the Chief Minister Manohar Lal, in addition to his existing portfolios, with immediate effect." This comes after Anil Vij on Tuesday demanded disciplinary action against the CID chief for negligence. "He [CID chief Anil Rao] is not giving me intelligence inputs despite asking for it repeatedly. It can pose a major threat to tranquillity and harmony in the state anytime. I have requested for an action to be taken against him for the negligence. It is about the safety of people," Vij had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands Thu, January 23, 2020 08:27 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206099090 1 National Education,Indonesia,Riau-Islands Free A religious studies teacher at SMKN 1 state vocational high school in Anambas regency, Riau Islands, is to be slapped with a warning letter after calling a female student lonte (prostitute), which led her to drop out of school as she was "traumatized" by the verbal abuse. Riau Islands Child Protection Commission (KPPAD) head Erry Syahrial said the bullying case was discussed in a hearing on Tuesday with the Riau Islands Legislative Council's Commission IV, which oversees, among other things, education and child protection. "The [hearing] concluded that [the student] can continue education at the school of her choice while the teacher will be sanctioned with a warning letter," Erry told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Erry said that the female student would enter SMKN 2 Tanjungpinang vocational high school after she moves from her home in Anambas regency. The KPPAD had also assisted the student by having a psychologist counsel her, he added. This case has been resolved and will not be handed over to the police," Erry said. Tugiono, the principal of SMKN 1 Anambas, said the situation arose when the religious studies teacher saw the female student riding a motorcycle with a boy, who was presumed to be her boyfriend, on Nov. 2, 2019. They were seen to be holding hands at that time. The teacher reprimanded them for their actions, but this was ignored. The teacher was irritated to be ignored and proceeded to say the derogatory word, Tugiono said. The teacher reportedly called the student lonte in public, prompting other students at the school to refer to her by this demeaning term on a regular basis, to the point she decided to drop out of school after enduring constant verbal harassment. Tugiono said the matter has been sorted out through the district administration, but it recently reemerged on social media and become viral. "The case has been resolved and we will follow the decision made in [Tuesday's] hearing, he added. Erry also said his institution recommended that every school introduce a children's rights convention to teachers to increase awareness about child protection at school. He added that schools need to publicize childrens duties and rights, as well as the Education and Culture Ministrys Law No. 82/2015 on violence prevention and management in school. Commission IV vice deputy chairman Sirajuddin Nur said that the hearing had resulted in a "win-win solution" in the case, especially as the teacher would be reprimanded for the action. The teacher should never repeat their action by saying such improper words again. Teachers should educate their students by upholding morals, ethics and cultural values," he said, adding that he hoped similar cases would not be repeated in the future. (dpk) Burma Myanmar Military Says It Needs to Study ICOE Report Before Investigating Rakhine Crimes Myanmar army troops patrol in Maungdaw Township, northern Rakhine State, near the Bangladesh border on Oct. 16, 2016, following attacks by ARSA insurgents on three police posts a week earlier. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars military will conduct further investigations into mass killings and arson attacks committed during its 2017 clearance operations in Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Buthidaung townships in northern Rakhine State after it has completed studying the details of the 461-page Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE)s reports and its annexes, a military spokesman said at a press conference in Naypyitaw on Thursday. In response to reporters questions on when investigations into mass killings against civilians, destruction of property and arson in Min Gyi, Chut Pyin and Maung Nu villages will start, the spokesperson did not give details, but said the military will study the ICOE report first and then take the necessary action. Major General Thaung Naing, deputy judge advocate general and one of the four military spokespersons at Thursdays press conference, said, We are studying the details of the ICOE report, which is more than 450 pages, plus the annexes. After that the enquiry tribunals will come. Most of the mass killings in late August 2017 were committed in Min Gyi Village in Maungdaw Township, Chut Pyin Village in Ratheduang Township and Maung Nu and Gutar Pyin villages in Buthidaung Township during armed clashes between security forces and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). At least 900 people were killed in these villages, according to the ICOE report, which was submitted to President U Win Myint on Monday. It said arson was reported in 13 areas that the ICOE was able to access. Min Gyi Village was completely burnt to ashes, while parts of Chut Pyin and Gutar Pyin villages were set on fire by the security forces and their allied thugs. The report also cited witnesses as saying that ARSA members were among the arsonists in some cases. Maj-Gen Thaung Naing is also chairman of the militarys Legal Advisory Team, which was formed to help the militarys Court of Inquiry with evidence collection, legal matters and procedures. The Court of Inquiry, led by Major General Myat Kyaw, was formed on March 18, 2019 and is probing allegations of misconduct by soldiers toward the Rohingya during the clearance operations. The military began court-martial proceedings in the Gutar Pyin case in November following a Court of Inquiry investigation. The discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 19 people in Gutar Pyin was reported by The Associated Press in February 2018. The government initially denied the report, but the military later confirmed its soldiers there did not fully comply with the rules of engagement and said the case would be subject to a court martial. Maj-Gen Thaung Naing said that in the Gutar Pyin case, the court martial is hearing from witnesses representing the plaintiffs, and that the defense witnesses would be heard from later. He did not provide details on the identity of the witnesses or when the hearing would be complete. We will release information after our court martial has completed all proceedings in the [Gutar Pyin] case, he added. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in late 2017. Those who fled recalled arbitrary killings, rape and arson against their property by Myanmar security forces. UN investigators said the operations had genocidal intent. Both the Myanmar government and military have denied that claim. The Myanmar government formed the ICOE on July 30, 2018 to investigate allegations of human rights violations during military clearance operations in northern Rakhine State in October 2016 and August 2017 with a view to seeking accountability and formulating recommendations on steps to be taken to ensure peace and stability in the area. The clearance operations were launched in response to coordinated attacks by ARSA on security outposts in Rakhine State. The ICOE submitted its final report with 22 recommendations to Myanmar President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday. The 461-page document denied that killings and displacement of Rohingya Muslims during security forces clearance operations there had genocidal intent, contradicting the findings of UN investigators. But the commission admitted that war crimes, serious human rights violations, and violations of domestic law took place. The ICOE report highlighted that more than a dozen case files provide a basis for the requisite further investigations by the Union Attorney Generals Office and the Office of the Judge Advocate General under the reports 31 annexes. The Union Attorney Generals Office also said on Wednesday that it will cooperate with related departments to investigate and prosecute cases involving the killing of civilians, property destruction, looting and other serious crimes committed in Rakhine State in late 2017. The militarys press conference came hours before the International Court of Justices ruling on whether to approve The Gambias request that provisional measures be taken against Myanmar. The small African nation filed a lawsuit with the court accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya. During public hearings at the court in December, Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told the judges there would be more courts martial after the ICOE submitted its final report. Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun, a military spokesman, told the reporters in Naypyitaw on Thursday that the military was hopeful the ICJ would rule in favor of Myanmar. Whatever the decision of the ICJ, we will cooperate with the government. We hope for the best, but we are also prepared for the worst, he said. You may also like these stories: What You Need to Know: The Gambias Request for Provisional Measures & Myanmars Arguments at the ICJ Lawmakers Blast Yangon Govt for Misusing Public Funds BEIJING -Major Chinese cities, including Beijing and quarantine-blocked Wuhan, banned all large gatherings over the coming Lunar New Year festival, the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, in an expanding effort to contain a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. The announcement Thursday came as authorities expanded travel restrictions imposed on Wuhan to surrounding municipalities, shutting down travel networks and attempting to quarantine about 25 million people - more than the population of Florida. Here is what we know: - Cases of the virus have been detected around China, including Hong Kong and Macao, and other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Thailand. Singapore and Vietnam are the latest to join the list. - At least 26 deaths have been confirmed in China, two of them outside of Hubei province. At least 835 people have been infected. - U.S.-bound travelers from Wuhan will be routed to five airports for screening: Chicago's O'Hare, New York's John F. Kennedy, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, and Los Angeles's and San Francisco's international airports. - Residents of Wuhan report empty shelves in stores and express frustration that the government isn't telling them the full story. - The World Health Organization declined to declare a global health emergency Thursday, saying it's too early. The extreme measures were accompanied by other indications that Communist Party authorities were struggling to control the outbreak, notably the aggressive censorship of any criticism or skepticism on social media. But some outspoken doctors warned that the controls would not be enough to stop the spread of the pneumonia-like virus, which has killed 26 people, according to China's National Health Commission. The people who died were aged between 48 and 89, but the vast majority are at the top of that range and almost all of them had existing health conditions. Only two of the deaths occurred outside of the epicenter of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. A bigger outbreak is certain," said Guan Yi, a virologist who helped identify severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. He estimated - "conservatively," he said - that this outbreak could be 10 times bigger than the SARS epidemic because that virus was transmitted by only a few "super spreaders" in a more defined part of the country. "We have passed through the 'golden period' for prevention and control," he told Caixin magazine from self-imposed quarantine after visiting Wuhan. "What's more, we've got the holiday traffic rush and a dereliction of duty from certain officials." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that health officials in Texas notified it about a potential case of coronavirus. CDC said in a statement that it is in communication with state health officials and will share more information as it becomes available. Health officials in Brazos County, Texas - which is where Texas A&M University is located and is about 100 miles northwest of Houston - said they are investigating a patient who meets the definition of a potential case of the new virus. The patient contracted a respiratory illness within two weeks of traveling in Wuhan and is being isolated at home in accordance with recommendations from the CDC. In Geneva, the World Health Organization cited Chinese efforts to prevent transmission and the limited number of cases recorded abroad as its reasons for not declaring Thursday that the outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern. But WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference that the decision "should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the outbreak is serious or that we're not taking it seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth." He said the emergency committee was divided on whether the outbreak deserved the special designation, but said regardless, the outbreak amounts to "an emergency in China.""It has not yet become a global health emergency, but it may become one." In general, declaring an international public health emergency gives the WHO director general powers to issue recommendations to other countries, such as urging them not to close borders or restrict trade with a country in the middle of an outbreak. Public health officials say such measures are considered unlikely to stop disease spread and very likely to discourage countries from being forthright about outbreaks. WHO officials gave the most detailed information so far about the severity of the illness associated with the new coronavirus. Much about how it works is still unknown, Tedros said, including its source, how easily it spreads and its full clinical features. These are all critical factors, experts have said, for declaring a global health emergency. The most likely source is an animal, WHO said. But officials don't know which one. And they don't know the extent of human-to-human spread. Still, WHO officials said that despite some gaps in knowledge, they have several advantages confronting this outbreak compared with the 2003 SARS outbreak that also originated in China and sickened thousands of people worldwide. Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said it was too early to estimate just how severe this virus is and what proportion of people it kills, often referred to as the case fatality rate. A vaccine is under development for the virus, but that process is not quick, and there are no specific therapies or treatment. Some of the patients who died in China have required extensive ventilator assistance to help them breathe. As with other epidemics, countries with weaker health systems may come under pressure from the "worried well" who may overwhelm hospitals and clinics. Health officials need to "manage the pressures on the health systems," Ryan said. It has not peaked, he added. WHO officials are "grateful" for the partnership with China. In many similar situations, "other countries have not been willing to share at that level," he said. The data released by WHO drew criticism from some experts because so much remains unknown. WHO officials said that about 25 percent of cases were severe infections. China has reported the number of sick patients, but has not provided - and may not know - the total number of people infected. If the total number of infected people is five or 10 times larger than those who have fallen ill and been diagnosed, "we can't say 25 percent for severe infections without knowing the denominator, the number of people infected," said Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Lunar New Year holiday, a weeklong period when millions of Chinese travel to their hometowns - the biggest human migration on the planet - officially begins Friday. Ahead of the holiday, authorities initially said that the virus, which began in a Wuhan food market selling exotic animals for consumption, was mild and could not be transmitted among humans. But that changed this week when the number of people infected by the virus, which has an incubation period as long as 14 days, began to rise rapidly. Even one of the government's top experts, who had played down the prospects for widespread infection, contracted the virus. Vietnam and Singapore joined the list of other countries that have detected the virus, with both confirming two cases had been found and were being treated. Airports around the world, from London to Dubai to Atlanta, have put special screening measures in place to detect passengers arriving from China with fevers. Authorities in Beijing and the southern city of Guangzhou said they were restricting public gatherings over the Lunar New Year holiday, which officially begins Friday and is often celebrated with large fireworks displays and popular fairs at temples. The Forbidden City, the old imperial palace in the heart of Beijing and one of China's top tourist attractions, said it was closing its doors until further notice "to avoid cross-infection caused by the gathering of people." Authorities in Wuhan announced even more stringent measures. In addition to banning public gatherings, local officials, wearing masks, announced that the start of the spring semester at all Hubei province schools will be delayed because of the outbreak. The ruling Communist Party, which initially tried to show transparency after being criticized for covering up the SARS virus outbreak 17 years ago, has now shown signs of reverting to its default position of censoring bad news. In a post that was online for less than an hour, the Wuhan Health Commission admitted Thursday that it was struggling to respond to the outbreak. A post from Wuhan Railway saying that 300,000 people traveled by train out of Wuhan on Wednesday, headed to every corner of the country, was also quickly deleted. Analysts said the heavy-handed reaction underscored the political risks for Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party, already under pressure amid an economic slowdown and accused of mishandling an outbreak of swine fever last year, which led to a sharp spike in prices for China's beloved pork. "This outbreak may be the biggest threat to Xi and the Party in years, which is why they will stop at nothing to try to control and then eradicate it," said Bill Bishop, publisher of the influential Sinocism newsletter. The city of Wuhan pulsated with fear and anger Thursday, as 11 million people absorbed the news that they were being confined to a metropolis-sized quarantine zone designed to contain a widening coronavirus outbreak. The three main railway stations, 13 bus stations, the entire subway network and almost all city bus lines were shut down at 10 a.m. Thursday. Half of the 566 flights scheduled at Wuhan's international airport for Thursday were canceled, as were 251 ferry sailings on the Yangtze River, according to the Wuhan Transportation Bureau. Many people flocked to the roads to try to avoid getting caught in the quarantine. Television footage showed health workers in hazmat suits taking motorists' temperatures as they waited at toll booths. Others did not make it out. Hubei's highway management authority closed multiple expressways in and around Wuhan, and Wuhan traffic police confirmed that although vehicles were allowed to come into the city, they were prohibited from going out, except in special cases. At least four other neighboring districts said they will adopt similar travel restrictions, effectively doubling the number of people in quarantine to 25 million. In Macao, where one case has been found, the government said it might shut down the territory's casinos if the epidemic worsens. Macao's gambling sector is seven times the size of Las Vegas's. The authorities have called off a public festival to ring in the new year. Many people in Wuhan were incensed at the sudden announcement of the travel restrictions Thursday. "I didn't even receive a notice," said one woman who found herself stranded at Hankou Railway Station. She had been on her way from Henan province southwest to Sichuan and was changing trains in Wuhan when she got caught up in the suspension. Some people resorted to extreme measures to escape the travel ban. One man who could not get a taxi to the station to catch an earlier train persuaded a food delivery driver to give him a lift on his scooter. The desperate traveler paid $72 to have the man, who would usually make less than half that in a day, drop him at the station. "We were flying," he said. Others thought the ban was warranted. "I think we can fully understand why they made the decision; they have no alternative," said Zhu, a 56-year-old university professor in Wuhan who declined to give a full name. "But it's difficult to tell how effective it will be." Still, distrust of authorities is mounting. Although local authorities said they had enough food for residents and medical supplies to treat patients, Wuhan residents posted photos on social media showing empty shelves in grocery stores. Prices of fresh fruit and vegetables have spiked, with cabbages selling for double the usual amount. Wuhan authorities have ordered residents to wear masks in public places, but the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, posted on social media that the province was short of masks and protective clothing. The post, which was widely shared, was soon deleted. Speculation swirled that the government had silenced Zhong Nanshan, the renowned respiratory expert who helped discover SARS in 2003 and is known for his bluntness Zhong, a member of the National Health Commission's group of experts investigating the outbreak, had been on Chinese television constantly this week and announced the finding that the coronavirus could pass from human to human. But he has disappeared from screens in recent days and did not answer phone calls from The Washington Post. As the uncertainty continued, Guan, the virologist who identified SARS, offered a chilling perspective on the outbreak. "I've seen it all: bird flu, SARS, influenza A, swine fever and the rest. But the Wuhan pneumonia makes me feel extremely powerless," he told Caixin. "Most of the past epidemics were controllable, but this time, I'm petrified." - - - Sun reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Wang Yuan, Liu Yang and Lyric Li in Beijing and Yasmeen Abutaleb, Siobhan O'Grady and Marisa Iati in Washington contributed to this report. The criminal conspiracy charges levelled by the Brazilian government against Intercept Brasil publisher and renowned investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald is the latest in a series of state attacks internationally on the hard-won historical right to freedom of speech. The arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has opened the floodgates for a global war on independent and critical journalism and the imposition of sweeping censorship. The allegations made in Brazil against Greenwald are essentially identical to the first charge issued in April 2019 by the US Department of Justice to file for the extradition of Assange from the United Kingdom to stand trial in the United States. Both men have been accused of assisting whistleblowers to access information that, once published, exposed criminality and corruption at the highest levels of the state apparatus. Journalist Glenn Greenwald listens to a question during a press conference [Credit: AP Photo/Ricardo Borges] In Greenwalds case, a prosecution is being prepared on the pretext that he conspired with people to hack messaging accounts and obtain information that proved top officials had used a corruption investigation to undermine the political opponents of fascistic demagogue Jair Bolsonaro. In the lead-up to the 2018 presidential election, which was won by Bolsanaro, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was convicted of corruption and imprisoned and his Workers Party mired in scandal. In the case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder has been charged with conspiring with courageous American whistleblower Chelsea Manning in 2009-2010 to access troves of classified documents that exposed US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan and the sordid intrigues carried out around the world to prop up pro-US regimes and assert American strategic and corporate interests. A further 17 counts of espionage were then added to the charge list, threatening him with a life sentence of 175 years if he is extradited and condemned by a show trial in the US. Greenwald has not yet been arrested, but it is almost certain that US intelligence agencies are involved in the legal moves to prosecute him. He would have been on their hit list of priority media targets since he played a key role in 2013 in publishing the leaks made by National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden. The Snowden leaks exposed the staggering degree to which the NSA spies on the communications of virtually every American citizen and much of the worlds population. Julian Assange sought to protect himself from the revenge of the US state by gaining political asylum in 2012 in the tiny Ecuadorian embassy in London, until he was evicted and arrested last April. Just prior to Assanges eviction, Chelsea Manning was sent back to prison for refusing to appear before a grand jury and retract her categorical testimony during her trial that she acted alonewithout any assistance from Assange and WikiLeaksto access the information she leaked. The imprisonment of Manning and arrest of Assange were quickly followed by the Macron government initiating moves to prosecute eight journalists over the exposure of Frances complicity in Saudi Arabias illegal war in Yemen. In June 2019, unprecedented police raids on journalists homes and media offices took place in Australia. Three journalists are threatened with prosecution over the publication of leaks exposing war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan and plans to legalise mass surveillance. Glenn Greenwald had not visited the US since 2013 due to his legitimate concern that he would be arrested. With Bolsanaro now in power, the hands of the CIA, NSA and FBI can well and truly reach into Brazil, where Greenwald has residency rights through his partner. The WSWS warned in 2010 that if Julian Assange was not defendedafter his detention in Britain over blatantly fabricated allegations that he had committed sexual offences in Swedenit would open the way for a full-scale assault to terrorise and silence genuine journalism. Then Vice-President Joe Biden in Barack Obamas Democratic Party administration had labelled Assange a high-tech terrorist. The Labor government in Australia, where Assange holds citizenship, had denounced WikiLeaks publications as illegal activity. Within a matter of months, however, the vast majority of the ex-left and ex-liberal political and media fraternity lined up with the US state and its allies against Assange. Publications such as the New York Times and the Guardian which had worked with WikiLeaks to publish the Manning leaks because they were going to be published anywaydevoted their resources to slandering Assange as a suspected rapist and self-serving narcissist, undeserving of any popular sympathy and support. The unions and fake-left organisations internationally actively opposed any campaign in his defence, refusing to discuss his case and boycotting all actions taken to demand his freedom. The political reasons this turn against WikiLeaks took place must never be forgotten. It occurred in the wake of massive social upheavals, which were in part triggered by information contained in the Manning leaks, which brought down US-backed regimes. Foreign Policy magazine nervously asked in January 2011 if Tunisia was the first WikiLeaks Revolution. Just weeks later, the seemingly all-powerful dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by a mass movement of the Egyptian working class. The establishment left parties, unions and media are tied by a thousand threads to the financial and corporate oligarchy and benefit from the ruthless exploitation of the vast majority of the worlds population. The way in which the truth had motivated ordinary people to rise up in open rebellion against entrenched elites was viewed in these circles with horror. A mass upheaval demanding an end to social inequality and political injustice in the United States, for example, would threaten the wealth and power of the capitalist class and privileged upper-middle class, of which they are part and which they serve. The instinctive response of the establishment organisations and media was to join with the state apparatus in seeking to prevent or censor future exposures. As New York Times editor Bill Keller bluntly wrote in November 2010 in response to WikiLeaks: When we find ourselves in possession of government secrets, we think long and hard about whether to disclose them Freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity. [Emphasis added]. The hatred of the ex-liberal publications for Assange reached visceral levels in 2016 when WikiLeaks published leaked emails that shed further light on the militarist, big business and authoritarian agenda of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Partytheir preference in the US presidential election. The Times and the Guardian spearheaded the campaign to promote the lie that Assange had conspired with Russian intelligence to hack the emails, and to smear him as a tool of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. In July 2019, a US court dismissed the allegations that WikiLeaks had worked with Russian agencies as entirely divorced from the facts and defended WikiLeaks' right to publish the leaks as plainly of the type entitled to the strongest protection that the First Amendment offers. The Times and Guardian, however, have never retracted their false accusations and slanders. To this day, the Times and the Democratic Party machine publicly advocate that Assange be criminally prosecuted over their incessant claims that Russian interference cost Clinton the 2016 election. In April 2019, the Times published comments that described the first conspiracy charge against Assange as an indisputable crime. Given its record, the New York Times plumbed the depths of hypocrisy in its editorial on January 22 on the charging of Glenn Greenwald. It asserted that Greenwalds publication of leaks in Brazil did what a free press is supposed to do: they revealed a painful truth about those in power. The editorial concluded: Attacking the bearers of that message is a serious disservice and a dangerous threat to the rule of law. The reality is that the Times, along with numerous ex-left and ex-liberal organisations and publications, has proven through its complicity in the persecution of Assange and WikiLeaks that its class allegiances lie with the corporate oligarchy and the capitalist state. A genuine defence of persecuted journalists and whistleblowers will be taken forward only by the working class, whose right to know the truth they have courageously served. Julian Assange is imprisoned in Britain and his extradition trial begins on February 24 in London. Chelsea Manning is in a cell in the United States, Edward Snowden is in forced exile in Russia and now Glenn Greenwald is under threat in Brazil. All those who defend the fundamental democratic rights at stake in their cases have the responsibility to fight for the greatest possible independent mobilisation of workers and young people to demand their immediate and unconditional freedom. The piece uses Microsoft AI to put together sounds pulled from 17 years worth of choral recordings made by @bjork herself https://t.co/CjuI83Xudd DJ Mag (@DJmag) 22 de enero de 2020 Icelandic musician, songwriter and producer, Bjork, has produced an AI-assisted choral piece to be played in the lobby of New York City hotel Sister City.Titled 'Korsafn', meaning "choral archives", the piece uses Microsoft AI to put together sounds pulled from 17 years worth of choral recordings made by Bjork herself.The Icelandic artist said of 'Korsafn'. "I offered them my choir archives, written over 17 years, that will float through the pinball of artificial intelligence by the grid of bird migrations, clouds, aeroplanes and that voluptuous thing called barometer!"The piece is a living and evolving soundscape, with the images in the installation powered by a camera on the roof of the Sister City. For example, the AI camera checks for clouds, but also the density and type of cloud, whether a cumulus and nimbus, or distinguishing an entire flock of birds. As the AI learns to identify new objects, the choral arrangements you hear on the hotel will change to accurately reflect the weather conditions or to suit the mood of of that particular day, changing over time.Source 1 Indian women politicians experience substantially higher online abuse than their United Kingdom and United States of America counterparts, a first-of-its-kind report that tracked digital abuse over Twitter around last years general elections has revealed. Amnesty India International-International Secretariat analysed 114,716 tweets that mentioned 95 women politicians between March and May 2019 the elections were conducted over April and May and found that 13.8% of them were abusive and problematic. By comparison, in 2017, Amnesty International and Element AI, a software company, surveyed millions of tweets received by 778 journalists and politicians all women from the United Kingdom and the United States of America, representing a variety of political views. Among their top findings, 7.1% of tweets sent to the women in the study were problematic or abusive, amounting to 1.1 million tweets over 365 days. Troll Patrol India: Exposing Online Abuse Faced by Women Politicians in India includes Twitters response as well as Amnestys recommendations. The report did not name the women. Amnesty revealed that of the 95 women politicians, 44 were from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 28 were from the Indian National Congress (INC), and 23 were from other parties such as Aam Aadmi Party, Apna Dal, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All India Trinamool Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) among others. The study relied upon the perception of decoders who were shown tweets with the username obscured, and were then asked questions about whether the tweets were problematic or abusive, and if so, whether they revealed misogynistic, casteist or racist abuse, or other types of violent threats. Most of the tweets analysed were in English. The report found that the more marginal the identity, the higher the frequency of problematic and abusive tweets. The seven Muslim women among the 95 experienced 55.5% more problematic or abusive content compared to others. Women from marginalised castes (total 19) received 59% more casteist slurs than women from general castes. According to the women politicians HT spoke to as well as those quoted in the report, the issue of online abuse cuts across party lines. Everyone suffers trolls, but for women, it is taken to another level. Its all unrelated to politics and very personal things (are said) that men are never asked, Shazia Ilmi, vice president Delhi BJP and spokesperson told HT. I was told that I have no right to speak as a Muslim woman. Rape threats were routine, as were character assassinations, insinuations about my sexual relationships with older men, the report quoted Hasiba Amin, INCs national convener, social media, as saying. CPI (ML) Polit Bureau member Kavita Krishnan told HT that it was incorrect to refer to this abuse as trolling. What we face is an organised, concerted campaign of threats and abuse, unleased by the ruling party, led specifically by persons holding public office a governor various BJP MPs and MLAs, and handles followed by the Prime Minister and various cabinet ministers. In response to Amnesty International India, in November 2019 Twitter listed several measures it has taken to decrease the levels of online abuse during the 2019 general elections. Across Twitter, more than 50% of tweets we took action on for abuse were proactively surfaced using technology, rather than relying on reports from people who use Twitter, it pointed out. There was a 48% increase in accounts reported for potential violations of our Hateful Conduct policies... Similarly, we saw a 22% increase in accounts reported for potential violations of our abuse policies. We took action on 68% more accounts compared to the last reporting period. However, the report pointed out that more needs to be done: The abuse in India is often in a variety of regional languages, including colloquial slang or Hindi in English (Latin) script. All this potentially escapes the radar of Twitters auto language detection. We are aware that women in India, especially female politicians, may be more susceptible to abuse by virtue of the socio-cultural identities that they may hold. This is why we have a series of cultural trends abuse training material for the enforcement teams for certain countries, including India, a Twitter spokesperson said. Fitzsimmons said the grounding of the large air tankers will affect firefighting capabilities in New South Wales, where there are 70 fires burning, 44 of them out of control and three of them at an emergency warning level. Bush fires have also closed the airport in Canberra, and authorities warned residents that traveling could be deadly amid soaring temperatures. A city mans attempt to emulate activist Boniface Mwangi locking a VIP motorcade has landed him in court. A day after Boniface Mwangi had blocked a government vehicle, Mr Saidi Musa Jobba did the same to a convoy of four cars that was driving on the wrong side of Langata road Wednesday morning. However, one police officer in one of the vehicles remained behind to facilitate the mans arrest by calling Langata police. Jobba was later presented at Kibera Law Court and charged with disobeying police instructions. The charge sheet read: Failing to obey any instructions given whether verbal or by signal by police officers in the execution of their duty contrary to the Traffic Act (Cap 403) of the Kenya Law. He pleaded not guilty and was released on Sh10, 000 cash bail. The case will be heard on March 4, 2019. In a tweet, Boniface Mwangi indicated that he was at Kibera Court waiting for Jobba to be charged. The activist claimed Jobba was being charged with drunk driving. I am in court Kibera Law Courts waiting for @s_jobba to be charged. He was driving on Langata Road when he encountered a motorcade on the wrong side of the road. He obeyed the law and stayed on his lane.@NPSOfficial_KE are charging him with drunk driving, he tweeted alongside a video of the Wednesday incident. Watch below. Courtesy of LSC-University Park / Submitted Lone Star College-University Parks Student Learning Resource Center waived overdue library fines for students who donated nonperishable items during the month of December. The Food for Fines program was among the creative ways LSC-UP has been stocking its new on-campus free food and hygiene pantry for students, Leos Shelf. The college announced the opening of Leos Shelf in a Jan. 21 press release, citing a 2019 report by the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice that states nearly half of U.S. community college students experience food insecurity a statistic that may correlate to graduation rates. In the lead up to Valentines Day, we caught up with Law School alumna and LLB graduate, Tian Hui Tan on why she chose to study here, adjusting to life in the UK as an international student and, ultimately finding love here in Bristol. 1. What inspired you to come and study in Bristol and specifically at the Law School? Bristol was one of my first choices as I had heard that it was a lovely place to live in and study. I was not disappointed at all, as I greatly enjoyed my three years here. The University's Law School has always been one of the top law schools in UK, and I wanted to challenge myself and learn from leading academics. 2. What were the highlights of your time at Bristol? One of the key highlights would have to be meeting my husband in my final year of law school. On top of that, Bristol continues to take a special place in my heart as I met many friends whom I continue to keep in touch with till this day. I also loved exploring Bristol - different parts of Bristol, from the Harbourside Area to Clifton Village, channels a different vibe! 3. What was the biggest challenge you faced while studying here? One of the biggest challenges was adapting to a different environment while being away from home. Having grown up in Singapore, I had a lot to get used to when I commenced my studies abroad for the first time in my life. I had to adapt to a different schooling and physical environment. However, I was (and remain) extremely grateful that I met many tutors and professors who were patient and willing to impart their knowledge to me. Suffice to say, I eventually grew accustomed to studying here and stayed on (on my own accord!) for one more year in the UK, during which I completed my postgraduate studies in law. 4. How did you find your time at Bristol helped you to get to where you are now? A law degree from the University is well-recognised in Singapore, due to a strong alumni base in the local legal fraternity. Upon graduation, I secured a training contract with one of the big four local law firms, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. I am currently a commercial disputes lawyer with the firm, and greatly enjoy my work as it is dynamic, exciting and extremely rewarding. As my work frequently involves cross-border disputes, I find that my experience studying abroad has also helped me to better appreciate and work with clients from different countries and cultures. 5. What advice would you give to international students considering studying at Bristol? I would strongly advise international students considering studying at Bristol to go for it! You will enjoy your time at Bristol, and meet like-minded people who share your intellectual curiosity and eagerness to learn. VALENCIA, Calif.Ecstasy Trading, known for their wide range of quality condoms today announces it will operate as CondomMan, combining forces with CondomMan.com to deliver superior service, competitive pricing and a wider range of trusted brands. Sexual safety is a basic human right, and not all products are created equal. By combining forces under the CondomMan umbrella, were excited to bring our company to the next level as a distributor. Our mission is to provide our retail partners with the widest variety of options by the best brands available. says Owner Kevin Mirachi. Since 2003, CondomMan.com has been a destination for online consumers to order safe sex products, making it one of the internets earliest condom suppliers. By combining forces with CondomMan, all Ecstasy Trading orders will now fall under the CondomMan umbrella. Sales will be lead by Terry McGowan, with a wide selection of quality condoms from around the world, CondomMan only offers brands with sterling reputations for reliability, comfort, and sensitivity, as the distributor of choice for bulk orders to retail stores, pharmacies, and more. In addition to condoms, CondomMan also offers lubricants and more, by some of the best names in the business. For colleges and universities, clinics, hospitals, government health departments, and non-profits, CondomMan offers special pricing. For enquiries, contact Terry at [email protected], (661) 524-0381 or CondomMan.com. For millions of premenopausal women, uterine fibroids turn their monthly periods into virtual hemorrhages. A new drug called Orilissa cut blood loss by half over six months in the overwhelming majority of women who participated in two clinical trials. Read more For millions of premenopausal women, uterine fibroids turn their monthly periods into virtual hemorrhages. A new drug called elagolix cut blood loss by half over six months in the overwhelming majority of women who participated in two clinical trials published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Elagolix, being developed by AbbVie, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018 under the brand name Orilissa to reduce the pain of endometriosis another common, debilitating female disorder. The fibroid studies, conducted at 77 sites in the United States and Canada, were led by William D. Schlaff, the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University. The results have been submitted to the FDA, which is expected to issue its decision in the first half of 2020. Elagolix works by suppressing the gonadotropin hormone and the ovarian sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. In effect, it throws women into a temporary menopause. Because this suppression can cause bone loss, the researchers gave a subset of women low doses of sex hormones along with elagolix. Of those 395 women, about 70% cut their blood loss by half without suffering more bone thinning than women taking a placebo. The add-back hormones also reduced menopausal side effects such as hot flashes and night sweats, although these remained common. As a clinician working with patients like this for 40 years, I think this is a valuable clinical tool, Schlaff said of elagolix and add-back hormones. Its oral, the effect is fast onset, and the side-effect profile is tolerable. The brand name and pricing that would be used if the FDA approves this use of elagolix have not yet been established for the drug, an AbbVie spokesperson said. The list price for a four-week supply of Orilissa is $907.39. An estimated 80% of women approaching menopause have fibroids muscular growths in the uterine wall. Half of those women will develop symptoms, primarily heavy menstrual bleeding, which can lead to a blood iron deficiency. Charlotte Owens, medical director at AbbVie, noted that African American women have a higher risk for uterine fibroids and often develop more severe symptoms than Caucasian women. After menopause, when the ovaries shut down, menstrual bleeding stops, but many women find the transitional bleeding so troublesome that they seek treatment. Current options including drugs that target hormones, procedures that destroy the uterine lining, or surgical removal of the fibroids or entire uterus all have drawbacks. A device called an electric morcellator, which minces fibroids and removes the tissue through tiny incisions, has been largely abandoned because in rare cases it can disseminate an undetected uterine cancer. Philadelphia cardiac surgeon Hooman Noorchashm and his late wife, anesthesiologist Amy Reed, campaigned for a ban on morcellators after her cancer was spread during a hysterectomy. Existing gonadotropin hormone-suppressing drugs, including one approved in 1989 that Schlaff helped to test in patients, have to be given as injections and take up to two weeks to begin working. Other companies besides AbbVie have been working to tap the potentially huge market of women with fibroid-related bleeding. A few years ago, Dublin-based Allergan seemed to be in the lead with ulipristal acetate, brand name Esmya, which was already approved in Europe. But after European regulators initiated an investigation into whether the drug led to liver damage in some patients, the FDA declined to approve it. Myovant Sciences relugolix, which reduced blood loss in nearly three-quarters of patients in the second of two late-stage clinical trials, is also seeking approval for the drug in combination with add-back hormone medications. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 11:25:11|Editor: zh Video Player Close ATHENS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- High court judge Katerina Sakellaropoulou was elected Wednesday by parliament president of the Hellenic Republic, making her the country's first female head of state. Since 2018, Sakellaropoulou has been serving as president of the Council of State, Greece's highest administrative court. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis nominated Sakellaropoulou last week as a non-partisan candidate, who enjoyed a broad support from the deputies in the parliament. Born in northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, Sakellaropoulou graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with a bachelor degree in 1978, and then completed her postgraduate studies at the University of Paris-Sorbonne II. In 1982, Sakellaropoulou was appointed as assistant judge at the Council of State, where she worked until this year. She has been president of the Hellenic Society for Environmental Law since 2015. Sakellaropoulou, 63, is famous for her "groundbreaking legislation for the right boundaries between protecting the environment and development," Mitsotakis said. Sakellaropoulou, who is divorced and has a child, published several books and can speak English and French. According to the Greek constitution, the Greek president is elected for a term of five years and can be re-elected only once. Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, gestures as he attends a session at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2020. China cares "as deeply" about the ethics around artificial intelligence as the U.S. does, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on Thursday as he called for global rules around the technology. Microsoft, which is investing heavily in AI, is part of a growing number of technology companies calling for regulation around AI. "I think China cares as deeply about AI ethics as the United States. To assume that somehow the Chinese people and the Chinese government are also not going to worry about the implications of AI run wild would be a problem," Nadella said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "And so therefore I think both the United States and China and the European Union having a set of principles that govern what this technology can mean in our societies and the world at large is probably more in need today than it was in the last 30 years." However, Nadella's comments come as the U.S. increases its scrutiny of Chinese AI firms. Some of China's biggest AI firms were put on a U.S. blacklist and being accused of human rights abuses related to minority Muslims in northwest China. Cruise Origin driverless shuttle Cruise The future of the auto industry isn't horsepower or style when it comes to autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing services. It's a box. The most recent proof of this came Tuesday night with Cruise, a majority-owned subsidiary of General Motors, debuting its first vehicle specifically designed to operate without a driver. The all-electric vehicle, which Cruise is calling Origin, looks similar to autonomous shuttles previously unveiled or tested by other companies but doesn't feature any manual controls that would allow a human to take control in an emergency, such as pedals or a steering wheel. "It's really promising. I don't think anyone can argue with the premise," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com. It's "not unlike things we have seen at CES in the past," she said. The shuttle-like vehicle has doors on both sides that open from the center rather than swinging open on hinges, and the vehicle's seats face inward to provide at least as much legroom as "extra legroom" seats on an airplane, Kyle Vogt, Cruise's co-founder, president and chief technology officer, said during the unveiling in San Francisco. The Origin offers wireless internet and device chargers that passengers can use while they ride, as well as three interior cameras that monitor the safety of people and their cargo on-board. The shared ride should be quiet, since the Cruise Origin is an all-electric vehicle, too. Cruise's vice president of hardware engineering, Carl Jenkins, told CNBC on Tuesday night that the Origin had to be electric, not just for environmental but budgetary reasons, too. "When you're owning a whole fleet of vehicles, you want the operational costs to be as low as possible. EVs have a much lower operational cost, because there's way fewer parts and fewer moving parts," he noted. Sam Abuelsamid, principal research analyst at Navigant and an engineer, said he expects more companies such as Ford Motor and others to unveil similar vehicles in the coming months and years because they fit the needs of ride-sharing and commercial delivery services. The interior of the Cruise Origin, an autonomous vehicle unveiled by the General Motors subsidiary, on Jan. 21, 2020. Lora Kolodny/CNBC "This type of vehicle is what we're going to be seeing more of from the companies that are in the AV space," he said, referring to ease of access, spaciousness and other characteristics. "This is exactly the kind of vehicle you need for shared mobility services." Other companies such as Fiat Chrysler, Toyota Motor and self-driving shuttle services such as May Mobility, Local Motors and Navya have previously shown concept vehicles or deployed similar-looking vehicles. These types of vehicles are separate from semi-autonomous driver-assist technologies such as Tesla's Autopilot or GM's Super Cruise that are designed for the consumer vehicles. Such shuttles are expected to be used for ride-sharing wherever regulators allow it. Cruise was working on a cargo-hauling version of the Origin as well, something more like a van than a shuttle, Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said at the San Francisco event. Regarding the common designs, Abuelsamid said, "there's only so much you can do for a box on wheels. However, the key differentiates for Origin compared to similar vehicles from other companies is underneath its boxy exterior, according to Abuelsamid. Toyota unveils e-Palette at CES, January 8, 2017. Source: Toyota 1 million miles Cruise officials described Origin as being modular and designed to last for 1 million miles of driving. That compares to some vehicles, including GM's, that only offer warranties for tens of thousands of miles and last hundreds of thousands if properly maintained. "It is self-driven. It is all electric. It is shared. It is a production vehicle," Ammann, who formerly served as president of GM, said during the unveiling. Unlike some similar concept vehicles, Cruise stressed Origin is production-ready. Details about a manufacturing location are expected in the "coming days," according to Ammann. The vehicle's modular architecture also will allow for the interior of the vehicle to be easily changed and new technologies such as sensors and radars to be added, company officials said. Abuelsamid compared the vehicle to how the aerospace industry designs airplanes. "The airframes are designed to last 20, 25 or 30 years but every two, three or four years they go through a major overhaul and revamp a significant portion of the aircraft while keeping the main structure of the plane," he said. "This is something I've been talking about for several years not and it's exactly what Cruise is doing." Cruise Origin Cruise A major difference in the design of the vehicle is that it was built to be an autonomous vehicle. Many other shuttle services such as May Mobility use an existing all-electric vehicle architecture that isn't as modular or designed to be operated for extended lengths. Origin, according to Credit Suisse analyst Dan Levy, is proof that Cruise remains "extremely committed to achieving a first mover advantage in autonomous ridesharing." "The Origin unveil reminded us that there is much more to achieving AV commercialization than simply taking the driver out, and central to that is achieving automotive grade / proper vehicle integration," he wrote in a note to investors Thursday. Hurdles, questions remain Cruise was light on details regarding the capabilities, timeline and production of Origin, which it claims will be built for roughly half the cost of what a conventional electric SUV costs today. The vehicle easily seats six adults and has a wheel base about the same size of a Honda CRV. Ammann said a production location will be released in coming days. In a Medium post, he also claimed Cruise's service will, on average, will save a San Francisco household driving themselves or using ridesharing up to $5,000 a year. The lack of details could be due to the hurdles that remain for autonomous vehicles regarding safety regulations and consumer acceptance, according to officials. "The hurdle right now isn't really the technology ... the hurdle right now is convincing the public that autonomous technology is safe," said Mike Harley, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book. While many believe autonomous vehicles can save lives, some have been skeptical about allowing the vehicles on public roads particularly following a fatal crash involving a self-driving Uber vehicle in March 2018 in Arizona. Cruise also has previously made ambitious predictions and missed the targets, including testing in New York City and deploying autonomous vehicles at-scale in 2019. "There have been so many promises about autonomous vehicle technology that haven't come to fruition," Edmunds' Caldwell said. "I think it's hard to really conceptualize this becoming a part of our everyday life." WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Debra Tice, the mother of detained journalist Austin Tice, will hold a news conference on Monday, Jan. 27 at 10:00 a.m. at the National Press Club to provide an update and to be part of the announcement of the second annual Night Out For Austin Tice, a national awareness campaign. When: Monday, January 27, 10:00 a.m. Where: National Press Club, Zenger Room 529 14th Street NW 13th Floor Washington, D.C. 20045 Who: Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice Mike Freedman, President of the National Press Club Details: Unjustly detained in Syria since August 2012, Austin Tice is a freelance journalist who worked for both McClatchy and The Washington Post. Debra Tice, who spent 83 days in Syria looking for her son, has been advocating for his release for more than 7 years. Austin is the only American journalist currently being held overseas and has now been detained longer than any other American journalist, including Terry Anderson of the Associated Press. The Tices feel the time has come to share with the public important information at the center of their efforts to bring Austin safely home. Since April 2018, the FBI has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Austin's safe return. To call attention to the reward and supplement it, the National Press Club designed a public awareness campaign called Night Out For Austin Tice. On, May 2, 2019 this program coordinated events in 80 restaurants in 13 states and the District of Columbia, where thousands of diners learned about Austin for the first time. Millions more read about him in newspaper ads, articles and op-eds, and listened to the Tices tell their story in dozens of radio and television interviews. The program raised $60,000 and was endorsed by James Beard Award winning chefs including Jose Andres, Patti Jinich, Andy Ricker, Chris Shepherd, and celebrity chef Carla Hall. National Press Club President Michael Freedman will announce the Club's launch of the second annual Night Out For Austin Tice, set for Wednesday, April 29, 2020. In an effort to keep up the pressure for Austin's release, this year's Night Out campaign aims to partner with restaurants and businesses in all 50 states. The National Press Club is excited to welcome three of Austin's siblings as the co-chairs of this year's Night Out campaign: Meagan Malone and Naomi Tice of Houston, TX, and Jacob Tice of Tacoma, WA. Of course, we hope Austin will be safely home before April 29, and that this year's Night Out For Austin Tice events will be a nationwide celebration of his freedom. PRESS CONTACT: Lindsay Underwood for the National Press Club; (202) 662-7561, [email protected] SOURCE National Press Club Iran FATF-Related Legislation Rejected By Expediency Council 01/23/20 Source: Radio Farda A member of Iran's Expediency Council on Wednesday said the Council's deadline for endorsing the CFT (Combating the Financing of Terrorism) bill has ended and the bill should be considered as rejected. The endorsement and finalization of the bill would allow Iran to join the UN conventions against money laundering and funding terrorism. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has threatened to put Iran on its reactivate counter-measures it had earlier suspended unless Iran finalizes relevant legislation before February. FATF is dead Source: Iranian daily Resalat Speaking to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on Wednesday Ahmad Tavakoli, a member of the Expediency Council, said the Council's 12-month deadline to endorse the anti-money laundering CFT bill was over. He explained that according to the Council's internal regulations reaching the deadline means the case has now been closed and added that the extension of the deadline "doesn't seem required". The majority of the members of the Expediency Council who are appointed by Khamenei, as well as its Chairman Sadeq Larijani, are hardliners and opposed joining the UN's anti-money laundering conventions. The CFT bill was one of the four pieces of legislation against money laundering and funding of terrorism that the Iranian Parliament ratified in October 2018 to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force, an international watchdog based in Paris. However, the hardliner Guardian Council which endorses legislation approved by the Parliament before they become actual laws turned down two of the bills, namely, the FAFT and CFT bills. The matter was put to the arbitration of the Expediency Council, also dominated by hardliners, which kept stalling the probe into the disagreement between the Guardian Council and the Parliament until the one-year deadline was over. Home Search ICH Architect of CIAs Torture Program Testifies Before Man He Waterboarded 183 Times By Margot Williams January 22, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - A psychologist who helped to design and execute the CIAs enhanced interrogation techniques testified in open court for the first time on Tuesday in connection with the trial of five men accused of planning the 9/11 attacks. I suspected from the beginning that I would end up here, James Mitchell told a Guantanamo Bay courtroom. Dressed in a charcoal suit and bright red tie, Mitchell stated that although he could have testified over a video link, he had chosen to come in person. I did it for the victims and families, he told James G. Connell III, an attorney for Ammar al-Baluchi, one of the accused plotters. Not for you. He added: You folks have been saying untrue and malicious things about me and Dr. [Bruce] Jessen for years. Mitchell and his colleague Jessen were previously questioned in videotaped depositions in a civil case, but the proceedings underway at the military court complex in Guantanamo represent the first courtroom appearances by the two psychologists as witnesses. On Tuesday, the accused architect of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, sat just yards from the men who waterboarded him 183 times in a CIA black site in Poland in March 2003. The topic of Tuesdays hearing was a motion to suppress statements made by the 9/11 defendants while they were being held in detention, even after they were brought from the CIAs black sites to Guantanamo. The defense attorneys allege that the statements the men made at Guantanamo were not voluntary because of the profound impact of their prior torture, which was overseen by Mitchell and Jessen. The torture techniques, approved by the George W. Bush administration, were used by the CIA as part of the rendition, detention, and interrogation program from 2002 to 2008. These methods, including waterboarding, were designed to condition prisoners to provide information to interrogators and debriefers. The CIA renounced the harsh interrogation techniques in 2009, and the Senates torture report later found that the program was a violation of U.S. and international law that failed to generate usable information for counterterrorism operations. Mitchell and Jessen ran a contracting company that provided interrogators and security personnel to the CIA program at a cost of $81 million over several years. During that time, the psychologists personally conducted interrogations, trained interrogators, participated in debriefings, and observed interrogations. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter In 2015, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the pair in federal court in Spokane, Washington, on behalf of two former detainees, as well as the family of another prisoner who died in custody at a black site. The two psychologists provided testimony in that case, which was settled out of court in 2017. The terms of the settlement remain confidential. In a joint statement released by the parties, Mitchell and Jessen acknowledged that they worked with the CIA to develop a program that contemplated the use of specific coercive methods to interrogate certain detainees, but asserted that the abuses occurred without their knowledge or involvement and that as a result, they were not responsible. Mohammeds co-defendants Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Mustafa al-Hawsawi, and Mohammeds nephew Baluchi also endured torture techniques proposed by Mitchell and Jessen, and they, too, were present in the courtroom on Tuesday. There were no audible reactions from the defendants during the morning testimony, which is expected to continue through next week. Questioning on Tuesday morning focused on Mitchells 2016 book Enhanced Interrogation, written with former CIA chief spokesperson Bill Harlow, in which Mitchell vehemently objects to the findings of the Senates 2014 torture report. In a bizarre twist, the book contains information that defense attorneys in the 9/11 case may be barred from using under a new classification guidance delivered by the government last Thursday and revised Tuesday morning. The guidance which is itself classified contains a restriction on presenting information deemed a threat to national security. For example, although the names of countries where black sites were located are now known from books and European court proceedings, they cannot be mentioned in the courtroom at Guantanamo. Mitchell proved an antagonistic witness. He confirmed that his book had undergone an intensive pre-publication review by the CIA and the Department of Defense, and said that prior to the new restrictions, no one had suggested that he had disclosed classified information. The book has sold 40,000 to 50,000 copies, Mitchell estimated. When asked what his reaction would be to the claim that the information in his book could harm national security, he responded, My reaction would be: Buy the publication rights and take it off the market. Separated by a curtain from the press and observers from nongovernmental organizations, relatives of 9/11 victims could be heard voicing their agreement with some of Mitchells testy responses. This article was originally published by "The Intercept" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. SpendEdge has been monitoring the global PET packaging market and the market is poised to experience spend growth of more than USD 16 billion between 2019-2024 at a CAGR of over 4% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005378/en/ Read the 135-page research report with TOC and LOE on "The Global PET Packaging Market Procurement Intelligence Report, Pricing Outlook in Geographies that include APAC, North America, South America, and MEA, top suppliers, supplier selection and negotiation strategies, and insights into best practices to optimize procurement spend." Despite a substantial demand from the food and beverage sector owing to the increase in the sales of packaged foods, restrictions imposed on the usage of plastic and the growing preference for paper-based packaging will inhibit the prospects of growth in the PET packaging market during the forecast period. The exponential demand for packaged food and drinks coupled with the prevalence of favorable FDI policies will drive spend growth in the PET packaging market in APAC. North America is expected to witness limited growth owing to the growing environmental awareness regarding the usage of plastic. Subscribe to our procurement platform to get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment. The Top PET Packaging Suppliers Enlisted in this Report: Sustainability will play an integral role in aiding buyers to determine the viability of partnering with suppliers. This, in turn, will not only aid buyers to achieve their own sets of sustainability goals but also identify areas to save costs. On this note, this report has listed the top PET packaging suppliers, SLA agreement insights, and the selection and negotiation strategies that buyers must undertake to achieve optimal procurement in this market. Insights into some of the suppliers are given below: Berry Global- It is among those PET packaging suppliers who are known to focus on the development of lightweight PET packaging and bio-PET packaging material, which contains plant-based renewable resources. Last year, Berry Global announced the introduction of 100% recyclable BioPET bottles, particularly designed for beauty and personal care products. Amcor- Last year, Amcor developed the first lightweight PET bottle for pasteurized beer in Brazil. Partnering with this supplier will help buyers reduce their transportation costs owing to the reduced weight of the cargo. Manufacturing such bottles will also help this supplier to reduce its raw material costs which can be leveraged by buyers to negotiate on PET bottle prices. DowDuPont- It is known to take water conservation efforts such as reducing water required for business operations and harvesting rainwater. This supplier installs low-flow faucets and treats wastewater for reuse in non-critical operations such as restroom facilities to curtail water consumption. Buy 1 report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 reports and get the third for free. Download the free sample of this report on the PET packaging market. Some of the key topics covered in this report are: PET packaging market spend segmentation by region PET packaging supply market analysis Regional spend opportunity for PET packaging suppliers PET packaging suppliers cost structure Total cost of ownership analysis in the PET packaging market PET packaging pricing models analysis Category management objectives Cost saving opportunities in the PET packaging market Free sample of reports that you may like: Global Plastic Bags and Pouches Industry Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Paper and Paperboard Packaging Market Procurement Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005378/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us As Chief Justice John Roberts presides over President Trumps impeachment trial and listens as Democrats argue for access to witnesses and evidence, he might be reminded of something he wrote as a law student more than 40 years ago. As managing editor of the Harvard Law Review in 1978, Roberts took issue with a recent Supreme Court decision denying a request by San Francisco public television station KQED for access to Alameda Countys Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. The court ruled that access to the jail, and to sites or information controlled by the government, is not protected by the First Amendment. The ruling should not be considered as standing for the proposition that there is no First Amendment right of public access to government-controlled institutions, Roberts wrote. He said constitutional standards could be defined for limiting the right of access within workable bounds in such cases. The article was unearthed recently by William Bennett Turner, who represented KQED in the 1978 case. Now a lecturer in media studies at UC Berkeley, Turner was then teaching at Harvard Law School, though Roberts was not one of his students. It would be nice if he could recapture his enthusiasm for the publics right to know, Turner said. Hes got an opportunity in presiding over impeachment and in Supreme Court cases that also involve Trump. Roberts has played a largely ceremonial role in the Senate impeachment trial, which began Tuesday. He intervened briefly to admonish representatives of both sides to remember where you are after each accused the other of lying. Later in the session, Senate Republicans, by a party line 53-47 vote, defeated a Democratic proposal to allow Roberts, rather than the Senate majority, to decide whether to subpoena witnesses and documents. But the issue may still wind up in Roberts lap. After opening arguments by both sides conclude next week, the Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to call witnesses, which ones to call and whether they should testify in public particularly former national security adviser John Bolton, a critic of Trumps dealings with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that led to the House impeachment vote. Administration officials previously indicated that Bolton, if called as a witness, would have to testify behind closed doors. Trump said Wednesday that Bolton should be barred from testifying because of his knowledge of state secrets. Democrats would likely challenge any such restrictions before Roberts, whose ruling if he chose to issue one would require a Senate majority vote to overturn. If Republican leaders were to get too far out of bounds for example, refusing to allow the full Senate to consider evidence that is plainly relevant or attempting to introduce evidence that plainly has no relevance at all the chief justice is there to make judge-like rulings, said Rory Little, a law professor at UC Hastings in San Francisco and a former Supreme Court law clerk. Disputes over witnesses could also reach Roberts court. A federal appeals court is considering the Trump administrations attempt to prevent a House committee from questioning former White House Counsel Don McGahn about Trumps alleged interference with Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, an issue that could lead to further impeachment charges. The Supreme Court is also scheduled to hear arguments in March on whether House committees and Manhattan prosecutors can obtain tax records and other financial documents that the president has refused to disclose. The chief justice presides over a court with a 5-4 conservative majority. But Roberts occasionally changes sides and votes with the more liberal justices, as he did in the 2012 ruling that upheld most of President Barack Obamas health care law. And as Turner, the Berkeley law professor, pointed out, Roberts told a law school audience in Nashville last year that Im probably the most aggressive defender of the First Amendment on the court. Most people might think that doesnt quite fit in with my jurisprudence in other areas, he said. People need to know that were not doing politics. Were doing something different. Were applying the law. He didnt convince Erwin Chemerinsky, the UC Berkeley law school dean, who has argued several cases in Roberts court. I am skeptical that he is the biggest free-speech defender on the court, Chemerinsky said when shown Roberts comments. I also dont know whether his views from 40 years ago in a different context matter much here. He cited Roberts vote with a 5-4 majority in 2006 that found no First Amendment protections for government employees speaking on workplace issues, and his 5-3 ruling in 2007 that upheld the suspension of a high school student for carrying a banner that read Bong Hits 4 Jesus at an off-campus event. Roberts court has supported free expression in other cases, such as the 8-1 ruling in 2010 that overturned a federal law banning animal cruelty videos, and an 8-1 ruling in 2011 striking down Californias ban on the sale of violent video games to minors. The court also cited First Amendment rights in two of its most important rulings of the past decade: the 2010 Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate spending in elections, and the 2018 ruling that allowed nonunion government employees to refuse to pay fees to unions for the costs of representing them at the bargaining table. Commentators have noted that the court showed more sympathy for the free-speech claims of corporations and nonunion members than for similar claims by a left-leaning nonprofit that proposed to offer human-rights training to two groups on the U.S. terror list. Roberts 6-3 ruling in 2010 allowed the nonprofit to be criminally prosecuted. But Democrats with few other options in the impeachment trial might have some hope of redress from a justice who publicly describes himself as a free-speech advocate. And Roberts could play a crucial role if the Senate deadlocks. When senators are evenly divided, the Constitution says the vice president, as presiding officer, can cast the tie-breaking vote, an option that has been used 269 times in history, according to Senate records. The Constitution designates the chief justice as the presiding officer in presidential impeachment trials which means, according to Joel Paul, a constitutional law professor at UC Hastings, that Roberts could cast the decisive vote if the Senate were to split 50-50 on calling a witness or taking testimony in public. Roberts is very much of an institutionalist, who is likely to defer to the Senate in the way in which the trial is being conducted, Paul said. But in a 50-50 vote, he said, the chief justice might be forced to take a position, and I think his inclination would be to vote in favor of public access. A previous version of this story misstated William Bennett Turners position at UC Berkeley. He is a lecturer in media studies. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko By PTI KANPUR: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday criticised the ongoing protests against the new citizenship law, saying it is "shameful" that the men sitting in the comfort of their homes have sent the women and children out on the streets to agitate. Addressing a rally in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Kanpur, Adityanath said, "These people do not have courage to participate in the protests themselves. They know if they indulge in vandalism, their property will be seized. Now what have they done?" "They started making the women sit at roads. The children have been made to sit. It's such a big crime that the men are sleeping under the quilt and the women are made to sit at roads. It is shameful," he said. At several places, including in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and in Lucknow, women have been leading the protest against the law, alleging it is discriminatory and fearing it targets the Muslim community. Some of the protests turned violent in Uttar Pradesh last month in which about 20 people died and the Adityanath government cracked down on those who indulged in arson. The UP government issued notices to the protesters, seeking compensation for the damage they caused to the public property. The central government has defended the law, saying it grants citizenship to religious minorities escaping persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who have come to India by December 31, 2014. It has reassured people that the new law does not take anyone's citizenship. ALSO READ | India fulfilled its 'moral duty' by enacting CAA: Rajnath Singh On Wednesday, Adityanath also accused the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Left parties of doing politics at the cost of the nation. "Those who do not know what the CAA is are staging sit-ins. If you go and ask anyone why are they sitting on 'dharna', they will say the men of the house feel that they have become so incompetent that they cannot do anything, so they want the women to go and sit on 'dharna'. "For them, the country is not important. The Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis are not important. Now, for the Congress, even the Christians are not important. And they have said the protests will continue against the CAA until the ISI agents are given entry into India," he alleged, adding, "This is a shameful statement made by Congress leaders". He said protesting peacefully is everyone's right but if a person damages public property, "we will recover the damage caused from that person's property and will punish them so that the next generation remembers it." "I would like to say from the soil of India, and especially from the soil of Uttar Pradesh, that if pro-Azadi slogans are raised here in the name of protests, like there used to be in Kashmir, then it will come in the category of sedition and stringent action will be taken by the government," Adityanath said. Nobody will be allowed to hatch a conspiracy against India while living in India, he added. I am so excited to join this thriving practice and looking forward to providing attentive, personalized dental care to my new patients, says Dr. Robyn McCalla Dr. Dan Myers and The Dentist Centers Sandy Springs are thrilled for Dr. Robyn McCalla to become a new member of their professional dental staff. The Dentist Centers is a state-of-the-art family practice, offering a wide range of services, including general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, emergency dentistry and restorative dentistry, all in a relaxing, comfortable environment. As a new addition to the team, Dr. Robyn McCalla will be able to share her expert knowledge, talent and skills with the practice. She is a caring dentist and is responsive to patients needs, providing respect, trust and communication. Originally from New York, Dr. Robyn McCalla and her family relocated to Georgia in 2015. Dentistry became a passion after becoming a dental assistant, and then a registered dental hygienist in 1989. To further her career in dentistry, Dr. McCalla graduated from the School of Dental Medicine at Stony Brook, receiving her dental degree in 1995. After dental school, she continued her dental education by participating in and completing a hospital based general practice residency in 1996. Dr. McCalla is an active member in many professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association and the North West District Dental Society. I am so excited to join this thriving practice and looking forward to providing attentive, personalized dental care to my new patients, says Dr. Robyn McCalla More about The Dentist Centers: The friendly, professional team at The Dentist Centers Sandy Springs offers cutting-edge dental services for all ages. In addition to general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry and restorative dentistry, they provide an expansive menu of additional services. These services include emergency dentistry, dental implants, bone grafting, Invisalign, laser dentistry and dermal fillers. The experienced dentists at this practice are highly-skilled in reconstructing smiles to be aesthetically pleasing and fully functional. The practice is currently accepting new patients at the Alpharetta and Sandy Springs locations. For more information about Dr. McCalla or the services offered at The Dentist Centers in Sandy Springs, please visit http://www.thedentistcenters.com or call (404) 382-5798. A franchisee of 99 fast-food eateries, including a Fazolis restaurant in Rochester, was fined $157,114 for violating federal child labor laws this week. After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Louisville, Ky.-based Manna Inc., which runs franchise Wendys and Fazoli's restaurants in nine states, was fined by the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Rochester Fazoli's at 5550 U.S. Highway 52 N. is the only Minnesota restaurant on the list of violators. Investigators determined Manna allowed 14- and 15-year-old employees to work outside of legally approved hours, and for more hours than allowed by law. A total of 446 minors worked before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on school nights, worked more than three hours on a school day or worked more than eight hours on a non-school day. Those are all violations. "Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health and well-being or educational opportunities," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils, in Louisville, Kentucky. "We encourage all employers to review their employment obligations and to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance." Burma Japan Welcomes Myanmar Govts Report on Crimes Against Rohingya, Promise to Prosecute State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo during her visit to Japan in October 2019. / Global New Light of Myanmar YANGONThe Japanese government has welcomed the final report from the Myanmar governments Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) concerning the human rights violations in northern Rakhine State in late 2017, as well as the Myanmar governments announcement that it will investigate and prosecute cases, as significant progress towards ensuring accountability. Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Wednesday that Japan has repeatedly encouraged the Myanmar government and military to investigate the alleged human rights violations in a transparent and credible manner and to take measures accordingly. Japan appreciates the submission of the final report by the ICOE and the announcement of the position by the Myanmar government as significant progress in Myanmars own efforts to ensure accountability, the statement read. The ICOE submitted its final report with 22 recommendations to Myanmar President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday. The 461-page document denied that crimes by security forces against Rohingya Muslims during clearance operations in Rakhine State had genocidal intent, contradicting the findings of UN investigators. The ICOE did conclude that war crimes, serious human rights violations, and violations of domestic law took place. On Tuesday, President U Win Myint said he concurred with the commissions recommendations and had sent the full report to the Union Attorney General for further investigation and prosecution of cases, including any crimes committed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The President also sent the ICOE report to military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing so that the military can extend its ongoing investigations and prosecutions to cover crimes alleged to have been committed by members of the Myanmar security forces. The Japanese government said it strongly hopes that both the Myanmar government and military will promptly take necessary legal measures based on the recommendations of the commission, while also endeavoring to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents and to abide by relevant international law. It also expressed its continuing support for Myanmars democracy and the governments efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Rakhine State and to facilitate the return of displaced persons. The statement did not use the word Rohingya. Japan has maintained good relations with successive Myanmar governments and showed especially strong support for the democratically elected government led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Japan was the first country to firmly voice support for Myanmar when the countrys legal team testified at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December. The ICJ will rule on Thursday on whether to approve The Gambias request that provisional measures be taken against Myanmar to stop an alleged ongoing genocide against the Rohingya. The small African nation filed the lawsuit with the court accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya. The US Embassy in Yangon also posted a notice on Facebook acknowledging the ICOEs report and the upcoming ruling by the ICJ. We hope Myanmar will use these developments to pursue justice in Rakhine and greater respect for human rights so that the whole country can move forward in a positive direction, the post read. You may also like these stories: Govt to Implement Rakhine Commissions Recommendations Myanmar Attorney General Vows to Prosecute Civilian Perpetrators of Crimes Against Rohingya in Rakhine State ICJ to Rule on Emergency Measures in Myanmar Genocide Case on Jan. 23: Gambia Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23 2020 Civil society groups have accused the government of misconduct in its decision to restrict internet access in restive Papua last year as part of efforts to contain the spread of hoaxes, according to a lawsuit filed at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN). The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) is suing President Joko Jokowi Widodo and the Communications and Information Ministry over the internet access restriction imposed in Papua and West Papua between August and September last year. Government officials argued that the move was taken to prevent the spread of hoaxes following incidents of racial abuse suffered by Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java, which had heightened tensions in Indonesias easternmost provinces. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Saudi Arabia has been accused of using spy software to hack the phone of Jeff Bezos - after years of acquiring such tools, often at the cost of millions of dollars. The effort was led by Saud al-Qahtani, head of cybersecurity in the kingdom and a confidant of Mohammed bin Salman until was blamed for orchestrating Jamal Khashoggi's murder in 2018 and reportedly placed under house arrest. Qahtani is thought to have been behind a bailout of Italian firm Hacking Team in 2016, after Saudi spent some $5.5million with the company between 2010 and 2015. Saud al-Qahtani, Saudi Arabia's former cybersecurity chief who has reportedly been under house arrest since 2018 after he was blamed for ordering the killing of Jamal Khashoggi Qahtani is thought to have spent at least three years acquiring hacking tools on behalf of the Saudi state, including a $55million purchase from Israel's NSO Group in 2017 He is also thought to have paid some $55million to Israeli cyber firm NSO Group in 2017 to get hold of hacking software it had developed targeting WhatsApp. That technology was allegedly used to hack Khashoggi's phone before his death. Now the UN has said in relation to Bezos that `the intrusion likely was undertaken through a prominent spyware product identified in other Saudi surveillance cases, such as the NSO Group's Pegasus-3 malware, a product widely reported to have been purchased and deployed by Saudi officials'. The Amazon founder is thought to have been targeted by the personal account of Bin Salman, using a corrupted video file sent to him on May 1, 2018. The file is though to have contained a spying program, described by security firm Kaspersky as 'the ultimate spyware'. It was first uncovered in 2016 thanks to a human rights activist from the UAE who forwarded it on to tech experts after suspecting he had been targeted. They found that the software would have allowed the sender to read his messages, activate his camera and microphone, read his messages and mail, log key presses, listen to calls, and extract his browser history and contacts. The UN now believes that spyware created by NSO might have been used by Mohammed bin Salman (left) to target the phone of Jeff Bezos (right) The program is even capable of getting around encrypted messaging services, such as WhatsApp. The U.N. experts said Bezos' phone hacking occurred during a period in which the phones of two close associates of Jamal Khashoggi were also hacked, allegedly using the malware. Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi hit squad in October 2018 after writing columns critical of bin Salman in the Washington Post, which Bezos owns. Shortly afterwards, Qahtani went missing and has not been seen in public since. NSO Group said in a statement it was 'shocked and appalled' by the reports linking its software to the Bezos phone hacking. 'If this story is true, then it deserves a full investigation by all bodies providing such services to assure that their systems have not been used in this abuse,' the company said. 'Just as we stated when these stories first surfaced months ago, we can say unequivocally that our technology was not used in this instance,' the company said. The first messages between Jeff Bezos, in green, and the Saudi prince were in April after they met at a dinner in Hollywood This is the message that Mohammed bin Salman sent Jeff Bezos on May 1 which is thought to have been the 'hack' that harvested data from his phone In October, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, sued NSO in the U.S. federal court in San Francisco, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of about 1,400 users across four continents. Targets of the alleged hacking spree included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. NSO has denied the allegations, saying it solely 'provides technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime'. Amnesty International will ask an Israeli court on Thursday to order Israel to revoke the export licence of NSO Group, whose software is alleged to have been used by governments to spy on journalists and dissidents. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of a new Muslim woman. She is bold and articulate. She is not willing to be confined to the four walls of her home and wants to participate in the democratic discourse taking place in the country. Importantly, she does not trust the orthodox clergy to represent her. She is aware of her rights as a citizen and as a Muslim within her religion. She does not tolerate violation of her rights by anyone. Ordinary women led the democratic movement against triple talaq, and they are now protesting against a discriminatory and unjust law that makes religion the basis of citizenship. Muslim women are proudly saying that we are Indians and we are Muslims. Several petitioners against triple talaq invoked gender equality provisions based on the Constitution. Women are yet again seeking to uphold the Constitution by protesting the religion-based Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which is seen in conjunction with a possible National Register of Citizens (NRC). Women are challenging the long-established tradition of all-male clergy claiming leadership of the Indian Muslim community. Women are also challenging the rightist politics of religious polarisation. They are building a new narrative invoking democratic values of justice, equality and secularism enshrined in the Constitution. This is refreshingly different from the calls to protect the Shariat and Islam commonly attributed to the Muslim leadership. Census and other official data suggest that Muslims have consistently slid into backwardness and poverty since Independence.They have been treated as vote banks by seemingly secular political parties. There has been not much done towards genuine welfare and participation in democratic spaces. Muslims live in ghettoes with low education levels, without formal jobs, without access to government facilities on credit and health care provisions. Only four in 100 Muslims are graduates, and merely 13% hold salaried jobs. People have been paying the price for the communal politics practised by different political parties in collaboration with the conservative ulema. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accuses the Congress of politics of appeasement, but thrives on religious polarisation to build its own vote bank. The image of a conservative religious male as spokesperson of the countrys largest minority has been hugely problematic not just for Muslims but for Indias democracy. It has helped build a perception that Muslims are different from the rest of Indians. It has furthered the stereotype of a community given to religious fundamentalism and a separate identity. This perception has brought about a distance between Muslims and those from other faiths. Communal riots have been a persistent feature in our polity. It has helped the right-wing politics of hate and division as witnessed in the brutal incidents of mob lynching in the name of gau raksha (cow protection). It has divided our plural society. It has been difficult for ordinary Muslims to cast-off the stranglehold of the clergy, which has consistently enjoyed political patronage. The absence of a democratic leadership within the community has contributed further to the problem. Rightist politics has hugely benefitted from this phenomenon. But womens democratic leadership can possibly change things. Muslim women have always been caught between political considerations and personal marginalisation. They have suffered in matters as such triple talaq and polygamy, owing to patriarchal misinterpretations of religion. The Shah Bano episode is just one example of Muslim women being denied their rights under the family law. It is shocking that this was done in the name of secularism. Between 1986 and now, things have changed for the better. A new voice has been taking shape, particularly in the present decade. It has been a voice seeking mutual respect, harmony and justice for all. But the political parties and the clergy have been unmindful, even dismissive, of this voice. The Congress does not want to anger the ulema and the BJP benefits from demonising the Muslim. It is an ode to our democracy that fellow citizens are welcoming this voice. Womens voice has been gaining strength and finding support within the community as well. The movement against triple talaq received huge support from the wider public. The nightly debates on TV channels saw women bravely taking on the ulema who were all arguing for perpetuating the patriarchal status quo. They have always stonewalled any effort to reform Muslim personal law. The women openly questioned their understanding of religion, and spoke eloquently about the Koran and the gender justice principles contained in it. The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid declared that there was no threat to Muslims when the CAA was passed. Many among the ulema said that there was no cause for concern. But ordinary women sensed the threat to their citizenship from the combination of the CAA and NRC. They asserted their Indianness by joining the protests led by students in different parts of the country. Muslim women protesting alongside fellow compatriots waving the national flag is a wonderful and patriotic image. It is a celebration of Indias diversity and pluralism. The political class will have to rethink its politics if this collaboration of citizens from diverse backgrounds continues. This can have lasting consequences for our multi-faith, multicultural democracy. Zakia Soman is a founding member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan The views expressed are personal Downing Street received a delivery of English sparkling wine today Downing Street received a delivery of English sparkling wine today as the Queen rubber-stamped Boris Johnson's Brexit Bill into law. Parliament finally gave its formal backing to the European Union Withdrawal Agreement Bill last night. The draft legislation, which is needed to ensure the UK's departure from the bloc is an orderly one, was then sent to the Queen to be given Royal Assent. Royal Assent from the monarch is the last stage a bill must pass in order to make it onto the statute book. Now that it has been given, the so-called WAB is officially an Act of Parliament. It means the UK is now guaranteed to leave the EU on January 31 at 11pm after more than three years of torturous wrangling over Britain's divorce from Brussels. The announcement of Royal Assent was made in the House of Commons by deputy speaker Nigel Evans shortly after 2.30pm this afternoon. He interrupted proceedings and said: 'Royal Assent. I have to notify the House in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967 that Her Majesty has signified her Royal Assent to the following act: European Union Withdrawal Agreement Act 2020.' Downing Street took delivery of the wine this morning but it is unclear whether the PM will crack open a bottle to celebrate the historic moment. Speaking after the WAB finished making its way through the House of Commons and the House of Lords last night, Mr Johnson said: 'Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forwards as one United Kingdom. Boris Johnson, pictured in Downing Street yesterday, managed to successfully get his Brexit deal through Parliament with MPs and peers finishing scrutinising the draft laws last night The delivery of sparkling wine to Number 10 came as the Queen gave Royal Assent to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill Nigel Evans, the deputy Commons speaker, announced to MPs this afternoon that the WAB had been formally rubber-stamped by the Queen 'At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but weve done it. 'Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman was asked today if Mr Johnson had celebrated the successful completion of the passage of the WAB through Parliament last night with a glass of champagne. The spokesman would not be drawn but said: It has been a long three years but we have got Brexit over the line and the PM wants to move the whole country forward as one to a brighter future. Dominic Cummings arrives in Downing Street on January 23. Now that the WAB has been given Royal Assent the PM will sign the Withdrawal Agreement treaty he struck with Brussels to formalise the UK's divorce from the EU The Department for Exiting the EU tweeted to say the Brexit Act had been given Royal Assent Now that the WAB has been given Royal Assent the PM will sign the Withdrawal Agreement treaty he struck with Brussels to formalise the UK's divorce from the EU. Attention will now shift to a vote on the Brexit deal in the European Parliament next Wednesday. MEPs will be asked to vote for the deal just 48 hours before the UK's scheduled departure from the bloc but the outcome is viewed as a formality. Donald Trump is a fan of Vladimir Putin. The president praised him effusively during the 2016 campaign, when a deal was in the works to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, and has continued to praise him while in office. Though the U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russia interfered in Americas electoral process (and is continuing to do so), Trump has refused to acknowledge these efforts, instead deferring to Putins denials. At the recent G-20 summit in Japan, he even joked with the Russian leader about election meddling. Yes, of course, I will, Trump said when asked on Friday whether he would bring up the attacks on democracy. He then turned to Putin. Dont meddle in the election, president, he said, wagging a finger. Dont meddle in the election. The two shared a laugh. But Russias continued push to undermine Americas institutions is no laughing matter, as the Pentagon detailed in a 150-page assessment provided to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in May. The paper, which was obtained by Politico, describes the ways in which the United States is failing to combat and thus enabling Russias far-reaching grand strategy to establish itself as a dominant global superpower. [F]uture confrontations between major powers may most often occur below the level of armed conflict, Navy Rear Admiral Jeffrey J. Czerewko writes in the preface to the report. In this environment, economic competition, influence campaigns, paramilitary actions, cyber intrusions, and political warfare will likely become more prevalent. Such confrontations increase the risk of misperception and miscalculation, between powers with significant military strength, which may then increase the risk of armed conflict. In this context, Czerewko adds, the US capability to influence the outcomes of both global and regional events must be reconsidered. The reports executive summary identifies three goals of Russias gray zone campaign to use subtle, non-military efforts subvert democracies and exercise influence: 1) to [r]eclaim and secure Russias influence over former Soviet nations; 2) to [r]egain worldwide recognition as a great power'; and 3) to portray itself as a reliable actor in order to gain economic, military, and political influence over nations worldwide and to refine the liberalist rules and norms that currently govern the world order. The nations interference in Americas election is only one element of this campaign. Russia is also coordinating efforts to sow disinformation in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe; engage in espionage; and execute other multi-faceted acts of hybrid warfare. According to Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who contributed to the report, these clear-cut goals put Russia at an advantage over the U.S., which lacks a cohesive narrative as it struggles to combat, or even identify, the threat. We still have a story to tell but because we are so polarized and are doubting ourselves we have a narrative problem, she told Politico. Russia does not. According to the report, Borshchevskaya believes not only that Russia feels that the downfall of the U.S. is integral to Russias ability to accomplish its objectives. The Russian leaderships worldview is zero-sum; it believes that in order for Russia to win, the US must lose, the report reads, in reference to Borshchevskayas contention. Outside of the lack of a narrative, the report, which was authored by over 20 national security experts inside and outside of the Pentagon, explains that Americas greatest weakness in thwarting Russias efforts is a lack of coordination among government agencies. The US democratic, federal system of government hinders the ability to effectively plan, coordinate, and execute a comprehensive strategy across all federal government agencies with equities in succeeding the gray zone, the report reads. To accomplish this type of planning and strategy development would require decisions to be made, and funding to be coordinated, across all branches of the federal government. A comprehensive strategy, must be developed, including large-scale organization within the State Department, as well as taking active steps to discourage the burgeoning alliance between Russia and China, who share an affinity for authoritarian stability and are working to expand their influence at the expense of US and allied powers seen to be in decline. In other words, liberalisms place in the global order is in grave danger unless the United States gets its shit together. The report contrasts starkly with Trumps assessment of the situation, which falls somewhere between bemused ambivalence and abject ignorance. Just prior to the G-20 summit in Japan, Putin described the liberal idea e.g. democracy as becoming obsolete. When Trump was asked by the New York Times what he made of Putins comments on Western-style liberalism, he made clear that he has no understanding of the idea of the tenets on which America was founded, responding by attacking San Francisco and Los Angeles, cities run by liberal people in the western United States. Sad to look at, the president said. Read the full story here. The Madras High Court on Thursday reserved orders on a miscellaneous petition filed by DMK candidate Marudu Ganesh seeking a CBI probe into alleged bribery of voters leading to cancellation of the RK Nagar byelection in April, 2017. A bench comprising justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha reserved orders after hearing arguments on behalf of the petitioner, the state government, the Election Commission and the Income Tax department. Ganesh and others had originally moved the court seeking registration of FIR against those accused of bribery in the bypoll to the assembly constituency which was cancelled a week before it was to be held following Income Tax raids at various places, including at those related to Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, on April 7, 2017. During the searches, various documents were seized in different places allegedly containing information on distribution of money to voters in the constituency. Based on a complaint by the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), an FIR was registered. However, it was quashed by a single judge bench of the high court later. After that Marudu Ganesh (who lost the poll), moved the miscellaneous petition seeking CBI probe into the alleged bribery of voters in the constituency. In the previous hearing on December 16 last year, the EC informed the court that it has directed the CEO to file a fresh complaint. Senior counsel P Wilson, who appeared for the petitioner, said the prayer in the amendment petition was to take penal action against the persons whose names were mentioned in the Election Commission report based on which the CEO lodged the police complaint. All is not well. Now what is the status? whether they have filed a fresh compliant or not. So we request you to transfer the investigation to CBI, he urged the judges. State Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted a total of 882 witnesses were inquired in connection with the malpractices. Noting that the high court had already quashed the FIR, he said hence the amending the prayer seeking CBI probe has no basis. Counsel for the Income Tax department submitted that its settlement commission was yet to pass assessment orders in respect of Minister Vijayabaskar for four assessment years, including the period when the seizures were made. The Minister has approached the commission after assessment proceedings under section 153 A of income Tax Act were initiated for the assessment years 2011-12 to 2018-19 based on the searches conducted in 2017. The I-T counsel said the commission has rejected the prayer of the minister by its January 9 order. He further said assessment orders had been passed in respect four years from 2011-12. It will take a years time to decide on the remaining four years. Vijayabaskar had recently moved a single judge bench of the court seeking to an interim direction to the I-T department not to pass any assessment orders whatsoever pertaining to him until cross-examination of all the witnesses were completed and adequate final opportunity was given before the assessment. After hearing the arguments, the division bench said it was reserving orders on the petition seeking CBI probe filed by Marudu Ganesh and posted all other matters to February 11. The byelection to RK Nagar constituency was necessitated following the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Here are stocks that are in news today: Results: Biocon, Canara Bank, DB Corp, HDFC Life Insurance Company, Indiabulls Ventures, HT Media, JM Financial, Oriental Bank of Commerce, PNB Housing Finance, PVR. L&T: Q3 profit rises 15.2 percent to Rs 2,352 cr, revenue up 5.9 percent to Rs 36,242.7 cr YoY; order inflow at Rs 41,579 cr. Axis Bank: Q3 profit increases 4.5 percent to Rs 1,757 cr, NII up 15.2 percent to Rs 6,453 cr YoY, slippages at Rs 5,124 cr. RBL Bank: Q3 profit dips 69 percent to Rs 70 cr, NII grows 40.8 percent to Rs 922.6 cr YoY, asset quality weakens. Karnataka Bank: Board will consider raising capital on January 27. Raymond: Q3 profit jumps to Rs 197 cr versus Rs 40 cr, revenue up 12.5 percent to Rs 1,885 cr versus Rs 1,675 cr YoY. Ceat: Q3 profit flat at Rs 52.8 cr, revenue rises 1.9 percent to Rs 1,762 cr YoY. Tata Communications: Q3 profit rises 8.6 percent to Rs 58.5 cr, revenue dips 1 percent to Rs 4,229 cr QoQ. Oil India: Company filed a plea with Supreme Court on telecom dues claimed by DoT. Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company: The board of the company will meet on January 23 to consider and approve quarterly results and the preferential issue of shares. Deccan Health Care: The board of the company will meet on January 23 to consider and approve the preferential issue of shares. GHCL: The board of the company will meet on January 23 to consider and approve the buyback of shares. GMM Pfaudler: The board of the company will meet on January 23 to consider and approve interim dividend and quarterly results. Rane Brake Lining: The board of the company will meet on January 23 to consider and approve interim dividend and quarterly results. MRF has partly commissioned Phase 1 of its greenfield unit at Dahej Industrial Area, in Gujarat Cipla gets USFDA observations for its Goa facility Datamatics Global - Cignex Datamatics and Relevance Lab deal not approved by company shareholders Honeywell Automation board meeting on February 4 to consider the annual operating plan of the company Ashiana Housing obtained RERA registration of Phase 1 of 'Ashiana Amantran' project in Jaipur Piramal Enterprises rights issue over-subscribed 1.14 times Asian Paints Board approved the Scheme of amalgamation of Reno Chemicals Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics with company IL&FS Transportation arm gets Rs 144 crore as settlement from Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Biocon gets USFDA nod for Diabetes drug Dapagliflozin - CNBC-TV18 Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on Thursday described as excellent his countrys relationship with Armenia and confirmed its plans to open an embassy in Yerevan soon. Blok also spoke of excellent prospects for deepening bilateral ties further during what was the first-ever visit to Armenia by the Netherlands top diplomat. With this visit I would like to underline the excellent bilateral relations between Armenia and the Netherlands, he said after holding talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian. Speaking at a joint news conference, Blok said they discussed the excellent prospects for Armenia and the Netherlands to continue to work together in the future. Economic cooperation is one of the main opportunities lying ahead of us, he said, singling out the information technology and agriculture sectors. The Netherlands is already one of Armenias leading trading partners in the European Union. According to Armenian government data, trade between the two countries rose by over 6 percent to $178 million in January-November 2019. Mnatsakanian hailed a 23 percent surge in the number of Dutch tourists visiting Armenia recorded last year. Blok likewise noted that the Dutch immensely like to travel and also more and more to Armenia. The Dutch minister met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian later in the day. Pashinian was quoted by his office as telling him that the Armenian government remains committed to its ambitious reform agenda. Blok said, for his part, that the Dutch government is ready to assist in its implementation, according to the office. At the news conference with Blok, Mnatsakanian announced that Pashinian is due to visit the Netherlands later this year. He said the visit and the upcoming opening of the Dutch Embassy in Yerevan show that bilateral ties have received new impetus after the democratic changes that occurred in Armenia. Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan's Saha district has become a tourist hot spot, drawing an increasing number of visitors. / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization By Jun Ji-hye The government will run Travel Week programs in June and November this year in a bid to boost domestic travel during the off-peak season. The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) recently announced that the first period of 2020 Travel Week will kick off on May 30 until June 14, while the second period is slated for Oct. 31 to Nov. 15. The government's Travel Week programs featuring a variety of tourism programs and benefits for tourists began in 2014 with the aim of increasing demand for domestic travel. Previously, the programs were operated in May and October to decentralize travel demand concentrated on the summer peak season. This year, the government set a new goal of promoting domestic travel during the off-peak season, changing the periods to June and November, based on its research that showed June and November were ranked tenth and 12th in terms of time of travel. The ministry said it will continue to carry out its campaign aimed at creating a social atmosphere in which people can use their annual paid leave freely to go on a trip. The ministry will also cooperate with transportation-related organizations to offer special passes with which tourists can reduce travel costs during both periods. Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and Korea Express Bus Lines Association (KOBUS) as well as car-sharing service providers will issue their respective special passes. The ministry will release details of special passes afterward. Jangho Port in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, is one of the nation's rare spots suitable for snorkeling with its crystal-clear and calm water. / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization Actor Jackie Shroff has joined Tiger Shroff in his upcoming film Baaghi 3 and this will be the first time he will be sharing the screen with his son. They will reportedly play father-son in the film directed by Ahmed Khan. A Mumbai Mirror report claimed Jackie began shooting for his portion in Mumbai on January 20. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala told the tabloid, Everyone has been waiting to see Tiger team up with his Hero, father Jackie since we launched him. There have been plenty of speculations, but no one has been able to bring them together in the last six years as the duo was categorical that they would only share the screen when a film and role merited their presence. Ahmed and I feel the storyline required Jackie to be a part of the film and our visions matched because its a pivotal role. Also read: Varun Dhawan has a dance-off with street dancer Baba Jackson on Muqabla, watch video Jackie reportedly has a five-day schedule which ends on Friday. He plays a cop, with Tiger and Riteish Deshmukh as his sons, the daily added. It also quoted a source as saying, The father-son duo coming together will only add to the expectations from Baaghi 3, but I am confident no one will be disappointed by this double dose of the Shroffs. It will be a strong USP of the film. Tiger had earlier shared a video of himself where he was practising for an action scene. The sequence looked like a throwback to a trademark stunt filmed on Keanu Reeves in classic Hollywood film The Matrix. In the video, Tiger flaunts a toned torso in a long trench coat, with black bottoms and black sunglasses, reminiscent of Reeves trademark wardrobe in The Matrix. Tiger posted the video on his Instagram account with the caption, Matrix feels on the sets of #Baaghi3. Baaghi 3 features Shraddha Kapoor, Ankita Lokhande and is expected to release in March 2020. Tiger will next be seen in Rambo, which is a remake of the Rambo film series. The movie is slated for release in 2020. Follow @htshowbiz for more Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan once again called for U.S. President Donald Trump and the United Nations to play mediator between his country and neighbor India over disputed territory in Kashmir. Speaking to CNBC's Hadley Gamble, Khan claimed India has been taken over by "extremist ideology" that could potentially spill over into armed conflict between the two nuclear rivals. "Kashmir is, you know, it's a far more serious problem than people realize, (than) the world realizes. The problem is that India has been taken over by an extremist ideology, which is called Hindutva or the RSS," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Khan was referring to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist group affiliated with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. "This is serious because there are two nuclear-armed countries," Khan said. "That's why I want President Trump, head of the most powerful country in the world he should intervene right now. United Nations, or President Trump through the U.N. at least." India responds to Khan India's Ministry of External Affairs responded to Khan's statements by calling them "factually inaccurate and contradictory." Pakistan, the ministry said, should understand that "the global community has seen through this double-standard of playing the victim card in their fight against terror on the one hand, and supporting terror groups targeting India and other countries on the other." "If Pakistan is indeed serious for a peaceful and normal relationship with India as (Khan) claims, the onus is on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere," the ministry said. "They have to take credible, irreversible and verifiable action against terror groups operating from its soil rather than making misleading and alarmist statements to divert the attention of international community." Troop deployments and an internet shutdown Last year, fresh off a landslide re-election victory in Parliament, Modi's government revoked the state of Jammu & Kashmir's special status that allowed it to make its own laws. As a result, people from outside the state can potentially move in to settle there, buy land, and take government jobs or scholarships. Anticipating backlash, India had deployed tens of thousands of troops across the Kashmir valley, banned public movements, shut down schools and colleges, cut off access to the internet and so on, affecting the lives of millions in the area. The dailies have widely looked into the life and times of Kenyan's first Attorney General Charles Njonjo who is celebrating his 100th birthday on Thursday, January 23. The papers have also taken into account the political developments in the country with recent reports indicating President Uhuru Kenyatta will officially take charge of BBI campaigns in Mt. Kenya region to counter simmering rift being orchestrated by his deputy William Ruto's allies. READ ALSO: Leaked memo shows how Nairobi Women's Hospital exploits patients to meet revenue targets The dailies have widely look into life and history of Kenyan's first Attorney General Charles Njonjo who is celebrating his 100th birthday on Thursday, January 23.Photo: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Back to work: Uhuru orders state officials to stop politicking, focus on service delivery 1. The Star The publication reports extensively on the lifestyle of Kenya's first Attorney General Charles Njonjo who is celebrating his 100th birthday. Famously known as the Duke of Kabeteshire, Chonjo is described as a powerful and most formidable figure in the country's history, particularly during retired president Daniel Moi's regime. His life was and still is characterised with affluence, power and charisma. His mannerisms and mastery of the Queen's language informally earned him the highly coveted title "Sir Charles". The Star looks at the life and times of Kenya's first Attorney General Charles Njonjo who is now 100 years old. Photo: UGC Source: UGC He was appointed by the British colonial masters to serve as the High Court registrar in 1954 and later promoted to registrar general before he was moved to the Attorney General's office as a Senior Crown Counsel. In 1962, Njonjo was promoted to deputy public prosecutor and later the country's first Attorney General when Kenya became a republic in 1964. He served in that capacity for 17 years before he was appointed minister for Legal and Constitutional affairs by Moi in 1982. Njonjo has a daily routine of visiting his coffee farm, taking two beers and swimming. 2. The Standard The daily reports on the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta to take charge of Mt Kenya meetings that will be vouching for BBI report. The move is aimed at countering and diminishing the rising influence of Deputy President William Ruto and his allies who are perceived as anti-BBI agents. The Standard reports on the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta to take charge of all BBI meeting in Mt Kenya region. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC Orange party chairman John Mbadi who spoke to the newspaper confirmed the president will personally be taking charge of the Central Kenya BBI meetings. Reports also indicate political leaders allied to Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga are considering to skip BBI meeting in Ruto's strongholds to avoid confrontations. 3. Taifa Leo The Swahili publication reports on the conditions set by pro-BBI leaders to Ruto allies who have announced plans to attend the Mombasa meeting on Saturday, January 25. Taifa Leo covers the presser by a section of pro-BBI team members who have welcomed their counterparts allied to Ruto to join BBI meeting in Mombasa but keep peace. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, Senator Johnson Sakaja and MP Kanini Kega welcomed their counterparts to Mombasa but warned them against using the occasion to fan chaos or spread false information about the report. 4. Daily Nation The paper's top page covers a simmering legal face-off between Ruto and Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) George Kinoti who has reopened the DP's 2004 land fraud case file. Kinoti, in his own words, said whoever benefited from the proceeds from the parcel of land sold to Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC) will be jailed no matter his position in the society. Daily Nation reports on DCI boss George Kinoti's promise to pursue Ruto land fraud case to the very end. Photo: UGC Source: UGC The and in contention, according to prosecutors, was hived from Ngong Forest and sold to KPC by the second in command. Ruto was, however, acquitted of the charges in 2011 on grounds that there was no evidence linking him to the proceeds from the sale. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly Source: TUKO.co.ke Kolkata, Jan 23 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday remembered Bal Thackeray, founder of Shiv Sena, on his birth anniversary Remembering Bal Thackeray Ji, founder of @ShivSena, on his birth anniversary @OfficeofUT, Ms Banerjee posted on her social networking page. Born on this day in 1926, Bal Keshav Thackeray also known as Balasaheb Thackeray was founded the Shiv Sena ((Shivaji's Army) on June 19,1966, a right-wing pro-Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the Maharashtra. He was also the founder of the Marathi-language newspaper Saamana Thackeray began his professional career as a cartoonist with the English-language daily 'The Free Press Journal' in Bombay (now Mumbai), but he left the paper in 1960 to form his own political weekly, Marmik. His political philosophy was largely shaped by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement, which advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers. Through Marmik, Bal Thackeray campaigned against the growing influence of non-Marathis in Bombay. He had a large political influence in the state, especially in Mumbai Thackeray was arrested multiple times and spent a brief stint in prison, but he never faced any major legal repercussions. Upon his death on November 17, 2012, he was accorded a state funeral, at which many mourners were present. Thackeray did not hold any official positions, and he was never formally elected as the leader of his party. UNI BM Comoross ruling party has won an absolute majority in the first round of legislative elections boycotted by the countrys opposition. The Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) won 17 out of 24 legislative seats, while two other seats went to parties in the presidential coalition. Opposition parties stayed away from the weekend contest in the Indian Ocean islands national assembly after saying they had failed to obtain guarantees of a transparent, free and democratic election. Opposition parties have described Sundays first round of voting as a circus and an electoral masquerade and estimated the turnout at just 10%, well below the 61.5% announced by the electoral commission. Comorans have again displayed their final rejection of the dictatorship regime by deserting the polling stations, the opposition said. President Azali who first came to power through a military coup in 1996, oversaw a referendum in 2018 boycotted by the opposition that approved extending the tenure of the president from one five-year term to two. He secured a second consecutive term in last years polls, which critics alleged were rigged and witnesses said ballot boxes were stuffed. The president has denied the allegations and regretted the oppositions absence in the weekend vote. Iraq protesters defy new violence as president addresses Davos Basra, Iraq, Jan 22 (AFP) Jan 22, 2020 Anti-government rallies resurged in Iraq on Wednesday despite renewed violence across the capital and south this week, as protesters ramp up their sit-ins to pressure authorities to implement long-awaited reforms. The youth-dominated movement is desperately trying to maintain momentum in the face of spiralling US-Iran tensions and a rival anti-American rally planned for Friday. Iraq's President, Barham Saleh, warned against pushing the country to choose sides in escalating tensions between neighbouring Iran and the US, both allies of Baghdad. He also met US President Donald Trump for the first time since the US killing of an Iranian commander in Baghdad led the Iraqi parliament to call for expulsion of US troops. The two leaders, meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, agreed on the need for a continued US military role in Iraq and discussed the protests. Anti-government protesters have escalated their demonstrations but face being sidelined by regional tensions as well as a new wave of violence. At least 10 people have been killed this week, according to the Iraqi Human Rights Commission -- four of them in Baghdad and the rest in the provinces of Basra, Diyala and Karbala. Late Tuesday, 49-year old activist Janat Madhi was gunned down by unidentified attackers as she returned home from protests in the southern city of Basra, police said. Activists have for months complained of an intensifying campaign of kidnappings and killings that they say aims to scare them into halting protests. They are also worried about tensions with a competing rally this Friday organised by populist cleric Moqtada Sadr to urge the 5,200 US troops deployed in Iraq to leave. - Continued US presence - Tensions between Washington and Tehran boiled over on Iraqi soil this month, with the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad and Iran striking back at an Iraqi base hosting American soldiers. Furious at the US hit, Iraq's parliament voted on January 5 to oust all foreign troops, including US soldiers deployed alongside local forces. But on Wednesday, Saleh told world leaders in Davos that the vote should not be understood as "a sign of ingratitude or hostility," but a response to a violation of his country's sovereignty. "It is not in our interest to choose to ally with one side at the expense of others, as long as both respect our sovereignty and independence." Trump told Saleh that he "does not want to stay in Iraq", a source from Saleh's office told AFP, and would draw down forces in an "unprecedented way". But he insisted that any withdrawal must not be insulting or disrespectful to Washington. According to the White House, "The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing the United States-Iraq economic and security partnership, including the fight against ISIS". - Oil production hit - To head off Sadr's Friday protest while ramping up pressure on authorities, demonstrators this week launched sit-ins in new areas and shut roads with burning tyres. Their main demands include early elections under a new voting law, an independent premier and accountability for corruption and killings of protesters. More than 460 protesters have been killed since the rallies first erupted in October, fuelled by anger over graft and a joblessness then ballooning into demands for deep political reforms. On Monday, three protesters were killed in clashes with security forces in Baghdad and another demonstrator died on Tuesday after a tear gas canister punctured his skull. Rights groups accuse security forces of using military-grade gas canisters -- up to 10 times heavier than those designed for use against civilians -- and firing them directly at crowds rather than into the air. Demonstrators are outraged that only a handful of security personnel have been charged over the violence and no perpetrators of hit-and-run attacks have been pursued, while protesters have been swiftly arrested for shutting down streets. Blocking roads has been a key tactic this week, with protesters cutting streets and national highways around the capital and the Shiite-majority south. "We'll keep shutting roads and getting protesters into the street to keep these important demonstrations going," said Aqil al-Zamili, a 50-year-old activist. The road closures have left hundreds of tankers carrying oil products north towards Baghdad stranded outside the capital. They also forced a shutdown at the main oil field northwest of Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar province, a source at the state-owned provincial oil company told AFP. "Production... was halted for the third consecutive day because transport routes leading to the field are cut," the Dhi Qar Oil Company source said, adding that the field produces up to 100,000 barrels per day. Oil-rich Iraq is OPEC's second-biggest crude producer, logging around 3.4 million bpd of exports. But public services are failing, unemployment is high and one in five people live in poverty, according to the World Bank. After more than three months of political wrangling amid the backdrop of massive street protests, Lebanon finally has a new government. But the cabinet assembled by Prime Minister Hassan Diab, almost entirely composed of Hezbollah's allies, is unlikely to succeed. Indeed, it may have been set up to fail by its own backers. Hezbollah cannot be comfortable with an arrangement that puts it - along with its Maronite allies in the Free Patriotic Movement - front and center of the new government. The Iran-backed group has historically preferred a time-tested arrangement of power without responsibility: Its rivals nominally ran the government, but allowed Hezbollah to maintain its independent militia and to exercise its will on all issues it deemed crucial. In the new setup, Hezbollah finds itself in the unfamiliar position of responsibility. This means it risks being directly blamed for the state's dysfunction, which it can do very little to fix. Even most credible and competent government, with full public support, would be hard-pressed to deal with Lebanon's multiple crises, especially with a looming default on bond payments. The lira has collapsed in value and banks have been forced to restrict the ability of ordinary account holders to withdraw their money, particularly in U.S. dollars. Basic services are moribund. The supply of electricity has become intermittent, and a telecommunications crisis, including internet outages, seems probable. Diab's government was born under a bad sign - several bad signs, in fact. His nomination was met with intense opposition from the protesters, and this has grown even more intense since the 20-member cabinet was announced. It is also politically lop-sided: instead of the traditional blend of pro- and anti-Hezbollah factions, Diab is banking on only one side of the Lebanese equation. Worse, the formation of the cabinet was midwifed by discredited political figures closely associated with the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, including Jamil Al-Sayyed, who was driven out of the political centerstage after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. If the growing Iranian influence in Beirut wasn't bad enough, many Lebanese will be even more alarmed and dismayed by the return of Syrian leverage in their country's politics. It is certain to inflame the protesters, who for months have been demanding radical reforms and denouncing the entire social and political elite of the country. One of their few clear demands has been for a technocratic government of experts rather than political cronies. Diab claims to have assembled exactly such a "rescue squad," but in fact his cabinet is almost composed mainly of political operatives or their proxies. Not even the large number of women in prominent roles will buy him much credibility on the street. Nor can Diab expect much foreign help in bailing Lebanon out of its financial problems. The U.S. and Europe will be very cautious in providing aid to a pro-Hezbollah government. Diab says he's headed to the Gulf Arab states soon, but they too will be uncomfortable with a pro-Iranian militia calling the shots in Beirut. None of this can have escaped the attention of Hezbollah and its allies: They must know that this government cannot last very long. But they did not have a better option. All political elites have been discomfited by the protests but Hezbollah stood to lose more than most from real reform. Setting Diab up for failure is the first step in a process that, it hopes, will restore the status quo. This has been Hezbollah's goal since the protests began last fall. Its ideal outcome was for former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned in October, to return to the job. Now, Hezbollah is likely calculating that once Diab fails, it can step forward and propose, in the name of national unity, the reinstatement of Hariri, or the elevation of another politician acceptable to the international community - who would allow things to go back to the way they used to be. The main obstacle to this will probably be the protesters, who may well hold out for a more thorough-going reform of Lebanon's political structures and traditions. If so, Hezbollah will have to offer something more substantial than Diab's government as a sacrificial lamb. - - - Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. As the HR technology market continues to shift and consolidate, Modern Hire remains a leader in the space by offering the most revolutionary approach for improving hiring experiences and outcomes, said Kurt Heikkinen, CEO of Modern Hire. Modern Hire, the all-in-one enterprise hiring platform that enables organizations to continuously improve hiring experiences and outcomes with trusted science and technology, today announced major successes from 2019 and plans for continued growth in 2020. After Montage and Shaker International combined forces in May of 2019, the entity rebranded to Modern Hire in September to continue bringing market-leading innovation to its clients, candidates and the HR technology industry alike. As the HR technology market continues to shift and consolidate, Modern Hire remains a leader in the space by offering the most revolutionary approach for improving hiring experiences and outcomes, said Kurt Heikkinen, CEO of Modern Hire. The innovations and successes we had last year were driven by key, strategic investments in talent, product, technology and science. In the midst of a merger and integration, we demonstrated constant and unyielding focus on delivering the best experience possible for both candidates and clients. Backed by a tenured team of over 60 I/O psychologists, data scientists, product managers and software engineers, our ability to deliver the innovative, market leading technology, data and predictive insights our clients expect and deserve is stronger than ever. In 2019 alone, Modern Hire added over 60 new enterprise clients to its already impressive client base, which includes 47 of the Fortune 100 companies. Notable new brands over the past year include Seaworld, American Family, DHL, Carmax and IBM. Client adoption of the Modern Hire platform increased by 70% last year, as clients view its technology as transformative to their hiring experience. While placing a strong emphasis on its clients, Modern Hire also continues to put the candidate experience first in everything it does especially when it comes to innovation. Modern Hire now supports over 20 million assessments and interviews on its platform. Assessment use grew by 93% and interview use increased by nearly 60% year over year. Modern Hire also saw a 40% increase in users on the platform, and expects another year of rampant growth in 2020, as clients are looking to achieve candidate personalization at scale. Modern Hire has been a long-time partner of the Talent Board, sponsor of the candidate experience awards, and supporter of candidate experience day, said Kevin Grossman, President, Talent Board. Its fantastic to see a candidate-centric technology company like Modern Hire with so much momentum in the market. A focus on talent and investments in data, science and technology drive growth and transformation Modern Hires revenue grew by more than 30% in 2019, and the company is projected to exceed this growth in 2020. The company would not have achieved this impressive revenue increase without its talented and dedicated employees, including key new hires who have joined the organization over the past year: Peter Baskin as Chief Product Officer and Jay Miller as Chief Marketing Officer. Also contributing to Modern Hires continued growth and transformation over the past year was a relentless focus on data, science and technology, as evidenced by its advancements and recognition received over the course of the year: In 2019, Modern Hire received the HR Executives HR Tech Product of the Year award, was recognized on HRExaminers 2020 Watchlist for open standards leadership in AI and won the IPAC Award for Assessment Innovation. It was also named to Wisconsin Innos 50 on Fire shortlist, which recognizes the most innovative people and companies across the state, for the second year in a row. Modern Hire revealed Real-Time Interview Scoring in September, a product innovation that enables organizations to more effectively and efficiently evaluate text, audio and video interviews. Using machine and deep learning models, candidate interview responses are scored against the competencies deemed to be important for the job. The company also released a statement in early December regarding standards for the ethical development and adoption of artificial intelligence in hiring. Modern Hires statement reflects its candidate-first, job-relevant approach to the use of the technology across the talent acquisition ecosystem, and positioned the company as an industry leader and trusted advisor in AI-powered hiring processes. I am so proud of our team and what we accomplished together in 2019. We have the technology, science, talent and client base that is unrivaled in our industry, said Heikkinen. The momentum and success we achieved in 2019 sets the stage for another year of delivering market leading innovation and driving the best experiences and outcomes for our customers and their candidates. About Modern Hire Modern Hire is the all-in-one enterprise hiring platform that enables organizations to continuously improve hiring results through more personalized, data-driven experiences for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers. The Modern Hire platform merges trusted science with proven SaaS technology to predict performance, ensure fairness, and automate workflowenterprise-wide. It combines AI, predictive analytics, workflow automation, assessment, and interviewing technology in a single SaaS solution that integrates with leading HCM systems. Trusted by 47 of the Fortune 100, Modern Hire transforms each step of the hiring process, from post-apply to hire and beyond. To learn more about Modern Hires vision for making hiring personal, visit: http://www.modernhire.com. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 23, 2020 | 01:15 PM | PADUCAH Sheriff Matt Carter says Deputy Lindsey Miller responded to a home on College Avenue about 9 pm Wednesday for a reported drug overdose. When she arrived, Miller reportedly found a person unconscious, so she placed them in the recovery position and began administering Narcan, which can reverse an opioid overdose. After several doses, the overdose victim regained consciousness. Miller stayed by the victim's side until an ambulance arrived, and she was also able to calm family members who were on the scene. Sheriff Carter said, "Deputy Millers compassionate and professional response likely saved this individual's life. This is one of numerous examples that take place within our community by the dedicated and relentless efforts of those serving at the McCracken County Sheriffs Office. I believe events like this should be recognized." The McCracken County Sheriff is praising one of his deputies for her quick response that may have saved a life. BURLINGTON, Mass., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CannabisNewsWire Agrify , a developer of premium indoor grow solutions, announces today it has completed its acquisition of all outstanding shares of TriGrow Systems Inc. and, indirectly, 75 percent of its subsidiary TriGrow Brands, LLC. TriGrow is backed by leading cannabis industry venture funds including Poseidon Asset Management and Arcadian Funds, and is currently the exclusive distributor of Agrifys fully automated, micro-climate, precision-controlled vertical farming unit (VFU) solution to indoor cannabis cultivators. TriGrow Brands is a majority-owned subsidiary of TriGrow Systems that licenses a portfolio of cannabis consumer brands, which includes Western Cultured, Dawg Star, Waxtronaut and Twisted Legion. Agrifys highly strategic acquisition of TriGrow sets the stage for an exciting 2020, stated Founder and Chief Executive Officer Raymond Nobu Chang of Agrify. With TriGrow, we accelerate our plans to build a powerful, single-source gateway to the high-growth cannabis markets with fully-integrated indoor farming solutions and services. We can now offer a full range of solutions and services designed to overcome key industry challenges, including crop inconsistency and quality; slow return on investment; and lack of funding, stated CEO Chang. This will enable significant cross-selling and up-selling opportunities and provide a boost to the strong growth we expect this year. The deal also bolsters Agrifys distribution and branding capabilities, creating a powerful, one-stop shop for growers. Together, the companies will offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and services that help cultivators rapidly scale up operations, improve business performance and build brand value. Both teams worked hard to ensure this merger kicked off the new year, and we believe our unified team will bring even more in terms of excellent service and offerings to the industry, said Emily Paxhia, co-founder and managing director of Poseidon Asset Management. This election year could result in over a dozen new legal markets in the U.S. alone. Our investments in this platform and technology should be very well-positioned to deliver on the expected consistency and quality in this rapidly growing industry. Benefits of Agrifys data-driven, precision-growing solutions include: Optimal grow environments Perpetual harvesting Higher ROI Increased yields Increased potency The companys modular VFU System is a unified, end-to-end solution that eliminates the need for complicated systems integrations, allowing indoor growers to quickly scale cultivation and deliver the highest consistency and quality of crops while lowering operating and capital expenditures. About Agrify Agrify is a rapidly growing developer of premium indoor grow solutions for the cannabis and hemp marketplace. Our comprehensive grow solutions have been developed with one mission in mind: to assist our valued customers in producing the highest-quality product possible with consistency and superior yields. Agrify is a non-plant-touching company. To learn more, check us out at www.agrify.com . About TriGrow TriGrow is provider of custom-engineered end-to-end cultivation solutions designed to work seamlessly to produce the highest-quality consistent flower with the lowest associated operating cost. TriGrow's supportive ecosystem includes Systems, Capital, Supply and Brands. Media Contact Jarrod Holland jarrod@fireworksbydesign.com 910-431-3322 Company Contact Caitlin Moakley caitlin.moakley@agrify.com 617-404-1164 HISTORY NUKING THE MOON by Vince Houghton (Profile 9.99, 304 pp) Conspiracy or cock-up? I have long subscribed to the cock-up theory of human disaster myself, because I believe more in things going wrong than going very, very right. Vince Houghton, though, believes in both. Hes very interested in conspiracies, but only in the ones that go completely pear-shaped. His history of drastic espionage failures is amusing, surprising and, at times, almost beyond belief. For instance, lets consider Operation Acoustic Kitty which, like all of these stories, actually happened. This was one dreamt up in the Sixties by American intelligence to solve the problem of electronic bugs. Vince Houghton examines a selection of historic schemes in a fascinating new book, including Operation Acoustic Kitty (file image) The bugs of the time were very good at picking up sound, but unlike the human ear, they could not distinguish between different noises. So as well as people talking, you would get traffic noises, dogs barking, people scratching, someone operating a Hoover, anything at all, so you couldnt necessarily hear what the people were saying. What the bugs needed was something like the cochlea, the part of the inner ear that helps you distinguish one sound from another and enables you, for instance, to make out what someone else is saying during a particularly loud heavy metal concert. Their idea then was to take an ordinary cat (cats have cochleas too), install the listening equipment under its fur, and send it off to eavesdrop on foreign nationals. Cats, of course, arent interested in following orders, so it didnt work until some boffin decided that, with further electronic modifications, a now almost bionic cat could be compelled to do what it was told. A cat was then chosen and suitably enhanced, at great expense. On the day of the great test, two spies were sitting talking in a park and a U.S. government van was parked over the street. The cat was let out. To the scientists delight it headed straight across the street towards the spies, as instructed. Until, at the last moment, it was run over by a taxi cab. Operation Acoustic Kitty was quietly retired. During World War II, many ingenious plans were devised to kill Adolf Hitler. One such plan was when U.S. intelligence learned that Hitler and Mussolini were going to meet at the Brenner Pass in the Alps. They proposed to introduce some cut flowers to the table between them, the water of which contained an odourless, colourless poison that would seep into the tyrants eyeballs and blind them by atrophying the optic nerve. Then Hitler and Mussolini changed the venue of their meeting, which stymied that one. Another plan was to introduce female hormones to Hitlers food, to make his moustache fall out and his voice turn soprano. I bet someone got a medal for dreaming that up. NUKING THE MOON by Vince Houghton (Profile 9.99, 304 pp) Did you know that at the height of the Cold War, nuclear explosives were concealed under the ground in parts of rural West Germany? So if the Soviets invaded, these would be set off, everyone (including the locals) would be killed and the whole area would be uninhabitable for generations. What were they thinking? The problem came with the German winter, which can be brutal. The explosives would not work if they became too cold, but British researchers noticed there was enough space inside the casing of each one for them to insert a live chicken, which would help keep the device warm. This was genuinely considered and might even have happened if the idea of hiding huge powerful nuclear bombs with chickens in the German countryside hadnt been rejected by the politicians, for being obviously bonkers. And the books title? In the late 1950s, the Americans seriously considered sending an atomic bomb up to the moon and blowing it up. They wanted to do this (a) to show that they could, and (b) before the Soviets did it, although there was no evidence the Soviets were even thinking of doing it. Another cunning plan that, Im happy to say, never made it off the drawing board. Life isnt like James Bond, or even John le Carre. Its messy, flawed and often ridiculous. Houghton, who knows this better than anyone, turns out to be the Curator of the International Spy Museum. Like a lot of stuff in his book, I very nearly believe this, but not quite. A pregnant Honduran migrant stands in line with other migrants for a bus to another place inside the United States, in McAllen, Texas, on Aug. 15, 2016. (John Moore/Getty Images) Trump Administration Plans Visa Restrictions for Pregnant Women Birth Tourism Targeted in Latest Trump Administration Move President Donald Trumps administration is amending visa regulations, targeting birth tourism, an official confirmed to The Epoch Times on Wednesday. The proposed amendment was outlined in the governments agenda released late last year. The Department is amending its regulation on temporary visitors in the B nonimmigrant visa classification to provide that a temporary visit for pleasure does not include birth tourism, the State Department said in the agenda, proposing a change to B nonimmigrant visa provisions. An official confirmed on Wednesday that the administration is moving forward with the proposed amendment. This change is intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry, the official said. The rule will be published in the near future, the official added. In one draft of the regulations, pregnant women would have to clear an additional hurdle before obtaining tourism visasconvincing a consular officer that they have another legitimate reason to come to the United States. In this September 2017 file photograph, a flag is waved outside the White House, in Washington. The Trump administration is planning on cracking down on birth tourism. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo) Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration and immigration loopholes a central point of his campaign, zeroing in on an issue that is a top concern for some voters. Regulating pregnant tourists is a way to prevent them from giving birth in the United States, which would give their child automatic U.S. citizenship, known as birthright citizenship. Trump has also said hes looking at birthright citizenship very seriously. Consular officers right now arent told to ask during visa interviews whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the United States primarily to give birth. Birth tourism is a lucrative business in both the United States and abroad. American companies take out advertisements and charge up to $80,000 to facilitate the practice, offering hotel rooms and medical care. Many of the women travel from Russia and China to give birth in the United States. In one case last year, a Chinese women pleaded guilty for running a birth tourism business. In another case, authorities charged 20 people over Chinese birth tourism schemes. According to a study published in a maternal journal last year that focused on Chinese birth tourists, women travel to the United States for a better childbirth experience, and to secure future opportunities for their children. There are no figures on how many foreign women travel to the United States specifically to give birth. The Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for stricter immigration laws, estimated that in 2012, about 36,000 foreign-born women gave birth in the United States, then left the country. Allen Zhong and The Associated Press contributed to this report. For this, as well as its commitments towards democracy, human rights, freedom, equality, the separation of religion and state, and peace, the MEK is incredibly popular amongst the Iranian people. Recently, the played a leading role during the Iranian peoples uprising against the regime and we have women at the forefront of this movement. In fact, Alireza Jafarzadeh, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted about three brave girls who tore down a large poster of regime terrorist Qassem Soleimani just hours after his funeral. Of course, this is perhaps not surprising considering that women are treated as second-class citizens by the mullahs and are repressed in many areas. By comparison, the MEK champions gender equality, viewing the role of women in all sectors as essential, and the Iranian opposition movement is actually led by a woman, Maryam Rajavi. Indeed, the participation of women in these protests is ever increasing. Many of the photos and videos of the MEK-led uprising in November shows the significant participation of women, with brave MEKs female supporters out in the streets, calling for the overthrow of the mullah and denouncing the corruption, mismanagement, and brutality of the regime. This was despite the increased presence of security forces, the regimes horrific crackdown on peaceful protesters, and the internet blockade designed to stop protesters from communicating with each other and the outside world. Over 400 women were killed, according to the MEK and many more arrested, facing torture and even sexual violence in prison. The MEK said: Not only were women participating in the protests, but they were also leading them. This is especially true in the recent protests by students, which began after the regime admitted to downing a Ukrainian airliner and killing all 176 people on board. (The regime admitted this on January 11, following three days of denials and blaming technical problems, saying they had mistaken the place for an incoming retaliatory missile, as Iran had fired missiles at US bases in Iraq earlier that day.) It is the young women who are leading the movement, risking arrest, imprisonment, and execution to make their support for the MEK and opposition to the regime known. Videos circulating online show that women are standing up to the regimes security forces, who were sent to quash their protest. Even the regime has been forced to admit the presence of women during the recent protests, with the countrys saying that women have a special role in leading the unrest and describing their presence as remarkable. While Rajavi has praised the MEK Resistance Units, the women of Iran, the students, and the rebellious youth for their role in the uprising, as well as encouraging them to continue to pressure the regime. She urged the international community to back the Iranian people in their legitimate demands for freedom, democracy and the respect of human rights. Peak of popularity: Cillian Murphy stars as gang leader Tommy Shelby in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders. Photo: Robert Viglasky IRISH ACTOR Cillian Murphy opened up about the pressure that the Leaving Cert had on him and admitted that he used music as an escape. The Peaky Blinders star today launched an initiative which aims to teach secondary school children about empathy in conjunction with NUI Galway. He explained that he used music as a breakaway from the intensity of his Leaving Cert exams. I played music in school and it was a sort of a relief from the pressure that I felt, particularly for the Leaving Cert, I didnt react very well to the pressure, he said. Expand Close UNESCO Chair Professor Pat Dolan and actor Cillian Murphy today launched a new initiative to introduce Empathy education for secondary school students in Ireland. Picture Jason Clarke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp UNESCO Chair Professor Pat Dolan and actor Cillian Murphy today launched a new initiative to introduce Empathy education for secondary school students in Ireland. Picture Jason Clarke Bear in mind, both my mother and father are retired teachers, my grandfather is a retired headmaster all my aunts and uncles are teachers. He recalled how he used to gather his friends and make music during lunch. It was a real release for me but it wasnt necessarily part of the curriculum, I had to find the time during lunchtime to go to the band room and just for half an hour with my pals just make some music. He was speaking at the launch of a new education initiative in 25 secondary schools across the country which will teach over 2,000 kids about the importance of empathy and how to develop it as a skill. Mr Murphy is a patron for the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUIG, which completed research for the initiative. The research found that the programme pilot, which took place in 2017 and 2018, had a positive impact on students personal development. Video of the Day The actor added that empathy is an invaluable tool for him in his acting work. You cant really be an actor without employing empathy as a very important tool in your arsenal, he said. In supporting this education programme which we are launching today, my hope is that it will help young people see that everyone has a different story and that everyones story is valuable. Speaking at the event, UNESCO CHair Professor Pat Dolan said that the teaching of empathy is as crucial as learning maths. Its as important as learning maths, believe it or not, he told the press conference. I want to see this be made available to everybody. Students from the CBS secondary school in Monkstown in Dublin who had taken part in the initiative facilitated by their teacher Hugh Fitzmaurice. I didnt hear of the word empathy before, said sixth-year student Seamus Flannery. We go to a boys school and there can be a lot of anti-social and bullying behaviour and a lot of us are mean to people. He explained that the empathy classes helped students to understand each other and consider the feelings of others. But during the empathy classes, theres no judging around the room. And empathy is shown in the locker room and during lunchtime, he added. Chinese President Xi Jinping with his wife Peng Liyuan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders attend a group photo session at a welcoming banquet for the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Pool - RC1D07FB2680 PK Anand When an idea grips the masses, it becomes a material force Karl Marx German philosopher and political theorist Karl Marxs quote depicts the power of ideas and how, if other factors remaining stable and equal, the value of ideas to generate transformation is very potent. However, in the world of policy-making, ideas are not mere abstract concepts; in its germination from a seed to reach full fruition, they often have to navigate through the thick architecture of systems, structures and processes. Mostly, the shape of the ideas would have been altered significantly, to the extent they might even be indistinguishable. If this is the story with ideas that have potential traction, what about those which are yet to even lift off the ground, or even be difficult to execute due to systemic, and political-economic constraints? Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamys recent suggestion of getting the Chinese to redirect their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through Mumbai and Kolkata ports falls into the latter category incoherent, and without attention to details. In domestic politics, Swamys extreme Right-wing opinions and verbose are often ignored by his party and the Union government. However, on this count, he attempts to indicate seriousness to his idea, by indicating the apparent affirmation of the Chinese leadership. Juxtaposed with the concrete realities on the ground, it is doubtful that his signalling would get across to the intended sections in the government. This is largely due to the avowed opposition of the Indian government on the BRI though it is yet to come out with a concrete, well-articulated response to the initiative or offer a credible and tangible alternative. Rather, oft-handed comments and terse statements are all that are available for analysts to parse through to understand the official position. If one were to build a macro picture going by those comments as well as looking at the Chinese assertiveness, the non-transparency in most of the projects and increasing contrarian voices on the BRI from some of the participant countries, it is difficult to imagine that merely keeping out of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) would resolve the issue. As a rising power, India aspires to play an equally enhanced leadership role in the world and, therefore, competition with China is inevitable, at multiple levels. In this context, any involvement in the BRI with next to no control on the narrative would be perceived as playing second fiddle. Furthermore, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), even with all its fragilities, is now moving to the second phase and therefore, the chances of Beijing revising its position are slim. Swamys comments on the Mumbai and Kolkata ports though BRI is not only about transportation and movement of goods but also infrastructural expansion provides the opportunity to highlight the pressing concern of weak infrastructural capacities in India. In the hypothetical possibility of flow of goods through both the ports, the (in)capacities in the form of human and material resources, ill-equipped mechanisms, and red-tape, remain plaguing issues and cast serious doubts on preparedness. Given that the Chinese also like to put the money where the mouth is, absence of enhanced basic infrastructure will discourage potential investments. The lack of resources and structural constraints brings to the fore the critical question of State capacity, or why, despite having high population and economic growth around same levels, China was more responsive than India in distributing resources and directing development? The high degree of organisational capacity of the Chinese State being under one-party rule notwithstanding and thereby looking beyond the simplistic notion of type of regimes, or multi-party democracy vs one-party State the key to the answer might lie in Indias weak public institutions.The inability of the State to perform the functions of economic and social development due to constraints of societal rifts or administrative barriers negatively impacts the people. The ongoing churning on ideas of belonging and citizenship has only exacerbated the lack of faith and trust in institutions, questioning their efficacy and effectiveness. Clearly, material force, and concrete conditions, are key factors in actualising ideas. Virginia is an American state that is situated in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the country. Virginia is surrounded by West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the thirty-sixth largest American state that occupies an area of about 42,774.2 sq miles, with a population of about 8,535,519 people. The most populous city in Virginia is Virginia Beach, while Richmond is its capital city. The Virginia colony was the first English colony to be established in the New World in 1607. Virginia is home to the New Worlds oldest continuous law-making institution. The climate and geography of Virginia are shaped by the Chesapeake Bay and Blue-Ridge Mountains, which provide a perfect habitat for its fauna and flora. Economy Of Virginia Virginia has a well-balanced economy with diverse income sources, including business, farming, and military, federal, and local government. Virginia has over 4.1 million civilian employees, and 33.3% of them are working in the service sector. The states unemployment rate of November 2019 was 2.9% representing 116,096 jobless people. The states employment rate was 0.9 percentage point lower than the national rate for November 2019. Virginias GDP was more than $510 billion in 2017. The highest-income area in the state is Northern Virginia. Northern Virginia is home to 6 of the top-20 highest-income counties in the country. The CNN Money Magazine listed Great Fall as the highest-income town in the United States in 2011. According to Phoenix-Marketing International, this state had the seventh-highest number of millionaires per-capita in the country. There are 9 Fortune-500 firms headquartered in Richmond region and 7 in Northern Virginia. There are 10 Fortune-1000 companies in Northern Virginia and a total of 29 in Virginia. Biggest Industries In Virginia Service The service sector is the biggest industry in the economy of Virginia, which accounts for over 66.67% of the states GDP. The public sector (local, state, and federal government), social and health services, and retail and wholesale trade account for a considerable portion of employment in the state. Technical, scientific, and professional services are a crucial source of income in the state as well, with many people working in the business and communications sectors. The business, personal, and community services group is the leading service industry here which produces income through repair shops, engineering and programming companies, motels and hotels, and private health care. The biggest internet- service provider in the world is based in Virginia. The second-largest sector in service is the real estate, insurance, and government and finance service groups. Numerous government services like hospitals and public schools can be found in Virginia. Several military bases, CIAs headquarters, and the Pentagon are all in Virginia. Rapid growth in population in Virginia has fueled the real estate sector with the construction of shopping centers and houses, among other properties. Technology Virginia is home to the highest number of technology workers in the country. Computer chips became the leading export product from Virginia in 2006, surpassing tobacco and coal combined. The Dulled-Technology Corridor that is situated on the boundary between Loudoun County and Fairfax County, has the highest number of communication technology, software, and internet engineering firms. Virginias biotechnology sector is not centralized; however, it is growing at a very fast rate. The biotechnology sector is highlighted by the opening of the Janelia research campus and the construction of the Virginia-Biotechnology-Research Park in Richmond. The nanotechnology industry accounted for over $1billion in manufactured products in 2006. The nanotechnology sector is centered in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Most of the researchers based in Hampton Roads believe that the area has an advantage when it comes to commercializing nanotechnology because of the amount of research in the region that is spearheaded by Langley-Research Center. Agriculture, Forestry, And Fishing Agriculture occupied 32% of Virginias land and provided about 357,000 jobs as of 2007. There were about 47,000 farms in the state, which occupied an area of about 8.1million acres. Even though the agricultural sector has declined since the 1960s when there are over 94,000farms in the state, agriculture is still one of the main industries in Virginia. Even though tobacco is not the main crop, Virginia is the fifth biggest producer of tobacco in the country. The main agricultural products in this state include vegetables, feeds and grains, dairy products, cattle, and poultry. Virginia is home to one of the leading turkey-raising operations in the country. Virginias peaches and apples are quite popular, particularly the ones from Winchester. The forestry sector in Virginia taps both pine trees from the low-lying regions and hardwood from uplands. The primary product of the regions sawmills in hardwood boards while pine is the main pulpwood. The state government has implemented several reforestation programs that help counter the risk of overharvesting of trees. Virginia fisheries operate in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia is the leading producer of seafood in the Atlantic Coast. The largest seafood harvest in this state includes clams, blue crabs, oysters, and scallops. Virginia exports seafood to Hong Kong, Canada, and France, among other destinations. The vineyard and wineries along the Blue-Ridge Mountain and Northern Neck attracted over 2.3million tourists in 2015 alone. Virginia had the fifth-highest number of wineries in the U.S. in 2014. Other Industries The manufacturing sector generates less than 10% of the states GDP and also employs a comparable proportion of the labor force. The leading manufacturers in Virginia are the chemical plants and tobacco factories. Other non-durable commodities produced here include apparel, textiles, and food. Some of the durable goods manufactured here include wood products, electric equipment, furniture, and transportation equipment. The tourism sector generated about $21.2billion and supported about 210,000jobs in Virginia in 2012. The leading tourist destination in Virginia by domestic-spending is Arlington County, followed by Virginia Beach, Loudoun County, and Fairfax County. Virginias leading commercial mineral is coal. Other minerals mined here include gravel, sand, clay, and stone. Over 50% of Virginias energy is drawn from coal. The nuclear generators provide 33% of the energy, while natural gas and petroleum supply account for a small percentage of the power produced in this state. To the Editor: Re Democrats Assert Trump Was Trying to Cheat in 20 Bid (front page, Jan. 23): The brilliant opening presentation on Tuesday by Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, should be required reading or viewing not only in high school civics classes but also in law school constitutional law and advocacy classes. It is a tour de force, framing the fundamental constitutional principles of separation of powers and its historical underpinnings, examined through the narrower prism of the events surrounding the Trump impeachment. He presented a comprehensive and compelling recitation of the presidents breaches of the Constitution and abuse of power on a remarkable scale, which continued with equal force on Wednesday. Mr. Schiffs final appeal to the Senate and the American people not to accept as the new normal the executives flouting of the Constitutions checks and balances, to not simply get over it and face the dire threat to our republican form of government, put in plain language before the jurors and the entire country the stark choice confronting us in this trial. At the end, he placed the ultimate responsibility upon, and trust in, the Senate jurors in the trial and the American people in the coming election to do the right thing. Melvin R. Shuster Philadelphia To the Editor: We are leaving out a particularly able, intelligent, articulate and tough Democrat who could really go head to head against President Trump. Its Representative Adam Schiff. If only he would run. The Democrats could still draft him. Theres something deeply sick about the economy, said Gawain Kripke, the policy director at Oxfam America. The fact that women around the world are doing so much work that is uncompensated, unrecognized and unsupported is part of the problem. On average, women globally spend 4.5 hours of their day on unpaid work while men spend about half that time. In richer countries, that gap is smaller, but nowhere in the world do men do as much unpaid work as women. In Norway, a country often hailed as a gender equal utopia, women spend about an hour more on unpaid work than men, according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). But in India, women spend almost six hours on unpaid labor and men spend less than an hour. And those figures might even be an underestimation of the time spent on unpaid work and care because much of the data relies on self-reported time diaries, Kripke said. Women are often doing two things at once cooking and looking after children, for example. But while cooking might be measured as one hour of labor, the child care element might be categorized as secondary or even unreported entirely, Kripke explained. Because women tend to earn less than men, they have more of an economic incentive to give up their job and focus on work at home while the higher earner goes to work. But because they have so much to look after at home, they often cant take on a higher-paid job that might require more commitment, creating a vicious cycle that traps women at the bottom of the economic pyramid, perpetuating the gender pay gap. OTTAWA - Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre is bowing out of his party's leadership race, aborting his campaign before it really begins. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Conservative Finance Critic Pierre Poilievre responds to the federal economic and fiscal update on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. Poilievre has announced he will not seek leadership of the party. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre is bowing out of his party's leadership race, aborting his campaign before it really begins. Poilievre said in a Thursday-afternoon stream of tweets he is overwhelmed by the support he received as he organized an effort to replace Andrew Scheer when the Tories choose a new leader in June. But the 40-year-old Ottawa MP, who's been in Parliament since his surprise defeat of the Liberals' then-minister of defence David Pratt in 2004 when he was in his 20s, said his heart was not fully in it as he tries to balance family life with politics. Poilievre said he "mostly missed" the first year of his daughter's life as he campaigned to keep his own seat in October's federal election. "I knew it would be hard on my family life to do this. But I did not realize how hard," he said. Poilievre said he's continuing as the MP for Carleton. He's also the Conservatives' finance critic under Scheer, with a high profile in the House of Commons and a gift for getting under Liberal ministers' skins. "I am not currently supporting any other candidate. But I will be looking for a strong fiscal conservative who will unleash free enterprise so people can achieve their dreams through hard work," he said. Poilievre is the third high-profile contender to publicly bail out of the Conservative leadership contest in as many days, following former Quebec premier Jean Charest and former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. Former cabinet minister Peter MacKay and Ontario MPs Marilyn Gladu and Erin O'Toole are the three most prominent contenders still in the mix. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. President Donald Trump surprised the attendees of Davos World Economic Forum 2020 as well as the international ecological community with his recent announcement to join the One Trillion Trees initiative to fight climate change. "We're committed to conserving the majesty of God's creation and the natural beauty of our world," Trump said. It can be recalled that during the World Economic Forum 2019, ecologist Dr. Thomas Crowther suggested that planting 1.2 trillion trees could compensate for global CO2 emissions. This environmentally-inclined announcement drew some of the most sustained applause of Trump's 30-minute speech, which focused mostly on his administration's accomplishments and the strength of the U.S. economy, a message contrasted with other world leaders who used the forum as a platform to highlight environmental issues like climate change as well as the call for global collaboration. The POTUS called himself "a very big believer in the environment," after recently telling reporters that he no longer believes that climate change is a hoax. "Nothing's a hoax about that. It's a very serious subject," he said in an interview two weeks ago. "I want clean air; I want clean water. I want the cleanest air with the cleanest water. The environment's very important to me." This is a very different tone than Trump struck during his controversial decision to withdraw from the international Paris Climate Accord, which he also criticized as being a ploy to drain jobs and money from Americans. "No responsible leader can put the workers - and the people - of their country at this debilitating and tremendous disadvantage," said Trump at the time, adding that the Accord "hamstrings the United States, while empowering some of the world's top polluting countries." Said declaration also contradicts his recent announcement of changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that includes exempting agencies from considering climate change among the environmental impacts of their infrastructure projects. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said this practice had "paralyzed commonsense decision-making for a generation." Trump simply stated that he "will continue to show strong leadership in restoring, growing and better managing our trees and our forests," not specifying the details on how the U.S. would participate in the initiative. Meanwhile, environmentalists have expressed alarm over his administration's policies, including rolling back regulations meant to curb air and water pollution and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Also present at the World Economic Forum was 17-year old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg whom Trump, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, referred to as someone he didn't "really know anything" about. He also dismissed her as "very angry." Trump has previously accused Thunberg of having an "anger management problem" after winning Time's "Person of the Year" award in December. In Tuesday, the young environmental activist told the Davos forum that world leaders are not doing enough to combat climate change. She also urged them to treat climate change as a "real crisis." "We need to start listening to the science, and treat this crisis with the importance it deserves," Thunberg said. About 1.3 lakh employees of state-run Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) on Wednesday set up SAIL Employee Rendering Voluntarism and Initiatives for Community Engagement (SERVICE) to voluntarily participate in philanthropist activities and complement companys corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, a steel ministry spokesperson said. Petroleum and steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday launched the initiative for SAIL employees and their families, which is aimed at community development in a structured manner, he said. The company has about 70,000 regular employees and 60,000 contractual employees in various plants across the country. This is first ever initiative by any company in the country where employees and their families will undertake voluntary philanthropist activities, he said. These activities would preferably be undertaken along the companys CSR-related areas such as education, health, women empowerment, sustainable income generation, access to water and sanitation, environment sustenance and traditional arts and culture, he added. SAIL shall provide logistic support to such employees, subject to evaluation and assessment, he said. The company has launched a SAIL Service, a dedicated portal for such employees. Bengaluru-based healthcare company Strides Consumer Private Ltd (SCPL) has firmed up plans to boost its product portfolio and expand presence across the country in the next six months, an official said on Thursday. Strides Consumer is at present active in the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and pain relief categories, and operates in five southern states. "Both (categories) are attractive. Over the next three-six months, we will come up with more brands and products in these two categories and also in other segments," SCPL business head (India and South Asia) Himava Nath told reporters here. The company sells products under the brands 'Nixit', an oral NRT and 'Jointflex', a topical analgesic cream. The NRT market is pegged at Rs 156 crore in India and projected to touch Rs 450 crore by 2023, he said, adding, the size of the pain relief market is estimated at Rs 3,085 crore. Nath said the NRT segment is growing at 40 per cent and the pain relief segment is expanding at around 10 per cent. "Currently, we are in the southern part of the country and plan to expand all over India in the next six months, including the eastern region," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Los Angeles, United States Thu, January 23, 2020 11:15 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060a4bf7 2 World US,shooting,Seattle,crime,police,fugitive Free At least one person was killed and seven others, including a child, were wounded on Wednesday after gunfire broke out in downtown Seattle near a popular tourist area, United States police and hospital officials said. Police said at least one suspect was being sought in connection with the mass shooting that took place near a McDonald's fast food restaurant, just blocks away from the Pike Place Market. It was the third shooting in the area in less than two days, and the latest incident of gun violence that has affected churches, cinemas and other public places in the United States. "Officers investigating shooting near 4th and Pine," the Seattle Police Department said in a tweet. "Multiple victims. The suspect has fled, and police are searching for him. Officers and medics are providing first aid to the injured." Police chief Carmen Best told reporters at the scene that one person, a woman, had been killed and several others were wounded in the shooting that occurred shortly after 5:00 p.m. (0100 GMT). Officials at Harborview Medical Center, where all the wounded were transported, said seven people were being treated at the hospital, including a nine-year-old boy. Police ordered people to stay out of the area and shut down a subway station as they searched for one or more suspects. Tyler Parsons, an employee at Victrola Coffee Roasters, told The Seattle Times that he was working when he suddenly saw victims falling to the ground as shots rang out. He said several people ran into his shop to seek cover and he saw two people with gunshot wounds. "The shooting was just kind of terrifying. Terrifying it's so close," he told the paper. One body covered with a white tarp could be seen in TV images lying on the sidewalk in front of the McDonald's two hours after the shooting. It was unclear if any of the victims were tourists. Susan Gregg, a spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center, said a 55-year-old woman shot in the abdomen was rushed into surgery and the boy, who was shot in the leg, was in serious condition. The other victims five males are in satisfactory condition, she said. Gregg added that the nature of the injuries varied from grazing wounds to life-threatening injuries. One witness interviewed by local media said he had seen two men arguing loudly before they started shooting at one another, hitting bystanders. Around 40,000 people died from various firearms-related incidents, including suicides and homicides, in 2017 in the US, according to government figures. Topics : US shooting Seattle crime police fugitive Marsh, one of the worlds largest insurance brokers and risk advisers, has seen a spike in clients inquiries for political violence cover in the Gulf after attacks on tankers and oil installations rattled the region last year, an executive said. Enquiries have doubled since tanker attacks last summer, so over a period of six months or so, Gaurav Bhatnagar, managing director and head of Marsh JLT Specialty for the Middle East and Africa, told Reuters on Wednesday. Previously clients wouldnt look at political risk insurance as much, or they wouldnt look at specific insurers who provide sabotage and terrorism cover, or the political violence cover suddenly all of those elements have become much more prominent and our clients, the ones more sophisticated in that space, are asking more regularly what protection we can provide. Military tensions in the Gulf have risen this month after a top Iranian general was killed in a U.S. air strike and Iran retaliated with missile attacks against American bases in Iraq. The strikes followed months of escalation which included attacks on tankers in Gulf waters and on Saudi oil sites, including the worlds largest oil processing facility. Riyadh and Washington blame the strikes on Iran, which denies involvement but has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel in retaliation for sanctions on crude exports imposed by Western powers. Insurance costs for ships sailing through the Middle East increased last year after the tanker attacks, and industry sources told Reuters this month they expected war risk premiums to rise sharply following rocket strikes in Iraq. But Bhatnagar said demands for coverage against risks such as sabotage, terrorism, and war, were increasing across various sectors, not only the maritime one. This is in the context of real estate, projects were working on, deals that are happening, its a bundle. The awareness of what previously may not have been something considered under political violence, is definitely something thats much more prevalent now particularly if youre an international investor coming to this part of the world. He said Marsh has hired over 100 people in the Gulf over the past six months and that he expected the firms operations to grow further in the region, particularly in advisory services, cyber resilience and crisis management. (Reporting by Davide Barbuscia; editing by David Evans) - Kenya's first attorney general Charles Njonjo was born in January 1920 - The centenarian thanked God for enabling him live a longer life - Njonjo spent his Sunday, January 19, tracking gorillas at a park in Uganda ahead of his birthday Kenyas first attorney general Charles Njonjo celebrated his 100th birthday on Thursday, January 23. The 'Duke of Kabeteshire. as he is popularly known for his love for English mannerism, attributed his energy to his family who he considers as his biggest treasure and blessing. READ ALSO: DP Ruto is deliberately sabotaging Kenyas economy for political reasons, former MP claims Kenya's first attorney general Charles Njonjo attributed his long life to God and a supportive family. Photo: Daily Nation. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Who are you to give us permission to attend BBI rallies? - Ruto scoffs at Raila In an interview with Citizen TV, the only surviving member of the countrys first independence Cabinet said his grandchildren were his greatest source of joy. On this occasion, I am humbled by what I consider to be my greatest blessing: my loving family, which, as expected, has grown over the years. My wife and life companion Margaret, followed by children and the greatest joy of all my six grandchildren all of whom have the greatest uplifting effect on my energy and love for life, he said. Charles Njonjo was on a gorilla hunting mission in Uganda on Sunday, January 19 days before his birthday. Photo: Uganda Wildlife Authority. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Maafisa wa polisi 3 wakamatwa baada ya kupora KSh 6M The centenarian thanked God for enabling him a longer life with Kenya life expectancy estimated at 67 years according to the United Nations. Njonjo served as Kenyas AG from 1963 to 1979 before he resigned to contest for the Kikuyu Parliamentary seat which he won unopposed. In 1980, he was appointed as the Minister for Constitutional Affairs and he held the position until 1983 when resigned from the Cabinet and Parliamentary position after the 1982 coup where he was accused of being one of the masterminds behind an attempt to overthrow the then president Daniel Moi. Njonjo spent his Sunday, January 19, tracking gorillas at a park in Uganda as part of activities that had been lined up for him before he turned 100. "Thank you Hon Njonjo Charles for loving Uganda and visiting Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The memory of hosting you will live forever," Uganda Wildlife Authority tweeted. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Are Kenyans happy with the leaders they elected? | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Home-building activity in Dublin and Cork accounted for almost 40% of all new residential units under construction in December. Just under 15,000 residential buildings were under construction across the country last month, according to the latest GeoView Residential Buildings Report by GeoDirectory and EY-DKM This represents a 38.3% increase compared when compared with the December 2018 figure. The report shows that of 20,359 new homes added to the GeoDirectory database for the whole of 2019, more than half (52%) were in the Greater Dublin Area, with 4,154 homes under construction in Dublin in December, followed by 1,628 in Cork. Commuter-belt counties Kildare and Meath were next, with approximately 1,300 each. It found counties with the lowest levels of construction activity were in the north-west and midlands: Leitrim (24), Longford (88), Roscommon (96) and Sligo (96). Unsurprisingly, given the population density, Dublin remains the county with the lowest residential vacancy rate at 1.3%, well below the national average of 4.7%. Cork and Waterford were the only two counties outside of Leinster with vacancy rates lower than the national average, at 4% and 3.5% respectively. The report took a decade-long look at property prices and found the average residential property price increased by 14% between 2010 and 2019 (257,780 to 294,800). The number of properties selling for greater than 1 million increased from 186 in 2010 to 751 in 2019 (this figure may include sales of multiple units sold as a single lot). The report points out that large-scale infrastructure projects have also had an impact on property prices over the last ten years. For example, residential properties located along the Luas Green Line extension (St. Stephens Green to Broombridge) have seen average property prices increase by 77% since 2010. The report notes there were 57,163 residential transactions in the 12 months to October 2019, an increase of 6.8% on the 2018 figure The highest average property price in the third quarter of 2019 was in Dublin (420,316), while Leitrim (121,410) had the lowest average price. However, in Dublin City, residential property prices declined by 3.3% in the 12 months to October, to 434,330. Property prices rose by 14.0% and 12.2% in the cities of Limerick and Cork respectively. Dara Keogh, Chief Executive, GeoDirectory said Dublin and its surrounding counties continue to drive the residential property market and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. In 2019, the Greater Dublin Area of Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow had the most buildings under construction, the most new address points and the lowest average residential vacancy rates, while counties in Connacht and Ulster continue to lag way behind in terms of activity, Mr Keogh said. The figure GeoView differs from official Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG) statistics which show a total of 26,106 dwellings were commenced in the 12 months to September 2019. The GeoView Report attributes the discrepancy to some double counting and says industry sources suggest the overstatement in the DHPLG data could be in the region of 15 to 20 per cent. It adds the caveat that the GeoDirectory measurement is at a point in time while the government data is over a 12 month period. Thursday, January 23rd, 2020 (8:24 am) - Score 1,743 The new UK Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill, which aims to make it significantly easier, quicker and cheaper for gigabit-capable broadband ISPs and telecoms firms to access big apartment blocks (MDU) where rogue landlords fail to respond, received broad support in yesterdays 2nd reading. Currently, on identifying a property in their network build area, operators (e.g. Openreach, Virgin Media, Hyperoptic, Cityfibre etc.) will attempt to contact landlords, request permission to install, and offer to negotiate a long-term agreement on access. Those wayleaves set out the responsibilities of both the landlord and operator in respect of the installation. Sadly landlords dont always respond to such requests for access to install new infrastructure, which can leave residents trapped on slower connections (e.g. ADSL). As the UK Digital Minister, Matt Warman MP, said yesterday: Evidence from operators suggests that across the UKs major digital infrastructure providers, about 40% of requests for access issued by operators receive no response. That cannot be acceptable. The existing Electronic Communications Code (ECC) includes a process that operators could pursue in order to resolve such situations, but it was almost never used due to being both slow and hugely expensive (potentially 14,000 wrecking the economic case for a roll-out). As such the new bill proposes to tackle this by amending the ECC to include a new legal process. Under this system operators would only have to wait 42 days before making an application to use the new process (i.e. ensuring they have sent a sufficient number of notices and made serious attempts to gain access the new system is considered a last resort). Equally the cost would come down to about 300. NOTE: The new Bill will apply to the whole of the UK because telecommunications is a reserved power. The Government estimates that as many as 3,000 extra residential buildings a year could be connected as a result of this change. The UK is home to an estimated 480,000 blocks of flats or apartments and thankfully many of those have landlords who do respond when such a request is made. Check out our full summary of the bill for more. The New Bill The bill itself was formally introduced to parliament on 8th January 2020, after being announced last October 2019, although yesterdays 2nd reading was the first in which a proper debate on the subject was allowed. Overall the bill appeared to receive broad support during the debate and there were no significant detractors. Matt Warman MP, UK Minister for Digital, said: Superfast broadband facilitated the original internet that we are so familiar with, and gigabit will do so much more. It will support older people in staying independent for longer, will allow people to work how and where they choose to a much greater extent, and will make sure that commuters can join up their life in a much more effective way. However, the benefits for businesses and consumers can be realised only if digital infrastructure providers such as Openreach, Virgin Media, CityFibre and many othersincreasingly more can access homes, workplaces and public buildings such as hospitals and train stations. It is for that reason that this Government have made the deployment of gigabit broadband one of our key priorities. With this Bill, we are taking the first hammer blow to the barriers preventing the deployment of gigabit connectivity. We will similarly take aim at new-build homes that are being built without access to futureproof connections, and we are exploring how we can make it easier for digital infrastructure providers to share the infrastructure of others, and how we can promote 5G mobile services by simplifying the planning regime. Despite receiving plenty of support, a number of MPs did raise important points and concerns about its future implementation. For example, Daisy Cooper MP (St Albans, LibDem) pointed out that the new tribunal process might lack the capacity and resources to process those applications and ensure that they go through. In response Matt Warman said he would explore every option to ensure that the tribunal gets those resources we will make sure that it does. Such tribunals do tend to get bogged down in cases and that can lead to massive delays much as weve seen with existing land access cases and thus this is an important consideration. Meanwhile Tracy Brabin MP (Batley and Spen Lab Co-op) warned that telecom companies should not be allowed to fleece residents by locking them into dependence on a single provider, nor should they be allowed to crowd out smaller competitors. Tracy then asked what the minister could do to guarantee that this will not happen. In response Matt Warman merely said that the Government would continue to be flexible where we can be while the bill evolves, although he pointed out that the bill is a bespoke process and that we need to bear in mind the fact that digital infrastructure will become progressively more vital, as well as the question of how we line up the appropriate regimes. As people who live in big apartment blocks already know, you often have a limited choice of connectivity types and providers, although many buildings already tend to give access to both Virgin Media and Openreachs network. The choice of ISPs depends upon both the operators that have entered the building, their supported technologies (FTTC vs FTTP etc.) and how open access (or not) their networks are. Overall it looks like the bill will probably get a fairly easy ride through the usual political process. We now wait to see when the Government will introduce their next and somewhat more delayed policy, which aims to ensure that gigabit-broadband is being facilitated by nearly all new build home developments (this was expected last year). Housebuilder Countryside Properties has seen a surge in interest for new homes, the company revealed. Bosses said its forward order book is up 65% to 1.57 billion in the three months to December 31, compared with the same period a year earlier. The reservation rate was also up 29% on the same basis, with strong demand for both private and affordable homes. The sector has faced a tough year, with house prices stalling and the economy weakening following the 2016 Brexit referendum. But businesses have said they feel more stable and confident for the future following the General Election result last month, which returned a decisive majority. Countryside added it completed three more homes in the period compared to a year earlier, with 1,097 built. Private average selling prices fell by 1,000 to 394,000, it added. The company said the growth in reservations was driven by a strong market along with the quality of open outlets. Some housebuilders have faced criticism in recent months for poor build quality on new homes. Rival Persimmon launched an independent investigation after safety concerns were raised. The report found a series of failures, including fire barriers not installed correctly. Countryside also revealed its partnerships division, which works with local authorities, completed 855 homes during the period. It added: We had a very strong quarter for new business, securing 4,165 plots including a scheme to build 581 homes in Waltham Forest, London, 700 homes in Salford, Greater Manchester and a total of 1,673 homes for our newly established regions. The housebuilding division completed 242 homes down from 244 a year ago with options for 350 new homes in Bedfordshire, 400 in Knebworth, Herfordshire, along with outline planning for 1,138 homes in Maldon, Essex and 750 in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. Countryside added: With some of the political uncertainty now having eased and sales levels in line with expectations for this point in the year, we remain on track to deliver our full year plans. (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is warning it will send furlough notices within weeks to almost 9,000 South Korean workers at U.S. bases if the two countries dont reach agreement on President Donald Trumps demand for Seoul to increase dramatically what it pays for American troops. Trumps push for South Korea to contribute much more has put the alliance under strain at a time when North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns regime has said it would no longer be bound by its previous promise to halt testing of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. The two sides remained deadlocked, though U.S. officials have indicated theyve backed off Trumps initial demand that President Moon Jae-ins administration pay about $5 billion a year for U.S. forces stationed there, more than five times the $900 million in a stopgap one-year agreement that expired on Dec. 31. The Special Measures Agreement pays for about 28,000 American troops stationed in South Korea -- and also for the South Korean civilians who work at the bases. U.S. officials say they are required to give those workers 60 days advance notice that their pay might be cut off because the last of the funds under the previous deal is running out. Cost-sharing negotiations with allies are tough, whether its Korea, Japan or others, said Rexon Ryu, a partner at the Asia Group and a former White House official and Pentagon chief of staff. But a penny-pinching approach that is informed by a transactional strategy risks weakening fundamental strength of the alliance. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the U.S. gets a raw deal from partners that host American troops around the world, and hes focused particular ire on the South Korean agreement. In August, he tweeted that South Korea is a very wealthy nation that now feels an obligation to contribute to the military defense provided by the United States of America. People familiar with the discussions say American negotiators have shifted their position as they seek to offer a justification for a far bigger price tag. After initially suggesting South Korea could make more purchases of U.S. defense equipment, the Trump administration is now focused on other elements, such as asking the country to pay more for temporary troop rotations. Another demand is for South Korea to spend more on capabilities that would allow it to take full operational control of joint forces in wartime. Story continues Last week, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal calling on Seoul to pay more in a tone that one person familiar with its publication said reflected rising frustration in Washington over the impasse. The U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris, told reporters last week that U.S. law would soon require the furlough notifications. About 6,000 workers would be immediately affected, with furloughs extended later to additional core personnel, according to Son Gi-o, a representative of the U.S. Forces Korea Korean Employees Union. If we do go into furlough, the bases will be completely paralyzed, Son said, adding that a total of 8,700 employees could be affected. In October, the chief of staff for U.S. Forces Korea, Major General Stephen Williams, told the union in a letter that furloughs were possible from April 1 if a deal was not reached, adding that the first notices to impacted employees would be issued by Jan. 31. The negotiations in South Korea could affect other U.S. allies hosting troops, such as Japan, with Esper saying the Trump administration wants them to pay more too. Japanese officials are watching the South Korea negotiations closely with the approach of talks set to begin later this year for a U.S-Japan cost-sharing deal. Moon is facing parliamentary elections in April and is wary of the political fallout if he agrees to a hefty increase, which has little support in his camp and among the general public. South Korea decided Tuesday to send a naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz, answering a U.S. call for greater international security commitments in the region. But American officials say that while the gesture is appreciated, it wont count as credit toward South Korean payment. One of the challenges, according to those familiar with the discussions, is that South Korean officials refused to engage on the initial demand for $5 billion, which they considered too much to ask and an exaggeration of the cost of stationing U.S. troops there. The president came up with it, and U.S. officials have no idea how and now theyre scrambling to come up with justifications, said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. Its seen as insulting. It transforms alliances based on shared values and objectives into a transactional relationship, it degrades the alliance into a business relationship. In an interview with South Korean media on Dec. 18, James DeHart, the top American negotiator, said his government wants an agreement that lasts longer than one year. We have listened in these negotiations probably more than we have spoken, we have adjusted and we have compromised, DeHart said. That is what happens in discussions between close allies, and when both sides are trying to get to an agreement. (Adds letter to union on furlough notices.) --With assistance from Jon Herskovitz. To contact the reporters on this story: Nick Wadhams in Washington at nwadhams@bloomberg.net;Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, ;Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, John Harney For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Classes are not being held in 100 state-run secondary schools in the city due to lack of students, a School department official said on Thursday. The schools, most of them Bengali and few Hindi mediums, are located in Shyambazar, Paikpara, Bhowanipore, Behala, Jadavpur, Taratala, Tollygunje and Cossipore areas, the official said. "The schools have witnessed 'zero or very little students' enrolment' in the years 2018-19 despite having a number of teaching-non teaching staff and hence the government may think about closing them for utilising the buildings for better official purposes," the official said. The final decision about closing down of the 100 schools has not been taken yet, he said. The official did not specify any time frame for closing down the schools where classes are not taking place. The schools include several girls schools in north, central and south Kolkata, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New York-based grocery chain Fairway Market said in a statement Thursday the company has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Up to five Fairway Market stores in New York and the companys only distribution center will be sold to Village Super Market, Inc. for about $70 million, the statement said. There are two Fairway Market locations in New Jersey Paramus and Woodland Park according to the companys website. As of now, neither is affected. The New York Post first reported Tuesday that Fairway Market was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The report also said the company would close all stores, which Fairway has denied. Despite reports, Fairway Market has no intention to file for chapter 7 or liquidate all of its stores. All 14 stores remain open for business, offering a complete range of high quality, specialty food products, and we look forward to seeing our customers and employees. pic.twitter.com/eqiMFODBGW Fairway Market (@FairwayMarket) January 22, 2020 This is Fairway Markets second time filing for bankruptcy protection since 2016, according to a report by CNBC. After careful consideration of all alternatives, we have concluded that a Court-supervised sale process is the best way to meet our objectives of preserving as many jobs as possible, maximizing value for our stakeholders, and positioning Fairway for long term success under new ownership, Abel Porter, CEO of Fairway Market, said in a statement. Fairway Market is just another chain in a long list of stores to be hit by the retail apocalypse. Express just announced it will close about 100 stores over the next two years. Pier 1 Imports will shutter up to 450 and Bose will close all its stores, too. Founded in the 1930s, Fairway Markets first location was in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE: Express to shutter about 100 stores over the next 2 years Spring break 2020 travel deals: Flights, hotels, cruises, trains, vacations Amazon joins the wireless earbud craze with Echo Buds A flight passenger arriving into the US from Mexico City has been admitted to hospital amid heightened concerns over a deadly coronavirus outbreak. It's unclear whether the passenger who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport has contracted the flu-like virus or what their symptoms included, according to reports. The passenger was quarantined on Wednesday night after arriving into the US on an American Airlines flight. They were intercepted by police and firefighters and brought to a local hospital. Recent tests have cleared a patient that Mexican authorities reported was under observation as a potential case for the severe respiratory illness. LAX is among three US airports that began screening passengers entering the US from Wuhan, China, where more than a dozen deaths have been reported and thousands of others may have been infected. As of Thursday, three cities in that region are on lock-down as officials scramble to contain the outbreak. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman is taken into an ambulance amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulances and health workers are seen outside the Padua's hospital, northern Italy EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers in coaches leave MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire after being repatriated to the UK from a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan and head to Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People rest in a temporary hospital situated in the Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient infecting with a new coronavirus to a hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty On Tuesday, the first travel-related case in the US was reported in Washington state. At least 16 people are under medical surveillance after coming in contact with a man in his 30s in Everett, Washington. The state's medical chief says the patient appears to be in good condition and that none of the people who were in close contact with the patient are exhibiting any symptoms. The patient is a US resident who travelled to the region but not visit the meat and fish markets where authorities believe are a source of the outbreak. He was screened on 17 January. The latest potential US case arrives on the heels of a warning from Los Angeles Department of Public Health officials that the county could see a possible coronavirus patient as the area sees an increase in travellers from China amid Lunar New Year celebrations. This week, Donald Trump said the virus is "completely under control" in the US and limited only to "one patient". On Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that LAX as well as San Francisco International Airport and John F Kennedy International Airport in New York would be supported by additional medical staff to to screen sick passengers and assist with possible quarantines. This week, the CDC will add additional screenings at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago O'Hare airports. The health agency also raised its travel warning to alert passengers to "practice enhanced protections". As of Tuesday, airports have screened more than 1,200 passengers. Google's new redesign of desktop search results makes ads pretty much look exactly like search results. Critics identify it as a dark pattern. I would argue there is now no visual distinction between ads and results. There is still, technically, *labelling*, but it's hard to escape the conclusion that it is supposed to be difficult to spot at a glance where the adverts end. pic.twitter.com/qjUmisbLER Writes Jon Porter at The Verge today: Last week, Google began rolling out a new look for its search results on desktop, which blurs the line between organic search results and the ads that sit above them. In what appears to be something of a purposeful dark pattern, the only thing differentiating ads and search results is a small black-and-white "Ad" icon next to the former. It's been formatted to resemble the new favicons that now appear next to the search results you care about. Early data collected by Digiday suggests that the changes may already be causing people to click on more ads. The Guardian's Alex Hern is one of many commenters to point out the problem, noting that there's now next to no visual distinction between ads and search results. By Peter Hitchens January 23, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - What governments learned from the Iraq war was not that such wars are stupid and wrong, but that measures must be taken to prevent an independent media from questioning them in future. Let me explain. A month and more after I published my first exclusive story about the censoring of official reports into the alleged poison gas atrocity at Douma, Syria, most major news organisations have not followed it. Reuters, to their credit, did confirm that one of the documents on which I relied, an internal e-mail, was indeed authentic. But as far as I know, neither the BBC nor any other major British newspaper has ever said a word about this story, apart from The Independent, where Robert Fisk, in his usual courageous fashion, took it up. He also added a fascinating new detail, which you may read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-war-chemical-weapons-watchdog-opcw-assad-damascus-russia-a9262336.html Tucker Carlson of Fox News has also covered it, a rare independent mind almost unique in mainstream US broadcasting. This silence fell despite the fact that anybody who did follow the story faced no risk. Some exclusives are hard to follow because the facts are hard to confirm. Those striving to follow them have neither sources nor documents on which to rely. Of course, the fact that a major newspaper has published the story should provide some confidence. British newspapers are often jeered at, but in fact, especially on matter such as this, we cannot afford to be careless or rash. We at The Mail on Sunday obviously took very serious steps to confirm, cross-check and validate our sources and material. But in the end we had to decide whether or not to publish, on our own. Even the most persuasive stories can sometimes be wrong (ours wasnt) and editors and lawyers have almost all experienced such things at some point in their lives. So they interrogate such stories, and their authors, very closely. British national newspapers operate in a pretty stern legal and regulatory landscape. They also have rivals keen to pounce on any errors they make. So they are very careful about such things. Of course, we also had the advantage of direct contact with sources, which others could not easily obtain. But a very short time after our story was published, printed and online, leaked copies of the authentic documents I had seen (and on which I largely based my stories) swiftly became generally available through Wikileaks. What is more, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) made no attempt to contest what I had said or to suggest that documents were not authentic. It could not. They are. The British, French and US governments, who now face accusations that their April 2018 attack on Syria was contrary to the UN Charter, also made no attempt to deny what I had said. An important but neglected fact: The OPCW has previously come under pressure to behave in a similar way. This is an undisputed matter of record http://bit.ly/BoltonversusBustani It merely blustered about standing by its published (and censored) reports, a course it was only able to follow because of the flaccid, shuffling response of the rest of the western media. The whole episode was deeply dispiriting. I have now concluded that, if the Iraq War crisis were re-run with the media of 2020, the failure to find WMD in Iraq would never have got out, or - if it had done -would have been widely ignored and dismissed, and the authors of the report marginalised as Saddam apologists . Hence my opening words, which I now repeat. What governments learned from the Iraq war was not that such wars are stupid and wrong, but that measures must be taken to prevent an independent media from questioning them in future. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter I have made my own private efforts to overcome this problem. I understand that for almost all western media, covering the story involves an admission of having rushed to judgement mistakenly in the past over the events in Douma. Editors are just like anyone else, and hate to do this. But generally the telling of the truth is a higher duty than saving face, and they reluctantly do it, sometimes on oblique and very belated ways. So I contacted distinguished figures well-known to me in various parts of the British media, people of great integrity, and appealed for their help in getting the story a wider hearing. So far, I have had no success. So what did happen next? Well, the main response has come from an organisation called Bellingcat. What exactly is this organisation? I will be restrained here. The founder of Bellingcat, Eliot Higgins, is basically a private individual without any professional journalistic background. According to this generally sympathetic profile https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/eliot-higgins-syria_n_4269417?ri18n He dropped out of a media studies course, is a keen video gamer and once worked in the ladies underwear industry. But he has attained fame, and garnered much praise, since he set up this website - and he has become famous for what he calls open source investigation. In most cases his open sources have led him to conclude or reveal things which are embarrassing for the Russian Federation, and pleasing to the United States of America and its allies. There are exceptions, but I would say the balance runs pretty strongly that way. Mr Higgins recently gave this interesting interview https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csy9fb first broadcast on 11th December 2019, to Stephen Sackur, on the BBC World Service radio programme HARDtalk. The whole thing is worth listening to, but I especially recommend the passage round about 12 minutes in, which deals partly with the question of Bellingcats funding and whether it takes sides. But in the light of this interview, let us examine some open sources: Stephen Sackur put to Mr Higgins that his organisation had been funded by, among others, the Atlantic Council. Mr Higgins, while saying 'We do have a side', made no attempt to deny this. This was striking because in a tweet timed 11.04 PM on October 2018 he declared We're not funded by the Atlantic Council, stop spreading false information. And we're not funded by Google anymore as our grant expired. The Atlantic Council website lists the British Foreign and Commonwealth office on its 'Honor Roll of Contributors' https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/support-the-council/honor-roll-of-contributors/ as one of its top five donors in 2018, the most recent year to which it refers. Bellingcat's own website records under funding and partnerships https://www.bellingcat.com/about/ that it receives help from (among others) the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The NED receives the great bulk of its funds from the US Government, and its website https://www.ned.org/national-endowment-for-democracy-ned-ndi-iri-cipe-and-solidarity-center-welcome-increased-funding-from-congress/ recorded on 21 December 2019 : 'the House of Representatives approved a spending package that increases annual funding for the National Endowment for Democracy from $180 million to $300 million. The Senate approved the measure on December 19 and it was signed into law by President Trump on Friday, December 20. Newspapers have their faults, as I am the first to acknowledge, but they are faults of independence. The fact that they are ungovernable can lead to them being intrusive and crude. But it is also essential if they come up against governments which are concealing or distorting the truth or just misbehaving and unrestrained by Parliament. And that is why Thomas Jefferson once said that he would rather have newspapers without a government than a government without newspapers. Terrifyingly, we are approaching an age in which government without powerful independent newspapers is what we may well have. Bearing these facts in mind it is interesting that the principal response to my story has come not from the OPCW or any western government, but from Bellingcat. First there was this : https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2019/11/25/emails-and-reading-comprehension-opcw-douma-coverage-misses-crucial-facts/ I rebutted this rather feeble document here https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2019/11/my-response-to-the-bellingcat-attempt-to-spin-away-the-devastating-implications-of-the-opcw-douma-leak-i-have.html Bellingcat has since made two further attempts to challenge the leak. Here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2020/01/15/the-opcw-douma-leaks-part-1-we-need-to-talk-about-alex/ And here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2020/01/17/the-opcw-douma-leaks-part-2-we-need-to-talk-about-henderson/ In this odd article https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2020/01/23/the-opcw-douma-leaks-part-3-we-need-to-talk-about-a-false-flag-attack/ .they attack a claim I have never made, and will not make, as there is no evidence for it , that the Douma deaths were a false flag event. I am concerned solely with events for which there is or is not actual evidence, not with speculation. But I include the document so that readers have a complete picture and also because I think it illustrates Bellingcats failure to understand the story- which is all about the OPCWs suppression of information it possesses. I personally regard these later Bellingcat efforts as peripheral nitpicking, missing the whole point of the disclosure, which is, I repeat, that the OPCW has not published material which undermines the claim that poison gas was used at Douma in April 2018. Anyway, this is just a preliminary to a major event which you will not yet have read about in any major western media. On 20th January a special session (under the Arria-Formula https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/185-general/40088-the-arria-formula.html) was held at the United Nations in New York , which you may watch here on UN TV. http://webtv.un.org/search/united-nations-security-council-arria-formula-meeting-implementation-of-unscr-2118-opcw-ffm-report-on-douma/6125087582001/?term=&lan=english&page=3 The contribution of Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet, Acting Deputy Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations can be found at about 1 hour 25 minutes. It is most interesting and is transcribed below (The UK Ambassador, Dame Karen Pierce, is sitting on her left, often preoccupied with her telephone. Her contribuytion is later at 2 hours six minutes. ). One of the witnesses to this meeting was Ian Henderson, the former OPCW chemical engineer, the only person (I think) in the whole session who had actually visited Douma itself. Who is Mr Henderson? He is a chemical engineer and a military veteran, who served in the artillery of hs country's army , with considerable practical experience in ballistics. He worked first for the OPCW from 1997 to 2005, having risen to the post of inspection team leader, after which he left the organisation (which prefers its staff to work on brief contracts rather than for life) and went to work in the chemical industry. Very unusually, because of a shortage of expertise, he was rehired in June 2016, and worked again for the OPCW until he was suspended from duty following the leaking (not by him) of some of his work on Douma. He was the inspection team leader who developed and launched the highly intrusive inspections, of the Barzah SSRC facility, just outside Damascus. He did the inspections and wrote the reports for the two inspections prior to, and the inspection after the chemical facility, or the laboratory complex at Barzah SSRC, had been destroyed by the missile strike. Alas, (presumably because his job as a CW inspector has taken him to countries which flag up security alerts on US Homeland Security computers) Mr Henderson was unable to obtain an ESTA from the US authorities, and so could not go to New York and had to give his evidence remotely. Here is a transcript of his contribution. The emphases are mine: IAN HENDERSONS STATEMENT My name is Ian Henderson. Im a former OPCW inspection team leader, having served for about 12 years. I heard about this meeting and I was invited by the Minister-counsellor of the Chinese mission to the UN. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances around my ESTA visa waiver status, I was not able to travel. I thus submitted a written statement, to which I will now add a short introduction. I need to point out at the outset that Im not a whistleblower; I dont like that term. Im a former OPCW specialist who has concerns in an area, and I consider this a legitimate and appropriate forum to explain again these concerns. Secondly, I must point out that I hold the OPCW in the highest regard, as well as the professionalism of the staff members who work there. The organization is not broken; I must stress that. However the concern I have does relate to some specific management practices in certain sensitive missions. The concern of course relates to the FFM investigation into the alleged chemical attack on the 7th of April in Douma, in Syria. My concern, which was shared by a number of other inspectors, relates to the subsequent management lockdown and the practices in the later analysis and compilation of a final report. There were two teams deployed; one team, which I joined shortly after the start of field deployments, was to Douma in Syria; the other team deployed to country X. The main concern relates to the announcement in July 2018 of a new concept, the so-called FFM core team, which essentially resulted in the dismissal of all of the inspectors who had been on the team deployed to locations in Douma and had been following up with their findings and analysis. The findings in the final FFM report were contradictory, were a complete turnaround with what the team had understood collectively during and after the Douma deployments. And by the time of release of the interim report in July 2018, our understanding was that we had serious misgivings that a chemical attack had occurred. What the final FFM report does not make clear, and thus does not reflect the views of the team members who deployed to Douma in which case I really can only speak for myself at this stage the report did not make clear what new findings, facts, information, data, or analysis in the fields of witness testimony, toxicology studies, chemical analysis, and engineering, and/or ballistic studies had resulted in the complete turn-around in the situation from what was understood by the majority of the team, and the entire Douma team, in July 2018. In my case, I had followed up with a further six months of engineering and ballistic studies into these cylinders, the result of which had provided further support for the view that there had not been a chemical attack. This needs to be properly resolved, we believe through the rigors of science and engineering. In my situation, its not a political debate. Im very aware that there is a political debate surrounding this. Perhaps a closing comment from my side is that I was also the inspection team leader who developed and launched the inspections, the highly intrusive inspections, of the Barzah SSRC facility, just outside Damascus. And I did the inspections and wrote the reports for the two inspections prior to, and the inspection after the chemical facility, or the laboratory complex at Barzah SSRC, had been destroyed by the missile strike. That, however, is another story altogether, and I shall now close. Thank you. ***** Here is the response of Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet Acting Deputy Permanent Representative U.S. Mission to the United Nations The United States categorically objects to Russias blatant attempt to use a Security Council meeting to weaken the credibility of the OPCW and its findings on the Douma attack. This is a brazen disinformation campaign, waged in advance of the anticipated release of the OPCW Investigation and Identification Teams first report. It is also one more data point in a consistent pattern of Russian efforts to exploit the platform of the Security Council to further its own political and military agenda in Syria, propping up a murderous dictator at the expense of the Syrian people. When Russia and Syria dislike the findings of the UN or the OPCW, they use meetings like this one to undercut those organizations and the facts that they provide. We must defend the credibility and the findings of the OPCW and the UN from disinformation. If we fail to directly confront these falsehoods, the international community will be unable to help protect the Syrian people from future chemical weapons used by the Assad regime. We must not forget that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons every year since Syrias accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013. To that end, the United States stands firmly behind the OPCW Fact-Finding Missions (FFM) March 1, 2019 report. The FFM found that there are reasonable grounds to conclude that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon took place. The conclusions of this report also support what the United States and others have said many times before: the Syrian regime is responsible for this heinous attack on April 7 of 2018. But in addition to Douma, we should never forget the horrific nerve agent attack by the regime on Ghouta in 2013, killing over a thousand innocent men, women and children, or the attacks which released toxic substances in Talmenes in 2014, in Sarmin in 2015, and of course, the sarin attack at Khan Shaykhun in 2017, all committed by the Assad regime. These are the facts, full stop. The independent and impartial work of the OPCW FFM team should be commended. Their investigative work on Douma was professional, thorough and comprehensive. The team conducted a thorough evaluation and analysis of all the information gathered, including testimony and evidence from witnesses, environmental and biomedical samples, and toxicological and ballistic analyses from experts. There is no basis for the Russia and Assad regime to question the validity of the FFM report. The reality is that the regime sought to undermine the investigation by delaying the entry of investigators to Douma, so that Assad can clean up the crime scene and tamper with evidence. In fact, it is Russia and the Assad regime that lack credibility on this issue due to their deliberate and long-running effort to obstruct the work of the inspectors. We must not forget that Syria has deliberately used chemical weapons as a military tactic to clear civilians and the armed opposition from territory outside of their control, as we have seen in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Sarmin, and Khanh Shaykhun. Once the territory is cleared, Russian forces move in to help the regime forces solidify their control and, meanwhile, use disinformation and diplomacy to try to shield the regime from being held accountable by the international community. It is unconscionable that, despite the brave efforts undertaken by the OPCW FFM to obtain the information necessary to conduct its investigation, Russia would later call into doubt the results. This is appalling treatment of an organization Russia claimed to support in the Security Council Presidential Statement we adopted, by consensus, just this past November. We must not be fooled by theatrics or meetings designed to sow confusion about whether chemical weapons are being used in Syria, and who is the culprit it is the Assad regime. Disinformation and distractions like todays meeting hosted by the Russian Federation only serve to shield the Assad regime from being held accountable by the international community and perpetuate impunity. Russia has no credibility on the issue of chemical weapons. Not only has Russia assisted the Assad regime in covering up chemical weapons attacks in Syria, but as the Salisbury attack made clear, Russia continues to possess and use chemical weapons itself. The United States is committed to holding the Assad regime accountable for its chemical weapons attacks as evidenced by our Congress passing the Caesar Act just last month. Accountability and the prevention of further chemical weapons attacks in Syria are central to the Security Councils efforts to help facilitate a political solution to this conflict in line with Resolution 2254. Accountability to end impunity and prevent future uses are needed to build a new, reformed system of government in Syria that is responsive to the needs and the aspirations of the Syrian people. To do so, we must also ensure that Resolution [2118] is fully implemented so that Assad no longer possesses chemical weapons. The United States must also take the opportunity to correct the record on the work of the Syrian Civil Defense volunteers, commonly known as the White Helmets. The United States is proud to support the vital, life-saving work of the White Helmets who risk their lives day-in and day-out to rescue their fellow Syrian civilians from attacks by the Syrian and Russian forces. These courageous White Helmets have saved over 100,000 lives over 100,000 lives since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. These false accusations leveled here today by the Russia Federation and their briefers are false. They are disinformation. And, they are a worrying sign that the Syrian authorities and Russia are continuing to target White Helmets for future attacks. We call on all members of this Council and the broader membership to reaffirm their support for the Chemical Weapons Convention and the work of the OPCW in the face of baseless attacks by Russia and the Assad regime. We look forward to the fulsome and evidence-based consideration of the IIT Report in this Council in the coming days. ******** The British official attitude is summed up in this tweet from Karen Pierce, UK ambassador to the UN (her speech is at 2 hours 6 minutes) : :Karen Pierce @KarenPierceUN Today we heard the Russians trying to deny facts that have been established by an independent body, trusted by the international community to do its work, @OPCW . This is frankly a shameful response to the very real horrors on the ground in #Syria.' Can these dismissals really be justified in the light of what Mr Henderson has said? Britain moved a step closer to its Jan. 31 exit from the European Union when the legislation required to ratify its deal with Brussels passed its final stage in parliament on Wednesday. The bill will officially become law when it receives Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth, something that could happen as soon as Thursday. "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but weve done it," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement. "Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forwards as one United Kingdom." Earlier on Wednesday, the lower house of parliament, the House of Commons overturned changes the upper house, the House of Lords, had made to the legislation, including a clause to ensure protections for child refugees after Brexit. Johnson had refused to accept any changes to the bill, which will enact Britain's departure from the EU, facing down opposition lawmakers who say he has hardened its terms. The Lords could have sought to reinstate the changes, but opted not to, allowing the legislation to clear its final hurdle in Britain. A consent vote in the EU Parliament will take place on Jan 29. Johnson's Conservatives won a large majority in the House of Commons in a general election last month, enabling the government to bring an end to more than three years of wrangling in parliament over Britain's EU exit. LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Eurasia Resources Group's (ERG) Africa unit said on Thursday it will suspend operations at Chambishi Metals in Zambia due to a shortage of copper and cobalt concentrates required to produce cathode. Zambia, Africa's second-largest copper producer, has introduced a 5% import tax on raw materials which has hobbled the flow of concentrates from mines in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. "It was not possible to locate appropriate feedstock in Zambia. We are in the process of placing the plant on care and maintenance," ERG Africa said in a statement. The miner said it was engaged with stakeholders and was exploring other sources of feed in order to resume operations. The Chambishi Metals refinery has a capacity of 6,800 tonnes per annum of cobalt metal and 55,000 tonnes per annum of copper metal. It is the only plant in Zambia producing cobalt metal, according to the ERG's website. On Wednesday, the president of the Mineworkers' Union of Zambia on Wednesday told Reuters that ERG planned to cut 229 jobs at the end of January. (Reporting by Pratima Desai, writing by Zandi Shabalala; editing by David Evans) The New York Times Less than a month after the first few cases of a new respiratory illness were reported in Wuhan, China, travellers have carried the virus to at least four other countries, including the United States. More than 500 people are known to have been infected, at least 17 have died and the world is bracing itself for what might come next. On Wednesday, experts at the World Health Organisation decided to postpone until Thursday a decision on whether the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, a label is given to serious public health events that endanger international public health and potentially require a coordinated international response. A vote by WHOs emergency committee was split down the middle, its chairman said, and the group concluded that it did not have enough information to make a decision. The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHOs director-general, said at a news briefing. Adding that a WHO team was in China gathering information, he said, We will have much more to say tomorrow. But even as the WHO debated its decision, officials in China began closing transportation links from and within Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak. The move was a significant escalation in the countrys attempts to contain the spread of the virus as the Lunar New Year approaches and holiday travel commences. Tedros and WHO officials at the briefing said they had not advised China to close Wuhan, but nonetheless expressed support for the decision, saying it could protect other parts of China and other countries. Public health officials around the world are on alert because the new infection is caused by a coronavirus, from the same family that caused outbreaks of SARS and MERS, killing hundreds of people in dozens of countries. The WHO has already advised governments to be prepared for the disease, to be vigilant and ready to test anyone with symptoms like cough and fever who has travelled to affected regions. Air travel is expected to surge as the Lunar New Year approaches this weekend. More important than an emergency declaration is the need for more data on the outbreak, said Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Scientists still do not have enough information about the severity of the disease, she said. I want to see from the emergency committee all the information on the table and an assessment of what the risk really is, Nuzzo said. To me, thats far more important than their declaration. One advantage of declaring an emergency is to draw world attention to the risk so that governments can prepare and also provide needed help. Theres already a high level of global attention, Nuzzo said, adding that she was not sure how much the declaration would have changed things. Several countries have already begun screening travellers from China for fever and cough. Airports in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco last week started to screen arriving flights from Wuhan, and airports in Atlanta and Chicago will begin doing so this week. Data shows that entry screening requires a tremendous amount of resources and is not tremendously effective, Nuzzo said. North Korea has suspended tourism because of the outbreak, according to Reuters. But important questions about the outbreak are still unanswered, and WHOs expert committee now must grapple with significant unknowns. We dont know how many people are infected, said Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the WHO. The more you test, the more you will find people who are infected. We dont know if there are asymptomatic cases. If they are asymptomatic, are they contagious? Broad studies to test for evidence of infection, past and present, would give a true picture of how many people have been exposed to the virus. Testing is possible because China immediately shared the genetic sequence of the virus, and we have to give them credit for that, Jasarevic said. The virus causes a pneumonia-like illness, with coughing and fever in some people but not all. The severity matters: If there are cases with mild illness or no symptoms at all, they may go undetected, and those people will keep working, shopping and travelling, possibly infecting others. A milder illness has the potential to spread farther and cause longer-lasting outbreaks than one with more obvious symptoms, according to Dr Mark R Denison, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine who studies coronaviruses. Compared to SARS and MERS, the Wuhan illness so far does seem less severe, he said. SARS, which began in live-animal markets in China in 2002, quickly spread to dozens of countries, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing nearly 800. The virus is thought to have originated in bats and spread to civet cats that were being sold for consumption. The civets spread the virus to humans, who infected one another through respiratory secretions and also exposure to feces. SARS often caused severe illness, so cases were detectable, Denison said; aggressive public health measures, including quarantines and travel restrictions, helped stamp out the epidemic. But the travel bans, not to mention widespread fear and distrust, took a heavy economic toll on China, and since then international authorities have become hesitant about taking drastic steps to quell outbreaks. MERS cases have been occurring in West Asia since 2012, mainly in people who have been exposed to camels, which were most likely infected by bats. Human-to-human transmission does occur, and some spread has happened in hospitals. As of November, there had been 2,494 cases of MERS in the past seven years, mostly in Saudi Arabia. The death rate is 34 percent but may actually be lower if there are mild cases of the disease that have not been detected or counted. Denison described the new Wuhan coronavirus as sort of a first cousin of SARS, more closely related to it than to MERS, based on its genetic sequence. Researchers do not know just how contagious the Wuhan coronavirus is. The first people to be infected are thought to have contracted it at a market in Wuhan that sold meat, fish and live animals. That market has been shut down and disinfected. Which animal might have been carrying the virus is not yet known. Initially, the illness appeared to spread only from animals to people. Then, experts said there was evidence of limited human-to-human transmission. Now, more cases are emerging among people with no known exposure to the animal markets, and in medical staff members caring for infected patients. Now that you have a cluster of 14 health care workers infected, it suggests that the potential for spread is much greater, said Dr Ian W Lipkin, director of the Centre for Infection and Immunity at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health in New York, who has researched SARS and MERS. I saw film footage of a hospital lobby in Wuhan, and they are wearing full personal protective equipment from head to toe, he said. They are taking it very seriously. I still dont think this is as bad as SARS, but its worse than they originally portrayed it. Denison said that with both SARS and MERS, there were episodes in which individual patients became super-spreaders who infected many other people, for unknown reasons. Thats a wild card we dont know, the capacity to have multiple transmissions from one person, Denison said. There was no evidence they had dramatically different virus. It is possible, he said, that super-spreaders had received a high dose of the virus and had more of it to transmit. Alternatively, their immune systems might have not been able to control the virus, allowing it to multiply and spread extensively in their bodies, making them more contagious. Although no drugs have been approved specifically to treat coronavirus diseases, Denison said that in animal studies, an antiviral called remdesivir appeared effective. He has been working with other researchers to develop treatments. Jasarevic said that antivirals were being tested against MERS, but that none had been approved yet. How and why viruses that have peacefully coexisted with their animal hosts for a long time strike out for new territory us is not well understood. Coronaviruses often inhabit bats without harming them, and sometimes move into other animal species and from them to humans. In places that bring multiple animal species together with lots of people like the food markets in Wuhan and in other parts of China that sell live mammals and birds, along with meat and fish viruses can pass back and forth between species, mutating as they go. Along the way, they may become able to infect humans. Coronaviruses have repeatedly shown an ability to probe across species and cause new animal and human diseases, Denison said. To go successfully from animal hosts to people, the viruses need to adapt in several ways: They must gain the ability to invade human cells, evade the immune system, replicate inside the human body and spread to others. The move is often described as jumping into humans, but that is an oversimplification, Denison said. The process it has to go through is more like high hurdles with a thousand hurdles along the way, he said. Still, the new outbreak does not greatly surprise him: This was a matter of not if, but when. Denise Grady c.2020 The New York Times Company Children as young as six have been armed with rifles and recruited as members of a vigilante group following the murders of 10 indigenous people in Mexico. Images show 19 children toting rifles in the municipality of Chilapa de Alvarez and Jose Joaquin de Herrera, in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero. They have been recruited as the newest members of a vigilante group protesting last week's murders of 10 indigenous musicians and the wider violence in the area. Guerrero has been wracked by violence in recent years, making it one of the country's most bloody states. It is ideally located for the cartels, with trafficking routes linking it to the pacific and the rest of Mexico. There have been dozens of deaths recently in the violence-stricken state linked to the gang who murdered the musicians. Children as young as five could be seen wearing bandanas and holding rifles almost as long as they were tall. At least 19 of the children were paraded like little soldiers through the southern Mexican state of Guerrero Locals say the children were new 'community police officers' that they had recruited in protest of growing violence in the region and to draw politicians attention to their cause The 19 children were presented as 'community police officers' and members of the Regional Coordinator of Communitary Authorities at a recent press conference. Local media said the children, who had acted like soldiers, posing with rifles and aiming them at the ground, were being trained to fight against violence in the region. The recruits were also paraded through the Alcozacan community where roads have been blocked after the ten members of the band 'Sensacion' were murdered. Prosecutor Jorge Zuriel de los Santos Barrila alleged the musicians had been attacked by a criminal gang called 'Los Ardillos' whilst travelling in two vans to Alcozacan. Reports state when the band saw they were being attacked they sped up but one van was hit by a grenade, killing five men, while the other band members had their throats slit. A 15-year-old boy was among the victims. One of the leaders of the vigilante group said it was only children aged between 12 and 15 who would be used to guard the village. Those under 12 were only being trained, but not put to work The state government encouraged the community to respect the human rights of the children. However, the local leaders say officials are not doing enough to reduce the levels of violence in the area Bernardino Sanchez Luna, one of the leaders of the community police, told local media 'they have seen the government has no skill or interest in defending indigenous people from criminal gangs'. He said the children had been recruited to encourage politicians to visit the community and attend to their requests. Mr Luna said the children under 12 are only being trained but those aged between 12 and 15 would be armed and guard the villagers. He also said the children, 66 of whom had been orphaned in the recent violence, needed weapons to prevent them from being kidnapped by gangs. Currently, Mr Luna said, children in the area only attended primary school as they were too scared to leave their communities to attend secondary school. The government of the state told local media 'we are calling the community police to respect, according to the law, the human rights of the children'. During 2019, it's estimated that 90 people died each day in Mexico from cartel-related homicides. Mohammed bin Salman personally attempted to "intimidate" Jeff Bezos with a WhatsApp message implying he had incriminating information about the Amazon chief's extramarital affair in the weeks after Jamal Khashoggi's murder, UN investigators say. Officials from the UN said the Saudi crown prince appeared to have sent a suggestive message to Mr Bezos's personal iPhone in November 2018 to make 'The Washington Post' owner tone down his paper's critical coverage of the Saudi journalist's death several weeks earlier. When the message was sent, Mr Bezos's affair had yet to be exposed. The allegation suggests that the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia was using private messages not only to hack the world's richest man but also intimidate him as part of an attempt to cover up the truth of Mr Khashoggi's murder. "The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the crown prince in surveillance of Mr Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, reporting [in 'The Washington Post'] on Saudi Arabia," said UN officials. Saudi Arabia adamantly denied the claims. "The idea that the crown prince would hack Jeff Bezos's phone is absolutely silly," said the Saudi foreign minister. Mr Bezos made no public statement but tweeted a photograph of himself at a memorial service for Mr Khashoggi, with the caption "Jamal". Mr Bezos and Prince Mohammed exchanged numbers on April 4, 2018, while the crown prince was on a tour of the US. The Amazon founder soon joined the ranks of global figures who kept in touch with him via WhatsApp. On May 1, the prince sent Mr Bezos a seemingly innocuous video about internet costs in Saudi Arabia that allegedly contained spyware designed to infiltrate his iPhone and pilfer his private data, including texts and photographs of his affair with Lauren Sanchez, a US television news anchor. Mr Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, allegedly on Prince Mohammed's orders. 'The Washington Post', where the journalist wrote a column critical of the prince, began intensive coverage of the case. Saudi Arabia has always denied the prince was involved in the killing. On November 8, the prince contacted Mr Bezos on WhatsApp with an unusual internet picture "meme" of a woman resembling Ms Sanchez. "Arguing with a woman is like reading the software licence agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree," the caption read. UN officials said the message and the fact it came so soon after Mr Khashoggi's death indicated it was meant to unnerve Mr Bezos. "I would say it was designed to unsettle, to intimidate... to convey or imply they had access to personal, private or confidential information," they said. UN official David Kaye added: "It points toward an interest of the Saudi government or the crown prince in influencing the kind of control that Jeff Bezos would have over 'The Washington Post'." Daily Telegraph Police are investigating whether a British entrepreneur who mysteriously vanished in Bali could have faked his own death, amid fears he plummeted from a cliff edge. Ryan Roth's belongings and a note to his ex girlfriend were found at the beauty spot near the Selonding Temple in Pecatu Village, Bali, on Monday morning. A body is yet to be recovered from the scene despite extensive searches of the area and officials on the island are now exploring the possibility that Mr Roth, from Southampton, could still be alive. The mystery over his disappearance deepened today after it emerged that police in Australia wanted to speak to a man over a fraud report dating back to 2008. When asked about Mr Roth, a New South Wales police spokesman said: 'Investigators are yet to formally speak to the man who left the country.' Meanwhile, a website claiming to uncover scams yields many results for Ryan Roth, who according to posts on the website also goes by the name 'Ryan Flynn' and is known for scamming people out of money in several countries as far flung as the United States, Australia and France. Ryan Roth, 39, has been identified as the missing person after his belongings were found at the top of cliffs near the Selonding Temple in Pecatu Village on Monday morning. Speculation is growing that the British national could have faked his own death This morning officials on the island said they had yet to discover a body in the search for Mr Roth. Hari Adi Purnomo, head of the Denpasar search team, told Australian outlet 9News: 'We haven't confirmed whether he fell, suicide, or leave the location safe.' Concern for Mr Roth's well being was sparked after an abandoned motorbike was seen parked on cliff tops at Pecatu Village and closer to the cliff edge a bag filled with a helmet, a bottle of spirit and a letter to his former lover were found. The note said: 'I'm sorry Alice. I'm the man you fell in love with but past things I never did maybe you feel I was a stranger. I'll always love you. None of this is your fault. Your oldman xx.' Alice, understood to be from Hong Kong, has spoken to police since Mr Roth's disappearance and said there had been no problems with him recently. As the search continued today, allegations about Mr Roth emerged from a website claiming to uncover scams. Posts claimed he also goes by the name 'Ryan Flynn' and detailed allegations that he had been involved in scams around the world. One person on the website claims that Mr Roth is known for 'conning people, especially women, for his personal gain.' Another claims that Mr Roth 'was scamming people for money under the distasteful disguise of a child sex trafficking charity.' They added: 'Some of the victims were very upset about what Ryan did as they believed they were helping a charity but ended up out of pocket.' The website also claims the British national sold a '1970 penny to an elderly woman for some A$8,100, essentially robbing her of her life savings'. Another person who claims to have known Mr Roth while they were based in Bali and Singapore told MailOnline they know 'so many of his victims'. Local officials stand at the site where Mr Roth's belongings were discovered close to the cliff edge on Monday morning Alice Yu (left), understood to be from Hong Kong, has been identified as the woman Mr Roth addressed his note (right) to by friends of his on social media In response to an inquiry about Mr Roth, NSW Police confirmed to MailOnline a man was wanted for questioning over a fraud report dating back to 2008. 'Following a 2008 online fraud report allegedly involving a then aged 27-year-old man, officers from Sydney City Police Area Command conducted an investigation. 'Investigators are yet to formally speak to the man who left the country.' Concerned friends have posted on Mr Roth's Facebook page in recent days and identified Alice Yu as the woman he wrote the note to. As well as images of the note, photographs of Mr Roth's local driving licence and his British passport have circulated on social media. The bottom of the cliffs, which rise over 500ft above the sea, are covered in bushes and difficult to reach, rescue teams in Bali said An abandoned motorbike was seen parked near the scene and closer to the cliff edge a bag filled with a helmet, a bottle of spirit and a letter to his former lover Mr Roth, according to his Facebook profile, is originally from Southampton and has founded several businesses including Roth Management and Kabu and Co. The bottom of the cliffs, which rise over 500ft above the sea, are covered in bushes and difficult to reach, rescue teams said Monday. South Kuta Police chief Adj. Comr. Yusak Agustinus Sooai told the Jakarta Post it was possible that Mr Roth could have jumped from the cliff or fallen by mistake. Searches for Mr Roth are ongoing. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Bali, and are in contact with the Indonesian police who are carrying out the search.' Bali police are appealing for people who know Mr Roth to come forward. Shifting desert winds could turn Arabian fisheries barren by Benjamin Plackett Fish stocks in the Arabian Sea feed millions of people, both in the Arab world and beyond, but new research from New York University in Abu Dhabi has revealed the sustainability of these fisheries is looking precarious thanks to climate change. The research, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, shows that much of the productivity in these fisheries is dependent on nutrients in desert dust blown out to sea from the Arabian Peninsula. These nutrients are then used by organisms at the bottom of the food chain, which the fish feed on. The scientists behind the work also say that its a finely tuned balance. Should the wind patterns driving this nutrient dump altereither increasing or decreasing the nutrient concentrationit could drastically reduce the productivity of phytoplankton at the bottom of the food chain and therefore reduce fish catches. Turns out dust is really important, says Zouhair Lachkar, a senior scientist at the Center for Prototype Climate Modeling at New York University in Abu Dhabi. Who would have thought it. We usually dont like dust storms here, but they serve a purpose. Lachkar and his colleagues used data such as wind direction to estimate the amount of dust blown into the Arabian Sea. To gauge the productivity of the bottom of the food chain, they combined a number of different types of data including satellite imagery and measures of water salinity, oxygen levels and temperature. 2018 Al-Fanar Media Theme(s): Others. Press Release January 23, 2020 National Bible Day Message My warmest greetings to the Filipino people as we celebrate National Bible Day. Every last Monday of January, we gather as a nation to reaffirm our faith. By virtue of Republic Act No. 11163, we take time to unite amidst diversity in professing the teachings of our Lord. As we rejoice in the Word of God, may we take this opportunity to find more meaningful conversations with one another. Let us endeavor to be bearers of the good news throughout the world and allow the wisdom of His Word fill our hearts with love and joy so that we become a people of believers who rebuke the wicked and promote good. In Mark 3:24, the Holy Bible says, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." Let these words of our Lord resonate in our actions. Abandon our earthly ways that divide our nation. In every crossroad we face as a people, choose to live with compassion. Build a nation anchored on God's divine providence and mercy. Pass the torch of faith entrusted to us so that we continue to be a prosperous generation determined to fulfill the promises of Heaven. For the longest time, our nation has faltered by trying to live by bread alone. While it is imperative to nourish our body to attain physical strength, feeding our spirit and soul by witnessing the Living Truth is the way towards salvation. Take this day to communicate with our God to express our undying gratitude for the multitude of blessings we receive as a nation. Let this celebration aflame our hearts that we may be bold in professing our faith. May the light of Christ guide our paths towards living a meaningful life. Photograph: Alamy The gray wolf, once numbering in the tens of thousands throughout North America, have faced public vilification and extermination programs that drove it to near extinction in the US. Now Colorado will vote on whether to reintroduce them into the wild after an 80-year absence, thanks to an effort that has cattle ranchers outraged but which conservationists say could restore an ecosystem that has long suffered without the apex predator. The species was systematically exterminated by controversial, US government-backed programs in the 19th and 20th centuries. This was primarily due to wolves attacks on the cattle, a booming industry that has been integral to the expanding west economy. By 1940, wolves were almost completely gone. Their inclusion on the 1973 Endangered Species Act, along with a 1995 effort to build a home for them in Yellowstone national park, has helped bring their numbers back up to 5,500 in the lower 48 states. Related: Lone wolf in Belgium gets potential love interest This year, a ballot measure in Colorado will let voters decide whether a home should be built for the gray wolf in the state. Polling indicates the measure is likely to pass, though segments of both the ranching and hunting communities are strongly opposed. Conservationists argue that eradication of wolves threw the ecology of the Rocky Mountains into disarray, with elk and deer excessively grazing in open lands where they otherwise would have been targets for wolves, created a domino effect that has harmed a variety of species. Ecological engines Colorados vote comes at a time when safeguards for gray wolves are threatened: the Trump administration announced last year intentions to remove the animals from the endangered species list. Gray wolves are the ecological engines of the northern hemisphere, says Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, who spearheaded the ballot measure and has been working to reintroduce wolves into Colorado for over 25 years. He points to the successes of the Yellowstone reintroduction as evidence that similar efforts would be good for Colorados environment. Story continues The Aspen groves, which hadnt regenerated in 50 years, were totally coming back as a result of wolves returning, he says. And with that regeneration came more beavers, which led to more beaver dams, which was good for the rivers, which led to more trout, and on and on with a cascading effect. He adds that wolves also benefit the landscape by forcing elk to move around. When the elk arent hunted, they can hang out in river bottoms, which causes mass erosion, and the water gets shallower and hotter, he explains. A gray wolf in Yellowstone national park, where the species has been successfully reintroduced. Photograph: David Osborn / Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Stock Photo Rancher opposition Edward points out that the measure safeguards ranchers against losses by offering compensation for any wolves that kill their livestock, but Terry Fankhauser, executive vice-president of the 153-year-old Colorado Cattlemens Association which represents the 11,600 cattle farms and $2.8bn industry in the state believes the matter is more complex than just wolves killing cattle. Beyond the kills, there are indirect impacts of wolves being reintroduced to cattle, Fankhauser says. Cattle are fight-or-flight animals and theyre continually on the lookout for predators. And when theres reintroduction of wolves, theres a decrease in gestation, pregnancy, and weight gain, much like elk, deer and moose. Potential disruption of wild animals is also a concern for opponents of the ballot measure, who advocate on behalf of hunters who dont want to see their game disappear. Preserving targets for hunters was also the motive behind the controversial, government-sponsored practice of shooting wolves in Alaska from helicopters. Sarah Palins endorsement of the practice was fuel for attack ads when the then governor ran for vice-president in 2008. The proposed measure would call for the Colorado parks and wildlife commission to construct a plan building on scientific data and concerns from public hearings to reintroduce wolves into public lands by the end of 2023. The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund would like to see enough wolves introduced to return balance to the ecology, with the additional aim of creating a habitat that links the wolves of northern states (along with Canada) and southern states (along with Mexico) stretching the length of the Rocky Mountains. Fankhauser is concerned that the ballot measure will tie the hands of those tasked with reintroducing the wolves to Colorado, forcing them into blunt action where a nuanced approach is needed. We should not be making biological decisions at the ballot box, he says. And to arbitrarily decide, through a population vote, that we need x amount of wolves in Colorado without considering that ecosystem, its not only irresponsible to the ranching community, but to the wolves themselves. A heard of Texas Longhorn steers at an annual cattle drive in Denver, Colorado. Ranching is big business in the state. Photograph: Rick T Wilking/Getty Images Rehabilitating the wolfs image The Colorado Stop the Wolf Coalition, another opposition group that describes itself as a group of concerned sportsmen, farmers, ranchers and businesses, has been playing up fears that wolves could be a danger to humans. Its homepage cites a story from last summer about a family of campers in Canada being attacked by a wolf, which has the potential to make the millions who enjoy camping in Colorados Rocky Mountains a little anxious. Edward finds the suggestion wolves pose a threat to humans wildly misleading. (The Colorado Stop the Wolf Coalition did not respond to multiple requests for comment.) Theyre curious about us, like their descendants, the dogs That is a one-off rarity, he says. Millions of people have camped in Yellowstone since wolves were reintroduced, and there has never been an attack. Wolves do not see humans as prey. Theyre curious about us, like their descendants, the dogs. A poll commissioned on behalf of Edwards campaign showed that two-thirds of likely voters said they were in favor of the wolf reintroduction, with only 15% opposed. The poll showed no divide between rural and urban voters, which is noteworthy considering how large the cattle industry looms in the Colorado economy and culture. Meanwhile, supporters of the gray wolf have been working to overhaul its fearsome image. A Denver-based musical collective, Lost Walks, wrote and performed a rock opera about a wolf who saves a pregnant woman in danger in the Colorado wilderness. It felt important to us to use our voices for a creature who is voiceless, says Jen GaNun, the bands creative director. When we found out about how wolves were and are hunted and treated today, we felt like we had to use our internal momentum in this project we started to be a part of a social and environmental movement. Profits from the album have gone toward the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, and live events have doubled as signature collection opportunities for the ballot measure. We have gotten some messages of opposition, she says, but mostly find that people are in support and on the side of science and kindness towards animals and the greater ecosystem. By PTI ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted parole for two days to Atul Rai, who won last year's Lok Sabha election from Ghosi parliamentary constituency in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, for taking oath as Member of Parliament in New Delhi. Rai is in jail in connection with a rape case and has not yet been able to take oath as an MP because his bail plea was earlier denied by the high court. Granting him two days parole, Justice Ramesh Sinha ordered that Rai will go to the national capital on January 29 in police custody and the police will take him back into custody on January 31, after he takes oath as Member of Parliament. The counsel appearing for Rai contended that the applicant could not take oath after being elected in the Lok Sabha polls as he was in jail on charges of rape. His first bail application was rejected by the High Court that was now hearing his second bail plea. An FIR was registered against Rai on May 1 last year at Lanka Police Station, Varanasi. Thereafter, he was arrested and sent to jail. Rai contested from Ghosi parliamentary constituency and was declared the winner when the results were announced on May 19. He could not take oath because he was not granted bail. Speaking at the Conference on China Economic Outlook during the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in the snow-capped Swiss town of Davos, Pan Gang pointed out that "Ecosphere Economy" is becoming an important development pattern of the world economy in the future. His remark has aroused wide attention during the meeting. "Yili will build a Global Health Ecosphere for the win-win development of global health industry and team up with all parties in discussing health issues, constructing a sound ecosystem and sharing health benefits towards a sustainable bright future world," said Pan. The thematic focus of this year's Davos Forum is on Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World. Pan noted that the sustainable development of health food industry stems from worldwide full-chain cooperation that collectively forms a mutually beneficial ecosystem. Pan was the first Chinese food industry entrepreneur debuting on the Davos Forum when he attended the Davos Forum in 2006, and was awarded Davos Young Global Leaders that year. Under the leadership of Pan, Yili has grown from the No.1 dairy company in China to be the No.1 dairy company in Asia and it now ranks among the leading players on global stage. Yili has made initial results in building the "Ecosphere Economy" through integrating global resources and capacity, such as upgrading Europe Innovation Center in the Netherlands, establishing Sino-U.S. Food Wisdom Valley in the United States, unveiling Oceania Production Base in New Zealand, acquiring New Zealand's second-largest dairy co-operative Westland, buying Thailand's largest ice cream company Chomthana Co. Ltd, and building Yili Future Intelligence and Health Valley in China's Hohhot. During the process of building the "Ecosphere Economy", Yili has expanded its global reach and upgraded its international capacity through comprehensive cooperation. Moreover, Yili has teamed up with 20-odd partners in setting up Global Health Partnership Development Alliance; and worked with 13 global strategic partners such as Tetra Pak, Firmenich, Cargill to form a sustainable global supply chain network. Yili shares its vision with partners in other sectors as well, joining hands with World Wildlife Fund to co-advance wetland protection and cooperate on organic ranch construction. "Ecoshpere Economy" shines its advantages especially in the context of economic globalization, said Pan, noting that all-side cooperation will contribute to a grander dream of "World Integrally Sharing Health". Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/310689.html SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road Information Service Related Links https://en.imsilkroad.com The manager of the account of Angolas state oil firm Sonangol at a Portuguese bank was found dead in Lisbon on Wednesday, just before he was named as a suspect in an embezzlement case against the former head of Sonangol, Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the former Angolan president and believed to be Africas richest woman. The bank manager, Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, 45, was found on Wednesday at one of his homes in Lisbon, Portuguese media reported on Thursday, quoting sources at the police. According to one of those sources, everything points to suicide. Cunha reportedly attempted suicide earlier this month and was suffering from depression, the BBC reports, quoting Portuguese media. Cunha was the head of private banking at small Portuguese bank EuroBic, in which Isabel dos Santos is believed to have been the main shareholder. Earlier this month, the BBC, the Guardian, Portugals Expresso newspaper and 34 other media organizations revealed an investigation that showed that dos Santos, as head of state oil firm Sonangol, ripped off Angola. Isabel dos Santos was made head of Sonangol in 2016 by her father, the former president of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who had been president for nearly 40 years before stepping down in 2017. Back then, the new president, Joao Lourenco, sacked Isabel dos Santos from her post at Sonangol. Angolas authorities then started to investigate Isabel dos Santos, who currently lives in the UK, owns expensive properties in central London, and is said to have a fortune of around US$2.1 billion. Prosecutors charged her on Wednesday with money laundering and embezzlement while she was chair of the state oil firm Sonangol. Isabel dos Santos is accused of mismanagement and embezzlement of funds during her tenure at Sonangol, Angolas Attorney General Helder Pitta Gros said on Wednesday, as carried by the BBC. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Borno State Government has confirmed one person dead of Lassa fever infection at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). The Commissioner of Health, Salisu Kwayabura, confirmed the outbreak at a press conference on Thursday in Maiduguri. Mr Kwayabura disclosed that the 23-year-old patient died on January 18, while on admission at the hospital and added that three unconfirmed cases were currently undergoing clinical analysis. He explained that the deceased was certified to have died of the disease after samples collected established infection of Lassa fever. He said the deceased resided at the Bolori area of Maiduguri before his death. Mr Kwayabura noted that the press conference was aimed at creating awareness in the society on the manifestation of the disease in the state. READ ALSO: However, I call for calm, people should exhibit best sanitation practices and high level of responsibility with regard to the maintenance of good hygiene. A hospital is designated at Jajeri, Bolori Ward II of the metropolis, as an isolation centre for suspected cases while a mobile phone number made available for prompt report of suspected cases, he said. While urging the people to be vigilant and report suspected cases to the ministry, Mr Kwayabura reiterated governments commitment to contain the scourge. (NAN) As police continue to investigate yet another incident involving Antonio Brown, the mother of three of the former New England Patriots receivers five children has spoken out. Chelsie Kyriss, Browns ex-girlfriend who gave birth to their three sons, posted a statement to Instagram clarifying the status of her and her familys relationship with Brown. Kyriss stated that, while standing by Browns side for years, she has watched the rise and fall of an incredible man and athlete. As a result, she and the children have distanced ourselves from him. However, Kyriss says that she still wishes nothing but the best" for Brown and hopes he will get help and seek the mental health treatment that he so desperately needs. Heres the full statement from Kyriss: Over the last few years I have stood at the side of my childrens father Antonio Brown and watched the rise and fall of an incredible man and athlete. Our children and I have distanced ourselves from him and our former home. Although we have parted ways I wish nothing but the best for him. Unfortunately, it seems Antonio has made questionable choices and continues to ignore the advice of those who love and support him. At this point the boys and I are working on building a new life free from any impulsive, reckless and unhealthy behaviors. My hope is that Anotonio will get help and seek the mental health treatment that he so desperately needs so that he can be the father all of his children need and deserve. Currently, Brown is under investigation for a possible battery at his Florida home Tuesday. Police are reportedly trying to contact Brown. As of yet, he has not been arrested or charged. This follows an incident where Brown hurled profanities and insults at Kyriss during a previous incident that he live streamed on Instagram. Kyriss, accompanied by local police, had reportedly returned to the home to retrieve clothing for the children. Eventually, Brown lashed out at Kyriss and the nearby officers, claiming that Kyriss had tried to steal a car. Heres Kyriss Instagram post: Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 01:34:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SANAA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Thursday in an attempt to calm down tension as fighting near the capital threatens to fail the peace process. Griffiths will hold discussions with officials from the Houthi rebel group in Sanaa over the recent military escalation and push for resuming the peace process that has been stalled since the Yemeni warring parties reached a cease-fire agreement in Stockholm in December 2018. In a statement on Wednesday, Griffiths called on all Yemeni parties to "cease all military activities including movement of troops, airstrikes, as well as missile and drone attacks." "We all have to work toward advancing the peace process, not setting it backward. Yemen has suffered enough," Griffiths said in the statement. The clashes and airstrikes have escalated on several fronts in Nehm distrcit of Sanaa following last week's missile attack in adjacent Marib Province which was blamed on the Houthi rebels. The clashes in Nehm, some 60 km northeast of Sanaa, have killed scores from both sides as the government forces are pushing toward Sanaa, according to pro-government news website al-Masdar Online. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. The wave of peaceful protests that have gripped the country shall enable deepening Indias democratic roots, former President Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday. Mukherjees remarks are seen in the context of protests that started after the ruling NDA coalition at the Centre pushed the Citizenship Amendment Act through Parliament last month. He did not specify the citizenship law in his address but hardly left anyone in doubt either. The last few months have witnessed people come out on the streets in large numbers, particularly the young to voice out their views on issues which in their opinion are important. Their (protesters) assertion and belief in the Constitution is particularly heartening to see, said Mukherjee. Mukherjee was speaking at the first Sukumar Sen memorial lecture organised by the election commission. The lecture has been instituted in the memory of first Chief Election Commissioner of India. ALSO WATCH | Amid CAA protests, Pranab Mukherjees word of caution for Modi govt The Constitution and the reading of the preamble has been a central and common thread across most protests that erupted in the country after the enactment of the citizenship law. Critics of the law have stressed that the provision that grants citizenship on the basis of religion of the applicant violates the constitutional principles of equality and secularism. Many of them have also taken their battle against the citizenship law to the Supreme Court which has given the Centre four weeks to respond to the 160-odd petitions that have been filed. Home Minister Amit Shah has made it clear that the government would not budge on the law. We are not afraid of protests. In fact we were born amid protests, raised amid protests, he told a rally in favour of the law in Lucknow. At Thursdays lecture, Mukherjee underlined the importance of consensus, describing it as the lifeblood of democracy. Democracy thrives on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing, even dissenting, the former President said. It is my firm belief that all these could be achieved because we fiercely upheld and maintained the sanctity and supremacy of elections and the electoral process, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reassured the mother of an Israeli-American woman jailed in Russia on drugs charges, but stopped short of announcing her release. Putin, among dozens of world leaders in Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, met Yaffa Issachar on the sideline of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his official Jerusalem residence. Putin said that he had sought to reassure the mother: "I told her, and I shall say it again: everything will be fine." Her daughter Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in April as she travelled from India to Israel. Russian authorities said they found nine grammes of cannabis in her checked luggage. Last month she lost her appeal against a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence, which Netanyahu has described as disproportionate. Standing next to Putin, Netanyahu thanked the Russian leader for meeting the woman's mother. "It was a very moving meeting," he said. "I thank you very much for the gesture, my friend, the president." A smiling Yaffa Issachar later said she was "optimistic" after the encounter with Putin. "He promised he'd return my daughter home," she told reporters. Netanyahu, who is facing an election on March 2, said last week he was optimistic that Issachar would be freed after he spoke to Putin by phone. Russian rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova on Thursday visited Naama Issachar in the penal colony north of Moscow where she was sent after losing her appeal. "According to Naama, she has no complaints regarding the conditions of her imprisonment, she has everything necessary in her cell," where she is held with three other women, a statement on the website of Moskalkova's office said. "She has no health complaints," said the statement. Moskalkova added that Issachar watched her mother with Putin on television which "inspired her and instilled hope in her return home soon". The case has raised diplomatic tensions between Russia and Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry has called the verdict "harsh and disproportionate" while President Reuven Rivlin has appealed to Putin's "mercy and compassion", seeking his intervention in the case. Issachar's Russian lawyer, Vadim Klyuvgant, said Putin's comments appeared to indicate she would shortly be freed. "Based on the words of the president, we are of course assuming that she will be released soon," Russian agency Interfax quoted him as saying. Israeli media this week reported that Israel is willing to relinquish Alexander's Courtyard, a piece of property in Jerusalem that is highly symbolic to the Orthodox Church, in exchange for releasing Issachar. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov appeared on Wednesday to confirm a decision had been made on the Courtyard, calling it "a decision in line with the good relations between our countries." He declined however to tie it to any negotiations over Issachar's fate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lucknow, Jan 23 : In a shocking incident, a 55-year-old man died after his muffler got stuck in a saw machine and he got pulled in under the cutter. The incident took place in Naka Hindola area on Wednesday evening when Ram Sumer Gupta, who worked as a laborer at a saw mill was pushing a log into the saw stand. His muffler got caught in the machine and before he could realize, he was pulled under the saw. By the time other employees shut down the machine, Gupta lay bleeding profusely. "He was rushed to hospital, but was declared brought dead," said his son Ritik. Station House Officer (Naka) Sujeet Dubey said: "Gupta's limbs were chopped off after he got stuck in the machine. Police have sent the body for an autopsy." Were in Sydney in the late 18th century. There are trees, water, sounds of the bush. Walter, an Aboriginal man dressed in a smart suit, with bare feet, sits on a clifftop looking out to sea. He is watching the nowee, European ships, on the horizon. Hes seen them before but never in such numbers. Sometimes theatre touches a nerve. The Visitors does more than that. It stings and burns and blazes. And yet this new play from Jane Harrison is not a volley of accusations or a catalogue of trauma. Rather, it draws you in and invites you to think. Hes joined by six other barefoot suits, elders of the adjacent tribes. They are meeting to discuss the situation. These are civilised people: cultured, knowledgeable and law-abiding. Their discussion will be calm and orderly, with no gossip, no speaking out of turn. They will seek consensus. As a piece of theatre, The Visitors is like Twelve Angry Men meets Waiting for Godot. Walters questions chip away at the mens instincts to repel the visitors. Meanwhile, their ruminations delay decisive action. Action which we, the audience, with our 2020 hindsight, know wont change anything, for all the while the boats get closer. While we wait, stories gradually emerge from each tribal representative, stories of past contact with the Europeans. Some encounters are harmless, some brutal, all of them defining moments for each individual. Through them, Harrison builds a complex web of personal and moral considerations. Loading The Visitors is a masterful study in suspense. Its also a beautiful ensemble piece with the seven distinctive characters bouncing off each other in a carefully choreographed chorus of voices. The conversation does sometimes stumble, but there is a touching gap between ceremony and brotherhood, dignity and vulnerability. We get to know Walter (Leroy Parsons), the thinker, Jacob (John Blair), the joker and Lawrence (Kerri Simpson), the youngster with the worrying fever, as real people. And we grieve with warlike Gordon, a towering Damion Hunter, who bears the emotional brunt of the invasion and delivers the powerful final lines to a complicit audience. I do not doubt that The Visitors will take its place alongside Stolen as a touchstone of Australian theatre, and as an essential part of the continuing struggle to make sense of colonisation and multigenerational trauma. One of the Central Bank of Ireland's most senior officials has been rejected for a top role in the European Union's banking regulator over his links to financial lobbyists. The European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs voted against Gerry Cross in his bid to become executive director of the European Banking Authority. "The candidate worked in the past lobbying (for) the financial sectory," parliamentarian Jonas Fernandez said in a video posted on Twitter. Mr Cross was appointed Director of Financial Regulation - Policy and Risk at the Central Bank of Ireland in May 2015. In his role, he leads the Central Banks work on prudential and markets conduct regulatory policy and its supervisory risk framework. Prior to that he worked for the Association for Financial Markets in Europe, a powerful industry lobby group. The European Parliament rejection was first reported by Bloomberg. Mr Fernandez, a Social Democrat said that parliament had passed a law that prevented so-called "revolving door" appointments where those who worked for an industry could move into public positions regulating their former employers. "Now it is completely impossible for us to do this," he said in reference to approving Mr Cross. Ireland has a mixed record in getting officials into top European jobs. While Phil Hogan is now the powerful Trade Commissioner and Philip Lane is Chief Economist at the European Central Bank, Sharon Donnery, the deputy head of the Central Bank of Ireland, failed to land a job as chief of the Single Supervisory Mechanism. The Central Bank of Ireland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether, in the light of his lobbying links, Mr Cross should hold a top financial regulatory job here. Democrats: Trump Engaged in 'Corrupt Scheme' to 'Cheat' in 2020 Election By VOA News January 22, 2020 Democratic impeachment managers on Wednesday wrapped up the first day of presenting their case against U.S. President Donald Trump and why they believe the Senate must remove him from office. The House impeached Trump last month on two articles abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Impeachment managers, who are acting as prosecutors, have three days to present their case before the president's defense team has its turn. The Democrats accused Trump of designing "a corrupt scheme" to press Ukraine to investigate a political rival, former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, for one reason "to cheat" to win re-election this year. "The president has shown he believes he's above the law and scornful of restraints," Intelligence Committee head Adam Schiff told the Senate. Schiff is the lead House manager. He spoke for more than two hours Wednesday, saying Trump sought "help from abroad to help himself politically at home. He used state powers only available to him" and "violated his sacred oath of office." Schiff said the president withheld $391 million in congressionally approved military aid for Ukraine, "a country at war with Russia," while pressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open the investigation of Biden, one of the leading challengers to Trump's re-election bid. Trump also called for a probe of Biden's son, Hunter, for his work at a Ukrainian natural gas company and a debunked theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that meddled in the 2016 U.S. election. Schiff said Trump was asking a foreign leader "to do his political dirty work" when he asked Zelenskiy "for a favor" by investigating the Bidens. "There are no serious disputes about the underlying facts," Schiff said, adding that instead, White House lawyers defending Trump will simply argue that he can't be removed from office for abusing the power of the presidency. Trump eventually released the military aid to Ukraine, and Zelenskiy never opened an investigation into the Bidens proof, Republicans say, that Trump did not engage in a quid pro quo with Ukraine. But Schiff said Trump released the funds only because "he got caught" when an intelligence whistleblower became concerned about a July 25 telephone call in which the president asked Zelenskiy for "a favor." Other impeachment managers Other impeachment managers addressed the senators after Schiff. Judiciary chairman Jerrold Nadler talked about Trump's "smear campaign" against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who balked at cooperating with efforts to investigate Biden. Florida's Val Demings said Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was no "rogue agent" when he went to Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens. Demings said he was acting directly for Trump. She said former National Security Adviser John Bolton was trying to send the American people a "very powerful message" when he said he did not want to be a part of whatever "drug deal" he said Giuliani was cooking up in Ukraine. Hakeem Jeffries of New York called Giuliani a "cold-blooded" political operative working for Trump's reelection. Jeffries told the Senate said that whenever Trump said "they say" Biden is corrupt, "they" mean Russia, Vladimir Putin, and those, Jeffries said, are enemies of the United States. Rules of the trial Under the much debated rules, both the Democrats and Trump's legal team will each have 24 hours spread out over three days to make their cases. Trump's defense is expected to start presenting its case Saturday. While the president's lawyers cannot dispute that Trump pressured Ukraine, they have said he was carrying out legitimate foreign relations, did nothing wrong, and should be quickly acquitted. They claim the House rushed to impeach Trump in a flawed process in which the president was not treated fairly. But it's the Democrats who contend the Senate trial is unfair. Republicans turned down amendment after amendment to subpoena White House, State Department and Defense Department documents and such key witnesses as Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Democrats want such evidence at the outset of the trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ruled that the Senate could only vote on evidence and witnesses after the two sides present their cases and senators have a chance to ask questions of the House managers and Trump lawyers. Schiff said a trial that opens with no evidence or witnesses is "not a fair trial, or even a trial at all." Acquittal nearly certain No matter what happens, Trump is all but certain to be acquitted. A two-thirds vote in the 100-member Senate would be needed to remove him from office. But Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber, and no Republican has, at least so far, called for his ouster. Trump has almost daily ridiculed the Democratic impeachment effort targeting him and did again from Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, where he attended the World Economic Forum. "Their case was so 'overwhelming' in the House that they need & demand Witnesses in the Senate!" Trump said on Twitter, later adding that he had placed "NO PRESSURE" on Zelenskiy. Asked about the Democrats' quest for Ukraine documents, Trump boasted, "Honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material." He told the Fox Business Network his Democratic accusers "are crazy. They have gone totally nuts." He called Schiff "a fraud" and "a corrupt politician." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address It has been more than three months since Turkey launched its most recent offensive against the United States Syrian Kurdish partners who lead the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting, and dozens of civilians have died. US forces have redeployed and Russian and Syria regime forces have stepped in to fill the vacuum. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to expand military operations in northeastern Syria, all the way to the Iraqi border. An atmosphere of fear and quiet defiance prevails in northeastern Syria or Rojava (western Kurdistan). Mazlum Kobane, the famously calm commander of the SDF, is doing his utmost to navigate these stormy waters, seeking on the one hand to balance relations between Russia, the United States and the regime while trying to unite the Syrian Kurdish political parties. Al-Monitor sat down with Mazlum Kobane in a secret location in northeastern Syria for over an hour. Here are the highlights of the interview that was conducted in Turkish and lightly edited for clarity: Al-Monitor: A lot has happened since we last met in March 2019. Turkey invaded parts of the northeast, a move that you said at the time would trigger Syrias second great war. How has Turkeys Oct. 9 Operation Peace Spring impacted your region? Kobane: The Turkish invasion caused tremendous harm to our people. Turkey invaded a part of Syria. It brought terrorist groups into the areas inhabited by our people. I am referring to al-Qaeda-linked groups, radical Islamic groups. Our people suffered mass displacement. They were subjected to demographic engineering and ethnic cleansing. Those Kurds can no longer return to their homes. Should they do so they face death. Arabs displaced by the conflict are also unable to return. They are viewed as traitors by Turkey for having coexisted with us and accepted our administrations rule. They have become targets as well. They are forced to survive in miserable conditions, to live in camps and deprived of their livelihoods. In operational terms, prior to the Turkish invasion we only used to work with the US-led coalition. Now the Russians are here and Syrian regime forces are on the border. We are trying to adjust. Its a time consuming and a delicate business dealing with these different actors in a more complex environment. But we are managing. Al-Monitor: There were reports that the Iranians helped broker that agreement. Kobane: No they did not. On the positive side, our people continue to stand with us, to trust us fully. No changes there. Moreover, we no longer have any point of contact with the Turkish forces. The regime forces are currently deployed along the length of the Turkish border in northeastern Syria that is to say, they replaced our forces there. Turkey would constantly cite our presence along its border as a threat to its national security. That argument is now dead. They can no longer accuse us of seeking to dismember Syria, of seeking to break away from Syria. Then there is the massive outpouring of support for the Kurds from across the globe. The support was particularly striking in the United States where we saw members of Congress from both sides of the aisle rush to our defense and condemn [US President Donald] Trumps decision to withdraw US troops. President Trump has since called me. Vice President Mike Pence has called me. The whole world knows who the Kurds are and feels sympathy for us. Unlike Turkey, we do not need to spend millions of dollars on lobbying to defend ourselves. And it is because we have a just cause. Finally, I believe that Russias presence will have a positive effect in terms of solving the problems of northeastern Syria. Russia has great influence in Syria and we know it is eager for a solution and will contribute greatly in helping us reach an agreement with the Syrian regime. Al-Monitor: Yet by your own admission there has been no progress in your talks with the regime. If Russia is as keen to help you as you say it is, why has there been no movement so far? Russia has also developed close ties with Turkey. Turkeys national intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, and his Syrian counterpart Ali Mamlouk met in Moscow recently. It seems Russia is using its relationship with Turkey to pressure you into breaking off your alliance with the United States. Kobane: Its true that Russia is looking out for its own interests and as such there is a parallel track of Russia trying to patch up relations between Ankara and Damascus. We told them we understand their relations with Turkey but that these should not be used against us. Yet we know that such a risk exists. If they choose that path it will not be in their interest. Syria is not the Syria of pre-2011. And we can never go back to the old Syria. Take the Adana agreement [signed between Ankara and Damascus in allowing Turkey to pursue Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, fighters inside Syrian territory]. Russia is talking about reviving it by way of getting Turkey and Syria to shake hands. It wont work. Al-Monitor: Why not? Kobane: Because Turkey is openly supporting opposition groups against the regime and most significantly the Muslim Brotherhood. Turkeys ties with the Muslim Brotherhood are strategic in nature and are not confined to Syria. Turkey will not easily forfeit its relations with them. And for as long as this holds true Turkey cannot make peace with the Syrian regime. Al-Monitor: But Russias dealings with Turkey go beyond Syria. Its overarching goal appears to be to use Turkey to drive a wedge inside NATO. And as we saw in Afrin, Russia doesn't hesitate to offer Kurdish carrots to Turkey when it deems fit. Are you not worried that this scenario could be repeated east of the Euphrates? Erdogan constantly talks about expanding operations all the way to the Iraqi border. There are claims that Turkey wants to go after al-Qahtaniyah next, which is mainly Arab and has oil. He has also asked the Russians to give us the oil in and around Rmeilan. He says it is to help pay for housing for Syrian refugees in Turkey in order to resettle them inside Syria, in the border areas east of the Euphrates. This presumably ties in with Turkeys alleged plans for thinning out the Kurdish population along the border. Kobane: Yes, we are aware of these plans. We know that Erdogan wants to go after Kobane as well. He views Kobane as an obstacle to linking the areas Turkey just invaded with Idlib. We do not dismiss any of these threats as empty rhetoric. We take them seriously. Erdogan wants to implement the map that he held up during his address at the United Nations General Assembly. That map was of Rojava. Al-Monitor: Will Russia allow Turkey to pursue such plans? Kobane: There are two agreements. The one between Erdogan and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that was signed in Sochi. Then there is the other agreement signed in Ankara with US Vice President Pence. Both stand in the way of further Turkish intervention in our territory. We accepted both of those agreements. We were consulted about them and are a party to them. We complied with all of our obligations, but Turkey has not. It is violating the provisions of the agreement with the United States. That agreement protects the rights of minorities living in the areas under Turkish control. Yet Turkey is changing the demographic makeup of the area. It is abusing the rights of ethnic and religious minorities living there. It is the responsibility of Russia and the United States to ensure that Turkey does not embark on any further adventures. Al-Monitor: So far Erdogan has pretty much done everything he has said he will do. And neither Russia nor the United States has stopped him. Kobane: Sadly not. Al-Monitor: Our sources tell us that the US State Departments Syria team has floated the idea of sending oil to Turkey via Tell Abyad as a way of easing tensions with you. Kobane: The Americans never mentioned anything of the kind to us. In any case, the oil belongs to all of the Syrian people and all of the Syrian people should benefit from it. We have controlled the oil for several years now and we have done our utmost to ensure that all of the Syria people, not only those living in the areas under our control, benefit from the oil. Syrian oil can be sold to foreign countries only with the consent of the Syrian people and that of the central government in Damascus. Al-Monitor: But Trump says US troops are staying in Syria for the oil and has talked about getting US oil companies extracting and selling it. Kobane: The oil is a form of justification for keeping US troops here. They say they will defend the oil against the Islamic State [IS] and that they will defeat IS remnants to prevent them from regrouping, from staging a comeback. US troops are redeploying in our region in line with this new plan. The redeployment is still ongoing. In fact, there is still no clarity about whether or how long US troops will continue to be here. It is up to Trump. Eradicating IS is very hard. The withdrawal of US troops [from the Turkish border] gave IS a big boost. This problem cannot be resolved in months. It will take years. Al-Monitor: So you believe US troops must stay here for the long haul? Kobane: We arent saying as Trump did that America will remain here for hundreds of years, or that they should remain to defend us against attacks from other forces. But the United States bears a responsibility toward us. We fought against IS together and we made many enemies because of our partnership with the United States. For example, before the Americans came we had good relations with Turkey. The United States has a responsibility now to help ensure a just political solution to the Syrian conflict, to help ensure that all the Syrian people, including the Kurds, are given their full rights in a new, democratic Syria, all enshrined in a democratic constitution. Al-Monitor: Are we any closer to the outcome you describe? Kobane: If we stay the course, we might just get there this year. But this is our foremost expectation from the Americans, to help us get there. Their withdrawal should be pegged to a political solution in Syria. And it is true that oil and other resources in the territory under our control provide leverage to this end. Al-Monitor: You mention oil and IS, but the other reason the United States says it is remaining in Syria is Iran and we just saw Irans top commander Qasem Soleimani die in a US drone attack in Iraq. Soleimani was the man who led and organized Iranian proxy forces in Syria. What impact has his death had on the balance of power in Syria? Iran is Syrian President Bashar al Assads biggest backer. Has the Assad regime been weakened by his death? Does this provide an opportunity for Russia to have more influence over Assad and help wrest concessions for the Kurds among other things? Because we know that Iran is resisting granting rights to the Kurds for fear it will encourage its own Kurds to ask for the same. Kobane: Soleimanis assassination will without question have an impact in Syria. And it will weaken Irans influence in Syria. It was totally unexpected. Al-Monitor: Were you surprised by his death? Kobane: Yes. And all of those who believe in a military solution to the Syrian issue need to draw lessons from Soleimanis fate. Only a political solution can work for Syria, not brute military force. Al-Monitor: So has this freed Russias hand for a political solution? Kobane: We will need to wait and see. But it needs to be noted that once again IS will benefit from this situation. Al-Monitor: Because Iranian proxies were fighting IS? Kobane: Yes. We havent yet experienced the effects of this within the territories under our control, but it is easy to observe this happening elsewhere in Syria [in areas under the regimes control]. Al-Monitor: Could US forces in Syria become a target for Iran? Or could Iran target the SDF by way of punishing the United States? Kobane: We have not observed any such moves of this nature so far. Much hangs on the degree of control and support our forces are able to maintain. Al-Monitor: Going back to Oct. 9 when Turkey launched its attack. Can you walk us through what happened exactly? Because you had through US mediation been negotiating with Turkey and agreed to let Turkish troops to carry out joint patrols in your territory. You agreed to pull back your forces up to 30 kilometers [19 miles] from the Turkish border in some areas. You removed your heavy weapons, filled in your trenches. Then Turkey invaded. Did Trump capitulate to Erdogan in a single phone call? Kobane: Erdogan has good personal relations with Trump and Putin. But rather than focus on individuals we need to look at the broader picture. The determining factor is the interests of states. The interests of the United States, Russia and Turkey. They cast aside the sacrifices of our people in the name of such interests, setting the stage for the betrayal of the Kurds. Al-Monitor: How are Americas interests served by Turkey attacking you, their allies? Kobane: Turkey is a NATO member. Erdogan has played that card well against the United States and Russia. The United States does not want to lose Turkey and does not want Turkey to break away from NATO, because this means Turkey will join the Russian camp. Therefore, Erdogan has been permitted to do everything he wants. But time will tell whether all of this is in Turkeys own interests or not. Al-Monitor: People here in Rojava seem very focused on Libya now. Libya has become something of a barometer of how much more Turkey can flex its muscles unhindered, and also a test of its relations with Russia with its attendant consequences for their partnership in Syria. Kobane: Turkey and Russia want to create a new Astana in Libya, but it is highly questionable whether they can succeed. Libya is quite different to Syria. There are many different states and actors intervening in Libya. Besides, when it is obvious to all how the Astana process has fared thus far it is unlikely that the Libyan people will allow a similar scenario to unfold in their country. Nor will the other states get involved in Libya. Al-Monitor: There is speculation that Russia is using Libya as a bargaining chip with Turkey over Idlib. In exchange for Turkish acquiescence for a full-scale regime assault on Idlib Russia will humor Turkish ambitions in Libya, or something along those lines. Kobane: I disagree. It is bigger than that. Erdogan wants to become a regional superpower. At the same time he wants to buoy his domestic standing through his posturing in Libya. He made a move. He signed a military and maritime agreement with the [Tripoli-based] Government of National Accord and in doing so elevated Turkeys role in Libya. He holds this card now. But the other states involved in Libya are surely unhappy with this and will push back. Turkey will have a tough time in Libya. Al-Monitor: Is Erdogan aware of this? Kobane: I think Erdogan is either deluding himself or that those around him are either intentionally or unintentionally misleading him. Libya is not Syria. Syria and Turkey share borders. Libya and Turkey do not. Turkey is now carrying Syrian rebel mercenaries to Libya. Turkey used them against the Syrian regime. It whipped up Arab chauvinism and used them against the Kurds. None of this will fly in Libya. I know these groups. They fought us. They went for money to Libya but they will fail. The same people in [Turkeys national spy agency] who dealt with the Syria file have been advising Erdogan on Libya. I suppose they want to repeat their operations in Syria, which they deem to be successful, in Libya now. Al-Monitor: Do you mean Hakan Fidan? Kobane: His team. But they will not get what they want. We are hearing reports that the Syrian mercenaries who were sent to Libya are already beginning to unravel. One group went for the sole purpose of seeking asylum in Europe. Seventeen of these guys went from Tripoli to Italy. Al-Monitor: Getting back to your own relations with Turkey. Your people have suffered immensely and there is a lot of anger. But despite all of this do you see any chance of resuming some form of dialogue with Turkey, or more precisely with Erdogan? After all, you did have direct talks with Turkey when the peace process between Turkey and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was still ongoing. Your forces worked with the Turkish Armed Forces to transport the remains of Suleiman Shah from their site near Kobani to their current location in Esme near the Turkish border to protect them from an IS attack. Ocalan called this the Esme spirit. Can the spirit of Esme be revived? Kobane: Why not? We know that Turkey wants to return Suleiman Shahs remains to Kobani and to rebuild his tomb there. Provided that Turkey does not mistake our goodwill for weakness we would be happy to help Turkey, to coordinate with the Turkish Armed Forces and to conduct such an operation in a spirit of peace and based on the understanding that this spirit of peace will be reciprocal. There are other confidence-building, goodwill gestures that we would be prepared to consider. As you know, I made a call to the people of Idlib. I told them they are welcome to seek shelter in the areas under our control, that our doors are open to them. We know that Turkey, which already has a huge burden with nearly 4 million Syrians living there, is deeply concerned by a fresh influx of up to a million Syrian refugees from Idlib because of escalating regime attacks on Idlib. Our call to the people of Idlib helps relieve Turkeys burden. Again, in the spirit of goodwill and above all on humanitarian grounds we are ready to work with Turkey if and when the need arises to help move civilians out of harms way in Idlib and bring them here. If such actions help the Syrian people, serve the interests of my people living in the areas that we are responsible for, and contribute to peace, security and stability in our region why not. But Turkey should never mistake our goodwill for weakness and should be prepared to reciprocate our goodwill. Al-Monitor: Objectively speaking the Kurds did Turkey a huge favor by helping destroy the IS caliphate. IS were right on Turkeys border and staged deadly attacks inside Turkey. That might be another area for potential cooperation? Kobane: In the past the Turkish state facilitated IS movements inside Turkey and our assessment is that the threat to Turkey from IS remains significant. IS counts what it calls Konstantiniye" or Turkey among its so-called provinces. IS leaders we capture and interrogate tell us that they still have cells inside Turkey. IS foreign fighters without exception all came to Syria via Turkey and are now escaping Syria via Turkey. This, in turn, suggests that there remains a secret, unwritten pact between Turkey and IS. Turkey used IS against the Kurds. It then used IS as a pretext to invade Syria. All of this will have a boomerang effect on Turkey. The risk for Turkey is great. We would be prepared to share our intelligence on IS to help Turkey fend off this threat provided it is sincere about such cooperation. But Turkey has its own very unique relationship, unlike any others, with IS. Al-Monitor: Part of the problem with Turkey seems to be that its own Kurdish problem is held hostage to Turkeys relations with your administration and vice versa. One of the main reasons the peace process between Turkey and the PKK collapsed in 2015 was over its demands that the Syrian Kurds join the opposition and fight for regime change, and that the PKK give up its fight in exchange for Turkey not attacking you. Do you believe that your life would be a lot easier if Turkey and your administration just dealt with each other on a bilateral basis with more modest goals, while you go about your business of seeking accommodation with Damascus? Kobane: First of all, the Kurdish problem in Turkey and Syria are intertwined. The Kurds in Iraq are also part of this equation. We cannot separate them. Whenever a step toward peace is taken in Turkey its positive effects are felt here in Rojava. Likewise, any positive gesture by Turkey toward Syrias Kurds has a positive impact on the Kurds in Turkey. By the same token hostile moves by Turkey have a negative impact on both sides of the border. I know that the United States is keen to help broker peace between us and Turkey. President Trump gave me his word in our first telephone call. He said, I will talk to Erdogan and we must fix the problem in Syria. I said OK, please do. We do want to end our differences with Turkey. And if we do, this will definitely ease the situation of the Kurds in Turkey and help shift Turkish public opinion in favor of peace. In my letter to him I emphasized the need for Turkey to address the Kurdish problem within its own borders as well. He promised to do whatever it takes to help us. I repeat, we have tried our best to fix our problems with Turkey. As the SDF, as the YPG [People's Protection Units], we have had direct talks with Turkey in the past and are ready to do so again. We want peace. That said, none of this means that Turkey is responsible for fixing Syrias Kurdish issue or that we are responsible for fixing Turkeys Kurdish issue. We have repeatedly said we are not a party to the conflict inside Turkey. The Kurdish problem here is Syrias domestic problem. And we can help resolve it with the help of all the countries that are currently involved in Syria Turkey included. But ultimately this needs to be negotiated with the government in Damascus. We are all Syrians and I am confident that we can. Al-Monitor: Ocalan lived in Syria for 20 years and is hailed by many Syrian Kurds as a leader. He could in theory weigh in? Kobane: He mentioned this in his most recent statement [in May 2019 the Syrian Kurds should take Turkeys security concerns into consideration] and we supported it. Al-Monitor: Turning to your relations with members of the Syrian Kurdish opposition, the parties gathered under the umbrella of the Kurdish National Council [KNC]. There are efforts initiated by you for reconciliation. How are they going? Kobane: Kurdish national unity is an extremely important matter, particularly now in Rojava. We have embarked on a new process to resolve our differences. Not out of weakness or because of the recent setbacks we suffered as some claim. We the SDF are a military force. Our political representative up to now is the Autonomous Administration [of northeastern Syria] and Democratic Unity Party [PYD]. We said that the SDF should be represented by all the Syrian Kurdish political parties. The PYD should not be the only party to represent the Kurds in talks with Damascus. We met with all of these parties on this basis and all of them, the KNC included, said they were ready. Nobody refused. The KNC asked for some confidence building measures. And we complied. That they be able to operate and organize freely in Rojava they can. That we free all prisoners we have. The remaining issue is missing people. There are eight such people and seven of them disappeared eight years ago. It is not new. Nobody has disappeared since our Autonomous Administration and the SDF were formed. This is a huge achievement considering the thousands of people who have disappeared elsewhere in the country. After all, we are in a conflict situation. Since 2014 nobody has gone missing in our area save for one KNC member. We found those responsible for his disappearance. We are continuing our inquiry. And dont forget that we did sign three agreements with the KNC that were brokered by the Kurdistan Regional Government [but were never implemented] in the past. The issues cited by the KNC predate our existence so in that sense dont obstruct a new agreement. Al-Monitor: What does then? Kobane: There are different factions within the KNC. Those who live here in Rojava with us and operate here who want to work with us for the collective good of our people. But then there are those in the diaspora, and particularly in Turkey, who are opposed to this. Al-Monitor: Can the Kurdistan Regional Government help sway them as before? Kobane: I think so, particularly brother Nechirvan [Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq]. I spoke to him about this and he agreed to help. Brother Massoud [Barzani, chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party] has made some positive remarks in this regard. But I really think they could be doing more. If they really want to they can get all of the KNC to agree. We would like to see results this year. And I am announcing this for the first time to you. Everybody is ready and we are going to hold a conference soon on the unity of Rojava. Al-Monitor: When? Kobane: We will be holding it. Most of the parties in Rojava are ready for this and to take part. And our hope is that the KNC will join us. Al-Monitor: Isnt part of the problem that you are asking the KNC to leave the Turkish-based Syrian opposition? Kobane: We never put forth any such demand. On the contrary, it is the Syrian opposition that probably wants them to stay away from us. We want them to stay in the Geneva talks as part of the opposition so they can achieve something on behalf of the Kurdish people. Al-Monitor: What about the KNC linked Roj Pesh forces. Are they on the table? Kobane: It is no longer an issue regardless of whether they operate under our command or not. The SDF is a very large force. Al-Monitor: How large? Kobane: Together with our internal security forces the Asayish there are more than 100,000 of us. Al-Monitor: Who pays their salaries? Kobane: The Autonomous Administration does. Al-Monitor: Didnt the United States pay SDF fighters salaries? Kobane: No, that was in the past. They paid a portion of their salaries and their contribution represents a very small part of our budget. Al-Monitor: We hear that you have become more of a diplomat than a military commander in recent months, traveling to places like Geneva and Dubai. What is the nature of your relations with the Gulf states? Kobane: I will speak about these relations generally. Our relations with Arab countries are good. We have good political relations with Egypt and we are working together with the Egyptians to hold a Cairo Congress. Al-Monitor: What is that? Kobane: It is a platform for seeking a solution to the Syrian conflict. It is not new. We participated in the past, but it was not a very successful experience. This time we are going to be full-blooded participants. Al-Monitor: We heard that the SDF has an office in Cairo now. Kobane: Yes, we do. To sum up we have good working relations with Arab countries including those in the Gulf. A lot of it is to do with our cooperation against IS, exchanging intelligence on IS. I want to stress that none of this is directed against other countries and especially not against Turkey. Syria is an Arab country and it is natural that fellow Arab countries should want to help find a solution to the conflict there. Al-Monitor: Finally, there are the IS prisoners, the foreign fighters and their families who are a big burden on your administration. Are you making any progress in getting their governments to take them back. Kobane: It is mostly a political problem. And none of these countries are doing enough to help fix it. Take Iraq. There are 30,000 Iraqi nationals in al-Hol. They havent taken a single one back even though they keep promising they will. We have Iraqi prisoners they arent repatriating. So, it is not just the Europeans. Al-Monitor: What about Turkey? Are there many Turkish IS fighters and their families. Kobane: There are hundreds of them. But Turkey hasn't taken this up with us in any serious way. If they do we would be happy to cooperate. We have 12,000 IS prisoners and tens of thousand of their family members. This problem cannot be solved piece meal and through secret deals, and secret thanks behind closed doors. I repeat, it is a political issue. They committed crimes against our people and it is our right to prosecute them. But we need political support for this, to be treated as political interlocutors. So far no country has treated us as such. And the presence of these fighters is a source of strength and inspiration for IS. The camp in al-Hol functions like IS headquarters. Therefore, the IS prisoner issue need to be treated as a political problem and addressed with the SDF and the Autonomous Administration. Al-Monitor: Critics say you are using the IS detainees to win political legitimacy. Kobane: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed something to that effect. He claimed that the SDF was releasing various IS prisoners in exchange for money. This is untrue. We have been working closely with the Russian authorities on Russian IS fighters and their families, of which there are many. We have handed over 70 IS fighters to them so far. We were offended by Lavrovs comments. These people came from Europe, from Asia, from across the globe and fought against us and committed crimes against us and we fought back. Our people, the SDF and the Autonomous Administration, are owed big thanks for their sacrifice. A government team of 1,000 'mosque hunters' is travelling across Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim-majority country, to count just how many mosques there are. But this drill, authorities said, is not only for statistical purposes but also a way to 'monitor radicalism,' reports AFP. AFP For the team government lead by Fakhry Affan, it's a herculean task to count each and every mosque in the country with more than 17,000 islands. In the world's biggest Muslim nation, mosques are apparently being constructed as you read this article and officials say that no one knows just how many there are. Mosque, mosque everywhere... You rarely ever hear of a mosque shutting down. The number will only continue to rise, Affan said. That's what the 'mosque hunters' are trying to determine using their drones and snapping aerial shots of every mosque they spot. AFP "Only God knows exactly how many mosques there are in Indonesia," former vice-president Jusuf Kalla told AFP. "Some say around one million and people will take it for granted," he added. So far, Affan's team has registered 554,152 mosques and the census - which kicked off in 2013 - is only about 75 per cent done, Affan says. Earlier government estimates pegged the total at more than 740,000 nationwide. Nearly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 260 million people are Muslim and it is home to Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque, Southeast Asia's biggest with room for 200,000 worshippers. Spread of radicalism. AFP According to AFP, the census mainly aims to combat radicalism, which is often spread through sermons. Radical ideologies can develop anywhere, and mosques are one of the easiest places to spread such ideologies, Affan said. You dont need to invite anyone to the mosque, people come on their own. We want to ensure that all imams and mosque staff are preaching moderate Islam. Muslim hardliners are becoming increasingly vocal in public and the country is home to dozens of extremist groups loyal to Islamic State group's violent ideology. In 2018, Indonesia's intelligence agency said it had found dozens of mosques that catered to government workers spreading radicalism and calling for violence against non-Muslims - in one Jakarta neighbourhood alone. AFP Souly Vegan Cafe | Photo: Amy S./Yelp Looking to sample the best soul food around town? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top soul food outlets in Durham, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to achieve your dreams. Looking to catch up on the latest popular spots? There's no time like the present, since consumer spending at restaurants tends to climb in January in the Durham area, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a software provider that helps small businesses manage customer reviews. Total affected businesses at Durham-area restaurants last year rose by 12% in January over the month before. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Souly Vegan Cafe photo: souly vegan cafe/yelp First on the list is the Souly Vegan Cafe. Located at 4125 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., the vegan and vegetarian spot, which offers soul food and more, is the highest-rated soul food spot in Durham, boasting 4.5 stars out of 135 reviews on Yelp. 2. Chicken Hut photo: chicken hut/yelp Next up is the Chicken Hut, situated at 3019 Fayetteville St. With 4.5 stars out of 70 reviews on Yelp, the Southern spot, which offers soul food and more, has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Boricua Soul photo: joel e./yelp Downtown's Boricua Soul, located at 406 Blackwell St., Suite #150, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Puerto Rican and New American spot, which offers soul food and more, 4.5 stars out of 14 reviews. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Bengaluru, Jan 23 : A fact-finding commission investigating police firings in Mangalore in the recent anti-CAA unrest found that greater harm was caused to civilians and innocent people not connected to the protests. "Greater harm was caused to civilians and innocent persons who had nothing to do with the protests, if any. Their livelihood has been severely affected. More specifically, two lives have been lost," said the commission report. The commission comprised retired Supreme Court judge V.A Gopala Gowda, B.T. Venkatesh and Sugata Srinivasaraju which said the police resorted to indiscriminate lathicharge and firing, abusive language, force on journalists and other gross violations. Examining the events that occurred during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Mangluru on December 19, 2019 and January 6 and 7, the commission found that the imposition of Section 144 CrPc, which prohibits the assembly of more than four people, was unwarranted. "While the Commissioner of Police of Mangluru, P.S. Harsha, imposed prohibitory orders on the evening of December 18, 2019, the order was not effectively communicated to the residents of the area," said the commission. Permissions granted earlier to the imposition of the Section 144 were revoked but not properly communicated. In the resultant breakdown of communication, the commission said civilians not connected to the protests were subjected to indiscriminate lathicharge and police firing. "The testimonies of the victims presented before the tribunal display a complete abdication of responsibility by police personnel present at the site of the violence," said the report. The fact-finding commission was from the Listening Post, an initiative from the combination of Indian Social Institute-Bengaluru, Association for Protection of Civil Rights Karnataka and Samvidhanadha Haadiyalli. You opened the door. Trial lawyers live in fear of that phrase. When a trial starts, both sides know what the allegations are. Both have had enough discovery to know what the adversary will try to prove. Just as significantly, both know what their own vulnerabilities are. A litigator spends his pretrial time not just laying the groundwork for getting his own evidence admitted by the court; each side works just as hard on motions to exclude embarrassing or incriminating testimony evidence that would be damaging to that sides position but that a court may be persuaded to exclude because it is not clearly relevant. For an advocate, it is a coup when the judge rules that harmful testimony is excluded. But such rulings always come with a warning label: Dont open the door. That is, dont do anything that makes the otherwise irrelevant evidence relevant. President Trumps impeachment trial has a Biden door. Adam Schiff has thrown it wide open. The first full day of President Trumps Senate impeachment trial was consumed by legal arguments over whether witnesses who did not testify in the House impeachment inquiry should now be subpoenaed. One proposal has surface appeal because it is reciprocal: The House managers get to call John Bolton (the presidents former national-security adviser), but then the presidents lawyers get to call former vice president Joe Biden or his son, Hunter. Schiff has pooh-poohed this suggestion. His basic objection is sound: The admissibility of a witnesss testimony is a matter of relevance, not horse-trading. If witnesses have testimony of strong value as evidence, they should be subpoenaed, even if it means that one side gets a dozen witnesses and the other side gets none. Yet, though he now tells anyone wholl listen that the Bidens have nothing to do with his case against President Trump, it is Schiff who has made them highly relevant. The House Democrats tell you that their case is straightforward: The president exploited his foreign-affairs power by pressuring Ukraine to conduct an investigation for no reason other than that it would harm a political rival and thus help Trumps reelection. On this account, it makes no difference whether there was a legitimate basis for such an investigation. Schiffs point is that any presidential collusion with a foreign power that could influence the outcome of an American election is an abuse of power, period. Story continues But Schiff is smart enough to know that all abuses of power are not created equal. Common sense says it matters whether there was a legitimate reason for the investigation the president was seeking. It is fair enough to tut-tut that a president should not conflate foreign policy and domestic politics (something all of them do to some degree). And it would certainly be prudent (even if not constitutionally required) for presidents to leave questions about who should be investigated to the Justice Department, especially when a presidents political fortunes may be implicated. All that said, though, it makes a difference whether this president is asking the foreign power to manufacture a case against a political opponent, or whether the president is instead asking for an investigation into something that truly appears suspicious. Schiff has ignored that salient distinction from the start. And by ignoring the difference, he has however heedlessly painted a bulls-eye on the Bidens. The father and son were front and center within the first ten minutes of Schiffs opening statement at the impeachment trial Wednesday afternoon. But that was old news. Schiff kicked the door open at the start of the very first House hearing. Not content to quote from President Trumps actual call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, Schiff insisted on presenting a parody that, he maintained, conveyed the unspoken essence of Trumps message: I want you make up dirt on my political opponent, understand? Lots of it. In sum, the Houses chief prosecutor represented to the American people that President Trump had asked his Ukrainian counterpart to fabricate a false case against Biden. In any court in America, that would open the door to the Trump defense team to show that this was not the presidents intention at all; he was simply asking Zelensky to look into a situation that cried out for an inquiry. In light of Schiffs explicit allegation, the president is entitled to an opportunity to show that there was reason for him to believe that a notoriously corrupt Ukrainian energy company had retained Hunter Biden and paid him a fortune despite his lack of qualifications; and that later, despite the blatant conflict of interest, thenvice president Biden extorted Ukraine into firing a prosecutor who was investigating the company, threatening to withhold $1 billion in desperately needed funds. Schiff insists that Trumps claims in this regard are false. But his mere say-so does not prove falsity, no more than his mere say-so proves that Trump wanted Ukraine to make up dirt on Biden. Figuring out who has the better of a factual dispute is what a trial is about. If a litigant does not want to create a dispute, its up to the litigant to steer clear of the issue. Adam Schiff steered his case straight into the Bidens. The Trump team may have their political reasons for highlighting Bidens involvement. But it was Schiffs strategy that made the Bidens relevant. If one or both of them ends up in the witness box, they have Schiff to thank. More from National Review Donald Trump will become the first U.S. president in history to address the March for Rally when he goes to the National Mall on Friday to speak to the pro-life movement. His speech comes as he courts religious voters ahead of the November election - a voting base he'll need at the ballot box - and as he fights off impeachment charges against him in the Senate. He'll speak to the crowd a short distance away from the U.S. Capitol, where his lawyers are defending him against charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Donald Trump will become the first U.S. president in history to address the March for Rally The president announced his speech via Twitter on his way back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 'See you on Friday,' he said in a retweet of the group's tweet on the upcoming march. 'Big Crowd!,' he added. Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced speech to the march last year while the president sent a video taped message. This year he'll be there in person. March for Life President Jeanne Mancini praised Trump and his administration as 'consistent champions for life.' 'We are deeply honored to welcome President Trump to the 47th annual March for Life,' she said in a statement. 'He will be the first president in history to attend and we are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn.' About 100,000 people attended last year's march. The announcement of Trump's participation was made on the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade - the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. The March for Life began in 1974, the year after the Roe v. Wade decision. The 2019 march had around 100,000 participants Vice President Pence made a surprise appearance at 2019 march and brought a video message from President Trump The pro-life movement was initially skeptical of Trump when he began his presidential bid but has come to embrace him. He has courted them in returning, appointing conservative judges with records of restricting abortion rights, and meeting with religious leaders. After last year's march, Trump showed his support for a teenager from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky who sued the Washington Post for defamation after a report that Nick Sandmann - who was wearing red 'Make America Great Again' hat - harassed and pushed a Native American activist he encountered during the march. 'Go get them Nick. Fake News!,' Trump tweeted in support. If leaders of the worlds major economies thought that the trade war initiated by the Trump administration had somewhat subsided following an agreement with Canada and Mexico and the signing of a phase one trade deal with China, then they were given a rude shock at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. After delivering a keynote address on Tuesday in which he lauded the policies of his administration, claiming the US was in the midst of an economic boom the like of which the world has never seen, Trump made clear in a series of comments and interviews that the trade war has only just begun. The stepped-up offensive was foreshadowed in his keynote address in which he said the US had pioneered a new model for trade in the 21st century. Trucks hauling shipping containers drive near containers stacked five-high at a terminal on Harbor Island in Seattle [Credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson] In an interview with the business channel CNBC on the sidelines of the Davos meeting, Trump made clear that his administration had Europe firmly in its sights. The US and the European Union reached an agreement in July 2018 to begin talks on a new trade deal after the US had threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on European cars and auto products. But the administration put the threat on the backburner while it focused on China and North America. I wanted to wait until I finished with China, I didnt want to go with China and Europe at the same time I wanted to do Mexico and Canada first. Now theyre all done and were going to do Europe, Trump told CNBC. What it means to do Europe was made clear at the beginning of this week when the French government backed down on its plan to impose a digital services tax on high-tech companies, which reap large revenues its jurisdiction but pay virtually no tax, after the US had threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on French luxury goods. The agenda was further elaborated in comments by Trump and his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. In an interview on Tuesday, Mnuchin said French President Macron had agreed to hold off on the tax until the end of the year until a permanent solution was worked out. In off-the-record comments administration officials said Macrons decision was a response to the US tariff threat. Mnuchin warned that if the UK and Italy proceeded with similar measures theyll find themselves faced with President Trumps tariffs, he said, menacingly adding: Well be having similar conversations with them. Mnuchin escalated the threat during a Davos panel discussion yesterday with UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid. The Johnson government has said it plans to go ahead with a digital tax in April which will be lifted when an international agreement is reached. Mnuchin made clear the US was having none of it. If people want to just arbitrarily just put taxes on our digital companies, we will consider arbitrarily putting taxes on car companies he said. We think the digital tax is discriminatory in nature. The threat to impose auto tariffs goes far beyond the issue of the digital services tax. It is the main economic weapon being readied by the Trump administration to force the European Union to make a trade deal. The EU has agreed to talks on industrial products but insists that agriculture is excluded. The Trump administration is demanding that EU markets be opened to US agriculture. Theyre going to make a deal because they have to. They have to, Trump said in a television interview. They have no choice. He told CNBC that he had had a great talk with the incoming president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. But I said, look if we dont get something, Im going to take some action, and the action will be a very high tariff on their cars and other things that come into our country. In other comments, Trump denounced the EU for having tariffs all over the place, they make it impossible. They are frankly more difficult to do business with than China. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he said: They know that Im going to put tariffs on them if they dont make a deal thats a fair deal. Trump however declined to indicate what deadline he had set for the EU saying only they know what the deadline is and that he would soon reveal it publicly. The threatened auto tariffs, which would increase the price of cars imported from Europe by as much almost $7000 and escalate problems in the already troubled German car industrymaking it virtually impossible to profitably export cars to the USwould be invoked under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act which gives the power to act on national security grounds. The Commerce Department has prepared a report which supposedly justifies the use of these powers but has so far refused to release it, despite a Congress resolution that it do so. In a 23-page letter released last week the Justice Department, citing a series of historical precedents, said the president could use executive privilege in denying the request from Congress to have the report released by January 19. In another expression of the drive to concentrate power in the hands of the presidency, it said disclosure of the report would risk impairing ongoing diplomatic efforts to address a national-security threat and would risk interfering with executive branch deliberations. Unlike the measures against China, which enjoyed broad bipartisan support, there is opposition to tariff measures against the European auto industry and the bogus use of national security provisions against what are regarded as strategic allies of the US. But such attitudes may be shifting in the US corporate establishment. Writing in the New York Times on the eve of the Davos meeting, Andrew Ross Sorkin noted a change in the views of the corporate oligarchs, particularly in the US, and that in a tariff-based, decoupled world Trump may be the new Davos Man. The article cited the comments of Stephen Schwarzman, the co-founder of the major hedge fund, Blackstone, who said the attitude of the business community towards Trump was quite positive because of the strength of the US economy, the trade deals with Mexico, Canada and China, the major corporate tax cuts and the elimination of regulations. That positive attitude may well translate into active support for the new stage in the US-initiated global trade war. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After vetoing a similar e-bike, e-scooter bill that was approved by the state legislature last spring, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included language in his Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget to legalize the popular micromobility vehicles. Cuomos new legislation nearly mirrors last years bill, though now riders of high-speed e-bikes will be required to wear a helmet, and the maximum speed for e-scooters has been chopped by 25%, from 20 miles per hour down to 15 miles per hour. We need an alternative to automobiles driving in New York City - the volume is paralyzing, the cost is prohibitive and it is environmentally destructive. New transportation technologies like e-bikes and e-scooters pose exciting potential as a sustainable alternative to vehicles, but we need clear laws and regulations that put the safety of riders and pedestrians first, Cuomo said. This legislation will create important speed and operating measures for these technologies that will provide clarity for everyone and end the arbitrary enforcement of vague laws that has posed substantial hardship on immigrant delivery workers, while enabling all delivery workers to do their work safely and more efficiently," he continued. Similar to last years vetoed bill, the new legislation creates three classes of e-bikes: Class 1 pedal-assist bikes capped at 20 miles per hour; Class 2 throttle-controlled bikes capped at 20 miles per hour, and Class 3 throttle-controlled bikes capped at 25 miles per hour, only permissible in New York City. As previously noted, all Class 3 riders will now be required to wear helmets. E-bike and e-scooter riders will be required to be at least 16 years of age, though all e-scooter riders under the age of 18 will also be required to wear a helmet. The legislation allows the governing body of any county, city, town or village to enact additional regulations on e-bikes and e-scooters, including the ability to ban them outright if the locality deems fit. Riders will be banned from operating e-bikes and e-scooters on sidewalks, and are required to use bike lanes when available. Both e-bikes and e-scooters are only permitted to operate on roads with posted speed limits of 30 miles per hour or less. Additional safety measures include requirements for reflective materials, front and rear lights, as well as bells or other audible signaling devices, on all e-bikes. Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D,WF-Fresh Meadows), a sponsor of last years vetoed legislation, celebrated the inclusion of e-bikes and e-scooters in the executive budget, commending the work of the dedicated advocates who continued to fight for the legislation. Our goal has always been to provide overdue clarity in the law to deliver economic justice for delivery workers while introducing new transit options that could improve connectivity to existing transit networks. This agreement honors the original intent and addresses safety concerns that have been raised over the past several months. I look forward to seeing this proposal through to its inclusion in the FY20-21 State Budget and thank Governor Cuomo for his partnership as well as the dedicated advocates who remained committed to this cause," Rozic said. Among those dedicated advocates were the folks at Transportation Alternatives, who thanked the governor for keeping his word and addressing the issue early in the new legislative session. Transportation Alternatives applauds Governor Cuomo for including provisions to legalize e-bikes and e-scooters in his proposed state budget. Once approved, this legislation will pave the way for safe, sustainable transportation alternatives. With e-bikes and e-scooters, more New Yorkers can access opportunity while helping to address the ills associated with traffic congestion in the five boroughs and beyond," said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris. Though pedal-assist e-bikes were legalized in 2018, the use of throttle-controlled e-bikes and e-scooters remains illegal in New York City, meaning the city will still need to legalize the new transit options if they do end up being included in the final state budget. Syracuse, NY -- Robert Neulanders lawyers asked a panel of judges to move his murder retrial this summer out of Onondaga County, arguing that he cant get a fair shake in the county where his first mega-trial took place in 2015. But a five-judge panel in Rochester struck down the request last week: the former DeWitt doctor cant know yet whether he can get a fair jury in Syracuse or not, they ruled. Check back after the trial starts, if theres trouble picking a jury, the judges added. Neulanders inability to move his second trial in advance shows just how difficult such requests are in New York state. Typically, to successfully get a trial moved out of the county of the alleged crime, the parties must begin the trial and come to an impasse selecting an impartial jury. Only then can a request be made to the appellate court in Rochester for a new venue. Of course, none of that has happened in Neulanders case yet. His retrial in the September 2012 death of his wife, Leslie, is scheduled to begin June 1. His previous murder conviction was overturned due to admitted juror misconduct in a case that was ultimately decided by the states highest court. In regards to the request to move Neulanders second trial, the court said to give Syracuse a shot first. We conclude that defendant has not met his burden of demonstrating that there is 'reasonable cause to believe that a fair and impartial trial cannot be had in Onondaga County," the Rochester judges wrote. "If it develops during the voir dire (questioning of prospective jurors) that a fair and impartial jury cannot be drawn, an appropriate motion may then be made. The relief requested in the motion is premature... So how hard is it to convince the appellate court that an impartial jury is hopeless? The key is not whether a juror knows about the case, or whether he or she has an opinion, but whether that prospective juror can set aside any opinions and keep an open mind at trial. District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has acknowledged that an impartial jury might be hard to find in Syracuse, but said hes been surprised during big cases in the past. The court in Neulanders case pointed to one in a long line of previous decisions denying a change of venue before the trial actually begins. One of those prior cases, from 1969 in Herkimer County, shows how far the system will go to try to accommodate a trial in the original jurisdiction. In that case, a 20-year-old man murdered a 17-year-old girl who had spurned his advances. The victims father was a local judge and the murder was widely covered in the small county, the court noted. The courts rejected a request -- like in Neulanders case -- to move the trial before it began. Instead, 350 prospective jurors were called to service, 256 were preliminarily examined and 222 were interrogated in picking the jury. The process took 22 days. It has long been settled that, to entitle a defendant to removal of a criminal action to another county because of pretrial publicity (or for any other reason), it must appear that he cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial in the county where the indictment is pending, the states high court wrote in the Herkimer County case. There are rare instances in which a trial gets moved: A Rochester judge accused of a gun crime was tried in Syracuse last year, a change of venue granted given her stature in her hometown (Leticia Astacio was eventually acquitted). And a millionaire Southern Tier man accused of murdering his wife was eventually acquitted -- following his fourth trial -- after the case was moved out of Tioga County. JUBA, South Sudan, January 23, 2020 (Morning Star News) Temporary worship structures in southeastern Sudan were set ablaze on Jan. 16, three weeks after the buildings they had replaced were burned down, sources said. In southeastern Sudans Blue Nile state, Islamists in Bout, Tadamon District were suspected of burning down the structures erected after arsonists on Dec. 28 razed the worship buildings of the Sudan Interior Church, Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church, according to local news reports and a source in South Sudan close to the border area. This incident is true, the three churches were set on fire twice in less than a month, the pastor in Maban, whose name is withheld for security reasons, told Morning Star News. Some Bout area Muslims were upset about the presence of the churches there, and they are suspected in the fires, he said. A rights organization reportedly criticized police for taking no action after area Christians requested an investigation. Sudanese Minister of Religious Affairs Nasr al-Din Mufreh issued a statement saying police had arrested and questioned a suspect who was released to due lack of evidence, according to one report. Asserting that only one church building was burned, Mufreh said Sudan was committed to religious freedom and protecting houses of worship from any threats. Police will continue investigating, he said in the statement, issued while he was on an official visit to Washington, D.C. If it is proven that it occurred as a result of a criminal offense, the perpetrators will be identified, pursued and brought to justice, he reportedly said. In light of advances in religious freedom since former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April, the U.S. State Department announced on Dec. 20 that Sudan had been removed from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage or tolerate systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom and was upgraded to a watch list. Sudan had been designated a CPC by the U.S. State Department since 1999. Following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, Bashir had vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language. Church leaders said Sudanese authorities demolished or confiscated churches and limited Christian literature on the pretext that most Christians have left the country following South Sudans secession. In April 2013 the then-Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced that no new licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population. Sudan since 2012 has expelled foreign Christians and bulldozed church buildings. Besides raiding Christian bookstores and arresting Christians, authorities threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who did not leave or cooperate with them in their effort to find other Christians. After Bashir was deposed, military leaders initially formed a military council to rule the country, but further demonstrations led them to accept a transitional government of civilians and military figures, with a predominantly civilian government to be democratically elected in three years. Christians are expected to have greater voice under the new administration. Among 11 people appointed to a Sovereignty Council to oversee the transition to civilian rule in Sudan is Raja Nicola Eissa Abdel-Masih, a Coptic Christian who long served as a judge in Sudans Ministry of Justice. She was one of six civilians appointed to the council on Aug. 21. Religious Affairs Minister Mufreh told Asharq Al-Awsat his ministry would fight terrorism, extremism and takfiri notions punishments for leaving Islam. Mufreh previously worked as a leader in the Al-Ansar Mosque in Rabak, south of Khartoum. The new government that was sworn in on Sept. 8, led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, an economist, is tasked with governing during a transition period of 39 months. It faces the challenges of rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist deep state rooted in Bashirs 30 years of power. Sudan ranked 7th on Christian support organization Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Zoltan Tasi/Unsplash Hamaki recently launched his first song with OPPO Reno2 series, "Tearaf Bahebak Leh", which features catchy rhymes and highlights the standout features of the smartphone series, such as its quad cameras and super steady video. The song was a huge hit on social media, receiving almost 6 million views on YouTube in less than one week. (YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye414pIhIFo&feature=youtu.be) Ethan Xue, President, OPPO Middle East & Africa, said, "We are delighted to announce our partnership with the superstar Mohamed Hamaki, to represent OPPO in Egypt and the Middle East. Mohamed has a strong artistic track record of successes and a huge fan base across the region, and we believe that, with his captivating personality and incredible talent, he is the ideal ambassador to represent OPPO as a young and innovative brand." "It is an honor to represent such an iconic and reputable brand as OPPO," said Hamaki. "OPPO has a strong brand spirit and identity that I really connect with. It's youthful and creative, and the Reno2 is a fantastic smartphone to capture life as it happens. It's clear to me why OPPO has become such a popular brand in the region in such a short time, and I'm thrilled to be part of it." Launched in Q4 2019, OPPO Reno2 Series, comprising the Reno2 and Reno2F models, is packed with photography-enhancing features such as the Ultra Dark Mode, Ultra Steady Video feature, 5x Hybrid Zoom, Ultra-Wide-Angle lens and a shark fin pop-up camera. OPPO has pioneered several industry breakthrough technologies in line with its objective of making premium technology more accessible for consumers. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smartphone brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of young, trend-setting and beauty, OPPO brings consumers delighted experience of digital life. For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO started the era of Selfie beautification, and was the first brand to launch smartphones with 5MP and 16MP front cameras. OPPO was also the first brand to introduce the motorized rotating camera, the Ultra HD feature and the 5x Dual Camera Zoom technology. OPPO's Selfie Expert F series launched in 2016 drove a Selfie trend in the smartphone industry. In 2017, OPPO was ranked as the number 4 smartphone brand globally, according to IDC. Today OPPO's business covers 40 countries and regions, and has 10 R&D Institutes and centers around the world, as well as an International Design Center in London, providing excellent smartphone photography experience to more and more young people around the world. About OPPO MEA In 2015, OPPO entered the Egyptian market. In 2016, OPPO set up its Middle East & Africa Sales Center in Cairo. The markets OPPO has entered in the Middle East and Africa include: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kenya and Nigeria. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. Now, the factory goes into production. Based on the insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO MEA has started the progress of localization. And the localization includes all the perspectives towards each market product localization, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localization, to better communicate with local young customers; and team localization, to know our local consumers further and provide better service to the consumers. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X smartphone and the introduction of the OPPO R Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to young consumers in the region. For more details, please contact OPPO PR Team Email: [email protected] SOURCE OPPO BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan held a meeting with representatives of China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), headed by President Fang Yanshui, Trend reports via Uzbek Ministry of Energy. CMEC is one of the largest engineering and trading companies in China and specializes in construction of energy facilities in the field of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Currently, CMEC has expanded its operations to more than 150 countries. During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of investment projects and the possibility of a Chinese company participating in promising projects for the construction of thermal power plants, solar photovoltaic stations, as well as localizing the production of oil and gas and energy equipment. Following the talks, the Chinese company was invited to participate in tenders as part of the implementation of promising investment projects in the energy and oil and gas industries. China is the 1 trade partner for Uzbekistan - it accounts for 19 percent of the total turnover (Russia ranks second with 16.9 percent). DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J), as part of the Unity Alliance, has been selected by the Queensland Government to deliver the rail, integration and systems work package for the Cross River Rail project in Brisbane, Australia. Jacobs, in conjunction with Alliance participants CPB Contractors, UGL and AECOM, will deliver the package which includes the design and reconfiguration of the rail network at either end of the new cross city tunnels, supply and installation of supporting rail systems, integration of Cross River Rail into Queensland Rail's existing network and completion of seven station upgrades. "This appointment creates an opportunity for Jacobs and the other Alliance participants to help address current mobility challenges in Australia's third largest city," said Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President of Operations Patrick Hill. "The project will provide a vital second river crossing for the rail network, significantly easing existing capacity constraints across the network, facilitating social and economic growth and development in the region, further positioning Brisbane as a city for the future." The new 6.3-mile (10.2-kilometer) rail line will run from Dutton Park in Brisbane's inner south to Bowen Hills in the inner north and include 3.6 miles (5.9 kilometers) of tunnel under the Brisbane River and Central Business District. Extensive early work has already been completed with construction now underway. The Queensland Government is investing $3.8 billion (AU$5.4 billion) toward the delivery of the project. "Demand for rail services in South East Queensland is expected to triple by 2036," said Cross River Rail Delivery Authority CEO Graeme Newton. "This project creates the capacity needed in the future to meet increased demand and ensure public transport becomes a more viable and popular mode of travel. It will unlock the bottleneck at the core of our network, allowing more trains to run more often, enabling a turn-up-and-go-transport system for the whole region." At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 52,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as well as the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, said hes still holding out hope that relevant witnesses will be called to testify before the senate in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Jones said on a press call today hed like to hear from former National Security Adviser John Bolton before his book is published. Bolton left the White House in September because of foreign policy disagreements with Trump. He agreed to a book deal last year with Simon & Schuster. Every American, every Alabamian, knows what a real trial looks like, said Jones, a former U.S. attorney. So far, this has not resembled one, Jones said. Its been just a summary of previous testimony, he said. It is not going to be complete without documents and witnesses. We want to hear and see these witnesses now and not later. House impeachment managers including U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff have been compelling so far, Jones said. I think theyre making a good case, Jones said. I certainly havent had trouble staying awake. I have over 100 pages of notes already; I take notes, I highlight. It has been a test of endurance, with impeachment trial sessions going late into the night. Weve had a few long days and late nights in the senate, Jones said. The senate chamber has been very serious and very somber. We have seen a compelling case presented by the house managers. But we still have a ways to go. So far, Trumps attorneys have engaged in finger-pointing, he said. I hope they come in with substantive arguments, he said. I hope we get into the facts of this case. I really do believe we have to have access to the documents and witnesses. The administration is withholding all that. Jones also addressed what he called misleading advertisements targeting him during the impeachment trial. The ads by the dark money group America First Policies, affiliated with the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action, have run on cable television and online in the Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery markets, urge viewers to call Jones Senate office and tell him to stop standing with the radical left, and end impeachment. The spot also criticized Alabamas junior senator for voting against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and voting against securing the border -- a claim denied by Jones office. If they really think they can influence how I vote by spending a half million dollars on a half-baked commercial, then they really dont know me very well, Jones said. It would take a two-thirds vote of the U.S. Senate to remove Trump from office. No Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump. In senate votes on rules for evidence, Republicans have backed Majority Leader U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, with the senate voting 53-47 to move forward without calling additional witnesses. So far, the impeachment process has reflected partisan divides. After the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Republicans who pressed the case encountered a political backlash after his acquittal in the senate. Jones said hes not worried about political backlash. I think a lot of people are in partisan corners, Jones said. I cant worry about possible backlashes. Taking part in impeachment proceedings is clearly historic, but not something he expected. I did not anticipate doing this duty when I got elected, Jones said. He said hes been focusing on the importance of the presidency. What kind of president do we want and deserve? he said. Jones is up for re-election this year, concurrent with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, after winning a special election in 2017, but said hes not thinking of the impeachment trial in terms of its potential effects on the election. There are people in the senate looking at political implications, Jones said. I am not. Im not worried about the backlash, if there is any. Market regulator SEBI is set to order a forensic audit in the Infosys whistleblowers' allegations, said a media report. The development comes days after audit committee of the company's board gave clean chit to its executives in the matter. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is in the process of appointing a forensic auditor for thorough examination of the allegations of unethical practices, Mint quoted sources as saying. "The finding that it has come to is immaterial on SEBI's probe. The regulator's investigation so far has in fact warranted a deeper analysis," one of the sources told the daily. The move came after Infosys' audit committee found no evidence of financial wrongdoings or misconduct on part of company's top executives. The investigation was undertaken following whistleblower complaints on October 21, 2019, which blamed Infosys CEO Salil Parekh and CFO Nilanjan Roy of indulging in unethical practices. Also Read: Infosys whistleblowers may not have been insiders Infosys, on January 10, said independent investigations found no evidence of any wrongdoing in any of the charges made in anonymous letters. A combative Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Infosys, said the company has come out stronger from the episode. He had said that Parekh and Roy are thorough professionals, and that there was no way of ascertaining whether allegations were made by genuine employees or outsiders. In other words, the whistleblowers may not have been insiders. Also Read: Infosys whistleblower allegations: Audit panel finds no evidence of executive misconduct The audit committee was assisted by independent legal counsel Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the probe. An investigation team led Pallavi Shroff, Managing Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, conducted 128 interviews with 77 persons, including relevant company personnel related to the allegations, and reviewed over 2.1 lakh documents from electronic sources and imaged devices, Infosys had said in an earlier regulatory filing. Earlier on 8 November, SEBI chairman Ajay Tyagi had signalled that its probe was independent of statements made by Infosys. By Chitranjan Kumar leaders on Thursday spoke in concert against the anti-CCA movement in Delhi with Kapil Mishra terming the protest sites "mini Pakistan" while his senior party colleagues dubbed Shaheen Bagh "shame bagh" and likened the protesters to anarchists. president J P Nadda also stepped into the fray to attack the and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for backing the Shaheen Bagh protests. As Mishra, who left the Aam Aadmi Party to join the BJP, said the upcoming assembly elections will be a contest "on Delhi roads between India and Pakistan", Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel and the party's spokesperson Sambit Patra took up the theme in their press conferences later in the day. Thousands of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Millia Islamia as well as other sites against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the Register of Citizens. "Some people are sitting in protest against CAA but not a single leader has condemned it, that is their character...," Nadda said at a public meeting in Palam. In a veiled attack on Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who told a TV channel that he stood with the Shaheen Bagh protesters, Nadda added, "Vote comes first for them and country later. For us, country is important not the vote." In a series of provocative tweets, Mishra, the party's candidate from Model Town, said Pakistani rioters have taken over the streets of the capital. He made no specific mention of the CAA but sharply attacked the protest at Shaheen Bagh and other places in the city. "Pakistan has made its entry in Shaheen Bagh. Many mini Pakistans are being formed in Delhi. Indian law is not not being followed in Shaheen Bagh, Chandbagh, Indralok." In another tweet, Mishra, who had successfully contested elections from Karawal Nagar in 2015, asserted the will win the February 8 elections and Kejriwal will resign from his post when the votes are counted on February 11. "India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8," Mishra said. "Pakistan has already entered Shaheen Bagh and small pockets of Pakistan are being created in Delhi," he added. Taking a swipe at Mishra's contest remark, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh asked, "Has he joined BCCI? I had no idea." Later, at a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra slammed the ruling party over the Shaheen Bagh protest, saying that the "anarchist stands with anarchist". "Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has given a statement that he stands with Shaheen Bagh. I want to say anarchists stands with anarchists...at Shaheen Bagh, grand confusion is being spread (about CAA)," Patra said. " is running away from its responsibilities. Why haven't leaders gone to Shaheen Bagh yet?...Shaheen Bagh has become Shame Bagh," Goel added. He also said the CAA does not take away anyone's citizenship rights. Patra alleged that leaders are inciting violence in the national capital. "Being the chief minister of Delhi, why didn't Kejriwal and Sisodia go to Shaheen Bagh to appeal protestors to call off their protest and not to abuse the prime minister? They (AAP) are doing politics of appeasement..." the BJP spokesperson said. Patra sought to know why the chief minister doesn't see the problems of residents living near Shaheen Bagh and listed Sarita Vihar, Jasola and Madangir Khadar. Ambulances don't go to these areas due to protests against the CAA and people have been facing a lot of problems, the BJP leader said. Legend has it that the British economist John Maynard Keynes, asked why he had changed his position on a question of economic policy, responded: When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir? Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has embraced a different approach: ignoring the facts. This week, Mr. Mnuchin repeated the risible fantasy that the Trump administrations 2017 tax cuts will bolster economic growth sufficiently for the government to recoup the revenue it has lost by lowering tax rates. Ill stick with my projections that the tax deal will pay for itself, he said from Switzerland. The claim that tax cuts dont cost money is a lie that wont die, because proponents of tax cuts have learned that many voters like to hear it. Republicans have steadily insisted for almost four decades that tax cuts are free, even as each new round of tax cuts fails to pay for itself. Mr. Mnuchin and other proponents of the most recent tax cuts were already peddling a delusion when they made the claim in 2017. Two years later, the results are in. The annual federal budget deficit has topped $1 trillion. And it is even more difficult to understand how anyone could make such a claim. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Issa SI Tafridj (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 For a group of people who have been dubbed the driving force of Indonesias economy, it is deeply ironic that the middle class in Indonesia have not been able to fulfil their own basic need for proper housing. Too poor to own commercial housing yet too wealthy to apply for government subsidies, the middle class are left in limbo. President Joko Jokowi Widodo suggested during the 2019 national meeting of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) last September that the nations middle class would double in number by 2020, reaching approximately 140 million people. Although businesses seemed to welcome this news with excitement along with plans to capitalize on the growing potential, such demands to be met do not only revolve around perishables or lifestyle-related consumption. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. A t least 361 people have died and more than 17,200 people have been infected since the outbreak of coronavirus in December 2019. The flu-like virus was first detected at a live animal market in Wuhan, China, and has since spread all around the world. Scientist belive the infection originated in animals and confirmed that bats and snakes can carry the strain. Chinese authorities have put the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located, on lockdown and transport has been stopped. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised British nationals not to travel to the region. Travelling into Wuhan has been banned in a bid to try and control the outbreak / Getty Images What is coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that for the most part do not cause significant clinical illnesses, like the common cold. However, from time to time a dangerous strain develops such as the SARS or the MERS virus. Like SARS and MERS, the new rogue coronavirus appears to have originated with animals. Victims will begin suffering from flu-like symptoms / CDC/Dr Fred Murphy It is a respiratory virus and can be transmitted from person to person by inhaling, coughing or sneezing. Initial symptoms of the new coronavirus include fever, cough, tightness of the chest runny nose, headache and shortness of breath. Serious cases can lead to pneumonia, kidney failure and even death. There is currently no treatment for the new virus. What are the possible causes of the outbreak? Scientists believe an "unknown intermediate" may be spreading the infectious virus. Bats, camels and other animals are carriers of the viruses which mutate and then are passed on to humans. Traces of the disease were found at a food market in Wuhan, China, which has been identified at the epicentre of the outbreak. The market sold seafood, as well as live consumable animals including poultry, donkeys, sheep, pigs, camels, foxes, badgers, bamboo rats, hedgehogs and reptiles. Scientists said the virus is carried by snakes / AFP via Getty Images Information, published in the Chinese Science Bulletin, revealed the strain could have spread to residents by bat soup, a delicacy in Wuhan. Other reports suggest the source could be snakes, which were being sold in the market. Researchers analysing the protein codes of the new coronavirus found they were most similar to those in snakes. Therefore, scientists say it is possible the virus has jumped from bats to snakes, to humans. Which cities and regions in China have been affected? Authorities have banned travel from three cities at the centre of the outbreak, affecting millions of residents. Most of the Hubei province in central China has been placed on lockdown, with travel severely restricted. Wuhan, the capital of the region and home to more people than London, is the epicentre of the outbreak and is almost completely shut down. Neighbouring Huanggang and Ezhou have also been isolated. Wenzhou, a coastal city of around 10 million people which is more than 400 miles from Wuhan, has strict rules in place allowing one person from each family to leave the home every other day to buy supplies. It is believed that almost 60 million people in China are subject to some kind of containment or restriction due to the outbreak. The travel restrictions have tightened just before the Lunar New Year, a period in which millions are expected to travel around the country. The potentially deadly strain is believed to have spread from a province in central China / Getty Images Regions bordering the Hubei province have also taken drastic step to control the outbreaks. Several roads leading from Hubei to the provinces of Henan and Jiangxi have been blocked and in some cases dug up to prevent people from entering, reported the South China Morning Post. A Henan official in charge of monitoring roads said he has been given strict instructions not to let anyone in. No Hubei people shall pass my gantry, we will turn them back. Some villages dug up their roads, but I think that is too extreme, he said. The order was to make sure we checked every car and every passenger, and send back the ones from Hubei. The UK government is advising that people against all travel to the Hubei region. Have there been any international cases of coronavirus? Around 100 cases of the virus have been diagnosed outside of mainland China. Only one death has been reported outside of the country - a 44-year-old man in the Philippines. More than 20 countries have seen cases. For a full list click here. There are two cases of coronavirus in the UK, including a student at the University of York. The student and their relative were diagnosed and transferred to a specialist ward at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Public Health England say they are making good progress tracking those who came into contact with the pair. Nearly 100 people evacuated from China have been quarantined in a medical facility on the Wirral, with medical professionals watching to see if any symptoms develop. Checks are being carried out in airports across the world / Getty Images Experts have been handed 20 million of government money to start a six month project in the hope of developing a vaccine for the virus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "Vaccines are our best defence against a host of deadly diseases, including coronavirus. "The UK is a hub of world-leading and pioneering research, and it is vital that we lead the way in developing new vaccines to target global threats with scientists from across the world. (Newser) It's only the first step to address a lawsuit filed by Gambia accusing Myanmar of genocide, but an International Court of Justice decision this week is being applauded by the former as "a triumph of international justice." Per Reuters, a 17-member panel from the court at the Hague issued a unanimous ruling Thursday that mandates Myanmar must "take all measures within its power to prevent all acts" that violate the United Nations' 1948 Genocide Convention and that are committed against its vulnerable Rohingya Muslim population. That means, per the judgment read aloud by presiding Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf, that Myanmar has to instruct its military and other armed factions to protect the Rohingyamore than 730,000 of whom fled to Bangladesh in 2017against any violence meant to bring about the group's "physical destruction in whole or in part." story continues below The ruling notes that the Rohingya face a "real and imminent risk," and that Myanmar will be held accountable for all protective measures taken via regular reports it now has to submit on how it's been adhering to this order, per the New York Times. Myanmar's first report is due in four months, Yusuf said. Reuters notes this ruling is a response only to Gambia's request for preliminary measures, and that the court's decision on the overall lawsuit could take years. The court order isn't enforceable, though UN member countries can request assistance from the Security Council after rulings have been issued. "The chances of [Myanmar leader] Aung San Suu Kyi implementing this ruling will be zero unless significant international pressure is applied," the head of human rights group Burma Campaign UK tells the Times. (Read more Myanmar stories.) Morocco sealed contracts worth 400 million with different French arms manufacturers, said French media adding that the deals will be announced during an expected visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco next February. The deals include a contract worth 200 million signed with Nexter to acquire Caesar self-propelled howitzer and related ammunition, latribune.fr said. The announcement came in a series of major deals to upgrade Moroccos defense and offensive capabilities after it placed an order of 36 Apache helicopters and related equipment for a total cost of $4.25 billion. Already one of the biggest arms importers in Africa, Morocco has multiplied contacts with international partners to develop its own military industry in a bid to curb imports and boost independence as well as ensure technology transfer. Moroccan papers announce that the first armament factory will be launched soon in the country as a joint venture with Belgiums Mecar and the UKs Chemring. The new factory will produce an array of light and heavy ammunition and will ensure technology transfer to help Moroccans develop their own plants. Morocco will own 10% of the capital of the plant, to be achieved for a total cost of 300 million dirhams. Morocco and Algeria were ranked by SIPRI as Africas largest arm buyers taking 26% and 30% respectively of total arm sales on the continent. In June last year, Morocco and Brazil signed a deal to share military technology reflecting Moroccos ambition to reduce the countrys dependence on foreign arms. Moroccos decision to foster its domestic military industry capabilities comes at a moment marked by a surge of instability in North Africa and an arms race with Algeria that shows no signs of abatement. A report issued by the Strategic Defense Intelligence (SDI) said that Moroccos advanced military procurement will enable it to contain Algeria and become Africas leading army by 2022. The following excerpt is from Ross OBriens book Cannabis Capital. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes Certain aspects of the U.S. cannabis industry have limited protections from federal interference through annual congressional spending bills. Since the restriction of district-specific earmarks in 2015, lawmakers have used annual appropriations bills (also known as federal spending bills) to extend their policy priorities (or policy prohibitions) by inserting language that prohibits the expenditure of federal funds towards a specific program or activity. Since 2015, Congress has consistently enacted laws that limit the ability of the Department of Justice (DOJ) from interfering with states that have adopted medical cannabis laws by placing legal restrictions on their spending of federal dollars. Spending bills protecting the medical cannabis industry have to be renewed every year or must be carried forward in the event federal spending bills are not successfully enacted. Related: Why Cannabis Education Matters Despite this onerous process, this legal baseline has established a consistent policy of respecting states rights to set and implement their respective medical cannabis laws by preventing federal agencies, including the DOJ and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), from prosecuting medical cannabis stakeholders operating in compliance with state law. However, this appropriation language doesnt prevent other federal agencies like the IRS, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), or the SEC from taking enforcement actions. While theres been progress to expand spending prohibitions to apply to the entire cannabis industry (and not just medical cannabis industry stakeholders), no efforts have yet been successfully signed into law, though the House of Representatives approved this provision in 2019 in a 267-165 vote, including efforts to prevent the DOJ from interfering in any state-legal cannabis business, not just those that are medical in nature. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a key DOJ policy (commonly referred to as the Cole Memo) in 2017, which set forth the DOJs enforcement priorities with respect to medical and adult-use cannabis stakeholders, focusing on issues like access by minors. However, since the rescission of this key policy document, the majority of U.S. attorneys in relevant jurisdictions have clarified that theyll continue to exercise prosecutorial discretion in a manner consistent with the Cole Memo. When the Cole Memo was first introduced in 2014, the Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) implemented guidelines predicated on the Cole Memo to address the bankability of proceeds from state-compliant cannabis activities, referred to as FinCEN guidance. The FinCEN guidance sets forth specific standards for banks working with state-compliant cannabis companies to mitigate the risk that these financial institutions would be prosecuted for money-laundering violations. Though the Cole Memo was rescinded, the FinCEN guidance remained in place, which is important for investors. Related: Helpful Hints For Working With Family Members Changing Federal Law and Politics Around Legalization For more than a decade, dozens of bills have been introduced in Congress to address federal cannabis reform. Consider these bills to be in two categories. In the first category are bills with the objective of legalizing cannabis at the federal level, either by descheduling cannabis as a Schedule I substance or rescheduling it to a less-restrictive category within the Controlled Substances Act. The second category of bills aims to address all the ancillary issues that have been created by the conflict between federal and state law. These include, but arent limited to, access to banking, cash treatment, federal benefits, immigration, veterans and so on. With this active and evolving legislative environment, the question on everyones mind is: When will cannabis be legalized at the federal level and by what legislative mechanism? Industry advocates are also concerned with another issue: ensuring that existing and future cannabis businesses are treated like other existing businesses without unnecessary discrimination, including access to traditional banking. As cannabis businesses receive more protections from the federal government, they can feel comfortable reinvesting in their communities through inclusive hiring practices and capital infusions. For cannabis entrepreneurs, creating business models that incorporate criminal and social justice pillars within their organizations will benefit from this important element of comprehensive reform at the federal level. Nevertheless, its understandable that for business industry stakeholders and their advocates, the most politically pragmatic opportunity to advance reform is legislation to address access to banking. Under current law, cannabis businesses are often forced to operate in cash. However, theres a favorable climate to advance legislation that would improve banking access for cannabis businesses. Related: How Cannabis Entrepreneurs Can Explain What They Do For A Living -- Without Freaking People Out The most meaningful legislative measure advanced to date is the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2019 (H.R. 1595 | S. 1200). The SAFE Banking Act would create protections for depository institutions that provide financial services to state-compliant cannabis-related businesses and service providers. The SAFE Banking Act would not only codify protections for banks and financial institutions to service the cannabis industry, but it would ensure that licensed and legally operating cannabis businesses in the U.S. have access to traditional financial services. Because the bill allows cannabis businesses to access financial institutions while rectifying the public safety concern posed by cash businesses, SAFE enjoys strong bipartisan support and looks as though it will receive significant attention in both legislative chambers. Ultimately, the trajectory of federal cannabis reform and the timing of this progress will come down to the complex equation of politics, policy and personality. From a politics perspective, lawmakers in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle are reminded of the growing popularity for federal cannabis reform and the undeniable support of Americans for prohibiting the federal government from interfering with state programs. Irrespective of the uncertainties in Washington, DC, cannabis entrepreneurs and investors are uniquely positioned to take advantage of early market opportunities, with a low probability of interference from the federal government. As the federal policy landscape moves closer and closer to deciding a post-prohibition regulatory framework, businesses with the right composition of managerial and strategic leadership, as well as sufficient capital, will only continue to improve their valuations and long-term outlook. Related: How the Feds Protect the Cannabis Industry and How Things Could Change Buscan legalizar la marihuana para cualquier uso NatGeo's Jason Silva On Cannabis, Psychology And 'The Psychedelic Renaissance' Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: The ballots must be prepared no later than 10 days before the parliamentary election day in accordance with the Azerbaijani Electoral Code, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov said at the CEC meeting in Baku. We will begin this process in the coming days, the chairman said, Trend reports on Jan. 23. In his speech, Panahov also warned the political parties. The representatives of various parties who have indicated their party affiliation have been registered as candidates, the chairman said. In accordance with the requirement of the law, if they are expelled from the party or their party affiliation is canceled, the party must officially notify the CEC. In such cases, such candidates are registered as unaffiliated both in the CEC database and in ballots, the chairman said. Some parties have sent such information to the CEC. The rest must also do this before the next CEC meeting." The early parliamentary elections will be held in Azerbaijan on February 9, 2020. Since Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex announced they were stepping back from life as full time royals on Jan. 8, 2020, weve been asking ourselves and everyone around us questions about their future. Seriously, we could probably list at least 100 questions but instead, were going to focus on the biggest lingering questions we have about what Meghan and Harrys lives will look like now that theyre no longer senior members of the British royal family. 1. What will Harry and Meghans titles be? In the days following the news and Queen Elizabeth IIs statements in response she responded on Jan. 8 as well as Jan. 13 Buckingham Palace unveiled the agreement theyd reached with Harry and Meghan which stipulated they would be stripped of their royal titles the his royal highness and her royal highness in their names commonly referred to as HRH but now their new titles have been causing some confusion. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry leaving Canada House on Jan. 7, 2020 | Neil Mockford/GC Images Harry will remain a prince and the couple will be referred to formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, according to Buckingham Palaces statement. However, how theyll be addressed from now on as Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The format of the titles has caused confusion because, as Time reported, in the past, these types of titles have been given to women who have divorced members of the royal family. Harrys mother became known as Diana, Princess of Wales following her split from Prince Charles in 1996. And Sarah Ferguson became Sarah, Duchess of York when she and Prince Andrew, Duke of York divorced the same year. Following the title announcement, Britains Sky News reported them as erroneous and said the titles would likely be revised. So, stay tuned for a possible tweak to Harry and Meghans titles. 2. Will British taxpayers pay for their security detail indefinitely? Just because theyre no longer senior members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan will still have a security detail. For now, it seems British taxpayers will foot the bill for Meghan and Harrys security even though they no longer live exclusively in England. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at The Lion King European premiere on July 14, 2019 | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Initially, reports surfaced saying Canadians might pay for their protection but for that to happen itd have to go through the Canadian Cabinet and Parliament. So, until the Canadian government addresses the idea formally, Brits will continue to pay for the couples security. But its worth noting the current security structure doesnt seem to be a long-lasting one and instead seems to be whats happening in the interim while more a more concrete management system is worked out behind closed doors. 3. Where will Meghan, Harry, and Archie live? This is a big one. In Harry and Meghans announcement, they said they had a plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America but we dont know for sure whether that means Canada Meghan, Harry, and their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, are currently staying on Vancouver Island or somewhere in Calif., the Duchess of Sussexs home state. Theyre reportedly eyeing up a mansion in Vancouver listed for $36 million. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage And we dont know how exactly they will balance their time. Will they call Canada or Calif. their main residence and bounce back between the others? What will happen when Archie starts school? Or will he home-schooled? Will they buy a mansion like the one theyve been staying in or will they opt for a more modest place? The answer is we simply dont know yet. 4. How will they make money? Yet another massive question we dont have an answer to right now. Now that Harry and Meghan are longer senior working royals barred from making an income and are working toward being financially independent they have a plan to pay back the money from British taxpayers used to refurbish Frogmore Cottage, their U.K. residence they can bring in money. One widely circulated idea is that they might ink a deal with Netflix for a special like the Obamas but again, nothing has been confirmed by Meghan or Harry. What we do for sure amid all these unanswered questions is that Queen Elizabeth II is proud of Meghan. We also know, thanks to Harrys speech on Jan. 19 at a dinner for his charity, Sentebale, he didnt want to step down as a senior royal and only did because there really was no other option. I am fascinated by the housing crises that we are living in today here in New Zealand. For those of you who dont know, our large citiesincluding the largest one which I happen to call homeis overpopulated and underhoused. Point the finger at whoever you want to (and I have read hundreds of articles doing just that), but the reality is grim. We have more people than we do have houses for them. No house available A few years back, we noticed that our neighbours had a van parked out front with its windows permanently covered by towels and sheets. After a couple of days, my father notified our family that there were actually people living in there. Somehow, he found out that this young family were without a house simply because there wasnt one available to them. It wasn't that they couldn't afford it. This blew my mind! My dad helped broker a deal, somehow, and assisted them getting into a home. That same month, an old friend from High School contacted me via Facebook. He and his one-year-old daughter were in emergency housing. They could afford rent, like the van-load of people we had had outside our house. There just werent enough houses available. Unfortunately, my dad couldnt help them. The housing crises are real and they are a travesty. Many other Millennials like myself consider it a pipe dream to even own a house one day. Right up there with winning the lotto, becoming Prime Minister one day, and the Wallabies winning back the Bledisloe cup from the All Blacks. A challenge for the church In all this, I have often asked the question: where are the churches? For me, the housing crises present a unique challenge to Christians. How is it that we, informed by the generosity of the Gospel, can pool our resources (much like the early church in Acts), and come up with solutions to the physical needs of our society? Many older denominations sit on sites that could be used to build communal housing. Large swathes of land sit undeveloped and vacant for most of the week. There are creative conversations that I think need to be had by elders and deacons and lay-people all across this country and in this town. I heard of a community in Australia who did such a thing. They bulldozed their old building and built flats with their church meeting in the main community building. Several members bought and now live in these flats. They now have a revenue stream and more importantly the community literally under their roofs. This is a unique response to the housing crises. It also looks a little bit like the Kingdom of God. What would it look like in your context, to see a radical answer to the housing crises? What would happen if your church decided to do somethinganythingto help respond in ways that are creative and kind. At a time when we are becoming more and more out-of-touch with our increasingly secular communities, the time is ripe to start bold conversations about what could be done. The time to act has already passed. This is our problem and we, I believe, can be a part of the solution. We can at least try. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When Alyssa Kayhill is not attending to matters of the heart at Brooklyn Hospital's Cardiology Unit, she's attending to matters of the heart in a recording studio or performance environment. On January 24th, 2020, she steps forward with a potent dose of vulnerable pop with her new album, Love Is What It Is. Seeding the path to this milestone release she has issued the well-received singles "Playing With Fire," "Gone," and "Love Is." All of Alyssa's offerings are available via Spotify, Tidal, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and other digital platforms. Alyssa Kayhill Love Is What It Is - Cover "I think there is an important connection between my work as a nurse and my music," Alyssa outlines. "Nursing has taught me so much about myself and humanity, and music has been the most amazing outlet for me to connect through stories of my struggles, my doubts, and my victories. Hopefully, my songs can help someone realize they are valued, seen, and that we are not as alone as we sometimes think we are." Some highlights of Love Is What It Is include "Playing with Fire," "Time's Up," and the bonus track "Love Is (Duet)" featuring Bobby Berk from Queer Eye. The smoldering, piano-driven pop-rock of "Playing with Fire" explores the moments of insecurity we feel in the beginning of monumental relationships. The urban-folk swagger of "Time's Up" is a rallying call for women empowerment inspired by the Women's March in Washington, D.C. The song interestingly features a promising male Hip Hop artist named JAEO in support of the Time's Up movement. "It was important to me that this song conveyed the spirit of the marches and some of the messages of the movement through the lyrics and production choices such as adding 'Time's Up' chants in the background. It was equally important to me to have a male voice on this song. There are so many men who champion the women's movement and equal rights. There are still so many conversations we should have and perspectives that we should try to understand in order to move forward," Alyssa shares. This Friday, January 24th, Alyssa will take part in Billboard Pride's takeover featuring Queer Eye's Bobby Berk to promote the single "Love Is (Duet)." "Love Is (Duet)" is a stately ballad version of Kayhill's original single "Love Is" featuring strings, majestic piano and Berk singing alongside Alyssa with smoky sensuality. "I wrote 'Love Is' in an hour and a halfit flowed out so naturally. It's a song that's not only about the struggles of being in same-sex relationships like in my case, but also any relationship that is judged for a number of reasons. I really wanted the song to feel personal but also relatable to anyone who has ever felt judged for who they love," Alyssa details. "Bobby was such a good sport during the sessions. At one point, during rehearsal when he was learning the lyrics, he had a teleprompter that kept speeding up or would go backwards and it was hysterical. There is no better person to champion the message of this song than Bobby and I'm so thankful to him for wanting be a part of it." Look out for Alyssa Kayhill's Love Is What It Is available on all digital platforms January 24th and the LIWII tour starting late February. For more information visit www.AlyssaKayhill.com Contact: Amanda McIntyre-Chavis LegendFactory [email protected] (212) 651-4588 SOURCE Alyssa Kayhill Related Links https://www.alyssakayhill.com Prince Harry and Meghan Markles battle to keep their private lives out of the media spotlight has been made ten times worse by their move to Canada, experts have warned. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Harry and Meghan are on Vancouver Island preparing to forge a financially independent new life for themselves and their eight-month-old son Archie, after stepping back from royal duties. Harry and Meghan have made things worse for their relationship with the media in their Canada move, a former royal editor has said. (PA Images) However, within days of trying to set up their new life, the couple issued a legal warning to the media after various outlets published paparazzi shots of Meghan walking her dogs in a park on Vancouver Island with Archie. Harry was also snapped within minutes of his plane touching down in Canada on Monday. They have also claimed attempts have been made to picture them in their home with long range lenses and paparazzi have been permanently camped outside their home. Privacy laws in the province of British Columbia mean that they could potentially sue if their photo is taken in a public place. Duncan Larcombe, who worked as the Suns royal editor for more than a decade, said the move to Canada will not stop the pair from being photographed - adding that their deteriorating relationship with the press is making things worse for them. Among the issues the Sussexes have created, he says, is withdrawing from the royal rota system that previously gives them a direct line to royal correspondents, which could allow them to stop unwanted paparazzi photos appearing in the media. He told Yahoo News UK: By burning those bridges, all that goodwill thats been bought up over the years - Harry has taken a sledgehammer to those agreements by saying they were hounded, the British public is racist, it is all awful, woe is me. Well thats fine, but he now finds himself thousands of miles from the UK dealing with photographers who have absolutely no qualms about hiding in a bush and taking his photograph, or photos of Meghan out for a walk with Archie. Harry, Meghan and baby Archie. (Henk Kruger/African News Agency via AP, Pool) They dont care, why should they? As far as theyre concerned hes just another famous face like Brad Pitt or George Clooney - theres no royal factor whatsoever. Story continues Having burned all his bridges with the British royal (press) corps - well, whos going to actually turn round and say is it alright to run this picture or will it upset Harry? Its a two-way relationship that Harrys walked out on. Legal differences While British Columbia's lush landscape and mild climate likely helped lure the Sussexes to hunker down there indefinitely, the provinces privacy laws probably didnt hurt either. Markles lawyers filed a cease-and-desist to British media outlets this week, threatening legal action if they published photos of her taken recently while she was walking with her son and dogs on Vancouver Island. Daniel Reid, a Vancouver-based lawyer at Harper Grey who specialises in privacy laws, says Markle would have an easier time going to court in British Columbia over privacy issues, than in most other parts of the country. Thats because since 1996, the province has enforced the Privacy Act, which allows people to sue for breach of privacy. The act states that someone can sue for damages if they feel that their privacy is breached unreasonably. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during the annual WellChild Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. (PA Images) Just because someones a public figure or in a public space, doesn't mean that cant have expectations of privacy, he told Yahoo Canada. The issue is whats a reasonable expectation of privacy in the circumstances. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have a limited expectation of privacy in certain circumstances, especially if theyre attending public events. However, they may feel like their privacy is being breached if photographers are taking unauthorised photos of them on their property, or with a drone. It always turns on this idea of whats reasonable in the circumstances, Reid says. He explains that B.C.s Privacy Act makes an exception in some cases, like reporting on matters of public interest. However, that doesnt apply if the matter being reported on is obtained in a way that violates privacy. Surveillance or eavesdropping can absolutely be a violation of privacy under the privacy act here in B.C., he says. Most other provinces in the country dont have a privacy act like in B.C. In Ontario, for example, you can sue for lack of privacy but through the common law, which is still developing the terms of what that means. Pointless exercise Mark Stephens, a solicitor who specialises in media law and human rights at Howard Kennedy, says the royal couples international appeal will always make them targets. Even if photos taken of them in Vancouver are not used by Canadian media, and if they manage to successfully convince British papers to not publish photos in what they deem to be private situations, there are still other countries with varying privacy laws that will allow the photographers and news outlets to profit. Mark Stephens said going for the British press is not the answer to Harry and Meghan's troubles. (PA Images) ...Theres a much more broad market on the global level, so you can publish those images in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India, other major Commonwealth jurisdictions where theres an interest in the family, but their privacy laws are not as robust or developed as they are in Europe or indeed in Canada. Until you solve the problem - the rather bellicose statements being sent by Harry and Meghans lawyers in London to British newspapers rather exacerbated the situation yesterday. ...What they did is draw attention to the problem, rather than dealing with the fundamental of the problem, which is suing the photographers, the freelance paparazzi in Vancouver. They tried to threaten the British newspapers. But that was a pointless exercise because there are papers all over the world that would be quite happy to publish them, and websites. As a consequence of that you havent removed the economic incentive of the photographers to continuously take the images and sell them in places around the world, where they still can. He said unless the economic incentive for photographers is removed, or if successful legal action is taken against photographers, then the problem will persist because they have something that they view rightly or wrongly as a commercial product which they will sell. Stephens said he believed the Sussexes have taken into account the Canadian media, which is not as intrusive or celebrity focused as perhaps it is in the UK, and said domestic press there are more likely to cover them when it is legitimately in the public interest. Making a bad situation ten times worse The only thing that will stop the British press running those pictures like Meghan yesterday is public opinion, Duncan says. But even that, is not a guarantee. ...History tells us even at the height of Princess Dianas battles with the press members of the public were happy to say Oh, they should leave her alone and then go out and buy Hello magazine, and let the sales of the tabloids soar every time she was put on the front page. Harry and Meghan may have made things worse as they try to get away from negative press headlines, Duncan Larcombe believes. (PA Images) So Harry cannot rely on the decision making of the British public because they are hypocritical. By extracting himself from past arrangements with the press - which the Sussexes feel have been to their detriment - the only action Harry can take is to fire off legal letters and bleat about his privacy, Duncan adds. The danger is that by going to Canada they have made a bad situation ten times worse. He said a system like the royal rota arrangement - which has allowed Prince William and Prince Harry to convince editors not to publish photos of their girlfriends that were obtained by paparazzi in the past - could have been used by Harry and Meghan when they arrived in Vancouver, had they stayed part of it. That way, Harry could have accepted his arrival was newsworthy but had leverage with the press to prevent photography of the couple being an every day occurrence - and that conversation should have been had with editors, not through lawyers. He pointed to pictures of Kate Middleton visiting a supermarket days after her wedding to William in 2011, which were published at the time. Mr Larcombe said the Royal Family could use arrangements with the media to prevent the Duchess of Cambridge being photographed whenever she left the house. (PA Images) The palace was worried it would set a precedent of the Duchess of Cambridge being pictured every time she stepped out of the house, but when photographers tried to sell photos of her at a supermarket again, newspaper editors felt there was no news value in it. He said that paparazzi photos of the royals are rejected at least 70% of the time. When they appear in the newsroom a call is put into the palace, where a discussion takes place as to whether it is acceptable to publish it. I hope for his sake he is able to realise his dream of being left alone but I cant see how, Duncan said. If I was advising him a few months ago, when he was mooting the idea, Id say, Harry, if you do that its not going to change a thing, it just means youre going to have pine trees and a Canadian backdrop behind you rather than Windsor, tragic though that is. (CNN) Only a revolution in the way the global economy and financial markets work can save the planet from the climate crisis and secure future prosperity, Prince Charles warned on Wednesday. "We can't go on like this, with every month another record in temperatures being broken," he told CNN in an exclusive interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "If we leave it too long, and we have done, just growing things is going to become difficult." The heir to the British throne and lifelong environmentalist was speaking to CNN after he threw down a challenge to the global business and finance elites in Davos to lead a "paradigm shift, one that inspires action at revolutionary levels and pace" to avert the approaching catastrophe. "Do we want to go down in history as the people who did nothing to bring the world back from the brink in time to restore the balance when we could have done? I don't want to," he told the audience at the WEF's 50th annual meeting. "And just think for a moment what good is all the extra wealth in the world, gained from 'business as usual,' if you can do nothing with it except watch it burn in catastrophic conditions?" Just this year, huge forest fires exacerbated by climate change have devastated vast areas of land in Australia and killed millions of animals. Recent research shows that the world's oceans are absorbing as much heat as that generated by five atomic bombs every second. Toxic smog continues to choke India's cities despite repeated promises of cleaner air from the government, and the last decade was the warmest in recorded history. The climate crisis stole the headlines on the first full day of this week's meeting in Davos. Teenage activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday admonished the business and political elite for doing "basically nothing" to reduce the carbon emissions that are fueling global warming. Speaking later, President Donald Trump who has pulled the United States out of the 2015 Paris Climate accord signed up for a global initiative to plant 1 trillion trees, but dismissed climate activists as "perennial prophets of doom" and the "heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers." He said breakthroughs that result from the dynamism of market economies were able to solve any problem. Prince Charles, who discussed climate change with Trump last summer, met Thunberg for the first time after his speech. "She's remarkable, she represents one of the main reasons why I've been trying to make all this effort all these years," he told CNN. "I've always worried about the fact that so often, in terms of humanity, we leave things too late so you have to hit a brick wall and experience a catastrophe before anything happens." The Prince of Wales used Wednesday's address to launch his "Sustainable Markets Initiative." He said urgent action was required to reconfigure markets to put people and the planet "at the heart of global value creation." Britain's next head of state, who gave his first speech on the environment in 1968, said bold and imaginative action was needed to tackle the greatest threat humanity has ever faced. He outlined a 10-point plan to put the natural world at the heart of the business world. "Nature's contribution to the global economy is estimated to be worth $125 trillion annually," he said. "Nature is, in fact, the lifeblood of our financial markets and, as such, we must rapidly realign our own economy to mimic nature's economy and work in harmony with it." The steps advocated by the prince include reversing damaging subsidies, investing in technological innovation, creating new sustainable products and services, and giving consumers much greater transparency about supply chains. Last year's global climate summit in Madrid saw some progress in tackling the crisis, but fell far short of what many climate activists and scientists had expected and failed to finalize the rules of a new global carbon market a key element of the Paris accord. There have been eye-catching promises by some of the world's top companies in recent weeks. Microsoft said it planned to become emissions "negative" by 2030 as a step towards eradicating its entire historic carbon footprint. And BlackRock, which manages $7 trillion in assets, promised to ditch investments it considers a risk to sustainability. Prince Charles said he would be convening a series of discussions across a range of industries with innovators, investors and decision-makers to help design a new course and form a global alliance to mobilize the trillions of dollars needed to put the economy "on the correct path." "I intend to do my utmost to ensure that the message of urgency, systemic change, collaboration and integration is heard," he said. "We simply cannot waste any more time the only limit is our willingness to act, and the time to act is now." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Prince Charles: We need a new economic model or the planet will burn." 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Josephine Trask, 37, broke into the store in Schofields, western Sydney on Christmas Day and helped herself to $450 worth of donated gifts. Trask was caught on camera stealing food from shelves and Vodafone SIM cards and putting them inside a basket. The 37-year-old then put the stolen items in a trolley full of donations for RFS firefighters before fleeing the store. Josephine Trask, 37, (pictured) broke into a Woolworths in Schofields, western Sydney on Christmas Day and stole $450 worth of RFS donations Trask pleaded guilty to one count of break, enter and steal, and another of negligent driving. Appearing at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday, Trask's solicitor said she wasn't aware the trolley was for firefighters. 'Had she known this, she certainly wouldn't have done it,' the defence said, The Daily Telegraph reported. The 37-year-old broke through the store's sliding doors. After she stole the trolley Trask drove off in a Holden Barina with a 48-year-old man, Matthew Dicks. Trask claimed she was unaware that the trolley she stole was set aside for firefighters The mother broke into the Schofields Woolworths (pictured) through the sliding doors on Christmas Day Trask was chased by police until she crashed into a fence. The mother is also awaiting the results of a blood test which may lead to a drug driving charge, the court heard. The mother will remain in custody to appear in court again on February 19. Dicks was granted bail to face Blacktown Local Court on February 3 after being charged with possessing a prescribed restricted substance. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 16:50:26|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Residents look for reusable materials from their charred houses after a fire at a residential area in Manila, the Philippines, Jan. 23, 2020. More than 75 houses were razed in the fire. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "We focus so much on 'sickcare', and we do not focus enough on 'healthcare'. Our mission is to provide more accessible and affordable personal care to the public by using artificial intelligence and data technologies," said Gong Rujing, founder and chairwoman of YiduCloud, a leading medical AI company in China. She was invited to attend the World Economic Forum's 50th Annual Meeting in Davos from January 21-24. Nearly 3,000 of the world's top leaders from politics, business and academia gathered in Davos and discussed the theme of "Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World". Rujing joined in a panel discussion on "Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare Systems" together with Winnie Byanyima, United Nations Undersecretary-General and Executive Director of UNAIDS, Christophe Weber, President and CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical, and Shobana Kamineni,Executive Vice-Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise. The panel session was moderated by Helen E. Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand. The world is facing a rapidly aging population. In China, according to forecasts from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the elderly population is expected to reach 400 million by the end of 2035. How to provide them with quality and affordable healthcare services is becoming one of the top concerns for countries across the world. "A lot of infrastructure work needs to be done to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to the greater population," said Rujing, who was entitled the Young Global Leader for 2019 by the WEF. "By using artificial intelligence and medical data technology, we have seen very positive results over the past few years in terms of drug development and clinical practice, significantly increasing the efficiency of clinical trials and patient management, "she said. Being a pioneer in medical AI, YiduCloud believes in the vision of "Data Intelligence, Green Healthcare" empowered by its Data Processing & Application Platform. YiduCloud provides solutions to medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies to enhance the quality and efficiency of their operations, with the aim of building a high-quality and sustainable healthcare system. YiduCloud has partnered with academic institutions to build medical AI research centers. Also, it has published more than 50 high-quality papers, some of which in leading medical journals such as the Lancet Oncology and the Nature Medicine. The Prince of Wales met George Shefi and Marta Wise at a reception for British Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Frank Augstein/PA) A Holocaust survivor has told the Prince of Wales about the hell on earth she endured while being experimented on by notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. At the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Charles met Marta Wise, who as a 10-year-old girl was sent to Auschwitz and subjected to inhumane treatment. He also met George Shefi, who came to England just before the war on the Kindertransport which rescued so many Jewish children from Nazi Germany. Mrs Wise, now 85, spent 25 minutes with the prince far longer than most one-to-one encounters on a royal visit. He used to inject us with things. We had no idea what they were. You could be in absolute agony. He was a monster. There is no other way to describe himHolocaust survivor Marta Wise on Nazi doctor Josef Mengele She said: He was very interested in how it was in Auschwitz and how we managed to survive. He was very sympathetic. He came across as genuinely interested, not just doing it for the sake of it. Born in Bratislava, then Czechoslovakia, Mrs Wise and her older sister were sent by their parents to live with a non-Jewish family and pretend they were orphaned refugees. But in October 1944 they were betrayed to the Nazis, who offered large rewards to anyone who reported Jews. She said: Twenty-seven fully armed soldiers came to pick up two little girls. We were put into detention, and from there we were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and into Mengeles experimental barracks. By a miracle we survived. It was hell on earth. Mengele was a particular devil. Our blood was taken. Jewish blood was no good, but it was good enough to take for the German army. He used to inject us with things. We had no idea what they were. You could be in absolute agony. He was a monster. There is no other way to describe him. Expand Close The Prince of Wales at a reception for British Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Neil Hall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Prince of Wales at a reception for British Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Neil Hall/PA) After the war she moved to Australia where she became a historian of the Holocaust. She married Harold Wise and had three children before moving to Israel in 1998. Mr Shefi, 88 born George Spiegelglas in Berlin was sent to Britain by his mother in July 1939 at the age of seven, unable to speak a word of English. He lived with an English family, then moved in with a Jewish family. He said: I went to church for three years, crossed myself, then the next week I could not turn on the light or ride my bicycle on Shabbat or anything. Later in the war he went to join relatives in the US. Afterwards he moved to Israel, where he became an engineer. Expand Close Charles met George Shefi and Marta Wise at a reception for British Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Frank Augstein/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charles met George Shefi and Marta Wise at a reception for British Holocaust survivors at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Frank Augstein/PA) He welcomed the presence of Charles and other world leaders in Israel to honour Holocaust victims, at the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. But he said it would be meaningless without further action: I think it is very good. The question is, what will you do with it afterwards? Whatever they do here, if it is just forgotten tomorrow thats not what it was meant to do. He said he had spoken many times in Germany about the Holocaust, telling children: You are not to blame for what your grandfathers did. I am here to tell you it happened, and to convince you not to let it start again. You are responsible to me to prevent it happening again. WASHINGTON -- In the latest development in a protracted effort by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to accredit its journalists in Tajikistan, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has told the countrys top diplomat that his government has failed to honor its commitments, and that RFE/RL may have to consider alternatives to its current operations as a result. Flys statement was conveyed in a letter to Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on January 21. That morning, the ministry granted six-month accreditations to four members of RFE/RL's Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi. This falls far short of the year-long accreditations mandated by Tajik law, and does not address the circumstances of seven Ozodi correspondents who remain without credentials and unable to legally perform their journalistic work, or another seven who were granted partial accreditations in October 2019. These partial accreditations, together with the continued harassment of Ozodi colleagues, fail to demonstrate your governments sincerity to allow Radio Ozodi to function unimpeded, and to fulfill Tajikistans international obligations to respect independent media, Fly wrote. Fly also referenced a meeting with the minister in Zurich on November 7, in which he explained that the withholding of accreditation from our journalists, for months and in one case for two years, constitutes censorship, a violation of Tajik law, and a threat of sufficient proportions as to prompt us to consider closing the bureau in Dushanbe. He ended the letter urging that the remaining accreditations be granted immediately. Fly had delivered a similar message during the same Zurich visit to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, telling him that RFE/RL could not accept the selective or short-term accreditation of its journalists and, if necessary, would review its operations in Tajikistan. President Rahmon told Fly that he wanted Ozodi to remain in the country. The limited credentials come as Tajikistan heads into a year with both parliamentary and presidential elections. Tajik law requires foreign journalists as well as their drivers and support staff -- to be credentialed by the Foreign Ministry on an annual basis. At the same time, as Tajikistan's National Media Council and National Association of Independent Media have pointed out, the law guarantees that "foreign correspondents have the right to the free transfer of information, excluding any censorship. The OSCE, The Washington Post, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and local Tajik media advocacy groups have decried the governments withholding of accreditation as a violation of media freedom and a means of censorship. Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sent letters to the Tajik president criticizing the use of accreditation to restrict Radio Ozodis independent reporting, and stating that a failure to allow RFE/RL to operate freely could affect U.S.-Tajik relations. RFE/RLs Tajik Service, operating out of a bureau in Dushanbe, is one of the countrys few remaining sources of independent news, attracting outsized audiences with compelling reporting on issues not otherwise covered by state-run media. It has Tajikistans most popular YouTube channel (897,000 subscribers; 195 million video views in FY2019) and Facebook page (191,000 followers; 14 million video views in FY2019). About RFE/RL RFE/RL relies on its networks of local reporters to provide accurate news and information to more than 37 million people in 26 languages and 22 countries where media freedom is restricted, or where a professional press has not fully developed. Its videos were viewed over 3.6 billion times on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram/IGTV in FY2019. RFE/RL is an editorially independent media company funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media. ---- FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Joanna Levison in Prague, levisonj@rferl.org, +420.221.122.080 Martins Zvaners in Washington, zvanersm@rferl.org, +1.202.457.6948 YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. At 14:45, January 23, Yerevan police received a shots fired call in the Erebuni Plaza Business Center. Police spokesperson Ashot Aharonyan told ARMENPRESS that officers from multiple law enforcement agencies are at the scene. He said according to preliminary information there are no victims, but the information is still being validated. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Mumbai, Jan 23 : The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday formally launched his 27-year-old son Amit Thackeray at the party's first mega-convention here. Amit Thackeray's name was announced by a senior leader Bala Nandgaonkar and greeted with a standing ovation by the 20,000-plus gathering at the NSE Ground, Goregaon. Accepting the 'abhishek' honour, Amit Thackeray folded his hands -- and taking a leaf out of his uncle Uddhav Thackeray's book -- stepped forward on the stage, bowed and prostrated, and expressed his gratitude to the party leaders and workers. It may be recalled that when Uddhav Thackeray was sworn-in as Chief Minister at a mega-function in Shivaji Park on November 28, the senior Thackeray had prostrated himself on the stage to express his thanks to the people of the state. "This is my first-ever address on a public platform in the past 14 years of the party and my 27 years (age)... I am truly overwhelmed. This would not have been possible without the guidance and encouragement of Raj-Saheb Thackeray," he said in his brief speech. There were loud applause from his parents, Raj and Sharmila Thackeray, who basked in the glory, as well as Amit's wife Mitali Borude-Thackeray, his grandmother, other relatives, party leaders and office-bearers and activists. With Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray in the government, Amit Thackeray becomes another third-generation to rise from the state's pre-eminent Thackeray clan. (CNN Philippines, January 23) A 70-year-old French national has been rescued in Mountain Province more than a week after he went missing. Local authorities and volunteers found Francioly Jacques in a ravine at Sitio Sikling, Barangay Latang, in Barlig town Wednesday night. Jacques appeared very weak and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Search and rescue operations were conducted after the management of Halfway Inn and Restaurant reported to the Barlig Municipal Police Station Tuesday that Jacques checked in on January 14, left on the same day saying he would go sight-seeing, and had not returned. His personal belongings were still inside his room. Police said a tourism officer named Janssen Focad reported that on the night of January 13, her husband and his fellow tour guides offered to take Jacques hiking. The French tourist refused, saying he had no plans of hiking and that he wanted to go to Natonin town, more than 30 kilometers from Barlig. Local police reminded tourists visiting Barlig to follow all rules and regulations for their own safety. The car veered onto the sidewalk and struck a light pole and a tree. A man who was a passenger was pronounced dead on scene, police said. His identity has not been released. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) The Tippecanoe County Coroner's Office has identified the man shot and killed by a Lafayette police officer Monday as Dustin Furr of Lafayette. Coroner Donna Avolt said the preliminary cause of death is gunshot wounds, but they are still waiting four to six weeks for toxicology results. Avolt said the results may or may not impact the cause and manner of death. Furr was 39-years-old and was identified by his wife. The officer involved in the shooting is on paid administrative leave during the investigation, which is protocol. As we've reported, about 2:15 Monday afternoon, police were called to State and 23rd streets about a man with a gun. Police said they tried to negotiate with the man, but he did not comply. That's when police said the officer fired. News 18 is working to get body camera footage and the initial 911 call in the case. It's unclear if or when police intend to release those. GENERAL PROGRAMME MEDIA ACCESS AND POOLS ONLINE / BROADCAST ACCREDITATION AND SECURITY CHECKS MEDIA FACILITIES OPENING HOURS 09:00 End of Operations 07:00 End of Operations PARKING CONTACT POINTS Overall Coordination & pool cards TV & Radio arrangements on site and via satellite Mr Serge Bosmans Exactly a year ago, on January 23, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Subhas Chandra Bose museum at Red Fort. This was to mark the 122nd birth anniversary of Bose, aka Netaji as he is popularly called. Days later, the Republic Day parade in New Delhi witnessed veterans of Bose's Indian National Army (INA) participating in it. PM Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has time and again attacked the Indian National Congress of ignoring and side-lining icons from the independence struggle such as Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and BR Ambedkar. Boses association with the Congress ended bitterly when he was ousted from the partys leadership, following differences with Mahatma Gandhi and other senior leaders. In the last five years, the BJP has actively given more attention to Bose. Observers suggest that the BJP has been trying to appropriate Boses legacy. Speaking to party workers via video conference in 2018, PM Modi had said: History is witness to the fact that they (Congress) had only disrespect for Sardar Patel in their minds. The same happened with Netaji, Acharya (JB) Kripalani and BR Ambedkar. This list is so long, that I will need the entire night to complete. I am honoured to participate in the programme. I know some people will criticize it. Let them do it. Everyone is aware how Netaji gave a challenge to British rulers when he formed his Azad Hind force. One party had ruled Indian for more than 70 years, but it did not bother to make the files public, PM Modi added. On January 23, 2016, the Centre had declassified the first set of 100 files pertaining to Bose. This came after PM Modi met Boses family members. The National Archives of India placed the documents in the public domain after digitisation. Declassification of the files was a long standing demand of those seeking to know more about the circumstances of Boses demise. In October 2018, PM Modi joined INA veterans in hoisting the national flag at the Red Fort to mark the 75th anniversary of the Azad Hind government which was headed by Bose. The same year, the Centre announced the renaming of three islands of Andaman and Nicobar archipelago as a tribute to Bose. The Ross Island was renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, the Neil Island as Shaheed Dweep and the Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep It was reportedly Boses suggestion in 1943 to rename Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Shahid and Swaraj Dweep respectively. Boses grandnephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, is a member of BJP and is the vice president of its West Bengal unit. Chandra Kumar Bose is the grandson of Sarat Chandra Bose, an independence activist and Congress leader. Chandra Kumar Boses father Amiyanath Bose was a Forward Bloc Member of Parliament (MP) from Arambagh in West Bengal. In the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Chandra Kumar Bose contested from the Bhabanipur Vidhan Sabha constituency on a BJP ticket against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Kolkata Dakshin constituency but lost to a Trinamool Congress candidate. Through all this, he has emerged as a popular face of the Bengal BJP unit. Boses legacy and Bengal politics Subhas Chandra Bose remains one of the greatest icons to emerge from Bengal. This makes it even more important for the BJP to have a piece of his legacy in a state where it has not been a strong force traditionally. But, many within West Bengals ruling party now believe that their key opponent now is the BJP, not the traditional rival Left Front. The saffron party has been growing its grassroots-level base in the state by trying to implement its tried-and-tested panna pramukhs system in West Bengal. It has been systematically making in-roads into the state. TMC won 22 out of the West Bengals 42 parliamentary seats, down from the 34 it had won in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP, which had earlier maintained a marginal presence in the state, registered a stunning rise from two seats in 2014 to 18 in 2019. Trinamools vote share grew from 39.8 percent to 43.3 percent between 2014 and 2019. However, BJPs vote share jumped from 17 percent to 40.3 percent during the same period. The BJP share came largely at the expense of the Left and Congress votes. The state will head for assembly election in 2021 and many in the BJP state unit have expressed confidence over their chances. Trinamool Congress has also taken note and started taking necessary action such as roping in political strategist Prashant Kishor to help it with the campaign. However, it remains unclear if the BJP has successfully taken over Boses legacy and it will help them politically in the years to come, especially in Bengal. By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Any aware person whos been following United States elections since, oh, the year 2000 should have a chronic, low-grade worry about the legitimacy of the election results. Im not talking about gerrymandering, or voter roll purges, or ballot gaming, or discriminatory voter ID requirements, or even the electoral college, but rather that, for any given voter, it is not necessarily certain the ballot as cast is ballot as counted. The United States has a rich history of election fraud, and it has nothing whatever to do with meddling by foreigners; we can steal elections all on our own, right here. (See the Presidential elections of 2000 (Florida) and 2004 (Ohio); the Democrat Texas Caucus in 2008[1]; the Democrat 2016 California primary; and doubtless other examples that readers will suggest. Note that the list just given is bipartisan, as are presumably the election fraudsters[2] responsible). In this post I will do two things: Bring us all up to date on the continuing ballot marking devices (BMD) debacle because BMDs make election fraud undetectable and raise the issue of what will happen if a the 2020 election result is challenged on the ground of foreign interference; Adam Schiffs recent tweet on that topic, posted in Links today, chilled my blood, and its why I thought to write this post today. The State of Play for Ballot Marking Devices As my first step, I thought Id try to get a handle on where digital devices, including BMDs, where being used; surely there would be a map! This proved surprisingly difficult. The best map I could find was Ronald Rivest in 2018: This map goes down to the county level; however, voting technology decisions can vary by municipality. The map, although it gives a sense of the variety of voting systems employed across the country (theres your neoliberal choice, right there) is also obsolete; being from 2018, it misses the surge in BMDs. Here, from Verified Voting, is a putative map of the prevalence of BMDs: Verified Voting also gives a putative list of states that use BMDs, conforming to the map: States Using BMDs Statewide Alabama, Connecticut, District of Colombia, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia. States Using BMDs in Some Counties Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Unfortunately, the map and the list are wrong. The very first state in the BMDs Statewide category is Alabama. BallotPedia says Alabama (as of 2018) uses paper ballots. Here is a sample paper ballot for the 2020 election from the Alabama Secretary of State, so thats still going on. Mobile and Baldwin Counties are using BMDs[3], but thats not statewide. This is unfortunate, since Verified Votings data is replicated in a lot of places.[3] So I guess we have to fall back on prose. The Washington Post says that at least 18 percent of the countrys districts will use as their default voting machines in November. Jennifer Cohn, How New Voting Machines Could Hack Our Democracy: Note that BMDs are most likely to be used in the most populous counties. This is extremely important, since BMDs are inherently insecure, that is to say inherently permit election fraud[4]. Again from the Washington Post: Hyundai's annual revenues have surpassed W100 trillion for the first time ever, powered by strong sales of SUVs like the small Tucson and large Palisade (US$1=W1,165). Hyundai said Wednesday that its sales rose 9.3 percent on-year to W105.8 trillion last year while operating profit surged 52 percent to W3.7 trillion, the first rise since 2012. The operating profit margin therefore rose from 2.5 percent in 2018 to 3.5 percent. A Hyundai staffer said, "Sales of high-margin Palisade SUVs rose, while earnings also got a boost from the weak won." The Court of Appeal has described as unattractive the fact that an unlawful order gagging the media from naming a convicted sex offender remains in force. Mr Justice Brian Murray made the comment in a lengthy judgement on an unsuccessful appeal by a number of media firms against an order preventing the identification of a man who admitted sexual assault and attempted defilement of a child. The man was aged 16 when he committed the offences against the 14-year-old girl in February and March 2010. He and two co-accused of similar age first came to the Children's Court in 2011 when reporting restrictions were applied, Mr Murray stated. A date for trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was set for February 24, 2014. On that date the man pleaded guilty to the offences and the co-accused also entered pleas to related charges. The defendants were no longer juveniles at this point. At a subsequent sentence hearing, lawyers for the DPP told Judge Mary Ellen Ring that reporting restrictions remained in place. The court also heard that the victim wished to waive her anonymity. In October 2014 Judge Ring sentenced the man to two years imprisonment which she fully suspended. Neither the media, the DPP or the court addressed the reporting restrictions at this point. The case was reported on in national and regional publications owned by by Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd, Sunday Newspapers Ltd, Irish Examiner Ltd, Landmark Digital Ltd, trading as BreakingNews.ie, and the Nationalist and Leinster Times, trading as the Kildare Nationalist. The man was identified in these reports and solicitors issued legal proceedings on his behalf alleging defamation and breach of right to privacy, citing the publication of his name allegedly in breach of court orders as an aggravating factor. The claims are denied. Judge Mary Ellen Ring refused a subsequent application by the media to lift the gagging order on the case. The court heard again that the woman had no issue being identified. The press organisations then sought a Judicial Review over Judge Ring's refusal. They told the High Court that [they] had believed at the time of publication that they were entitled to publish having regard to section 8 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981. The High Court found the restrictions orders of July and October 2014 were lawful but there was no lawful basis for Judge Ring to continue them after October 31st, 2014. In his judgement this week Justice Murray noted that decision has not been appealed. He held that Justice Paul McDermott was incorrect in his judicial review judgement when he questioned that media groups' wish to challenge the reporting restrictions was linked to a defence of civil proceedings. Justice Murray stated that the refusal of an order quashing an otherwise unlawful reporting restriction on the ground of the appellant's motive would not be consistent with the constitutional imperative. He noted established case law that the principles of open justice and the publicity of proceedings do not depend on whether they are pursued for high principle or for commercial considerations or worse. Justice Murray also held that Justice McDermott's reliance on the delay in the media's move to have the restriction order lifted was not a proper basis for refusing relief in the context where the underlying decision was made without jurisdiction. Delay should not defeat an application of this kind in the absence of a strong prejudice caused by that delay, he held. Justice Murray held that the order in issue in this case has very constitutional consequences. It has the effect of imposing an ongoing reporting restriction on proceedings which, in accordance with the Constitution, must be heard in public. That provision exists not for the sole benefit of the media but also for that of the public which has a right to both receive information regarding such proceedings and to the benefit of the check on judicial power it entails. But Justice Murray stated that the court was now being asked to make an order potentially impacting on the interests of the two co-accused who were never on notice of the appeal and therefore not in a position to make any representation. This conclusion has the consequence that an order imposing reporting restrictions which the High Court has held to have no lawful basis, remains in force. This is an unattractive outcome. The right of the co-accused to fair procedures is as integral an aspect of the administration of justice as the requirement that justice be administered in public. Dismissing the appeal Justice Murray noted that it now open to the media firms to apply to the Circuit Court to have the reporting restrictions lifted on notice to all potentially affected parties, ensuring any order is cognisant of the rights of the complainant. JOE KERNEN: Entitlements ever be on your plate? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: At some point they will be. We have tremendous growth. Were going to have tremendous growth. This next year I itll be toward the end of the year. The growth is going to be incredible. And at the right time, we will take a look at that. You know, thats actually the easiest of all things, if you look, cause its such a KERNEN: If youre willing TRUMP: big percentage. KERNEN: to do some of the things that you said you wouldnt do in the past, though, in terms of Medicare TRUMP: Well, were goingwere going look. We also have assets that weve never had. I mean weve never had growth like this. We never had a consumer that was taking in, throughdifferent means, over $10,000 a family. We never had the kind ofthe kind of things that we have. Look, our country is the hottest in the world. We have the hottest economy in the world. We have the best unemployment numbers weve ever had. African American, Asian American. Hispanics are doing so incredibly. Best theyve ever done. Black. Best theyve ever done. African American. The numbers are incredible. The poverty numbers. The unemployment and the employment. Theres there is a difference, actually. But the unemployment and employment numbers for African Americans are the best weve ever had. You know, we just came up with a chart, and it was a very important to number to me. African American youth has the highest, by far, unemployment. The best unemployment numbers that theyve ever had. And the best employment numbers. Right now we have almost 160 million people working in the United States, and weve never even been close to that, Joe. CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former financial advisor Sandra Nesbit has launched her own consultancy, Mainsail Capital Group, to help other financial advisors as they work through "what's next" in their business decision-making process. Nesbit will draw from her own 20-plus years of experience working with clients as both a fiduciary wealth manager and a registered representative for major financial services brokerage firms. Having successfully merged an independently owned and operated wealth management firm she co-founded up and into a larger, nationally known Registered Investment Advisory group bolsters her ability to help other advisors take the most thoughtful approach to their own business development, continuity and succession planning strategies. Former financial advisor will use first-hand experience as a client-facing wealth manager who successfully navigated from wirehouse workplace to independently owned boutique RIA to merging with a larger nationally known RIA. "Succession and transition will be one of the most important decisions an advisor will make in their lifetime," Nesbit said. "Unfortunately, many advisors don't know what they don't know and there may only be one opportunity to get it right. Going through any business transition is similar to dating and marriage. I established Mainsail Capital Group to help guide investment advisors and registered representatives through the challenges that may occur prior to making the commitment. We want to provide the knowledge and resources to have a successful partnership. My goal is to always be client-centered and driven to provide solutions and services as they are needed." ADDRESSING THE TOPIC AT INDUSTRY FORUMS In April 2019, Nesbit was invited to speak at the Tiburon CEO Summit held at The Wagner hotel in New York City. Tiburon's CEO Summits provide a unique opportunity for a select cross-industry group of senior executives to discuss a broad swath of issues regarding the future of the banking, insurance, brokerage, and investment management businesses. During a mainstage panel discussion, she shared her first-hand experience of an RIA deal and advice for best potential outcomes. At the time, Sandra Nesbit was a Managing Director with Mercer Advisors. In this video "exit interview", Nesbit provides a short recap of her comments and shares impressions as a guest speaker. In August 2019, Nesbit was invited to participate at the Advisor Thought Leader Summit held at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. This privately hosted event was open to a select group of tenured financial planning professionals. Nesbit was hand-selected by the conference hosts. In this video interview with Pam Krueger, who for over 20 years produced the MoneyTrack show for PBS, Nesbit shares why she established Mainsail Capital Group after transitioning from her own successful financial advisory firm and how she now brings her personal insights to other financial advisors as a consultant. In December 2019, Nesbit spoke at the Florida RIA Summit, a gathering of independent RIAs focused on discussing investment strategy, global trends and best practices in compliance, technology and RIA M&A. At this event held in Boca Raton, Nesbit shared her insights on not only being a successful RIA for many years and how she negotiated a successful merger with Mercer Advisors. This video clip provides a four-minute statement from Nesbit on how financial advisors and others who are interested in finding the right partnership, without regrets in hindsight, might want to think about the complex M&A landscape. Nesbit is available for panel discussions, workshops and presentations. She is especially interested in helping financial services professionals who have an entrepreneurial stake in an investment advisory business make better decisions. ABOUT SANDRA NESBIT AND MAINSAIL CAPITAL GROUP Sandra Nesbit is the Founder and Principal of Mainsail Capital Group (MCG), a specialized boutique consultancy that serves independent financial advisors as they move through the process of "what's next in their business." Nesbit is also a current Director at National Advisors Trust Company and serves on the Governance Committee. She is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst as well as a Certified Estate and Trust Specialist. As a former Managing Director of a large, nationally known wealth management firm, Nesbit was responsible for M&A activities after merging her independent financial advisory firm with them in 2018. Prior to this merger in 2019, Nesbit was a co-founder, Principal and Managing Partner of GFS Private Wealth, LLC, where she served as a fiduciary to clients and lead a successful fee-only wealth management RIA practice where, in addition to firm leadership, she focused on Total Wealth planning for affluent individuals and their families, specializing in the areas of legacy planning, including wealth transfer, and conducting family governance meetings. In 2015, under her direction, the firm started Mainsail Family Trust, a Trust Representative Office of National Advisor Trust Company. Nesbit left the brokerage industry in 2012 to become a fiduciary financial advisor and independent business owner. Her career in the financial services industry began at IDS Company in 1992. IDS was an early adopter of financial planning and recognizing its impact for clients. Nesbit took her knowledge to Merrill Lynch in 1994, where she was instrumental in the development of the firm's financial planning tools and trained advisors the benefits of using planning. She became an advisor in 1997 at Merrill Lynch. For more information on Mainsail Capital Group and their consulting services, presentation topics and expertise, visit www.MainsailCapitalGroup.com. Contact: Grace Vogelzang or Marie Swift Impact Communications, Inc. 913-649-5009 [email protected] Related Images sandra-nesbit-launches-new.jpg Sandra Nesbit Launches New Consulting Company: Mainsail Capital Group Former financial advisor will use first-hand experience as a client-facing wealth manager who successfully navigated from wirehouse workplace to independently owned boutique RIA to merging with a larger nationally known RIA. SOURCE Mainsail Capital Group Former president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday asserted that consensus is the lifeblood of democracy, adding that democracy in India has been tested time and again. Speaking at the First Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture hosted by the Election Commission (EC) to mark its 70th year of inception, Mukherjee stated that democracy thrives on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing and even dissent. He underlined that enthusiastic participation of people in the electoral process is the key to a healthy democracy. "Indian Democracy has been tested time and again. The consensus is the lifeblood of democracy. Democracy thrives on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing and even dissent. The enthusiastic participation of people in the electoral process is the key to a healthy democracy," said Mukherjee. "Indian democracy and its inherent power of assimilation has successfully thwarted insurgency and separate movements and elections have successfully co-opted varied groups into the electoral mainstream," he stated. "Indian Democracy has been tested time and again. Consensus is the lifeblood of Democracy.Democracy thrives on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing and even dissent." Delivered the first Sukumar Sen lecture instituted by the Election Commission of India. #CitizenMukherjee pic.twitter.com/ZXpWvR1q7H Pranab Mukherjee (@CitiznMukherjee) January 23, 2020 The EC had organised the event as a tribute to the first Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sukumar Sen who had served from March 21 1950-December 19 1958. The former president also delivered the inaugural lecture on electoral processes of India and challenges of the electoral systems. Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said that Sen was "chosen to play obstetrician and to deliver Indian democracys first crop of nearly three thousand elected representative. Realising with surprising un-ICS humility that democracy likes its mechanics to be as self-effacing as possible, the Chief Election Commissioner became an unseen, undogmatic influence patiently judicial in his attitude to parties but insistent in regard to the machine he wielded". Live TV He also noted that "free, fair, popular and credible elections are a cornerstone, indeed the lifeblood of democracy. Sen, by seamlessly conducting the first two general elections, aided Indias transition from a crown colony to a sovereign democratic republic in practical terms." Mukherjee recalled that "The Constituent Assembly of India, which prepared the Constitution, had intensely debated the issue of universal adult franchise. It had unhesitatingly adopted the principle of adult suffrage with the full knowledge of the difficulties involved." The former president said, "The foremost achievement of the First General Election lies in the fact that it cemented and painstakingly brought about the unification of India." Speaking about the role of EC, Mukherjee said, "In my opinion, the Election Commission, respected and revered by the people and feared by the participants of elections, has mostly stood the test of time. The role of the Election Commission in the practical play of democracy in India has been simply outstanding. The challenges it has had to face have been daunting. The management of an electorate of over 900 million in 2019 that is nearly the combined population of third, fourth and fifth largest nations in the world, and ensuring fair polling is not an easy job. I compliment the Election Commission for this laudable achievement." Access Bank and its Group Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe, were honoured as the Bank of the Decade and Banker of the Decade respectively by THISDAY Newspaper at its 25th anniversary celebration held at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos. The silver jubilee celebration, was witnessed by dignitaries including former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku; Afenifere chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo; founder of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi. Receiving the awards, Wigwe attributed his success to the collective effort of all employees of the Bank and customers, saying, It is such an honour to be recognized by such a prestigious platform, renowned for its work in unbiased and qualitative reportage. This award is dedicated to all members of staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure the growth and success of the Bank and all its subsidiaries. Furthermore, we thank all 32 million of our customers who trust us as we continue our journey to being Africas gateway to the world. Over the past decade, Herbert Wigwe has overseen the growth of Access Bank, from a relatively small bank into Africas largest retail bank. Wigwe has closed a series of strategic high-profile mergers, while pushing and driving participation in community-focused initiatives that have endeared the bank to its customers. Since the completion of its merger with Diamond Bank, Access Banks customer base has grown from about 13 million to 32 million. With subsidiaries and rep offices in 13 countries Ghana, United Kingdom, UAE, China, Lebanon, India, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Rwanda, Zambia, Congo, Cameroon and most recently Kenya Access Bank continues to defy critics, strengthening its place as a powerhouse in the Nigerian and indeed African banking industry. Increase in incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, surge in geriatric population, and rise in incidence of obesity across the world drive the growth of the global anti-rheumatics market. PORTLAND, Oregon, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Anti-Rheumatics Market by Drug Class (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARD's), Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's), Corticosteroids, Uric Acid Drugs, and Others), Type (Prescription-Based Drugs and Over-the-Counter Drugs): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026." According to the report, the global anti-rheumatics industry accounted for $57.22 billion in 2018, and is estimated to reach $71.93 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2019 to 2026. Prime determinants of growth Increase in incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, surge in geriatric population, and rise in incidence of obesity across the world drive the growth of the global anti-rheumatics market. However, side effects related to the medication and higher cost of biologics & biosimilars hinder the growth of the market. On the other hand, R&D activities in the field of biosimilars and novel biologics present numerous opportunities in the market. Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6289 The disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) segment to maintain its lead position by 2026 Based on drug class, the disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) segment held more than one-third of the total market share of the global anti-rheumatics market in 2018, and is expected to maintain its lead position throughout the forecast period. This is due to its action on the medical conditions rather than acting on the symptoms. However, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 3.7% from 2019 to 2026. This is attributed to the rise in incidences of rheumatoid arthritis regarding pain in the joints. The prescription-based drugs segment to maintain its dominance by 2026 Based on type, the prescription-based drugs segment accounted for the highest share in the global anti-rheumatics market in 2018, contributing for more than three-fourths of the total share, and is estimated to maintain its dominance in terms of revenue throughout the forecast period. This is due to increase in the number of specialized hospitals across the world that provide treatment from specialized medical professionals. However, the over-the-counter drugs segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 3.3% from 2019 to 2026, owing to surge in awareness related to treatment options and ease in availability. North America to lead in terms of revenue during the forecast period Based on region, North America held the highest share in 2018, accounting for nearly one-third of the global anti-rheumatics market, and will lead during the forecast period. This is due to easy availability of anti-rheumatics and increase in geriatric population that are susceptible to nephrological disorders. However, Asia-Pacific is estimated to witness the largest growth rate, with a CAGR of 3.7% from 2019 to 2026. This is attributed to increase in healthcare expenditure and surge in awareness of anti-rheumatics. For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6289 Leading market players Pfizer, Inc. Johnson & Johnsons Bristol-Myers Squibb Company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Celegene Corporations MedImmune, LLC Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. Biogen Inc. Celltrion Inc. Amgen Inc. Avenue Basic Plan | Library Access | 1 Year Subscription | Sign up for Avenue subscription to access more than 12,000+ company profiles and 2,000+ niche industry market research reports at $699 per month, per seat. For a year, the client needs to purchase minimum 2 seat plan. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Get more information:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Similar Reports: Flow Cytometry Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Healthcare IT Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Remote Patient Monitoring Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Dialysis Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Life Science Market:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/life-sciences Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg Wednesdays session of President Donald Trumps impeachment trial began when the Senate reconvened at 1 p.m., with House impeachment managers presenting their opening arguments. They have 24 hours over three days to present their case against the president on obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. Next, the presidents legal team will have the same amount of time to present their defense. The senators adopted impeachment trial rules early Wednesday morning. The Houses impeachment managers are led by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the Democratic chairmen of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, respectively. Trump has a legal team consisting of White House counsel Pat Cipollone, personal lawyer Jay Sekulow, Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, former prosecutor Robert Ray, and more. The team did not take the opportunity on Wednesday to file a motion to dismiss the impeachment case. Here is how the second day of the Senate trial unfolded: 9:45 p.m. ET Trial is Adjourned Schiff made his closing statements for the Houses first day of arguments, revisiting the chronology of the events surrounding what he called the presidents corrupt scheme. Weve introduced the case, weve gone through the chronology, and tomorrow we will apply the effects of the law as it pertains to the presidents abuse of power, Schiff said. Schiff also suggested that more people may be involved in the scheme as he called for the inclusion of more witnesses and evidence near the end of his statement. You and the American people should know who else was involved in this scheme, he said. You should want the whole truth to come out, you should want to know about every player in this sordid business. The trial was adjourned at 9:40 p.m. and will resume at 1 p.m. on Thursday. 9:10 p.m. ET Schiff Resumes the Floor Schiff returned to the mic, saying that House Managers have about 20 minutes left in the presentation, and that he would now go through with you the presidents efforts to hide this corrupt scheme even as it continued well into the fall of last year. He turned his focus to events that came after the Aug. 12, when the whistleblower complaint was submitted to the intelligence committee. 8:45 p.m. ET Lofgren Continues From Schiff Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who took over the floor at about 8.45 p.m., proceeded to speak about events that occurred after news of U.S. military aid being withheld from Ukraine first became public on Aug. 8, leading up to when the hold was lifted on Sept. 11. 8:25 p.m. ET Schiff Calls For More Evidence In his remarks to the Senate after dinner, Schiff revisited accounts of events that came after the July 25 phone call, as well as the Trump administrations temporary hold on military aid to Ukraine. He also played several clips of testimony from Ambassador William Taylor, the charge daffaires at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine. Schiff went on to push for access Taylors notes to be turned over by the State Department and presented in the trialmainly those related to a phone call he had with Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union. We want to know exactly what happened in that conversation when it was fresh in Sondlands mind, and he told Taylor about it, and Taylor told it in his notes. Youre going to want Taylors notes, Schiff said. In any courtroom in America holding a fair trial, you would want to see contemporaneous notes. This Senate should be no different. Demand those notes, demand to see the truth, he said, adding that the House managers hadnt seen them. Maybe those notes say something completely different. Maybe those notes saw no quid pro quo. Maybe those notes say its a perfect call. Id like to see them. Theyre yours for the asking, he told the Senate. Shortly after, Schiff also pushed for notes taken by Tim Morrison, a senior National Security Council official. According to Schiff, Sondland called Morrison to update him on a conversation that Sondland had with Trump on Sept. 7. Unlike Sondland who testified that he never took notes, Morrison took notes of that conversation and recalled it during his public testimony, Schiff said. Theres a written record of what President Trump told Ambassador Sondland right after that call, would you like to see that written record? Its called Morrisons notes. Theres a good way to find out what happened on that call because its in writing, Schiff told the Senate. Is there any question why theyre withholding this from Congress? 7:20 p.m. ET Senate Back in Session Schiff has taken the floor. He said he expects the session to end around 10 p.m. after he and Rep. Zoe Lofgren give their presentations. 6:35 p.m. ET Senate in recess Sen. Ted Cruz (R- Texas) said during a dinner break, The need for the Senate to hear the testimony of Hunter Biden has become more relevant, following Jeffries speech summarizing the Trump-Zelensky July 25 phone call during which the president asked Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Cruz said Senate Republicans will do a better job than House Democrats to allow both sides the full opportunity to present their cases. Today Adam Schiff said [that] if a defendant is denied the right to call witnesses to prove his innocence, thats not a fair trial. Well, the problem is that is exactly what House Democrats did where they put on prosecution witnesses, they refused to allow Hunter Biden to be called. The House Democrats have now made Hunter Biden central to the question of the presidents interest and yet they did exactly what they said, he said. House Managers have used 4h and 55 minutes of their time, and will have another 19h 5 minutes to make arguments. 5:50 p.m. ET Jeffries Refers to Trump-Zelensky Call In a speech over half an hour long, House impeachment manager Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told the Senate that he questioned why Trump would mention Rudolph Giulianis name in a July 25 phone call with Ukrainian president Zelensky as Giuliani is not part of the White House. On multiple occasions, President Trump directed Ukraines new leader to speak with his personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, on an official call, Jeffries said. Mr. Giuliani is not a member of the Trump administration. According to the publicly released call transcript, Trump mentioned Giuliani after Zelensky said his team would like to meet with the lawyer. Trump them asked Zelensky for a favor in that talk to Attorney General William Barr regarding the Crowdstrike situation. He also asked Zelensky to talk to Barr about the Bidens. In a separate part of his speech, Jeffries said, Giuliani is not the secretary of state. Hes not an ambassador. Hes not a member of the diplomatic corps. 5:40 p.m. ET Demings Calls on Senate to Compel Bolton Testimony Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), one of the House managers, called on the Senate to compel testimony from former White House national security adviser John Bolton. Some witnesses claimed Bolton told another official that the Ukraine affair was a drug deal. Bolton, however, has never confirmed those statements. The American people want to hear from [John] Bolton, she said. Previously, Bolton said he would be willing to testify in the Senate trial. 5:10 p.m. ET House Manager Jason Crow Speaks House manager Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), an Army veteran, spoke to the Senate and aided to make House Democrats opening argument. Of the withheld aid to Ukraine, he said Kyiv cant fight effectively without it. 4:45 p.m ET GOP Senator Says House Managers Arguments Are Repetitive I think were already beginning to lose certainly the television audience and maybe the press to some extent, but certainly senators are struggling to try to see why we have to sit there, sit hearing the same arguments over and over and over and over again, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters. He also said the Senate is being tied up by the trial. Lets say a witness like Mick Mulvaney or John Bolton come. invariably the White House would claim executive privilege. Thered be a lawsuit filed in District Court in the District of Columbia that would then go to the Court of Appeals and then potentially the Supreme Court. That could take months, he said. In the meantime, the Senate cant do anything else, we cant confirm judges we cant have hearings, we cant even introduce legislation. Trump Lawyer Responds Jay Sekulow, one of Trumps lead attorneys, said House Democrats need to move forward without any documents or witnesses. He told reporters during the break in proceedings that the more they do these two-and-a-half-hour events at a time, it undercuts their entire argument. Unless hes making it up, it seems like hes got a lot of information, Sekulow told reporters of Schiff. So proceed with your case. Sekulow continued: Look, theyre putting on their case. The good news is we only have 22 hours more to go of their side and well go. Let them put their case on and well continue. 4 p.m. ET Impeachment Trial Back on, Nadler Speaks Nadler is now speaking on the House floor and defended former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was recalled by the White House last year. He accused Trump of engaging in a campaign of slander to try and push out Yovanovitch. 3:30 p.m. ET Senate in recess The Senate has gone into recess until at least 3:50 p.m. local time. It follows more than two hours of opening remarks from Schiff. 3:15 p.m. ET White House Responds to Schiff Schiff keeps lying. At no point on the call did President Trump ask President Zelensky to announce investigations. Its all in the transcript, the White House wrote on Twitter as Schiff spoke. Schiff keeps lying. At no point on the call did President Trump ask President Zelensky to announce investigations. Its all in the transcript: https://t.co/wfHIQ0aO76 The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 22, 2020 2:53 p.m. ET Schiff Describes Military Aid Schiff said that U.S. military aid to Ukraine was designed to help Kyiv defend itself from the Kremlins aggression. More than 15,000 Ukrainians have died fighting Russian forces and their proxies. 15,000. He said that the aid was Congressionally approved. Should Congress just get over it? Should the American people just come to expect that our presidents will corruptly abuse their office to seek the help of a foreign power to cheat in our elections? Is that what weve come to? I hope and pray that the answer is no, he later asked. 2:30 p.m. ET Schiff Describes Texts Schiff went over text messages between White House officials before the July 25 call. Schiff said a text between envoy Kurt Volker and an aide to Ukraines president occurred 30 minutes before the call. They [Trumps team] dont want you to look at the months that went into that call or the months of pressure that followed, Schiff said. He was prepped Of course he was been prepped. 1:45 p.m ET Schiff Says Senators Need to Act Impartially The Constitution entrusts you to the responsibility of acting as impartial jurors, have a fair trial and weigh the evidence before you no matter what your party affiliation or vote in the previous election or the next, our duty is to the Constitution and the rule of law, said Schiff during the trial. You have the added difficulty of having to weigh the facts and the law, so I want to begin today by thanking you for the conduct of the proceedings yesterday and for inviting your patience as we go forward, Schiff also said. 1:15 p.m. ET Impeachment Back in Session The Democratic House impeachment managers are making their opening statements today, starting with House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. Schiff laid out the Democrats inquiry findings against Trump, saying that Trump pushed for investigations completely without merit. He claimed Trump wanted to investigate debunked claims about former Vice President Joe Biden, son Hunter Biden, and alleged Ukrainian election interference in 2016. Trump has defended the investigations and denied allegations of quid pro quo. 12:45 p.m. ET Adam Schiff Lays Out Plan We will go into extensive detail about what happened and when and how we know that it happened. We do not assume everyone in the Senate was able to watch all of the house testimony. Some of you in the press were not able to do that. We cant assume the senators were even as we were, let alone the American people were able to do so. We will lay out the facts and chronology and new facts continue to come to light, Schiff told reporters just minutes ahead of the trial start. 11 a.m. ET Schumer Criticizes GOP in Press Conference Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) held a press conference two hours before the impeachment session on Wednesday, saying that a particular amendment revealed the charade that the Republicans are participating in here. It meant that presentations could not rely on this important evidence. That senators cannot ask questions about this evidence, Schumer added. Earlier Updates: On Tuesday, none of the Democrats proposed amendments were approved, with all 53 Republicans blocking them from moving forward. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also offered a concession, allowing for the House and Trumps legal team to make their arguments in three days instead of two. He also loosened a restriction on the Senate records. Trump said Wednesday he would like to see some of his top aides testify, but he suggested there were national security concerns regarding their testimony. We have a great case, Trump told The Associated Press at a global economic forum in Davos. The president said his legal team was doing a very good job. After one politically charged exchange between Trumps lawyers and the House managers, Chief Justice John Roberts intervened, and told both sides to remember where they are. I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the presidents counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the worlds greatest deliberative body, Roberts said. Senate members should avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse, he continued. The Senate will decide whether Trump should be removed from office for abuse of power stemming from his alleged pressure on Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and Bidens son Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, and for obstructing Congress ensuing probe. Trump has denied the allegations of quid pro quo. Epoch Times Staff contributed to this report. From The Epoch Times Oregon schools raised the statewide graduation rate for the class of 2019 to 80%, slightly narrowed racial and economic inequities and registered improvement with every single group of students, according to figures made public early Thursday. The biggest gains were among low-income students, whose on-time graduation rate rose 2 percentage points; students with disabilities, whose rate rose 3 percentage points; and students who were still learning English as their second language while in high school. The on-time graduation rate for that third group surged more than 4 percentage points to 60%. .Betsy Hammond / The Oregonian|OregonLive State schools chief Colt Gill hailed what he called an historic achievement. He credited hard work in local school districts as well as a half-dozen statewide initiatives for the widespread improvement and the narrowing of racial and other gaps. In particular, Gill said, the state is seeing the payoff from new programs designed to help specific groups of students -- Native Americans, blacks, English language learners and migrants -- in ways that respect their cultures, match their languages and use research-backed techniques. For example, 18 full-time bilingual graduation specialists placed strategically around the state mentor migrant students and help their parents -- in their native language -- to understand such matters as what credits are and how many are needed to graduate. Gill said the Oregon Department of Education has also helped by shining a light, year after year, on key indicators of students progress, particularly the share of ninth-graders who earn enough credits to be on track toward graduation and the percentage of students in every grade who are absent more than 10% of the school year. Missing too much school or failing too many classes freshman year are highly correlated with dropping out of school. It was former Gov. John Kitzhabers overarching education board that first required schools to track -- and the state to make public -- those two rates. That board and its achievement compacts with school boards were widely criticized, particularly by school boards, school administrators and the teachers union. After Kitzhaber resigned amid an influence peddling scandal, lawmakers, with the support of Gov. Kate Brown, were quick to abolish the so-called Oregon Education Investment Board and its accountability powers. But the Oregon Department of Education, under Gill and his predecessors, kept collecting and publicizing the new data points the board had zeroed in on. And Gill, appointed to the post by Brown in January 2018, has upped the pressure and encouragement for schools and districts to combat rampant absenteeism. The Kitzhaber-backed requirement to closely track how many ninth-graders earn enough credits kicked in for freshmen in 2013-14. The numbers were discouraging: just 78.5%, the state reported. But just two years later, when the class of 2019 hit ninth-grade, schools had upped their game, and 83.5% of them netted the necessary credits to be on track for a diploma. In that way, Thursdays encouraging report was somewhat foretold by their ninth-grade successes. Schools with exceptionally high graduation rates included West Linn High (99%), West Albany High (98%), Henley High in Klamath County (also 98%), Sherwood High (97%) and Lakeridge High (96%). Schools with exceptional graduation rates for low-income students, who face extra challenges and need more expert support from educators to reach a diploma in four years, included West Albany (more than 95%), McMinnville High (93%), and Benson, Madras, Marshfield (in Coos Bay) and Clackamas high schools, all of which graduated 91% of their low-income students on time. The state also tracks how many students graduate within five years of starting high school, in recognition that some students -- particularly those who move around a lot or who start high school barely speaking English -- need extra time to gain all the required credits. That five-year rate for the class of 2018 rose 2 percentage points from the class of 2017 rate to reach 82%. Oregons graduation rate has been considered an embarrassment and blemish for many years, with it typically ranking in the very bottom tier of states. It wont be known for many months how its new-and-improved rate ranks, given that other states are also registering improvements. Latino success This years graduation report caps a decade of improved school outcomes for Oregons large population of Latinos, who made up 22% of the class of 2019. In each of the past five years, Latino students on-time graduation rate has climbed 2 percentage points or more so that it now stands just 5 percentage points below the rate for white students 76% vs. 81%. A decade ago, that gap was 17 percentage points. Black students, however, have not benefited as much. Their graduation rate, while up 2 percentage points this year, has stagnated in some recent years. At just 70%, the share of Oregons black students who earn a diploma in four years of high school is a full 10 percentage points below that for whites. McMinnville schools continue to lead the way in graduating Latino students on time. More than 92% of students in its class of 2019 graduated on time, the best rate among districts with at least 100 Latino students. Woodburn was second, at 89%. Those two districts showed more success at graduating Latino students than the following large Portland-area districts did at graduating white students: Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard-Tualatin, North Clackamas, Canby and Oregon City. Two of Oregons three districts with the largest number of Latinos Salem and Beaverton roughly matched the state average for Latino graduation at 77% and 76% respectively, while the third, Portland Public Schools, lagged at 72%. Three other districts with large Latino populations Reynolds, Gresham-Barlow and Springfield caused the statewide rate to drag, as they failed to get one-third or more of their Latino students across the line to a diploma in four years. Over and over, McMinnville educators have shared the techniques they use to be so successful in getting Latino students to learn math, reading and writing skills, to gain college credits while in high school and to graduate on time nearly all of them strategies designed to help all students, not just Latinos. They use a variety of techniques. They offer free preschool, after-school help and summer school to students most in need of a boost. They also partner with community colleges to offer a huge variety of college-credit classes at McMinnville High, taught by the schools teachers. But three strategies do the most to explain McMinnvilles uncanny success at getting Latino students successfully through high school, said Tony Vicknair, the districts secondary program administrator who served as the high schools vice principal for about a decade before becoming principal in 2015. Those are: The districts highly effective program to help emerging bilingual students master English, McMinnville Highs extra-strong safety net program to ensure freshmen have a great start to high school and the schools rich array of hands-on career-technical courses that let students see, starting freshman year, how what they learn in high school will connect to real life and rewarding jobs. Sequences of hands-on classes that equip students with some of the skills theyll need to become nurses, welders, firefighters, engineers or teachers are what motivate some students to come to school each day and to see a purpose in high school, Vicknair said. If you are excited about coming to school for welding or health services, you are going to come to school, he said. And if you come to school (with great regularity) all four years, you are going to graduate. -- Betsy Hammond; betsyhammond@oregonian.com; @chalkup Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Iraqi President Barham Salih said he had a very good and candid conversation with US President Donald Trump at Davos today, in which Salih said he repeatedly urged restraint and stressed that the region cannot afford another conflict. His comments referred especially to the US-Iran escalation that has ramped up amid the Trump administration maximum pressure campaign against Iran, and in particular after the US killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike at the Baghdad airport earlier this month. This is a dangerous moment, the Iraqi president, who is a Kurd, said in a question and answer session with journalist Fareed Zakaria following Salihs speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today. The Middle East does not need another conflict. We have had a very good conversation with the president [Trump], and we had a very candid conversation [about] the need for basically restraint, calming things down, Salih continued. This is not time for another conflict. In my conversations with many actors in the region, everybody, everybody, almost everybody is saying, This is getting out of hand. Please cool it down. Restraint. Iraq, coming out of 40 years of conflict and the recent US-led fight against the so-called Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS), needs to focus on jobs, education, infrastructure and good governance, and not squander resources in more conflict, Salih said. Our young people are demanding jobs, Salih said. We need reforms. We need to rebuild the territories that ISIS destroyed. These are the priorities. We need today 12,000 new school buildings. So, I can say it with as much passion as I can muster: This part of the world does not need another conflict, Salih repeated. Because look at the past decades of war and conflict, what have they achieved? Only squandering resources and more people made homeless and more extremism propping up. Trump, meeting with Salih at the forum earlier today, seemed to tone down earlier threats to punish Iraq with sanctions or other penalties if it followed through with a recommendation by the Iraqi parliament to ask foreign forces to leave Iraq. But Trump also gave no indication if he was prepared to reduce or reshape the US troop presence out of sensitivity to Iraqi political dynamics. Well, were talking about a lot of different things, and youll be hearing whatever we do, Trump told reporters at his meeting with Salih, when asked what plan there was for pulling US troops out. But they like what were doing and we like them, and weve had a very good relationship. And were down to a very low number, Trump added, referring to the number of US forces in Iraq. Were down to 5,000. So were down to a very low number historically low. And well see what happens. Trump punted when asked if he was still considering US sanctions on Iraq. Well see what happens because we do have to do things on our terms, Trump said. Salih ticked off US-Iraq common interests, while stressing Iraqi sovereignty and independence. We have a lot of common interests: the fight against extremism; stability in the neighborhood a sovereign Iraq that is stable, friends of the neighbors, and friends of the United States, the Iraqi leader said. Trump responded, without much seeming concern about Iraqi sensitivities, by expressing US interest in the Iraqi oil business. And were also involved with them in their oil business, and thats always been very important from their standpoint and from our standpoint, Trump said. So we have a lot of very positive things to talk about. Abbas Kadhim, director of Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said the challenge for Iraq is that the Trump administration seems to see any drawdown of US forces in Iraq at the moment as giving the optics of victory to Iran. Both sides (the US and Iran) are playing a zero-sum game, Kadhim told Al-Monitor. Opponents of the US presence want to have the troops out. Those in the middle of the debate are ready to entertain a partial withdrawal of those troops there to fight ISIS, but keep those there to train the Iraqis. Iraq purchased a lot of [US defense/weapons] contracts. Keep the trainers to show how to use those weapons. And some people say some personnel to protect the embassy. The US, from its own side, sees even a partial withdrawal now as giving a victory to Iran, Kadhim said. They dont want the optics of pulling out US troops showing a victory for the Iran side. The Iraqi government does not want to get the [US] troops out, Kadhim continued. They realize there are benefits, not just in security, but in capacity building for Iraqi forces. They need US infrastructure." Kadhim said, Ultimately, those on the street, armed groups, [have given a] unanimous verdict to parliament to get the US troops out. Caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi is scared to death some troops might be killed on his watch. He doesnt want this to happen. There would be major consequences. And that is where the situation is. The effectiveness of US troops in Iraq has been reduced by their concerns over force protection, he said. Nobody is in charge, Kadhim said. It seems more or less the troops right now, from a functional perspective, are not going to be effective for a long time. All they care about right now is force protection. Their margin of freedom to move around is reduced, suspecting every Iraqi they meet. Iraq analyst Nibras Kazimi said the Trump administration's policy toward Iraq, influenced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is increasingly focused on pressuring Iran. Pompeo would burn Iraq and Lebanon as quick fuel for maximum pressure because he believes regime collapse in Tehran is imminent, Kazimi, an Iraqi-Kurdish analyst based in Washington, told Al-Monitor. Americans are split along partisan lines on whether President Trump's impeachment trial should lead to him getting booted from office. New polling from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 74 per cent of Democrats feel strongly that Trump should be removed from office, while 72 per cent of Republicans feels strongly that he should stay. Americans' views are also baked in, with 77 per cent of Democrats saying they're not very or not at all likely to change their view of Trump, depending on the what the Senate impeachment trial produces. For Republicans, that number was even higher, with 88 per cent telling pollsters they're not budging on believing Trump should get off. Americans are split along partisan lines on whether they think President Trump (pictured) should be removed from office for his conduct related to the Ukrainian president Not surprisingly, Democrats feel strongly that President Trump should be removed from office, while Repubilcans think he should stay put Democrats were also far more likely to say that Trump's conduct in regards to the President of Ukraine was illegal as opposed to Republicans who say the U.S. president did nothing wrong One of the Democrats' House impeachment managers, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, makes his case against President Trump on Wednesday. New polling data shows that he's unlikely to sway many Republican voters, who think Trump should stay in office Tuesday marked the beginning of Trump's Senate trial with proceedings stretching into the early next morning. Democrats brought articles of impeachment against Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for actions related to his decision to temporarily withhold nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine last year. Democrats contend that move was made to push Zelenskiy to target Hunter Biden for criminal investigation. The younger Biden had served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. Officials in Ukraine have said they have found no wrongdoing in Hunter Bidens service on the board. Overall, the public is slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not, 45 per cent to 40 per cent. But a sizable percentage, 14 per cent, say they dont know enough to have an opinion. Confidence in the Senate to conduct a fair trial of the president is limited, though Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it will be a fair trial. A slim majority of Republicans think Trump has done nothing wrong in his interactions with Ukraine's president, though that share has declined slightly from an AP-NORC poll in October - 64 per cent then compared with 54 per cent now. Roughly another third now think Trump did something unethical but not illegal, while just about 1 in 10 thinks he did something illegal. By comparison, roughly three-quarters of Democrats say Trump did something illegal in his interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump's approval rating has remained within the narrow range it has consistently occupied throughout his presidency. The new poll shows 41 per cent approve of his performance, similar to what it was in December and throughout the fall. About half of Americans think Trump's administration is cooperating too little with the trial, while about 4 in 10 think the level of cooperation is about right. One question theres widespread agreement on: Trump should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial. About 7 in 10 said so, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats. Trump repeated Wednesday that he would like to have his top advisers testify, but said it could create national security concerns. Jay Sekulow, a Trump personal attorney serving on his impeachment team, argues that Trumps communications with his advisers are privileged information. The AP-NORC poll of 1,353 adults was conducted Jan. 16-21 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods and later were interviewed online or by phone. The students' coordination committee of the AMU on Thursday burnt an effigy of the varsity's Dean near Baab-e-Syed gate and demanded police action against him for allegedly threatening students opposing the CAA. Former AMU Students' Union President and spokesman of the Students' Coordination Committee Faizul Hasan has lodged a complaint with Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhari in this regard, the students' body said. In the complaint, Hasan alleged that while AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor was on Wednesday persuading protesting medicos to resume attending classes, newly appointed Dean of Students' Welfare Mujahid Beg allegedly told them to be "thankful" as only hands of some of the students were broken in the police action on December 15 and "no one had been killed". Students of the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College are boycotting classes as part of the continuing anti-CAA protest at the campus. The Dean's remarks infuriated the agitating students who felt that they were being threatened and pressurised to call off their stir. When contacted, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) spokesperson Shafey Kidwai admitted that some of the "off the cuff remarks" by the Dean might have caused confusion. "He had, however, no intention of threatening the protesting students but was just reminding them of some past events which the university had witnessed and which were even worse than today's crisis," Kidwai clarified. He said that the Vice Chancellor's initiative was part of an ongoing outreach programme to persuade the protesting students in different faculties to start attending classes "even while continuing with their peaceful protest against what they feel is unjust legislation". Meanwhile, seven students including two former leaders were booked by the police for brandishing their shoes at university Proctor Afifullah Khan after he objected to outsiders joining the protest on the campus. According to circle officer Anil Samania, Nadeem Ansari, the former vice president of students' union and Hamza Sufian were booked under relevant sections of the IPC following a written complaint by the proctors' office. The incident happened on January 17 when a large number of students were protesting on the campus and the proctor reportedly objected to the presence of some outsiders. Students at AMU on Thursday also held a meeting to register support for film star Nasiruddin Shah, an alumnus of AMU, who they alleged was being targeted by sections of social media for voicing his support for anti-CAA protests. The varsity's teachers' body -- Aligarh Muslim University Teachers' Association (AMUTA) took out a procession demanding a judicial inquiry into last month's campus violence. They also passed a resolution urging AMU students to end their boycott of classes and exams while simultaneously carrying out peaceful protests against CAA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A Wasilla police officer assisting on a domestic violence case shot and killed a man who brandished a shotgun, Alaska State Troopers said Thursday. Gage Southard, 26, of Palmer, died in the shooting, troopers said in a release. The name of the Wasilla officer will be released after 72 hours, said department spokeswoman Amanda Graham, citing department policy. Troopers said they responded to a report of a domestic disturbance early Thursday in a neighbourhood outside Palmer and arrived shortly after 2:30 a.m. A woman walked out of the home with two children, troopers said. She had suffered non-life-threatening injuries, troopers said. The woman said Southard was inside the garage and was armed with a shotgun. Moments later, troopers said Southard drove out of the garage in an SUV and drove away. Wasilla police had been notified and an officer spotted Southard on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, where the officer and a trooper, attempted a traffic stop. Southard drove into a ditch in a nearby neighbourhood, troopers said. He stepped out of the SUV with the shotgun, troopers said. At about 2:50 a.m., the Wasilla officer shot Southard, who was taken by ambulance to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, where he died. The troopers General Investigative Unit, with help from the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, is reviewing the case. A new report from the ESRI says Ireland's tax system does more than any other EU country to reduce income inequality. The think-tank says despite gross household income being one of the most unequal in Europe - it is offset by the current tax model. Press Release 23 January 2020 The third edition of the Saudi Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC) concluded on the 21st and 22nd of January, at the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel, where Dur Hospitality hosted the prestigious event as the strategic partner, under the patronage of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage (SCTH), in partnership with Bench Events and MEED and in the presence of over 350 dignitaries, industry experts, hoteliers and investors. Advertisements The Chairman of Dur Hospitality Eng. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Issa expressed Dur's delight in hosting this remarkable event for the third consecutive year, and reiterated the company's pride in leading efforts to transform the Saudi hospitality sector, while exploring new avenues that will enhance the company's offerings as a key player and contributor to the tourism industry, a key sector within the growing Saudi economy which is forecast to increase its contribution to the Kingdom's GDP by 8% by 2030. Dur Hospitality unveiled its accomplishments during the event, the most prominent being its upcoming plan for the year, including the expansion of the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel with the addition of 100 rooms and suites. The company also shed light on the growth of its subsidiary brand Makarem Hotels and its portfolio doubling with 2181 rooms in the pipeline to be opened in the Kingdom's holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, ensuring a steady path towards Makarem's target of 5000 rooms by 2023. Additionally, Dur celebrated its employee Haneen Baljoun who was distinguished with the renowned Saudi Young Leader Award for her extraordinary performance and contributions to the success of the company's operations as the first and only LEED accredited female engineer in Dur to work on the LEED Gold Certified hotel - Marriott Diplomatic Quarter, amongst many other leading projects. In this regard, Dur CEO Mr. Sultan Al Otaibi stated that the company has proudly highlighted its recent accomplishments through SHIC, further augmenting its brand among industry leaders and potential investors. He also underscored Dur's dedication towards supporting national talents, an aspect clearly demonstrated through Dur's employee receiving the prestigious Saudi Young Leader Award. Moreover, he expressed his confidence in Dur's progress and positive outlook for the coming phase as the company continues to operate and develop more world-class properties throughout Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Dur's President of Hotel Operations Mr. Hassan Ahdab participated among 90 high-profile speakers at the conference, speaking at the panel "Leaders Perspective - Transform tomorrow and building ground up" where he shed light on a series of recent accomplishments by Dur including a remarkable portfolio expansion over the last year through signing 4 properties that will increase the hotel keys to 4499. He also commended the company's efforts to fill in market gaps through leveraging partnerships and initiatives to deliver the best standards and achieve increased profitability. Shifting the spotlight to Dur's efforts and initiatives in empowering national talent, the Saudi Student Summit session opened discussions between the students of Dur Academy and industry leaders on prospects and career opportunities within the industry. SHELBURNE Two Franklin County school boards that share one superintendent Michael Buoniconti, who recently acknowledged an affair with an employee have not agreed on whether he should stay or go. Buoniconti is on paid leave following a closed-door meeting last week with the Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee where the two sides agreed to negotiate a severance agreement. But he is technically still working for the Hawlemont School Committee, which is scheduled to discuss the matter Jan. 27 in executive session. The meeting agenda says the board will discuss complaints against Buoniconti and discuss strategy with respect to litigation. Hussain Hamdan, a Hawley selectman and a member of the Hawlemont School Committee, is opposed to Buoniconti leaving. Hamdan has spoken publicly in support of the embattled school chief, saying Buonicontis personal life is his own business and not the publics, according to a letter he wrote to the Greenfield Recorder, published Wednesday. Although the two school boards operate independently, Buoniconti signed a single contract with them in 2017. Set to expire on June 30, 2022, the contract shows a current annual salary of $159,761. The agreement says unilateral termination of his employment by the boards must be for good cause. Contract language says: The Superintendent, by this Agreement, agrees to conform to all Rules and Regulations of the Committees and to conform to ethical standards expected of persons performing professional duties of this or like nature. It is the expectation of the parties that this conduct will at all times be of the highest ethical standards of the profession. Mohawk Director of Pupil Services Leann Loomis agreed on Friday to be interim superintendent for the nine-town regional school district, according to the Mohawk school board, which is beginning a search for Buonicontis successor. During this time of transition, the districts leadership team will continue working together to ensure the impact of these changes is minimal to our students and families, she said in a statement. Martha Thurber, chair of the Mohawk school board, said in an email that until an agreement between the District and Mr. Buoniconti has been finalized and signed, the School Committee is not in a position to discuss specific terms. That should occur in the very near future. Buoniconti on Jan. 12 sent an email to school staff in which he acknowledged his romantic involvement with an employee. Since then, more than 600 people have signed an online petition demanding the superintendent and Mohawk school board chairs resignations. Thurber declined to comment when asked about the demand she resign. In his email to staff, Buoniconti wrote: During the month of December, I entered into a personal relationship with a member of the MTRSD staff who does not report to me. This relationship resulted in no disparate treatment, nor did it impact my work performance. Buoniconti said the employee he was involved with resigned their position with the MTRSD. To ensure full disclosure, I am in the process of getting an opinion from the Massachusetts Ethics Commission. During this time, my wife sent an email to the MTRSD Chair and Vice Chair alleging that I was having an affair with a school committee member, which is untrue. While I had hoped to address this issue proactively, I am no longer in a position to do so. Buonicontis most recent employment evaluation by the Mohawk board in July rated him proficient in instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture. Minutes from the Mohawk school boards Dec. 11 meeting say Thurber opened the meeting by asking everyone to join her in recognizing Superintendent Buonicontis 30 years of military service in the U.S. Air Force and Armed Forces Reserve and in celebrating his official retirement from the service. Colonel Buoniconti had been honored in a special ceremony at Faneuil Hall on December 7th. The Mohawk district includes Mohawk Trail Regional School in Shelburne for grades seven through 12; Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School; Colrain Central School; and Sanderson Academy in Ashfield for prekindergarten through grade six. The Hawlemont School Committee oversees a prekindergarten through grade six school in Charlemont for the towns of Hawley and Charlemont. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 06:57:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Four people died in an plane crash incident Wednesday noon at Corona Municipal Airport, 75 kilometers east of Los Angeles downtown, U.S. state of California, local authorities said. The crash was reported at 12:11 p.m. local time on the east side of the airport, according to Corona Police Department. The plane with four on board crashed to the ground after turning off and burned on fire in the brush. Corona firefighter John Deyoe was quoted by the local Press-Enterprise news organization as saying that there were no survivors in the fatal incident. Ian Gregor, spokesman of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the agency will investigate the crash. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) Motorcycle taxi service provider JoyRide on Thursday denied involvement in a lawmakers move to have the founder of rival firm Angkas investigated and declared persona non grata. Absolutely not (nothing to do with it), JoyRide Vice President for Corporate Affairs Noli Eala told CNN Philippines The Source when asked about Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentels resolution filed on Wednesday. In fact, we're only hearing about this news now just like everyone else. But definitely, JoyRide is not aware of what prompted the Senator to do this, he added. Pimentel drew flak from netizens following his resolution, which seeks to ban Angkas Chief Executive Officer Angeline Tham a Singaporean national in the country for good. His Senate Resolution 287 sought to probe Tham and her high-handed, arrogant and irresponsible acts as a foreign national doing business in the country. It also cited violations of the countrys business ownership law. JoyRide, one of the two new entrants in the local motorcycle taxi industry, raised eyebrows early on after critics claimed it had backing from a government official. The ride-hailing firm has repeatedly denied any links to President Rodrigo Dutertes administration. Pimentel, however, earlier admitted he endorsed Joyride's letter to the Transportation Department seeking to be included in the government's pilot study for motorcycle taxi service. RELATED: DOTr says JoyRide entry not due to Pimentel's endorsement Angkas open to talks with Pimentel Angkas, for its part, said it is open to possible talks with Pimentel to thresh out issues. We will talk to everybody that we need to talk to, that we can talk to (in order) to move our advocacy forward, Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca told CNN Philippines Balitaan on Thursday. The company said it will let Congress decide and tackle the resolution. Angkas earlier announced that Royeca owns 60 percent of the company. Royeca earlier explained that Angkas stakes were divided among six owners, with his stake fulfilling the laws requirement, but the departments technical working group took it as a "blatant display of defiance and arrogance. READ: A Filipino now owns Angkas amid threat of LTFRB blacklist Pimentel, in a separate statement, said Angkas as a whole will not be affected by his move. Angkas will not be affected as an entity. The focus only is the foreign national and how she behaved as 99% business owner of Angkas. How many laws were violated by this foreign national? Pimentel said Thursday. Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It are currently under the governments motorcycle taxi pilot program a move designed to guide lawmakers in tackling the legality of motorcycles-for-hire. READ: Motorcycle taxis not yet banned as pilot run continues DOTr Recent diplomatic activities in New York between Syria and Saudi Arabia have led people to expect a resumption of relations writes Al-Watan. News that Syrias permanent representative to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, had attended a private party held by Saudi Arabias UN Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya al-Maalami made a loud impact. It was the first meeting that brought together the two figures in an official capacity after a long disruptionand, more than that, it occurred in New York. It sent a message that could indicate that Saudi Arabia is heading towards a new shift in its Syria policies. Looking into the details of what preceded this step, you may find signs that would indicate where the Arab scene will head next. The Saudi invitation came about a week after Damascus announced steps to hold a tripartite meeting with Russia and Turkey in Moscow. The Syrian side will be headed by the president of the National Security Bureau, Ali Mamlouk, who visited Saudi Arabia about a year ago as part of the arrangements at the time to restore relations between the two countries and restore Syrias seat in the Arab Leaguesomething which was derailed quickly by Washington with denials delivered by its envoy James Jeffrey, with these denials remaining in effect until the day before yesterday. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which was the first to move towards Damascus, today are in a real battle with Turkey and its Ottoman ambitions, which have almost reached the point of a direct military clash on the Libyan front, where the Gulf-Turkish clash appears clearly. This clash would not have reached this point if it had not been for the policies of these same countries, which have weakened what is historically the most dangerous strategic divide for the regionin Syria and Iraqand directly helped the Turkish expansion to take control over Arab resources and territory through the lever of the Ottoman Brotherhood from whom it received the total loyalty it needed from a considerable segment of the population of Arab countries. This revealed the failure of Arab governments to replace the loyalty of those dreaming of restoring the Ottoman era with the national loyalty within the concept of the nation state. Saudis latest turn, which seems to have been forced, is a swift attempt to acknowledge the new strategic loss that has kept it entirely out of all the regions affairs, which remain hostage to the American position, and which has derailed all Russian and non-Russian attempts and mediation to bring the Arabs back to Damascus. In the 1990s, the Arab tripartite of Saudi, Syria and Egypt, was the national guarantor and safety valve for the whole region. The striking down of this tripartite will mean heading into the unknown. The Arab guarantor is no longer there, and marketing the wings of the regionSaudi and Egypthas proved incapable of confronting the current horrors. This comprises a heavy blow to the Arab body. The conspiracy against Syria and the region as a whole has led to what is occurring today, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan boasting with all his arrogance and intransigence, that he wants to capture more of Syria and to remain permanently in Libya and maintain interests that dont end in Somalia or elsewherewithout forgetting its military base in Qatar. Everyone need to see the return of the lost tripartite and Syria is also in need of strong ties to other Arab countries, just as other Arab countries need a deep relation with Syria. We therefore await the next step and the chance to overcome the denials of diplomacy and restrictions coming from Washington. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Nine Catholic priests and one church employee within the Diocese of Fall River were accused of child sexual abuse, an attorney announced this week. The 10 men allegedly sexually abused at least one minor during a span of nearly 40 years, from 1947 to 1986, attorney Mitchell Garabedian said in a statement. The diocese announced Sunday that two other retired Catholic priests, James F. Buckley and Edward J. Byington, were suspended from the ministry over allegations of child sexual abuse committed decades ago. I believe that the Catholic Church, although saying the right things, has not made meaningful changes to protect children and help victims try to heal, said Garabedian, who is representing one of Byingtons alleged victims. The nine accused priests were assigned to parishes in Assonet, Dennisport, East Falmouth, Fall River, New Bedford, North Attleboro and Taunton at the time of the alleged abuse, according to Garabedian. Their names are Jose Maria Bettencourt e Avila, John P. Cronin, Raymond W. McCarthy, Thomas Mulryan, James Nickel, Edward O. Paquette, James R. Porter, Gilbert J. Simoes and Maurice Souza. Edward Lopes, a custodian at Santo Christo Church in Fall River, was also accused of child sexual abuse, Garabedian said. The attorney said his office has successfully brought claims against all 10 individuals. Bishop Edgar da Cunha announced last year his intention to publish a list of clergy against whom a credible allegation of abuse of a minor has been made in the past, according to the diocese. Garabedian called on the bishop to make the list available to the public. Releasing the names of the accused priests and Catholic church employees will help survivors heal, the attorney said. To not immediately release the list is a re-victimization of sexual abuse victims. It is time to end the secrecy, provide transparency and act in a positive manner, Garabedian said. The diocese said in a statement that its preparation of the list of accused priests is ongoing and that it hired an outside consultant to review personnel files of all priests, living or dead. Robert Hoatson, president of Road to Recovery, a New Jersey-based group that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families, was demonstrating outside the Fall River Dioceses office Tuesday, according to a statement from Hoatson. The former New Jersey priest also requested that da Cunha release the list of priests accused of child sexual abuse, said Hoatson, who identified himself as a survivor of clergy sexual abuse. The bishop appreciated Hoatsons concerns, the diocese said, adding that it is taking time to provide a list that is accurate and thorough." Survivors of clergy abuse can learn more information about cases and view a national database of accused priests on AbuseLawsuit.com, an organization that provides resources and legal support for the victims institutional sexual abuse. Dubai, United Arab Emirates The cellphone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked in what appeared to be an attempt by Saudi Arabia's crown prince to "influence, if not silence" the newspaper's reporting on the kingdom, two U.N. human rights experts said Wednesday. The U.N. experts called for an "immediate investigation" by the United States into a report commissioned by Bezos that showed the billionaire technology mogul's phone was likely hacked after he received an MP4 video file sent from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's WhatsApp account after the two men exchanged phone numbers during a dinner in Los Angeles in 2018. The video file was sent to Bezos' phone five months before Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi government agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of his simultaneous clampdown on dissent. The Post was harshly critical of the Saudi government after Khashoggi's killing and demanded accountability in a highly public campaign that ran in the paper for weeks after his death. "The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia," the independent U.N. experts said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. At a time when Saudi Arabia was "supposedly investigating the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and prosecuting those it deemed responsible, it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post," the experts said. Bezos first went public about the hack last year. He said the National Enquirer tabloid, whose owner has ties to the crown prince, was threatening to publish Bezos' private messages and photos if he didn't stop a private investigation he'd sought into the hacking of his phone. Iyad el-Baghdadi, an activist who worked with Bezos' investigators, told The Associated Press it appears the hacking was about free speech. "It's not about trying to compromise a businessman for business purposes," he said. "It's not about Amazon, it's about The Washington Post." Who doesnt love Maria Bamford? Photo: FilmMagic The comedy-podcast universe is ever expanding, not unlike the universe universe. Were here to make it a bit smaller, a bit more manageable. There are a lot of great shows, and each one has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the exceptional, the noteworthy. Each week, our crack team of podcast enthusiasts and specialists and especially enthusiastic people will pick their favorites. We hope to have your ears permanently plugged with the best in aural comedy. The Three Questions Maria Bamford This week Maria Bamford is the focus of host Andy Richters attention and his three questions Where do you come from? Where are you going? What have you learned? and she wades into a sea of answers as only her slightly loopy comedy mind can. She has no qualms explaining how her folks sort of encouraged her until they realized she was serious about pursuing comedy. No one around her saw it, apparently: Some guy I knew as a kid posted on my Twitter, Your sister was always funnier, she says. And he was right! She had to find the motivation to push herself because there was never a lot of pressure for greatness from her family. Theres a chemistry in Richters exchange with Bamford that pulls out a lot of laughs and moments of shared realizations. They touch briefly on her struggle with anorexia and the time she was institutionalized, but that feels all behind Bamford now, who is comfortable in a marriage and her longest relationship. Both host and guest talk wistfully about someday moving out of Los Angeles and returning to their quiet hometowns, and Bamford goes into some of the things shes considered doing in L.A. to maybe move away from performing comedy like the time she considered joining the LAPD, or teaching. She also talks about the inordinate amount of time she has spent in various 12-step programs for a variety of addictions: The great thing about 12-step programs is, they give you a set amount of time to speak, and they shine a light when your times up. Its like an open mic, but no matter how bad you were they cant kick you out! Richter and Bamford cover a lot of ground, both shallow and deep, and pull off making it super entertaining. Marc Hershon Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website Tigerbelly Tiffany Haddish & the Coochie That Makes Stars For an interview that begins with the question Have you had a small dick before? Tigerbellys newest episode with Tiffany Haddish ends up in surprisingly profound places. As two old friends from the L.A. comedy scene, Haddish and Bobby Lees chemistry is evident from the get-go. Haddish levels with Lee, telling him some hard truths that he hadnt heard from another comic before. You know the key to life is always be yourself You probably stressed yourself out over these years trying to figure out How do I fit in? when you should just be you. Bobby motherfuckin Lee. Therapy aside, Haddish talks about how always being kind to production crews inadvertently helped land her breakthrough role on Girls Trip. She and co-host Khalyla Kuhn bond over troubled childhood relationships with their mothers, which leads to the fantastic quote behind the episodes title: Haddish made her first TV appearance in 2007 while her mother was in a mental institution, and her mothers response to seeing it was, My coochie makes stars. Mark Kramer Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website The Underculture Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump With Anthony Atamanuik One of many reasons to be excited about Bernie Sanderss recent surge in the polls is the possibility of more Trump vs. Bernie debates. Specifically, James Adomians Bernie Sanders and Anthony Atamanuiks Donald Trump. The President Shows prematurely canceled star joins this weeks The Underculture for a small sample of the ongoing Trump vs. Bernie 2020 tour. Leaked footage from Sanderss home-security system reveals a late-night conversation in his kitchen that covers everything from commedia dellarte to Jeffrey Epsteins island. Atamanuiks childlike Trump boasts about bombing General Salami and Italian ISIS, and Adomians fiery Sanders vows to banish Trump to Fyre Fest Island. Afterward, the actual comedians fantasize about the potential real-world matchup, which would be accompanied by a 50-state Trump vs. Bernie tour featuring special guest moderator Tulsi Gabbard in Hawaii. Atamanuik is also excited to pitch a President Show reboot with Bernie Sanders if the senator moves into the White House. For many reasons: fingers crossed. Make sure to listen to the very end, when the two politicians join forces for a perfectly applicable duet of Sympathy for the Devil. Mark Kramer Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website Culture Kings New Oscar Categories With Demi Adejuyigbe Much like the holiday season bringing about good tidings and cheer, the beginning of any new awards season is sure to bring about hot takes by all. Just when you thought you didnt need any more Academy Award nominee opinions in your life, the Culture Kings drop a hell of an episode discussing the very subject. Given that hosts Jacquis Neal and Edgar Momplaisir truly do live up to the name Culture Kings, if youre going to pay attention to any of the hot takes out there, let me suggest starting with the ones on display here. This week, Neal and Momplaisir welcome comedian, writer, and person who just recently did their first backflip Demi Adejuyigbe (The Good Place). Following a lengthy discussion of this years Golden Globes, the meat of this episode comes when the three begin making up Academy Award categories they wish existed. Some standout categories include Worse Cast Actor, Best Athlete in a Movie Where You Go Oh That Athlete Can Really Act, and Greasiest-Looking Hair in a Motion Picture. Without spoiling too much, just know Adam Driver was nominated three times for one of the categories. Tom Rainey Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website Anna Faris Is Unqualified Fortune Feimster Billed as relationship advice from completely unqualified Hollywood types, Anna Fariss podcast aims to keep it real. While some might arrive at that level of honesty through assertive aggression or a the truth hurts attitude, Faris provides an inviting compassion instead. It works to build community through easy yet enlightening conversations like the one with this weeks guest, Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project). Feimster opens up about performing for different audiences, how she came out, and how she met her fiancee, infusing each story with humor. The funniest, though, follows her time from church camp performances to college theater, both of which she admits were environments that didnt see her thrive. I wanted to throw up every time I got onstage, adds Feimster. Faris is quick to give the comedian a chance to shine, however, goading her into doing a faux commercial audition as one of the best characters in her repertoire, Darlene Witherspoon no relation to Reese. The whole thing is an absolute hoot. Rounded out by earnest call-ins from listeners looking for actual relationship advice, which Faris and Feimster meet with equally sincere counsel, Anna Faris Is Unqualified is as moving as it is amusing. Becca James Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website Other Podcasts Were Listening To: Strong Black Lead Roy Wood Jr. Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website We Stan Together Lauren Ashley Smith Listen: Spotify | Apple Amazing Colossal Podcast Paul Reiser Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website Mega Christ Is Prevention Hotline With Katie Featherston Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website Got a comedy podcast recommendation? Drop us a line at comedypodcasts@vulture.com. India has underscored the need for higher partnerships, willingness and financing by the global community to tackle the tough challenges facing the world. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin on Wednesday also highlighted the discrepancy between climate ambition and climate finance. "The challenges are such that we need higher partnerships, we need higher financing and we need higher willingness to look at the hard decisions that we need to take to fulfill the tough challenges that we face," he said. Akbaruddin made the remarks following a speech by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the informal briefing of the General Assembly, in which he outlined the road map for change in 2020. The Indian envoy was the first ambassador to speak and put forth questions to the Secretary General during an interactive session following Guterres' remarks. In a wide-ranging speech to the General Assembly, Guterres said the world is facing four looming threats to human progress -- surging geopolitical tensions, climate crisis, global mistrust and the downsides of technology. "These four horsemen...can jeopardise every aspect of our shared future...We must address these four 21st-century challenges with four 21st-century solutions," the UN chief said. Akbaruddin said Guterres has stated the "four horsemen" with eloquence and complimented him on the several things he has done and plans to do to tackle global challenges. Talking of a "fifth horseman", Akbaruddin said, "Even while we talk of the future, we talk in a situation where austerity is present in the UN premises today." He said while there is talk of Action for Peacekeeping, "we talk it in the circumstances where peacekeeping troops are not yet being paid". Akbaruddin noted that though efforts made by Guterres have helped in trying to resolve the situation, long-term solutions are required to ensure that peacekeeping troops are paid on time. Highlighting the discrepancy between climate ambition and climate finance, he said, while climate ambition needs to be high, climate financing needs to be at par as well. "We cannot have high ambition without meeting the requirements of a high partnership. While we are talking of the threats of climate change, we haven't even agreed to the definition of climate financing, we haven't even agreed to continue to have climate financing as an item on the agenda of the UNFCCC starting from 2020 onwards," Akbaruddin said referring to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Drawing from the Hollywood movie, 'Jerry Maguire', he posed a question to Guterres, "Mr Secretary General, show me the money. All of us need to look at ways that we will realise this ambition. My question to you is are we looking for specific ways and specific means of implementing the numerous challenges we have?" Responding to Akbaruddin's question and comment, Guterres said he will soon be writing to the UN Member States on the financial situation and noted that the UN ended 2019 with with arrears up to 711 million dollars, which is the highest level ever. He noted that several measures were implemented to reduce expenditure at the world body and ended the year with a cash deficit of 320 million dollars due to those austerity measures, without which "the situation would be a complete disaster". Guterres noted that because of the flexibility in the use of funds within the peacekeeping operations, it was possible to pay USD 692 million in August-September last and USD 770 million in December that resulted in the lowest deficit in recent times. However, there is still a deficit of USD 174.8 million and "if we don't address some of the other challenges, I'm afraid that we will get back to the trend of the past and we will have increased debt to peacekeeping missions which is the most morally and politically unacceptable way to finance the UN." On climate finance, Guterres stressed that more ambition is needed in climate mitigation, adaptation and finance. "The three things go together. There is no way we can have ambition in mitigation and adaptation if there is no ambition in finance. Indeed, we are lagging behind in that regard," he said. Guterres voiced concern that it is not yet entirely clear how the 100 billion dollars per year from 2020 onwards will be raised between the public and private sector to support developing countries on climate action. The Sustainable Development Goal 13 aims to mobilize USD 100 billion annually by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries to both adapt to climate change and invest in low-carbon development. Guterres made a "very strong appeal" for a much stronger engagement of countries in order to make sure that the commitment by the developed countries are met and at the same time a number of measures are adopted to facilitate investment of the private sector in the developing countries. He underscored that the International Solar Alliance that India launched together with France and other countries "is a good example of the kind of mechanism that can be put into place that attracts private investment". Guterres said more and more asset managers feel that their portfolios need to become greener, which means that they need to disinvest in fossil fuels and invest more and more in the green economy and renewables. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 16:07:36|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China announced that it will launch its first Mars mission probe in July this year, China Youth Daily reported Thursday, adding that this is the first time the country disclosed the launch month of its Mars exploration program. The Mars probe will be sent by the Long March-5 Y4 carrier rocket, said the newspaper, citing sources from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The Long March-5 Y4 rocket has recently completed a 100-second test for its high thrust hydrogen-oxygen engine, which is the last engine examination before the final assembly. According to the CASC, China will send a probe to orbit and land and deploy a rover on Mars. In 2020, the Long March-5 rocket will carry out several missions, including the Mars probe launch and the lunar sample return. A total of 24 high thrust hydrogen-oxygen rocket engine tests will be conducted this year for these missions. The Aladia Sisters traverses the era of the British Raj, the Partition and Indias Independence to the here and now of the Internet millennium to tell the story of six sisters who belong to a patriarchal Muslim family. Traversing the era of the British Raj, the Partition and Indias Independence to the here and now of the Internet millennium, the story of six sisters who belong to a patriarchal Muslim family is investigated by a journalist. Before coming of age, the sisters had run away in the deep cover of the night from a Haryana village to define their lives and destinies. Thus began an undeclared game of may-the-best-sister win. Their to-do lists comprised earning money, expressing inchoate talents in the arts, hooking the richest husbands, and raising the next generation right. Through confidences and vignettes, updates and interviews, the Mumbai journalist travels between Delhi, Ajmer, Mount Abu and London to recreate the narrative of a confederacy of women who dared to break rules. "The idea of writing a book on six sisters was like a continuum of my film trilogy for Shyam Benegal Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001)," Khalid Mohamed tells Firstpost. With The Aladia Sisters, Mohamed says, he wanted to "compose a story which took in elements of so many Muslim women" he has met, not only in Mumbai and Delhi but also many smaller towns in India. "There's a little element of everyone. Also, I couldn't write everything factual from the start, so it is a blend of fact and fiction," he adds. This excerpt from The Aladia Sisters, written by Khalid Mohamed, has been reproduced with permission from the publisher, Om Books International. *** The Embroidered Brothel Quite characteristically, the Humshira was cavalier about the repercussions of the escape from Qalayat. They were our father and mother. They brought us into the world. We owe our lives to them, was the regret which Rehaan waited to hear, but never did. Surely when they became mothers themselves, they could have regretted the escape, the abandonment of their parents. A droplet of apology would come from Fayazi Ma in a self-righteous cadence, Why do you cause me pain? Parents are parents, but we didnt return to Qalayat when they passed away within a week of one another. Like their lives, their deaths were as ridiculous. Our abba, Saundha Bhai, had a rotten tooth. His wisdom tooth just fell off in his mouth and he swallowed it, by mistake, I should hope! Some infection or the other spread, and he died at home. Ammi Iddanbi developed a fever soon after. She cried her eyes out. Which woman wouldnt? Her tears had always scored over her laughter. I cannot remember the sound of her laughter. We were told by our brother, Murad, that she was confined to bed. She ignored the roots, herbs and tonics prescribed by the hakim. Our procreators were buried close to each other. They must still have so many conflicts to sort out in the other world, she tailored her version of the burial. As an afterthought, to absolve herself of evil speak, she muttered, Allah unko jannat mein mehfooz rakhen. (May Allah safeguard them in heaven.) Why must you remind me? Are you subjecting me to a police inquiry? He couldnt see himself in a police uniform; he didnt have the physique to carry off the khakis. At most, he could see himself in a lawyers robes. In hindsight, the schoolday aspiration of fighting petty or paramount cases in the courtroom for those who couldnt afford lawyers struck him as naively idealistic, and as fatiguing as the three to four years required for an LLB degree. Miscellaneous and unsuitable jobs attempted against his principles what use were they? his schoolfriends father was on the board of interviewees for the post of trainee journalists at The Daily Chronicle, where he would be taught to climb the ropes either of a sub-editor or a reporter at the daily newspaper. No-brainer. Sub-editing would entail cleaning up reporters copies. Let sub-editors spruce up his copy if he could learn to dash out those snappy news paras linked by connecting bridges. The brief for a cub reporter was to seek information, verify it and precis it into a report, which the training officer said should make sense to an extra-terrestrial. Suppose ET lands on earth and picks up The Chronicle, it (sic) should understand what youve written. Were taking it for granted that ET can read...English, hed wait for our approving smiles. Over a decade later, the twaddle during the training had transformed Rehaan into a reporter on a closer-to-the-bone human-interest trudge, dedicated to detecting why his extended family was the way it was, why the Aladia women had charted the family manifesto which had seeped through four generations, why the men became puppets on their petticoat strings. The sisters history, or whatever he could configure, testified that more than their sexuality, it was their native intelligence, in a broad generic sense, which they used as their ammunition. Also, the six were locked in a lifelong competition. Lets see who wins rivalry must have festered within the Humshira. In their own right, the six must have been achievers or losers depending on your perspective in variable degrees. In any case, achievement is overrated, accompanied as it is with unwieldy baggage. Deceit, manipulation and ambition, checked or unchecked, must have been their modus operandi. At home, among his books, movie and rock music posters, Rehaan was knotted up. He couldnt be treated as a child, dammit. Go ahead, untie yourself, apply if you can the words of the Scottish psychiatrist RD Laing, Creative people who cant help but explore other mental territories are at greater risk, just as someone who climbs a mountain is more at risk than someone who just walks along a village lane. Come, come Rehaan, dont kid yourself. Creative people? Dont kid yourself; youre not in that club. Journalists report impassionately. They talk to those whore superior than themselves. They hack out inappropriate questions for appropriate answers. Interviews are stimulating, he could tell, only when the interviewee reducts himself, becomes a conduit of information and comments. The approach with Mumtaz Chaudhran wasnt working. The option was to go through a far more aggressive route by painting her into a corner. No, no that would lead to self-loathing. He would become like those hectoring-screaming TV news honchos, repulsive, their sound and fury signifying self-aggrandisement. Maybe a truth-or-dare challenge could be the modus operandi. To dare wouldnt take any effort; the truth could be wounding. Endure it or back off. There were no leads left. Memorabilia was scant, no photographs of the sisters clicked together. There were some letters, in Urdu, frequently beginning with the endearing Pyaari Aapa, followed by a quaint, digar haval yeh hai (my present state of being goes like this). The letters shifted gears, harped on recriminations and verged on abuse between the sisters. The Qalayat home they had abandoned was the bone of contention. The hovel had been reconstructed by their brother, Murad, who had lived up to his name a wish come true. The property in the village could fetch them a substantial sum, not sufficient to alter their lifestyles though. No matter. Here was a fold of land each one of them were entitled to. The brother couldnt usurp it. He had monopolised Abba and Ammi the moment he was born. Surely that was treacherous enough. Mumtaz Chaudhran didnt care about the law and its niceties. She quibbled that since she was the eldest, the ancestral property belonged to her exclusively. In that spirit of bravado, she contemplated a courtroom showdown. Legal proceedings were inevitable. Murad who appealed that he was the only male heir, quoted the sharia. Threats of a court case would be as slow as the hands of a clock following their adamant orbit. The other sisters, it had to be presumed, claimed a slice of the Aladia land as well. Irresolvable trouble had persisted over decades. Allarakhi, Amina and Ferozi couldnt be assertive; they were faceless by their absence. Rehaan couldnt recall seeing them in person. Their names would crop up and wilt. Mumtazs share was at long last bought off in a flourish of generosity by Jameela and Fayazi who had ganged up on the land rights. The Chaudhran was handed over a by-now- barely recallable sum in thousands, and given a loan as well, but had not yet imprinted her signature or fingerprint on the legal documents. What money are you talking about, bitches? shed go amnesiac. A morning conclave had been called at the Chaudhrans old central Bombay house, at the Kennedy Bridge kotha. Furious with the Chaudhrans wiles and memory loss on the thousands of rupees handed over to her, Jameela, so unlike her, had rained expletives and then flung a brass ugaaldaan at Badi Aapa, hitting her on the forehead. Blood had cascaded from the Chaudhrans forehead to her eyes and cheeks. Rehaan rushed to his grandmother and held on to her waist tight, imploring, Ma, lets leave. A slap resounded on his right cheek. Fayazi Ma wasnt to be fazed; a childs petulance wasnt to be tolerated. Go and sit in the other room till weve finished, she said firmly. This is a matter between us sisters. Youre just a child. Child equals moron. Rehaan was led out by Jameela, consoled with a flummery of endearments, and latched in a room at the far end of the Chaudhrans kotha. He wept noisily. When the door was unlocked, Jameela was applying a turmeric-paste bandage on Mumtazs forehead. Fayazi was lathering a paan. This was getting farcical. Mumtaz and Jameela hugged each other. Business-like now, Fayazi Ma said to both, Remember we love one another; quarrels are momentary. Why did you slap me, Ma? Im hurting, Rehaan dared to wince. She snorted, Sisters are sisters. You will never know what that means... I rue the day your mother gave birth to you. It was disappointing to see my first and only grandchild...a son. You love these women more than you love me? the boy asked precociously. Love between us sisters cant be measured, she said, as if she was drafting the opening line of an ode to sisterhood. The cause and effect theory was alien to the sisters. Endlessly through his adolescent years, the grandson had wondered whether they were mercurial? Temperamental beyond repair? Wrong buttons were being pushed by him here. The closest guess he could hazard was that they were beyond comprehension, particularly Mumtaz, Jameela and Fayazi. The other sisters, Allarakhi, Ferozi and Ameena couldnt be like them. They must be made of the same clay in deceptively gentler colours, reminiscent of Amrita Sher-Gils faces of rural women stoic but aware that they were sitting for a portrait. In the imagined portrait, Allarakhi was dumped in a remote section of the canvas, and the demeanour of Ferozi and Ameena could have been that of concealed amusement. If Ameena had participated in that meeting over the property dispute, he imagined her lost eye wouldnt have reduced her vision, but she would have backed off. Her sisters saw Ameena as impaired, a kaani, cross-eyed. She wouldnt change their perception. She wouldnt protest. It was only a matter of time. Her silence would have unnerved the sisters; she couldnt be cheated of her due status in the tangled grid of the Aladia sisters either. If she and Ferozi had been present on the scene, they would have been disappointed that Mumtaz hadnt been hurt more grievously by the hurled ugaldaan. As soon as he visualised the conclave ending, he imagined the pious Allarakhi excusing herself it was time for her afternoon namaaz. She would appeal to Allah for sanity, unity among the sisters and above all, her rightful share of the property. In a rare moment of candidspeak, Fayazi had told him about Allarakhi. She owned a minuscule shop in a Muslim-dominated mohalla, which sold sweets, biscuits, bidis, cigarettes and matchboxes. The shops monthly take was paltry. Often Allarakhi didnt know where her next meal was coming from. She had to live; she couldnt subsist any longer, moving from the dank corners allocated in the kotha by the Chaudhran. Rehaan could see Allarakhi, if she had been there, recoil on seeing a child slapped for no fault of his. She would have cupped her hands and breathed on his face to soothe it, and would have berated Fayazi, Dont ever do that again. It is not correct to raise your hand on a child. The slap, she would have fumed, was on her face. Fishing out a few rupee notes from within her blouse, Allarakhi would have said magnanimously, Buy yourself some sweets from a big store. They have lemon drops and bulls-eyes imported from England also. This grandmother of yours is mean; she cant appreciate what she has. And Fayazi Ma would have silenced her, Mind your own business. Im raising this boy the way he should be raised. Get that in your foolish head, you troublemaker. Allarakhi would have laughed drily and prayed on a folded red-and-gold jaannamaaz which she must have carried with her wherever she went. He was lapsing, hypothesising, breaking his word that he would stick to reportage. This Allarakhi was Rehaans creation, endowed with a tender heart. He would have liked to learn Urdu at the feet of Allarakhi Nani. She was the sister he adored; she was illusory. His Allarakhi lived in a nowhere sky with diamonds, an unseen face he associated for no reason with the elegance of the Urdu language. It was a lacuna. Rehaan was left uneducated in the adab of Urdu, overloaded with the schools curriculum of English, Hindi, Gujarati or Marathi, and for a year, Latin from the textbook Ora Maratima which he could never comprehend. Lessons in reading the Quran from a maulvi had proved cumbersome. Fayazi Ma stopped the lessons. She contended, school first, faith later. At least learn the kalima by heart. Thats the least you can do to be a good Muslim. Easier said, easier done. Still, ignorance of the tenets of the Islamic faith was a void. Whenever the sisters prayed, they struck him as women of God they were being watched, they were under the Almightys custody. The boy would recite the kalima to be in line. Dr. Sakwa and Dr. Altshuler are globally recognized for performing thousands of minimally invasive open-heart valve surgeries--among the largest number of these advanced procedures available only at a limited number of hospitals. With the addition of Dr. Sakwa and Dr. Altshuler, MemorialCare is now offering aortic and mitral valve heart surgery with two- to three-inch incisions in the chest instead of the six- to eight-inch wider incisions through the breastbone required with traditional open-heart surgery. Significant advantages of this minimally invasive surgery includes quicker recoveries, reduced hospital stays, less post-operative pain, smaller scars, better cosmetic results and earlier return to normal activities. MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute facilities are among the most comprehensive centers for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiac disease, providing groundbreaking care for complex heart conditions, including myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmias and peripheral vascular disease. "We're thrilled to work with remarkable MemorialCare cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, nurses and other clinicians long-time leaders in minimally invasive, life-saving and -enhancing heart and vascular procedures," says Dr. Sakwa. "Together, the team will continue to determine the highest quality, least invasive and most successful approaches based on each patient's individual needs." "The addition of minimally invasive heart valve surgery without the need to open up the sternum means younger patients with valve disease may now be treated at an earlier age and elderly patients considered high-surgical risks for heart surgery can also take advantage of less invasive techniques," adds Dr. Altshuler. They are joining MemorialCare from Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., a 1,070-bed academic, research and referral center where Dr. Sakwa was Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery and held an Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery, and where Dr. Altshuler was also an esteemed cardiovascular surgeon. Beaumont ranks in U.S. News & World Report Top 20 Best Hospitals for Cardiology and Heart Surgery. "We're honored that Dr. Sakwa and Dr. Altshulerextraordinary cardiovascular surgeons in the forefront of heart carechose to lead and perform surgeries at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute," says Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D., MemorialCare President & CEO. "Their leadership and collaboration with our team of preeminent cardiovascular surgeons, medical and interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists and other heart and vascular clinicians will continue to ensure and enhance access to outstanding care." MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institutedelivering nearly 20,000 cardiovascular diagnostic tests and treatments last year--continues to push the boundaries of discovery with many "firsts." These began 70 years ago when world-renowned cardiologist, researcher and educatorthe late Mervyn Ellestad, M.D.co-invented at Long Beach Medical Center the modern-day maximum stress test to detect heart disease. Today millions of exercise stress tests performed annually save hundreds of thousands of lives globally. Other MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute innovations changing the course of care worldwide include the first blood test to determine the severity of a myocardial infarction, first cardiology computer registry, first computer program to detect the size and location of a myocardial infarction, and among the first two hospitals to establish a chest pain center and use a blood bank for open heart surgery. The late Long Beach Medical Center cardiologist John Messenger, M.D. national pioneer and researcher in pacemakers, revolutionized the size, placement and longevity of the device. Long Beach Medical Center was also the region's first to implant an artificial heart value and among California's first to perform angioplasty. Widely considered among the most important endovascular surgery pioneers, Rod White, M.D., Long Beach Medical Center Vascular Surgery Director and his colleagues revolutionized vascular surgery with a novel endovascular device that replaced open surgery as the most common method to repair the body's main artery. And cardiologist Gregory Thomas, M.D., a MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute Program Director, is globally recognized for leading research of mummies to search for signs of heart disease millennia ago. MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute continues to provide the most advanced programs and services in cardiovascular care. All of its medical centers offer the revolutionary minimally invasive Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure, which allows treatment for patients once considered "inoperable" as well as Hybrid Cardiovascular Operating Suites featuring highly advanced technology combining the diagnostics and capabilities of a catheterization laboratory with surgical functions of an operating room. With one of the nation's largest children's hospitals on its Long Beach campus, Miller Children's & Women's Hospital and Long Beach Medical Center are among a few California hospitals offering comprehensive congenital cardiac and surgical care to all agesfrom the tiniest newborns, to transitioning adolescents, through adulthood. It also provides comprehensive cardiac care for children as early as in utero, through young adulthood and is one of the region's only dedicated Pediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Units with 24-hour monitoring following surgery or cardiac catheterization. MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute has achieved numerous accolades for cardiovascular excellence, including Top 50 and Top 100 heart hospital recognition; U.S. News & World Report high performance rankings for Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery and Heart Failure; and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Distinction Centers designation for Cardiac Care Programs. Visit www.memorialcare.org/heartvascular. SOURCE MemorialCare Related Links http://www.memorialcare.org Goodway Group, the digital partner advertisers trust to deliver campaign performance and media efficiency, has partnered with Retail Solutions, Inc. (RSi), the leading technology company enabling CPG manufacturers and retailers to drive increased sales growth and profitability. The new partnership empowers Goodway Group with integrated retailer data via Ansa, RSis automated analytics solution, to bolster media buying strategies and drive in-store sales. RSis Ansa provides Goodway Group with an unparalleled level of detail around store location with POS sales data that helps align campaign planning with moving actual product on shelves. The partnership makes it possible for CPG brands to connect media efforts to where there are units to be sold and optimize campaigns in real time. Another key element is RSis ability to get down to the SKU level, aligning with the product-specific nature of how CPGs analyze their sales. With the ability to pinpoint digital campaign performance to individual products by store locations, Goodway Group is able to work against specific KPIs and help brands hit product sales goals. We are very excited about this new partnership and the wealth of data it affords us. The insights into shopping behavior are a valuable asset for Goodway Group and our CPG and retail brand clients, empowering us to work as strategic partners and help drive real business impact, said Jay Friedman, president, Goodway Group. From an optimization standpoint, we become much smarter and more efficient. For example, we can determine the best media mix across different marketers by shifting budget away from stores where demand becomes low in order to optimize the buy. Our new partnership with Goodway Group reflects RSis strong commitment to enabling consumer products brands to grow and prosper in todays challenging retail market, said Bert Clement, CEO of RSi. Ansas results-driven approach and programmatic integration enables Goodway Group to offer unique media buying capabilities. This includes programmatic buying optimization across display, audio and CTV. RSis Ansa has supported over five trillion digital impressions by infusing POS data intelligence for CPGs, supporting their sales efforts in the grocery, drug and mass space. For example, Goodway Group used Ansa to increase feature product sales of a leading beverage brand by nearly 7% during the campaign flight, resulting in more than $1.1 million in incremental sales. In addition, the campaign garnered a return on advertising spend (ROAS) of $21, an increase of 233% compared to previous campaign efforts. About Goodway Group: Goodway Group is the digital partner advertisers trust to drive campaign performance and media efficiency. Proud to be completely independently owned and operated, Goodway provides trustworthy expertise that meets its clients' needs and no one else's. Using predictive intelligence, Goodway helps advertisers get the most value out of every impression across all paid digital media. Through the combination of employing the smartest technology and the most experienced people in the industry, Goodway delivers authentic results. Find Goodway Group online at goodwaygroup.com. Goodway Group. Honestly Smart Digital. About RSi (Retail Solutions Inc.) Ansa is powered by Retail Solutions, Inc. (RSi), the SaaS digital transformation company that enables the worlds leading CPG manufacturers and retailers to grow, profit and win, from supply chain to shelf. Ansa brings daily store-level sales data to life, delivering insights on the in-store effectiveness of digital shopper marketing campaigns at the nations leading retailers. Partnering with CPGs, media providers, and agencies, Ansa provides intelligence across the campaign lifecycle by planning and targeting smarter, optimizing in real-time based on performance, and delivering insights to fine-tune strategies for future programs. With Ansa, CPGs gain a true understanding of sales lift and receive critical learnings from every campaign. To learn more, visit http://www.ansainside.com. Media Contacts: Kite Hill PR for Goodway Group Richard Krueger (908)420-0512 richard@kitehillpr.com Retail Solutions, Inc. Caitlyn Bordeaux caitlyn.bordeaux@retailsolutions.com WASHINGTON After keeping the august members of the U.S. Senate in their seats for roughly 18 of the previous 30 hours, Adam Schiff told the group of not-so-young lawmakers that he and a fellow impeachment manager had just over two hours more to go Wednesday night. But Schiff, a Democratic congressman from California who is leading the impeachment effort, acknowledged that it had been a grueling day and a half. As an encouraging voice told me, keep it up but dont keep it up too long. So we will do our best not to keep it up too long, Schiff told the Senate. Schiff, who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has taken the impeachment effort by the horns ever since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put him in charge of it in late September. And he has wowed many observers who have watched him make lengthy and compelling arguments on the Senate floor to explain why the House believes President Trump should be removed from office, and why the Senate should subpoena documents and a handful of witnesses that the White House has held back. Schiff was a force on Tuesday afternoon in the first few hours of the impeachment trial, and was again impressive in a two-hour-plus presentation at the beginning of Wednesdays session. But Schiffs persuasiveness was offset late in the day Wednesday by the sheer exhaustion being felt by many of the senators, some of whom are in their 70s and 80s. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is 78, sat at his desk in the late afternoon, his face flushed red, his hair askew, holding his eyeglasses in his left hand and holding his right hand to his forehead. If not for the trial, Sanders would be in Iowa or New Hampshire trying to win over voters ahead of the first two contests in the Democratic presidential primary, in which he is a leading candidate. House impeachment manager Adam Schiff speaks during the impeachment trial in the Senate on Wednesday. (Senate Television via AP) Sitting nearby, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, shut his eyes and squeezed them hard, exhaling, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., raised herself off her chair and stretched her back. Schatz is 47 and Gillibrand is 53, but the proceedings appeared to be taking a toll on them as well. Story continues And a few seats over, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who is 79, appeared to be nodding off intermittently, leaning back in his chair, his hands folded on his lap. On the other side of the chamber, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., stood behind his chair, leaning on it with both hands, grimacing and shaking his head. Theyre already repeating the same points, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said during a break a few minutes later. The longer they talk at this point, the weaker the case is getting. Cruzs comment would have sounded more like a partisan talking point earlier in the day, but as the day blurred into night, after an evening that went all the way until 2 a.m., it became harder to dispute. Last night was a long night and so it was just kind of fun to watch how many people were having trouble staying awake, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told Yahoo News. But this is really important. Think about how much they hate this right now, said a source familiar with Senate leadership conversations. This Republican operative crowed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had baited the Democratic impeachment managers into using all 24 hours available to them to make their arguments through his procedural maneuvers. McConnell on Monday evening unveiled rules that would have limited the impeachment managers and Trumps lawyers to 24 hours of argument over just two days. On Tuesday afternoon he suddenly changed that to three days. But Democrats had been pushing for more time. Maybe its ascribing too much strategic insight to McConnell, but the Republican aide close to Senate leadership said the back-and-forth had put Democrats in a position to exasperate the senators by maximizing their time for arguments. However, there are only a few Republican senators who will make a substantive difference in this trial regarding the key question facing the Senate: whether they will subpoena documents and witnesses. And that handful of lawmakers Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., most prominent among them looked to be quite attentive throughout the day as the House managers presented their first of three days of arguments. And then there is the fact that even if that small group of Republican senators votes to allow documents and witnesses, there are nowhere near enough Republicans open to voting for removing Trump from office, which requires a supermajority vote of 67 senators out of 100. So in that context, how the senators feel moment to moment and day to day, and what they think of the case is far less relevant than how many Americans see some of the Democratic arguments on TV. And if those Americans are swing voters in key states that will decide the presidency, all the better from the point of view of many Democrats who are working on the 2020 campaign. Hunter Walker contributed reporting. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Hundreds of Jeanswest employees will be out of a job after the clothing giant announced it will close 37 stores. Financial advisory firm KPMG confirmed on Wednesday it had appointed voluntary administrators Peter Gothard and James Stewart to conduct an urgent analysis of the business. The following day it was announced 37 stores would be closed across the country, with 263 of its 988 staff to be made redundant. A week after going into administration clothing giant Jeanswest is set to close 37 of its 146 stores across Australia, making 263 of its 988 staff redundant in the process 'The decision to proactively restructure the business early in the administration process has not been taken lightly. We are very mindful of the serious impact store closures and staff redundancies have on people's lives,' Mr Stewart said. There are hopes a suitable buyer could still be found for the failing brand. 'We must also work to maximise the opportunity for this business to be sold or restructured - to give it the best chance to continue,' Mr Stewart said. Jeanswest stores will close in six states, seven in Queensland, 11 in New South Wales, three in South Australia, one in Tasmania, six in Western Australia and nine in Victoria. Jeanswest will continue to operate while a buyer for the business is found. The Australian brand has been challenged by current tough market conditions and pressure from online competition, Mr Stewart said in a statement. 'The administration provides an opportunity for Jeanswest to restructure so as to better respond to the challenging Australian retail market,' he added. Launched in a tiny street in Perth's CBD in 1972 Jeanswest steadily grew across Western Australia until it had 28 stores in 1984. The announcement comes one week after the clothing giant went into administration with hopes a suitable buyer can be found (stock image) The company then branched into the eastern states and New Zealand in the late 1980s and early '90s. However, by 2015 sales in Australia and New Zealand were in a steep decline and fell 12.3 per cent to $181.5 million over the next year. It was acquired in 2017 by the Hong Kong-based Yeung Family Company. A meeting with creditors is due to be held in Melbourne on January 28. Household names like Harris Scarfe, Bardot, Roger David, and Napoleon Perdis dropped like files in the past year with dozens of stores closing resulting in heavy job losses. Experts claim that the could be the tip of the iceberg as consumers continue to turn more to online shopping over bricks and mortar stores. But the National Liberation Front coalition of rebel groups denies the reported attack on government forces. Dozens of Syrian soldiers have been killed by armed fighters during a major attack on government forces in Idlib, though the account has been disputed by a rebel official. Russias defence ministry said the attack killed up to 40 soldiers, the Reuters News Agency quoting Syrias state media reported on Thursday. Moscow said the fighters seized two Idlib settlements in one of the offensives, which began on Wednesday, forcing the Syrian army troops to abandon some of their positions in the de-escalation zone. Idlib is the last rebel-held swath of territory in the country and hundreds of thousands of people in the area have fled in recent weeks amid heavy air raids by Russian and Syrian forces. The Syrian state media made no mention of army casualties, but said an attack that included car bombs and heavy gunfire forced some of its forces to re-deploy. A spokesman for the National Liberation Front coalition of rebel groups, Naji al-Mustafa, disputed the Syrian media and Russian government accounts, claiming no such attack had taken place. Mustafa said the attacks had only been carried out against the government forces earlier in the week as a response to stepped-up attacks against them in Idlib. Russia, which is helping Syrias President Bashar al-Assads forces, said Syrian government forces had killed up to 50 fighters and wounded up to 90. Moscow said the attackers were from different groups, including the Islamic Party of Turkestan and Tahrir al-Sham, the latest incarnation of the former al-Nusra Front that was part of al-Qaeda until 2016. The fighters were equipped with pick-up trucks, armoured personnel carriers, tanks and heavy machine guns, it said. Last week, at least 21 people were killed in Idlib province as government forces and their Russian allies intensified an air offensive on the countrys northwest. The violence in northern Syria is escalating an already dire humanitarian situation, with aid groups warning of displacement on an unprecedented scale. Since December 1, about 350,000 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced by the renewed offensive, according to the United Nations. The short-lived ceasefire follows a previous truce announced in late August after attacks by the government killed more than 1,000 civilians in four months, according to the UN. The International Rescue Committee has warned another 650,000 people, mostly children and women, could be forced from their homes if the violence continues. [January 23, 2020] Griffon Corporation Schedules Conference Call To Discuss First Quarter Financial Results Griffon Corporation ("Griffon" or the "Company") (NYSE:GFF) today announced it will release the Company's fiscal first quarter results on Thursday, January 30, 2020, followed by a conference call at 4:30 PM ET. The call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-407-0792 (U.S. participants) or 1-201-689-8263 (International participants). Callers should ask to be connected to the Griffon Corporation teleconference or provide conference ID number 13698125. Participants are encouraged to dial-in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. A replay of the call will be available starting on Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 7:30 PM ET by dialing 1-844-512-2921 (U.S.) or 1-412-317-6671 (International), and entering the conference ID number: 13698125. The replay will be available through Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 11:59 PM ET. About Griffon Corporation Griffon is a diversified management and holding company that conducts business through wholly-owned subsidiaries. Griffon oversees the operations of its subsidiaries, allocates resources among them and manages their capital structures. Griffon provides direction and assistance to its subsidiaries in connection with acquisition and grwth opportunities as well as in connection with divestitures. In order to further diversify, Griffon also seeks out, evaluates and, when appropriate, will acquire additional businesses that offer potentially attractive returns on capital. Griffon currently conducts its operations through three reportable segments: Consumer and Professional Products ("CPP") conducts its operations through The AMES Companies, Inc. ("AMES"). Founded in 1774, AMES is the leading North American manufacturer and a global provider of branded consumer and professional tools and products for home storage and organization, landscaping, and enhancing outdoor lifestyles. CPP sells products globally through a portfolio of leading brands including True Temper, AMES, and ClosetMaid. Home and Building Products ("HBP") conducts its operations through Clopay Corporation ("Clopay"). Founded in 1964, Clopay is the largest manufacturer and marketer of garage doors and rolling steel doors in North America. Residential and commercial sectional garage doors are sold through professional dealers and leading home center retail chains throughout North America under the brands Clopay, Ideal, and Holmes. Rolling steel door and grille products designed for commercial, industrial, institutional, and retail use are sold under the CornellCookson brand. Defense Electronics conducts its operations through Telephonics Corporation, founded in 1933, a globally recognized leading provider of highly sophisticated intelligence, surveillance and communications solutions for defense, aerospace and commercial customers. For more information on Griffon and its operating subsidiaries, please see the Company's website at www.griffon.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005027/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A serious criminal used a 17-year-old vulnerable girl to store a gun and live ammunition, a court has heard. When gardai went to the home of Tia Byrne in Dublin's inner city she became upset and showed them a handgun wrapped up in socks in a drawer. Gardai, who were executing a search warrant for drugs, also found five live rounds of ammunition fitting the .38 Smith and Western revolver. Byrne told gardai that she had telephoned a man to bring her cannabis and when he came around with it he had left the gun. In interview she passed two handwritten notes to gardai, stating I was under pressure and I felt threatened, I'm just scared for my family. Byrne, now aged 19, of Sheriff Street Lwr, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of unlawful possession of firearms at her home on February 18, 2018. She has no other convictions. Garda Sandra Kirwan told the court that the gun was in very good condition and the ammunition was suitable for discharge in the gun. She agreed with Micheal O'Higgins SC, defending, that there was no doubt his client was leaned on by an older and manipulative man and was scared. He said she was a child who was used and exploited by this serious criminal. The story of weapons in Dublin's inner city is a very serious matter, counsel said, adding that criminal gangs were well capable of seeking out vulnerable persons like his client. Judge Martin Nolan said it seemed that Byrne felt she and her family were under threat. He said she must have known that the people who asked her to hold the gun were going to use it for illicit purposes. But he said given her age and lack of maturity a custodial sentence would be unjust. He suspended a prison sentence of three years on condition she be of good behaviour and engage with the Probation Services. He noted evidence that she came from a dysfunctional family background where there were substance abuse issues. Robert Tapfumaneyi, a journalist working for Syl media, was assaulted by the security personnel of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Tuesday, 21 January while he was covering a party event in the capital Harare. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) in condemning this attack on press freedom and urges the MDC to refrain from such acts of violence against journalists. The journalist was harassed and attacked by security staff who accused him of working for the State Broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation (ZBC). Security staff also grabbed his camera and threw it to the floor and prevented him from covering the event. This new attack adds to the long list of journalists who have been threatened, beaten or arrested by security forces and political activists in Zimbabwe in recent months. ZUJ's General Secretary, Foster Dongozi, condemned the attack and called on MDC officials to apologise publicly to Robert Tapfumaneyi and replace his equipment if it was damaged during the scuffle. The ZUG also urged the MDC to establish a clear protocol for security personnel on how to deal with the media at their public events. This new protocol must guarantee journalists safety. Several journalists have indicated that they are now afraid of covering MDC events because they feel threatened by the security details and that needs to be solved, the ZUJ added. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger said: the attack on Robert Tapfumaneyi was a deliberate attempt to stop him from performing his work. We support ZUJs call on MDC officials to apologise for the attack, fully refund and compensate Robert for damage caused and issue a media protocol for their workers that clearly guarantees journalists freedom and protection when covering their events. World News: Hydropower Along the Mekong Continues to Threaten the Future of the River January 23,2020 | Source: Future Directions Thailand plans to raise its concerns about erratic flows in the Mekong at the next meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the organisation that monitors the longest river in South-East Asia. In December, the MRC warned that flows in the Mekong could fall by up to a half in early January, as China tested equipment at the Jinghong Dam. In Thailand, those tests led to sudden fluctuations in the waters of the Mekong, which caused problems for both agriculture and fisheries. According to Somkiat Prajamwong, the director of the Thai Office of Natural Water Resources, communities living along the Mekong have suffered significant economic hardships due to unseasonal flows in the river. While China periodically warns Thailand about its activities on the Mekong, Thailand contends that these warnings are given at the last minute, preventing Thai authorities from preparing communities. Last year, a severe drought caused water levels in the Mekong to drop to the lowest point in over a century. The dry conditions occurred when monsoon rains failed in late May and June, but were exacerbated when upstream dams in China and Laos withheld water. The Jinghong Dam in China, for instance, halved the amount of water released downstream for maintenance purposes. Although monsoon rains eventually fell in July last year, the many hydropower dams along the Mekong have continued to interfere with its water levels. In July, Laos began testing the Xayaburi dam, which is thought to have contributed to the historically low water levels in the Mekong during the testing period. The flow levels were again reduced when releases from the Jinghong dam were stopped for a period in August, while repairs were carried out. Disruptions to water flows have also caused sudden increases in the Mekongs water levels, which have also affected the ecology of the river and the communities surrounding it. Sudden water level increases have washed away crops, livestock and equipment, disrupting rural economies. Previous testing at Chinese dams has also caused flash floods downstream, often without warning from the Chinese authorities. River flows in the Mekong have been erratic since the first hydropower dam was built in China, two decades ago. As a result, seasonal patterns are no longer predictable. Instead, river levels are almost entirely dependent on Chinese dam releases. China currently has 11 large dams along the Mekong River and plans to build several more. Laos has 46 hydropower dams along the Mekong and its tributaries, including five large dams. It ultimately plans to have 140 dams along the river. Although there have been dire warnings about the ecological and economic problems facing the Mekong region, there has been little concrete action undertaken by riparian states. When the MRC released a landmark report warning that continued dam development would severely reduce fish stocks in the Mekong, three of its four member states refused to endorse it. Downstream countries seem surprisingly unconcerned by the increasingly-visible effects of exploiting the Mekong. Even Vietnam, which grows 90 per cent of its rice in the Mekong delta, is inconsistent in its Mekong policy. Meanwhile, upstream countries continue to profit from developments that are increasingly jeopardising the future of the Mekong. Photograph: UPI/Barcroft Media It is overly generous to refer to what is unfolding in the US Senate this week as a trial. There are not many trials in which it is clear at the outset that the defendant is guilty but that he will nevertheless be cleared of all charges. And while we might be tempted to say that it is not Donald Trump but Americas system of checks and balances which is on trial in the Senate this week, that isnt true either. That trial was likewise already over before the action in the Senate even began, the result just as horrific. If this isnt a trial, then what is it? Far from being an honest attempt to litigate the past, the impeachment proceedings in the Senate are actually about the future. The outcome of the Republican majoritys actions will be to tear up restraints on presidential abuses of power. These proceedings are a ratification of Donald Trumps conduct in particular and of the use of illegal and corrupt actions in pursuit of partisan gain in general. They are a warning of much worse to come. That this is not about much more than rubber-stamping the abuse of power is clear from watching the presidents defenders and enablers. Their mouths move, and words come out, but no effort at rational persuasion or even plausibility is attempted. They behave like the functionaries of an authoritarian political system in which words have no meaning and actions have no consequences, at least for the powerful. In this sense they are the perfect products of the Trump era. Trump seeks not just one particular new power but complete freedom from scrutiny for his conduct Foremost among them, of course, is Mitch McConnell, whose Republican majority sets the parameters of how exactly this abasement of the Senate will unfold. In any actual trial, the defendants advocates would be keen to bring to light evidence which might clear their client. Instead, McConnell is attempting to limit the information available to the Senate, rejecting Democratic amendments which would have subpoenaed additional documents and the testimony of key figures like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney. Story continues By refusing to bring damaging evidence to light, McConnell has created a permissive environment for the shenanigans of Trumps lawyers, whose sole aim is to distract the public from the factual record. In the defense brief which they filed at the outset of the proceedings, the lawyers claim that a president can only be impeached if he is accused of violating a specific federal law. Because the House of Representatives did not make such an accusation, the lawyers argue that the entire process is a sham which should be dismissed without further discussion. This argument is wrong on multiple levels. Impeachment has never been understood to depend on the violation of a specific criminal statute, and any such understanding would allow American presidents to exercise the powers of a dictator. A president would technically break no laws if he encouraged the police to brutalize suspects as Trump has in fact done and then used his pardon power to protect them from prosecution whenever they did. Impeachment is supposed to guard against precisely this abuse of presidential power, even if it breaks no laws. A second problem with this defense of the president is that according to the Government Accountability Office, Trump did in fact violate the law when he withheld aid to Ukraine. Under a Nixon-era law, the president cannot decide not to spend money appropriated by Congress for a specific purpose on his own whim, because doing so violates his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. With the complicity of the Republican Senate majority, Trump is hence claiming the right to violate even this most basic requirement of his office, and to vastly expand what constitutes acceptable presidential conduct. While previous presidents tended to seek incremental increases in presidential power in service of what they believed, rightly or wrongly, to be the common good, Trump does the exact opposite. He seeks not just one particular new power but complete freedom from scrutiny for his conduct, and he does so in service not of any plausible national interest but rather purely to shield himself from the consequences of his abuses of power. Trump appears to give little thought to his actions, but McConnell does. Just as he decided that refusing to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland was worth imperiling the legitimacy of the supreme court, now he has decided that the political survival of Donald Trump is worth creating the precedent that future presidents do not have to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. The only remedy is to channel public anger into a Democratic seizure of the Senate, and remake a broken institution as an instrument of the public good rather than a rubber-stamp legislature for the would-be authoritarian in the White House. If you want to see the consequences of failing to do so, just tune into the trial. BARNALA The police have booked two persons for abetment to suicide after a Barnala girl ended her life in Malaysia on January 16. Milan Singh Ghuggi of Khudi Kalan village in Barnala and Amandeep Singh Deep of Saharan Majra in Ludhiana have been booked under Sections 306, 384 (extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and section 67 of Information Technology Act on the complaint of victims mother. She said her daughter took the extreme step as the accused were blackmailing her through online messages and calls. We lodged a complaint with the police as well as on the 181 helpline, but to no avail. So, we sent our daughter to Malaysia in July 2019 for doing a beautician course. The duo managed to get my daughters contact number and continued to harass her by sending obscene messages, she alleged. Victims father said: The duo use to threaten my daughter that they would post her photos on Instagram and Facebook. Superintendent of police (headquarters) Gurdeep Singh said a hunt has been launched to nab the accused. LifeStyle The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand. A Yemeni student shows his Chinese calligraphy work in Hainan University in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) The Chinese Lunar New Year features family reunion and sharing. In an era of globalization, the efforts China takes to further open up have rendered the holiday extravagance into an opportunity to share its development dividends. BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- It all started months ago when the Canadian fishermen booked tickets for their lobsters to fly to China, and when the largest dairy producer in South Korea started utilizing its full capacity to meet the potential need of their customers during the Spring Festival, particularly those in China. Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner, and the festival is not only celebrated in China but around the world, with various traditional festivities and a shopping spree. Cod from Iceland, red king crab from Russia, tiger prawn from Thailand, Chilian cherries, Australian ugg boots, and Japanese face roller have all found their places into Chinese customers' shopping carts, giving the world supply chains a ride on the "Spring Festival economy." Visitors select decorative items at a Spring Festival fair at the Chinatown in San Francisco, the United States, Jan. 19, 2020. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) China is at once a world factory and a giant global market with the world's largest and fast-growing middle-income group. With consumption upgrading and the development of cross-border e-commerce and logistics, overseas products can reach big cities and small towns across the country. Worldwide places of interest lure Chinese tourists abroad, making outbound traveling a new trend during the feast. A thriving market reflects the vitality of the economy. Despite a cloud of challenges, China's economy wrapped up 2019 with 6.1-percent GDP growth, approaching 100 trillion yuan (14.49 trillion U.S. dollars) and outperforming comparable economies. More excitingly, the country has achieved a new milestone with GDP per capita exceeding 10,000 dollars last year, a threshold that many believe ushers in a new stage for income level, consumption pattern and market size. A lion dance performer interacts with the audience during a Chinese Spring Festival parade in downtown Liege, Belgium, Jan. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) "I really think China is the future," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk in August last year, when he was "astounded" by the fact that his gigafactory in Shanghai could be completed within 10 months. In the past few years, China has constantly been lowering tariffs and facilitating its reform and opening up drive. At the begining of this year, China implemented provisional import tax rates that are lower than the most-favored-nation tariff rates for over 850 commodities, which expedites the flow of global high-quality products directly to Chinese customers. As the most important festival in a year, Chinese Lunar New Year also creates the biggest spending power. A market linking 1.4 billion Chinese people with global supply chains believes that when the world does good, China does good; and when China does good, the world will be better. A woman poses for photos with a lion dancer during a gala to greet the upcoming Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Minsk, Belarus, Jan. 17, 2020. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua) From the first two editions of the China International Import Expo to the Belt and Road Initiative, China has been upholding the idea of openness. New maritime routes have carried exotic fresh fruit from Southeast Asia to China, and the Spanish olive oil companies applaud the Chinese Lunar New Year thanks to the direct freight train service between China and Europe. The Chinese Lunar New Year features family reunion and sharing. In an era of globalization, the efforts China takes to further open up have rendered the holiday extravagance into an opportunity to share its development dividends. Investments through the VRR route is free of the regulatory norms applicable to FPI investments in debt markets, provided the FPIs maintain a minimum share of their investments for three years. FPIs registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) are eligible to voluntarily invest through the route in government and corporate bonds. Mumbai: In a move that would increase the demand for Indian bonds and lead to a fall in yields, the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday doubled the investment limit under the voluntary retention route (VRR) for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Dealers expect bond yields to soften on Friday. In a statement, the central bank said, On a review, the following changes are made to the directions governing investment through the voluntary retention route. The investment cap is increased to Rs 1,50,000 crore from Rs 75,000 crore. The FPIs that have been allotted investment limits under VRR may, at their discretion, transfer their investments made under the general investment limit to VRR. FPIs are also allowed to invest in exchange traded funds that invest only in debt instruments. Investments through the VRR route is free of the regulatory norms applicable to FPI investments in debt markets, provided the FPIs maintain a minimum share of their investments for three years. FPIs registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) are eligible to voluntarily invest through the route in government and corporate bonds. The move will increase the demand for bonds. This will also add glare to corporate bonds. Since FPIs have to stay invested for three years under VRR, it brings more stable money and the inflows do not cause volatility in the exchange rate, said Ashutosh Khajuria, executive director at Federal Bank. The RBI had introduced VRR in March 2019, to enable FPIs to invest in Indias debt markets. Broadly, investments through the route will be free of the macro-prudential and other regulatory norms applicable to FPI investments in debt markets, provided FPIs voluntarily commit to retain a required minimum percentage of their investments in India for a period. Participation through this route is entirely voluntary. As much as Rs 75,000 crore was offered for investment in two tranches so far. As on December 31, around Rs 54,300 crore has been invested under the scheme. The investment limit available for fresh allotment will accordingly be Rs 90,630 crore, and will be allotted under the VRRcombined category. The minimum retention period, the RBI said, shall be three years. Investment limits shall be available on tap and allotted on first come, first served basis, and the tap shall be kept open till the limit is fully allotted. FPIs may apply for investment limits online to Clearing Corporation of India through their respective custodians. CCIL will separately notify the operational details of application process and allotment, the RBI said in a release. The modular UBI platform is compatible with telematics data across all device types from plug-in hardware to mobile apps and embedded telemetry within vehicles, a release said. Apart from serving as the foundation of Carrot, IMSs platform has been adopted by major insurers such as RSA, Zurich, and Aviva. Auto manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Fiat have also utilized the platform. Through the platform, IMS will enable insurers in the US and Canada to rapidly scale UBI programs of their own. Partners will also have full access to eight years of in-market experience, insights, as well as validated learnings in driver scoring (backed by real-world claims data), engagement, and rewards. IMS will also provide partners with expertise on how to effectively use telematics data within claims. IMS North America is led by Nino Tarantino, who joined the company in 2018 after his previous company, Octo Telematics North America, was acquired by TGG. The auto insurance market in North America is very competitive, and UBI has provided an opportunity for insurers to differentiate, while enabling improved risk selection, said Tarantino. Insurers must now begin to focus on using telematics data to effect positive behavior change, drive down accident frequency, improve loss ratios and generate ROI from their programs. Tarantino also commented that by giving partners access to the UBI platform which has already led to a 40% reduction in accident frequency in other geographical markets as well as IMSs insights, it would be possible for those partners to see double-digit improvements to their combined operating ratios. Every few years since 1984, young pianists from around the world have competed in San Antonio for a gold medal and a cash prize. That will happen again next week, but almost nothing else about the competition will be the same, starting with the name. The Gurwitz International Piano Competition is the new name for the former San Antonio International Piano Competition. It was renamed for the late Ruth Jean Gurwitz, an early supporter of the San Antonio International Piano Competition who served as its president for 20 years and for whom it was renamed. The 2020 competition will be longer than before, with a more ambitious scope, new venues and a more prominent group of judges. And, for the first time, the Gurwitz is a member of the exclusive World Federation of International Music Competitions. Only six music competitions in the United States, including the Van Cliburn International Competition in Fort Worth, are federation members. All the changes are the result of new management. Three years ago, the San Antonio International Piano Competition was absorbed by Musical Bridges Around the World, a nonprofit that brings international classical and folk musicians to San Antonio. The Gurwitz What: The Gurwitz International Piano Competition, formerly the San Antonio International Piano Competition When: Sunday through Feb. 1 Where: Various venues Cost: Grand finale is $15-$35; other performance are free but tickets are required Online: musicalbridges.org/gurwitz-2020 Schedule Sunday: Judges showcase, 3 p.m., Pearl Stable, 307 Pearl Parkway Monday: Round one, day one (solo recitals), 10 am. and 4 p.m., Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, Trinity University Tuesday: Round one, day two (solo recitals), 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, Trinity University Wednesday: Round two (semifinals, works originating in Latin America or Spain and the contestant's home counties), 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, Trinity University Jan. 30: Hiromi concert, 7 p.m., Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary's St. Jan. 31: Round three (finals, "Murmurs From the Exile" with members of the Silk Road Ensemble), Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary's St. Feb. 1: Round four (grand finale, piano concerto with the San Antonio Symphony), 7 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performign Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle The contestants Leonardo Colafelice, Italy Anna Gershtein, Russia Anna Grot, Russia Jongyun Kim, South Korea Yedam Kim, South Korea Artem Kuznetsov, Russia Jiale Li, China Nikita Lukinov, Russia Alexander Malikov, Canada Maria Narodytska, Ukraine Alexey Sychev, Russia Joon Yoon, South Korea The judges Sebastian Lang-Lessing, San Antonio Symphony (jury chair) Olga Kern, classical pianist Yaron Kohlberg, Cleveland International Piano Competition Afa Dworkin, Sphinx Organization Boris Slutsky, classical pianist Carolyn True, SOLI Chamber Ensemble See More Collapse The competition had been run almost entirely by volunteers, many of whom were getting older, and they wanted to make sure it would continue. On ExpressNews.com: Review: San Antonio Symphonys Masters of the Musical Theater This years competition will be the first produced by Musical Bridges, and it has been remade in that organizations image: multicultural, collaborative and accessible. The core of our vision is celebrating cultural diversity, said Anya Grokhovski, artistic director and CEO of Musical Bridges. So we significantly changed the competition. Grokhovski, a Russian-born concert pianist, founded Musical Bridges in 1997 to expose San Antonio audiences to international talent. She has performed as a soloist and with groups at festivals around the world and has recorded with the Moscow State Symphony, among other orchestras. In the past, the 12 pianists chosen this year from 76 applicants competed in two rounds, both solo piano. This year, there will be four rounds. In the second round, the six remaining pianists will be required to play a work by a composer of Latin American or Spanish origin, as well as a work by a composer from their home country. Three of the competitors are from South Korea, Grokhovski said, and if they make it to that round, their pieces will sound totally different from the people who come from Russia and play Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. In the final two rounds, the remaining three pianists will be accompanied by other musicians. In round three, percussionist John Hadfield and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh from Yo-Yo Mas Silk Road Ensemble will join the finalists in performing Murmurs From the Exile, a piece commissioned for the competition from San Antonio composer Ethan Wickman. The 12-minute piece, which draws on Eastern and Western musical traditions, includes passages during which the players are encouraged to improvise. Nobody in the world of classical piano does that, Grokhovski said. So even though that round will feature three performances of the same work, the hope is that they all will sound somewhat different. On ExpressNews.com: Arts San Antonio shuts down, cancels season In the final round, at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, the pianists will play a concerto with the San Antonio Symphony. The Gurwitz is taking the place this year of Musical Bridges annual International Music Festival, and the organization wanted the weeklong competition to have the appeal of a music festival. What were trying to do is to marry an academic endeavor, which is a classical piano competition, with a very public, very accessible event, Grokhovski said. The people who come to our festival I hope will come to this competition and will be just as satisfied, if not more, because here theres excitement involved. You watch people compete, and some make it through and some dont. Everybody will find favorites and hopefully root for them. Before the final rounds begin, the competition will pause for a concert by Japanese pianist Hiromi, whose playing blends elements of classical, rock and jazz music. Her 2019 album Spectrum, according to the New York Times, puts her energy and her virtuosity on display. The Hiromi concert and the first three rounds of the competition are free. Tickets to the finale cost $15 to $35. Thats in line with Musical Bridges philosophy; the group presents all of its concerts for free. We believe in making great art accessible to all, said Suhail Arastu, a member of Musical Bridges leadership team. The budget for the competition has grown considerably. The 2020 event will cost four to six times more than the last San Antonio International Piano Competition. That means bigger and more prizes, and makes possible the participation of the symphony and the Tobin Center, all of which contribute to a much higher overall level of talent in the competition, Grohkovski said. Contestants include Anna Gershtein, who works at the Russian Academy of Choral Art and performs with a chamber trio; Joon Yoon, a BBC Music Magazine rising star; and Alexander Malikov, a Juilliard grad who was a young artist-in-residence with NPRs Performance Today. The winners prizes are significant the gold medalist will receive $25,000 compared to $15,000 at the last competition. But the pianists taking part in the Gurwitz also are playing to make a name for themselves, Grokhovski said. With its focus on world music and its innovative format, the same might be said of the revamped Gurwitz. Were taking it to the next level on an international level of artistic excellence, said Susan Franklin, a San Antonio businesswoman and arts patron who chairs Musical Bridges Gurwitz committee. It is something for all of us to hold our heads high. NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the early role played by Ruth Jean Gurwitz in the San Antonio International Piano Competitions founding, which was renamed in her honor. Jim Kiest is the arts and entertainment editor for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jkiest@express-news.net | Twitter: @jimik64 Experts are seeing shocking similarities between the coronavirus that has now spread beyond China and the SARS outbreak of 2003. Like the infectious pneumonia that has killed at least 17 people, SARS was caused by a coronavirus that originated in China. But when one of the virologists who helped identify the SARS virus visited Wuhan, where this virus originated, he didn't see nearly enough being done to fight it. People were out at markets without masks, "preparing to ring in the New Year in peace and had no sense about the epidemic," Guan Yi of the University of Hong Kong's State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases told Caixin. Airports were hardly being disinfected, Guan continued, saying the local government hasn't "even been handing out quarantine guides to people who were leaving the city." The city did disinfect the market where the virus has been traced to, but Guan criticized Wuhan for that, saying it hurts researchers' abilities to track down the virus's source. "I've never felt scared," Guan told Caixin. "This time I'm scared." A case involving the coronavirus was identified in Washington state on Wednesday, and cases have also been identified in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. A total of 639 cases were confirmed in China. More stories from theweek.com Trump debuts official Space Force logo and it's literally a ripoff of Star Trek 14 dead, hundreds injured after 6.7 earthquake in eastern Turkey Donald Trump and the moral decline of the pro-life movement MONTREAL - Fernand Daoust, a long-time Quebec union leader best known for his time with the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ), has died at 93. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Le Premier Ministre Bernard Landry felicite l'ex-syndicaliste Fernand Daoust apres l'avoir decore de l'Ordre National du Quebec, mardi 5 juin 2001, lors d'une ceremonie a l'Assemblee nationale.(CP PHOTO/Jacques Boissinot) MONTREAL - Fernand Daoust, a long-time Quebec union leader best known for his time with the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ), has died at 93. The cause of death wasn't made public but Daoust, who died Wednesday, had been ill for some time. Daniel Boyer, president of the Quebec Federation of Labour said in a statement on Thursday he was profoundly saddened by Daoust's death. Boyer paid tribute to Daoust as a man dedicated his life to making Quebec a modern, fair and democratic society and for shaping the federation into the influential position it holds today as the province's largest union. Denis Bolduc, the organization's current secretary general, said Daoust's death marks the end of an important chapter in the history of Quebec's union movement. Known as the "le grand Fernand," Daoust was often seen alongside Louis (Ti-Louis) Laberge, his running mate at the helm of the FTQ for a quarter-century. Daoust's professional life was marked by two major causes the defence of workers and the defence of the French language. His labour union involvement spanned more than four decades from 1950 until 1993. Born Oct. 26, 1926, the son of a mailman and a seamstress, Daoust studied economics and industrial relations at the social sciences faculty at the Universite de Montreal. He got his start in organized labour in 1950, first with the hatmaker's union and then at the Canadian Labour Congress. In 1959, he was an adviser to the union representing petroleum industry workers and in 1968, he became the Quebec director of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. In 1964, Daoust lost the presidency of the Quebec Labour Federation by a single vote to Laberge, in the process becoming his right-hand during more than a quarter century as secretary general, a post he held until 1991, after which he became president. If Laberge, who died in 2002, had the reputation of being hot, colourful and direct, Daoust, his right-hand man, embodied the intellectual, reserved, affable diplomat. Daoust's other major passion was defending the French language. He often paired the two, fighting for the strengthening of French in the workplace. In 1977, he sat on the board of directors of the Office de la langue francaise Quebec's French language watchdog and was also a member of the Mouvement Quebec francais, a French language rights group. The union says funeral details will be made public later in the week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia Ruben Vardazaryan and Council member Vigen Kocharyan today received the delegation led by Head of Unit of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Eastern Partnership of the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission Vassilis Maragos, as reported the Media and Public Relations Service of the Supreme Judicial Council. Greeting the guests, the Councils chairman attached importance to the effective, open and direct cooperation with international organizations to make implementation of the complex programs for judicial and legal reforms more fruitful. Expressing gratitude to the Council for the reception, Maragos asked about the current process of judicial and legal reforms, and Vardazaryan noted that the Council is interested in ensuring effectiveness of the reforms and is taking all the necessary actions for that. Issues related to technical support for e-justice, the need for rapid introduction of e-justice and ease of workload of courts were also discussed during the meeting. The Massachusetts Senate unveiled a three-bill package that sets a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 100 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, instead of the states current target of cutting emissions by 80 percent by the deadline. The package would not only update the states 2050 emissions target, but would also create limits for emissions every five years, starting in 2025 and create a commission to review whether the state is on pace to meet its obligations. The state would be required to set the numerical targets by Dec. 31, 2020, according to one of the bills. The bills also include sub-limits for transportation, residential buildings, commercial and industrial buildings, natural gas distribution and other areas. One bill would also direct the MBTA to have a net-neutral emissions fleet by 2040, and another would make it more expensive to power homes with oil or other traditional fuel sources. With all the research showing that we dont have time to wait and the fact that the federal government is not only not doing anything, but is denying that it even exists, the Senate believes that this is a real urgent issue and that we must act now, Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, said Thursday morning. Spilka and Sen. Michael Rodrigues, a Westport Democrat, announced their plans to roll out a climate change bill on Tuesday. Spilka confirmed that bill included a net-neutral emissions target for 2050 after Gov. Charlie Bakers address, in which he expressed a commitment to such a goal. Im thrilled that the governor is joining us with that, Spilka told reporters Tuesday night. Sen. Michael Barrett, a Lexington Democrat, said lawmakers have been working on the climate change package since July and let the Baker administration know of their plans in November. The idea here isnt to cop a headline or spring a surprise. We really want consensus ... I was very impressed and very grateful to the governor for having embraced net-zero earlier this week, Barrett said. The package includes three bills focusing on climate policy, transportation that generates fewer emissions and energy savings efficiency. Massachusetts had committed to reducing emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050 in the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008. But climate activists sued the state in 2015 arguing it wouldnt meet its 2020 obligations under the law. A Supreme Judicial Court judge sided with them in 2016, mandating the state to take steps to meet its obligations. The Senates Ways and Means Committee released the bills today, and the Senate plans to debate all three next week. Whats in the bills? The climate change package not only sets five-year term limits for emission reductions, but also sets sub-limits for transportation, buildings, solid waste, natural gas distribution and other sectors. Barrett said the state will plan to implement carbon prices for residences by 2030 to encourage developers to build homes with clean energy sources and homeowners who power their residences with oil or other traditional methods to switch to greener alternatives. Barrett called the plan a cap-and-trade system at the heating distribution level. This is not a tax on the homeowner, but you do say to the fuel distributors, you know, you really ought to go to a cleaner fuel, Barrett said, adding that there are clean home heating fuels available. Municipalities could choose what heating source they would choose as they make their buildings meet the sub-limits by 2030. The DOER would create a net zero energy code for inspectors. The proposal would allow the executive branch to determine how carbon will be priced, whether its the Transportation Climate Initiative that Baker is promoting or another alternative, but the government would have to decide on a system by Jan. 1, 2022 for transportation. The proposal imposes a Jan. 1, 2025 deadline for carbon-pricing commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. The proposal calls for incentivizing solar energy projects in low-income neighborhoods by making the Department of Energy Resources to set aside future solar allocations for those neighborhoods. However, how many of those projects would be set aside for those communities is unclear. Barrett said it would be up to DEOR to determine how many of those projects would go to low-income neighborhoods. One of the bills calls for stronger oversight of MassSave. The Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs would set emission reduction goals for MassSave based on every time the utilities in the collaborative come out with a three-year plan. When the plan is done, the state would have to certify how much it would help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under that bill, utilities would also have to show the value for emissions reductions whenever they calculate how cost-effective a MassSave offering is. Massachusetts behind on current targets After the court order, Baker signed a law to make the state solicit contracts to obtain offshore wind, hydropower and solar energy. An energy plan released in 2018 found the state will not meet its greenhouse gas emissions goals by 2030 if it successfully implements its current energy policies, including procuring offshore wind and hydroelectricity. At his State of the Commonwealth address on Tuesday, Baker mentioned that two of the states offshore wind projects still await federal approval and that those, combined with the states Canadian hydropower project in Canada, would help the state meet 30 percent of the its electricity consumption requirements. Over the past year, Baker has promoted his proposed cap-and-trade program with neighboring states that would reduce emissions but likely lead to higher gas prices. He is pushing for 11 states to join the regional compact, called the Transportation Climate Initiative. New Hampshire would have been the 12th state, but Gov. Chris Sununu opted out after the memorandum released in December projected the program could lead to gas price increases of 5 cents per gallon to 17 cents per gallon if fuel suppliers pass on the full costs to the consumer. Those caps would decrease over time. The House passed Speaker Robert DeLeos Greenworks bill in July, which focuses on offering municipalities grants for climate resiliency projects. DeLeo did not mention Greenworks after Bakers speech, but he did say the House was also interested in updating the 2050 target before the session ends in July. Sen. Michael Barrett, a Lexington Democrat, said the five-year limits would help the state spot any delays in reaching its targets sooner. He said Massachusetts will likely fail to meet its 2020 goals. We are going to propose that we adopt the discipline of hitting near-term limits in 2025, 2030 and every five years thereafter," he said, no longer waiting 10 years in between crucial check-ins to see if were on the path. Related Content: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has posted a cryptic tweet with a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's memorial service. Bezos has written #Jamal in the tweet. Bezos' tweet comes days after a report claimed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had allegedly hacked Bezos' phone months before Khashoggi's killing. The UK-based news daily The Guardian reported on Sunday that Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos' mobile phone was reportedly "hacked" by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in 2018. The phone's security was compromised after he opened a malicious video file sent from the crown prince's number on his WhatsApp, it said. Citing anonymous sources in the know of an international probe into the (hacking) matter, The Guardian reported the two (Bezos and Saudi Crown Prince) had exchanged friendly messages on WhatsApp on May 1, 2018, after which the unsolicited video was sent from bin Salman's number. The daily also cited digital forensic analysis and said the hacking targeted unknown contents of Bezos' personal cellphone during a WhatsApp conversation with bin Salman. However, Saudi Arabia said the allegation was "absurd". Last year, Bezos' private investigator Gavin de Becker also claimed that Saudi Arabia had hacked Bezos' phone and accessed data. Becker linked the hack to The Washington Post's coverage of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. Khashoggi was killed in October 2018 -- five months after the alleged "hacking" of Bezos' phone. The Washington Post had done a relentless coverage on the Khashoggi murder. Later, the CIA eventually determined the murder was personally ordered by the crown prince himself, despite numerous trial. Reports say that hacking Bezos' phone may have been a way to gain leverage over the Amazon CEO due to the Post's critical coverage of the Saudi Kingdom, which included columns from Khashoggi himself. Also read: Saudi Crown Prince hacked Jeff Bezos' phone, says report Edited by Manoj Sharma VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mythics, a Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) and award-winning value-added reseller and systems integrator today announced it has been awarded a contract through OMNIA Partners, formerly National IPA, to provide Oracle technology solutions to over 60,000 participating agencies throughout the United States. This national cooperative contract offers a streamlined, efficient, and competitively priced procurement mechanism for Oracle Cloud (Applications and Infrastructure), software, technical support, engineered systems, hardware, and training, as well as enabling, managed and on-demand services. OMNIA Partners, Public Sector is a leading national cooperative purchasing organization providing world-class government procurement resources and solutions to local and state government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education institutions, and nonprofits looking for the best overall supplier government pricing. Region 4 Education Service Center (ESC) in Houston, TX served as the lead public agency and awarded Mythics the 2-year contract, which also includes two additional 1-year renewal options. "OMNIA Partners is pleased that one of our lead agencies, Region 4 ESC, selected Mythics in a competitive solicitation process as the supplier for Oracle products and related services. Region 4 Education Service Center has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Mythics since their initial award in 2015. Through the years, Mythics has proven to be a leading partner for Oracle products and services, which is why they were selected as the sole provider in a competitive solicitation process completed by Region 4 ESC. The broad scope of the contract, which includes Oracle Cloud, software , engineered systems, consulting, managed services, and much more, will be extremely beneficial to public agencies nationwide." Allan McCombs, Senior Vice President of Sales, OMNIA Partners, Public Sector. The contract provides access to Oracle Cloud services and associated training, consulting and implementation services to participating agencies across the entire United States including: K-12 School Districts Cities Counties Municipalities Public Schools State Agencies State Colleges and Universities Utilities As an Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) 10x Partner of The Year, and Oracle Certified Cloud Implementer (OCIE), with more than 19 years of Oracle experience and thousands of successful Oracle technology implementations, Mythics is uniquely positioned to provide participants of OMNIA Partners, formerly National IPA, with cost-effective Oracle solutions to help them achieve their goals or constituent mission success. "We value our long-standing relationship with Mythics and are excited to work with them on this national cooperative contract that will provide access to the full Oracle product portfolio to state, local and higher education customers across the United States," said Matt Fullerton, senior sales director, SLG, Public Sector Channels at Oracle. "Mythics has shown their dedication, unique experience, and commitment to Oracle public sector customers, and through this contract, OMNIA Partners participating agencies will now have streamlined access to total Oracle solutions." "We are proud to be awarded this national cooperative contract, which will provide a streamlined Oracle procurement resource for state, local, and education customers throughout the United States," said Doug Altamura, Mythics sector president. "This contract meets today's hybrid technology requirements and allows participating agencies to seamlessly acquire Oracle cloud solutions and on-premise along with consulting expertise and implementation services to accelerate their business modernization requirements. The OMNIA Partners contract allows Mythics to continue delivering the most innovative and comprehensive cloud and enterprise modernization solutions to help agencies succeed." To find more about this valuable Oracle contract, including how to become a participating agency, or to immediately request a quote for service please visit the Mythics OMNIA Partners Web Portal https://www.mythics.com/omniapartners About Mythics Mythics is an award-winning Oracle systems integrator, consulting firm, managed services provider and Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork representing Oracle product lines across cloud, software, support, hardware, engineered systems and appliances. Mythics delivers technology solutions serving the Federal Government, State and Local Governments, Commercial, Higher Education, Utilities and Healthcare sectors and is a trusted partner to organizations worldwide. To learn more about Mythics's culture and career opportunities, visit https://www.mythics.com/careers or @mythics on LinkedIn and Twitter. About OMNIA Partners OMNIA Partners, Public Sector is the nation's largest and most experienced cooperative purchasing organization dedicated to public sector procurement. Our immense purchasing power and world-class suppliers have produced a comprehensive portfolio of cooperative contracts and partnerships, making OMNIA Partners the most valued and trusted resource for organizations nationwide. Through the economies of scale created by OMNIA Partners, our participants now have access to an extensive portfolio of competitively solicited and publicly awarded agreements. The lead agency contracting process continues to be the foundation on which we are founded. OMNIA Partners is proud to offer more value and resources to state and local government, higher education, K-12 education and non-profits. For more information, visit omniapartners.com/publicsector. About Oracle PartnerNetwork Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle's partner program that provides partners with a differentiated advantage to develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle's products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle's growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to be recognized and rewarded for their investment in Oracle Cloud. Partners engaging with Oracle will be able to differentiate their Oracle Cloud expertise and success with customers through the OPN Cloud program an innovative program that complements existing OPN program levels with tiers of recognition and progressive benefits for partners working with Oracle Cloud. To find out more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partners . Trademarks Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. SOURCE Mythics Related Links http://www.mythics.com - A report in one of the local dailies indicated the DCI had reopened a 2004 land case in which the DP was implicated - The case was filed in 2004 and closed in 2011 after the prosecutor failed to link Ruto to the sale deal - While acknowledging that the DCI was looking into the matter, Kinoti noted he was not targeting the DP - The top detective maintained he would bring all suspects to account The Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti has dismissed reports that he is investigating Deputy President William Ruto over a 2004 land case that was closed in 2011. However, the top detective clarified he was currently undertaking an intensive probe into the Kenya Pipeline Company and everybody involved in the scandal would be brought to account. READ ALSO: Leaked memo shows how Nairobi Women's Hospital exploits patients to meet revenue targets Tough talking DCI boss George Kinoti said he will bring everybody to account over the KPC land case. Photo: Daily Nation Source: Depositphotos READ ALSO: Magazeti ya Alhamisi,Januari 23: Uhuru kuongoza rasmi kampeni za BBI Mlima Kenya Speaking to the Daily Nation on Wednesday, January 22, Kinoti revealed already several people had been interrogated in connection to the matter. "I'm investigating the massive plunder of KPC. Anybody who stole from KPC, no matter the period, no matter the trick they used to steal, must return the public property or they'll go to jail," said the top sleuth. The DCI's sentiments came after a media report that he reopened the case with the intention of investigating Ruto who was accused to have benefited from the sale of a piece of land to KPC. The DP was accused alongside two other people to have hived off the land from Ngong Forest. Photo: William Ruto Source: Facebook READ ALSO: New untapped business ideas in Kenya 2020 In 2004, the DP was charged alongside two other people over the transaction but was later acquitted for lack of evidence. Ruto was alleged to have sold the piece of land to KPC in 2001 but the state challenged the move in court in 2004, arguing it had been hived from Ngong Forest which is considered state property. The DP was cleared of the charges in 2011 on grounds that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused was a beneficiary of the KSh 272 million proceeds. READ ALSO: David Ndii reads malice after DCI reopens Ruto's old land case: "State out to finish him" Although it is not clear why the DCI revived the case, reports indicate the sleuths were seeking to establish who was the beneficiary of the sale proceeds. Among other people who were lined up for questioning include 13 company directors who were at the center of the land sale at the time. One of the beneficiaries, Berke Commercial Agencies, which was charged alongside Ruto received KSh 96 million from the KPC payout. The company directors included Ruto, Willy Bett Kipkorir, David Kemei Kibet and James Bett Kiprop. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly Source: TUKO.co.ke NYC-based venture capital firm Two Sigma Ventures closed a $288m fund focused on investing in early-stage, data-driven startups across a wide variety of industries. Two Sigma Ventures III, LP, was supported by external investors, including a diverse group of endowments, foundations, pensions, and others. Established in 2012 and led by Colin Beirne, Dan Abelon, Lindsey Gray, and Villi Iltchev, Two Sigma Ventures invests in high-growth technology companies that leverage data science and advanced engineering. To date, the firm has invested in over 70 companies across enterprise and consumer software, AI-powered applications, infrastructure and developer tools, and data-driven biotech and healthcare. The firms broader employee network of over 1,700 data scientists, engineers, and other industry experts provide support to portfolio companies. Two Sigma Ventures also has a presence in San Francisco, and invests actively across the U.S. and in select international opportunities. Recent investments include Firedome (an IoT endpoint security company), NewtonX (an AI-powered expert search engine), Radar (a location data infrastructure company), and Terray Therapeutics (an AI-powered drug discovery platform). FinSMEs 22/01/2020 Stop me if this sounds familiar: Archaeologists digging in Israel discover artifacts buried for about three millennia. Upon close examination, their find either confirms the biblical narrative or at least undermines a long-accepted dismissal of a biblical claim. Okay, dont stop me. After all, it wont matter if you try, because I never get tired of telling stories like these. Archaeologists from Azusa Pacific University and Hebrew University excavating at Tel Abel Beth Maacah (a 3,000-year-old site about four miles west of Dan, which is as far north as you can go and still be in Israel) found a room dating back to the ninth century before Christ that contained broken jars. That may not sound particularly exciting or newsworthy, but stay with me here. During the reign of King Ahab, Abel Beth Maacah was where the kingdoms of Israel, Aram, and Phoenicia met. The city is mentioned in 2 Samuel 20 as a city that is a mother in Israel and part of the Lords inheritance. Now, some scholars have disputed that Abel Beth Maacah was an Israelite city, as the Bible claims. In their reckoning, the biblical authors were reading back subsequent events to more ancient history. However, some of the jars contained residues that suggested that the room was an ancient wine cellar, and at least one of the jars had an inscription which was so faint that it required special equipment to see it. The inscription read lbnayo, which means belongs to Benjamin. Benjamin? Benjamin who? you might ask. Who cares? Well, the important detail here is that the inscription was written in Hebrew. As Biblical Archaeology Review put it, this finding suggests that Abel Beth Maacah was an Israelite city at the time when Ahab was the Israelite King. Obviously, its important to be cautious and not over-interpret the data here. The field of biblical archaeology, and archaeology in general, is a human endeavor subject to human failings like most other areas of study. Sloppiness, bias, fraud, or simple good-faith errors can lead to flawed interpretation of findings. Caution is advised. Unfortunately, what has long passed for caution in archaeology is what would be better identified as a hermeneutics of suspicion. In other words, there is often a taken-for-granted assumption that the Bible cant be trusted. Because it deals with religion and morality, it must be exaggerating, if not outright lying on its historical claims. On the other hand, its more than a little annoying that the Bibles contemporaries always seem to get the benefit of the doubt, especially if their claims contradict the Bible. The classic case is the Exodus. Since no mention of the Exodus exists in contemporaneous Egyptian documents, many scholars assume the Biblical account is fictional. Such an assumption is willfully naive, ignoring that records were more royal propaganda than neutral reporting. Anything that made the ruler look bad wouldnt be memorialized by a monument or a mention in official records. As one writer snarkily suggested, how would such an official Egyptian mention of the Exodus sounded if written in typical royal language? . . . Ramses the Great . . . before whom all tremble in awe . . . announced that the man Moses had kicked his royal [posterior] for all the world to see, thus proving that God is Yahweh and the 2,000-year-old culture of Egypt is a lie . . . Good luck finding that kind of inscription buried in the sand. Though the kind of caution that accompanies findings like the one at Tel Abel Beth Maacah is prudent, make no mistake. Such caution is seldom about the quality of the evidence behind the historicity of biblical accounts, and more often about a predisposition to treat the Bible like any other religious text. Time after time and way after way, the Bible proves it is not like any other book, religious or otherwise. Because the Bible actually tells the story of Gods actions in human history, it sweats the historical details in ways other religious texts just dont. And thats why I never get tired of reporting when these historical details are discovered and validated. Publication date: January 23, 2020 Photo courtesy: Getty Images/ BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go. John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. GRAND RAPIDS, MI In an effort to diversify the economy, a group of community partners on Thursday said they plan to launch an investment fund next year that will focus on growing the number of minority-owned businesses in West Michigan. Bank of America and the Consumers Energy Foundation have donated $400,000 to support the design and development of the New Community Transformation Fund. Officials say they will attempt to raise between $15 million and $25 million before the fund is activated next year. The Right Place, a Grand Rapids-based economic development group, is partnering with the fund and will provide support to businesses that receive funding. Birgit Klohs, the groups president and CEO, said West Michigans economy is strong, but the economic growth playing out across the region has not been shared by all residents. The New Community Transformation Fund is designed to help change that. By investing in companies that will create long-term economic prosperity in communities of color, this fund will increase upward mobility and ultimately build a more diverse and globally competitive economy, she said. Roughly 6 percent of the businesses in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area are minority-owned, according to statistics provided by The Right Place. Klohs is among a three-member consulting team who will lead the design and development of the fund, which will focus on early to mid-stage businesses in advanced manufacturing, food processing and agribusiness, life sciences and medical devices, and information technology. Businesses that receive dollars from the fund must either be based in West Michigan or located elsewhere but agree to move here. Officials say they will search on a national-level for such firms. The other two members of the funds consulting team are: Skot Welch, principal of Grand Rapids-based Global Bridgebuilders, a firm focused on diversity and inclusion; and Kwame Anku, who lives in Sacramento, California, and serves as CEO and chairmen of the Black Star Fund. Anku, whose work for the fund will include identifying minority-owned businesses to invest in, said the New Community Transformation Fund is needed. He said the challenges faced by entrepreneurs raising capital, creating products, studying the market are really compounded when youre dealing with founders and entrepreneurs of color. Now some of that is because you dont have the generational historical experience, some of that is because there are systemic obstacles that are in the way, he said. But, Anku added: Were firm believers that oftentimes those challenges create opportunities as well. Sometimes that fact that you have to be more resourceful ends up making you more successful. Officials say theyre confident they can raise between $15 million and $25 million by next year. But they added they could start providing resources to minority-owned businesses by the time the fund reaches $10 million. Klohs, when discussing raising money for the fund, said the indication from two large employers and quiet conversations with others is that people are giving us the thumbs up that this is needed. While details surrounding the fund are still being finalized, the minimum investment it would provide to a business is $25,000, Anku said. He said the goal of the fund is not to invest in a couple folks that live in their grandmothers basement with an idea. Were looking for companies that have already been able to secure funding, they have partners, they attract customers, theyre growing, Anku said. He added that the cash infusion from the fund and the business development assistance provided by The Right Place is designed to hyper accelerate the growth of those companies. Before the fund launches next year, officials will work to create the funds legal structure and operational system, and establish a management team, board of directors and advisers. Another part of the funds mission: Helping qualified people of color purchase or invest in existing family-owned businesses that are on the verge of transitioning away from local or family-ownership. Klohs said such a strategy is beneficial in two ways. It not only ensures that those once family-owned businesses retain local ownership, but also boosts the number of minority-owned businesses. We are getting a much more diverse supply chain that way, she said. Because right now that supply chain is pretty meager. Welch, who is serving as a general partner to the fund, said theres strong demand for the New Community Transformation Fund. Many entrepreneurs are looking for some type of catalyst to take their business to the next level, he said. What we might be surprised with is not the lack of deal flow but really the abundance of opportunity, Welch said. Looking forward, Klohs said shes hopeful the fund will spur job creation, increase regional competitiveness and strengthen historically disadvantaged communities. Twenty years from now, I hope somebody will sit up here and say, Heres how many companies weve created, and it really has changed the trajectory of West Michigan and how we look at ourselves, she said. Read more: Popular high school teacher accused of stealing prescription drugs Kent County leaders want to construct a parks visitor center, offices New ballot initiative aims to curb lobbyist influence over Michigan lawmakers SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Juniper Networks (JNPR), a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, today announced the Company will present at the following investor conference and host a Tech Talk in February: Ken Miller, Chief Financial Officer at Juniper Networks, will present at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference, Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 10:20am PT in San Francisco, CA. Chris Spain, Vice President Product Management at Juniper Networks, will host a Tech Talk on Secure SD-WAN, Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 11:00am PT. The participant dial-in numbers for the Tech Talk are +1-877-407-8033 (toll free) or +1-201-689-8033. These events will be available live via webcast on the Juniper Networks website: http://investor.juniper.net/ . About Juniper Networks Juniper Networks challenges the inherent complexity that comes with networking in the multicloud era. We do this with products, solutions and services that transform the way people connect, work and live. We simplify the process of transitioning to a secure and automated multicloud environment to enable secure, AI-driven networks that connect the world. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net). Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo, Juniper, and Junos are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Investor Relations: Jess Lubert Media Relations: Leslie Moore Juniper Networks Juniper Networks (408) 936-3734 (408) 936-5767 jlubert@juniper.net llmoore@juniper.net STANTON, Iowa - It was the kind of event designed to play up the Midwestern sensibilities that Amy Klobuchar so often talks about on the campaign trail. In a small rural Iowa community, voters gathered in a neighbours home. They ate tater tot hot dish Klobuchars award-winning recipe and listened to the case for the Minnesota senator to be Democrats nominee for president. The only thing missing was the candidate, who was stuck in the Senate chamber some 1,100 miles away for the start of President Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Instead, her potential supporters at Tuesday nights house party got a pitch from the senators 24-year-old daughter. She actually has a record of winning in places Trump has won, said Abigail Bessler, delivering Klobuchars well-worn lines. When I talk to voters in New Hampshire, when I talk to people here ... its just Is she going to be able to beat Donald Trump? They want a candidate who is going to win, and I think she has the best record for proving that. The impeachment trial that got underway this week is happening at an inopportune time for all four of the senators in the Democratic primary. Just as voters in the nations leadoff caucus state are finalizing their decisions ahead of the Feb. 3 caucuses, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Michael Bennet and Klobuchar are stuck in their seats in Washington. But its a particularly bad moment for Klobuchar. The three-term senator built her campaign on a strategy of a slow and steady build in Iowa. She spent campaign funds conservatively all year, hoping to be able to capitalize on a late surge just before the caucuses. A strong showing in Iowa, her campaign hopes, will catapult her into the top tier in New Hampshire and beyond. Now her absence could blunt the gains from what Klobuchar described Wednesday as quite a 48 hours. In recent days Klobuchar earned endorsements from The New York Times, which also endorsed Warren, and the Quad-City Times, one of Iowas largest newspapers. On Tuesday, she got the backing of a state senator who is a leading advocate for action on climate change, and two other state lawmakers who previously supported Sen. Cory Booker and former Rep. Beto ORourke, who have dropped out of the 2020 race. She picked up 14 more local endorsers on Wednesday, including two well-known Iowa Democratic activists who were previously with Sen. Kamala Harris, who quit the race last year. But Klobuchar is running out of time to gain ground on the four front-runners Warren, Sanders, former Vice-President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Those candidates also have surrogates on the trail, including some big-name performers and nationally known politicians. Actress Mandy Moore was in Iowa for Buttigieg, and actress and activist Ashley Judd will stump with Warren in New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday. Sanders is bringing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and musical acts Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend to Iowa. Klobuchar says that the breadth of her support shows she can bring together people from all political leanings and that the roster of well-known local supporters will provide crucial credibility and organizing support in her absence. I just have to hope that that kind of grassroots campaigning is going to last, she said. Its not something where you just bring in one celebrity. It is built to last. For some Iowans, there is no substitute for personal contact with the candidate. Iowa state Sen. Rob Hogg met with almost every presidential candidate to discuss their plans to address climate change before endorsing Klobuchar on Tuesday. He said he was sold on her record of attracting both progressive Democrats and independents, and is drawn to her pragmatic approach. Hogg said that since making his announcement, hes heard from several people who said they were reaching the same conclusion he did, many of whom have waited longer than usual to make a decision this election cycle. I think a lot of Iowans have been slow to decide because there are so many candidates, Hogg said. That makes the impeachment trial bad for all of (the senators). I think that its a challenge because there is nothing like seeing a candidate in person when youre making up your mind, he said. Klobuchar, 59, is running as a pragmatic progressive who can win over liberal and moderate Democrats as well as independents and some Republicans. Shes looking to pick up voters who backed other candidates, such as Booker and Harris, and convince moderates who may see Biden as too old and Buttigieg as too inexperienced that shes what theyre looking for. But after banking much of her campaign on Iowa, Klobuchar is still polling in fifth place there, with significant ground to make up if shes going to knock out any of the top four and become the surprise of caucus night. The campaign believes a fourth-place finish would put her on strong footing heading into New Hampshire, where she also has invested significant money and time and has been seeing larger crowds than what shes getting in Iowa. From there the electoral calendar gets much tougher. Klobuchars campaign got a late start in Nevada and South Carolina, and her low polling among black voters could be a big liability in South Carolina, where African Americans make up roughly two-thirds of Democratic primary voters. She also has far less money in her campaign fund than her rivals do, which could make it difficult to compete in the Super Tuesday contests in places like California and Texas on March 3 if she makes it that far. But first she must perform in Iowa, where Klobuchars campaign says even a fifth-place finish would be notable for a candidate whos already outlasted other candidates, such as Harris, who were seen early on as having a much better shot. On Wednesday night, almost 12,000 Iowa voters participated in a telephone town hall with the senator, who was in Washington. Klobuchar is scheduled to be back in the state Sunday for three town halls. For some voters, her absence this week doesnt matter. Chris Nelson, a 71-year-old farmer from Stanton, Iowa, who attended Tuesday nights gathering at his neighbours home, said Bessler was a joy. Nelson was with Sanders in 2016 and likely will be again this year. But he said hes been impressed with Klobuchar, who he says shares farmers values of working hard and keeping your word. After hearing Bessler speak on Klobuchars behalf, Nelson said he will likely caucus first for Sanders this time and support Klobuchar if Sanders doesnt have enough voters on caucus night to reach viability, or a 15% threshold required to receive delegates. And supporters say theyre seeing firsthand that interest in Klobuchar is growing. Vicky Rossander, a retired teacher who opened her home for Tuesdays house party and will be a precinct captain for Klobuchar on caucus night, said several people mentioned The New York Times endorsement at a county Democratic meeting earlier this week. People were saying - Wow, maybe we need to relook at her. ___ Burnett reported from Chicago. Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report from Washington. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. ___ This story was first published on Jan. 23, 2020. It was updated on Jan. 24, 2020, to correct the timing of Ashley Judd campaigning with Elizabeth Warren. Judd will stump with Warren in New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday, not on Sunday. METROPOLITAN councillors have unanimously passed a motion calling on government to cancel the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) commemoration. The commemoration was put on ice this month following a huge outcry from the public. Now, Limerick City and County Councils metropolitan district is to write to the new government asking them to cancel the event in its entirety. The move came off the back of a motion from Sinn Fein councillor John Costelloe. He said: This police force brutalised and murdered workers in Dublin during the 1913 Lockout. The same force who identified those to be executed after the 1916 Rising not to mention the reign of terror they inflicted by burning towns and cities murdering civilians with impunity. Cllr Costelloe said the suggestion the commemoration should have even happened in the first place is obscene and an affront to generations of patriots who struggled to end centuries of imperial tyranny. Only a subservient government suffering from a post colonial state-of-mind and ashamed of our revolutionary history would encourage this disgraceful event, he added. His party colleague, Cllr Sharon Benson formally seconded the motion. She said: We need to remember that two of Limericks mayors George Clancy and Michael OCallaghan were brutally murdered by the RIC and the Black and Tans in 1921. Over the past number of weeks, people from Limerick and all across the country have spoken loud and clear and have firmly expressed they do not want a state commemoration to be held in their name. The motion gained support from across the floor, with Cllr Kieran OHanlon, Fianna Fail, who was chairing the meeting also complementing his Fianna Fail colleague, Clare Mayor Cathal Crowe, who has been an outspoken critic of the commemoration. Cllr Jerry ODea added: Its a very appropriate motion, and I offer my full support on it. Cllr Sean Hartigan added: Everyone in the country was against this. It shows how detached Leo Varadkar and the rest of his government are from the rest of the country. Paying glowing tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, Jharkhand Minister Rameshwar Oraon on Thursday said that there had been differences of opinions during Netajis time but there had never been "differences of minds". Oraon, also the president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC), said nowadays anybody having differences of opinions "are levelled as anti-nationals". "Today is the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the environment now has become 'desh premi' versus 'desh drohi' (patriots versus anti-nationals). If there is any differences of opinions, we take them as 'desh drohi'," Oraon rued. " ... when the Congress gave the slogan quit India in 1942, ... There were differences of opinions, but never differences of minds (then)," Oraon said. He said Netaji was an epitome of sacrifice and discipline as he quit materialistic life in search of freedom of India, taking great pains. Netaji had the ability to organise the youth and make them committed towards the nation, Oraon, a former IPS officer, said. Earlier, hundreds of Congress leaders and workers marched through the streets and went to the bust of Netaji at Trikon Havan Kundu here. The Jharkhand government announced the day as a public holiday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after chief minister Yogi Adityanath stated that raising azaadi slogans during anti-CAA protests would amount to treason, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gobind Chaudhary on Thursday said, Even the British had described patriots as traitors and terrorists. Just like British, the countdown for the exit of these people has begun, said Chaudhary, without naming anyone. In a written statement, Chaudhary, who is also the leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, said: Dont feel bad that the descendants of those people who had sided with the British are calling protestors (against Citizen Amendment Act) traitors for sloganeering Azaadi, Azaadi. The British too had called patriots traitors. Their countdown has begun. Chaudhary said that socialists always chose the path of struggle and history was witness to it. He said: When the country attained freedom and people were running after power, then the socialist leader chose to struggle. During the Emergency, when many people and the so-called great organisation (reference was to RSS) wrote the letter of support to Indira Gandhi, the socialists who were fighting for the freedom of expression spent time behind bars. Chaudhary said freedom was the birthright of every citizen of India. Speaking at a rally in Kanpur, Adityanath had said on Wednesday, In democracy, staging a peaceful protest is everyones right. One can give memorandums and protest peacefully. But I want to reiterate that if anyone resorts to violence, we would recover damages from them. And also, I would like to state that raising azaadi slogans that were raised in Kashmir, would come under treason and attract strict punishment. This wont be tolerated. The family of ACP Benjamin Agordzo, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to destabilize the country, have alleged that their man is still being held in police custody. According to the family, it is said that despite being granted bail by a court in Accra on Tuesday, the police are still detaining him. His brother, Cephas Agordzo, described this as persecution of his brother. According to him, ACP Agordzo who was granted a self recognizance bail to the tune of GHS500,000 met all the requirements and deposited his passport at the courts registry as prescribed by the court but the police refused to take him to the court to sign off for his bail. The court set conditions that he has been given self-recognizance bail and that he should deposit his passport at the High Court registry which we did yesterday [Tuesday], and when we came back to the police custody, they called again from the court that the police should bring him back to court to come and sign his bail, but the police refused to do that from yesterday [Tuesday], he said. Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, Cephas Agordzo said the police failed to honour the courts invitation and have kept the embattled police officer in custody for the whole of Wednesday. As we speak now, it had to take the court to write to the IGP to produce him in court to sign his bail and we see this as an agenda of persecution, not prosecution and theyve not even given any reason why they couldnt take him to court, he added. Citi News' Hanson Agyeman who monitored the court proceedings on the bail application on Tuesday said lawyers of the suspect while making their case argued that their client had already presented a nine landed property to justify his application for bail. Background ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo was on several occasions denied bail by the High Court after his arrest over his alleged involvement and contribution to the 'Take Action Ghana' group which the State claims had devised a detailed plot to destabilize the county. He was charged with abetment to commit crime namely treason felony and was on remand in police custody. Lawyers of the policeman had argued that their client according to the law could be granted bail pending trial. In their arguments before the court, the lawyers led by Martin Kpebu said their client was entitled to bail and will make himself available for investigations or trial if needed. But the courts had always dismissed these applications for his release. On one of the occasions, for instance, his bail application was denied after the High Court in Accra described it as premature due to the fact that investigations on the case were still ongoing. The judge, George Buadi also said the position of the applicant as a senior police officer can make him influence ongoing investigations. The family of the accused senior police officer had made claims that personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service were scheming to plant false evidence on his electronic gadgets. A brother to the suspect, Cephas Agordzo, alleged that the CID personnel used dubious means to seize the gadgets after the family resisted attempts by the investigators to conduct a search on the gadgets without the presence of witnesses. ---CitinewsRoom By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's central bank has said that trade between Islamabad and New Delhi plummeted significantly this fiscal, apparently due to the ongoing tensions with India over the Kashmir issue. The State Bank of Pakistan data in the first half of 2019-20 fiscal starting from July 1 showed that Pakistan's exports to India during the period came in at an insignificant USD 16.8 million as compared to USD 213 million in first half of 2018-19, Dawn news reported. But the declining trade across the border had not affected the balance of trade which was still heavily skewed in favour of India, it said. Meanwhile, imports from India also fell to USD 286.6 million as against USD 865 million in the same period. ALSO READ: Pakistan takes to hate speech like fish takes to water: India attacks Imran government over Kashmir at UN As a result, Pakistan's trade deficit with the eastern neighbour amounted to USD 269.8 million. India on August 5 revoked the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue. Pakistan reacted by downgrading diplomatic ties with New Delhi and banning trade with India. The ties have not recovered from the jolt and trade and commercial activities have suffered. The central bank data showed that imports from China - the country's largest trade partner - fell to USD 4.8 billion during July-December versus USD 5 billion in the same period last year. However, exports slightly rose to USD 936 million, up from USD 889 million in the first half of the 2019-20. ALSO READ | World will realise Pakistan's strategic potential once relations with India normalise: Imran Khan This meant a trade balance with China at a negative USD 864 billion. With the second-largest partner, the United Arab Emirates, there was some improvement as exports to the Gulf country increased to $827m in the period, from USD 638 million. This was driven by a significant decline in imports to USD 3.6 billion, down from USD 5 billion. Pakistan has succeeded to drastically reduce the current account deficit mainly through a cut in imports bill, which is also reflected in the above-mentioned two cases. ALSO READ: Pakistanis worried about inflation, unemployment than Kashmir issue, reveals survey External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Tunisian counterpart Sabri Bachtobji during which the two leaders focused on expanding the bilateral economic cooperation and agreed to work closely in multilateral forums. Jaishankar arrived in Tunis earlier in the day on the concluding leg of his three-day two-nation trip to Niger and Tunisia. The tour is his first outreach to the African continent after becoming the foreign minister last year. "Began my #Tunisia visit with a meeting with FM Sabri Bachtobji. As two vibrant democracies in different regions, discussed shared interests and challenges," Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting. "Agreed to work closely in multilateral forums especially the UN. Also focused on expanding bilateral economic cooperation and witnessed signing of an agreement on ICT," he added. Later, Jaishankar met Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi and discussed on expanding exchanges, especially between Parliamentary institutions and civil society, between the two countries. The External Affairs Minister said he was "greatly touched" by the Speaker's "strong empathy for India". Jaishankar also met President Kais Saied and "conveyed the good wishes of the world's largest democracy". The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a fair, just and a rule-based global order. As China locks down the city at the epicentre of a new viral outbreak, countries around the world are scrambling to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Here's what we know so far about the illness that has killed 17 people and infected at least 570, most in Wuhan: - It's entirely new - The pathogen appears to be a never-before-seen strain of coronavirus -- a family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2003. The new virus has been named "2019-nCoV". Most patients experience flu-like symptoms, including fever, a cough, shortness of breath, a sore throat or runny nose. - Where did it come from? - It may have originated in bats, according to genetic analysis, but researchers say there could have been an "intermediate host" in the transmission to humans that one study suggested could have been snakes. Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Wednesday the virus likely came from "wild animals at a seafood market" in Wuhan. The market offered a range of exotic wildlife for sale, including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf pups, giant salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines and camel meat. SARS was linked to Chinese consumption of civet meat. - It's being passed between humans - China has confirmed the virus is passing from person to person without any contact with the now-closed market. While most patients are in Wuhan, cases have been detected across China and a few abroad. Nathalie MacDermott of King's College London said it seems likely the virus is spreading through droplets in the air from sneezing or coughing. Scientists at Imperial College London published an estimate on Wednesday that 4,000 people had been infected in Wuhan -- around 10 times the official figure. - It is milder than SARS - The symptoms appear to be less aggressive than those of the virus that spread in 2002 and 2003. However, Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, told AFP the fact that the virus seems milder in the majority of people is "paradoxically more worrying" as it allows many to travel further before their symptoms are detected. The 17 patients who died were between 48 and 89 years old. Most had underlying health issues including cirrhosis, diabetes, high blood pressure or coronary heart disease, China's National Health Commission said. Fears of a bigger epidemic have risen as hundreds of millions of people travel across the country for China's Lunar New Year holiday, which starts Friday. - International public health emergency? - The World Health Organization on Wednesday postponed its decision on whether to declare a global public health emergency, extending talks by a day. It has only used the rare label a handful of times, including during the H1N1 -- or swine flu -- pandemic of 2009 and the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016. Cases have so far been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Macau, Vietnam, Singapore and the United States. The Chinese government said Tuesday it was classifying the outbreak in the same category as SARS, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed and the potential to implement quarantine measures on travel. - Global precautions - Authorities halted flights and trains out of Wuhan from Thursday and told people in the city they should not leave without a special reason. In Thailand, officials have introduced mandatory thermal scans of passengers arriving at airports in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi from high-risk areas in China. In Hong Kong, authorities have said they are on high alert, carrying out scans at the city's airport -- one of the world's busiest -- and at other international land and sea crossing points. High-speed rail tickets to Wuhan are no longer being sold while airliner Cathay has said it will stop flights to the city until 29 February. Taiwan has issued travel advisories and went to its second-highest alert level for Wuhan, recommending against all travel to the city. South Korea urged its citizens on Thursday not to travel to Wuhan, with the foreign ministry telling anyone intending to visit the area to "please carefully review the necessity of the trip". The US has also ordered the screening of passengers arriving on direct or connecting flights from Wuhan, including at airports in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In Europe, Britain and Italy introduced enhanced monitoring of flights from Wuhan, while Romania and Russia are also strengthening checks. People travelling for the Lunar New Year wear protective masks as they head to the departure area at Beijing Capital International Airport The new coronavirus may have originated in bats Where the 2019 novel coronavirus has spread Northern Ireland hotels boss Rajesh Rana has hit out at delays to a proposed new venue in Portrush, saying he will instead focus on a 19m project in Belfast if no progress is made. The Andras House chief said he is soon to sign up an international apart-hotel brand for the site at 29 to 33 Bedford Street in Belfast, between Wetherspoon's bar and Pizza Express. A pre-application consultation was held into the project last year. But Mr Rana said that project would be the focus of company investment efforts if there was no progress on the proposed Portrush hotel, which is being considered by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). He said the project at Main Street/Atlantic Avenue was worth 6.6m and would create 48 jobs during construction and 41 permanent jobs when it opens. His firm first applied for planning permission for an 87-bedroomed boutique hotel in Portrush three years ago. The building was then listed by the Department for Communities, leading to the scheme being redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. The revised scheme was approved a year ago by the Causeway Coast and Glens Council. The application was then taken up by the Department for Infrastructure, which has been re-examining the proposals for the past 12 months. Mr Rana said the delay meant hotel had now moved down its list of priorities. He added: "Our Portrush plan isn't dead yet, but it will be in jeopardy if we don't get planning permission." He said that without progress in the near future, the site might not be ready in time for the next Open golf event, which may take place in Portrush again in 2024. "In that case I probably would seriously consider putting the whole thing on ice, which would be a disaster for us and the North Coast." A DfI spokesman said the decision to 'call in' the planning applications was "not taken lightly" as "this is a power designed to be used by exception". "The Londonderry Hotel scheme was considered to be an exceptional case due to concerns around the significant gaps in the council's assessment of the application of regional planning policy, particularly in relation to built heritage, and of its rationale and justification for its decision to overturn the advice of its professional planning officers. "The applications were subsequently 'called in' in view of the proposed development's potential conflict with regional built heritage planning policies and with key aspects of the Strategic Planning Policy Statement in terms of sustainable development. It was considered that the regional issues raised would benefit from further scrutiny." LONDON (AP) - Britains delayed and disputed Brexit bill has become law, removing the last U.K. obstacle to the country leaving the European Union in just over a week. House of Commons Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans announced Thursday that the Withdrawal Agreement Act had received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II, the final formality in the measure's legislative journey. The queen's assent came hours after the bill completed its passage through Parliament by getting approval from the House of Lords. "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after that milestone late Wednesday. The European Unions parliament also must approve the Brexit divorce deal before Jan. 31 if Britain is to leave on time. Lawmakers in Brussels are due to vote on it next week. The U.K. is finally leaving the EU more than 3 1/2 years after voters narrowly opted for Brexit in a June 2016 referendum - and after many rounds of political wrangling. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekley session of Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament in London, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) After years of negotiations between the British government and the EU, U.K. lawmakers repeatedly defeated attempts by both Johnson and predecessor Theresa May to finalize the departure terms with the other 27 nations of the bloc. That changed when Johnsons Conservatives won the Dec. 12 election, giving the government the ability to override the objections of opposition parties. Despite Johnsons repeated promise to "get Brexit done" on Jan. 31, the day of departure only marks the start of the first stage of the country's EU exit. Britain and the EU are to then launch into negotiations on their future ties, racing to strike new relationships for trade, security and a host of other areas by the end of 2020. Johnson insists he wont agree to any delay beyond the end of the year. The U.K. is also keen to begin talks on a free trade deal with the United States, and intends to negotiate simultaneously with the EU and the U.S. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a deal with Britain was "an absolute priority of President Trump and we expect to complete that within this year." U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said a trade deal between the two countries shouldn't be too difficult because their economies are similar. "Both are very heavily services oriented and within services, such as financial services theres already a pretty high degree of integration and coordination so it should be much easier mechanically," he said in Davos. But British opposition politicians are already raising concerns about issues ranging from food-safety standards - especially the U.S. practice of chlorine-washing chicken to kill germs - to drug prices. Ross sought to dampen concerns that a trade deal wouldl mean higher drug prices as U.S. pharmaceutical companies look to gain concessions from Britain's state-run National Health Service. "What we think is that drugs should have similar prices wherever they are but I dont believe we are in any position to tell the U.K. what they should pay for drugs," he said. ___ Associated Press Writer Pan Pylas in Davos, Switzerland contributed to this story. ___ Follow APs full coverage of Brexit and British politics at https://www.apnews.com/Brexit Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet and its Google subsidiary, said yesterday that healthcare offers the biggest potential over the next five to 10 years for using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve outcomes. He vowed that the technology giant will heed privacy concerns. US lawmakers have raised questions about Google's access to the health records of tens of millions of Americans. Ascension, which operates 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities across the United States, is Google's biggest cloud computing customer in healthcare. "When we work with hospitals, the data belongs to the hospitals," Mr Pichai told a conference panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "But look at the potential here. Cancer is often missed and the difference in outcome is profound. In lung cancer, for example, five experts agree this way and five agree the other way. We know we can use artificial intelligence to make it better," Mr Pichai added. Google has spent several years developing AI to automatically analyse MRI scans and other patient data to identify diseases and make predictions aimed at improving outcomes and reducing cost. US lawmakers asked the company in November to provide information about other health systems that provide information to Google, whether Ascension clients will be allowed to opt out of the project, and whether the data will be used for advertising. Mr Pichai said there were already strong privacy protection regulations in place that provide a framework for Google to operate. Mortgage prisoners stuck on expensive reversion mortgage rates could be handed a lifeline this week after Nationwide Building Society tweaked its affordability rules to make them easier to pass. Britain's biggest mutual has cut the required amount a borrower must earn to qualify for a like-for-like remortgage with the group by almost a third. Nationwide has said it will mean it can accept more people as long as they aren't looking to borrow any more than they currently owe on their existing mortgage with a different lender. It could potentially offer a lifeline for those stuck on expensive standard variable rates with inactive or unregulated lenders, dubbed mortgage prisoners. Nationwide has dropped its affordability requirements by 2 per cent - or almost a third After the financial crash, the Bank of England changed the rules so that lenders had to make sure a borrower could afford their mortgage if rates were to rise. Usually that means 'stressing' their mortgage rate by 3 per cent. But this doesn't apply if a borrower doesn't want to take a bigger loan than they already have when they remortgage. This is what has allowed Nationwide to make its change to its remortgage stress tests. On like-for-like remortgage lending the society will now apply a stress rate of 1 per cent above its standard variable rate of 4.24 per cent, which would currently be 5.24 per cent. Previously, it applied its standard stress rate of 3 per cent above its standard variable rate, to 7.24 per cent. The change means that those remortgaging on a like-for-like basis are more likely to be able to pass the society's affordability criteria. For example, on a Nationwide 75 per cent loan-to-value two-year fix at 1.34 per cent with a 789 fee, a borrower taking a 100,000 mortgage over 20 years would usually pay 475.22 a month. Under Nationwide's old rules, they would technically need to be able to afford to pay 789.77 a month to pass. Tens of thousands cannot switch to a cheaper rate despite being up to date with payments The rule change now means they would only need to be able to afford 673.29 a month to qualify. Henry Jordan, Nationwide's director of mortgages, said: 'Affordability can be a barrier to better mortgage rates, even when applicants are able to demonstrate a clean payment history. 'This change improves access to our competitively priced remortgage products for such borrowers, whilst maintaining a prudent, responsible approach to affordability assessment.' How could this help mortgage prisoners? In the Wild West world of the pre-financial crash mortgage market, now-banned lending practices were rife. For example, borrowers didn't always have to provide evidence of their income to lenders, could take cheaper interest-only loans without having any way to repay the capital and sometimes, as with Northern Rock Together Mortgages, were allowed to borrow more than the value of their home. Following the crash lending rules tightened up, meaning this type of reckless lending was banned - meaning many mortgage holders who had borrowed under the old rules no longer qualified for a new mortgage. This is complicated where these borrowers took a mortgage with a lender that then went bust, sold their mortgage to a third party or simply stopped lending. In some cases, that means that borrowers' mortgages are now owned by firms that don't have regulatory permission to lend, or they don't offer new mortgage products. As an example of how this practice still occurs, MPs recently asked Sainsbury's to guarantee that the sale of its mortgage customers' loans would only go to an active lender. Of the half a million borrowers currently with inactive lenders, the Financial Conduct Authority estimates that 140,000 would save money if they were able to switch onto a new deal by remortgaging to another lender. Those who don't qualify are often left in an absurd situation of paying more each month for a mortgage with a higher rate than a cheaper one they don't qualify for. Nationwide's changes could potentially make it easier for some of these mortgage prisoners. Nick Morrey of mortgage broker John Charcol said: Do we expect to see other lenders follow suit? Maybe. Lenders will likely wait to see what level of interest this raises with actual borrowers. The core section of borrowers that this could help is indeed mortgage prisoners who have a clean credit history, no element of their mortgage on interest-only and who fit the rest of Nationwide's standard criteria. Nationwide is the first high street lender to take such an approach and we hope it is the start of some sensible approaches to unnecessarily harsh stress testing parameters. The government has started a massive IT upgrade to provide more seamless internet access to 200 schools around the country. Te Mana Tuhono Technology in Schools work programme will launch with a pilot of 10 smaller state schools early this year. The government aims to roll out the programme to the other 190 schools by the end of June 2020. These will be schools with limited access to IT support, and with aging network hardware that is coming out of extended warranty. The remaining schools will be upgraded over the following four years. From February, crown company N4L says it will begin replacing more than 12,000 switches and 38,000 wireless access points across New Zealands 2450-plus schools. Programme aims to remove the burden on schools to monitor, maintain and manage the internet inside their classrooms N4L will extend its helpdesk services to inside schools so there is a single point of contact for all internet access issues. With schools becoming more reliant on the internet to deliver the curriculum, we need to ensure that all schools have access to high-speed internet thats reliable, resilient, safe and secure, says education minister Chris Hipkins. Internet connections in schools can be vulnerable because of their location or difficulties finding the right IT support. Hipkins says often, schools find it more difficult finding the expertise they need to maintain reliable, high speed connections. Principals and boards of trustees of these schools can now be confident they have access to the support and tools for their students to thrive. Kim Shannon, head of infrastructure services at the Ministry of Education, says Te Mana Tuhono was designed to remove the burden on schools to monitor, maintain and manage the internet inside their classrooms. N4L N4L CEO Larrie Moore at Rata St School Craig McDonald-Brown, principal of Awakeri School, a rural full primary school 12 kilometers southwest of Whakatane, is looking forward to being part of the Te Mana Tuhono programme. It means well be able to spend more time focusing on our students learning without having to worry about managing and maintaining the technology. We live in a connected world, and there are great learning opportunities available through the internet, says McDonald-Brown. At the moment our wireless infrastructure doesnt support us accessing what it has to offer. Its really disruptive to our learning when it stops working, and is frustrating to both teachers and students. N4L CEO Larrie Moore says, We recognise that IT knowledge and skills vary among schools, and there is a need for safe and seamless internet access inside classrooms so they can have a better online learning experience. Simply put, they need to be able to trust their internet where and when its needed so they can get on with great teaching and learning. by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, January 23, 2020 Clearview AI, a start-up that reportedly sells "faceprint" databases to police departments, has been hit with a potential class-action lawsuit. The company scraped billions of photos from Twitter, Facebook and other companies, used technology to create a faceprint database, then sold that database to police departments across the country, according to an explosive report Sunday in The New York Times. In a complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Illinois, state resident David Mutnick accuses Clearview of violating the state's biometric privacy law. That measure, considered one of the strongest in the country, requires companies to obtain consumers' written consent before compiling their faceprints. advertisement advertisement Without obtaining any consent and without notice, Defendant Clearview used the internet to covertly gather information on millions of American citizens, collecting approximately three billion pictures of them, without any reason to suspect any of them of having done anything wrong, ever, Mutnick alleges in the complaint. After obtaining these images, Clearview used artificial intelligence algorithms to scan the facial geometry of each individual depicted in the images, a technique that violates multiple privacy laws. Mutnick, who is represented by the Chicago civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy, is seeking damages and a court order requiring Clearview to not only stop selling the material, but also expunge it. Mutnick's lawsuit appears to be the first one against Clearview, but it likely won't be the last. Attorney Jay Edelson, who has brought numerous privacy cases against Silicon Valley businesses, says he also expects to file suit against the company. What Clearview is doing is really game changing, in terms of individual autonomy and freedom, he tells MediaPost. And it's really scary that a startup -- just a couple of people -- can just change America. He adds that his goal would be to obtain a court order shuttering Clearview. I do not believe that what they're doing is proper, and we feel very good about being able to explain that to a court, he says. A federal courtroom in Boston was packed Tuesday morning with attorneys, activists, and friends of an Iranian student who was denied entry to the United States, despite having a valid visa. Shahab Dehghani, 24, flew into Logan International Airport on Sunday afternoon, ready to start his spring semester at Northeastern University. He was refused entry, and Customs and Border Protection officials told him his visa had been revoked. A federal judge issued a court order to stay his removal Monday night. Advertisement Attorneys representing Dehghani attended the courtroom Tuesday ready to argue on his behalf, only to learn learned that their client had been deported the night before. We feel this is a pattern of Customs and Border Protection ignoring court orders and ignoring the law, Kerry Doyle, one of the attorneys representing Dehghani, told reporters after the hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And CBP may just get away with it. In Tuesdays hearing, District of Massachusetts Judge Richard G. Stearns dismissed the case as moot since Dehghani had already been deported. I dont think theyre going to listen to me, Stearns said. Dehghanis attorneys say they are asking the judge to reconsider given that CBP apparently ignored a federal judges order. Advertisement Its not clear why exactly Dehghani was deported. According to court documents, it took Dehghani nearly one year to receive this visa. About a week after learning that his visa was renewed, Dehghani booked a flight to Boston, with a layover in Paris. His attorneys are questioning what could have changed between the renewal of his visa and his entry to the U.S. Doyle told reporters that she received documentation suggesting CBP denied Dehghanis entry because they believed he would try to remain in the United States permanently. Theres nothing here that shows that, Doyle said. He has no long-term significant other here. His family is overseas. I mean, hes just intending to pursue his degree. Advertisement Dehghani whose full name is Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi attended the University of Massachusetts in Boston in 2015 before then transferring to Northeastern University, CommonWealth Magazine reported. After studying there for two semesters, he went back to Iran to visit family and then reapplied for an F-1 student visa in order to continue his studies at Northeastern. Advertisement Dehghanis not the only Iranian with a valid visa to be refused entry. Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey called the deportation part of a disturbing pattern from the Trump administration of disregarding the law and targeting Iranian students. The Guardian found that since August, at least 10 Iranian students have been refused entry and deported upon arriving at U.S. airports. Seven of those students had flown into Logan International Airport. The Los Angeles Times also found 20 Iranian students whose visas were abruptly revoked without explanation last fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The apparent violation of a federal court order makes Dehghanis case even more troubling. Federal prosecutors argued in court on Tuesday that Dehghani was removed before District Judge Allison Burroughs issued her emergency stay. But according to court records obtained by BuzzFeed News, Burroughs issued the emergency stay shortly before 9:30 p.m. Monday night. Deghanis plane took off from Boston at 10:03 p.m. THEY LIED, tweeted Susan Church, another one of the immigration attorneys representing Dehghani. Church told Slate that the attorneys were prevented from reaching Dehghani due to CBPs obstructionist manner. We tried multiple times to reach this man as his attorneys. We had congressional intervention, liaison requests, and similar inquiries made throughout the day, all day on Monday, she said. They refused to answer hiding [behind] alleged privacy concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CBP has become increasingly lawless under President Donald Trump. Agents have unilaterally ignored court orders, killed dozens of people, and unlawfully detained legal residents all without facing consequences. After President Donald Trump passed the first version of his travel ban in January 2017 targeting nationals of Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries a federal district judge ruled that legal permanent residents (green card holders) detained at Dulles International Airport must be allowed access to attorneys. A CBP official, however, told agents to ignore phone calls from lawyers, calling them a form of telephonic protest. Trump has encouraged CBP agents to defy court orders in its crackdown on immigration. Last spring, he told then-CBP head Kevin McAleenan he would pardon him if he were sent to jail for ordering border agents to block asylum-seekers from entering the country in violation of U.S. immigration law. This is one students plight, but it is happening nationwide, said Church, who is also representing an Iranian woman who was admitted to Harvard Divinity School and then denied entry to the country. I have represented many Iranians during the travel ban. Many of them are doctors, lawyers, engineers and scientists, she said. Why some single officer feels compelled to crush the lives of people who only want to live in safety and without fear is beyond me. RENO, Nev., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aerion, the leader in supersonic flight, announced today that Matthew Mejia has joined Aerion as the company's Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Strategy & Investor Relations. Matthew brings over 20 years of aerospace experience in strategic due diligence, management consulting and investment banking. "Aerion's mission to build the next generation of global transportation networks, saving humanity time while being carbon neutral, is a truly compelling vision. They also have the team that can back this vision up with real know-how and proven expertise. I look forward to this incredible opportunity," said Mejia. Tom Vice, Aerion's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, said of Mejia, "I am very pleased and excited to announce that our board of directors has approved the appointment of Matthew Mejia as our CFO and EVP Strategy & Investor Relations. Matthew brings a remarkable depth of knowledge about Aerion, as well as an impressive background for this role. He will be an incredible addition to our leadership team." Prior to Renaissance Strategic Advisors, Matthew held leadership positions with the aerospace practices at Booz & Company and Charles River Associates. He also spent eight years as an investment banker at First Equity Development, a boutique investment bank, focusing on aerospace & defense advisory and merchant banking activities. As Vice President, Matthew had direct responsibility for numerous international and domestic transactions, including sell side, buy side, M&A strategy, due diligence, and capital raising, as well as extensive support for portfolio companies owned by First Equity's merchant bank. He also created and managed a business unit to advise presidential appointees at the United States Departments of Defense and Justice on industrial base issues and major mergers & acquisitions involving leading aerospace & defense companies. Matthew graduated from the Jerome Fisher M&T program at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a BS from Wharton and a BAS from the School of Engineering & Applied Science. He is a past fellow at the NASA Glenn Research Center and was a student private pilot. Matthew lives in New York City with his wife and daughter. About Aerion: Aerion, the industry leader in supersonic travel, is pioneering a new generation of high-speed mobility solutions that significantly reduce the time and friction of travel while leaving no carbon footprint behind. The Mach 1.4 AS2 business jet is scheduled to begin flight testing in 2024. In October 2018, Aerion and GE Aviation unveiled the quiet and efficient GE Affinity engine, the first supersonic engine in more than 50 years. Aerion entered into a partnership with Boeing in February 2019 to continue the development of the AS2 and advance the supersonic market. www.aerionsupersonic.com SOURCE Aerion Related Links https://www.aerionsupersonic.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to the founder of Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary. "Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his Jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare. He always remained proud of Indian ethos and values. He continues to inspire millions," Modi tweeted. Thackeray, who had been an influential figure in Maharashtra, began his professional career as a cartoonist with the English language daily 'The Free Press Journal' in Mumbai, but left it in 1960 to form his own political weekly 'Marmik'. His political philosophy was largely shaped by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement, which advocated the creation of a separate semantic state. Through Marmik, Thackeray campaigned against the growing influence of non-Marathis in Mumbai. In 1966, Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena party to fight for the interests of Maharashtrians in Mumbai's political and professional landscape. Thackeray died in Mumbai in 2012 due to cardiac arrest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Resolutions against CAA 'political gesture', states hardly have any role: Shashi Tharoor India oi-PTI Kolkata, Jan 23: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that bringing in resolutions against the CAA is more of a 'political gesture' by the states as they hardly have any role in granting citizenships. In an interview to PTI, the lawmaker said that in the implementation of the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed nationwide NRC, the states will have a vital part as it will be their officials who will conduct the exercise because the Centre doesn't have the required manpower. 'That's more of a political gesture. The citizenship is given by the federal government only and obviously no states can give citizenship, so it has nothing for them to implement or not implement,' Tharoor said. BJP's priority is not development, but to create Hindu rashtra: Shashi Tharoor in WB 'They (the states) can pass a resolution or go to the court but in practice what can they do? The state governments can't say they won't implement CAA, what they can say is they will not implement NPR-NRC as they will have a crucial role in it,' he added. Tharoor's party colleague Kapil Sibal raised a storm last week by saying there is no way a state can deny the implementation of the CAA when it has already been passed by Parliament. Later, he termed it 'unconstitutional' and clarified there was no change in his stance. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Punjab, where the Congress is in power, passed a resolution against the CAA last week. It also supported a similar move by the Left government in Kerala. In West Bengal as well, Tharoor's party has been demanding an anti-CAA resolution, which will be brought in by Mamata Banerjee's government on January 27. The Congress has hinted that it may pass similar resolutions in other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh where it is in power. Maintaining that the Supreme Court not directing a stay on the Citizenship Amendment Act has 'not at all diluted' the protests against it, Tharoor welcomed the top court's decision to set up a five-judge constitution bench. 'This Act by naming religions in relation to citizenship has violated the Constitution... But at least the five-judge constitution bench will hear all the arguments and look into the merits of it. That's the only way we can resolve the fundamental disagreement,' he said. 'There are only two ways this law can be struck down -- one, if the Supreme court declares it unconstitutional and strikes it down and second, if the government itself revokes it. Now, the second option is not viable as the BJP would never accept its mistakes,' said the Thiruvananthapuram MP who was in the city to take part in the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. He said the protests are largely spontaneous and if the government makes it clear that no religion is being targeted then many would lose their reason for protesting. However, the diplomat-turned-politician said the government needs to do much more than just removing the religion clause in the CAA. 'It needs to say we will not ask questions about place of birth and citizenship and will not prepare the NRC,' he said. Delhi Polls: Navjot Singh Sidhu, Shashi Tharoor among Congress star campaigners list On the country's opposition, Tharoor said their unity has never been easy in Indian politics as many parties may have a similar stand at the Centre but may differ in the states. 'In my opinion, it would be simply better to present a united front to the nation rather than a divided front,' he said, asserting that no one should feel threatened by the Congress. Asked about the Gandhi family and the role of the present leadership in reviving the party, Tharoor said Congress is more than a family, and it is not only a major mass movement but also a set of coherent ideas. 'Yes, when we ask people to vote for Congress, some vote for the family, some vote for individuals, but above all they vote for a certain set of principles and convictions,' he said. Tharoor said the Congress stands for inclusiveness and is the only viable and reliable alternative to the 'divisive politics' of the BJP. CAB will reduce India to a 'Hindutva version of Pakistan: Shashi Tharoor 'We have just lost the national elections. We have a four-and-quarter year to go before we can prove our qualities on the national stage. In the meantime, there are state elections... So there will be a constant opportunity for referendum against the BJP's non-performance,' he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 13:05 [IST] There comes a time in every malfunctioning relationship when you have to bite the bullet and say: Enough is enough. This is not working any more. We both want different things. We need to end it now to avoid further pain. Right now, this is the point towards which Netlflix and I are heading (even if Netflix doesnt know or care). We took another step closer to it this week, when the news broke that the brilliant Mindhunter, one of the best series on the streaming platform and easily one of my top five favourites from the last two years, has been put on indefinite hiatus after two seasons. Under normal circumstances, Id already be flirting with the idea of getting rid of my Netflix subscription. But the circumstances are far from normal. Im trapped in this increasingly unhappy relationship because I need Netflix. You cant be a television critic and not have Netflix, because Netflix currently produces more television content than any other broadcaster in the world. Expand Close Mindhunter series 2 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mindhunter series 2 The reason given for putting Mindhunter on hold is that executive producer David Fincher is too busy working on his next film, Mank, about screenwriter Herman J Mankiewiczs battles with Orson Welles over Citizen Kane, to oversee a third season. Netflix denies the series has been cancelled. Like Monty Pythons famous parrot, its supposedly not dead, but just sleeping. Fincher, it says, may choose to return to it at some future time. Expand Close Profilers: Bill Tench (played by Holt McCallany) and (right) Holden Ford (played by Jonathan Groff), in Netflix show Mindhunters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Profilers: Bill Tench (played by Holt McCallany) and (right) Holden Ford (played by Jonathan Groff), in Netflix show Mindhunters Cast members Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Anna Torv, have been released from their contracts so they can pursue other work. Even if Fincher were to decide to do a third season down the line (and I wouldnt go holding my breath if I were you), the chances of all three actors being available at the same time are slim. Frankly, Netflixs claims sound like a smokescreen. Fincher is a key figure on Mindhunter, but hes not the only one. There are six executive producers in all, including Charlize Theron, who arguably deserves more credit than anyone else. Expand Close Damon Herriman as Charles Manson in Mindhunter season 2. PIC: Netflix / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Damon Herriman as Charles Manson in Mindhunter season 2. PIC: Netflix She was the person who brought the factual book that inspired the series, Mindhunter: Inside the FBIs Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, to the attention of Fincher, who then selected Joe Penhall (also an executive producer) to write it. While its no doubt better to have Fincher on board, a third season could surely have gone ahead without him. My guess is that Netflix put Mindhunter on hold because it wasnt attracting enough viewers, and hopes that once enough time passes, people will simply forget about it and move on to the next thing. Expand Close Ian Alexander, left, with Brit Marling, centre, in Netflix's The OA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ian Alexander, left, with Brit Marling, centre, in Netflix's The OA Video of the Day If this is the case, then its sharply at odds with the companys original philosophy. Netflix, we were once told, wouldnt be like all the other broadcasters and cancel series that werent instant hits. Theyd be given time and space to grow an audience. Well, guess what: Netflix has turned out to be exactly like all the other broadcasters. Now, it appears that unless a series hits a Stranger Things level of popularity first time out, its already living in the shadow of the executioners axe. Mindhunter never reached that level. Neither, despite the early buzz, did The OA, which was one of the 19 shows Netflix cancelled in 2019. To be honest, that series wasnt my cup of tea; as with Mindhunter, though, it inspired a rare level of devotion. Part of the problem is that Netflix is simply producing far too much original content. Last year, it released 371 series and films a 54.6pc increase over 2018. When that much new material is being shovelled on top of whats already on the platform, its inevitable that great series like Mindhunter are going to get swallowed up alongside rubbish like supernatural dud Chambers, which was cancelled after a season. For the foreseeable future, Netflix and I will still be living under the same roof. But Ill never look at it in the same way I once did. The love affair has soured forever. Read More Despite the worst ecology among Indian wetlands, the Sambhar Lake got more birds this year than before, according to data of the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 2020. The census carried out at Indias largest inland saline lake on January 6 and 7 found that 43,510 birds of 31 species, including four species categorized as threatened birds in the red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were present at the lake. In 2018 census, the number was 1,161 of 25 species and 1,389 birds of 20 species was counted in 2019. The wetland was in the news in November last year after more than 20,000 birds died due to botulism, a neuromuscular illness caused by bacteria, to the concern of environmentalists and ornithologists. Due to good monsoon, the lake revived after decades and attracted thousands of long distant winter migratory water birds, said ecologist TK Roy, who is AWC Delhi state coordinator for Wetlands International. Water birds are one of the key indicators of wetlands health. (HT PHOTO.) The waterbird census is coordinated by Wetlands International South Asia and is carried out in January every year in Asia and Australasia across 27countries in participation of thousands of volunteers to record the status of important wetlands habitat and water birds diversity with population estimates. The AWC this year was done from January 4 to January 19. The AWC is part of the global waterbird monitoring programme, the International Waterbird Census (IWC). In Indian sub-continent, AWC is carried out at few hundred wetlands (state, regional and national wetlands, Ramsar sites, protected areas, important bird and biodiversity areas and conservation reserves). In Rajasthan, the census was done at Sambhar, which is one of the two Ramsar sites in the state. The census noticed a partial increase of species diversity but a major increase in number of water birds. Roy said. Out of present 31 species diversity, seven species are resident water birds, including the local migratory, and 24 species are winter migratory water birds, he said. The rise in the number of birds is a good sign at a time when a report by the environment ministry rated the Sambhar Lake among the eight worst-rated wetlands in the country for ecosystem management. (HT PHOTO.) The census was done in collaboration with the Rajasthan forest department, Nagaur district administration and in active participation of the volunteers from Central University of Rajasthan, Kishangarh, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, local NGO and territorial forest division. The AWC Delhi state coordinator supervised the census. Roy said water birds are one of the key indicators of wetlands health. Wetlands provide feeding, resting, roosting and foraging habitats for these charismatic species and birdlife provides ecosystem services to us, he said. The rise in number is a good sign at a time when a report by the environment ministry rated the Sambhar Lake among the eight worst-rated wetlands in the country for ecosystem management. Earlier, the Bareilly-based Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) blamed heavy rains in July and August as a reason for mass mortality. Good monsoon resulted in filing of lake and there was formation of new marshy areas reported after 20 years. The report said salinity of lake water was less due to the heavy downpour, which became conductive environment for the proliferation of planktons, a bunch of mirco or small organisms which harbor the bacterium, which causes botulism, in their body. When water levels receded, there was mild increase in the salinity levels, leading to the death of planktons and accumulation of toxins, the IVRI report said. Roy said due to global climate change impact, the arrival of winter migratory water birds from far Central Asia, North Asia was delayed in all of north India. Winter migratory water birds were recorded in October at Sambhar after decades due to revived the wetland habitat, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON EximBank has finalized the acquisition of Banca Romaneasca SA (BROM), with the submitted bid being part of the agreement concluded in June 2019 between EximBank and National Bank of Greece (NBG) on the purchase of the latter's 99.28 percent stake in BROM, the bank said in a release. As a result of the acquisition, EximBank enters Romania's attractive retail market and becomes a universal bank with full services and will continue to fulfill its long-term mission by supporting and promoting Romania's economic development. The new entity will rank among the top 10 banks in Romania, with a market share of approximately 3 percent. "Through the acquisition of Banca Romaneasca, EximBank improves its services to local customers and increases its capacity to support the development of the Romanian economy. The market share of BROM, an efficient management and good solvency and liquidity levels complement the strengths of EximBank, and together we will be even stronger. I am confident that all these key elements, bundled together at the end of the upcoming integration process, will create a landmark institution on the financial-banking market that will better respond to the demands of our customers," said Eximbank CEO Traian Halalai. J.P. Morgan Securities PLC. acted as sole financial consultant in the transaction. EximBank was also assisted by Pricewaterhousecoopers Management Consultants SRL, while Linklaters LLP was the international legal consultant, and Bulboaca & Partners SCA provided legal assistance locally. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it illegal to enforce plastic bans. Senate Bill 54 would prohibit cities and counties from banning commercial use of what it calls "auxiliary containers." That includes items like plastic straws, bags, and packaging. It also includes glass items but the bill does not limit cities from restricting glass bottles from parks and recreation sites. The bill was introduced by Republican Senator John Wiik and has nearly two dozen co-sponsors. Angolan prosecutors are closing in on dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of the countrys former president. Isabel dos Santos has been named as a suspect in an investigation over alleged mismanagement during her time as chairwoman of Sonangol, Angolas state oil company, a position she was appointed to by her father, ex-President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Four others were also named on state TV late Wednesday by the countrys prosecutor general, Helder Pitta Gros. One of the suspects, the director of private banking at Lisbon-based lender EuroBic, Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, was found dead at his home in Portugal late Wednesday, Portuguese newspaper Jornal Economico said on its website. The inquiry covers the period that Dos Santos served as chair of Sonangol, from June 2016 to November 2017, when she was fired by her fathers successor, Joao Lourenco. The announcement comes days after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a series of documents showing how Africas richest woman built a multibillion dollar business empire via mostly questionable deals involving state assets during her fathers 38-year tenure. Earlier this month, a court in Angola froze her assets and bank accounts. Dos Santos, who has been living outside Angola since 2018, was not immediately available for comment. She has previously denied wrongdoing. Her brother Jose Filomeno, the former head of Angolas $5 billion sovereign wealth fund, has been on trial since December for his involvement in a $500 million transfer from the central bank to an account in the U.K. during the final days of his fathers rule. Authorities would like the suspects to come in voluntarily, but international arrest warrants may be considered if they continue to refuse cooperation, Pitta Gros said. They may also try to block Dos Santos from selling assets and shares held in Portugal, the former colonial ruler, and elsewhere if they were bought with money that was transferred illicitly from Angola, he said. If we get evidence that the investments were made with money taken illicitly out of the country we will do everything so that she doesnt dispose of those assets, said Pitta Gros, who arrived in Portugal on Thursday to ask for help with the investigation. Among those named by the prosecutor are Mario Leite da Silva, an executive with close ties to Isabel dos Santos and chairman of Banco de Fomento Angola, and Paula Olveira, the owner of Dubai-based consulting firm Matter Business Solutions. Da Silva stepped down Thursday, BFA said in a statement following the prosecutors announcement. Isabel dos Santos holds a 25% stake in Angola telecommunications company Unitel, which has a majority stake in BFA. EuroBic bank said in a separate statement that Dos Santos has decided to sell her 42.5% stake. on Thursday said data privacy must be seen as a human right that needs to be protected and have full transparency. Speaking here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Summit 2020, Nadella said it also needs to be ensured that the huge data being used with consent is for the good of the society. During a conversation with WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, Nadella also favoured a debate on CEO pay and all kinds of remuneration, including return on capital. Asked what was his recipe for doing good and at the same time doing well as the most valuable company in the world, Nadella said, "It comes down to having that core business design: when you do well, the world around you does well." "People and institutions are all part of our society, so if you don't think about the broader systems, it's not stable," he added. "The question ultimately goes back to what is the market saying and what is society saying?" Referring to the book 'The Narrow Corridor', he said you have to find what works, so no one loses out. It is in the long-term interest of the shareholders that we do the right thing by the stakeholders, he emphasised. "CEOs in today's world have more to do to communicate that stakeholder capitalism is for the shareholders' long-term benefit," Nadella said. He said there are four interconnected components needed for the world to collectively achieve more this decade -- power broad economic growth through tech intensity; ensure that this economic growth is inclusive; build trust in technology and its use; and commit to a sustainable future. Asked about a possible bifurcation of economy and tech between China and the US, Nadella said, "Every country cares about their national security, I would urge us to think about what should happen." "If we should 'consciously decouple', all we will do is increase the overall transactional costs of our economy. "The last 30-year period has been an amazing period of market access, but we need to grow up because the world is more complicated," he said while recalling the time when he himself immigrated to the US and then joined the software industry. He said the world will need more norms around trust in technology. "I think China cares as deeply about AI ethics as the US," he said. On privacy, he said data dignity is crucial and the next level of work is not just privacy, but one should be able to control how one's data is used in the world. "What if the consumer benefited from their data as well as advertisers? More work needs to be done around data dignity - and new business models in the 2020s," he said. Nadella also said we need to understand why artificial intelligence (AI) marks a departure from previous software. "We have an ability for the first time for software to be written by data," he said, but added that we should not be too fast in abdicating our responsibility. "We advocate a set of principles around accountability and it needs to be turned into software engineering practice. "The best way to ensure there's no bias in AI is to have the team creating the AI representing the diversity we want it to have," Nadella said. Regulation should be more at the run-time than the design-time, he added. Gov. Greg Abbott recently became the first governor to shut his states doors to refugees. Falsely conflating border migration with the refugee program, he echoed the Trump Administrations lies about Texas being burdened by refugees. While President Donald Trumps executive order giving states the right to block refugees has been halted, its an important development on how we welcome and value refugees. I am one of many people who believe there is a moral imperative to accept refugees into our country. But there are other reasons we should be demanding more refugees for the U.S. and for Texas. First, refugees have been instrumental to economic growth, and second, there are national security considerations. Abbotts decision is economically shortsighted, ignorant of national security concerns and out of step with Texan values. The current refugee program was signed into law in 1980. It has nothing to do with undocumented border crossings, and is a formal program that vets and admits refugees. The refugee admissions ceiling has varied with each sitting president, but hasnt gone below 70,000 until recently. Only under the Trump administration has the U.S. abandoned its commitment to global leadership in accepting and caring for refugees, steadily lowering the ceiling each year until it has reached the current max of 18,000, less than 13 percent of the highest cap under President H. W. Bush and a mere 8 percent of the high under President Ronald Reagan. Utah, the only state to rival Texas in population growth last year, wants more refugees resettled there. Utah currently has more employers looking for refugee workers than it has refugees to fill jobs its Republican governor and Republican legislature are eager to welcome refugees to job training programs. Abbotts decision puts the Texas economy at a disadvantage at a time of sustained growth. In fact, the Trump Administration knows refugees are a net positive for the economy, because it suppressed a report that said so in 2017. Perhaps of greater concern is how the Trump Administration has framed the refugee program as a national security threat. The reality is that when America closes its doors to refugees, we create national security risks. New American Economy found crime rates precipitously dropped in nine out of 10 cities that accepted large numbers of refugees. Additionally, asking our allies in Europe and the Middle East to play permanent host to refugee camps risks destabilizing fragile countries and leaves significant populations vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment. I am not saying refugees represent a Trojan Horse who wish to do harm: our vetting system works. Im saying that by closing our borders to refugees, by claiming that we can no longer vet refugees when we have done so for decades without error, is to force vulnerable people to remain in compromising situations. At a time when the worlds refugee population has grown due to global conflict, climate migration and other factors, its irresponsible for the U.S. to refuse to provide a safe haven for people fleeing conflict and persecution and leave our allies to pick up the slack. Abbott would be wise to be more welcoming in the name of economic growth and national security. Frankly, his position is inhospitable, and any Texan should know better. Steven Leach was born in Houston, went to college in San Antonio, and currently splits time between Colorado and Houston. He is a national security fellow at Truman National Security Project. The views expressed are his own. Three Russian politicians have not passed border control on entry to Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has reported. "A Russian citizen arrived at Boryspil [Airport] from London. It turned out that the Russian is a representative of his country's pro-government political party, United Russia, and a former mayor of a regional center of the Russian Federation. The foreign politician could not confirm the purpose of his stay. Therefore, in accordance with the law of Ukraine 'On Border Control,' he was denied entry to our country. The Russian flew out from Boryspil Airport to Germany in the morning today, on January 23," the report reads. According to the report, two more Russian politicians failed to pass border control at the Kyiv Zhuliany checkpoint. "Last night, they arrived on a flight from Minsk. One of the visitors is also a representative of United Russia, and the other is a member of the Communist Party of Russia. Both said they had allegedly arrived in Kyiv to attend a conference. They have been sent back on a return flight," Ukrainian border guards said. op By Robert Skidelsky LONDON There was, all too predictably, no shortage of political profiteering in the wake of November's London Bridge terror attack, in which Usman Khan fatally stabbed two people before being shot dead by police. In particular, the United Kingdom's prime minister, Boris Johnson, swiftly called for longer prison sentences and an end to "automatic early release" for convicted terrorists. In the two decades since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, terrorism has become the archetypal moral panic in the Western world. The fear that terrorists lurk behind every corner, plotting the wholesale destruction of Western civilization, has been used by successive British and U.S. governments to introduce stricter sentencing laws and much broader surveillance powers and, of course, to wage war. In fact, terrorism in Western Europe has been waning since the late 1970s. According to the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), there were 996 deaths from terrorism in Western Europe between 2000 and 2017, compared to 1,833 deaths in the 17-year period from 1987-2004, and 4,351 between 1970 (when the GTD dataset begins) and 1987. Hoping to begin negotiations for Donald Trump's long-announced plans to bridge political division in the Middle East, Vice President Mike Pence will meet with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz at the White House next week. Mr Pence said that Mr Trump directed the vice president to invite Mr Netanyahu to Washington DC amid the president's impeachment trial and Mr Netanyahu's indictment on corruption charges as Israel prepares for yet another election. That election, the third in a year, is set for 2 March. The vice president told reporters that the meeting will cover a "broad range of issues of mutual concern" but "also about the prospect of peace". Mr Trump's "plan" spearheaded by the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner effectively ignores Palestinians, who have remained outside of negotiations as the US continues its support for the Israeli government. The meeting's inclusion of Mr Gantz, who has suggested making territorial concessions to Palestinians but has not committed to recognising statehood, reportedly came at Mr Netanyahu's recommendation. In a statement, the White House said: "The United States and Israel are strong partners, and the prime minister's visit is an opportunity to discuss our shared regional and national security interests." Mr Pence joined world leaders in Jerusalem during memorial events on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. The president has hoped a "peace" brokerage would be his "Deal of the Century" following his pro-Israel policies and globally consequential moves that have only inflamed tensions with Palestinians while strengthening ties with the Israeli government as a US partner in the Middle East. The US has cut aid to the West Bank and Gaza, and the US embassy's move to Jerusalem, which Mr Trump formally recognised as Israel's capital, effectively ends the long-held US practice of separate diplomatic efforts in both Palestine and Israel. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also broke away from federal policy that defined Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank as "inconsistent with international law". Palestinian officials and human rights groups slammed the decision while Mr Netanyahu said it "rights a historical wrong". At the Holocaust memorial event, attended by heads of state including France's Emmanuel Macron and Russian president Vladimir Putin, Mr Pence attacked Iran as a "leading state purveyor of antisemitism" that "threatens to wipe Israel off the map" while urging world leaders to "stand strong" against Iran. He said: "We must be prepared to confront and expose the vile tide of antisemitism that is fuelling hate and violence all across the world." Pune, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Digital Oilfield Market size is expected to reach USD 34.58 Billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.91% during the forecast period. The rapidly growing demand for oil & gas and other petroleum products around the world will aid the digital oilfield market growth during the forecast period. According to the latest survey conducted by International Energy Agency (IEA), the global oil demand in the third quarter of 2019 grew by 1.1 million barrels a day, more than double the 435,000 barrels a day in the previous quarter. Furthermore, the supply grew by 1.5 million barrels per day in October as Saudi Arabian production normalized, while Norway, Canada, and the U.S. saw marked increases. OPEC crude production came in at 29.9 million barrels a day, down 2.5 million from the same period last year. According to the report, published by Fortune Business Insights in a report, titled Digital Oilfield Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Process (Production Optimization, Reservoir Optimization, Drilling Optimization, Others), By Solution (Services, Software, Hardware), By Application (Onshore, Offshore), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 the market size stood at USD 23.65 Billion in 2018. The digital oilfield market report executes a PESTEL study and SWOT analysis to reveal the stability, restrictions, openings, and threats in the smart building market. Combined with the market analysis capabilities and knowledge integration with the relevant findings, the report has foretold the robust future growth of the market, and all articulated with geographical and merchandise segments. Moreover, it also shows different procedures and strategies, benefactors and dealers working in the market, explores components convincing market development, generation patterns, and following systems. Additionally, the figures and topics covered in this report are both all-inclusive and reliable for the readers. To gain more insights into the market with detailed table of content and figures, click here: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/digital-oilfield-market-100767 Collaboration Between Microsoft, Chevron, and Schlumberger to Accelerate Market Revenue The three-party partnership agreement between Microsoft, Chevron, and Schlumberger for the launch of advanced digital and Petro-technical technologies will boost the digital oilfield market trends during the forecast period. For instance, in September 2019, Microsoft, Chevron, and Schlumberger announced to enter in a partnership to enhance the establishment of advanced digital and Petro-technical technologies. It is the first three-party partnership in the industry, and the collaboration aims to use Schlumbergers DELFI cognitive E&P environment to develop Microsofts Azure-native applications for Chevron in the first stage. The new solution will assist companies to visualize, process, analyze, and interpret insights through different data sources. Furthermore, the contract between Kongsberg Digital and ExxonMobil for offering digital solutions will promote the digital oilfield market growth in the forthcoming years. For instance, in September 2019, Kongsberg Digital announced to receive a contract by ExxonMobil to provide digital solutions for its offshore asset located in Guyana. Kongsberg is set to provide its complete Subsea Production Management System for good real-time planning for gas and injection wells, production wells, risers, flowlines, and umbilicals. In addition, increasing focus towards the development of an efficient and advanced array of hardware, software, and services will bolster the healthy growth of the market in the foreseeable future. Moreover, various initiatives by the key players such as optimizing capital investments, fast data interpretations, improved asset tracing, reduce operational risk and innovative solutions, will bode well for the market. Request a Sample Copy: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/digital-oilfield-market-100767 Presence of Various Oil & Gas Companies to Support Growth in North America Geographically, the global digital oilfield market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. North America generated a revenue of USD 7.60 billion and is likely to remain dominant during the forecast period owing to the availability of established technological networks. The existence of oil & gas technological giants such as Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, and various others will boost the growth of the market in North America. The U.S. and Canada are the leading countries operating in the digital oilfield technology across the region. Asia Pacific is predicted to grow rapidly in the forthcoming years owing to increasing exploration & production activities. In addition, rising energy demand especially from developing economies such as will also create new opportunities for the market in Asia Pacific. List of the Major Players in the Global Digital Oilfield Market are: Schlumberger Halliburton Weatherford Siemens Osprey Informatics IBM Digi International Microsoft Baker Hughes Kongsberg Digital Industry Development: June 2019: Baker Hughes and C3.ai confirmed to initiate a joint venture to provide digital transformation technologies. The JV agreement is set to amalgamate C3. ais artificial intelligence solutions & software with the BHs skilled and long-standing oil & gas portfolio. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/digital-oilfield-market-100767 Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Emerging Trends For Major Countries Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Industry SWOT Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis Global Digital Oilfield Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Solution (USD Billion) Services Software Hardware Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Process (USD Billion) Production Optimization Reservoir Optimization Drilling Optimization Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application (USD Billion) Onshore Offshore Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region (USD Billion) North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Continued!!! Request for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/digital-oilfield-market-100767 (Have a Look at Reports Trending in Energy & Power Industry) Browse Related Reports: Well Intervention Market Size, Share and Global Trend By Type (Light Intervention, Medium Intervention, Heavy Intervention), Service (Logging & Bottom Hole Survey, Tubing/Packer Failure & Repair, Stimulation, Remedial Cementing, Zonal Isolation, Sand Control, Artificial Lift, Fishing, RE-Perforation), Application (Onshore, Offshore) and Geography Forecast till 2026 Oilfield Service Market Size, Share and Global Trend by Service (Seismic Service, Drilling Service, Completion & Workover Service Production Service, Processing & Separation Service, Others), By Application (Onshore, Offshore), and Geography Forecast till 2026 Wireline Services Market Size, Share and Global Trend By Type (Electric line, Slick line), By Well Type (OpenHole, CasedHole), By Application (Wireline Logging, Wireline Intervention, Wireline Completion), By Location (Onshore, Offshore), and Geography Forecast till 2026 Directional Drilling Services Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis by Location (Onshore, Offshore), By Type (Conventional, Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS)), By Service (Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS), Mud Motors, Others) and Geography Forecast, 2019 - 2026 Lubricants Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Automotive, Industrial, Marine Oil and Process Oils), By Grade (Mineral, Synthetic and Semi-synthetic), By Application (Automotive, Industrial and Others), and Regional Forecast 2019-2026 Well Testing Services Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Service (Real Time Testing, Downhole Testing, Reservoir Sampling, Surface Well Testing), By Application (Onshore, Offshore) and Regional Forecast 2019-2026 Artificial Lift System Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Electric Submersible Pump (ESP), Sucker Rod Pump (SRP), Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP), Gas Lift, Others), By Application (Onshore, Offshore) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Aviation Fuel Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Fuel (Jet Fuel (Aviation Turbine Fuel), Avgas, Bio Jet Fuel), By End User (Commercial, Private, Military) And Regional Forecast 2019-2026 Oil and Gas Drill Bit Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Roller Cone Bits {Milled Tooth, Tungsten Carbide Inserts}, Fixed Cutter Bits {Polycrystalline Diamond Compact, Diamond Impregnated}), By Application (Onshore, Offshore), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Digital Oilfield Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Process (Production Optimization, Reservoir Optimization, Drilling Optimization, Others), By Solution (Services, Software, Hardware), By Application (Onshore, Offshore), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Advanced Energy Storage System Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Technology (Solid State Battery, Flow Battery, Thermal Energy Storage, Pumped Hydro Storage), By Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Utility) and Regional Forecast 2019-2026 About us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Post Time with Mike and Mike, presented by the USTA and BetAmerica, is excited to announce the line-up for Thursday morning (Jan. 22) at 10:30 a.m. The show will be highlighted by Mike Woebkenberg, Brittany Bounds and Ashley Holliday. Woebkenberg joins the program this week to discuss his promotion of harness racing through his starting gate rides in southern Ohio. Woebkenberg was a nominee for Innovator of the Year this season. Up and coming Mid-Atlantic trainer Brittany Bounds will join Mike Bozich and Michael Carter for the first time. Bounds is fresh off a pair of $100,000 seasons. Nominated for the Small Stable of the Year, Bounds is just shy of 100 career training wins. Holliday, a nominee for the Horsewoman of the Year, joins to discuss her outriding and ownership career. Holliday is currently the outrider at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway and Miami Valley Raceway. She will discuss her daily roles at the tracks and take listeners through her career. Post Time with Mike and Mike, presented by the USTA and BetAmerica, can be heard live every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. via their website, posttimewithmikeandmike.com, or on demand at betamerica.com/BARN. (Post Time with Mike and Mike) Oil slid to an eight-week low on concern that Chinas coronavirus outbreak may dent demand. But the drop was tempered by an unexpected decline in U.S. crude inventories and as the World Health Organization opted against declaring the virus a global health emergency. Futures sank 2% in New York on Thursday, paring an earlier 3.5% drop. The Energy Information Administration reported a 405,000-barrel decrease in crude stockpiles last week, in contrast to expectations for a build by analysts and the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute. A committee of experts convened by the United Nations health agency opted to continue monitoring the outbreak, which has killed more than a dozen people and sickened hundreds. The crude market is partly responding to that decision, somewhat of a muted move compared to the S&P, said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Management. Regardless of what WHO says, the fact we may see demand be hurt is what the markets are really focused on. The EIA also showed a 1.75-million-barrel gain in gasoline stocks, the smallest since September. Distillate stocks fell 1.19 million barrels, after gaining over 20 million barrels over the previous three weeks. The EIA data was constructive and favorable, particularly since a crude stock draw was reported when the market was expecting an increase, said Brian Kessens, portfolio manager at Tortoise, a Kansas firm that oversees more than $21 billion in assets. China, the worlds biggest oil importer, effectively quarantined a major city to contain the SARS-like virus, banning travel from Wuhan, a city of 11 million. The alert has overshadowed concern over the halt of exports from Libya, and suspension of Nigerian Bonny crude shipments. Oil is bearing the brunt of the anxiety due to the potential hit to travel, especially ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, the biggest human migration in the world. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicts the virus may crimp global demand by 260,000 barrels a day this year -- with jet fuel accounting for around two-thirds of the loss -- if the SARS epidemic in 2003 is any guide. West Texas Intermediate futures for March delivery slid $1.15 to settle at $55.59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest close since Nov 29. Brent futures for March settlement declined $1.17 to $62.04 a barrel. The global benchmark traded at a $6.45 premium to WTI for the same month. Once there is evidence that the outbreak is contained and thus the economic disruption is coming to an end, sentiment on oil should improve, bringing prices back up, said Pavel Molchanov, energy research analyst at Raymond James & Associates Inc. Libyas eastern strongman kept virtually all of the nations oil fields shut, in a show of defiance after world leaders failed to persuade him to sign a peace deal ending the OPEC countrys civil war. Libyas oil output plunged to the lowest level since August 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Syngene International fell 1.12% to Rs 305.70 after consolidated net profit rose 5.5% to Rs 91.80 crore on a 11.1% increase in net sales to Rs 519.10 crore in Q3 December 2018. Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) fell 0.1% to Rs 106.70 crore in Q3 December 2019 as against Rs 106.80 crore in Q3 December 2018. Tax expense fell 24.7% to Rs 14.90 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Rs 19.80 crore in Q3 December 2018. The Q3 earnings were released after market hours yesterday, 22 January 2020. Syngene International's third quarter business performance was driven primarily by growth in discovery services and supported by steady performance in development services and the dedicated R&D centres. EBITDA increased by 10% to Rs 173 crore over the corresponding period last year. EBITDA margin stood at 32% in Q3 December 2019 compared with 33% in Q3 December 2018. Commenting on the Q3 performance, Jonathan Hunt, the chief executive officer of Syngene International, said, "Syngene's third quarter revenue grew 11% over the corresponding quarter last year mainly driven by strong performances from Discovery Services and Development Services. Overall, these results represent steady growth and keep us on track as we go into the last quarter of the financial year." "Other operational highlights include the successful approval by the Russian regulatory authorities as well as the GLP approval from NGCMA for our Viral Testing Facility, both of which reflect our continued commitment to complying with global quality and regulatory standards. In the quarter, we also strengthened the Executive Committee with the appointments of our new CFO, Sibaji Biswas, joining from Vodafone, Jan-Olav Henck who will lead our Development Services business, joining from Bayer AG, as well as Vinita Shrivastava, our new CHRO, joining from Sasken Technologies. I am delighted that all of them bring deep, global experience which will underpin future growth." In the meantime, the board has separated the roles of managing director and chairperson. Hence, Jonathan Hunt, currently the wholetime director and chief executive officer, will assume the role of managing director and chief executive officer of the company and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw will become the non-executive chairperson of the company with effect from Wednesday, 1 April 2020. Syngene International is engaged in providing contract research and manufacturing services in early-stage drug discovery and development to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, speaks at an event on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. DAVOS, Switzerland Liberal billionaire George Soros took aim at President Donald Trump and China on Thursday at his annual dinner amid the World Economic Forum. Chinese President Xi Jinping is "trying to exploit Trump's weaknesses," Soros told the gathering. He also accused Xi of using "artificial intelligence to have total control of his people." And while Soros did not discuss the Democratic presidential primary, in which he has yet to make an endorsement, he said the 2020 election will not just determine the relationship between Trump and Xi, but the "fate of the world." Soros, the 89-year-old Democratic megadonor who has a net worth of just over $8 billion, made his comments at a private annual dinner set amid a conference known for featuring elite business and political leaders. Soros' fresh criticism of Trump and the Chinese government under Xi came after the two nations agreed to a so-called phase one trade deal. The agreement calls for China to increase its purchases of U.S. manufacturing, energy and agricultural goods and services by at least $200 billion over two years and includes provisions to root out intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers. While Trump has said negotiations on a phase two agreement will begin soon, many business executives at the WEF have raised doubts that another agreement will be made over the next year. He also leveled direct attacks at Trump, saying the president "is a con man and a narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him." "When his fantasy of becoming president became a reality," that narcissism dialed up, Soros said. "This has turned his narcissism into a malignant disease." The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. By Tessa Vikander VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou returned to a Vancouver court on Tuesday, where her lawyers argued for a second straight day that Meng violated no Canadian laws and should not be extradited to the United States on charges she violated its sanctions. Meng, 47, arrived in a Vancouver courtroom on Monday for the first phase of a hearing that will last at least four days, during which her legal team argued that "double criminality" was at the heart of the case, as China repeated its call for Canada to release her. The United States has charged Meng with bank fraud, and accused her of misleading HSBC Holdings Plc about Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's [HWT.UL] business in Iran. Meng sat beside her translator at a desk, behind her legal team. Tuesday's hearing began with a nearly half-hour long back-and-forth between defense lawyer Eric Gottardi and the British Columbia Supreme Court Judge Heather Holmes. Gottardi attempted to answer a question that Holmes had asked Monday, about whether Meng's alleged bank fraud against HSBC could be construed as a fraud if it had happened Canada. In Gottardi's written argument submitted to the judge on Tuesday, and which he explained verbally to the court room, he said 'no.' "The bank would face no risk of legal liability in Canada under Canadian law as there are no legal consequences in Canada for engaging in dollar transactions related to Iran and the bank is an innocent victim," he wrote. During the morning recess, Meng, wearing a long black wool coat and stiletto heeled shoes, laughed and chatted in the hallway with members of her more than 20-person team of associates. The hearing will continue on Wednesday morning with prosecutors expected to make statements. Court proceedings show the United States issued the arrest warrant, which Canada acted on in December 2018, because it believes Meng covered up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran, breaking U.S. sanctions against the country. "DOUBLE CRIMINALITY" Story continues Meng, the daughter of Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, remains free on bail in Canada, and has been living in a mansion in Vancouver's exclusive Shaughnessy neighborhood. She has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition in part because her alleged conduct was not illegal in Canada, an argument commonly called "double criminality." Unlike the United States, Canada did not have sanctions against Iran at the time Canadian officials authorized the start of the extradition process, her lawyers have said. Defense lawyer Scott Fenton argued that for the court to say Meng committed fraud it would "have to import U.S. sanctions laws (against Iran) to Canada to supply the risk." Fenton also argued against the alleged fraud by saying that if evidence were to show that the banks knew about Huaweis dealings with Iran, and were willfully engaging in risk, then "they're not innocent victims." "Then there's no materiality, there's no causation element between the misrepresentation and the willful conduct, it disappears," he said. Meng's legal team is currently only scheduled to call evidence in the last week of April, and a second phase of the extradition hearing, focusing on abuse of process and whether Canadian officials followed the law while arresting Meng, is set to begin in June. Closing arguments are expected in the last week of September and first week of October. Legal experts have said it could be years before a final decision is reached in the case, since Canada's justice system allows many decisions to be appealed. The case has had a chilling effect on relations between Ottawa and Beijing. China has called Meng's arrest politically motivated. Lawyer Richard Kurland, who is not directly involved with the case, said this hearing has tremendous implications for Canadian extradition law. "The public interest here is to examine whether Canada can possibly become a sanctuary for people who violated foreign law outside of Canada," Kurland added. (Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Lisa Shumaker) Hotel Chocolat has released its results for Christmas, with home hot chocolate machines proving popular (Philip Toscano/PA) Hotel Chocolat has revealed a boost in sales over Christmas, although bosses warned that the growth came at a higher-than-expected price. Bosses at the chain said sales in the 13 weeks to December 29 jumped 11% compared with the same period last year, while sales in the six months to the same date rose 14%. During the six-month period, the retailer opened nine new sites in the UK, two in the US and a further three in Japan through a joint venture. This focus will rebalance us from being a UK-based company operating from owned channels, to one more suitable for multi-channel, multi-territory international supplyAngus Thirlwell, Hotel Chocolat To cope with international demand, the company said it would be changing the way its supply chain operates, to become more internationally focused. Chief executive and co-founder Angus Thirwell said: While much of 2019 was about getting started in these large new markets, 2020 will see us accelerate our supply chain transformation. This focus will rebalance us from being a UK-based company operating from owned channels, to one more suitable for multi-channel, multi-territory international supply. He told the PA news agency: When were delivering our freshly made chocolates from our factory in Huntington to Glasgow, if the order isnt 100% what they were expecting, they will know it will come on the next delivery. Thats what weve built because were supplying to ourselves. What goes on in the stockroom can tolerate a certain level of imprecision. When its a case of exporting to the toughest market in the world for food products in Japan its binary. Youll either get it 100% correct or fail. Behind the scenes weve had to pedal really hard to get up to those standards. Hotel Chocolat added that, since December, sales continue to be in line with expectations, but the cost to deliver this growth was modestly higher due to inefficiencies in the supply chain which are being addressed in 2020. The company said its home hot chocolate machine, the Velvetiser, continued to grow in popularity with customer demand for new recipes, including dark mint and white raspberry flavours exceeding initial forecasts. Last month, Mr Thirlwell revealed he had started asking landlords for rent reductions, feeling his business was being penalised for its success, whilst neighbouring retailers were getting cuts using an insolvency process called a CVA. He said reaction had been reasonably positive. The boss added: We definitely had some reaction from landlords, but they didnt panic. Were trying to inject a dose of realism. Landlords want sustainable business models and Im a great believer in win-win arrangements. [January 23, 2020] Karma Revero GT Named 2020 Luxury Green Car Of The Year WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2020 Karma Revero GT today was named Green Car Journal's 2020 Luxury Green Car of the Year for blending its environmental performance with high levels of luxury and an exceptional driving experience. The high-profile award, which was announced during the Washington Auto Show's Policy Day in Washington, D.C., recognizes environmental achievement in the automotive industry. The Revero GT was graded above other finalists competing for the 2020 Luxury Green Car of the Year including the BMW 745e, Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring, Porsche Taycan, and Range Rover Evoque. "Karma will always be known for creating soul-stirring luxury electric vehicles that combine technology, environmental performance and world-class craftsmanship," said Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou. "The Karma family is grateful that Green Car Journal recognizes Karma's continued effots to offering a luxury EV that provides the best of both worlds extended EV capability without any range anxiety." In bestowing the award, Green Car Journal described the 2020 Karma Revero GT as being unique among luxury models that strive to blend the best of luxury and a sporting character with the environmental benefits of an efficient electrified drivetrain. "The Karma Revero GT epitomizes what a luxury car should be in a modern age," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and GreenCarJournal.com. "The Revero GT features a compelling design with performance characteristics to match. Importantly, this extended-range electric sedan's ability to drive up to 80 zero-emission miles on battery power alone and 360 miles overall suits all driving needs." For the past 15 years, Green Car Journal's high-profile Green Awards have recognized environmental accomplishment in the auto industry. Vehicles distinguished by a Green Car Award earn this honor for blending laudable environmental performance with other characteristics so important to new car buyers including style, value, safety, performance, and in the case of Luxury Green Car of the Year, high levels of luxury and an exceptional driving experience. Karma's 2020 Revero product line is offered in two variants, the Revero GT, Karma's definitive luxury electric vehicle currently available through Karma's North American retail network, and Revero GTS, a performance version beginning production in Q1 of 2020. With a base MSRP of $135,000, the Revero GT was designed and engineered from Karma's global headquarters in Irvine, Calif. All Reveros are created largely by hand using world-class craftsmanship at Karma's Innovation & Customization Center in Moreno Valley, Calif. About Karma Southern California-based Karma is more than just a car company. Although we are best known as a creator of soul-stirring luxury electric vehicles, Karma has emerged as a high-tech incubator offering innovators a perfect platform to prove their emerging technologies. Founded in 2014, Karma is reinventing the traditional retail-based automotive business model by opening its engineering, design, customization and manufacturing resources to other companies looking to speed product development, access new technology, or make their products more luxurious. The Revero GT is a luxury electric vehicle powered by dual electric motors that embodies Karma's goals of offering leading automotive design, technology, customization and an outstanding customer experience. Our retail partners in North America are now delivering the Revero GT to retail customers and will begin offering a performance-version of that car, the Revero GTS, during the first quarter of 2020. Every Revero is created with great individual care and world-class craftsmanship at the Karma Innovation and Customization Center in Moreno Valley, Calif. For more information, visit www.karmaautomotive.com, or www.karmanewsroom.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/karma-revero-gt-named-2020-luxury-green-car-of-the-year-300991760.html SOURCE Karma Automotive [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Ratan Tata took to Instagram to share a picture of his younger self from his days at Los Angeles. In the throwback post, Ratan Tata said that he wanted to share the image on Wednesday but was told that throwbacks only occur on Thursday. "So, here is a throwback from my LA days, not long before I happily returned to India," he said. In the picture posted by Tata, one can see a young man, clad in a white T-shirt looking at the camera. Ratan Tata's fans just could not help themselves. While some followers called him a Hollywood star, some thanked him for his contribution to India. "You look like some Hollywood star, Sir," said a user, while someone said, "You have such a distinct spark in your eyes!" Someone even called him Captain India, inspired from the superhero Captain America, while some called him an inspiration. Ratan Tata worked with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles in 1962 after receiving his B.Arch degree from Cornell the same year. He moved to India soon after. The Padma Vibhushan awardee completed his Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975. Ratan Tata served as the Chairman of Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012. When Tata joined Instagram recently, his first post went viral. His post has been liked more than 420K times. This picture is not Ratan Tata's first throwback picture. He uses his Instagram to frequently share pictures from the past. Tata had recently shared a black and white picture of him reading from his Cornell University days. He had also shared a picture of the first Indica that was launched by Tata Motors. He said that he was warned that it would be a failure but he went ahead with it anyway. Also read: Ratan Tata's heart-warming post on Instagram traces his Cornell days Also read: Ratan Tata joins Instagram, gains 341K followers within hours SAN DIEGO, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Colepepper Plumbing , a HomeAdvisor top-rated company serving the greater San Diego area with an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, is advising buyers of vintage homes to double-check the age and safety of their plumbing. "A prospective homeowner could be so caught up in the excitement of finding the perfect 1930s bungalow that they ignore the hidden expense of eventually replacing old, toxic pipes," said Mitch Kenney, owner of Colepepper Plumbing. "Even one leaking pipe can raise your monthly water bill by hundreds of dollars." If you are looking to purchase an older home, Kenney recommends confirming the age of the pipes. Lead pipes were still being used well into the 1980s, and lead solder wasn't officially banned until 1986. During a typical real estate transaction, home inspectors focus on the most basic of plumbing issues, such as whether or not the sink drains or the toilet flushes properly. Home inspectors do not usually take an in-depth look at the types of pipes installed in a basement, nor do they test for potential sewer gas buildup, bacterial contamination, or lead-based solder. If the water coming from the main supply line in has a reddish color, Kenney notes, the house most likely has copper pipes and does not pose a lead-poisoning threat. However, if it has a grayish tint, that could indicate lead-based pipes and you could be looking at a serious financial investment you didn't originally factor into the cost of your new home as well as bacterial buildup or various pre-code violations. "If you are going to invest in a vintage home, it makes sense to add a complete plumbing inspection to the price of that investment," Kenney says. "You wouldn't buy a classic car based on one test drive, so you shouldn't buy a vintage home based on whether or not the toilet flushes." For more information on scheduling a plumbing inspection as a potential home buyer, call 619-838-1322 to speak with a licensed professional or visit www.colepepperplumbing.com . About Colepepper Plumbing Colepepper Plumbing, rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau, is a third-generation, family-owned and operated plumbing business serving San Diego and surrounding areas. Backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee, Colepepper offers plumbing, drain and sewer repair, toilet repair and water filtration. Colepepper Plumbing has been awarded Best Plumbers in San Diego by Expertise, the Super Service Award by Angie's List, and Top-Rated Elite Service Provider for HomeAdvisor. For more information, call 619-838-1322 or visit https://www.colepepperplumbing.com . MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE Colepepper Plumbing Related Links https://www.colepepperplumbing.com CORVALLIS, Ore. Nurses at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center reached a tentative agreement with hospital administrators after a 20-hour contract mediation session Wednesday. The 500 nurses at the hospital, represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, had been working without a contract since July of last year. The new contract will address staffing and safety concerns. Nurses will schedule a vote to approve the tentative agreement in the coming weeks. If approved, the new agreement will be effective immediately. The nurses at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center had planned to hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday night had they not reached a deal. The Oregon Nurses Association is the state's largest and most influential nursing organization. The ONA represents 15,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. Click here to read the full article. Brazilian TV giant Globo has brought to this years NATPE conference in Miami one of its biggest access prime time hits in the last eight years. A Life Worth Living underscores that, as Globo and its SVOD service Globoplay explore ever more shorter series formats Second Call, Aruanas, telenovelas and melodrama are still kings in Latin America. With a daily audience of 36 million, the show turns on Paloma (Grazi Massafera), a dreamy seamstress and mother of three whose life is turned upside down when shes diagnosed with a terminal disease. Wrongly, as she later discovers, along with the really terminally ill Alberto (Antonio Fagundes) a wealthy book publisher, on the verge of death. Between them a friendship blossoms inspired by a common love of literature and an awareness of how finite life is. More from Variety Variety talked with novela writers Rosane Svartman and Paulo Halm- whose work together has already earned them an International Emmy nomination for Total Dreamer -about their new hit. It seems to me that Globo is driving into series which recast female and male representation, such as A Life Worth Living, about s strong and caring head of family with love interests that are also caring, attentive and respectful. This has a broad impact on characters relationships and story dynamics as you bend trad telenovela narrative. Could you comment? The telenovela is supported by melodrama and is a resilient narrative which still attracts massive audiences in a world of increasingly fragmented viewership. The perception of the feminine and what an aspirational woman is for the audience (and society) has been changing over the last years and the telenovela needs to follow the construction of this new paradigm. In our opinion, a strong woman who supports her family while being a present mother has the right to live a love story and the right to dream, substituting the figure of the fragile, passive and romantic girl. The new protagonist is not passive; she acts and takes the reins of her life, of her destiny. This change in the protagonist leads to a change in all the characters related to her. Story continues Literature is one main theme of your show, including fantasy sequences dramatizing literature, impacted by their own lives, as when Paloma, dressed as Alice in Wonderland, talks with the Cheshire Cat. What was your thinking, introducing literature to a wider audience? references for the dream sequences? When we pay tribute to literature, we also celebrate the great stories and narratives that are important influences for a telenovela. And of course for us creators. We never underestimated our audience, and so from the outset, we believed they would accept this plot feature. Obviously, the texts were chosen because they establish a dialogue with the feelings lived by the characters in different moments of the plot. We used Shakespeares Othello; Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis, Don Juan Tenorio, amongst others. Dream sequences attempt to portray the enjoyment of reading a good story. It was gratifying to hear that women realized that Paloma traveled in the stories as they travel by reading a good book. The aesthetic we used was proposed by the director Luiz Henrique Rios. He avoided realism, tried to unify dreams, which have different universes, using a studio language with some references from the story told. Your show embraces the idea of living live at its fullest and also plumbs the idea of death, whose presence is felt throughout the novela. Again, could you comment? Talking about death is taboo in our society. We spend a lot of time talking about uncertain things related to work and our love life, for example, while death is a real and inevitable fact, as Ana Claudia Quintana Arantes says in the book A morte e um dia que vale a pena viver (literally: Death is a Day Worth Living). But by treating death as a certainty, we immediately begin to talk about the importance of full life. This book was certainly an inspiration for the character of Alberto, played by Antonio Fagundes. He suffers from a terminal illness and begins to plan a good death, as he begins to see the need to live well, to be happy, to say goodbye to his loved ones in a healthy way. And who teaches Alberto to live this way is Paloma, by showing him the simplicity of her world. One of the standout qualities of A Life Worth Living its versatility in modulation of tone from a more comedic approach to a far more dramatic scenes without ever losing its light-hearted pace. Seeing the success of the series on access prime time, what do you think todays audiences want or expect of a good telenovela? A telenovela in Brazil needs to appeal to various audiences and this partly explains its massive audience. People of various ages and social backgrounds watch the same work, creating a kind of social bond. So it is common for a telenovela to have humor and drama. On the other hand, we authors also laugh, get emotional; we can be silly or deep in our daily lives. I think the dialogue with the public comes from the sensitivity of the authors behind the work. Also because the hardest thing about writing is to please the audience. Its hard to make it work, in any media, as a matter of fact. In our case, besides Paulo and me, we seek diversity and representativeness beyond talent in our collaborators, and they enrich our way of seeing the world. This common sensitivity is what sets the tone of the telenovela. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Press Release 23 January 2020 Recently named the "Most Sustainable Hotel Company in the World", the company celebrates the 40th edition of FITUR in Madrid presenting its commitment to the 2030 Agenda The company stand focuses on the luxury Paradisus by Melia brand as it presents its new brand positioning focused on sustainability Gabriel Escarrer also announces new hotel openings in 18 countries for 2020 Advertisements This year, at the 40th edition of FITUR, Melia Hotels International will be focusing on sustainability and the presentation of the new image for its Paradisus brand. As on previous occasions, the Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Gabriel Escarrer, presented a summary of the company's current status with a heavy focus on responsible tourism and its commitment to make progress towards the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The presentation also included a talk with the sustainability expert Alvaro Rodriguez, the coordinator in Spain of The Climate Reality Project, the climate change initiative supported by Nobel prize-winner Al Gore. Both men highlighted the risks of climate change, particularly for the tourism industry, and also analysed industry responses that might minimise its environmental impact and generate a global net positive impact. Gabriel Escarrer has become a leading pioneer and driver of sustainable tourism, and agreed with Alvaro Rodriguez on the urgency for the industry to act in two different areas, to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change through contingency plans and to work on converting the negative impact (mainly caused by CO 2 emissions) to a positive impact by drastically reducing emissions and offsetting those that cannot be reduced. Rodriguez expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to speak before such an important audience of industry representatives and insisted that "given the genuine climate emergency we face, it is essential that an industry such as tourism leverages its major impact and capacity to raise awareness and sets an example by aligning itself with the objectives of the COP. We have to overcome a partial view and assume that when it comes to matters that affect the climate, we are all part of the problem and we must all be part of the solution." In 2019, Melia Hotels International was named the Most Sustainable Hotel Company in the World in the Corporate Sustainability Advisory carried out by the agency SAM. As Escarrer pointed out, "among other things, this achievement is due to our progress in reducing emissions, our commitment to a circular hotel model, the extension of our ethical commitments to our suppliers, investment in employee training and development and the strengthening of our bonds with academia". The hotel company also used FITUR to announce its "Decalogue for the Responsible Traveller" which it aims to use to raise awareness and involve the public in making sure tourism achieves a positive impact. Resilience and trust Gabriel Escarrer also provided greater detail on company strengths, particularly the significant resilience to market pressures in the Americas and the Canary Islands in 2019, expressing his optimism with regard to the stabilisation and change in market trends in both areas. Escarrer also highlighted the strong performance of city hotels and the EMEA region in 2019. Another key aspect for the company is its digital leadership and the creation of a solid distribution model which is a fundamental factor in improving its business performance. Direct sales channels now generate 33% of company sales, with particularly strong growth over the last year in the MeliaPro.com B2B channel and the company Contact Centre, with sales increases of 18% and 11%, respectively. Transactions carried out on mobile devices also continue to boom, with the Melia App growing by 175% and traffic to melia.com from mobile devices now standing at 70% of all visits. As Escarrer emphasised, Melia is also strategically focused on its internal digital transformation, leveraging the most innovative disruptive technologies to enhance its managerial excellence. At FITUR he also announced a robotisation project together with the world-leading partner Uipath which will allow the automation of back-office processes and, as Escarrer himself explained, "allow people to focus more on things that create differential value for customers". 2020 openings Internationalisation was another aspect highlighted by Escarrer as he announced the opening of 23 hotels in 2020 (12 in Europe, 9 in Asia Pacific and 2 in America), further developing company diversification, particularly in resort and bleisure hotels and in its upscale and premium brands. Escarrer made a special mention of the INNSiDE by Melia brand, which will open for the first time in cities such as Amsterdam, Lisbon, Liverpool or Kuala Lumpur, and the growth of the Gran Melia luxury brand in Asia Pacific, where it will open three new hotels in China and Vietnam. Asia Pacific remains a focus for company growth (with 32% of the hotels pending opening), and Melia Hotels International now has 51 hotels in the region (in operation and in the process of opening), compared to 30 in 2015. Other iconic openings scheduled this year include the ME Dubai, an extraordinary hotel designed by Zaha Hadid, and Paradisus Playa Mujeres in Mexico, a hotel which represents the new generation of luxury all-inclusive Paradisus by Melia hotels whose links to nature and local culture in each destination are the inspiration this year behind the design of the FITUR stand. [January 23, 2020] Indonesian Broadcaster Bags Top Global Champion in Global Live Streaming App, Bigo Live Awards Gala 2020 SINGAPORE, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading technology company from Singapore, BIGO Technology (BIGO), the company responsible for popular new age communication platforms like Bigo Live (Live Streaming), Likee (Short-form Videos), and imo (Video Communication) hosted the first ever BIGO Gala Awards 2020 for talented broadcasters, on January 15, 2020, at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore. The event recognized and felicitated live-streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on Bigo Live over the past year. The ceremony was held in a grand fashion with a red-carpet affair attended by some of the biggest names on Bigo Live, who flew in from all over the world, joined by hundreds of their top fans who showed up in support. More than 75 broadcasters were awarded at this ceremony bringing the total number of attendees to close to 1,000. The 4 categories of award winners were "Top Regional Broadcaster", "Top Regional Family", "Top Global Broadcaster" and "Top Global Family"; indicating the best of the best in both the regions and across the globe. Bigo Live is rising fast in popularity around the world, where it has reached a total of around 22 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs). Live-streaming has become a wordwide phenomenon, as millennials feel the need to be constantly connected, and such platforms such as Bigo Live, allow them to stay connected, meet different people and share new experiences. Many of the award winners also took this opportunity to connect with their fans, even broadcasting live while receiving their award. Top Global Champion RCT_Khan from Indonesia who not only won the coveted "Top Global Champion" and the "Top Global Family" awards made a grand entrance in a Lincoln and received special attention worthy of a celebrity. He said that he had never expected to win, but now that he has, he attributes his success to his 2.2 million followers and promises that he will always stay true to himself despite winning the award. Showing up in fervent support were over 50 fans who flew in specially just to see RCT_Khan and family. In a conversation with some supporters, they said that RCT family were the "real deal" and talked about "things that mattered" to the Indonesian youth. Some of their followers have been fans for over 2 years. There were 6 other Indonesian winners who bagged the Top Regional Broadcaster Category as well as the group prize for "Top Global Family". Speaking about awards and live streaming space, Mike Ong, Vice President of BIGO Technology said, "With the proliferation of live streaming around Asia Pacific, we want to hone this space in Singapore by inaugurating the BIGO Gala Awards here, as we believe, no matter where our expansion plans lead us to, Singapore will always be BIGO's home. Despite Singapore being small, it is a highly connected location making it a perfect market to launch this event. As the demand for content increases and mobile penetration rises, the live streaming phenomenon will continue to play a pivotal role in driving the industry. With the company now having over 330 million MAUs in over 150 countries worldwide, it is highly paramount to honour and celebrate the live streaming hosts who have performed exceptionally well on our platform over the past year. Our community is the very heart and soul of BIGO, and we want to recognize and appreciate their dedication and commitment to their art." The BIGO Gala Awards 2020 Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Howie Lau, Chief Industry Development Officer at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) agreed that the BIGO Awards Gala 2020 marked the growing significance of live streaming, giving credit to the winners who have made a difference in the platform. Snippets of the ceremony will be aired in Southeast Asia, Middle East, U.S.A. Japan and Taiwan. About BIGO Technology BIGO is a fast-growing Singapore technology company established in 2014. BIGO operates products and services in more than 150 countries in the world. BIGO's products include Bigo Live (global livestreaming platform), Likee (global short video creation platform) and imo (global video communication platform). Visit BIGO's website for more information on their brand and products. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200123/2700600-1 SOURCE BIGO Technology [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic presidential contender, said he doesnt want to be part of any deals made between Democrat and Republican lawmakers that would see each side get one or more witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial. The reason why I would not make the deal, and the bottom line is, this is a constitutional issue and were not going to turn it into a farce, into some kind of political theater, Biden said while campaigning on Jan. 23 in Osage, Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. Theyre trying to turn it into political theater but I want no part of being any part of that, he added. Democrats have publicly rejected hypothetical deals that would see Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, or another witness Republicans want to hear from in exchange for hearing from acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney or former national security adviser John Bolton. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are among the GOP members who have said theyd deal in witnesses, one way or another. Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who worked for Ukrainian company Burisma Holdings from 2014 to 2019, were accused of corruption by Republican President Donald Trump during a July 2019 phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president. Trump noted that Joe Biden said in 2018 that while still in office in 2016, he threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid from Ukraine unless a prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, was ousted. Shokin at the time was investigating Burisma. Theres a lot of talk about Bidens son, that Biden stopped the prosecution, Trump told Zelensky. And a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. I understand and Im knowledgeable about the situation, Zelensky said. The countrys new top prosecutor would look into the situation, he added, which Ukraine announced later in the year. The probe was expanded a few months after that. Both Bidens have denied wrongdoing, though Hunter Biden said it was poor judgment to be being on the board of Burisma while his father was in office and dealing with the country. Biden on Wednesday defended his son, claiming that no one has suggested Hunter Biden did anything wrong. Nobody has indicated that there was a single, solitary thing that he did that was inappropriate other than the appearance. It looked bad because he was there, Biden said, the Register reported. He did not sign up for a second term on that board but he acknowledges, he acknowledges that he in fact made a mistake going on the board. Stephen Delgado, a 70-year-old retiree from Arizona who drove to Iowa to see Biden and was the one who asked the former vice president about testifying, told The Washington Post later that he thinks Biden should testify. He should call the bluff. Trump is a bully and he needs to stand up to him. Democrats have to stop all this When they go low, we go high. This is a street fight, Delgado said. It would clear the air. The people would get to see what a good, decent man he is. From The Epoch Times Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States Thu, January 23, 2020 20:07 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060bca10 2 Entertainment Vampire-Weekend,Bon-Iver,Bernie-Sanders,united-states,politics,music Free Alt rock acts Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend will play concerts in support of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders ahead of the key Iowa caucuses that kick off the long 2020 election season. Folktronica band Bon Iver will play a rally show on January 31, and the next day Vampire Weekend will jam in support of the leftist Sanders, a self-described socialist candidate popular especially among young voters. The progressive Vermont senator along with moderate Joe Biden are the frontrunners going into the Iowa caucus on February 3, the first day of primary voting for the 2020 Democratic nomination. "I believe, unequivocally, that all people deserve support, love, and the freedom to choose how to live their own lives," said Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon, a native of the key swing state Wisconsin, in a statement. Read also: Bon Iver moves Jakarta crowd in captivating performance "There are promises in our constitutional language that are being superseded by money and greed in this country; I believe that Senator Sanders is the only one that has the pedigree, the experience, the courage, and the undying spirit to begin to put these obstacles of freedom to rest." The bands -- both up for major Grammy awards at this Sunday's gala -- also turned out for Sanders' primary bid in 2016, when he took on the ultimate Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a down-to-the-wire race. This time around Sanders has collected a coterie of celebrity backers, most notably rapper Cardi B, who recorded a campaign video in a nail salon with the senator that touched on raising the minimum wage and canceling student debt. A shuttered Trenton dry cleaning business has been fined more than $200,000 for failing to clean up a decades-old toxic mess. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office announced on Thursday that it had won a case against Schofield Cleaners by default, after the business failed to respond to the original complaint. The now-closed dry cleaner, located near the Delaware River at 1474 West State Street in Trenton, was ordered by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd to pay $105,240 in outstanding fines to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, as well as an additional $100,000 civil penalty. Every time we bring a new environmental justice lawsuit, we are showing polluters across New Jersey that they cannot harm our most vulnerable communities and get away with it," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. "Today, another company heard that message loud and clear, and now will have to pay over $200,000 for the damage that it caused. That is what environmental justice looks like. The number listed for Schofield Cleaners is no longer in service. Schofield Cleaners is also ordered to remediate the property, which has been contaminated with perchloroethylene (PCE). The chemical, which is widely used for dry cleaning, has been linked to a variety of health issues including kidney dysfunction and reproductive problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The contamination was first discovered by DEP inspectors in 1997, and Schofield Cleaners has long refused to clean up the mess, according to the states complaint. The order was a default judgement, issued by Hurd after Schofield Cleaners failed to file any defense against the states complaint. The lawsuit was one of six brought by the AGs Office in October for polluted sites across the state. The other five cases are still ongoing. Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip?Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The state Department of Environmental Protection hosted a public hearing on Tuesday in Flemington for a proposed sewer service area of what would be a 333-unit housing development in Hampton bordering the Musconetcong River, drawing in dozens who voiced their opposition to the project. The 47-acre sewer service area, included in an amendment submitted by Tony D Environmental Permitting, LLC on behalf of Hampton Farms, LLC, features a discharge-to-groundwater treatment plant that would serve the proposed Haberman Hampton project. This residential housing unit development consists of of 142 single family homes, 146 multi-family attached units, and 45 multi-family attached affordable units in addition to 6,000-square-feet of commercial space. Hampton is a small borough in Hunterdon County. It had a population of 1,401 at the time of the 2010 Census. The proposed project would generate a projected wastewater flow of 86,175 gallons per day to be received by the subsurface sewage disposal system. Hampton Borough Mayor Todd Shaner could not be reached for comment about the proposed development. Tony Dilodovico, president of Tony D Environmental Permitting, LLC, on Tuesday said at the hearing that the sewer service area would be outside of a 300 foot riparian zone, and would not be located in any wetlands, National Heritage Priority sites, or habitats of threatened or endangered species. We have ensured that we have not included any of the environmentally sensitive areas that cannot be in the sewer service area in the sewer service area," Dilodovico said. "And, as was said, this is just a first step in moving forward. The proposal for the Haberman Hampton development project has not been submitted to the Hampton Borough Council or Planning Board for review. A number of individuals presented testimony opposing the project, arguing that it countered both the 2004 Highlands Act for preserving drinking water sources and the rivers Category One water designation by the NJDEP, which prevents measurable changes in the quality of waters with exceptional ecological, recreational, water supply or fisheries resources significance. Bill McQuaid, a resident of Hampton Borough for over 30 years, expressed his concerns with the karst landscapes -- which include features like sinkholes and disappearing streams -- characterizing the area of the proposed project. Describing karst landscapes as essentially like Swiss cheese, McQuaid argued that their lack of filtration could enable the contamination of both the waters of Musconetcong River and a Hampton Borough well located roughly half a mile from the project site. Like a lot of people in the area, my wife and I walk down Valley Road to the bridge on the river," McQuaid said. We ride bikes in the area on both sides of the river down River Road. And its a beautiful, beautiful area, and in our opinion it would be an environmental disaster to have this proposed system go through. In addition to making similar remarks regarding the presence of karst landscapes, Mary Paist-Goldman, a trustee of the board of the Musconetcong Watershed Association, said the project would add a significant amount of impervious surfaces to the area, causing an increase in stormwater runoff volume that she argued could be detrimental to the Musconetcong Rivers trout population. If DEP allows additional discharge of this warm water into the river, we are directly impacting the trout population and reducing the potential for the river to support trout into the future," Paist-Goldman said. She added that the area already comprised of a total maximum daily load of fecal coliform bacteria, which are primarily created by humans and wastewater discharges. Why should we add that substantial volume of wastewater into an area thats already been identified as one that needs to be improved?" Paist-Goldman said. Echoing Paist-Goldman, Charlie Fineran, chair of the Musconetcong River Management Council, said the project contradicts the rivers Congressional designation as a National Wild & Scenic River because it could further pollute and degrade its waters. The Musconetcong River is a National Wild & Scenic River because it has good water quality and provides a high quality environment for a wide variety of recreational activities which are important for the local economy, Fineran said. Theres a lot of people out there, folks, that are working along that river to give you access. So this is not only for Hampton; this is for you along the Musconetcong River and all our other treasures of New Jersey. Kimberly Cenno, bureau chief of the Division of Water Monitoring and Standards for NJDEP, said the publics comments on Tuesday will be used to inform the agencys decision regarding the sewer service area, which will be adopted or rejected as a site-specific amendment to the Upper Delaware Water Quality Management plan. Caroline Fassett can be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips Three of the four National Guard soldiers accused of a sex attack on a woman who claims she was raped in a Kentucky hotel room have admitted sexual misconduct charges. Anthony Tubolino, 28, Tyler Hart, 22, and Jacob Ruth, 24, were originally facing more serious charges but have now accepted plea deals that will limit their sentences to 12 months each. The fourth defendant Austin Dennis, 24, denies first-degree sodomy and is set to stand trial in May. Anthony Tubolino (left) and Jacob Ruth (right) have accepted plea bargains in the case The four soldiers were arrested in Calloway County in June 2017 when a woman aged between 18 and 21 accused them of supplying her with alcohol and then sexually assaulting her. Tubolino, of Auburn, was originally charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and unlawful transaction with a minor, as well as driving under the influence as he tried to leave the county. The rape and sodomy charges were amended to sexual misconduct, while the unlawful transaction charge and the DUI remain, the local Murray Ledger and Times newspaper reported. Tubolino had been in the military for eight years and had seen active duty deployment at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, according to his lawyer. He now works in the security department for a private company. Tyler Hart (left) has also accepted a plea bargain but Austin Dennis (right) has opted for trial Hart, of Bowling Green, was originally charged with first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse, but pleaded down to two counts of sexual misconduct. Ruth, of Munfordville, was initially charged with first-degree sodomy and also pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct. A circuit judge will formally sentence the men in April. Calloway Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Foust defended the plea deals after they were agreed on Tuesday. He said: 'We want to put forward our best efforts for our victims in cases like this, but sometimes, this is what you have to do in order to get any kind of resolution. 'At least now, we know what we're going to have here.' Foust added that Dennis, of Munfordville, faced a possible sentence of 'between 10 and 20 years' if found guilty. The soldiers had been in Calloway County for training drills in preparation for the 438th Military Police Company's annual training, according to a Kentucky National Guard statement at the time. The statement added: 'The victim was provided alcohol and was then sexually assaulted by these four suspects.' Maj. Gen. Stephen Hogan, Kentucky's adjutant general, said in a statement at the time: 'Sexual assault is not only a reprehensible act, it is a criminal act. 'First and foremost our goal is to support the victim of this incident. 'It is damaging to our morale, to our readiness and to our combat ability. It has no place in the Kentucky National Guard. 'It goes against all the values we hold dear as service members in the US Military.' Former speaker John Bercow has reportedly had a bullying claim made against him (AP) Former speaker John Bercow faces more allegations of bullying after a formal complaint was reportedly filed by a peer who served as his most senior official. Lord Lisvane, who was Clerk of the House, has handed a dossier of allegations to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, according to The Times. Mr Bercow, who has previously denied claims he bullied members of his staff, dismissed the new claims as having come at a "curious" time, with suggestions that he may be in line for a peerage. Mr Bercow has always denied the claims of bullying made against him (AP) The document is said to accuse Mr Bercow who is reportedly being lined up for a peerage by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of having bullied and humiliated staff, including using inappropriate language. In a statement on Thursday, he said: "During the five years that we worked together, Lord Lisvane had ample opportunity to raise any accusations of bullying with me. "At no stage did he do so, even though he became Clerk of the House - the most senior official. The timing of this intervention is curious. Read more from Yahoo News UK: North East residents woken by early morning earthquake Boris Johnsons Brexit bill passes final hurdle Canadian taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for Harry and Meghan's security Commenting on the claims, business secretary Andrea Leadsom has said that if a complaint of bullying by Mr Bercow is upheld, it should have an "impact" on whether he is made a peer. Mrs Leadsom, who as leader of the Commons clashed repeatedly with Mr Bercow, said that the complaints procedures for Commons staff which she helped establish, applied to everyone in the House. She told Sky News: The whole purpose of that was that anybody, including the speaker of the House of Commons whoever he or she may be, should also be subject to that procedure. Outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is believed to be lining up Mr Bercow for a peerage (AP) "In the event that there are genuine, upheld complaints about any persons that should have an impact on whether they are found suitable for the House of Lords. There have been suggestions that Downing Street could hamper the move to make Mr Bercow a lord, with the prime minister's official spokesman highlighting a "long-standing convention" that opposition leaders nominate individuals form their own parties. Story continues Mr Bercow left the speaker's chair on 31 October and has been replaced by Sir Lindsay Hoyle. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Prince Harry and wife Meghan will pay towards their own security if they are commercially successful, in a model echoing Tony Blair's own arrangements, according to a British royal source. The couple are offering a contribution towards their security bill, currently funded by UK taxpayers, after they complete their transition from working royals. A well-placed source said the couple planned to reimburse the taxpayer for security provided on private business engagements with no royal connection. The source said the payment model would be similar to one that was put in place for former prime minister Mr Blair, who travels the world brokering a variety of deals. "Tony Blair reimburses at least part of his security costs on commercial trips," said a source. "There is an arrangement for that in place. Harry and Meghan intend to do the same for private trips." The couple intend to embark on television production deals. Netflix has expressed an interest in signing them up. The couple are keen to make documentaries about their passions, including wildlife conservation, environmental issues and female empowerment. The level of security needed will be decided by Britain's Royal and VIP Executive Committee. Sources have suggested the annual cost of protection in Canada, where they are living, is at least 1.8m. It has been reported that at least six officers from Scotland Yard are now overseeing their security, but it is understood much of it in the future will be provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. British officers have no power to operate in Canada in the long term and nor would they be allowed to carry guns. The cost of the security is likely to be split between British and Canadian taxpayers. By yesterday, more than 80,000 Canadians had signed a petition demanding that the couple foot the bill for their security. Video of the Day Meanwhile, stars including Hugh Grant and Naomi Campbell have expressed support for Harry and Meghan. Grant, who has campaigned against media intrusion for years, said: "The tabloid press effectively murdered his mother, now they're tearing his wife to pieces. "I think as a man, it's his job to protect his family, so I'm with him." Model Naomi Campbell (49) also rowed on the controversy yesterday, saying: "I support them whatever." Stormzy, Jameela Jamil and Oprah Winfrey have all advocated for the couple in the last week, with Stormzy telling Meghan critics to "get the f*** out of here". ( Daily Telegraph, London) BEIJING, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Era Minerals Inc. (TSXV: NEM; New Era or the Company) announced today that it intends to proceed with a non-brokered private placement of up to 12,000,000 common shares at a price of C$0.05 per share to raise gross proceeds of up to C$600,000 (the Private Placement). Parties who are currently insiders of the Company, or would be upon completion of the Private Placement, may subscribe for up to 100% of the number of common shares offered. All common shares issued in the Private Placement will be subject to a 4 month hold period in Canada. Net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The Company does not intend to pay any finders fees in connection with the Private Placement. The Company also announced that it is proposing to settle C$1,244,775 of indebtedness by the issuance of 24,895,500 common shares at a deemed price of C$0.05 per share (the Debt Settlement"). The indebtedness is owing to current and former directors and officers of the Company and its subsidiaries for unpaid salaries. All common shares issued in the Debt Settlement will be subject to a 4 month hold period in Canada. The issuance of common shares to current directors and senior officers of the Company pursuant to the Debt Settlement will be a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 (Policy 5.9). The transaction will however, be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 and Policy 5.9 as neither the fair market value of the common shares to be issued to the related parties nor the consideration for such shares under the Debt Settlement will exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101 and Policy 5.9. The Private Placement and Debt Settlement are subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities referred to in this press release 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 in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or solicitation would be unlawful. About New Era New Era Minerals Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Haijin International Group Limited, owns 95% of Xinjiang Yongkun Mining Co., Ltd (Yongkun). Yongkun's principal activities are the exploration, evaluation and development of mineral property interests in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), including Yongkun's Suyekebei (Suyeke North) nickel property located in Tuoli County, Tacheng Area, Xinjiang- Uyghur Autonomous Region, PRC. For additional information please contact: Vicky Gao, Corporate Secretary Tel: 86-13801155400 E-mail : gaoweishan@nemnemnem.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. Missouri bill introduced to ban 'age-inappropriate' Drag Queen Story Hour in state public libraries Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A bill has been introduced in the Missouri state legislature to restrict drag performers from reading to small children at libraries, a phenomenon that has upset parents nationwide. Called the "Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act," the legislation is aimed at libraries that display "age-inappropriate material" and proposes losing state funding and penalizing librarians with fines or jail time, according to the Kansas City Star. The bill's sponsor in the Missouri state house is Rep. Ben Baker, a Republican from Neosho, in the southwestern region of the Show Me state. In some places St. Louis, Kansas City and I think St. (Joseph) theyve had these drag queen story hours and thats something that I take objection to and I think a lot of parents do, Baker said. "Thats where in a public space, our kids could be exposed to something thats age-inappropriate. Thats what Im trying to tackle. Baker's bill does not apply to books. If we were trying to ban books or censor literature, I would kill the bill, myself, he said. Librarians who refuse to remove age-inappropriate content could be convicted of a class B misdemeanor and be required to pay a $500 fine and be sentenced up to a year in jail. Thus far, the Kansas City Public Library has never formally hosted a Drag Queen Story Hour though such events have been held in area museums and theaters. Around the country, protests have sprung up as libraries have opened their doors to drag performers. Parents and local activists have argued that drag is both misogynist and sexually explicit content that endangers children. Most infamously, The Houston Public Library apologized for not performing background checks as was required in their own internal policies, when it was discovered that one of the drag queens that was invited to read to children was a convicted sex offender who had committed crimes against children. Drag Queen Story Hour began in 2015 in San Francisco and such story times soon spread to other cities. DQSH maintains it exists to provide children with positive examples of "queer role models." The Missouri Library Association has come out against the bill, calling it "censorship. As presently written, the proposed bill is not expected to be passed during the current legislative session. Crosby Kemper III, who will soon be the director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a position he was appointed to by President Donald Trump, noted that drag queen story times have become a national issue and will begin his new job at the federal agency next week. One thing Ive said to other librarians are libraries are pretty good about understanding their communities, Kemper told the Kansas City outlet. Kemper is the outgoing executive director of the Kansas City Public Library. I think there are communities where doing a drag queen story time is throwing something in peoples faces, a deliberate provocation, he added. Meanwhile, the American Library Association has been actively promoting drag performers reading to children and other LGBT-oriented themes. In June, The Federalist reported that at its 2019 national conference, attended by over 21,000 people, the ALA put on workshops that included "Creating Queer-Inclusive Elementary School Library Programming and Telling Stories, Expanding Boundaries: Drag Queen Storytimes in Libraries. The latter featured Michelle Tea, a lesbian who started drag queen events at a public library in San Francisco. Miller Reese Hutchison showed signs of his inventive genius early on. Born August 6, 1876, in Montrose, Ala., Hutchison received his first patent while at Auburn University and would eventually become one of the nations greatest inventors and scientists," according to his obituary in The Birmingham News. Hutchisons most well-known inventions made strange bedfellows he developed the loud Klaxon horn for cars and ships (the kind that made the ah-oo-gah sound) and the first portable electrical hearing aids, known as Acousticons. A common joke about Hutchison stated: Hutchison invented the Klaxon horn to deafen people so they would have to buy Acousticons. The 1937 edition of the Journal of Patent Office Society attributes the quote to Mark Twain. A busy mind Hutchison attended Marion Military Institute for two years, Spring Hill College for one year, the University of Mobile Military Institute for three years and Auburn University for two years, studying the relatively new curriculum of electrical engineering. While attending Auburn, then called the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, Hutchison patented a lightning arrester for use on telegraph lines. Hutchison moved to New York to open his lab and research new inventions. In 1901, he married Martha Jackson Pomeroy; the couple would have four children, according to BhamWiki.com. As a student, hed begun looking for a hearing device to help childhood friend Lyman Gould, who was deaf. The device went through several iterations and, in 1902, Hutchison patented the Acousticon, which he displayed at the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair and presented to Queen Alexandra, who awarded him with a medal. Read more of that story here. A drawing showing a woman using the Acousticon, a 1906 invention by Alabamian Miller Reese Hutchison. He developed the first portable electric hearing aids. (Public Domain | Wikimedia Commons) In 1906, Hutchison patented the Klaxon horn, which he was inspired to create after nearly hitting a pedestrian while he was driving. Hutchison said at the time that car horns were too melodic and he felt the sound should be more annoying in order to warn people of approaching cars. The name came from the Greek word klaxo, meaning "shriek." According to a 1908 edition of The Horseless Age: The Automobile Trade Magazine, the horn was said to produce a roar "the like of which has never been heard by man or beast." Edisons chief engineer In 1910, Hutchison attracted the attention of Thomas Edison, according to the archives of Marion Military Institute. He worked for Edison from 1910 to 1918 at the Edison Laboratory in New Jersey. The Marion Military Institute Archives said he was chief engineer for all Edison projects during that time. While in his mid-30s, Hutchison became Edisons Chief Engineer, working as a consultant and promoter of the Edison Storage Battery, and negotiating the use of these storage batteries in U.S. Navy submarines, the article said. Dr. Hutchison also worked to get Thomas Edison appointed president of the Naval Consulting Board, a civilian board of inventors and businessmen who reviewed inventions from the public which might help the military. He left Edisons employ to start his own firm, Miller Reese Hutchison Inc. The BhamWiki.com article said some inventions during these years included a powder-actuated rivet gun and a gasoline additive intended to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. Hutchison died at age 67 in 1944 in New York. Cities with abnormal air pollution have always made the headlines. Burgeoning population, space crunch, multiplying petroleum driven vehicles, smoking, use of non-herbal paints, cleaners and penetration of plastic in our daily lives have made the situation unavoidable. Plants don many hats. They release oxygen and mop up the carbon dioxide. They emanate positive energies, and beautify the milieu. However not many are aware that plants also purify the air naturally and filter toxins that are left suspended in the air due to chemicals, paints, and use of plastics. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Clean Air Study was conducted in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA). The study showed that certain common indoor plants provide a natural way of removing toxic agents. Peace Lily Peace lily or Spathiphyllum is the most common house plant. Peace Lilies have white flowers that bloom in early summer and then continue to bloom the rest of the year. Its soil needs to be kept moist without overwatering. Peace lilies enjoy medium to low light. According to NASAs study, this plant removes the maximum number of toxins. It is however toxic to dogs and cats. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toulene, ammonia. Florist's Chrysanthemum Florist's chrysanthemum or Chrysanthemum morifolium is a perennial plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. Their vibrant colors splash liveliness and joy wherever it is grown. The "Festival of Happiness" in Japan celebrates the flower. They are also called mums and they start to bloom in early autumn. According to NASAs study, this plant like Peace lily, removes the maximum number of toxins. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, ammonia. The garden is a love song, a duet between a human being and Mother Nature. ~Jeff Cox English Ivy English ivy or Hedera helix is an evergreen climbing plant that can climb up to 20 to 30 meter on trees, walls and cliffs. It avoids exposure to direct sunlight, and also provides dense shelter and cooling effect in buildings during the summer. It is grown as an ornamental plant. It is toxic to dogs and cats. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene. Snake Plant Variegated snake plant or Sansevieria trifasciata of 'Laurentii', is also called mother-in-law's tongue. It is a hardy indoor plant. It grows straight and in a serpentine manner. It has yellow or silvery-white stripes on the leaf margins. It can tolerate low lights and irregular watering but not overwatering. It is toxic to dogs and cats. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene. Nothing is more completely the child of Art than a Garden. ~Walter Scott Devil's Ivy (Money plant) Devil's ivy or Epipremnum aureum is also called "Money Plant" or "Golden Pothos". This popular house plant is easy to grow, and its long, trailing stems can grow on. This plant does not die out quickly. The stems themselves become the roots in the soil. It is toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Its beauty lies in the leaves with botched yellow and green combination. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. Flamingo Lily Flamingo lily or Anthurium andraeanum is a flowering plant species belonging to the Araceae family. This beautiful plant can change the aesthetics of the room. It can be kept on the study table. It has beautiful wax like shiny, heart shaped flower bracts. It is toxic to cats and dogs. Pollutants purified - formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. The home gardener is part scientist, part artist, part philosopher, part ploughman. ~John R. Whiting Dracena This genus has more than 120 species of trees and shrubs under its belt. Some of its species were studied by NASA for its air purifying effects. It can tolerate sparse watering. They have long, wide leaves and commonly found in office and homes. Red-edged dracaena or Dracaena marginata can purify benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene. Cornstalk Dracaena or Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana'; and Janet Craig or Dracaena deremensis "Janet Craig" can remove benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene. Palm Trees Palm trees belong to the family of Arecaceae. It is extensively cultivated. Every organization, home, school with a little open space will have palms included in their landscaping. There are around 2600 species known so far. Palms not only provide shade and aesthetic beauty, their foliage also help purify the air. The NASA study included Dwarf date palm or Phoenix roebelenii; Areca palm or Dypsis lutescens; Bamboo palm or Chamaedorea seifrizii and Broadleaf lady palm or Rhapis excels. Palms are generally non-toxic to pets. Pollutants purified - formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. ~Hugh Johnson Boston Fern Boston fern or Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis' is also called fishbone fern and tuber ladder fern. Ferns are generally 50 to 250 cm long and 6 to15 cm broad. The edges appear serrated. It is a hardy popular house plant, often found growing in hanging baskets. It is non-toxic to pets. Pollutants purified formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. Aloe Vera Aloe Vera has found its way into the homes owing to its medicinal uses. It does not have stems or it has very short-stems. The leaves are thick and fleshy. It is grown as an ornamental plant. It cannot tolerate frost or snow. It can resist many insects and pests, however they are susceptible to mealy bugs, spider mites, and aphids. It is toxic to pets. Pollutants purified - benzene, formaldehyde. One is nearer God's heart in a garden Than anywhere else on earth. ~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts" There are many other plants that help remove toxics. For example Heartleaf Philodendron, Selloum Philodendron, Elephant Ear Philodendron and Rubber plant are effective against formaldehyde. Most of these plants are grown in homes and offices and are easily available on physical as well as online shelves. Plants help to reduce instances of asthma and breathing problems. A team of international researchers, which includes a Saint Louis University Madrid anthropologist, dug deep to find some of the oldest African DNA on record, in a new study published in Nature. Africa is the homeland of our species and harbors greater human genetic diversity than any other part of the planet. Studies of ancient DNA from African archaeological sites can shed important light on the deep origins of humankind. The research team sequenced DNA from four children buried 8,000 and 3,000 years ago at Shum Laka in Cameroon, a site excavated by a Belgian and Cameroonian team 30 years ago. The findings, "Ancient West African foragers in the context of African population history," published Jan. 22 in Nature, represent the first ancient DNA from West or Central Africa, and some of the oldest DNA recovered from an African tropical context. They enable a new understanding of the deep ancestral relationships among early Homo sapiens in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was the product of collaboration among geneticists, archaeologists, biological anthropologists and museum curators based in North America (including Harvard Medical School and the Universite de Montreal); Europe (Royal Belgian Museum of Natural Sciences, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Universite Libre de Bruxelles and Saint Louis University's Madrid campus); Cameroon (University of Yaounde, University of Buea); and China (Duke Kunshan University). A unique archaeological site with exceptional preservation Shum Laka is a rock shelter located in the 'Grassfields' region of Cameroon, a place long pinpointed by linguists as the probable cradle of Bantu languages, a widespread and diverse group of languages spoken by more than a third of Africans today. Linguists, archaeologists and geneticists have been studying the origin and spread of Bantu languages for decades, and the Grassfields region is key to this question. The consensus is that the Bantu language group originated in west-central Africa, before spreading across the southern half of the continent after about 4,000 years ago." Mary Prendergast, Ph.D., professor of anthropology and chair of humanities at Saint Louis University's campus in Madrid, and co-supervising author of the study This expansion is thought to be the reason why most people from central, eastern and southern Africa are genetically closely related to each other and to West Africans. "Shum Laka is a reference point for understanding the deep history of west-central Africa," said Isabelle Ribot, Ph.D., a University of Montreal anthropologist who excavated and studied the burials, and is a key author of the study. The Shum Laka rockshelter was excavated in the 1980s and 1990s by archaeologists from Belgium and Cameroon. It boasts an impressive and well-dated archaeological record, with radiocarbon dates spanning the past 30,000 years. Stone tools, plant and animal remains, and eventually pottery collectively indicate long-term forest-based hunting and gathering and an eventual transition to intensive tree fruit exploitation. Shum Laka is emblematic of the 'Stone to Metal Age,' a critical era in west-central African history that ultimately gave rise to Iron Age metallurgy and farming. During this era, the site repeatedly served as a burial ground for families, with 18 individuals (mainly children) buried in two major phases at about 8,000 and 3,000 years ago. "Such burials are unique for West and Central Africa because human skeletons are exceedingly rare here prior to the Iron Age," said Ribot. "Tropical environments and acidic soils are not kind to bone preservation, so the results from our study are really remarkable." Scientists at Harvard Medical School sampled petrous (inner-ear) bones from six individuals buried at Shum Laka. Four of these samples produced ancient DNA, and were directly dated at the Pennsylvania State University Radiocarbon Laboratory. The molecular preservation was impressive given the burial conditions, and enabled whole-genome ancient DNA analysis. A newly documented population of hunter-gatherers Surprisingly, the ancient DNA sequenced from the four children - one pair buried 8,000 years ago, the other 3,000 years ago - reveals ancestry very different from that of most Bantu-speakers today. Instead, they are closer to central African hunter-gatherers. This result suggests that Bantu-speakers living in Cameroon and across Africa today do not descend from the population to which the Shum Laka children belonged. This underscores the ancient genetic diversity in this region and points to a previously unknown population that contributed only small proportions of DNA to present-day African groups." Mark Lipson, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, lead author of the study The spreads of farming and herding in Africa - as in other parts of the world - were accompanied by many movements of people. "If you go back 5,000 years ago, virtually everyone living south of the Sahara was a hunter-gatherer," said Prendergast. "But look at a map of Africa showing foraging groups today, and you'll see they are very few and far between." This study contributes to a growing body of ancient DNA research demonstrating ancient genetic diversity and population structure that has since been erased by the demographic changes that accompanied the spread of food production. A rare paternally inherited lineage with deep roots One of the sampled individuals - an adolescent male - carried a rare Y chromosome haplogroup (A00) found almost nowhere outside western Cameroon today. A00 is best documented among the Mbo and Bangwa ethnic groups living not far from Shum Laka, and this is the first time it has been seen in ancient DNA. A00 is a deeply divergent haplogroup, having split from all other known human lineages about 300,000-200,000 years ago. This shows that this oldest known lineage of modern human males has been present in west-central Africa for more than 8,000 years, and perhaps much longer. New light on human origins While the findings do not speak directly to Bantu language origins, they do shed new light on multiple phases of the deep history of Homo sapiens. The researchers examined the DNA of the Shum Laka children alongside published DNA from ancient hunter-gatherers from eastern and southern Africa, as well as DNA from many present-day African groups. Combining these datasets, they could construct a model of diverging lineages over the course of the human past. "Our analysis indicates the existence of at least four major deep human lineages that contributed to people living today, and which diverged from each other between about 250,000 and 200,000 years ago," said David Reich, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, senior author of the study. These lineages are ancestral to present-day central African hunter-gatherers, southern African hunter-gatherers, and all other modern humans, with a fourth lineage being a previously unknown 'ghost population' that contributed a small amount of ancestry to both western and eastern Africans. "This quadruple radiation--including the position of a deeply-splitting 'ghost' modern human lineage--had not been identified before from DNA," Reich said. Previous models for human origins suggested that present-day southern African hunter-gatherers, who split from other populations about 250,000-200,000 years ago, represent the deepest known branch of modern human variation. However, Lipson said, "the new analysis suggests that the lineage contributing to central African hunter-gatherers is similarly ancient and diverged from other African populations around the same time." This finding adds to a growing consensus among archaeologists and geneticists that human origins in Africa may have involved deeply divergent, geographically separated populations. Analysis also revealed another set of four human lineages branching between 80,000 and 60,000 years ago, including the lineages contributing most the ancestry in present-day eastern and western Africans and all non-Africans. Considering this new model of human population relationships, the authors could show that about one third of the ancestry of the Shum Laka children derived from a lineage closely related to central African hunter-gatherers, and about two thirds of their ancestry came from a distinctive lineage distantly related to a majority of present-day West Africans. "These results highlight how the human landscape in Africa just a few thousand years ago was profoundly different from what it is today, and emphasize the power of ancient DNA to lift the veil over the human past that has been cast by recent population movements," Reich said. International collaboration The international research team plans to return to Shum Laka this year, in part to help communicate findings to the Cameroonian academic and broader communities. "Interdisciplinary collaborations like this one are an essential part of ancient DNA research," says Reich. Key take-aways The study examines DNA from four people buried in the Shum Laka rockshelter in Cameroon, about 8,000 years ago and 3,000 years ago, at the transition from the Stone to Iron Ages. This study reports the first ancient DNA recovered from West or Central Africa, and includes some of the oldest DNA recovered from the African tropics. This part of west-central Africa - the 'Grassfields' region of Cameroon - has been identified as the probable cradle of Bantu languages, the most widespread and diverse group of languages in Africa today. For decades, linguists, archaeologists, and geneticists have investigated the origin of Bantu languages and their spread. None of the sampled individuals from Shum Laka are closely related to most present-day Bantu-speakers. Instead, they were part of a separate population that lived in the region for at least five millennia, and was later almost completely replaced by very different populations whose descendants comprise most people living in Cameroon today. The Shum Laka individuals harbored about two-thirds of their ancestry from a previously unknown lineage distantly related to present-day West Africans and about one-third of their ancestry from a lineage related to present-day central African hunter-gatherers. This finding reveals previously unknown genetic diversity prior to the spread of food production. Analysis of whole-genome ancient DNA data from these individuals provided insights into the relationships among several early-branching African human lineages. Results suggest that lineages leading to today's central African hunter-gatherers, southern African hunter-gatherers, and all other modern humans diverged in close succession about 250,000-200,000 years ago. Another set of genetic divergences was identified dating to about 80,000-60,000 years ago, including the lineage leading to all present-day non-Africans. These findings strengthen arguments recently made by archaeologists and geneticists that human origins in Africa may have involved deeply divergent, geographically separated populations. Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh (right) and Justin Wood, Head of the Regional Agenda, Asia-Pacific; Member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum. Photo: VGP The Deputy PM stressed the point while delivering his remarks at the ASEAN Strategic Outlook session of the ongoing 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 21. Binh said the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship 2020 is Cohesive and Responsive, which reflects the common interests of the member countries in building a strong ASEAN Community amid fast and profound changes of the global landscape. Cohesive reflects the need to enhance ASEAN unity and solidarity, economic integration, ASEAN awareness and identity, and work toward a people-centered community. Meanwhile, Responsive underlines the importance of promoting ASEAN pro-activeness, creativity and capacity in response to opportunities and challenges brought about by rapid changes in regional and global landscape. This years theme follows ASEANs goals enshrined in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and builds upon the themes and priorities set by previous chairs. Under the theme, Viet Nam figured out key priorities, including strengthening the blocs unity and solidarity, reinforcing ASEAN centrality and promoting its active contribution to regional peace and stability amid strategic complexities; intensifying ASEANs economic integration and connecvitity; promoting ASEAN identity and awareness about the ASEAN Community among the people; enhancing ASEANs global partnership for peace, stability and sustainable development; and increasing ASEANs institutional capacity and effectiveness. Assuming the double role as ASEAN Chair and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Viet Nam vows to foster cooperation between ASEAN and the United Nations in order to make positive contribution to peace and security in the region and the world, according to Deputy PM Binh. Viet Nam will also strive to promote the voice of ASEAN in other major multilateral forums to uphold the multilateralism and international cooperation in global matters, Binh added. As an ASEAN member, Viet Nam has maintained the annual GDP growth rate of above 6% over the last two decades. Last year, the economy expanded 7.02%, becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region. BEIJING, Jan. 22 -- China's national legislature and political advisory body invite journalists at home and abroad to report their annual sessions to be held in March, an official statement said Wednesday. The 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, will start its third annual session on March 5, and the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's national political advisory body, will begin its third annual session on March 3. A press center for the two sessions will open on Feb. 27, said the statement jointly issued by the general offices of the NPC Standing Committee and the CPPCC National Committee. Chinese reporters and foreign journalists in China should submit applications for passes to the press center, while foreign reporters temporarily in China for the two sessions should apply to Chinese embassies or visa organizations authorized by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reporters from Hong Kong and Macao should apply at the central government's liaison offices in the two special administrative regions, and reporters from Taiwan should apply to the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15, and more information is available on the NPC and CPPCC websites. West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Chandra Bose, who is the grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, on Thursday said he is unable to pursue the brand of politics the freedom fighter had preached and might rethink over continuing in the party if his concerns over 'inclusiveness and secularism' are not addressed. He lauded the Citizenship (Amendment) Act but maintained that there is need for some modifications in order to grant citizenship to any persecuted person irrespective of his or her religion. "I had wanted to spread the principles of secularism and inclusiveness by using its platform of the BJP. When I joined the BJP in Januray 2016, I had told this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (then) BJP president Amit Shah. They had too had agreed to this. "But now I am feeling that I can't follow the principles of Netaji. And if this goes on, I might have to rethink over continuing in the party. But I won't take any decision without talking to Narendra Modiji," he said. Bose said Modi and Shah have categorically noted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is not based on religion but statements made by some other leaders are creating confusion. "I support the CAA but there is a need for certain minor modifications. In order to stop the protests, the Centre should clearly state that any persecuted person irrespective of his religion will be given citizenship and Muslims should be included in the list," he said. The CAA aims to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who entered India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, having fled religious persecution in their countries. Bose had pitched for the inclusion of Muslims in the CAA earlier also. 'If the CAA is not related to any religion, why are we stating Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains only! Why not include Muslims as well? Let's be transparent,' he had tweeted last month. On the recent incident of a photo of a statue of Netaji holding a BJP flag going viral, Bose condemned it and said Netaji is above party politics. 'Nobody can own Netaji but putting a party flag on his statue! I condemn it. I think state president Dilip Ghosh should immediately look into the matter,' he said. 3929 Old Spanish Trail. | Photo: Zumper According to rental site Zumper, median rents for a one bedroom in MacGregor are hovering around $1,193, compared to a $1,175 one-bedroom median for Houston as a whole. So how does the low-end pricing on a MacGregor rental look these days and what might you get for your money? We took a look at local listings from Zumper and Apartment Guide to find out what price-conscious apartment seekers can expect to find in the neighborhood, which, according to Walk Score ratings, requires a car for most errands, is very bikeable and offers many nearby public transportation options. Take a look at the cheapest listings available right now, below. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 4459 N. MacGregor Way Listed at $725/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, located at 4459 N. MacGregor Way, is 39.2% less than the $1,193/month median rent for a one bedroom in MacGregor. The building features a gym and a swimming pool. In the unit, expect to find a balcony. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: This spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. (See the complete listing here.) 3929 Old Spanish Trail This one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, situated at 3929 Old Spanish Trail, is listed for $1,050/month for its 591 square feet. Expect to see a dishwasher in the apartment. Amenities offered in the building include a gym, an elevator and a swimming pool. Pet lovers are in luck: This rental is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. (See the complete listing here.) 2915 Old Spanish Trail Here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at 2915 Old Spanish Trail, which, at 680 square feet, is going for $1,180/month. The building has garage parking. In the apartment, the listing promises in-unit laundry, a mix of hardwood floors and carpeting, a walk-in closet and a dishwasher. Pet owners, take heed: This property is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. Story continues (See the full listing here.) This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Additionally, if youre in the real estate business learn how to do local real estate advertising in your ZIP codes. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Upcoming political events in the Bay Area: SATURDAY Walk for Life: Annual rally and march against abortion. 12:30 p.m. starting at Civic Center, San Francisco. More information is here. Iran protest: A rally against U.S. intervention in Iran, sponsored by ANSWER Coalition. Noon, Powell and Market streets, San Francisco. More information is here. Food justice: An event devoted to food sovereignty, an organizing concept to create a sustainable, culturally appropriate food supply for historically marginalized communities. Panel discussion with food justice advocates Laila El-Haddad, Reem Assil, and Shakira Simley, followed by a reception with Palestinian cuisine prepared by Reems. $35, $15 for students. 2 p.m., Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. Changing voting: A brief history of voting rights in America and a session with activists working on voter mobilization in 2020. $5. 3:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. SUNDAY Abortion Rights: Veteran abortion rights defender Nancy Reiko Kato analyzes the fight that led to abortion rights and discusses how to expand reproductive justice. Sponsored by Freedom Socialist Party. Brunch at 12:15 p.m. with $8 donation; meeting starts at 1 p.m. New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St., San Francisco. WEDNESDAY Politics and rationality: Two experts in the history of modern science and philosophy examine whether the intellectual history of the past few centuries help reinvigorate reasoned political and cultural debate. Featuring Jessica Riskin, Stanford history professor and Jean-Paul Gimon director of the France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies; and Justin Smith, philosophy professor at the University of Paris 7. $25 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. 7 p.m., Outdoor Art Club, 1 West Blithedale, Mill Valley. More information is here. THURSDAY Trumps testing of America: Washington Post journalists Carol Lennig and Philip Rucker, authors of A Very Stable Genius, on covering the Trump administration. $35 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. Housing and local control: A UC Hastings symposium on state legislative efforts to restrict local control over housing decision. Features attorneys discussing the background and impact of these legislative efforts, and an academic panel covering the different dimensions of growth and housing in the state. Free. 2:30 p.m., 200 McAllister St., Alumni Reception Center, San Francisco. More information is here. Reimagining urban housing: David Sobel, CEO of San Francisco Housing Development Corp., on rethinking the real estate development and operations process to create more affordable homes. Free. 7:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 4 Health and human capital in Russia: A discussion on the extent to which 15 years of Russian investment in improving its education and health care systems has paid off. Free. Noon, William J. Perry Conference Room, 616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University. More information is here. Guantanamo prison: Peter Jan Honigsberg, a law professor at the University of San Francisco and director of the Witness to Guantanamo Project, details the continued U.S. detention of suspected enemy combatants at its Guantanamo naval base in Cuba. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 7:30 p.m., Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley. More information is here. FEB. 5 Chronicle experts on 2020 elections: Chronicle Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper, columnists Heather Knight and Phil Matier, and senior political writer Joe Garofoli analyze the March 3 primary election. $15, $10 for subscribers. 6 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 7 Watch party: For the Democratic presidential candidates debate. $10. 6 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 9 Race and 2020 elections: A daylong workshop on race and the 2020 elections, hosted by the Catalyst Project and Bay Resistance. Sliding scale donation. 9 a.m., Oakstop17 1721 Broadway, No. 201, Oakland. More information is here. Spanish for activists: A session on canvassing among the Latinx community, sponsored by Democracy Action. Intended for intermediate and advanced Spanish speakers. Bring a laptop and phone. Free. 10:30 a.m., 80 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 20, Sausalito. More information is here. FEB. 10 Climate politics: A meetup on climate politics to plan for the March 3 California primary and other elections. Speakers include Susan Bolle of Democracy Action Marin and Susan Morgan of Indivisible Marin. 6 p.m., Good Earth Natural Foods, 201 Flamingo Road, Mill Valley. More information is here. FEB. 13 Responsible conservatism: Political analyst William Kristol on whether American conservatism has a future. Free. 7 p.m., Cubberley Auditorium, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford University. More information is here. FEB. 15 Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Washington state congresswoman and Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair in conversation at the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nommembers, $10 for students. 1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 19 Watch party: For the Democratic presidential debate, hosted by TechEquity Collaborative. Free. 5 p.m., Starline Social Club, 2236 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. More information is here. FEB. 20 Disinformation and democracy: A forum on the threats to democratic elections from digital disinformation. Panelists include Irina Raicu, director of internet ethics at Markkula Center; Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook and director of the Stanford Internet Observatory; and Subramaniam Vincent, director of journalism and media ethics at Markkula Center. $10. 6 p.m., Computer History Museum, 1401 North Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View. More information is here. Polarization and the Constitution: Is the Constitution part of the problem in political polarization rather than the solution, and if it is, what can we do about it? A conversation with Paul Pierson, political science professor at UC Berkeley. Free. 6:30 p.m., Salesforce Tower, 415 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 22 Oscar Lopez Rivera: Puerto Rican independence activist, long imprisoned by the U.S. government for alleged connection to paramilitary actions, discusses his organizing activities as the island tries to recover from 2018 hurricanes. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. 5:30 p.m., La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. More information is here. FEB. 23 Oscar Lopez Rivera: Puerto Rican independence activist, long imprisoned by the U.S. government for alleged connection to paramilitary actions, discusses his organizing activities as the island tries to recover from 2018 hurricanes. $20. 1 p.m., Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 26 W. Kamau Bell: Political comedian teams up with Mother Jones to talk about the 2020 election. $15. 7 p.m., Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. More information is here. FEB. 27 E.J. Dionne Jr.: Washington Post columnist on how progressives and moderates can unite to win 2020 elections. $25 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 3 Super Tuesday watch party: For primary returns from California and 13 other states. Free. 5 p.m., IGS Library, 109 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here. MARCH 4 Gender issues and political identity: Rose McDermott, international relations professor at Brown University, discusses gender issues and leaders emotional manipulation of political identity. $5. 7 p.m., 518 Valencia St., San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 5 Rahm Emanuel: Former Chicago mayor and Barack Obama adviser on how mayors run the world. $40 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $15 for students. 6:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. To list an event, please email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com. Eight Jailed Over Plot To Kill Kosovo President, Prime Minister By RFE/RL's Balkan Service January 22, 2020 PRISTINA -- A court in Kosovo has sentenced eight ethnic Albanian men found guilty of the attempted murder of a former politician and of plotting to kill the country's president and prime minister in 2017. The Basic Court in Pristina on January 22 handed terms ranging from two to 12 years to the convicted, whose aim was to " seriously destabilize or destroy the political, economic, constitutional, or social structures" of Kosovo, presiding Judge Naime Krasniqi Jashanica said in the verdict. The 70-page indictment stated that the group sought to achieve their goals by killing current and former senior Kosovar officials who had been active in politics from 1980-1991, considering them traitors. The eight were part of a group known as People's Eye, which President Hashim Thaci and the court have described as a terrorist organization. One of them is Murat Jashari who received a 10-year sentence for shooting at and wounding former politician and prominent lawyer Azem Vllasi on the doorstep of his house in March 2017. Their list of targets also included Thaci, former Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, as well as religious leaders, businessmen, and journalists, the Pristina court said. Their lawyers said they would appeal the sentences. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eight-jailed- over-plot-to-kill-kosovo-president- prime-minister/30391832.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lets not dismiss the Senate impeachment trial as a kangaroo court. Thats an insult to kangaroos, who lately have been suffering enough. President Trump and Senate Republican leaders seem to be planning a rushed, sham trial with no witnesses and limited evidence. This reminds me of a trial I once monitored of a Chinese journalist in Beijing: The proceedings were held in a majestic court building with high ceilings, plush courtrooms, crisp microphones and attentive security officers, all overseen by solemn judges everything a justice system might want, except justice. Whats at stake in this trial is the basic idea that Americas leader is accountable for misconduct. Without that concept, we may have a grand Senate chamber and eloquent speeches, but our democracy rings hollow. Without that principle of equality before the law, our grand Senate under Mitch McConnell simply becomes an American analogue of Chinas rubber-stamp National Peoples Congress. McConnells grim determination to see no evidence and hear no witnesses is particularly hypocritical because in 1999, during the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, he did favor allowing witnesses. Its certainly not unusual to have a witness in an impeachment trial, he said then. BEIJING China moved to lock down at least three cities with a combined population of more than 18 million in an unprecedented effort to contain the deadly new virus that has sickened hundreds of people and spread to other parts of the world during the busy Lunar New Year holiday. The open-ended lockdowns are unmatched in size, embracing more people than New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago put together. The train station and airport in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, were shut down, and ferry, subway and bus service was halted. Normally bustling streets, shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces in the city of 11 million were eerily quiet. Police checked all incoming vehicles but did not close off the roads. Similar measures were being imposed Friday in the nearby cities of Huanggang and Ezhou. In Huanggang, theaters, internet cafes and other entertainment centers were also ordered closed. In the capital, Beijing, major events were canceled indefinitely, including traditional temple fairs that are a staple of holiday celebrations, to stop the spread of the virus. The Forbidden City, the palace complex in Beijing that is now a museum, announced it will close indefinitely on Saturday. Chinas National Health Commission said Friday morning the confirmed cases of the new coronavirus had risen to 830 with 25 deaths. The first death was also confirmed outside the central province of Hubei, where the capital, Wuhan, has been the epicenter of the outbreak. The health commission in Hebei, a northern province bordering Beijing, said an 80-year-old man died after returning from a two-month stay in Wuhan to see relatives. The vast majority of cases have been in and around Wuhan or people with connections the city. Other cases have been confirmed in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand. Singapore and Vietnam reported their first cases Thursday, and cases have also been confirmed in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macao. Many countries are screening travelers from China for symptoms of the virus, which can cause fever, coughing, breathing difficulties and pneumonia. The World Health Organization has decided against declaring the outbreak a global emergency, a step that can bring more money and resources to fight a threat but that can also cause trade and travel restrictions and other economic damage, making the decision a politically fraught one. The decision should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious or that were not taking it seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. WHO is following this outbreak every minute of every day. Chinese officials have not said how long the shutdowns of the cities will last. While sweeping measures are typical of Chinas Communist Party-led government, large-scale quarantines are rare around the world, even in deadly epidemics, because of concerns about infringing on peoples liberties. And the effectiveness of such measures is unclear. To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science, said Gauden Galea, the WHOs representative in China. It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work. Jonathan Ball, a professor of virology at molecular virology at the University of Nottingham in Britain, said the lockdowns appear to be justified scientifically. Until theres a better understanding of what the situation is, I think its not an unreasonable thing to do, he said. Anything that limits peoples travels during an outbreak would obviously work. But Ball cautioned that any such quarantine should be strictly time-limited. He added: You have to make sure you communicate effectively about why this is being done. Otherwise you will lose the goodwill of the people. During the devastating West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, Sierra Leone imposed a national three-day quarantine as health workers went door to door, searching for hidden cases. Burial teams collecting corpses and people taking the sick to Ebola centers were the only ones allowed to move freely. Frustrated residents complained of food shortages. In China, the illnesses from the newly identified coronavirus first appeared last month in Wuhan, an industrial and transportation hub. Local authorities demanded all residents wear masks in public places and urged civil servants wear them at work. After the city was closed off Thursday, images showed long lines and empty shelves at supermarkets, as people stocked up. Trucks carrying supplies into the city are not being restricted, although many Chinese recall shortages in the years before the countrys recent economic boom. Analysts predicted cases will continue to multiply, although the jump in numbers is also attributable in part to increased monitoring. Even if (cases) are in the thousands, this would not surprise us, the WHOs Galea said, adding, however, that the number of infected is not an indicator of the outbreaks severity so long as the death rate remains low. The coronavirus family includes the common cold as well as viruses that cause more serious illnesses, such as the SARS outbreak that spread from China to more than a dozen countries in 2002-03 and killed about 800 people, and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, or MERS, which is thought to have originated from camels. China is keen to avoid repeating mistakes with its handling of SARS. For months, even after the illness had spread around the world, China parked patients in hotels and drove them around in ambulances to conceal the true number of cases and avoid WHO experts. This time, China has been credited with sharing information rapidly, and President Xi Jinping has emphasized that as a priority. Health authorities are taking extraordinary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, placing those believed infected in plastic tubes and wheeled boxes, with air passed through filters. The first cases in the Wuhan outbreak were connected to people who worked at or visited a seafood market, now closed for an investigation. Experts suspect that the virus was first transmitted from wild animals but that it may also be mutating. Mutations can make it deadlier or more contagious. ___ Associated Press journalists Shanshan Wang in Shanghai, Maria Cheng in London and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report. Austria's Dominic Thiem survived a second-round match in the Australian Open against Alex Bolt on Thursday. Theim defeated Bolt 6-2, 5-7, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2 to reach the third round in Melbourne. He faced a tough fight by the Australian and it took him five sets, three hours and 22 minutes, to win the match. Thiem made a comeback in the fourth set after losing the second and third sets. He will next meet either South African Kevin Anderson or Taylor Fritz of the United States. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has described Supreme Courts sack of former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, as a very sad development. He noted that himself or any other governor, who succeeded at the apex court, could have suffered a similar fate. Mr Mohammed, who was speaking on his recent victory at the Supreme Court in a petition filed by the former governor, Mohammed Abubakar, challenging his election as Bauchi State governor, also took time to comment on the misfortune of his friend, the ousted governor of Imo State. The Imo incident is one of such incidences that is the manifestation of the judicial process. I know it was a very painful outcome for me as a PDP member, for me as a friend of the former governor, who was affected, for me who knows how Emeka stands for democracy and the beautiful road map he has established in terms of trying to rescue Imo. It was very painful and it was something really unexpected, and definitely, my state of mind was such that anything can happen, he said. The governor, , who was answering journalists questions after a post-victory dinner, said the grievance of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is justified because the judgment that Imo suffered was never expected hence the protest. I knew what happened to him could happen to anybody because, as our people say in Hausa, the judgment of any court is normally diametrical opposed to our rational thinking. So it is not about rationality, but, it is about an outcome that affected us, which is diametrically opposed to what we expected or what we want. When the Supreme Court gave us Zamfara, we were very happy. And when it went against us we were very unhappy; thats why you saw us demonstrating. That is democracy. The governor admitted that he thought he too was going to lose his seat too, after hearing the fate of Mr Ihedioha. Certainly it (gave) me some hiccups, some fears But, I still had faith in God. The governor who had in an earlier victory speech called on his defeated predecessor to join hands and work together for the development of the state, however, frowned at how the needless court case had slowed him down. The court processes are definitely big distractions. To me, they were uncalled for, he said. I came from the opposition and nobody gave me the chance of winning, and former governor, MA, knew I didnt rig the election. I know he knew I won this election. I wouldnt have manufactured any resources to come and dislodge him, it was because of the will of God and the mandate given to me by the people. I didnt even have the wherewithal to do that. That was why I considered it very painful to be dragged through all this. But, painful as it was, I am ready to forgive. That is the expression of democracy, and hes right as a human being to go to court, and we have gone the whole hog. We wasted so much time; we have no time to plan very well. No Probe Mr Mohammed said now that he has obtained the infallible confirmation of the Supreme Court, he does not have the intention of probing the man who served before him unless it became absolutely necessary. He said investigating the former governor, is not what I have come to do. I have always drawn a line, but in the cause of governance, if I find anywhere the people and government of Bauchi are shortchanged, I am not going to let it go, because nobody spared me when I left the FCT. I was the most investigated person in Nigeria. And I dared anybody to tell me any account where I kept that money, which warranted that investigation. I dont think MA should be afraid of the investigation if he thinks he has no skeleton in his cupboard. For now, it is not my priority to investigate him, but, if in the cause of what my ministries and departments are doing they find the need for an investigation, definitely, we are going to do that. We are not going to spare him, because doing that will shortchange the people of Bauchi and will make them unhappy. I am continuing with some of his projects and programs, he said. The onus is on me to say that I am ready to work with him, and it is left for him to accept. Definitely, we are not dependent on him, but certainly, we know we recognise his position as a former governor, because I too, I hope, if I live long, I will become a former governor and somebody will look for my opinion. The governor had last week while on a medical trip to London sent out a special message ahead of the Supreme court ruling threatening to deal with those he said are plotting to sabotage his government. But upon his arrival, the governor seemed to have taken a softer approach to handle the situation. Advertisements Leadership is about accommodating all the differences; not all things will be palatable to you, you must accommodate them. At the same time, if somebody is going to pull the carpet under your feet, you will not just look on until the whole state fails and then you take the blame. There are many areas you can be sabotaged in governance I have been an admin officer from level eight to level 17 at the federal level, and I know administration. If you think your loyalty is still with the last administration, we are not going to tolerate it. (If) you caught leaking official secrets out, we are not going to tolerate you we will punish you. If you deliberately sabotage us in doing things that are inimical to the state, we are not going to keep quiet. PITTSBURGH, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Public charter school students, private schools students, and online school students in the Pittsburgh area will unite at one of Pennsylvania's largest celebrations during School Choice Week on Thursday, Jan. 30. Several hundred attendees will fill Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School to show their support for educational choice. At 10:45 a.m., students from various schools will take the stage to perform the official National School Choice Week dance together. P. K. Poling, CEO of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, will deliver welcome remarks at 11 a.m, after which students will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem. The celebration will feature remarks from parents, students from Propel Braddock Hills High School, Commonwealth Charter Academy, and Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, and State Representative Josh Kail (R-15) on the importance of school choice in Pennsylvania. Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School's jazz band ensemble and dancers will perform for family and community members. This event is planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2020, which will feature more than 50,000 school choice events across all 50 states. "For decades in Pennsylvania, parents have had some ability to decide where, when and how their children will receive their education," said Ana Meyers, executive director of Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools. "As we gather to celebrate National School Choice Week this year, we should ensure that the great debate in education focuses not on one preferred model over another whether traditional public, public charter, private, or homeschool. Instead, we should identify the model that works best for each child." This event is organized by the Pennsylvania School Choice Coalition, including Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, REACH, ExcelinEd, Excellent Schools PA, Commonwealth Foundation, and Americans for Prosperity. Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School is located at 1 Lincoln Park in Midland. As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country. From January 26 through February 1, 2020, more than 50,000 independently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com/pennsylvania. SOURCE National School Choice Week Related Links www.schoolchoiceweek.com Dutch carrier KLM announced Thursday it will resume flights over Iran, about two weeks after it and several other airlines barred flights in the airspace after Tehran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, UPI.com reported. Most foreign carriers prohibited flying over Iran after the Ukrainian flight was downed by a missile on Jan. 8. Tehran said the shootdown -- which happened not long after similar Iranian military attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq -- was a mistake. "KLM uses a security management system to analyze risks and thus determine safe flight paths," KLM said. "Substantiated by such analyses, it is once again safe to fly over Iran and Iraq. "The British and German governments have also issued a notice to airmen, stating that commercial airlines can once again fly safely over Iran and Iraq. Furthermore, on [Jan. 16], the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a notification that it would be safe to fly above Iran at an altitude of more than 25,000 feet." KLM is the flag carrier of the Netherlands. A lifelong birder in northwestern Pennsylvania recently came across what just might be a once in a lifetime experience for even the most avid bird enthusiast. While doing a bird census on Edinboro Lake at the borough by the same name about a half-hour south of Erie, retired ornithologist James Hill III watched and photographed a bald eagle bathing in the lake. He first spotted the eagle one of the resident eagles at the lake sitting chest deep in the ice cold waters of the lake, splash bathing. From about a half-mile away, Hill shot a series of photos some of which are included here as voucher photos for eBird, a Cornell Lab of Ornithology online project to to gather information in the form of checklists of birds, archive it and share it to power new data-driven approaches to science, conservation and education. The photos were shot at a great distance and are a bit distorted as a result, but they share a rare and fascinating experience. When I first saw the bird in my spotting scope from Lakeside Drive, the eagle was at the north end of the lake sitting on a submerged tree stump near the cattails, said Hill. It would aggressively dip and splash, flapping its wings and dunking its head. Boy, did the water fly! After about 5 minutes of bathing, it hopped to the nearby stump, shook most of the water out of its feathers, looked around, then flew off. The Waterford man explained, Many species of birds splash bathe or rain bathe, often frequently, as a way of keeping their feathers clean and healthy. Swallows splash bathe by repeatedly bouncing off the surface of the water, while in forward flight. However, he noted, this may be the first time I've ever seen a bald eagle do it, though. It was extremely exciting. While bald eagles are very much at home at the water, spend a great deal of time snatching fish from water and bathe like other birds, the activity is rarely glimpsed by humans. Hill is founder and executive emeritus of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, headquartered at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie. He spends much of his retirement time contributing to citizen science by birdwatching and uploading his bird counts and photos to eBird. India's Top Court Refuses to Put on Hold a Controversial Citizenship Law By Anjana Pasricha January 22, 2020 India's top court has refused to put on hold a a controversial citizenship law that has sparked nationwide protests and fuelled a storm of criticism that it discriminates against Muslims. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde asked the government on Wednesday to respond in four weeks to petitioners who say the legislation should be scrapped because it violates India's secular constitution. The court said that a constitutional bench of five judges was needed to hear the challenges to the legislation. The top court's refusal to suspend the citizenship law came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party said it stands firmly behind the law and accused opposition parties of spreading misinformation about it. Among the more than 140 petitioners who wanted the court to halt the law's implementation are opposition parties and leaders, Muslim organizations, civil society and student groups and the southern state of Kerala. The petitioners say it is anticonstitutional because it excludes Muslim immigrants from six religious groups such as Hindus and Christians who will get expedited nationality if they faced persecution in three countries Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The government counters the criticism by saying it is a humanitarian measure to protect persecuted minorities in its neighborhood. "Let me say this here and now, this law will not be withdrawn, no matter who protests," Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday in Lucknow city in Uttar Pradesh, the state that witnessed violent protests against the law last month. "We are not scared of opposition, we were born in it." The government's stand has been slammed by critics who say that it should heed the protests that have continued for more than five weeks in the country. "They don't want to listen to the voices of people. There have been agitations in every nook and corner. What does it mean? They don't have faith in democracy, they are dictators and will impose their decision," said Tarun Gogoi, former chief minister of Assam, who is also one of the petitioners. Besides political parties and civil society groups who have challenged the law, there is also a growing pushback by states governed by opposition parties. Political analysts say that has set the stage for a confrontation between the federal governments and states that say they will not implement the law. Kerala, ruled by a communist party, is the first state to mount a legal challenge. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has written to 11 other states to unite in fighting the law, has said that their lawsuit is part of the state's intervention to "protect civil rights." The Kerala government says the law violates several articles of the Indian Constitution, which include "equality before the law" and freedom to "profess, practice and propagate religion." The law marks the first time that India, a secular state has set religious criteria for citizenship. The nationwide protests against it have been led by students and citizens and include people from across different faiths who see it as a threat to India's pluralistic society. Political analysts say the court's ruling, although widely expected, will disappoint tens of thousands of protestors. "It would not made much of a difference if there was a temporary halt [to the law] given the unprecedented restiveness that has been witnessed in the country," said political analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay. "The legal process will be a long drawn out one." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Explained: The role of the Azad Hind Fauj in Indias freedom India oi-Briti Roy Barman New Delhi, Jan 23: The long struggle towards freedom of India is enfolded with the forgotten and undying spirits of freedom fighters. Indian National Army or the Azad Hind Fauj is one such group which is buried in the pages of the struggle. Azad Hind Fauj, the army organisation was founded by Mohan Singh and comprised Indian prisoners of war in Singapore. Azad Hind Fauj was another name of Bose' Indian National Army which was inspired by the concepts of Netaji who planned to take foreign help to get rid of the country of British reign. Biography: Subhash Chandra Bose, an icon of patriotism The Fauj was revived with the determination and leadership of Netaji and entered in the freedom fight portray in 1943. On the birthday of the ultimate revolutionary of India, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose here is some facts about his Azad Hind Fauj. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Inception of Azad Hind Fauj World war II was at its peak and Britain just had lost Singapore to Japan. With the slogan "Asia for Asiatics" Japan wanted to capitalise their strength against British with Indian soldiers. About 45,000 Indian soldiers gathered and Japanese Army called to form Azad Hind Fauj in 1942. A year after the army took a new avatar under Bose. Netaji escaped house arrest in Culcutta and reached Singapore, and took leadership of the Azad Hind Fauj. The army was then declared to be the Army of Bose. Fauj of youth By the time the Azad Hind Fauj was formally established, it had a strong strength of 85,000 troops. Bose believed in the power of the youth. He inspired the soldiers to give up on everything and be part of the fight of the nation. By the time the Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army was formally established, it was strong with 85,000 troops. Use of Azad Hind Radio The fauj selected radio station to encourage countrymen to fight for freedom. It formed Azad Hind Radio to broadcast news in the most common languages of the Indians. Army which truly empowered Women The army was a believer in women power. Rani of Jhansi Regiment was formed as all-women-soldiers under the Azad Hind Fauj. The women were given training like night marches, bayonet charging, tactical combat, weapon skills and made ready for the battle. Contribution and impact The exceptional courage, determination and sacrifice the Azad Hind Fauj showed, reached the people of India and the nation witnessed a surging wave of revolution. The impact of Azad Hind Fauj on Indian revolution is not military but it seeded the spirit of courage and determination in Indians. Why an RTI on Subhas Chandra Bose may not be entertained The Fauj made the British goverment realize the great patriotism of Indians would not follow the service to the foreign reign. Joe Biden isnt going anywhere. His poll numbers are as solid as ever. For all that political commentators have focused elsewhere, not quite believing the avuncular near-octogenarian is really doing this, hes still the front-runner. Perhaps the lack of media coverage makes some kind of sense: Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have run outstanding campaigns and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg has seen a truly improbable rise. Meanwhile, Biden has beento put it charitablyunremarkable. Hes avoided interviews and the very few hes given have been odd. It hasnt mattered. Nothing has hurt him in the polls: not the shoulder-rubbing nor the hair-smelling, not the New York Times endorsement of not one but two other candidates, not even former President Barack Obamas obvious lack of enthusiasm for his former vice president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Kamala Harris criticism of his record on busing didnt takehe lost a little support from black Americans, yes, but her campaign has since been suspended. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have spent the past two weeks embroiled in a horrifying fight, their fans turning viciously on each other. It seems counterproductive to their mutual interest in progressive causes, but perhaps theyve given in because they realize, on some level, that no one has found a way to attack the real front-runner, Joe Biden. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg have elbowed each other on being the centrist candidate, and even Hillary Clinton has chimed in to comment on Sanders unlikability. But no attack on Biden really seems to take. Even Trumps requests to not one but two foreign governmentsUkraine and Chinato get dirt on Hunter Biden in order to help Trump defeat his father have failed to produce much beyond Trumps own impeachment. Advertisement Advertisement What is astounding is how well Bidens passivity has worked. Normally, a candidates success depends on energy: an ability to stand out, command eyeballs, drive the narrative. But in our current political landscape, Bidens lack of reactionand his staffs rumored efforts to keep him away from the press as much as possiblemight accidentally be amounting to something like a superpower. Its true that Bidens lack of media appearances has been criticized in some quarters. They have him in the candidate-protection program, former Obama adviser David Axelrod told Olivia Nuzzi, of the vice presidents handlers. I dont know if you can do that. I dont know if you can get through a whole campaign that way. Either he can hack it or he cant hack it. If youre worried the candidate can hurt himself talking to a reporter, thats a bad sign. This has been the conventional wisdomexposure gets you votesbut Biden might be proving it wrong. In a landscape saturated by the furious exhalations of a president who cant stop reacting and responding to every new development, restraint might have its charms for an understudied demographic: the American voter who wants nothing more than to tune out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear whether Bidens nonresponse to various news cycles is a strategyit seems more likely to be motivated by avoidancebut its coming across as a capacity to float above the noise. Bidens appeal starts to make sense if you think of him as the political equivalent of an inert gashelium, say. Here is an example: His best moment in the latest Democratic debate came when he was asked about Trumps attacks on him, because, in answering, Biden actually performed his own nonreactivity. Ive been the object of his affections longer than anybody else on this stage, he said, laughing. The moment was fleeting; Biden went on to ham-handedly brag about his support from the black community. But Bidens apparent indifference to Trumps attacks clarified to me why he might be appealing to some voters. As responses go, Bidens was blessedly nonresponsive. His answer reflected an inclination to shrug off the petty, personalized, poisonous dreck most of us have grown to accept as an unfortunate feature of American politics from which we long to be freed. Advertisement Advertisement There are two theories of what Democratic voters want right now. Weve been living through a political moment characterized not just by anger but by an endless scream of reaction and response. Trumps performance is largely legible as a furious reaction to President Barack Obama; hes tried, with obsessive zeal, to undo everything his predecessor achieved, from the Iran deal to the Affordable Care Act. Trumps more original initiatives have been reactive too, driven not by vision but resentment: family separations and the Muslim ban reflected the wishes of an embattled white conservative base happy to sacrifice things like human rights, an independent judiciary, and a free press if it could punish and dehumanize immigrants. Whether this rage against minorities is motivated by racism, economic anxiety, or some mix of the two is a matter of some debate; what it clarifieson both sides of the aisleis that most Americans arent content. Quality of life has gone down. One theory of how to respond to all this isnt reactive but proactive: As the left has observed, income inequality is at an all-time high, corporations pay virtually nothing in taxes, and climate change will only accentuate the crises that currently exist. According to candidates like Warren and Sanders, part of the electorate wants change. Tired of the technocratic centrism that has enriched the 1 percent and slowly eroded the hopes of the rest of the country, voters want a system that actually responds to their needs. Achieving such a system will require enormous energy. Warrens and Sanders agendas require work and engagement. (They also have the potential to transform society.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There might be a new reality emerging that Biden is uniquely poised to collect on: the politics of exhaustion. The other theory is that people are tired. Theyre tired of reacting; theyre tired of change; theyre absolutely sick of engaging, emotionally and practically. They dont want to be glued to the news anymore. They want to be able to safely tune out. This is the group for which the inert gas candidate has some appeal. Trumps presidency has, for many Democrats, been an unending emergency that has required voters horrified at his actions to throw everything they canand its not muchagainst an out-of-control executive. The airport protests after the Muslim ban, the uproar over family separations, the Womens March all reflected an enormous popular will to stop Trumps government from doing what it threatened to do. With a government unable or unwilling to check or balance itself, the public has had to go into overdrive and react nonstop: People have had to plug so many leaks in this sinking boat that many simply feel depleted. That the plugging of the leaks isnt really working only exacerbates the exhaustion. Advertisement I dont know what percentage of the electorate wants to ignore the news without fear that the government is committing fresh atrocities in their name, but for them, Biden is the obvious candidate. Obama used to describe his politics in terms of Hope and Change; to plenty of people now, the message that might resonate is closer to Hope and Rest. Warren and Sanders argue, rightly, that there is no time to waste if climate change is to be addressed. They may have energy and anger and (in my view) truth on their side, but to much of the voting public, it may be downright reassuring to have a candidate who refuses to participate in politics on those gladiatorial terms. They just want someone to take charge and give them permission to tune out. If he tunes out a little himselfif hes a little old, a little muted, and likely to napso much the better. Energy no longer feels like a prerequisite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its worth observing here that Bidens performance of calm, which he tends to deploy on the debate stage, is just that: a performance. Biden isnt uniformly sedate; he famously called a voter in Iowa a damn liar for asking about Hunter Bidens activities in Ukraine and then challenged that voter to pushups. But because hes so seldom in the press, he gives the impression of being the composed and drama-free candidate. And Bidens absencefrom the interviews and TV appearances and the intraparty bickeringmight be working in his favor. People are tired. Trump may have confirmed the conventional wisdom that theres no such thing as bad publicity; he drove news cycles not just as a candidate but as president, guaranteeing himself coverage by being inventively awful. His strategy is overstimulation: of himself, of his opponents, of his supporters. But in his wake, there might be a new reality emerging that Biden is uniquely poised to collect on: the politics of exhaustion. Advertisement There is some power, after all, in not needing to react. In not tweeting out your thoughts. In not having to rush to defend yourself when unseemly attacks come your way. Im sure Biden works hardpeople whove witnessed him connecting with voters one-on-one describe him as a naturalbut thats not the image his candidacy projects. That image isnt passionate or perfect; his performance in debates consists largely of noting hes run out of time and him leaving questions half-answered. But it is usefully, maybe even appealingly, inert. Indeed, Sleepy Joe Biden might not be the insult Trump thinks it is. We might be in a moment when many Americans just want to go back to sleep. Striving to make himself heard across partisan lines, the lead impeachment prosecutor filled his opening argument against Donald Trump on the Senate floor on Wednesday with invitations, warnings and appeals designed to win Republican backing for a substantial trial. Using flowing evocations of constitutional history, the global promise of US democracy, and the stakes should it all be allowed to slip, Democrat Adam Schiff framed his story of Trumps wrongdoing as a national crisis demanding a non-partisan remedy. I dont think the impeachment power is a relic. If it is a relic, I wonder how much longer our republic can succeed, said Schiff. If we dont stand up to this peril today, we will write the history of our decline with our own hand. But ahead of the trials second full day, Republicans signaled no newfound curiosity about the case against Trump, who was impeached last month for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in connection with an alleged scheme to pressure Ukraine into announcing investigations of his political rival Joe Biden. Related: Trump impeachment: Schiff says Trump tried to 'cheat' way to re-election live Republicans complained on Wednesday that the trial had not revealed any new evidence against the president. Less than 24 hours earlier, those same senators had voted four consecutive times against hearing from new witnesses. I didnt hear anything new today, said Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. I havent heard any evidence in there that the presidents done anything wrong, said Josh Hawley of Missouri. With the parties so firmly ensconced in unique echo chambers, four months into the impeachment process, the likelihood that one argument or one piece of evidence, or snippet of testimony would find a way through the partisan barrier seemed small. Schiff and his fellow impeachment managers would need to persuade about 20 Republican senators to achieve their stated goal of removing Trump from office. But a much more modest number three or four Republicans would be enough for Democrats to call witnesses to the floor who might change the course of the proceedings. Story continues You are left with no choice but to demand to hear from each witness with firsthand knowledge of Trumps pressure campaign, Schiff said. A fair trial requires nothing less. The historic weight attending the trial, only the third of its kind in US history, was visible with the presence in the room of John Roberts, the chief justice of the US supreme court, and two tables of legal teams cramming the Senate well. The formality of the tableau was broken just once before a dinner break when a protester raised an incoherent cry in the balcony about abortion and Jesus Christ, to be quickly ushered out. The Senate will be in order, Roberts said, banging his gavel. The sergeant-at-arms will restore order in the gallery. Just after 1pm, Schiff stepped to a lectern between the tables to narrate the story of Trumps wrongdoing. The managers would lay out their case in stages, he said, describing the details of Trumps corrupt scheme in narrative form, with a factual chronology and video of past witness testimony, to move thereafter to a description of the constitutional framework for impeachment. Chuck Schumer walks outside the Senate chamber during break in the trial. Photograph: Sarah Silbiger/Reuters At a break in the trial, the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, called Schiffs performance a tour de force. I think a good number of my Republican colleagues for the first time heard the argument against the president powerfully, succinctly and completely and I hope that can begin to change minds, Schumer said. Polling released on Wednesday by the Pew Research Center indicated public backing for the Democratic call for witnesses and found that 70% of respondents said Trump definitely or probably acted unethically while 51% said Trump should be removed from office. Were trying this case over two juries, Schiff said. The Senate and the American people. But with the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, having succeeded the night before in winning approval for a speedy trial, the prosecutors have limited time in which to plant seeds of doubt in Republican minds about the conduct of the president. And the managers audience, visibly frustrated at the long hours of the trial, appeared at times to be on the verge of mild mutiny, openly flouting rules requiring them to remain at their desks and instead circulating in a cloakroom off the Senate floor. They drew no rebuke from Roberts. In a recurring rhetorical trope, Schiff highlighted the evidence missing from the case owing to Trumps decision to defy subpoenas and block testimony, which prompted the obstruction of Congress charge. Describing a memo the US diplomat Bill Taylor wrote to the state department after military aid to Ukraine was suspended, Schiff said: Would you like me to read that to you right now? I would like to read that to you. But I dont have it. On records of concerns filed by national security officials with in-house lawyers, Schiff said: Would you like me to read you that record? I would like to read you that record. Its there for the asking. If you keep getting told to go talk to the lawyers, Schiff quipped, theres a problem. The seven House managers selected to present the articles of impeachment have about 16 remaining hours spread over two days to present their case to convict and remove Trump from office. Then the presidents team has its opportunity to rebut the charges. Trump is not expected to appear at his own trial and the Republican-controlled Senate is forecast to acquit the president. Mitch McConnell addresses the Senate. Photograph: AP Some moderate Republican senators have expressed discomfort with rushing the proceedings, but none voted with Democrats on several motions on Tuesday that would have cleared the way for new witnesses and testimony. Ahead of the opening arguments, the White House yielded an opportunity to force a vote in the chamber on dismissing the charges against the president. Republican senators said there was not enough support among their caucus to bypass a trial. McConnell was forced to make last-minute changes after moderate Republicans expressed dissatisfaction. On Wednesday, Schiff warned that democracy was on the line. Our future is not assured, he said. A fair trial, with impartial consideration of all of the evidence against the president, is how we keep our republic. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges investors in HEXO Corp. (NYSE: HEXO) who have suffered losses in excess of $500,000 to submit their losses now to learn if they qualify to recover their investment losses. Hagens Berman has filed a class action complaint against HEXO and its senior executives and the Jan. 27, 2020 application deadline for investors is fast approaching. Class Period: Jan. 25, 2019 - Nov. 15, 2019 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Jan. 27, 2020 Sign Up Now: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/HEXO Contact An Attorney Immediately: HEXO@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 Hagens Bermans HEXO Securities Class Action: According to the detailed Complaint filed by Hagens Berman, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) HEXOs reported inventory was misstated due to its failure to write down or write off obsolete product; (2) HEXO was engaging in channel-stuffing to inflate its revenue figures; and (3) HEXO was cultivating unlicensed cannabis at its facilities. The truth emerged through a series of disclosures occurring between Oct. 4, 2019 and Nov. 15, 2019, when the Company announced it was producing cannabis in a section of its Niagara facility that was not properly licensed with Health Canada. As a result of these disclosures, the value of HEXO stock has consistently decreased, damaging investors. On Jan. 2, 2020, the Company restated its FY-2019 annual financial statements and Q-1 FY 2020 interim financial statements. Notably, the Company increased its annual impairment loss on inventory by about 14% and disclosed material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting. On Jan. 17, 2020, the Companys questionable accounting practices came into focus again, when MarketWatch published a report challenging the Companys employee-options accounting. MarketWatch reported that since June 2017, the Company has been incorrectly tabulating the remaining lifetime weighted average of its employee stock options, potentially violating International Financial Reporting Standards. Were focused on investors losses and proving Defendants knowingly provided false financial information to the market, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation. If you purchased HEXO common stock during the Class Period and suffered significant losses, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman . Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding HEXO 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 HEXO@hbsslaw.com . About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national law firm with nine offices in eight cities around the country and 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 . Madison Republican Joe LaPorta announced plans this week to seek the 12th District state Senate seat now held by Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford. With great excitement, I am announcing that I am seeking the Republican nomination for the 12th District Senate seat, representing Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, and North Branford, LaPorta said in a news release. All of us want to see Connecticut succeed, LaPorta said. Connecticut is where we live, work, and raise our families but by every measure of our states economy, Connecticut is failing. Businesses and residents are leaving the state every day, he said in the release. Property values are stagnant or on the decline. The cost of living keeps going up. The people we have entrusted to make decisions in the best interest of the state have failed us all. It seems everyone I speak with knows someone close to them who has given up on Connecticut, LaPorta said. They feel driven out of their home state by bad public policy and short-sighted ideas. I am not giving up on Connecticut, and today I am asking you all to join me in fighting for the future of our state. Cohen, who was elected in 2018 following the retirement of state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., recently announced plans to seek another term. She is owner of Cohens Bagel Co. in Madison. In Hartford, Cohen serves as Senate chairwoman of the General Assemblys Environment Committee, Senate vice chairwoman of the Commerce Committee and as a member of the Children Committee and the Planning & Development Committee. LaPorta, a licensed professional engineer with three degrees from the University of Hartford, was born and raised in Waterbury. He and his wife, Lauren, moved to Southington and later to Madison, where he joined the Republican Town Committee in 2017, soon after their arrival. They have four children. Since graduating college, LaPorta has been employed by Eversource (formerly Connecticut Light & Power), working primarily in electric power distribution engineering and operations. He is in the process of obtaining his real estate license. I come from a business background, not a political one, with a blue-collar upbringing, LaPorta said. My parents taught me the merit of hard work, the value of a dollar, and the importance of a quality education. I am worried that my four young children will grow up in a state without the same opportunities that prior generations had. As your state senator, I will not support any attempt by Hartford to regionalize our schools, LaPorta said in the release. I will not vote to raise taxes on the already over-taxed citizens of the 12th district, not even by one dime. I will be a vocal opponent of Ned Lamont and his enablers in Hartford. You will have a state senator you can rely on to vote in your best interests. I am running to return Connecticut to a state that people and businesses want to flock to, not flee from, because Connecticut is worth fighting for, he said. Cohen said in a previous news release that I am honored to serve the residents of Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison and North Branford and wish to continue to be your advocate in Hartford. I have been working hard as your state senator, ensuring that small businesses are heard, common sense gun safety proposals are passed, education is prioritized, our environment is protected, and each and every constituent issue is addressed, she said. However, I feel I have only just scratched the surface and there is so much more to be done, Cohen said. I would like the ability to delve deeper, get some outstanding pieces of legislation over that proverbial finish line and continue to bring your voices to Hartford. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com A Washington County woman was arrested Wednesday in her estranged husbands murder, four months after her he was found shot dead at their home in September of 2019. Cloud is accused of shooting and killing her estranged husbandWashington County Sheriff's Office Tracy Lynn Cloud, 46, is charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon. Cloud is accused of killing her husband, Philip Cloud, on Sept. 23 at the couples Northwest Germantown Road home. Initial reports from the Washington County Sheriffs Office indicated that Tracy Cloud had shot Philip Cloud after they got in an argument. Police had said in September that they were investigating the shooting to see if it was an act of murder or self-defense. The sheriffs office said officials interviewed dozens of people and executed several search warrants before arresting Cloud. The couple were estranged, and Philip Cloud had filed for divorce in August 2019. Previous Oregonian reporting shows that Tracy Cloud called 911 to report that she had shot her husband. According to sheriffs deputies, Cloud said that her husband pulled a gun on her, and she then pulled her own gun and shot him twice in the stomach. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no probable cause affidavit available for the case. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Two armed groups who last year joined an agreement aimed at bringing peace to the Central African Republic have clashed in a key northeastern town, the UN said on Thursday Bangui, Central African Republic, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jan, 2020 ) :Two armed groups who last year joined an agreement aimed at bringing peace to the Central African Republic have clashed in a key northeastern town, the UN said on Thursday. "The deputy special representative of the United Nations secretary general, Denise Brown, has gone to the area" to assess the situation, the spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA, Vladimir Monteiro, told AFP. The fighting broke out on Monday in Birao, a trading town located near the Sudan border, and continued on Tuesday. Aid workers there, reached by AFP, said the town itself was calm on Thursday but its outskirts were extremely tense. The clashes involved the Movement of the Movement of Central African Liberators for Justice (MLCJ) and the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the car (FPRC), which had been fighting sporadically over Birao since July. Both groups joined other militias in Khartoum last February 6 to sign a peace agreement with the government. Deeply impoverished despite its mineral wealth, the CAR has been in the grip of violence since 2013. More than two-thirds of the former French colony lies in the hands of armed groups, who typically claim ethnic or religious affiliations and often fight over the country's mineral resources. At least 20 people died in fighting in July, according to MINUSCA figures. The violence prompted most of the town's inhabitants to shelter in a camp for displaced people located near a peacekeepers' base, aid workers said. Violence resumed after tension brewed in the camp between the Kara ethnic group, from which the MLCJ is largely drawn, and the Sara and Hausa communities, accused of supporting the FPRC, they said. On Monday, the CAR government in Bangui said the violence between armed groups in the northeast amounted to "flagrant violations" of the 2019 peace agreement. According to the UN, 1.6 million out of the country's 4.7 million population are "extremely vulnerable." Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Miami, January 23, 2020 Authorities in the Dominican Republic should immediately drop all criminal charges against Marino Zapete and stop pursuing criminal defamation cases against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Tomorrow, the Fourth Penal Chamber of the Court of First Instance of the National District, in Santo Domingo, the capital, is scheduled to try Zapete, a former broadcast reporter with local television outlet Teleradio America, on criminal defamation charges based on his reporting on alleged corruption, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via phone, and news reports. The charges relate to a September 25, 2019, episode of Zapetes news program El Jarabe, in which he alleged that Maybeth Rodriguez, the sister of Prosecutor General Jean Rodriguez Sanchez, had illicitly profited from public infrastructure projects, according to news reports and the episode, which has been uploaded to YouTube. Maybeth Rodriguez sent a letter to Zapete on September 25 denying all allegations against her, according to news reports. On November 7, she filed a criminal defamation complaint against him, Zapete told CPJ. If found guilty, Zapete could face up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 Dominican pesos ($375), under Dominican law. Journalists must be able to report on issues of public interest without facing criminal penalties and potential jail time, said CPJ Central and South America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick in New York. Authorities in the Dominican Republic should drop all criminal charges against Marino Zapete, and should reform the countrys laws to abolish criminal defamation once and for all. The head of the Ministry of Public Works at the time of the alleged corruption, Gonzalo Castillo, is now running for president as a member of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party, according to news reports. Zapete told CPJ that after the September 25 episode aired, Prosecutor General Rodriguez called Luis Garcia, the owner of Teleradio America, and threatened to take legal action against the station. On September 26, Zapete was fired from the broadcaster after he refused to retract the allegations, he told CPJ. In an email to CPJ, Garcia denied that any political pressure influenced his decision to fire Zapete, saying that he was let go for technical reasons that have since been resolved. He said that Zapete has been invited to return to the station, but declined. CPJ emailed Castillos political party and Prosecutor General Rodriguez for comment, but did not receive any replies. Prosecutor General Rodriguez previously declined to answer questions by reporters about the corruption allegations or the defamation case against Zapete, according to press reports. CPJ was unable to locate contact information for Maybeth Rodriguez. CPJ tried calling the infrastructure contracting company affiliated with her at the number listed on its website, but the person who answered the call said that phone number was incorrect. Zapete also told CPJ that the tires of his car have been cut 11 times since he aired the program. The Dominican Republic has reformed parts of Law 6132, which criminalizes some forms of free expression, since a 2016 Supreme Court decision ruled them unconstitutional, as CPJ reported at the time. The country still maintains criminal penalties for defamation against private individuals and for defaming racial or religious groups, according to that reporting. DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) As one of the executive producers of the last Mad Max movie, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin might have been interested in the apocalyptic climate warnings of Greta Thunberg. Instead, he took a personal swipe at the 17-year-old, saying she was in no position to give advice on climate change because she hasn't been to college yet. Trump tells business leaders of spectacular US economy at Davos forum At a press briefing at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos, Mnuchin dismissed Thunberg's suggestion that governments and companies need to cut back dramatically on their use of fossil fuels. When asked how that would affect the U.S. economic model, Mnuchin was swift and condescending in his response. Is she the chief economist? Who is she? Im confused, he said. Then following a brief pause, he said it was "a joke. "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us, he concluded. Thunberg has yet to respond to Mnuchin's comments but is likely to be asked about them when she holds a press briefing Friday at a climate strike with other young people in Davos, on what is the final day of this year's gathering of the elites. Thunberg sparked a global environmental movement after she shot to fame a year ago by staging a regular strike at her school. Mnuchin confirmed to The Associated Press that he has earned a degree in economics from Yale University, before moving on to working for Goldman Sachs and then the Trump administration. In between, he founded the film production company Dune Entertainment, which in addition to helping out in the relaunch of the Mad Max franchise in 2015, has The Lego Movie and Wonder Woman among its credits. To her supporters around the world, Thunberg has become a role model, not least for her criticism of U.S. policy, particularly President Donald Trumps decision to pull the country out of the Paris accord to limit global warming. Mnuchin insisted Thursday that U.S. policy has been misinterpreted, and that President Donald Trump absolutely believes in a clean environment. What the president objects to is the Paris agreement, because he thought it was an unfair agreement for the United States," he said. Last month, Trump told Thunberg in a tweet to chill and to work on her Anger Management problem. It prompted a dry and humorous response from Thunberg, who changed her Twitter caption to read: A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old-fashioned movie with a friend. Earth just finished its hottest decade on record, with the five last years being the five warmest, according to U.S. and other science agencies. Scientists repeatedly point to more extreme weather as a problem worsened by human-caused climate change. There have been 44 weather and climate disasters in the United States that caused at least $1 billion in damage since 2017, killing 3,569 people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Achieving new heights as a fashion icon, Deepika Padukone has become the first Indian actor to feature in luxury fashion giant Louis Vuittons global campaign. The 34-year old actor-producer joined a list of eminent celebrities from across the globe including Sophie Turner, Emma Roberts and Chloe Grace Moretz for the Pre-Fall 2020 campaign. Padukone announced the news in an Instagram post along with the caption, "I am beyond thrilled to be joining the Louis Vuitton family! To be a part of Nicholas Ghesquiere's vision for the worlds most iconic brand is not only exciting but also very humbling! Presenting... #LVprefall20." Her husband Ranveer Singh was quick to react to her look and commented on her post, Next level !!! The actor features in a poster of fictional thriller Dont Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon wearing a checkered black and white midi dress. The dress is paired with a grey overcoat, mini belt bag from the brand and a pair of quirky green boots. Louis Vuitton's Pre-Fall 2020 campaign is inspired by pulp horror movies and books. The look book features 24 other poster girls and boys posing as characters on the cover of fictional pulp books, including horror, adventure and fantasy titles. Nicolas Ghesquiere, the Artistic Director of Women's collections for Louis Vuitton also announced the association by posting the full look book to his Instagram account. Padukone has also been the face of global brands such as LOreal Paris and Coca-Cola in India. The actor was also recently honoured with the Crystal Award 2020 at the 26th annual Crystal Award ceremony during the World Economic Forums opening session on January 20. Padukone was conferred the award for playing a leading role in raising mental health awareness and her initiative, The Live Love Laugh Foundation. Despite having had several films at Sundance before, David Oyelowo didnt know that the festival had a section dedicated to childrens films until he appeared in it. Im just really elated, he tells EW. This is a nice departure. I guess were going to have a theater full of kids, which will be a new experience for me at Sundance. The movie that will take him there is Come Away, a reimagined origin story, as Oyelowo describes it, for the imaginary worlds of both Peter Pan and Alice (of Wonderland). In the film, the two classic characters are siblings living in the Victorian English countryside with their parents and older brother. When tragedy strikes, the pair endeavor to save their family from falling apart, sending them down the paths that will take them to Neverland and Wonderland. Oyelowo, who plays the childrens father, Jack, was the first actor to sign on and also produced the film. I thought it was kind of an ingenious idea, says the star, who also jumped at the chance to make a film that his own kids could see but that wouldnt talk down to them. I think often, when you see children in film, we can patronize them a little bit in terms of the level of emotional complexity theyre afforded to play and live within, he says. Having four children myself, I know that theyve had to deal with all sorts of things, both wonderful and tragic, and they handle them in surprising ways that film very rarely depicts, I would say, realistically. The actor credits director Brenda Chapman (making her live-action directorial debut after having built her career on beloved animated films like The Prince of Egypt and Brave) with threading that needle of staying grounded in reality while also invoking these familiar fantasy lands. Often, kids retreat into their imaginations because they feel the need to escape from something else, Oyelowo observes. He hopes the film walks the line of speaking to both children and grown-ups, too, since after all, everyone, to a certain degree, knows what it is to be a child. Story continues Courtesy of Sundance Institute Angelina Jolie plays Jacks wife, Rose, and was cast at Oyelowos suggestion. The actors have been friends for a long time, having connected over being parents to a lot of children, and Jolie had lamented to him before that she never gets offered indie films or mother roles, despite being a famous mother to six children, Oyelowo adds. I mean, famously a mother, I would say. After he was on board as both an actor and producer, I remembered her saying those two things, Oyelowo says. So I called her up and I said, I have a twofer for you. And within four days of me talking to her about it, she had signed on. The casting of the Alice and Peters parents meant that these classic storybook characters (themselves played by Keira Chansa and Jordan Nash, respectively) would be represented as biracial children, the significance of which was not lost on Oyelowo. I just think there is something so beautiful [in] seeing a different kind of Alice and a different kind of Peter but that not being the point of the film, he says, also adding that theres definitely precedent for interracial marriages in the late 1800s in England, so theres really no reason that these fictional characters would have to be any particular race over another. I only ever produce films that mean a lot to me, and thats to do with representation, thats to do with the kind of thing I want to see in the world, thats to do with the kind of thing I didnt get to see when I was younger or when I was growing up. Its about putting things in the world that I would like my kids to be able to be around, the star says. I think audiences are craving seeing stories from different perspectives, and thats what I try to do with all of the films I produce. I really think we managed that with this one, and its something Im very proud of. Come Away will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 24. Related stories: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) Another test on the five-year-old Chinese boy from Wuhan showed that he is now negative for coronavirus infection, according to the Department of Health in Central Visayas. A second swab test done on the boy a few days ago and sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine yielded a negative result for coronavirus infection. This test is different from the confirmatory test results on a throat swab and blood sample that Philippine authorities are still waiting for from Australia. "The boy from Wuhan City, Hubei province in China, no longer has fever, cough, and other signs and symptoms associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus," DOH Central Visayas medical officer Van Philip Baton said Thursday in a media briefing. Another sample from the boy has been sent to the RITM for testing. If this yields a negative result again for coronavirus infection, the boy and his mother may be discharged from the hospital, health officials in Central Visayas said. The mother of the boy, staff at the condominium where the two stayed, and health workers who have been exposed to him have not exhibited any symptoms of infection until now, health officials said. Health authorities earlier announced that the boy, who landed in Cebu City with his mother on January 12, tested positive for a still-unidentified coronavirus strain. The strain was not the one that causes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome nor Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Wednesday it's possible that the boy is not infected with the novel coronavirus that originated from Wuhan. Wuhan is a Chinese city south of Beijing where the new coronavirus referred to as 2019-nCoV originated from. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases such as such as MERS and SARS, according to the World Health Organization. They can be transmitted from animal to person or infected human to others, according to the WHO. Philippine authorities have intensified precautionary measures at airports to check on passengers who exhibit flu-like symptoms and guard against the entry of the new coronavirus in the country. There is so far no confirmed case of 2019-nCov in the country, officials said. The death toll from the novel coronavirus has risen to 17, as over 500 more cases were reported across China, the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Macao and Taiwan, sparking fears of a possible pandemic, CNN reported. Cebu-based Stringer Dale Israel contributed to this report. A Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules from No.37 Squadron, RAAF Base Richmond, arrives after transporting NSW Fire and Rescue crews from the Mid-North Coast of NSW to assist in fighting the bushfires near Merimbula, on January 5, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. . (Photo by SGT Christopher Dickson / Australian Department of Defence via Getty Images) Three American crew members died Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region as Australia attempts to deal with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Coulson Aviation in the U.S. state of Oregon said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the accident was "extensive" but had few other details. "The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, it's crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash," said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. He said all three aboard were U.S. residents. "Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors," he said. The tragedy brings the death toll from the blazes to at least 31 since September. The fires have also destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 10.4 million hectares (25.7 million acres), an area bigger than the U.S. state of Indiana. Coulson grounded other firefighting aircraft as a precaution pending investigation, reducing planes available to firefighters in New South Wales and neighboring Victoria state. The four-propeller Hercules drops more than 15,000 liters (4,000 gallons) of fire retardant in a single pass. Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the national air crash investigator, and state police will investigate the crash site, which firefighters described as an active fire ground. "There is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident," Fitzsimmons said. Berejiklian said there were more than 1,700 volunteers and personnel in the field, and five fires were being described at an "emergency warning" level the most dangerous on a three-tier scale across the state and on the fringes of the national capital Canberra. Also Thursday, Canberra Airport closed temporarily because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of the city were told to seek shelter. The airport reopened after several hours with Qantas operating limited services, but Virgin and Singapore Airlines canceled flights for the rest of the day. The blaze started Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at a "watch and act" level the middle of the three tiers. Residents in some Canberra suburbs were advised to seek shelter and others to leave immediately. "The defense force is both assisting to a degree and looking to whether that needs to be reinforced," Chief of Defense Angus Campbell told reporters. "I have people who are both involved as persons who need to be moved from areas and office buildings that are potentially in danger, and also those persons who are part of the (Operation) Bushfire Assist effort," he said. Villagers in Amaravati region on Wednesday beamed with joy after the legislative council of Andhra Pradesh sent the Decentralisation Bill (for setting up of three capitals) to select committee. The villagers waved and thanked Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu and its general secretary Nara Lokesh when both the leaders were on the way to their residence. The TDP on Wednesday issued a notification to the chairman of the state legislative council to send the bill to the select committee. Earlier on Monday, the Andhra Pradesh assembly passed the 'Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020'. According to a release, the "Bill provides for the creation of three capital cities to usher in the decentralisation of development." The Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday urged Libyas warring parties to quickly conclude a ceasefire agreement. The Council call comes after a warning that the conflict that has spiraled into a proxy war risks becoming the next Syria. This month has seen several failed attempts by foreign powers to broker a ceasefire in Libya. On Sunday, Germany hosted a conference to discuss peace efforts in Libya, after nine months of conflictwith the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Gen. Khalifa Haftar seeking to take Tripoli, held by the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Sundays summit comes after a failed push by Russia and Turkey to get Haftar to agree to a ceasefire in Moscow. Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who leads the GNA, signed the draft ceasefire agreement there while Haftar did not. Both Russia and Turkey have become increasingly involved in Libyas conflict, with Russian mercenaries aiding the LNA and Turkish troops now supporting the government in Tripoli. On Tuesday, UN chief Antonio Guterres after he briefed the security council, told reporters that parties needed to quickly agree a comprehensive ceasefire and move to find a political solution to the conflict. In his words, Berlin is a major step. It was for the first time possible to sit around the table, all those countries that have a direct or indirect influence in relation to the conflict. The Trump administration Department of Justice is urging an appeals court to uphold an Ohio law banning abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis, saying the law affirms the integrity of the medical profession and protects individuals from discrimination based on a disability. At issue is a 2017 Ohio law prohibiting doctors from performing abortions if the doctor has knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion, in whole or in part due to a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis. Although a three-judge panel on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the law in a 2-1 decision last year, the full Sixth Circuit took up the case in what is known as an en banc hearing. It is known as the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act Many women whose unborn children are diagnosed with Down syndrome receive the message that those children would be better off never being born, says the Justice Departments friend-of-the-court brief, filed Tuesday. ... The Antidiscrimination Law promotes Ohios contrary message that people with Down syndrome have lives worth living, lives worth protecting. The validity of such a message is evident, especially, when one considers the once-pervasive practice of involuntarily sterilizing those with mental disabilities, which the judiciary itself endorsed. Just as a State may reasonably fear that permitting assisted suicide will start it down the path to voluntary and perhaps even involuntary euthanasia, it may also conclude that permitting providers knowingly to perform abortions on the basis of Down syndrome will open the door to the involvement of the States medical profession with abortions done on the basis of race, sex, genetic makeup, or other attributes that can be detected prenatally. The federal government, the brief says, has an interest in the equal dignity of those living with disabilities because the government enforces civil rights laws that outlaw various forms of disability discrimination, including the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The law guards the integrity of the medical profession both in the eyes of those with Down syndrome and the public more generally, the brief says. Further, it protects women against the risk that some or any abortion providers may pressure them to obtain an abortion on the basis of Down syndrome rather than leaving this difficult decision to them. According to the brief, Ohios law is constitutional because it targets the doctor, not the woman. The law does not require the doctor to inquire into the womens motivations, and even if the doctor rejects a womans request, she could go to a clinic elsewhere, the document asserts. Still, the law is not "toothless," the brief argues. [T]his legislation carefully targets the knowing participation of a provider in an abortion on the basis of Down syndrome given the States significant interest in protecting the reputation and integrity of its medical profession, the brief says. Related: Appeals Court Gives Hope to Ohio Down Syndrome Abortion Ban Pro-Life Group Pledges $52 Million to Re-Elect Trump, the Most Pro-Life President in History Im Pro-Life Iowas Female Gov. Supports Amendment Protecting the Unborn Pro-Life Win: High Court Upholds Law Requiring Ultrasounds before Abortions One-Third of Independent Abortion Clinics Have Closed since 2012 Democrats Medicare for All Bills Would Legalize Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Eleonora Os Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. It's Jean Paul Gaultier's final Paris Haute Couture Fashion Show. And supermodel Karlie Kloss, 27, made an appearance on the catwalk for the special occasion in a glamorous white gown. The beauty looked like an angel as she walked down the runway in the stunning couture piece while carrying a glass accessory in her hand. Working it! Karlie Kloss made an appearance on the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier's final Paris Haute Couture Fashion Show in a glamorous white gown Stunning: She also rocked a sheer, lace jumpsuit complete with a matching hat After her eye-catching moment in the gown, she hit the runway in a long-sleeved lace jumpsuit. The look was complete with dramatic ruffled sleeve and a white boat-styled hat. For both runway looks, she rocked a pair of sky-high silver platform heels. Many other big fashion names such at Gigi and Bella Hadid, Paris Jackson, and Dita Von Teese, also stepped out for the final show following the announcement that the 67-year-old would be ending his 50-year long run in the industry. Her dress: The gown featured sheer detailing that went down the floor complete with matching tights and silver platform heels Accessories: She also carried a class piece of art while walking down the runway Karlie's cattwalk appearance comes after making it clear that her political views don't resemble that of her famous controversial family, the Kushners. Karlie is married to her husband Joshua Kushner who is the brother of Presidential aids Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump. 'I'm sure I'm not the only person in this country who does not necessarily agree with their family on politics,' the blonde beauty said while on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Looking good: Karlie's cattwalk appearance comes after making it clear that her political views don't resemble that of her famous controversial family, the Kushners Fierce: The model gave a fierce-looking pose at the end of the runway Having fun: Backstage the model had fun posing for photos Got it! She posed in front of a white backdrop for photos while backstage during the fashion show 'I voted as a democrat in 2016 and I plan to do the same in 2020,' she added. The two love birds began to subtly date back in 2012 after bringing the business man as her date to the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after party. And after years of dating and trotting around the globe together, they announced that they were engaged back in July 2018. Then, just months later the two exchanged vows in a small intimate ceremony in October in front of friends and family. Goofing around: Karlie later posed with the glass magnifying glass and made silly faces in it LOL! The piece was made of glass with a round center that magnified her pearly-white smile Budget 2020: Applauding Govt's achievements, in the year 2019, Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) said, "Even though the year 2019 witnessed significant developments but there is an urgent need for the government to accelerate further reforms and supportive measures in the year 2020 in order to make India a global medical device manufacturing hub, reduce huge import dependency in this sector which is still at 80-90%, minimising outgo of foreign reserves, and making quality healthcare affordable and accessible to the masses at large." Sunrise sector of Medical Devices faces sunset year with 24 % sharp rise in imports As the market is barely growing at 10-12%, overall the data of 24% increase in imports indicates further erosion of 10-30% domestic market share to 10-20% market share. GST on medical devices gave a competitive advantage to imports by reducing the cost of imported medical devices by over 10% and is detrimental to Make in India. MSME sector has been worst hit with huge job losses. If we compare other large developing countries, i.e., BRICS countries, we will find that India is possibly levying the lowest import duty on medical devices. BRICS Countries Taxation: Also Read: Budget 2020: Date, timings, where to watch, expectations from Modi govt's most challenging Budget Even as medical device makers in America allege the regulatory environment in India has hindered the growth of their exports, data suggests otherwise. India imports around 80 per cent of its medical devices (requirement) and over a fifth of that comes from the US. The Top five countries that India imports medical devices from are the USA (21%), Germany (14%),Singapore (11%), China 10% and Netherlands (7%) There is an urgent need for the government to expedite steps to end the 80-90% import dependence forced upon us and an ever-increasing import bill of over Rs 38,837 Crore, expedite steps for patients' protection, stronger quality & safety regulations, price controls to make medical devices and quality treatment accessible and affordable and ethical indigenous manufacturing viable. Budget Recommendations: Reasonable Tariff Protection for enabling Make in India: Incentivise traders to become manufacturers as was the status a decade ago rather than the current status where we encourage manufacturers to import and sell under their brands. To promote the domestic medical device industry that will subsequently reduce India's heavy reliance on imports, the current basic import tariff of 0-7.5% needs to be over 15% for the medical devices (the bound rate under WTO is 40% duty) and concessional duty on raw materials may be retained at 2.5% for now, for next 3 years. After GST, imported devices are cheaper by over 10% and this needs to be neutralised as at times we are unable to compete with Chinese imports in government tenders. In other countries such as Iran, as soon as a factory is put up, they start to support the domestically produced products with import restrictions and duty protection. Level playing field for domestic manufacturers: If the government can boost manufacturing of mobile phones and consumer electronics by levying 15% to 20% duty as well as for automotive, bicycles and motorcycles, we request similar tariff protection clauses for medical devices, which are even more important for healthcare security of our country. Unless the Indian manufacturers get a level playing field and visible benefits to manufacture in India in comparison to the imports, nobody will venture out to do this tedious job of putting together men, machine and capital for manufacturing of medical devices in India to make quality healthcare affordable to common masses which is a dream and mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Also Read: How Sensex, Nifty are likely to move ahead of Nirmala Sitharaman's second budget speech Encourage a phased manufacturing plan of components: The government should increase the import duty to 5% (basic duty) on imports of part or accessories for medical devices, up from 2.5% done on January 19, 2016, by Notification No. 4/2016 and then increase the same to 7.5% in the second year under heading HS Code 90.18, 90.19, 90.20, 90.21, 90.22. The PMP (Phased Manufacturing Plan) proposed for X-Ray equipment is a good start and needs to be carried forward to other devices. Consider 2.5% basic duty on import of medical grade raw materials for medical devices under the heading also for HS Code 90.27, 30.06 & 38.22 on the actual user condition, as had been done earlier for 90.18, etc., to ensure there is no inverted duty structure. India needs to regulate all medical devices under a patients' safety medical devices law as correctly proposed by NITI Aayog to protect patients and aid responsible manufacturing Need to protect consumers from exploitatively high MRP in medical devices by rationalised price controls and aid ethical marketing by capping markup over import landed price. Need to incentivise quality in healthcare products in public healthcare procurements by preferential pricing for quality, Q1 e.g. ICMED (QCI's Indian Certification for Medical Devices) instead of L1 (lowest price) to ensure patients access acceptable quality for healthcare. Also Read: Budget 2020: Modi govt may cut income tax rate, introduce new slabs to boost consumption The Indian medical device industry is very hopeful the Union Budget will make quality healthcare accessible and affordable for common masses, enable placing India among the top 5 medical devices manufacturing hubs worldwide and help end the 80-90% import dependence forced upon us and an ever-increasing import bill of over Rs 38,837 Crore. Right from trade margin rationalisation to ensuring a separate set of legislations and regulatory framework to govern the medical device sector and everything in between needs to be looked afresh to galvanise domestic manufacturing. A pro-active policy formulation to regulate medical devices differently than drugs should permit free market dynamics to succeed and keep regulations simple, protecting consumers and incentivising Make in India. Also Read: Global med-tech majors seek custom duty cut to prevent smuggling of medical devices [The author is Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator of Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD)] Syracuse, N.Y. EPA officials are expected today in Central New York to announce that the Trump administration will scale back the types of waterways that will qualify for protection from pollution. A draft version of a new rule would take away the federal governments oversight of about half of all wetlands and a fifth of streams in the U.S., environmental groups say. Trump announced the new rule in a speech Sunday at the American Farm Bureau Federation meeting in Texas. I am proud to announce that I am taking another step to protect the water rights of American farmers and ranchers, Trump said in Austin. He said his administrations new directives would allow states to manage their water resources based on their own needs and based on what their farmers and ranchers want. The new rule means farmers and others wont need a federal permit to release water into streams that flow only after rain or snow melt, or to wetlands that arent next to already protected waters. An Environmental Protection Agencys news release says Regional Administrator Pete Lopez will be at a Baldwinsville farm this afternoon to make a major water policy announcement from the EPA. Its one of 10 locations where EPA will be announcing the changes today. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to announce the new rules in Las Vegas at a conference of the National Association of Home Builders one of the industry groups that pushed for loosening clean water rules. The Baldwinsville news conference will also include a spokeswoman for the New York State Farm Bureau, which supports the new rule. The farm bureau has called the more restrictive rule implemented by President Obama in 2015 "unreasonable and unworkable. We are relieved to put it behind us, said bureau President David Fisher in a statement issued last fall. "We are now working to ensure a fair and reasonable substitute that protects our water and our ability to work and care for the land. Environmental groups oppose the new rule and have vowed to fight it in court. President Trump is engaging in an all-out assault on our clean water safeguards," said League of Conservation Voters Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote in a statement. This gutting of vital Clean Water Act protections takes us backwards on the progress weve made in cleaning up our waterways and puts the health of our families at risk for the sole benefit of Trumps corporate friends. The Associated Press contributed to this report. READ MORE Upstate NY dairy boom leaves farmers, residents at odds over how to handle manure Trump trade war with China takes toll on struggling Upstate NY dairy farmers Judge orders temporary halt to historic New York farm labor law Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 06:09:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ATHENS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cruise companies are increasingly using Greek ports for starting and ending their itineraries. And such increase in "homeporting" is set to become even greater in 2020 and 2021, port authorities have told Xinhua. On Wednesday MSC Cruises, one of the world's leading cruise operators, announced in Athens it is adding Piraeus to its homeporting points as of 2021, and thanked the authorities and travel industry for their cooperation. Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) is majority-owned and managed by China COSCO Shipping Group. "The summer of 2021 appears to be busy, with Piraeus playing an important role in the Eastern Mediterranean cruise schedule, with visitors boarding there for the first time," said Angelo Capurro, executive director for MSC Cruises. Nektarios Demenopoulos, PPA deputy manager for public and investor relations, told Xinhua that last year the number of homeporting passengers in Piraeus increased 15.83 percent to 410,512 from 354,398 in 2018. With improving infrastructure, the trend is projected to continue this year and in 2021. On Monday, the management of PPA met with the Regional Authority of Attica on the expansion project of cruise docks at the port with a budget of 120 million euros (133 million U.S. dollars). The additional mooring points will be able to host larger cruise ships and should be ready in 2022, Demenopoulos told Xinhua. Capurro, an Italian, explained that due to excessive tourism, restrictions in Venice, Italy have led MSC Cruises to examine alternative home ports, "which has made us turn to Piraeus that appears to be an ideal solution." Over the last three years, MSC Cruises reported a 41 percent increase in cruise passengers in Greece in total, thanks to the growing interest in Greek destinations and the improvement in infrastructures in the country. Spyridon Zervopoulos, chief executive of the Corfu Port Authority, told Xinhua that the Ionian Sea's main cruise port has also seen a rise in homeporting, which is projected to expand further this year, as is a priority for the authority. "The benefits of homeporting are considerable for local businesses and the island in general," he noted. Heraklion, the largest city on the island of Crete, also anticipates a major increase in cruise ships starting and terminating their routes there. Apollon Philippis, chairman and chief executive officer of Heraklion Port Authority, told Xinhua that in 2017 only three cruises chose Crete's main port as their home. The number doubled to six in 2018, and rose to 10 last year, and this year it is set to reach 14, before soaring to 45 in 2021, he cited cruise operator bookings. (1 euro = 1.11 U.S dollars) The Supreme Court Thursday reserved verdict on a plea seeking review of death penalty it awarded to a woman and her lover for killing her parents, two brothers and their wives and strangulating her 10-month-old nephew in Uttar Pradesh. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna was told by the lawyers of convicts that the death penalty be commuted keeping in mind the possibility of their reformation. The apex court asked senior advocates Anand Grover and Meenakshi Arora whether it can consider the "good behaviour" of convicts post conviction. "Every criminal is said to have an innocent heart. However, we have to look into the crime committed as well," the bench observed. The apex court had upheld their death sentence in 2015. in 2010, the Allahabad High Court had upheld the death sentence awarded to the duo by a sessions court. Saleem and Shabnam were having an affair and wanted to get married but their relationship met with stiff opposition from the woman's family. On April 15, 2008, Shabnam's entire family was wiped out and the woman initially pretended that her house in Amroha district of UP was attacked by unidentified assailants. It came to light during the investigation that she had abetted Saleem in the crime as she made her family members drink milk laced with sedatives before the attack and thereafter herself throttled her little nephew. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Duchess of Sussex supported close friend Misha Nonoo by wearing a shirt from her brand on her final engagements in the UK. Meghan Markle, 38, sported the 174 'husband' shirt to visit her patronages the National Theatre and Mayhew animal welfare charity, both in London, on 8 January - hours before she and Prince Harry, 35, announced they were stepping down. The duchess, who knows designer Misha from her pre-royal days, wore the pinstripe blue shirt under a 269 navy Massimo Dutti coat and accessorised with her favourite Suetables horoscope necklaces. Meghan Markle, 38, sported the 174 'husband' shirt for her visits to her patronages the National Theatre (pictured) and Mayhew animal welfare charity, both in London, on 8 January The duchess, who knows designer Misha from her pre-royal days, wore the pinstripe blue shirt underneath a 269 navy Massimo Dutti coat. Pictured, arriving at Mayhew Meghan wore the signature 'husband' shirt in the white and blue pinstripe style, as seen on the Misha Nonoo website. The style is available in several colourways Meghan made private visits to Mayhew and the National Theatre shortly before boarding a flight to Canada, where she was reunited with son Archie. She was seen at the National Theatre on the day of the visit but details of the Mayhew outing only emerged yesterday when photos were shared on the Sussex Royal Instagram account. The royal has frequently used her status as a high-profile style icon to shine a light on Misha and her brand. Meghan wore the 'husband' shirt in white for her first official outing with Prince Harry in September 2017 and chose to wear a skirt from the label when she launched her first solo charity endeavour, the Together cookbook, in September 2018. Meghan Markle has frequently used her status as a high-profile style icon to shine a light on Misha and her brand. Meghan wore the 'husband' shirt in white for her first official outing with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Toronto in September 2017, pictured The Duchess chose to wear a skirt from the label when she launched her first solo charity endeavour, the Together cookbook, in September 2018, pictured with mother Doria and Harry She also enlisted Misha as one of her brand partners for the Smart Works charity clothing collection, which was unveiled in collaboration with John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Jigsaw, in September last year. Misha and Meghan were last seen together at Misha's wedding to oil tycoon Mikey Hess in Rome in September last year. Misha has since announced that she is pregnant. It is possible the pair could soon reunite in Canada as the Misha Nonoo label announced it is going on a 'styling tour' and Toronto is the first stop. Misha and Meghan also worked together on the Smart Works charity clothing collection, which was unveiled by the Duchess in collaboration with John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Jigsaw and Misha Nonoo in September last year. Pictured, the friends embrace at the launch The Sussexes have been staying in a multi-million dollar property on Vancouver Island since before Christmas. Prince Harry only returned to Canada this week after remaining in the UK to thrash out the terms of their departure. In their new roles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer represent the Queen but will be able to continue their private patronages and associations. It is possible the pair could soon reunite in Canada as the Misha Nonoo label announced last week it is going on a 'styling tour' and Toronto is the first stop. Pictured, in November 2015 Around one million problematic or abusive tweets targeting 95 women politicians in India were posted between March and May 2019 the period of the Lok Sabha election according to a study by Amnesty International India. This translates to around 113 such tweets per woman politician per day during in the said period. Around 13.8 percent of the tweets that mentioned these women politicians, or 1 in every 7 tweets, was either problematic or abusive, Amnesty International India has said. Of all such tweets classified as problematic or abusive, the study found one-fifth to be containing sexism or misogyny. The research, titled Troll Patrol India: Exposing Online Abuse Faced by Women Politicians in India, also suggests that women politicians who were more prominent on Twitter, were targeted more. The top 10 surveyed women politicians who received majority of mentions on Twitter (74.1 percent) also received most of such mentions (79.9 percent). Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. Those from marginalised communities received more abuse The human rights group has said that those from marginalised communities were disproportionately targeted. The report points out that Muslim women politicians received more ethnic or religious slurs than women from other religions. Women politicians perceived as Muslims received significantly more abuse as compared to those from other religions. They received 55.5 percent more problematic or abusive content. Of this, 26.4 percent content contained ethnic/religious slurs, nearly double the proportion for women who are or perceived as Hindus (13.7 percent). Similarly, women politicians from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backwards Classes (OBC) communities received 59 percent more caste-based abuse, as compared to women from general castes. Indian women politicians face more abuse on Twitter The report suggests that women politicians in India received significantly more online abuse than their counterparts in the United Kingdom and US. About 7.1 percent tweets mentioning politicians were 'problematic' or 'abusive' in UK or UK. Using a similar methodology used in US and UK, but for a shorter period during elections, found that women politicians in India experienced 13.8 percent such tweets. Those from other parties received more such content Women politicians across party lines experienced sexist abuse on Twitter during the said period, the degree varied depending on which party they belonged to. The survey claims to have found that women politicians associated with other parties experienced 56.7 percent more problematic or abusive content on Twitter than those from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Those associated with the Indian National Congress received 45.3 percent more such content than those from BJP. Amnesty International India said that report was compiled with the help of 1,912 decoders from 82 countries and 26 states in India. Around 1.1 lakh tweets mentioning 95 women politicians in India over the three-month period of the 2019 general elections were analysed. Responding to the Amnesty International India report, a Twitter spokesperson told Moneycontrol: Abuse, harassment and hateful conduct have no place on Twitter and we have taken strong steps to proactively address the health of the conversation on our service - including around peak moments such as Lok Sabha 2019. Today more than 50 percent of abusive content that we take action on is identified proactively using technology, instead of relying on reports from people using Twitter. Our work will never be done, and our product, policy and engineering teams continue to work at scale and pace to build a healthier Twitter. President Trump's Senate impeachment trial got another jolt of energy Wednesday evening when a protester was ejected after yelling out in the chamber then ranted about Sen. Charles Schumer and the devil in a Senate corridor. The man was booted from the chamber at about 6:20 evening, shortly before senators were going to take a dinner break while hearing the case for impeachment by House managers. After yelling what one source heard to be about Jesus Christ, the man was quickly removed by U.S. Capitol Police, who have been out in force for impeachment. A man was removed from the Senate chamber after yelling during the impeachment trial Wednesday. He could be heard yelling about Sen. Charles Schumer and the devil in a hallway right outside the chamber Then, the man ranted in a corridor just outside the Senate chamber on the third floor of the Capitol. DailyMail.com was able to hear him yelling about Nancy Pelosi, abortion, and Schumer. Sources identified him as yelling out that 'Schumer is the devil,' although at one point he also seemed to yell that 'Schumer is not the devil.' The man began yelling while Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York was speaking about one of Trump's phone calls with the president of Ukraine. The outburst took place while Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. was speaking A Senate aide identified the man as Rives Grogan, who has previously been arrested on Capitol grounds, as he was in December 2012 The man also mentioned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Chief Justice John Roberts slammed down his gavel and told the Sergeant at Arms to restore order in the gallery. A sketch artist captured the dramatic moment. Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader and has been the leading figure in seeking to marshall support for hearing from witnesses and getting documents during the trial, having battled without success Tuesday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A Senate aide identified the man as Rives Miller Grogan, who has been arrested at the Capitol during other high-profile events.' Grogan was arrested after climbing a tree and yelling during President Obama's second inauguration. According to a statement provided to DailyMail.com: 'This evening, the United States Capitol Police arrested one adult male when he unlawfully entered into the Senate Gallery. He was charged with D.C. Code 10-503.16, Unlawful Conduct. The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be forthcoming.' The incident 'scared the bejesus out of me' said Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana. An abortion protestor named Rives Miller Grogan sits in a tree at the 57th United States Presidential Inauguration on January 21, 2013 in Washington, United States The incident comes amid a Capitol wrapped in security under an arrangement announced by McConnell's office for impeachment. Among noteworthy changes are tight restrictions on use of the Senate's second floor and severe restrictions on press access. Authorities placed a magnetometer inside the Senate press gallery, although all members of the public are already screened when entering the Capitol. Reporters have been required to stand in pens to ask question of senators who may approach but not roam freely to seek out comment. Amid anticipated scrums, senators who represent millions of constituents were provided note cards by the Senate Sergeant at Arms to provide handy ways to ask people to get out of the way. 'Please move out of my way,' is one suggested phrase. 'You are preventing me from doing my job,' reads a more explanatory version. 'Please excuse me, I am trying to get to the Senate floor' is another suggested option for a lawmakers who wants to flaunt their influence. The card was obtained by Reuters. 'Please excuse me, I need to get to a hearing/meeting,' reads a less truthful version, since there are no scheduled hearings during impeachment. 'Please do not touch me' is another suggestion. The protest could be heard on broadcast of the trial and drew comment online Earlier this week, ISL student Charlotte Barberon received an incredible 'Top In World' award from Cambridge Assessment International Education. This stunning recognition is to acknowledge Barberon's outstanding performance in the June 2019 Cambridge examination series. "It is extremely rewarding to congratulate Charlotte and her teachers at the International School of Luxembourg who have worked so hard to achieve tremendous success in Cambridge IGCSE Additional Mathematics examinations," said ISL Director Nicki Crush. The Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards programme celebrates the success of learners taking Cambridge examinations in over 40 countries around the world. Crush said of the achievement; "The results are a reflection of the enormous talent at ISL not only amongst learners but also within the teaching profession." It was, according to the House of Commons clock, just after 2.30 in the afternoon when the nation was plunged into a constitutional crisis. It was a crisis so severe that up to three of the roughly 15 people present when the plunging happened even looked up from their phones to mark the occasion. What they saw was Ian Blackford, the SNPs leader at Westminster, on his feet and talking. Two of the three quickly looked back down again. The United Kingdoms constitution is uncodified, relying instead on convention and precedent to gently police its internal affairs. In his two and a half years leading the SNP at Westminster, Blackford has arguably established a convention all of his own. When Ian Blackford speaks, MPs, journalists, members of the public, catering staff and, on occasion, large items of antique furniture all understand it as the appropriate moment to evacuate the chamber. Rumours still swirl that during an especially dreadful Ian Blackford contribution to Prime Ministers Questions last year, a Liberal Democrat was tragically killed in the stampede. These are the ways that rituals become ritualised. It may very well be that, centuries from now, the Palace of Westminster formally employs a Blackford, as well as a Black Rod. Blackfords sacred role will be to stand up in the House of Commons and, while wearing his traditional dress of three-piece suit, do no more than utter the words, Mr Speaker, the people of Scotland have spoken! and everyone will know its time to go home for the day. That, on this occasion, no one physically left the room may intimate at the seriousness of the situation. Or maybe not. It happened at the moment at which the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill formally received its royal assent. Something quite momentous has taken place with this royal assent, Blackford said. This is absolutely unprecedented and I say to the house that this is a constitutional crisis. The house, as always, took very little notice. As chance would have it, the crisis happened seven years to the day since David Cameron remember him? gave his little speech at Bloombergs office in London, explaining how an In/Out referendum on EU membership would settle the question once and for all. Quite what the question was, back then, no one can possibly hope to recall. But here was the question, seven years on, threatening to break up the United Kingdom. Well, maybe it wasnt the question doing that. What was threatening to break up the United Kingdom was Ian Blackford. It is no disservice to Ian Blackford to say that that is, quite literally, all Ian Blackford wants to do. The problem is that the withdrawal agreement has now been given royal assent, despite the various devolved governments in Cardiff, in Belfast and in Edinburgh all declining to give their consent to it. That, under something called the Sewel Convention, is a problem. A constitutional crisis, no less, even though it plainly isnt. It can, quite easily, and just like Ian Blackford, be ignored. But for nationalist politicians, there are no problems that cannot be turned into opportunities. And Ian Blackford, being a politician after all, will never turn down any opportunity to bang the nationalist drum, even if the effect of the drum is almost always to empty the room in which it is banged. Still, you cant blame a man for trying (though you dont have to listen to him). The EU referendum result could hardly have been a greater gift to a nationalist cause that, in 2014, found itself suddenly wildly energised but also completely lost. The cause of Scottish nationalism is almost like a riddle. In recent years, the Scots have shown themselves to be, by some margin, the United Kingdoms superior people. Any country wise enough to see that both Brexit and independence are such obviously terrible ideas deserve the independence they do not want. (They dont deserve Brexit, of course. No one deserves that.) Its a mess, Brexit. And its deeply unfortunate that Scotland said no to it but are going to have to do it anyway. But its not a crisis. The only people who want a crisis are the SNP. The people of Scotland have spoken. Its just that Ian Blackford didnt hear them. We can only conclude he was speaking at the time, and so theyd all walked out of the room. The future of employee training involves no embarrassing role-playing in front of new colleagues or boring web modules which take an hour each to click through. For the next wave in workplace learning, get ready to strap on a pair of virtual reality goggles. In ten minutes, the lesson is indelibly locked in your brain. It is not exactly magic, it is not exactly science, but it is working well enough for companies as far-flung as Walmart, Fidelity Investments, and Accenture. This is what pilots have been doing for 50 years. You fly the plane without flying the plane, said Derek Belch, founder and chief executive of Strivr, a virtual reality-based immersive-training provider based in Menlo Park, California. We can give that to any employee of any type. At Walmart, the two-year-old program hinges on using the 360-degree video experience of virtual reality to let employees see situations from different perspectives. Now, VR headsets are in more than 4,500 stores, and some 800,000 associates have gone through training with them, said Andy Trainor, vice president of U.S. learning for Walmart. The setup is not very glamorous or high-tech at the Walmart Academy in an industrial corner of Northern New Jersey. Headsets can be found in a small, sparse conference room at the end of a warren of corridors in the store room. Once you put one on, though, you are in a zen-like middle world. A few turns on a spinning office chair, and you lose all sense of the room around you. To teach what are known as soft skills, which involve qualities like communication, teamwork and leadership, Walmarts empathy module begins from the perspective of the cashier. You see a busy checkout lane and customers lining up. But then the perspective shifts, and you are suddenly the customer. You move through the back stories of why those particular people are upset: A father who is with his young son is short of money to buy baby medicine. A man is late to see his daughters performance in a show because his car broke down, and he needs to buy jumper cables. A woman is flustered buying things her father needs because he just landed in the hospital. Cashiers can get very robotic and autonomous, Trainor said. Every single customer has a story, and theres a reason theyre in the mood they are in. The message the company is hoping to pass along: You can help make the customers day better instead of worse. BEHIND THE TECH A lot goes into crafting the scenarios to address the biggest pain points companies face. There are scripts and storyboards, and most work with third-party content creators, like Strivr, or Talespin, based in Culver City, California. Many companies are currently using Oculus hardware, from Facebook, which comes in a few different varieties, some of which are more hands-free than others. VR technology is advancing toward systems where you can measure biofeedback and voice responses, and also track hand and eye movements, said Isabel Tewes, who leads the virtual reality enterprise ecosystem for Facebook. Fidelity Investments, the Boston-based money management firm, uses many of these functions to get young call-center agents to understand their mostly older, retired clientele, said Adam Schouela, vice president of emerging technologies. The simulation is complex. After you hang up on a trial call, you switch perspective to become the customer and see the impact of the transaction. In one instance, a customer asks for a check, but you have to ask the right questions to figure out that an electronic transfer would help the person more. Farmers Insurance uses similar training for agents to practice difficult conversations with an avatar. Their pilot program should reach 500 representatives within the first quarter of 2020. Its tied to confidence building, said Jessica DeCanio, head of claims training for Farmers. We want agents to be as confident as possible when they go into a home. The more opportunities to accelerate, the better. Measuring soft skills is not easy, but most companies find that the return on investment in virtual reality comes in the time saved and in employees who perform better. You have the ability to do it wrong, Schouela said. Its one of those extra elements that technology gives you. It almost feels real. (Editing by Lauren Young and Bernadette Baum) Topics Training Development The Trump administration on Wednesday restored federal funding to a Texas family-planning program that excludes abortion providers. The Department of Health and Human Services approved Texass request for federal funds for the Healthy Texas Women program, which had been denied by the Obama administration due to the states refusal to include Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers in the program. The federal funds allotted to the program may be as much as $330 million, according to the Texas Tribune. The Lone Star State is once again in partnership with the federal government to provide meaningful family planning and health services while fostering a culture of life, said Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, in a statement on Wednesday. When Texas lawmakers exercised their right to fund womens health care without underwriting abortion businesses, they were punished by the Obama administration and smeared by abortion activists and their media allies, said Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. Restoring Texass decision regarding use of federal funds is an acknowledgment that the Lone Star State was right all along. Healthy Texas Women served around 173,000 people in 2018, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission reported. According to state officials cited by the Tribune, increased federal funding could expand the programs services to over 200,000 people . The HHS decision could also serve as a precedent for similar cases in other states. South Carolina and Tennessee, for example, have applied with the Trump administration to exclude abortion providers from their Medicaid programs. This backdoor defund could and will pave the way for other states to follow Texass dangerous lead, with grim consequences for repro health nationwide, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund wrote in a Twitter post reacting to the administrations decision. More from National Review Deanna Thompson in Dont F**k With Cats. Photo: Netflix This story contains descriptions of animal abuse and murder in Dont F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer. The Netflix docuseries Dont F**k With Cats sounds like its about the love-hate relationship cats have with humans. But no: Its about an animal abuser and convicted killer named Luka Rocco Magnotta. Starting in 2010, Magnotta posted three videos online of himself killing kittens, much to the intrigue and disgust of a few keyboard detectives. Dont F**k With Cats follows their hunt and includes clips of the infamous cat murders right in the first episode. Its violent and upsetting, but if youre at the center of a cat-loverscaredy cattrue-crime-fan Venn diagram, the clips shouldnt keep you away from watching something so specific to your interests. So lets gingerly walk through what youll see in Dont F**k With Cats or, if youd prefer, which scenes to outright skip. (The enemy of fear is information, right?) The docuseries primarily focuses on the 2012 murder of Jun Lin, a Chinese student living in Toronto, that Magnotta recorded and posted online. But before Magnotta killed and dismembered Lin, he recorded videos of himself killing kittens. Those videos reached a niche online community on Facebook, where users were immediately outraged. A few of them, including Deanna Thompson (who goes by Baudi Moovan online) and John Green (no, not that John Green), made it their mission to find the cat killer in the video. Dont F**k With Cats chronicles how their journey led to Magnottas arrest. Magnotta posted three videos of himself abusing and killing kittens: one in which he suffocates two kittens, one in which he drowns a cat in a bathtub, and a final one in which he feeds a kitten to a snake. All three are excerpted in the first episode of Dont F**k With Cats, but each clip has enough lead-up to give you time to cover your eyes, hide under a blanket, or do the fingers-in-the-ears, eyes-shut combo. While the series doesnt show any explicit animal abuse, the footage is still bone chilling. Toward the beginning of the first episode, from the 6:45 mark to the 7:50 mark, Thompson narrates Magnottas first video, titled 1 Boy, 2 Cats, which shows the moments before he puts two cats in a vacuum-sealed bag and suffocates them. Although the footage fades from the screen while Thompson describes the violence, you can hear the vacuum sucking the air out of the bag. Toward the end of that episode, from the 53:50 mark to the 54:20 mark, we see an excerpt of Magnottas second video, bathtime lol, which Thompson calls one of the worst videos she has ever seen. Magnotta holds the cat up to the camera and then the documentary switches to Thompson and Green, who explain what happens next: And then you see the cat being lowered into the water and the person holding the cat underwater until it drowns. The third clip comes right afterward, from the 54:44 mark to the 55:50 mark: While Magnotta plays with a kitten on a bed, a python slowly creeps out from under the pillows and attacks the cat. The snake video is heavily blurred, but its still a huge snake, so its not exactly left to the imagination. The rest of Dont F*ck With Cats is focused on the tactics internet sleuths like Thompson and Green used to try to prevent Magnotta from escalating his violence as well as the international manhunt that led to his conviction. The remaining two episodes are free of cat killings, but again, they do focus on the murder of an actual person, so dont expect an easy binge. ALBANY When Shelby Hafener first got involved with Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in 2016, she wasn't old enough to vote. The 12th grader from Suffolk County quickly learned of the economic structures that exacerbated the inequities she saw in her own community. "I grew up in one of the poorer districts on Long Island. Trying to get money to the school and knowing that other districts didn't have the same struggles, it really hit hard that this is important; this isn't a game," Hafener, now a senior at University at Albany, said. "I ended up spending every single day there." In December, she joined "Bernie Winter School," a webinar run by the national Sanders apparatus, and was inducted into an army of campus organizers across the country trained to register a new crop of voters, including Sanders supporters, ahead of New York's April 28 primary. Political science students at colleges throughout the Capital Region are getting a taste of presidential politics this year, joining up with 2020 campaigns as they pitch voters across the northeast. It's a passionate cohort of undergraduates knocking on doors, a generation tuned in to the long-term impacts of college debt, climate change and criminal justice reform. "It really is important to focus on college students, because they are the up-and-coming generation; they are going to be feeling the consequences of the upcoming election the longest," Hafener said. Eli Bliss, a senior political science major at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, spent his summer volunteering as a communications intern for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, where he spent much of his time tracking and pitching news stories and boosting messages on Twitter. As an Oregon native, Bliss hadn't encountered many political rallies growing up. Working in close proximity to the top 2020 contenders left him awestruck. "While I didn't work with any particular candidate, I got to see about 14 of them over the summer, at political events or just walking around downtown Concord," Bliss said. "It's probably hard not to see a candidate there just because it's such a small state and they are everywhere." New Hampshire follows Iowa as the second state to make its picks for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, with residents casting ballots on Feb. 6. Every four years, reporters and activists descend on the tiny state as it transforms into a hub of political activity. The state has even fewer delegates than Iowa, but because of the extra attention paid to New Hampshire primary, it can make or break the campaign of a leading contender. At Loudonville's Siena College, political science professor Jack Collens returned Monday with class of 20 students who spent last week in New Hampshire to volunteer on political campaigns, attend events and gain first-hand experience with the electoral process. The students come from a spectrum of political views and most were assigned to the campaigns of their choice. Two students backed President Donald J. Trump and handful expressed die-hard support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but most leaned toward the more centrist candidates, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden, and Republican former governor of Massachusetts William Weld. "I chose Bill Weld, because I'm a Republican and I want to see how this process plays out," said Nick Discala, a freshman. "The president doesn't just get to be the nominee." Students were thrilled to bump elbows with some of the candidates, including Michael Bennet, the former Democratic senator from Colorado, who stayed at in their hotel. Andrew Yang, the tech entrepreneur with Schenectady roots, drew the most fanatical crowds at rallies and gave out the softest campaign T-shirts. Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard treated the students with personal attention and edible treats. They also attended a rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is from neighboring Vermont and is expected to have strong support in New Hampshire. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. One student's choice to wear a red MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat and T-shirt, made famous by Donald Trump supporters, sparked heated conversations with locals and turned the group into something of a magnet for media coverage, Collens said. "He was very respectful. He was very kind to everybody... He talked to a lot of people who really expressed strong disagreement, but everywhere we went they all flocked to the MAGA hat guy," Collens said. "He ended up trending on the BBC, so that was really cool." Students described some of the less glamorous elements of the campaign trail, such as getting hung up on while phone-banking. Several students had signed up to work on Sen. Corey Booker's campaign, but he dropped out the day they landed in New Hampshire, so they moved to the Klobuchar campaign. Klobuchar's team was "so warm to us, they still wanted us to be there even though she wasn't our first choice," said freshman Emily Willet. "Having to talk about her to people we were calling made me appreciate her more. It was a great way to get to know her on a different level." Kylie Gilbride, a senior, initially volunteered with the Pete Buttigieg campaign but found that the New Hampshire office wasn't particularly organized. "I wouldn't call it a negative experience, because I got a real taste of what goes on. I ended up campaign hopping," she said. "I got a really interesting perspective on the different ways people are organized." Gilbride and her classmates said they were impressed at a campaign stop for the South Bend, Ind. mayor, where he handled a group of singing protesters who accused Buttigieg of accepting money from the fossil fuel industry. He told the youth group, "I cant make out your song, but we definitely want the same things. The students came away with a deeper understanding of the campaign process and some of the political dynamics at play, Collens said. "The students were open-minded; they all talked to each other even when their candidates might be feuding," Collens said. "All around, we think it was a good model for how we would like the rest of the country to be." The royals have been doing their best to display a united front following Prince Harry and Meghan Markles stunning exit as senior members of the royal family. Kate Middleton is also doing her part to get the monarchy back on track. But during a recent event with Prince William and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Kate reportedly let her guard down, offering a look at how she is really dealing with the drama. Kate Middleton | Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate Middleton and Prince William host royal event This week, Kate joined her husband and Sophie for a reception inside Buckingham Palace. Sophies husband, Prince Edward, was also on hand to help greet visitors. The event is Kate and Williams first solo engagement at Buckingham Palace since tying the knot in 2011. Queen Elizabeth was not on hand and is currently enjoying a break at her Sandringham estate. The reception was held on behalf of the UK-Africa Investment Summit, a group Kate Middleton and Prince William have worked with in the past. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge put on a good show in front of the cameras and maintained a regal look throughout most of the event. But while mingling with Sophie, body language experts believe that Kate let her guard down and showed how she is really dealing with Megxit. Inside the Duchess of Cambridges body language According to Express, Alison Ward, an expert on reading body energy, has examined photos from the recent event and believes Kate showed signs of stress. The strain of recent events is evident to see in some of last nights pictures from the state reception, Ward shared. Kate warmly greets officials and is clearly still very much in love with William but when she meets Sophie, Duchess of Wessex thats when the strain shows. Ward added that Kate Middletons body language was particularly noticeable during her chats with Sophie. Not only were Kates eyes giving off a more serious tone, but she was also crossing her arms in a defensive manner. The expert also believes that Kate did a good job putting on a welcoming face for her guests. But she clearly had other things on her mind. It is also interesting that Edward and Sophie were on hand to help William and Kate during the reception. Now that Harry and Meghan are out of the royal spotlight, it is clear that other members of the family are stepping up to pick up the slack. Kate Middleton and Prince William feel more pressure Speaking of picking up the slack, William and Kate will undoubtedly have more on their plates now that Harry and Meghan have stepped down. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have always shouldered more responsibility than most members of their family, but they are now feeling even more pressure. The spotlight has always been on William and Kate as it is a royal goldfish bowl, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams stated. However, since Harry started dating Meghan they have been the major media draw as the dynamic duo who were expected to modernize the monarchy. Fitzwilliams added that the future of the monarchy now rests with Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Harry and Meghan announced their shocking departure on social media a few weeks ago. The couple stated that they plan on becoming financially independent and are splitting their time between the U.K. and Canada. As a result of their decision, Harry and Meghan gave up their royal titles, though he will still be sixth in line to the throne. The pair will also retain their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, though they do plan on paying back the crown for renovating Frogmore Cottage. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gain followers on Instagram Kate Middleton has not commented on the recent reception at Buckingham Palace. Although Harry and Meghan are no longer in the royal spotlight, they are still among the most popular members of the royal family. In fact, experts believe that Harry and Meghan will soon surpass Prince William and Kate Middleton in Instagram followers. The couples are currently tied with around 11 million followers each. Harry and Meghan launched their own account in April of last year, while William and Kate have been active on their page for years. If they keep up their current pace, it will probably be only a matter of weeks before Harry and Meghan have more followers. In the meantime, the Sussexes are looking to break free from public funding. The two are currently enjoying time on Vancouver Island and are reportedly looking to purchase a home in the area. Kate Middleton has not publicly commented on Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit from the royal family. News Denver, Colorado - The Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Colorado Tuesday announced a settlement with Denver-based K.P. Kauffman Company Inc. (KPK) resolving alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act and Colorado air quality regulations. The settlement, set forth in a consent decree lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, requires KPK to implement pollution control measures at 67 well production facilities for a total estimated expenditure of $2.5 million. The company will also pay a $1 million civil penalty. Todays settlement resolves allegations made in an Oct. 5, 2018, complaint that KPK violated requirements to minimize volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from its oil and natural gas production operations in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. VOCs are a key component in the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that irritates the lungs, exacerbates diseases such as asthma, and can increase susceptibility to respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. The well production facilities covered by this settlement are in an area that does not meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards established under the Clean Air Act for ground-level ozone: the Denver Metro/Northern Front Range ozone nonattainment area. Todays action will contribute to the improvement of air quality in communities across the Front Range by reducing the emissions of VOCs that lead to the formation of ground-level ozone. Oil and gas production fuels our economy, but it must be done responsibly, said Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. We will continue to take action where operators fail to comply with our nations clean air laws. This is the fourth joint settlement EPA has completed with the State of Colorado to secure compliance and reduce emissions from storage tanks at oil and gas operations, said EPA Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin. The EPA continues to enforce the Clean Air Act, and our partnership with the State continues to deliver cleaner, healthier air for Colorados communities. This settlement covers 67 KPK oil and gas production facilities in Colorados Denver-Julesburg Basin. As part of the agreement, KPK will implement measures to improve operation and maintenance practices and ensure the vapor control systems on its storage tanks are adequately designed and sized. These improvements, including monthly or quarterly inspections using infrared cameras and the installation of pressure monitors to detect and respond to excess emissions, are expected to reduce VOC emissions from KPKs operations by approximately 424 tons per year. KPK will also implement three environmental mitigation projects to further reduce VOC emissions. First, KPK will install rod lifts at 12 oil and gas wells to reduce or eliminate the need to unload the well a procedure used to increase well production during which emissions are vented to the atmosphere. Second, KPK will use a Boreal Laser to scan for methane emissions at all well production facilities covered by the consent decree, and if necessary, will follow up with corrective actions to address the emissions. Third, KPK will implement operation and maintenance requirements, including increased inspections, at four production facilities not covered by air pollution regulations due to their small size. KPK estimates that these mitigation projects will reduce VOC emissions by an additional 131 tons per year. The settlement also requires KPK to pay the United States and the state of Colorado a $1 million civil penalty, split evenly between the governments. Todays action is based on inspections of KPK operations conducted from 2013 to 2018 by EPA and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which found VOC emissions from many of KPKs storage tanks. Through these inspections and information requests, EPA and the state of Colorado identified alleged violations of Colorados Regulation Number 7, including undersized vapor control systems and inadequate operation and maintenance practices. These alleged violations include federally enforceable requirements of Colorados State Implementation Plan to improve air quality in the Denver Metro/Northern Front Range non-attainment area. This settlement represents the latest in a series of EPA and state actions to secure compliance and reduce emissions from oil and gas sources in the nonattainment area, including recent settlements with Noble Energy Inc. (2015), PDC Energy Inc. (2017), and HighPoint Operating Co. (2019). With todays action, a total of 3,141 well production facilities in the area are now subject to compliance requirements mandated by joint federal/state consent decrees. In addition, when combined with state-issued compliance orders, 93 percent of production facilities with condensate storage tanks in the Denver ozone nonattainment area are currently subject to enhanced design or maintenance requirements, or both. The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing at: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. Opposition leader and reelected president of the National Assembly Juan Guaido speaks to the press before attempting the entrance to the first session of the National Assembly after the controversial incidents during vote for new authorities of January 5th at the on January 7, 2020 in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela's internationally-recognized government concedes the last 12 months have been "very tough." One year ago, Juan Guaido took to the streets of Caracas to declare himself as the crisis-stricken country's rightful commander-in-chief. The historic move marked the boldest challenge to Maduro's leadership in years. Cheered on by hundreds of thousands of supporters on Jan 23., 2019, Guaido said he would bring an end to the socialist administration's "dictatorship" and vowed to hold "free and fair" elections. The leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly was swiftly recognized as Venezuela's legitimate interim leader by more than 50 countries. Maduro's government with the broad support of the military has refused to cede power. That's despite an economic meltdown, an intensifying humanitarian crisis, the near-collapse of the country's oil sector, targeted economic sanctions, mass civilian protests and an attempted military uprising. Even peace talks have ended in failure. It means the country remains locked in a political stalemate, whereby it has an internationally-recognized government, with no control over state functions, running parallel to Maduro's regime. "Guaido has had a very tough year of it and taken a lot of hits," Vanessa Neumann, the chief diplomat in London for Venezuela's opposition leader, told CNBC in an exclusive interview. "I think there was a lot of naivety on a lot of sides. Mistakes were made in terms of underestimating the tenacity of the regime." ECB's Lagarde warns of 'danger of doing nothing' on climate Frankfurt am Main, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 ECB chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday said the bank would study what role it could play in combatting climate change as part of a major policy review, warning of "the danger of doing nothing". Unlike her predecessor Mario Draghi, Lagarde has placed a strong emphasis on climate protection since taking the helm of the European Central Bank in November. The question of what the bank can do to play its part in the fight will be a key plank of the ECB's newly launched "strategic review", the first rethink of its tools and goals since 2003. "Climate change is actually a threat to financial stability," Lagarde told reporters in Frankfurt after chairing her second rate-setting meeting. She said she was aware of critical voices who worried that climate protection would be "a distraction" from the ECB's mandate to ensure price stability, or who believed that climate policies should be left out of central banking altogether. But the former IMF chief said the ECB had to "at least try to explore every area where we can actually participate". "I think that failing to try is already failing." Lagarde gave hints of what areas she was looking at, saying the ECB could consider increasing the share of "green investment" held in its portfolio. ECB staffers could also be tasked with making sure that "climate risk is embedded in the work that they do, risk assessment, models, forecasts", she added. Lagarde said she saw a similar determination to take climate action in the European Commission, among "many of the euro area leaders" and increasingly in the private sector. In a sign of the opposition she may face, the head of Germany's powerful central bank Jens Weidmann recently said he objected to "calls for a green monetary policy". Preferentially targeting "green" bonds for asset purchases by the ECB would violate the principal of "market neutrality", he argued. Mike Bloomberg is lagging behind his Democratic competitors in the polls, and he will not appear on the next presidential debate stage or on the ballot in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina. But the former New York mayor has attracted the obsessive attention of President Donald Trump, who is annoyed by Bloomberg's constant ads targeting him, concerned about the billionaire's outsize spending, focused on his growing numbers in the polls and seemingly fixated on his TV appearances. The president has repeatedly attacked Bloomberg on Twitter, calling him "Mini Mike" to insult his small stature, and frequently focused on him in conversations with campaign advisers and White House officials. "It's very clear that the ads we are running have gotten under his skin because they are effective," said Howard Wolfson, a senior Bloomberg aide. "Mike's poll numbers are improving, the president is screaming. Mike is a data-driven guy. When he sees data is working, he doubles down." Wolfson said to expect more blistering ads against the president in coming months. So far, Bloomberg's spots have targeted Trump over impeachment, his position on vaping, his health-care-policy decisions and his relationship with the military. Many have prompted rapid responses from Trump, sometimes minutes after they air. Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey debuted a new ad on "Fox & Friends" on Thursday that cited a new book by two Washington Post reporters, who chronicle how Trump lashed out at U.S. military leaders, characterizing them as "dopes and babies." Trump responded shortly after the spot aired. "Mini Mike Bloomberg is playing poker with his foolhardy and unsuspecting Democrat rivals," Trump tweeted. "The fact is, when Mini losses [sic], he will be spending very little of his money on these 'clowns' because he will consider himself to be the biggest clown of them all - and he will be right!" Trump's advisers have repeatedly encouraged the president to focus on other opponents instead. Campaign manager Brad Parscale and senior adviser Jared Kushner have warned against giving Bloomberg more attention and do not see him as the threat that Trump does, aides have said. There is no plan for the campaign to target him with advertisements at this point, advisers said. Trump has repeatedly brought up Bloomberg - calling him "evil," in the words of one close adviser - and said that he wants to destroy Trump with unrelenting money, even if the president does not believe Bloomberg can win, according to aides. He has called Bloomberg's ads "lies" that are unfair depictions of his record in the White House. Several advisers have said the president also references Bloomberg's 2016 Democratic convention speech as a sore point and repeatedly asks advisers about his polling numbers, which have hovered below 10 percent in public surveys. Other advisers have sought to elevate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hoping that a leftist candidate could give Trump a good foil in the general election. Parscale said this week that he would only worry about Bloomberg if he surpassed former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in the Democratic race. "It's a free country, and he can set his money on fire if he wants to. He's still in a statistical tie with the back of the pack in the Democrat field," said Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign spokesman. Trolling the president is different from convincing skeptical primary voters and defending his own record on issues such as stop-and-frisk policing in New York City. Bloomberg endorsed George W. Bush, for instance, and welcomed the Republican National Convention in New York in 2004. But his path to the nomination could become clearer if former vice president Joe Biden stumbles in Iowa and New Hampshire, creating an opening for Bloomberg to use his significant advertising budget to argue that he is the most electable alternative. In the meantime, the campaign has been using attacks on Trump as a rallying cry, both to recruit staff to his campaign and to convince Democratic primary voters that his campaign is more than the vanity project of another billionaire candidate. Sheekey said the campaign will either be the "best primary campaign in American history" or the greatest independent spending campaign against an incumbent president that has ever been created. As it stands, the Bloomberg advertising campaign is squarely focused on states that could help get Bloomberg the nomination, with only about 1 in 4 dollars going to the six swing states that his advisers expect to be competitive in the general election, according to Facebook ad spending data and a source familiar with the television buys, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because that person was not authorized to share the information publicly. But that swing-state spending has still been considerable. Through Jan. 11, Bloomberg has spent $198 million on television advertising, including more than $47 million for spots in the projected swing states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. On Facebook, he has blasted another $3.6 million to voters in those states. Before the year is over, he has promised to spend $100 million on a digital effort to defeat Trump in swing states, and he has committed millions more to an effort to register 500,000 new voters in those states. He is also building a data operation that he intends to use to elect a Democratic president whether or not he is the nominee, his advisers say. In an interview, Wolfson said he wanted to draw a contrast with Democrats, who are attacking one another in New Hampshire and Iowa. Bloomberg has not competed in those states, knowing he would be unlikely to fare well, and is focused on Super Tuesday on March 3. "We've chosen a different path. They are in Iowa and New Hampshire attacking one another. We're making the case against Donald Trump," Wolfson said. "Voters among all else are looking for a candidate that is best qualified to take on Donald Trump in a general election." Many of the ads Bloomberg has run include some mention of Trump, with many of the spots focusing on the president's perceived weaknesses among swing voters. "Health care is a huge vulnerability for him," Wolfson said of Trump. "It's the issue that won the Democrats the midterms. It is difficult for him to defend his own record on health care." Bloomberg's aides also plan on using the ground campaign that Bloomberg is building against Trump, whether or not he wins the nomination. Those hired in potential general-election swing states - 60 in Arizona and more than 80 in North Carolina, for example - have been told they will have a job through the summer conventions or the November elections to organize against Trump. Bloomberg seems to have approached the endeavor as a no-risk proposition, given that he has decided that defeating someone he calls an "existential threat to our country" is one of his top priorities. "My Plan B is a hell of a lot better than anybody else's Plan A," he has told advisers, according to one aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Either Bloomberg wins the nomination and the presidency or he remains the 12th-richest person in the world with a chance of taking credit for defeating Trump. On the stump, Bloomberg seems to delight in needling Trump, calling him a "real estate promoter" and not a businessman. He will recount the phone call from Trump after the 2016 election, when the president-elect offered his cellphone number. Bloomberg says he didn't bother to write it down. Bloomberg also repeats an anecdote about Trump not knowing how to use a New York City subway card when they rode together many years ago. Trump has said this description is untrue, saying the gates were opened for them because they were traveling with a large entourage. "I never had a MetroCard when I rode the subway with him," Trump told The Washington Post last year. LONDON, U.K.Covering the breadth and depth of 5,000 years of an ancient culture in two hours is no easy feat, but through a universal language, Shen Yun Performing Arts does just that. In the audience for the Shen Yun performance at the Eventim Apollo in London on Jan. 22, were Michael McKeown, the owner of a distillery, with his wife Carmel. Mr. McKeown felt it was an event of a lifetime, and full of surprises. Far from being just ancient history, he said it was a performance that included many moments of humor, and used technology that hed never seen before in a backdrop: It bridged the artists on stage with the heavenly scenes on the screen. Its just what I needed today, Mrs. McKeown added. So pure, so just so heavenly. Its so beautiful and so delicate, and the movements are so, its just wonderful. Im floating already, Mrs. McKeown said. At the back of the theater sat the Kemps with a friend, and the group said that even from the far end of the auditorium, they didnt lose any of the energy the artists conveyed. It reached us tremendously, said Robert Kemp, who owns a marina on the South Coast. He attended with his wife Barbara, and their friend Louise Clarkson. The color and the sound was absolutely amazing. Really, a great visual spectacle. Superb to see and I recommend anyone to see it, he said. I think culturally its very much an eye-opener for people who dont know anything about the Chinese culture. I think its very historic, and it kind of gives you a grounding in the different cultures that are still, I think, maybe not so well known in the West, Clarkson said. With reporting by NTD Television. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. For every reaction, the laws of physics say, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And so it is with feminism; the further women get in their pursuit of equality, the more we yearn to return to the past. Or some of us do, at any rate, which brings us to the #tradwife hashtag sweeping Twitter this week. The clue is in the name: tradwives stay at home all day rather than go out to work, they keep their house beautifully, they are always sure to have a nice dinner on the table at 6pm. They favour demure outfits, they always, always, always put their husbands first, and their children are their pride and joy. They are the antidotes to the more modern tribes of slummy mummies or career women who are hell-bent on smashing the glass ceiling. In short, they have rewound the clock back to the 1950s, when a woman's place was firmly in the home. And if all of this sounds familiar, that's because it is; we've been here before - several times, in fact. In the past few years alone, we've had Mrs Hinch and her cleaning craze and Marie Kondo and all her tidying. We've had the Surrendered Wife, we've had the Domestic Goddess. We've had the Make Do And Mend craze. We've had knitting revivals, vintage tea parties and Bake Off. We've had twinsets and pearls and floral tea-dresses; all of which, to a greater or lesser degree, have been an attempt to return women to a past where mastering the domestic promised fulfilment. Why? Why is it that every few years, a new trend emerges that seeks to turn the clock back by decades? What was so great about the 1950s that draws so many women back in? After all, it was a post-war era of deprivation, hardship and limited opportunity, particularly in Ireland, where the marriage bar remained in force. It is hard to imagine, at a time when the option of financial independence is taken for granted, how frustrating it must have been to never have the chance to earn your own money. It is easier, though, to find fault with the lifestyle many modern women find themselves lumbered with. The frantically rushed state of modern motherhood, where women effectively do two full-time jobs - one at home, one in the office - leaves many of us feeling like we've been properly hoodwinked by feminism. This sentiment is echoed by British YouTuber Alena Kate Pettitt, who runs the Darling Academy, an online training course for would-be tradwives. This week, she told the BBC that she chose her lifestyle because, growing up in the nineties, she felt that the modern world didn't share her values. "I just felt like I was born to be a mother and a wife," she says. She is very keen, too, on putting her husband first and ensuring that he always knows that he is her priority, which must be nice for him, given that most husbands must rank somewhere between doing the laundry and going to Tesco on their wives' list of priorities. While I've no desire to suddenly give it all up to become a #tradwife, I can partly see where Alena is coming from. By the middle of most working weeks, I'm usually found complaining that I wish it were the 1950s, and Valium was a more acceptable lifestyle choice. And having been raised to equate housewife with drudgery and work with freedom, it's been quite a shock to find, like Alena, that actually all that childrearing, housekeeping and cooking can be quite enjoyable. I'm hardly the only one to have arrived at this realisation: the growing popularity of knitting circles and baking shows, not to mention the aforementioned Mrs Hinch cleaning craze, suggests that there are plenty more modern women who relish a bit of good old-fashioned domestic drudgery. Is it all as innocent as it looks, though? This latest incarnation of housewife nostalgia comes mixed with the added frisson of neo-fascism: the roots of this particular tradwife trend have been linked to the white supremacist movement in the US and to alt-right extremism. But most self-declared tradwives thoroughly reject that link and argue that it is not a political statement; simply a lifestyle choice and a reaction to feminist ideology that has pushed the role of homemakers firmly down the pecking order. I suspect for the thousands watching and enjoying these vlogs, the appeal of the tradwife is aspirational. It represents a life that seems just out of reach for most of us. Exhausted women, fed up of being told they can have it all, and knowing full well that they just can't, are looking for ways out. And star players like Alena and the American vlogger Dixie Andelin Forsyth have stepped in to fill the vacuum. In fact, it's quite the neat trick. The thing about working in the home is that usually you are unpaid and unseen. Turning this unpaid unseen-ness into a nice little earner, followed by thousands online, is as modern a trick as any. In that regard, the tradwives might actually be the most modern iteration of housewife nostalgia yet. A young man was killed by lightning at Young. THE VICTIMS. Drowned at Stanwell Park: VINCENT DAVIS, 40; of Leichhardt.Mrs. ROSA DAVIS, 35. VINCENT DAVIS, 12. LESTER DAVIS, 9. CLIFFORD DAVIS, 2. JOHN PHILLIS, 12. ALLEN PHILLIS, 8, of Annandale. Killed at Bulgoa Beach:ROY BURNS, 15. Missing at Scarborough:GEOFFREY WALTON, 21, of Thirroul. Rescued at Stanwell Park:LAUREL DAVIS. 16. Mrs. MARY MICHELL. STANWELL PARK TRAGEDY. RUSH OF BANKED UP WATERS. The Davis family was encamped on the reserve near the bank of the Stanwell Park Creek. They had chosen a grassy slope between the creek and the roadway. Just north of their encampment the creek rises abruptly into the hills, passing under the roadway by means of a tunnel. When the floodwaters, pouring at a great speed down from the hills, met the narrow tunnel they banked up, and, shooting through the tunnel as through a pressure hose, broke the bank of the creek and described a complete semi-circle around the Davis camp, before rejoining the main stream. The new stream thus formed soon cut a channel ten feet deep and about 20 feet wide. The unfortunate family were thus, with-out knowing it, completely cut off from the road. Two Phillis boys had a tent beyond the island thus formed, and would have been safe. They, however, had gone to the Davis tent when the storm commenced, being alarmed by the lightning. Their elder brother, Bruce, finding the tent too small,had gone to higher ground to bivouac. He had thought thereby to make them more comfortable. Awakened by the water entering the tent, and finding its depth rapidly increasing, Mr.Davis acted promptly. He fastened his elder sons and the two Phillis boys together with a length of clothesline, the other end of which he tied about his daughter's wrist. Mrs. Davis also took a grip on the rope. Laurel, the daughter, took the baby in her free arm. Mr. Davis then ordered Laurel, the only member of the party able to swim, to lead the way, whilst he followed, shep-herding the children. He ordered Laurel to make for the roadway. Unfortunately Mr. Davis was quite unaware that his camp was now a tiny island in a swirling sea of angry waters. Even Laurel, the only ultimate survivor, has no clear idea of what happened. The party had not gone very far from the tent when the girl, gallantly leading the way, plunged into the newly formed channel. In the twinkling of an eye the whole party was swept down-stream, towards the sea. The rope broke, Laurel lost the baby, and the party was torn apart. Laurel never saw any of her family again. When she came to herself she was caught by the wrist against a fallen tree, and her mother was held down beneath her. The remainder of the party had been carried half a mile to the beach, over which they were swept into the raging surf. MR. GORDON TONKIN, of Stanwell Park, who rescued Miss Laurel Davis, the only survivor of the Davis family, five members of which were drowned in yesterday's flood. January 24, 1933 Credit:Staff RESCUE OF A GIRL Mr. Gordon Davidson, who was asleep in the kiosk on the camping ground, awoke, became alarmed at the rapid rise of the water, and waded to the home of Mr. David Hopkins, nearby. He was joined by Michael O'Grady and Charles Richards, who had heard screams. The three, with Gordon Tonkin, slithered down to the camping ground and Davidson waded to the kiosk, where he obtained a length of rope. The rescue party could hear low moaning and calls for help. They waded up-stream to about 100 yards below the site of the Davis tent, and in a sudden flash of lightning were able to pick out a girl's form. The girlwho proved to be Laurel Daviswas securely caught. The rope with which her father had tied her wrist had become wedged in the fork of a tree. The water surged about her, periodically submerging her; but each time the plucky girl rose to the surface, she called loudly for help, adding "cut the rope." Tonkin tied one end of the rope which had been obtained from the kiosk about him, and with his companions gripping the other end, he plunged in to the girl's aid. Four times he was swept down stream by the rushing torrent. The fifth time he was successful; and, grasping the girl with one hand, he severed her bonds with the other and both were pulled to safety. The girl was in a terrible state from the immersion and her previous ordeal, and was weak and numb with the cold. She was taken hastily to the Hopkins' home, bathed and given dry clothes, and sat by the fire. BODIES FOUND In the morning Mr. Davidson revisited the camping ground. The former grassy slope was covered by large boulders and trunks of trees. Not far from where the girl had been rescued the mother's body was found. There was a fragment of rope tied about her ankle. During the afternoon, about 2 o'clock, while turning over the flotsam on Little Beach, near Coalcliff, Stanton James Rae, a schoolboy, found the body of Clifford Davis. The body had been washed up on the sand and the head was battered by the rocks. Other searchers found the father's body near Scarborough. Many campers had occupied sites near the creek, and some took warning at the torrential rain which fell all Saturday and Sunday, and moved to higher ground. The Davis's camp was one which remained in position with such tragic results. Yesterday the usually gay camping area was a scene of desolation. Wrecked tents and camping furniture were scattered about in confusion, and a motor car, storm-battered and standing in silt, was among them. Loading The car belonged to Mr. K. Burgis, of Prince's Highway, Kogarah. He had attempted to save the car, but the water rose above the driver's seat, and he managed to assist his three children to a place of safety. Almost immediately the car was caught up in the floodwaters and carried a quarter of a mile away and wrecked. The steel body was battered and crumpled up yesterday morning. West Bengal BJP vice-president Chandra Bose, who is the grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, on Thursday said he is unable to pursue the brand of politics the freedom fighter had preached and might rethink over continuing in the party if his concerns over "inclusiveness and secularism" are not addressed. He lauded the Citizenship (Amendment) Act but maintained that there is need for some modifications in order to grant citizenship to any persecuted person irrespective of his or her religion. "I had wanted to spread the principles of secularism and inclusiveness by using its platform of the BJP. When I joined the BJP in Januray 2016, I had told this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (then) BJP president Amit Shah. They had too had agreed to this. "But now I am feeling that I can't follow the principles of Netaji. And if this goes on, I might have to rethink over continuing in the party. But I won't take any decision without talking to Narendra Modiji," he said. Bose said Modi and Shah have categorically noted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is not based on religion but statements made by some other leaders are creating confusion. "I support the CAA but there is a need for certain minor modifications. In order to stop the protests, the Centre should clearly state that any persecuted person irrespective of his religion will be given citizenship and Muslims should be included in the list," he said. The CAA aims to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who entered India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, having fled religious persecution in their countries. Bose had pitched for the inclusion of Muslims in the CAA earlier also. "If the CAA is not related to any religion, why are we stating Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains only! Why not include Muslims as well? Let's be transparent," he had tweeted last month. On the recent incident of a photo of a statue of Netaji holding a BJP flag going viral, Bose condemned it and said Netaji is above party politics. "Nobody can own Netaji but putting a party flag on his statue! I condemn it. I think state president Dilip Ghosh should immediately look into the matter," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Worldwide Business with kathy ireland and Scarselli Diamonds Worldwide Business with kathy ireland is pleased to announce an exclusive interview with Scarselli Diamonds Partner Bruno Scarselli to discuss their exceptional, colorful diamond jewelry. Worldwide Business with kathy ireland is pleased to announce an exclusive interview with Scarselli Diamonds Partner Bruno Scarselli to discuss their exceptional, colorful diamond jewelry. In twentieth century Italy, the Scarselli family hand selected diamonds for their extraordinary rings, necklaces and accessories. Their reputation as diamond experts grew and, since 1955, Scarselli flourished in Italy and throughout Europe. In 1978, Scarselli was introduced to America. For the last half century, the second and third generation of Scarsellis have been producing and selling some of the world's highest-quality yellow, blue and pink diamonds available on the market. Known worldwide for three generations as masters in the art of colored diamonds, Scarselli Diamonds possesses an extensive inventory of special and unique stones in all colors, shapes and sizes, as well as their much-sought-after signature jewelry pieces. Bruno Scarselli says that diamonds from Scarselli Diamonds stand out from other pieces of jewelry. He explains, "We have a very large array of sizes and colors, mainly canary diamonds. They're mostly known to be between the sizes of ten karat to fifty karat. They have the best quality, clarity and shape of diamonds. We also have quite an extraordinary display of blue, pink and green diamonds. Our customer today is the big brand. We are a fully integrated company. We purchase rough. We manufacture the diamonds, and then we curate our own jewelry. The jewelry is then often consigned to the big, most important international brands." For more information about Scarselli Diamonds, visit Scarselli.com and tune in to Fox Business Network as sponsored content on Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 5:30pm EST and internationally on Bloomberg Television on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 7:30pm GMT and Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 10:30am D.F. and 3:00pm HKT. About Worldwide Business with kathy ireland Worldwide Business with kathy ireland is a weekly half-hour show featuring global executives sharing their business insights and framing the opportunities shaping their industries. Hosted by a business mogul, Kathy Ireland interviews some of the brightest minds in business today. The show broadcasts on Fox Business Network as part of their sponsored content line up and globally on Bloomberg Television. Worldwide Business with kathy ireland extends beyond the weekly on-air program with digital content delivered on various video platforms and across social media. Visit http://www.wwbki.com for detailed airing schedules or check local listings. Studio 10 host Narelda Jacobs made an emotional plea last Friday to change the date of Australia Day after years of 'turning her back' on the issue. And the 43-year-old has since revealed that she felt unable to speak about the debate for years due to her obligations as a journalist. While working as a Channel 10 newsreader in Perth for the past decade, she wasn't supposed to 'speak politically' which meant 'her hands were tied'. Objectivity: Indigenous Studio 10 host Narelda Jacobs has revealed she felt unable to express her opinion on the Australia Day debate while working as a newsreader But she told HuffPost Australia that the death of her father, Cedric Jacobs, an Indigenous man and member of the Stolen Generations, had inspired her speak up. 'One of my biggest regrets was not going to a Survival Day concert with my dad,' she said. Mr Jacobs, who died of cancer 18 months ago, was removed from his family and sent to a mission when he was just nine years old. Times have changed: While working as a Channel 10 newsreader in Perth for the past decade, she wasn't supposed to 'speak politically' which meant 'her hands were tied'. Pictured with Claire Grantham (left) and Jess Keily (right) on 10 News First's Australia Day broadcast in 2016 Being of Irish descent on her mother's side, Narelda chose to celebrate January 26 in the past because she felt it symbolised half of her ancestry. But she has since realised this was a 'misguided' outlook, and now feels like a 'burden has lifted' since she turned her back on Australia Day. 'It was like a burden had lifted when I realised, "Why have I got this misguided belief that I need to turn my back on Invasion Day marches and rallies and even Survival day concerts and rallies?" It was a misguided belief that I had to embrace January 26 because it was half of who I am,' she said. Family: Narelda said that the death of her father, Cedric Jacobs (right), an Indigenous man and member of the Stolen Generations, had inspired her speak up about Australia Day Narelda jumped at the chance to join the Studio 10 panel because she would be able to 'have an opinion on things'. Last week, she shared her views on Australia Day publicly for the first time. She suggested that Australia Day be moved to the third Monday in January, rather than a fixed date, out of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Call for change: Narelda made an emotional plea on Studio 10 last Friday to change the date of Australia Day after years of 'turning her back' on the issue Narelda said that celebrating Australia Day on the anniversary of when the First Fleet arrived doesn't symbolise the best of Australia. She pointed out that it was a 'dark time for everyone', as white convicts who had been convicted of 'petty crimes' in England were effectively made 'slave labourers'. 'Aboriginal people were treated as less than animals,' she said. 'I really think that Australia Day is not a time to celebrate incarceration, not a time to celebrate invasion. It's to celebrate Australia as an inclusive nation and that's why we need to change the date.' Less than three weeks after US strikes killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and Iran retaliated with strikes on US forces in Iraq, the war fever in the Persian Gulf seems to have passed. Or there is some powerful acetaminophen in the air. At least that was my impression following visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this month. Over the weekend of Jan. 11 in Abu Dhabi, the UAE Minister of State Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber addressed an audience of energy analysts and media as part of Abu Dhabi sustainability week. His message was similar in tone to that of President Donald Trump, who had recently tweeted All is well. Jaber, who is also CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said, I am pleased that geopolitical tensions have dissipated over the past few days, and that wisdom, balance and diplomacy appear to be prevailing. The rhetoric of de-escalation is welcome, given the recent state of high anxiety, but the risk of escalation remains high. The Trump administration wants to demonstrate to Americans that the president's high-stakes gambles are strategic, the risks are measured and the payoff will be a neutralized Iran without nuclear capability. The Gulf states, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, want to focus on the business of exporting oil and to demonstrate to their customers, investors and citizens that they are insulated from tit-for-tat exchanges between the United States and Iran. The increasingly diversified economies of the Gulf depend on expatriate labor and consumption, tourists and foreign investors. And more than anything, they need to protect their citizens, as the region anticipates possible further backlash by Iran, and there is a general unease about the extent of America's commitment. The United States and regional desire for de-escalation may sadly be off the mark. Even in a globalized and networked Middle East, we can underestimate our connectivity and interdependence. The trend lines are worrying. The United States is increasing sanctions. Iran will increase enrichment. (Even in early December in Doha, analysts close to the government in Tehran openly discussed enrichment ramp-up as a sound negotiating strategy.) The 2015 nuclear deal the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will collapse, and the Iranian regime will go down kicking, lashing out at American targets in the Middle East and perhaps worldwide. The Gulf Arab states will face collateral damage, if not direct attack. President Trump will enforce perhaps his only real commitment in the Middle East his red line on the attack on US citizens. And even if Trump gets an opportunity to reset relations with Iran, what are the prospects of success, and what kind of Iran will it be with? Either the United States will face an emboldened Iran with more nuclear capacity, or a collapsing Iran with power-hungry and wealthy former commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps competing for authority. Neither scenario is good for regional stability or global markets. Saudi Arabia and the UAE understand well their reliance on oil exports to the east and the need to develop demand markets for petroleum products in the developing world. From the Horn of Africa, across the Middle East and to Pakistan, the future consumers of oil and petrochemicals will rise in importance alongside current consumer markets in India and China. Keeping the choke points clear from conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal has meant a willingness to engage with Iran through intermediaries, or at least not provoke Iran directly. Saudi Arabia refrained from outright accusations or retaliation against Iran for the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais in September. And after attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz in June and near Fujairah in May, the UAE reportedly sent a delegation to Iran over the summer and released some $700 million in frozen Iranian funds in October. There is also talk among energy insiders in Saudi Arabia about turning a blind eye toward ship-to-ship transfers in the Persian Gulf. Keeping Iran on the brink of collapse but not in collapse is the ideal for Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. It is an unsustainable strategy, buoyed by the stalwart nonchalance of global oil markets. Oil prices have been relatively steady in this period of political tension. The ramp-up of threats and attacks on oil infrastructure and transport, from tankers moving chemicals to attacks on the mother ship of the oil industry in Abqaiq, to attacks on US military forces in Iraq has been gradual and methodical. Oil prices have blinked, but the general consensus is that there is plenty of supply, for now, and that the major Gulf producers and their customers (especially China) are urging restraint. But this is a temporary holding pattern. As the US maximum pressure campaign continues, there will be blowback. And the Gulf states will be the front line. And instead of drawing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states together in a confrontation with Iran, US actions have essentially created a flurry of bilateral back channels and side talks. The effect is strengthening bilateral engagements and weakening an already embattled united GCC. Qatar is more firmly in Iran's orbit. The UAE is delicately distancing itself from Saudi Arabia and confrontation with the Houthis in Yemen. And no Gulf Arab state wanted to take credit for US forces launching the attack on Soleimani from their territory. Most importantly, the Saudis and Emiratis know that if Trump tries to secure a new deal with Iran, or a JCPOA part II, they will be excluded from negotiations once again. But it is hard to envision a return to a pre-2016 status quo with Iran. After the killing of Soleimani, Iran is unlikely to bury the hatchet with the United States. There is simply no trust. Therefore, the Gulf states have decided to hedge, developing their own relationships with regional powers like Russia, and intervening politically and economically where they can promote and sustain markets for their prime export commodities. If this is what burden-sharing looks like, it bears a strong resemblance to a whack-a-mole approach to regional security. The region is less safe, more vulnerable to miscommunication and misunderstanding of both partner and adversary intentions. The trust between the Gulf Arab states and the United States is waning. Some in the Trump administration may see an inevitable toppling of the government in Iran, but may be unwilling to contemplate a prolonged state of violence or state collapse, and the effects this would have on the region. As long as the administration perceives little risk to global markets and American lives, it is the Gulf Arab states that will pay the heaviest price. The current approach, at least in the attitudes in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi right now, is a return to quiet deal-making and appeasement with Iran that may avert a war directly between Iran and its Gulf neighbors, at least for now. In short, the current trajectory is unsustainable for both the United States and its Gulf partners. Until we see that we need each other and that global energy and commodity markets depend on cooperation among the supply sources and transit ways in the region, conflict is more likely than any new deal or shift in behavior from Iran. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Several organizations have applied to Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) to conduct exit-polls at the early parliamentary elections to be held in the country on Feb. 9, CEC Deputy Chairman Rovzat Gasimov told reporters, Trend reports. According to the law, organizations willing to conduct exit-polls must contact the CEC not later than 20 days before election day. The period has expired, and in the coming days the media will be provided with information about organizations that have submitted documents to the CEC for conducting exit-poll. MEXICO CITY - Hundreds of crime victims and their relatives began a four-day march to Mexico City Thursday to protest a wave of killings and disappearances that left 35,588 people dead in 2019. The march is led by poet Javier Sicilia, whose son was killed in 2011. That year Sicilia led a national victims movement that focused on finding the countrys estimated 61,000 missing people. This time around, relatives of nine U.S. dual-nationals killed in the northern state of Sonora in November participated in the march, which set off Thursday from the city of Cuernavaca and will reach Mexico Citys National palace on Sunday. Mexico is burning, its highways and byways are filled with blood and mass graves, said Sicilia, as he led about 400 people at the start of the march. Sicilia, who is known for giving out hugs, said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors anti-crime policy of hugs, not bullets is not working. The policy aims to avoid confrontations with drug cartels, while promising long-term social programs to reduce poverty and joblessness. The president has also proposed an amnesty for lower-level criminals. We want the president to understand, we are not his enemies; we are the enemies of violence, Sicilia said. But without truth, without justice, today an amnesty would mean impunity, forgetting, it would only lead to more hell. They took them Alive, We Want Them Back Alive! the marchers shouted, referring to missing relatives. They carried placards and banners, including a big Mexican flag painted with bullet holes. A contingent of dual U.S. nationals came from the northern states of Chihuahua and Sonora, where nine women and children were killed on Nov. 4 by what authorities said were hit men from drug cartels. Julian LeBaron, who lost friends and relatives in the Nov. 4 ambush, said the government has failed to protect the public, while denying citizens the right to defend themselves. We need to get involved, all of us, to confront the problem of violence ,said LeBaron. We have realized that just voting will not get us the solutions we need. LeBaron said members of the U.S.-Mexican community in northern Mexico have been forced to live with the domination of drug cartels for years; in 2009, his brother Benjamin was killed by cartel gunmen. LeBaron said he hoped thousands of Mexicans would join the march in Mexico City to demand better law enforcement. What we have here today (in the march) is an example of how to overcome fear and achieve unity, LeBaron said. While eager to keep the march non-political, Sicilia did condemn other policies implemented by Lopez Obrador. He called for putting on hold Lopez Obradors project to build a train across the Yucatan peninsula until Maya communities in the region are allowed to vote on it. He also condemned the detention of hundreds of Central American migrants who tried to enter in a caravan Thursday. UNEP India joins hands with Ogilvy India to launch an innovative campaign to highlight its work on phasing out single use plastic. Masaba Gupta enriches this initiative by creatively transforming the campaign into a clothing line. The clothing line with detachable bags sends out a strong message on #BeatPlasticPollution. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)- India office is proud to be associated with Ogilvy India and renowned international designer Masaba Gupta to launch the I WILL WEAR OUT PLASTIC concept, created by Ogilvy, especially for UNEP and the clothesline designed by Masaba. UNEP India has been a major catalyst in Indias campaign against single-use plastic ever since #BeatPlasticPollution was launched on World Environment Day 2018 in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This creative collection aims to reduce the use of plastic bags in a unique way. Each garment has, as an exclusive accessory, a detachable reusable bag that is a fashion statement by itself. If you are an impulsive shopper, this is your go-to collection to do your bit for the environment. And fashionably too! This special collection will be launched by Masaba Gupta in Mumbai on January 22, 2020, in association with UNEP and Ogilvy India. It will be available in stores and online. Acknowledging this initiative, Atul Bagai - Country Head, UNEP India said, Addressing environmental challenges such as plastic pollution call for behavioral changes in society and it can have a huge impact when an acclaimed fashion designer like Masaba Gupta makes an environment statement through an entire clothing line. We look forward to the success of this innovative idea and thank Masaba Gupta and Ogilvy for associating with us. Masaba Gupta says, This is not just a collaboration, its a war cry. This is House of Masabas way of giving back to the environment. Its the need of the hour and we are taking that conscious step towards sustainability, because the global environmental crisis is all too visible now. Plastic Pollution is one of the largest environmental threats faced globally and theres an urgent requirement and responsibility to address it. The Fashion Industry is also known to produce the most global wastage. This time, were using fashion as a tool for empowerment and activism. We encourage people to understand our concept and try to recreate their own permutations and combinations to take this concept forward! Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy says, This is Ogilvy India coming together to solve a global problem. We have worked on a global problem and have come up with an idea that is unique and universal. I am thankful that Masaba agreed to partner us and bring our idea to life, by designing a clothing line, where a part of the garment, when needed, turns into a bag. This is high fashion making a statement and serving a purpose for a cause. We thank UNEP India for inspiring us with their commitment towards environment conservation. Iran's Rouhani: Europe responsible for any JCPOA violation consequences Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 3:39 PM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal will be responsible for the consequences of any violation of the agreement. "I stress that if the three European countries commit any violation and renege on their promises, they will bear the full responsibility for any consequences," Rouhani said at a weekly cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday. "I hope that Europe will fulfill its pledges and commitments. If so, we, too, will commit to our obligations," he added. He advised the EU3 the UK, France and Germany to avoid repeating the US' big mistake of leaving the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and violating their commitments under the accord in breach of international rules and regulations. He said that all the parties to the JCPAO were obliged to live up to their commitments, dismissing the US's "arrogant" behavior in violating its obligations while pressuring others to stick to their promises. Rouhani also hit out at the European parties for failing to implement the 11 commitments they had undertaken to save the JCPOA following the US withdrawal from the deal in May 2018, and their recent bowing to Washington's threat of imposing a punishing tariff on European car exports if they fail to accuse Tehran of breaking the nuclear deal. Having long accused the European Union of gaining an unfair trade advantage, US President Donald Trump's administration has threatened to slap a 25-percent tariff on European automobile imports, if Britain, France and Germany did not formally accuse Iran of breaking the nuclear deal. In an apparent submission to the US pressure, the three European signatories on January 14 formally triggered a dispute mechanism devised in the 2015 deal, which could lead to the restoration of the anti-Iran UN sanctions that had been lifted by the JCPOA. Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that Iran has not left the JCPAO and does not seek to spoil it, adding that the reduction of Iran's commitments have been in line with the provisions of the accord. Rouhani also noted that Iran will return to full compliance with the deal if the European signatories fulfill their obligations. The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons based on a fatwa (religious decree) by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei banning nukes and based on moral ethics, Rouhani said. He also said Iran will never seek nuclear arms "even if the JCPOA and the Safeguards [Agreement with the UN nuclear agency] existed no longer." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Anadolu Agency/Getty In bragging that he ordered a successful hit on Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, President Trump has admitted to killing a senior government official of a sovereign state, Iran, while he was traveling in another sovereign state, Iraq. On its face, his conduct and intent satisfy the elements of premeditated murder under Section 1116 of Title 18 of the United States Criminal Code, "Murder or manslaughter of foreign officials, official guests, or internationally protected persons." We can and must debate, and many are, whether the killing was an "assassination" or a violation of "international norms," but neither of those charges has been codified by Congress into the criminal code and thus they have no teeth. The assassination ban is found in an executive order and a president is not bound by it. As for international norms, including the adherence to long-standing principles of the ethics of just war, well, ignoring norms is Trump's calling card, and his supporters love him for it. The provisions of the United States Criminal Code, however, bind all persons, including presidents. They cannot be waived, and they have very sharp teeth. By ordering the drone attack killing General Soleimani, it appears that Trump committed a homicide under federal law. OK, Now What?: Inside Team Trumps Scramble to Sell the Soleimani Hit to America Congress passed the relevant law against the murder or manslaughter of foreign officials, Section 1116 of Title 18, in response to the killing of Israeli Olympic athletes in Germany, and other acts of terrorism around the world, It provides that [w]hoever kills or attempts to kill a foreign official, official guest, or internationally protected person shall be punished." After becoming a signatory in 1973 to a United Nations convention to deter attacks on foreign officials and other protected persons as they travel and conduct the business of state around the globe, the Congress expanded Section 1116 to provide the Department of Justice with extraterritorial jurisdiction to pursue such crimes. Story continues Unchastened by impeachment, and emboldened by the Justice Department's dusty old opinion that he cannot be indicted while in office, Trump nonetheless ordered the killing of Soleimani, a senior Iranian official, in Iraq, in violation of Section 1116. The Department of Justice has jurisdiction to prosecute a violation of that statute. This killing cannot be justified under either the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force or the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq. They are not blank checks cashed in whenever and wherever the president so desires. The 2001 AUMF applied to those responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The 2002 AUMF applied to the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Trump's drone attack was against an Iranian official who had nothing to do with 9/11 nor with the dead Iraqi leader's regime. Though he now sings a different tune, Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearings that neither AUMF would allow military action against Iran. Current DOJ opinions have prevented the indictment of a sitting president. But its worth noting that if one is found guilty of homicide under Section 1116, and if it is deemed "premeditated," the penalty is life in prison, with no parole. In other words, it is among the most serious crimes on the books, and justice should await him after his presidency. United States Attorney General William Barr, we know from his recent speeches, would disagree. Barr scoffs at the notion that any president is bound by any criminal statute. His view of the scope of a president's Article II powers has no limits and, presumably, permits conduct that would violate federal homicide statutes. Under the Barr Rule, our Congress may enact such a statute, but our president need not follow it unless the law states so expressly. In other words, our president is above the law. Reality check: The Supreme Court has never adopted a rule of statutory interpretation that broad as to make a president immune from all criminal laws, and certainly not homicide. Unsurprisingly, President Trump subscribes to the Barr Rule. We recall that he famously bragged that he "could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and [he] wouldn't lose voters." His lawyers have embraced and extended that boast in federal court to argue that the Manhattan district attorney's office cannot subpoena Trump's tax returns. Sticking doggedly to the script, in response to a question from a federal judge, Trump's lawyer asserted that he could not be prosecuted by a state government for homicide, either, while he is in office. These arguments failed in the lower courts and the case is now pending in the Supreme Court. Since his inauguration, Trump has conducted his presidency as if it is a criminal enterprise, so it is not surprising that targeted hits are now part of his repertoire. That Soleimani is a bad actor on the world stage is not a legally permitted defense to a murder charge in federal court. Mobsters' targets are usually "bad guys" too, of course. If Soleimanis history reveals him to be a terrorist, a word with varying definition, then our beef is with the Iranian state, of which he is a senior officialnot with him as an individual. Armed drone attacks in Iran would be acts of war and we could debate the foreign policy, legal and moral justifications for those actions. Congress would be involved in that discussion. But killing Soleimani in Iraq is a federal homicide. The language in Section 1116 defines as a homicide conduct that the U.N. considered an act of terrorism, and required all signatories to add provisions to their own domestic law. The fact that the background of the law was designed to thwart terrorism does not excuse Trump from its express terms. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama killed alleged terrorists and civilians too with armed dronesthousands of them according to several entities tracking the deaths. They have been justifiably criticized for those killings on the grounds that they are both immoral and bad policy. Indeed, President Obama has killed three American citizens, that we know of, implicating the due process clause of the Constitution. But, to our knowledge, those presidents never killed a foreign government official from a sovereign state with which we are not at war while he was traveling in another sovereign state with which we are not at war. Their actions killing non-governmental actors may have been wrong for a variety of reasons, but they did not violate Section 1116. Finally, if an unmanned shot from the sky killing an Iranian general does not "feel" enough like a federal homicide, imagine this: What if the president had ordered the killing of a German official (who Trump suspects has ties to ISIS) traveling at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris? If proven, that fact pattern would violate 18 USC Section 1116 our criminal code does not discriminate among victims (Iranian/German) and places (Iraq/France). Perhaps the president is wrong this time, and voters will care that he is bragging about committing cold-blooded murder. Perhaps Republican senators will too. Vicki Divoll was general counsel of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and assistant general counsel at the Central Intelligence Agency. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. LONDON Becky Parsons was in a taxi from Birmingham Airport when her mother called to give her the bad news: The daughters two dogs had gone missing. Before traveling to Spain for a vacation, Ms. Parsons had left them in the care of a licensed dog sitter whom she had previously trusted with her pets. But this time around the sitter replied to text messages only hours and hours later, she said. And when Ms. Parsons mother went to pick up the dogs, the sitter said told her that the animals had disappeared during a walk in the woods. When her mother relayed the news, Ms. Parsons recalled, Absolute panic washed over me. On Thursday, Birmingham Magistrates Court disqualified the sitter, Louise Lawford, 49, from having custody of a dog for five years and fined her nearly 3,500 pounds (more than $4,500) over animal welfare offenses. Although those offenses did not cover the dogs disappearance, the sentencing brought partial closure in a case that has prompted anger and sadness in Britain, even in the absence of criminal charges against her. Image Pablo Credit... Becky Parsons The case had been brought by Birmingham City Council, which accused her of nine animal welfare offenses, including having too many dogs in her care at one time. The BBC reported last week that her dog-sitting license was also revoked after the dogs went missing. Most of the people who enter America illegally do so for economic reasons. Of late, Progressives contend that the economic problems in poor countries are due to climate change. (Leftists claim that everything negative is due to climate change.) The U.N. has now issued a ruling holding within it the promise that anyone who claims climate change is a serious issue in the home country (and keep in mind that all future climate change damages are highly speculative) is a refugee who cannot be turned away. The sad reality is that third-world countries have problems much greater than the Earth's ever-shifting climate. They are plagued by systemic corruption, socialism, theocratic tyrannies, centuries of endemic poverty and disease, and equally old cultural patterns inconsistent with modern wealth creation. That we may be entering another solar minimum cycle is the least of their worries. But that's not how U.N. bureaucrats view the climate's effect on impoverished countries. Or rather, at the U.N., it doesn't matter whether climate change is real. What really matters is that climate change is a vehicle for wealth transference. A U.N. official affiliated with the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change freely admitted that "we redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy." The Guardian now reports on a U.N. judgment opening the door to saying to first-world countries that if people seek refuge in that country based upon the claim that they are escaping the effects of climate change, the host country may not repatriate that refugee: It is unlawful for governments to return people to countries where their lives might be threatened by the climate crisis, a landmark ruling by the United Nations human rights committee has found. The judgment which is the first of its kind represents a legal "tipping point" and a moment that "opens the doorway" to future protection claims for people whose lives and wellbeing have been threatened due to global heating, experts say. The judgment relates to the case of Ioane Teitiota, a man from the Pacific nation of Kiribati, which is considered one of the countries most threatened by rising sea levels. He applied for protection in New Zealand in 2013, claiming his and his family's lives were at risk. According to Teitiota, as islands in South Tarawa became uninhabitable, they were crowding onto his island. Moreover, he said, a lack of fresh water and an increasingly saline water table inhibited crop growth. Teitiota said Kiribati would be uninhabitable in 10 to 15 years, endangering his life. The New Zealand courts rejected the claim, recognizing that the argument entirely erases borders between nations that are more prosperous and those that are less prosperous. The U.N. human rights committee actually backed that decision because it concluded that 10 to 15 years was a sufficient time for Kiribati to remediate the problem. However, in the same opinion, the court left open other claims for people contending that they could not be forced to return to home countries affected by climate change: The committee ruled that "the effects of climate change in receiving states may expose individuals to a violation of their rights ... thereby triggering the non-refoulement obligations of sending states". [snip] While the judgment is not formally binding on countries, it points to legal obligations that countries have under international law. "What's really important here, and why it's quite a landmark case, is that the committee recognised that without robust action on climate at some point in the future it could well be that governments will, under international human rights law, be prohibited from sending people to places where their life is at risk or where they would face inhuman or degrading treatment," said Prof Jane McAdam, director of the Kaldor centre for international refugee law at the University of New South Wales. "Even though in this particular case there was no violation found, it effectively put governments on notice. One can only wonder how long it will be before illegal aliens in America start contending that climate change has made it impossible to earn a living in their home countries, entitling them to stay in America. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan may have quit Britain for a quieter life in Canada but their battle with the media has followed them to the new front line. Harry believes "powerful forces" in Britain's tabloids are waging a ruthless propaganda war to vilify his US former actress wife -- and he is hitting back through the lawyers. Having struggled with media scrutiny since their May 2018 wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex abandoned their royal roles this month in a bid for a calmer and more independent life. But their bombshell departure has made them even more of a story -- and media, including paparazzi photographers, have now flocked to their Vancouver Island getaway. Their lawyers have already issued warnings to the press over pictures of Meghan out walking the dogs near their luxury seafront home. After a slew of negative stories in the British press, the couple are trying to seize greater control of the narrative. But they are not shunning all publicity -- far from it. The Sussexes will keep working with their non-royal patronages, but now intend to work with hand-picked media only. Meghan has already made a couple of visits to women's charities in nearby Vancouver, while they continue posting content on Instagram, where they have 11 million followers. Their success in becoming financially independent from the monarchy through creating their own commercial income will largely depend on them remaining hot property. - 'Cloud cuckoo land' - Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, which campaigns for press freedom, said the couple could not control media scrutiny. "If Harry and Meghan had said: 'we want to withdraw completely from public life and occasionally appear for good causes', I think they would have achieved their aim but they seem to want to have their cake and eat it," he told AFP. Harry is "living in cloud cuckoo land" if he thought press relations would magically improve by him stepping away from representing his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and moving to Canada, said royal biographer Penny Junor. She said the situation could become worse now they are no longer in the royal fold, where pooled media access to engagements is facilitated through a long-agreed system. Without that stream of content, news and picture desks might look elsewhere. "The press might be less respectful than they were before," Junor, the author of "Prince Harry: Brother. Soldier. Son. Husband.", told AFP. - Worsening relationship - The 35-year-old prince, who is sixth in line to the throne, has always had a tumultuous relationship with the press, which he blames for the death of his mother. Diana, princess of Wales died in 1997 in a car crash. Harry was 12 at the time. A truce between the papers and the palace meant Harry and his brother Prince William were left alone while they were still in education, in return for a handful of pooled photo opportunities. But afterwards, Harry quickly turned into a tabloid favourite with his party lifestyle and repeated misdemeanours. He served 10 years in the British army, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan, and afterwards founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans. Harry was praised as a changed man who had found his calling. "He recognised not only that he could do good things with his title -- but also that he needed publicity to do those good things and that a good relationship with the press was very important," said Junor. The prince's relationship with Meghan was welcomed across the board by the press, but media relations soon began to deteriorate. Reports appeared of staff being unable to work with the "duchess of difficult". When their son Archie arrived in May 2019, they announced that Meghan had gone into labour hours after the baby had actually been born, infuriating newsdesks. The couple's animosity towards the press spilled over into legal action in October last year, with Harry suing over alleged voicemail interception and Meghan filing a claim over a private letter to her father Thomas Markle appearing in The Mail on Sunday (him having shown it to the tabloid). "They are going to have to accept that their lifestyle will continue to go under scrutiny," said Murray, adding that they were living close to the US border. "The American media are different; they have a vigorous magazine market," he said. "There will be an appetite there and around the world for pictures and stories about them." Harry and Meghan have retreated to a luxury mansion on Vancouver Island Back in 2008, Rush delighted one of their all-time biggest fanboys, Stephen Colbert, by stopping by The Colbert Report for their first American television interview in decades. It is an incredible five minutes of increasingly silly questions, and the chat (paired with the subsequent performance of Tom Sawyer) was one of the first things I thought of upon learning of the death of drummer Neil Peart earlier this month. (Peart died at the age of 67 from brain cancer.) I didnt know much about Rush 12 years ago, but the modest Canadian virtuosity of Peart, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson soon birthed a lasting obsession, and I have this appearance to thank for it. Sadly, for reasons unbeknownst to Rush fans, Comedy Central took down both the interview and performance from all of its official online pages even a dip into low-quality YouTube copy territory turned up unsuccessful. So, I begged the nice folks at CC to let either of the videos see the gilded light of day again. Somehow, they agreed to give me the interview. Without spoiling the fun, Colbert, among other things, gets the trio to sign his hand and tries to stage an intervention for Pearts drum dependency. He also presides over the interview on an extremely tall stool. (Just look at Lifesons giggly smile! Hes so happy to be there.) Youve been touring for over 30 years. Do you ever get tired of being so awesome and kicking so much ass? Colbert asks, before going for the kicker. Youre known for some long songs. Have you ever written a song so epic that, by the end of the song, you were actually being influenced by yourself at the beginning of the song? Ill be listening to 2112 on loop for the rest of the day in Pearts honor. At an impoverished, forlorn zoo in Sudans capital, the park's few remaining lions are starving in rusted cages their ribs protruding, eyes glassy and skin flaccid, desperate for food and water. The unsettling images, shared on social media by a local animal rights advocate, drew impassioned responses from thousands around the world. In this photo, a malnourished lion is seen standing inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi Park in Khartoum, Sudan. (Image: Reuters) For weeks Emmerdale has been building up the moment that Graham Foster is murdered by someone in the village. And actor Mark Charnock hinted that his character Marlon Dingle could be the killer, saying it's a 'valid suspicion', as the chef is pushed to breaking point by the former soldier. Appearing on Thursday's Good Morning Britain, 51, the actor hinted that his chef alter ego could be pushed to murder as he also told how Marlon will attack Graham in Thursday's episode. Killer confession? Mark Charnock hinted that his character Marlon Dingle could be the killer, saying it's a 'valid suspicion', as the chef is pushed to breaking point by the former soldier GMB aired a clip from the episode in question which sees Graham attempting to drive off with Marlon's kids, causing the lovable chef to see red. Dragging him out the car, Marlon confronts Graham and threatens to hit him with a torch, while his horrified children watch on. Discussing a big revelation at the end of the episode, Mark says: 'The revelations tonight, the audience will go "oh my God" like they'll be watching it through their fingers.' Speaking further about the lead-up to Marlon's outburst, the star explained: 'Its the second episode tonight at eight. And for weeks now, the Graham character has been with my ex Rhona who is the mother of my child and theyre going to take Leo away. Breaking point: Appearing on Thursday's Good Morning Britain, 51, the actor hinted that his chef alter ego could be pushed to murder as he also told how Marlon will attack Graham in Thursday's episode Furious: GMB aired a clip from the episode in question which sees Graham attempting to drive off with Marlon's kids, causing the lovable chef to see red At his wit's end: Discussing how Marlon's been pushed to boiling point, he continued: 'Hes been prodded and prodded to this point and its just been really well written' 'And Marlon, hes been here before in this situation with Rhona and this red mist has set in for him. Everything about Marlon is driven to being a parent. Thats all he cares about. And he just feels helpless.' Discussing how Marlon's been pushed to boiling point, he continued: 'Hes been prodded and prodded to this point and its just been really well written. Were really proud of this story.' When asked if his character could be the killer, Mark responded: 'It's a valid suspicion.' Drama: Discussing a big revelation at the end of the episode, Mark says: 'The revelations tonight, the audience will go "oh my God" like they'll be watching it through their fingers' Pushed to the brink: Everything about Marlon is driven to being a parent. Thats all he cares about. And he just feels helpless' Viewers have already seen flash-forward scenes which saw Graham attacked and pushed over a bridge. And this week in a series of special episodes, fans will see the drama unfold via different perspectives of the suspects. The sevn suspects are Marlon and Charity Dingle, Jamie, Andrea and Kim Tate, Jai Sharma and Al Chapman. Meanwhile, Chris Bisson almost revealed what happened between his character Jai Sharma and Graham while appearing on Tuesday's edition of Lorraine. Shock: The revelations tonight, the audience will go "oh my God" like they'll be watching it through their fingers' Motive: 'For weeks now, the Graham character has been with my ex Rhona who is the mother of my child and theyre going to take Leo away' Trying to keep things as vague as possible, Chris said: 'So, every night the first scene is the same every night but we follow different characters, tonight its all about Jai and why he has a motive to kill him and we'll try to work out if he did. 'In the other episodes you may see bits of people passing through and you go "hmm, arouses suspicion" and by Thursday night we will know. But it was later on that he revealed more than he bargained for, as he discussed what his kids thought of his role on the show. Oops: Emmerdale's Chris Bisson accidentally revealed a spoilker during an interview on Tuesday, as he discussed the soap's Graham Foster whodunnit plot on Lorraine Chris explained: 'They get it, they dont watch, Im not sure I want harry to watch this stuff tonight, but he did ask me about the fight that happens there. 'He said "did you win the fight daddy" and Im like "no..." oh Im giving too much away now.' Graham was left for dead in the woods on Monday's episode, and Al Chapman was seen stood over him after Kim Tate ordered him to kill the man. Whodunnit: Graham was left for dead in the woods on Monday's episode, and Al Chapman was seen stood over him after Kim Tate ordered him to kill the man Hints: Trying to be vague, Chris said that Tuesday night's episode will look at 'why [Jai] has a motive to kill him' before teasing that his character gets into 'a fight' with Graham Chris admitted that he knew who killed Graham as he said that the character had 'rubbed a few people up the wrong way', so could have been murdered by any one of the key characters. He said of how they were told about the plot: 'Originally all the people [involved in the soap's special] got called into a meeting, and the producer said one of you killed Graham and stopped short of telling us who it was. 'The scripts were embargoed and then they would keep them secret.' Emmerdale continues Thursday at 7pm and 8pm on ITV. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Lt Gen Y.K. Joshi has been named as chief of the Indian Army's Northern Army Command and Lt Gen C.P. Mohanty as the Southern Command chief, the Indian Army said on Thursday. Lt Gen Joshi, who is currently the command's Chief of the Staff, will take charge on February 1 of the Northern command, which takes care of security scenario along the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir as well as with China in Ladakh. Having wide experience of anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, he will succeed Lt Gen Ranbir Singh who retires from service on January 31. The announcement came when Indian Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane is on visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Gen Naravane visited the Northern Command HQ at Udhampur on Wednesday and was briefed by Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on the prevailing situation along the Line of Control and also in the hinterland. The Army Chief was appreciative of the efforts put in by Northern Command to meet the challenges posed by inimical elements. Lt Gen Mohanty, who was currently General Officer Commanding, the Uttar Bharat Area, will take over as head of the Southern Command. The position was vacant after incumbent Lt Gen S.K. Saini was appointed the Army's Vice Chief. Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. MBABANE - Engaging the Government of Mainland China and finding common ground remains the only option for the Eswatini Government. This is what Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo believes will be the starting point in salvaging the situation which has seen emaSwati being denied visas to travel to China for business endeavours. This publication reported yesterday that China had denied emaSwati businesspeople visas to travel to the Asian country to stock up on merchandise. Khumalo said there was a strong need to have a sitting as politicians, together with the private sector, to formulate a position on the matter with Mainland China, to see what they can do to try and selvage the weakening trade relations with the Asian country because previously, local businesspeople have had no challenges going to purchase merchandise in China but now things were taking a turn for the worst. He said it was in this regard that they had to be seen doing something about it. China is our second largest trading partner after South Africa so the implications will be very huge. We need to engage the Chinese Government to find out what triggered the latest developments, which has seen them putting their foot down on approving visas for emaSwati who wish to go to China for business endeavours. Up to now, no explanation has been offered and it is our responsibility to take the matter up before it escalates to a level where emaSwati lose revenue in their businesses, he said. Khumalo also said they had to engage stakeholders in the business sector so that they could also make their submissions on the matter to find a solution to this challenge. He said if the country did not do anything about the situation, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as big businesses could suffer very great costs owing to the magnitude of the trade relations with China. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, through its Communication Officer, Sikhumbuzo Bhembe, also issued a statement which confirmed that indeed Mainland China had taken a stance not to approve visa applications for Eswatini passport holders. The statement stated that that the ministrys investigations about the reported exclusion have since revealed that the Peoples Republic of China had issued a notice of new visa application procedures, specifically for emaSwati who would require that applications be processed at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria. Following newspaper reports that a certain number of emaSwati were turned away from obtaining visas to travel to the Republic of China (Mainland), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has conclusively learnt that there was no formal communication from any diplomatic agency or Government of the Peoples Republic of China about any intention to exclude emaSwati from entering the territory. The ministry endeavours to allay any fears of emaSwati and will monitor any situation deriving from this occurrence. For this reason, the ministry remains seized of the matter, reads part of the statement. Foreign Affairs Minister Thuli Dladla also confirmed that their findings shed some light on what this publication reported on, and the prime minister was working on a statement that would give the position of government in this situation. EmaSwati should remain calm. Government is putting all efforts in dealing with the matter and an amicable solution will be reached between the two States, she asserted. According to the latest notification by the Chinese Government, starting from January 10, 2020, visa application of Eswatini citizens to Mainland China will be processed by the Chinese Embassy in South Africa. At the same time, the Chinese Visa application service centre and other Chinese diplomatic missions will not accept the applications any more. Meanwhile, Hu Zhenge from the Embassy of China in South Africa, said he had submitted a detailed and official statement to his seniors and was waiting for approval. However, the statement had not been approved by the time of going to print yesterday. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, talks with medical workers at the Qinghai Red Cross Hospital in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, Jan. 21, 2020. Li made an inspection tour in northwest China's Qinghai Province from Tuesday to Wednesday. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) XINING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed solving problems facing people's livelihood through development, and continuously improving the living standards of people of all ethnic groups. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during his inspection tour in northwest China's Qinghai Province from Tuesday to Wednesday. In his visit to a market in Xining, the provincial capital, Li said measures should be taken to guarantee the supply of food, especially beef, pork and lamb, and stabilize prices during the upcoming Spring Festival. In a village inhabited by Han and Tibetan people, Li checked their living conditions and sent his festival greetings. He said the western region should promote a new type of urbanization and give full play to the leading role of major cities, so as to provide more job opportunities for the farmers and lift them out of poverty. When checking the site of a road collapse accident that had previously occurred in Xining, Li urged local authorities to carefully check and rectify the hidden dangers of public facilities, and ensure the quality of new projects. Regarding the control of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), all localities should further improve and implement detailed prevention measures in time, said the premier while visiting Qinghai Red Cross Hospital. Medical personnel should try their best to treat patients and contain the epidemic, and take precautions themselves, Li urged. During his visit to an old residential community, Li said progress had been made in improving housing conditions thanks to the large-scale shantytown renovation in the past few years. He called for cooperative efforts between government and residents to improve the renovation of old residential communities and enrich public services including elderly care, medical treatment, catering and cleaning to enhance people's livelihood, especially for elderly people and children. When visiting a restaurant, he urged more efforts to guarantee food safety. Li applauded the achievements Qinghai has made in economic growth in recent years and called for new progress. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement was an unbalanced agreement, which was not fulfilling the guiding principles on which the pact was initiated, said India's Industry and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal here on Thursday. "RCEP was an unbalanced trade agreement, which was not fulfilling the guiding principles on which the RCEP was started. Therefore, India chose not to participate in it," Goyal said in a session at the Economic Forum (WEF) 2020 here. "India is not willing to engage with the RCEP unless we see a greater degree of transparency, open government, regulatory practices and greater market access for Indian goods and services on a reciprocal basis," he stated. Last year, India decided not to join the RCEP agreement as its key concerns were not addressed. The key issues behind India's decision not to be part of RCEP included inadequate protection against import surge, insufficient differential with China, possible circumvention of rules of origin, keeping the base year as 2014 and no credible assurances on market access and non-tariff barriers. The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member-states of ASEAN and FTA partners. "Trade negotiations are very complex issues. We are not negotiating trade with deadlines and in a hurry. The FTAs that were entered into from 2009-12, sadly did not have as many stakeholder consultations as our government is doing," said Goyal. Goyal is leading the Indian delegation to the 50th WEF summit at Davos which is being held from January 20 to January 24. The Union Minister had a number of engagements with various ministers of other countries and CEOs of prestigious companies. This includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tadashi Maeda, Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency, Graciela Marquez Colin, Mexican Minister of Economy, among others. India's performance on global parameters and steady growth trajectory has been the talk of the forum. During all of Goyal's engagements, everyone showed a keen interest in India. It was realised that India is the place where all the investors and businessmen can get phenomenal returns from their investments. To this end, all individuals and organisations want to contribute to India's growth story. Goyal also took to his Twitter handle and met several top businessmen, policymakers and political leaders on the sidelines of the WEF summit. "Met Manvinder Singh Banga, Partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice along with @KTRTRS, Minister for IT and Industries, Telangana. Spoke about our Government's initiatives to enhance ease of doing business and make India more investor-friendly," said Goyal in a tweet. "Had a productive meeting with Tadashi Maeda, Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation at @WEF in Davos. We discussed avenues for increasing investments in India's infrastructure sector and ways to enhance economic cooperation between India and Japan ," he said. "Met @Tim_Cook, CEO of Apple at @WEF in Davos. Had a wonderful interaction with him on Apple's investment plans in India," the Union Minister tweeted. "Met @ParmelinG, Federal Councillor for Economic Affairs, Education and Research of Switzerland at @WEF in Davos. Had a productive discussion on increasing engagement in the services sector and further boosting our existing economic partnerships," he tweeted. "Had an opportunity to interact with @SadhguruJV at @WEF in Davos. His ideals of spirituality and his work in the field of education & environmental conservation is a source of inspiration for millions of people around the globe," Goyal said in another tweet. "Met @GMarquezColin, Secretary of Economy of Mexico, at @WEF in Davos. We discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties between our two nations," the Union Minister further said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nelson J. Perez addresses those assembled at the Archdiocese's offices after his introduction as Philadelphia's next archbishop on Thursday. Read more Pope Francis on Thursday named Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez as the next head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, making him the first Hispanic archbishop to lead the regions 1.3 million-member flock. Born in Miami, raised in New Jersey and ordained at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Perez, 58, served as a parish priest for more than two decades in West Chester and the Olney and Lawncrest sections of Philadelphia before being elevated to the hierarchy as an auxiliary bishop in Long Island, N.Y., in 2012. He returns to the region to succeed Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who will step down after turning 75 last year, the traditional retirement age for Catholic bishops. READ MORE: Who is Nelson Perez, the new archbishop of Philadelphia? I asked for a successor that would care for and guide our people, speak the truth with charity and conviction, Chaput said, introducing Perez at a news conference at the archdioceses 17th Street headquarters four hours after the Vatican announcement. He is exactly the man with exactly the abilities that our church needs, and Im very grateful to Pope Francis for sending him home to us in Philadelphia. Perez was effusive in his first address to a small crowd of archdiocesan employees, reporters and faithful, speaking both in English and Spanish about how thrilled he was when he learned last weekend that he would be returning to the area. Wearing a pectoral cross Chaput had given him eight years ago when he became a bishop, he praised his predecessor for his service and welcomed the prospect of returning to relationships he had built in the archdiocese over decades. READ MORE: Our new archbishop is a Philly guy - and hes speaking our language | Mike Newall Once a Philadelphia priest, always a Philadelphia priest, he said, although he said he was still struggling to accept his return would be as the regions archbishop. "It just doesnt compute. He will be installed at a Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul on Feb. 18. Perezs selection is the latest , according to church analysts, that Francis is eager to tilt the ideological balance of the conservative U.S. church and mold it more in line with his papacy, one of the most progressive in generations. Chaput has pushed back against those who would characterize him as Francis foil, but his outspoken traditionalism and willingness to enter the fray of secular politics have earned him an ardent following in the conservative Catholic movement that emerged in response to Francis. Chaputs writings and public statements on divorce, statute-of-limitations reform, and gun control occasionally put him at odds with the likes of Mayor Jim Kenney, some clergy sex-abuse victims, and seemingly, at times the pope himself. He was the first archbishop of Philadelphia in generations not to be elevated to cardinal, the title given worldwide to the senior bishops whose duties include choosing the pope. READ MORE: A revolutionary idea: Phillys Latinos expect new archbishop Nelson Perez to be a change agent Perez will become archbishop less than eight years after he was first elevated to the hierarchy by Pope Benedict XVI and without the same lengthy record and scholarly reputation that Chaput had by the time he came to Philadelphia from Denver in 2011. But Massimo Faggioli, a church historian and Villanova professor, cautioned not to expect any radical shifts in theology with the transfer. I dont think [Perez] can be introduced as a liberal Catholic because thats not true," he said. Still, he predicted the new archbishop might bring new perspectives on issues ranging from homosexuality and immigration to Muslim relations. READ MORE: Archbishop Nelson Perezs appointment brings speculation and celebration for Philly-area Catholics During his time in Cleveland, Perez emerged as an outspoken advocate for immigrants in his community, denouncing the Trump administrations family separation policy and saying the nation had lost its moral compass. The bishop also once intervened on behalf of a migrant facing deportation with a personal appeal to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I dont think its a matter of stark different theological cultures, Faggioli said. "But I think there will be some changes in governance style. At his introductory news conference Thursday, Perez was hesitant to draw comparisons between him and his predecessor, calling Chaput a great mentor and friend. READ MORE: As Mass attendance in Philly declines, Archbishop Chaputs successor must be more pastoral than polarizing | Opinion Chaput has been credited during his time in Philadelphia with stabilizing an archdiocese roiled by financial shortfalls and fallout from a damning grand jury report that implicated the citys church hierarchy in covering up decades of sexual abuse. But those problems have not evaporated. And Perez acknowledged that his tenure in Philadelphia was likely to be marked by many of the same issues. He thanked Chaput for making at times unpopular decisions with great courage and with great steadfastness, sometimes in the face of criticism." Perez will inherit day-to-day management of one of the largest Catholic infrastructures in the United States comprised of more than 215 parishes, 460 diocesan priests and a network of universities and schools serving more than 141,000 students. But it is one that has endured recent strain under the weight of fallout from the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report that uncovered decades of abuse and cover-up in dioceses across the state, a contentious statehouse battle over laws that would give victims more time to sue, and persistent declines in Mass attendance that promise another wave of austerity measures. Chaput has said that the archdiocese probably needs only half the number of parishes it currently has, but vowed to leave any decisions to his successor. And Perez offered no firm promises Thursday on the archdioceses future. Change is a part of life. We have to adapt to the world around us. You adapt for the good of the people and the good of the church. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Its a notion, he said, he has adapted to his whole life. A Cuban-American, Perezs parents fled Fidel Castros government in 1961. But he grew up in the deeply Cuban enclave of West New York, N.J., and moved to Puerto Rico to teach elementary school shortly after graduating from Montclair State University with a degree in psychology. He enrolled in the seminary in Philadelphia and, once ordained, served as a parish priest and as assistant director for the archdiocesan office for Hispanic Catholics. He taught psychology classes at La Salle University before Pope Benedict tapped him in 2012 to serve as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Center in Long Island, N.Y. Perez said he learned he would be leaving Cleveland after less than two years in that post from the papal nuncio, the Vaticans ambassador to the United State, as he was visiting his mother in Miami on Saturday. Theres this little code word that these nuncios use when they call, Are you alone? and if you say youre alone, then watch out, he said. I asked, Where am I going now.?" I was shocked, just absolutely shocked." READ MORE: A timeline of the career of Nelson Perez, Philadelphias next archbishop For his part, Chaput said he intends to remain in the Philadelphia area continuing his work as a priest, an author and in-demand speaker once his successor is installed. But first, he said. I intend to take three months off, praying and cooking. This is a developing story. Please check back for details. Staff writer Justine McDaniel contributed to this article. UPDATE: House fire in Edison kills 2, prosecutor says. One was a child, source says. Authorities were investigating a fire at a house on Jill Court in Edison on Wednesday afternoon. Township police and firefighters remained at the scene as of shortly before 4 p.m. Officials at the scene declined to release details on the incident, referring questions to the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office. A prosecutors office spokeswoman confirmed the agency was responding to the scene, but did not immediately provide more information. Officials have not confirmed if there were any injuries from the blaze. Gina Caliguiro, who has lived around the block from where the fire broke out for more than 30 years, said she only saw smoke coming from the back of the duplex and did not see flames. There was just a lot of smoke pouring out, she said. The back of the house where the fire sparked appeared to be charred and some of the windows were broken. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Bed Bath & Beyond said Thursday that it plans to close 40 underperforming stores nationally, including three in Houston, after posting weak sales heading into the holiday season. The home-goods retailer said it has closed its Meyerland Plaza location and will close stores at the West Oak shopping center and on Highway 6 North this year. The New Jersey-based company, which operates more than 900 stores, including 16 in the Houston area, will also close stores in Austin and Harlingen. Company officials wouldn't say how many employees would be affected. Were closing a limited number of stores that no longer meet the standards our customers expect from us, company spokeswoman Jessica Joyce said in an email. RELATED: Randalls to close five grocery stores in Houston area Bed Bath and Beyond, which was founded in 1971, is just the latest retailer to close stores amid changing consumer preferences and the rise of e-commerce. Retailers in 2019 said they would close more than 9,300 store, 63 percent more than during 2018, according to Coresight Research, a retail and technology research firm. Pier 1 Imports this month said it would close almost half of its stores. Bed Bath & Beyond, which closed 14 stores last year, reported a loss of $38.6 million on revenue of $2.8 billion during its third quarter ended Nov. 30. Net sales declined by 9 percent while year-over-year same-store sales fell by 8.3 percent. The company said third-quarter sales were affected by a Thanksgiving that landed a week later than in 2018 and just two days before the end of the company's third quarter. The result on paper was one less week of holiday sales compared with 2018. To turn around its financial performance, the retailer has changed its leadership team, including its chief executive, sold and leased back some of its real estate and invested millions of dollars to update more than 150 of its top stores. "Our performance in the third quarter was unsatisfactory and underscores the imperative for change and strengthens our sense of priorities and purpose, CEO Mark Tritton said this month. Tritton, a former Target executive, was named the chain's new CEO in October, replacing Mary Winston. Last week, Sauntore Thomas, a black man from Detroit, had a victory over profiling when he settled a race discrimination case against his former employer. But as he learned this week, it was too soon to celebrate. When he tried Tuesday to deposit the money at his TCF Bank, a new lawsuit says, he met resistance that escalated with a call to the police and what amounted to a claim of racial discrimination against the bank. The lawsuit called it banking while black. After the assistant branch manager called the police, Mr. Thomas, 44, was questioned by two Livonia Police Department officers in the lobby for about an hour, Mr. Thomas and his lawyer, Deborah Gordon said in interviews on Thursday. He was also accused of fraud, even after Ms. Gordon texted screenshots of documents showing that he had just won the funds from the settlement, she said. Image Sauntore Thomas, 44, of Detroit, in a photo provided by the law firm of Deborah Gordon, which is representing Mr. Thomas in a discrimination suit. I have had this with black clients before, Ms. Gordon said. There can be a lot of questions when they suddenly have money. By Tessa Vikander VANCOUVER, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou will respond Thursday to the Canadian prosecutor's arguments calling for Meng to be extradited to the United States on bank fraud charges. Thursday's proceedings will wrap up the first phase of the extradition process and legal experts have said it could be years before a final decision is reached in the case, since Canada's justice system allows many decisions to be appealed. On Wednesday, prosecutors argued that Meng should be extradited on fraud charges, and that contrary to her defence argument, the case is not solely about violation of the U.S. sanctions against Iran. "Fraud, not sanctions violations is at the heart of this case," prosecutor Robert Frater told the judge on Wednesday. Meng, 47, has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition. Although the courts had set aside two full days for the prosecution to present its case, the prosecution took only half of a day, and closed its arguments before lunch on Wednesday. The United States has charged Meng with bank fraud, and accused her of misleading HSBC Holdings Plc about Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's business in Iran. But Meng's legal team argued that "double criminality," is the central issue in this case. Under Canadian extradition laws, a person can only be extradited if the offence they are alleged to have committed in another country is also considered illegal in Canada. This is commonly called "double criminality." Unlike the United States, Canada did not have sanctions against Iran at the time Canadian officials authorized the start of the extradition process, her lawyers have said. "In reality, sanctions violation is the essence of the alleged misconduct ... the United States has a global interest in enforcing its Iran sanctions. Sanctions drive this case," Richard Peck, one of Meng's lawyers added. Story continues Frater argued Wednesday that the judge's job was to "ensure that Canada doesn't become a safe haven for fraudsters." He also said it is not the judge's role to determine whether Meng is guilty of fraud, but whether the alleged behaviour could also be prosecuted as fraud in Canada. Court proceedings show the United States issued the arrest warrant, which Canada acted on in December 2018, because it believes Meng covered up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran, breaking U.S. sanctions against the country. Meng's court proceedings have attracted global media interest and the case has strained relationship between China and Canada. Meng, the daughter of Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, remains free on bail in Canada, and has been living in a mansion in Vancouvers exclusive Shaughnessy neighborhood. Meng's legal team is currently only scheduled to call evidence in the last week of April, and a second phase of the trial, focusing on abuse of process and whether Canadian officials followed the law while arresting Meng, is set to begin in June. Closing arguments are expected in the last week of September and first week of October. (Writing by Denny Thomas Editing by Lisa Shumaker) YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and spouse Nouneh Sarkissian visited the Knesset, the parliament of Israel, on the sidelines of his working visit, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The Armenian President and his spouse were hosted by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and his wife. Its a great honor for us to host you in our country. We are happy for your visit, even if it is taking place within the frames of not so happy event, the Speaker of the Knesset said in his welcoming remarks, expressing confidence that the visit of President Sarkissian, as well as Armenias decision to open embassy in Israel will be important steps for the future development of the bilateral relations. I think this visit will bring a very positive change to our relations. Our partnership potential is much more than we use it today, Yuli Edelstein said. Frankly, for many years I wished to return back to Israel as I have memories with this country, the Armenian President said, by attaching importance to the experience of Israel in the fields of IT, innovations. Talking about the similar historic pages the Armenian President said the similarities of the fates of the two nations are impressive and they hint that it is necessary to think about the future. We can jointly create that future both as two states and two nations. Armenia is a small country, but a global nation, the same is Israel. I am here also for outlining the cooperation areas. Armenia highlights the development of many sectors, such as science, education, security, agriculture and innovative technologies. As a President I have an initiative to make Armenia a new technological hub because we have several advantages for doing that. There are highly-qualified physics, mathematicians in our country, we have very good educational programs in programming, Armen Sarkissian said. President Sarkissian said many historic pages for Armenian and Jewish peoples have been tragic, adding that it is necessary to unite efforts to prevent the repetition of such human disasters. Armen Sarkissian raised the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Knesset, stating that the recognition and condemnation of this shameful page of history should not be connected with todays political interests and realities. The recognition of the Armenian Genocide is first of all a moral responsibility and a tribute to the memory of innocent victims, but at the same time it is also an important contribution to the international efforts aimed at preventing genocides and crimes against humanity, the Armenian President said. At the end of the visit President Armen Sarkissian left a note in the Honorary Guest Book. Thereafter, he and his wife Nouneh Sarkissian toured the Knesset. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Bonnie Miller,41, from Fulham, West London is fighting to keep her sons hair The schools Farouk James is set to apply to ban boys from having long hair A mother who is fighting for her eight-year-old model son to be allowed to keep his long hair at secondary school claimed she's noticed a ban on 'ethnic hairstyles'. Bonnie Miller, 41, from Fulham, West London appeared on This Morning today where she opened up about battle to keep her son Farouk James' hair, because all her selected schools ban boys from having locks past a certain length. She claimed that after investigating her school of choice, The Fulham Boys School, she discovered that despite legal action last year regarding their strict rules on haircuts, she had still noticed rules banning typically non-white styles. In 2018, Rastafarian schoolboy Chikayzea Flanders won the battle to wear his hair in dreadlocks at school after a landmark legal case, in which the Church of England free school admitted to indirect discrimination. Bonnie believed rules had changed following the previous controversy, but claimed that other mothers informed her that while some changes had been made, there were now even more rules regarding hairstyles. Bonnie told: 'They've added two further policies, which were no dreadlocks and no braids - and it was particular ethnic hairstyles.' Bonnie Miller,41, from Fulham, West London appeared on This Morning today with her model son Farouk James, eight, to discuss the strict rules on hair in secondary schools She told how after investigating her school of choice, The Fulham Boys School, she noticed rules banning typically non-white styles such as braids Bonnie began investigating different schools' rules, after planning ahead for Farouk's applications in Year 5. 'I was very excited and assured that Farouk is going to go to that school, we met the criteria in every way, said Bonnie. When host Holly Willoughby , 38, asked how he felt about his hair, Farouk replied: 'I feel like it's lovely and if I have to chop it off I would be really sad and very angry.' Farouk has already travelled to New York and Florence to show off his incredible mane of curls on the catwalk and has also worked for children's brands including Guess. Bonnie said: 'We've been told over the years, that if he wants to do more work, he'd have to cut his hair. Bonnie told how she began investigating different schools' rules last year, after planning ahead for Farouk's applications in Year 5 When host Holly Willoughby (pictured left) , 38, asked how he felt about his hair, the eight-year-old told how he would be 'really sad and very angry' 'So it it's not something we want to do to get more modelling jobs.' She went on to insist that her son's hair is 'part of his identity' just as hers is. The mother said: 'His hair is a part of him, there's been times in his life that his hair has been bigger than his limbs. 'Just like us as women, it's part of our identity, it's how we feel, it's no different.' Bonnie previously told how she was considering declaring her model son non-binary so he can keep his famous locks, which currently fall down below his bottom, when straightened. Bonnie previously told how she was considering declaring her model son non-binary so he can keep his famous locks, which currently fall down below his bottom, when it's straight She said it is discriminatory because girls can have long hair and admits she thought about claiming Farouk is gender fluid so he can keep his mane She said it is discriminatory because girls can have long hair and admits she thought about claiming Farouk is gender fluid so he can keep his mane. The 41-year-old has launched a petition demanding the government stops schools from prohibiting boys from growing long locks. 'We are told we are supposed to be tolerant, and embrace diversity,' Bonnie, of Fulham, west London, said. 'However this policy teaches children that they cannot be different.' She said: 'Why are we teaching - at such a young age - that long hair means there is something wrong with these children? 'I thought 'I have to do something about this, children's mental health is more important.' Bonnie's petition calls on the government to ban the 'outdated practice' of hair rules. 'Applying for a mixed school, I may just put him down as non-binary,' she said. 'I have been trying to think of loopholes, and think how can I get him in. 'The mixed schools I have been looking at have policies which clearly differentiate between boys and girls.' Farouk has already travelled to New York and Florence to show off his incredible mane of curls on the catwalk and has also worked for children's brands including Guess Bonnie believes equal hair rules will also allow transgender people to be more comfortable. At his primary school he is allowed to grow his hair as long as he wants, provided it does not cover his eyes. Photographer Bonnie says Farouk is terrified about having to cut his beautiful locks for secondary school. 'Parents have shown me they have had to chop their child's hair off, and the devastation it has caused,' she explained. 'It's a part of their identity. 'You are asking someone to take away a huge part of themselves, to fit in to what is socially expected.' She says people often call Farouk a girl, but he just brushes it off. Jean-Luc Picard, last seen onscreen in 2002s Star Trek: Nemesis, has been pulled out of retirement for CBS All Access newest offering, Star Trek: Picard. But retirement is exactly what awaits him there. By the time we catch up with the former starship captain played by Patrick Stewart, hes established a quiet routine at his chateau in France, making wine and writing books. While Picard has always had more intellectual leanings, his action sequence days are now completely behind him, it seems. Forget hexahedron-obsessed aliens or an omnipotent tricksterall it takes to get him winded is a few flights of stairs. He measures out his life in teaspoons, his signature order of tea, Earl Grey, hot having since been modified to tea, Earl Grey, decaf. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite trailers that suggested the great man might just spend Star Trek: Picard chilling in a vineyard with his dog, Picards retirement cant last, of course. Hes an academic and a diplomat, but hes also an explorer at heart, as he was for seven years on The Next Generation, and a mysterious stranger named Dahj (Isa Briones) eventually rouses him from his comfortable new life. Still, Picard takes its sweet time getting off the groundliterally, in Picards case. The first three episodes (to be released weekly by CBS streaming service) are spent largely on Earth for an extended lesson in history, including Picards split with Starfleet, which it turns out was less than amicable. He tendered his resignation in response to a crisis from J.J. Abrams alternate-timeline Star Trek reboot, a supernova that destroyed Romulus, home to the Federations pointy-eared, highly secretive enemies. Picard led a massive Romulan evacuation effort that he himself compares to Dunkirk, but Starfleet ultimately abandoned the rescue and the 900 million refugees in need of resettlement, a betrayal that Picard took personally. Advertisement Advertisement Thats not all the trouble thats been brewing within the Federation: An android uprising on Mars has led to crackdown on synthetic beings like the late Data (Brent Spiner), who still appears in Picards dreams. Like Star Trek: Discovery, Picard embraces the freedom CBS All Access allows it to show violence and swear freely, and the result is an altogether bleak portrait of the future. The aesthetic, too, is not what fans of the 90s iterations are used to, both glossier in its cinematography and more contemporary in its costumes and hairstyling. (Beards and chunky knitwear are apparently en vogue in 2399.) Despite those superficial differences and the serialized rather than episodic structure of the show, Picard is Trek through and through, full of thorny ethical quandaries, social allegories, sinister admirals, and an undercurrent of optimism in spite of it all. The best new relationships it delivers so far are between Picard and his Romulan caretakers, Laris (Orla Brady) and Zhaban (Jamie McShane), whose genuine devotion toward him shows how far Romulans and humans have come even as the two races are still largely in conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every new relationship is critical to the success of Picard, given that other familiar faces from Star Treks past are being used sparingly. Picard, choosing a crew for his upcoming mission, outright dismisses the likes of Riker, La Forge, and Worf, even knowing that theyd drop everything to help him. The nostalgia then is all on Stewart, who is in fine form as a man not content to be a benign old codger for the rest of his days. Hes joined by Alison Pill as one of a long line of bright-eyed Star Trek scientists, and by Santiago Cabrera as a Han Solo-style pilot with a troubled past. Most promising of all is Michelle Hurd as Picards estranged colleague Raffi Musiker, whose career he inadvertently torpedoed when he took his stand. It will be interesting to see how those relationships play out and where the show (boldly) goes once its finally finished playing catchup. A secondary plotline involving a classic Star Trek enemy is similarly unspooling oh-so-slowly, though I wont spoil the details in this review. That painstaking pace might put off some viewers, but its fitting for Star Treks most deliberate captain. Low profile skate style is given Jerry Lorenzos edgy touch with these dark grey and black Fear of God sneakers. Theyre handmade in Italy and constructed with velvety suede at the uppers, while luxe leather lines the insides and features down the sidewalls. Moving downwards, the chunky sole units are embossed at the heel with FEAR OF GOD for a subtle touch of SoCal cool. Suede Uppers Leather Underlays Leather Lining Embossed Branding Rubber Outsole Made in Italy At FEI, we recognize that the unique opportunities and risks facing financial professionals within the government sector require a dedicated forum for learning and discussion, explained Andrej Suskavcevic, CAE, President and CEO of FEI. Financial Executives International (FEI), the association of choice for CFOs and other senior-level finance executives, today announced the agenda for its upcoming Conference on Government Business. The event will be held at the District of Columbia Bar in Washington, D.C. on February 4. Attendees of the one-day program are eligible to receive up to 7 CPE credits to meet NASBA Standards requirements. For full agenda details and to register, visit http://www.financialexecutives.org/govbus2020. The Conference targets financial professionals who work with federal government entities and professionals in government who need to stay current on legal issues and regulatory requirements effecting government contracting. The sessions are developed by FEIs Committee on Government Business, the team responsible for analyzing legislation and regulations affecting accounting standards and practices followed by businesses servicing the Federal sector. At FEI, we recognize that the unique opportunities and risks facing financial professionals within the government sector require a dedicated forum for learning and discussion, explained Andrej Suskavcevic, CAE, President and CEO of FEI. Our Committee on Government Business has worked to put together a meaningful, timely agenda to tackle these issues in an intimate and interactive way. Based on that effort, we trust that attendees will find the conference topics invaluable. The Conference on Government Business is made possible through the support of the Financial Education & Research Foundation (FERF), and the events sponsors, Baker Tilly and PwC. The Conference will include the following sessions: The Legality of Cost and Audit Cyber Security and the Supply Chain Cost Sharing and Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) Internal/External Restructuring Costs Roundtable Understanding the federal rules and regulations addressing accounting practices is more complex for the financial professionals dealing with business working with government agencies, said Barbara Michael, Perspecta Inc.s Vice President of Government Compliance and Chair of FEIs Committee on Government Business. It takes constant education and discussion with other industry professionals to navigate new regulations and develop and implement realistic solutions. We have developed a forum that presents these topics in a format that encourages a full understanding of each issue and helps to outline a clear path to solutions. For complete agenda information and a listing of speakers please visit: http://www.financialexecutives.org/govbus2020. About FEI Financial Executives International (FEI) is the leading advocate for the views of corporate financial management. Its more than 10,000 members hold policy-making positions as chief financial officers, treasurers and controllers at companies from every major industry. FEI enhances member professional development through peer networking, career management services, conferences, research and publications. Members participate in the activities of more than 65 Chapters in the U.S. FEI is located in Morristown, NJ. Visit http://www.financialexecutives.org for more information. One patient suffering from pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus is expected to recover after receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, a local hospital said Wednesday. The male patient surnamed Hu, 53, was in critical condition after being transferred to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University on Jan. 17, where he was given ECMO support, according to the hospital. ECMO works as an artificial lung that can "replace" the patients' lungs which have been seriously damaged by the virus, allowing them to rest and receive treatment, said Xia Jian, deputy head of the hospital's emergency department. As the lungs gradually recover and resume normal functions, the ECMO support will not be needed, Xia added. The patient was no longer in critical condition Tuesday with improved lung functions, and is expected to recover and leave the hospital this week, according to the hospital. "The ECMO technology adds a path for treating pneumonia patients with novel coronavirus. However, its application is relatively narrow as it's only used on patients in critical condition," Xia said. Courtesy Plame for Congress Attention citizens of New Mexico Congressional District 3that means you in Corrales and Rio Ranchothats right, put down that saddle hitch or that slice of New York style pie and listen up. Noted Santa Fe resident, author and former CIA operative Valerie Plame wants to be your next Congresswoman. Shes been living here in New Mexico since the mid-aughts. After surviving a politically motivated outing and a subsequent scandal involving her husband and a very naughty Republican partyyou notice we said naughty; they werent quite evil back then, not by Trumpian standards anywaythat was determined to sink the Plames careers. Santa Fe must have seemed like a breath of high desert mountain air back then for Plame, who settled in Santa Fe and raised a family there. She also divorced her husband, wrote a couple of very interesting spy novels and has worked on local issues with the United Way, becoming a community leader in the process. Recently, Plame decided she wanted to return to a life of public service. She launched an insurgent campaign to be the one chosen to take up where longtime US Representative Ben Ray Lujannow seeking to fill the shoes of a retiring Senator Tom Udallleft off. Its a big field with at least five legitimate Democratic candidates set to battle it out in the states primary election on June 2. Plame, a transplant, has had to endure plenty of guff from some who see the seat as intrinsically New Mexican, to be held by a native son or daughter of the Democratic persuasion in perpetuity. Then, there are the controversial comments that the candidate made back in the before time. Oh, and the fact that her campaign war chest is stuffed full of big guns, mostly money from out-of-state supporters like teevee star Bryan Cranston. Besides all of that, Plame is eloquent, intelligent, well-educated and up to date on New Mexican issues. To get the scoop on the whys and wherefore of an unlikely but substantial candidate, Weekly Alibi met with Valerie Plame on Monday morning. Weekly Alibi: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet. I wanted to talk to you about your congressional campaign. Valerie Plame: Absolutely. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! And to you as well. Its a holiday for some, I hear. In journalism and politics, there arent a lot of days off, especially going into this election. Tell me about the hows and whys of your decision to run for Congress in District 3. I am running for District 3 because it presents me with an opportunity to again serve my country. As you know, I was a covert operations CIA officer. I loved it, loved that career. It ended before I was ready to let that go. And this is my home and I believe I have the skills and experience and the background to really serve my community and New Mexico. Ill be able to make a difference from day one. When did you decide to make New Mexico your home? I was born on an Air Force Base in Alaska. My dad was an Air Force officer. I moved around a lot with my family. I moved around a lot with my CIA career. I had seen the beauty of northern New Mexico when I came out and worked on very top secret programs at Los Alamos National Laboratories. When it became clear that my family wanted to leave Washington, DC, in the wake of that whole crazy political scandal concerning the outing of CIA identity, the only place I wanted to come was New Mexico. My children were small at the time and I wanted them to be exposed to the incredible beauty and cultural diversity and the richness that is always here. We all consider this our home. What would you seek to accomplish as the US Representative from District 3? Its not what I think is important as I travel around the district, which, as you know, is enormous. I listen with respect to each and every community. When I ask what it is citizens want from their next Congresswoman, thats where the answers are. By and large, no matter what the community is, there are three areas that matter to everyone. Those are the environment, education and employment. And I know those are big. But I also know those are three ways of thinking about the issues that everyone puts out there. In terms of environment, I am a supporter of the Green New Deal. Obviously, New Mexico is too heavily reliant on the fossil fuel industry. We need to diversify our economy. I would love to see New Mexico at the forefront of renewables technology. I think we could do that. I keep bringing a similar issue up. Were funding our state, particularly education and education reform, with petro dollars. Thats correct. With all this talk about sustainability, how can we realistically make the transition? I know a lot of your constituents in northwest New Mexico rely on oil and gas jobs to stay in the middle class. So, the oil and gas gushing out of New Mexicoin the Permian Basin and the Northwestis giving a gift to us all, to the rest of the state. Its buying us time, frankly, as we make this transition. We know its not going to last. I was just up in Farmington, where you know, the Energy Transition Act is a controversial piece of legislation. But just like the Green New Deal, its aspirational. Theres no reason New Mexico cant reach this potential. Another issue that New Mexico faces is endemic poverty. Progressive leaders say that root causes need to be addressed to solve this long standing problem. If elected, do you plan to work in that same direction? Absolutely. I was in Espanola recently and now I know how that community has been decimated by the opioid crisis. We need to take a holistic approach. Right now, treatment options arent standardized and people dont get the help they need. We have to reinvigorate the states behavioral health system. I know Congress can help with money, but more is needed here. Its how that money is spent, hopefully on treatment that goes to root causes. Were also still struggling to educate New Mexican children. Discuss. August, education is absolutely crucial. I believe that education is the foundation on which you build a thriving community. Early childhood education is important, but so is higher education. We really need to focus our resources on education and it will be interesting to see how that concept plays out in this years legislative session. What are your thoughts on climate change? Typically, Americans are not very good at longer-term planning. But with climate change, we must be. I was just speaking to Carol Romero-Wirth at the Womans March in Santa Fe. Shes a City Councilor that did a lot of work on the Santa Fe water pipeline. The point of that is that she is looking out 75 years for outcomes. We need to start doing that, too. Your experience with geopolitical matters adds some gravity to your candidacy for national office. Any thoughts on the current world situation? On the whole issue of Iran, I found the targeted killing of General Suleimani was an attempt by Trump to divert attention from the impeachment proceedings. On the other hand, it was an attempt to make him into a quote wartime president to bolster his reelection chances. His claim that there was an imminent threat has been undercut left and right. Unfortunately, I had a front row seat for what happened in 2003, when we were last lied to about a war by a Republican. I think another war in the Middle East would be catastrophic. I noticed that youve ridden into a bit of a storm here in New Mexico. Any comment on those controversies that you recently weathered, that whole allegedly anti-Semitic ramble? I made a terrible mistake for which Ive apologized numerous times, publicly and privately. I was deeply humiliated. Its not who I am. Its not what I believe. It was a painful experience that heightened my sense of responsibility. I hope citizens judge me on my words and deeds going forward. I get it. Why should you be the next US Representative from District 3 in New Mexico? I would be honored to be given that responsibility because I have the ability, the background and the skill set to serve with integrity from day one. And I want to be able to my country as a representative of my home, New Mexico. Correction: An earlier version of this article gave the wrong date for New Mexicos 2020 primary election. The election is on June 2. Weekly Alibi regrets the error. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido was in London on Tuesday as part of a surprise international trip to revive support for forcing the resignation of the countrys authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro. One year ago, Guaido was recognized by the U.S. and over 50 countries. Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Budapest are welcome to join the annual Super Bowl viewing party the organization holds at TGI Fridays in WestEnd City Center. The event will begin on Sunday February 2, but continues into the early morning, as the game only starts after midnight CET on February 3. Interested parties should RSVP to peter.kovacs@amcham.hu by January 24, as capacity is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrations will be accepted only after a HUF 5,000 deposit is paid in cash at the WestEnd TGI Fridays by January 24, but the total fee will be HUF 9,990 per person, which includes VAT. The game will be shown with Hungarian commentary on Sport TV. Venue: TGI Fridays in WestEnd 1062 Budapest, Vaci ut 1. Photo courtesy of Northfoto.com ATHENS, Greece - Greek authorities say they found more than a ton of processed cannabis camouflaged among a shipment of date paste headed by sea from Lebanon to Libya, police said Thursday. A police statement said the drugs were discovered on Jan. 16 in a ships container on a freighter that had stopped at Greeces main port of Piraeus. The statement said the raid was carried out in co-operation with U.S. and Saudi authorities. No arrests were announced. A total 1.25 tons of processed cannabis were confiscated. Greek police said the drugs were loaded in the Lebanese capital of Beirut and were destined for the Libyan port of Misrata. Lorraine employers' organisations have called Luxembourg "a job hoover", to the extent that one of their representatives calls for the creation of a tax transition zone in the 'Grand Est'. Christine Bertrand, president of MEDEF Meurthe-et-Moselle 54, has declared: "Our businesses are dying", a crisis she put before Bruno Le Maire, French Minister for the Economy, during an interview a few months ago. BUSINESSES AREN'T SUFFOCATED WITH EXPENSES It seems the time when the Grand Duchy's growth was viewed with good will is over. Today, the difference in attractiveness and competitiveness has reached such a level that representatives of the business world are asking the French government to take emergency measures. Christine Bertrand specified that they were, in fact, only bouncing off a proposal of Emmanuel Macron's. They had no animosity towards Luxembourg, in part because there was a respect for businesses that France - where they "asphyxiate" companies with charges - did not replicate. Bertrand knew of one head of hospital, for example, who was struggling because he could no longer retain his staff. How do you compete when a nurse with 15 years of experience earns 4.500 (net) in Luxembourg against 2.200 in France? The president of MEDEF 54 adds that salaries are an average of 30% higher in Luxembourg. The solution could be a change in corporate tax in a given area, a sort of fiscal transition that would allow economic players in Lorraine to be able to better compete with their neighbours. OPPORTUNISTIC GERMAN TEMPING COMPANIES Opportunists skew the status quo even more. There are, for example, a number of German temping companies, established in Luxembourg, who do not hesitate to poach employees from the French side by offering them higher salaries ... even working for the same business! This has been made possible by specific features of German temporary work agencies, which allows them to offer permanent contracts. Things have to change, especially since demographic predictions suggest a deterioration of the situation. According to a study by the Lorraine Sillon (centre grouping the four intermunicipalities of Thionville, Metz, Nancy and Epinal), the change in population structure could lead to a drop of 400,000 active workers for the Greater Region by the end of the decade. This could lead to drastically unjust competition for Lorraine, and consequentially, a worrying increase in international tensions on the labour markets. Christine Bertrand, president of MEDEF Meurthe-et-Moselle 54 While they might champion the same causes, Christine Bertrand does not take on the same vindictive tone of Metz's mayor Dominique Gros. Gros has been campaigning for tax compensation from Luxembourg to border municipalities for the same reasons. The employers' representative, on the other hand, has clarified that she prefers to collaborate constructively with Luxembourg, on different projects such as training programs, or redeveloping brownfield sites into attractive spaces for businesses in the Grand Duchy, which is already facing a shortage of available land. The issue has far-reaching consequences, because, as it stands, almost one in 10 employees in the Grand Est region works abroad, 8.1% in 2015 according to INSEE. A next meeting is scheduled for 20 February at the Ministry of the Economy to try and move forward. Boston, MA, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDGs CIO the executive-level IT media brand providing insight into business technology leadership releases the 2020 State of the CIO research , which helps define the CIO agenda for the upcoming year and outlines the responsibilities and challenges facing senior IT leaders. For the past 10 years, the majority of CIOs have had a transformational focus (currently 42%), however, this year, there is strong momentum in CIOs taking on more strategic responsibilities (40%). As CIOs continue to move towards a strategic role, they are also less likely to be challenged to find the right balance between business innovation and operational excellence (77% vs. 80% in 2019). Defining CIO Responsibilities Looking at the activities that CIOs currently spend the majority of their time on, security management (45%), aligning IT initiatives with business goals (44%), improving IT operations/systems performance (42%), implementing new systems and architectures (39%), driving business innovation (34%), and leading change efforts (34%) top the list. Although the key activities today still appear to be transformational and functional tasks, there has been a declining shift in the percentages since the 2019 study. This year, strategic activities for example, developing and refining business strategy, developing new go-to-market strategies & technologies, and driving business innovationexpect an increase in six to seven percentage points over the next 3 years, closing the gap between the focus on transformational and strategic activities. This is an exciting time for CIOs, as their responsibilities continue to transition to provide value in both business growth and strategic initiatives, said Adam Dennison, SVP/General Manager, IDG Events & Publisher, CIO. Line of business executives recognize that senior IT leaders are no longer only essential for optimizing IT infrastructure, but also for driving revenue and innovation. Further supporting this claim, 89% of CIOs say they are more involved in leading digital transformation initiatives compared to their business counterparts. More than half (56%) of line of business (LOB) respondents agree with CIOs on their contribution to this initiative, which is up from 47% just one year ago. CIOs also shared their CEOs tech priorities for the coming year, which include leading digital business/digital transformation initiatives, upgrading IT and data security to boost corporate resiliency, and strengthening IT and business collaboration skills. LOB counterparts shared their view on this question and showed strong alignment and consistency with IT responses, saying that the CEOs top priorities for IT are upgrading IT and data security to boost corporate resiliency, identifying new data-driven business opportunities, helping reach a specific goal for corporate revenue growth, and leading digital business/digital transformation initiatives. Customer-Centric CIO Within the responsibilities and initiatives of senior IT leaders, there is a common trend around customer experience. The majority (95%) of CIOs believe their role is expanding beyond traditional IT responsibilities, with customer experience (46%) being in the top three areas they are expanding into. Additional areas include cybersecurity (64%), data privacy/compliance (49%), operations (36%) and business development (36%). Along the same lines of role expansion, 67% of CIOs say that the creation of new revenue-generating initiatives is among their job responsibilities. In order to complete this task, CIOs are creating business case scenarios with defined costs and benefits, creating teams focused on innovation, and directly interacting with the customer. When asked which business initiatives will drive the most IT investment in the coming year, improving the customer experience ranked second for both heads of IT and LOB respondents. Looking at the tech initiatives driving the most IT investment, customer experience technologies (chatbots, mobile apps, etc.) rank third for heads of IT respondents. We also see collaborate with business departments on major customer initiative fall in the top five CEO priorities for IT in the coming year. Continue the Conversation To dive deeper into how to drive business forward through digital advancements, business and technology leaders are invited to attend the AGENDA20 conference taking place March 23-25, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. To learn about joining Google Chrome Enterprise, Unisys, Omnivex and Numerify as an AGENDA20 partner, contact Adam Dennison at adam_dennison@idg.com . About State of the CIO Survey The 19th annual survey was fielded online among CIOs audience with the objective of understanding the current parameters of the CIO role and how it may be changing over time. To be considered qualified, respondents must have identified themselves as the head of IT for their company or a division within it. Results are based on 679 qualified IT respondents, and 250 LOB responses. You can learn more about the 2020 State of the CIO research in the executive summary . About CIO CIO focuses on attracting the highest concentration of enterprise CIOs and business technology executives with unparalleled peer insight and expertise on business strategy, innovation, and leadership. As organizations grow with digital transformation, CIO provides its readers with key insights on career development, including certifications, hiring practices and skills development. The award-winning CIO portfolio provides business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of ITs role in achieving business goals. CIO is published by IDG Communications, Inc. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com . Follow CIO on Twitter: @CIOonline #StateoftheCIO Follow IDG on Twitter: @IDGWorld Follow CIO on LinkedIn Follow CIO on Facebook About IDG Communications, Inc. IDG Communications connects the world of tech buyers with insights, intent and engagement. We are the worlds largest media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. Our premium brands, including CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PCWorld engage a quality audience of the most powerful audience of technology buyers providing essential guidance on the evolving technology landscape. Our global data intelligence platform activates purchasing intent, powering our clients success. IDG Marketing Services creates custom content with marketing impact across video, mobile, social and digital. We execute complex campaigns that fulfill marketers global ambitions seamlessly with consistency that delivers quality results. Chennai: The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is seemingly becoming uncomfortable with the BJP, in alliance with whom it contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This is indicated in the utterances of minister for khadi and village industries G Baskaran at Ilayangudi in Sivaganga district. We are looking for the right moment to part ways with the BJP, the minister said, addressing a predominantly Muslim audience on the occasion of the birth anniversary of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran (MGR) last Tuesday. All state ministers have expressed their opposition to the CAA (the Citizenship Amendment Act), he said. On Wednesday, fisheries minister D Jayakumar stepped in to scotch further speculation, saying that Baskaran had only expressed his personal opinion and that it was not the partys stand. Baskaran himself did a volte face, stating that the BJP-AIADMK alliance cannot be broken. But there were enough indicators elsewhere that all is not well with the alliance. One such indicator was Jayakumar taking potshots at actor Rajinikant for his speech at the Thuglak golden jubilee. The minister said the actor was harping on an incident that did not happen, and hailed Periyar E V Ramasamy as a great social revolutionary and questioned Rajinikanths intention behind dredging up something that allegedly happened, but in fact did not, way back in 1971. A few other ministers have also been expressing their views against the alliance in subtle ways. In the Assembly, ministers like Udhayakumar and Vijaya Bhaskar spoke against the Centre with reference to issues like NPR and NEET, while Jayakumar himself lamented the non-receipt of funds from the Centre. Such loud murmurs by AIADMK leaders against the BJP government in New Delhi are being heard only since the polls to rural local bodies as there is resentment at the grassroots level that the party has lost its vote bank among the minority communities because of its alliance with the BJP. The fear that they could be alienating themselves from the people has gripped the AIADMK, which was evident in chief minister Edappadi Palanisamys letter to the central government asking it not to go ahead with the proposed hydrocarbon extraction project in the Cauvery delta. Even deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam has said no scheme that does not do good to the people would be implemented. Even if the AIADMK might not be able to take a stand on severing ties with the BJP now, the manner in which many ministers slammed Rajinikanth for denouncing Periyar is another indicator that the party no more sees eye to eye with the BJP. While all the top state leaders of the BJP like H Raja, S Ve Sekar, Subramanian Swamy and S Gurumurthy openly supported Rajinikanth for declaring he would not apologise for his goof-up in the narration of a 1971 rally organised by Periyar, ministers Pannerselvam, Udhayakumar, KA Sengottaiyan spoke highly of Periyar, sending across the message that they were not with the BJP. Their eulogies to the Periyar were in stark contrast to the views of BJP leaders. That the ministers were speaking about Periyar in glowing terms in various parts of the state like Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore only went to prove that the party is keen on reaffirming its loyalty to Periyar, lest they earn the ire of the masses. By taking a firm stand against Rajinikanth, the AIADMK is perhaps sending across the message that it is not dependent on the BJP. It means that AIADMK leaders have come a long way from the days following the death of J Jayalalithaa when they sought guidance from BJP leaders like Gurumurthy. In fact, Gurumurthy openly speaking about one such occasion when Panneerselvam approached him for guidance has not gone down well with the AIADMK leaders and cadre. Gurumurthy had told a gathering of Thuglak readers how he asked Panneerselvam Are you a man? and then advised him to protest against VK Sasikala, who was making preparations to become the chief minister, had earned the wrath of many. EAST LANSING, Mich. - The United States currently averages 20 mass shootings per year. Researchers from Michigan State University measured the extent to which mass shootings are committed by domestic violence perpetrators, suggesting how firearm restrictions may prevent these tragedies. Under federal law, when people are convicted of domestic violence misdemeanor crimes, they are prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns for the rest of their lives. However, holes in the system allow potential mass shooters to slip through the cracks. "We found that 38% of known mass shooters had a history of domestic violence, either known to the justice system or mentioned in the media," said April Zeoli, associate professor of criminal justice at MSU and lead author of the research. "Very few of those who committed mass shootings seemed to have firearm restrictions due to domestic violence; the fact that some of them had those restrictions suggests that we are not actually preventing purchase or possession of a gun as well as we could or need to be." Zeoli explained that some cases of domestic violence never result in firearm restrictions because law enforcement is never involved, because the cases were not referred to prosecutors, because the charges that were filed didn't qualify for firearm restrictions or because the case didn't meet a relationship requirement for the gun restrictions to be applied. "In more than 20 states, a person convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence against a dating partner will not be restricted from firearm access - you must have lived together, be married or have a child together to qualify for the restriction," Zeoli said. The research, published in Criminology & Public Policy, looked at the nearly 90 mass shootings that took place between 2014 and 2017. Zeoli and co-author Jennifer Paruk cross-checked four separate mass shooting databases - compiled by Every Town for Gun Safety, USA Today, Gun Violence Archives and Mother Jones - and then used publicly available criminal records to see what other criminal charges the shooters had against them. "The public sees media reports of mass shootings happening in movie theaters, schools, night clubs and beyond - these are the ones that keep us all up at night," Zeoli said. "But the majority of these mass shootings involved intimate and family member victims." The researchers pinpointed ways - called "exit points" in the paper - that firearm restrictions failed to prevent a shooter from buying a gun, which include purchases made through private sales and a failure to report gun disqualifications to the criminal background check system. "In the case of the Sutherland Springs Baptist church shooting, the shooter did in fact qualify for a gun restriction under federal law because of domestic violence," Zeoli said. "However, the conviction was in military court, and the military never sent the conviction records to the background check system; so, when he went to buy a gun, nothing showed up on his record." Zeoli hopes that the findings inspire both the public and lawmakers to learn about their states' laws, as well as the exit points she and Paruk found that can lead to a gun landing in the hands of the wrong type of person. "The image you get of mass shootings in the media isn't always the full picture," Zeoli said. "People should determine, in their state, whether it may be possible for people convicted of domestic violence to obtain a firearm. Many of those exit points can be closed through legislation and better implementation of the law. My feeling - and my hope - is that we'll continue to see states work to implement restrictions to dangerous individuals from gaining access to guns and prevent gun violence from happening." ### (Note for media: Please include a link to the original paper in online coverage: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1745-9133.12475) Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews. JERUSALEM Shortly before they were rounded up by Nazi troops in Belgium and deported to Auschwitz in 1942, the parents of 3-year-old Maurice Gluck placed their only child in the care of a local Christian family. Gluck forgot his Yiddish mother tongue and that he even had parents of his own. After the war, his devastated father came to claim him and several months later he was introduced to a weeping woman who showered him with hugs and kisses. My father said: Look Maurice, this is your mother, Helen, he recalled. Only years later did Gluck discover that his birth mother had actually perished along with more than a million other Jews in the Auschwitz death camp. Helen was in fact his aunt. She discovered that her sister had died so she looked for ways to find me immediately, Gluck explained, choking back tears. She was my only mother and will always be my mother. Seventy-five years after Auschwitz was liberated, Gluck is one of 75 Holocaust survivors featured in a commemorative photo project that Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial produced along with award-winning German portrait photographer Martin Schoeller. The exhibition, which opened Tuesday before German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Ruhr Museum in Essen, is just one of the various events marking the anniversary and commemorating its victims as the notorious camps few and aging survivors slowly disappear. Merkel said the portraits should be a reminder to everyone to stand up for humanity, a reminder...not to stay silent and look the other way when someone is attacked, humiliated or their dignity is harmed. Yad Vashem is also unveiling its online iRemember Wall, a six-language interactive platform linking users to the memorials vast database of victims. The main ceremony will be the World Holocaust Forum on Thursday, in which dozens of world leaders will arrive in Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the genocide and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prince Charles and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria are among the more than 40 dignitaries who will be attending the event. It comes amid a global spike in violence against Jews and in a climate in which a survey showed that 80% of European Jews said they felt unsafe in the continent. Tel Aviv University researchers reported last year that violent attacks against Jews grew significantly in 2018, with the largest reported number of Jews killed in anti-Semitic acts in decades. They recorded 400 cases, with the spike most dramatic in western Europe. In Germany, for instance, there was a 70% increase in anti-Semitic violence. In addition to the shooting attacks, assaults and vandalism, the research also noted increased anti-Semitic vitriol online and in newspapers, as extremist political parties grew in power in several countries. I grew up with this incredible sense of guilt and shock, which led me to question my own identity. How could people from my country commit these horrendous crimes? said Schoeller, the photographer, explaining the impetus for the photo project. It is very scary to see what is happening in Europe right now, that anti-Semitism has come back so strongly. Schoeller, a former assistant to Annie Leibovitz who is also renowned for his hyper-detailed close ups of celebrities, took a series of intimate portraits of the 75 survivors that highlighted their weathered faces. Among those he bonded with during the photo shoots was Gluck, today an 80-year-old retired diamond merchant who lives in northern Israel. Gluck's own life story is directly connected to Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp whose very name has become almost synonymous with the Holocaust. His parents were captured and sent there shortly after the Van den Stock family of Brussels took him in and sheltered him for three years. They were later recognized by Israel for their actions as Righteous Among the Nations, the countrys highest honor for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews. Their descendants maintain a relationship to this day with Gluck and his children. Glucks father, Eugene, survived a series of camps and the notorious Death March out of Auschwitz in its waning days. His wife Sara died there in 1943, among more than 1.1 million Jews who were killed in Auschwitz and the adjacent Birkenau death camp in gas chambers or from starvation, disease and forced labor in the meticulous Nazi effort to rid Europe of its Jews. Overall, the Holocaust claimed 6 million Jewish lives, wiping out a third of world Jewry. When Saras sister Helen also emerged from the camp, she was determined to track down her nephew and raise him as her own. She eventually married Glucks father, moved with him to Israel and they had two other children together. Only at Glucks bar mitzvah, when according to Jewish tradition he became a man, did she tell him the truth. I ran away and cried all night, recalled Gluck, now a grandfather of 10. But in the morning, I went back to her and told her that it didnt matter. She would always be my mother. Despite the early life trauma, Gluck said he considers himself among the lucky ones since he was raised with love. Do not forget but try to forgive, he said of his lessons from the Holocaust. In this world there are good people and bad people. Try to find the good ones. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The coronavirus is making headlines all over the world, leaving many anxious they may become struck down with the infection. Virtually unheard of at the start of the year, the somewhat-mysterious strain is thought to have emerged at a seafood and live animal market in the Chinese city Wuhan at the end of 2019. Confirmed cases have since arisen across every inhabited continent. While it may sound alarming, the pandemic appears to have curbed in China, with cases plateauing since the end of February. Staff at the mobile ward Hermann Josef Hospital at Willy Stein Stadium in Erkelenz, Germany, are pictured demonstrating how to read a patient's temperature on 10 March. (Getty Images) Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area Explained: Symptoms, latest advice and how it compares to the flu What are the symptoms of the coronavirus? The coronavirus causes vague, flu-like symptoms, namely fever, cough and slight breathlessness. Early data suggests four out of five cases are mild, with symptoms not progressing beyond the above. After looking at 181 confirmed patients, scientists from John Hopkins University found most developed signs of the infection within five days. Nearly all (97.5%) had endured the flu-like symptoms within 11.5 days. In severe cases, patients are developing pneumonia. A flight attendant is pictured wearing a mask and gloves while demonstrating safety procedures on a flight bound for Manila in the Philippines on 10 March. (Getty Images) This occurs when a respiratory infection spreads to the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs, causing them to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. Generally speaking, pneumonia often causes a cough, which may come with thick coloured or blood-stained phlegm. Some develop breathing difficulties, with breaths becoming rapid and shallow. Others may feel breathless, even when resting. A rapid heartbeat, fever, chest pain and loss of appetite are also warning signs. Some also battle sweats and shivering, alongside generally feeling unwell. Less common symptoms include coughing up blood, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, wheezing, and joint and muscle pain. Story continues The elderly may become confused or disorientated. Chinese scientists looked at 137 survivors of the coronavirus and 54 people who died of the infection in Wuhan. They found 98% of the deceased developed respiratory failure, compared to 36% of the survivors. This occurs when insufficient levels of oxygen pass from the lungs into the bloodstream or carbon dioxide builds up. Sufferers may feel breathless or start gasping for air. If respiratory failure progresses, the skin, lips and fingernails can turn blue, with patients also appearing disorientated, fatigued and suffering an irregular heart beat. They can even lose consciousness. The same scientists found all (100%) of the deceased had sepsis versus less than half (42%) of the survivors. Sepsis symptoms include acting confused, blurring speech and not making sense. Like with respiratory failure, some patients turn blue, while others develop a rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass. Difficulty breathing, breathlessness or rapid breathing are also warning signs. An emergency paramedic is pictured wearing a protective suit at the Novomoskovsky multipurpose medical center in Moscow on 10 March. (Getty Images) What is the new coronavirus? The new coronavirus is one of seven strains of a virus class that are known to infect humans. The class is also made up of four strains that cause the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers). Sars killed 774 people during its 2002/3 outbreak, while 858 people died in Mers 2012 outbreak. Most of those who initially caught the new coronavirus worked at, or visited, the market in Wuhan. Officials confirmed early on in the outbreak the virus spreads face-to-face via droplets that have been sneezed or coughed out by a patient. There is also evidence it may be transmitted in faeces and urine. The coronavirus has no set treatment, with most peoples immune system fighting off the virus naturally. Those requiring hospitalisation are given supportive care, like ventilation, while their immune system gets to work. To prevent infection, officials recommend regular hand washing and social distancing. Russias lower house of parliament supports amendments to Constitution RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:32 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) The State Duma passed a bill on amendments to the Russian Constitution in the first reading on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin brought the bill before the parliament on January 20. He clarified the essence of the amendments proposed to the Constitution at a meeting with members of a working group established to elaborate the respective suggestions on January 16. According to the President, the amendments are aimed to further the development of Russia as a social welfare state governed by the rule of law, as well as to achieve higher efficiency of its national institutions, strengthen the role played by its civil society, political parties, and Russias regions in working out most important decisions concerning the development of the state. Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was to remain a Presidential republic, but a more open one, where the significance of its Parliament was to grow, whereas interrelations of lawmakers with the government were to be strengthened. The President was to retain serious powers to dismiss from their posts those violating the law and those failing to be scrupulous about their duties on the basis of loss of trust, Putin said. The Head of the State believes that these powers were imperative due to the complex state structure of Russia, its multi-confessional and multi-ethnic nature, and vast territory. The working group on preparation of proposals concerning amendments to the Constitution was approved by the President on January 15. Among its members are representatives of the Federation Council, State Duma and other public figures. Israeli PM denounces Iran as the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet at Yad Vashem during Holocaust memorial. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged action against the tyrants of Tehran during a Holocaust memorial speech on Thursday in Jerusalem, comparing what he considers the threat from Iran to that once posed by Nazi Germany. Netanyahu denounced Iran as the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet in a speech in front of world leaders gathered at the Yad Vashem memorial institute to mark 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by Soviet troops. The Israeli prime minister went on to thank US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who was in attendance, for confronting Iran. However, Netanyahu told world leaders, We have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future, he said, vowing there will not be another Holocaust. Vile tide of anti-Semitism 200122164402114 Tehran denies it is trying to build a nuclear bomb and accusations of anti-Semitism, insisting while it opposes Israel and supports the Palestinian cause, it has no problem with Jewish people, including its own Jewish minority. Pence, who spoke shortly after Netanyahu, warned Irans nuclear programme posed a security threat to all nations, not just Israel. He urged people to confront and expose the vile tide of anti-Semitism around the world. In that same spirit, we must also stand strong against the leading state purveyor of anti-Semitism, against the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The world must stand strong against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pence said. No immediate reaction was available from Iranian officials. Tensions between the US and Iran escalated after a US air raid killed Qassem Soleimani, head of Irans elite Quds Force, on January 3 with fears of all-out war breaking out. Muslim delegation pays respects A high-level delegation of Muslim religious leaders visited Auschwitz on Thursday along with a Jewish group in what organisers called the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to visit the site of the Nazi death camp. The interfaith visit came four days before the 75th anniversary of the January 27, 1945, liberation of the camp by the Red Army. The visit was led by the secretary-general of the Muslim World League, Mohammad bin Abdulkarim al-Issa, and the CEO of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris. In a statement, the AJC said al-Issa, who is based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, led a delegation of 62 Muslims, including 25 prominent religious leaders, from some 28 countries on several continents. It called the visit groundbreaking. The AJC delegation included members of the organisation, among them some children of Holocaust survivors. To be here, among the children of Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish and Islamic communities, is both a sacred duty and a profound honour, al-Issa said. The unconscionable crimes to which we bear witness today are truly crimes against humanity. That is to say, a violation of us all, an affront to all of Gods children. On Friday, the members of the group will visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and will attend Muslim and Jewish religious services there. Newly released emails and other documents show that some of those now sitting as jurors in Trumps impeachment trial were also unhappy about his move to freeze aid last year Newly released documents show senior Republican lawmakers were privately questioning President Donald Trumps administration over the withholding of U.S. military aid to Ukraine last year, indicating that concerns about the policy extended well beyond senior Trump advisors such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-National Security Advisor John Bolton. Some of those Republican lawmakers, such as Sens. Jim Inhofe and Rob Portman, are now sitting as jurors in Trumps ongoing impeachment trial, which is largely focused on the question of whether the president abused his power by withholding military aid in a bid to force Ukraine into investigating his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. While much of the focus of the impeachment investigation has been on officials in the executive branchincluding the State and Defense departments and the White Housethese documents shed new light on how key Republican lawmakers and Trump allies were also concerned about the aid being withheld. Despite months of depositions and new revelations about why Trump withheld the aid to Ukraine, so far no Republican lawmakers appear convinced that Trump committed any impeachable offenses. On Tuesday evening, as the first day of the trial dragged on past midnight, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released 192 pages of documents, including heavily redacted emails of exchanges between OMB officials and counterparts at the Pentagon. The documents were released under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by American Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog. The release adds new documentation to the timeline of events in which Trump ordered the delay of military aid to Ukraine to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, allegations that are central to the impeachment trial. The documents also underscore how, despite the fierce partisan disputes over impeachment, Democrats and Republicans alike still overwhelmingly back supplying military aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed separatists. After the Pentagon approved nearly $250 million in security-related funds for Ukraine last June, the aid was temporarily withheld for months before being released in September. The newly released emails show a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how Republican lawmakers and their staffers were pressing the White House to release the aid in the intervening months. The emails show that as early as August, staffers for top Republican lawmakers and their staffers were pressing the White House to explain why military aid to Ukraine was being held up. I heard today that OMB has put a pause on expending funds authorized for Ukrainian security assistance. Is there someone there that I could talk to to understand why? Josh Martin, the chief of staff to Rep. Mac Thornberry, wrote in an email to OMB officials on Aug. 22. Thornberry is the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. An OMB official in another email said they had received a similar inquiry from the office of Inhofe, who is also the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. On Aug. 23, an aide to Portman also sent his own request asking for an explanation. Also among the released documents is a letter from Republican Rep. Paul Cook to Mick Mulvaney, Trumps acting chief of staff, on Aug. 23. We strongly urge you to direct that all the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding proceed to execution as planned, he wrote. Actions by the Office of Management and Budget that delay implementation of this critical funding could undermine our clear national security interests and signal the U.S. Governments lack of commitment to Ukraine and our Eastern European allies, he warned in the letter. Despite mounting pressure from Republican lawmakers in August, it would be weeks before Trump ultimately released the aid. He agreed to do so after discussions with Vice President Mike Pence and Portman on Sept. 11, 2019, which came after a whistleblower complaint was filed and after scrutiny in the media. OMB declined to comment for the story, but in the past the office has maintained that it acted in accordance with the law and stressed that it directed the Pentagon to continue engaging in all activities related to Ukrainian security assistance short of obligating funds. In a legal memo published by the Washington Post in December, OMB insisted the temporary hold in military aid was legal and done to examine whether the spending was consistent with U.S. policy, rather than being withheld for political reasons. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and derided the impeachment investigation as a hoax and witch hunt. A nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, concluded in a report last week that OMB broke the law by withholding military aidan assertion that the White House and other top Republican lawmakers sharply dispute. The newly released emails also show repeated exchanges, albeit heavily redacted ones, between Mike Duffey, a senior Trump appointee overseeing national security programs at OMB, other OMB officials, and Elaine McCusker, the deputy undersecretary of defense and comptroller for the Pentagon. In one email exchange on Aug. 20, Duffey told McCusker that funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative are not available for obligation until August 26, 2019 to allow for an interagency process to determine the best use of such funds. DOD may continue its planning and casework for the initiative during this period. Another section of his email was redacted. McCusker replied that same day: Seems like we continue to talk (email) past each other a bit. We should probably have a call. Austin Evers, the executive director of American Oversight, said the new documents undercut the president and his lawyers arguments that handing over documents is not necessary for the impeachment trial. Despite the Trump Administrations obstruction and the rhetoric at the trial, the public can now see even more evidence of the presidents corrupt scheme as it unfolded in real time, he said in a statement. The volume of material released, and the volume of material still secreted away, only highlights how much the administration has withheld from the House, the Senate, and the American public. Read the original text at Foreign Policy. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A major fire broke out in the godown of a footwear showroom at Karamana at 9.30am on Wednesday. The fire caused a loss of around Rs 10 lakh in Batas godown, according to its owner.Located on the third floor of the building, the godown lacked safety measures in place, said officials. Three fire engines from Thiruvananthapuram and Chenkalchoola unit doused the fire in an operation lasted nearly one-and-a-half hours. We got the call by 9.45am and we reached the spot quickly. Around 24,000 litres of water were used to douse the fire, in which plastic and leather footwear got burnt. We believe the fire was caused due to a short circuit, said Suresh Kumar, Chenkalchoola station officer.The incident once again brought into focus the lack of safety measures and preparedness in establishments in the city. Fire and safety rules and regulations that are mandatory were not followed. Commercial establishments require a sprinkler system and assorted equipment. While we cannot initiate action on the same, we can issue a notice and bring it to the District Collectors notice. Godowns are inspected regularly, said Suresh. Fire and rescue officials in action, PicsVincent Pulickal Karamana police inspected the site after the fire was doused. A team from KSEB will evaluate the situation and identify the cause. With regard to the lack of fire and safety equipment, we will need a report from the Fire and Rescue Department before we can proceed. The loss amount is roughly estimated and we will have a clear idea after the estimation is completed, said a police officer. Earlier, 1,300 buildings in the district were found lacking in adequate fire-handling facilities by the Fire and Rescue Department. While many buildings do have fire and safety measures in place, the equipment in the rest are non-functional or past their expiry dates. As per norms, two fire protection systems must be ensured in buildings -- a fire detection or alarm system and a fire suppression system. South Korea's first transgender soldier objects to military discharge decision originally appeared on abcnews.go.com South Koreas first transgender soldier plans to file an administrative litigation after the military decided to discharge her from her duties on Wednesday. Byun Hui-Su, staff sergeant and tank driver, stationed in Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, underwent gender reassignment surgery in Thailand last year while on leave. She is indeed very brave. I think it is time for change in Korean society to embrace the gender diversity and minority groups as part of our members, said Jieun Lee, a human rights, finance and art specialty lawyer who helps represent Byun along with the Military Human Rights Korea and Lawyers Knowledge Forum pro bono committee, told ABC News. Byun was waiting for the court to approve her request to change legal gender from male to female. The National Human Rights Commission has recommended that the military wait three months before any discharge decision is made. MORE: BTS members must serve in the South Korean military But South Koreas military abruptly discharged Byun on Wednesday based on a related military personnel management act which allows discharge of people with physical or mental disabilities if those problems were not a result of combat or in the line of duty. It is very disappointing and annoying that the military medical review committee sees her transgender operation as physical defect based on legal gender as male, Lee added. Shortly after the military announcement, Byun, holding back tears, read a statement to the press describing her childhood dreams of becoming a soldier. She was proud to have made that choice but confessed symptoms of depression turned worse day by day because of gender dysphoria throughout her duty. (Being a soldier) was my earnest dream but I continuously thought that I could not serve the military in this condition, she read. Apart from my gender identity, I want to show everyone that I can also be one of the great soldiers who protect this country. Story continues This is the first time in South Korea that an active-duty member has been referred to a military panel to determine whether to end his or her service due to a sex reassignment operation. South Korea prohibits transgender people from joining the military but has no specific laws on what to do with those who have sex reassignment operations during their time in service. ABC News' Hakyung Kate Lee and AP contributed to this report. By David Shepardson (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Canada on Wednesday proposed a $196.5 million (CAD) (114 million pounds) fine against Volkswagen AG after the company pleaded guilty to dozens of counts of diesel emissions violations, a company spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. Volkswagen was charged in December with importing nearly 128,000 vehicles into Canada violating emissions standards. VW pleaded guilty after being charged with 60 counts of breaching the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and providing misleading information. By David Shepardson (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Canada on Wednesday proposed a $196.5 million (CAD) (114 million pounds) fine against Volkswagen AG after the company pleaded guilty to dozens of counts of diesel emissions violations, a company spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. Volkswagen was charged in December with importing nearly 128,000 vehicles into Canada violating emissions standards. VW pleaded guilty after being charged with 60 counts of breaching the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and providing misleading information. The company said last month it had reached "a proposed plea resolution" without disclosing details. Volkswagen admitted to using illegal software to cheat U.S. pollution tests in 2015, triggering a global backlash against diesel vehicles that has so far cost it 30 billion euros ($33.3 billion) in fines, penalties and buyback costs. In May 2019, it set aside an additional 5.5 billion euros in contingent liabilities as it continues to face penalties and lawsuits around the world. Last week, Polands consumer watchdog UOKiK said it was fining Volkswagen more than 120 million zlotys (24 million pounds) for misleading customers about the emissions of its vehicles. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler and David Gregorio) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. THIBODAUX, La., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foret Contracting Group, L.L.C. signed their first federal contract with the U.S. Coast Guard on Nov. 6, 2019. The contract, valued at $11,813.52, is for providing routine landscape maintenance services at the U.S. Coast Guard Base New Orleans. The small business specializes in construction, landscape design and maintenance, and facility maintenance. Initially, they wanted to enter the federal marketplace in order to broaden their opportunities and expand their services throughout the Gulf Coast Region. After establishing a foothold in the federal marketplace, they plan on expanding their business across the United States. Although the business has a proven track record in the commercial sector and working with local governments, they enlisted the help of US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) for getting started in the federal marketplace. To do so, Foret Contracting Group, L.C.C. enrolled in USFCRs Simplified Acquisition Program. USFCRs Simplified Acquisition Program primarily consists of a System for Award Management (SAM) registration service and online capabilities statement. Federal agencies working with Foret Contracting Group, L.C.C. can rest assured that their SAM registration will remain in compliance. With the online capabilities statement, agencies and prime contractors have easy access to Foret Contracting Group, L.C.C. 's core competencies, past performance record, and contact information. They [USFCR] helped facilitate the registration process which can be complicated if you are unfamiliar with the federal procurement system, said Business Development Representative, Mandi Foret. About four months after enrolling in the Simplified Acquisition Program, Foret Contracting Group, L.L.C. won the contract with the U.S. Coast Guard. The contract is expected to be completed at the end of September 2020. Be open to expanding your offerings and perhaps getting out of your comfort zone, said Mandi about bidding on federal contracts. Sometimes a business will have to grow their capabilities in order to find their niche in the federal marketplace. By implementing this strategy, Foret Contracting Group, L.L.C. was able to come out on top of the four other offers the USCG received. Gov. Charlie Bakers office announced MassWorks Infrastructure Program grants on Thursday totaling $5.3 million to five towns in Hampshire and Berkshire counties. The funds will assist Cummington, Hinsdale, Middlefield, New Marlborough and Williamsburg with road and culvert projects. MassWorks is a valuable program that maximizes return on investment for capital funding, delivering vital infrastructure repairs that improve public safety while stimulating local and private development, job growth and housing production, said Baker in a statement. We will continue to collaborate closely with local leaders to identify opportunities and target public resources toward the growth and wellbeing of communities across the Commonwealth. The grants will be used for the following projects: Williamsburg received a $350,000 award to replace a five-foot culvert on Depot Road. The project will alleviate flooding and related structural decay. Cummington will reconstruct a 1.5-mile stretch of Route 112 made possible through a $1 million award. The project will divert water off Route 112 and into engineered catch basins. Hinsdale will use its first MassWorks award, a grant of $1 million, to repair a 1.6-mile stretch of Old Dalton Road between Routes 8 and 143. The town will also open the tree canopy, replace a collapsing culvert to mitigate potential flooding, install guardrails, and improve safety signage. Middlefield will utilize a $1 million grant to repair Skyline Trail, which is considered the towns major access route. Skyline Trail is the primary roadway for mutual aid and emergency response for five neighboring towns, and is heavily used by commuters and students accessing regional schools. New Marlborough will put a $2 million grant, in coordination with the Town of Sandisfield, toward much needed improvements to Route 57. The failing roadway is a vital connection between the two towns as well as Tolland, Granville and Great Barrington to the west, Springfield to the east, and Bradley International Airport to the south. Since 2015, the Baker administration has awarded more than $456 million in MassWorks grants to support 219 shovel-ready projects in 141 communities. Over 400 women congregated in Pulikeshi Nagar (Fraser Town) on Thursday evening to mount a 24-hour continuous protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in defiance of police calls to vacate the area. Organisers said the protest was launched not only to condemn the CAA, but also internet shutdowns, and what they described as racial profiling. Dr Asifa Nisar, an Unani specialist by profession, described that the gathering, which was not cleared by the police, as a way to show the publics disenchantment with the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). We wanted to send a message about how brutal these laws are to the citizens of India, not only to Muslims. We have a right to our citizenship. Nobody can take it away, she said. S D Sharanappa, DCP (East) confirmed that the protest had not been green-lit to proceed. When asked if the police would move to vacate the protesters after a 10 pm deadline, the DCP added, We have not yet decided on our course of action. At 10.30 pm, although the police asked the protesters to clear the area, the women refused to leave. They said they intend to stay until Friday afternoon. The protest appeared to be the fulfilment of a threat by activist leaders earlier this week that a less than satisfactory ruling by the Supreme Court in its first hearing on the CAA would see Bengaluru witness a Shaheen Bagh-like protest. Hum Bharat ke Log, the umbrella organisation responsible for organising Thursdays protest, denied this. Shaheen Bagh is obviously an inspiration, but this protest was planned weeks ago, an activist from the organisation said. Strategic move Earlier calls for overnight protests in the city had failed due to stringent police action. A planned 48-hour protest by students at the Freedom Park last Thursday collapsed after police threatened to file First Information Reports (FIRs) against the students. Thursdays protest, which took place on Hajee Sir Ismail Sait Masjid Road in Pulikeshi Nagar, was planned more strategically, according to Dr Nisar. At an earlier gathering held at Town Hall and Freedom Park, police had an easier time clearing out protest groups. We also could not mobilise enough numbers of people, she said. Since this protest is held in a residential area of Pulikeshi Nagar, we were able to reach out to more people living in these neighbourhoods, especially Muslims and people of other minority faiths, she added. Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor are winning hearts with their cute chemistry in Remo DSouzas Street Dancer 3D, so much so that fans want them to get together in real life. During an interaction with Bollywood Hungama, Shraddha was asked to respond to a YouTube comment on the trailer of Street Dancer 3D, which urged her to get married to Varun. Thats a compliment. Its so cute, she said, adding, We have been getting that a lot, that kind of love. So we want to say thank you to the fans for appreciating us. However, Varun had a slightly different take on it. According to him, it is difficult to translate an off-screen romance into onscreen chemistry. I dont think that if people are actually very romantically inclined, they can behave like that. Maine kisi patni aur pati ko aise behave karte hue dekha nahi Pata nahi (I have never seen a husband-wife behave like this I dont know), he said. Shraddha said that when she does get married, her husband must be someone that she can be completely crack with. She said, But I have to say, whenever I get married and whoever I get married to, I have to be completely crack with that person. I have to! Its very important, for me. Also read: Can Street Dancer 3D help Varun Dhawan shed the weight of his only box office failure, Kalank? Varun and Shraddha, who are childhood friends, have earlier talked about having a crush on each other when they were in primary school. During a radio show, Varun had said that his story with Shraddha is quite similar to Street Dancer 3D, in that their rivalry transforms into love. Actually, jo humari bachpan ki story hai, woh film ki story se bohot milti-julti hai. Bachpan mein kaafi takraar hota tha, inter-school problem hota tha aur thoda-thoda chhupa hua fondness bhi tha. (Actually, our childhood story is similar to the story of the film. Initially, there were inter-school problems and rivalry but there was some hidden fondness as well), he said, adding that he did not act on his feelings because he was too young. He added, It was very pure. Agar humara love story hua bhi toh 8-9 saal ki umar mein hua tha (If we had a love story, then it was at the age of 8-9 years old). Street Dancer 3D, which also stars Nora Fatehi, Prabhudeva, Raghav Juyal, Punit Pathak and Dharmesh Yelande in key roles, will release on January 24. Follow @htshowbiz for more The women will both need Russian language interpreters in court, and Judge George Strickland, filling in for Judge Victoria Rossetti, who will hear the case, cited that as a reason to keep scheduled court dates the same for both women as the cases move forward. PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute at Drexel University has announced an alliance with Grant Thornton LLP , a leading consulting and accounting firm. The arrangement will establish an annual "Nonprofit Directors Dialogue" program within the Institute's Center for Nonprofit Governance. By invitation only, 40 nonprofit board members from across the East Coast will engage in interactive, high-level discussions on the critical role boards play in impacting the state of the nonprofit sector. While engaging with subject-matter experts and other participants, attendees will gain insight into cutting-edge governance practices to take back to their boards, becoming the next generation of even more effective industry leaders. The Gupta Governance Institute's Center for Nonprofit Governance is committed to shaping and influencing meaningful dialogues among nonprofit boards and leadership. The Center is aligned with the advisory work of Grant Thornton's not-for-profit industry practice, which helps organizations create value and innovate, solve problems and strategic challenges, and manage risks, governance demands, and policy and regulatory obligations. "In my work with nonprofits, I have observed a growing sense of urgency that the overall health of the sector is declining. The Gupta Governance Institute's Center for Nonprofit Governance brings together nonprofit board members for practical and informed dialogues on the positive impact they can have on the sector through an enhanced understanding of its economic state and leading practices in governance," said Patricia Q. Connolly, Executive Director of the Gupta Governance Institute. "As not-for-profits face increasing demand for services, revenue challenges and increased competition, they need to understand how to transform today's obstacles into tomorrow's successes," said Elizabeth Ireland, Grant Thornton partner. "Our Advisory professionals understand the needs of nonprofit organizations, and work diligently to help them improve their operations, seize opportunities, address challenges and mitigate risks. When they become more effective at what they do, the benefits cascade through all the communities they serve." More than 500 Grant Thornton industry professionals serve the audit, tax and advisory needs of approximately 900 not-for-profit organizations. Grant Thornton serves 50 percent of the top 10 organizations listed in The NonProfit Times Top 100, 60 percent of the top 10 organizations listed as America's Favorite Charities in The Chronicle of Philanthropy and 50 percent of the top 10 organizations listed in the 100 largest U.S. charities in Forbes. About the Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute The Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business uniquely aligns its preeminent academic research with diverse industry perspectives to develop cutting-edge programs and publications that support issues top-of-mind in today's boardrooms. The Gupta Governance Institute is home to the Center for Corporate Governance and the Center for Nonprofit Governance, both leaders in shaping and influencing public, private, and nonprofit boardrooms, nationally and internationally. About Grant Thornton LLP Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world's leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues in excess of $1.9 billion and operates more than 50 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations. "Grant Thornton" refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another's acts or omissions. Media Contact: Alyssa Abbott [email protected] SOURCE Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute The CBI has booked a Delhi-based food exporter in an alleged fraud of Rs 819 crore and carried out searches on a complaint from SBI on behalf of a consortium of banks, officials said on Thursday. The agency has alleged that Radikal Foods Limited, which has its office at Saket, and its directors Siddharth Chaudhary and Anju Chaudhary availed credit facilities to the tune of Rs 732 crore and cheated SBI and other consortium of banks by way of forgery and using forged documents, they said. The CBI has carried out searches at their premises, the officials said. "An alleged loss of Rs 819.48 crore(approx) as on April 1, 2018, was caused to the banks," an official said. The consortium comprises State Bank of India (SBI), Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Exim Bank, Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, CSB Bank, Vijaya Bank (now Bank of Baroda) and UCO Bank, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Chandni Chowk constituency is set for a mouth-watering clash between the candidates of the top three parties in Delhi Assembly election 2020. Congress has fielded Alka Lamba who was formerly an MLA with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Parlad Singh Sawhney who is an ex-Congress leader will contest on an AAP ticket in Delhi election while BJP has named businessman-turned politician Suman Gupta. Alka Lamba, who was a part of Congress student union unit NSUI, had joined Aam Aadmi Party and contested the 2015 Delhi Assembly poll. But she left the party after her differences with Arvind Kejriwal. She was the sitting MLA from the constituency when she won in 2015 on an AAP ticket and the seat has been vacant since she resigned from the party and joined Congress. The saffron party has shown confidence in Suman Gupta once again. Last time, Alka Lamba had beaten Gupta by nearly 18,000 votes. He comes from a family of traders from Chandni Chowk and the BJP has placed its bets on him to woo the trading community. Live TV There are two major factors to consider which could affect the way voters in this constituency vote in Delhi election on February 8, 2020. The road from Lal Qila to Fatehpuri Mosque has been dug up due to the implementation of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Plan, which is causing a lot of trouble for people for traders and tourists in Chandni Chowk. Customers are avoiding the stretch as even walking on the stretch of road has become a problem. Traders are also at a loss during the wedding season. In such a situation, there is resentment among the traders for the incumbent government, even the middle class living there is not particularly happy with AAP. While the other factor is that the common man, people at the lower sections of the society and the Muslims in this seat are in support of the ruling AAP. The students' coordination committee of the AMU on Thursday burnt an effigy of the varsity's Dean near Baab-e-Syed gate and demanded police action against him for allegedly threatening students opposing the CAA. Former AMU Students' Union President and spokesman of the Students' Coordination Committee Faizul Hasan has lodged a complaint with Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhari in this regard, the students' body said. In the complaint, Hasan alleged that while AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor was on Wednesday persuading protesting medicos to resume attending classes, newly appointed Dean of Students' Welfare Mujahid Beg allegedly told them to be "thankful" as only hands of some of the students were broken in the police action on December 15 and "no one had been killed". Students of the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College are boycotting classes as part of the continuing anti-CAA protest at the campus. The Dean's remarks infuriated the agitating students who felt that they were being threatened and pressurised to call off their stir. When contacted, AMU spokesperson Shafey Kidwai admitted that some of the "off the cuff remarks" by the Dean might have caused confusion. "He had, however, no intention of threatening the protesting students but was just reminding them of some past events which the university had witnessed and which were even worse than today's crisis," Kidwai clarified. He said that the Vice Chancellor's initiative was part of an ongoing outreach programme to persuade the protesting students in different faculties to start attending classes "even while continuing with their peaceful protest against what they feel is unjust legislation". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Days after Peoples Congress of Tibet passed a new law to make ethnic unity mandatory in China, Tibetans living in India said this will lead to more repression and arrests of local Tibetans. The new law is seen by critics as a tool for ethnic cleansing and justify crackdowns on Tibetans just as a similar law was used to crackdown on Uyghers in Xinjiang province of China. According to Xinhua news agency, the new ethnic unity law underlines that Tibet has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times and it is the common responsibility for the people of all ethnic groups to safeguard national reunification, strengthen ethnic unity and take a clear-cut stand against separatism. The new law will come into effect from May 1. Rejecting the law, Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, the official spokesperson of Dharamsala-based Central Tibet Administration, told this newspaper that the Chinese government wants to gain international legitimacy by making Tibetans a minority in Tibet through systematic state-sponsored migration of a large number of Han Chinese. Mr Arya added that this law forebodes a difficult and harsh time ahead for Tibetans in China. China has faced criticism for using similar law in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to crackdown on Uighur and other Muslims by detaining them and throwing them in re-education camps. Tibetans living in India feel that same may happen in Tibet now. There will be more repression and arrest in the name of this law. China has occupied Tibet physically, but they have not been able to win faith and trust of Tibetans. What they could not achieve in the last 60 or 70 years of occupation and repression, they are now trying to achieve it through this repressive law. The term intermediary refers to all tech companies that host user data to provide them with a platform for communication. Hyderabad: The Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC), a donor-supported legal services organisation which advocates against barriers on the internet, recently released its report on Intermediary Liability. In this report, SFLC has listed its suggested amendments to the Draft Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment), 2018 under the Information Technology Act. The term intermediary refers to all tech companies that host user data to provide them with a platform for communication. This umbrella term includes ISPs, social media websites, search engines and even comment sections of blogs and websites. The guidelines propose to change three key aspects -- pre-censorship using upload filters, traceability of data and mandatory local incorporation of foreign firms. Several companies such as Wikimedia Foundation have expressed concern over the guidelines, complaining that they are not enforceable and would gravely impact their operations. On upload filters -- which block users from posting objectionable content -- the report said filters should not be made mandatory for companies. Upload filters are a form of pre-censorship wherein users will not be allowed to post content that is deemed unfit. It said most companies do not have the resources to deploy such filters and the rule will disproportionately affect the smaller players. These tools are known to be ineffective, enhance existing biases and further marginalise existing minority groups, it said. On traceability of data, the report said the governments proposed requirement is impossible to satisfy for many intermediaries. An example of traceability is if WhatsApp is able to trace a particular message to its original sender. No country is demanding such broad level of traceability, the report said and added that it would be a violation of privacy. The third change, the proposed local incorporation rule too was criticised in the report. The requirement mandates that service providers with more than 5 million users will have to set up shop in India. The report noted that this provision could lead to compliance burden and should be made voluntary for intermediaries. However, it also suggested that to implement it a single officer should be appointed to fulfil compliance. This, it said, would avoid confusion among the companies. Former advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, Roger Stone, leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse after being found guilty of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election on November 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. No joke, Roger Stone engaged in "lowbrow character attacks," spun "conspiracy tales" and threatened to kill a friend's dog, but he does not deserve to go to prison according to the comedian whose testimony led to the Republican operative's conviction on federal criminal charges. Randy Credico, a New York radio personality, asked for mercy for Stone in an emotional letter this week to the judge set to sentence the longtime friend and political advisor of President Donald Trump for his crimes next month in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. "I am writing to respectfully yet fervently implore you not to sentence Roger Stone to prison," wrote Credico, a former associate of Stone's, in his letter to Judge Amy Berman Jackson, which was placed on the court's docket Thursday. "It is not justice" to send Stone to prison, Credico wrote. "It is cruelty." The letter cites Stone's work with Credico in the early 2000s trying to reform New York state drug laws, and the emotional damage to Credico's own family from his father having served a decade in prison before getting married and having kids. "I know the damage firsthand" from people going to prison, wrote Credico. Buckingham Palace and US officials denied that Prince Charles 'avoided' shaking hands with US vice president Mike Pence at an Auschwitz memorial event in Jerusalem Thursday. A video clip of the Prince of Wales greeting officials in Israel shows him walking along the front row of seats, shaking hands with world and Jewish leaders. When he came to Pence, the heir to the British throne seemed to look him in the eye before moving on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's President Reuven Rivlin. As the video went public, both Pence's staff and Buckingham Palace denied it was a snub and said the pair had met before entering the hall, exchanging smiles and joking with each other, and shaken hands after the event. Katie Waldman, the Vice President's press secretary, tweeted a video and picture of Pence and Charles together before the event. A Buckingham Palace told the BBC the prince and Mr Pence had a 'long and warm conversation' before the ceremony began. The Prince of Wales approached Mike Pence at the event in Israel as he greeted dignitaries, but did not shake his had after looking him in the eye A video clip of the Prince of Wales greeting officials in Israel shows him walking along the front row of seats, shaking hands with several dignitaries. But when he came to Pence, the heir to the throne merely looked him in the eye before moving on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Mike Pence patted Prince Charles on the back after he walked past without shaking his hand and greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Auschwitz event today Vice President's press secretary, Katie Waldman, tweeted a photo she said was taken before guests entered the hall at the Auschwitz memorial event today, showing Prince Charles and Mike Pence sharing a joke Waldman added in a statement: 'Vice President Pence and the Second Lady spoke with Prince Charles for five minutes in the pre-program before they entered the hall. Also they shook hands at the end of his remarks.' In the clip the Prince first speaks to the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, then shaking hands with Moshe Kantor, founder of the World Holocaust Forum which held the event. He is then seen walking past Pence to shake hands with Netanyahu and the Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin. The Prince did not appear to make an effort to approach Pence and his wife, Karen, as the VP then patted the Queen's first son on the back as he spoke to Netanyahu. Strictly speaking, Prince Charles followed protocol, shaking hands with a head of state - the German president - then his hosts, Kantor, Netanyahu and Rivlin; Pence is not a head of state or a host. Once Charles walked past Pence, he then took his seat next to French President Emmanuel Macron and warmly shook hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Charles reached across Emmanuel Macron to warmly greet Russian President Vladimir Putin just moments after walking past Mike Pence After a friendly discussion with Netanyahu, Prince Charles then shook hands with Macron. The Prince greeted Putin with a handshake and a smile in a separate clip posted online. Charles had been meeting including world leaders at the event to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Earlier at the memorial, Prince Charles told invited guests that the stories of the Holocaust belonged to many of those in the hall and Jewish people across the globe. He added: 'But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. 'For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood does not mean that it cannot be overcome.' From left: US Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's prince Charles during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem After walking past Mike Pence, Prince Charles went on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) When Pence spoke he urged the international community to 'stand strong' against Iran, calling it the only country where Holocaust denial is 'state policy'. He was watched by Nancy Pelosi, the US House Speaker, who clapped as he spoke. Putin used his platform at the event to take political aim at Poland. Polish politicians have been infuriated by the central role given to Putin at the historic commemoration. The Russian leader has tried to blame the country for the outbreak of WWII to detract from the Soviet-Nazi pact made in 1939 that carved up Eastern Europe. The Prince of Wales has urged nations to learn the 'lessons' of the Holocaust as he joined world leaders in condemning the scourge of anti-Semitism, during an event marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. Charles described the extermination of six million Jewish people during the Second World War as a 'universal human tragedy' affecting all, not just the families of those killed by the Nazi regime. The heir to the British throne spoke during the World Holocaust Forum in Israel and told guests, who included Russian President Vladimir Putin and France's President Emmanuel Macron, the story of 'incomprehensible humanity' must not be forgotten. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum today in Jerusalem, Israel Charles, Prince of Wales shakes hands with Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv Yisrael Meir Lau during the World Holocaust Forum The unloading ramp and the main gate called the 'Gate of Death' at the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Brzezinka, Poland, February or March 1945 And he warned that 'hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart' but society must remain 'resolute in resisting words and acts of violence'. Speaking at the gathering, the largest international event in Israel's history, staged at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, Charles said: 'The Holocaust was an appalling Jewish tragedy, but it was also a universal human tragedy, and one which we compound if we do not heed its lessons.' He told the guests, including the Kings of Spain and the Netherlands, the stories of the Holocaust belonged to many of those in the hall and Jewish people across the globe. Charles added: 'But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. 'For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood, does not mean that it cannot be overcome.' Vice President of the United States Mike Pence (right) and his wife Karen Pence (left) during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum today World leaders pose for a family photo during the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending Warning that intolerance was never far away, he said: 'We must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence.' During his speech Charles also paid tribute to the 'selfless actions' of his grandmother, Princess Alice, who in 1943 while living in Nazi-occupied Greece sheltered a Jewish family in her own home. In 1993 Yad Vashem bestowed the title of Righteous Among The Nations on her and she is buried at the nearby Mount of Olives. Charles described the title as 'a fact which gives me and my family immense pride.' The presidents of France, Germany and Russia were among those to also deliver speeches to the forum, held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz being liberated by Soviet troops on January 27 1945. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier acknowledged during his speech that 'the worst crime in the history of humanity was committed by my countrymen'. He added: 'Seventy five years later after the liberation of Auschwitz I stand before you all as president of Germany and laden with the heavy historical burden of guilt.' Chinese experts join Phuket sea-rescue exercise PHUKET: Experts from the Chinese rescue NGO Peaceland Foundation took part in a sea-rescue exercise at Chalong Pier today (Jan 23) involving local disaster response teams and the Royal Thai Navy. ChinesetourismaccidentsSafetymarinetransport By The Phuket News Thursday 23 January 2020, 05:44PM Present for the occasion was Deputy Minister of Interior Niphon Boonyamanee, who presided over the opening ceremony of the joint safety-security campaign involving the Peaceland Foundation, whose staffers will be stationed with Phuket rescue teams and local police throughout the Chinese New Year holidays. Mr Niphon explained that the joint campaign is being conducted in order to strengthen the relations between China and Thailand and to boost confidence among tourists from China and other foreign countries. Present at Chalong Pier today were Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana, Chinese Consul General in Songkhla Ma Fengchun, Thai-Chinese Cultural & Relationship Council President Phinij Jarusombat. Peaceland Foundation rescue expert leader Wang Ge, and other relevant officers. Taking part in the sea-rescue exercise were officers from the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), as well as personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, Marine Police, Tourist Police, Phuket Provincial Police and medical teams from Vachira Phuket Hospital, along with rescue experts from Peaceland Foundation. The drill simulated a tour boat experience engine failure and starting to sink. The officers received the distress call and conducted a rescue mission to safely recover the tourists and the crew on board the boat by using rescue boats and helicopters. All the marine accidents that happen affects to Thailands and Phukets tourism image. This reduces the number of tourists [coming to Phuket, and Thailand], and will affect the number of people employed by the tourism industry and even affect countrys GDP, Deputy Minister Niphon said today. This is especially so during the Chinese New Year, when a lot of tourists come to Phuket, he added. This is a good opportunity for the Peaceland Foundation and local government agencies to show the how well they can work together, and learn to improve, he said. Governor Phakaphong said, Phuket is a famous tourist destination, so the measures to prevent disaster or accidents from happening is important, as well as our preparing and practicing to improve our officers. Rescue experts from the foundation will also provide assistance to tourists at Chalong Pier, Jian Wanich Pier, Coral Island, Patong Beach, Kata Beach and Karon Beach, until Feb 2. Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub Two persons were robbed by a six-member gang in separate incidents on Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district, police said on Thursday. The gang had placed sharp objects on the expressway in a bid to deflate the tyres of vehicles passing through it. On Wednesday, Vikram Gupta and Prateek Shukla became the victims of the gang. When they stopped their vehicles after a flat tyre, the robbers decamped with the valuables and cash kept in the vehicles, the police said. Four police teams are looking for the suspects, said DIG/SSP Shalabh Mathur. Superintendent of Police (Crime) Radhey Shyam Rai said Gupta was robbed first and he lost Rs 8,000 cash, a wrist watch, two mobile phones. He was going to Agra from Delhi in his car. Later, the same gang robbed Shukla of Rs 13,000 cash and a mobile phone. Shukla was on his way to Kanpur from Noida, the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan did not suspend transit of Russian crude oil to China notwithstanding the suspension of oil export to China, Trend reports with reference to KazTransOil. On Jan. 16, 2020, KazTransOil detected an excess of organochlorine compounds in the fractions during crude oil receiving into the trunk pipeline system from CNPC-Aktobemunauygas. KazTransOil suspended crude oil receiving from CNPC-Aktobemunaygas on the same day until the oil quality issue is resolved. As of Jan. 22, 2020, the acceptance of crude oil from CNPC-Aktobemunaygas was not restarted. Kazakhstans Ministry of Energy, given the decline in volume of oil delivery for transportation through trunk oil pipelines system, adjusted the schedule for oil transportation to the refineries of Kazakhstan and for export for Jan. 2020. In particular, the scheduled volume of export to China was reduced. The transit of Russian crude oil to China through the system of trunk oil pipelines of KazTransOil JSC is not suspended and is carried out in full compliance with contractual obligations and quality in accordance with GOST (quality standard), the report said. Currently, the transportation of crude oil by trunk oil pipelines' system is carried out in accordance with the adjusted schedule. KazTransOil is Kazakhstan's National Main Oil Pipeline Operator. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Leo Varadkar has reiterated his willingness to work with Fianna Fail to form a government despite a rebuff from Micheal Martin. Today Mr Varadkar was asked whether he still maintains a view first expressed in the Leaders Debate on Wednesday that he would lead Fine Gael into coalition with Fianna Fail. What I said was that my preference was that Fine Gael would lead the next government and do so with parties we came together with before like Labour and the independents or parties we havent like the Greens. But if the number fall a certain way and the only way to create a stable government is for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to come together I think that would be the responsible thing to do for the country. He said he wouldnt facilitate a confidence and supply arrangement for Fianna Fail if his party won a greater number of seats. If Fine Gael is the largest party we are not going to facilitate a situation where we put parties that come second, third or fourth into government but we are willing to co-operate with Fianna Fail." Earlier Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin ruled out a grand coalition with Fine Gael: People want a new government, they want a change of government and that involves Fine Gael out of government." He said Fine Gael was demonising Fianna Fail as the worst possible incarnation. Such an attitude didnt make sense with a proposal to form a possible government. Mr Varadkar was also asked whether he had taken any more drugs than those admitted to in a Hot Press interview 10 years ago. The issue arose after the question about drug taking at the leaders debate appeared to surprise the Taoiseach. In the Hot Press interview, Mr Varadkar said he had taken cannabis as a student. Today he said he wasnt going to say anything more about the issue as he was the Taoiseach and could be considered a role model. Later, when the question was repeated he said: The answer is no but I dont want to say any more about it. Leo Varadkar set out how Fine Gael is prioritising Online Safety in Castleknock Community College, Carpenterstown Road, Castleknock. Picture: RollingNews.ie He was attending an event in his Dublin West constituency with Communications Minister Richard Bruton to launch Fine Gaels policy on online safety. The party has pledged to appoint a digital safety commissioner as part of a new media commission which will replace the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. We will also overhaul the way in which we tackle online harassment and a range of other offences the use of social media and messaging apps has presented a unique challenge and Fine Gael will ensure our laws are modernised to meet this challenge, he said. Mr Bruton said that his party would reform the criminal law and prioritise the enactment of a new law to tackle harassment and harmful communication such as revenge pornography and the taking of disturbing images without consent. Kochi: Kochi Metro, the biggest infra project in Kerala, notched up a net loss of Rs 281 crore in 2018-19, shooting up from Rs 167 crore the previous year. As per the latest annual report of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), the transport operators average daily ridership during 2018-19 was a meagre 34,588 and revenue per day Rs.11.24 lakh. On the other hand, operating expenses for the year were Rs.101.30 crore. However, after the commissioning of the Maharajas-Thykoodam line in September 2019, average ridership per day increased to more than 80,000 with daily revenue collection improving to Rs.14.66 lakh. These figures fall far short of projections. As per the Review of Metro Rail Policy published in 2017, ridership for Kochi Metro was projected at 2.75 lakh per day for the 18.2 km stretch from Aluva to Maharajas. Kochi Metro commenced commercial operations for the first reach from Aluva to Palarivattom on June 19, 2017 and from Palarivattom to Maharajas on October 3, 2017. With losses mounting, the central governments approval for Kochi Metros proposed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium-Kakkanad Infopark line is going to be harder to get. Revenues are likely to be under greater pressure this year as repayment of loans taken from funding agencies, including a 180 million euro (Rs 1,500 cr) loan taken from French agency Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) in Feb 2014, will begin this year. The KMRL has also borrowed money from the Ernakulam District Cooperative Bank and Canara Bank. The burden of loan repayment is likely to jeopardise its second-phase expansion plans. Considering the huge deficit between projected and achieved ridership, the Union Ministry of Urban Affairs has suggested that a mechanism be laid down to make daily ridership projections more realistic. At the root of the problem is the low density of population in Kochi and its suburbs. The citys population is a mere six lakhs while the urban agglomeration has only 13 lakh people The Metro will never break even, said Ebenezer Chullikkat, an urban transport expert and activist of Greater Cochin Development Watch. The population is simply too low. K J Sohan, former Kochi mayor, has submitted a memorandum to the Kerala chief minister against KMRLs proposed Infopark line, citing its poor feasibility. The Infopark extension is unlikely to get the Centres approval and funding as it doesnt comply with the criteria of population and average ridership specified in the Metro Rail Policy 2017, added Chullikkat. These facts are likely to supply a basis for the Union governments reluctance to permit expansion of metro rail projects in small cities with low ridership. While inaugurating the Kochi Metros Maharajas College to Thykoodam stretch in September last year, Union urban development minister Hardeep Singh Puri did press the point that the government would focus on more economically feasible, sustainable and non capital-intensive projects. With political relations between the state and Centre not too warm right now, Kochi Metros expansion plans are likely to face difficulties. Trump says he will likely unveil his long-awaited peace plan before Netanyahu, Gantz visit the White House next week. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will likely release his long-awaited peace plan for the Middle East before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington, DC, next week. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to Miami for a political event, Trump said Palestinians might react negatively to his plan at first, but that it would benefit them. Its a great plan, said Trump, who will meet with Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. Its a plan that really would work. He is also expected to meet Netanyahus election rival, Benny Gantz. Trump said his administration has talked briefly to the Palestinians, who have rejected the administrations peace plan before it even comes out. Weve spoken to them briefly. But we will speak to them in a period of time, Trump said. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said earlier on Thursday that Palestinians warn Israel and the US administration not to cross any red lines. Trump had earlier appeared to dispel rumours that the plan would be released next week, tweeting that details and timing of our closely-held peace plan are purely speculative. But onboard Air Force One, he confirmed that the plan would be released before Netanyahus visit. The launch of Trumps plan to end the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been delayed numerous times since it was first mooted more than two years ago. Prospects for a breakthrough appear dim and details of the plan have been kept under wraps. Dead in water Palestinians have called Trumps proposal dead in the water, even before its publication, pointing to what they see as his pro-Israel policies. The Trump administration has reversed decades of US policy on the conflict, refraining from endorsing the two-state solution the longtime international formula which envisages a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel. It has also recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved its embassy there. More recently, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in November that the US no longer viewed Israels settlements on West Bank land as inconsistent with international law, reversing decades of policies that were in line with most of the international community, which views settlements as illegal under international law. Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus holds posters of US President Donald Trump during a protest against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital [File: Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo] Netanyahu announced during an election campaign last September that he intends to annexe the Jordan Valley, a large swath of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Abbass Palestinian Authority (PA) has publicly refused to engage politically with the Trump administration. They fear the plan will dash their hopes for an independent state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. If this deal is announced with these rejected formulas, the leadership will announce a series of measures in which we safeguard our legitimate rights, and we will demand Israel assume its full responsibilities as an occupying power, Abu Rudeineh said on Thursday. He appeared to be referring to oft-repeated threats to dissolve the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. That would force Israel to resume responsibility for providing basic services to millions of Palestinians. Economic side of plan The White House in June announced the economic piece of the Trump peace plan and sought support for it at a conference of global finance ministers in Bahrain, which was boycotted by the Palestinians. It proposes a $50bn investment plan that would create a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighbouring Arab state economies, and fund a five-billion-dollar transportation corridor to connect the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian leaders said the gathering avoided a political settlement based on a two-state solution, describing it as an attempt by the US administration and some of its allies in the region to liquidate the Palestinian cause. Jared Kushner makes his opening speech at Bahrain Workshop in Manama, Bahrain [Reuters] Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House adviser behind the plan, has previously said it will not mention a two-state solution because it means one thing to the Israelis, it means one thing to the Palestinians, despite the notion of a two-state solution being the bedrock of talks in the past. In an interview last year with Al Jazeera, Kushner offered a glimpse of what the political process could look like. I think we all have to recognise that if there ever is a deal, its not going to be along the lines of the Arab peace initiative. It will be somewhere between the Arab peace initiative and somewhere between the Israeli position, he said. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said he was surprised that both Netanyahu and Gantz were willing to take a break from campaigning for the March 2 elections to join him in Washington, DC. The US was believed to be holding back on releasing the peace plan until Israel had a permanent government. Those calculations may have changed as the deadlock in Israeli politics looks to be further prolonged. Trump may also be looking for a boost from evangelical and pro-Israel supporters as the Senate weighs whether to remove him from office after he was impeached last month, and as he gears up for a re-election battle this year. Jaipur, Jan 23 : The differences among the ruling Congress government in Rajasthan came out in the open on Thursday as Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh boycotted the inaugural ceremony of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) even as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the festival in the morning. Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot also attended the JLF and addressed a session. However, the absence of Vishwendra Singh became a hot topic of discussion. After boycotting the event, Singh tweeted from his official Twitter handle: "There is no anger. Just that I don't think the festival is aligned with our marketing strategy for Jaipur or Rajasthan for that matter. The synergy was not enough for me to spare the marketing revenue they wanted." The minister had replied to a tweet from a news channel which had flashed the news saying: "Tourism minister upset with JLF. He did not attend the inaugural ceremony and also directed the tourism department to avoid giving any kind of sponsorship to the festival. He has directed that if the orders are passed, they should be revoked, Hence, JLF shall not get Rs 30 lakh. A special letter was sent to department directing not to give any kind of financial aid." Later, the tourism department officials confirmed that the release of Rs 30 lakh meant for the JLF was stopped. Meanwhile, the minister's tweet has been retweeted many times. A Twitter user replied: "Rightly so; kudos, it requires courage to take such a decision! Jaipur Lit Fest just a place for socialites and page 3 types to mark their attendance for photo ops; does not project either Jaipur or Rajasthan as a tourist destination or reflect her glorious culture and traditions." Another user said: "I second that. These days JLF has become a hub of taking pictures and posting on social media. The genuine listeners stay away from the venue as it's very crowded and hardly has space to sit and listen to Authors and become part of discussion. Which is missing. A Change of venue YES." Meanwhile, another Twitter user also posted his picture with Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, writing: "Kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishana." Singh has been garnering eyeballs since the last few months due to his growing closeness to Pilot. Also, he was seen flying kites with BJP MP Diya Kumari in Jaipur and attended an event with Kumari in Sawai Madhopur which, according to political pundits, can change political equations in coming times. Singh is also not getting along well with the bureaucracy and has complained many times that the officials are not listening to him but the government is not paying heed to his complaints. Pilot, a few days ago, supported Singh saying that if the minister is saying something, the government should try to break the deadlock. (Archana Sharma can be contacted at archana.g@gmail.com) NEW HAVEN People contesting an eviction in housing court in Connecticut do not have the right to a court-provided attorney, so, if unable to pay for one, must face the legal process alone. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, however, announced an attempt to help address this rigged system Thursday, with the goal of putting some of those in housing court on equal footing with landlords, who routinely retain private counsel. Its about fairness. Its about equality under the law. Fighting an eviction without a lawyer is a rigged game, said DeLauro, speaking at New Haven City Hall. DeLauro recently introduced the Eviction Prevention Act, which would authorize the U.S. Attorney Generals office to provide an additional $125 million in grants to states, counties and cities to provide representation to those making 125 percent of the federal poverty level which currently stands, roughly, at $15,950, or up to $32,750 for a family of four. She said approximately $407 million was set aside for this purpose in the last federal budget, although the administration of President Donald J. Trump had proposed eliminating such funding entirely. DeLauro, pointing to studies in cities across the country, said providing representation to those contesting eviction dramatically alters the outcome of cases. Among others, she noted an analysis out of Philadelphia, which looked at more than 100,000 cases of eviction from nonpublic housing between 2012 and 2017. In those cases, people without representation were evicted 78 percent of the time. Those with representation were evicted 5 percent of the time. According to the Eviction Lab, a research group from Princeton University founded by sociologist Matthew Desmond, the majority of those facing eviction do not go to court with an attorney to help them. Right now, there is a huge discrepancy between landlords and tenants when it comes to legal representation, said Lavar Edmonds, a research specialist with the Eviction Lab. Because more eviction cases are civil cases, unlike criminal proceedings, tenants are not really afforded an attorney so you are seeing at best 10 percent of tenants have attorneys, usually lower than that in an area, whereas upwards of 80 or 90 percent of landlords have representation. Phyllis Johnson, a client of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association, said she had experienced eviction with and without an attorney. Without an attorney, she said she struggled to balance the needs of raising children and the demands of her case, then had difficulty finding a new place to stay afterward. Receiving help had made a big difference, both in the stress she and her family faced, and in the outcome of the cases. People do need legal aid, going through changes with them and their landlord, going through evictions, said Johnson. I was relieved when I walked into the doors of Legal Aid, crying for help, and these people started immediately helping me. Mayor Justin Elicker and attorney Yonatan E. Zamir of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association spoke in favor of DeLauros bill Thursday. Zamir said the NHLAA can only serve a small percentage of those who seek assistance with eviction cases at this time. Summary process eviction cases are complicated, Zamir said, and being evicted can have long-lasting effects on peoples ability to obtain housing in the future. I hope that folks will think about the fact that our neighbors in Dixwell and Newhallville and in Fair Haven those are the people who need this help. And were ready to help them, but were constrained by resources, said Zamir, who also advocated for state legislators to give people the right to provided counsel in eviction cases. He said DeLauros bill would also improve the efficiency of the court system, as the professional expertise of attorneys would allow common types of cases to be more speedily dealt with, and provide greater flexibility for negotiations, which could produce outcomes more favorable to tenants. Elicker noted that housing insecurity is a common issue in New Haven, as approximately 41 percent of city families spend more than one-third of their income on rent and utilities. He said its also an issue that particularly affects people of color, most notably black women, who are disproportionately represented among the population of those facing eviction. Theres much work to be done to address this systemic and racially-based inequality. And this bill is a step in the right direction to provide protections at the national level for those who dont have the means to have their voice heard in the wake of bad apple landlords taking advantage of struggling communities, said Elicker. Elicker said he did not know whether his administration would pursue an effort to give New Haven residents facing eviction the right to a free attorney, but said the idea was under consideration. He noted he would work with Livable City Initiative director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo to help tenants in need in the city. The eviction rates in Connecticut cities, including in New Haven, are higher than their counterparts throughout New England, according to the Eviction Lab. Every year, 4.05 percent of renter homes are evicted in New Haven, according to data collected by the Eviction Lab in 2016. Thats the 69th-highest rate among large cities in the nation, according to the Eviction Lab. Its lower than the eviction rates in Waterbury, Hartford and Bridgeport, which stand at 6.1 percent, 5.79 percent and 5.03 percent, respectively, according to the Eviction Lab data. But only one other city in New England Providence, R.I. ranks among the top 100 highest eviction rates among large cities in the nation, at 75th. There is no uniform federal effort to collect data on eviction cases, Edmonds noted. He said Connecticut has strong data collection and data sharing mechanisms through the courts, which may thrust Connecticut cities higher on the list, compared to states with weaker or no data collection. DeLauros bill, among other measures, would allow the U.S. Attorney General to collect evidence of eviction data, and mandate a Government Accountability Office report to Congress on the cost savings from providing representation by an attorney to renters in housing cases. The bill also would give the U.S. Attorney Generals Office the ability to distribute additional funding to communities that have established a right to provided counsel in eviction cases, DeLauro said. DeLauro described the issue as personal for her on Thursday. When she was young, she said, her family fell on hard times and was evicted, throwing them into an insecure situation. They were able to get back on their feet in time she hopes to provide a similar opportunity to people in Connecticut and beyond. There is no shame in being evicted. But what we need is a judicial system that makes eviction cases a level playing field, said DeLauro. Working people and their families deserve a safety net that helps them to stay in their home. DeLauros proposal is one of several aiming at addressing the millions of evictions that happen every year around the nation. U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., has proposed a bill that would create a landlord-tenant mediation grant program to bring landlords and tenants to the table to find informal, mutually agreed upon solutions that keep tenants in their homes. Her bill would also give grants for translators working on eviction cases and direct the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to study rent insurance options that could help mitigate eviction rates. DeLauro said she sees no reason why the bills could not work in tandem. UPDATE: This story has been updated since it was first published to clarify that the eviction rate in New Haven was 69th among 313 large American cities, defined by the Eviction Lab as communities with a population of 100,000 or higher, not among all municipalities in the country. The data set collected by the Eviction Lab included tens of millions of records, but does not encompass every eviction in the country, according to the organization. More information about the methodology behind the study is available here. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Russia's honored journalist, the laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in literature and arts, first Deputy General Director of TASS Mikhail Gusman celebrates his 70th anniversary today. He is also known as a host of the popular TV programme Formula of Power. Gusman said he plans to celebrate his birthday in native Baku, TASS reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva congratulated the first Deputy General Director of TASS on his birthday. Mikhail Gusman was born on January 23, 1950. He graduated from the Azerbaijan University of Languages and the Journalism Department of the Baku Higher School of Political Science. In 1995, he was appointed Vice President of the ANKOM-TASS international analytical agency, in 1998 - head of the Main Department for International Cooperation at ITAR TASS. In 2000, Gusman was appointed First Deputy Director General of ITAR TASS by Order of the Russian President. Mikhail Gusman is Executive Secretary of the World Association of Russian Press (WARP), Vice President of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA), Secretary General of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA). Gusman is the recipient of numerous state awards from foreign countries, as well as Russian representative at the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 16:23 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b270f 1 National coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,health-minister,Terawan-Agus-Putranto Free The Jakarta Health Agency said on Thursday it was looking into reports of a suspected case of the coronavirus that first emerged in the city of Wuhan in China at the end of last year. The reported patient, who is suffering from fever, is an employee of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has its office in the BRI building in Jakarta. We are checking [the report], Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. State-owned lender BRI corporate secretary Hari Purnomo issued a statement that the patient had been taken to a nearby hospital for further diagnosis of the pneumonia-like virus. Read also: Health Minister dismisses reports of coronavirus case in Jakarta He later said that the hospital had diagnosed the patient as having a sore throat. When asked for comments, the Health Ministry's surveillance and quarantine director, Vensya Sitohang, said that the ministry would coordinate with BRI in relation with the case. Hari said that BRI had carried out safety risk management for all BRI employees by distributing face masks to every employee working at the building. The coronavirus, which bears similarities to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), was first detected on Dec. 31, 2019 in Wuhan. The new strain of the virus has infected more than 500 people to date, killing at least 17, AFP reported. Following the reports, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto paid a visit to the BRI building on Thursday afternoon. When asked for confirmation, the minister said the employee had not been infected by the Wuhan virus. "If he's been infected with a virus, then it might be ISPA [an acute respiratory infection], which is common among us," Terawan said. Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the health minister's statement. [January 23, 2020] ALC Schools Announces Major Milestone with Completion of 1.75 Million Student Passenger Trips and 17 Million Safe Miles Driven in 2019 ALC Schools announced today that the close of 2019 marked a major milestone for the alternative student transportation company with the completion of more than 1.75 million student passenger trips and 17 million safe miles driven in 2019. The Southern California based transportation provider provides state and district compliant student transportation as a supplement to school districts' busing systems. By utilizing smaller passenger vehicles to transport the districts' most vulnerable students including special needs, foster, and hard to serve trips, ALC executes approximately 11,000 trips per day. The company credits ALC employees, service providers, and drivers across the country for their dedication to safety and consistency with a focus on each student's unique needs. "From our routing and optimization team, to field operations, compliance, and live dispatch, we never lose sight of our commitment to meeting the needs of that one student," said Gregg Prettyman, Chief Operating Officer at ALC Schools. With more than a decade of experience,ALC Schools is the pioneer and leader in alternative student transportation. ALC's transportation model ensures students have the same driver every day, providing them with the consistency they need. Leveraging proprietary routing software ALC delivers safety, consistency, and cost-savings to school districts. The company also marked the one-year anniversary of its ALC Schools dispatch and operations center in Raleigh, N.C. Working in tandem with their dispatch and operations center in St. George, Utah, the Raleigh operations center provides comprehensive, nationwide "dawn-to-dusk" dispatch coverage for ALC's district customers. About ALC Schools With more than a decade of experience, ALC Schools is the pioneer and leader in alternative student transportation. ALC's transportation solution eases school districts' transportation challenges by providing a level of unparalleled safety and consistency for their most vulnerable students. Each day, ALC transports thousands of students across the country, including special needs, foster, displaced, and out of district students. With field support offices nationwide, student monitoring and tracking teams, and routing and optimization technology, ALC provides student transportation solutions that meet and exceed state and district student transportation requirements. For more information, please visit www.alcschools.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005829/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Slamming Delhi Deputy Chief Minister for supporting the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh, BJP on Thursday said the "anarchists" have at last come out revealing their true identity. "Those who are anarchists will stand with the anarchists. For many days, their (AAP) leaders Kejriwal and Sisodiaji had stood back and did not openly come out in the support. There is nothing to be confused about it. The AAP has self-declared that they are anarchists and what is happening in Shaheen Bagh is the height of anarchy," said BJP spokesperson at a press conference here. "A grand confusion is being told at Shaheen Bagh that Muslims will be thrown out of the country or they will be sent to detention camps," he added. He further questioned the Delhi CM and his deputy about not supporting the residents of the areas near Shaheen Bagh, which he alleged were facing numerous difficulties due to the protests. "I want to ask a question to Sisodia and Kejriwalji because nobody in AAP can say anything without his (Kejriwal's) permission, and therefore Sisodia was merely mouthing the words of Kejriwal. You are standing with Shaheen Baag, but why are you not with Sarita Vihar, Jasola, Madangir-Khadar areas, where almost 20 lakh Delhi residents are facing troubles," Patra said. "The children are not able to go to their schools. Ambulances cannot reach the area due to which patients have lost their lives in the ambulance. What is the fault of the people from these areas," he added. Demonstrations have been ongoing in the area since December 15 last year and protestors have blocked Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, causing inconvenience to the daily commuters. Recently, the Delhi High Court asked the Delhi Police to look into the matter of blockage of Kalindi Kunj road due to the protest at Shaheen Bagh. Venezuela's government on Wednesday said the country's homicide rate fell dramatically last year. It went from 33 murders per 100,000 inhabitants to 21, for a drop of 37 percent, Interior and Justice Minister Nestor Reverol said without offering an explanation for the decline. These figures are at odds, however, with those of an NGO called the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, which said in December that there were 60.3 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019. It said 32 percent of homicides happened during police operations against suspected criminals. The government classifies those cases as deaths "resisting authority" and does not include them in its murder statistics. The government said there were 17,849 such deaths through resisting authority from 2016 to last May. The violence observatory said there were 16,506 murders in 2019 in the country of 30 million. Reverol accused the observatory of "distorting" its figures as part of a "war against the government." The UN Office on Drugs and Crime's latest figures from 2017 put the murder rate in Venezuela at 56.8 per 100,000 people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police has arrested a man from West Bengal in the 2018 Nallasopara arms haul case and the 2017 Sunburn Festival attack conspiracy, an official said here on Thursday. Pratap Judishtar Hajra alias Pratap Hajra was arrested from Nainapur in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Monday with the help of Kolkata Police's Special Task Force, he said. He was brought here and produced before a court which sent him in ATS' custody till January 30, the official said. Hajra was absconding since the arrests of other accused in the Nallasopara arms haul case, he said. Probe had revealed that it was Hajra who had given training to other accused in making of crude bombs, he said. The ATS also found that some right-wing extremists were planning to carry out a terror attack during the Sunburn music festival held in Pune in December 2017. The attack, however, did not materialise. According to the ATS, the conspirators were opposed to the Sunburn Festival because they thought it promoted 'western music and western culture'. In August 2018, crude bombs, explosive materials, country-made pistols and weapons such as choppers were found during raids at Nallasopara near Mumbai and some other places in Maharashtra. Those arrested in the case had links with right-wing outfits such as Sanatan Sanstha and wanted to establish a 'Hindu Rashtra', the ATS said in its charge sheet filed in December 2018. The arrested men included Sharad Kalaskar, who was also, allegedly, one of the two assailants who shot dead rationalist and anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American Water Accepting Applications for 2020 Environmental Grant Program American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest publicly-traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced today that applications are now being accepted by its participating state subsidiaries for the company's 2020 Environmental Grant Program awards. The grant awards will be available in American Water service areas in 11 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. "American Water's commitment to providing our customers with clean, safe, reliable water service also means that we share a commitment to protecting our environment," said Cheryl Norton, chief environmental officer. "Everyone is responsible for protecting our nation's water supply, and this program is one way we can help communities play an active role in this important effort." Established in 2005, American Water's Environmental Grant Program offers funds for innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies through partnerships. Last year, American Water and its state subsidiaries funded 48 projects that were awarded grants totaling approximately $160,000. Information and application requirements can be obtained directly from participating American Water state subsidiaries, or on the Environmental Grant section of the company website. Applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2020. About American Water With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for American Water. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005756/en/ Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has said relations with the US remain strong (David Mirzoeff/PA) Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has said Britain and the United States remain committed to reaching a free trade deal, despite a dispute over UK plans to tax US tech giants. US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin warned on Wednesday that the US could retaliate with tariffs on the UK car industry if the Government goes ahead with planned digital tax. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said President Donald Trump would be raising the issue personally with Boris Johnson. The row raised fears that the Prime Ministers hopes of reaching a swift, post-Brexit free trade agreement with the US were unlikely to be fulfilled. "We are going ahead with that digital tax." The Business Secretary @andrealeadsom tells me the UK will tax US tech companies despite warnings that it could spark a trade war. MR#KayBurley at #Breakfast #DigitalTax pic.twitter.com/BayL5hXi1H Kay Burley (@KayBurley) January 23, 2020 Appearing on Sky News, Mrs Leadsom confirmed the Government would be pressing ahead with the 2% digital tax in April. However she insisted that the relationship with the US remained strong and that efforts to reach a trade deal would continue. Obviously we do from time to time have disagreements or different views on particular issues, but that relationship is very strong, she said. We are on both sides committed to a good free trade deal between the US and the UK. We will continue to work closely with our US friends and neighbours as we seek that free trade deal. Speaking in the Commons, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss also struck a defiant tone when asked if the UK intends to concede to American pressure. Expand Close International Trade Secretary Liz Truss (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp International Trade Secretary Liz Truss (Aaron Chown/PA) Ms Truss said: Let me be absolutely clear: UK tax policy is a matter for the UK Chancellor. Its not a matter for the US, its not a matter for the EU, its not a matter for anybody else, and we will make the decisions that are right for Britain whether its on our regulatory standards, tax policy or on anything else. Their comments came as Mr Mnuchin said Mr Trumps administration expects to complete a trade deal with the UK within this year. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he said it is an absolute priority for the president, adding: I think it will be great for them and great for us. His comments were echoed by US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, who said there are fewer differences between the two countries than with the EU. He said: Our economies are much more similar. Both are very heavily services-oriented and within services, such as financial services, theres already a pretty high degree of integration and co-ordination so it should be much easier mechanically. Britain has said it will continue with the digital levy until there is an international agreement on the way the profits of the tech giants are taxed. Ideally there would be more providers of infrastructure similar to the work Huawei doesAndrea Leadsom Earlier however, the US and France announced a truce over President Emmanuel Macrons plans to introduce a similar measure after Washington responded with a threat to slap punitive tariffs on products including French cheese and wine. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has also urged the UK to hold off to allow time for the international approach to succeed. "I share the concerns of many citizens about protecting our national security interests." The Business Secretary @andrealeadsom says the UK is looking closely @Huawei providing assistance with its 5G network. MR#KayBurley at #Breakfast pic.twitter.com/ywjZKZL8zA Kay Burley (@KayBurley) January 23, 2020 Meanwhile, Mrs Leadsom has confirmed there would be a decision soon on whether the Chinese tech giant Huawei will be allowed a role building Britains 5G network another issue where the UK and US are at loggerheads. The Americans have warned that allowing the Chinese access to critical communications infrastructure represents a major security risk and have threatened to withhold intelligence-sharing from any ally which does so. Mrs Leadsom said that in reaching a decision there were all sorts of factors to consider, but that the alternatives to Huawei were limited. There are other providers but they are limited. Ideally there would be more providers of infrastructure similar to the work Huawei does, she said. The UK is looking very closely at this issue. We will be making a final decision soon. It is an ongoing process. There are all sorts of factors to take into consideration. A group of billionaires, millionaires and wealthy celebrities are demanding to pay more tax because they are among "the most privileged class of human beings to walk the Earth." More than 120 wealthy celebrities and business figures have signed an open letter, urging their peers around the world to call for tax increases to address economic disparities across the globe. The letter, signed by the likes of actor Simon Pegg and screenwriter Richard Curtis, has been released to coincide with the World Economic Forum in Davos. The 120 people from eight countries, including co-founder of Innocent Drinks Richard Reed and former chief executive of Unilever Paul Polman, claimed the wealth gap had hit crisis level, resulting in erosion of trust within societies, increased resentment and the undermining of basic social cohesion. Addressing their fellow millionaires and billionaires across the globe,'' they said: "There are two kinds of wealthy people: those who prefer taxes and those who prefer pitchforks. "We prefer taxes. And we believe that, upon reflection, you will as well. "For that reason, we urge you to step forward now - before its too late - to demand higher and fairer taxes on millionaires and billionaires within your own countries and to help prevent individual and corporate tax avoidance and evasion through international tax reform efforts. "We make this request as members of the most privileged class of human beings ever to walk the Earth." The signatories described philanthropy as "an inadequate substitute for government investment" and said tax increases were the "only appropriate way" to provide societies with adequate funding. The letter also claimed tax avoidance had reached epidemic proportions, added: "In some nations, the wealthiest actually pay lower effective tax rates than those of modest means." The group cited research suggesting that close to a tenth of the world's gross domestic product was hidden in tax havens and about 40 per cent of foreign investment passed through empty corporate shells. Writing in a column in Thursdays edition of The Times, Pegg said he did not hesitate when asked to sign the letter. Pegg said it was estimated almost half the worlds population was trying to survive on $5.50 (4.18) a day or less. He said the rate of poverty reduction had halved since 2013, whereas in the past decade the number of billionaires had doubled. The Shaun Of The Dead star said inequality was the driving force behind both societal breakdown and the climate crisis we face. Simon Pegg with Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead (2004) Inequality is not inevitable, its a policy choice. Its the product of governments passing policies that favour the very wealthy at the expense of the less fortunate," he said. Tracey Sharis (pictured) has faced her share of challenges and self-doubt during her successful 26-year insurance career. The senior vice president and director of programs at Ironshore, Liberty Mutuals North America specialty insurance group, will be sharing insights based on her own personal experiences about how to navigate self-doubt as a rising leader at Insurance Business Americas upcoming Women in Insurance conference in Boston on April 07. Sharis began her career with AIGs Lexington Insurance Company in 1994. While at Lexington Insurance, she served in various leadership roles including having oversight of the companys employment practices liability group, chief innovation officer, head of risk & economic capitol modeling, and product line manager in Lexingtons property group overseeing capacity up to $1.5 billion. She left the AIG firm in 2009 and took a job as managing director with Aon Benfield. There she served as a property facultative reinsurance broker and was responsible for the creation of FAConnect, an online insurance exchange that she described as somewhat revolutionary in what it achieved. In 2011, Sharis joined Ironshore, where she teamed up with an executive team rich in AIG alumni, and since then the specialty insurance company has achieved significant growth, spurred on via the Liberty Mutual acquisition in 2017. Reflecting on her career, Sharis said: A lot of it was about putting my hand up. I was working in financial services areas that were historically male driven when other women didnt necessarily want to be in those areas. But Ive been lucky throughout my career in that Ive had both male and female mentors. Largely, thats dictated by the fact that 25-years-ago, there werent many women in the upper roles to provide that mentorship and support. Thats changed a bit now. Sharis made what she described as a pretty radical change to her career in 2003. She was running the employment practices liability group at Lexington Insurance, with a focus on third-party liability, when an opportunity came along to switch over to the first-party liability side in order to shore up their economic capitol modeling. She put her hand up. With the benefit of hindsight, she admitted that internally she was questioning: How am I going to do this? But externally, she took the plunge and made the change. This action kickstarted a new phase in Shariss professional career one in which she understood how to give the boot to self-doubt and take new challenges head on. Both men and women can suffer from imposter syndrome in the workplace, she told Insurance Business. The foundations of resolving it lie in cognitive behavior therapy and encouraging folks to challenge their thoughts (especially those that are negative), clarify their personal stance on things, and change your behavior in reaction to those thoughts. Its important to discuss those thoughts with other people so that you dont feel isolated. A lot of self-doubt is born out of isolation and fantastical thinking that creates scenarios that dont actually exist. To hear more from Sharis and a host of other trailblazers that are celebrating and empowering women in insurance, register for Insurance Business Americas Women in Insurance Boston on April 07, and Atlanta on April 14. New Delhi: BJPs Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga is in news again, this time not for any controversial statement or poster but due his educational qualifications. BJPs Hari Nagar candidate for upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections, Bagga was heavily trolled on Twitter for his educational degrees or rather lack of them. Several people claimed that Bagga was a school drop-out and was pursuing a course from China. Old tweets of him slamming others for not attending schools also surfaced online. Extremely popular on the social media, Bagga didnt issue any clarification on the subject. But news Nation decided to check the authenticity of the claims made on social media. Turns out, for once, the tweets are actually stating the truth. Bagga is indeed a school dropout. The details of his educational qualifications emerged online after he field his nomination for the Delhi polls. According to the affidavit filed by Bagga, a copy of which is with News Nation, the Delhi BJP leader has stated the Bachelor Preparatory Programme as his highest degree. Those who dont know, the course is offered by the Indira Gandhi National Open University for candidates who wish to pursue Bachelors degree but dont have any formal schooling. There is no minimum qualification required. So, the claim of Bagga being school drop-out is correct. The second claim about course from China is also true. In his poll affidavit, Bagga has said that he had completed a Diploma from Republic of China Taiwan in 2017. According to the official record, Bagga completed diploma course in National Development COurse at National Defence University. BJP's rivals often accuse Bagga, who has over 6.4 lakh followers, of being a "Twitter troll". Fighting for Hari Nagar, Bagga said he will release a constituency-specific manifesto for the February 8 election and has promised to install a "smog tower" in the area if he wins. "Hari Nagar Vidhansabha will be the first Vidhansabha in Delhi which will release their own Manifesto. We will Install Smog Tower in Hari Nagar Vidhanasabha in First 60 days of My Victory. #PolllutionFreeHariNagar," he tweeted. Bagga started his career with Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena, which calls itself a "nationalist task force against traitors, anti-nationals and corrupts".He grabbed headlines in October 2011 when he openly acknowledged he slapped lawyer-activist and then AAP leader Bhushan for his remarks on Kashmir and called the assault "Operation Prashant Bhushan". For all the Latest Fact Check News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tanvi Chauhan (The Jakarta Post) Troy, Alabama Thu, January 23, 2020 17:53 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062e4e58 3 Opinion opinions,Ukraine,Russia,European-Union Free With the narrative that floats around, one is tempted to think that the Ukraine crisis is all about Crimea, that it started and ended there. So what about the internal oblasts like Odessa, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk (the southeastern regions) where a protracted conflict broke out? Are they not part of the resolution to the Ukraine crisis? But before any party decides on how to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, it is crucial to understand what needs to be resolved. First, the negotiating status. Formal peace talks began with the Minsk-I ceasefire in September 2014 but Kiev refused to engage with rebels as negotiation partners, even while Kievs negotiators had no official status, proceeding to brand rebels as terrorists (Anna Matveeva, 2018). For as long as the insurgents are not considered cohorts in negotiating a peace deal and power sharing arrangements, the Ukraine crisis will not resolve. Second, the political fate of the insurgent territory. At the crisiss outset, Donbas seemed to concord with Russia about the federalization idea (Lance Davies, 2016), but as the conflict progressed, rebels aspirations were geared either towards complete independence or irredentism with Russia the former, Ukraine would never give, and the latter, Russia did not want. The special status option running into a political impasse coupled with Ukrainian civil activist efforts against Minsk agreements meant that the crisis was not ripe for peace from Kievs side. On the split side, the Donbas rebels dissatisfaction with Moscow and Kiev for neglecting rebel wishes also meant that the crisis was not ready to be resolved from their side either. All parties were dissatisfied with the outcomes. It is not wrong therefore to say that Ukrainian nationalism and monist identity approach was only becoming stronger with rebels resistance to Kievs biddings. Thus, for as long as the rebels are not awarded some sort of autonomy or freedom to live their Russianness, the crisis will not be resolved. At the same time, for as long as the rebels are firm on irredentist motives instead of attributing some form of loyalty to Kiev, the SE-Ukraine crisis will prolong and cannot be resolved. It goes without saying that the resolution needs to be political, not military. As with any conflict, ceasefires are only temporary arrangements for until a greater political plan is formed. No matter how the Ukraine crisis is resolved, some things from the crisis serve as important notes for European security. First, the Donbas conflict is a strong reminder that for regional stability and order, it is necessary to devote attention to grassroots rebellions instead of single-mindedly fantasizing over the all-Putin narrative. Crimea was the tip of the iceberg; it is possible that such dormant grassroots rebellions could foment and induce a regional domino effect throwing the fragile balance off the continent. Second, it is unreasonable to take insurgent groups military organization and political aspirations for granted. Within Ukraine, rebels have showed the skill and experience needed to spontaneously mobilize and acquire modern warfare methods, which means, that such revolutions can very much happen despite state defense methods. Furthermore, when grievances are addressed in the form of violent conflict, a pro-war culture unites people with similar ideologies. The moment that a cultural war becomes war-culture is indeed tricky so Europe needs to take into account the strength of identities, symbols, and beliefs, and how that can affect the fragile security in the region, instead of brewing the Russia-orchestrates-all beverage. Lastly, with whatever political resolution that Ukraine comes up with, European security and stability is only possible with Russias cooperation. Antagonizing Russia will not help integrate pro-Russian factions within pro-West states like Ukraine. This would mean not only cooperating with Russia for further regional stability, but also not isolating it. Russias past attempts of halting the Novorossiya project in Donbas, postponing elections in rebel territories, enthusiasm for peace prospects including suggesting United Nation peacekeeping troops cannot be simply rewarded with more economic sanctions. That defeats good faith from Russia. This causes Russia to turn away from cooperation with the European Union, and with it, induce its pro-Russian supporters to imitate the same. If a political-military resolution is found to end the Ukraine crisis, it has some implications on Russian security too. First, Russia needs to be prepared for calls to the Russian world. A population who was driven to go to war because they had faith Russia would repeat Crimea means that such dormant attitudes maybe present within other former Soviet Union populations. Matveeva states that Russia does not have a universalist approach to regional conflicts, and Donbas is a clear example of that. Whatever the resolution is agreed upon for Ukraine, a big question that looms over Russian security is about how it would take care of regional military confrontations. Russia uses a bilateral and multilateral approach in order to bind states into a regional order, but the aspect about a military confrontation remains unanswered (Michael Slobodchikoff, 2014). Whether we look at Commonwealth of Independent States or some other multilateral organization, there needs to be some forum which either addresses collective security operations (actual military confrontations) or allows Russia to intervene as necessary. The Collective Security Treaty Organization has been a good tool for Russia in integrating Eurasia against external threats (Hansen 2013), but has Russia seriously considered civil and transnational (internal) conflicts which can turn into full-blown civil wars if allowed? Even if Russia finds it pointless to entertain civil skirmishes like the one in Donbas, how can it ignore the fundamental drive Novorossiya which served as the rebels motivational catalyst? All this indicates that Russian security is invariably a matter of regional stability, very much taking into account Ukraine. So, it is only in Russian security interests to mollify such uprisings using support from mainland governments and/or a multilateral security architecture, thereby standardizing its approach to such regional hostilities. Unless, of course, it is Russias wish to stay mysterious with its security approach. If that be so, such an approach does not bode well for regional security. Secondly, for any sort of crisis resolution to sustain, Russia will have to understand Kievs perspective. Although it has to rush to aid its Russian world when she summons her, Moscow cannot overplay this cultural dimension so much as to explicitly challenge the West and thereby feed into the Western normative discourse. Ukraine will be more than unwilling to make any more concessions past Crimea, so Donbass resolution (when it happens), would require sacrifices on both fronts and acknowledgment of bitter history. *** Global studies scholar from the US-based Troy University and specialist on the Middle East and North Africa and Eurasia politico-military and security theaters. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Curragh resident Dermot Behan has pledged to climb 50 mountains in Ireland during 2020 to raise funds for the LauraLynn Childrens Hospice. Dermot started with Moanbane mountain in Wicklow on January 5th and will be working his way each week to the highest, Carrauntoohil, in Kerry, which he aims to scale on December 20th, 2020. Dermot said: "The LauraLynn hospice is one of the most heartbreaking yet beautiful places I have ever visited. "They care for terminally ill children and rely very heavily on donations and fundraisers. "Please give what you can to this amazing place." Dermot, who is a writer and actor, previously served on a peace keeping mission with the Defence Forces in Chad. He used to participate in endurance hikes as part of his Army training. He said: "We would be carrying huge heavy backpacks filled with enough gear to last a week on the ground, as well as weapons while constantly simulating being in a war-time situation. You can donate to the project by searching for 50 Peaks in 50 Weeks on the www.everydayhero.com. website. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 11:25:11|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- E-commerce has made China a more accessible export market for Mexican companies to have "many opportunities" to do business, an industry insider said here on Wednesday. Andres Diaz Bedolla, a member of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's working team here, said the company believes that online sales have boosted growth prospects for businesses around the globe. "We believe that everyone can be part of an open, smart, integrated, cooperative economy that also benefits everyone," said Diaz. "Mexico has a high potential to integrate itself into the e-commerce market through its products and services." Diaz recently led a panel on e-commerce as part of the China Day, held on Jan. 13 at the headquarters of the economy ministry here. Addressing some 50 business representatives, he said that e-commerce is part of a whole ecosystem that brings together sellers and consumers through technology and logistics. He and his team aim to help potential exporters "create a healthy ecosystem that will work in such an attractive market as China." Established in 1999, Alibaba aims to share its e-commerce expertise with Mexico, he said. In February, interested Mexican businesses will be invited to join a free online community to receive consultancy. In March, Diaz's team will release the details of a training program "to prepare greater Mexican talent" in the area of e-commerce. The first Mexican product sold via the e-commerce site was avocado, which has so far enjoyed a great success. Mexico registered some 303 million online purchases between January and September in 2019, a 53-percent increase over the same period of 2018, according to official data. High-Level UN Panel Seeks Solutions to Problems of Internal Displacement By Lisa Schlein January 22, 2020 More than 41 million people globally have been forcibly displaced within their own countries because of conflict, violence and violations of their human rights, according to U.N. estimates. Another 17 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of natural disasters and climate-related events. People displaced within their own countries are among the most vulnerable in the world because they lack the legal international protections accorded refugees when they cross an international border. In an effort to right this wrong, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has established the first-ever High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement to seek concrete long-term solutions for the beleaguered millions and to raise global awareness of the unending misery in which they are caught. "The issue of internal displacement tends to be forgotten, while it is one of the major, not only humanitarian, but also, I would say, political crises that our times are seeing," said Federica Mogherini, the co-chair of the panel and former European Commission High Representative for Foreign Affairs. "So, our first task will be to keep, or rather put this as high as possible on the agenda and try to provide some good advice on how this can be addressed," she added. The panel's eight distinguished members come from all regions of the world, some from countries that have big problems of internal displacement. They are expected to draw upon their wealth of experience in government, international organizations, civil society and the private sector to map out a realistic plan for improving the lives of the displaced and for garnering greater support for the communities that host them. "We have been clearly tasked to focus on specific issues. So, we will try to be as concrete and focused on the results that we can realistically achieve," said Mogherini. "First of all, we have been tasked to focus on prevention of displacement and mitigation of its effects. On capacity building, to better deal with this issue and how to mobilize at best international support, first and foremost for the states that are affected by this issue," she said. Crucially, she said, the panel has been asked to address what she called the three main drivers of displacement: climate change, disaster risk reduction and peace action. The panel held its first "brainstorming" session on Tuesday in preparation for the complex and challenging work that will get underway on February 26. Guterres has given the group only one year in which to deliver a realistic plan, one that will be "sustainable and durable over time." The secretary-general announced the establishment of the panel on October 23, the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the African Union Convention on Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, known as the Kampala Convention. The U.N. refugee agency reports 17.8 million people are internally displaced in sub-Saharan Africa, the largest regional displacement in the world. Panel co-chair Donald Kaberuka noted that a Convention on Internal Displacement would "ensure that the work, which has been done in the field of refugees and migrants, was completed." On December 17, 2018, the General Assembly adopted the Global Compact on Refugees followed by the adoption on December 18, 2018 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Kaberuka, the former president of the African Development Bank Group and minister of finance and economic planning in Rwanda said he hoped to bring his experience from the development world to find practical solutions to the displacement crisis. He told VOA it was not possible to separate "development, environment and security," all elements involved in displacement. He said all three matters must be addressed together. For instance, he said, "I do not see any solution in the Sahel at the moment What is happening to the climate and how it has fallen into a social problem and now into a security problem. Those will have to be addressed together." The panelists have agreed that they want a positive, productive outcome to their year-long deliberations. They said they do not intend to point fingers of shame or dwell on governmental shortcomings but would try to get countries to work together to meet the needs of the displaced. Mogherini said the panel would "try to avoid politicizing this issue and try to look at what can help people live better in a situation that is in itself very difficult... We believe that this could be a win-win approach." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A bill in the state Legislature would require electric companies to reimburse customers when they turn off the power to prevent wildfires. Large electric utilities have been aggressively shutting off power for millions of customers ahead of windstorms to stop wildfires before they start. A bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener would require investor-owned utilities to reimburse customers and local governments for some costs associated with the blackouts. It would require an electric companys shareholders, not its customers, to put money into a fund to reimburse customers within two weeks of a blackout. It would also ban electric companies from raising rates to cover losses from a blackout. The California Public Utilities Commission would oversee the fund and decide how big it should be. It would also let the commission fine power companies up to $250,000 per hour for every 50,000 customers impacted by a power shutoff if regulators determine the utility failed to act in a reasonable and prudent manner. If those penalties had been in effect last fall, PG&E could have faced fines of more than $1 billion, according to a legislative analysis of the proposal. The bill must pass the state Senate by Jan. 31. in order to have a chance at becoming law in 2020. A letter from PG&E to state lawmakers says the bill would put customers and communities in a dangerous position. Weiner said the bill will not be banning planned blackouts. But instead, he said it is to incentivize the right behavior. On Feb. 4, Gov. Tom Wolf will propose a Commonwealth budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. This budget should address the chronic under staffing and underfunding of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental protection. Wolfs budget last year did not propose any increase in DEP staffing and, not surprisingly, the final budget approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly contained none. Unless the governor takes a leadership role in strengthening the DEP, it will remain in its weakened state. The DEP has suffered almost a 30 percent reduction in staff since 2002, losing over 900 positions. This staff reduction has compromised the Departments ability to monitor and reduce air and water pollution, regulate oil and gas development, plug abandoned oil and gas wells, clean up hazardous sites and protect the Chesapeake Bay. Air quality DEPs Bureau of Air Quality has eliminated 99 positions since 2000. A 2018 DEP Air Program report indicated fewer Department staff to conduct inspections, respond to complaints, and pursue enforcement actions will result in less oversight of regulated industry[and] reduced protection of the environment and public health and welfare of the citizens of this Commonwealth. Oil and gas program The DEP Oil and Gas program has lost 36 positions down to 190 since 2016. This program has the responsibility to review drilling permit applications, respond to complaints, inspect well sites, prevent pollution and develop policy guidelines and regulations. According to a high placed official in this program, they are failing in their mission. Abandoned wells DEP has nowhere near the funds it needs to plug the over 200,000 unplugged orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. These wells create a risk of explosion from gas leaks, which could cause death and property damage. The wells also leak brine and oil into streams and groundwater. The DEP has plugged only 23 wells in the last three years. Stream protection In August of 2018, the DEP estimated its Clean Water program needed an additional 63 staffers. The programs greatest needs are in administration, inspections and surface water assessments. Only two additional staffers have been added since 2018. Chesapeake Bay Pennsylvanias poor progress in reducing pollution runoff from its 33,600 farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed threatens local rivers and streams, as well as the recovery of the Chesapeake Bay. In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that Pennsylvanias federally mandated bay cleanup plan fell 25 percent short of meeting its nitrogen reduction goals. The EPA also found Pennsylvania failed to identify where it would get the $1.9 billion needed to implement this plan. On Jan. 8, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan directed his Attorney General to sue Pennsylvania for failing to meet its pollution reduction goals. Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program Pennsylvanias hazardous sites cleanup program provides DEP with the funding to clean up contaminated sites where hazardous substances such as toxic chemicals have been released. In 2013, this program had 245 employees. Currently it has only about 193. This staff depletion, by DEPs own admission has hindered its ability to manage the programs core functions. This problem will only get worse because the cleanup of PFAS sites has been added to the programs responsibilities. Conclusion Former DEP Secretary David Hess had it right when he recently wrote, the people who run the General Assembly these days dont want to make any investment in the Environment. So, it is up to Gov. Wolf to take a leadership role. Proposing a budget on Feb. 4 that properly funds DEP would be a good first step. State Rep. Greg Vitali is a Democrat who represents the 166th House District, which includes portions of Delaware and Montgomery counties. Email: gvitali@pahouse.net The Rajasthan government will introduce a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the assembly session beginning Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said. He said the Centre should listen to people protesting against the act across the country and asserted that democracy weakens if there is no dialogue. "We are requesting the central government to reconsider the act. The Constitution has given the right to protest but if someone does it, they are attacked and called anti-nationals," Pilot, who is also the chief of Pradesh Congress Committee, said on Thursday. Kerala and Punjab have already passed resolution seeking the withdrawal of the new legislation. "The Rajasthan Assembly will pass a resolution against the CAA in this session," he told reporters after reviewing preparations ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's rally in Jaipur on January 28. Pilot said the legality of the CAA will be decided by the Supreme Court. People have right to express their disagreement to the CAA in a peaceful manner and within the boundary of the law, he said, adding, "We do not support those who take law in hand". He claimed that besides party workers, Gandhi's 'Aakrosh Rally' will be attended by youths and students in large number. "There is unrest among youths in the country today. The educated are unemployed and the economy is in poor state and Rahul Gandhi wants to focus on it. The message from the rally will go across the country," he said. "Gandhi will raise issues concerning people. After Rajasthan, he will hold rallies in other state also. In view of the Union Budget, the Congress wants the central government to focus on the issues which help the economy run," Pilot added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Greatness recognizes greatness and thats why Stephon Gilmore is predicting a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory. Speaking to reporters including ESPNs Diana Russini at the Pro Bowl, Gilmore explained that he believes Patrick Mahomes will be the difference in Miami next weekend. I think Kansas City wins," Gilmore told Russini and company. I just feel like they have a lot of weapons. Mahomes is the hes tough to go against. I played against him a lot of times, and hes the toughest guy Ive played against since Ive been playing besides Tom (Brady), but hes great. The PFWA named Gilmore their Defensive Player of the Year last week, and hell certainly be in the running for the prestigious AP award next month. As for Mahomes, his sights are on Jimmy Garoppolos 49ers and Super Bowl LIV. The Chiefs opened as slim favorites in a game thatll pit one of the leagues most explosive offenses against a stingy San Francisco defense that led the NFC in total yardage. Related Patriots content: Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - CFN Media (OTCQB: CNFN), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry announces publication of an article covering CannaTrac's banking solution for the cannabis industry and beyond. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6612/51766_f72fd5309404d8c4_001full.jpg The legal cannabis industry is projected to grow from $12.4 billion in 2019 to $23 billion by 2025, according to New Frontier Data, driven by the liberalization of medical and adult-use laws around the country. While federal regulations have started to catch up, the industry continues to struggle with a lack of access to the banking industry. CannaTrac(R) developed the CannaCard(R) and the CannaCard App(R) to provide consumers and retailers with a convenient way to benefit from the increased safety and convenience of cashless purchases within the legal cannabis industry. By capturing early market share, the company aims to become the go-to payment solution for the cannabis industry and beyond. CFN Media recently caught up with CannaTrac(R) CEO Thomas Gavin at MJBizCon in Las Vegas to discuss the company's recent progress and upcoming catalysts: Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tImrpmQXsJQ Let's take a look at where CannaTrac(R) is headed over the coming months, why investors should take note, and how interested investors can learn more. Following a Very Successful Model Starbucks launched its mobile payment product back in 2011. By 2017, nearly one-third of all transactions were paid through the app rather than credit cards or cash. Customers paying with the mobile app spent three times more than the average customer, while the company was able to reduce credit card costs and fulfill orders more quickly. The company's success was driven by two factors: Loyalty Systems - Starbucks built a lucrative rewards system with immediate 'stars' for each purchase, free drink offers, free refills and drink upgrades. Customers were already scanning their loyalty cards every day and adding a payment method was a small jump to make. Customer Engagement - Starbucks doubled-down on digital marketing by data mining their audience. Using these insights, they improved marketing campaigns and addressed the real needs of their customer base. CannaTrac(R) is using these same levers in the burgeoning cannabis and hemp space. Customers are rewarded with points for each purchase that can be used at participating locations, while retailers can sidestep thorny banking issues and focus on growing their business. The solution also ensures that retailers are following compliance and KYC laws. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6612/51766_f72fd5309404d8c4_002full.jpg In addition to brick-and-mortar locations, the company built an online plugin for CBD retailers that enables them to easily integrate CannaCard(R) payments into their ecommerce platforms. These retailers also have easy access to loyalty and rewards capabilities to incentivize repeat purchases that are difficult to implement as a standalone solution. Leveraging Partners for Distribution It's no secret that the payment space is very competitive with high barriers to entry. Many successful payment startups rely on industry partnerships to break through these barriers and reach the scale needed to succeed. For instance, new credit card startups often partner with existing banks rather than trying to acquire their own banking license. CannaTrac(R) signed an agreement with Valid USA Inc. in December 2019. Under the terms of the agreement, Valid will provide the technology to implement, distribute, license and promote the company's payment solution software and products under the CannaCard(R) brand name. In essence, the company will be able to launch more features to more people. The partnership is a big deal because Valid is the fifth largest producer of SIM cards in the world and one of the top ten global manufacturers of banking cards with 6,000 employees across 16 countries - it has the scale required to help CannaTrac(R) rapidly expand across borders and quickly launch the features needed to set it apart from the competition. The company also partnered with Pacific Banking Corp. in 2019 to provide state-licensed dispensaries and CBD retailers with the ability to apply for the CannaCard(R) payment platform and banking services with PBC simultaneously with a single application. For many potential customers, it's the first time they have the opportunity for traditional banking services. On the marketing front, the company recently announced a gifting booth partnership with GBK and In-Stand Media to take place from January 23 through January 26 to celebrate the 2020 GRAMMY Awards nominees and past winners. The off-site gifting booth will be giving away CannaCard merchandise to celebrity attendees to raise awareness. Looking Ahead CannaTrac(R) is currently raising a $3 to $5 million seed round on top of a $15.7 million Series A to scale both domestically and internationally. The company plans to launch a redesign of its app in March 2020 and continue marketing at marquis and red carpet events. Are you an accredited investor? Click here to receive an investor tear sheet and corporate updates. Click here to read the full article: https://www.cannabisfn.com/cannatrac-aims-to-become-the-go-to-payment-solution-for-cannabis/ Click Here to Receive CFN Media's Newsletter Every Week in Your Inbox About CFN Media CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) is the owner and operator of CFN Media, the leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the legal cannabis industry. For Visitors and Viewers CFN Media's Cannabis Financial Network (CannabisFN.com) is the destination for savvy investors and business people profiting from the worldwide cannabis industry. Viewers will see breaking news, exclusive content and original programming involving the people, companies and investments shaping the industry. For Cannabis Businesses & Companies CFN Media is a leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the cannabis industry. We help private, pre-public and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada attract capital, investors and media attention. Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a company's message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets. Since 2013, CFN Media has enabled the world's preeminent cannabis companies to thrive in the capital and public markets. Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: https://www.cannabisfn.com/become-featured-company/ Disclaimer The above article is sponsored content. CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, have been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/ Company Contact: Tom Gavin CEO tgavin@cannatrac.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51766 YEREVAN. According to the international Democracy Index 2019 report, Armenia has continued to make progress in the field of democracy. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this at the government session today. According to him, as per the results of 2019, Armenia received 5.54 points against the previous 4.79 and has improved its respective ranking by 17 spots, instead of 103rd, ranking 86th among 167 countries. "So we can say that according to international indices, Armenia is the most democratic state in the region," the PM stressed. But Pashinyan added that the aforesaid report noted that despite progress, Armenia continued to be a considered a country with a hybrid regime. "In fact, this is also related to the problems in the judicial system [of the country]," he said. "The fate of these reforms depends on when we will overcome the scale of average countries in both spheres, and appear on the list of leading countries." "The results of 2019 showed that the economy not only is not afraid of our reforms, but on the contrary, inspired by the reforms, shows activeness with very high rates," Nikol Pashinyan added. S ix people in the UK are being tested for suspected coronavirus after travelling to the country from Wuhan, China. Five people are being screened for the respiratory illness in Scotland and a sixth is being screened in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Some 18 people have died of the virus and there has been more than 600 cases, including several outside of China. It comes as the World Health Organisations emergency committee said it is too early to declare an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. CDC/Dr Fred Murphy China is battling to contain the deadly virus in its Hubei province as hundreds of millions of people prepare to travel over the Lunar New Year. Wuhan and other parts of Hubei have lockdowns in place, including curbs on public transport. All but one of the 18 deaths have been in Hubei. Edinburgh-based Professor Jurgen Haas warned that there could be many more cases from other cities in the UK. He added that tests are currently being carried out and none of the patients have been confirmed as having the disease. They all travelled to Scotland from Wuhan, where the outbreak is thought to have originated, within the past two weeks and are showing symptoms of respiratory trouble, a red flag for the virus. Health secretary Matt Hancock insisted the NHS is 'well prepared' for coronavirus / PA Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, said: Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China. But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one. The director-general added: I wish to reiterate the fact that I am not declaring a PHEIC today should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious, or that we are not taking it seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth. WHO is following this outbreak every minute of every day. Meanwhile Prof Haas said he believes there will be "many more cases" of coronavirus in the UK "We have currently three cases suspected Wuhan coronavirus in Edinburgh and as far as I understand one case in Glasgow." He said the cases emerged overnight, adding: "The situation will be pretty similar in pretty much all UK cities with a large number of Chinese students. "It's not too surprising. My suspicious is that there will probably be many more cases in many other cities in the UK. "None of the cases I know of have been confirmed." Wuhan, the Chinese city where coronavirus originated, has been put on lock-down / AP He said there is only one laboratory testing for the virus, operated by Public Health England (PHE). The professor said the cases have been flagged up through the PHE infection guidelines as they travelled to Wuhan within the last 14 days and are showing signs of respiratory symptoms. It was originally reported that there were four suspected cases in Scotland, however, the Scottish government stated that there were only three people receiving screening for the coronavirus. However, they then put out a fresh press statement raising the number to five. A patient is being tested to rule out coronavirus at Belfasts Royal Victoria Hospital, it is understood. The patient arrived at the hospital showing symptoms which may be associated with the condition but it will be some time before test results are returned. The Belfast Health Trust which runs services was unable to make any comment. The international outbreak has so far killed 18 people and infected more than 600. WASHINGTON Amazon said Wednesday it filed a motion to pause Microsoft's work on the Pentagon's multibillion-dollar cloud deal until a court rules on the protest of the contract award. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, cloud computing contract could be worth up to $10 billion for services rendered over as many as 10 years. The Pentagon selected Microsoft over Amazon for the colossal contract on October 25. "It is common practice to stay contract performance while a protest is pending and it's important that the numerous evaluation errors and blatant political interference that impacted the JEDI award decision be reviewed," a spokesperson for AWS wrote in a Wednesday statement. "AWS is absolutely committed to supporting the DoD's modernization efforts and to an expeditious legal process that resolves this matter as quickly as possible," the spokesperson added. In November, Amazon filed a notice in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims indicating a plan to protest the Pentagon's decision to award Microsoft the multibillion-dollar cloud contract. Amazon claimed that the JEDI evaluation process contained "clear deficiencies, errors, and unmistakable bias." In December, Amazon's AWS chief Andy Jassy told CNBC that the cloud contracting was not adjudicated fairly. "You know, there was significant political interference here," Jassy explained of the JEDI award. "When you have a sitting president who's willing to be very vocal that they dislike a company and the CEO of that company, it makes it difficult for government agencies, including the DoD to make objective decisions without fear of reprisal. And I think that's dangerous and risky for our country," he told CNBC's Jon Fortt. Hearst Connecticut Media file photo MIDDLETOWN The city of Middletown has put out a call for project proposals eligible to receive Community Development Block Grants. As part of the Citizens Participation Plan, and in accordance with the regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Citizens Advisory Committee will hold a public hearing to provide citizens and citizen organizations with an opportunity to comment on the use of an estimated $400,000 in anticipated entitlement funds, and any additional program income and re-programmed funding for the 2020 grant year, according to a press release. Doctors will continue to perform heart surgery at Sydney's two children's hospitals, after a review found concentrating specialist paediatric services at one site was "neither logical or feasible". The review found Randwick and Westmead children's hospitals should remain within the Sydney Children's Hospital Network, despite a long-running conflict which escalated after some medical staff at Randwick raised concerns over the degradation of the cardiac service there. Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick. Credit:Isabella Porras In July, Health Minister Brad Hazzard met with doctors and healthcare workers from across the state after an independent review found governance problems and escalating tensions between the Randwick and Westmead hospitals should be settled "as a matter of urgency". NSW Health delayed making a final decision on the future of the network until academic Emeritus Professor Richard Henry handed down the findings of his statewide review of paediatric services. ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SBG Technology Solutions, an industry leader and one of the fastest- growing engineering, information technology (IT), cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence service providers in the country, is pleased to announce that Bruce Dickey, CAPTAIN, US Navy (Retired), has joined the company as Vice President of National Security Services. Bruce will be heading up SBG's Department of Defense (DoD), Space, and Intelligence Community (IC) efforts. In this capacity Bruce will be leading the team that provides support to DoD, Space, and IC clientele, while working to expand SBG's portfolio and business solutions offerings. As a retired Navy CAPTAIN with over 30 years combined of military and industry experience, including expertise in Systems Engineering and Program Management, Bruce has successfully built highly effective teams, while managing operations for the IC and the US Navy. Following his commissioning in the Navy in 1989, Bruce served as a Surface Warfare Officer and later an Engineering Duty Officer for multiple afloat and ashore commands. His last assignment prior to military retirement in 2017 was with the Communications Directorate at the National Reconnaissance Office. Upon retirement from the Navy in 2017, Bruce joined CSRA which was later acquired by General Dynamics IT - where he worked as a Business Development and Capture Executive in both the DoD and IC markets. Bruce holds an M.S. in Space Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from NC State University. He also holds DAWIA Level 3 Program Management and ITIL v3 certifications. He and his wife, Susan, live in Northern Virginia and have three children. Carlos Del Toro, SBG's President & CEO, commented, "We are very excited to welcome Bruce aboard. His proven leadership, innovativeness, and in-depth knowledge of the DoD, Space and IC sectors make him the perfect choice to lead our dynamic National Security Services Team. I am confident that Bruce will be instrumental in building upon SBG's successes." About SBG Technology Solutions: SBG Technology Solutions, Inc. is a nationwide provider of professional engineering, IT modernization, IT governance, cyber security, and artificial intelligence services to federal and commercial clients. A representative sample of our clients include: Department of Veterans Affairs; Department of Health and Human Services, Defense Health Agency; U.S. Navy; Army National Guard, Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and the Transportation Security Administration. Additional information about SBG Technology Solutions can be found at our website http://sbgts.com. SOURCE SBG Technology Solutions, Inc. (Newser) The Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans collapsed on Oct. 12, 2019. It's been more than three months since the disaster, which killed three workersand two of their bodies are still in the destroyed building. The city has said the site is too unstable and dangerous to recover the bodies, but renewed outrage over the situation erupted Tuesday when wind blew a tarp that had been placed to shield one of the bodies from view, making it clearly visible again. Photos then began circulating, prompting Mayor LaToya Cantrell to issue a statement rebuking those taking them: "capturing or sharing images of the victims in such a condition is irresponsible, it is indefensible, and it is not who we are as New Orleanians." But some of the responses took issue with Cantrell's version of the story, CNN reports. story continues below "I would submit to @mayorcantrell that placing a tarp over a dead New Orleans citizen & allowing him to hang for more than 3 months, rather than figuring out a way to remove his body is 'irresponsible and indefensible,'" reads one of those responses on Twitter. "Atrocious look for our state." For now, it seems that not only will the bodies of Jose Ponce Arreola, 63, and Quinnyon Wimberly, 36, remain there, but the tarp won't even be replaced. "The condition of the building and the altitude above street level complicate efforts to replace the tarp, as they have prevented recovery thus far," Cantrell's statement continues, per the Mercury News. City officials recently decided to implode the entire building in March rather than remove it piece by piece, and Cantrell said the victims' families had agreed to the plan and that recovering the remains would be the "next step." (Read more Hard Rock stories.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Peter Hutchison (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States Thu, January 23, 2020 05:44 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206092239 2 World US,Entertainment,abuse,trial,Harvey-Weinstein Free Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial began in earnest in New York on Wednesday, with the defense expected to detail "loving" emails between the once-mighty American movie producer and his accusers. A frail-looking Weinstein, 67, walked slowly into the court premises, but without the walking frame he has used for recent proceedings. He faces life in prison if convicted of predatory sexual assault charges related to two women in a case seen as key to the #MeToo movement. In opening arguments, prosecutors will argue that the former Miramax Films boss was a sexual predator who made a career out of abusing women trying to make their way in Hollywood. Weinstein's attorneys will try to convince the court that his two accusers engaged in consensual relationships with the defendant and only later claimed the incidents were forced. Lawyer Damon Cheronis said Tuesday the defense had "dozens" of emails sent by the women to Weinstein which undermine claims of non-consensual sex. Justice James Burke ruled that the defense team could cite these emails in its opening arguments, dealing a blow to the prosecution which had objected to their inclusion. "What we will counter with are their own words, their own words where they described loving relationships," Cheronis told the court, United States media reported. On Wednesday, about 100 reporters waited in line from dawn to secure a prized seat in the Manhattan Criminal Court. Weinstein is accused of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in his New York apartment in July 2006. An unidentified woman says Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013. The prosecution will call four other accusers to the stand as it tries to convince the 12-member jury that Weinstein engaged in a pattern of predatory sexual behavior. Supporting witnesses will include "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra, who says Weinstein raped her in the winter of 1993-94. The identity of three other alleged victims, including one who says she was raped by Weinstein in California in 2013, are unknown. High-profile women's rights attorney Gloria Allred, who represents two women involved in the trial, has said the accusers must prepare for a "brutal cross-examination." Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon is leading the prosecution, while Chicago lawyer Donna Rotunno, who has defended numerous men accused of sexual assault, leads the defense. More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct since claims against him ignited the #MeToo movement in October 2017. But many of the alleged crimes fall outside the time frame for bringing charges. Seven men and five women make up the jury in the trial which is expected to run until March 6. The defense was successful in keeping young white women viewed as sympathetic to the #MeToo movement off the jury, following an acrimonious two-week selection process. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - California power giant PG&E Corp. (PCG) said it has reached an agreement with bondholders that threatened opposition to its strategy for getting out of bankruptcy. But, California Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly urged a federal judge to reject PG&E's plan for getting out of bankruptcy. He has threatened a state takeover of the troubled utility. PG&E noted that the Ad Hoc Committee of Senior Unsecured Noteholders will withdraw its alternative plan of reorganization and support the PG&E Plan upon entry of an order approving the Restructuring Support Agreement by the Bankruptcy Court. The company said the agreement resolves all issues related to the treatment of pre-petition funded debt of the Utility, including post-petition interest amounts and make-whole premiums, under PG&E's Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization. 'This agreement helps achieve our goals of fairly compensating wildfire victims, protecting customers' bills and emerging from Chapter 11 as the utility of the future that our customers and communities expect and deserve,' said CEO and President of PG&E Corporation Bill Johnson. PG&E said it is committed to working with all stakeholders to confirm and implement the PG&E Plan, to obtaining regulatory approval from the CPUC consistent with AB 1054, and to achieving confirmation of the Plan by the Bankruptcy Court in advance of June 30, 2020. PG&E expects to amend its Plan of Reorganization in the coming weeks. 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. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said if there is a competition to make false promises in the country, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will win the first prize. Shah said this while campaigning for the party in West Delhi's Matiala constituency. Taking a jibe at Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government, Shah said, ''The AAP government had earlier promised that they would install 15 lakh CCTV's in Delhi but they only installed 25-30 thousand cameras and stopped the work.'' He added, '' Narendra Modi government brought the Jan Lokpal bill but the AAP party did not implement it either. The water being supplied to the household got even dirtier during his tenure.'' He also alleged that the AAP leader had forgotten the promises he had made to the people of Delhi and said, ''I have come to remind you that you forgot the promises you made, but neither the people of Delhi nor BJP workers have forgotten.'' Live TV Defending his party, Shah said for four and a half years the chief minister kept saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not let him work so development could not be done in Delhi, but now Kejriwal is saying that he developed Delhi in five years so 'lage raho Kejriwal'. During his address to Matiala voters, Shah lauded the abrogation of article 370 done by the BJP-led government and said that our government managed to bring the act without any violence and the opposition is finding it hard to believe it. Delhi will go to polls on February 8 and the result will be declared on February 12. In 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists turned on the Doomsday Clock. First set at seven minutes to midnight, the metaphorical clock reminds us of the extinction-level peril all around us: the threat of global thermonuclear conflict, now along with climate disaster and various other technological threats. This week, the Bulletin updated the clock to 100 seconds to midnightthe closest it has ever been. In so doing, the group wrote in a statement, board members are explicitly warning leaders and citizens around the world that the international security situation is now more dangerous than it has ever been, even at the height of the Cold War. Advertisement As a grandchild of the Cold War, I learned about the Doomsday Clock not in real life but by reading Alan Moores popular 1987 graphic novel Watchmen, upon which Damon Lindelofs recent HBO adaptation is based. The Watchmen canon dramatizes what can happen when society takes the Doomsday Clock too seriously. In the story, a self-styled superhero named Ozymandias secretly orchestrates an attack on New York City, devised to shock humanity out of the nuclear arms race. The Doomsday Clock ticks forward throughout the novel, and just before it reaches midnight, Ozymandias arranges for the murder of 3 million people by a mysterious villain to unify the worlds nations against a known villain: mutually assured destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time and clocks are a central motif in the novel and in Lindelofs new series, which takes place in an alternate historys 2019. But while the Doomsday Clock itself is nowhere to be found in the show, I was surprised to encounter a different, fictional one called the Millennium Clock. In the new story, a trillionaire (with a T) named Lady Trieu is building an enormous clock outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. To write more would be to spoil the shows plot and themes, but suffice it to say, Lady Trieu intends the Millennium Clock to transcend the very notion of time. Whether I was meant to or not, I immediately saw the Millennium Clock as a facsimile for the Clock of the Long Now, a real machine that is currently being constructed in a remote Texas mountainside. The brainchild of Danny Hillis and Stewart Brand of the Long Now Foundation, that clock is designed to tick for 10,000 years. It will be, quite simply, the best clock ever constructed: built to withstand eons of material wear and tear, geologic disturbance, and social, political, and technological change. Advertisement Advertisement The two clocks struck me as each others true opposites: one engineered to actually function for generations, the other designed to metaphorically tick toward a frightening endpoint. But the more Ive thought about them, the more Ive come to consider their similarities. Each clock is meant to reorient humanitys conception of timeno easy task. Each turns our gaze toward some imagined future, and as my colleague Ted Nordhaus recently paraphrased from the original Orwell, who controls the future controls the present. If doomsday really lurks around the corner, that demands an emergency footing today. If, instead, were planning for the Long Now, we need to hunker down (or, for the more optimistic among us, to simply relax). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your mileage may vary. The clocks creators and caretakers have their own intentions, of course. But if these time-telling symbols are to have any meaning at all, then they do have to existand keep existing. That is elemental to the construction of the Clock of the Long Now, which is designed to withstand all manner of human and natural catastrophe. But it is also true, I submit, of the Doomsday Clock, which has not actually moved ever closer to zero but oscillated, ticking from seven minutes to midnight to two minutes to 17 minutes and back and forth for decades. I confess myself a Clock of the Long Now partisan. I find it hopeful and generative. The message that we hope is conveyed is the people before us cared, as the clocks designer, Alexander Rose, phrased it. Advertisement Doomsday, on the other hand well, scour my Twitter feed and youll find more than a few ungenerous descriptions of the Doomsday Clock. I find it not merely catastrophist but fatalistic, communicating that humanity can at best merely teeter slightly toward and away from its own extinction. When the Doomsday Clock was created, elites and the general public alike considered nuclear doomsday a real possibility. But since the finger-on-the-button fears of the Cold War have passed into history, the Bulletin has had to add more prosaic risks to the clocks portfolio. Climate change. Biotechnology. Cyberwarfare. Geoengineering. Say what you will about the very real risks posed by these, but its hard to argue their threats are as immediate as nuclear holocaust. As Will Boisvert wrote in the Breakthrough Journal (which is published by my organization, the Breakthrough Institute), Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Doomsday Clock reduces risk to a single simplistic dimension of danger; thats what makes it such a brilliantly compelling meme. But the technologies it spotlights form multidimensional landscapes of risk and benefit that cannot be intelligibly parsed in such a way. Advertisement In the meantime, while the Doomsday Clock has tocked back and forth over the decades, humanity has not only averted apocalypse but, in many ways, thrived. Contrast the visualization of the Doomsday Clock with the visualizations at Our World in Data, which show substantial improvements in human life expectancy, literacy, health, wealth, and other measures of well-being. This progress must, of course, be measured against the very real and persistent challenges posed by inequality, violence, political and cultural polarization, and ecological devastation. But to the ticking of the Doomsday Clock, its precautionary principle and panic all the way down. Flavors of a depressing Hegelian eschatology put me off the thing for years. Advertisement More recently, though, as I have shed some of my confidence in what the future holds, Ive made a practice to sit with uncomfortable knowledge. And buoyed by that practice, soaking in Lindelofs Watchmen over the past few months, I felt obligated to reconsider Doomsday. Whether its against myopia, utopia, or doomsday, someone must think of the children. I have my own vision, after all, of what a bright future might look like. We all unavoidably imagine our own utopias. And what are doomsdays and dystopias but inverted utopias? If we can create useful utopias, making progress toward them if never quite reaching providence, then surely we can create useful doomsdays, cautioning against our worst impulses but, hopefully, stopping short of outright paralysis. Now you might, as I do, find the messaging around doomsday distasteful and demoralizing. But there may also be danger too in thinking too long-term. As Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner show in their book Superforecasting, in a theme seen throughout Tetlocks work, humans routinely fail at predicting the future even a few years out. Fixating on a future long beyond the lives of our great-great-great-grandchildren might be as defeatist as worrying about apocalypse with every little advance made by human societies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides, it is an established sociological and economic phenomenon that humans discount the future substantially. It is all well and good to make philosophical arguments for flattening the moral weight of living humans and their descendants. Scholars across the political spectrum have done so, from environmental economist Nicholas Stern to libertarian sage Tyler Cowen. But actual decisions made by consumers, businesses, and governments are, almost necessarily, made with some immediate future in mind. Advertisement Advertisement And while long-term planning, forecasting, and maintenance are all wise, making decisions based on short-term dynamics may not be the worst thing in the world. As anyone who lived through 2016 can tell you, society changes faster than some long-term planners might like to believe. Operating in the now, as well as the Long Now, makes at least some sense. Advertisement But whether its against myopia, utopia, or doomsday, someone must think of the children. While in the long run, as they say, were all dead, society spins along. Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends. So says Dr. Manhattan, an immortal stand-in for Superman in the Watchmen story. Manhattan, Moores obvious critique of the Nietzschean ubermensch, is admonishing Ozymandias Hegelian ambitions of a permanent peace. The genocide Ozymandias orchestrated to avert nuclear doomsday had merely restarted the cycle under a new regime of fear. The lesson is clear: Neither history repeating nor the End of History is really an end state. As the creators of the Clock of the Long Now will be the first to tell you, even 10,000 years is the blink of an eye in the history of existence. And while a few radicals might fear a literal doomsdaythink the doomsday preppers, or the Extinction Rebellion climate activiststhe abstract, unrealized concept of doomsday will remain with us forever, whether theres a clock or not. Perhaps the path forward lies in rejecting the maximalist interpretation of both clocks. Robust planning and informed caution are, hopefully, the answers to myopia and catastrophism. I predict both impulses will be with us for a while. The Clock of the Long Now was created to tick forever, after all. And in its own way, so was the Doomsday Clock. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. DUBAI (Reuters) - Gunmen in Iran shot dead a commander of the hardline Basij militia who was an ally of Qassem Soleimani, the senior Revolutionary Guards commander killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, the official news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday. The Basij are under the command of the Guards, the most powerful and heavily armed security force in the Islamic Republic. IRNA said that Abdolhossein Mojaddami, a Basij commander in the city of Darkhovin in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, was shot on Tuesday in front of his home by two men riding a motorcycle. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, IRNA said. It described Mojaddami as one of the defenders of the shrine, a reference used to describe members of security forces who have fought in recent conflicts in Iraq or Syria. Soleimani, a general who oversaw Iran's drive to extend its influence across the Middle East, was killed at Baghdad airport on Jan. 3, prompting Iran to fire missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq in an escalation of their confrontation over Tehran's nuclear program and broader security issues in the region. On Saturday, the United States said it had imposed sanctions on a Revolutionary Guards general in Khuzestan who commanded units Washington accused of responsibility for killing anti-government protesters in November. The U.S. State Department cited multiple media reports and information submitted by Iranians through its "Rewards for Justice" tipline saying that Guards units killed as many as 148 protesters with machinegun fire and by setting fire to a marsh in which protesters took cover in the city of Mahshahr. Iranian authorities disputed the U.S. account, saying security forces confronted rioters who they described as a security threat to petrochemical plants and to a key energy supply route that, if blocked, would have created a crisis. Protests in November were initially sparked by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues. The unrest prompted the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, which blamed foreign enemies for rising tensions. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Ramadhan is here already, and while this holy month is important for all Muslims as far as self-restraint is concerned, what is even more important is ensuring that this new routine doesnt affect your health. Ramadhan and Food Unlike other months of the year, the month of Ramadhan will need you to make some changes to your eating habits. You will need to have a pre-dawn meal (suhoor), and then restrict yourself from food and water throughout the day. You will then break your fast at sunset (Iftaar), and then follow the same routine for the entire month. Naturally, food plays a crucial role during this month-there are several ways you could go wrong and end up feeling tired, lethargic and weak both throughout the fast and probably even after you break it. Tips to Eat Healthy and Stay Active During Ramadhan Here weve bought you some simple tips to fast healthily during the month and keep yourself fit and active through it all. Stick to Healthy Foods The golden rule of staying fit throughout this month is to stick to consuming healthy and nutritious foods. Dont use Ramadhan as an excuse to gorge on fried, salty and sweet foods - your body is deprived of food and water throughout the day, and overburdening it with these foods could turn out to be a bad idea. Experts believe that consuming sweet and fatty foods can not just affect your waistline, but also cause sluggishness and fatigue throughout the day. Consuming salty foods, especially during Suhoor can increase the feeling of thirst. It is recommended that you consume fiber-rich foods during Ramadhan- they help you feel fuller for a longer time. Dont Overeat Overeating during Iftaar could be just as harmful as fasting without having the Suhoor meal. Make sure the food that you eat as you break your fast is nutritious and well balanced. It is best to avoid consuming fried foods at this stage, and stick to a light meal. Chewing your food properly is also very important here. It has been found that consuming fruits on an empty stomach is the best- it helps harness the maximum power from the fruits, whereas consuming fruits after a dinner can cause it to decay and even cause harm. So make sure you break your fast with some fresh seasonal fruits and then proceed to other food preparations. Dont Skip the Suhoor Suhoor is definitely the most important part of your fast- since youll be off food and water all day, it is important for you to consume something to give you energy to go through the rest of the day. Make sure you dont skip Suhoor at any cost, and even avoid overeating during this period. Have a light meal, preferably with unprocessed and natural foods, and make sure you have at least 2 glasses of water too. Warm Water Power While you may want to quench your days thirst with a glass of cold water, avoid doing so. It is best to have a glass of warm water right in the beginning as you break your fast. This is thought to strengthen the eyes, boost digestion and make you feel less lethargic and tired after you break your fast. You can also consider drinking fresh fruit juices or a bowl of soup - the basic idea is to rehydrate your body. According to Islamic traditions, milk, dates, oats, grapes, cucumbers, figs, lentils, mutton, olives and other fruits and vegetables are the best foods to be consumed during Ramadhan. It is also best to limit your physical activity during this stage and take optimum rest- you dont need to stay in bed all day though! It is a good idea to have some light exercise following your Iftaar meal- this will keep you from feeling tired and lethargic. In a statement, government fails to use word Rohingya and rejects accusations of genocide after case at top UN court. In response to an international courts decision ordering Myanmar to take emergency measures to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya, the countrys government responded by saying that there has been no genocide in Rakhine the state from which most of the Muslim-minority group hails. Rights groups and members of the Rohingya minority have celebrated Thursdays ruling from International Court of Justice (ICJ) judges. But a statement released by Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was important for Myanmar that Court [ICJ] reaches a factually correct decision on the merits of the case, and condemned human rights organisations that it accused of presenting a distorted picture of the situation in Rakhine. Those groups, the statement said, had affected Myanmmar bilateral relations with several countries and hampered efforts for sustainable development in the northwest province. While acknowledging war crimes had occurred, the statement said there has been no genocide in Rakhine. While defending her country at the ICJ in December, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in a 30-minute speech, failed to use the word Rohingya once. Critics said her refusal to use the word was part of Myanmars attempt to strip the minority of their identity and rights. Again on Thursday, the word Rohingya was absent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement. A great day for hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas The ICJ case was filed by Muslim-majority The Gambia, which had asked the court to impose emergency measures following the Myanmar armys violent 2017 crackdown that forced around 740,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. The Hague-based court, which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, ordered Myanmar to take urgent and provisional measures to protect its Rohingya population from genocide. 200123141538051 Provisional measures are steps aimed at preventing further harm, and come as the first step in the legal case. Legal experts have applauded the courts decision. Reed Brody, a commissioner at the International Commission of Jurists who was instrumental in the prosecution of the former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, told Al Jazeera: This is a great day for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who have been displaced, killed and raped. The UNs highest court has recognised their suffering. The ICJs orders are legally binding. Brody said the fact that the decision was unanimous would add weight to the courts measures. ABC/Lou RoccoJon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea, were in Newark, New Jersey, Wednesday to celebrate the opening of their third JBJ Soul Kitchen non-profit restaurant, located on the Newark campus of Rutgers University, WABC TV reports. Jon and Dorothea established the JBJ Soul Kitchen restaurants to help provide quality meals to homeless and hungry people. Diners who visit the eateries are asked to pay a suggested amount of money that will cover their own meal and someone else's. If they can't pay for their food, they're asked to volunteer at the restaurant. The Newark restaurant follows JBJ Soul Kitchen franchises in Toms River and Red Bank, New Jersey, and is the first to be located on a college campus. Speaking at the opening, Jon Bon Jovi noted, "For the last decade, the Soul Kitchen restaurants in Red Bank and in Toms River have provided well over 100,000 mealsIt's been a passion project for us for a decade now." Dorothea, meanwhile, said that opening a branch of the restaurant at Rutgers was "humbling and a little overwhelming." She added, "Recognizing that food insecurity is a critical issue facing many college students and one that hits home here at Rutgers, when [campus food-service provider] Gourmet Dining came to us over a year ago with the idea to open a Soul Kitchen, we jumped on the chance to make an impact." The Rutgers JBJ Soul Kitchen's website notes that "[m]ore than 50 percent of students have exceptional financial need," and that in New Jersey's Essex County, where the Newark campus is located, "16.3 percent of residents struggle with food insecurity." Donations to help fund the restaurants also are accepted at JBJSoulKitchen.org. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for a summit in 2020 of leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to "defend peace" in the face of global instability. Speaking in Jerusalem at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Putin said the world must remember that "disunity in the face of threats can lead to frightening consequences." Countries must "do everything to protect and defend peace," he said. "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, calling for a meeting "in any place in the world" of the leaders of Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain. Such a meeting would "play a great role in searching for collective answers to modern challenges and threats," Putin said. Putin is one of dozens of world leaders in Jerusalem to mark the liberation 75 years ago of the World War II death camp where the Nazis killed more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With more than 140 retweets and tweets on a trade deal with China, the World Economic Forum and the ongoing impeachment trial, President Donald Trump on Wednesday set a new record for posts on his favorite social media platform during his three years in the White House. Politico reported that Trump, who set the previous presidential daily tweet record in December, blasted his Twitter account at an average of one per 88 seconds between midnight and 1 a.m. Wednesday, for a total of 41 posts as House prosecutors and Trump administration attorneys squabbled into the early morning over the rules of the trial and whether more testimony and documents should come to light. According to Factba.se, which tracks Trumps tweets and speeches, he eclipsed his all-time record for retweets with more than 120 later on Wednesday. Many of the posts were retweets of lawmakers blasting the Democrats impeachment case. True! the president tweeted in response to Sen. Rand Paul, who asserted, The more we hear from Adam Schiff, the more the GOP is getting unified against this partisan charade! The president also tweeted often about his trade deal with China, his very successful appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, while retweeting campaign team messages praising Trump and his accomplishments. Trump set the previous presidential record on Dec. 12, with 123 Twitter posts. Politico reported that as he flew from Davos on Air Force One, the president approached his personal record, set before he became president, of 161 tweets in 24 hours in January 2015. Passengers aboard a flight arriving from China were screened at Bostons airport Wednesday night as health officials around the world work to contain an outbreak of a new strain of a disease thats sickened hundreds and killed more than a dozen people in China. The Mass. Department of Public Health said the risk to Massachusetts residents from the new form of coronavirus is "currently low," but also advised that residents "should continue taking precautions to avoid illness, including urging people with flu-like illnesses to stay home, washing hands, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and covering coughs." DPH said it is working with the CDC to understand and monitor the outbreak. This specific coronavirus is a respiratory sickness caused by a new virus first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, and which has been spreading in recent weeks. The disease has already killed 17 people in China, and has been confirmed in hundreds more patients. Cases have also been reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. One case has been reported in America -- in Washington state -- and the CDC said passengers from China will be screened at several U.S. airports. On Wednesday night, a flight from China was greeted at Boston Logan International Airport by additional health screening for passengers. "Out of an abundance of caution, Massport Fire Rescue, in coordination with local and federal partners, did additional screening for a number of passengers on the arriving Cathay Pacific flight. None had any symptoms and continued on their trip," a Massachusetts Port Authority spokeswoman said of a flight reportedly arriving from Hong Kong. The Department of Public Health said that airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City are already screening passengers on direct or connecting flights from the Wuhan area and that airports in Atlanta and Chicago will follow suit shortly. By this weekend, federal authorities plan to route all air passengers from Wuhan to one of the five airports where enhanced health screenings are in place, DPH said. Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious disease at South Shore Hospital, said the public "shouldn't be alarmed yet" about the outbreak, but that public health officials need to "stay on top of this because it's a unique virus." "This isn't just a run-of-the-mill, everyday coronavirus. This is a novel type that has mutated and definitely is more severe than the run-of-the-mill coronavirus, which just causes the common cold," he said in a video the hospital posted to Twitter. Ellerin said "we want to have our guards up and we want to make sure we're ready to accept a patient that may have symptoms of this" because of the recent reports of the virus being transmitted from human to human. Early identification of symptoms, isolation of patients who present with possible coronavirus cases, ensuring that hospitals have the right personal protective gear for nurses and doctors, and clear lines of communication with public health officials will be essential if the outbreak continues to spread and arrives in Massachusetts. In a memo sent to health care providers Wednesday, the Department of Public Health advised that any patients who report recent travel to Wuhan and report fever, lower respiratory tract symptoms (such as shortness of breath and cough), and/or contact with a known coronavirus patient should be asked to wear a surgical mask and be evaluated in a private room with the door closed, ideally an airborne infection isolation room if available. Related Content: Coming on the heels of Baltimore's catastrophic cyberattack last year, a new bill in Maryland would criminalize the possession of ransomware if a person intends to use it maliciously. Senate Bill 30 , introduced in January by Sen. Susan C. Lee, D-Montgomery, would make possession of the malware a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The bill makes exceptions for researchers who may be using the malware to better understand how it works.The bill, which has the full support of the Maryland Cybersecurity Council , had been introduced in "various forms" in the past, but has failed to advance due to "minor technical concerns," said Lee, during the bill's recent Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing . The most recent legislation has been re-drafted to address those earlier concerns, she added.One advocate of the newly proposed law is Markus Rauschecker, a cyberprofessional who sits on the state's Cybersecurity Council alongside Lee. Rauschecker toldthat explicitly making use of ransomware illegal will hopefully deter future criminal behavior."A bill like this one just provides very clear, straightforward language on what that crime is and what the punishment for it is... and it's another powerful tool that prosecutors and law enforcement [can] have," Rauschecker said.However, given the anonymous nature of most cybercrime, there are some very obvious limitations to what this law could actually accomplish. Ransomware which is already illegal to possess in a number of states , including Michigan, Wyoming and California ravaged cities and towns across the country last year, but in most cases the culprits never went to prison or were even publicly identified.Computer crime laws aren't exactly new, either. In some senses, this newest law could be viewed as partially redundant given that Maryland already has laws against hacking into computers, databases and networks, and that current law already makes a cyberattack resultant in over $10,000 in losses a felony.Furthermore, new legal frameworks are just one part of what states and cities need to do to better protect themselves, Rauschecker added. Laws need to be paired with robust response plans and security coordination between state, local, federal and private entities."Fundamentally what's important is to have a [cyberincident response] plan in place and to know exactly what you're going to do if you are affected by some sort of incident," he said. "These plans should be "continuously tested and improved upon," he added.Looking to the future, Rauschecker said that collaboration in cybersecurity efforts will have to cross international lines."At an even higher level, you're going to need nation states collaborating with each other because these cybercriminals are all over the world and nation states need to be able to work together to identify where they are located, apprehend them and then extradite them to where they caused the harm," he said. The world's largest jumping castle has arrived in Australia - and adults are invited to embrace their inner child and get in on the action too. The touring Biggest Bounce 'inflatable event' will launch at St. Ives Showground in Sydney's Upper North Shore from January 25 - 27 and adults can pay $55 to let loose and enjoy three hours of kid-free bounce time from 6pm. The 1,500 square metre jumping castle has been certified as the world's largest by Guinness World Records and includes climbing towers, a giant slide that lands riders in a ball-pit, over-sized couches and chairs and a 70m tall, multi-coloured rabbit to climb. The world's largest jumping castle has arrived in Australia - and adults are invited to embrace their inner child and get in on the action too The touring Biggest Bounce 'inflatable event' will launch at St. Ives Showground in Sydney's Upper North Shore from January 25 - 27 and adults can pay $55 to let loose and enjoy three hours of kid-free bounce time from 6pm The Biggest Bounce insists there are just two rules for bouncers - wear socks at all times and 'behave like an overgrown child' At the very centre there is a DJ blasting music tailored to each age group, party games, confetti blasts, snow machines and dodgeball competitions taking place. Guests can also enjoy two other attractions: The Giant and the Air Space. The aptly named Giant is a 300 metre long inflatable obstacle course inspired by Ninja Warrior. The 1,500 square metre jumping castle has been certified as the world's largest by Guinness World Records and includes climbing towers, a giant slide that lands riders in a ball-pit, over-sized couches and chairs and a 70m tall, multi-coloured rabbit to climb The aptly named Giant is a 300 metre long inflatable obstacle course inspired by Ninja Warrior. There are 50 different obstacles for visitors to run, jump, crawl and flip through before they reach a giant slide at the end. Air Space is described as an 'out of this world' experience with 'aliens', space ships, moon craters and space-inspired inflatables. There are four sessions taking place each day over the weekend: toddlers (under three), juniors (four to seven), big kids (eight to 15) and adults only (16+). There are 50 different obstacles for visitors to run, jump, crawl and flip through before they reach a giant slide at the end There are four sessions taking place each day over the weekend: toddlers (under three), juniors (four to seven), big kids (eight to 15) and adults only (16+) Tickets for toddlers are $29, older children's tickets are $45 and adult tickets are $55; each session runs for three hours. The Biggest Bounce insists there are just two rules for bouncers - wear socks at all times and 'behave like an overgrown child'. Once the event leaves Sydney it will head to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Kalgoorlie. You can find more information about the upcoming events here. Lucknow, Jan 23 : It began with the Clock Tower in Lucknow and has now found an echo in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Etawah and Rampur. The sit-in protests against the citizenship laws which began in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, have caught on in a big way in Uttar Pradesh. Last Friday, a group of about 15 women arrived at the Clock Tower with placards against CAA and NRC, hidden under their burqas, and began the protest. As soon as they took out the placards, traffic on the main road slowed down and within three hours, more than a hundred women had collected at the site. The police took away their blankets and food packets, doused bonfires with water in a bid to deter their efforts. However, the women did not budge. The number has been swelling with each passing day and the seven-day-old dharna shows no signs of ending. After Clock Tower in Lucknow, it was the Mansoor Ali Khan Park in Prayagraj where women started a sit-in protest What initially seemed to be a one-day protest has been continuing for five days now. More than 5,000 women, men and children are camping at the park, braving the freezing temperatures. "Yes we have been inspired by Shaheen Bagh. If our sisters can protest there, we can do it here too," said Renu Varma, a mother of three. Delhi's Shaheen Bagh entered Day 39 on Thursday. At the Mansoor Ali Khan Park, women can be seen listening to speeches made by student organizations from the Left and the Samajwadi Party while others are recording the events on their cell phones. "I just want to say that we will be here for as long as required, till someone from the government speaks to us," said Fatima, an octogenarian who has joined the protest. The Jama Masjid in Rampur has also turned into a protest site with women assembling in large numbers. In Etawah, on Wednesday, the cop chased and caned women who had started collecting in the Pachraha area to start a sit-in against the citizenship laws. "The police did not let us protest yesterday but we will be planning and will do it again. Let us see how long they shoo us away," said Arushi Yadav who is now painting anti-CAA posters. Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, faced fresh trouble on Thursday when scores of women tried to stage a protest at the Benia Bagh ground. As soon as they spread a 'durrie' on the ground, the cops arrived on the scene and tried to dissuade the women from staging dharna. The women were unrelenting and as soon as the police tried to arrest the protesters, a mob standing close by started pelting stones at the cops. Additional forces have been deployed in the area to prevent the protestors from returning. The protests against the citizenship laws are now spreading to the rural areas as well. Ujariyagaon, a village on the outskirts of Lucknow, is also witnessing a protest, albeit smaller in size. What is common in all these protest is that the women are inspired by the Shaheen Bagh protest. Initially, the protests began with Muslim women but now Sikh men and women have joined in a big way. Hindu women are not only participating in the dharna but are also arranging for food and blankets for the other protestors. At the Clock Tower, Sikh men have even set up a community kitchen for women and children. While majority of the protesters may not understand the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), they insist that it will ruin the future of their children. "If women are protesting in 32 cities, braving the freezing temperatures, there has to be a reason. Even if you want to believe that we are illiterate and are being misled, how do you explain that educated children form universities, IITs and IIMs are also staging protests?" asked Roshanara, a protester at Clock Tower in Lucknow, who has had much of a formal education. The women are all the more determined to continue their protest after the ruling BJP alleged that they were being paid money to protest. "Fine, we are being paid -- so let us make some good money and continue with our protest. If these leaders also want money, they can send their women to protest with us," said Ruchi Sahni, a young protestor at Clock Tower. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston It was all very different for Leo Varadkar back in 2010. He was a Fine Gael opposition spokesperson with a reputation for saying things that other politicians wouldnt. Varadkars comments often saw him in the headlines and not always for good reasons. But he didnt mind, he liked being different to the other TDs and Fine Gael were happy to have an attack dog to take on Fianna Fail during the economic crash. At the time, the Hot Press interview was a rite of passage for politicians, especially those who were seeking to connect with the youth vote. And 30-year-old Leo Varadkar was certainly trying to corner that market. During the interview with Hot Press in May 2010, Varadkar was asked if he was into rave culture which was popular at the time. He said he wasnt. He was then asked if he had experimented with ecstasy or any other illegal drugs as a teen? Varadkar laughed and asked: what did (then Taoiseach) Brian Cowen say to you, again? He added: Not since Ive held elected office, anyway. Ive been extremely law-abiding since Ive been elected to politics. Brian Cowen previously told Hot Press he smoked cannabis in college. Varadkar was also asked if he smoked cannabis. I did a bit in my college years, yeah. But I wouldnt be advocating that anybody else do the same particularly being more aware now of the evidence linking cannabis smoking to schizophrenia. He was also asked about the rise of Head Shops which sold synthetic drugs and hallucinogenics. It would be almost impossible to actually ban head shops because theyll always be one step ahead of the law, and it might make more sense to try and regulate them, Varadkar said. Head Shop products were eventually outlawed. It was a very different interview for a politician, especially one from the usually conservative Fine Gael party. Dont forget at the time, Varadkar was also comparing travelling to the UK for an abortion to going to Amsterdam to smoke a joint. So he still had some work to do on his liberal credentials. Last night on the Virgin Media General Election debate, Varadkar vividly remembered this interview. Pat Kenny had just spoken to the Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin about the scourge of drug gangs and the violence they have unleashed on our country. Read More Kenny suggested recreational drug users who fund these gangs should bear some of the responsibility for their crimes. He then asked the two leaders if they had done drugs? No I never have, Martin said firmly. Varadkar seemed caught off guard and said he answered the questions truthfully when interviewed by Hot Press. Martin sniggered as Kenny pushed Varadkar on whether hed taken drugs. Yes, it was obviously a long time ago, the Taoiseach finally responded. Varadkar was well-prepared for the debate but he didnt see that one coming. Its an election campaign and crime is rampant, its an obvious question but he wasnt ready. Part of Fine Gaels election strategy has been to appeal to young voters who see Varadkar as a modern European leader. Recreational drug use would not be a big deal for most people aged between 18 and 40. Its been going on in colleges, clubs and pubs for decades. The Taoiseach could have owned his use of drugs before saying he regretted what he has done in the past and wouldnt encourage others to take illegal substances. Of course, we still dont know what exactly it is that he has taken. Older voters and those with more conservative views will be disappointed that the leader of the law and order party took drugs. Younger voters may also be disappointed that their new liberal hero struggled to answer the question. In 2020, it does feel like quite a dated question for politician to be asked but the outbreak of violence perpetrated by drugs gangs does make it pertinent election issue. Varadkar will be under pressure to clarify what he has taken in the past. But he may look to his counterpart in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who admitted to taking cocaine before the recent UK general election and ramped home with a historic majority. Suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devinder Singh and four other accused were on Thursday sent to 15 days National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody in an espionage case. He was arrested along with Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed Babu, his accomplice Rafi Ahmad and a lawyer named Irfan from a car on the highway near Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir. He was allegedly helping Babu travel to Pakistan in connivance with Irfan. The NIA had brought the accused in Delhi on a transit remand from Kulgam and the agency is probing the arrest of Singh for ferrying Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on January 16 had asked the agency to start the investigation into Singh's arrest and take a close look at his alleged involvement with terror groups. A day after Singh's arrest, the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted raids at the police officer's properties and recovered AK-47, hand grenades and a pistol. Live TV Following his arrest, he was interrogated by a joint team of the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir and was booked under the Unlawful Activity Act. During his interrogation, Singh maintained that he had no link to Hizbul terrorists and that he was taking the terrorists to surrender; but interrogators have dismissed his claims. According to news agency IANS, a sum of Rs 12 lakh may have been given to Singh to move out the two Hizbul militants to Jammu on their way to Chandigarh and onward to Delhi to carry out attacks on or before the Republic Day. Singh was posted with the anti-hijacking unit at Srinagar Airport and was one of the officials that received the 16-member delegation of foreign ambassadors which visited Kashmir. On January 13, he was suspended from his services. Intelligence sources told IANS that Singh disclosed that he had put up the terrorists at his Indira Nagar house in Srinagar, right next to the Army's 15 Corps Headquarters, and thereafter accompanied them to Jammu in a car driven by the Hizbul overground worker. Since the arrest of Singh and the two Hizbul militants, security agencies carried out multiple raids across the Union Territory, especially Srinagar and south Kashmir, and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition stashed by the officer and the terrorists. Xavier Rolet, the former chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, is standing down from his role at leading hedge fund CQS after little more than a year in the job. Rolet, who left the LSE in 2017 following a boardroom bust-up, joined the fund set up by billionaire Sir Michael Hintze as chief executive in 2018. Moving on: Xavier Rolet left the LSE in 2017 following a boardroom bust-up But in a strangely worded announcement yesterday, CQS, which has 15 billion of assets under management, said Rolet, 60, wanted 'to pivot from his full-time role to the post of strategic adviser'. His decision to step aside was prompted, said the company, by 'reasons that are private and unconnected with CQS'. It did not release any other details. Serge Harry, Rolet's right-hand man at the LSE and who joined CQS in June last year as group chief financial officer, has been appointed deputy chief executive. Hintze's role remains unchanged as group executive chairman and senior investment officer. He said: 'We have benefited hugely from Xavier's drive and business acumen and made significant progress during his tenure.' TORONTO - Greeting card retailers Carlton Cards and Papyrus are closing their doors, including 79 stores in Canada. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Greeting card retailers Carlton Cards and Papyrus are closing their doors, including 79 stores in Canada. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A Papyrus store employee at Lime Ridge Mall in Hamilton says employees were told that stores will close in four to six weeks. Alyssa Scott says the closure doesn't come as a surprise. She says employees saw it coming because business has been very slow. The Schurman Retail Group owns and operates Carlton and Papyrus stores, which in turn buys branded products that are available in thousands of Canadian retailers including Shopper's Drug Mart, London Drugs an Indigo. Media reports in the U.S. said 254 stores employing 1,400 people will close in North America, including 178 locations south of the border. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 19:11 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060b984a 1 World #Wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus,wuhan,China,#China,coronavirus,#coronavirus,Indonesians Free Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said that since December about 90 percent of Indonesians studying in Wuhan had already left the Chinese city at the center of a mysterious virus outbreak and returned to Indonesia for the Lunar New Year holiday. According to the records from our embassy in Beijing, there are 428 Indonesian students in Wuhan, 1,280 in Beijing and 849 in Shanghai," Retno told reporters on Thursday. "As of December 2019, 90 percent of the Indonesian students in Wuhan and its surroundings have returned to Indonesia because of holidays until mid-February." The coronavirus, which bears similarities to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), was reportedly first detected on Dec. 31 in Wuhan. China banned trains and planes from leaving Wuhan on Thursday, seeking to isolate its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed 17 lives, infected hundreds and spread to other countries, AFP reports. Authorities in Wuhan, a major transportation hub, also suspended public buses and subways and said residents should not leave "without a special reason". More than 570 people have been infected with the virus across China with most cases found in Wuhan, where a seafood market that illegally sold wild animals has been identified as the epicenter of the outbreak. Retno said that Indonesias representatives in Beijing continue to coordinate with the universities in China. "According to the embassy, there had been no reports of Indonesians infected by the virus in China," she said. The chairman of Indonesian Student Association in China, Fadlan Muzaki, said the students who currently remain in China outside Wuhan have received an advisory alert from the embassy against traveling to Wuhan. They are also required to seek medical attention if they have pneumonia-like symptoms and are advised to avoid contact with live animals, especially poultry and birds, as well as to avoid eating uncooked meat. He said some of those who opted not to return to Indonesia for school holidays instead visited other cities in China. Some of them could not return to Wuhan because there is a travel lockdown," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. "While those who are in Wuhan always wear masks everywhere." He said the student association has also advised them to return to Indonesia if possible. Public transport strike in Rome on Monday 3 February. Rome commuters can expect a 24-hour transport strike on Monday 3 February, in what will be this year's first strike by employees of the city's public transit company ATAC. The strike action will affect Rome's buses, trams, metro and light rail services Roma-Lido, Termini-Centocelle and Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo, operated by ATAC, with the city's night buses at risk on the night between Sunday and Monday. The public transport strike timetable follows the usual routine and will be effective from 08.30 to 17.00 and from 20.00 until end of service, with transport guaranteed during the busiest rush hour periods. There will be no change to bus services provided by Roma TPL and Cotral, in the suburbs and greater Rome area. Likewise, train services operated by Ferrovie dello Stato will be unaffected. For transport updates in relation to the strike see Muoversi a Roma website. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 21:47:42|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close Guests watch a performance during the "Tianjin Night" event held in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2020. The "Tianjin Night" event was held at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2020 annual meeting in Davos on Wednesday night. Guests watched performances and enjoyed traditional food during the event. (Photo by Zhang Li/Xinhua) HOLYOKE - A second man is in custody and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of 21-year-old Jesus Otero Marrero who was found dead Jan. 10 in an alley on South Bridge Street. Brian Vazquez-Rivera, 29, of Holyoke, was apprehended Friday in the Bronx, according to the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. James Leydon, Gullunis communications director, said Vazquez-Rivera has waived his right to an extradition hearing in New York and was returned to Massachusetts on Wednesday afternoon. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday in Holyoke District Court on a charge of murder. Vazquez-Rivera in the second man charged with murder and the third arrested in connection with the homicide of Marrero. Jean Carlos Rivera, 30, of Holyoke was arrested Jan. 13 and charged with murder in Holyoke District Court. He had pleaded innocent to the charge and is being held without the right to bail pending his trial. He is due back in court on Feb. 14. A third man, Merkin Andrade, 30, of Holyoke, was arrested and charged with being an accessory to murder and misleading police. He is being held on $100,000 and is due back in court on Feb. 13. Holyoke police detectives and members of the state police detective unit assigned to Gullunis office worked with New York City police, members of the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, the FBI, and U.S. Secret Service to locate Vazquez-Riverain the Bronx. Marrero was found dead on the morning of Jan. 10 in an alleyway next to 593 South Bridge St. He had been shot multiple times at close range. Police said they suspect that he had been shot sometime in the overnight and left there. Although officials have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo has publically characterized the death as a gangland slaying and that Rivera is a known member of the La Familia street gang. Febo also criticized the federal courts for sentencing Rivera in November to three years probation, instead of jail time, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of selling crack cocaine. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PNW announced that its subsidiary Arizona Public Service Company (APS) has set a target to deliver 100% clean electricity to customers by 2050. The companys nearer-term target will be to supply 65% of its total electricity from clean sources by 2030, with 45% being generated from renewable sources. Pinnacle West Capital operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary APS. Initiatives to Attain Goal Pinnacle West Capitals unit APS aims to achieve this renewable target through focusing on clean sources like natural gas, energy storage solutions that support development and usage of more renewable sources, as well as modernization of the electric grid that supports more renewables and lowers the possibility of outages. In addition, planned electrification of Arizonas different economic sectors, particularly the transportation sector and specific building applications, will increase the demand and usage of clean energy. Production of 100% clean electricity will require a transition from the polluting sources of energy to cleaner and renewable sources. By the end of 2018, the company produced 23.2% of its electricity from coal. It has plans to shut all coal-fired generation by 2031, seven years sooner than the previous projection. Rising Use of Clean Sources The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) release indicated that clean renewable energy will account for the majority of global power generation by 2050. Per EIA, nearly 28% of the worlds power came from renewables in 2018, courtesy of improved technology and increasing awareness about emissions. Renewable sources are expected to account for 49% of global power generation by 2050. The same trend can be noticed in the United States as well, with utilities setting targets to cut emissions from their production portfolio. Utilities like Dominion Energy D, Xcel Energy XEL, and American Electric Power AEP have laid out plans to reduce carbon emissions from their electric generation by 80%, 100% and 80%, respectively, by 2050. The above development is hurting the companies belonging to the U.S. coal industry, as demand for coal continues to decline in the United States. The latest report from EIA forecasts 2020 coal consumption in the United States to fall 11% to 531 million short tons (MMst) from the 2019 level of 596 MMst. Coal consumption is estimated to further drop to 513 MMst in 2021. Price Performance In the past 12 months, Pinnacle Wests shares have underperformed its industry. Story continues Zacks Rank Pinnacle West currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Dominion Energy Inc. (D) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda in Davos. The sides discussed the development of relations between the two countries, and exchanged views on exploring opportunities for cooperation in the oil and gas sector and the current geopolitical situation in the region and the world. During the conversation, the importance of Azerbaijan's participation in the Three Seas Initiative Summit to be held in Tallinn in June this year was emphasized, and the further deepening of cooperation within the Visegrad Group and the Non-Aligned Movement was discussed. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will arrive in India on a four-day visit beginning Friday with an aim to "re-energise" the bilateral strategic partnership by boosting trade and investment, and deepening cooperation in key sectors such as defence and energy. Bolsonaro, during his first visit to India after assuming power, will be the chief guest at India's 71st Republic Day Parade on January 26, besides holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. Asked why a "controversial" figure like Bolsonaro was chosen to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh said he is an elected leader in a democratic country which is an emerging power in the region and one with which India has strong and substantive relations. "We will be warmly welcoming him as an honoured guest to the Republic Day and it (his coming here) is a sign of his commitment to building the relationship between the two countries," she said at a media briefing. Brazilian envoy Andre Aranha Correa do Lago to India earlier told PTI over 15 agreements will be signed during the Brazilian president's visit, including one on the investment protection and facilitation treaty. President Bolsonaro will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind separately on Saturday. Thakur said there would be discussions on cooperation in key sectors such as defence, energy, trade and agriculture. "Coming to the energy sector, which is the area in which we have collaboration both oil and gas as well as in the renewable energy side, including in the field of Bio-fuels... We could have exchange of knowledge as well as technology in this field," Thakur said. "We have ongoing Defence cooperation as well as space cooperation and we are looking at how to strengthen these. And, also we would be looking at strengthening our cooperation that exists in science and technology, in innovations and start-ups," she said. Other areas which will be the focus of discussion during the visit will be agriculture, food processing and animal husbandry, Thakur said. "So, if you look at it, the visit of President Bolsonaro is extremely important visit. It will be an opportunity to re-energise our strategic partnership and take it forward in a focused manner. And, we have a very positive and forward looking agenda to building stronger ties with Brazil," she said. President Bolsonaro will be accompanied by eight ministers, four members of the Brazilian Parliament, senior officials and a large business delegation, she said. This will be the third time that a Brazilian President will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day. The last time there was a Brazilian president as chief guest was in 2004. India-Brazil ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. The volume of bilateral trade was USD 8.2 billion in 2018-19. This included USD 3.8 billion worth of Indian exports to Brazil and USD 4.4 million as imports by India. Both the governments feel there is huge potential to enhance the bilateral trade further. Indian investments in Brazil were around USD 6 billion and Brazilian investments in India are estimated at USD 1 billion in 2018. Brazilian investments in India are mainly in the automobile, IT, mining, energy and biofuels sectors. India has invested in Brazil's IT, pharmaceutical, energy, agri-business, mining and engineering sectors. The two countries signed an agreement in 2003 for defence cooperation. It was ratified by Brazil in 2006. The agreement provides for cooperation in defence related matters, especially in the field of research and development, acquisition and logistic support. Both the countries are also strong contenders for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Prime Minister Modi met Bolsonaro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka in June last year during which a raft of issues of bilateral importance were discussed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KENAI, Alaska - A Soldotna man has been charged in Juneau with damaging the Governors Mansion by nailing a sign to the door. David A. Powell, 54, is charged with misdemeanour damage of property. Online court documents do not list his attorney. He is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 27. Juneau police estimated damage at $450, Kenai radio station KSRM reported. Security officers reported a man hammered the sign to the mansions front door Monday. The door is an original piece from the construction of the governors house. Police identified Powell with video surveillance cameras. Police did not say what was on the sign. Powell was not in custody Thursday. D eirdre Bairs big claim to fame is that she was the groundbreaking first biographer of the Irish writer Samuel Beckett in 1978. It was, she explains, a bit of an accident. She was a brash young woman back then, a journalist not yet 30 who became an accidental biographer, one who had never read a biography before she decided that Samuel Beckett needed one and she was the person to write it. That she chose to study Beckett at all seems almost random. Enrolled in the Graduate School at Columbia University in New York, she was working on medieval literature when she decided to switch to a contemporary writer. She wrote a dozen names of possible subjects on file cards and shuffled them into alphabetical order. There were no As, and Beckett came first, before Joseph Conrad and E. M. Forster. Beckett it shall be, I said to myself, and that was how my life in biography started. After completing a dissertation about him, she wrote to Beckett in 1971 suggesting she should write up his life. He replied a week later saying his life was without interest, but if she came to Paris he would see her. She went. He greeted her, she says, with the disconcerting remark: So youre the one who is going to reveal me for the charlatan I am. But when he saw how this confused her, he became kind. The meeting ended with him promising: I will neither help nor hinder you. Bair worked diligently on the biography for seven years, interviewing everybody she could who knew him, reading letters and collecting up material. She financed herself through various grants and advances. She describes the process which involved her being friendly to many vainglorious, drunken and lecherous Irishmen extremely painstakingly, to the extent of telling us repeatedly what she ate and how well she slept, what the temperature was and what she wore on various occasions. She never became close to Beckett she never called him Sam, not only to his face but also when speaking of him to others. She realised that he compartmentalised his friendships, and she felt at times like a marionette whose strings he was pulling, because I never knew where I stood with him. Yet when, just before publication, she needed to get Becketts signed permission for every quote from his letters and unpublished writings, he behaved impeccably, initialling every one, save for a poem he had written as a 12-year-old schoolboy, which he said showed her diligence as a researcher more than his literary development. I have met many honourable persons throughout my long professional life, but there was never one whose integrity equalled Samuel Becketts. His word was indeed his bond, she concludes handsomely. Her diligent work involved being friendly to many vainglorious, drunken and lecherous Irishmen. The trouble came rather from the Becketteers, the academics and others building their careers around him, who, jealous of what she had done, misogynistically snubbed, patronised and criticised her at every turn. Many insinuated that she must have slept with Beckett to get her scoop. It would seem a woman could not be possessed of a brain, only a vagina, she laments. As recently as 2017, she was asked again how many times she had to sleep with him. I could only sigh as I asked myself, Doesnt anything ever change? As may be sensed by now, Bair is quite a humdrum writer herself, hapless even a quality that lends thisbio-memoir an endearing charm and candour of its own. Yet, in its day, her book, insisting that Becketts work had sources in his own life and revealing so much of it for the first time, was a genuine revelation (although now superseded by James Knowlsons superb authorised 1996 biography Damned To Fame). And what did Beckett think? We know from his recently published letters that after meeting her he thought her, if not scholarly, a nice woman, sympathetic, agreeable and I think well-intentioned. After it was published, though, he said: I have not read Mrs Bairs by all accounts nescience fiction and spoke of her unerring inaccuracy, even advising one would-be translator to review it instead, pointing out its manifold inaccuracies. Say it again, Sam: Beckett in 1970. He met Deirdre Bair in Frances capital a year later / Getty Images She doesnt mention this, and still maintains she made only one mistake in it (a pretty big one, about the circumstances in which Beckett first met his wife Suzanne). Does any of this still matter? Yes, because, to his readers, Beckett is one of those few figures about whom every scrap of information is valuable, and she got there first. After her Beckett book, Bair, turning increasingly feminist, decided that for her next work she wanted to write about an exemplary woman. Discussing names with her editor, from Joan of Arc to Ayn Rand, they alighted upon French writer Simone de Beauvoir. All I remember of that magic moment was the Eureka! burst of recognition that hit me when I heard her name. Of course! She is probably the only modern woman who made a success of everything! She describes working on this book in intriguing detail too, down to the level of the different-coloured folders she kept her drafts in. Her latest biography, though, is rather less literary Al Capone: His Life, Legacy, And Legend. Another accident, perhaps. Press Release 23 January 2020 Earth's highest, driest, coldest and windiest continent remains a dream for many hard to reach, tough to live in and a privilege to see with your own eyes. And last month, five passionate volunteers selected from more than 140,000 applicants got to experience the vast beauty of the Great White Continent first hand, as part of the Antarctic Sabbatical. Advertisements "There was a sense of being completely isolated in this remote, overwhelmingly beautiful placeit allowed us to focus on what we were there to do." - Spencer, Antarctic Sabbatical volunteer. The volunteers from Hawaii, Arizona, India, Norway and Dubai were flown from Punta Arenas in southern Chile down to distant Union Glacier Camp, deep in West Antarctica: their base for eight days on the ice. Expeditioners stay in tents in Union Glacier Camp, here shown from above. Photo: Airbnb "What struck me when we arrived was that it not only looked like a different planet, but it felt like a different planet," says Spencer, a 33-year-old ecology professor from Oahu. "Immediately, there was a sense of being completely isolated in this remote, overwhelmingly beautiful place: totally unplugged from reality. That was extremely rewarding, too, because it allowed us to focus on what we were there to do." Kirstie Jones-Williams Photo: Airbnb That purpose was to assist British environmental scientist Kirstie Jones-Williams with her ground-breaking research on microplastics and their potential pollution of Earth's last great wilderness. During their visit, the Airbnb volunteers collected dozens of snow samples from remote sites, as well as helping Jones-Williams process and analyze them in a specifically set up Antarctic lab. Real change will only come from this experience if the selected five become ambassadors on sustainability, though which is why Ocean Conservancy was brought on as a partner to the Sabbatical from the get-go. "Right from the start, we got a sense of how important this research was; how the data we collected was going to fit into other branches of science," says Kjersti, 37, from Oslo. "Ultimately this entire project is about looking after our planet. The fact that we, as normal people with a passion for the environment, can help in a direct way like this is very, very cool." The expedition would not have been possible without Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE), the partner that runs the camp that became the team's base. Union Glacier Camp itself is as unique as it is secluded: a colorful collection of tents and temporary buildings huddled together on a vast glacier at the feet of the towering Southern Ellsworth Mountains. The volunteers were carefully prepared for life on the ice, from the necessity of roping themselves together whenever leaving camp to the complete lack of darkness during their visit - or flushing toilets. But there was one thing that took them all by surprise. "The food was absolutely amazing," laughs 35-year-old Tynthia from Arizona. "I mean, seriously good. And that's important in an environment like Antarctica when you need to eat up to five meals a day to replace all the calories your body is using just to stay warm." For safety reasons, expeditioners have to be roped together when out in the field. Photo: Airbnb There were other unexpected benefits to life at Union Glacier Camp too, not least meeting the expeditioners, scientists and explorers also encamped there as well as the international ALE staff, many of them accomplished mountaineers in their own right. "Pretty much everyone we met at UGC was mind-blowingly amazing," continues Tynthia. "You're having dinner in a big tent next to people who've completed the seven summits, who've skied to the South Pole, who've achieved scientific firsts or broken world records. It's an extraordinary environment: so many amazing people breaking bread together in this tiny little camp in the middle of nowhere." It was the remoteness of Union Glacier Camp that appealed to Jones-Williams in the first place. The polar researcher needed access to the purest, most isolated tracts of Antarctica in order to fully test her hypothesis that tiny particles of man made plastic, less than 5 millimeter in size, might have made their way even into this pristine environment, highlighting the impact humans can have on the environment. And she needed the help of all five citizen scientists at each increasingly inaccessible sampling site. Citizen scientists out in the field Photo: Airbnb "All of the volunteers had an assigned role in the process of sample collecting, and they were trained in how to perform it fully," says the early career scientist. "Out on the ice fields outside of camp, crevasses were a major worry so we roped together in groups of four for safety, with a guide in the middle of each team. Then it was a case of marking sites with bamboo poles, digging and carefully collecting snow from a precise depth of 40cm. Everything had to be painstakingly recorded - from latitude, longitude and elevation to wind speed, wind direction and temperature." That might sound relatively straightforward, but the process quickly became more complicated, particularly when navigating everything from anti-contamination protocol in the field to infrared spectrometers in the lab. "It was a bit confusing to start with, but we all felt extremely lucky and blessed to have an expedition leader like Kirstie," says Vivek, 28, from India. "She was able to break down the science for all of us, so we understood it and could be fully invested in the work that we were doing. That made us all feel incredibly responsible throughout our time down there." Despite long hours in both the field and the lab, the group also got plenty of downtime, and enjoyed a number of excursions, kitted out in state-of-the-art expedition kit, courtesy of The North Face. These included hikes to spectacular Antarctic sites like the Drake Icefall and Charles Peak Windscoop, as well as a visit to the South Pole itself, via a four-hour flight on a ski plane. "The Pole was a major highlight for me," says Rasha, 25, an education and outreach coordinator for the WWF, based in Dubai. "What an amazing feeling to be at the most southerly point on the planet to be looking up at the entire world. To be able to see the Amundsen-Scott Base there and learn about all of the amazing scientific work they are doing was a major treat as well." The most difficult part of the Sabbatical, they all agreed, was having to finally leave Antarctica and head back to the real world. Luckily, a few days in Chile before everyone's departure not only provided a welcome opportunity to let the incredible experience on the ice sink in - the volunteers also got to think about how to pass on the important lessons they learned. Dr. Sandra Whitehouse, Senior Policy Advisor at Ocean Conservancy, spent a few days with the volunteers in Punta Arenas to develop personalized strategies for becoming sustainability ambassadors. "Plastic pollution is one of the most visible, most prolific threats to our ocean today," said Nick Mallos, senior director of Ocean Conservancy's Trash Free Seas program. "And if there's one thing we've learned from 30-plus years of running the International Coastal Cleanup, it's that the action of collecting plastic from the environment is powerful - it changes hearts and minds. The impact of microplastics is less visible to the naked eye, but no less important, and we are thrilled that more people are getting the chance to see this issue up close." After that it was straight back to Cambridge to analyze the team's findings which she will publish later in 2020 for Jones-Williams, while for the volunteers it was back to their day jobs in the various corners of the world they call home. While sad to leave, all of them spoke incredibly positively of the experience and are looking forward to creating real change. "The work we were doing, the people we were meeting and the places we were seeing in Antarctica just made us realize how important it is to look after our world," says Spencer. "Being involved in a project like this is incredibly empowering because it shows us that if we work together, we can all do exactly that. No problem is too big to solve when everyone pulls together. I'm heading home with a heightened sense of optimism about the future; with a belief that anything is possible." Photo: Airbnb For Jones-Williams too, the project shows a valuable way forward for future scientific research. "Citizen science is fantastic because it allows us to demystify the process and bring it into the mainstream," she says. "In a broader sense, our collective responsibility is to educate people about the threat to a beautiful, pristine place like Antarctica and the implications that has for the rest of the planet. Projects like this are incredibly important." * Photography courtesy of Yuri Kozyrev. Drone photography courtesy of Yuri Kozyrev and Logan Burruss. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Advertisement The deadly new coronavirus spreading across Asia is far more contagious than previously feared and can be spread third-hand via a simple cough or sneeze, medics have today confirmed. Eighteen people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and more than 600 have been infected in at least 10 countries. But experts predict the true number of people with the disease could be as many as 10,000 as they warn it may kill as many as two in 100 cases. Nine towns and cities in China are now in lockdown while officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus. Major Chinese New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains. The development comes as Wuhan the city at the centre of the outbreak remains in lockdown, with all flights in and outbound cancelled, residents banned from leaving and scenes of chaos as desperate families fight for food supplies. Chinese officials are disinfecting whole streets and parks with clouds of gas and chilling footage has emerged of roadside quarantine tents, hastily erected to isolate suspected cases. One resident told the BBC the atmosphere in the city felt like 'the end of the world'. Concerned medics were seen wheeling a suspected patient out of the airport in Fuzhou in south-eastern China in an elaborate see-through quarantine pod. Singapore and Vietnam have today announced they have recorded cases of the infection. In Singapore, a 66-year-old man who had flown from Wuhan with his family on Monday is recovering in hospital. A 37-year-old companion is also in hospital under observation but has not been diagnosed. In Vietnam, a Chinese father a son are in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after flying there from Wuhan and becoming ill. They are in 'good condition', according to Vietnamese authorities. An Indian member of government had tweeted that an Indian nurse was being treated in Saudi Arabia but that has since turned out to be inaccurate she instead had a similar virus called MERS. This means the illness has now spread to nine countries, including the US, and European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent where the UK and other nations are already on high alert. It was revealed today that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. The World Health Organisation is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. Images have emerged showing an airline passenger with suspected coronavirus being wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box In one video which emerged from Wuhan today, a man can be seen 'disinfecting' eerily quiet streets of Wuhan, with billowing fumes filling the air outside an apartment block Passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport Authority are scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures against deadly SARS-like virus Doctors at the Central Hospital of Wuhan attend to a patient with coronavirus. It is unclear when this picture was taken A pictured captured today shows healthcare workers fitted with face masks helping a mother and child in Hong Kong More than 600 people have now been infected in China and Singapore, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia were today confirmed to have cases Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realise they have the infection but it can quickly turn deadly Another clip reportedly shows an airline passenger with suspected SARS-like being wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box Quarantine tents appear to have been set-up on the outskirts to isolate anyone showing symptoms in a pop-up medical area A US Border and Protection cruiser was spotted along with unmarked vehicles, and two fire trucks today at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport Coronavirus: What we know so far What is this virus? The virus has been identified as a new type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of pathogens, most of which cause mild respiratory infections such as the common cold. But coronaviruses can also be deadly. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is caused by a coronavirus and killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. Can it kill? Yes. Seventeen people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Its symptoms are typically a fever, cough and trouble breathing, but some patients have developed pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the small air sacs in the lungs. People carrying the novel coronavirus may only have mild symptoms, such as a sore throat. They may assume they have a common cold and not seek medical attention, experts fear. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China to the rest of the world to enable other countries to quickly diagnose potential new cases. This helps other countries respond quickly to disease outbreaks. To contain the virus, airports are detecting infected people with temperature checks. But as with every virus, it has an incubation period, meaning detection is not always possible because symptoms have not appeared yet. How did it start and spread? The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Cases have since been identified elsewhere which could have been spread through human-to-human transmission. What are countries doing to prevent the spread? Countries in Asia have stepped up airport surveillance. They include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Australia and the US are also screening patients for a high temperature, and the UK announced it will screen passengers returning from Wuhan. Is it similar to anything we've ever seen before? Experts have compared it to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The epidemic started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere Advertisement In other developments announced today: Cases have now been reported in 25 provinces in China, with 608 patients now infected across the world (as at 17.55GMT on January 23) Patients suspected to have the infection are being tested in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Canada Technology giant Huawei has postponed its annual developer conference in China by more than a month following the outbreak of coronavirus Lunar New Year celebrations planned for Beijing this weekend have been cancelled over fears large gatherings may spread the virus Singapore became the eighth country to confirm it has a patient infected with the coronavirus Vietnam became the ninth country to confirm cases a Chinese father and son are 'in good condition' in a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City US authorities said at least 16 people are monitored in Washington State after coming into contact with a man there who is infected Social media has shown chaotic scenes in Wuhan, the London-sized Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, as it comes to the end of its first day in lockdown Wuhan's Health Commission said the city is 'witnessing a fast growing trend of fever patients' and hospitals are facing bed shortages Dr David Heymann, an infectious disease expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said today: 'We are now seeing second and third generation spread,' CNN reported. Third generation spread means people are catching it from others who also caught it from a person, not the original animal source. Dr Heymann added there is growing evidence that coughs or sneezes even close to someone could infect them, but there is no proof the virus is airborne. No cases of coronavirus have been confirmed yet in the UK but medics at London Heathrow last night screened passengers landing from Wuhan. And two people who travelled back from China recently are sick at a hospital in Scotland, but their condition is not known. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said this morning that there is an 'increased likelihood' of there being a case in the UK but that the NHS is 'ready to respond appropriately'. In the US, authorities in Washington state are monitoring at least 16 people who they say had close contact with a man there who is recovering from coronavirus after catching it in China. President Donald Trump insisted earlier this week that the country wasn't concerned about the outbreak and added: 'We have it totally under control. We do have a plan, and we think it's going to be handled very well.' In China, the government is being forced to take more drastic measures and nine towns and cities home to more than 20million people are now effectively in quarantine. Officials yesterday banned Wuhan's 11million residents from travelling and ordered them to wear face masks in public to control the spread of the SARS-like infection. Today it was announced that nearby cities of Ezhou and Huanggang home to some one million and seven million, respectively, are taking similar steps. Clips posted on Twitter claim to show the impact the unprecedented decision has had in Wuhan, with deserted streets reminiscent of the disaster film 28 Days Later. Traffic has piled up on the city's major roads, which have been blocked by police vans enforcing travel bans. In one video an eerily quiet street is seen being 'disinfected', with billowing fumes filling the air, while another shows huge 'quarantine tents' lining a neighbourhood. Another clip reportedly shows an airline passenger being wheeled out of an airport in a quarantine box, amid suspicions he has the coronavirus. Wearing a protective suit, a mask and gloves, the man allegedly showed symptoms during screening and was isolated from other travellers. Social media users complained that shops have bumped up the price of fresh produce and shoppers have been seen physically fighting a crowded supermarket. China and other countries around the world have stepped up their defences against a virus which has already killed more than a dozen people. Officials say at least 593 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, most of which (444 to date) are in China's Hubei province. But other countries have been infected, too the US, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have confirmed cases, and suspected infections have cropped up in Mexico, Colombia and Canada. The virus, which goes by the name of nCoV2019, emerged in Wuhan in December from a food market, and spread to other countries by travellers. Wuhan has been put in lockdown ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, when thousands of people were expected to travel. Chinese state media said Wuhan had its train stations and airport closed, while ferries and long-distance buses have also been stopped. Twitter footage posted by @mxmbt2 shows traffic building up on a main highway. He wrote: '[They] are not letting us leave Wuhan. The [highway] out of the city is blocked and we cannot leave. The [highway] to Xiaogan has been blocked. [The traffic] is jammed.' Another video posted by @Dystopia992 shows police vans stopping cars from passing, causing gridlock traffic late at night. Police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops can be seen guarding the city's train station, where metal barriers are blocking the entrances. Most people are protecting themselves with face masks after local authorities demanded people do so in public places to stop the illness spreading. One Twitter user, the BBC reported, said the threat of food shortages and disinfectant in the street made it feel like 'the end of the world'. Dr Martin Cetron, director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the US's Centers for Disease Control, described the US plan to control the spread of coronavirus following a media briefing confirming the first American case on Tuesday. Given how quickly the virus has spread, Dr Cetron said the CDC has instructed the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Department to redirect anyone who tries to get from Wuhan to the US without going through any of those five airports. At least three major Chinese cities home to a combined approximately 20million people are in lockdown as officials scramble to contain the virus India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, said on Twitter that an Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia had been diagnosed with the infection this later turned out not to be true Shoppers are pictured in a supermarket in Wuhan, where people are complaining that food prices have risen and videos showed people scrapping over groceries (Picture taken today, January 23) Medical workers in Hong Kong are dressed in protective gear which they have to wear while dealing with suspected coronavirus patients (Pictured today, January 23) People covering their mouths with masks are pictured having their temperatures checked at Hangzhou railway station in the east of China today, January 23 A screen shows the body temperatures of arriving passengers at Hong Kong International Airport, pictured today Airline passengers queue today, January 23, at an airport in Hong Kong while wearing face masks to try and stop themselves catching the deadly virus Another video shows overcrowded tills in a supermarket where shoppers fight over fresh vegetables THE KILLER VIRUS MAY HAVE COME FROM BATS, SCIENTISTS SAY The killer coronavirus sweeping across the world may have come from bats, scientists have said. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People's Liberation Army and Institut Pasteur of Shanghai came to the conclusion. In a statement, the team said: 'The Wuhan coronavirus' natural host could be bats but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate. Tests of the virus, which has yet to be named, have revealed it targets a protein called ACE2 just like its cousin SARS, the South China Morning Post reported. Tracing the evolution of the virus, the team of experts found it belonged to betacoronavirus, making it structurally similar to SARS. Authorities have pointed the blame on food markets in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak that scientists are scrambling to contain. Rodents and bats among other animals are slaughtered and sold in traditional 'wet markets', which tourists flock to see the 'real' side of the country. Advertisement Cetron described funnelling as 'a very complex process that involves reissuing tickets and rerouting passengers from all over the globe through connecting indirect flights'. 'With increasing cases, we decided to move into this full-on, 100 percent coverage strategy, which means adding additional airports and ... begin our funnelling approach and redirect all the traffic to airports that have screening so that the benefit of the alert could be more completely covered,' Cetron said. CDC officials have also suggested the possibility of redirecting entire flights inbound from China through airports with screening checkpoints. hen a traveler is sent for a screening in the US, they are first required to take a survey about possible symptoms, such as cough or fever, as well as whether they visited the meat or seafood markets in Wuhan that have been tied to the outbreak. If they appear to have any symptoms associated with coronavirus, they are taken to on-site triage for further examination and a temperature check. Two passengers flying from Shanghai on United Airlines were reportedly examined at O'Hare on Tuesday after appearing to show symptoms of coronavirus, the airline said. It's unclear what led officials to single out the passengers, but they were both cleared and released after examination. 'We continue to follow CDC guidelines and remain in close contact with authorities in the United States and Asia to further ensure the safety of our customers and employees,' a United spokesperson told CNBC. President Donald Trump addressed the deadly new virus during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, early Wednesday morning. He praised the CDC's rapid response and said the situation is being handled 'very well'. Travellers wear face masks as a precautionary measure at Hong Kong International Airport, pictured today Pedestrians cover their faces in Hong Kong today, January 23. At least two people have been infected in Hong Kong, which is part of the same land mass as China Medical staff at Huazhong University of Science and Technology today attended a ceremony to form a 'assault team' in the fight against the coronavirus WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION POISED TO DECLARE CORONAVIRUS AN EMERGENCY FOR ONLY SIXTH TIME EVER 2009 Swine flu epidemic In 2009 'Swine flu' was identified for the first time in Mexico and was named because it is a similar virus to one which affects pigs. The outbreak is believed to have killed as many as 575,400 people. 2014 Poliovirus resurgence Poliovirus began to resurface in countries where it had once been eradicated, and the WHO called for a widespread vaccination programme to stop it spreading. Cameroon, Pakistan and Syria were most at risk. 2014 and 2019 Ebola outbreaks Ebola killed at least 11,000 people across the world after it spread like wildfire through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, 2015 and 2016. More than 28,000 people were infected in what was the worst ever outbreak of the disease. Almost 4,000 people were struck down with the killer virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year. 2016 Zika outbreak Zika, a tropical disease which can cause serious birth defects if it infects pregnant women, was the subject of an outbreak in Brazil's capital, Rio de Janeiro, in 2016. Advertisement 'The CDC has been terrific, very great professionals. We're in very good shape and I think China is in very good shape also,' Trump said. The president added in an interview with CNBC's 'Squawk Box' that he was 'not at all' concerned about the possibility of a pandemic. 'It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control,' he said. 'We have it totally under control. We do have a plan, and we think it's going to be handled very well.' The American man infected has not been named by CDC officials but is said to be a resident of Snahomish County, north of Seattle. He is currently hospitalised and in 'good' condition but is being closely monitored in isolation. The man traveled from Wuhan, but did not visit any of the markets at the epicentre of the outbreak, according to state health officials. He arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport but not directly from Wuhan on January 15, the day before screening was in place, and before he developed symptoms. But he reportedly recognised his own symptoms which typically include cough, fever and runny nose after seeing online coverage of the virus. The patient reached out to doctors on January 16, was tested on the 17th and his diagnosis was confirmed Monday, health officials said. The patient is currently at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. A top official at the National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed Wednesday that human trials for a vaccine targeting 2019-nCoV could begin within three months. Anthony S Fauci, the director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Bloomberg Law that his agency is working with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna Inc to develop the vaccine. 'We're already working on it,' Fauci said. 'And hopefully in a period of about three months, we'll be able to start a phase I trial in humans.' Medical workers at Fiumicino Airport in Rome wear protective gear as they prepare to screen passengers arriving from Wuhan today, January 23 Residents in Wuhan are pictured wearing masks to buy vegetables in the market this morning Pictured, Wuhan residents wear masks to buy vegetables in the market today Italian Health Ministry officials get ready to screen passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport for the virus INFECTED US PATIENT 'CAME INTO CONTACT WITH 16 PEOPLE BEFORE HE WAS ISOLATED' The American man who was infected with China's new coronavirus came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation, according to health officials. The unnamed man from Washington state, who is in his 30s, had his illness publicly confirmed on Tuesday, January 21, making him the first Westerner to be infected. Officials in the US now say he may have encountered and therefore potentially infected 16 or more people in America since catching the bug. He wasn't diagnosed until Monday, January 20, after returning home from China five days earlier and becoming ill later that week. Advertisement Fauci said his agency was also working with the WHO and CDC to obtain information about helping doctors around the world identify symptoms of coronavirus. 'Obviously as is always the case when we have these outbreaks, it's a lot of collaboration and synergy between the CDC and the WHO and the NIH,' he said. 'Our job ultimately is to develop countermeasures.' Vaccine experts at Baylor University are also reportedly working on modifying a vaccine they designed to prevent SARS to protect against the new, related coronavirus. But the school's Dean of Tropical Medicine, which is developing the shot, Dr Peter Hotez, told DailyMail.com that it's likely years away from deployment. 'To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11million people is new to science,' Gauden Galea, the World Health Organisation's representative in China, told the Associated Press. 'It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work.' An Oxford University expert yesterday said the outbreak so far has been 'extraordinary'. Dr Peter Horby said: 'We haven't seen this large-scale spread since Sars.' Speaking about whether he thought the World Health Organization should declare it an international emergency, he added: 'There are three criteria one, is this an extraordinary event? Two, is it spreading internationally? Three, is an international response required? In my opinion all three of these have been met.' China and other countries around the Asia-Pacific have stepped up their defence against the virus. Pictured, a protective mask is offered to people in a car in Chongqing, China China banned trains and planes from leaving Wuhan at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23. Pictured, an attendant offers free protective masks to a passenger at a gas station Paramilitary police stand guard at an entrance to the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province Chinese state media said Wuhan had its train stations and airport closed, while ferries and long-distance buses were also stopped. Normally this station in Wuhan is packed with passengers, but was eerily quiet on January 23 Social media users complained on social media that food vendors were exploiting the situation with huge price increases on fresh produce. Pictured, residents buy vegetables wearing masks Chinese flight attendants wear masks to go through customers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport 'LEAVE YOUR OFFICE AND SHUT THE PATIENT IN', UK DOCTORS TOLD IN CORONAVIRUS WARNING Doctors in the UK have been told to leave the room straight away and shut their patient in if they think they might have the Chinese coronavirus. Public Health England has issued official guidance for doctors as concerns grow that the contagious illness will make its way to the UK. More than 600 people have now been infected in Asia and 18 have died. Health authorities and university experts say it is likely cases will appear in Europe and the UK. No cases have been confirmed in the UK yet, but the Government last night screened patients arriving at Heathrow from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, Wuhan. At least 15 medical workers in Wuhan have become infected while treating patients with the virus. The PHE guidance, which was issued to GP practice doctors this week, reads: 'If [the Wuhan coronavirus] is considered possible when a consultation is already in progress, withdraw from the room, close the door and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. 'Avoid physical examination of a suspected case. The patient should remain in the room with the door closed. Belongings and waste should remain in the room. 'Advise others not to enter the room. If a clinical history still needs to be obtained or completed, do this by telephone. 'The patient should not be allowed to use communal toilet facilities. 'Instruct them to not touch anything or anyone when walking to the toilet. Instruct the patient to wash their hands thoroughly after toileting.' If the patient is critically ill, they should be put into an ambulance, PHE said. But otherwise, a hospital should be phoned ahead and warned and the patient must be told to get there without using public transport or a taxi. Advertisement Citizens in Peking wear masks to defend against the potential spread of the coronavirus A staff member checks a passenger's body temperature at Wangjiadun metro station in Wuhan this morning A China Eastern Airlines aircrew member arrives at Sydney airport after landing on a plane from Wuhan today Crew from China Eastern Airlines leave the airport wearing face masks after arriving in Sydney from Wuhan this morning Flight crew from China Eastern Airlines leave Sydney airport wearing face masks after arriving from Wuhan this morning Pedestrians cover their faces with sanitary masks after the first cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Hong Kong, pictured today Heathrow passengers arriving from coronavirus epicentre claim they were barely checked on landing Heathrow passengers arriving from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan yesterday claimed they were barely checked for the killer infection. Health officials claimed flights arriving from the city home to 11million people would be subject to 'enhanced monitoring' amid fears the outbreak which has already killed 18 people will reach Britain. But one passenger described having a regular arrival through baggage reclaim and customs, revealing: 'It could have been a completely normal flight'. They added: 'All we were given was the mask and the check of our temperature. We were told to ring the NHS 111 if we start feeling ill and that's it.' Passengers were also given a Public Health England leaflet, advising them to contact doctors if they felt unwell. The never-before-seen virus can cause a fever. Advertisement Experts from the WHO will meet again today to decide whether to declare an global health emergency over China's coronavirus. A decision was expected yesterday, but Dr Tedros Adhanom, director general of the WHO, said pushed it back saying the committee needed more information. He said: 'The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence.' He said there is a team in China working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak, and he added: 'We will have much more to say tomorrow.' On Wednesday the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said precautionary measures were being put in place at Heathrow after cases of the virus spread to other parts of the world. But a passenger arriving in Heathrow last night was described having a regular arrival through baggage reclaim and customs, revealing: 'It could have been a completely normal flight'. They added: 'All we were given was the mask and the check of our temperature. We were told to ring the NHS 111 if we start feeling ill and that's it.' Passengers were also given a Public Health England leaflet, advising them to contact doctors if they felt unwell. The never-before-seen virus can cause a fever. There are three direct flights a week from Wuhan in China to Heathrow Airport, landing at around 6pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Under the new measures, it was planned that planes would be taken to an isolated area of terminal four. Health care workers in Hong Kong are pictured today giving first aid in an ambulance as they cover their faces with sanitary masks Passengers wearing masks arrive at Sydney airport after landing on a plane from the Chinese city of Wuhan today Workers manufacture protective face masks in a factory, as face mask stocks run low amid the outbreak of coronavirus, in Handan, Hebei Province, pictured today People wearing masks board a train for the direction of Wuhan at Hongqioa train station as they head home for the Lunar New Year in Shanghai, pictured today The captain of each flight would then tell passengers during landing to let a flight attendant know if they feel unwell, and these details would then be passed on to public health teams at the airport who would carry out further checks. Meanwhile, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice for China, with a spokesman saying: 'In light of the latest medical information, including reports of some person-to-person transmission, and the Chinese authorities' own advice, we are now advising against all but essential travel to Wuhan. 'The safety and security of British nationals is always our primary concern and we advise British nationals travelling to China to remain vigilant and check our travel advice on gov.uk.' PHE upgraded the risk to the UK population from coronavirus from 'very low' to 'low'. In a report published yesterday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said 'further global spread is likely'. And ECDC added 'there is a moderate likelihood of detecting cases imported into European countries'. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE DEADLY CORONAVIRUS IN CHINA? It emerged today that the deadly new virus spreading across Asia is far more contagious than previously thought and someone who is infected can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say. Eighteen people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and more than 600 have been infected in at least 10 countries. But experts predict the true number of people with the disease could be as many as 10,000 as they warn it may kill as many as two in 100 cases. Here's what we know so far: What is the Wuhan coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of virus which can cause illness in animals and people. It is an RNA virus (RNA is a type of genetic material called ribonucleic acid), which means it breaks into cells inside the host of the virus and uses them to reproduce itself. This coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It is currently named 2019-nCoV, and does not have a more detailed name because so little is known about it. Dr Helena Maier, from the Pirbright Institute, said: 'Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect a wide range of different species including humans, cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats and wild animals. 'Until this new coronavirus was identified, there were only six different coronaviruses known to infect humans. Four of these cause a mild common cold-type illness, but since 2002 there has been the emergence of two new coronaviruses that can infect humans and result in more severe disease (Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses). 'Coronaviruses are known to be able to occasionally jump from one species to another and that is what happened in the case of SARS, MERS and the new coronavirus. The animal origin of the new coronavirus is not yet known.' The first human cases were publicly reported from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where approximately 11million people live, three weeks ago after medics first started seeing cases in December. By January 8, 59 suspected cases had been reported and seven people were in critical condition. Tests were developed for the new virus and recorded cases started to surge. The first person died that week and, by January 16, two were dead and 41 cases were confirmed. The next day, scientists predicted that 1,700 people had become infected, possibly up to 4,500. Today, just one week later, there have been more than 600 confirmed cases and those same scientists estimate that some 4,000 possibly 9,700 were infected in Wuhan alone. There are now 10 countries with confirmed cases and 18 people have died. Where does the virus come from? Nobody knows for sure. Coronaviruses in general tend to originate in animals the similar SARS and MERS viruses are believed to have originated in civet cats and camels, respectively. The first cases of the virus in Wuhan came from people visiting or working in a live animal market in the city, which has since been closed down for investigation. Although the market is officially a seafood market, other dead and living animals weere being sold there, including wolf cubs, salamanders, snakes, peacocks, porcupines and camel meat. Bats are a prime suspect researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a recent statement: 'The Wuhan coronavirus' natural host could be bats but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate.' And another scientific journal article has suggested the virus first infected snakes, which may then have transmitted it to people at the market in Wuhan. Peking University researchers analysed the genes of the coronavirus and said they most closely matched viruses which are known to affect snakes. They said: 'Results derived from our evolutionary analysis suggest for the first time that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV,' in the Journal of Medical Virology. So far the fatalities are quite low. Why are health experts so worried about it? Experts say the international community is concerned about the virus because so little is known about it and it appears to be spreading quickly. It is similar to SARS, which infected 8,000 people and killed nearly 800 in an outbreak in Asia in 2003, in that it is a type of coronavirus which infects humans' lungs. Another reason for concern is that nobody has any immunity to the virus because they've never encountered it before. This means it may be able to cause more damage than viruses we come across often, like the flu or common cold. Speaking at a briefing yesterday, Oxford University professor, Dr Peter Horby, said: 'Novel viruses can spread much faster through the population than viruses which circulate all the time because we have no immunity to them. 'Most seasonal flu viruses have a case fatality rate of less than 1 in 1,000 people. Here were talking about a virus where we dont understand fully the severity spectrum but its possible the case fatality rate could be as high as two per cent.' If the death rate is truly two per cent, that means two out of every 100 patients who get it will die. 'My feeling is its lower,' Dr Horby added. 'We're probably missing this iceberg of milder cases. But that's the current circumstance we're in. 'Two per cent case fatality rate is comparable to the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 so it is a significant concern globally.' How does the virus spread? Information has emerged today, Thursday, suggesting that the illness may spread between people just through coughs and sneezes, making it an extremely contagious infection. It is believed to travel in the saliva and therefore close contact, kissing and sharing cutlery or utensils are risky. Because it infects the lungs, it is also likely present in droplets people cough up which, when inhaled, can infect the next person. Originally, people were thought to be catching it from a live animal market in Wuhan city. But cases soon began to emerge in people who had never been there, which forced medics to realise it was spreading from person to person. There is now evidence that it can spread third hand to someone from a person who caught it from another person. What does the virus do to you? What are the symptoms? Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms. If and when they do, typical signs include a runny nose, a cough, sore throat and a fever (high temperature). The vast majority of patients at least 97 per cent, based on available data will recover from these without any issues or medical help. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. What have genetic tests revealed about the virus? Scientists in China have recorded the genetic sequences of around 19 strains of the virus and released them to experts working around the world. This allows others to study them, develop tests and potentially look into treating the illness they cause. Examinations have revealed the coronavirus did not change much changing is known as mutating much during the early stages of its spread. However, the director-general of China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu, yesterday said the virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people. This means efforts to study the virus and to potentially control it may be made extra difficult because the virus might look different every time scientists analyse it. More study may be able to reveal whether the virus first infected a small number of people then change and spread from them, or whether there were various versions of the virus coming from animals which have developed separately. How dangerous is the virus? The virus has so far killed 18 people out of a total of at least 600 officially confirmed cases a death rate of around three per cent. This is a higher death rate than the Spanish Flu outbreak which, in 1918, went on to kill around 50million people. However, experts say the true number of patients is likely considerably higher. Imperial College London researchers estimate that there were 4,000 (up to 9,700) cases in Wuhan city alone up to January 18 officially there have only been 444 there to date. If cases are in fact 100 times more common than the official figures, the death rate may be considerably lower. Experts say it is likely only the most seriously ill patients are seeking help and are therefore recorded the vast majority will have only mild, cold-like symptoms. For those whose conditions do become more severe, there is a risk of developing pneumonia which can destroy the lungs and kill you. Can the virus be cured? The Wuhan coronavirus cannot currently be cured and it is proving difficult to contain. Antibiotics do not work against viruses, so they are out of the question. Antiviral drugs can, but the process of understanding a virus then developing and producing drugs to treat it would take years and huge amounts of money. No vaccine exists for the coronavirus yet and it's not likely one will be developed in time to be of any use in this outbreak, for similar reasons to the above. The National Institutes of Health in the US, and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, say they are working on a vaccine based on what they know about coronaviruses in general, using information from the SARS outbreak. But this may take a year or more to develop, according to Pharmaceutical Technology. Currently, governments and health authorities are working to contain the virus and to care for patients who are sick and stop them infecting other people. People who catch the illness are being quarantined in hospitals, where their symptoms can be treated and they will be away from the uninfected public. And airports around the world are putting in place screening measures such as having doctors on-site, taking people's temperatures to check for fevers and using thermal screening to spot those who might be ill (infection causes a raised temperature). However, it can take weeks for symptoms to appear, so there is only a small likelihood that patients will be spotted up in an airport. Is this outbreak an epidemic or a pandemic? The outbreak has not officially been confirmed as either an epidemic or a pandemic yet. This is likely because, despite the global concern, the number of people who have been confirmed to be infected is still relatively low. A pandemic is defined by the World Health Organisation as the 'worldwide spread of a new disease'. An epidemic is when a disease takes hold of a smaller community, such as a single country, region or continent. Advertisement A family arrive Sydney airport after landing on a plane from Wuhan this morning A China Eastern Airlines aircrew arrive at Sydney airport after landing on a plane from the Chinese city of Wuhan, pictured today Children wearing masks arrive at Sydney airport after landing on a plane from the Chinese city of Wuhan, pictured today A young boy wearing a facemask sits with a bag on the floor at the West Kowloon rail station in Hong Kong today Passengers who arrived on one of the last flights from the Chinese city of Wuhan walk through a health screening station at Narita airport in Chiba prefecture, outside Tokyo A China Eastern Airlines pilot arrives at Sydney airport after flying a plane from the Chinese city of Wuhan today Airport personnel look at thermal scanners as they check on arriving passengers at Manila's international airport, Philippines. The government is closely monitoring arrival of passengers A thermal scanner checks on arriving passengers at Manila's international airport, Philippines A young boy wearing a mask rides on a roller bag at Changi Airport in Singapore LEESBURG, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cofense, the global leader in intelligent phishing defense solutions, today announced its partnership with Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC), a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization committed to bringing cybersecurity tools and resources to federal election campaigns. Under the new partnership, DDC qualified campaigns can leverage Cofense's experience, expertise and managed phishing defense service to strengthen their resilience against email-based cyberattacks during the 2020 election cycle. "There is not a single anti-phishing technology on the market that will stop phishing emails from hitting campaigners' inboxes." said Aaron Higbee, chief technology officer and co-founder, Cofense. "No candidate wants to relive the successful phishing attacks that have plagued elections across the globe these past several years. Every day, we find hundreds of malicious threats in supposedly 'protected' email environments. Our methods have prevented sophisticated APT29 email phishing attacks that make the Podesta phish look childish. As most attacks target specific individuals, it's critical campaign managers prepare their teams to react quickly to what is about to come. We're proud to partner with the DDC to provide candidates and campaign workers the support they need to better defend against malicious actors." "Protecting campaigns from cybersecurity threats is essential to our democratic process, and Cofense understands the critical importance this plays," said Michael Kaiser DDC President and CEO. "We are excited to partner with Cofense, who pioneered phishing defense, so campaigns can more quickly and easily implement better cybersecurity practices." Cofense's new managed Election Phishing Defense Service is now available to eligible campaigns, a special permission granted to DDC by the Federal Election Commission, to bolster their phishing resilience in a single, managed service at minimal cost, allowing them to stay focused on what they do best - campaigning: Phishing simulation training to prepare staff to identify and report phishing incidents Cofense Reporter, a one-click embedded email button, to enable staff to quickly report suspicious messages Phishing analysis provided by Cofense to quickly identify and mitigate a phishing incident Additionally, Cofense has launched an educational site that will be updated with resources such as threat intelligence, best practices, and expert perspectives. To learn more, visit: https://cofense.com/election-security/ About Cofense CofenseTM, formerly PhishMe, the leading provider of intelligent phishing defense solutions worldwide, is uniting humanity against phishing. The Cofense suite of products combines timely attack intelligence sourced from employees, with best-in-class incident response technologies to stop attacks faster and stay ahead of breaches. Cofense customers include Global 1000 organizations in defense, energy, financial services, health care and manufacturing sectors that understand how changing user behavior will improve security, aid incident response and reduce the risk of compromise. About Defending Digital Campaigns Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC), a 501(C)4, is a nonpartisan and non-aligned organization focused on increasing campaign cybersecurity by making available free and low-cost cybersecurity products. DDC operates under a Federal Election Commission administrative opinion allowing for the provision of in-kind cybersecurity services to eligible campaigns. DDC's was founded and lead by former presidential campaign managers for Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, tech and cybersecurity industry leaders, and former senior officials at the NSA and DHS. Media Contact [email protected] SOURCE Cofense Related Links https://cofense.com/ El-Aqbat fi Misr El-Hadithah (Copts in Modern Egypt Part I), by Ghada Mohamed, (Cairo: El-Maraya), 2018. In one of the most detailed accounts of the history of Coptic grievance, researcher Ghada Mohamed brings to the limelight the failure of the subsequent regimes of Modern Egypt -- from the rule of Mohamed Ali in 1805 to the end of the rule of Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1970 -- to address the roots of the "Coptic issue". In the first volume that essentially looks at citizenship issues of Egyptian Copts in the past 200 years, Mohamed argues that despite the accumulated gains that the Copts made since the rule of Mohamed Ali, on the socio-economic level or within the executive system, they had never truly overcome their status as Dhimmis -- those who were under Muslim rule or the oppressed Egyptians under Roman rule. Throughout the subsequent centuries, Mohamed detailed, Copts had to pay for being Copts sometimes literally and metaphorically. There were varying degrees of marginalisation, discrimination and persecution; and there were moments of deliberate sectarian targeting and moments of peaceful coexistence, Mohamed argued. This was the case under and after subsequent Muslim rulers until the advent of Mohamed Ali to Egypt and Said Pasha, who lifted the Dhimmis regulations. The rule of Gamal Abdel-Nasser, from the mid-1950s to the 1970s saw a particular decline of active anti-Coptic sentiments. Mohamed is even willing to contest what she finds to be an exaggerated assessment of a total state of fairness among all Egyptians in the "liberal decades", from the early 1920s and until 1952. In these decades, she argued, Copts could speak up and protest against unfairness but they still were not fully treated like Muslims. The only brief moment in history when Copts and Muslims were almost equal was during 1919 Revolution, Mohamed argues. The decade that followed, she wrote, was one when all Egyptians worked to secure a common goal: national independence. However, she further added, as this goal was defeated, this rare moment of almost uncontested unity among all Egyptians receded. The first volume of Copts in Modern Egypt also examines the impact of the beginning of political Islamism, with the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1920s, on the state of Copts, including the creation of radical Coptic entities and the expanding role of the Church at the expense of secular Coptic bodies. It also examines the impact of the rise of pan-Arabism, something that Copts would not necessarily immediately subscribe to, unlike the Christians of the Levant, on the "Coptic issue". In many ways, Mohameds book, in 170 pages, is an interesting read on the concerns of Copts, who were estimated to constitute six percent of the Egyptian population according to a 1986 survey. Search Keywords: Short link: The MNS chief unveiled his party's new flag which is completely saffron and bears King Shivaji's royal seal. He also questioned how many of the Muslims taking part in the protests were Indian. IMAGE: MNS chief Raj Thackeray addresses the valedictory session of the party's plenary meeting in Mumbai on Thursday. Photograph: Sahil Salvi Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray indicated on Thursday that he was set to appropriate his late uncle Bal Thackeray's Hindutva cause, unveiling his party's new saffron flag and declaring support to the National Democratic Alliance government for evicting Pakistani and Bangladeshi 'infiltrators'. Thackeray, who ran a vigorous campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha polls last year, also defended the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also announced that the MNS would take out a protest march on February 9 seeking eviction of illegal migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Earlier in the day, the MNS chief unveiled his party's new flag which is completely saffron and bears King Shivaji's 'rajmudra' (royal seal). "I am a Marathi and a Hindu too. I have not changed my religion....If you try to mess with the Marathi in me, I will go after that person as a Marathi, and I will go after him as a Hindu if one messes with the Hindu in me," Raj said at the valedictory session of the party's plenary meeting in Mumbai. IMAGE: In a veiled dig at Uddhav, his estranged cousin, Raj said, 'I don't change the colour of my party to form the government'. Photograph: Sahil Salvi Downplaying speculation about his ideological shift towards Hindutva from his earlier 'Marathi manoos' and son-of-the-soil agenda, he said he had this flag design in mind since the launch of the MNS. Its unveiling amid the current political situation was a 'pure coincidence', he said. The Shiv Sena, from which Raj carved out his own party, is known for its Hindutva ideology. But the Uddhav Thackeray-led party did a radical about-turn last year when it ditched the BJP and formed government in Maharashtra with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. In a veiled dig at Uddhav, his estranged cousin, Raj said, "I don't change the colour of my party to form the government." Raj also said in his speech that the Muslims who are 'honest' towards the country 'are ours'. The country cannot 'reject' personalities like former President A P J Abdul Kalam, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan and lyricist Javed Akhtar, he said. His party -- which had launched a strident anti-North Indians agitation in its early years -- never forsake Hindutva, Raj claimed. "We are facing such a great internal threat (from illegal migrants) that Indian soldiers may have to fight them instead of (the enemy) on the border," the MNS chief said. IMAGE: He also unveiled a new flag of the party which is seen in the background. It is completely saffron and bears King Shivaji's royal seal. Photograph: Sahil Salvi He noted that Muslims have hit the streets to march against the CAA in large numbers. "Some people told me the reason behind the protests: they are angry that Article 370 was scrapped, there is anger against the (Supreme Court's) Ram Temple verdict. And that pent-up anger is being expressed," Raj said. He questioned how many of the Muslims taking part in the protests were Indian. "And if the Indian Muslims are going to support them (foreigners), why should we support you?" he asked. Seeking to drive out 'infiltrators', Thackeray also called for stopping the 'Samjhauta Express' that runs between India and Pakistan. Softening his stance towards Modi, Thackeray said he criticised the prime minister when the latter was 'wrong' and 'congratulated' him when he took right decisions. He will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to share some information about Muslim clerics 'infiltrating parts of the state and hatching conspiracy against the country', the MNS chief said. The information came from the police, he claimed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:15:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A medical team from a hospital in east China's Zhejiang Province has returned from Mali, where they carried out free cataract surgeries for 41 patients. Most of the patients were extremely impoverished local people, said Xu Jia, an associate chief physician from the second hospital affiliated with the school of medicine of Zhejiang University. Xu led the five-member team to the African country from Jan. 11 to 19. The team also held a lecture and gave advice to local medical staff, he said. Zhejiang Province started providing medical aid to Mali in 1968 and has sent nearly 850 medical practitioners to the country. By Donald Kirk A young ensign is reputed to have told Admiral Bill "Bull" Halsey, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific in World War II, "Your every wish is my command," to which Halsey replied, "You're damn right it is." Another former commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Harry Harris, now ambassador to South Korea, clearly feels the same way. He's reported to have advised Korea leaders to act "in consultation with the United States" in dealings with North Korea. Otherwise, he said meaningfully, there could be "misunderstandings." Harris, who retired from the Navy as a four-star admiral before coming to Seoul, conveys the sense that his remarks comprise more than a wish list. He talks with authority, as if he's issuing decrees, maybe orders, albeit couched in polite language for the benefit of an opaque audience that might otherwise not know how to behave. When he observes that "South Korea is a sovereign country and will do what it sees as best for its national interest," he gives the impression of a condescending master patting the puppy, "Good doggie." Koreans don't need to be reminded that the Republic of Korea is a sovereign country, they know that. It's no wonder, then, that Korean officialdom responds with indignation to the ambassador's comments. From Cheong Wa Dae to the Ministry of Unification to the ruling Democratic Party, the view is that Harris was rebuking President Moon Jae-in for searching for a way to resume tours to North Korea, notably the Mount Geumgang zone, and also possibly reopen the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, all closed by Moon's conservative predecessors. It clearly was, as a presidential aide put it, "very inappropriate for the ambassador to make such a mention in the media over remarks by the president of the host nation." Too bad, Harris' comment led to questions that have yet to be answered. What did he mean when he said that "misunderstandings could trigger U.S. sanctions or U.N. sanctions"? The U.S. and U.N. have imposed no end of sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear and long-range missile tests, but sanctions for reopening the border to tourism or trade, however odious to the U.S., are inconceivable. "Things should be done in consultation with the United States," said the ambassador. Was he implying the U.S. might sanction its ally, South Korea, for defying Washington's wishes? Not to dispel illusions, but notions of the U.S. sanctioning South Korea are beyond absurd. As the Blue House observed, who comes and goes between South and North Korea is "to be decided by the government" Moon's government, not the American government. It's possible the ambassador had not thought through what he was saying when he suggested the South Koreans "take this idea they have and run it through the Working Group." What's that, anyway? This "working group" rarely gets mentioned, but the State Department did say that Stephen Biegun, now deputy secretary of state, and Lee Do-hoon, special representative on the South Korean side, had "co-chaired a U.S.-ROK working group in Washington Nov. 20." "The participants discussed complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and inter-Korean cooperation," said the State Department, but is this "working group" imbued with the authority to make decisions? Are those two top-level officials the entire group, and what "work" did they do as a "group"? Were they sitting there with stats and maps talking about how to reopen North Korea while standing firm against any deal dictated by Kim Jong-un? How did the meeting conclude and when does this "group" meet again? Harris' remarks muddle the mystery, but for sure to judge from what he said the group is a channel for the U.S. side to manipulate the South Koreans out of doing anything on their own. That is, if such a group really exists. Since his retirement from the Navy Harris has gotten laughs by sporting a mustache. People compare his new sartorial look to that of the late Japanese Emperor Hirohito, to whom Harris, whose mother was Japanese, bears a certain resemblance. Such talk is a distraction, however, from the admiral ambassador's evident mission, to impose a blockade worthy of Admiral Halsey on Moon's desire to accommodate North Korea while Kim refuses to give up his nukes. Talk about mission impossible. The most experienced diplomats have gotten nowhere talking Kim dynasty rulers out of their nuclear program. Harris is not making things easier if he thinks his style of diplomacy is likely to bend recalcitrant Koreans to Washington's will. ) has been covering war and peace in the region for decades. Donald Kirk ( www.donaldkirk.com B oris Johnson has called for "rancour and division" to be left behind Brexit deal has completed its passage through Parliament and is set to become law. The Prime Minister said it felt at times that the "finish line" would not be crossed but heralded having "done it" after peers ended a legislative battle on Wednesday evening. Mr Johnson said the nation would "move forwards as one United Kingdom", adding: "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it. "Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future - with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country." Boris Johnson's Brexit bill has passed its final hurdle / PA The Lords had tried to secure additional rights including for unaccompanied child refugees but bowed to the will of MPs after the elected chamber overturned the peers' demands. Now the legislation just needs Royal Assent to be formally granted by the Queen and the agreement to be approved by the European Parliament by Brexit day on January 31. The Queen's formal approval of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill is expected in the coming days while the European Parliament will hold its consent vote on January 29. Boris Johnson addresses MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday / AFP via Getty Images MPs had reversed five changes made to the legislation by the Lords during a "ping-pong" phase where the Bill moved between the two Houses until agreement is achieved. Peers had defeated the Government on EU workers having the right to physical proof of their right to remain and on the power of courts to depart from European Court of Justice rulings. They also worked to ensure the rights of unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with their families in the UK post-Brexit. But all five amendments were comfortably reversed by MPs, with majorities ranging from 86 to 103, before the upper House gave way. 23.01.2020 LISTEN The first accused person in the ongoing case between the state, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and four others has petitioned the Chief Justice Justice Anin Yeboah asking Justice Eric Kyei Baffour before whom the case is being heard to recuse himself over possible unfair judgement. The petition dated the 20th of January 2020 and signed by the petitioner, Mr. Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, is entitled Petition for the Recusal of his lordship Justice Eric Kyei Baffour in suit no. CR/904/2017 The Republic versus Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and 4 others and Transfer of the Suit to another Justice for Trial. The petition is a ten (10) page document and has thirty-two (32) paragraphs. According to the petition, the main premise upon which the Accused person has decided to petition the Chief Justice is a social media video of one Kelvin Ekow Taylor posted on a Facebook wall called With All Due Respect. Your Lordship, my documented fears/anxieties about not getting a fair trial under the Lordship Justice Eric Kyei Baffour seem to have been heightened by a recent development as borne out by a video being circulated in the social media which was created by a journalist by the name of Kevin Ekow Taylor. In this video, Kevin Ekow Taylor made some serious allegations against Justice Eric Kyei Baffour regarding the NCA case. These allegations against Justice Eric Kyei Baffour are verifiable through an investigation that can be conducted by your Lordship the petition stated. Mr. Baffoe-Bonnie goes on to say that In this said video, Kevin Ekow Taylor made the following summarized allegations; that Justice Eric Kyei Baffour is being manipulated by this government to achieve a desirable/favorable outcome for the government. His Lordship Justice Eric Kyei Baffour in one of his carlier court proceedings in 2019, made a statement to the effect that he represents the state and therefore will not tolerate these foolish applications this was when my defence counsel had made an Application on my behalf. This allegation made by Kevin Ekow Taylor against Justice Eric Kyei Baffour as being compromised has raised some serious concerns/anxieties which will bother on miscarriage of justice if Justice Eric Kyei Baffour does not recuse himself from this case. Hence, my humble plea to your Lordship for a thorough investigation, the petition said. Mr. Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie in the concluding part of his petition posited as follows; your Lordship, based on all these unfortunate incidences of anger expressed by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour towards me, in addition to the already documented incidences of glaringly bias behavior of Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, I have come to a reasonable conclusion that I will NOT get a fair and just trial under the Lordship of Justice Eric Kyei Baffour. In this respect, Im urgently appealing to your Lordship to call for an investigation into these matters and while these investigations are initiated, it is my humble plea to your Lordship for Justice Eric Kyei Baffour to recuse himself from this case. Justice Eric Kyei Baffour on the 16th of January 2020 issued an arrest warrant for the controversial social media commentator, Kelvin Ekow Taylor, for him to be presented in his Court to answer why he should not be committed to jail for comments he made concerning the NCA trial which is pending before him. In a recent episode of his social media video reportage called, With All Due Respect and dubbed, The Men in Red, Tainted Judiciary, Kelvin Taylor picked on the Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour and made several allegations against him and the ongoing trial. Today I will tell you about the men in red, yes the men in red and how some of them have been compromised, Kelvin Taylor said in his introduction in the said video. Kelvin Taylor further indicated in his video that among the recent High Court Justices who were promoted to the Court of Appeal, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, has been pened down by members of the ruling government to be used as the conduit to prosecute former government officials. He called on the new Chief Justice, Justice Anin Yeboah to investigate the Court of Appeal Judge failing which he will release audio tapes in his custody bordering on meetings the Court of Appeal Judge has had with high ranking officials of the Akufo Addo-led administration. The social media commentator further zeroed in on a case before Justice Eric Kyei Baffour entitled the Republic versus Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and four others indicating that he is deliberately twisting the law as far as proceedings in that case is concerned to favour the current NPP administration. Justice Eric Kyei Baffour was hurriedly promoted from a High Court judge to a court of operating on the orders of President Akufo Addo and the National Security Minister, Kan Dapaah. This is why the case of the former NCA board members was jumped straight to the Commercial Court to Kyei Baffour so that he will execute government agenda. This is basic. With all due respect my fellow Ghanaians, Justice Kyei Baffour is seriously doing the bidding of the President and more importantly the bidding of the National Security Minister, Mr. Kan Dapaah, Kelvin Taylor said. Kelvin Taylor also alleged that the Court of Appeal judge, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, has recently built a mansion in Accra that has become the talk of the town. Justice Kyei Baffour has become too powerful and too rich in this short time. He recently built one of the most expensive mansions in Accra which in fact has became the talk in the corridors of the Justice Department, Taylor said. Justice Eric Kyei Baffour in issuing the arrest warrant said due to the fact that the said Kelvin Taylor is not in the Ghanaian Jurisdiction, the warrant will hold until Kelvin Taylor is arrested and presented to his court or until he no longer exists on planet earth. ---Starrfm.com.gh Joe Kaeser, chief executive officer of Siemens AG, speaks during a second-quarter earnings news conference at the company's headquarters in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Michaela Handrek-Rehle | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Donald Trump would support Siemens' role in reconstruction projects in countries like Iraq and Syria, the German conglomerate's CEO told CNBC on Thursday. Although headquartered in Munich, Siemens employs around 60,000 workers in the U.S., with a further 100,000 employed indirectly, and is a net exporter. Its stateside operation is its largest worldwide, CEO Joe Kaeser highlighted. But as trade tensions ratchet up between the U.S. and Europe, Kaeser revealed that he had met with Trump and senior administration officials this week to seek to clarify his position, and does not expect to be caught in the crossfire. "I said 'look, we have good American workers working for us in the U.S., if we go to Iraq, if we go to Syria, if we help rebuild that country, then I want to be treated as a U.S. company going out and helping those people to get back in line'," Kaeser told CNBC's Geoff Cutmore and Steve Sedgwick at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "He said 'well that is a fair point if you create jobs, you're part of us'. It didn't look like that in Iraq, as you know was a bit bumpy, but there was good commitment, and that is comfortable," Kaeser added. Trump met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Davos on Tuesday, and reiterated threats to levy substantial tariffs on European automobiles and other imports unless the European Union was willing to push forward with a new trade agreement. In its November earnings report, Siemens struck a cautious tone for 2020, warning of an expected weakening in the global economy and projecting a slowdown for its short-cycle automotive and machinery products. However, fears over global trade have since abated slightly following the signing of a so-called "phase one" trade deal between the U.S. and China earlier this month. AUTHORITIES on Thursday, January 23, tagged two convicted inmates detained at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) as the principal suspects in the killing of former Batangas 2nd District congressman Edgar Mendoza Sr. and his two companions on January 9. In a press conference in Camp Crame, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Joel Coronel identified the two NBP detainees as Sherwin Sanchez, a convicted murderer, and Arthur Fajardo, convicted leader of the notorious Fajardo kidnap-for-ransom group. Coronel said Sanchez was the brains behind the killing of Mendoza, who had served as his legal counsel until he was convicted of murder in 2015. Mendoza also handled various legal matters related to financial transactions and real estate for Sanchez. Sanchez allegedly started plotting Mendozas execution after the latter failed to fulfill his promise to release him from jail. Mendoza had allegedly asked for millions of pesos as payment for services rendered, Coronel said. Sanchez then tapped Fajardo, with whom he had developed a friendship inside the NBP, to help him with his plan. Fajardo then allegedly contacted his wife Jael to carry out the plan. Their five accomplices were identified as Kristine Fernandez, Jaels assistant; Madonna Palermo, Jaels household helper; Carlo Acuna; Erickson Balbastro; and Rodel Mercado, Sanchezs cousin. They were promised a fee of P100,000, Coronel said. Based on their investigation, the CIDG chief said the suspects lured Mendoza to meet with them for the payout. Before Mendoza went missing, his family told the police that he was supposed to meet a client in Calamba City in Laguna. Coronel said Mendozas driver left his drivers license at the guardhouse of the Villa La Prinza Subdivision in Calamba before they were allowed to enter the gated subdivision. The guards logbook showed that Mendozas vehicle entered the subdivision at around 1:03 p.m. of January 8. Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage in the area showed Mendoza, along with his driver Nicanor Mendoza and bodyguard Ruel Ruiz, going inside the house located at Block 14, Lot 21, which is owned by Jael. Story continues Colonel Amante Daro, CIDG director for Calabarzon, said Fernandez initially denied knowing Mendoza. After receiving text messages telling her she will be paid for her participation in the killing, she voluntarily surrendered to the police, out of fear for her life. She then started spilling the beans and tagged other people involved in the crime. Based on Fernandezs account, she and Palermo served coffee mixed with sleeping pills to Mendoza and his companions. When the victims fell asleep, Acuna fetched Balbastro and Mercado from a nearby convenience store. Balbastro and Mercado carried the sleeping victims to their vehicle, hit them with hard objects and stabbed them until they died. With Balbastro at the wheel, he and Mercado took the vehicle with the bodies inside to a secluded area in Quezon province. Along the way, they bought gasoline. The vehicle and the three men inside were torched in Tiaong, Quezon. When the victims were being transported to Tiaong, Quezon where their bodies were burned, they were already dead, said Coronel. Of the five suspects, including Jael, only Mercado remains at large. All five are facing three counts of murder filed by the CIDG before the prosecutors office of the Department of Justice. Daro said they were still verifying the participation of Jael, who had denied having a hand in the crime. Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Archie Francisco Gamboa said the case is considered solved. By our own parameters on crime solution and crime clearance, this case is considered solved and is now elevated to the prosecution arm of the justice system, he said. (SunStar Philippines) This will also be the first time that a Chief of the Defence Staff will take part in the Republic Day. New Delhi: For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay respects to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial on the Republic Day and not at the Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch. The National War Memorial built to honour Indian soldiers who fell while defending the country after Independence was dedicated to the nation in February 2019 by Mr Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the National War Memorial on January 26 morning before the commencement of the Republic Day Parade, and lay a wreath at the memorial in the presence of the three services chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Staff, said a senior Army official. Names of 26,700 armed forces personnel from three services who died in the service of the nation after 15th August 1947 is inscribed on the walls of the Memorial in golden letters. Now all the wreath-lying ceremonies to honour the Indian soldiers are held at the National War Memorial and not at the India Gate. This will also be the first time that a Chief of the Defence Staff will take part in the Republic Day. Amar Jawan Jyoti is symbolised by an inverted bayonet and soldiers helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it. India Gate was built by the British to honour the 83,000 British Indian Army soldiers who died during World War 1 and the third Anglo-Afghan War. Amar Jawan Jyoti was started in January 1972 to honour the 3,843 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The National War Memorial has a a layout of four landscaped concentric circles spread over 40 acres. At the Centre is the Amar Chakra (circle of immortality) which has an obelisk with eternal flame. The Veer Chakra (circle of bravery) is a covered gallery that exhibits six murals crafted in bronze depicting valiant battle of the armed forces. Aware of Dainess unwavering support for Trump, I wrote to him to ask him to go into the trial impartially, to allow and listen to witnesses before making up his mind about this serious matter. Dainess reply included the following: Based on the transcript President Trump released of the conversation he had on July 25, 2019 with President Zelensky of Ukraine, I believe that neither that conversation, nor any other information that has surfaced to date, meets the threshold of impeachment. I hoped the House of Representatives would follow facts and not act on speculation and partisan politics. Democrats have been obsessed with impeaching President Trump and overturning the will of the American people since before he was even sworn into office. This unprecedented impeachment sham has now been dumped on the lap of the United States Senate. It's time to put an end to this and get back to work for the American people. Marin at Kesaranta, the official residence of the Finnish Prime Minister, in Helsinki on Dec. 20 | Marie HaldINSTITUTE for TIME The photographer is trying to coax the Prime Minister of Finland into a three-quarter pose, with knees turned slightly to the side, hands demurely joined in her lap. But Sanna Marin isnt having it. Just 11 days after taking office, she faces the camera squarely, legs slightly apart, and rests her hands firmly on her thighs. This is how you would do it if I were a man, she says. Finlands new leader has good reason to think about how she is portrayed. After her predecessor resigned on Dec. 3, the 34-year-old became the youngest Prime Minister in Finnish history and the worlds youngest female state leader as well. That status earned her and her coalition government (all five party leaders are women, and four are below the age of 35) global headlines. But for Marin, the focus on attributes out of her control has been more a distraction than a cause for celebration. Its more work, she says of the attention. Of course, its also a great opportunity for Finland to present itself, and Im grateful for that. But I think if you focus on the issues, and not the person, its easier. Marin has been focusing on the issues for most of her adult life. Raised by her mother and her mothers same-sex partner after her parents separated when she was very young, she didnt grow up dreaming of being Prime Minister. I could never have imagined that. Politicians and politics seemed very far away, she says of her working-class upbringing. She was the first in her family to attend university, and it was only there that she developed a political conscience. My background influenced how I see society, how I see equality between people, she says. But its not because Im from a rainbow family that Im in politics. Im in politics because I thought that the older generation wasnt doing enough about the big issues of the future. I needed to act. I couldnt just think, Its somebody elses job. Story continues Read more of TIMEs Davos 2020 coverage It became her job officially in 2012, when she was elected to the city council of Tampere, Finlands third largest city. She was elected to Parliament three years later, and when her center-left Social Democrats, led by Antti Rinne, won the April 2019 election, Marin was named Transportation Minister. Then in December, after a two-week postal strike that spread to other industries, Rinne lost the support of one of his coalition partners and resigned. The party elected her to take his place. Marin now sits atop a government in which 12 of the 19 Cabinet positions are filled by women. But in Finland, which has had female Prime Ministers twice before and ranks third in parity on the 2020 World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report, thats not considered remarkable. We have long been pioneers in gender equality, the Prime Minister says of her country, which was also the first European nation to grant all women the right to vote. So, maybe its not as big a deal in Finland as it would be somewhere else. That doesnt mean theres nothing left to accomplish when it comes to equality. Marin ranks closing the pay gap (Finnish women earn 0.83 for every 1 men earn) and persuading men to take their fair share of parental leave as key concerns. Before taking office, she also expressed support for the idea of moving the country to a four-day workweek, in order to allow parents more time with their families. Climate change is also a central pillar of her agenda. The government she oversees has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2035. If successful, Finland would be one of the first countries in the world to achieve net-zero emissions. Traffic emissions will be cut 50% by 2030, she says, through a mix of public-transportation initiatives, subsidies for renewable fuels and the development of new technologies. It will also create jobs and opportunities for Finland. I dont think that fighting climate change means higher costs and a worse future. I think its the opposite. She faces a serious challenge convincing the rest of her country of that, however. Recent polls have shown her Social Democrats slipping markedly against the now leading Finns, a nationalist populist party that opposes immigration and has decried the expense of the governments education and climate plans. Traditional parties need to take a look in the mirror, she says in response. One of the reasons European countries fell into populism is how we solved the financial crisismany people lost their jobs and their hope in the future. That is the ground where populism grows. Making decisions that help people educate themselves, that raise the well-being of individuals and familiesthats the best way to fight populism. A self-confessed idealist who is also very pragmatic, she understands that in these divisive times, simple answers and loud voices often win out. But she sees her job as building consensus rather than inflaming passions. Its one of the things she appreciates about the Finnish way of doing things, as is her fellow citizens ingrained politeness. Asked whether she worries about protecting her privacy now that she is Prime Minister, she laughs. No, because it is Finland, thank God, she says. Every weekend she returns to her home to be with her husband and small daughter, and she says she shops at the local grocery store like anyone else. Maybe someone will come up and say, Oh, its so nice to meet you. But thats it. I can be a normal person. Maybe so, but as the global media attention suggests, there are plenty who are looking to her to join the newly growing ranks of young, female role models. Yet once again, in her quiet, firm way, she rejects the label. I dont think its because of their age or gender, she says. Greta Thunberg is not a role model because shes a young girl. Its because shes a voice for climate. Shes talking about issues, and thats what inspires people. Still, Marin will admit one area where having an all-women government makes a difference. We Finns have our sauna, the Prime Minister says with a slight smile. And traditionally, its where we make decisions. So now that we have five women in charge, we can all go to the sauna together and make the decisions there. TIMEs Davos 2020 issue was produced in partnership with the World Economic Forum. Sheltering from an enemy bombardment in Flanders, Lieutenant Hugh Lofting found himself with an extra problem to add to the hell of being a British soldier in the trenches in World War I. A letter had arrived from his wife, Flora Small. Their children, Colin, aged five, and Elizabeth, four, were desperate to be told what it was like for their Daddy in the front line. Please tell them. What could he say? He knew the truth was out of the question. The horrors of barbed wire and decomposing bodies, of shelling, bullets and slaughter were too awful to inflict on young minds. The enduring Dr Dolittle lives on, long in the tooth now after 100 years but, along with Dab-Dab the duck, Gub-Gub the baby pig, Chee-Chee the chimp and all the other chatty animals that Lofting gave voice to, still a treat for a whole new generation to enjoy And even if hed tried to tell the truth to those back home, its doubtful that any description of the terrible reality would get past the military censors. But feeling the need to reassure his son and daughter, he took a piece of paper and wrote the first lines of a story for them. Once upon a time, he began, there was a doctor and his name was Dolittle... There and then one of the classic childrens stories of all time was conceived as a conscious, creative antidote to all the blood-soaked, mind-shattering brutality of war. The inhumanity Lofting saw around him was bad enough, but what further disturbed him was the suffering of the thousands of horses and mules, innocent animals caught up in the fighting. Loftings own life could not be described as gentle or kindly. Rather, much of it was marred by unhappiness. He grew up in middle-class Maidenhead, Berkshire, the youngest of six children of an English mother and a stern Irishman with a drink problem What was possibly going through their minds amid the insanity? So in one letter after another to his children, he told the story of a very gentle medical man living in the quiet English countryside, who didnt care much for people but who loved and valued animals and had the magical gift of being to talk to them and, through listening to them, heal them when they were sick. He called him Dolittle, which was Loftings pet name for his son, who was a little on the lazy side. They were happy-go-lucky adventures, full of imagination, cheerful optimism, and joy in the wonders of the natural world. Lofting, a skilled draughtsman, illustrated them with his own black-and-white charcoal drawings, the jovial doctor resplendent in morning coat, wing collar and top hat. The war over, the reassuring fantasy world he created while keeping his head down in the trenches became a book. First published in 1920, a century ago, it has been a favourite ever since (apart from a brief hiccough that we will come to later). By popular request, the initial volume turned into a whole series, which in turn inspired a plethora of films, notably with Rex Harrison as the doctor back in 1967 and more recently with comedian Eddie Murphy in the title role. Next month a lavish new version is to open in cinemas up and down the country, an action-packed 21st-century take on the old story of how, when the young Queen Victoria falls gravely ill, a young doctor travels to a fantastical island in the hope of locating a cure . Robert Downey Jr plays the swashbuckling Dolittle, backed by stars such as Tom Holland and Emma Thompson voicing the likes of Jip the dog and Polynesia, the stroppy, raucous parrot with a penchant for uttering the most dreadful seafaring swearwords you ever heard. So, aged 100, Dolittle lives on into a new age, his appeal undiminished. Young readers and audiences happily suspend their disbelief to be drawn in by that seductive notion of being able to talk to animals and share their undoubted wisdom and essential goodness. And drawn in too by the soft nature of the doctor himself and his realisation radical at the time when Lofting created him but very current today that we humans share the planet with other species and have a responsibility to them. It is Polynesia who sets the tone. People think theyre wonderful, she squawks dismissively from her perch, but they make me sick, talking about dumb animals. Why, I knew a macaw who could talk Greek and say good morning in seven different ways. Dolittle listens which, as every child instinctively knows, adults rarely do and that way begins to learn the language of animals, crossing the divide into their world. Effortlessly he has taken generations of young readers with him. His fans come from all sorts of different backgrounds. In working-class Leeds, a six-year-old butchers son called Alan Bennett (who grew up to become one of the nations best-loved playwrights and diarists) raced through the Dolittle books one after another in the library, vaguely aware, as he recalls, that a doctor who could talk to animals was fiction but believing that Puddleby-on-the Marsh, where Dolittle lived, was real. And any lingering suspicions that racism was deeply embedded in the Dolittle stories must surely have disappeared when black actor Eddie Murphy took the title part in the 1998 film Novelist Sebastian Faulks, growing up in leafy Berkshire two decades later, was similarly won over, considering them the best books he read as a child, funny, touching, exciting and well-written. As a grown-up he read them to his own children and found them utterly modern and enlightened. Enlightenment dawned too on Dame Jane Goodall, the worlds leading expert on chimpanzees. She admits that, as an eight-year-old reading about the doctors adventures in Africa where he takes his veterinary skills to fight an epidemic killing off monkeys she was inspired to go to the African forests herself and save the animals. Dolittle was also a literary hero to a young Richard Dawkins. Now one of the most famous scientists of modern times, he found him to be a gentle, kindly naturalist who could talk to non-human animals and commanded god-like powers through their devotion to him. However, Loftings own life could not be described as gentle or kindly. Rather, much of it was marred by unhappiness. He grew up in middle-class Maidenhead, Berkshire, the youngest of six children of an English mother and a stern Irishman with a drink problem. There he had pets, including four white mice. But at the age of eight, he was packed off to a Jesuit boarding school 150 miles from home. He was 18 when, with a wanderlusts yearning for adventure, he left not only school but England as well. A scholarship to study civil engineering at the then up-and-coming Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. was his route out a rare achievement. Once qualified, he headed off to build railways in Canada, Africa and Cuba for four years until, bored by engineering, the clearly multi-talented Lofting decided on a radical change of career. He made his way to New York, determined to make a living as a writer on magazines. There he met and married an American debutante by the name of Flora Small. A daughter was born, followed by a son. When war broke out in Europe in 1914, he could have stayed out of it, and did for a while, safely working for the British Ministry of Information in the U.S. But, as the fighting intensified, he felt unable to ignore the call of duty. In 1916, he returned to the UK and joined up. All too soon he was in Belgium enduring the misery of the front line with his regiment, the Irish Guards, and sending home to his children those letters conjuring up Dolittles funny little world of peace and harmony. Before dispatching them, he would try out drafts of his stories on his own troops, reading them out by candlelight during the dark nights. These battle-hardened soldiers listened, hushed and entranced, to Dolittles adventures, for a brief moment taken away from the death and destruction all around. In those trenches, Lofting survived longer than most young subalterns, despite his habit of sleeping out in the open rather than underground in a fetid bunker. Eventually his good fortune ran out. A piece of shrapnel pierced his thigh and he was invalided out just as the war ended. Back home with his family, his wife Flora recognised that the Dolittle stories could be a goldmine and she badgered him into compiling them as a book. Two years later The Story Of Dr Dolittle was published. The dedication read to all children, children in years and children in heart. It was an instant success. Dolittle lived on, in the books and the young readers who continued to lap them up. Until, that is, the 1970s, when suddenly they became forbidden fruit A fellow writer, the novelist Sir Hugh Walpole, hailed Dr Dolittle as a work of genius and the first real childrens classic since Alice In Wonderland decades earlier. Lofting had hit the jackpot. Lucrative commissions rolled in for more Dolittle stories he wrote 12 in all. He had found the success in life he always craved. But beneath the surface, he was a troubled man. The war had left its indelible mark on him, as it did on so many of his generation. It would not let him go. All the horrors he had experienced ate away at his soul. He despaired of humanity. He sank into depression and pessimism. He drank to forget, but couldnt. The alcohol took over, turning this once mild-mannered man into a cantankerous and even violent one on occasions. There was no respite for him as his woes piled up. In 1927, Flora died, after battling mental illness, and Lofting was widowed. Not longer afterwards, he met vivacious Katherine Harrower-Peters and they married after a whirlwind romance. Two weeks later, she, too, was dead, from pneumonia caught on their honeymoon. He lapsed deeper into depression, becoming bullying and ever more difficult the complete antithesis of the gentle Dolittle. He also tired of the doctor hed created and disliked being categorised as a childrens author. He wanted to move on to writing books with a more adult theme, but his army of readers simply wanted more of the same. Things did get better for him. He fell in love again, with Josephine, a nurse who at 24 was half his age. They married in 1935 and a baby boy was born the following year and for a while he was at his happiest, turning out three more Dolittle books. But then war broke out again in Europe in 1939. He was mortified that all the sacrifices of 1914-18 in the so-called war to end all wars had been in vain. The drinking intensified, irreparably damaging his liver. He died in 1947, aged 61. But Dolittle lived on, in the books and the young readers who continued to lap them up. Until, that is, the 1970s, when suddenly they became forbidden fruit. Lofting, a product of Victorian imperialism, had written his stories in an age when racist stereotypes and the notion of white supremacy were taken for granted. In Dolittles forays to Africa, his attitude to the black inhabitants he met was kindly but condescending and disrespectful, to say the least. He used some language that was commonplace in his era but would be rightly deemed unacceptable decades later. The N-word in particular jarred, and in 1968 more than 20 years after his death he was publicly attacked for it. In New York, a librarian by the name of Isabelle Suhl denounced Lofting as a white chauvinist and racist and described his creation, Dolittle as the personification of the Great White Father nobly bearing the white mans burden. His books disappeared from library shelves in America. There were no more reprints. Dolittle was effectively banned. It was more than a decade before he was rehabilitated. The text was amended to avoid offence, the blind spots of Loftings own era (to quote one critic) were expunged, and the books once again published in America. Loftings son Christopher approved of the changes, declaring that his father would have been appalled at the suggestion that any part of his work could give offence and would have been the first to have made the changes himself. The message he conveyed throughout his work was one of respect for life and the rights of all who share the common destiny of our world. And any lingering suspicions that racism was deeply embedded in the Dolittle stories must surely have disappeared when black actor Eddie Murphy took the title part in the 1998 film. In terms of plot, Murphys version bore little resemblance to Loftings, apart from the doctors ability to talk to animals. Judging by the trailer, the new film for 2020 sticks much more closely to the original, with travels, adventures and talking animals in abundance. The enduring Dr Dolittle lives on, long in the tooth now after 100 years but, along with Dab-Dab the duck, Gub-Gub the baby pig, Chee-Chee the chimp and all the other chatty animals that Lofting gave voice to, still a treat for a whole new generation to enjoy. He's set to become a household name when Married At First Sight's seventh season premieres in February. But when Mikey Pembroke makes his MAFS debut, it certainly won't be the first time that he's been on TV. Back in 2013, the 29-year-old appeared on the now-defunct Channel Seven game show, Deal or No Deal. EXPOSED: Married At First Sight 2020 star Mikey Pembroke's TV past has been revealed Mikey certainly didn't seem shy on the show, animatedly dancing around on stage with host Andrew O'Keefe. Before filming MAFS, Mikey dated fitness influencer Katie Williams. Katie previously appeared on Channel Nine's Australian Ninja Warrior, and she and Mikey lit up Sydney's social scene during their time together. Busted! Back in 2013, the 29-year-old appeared on the now-defunct Channel Seven game show, Deal or No Deal Pay attention to me! Mikey certainly didn't seem shy on the show, animatedly dancing around on stage with host Andrew O'Keefe On Channel Nine's official website, Miley is described as a 'private school boy from Sydney's leafy north shore'. 'Although Mikey has always enjoyed the spoils of an affluent upbringing, he is genuine and open-minded, with a solid work ethic,' his bio reads. 'He recently stepped up to help run the family business: a nursing home that his grandfather founded. Girlfriend: Before filming MAFS, Mikey dated fitness influencer Katie Williams TV past: Katie (pictured) previously appeared on Channel Nine's Australian Ninja Warrior, and she and Mikey lit up Sydney's social scene during their time together 'With good looks and a quick wit, Mikey carries a self-assured facade, but when it comes to dating, he lacks confidence and finds interactions with the opposite sex awkward.' Nine adds that Mikey 'hopes to find a genuine girl who sees him for the person he is to share his fortunate life with'. Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on February 3. GARLAND, Texas, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lt. Col. Allen West successfully brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaign with donations coming from 49 states across America. Texans were responsible for roughly half of the donations. Despite concerns from critics about West's fundraising capabilities, he strongly outperformed the incumbent who garnered only 4 percent of West's total amount. While West had to fund his entire travel and staff to help with the campaign, the current Chairman was allowed to utilize current Republican Party of Texas staff for support. The Texas Tribune -- and supporters of his opponent -- have allegedly made false claims about his expenditures on transportation and support staff. False narratives about first class flights and extravagant limousine rides have been perpetuated online by detractors originating in his opponent's camp. Lt. Col. West has stated, "Following the state convention in Houston in May, I plan to donate the remainder of my war chest directly into the Republican Party of Texas. From there, I will focus on raising millions of dollars for Texas, so we can turn back the rising blue tide and keep Texas and therefore America Red." Given the massive outpouring of support for West across the nation and across Texas, it is imperative he be the one to lead the Republican Party of Texas. The ability to bring in millions of dollars from within and outside of Texas is key in combating the millions of dollars being dumped in from globalists like George Soros as well as socialists from Los Angeles and New York. Colonel West's full statement and other releases can be found here: https://west4texas.com/news/?md_post_type=nooz_release Learn more about Allen West, his campaign, and how to keep Texas Red by visiting www.west4texas.com. SOURCE West4Texas Related Links west4texas.com New South Wales [Australia], Jan 23 (Sputnik/ANI): Three US firefighters died in the crash of the C-130 aircraft in Australia's New South Wales, local media reported Thursday. The cause of the crash has not been established yet and there will be no public identification of the victims until their families have been notified, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. The Australian authorities have lost contact with a firefighting plane in the southeastern state of New South Wales (NSW), the regional Rural Fire Service said on Thursday. Australia is currently witnessing the worst wildfire disaster in its history, with many planes fighting the blazes. (Sputnik/ANI) OTTAWATwo Canadian accident investigators helping probe the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines flight by Iranian missiles are headed home as uncertainty continues to swirl about the jets black boxes. The two investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada spent six days in Tehran, where they visited the accident site and examined the wreckage stored in a separate location. The safety board said the Iranian accident team was co-operative and helpful in its interactions with the Canadians. The pair also spent two days in Kyiv this week for joint meetings with investigators from Iran and Ukraine, who are also involved in probing the Jan. 8 crash. In particular, an assessment is underway regarding the feasibility of downloading the aircraft flight data and cockpit voice recorders in Ukraine, the Canadian safety board said in a statement Thursday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Iran lacks the technical ability to process information from the recorders, which he said were significantly damaged. Yet Iranian officials have so far been reluctant to send them to a country like France or Canada, where investigative agencies have that expertise. The so-called black boxes are still in Iran and Iranian officials are still looking at options to download and analyze the data, including doing it in Iran, the safety board said. The TSB says its been invited to participate in the download and analysis of data from the recorders and says it will deploy a second team with expertise in that area wherever and whenever that activity takes place. While this activity may provide additional critical data, there is much more analysis required of all the information gathered in order to determine the many factors that caused or contributed to this accident, the safety board said. Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 a Boeing 737-800 NG was shot down by two Iranian missiles minutes after it departed Tehran bound for Kyiv. All 176 people on board were killed, including 57 Canadians. In all, 138 passengers were scheduled to make connecting flights to continue on to Canada. On Thursday, Trudeau again called the disaster a national tragedy, noting how the deaths have rocked communities across Canada. It was a moment where Canadians needed our country to come together, needed communities to pull together and support folks suffering immeasurable loss, he told a meeting of Liberal MPs on Parliament Hill. Trudeau has demanded that Canada be fully involved in the investigation, and said those efforts continue. We will also keep working on the international stage to get answers, to get justice, to work with our allies, friends and partners around the world to ensure that we are getting the answers for Canadians that they need to get to be able to get closure and to move forward as a country on this national tragedy, he told the Liberal caucus meeting. The safety board said Thursday that it is continuing to seek status as an accredited representative to the investigation because of the number of Canadians killed. That status would give Canadian investigators full access to data and allow them to suggest areas of study. While the cause of the crash is known, safety board officials say the investigation will help determine the circumstances around the mistaken firing of the missiles and provide lessons to better ensure the safety of commercial flights in regions of heightened military tensions. Read more about: Isabel dos Santos, Angolas billionaire former first daughter, has decided to sell her stake in Portuguese bank Eurobic, the small lender said on Wednesday. It made the announcement soon after Portuguese news agency Lusa reported that Angolan prosecutors had named dos Santos as a formal suspect over alleged mismanagement and misappropriation of funds while she was chairwoman of state oil firm Sonangol. Lusa quoted Angolas attorney general, Helder Pitta Groz, as telling a news conference in the Angolan capital Luanda that dos Santos had not directly shown any interest in collaborating with Angolan authorities. Dos Santos, who was chairwoman of Sonangol from June 2016 to November 2017 and amassed her fortune during her father Jose Eduardo dos Santos decades-long presidency, could not immediately be reached for comment but has denied wrongdoing. Portuguese newspaper Expresso said others linked to dos Santos were also named as formal suspects including Mario Leite da Silva, chairman of Banco de Fomento Angola. Silva could not immediately be reached for comment. In Portugal, dos Santos holds significant stakes in several large firms including NOS and oil firm Galp Energia. A spokeswoman for Portugals public prosecutors office confirmed to Reuters News Agency that Angolas Pitta Groz and Portugals attorney general Lucilia Gago will meet in Lisbon on Thursday. She did not say what they will discuss. Isabel dos Santos is Eurobics main shareholder but the bank said she had decided to withdraw from the banks shareholding structure and sell her stake. In a statement sent to Reuters, Eurobic said the selling process of the 42.5 percent stake had already started and dos Santos decision was final. It said her exit would take place as soon as possible and that Bank of Portugal, the central bank, had been informed of the decision. Hundreds of thousands of files about dos Santos that were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) were released by several news organisations on Sunday. The media reports focused on alleged financial schemes used by dos Santos to build her business empire, including transfers between Angola and Dubai. On Monday, Bank of Portugal said in a statement it had asked Eurobic about transfers between Angola and Dubai and Portugals prosecutors office said it would investigate the media reports. Dos Santos said on Sunday that allegations made against her were completely unfounded. Angolan authorities froze dos Santos assets in the African country in late December following allegations by prosecutors that she and her husband Sindika Dokolo had steered payments of more than $1bn from state companies Sonangol and Sodiam to firms in which they held stakes. Dos Santos and Dokolo have denied any wrongdoing. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 20:05:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai here on Thursday. China is willing to work with Thailand to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries and push their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to reach a new stage, Wang said. The South China Sea issue concerns China's sovereign rights and interests, said Wang, adding that China stands ready to manage and control differences with countries concerned through bilateral dialogue to enhance mutual trust and promote cooperation. Don expressed the hope that the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea will be accelerated and believed that regional countries are capable of controlling the situation in the South China Sea. The two sides also exchanged views on the drought in the Mekong River basin. Perth, Australia, Jan 23, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - Further to the attached Press Release from Delta Offshore Energy Pte Ltd (DeltaOE), Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (ASX:LNG.AX - News) (HAM:LI5.HM - News) (OTCMKTS:LNGLY - News) wishes to congratulate Delta Offshore Energy on the receipt of the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) for their 3,200-megawatt LNG-to-power project in Vietnam's Bac Lieu Province (Bac Lieu Project). LNGL understands that the IRC is the final regulatory approval required for the Bac Lieu Project. LNGL also wishes to express gratitude to the members of the Bac Lieu Province People's Committee and the National Steering Committee on Vietnam's Energy Development for their approval of DeltaOE's IRC following the recent inclusion of the Bac Lieu Project in Vietnam's Power Development Plan 7 Revised (PDP7R). LNGL and DeltaOE have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the delivery of 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Magnolia LNG (Magnolia) to the Bac Lieu Project. DeltaOE is negotiating a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Electricity Vietnam Group (EVN) to underpin the Bac Lieu Project, and concurrently progressing a binding sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with LNGL for 2 mtpa from Magnolia. The SPA will (once agreed) remain subject to LNGL making a "Financial Investment Decision" as described in LNGL's announcement dated October 11, 2019. LNGL Executive Chairman, Managing Director, and CEO, Greg Vesey commented: "With significant end-user LNG demand, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian customers are a major priority for LNGL, and we will continue our efforts to grow our potential commercial opportunities in the region beyond the existing MOU. Delta Offshore Energy is leading by example becoming the first registered energy infrastructure project in Vietnam to be fully supported through foreign direct investment, mainly from the United States. We remain very pleased to be part of this momentous undertaking." Story continues To view the Delta release, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/SK0H080I About Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd: Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (ASX:LNG.AX - News) (OTCMKTS:LNGLY - News) (LNGL) is an ASX listed company whose portfolio consists of 100% ownership of the following companies: - Magnolia LNG, LLC (Magnolia LNG), a US-based subsidiary, which is developing an eight mtpa or greater LNG export terminal, in the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA; - Bear Head LNG Corporation Inc. (Bear Head LNG), a Canadian-based subsidiary, which is developing an 8 - 12 mtpa LNG export terminal in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada with potential for further expansion; - Bear Paw Pipeline Corporation Inc. (Bear Paw), which is proposing to construct and operate a 62.5 km gas pipeline lateral to connect gas supply to Bear Head LNG; and - LNG Technology Pty Ltd, a subsidiary which owns and develops the Company's OSMR LNG liquefaction process, a midscale LNG business model that plans to deliver lower capital and operating costs, faster construction, and improved efficiency, relative to larger traditional LNG projects. Contact: Mr. Micah Hirschfield Sr. Manager, Communications and Investor Relations Liquefied Natural Gas Limited T: +1-713-815-6920 E: mhirschfield@lnglimited.com Mr. Andrew Gould Joint Company Secretary Liquefied Natural Gas Limited T: +61-8-9366-3700 E: AGould@lnglimited.com.au Source: Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday unveiled a 10-day campaign to highlight the Kashmir issue at local and international level. Addressing a press conference here, Qureshi said the activities will start on January 25, leading up to the mega event on February 5, which Pakistan observes as the Kashmir solidarity day. "We are launching a program to effectively highlight Kashmir (issue)," he said. Qureshi said that Islamabad-based diplomatic corps will be invited at the President House on February 4 to apprise them on the situation in Kashmir. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, on February 5 and address the Legislative Assembly. He will also address a public gathering in Mirpur later in the day. Qureshi said that Pakistan was effectively presenting the case of Kashmir despite challenges and influence of India worldwide. "But we have been successful and the UN Security Council twice discussed the issue," he said. He said that President Donald Trump during his meeting with Prime Minister Khan in Davos this week expressed concern on Kashmir and also said that his concern was conveyed to India. Qureshi also rejected India's insistence that Kashmir can be only resolved by bilateral means, saying that New Delhi was taking unilateral actions to change the status of Kashmir. India and Pakistan have been at odds after New Delhi abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two union territories. Pakistan reacted strongly to India's decision and downgraded bilateral ties and expelled the Indian envoy. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter. It has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) What underlies the rage of the Democrat Party and of the leftist Democrat Establishment vis-a-vis President Donald Trump? Over forty years ago, during my high school years in Iran, my father and I had a conversation. He was an avid Republican, even though he lived on the other side of the world. Right before I prepared to leave Iran for the U.S., he gave me some fatherly advice. He explained why the Democrat Party was bad for America, bad for Iran, and bad for the world. He advised me that if I ever became a US citizen, I should never vote for Democrats. After all these years, I now understand what he meant by those words of wisdom. For over twenty years, I did not vote simply because I was not a U.S. citizen. Even after I became one, I was not fully aware of the depth of this party's evil ideology, although eight long years of Obama's presidency was enough to make me realize where America was headed and what brand of Democrats were in charge. But it was not until the election of President Trump that exposed just how corrupt the Democrats and every government institution were. Now that that genie is out of the bottle, they cannot put it back in. Public trust is out the door all because it was Hillary's turn to be president. After the election was over, Clinton and her campaign staff were stunned and angry. So they went on a crusade and would remain there. They blamed everyone in the book for her loss, except the very person who lost the election. For the past three years, these phony investigations cost American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. They were fully aware that it was just a hoax and a fraud. In the process, they hurt the country and the American people. President Trump's opponents mostly are from the camp of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obamasupporters. Both Obama and Clinton were students of Saul Alinsky. Alinsky was a self-professed radical, obsessed with leftist ideology. Moreover, the Left, rooted in Marxism, is atheistic and steeped in multicultural moral relativism. Hence, the pro-American nationalism of President Trump his campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again" infuriates the Left, which flatters itself as being internationalist or "cosmopolitan" as well as the trend of the future. Lastly, the Left is pantheistic and thus abhors the basic differential nature of existence, which is opposed to the Left's unqualified egalitarianism. If you think of Harry Truman's electoral victory over Thomas Dewey, you have a precedent for what is happening today. Truman's victory stunned the media, just as Trump's victory has done. "Give 'Em Hell Harry," who worked as a haberdasher, reminds us of Trump, despite Trump being a billionaire. Since the election of Donald Trump, the Left has lost its collective mind. Leftists have gone into a stage of sheer lunacy and have not returned from it. It seems the entire liberal world has combined its efforts to take Trump out at all cost. In this devilish process, the left has exposed its true nature. I have stated many times that multiculturalism and the doctrine of moral relativism are destroying the moral fabric of America. Moral relativism is the core of the social sciences, hence of sociology, anthropology, psychology, and political science. It corrupts judges, opinion-makers, policymakers, and decision-makers. Moral relativism denies the existence of evil. This doctrine is evident in the writings and pro-Palestinian attitude of former President Barack Obama. It was evident in the American policy of detente vis-a-vis the Soviet Union. This Democrat Party no longer hides its agenda. They now openly encourage millions of illegal aliens to violate our laws and break into our country, and they want to sign them up for free welfare, free health care, and free education and the right to vote with the help of their ace in the hole, the "Fake News" media. What is the Democrat Party's mantra? It is basically "We're not Trump." Hillary Clinton tried it, and it did not work well. Given the uncertainty that is about to envelop us, it is time for us to step out, and fight back, and although it will be difficult, and many won't join us, I think it's our only hope. Let's just make up a story and impeach him. Just do everything we can to disrupt the conscience of the nation. The Democrats have thrown all their eggs into the "Hate Trump" basket, but that doesn't seem to be helping their poll numbers. It is obvious that the Democrat Party is at war with America, and Democrats are not interested in stopping any time soon. The radical left enjoys controlling people from cradle to grave. (Sounds like Muslims.) They want socialism. They want to be in charge for eternity. The leftist agenda recommends denial of personal responsibility, encourages self-pity and fosters government reliance, promotes sexual indulgence, rationalizes violence, excuses financial obligation, justifies theft, ignores rudeness, prescribes complaining and blaming, promotes sharia law, denigrates the sanctity of marriage and the family, legalizes all abortion, defies religious and social tradition, declares inequality unjust, and rebels against the duties of citizenship and much more. For decades, the Democrat Party has shown by both words and deeds that they despise the U.S. Constitution while they bend over backward to embrace Islamists, illegal aliens, and anyone who hates America and feels entitled. The left is interested only in power and nothing else even if it means sacrificing our safety and security. In short, America is on a precarious path to lose its freedom and our Constitution we have cherished for over 200 years. We must accept that the current Democrat Party is no longer the party of Kennedy. It has become the greatest threat to our national security and our survival as a nation. (Reuters) - The Trump administration expects to secure trade deals with the European Union and Britain this year, but not India, top U.S. officials said on Thursday. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in several television interviews that they expected to finalize agreements with those allies in 2020. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he hoped to finalize a pact with Europe before he faces reelection in November. The president is very focused on trade and hes very focused on Europe, Mnuchin, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, told CNBC, adding that a meeting between U.S. and European officials this week was good. Were very focused on a UK free trade agreement, which we hope to get done this year as well, Mnuchin added. Ross, speaking on Fox Business Network, echoed that sentiment on the timeline but said it was more complicated working with the EU, given the number of countries involved. Our working assumption is that it will not fail and that we will make a deal with them, Ross said, referring to the EU. On India, Ross said that while the United States was eager to cooperate with the country and was in discussions, with more talks likely, a pact was unlikely in 2020. I very much doubt that would occur this year, he told Fox Business Network. ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - At least 13 people have died in flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains in Madagascar this week, authorities said Thursday, with the military deployed to help evacuate people at risk from rising waters. Another 19 people are missing and more than 47,000 people are threatened across the Indian Ocean island nation, disaster officials said. They called those numbers preliminary. Eighteen of the missing were carried away when trying to cross a river to return to their village, Mitsinjo, in the northwest. Major roads in the northern part of the country have been cut off in several places by the heavy rains since Monday, leaving some villages isolated. On Wednesday a dam overflowed near the Tanambe community, some 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of the capital, Antananarivo, flooding several area villages and farmlands. Serious damage is feared to rice production in the region that is considered Madagascars breadbasket. We cant give numbers yet but crops are almost completely inundated, Elack Olivier Andriakaja with the national disaster management office told reporters Thursday. The rain will continue next week, Andriakaja said. The owner of a chemical tanker ship has denied any liability for a collision with a fishing boat off the coast of Texas that killed one crew member and left two more missing and presumed dead. Norway-based Odfjell SE filed a motion on Jan. 17 in response to a federal lawsuit brought by relatives of one of the fishermen who was killed. The family accuses Odfjell SE of failing to safely operate its 600-foot tanker, the Bow Fortune. The ship collided with the 81-foot Paddys Pride on Jan. 14 near the entrance to Galveston Bay. The lone survivor, who had been aboard the smaller boat, suffered a broken leg and was rescued from the water. Authorities recovered the body of Constantino Corona, a 59-year-old from Palacios. The Galveston County Medical Examiners Office determined that he drowned, said John D.J. Florence, a spokesman for the office. The Coast Guard and other first responders searched for two days, but the two other fishermen were still missing as of Jan. 20, Petty Officer 2nd Class Johanna Strickland told the Galveston County Daily News. Officials have not revealed the identities of the two crew members who are missing and presumed dead, but Raymond Herrera Jr. and Tabitha Herrera say their father, Raymond Anthony Herrera, is one of them. In their lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the Herreras say their father was killed because Odfjell SE neglected to properly inspect and maintain the tanker, and that the company didnt adequately supervise or train its crew. The company says it is not at fault for any damages caused by the crash, that it maintains the tanker and ensured it was seaworthy at the time of the collision, court documents show. The newspaper could not reach the attorneys representing Odfjell SE or the Herreras for comment on Monday. Arnold & Itkin LLP, the firm representing the Herreras, said in a statement that Odfjell SE is relying on a 150-year-old law that was intended to protect vessel owners from risky voyages. While the law served its purpose in 1851, its now used by negligent companies to avoid accountability, the law firm said in an online statement. The Herreras lawsuit requests a jury trial and calls for the Bow Fortune to be sold and condemned. The crash remains under investigation. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas Terry Jones, who has died aged 77, was one of the six original members of the Monty Python team, alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman and the animator Terry Gilliam. A swarthy, large-featured man, Jones specialised in the show's cast of bizarre middle-aged women characters, though he also became familiar as the nude organist who appeared in interludes between the main sketches. Perhaps his most famous creation was the mother in 'Monty Python's Life Of Brian' who yells at her son's devoted followers: "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy." Jones also directed three Python films - 'Life Of Brian', 'Monty Python And The Holy Grail' and 'The Meaning Of Life' - and in the latter was responsible for one of the most grotesque pieces of humour ever committed to screen: the "Monsieur Creosote" sequence, in which he played a gourmand who explodes after eating a gargantuan meal. Terence Graham Parry Jones, the son of a bank clerk, was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on February 1, 1942. While Terry was still a boy the family moved to Claygate in Surrey, and he was educated at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, where he was head boy, captain of the rugby team and in the Cadet Corps. He won a place to read English at Oxford, where he soon became involved in the theatre, writing and appearing in revues. It was at Oxford that he met his fellow future Python, Michael Palin. After graduating in 1965, both joined the BBC, writing and performing in shows such as 'The Frost Report' and the children's show 'Do Not Adjust Your Set'. In 1968, Jones and Palin were working with Eric Idle and the American artist Terry Gilliam on 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' when John Cleese suggested they join him and his writing partner Graham Chapman to work on a new comedy show, and the BBC gave them a commission for a 13-episode series, which they named 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'. There was rivalry between the two main writing factions: the Cambridge duo of Cleese and Chapman vs the Oxford team of Palin and Jones. The Oxford team's humour was more visual and anarchic, the cerebral Jones envisioning a stream-of-consciousness approach to programme structure with sketches which did not necessarily have any comedic rationale or punchlines but moved fluidly from one to another with much cross-referencing of jokes. Cleese and Chapman's humour was more punning and verbal, and Cleese, in particular, wanted a more conventional structure, with sketches that were clearly funny. Video of the Day While the tensions between the two factions undoubtedly spurred both sides to creativity, it led to rifts and rows. Jones, according to Palin, felt undervalued and "oppressed" by Cleese's dismissive handling of his suggestions and angry at the way Cleese seemed to expect the Oxford men to do the tedious donkey work. When, in 1973, they decided to call it a day, tensions meant the final six shows were made with little or no contribution from Cleese. The Pythons continued to work together, though never very harmoniously, on a series of feature films. Jones shared the director's credit with Gilliam on 'Monty Python And The Holy Grail' (1975), before taking sole charge on 'The Life Of Brian' (1979) and 'The Meaning Of Life' (1983), their last film as a team. Later, Jones had success with 'Personal Services' (1986) and 'The Wind In The Willows' (1996), in which he also starred as Toad. 'Eric The Viking' (1989) was less successful. Jones had been fascinated by the medieval period and spent hours working on what would become 'Chaucer's Knight' (1980), a controversial but acclaimed study in which he suggested the poet was being ironic in his account of chivalrous knighthood. In 2003 he co-authored 'Who Murdered Chaucer?', a non-fiction mystery story sparked by the disappearance of the poet from records of the time. Jones's interest in medieval history led him into a new career as a lecturer, presenter of history programmes for the BBC and as a speaker at literary festivals. On TV, he presented series on the 'Crusades' (1996), 'Ancient Inventions' (1998), 'Medieval Lives' (2004), and 'Barbarians' (2006). As a writer, Jones co-wrote 'Ripping Yarns' with Palin, the screenplay for 'Labyrinth' (1986) and numerous works for children, including 'Fantastic Stories' and 'The Beast With A Thousand Teeth'. He also occasionally wrote for newspapers, emerging as a strident critic of Tony Blair and the war in Iraq. Many of his articles on the conflict were published in a collection, 'Terry Jones's War On The War On Terror' (2005). Jones refused to watch BBC news programmes, which he felt had become cowed and unreliable after the Hutton Report into the death of scientist David Kelly, and took to wearing his watch on a belt round his waist rather than his wrist as a mild protest against the dictatorship of time. In 1970, Jones married Alison Telfer, a scientist whom he had met at Oxford and with whom he had a son and daughter. In 2005, he told interviewers that he and his wife had an "open" marriage. Shortly afterwards, he began a relationship with Anna Soderstrom, a Swedish Python fan more than four decades his junior whom he had met at a book signing - whereupon his wife threw him out of the family home. Jones, who suffered from dementia in later years, is survived by Soderstrom and by a daughter and son of his first marriage, and a daughter of his second. ( Daily Telegraph) ATTICA, Ind. (WLFI) -- The organization Indiana Landmarks is working to enliven historic structures in communities around the state. It does this by noting the top 10 endangered properties and it states these properties lend irreplacable visual character to the streetscape. On this is the list is downtown Attica. "We want to be the place to be," said Attica Mayor Duane Roderick. Roderick wants Attica to be the place to be among hundreds of rural cities scattered throughout Indiana. Attica became a city in 1866 and at that time and for more than 100 years was booming with economic growth and population. It started declining after the 1960's and today and into the future city leaders are yearning for change. "We would love to see some economic development downtown especially in our buildings even if we have to redo our buildings and get some more building space," said Roderick. Space isn't a luxury in the city less than two square miles. "I love everything about Attica," said Roderick. Attica's Main Street President Lexi Haddock said everything starts with the downtown. "Downtown is the heart of the community," said Haddock. "Once everything leaves downtown then the lifeblood of the community has been sucked out of the entire town." Attica's Main Street is listed as one of Indiana Landmarks top ten endangered properties. On it's website it notes of the city's decline and how city leaders are rallying for revitalization. Mayior Roderick said the city is searching for solutions. "We've worked on two different things," said Roderick. The city of around 3,200 is now a TIF district which creates special tax districts around targeted redevelopment areas and there is now a one percent food and beverage tax. Roderick said it will go into economic development. Haddock said downtown needs support from all. "Everybody can do one small thing each to make their community better," said Haddock. Other endangered properties on the list include the Pulaski County Courthouse in Winamac and the Peru Circus Winter Quarters in Peru. Russias President Vladimir Putin and Chinas President Xi Jinping are two of the most powerful rulers in the world. Now, both have moved to extend their hold on power. Last week, Putin announced major constitutional changes that, experts say, will extend his control beyond the end of his term in 2024. Many note the similarity of the move to what Xi did in 2018. That year, Xi had Chinas constitution changed to remove term limits on the Chinese head of state. China and Russia have important influence in world events. China is economically strong. Its military is growing quickly in strength. Russia has shown that it is willing to become involved in conflicts such as Syrias civil war and to influence elections in other countries. It has used cyberattacks and misinformation to gain influence. David Zweig is a professor emeritus of social science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He said Putin and Xi show a tendency of authoritarian leaders to hold on to power as long as possible, often dying in office. Very few authoritarian leaders give up power, always convinced that only they can save the country, which also justifies and makes their hunger for power morally correct, Zweig said. Differences in two authoritarian systems Although similar, the systems that Xi and Putin lead have notable differences. Xi has often brought attention to the fall of the former Soviet Union as a danger to the Chinese Communist Partys rule. The Chinese government has crushed opposition and is increasing its control of the economy and civil society. It has created the appearance of complete unity around Xi. In Russia, however, some parts of a multiparty democracy remain although opposition leaders are jailed on a usual basis. Russia also has faced severe international restrictions since it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Russias constitution requires Putin to leave office when his term ends in 2024 after serving two consecutive terms. He has proposed amendments to the constitution that would give the lower house of parliament, the Duma, the power to choose the prime minister. Putins changes include increasing the importance of a body few have heard of before: the State Council. Currently the body which includes local and federal officials is supposed to be advisory and is led by the president. Putin wants more power for the group which oversees national security issues. Sergey Radchenko is a professor of international relations at Cardiff University. He believes either the prime minister position or a place on the State Council would permit Putin to extend his influence past 2024. Putin has led Russia for more than 20 years making his rule the longest since leader Joseph Stalin. He is known for often biting criticism of the West and a concern for his public image. Xis move to end term limits on the Chinese presidency in March 2018 was met with almost no dissent. The son of a former high communist official, Xi became the head of the party in 2012. He then began increasing his power through a major anti-corruption campaign and by silencing opposition of all kinds. Xis removal of term limits is considered an attack on former leader Deng Xiapings attempt to ease power away from individual leaders. Deng sought to avoid a repeat of the cult of personality which followed Communist Chinas first leader Mao Zedong. Many Chinese blame such support for the ten years of political violence of the Cultural Revolution which ended in 1976. China observers note that unlike earlier leaders, Xi has not shown who might be his successor, causing many to believe he plans to remain leader for a long time. Im Mario Ritter, Jr. Daria Litinova and Ken Moritsugu reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story tendency n. a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common authoritarian adj. describing a system that requires obeying rules or laws or that limits personal freedom convince v. to cause (someone) to believe that something is true consecutive adj. following one after the other in a series cult of personality noun phrase a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved In the middle of an interview with the new Grand Poobah of the National Eagle Center, the conversation took an odd turn. Truth be told, while I immediately liked new Eagle Center CEO Meg Gammage-Tucker, upon first meeting her, I thought, "Boy, we've led different lives." I like meeting people who've led a life different than my own. Life would be pretty boring if everyone I knew was like, "Raised in the Midwest? Check. Bounced around America a little, but came back to the middle? Check. Spouse, two kids and a succession of beloved dogs? Check." Guns up, indeed When I met Meg, I was intrigued by her past presidency of The Rhino Trust and her time in Africa, things both alien to me. But the conversation detoured into the familiar when Meg mentioned living in Lubbock, Texas, while getting a couple of master's degrees, plus a doctorate. ADVERTISEMENT My eyes lit up. "You survived Lubbock?" I asked. Actually, much longer than I survived Lubbock, but yes, she lived in the land of no liquor stores (in the city), tumbleweeds moseying down a downtown street, and dust storms so big we called them "brownouts." We traded stories of living in one of the flattest cities you'll ever find, attending classes at Texas Tech University and basically the whole "where Texas meets the Panhandle" experience. It's nice to make connections, even when the person I'm talking to is a very different person. The connection gives us something to use as common ground, and on that we can build a relationship. The National Eagle Center is a major attraction in our region, and I'm likely to write more, not less, about it in the coming years. Getting along with the CEO is a good thing. The core of the Corps The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is responsible for keeping the river traffic flowing on the Mississippi River. About two weeks ago, I drove to Trempealeau, Wis., to visit Lock and Dam No. 6, where $1.3 million in upgrades is being done to the systems that move barges up and down the river. Well, a few months ago, I was chatting with a farmer who said I should tell lawmakers to fund the river infrastructure. I passed along this message to the Lock Master and others working at the site. ADVERTISEMENT Folks like to hear that their job matters, that the people who benefit from their work appreciate the effort. Again, it's all about making that connection. A connection long ago Sometimes you come to a story and you have no idea what will happen. Fortunately, there was a connection made long before I met Hakon Torjesen and Richard Phillips. The two had met a few years before at the funeral of a mutual friend. Connection, right? Well, the real connection was that the pair had both been prisoners at the same Imperial Japanese internment camp in China during World War II. Richard's wife, Lillian, kept filling me in on the tidbits of information her husband wasn't volunteering. Ask about his parents and how long he went between seeing them, she said. Ask about the ship. The ship, a Norwegian liner called the Gripsholm, was an interesting connection. The U.S. brokered a prisoner exchange in 1943, and Richard, who was a teen at the time, was among the U.S. citizens repatriated from China to the United States. ADVERTISEMENT Well, by coincidence, his wife was among the missionaries again, she as a child along with her missionary parents who was repatriated to the U.S. from India in 1946. So, three years after her future husband left Asia on the Gripsholm, she left Asia on the Gripsholm. Connections. They're everywhere. All this brings me back to Meg at the Eagle Center. When I arrived, she was reading old newspaper clippings from the Post Bulletin to see what we'd written about the Eagle Center in the past. "So," she asked, "who is Hailey Todd?" "She's my daughter," I replied. Then Meg went on to tell me how she had a friend who worked with her on The Rhino Trust who as a renowned wildlife photographer, and how impressed she was with the photos Hailey took when she worked as my photographer one day while I was covering a story about the Eagle Center. See, it's the little things that build connections. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI), the leading provider of transportation technician training, announced today that it will report its financial results for the fiscal 2020 first quarter ended December 31, 2019, on Thursday, February 6, 2020, after market close. Jerome Grant, Chief Executive Officer, and Troy Anderson, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the same day to discuss its fiscal 2020 first quarter financial results and operating performance. To participate in the live call, investors are invited to dial (412) 317-6790 or (844) 881-0138. A live webcast of the call will be available via the Universal Technical Institute investor relations website at https://investor.uti.edu. Please go to the website at least 10 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. The conference call webcast will be archived for 90 days at https://investor.uti.edu or the telephone replay can be accessed through March 6, 2020, by dialing (412) 317-0088 or (877) 344-7529 and entering passcode 10138845. About Universal Technical Institute, Inc. With more than 220,000 graduates in its 54-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 that is aligned with employer needs. Through its network of 13 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 headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, visit uti.edu. Company Contact: Troy Anderson Chief Financial Officer Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (623) 445-9365 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact: Moriah Shilton LHA Investor Relations (415) 433-3777 [email protected] SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc. Related Links https://www.uti.edu The Nature Institute sets winter events GODFREY The Nature Institutes (TNI) hiking trails at 2213 South Levis Lane in Godfrey may be... Snow possible this weekend, 3-6 inches predicted The National Weather Service says the chance of snow Friday night into Saturday is 60 to 70... The attacks have been aided by forums that have sprung up both on the public internet and on the camouflaged sites of the so-called dark web. These forums name thousands of people, from high-ranking executives to their extended families, who could be targets, providing cellphone numbers, home addresses and other information. Some even discuss techniques that can be used like cheap, online technology that can spoof a phone number and make the police believe a 911 call is coming from a targets home. In the eight months since one online forum was started, nearly 3,000 people have joined. Who should we do next? read one message on the forum last month. The responses included gun emojis the symbol, in swatting forums, for an attack in which the police were successfully called to the targets home. Many of the responses were laced with profanity, as well as suggestions for ex-girlfriends who should be swatted. One forum names at least two dozen Facebook employees as potential targets. They range from executives to product engineers. Some forum participants said that they had been barred from Facebook or Instagram, and that Facebook employees were fair game because they think they are god. On another forum, new names of potential swatting victims are added daily. With each new entry, there is at a minimum a home address. Some entries contain more details, including the best time of day to catch the person at home or information about the childrens school. Lol, sick, read many of the replies. Swatting started in the combative world of online gaming. It was a way to terrorize someone more famous, get even with a rival or retaliate against someone with different political views. Provoking a heavily armed police response presents obvious risks. Last year, a 26-year-old California man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for calling in dozens of fake emergency calls, including one that led to the fatal police shooting of a Kansas resident, Andrew Finch. WASHINGTON--Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) experience poor health and quality of life into their late forties, according to new research published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. PCOS is a common yet underdiagnosed condition affecting 6-18 percent of women at reproductive age, but its side effects extend beyond infertility and menstrual irregularities. Women with PCOS experience psychological issues like anxiety and depression that continue well beyond fertile age. "Most PCOS studies focus on women during reproductive age, but symptoms like mental health issues and excess hair growth continue into the late forties," said the study's principal investigator, Terhi Piltonen, M.D., Ph.D. of the University of Oulu in Finland. "Our study focuses on this population and shows that women with PCOS have lower life satisfaction and poorer health up to their late reproductive years." The researchers studied a longitudinal cohort of 5,889 women at ages 31 and 46 and identified women with PCOS from this Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The investigators found women with PCOS have poor health and quality of life compared to those without the condition. Mental distress was the strongest contributing factor to poor quality of life. "More interventions are needed to improve the quality of life for women with PCOS who are in their late thirties and forties. These women should be screened regularly for mental health issues and treated for other distressing symptoms like excess hair growth," Piltonen said. ### Other authors include: Salla Karjula, Laure Morin-Papunen, Juha Auvinen, Jouko Miettunen, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, and Jari Jokelainen of the University of Oulu; Stephen Franks of the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom; and Juha S. Tapanainen of the University of Oulu and Helsinki University Hospital in Finland. The study was supported by the Finnish Medical Foundation, the Academy of Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, the Finnidsh Cultural Foundation, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Medical Research Council. The manuscript, "Population-based Data at Ages 31 and 46 Show Decreased HRQoL and Life Satisfaction in Women with PCOS Symptoms," was published online, ahead of print. About the Endocrine Society Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions. The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia. Responding to senior lawyer Indira Jaising's remark that Nirbhaya's mother should "follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini (convicted for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi)", actor Kangana Ranaut said that Jaising should be "kept in jail" and that women like her "give birth to monsters". In a tweet, Jaising had said that while she "fully" identifies with Nirbhaya's mother, Asha Devi, "I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didnt not want the death penalty for her". "We are with you but against death penalty," Jaising said even as a Delhi court issued fresh death warrants for the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case. Responding to the comment, Ranaut said that the death row convicts should be hanged publicly. "A person who has committed such a gruesome crime should not be considered a minor. He should be hanged publicly to set an example. Nirbhaya's parents are fighting this battle for a long time. Killing the convict quietly will be of no use as you won't be able to set an example," Ranaut said. On being asked by a reporter for her comments on Jaising's stance, Ranaut said, "Uss lady ko un ladko ke saath chaar din jail mein rakho. Unko rakhna chahiye. Usko zaroorat hai. Kaisi auratein hoti hai, jinko badi daya aati hai? (She should be kept in jail along with the convicts for four days. She needs it. How can these women pity the convicts?)" She retorted saying, "such women" give birth to "monsters". The four convicts who are currently lodged in Tihar jail have been sentenced to death and are scheduled to be hanged on February 1 at 6 am. Biodecontamination market to register a CAGR of 6.1% from 2019 to 2024. The biodecontamination market is projected to reach USD 175 million by 2024 from USD 130 million in 2019, at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2019 to 2024. The growth of the market is largely driven by the rising incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), growth in the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries, and increasing outsourcing of biodecontamination services. Emerging economies are expected to provide a wide range of growth opportunities for players in the market. NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05786257/?utm_source=PRN Equipment accounted for the major share of the market in 2019. By product & service, the biodecontamination market is segmented into equipment, consumables, and services.In 2018, the equipment segment accounted for the largest share of the market. Services form the fastest-growing segment due to the low cost of services and low capital expenditure required, as compared to purchasing equipment & consumables. Hydrogen peroxide accounted for the largest share of the biodecontamination market in 2019. On the basis of agent type, the biodecontamination market is segmented into hydrogen peroxide, nitrogen dioxide, chlorine dioxide, and peracetic acid.In 2018, the hydrogen peroxide segment accounted for the largest share of the biodecontamination market. This segment is also expected to grow at the highest CAGR. Its material compatibility and safety are the major factors contributing to its dominance in the biodecontamination market. Chamber biodecontamination accounted for the largest share of the biodecontamination market in 2019 On the basis of type, the biodecontamination market is segmented into room and chamber biodecontamination.Chamber biodecontamination accounted for the largest share of the market in 2018 and is expected to show the highest growth during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the lower power consumption, smaller footprint, high adaptation capabilities, and cost-effectiveness of chamber decontamination. North America dominated the biodecontamination market in 2019. North America, which includes the US, & Canada, accounted for the largest share of the biodecontamination market in 2018. The growth in this market is primarily driven by the growing demand for biodecontamination from the healthcare industry to minimize the occurrence of HAIs, increasing healthcare expenditure, improved healthcare infrastructure, and the presence of major players in the region. Breakdown of supply-side primary interviews, by company type, designation, and region: By Company Type: Tier 1 (35%), Tier 2 (45%), and Tier 3 (20%) By Designation (Supply Side): C-level (35%), Director-level (45%), and Others (20%) By Region: North America (46%), Europe (28%), Asia (19%), and RoW (7%) The major players operating in this market are STERIS (US), Ecolab, Inc. (US), TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc. (US), JCE Biotechnology (France), Fedegari Autoclavi SpA (Italy), Zhejiang Tailin Bioengineering Co., Ltd. (China), Noxilizer, Inc. (US), Howorth Air Technology Limited (UK), Wenzhou Weike Biological Laboratory Equipment Co., Ltd. (China), ClorDiSys Solutions Inc. (US), and Amira S.r.l. (Italy). Product launches, expansions, agreements, and acquisitions are the key growth strategies followed by most players in this market. Research Coverage This report studies the biodecontamination market based on product & service, agent type, end user, and region.The report also analyzes factors (such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities) affecting market growth. It evaluates the opportunities and challenges in the market for stakeholders and provides details of the competitive landscape for market leaders.The report also studies micromarkets with respect to their growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the total biodecontamination market. The report forecasts the revenue of the market segments with respect to four major regions. Reasons to Buy the Report: The report provides insights on the following pointers: Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on biodecontamination offered by the top 12 players in the biodecontamination market. The report analyzes the biodecontamination market by product & services, type, agent type, end user, and region. Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets. The report analyzes the markets for biodecontamination across key geographic regions. Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, and recent developments Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares and strategies of the leading players in the biodecontamination market Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05786257/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Our age is a different age, he said, the words are not the same, the perpetrators are not the same perpetrators but it is the same evil, and there remains only one answer: Never again. This Germany will only live up to itself if it lives up to its historical responsibility, he added. We fight anti-Semitism. We resist the poison that is nationalism. We protect Jewish life. We stand with Israel. Here at Yad Vashem, I renew this promise before the eyes of the world. President Emmanuel Macron of France appealed for unity and for states to put aside controversy over history. This is not just history that one can read this way or another, he said, speaking in French. No. There was justice and there is history with proof and evidence, and there is the life of our nations, of our states. Let us not confuse between these things so we wont be engulfed once again in those horrific and dismal, dire times. Calling for friendship, not hatred, he said, What better or greater symbol is there than to see us all convened her today, united. he added, It is incumbent on Europe to remain united. Prince Charles called the Holocausts lessons searingly relevant to this day. Hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, still adopt new disguises and still seek new victims, he said, adding that the language used too often turns disagreement into dehumanization. Real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs, Charles said. SALEM Are they an annoyance? A convenience? Do they destroy jobs? A federation of Oregon workers wants voters to issue a verdict on the self-checkout kiosks becoming more prevalent at grocery stores. A petition to limit each grocery store to two of the checkout kiosks can soon move forward to signature gathering. On Friday, the Oregon Supreme Court certified the attorney generals description of the proposed measure. Sandra McDonough, president and CEO of lobby group Oregon Business & Industry, challenged Attorney General Ellen Rosenblums description of the proposed measure, asking the Supreme Court to review it. Backers need 112,020 signatures to get to voters ballots in November. Filed in July, Initiative Petition 41 is backed by the Oregon AFL-CIO, a coalition of labor groups representing about 300,000 Oregon workers. We have been consistently concerned about the impacts of technology and automation on the livelihoods of working people, especially when they have no voice in how technology is used in their workplaces, Graham Trainor, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, said in a statement. You can see expansion of self-checkout machines in stores across the country and in Oregon. He said jobs are lost as a result. The AFL-CIO contends self-checkout kiosks make customers feel socially isolated, particularly elderly people, and that the kiosks let stores rely more on part-time workers and leaves workers feeling devalued. They also claim self-checkout stands make it easier for minors to buy alcohol and for people to steal from stores. Joe Gilliam, president of the Northwest Grocery Association, an industry group, scoffed at the labor groups claims, calling the proposed measure a bit perplexing and very misguided. Todays customer wants convenience and less hassle when shopping, Gilliam wrote in an email to The Oregon Capital Bureau. This is evident in the growth of online shopping for local pick-up and home delivery. This measure is tone deaf to what the public is demanding in the marketplace. He said that self-checkout lets customers check out more quickly and privately. He said presuming that self-checkout machines would replace workers is simply untrue. Employees are our lifeblood and provide key services that no machine can duplicate, Gilliam said. The measure would give the state Bureau of Labor and Industries enforcement power and let it issue penalties for stores that provide too many self-service stations. In court documents, McDonough argued the proposed restriction would have a substantial impact on retailers and shoppers. She argued that the ballot title wasnt clear that virtually all Oregonians could sue grocery stores that have more than two self-checkout kiosks. The ballot title process, which we were just in, is about making sure, if the measure actually gets on the ballot, that the words that describe it accurately reflect what the measures going to do, said McDonough in an interview Wednesday. And were going to wait to see if it makes it on ballot. And if it does, then well assess what were going to do about it. But from our perspective, this is really about what consumers want. Evan Christopher, a lawyer for Gilliam, echoed similar concerns about potential lawsuits in a letter to the Secretary of States elections division last fall. Voters must be informed that (the initiative petition) permits every employee who complains about a self-checkout and is later terminated or demoted or given a different work schedule to call his or her employer into court on a claim of retaliation, Christopher wrote. Every customer who files a complaint about a self-checkout machine and is later asked to leave the same store for whatever reason would have the same claim. Reporter Claire Withycombe: cwithycombe@eomediagroup.com or 971-304-4148 Love 3 Funny 3 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 14 Artisans in the Mekong Delta are busy turning out hundreds of altar cabinets before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the peak season of the year. Long Dinh village preserves traditional mat weaving The ancient village of Dong Hoa Hiep Artisans from the Go Cong Altar Cabinet Village in Tien Giang Province are busy with orders for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Craft artisans from the Go Cong Altar Cabinet Village in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang are working hard to meet the increasing number of orders before the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Located 60km from HCM City, the crafts village has existed for more than 100 years in Tan Trung Commune's Ong Non Hamlet in Go Cong Town. According to older residents, the village's origins can be traced to four brothers of carpenter Vuong Van Non, who migrated from the country's northern region to Go Cong in the mid-19th century. The Non brothers developed and taught carpentry skills to people in the area. As more residents began to make a living from making altar cabinets, the village evolved into a traditional craft with the famous brand name, the Go Cong Altar Cabinet Village. As one of the oldest craft villages in the province, it now employs more than 2,000 regular and seasonal workers. With over 40 years of experience, artisan Dang Thanh Tan, 54, said he began learning altar cabinet carpentry when he was a child and has since passed down the secrets of the trade to the younger generation. If you love your job, you will do it very well, Tan said. The ancestors' altar is placed in the most solemn location in Vietnamese houses. The altar cabinets, which retain their traditional character, are made mainly of wood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The cabinet parts are connected with wooden nails. Of the many types of wood used to make the cabinet, ebony is the best choice, according to Tan. What makes our products beautiful and different from other localities is the encrusting technique used for the mother-of-pearl inlay, he said. During the peak season of Tet, village carpenters often have to work through the night to meet orders. Despite the high demand, the village, like many others, had at times experienced difficult periods during domestic and global economic slowdowns, Tan said. Previously, the artisans only made encrusted mother-of-pearl pictures of flowers on the front of the cabinets, but now they also depict folktales, famous places and beautiful landscapes. A craftsman works on a mother-of-pearl inlay cabinet. VNS Photos Ngoc Diep In the past, one worker would take at least one month to make a cabinet with hand tools, but the work today is divided into stages with the support of electric woodworking tools. It now takes about a week to finish one piece. The village has about 500 workshops and households making altar cabinets, according to Pham Van Nam, director of the Go Cong Altar Cabinet Cooperative. About 5,000-6,000 altars are made every year. The craft offers stable jobs and incomes for hundreds of local workers, he said. Each craftsperson can earn an average of VND200,000-250,000 (US$8.5-10) per day, even up to VND400,000 ($18) per day. Luckily, the village has enough young people who want to carry out the tradition. Many local children aged 10-15 in the village are studying how to make altar cabinets during their free time. They are keeping the craft alive and will develop it over time, Nam said. The front of an altar cabinet features a beautiful picture. Besides ancestors altar cabinets, the village also makes a variety of wooden products such as tables, chairs, worship objects (incense burners, candle stands, flower vases and trays for displaying fruits) and other home decor. Vo Van Bung, 55, the owner of a manufacturing facility and two furniture shops, said his family had been involved in the woodworking craft for four generations. Rising customer demand usually occurs in the last three months of the year, increasing by 30 per cent compared with normal days. Sometimes I can't meet the rising demand and we have to order products from other workshops, he said. Because of the Vietnamese tradition of ancestor worship, the altar cabinet is an important piece of furniture for many homes. Most Vietnamese families place the cabinet in the most solemn position in their home. During Tet, Vietnamese often buy new worship objects to bring luck and prosperity, Bung said. "Many customers from other localities visit our shops to buy our famous altar cabinets." The price of an altar cabinet can range from tens of millions dong to more than 100 million dong, depending on the material, design and size. A customer from HCM City, for example, ordered an altar cabinet with a special design worth more than VND750 million ($32,000). A client looks for a new ancestors altar cabinet at a wooden furniture shop in Go Cong Town in Tien Giang Province. Besides the altar cabinet village, there are 12 other traditional craft villages in the province, with a total of more than 5,000 workers, according to Doan Van Phuong, director of the province's Department of Industry and Trade. The Go Cong Altar Cabinet Village is one of the most famous traditional craft villages in the region. Its products are sold nationwide. This traditional craft, compared to the others, provides the highest income for local workers, he said. An artisan can earn VND8-10 million ($345-430) per month. Besides providing a sustainable source of income, the woodworking craft has contributed greatly to the national new-style rural area programme and has improved living standards in rural areas in the province. The Go Cong Altar Cabinet Village is one of many traditional craft villages that have been preserved, and is expected to become a tourism destination in the future, according to Phuong. VNS Ngoc Diep Mekong Delta farmers expect good harvest of Tet flowers Farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region are expected to have a good flower and ornamental plant harvest, as well as good prices, for the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, which falls on January 25. Cleveland ISD is rolled out the new Smart Tag system on Tuesday, allowing parents to track their students bus ride to and from school. Through the Smart Tag system, both the transportation department and parents will be able to monitor and track students as they get on the bus, travel to their stop and get off the bus. Information on the district app and website access were distributed in early January. Transfinder, which the district has used previously, is the software that is being used with the Smart Tag system. Related: Cleveland ISD names 33-year old Fiacco AD, football coach Each student has been issued their own smart ID card that is required to ride the bus. Students have received the ID card inside a hard-plastic sleeve on a lanyard. Elementary students will secure their ID badge to their back pack using the lanyards. This has been two months in the making, said Stephen McCanless, who is the Director of Administrative Service for Cleveland ISD. Last week we had our bus drivers using the systems making routes without students in them. This is a new system and there is going to be glitches, but as a district we are prepared. One the first day of the system the district saw the new Smart Tag technology work. A student got on the wrong bus and the district quickly realized it and was alerted. The student was put on the right bus and got off at the appropriate stop. Transportation Director Larry Smith, who was hired by Superintendent Chris Trotter, came onboard over the summer and has worked with his staff at the new state of the art service center, which was funded by the 2017 bond package. This is going to be great for parents, Smith said. Sometimes younger children and new people to the community can get on the wrong bus. It happens. And now with the portals that we have parents will know when theyre child is arriving at their stop. Its a safe system, and its going to make sure our students get home safely. Smart Tag ID car is required to ride the bus daily. Lost ID cards will result in a $3 charge for each replacement. Lost lanyards and plastic sleeve will result in a $2 fee for both, or $1 for each. Replacement items can be purchased at the transportation department. marcus.gutierrez@chron.com The Sultan of Sokoto and head of Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III has said that there is no crisis between Christians and Muslims in the country. The Sultan said that the cause of religious tension in the country is nothing but ignorance. The Sultan said this on Wednesday at the Year 2020 Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) 3rd Annual General Assembly and Peace Conference, with the theme: Interreligious Dialogue: Strengthening the Culture of Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Read Also: Southwest Governors Turning Amotekun Into A Christian Militia: MURIC The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Samson Ayokunle, had refused to make a speech during the programme, saying the killing of a CAN chairman in Adamawa state, Rev. Lawan Andimi had overwhelmed him. He said, From December till now, we have continued to lose church leaders and others without any array of hope that it will stop. Dialogue with the Boko Haram that abducted him (Andimi) could not yield fruit. I am not in a mood to do a speech, Sultan Abubakar, who was represented by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, however, stressed that the belief that Christians and Muslims are fighting in the country is untrue. He said, The poor Muslim Hausa farmer and the poor Christian Hausa Famer do not understand that their problems are the same. The rich Muslim and the rich Christians continue to confuse the poor to continue to fight themselves while the rich, irrespective of their religion are living together, attending weddings and parties together. Communication is an issue. How do leaders handle communication? Whoever that takes life whether Christian or Muslim is a criminal and should be treated as such. Everything I heard today is hegemonic. The traditional and religious leaders that are supposed to hold political leaders to account for the people are been muscled into silence. If you are an emir and you talk too much, you get removed. If you are an Imam or a Bishop, you need money for charity, but be ready to do business with the devil so that you can do charity. The idea that there is a problem between Christians and Muslims is strange. At the age of eight, my parents sent me to St Anns Catholic Church, Kaduna. No one attempted to convert me to Christianity, Sanusi said while calling for tolerance among Nigerians. A large water-bombing plane crashed while fighting fires southwest of Sydney on Thursday, killing all three US crew on board, Australian officials said. New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said authorities lost contact with the Canada-owned C-130 Hercules aircraft, which was operating in the Snowy Monaro region, shortly before 1:30 pm (0230 GMT) Thursday. Fitzsimmons said all three people killed in the crash were residents of the United States, one of several countries that have sent crews of specialist firefighters to help battle Australia's devastating bushfires. "Our hearts are with all those that are suffering what is the loss of three remarkable, well-respected crew that have invested so many decades of their life into firefighting and fire management," he said. The incident brought the death toll in Australia's bushfires to at least 32 since the crisis began in September. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but Fitzsimmons had said earlier in the day that high winds were making flying the big tankers "very difficult". Canadian firm Coulson Aviation, which owned the plane, grounded operations of its other large air tankers fighting fires in New South Wales and Victoria states "pending review" of the aircraft, Fitzsimmons said. Initial reports suggested a "large fireball" was caused when the plane "impacted heavily with the ground", he said. "We've got a number of firefighters and a number of crew that are in the area and working to contain and work around the fire," he said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the crash highlighted the dangerous work being undertaken by firefighters as they attempted to extinguish massive blazes across Australia's southeast. "There are in excess of 70 aircraft that have been used today alone and today is a stark and horrible reminder of the dangerous conditions that our volunteers, (and) our emergency services personnel... (face) on a daily basis," she said. The crashed firefighting plane, like the one pictured here, was operated by Canada's Coulson Aviation WASHINGTON - The White House says President Donald Trump will become the first president to attend the annual anti-abortion gathering in Washington called the March for Life. Trump has made it a priority to embrace social conservatives, particularly on the issue of abortion. In past years, he has sent members of his administration to speak at the march and has spoken via a video link. Hes going in person to this weeks event. See you on Friday ... Big Crowd! Trump tweeted Wednesday as he returned to the White House after a trip to Switzerland. We are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn, said Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life. This years rally comes just weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court hears its first major abortion case since the addition of two justices appointed by Trump. The case is likely to reveal whether the court more conservative since the arrival of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh is now willing to weaken the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion. BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron exchanged greetings in a phone conversation on Wednesday ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Macron wished Xi and the Chinese people a happy Spring Festival, and Xi extended the same wishes to Macron and the French people. The year of 2019 witnessed high-level development of China-France relations, Xi said, noting that he and Macron exchanged visits to each other's country, ushering in a new chapter in bilateral ties, and that the agreements they reached are being well implemented. "I'm willing to work with you in the new year to maintain the high-level development of China-France ties," said the Chinese president. Xi called on the two sides to leverage the leading role of high-level exchanges, saying that he is willing to maintain regular communication with Macron so as to exchange ideas on significant issues of mutual concern in a timely manner. He urged the two countries to accelerate the implementation of the consensus their leaders have reached on practical cooperation, accomodate the key concerns of both sides, push forward win-win cooperation in such fields as civilian nuclear energy, science and technology, industry and aerospace, and make good preparations for the 2021 China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. The Chinese market is open to the whole world, and will certainly continue to be open to Europe and France, Xi said. The two sides, he added, should enhance communication and coordination on international affairs, and support each other in hosting the World Conservation Congress and the fourth One Planet Summit in France and the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in China. They should also deepen communication and coordination on the reform of the World Trade Organization, and jointly keep the reform in the right direction, added the Chinese president. Xi noted that China and the European Union (EU) will celebrate the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, and the two sides will have a series of major exchange programs. Xi expressed his hope that China and the EU will reach a high-level investment agreement as soon as possible, and join hands to uphold multilateralism and free trade, improve global governance, build an open world economy, and tackle climate change and other global challenges, so as to lift the China-EU relationship to higher levels in the new year. For his part, Macron said this year is of great significance both to France-China ties and to EU-China relations, with a long list of items on both agendas. He added that he looks forward to visiting China again. Calling for continuous expansion of bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, environment protection and other areas, he said France hopes to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China on such issues as climate change, biodiversity and World Trade Organization reform, and supports the Chinese side in successfully holding COP 15. Macron reiterated that on the 5G issue, France will not adopt discriminative measures against any specific nation or company and stands ready to keep communication with the Chinese side. He also expressed his hope that negotiations on the EU-China investment agreement will achieve progress as soon as possible. On the outbreak of pneumonia in China caused by a novel coronavirus, Macron said France supports China in actively dealing with it and is willing to enhance health cooperation with the Chinese side. Xi said that since the outbreak, China has taken strict measures in prevention, control and treatment, and has been releasing relevant information to the public and keeping the World Health Organization as well as relevant countries and regions posted in a timely manner. China, Xi added, is willing to work with the international community to effectively tackle the spread of the disease and maintain global health security. The two heads of state also exchanged views on the Iran nuclear issue. Tony Evans reveals wife Lois glimpsed Heaven before her death Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Tony Evans revealed that his late wife Lois Evans saw a glimpse of Heaven before her passing and asked supporters to continue praying for him as he grieves her death. So many of you prayed for my wife, so many of you sent cards, so many of you gave encouraging words," Evans, who is the senior pastor at the Oak Cliff Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, said in a recent Instagram video. Lois Evans passed away on Dec. 30 at the age of 70 after battling a rare form of cancer. It was a long journey, Evans admitted. While God didnt give us exactly what we wanted, which was total healing of course, He did extend her life beyond what doctors said she had given the rare nature of this particular disease. Evans said that the prayers of supporters sustained his family through the ups and downs, through the struggles and stresses, through the pain. It was a difficult season and life does hit us that way sometimes, he acknowledged. But I just want you to know what your prayers are doing for me now: They are keeping me strong. I still trust God. I dont always understand Him, but I do trust Him. I choose to believe, even with the loss of Sister Evans, my precious wife of 49 and a half years, that Hes still good, He still knows what Hes doing ... Hes still the God of my salvation and I will rejoice in Him. I want you to rejoice in Him too. And I want you to keep trusting and keep praying to Him. The pastor said his wife of nearly five decades went home well. As things got closer, she asked me to let her go because it was clear that it didnt look like God was going to bring about the healing we wanted on this side, he said. As she got closer to Heaven, she said, They want to give me an award. Theyre just waiting to play the song. She got a little glimpse of forever and even then was supported by your prayers." The founder of the Urban Alternative asked supporters to pray "for me, our family, and our ministry, that the Word of God would go forth stronger than ever. When she got sick, she said to me, Dont let my illness stop the Word of God from going forth, Evans said of his wife. That shows you what kind of woman she was, what kind of wife I had. During her memorial service, the Evans daughter, Priscilla Shirer, elaborated on her mothers supernatural experience. She said, Theyre trying to give me an award, but they cant find the right song, she recalled. She said that over the course of two or three days, intermittently. About a week later, Dad and I were in the room and we started playing worship songs. I picked a random worship song off my playlist, and as it started to play, she opened her eyes and said, Thats the song. The Evans son, Jonathan Evans, then played the song their mother identified, titled The Victory Belongs to Jesus. We have victory in Jesus Christ. She is justified and called and glorified, he declared. We have victory in Him because He has already overcome the world. I am afflicted but I am not crushed ... we have victory in Jesus Christ. I am strengthened in Him. Previously, Tony Evans revealed his wife glimpsed the spirit realm on several occasions in the days leading up to her death. "Simultaneous to the time of her departure were things taking place that were letting us know she was dealing with something outside of the earth's realm," he said at her memorial service. "For example, she said to some who were gathered in the room, 'Do you see my mother? Do you see her? She's right over there by the fireplace.' Do you see her? Why can't you see her? "On another occasion, she said, 'My father. There's my father.' And there was no one in the room physically. She was seeing something as the time of her departure got closer." Evans said she also appeared to get a message from beyond this earth about the time of her departure. "She said, 'Two days, two days, take me up.' Two and a half days later she was gone. She heard something, she saw something as the time of her departure got nearer, like Stephen in Acts chapter 7 who, when he was being stoned to death, he says he saw heaven opened and Jesus standing on the right hand of the Father giving him a standing ovation." "When the time of your departure comes, you want to be close enough to God that you can hear things that other folk can't hear and see things that other folk can't hear," Evans said. "One of the things that I've observed in life and in scripture is that when people walk with God and He doesn't take them suddenly, He will give them a glimpse of Heaven while they're still transitioning from earth. He will let them know, not only that it's time, but it's OK." A man found tens of thousands of dollars on the sidewalk outside an ATM machine by a Michigan credit union on Tuesday - and handed it in. George Condash discovered the box of $27,000 sitting on the floor outside the Westland Federal Credit Union. Surveillance footage saw him pick the box up and place it in the back of his car before driving off. An armored security guard left $27,000 outside an ATM at a Michigan bank. George Condash is pictured finding the cash Condash came across the case of cash as it sat on the sidewalk and decided to hand it in Condash explained how he believed the case had $40,000 inside because of a label 'I drove right around here and it was sitting about right here,' Condash said. 'Well, first, I just thought it was trash. For some reason it hit me that, "Why don't I just pick this up so no one else has to swerve around it?"' He placed the case of cash into his car and pulled straight into a parking space right next to the bank. He took the missing box of cash inside, and placed it on the counter. 'I said, "Is there a reward for $40,000?" And I put it on their counter and they just looked dumbfounded,' Condash said in an interview with WDIV. Condash picked up the case and walked into the brand with the cash He said to the staff, 'Is there a reward for $40,000?' as he placed it on the counter The staff appeared to be dumbfounded at seeing the case of cash being placed on the counter 'It's not mine and any honest person, I would hope, would take it back in,' Condash said when asked why he decided to do the right thing. It turns out that an armored security guard who was delivering cash to the credit union left one of the boxes on the side of the street by mistake. The surveillance video shows that the box was left untouched for almost 20 minutes before Condash got out of his car to take a look. A tag on the side of the box indicated there was $40,000 inside. Condash is being hailed a 'good Samaritan' by the local media, but he hopes others would have done the same Condash was later given a cash reward of his own for his honesty by the bank staff 'That was a lot of money that could have resulted in a significant loss, and we just wanted to give him a token of our appreciation,' the bank's cash manager Alicia Stewart told CNN. The bank gave Condash a cash reward of his own. Staff say that if he had not brought the money inside and instead driven off with the windfall, the police would have been called and Condash would have been tracked down through his car license plate that appeared on the surveillance footage. 'I would hope that the average person would turn that in, but not everybody thinks that way,' Stewart said. 'Not everybody is cognizant of the cameras around them.' THE remains of Cork student Cameron Blair (20), who was fatally stabbed at a house party, are set to be released back to his family today with his funeral to take place on Sunday. The Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) student died after suffering a stab wound to the neck while he was attending a house party last Thursday on the Bandon Road in Cork. Three young men had attended the social gathering uninvited. All three were in the process of being asked to leave when one lashed out at Mr Blair and he suffered his fatal injury. A senior garda source said they have made "significant progress" with their investigation over the past few days. "The level of support from the general public has been absolutely crucial," he said. "People, especially young people, were absolutely shocked by this incident and have been giving us the support we need to progress this investigation." Detectives have spoken to a large number of people who attended the party and received a detailed description of the individual who lashed out at Mr Blair with a knife. CCTV footage is also expected to place a crucial role in the investigation. Footage from a number of business premises along the Bandon Road is set to prove critical given how it depicts the movements of various individuals both before and after the fatal attack. Gardai have now spoken to three individuals who attended the party and who had interactions with Mr Blair. One of those individuals is a juvenile. Mr Blair, who was from Ballinascarthy in west Cork, died from a stab wound to the neck despite desperate efforts by doctors at Cork University Hospital (CUH) to save him. His body has remained at CUH but will be released back to his family later today. He is survived by his parents, Noel and Kathy and younger brother, Alan. The young man will repose at his Ballinascarthy home from 10am on Saturday with his funeral service taking place in St Peter's, Church of Ireland in Bandon at 2pm on Sunday. Following his funeral service, the young man will be buried at Kilbeg Cemetery. Mr Blair was an accomplished rugby player and athlete, winning several national honours. He had attended Bandon Grammar School before studying engineering at CIT where he was a second year student. CIT president, Dr Barry OConnor, said the entire college was shocked by the tragedy. The entire CIT community is in shock at the untimely death of one of our students, and in such dreadful circumstances, he said. Gardai have renewed their appeal for anyone with information about the incident last Thursday (January 16) to contact them. Anyone who was on the Bandon Road in Cork between 8pm and 10pm on January 16 and who witnessed anything suspicious or anyone with dashcam or mobile phone footage is asked to contact Togher Garda Station on (021) 4947120. Irish Water, working in partnership with Kilkenny County Council, has completed works to improve the quality of water for the Inistioge and Thomastown Water Supply Schemes. This investment will benefit over 4,000 people across Inistioge and Thomastown ensuring the delivery of a clean, safe and more reliable drinking water source. Speaking about the works, Diane Carroll, Programme Manager with Irish Water said; This is a hugely positive project for Thomastown and Inistioge. For many years, the Inistioge Water Supply Scheme had been served by upland peaty surface water and the water treatment process at the plant was inadequate and led to the formation of elevated concentrations of Trihalomethanes (THMs). To address this, this project extended the Thomastown Water Supply Scheme to Inistioge through the construction of new water mains and removing the vulnerable water source in Inistioge. The treatment and storage facilities for both Thomastown and Inistioge were also improved as part of the project. The size and scale of the challenge needed significant investment which allowed Irish Water to upgrade and extend the Thomastown Water Supply Scheme by providing over 17 kilometres of new trunk and rising water main linking the Inistioge water supply with the Thomastown Water Supply Scheme. Also speaking about the works, James OToole, Operations Lead with Irish Water said; Residents in Inistioge may see a slight variance in their water as the supply coming from Thomastown would be harder water than what was previously supplied to Inistioge, however due to the works carried out, the supply is of the highest quality. In addition to the trunk and rising mains that were laid, a supplementary ground water supply was added at Thomastown with a new treated storage facility in the network at the existing Grennan Water Treatment Plant at Thomastown and at Kilmacshane in Inistioge. This was also augmented by a new upgraded treatment facility at Thomastown and a new booster pumping station at Kilcross and Woodstock in Inistioge. These upgraded works will improve drinking water quality and quantity ensuring the delivery of safe drinking water to residents and businesses in Inistioge and the surrounding area. Ward and Burke Construction Limited carried out these works on behalf of Irish Water. Ukraine and Japan identified areas for future cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and expressed their readiness to enhance bilateral cybersecurity cooperation to combat cyberthreats. The press service of the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan reported this following the second round of Ukraine-Japanese cybersecurity consultations, which took place in Tokyo on January 23, 2020. "The parties exchanged views on the current situation in cyberspace and specific measures in the field of cybersecurity and identified future areas of cooperation. Ukraine and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to promoting an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure cyberspace and to enhancing bilateral cybersecurity cooperation to combat cyberthreats of mutual concern," the report reads. The Ukrainian side was represented by Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Serhii Demediuk, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Yehor Bozhok and other representatives from the relevant ministries and agencies. The Japanese side was represented by Mr. Takeshi Akahori, Deputy Assistant Minister for Foreign Policy, Ambassador for International Security Policy and Cyber Policy, and other representatives from the relevant ministries and agencies. ish Mr Arya added that this law forebodes a very difficult and harsh time ahead for Tibetans in China. The new law is seen by critics as a tool for ethnic cleansing and justify crackdowns on Tibetans just as a similar law was used to crackdown on Uyghers in Xinjiang province of China. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: Days after Peoples Congress of Tibet passed a new law to make ethnic unity mandatory in China, Tibetans living in India said this will lead to more repression and arrests of local Tibetans. The new law is seen by critics as a tool for ethnic cleansing and justify crackdowns on Tibetans just as a similar law was used to crackdown on Uyghers in Xinjiang province of China. According to Xinhua news agency, the new ethnic unity law underlines that Tibet has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times and it is the common responsibility for the people of all ethnic groups to safeguard national reunification, strengthen ethnic unity and take a clear-cut stand against separatism. The new law will come into effect from May 1. Rejecting the law, Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, the official spokesperson of Dharamsala-based Central Tibet Administration (CTA), told this newspaper that the Chinese government wants to gain international legitimacy by making Tibetans a minority in Tibet through systematic state-sponsored migration of a large number of Han Chinese. Mr Arya added that this law forebodes a very difficult and harsh time ahead for Tibetans in China. China has faced criticism for using similar law in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to crackdown on Uighur and other Muslims by detaining them and throwing them in re-education camps. Tibetans living in India feel that same may happen in Tibet now. Hokkaido Sushi & Steak House. | Photo: Thang S./Yelp Looking for a sublime Japanese meal near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Japanese spots around Arlington, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to satisfy your cravings. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Ahi Poke Bowl Photo: delilah c./Yelp First on the list is Ahi Poke Bowl. Located in East Arlington at 3701 S. Cooper St., Suite 169, the casual eatery, which offers Hawaiian dishes, poke and more, is the highest-rated Japanese restaurant in Arlington, boasting 4.5 stars out of 447 reviews on Yelp. 2. Sushi Go Photo: sushi go/Yelp Next up is Southwest Arlington's Sushi Go, situated at 3851 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd., Suite 113. With five stars out of 55 reviews on Yelp, the Japanese spot, serving chicken wings, sushi and more, has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Hokkaido Sushi & Steak House Photo: kimberly y./Yelp West Arlington's Hokkaido Sushi & Steak House, located at 4101 W. Green Oaks Blvd., Suite 349, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the sushi bar, steakhouse and Asian fusion spot 4.5 stars out of 201 reviews. 4. Sushi Domo Photo: na b./Yelp Sushi Domo, a Japanese spot in East Arlington, is another go-to, with four stars out of 396 Yelp reviews. Head over to 3330 Matlock Road to see for yourself. Deciding when to check out the top spots above? Fridays tend to be the busiest days of the week for consumer spending at restaurants across the Arlington area, while Mondays are least busy, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a small business software provider and email marketing company. Last year, average daily transactions at restaurants climbed to 65 per business on Fridays, compared to 44 daily transactions on average on Mondays. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Jose Cerrato discusses progress made by his research group, using lab and field measurements to understand the risks and remediation of former uranium mines on Navajo and Laguna Pueblo lands. Visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History 7 Science on January 23 2020 from 9:30am to 11:00am at 1801 Mountain Rd NW for Curators Coffee lecture on the Update on the Legacy of Uranium Mining on Native American Lands in New Mexico By Jose M. Cerrato, Ph.D. UNM Department of Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering Professor Jose Cerrato, will discuss the continued progress made by his research group in using laboratory and field measurements to understand the risks and remediation of former uranium mines on Navajo and Laguna Pueblo lands. Dr. Jose M. Cerrato is Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering at UNM. He earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Honduras, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which is funding this important research. Cost: $8 ($7 for members) includes museum admission and refreshments. Preregistration required. To register vist... https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07egtee7pheb1a366b&oseq=&c=&ch= Questions: jayne.aubele@state.nm.us It's official! Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter are now divorced. Hunter and Williams have finally agreed to a settlement to finalize their divorce. Their New Jersey home will be put on sale and the two will equally share the proceeds, according to the court documents obtained by Page Six. The news outlet also reported that Kevin Hunter will sign over his shares of the Wendy Williams Production to her. She will also be keeping their joint bank account and everything in it while he gets to keep his cars and several independent businesses. TMZ also reported that Williams will be keeping their home in Florida while Hunter will be getting the proceeds of another home in New Jersey that they recently sold. Neither Williams nor Hunter has confirmed the divorce being finalized, however. Moreover, other details of the divorce have yet to be confirmed. With the apparent division of their assets, it seems as if the couple is each getting what they want. The Back Story Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter were married for 20 years and share a 19-year-old son, Kevin Hunter Jr. With their long relationship, everyone was surprised when "The Wendy Williams Show" host announced in April 2019 that she filed for a divorce. Their split was fueled by allegations that Hunter has fathered a child with another woman. Last Summer, Williams sadly confirmed that she has filed for divorce because she believed that her husband has impregnated the woman he has been having an affair with. Hunter broke his silence amidst the cheating scandal in a statement published by PEOPLE. He admitted that he was "not very proud of his recent actions," but he did not directly confirm that he has a mistress or that he got her pregnant. "I am going through a time of self-reflection and I am trying to correct my mistakes," he said. Further in the statement, he added that however things turn out, "we are still the Hunter family." He also promised to fully support his wife, Wendy Williams, in all her business ventures including any obstacles she may face living a new life in sobriety. Williams has struggled with cocaine addiction and has spent the last year living in a sober house. Moving On The television host has already cut all professional ties with her ex-husband. He was already removed as the executive producer of "The Wendy Williams Show." Williams has also decided to dissolve The Hunter Foundation, the non-profit organization that they founded as a couple in 2014. During an interview with The New York Times magazine, Williams opened up about what pushed her to file for divorce. She said that Hunter's affair and the child born out of it was what made her turn her back to their two decades of marriage. "Kevin has a major indiscretion that he will have to deal with for the rest of his life, but I choose not to deal with it," Williams bluntly said. She added that she believes she was a very forgiving person, but there was one thing that she could not take and that happened to them. When asked what that one thing was, the host said, "Kevin has a daughter." During her appearance in "Sway In The Morning," Williams also revealed that she and Kevin did not have a prenuptial agreement. She explained that there were two reasons why they did not have one: first because she never thought it was going to come to an end and second; she thought it was not sexy to discuss paperwork when you are in love with someone. The victims were in the home at the time of the fire and suffered from smoke inhalation, according to Chicago fire spokesman Larry Merritt. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center. WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 29th, Covia Community Services is offering its third annual Creative Aging Symposium. The symposium, which can be attended online or by conference call, celebrates how creativity shapes our sense of self and guides us to more purposeful living. The 2020 symposium presenters will explore creativity in its numerous forms and how it can help build resiliency as we age. Presenters include geriatrician, writer, and educator Louise Aronson; storyteller and co-founder of MiHistoria.net Albertina Zarazua Padilla; dancer and choreographer Nancy Cranbourne; artist and activist Edythe Boone; and eco-friendly style icon Debra Rapoport. The wrap-up experience will be led by author and community organizer David "Lucky" Goff. Further details on the speakers and the event schedule can be found at creativeagingsymposium.org. Both individual participants and senior communities nationwide are welcome to register for the Creative Aging Symposium, taking place on January 29th from 9am to 12:15pm PST. Registration is available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creative-aging-symposium-tickets-78496239365. There is a $10 suggested donation. Katie Wade, who created and spearheads the symposium, says, "Older adults want to explore new social connections, deepen their sense of self, try new things, be healthy, be of value to their community, and be seen as valuable. Creative aging concepts and programming provide a compelling solution to many of these priorities." The Creative Aging Symposium seeks to help participants understand how they use creativity every day, even if they wouldn't initially describe themselves as creative. Wade is "looking forward to hearing how attendees will be inspired to explore creativity a bit more in their daily lives or use a creative practice to get through difficult life circumstances." Established in 1965, Covia promotes positive aging by cultivating healthy and engaged communities with a continuum of innovative services that actively support intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being. For more information on Covia, please visit covia.org. SOURCE Covia Related Links https://covia.org/ Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 16:57:42|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BERLIN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Several children were seriously injured as a school bus rushed down a slope in the German state of Thuringia on Thursday, local media FOKUS online reported. Appointment 23 January 2020 First Hospitality has appointed David J. Duncan as president/CEO. Duncan, a real estate and hospitality industry veteran, has served as First Hospitality's president since joining the company in June 2018 and assumes day-to-day leadership of the company as CEO. First Hospitality Founder, Stephen L. Schwartz, continues to have an active role steering the Board of Advisors as executive chairman. Duncan began his career with Ernst Young LLC in Los Angeles and Boston and then joined GE Capital in Stamford, CT and New York. He also spent time in senior leadership positions at Guggenheim Partners LLC, Denihan Hospitality Group in New York and JC Resorts in La Jolla, CA. In addition to growing the company over the last two years, Duncan has helped establish First Hospitality as a top employer and competitor in the real estate and hospitality industries. She's been showing off her incredible curves while jet-setting around the world. And Demi Rose looked sensational as she flaunted her toned physique during a wet beach shoot in California in a snap shared on Instagram on Thursday. The model, 24, sizzled as she put on a sultry display in a tiny red bikini which tied above her hips and barely covered her ample assets. Wow: Demi Rose, 24, sizzled in a red bikini which tied above her hips and barely covered her ample assets during a beach shoot in California which was shared on Instagram on Thursday Demi stared directly at the camera for the sexy snap and slicked her long brunette locks back. It appeared as if she had just climbed out of the water as tiny droplets could be seen covering her toned and tanned skin. She captioned the post: 'Has anyone seen Mr Bond? Asking for a friend' Demi also posted several throwback pictures including one of her relaxing on a boat in 2017 and one posing up a storm while wearing a glittering bra in 2017. Looking good: The model shared some stunning throwbacks including a selfie of her in a bejeweled bra, which was taken in April 2017 Beauty: Two of the posts were from 2016 with Demi saying one of her on a boat (left taken in October 2016) was taken before she had 'laser eye surgery' (pictured right in September 2016) In the boat snap Demi can be seen rocking a pair of thin gold framed glasses and captioned the picture: 'And before I had laser eye surgery.' Another image from 2016 showed Demi in a figure-hugging grey dress as she posed in front of a mirror and smiled for the camera. Earlier on Wednesday she also revealed she had been wearing her late father Barrie's gold chain necklace in a sweet Instagram Story. Touching: Earlier on Wednesday the beauty also revealed she had been wearing her late father Barrie's gold chain necklace in a sweet Instagram Story It comes after the stunner shared snaps from her time at Burning Man Festival last year, where she rocked a series of incredibly racy looks. During the weekend Demi donned showgirl-inspired styles with a diamante bralet flashing her assets while she also donned a shimmering gold style. Demi was feeling nostalgic as she looked back on the trendy week-long festival. Golden girl: Demi stuck to her tried-and-tested style when she attended Burning Man Festival last year - in a series of incredibly racy looks Burning Man is annually held at Black Rock City, a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada, and is know for its wild style. Proving herself to have slotted in perfectly with the style, she wore a dazzling gold armour style ensemble with belts draped around herself. The Instagram sensation has garnered the attention of 12.2million followers since she was propelled to fame after being romantically linked to Kylie Jenner's ex Tyga. Woah mama! The model donned showgirl-inspired styles with a diamante bralet flashing her assets while she also donned a shimmering gold style However recently she has been travelling the world following her split from DJ Chris Martinez. As well as visiting Bali, Demi has seen LA, Mexico, Jordan, and Las Vegas. Despite the envy-inducing travels, 2019 was also a testing year for the beauty, with her reflecting on the highs and lows in a candid Instagram post. She penned: 'Wow what a year. It definitely has been the hardest year of my life but the also the best year of my life. Sizzling: Demi made the most of her frame as she strutted through the desert 'Im proud of myself for getting through the hurdles Ive faced and the growth that Ive experienced. Im ready to say goodbye to 2019 and Im SO excited for whats to come in this new year. 'I wish you all an amazing 2020 filled with lots of blessings and love. Thank you for all your support, always. Love you guys!' Demi saw her career surge in 2019 as she booked several high profile modelling gigs, and launched a swimwear collection with Oh Polly. However, Demi also struggled with an intense loss last year, announcing the death of her mother Christine Mawby who passed away aged 64 in July. The tragedy came just eight months after her beloved father Barrie died in October 2018. NEW HAVEN A mother who gave her 10-year-old daughter a fruit drink laced with methadone, resulting in a permanent brain injury, was sentenced Wednesday to serve 50 months in prison. Sherrell Hudson, 48, of New Haven, apologized during the sentencing hearing. But the victims father read a statement in court that expressed outrage over what Hudson had done. He repeatedly called her actions selfish. Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford agreed, saying Hudson made the childs injuries worse by delaying calling 911 for 6-10 hours because of a fear shed never get methadone again or shed lose her child. Her concern was more for herself than for her child. But Clifford noted there was no claim Hudson had intentionally harmed the child. She gave her methadone and some kind of juice, probably to have her child go to sleep. According to the New Haven police arrest warrant affidavit, Hudson eventually admitted to police that when the girl asked for some juice, Hudson gave her a mixture of methadone and Hawaiian Punch. Hudson said she customarily concocted and then ingested that mixture in order to improve the taste of the drug, which is used as a substitute for serious addictive drugs. Hudson stated she did not think it would hurt the victim, so she gave her the cup with the methadone and told the victim to drink it, the warrant said. Hudson stated when she woke up again, that was when she realized the victim had drank the entire contents of the cup. The girls father, who was living and working in Pennsylvania, recalled in his statement how he received a shocking phone call on May 31, 2017. Pausing in the courtroom to compose himself as he recounted that moment, he said, I was told that my 10-year-old daughter, who I had entrusted to Miss Hudson, was on life support at Yale New Haven Hospital. Upon my arrival at the hospital, I was told she had suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen, he said. They were pronouncing her brain dead. The father added, I was told that if she awoke from the coma, shed have no quality of life. But he noted that later she miraculously woke up from the coma and is now working to live a normal life. He said she is a special education student. She struggles with schoolwork she used to get honors (grades) for. She had to re-learn how to walk, talk and dress herself. He added, She was once an outgoing and happy child. She is now sullen and introverted. She finds it hard to trust people, since she cant trust her mother. I put her in therapy to help her understand why her mother would do such a thing. The father, who has sole custody of his daughter, said he had to quit his job and move to Connecticut to take care of her. He said Hudson left her to die on a couch because she was afraid of losing her take-home privileges for methadone. But he said he had asked the state to cut in half the originally contemplated prison sentence of 10 years to serve because the girl still loves her mother. Not seeing her mom would further injure her already fragile mental health. The father added, I pray that after serving her sentence and receiving treatment, she can finally apologize to her daughter for committing this selfish crime. The father charged that Hudson shows no remorse for almost ending her daughters life, no remorse for this selfish crime. But Senior Assistant Public Defender Scott M. Jones told Clifford that Hudson is beyond remorse over what happened to her daughter. He said she has not shown much emotion nor made any comments about the case because he had advised her not to say anything until the case was resolved. Jones asked Clifford to take into consideration mitigating factors such as her difficult upbringing with an absent father and two relatives suffering from addiction. He said Hudson had been neglected and allegedly molested by someone in her family. She is developmentally impaired, Jones said. He also said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and had become addicted to cocaine, which led to the methadone treatment. Jones said the mitigating factors do not excuse Hudsons actions toward her daughter. But he added, She did the best she could under the circumstances. She has tried to bond with her child and navigate through this case. Jones asked Clifford to consider whats in the best interests of the daughter as well as Hudson. The girl wants a relationship with her mother; she wants a relationship with her daughter. Jones suggested that Hudson be sentenced to serve 21/2 years rather than five years, which was the maximum to be allowed under the plea agreement. Allow the daughter to spend time with her mother before shes an adult and to begin to repair the damage thats been done. Five years will have a negative impact. But Senior Assistant States Attorney Stacey Miranda, while agreeing the daughters best interests must be taken into account, asked Clifford to impose the full sentence of five years to serve. Miranda said the girls father has seen her suffer from these injuries and the long-term consequences this defendants actions have had on her. Miranda said the girl has somewhat recovered but is still significantly impaired. She is not as energetic and gets tired quickly. Shes having a difficult time. When Clifford gave Hudson a chance to speak, she struggled to talk without crying. I want to apologize. Im very remorseful for what happened. She said she is really hopeful for a reconciliation with her daughter, whom she has been allowed to visit occasionally while under supervision. Hudson was free on $300,000 bail while awaiting sentencing. Clifford said he faced a dilemma in deciding the proper sentence. The desire for a longer sentence is tempered because the daughter still has love for her mother. But Clifford said the case contains a horrific set of facts. He said This child will be affected for life physically and psychologically. Parents are supposed to protect their children, Clifford said, not recklessly create a situation where theyre critically ill. Im concerned for the child, Im concerned for you, he told Hudson. But the judicial system has to have some reaction to this behavior. Clifford also told Hudson: The child seems to want to bond with you. Im not sure you deserve it. She has more love for you than youve demonstrated for her. Moments before he announced the sentence, Clifford said: The number of years would be much longer, except for the negative effects on the child of a longer incarceration. He then imposed a sentence of 10 years, to be suspended after 50 months (four years and two months), for second-degree assault and risk of injury to a child, the charges to which Hudson pleaded nolo contendere (not contested) last November. She also must serve five years of probation. Clifford agreed to recommend that state Department of Correction officials permit Hudson to be visited by her daughter, provided that the father does not object. Miranda said earlier that the father had agreed to supervised visits between Hudson and her daughter after she is released from prison. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com B ritish universities are ramping up measures to stem an outbreak of coronavirus on their campuses as the Foreign Office warns of infections hitting the UK. At least seven institutions have confirmed they are taking action after identifying dozens of staff and students who have recently visited the worst-hit areas. Chester University told its students that they will not be allowed back on campus if they travel to China for Chinese New Year unless they agree to "suitable quarantine period". Four cities in the East Asian country have gone into lockdown, with 17 deaths and nearly 600 reported cases globally. However, the World Health Organisation said tonight it is "too early" to declare a global health emergency. Five people in Scotland are being treated for suspected coronavirus, all of whom had been in the southern Chinese city of Wuhan, the city of 11m people where the outbreak began. A sixth person in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is suspected of contracting the illness. 18 coronavirus deaths have so far been reported in China / REUTERS More than 50 Chinese students currently study at Scottish universities as part of formal links with institutions in Hubei province, where the virus has hit. Five staff at the University of Dundee returned from a visit to Wuhan last week, and 34 students arrived from the virus-hit city in September. Aberdeen said five staff members have visited the city during the outbreak and returned to Britain three or more weeks ago. The remaining member of staff has a non-teaching role and is working from home as a precautionary measure, the institution said. Newcastle says it has identified 300 students on campus connected with the Hubei province in China and has written to them with health and wellbeing advice. A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station / Getty Images A spokesperson added: We have arranged a dedicated health event for any student arriving from China in the last month ensuring they register with a doctor. In line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice, the university is advising that staff and students dont travel to this area. Birmingham University said students from a range of partner universities in Wuhan city are studying on its campus, but the infection risk is currently low and no new students from the area are starting this month. The Russell Group institution has told students to take all sensible precautions if they return to China for Lunar New Year celebrations. Oxford, Nottingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester told the Standard they were monitoring the situation and offering health advice to staff and students. Official figures show that 8,000 Chinese students studied at Scottish universities last year. Meanwhile, the British Council said it has suspended its entire exam operation in Wuhan. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has said the UK is "well prepared" for the virus but is at an "increased likelihood" of becoming affected. Universities UK said: UK universities with students in affected areas have been closely monitoring the coronavirus situation as it unfolds and will follow the latest FCO advice. ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS), the premier platform for Midwest emerging growth companies seeking funding to connect with investors, today announced that its 2020 event will take place May 12-13 at the Marriott Resort in Ypsilanti, Michigan. With venture investment in the Midwest growing steadily, more than 400 attendees are expected, including leading venture capitalists, angel investors and technology transfer professionals from across the U.S., as well as founders and CEOs of Midwest-based early stage and emerging, high-growth companies. This year's program will highlight the traction that the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, mobility and other sectors are gaining in the Midwest technology ecosystem. Guest speakers and panel presentations hosted by some of the nation's leading investors and entrepreneurs will round out the program. Previous speakers have included Dixon Doll of DCM Ventures, Scott Kupor of Andreessen Horowitz, Wendell Brooks of Intel Corporation and Intel Capital and Clay B. Thorp of Hatteras Venture Partners. "Over the past four decades, MGCS has provided an opportunity to showcase the growing startups and talent produced in the Midwest to a community of investors beyond the region, and offered tech transfer companies connectivity to the market," said David Brophy, professor of finance at the University of Michigan and founding director of MGCS. "The idea of building businesses and getting them funded has permeated the Midwest and our goal is to maintain this momentum." Ahead of his retirement later this year, the event will also recognize Brophy's decades-long investment in and contribution to growing the Michigan venture capital community. Brophy, who also serves as the director of the University of Michigan's Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, founded MGCS in 1980. Through his dedication, the event continues to shine a spotlight on regional innovation, granting investors better access to ready-for-market companies in Michigan and the Midwest. Call for Presenting Companies The MGCS will host approximately 40 companies to pitch their businesses to potential investors and stakeholders in attendance. The MGCS University Research track will also showcase more than 50 emerging high-potential, high-growth companies that are commercializing research discoveries and new technologies in the life sciences, health care, advanced manufacturing and other sectors. Application forms for presenting companies are available online until Thursday, March 5 at www.MidwestGCS.com. The Midwest Growth Capital Symposium is hosted by the University of Michigan's Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance at the Ross School of Business. Organizers are currently enlisting sponsors for the 2020 event with packages ranging from $1,000-$10,000. For more information, please visit http://www.midwestgcs.com/ or email Mary Nickson at [email protected]. About the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium The Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) is the original university-based venture investment fair. First held in 1980, this decades-old event is the largest Midwest venture fair of its kind that brings together venture capital investors, angel investors, high-growth companies, university tech transfer officers and research faculty. MGCS is presented by the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance and the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute Related Links http://www.midwestgcs.com An Iraqi demonstrator was shot dead in the southern city of Basra overnight, a security source and the human rights commission said Thursday, the latest in a string of protester deaths. The anti-government demonstrations rocking the Iraqi capital and the Shiite-majority south since October had abated in recent weeks amid spiralling tensions between Iraq's key allies, the United States and Iran. To recapture momentum and boost pressure on authorities, protesters this week began shutting down roads across the country -- but violence against them has escalated, too. The young demonstrator was shot dead by unidentified assailants after he left the main protest camp in Basra, a security source said. He had no papers on his person and police were waiting for someone to identify the body, the source told AFP. It was the second straight night a protester was gunned down in Basra. Female activist and paramedic Janat Madhi, 49, was killed the same way late on Tuesday. The deaths bring this week's toll to 12 demonstrators killed, according to the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, a state-funded monitor which reports on protest violence. Four people were killed in Baghdad, one in Diyala, two in Karbala and five in Basra, including the latest two killings. "Violence against demonstrators is clearly ongoing," commission member Ali Bayati told AFP. "The unknown armed groups targeting protesters show that security forces are unable to protect citizens," he said. Demonstrators have accused authorities of implementing a double standard, swiftly arresting anyone blocking roads with burning tyres while failing to apprehend those who have kidnapped and killed dozens of activists. Hundreds of students gathered in Basra on Thursday morning to protest against the killings, chanting and holding up signs saying "Give us a country." This week's violence brings to 470 the overall death toll since protests erupted in October, according to an AFP tally of reports from medical or security sources and the Human Rights Commission. BANGKOK (AP) An elementary school headmaster said Thursday he planned a gold shop robbery in Thailand due to personal and financial problems and apologized to the families of the three people who were killed. A 2-year-old boy was among the victims of the shooting earlier this month that caused public outrage and increased pressure for a swift arrest. Police arrested Prasitthichai Khaokaew, 38, early Wednesday and said he confessed to his crimes during interrogation. During a news conference held at the national police headquarters in Bangkok, Prasitthichai was allowed to talk to reporters through a phone call from where he is being detained. I am so sorry, and I apologize to the victims and their families, especially to little brother Triton, Prasitthichai told reporters, addressing the 2-year-old victim by his first name. He denied that he deliberately shot the toddler and other victims, and said he opened fired to intimidate shoppers and security guards to let him flee easily. Prasitthichai said he planned the robbery a few days before he executed it and that personal and financial problems were his motives. Police General Suwat Chaengyodsuk, the chief investigator, said the suspect has been charged with three counts of murder, robbery and illegal gun possession. Police asked the Bangkok criminal court to allow them to detain Prasitthichai for further investigation. Security footage of the Jan. 9 robbery in Lopburi province, about 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of Bangkok, showed a man dressed in full-face balaclava and camouflage trousers approached the store in a mall, carrying a pistol with a long silencer. He opened fire, spraying shots at staff and passers-by. The toddler was hit as he walked by with his mother. A security guard and a shop assistant were also killed, and four people were wounded. The robber grabbed a number of gold necklaces before fleeing. PBS NewsHour co-founder and longtime anchor Jim Lehrer died Thursday at 85, PBS announced in a news release. Lehrer was the anchor for 36 years before retiring in 2011. He and Robert MacNeil founded the program in 1975 after their 1973 coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings. Lehrer moderated 12 president debates, more than any other person in U.S. history. He handled all of the presidential debates in 1996 (Bill Clinton was re-elected) and 2000 (George W. Bush was elected). PBS President Paula Kerger said in the release: On behalf of all of us at PBS, we are deeply saddened to learn of Jim Lehrers passing. From co-creating the groundbreaking MacNeil/Lehrer Report to skillfully moderating many presidential debates, Jim exemplified excellence in journalism throughout his extraordinary career. Lehrer interviewed countless newsmakers, wrote 20 novels and several plays, and earned dozens of journalism awards and honorary degrees. He received the National Humanities Medal from President Clinton, was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame with MacNeil. He had served in the Marine Corps. He started his journalism career at newspapers in Texas. Lehrer is survived by his wife, Kate, three daughters and six grandchildren. The Budget session of Parliament is set to begin on January 31 and will continue till April 3, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting her second Union Budget on February 1. The session is being held in two phases with a recess. The first phase will be from January 31 to February 11, while the second from March 2 to April 3. The President will convene both Houses of Parliament on the recommendation of the Union cabinet. The upcoming budget session is likely to be a raucous one, where the Opposition will seek to rake up the current protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and also raise the economic slowdown. Official data showed earlier this week that gross domestic product growth rose just 4.5 per cent in the July-September 2019 quarter, the lowest in a decade. Sitharaman, with her budget, has the onerous task of reversing a sharp slowdown in the economy, with measures to spur demand and job creation. The Opposition, including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party (SP), are likely to raise the issue of NRC. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of senior leaders on January 25 to formulate the partys strategy for the upcoming budget session. However, a Congress functionary said the party will raise the issues of economic slowdown, growing unemployment, agrarian distress and price rise apart from keeping up the attack on the government on the CAA and the NRC. The Congress will also push for a discussion on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. The Congress is expected to renew its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the NRC and the National Population Register (NPR) as an attack on the poor. In a rally in Raipur on December 27, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said, Whether it is NRC and NPR, it is a tax on poor people of the country. The BJP is expected to formalise its floor strategy in a high-level meeting soon, sources said. A total of 42 bills are pending before Parliament to be cleared during the upcoming Budget session. The owner of thousands of Houston apartments is giving some of its tenants a break on rent. Houston-based Nitya Capital this year began offering rent discounts of up to 5 percent to students and those who work in civil service. Specifically, the special is meant for police officers, medical workers, teachers, firefighters and active and retired military officers. "It's a new initiative to support the community," Swapnil Agarwal, CEO and managing partner of Nitya Capital, said. RELATED: Mixed-income housing project breaks ground downtown Agarwal, who came to Houston from India and his family lived in apartments on his father's blue-collar salary, launched his business in 2014 to buy and renovate older multifamily complexes. Karya Property Management, which he also runs, operates the buildings. The company now has 66 properties across the country with some 20,000 units. In Houston, it has 42 complexes with 12,000 units. The average rent across all of its properties is $850. LISTEN: Rail lines and real estate on the latest Looped In podcast Agarwal has been known to offer other community-building programs. His management company has hosted free English classes, healthcare checkups and swimming lessons. He said the 5 percent off special will run through the year and likely be extended. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 19:53 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060bba74 1 National Terawan-Agus-Putranto,health-ministry,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus Free Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has dismissed reports of a suspected case of a new coronavirus, which first emerged at the end of last year in the city of Wuhan in China, in Indonesia's capital Jakarta. Terawan paid a visit to the BRI building in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon following reports that a Chinese employee of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has offices in the building, was suffering from fever and was taken to the hospital for diagnosis amid fears that the employee had been infected with the pneumonia-like virus. When asked for confirmation, the minister said the employee had not been infected by the Wuhan virus. "If he's been infected with a virus, then it might be ISPA [an acute respiratory infection], which is common among us," Terawan said. Previously, state-owned lender BRI corporate secretary Hari Purnomo issued a statement that the employee had been sent to a nearby hospital for further examination following the detection of the fever. Hari later said the hospital had diagnosed the patient as having a sore throat. Huawei issued a separate statement on Thursday afternoon, saying the Chinese employee was visiting the Indonesian office and that the company had sent the employee to a hospital. The company, however, said that it was still awaiting further confirmation from the hospital about whether the employee had been infected by the virus. The Chinese company had distributed face masks to its employees, explaining that it was one of their procedures for health protection. Following the reports, Terawan visited the building without sporting a face mask and appeared to be dismissing speculation that the virus outbreak which has been detected in major cities of China and a number other countries had reached the capital. "I have proven that there was no [virus]," Terawan told reporters during his visit to the BRI building on Thursday. Terawan called on the public to remain calm and refrain from drawing any conclusions without any proof as only the Health Ministry had the authority to make any statements on the case. "It's in the capacity of the Health Ministry [to declare a virus outbreak or not]. I will check everything, including all entrance points to our country. We're on alert; we're not even sleeping, so keep calm because we're working to help the people. So don't worry: This will be taken care of," he said. This latest coronavirus, which bears similarities to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), was first detected on Dec. 31, 2019 in Wuhan. The new strain of the virus has infected more than 500 people to date, killing at least 17, AFP reported. (ars) BOSTONThe founder of an Arizona pharmaceutical company was ordered to spend 5 and a half years in prison on Jan. 23 for orchestrating a bribery and kickback scheme prosecutors said helped fuel the opioid crisis. John Kapoor, 76, the former chairman of Insys Therapeutics, was sentenced in Bostons federal court after a jury found him guilty of racketeering conspiracy last May. The 10-week trial revealed sensational details about the companys marketing tactics, including testimony that a sales executive once gave a lap dance to a doctor the company was wooing. Kapoor was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. Kapoor and others were accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to doctors across the United States to prescribe the companys highly addictive oral fentanyl spray, known as Subsys. The bribes were paid in the form of fees for sham speaking engagements that were billed as educational opportunities for other doctors. Prosecutors also said the company misled insurers to get payment approved for the drug, which is meant to treat cancer patients in severe pain and can cost as much as $19,000 a month. In recent court documents, prosecutors said Kapoor personally approved bribes for doctors who abusively prescribed opioids and also approved financial incentives for sales reps to make sure doctors prescribed the highest doses of the drug. Put simply, Kapoor ran Insys without a moral compass, without any concern that his strategies would harm people, they wrote. Kapoors lawyers argue the bribery scheme was concocted by other executives at the company. In a court filing, they said their client has been portrayed as a caricature of a mob boss when he is really an immigrant success story. They say the India-born exec developed Subsys after seeing his wife suffer and die from breast cancer. During the trial, jurors heard from former employees who said Insys made a habit of hiring attractive women as representatives to boost sales of the drug. One former employee testified that a regional sales manager once gave a lap dance at a Chicago nightclub to a doctor whom Insys was pushing to write more prescriptions. Jurors were also shown a rap video in which Insys employees danced and rapped around a person dressed as a giant bottle of the fentanyl spray. Prosecutors said the video was shown at a national sales meeting in 2015 and was intended to motivate reps to push Subsys to doctors. The case was considered the first that sought to hold an opioid maker criminally liable for the drug crisis, which has claimed nearly 400,000 lives over the last two decades. At least two others have since faced criminal charges, but prominent companies including Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, have only faced suits that carry no threat of prison time. After the trial, Insys reached a $225 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to end its criminal and civil probes. The company has since filed for bankruptcy protection, and its not clear whether the company will fully pay whats owed. The company has been approved to sell off Subsys and its other drugs for about $30 million, but it maintains its assets, all told, are worth only $175 million. Along with Kapoor, four others from Insys also were convicted last year, while two pleaded guilty and testified against their former colleagues. Alec Burlakoff, a former vice president of sales who pleaded guilty in 2018, also is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in Boston. Others in the case have been dealt sentences ranging from a year and a day to nearly three years in prison. By Collin Binkley Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told CNBC on Thursday his investment bank will help companies go public only if they have at least one "diverse" board member. Solomon said the performance of public offerings of U.S. companies with at least one female director has been "significantly better" in the last four years than those without. "Starting on July 1st in the U.S. and Europe, we're not going to take a company public unless there's at least one diverse board candidate, with a focus on women," Solomon said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "And we're going to move towards 2021 requesting two," he added. About 60 companies in the U.S. and Europe have gone public recently with all white, male boards, he said. "Look, we might miss some business, but in the long run, this I think is the best advice for companies that want to drive premium returns for their shareholders over time," Solomon said. The intriguing title of the next film in the Saw franchise a project that has been spearheaded by Chris Rock might have just been revealed. The comedian has collaborated with Lionsgate for a fresh interpretation of the film series and its villain Jigsaw, who traps victims in situations that demand the greatest of sacrifices to survive. While there has been no word on the film other than the fact that Samuel L Jackson and Max Minghella will also star, its been pointed out by diehard fans that the website of its distributor in Canada lists the official title as: Spiral: From the Book of Saw. Ive been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004, Rock previously said about the project. I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place. The franchise has so far grossed nearly $1bn worldwide. The new film will be a completely new story set in the same world as the eight previous instalments. 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Show all 37 1 /37 37 horror films that are genuinely scary 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Funny Games (1997) Directed by: Michael Haneke. Funny Games places the horror in the familiar setting of home. It follows two young men who hold a family hostage and torture them with sadistic games. The result is far scarier than anything featuring ghosts, witches or demons. Concorde-Castle Rock/Turner 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Amityville Horror (1979) Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg. The Amityville Horror is based on the true story of the Lutzes, a family who were run out of their home after being terrorised by paranormal phenomena in 1975. Just one year before, Ronald DeFeo Jr shot and killed six members of his family in the same house. James Brolin and Margot Kidder lead this film, which became one of the biggest hits of 1979. American International Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Audition (1999) Directed by: Takashi Miike . Japanese horror Audition (1999) follows a widower who meets a woman named Ayoma after staging auditions to meet a potential new partner. Soon, though, her dark past begins to surface, which equates to a pretty disturbing climax. Omega Project 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez . Although parodied to death, The Blair Witch Project popularised the found-footage format to terrifying degrees in 1999. People genuinely believed they were watching real clips of three student filmmakers being terrorised by a Maryland legend known as the Blair Witch. Artisan Entertainment 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) Directed by: Robert Wiene . Black-and-white silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) is considered the quintessential work of German Expressionism, but also one of the scariest films in cinema history. It follows a hypnotist (Werner Krauss) who uses a somnambulist to commit murders, and Wiene's shadowed sets and striking visual style combines to unsettle the viewer in ways most filmmakers only dream of managing. Decla-Bioscop 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Candyman (1992) Directed by: Bernard Rose. A contemporary classic of horror cinema, 1992 film Candyman which spawned two sequels and has a Jordan Peele-produced remake in the works follows a graduate student whose studies lead her to the legend of a ghost who appears when you say his name three times. TriStar Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Cannibal Holocaust (1980) Directed by: Ruggero Deodato. Extreme enough to warrant a ban in Italy and Australia, Cannibal Holocaust (1980) was one of the first films to embrace the found-footage format so much so that Deodato found himself charged with multiple counts of murder due to rumours that several of the film's death scenes were real. He was later cleared. United Artists Europa 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Descent (2005) Directed by: Neil Marshall. Released in 2005, The Descent follows six women who, upon exploring a cave, battle to survive against the creatures they find inside. It's these creatures that earn this British horror film's placement on this list. Pathe Distribution 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Exorcist (1973) Directed by: William Friedkin. One of the most controversial films of all time, The Exorcist which tells the story of the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl named Regan (Linda Blair) became the first horror to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars in 1974. Warner Bros 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Halloween (1978) Directed by: John Carpenter. Sure, it may be dated, but John Carpenter's original Halloween film released in 1978 remains the daddy of all horrors. It re-defined the rule book and has been emulated in everything from Scream (1996) to Trick 'r Treat (2007). The tension, as babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) attempts to evade masked murderer Michael Myers, only heightens with every new watch. Compass International Pictures[ 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Hereditary (2018) Directed by: Ari Aster. Proving that horror is a force to be reckoned with, Hereditary became independent distributor A24's highest-grossing film around the world upon its release in 2018. It tells the story of a family who find themselves haunted after the death of their secretive grandmother and features a final act that left many of its viewers with sleepless nights. A24 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The House of the Devil (2009) Directed by: Ti West. The House of the Devil (2009) follows a student named Samantha who is hired to guard an isolated house with one rule: don't go upstairs. For most of the film's runtime, not much happens, which is what makes the action-packed final third so terrifying. Spoiler: she goes upstairs. MPI Media Group 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Innocents (1961) Directed by: Jack Clayton. Based upon Henry James' chiller The Turn of the Screw, the plot of 1961 psychological horror film The Innocents concerns a governess who watches over two children and comes to fear that their large estate is haunted by ghosts and that the youngsters are being possessed. 20th Century Fox 37 horror films that are genuinely scary It (1986) Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace. Forget the effects-laden remake this version of It, released as a miniseries in 1986, is the most terrifying adaptation of Stephen King's beloved novel to date. It follows a shapeshifting demon who takes the form of a sadistic child-killing clown named Pennywise (Tim Curry). Lorimar Productions 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) Directed by: Takashi Shimizu. Japanese horror maestro Takashi Shimizu who also directed the pretty scary 2005 remake starring Sarah Michelle Gellar balances mystery with horror in Ju-On: The Grudge, a story based in a cursed house in Tokyo. Lions Gate Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Kill List (2011) Directed by: Ben Wheatley. To describe the horrors of Kill List is to ruin the film's surprises, but let's just say this: the final 20 minutes of Ben Wheatley's violent drama from 2011 features some of the most unsettling scenes in any film from this decade. Optimum Releasing 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Lake Mungo (2008) Directed by: Joel Anderson. Taking the form of a mockumentary, the little-seen Australian drama Lake Mungo may have received a limited release in 2008, but its story of a family attempting to come to terms with the drowning of their daughter stays with viewers long after. Arclight Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Martyrs (2008) Directed by: Pascal Laugier. The polarising 2008 film Martyrs, often associated with the New French Extremity movement, is the kind of horror that leaves you needing a shower once the credits roll. It follows a young woman's quest for revenge on the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child. Anchor Bay Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Night of the Living Dead (1968) Directed by: George A Romero. Younger viewers may be desensitised by the more extreme horror films to have been released in recent decades, but the scares featured in Romero's Night of the Living Dead including the young girl zombie reveal remain some of the most chilling committed to celluloid. Continental Distributing 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Nosferatu (1922) Directed by: FW Murnau. Alongside Cesare in The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920), the character of vampire Count Orlok in 1922 film Nosferatu played by Mac Schreck remains one of the most spine-tingling in cinema history. Film Arts Guild 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Orphanage (2007) Directed by: JA Bayona. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, this acclaimed 2007 chiller follows the disappearance of a young boy in an orphanage, which brings many of the building's terrifying secrets to the fore. Warner Bros Pictures de Espana 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Others (2001) Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar. The Others (2001) is a towering achievement for Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar who wrote, directed and scored this Nicole Kidman-fronted tale about a woman trying to protect her children from supernatural forces. It's perhaps the scariest 12-certificate film of all time. Warner Sogefilms 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Paranormal Activity (2009) Directed by: Oren Peli. Could Paranormal Activity be the scariest film of all time? It's certainly one of them. Just when you thought found-footage had had its day, Oren Peli's small-budgeted festival favourite became one of 2009's biggest hits. Audiences lapped up the story of a couple who capture supernatural presences on a camera in their own home. Paramount Pictures[ 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Directed by: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman. Paranormal Activity 3 earns its place on this list for its final 10 minutes. Set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films, we see the cause of the curse that follows characters Katie and Kristi for the rest of their lives and it's down to a coven of witches led by their grandmother. Paramount Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary [REC] (2007) Directed by: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza. Played out in real-time, the claustrophobic Spanish horror film [REC] is one of the better examples of found-footage cinema. Released in 2007, it follows a reporter and her cameraman who follow firefighters to a Barcelona building and soon find themselves locked inside with its occupants who are displaying murderous behaviour. Filmax International 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Ring (1998) Directed by: Hideo Nakata. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the story of Ring by now: viewers of a cursed videotape die seven days after watching it. While the inevitable Hollywood remake in 2002 was better than it had any right to be, Nakata's original is as terrifying as horror films come. Toho 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Rosemary's Baby (1968) Directed by: Roman Polanski. Released in 1968, Rosemary's Baby follows a pregnant woman who suspects that an evil cult want to take her baby for use in their rituals. Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Ruth Gordon's performances tip this psychological chiller into classic status. Paramount Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Shining (1980) Directed by: Stanley Kubrick. Forget the iconic "Heeeeere's Johnny" or that bath scene it's the smaller moments that make Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining a terrifying watch, notably the trippy final act that sees Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) lose his mind to the Overlook Hotel. Warner Bros 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Sinister (2012) Directed by: Scott Derrickson. Of all the Blumhouse horror films, 2012 release Sinister which features the demonic character Bughuul is the spookiest of them all. It stars Ethan Hawke as a true-crime writer who discovers a box of home movies depicting grisly murders in the attic of his new house. Momentum Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Sleep Tight (2011) Directed by: Jaume Balaguero. This little-seen Spanish horror follows a concierge who, believing he was born without the ability to feel happiness, decides to make life hell for everyone around him. Filmax 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Directed by: Tobe Hooper. The fictional Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), marketed as a true story, follows a group of cannibals including Leatherface who relentlessly hunt down a group of friends. Vortex 37 horror films that are genuinely scary 28 Days Later (2002) Directed by: Danny Boyle. Many might not reflect upon 28 Days Later (2002) as one of the world's scariest horror films, but its desolate depiction of a viral outbreak seems more real than any other. When merged with the fast-paced infected and the usage of John Murphy's song "In the House In A Heartbeat", it's hard to deny it such status. Fox Searchlight Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary V/H/S (2012) Directed by: Various. Directed by six filmmakers, including Adam Wingard and Ti West, 2012 anthology film V/H/S is grimy horror of the tallest order. Look no further than David Bruckner's section "Amateur Night" following three friends who meet a mysterious girl who says nothing other than three small words: "I like you." Magnet Releasing 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Wailing (2016) Directed by: Na Hong-jin. Twist-filled horror drama The Wailing follows a policeman who investigates a series of mysterious killings and illness in the mountains of South Korea. If the journey fails to scare you, its destination will leave you lying awake at night. 20th Century Fox Korea 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Wicker Man (1973) Directed by: Robin Hardy. The Wicker Man is deemed the best British horror film of all time for a reason. It tells the story of a Police Sergeant who travels to an isolated island in search of a missing girl, only to find its inhabitants practising a form of Celtic paganism. British Lion Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Witch (2015) Directed by: Robert Eggers. For the most part, it's not what you see in The Witch that terrifies, it's what you don't see. Eggers unsettlingly holds his camera a fraction too long in places as he retells the story of a Separatist family who encounter supernatural forces in the woods beyond their farm. A24 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Zero Day (2003) Directed by: Ben Coccio. The horrors are all too real in Zero Day, a film inspired by the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. The majority of the film is portrayed through the video diaries of two students who are planning to attack their high school. Avatar Films Mark Burg and Oren Koules, who produced the original franchise, will again serve as producers, with Darren Lynn Bousman, behind Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, on board as director. The screenplay is based on a story conceived by Rock, but was written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. Rocks take on Saw be will be released in cinemas on 15 May 2020. Davinder Singh: Relative of terrorist detained India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: One person was detained by security agencies in connection with a case involving suspended Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Davinder Singh, who was caught ferrying militants, officials said here on Wednesday. Irfan Mushtaq is kin of a militant arrested along with Singh and is being questioned by a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and is likely to be arrested, they said. The NIA, which took over the investigations into the case last weekend, brought all the four -Singh, so-called commander of banned Hizbul Mujahideen terror group Naveed Mushtaq, alias Baba, his accomplice Asif and Irfan Mir - here on a transit remand. They will be produced before a designated court on Thursday. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News All the four were arrested on January 18 near Qazigund on the Jammu Srinagar national highway when the militants were being ferried to Jammu with a possible destination to Chandigarh to escape the winter chill in the Kashmir valley.Singh was subsequently suspended. Raids at his residence led to recovery of two pistols, one AK rifle and a lot of ammunition.The NIA, after registering the case, sent a high-powered team to question Singh and others, who were lodged at Kulgam police station in South Kashmir. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 12:01 [IST] Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday in a big statement said the children of Jammu and Kashmir are nationalists, but they are sometimes being motivated in the wrong direction. Republic TVs Consulting Editor Strategic Affairs Major Gaurav Arya reacting to Rajnath Singh's statement said that the nation should stand with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir as they have been misled by 'certain' forces. 'Youth misled by narrow political interests' Major Gaurav Arya agreed with the Defence Minister's statement and said, "Absolutely, the youth in Jammu and Kashmir is nationalist. CDS General Rawat had spoken about radicalisation and deradicalisation camps in Jammu and Kashmir. This is what he was talking about. Youth is the youth. They are the future of this country but what is happening is there are certain forces who have radicalised this youth and forced them to take up stone-pelting, take up weapons and I agree with what the Defence Minister says. Youth has been radicalised and misled by narrow-political interests, they have been misled by Pakistan, they have been misled by other forces of the Kashmir valley and we should stand with the youth." 'They shouldn't be seen in any other way' The Defence Minister's comments come days after Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said girls and boys, as young as 10 and 12, were being radicalised in Kashmir, adding that it was a matter of concern. "The kids of Jammu Kashmir are nationalists. They shouldn't be seen in any other way," said Rajnath Singh, who visited the NCC Republic Day Camp in Delhi, when asked about his opinion on kids in the state who are being motivated to join the National Cadet Corps. READ | Major Gaurav Arya reiterates that US-Iran war may continue via proxies "Youngsters are youngsters only. Sometimes, the way they should be motivated, people do not motivate them. In fact, they are motivated in the wrong direction. That is why the kids should not be blamed for this. The ones who are wrongly motivating them should be blamed. The ones who are motivating them in the wrong direction are the culprits," the defence minister added. READ | As Centre backs Army Chief's PoK declaration, here's Major Gaurav Arya's view 'Pakistan, America theocratic countries' Rajnath Singh also said that Indian values consider all religions equal, and that is why the country is secular and never became a theocratic state like Pakistan. "We (India) said we would not discriminate among religions. Why did we do that? Our neighbouring country has declared that their state has a religion. They have declared themselves a theocratic state. We didn't declare so. Even America is a theocratic country. India is not a theocratic country. Why? Because our saints and seers did not just consider the people living within our borders as part of the family but called everyone living in the world as one family," the minister said. READ | Major Gaurav Arya 'shocked' on Iran admission of shooting down Ukraine Jet READ | 'India must walk diplomatic tightrope,' says Major Gaurav Arya as Iran seeks US mediation A Canadian-owned Hercules C-130 air tanker crashed while fighting bushfires in Australias alpine region on Thursday, killing all three of its crew, authorities said. Melbourne: A Canadian-owned Hercules C-130 air tanker crashed while fighting bushfires in Australias alpine region on Thursday, killing all three of its crew, authorities said. All three victims were American residents, Australian authorities said, adding that they did not immediately know why the plane crashed. Tragically, there appear to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area, said Shane Fitzsimmons, the Rural Fire Services Commissioner for New South Wales state. (The tanker) impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground. There is no indication at this stage of whats caused the accident. Fitzsimmons said the plane had been leased by Canadian aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation, which has a second C-130 Hercules working in the Australian bushfires operation. Coulson had grounded its large air tanker fleet following the accident, pending a review to ensure there is no systemic issue like a fuel problem The Canadian company has been operating under contract with the Australian National Aerial Firefighting Centre since 2000, according to the company. The crash takes the death toll from hundreds of wildfires in Australia to 32 since September. An estimated one billion animals have also perished, while the fires have incinerated 2,500 homes and a total area of bushland one-third the size of Germany. Authorities had previously said the tanker was flying in the states Snowy Monaro region, south of the capital Canberra. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the flight path for an air tanker used in waterbombing operations suddenly stopping in Peak View, south of Canberra. According to its flight data, the aircraft departed the Richmond air force base in western Sydney around 12:15 pm. It dropped off radar just after 2 pm. Peak View is close to a blaze burning out of control in the Wadbilliga National Park, the fire service said. Such air tankers typically carry 15,000 litres of water or fire retardant to be released over fires, which can help contain blazes in areas ground crews find hard to reach. Belinda Greene, a receptionist at the Bredbo Inn Hotel near the crash site, said she heard police cars racing by in the early afternoon. We saw a lot of smoke all of a sudden a couple of hours ago, she told Reuters by telephone. Authorities have closed the airport in Canberra, the capital, as two emergency-level fires joined into a single out-of-control fire nearby. Residents and businesses near fires were told it was too late to leave as thick plumes of dark smoke smothered the neighbouring suburbs. - A Facebook user is in serious trouble for impersonating the minister of finance, Ken Ofori-Atta - Nuetey Latif Ahinguah, also known as Oliver and Emmanuel Asare, pleaded guilty to defrauding by false pretenses with the name of the state official - He is expected to serve a 12-month sentence - Interestingly enough, the finance minister has no social media account yet Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A Facebook user is in serious trouble and about to face a 12-month prison sentence with hard labour for impersonating Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta. Nuetey Latif Ahinguah with the aliases Oliver and Emmanuel Asare appeared before the Kaneshie Magistrate court in Accra for defrauding by false pretenses with the name of the lawmaker. According to a report by Kasapa Online, an official document proved that Ahinguah and his accomplices began creating fraudulent Facebook accounts in 2018. The report further explained that aside targeting Ofori-Atta, they also created accounts in the name of National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah. Nuetey Latif Ahinguah, also known as Oliver and Emmanuel Asare Source: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Tano River poisoning: Details about how Ghanaians survive on pure water pop up The criminals used the accounts in defrauding unsuspecting people under the pretext of securing them employment, and cars to buy at very ridiculous or give away prices, read the document. Unsuspecting people fell prey to these criminals and transferred several amounts of money to the fraudsters on a given mobile money number, the document continued. The Magistrate court presided over by Her Worship E.B. Botchway, convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the offence of defrauding by false pretenses. Official security agencies say investigations are still ongoing in an attempt to arrest Ahinguahs accomplices, among others, for fraudulent acts both within Ghana and abroad. Interestingly enough, the Finance Minister has no social media account and is yet to open an official social media account. READ ALSO: ACP Benjamin Agordzo finally granted GHC500k bail following coup plot In other news, the Ministry of Health has announced that all persons coming in from China to Ghana would undergo enhanced health screening and surveillance to prevent the spread of the new Coronavirus. Health Authorities in China have confirmed the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus in December 2019 after a series of reported cases of pneumonia of unknown cause. A press release signed by the sector Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu and reported by Citi News, assured that Ghana has in-country capacity to diagnose the infection at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. READ ALSO: Outbreak of deadly virus; Ghana to screen passengers from China over new virus Ghanaian Traders Share Thoughts on Sales During Christmas | #Yencomgh Read more: https://yen.com.gh/144753-ohemaa-mercy-husband-reportedly-issues-marriage.html Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh 22-year-old Tia Jackson recently claimed that she was assaulted on a Spirit Airlines flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Detroit, Michigan. Jackson told CNN that she was seated in the middle seat with her friend to one side . and a stranger seated in the aisle seat next to her. After leaning on her friend to take a nap, Jackson was later awakened by the stranger touching her. She initially dismissed it as a mistake, until she felt his hand slide down the back of her pants. Jackson said she reacted immediately, calling for help and yelling hey! You are going to stop touching me! Get off of me. The flight attendant responded to Jackson, offering to move her seat. However, she declined, as she didnt want to leave her friend with the man. Jackson later spoke to the pilot while deboarding and was redirected to a gate agent. but she felt her complaints were being dismissed, and instead decided to file a police report. He needs to be held responsible. He is a predator. He displays predatory behavior. Who knows who else he has done this to. Spirit Airlines has since responded to the allegations, saying they are supporting law enforcement as they investigate Hyderabad: Gajwel sessions court on Wednesday passed an order handing over Osmania University professor C. Kashim to seven-day police custody even as Siddipet police have claimed that Kashim has confessed to having links with top cadres of banned CPI (Maoist), and supplying to them firearms, ammunition and raw material for making land mines. In his confession statement, the OU professor reportedly stated that he is in contact with Mallojula Venugopal, secretary, central regional bureau, Katkam Sudarshan, central committee member, Pulluri Prasad Rao alias Chandranna, central committee member, and Yapa Narayana alias Haribhushan, state committee member. Kashim is being accused of implementing the Maoist agenda of achieving a new democratic revolution through the barrel of gun, working as a professional revolutionary, looking after CPI (Maoist) frontal organisations in Telangana, and guiding them in spreading Maoist ideology. He becoming the professor of OU is part of the tactics of CPI (Maoist) Party to avoid coming under the focus of police, Siddipet police said in their remand report. It may be recalled that Siddipet police conducted searches at the residence of 43-year-old Chinthakindi Kashim, Osmania University professor, around 7 am on Saturday. Three hours of search by police culminated with the arrest of Kashim under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Prof Kashims wife Snehalatha is also an accused in the case. During the search, it is stated; police recovered 118 documents and 163 CDs, pen drives and others things. Like an unpopular animal sidekick in a straight-to-DVD sequel, Disney is cutting the Fox out of its acquired brands, renaming them simply 20th Century (not Fox) Studios and (not Fox) Searchlight Pictures. Is it a sneaky way to distance themselves from a dangerous Fox figure and whitewash the brand's history? Absolutely. But which one exactly? This is the first time Disney has changed the name of one of its new subjects in its ongoing war on the free market; Pixar, Marvel, and even LucasFilm got to keep theirs. The reason for this, most experts surmise, is while they really wanted The Simpsons, the apolitical House of Mouse doesn't want any actual association with the Fox legacy, which today is Fox News: a highly polarizing political outlet/a rightwing propaganda machine that spews enough liquid shit to douse all the Australian bushfires it helped perpetuate. But that's not the only piece of Fox history that doesn't gel with the Disney brand. For another, we have to all the way back to the figurehead himself: William Fox, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant who changed his name from Fuchs to Fox and then used that name to launch one of the greatest film studios of the twentieth century. William Fox had a complicated career and life; the same self-made man who pioneered sound in film was also imprisoned for bribing a judge and perfecting the shady art of vertical integration. But Fox's greatest achievement has to be his fight against and victory over the earliest movie monopoly. The Motion Pictures Patents Company (better know as the mobster-like The Trust) was a dastardly scheme set up by Cracked Hall of Fame asshole Thomas Edison and some of the biggest players in early cinema. Their goal: to crush independent competitors, create a stranglehold over movie theaters and decide film practices through money and sole control over the industry's most valuable intellectual properties -- not superhero sequels, but the very equipment to make movies. LIVERMORE (BCN) A 38-year-old man is in custody after being shot by Livermore police as he allegedly drove his vehicle at officers early Wednesday morning. Police identified the suspect shot by officers as Matthew Kelly, who has t5ies to Newark, Fremont, Union City and the city of Meridian in Idaho. At about 3:25 a.m. Wednesday, two Livermore police officers had pulled over a suspected impaired driver on southbound Airway Boulevard south of Kitty Hawk Road near Interstate Highway 580, police said. The officers walked the driver off of the roadway and onto a private access road, and several minutes later, they saw a black vehicle traveling south on Airway Boulevard and then turning onto the access road, according to police. The vehicle accelerated directly at the officers and the pulled-over driver. The officers fired their guns at the driver, later identified as Kelly, as he allegedly tried to run them over, according to police. The officers and pulled-over driver were able to avoid the vehicle, which Kelly then drove to the end of the access road and made a U-turn. The vehicle eventually stalled at the entrance of the access road and other responding officers took Kelly into custody, police said. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for a single gunshot wound to his right leg, injuries that are not considered life-threatening. Livermore police and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting, and the two officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Forget saying it with roses - how about saying it with a $2million (1.5million) meal? That's what one couple from Singapore have paid for what is being billed as the 'world's most exclusive dinner'. Vincent and Jane Hee will be treated to an experience that will include an 18-course meal with diamond-encrusted chopsticks onboard a private jet and a cruise on a luxury yacht. One Singaporean will be treated to an 18-course meal at 40,000 feet onboard a $50million Bombardier Global 6000 private jet, pictured, as part of the $2million romantic dinner The package comes with a cruise on a luxury yacht (pictured) in the waters around Singapore The Singaporean couple will get a pair of chopsticks, each encrusted with 42 diamonds, and a Jane Seymour ring, which is set with a rare 2.08-carat cushion-cut, vivid blue diamond Vincent Hee, who will enjoy the experience with his partner, Jane The package has been put together by Russian company World of Diamonds Group and takes place over three days. It will start with the Hees enjoying a 'dining experience' at new rooftop restaurant 1-V:U in Singapore followed by a night at the exclusive Outpost Hotel, where their room will be filled with 10,000 roses. The following day, they will enjoy a daytime cruise on a luxury yacht in the waters around Singapore. After this, the couple will tuck into an 18-course dinner, with Dom Perignon and Krug Champagnes, onboard a $50million Bombardier Global 6000 private jet while cruising 40,000 feet above Southeast Asia. The meal will be prepared by Kirk Westaway, a chef at Singapore restaurant Jaan, which has a Michelin star. During the dinner, the Hees will be presented with two pairs of the chopsticks, each encrusted with 42 diamonds, and the Jane Seymour ring, a rose-gold platinum ring set with a rare 2.08-carat cushion-cut, vivid blue diamond. Onboard the private jet, the Hees will be treated to Dom Perignon and Krug Champagne The meal onboard the private jet will be prepared by Kirk Westaway, pictured, a chef at Singapore restaurant Jaan, which has one Michelin star After landing, the couple will spend the night in the presidential suite at the newly renovated Raffles Singapore hotel. Throughout the experience, the Hees will be chauffeured around in a Rolls-Royce. And when the pair come to take their private jet flight, the car will be allowed to drive directly on to the tarmac at Singapore's Seletar Airport. The proceeds from the package will be donated to a Danish humanitarian organisation. Pictured is a bedroom on the luxury yacht The experience has been curated by Karan Tilani, pictured, a Singapore-based philanthropist It will be only the second time this has happened since Barack Obama's car was permitted there during a visit to Singapore and the Hees will be the first private citizens in the city-state to occupy a private car on the airport's tarmac. The experience has been curated by Karan Tilani, a Singapore-based philanthropist, who is also the director of World of Diamonds Group. The proceeds from the sale of the experience will be donated to the Danish humanitarian organisation DINNdhjlp, which helps to eradicate child mortality from pneumonia in Nigeria. COLUMBUS, Ohio An Ohio medical marijuana dispensary is investigating whether patient identities have been revealed in a data breach that may affect 30,000 people nationwide. Researchers for a company known as vpnMentor discovered the alleged breach Dec. 24 in THSuite, a point-of-sale system used in the cannabis industry. The researchers said Wednesday that Bloom Medicinals patient information was exposed, along with information from dispensaries in Maryland and Colorado. Bloom Medicinals has dispensaries in Akron, Columbus, Painesville Township, Maumee and Seven Mile in Butler County. The internet researchers called the breach serious. In addition to potential identify theft, a patients reputation is at risk, as there remains a stigma associated with the drug. According to vpnMentor, Bloom Medicinals inventory, monthly sales reports and compliant reports were exposed. Also exposed were patients full names, birth dates, medical and state identifications and expiration dates, phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, initial dates of purchase, whether the patients are considered indigent and received assistance in the medical marijuana program and whether they opted for text notifications from the store, vpnMentor said. We were able to view the dispensarys monthly sales, discounts, returns, and taxes paid, vpnMentors website states. The sales were further broken down by payment method and product type. The company is aware that its technology vendor experienced a data breach and it may have affected some patients, Bloom Medicinals said in a statement. Were working closely with our technology vendor to identify which, if any, Bloom Medicinal patients have been affected," according to the statement. "Once we have identified any affected patients, we will notify each individual and follow all HIPPA breach notification requirements. Bloom Medicinals dispensaries are the only ones in the state that use the THSuite, said Cameron McNamee, a spokesman for the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, which regulates medical marijuana. The Board takes any breach of data security and private patient information very seriously, he said in an email Wednesday night. The Board cannot comment at this time, but is looking into this issue." The board has several rules for dispensaries to protect patient information, he said. Medical patients have a legal right to keep their medical information private for good reason, the vpnMentor report said. Patients whose personal information was leaked may face negative consequences both personally and professionally. It noted that while medical marijuana consumption is legal in many states, it is still illegal under federal law. Many companies have zero tolerance policies to drugs, including cannabis, which means patients could face repercussions at work. Even without the legal risks, theres still a stigma surrounding marijuana use, the report stated. Individuals may suffer backlash if their families, friends, and colleagues find out that they use cannabis. Phishers could create highly personal attacks against patients, it said. Other stories out of Columbus: Women breaking away from President Trump, could be deciding factor in 2020 presidential race Ohio Senate bill would ban abortions performed through telemedicine 55,000 Ohioans spend $60 million in first year of medical marijuana: Capitol Letter New Ohio Parole Board members touted as bringing more diversity and transparency State reveals $1.2 billion Ohio Benefits system riddled with defects a year out from Medicaid work requirements Following orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to clean up the Yamuna river, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has planned a month-long, statewide campaign to increase public awareness about the polluted and ways to rejuvenate it through community participation. According to an official circular and timetable issued to all regional offices of the HSPCB on January 16 (a copy of which is with HT), the campaign will involve river clean-up drives, quizzes, street plays and other activities for citizens and students. As per the timetable, two major clean-up drives are scheduled to be held in the city on February 10 and February 21 in collaboration with the district administration and RWAs. In Faridabad, the drive will be held on February 24. Other districts, which will be part of the campaign, are Hisar, Sonepat, Dharuhera, Panipat, Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Karnal, Palwal, Bhiwani, Panchkula, Yamuna Nagar and Ballabhgarh, all of which discharge their sewage (either untreated or partially treated) into the Yamuna. The awareness drive is scheduled to end on February 28, with a community awareness programme in Gurugram. S Narayanan, member secretary, HSPCB, said, It is extremely important for the public to be aware of how they contribute to clean up these common resources. We will be seeking the help of various stakeholders, such as the education department and citizens groups, to help implement the awareness programme. While civic bodies are already working on the Yamuna action plans, the larger public also needs to be roped in to ensure the plans success. On paper, Haryana has the capacity to recycle about 80% of the domestic effluents it releases into the Yamuna river, but four years after the NGT first ordered a thorough clean-up of the river, the state continues to discharge at least 1140MLD of untreated or partially treated sewage into the Yamuna. Official numbers also indicate that Gurugram and Faridabad districts are the states biggest polluters, discharging close to 55% of untreated or partially treated sewage into the river. This comes to about 620MLD of sewage per day. Moreover, of the states 11 polluting drains, five originate in Gurugram and Faridabad, as per a Yamuna monitoring committee report from last year. A total of 79 sewage treatment plants (STPs) have been proposed in these districts, with a capacity to treat about 905MLD sewage (about 80% of the total 1,118 MLD generated by urban townships). However, the monitoring committee had observed last year that only nine of these STPs were functioning effectively. About 29 were discharging partially treated effluents, while 41 were discharging untreated effluents or are yet to be constructed. The Haryana governments Yamuna Action Plan, which aims to make all STPs in Haryanas NCR districts fully functional, has been given a deadline of December 2020. China has shut down all transport in the central city of Wuhan in an unprecedented attempt to quarantine a deadly new virus amid fears of a global pandemic. Swat teams, police and paramilitary troops guarded the citys main rail station on Thursday morning as the final trains departed before the lockdown began at 10am (2am GMT), with ferries, buses, the subway system and flights also suspended. Wuhan, a sprawling city of 11 million people, is believed to be the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak that has killed 17 and spread as far as the United States. The smaller neighbouring city of Huanggang was also placed on lockdown on Thursday. Nearly 600 people are known to have been infected, but there were fears Chinese authorities could be under-reporting the epidemic as British researchers estimated there were as many as 4,000 cases in Wuhan alone. The virus has been reported in other major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, as well as overseas in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to consider declaring an international public health emergency. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman is taken into an ambulance amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulances and health workers are seen outside the Padua's hospital, northern Italy EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers in coaches leave MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire after being repatriated to the UK from a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan and head to Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People rest in a temporary hospital situated in the Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient infecting with a new coronavirus to a hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty Chinese health officials fear the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of people travel home or abroad during week-long holidays for the Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday. The countrys transport ministry ordered shuttle buses and ferries already on their way to Wuhan to turn back on Thursday, and said transport routes passing through the city should be adjusted to bypass it. State media broadcast images of Hankou rail station, a key transport hub, nearly deserted with gates blocked. Road toll booths were reportedly closing down, effecting cutting off exit routes for cars, and guards were seen patrolling major highways. As the city slipped into isolation, queues formed for checks at health centres and supermarket shelves were cleared as shoppers panic-bought supplies. There were fears of a shortage of face masks widely worn by those who ventured outside, with manufacturers reopening factories which had closed for the holidays and paying staff up to four times their normal wages to return to work. Huanggang, a city of more than seven million people just to the east of Wuhan in Hubei province, said it would also suspend its public bus and rail networks at the end of Thursday. Businesses including cinemas and internet cafes were told to close and residents were asked not to leave the city other than under special circumstances, state media reported. The WHO said it was too early to tell if the quarantine would successfully prevent the virus spreading further. To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science, said Gauden Galea, the UN agencys representative in China. It has not been tried before as a public health measure, so we cannot at this stage say it will or will not work. The doctor, who visited a biosafety lab, hospital and airport in Wuhan earlier this week, said we are now daily hearing of massive increases in the numbers and even if they are in the thousands, this would not surprise us. But he added patient numbers alone did not indicate the severity of the outbreak as many cases were mild and the mortality rate had decreased. Researchers at Imperial College London who studied the number and location of reported cases estimated that 4,000 people had been infected by the virus in Wuhan by 18 January. "It is likely that the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan has caused substantially more cases of moderate or severe respiratory illness than have currently been detected and reported," they said. A panel of scientists were set to meet on Thursday at the WHOs headquarters in Geneva to consider whether the outbreak of the new coronavirus should be declared an international emergency. The 16 independent experts in disease control, virology, epidemiology and vaccine development were holding a second closed-doors meeting after they were unable to reach a decision on Wednesday. In the US, at least 16 people were being monitored for signs of the disease after they had had close contact with a man in Washington state who was diagnosed with the first American case. The patient, a 30-year-old man who had recently returned from Wuhan, is recovering well and may soon be discharged from Providence Regional Medical Centre in the city of Everett, said the hospital's chief medical officer Jay Cook. In a win for residents, a concrete company will end its efforts to gain an environmental permit to build a concrete mixing plant in northwest Houston neighborhood just one day before an administrative judge was set to hear arguments from the community against the plant. Soto Ready Mix, a small Houston company, had planned to build the plant near homes and a park in Acres Homes, a historically black neighborhood. On Wednesday, however, the companys lawyers filed a motion with the administrative judge to send the case back to the states environmental agency, so that the company could withdraw its application to build the plant. Soto Ready Mix sought an air emissions permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the states environmental agency, to build a batch plant, where concrete is mixed. For nearly two years, residents fought the permit for the plant, which they said would release particulates harmful to human health into the air. The prospect of a concrete plant in the neighborhood had already hurt property values, residents said. TCEQ granted a hearing to the residents, allowing them to argue their case before a state administrative judge. That hearing, scheduled for Thursday, was canceled. The permit had become a test of the environmental permitting process in the state for advocates. Often, communities are unaware or unable to amass the resources needed to stop a company from obtaining one of the states environmental permits. But in Acres Homes, residents have engaged in the permitting process, tirelessly rallying politicians and pressuring regulators to host several public meetings. Im overjoyed, said Donna Williams, who lives next door to the proposed site and whose family has been fighting the batch plant for years. I feel our prayers have been answered and that all of our efforts have not been in vain. Winning model The success for Acres Homes could become a model for other communities confronting proposals to build concrete plants near their homes, environmental advocates said. Corey Williams, research and policy director at Air Alliance Houston, a nonprofit that opposed the Acres Home permit, estimated that more than 100 concrete batch plants operate in Houston. I think we found something that works, he said. We will organize around other facilities in a similar manner in the future. These facilities dont belong in residential neighborhoods. On HoustonChronicle.com: One Houston neighborhood is fighting Texas air quality rules Air Alliance Houston is following another concrete batch permit application in a largely Hispanic community in the Aldine area, Williams said. It has the potential to affect nearly twice as many residential properties as the proposed Soto Ready Mix plant in Acres Homes. The proposed Soto Ready Mix plant would have been notably close to many homes as well as daycare facilities, parks and churches. Building such plants in Houston exists in a blind spot between state and local laws. TCEQ only has jurisdiction over emissions from the plant, not where it is sited. Thats not a problem in many communities, where zoning laws prohibit industry from locating so close to residences. Houston, however, doesnt have zoning laws. Over the last five years, TCEQ received more than 100 requests for concrete batch plant air emissions permits in Houston, according to the agency. Only two were denied. It's fantastic news for the community, said Collin Cox, an attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid working on behalf of one resident of Acres Homes. These things are almost never defeated. The way the law is written, it is next to impossible to stop them. More to be done Public pressure to block the plant steadily escalated over the last year. Earlier this month, Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke out against the project at a news conference. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston), state Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D-Houston) and state Sen. John Whitmire, (D-Houston), spoke at TCEQ meetings and hosted town halls on the issue. In the letter to regulators, Birch, Becker & Moorman, the law firm representing Armando Soto, the owner of the business, wrote that Soto had determined, based on conversations with interested persons this week, that moving forward with the permit was not in the companys best interest. Neither Soto nor his attorney responded to requests for comment Wednesday. Johnson, who spoke with Soto Wednesday, and Whitmire said their offices will continue to negotiate with the company, and work with it to find a location that is more suitable for a concrete plant. Whitmire said convincing the TCEQ to refer the issue to a state hearing was a major step in applying pressure. You don't win at the TCEQ often, because the law favors business, Whitmire said. I'm glad the people won one today. We need more wins like this. Johnson called the withdrawal of the permit application a victory for the community. But he said more needs to be done namely, passing legislation that would prohibit concrete batch plants from operating in residential neighborhoods. Unfortunately, Johnson said, Soto Ready Mix Inc. is not the only concrete batch plant aiming to operate in residential neighborhoods in Houston. erin.douglas@chron.com Twitter.com/erinmdouglas23 A220 Air Canada takeoff Air Canada Air Canada took delivery of its newest aircraft, the Airbus A220, in December and unveiled it to the public on January 15. The airline plans to deploy the aircraft domestically and to US destinations including Seattle, New York, and San Jose, California. The aircraft has a long history that saw majority ownership in the program acquired by Airbus after it was designed by Canada's Bombardier. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Air Canada unveiled on Wednesday its first Airbus A220-300 aircraft, showing off the Canadian airplane that was bought by a European manufacturer that plans to also build them in the US. The aircraft is one of the most controversial in North America because of Boeing's resistance to and interference in the plane's sales in the US market. The manufacturer unsuccessfully attempted to block the purchase of the aircraft by Delta Air Lines, which had been shifting more toward Airbus products in its medium- and long-haul fleets with arrivals such as the Airbus A321 and A350-900 XWB. Though Boeing failed to convince trade regulators of its case, the negative decision opened the door for Airbus to take a majority stake in the program and rebrand it as its own. It was then that the Bombardier C Series became the Airbus A220, though most operators still keep the C Series name on the entryways to its aircraft. Once it took delivery of the aircraft at the Bombardier-Airbus facility in Mirabel, Quebec, near Montreal, Air Canada became the second North American carrier behind Delta Air Lines to operate the Airbus A220, showing national pride doesn't always come first in aviation. Delta uses the aircraft on a variety of domestic routes with one of its longest being New York to Salt Lake City. JetBlue Airways placed a large order for the aircraft last year, opting to go for an all-Airbus fleet rather than continue with Embraer. Air Canada received its first of 45 Airbus A220 aircraft in December, opting to purchase the larger A220-300 variant for its mainline fleet. Story continues A220 Air Canada Taxiing Air CanadaThe fleet will be based in Air Canada's central Canadian hubs of Montreal and Toronto, flying both domestically within the country and internationally to cities such as New York. Air Canada Airbus A220 Air CanadaAir Canada also plans to use the plane to launch new routes from Montreal and Toronto to as far as Seattle and San Jose, California, respectively. IMG_6459.JPG Thomas Pallini/Business InsiderThe aircraft was delivered in Air Canada's new black, white, and red livery, a throwback to one of its former paint schemes. A220 Air Canada fuselage close up Air CanadaThe A220's interior allows for a normal-size business class cabin in a 2-2 configuration, with Air Canada planning to fit its A220s with 12 business-class seats. Air Canada Airbus A220 Interior Air CanadaThe economy-class cabin will have 125 seats, configured in a 3-2 configuration that's ideal for couples or companions traveling together. Air Canada Airbus A220 Interior Air CanadaIts cockpit is state of the art, with side sticks replacing normal yokes, or control wheels, and screens taking the place of many instruments. Airbus A220 Cockpit Kyodo News Stills/GettyOne of the rear lavatories of the aircraft features a window. IMG_6463.JPG Thomas Pallini/Business InsiderThe aircraft gained its controversial status when Boeing attempted to block the sale of the aircraft to Delta, saying subsidies from the Canadian government enabled Bombardier to lower its prices. Bombardier C Series/Airbus A220 Ints Kalnins/ReutersThe US government initially sided with Boeing, proposing a nearly 300% tariff on imports of the aircraft from Canada, which prompted Airbus to step in. Delta Airbus A220 First Class DS David Slotnick/Business InsiderThe European aircraft manufacturer took a 50.01% stake in the program, which is why the aircraft is now called the Airbus A220. Airbus slapped its name on it and will build future A220s destined for American airlines at a new assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama, alongside the Airbus A320 family. Airbus Mobile groundbreaking ceremony AirbusThe US International Trade Commission ultimately ruled against the tariff, but Airbus' investment, rebranding, and new production facility remained. Airbus A220 Farnborough Air Show 2018 Benjamin Zhang/Business InsiderSome of the largest operators of the aircraft are in Europe, with Swiss International Air Lines being the largest operator of the Airbus A220, according to fleet data from Planespotters.net. Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A220 ARND WIEGMANN/ReutersAir Baltic isn't far behind, primarily using its Airbus A220 aircraft on regional routes across Europe with the goal of operating the aircraft exclusively. Air Baltic Airbus A220 Ints Kalnins/ReutersDespite Boeing's efforts, Delta Air Lines debuted its A220 fleet in February after a brief delay because of the 2018-19 government shutdown. Its first two routes were from New York to Boston and Dallas. Delta Airbus A220 Dallas Thomas Pallini/Business InsiderOperators of the aircraft still keep the C Series name on its aircraft at the boarding door, reminding every passenger who steps aboard of the aircraft's controversial past. Airbus A220 Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Read the original article on Business Insider Sri Lanka: Support from the Canadian Government to uplift Sri Lankas inland fisheries industry January 23,2020 | Source: Colombo Page The Canadian government has agreed to further enhance Sri Lankas inland freshwater fisheries industry, state media reported. The support to uplift the inland fisheries industry was announced during a meeting held between Minister Douglas Devananda and Canadian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka David McKinnon yesterday at the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Already the Canadian government has made technical and financial contributions to boost the fisheries industry in the country and Minister Douglas Devananda has expressed appreciation to the Canadian government for the assistance. The Minister also welcomed the contribution made by the Government of Canada to bolster self-employment of women and demining activities in the Northern Province. The Canadian High Commissioner has assured continued support needed to uplift the fisheries community in Sri Lanka. A 35-year-old auto driver from Uttar Pradesh, who allegedly stabbed his wife and mother-in-law at Nirmal Nagar in Bandra on January 18, was arrested from Bandra Reclamation on Wednesday. The accused, Sonu Mirhasan Qureshi, is a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. On January 18 around 11pm, he visited his mother-in-laws residence at Nirmal Nagar to convince his wife, Shamim, who had left his home a year-and-a-half ago, to return. As Shamim refused, the couple had a heated argument. He then allegedly took out a knife and stabbed her in the stomach and then slit her throat, said police. Hearing her daughters screams, Shamims mother, Rahima Hussain, 62, who was asleep, woke up. When Rahima tried to intervene, Sonu stabbed her in her chest and jaw, and fled, said an officer from Nirmal Nagar police station. Hearing the cries of Shamim and Rahima, the neighbours rushed to their home and took the duo to Bhabha Hospital, where they are recuperating and are said to be out of danger. We recorded Shamims statement and registered a first information report (FIR) against her husband under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and began investigation, said Sangram Pache, senior inspector, Nirmal Nagar police station. Based on his call data records, we arrested him from Bandra Reclamation, said Pache. Shamim told the police that Qureshi was addicted to alcohol, and assaulted her on several occasions in an inebriated state. She added that it was because of this that she had decided to leave her matrimonial home at Ghaziabad a year-and-a-half ago, and live with her mother in Bandra. It's a Disney day for this 'self-made billionaire' and her famous family. On Wednesday, Kylie Jenner, 22, and her ex-boyfriend Travis Scott, 27, sparked reunion rumors as they took their daughter Stormi, aged one, to Disney World for her first time. The family of three was joined by Kourtney Kardashian, 40, her daughter Penelope, aged seven, grandmother Kris Jenner, 64, and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 37. And while Kim Kardashian, 39, was absent from the girl's trip, her daughter North West, aged six, also tagged along for some fun. Family time: On Wednesday, Kylie Jenner , 22, and her ex-boyfriend Travis Scott, 27, sparked reunion rumors as they took their daughter Stormi, aged one, to Disney World for her first time The trio haven't been pictured together in months since the August 27, 2019 Netflix premiere of Travis' documentary Look Mom I Can Fly. Kylie and Travis hopped on Peter Pan's Flight ride with Stormi, who is turning two years old on February 1; the makeup mogul had the tot on her lap on the ride as she took a phone call. Travis cut a low-key figure with a heavy jacket, a hoodie and a beanie while seated next to them. Kylie and Travis split in October after dating for over two years; they were first spotted together in April 2017 at Coachella and her pregnancy was revealed in August of that same year. Family time: The family of three was joined by Kourtney Kardashian and her daughter Penelope and grandmother Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble The group was accompanied by their very own VIP tour guide that alone comes with a price of a minimum of $2,975. Both the Jenners and Kardashians stayed close together as they got their own exclusive access to the park. The Kylie Cosmetics founder looked chic for her day out at Disney with a white and navy coat and massive gold hoops. VIP: The group was accompanied by their very own VIP tour guide that alone comes with a price of a minimum of $2,975 Family: The trio haven't been pictured together in months since the August 2019 Netflix premiere of Travis' documentary Look Mom I Can Fly So chic: Momager Kris appeared as stylish as ever in a simple navy coat and combat boots while carrying her small Chanel bag while spending the day with her grandchildren The Poosh founder appeared to be enjoying her time at the Happiest Place on Earth as she held hands with her daughter. For her outfit of the day, she wore a burgundy faux leather coat that went down past her knees. She paired the stylish set with a simple black t-shirt and black pleather pants. Momager Kris appeared as stylish as ever in a simple navy coat and combat boots while carrying her small black Chanel bag while spending the day with her grandchildren. Jet setter: The Kylie Cosmetics founder looked chic for her day out at Disney with a white and navy coat and massive gold hoops The ladies: Kris and Kourtney headed inside their next attraction as the Poosh founder held hands with her daughter Penelope and her niece North Dad's of Disney: Corey Gamble carried little Stormi while heading to the next attraction This day at Disney marks the first spotting of 2020 for both Kylie and Travis. On Tuesday, the makeup mogul revealed to her millions of followers on Youtube that 'I see myself having four kids. I don't have a timeline to this.' She continued: 'I don't know if I'm going to have four kids tomorrow or if I'm going to have four kids in seven years.' Adorable: Stormi rocked a sweet little purple tie-dye set while hanging out at the park During a recent interview with XXL Magazine, the Sicko Mode rapper opened up abut his relationship with his ex and their 2019 split. 'Stormi is one of the best human beings I know. She's like my best friend. She makes life a little bit easier.' 'Her mom and I came up with the name Stormi together. I love her mommy and I always will.' You're doing great sweetie: Kourtney gets down on the ground to get the perfect photo of her daughter at Disney Strike a pose: Kylie also puckered up when she used a popular filter app Incognito: The cosmetics mogul flipped her hoodie up before going on another ride Doting mom: Kylie kept daughter Stormi close to the vest as made their way around the Happiest Place On Earth Baby got back: The day earlier at Disneyland Kylie showcased her famous derriere Curvy: The reality star also flaunted her midriff during day one at Disneyland Revealing: The Kylie Cosmetics founder paired her tight jeans with a crop-top Jetstar has launched a massive Australia Day sale with flights across the country for as little as $35. The cheap fares are on offer for trips between March and October and the sale will close at midnight on Monday. Holidaymakers can travel the country with fares starting at just $35 from Sydney to Melbourne - and Perth to Melbourne for $139. With Jetstar's Australia Day sales, travellers can fly to the iconic Whitsundays (pictured) from Sydney for just $89 Other offers include $89 flights from Sydney to the Whitsundays. Travellers in Adelaide can head to the Sunshine Coast for $59 while those in Hobart can fly to Melbourne for $41. In the wake of devastating bushfires, a Jetstar spokesperson said the sale came at the perfect time to promote Australian tourism. 'Theres no better time to support Aussie tourism and with travel dates between March 2020 October 2020, you can start planning your getaway without the far away, and get set to explore our beautiful backyard,' a Jetstar spokesperson said. Also on offer is a trip to Uluru in the Northern Territory (pictured) starting at just $89 from Melbourne 'Some of Australias most sought after and breathtaking destinations are on offer during Jetstars Aussie Sale: Busselton, the gateway to the Margaret River Region, Darwin, the Sunshine Coast and Cairns to name a few.' Some of the other cheap deals include an $89 flight from Melbourne to Uluru, one of Australia's most iconic landmarks. The flights went on sale on Thursday and are only one way. Baggage is not included. Holidaymakers can fly to Melbourne (pictured Melbourne's Brighton) at a fare as low as $35 from Sydney Gaborone (Botswana) 22 January 2020 (SPS)- The President of the Republic of Botswana, Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K Masisi, sent a message of congratulations to the President of the Saharawi Republic, Mr. Brahim Ghali, on the occasion of the later election as Secretary General of Polisario Front and President of the Saharawi Republic. The letter, which was initially sent to the Saharawi President on December 30th 2019, comes following the successful organization of the 15th Polisario Congress held from the 21st to 25th December 2019. President Masisi considered that the election of President Ghali attests to the trust and confidence that the people of the Saharawi Republic have in your visionary and judicious leadership, as well as the commitments made by your party, the Polisario Front, in steering the country to self-determination and independence. President Masisi further reaffirmed his commitment to continue working closely with you in our efforts to further strengthen the bonds of friendship and solidarity between our two countries, especially towards the self-determination of the people of the Saharawi Republic. He finally wished President Brahim Ghali continued personal good health and a successful term of Office, as well as peace and prosperity for the people of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. (SPS) 090/500/60 (SPS) From left to right, Mary Ann Tancredi, Colleen Samson, and Gianna Molo celebrate Mass in the chapel at the Cathedral Chapel at the Basilica of St Peter Paul on January 23, 2020, the same day the Archdiocese announced the new Archbishop-elect, Nelson J. Perez. Read more A new archbishop was selected to lead the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and news of the appointment rippled through the Catholic community Thursday even before a morning news conference to introduce him. Pope Francis announced Thursday Nelson Perez, 58, currently the bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, will be the next head of the 1.3 million-member archdiocese and the first Hispanic in the role. Perez was a priest for more than 20 years in West Chester, and the Olney and Lawncrest sections of Philadelphia, before being elevated in 2012. READ MORE: Nelson Perez's path from Philly priest to the regions first Hispanic archbishop At a 7:15 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Rev. Isaac Haywiser briefly acknowledged Perezs appointment, saying: Rome announced it, so I guess I can, too. He directed parishioners to tune into a 10 a.m. news conference introducing Perez to the Catholic community of Philadelphia. He also prayed for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Cleveland during this time of transition. Perez succeeds Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who turned 75 last year, the typical age of retirement for Catholic bishops, and will step down. Politically, Perez will likely be to the left of Chaput, a conservative. While in Cleveland, Perez took on immigration reform and last year criticized the Trump administrations immigration policy separating parents from their children, saying it was a moral issue. READ MORE: Who is Nelson Perez, the new archbishop of Philadelphia? Haywisers announcement was the first time Ulises Prudente a lifelong Catholic who has attended Mass at the Basilica for three years had heard of the move. The 34-year-old Mexican immigrant who lives in South Philly and works as a shoe-shiner said the naming of the archdioceses first Latino archbishop was wonderful news, especially here at the Basilica, which has a robust community of Latino parishioners and offers a weekly Mass in Spanish. Prudente said while he respected Chaputs leadership and saw him as like a father, he was heartened to hear Perez may represent a different political bent. The world is better with different ideas, he said. READ MORE: A revolutionary idea: Phillys Latinos expect new archbishop Nelson Perez to be a change agent Attendants at the Basilicas Mass Friday afternoon felt similarly, though the pastor did not mention Perezs appointment. Parishioner Mary Gerry, who worked in finance with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for nearly three decades, said she was happy to hear of Perezs social justice bent, saying she felt Chaput was rightfully more focused on financial stability. Change is always good, said Gerry, who is retired and lives in Center City. It just takes some getting used to. But when told of Perezs criticism of the Trump administrations family-separation policy, Gerry defended Trump and said shes a tremendous supporter of the president, largely due to his support of anti-abortion causes. READ MORE: Our new archbishop is a Philly guy and hes speaking our language | Mike Newall Connie Beraducci, who has been a volunteer at the Basilica since 2018, said some change would be welcome. Progressive is good, just not overly, she said. As long as hes not way out in left field, I think he will be okay. Beraducci, who was raised in South Philadelphia and now lives in Woodland, said that shes glad they picked someone a little younger so he will be around longer. Shes also appreciative of Perez Philadelphia roots. I think thatll make him more accessible and comfortable with us, she said. Hell know his way around." VANCOUVERAn extradition case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou is a test of whether courts will reject foreign charges that run contrary to Canadian values, argues her lawyer. A British Columbia Supreme Court hearing wrapped Thursday that focused on the legal test of double criminality, or whether the conduct Meng is accused of would also be a crime in Canada. The United States has charged her with fraud over allegations she lied to HSBC about Huaweis relationship with an Iran-based subsidiary, putting the bank at risk of violating American sanctions. The defence has argued the judge must dismiss the case because Canada has rejected similar sanctions, while the Crown said the judges job is to determine if theres evidence of fraud, not to uphold Canadian sovereignty. Mengs lawyer, Richard Peck, responded to the Crowns argument by telling the judge that her interpretation of the law must be informed by values enshrined in the Constitution. This is the kind of case that tests our system, Peck said. Its a difficult case. Its not, for us, so much a matter of standing here and saying we want to see justice done. We say right needs to be done. The concept of right is elusive, but it lies at the core of the rule of law, Peck said. The risk faced by the bank from the alleged fraud is solely linked to American sanctions law, not the more traditional laws usually dealt with in extradition cases, he added. Its unique because the risk of economic deprivation arises solely from a legal obligation that exists in the U.S., which Canada has expressly repudiated, Peck said. Its unique because our standards have changed with respect to this very issue. Its extraordinary in that sense. Canada lifted sanctions against Iran in 2016 after world powers signed a nuclear deal with the country. The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed sanctions again while also adding new penalties. Canada has not followed suit. If the judge rules Meng should be extradited to face charges, Justice Minister David Lametti will still have the final say on whether to surrender her to the United States. Crown counsel Robert Frater said Wednesday the judge is responsible for evaluating the evidence, while the justice minister is meant to weigh issues of Canadian independence and values. Frater also said the judge does not necessarily need to consider American sanctions law for the allegations to amount to fraud in Canada. HSBC faced significant reputational risk for processing Iran-related transactions because it had already faced penalties for doing business in countries including Libya and Sudan, Frater said. Another lawyer for Meng, Scott Fenton, countered Thursday that the Crown has previously argued that all the risk derived from violating American sanctions. The Crown focused on sanctions risk, even when discussing reputational risk, in its arguments before a judge issuing an arrest warrant in 2018 and in court documents, he said. Fenton said the Crown is now speculating that HSBC could have lost business relationships if it was revealed to be doing business with Iran, regardless of sanctions, and this marks a change. Milady, in my submission this is wrong. The court is being embarrassed, he said. The Crown has also argued that the judge can, according to case law, consider the context of American sanctions in a limited way to understand the risk faced by HSBC. Mengs arrest in December 2018 at Vancouvers airport set off a diplomatic uproar. Beijing has detained two Canadians and restricting some imports in moves widely viewed as retaliation. She denies the allegations and is free on bail, living in one of her two multimillion-dollar homes in Vancouver. Holmes reserved her decision after the defence concluded its reply Thursday. If the judge rules the legal test of double criminality has not been met, Meng will be free to leave Canada. If she finds there is double criminality, the hearing will proceed to a second phase in June. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2020. Read more about: Study shows a Zika vaccine for women of childbearing age doesn't have to be perfect to be valuable Global climate change has raised concerns that mosquito-borne diseases could become increasingly prevalent in the United States as warmer temperatures lead to increased mosquito activity. The 2015-2016 Zika outbreak, which impacted much of the Americas, prompted efforts to accelerate the development of a Zika vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10 percent of babies born in the U.S. whose mother was confirmed with the Zika virus during pregnancy had associated birth defects. The birth defects, like congenital Zika syndrome, can be devastating, fatal, and costly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in high-income countries like the U.S., the associated costs of caring for a single child with Zika-related birth defects have been estimated to be as high as $10 million. A new study led by researchers at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) and the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine found that routinely giving the Zika vaccine to women of childbearing age could save money if the risk of Zika is around that of other mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya. These diseases have been endemics in many parts of Latin and South America. Both are febrile, cause severe joint pain and could be life threatening if left untreated. According to the CDC, the same mosquito that carries the Zika virus, the Aedes species mosquito, also carries dengue and chikungunya. The team developed a computer model representing women of childbearing age in different countries in the Americas. The model represented what happens to a woman if she becomes infected with Zika, how it varies with pregnancy, and the potential benefits of a vaccine to prevent the Zika infection. As the study demonstrates, it is critical for officials to monitor the incidence of Zika infections in their region to determine whether the risk becomes comparable to that of dengue and chikungunya. This information could help determine whether a routine vaccination would be necessary. "The end of the 2015-2016 outbreak doesn't mean that Zika has gone away as a threat," says Bruce Y. Lee, executive director of PHICOR, headquartered at CUNY SPH. "Cases may still continue to occur in different locations. Plus, future outbreaks are still possible. Therefore, it is important to be proactive about preventing the further spread of Zika." The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, show how computer simulation modeling can help guide vaccine development. Results from the model provide scientists, manufacturers, public health officials, funders, and policy makers targets to aim for when developing the Zika vaccine and deciding when and where to use it. "The study shows that a Zika vaccine doesn't have to offer near perfect protection to be valuable," says Sarah M. Bartsch, project director at PHICOR and lead author of the study. "In fact, the study shows that in many cases a vaccine that only offers protection as low as 25 percent can still produce cost savings in certain situations." ### The research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) and the Global Obesity Prevention Center (GOPC) via grant U54HD070725 and NICHD via U01HD086861, the Agency for Health care Research and Quality via grant R01HS023317, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences via Models of Infectious Diseases Agent Study grant U24GM110707, and the U.S. Agency for International Development under agreement number AID-OAA-A-15-00064. Bartsch SM, Asti L, Stokes-Cawley OJ, Sim SY, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Lee BY, "The Potential Economic Value of a Zika Vaccine for a Woman of Childbearing Age," American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2020, ISSN 0749-3797 For more information, contact: Ariana Costakes Communications editorial manager ariana.costakes@sph.cuny.edu 646-364-9649 About the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to teaching, research and service that creates a healthier New York City and helps promote equitable, efficient and evidence-based solutions to pressing health problems facing cities around the world. For more information, visit sph.cuny.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @CUNYSPH. About PHICOR Since 2007, PHICOR has been dedicated to researching and developing new ways to help decision makers better understand and address complex systems in health and public health. Follow @PHICORTeam for updates. The foremost civil Rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has backed the current rating by transparency international which rates Nigeria as one of the most corrupt nations globally just as the group challenged the Justice Minister to organise a road show whereby credible civil Rights advocacy groups and government officials will tour all of Nigeria so the Federal Government tell Nigerians how come out of all of the national budgets yearly the critical national infrastructures have remained dilapidated. The Rights group which reacted to the just released report of the Berlin, Germany based global transparency rating agency- Transparency International also faulted the federal attorney general and minster of justice Alhaji Abubakar Malami (SAN) for denying the corruption status of Nigeria currently on the nebulous ground that there is no evidence to backup the transparency international's claims just as the Rights group told the justice minister that even president Muhammadu Buhari has in almost all of his public speeches has identified that corruption in public offices is staggering and monumental which is why anti-corruption fight is elevated over and above other critical public services to the citizenry by the current federal administration. HURIWA accused the Justice Minister of living in self denial. If the chief law officer of the federation is now denying the obvious and empirical evidence of high corruption as severally claimed by his appointing authority and the president, it means he is disloyal to the principal mandate of his master. If he is a loyal and faithful cabinet level minister under a government that prioritises anti-corruption far and above security of lives and property of the citizenry, then he has no reason remaining in the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration which claims that Nigeria is so corrupt to a level that what matters most to the government is to wage war against corruption and here is he denying what his pay master claims to be self evident. "The EFCC acting Chairman only Yesterday told the World that this year many looters hiding in Europe would be brought back. Why is the Justice Minister denying the obvious? Is there no corruption when a serving General Officer Commanding a military location in Sokoto was caught over the disappearance of millions of Naira whose source is unknown and indeed the EFCC recently secured a court order to forfeit over 180 million belonging to an Army General? Is Nigeria not corrupt when the Son of a serving Director General of a Federal Agency was reportedly arrested in Dubai with $5 million USD cash? Is Nigeria not corrupt when nearly $50 million USD was found in a flat kept by one of the top security chiefs who has now been declared wanted by EFCC because he reportedly left Nigeria with his Wife? Is Nigeria not corrupt when the Auditor General of the Federation has for over three years now indicted many ministers and institutions for breach of transparency and accountability laws? Is Nigeria not corrupt when EFCC and ICPC have successfully recovered stolen assets hidden by serving civil servants by way of Real Estates in Abuja? This Justice Minister must be operating from the moon for him to even debate the accurate statistical claim made by Transparency International about the level of lack of transparency and accountability at all levels of government." Besides, HURIWA in the statement by Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko the National Coordinator disclosed that corruption amongst federal agencies in the current dispensation is so staggering that most if not all of the essential social services and national infrastructures have all but collapsed even when trillions of Naira of public funds have reportedly been released to fix the broken down critical infrastructures such as federal roads, health institutions, federal schools have all deteriorated and are currently unable to do the basic services for which these budgetary releases were reportedly made. "How come there is widespread breakdown of law and order and hundreds of Nigerians are becoming crime victims even when billions are released through media announcements for policing duties and for other national security services? Corruption is the reason the prisons have collapsed and we have too many jail breaks and even inmates carry out international Advanced Fees fraud from the Prisons in active collaboration with the top level officials. Corruption is the reason immigration and customs services are so deficient that it took the closing down of all borders for government to insult our sensibilities with the infantile claims that weapons and small arms are being smuggled through the borders even when billions of Naira of public fund are reportedly spent funding customs and immigration yearly? The Justice Minister should read the report and look for ways and means of following law based guidelines to wage real war against corruption. " So Malami says there was nothing that has not been done as a nation in the fight against corruption? Why is corruption so widespread and why are virtually all national infrastructures down and out? Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, has no locus to fault the recently-released annual corruption perception index (CPI) because he is living in self denial and has displayed hypocrisy to claim that corruption has been reduced." "HURIWA even thinks that it was their push to sound politically correct that made Transparency International to have exercised a lot of diplomatic maturity by not rating us as The last. The CPI published by Transparency International (TI), ranked Nigeria the fourth most corrupt country in West Africa, and 146 out of the 180 enlisted countries in the world. This rating is a gentleman's charitable presentation because going by the fact that last year Nigeria became the Country with the largest population of poor people even amidst the fact that we remain the 6th largest World's exporter of crude oil which has maintained a consistent higher global asking price shows that government officials in the current dispensation are the worst corrupt species of Nigerians created by God. Why is NNPC so filthy and stinks of corruption? Federal Inland Revenue Services and Customs make claims of generating trillions of Naira as revenues yearly since the last five years but Nigeria has gone back to become one of the World's most heavily indebted nations which Nigeria exited few years back and this in-glorious rating as a heavily indebted nation happened because the current administration borrows from all sorts of places and these borrowed funds are looted and not used to fix the national infrastructures which still remained collapsed even as I write. Where are the big revenues from Customs and FIRS?" " HURIWA hereby demands the resignation of the justice minister for reacting to the list on Channels TV, Malami and saying that as far as he's concerned, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has been actively fighting corruption." HURIWA quoted Malami as stating thus, In terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more, we have done more and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption devoid of any extraneous considerations relating to the rating by Transparency International. Our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations, we will continue to do more and we will double efforts. In terms of legislation, we have done more, in terms of enforcement we have done more, in terms of recovery of looted assets we have done more, and in terms of political goodwill, we have demonstrated extra-ordinary political goodwill." HURIWA hereby challenges Nigerian government officials to stage a ROAD SHOW TO BE TELEVISED LIVE SO NIGERIANS ARE SHOWN THE INFRASTRUCTURES BUILT WITH THE BILLIONS BORROWED SO FAR BY GOVERNMENT AND ALSO WHERE ALL THE NATIONAL BUDGETS AND REVENUES HAVE GONE INTO. Lori Harvey was seen for the first time since pleading not guilty for charges related to her hit and run case as she headed out for dinner at Matsuhisa in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. The stepdaughter of TV veteran Steve Harvey, 23, brushed off her recent legal drama - with witnesses claiming she was texting behind the wheel back in October - as she enjoyed some downtime with her close friend Asia Carter. Model Lori ditched her signature glamour in favour of a more comfy look as she teamed a black hooded jumper with camouflage print joggers. Amid legal drama: Lori Harvey was seen for the first time since pleading not guilty for charges related to her hit and run case as she headed out for dinner at Matsuhisa in LA on Wednesday The celebrity offspring, who is currently dating chart-topping rapper Future, maintained her casual display with a pair of chunky black trainers. Injecting a hint of sophistication to her appearance, the influencer rounded things off with a designer handbag and a sleek silver watch. The Memphis native looked typically stunning as she styled her tresses in loose waves and opted for dewy make-up. Just the two of us: The stepdaughter of TV veteran Steve Harvey, 23, enjoyed some downtime with her close friend Asia Carter Looking good: Model Lori ditched her signature glamour in favour of a more comfy look as she teamed a black hooded jumper with camouflage print joggers Low-key: The celebrity offspring, who is currently dating chart-topping rapper Future, maintained her casual display with a pair of chunky black trainers On Tuesday, Lori did not appear in court for the charge, with her high-powered attorney Blair Berk entering the plea for her instead, according to People Magazine. The lawyer confirmed to the publication that she appeared at the hearing on behalf of her client. Earlier this month, the social media sensation was charged with two misdemeanors - one count of hit and run resulting in property damaged one count of resisting/delaying/obstructing a peace officer. The L.A. County District Attorney's Office filed the charges nearly three months after Lori was seen walking away from the scene after she reportedly slammed her Mercedes G-Wagon into a parked car. Hit and run: Witnesses claimed Lori was texting while behind the wheel of her G-Wagon at the time of the incident back in October (pictured) The force of the collision was so intense that it caused her vehicle to flip on its side. Witnesses on-scene reported that she was pulled from the car by the driver of the vehicle she hit. Sources also claimed she was seen texting behind the wheel before crashing into the Prius. She was not booked at the time of the incident and was seen FaceTiming her stepfather, Steven Harvey, while waiting with authorities. 'She identified herself properly and signed a written promise to appear in court,' a Beverly Hills Police Department spokesman said of the incident. Lori is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on February 28. Kem Sokha's Lawyers Submit New Evidence on Third Day of Treason Trial 2020-01-22 -- The third day of the treason trial of Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha kicked off Wednesday with his defense team submitting dozens of pieces of evidence they say will exonerate their client, as controversy continued over a lack of access to the hearings for members of the media and NGOs. Pheng Heng, a lawyer representing the president of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), told RFA's Khmer Service that his team had supplied the Phnom Penh Municipal Court with 35 new pieces of evidence, including photos and a full-length copy of the video prosecutors say shows that the opposition chief committed "conspiracy with foreign powers." "We request that the judge examine our evidence and especially the original video of Kem Sokha's speech," he said. On Jan. 15, the first day of the trialhearings of which are scheduled for Wednesdays and Thursdays each weekprosecutors showed a two-minute clip of a video they say is proof that Kem Sokha colluded with the U.S. to try to overthrow Cambodia's government, but the CNRP chief's lawyers said at the time that the context of the full hour-long video was missing. The video cited as evidence by the court was recorded in 2013 and shows Kem Sokha discussing a strategy to win power at the ballot box with the help of U.S. expertsthough the U.S. Embassy had rejected any suggestion that Washington was interfering in Cambodian politics at the time of his arrest in 2017. Kem Sokha, 66, was arrested in September 2017 and charged with treason over the video. He maintains his innocence and his lawyers have said that prosecutors lack evidence to convict. Two months after Kem Sokha's arrest, Cambodia's Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP for its role in the alleged plot and banned 118 of its officials from political activities. The move to dissolve the CNRP was part of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his CPP to win all 125 seats in parliament in the country's July 2018 general election. On Wednesday, government lawyer Ky Tech told reporters that the evidence submitted by the defense would in fact bolster his case against Kem Sokha. "The new evidence will benefit us, so we thank them for submitting it," he said, without providing an explanation. Access to trial Also on the third day of the trial, court authorities agreed to allow 10 spaces for reporters and NGOs to monitor the trial for the first time after initially reserving 30 seats for diplomatic staff and family members, but facing criticism from local rights groups and the international community for not providing greater access to the public. The decision also followed a statement early on Wednesday from New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), whose deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said Kem Sokha is being "denied his right to a public hearing in the fabricated criminal case against him." "The bogus prosecution of Kem Sokha is made even worse by unjustifiably keeping the media and rights monitors out of the courtroom," Robertson said. "Cambodian authorities should drop the charges against Sokha instead of trying to keep his shabby and unlawful treatment out of public view." HRW cited observers as saying that there had been "many unoccupied seats in the court's public gallery on January 15 and 16," and that journalists who had managed to get in on the morning of Jan. 15 "were not allowed back inside for the afternoon session." "The empty seats at Kem Sokha's trial make a mockery of government claims that there is room for journalists and human rights monitors in the courtroom," Robertson said. "We expect that the European Union and other concerned governments will be watching the Sokha case closely and the truth about these sham proceedings will eventually come out," he added, noting that next month the EU will determine whether Cambodia's human rights record has improved enough to avoid losing tariff-free entry to the EU market under the "Everything But Arms" (EBA) trade scheme. Kem Sokha's case is among the issues the EU review will be considering. Local rights groups also weighed in Wednesday over the issue of limited access to the hearings. "There are those who want to participate in the trial but can't," said Am Sam Ath, senior investigator for Cambodian rights group Licadho, adding that a small courtroom is not a reason to restrict people from attending. "It is impacting the right to information access and drawing more criticism to the court because the trial is 'public,' but authorities have limited who can join." The Cambodian Center for Independent Media's executive director Nop Vy, who sent a reporter to cover the trial, criticized the court's decision to only provide an additional 10 spots for members of NGOs and the media, saying many journalists have been left out of the proceedings. "Reporters need to work on many different angles, so 10 spots are not enoughit means other reporters' rights are violated," he said. "The court does not respect the right of the media to access information. It should ensure that all reporters receive the same information." The CNRP president's trial will reconvene on Thursday. US lawmakers visit Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy, which lent its voice last week to the chorus of calls for the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to allow journalists into the courthouse, on Wednesday issued a statement saying that it had hosted three members of the U.S. House of Representatives this week as part of a bipartisan delegation to learn about Cambodia and help strengthen the U.S. commitment to Southeast Asia. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana, and Ron Estes, a Republican from Kansas on Wednesday met with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and separately with Defense Minister Tea Banh to discuss Congressional concerns about human rights, democracy, and Cambodia's sovereignty, the embassy said in a message posted to Facebook. "We are proud of the bipartisan system in the United States," the statement quoted the Congressmen as saying. "We have two major parties in our legislative branch. We don't always agree about everything, but we do agree on the great importance of this region and our desire to work closely with Southeast Asia." The lawmakers said they "believe in a prosperous, democratic, and sovereign Cambodia," and pledged to share what they had learned during their trip with fellow members of Congress and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on their return. Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translatd by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content January not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tasked with diagnosing a suspected cyberattack on an iPhone owned by Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, forensics experts detected a massive spike in data being siphoned from the device hours after he received a WhatsApp message from a Saudi royal. Yet the malware behind the hack remains a mystery. What's clear, though, is that Bezos was hit by a potent combination: advanced code, capable of grabbing gobs of information quickly, along with an encrypted delivery system that helped it evade detection. Over the past decade, spyware has gained wider acceptance, become more lucrative and, when transmitted via encryption, increasingly effective. It has evolved from a surveillance tool available for download on the dark web, often by consumers seeking to pry into a partner's private life, into a pricey product passed off as a way for law enforcement to root out illegal behavior. The market for mobile surveillance technology is valued at about $12 billion and remains less than 10% penetrated, according to Moody's. The alleged attack on Bezos would be one of the most high-profile examples of spyware being used by government officials against an individual, and it has elicited calls for greater regulation of the industry. The two United Nations experts - Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and David Kaye, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression - said they want a moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance technology from private companies. They also called the allegations involving Bezos's phone "a concrete example of the harms that result from the unconstrained marketing, sale and use of spyware." "Surveillance through digital means must be subjected to the most rigorous control, including by judicial authorities and national and international export control regimes, to protect against the ease of its abuse," they wrote in a report released Wednesday. The UN experts and the forensic analysis of Bezos's mobile phone, which was published by Vice, identified two electronic surveillance companies that could have developed the technology used to execute the hack. Israel's NSO Group and Italy's Hacking Team both sold products to Saudi officials before the 2018 attack, according to FTI Consulting, which conducted the analysis. Saudi Arabia spent $55 million in 2017 for NSO's Pegasus software, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in November. Hacking Team didn't respond to requests for comment, and NSO denied involvement in the attack. "Our technology was not used in this instance; we know this because of how our software works and our technology cannot be used on U.S. phone numbers," the company said in a statement, while declining to say whether it has done business with Saudi Arabia. "Our products are only used to investigate terror and serious crime." As the industry has grown in profitability, so has its reputation as a clean and credible business, said Jack Cable, an independent security researcher and a student at Stanford University. Even so, software makers can't guarantee that their products won't be used for ill intent, he said. "We need look no further than the advertising of companies like NSO Group to see that they sell themselves as protecting human rights for their exploit services," Cable said. At the same time their products have been employed by authoritarian governments accused of human rights abuses. Spyware is essentially a type of malware that is unwittingly loaded on the device and then takes over. Once it's installed, spyware like NSO's Pegasus can begin sending back the phone user's private data, including passwords, contact lists, calendar events, text messages and live voice calls from mobile messaging apps, according to the Pegasus manual. In some cases, the operator of the spyware can use the phone's camera or microphone to take photographs or record audio without the target's knowledge. On its website, NSO Group notes that terrorists, drug traffickers, pedophiles and other criminals have access to advanced technology that makes them harder to monitor and track. "NSO Group develops best-in-class technology to help government agencies detect and prevent a wide-range of local and global threats." Milan-based Hacking Team, founded in 2003, has sold surveillance technology to law enforcement and intelligence agencies in dozens of countries, according to company documents. Hacking Team promotional materials describe how the company's technology - its flagship system is called "Galileo" - was designed to gain access to people's Skype calls, social media messages, mobile phone locations, text messages and other data. The company said in a video posted online that the technology could be "deployed all over your country" and could hack devices belonging to "hundreds of thousands of targets." There is a constant cat-and-mouse game played between spyware developers and the companies responsible for mobile operating systems and applications. When a new spyware tool is discovered, developers from companies such as Apple and Facebook work to release a software patch that blocks the tool from working. Then the surveillance manufacturers will work to upgrade their tools to bypass the latest security updates. In recent years, however, there have been a number of cases in which spyware has been used to hack the phones or computers of journalists, activists, politicians and ordinary civilians. Activists and researchers say they have identified more than 100 cases in which NSO Group's technology has been abused to target dissidents, lawyers and enemies of oppressive regimes. WhatsApp and its parent company, Facebook, sued NSO Group in October, alleging that the Israeli company used malware to hack into the mobile phones of 1,400 people and conduct surveillance. NSO group disputed the allegations and vowed to fight them vigorously. Amnesty International is supporting a lawsuit in Tel Aviv court against the Israeli Ministry of Defense seeking revocation of NSO's export license. The lawsuit was filed in May 2019 by a group of non-profit groups claiming NSO's technology prioritizes profit over human rights. From 2017 to 2019, NSO Group's technology was linked to hacks on a British lawyer, a Canada-based Saudi dissident and multiple U.S. citizens. In 2012, Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights advocate in the United Arab Emirates was targeted with spyware produced by Hacking Team. Since then, similar cases have been reported in countries including Morocco, Egypt and Bahrain. Meanwhile, in Italy, prosecutors are probing a company named eSurv, whose employees developed spyware for law enforcement agencies, but then allegedly used the technology to hack the phones of hundreds of innocent Italians. And the work on Bezos's phone aimed at getting to the bottom of the hack, FTI says, is still underway. Volkswagen is facing a fine in Canada. Photo: Yichuan Cao/Sipa USA Volkswagen was hit with a 114m ($149.7m) fine over the diesel emissions scandal in Canada on Wednesday, just as it was leapfrogged by Tesla (TSLA) as the worlds second most valuable carmaker. The German car giant (VOW.DE) was charged in Canada last month with importing almost 128,000 vehicles that breached emissions standards. It pleaded guilty to breaching Canadian environmental protection rules and providing misleading information, according to Reuters. The C$196.5m ($149.7m, 114m) environmental penalty was approved by a judge on Wednesday. READ MORE: Jaguar Land Rover slashes around 500 jobs at UK factory It is the biggest environmental fine on record in Canada, with prosecutors saying it was 26 times higher than any previous penalty by the federal government. This resolution serves the public interest. It reflects the gravity of the conduct, and is consistent with Canadian sentencing principles, said prosecutor Tom Lemon in a statement shared with Reuters. It marks a continued fallout from the diesel emissions scandal that emerged in 2015, when Volkswagen admitted to cheating in US emissions tests. The carmaker also faced the embarrassment of being overtaken by Tesla on the stock market on Wednesday. Tesla broke through the $100bn mark to become the worlds second largest car giant by market capitalisation. Volkswagen shares were trading 0.4% lower in early trading on Thursday. A Volkswagen spokesperson told Yahoo Finance UK: Volkswagen AG cooperated fully with the investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada and this plea resolution resolves all of the charges. The resolution acknowledges the extensive measures by Volkswagen to make things right in Canada and strengthen its global compliance policies. The payment from the company will be used to support environmental projects nationally and in the provinces across the country. Youth pastor who got flu shot dies from flu complications Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An Indiana church and the family of a 36-year-old youth pastor are now in mourning after she died from flu complications Monday. The youth pastor, Allison Williams, who had worked at Reddington Christian Church in Seymour since 2008, died at Schneck Medical Center. RCC family, we are beyond saddened to announce the passing of Allison. Allison had the flu for the past few days and it seems she went septic. After arriving at the ER she went into cardiac arrest, the church announced on Facebook Monday afternoon. According to The Tribune, Reddington Christian Senior Pastor Scott Brown said that Allison lamented to him about getting the flu vaccine. She told me yesterday, I dont even know why I got a flu shot. It didnt do me any good, Brown said. According to the CDC, which conducts studies each year to determine how well the flu vaccine protects against flu illness, the effectiveness of the vaccine can vary. Recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. In general, the agency notes, current flu vaccines tend to work better against influenza B and influenza A (H1N1) viruses but offers lower protection against influenza A (H3N2) viruses. Williams' mother, Lisa Williams of Knoxville, Tennessee, reportedly noted on social media that her daughter got sick with the flu after attending the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention, which she has attended annually, from Jan. 10 to 12. Allison Williams was later diagnosed with Type A flu. When she came home, she wasnt feeling well, Pastor Brown told The Tribune. A couple of days after being home, she had gone back to the doctor for the second time, and they said she had the Type A flu. A Healthline report explains that Type A flu can be found in many species, including humans, birds and pigs. As a result of the strains long list of potential hosts and its ability to genetically change over a short amount of time, Type A viruses are very diverse and can cause a pandemic. Brown said after Williams got the flu, he and others kept checking on her. On Saturday, my wife and I brought out some medication for her, some Gatorade and things she needed, he explained. Then I checked her again on Sunday. At about 10:30 a.m., however, Brown said he noticed she had gotten worse. I said, Allison, you need to let me take you to the ER, but she didnt want to go, he told The Tribune. It wasnt until around noon that she relented and by this time, she couldnt even walk to Browns car without help. I got her to the car, took her directly to the Seymour hospital and we werent there three minutes and she went into cardiac arrest, Brown recalled. With going septic, that can happen so quickly, and the damage is done. The doctor said even if we had brought her in earlier, it wouldnt have mattered. Since Allisons death, he said he now has a different understanding of the dangers of the flu. You always hear about people dying of the flu, but you never really know anybody, he said. And all of a sudden, it happened here. On the churchs website, Williams is highlighted as a graduate of Johnson Bible College who majored in Bible and a specialty in Childrens Ministry. She oversaw the churchs nursery through high school-aged students. She had a passion for cooking, reading, traveling and her dog, Griffin, who died in December. She described Griffin as "the very best friend I've ever had." The kids had this profound respect for her, Brown said. She had this ability to command a room of teenagers and to get their attention and keep them in line. They loved her. She was by far the best youth minister I have ever worked with. She was more than my co-worker. She and I were friends. Our friendship was always the foundation of what we did. The CDC estimates that between Oct. 19, 2020 and Jan. 11, 2020, there have been up to 17,000 flu-related deaths nationwide stemming from up to 18 million flu illnesses. I find it harder to read fiction when Im working on a book, especially if its close at all in sensibility or subject matter or otherwise feels overlap-py or adjacent to what Im writing about. But this only applies to when Im really, actively, truly working on a book if Im stuck or between bursts of productivity or editing, then I can read fiction just fine. Often when Im working on something, Ill want to read something totally different than what I am thinking about, to give my brain a break (and/or give my subconscious a chance to keep cranking). It also gives me an excuse to go book shopping and buy something that I otherwise wouldnt allow myself. Some big new hardcover about corporate malfeasance. I love a good business failure book. Maybe because I worked as a corporate lawyer or in corporations for half my career. Do you count any books as guilty pleasures? Audiobooks. Hardcovers are still my favorite, then trade paperbacks. E-books have their advantages, of course (on a plane, at night in bed, early in the morning when turning pages would wake up my wife), but there are just some books that are destined for my monthly Audible credit. Usually nonfiction, the kind of dense, 600-page Big Idea book. Not sure why I feel guilty maybe because as someone who is more of a visual learner than an auditory one, I usually retain a little less from a book I listened to. Has a book ever brought you closer to another person, or come between you? This year my kids and I read Animal Farm and The Old Man and the Sea together. We take turns reading to one another out loud, for as long as they stay engaged I dont want it to become a chore. Ill keep an eye on their energy level, inflection, body language. Theres a point where the attention drops off and when I notice it, we call it a night. Usually thats about half an hour, maybe 40 minutes. But there was one time, near the end of Animal Farm, when it was my turn to read and we had already been going for a while, and I said we would continue next time and they acted like Id turned off a movie at their favorite part. They howled and protested and begged to keep going. So we did. In general, it produces a lot of wonderful things: They learn new words, new ideas (and old ideas), and we get into some wide-ranging conversations. We dont do it every night part of not wanting it to feel like an obligation but when we have a good read together, its great. I try not to smile too hard if they ever realized how happy it makes me, they might start feeling like theyre being duped. Whats the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently? In the fall, my wife and I went to a PEN America event in Los Angeles and someone at our table recommended a book by Lisa Damour called Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood. I found it really helpful, but I especially loved a definition of emotional intelligence cited in the book: seeing yourself from the outside, and seeing others from the inside. Which books got you hooked on speculative fiction? Are there any science fiction books you would elevate to the canon? Alan Mak is MP for Havant and Founder of the APPG on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Each industrial revolution produces winners and losers, and a significant reordering of nations some rise as their economic and political power grows; others decline as they are overtaken by more nimble and productive competitors. Todays largest manufacturing country, China, headed the global output league table nearly two centuries ago, before being ousted by Britain in the First Industrial Revolution. Britains reign only lasted until around 1900 as the US overtook us during the Second Industrial Revolution, which saw widespread adoption of technologies such the telegraph, railways and electricity. America retained its front-runner status during the Third Industrial Revolution the digital age that includes personal computers, mobile phones and the internet. Leadership of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has not yet crystallised. Characterised by the unprecedented fusion of technologies that blur the traditional boundaries between the physical, digital and biological spheres, breakthroughs and new products in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things, driverless cars and drones are already transforming our economy and society. Our competitors are already devising national strategies Germanys Industrie 4.0, Made in China 2025 and Japans Society 5.0 to become pre-eminent in the 4IR so they take the lions share of new jobs, global investment and national wealth. Brexit is the opportunity for the UK to review its own economic fitness for the future, and position itself to become a world leader in the 4IR. There is an active role for government, through a market-based, pro-innovation approach, creating more exposure to competition and rewarding firms that invest in new technology. The Big Government approach of the 1970s and picking winners should not be replicated. Today, we need a smart, strategic state focused on creating the conditions for businesses to succeed access to capital and skilled workers, modern infrastructure, and support in adapting to new technologies and then stepping back and letting talented British scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs get on with the job. From full fibre broadband that reaches every home and business to the new Institutes of Technology, our 2019 election manifesto set out many of the foundations we will need to succeed. However, implementing these five new policies would enable Britain to do even better and race ahead of other countries: British Innovation Principle a balance to the EUs Precautionary Principle. Our 2019 manifesto is clear that EU regulations have been a barrier to innovation. As we leave the EU, we should establish a new British Innovation Principle in UK law to provide a pro-innovation counter-balance to the EUs overly risk-averse Precautionary Principle. Enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty and pervasive throughout EU law and practice, the Precautionary Principle can unreasonably burden innovators with having to prove the absence of danger regarding a particular product, service, or procedure. It does not require regulators to weigh potential risks against the potential benefits that society might enjoy from technological development, and often constrains R&D. This means Britain is subject to a lop-sided risk assessment process. We can re-balance this with a new British Innovation Principle sitting alongside the Precautionary Principle, and possibly replacing it in the future. This will ensure our competitiveness outside the EU is no longer constrained whilst signalling that Britain is not abandoning health and safety standards. The British Innovation Principle would place a statutory duty on all public-sector bodies to ensure that, whenever policy or regulatory decisions are under consideration, the impact on innovation as a driver for jobs and growth is assessed alongside any potential risks from technological development. Increase our overall national R&D investment to three per cent of GDP There is a widely-recognised link between R&D investment and productivity increases and an emerging consensus amongst business groups and the science community that Britain needs to invest more this area. The Prime Minister has vowed to double public funding of R&D to 18bn, with total R&D spend rising from 34bn a year to more than 50bn (2.4 per cent of GDP) by 2027, meaning we hit the OECD average. This is the fastest ever increase in domestic public R&D spending, and very welcome. However, global innovation leaders such as South Korea spend more than three per cent of GDP. Most of the UK shortfall is in private sector investment. The Government should work with business to develop a roadmap for increasing national R&D investment to three per cent of GDP by 2030. This would allow the Conservatives to demonstrate political leadership on this issue, whilst clearly emphasising that the private sector needs to step up and play its part. R&D tax credits play a key role, and the Government has already pledged to increase the rate to 13% and review the definition of R&D so that important investments in cloud computing and data, which boost productivity and innovation, are also incentivised. Royal Commission on the 4IR Just as Greenwich Mean Time became the global standard for time in the 19th century, centred on Britains capital, with the right political leadership modern Britain can also determine the parameters of the Fourth Industrial Revolutions boundaries and benchmarks in the years ahead. Artificial intelligence, Big Data, autonomous vehicles, algorithms and other 4IR technologies are dramatically changing our legal, moral, political and economic structures, cutting across established norms, the remits of Government departments, and the scope of regulatory agencies. We need a more strategic approach that is informed by everyone affected by the 4IR scientists, consumers, patients and investors not just politicians and think tanks. An independent Royal Commission would examine the economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects of the 4IR and make recommendations about how we respond to the new technologies as a society, including how we approach contentious questions such as ensuring privacy, data sharing, digital inclusion and the role of individual autonomy in a world increasingly governed by data and machines. The Royal Commissions recommendations, and future Government policy, can help us set the standard globally in fields of technology where they are often piecemeal or not yet settled. Launch a new 4IR Emerging Technologies Investment Fund A new 4IR Emerging Technologies Investment Fund should be launched to help our entrepreneurs develop and commercialise new inventions. It would use public funds already allocated in the National Productivity Investment Fund and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to attract further private-sector co-investment, creating a growing pool of capital to support our technology businesses. By supporting the growth of 4IR businesses, the fund will help entrepreneurs create new jobs. A similar fund created by Boris Johnson as London Mayor has worked successfully with 14 million of City Hall seed funding used to attract an additional 64 million of private co-investment. This model should be replicated nationally. The fund would also help unlock the long-term capital sitting in pension funds and local authority funds to invest in and commercialise our scientific discoveries, creating a vibrant science-based economy post-Brexit. The UK has a world-leading venture capital and private equity sector, and we should utilise their expertise to craft a 4IR-focused Fund that helps Britain to commercialise innovations at the cutting-edge of science and technology. Review our education system with the same focus as our defence & security needs The Government should conduct a Future Skills Review (FSR) at the start of each Parliament, taking a strategic look at what skills are currently being automated out of the job market, and evaluating the readiness of our education and training systems to prepare our workforce for the jobs of the future. Just as the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) examines the countrys longer-term defence requirements, and the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) sets out our longer-term spending priorities, a new FSR would look at how we future-proof our skills base. The Governments new National Skills Fund will provide 3 billion for individuals and SMEs to access high-quality education and training, including to help people retain as the economy changes. The FSR would help ensure our financial commitment through the Skills Fund is reaching the right people and helping them adapt for the workplace changes that will happen. Rebooting our regulatory system, investing more in our science base, setting the standards that the world will follow, funding our entrepreneurs to turn ideas into products, and looking strategically at the future skills our economy will need are the key ingredients which will ensure Britain becomes a world leader in the 4IR, not just a participant. To fully Unleash Britains Potential, we have to set ourselves the strategic goal of being a world leader in the 4IR. Brexit gives us the opportunity and the impetus to re-think how we fund and structure our science and technology research, development and commercialisation. We must not waste this opportunity. Salih, Trump discuss American troop drawdown from Iraq Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 6:22 PM Iraqi President Barham Salim and his US counterpart Donald Trump have exchanged viewpoints about a reduction in the number of American military forces in the war-ravaged Arab country, weeks after a parliamentary bill demanded the withdrawal of all US-led foreign troops. "We've had a very good relationship. And we're down to a very low number. We're down to 5,000. So we're down to a very low number, historically low, and we'll see what happens," Trump told journalists following a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos on Wednesday with the Iraqi leader. Salih and Trump also discussed the importance of respecting the demands of the Iraqi people to preserve the country's sovereignty. "We have a lot of common interests, the fight against extremism, stability in the neighborhood, and [a] sovereign Iraq that is stable, friends of the neighbors and friends of the United States," the Iraqi president commented. On January 5, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country. Late on January 9, Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the withdrawal of US troops from the country. According to a statement released by the Iraqi premier's office, Abdul-Mahdi "requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement the parliament's decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq" in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The prime minister said Iraq rejects violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military's violation of Iraqi airspace in the airstrike that assassinated Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the deputy head of PMU, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and their companions. "The prime minister said American forces had entered Iraq and drones are flying in its airspace without permission from Iraqi authorities and this was a violation of the bilateral agreements," the statement added. The US State Department bluntly rejected the request the following day. 'Friday anti-US demonstrations in Iraq will mark new revolution' A high-ranking official from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha'abi, says Friday's march against the presence of United States troops in the country will turn a new page in Iraq's history. "Our beloved country is undergoing special and exceptional circumstances. After the US aggression targeted the sons of Hashd al-Sha'abi and counter-terrorism leaders, the truth behind US military presence finally came to light, and it was revealed that American troops have not been deployed in order to help Iraq, and will not withdraw whenever the Iraqi government requests them to do so," Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, which is part of the PMU, said in a statement released on Wednesday. He added, "Our country is now living in an occupation phase The Iraqi nation rejects humiliation, shame, occupation and aggression. (US President Donald) Trump has said that he wants to control the Iraqi oil Iraqi people have thwarted the US scenario of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group." Khazali further noted that Friday's demonstrations to condemn the American presence in Iraq will not only be the day of sovereignty defense, but will rather be the day of the second revolution a century after the Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920, when people staged mass demonstrations against British forces that had occupied Iraq during the First World War. "We will force the United States to withdraw from our country, and we will cleanse our country," the PMU leader pointed out. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At a recent meeting of Longford county councils elected representatives, Cllr Martin Monaghan tabled a motion calling on the council to not support any future RIC commemoration events. He said: I call that we as a council, and with the support of my fellow colleagues, recommend that we do not support the commemorations for the RIC. This is something our ancestors would never forgive us for, showing support for a force that terrified our people in their fight for freedom. It is very personal to me. I know it has been postponed but I would like to know where we stand. Cllr Colm Murray wished to acknowledge the annoyance of a number of people in relation to the proposed commemoration, though he called for recognition for RIC members who were not known enemies of the state. He said: I dont think it was handled well by the commemorative committee. There were people in the RIC, and I am not talking about the Black & Tans, that worked hard in the years coming up to Independence. They worked hard in the background to frustrate the efforts of the crowned forces. Most of the ordinary constables on the ground were working class catholic and protestant people, who had independence at heart and wanted to contribute towards that and did contribute towards that. I think it is important that some note is given to them at some point, in a commemorative process. Although offering his support of the motion, Cllr Murray called for the rewording of it. Read also: Our ancestors would never forgive us, says Longford councillor of RIC commemoration He said: I agree with the principal of the motion, but would be happier if it was reworded - if RIC was taken out of it and Black and Tans and auxiliaries put in. They were the animals that came in and terrorised people, burned them out of their houses, burnt several villages here in Co Longford. They were the ones who perpetrated the major violence around our country at the time of independence. This request was met with a firm answer from fellow representatives in the chamber, with Cllr Mark Casey saying Black and Tans cannot be separated from RIC officers. He fumed: You cant separate the Black & Tans from the RIC. The Black & Tans were brought in to assist RIC officers in what they were doing. The fact of the matter is they were oppressing Irish people, supporting crowned forces against the Irish people who were fighting for freedom. It was an absolute ludicrous proposal. Ye went ahead with it and ye are going to bear the brunt of it at the election. And you know what, I dont feel sorry for ye. Cllr Joe Flaherty described the events of last week emotionally charged , before he also issued opposition to Cllr Murrays request for the rewording of the motion, pointing to the high number of RIC stations once in the county. He said: The reality is the RIC by 1920 was a forerunner for the Black & Tans and auxiliaries. That being said, Cllr Flaherty then stressed the importance of commemoration services. He noted: The whole concept of commemorations is very important. We cant move forward as a country without acknowledging our past. We will have many difficult instances in the county over the next three years that we are going to have to acknowledge. If we find this discussion difficult, we are going to find the next one even more difficult. I do agree with Cllr Monaghan that what was proposed earlier in the week was wrong. At the same time, we have to look at our past and see how our past informs our future, he continued. Cllr Seamus Butler echoed the sentiments of Cllr Monaghans motion, saying the situation was handled ' 'atrociously'. Read also: Consensus needed 'if we are to do justice to the past', says Longford Cllr Joe Flaherty of deferred RIC commemoration He stated: I support this motion in that I think this was atrociously handled by the government. In an organisation, there can be good and bad people, but their actual membership of the organisation defines a lot of them. There were informants in it, but there were also assassins, blatant assassins in RIC. People who had a direct family connection with these people, like the Monaghan family, have been mortally offended in a number of ways. Cllr Butler then called for the government to apologise for the fiasco. I think we are owed an apology from the government and not just a postponement, he said. Cllr Mick Cahill described the controversy as a very serious matter, before noting that some sort of commemoration should be held. I think the events should be commemorated in some way, but we cant tarnish them all with one brush. There is no way, under any circumstances, can we support anything to do with auxiliaries and Black and Tans. I think there should be some respectful way of remembering some of them, as deemed appropriate by local communities. I certainly think going forward there are some serious lessons to be learned. The chamber then agreed with Cllr Monaghan's motion and in future, should the issue of an RIC commemoration resurface, the council will not issue their support. Read also: 'In no other state would they celebrate the deeds of the oppressors', says Sinn Fein's Matt Carthy Russian air strikes in Syria's northwestern region of Idlib on Thursday killed eight civilians, including five children, a war monitor said. Most of Idlib and parts of Aleppo province are still controlled by factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed regime, including a group that includes onetime members of Al-Qaeda's former Syria franchise. Five civilians from the same family were killed in Saraqeb and three others in the town of Arnaba, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The region is witnessing very intense bombardment by Russian warplanes," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, said. Idlib province is a dead end for people displaced from other formerly rebel-held parts of the country that government forces have retaken. The violence in northern Syria is escalating an already dire humanitarian situation, with aid groups warning of displacement on an unprecedented scale. According to the UN humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, almost 350,000 people have fled their homes since December 1, mainly northwards from southern Idlib, which has borne the brunt of the air strikes. The International Rescue Committee has warned another 650,000 people, mostly children and women, could be forced from their homes if the violence continues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C-L) and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (C-R) pose for a group picture with world leaders during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem on Jan. 23, 2020. (Abir Sultan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) World Leaders Rally in Jerusalem Against Anti-Semitism JERUSALEMDozens of world leaders descended upon Jerusalem on Jan. 23 for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitisma politically charged event that has been clouded by rival national interpretations of the genocide. Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britains Prince Charles, Vice President Mike Pence, and the presidents of Germany, Italy, and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The three-hour-long ceremony at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorialcalled Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitismlooks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence. But the unresolved remnants of World War IIs politics have permeated the solemn assembly over the differing historical narratives of various players. Polands president, who has received criticism about wartime revisionism, boycotted the gathering because he wasnt invited to speak. Putin was granted a central role even as he leads a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and shift responsibility for the wars outbreak on Poland, which was invaded in 1939 to start the fighting. On the eve of the gathering, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin implored visiting dignitaries to leave history for the historians. The role of political leaders, of all of us, is to shape the future, he said. But Putin quickly ventured into the sensitive terrain shortly after his arrival on Jan. 23, claiming that 40 percent of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. Of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about 1 million were Soviet. Putins controversial figure appears to include an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pact with the Nazis. When it comes to the tragedy of the Holocaust, 40 percent of tortured and killed Jews were Soviet Union Jews. So this is our common tragedy in the fullest sense of the word, he said during a meeting with Rivlin. Arkadi Zeltser, a Yad Vashem historian, said the accuracy of the statement depended on rival definitions of when the war began. Yad Vashem, along with all other reputable institutions, considers the war to have been sparked on Sept. 1, 1939, with the invasion of Poland. The Soviets generally considered their Great Patriotic War to have started two years later, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. It was the latest chapter in a bitter dispute over Soviet actions in World War II. Putin has been leading a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions pre-war pact with the Nazis and focus instead on its role in defeating them. Israel has given Putin a warm welcome, hosting him for the dedication of a monument honoring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St. Petersburg, is Putins hometown. The event marks one of the largest political gatherings in Israeli history, as a cascade of delegations including European presidents, prime ministers, and royals, as well as American, Canadian, and Australian representatives, arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport. More than 10,000 police officers were deployed in Jerusalem and major highways leading to it. Large parts of the city were shut down ahead of the event. For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the event offered an opportunity to solidify Israels diplomatic standing, bolster his tough line toward Iran, and rally opposition to a looming war crimes case against Israel in the International Criminal Court. For historians, though, the main message is one of education amid growing signs of ignorance and indifference to the Holocaust. A comprehensive survey released this week by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organization responsible for negotiating compensation for victims of Nazi persecution, found that most people in France did not know that 6 million Jews were killed during World War II. Among millennials, 45 percent said they were unaware of French collaboration with the Nazi regime and 25 percent said they werent even sure they had heard of the Holocaust. The World Holocaust Forum is the brainchild of Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, an umbrella group representing Jewish communities across Europe. The group recently reported that 80 percent of European Jews feel unsafe in the continent. In 2005, Kantor established the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, which has held forums in Auschwitz, in the killing fields of Babi Yar in Ukraine, and at the former concentration camp Terezin. The Jan. 23 event is the first time it has convened in Israel. The official commemoration marking the 75th anniversary of Auschwitzs liberation will be held next week at the site itself in southern Poland. Organizers of the Jerusalem event have come under criticism for not including enough Holocaust survivors and instead focusing on the panoply of visiting dignitaries and the festival-like atmosphere surrounding it. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter on Jan. 23 that his delegation was giving up its seats to allow more survivors to attend. Yad Vashem called the decision odd since about 100 survivors were expected to be among the 780 attendees and it was too late to make any adjustments in any case. Its a shame he took such a step, the memorial said in a statement. The gathering comes amid an uptick in anti-Semitic violence. Tel Aviv University researchers reported last year that violent attacks against Jews grew significantly in 2018, with the largest reported number of Jews killed in anti-Semitic acts in decades. They recorded 400 cases, with the spike most dramatic in Western Europe. In Germany, for instance, there was a 70 percent increase in anti-Semitic violence. In addition to shootings, assaults, and vandalism, the research also noted increased anti-Semitic vitriol online and in newspapers, as extremist political parties grew in power in several countries, raising shock and concern among aging survivors. In advance of the forum, an anthology of statements from world leaders sending delegations to Jerusalem was published to project a newfound commitment to quelling a climate some said was reminiscent of that before World War II. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau specifically mentioned the scourge of antisemitism and hatred that is becoming all too common once again. The murder of 6 million Jews by the brutal and antisemitic Nazi regime started with a slow erosion of rights, and the normalization of discrimination, he wrote. We cannot permit the passage of time to diminish our resolve never to allow such horrors to happen again. By Aron Heller Students in government-run schools in Madhya Pradesh will have to compulsorily read out the preamble to the Constitution during their assemblies on every Saturday starting this week, an official said on Thursday. Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government also made it compulsory for the students in the schools across the state to read out the preamble to the Constitution during their morning assemblies everyday from January 26. A Public Relations Department official in Madhya Pradesh said, "Preamble to the Constitution will be recited by students in every government school every Saturday." The state School Department on Wednesday issued an order to this effect, the official said, adding that it will be implemented immediately. "As per the order, students will recite the preamble of the constitution every Saturday under the guidance of the school headmaster or teacher after the prayers in primary and middle schools," the official said. "Similarly, students of high schools and higher secondary schools will recite the preamble under the guidance of the principal during the 'bal sabha', which is held every Saturday," he said. The move to make students read out the preamble to the Constitution comes at a time when large-scale protests are being held against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the likely National Register of Citizens (NRC). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China makes efforts against cross-region, cross-border spread of coronavirus Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/22 12:53:47 China has launched a string of measures and strengthened international cooperation and information sharing to lower the risk of cross-region and cross-border spreading of the new coronavirus, national health authority said on Wednesday. Ever since the coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, the Chinese side has been adhering to an open, transparent and highly responsible attitude toward the world health security, and taken the initiative to promptly share relevant information with WHO and countries and regions such as Russian and China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC), said at a press conference Wednesday in Beijing. As of Monday, relevant pieces of information have been disseminated 15 times. So far, four meetings have been convened between Chinese experts and representatives of the WHO. Chinese health authorities have also invited WHO experts to visit Wuhan and conduct an on-site probe on the disease, in order to deepen understanding and enhance cooperation to deal with the epidemic, Li noted. The NHC is also continuing close exchanges with global counterpart agencies, including the ones in the US, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, as well as their embassies in China, to share disease-related information and verify information on suspected and confirmed cases. The NHC also provided Hong Kong and Macao regions with free diagnosis toolkits, besides inviting experts from the regions to call on medical facilities in Wuhan in a bid to share details of the disease. In Wuhan, the city from which the virus stemmed, body temperature screening devices have been deployed in the airport, train stations and long-distance bus stations in order to monitor people leaving Wuhan, Li said. Some 15 temperature screeners have been installed at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, besides 20 others at three major train stations. Relevant authorities are strengthening the supervision of farm product markets, supermarkets, and restaurants amid a crackdown on the trade of wild animals, a highly likely source of the virus. The authorities are also regulating large-scale public gatherings in order to prevent people-to-people transmission. To prevent the epidemic from spreading, the Wuhan government urged people from other places to refrain from heading to the city and discouraged Wuhan residents from traveling outside, as reducing human flow is expected to decrease the possibility of contracting the virus. . In provinces that reported confirmed cases, health authorities are determining, reporting, quarantining, diagnosing, and treating the patients with utmost urgency, besides allocating medical resources to strengthen the treatment of patients, tracking close contacts to the patients and taking related bio-safety measures. In provinces with zero reported cases as of yet, the authorities are optimizing contingency plans, preparing extra ambulances, wards, experts, medicines, test reagents, disinfection and prevention items as well as prevention and emergency response teams, while also training medical staff members and public health personnel to competently handle the epidemic once it hits. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Advertisement Hundreds of passengers today arrived in Australia from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of a new deadly virus which is spreading around the world. Passengers from China Eastern flight MU749 were wearing masks as they made their way through Sydney Airport's arrivals hall just before midday after a 10-hour night flight on an A332 plane that can hold 234 people. The flight was one of the last to leave the city of 11million before a quarantine was put in place and all outbound trains and planes were cancelled. The passengers were screened in China before they boarded and, when their aircraft landed, they were asked by the pilot to declare if they felt unwell. NSW Health had a team of four nurses and doctors, who wore masks but not full HAZMAT suits, at the airport to interview passengers and ask them if they had any cold-like symptoms before they went through customs. The passengers were also screened by thermal imaging to check their temperatures - and given leaflets in English and Mandarin telling them to see a doctor if they suffered sweats, breathing difficulties or chills. A plan was in place to take any passenger suspected of being infected to Westmead Hospital - but nobody was found to be sick. Passengers are seen walking through arrivals at Sydney Airport on Thursday. The final flight from Wuhan arrived in Sydney on Thursday morning The flight captain (left) and other flight staff (right) were seen walking through the arrivals hall after getting off the plane Passengers are pictured wearing masks as they made their way through Sydney Airport's arrivals hall The passengers were screened in China before they boarded and, when their aircraft landed, they were asked by the pilot to declare if they felt unwell. Pictured: Children at Sydney Airport wearing masks NSW Health had a team of four nurses and doctors, who wore masks but not full HAZMAT suits, at the airport to interview anyone who had cold-like symptoms before they went through customs. Pictured: Children at Sydney Airport wearing masks Medical staff check the body temperature of passengers as they arrive at a railway station in Yingtan City, Jiangxi province, China as part of precautions regarding the virus outbreak The flight's cabin crew are pictured walking into arrivals wearing gloves. Workers at the Sydney Airport information desk said they had been told by their bosses not to speak to the media under any circumstances This is the leaflet that passengers were given when they landed in Australia after flying from the Chinese city of Wuhan One international student from Wuhan who was on the flight told Daily Mail Australia he was quizzed by officials on the way into the airport. 'A group of doctors wearing masks asked me if I had a cold and if I felt unwell, which I didn't,' he said. 'They checked my temperature and then let me through. I got lucky because I'm on the last flight out of Wuhan. 'The situation isn't that bad there, it's not as bad as all the scare stories.' Another passenger said they realised the situation was serious in Wuhan when the city was isolated. Dozens of the passengers are likely to be visiting Australia as tourists or for family re-unions ahead of the Lunar New Year on Saturday China Eastern flight MU749 arrives on the tarmac at Sydney International Airport in Sydney on Thursday from Wuhan A suspected coronavirus patient was carried out of an airport in Huizhou, China, in a plastic tube on Wednesday to avoid exposing medical workers to the virus Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market (above) is thought to be where the virus originated from but investigations are ongoing 'I was shocked when I heard that flights and trains were cancelled. To tell people not to leave during New Year is a drastic measure.' One passenger said officials went up and down the plane when it landed, quizzing all the passengers. 'They checked everyone but I wasn't really worried,' she said. A passenger named Kevin Ouyang, who held up his information leaflet as he posed for photos, said people travelling to Australia are worried about going home if the virus spreads. 'People are very worried,' he said. 'It's a big city.' Flight crew were seen walking through the arrivals hall with masks and gloves. The captain, wearing sunglasses and a mask, was directed though the hall as a scrum of photographers took pictures. Dozens of the passengers are likely to be visiting Australia as tourists or for family re-unions ahead of the Lunar New Year on Saturday, raising fears they will be traveling to places with large crowds such as Bondi Beach and the Sydney Opera House. Staff working at shops in the arrivals hall said they were on high alert as the flight from Wuhan landed. One mobile phone shop worker, who asked not to be named, told Daily Mail Australia: 'We're very concerned about it and we're taking precautions such as regularly washing our hands'. It is possible that someone who is incubating the infection but is not yet ill is in Australia Dr Raina McIntyre, professor of global biosecurity at UNSW A currency exchange worker said she was concerned because she had been getting more ill more than usual since working in the airport. She said: 'It's really scary and I'm really worried about the virus because it's easy for us working in the airport to catch infections. I would say I get a cold every few weeks - just because of the number of people passing through. 'Cancelling flights from Wuhan is a good thing,' she added. Workers at the Sydney Airport information desk said they had been told by their bosses not to speak to the media under any circumstances. The new coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan last month. It is believed to have spread from animals in the city's market and has already killed 17 and spread to five countries including the US. Doctors on Wednesday said the number of cases around the world may be as high as 10,000. Today's flight from Wuhan was the last one to enter Sydney before the quarantine imposed by the Chinese government. 'The rise in the mobility of the public has objectively increased the risk of the epidemic spreading,' Chinese National Health Commission vice minister Li Bin said. Experts fear the new coronavirus, which is not yet named, may already be in Australia even though no-one in the country has been diagnosed. An expert said even using thermal imaging to detect passengers with high temperatures may not stop the virus getting into Australia. Right: Kevin Ouyang shows a the leaflet passengers received when getting off the place In a chilling warning, professor of global biosecurity at UNSW Dr Raina McIntyre said even using thermal imaging to detect passengers with high temperatures may not stop the virus getting into Australia In an interview with Daily Mail Australia on Thursday morning, Dr Raina McIntyre, professor of global biosecurity at UNSW, said: 'It is possible that someone who is incubating the infection but is not yet ill is in the country. 'People can be incubating the disease and not have fever when they enter the country.' In a chilling warning, Dr McIntyre said even using thermal imaging to detect passengers with high temperatures may not stop the virus getting into Australia. She said: 'Some infections involve transmission of virus before any symptoms appear - influenza is a classic example of this.' Chinese authorities say 17 people have died and more than 500 have been infected, air and rail departures from Wuhan are suspended from January 23 'SARS, Ebola and MERS CoV tend to only be infectious when people are sick and have clear symptoms, so thermoscanning is more useful in such infections. We do not know yet whether this new coronavirus can be spread in the absence of symptoms. If it is like SARS, it is unlikely, but this needs to be confirmed with research.' Dr McIntyre said that new measures must be put in place to stop the deadly infection spreading, including new triage protocols in hospitals. She said: 'What would really help detect cases and prevent outbreaks is automated triage protocols in emergency departments and general practice - where if a patient presents with fever, health workers are prompted to ask if they have travelled recently. Passengers were expected to be welcomed by a crack team at Sydney Airport including four NSW Health doctors and nurses experienced in public health and infection control 'If they have, and if they have returned from China, this would then trigger a protocol for isolating the patient and contacting relevant health authorities. 'Time and time again we see failure of hospital triage when travel history is not asked - MERS CoV in South Korea for example - resulting in preventable epidemics. Providing returning passengers with information cards on who to contact should they develop symptoms is also useful.' The Chinese city of Wuhan was placed under quarantine on Thursday four hours after China Eastern flight MU749 took off in an effort to stop the spread of the killer coronavirus believed to have originated there. No one will be allowed to enter or leave Wuhan, a city of 11 million in China's Hubei province, as one of the country's busiest travel seasons surrounding the Lunar New Year kicks off. The crack team at Sydney Airport were set to include four NSW Health doctors and nurses experienced in public health and infection control alongside virology experts from Westmead Hospital and elsewhere. The Chinese city of Wuhan was placed under quarantine on Thursday in an effort to stop the spread of the killer coronavirus believed to have originated there. A plane carrying hundreds of passengers from the city to Sydney has landed on Thursday Taiwan's Centre for Disease Control (CDC) personnel use thermal scanners to screen passengers arriving on a flight from China's Wuhan province A lady answers questions to the media as passengers arrive at Sydney International Airport after a flight from Wuhan The team were due to wear masks and gloves when examining anyone with symptoms, NSW Health protection executive director Jeremy McAnulty said. 'If it looks like they may have an infection ... we can arrange for testing and management of that person right away,' Dr McAnulty said. Experts at Westmead Hospital can rapidly diagnose patients although if someone is very unwell they could be taken to a hospital closer to the airport. Dr McAnulty said identifying potential carriers at the airport was 'not foolproof by any means' because people who've been exposed to the virus may not display symptoms for days. The virus, an as-yet unnamed variant of the coronavirus, was first detected in Wuhan, China last month but has now breached China's borders The virus is thought to have spread into humans from a Wuhan seafood market 'which illegally traded wild animals' before travellers carried it to at least five other countries - Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the United States. World Health Organisation (WHO) officials met on Wednesday to decide whether to declare the outbreak a 'public health emergency of international concern', but members' opinions were 'split' and the committee will reconvene Thursday. Experts say its possible up to 10,000 people in China alone have been exposed to the virus, called 2019-nCoV, which is from the same family that caused previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS, killing hundreds of people in dozens of countries. China's National Health Commission said the virus had been mutating, making it more difficult to control. Wuhan will temporarily shut down airport and train stations for outgoing passengers as authorities attempt to control the spread of the virus. Residents have been urged not to leave the city, however, as it is the Lunar New Year holiday many will be planning trips. 'If it's not necessary we suggest that people don't come to Wuhan,' Wuhan's mayor Zhou Xianwang said. Chinese residents wear masks while waiting at a bus station near the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which has been linked to the outbreak that started in December Solar eclipse The one special memory I have is when my family and I took a day off to drive to Columbus Ohio to see the full solar eclipse. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced, my dad and I were both crying. Standing in a field with all of the other people that came to see it as the moon blocked the sun, watching everything get dark, felt otherworldly. Dave, Glenbard West HS Glen Ellyn, IL The Overview Effect Whenever I get the chance, I love to stargaze, and I think everyone should do the same. For me, whether its simply looking out the window or going out into the yard and just looking up, stargazing offers an amazing viewpoint. Even though Im just in my backyard, I feel something like a lesser version of the Overview Effect, an experience that astronauts have described as making them view the Earth as a whole rather than divided, brought on by seeing the Earth from above. While I dont get to experience the full Overview Effect by any stretch of the imagination, by looking up at the stars and the vastness of the universe, I simultaneously feel overwhelmed and at peace with humanitys place in the universe. I feel a sense of unity with everyone else who is in this same position as me, everyone on our planet. Kathleen Jefferson, Franklin, TN Exploring that big dark sea I have always had a soft-spot for space, something about an endless dark ocean of nothing has always had a grasp on my imagination and thoughts. The idea of our deep blue sky turning into the vast and expanding nothingness that is the swaths of space between planets has, to me, been nothing more than the final frontier, the final great ocean to map. I love the idea that earth, and the entire solar system that surrounds it, is simply an atoll in space, a collection of mass and heat encased by an immeasurable expanse. As I child I would regularly spend my weeks out in the country, and each night I would sit near the empty fields and look up, to the skies above and wish to be among those planets, and stars in space. And even today, I still want to visit the unknown regions of the universe, see new stars, new meteors and entirely new systems. And I will always have this passion because there will always be stars above to observe, and people like me who will hope beyond hope to leave this world and explore that big dark sea, and the atolls out there in space. Space is the one great unknown that is known, and the last gamble that all people can partake in, no matter their history, the final frontier is asking to be explored by those who dare. William L, Glenbard West High School Quality time with Mom Looking at the stars has never been something that Ive made an effort to do, although, there is one special place where stargazing is a normal activity for me. In my familys farmhouse in France, there is a large window on the roof upstairs. In France during the summer, the sun doesnt set until around 10pm, so my mother and I stay up extra late just to look out the window. When the sun does go down, the sky is the clearest youve ever seen. The pitch black sky lit up by thousands of sparkles captivates you, and leaves you wanting more the next night, and the night after that. This stargazing is special to me because it offers me time to appreciate nature while spending quality time with my mom. It may not be something big, but the nights I spend stargazing with my mom are some of the most special. Uma Volety, Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC Heaven on Earth One of the most memorable moments was when we went snow tubing on this big hill. We grabbed our tubes from the bottom and dragged it all the way up to the top. Sliding down was so much fun but it was too short of a ride, considering how steep the hill was. When I got to the bottom, I left the tube and started to walk up the hill. At one point, I just decided to lay in the snow. It was one of the best decisions in my life. Katilyn Dever has told how she was given words of encouragement by none other than Tom Hanks at this year's Golden Globe awards. Tom, 63, was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille award at this year's ceremony and predicted great success for the actress when they met. Speaking to ES Magazine, Kaitlyn, 23, revealed Tom placed his Golden Globe in her hands and said: 'You've got to get used to it, because you're going to be holding one soon.' Praise: Katilyn Dever, 23, has told how she was given words of encouragement by none other than Tom Hanks at this year's Golden Globe awards Tom was honoured for his services to the film industry and received a standing ovation at the ceremony. Kaitlyn stars in the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable, which dramatises the 2008-2011 serial rapes that took place in Washington and Colorado. The actress plays Marie Adler, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped while Toni Colette and Merritt Wever play two detectives trying to discover the truth. Kaitlyn met with the real-life Marie who was pleased with how she was portrayed on the show and found 'a lot of closure' from watching it. Icon: Tom, 63, was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille award at this year's ceremony and predicted great success for the actress when they met (pictured in January 2020) The star admitted the role was one of the hardest things she has ever had to do and she often cried on set due to the nature of the storyline. She said: 'I wanted to give it everything that I had. I had to forget about my feelings; the story seemed so much bigger than me. 'Id keep myself in check by reminding myself that the headache I had from crying all day [during filming] was nothing in comparison to what she had gone through, so I could deal with this for the three or four months we were shooting.' Starstruck: Speaking to ES Magazine , Kaitlyn revealed Tom placed his Golden Globe in her hands and said: 'You've got to get used to it, because you're going to be holding one soon' Kaitlyn, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Unbelievable, also spoke about her mother Kathy's stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis. The actress said she often had to suppress her true emotions after her mother was first diagnosed as she felt a responsibility not to get upset in front of her sister, who was only six years old at the time. However, Katilyn added that the ordeal has also helped her with her acting as well as given her perspective on 'what matters'. Role: Kaitlyn stars in the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable, which dramatises the 2008-2011 serial rapes that took place in Washington and Colorado The Justified star's most recent film role was in Booksmart, the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde. Kaitlyn told the publication how she is selective about the roles she chooses and found her part in the film fulfilling and doesn't think she can 'go backwards' now. The full interview appears in this weeks issue of ES Magazine, out Thursday January 23 2020. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will not attend the Assembly session on Thursday to express their dissent over developments in the state's legislative council on the Decentralisation Bill, sources said. The legislative council of Andhra Pradesh sent the Decentralisation Bill (for setting up of three capitals) to select committee on Wednesday. Earlier on Monday, the Andhra Pradesh state assembly passed the 'Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020'. According to a release, the "Bill provides for the creation of three capital cities to usher in the decentralisation of development." The Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Your browser does not support the audio element. A Japanese woman's retirement plan has been to permanently settle in Hoi An in central Vietnam, where she now runs a coffee shop, sells handicrafts, protects the local environment, and aids young people from the mountains. Usuda Reiko, 64, is popularly known to the local inhabitants in Hoi An as an important member of the community. Now that her career as a dentist is over, she resides in a little house by the bank of the Thu Bon River in Hoi An City, ready to realize her final dreams. A place for coffee and handicrafts Customers frequent her place, not just for aromatic cups of coffee, but also for the varied craft products she sources from ethnic people living in the mountainous areas. When I came to the highlands, I noticed how difficult life was for the young ethnic people there. Hoi An is not too far from them, so Ive tried to keep tabs on them, Reiko said. Thats why I decided to sell their finely made products. Before moving to Vietnam, Reiko had visited Vietnam several times in 2003-2008 as part of friendly cultural exchange projects between Vietnam and Japan. She made a stop in Hoi An during each visit and the city never failed to captivate her. In 2008, the old woman told her daughter about her intentions to move to Hoi An and spend her final days in the central Vietnamese city. She eventually found a small piece of property out of which she runs her coffee shop, where she is often kept company by neighborhood children, college students, and young ethnic minority members. After four years, her coffee place has become quite popular, attracting people from all different walks of life eager to share their stories. It has also become a hub for college students and others who take an interest in life around Hoi An. When she is not running her coffee shop, Reiko travels to far-flung locales, such as the Central Highlands region, 451km south of Hoi An, and the Vietnam-Laos border zones to meet with ethnic minority textile artisans. During these visits she places orders for craft products with these mountainous workers so she can sell them out of her coffee shop. For those who wish to leave the remote areas to make a new life for themselves, Reiko offers part-time jobs at her coffee shop, giving them on-the-job training and helping them seek permanent occupations in the ancient town. The only regret Reikos one regret is not retiring to Hoi An sooner. I love strolling along to the local markets. I buy veggies and fish. Everything is so simple, just like in my homeland, she said. What I love most about this place is the affection that the people in Hoi An have for one another. They cherish the elderly coming from other lands. It might seem surprising to the local inhabitants, but the Japanese woman even has her own way of protecting the environment. Every day, she walks the riverbank to pick up trash and speak with people about the need for a clean environment, collecting trash as she moves along and talking people out of littering into nature. Mothers resting place From her accounts, Reikos mother paid her a visit several years ago. That trip turned out to be her mothers last journey and Reiko decided to bury her in a local cemetery to keep her close. When I die, I will also lie there, Reiko said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (Photo: VNA) Vietnam established diplomatic ties with South Sudan in February 2019, raising the total number of regional countries that have diplomatic ties with Vietnam to 69 out of 70. Two-way trade neared USD19 billion in 2019, tripling that in 2008. Vietnam exported farm produce, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, telecommunications, and finance-banking services to the region. The country not only received over USD7 billion in foreign direct investment from the region but also invested more than USD2.6 billion there, mostly via Viettels telecom projects in several African nations. Cooperation in agriculture, energy, transportation, labour and exchange of experts also improved. With active, proactive and responsible contributions to dealing with global issues, Vietnam acquired almost absolute support from the Middle East African countries during its run for a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure. During a recent meeting with ambassadors from the Middle East and African countries, Minh said the potential of collaboration between Vietnam and the region remains huge and diverse. In its capacity as the Chair of ASEAN 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure, Vietnam could serve as a bridge to step up coordination within ASEAN framework, deal with issues related to regional and global peace and security, including those in the Middle East and Africa, he said. On the back of opportunities from the fourth industrial revolution, similarities in development level and supplementary economies, both sides hold great potential for stepping up comprehensive cooperation, especially in fields of trade, investment, energy, environment, information technology and communications, agriculture, labour and tourism, he added. Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Minh Khoi said the past economic achievements will lay an important foundation for both sides to ensure food security, reduce poverty, improve value chain, thus bringing direct benefits to the people and businesses in particular./. A black teenager in Texas is claiming that he was suspended and told that he would not be able to walk in his high school graduation ceremony unless he cut his dreadlocks. DeAndre Arnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, told CBS This Morning and local news station KPRC that his hair had always met the school districts policies until recently when he received an in-school suspension after he refused to cut it. DeAndre said that his father is from Trinidad and that many men in his culture grow dreadlocks. I really like that part of Trinidadian culture; I really embrace that, he told KPRC. His mother, Sandy Arnold, told the news station that after Christmas break and three months before graduation, the school district changed the dress code policy. They say that even (when) my hair is up if it were to be down it would be not in compliance with the dress code. However, I dont take it down in the school, DeAndre said. Sandy told CBS This Morning that she believes the lack of diversity in the district is the issue. There is no people of color on the school board. I get it that they dont understand his hair, she said. RELATED: Michigan Woman Says She Was Sexually Assaulted on a Spirit Airlines Flight: Women Are Not Safe Sandy added to KPRC that she attempted to reach out to board members and the superintendent to come to a conclusion together. But she claims she never received a response. Barbers Hill School District did not respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. DeAndre is not allowed back in school and cannot walk in his upcoming graduation until his dreadlocks are cut, Sandy told KPRC. And she vowed that he wouldnt be doing so. Are you going to cut his hair? Absolutely not, this is a part of who he is. So absolutely not going to cut his hair, Sandy told the news station. In a written statement obtained by KPRC, Barbers Hill School District said, We do have a community-supported hair length policy & have had for decades. Barbers Hill is a state leader with high expectations in all areas! Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin went head-to-head on the first televised debate of the general election, here's how they fared: LEO VARADKAR Expand Close Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar STYLE Dressed in a dark suit, pristine white shirt and trademark blue tie, Mr Varadkar was expressive with his hands when making his points - a fact noted by many on Twitter - but he was measured and more mature than he has been in Dail exchanges with Mr Martin in the past. SUBSTANCE The Fine Gael leader made probably the biggest political news of the night when he declared he was willing to go into coalition with Fianna Fail if unable to secure his preferred option of governing Labour, Independents and potentially the Greens. BEST MOMENT Mr Varadkar forensically and effectively deconstructed Fianna Fails promise to introduce an SSIA-style scheme for first-time buyers and argued it was better to give a tax credit in the form of the Help to Buy Scheme. A close second was admitting to his most glaring personal failing - a lack of empathy. Maybe I dont say the right words, he said. But I show the fact I care in the work I do. It was a solid answer. WORST MOMENT Mr Varadkar was painfully hesitant when asked about his past drug use. At first he tried to deflect by claiming he had answered the question about 12 or 13 years ago in a Hot Press magazine interview. But when pressed by both Mr Martin and Pat Kenny, he admitted: "Yes, but it was obviously a long time ago." OVERALL SCORE This was a debate Mr Varadkar had to outshine his rival in and he delivered with an assured performance that showed a level of maturity that sometimes eludes him in other forums. He was on top of his brief and only fell down when it came to defending his and Fine Gaels questionable record on health and his own past drug use. 7/10 MICHEAL MARTIN: Expand Close Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin at Virgin Media One studios, Dublin as the leaders of the two main parties in the Irish General Election go head to head in a television debate (Brian Lawless/PA). / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin at Virgin Media One studios, Dublin as the leaders of the two main parties in the Irish General Election go head to head in a television debate (Brian Lawless/PA). STYLE Micheal Martin sported a snappy blue suit, lilac shirt and dark pink tie but his debating style was often defensive and argumentative. He was perhaps a bit taken aback that Leo Varadkar seemed to have had his Weetabix was well prepared for the debate. SUBSTANCE He was strong in attacking Mr Varadkars record on housing saying theres too many on housing waiting lists and too many homeless and people can't save for homes due to the "excessive high cost of rent". He had a good argument to make for allowing Fine Gael to saying in power saying he makes no apologies for ensuring a functioning government during Brexit. BEST MOMENT One of his better lines was in response to Mr Varadkar saying the parties must be grown up about forming a government. He claimed the Taoiseach hadnt been so grown up adding: Theres been more personal attacks from Fine Gael on me than there has been on policies around education, childcare and other areas. It was a neat repost to Fine Gaels scrapped Benny Hill attack add that claimed Fianna Fail had no policies. WORST MOMENT Pat Kenny put it to both Mr Martin and Mr Varadkar that they had to put their hands up over failure by both of them when they were ministers for health. Mr Martin visibly bristled as he insisted there is absolutely no comparison between the pair and complained that Mr Kenny made a statement thats completely unfair and inaccurate. It looked petulant. OVERALL SCORE It wasnt Micheal Martins finest debating performances and he will have to up his game next time. Leo Varadkar is a very different proposition to Enda Kenny, the Fine Gael leader he faced last time. But that said Mr Varadkar did not land any knockout blow and Mr Martin held his own. He lives to fight another day. 6/10 Kerala Police on January 21 arrested Prabesh, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, on charges of hurling bombs at a police picket near RSS office in Kannur. He was arrested from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The incident took place in the wee hours of January 16. According to police, Prabesh allegedly hurled steel bombs towards the police picket in front of Kathirur Manoj Smriti Kendram, RSS office. He was identified from the CCTV visuals. After the attack, he fled to Coimbatore. Police said he was an accused in many criminal cases. Kannur is a politically sensitive area where the clash between political parties is common. Police have started a police picket near the RSS office a few months back. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All oil-field workers are radiation workers. That quote comes from a blockbuster investigation by Justin Nobel writing in Rolling Stone, who has spent more than a year and a half researching and reporting on radioactivity in fracking waste. When a well is drilled, it produces a ton of brine, a salty substance that comes out of the ground. Shale wells can produce as much as ten times more brine than they do oil and gas. While hydrocarbons prove to be useful, the brine needs to be hauled somewhere for disposal. Often it is reinjected into disposal wells, or, in some cases it is sent to water treatment plants. The problem is that the brine can be radioactive. As Nobel writes in Rolling Stone, radioactive brine may be dramatically increasing the cancer risk for people who come in contact with it. The workers who handle the waste are most obviously at risk. But there are plenty of others. The brine is used for de-icing roads, so municipalities are essentially spreading radioactivity all over roads in various parts of the country. Old oilfield equipment is also repurposed. Rolling Stone spoke with a Louisiana inspector who saw a child sitting on a fence that was so radioactive that someone might receive a full years radiation dose in a single hour. Related: Hydrogen Costs Could Be Set To Plunge By 50% The oil and gas industry dismisses the risk of radioactivity in the brine, which is naturally occurring, as not something that anybody should be worrying about. However, some of the experts that Nobel interviewed argue otherwise. First of all, the notion that just because something exists naturally in the world somehow makes it benign, is odd. Arsenic is completely natural, but you probably wouldnt let me put arsenic in your school lunch, one nuclear-forensics scientist told Rolling Stone. Second, the industry is barley regulated, if at all, when it comes to handling radioactive substances. Officials at EPA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sounded perplexed when Nobel presented questions to them about the risk, each indicating that they were not responsible for regulating radioactivity in the oil and gas industry. Nobel profiled several people who have come in contact with brine and have suffered from an array of worrying health problems. The workers are going to be the canaries, Raina Rippel of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, told Rolling Stone. The radioactivity issue is not something we have adequately unpacked. Our elected leaders and public-health officials dont have the knowledge to convey we are safe. This is not just an environmental story or a public health story, but it could also be a financial one. This is a whole aspect of the oil and gas industry that is mostly unregulated, underreported and largely unknown to the public. And it could yet turn into a massive liability for the industry if local, state or the federal government ever decided to get serious about it. The industry would be directly impacted if it had to pay for remediation somehow, or even if the standards on the disposal of toxic brine were tightened up. It could spell financial disaster for oil and gas drillers if the EPA began regulating brine as a hazardous waste, one legal scholar told Rolling Stone. Reckoning with the public health fallout from radiation is not something anybody seems willing to take on at the moment. Related: The Twin Threats Facing Big Oil But as Rolling Stone notes, public awareness of the problem itself could be a big problem for the industry. Oil and gas is already starting to see its social license to operate erode over climate change concerns. But the threat from climate change is diffuse in both space and time. The damage from fossil fuels is somewhat abstract in that sense. In contrast, the extraction of toxic radioactive waste from beneath the earth, and then spreading it on roads, for example, is arguably more menacing. Or, at the very least, the direct health threat to the public is easier to understand. Certain types of cancers are cropping up, and scientists say there is a lot of evidence that points in the direction of exposure to brine and proximity to other oil and gas processes. It seems as if the unconventional oil and gas industry has been around forever, as if its a fact of life that everyone has to live with. But the story of fracking is only a little over a decade old, and with each passing year the science surrounding the health risks grows more damning. Some presidential candidates are already calling for a ban on fracking. As the evidence of radioactivity becomes more known, the momentum for a crackdown on the industry could continue to grow. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: President Donald Trumps administration on Thursday published new visa rules aimed at restricting birth tourism, in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. Applicants will be denied tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth, according to the rules in the Federal Register. It is a bigger hurdle to overcome, proving they are travelling to the US because they have a medical need and not just because they want to give birth in the country. Those with medical needs will be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment and must prove they have the money to pay for it including transportation and living expenses. The practice of travelling to the US to give birth is fundamentally legal, although there are scattered cases of authorities arresting operators of so-called birth tourism agencies for visa fraud or tax evasion. And women are often honest about their intentions when applying for visas and even show signed contracts with doctors and hospitals. The State Department does not believe that visiting the United States for the primary purpose of obtaining US citizenship for a child, by giving birth in the United States an activity commonly referred to as birth tourism is a legitimate activity for pleasure or of a recreational nature, according to the new rules, which take effect Friday. Trumps administration has been restricting all forms of immigration, but Trump has been particularly plagued by the issue of birthright citizenship anyone born in the US is considered a citizen, under the Constitution. The Republican president has railed against the practice and threatened to end it, but scholars and members of his administration have said it is not so easy to do. Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is one way to get at the issue, but it raises questions about how officers would determine whether a woman is pregnant to begin with and whether a woman could get turned away by border officers who suspect she may be, just by looking at her. Consular officers do not have the right to ask during visa interviews whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would still have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the US primarily to give birth. Critics say in addition to a rule that is hard to enforce, such restrictions unfairly target women. Pregnant women. This is administration is now targeting pregnant. women, tweeted US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. When you single out the most vulnerable, the cruelty is the point. [January 23, 2020] SkyTerra Technologies Expands Government Business with Authorization to Perform Federal Contracts NASHUA, N.H., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyTerra Technologies, a growing IT cloud advisory and development firm, and Microsoft partner, is on track to significantly expand its government business with the recent authorization to perform federal contracts. The company has worked with several municipalities and government entities including projects related to infrastructure conversion to Azure and digital transformation. SkyTerra was recently activated in the System for Award Management (SAM) and was assigned a CAGE Code, which now renders them eligible to compete for federal contracts. "As a Microsoft Gold Cloud Partner, we were pleased with the news that Microsoft was awarded the $10 Billion Department of Defense Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastruture (JEDI) contract and SkyTerra is well positioned to work in this space," said SkyTerra founding partner, Dan Bergeron. "The primary mission of our company is to help organizations seamlessly convert from outdated and/or outgrown systems to secure work-centers capable of withstanding future growth. Our experience and foundation that we have built makes us an excellent resource for the transformation taking place in the Federal space." SkyTerra, which just celebrated its 5th anniversary, has deep roots in IT, systems management, and cloud solutions. It has provided scalable digital transformations for companies across the US and Canada in industries ranging from financial services to food distribution. About SkyTerra Technologies: SkyTerra Technologies is an IT cloud advisory and development firm offering services for data center modernization, managed workplace, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and IT outsourcing. A Microsoft Gold Cloud Partner, we are a two-time recipient of Microsoft's East Region Rising Star Award, and have offices in Nashua, NH, Yarmouth, ME, and Vancouver, Canada. [CAGE Code: 8F6V0 / DUNS Number: 080199568] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/skyterra-technologies-expands-government-business-with-authorization-to-perform-federal-contracts-300992323.html SOURCE SkyTerra Technologies [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] UN top courts order asking Myanmar to prevent further genocide of mainly Muslim Rohingya cheered at Coxs Bazar camps. Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh Nearly a dozen men were glued to a television screen inside a ramshackle shop in southern Bangladeshs Kutupalong refugee camp, home to nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees. The men were watching the proceedings at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which on Thursday ordered Myanmar to take urgent measures to protect its Rohingya population from genocide. The United Nations top court rejected Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyis defence last month when she refuted genocide charges but admitted the countrys military may have used excessive force against the mainly Muslim minority. The ICJ case was filed by the Muslim-majority African nation of The Gambia, which had asked the court to impose emergency measures following the Myanmar armys 2017 crackdown that forced around 740,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Rohingya refugees watching a live telecast of the ICJ trial at the Kutupalong camp [Faisal Mahmud/Al Jazeera] The ICJ ruling was cheered by refugees as their first major legal victory since they were forced from their homes. The ruling has been given. They said a genocide was conducted against us, said an elderly man at the shop in Kutupalong, one of nearly three dozen Rohingya camps in Coxs Bazar, which has more than one million refugees according to the latest figures released by the UN. Justice served to us Mohammad Rasel, 26, remembers he was building haystacks in front of his home in Myanmars Maungdaw District when a mob, including local policemen, entered his village in August 2017. They fired gunshots and a bullet hit my father and he immediately fell down, he told Al Jazeera. All around us were flames and blood-chilling cries of people. Rasels home was burned. He fled with his brother and mother, leaving his dying father on the yard of their home. They killed my father in front of my eyes and I didnt get any justice for his death, he said. This ruling feels like justice has been served to us. Abdur Rahim, a 45-year-old Rohingya majhi (community leader), also believed some sort of justice has been done with the ICJ ruling. We are not going to get back the near and dear ones we have lost in that mindless killing spree. No one is going to compensate us for that, he told Al Jazeera. But at least the world has admitted that a heinous crime was conducted against us. Rahim hoped the court order will force Myanmar to stop the atrocities upon our brothers and sisters still living in Myanmar. Khadija Begum, 40, was raped during the 2017 crackdown and her husband was killed [Faisal Mahmud/Al Jazeera] I am stuck and have nowhere to go But others at the camp, such as Khadija Begum, were not so optimistic following the ICJ order. Standing in front of her makeshift mud dwelling with a tarpaulin cover, Begum was surrounded by open-pit latrines and the smell of sewage was overpowering. They killed my husband and raped me. Those people [the Myanmar army] have no remorse. They will do the same if we go back to Myanmar, the 40-year-old told Al Jazeera. Many people from different countries have been visiting us since we landed in the camp. They promised a lot of things. But the reality is I am stuck here and [dont] have anywhere to go. Mahbub Alam Talukder, the refugees relief and repatriation commissioner appointed by Bangladesh, told Al Jazeera the verdict boosts the morale of Rohingya refugees. For the past two years, they have been telling stories of murders and rapes conducted against them. Now the International Court of Justice stands by their stories and says a genocide had happened, he said. When asked if the order will facilitate the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, Talukder said: Myanmar has already been dilly-dallying and hasnt showed its honest intention to take back the refugees. Its hard to assume at this point what consequence this verdict will create on the repatriation process. Moral victory of the humanity Imtiaz Ahmed, director of the Centre for Genocide Studies at the University of Dhaka, told Al Jazeera the ICJ ruling was a landmark. Ahmed was at The Hague court in December when the hearings on the Rohingya case began. So far, it seems the ICJ has paid heed to the provisional measures sought by [The] Gambia. Now it is up to the Myanmar government to take the measures as per the direction of the ICJ. Ahmed said Myanmar has been given four months to report to the court on steps taken to prevent a Rohingya genocide. They will be under immense pressure since the whole world is watching now, he said. Ali Riaz, distinguished professor of politics and government at Illinois State University in the United States, told Al Jazeera the ICJ order was a moral victory of the humanity. It has practically proved that Myanmar has committed heinous crimes and is continuing a well-orchestrated policy of genocide against Rohingya, he said. Its also a recognition of the Rohingya communitys existence. Riaz said that while ICJ has no mechanism to enforce its ruling on Myanmar, urges the international community to act now. He also asked Bangladesh to launch a strong diplomatic effort to convince its friends like India and China to pressure Myanmar to ensure the repatriation of refugees with dignity and safety. Vodafone announces a new prepaid plan priced at Rs 558.The new recharge plan offers unlimited calling, daily data and more.One will also get free Vodafone Play and ZEE5 subscription as well. Indian telecom companies recently announced new pricing for their offerings, with the hope of bolstering their earnings. With increased tariffs, companies expect to increase the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and while we already know the new plans, Vodafone-Idea has now listed another one for its consumers. The company has introduced a new Rs 558 prepaid recharge plan for its consumers, which comes with unlimited calling, daily data and free daily SMS. The recharge has a 56-day validity and is clearly aimed at consumers who need more data per day as one will get 3GB data per day under the plan. The Rs 558 prepaid plan also offers unlimited calling without any kind of capping or FUP. This means that one can place calls on any network, without paying anything extra. This is in contrast to Reliance Jios service, which is now levying a 6 paise per minute charge from its consumers as IUC. Coming back to Vodafones new prepaid plan, the telco is also offering 100 daily SMS and as mentioned above, 3GB daily data. In addition, users will also get to avail Vodafone Play subscription worth Rs 499 and ZEE5 subscription worth Rs 999 for free. Vodafone also offers a prepaid plan priced at Rs 599, which offers a lower amount of data per day but for a longer validity period. Under the recharge, users get to avail 1.5GB data per day and unlimited calling without any FUP. There will also be 100 SMS per day, along with free Vodafone Play and ZEE5 subscriptions. Airtel, on the other hand, has a prepaid plan priced at Rs 598. It offers unlimited calls, 100SMS per day, 1.5GB data per day with 84-day validity. Reliance Jio also has a recharge plan priced at Rs 599 in the same range, which comes with 84-day validity and 2GB data per day. However, calls are not unlimited when placed to users on other networks. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 04:50:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House impeachment managers, a group of seven House Democrats acting as prosecutors, started making their opening arguments Wednesday on why President Donald Trump should be convicted and removed from office, as an impeachment trial in the Senate entered the second day. Adam Schiff, the lead manager who, as the House Intelligence Committee chairman, has led the impeachment inquiry, provided his reasoning -- based on findings in the House investigation -- of why Trump's dealings with Ukraine and his ignoring Congress's investigative power amounted to impeachable offenses, arguing that the president should be convicted and removed. In remarks reminding the senators of their duty to act impartially, the California Democrat said the U.S. Constitution entrusts the senators in the trial "to the responsibility of acting as impartial jurors, have a fair trial and weigh the evidence before you no matter what your party affiliation or vote in the previous election or the next, our duty is to the Constitution and the rule of law." If Trump is not convicted and removed from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Schiff warned, future presidents will "operate as if they too are also beyond the reach of accountability, congressional oversight, and the law." As Schiff delivered his speech, the White House reportedly circulated talking points against the impeachment. "Our founding fathers feared that impeachment would be abused as a partisan tool -- rather than the grave remedy it was intended to be," it said. According to a resolution the Senate approved early Wednesday after over 12 hours of contentious debate, House managers and Trump's legal defense team each have 24 hours to present their opening statements. Each side, if they decide to use up the time allocated to them, is required to wrap up their arguments in three days. Mario Isola insists that Formula 1 teams were "not negative" about Pirelli's rejected tyres designed for the 2020 season. Reports indicated that the teams voted to keep the 2019 tyres this year following a round of negative comments when the drivers tested the 2020 design late last season. But Pirelli's F1 boss Isola is quoted by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "After the tests I had many discussions with the teams to understand their reactions to the new tyres, and they were not negative at all. "I was simply told that the teams were at an advanced stage of (car) construction and were already at 95 per cent of development, so there was no desire to change the setup again to adapt the cars to the 2020 tyres. "They also have to work on the 2021 car, and that means an additional burden. For this reason, they preferred keep the tires of 2019," he added. Isola said the teams' reaction to Pirelli's efforts to introduce a new tyre is in fact nothing new, with the same situation having occurred last year. "At the beginning of the 2019 season there were also some complaints and discussions about whether to return to the 2018 tyres," he said. "Every year it is like this, with some difficulties in understanding the tyres at the beginning, but over time it resolves." The National Bank of Romania (BNR) is chronologically the world's 16th central bank, which proves that the Romanian state has a solid institutional history, governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu told the debate on the work "Future of Central Banking: The Tercentenary Symposium of the Bank of England" this Wednesday. "We say that the National Bank of Romania is 16th in the world by the order of the creation of these institutions, which is yet another proof that the Romanian state has a solid institutional history, and I for myself no longer want to listen to those who claim that we didn't have a state or that Romania was founded only in 1918. Which is not true. We became a unitary state at the same time with Germany, Italy, and other states that were created in the second half of the last century, and this institution, with its documents and proven activity, is peremptory proof that we do have an institutional history," Isarescu said.In the "Future of Central Banking: The Tercentenary Symposium of the Bank of England" the authors did not place the National Bank of Romania on the list of central banks founded before 1900; the BNR was listed in the footnote for failing to meet at least one of the following criteria: holding the monopoly of currency issue, and accepting the role of lender of last resort.Mugur Isarescu stated that he has conducted a research and found that the BNR is the world's 16th oldest central bank; he added that the institution fulfilled both functions right from the beginning, as it was set up according to the model of the National Bank of Belgium.He also said that he discussed last summer with Charles Goodhart, one of the authors of the volume, and told him that the translation of the book was in the works, and that he had noticed that in the table with the central banks founded before 1900 Romania was placed in the footnote. Charles Goodhart said that he "didn't not know very well where the central bank of Romania sits" but that "there is no problem" if the table is redone with Romania on the list.Mugur Isarescu also announced that this year the BNR will organize an international seminar devoted to the role of central banks in the present and in the future. AGERPRES Pre-orders for the revamped Motorola Razr have opened in the UK, two weeks ahead of its expected release date. The clamshell-style smartphone is a reimagining of the firm's iconic Razr flip phone, first released in the early 2000s. Motorola unveiled the device in November, joining a trend of other manufacturers like Huawei and Samsung in building foldable handsets. It was due to go on sale at the end of December before being delayed, but Motorola has confirmed it can now be pre-ordered exclusively through network operator EE. However, a full UK release date or arrival date for those who do pre-order has not yet been confirmed. In the US, the date has been set for 6 February. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty The phone will be available on a number of 4G plans, according to Motorola and EE, including 60GB of data on a 99-a-month, 24-month plan and a 50 upfront fee. The reinvented Razr has a 6.2in screen which folds in half to shut in the same way as older clamshell handsets. When closed, it also has a 2.7in Quick View Display on which users can view and respond to notifications. Critics have been split on the device, with many praising its nostalgic value but suggesting it fails to match other premium smartphones in specifications and performance. Motorola's reboot of iconic Razr folding phone At the time of its unveiling, mobiles expert Ru Bhikha, from uSwitch.com, said its return would create a massive buzz, but that without the specifications of its high-end rivals... it could be accused of being all style and no substance. Foldable smartphones are expected to become increasingly prominent in 2020, with Samsung widely reported to be planning to unveil at least one new foldable screen device during the year. A number of other concept foldable devices including a flexible screen laptop made by Lenovo were on show at technology trade event CES earlier this month. All of the handsets attract a premium price, though the Motorola Razr is among the cheapest to offer a bendable display. Additional reporting by agencies. Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom. | Photo: Tabitha C./Yelp Wondering where to find the best beer bars near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable beer bars in Milwaukee, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you're on the hunt. 1. Anodyne Coffee Roasting Photo: Pamela M./Yelp Topping the list is Anodyne Coffee Roasting. Located at 224 W. Bruce St. in Walker's Point, the coffee roastery, wine bar and beer bar is the highest-rated budget-friendly beer bar in Milwaukee, boasting 4.5 stars out of 138 reviews on Yelp. The cafe specializes in fresh roasted coffee. It also serves beer and wine and hosts live music on the weekends. 2. Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom Photo: Abram H./Yelp Next up is Westown's Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom, situated at 1037 W. Juneau Ave. With 4.5 stars out of 54 reviews on Yelp, the brew pub and beer bar has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for an affordable option. The brewery is located inside of a historic church. Sample an assortment of beers on tap including IPAs, lagers, a sour and more. 3. Guadalajara Restaurant Photo: Bobb S./Yelp Walker's Point's Guadalajara Restaurant, located at 901 S. 10th St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the budget-friendly beer bar, Mexican and breakfast and brunch spot 4.5 stars out of 38 reviews. The family owned restaurant specializes in Mexican cuisine. The restaurant offers a variety of domestic and imported beers, margaritas, mixed drinks and more. 4. Dream Lab Photo: Samantha S./Yelp Dream Lab, a beer bar and hookah bar that offers coffee and tea and more in Walker's Point, is another much-loved, low-priced go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 14 Yelp reviews. Head over to 327 W. National Ave. to see for yourself. The bar offers craft beers and hookahs. The space is meant to be a creative hub for artistic individuals looking for inspiration. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kali-Extracts, Inc. (Kali, Inc. dba/Kali-Extracts, Inc.) (USOTC: KALY) ("KALY") today highlighted that the assets targeted for spinoff in the company's plan to consolidate its business structure and focus on its Cannabis Biopharmaceutical Technology generated approximately $1 million in annual sales last year. The spinoff assets include the company's agricultural CBD extraction business and the company's CBD infused confections business. KALY recently announced plans to consolidate its business structure and focus on its Cannabis Biopharmaceutical Technology spinning off its non-pharmaceutical business assets. KALY has a U.S. Patented Cannabis Extraction Process and is developing treatments for various medical conditions. The technology has been valued at $50 million in conjunction with a recent acquisition offer that KALY management passed on. KALY has entered into discussions with Puration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) ("PURA") regarding PURA's possible acquisition of KALY's CBD confection assets. The company has also entered into discussions with a yet undisclosed third-party about the possible sale of KALY's agricultural CBD extraction business. Follow further developments at https://www.kali-extracts.com/ This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and as such, may involve risks and uncertainties. These forward looking statements relate to, amongst other things, current expectation of the business environment in which the company operates, potential future performance, projections of future performance and the perceived opportunities in the market. The company's actual performance, results and achievements may differ materially from the expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements as a result of a wide range of factors. CONTACT: Frederick Ferri [email protected] +1(214) 210-0459 SOURCE Kali-Extracts, Inc. He said a lot of the electric infrastructure in Mitchell is aging and in need of updating. Projects like setting power poles, hooking up transformers and stringing electrical line must be done by certified electricians. What Id like to do is get our system working efficiently, Mader said. It might take seven to 10 years if we can do it gradually. But I dont want it to affect our customers with electric rate hikes. Another advantage with the contract is the city will have certified NPPD crews available 24-7 to handle any power outages, regardless of the weather. Plus Mitchell wont need to buy and maintain its own equipment. Mader said if the council approves the contract, NPPD will conduct a close inspection of the citys electrical grid and make a list of priorities of what needs to be upgraded and what parts of town need to be addressed first. Its similar to a one-and six-year street plan to make needed repairs, he said. Well work it into the budget because some things in our electrical grid havent been addressed for several years. Some BJP and Congress leaders believe the Madhya Pradesh assembly building is filled with 'negative energy', reports Rashid Kidwai. IMAGE: The Charles Correa-designed Madhya Pradesh legislature. Photograph: Kind courtesy Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly Is the Madhya Pradesh assembly building, a masterpiece designed by the legendary architect Charles Correa, jinxed? Gopal Bhargava, leader of the Opposition in the MP assembly, recently raised the issue of 'Vastu dosh' (curse) in the state assembly while paying tribute to Congress legislator Banwarilal Sharma who died on December 21 after a prolonged illness. Bhargava, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former state minister, alleged that 'Vastu dosh' in the building was causing the untimely deaths of state legislators. As per his estimate, 32 sitting MLAs have died since 1998. Bhargava asked MP assembly Speaker N P Prajapati to invite pandits from Varanasi to perform special prayers inside the assembly building; 'Ever since the new legislative assembly has been formed, our MLA colleagues have been dying untimely. MLAs are leaving us sometimes due to accident or illness,' Bhargava said ruefully, as many MLAs cutting across party lines maintained a stoic silence. In November 2013, MP assembly speaker and senior BJP leader Ishwardas Rohani passed away just when the then ruling BJP and Opposition Congress was gearing up to face the assembly election. Rohani's death prompted some senior BJP and Congress leaders to organise yagna to ward off evil spirits. Some BJP and Congress leaders believe that the assembly building is filled with 'negative energy' as per Vastu Shastra. Charles Correa had described his creation as 'a celebration of State, a palace of democracy'. The 31,699 sq mt structure built over 16 acres of hilltop -- with murals inside and ponds outside -- has emerged as the most imposing structure in Bhopal, which already boasts another Correa-designed building, Bharat Bhavan. The cost of construction was estimated to be Rs 60 crores in 1996. Correa died in 2015 and is remembered for several of his architectural works like the Surya Kund in Delhi; the Inter-University Centre for Astrology and Astrophysics in Pune; the Jawahar Kala Kendra arts complex in Jaipur. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh remains dismissive about 'Vastu dosh'. 'When we shifted here in 1996, there was no stigma. Such talk is rubbish,' Digvijaya Singh said. Digvijaya Singh's party colleague Sriniwas Tiwari, who served as speaker between 1996 and 2004, used to insist that the assembly building had 'faulty construction and layout'. Tiwari, who has passed away, used to claim that in 2000, he had organised a yagna to atone for a lapse. "Somehow no puja was performed when the building was operationalised in 1996. It was a glaring lapse so I organised a puja which many termed as a yagna," Tiwari had told this correspondent. BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya insists it is strange that each year one or more sitting MLAs dies. "The history of this assembly building is not good. First, the Bhopal gas tragedy took place in 1984 when the construction of the assembly started. In 1996, when we shifted to this assembly, Madhya Pradesh was bifurcated into two states within three years," Vijayvargiya said. Some Vastu Shastra experts believe the assembly building has flaws, pointing out that faulty Vastu could attract 'negative energy'. Indore-based Pankaj Agarwal explains the reasons, "The assembly has a road on one side, the main entry is from the south-west direction. In addition, the assembly is in circular shape, which according to Vastu science is not considered good. The earth emits negative energy and the building is full of an electromagnetic field." Aggarwal said in 2006, he had prepared a 46-page report suggesting 28 changes in the building. "There are too many flaws in the building. For instance, the treasury benches face west while the Opposition faces east. It means that the government will always be in the dock with the Opposition dominating proceedings. Such mistakes affect the state's morale and performance. It also affects an individual's immune system and thought process," Aggarwal says. Aggarwal heads the Indore-based Institute of Vedic Vaastu and Research Foundation. Expressing concern, he said the MP assembly was like the heart of a state. "The state will crumble if the heart is weak," he says, regretting that some of his suggestions were not carried out. Ironically, the assembly building has been described on the MP government Web site as one designed by applying Correa's 'deep understanding of Vedic principles of architecture'. Rohani too was apprehensive about the 'jinxed' titles attributed to the MP assembly. On several occasions, Rohani had taken up the Vastu issue with then chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and had himself undertaken some measures to ward off the 'negative' effect. For instance, a water body facing the south-east was dried up. Bhopal-based poet, playwright and Sahitya Akademi recipient Rajesh Joshi says it is sad that a building is being held responsible for deaths. "So many farmers in Madhya Pradesh have committed suicide. Does it mean that the state boundaries of Madhya Pradesh have Vastu dosh? Do we need to redraw them?" Joshi asks. Joshi says it is unfortunate that in the 21st century, such unscientific talk should take place. Rationalists have slammed claims by politicians like Vijayvargiya and Tiwari. 'Such fears are absurd and ridiculous,' Sanal Edamuruku, president of the Indian Rationalists Association, had said, adding, 'People die of old age, illness, or accidents -- buildings don't kill people.' Rasheed Kidwai, author and journalist, is a visiting fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. He can be contacted at rasheedkidwai@gmail.com A Supreme Court declined two appeals raised by Flint city and Michigan state officials intending to block lawsuits raised by residents over the water contamination of the citys drinking water supplies. The appeals were filed by Flint regulators Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in an attempt to block one of many civil lawsuits against them, contending their clients could not be held accountable for the crisis as they have judicial immunity. About 25,000 people sued the city and water regulators alleging gross negligence and deliberate misconduct, evidence tampering, and other offenses relating to the 2014 water crisis. About 12,000 children residing in Flint and an unestimated number of adults have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead, United way estimated, in 2016, after the city had changed the source of its water supplies in 2014 when then began sourcing it from the Flint River. Lawyers for the city appealed to a federal appeals court. The Supreme Court declined to consider the case and refused to rule in favor of the Flint officials. The court did so in an unsigned order without commenting on its decision on Tuesday. Previously, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled in favor of the civilians, stating: Knowing the Flint River water was unsafe for public use, distributing it without taking steps to counter its problems, and assuring the public in the meantime that it was safe, is conduct that would alert a reasonable person to the likelihood of personal liability, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided, CNN reported. Any reasonable official should have known that doing so constitutes conscience-shocking conduct prohibited by the substantive due process clause, the court said. The lawsuit contested that the residents constitutional right to bodily integrity was violated. It further accused city and state officials of not following up safety procedures and failing to protect the residents from an expected likelihood of exposure to lead-containing water, thus harming so many and causing so many fatalities. The Flint water crisis became a criminal case in 2016 when two state regulators and a city employee were charged with official misconduct, evidence-tampering, and other offenses over the lead contamination that has alarmed parents and brought cries of racism. For nearly 18 months, the poor, mostly black city of 100,000, used the Flint River for tap water as a way to save moneya decision made by a state-appointed emergency managerwhile a new pipeline was under construction. But the water wasnt treated to control corrosion. The result: Lead was released from aging pipes and fixtures as water flowed into homes and businesses. Gov. Rick Snyder didnt acknowledge the problem until the fall of 2015 when tests revealed high levels of lead in children, in whom lead can cause low IQs and behavioral problems. Michael Prysby, a district engineer with the state Department of Environmental Quality, and Stephen Busch, a supervisor in the departments drinking water office, were charged with misconduct, conspiracy, tampering with test results, and misdemeanor violations of clean-water law. The felonies carry maximum penalties of four to five years in prison. Flint utility administrator Michael Glasgow was charged with tampering with evidence by allegedly falsifying lead water-testing results and with willful neglect of duty. This lawsuit and similar are now expected to proceed in lower courts. Associated Press contributed to this report A video circulating online shows a female student of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, assaulting a fellow female student. The relationship between the two female students relates to that of a school mother and daughter. Reports claim the school mother meted out the punishment on the lady for allegedly sleeping with her boyfriend. In the video, the young lady is seen rolling on the floor while being brutalised by fellow females, in what seems to be a private hostel. The school mother could be heard talking in the background saying, you no want make dem marry me see who I wan take do chief bridesmaid. Information Nigeria recalls a similar incident happened in 2019 when a FUTA school father and his school daughter ganged up with others to beat up a 100 level female student. Read Also: Young South African Girl Speaks On Gender Equality According to reports, a twitter user has agreed to carry out an investigation on the matter. See some reactions: @ellen25327711: So disgusting, how do you treat a woman like this because of a dog those things should be arrested @cute_yossy: And she will still marry the stupid BF. How desperate can women be for men and marriage tho? We need to teach our daughters self-sufficient without marriage or a man. Especially men that are not worthy. If you find one keep him if not, theres more goodness to life than marriage. @Golden_Boy4ever: One thing I learnt from disgracing or beating up your predecessor it makes the person in question love and care more about them.. I always say the mind is the strongest part about us. Ladies should learn to use the mind a lot not such acts. She shud press charges. The move is a result of wide-ranging diplomatic efforts, the Ukrainian embassy noted. UK officials have removed from the Police Counter Terrorism Policing Guide the Ukrainian Coat of Arms, the Tryzub (Trident) following outrage it caused among Ukrainian officials and regular citizens. "In response to numerous messages from Ukrainians, efforts by Ukrainian diplomats have resulted in Counter Terrorism Police UK deciding to remove Ukrainian State Coat of Arms Tryzub (Trident) from antiextremist guide. We thank everyone for your concern," the Ukrainian Embassy to the UK wrote on Facebook. "We have a close working relationship with our Ukrainian partners and would not want to cause offence. We have met with representatives from the FCO and the Ukrainian Embassy, updated the Signs & Symbols Guidance Document and removed the Ukrainian constitutional trident," says an updated report by Counter Terrorism Policing. Read alsoU.K. government comments on situation around Ukraine's Tryzub As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ukrainian Embassy in the United Kingdom had expressed outrage over the fact that the Ukrainian National Coat of Arms had been put onto the Counter Terrorism Policing Guide. The Coat of Arms of Ukraine originates in the Kyivan Rus times and is one of the symbols of unity of Ukrainians, MFA Ukraine earlier noted in a statement demanding that the Tryzub be removed from the Guide. A group of rich people from the United States want governments to raise their taxes. Yesterday, Patriotic Millionaires, the exclusive U.S. club that also includes billionaires, released a letter at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, demanding that the global rich add their names to a new plan to make the world a better place through global tax reform. If you own a house in Vancouver or Toronto and are considering signing on you may not be rich enough. Membership requires a minimum annual income of a million U.S. dollars or assets of five million. So far, there is no indication that the world's rich are lining up to follow the group's prescription for a crackdown on tax havens and tax avoidance through reforms to international laws. The membership list so far includes 121 wealthy people, but since the U.S. alone has something in the order of 600 billionaires, current signatories are dwarfed by many more who aren't interested in joining. The Davos letter addressed to "Our Fellow Millionaires and Billionaires Across the Globe," appears to be just the latest move to draw media attention to the idea that at least some of the world's richest people think the growing gap between rich and poor is a problem. The PR move, however, has not garnered much coverage in the world's billionaire-owned media. Though it may seem like a lot to a working stiff, $5 million in assets is not extraordinary in a world so starkly divided between rich and poor. There are many such rich people, including among our elected officials, who might not want to sign on but would still agree with many of the ideas expressed in yesterday's letter. Certainly, governments worried about lost tax revenue have repeatedly struggled to devise global plans to prevent corporations and wealthy individuals from hiding their money offshore with limited success. Destabilizing inequality "Extreme, destabilizing inequality is growing across the globe," says the letter released in Davos. "Despite vocal protests to the contrary, most reasonable people understand that philanthropy has always been, and always will be, an inadequate substitute for government investment." Story continues The statement seemed to echo an appeal by academic and author Rutger Bregman, a speaker at last year's Davos meeting, who went rogue and declared that talking about poverty without mentioning taxes was like a going to a firefighter's meeting where they refused to talk about water. He wasn't invited back. Like Bregman, signatories to the new letter say extreme inequality is driving the world toward a crisis point. In fact, they warn the rich of a potential uprising by the poorer classes. The threat of revolution, they warn, creates a tradeoff between "those who prefer taxes and those who prefer pitchforks." Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters As the shortage of signatures on the document may show, if a popular uprising to overthrow the rich is brewing, elites believe they can handle it. All around the world, including in Canada, Britain and the United States, political parties that favour tax cuts and leaving tax havens alone get the vast majority of financial support from donors. Rather than sign documents to raise their taxes, even the moderately rich often vote with their wallets to make sure taxes stay low. Money well spent Those donations, often used for campaign advertising, represent money well spent. In the United States, the populist Trump garners support from many poor voters who believe they are opposing government elites; many of the less well off seem willing to vote against their own best interests. In the U.S., lower middle class and poor Trump supporters effectively voted against their own medical coverage. In Canada, there are cases where people earning basic income voted for the party that promised to cancel it and where people violently opposed inheritance taxes, even though they would be far too poor to be affected. Opponents of pro-tax campaigns often suggest that those who want to pay higher taxes should do so, but of course that would just make the shirkers richer in relative terms. Yesterday's letter is unlikely to be more successful than previous campaigns, including a 2019 effort by the self-described Patriotic Millionaires to persuade government to raise taxes on the rich in New York. Waiting for the pitchforks At that time, Patriotic Millionaire member Abagail Disney, heir to part of the Disney fortune and a well known advocate of progressive causes, was backing the tax increase. "New York will always be New York," she said. "There's no other place like it, and millionaires are concentrated here because of that." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat whose state budget faced a deficit, threatened to move himself to Florida if the tax hike was introduced and the campaign appeared to fizzle out. Polls of people across the global wealth spectrum, including U.S. viewers of Fox Television, have shown a majority would like to see higher taxes on the rich. Many of the world's richest people, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and financier Warren Buffet, have complained that the tax system is unfair. But until people are willing to elect governments that promise to raise taxes, changes are unlikely. Despite a widening gap between the richest and everyone else, there are few signs of people sharpening their pitchforks. Follow Don on Twitter @don_pittis India on Thursday said Pakistan will have to take the initiative to create conditions conducive to meaningful engagement between the two sides even as it again ruled out mediation by any third party on the Kashmir issue. Pakistans leadership will have to take credible, irreversible and verifiable steps against terrorist groups and individuals operating from its soil instead of making misleading and alarmist statements to divert the world communitys attention, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told a news briefing. Kumar was responding to remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump on the margins of the World Economic Forum at Davos. Trump reiterated his offer to help in resolving the Kashmir issue, and Khan said the world would realise Pakistans economic potential once the countrys relations with India normalise. Khan also called on the US and the UN to help reduce tensions between India and Pakistan before they reach a point of no return. India is not surprised by the content and tone of Khans remarks, which are not only factually inaccurate and contradictory, but demonstrate a growing sense of frustration, Kumar said. If Pakistan is indeed serious for a peaceful and normal relationship with India as [Khan] claims, the onus is on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere. They have to take credible, irreversible and verifiable action against terror groups and individuals operating from its soil rather than making misleading and alarmist statements to divert the attention of the international community, he added. Kumar said the world community had seen through Pakistans double standard of playing the victim card in their fight against terror on the one hand and supporting terror groups targeting India and other countries on the other. The Indian government had already brushed aside Trumps offer to help on the Kashmir issue, and Kumar said the countrys position on third party mediation has been clear and consistent. Let me once again reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter, he said. If at all there are any bilateral issues between India and Pakistan to be discussed, it should be done bilaterally under the provisions of the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. But again as we have said in the past, the onus is on Pakistan to create such conducive conditions, which are free from terror, hostility, and violence, and which could also lead to some meaningful engagement between the two countries. India and Pakistan have not had any substantive dialogue since the 2008 Mumbai attacks that were carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Efforts at engagement by both sides since then have produced no results and India snapped all contacts following a string of terror attacks in 2016 that were blamed on Pakistan-based groups. India also criticised Pakistan at the UN for spewing venom and false narratives, using hate speech and obfuscating the truth while raking up the Kashmir issue. Indias deputy permanent representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu, told a session of the General Assembly on Wednesday that Pakistan indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth instead of ending its bellicose and vitriolic diatribe and taking steps to restore normal ties. Naidu was responding to Saad Ahmed Warraich, counsellor at the Pakistani mission to the UN after he raised the Kashmir issue during the session. Uttarakhand government is all set to design a mobile application for 'Modi Trail' designed to give people a virtual tour of the places that PM Modi visited. This trail will be designed to bring to help boost tourism and pilgrimage ahead of the approaching Char Dham Yatra in the holy city. While the idea of the trail was announced back in December, the decision of converting 'Modi Trail' into an app is an idea by Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj after his visit to Croatia. Read: 3 best places in Uttarakhand that you must check out Croatia has documented various locations where scenes from the popular series Game of Thrones was shot. Similarly, the Uttarakhand government plans to design an Android app for a Modi Trail to document the various places that the PM visited. This will be presented in the form of pictures. videos and audio. Places on the 'Modi Trail' The trail is set to start from the Rudra Cave in Kedarnath where PM Modi had meditated last year to Jim Corbett National Park, the place where Modi shot the Man Vs Wild episode with Bear Grylls. The episode which aired on television on August 12, last year showed the PM Modi and the survivalist walking through the wild and taking a ride on a river in a makeshift boat and braving the rain and cold in the jungles of Jim Corbett National Park The state government believes that this would be an interactive initiative for tourists who will visit the state. Read: Uttarakhand: NMCG conserves wetlands in Ganga basin under 'Namami Gange' program Read: Sanskrit to replace urdu on railway signboards in Uttarakhand The proposal of the 'Modi Trail' was passed in a meeting held on December 12 last year. Satpal Maharaj had directed his officials to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to analyze the overall expenses in the project. Tourists who want to undertake the Modi Trail can book their tickets through the Uttarakhand Tourism website. The state is also planning on developing hotels and rest locations for the tourists along the Modi Trail route. Read: Uttarakhand under cold wave, thick snow blanket covers Badrinath Temple: Picture inside What happens when an author tries so strenuously to empathize with her subject that she loses control of her own book? Its a question that kept coming to mind as I read My War Criminal: Personal Encounters With an Architect of Genocide, Jessica Sterns mystifying account of her conversations with Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader who was convicted in 2016 of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and is serving a life sentence in prison at The Hague. Stern, a scholar of terrorism and trauma who served on President Bill Clintons National Security Council, conducted 12 interviews with Karadzic over the course of two years making hers the first such study, she says, of a leader tried for war crimes at an international tribunal since the Nazis were evaluated at Nuremberg. Karadzic was found guilty of orchestrating the massacre at Srebrenica, a Bosnian Muslim town and United Nations-designated safe zone where Serbian forces murdered 8,000 men and boys in 1995, burying them in mass graves. Four years before, he had given a speech to the Bosnian Assembly threatening Muslims with annihilation if they voted to secede from the disintegrating Yugoslavia. White supremacists across the world, including mass shooters in Norway and New Zealand, have looked to Karadzic for inspiration. Sterns interest in Karadzic isnt purely academic. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she writes about her deep curiosity about the causes of evil, and of a persistent desire to make creative use of the sequelae of childhood trauma. Ten years ago, she published a memoir, Denial, which recounted in unsparing detail how her grandfather molested her, and how a 15-year-old Stern and her younger sister were raped at gunpoint after a stranger entered their home. First randomized trial of its kind finds multimedia guided self-help intervention can be delivered rapidly to large numbers of people in low-resource humanitarian settings by non-specialists with minimal training A guided self-help approach that provides strategies for managing distress and coping with adversity is safe, and resulted in meaningful improvements in psychological distress and functioning compared to enhanced usual care over three months in female refugees living in a settlement in Uganda, according to a randomised trial involving almost 700 South Sudanese refugee women, published in The Lancet Global Health journal. The study is the first randomised trial of a guided self-help group intervention in a low-resource humanitarian setting. Although longer follow-up is needed to determine the long-term effects of the intervention, the authors say that guided self-help could be a promising first-line strategy to address the vast gap in mental health support in areas where humanitarian access is difficult, such as South Sudan and Syria. Refugees are at greater risk of developing symptoms of common mental disorders and other forms of disabling psychological distress. Although several psychological treatments have been shown to be effective among conflict-affected populations, they tend to target single mental disorders, require a substantial clinical workforce, and reach only individuals or small groups of people at a time. Self-Help Plus (SH+) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to meet the challenges of delivering evidence-based mental health support to large numbers of people both with and without mental disorders in hard-to-reach conflict- or disaster-affected areas. SH+ is a group-based self-help intervention guided by non-specialist facilitators with minimal training. It combines a five-session pre-recorded audio course with an illustrated self-help book designed for low literacy populations and can be delivered to groups of up to 30 people. "SH+ provides strategies for managing distress arising in the context of a range of adversities including interpersonal violence, armed conflict, and chronic poverty. The approach is based on acceptance and commitment therapy, a modern form of cognitive?behavioural therapy, that focuses on increasing psychological flexibility--primarily through mindfulness exercises--and promotes behaviours that are in line with a person's values", explains Dr Wietse Tol from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and HealthRight International, USA, who co-led the research. [1] According to co-lead author Dr Mark van Ommeren from WHO, Switzerland: "By targeting psychological distress, regardless of whether people have mental disorders, while reducing reliance on scarce specialists and tripling the number of participants reached per session, guided self-help has enormous potential to improve reach and access to psychological support for people affected by adversity." [1] The study included 697 female refugees from South Sudan with at least moderate levels of psychological distress living in the Rhino Camp settlement in north-western Uganda. No psychiatric diagnosis was required to be included in the trial, but participants assessed to be at imminent risk of suicide or showing observable signs of severe mental disorder (e.g., psychosis) were excluded and offered alternative support. Researchers randomly assigned 14 villages in the settlement to either SH+ in addition to enhanced usual care or enhanced usual care alone. In the seven intervention villages, 331 women from randomly selected households received five weekly 2-hour audio-recorded group-based sessions (20-30 refugees) delivered by briefly trained (8 days) lay facilitators supporting group discussions and demonstrating exercises, complemented by an illustrated self-help book that summarised key concepts of the course. The intervention group also received enhanced usual care consisting of one 30-min group psychoeducation session about how to self-manage distress and information on how to access existing mental health services. In the seven control villages, 363 women from randomly selected households received enhanced usual care alone. All participants completed questionnaires to assess their levels of psychological distress and to measure changes in symptoms of distress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), self-reported concerns, inter-ethnic relations, feelings of anger, functional impairment, and subjective wellbeing one week before the intervention, and one week and 3 months after the intervention had ended. On average (83%) of the women in the SH+ group participated in each session, which suggests that SH+ is acceptable to participants. Compared to the control group, refugees in the SH+ group reported substantially greater reductions in psychological distress both immediately after the intervention and 3 months later. At the 3-month follow-up, SH+ also led to improvements in PTSD and depression symptoms, explosive anger, functioning, and subjective well-being, and was equally beneficial among women with different trauma histories, levels of distress, and levels of exposure to gender-based violence (table 2). Further analyses found that the vast majority of participants (84%; 582/694) rated their psychological distress as severe at the start of the study. Immediately after the intervention, women in the SH+ group were less likely to report severe levels of distress compared with the control group (110/331 [33%] vs 209/363 [48%]), and improvement in severe distress levels was maintained for 3 months (130/331 [39%] vs 174/336 [48%]). Importantly, there were no reports of any adverse reactions related to SH+ after scrutiny by an independent data safety management board. Despite these achievements, the study has some limitations, including that by randomising a limited number of villages, differences in unmeasured factors between the villages may have influenced the results; and the generalisability is limited to female refugees. Further adaptation and evaluation for male refugees is currently ongoing. "Our findings indicate that SH+ offers sizeable immediate benefits, which is very promising for an intervention that has high potential for scale-up, and can be delivered in areas with limited access to care", says co-author Marx Leku from HealthRight International in Uganda. Co-author Dr Claudia Garcia Moreno from WHO, Switzerland notes: "There are still critical questions left to answer, including why effect sizes reduce over time; whether benefits can be maintained by integrating SH+ into existing humanitarian programmes related to poverty, gender-based violence, or other community health concerns; and whether this approach is cost-effective compared with established psychological interventions." [1] Discussing the implications of the findings in a linked Comment, lead author Dr Charlotte Hanlon (who was not involved in the study) from Kings College London, UK, says that the study has "taken global mental health to a new and hopeful place", adding that, "the question now is how can this promising and potentially scalable intervention be transitioned to make real-world impact?" She concludes: "To allow for even greater reach...guided self-help could be reconceptualised as a secondary prevention intervention targeted at people with psychological distress. In doing so, the mechanisms of action of the intervention should be further investigated, particularly to understand how to achieve greater psychological flexibility...[so] that the intervention can be offered to all populations facing serious adversity, without the need to screen." ### Peer-reviewed / Randomised controlled trial / People NOTES TO EDITORS This study was funded by Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme. It was conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA; HealthRight International, New York, USA; Arua, Uganda; WHO, Geneva, Switzerland; Arua Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda; University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland; University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Uganda. The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com [1] Quotes direct from authors and cannot be found in text of Article. The authorities of Victoria Memorial Hall are planning to narrate the story of the iconic structure and the exhibits inside it to common people. According to the Curator of Victoria Memorial Hall museum, Jayanta Sengupta, a mobile app will be developed and some devices will be installed near the stairs of the building to serve the purpose. Common people visiting the place will get to know a lot about the building - its history, Queen Victoria and the exhibits inside the building - with the help of the touch- screen enabled devices, Sengupta told PTI on Wednesday. "We are planning to use digital technology for narrating the tale of Queen Victoria, the structure that was built in memory of her and its rich treasure, in a very simple and understandable manner," Sengupta said. The museum has a rich treasure trove of art objects of 19th-20th Century. Thousands of people who visit Victoria Memorial, built between 1906 and 1921, are not aware about the galleries inside, and our aim is to give them all the information, Sengupta said. He also said the mobile app, like any other apps, can be installed by anyone and all information about the building will be available through it. "We wish the present generation know more about Victoria Memorial and the digital technology will be very effective. At the same time we are concerned that the touch- screen devices may become defunct after some time due to constant usage," he said. The app and the devices will be ready in a year, Sengupta said. The museum, which was established in 1921, contains exhibits ranging from Mughal miniature art, paintings of Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, paintings of colonial artists such as Thomas and William Daniell of the 18th century, the writing table used by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, stamps, coins and other things, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A British man trapped in the Chinese city of Wuhan has described the blanket of fear hanging over the place where coronavirus first broke out. Kharn Lambert, a PE teacher based in China, last night told of how he worried about leaving his home for fear of catching a deadly virus. In one of the first British accounts to come out of Wuhan, which was placed in lockdown yesterday, Mr Lambert described how the area had become unrecognisable. Kharn Lambert, a PE teacher based in China , last night told of how he worried about leaving his home for fear of catching a deadly virus Mr Lambert described how Wuhan had become unrecognisable, describing the normally vibrant streets as 'dead' Asked if a blanket of fear was looming above Wuhan, the PE teacher said: 100 per cent If you saw the street behind me at night time where I normally live, its a very vibrant street, lots of restaurants and its open until 2am and Chinese families come to celebrate, he said. But if I show you out there now, its dead. Asked if a blanket of fear was looming above Wuhan, he told the BBC: 100 per cent. China had last night put six cities on lockdown in a desperate bid to contain the virus. Planes in and out of Wuhan were grounded and local transport services axed. About 20 million residents across China were effectively quarantined as the coronavirus death toll stood at 25 with more than 800 infected. It came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) branded the scale of emergency measures unprecedented in public health history. Thousands of patients have continued to flood into hospitals across the Chinese cities. And further panic set in after rumours suggested hospital beds were running out and medical equipment was in short supply. About 40 million residents across China were effectively quarantined as the coronavirus death toll stood at 26 with more than 800 infected. Medical staff transfer virus patients to Jin Yintan hospital in Wuhan This man has been placed in a quarantine box at Fuzhou Airport, where he is also suspected of contracting the disease Locals described an end of the world mentality with supermarket shelves bare and petrol stations overwhelmed as locals tried to stock up. Usually bustling streets, decorated for Chinese New Year festivities, were deserted. Those who did venture outside wore masks. Public health officials have been seen walking the streets under clouds of gas as they disinfect roads and parks. Quarantine tents continued to spring up in an effort to isolate suspected cases. As of yesterday, there was a total of 830 cases of coronavirus in China but scientists warned that as many as 10,000 could be infected. The Chinese government is scrambling to put emergency measures in place ahead of the Lunar New Year, which begins tomorrow. It is estimated to be the worlds biggest annual migration. Passengers arriving at Terminal 3 on flights from China wore masks to protect them from possible infection Hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel for the celebrations in the country and abroad, posing a severe problem for officials trying to contain the spread. Major events have been cancelled in the capital Beijing, while the releases of seven films were postponed over fears that confined cinemas would provide the perfect breeding ground for the virus. Yesterday morning, a government-imposed travel ban came into force in Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, at 10am local time. Later, transport links were also being sealed off in the neighbouring central cities of Huanggang and Ezhou, which hold a combined population of nearly 8.5 million, and the smaller cities of Chibi, Zhijiang and Xiantao with a further two million. Wuhan is the seventh biggest city in China with connections to every part of the globe. This may explain why the virus, thought to have originated in a food market, was able to spread so quickly. All flights to and from the citys international airport, which handles about 20 million passengers a year, were grounded. Police were also deployed to guard the citys high-speed train station, with anyone booked on trips turned away. Bus, ferry, and subway services were also cancelled as residents were told not to leave unless they had special reasons. Cinemas and internet cafes were ordered to stop operating. Masks were running out in pharmacies across Wuhan after the government said they had to be worn in public spaces. Panic in the London-sized city was not helped by rumours that hospitals were turning patients away, with eight issuing an emergency call for medical equipment and donations. Officials said they would attempt to build a hospital in six days to accommodate the ill. Medics are taking extreme precautions to prevent further transmission of the virus in Wuhan Large numbers of flights to and from Wuhan have been cancelled as officials try and prevent the spread of the deadly virus Writing on Chinese social media, one Wuhan resident said: We consciously avoid going out, disinfect diligently and wear masks. But there is a lack of food and disinfectants, and we need more resources. We hope everyone can understand that we are feeling as though it is the end of the world. On Chinas Weibo social network, similar to Twitter, the search term Wuhan is sealed off had been used over 1.2 billion times last night. The price of food and medical supplies has soared in recent days and hotels would serve meals to guests only in their rooms. Schools were told that the start of term would likely be delayed. One teacher, who gave her name only as Xiao, 26, told The Guardian: This is a little too late now. The governments measures are not enough. The WHOs representative in Beijing, Dr Gauden Galea, said: To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science... We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work. A doctor on the ground in Wuhan admitted she was terrified by the alarming rate at which the virus had spread. The hospitals have been flooding with patients, there are thousands, I havent seen so many before, she told the BBC. They have to wait for hours before they see a doctor you can imagine their panic. Its a new virus, so there isnt much information. Some of India's top business leaders recently told CNBC that they were not too pessimistic about the country's growth prospects in the coming years, despite a recent prediction downgrade from the International Monetary Fund. The IMF marked down India's growth projection for 2020 by 1.2 percentage points from its October forecast for 2020, the organization expects Asia's third-largest economy to grow by 5.8% before jumping up to 6.5% in 2021, ahead of China. Last year, India's economic output slowed to 4.5% in the three months that ended in September, marking the slowest pace of expansion in six years. "There's a concern, definitely. I won't say that there is no concern because the growth has dropped sharply, and there may be a couple of reasons," Rajnish Kumar, chairman of the State Bank of India the country's largest public lender told CNBC's Karen Tso at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "In the last five years, there has been a big reform agenda, which the government has carried out. When we're transitioning to a new phase, new way of doing business, I think this is the pain we're going through," Kumar said. Anand Mahindra, CEO of multinational conglomerate Mahindra Group, pointed to the IMF's 2021 projection for the country. "India will be 6.5%, ahead of China's 5.8%, which will make us once again the fastest-growing (major) economy in the world," he told CNBC's Karen Tso. "I guess it's one of those cases of 'Is the glass half-full or half-empty?' Everybody's looking at the bad news, and I think that's become a default thing." Meanwhile, Salil Parekh, who runs Infosys, which provides information technology and outsourcing services to foreign firms, told CNBC's Geoff Cutmore and Steve Sedgwick that since most of his business is outside India, the slowdown hasn't had any material impact on operations. But many of his employees have been affected. "I know the government, the prime minister, and everyone in the business community are working towards putting in measures that are going to bring the growth back. My sense is in the next few quarters, we'll start to see that," Parekh said. A Conservative MP has called for Brexit to be marked next week with a firework display that can be seen from France and a huge banner hanging from the White Cliffs of Dover. Natalie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, has urged the UK to celebrate its exit from the European Union by hanging a banner displaying the words We love the UK on 31 January. The newly elected Conservative has suggested the banner should replace a rival 150 sq m We still love EU banner which is being crowdfunded by Liberal Democrat MEP Antony Hook. Sadly, we cant stop Brexit now, but we can send a strong message to the world that we still love Europe, Mr Hook said in a statement announcing the proposal. The crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly 14,000 and easily passed its 5,500 target to fund the pro-Europe banner. Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Show all 10 1 /10 Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference A Boris Johnson doll for sale at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on 29 September PA Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Mugs with Boris Johnson's portrait for sale at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on 29 September AP Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference A Boris Johnson themed T-shirt for sale at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on 29 September AFP/Getty Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Boris Johnson and other Conservative themed cards for sale at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on 29 September AP Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Boris Johnson posters for sale at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on 29 September EPA Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Copies of The Conservative newspaper are ready to be distributed during the Conservative Party conference on 30 September Getty Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference "GET BREXIT DONE" mugs alongside other Conservative merchandise at the party conference in Manchester on 29 September PA Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Assorted Conservative merchandise for sale at the party conference in Manchester on 29 September PA Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference Books about Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jeremy Corbyn for sale at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on 29 September Getty Boris Johnson and Brexit merchandise for sale at the Tory conference A variety of books for sale at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on 29 September Getty Ms Elphicke has said her proposal is an opportunity to use the Brexit date to share our positive message about Britain and the future we can make. This is a moment where we can look forward with ambition to the Britain we can build in the decades to come, the MP said. Thats why the message we should be beaming onto the White Cliffs is that We love the UK. Because we are proud to become an independent nation again. Recommended Johnson unveils Brexit day celebrations after Big Ben bong fiasco Mr Hook has promised to spend the surplus funds on an exciting extra demonstration for the date. The Conservative politicians call follows a failed attempt by pro-Brexit MPs to make Big Ben bong on Brexit day. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, had suggested crowdfunding the 500,000 bill for restoring Big Ben to working order for the date, but his proposal backfired when parliamentary authorities said they could not accept money raised by the public. The House of Commons authorities have set out that there may be potential difficulties in accepting money from public donations, a spokesperson for Mr Johnson said last week. Instead, a clock counting down to the moment Britain leaves the EU will be projected onto the outside of No 10 and a light show will illuminate buildings around Whitehall. The Independent has approached Ms Elphicke for further comment on her proposal. The MP succeeded her husband, Charlie Elphicke, in the 2019 general election after he stepped down following allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied. Additional reporting by PA By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actress Annabella Sciorra testified on Thursday that Harvey Weinstein pinned her hands behind her head and violently raped her more than 25 years ago, becoming the first accuser to take the stand against the former Hollywood producer in his sexual assault trial. "He had intercourse with me as I tried to fight, but I couldnt fight anymore because he had my hands locked," she told the New York jury of seven men and five women. Weinstein, sitting at the defense table, took notes on a legal pad at times during the testimony. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women, Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann. He has said all of his sexual encounters with women were consensual. Sciorra's allegation from the winter of 1993-94 is too old to be charged as a separate crime, but prosecutors hope it will show that Weinstein was a repeat sexual predator, a charge that could put him in prison for life. As the trial wrapped for the day, prosecutors said they wanted to call actress Rosie Perez to testify that Sciorra told her about the alleged attack, a request the defense opposed. James Burke, the judge presiding over the case, said he would rule on the issue "soon enough." The trial is a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have gone public with allegations against powerful men in business and politics. Since 2017, more than 80 women, including many famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Weinstein reshaped the independent film industry with critically acclaimed pictures such as "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love." Actresses Ellen Barkin, Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette sent Twitter messages of support to Sciorra, best known for her role in HBO's "The Sopranos." Barkin was in the courtroom for her testimony. Sciorra told the jury that the evening of the alleged rape had started with Weinstein giving her a ride home from an Irish restaurant. After dropping her off, he knocked on her door and came inside uninvited. Story continues She testified that after forcing intercourse on her, he performed oral sex on her as she protested. "It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual," she said. "It was like a seizure or something. One of Weinstein's attorneys, Donna Rotunno, methodically sought to undercut Sciorras account. Rotunno repeatedly asked Sciorra if she had tried to get away from Weinstein and whether she had fought back during the alleged rape. Sciorra said she did not recall the details of the struggle but repeated that she felt she could not escape. He was frightening, she said. During rapid-fire questioning, Rotunno grilled Sciorra about whether she had called the police, gone to the hospital or immediately told anyone she had been raped. Sciorra said she had not. At the time, I didnt understand that it was rape, she said. Sciorra told jurors that she saw Weinstein several weeks later at a dinner where she tried to confront him and told him she fainted during the alleged attack. She said he responded by saying, "Thats what all the nice Catholic girls say." She said Weinstein leaned in and said: "This remains between you and I." Though he laughed, his tone was "very menacing," Sciorra said. On Friday, prosecutors are expected to call Barbara Ziv, a Temple University psychology professor, as an expert. Ziv will testify about "rape trauma syndrome," including why rape victims might not report what happened to them or show obvious signs of trauma, according to court filings by prosecutors. (Writing by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Reporting By Brendan Pierson and Maria Caspani in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Cynthia Osterman and Jonathan Oatis) 'What use is wealth if it burns?' Britain's Prince Charles sounds climate alarm Davos, Switzerland, Jan 22 (AFP) Jan 22, 2020 Britain's Prince Charles on Wednesday told business leaders at the Davos economic forum that wealth was of no use if it doesn't help tackle climate change, as he met Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg and warned over the perils of global warming and environmental damage. Charles, the eldest son of the Queen and heir to the throne, met Thunberg in Davos on the same day as President Donald Trump left the Swiss resort expressing regret he had not seen the environmental campaigner. Charles, a long-time advocate of environmental causes, launched at Davos a new Sustainable Markets Initiative aimed at encouraging the private sector to move towards green ways to promote growth. "What good is all the extra wealth in the world gained from business as usual if you can do nothing with it, except watch it burn in catastrophic conditions?" asked Charles in a speech to the forum. "This is why I need your help, your ingenuity and your practical skills to ensure that the private sector leads ourselves out of the approaching catastrophe into which we have engineered ourselves," he said. "We simply cannot waste any more time. The only limit is our willingness to act and the time to act is now," he added. - 'Would have loved to' - Charles then held a private meeting with Thunberg, who the previous day told Davos "our house is still burning" and slammed governments for doing "basically nothing" on climate change. Trump said on Wednesday he would "have loved" to have met Thunberg at Davos but added that she should not focus her anger on the United States. He claimed that countries other than the United States were the worst polluters and "Greta ought to focus on those places". Trump had launched an extraordinary attack on environmental campaigners in a speech to the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday, saying they were "perennial prophets of doom" and the "heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers". The president on Wednesday denied he thought that global warming was a hoax, saying: "No not at all -- I think aspects of it are." Charles, who prides himself on having warned of the perils of climate change before most political leaders, was asked by reporters in the corridors of Davos if he felt in any way targeted by Trump's "prophets of doom" comments. "Ha! Good point!" he laughed. Charles made no reference in his speech to the turbulence in Britain's Royal Family that has seen an agreement for his younger son Harry to halt royal duties and leave for Canada with his wife Meghan. But he said he particularly wanted to "extol" the Earthshot Prize announced by his elder son Prince William to encourage the world's greatest problem-solvers to find answers to the biggest environmental problems. If someone unfamiliar with the suckler sector walked into a packed-to-the-rafters Elphin Mart on a frosty night in early November last year, they would be forgiven for believing they were witnessing a booming industry. As the hammer fell at 5,000 for an in-calf heifer at Martin O'Connor's annual sale of top quality breeding stock - at a time when the beef price was at its lowest in years - even those familiar with the industry could be forgiven for wondering what the hell was going on. For Martin, the answer is simple. "There are men out there to buy the top quality animal all the time," he says. Martin has become renowned for producing some of the country's best suckler breeding stock and has the sales returns to back that up. When I visited him on his farm in Tulsk, Co Roscommon, last week, he was hard at work keeping next year's batch of heifers fed and watered. Martin, who was a suckler farmer himself for many years, got into the business of selling in-calf heifers after spotting a gap in the market. Expand Close One of Martins top heifers for 2020. Born April 2018 and bought in Raphoe Fatstock sale she will be bred to EBY in mid-Februrary / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp One of Martins top heifers for 2020. Born April 2018 and bought in Raphoe Fatstock sale she will be bred to EBY in mid-Februrary "There are buyers out there for the heavy, high-quality heifers and they are willing to pay a premium for them. At present, there is a savage difference between the returns farmers are getting for your average calf and the top quality ones. In terms of price, you're talking about a difference of 300-400." Quality is critical for Martin and he specially targets U-grade heifers. "You're not going to breed a racehorse off a donkey," he says, conceding that there are some people that disagree with his method. "People may say they're too muscly, but if I wasn't able to sell these good muscle-type heifers, what's the use in me having them? It's not enough for me to like them. There needs to be a customer out there for them." Few can disagree with these sentiments when looking at the fantastic prices Martin is achieving at his annual sales. At his last sale in November, he averaged 2,500 for his heifers. So what's the secret? "There is no doubt it's a high-risk business and a huge investment every year," he says. "The first thing I have to do is get them in calf - at the sale, they have to be showing a sign of milk or you're going nowhere, and [avoiding] disease is the next big one. A TB outbreak would be a nightmare." Purchasing Martin travels far and wide to find the right heifer and says that acquiring top stock is getting harder each year. Expand Close Bestseller: Martin's top priced heifer in 2019 sold for 5,000 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bestseller: Martin's top priced heifer in 2019 sold for 5,000 "I very rarely go into a man's yard and see cattle that are better than I expected," he says. "Farmers would ring me and say, 'I hear you're looking for good heifers'. 'No,' I say, 'I'm looking for super heifers. Have you a super heifer?' I ask," before adding that he bought more stock 'on the land' this year than ever before. "I'm on the lookout for a heifer with a wide back-end. They have to have a wide pelvis. It's number one when I am judging a heifer," he explains. He also says that colour is also critically important and the right colour of a heifer could be worth 200-300. Length and power are two more important criteria for Martin when selecting a suitable heifer. And he also takes docility very seriously. "I wouldn't entertain a wild heifer at any money. That's the truth. I hate wild stock. Nine times out of 10, a wild springer will breed a wild calf," he says. Breeding Martin uses all AI on the heifers and has vasectomised bulls with chin balls to identify heifers in heat. "I like to get Jersey-type bulls - they seem to have more vigour to them. I keep them moved around in different groups quite regularly. "It's incredible how the bulls pick up cows you wouldn't otherwise, and I feel they also bring them into heat. I find the bull mighty for the job," he said. Martin usually starts breeding on February 10, with 95pc submission by St Patrick's Day. He is using three Limousin bulls this year - Ivor, Lodge Hamlet and EBY. "You won't get three better bulls to bring quality, easy calving stock," he says. He added that one of the most important factors when he is choosing a bull is reliability. "If you get a bull with 30pc-40pc reliability, you don't know what he's going to bring," he says. And the biggest thing his customers don't want is a C-section. "Easy calving is critical," he stresses. Martin says that despite his stock appearing expensive, most of his customers are factoring in the cull value of the animals in years to come. "They're thinking about the salvage value. They want a cow killing out at 600kg when they move to cull her. A 600kg carcass at 3.20/kg is coming into near 2,000, which means that farmer is able to buy a replacement straight away," he explained. The best-selling heifers are orange and white Charolais types. This is down to milk, says Martin. "The bit of Simmental in the Charolais seems to have that bit of extra milk that farmers are after," he said. "It's amazing that when you look at the ICBF data, the number of heifers here that have 4pc-5pc Holstein in them. Now you wouldn't think that by looking at these heifers, but its there," he says, pointing at a pen of his U-grade heifers. On sale day, it's vital Martin's heifers show signs of milk and he says it can make a big difference in the price. "If you have a heifer calving down at December 1, you don't want her dry at Christmas. If it was St Patrick's Day she calved, you might get away with it as she's going out to grass, but not if she's calving in December." Disease A focus on animal health is another key area for Martin and the annual TB test poses the biggest fear. "The fuse can get short in the days leading up to the test," he says. "It's probably the biggest risk in our line of business. If we go down with TB, we could be faced with calving all these cows in the run-up to Christmas." All the heifers are vaccinated for BVD and Lepto, while testing is carried out for Neospora and Johne's. Mastitis is another concern to which Martin pays close attention. He uses fly tags to prevent a mastitis outbreak, noting that he wouldn't put a heifer though the ring if it contracted the disease. "If you are doing it right, you'll have repeat customers," he says. "There's no point telling a man she's eight months in calf and she's only six. "That customer won't be back. The heifer needs to do what it says on the can." 'A lot of the 5-star heifers I see, I wouldn't let them inside the gate' Talk of the decline of the suckler industry is overdone, according to Martin. He says there will always be a demand for good suckler cows, but maybe not in the volume to which farmers have become accustomed. "An old cliche in the west of Ireland is when everybody starts walking up the road, it's time to stop, have a look at them and walk the other way," he says. Martin stresses that farmers would be better off with 10 top-quality cows then 20 second-grade cows, describing the difference in the price of the weanlings as "colossal". He also says there is a lot of youth coming into the suckler game that no one is talking about. "What's interesting is that they are getting into quality stock. The top cows eat the same amount as an ordinary cow. The young guys seem to be going about it the right way," he says. One big gripe of Martin's is in relation to the BDGP programme and the Eurostar index. "I'm not a lover of the stars at all. I go by the quality of the animal I see in front of me. There's no doubt that there are some outstanding 5-star cows, but a lot of the 5-star heifers I see, I wouldn't let them inside the gate. When you're selling a heifer at 3,000-5,000, those buyers are not interested in stars. They want the top animal." Martin also has firmly held views on calving age and rejects the policy of calving at 24 months. "I believe you have to let the heifer develop correctly and I feel calving at 24 months stunts a heifer's growth a bit. "It's okay for the dairyman - he's in a different scenario. He has a lighter calf and lighter heifer. If he doesn't calve his heifers at 24 months, he's losing out on six months' milk." However, he says it's a totally different scenario in beef. Meal feeding Despite being in the heavy heifer business, Martin says he doesn't like buying stock that are "too well done". "That's because I don't feed meal here. If I buy a heifer at under 550kg and they lose 50kg here over the winter. For me, they would be too light. I buy at 600kg-650kg, and if they lose a bit, you still have a big heifer," he says. "My theory on giving meal to heifers before the sale is that someone is trying to cod the buyer that they have milk and put an udder on them." Unfortunately, Martin says all that really does is put an extra 20kg on the calf. "My heifers will get no meal and it's a huge cost-saving as well. Some don't believe me when I say that, but you can come up to my place and if you manage to find a trough, you can bring it with you," he jokes. PITTSBURGH, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Damon Claus, CEO of CASTUS, named one of 18 leaders to serve a 4-year term on the Western Pennsylvania District Export Council. WPDEC members volunteer their specialized expertise to companies in their local communities to establish or increase export sales. In order to be inducted, Damon had to be nominated by the Pittsburgh office of U.S. Commercial Service. Induction happens biennially and only 1,500 leaders actively serve across the U.S. "These new members are part of a select corps of trade experts dedicated to providing international trade leadership and guidance to the local business community and assistance to our local U.S. Commercial Service office on export business development issues for PA companies. These individuals have been appointed based on their international trade leadership, expertise, and ability to influence the local environment for exporting," said Gary Carver, Chair of the WPDEC. In this role, Damon will provide insight on international operations, serve as the liaison between the business community and the U.S. Commercial Service, and offer guidance to local businesses on export development. "Assisting companies with international export has always been at the core of what CASTUS does and is central to my background. I am thrilled to partner with the U.S. Commercial Service to help advance their mission and a cause we are passionate about - global expansion." said Claus. "95% of the world's population lives outside of the United States. We want to help as many businesses as possible leverage the global marketplace for growth." To contact Damon for export assistance, please fill out the contact form on the CASTUS website. District Export Councils (DECs) are organizations of business leaders from local communities, appointed by a sitting U.S. Secretary of Commerce. These organizations are closely affiliated with the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration's, and the U.S. Commercial Service. CASTUS is a consulting firm that helps companies navigate the complexities of business development through years of expertise and proven strategic approach. Damon, founder and CEO, is a manager and motivator with more than 17 years of experience in Client Services. Prior to founding CASTUS in 2016, Damon worked at the world's most innovative juvenile products manufacturer, 4moms, where he managed a network of distribution partners responsible for selling products in more than 50 countries. Today, CASTUS partners with companies of all sizes, from start-ups to multi-billion dollar corporations, sharing expertise in strategic planning, business development, and international expansion. As a company that got its start in the Steel City, we understand the tremendous global talent that calls Pittsburgh home and are proud to sit among their ranks. SOURCE CASTUS By Laman Ismayilova Nadezhda (Hope) International Art Competition has been solemnly held in Baku, bringing together young talents from Russia, Turkey and Georgia. The contest was co-organized by the Azerbaijan Youth Union and the Dance Association with the support of the Cultural Ministry and JamGroup to reveal and develop the creative potential of the younger generation. The competition was held by age category: babies (6 years old), children (up to 10 years old), juniors (up to 16 years old), teenagers (16 years old and older). The competition featured various genres, including folk, classical, pop, music, shows, fashion, choir and dance. Speaking about the event , the head of the Azerbaijan Dance Association and board member of the Youth Union, Aziz Azizov expressed his gratitude to art directors for their patience and the work that they put into their students as well as jury members for their fair decisions and invaluable contribution to the development of art in Azerbaijan. To ensure the objectivity, the names of participants, studios or schools were not announced. The professional jury evaluated only the performance. The winners were determined by registration number. The winners included Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, the Baku Academy of Music, the Gymnasium of Arts at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, Music College Asaf Zeynalli, groups and ensembles - "Heart beat", "The Legend", "Simurq", "Jam SS","Buta", "Kamerton", music schools - No. 1 named after Suleyman Alasgarov, No. 2, No. 9 named after Jabbar Garyagdioglu, No. 13 named after Said Rustamov, No. 17, No. 21 named after Mstislav and Leopold Rostropovich, No. 22 named after Niyazi , No. 24, No. 28, No. 34, No. 35 named after George Sharoyev, No. 37, Sheki Children's Art School, childrens music school in the village of Gulabli, Agdam region, Mushfigabad House of Culture, Aybeniz Gashimova Creative Academy, Childrens music school named after Rovshan Garayev in the village of Khan Gervend, Goranboy region, Folk dance ensemble of the Republican physical and mathematical lyceum "Bars", Municipal budgetary educational institution of additional education Children's Music School in the village of Chistoozerny, Kamensky district, municipal budgetary educational institution of additional education "Children's Music School" of the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Municipal budgetary educational institution of additional education "Old-school center for aesthetic education of children of the Kamensky district", Izmir Toki Karsyaka Municipality, Yirmi Birinci Yuzyl Karsyaka College and others. Media partners of the event were Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz WASHINGTON - The big-money groups aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised $68.3 million in 2019, a record sum for a non-election year that reflected donors' support for Senate Republicans through impeachment, judicial appointments and the 2020 elections, officials said Thursday. The constellation of groups allied with McConnell, R-Ky., entered 2020 with $68.1 million - a larger cash reserve than in previous cycles, according to totals provided to The Washington Post. The majority of the money raised in 2019 came in the latter half of the year, particularly in the final two months, largely spurred by the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, officials said. "The enthusiasm among our donors is higher than I've ever seen it before, and I've been at this for a decade now," said Steven Law, president and chief executive of Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with McConnell and Senate Republicans. Donors were especially fired up after a November event held by the super PAC at the Trump International Hotel in Washington that featured President Donald Trump, who highlighted the records of GOP senators up for reelection in 2020, Law said. The super PAC and its affiliated politically active nonprofit organizations can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, and traditionally they have enjoyed support from some of the Republican Party's biggest donors. In 2019, GOP donors to the groups were alarmed by proposals from the liberal wing of the Democratic presidential field and the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, and were pleased by McConnell's record reshaping of the federal judiciary under Trump to ensure a conservative stronghold on the courts for decades to come, Law said. Donors recognize that the Senate is "the place that ultimately holds the line, whether it's against impeachment, against what our donors see as far-left proposals emanating from the presidential field, against whatever the current House majority pushes out," Law said. Impeachment is "just one more instance when the Senate's ultimate firewall role comes into focus," he said. Republicans have a 53-to-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip control of the chamber. There are currently four toss-up Senate races for 2020, according to the Cook Political Report. In three of those states, Republicans are defending their Senate seats: Sens. Martha McSally of Arizona, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine. Sen. Doug Jones, who represents Alabama, is the only Democrat seeking reelection in a toss-up race. Senate Democratic groups have raised enormous sums in recent years, particularly in the 2018 midterms, and some of the 2020 Senate Democratic challengers have already posted strong figures. Among them is former astronaut Mark Kelly of Arizona, who reported raising $6.3 million in the final three months of 2019, compared with incumbent McSally, who reported raising more than $4 million. Independent big-money groups are already running ads for the key 2020 Senate races. The pro-Senate Democratic super PAC Senate Majority PAC and affiliated nonprofit Majority Forward began airing ads late last year, and the Senate Leadership Fund has been running ads, too. The majority of the cash on hand heading into 2020 among the pro-Senate GOP groups was held by Senate Leadership Fund ($30.8 million) and an affiliated nonprofit organization, One Nation ($35.5 million), officials said. Money raised by One Nation and other politically active nonprofit groups will not be made public until after the 2020 elections, and they are not required to reveal their donors. The official 2019 fundraising figures by the campaigns and super PACs will be made public on Jan. 31, the last day to submit year-end records with the Federal Election Commission. The big-money groups aligned with Senate Democrats have not yet released their tally ahead of the FEC filing deadline. Pre-tax profits at the Byrne property and hotel group increased by 56pc to 39.6m in 2018. Figures lodged with the Companies Office show Santenay Ltd recorded a slight drop in revenue to 18.52m in 2018. The group - led by John P Byrne - enjoyed the 39.6m pre-tax profit after it recorded a net gain of 30.9m on the revaluation of investment properties. That followed a net gain of 15.8m in 2017. The group recorded the pre-tax profits after paying interest charges of 2.9m. It recorded post-tax profits of 28.8m, after paying corporation tax of 10.8m. The firm was established by Mr Byrne's late father, John J Byrne, who was a friend of Charlie Haughey and made his money building ballrooms in London, and office blocks and apartments in central Dublin. A breakdown of revenues shows that 13.8m was generated from rental income, with the hotel arm recording revenues of 3.22m. The group also recorded revenues of 1.4m from service charges. Numbers employed decreased to 73 from 77, as staff costs totalled 2.3m. Directors' pay totalled 750,000. The group recorded an operating profit of 11.59m after operating expenses of 4.1m and staff costs of 2.3m were taken into account. Shareholder funds at the group total 204m. The firm's cash decreased to 16.6m from 17.2m. It had bank loans of 73m. Pay to key management personnel totalled 400,000. The group received dividends of 10.67m from subsidiaries in 2018 and 4.8m in 2017. The directors stated there was strong competition in the hotel industry and the ongoing challenge was to maintain sales and gross margin. A native of Co Kerry, the late Mr Byrne died in October 2013 in his 94th year. The late Mr Byrne grew up on a small farm in Kerry before moving to Britain, where he made his money from dance halls. He returned at the request of the then taoiseach, Sean Lemass, who wanted offices built to house an expanding public sector. His buildings in Dublin included D'Olier House and Parnell House. A subsidiary of Santenay is Alstead Securities, which generates millions leasing property to the State, concerning two sites in the Parnell Square area of Dublin. The accounts include the performance of eight subsidiaries. Times Square, known as the "Crossroads of the World", has a daily traffic of 500,000 people. Wang Yuan, a student from Beijing, expressed his excitement after seeing Wuliangye's New Year greetings, saying it's like running into an old friend in a foreign country. Liu Yao, a native of Jinan, capital city of east China's Shandong Province, said that Wuliangye has always been a part of his memory of the New Year's taste. New York resident Jim said that the Chinese New Year seemed to be bringing all Chinese people together. He also became curious about Chinese baijiu liquor, and hoped to have a taste of it soon. 2020 is the Year of the Rat for the Chinese people. As the head of the zodiac sign, rat represents the beginning of a new cycle. By sending out New Year's greetings, Wuliangye also shared with the world its culture of harmony and the charm of Chinese baijiu liquor, according to the liquor maker. In its New Year greetings, Wuliangye also shared its identity as an official partner of the China Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo 2020. According to Wuliangye, as an official partner, it will play an indispensable part in the events at the China Pavilion, and along with other Chinese brands, share with the world China's efforts in promoting global common development, building a community of shared future for mankind, and creating a beautiful global village. In recent years, Wuliangye has frequently appeared at important global events in the political, economic, and cultural sectors, becoming a crucial mean by which overseas friends come to understand Chinese traditional culture, especially the baijiu culture. The company said it will continue to uphold the concept of shared harmony and beauty, champion the development of a liquor community of shared future, and promote common development and friendly exchanges of all parties in the world. SOURCE Wuliangye Yibin Co., Ltd. US president Donald Trump, right, speaks during a bilateral meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Davos, Switzerland on 21 January. Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told delegates at the 50th World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Wednesday that with the global order under constant threat, the European Union is ready to step up and lead the way on tackling climate change. In a veiled swipe at China and the US, she said there are different ways to deal with these obvious changes, like restricting the internet, and fuelling nationalism... or you can take an inclusive approach to create new markets and sustainable jobs. She said the European Unions goal is to be the first climate neutral continent by 2050. READ MORE: 'Our house is still on fire': Greta Thunberg chides leaders for climate inaction In contrast to US president Donald Trump, who labelled climate activists as prophets of doom, von der Leyen said that the evidence of climate change is overwhelming and it is a global challenge. Most of us not all of us agree that we need to act, she said. The World Economic Forums global risk report identifies the top five risks for our economy are all climate-related. She said the EU will mobilise billions of euros of investment as part of its Green Deal. Launched in Brussels at the start of the year, the Green Deal will be funded by the EU, national governments, and the private sector. Von der Leyen praised China for taking the first steps towards a CO2 pricing system and said the world needs to agree on global pricing for greenhouse gas emissions to ensure a level playing field where no carbon border taxes are necessary. READ MORE: Expert says humans enjoy a $125tn subsidy from nature The EC chief also lauded Europes leadership on data privacy laws, such as GDPR, but noted that data remains a largely underused resource that could benefit business and society in terms of innovation. She said that the EUs Open Science Cloud, which is in development, will offer huge amounts of valuable research and data for scientists to share. Recent events, like Libya, show where the EU needs to step up and do more in the world, she said. Europe can make a real difference in preventing crises, as a complementary power to NATO, she added, noting that the EUs foreign policy strategy leans towards diplomacy over hard military power. Ahead of his meeting with von der Leyen at the WEF on Tuesday, Trump said he hoped the US and European Union would be able to make some progress on hammering out a new trade deal. Trump afterwards told CNBC that the US would need to take action with very high tariffs on their cars and other things if both sides failed to reach a trade deal. To be selected, each organisation must show that they are active and committed to inclusion by exceeding the benchmarks results in five of the following measures: awareness, engagement, inclusive organisational climate, inclusive leadership, inclusive team, and exclusion. This is the second time CGW, Corrs, and Sparke Helmore have made the index. Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills is the new entrant. Neil Baker, director of people and culture at Cooper Grace Ward, said that the recognition reflects the firms strong focus on culture and values. The firm boasts a range of inclusion initiatives including an active diversity committee, wellness committee, LGBTIQ+ support group, and a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and I believe these along with the supportive leadership have contributed to us receiving this recognition from our own team via the Diversity Council of Australia inclusion at work index, he said. CGW, Corrs, HSF, and Sparke Helmore are Australasian Lawyer Employer of Choice 2019 firms. - Africa's richest woman, Isabel Dos Santos, has been indicted of corruption - The daughter of Angola's former president was accused of embezzlement of funds when she served as the chairperson of the country's oil company - Isabel has, however, denied the allegations levelled against her just as she accused the Angolan government of witchhunt The richest women in Africa, Isabel Dos Santos, has been accused of embezzlement of funds which she allegedly committed while serving as chairperson of Angola's oil company. BBC reports that Isabel was charged for the alleged fraud alongside others some of whom are currently out of the central African country. Legit.ng gathers that the prosecutors have vowed to issue a warrant of arrest for all the suspects if they fail to present themselves. Africa's richest woman, Isabel Dos Santos, accused of corruption Source: UGC It was gathered the Isabel who is the daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos was exposed by her successor who uncovered her alleged fraud. Isabel was accused of diverting money from the coffers of the country's oil company to build her $2.1 bn (N795,300,000,000) fortune. She has, however, denied the allegations levelled against her just as she accused the Angolan government of witchhunt. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Isabel and one of the wealthiest women in the world hinted at contesting for the countrys presidency. Speaking with the BBC, Isabel on four different occasions refused to rule out the possibility that she could be running for the nations highest political post. Also, prosecutors are trying to recover $1bn (N361,500,000,000) Isabel and her associates are said to be owing the country. Isabel, who is 46 years old, was estimated by Forbes magazine to be $2.2bn (N795,300,000,000), which makes her the richest woman in Africa. In a related development, the acting chairman of Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has accused the United Kingdom of refusing to extradite a former minister of petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke to Nigeria. Ibrahim Magu while receiving the Institution of the Decade award for the EFCC on Tuesday, January 21, said the government of the United Kingdom despite all attempts by the Federal Government to bring Diezani back to face trial for alleged money laundering in Nigeria has been futile. The ceremony which was organised by Thisday in commemoration of its 25th anniversary took place at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Naij.com (naija.ng) > Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better Without women, men are nothing Sola Sobowale | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Although hes not a self-funding billionaire like the last mayor, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson might conceivably want to donate to his 2021 mayoral campaign but if he were still in one of his previous jobs, hed have to return the money. Johnson launched his campaign a year ago, pledging not to take money from real estate developers or the people that worked at their firms. But a decade ago, Johnson was one of those employees, serving as government relations director at GFI Development. He worked at the Manhattan-based developer behind high profile projects like the Ace Hotel in Midtown from 2008 to 2010, where he angled for the support of community boards and elected officials. He later worked in marketing for Sydell Group, the developer behind the NoMad Hotel. During his time at GFI, Johnson donated some $674 to eight separate New York City campaigns. That includes $225 to former City Council Speaker Christine Quinns 2009 City Council campaign, $100 to Mark Greens unsuccessful 2009 public advocate campaign, and $100 to Micah Lashers abandoned 2009 Council campaign, that was later refunded. Johnson also donated $25 to the 2009 Manhattan borough president campaign of Scott Stringer, the New York City Comptroller who now seems to be one of Johnsons chief rivals in the 2021 mayoral race. He also gave $50 to Stringers 2013 comptroller campaign. Johnson reportedly left GFI in 2010, but the October 2011 donation lists Johnsons employer as GFI Development Company. Johnson seemed surprised when asked at a City Hall press conference Thursday about his donations while working for Big Real Estate, noting that it was more than a decade ago. Johnson denied that he was trying to buy any meetings for with his small-dollar contributions. I was not trying to open doors with $25, he said. I have no memory of those contributions. The way landlords and others from the real estate industry gain influence over the political process through campaign donations has come under more scrutiny in recent years, with many left-leaning politicians declining developer dollars. Most recently, Stringer has stopped taking real estate money. Asked if Johnsons perspective on the real estate industry has changed since he worked in it, Johnson dodged the question and explained that his pledge was about removing the appearance of any conflicts of interest. Given the position Im in as speaker of the Council, and given that there are a number of projects and developments that come through this body, it would not be tenable for me, for the next two years in running for mayor, potentially, to take money from developers, when we are the final arbiter, he said. That is the line in the sand that I drew. Johnson previously took donations from real estate developers. The industry made up some $63,000 of his $506,000 haul in 2017, when he was reelected to the Council, according to Crains New York. But Johnson has made passing up real estate money a major part of his 2021 campaign its essentially the only thing on his campaign website. In addition to not taking money from developers, Johnson has also pledged to decline donations from corporate political action committees and employees of lobbying firms. Hes also limiting all donations to $250, despite the New York City Campaign Finance Board allowing donations of up to $2,000. Johnsons policy has gotten a lot of attention from the press, though many of the articles about his pledge dont mention his past work for a developer. Johnsons self-imposed limits havent seemed to hurt his ability to raise money. He brought in $329,000 in the last six months, outraising both Stringer and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., another top mayoral contender. Dates and venues have been announced for the upcoming tour of Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!, which opens in November. The production, featuring the music of Tchaikovsky, was first produced in 1992 and was last seen in 2012, when it celebrated its 20th birthday. It will open at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 16 November 2020, where it plays until 21 November, before visiting The Lowry (24 to 28 November), Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin (2 to 6 December) and playing for a full season at Sadler's Wells in London from 8 December 2020 to 24 January 2021. Further national and international tour dates for 2021 are to be revealed. Bourne's award-winning production of The Red Shoes recently completed a run at Sadler's Wells, and is currently on a major tour. Srinagar, Jan 23 : A group of Union Ministers on Thursday separately visited different areas of Jammu and Kashmir on the sixth day of the Centre's public outreach programme. Ravi Shankar Prasad visited Baramulla in north Kashmir while G Krishan Reddy visited Letpora in Pulwama and a CRPF centre at Humhama in Srinagar. Prasad inaugurated an indoor stadium in Baramulla and held a meeting with the district officials. He also met 38 delegations comprising members of Panchayat, Gujjar community and students. He will stay in Baramulla for the night and head to Sopore on Friday. Union Minister for AYUSH and Minister of State (Defence) Shripad Naik spoke to a gathering at the SKICC in Srinagar about the importance of medical tourism and for building new health infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir. Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Angad Suresh Channabasappa, Som Prakash and Rameshwar Teli toured areas in the Jammu region. On Saturday, a week-long public outreach programme was launched, during which 36 Union Ministers will visit 60 locations -- 52 in Jammu and eight in the Kashmir Valley -- in batches. It is the first major public outreach programme of the Modi government after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 last year. It is aimed at apprising the people about various Central schemes and for getting public feedback from the ground. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The closure of a coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation sooner than expected will be a major blow to a region where coal has been a mainstay of the economy for decades. The Arizona Public Service Co. now plans to shutter the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington, New Mexico, in 2031 when its coal contract expires rather than wait until 2038. The news came as New Mexico regulators consider plans for the 2022 closure of San Juan Generating Station, another coal-fired power plant just miles away off the Navajo reservation. The moves have prompted regional officials to say they are even more focused on promoting tourism and recreation as economic alternatives and ensuring the area has reliable internet and other infrastructure to entice manufacturing, data centres and other businesses. Theres a lot of transitioning happening, said Arvin Trujillo, chief executive of Four Corners Economic Development group. Were looking at how do we take the challenges we have and begin to look at more positive aspects and how do we get the full region to begin to work together. The Four Corners plant went online in the 1960s. Arizona Public Service Co. is the majority owner, with smaller shares held by Public Service Co. of New Mexico, the Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power and the Navajo Nation. Three of the units shut down in 2014, and the coming full closure likely means the coal mine that feeds the plant will shutter, too. The mine is owned by the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. a business arm of the tribe. The company said Thursday its plans and financials have centred around the end of the coal contract in 2031, and it will work to diversify the tribes energy sources. The mine and power plant employ more than 700 mostly Navajo workers. The plant has an annual payroll of nearly $100 million, APS said. Another $100 million a year is paid in taxes, fees and coal royalties to tribal, local, state and federal entities, with an economic impact that APS estimates is more than double that amount. APS spokeswoman Lily Quezada said the utility will work with employees and nearby communities on the transition. We will be open and transparent and will provide as long a lead time as possible to reduce the impact of job losses and lower tax revenue, she wrote in an email. The other owners have no plans to run the power plant themselves and said theyll replace the coal-fired power with other sources. Arizona requires utilities to get 15% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. APS has a more aggressive plan, saying it will rely on the nations largest nuclear power plant as it adds renewable power, battery storage and other sources of energy. It has vowed to have 45% renewable energy by 2030 and be carbon-free by 2050. In New Mexico, investor-owned utilities must be carbon-free by 2045 under an energy transition law adopted last year. Implementation of the law is tangled up in a regulatory fight, but Public Service Co. of New Mexico already has pledged to divest itself of coal and natural gas by 2040. The closure of the Four Corners Power Plant likely will mark the end of decades of coal mining on the vast Navajo Nation, which extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Two other power plants that relied on coal from the reservation closed in 2005 and last year. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said the tribe isnt closing the door on fossil fuel but is heeding public desire for energy developed from wind and solar. The tribe has a couple of solar plants in Kayenta, Arizona, and is working with the Salt River Project on others. The Nation has an abundant amount of coal, and we dont know what types of new technology will be developed in the future that might allow for cleaner production of power, he said in a statement. But we are moving forward with renewable energy as our top priority. Trujillo, who worked as a coal mining engineer for more than a decade and later worked for APS, said some people are reluctant to move on from an industry that built the middle class Navajo Nation. He said his group also is working with area colleges to retrain the workforce. The biggest piece is that uncertainty, Trujillo said. People dont know, and when they dont know, they start to get scared and they dont know how theyre going to take care of their families. ATLANTA, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, January 25, at an inaugural product launch event, es beverage announced the debut and immediate availability of their first brand, WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee. "WRITER'S FUEL is starting off as an upmarket, two-SKU coffee brand. We look forward to both, added flavor varieties and brand extensions in the future," said Sabrina Scott-Pappas, Founder of es beverage. Whether you prefer the savory, Italian roast of EDITED or the darker, French roast of ROUGH DRAFT, live your best #coffeelife with WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee. Available online or via-Alexa Skill. The WRITER'S FUEL Brand Story When you Google, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WRITERS AND COFFEE, you get post-after-post of blog articles, quotes and anecdotes about these coveted, ages-old connections. Now, from es beverage, there is a brand of coffee which celebrates this legendary coupling. WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee honors the creatives who spend their waking hours in caffeine-stimulated development of the myriad stories, codes, texts, music scores, contracts, reports, plans and ideas cherished by generation-after-generation of devoted readers. Whether you prefer the savory, sophisticated Italian roast of EDITED or the darker, French roast of ROUGH DRAFT, you can live your best #coffeelife with WRITER'S FUEL. Positive Customer Impact Both, B2B and B2C customers have begun ordering WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee. A myriad of businesses have recently committed to integration of WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee in their wholesale refreshment budgeting. Additionally, these aesthetically distinct, gas pump-designed k-cups are becoming a primary, business-day perk throughout a growing number of coworking spaces and establishments across the United States. WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee will enable these companies to offer fresh, high-end, hot, caffeinated comfort to tenants and staffers accustomed to stale and burnt roasts of ground coffee lingering in old-fashioned pour-over breakroom carafes. WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee Availability WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee is part of the es beverage commitment to deliver quality beverages and beverage-related items to Millennials and Generation Z. WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee is available for immediate purchase at http://esbevco.com; via Amazon Alexa skill; and through various literary workshops, events and retreats. In the future, big-box retail will be added to the WRITER'S FUEL distribution portfolio. es beverage and WRITER'S FUEL Superior Single-Serve Coffee are either trademarks/registered trademarks of es beverage LLC The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. FMI: Alazaih Evans 1-888-495-2877; ext. 701 [email protected] http://esbevco.com SOURCE es beverage Related Links http://esbevco.com Bawana Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Bawana constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Delhi Assembly Election 2020, Bawana profile: The Bawana Assemby constituency, which is along the Haryana border, saw a straight fight between the AAP and the BJP. AAP's Jai Bhagwan defeated BJP's Ravinder Kumar by over 11,000 votes. With a large number of villages, it is a rural constituency which is located on the outskirts of Delhi city. The constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes, was in the news in 2017 after its legislator defected to the BJP. This necessitated a bypoll which was won by the AAP. Here is a brief profile of Bawana constituency: Constituency Name: Bawana Constituency Number: 7 District Name: North West Delhi Total Electors: 3,03,108 Female Electors: 1,33,614 Male Electors: 1,69,464 Third Gender: 30 Reserved: For SC Results in previous elections: Surender Kumar of the Congress held the seat for three terms until 2008, when he was defeated by BJPs Gugan Singh. In the 2015 election, Ved Parkash defeated Singh by 50,000 votes. Prakash later defected to the BJP. In the upcoming election, the AAP has given the ticket to Jai Bhagwan Upkar, a former BSP councillor in MCD, while the BJP has dropped Singh and fielded Ravindra Kumar Indraj. The Congress, on the other hand, has persisted with Surender Kumar, its 2015 poll candidate. Demographics: Dalits and Jats are an important vote bank in the constituency. Moreover, Purvanchalis form at least 35 percent of the electorate in Bawana, which is traditionally part of the Jat heartland in Delhi. Villages of Punjab Khor, Qutabgarh, Mungeshpur, Bajitpur Thakaran, Auchandi, Daryapur Kalan, Salahpur Majra give a rural flavour to the constituency. Housing colonies like Vijay Nagar Colony, Indraj colony and JJ Colony are also part of the constituency. British officials have formally recommended granting Huawei a limited role in the UKs future 5G network, resisting U.S. calls for a complete ban over fears of Chinese spying, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, Trend reports The recommendation, made at a meeting of officials from senior government departments and security agencies on Wednesday, comes ahead of a meeting of Britains National Security Council next week to decide how to deploy Huawei equipment, the sources said. By Express News Service BENGALURU: With Chinese New Year just around the corner, city restaurants are gearing up to celebrate the Year of the Rat in full swing. The rat is the first of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac, which signifies the qualities of wealth and optimism. According to the zodiac river crossing myth, the Jade Emperor sent an invitation to all of the animals in the kingdom to attend a great race, which would determine the zodiac order. To win the race, the cunning rat tricked the ox into giving him a ride across the river. Since then, the zodiac rat has been associated with the ability to turn unlucky events into fortunate ones. This year, the occasion falls on January 25. But whats a new year extravaganza without a feast that leaves you bursting to the seams? Head to Shang Place at Shangri-La Hotel, where the Chinese chefs have put together a meal that comprises Crab Meat Dumplings, Gan Shao Xia, Beijing Duck and Nian Gao all signature dishes of the celebration. Or you could try Hangzhou Beggars Chicken, Ming Ling Spicy BBQ Fish, Tangba Towns Stir Fried Fish, Prawn Otak and Kung Pao Fish Pot meal at China Bistro, Indiranagar, anytime before February 16. Keeping in mind the occasion, the restaurant also has festive desserts such as Water Chestnut, White Fungus Cream and Moon cake on the menu. Seafood lovers can try the Hot Sriracha Mayo Poached Fish with White Jasmine or the Tofu with Prawn and Spinach Dumpling at Kaze, Bangalore, before January 26. If you are vegan, fret not. Yauatcha Bengalurus special Chinese New Year menu has you sorted. Visit the restaurant before February 19 to try their Jade Treasure. This vegan dim sum contains bean curd and vermicelli noodles, which symbolize wealth, happiness and long life. Also on the menu is the Jing su Peony cocktail, which is made with Beefeater gin, Vermouth del Professore Classico, champagne with lychee (said to bring good luck) and white bud yin zhen infusion. Bon appetit indeed! - "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra's voice cracked as she told a court Thursday that being raped by left her feeling like she was having "a seizure" and caused her to self-harm. In emotional testimony at Weinstein's trial, Sciorra described how he barged into her New York apartment late at night in the early 1990s and attacked her while she was wearing a nightgown. "It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual. I didn't really even know what was happening," the 59-year-old said. Sciorra faced the jury as she held her hands above her head and clasped her wrists to demonstrate how Weinstein, then three times her weight, held her down on her bed and sexually assaulted her. "He got on top of me and he raped me," she said, under questioning by lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon. "He put his penis inside of my vagina and he raped me," Sciorra repeated. Weinstein, 67, avoided eye contact and gestured towards one of his lawyers as Sciorra told the New York state court that the former film producer then performed oral sex on her. "I didn't have very much fight left inside me at this point. My body just shut down," said Sciorra, wearing a navy blue dress with long sleeves. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping actress Jessica Mann, in proceedings seen as key to the #MeToo movement. He denies all allegations of non-consensual sex. Sciorra, best known for her role as Gloria Trillo in American mob drama "The Sopranos," gave evidence to support the prosecution's case that Weinstein was a career sexual predator. Her allegation is too old to be included on the charge sheet but the charge of predatory sexual assault, which carries possible life imprisonment, requires prosecutors to prove he sexually assaulted at least two people. Sciorra said the alleged attack occurred in the plush Manhattan neighborhood of Gramercy Park in the winter of 1993-94 after Weinstein dropped her off at home following a business dinner at a restaurant. It left her traumatized and withdrawn and she started drinking heavily and began cutting herself afterwards, Sciorra testified. "I would have blood on my fingers and any hands," she said, adding that she would put the blood on a white wall in her apartment. Sciorra did not go public with the allegations until The New Yorker magazine published her account in October 2017. She told Weinstein's trial she never reported the alleged incident to police because she was confused that it had been allegedly perpetrated by someone she knew. "I would say I felt at the time that rape was something that happened in a back alleyway in a dark place by somebody you didn't know," she said. Sciorra added that when she later confronted Weinstein about the incident he became angry and threatening. She tried to avoid him out of fear but he would track her down, including to a hotel room at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, she testified. "When I opened the door the defendant was in his underwear with a bottle of baby oil in one hand and a videotape in the other," Sciorra said. During cross-examination, lead defense attorney Donna Rotunno challenged Sciorra on the "vague" timeline of the alleged attack. She also questioned Sciorra as to why she did not tell friends or her building's doorman about the attack afterwards. Rotunno accused Sciorra of providing inconsistent information about the exact location of the apartment as well. Lashing out at anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh and other places in the city, Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Thursday termed the assembly elections next month a contest between India and Pakistan. Mishra, a former minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government, is the BJP's candidate from Model Town. In a series of tweets, Mishra said, "India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8." "Pakistan has already entered Shaheen Bagh and small pockets of Pakistan are being created in Delhi," he added. In another post, Mishra asserted that the BJP will win the February 8 elections and Kejriwal will resign from his post when votes are counted on February 11. The former AAP leader was removed as minister by Kejriwal in 2017. Last year, he was also disqualified as AAP MLA under the anti-defection law. Mishra faces AAP MLA Akhileshpati Tripathi in the elections. Many younger Japanese bitterly commented that Sergeant Yokoi would probably have been happier in his cave hideaway in the Guam jungle for the past 28 years than in polluted, over-industrialised post-war Japan. TOKYO, January 26. The return to the world of Japans lost warrior Shoichi Yokoi today sparked an intense wave of soul-searching throughout Japan. There was an almost unprecedented sell-out of Japans leading newspapers today and Tokyoites rushed from vendor to vendor to try to get news of the lost soldier. Sergeant Yokoi, who refused to surrender at the end of the war and disappeared into the jungle for 28 years, was discovered by two hunters on Monday, whilst fishing in a jungle stream on Guam. He will be repatriated to Japan after hospital treatment, officials said today. The Prime Minister of Japan (Mr. Sato) said today that he wants to meet Sergeant Yokoi when he returns. Shoichi Yokoi Credit:AP Japanese people interviewed throughout the country today generally expressed admiration of Sergeant Yokois idealism, but were bitterly critical of the imperial code he lived by. - President Donald Trump is counting on a strong US economy to seal his reelection victory but the Boeing crisis and ongoing trade frictions could undermine that strategy. Trump on Wednesday criticized Boeing as a "very disappointing company" because of the aerospace giant's recent problems after the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX plane, which is having knock-on effects for the broader economy. He also has lashed out at the Federal Reserve for mishandling monetary policy and keeping borrowing costs too high, which he says is likewise holding back the US economy. Other scapegoats include Europe and China, which he says use trade policies to take advantage of or steal from the United States, and any country with a weak currency against the US dollar. And as the impeachment trial against him proceeds in the Senate, Trump of course has blamed Democrats for a political attack that is distracting from his policy priorities. However, no matter whom he chooses to cast as a culprit, the data show it is the trade wars Trump launched against multiple trading partners that are having the biggest effect, causing investment to screech to a halt amid widespread uncertainty. Still, he is right about the potential damage from the travails at Boeing, which halted production of the top-selling 737 MAX aircraft after it was grounded following a pair of deadly crashes that killed 346 people. Heading into the final months before the presidential elections in November, Trump has repeatedly taken credit for record stock exchange levels and cited his partial trade deal with China as proof of the success of his economic policies. "Nobody has done so much as I've done," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network from the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he also floated the possibility of a middle-class tax cut. But economists warn the partial China trade agreement signed this month is a patch that eases only some of the uncertainty about new tariffs and leaves two-thirds of the products exchanged between the economic powers still subject to punitive duties. And while in Davos Trump also renewed his attacks on the European Union, again threatening to strike back with crippling tariffs on imported cars. Continued uncertainty over trade could drag US growth below 2.0 percent, according to many forecasts. Analysts at Oxford Economics warn "conditions aren't yet in place for an industrial rebound," noting that consumer spending also softened at the end of 2019. Boeing on Tuesday officially pushed back the time frame for the 737 MAX to return to the skies, until mid-2020, and Trump lamented that Boeing's woes have "had a tremendous impact" on the economy. "You know when you talk about growth, it's so big that some people say it's more than a half a point of GDP. So Boeing -- big, big disappointment to me," Trump said in an interview on CNBC." The aviation giant's newly-installed CEO David Calhoun acknowledged Boeing's importance to the US economy. The "criticality to the country just speaks for itself," Calhoun said Wednesday in a call with reporters, his first public remarks and the first interaction with reporters by a Boeing executive since the start of the MAX crisis in March 2019. "Everyone wants Boeing to succeed for the sake of the country and I understand that and I have it on my shoulders." Oxford Economics last month projected that the MAX production shutdown could slash half a point off the US economy's annual growth rate in the first quarter of 2020 due to slower investments and exports. And while Boeing has reassigned its own workers during the production halt, one key supplier -- Spirit AeroSystems -- laid off 2,800 employees this month. Things could get worse if the stoppage drags on -- cutting 0.2 percentage points off growth for the full year, according to IHS Markit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 23, 2020] The Nottingham Company Licenses Blue Tractor's Shielded Alpha? ETF Structure The Nottingham Company, Inc. ("Nottingham"), a leading fund services administrator to the mutual fund and exchange-traded fund ("ETF") industry, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a license agreement with New York-based Blue Tractor Group, LLC ("Blue Tractor") for their novel Shielded Alpha? ETF structure. Through this agreement, sub-advisors managing active portfolio strategies will be able to issue their own branded Shielded Alpha? ETFs through Nottingham's white-label ETF investment advisor affiliate, OBP Capital LLC. Kip Meadows, Founder and CEO of Nottingham, commented, "We are pleased to have entered into a license with Blue Tractor. Our research into the new non-transparent vehicles convinced us that the Shielded Alpha? ETF structure offers unique features and benefits to advisors and investors alike. We believe the strong growth seen with actively managed ETFs will continue and we are happy to be able to offer current and prospective clients of Nottingham access to this unique ETF wrapper." Blue Tractor's Shielded Alpha? ETF structure is a 'wrapper' that facilitates management of actively managed portfolio strategies within an ETF rather than in a traditional mutual fund or separately managed account, thereby conferring the benefits of an ETF to advisors and investors alike, including lower cost, greater tax efficiency and intra-day liquidity. However, Blue Tractor's proprietary stucture fully obfuscates an advisor's alpha generation strategy and trading execution. Exemptive relief from the SEC (News - Alert) permitting the Shielded Alpha? ETF wrapper was issued on December 10, 2019. Nottingham is a fund administration firm and white-label ETF issuer headquartered in Rocky Mount, N.C. providing consulting and ongoing accounting and administration for pooled investment vehicles including open end mutual funds, ETFs, closed end interval funds, private investment and hedge funds. The firm also offers unitized accounting and reporting solutions to foundations, endowments, and government investment pools. Nottingham was founded in the late 1980s to help investment advisory and portfolio management firms gain efficiency and access to new markets with pooled investment vehicles. Nottingham's business plan has always been to help investment professionals focus on portfolio management, with Nottingham guiding the establishment and ongoing operations of the pooled vehicles. Currently administers approximately $30 billion in client assets for investment funds all over the U.S. Nottingham remains one of the largest privately held fund administration firms in the U.S. Nottingham affiliate OBP Capital LLC was established to assist Nottingham clients with ETFs, holding exemptive orders for both active and passive ETF structures. OBP Capital provides the oversight and compliance management necessary to effectively operate as an ETF investment advisor, and does not compete in any way with the subadvisor portfolio managers in Nottingham administered ETFs. Commented Terry Norman, Founder of Blue Tractor, "We are very pleased to enter into a relationship with Nottingham as we have been long impressed by the value Kip Meadows and his team brings to advisors. We know there are many active managers now using a traditional mutual fund that are keen to explore the benefit of porting their alpha strategy into to an ETF wrapper. Through Nottingham's turnkey OBP Capital series trust advisors can access the unique benefits of our Shielded Alpha? wrapper." About The Nottingham Company, Inc. The Nottingham Company, Inc. has been serving the fund accounting, administration, organization, and management needs of clients nationwide for over three decades. Based in Eastern North Carolina, Nottingham delivers a full range of turnkey services, handling clients' behind-the-scenes financial and administrative operations so they can focus on managing their portfolios. More information is available at ncfunds.com. About Blue Tractor Group Blue Tractor Group, LLC develops proprietary solutions to facilitate novel exchange-traded fund products. Blue Tractor's Shielded Alpha? ETF structure (patent pending) permits active fund management within an ETF wrapper, while fully obfuscating an advisor's proprietary alpha strategy. The SEC permitted the exemptive relief for Blue Tractor's ETF wrapper on December 10, 2019. More information is available at bluetractorgroup.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005558/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Centrist Democrat International, which is holding its subsequent meeting in Yojiakarta, Indonesia, today adopted a resolution on the political situation in Armenia. The resolution addresses the issues of democracy, media freedom, the politicized judiciary in Armenia and the repressions against President of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan. The resolution was authored and presented by the Republican Party of Armenia. In the resolution, the CDI warns the Armenian government about the transition to authoritarianism, calls on the Armenian authorities to fully respect the independence of the judiciary, expresses concern that Armenias judiciary is turning into a means of punishing political opponents, calls on the Armenian government to revisit these trends and focus on the future of the country, reminds the authorities about the importance of effective implementation of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), expresses concerns about the repressions and criminal case against President of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan and adds that the CDI will continue to closely follow the democratic process in Armenia and support it for the benefit of the citizens of Armenia. Contrary to recent reports, federal agents told The Chronicle on Wednesday that they did not tell the family of missing Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart that a big break in the 23-year cold case was imminent. The agencys comments raise questions about whether an announcement is forthcoming in the cold case, as reported by several news outlets this week including The Chronicle after the missing womans mother was quoted in a Stockton Record news story saying that the FBI advised the family to prepare for a major development that would bring closure to the case. A spokesman for the family confirmed Wednesday that the person who advised Smarts mother, Denise, was not an active FBI agent. To clarify, the Stockton Record news story was based on a conversation between the Smart family and a former FBI agent, said family spokesman John Segale. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office is leading the investigation and will notify all of us when there is official news to announce. The FBI would not comment on whether an announcement in the case is actually impending. The FBI is not aware of any details being made public in this ongoing case, said Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles FBI office. She declined to comment further, other than to say federal investigators continue to assist the San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Office in their probe of the college students 1996 disappearance that drew national headlines. Segale declined to identify the former federal agent or explain his connection to the case. A spokesman for the San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Office told The Chronicle on Wednesday that the department could not comment on the case because its open and active. Last week, Denise Smart told The Stockton Record that the FBI advised her to be ready for an imminent major development that could bring closure to the decades-old mystery that has drawn renewed interest in recent weeks with the release of a popular podcast series documenting the case. Be ready, Denise Smart told The Stockton Record she was told recently by the FBI. This is really going to be something you dont expect. We want to give you the support you need. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Kristin Smart was walking home from a fraternity party and went missing in spring 1996. Her body was never found, but in 2002 law enforcement said that the 19-year-old college student was presumed dead. Her Stockton parents never stopped searching for answers, buying billboards, walking the crime scene and suing a possible suspect. Denise Smart told The Record that the FBI suggested she find a spokesperson and take a vacation due to anticipated media attention. On Tuesday, the family spokesman Segale, a Roseville public relations expert, told The Chronicle that the Smart family did not want to comment further about the purported FBI comments, but he said they stand behind that newspaper report. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni A woman has revealed that she was so embarrassed by her severe acne that she refused to leave the house and didn't go to work for two months. Software developer, Oonagh McLaughlin, 25, from County Derry, Northern Ireland, noticed a sudden change in her skin in April 2019 when she broke out in vicious spots and cysts on her face. Concerned by how rapidly it had developed, she first visited her GP in May 2019, but doctors were unable to properly diagnose her condition. She was prescribed birth control pills and antibiotics in the hope that they would put a stop to the condition, but nothing worked. Ashamed of how her skin looked, Oonagh became a recluse. In June 2019 Oonagh went to Kingsbridge private hospital, Belfast where dermatologists assessed her skin. Oonagh was diagnosed with rosacea fulminans - a rare inflammatory dermatology disease that mostly affects women. Software developer, Oonagh McLaughlin, 25, from County Derry, Northern Ireland, noticed a sudden change in her skin in April 2019 when she broke out in vicious spots and cysts on her face In June 2019 Oonagh went to Kingsbridge private hospital, Belfast where dermatologists assessed her skin. Oonagh was diagnosed with rosacea fulminans-a rare inflammatory dermatology disease that mostly affects women 'I felt really paranoid and hated leaving the house and having to cover my skin in makeup,' said Oonagh. 'I kept apologising for my skin and feeling the need to explain it to people which completely ruined my confidence. I stopped going to my boyfriend's house, didn't go on nights out and events and even missed my nephew's first birthday party. 'It felt like my face just exploded. I took a week off work sick then worked from home for nearly two months. 'They (doctors) thought it was impetigo at the start, then thought it was a viral infection. Oonagh was prescribed with Roaccutane, a controversial drug with reported mood-altering side effects 'No one was able to tell me whether it was stress, hormones, products I was using or something I was eating. 'I visited my doctor numerous times and was sent home with a different birth control pill or antibiotic. I had no choice but to go privately to Kingsbridge private hospital where I was diagnosed with rosacea fulminans..' Oonagh was prescribed with Roaccutane, a highly controversial drug with mood-altering side effects. According to data published in 2019 by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) there have been ten suicides 'linked' to Roaccutane, which had been prescribed by their consultant dermatologists. Concerned by how rapidly it had developed, she first visited her GP in May 2019, but doctors were unable to properly diagnose her condition For two months Oonagh waited for the Roaccutane to clear her skin, hoping that her condition would improve 'I was really nervous about taking Roaccutane as it's such a talked about drug because of the negative side effects,' said Oonagh. 'It was my last option after spending hundreds of pounds on skincare and taking several different antibiotics. 'I was recently speaking to a girl from London who told me there is a six-month waiting list for Roaccutane in some parts of London. Other people have told me that their doctor isn't prescribing Roaccutane when they clearly need it.' For two months Oonagh waited for the Roaccutane to clear her skin, hoping that her condition would improve. Luckily, the drugs prescribed to her began to take effect and she saw a noticeable difference in her condition. Now her skin is clear, Oonagh is passionate about sharing her story and highlighting the lack of support that is available for those suffering with acne. Luckily, the drugs prescribed to her began to take effect and she saw a noticeable difference in her condition Sharing her experiences has also allowed her to feature in a campaign with beauty brand Bare Minerals Sharing her experiences has also allowed her to feature in a campaign with beauty brand Bare Minerals. 'Even a mild form of acne can badly affect people's mental health and there just isn't enough support out there,' said Oonagh. 'My family, friends and boyfriend felt very helpless when I was at my lowest as there was nothing they could do to help, and they didn't know where to turn for advice. 'When you are going through what I experienced you think there is no end in sight, but you have to realise that nothing lasts forever and there is always light at the end of the tunnel.' Oonagh with her boyfriend Christopher. She is seen after treatmenet for her acne cleared up her skin Chad Chisholm We went to the Hotel de Glace in Quebec, Canada to check out this years ice hotel. The motif for 2020 is 20 years of magic and we couldnt agree more. The ever-evolving work is crafted by artisans from across the globe, sculpting the impermanent structure into fascinating structures and artful touches throughout the hotel. Whether staying the night in the chilly space or wandering through with a cocktail from the ice bar, the impressive construction will have your jaw agape. From thoughtfully themed rooms to elegantly executed public spaces and exquisite craftsmanship, the Hotel de Glace is an experience to enjoy for the whole family. Whether saying your vows in the chapel with 40 guests or enjoying a family trip to the unique hotel, guests of all ages will delight in the blend of impeccable workmanship and hospitality. To book your stay or visit to Hotel de Glace, visit www.valcartier.com Chad Chisholm The entrance to the hotel revealves an ice staircase. Chad Chisholm A bar created entirely out of ice with ice 'glassware' for guests. Chad Chisholm An ice mezzanine with intricate carvings. Chad Chisholm An ice staircase within the hotel. Chad Chisholm A chandelier jellyfish made out of ice. Chad Chisholm Close-to-scale of an actual whale, this carving is magnificent. Chad Chisholm Around every corner, intricate carvings and attention to detail can be found throughout the property. Chad Chisholm An artist hard at work sculpting some antlers out of ice. Chad Chisholm The chapel at Hotel de Glace is a unique space to exchange vows. Chad Chisholm The interior seats up to 40 for a memorable ceremony. Chad Chisholm The attention to detail flows throughout the chapel. Chad Chisholm This year's Nordic ice bar. Chad Chisholm Crystal clear carved ice serves as champagne flutes and cocktail glasses at the bar. Chad Chisholm Try the 'Lave-glace' (Windshield Wiper) or 'Pole Nord' (North Pole) specialty cocktails at the ice bar. Chad Chisholm The suites are breathtaking, with each room carved by global artisans with a specific theme in mind. Chad Chisholm An on-suite outdoor hot tub and sauna are a perfect spot to warm up, but make sure to dry off before heading to bed. Chad Chisholm Themed suites carved by remarkable artists. Chad Chisholm Themed suites carved by remarkable artists. Chad Chisholm Themed suites carved by remarkable artists. Chad Chisholm Themed suites carved by remarkable artists. Travius Butler, 17, said he does not yet know what he will do next year. He was expelled from a neighborhood high school and does not want to go back there. He said he benefited from the small environment at Washington Met and is back on track. He does not want to attend the alternative high school near his home in Southeast Washington because he is anxious about the social dynamics of the larger campus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 17:19:44|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front launched a massive offensive on government positions in the northwestern province of Idlib on Thursday, according to state news agency SANA. The intensive offensive was launched by the Nurse Front in large numbers on government forces' positions in the southern countryside of Idlib. The militants used assorted types of weapons, booby-trapped vehicles and advanced under heavy firepower to several points, which led the Syrian troops to redeploy. The army units managed to absorb the attack and the intensive battles with the Nurse Front are still ongoing along the frontlines. The Syrian army has made notable progress in recent weeks in the battles against the rebels in Idlib, capturing several areas in the quest to liberate the road linking Hama province with Aleppo in the north. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said recently that the battle against terrorism in Idlib province is a priority to the Syrian government. Idlib has emerged as the main destination of the rebel groups, which have evacuated several positions across Syria after surrendering to the Syrian army. That province is now considered as the last major rebel bastion in Syria. Certain parts of Idlib are included in a de-escalation zones' deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, which backs the rebels. However, such deals exclude the ultra-radical rebels who are affiliated with the al-Qaida and branded as terrorist groups by the UN. KAMPALA A South Sudanese national has been arrested at Malaba border for allegedly carrying a chemical used to make fake dollars. Duach Chuol Kaylech Toang was on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, intercepted by customs officials with the chemical concealed in his hand luggage. He was enroute to South Sudan. According to URA, the chemical was intercepted with the help of the non-intrusive hand luggage scanner. One by one, their [other travelers] hand luggage went through the non-intrusive hand luggage scanner at the border without a problem until it was the turn for Duachs luggage. The scanner picked up something uncanny which prompted the team to physically inspect the luggage, URA said in a statement. They found bundles of papers the size of a dollar and some liquid among other things. On face value, they were just papers but upon application of the liquid (chemical) contained in Duachs luggage, the papers transformed into fake dollars. Immediately the suspect, Duach was arrested and he is set to face the law, the statement added. Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology is a powerful tool against smuggling that continues to put many smugglers away. According to URA, facilitation of legitimate trade and protection of society from harmful products are two of customs core mandates and as such the introduction of fake dollars into our economy is intolerable. Related Coronavirus: What you need to read Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide Vaccines: Tracker by state | Booster shots | For kids 5 to 11 | Guidance for vaccinated people | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data What you need to know: Omicron variant | Breakthrough infections | Symptoms guide | Masks FAQ | Delta variant | Other variants | Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Impact of the pandemic: Supply chain | Education | Housing Got a pandemic question? We answer one every day in our coronavirus newsletter Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 06:29:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Burak Akinci ANKARA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is planning to focus extensively on Africa by further strengthening and diversifying trade relations with the continent with immense investment and cooperation potential. Turkey's trade with Africa has seen a 12-percent increase in 2019 as Turkey is trying to recover from a painful recession, Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said last week in Ankara following a tour to African nations, semi-official Anadolu agency reported. Ankara is eager to ink agreements with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on economic and trade collaboration, Pekcan noted. A Turkey-Africa summit is set to be held in April in addition to the Turkey-Africa Economy and Business Forum organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey and Turkey's Trade Ministry. According to official data, Turkish exports to the African continent reached 121 billion dollars in 2019 while its imports hit 58 billion dollars. Turkey launched a diplomatic offensive toward Africa some two decades ago to promote political, cultural and trade ties with the continent. Since his rise to power in 2003, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made it a priority to establish new ties with emerging economies in Africa. Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been very active on investment in Africa, contributing to development projects of up to 1 billion dollars, with a particular emphasis on the Horn of Africa. Erdogan said on Monday that Somalia had invited Turkey to conduct energy drilling and exploration operations in its seas, a move that would considerably increase Ankara's growing cooperation with the country. "We had a proposal from Somalia. They said Somalia had oil in its seas," Erdogan told journalists on the presidential plane returning from a summit in Berlin on Jan. 19, where world powers discussed the situation in Libya. "We will take steps there. This is something beneficial for us," he said. Turkey has also built a military base in Mogadishu to train local forces. The Mogadishu international airport and the sea port in the capital are run by Turkish companies. According to seismic data processing firm Seismic Geo, there is a high potential for hydrocarbon exploration off Somalia's shores. The country recently passed a new petroleum law to attract foreign investment in the energy sector. In West Africa, Turkey will conduct mineral exploration activities in Niger under a recently reached agreement between the two countries, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez said Monday. Donmez noted that Turkey has so far signed agreements with 17 African countries in the field of energy and mining and wants to further cooperate with other African nations in the coming years. "Following the AKP period, Turkey's relations with the continent have lived their golden years and substantially gained momentum," said Muhammed Tandogan, an academic at Istanbul Medeniyet University. Turkey now has more than 40 embassies in Africa, while over 30 African states have opened embassies in the Turkish capital in fewer than a decade. Many bilateral agreements have been signed between Turkey and African countries and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency currently operates 21 offices across the continent, managing a wide range of development and humanitarian projects. Furthermore, some 5,000 African university students were granted scholarships in Turkey. Turkish Airlines, the nation's flagship carrier, added new African destinations in 2018 and 2019, creating one of the largest flight network on the continent. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexico has a backlog of about 1,900 claims of wage theft to resolve a figure the states labor department aims to cut in half by the end of the year. Bill McCamley, secretary for the Department of Workforce Solutions, told lawmakers Wednesday that the agency has ramped up its training of employers to ensure they understand their responsibilities under New Mexicos wage laws. He is also seeking legislative approval to hire two more investigators in addition to six already on staff to help work through the backlog of wage-theft claims. His goal is to reduce the backlog to 800 pending minimum-wage claims by the end of the year. Many of the cases, McCamley said, involve the employees who can least afford it low-income workers in restaurants, home health agencies and agriculture. If youre not being paid the minimum wage, he said, you are being stolen from. The request for more investigators comes as New Mexico increased its basic minimum wage from $7.50 to $9 an hour Jan. 1 the first increase in more than a decade. Under legislation approved in 2019, the statewide minimum wage will climb to $12 by 2023. A coalition of groups that advocate for worker rights including the New Mexico Center on Law and others urged lawmakers to approve new investigators and an attorney to enforce the minimum wage law. The coalition said some workers have been waiting more than eight years for the state to recover their wages. Gabriela Ibanez Guzman, staff attorney for Somos un Pueblo Unido, an advocacy group thats part of the coalition, said the Department of Workforce Solutions has made significant progress over the last year. But the backlog persists, and its enormous, she said. We are concerned if there are going to be sufficient resources to eliminate it. The House Appropriations and Finance Committee tentatively approved the request Wednesday for two more investigators and a supervisor in the Department of Workforce Solutions. But the panel is still working on the broader budget package for the department. Full coverage of the 2020 legislative session: https://abqjournal.com/legislature Detention of Moscow student accused in illegal rally case extended again RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:27 23/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 23 (RAPSI) Moscows Basmanny District Court on Thursday again extended detention of the Moscow Aviation Institute student Andrey Barshay, who had allegedly given a National Guard officer a poke in the back during an unauthorized summer rally, until January 27, RAPSI reports from the courtroom. On Wednesday, the Moscow City Court overturned a lower courts ruling extending detention of Barshay and ordered the matter to be reconsidered. In early December, his detention was extended until January 27 by the same court. He was absent in court as he was undergoing a mental examination, which later revealed that the student was sane and healthy. Barshay stands charged with using force against a representative of authority. The student pleads not guilty, denies involvement in the crime he is accused of, and claims that his detention is related to the escape of one more defendant in the 27 July riots case Aidar Gubaidillin. Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over mass riots. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority. Several activists have been already convicted and sentenced. Prosecution of five defendants has been dropped. [January 23, 2020] Confluent Expands Field Operations Leadership to Meet Growing Global Demand for Event Streaming Confluent, Inc., the event streaming platform pioneer, announces two additions to its leadership team. Roger Scott joins the company as Confluent's first chief customer officer and will unite the Customer Success, Sales Engineering Services, Training, and Support teams to share feedback, collaborate, and be the single voice of the customer. Damien Wong joins as vice president of Asia-Pacific (APAC) with some of the largest enterprises as customers in the region, including Rakuten Card, Bank BRI, Bank BTPN, and Hotstar. The expansion of the leadership team enables Confluent to meet the rapidly growing global demand for event streaming and ensure every organization can quickly and easily make event streaming core to their business. By welcoming experts in the fields of customer success and APAC expansion, Confluent can scale its operations and further enable organizations to discover new revenue streams, competitive advantages, and operational efficiencies through event streaming. "Organizations around the world are turning to event streaming to become real-time, agile businesses," said Erica Schultz, president of field operations, Confluent. "Welcoming these masters in growth and customer success will enable us to scale Confluent's global reach and ability to partner with our customers in their journey to putting event streaming at the heart of their businesses." Roger Scott, Chief Customer Officer In this new position, Scott will unite Customer Success, Sales Engineering, and Account Management to ensure customers are successful as they move up the event streaming maturity curve. Scott has extensive experience working with organizations across the globe in leadership positions spanning sales, marketing, business development, and professional services. Most recently, Scott served as the executive vice president and chief customer officer at New Relic, where he led all aspects of the company's customer-facing technical resources. Before New Relic, Scott held various positions during his 17-year tenure at Oracle (News - Alert), including head of global online sales, head of North American business development for technology software sales, and head of technology sales engineering for Asia-Pacific. Damien Wong, Vice President of APAC As VP of APAC, Wong will drive sales and go-to-market strategy for Asia-Pacific and Japan, drawing upon extensive experience growing successful markets. Prior to Confluent, Wong served as the vice president and general manager for Red Hat (News - Alert) across its growth and emerging markets region which included Southeast Asia, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Wong also established the company's APAC enterprise sales organization by creating its Asia-Pacific enterprise excellence team. Prior to Red Hat, Wong was the general manager for HP Software Southeast Asia, where he quickly grew its business during his tenure in the role. The expansion of the leadership team is in direct response to the rapidly growing demand for Apache Kafka. Based o Indeed's tech skills report, Kafka is the fourth-fastest-growing tech skill in the past five years, with over 1,200 percent more jobs requiring experience with the open source event streaming platform. As a company founded by the original creators of Kafka, Confluent completes Kafka by providing the broadest ecosystem of clients and connectors while enabling organizations to deploy Kafka with mission-critical reliability on premises or on any cloud. This announcement comes on the heels of Confluent receiving the highest vendor rating in Gartner's Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Event Stream Processing, earning a spot as a Glassdoor Best Place to Work, and surpassing 1,000 employees across 20 offices around the world. Additional Resources Join Confluent and apply for one of its open positions: https://www.confluent.io/careers/ See how Confluent is helping its customers transform their businesses: https://www.confluent.io/customers/ Try Confluent Cloud for free: https://www.confluent.io/confluent-cloud/ Read the Confluent blog: https://www.confluent.io/blog/ Learn more about Confluent: https://www.confluent.io/ About Confluent Confluent, founded by the original creators of Apache Kafka, pioneered the enterprise-ready event streaming platform. With Confluent, organizations benefit from the first event streaming platform built for the enterprise with the ease of use, scalability, security, and flexibility required by the most discerning global companies to run their business in real time. Companies leading their respective industries have realized success with this new platform paradigm to transform their architectures to streaming from batch processing, spanning on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Backed by Benchmark, Index Ventures, and Sequoia Capital (News - Alert), Confluent is headquartered in Mountain View and London with offices globally. To learn more, please visit www.confluent.io. Download Confluent Platform and Confluent Cloud at www.confluent.io/download. Confluent and associated marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Confluent, Inc. Apache and Apache Kafka are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. No endorsement by the Apache Software Foundation is implied by the use of these marks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005188/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] State regulators indicated Thursday that they plan to move forward in the permitting process for the proposed expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline without requiring the project developer to hand over significant documentation related to the risk of a spill. During a work session, members of the Public Service Commission directed their staff to draft an order on Energy Transfers proposal to build a pump station in Emmons County. The pump station, along with several more proposed in other states, would help to nearly double the amount of oil the pipeline can carry from North Dakota to a terminal in Illinois. The Emmons County facility would extend outside the lines existing footprint, triggering the need for PSC approval. Thursdays meeting focused on the scope of the PSCs jurisdiction over the proposed expansion, and commissioners appeared hesitant about overstepping on matters they say fall to federal regulators. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which has long opposed the pipeline that skirts its reservation and goes beneath its water source, wants the PSC to require Energy Transfer to turn over documents related to pipeline pressure and spill scenarios. The pipeline company maintains that the tribes concerns fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Its important that we stay in our own lane from a regulatory standpoint, Commission Chairman Brian Kroshus said. I think the impression that may be given at times (is) that were just not looking at these things. We are making sure they are being looked at by the appropriate agencies and that that analysis is thorough because they have experts in each respective area. Requiring Energy Transfer to provide all the documents requested by Standing Rock, which is an intervenor in the case, could open the door to a legal challenge, PSC attorney Zachary Pelham said. Commissioner Julie Fedorchak said one of the most significant issues the tribe raised at a hearing in November has to do with surge, which is a sudden shift in pressure on a pipeline caused by a significant change in flow. The company filed a copy of its updated surge analysis with regulators in Illinois, but its contents have not been made public. Given that Energy Transfer has sworn under oath that it will follow a surge experts recommendations and that PHMSA, the federal agency, enforces that issue, Fedorchak said she feels she does not need to view the analysis document. Thats typically the standard that satisfies us and I think in this case, it does, she said. Historically, the PSC has received information from pipeline companies on worst-case scenarios and spill response plans as proof that theyve met regulatory requirements, Fedorchak said. Pelham responded that theres a difference in timing between what the tribe seeks and whats standard for the commission, which typically obtains that information after a permitting decision. The intervenor is requesting to be on the forefront before a potential order is issued rather than on the back end of it, he said. Following the meeting, Standing Rock attorney Tim Purdon pointed to recent steps by regulators in Iowa and Illinois requiring the pipeline company to turn over additional information about the proposed expansion. He said they are doing so despite the role of PHMSA. I think the other public utility commissions have taken those steps because they believe they cannot effectively gauge or determine the safety of doubling the amount of oil going through the pipeline without access to that information, he said. In September, Iowa regulators ordered the company to provide expert testimony on whether the increased flow will increase the amount of oil that will be released if a spill occurs. They reiterated that request last week, adding that the company must also provide information about the pipelines maximum operating pressure under the proposed expansion, among other information. Energy Transfer has said that the maximum pressure would not change if the pipeline capacity is expanded. In light of a move by Illinois regulators this week, groups opposing the pipeline anticipate that Energy Transfer will disclose the names of companies that plan to ship oil through the line, as well as their contracts. That information will not be released publicly as its under a protective order, but it will be used to determine whether the pipeline expansion is needed given existing pipeline and rail infrastructure for Bakken oil, said John Albers, an attorney representing Save Our Illinois Land and the Sierra Club. Purdon said the Standing Rock tribe remains hopeful that the PSC will take a hard look at our requests. Once PSC staff have drafted an order on the proposed expansion, the commission could hold another work session to discuss it or go straight to a vote. Following Thursdays work session, an Energy Transfer spokeswoman said in an emailed statement that she cannot speculate on the decisions of the PSC. We are committed to complying with state and federal law in the construction and operation of our assets, spokeswoman Lisa Coleman said. We remain heavily invested in the great state of North Dakota and look forward to continuing that relationship. The pipeline company maintains that the proposed expansion will not increase the risk of a spill from the pipeline. Its seeking to boost the lines capacity to carry up to 1.1 million barrels of oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois. The company estimates it would spend $40 million to build the new pump station in Emmons County west of Linton. Energy Transfer also plans to add pump stations in South Dakota and Illinois and make other upgrades along the line to increase its capacity. Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (Newser) An American woman vacationing in Belize has been reported missing after going on an overnight side trip to a small island. When members of the tour group awoke about 6am Saturday, Alison MacKenzie, 43, was no longer with them, ABC News reports. More than a dozen people, including MacKenzie's 58-year-old male companion, took the catamaran trip to Rendezvous Caye, an island about 20 miles off the coast of Belize that's no more than 2 acres in size, per People. MacKenzie has two children and lives in Arizona. story continues below The US State Department said it is working with local officials in the investigation. Officials said Tuesday night that no one has been held for questioning and no one has been named a person of interest. "We are getting nowhere finding out where she is," MacKenzie's mother, Cherie MacKenzie, posted Sunday on Facebook. She said that the family is working with police, the tour company and the US embassy, but that "We have received 3 different stories about what happened that morning." The family is worried that Alison MacKenzie is dead. "Her two daughters are past being consoled," Cherie MacKenzie posted. "They have lost their mother and best friend." (Read more missing person stories.) Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde on Thursday frowned at death row convicts endlessly filing petitions, observing that the Supreme Court should focus not only on rights of the accused but victims as well. Chief Justice Bobdes observations, were made in context of a petition from a couple from Uttar Pradeshs Amroha. The two had been handed out the death penalty for sedating the womans family and hacking them to death in April 2008. A 10-month-old baby was also among the seven people murdered by them. The infant was strangled. The couple was arrested within five days and sentenced to death in 2010. The Supreme Court had cancelled their execution warrant in 2015 on grounds that the magistrate had acted in haste and the convicts were yet to exercise their legal options. As the hearing resumed on their plea on Thursday, Chief Justice Bobde remarked that it was extremely important for the death sentence to have some finality. A death row convict shouldnt feel that the sentence can be questioned all the time, Chief Justice Bobde said, stressing that one cannot go on fighting endlessly. We dont want to focus or emphasise only on rights of accused in a case in which 7 people including a 10-month-old baby have been murdered, the Chief Justice said. The top judges observation comes just a day after the central government requested the Supreme Court to amend its 2014 verdict that laid down guidelines on handling mercy petitions. The Shatrughan Chauhan judgment also mandated a gap of 14 days between the rejection of mercy petition and the scheduled date of execution to prevent secret executions and give the convict time to prepare for his or her death. The government, in its petition urged the court to adopt a victim-centric approach in heinous crimes so that faith of the public in judicial process is not shaken. The Centres request was made against the backdrop of the delay in carrying out the death warrant of the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case has been widely criticised. The mother of the victim has been especially critical of the process. The delay has also become a political issue with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party, which governs Delhi trading charges. Elections in Delhi are to be held on February 8. A hot potato: Annual rate increases for cable providers are nothing new, but sometimes the excuses the companies provide for the hikes create more animosity than they alleviate. It is especially frustrating when the increases are to compensate for a perk advertised as "free." Comcast is notoriously bad at explaining away fees, and the latest involving its new streaming service is no exception. Comcast customers should see a rise in their bills once the Peacock streaming service goes live, if they haven't already. The internet TV channel enters early access on April 15, along with a rate hike. The extra costs will not be readily evident to new customers as the rate increases mostly appear as hidden fees. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, the broadcast television fee added to monthly bills on top of subscription rates will go up by $4.45. Internet rates and modem rental fees will also be increased by $3 and $1, respectively. For some customers, these price hikes have already taken effect as the company began the gradual squeeze in December. All totaled, subscriptions should increase by about 3.6 percent for most subscribers, whether they use Peacock or not. We needed to pivot the whole company to the streaming world, and I think whats exciting is how well our cable company has done that, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told CNBC. Peacock will go right back for the advertisers and get you in a growing market, taking advantage of streaming with a free product as well. Cable customers will get it for free, whether you are video or broadband. Free product indeed, if you do not include the rate hike. The cable giant justifies the increases claiming that programmers are to blame and that it bears most of the burden bringing customers these services. Comcast is fighting as hard as we can to protect our customers from unrelenting demands for higher fees from programmers, a spokesperson said in a statement last December regarding the bump. While we absorb some of the increased programming costs, they have a significant impact on the cost of our services. The excuse falls somewhat flat since NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast. So it would seem that the company is "unrelenting" in demanding higher fees from itself, at least in this case. Some customers may see the hike as a slap in the face since the free version of Peacock will be supported by ads, and the Premium tier will come with a $5 subscription cost. The premium Peacock service will still have ads but will have about double the content as the free package. A third ad-free tier will cost subscribers $10 per month. Masthead credit: Joshua Rainey Photography via Shutterstock SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. (TB2") announced its first 2020 Aviation Scholarship has been awarded to Christopher Awes, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) student who earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics. TB2 is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving the history of aviation in Scottsdale, Arizona, honoring all military veterans and creating unique educational opportunities for Arizona students studying all aspects of aviation. Christopher Awes served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) for 8 years. While supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, he served outside the continental United States during 2 deployments. He was honorably discharged in 2016 at the rank of Staff Sergeant, his job was Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician and he received the USMC Naval Achievement Medal. In 2019, Christopher graduated from ERAU with a 4.0 GPA, Outstanding Graduate Award for the Bachelor of Science Aeronautics Degree Program and Summa Cum Laude. Flight, Helicopter / Rotorcraft specialty was his degree minor and he has recently been hired as a flight instructor at ERAU. During his academics, he was a member in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Student Veterans Organization. Steve Ziomek, Chairman and President of TB2, stated, Christopher Awes is an exceptional recipient of the TB2 Aviation Scholarship Award. His academic merit, military service and passion for aviation are commendable. As a veteran and pilot myself, I know this young man will excel in the aviation industry. Rudy R. Miller, Chairman of TB2 Advisory Board and Scholarship Committee, remarked, We welcome Christopher as a deserving member of TB2 Aviation Scholarship awardees. I believe he will serve as a role model to all other students interested in an aviation career, from pilots, AP mechanics, air traffic controllers, avionics technicians and numerous other related industry positions. We are particularly proud that Christopher is being recognized for his excellence, said ERAU College of Aviation Flight Department Chair, Parker Northrup. He earned his helicopter ratings with us and transitioned to become one of our fixed-wing instructor pilots. With these broad skills, he truly is the best embodiment of being the total aviation professional. Christopher commented, Its an honor being the first Embry-Riddle recipient of this scholarship opportunity as well as the first veteran recipient. He continued, The fact that this organization is able to keep the stories alive and commemorate the service of our veterans means a ton to me and I cant express enough gratitude. To honor Christopher Awes, TB2 hosted a luncheon, sponsored by The Miller Group , represented by Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rudy R. Miller and Vice President, Kristina Caylor. Scottsdale Mayor W. J. Jim Lane was keynote speaker of the event and representatives from ERAU were also in attendance, Dr. Tim Holt, Dean and Professor, College of Aviation; Dr. Kathleen Lustyk, Interim Vice Chancellor; Parker Northrup, Chair of the Flight Department; Steve Bobinsky, Executive Director of Philanthropy; AJ Reynolds, Director of Philanthropy; and Shelly Johnson, Associate Director, Leadership Annual Giving, as well as TB2 board members and special guests. 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 (SDL). The 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, Pima Community College or Yavapai 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: Contact: Steve Ziomek Jason Kadah Chairman & President Director of Communications & Marketing ziomek.steve@gmail.com Prescott, Arizona Campus 480.664.6604 jason.kadah@erau.edu 928.777.6731 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/93863a2e-f1ba-4553-be9c-066d97aecdf8 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84be3979-f239-42d8-b25c-f69d7fe06861 As her patient lay sedated on an exam table at the San Antonio Zoo, Dr. Debbie Myers prepared to ease his pain. Amid a swirl of wires, tubes and intravenous lines, she focused on Vader, a South American bush dog suffering from a broken tooth. In 2017, she had removed a tumor from the 9-year-old wild canine with light brown fur and dark chocolate paws. Since she was in kindergarten, animals have intrigued Myers. Its why she became a veterinarian and why she devotes just about every waking moment to the welfare of wildlife. Its also why shes packed and ready to head to Australia as soon as she gets the word to help the animals in danger because of the devastating bush fires. I dont think we realized that it would be quite this intensive or go on this long, Myers, 43, said. We have our passports ready to go. Related: Koalas arrive at the San Antonio Zoo for the first time in decades More than 1 billion animals, including more than 8,000 koalas, are estimated to have died in the bush fires and countless more have been injured and displaced, overwhelming resources and medical personnel. Zoos and animal facilities from around the world have offered emergency relief teams. In the United States, the San Diego Zoo, which has resident koalas and has donated to koala research, is overseeing a roster of response teams from zoos across the nation. Global-supported researchers from San Diego have traveled to Australia and joined the wildlife relief efforts, requesting that other teams, including the one in San Antonio, stay on call to support exhausted animal care personnel in Australia. San Antonios team Myers and vet tech Jackie Woods is next on the list. The pair said to be added to the roster is an honor. When we get the chance to help with their wild counterparts, its really meaningful to me and we feel like we are making a difference, Myers said. I am excited to go to Australia and help in any way I can. She said if contacted by Taronga Zoo Sydney, she would ask their veterinarian team what equipment or medicine to bring based on their needs. They have handheld equipment ready including a Vetcorder monitor thats the size of a cell phone. She said this isnt the first job abroad thats taken her away from her husband Lee, an assistant director of operations at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is very used to my crazy schedule, she said, and will most likely indulge in Ramen noodles while I am away since that is not something that is typically on the menu when I am home. Tim Morrow, president and San Antonio Zoo CEO, said San Antonios response team was created to aid during disasters and has helped in numerous others, including Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey. And if called upon to make the 18-hour flight, shes downloaded several movies around the football season including Draft Day and A Lifetime of Sundays. The San Antonio Zoo received a call Friday to start lining up veterinarian care to help through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums at Tarongo Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Were trying to be strategic in how we help them, Morrow said, and let them call the shots for us. Myers is a natural for the Australia job. During her four years at the local zoo, she has cared for koalas, kangaroos and wallabies, all native to Australia. Last summer, she cared for Warrin and Burra, two koalas on loan from the San Diego Zoo at San Antonios Wild Australia event. The marsupials are now back in California. While they were here, she learned they can be finicky about what species of their favorite food, eucalyptus leaves, they will eat. She also learned they have a significant claw, have mobile hips for sitting in trees and, despite their cuddly bear-like look, can be aggressive. Earlier this week, she was doing check-ups on the resident kangaroos at the San Antonio Zoo. Marsupials in general are very interesting to work with, she said. They have a unique anatomy, unique ways they need to be given medicine, and how they like to be handled. One thing for certain is that they are a challenge, but we do quite a bit of research ahead of time so that we know how to care for them. Myers has worked at the San Antonio Zoo for four years. She has experience in working other disasters; early in her career, she helped care for 400 sea turtles who unexpectedly washed ashore in Miami in a single day. In 2005, she worked at Louisiana State Universitys stadium, conducting CT scans on numerous animals and repairing turtle shells in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio Zoo creates Australia wildlife fund, matching the first $5k donated Morrow said that in addition to sending a relief team to help colleagues in Australia, the San Antonio Zoo has joined several other zoos in establishing an Australia Wildlife Fund to raise money to benefit wildlife at the Melbourne Zoo. To donate to the fund go to https://sazoo.org/zoo-conservation-efforts/australia-wildlife-fund/. By Wednesday, zoo officials said they had matched a $5,000 donation and received 319 donations from 26 states for a total of more than $35,000. A portion of the fund will support the Myers-Woods team with supplies required for rescue, care or recovery of animals orphaned or injured in the fires as needed. If aid from the zoo isnt needed, Morrow said 100 percent of the funds would be sent to the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund at the Melbourne Zoo. Veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Andrew Greller of San Antonio has taken care of animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Harvey. He said its not uncommon for the San Antonio Zoo and zoos around the world as well as veterinarians in private practice to come together and collaborate on issues affecting lives of wildlife, especially with whats happening in Australia. We want to do anything to help, he said. Its a tragedy, the breadth and scope of the loss of animal life is something that hasnt been seen before. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis DUBLIN, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Research Report of Beef Import in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. It is expected that the import volume of beef in China will continue to grow from 2020 to 2024. With the development of China's economy and the improvement of living standards, the demand for beef in China is rising. The upward cattle breeding cost makes it difficult to sharply increase the beef output in China. In response to the growing beef consumption, China is importing more beef. From 2013 to 2018, the beef output in China grew from 6,130,900 tons to 6,440,600 tons at a CAGR of only 0.99%, while the beef imports grew at a CAGR of nearly 28.71%. According to market research, the Chinese government's policies on beef import include restrictions and incentives. On one hand, to control epidemics and support domestic beef industry, the Chinese government bans the import of cattle and cattle products from high-risk countries and regions. On the other hand, it signs trade agreements with some countries to cut the tariffs on beef imports and increase the beef supply in China. The government is strict with the sources of beef imports. Only the countries and regions included in China Customs' List of Meat Eligible for Export to China from Countries or Regions that Meet the Requirements of Assessment and Review can export beef to China. In Nov. 2019, the list included only 21 countries such as the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. According to market research, the beef imported to China include chilled beef and frozen beef. Frozen beef has been the main stream of China's beef imports. From 2013 to 2018, the proportion of frozen beef in China's beef imports stayed above 96%. In 2018, this proportion reached about 98.46%. China's beef imports mainly come from Brazil, Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand and Argentina. In 2018, the five countries contributed more than 95% of both the import value and import volume of beef in China. It was not until Jul. 2017 that U.S. beef was allowed to enter China. Therefore, U.S. beef sells badly in China, and can hardly compete with the beef from countries like Brazil and Australia. As U.S. beef, whether by volume or value, takes up a small proportion of China's beef imports, the Sino-U.S. trade war has little impact on the export of U.S beef. to China. According to market research, China impose high tariffs and value-added tax on beef imports, and most countries in the world cannot legally export beef to China. Therefore, many enterprises smuggle beef to China. The smuggled beef mainly come from India and Brazil by water transport and road transport. By water transport, the smuggled beef is directly shipped from India and Brazil to China's coastal ports, and then distributed to all parts of the country. By road transport, the smuggled beef is transported via Hong Kong to Shenzhen, or entered China via the border between Vietnam and Guangxi. In addition to the cheap beef from India and Brazil, Wagyu beef from Japan and other types of high-end beef are also smuggled. Smuggled beef and legally imported beef share similar end consumers, namely, households, catering enterprises and food processing enterprises. Key Topics Covered 1 Analysis of Beef Import in China 1.1 Analysis of Policies on Beef Import in China 1.2 Import Scale of Beef in China 1.2.1 Analysis of Import Volume of Beef in China 1.2.2 Analysis of Import Value of Beef in China 1.2.3 Analysis of Import Prices of Beef in China 1.2.4 Analysis of China's Reliance on Beef Imports 1.3 Analysis of Global Beef Trade 1.3.1 Analysis of Global Beef Import and Export 1.3.2 Analysis of Brazil's Beef Industry 1.3.3 Analysis of Uruguay's Beef Industry 1.3.4 Analysis of Australia's Beef Industry 1.3.5 Analysis of Argentina's Beef Industry 1.3.6 Analysis of New Zealand's Beef Industry 1.3.7 Analysis of United States' Beef Industry 1.4 Overview of Smuggled Beef in China 1.5 Research Methods of the Report 1.5.1 Parameters and Assumptions 1.5.2 Data Sources 1.6 About the publisher 2 Classification and Major Consumers of Imported Beef in China 2.1 Analysis of Import Volume of Beef by Type in China 2.2 Analysis of Import Value of Beef by Type in China 2.3 Major Sales Channels for Imported Beef in China 2.3.1 E-commerce Platform 2.3.2 Supermarkets 2.3.3 Food Markets 2.3.4 Others 2.4 Major End Consumers of Imported Beef in China 2.4.1 Households 2.4.2 Catering Enterprises 2.4.3 Food Processing Enterprises 3 Analysis of Import of Chilled Beef (HS code 02011000-02013000) in China 3.1 Import Scale of Chilled Beef in China 3.1.1 Analysis of Import Volume of Chilled Beef in China 3.1.2 Analysis of Import Value of Chilled Beef in China 3.1.3 Analysis of Average Import Prices of Chilled Beef in China 3.2 Analysis of Types of Imported Chilled Beef in China 3.2.1 Analysis of Import Volume of Chilled Beef by Type in China 3.2.2 Analysis of Import Value of Chilled Beef by Type in China 3.2.3 Analysis of Average Import Prices of Chilled Beef by Type in China 3.3 Analysis of Sources of China's Chilled Beef Imports 4 Analysis of Import of Frozen Beef (HS code 02021000-02023000) in China 4.1 Import Scale of Frozen Beef in China 4.1.1 Analysis of Import Volume of Frozen Beef in China 4.1.2 Analysis of Import Value of Frozen Beef in China 4.1.3 Analysis of Average Import Prices of Frozen Beef in China 4.2 Analysis of Types of Imported Frozen Beef in China 4.2.1 Analysis of Import Volume of Frozen Beef by Type in China 4.2.2 Analysis of Import Value of Frozen Beef by Type in China 4.2.3 Analysis of Import Prices of Frozen Beef by Type in China 4.3 Analysis of Sources of China's Frozen Beef Imports 4.3.1 Analysis of Sources of China's Frozen Beef Imports by Volume 4.3.2 Analysis of Sources of China's Frozen Beef Imports by Value 5 Prospect of Beef Import in China, 2020-2024 5.1 Major Factors Influencing Beef Import in China 5.1.1 Favorable Factors 5.1.2 Unfavorable Factors 5.2 Forecast on Beef Import in China, 2020-2024 5.2.1 Forecast on Import Volume 5.2.2 Forecast on Major Sources of Imports 5.2.3 Forecast on Major Types of Beef Imports For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ym75mr Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday said there was no word by name "capital" in the Constitution and claimed there was no need for any legislation to decide a capital and a mere resolution would suffice. The Chief Minister's remarks assume significance as his government faced roadblocks to enact a legislation aimed at having "three capitals" for the state. "There is no word by name capital in the Constitution. It is only seat of governance. The government has the freedom to decentralise the seat of governance for administration as per the power vested in it by the people," Reddy told the Assembly defending his government's plan to have an executive capital in Visakhapatnam, judicial capital in Kurnool and legislative capital in Amaravati. The Chief Minister made the remarks while winding up an impromptu debate on whether or not the Legislative Council needs to be continued. Reddy claimed there was no need for a law to decide the seat of governance. "We can sit anywhere in the state and carry out the administration. Chief Minister is the head of governance and is assisted by the Council of Ministers and the secretaries, which in turn is the Secretariat. We need enact no law for this, no need for any bill. We can just pass a resolution and continue the administration," the CM pointed out. "There is no word capital in Constitution. This is reality. We can have the assembly anywhere in the state and make laws from anywhere as per Article 174," he said. He claimed that late J Jayalalithaa used to run Tamil Nadu administration from Ooty in that state. "Governance happens from where the Chief Minister stays. If calamity strikes tomorrow.. the Chief Minister has to shift and stay there for 20 days. Where will governance happen in that case? It happens where the CM is," Jagan said, recalling the hurricane Hudhud time in October 2014 when the then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stayed in Visakhapatnam for 10 days and ran the administration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A popular Italian restaurant has broken the record for the longest pizza in Australia to raise money for hardworking firefighters. The Pellegrini restaurant in Sydney's south west cooked the 100 metre-long pizza on Sunday, which weighed 400 kilograms. More than 50 workers created the huge Margherita pizza and every slice was sold for a gold coin to raise money for NSW Rural Fire Service. Italian restaurant Pellegrini broke the record for the longest pizza in Australia on Sunday with its creation spreading over 100 metres Restaurant manager Giovanni Convertino told Daily Mail Australia that creating the delicious pizza was not an easy task. 'We started to prepare the pizza from 5:30am and we finally got to the 100 metre mark at 11:30am,' he said. 'We were going after the Australia record, the world record was in Italy and that one was over 600 metres.' Members of the NSW Rural Fire Service to attended the gathering who collected a gold coin donation for each slice. 'The firefighters came with the truck and the kids loved it it was such a great time,' he said. The process involved rolling one metre sections of dough and then baking them into five metre lengths. Each part was then carefully taken out outside to the main table where it received its final decoration. Mr Convertino said community moral was low due to the devastating impact of the bushfires and the restaurant wanted to do something to help raise spirits. 'There were people jogging past were stopping and going "hey what is going on," we were all having such a great time,' he said. The process involved rolling one metre sections of dough and then baking them into five metre lengths LONDON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For any organisation, having an accurate and robust asset register that shows the location, value and condition of assets can help ensure that resources are available and usable when needed as well as achieving compliance with key industry legislation. How an organisation manages its assets also has multiple effects on finances, from tangible costs of heightened insurance premiums through to neglected depreciation. But how can a robust asset register be effectively created and managed? Whilst spreadsheets are adequate for collecting basic data, Real Asset Management believes there are ten good reasons to switch to a specialist fixed asset management system. 1. Corporate governance requirements Today, companies of all sizes are subject to increased scrutiny by government agencies and regulatory boards for higher standards of accountability, transparency and overall corporate behaviour. Compliance with the latest legislation including IFRS, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and SORP consists of improved financial management and increasingly detailed reporting. With such a high degree of attention focused on your organisation, why would you risk the integrity of your financial data by relying solely on spreadsheets, which are inherently instable and invariably achieve poor audit results? 2. Inaccurate depreciation calculations Too many spreadsheets contain errors, which is to be expected with information entered by hand. Whether it be the background asset data or the formula itself, there's little doubt that depreciation calculations, when based on a spreadsheet, are likely to be inaccurate. Several people within one accounting department will often access, manage and edit the same data, making errors even more likely. In addition, a spreadsheet that is designed and managed by an individual brings its own risks, with over reliance on their knowledge of the formulas etc. which, if they were to leave the company, would be lost. 3. Lack of an audit trail and overall security A specialist fixed asset management system will track and record every detail of every action ever made by any user, which is simply unachievable with spreadsheets. Dates, times and explanations are recorded as well, making it very simple to ensure the security and integrity of your fixed asset data. A specialist system will require a valid username and password combination to enter it and will enable department heads to define security at an individual level to ensure that confidential information can be viewed only by those that need to see it and safely hidden from those who don't. 4. Inability to link 'parent/child' assets or conduct asset splits, batch disposals, etc. The ability to link 'parent/child' assets is key in order to establish hierarchical relationships and dependencies. A specialist fixed asset management system will display such links pictorially in collapsible branches. A typical example of this might be the association between a PC and software licence, where the PC is the 'parent' and the licence assumes the role of the 'child'. The option to transfer or dispose of the 'child' asset will subsequently follow the transfer or disposal of the 'parent' asset, keeping the relationship intact. Spreadsheets are unable to accommodate 'parent/child' asset relationships in such a way, making it difficult to accurately track and manage these important hierarchical dependencies. 5. Access to multi-currency, multi-lingual or multi-book capabilities If your organisation operates in many different countries then multi-currency, multi-lingual and multi-book capabilities are most likely imperative in your fixed asset management procedures. A specialist system will have multi-book capabilities to allow core asset information to be shared across any number of books with different sets of figures, enabling compliance with both local and group depreciation policies. 6. Historical reporting and forecasting requirements Composing reports and forecasts can be a complicated and daunting process, especially if attempted in a spreadsheet. With the raw data within a spreadsheet dictating that each report be constructed individually using often complex macros, this provides room for error as well as wasting valuable time at month-end. A specialist fixed asset management system will incorporate standard and customised reporting and forecasting templates to ensure an intuitive method of extracting and analysing asset data quickly and accurately. 7. Lack of confidence in data integrity Total control over your fixed asset management data simply cannot be achieved through the use of a spreadsheet. Whether a user input error or unintentional miscalculation, inaccuracies are inevitable. With that said, how can you be 100% confident in the integrity of this vital data? A specialist system will have strict security features in place to address the issue and automate the entire fixed asset management process. From data import capabilities to automated reports and forecasts, a significant amount of valuable time can be shaved off the entire process. 8. Communication and transparency With increased pressure on organisations of all types to 'do more with less', communication and transparency between departments is an important part of streamlining business processes. A central asset register can be accessed and viewed across multiple departments including asset management, finance, IT, estates and maintenance, providing all the information required in a consistent and easily accessible format. Sharing asset information in this way can deliver increased efficiencies and direct financial savings. For instance, the lifecycle of equipment and its maintenance can be effectively tracked and managed using a central system so that optimum value is obtained from investment in the asset. This can include deployment, service and disposal of the asset at the appropriate time in compliance with legislation such as the WEEE Directive. 9. Insurance Premiums One of the most tangible ROI realisations for businesses that implement such a system can be a dramatic lowering of insurance premiums and more successful insurance claims. Many UK companies complain about escalating insurance premiums. However, in reality, the majority are actually over insured. Endemic failure to maintain accurate asset registers results in the majority of companies insuring assets they no longer own. 10. Software Licensing Using a dedicated asset management system can save significant sums through reducing the over-purchase of software licenses and help organisations avoid the legal risks associated with under-purchasing. It is only by instigating rigorous asset acquisition and disposal policies and recording detailed information about the software loaded onto every machine, that any organisation can attain real control over the software asset and prevent over-purchase of software licenses. With this information to hand, organisations can immediately check for unlicensed software and manage user numbers against agreed licenses. If a machine is scrapped, regularly updating the asset register will ensure that software can be reloaded on another machine, if the license allows. Furthermore, using alerts, an IT manager can be warned if user levels are reaching the license limit. For further information on how a specialist fixed asset management solution can transform your asset accounting processes, visit our website today. For further details please contact: Karen Waite, Marketing Manager Real Asset Management, An MRI Software Company Email: [email protected] SOURCE Real Asset Management Michelle Carter will be released from jail for good behaviour after serving a majority of her 15-month sentence, in a decision that sparked an angry reaction from the family of the man she urged to kill himself. Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for urging Conrad Roy III to kill himself in 2014, is getting out about three months early, with jail officials saying that state law mandates early release in cases of good behaviour. She will now serve five years of probation. But the release, and its rationale, has been criticised by the victims family, who claim that the woman who urged the 18-year-old to take his life should not be walking free. The sheriff should serve the rest of her time. He lets her go because shes a good girl? Shes not a good girl, the grandfather and namesake of the dead boyfriend, Conrad Roy, told the Boston Herald. Carters Massachusetts manslaughter conviction and case garnered national attention, and tested the boundaries for how much culpability a person can have for simply speaking. Massachusetts explosion in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 Massachusetts explosion in pictures Massachusetts explosion in pictures In this image take from video provided by WCVB in Boston, flames consume the roof of a home AP Massachusetts explosion in pictures Firefighters battle the fire EPA Massachusetts explosion in pictures Firefighters battle the blaze AP Massachusetts explosion in pictures Multiple fire trucks from surrounding communities arrive AP Massachusetts explosion in pictures A police officer adjusts his mask EPA Massachusetts explosion in pictures Bystanders watch the firefighting effort EPA Massachusetts explosion in pictures Firefighters battle the fire EPA Massachusetts explosion in pictures Firefighters gain entrance into a house through a basement window to check the gas line EPA Massachusetts explosion in pictures Firefighters gain entrance into a house through a basement window to check the gas line EPA Massachusetts explosion in pictures Residents cover their face from the smoke while being evacuated from homes AP Massachusetts explosion in pictures A Boston Fire Department truck crew patrols for signs of gas leaks or fires EPA Her lawyers argued in a recent Supreme Court appeal that the conviction violated their clients First Amendment rights and that words alone are not enough for someone to be held responsible for another persons death. The court declined to hear the appeal last week. During the original trial, the jury heard sordid details of the days leading up to Roys death, in which a then-17-year-old Carter repeatedly urged her 18-year-old boyfriend in texts to kill himself and chastised him for not going through on his plans. Then, on the day of his death, Carter reportedly spoke with the victim after he became unsure about his plan to die in his parked truck, which he had rigged to fill up with deadly carbon monoxide. Following the phone call, Roy returned to the truck, and died. The call in question wasnt recorded, leaving prosecutors to rely on those earlier texts to prove her intent. Carter, now 23, first went to jail last February, but had attempted to avoid jail time altogether following her 2017 conviction, with her lawyers initially arguing successfully for a stay in her case as they appealed the conviction. That stay was revoked when the states Supreme Judicial Court upheld the conviction. In September, she was denied early release by the state parole board, with members of that panel saying Carter displayed a lack of empathy for facilitating Roys death, and said her release was not compatible with the best interest of society. The death and conviction has inspired an HBO documentary, and legislative efforts aimed at cracking down on suicide coercion. The bill, known as Conrads Law, would make manipulating someone into killing themselves a crime punishable by jail time, with a five-year maximum sentence. If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention line at 1-800-273-8255. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Geneva, Switzerland Thu, January 23, 2020 07:03 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206093947 2 World health,smoking,vaping,WHO,UN Free Electronic cigarettes are harmful both to users and bystanders exposed to the fumes, the World Health Organization says in a report warning they can damage growing fetuses and impact teenagers' brains. So-called electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS, have been pushed by producers as well as some governments as a safer alternative to smoking, and as a path to kicking the habit. But in a strongly-worded series of questions and answers about such e-cigarettes, the United Nations health agency said there was not enough evidence to say they help smokers quit, but that there was clear evidence they are dangerous. "There is no doubt that they are harmful to health and are not safe," WHO said in one answer, stressing though that "it is too early to provide a clear answer on the long-term impact of using them or being exposed to them." The battery-powered devices that enable users to inhale addictive nicotine liquids and exhale vapor "are particularly risky when used by adolescents," WHO said, strengthening initial warnings it made in 2019. "Nicotine is highly addictive and young peoples brains develop up to their mid-twenties," it said in a document published Tuesday, stressing that "exposure to nicotine can have long-lasting, damaging effects." This is of high concern amid skyrocketing popularity of vaping among young people in many countries. At the same time, there is little indication that using e-cigarettes is keeping teens away from more harmful products, with the WHO pointing out that those using ENDS are more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes. And it said that "for pregnant women, ENDS pose significant risks as they can damage the growing fetus." Amid growing fears over serious health consequences linked to e-cigarette use, WHO warned that so-called vaping increases the risk of heart disease and lung disorders. The United States especially has seen a major health crisis tied to vaping: an acute lung illness epidemic that has killed more than 50 people and sickened more than 2,500 in the United States. The illness was later linked to a substance called vitamin E acetate, which is used as a thickening agent for vaping products containing the main psychoactive substance of cannabis THC that are often sold on the black market. At least five other countries have initiated investigations to identify cases of lung injuries related to e-cigarette use, WHO said. The UN health agency also said second-hand exposure to e-cigarette fumes was harmful, pointing out that the aerosols "typically contain toxic substances, including glycol which is used to make antifreeze." "ENDS pose risks to users and non-users," it said, demanding tight regulation of the products, including bans on marketing to young people and on use in indoor workplaces and public spaces. The WHO document drew ire from some experts, with Peter Hajek, the head of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, accusing it of "anti-vaping activism". In a comment re-tweeted by Philip Morris, he charged that the document was filled with errors and that the authors "should take responsibility for using blatant misinformation to prevent smokers from switching to a much less risky alternative." Topics : health smoking vaping WHO UN Bloomberg Rolls Out Voter Protection Plan The right to vote is fundamental but in many states its under attack, said Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, who rolled out a comprehensive voting rights agenda last week. Its a disgrace to our Constitution and an insult to generations of people who marched and fought for the right to vote, Bloomberg said. The centerpiece of Mikes plan, said a spokesperson for Bloombergs campaign, is a series of initiatives designed to tackle the racial disparity in voting rights for example, nearly 8% of Black adults are prevented from voting due to past convictions, four times the rate of other Americans. ADVERTISEMENT There are currently 36 states which require voters to show some form of ID at the polls, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino voters, Native Americans, transgender individuals, and others. Being able to cast your ballot for the candidate of your choice is a basic part of any democracy, said Former Philadelphia Mayor and Bloomberg Campaign National Political Chair Michael Nutter. But, people of color and minorities have traditionally been actively kept out of the franchise. How? Through voter purges, gerrymandering, and biased voter identification requirements that discriminate against these communities. Mike and I both support making voting less discriminatory and more convenient. Mike is all for creating a non-partisan commission that would draft federal voting standards and establish a new Voting Rights Act that protects vulnerable communities. Bloomberg said he would also block voter purges and federally fund a voter rights awareness campaign, so everybody would know their rights and what to do if they feel they are being violated. This is a common sense approach. And, Mike will make sure it gets done. We also need to ensure that our voting process is secure, Nutter said. We need to make sure that every vote counts, AND EVERY VOTE IS COUNTED. Mike has never shied away from the challenge and he wont now. ADVERTISEMENT Bloombergs Voter Rights Policy Includes: 1. Protect Voting Rights for All Americans. Fix burdensome voting laws and practices that make it more difficult for Black and Latino voters, Native Americans, transgender people, and people with disabilities to vote in federal elections. 2. Stop voter suppression by banning states from purging eligible voters 3. Reinvigorate enforcement of the Voting Rights Act to stop discriminatory state voting laws before they are enacted. 4. Block states from purging voters on the basis of inactivity, incomplete cross-checks, or returned mail. 5. Restore voting rights to people with felony convictions, postincarceration. In 11 states, individuals with felony convictions lose their right to vote indefinitely. In 21 additional states, those individuals do not immediately regain their right to vote and may be forced to pay onerous fees before full restoration of their rights. Mikes plan would end those practices. 6. Ensure uniform federal standards for voting state-by-state. Create a non-partisan commission to set federal standards for voting in federal elections and eliminate disparities across states, including requiring states with voter ID requirements to accept sworn affidavits of eligibility. 7. Prevent partisan gerrymandering by requiring states to establish independent redistricting commissions to draw federal congressional districts in a way that does not give an advantage to one party or group, through a transparent and inclusive Both parties should be prioritizing these shared American priorities, and Mayor Mikes leadership is laudable, said Sharon Nelson,CREWomen. As a leader in womens advocacy focused on generating more viable representatives in American government, I am glad to know there are breakthrough voter reform efforts on the horizon that are groundbreaking to protect diversity and inclusion in the right to vote. Universally, the right to vote continues to be elusive for Americans, particularly for Underrepresented populations. A solid and universally accessible Voting Protection Plan can help to repair the value of the voting process to make it more inclusive as it should be. Photos by junior and senior high school students are on display at China National Museum on Women and Children in Beijing, which will last until February 10. [Women of China] An exhibition titled "The Most Beautiful Moment at My Home" opened on January 10 at the China National Museum on Women and Children in Beijing. It received more than 2,800 works by children aged 6-18 from 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China. A total of 224 submissions were selected to be displayed at the exhibition. Shen Yueyue, President of the All-China Women's Federation, and Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, visited the exhibition. Through the exhibition, the children are inspired to discover, feel and spread the true, the good and the beautiful around them, help them develop their attachment to family and foster social responsibilities from childhood, which is conducive to better guiding the family members to carry forward family virtues and good family traditions, Shen noted. It is a concrete measure to innovate and deepen the "Looking for the Most Beautiful Family" campaign, she added. As the year 2020 is crucial in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and winning the anti-poverty battle, Shen said the China Women Photographers Association should focus on women's efforts in poverty relief, in a bid to inspire more women and families to fight against poverty and cherish the results of the poverty-alleviation work. Visitors take a close look at the photos displayed at the China National Museum on Women and Children in Beijing. [Women of China] A group of professionals, representatives from media agencies, as well as young photographers of the exhibits and their parents were invited to discuss the significance and value of exhibition at a seminar during the exhibition. Some young photographers whose works are displayed at the exhibition were granted certificates of honor at the seminar. Guided by the ACWF, the exhibition was hosted by the China Women Photographers Association, China National Museum on Women and Children and China Women's Development Foundation. It will last until February 10. A child reads a photo collection at the seminar. [Women of China] (Women of China) On the map, you can see the apps are essentially stalking me. They see me drive out one morning to the gas station, then to the produce store, then to Safeway; later on I passed by a music school, stopped at a restaurant, then Whole Foods. But location was only one part of the data the companies had about me; because geographic data is often combined with other personal information including a mobile advertising ID that can help merge what you see and do online with where you go in the real world the story these companies can tell about me is actually far more detailed than I can tell about myself. By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/01/22 Lee Sung-kyung is one of the new faces in "Dr. Romantic 2". A young female doctor, her role is similar to the one played by Seo Hyun-jin in "Dr. Romantic". However, Lee Sung-kyung has distinguished herself in her portrayal of a rookie surgeon who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and has a crippling desire to always be the best. Her hair has proven to be one means of expressing these traits. Advertisement The most obvious means by which this has been accomplished has been through ponytails. In general, Lee Sung-kyung wears her hair in a single formal ponytail that's out of the way. But in less guarded or personal moments, she is seen just allowing her hair to fall down without being held up. This symbolizes the obsessive manifestations of her character. In broader terms, the color of Lee Sung-kyung's hair allows her to better express the more positive aspects of her character in spite of the dysfunction. The milk-brown color of her hair is quite cheery. The thick ends of her hair would be ideal for perming, but in cognition of the fact that new doctors don't have much free time, Lee Sung-kyung's character is forced to use more natural styling. The unobtrusive cut of Lee Sung-kyung's hair also allows for the actress to have a full range of expression available to her. The added emphasis to her face also lets Lee Sung-kyung look younger. Indeed, though Lee Sung-kyung played a more senior medical professional in "Doctors" back in 2016, the two roles differ in nearly every conceivable way, and not often in an intuitive manner. While Lee Sung-kyung herself deserves credit for this owing to her acting range, the drama's makeup crew is also not to be underestimated in this regard. Lee Sung-kyung's image in "Dr. Romantic 2" is highly calculated to embody the fuller aspects of her character's design. "Dr. Romantic 2" airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on SBS with ratings consistently above the 15% mark. Written by William Schwartz ___________ "Dr. Romantic 2" is directed by Lee Gil-bok, Yoo In-sik, written by Kang Eun-kyeong, and features Han Suk-kyu, Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Sung-kyung, Kim Joo-hun, Shin Dong-wook, So Ju-yeon. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2020/01/06~Now airing, Mon, Tue 22:00 on SBS. The death toll from a violent storm which has wrought havoc on huge swathes of Spain's eastern and southern coastline rose to 10 on Thursday as rescuers searched for four missing people. The latest deaths were in the northern Catalonia region, where the emergency services found the body of a man inside a vehicle in Cabaces, 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of the port city of Tarragona. They had earlier found another man's body in a flooded river near Jorba, 70 kilometres northwest of Barcelona. And late on Wednesday, they found a man who died after falling into the water in Palamos, a port town about 100 kilometres up the coast from Barcelona. They are also searching for another man missing from a merchant ship in the same area. Earlier on Thursday, regional officials confirmed the death of a 75-year-old woman whose house collapsed because of heavy rain in Alcoi, a town in the eastern Alicante region. Storm Gloria hit the region on Sunday, bringing strong winds, torrential rains and heavy snow, battering Spain's southern and eastern flanks before moving north. Gale-force winds and huge waves smashed into seafront towns, with dramatic images showing massive flooding that has damaged shops, houses and restaurants. - Record waves - As the storm eased, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited some of the worst-hit areas on Thursday, overflying parts of Catalonia before heading to the Balearic Islands which on Tuesday were hit by record waves. Speaking on the island of Mallorca, Sanchez pledged government help "immediately". "We're going to hold an urgent meeting tomorrow to activate all the mechanisms... to respond with all the necessary urgency to your needs," he said, pledging there would be "no scrimping on any resource or effort". Rescuers on the islands are still searching for a 25-year-old Briton and a 41-year-old Spanish man, both of whom were last seen in northwestern Ibiza. They were also looking for a 27-year-old Spaniard who disappeared in Mallorca while practising canyoning -- a mix of rappelling, climbing and watersliding through deep gorges. Rescuers found three other bodies on Wednesday. One was a 67-year-old man who went missing in his car near the southeastern resort town of Benidorm, while two others were found in the southern Andalusia region: a 77-year-old man who died when a greenhouse collapsed on him in Nijar and a homeless man who died of hypothermia. On Sunday, a man was killed by falling roof tiles in Pedro Bernardo, west of Madrid, and a day later, two homeless people died of exposure in the southern Valencia region, one a 54-year-old Romanian woman. Aside from the confirmed deaths, rescuers found another body in southern Valencia on Monday, that of a man in Carcaixent, but they have so far been unable to say if he died as a direct result of the storm. The death toll in China's coronavirus outbreak has risen to 26, hours after World Health Organisation officials said it was 'too early' to declare the incident an international emergency. More than 800 cases have been confirmed globally since the SARS-like virus broke out in the central province of Hubei, including one in the US and two in Japan. The vast majority of cases have been recorded in Hubei's capital of Wuhan over the past month, but the virus has now spread to other parts of the world during the busy Lunar New Year travel period. The World Health Organisation said during a press conference on Thursday that an emergency could still be declared a PHEIC if the outbreak continues to spread. It comes on the heels of the Chinese government announcing that it was locking down Wuhan, the city of 11 million people and the epicenter of the outbreak. The Coronavirus has now sickened people in several countries outside its centre in China - but the World Health Organisation doesn't believe it constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) yet on Thursday The CDC issues its highest travel warning on Thursday, urging Americans to 'avoid unessential travel' to Wuhan as the new coronavirus has left more than 800 sick and 26 dead. Pictured: Travellers in face masks walk past a display board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan at Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday 'This should not be taken as a sign that we don't think the outbreak is serious, or that we are not taking it seriously,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 'Nothing could be further from the truth.' Dr Ghebreyesus - referred to mostly as Dr Tedros - said that he stands ready to reconvene the emergency committee yet again, after the group was unable to reach a decision on Wednesday, to call a PHEIC if necessary. For the time being, professor Diddiet Houssin, the meeting's Chair, said that the number of cases abroad is still fairly limited and the efforts being made in China are, for now, sufficient to keep the outbreak relatively contained. 'It's a bit too early,' to declare a PHEIC, he said. He underscored the importance of continued exit screening, but acknowledged that it's unlikely that new cases of the virus, which the committee will continue to call 2019-nCoV for now, will not crop up in currently unaffected nations. 'Be ready to cope with some cases,' he advised. 'Let's hope that they remain sporadic, but the global community should be readyfor the potential evolution of this epidemic.' Meanwhile, the CDC has issued its highest travel warning, but the State Department had advised Americans planning to visit China to exercise increased caution. US health officials started screening passengers arriving from China at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport after the first case was confirmed in Washington state on Tuesday. Screening has now been expanded to two more airports: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Chicago O'Hare. According to the CDC, the first patient - a man who lives in Snohomish County and is in his 30s - arrived in the US on January 15 after visiting Wuhan. He reportedly had no symptoms of the virus upon arrival but, after reading about the outbreak online and developing symptoms, he contacted his doctor. The man is currently quarantined in a hospital outside of Seattle. Meanwhile, in China, officials have taken unprecedented measures in an attempt to stop the spread of this rapidly-developing outbreak. On Thursday, authorities announced that planes, trains and buses leaving Wuhan were cancelled. Tollways on roads out of the city were also shut down. Additionally, all public transportation within the city would be suspended, including buses, subways and ferries. China has also closed several tourism attractions and cultural sites including Beijing's Forbidden City, which saw 19 million visitors last year. City authorities also cancelled Lunar New Year events in the nation's capital as well as temple fairs 'to strengthen prevention and support'. The Wuhan coronavirus is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market, with experts suggesting the virus was passed to humans from snakes or wolf cubs. Most of the cases are in China, but patients have been confirmed in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the US. Almost all of the 26 deaths have occurred among older males who had pre-existing conditions. According to the Centers for Disease of Control and Prevention, signs may appear as quickly as two days or as far as 14 days after exposure. The agency says this is based on what was seen in the incubation period for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a cousin of the new virus that originated in Saudi Arabia in 2012. There is no cure for the new virus or vaccine to prevent it, and the National Institutes of Health says research to develop a vaccine is in 'very preliminary stages.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have advised the public to avoid air travel if they feel sick amid growing fears that a new respiratory virus will spread. Both air carriers are urging departing travelers to prioritize their health and see a doctor if they are experiencing symptoms of a respiratory disease. The airlines said that closely monitoring reports on the novel coronavirus, which comes from the family of viruses which cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases such as such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), according to the World Health Organization. PAL said in a statement they are taking precautionary measures, including non-obtrusive screening at specific airports. They also urged the travelers to follow the recommendations of health authorities to protect themselves and others from sickness. Among them are the frequent handwashing, avoiding close contact with anyone with flu-like symptoms, covering mouth with tissue when coughing/sneezing, thoroughly cooking eggs and meat, avoiding unprotected contact with wild or farm animals and drinking plenty of water. Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has left at least 17 people dead and sickened nearly 500, CNN reported Thursday. The World Health Organization said there are confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, Health authorities in the United States also reported Tuesday the country's first confirmed novel coronavirus case. Airports around the world, some of which are from the Philippines, are increasing health screenings and implementing new quarantine procedures as officials race to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, which first appeared in Wuhan, China. CNN said Wednesday. To stop the virus from spreading, Wuhan's airport and railway stations will be temporarily closed for departing passengers, CNN reported Wednesday, citing an announcement from the city's coronavirus command center. They take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday, it added. Bxzw.org scored 40 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 31 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the bxzw homepage on Twitter + the total number of bxzw followers (if bxzw has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the bxzw homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the bxzw homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the bxzw homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if bxzw has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the bxzw homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE ___ DESCRIPTION txt KEYWORDS , , OTHER KEYWORDS divcmsqq, divcmsqq, The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. 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 URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE GB2312 DETECTED LANGUAGE SERVER Microsoft-IIS/7.5 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2 Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. The language of bxzw.org as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for bxzw.org by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND There are currently over 500 unfilled permanent hospital consultant posts right across Irelands public hospitals, according to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association. The IHCA has met with Minister for Health, Simon Harris, to outline the main factors contributing to the trolley crisis, waiting times for patients and other key pressures upon services which are impacting upon hospital staff as well as upon patient outcomes. At the meeting earlier this week with Mr Harris, the IHCA urged Fine Gael, as part of its election pledges, to commit to a selection of goals to ease the health sectors current crisis, namely: A commitment to open 800 public hospital beds within two years and fast-track an additional 2,600 hospital beds by the end of 2025 To commit to creating resources needed to deliver a maximum waiting time of four hours for patients presenting at emergency departments to be admitted to an inpatient bed if needed, discharged home or transferred to an appropriate service To commit to creating resources needed to deliver a maximum waiting time of 18 weeks following a GP referral for a consultant outpatient appointment and for inpatient/day-case public hospital treatment To commit to ending a failed government policy of consultant pay discrimination that has caused 500 unfilled permanent consultant posts and added to the misery of one million people waiting for treatment and hundreds languishing on trolleys daily IHCA president Dr Donal OHanlon: At our meeting, front line hospital consultants appealed to Minister Harris to put politics aside and patients first, by fully committing to effective targets to deliver timely care to patients which at least match those in the NHS. The delivery of effective targets will require the implementation of practical workable solutions that the IHCA has recommended for years, he said. The first requirement to provide timely care to the one million people on public hospital waiting lists and the hundreds of patients being treated on trolleys each day is to recruit and retain a sufficient number of permanent hospital consultants. More than anything else, we need to fill the current 500 unfilled permanent hospital consultant posts caused by the Governments discrimination against new consultants. "The discrimination and the consequent consultant shortages are the main contributory factors behind the one million people now waiting for hospital treatment and the hundreds of patients languishing on hospital trolleys each day. Getting highly trained specialist consultants back working in our public hospitals will ensure that hospital patients are treated without unacceptable delays. Fine Gaels election campaign urges the Irish public to look forward. But without decisive action now to attract hospital consultants into our health service, one million people waiting for hospital care cant look forward with hope, but only with continued despair. The IHCA representatives, attending the talks with the health minister on behalf of more than 95% of Irelands hospital consultants, said that the 500 unfilled permanent hospital consultant posts across Irelands public hospitals are recognised as the root cause of the long waiting times now experienced by patients and the trolley crisis in the countrys public hospitals which is currently resulting in hundreds of patients being treated on trolleys each day. Over the past seven years, hundreds of highly trained specialist consultants have decided not to practice in our public hospitals and emigrated, resulting in one-in-five of all permanent hospital consultant posts now being unfilled. Hospital consultants in Ireland assert that filling these posts is essential to ensuring that public hospitals, across all specialties, have enough hospital consultants to properly staff teams and care for patients. The IHCA noted that the problems in Irelands health services have been steadily in decline since October 2012, when Fine Gaels then minister for health, Dr James Reilly, took the decision to slash the pay of all hospital consultants appointed after that date. The decision to introduce pay discrimination between consultants appointed before and after October 2012 has created a significant pay difference between consultants undertaking the same work in the same hospital at the same time. Dr OHanlon added: Patients have endured the adverse and severe impact of the governments 2012 decision, which has driven hospital consultants away from our public hospitals to practise abroad and in private hospitals. "For outpatients waiting to see a consultant over 550,000 in total; the 66,000 patients waiting for inpatient and day-case treatment; and, the hundreds of thousands waiting for scans and MRIs, the devastating impact of consultant shortages over the past five years is evident to all. A recent change to Google's desktop search results may be much more than just a fresh aesthetic. According to new research, Google's latest method of flagging ads in search results may be further blurring the line between organic and paid placements, and having a measurable effect on the likelihood that users will click-through promoted results. Google's changes, which were rolled out last week, label advertisements using an icon called a 'Favicon' located to the left of a result to indicate that it's promoted. While the icon, which is two bold black letters that spell out 'Ad', clearly signifies where the result comes from, many have pointed out that with the addition of icons next to every single search result, the promoted results end up visually blending with the rest of the results. Slide me On the left is an example of what Google's current search results look like. An 'Ad' favicon can be seen next to results that have been promoted. On the right is an older design with a clearer delineation of what is an ad and what isn't As noted by a report from Digiday, market research following the change has provided initial evidence that the homogenization between ads and non-ad results is already starting to convince more users to click-through advertisements. Digital marketing agency NordicClick says that compared to the week prior to the change, four businesses studied - a health care company, two business-to-business platforms and one e-commerce company - saw their click-through rates rise from between 4 to 10.5 percent a week after the changed. The same change to Google's mobile search results in May had an even more pronounced effect on click-through according to NordicClick, causing rates of two companies to go up between 17 to 18 percent within a similar time frame after the change. It's worth noting, however, that other advertising agencies cited by Digiday did not see a noted bump in click-through rates, so the effect may not be the same for every busiess across the board. Google's change plays on a concept known as 'banner-blindness' notes Digiday, in which users often ignore banner-like information either consciously or unconsciously. '... Searchers will see the favicons and overlook them, also ignoring the Ad favicon as well,' SEO consultant Bill Hartzer told Digiday. 'So, theyre going to be more likely to click more on ads, which will benefit advertisers. But, in the long run, it will also benefit Google.' Google rolled out a similar change on its mobile search engine in May. Some research suggests that at the time, the move bolstered some ad engagement (Stock image) In a Twitter thread by Guardian journalist Alex Hurn, many users seem to agree that the new design has made it more difficult to actually suss out the difference between a real result and a paid one. 'Yep I frequently think that "Ad" is a brand favicon, because of this pattern and the fact that it looks nothing like the rest of google's design language,' writes one person. Others say they believe the design was intentional on Google's part. 'We all know what the end goal is: To make ads completely indistinguishable from organic results. To make it where if you want to ever get a chance to be on the front page, you'd be either exactly what the user is searching for or you have to buy ads,' wrote another user. Despite the apparent effects on helping push advertising, Google has claimed that the change was designed to create 'harmony' in its layout by reducing the number of color clashes. They have also claimed that the switch to an ad favicon has helped simplify design and make information easier to digest on the page. As can be seen in a graphic from the site Search Engine Land below - which is a visual history how Google's ad demarcation has changed - favicons haven't been the only difference over the years. Link colors and general text appearance have also evolved to more closely mirror regular search results. For instance, a favicon in 2016 is the same green color as the link and a notable change from the previous yellow icon. Color fade: A history of Google ad labeling in search results https://t.co/guo3jc4kwz pic.twitter.com/LMYqhmgfyE Ginny Marvin (@GinnyMarvin) July 25, 2016 For Google, the accusation of attempting to blur lines between ads and organic results may come with slightly tricky time as it battles anti-trust allegations related to its behemoth role in the online ad world. Last year Google was fined $1.7 billion by the European Union for 'abusive practices in online advertising.' Likewise, in November last year, Google became the subject of a lawsuit by advertising company, Inform, which claims that that same anti-competitive behavior undermined the ad agency's business between 2014 and 2016. Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight were replaced this month by reinstated anchor Karl Stefanovic and new co-host Allison 'Ally' Langdon on the Today show, after months of dismal ratings for Nine. Now Karl and Ally have revealed what they really think of their predecessors. Ally, 40, said there were no hard feelings, and Georgie and Deb even congratulated her on her new role. 'They are not in the building anymore': Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison 'Ally' Langdon have revealed what they really think of Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight after their axing Shock! In November 2019, Nine announced their decision to axe Georgie (right) and Deborah (left) from their breakfast TV hosting duties after months of dismal ratings 'They are good sports... they were two of the first people to actually send me a message saying congrats and good luck,' she said. 'Deb gave me a call... yeah, they were wonderful.' Meanwhile, Karl joked about how lucky both Georgie and Deborah were that they no longer had to wake up so early for work. 'They are not in the building anymore... while we are, because they actually get up at a reasonable hour now,' he said with a laugh. In November 2019, Nine announced their decision to axe Georgie and Deborah from their breakfast TV hosting duties. Georgie has since returned to presenting Nine News Sydney on Fridays and Saturdays, while Deborah helps fill in on Nine News Sydney during the week and has her own afternoon radio show on 2GB. New roles: Georgie has since returned to presenting Nine News Sydney on Fridays and Saturdays, while Deborah helps fill in on Nine News Sydney during the week and has her own afternoon radio show on 2GB. Pictured: Deb on left, Georgie on right At the time of her axing, Georgie claimed she was shocked by the network's decision to sack her and Deborah, and reinstate Karl, who had previously been axed in December 2018. 'I was consulted two weeks ago about the future direction of the Today show and naturally I'm disappointed with the outcome,' she said in a statement. Meanwhile, as Karl and Ally attempt to come back from a year of dismal ratings with Georgia and Deb at the helm of the show, they agree they have a long way to go until they can catch up to Sunrise, their rivals over at Seven. 'I think we've got a big job ahead of us, and we don't underestimate what's involved,' Ally said. UPDATE: Texas A&M has confirmed a student at the university may have a possible case of novel coronavirus. State and local health officials were monitoring the individual, according to the university. Officials said in a statement posted on a university website that the immediate health risk to the campus community was low. Students who have questions or concerns were advised to contact the university's Student Health Services at info@shs.tamu.edu or through its Facebook page. ORIGINAL STORY: Brazos County health officials are investigating a suspected case of coronavirus in a person who traveled from Wuhan, China, where the virus originated. NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL) Thursday said it has agreed to buy Hello Products LLC, a premium oral care brand in the United States, from Tenth Avenue Holdings. Hello's products include adult and kids toothpaste, mouth rinse, toothbrushes and floss, which are sold only in the United States primarily in food, drug and mass retailers and through e-commerce. Including transaction costs, the acquisition is expected to be flat to a penny dilutive to 2020 earnings. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The acquisition will be funded with a combination of cash and debt and is currently expected to close no later than February 2020. Hello will continue to be led by founder Craig Dubitsky and Lauri Kien Kotcher, Chief Executive Officer. Noel Wallace, Colgate's President and CEO commented, 'We are excited to welcome Hello to the Colgate family and are especially pleased that Craig and Lauri will continue in their leadership roles. We have great respect for the Hello team and their impressive product line, and value the strong connection they have made with younger consumers. With its distinct on-trend positioning, Hello is a terrific complement to our Colgate and Tom's of Maine brands and we look forward to supporting its continued growth and success.' 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. Call me a political skeptic. Last week, when Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were in the middle of their spat over whether he told her in a private 2018 meeting that a woman could not win the presidency, I argued to a colleague that the messy fight would have little impact on the race. Im beginning to think I was wrong. Yesterday, we saw that the argument triggered at least one powerful Democratic woman: Hillary Clinton. The former 2016 party nominee made her long-held private grievances with Mr. Sanders public this week in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, suggesting that Mr. Sanderss argument with Ms. Warren was part of a pattern of attacks by his supporters on his rivals, particularly the women. Friends of Mrs. Clinton told me she felt compelled to speak out after watching Mr. Sanders refuse to admit any fault in the disagreement with Ms. Warren and then seeing his supporters attack Ms. Warren online. Now Mrs. Clintons remarks about Mr. Sanders are roiling the party as Democratic leaders try to foster a sense of unity against President Trump. The Democrats could have proposed a resolution in support of Mothers Day and it would have been rejected 53 to 47 in the Republican-controlled Senate. Those were the repetitive numbers of the hour after hour after hour after hour on Tuesday as the Senate debated the rules for the impeachment of President Trump on articles accusing him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Day II featured a strong presentation by Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, that led to the hashtag #AdamSchiffROCKS trending on Twitter. In his calm, deliberative way, Schiff laid out the case for the removal of the 45th president from office in opening arguments that exceeded two hours. Will it change many minds in this deeply polarized nation? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to be doing his utmost to make sure it doesnt. Beyond his resistance to witnesses and new evidence are the disturbing restrictions on journalists trying to cover this historic proceeding. Margaret Sullivan, the terrific media columnist for the Washington Post, details the constraints and their seeming attempt to keep the trial as boring and pallid as possible. Americans deserve better on a matter of this importance. What were saying in editorials Impeachment upshot: President Trump has an able accomplice in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a consummate cynic willing to violate principles and precedents in the name of partisan victories. Google to government regulate us: Whenever a powerful technology CEO encourages government intervention, everyone who depends on that technology should pay attention. Alameda County Measure C: Child care is an increasingly crushing expense for families, and research shows strong social returns from investments in high-quality care. We recommend a yes vote. Moms 4 Housing: It was gratifying to to see a legal, peaceful, amicable resolution to the conflict between the homeless mothers who occupied a West Oakland house that owner Wedgewood Properties was intending to sell. Coming in Sunday Insight Howard Fishman: What were losing as streaming becomes the media of choice in the arts at the expense of live performances that provide an essential and irreplaceable connection with an audience. Yoo Eun Kim: Whats in a name? Plenty in corporate America, where foreign sounding names can put someone at a disadvantage. John Diaz: The need for news literacy has never been more apparent or more critical. Editorial: Our recommendation on Proposition 13, the $15 billion education bond, on the March 3 ballot. Letter of the Week Kimberly Guilfoyles scathing assessment of new San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin handcuffing the prosecutorial process and Lady Justice herself drew strong reactions. Stephen Schmid of San Rafael was among the readers who noted the disclosure of her role in President Trumps re-election campaign: The irony was rich in Kimberly Guilfoyles screed against new San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Her last paragraph begins: For criminals, actions should have consequences. Immediately below that we learn that she is the national chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee and a senior adviser to Donald J. Trump for President Inc. Hmm, it seems she makes an exception for the criminal in the White House. And please check out our other letters of the day responding to this and other matters. You can send us a letter via this form. Where to follow us We have a Twitter channel, Opinion Central (@sfc_opinions). Please add it to your stream. Youll catch our editorials and opinion pieces, as well as our drive-by comments on assorted subjects in the news. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnDiazChron Just a reminder The Chronicles editorials represent the collective judgment of our Editorial Board, which includes the publisher as well as the writers and editors from the opinion team. Our editors and reporters on the news side are not involved in those decisions (including election endorsements). They are charged with reporting fairly and objectively without regard to our editorial positions. It is one of the core values here at Fifth and Mission streets. Opinion Central is a thrice-weekly newsletter from John Diaz, The Chronicles editorial page editor, and the rest of the Editorial Board. Follow along on Twitter: @sfc_opinions Women-only business networks fail to boost female entrepreneurship and instead serve to marginalize further the very people they seek to help Women-only business networks fail to boost female entrepreneurship and instead serve to marginalise further the very people they seek to help. New research from the University of Edinburgh Business School, Lancaster University Management School and Dublin City University Business School, published in the Journal of Economic Geography, found the networks are unable to overcome bigger societal issues that prevent more women from pursuing their own businesses. Policy makers see the drive to increase female entrepreneurship as key to helping foster national and regional economic growth. However, women lag behind men in terms of business ownership, growth and access to resources. The research, carried out in Northern Ireland, a region where female entrepreneurship is low in comparison to the rest of the UK, looked at efforts by regional development agency Invest NI to address the issues. Regional economic policy has focused on stimulating and supporting women's entrepreneurship through the establishment of formal women-only networks to provide support, role models and access to networks. The researchers spoke with members and managers of women-only business networks, which have been at the heart of policies in Northern Ireland for nearly two decades, as well as members of mixed networks, and of both. Policy-makers justify the promotion of women-only networks as providing network opportunities to support women's entrepreneurship and, as a result, boost the economy, but the research, supported by British Academy funding, shows a disconnect between intent and actual impact, as the networks perpetuate women's marginalisation and place them in a niche rather them empowering and encouraging them. "Entrepreneurship policies targeted at women are contributing little or nothing to their equality, well-being or independence," said co-author Professor Richard Harrison, of the University of Edinburgh. "The outcomes of policy are often limited or contrary to intentions. "Entrepreneurship is shaped for men, and successful entrepreneurs are male. Women are only deemed successful if they launch businesses in the 'right' (male-dominated) industries and match male-owned businesses for growth. Thus, women-only networks perpetuate the masculinity of entrepreneurship, by reinforcing women as being in the margins." The research shows policy design ignores inherent structural issues within society and entrepreneurship, where there is still a clear and continuing division of labour between 'men's work' and 'women's work'. The researchers found that there is a lack of knowledge and information around the sectors women entrepreneurs tend to predominate in. This leads to a shortfall in well-connected and credible contacts and role models to provide information or introductions to suppliers or gatekeepers. The networks tend to be more geographically restricted and focus more on social support over business development, failing to provide a platform to address issues of gender inequality in entrepreneurship. The interviews revealed a perception among the network members of having to battle against a male-dominated society, where they had to overcome stereotypes of women as mothers or homemakers, which can affect entrepreneurship being seen as a viable option. "Strategies and policies focus on addressing failings or limitations unique to women, rather than on systemic, industry or institutional issues, perceiving a deficiency of perceived female underperformance," said co-author Professor Maura McAdam, of Dublin City University. "By treating women differently to men, treating them a problem that needs to be fixed, and by creating women-only targeted initiatives, women continue to be marginalised. Many business structures are shaped for men, with women restricted in their entrepreneurial ambitions in the lower echelons of the retails and service sector, often referred to as 'pink ghettos'. "The network managers saw themselves as empowering women, but this was not a sentiment shared by the women entrepreneurs, with the networks instead tending to reaffirm women's secondary place in society and business. The members found it difficult to see themselves as entrepreneurs, undermining their ability and underselling themselves." The researchers say more needs to be done to combat wider issues around male dominance if female entrepreneurship is to grow. "Women-only networks have not empowered women entrepreneurs," said co-author Professor Claire Leitch, of Lancaster University. "They do not have the power to overcome issues of male dominance in the area, and it is not a given that other policies would have that ability to achieve the goals of increasing women's entrepreneurial activity, well-being and financial independence either. "Supporting women-only networks merely pays lip service to women's unequal position and power without addressing the structural issues and inequalities at the heart of the issue. These networks reinforce the masculinity of entrepreneurship and, unfortunately, there is no quick fix for policy design in this area. "All parties need to identify, address and eliminate the various means by which cultural bias is perpetuated, restructuring the ways social institutions are conceived. If women's entrepreneurship continues to be seen as a gendered niche, aspirations for its impact will never be met." ### COMPASSIONATE CERTIFICATION CENTERS, (http://www.CCCregister.com), a first of its kind medical cannabis healthcare system, has announced the launch of a new advertising campaign in partnership with entrepreneur Kevin Harringtons AsSeenonTV.pro (ASONTV). We are thrilled to be presented the opportunity to work with Kevin Harrington and ASOTV to promote our high-quality line of CBD products to consumers all over the country, states Compassionate Certification Centers C.E.O. and Co-founder, Melonie Kotchey. As Seen on TV has propelled hundreds of brands and we are proud that Kevin and his team believes in our products and values. Harrington is best known for his role on televisions Shark Tank and has helped to launch some of the best-selling DRTV campaigns for hundreds of brands. The As Seen on TV advertising campaign includes a 60 second commercial scheduled to air across the ASOTV network, between 12/11 and 3/1 on channels such as; CMT, Cooking Channel, FS1, HGTV and Lifetime. The spot directs interested consumers to visit http://www.TakeMeDaily.com and use promo code ASONTV for 20% off all CCC branded CBD products. Products featured on the commercial include a sample of Compassionate Certification Centers white-label CBD line, including a THC-FREE 100mg tincture, THC-FREE CBD capsules, and a full-spectrum muscle balm. The company anticipates that the media campaign will drive interested consumers to their full expanded line of CBD products. CCCs line of CBD products are pharmaceutical-grade, triple-lab tested, and GMO-free. The line features products containing either both wide and full spectrum cannabinoids but never more than .03% THC. The physician-approved line features high-quality CBD in many forms such as tinctures, balms, and capsules each with multiple dosage or potency options to simplify individualized treatment plans. For more information on CCCs locations, services, or products visit http://www.CCCregister.com or call 888-316-9085. About Compassionate Certification Centers Compassionate Certification Centers is the first U.S. Medical Cannabis Healthcare System, specializing in cannabis medicine. The company is devoted to assisting U.S. citizens with discovering cannabis-derived treatment options for a wide-range of medical conditions. Compassionate Certification Centers' network of convenient healthcare centers operate throughout some of the top U.S. medical regions providing Medical Marijuana consultations, THC & CBD treatment plans, and High-Quality CBD products. Recently, the company has announced their participation in efforts to further expand medical cannabis education and clinical research. http://www.CompassionateCertificationCenters.com Contact Melissa Rigby Melissa@cccenters.org 888-316-9085 | 412-519-5976 A day after Hillary Clinton said nobody likes her 2016 Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders and suggested she may not endorse him should he be the partys 2020 pick, The Views Meghan McCain advised the ex-secretary of state to hit the senator even harder, exclaiming that she cant stand him. During Wednesdays broadcast of the long-running ABC talk show, the entire panel sided with the former first lady in her reignited feud with the Vermont senator. After liberal co-host Joy Behar noted that the criticism Clinton has received from many Democrats is an example of how she cant win, host Whoopi Goldberg added that she was likely just mad over Sanders treating her poorly in the past. Maybe shes being honest and maybe shes being transparent and arent we as a country tired of this opaqueness that were seeing? Sunny Hostin declared. Arent we tired of a lack of transparency? And Elizabeth Warren, when she went up after the debate and said, Did you just call me a liar on television, and I think that Hillary Clintons coming out and saying, You know, this happened to me too. McCain, meanwhile, criticized the former New York senators timing of her anti-Sanders broadsidebut mostly from the angle that Clinton didnt hit him hard enough. I will say I do think the timing of it is not great, the conservative host stated. I would have hit him harder on policy and then the Bernie bro sexism that weve been talking about for days about what she experienced when she was running as a candidate and his followers, what they did to her. Over the past couple of weeks, McCain has regularly blasted Sanders, claiming he has a problem with women while bashing misogynistic Bernie Bros for their online attacks on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Further stating that the timing and language is bad because she can understand what its like for someone to say that nobody likes you in the press, she added that it was stupid for Clinton because she has much more ammo in her back pocket. Story continues Later in the segment, after Hostin described Sanders as a get off my lawn kind of guy who doesnt make it a habit of wishing people happy birthday, McCain said that this looks like infighting in the Democratic Party. She, however, wanted to make one thing clear about her feelings towards Sanders. By the way, I cant stand him, she exclaimed. Im a conservative woman. I cant stand him. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. HOLLAND, MI More than 90 students and teachers at Holland Public Schools West Elementary were absent Wednesday with flu-like symptoms, forcing the school to close the rest of this week. Student health and safety is always our primary concern. By canceling school at West Elementary for a few days, our sick students and teachers will have the time to recover while healthy students and teachers will avoid catching the virus, said Holland Superintendent Brian Davis. John Craner, communications director for the district, said West will reopen on Monday, Jan. 27. He said the district is working closely with the health department to ensure students return to a healthy learning environment. During the school closure, maintenance workers will clean all areas of the building. All activities are canceled during this time. Only West Elementary is closed Jan. 23 and 24. All other schools are open and operating on a normal schedule. West Elementary has 454 students. Approximately 20 percent were out ill. The Ottawa County Health Department calls for school action when the percentage rises to between 15 to 20 percent. However, the school district had already made the call. Richfield Public School Academy in Flint is also dealing with illness and announced Wednesday it will be closed this week. Kristina Wieghming, communications specialist/public information officer for the Ottawa County Health Department, said flu activity has been high in Ottawa County. She said the peak season for the flu is January through March and the numbers will probably increase. On the district website, school leaders have shared suggestions from health officials such as students with flu-like symptoms should stay home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone. Some other suggestions for families to keep from getting seasonal flu include: Get your flu vaccination. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. In the absence of a tissue, use the crook of your elbow. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. In the absence of soap and water, alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Try to avoid contact with sick people. Read more on MLive: Grand Rapids school board closes superintendent search meeting UM promises serious sexual misconduct probe into provost as some express doubt, frustration Michigan lawmaker wants to let voters star in their ballot selfies Ahead of a possible India visit of US President Donald Trump, who again offered to "help" in resolving the Kashmir issue, New Delhi on Thursday categorically ruled out any role for a third party, asserting that any issue between India and Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally. India's reiteration on the Kashmir issue came after Trump while addressing the media with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos on Tuesday said that the US was watching the developments relating to Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the dispute. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said if there are any issues between India and Pakistan, they should be resolved bilaterally under the provisions of Simla agreement and the Lahore declaration, and insisted that the onus was on Islamabad to create an atmosphere for talks. "We have seen President Trump's remarks. Our position on the Kashmir issue has been clear and consistent. Let me once again reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter," Kumar said at a media briefing. It was Trump's fourth offer to help in resolving the Kashmir issue since withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two union territories in August last by the government, leading to escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. "What's going on between Pakistan and India if we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely," Trump said. Trump's comments came ahead of his possible two-day visit to India which is likely to take place between February 24-26. It is learnt that after Trump's offer to mediate on Kashmir last year, India had conveyed to Washington that it is a bilateral matter with Pakistan and also defended its decisions relating to J-K, saying it was an integral part of India and the issue was strictly internal to the country. Asked about Imran Khan's comments in Davos that there were no (no) terror groups left in his country and some terror outfits were operating from Afghanistan, Kumar said India is "hardly surprised" by the content and tone of his remarks. "They are not only factually inaccurate and contradictory, but also demonstrate a growing sense of frustration," Kumar said. "Pakistan has to realise that the global community has seen through this double standards to play the victim card in their fight against terror on the one hand, and supporting terror groups targeting India and other countries on the other," he said. Kumar said if Pakistan is serious for a peaceful and normal relationship with India, then the onus is on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere for it. "They have to take credible, irreversible and verifiable action against terror groups operating from its soil rather than making misleading and alarmist statements to divert the attention of the international community," said Kumar. Fotis Dulos pleaded not guilty to murder on Thursday after being reprimanded as 'stupid' by the judge for violating his house arrest conditions to remove items from a memorial for his presumed-dead wife. The 52-year-old is charged with murdering his wife Jennifer at her home in New Canaan, Connecticut, in May this year. She vanished that day after dropping their five children off at school. Her body has never been found but police say they found pools of her blood that someone had tried to clean up, along with traces of her DNA and blood in cars that Fotis was driving that day. He was granted bail last week and was put on house arrest. He denied the charges on Thursday and insists he still does not know what happened to her. The judge told him if he broke the conditions of his bail, he would increase it from to $6million - which he posted last week - to $12million. He also took away his freedom to go to work. Fotis' attorneys said he needed to work because he has 'financial problems'. Fotis Dulos is shown on Thursday morning at Stamford Superior Court for a bond hearing Before entering his plea, he was reprimanded by the judge for getting out of his car while driving into his home on January 17 to remove items from a memorial that had been left to his wife. 'What he did was stupid. Don't do it again,' Judge Gary White said. He allowed him to remain on house arrest. It is unclear what he took away from the memorial. Fotis' attorney, Norm Pattis, said the complaint was unwarranted 'nonsense'. 'He got out of his car on the way home? Seriously? 'We need to get this trial on as quickly as possible to put an end to this nonsense,' he said. He also said the memorial had been left there to 'taunt him'. [This] is not an ordinary memorial, but is designed as a means of taunting Mr. Dulos,' he said. Prosecutors say they have extensive DNA evidence linking Fotis to the crime that includes pools of her blood that were found inside the garage of her rental home where the alleged took place, and traces of her blood in vehicles used on the day she vanished. Fotis and his wife had been arguing in court over the custody of their five children. In court filings, Jennifer said she was afraid of him and that she feared he would harm her. She had also written blog posts, years before the pair separated, where she talked about her fear that she would end up 'in a body bag'. One memorial included flowers and a pumpkin which appeared to have Jennifer's maiden name initials - JF- written on them. The memorial is shown on January 10 This is the memorial on Thursday afternoon. The pumpkin had been removed but a different set of flowers and a ribbon reading 'Justice for Jennifer' remained The home where Fotis is confined to in between court appearances while he awaits trial Fotis was being sued by Jennifer's mother, Gloria, for $2.5million in unpaid loans which she claims he owed her family. He is fighting that civil lawsuit at the same time as the criminal trial, and says he owes them nothing. Jennifer's late father gave him the money, he said, as an investment and he claims if anything, the Farbers owe him money - but he is not demanding they pay him. Prosecutors also say that Fotis instructed his girlfriend, Troconis, to lie and say she had an alibi for him on the day Jennifer vanished. They believe his lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, may also have been involved and that he was plotting his own potential attack against his own wife. Mawhinney denies those charges. The TTC plans to use a major injection of funding to make vital subway improvements, expand its busiest station and help pay for new vehicles, as part of a plan that the chair of the agency is describing as a once-in-a-generation investment in Torontos transit system. A TTC report released Wednesday lays out the agencys proposal to make use of $4.56 billion expected to be made available over the next decade through the increase to the City Building Fund levy. The increase, which will be generated by an eight-per-cent property tax hike over the next six years, was championed by Mayor John Tory and approved by council last month. Its expected to enable the city to borrow a total of $6.6 billion for urgently required transit and housing projects. The TTC coincidentally released its report hours after a partially derailed subway train caused major service delays on Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) Wednesday morning. In a statement, TTC Chair Councillor Jaye Robinson said the planned investment would help avoid such incidents in the future. As we saw this morning on Line 2, issues with our subway infrastructure can lead to significant delays for riders who rely on our system to get where they need to go, said Robinson. This funding from the City will be used to finance a once-in-a-generation, transformative subway infrastructure program. Investing in critical state of good repair and capacity improvement projects on our core subway lines is the responsible thing to do. The 10-year spending plan, which still has to be approved by the TTC board and city council, includes the $4.56 billion from the City Building Fund plus an anticipated $167 million from a one-time incremental increase in federal gas tax funding. While the plan anticipates fully funding some of the projects over the next decade, most wont be completed in that time. Beyond 10 years they will require additional, as yet unidentified, funding sources. The bulk of the money, or $3.09 billion, would go toward critical subway infrastructure projects in the form of state of good repair and capacity improvements on Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina) and Line 2, as well as the installation of a new automatic train control signalling system on Line 2. The state of good repair projects include work that is unglamorous but necessary to keep the system running smoothly, such as replacing track, traction power and communication systems, and switches. Some of those assets are more than 65 years old. A further $500 million would make up the citys one-third share of previously announced plans to increase capacity at Bloor-Yonge station. The project is expected to cost $1.5 billion and be jointly funded with other levels of government. The remainder of the increased revenue, some $1.14 billion, would be combined with $474 million reallocated from the previous version of the TTCs capital plan, for a total of $1.6 billion to help fund approximately one-third of the cost of new subway trains, buses and streetcars over the next ten years. The TTCs hope is that the provincial and federal governments will contribute the other two-thirds. If so, the agency would proceed with buying 62 new subway trains to replace its aging fleet of T1 model trains on Line 2, which are reaching the end of their 30-year design life. Prior to additional funding becoming available, the agency had planned to go with the less desirable option of not immediately replacing the trains, and instead overhauling them and extending their life by 10 years. The TTC is also hoping to purchase 18 new subway trains to meet expected ridership growth on Line 1, and 60 new streetcars required to meet projected demand until 2026. The report is silent on whether the agency should purchase the extra streetcars from Bombardier, which initially struggled to supply the TTCs most recent $1-billion order of 204 new cars. The report anticipates using the new funding to support the purchase of 614 new buses and 232 new Wheel-Trans vehicles. In a statement, Mayor Tory said he would be working non-stop to negotiate funding for new TTC vehicles from the federal and provincial governments. We must buy new subway trains, new buses, and new streetcars but we cannot make these purchases alone, he said. Tory said that with the proposed additional funding, the 2020 budget would include the most significant investment in upgrading our transit system in the citys history. The additional $4.56 billion would be a significant contribution toward the capital work the TTC will require over the next 15 years, which the agency estimates will cost $35.2 billion. But even with the extra money, the portion of the work that is unfunded would only be reduced from about $26.1 billion to $21 billion. Despite that daunting figure, TTC CEO Rick Leary told the Star he was looking on the bright side. There will be more discussions about funding in the future Im sure. But this is a positive document, he said of the report, predicting investing in subway repair work especially would help us improve the quality of our service. We now have the money to address those items on Line 1 and Line 2 to ensure the health and safety of the system going into the future. Thats huge for me, he said. Japanese investment in Viet Nam has strongly developed in both quality and quantity as investors are applying the most advanced technologies in production, experts have said. The investment trend will be essential as the 4.0 industrial era continues to develop well in Viet Nam, with both domestic and foreign companies increasingly using advanced technologies including Big Data, the cloud, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) in their production. Because of US-China trade tensions, many Japanese companies want to set up manufacturing in Viet Nam, experts have said. Moreover, the companies also see great potential in the Vietnamese market with its young population, cheap labour, and preferential policies from the Government. Speaking about Japanese investment in 2019, Hirai Shinji, chief representative of JETRO HCM City (Japan External Trade Organisation), said: There is now a greater diversity of investments, but manufacturing is still by far the largest in terms of money invested. Japan's Daikin Vietnam factory, for example, illustrates the trend in which the Japanese are investing more in highly advanced technology in Viet Nam. Daikin, which has been in operation since May 2018, is expected to contribute to energy conservation and public health, such as energy-saving air conditioners and air purification, as more people in Viet Nam are buying air cleaners, according to Shinji. Compared to factories of Daikin Global, the factory in Viet Nam has the most advanced technologies as it is the first factory to use AGV, an automatic machine that delivers supply components to production lines. In other factories, employees working on production lines have to manually pick up components. The facility in Viet Nam is also Daikin's first factory to use IoT (Internet of Things) technology in production systems. Other factories around the world are just starting to use this technology. In addition to using sensors, Daikin Vietnam uses many other technologies such as FDI technology (a single approach to device integration) and cameras from which the company can obtain inspection data and production data. Based on the data in the IoT system, the company's data managers can determine which additional devices should be installed on production lines and which machines are needed to help obtain data. Citing other examples of increased Japanese investment in Viet Nam, Shinji said: Sumitomo Corporation is working on doing the same in Ha Noi, with plans to introduce 5G as well as face-recognition systems and blockchain technologies. In addition, Japanese company Sharp has announced a plan to invest in Binh Duong Province to produce air cleaners, displays, and other electronic devices, according to Shinji. And, automaker Toyota has opened a new dealership in An Giang Province, based on the belief that residents in provinces like An Giang can afford the cars. According to JETRO, as of April last year, about 2,000 companies had registered with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, the manufacturing sector made up 25 per cent of Japanese investment, making it the largest sector. HCM City has attracted the largest number of investment projects with 1,247, making up more than one-third of the total, and Ha Noi is second with 1,081. But in terms of money invested, Thanh Hoa Province has attracted the largest amount, with Nghi Son Refinery ($9 billion), the largest project in the country. The province is followed by Ha Noi, Binh Duong Province, Hai Phong, and HCM City. Im sure that the number of Japanese companies coming to Viet Nam will increase, especially across sectors such as consulting, IT, retail, and distribution," Shinji said. "I dont expect any rapid or big changes from 2018 to 2020. But I think the manufacturing sector is strong, with relatively high levels of investment." In 2019, the number of investment projects from Japan was 655, with total value at $2.89 billion. VNS With just about two weeks left for the Delhi Assembly polls, leaders of Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday hit the streets of the national capital with roadshows and public meetings seeking votes for the party. Starting from party's national convenor and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who held two roadshows during the day, numerous senior party leaders were also on streets holding public meetings and roadshows. Kejriwal started the day early with one roadshow in Badli, along with sitting MLA Rajesh Yadav, and appealed to the supporters of all other parties to vote for "real development". He said the party affiliation does not matter but vote for a better future. He said a vote for the other parties will "destroy the current education and healthcare system of Delhi". Kejriwal evoked an emotional tone during the roadshow, which ended in Adarsh Nagar, and said he had worked for the welfare of the people, "like the elder son of the family". "The elder son of the family is responsible for providing a good life to the family, arranging adequate financial resources, getting younger sisters married, providing adequate healthcare and education to the children of the family and I have tried to be that elder son for my people. We have made efforts to take Delhi forward in the last five years. It is my appeal to the people of Delhi to not let anything obstruct the development of Delhi," Kejriwal said. Later in the day, Kejriwal held another roadshow between Krishna Nagar and Shahdara. Deputy Chief Minister held a public meeting at Karol Bagh and Rajinder Nagar. Party's star campaigner Bhagwant Maan held public meetings at Mehrauli, one at Chattarpur and another at Bijwasan. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh too held a 'Jansabhas' at Deoli, Kasturba Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar. Delhi is going for polls on February 8. New Delhi : The abrogation of the provisions of Article 370, which granted special status to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, has now become a "fait accompli" leaving sole option to accept the change, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday. Vehemently opposing the contention that Jammu and Kashmir was not integrated with India, the Centre told the top court if that was the case, then there would not have been a need for Article 370. It opposed reference of a batch of pleas, challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision of August 5 last year to abrogate provisions of Article 370, to a larger seven-judge bench. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice NV Ramana reserved its verdict on the question of referring the issue to a larger bench and said it would pass a detailed order in this regard. NGO People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and an intervenor had sought referring the matter to a larger bench of seven-judges. They have sought reference on the ground that two judgements of apex courtPrem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970 -- which dealt with the issue of Article 370 are in direct conflict each other and therefore the current bench of five judges could not hear the issue. Also Read | 'Article 370' Move Was Beginning Of Govt's Assault On Constitution: JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre told the benchalso comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kantthat "the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, has now become a "fait accompli" leaving sole option to accept the change". He said the events which transpired prior to the notification of August 5 and August 6, 2019 are of no significance. "The arguments of other side that no integration of Jammu and Kashmir had taken place, no standstill agreement or merger documents between Jammu and Kashmir and India were executed, are of no use. If the integration of Jammu and Kashmir had not taken place then there is no place for Article 370," Venugopal said. He referred to a book, 'The Story of the Integration of the Indian States', written by VP Menon who was secretary to India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and said that Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir shows that "sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir was only temporary. We are a union of states". Venugopal referred to the history of Jammu and Kashmir and said that Hari Singh had signed a standstill agreement with Pakistan, which later violated and sent 300 trucks of tribesman trained by Pakistani Army to attack Kashmir. It was only after that, to secure himself and the state, he had signed the Instrument of Accession with India and subsequently the Indian army pushed back those tribesman. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Convicted former United Auto Workers vice president Norwood Jewell reported to the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution at Oxford, Wisconsin on Tuesday to serve out his 15-month sentence. US District Judge Paul Borman sentenced Jewell to prison after he pleaded guilty last April to conspiracy charges stemming from his role in a million-dollar bribery scheme at Fiat Chrysler (FCA). The federal corruption probe has since engulfed large portions of the unions top leadership. So far, the federal investigation probe into the UAW has resulted in the conviction of 11 individuals and charges filed against 13 total. The last two presidents of the union, Gary Jones and Dennis Williams, have also been implicated, as well as current interim president and self-proclaimed reformer Rory Gamble. Norwood Jewel (left) during contract negotiations [Source: AP Photo] Fiat Chrysler funneled $1 million in bribes to UAW officials in exchange for major concessions. Union bureaucrats were issued credits cards through the joint union-FCA National Training Center in order, in the words of one company official, to keep them fat, dumb and happy. Jewell himself admitted to accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of bribes. Jewell also pleaded guilty to the misappropriation of about $100,000 worth of union funds for his own personal use, including stays at a luxury villa in Palm Springs, California, high-end liquor and extravagant meals. Jewells sentence amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist. In addition to the relatively short prison sentence, he was not required to pay fines or court costs. Judge Borman had originally accepted the request of Jewells attorney Michael Manley that he serve his prison term in the minimum security Federal Correction Institution in Morgantown, West Virginia, nicknamed Club Fed because it houses many wealthy white-collar criminals, including businesspeople and politicians, in a campus described as college-like with amenities ranging from a movie theater to a bocce ball court. In the end, Jewells prison assignment was moved from Club Fed to the University, as the Oxford facility is sarcastically known. Inmates at Oxford stay in their own private cabins, rather than overcrowded cellblocks more typical of the brutal American prison system, which are spread out over the sprawling 600-acre campus that has been described as serene by the Chicago Tribune. Other amenities, including culinary classes, a walking track and recreation center, give the impression that it is more of a retreat than a prison, where upper middle class and elite inmates are sent to ride out sentences in comfort to prove that they have done their time. Notable past prisoners at the facility include former Illinois Governor George Ryan and US President Trumps former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. It's like a hotel in there, one local resident told the Tribune in 2007. It's clean and comfortable and quite quiet. For autoworkers, whose dues were stolen and who have suffered under the sellout contracts engineered by the UAW, Jewells lenient sentence adds insult to injury. The deals, which were forced through with the aid of bribes, not only led to wage cuts, layoffs and maintaining the two-tier pay system. They also paved the way for the expansion of a de-facto third tier of hyper-exploited temporary workers who perform the same work for far lower wages, and who pay union dues but have virtually no contractual rights. On the basis of its high utilization of temps, Fiat Chrysler has the lowest all-in hourly labor costs of the Detroit-based automakers, at $55 per hour. The particularly cozy relationship between Fiat Chrysler and the UAW prompted General Motors to file suit late last year, alleging that the UAW was a FCA-controlled enterprise. However, all of the automakers have been able to rely on the union to help them force through cuts. Last year, the UAW shut down the national strike at General Motors and rammed through a contract that ratified the closure of four facilities and provided the company with a blank check to hire temps, with only a fig-leaf pathway to regular employment that will be unattainable for most. Why is it [that] someone in a poor neighborhood gets harsh sentences for stealing a loaf of bread, or a mother gets 15 years [in jail] for stealing a gallon of milk for her baby, but a politician or top union official can steal $100,000 or more and lie about it? one autoworker said. Then the international union wasted $2 million defending him only for him to plead guilty and get 15 months in jail. And you wonder why people dont trust our leaders. Money talks loudly in the white-collar world, said another. During the trial, Manley attempted to paint Jewell as an honest but naive figure caught up in a culture of corruption in the unions FCA department, after being transferred from the General Motors department, which he briefly ran. This dovetailed with the UAWs claims at the time that the corruption was limited entirely to FCA, a claim which later exploded after another former union Vice President for GM Joe Ashton was indicted on similar charges. But even before his indictment, Jewell had earned the enmity of autoworkers, many of whom jeered at Jewel during meetings for the 2015 contract ratification votes. Jewell not only helped to force through sellouts in his capacity during his earlier tenures as the unions Vice President for GM and as Director of Region 1-C. Jewell, a political kingmaker in Flint, Michigan, also endorsed the privatization scheme that led directly to the Flint water crisis by switching the industrial citys water supply to the polluted Flint River. The revelation of widespread corruption in the UAW only confirms what autoworkers have known all along that the UAW is on the side of the companies, not the workers. From a legal standpoint, all of the UAW contracts negotiated over the last decade should be considered null and void because they were negotiated by bargainers who were being paid off by the other side. The near-immediate exposure of union reformer Rory Gamble, only months after assuming his post as interim president after Gary Jones was forced into retirement, demonstrates that the UAW cannot be reformed. The corruption itself is the outcome, not the cause, of the class hostility of the union as a whole to the workers which it claims to represent a hostility that is shared by unions throughout the world, from Unifor in Canada to the CTM in Mexico and IG Metall in Germany, which have all worked with the companies to destroy jobs and force through cuts. To organize a fightback against cuts and the unions treachery, autoworkers must form new organizations, rank-and-file committees, to take the initiative out of the hands of the unions and establish lines of communication with their class brothers and sisters throughout the world. These committees, unlike the UAW, will not begin with what the global auto companies will allow, but the social needs of the working class. To join the fight to build rank-and-file committees, contact us today. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 23:46:29|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- India on Thursday once again rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's offer to mediate in the Kashmir issue, saying it had to be "bilaterally" resolved with Pakistan. In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said that there was no role for any third party in this matter. "We have seen President Trump's remarks. Our position on the Kashmir issue has been clear and consistent. Let me once again reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter," said the ministry spokesman while addressing a media person in New Delhi. Trump has recently said in Davos that the U.S. was watching the developments between India and Pakistan in relation to Kashmir "very closely" and had again offered his "help" to resolve the issue. JSC Olainfarm preliminary consolidated results for December indicate that revenues decreased by 41% compared to the same month the year before and reached EUR 6.5 million. At the same time consolidated results for the entire year show that revenues reached EUR 137.7 million, which is an increase by 12%, compared to 2018. Sales increased in Latvia and Belarus, while other regions experienced a decline. During this period, products of Olainfarm Group were sold in 59 markets worldwide. Consolidated sales in December show a revenue decrease in six out of the eight markets. In the Central Asian region revenues declined by 7%, in the EU countries by 21%, in Russia by 93%, in the Caucasian region by 39%, in the Ukraine by 68% and in other countries by 64%. Sales volumes increased in Latvia and Belarus by 4% and 54%, respectively. December results are in line with the previously planned volumes due to unusually high sales quantities in October and November, 2019 which included certain amounts of final dosage forms that the Group normally delivers in December. For the full 2019, Olainfarm Group revenues were EUR 137.7 million that is 12% more than the year before. The Russian market had the largest share of 32%, Latvia - 24%, Belarus - 16% and the Ukraine - 8%. The most rapid sales growth during the year was achieved in Russia and in Central Asia, where sales grew by 17% compared to last year, and in Latvia where sales grew by 13%. Sales in Belarus improved by 10%, in the EU countries and in other countries by 11%. Amongst the largest sales outlets a decline was marked in the Ukraine (- 4%) and in the Caucasian region (- 8%). Given that the Group regularly achieves significant sales amounts in four countries (Latvia, Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine), other countries are combined in regions - Central Asia, the EU countries except for Latvia, the Caucasian countries and other countries. Such division provides a more appropriate picture of sales trends by diminishing the influence of one-time or irregular deliveries on monthly figures. "Preliminary consolidated results indicate that the year 2019 was the best financial year in the history of OlainFarm Group: both revenue and profit. Besides a strong in-market performance in our main countries, the result is also positively impacted due to increase of sales in Russia in Q4 to built up stock before serialization becomes into force. When looking at 2020, our sales forecast in Q1 is reflecting a modest sales due to this stock building in Russia in Q4 of previous year. Although the implementation of serilization is delayed to July 2020, it will have no negative impact on the financial projections for entire 2020. We project a further growth of OlainFarm Group that we have started in 2019, says Jeroen Weites, the CEO of OlainFarm Group.," says Jeroen Weites, the CEO of Olainfarm Group. Market Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to December 2018 Latvia 3 227 50% 4% Central Asia* 912 14% -7% Belarus 821 13% 54% EU countries** 692 11% -21% Russia 280 4% -93% Other countries*** 209 3% -64% Caucasian countries**** 202 3% -39% Ukraine 171 3% -68% Total 6 514 100% -41% * - the Central Asian region includes Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Turkmenistan; ** - the EU countries region includes all the European Union member states except for Latvia; *** - Other countries includes all of the countries in the world, which are not included in any other groups; **** - the Caucasian countries are Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan 12 months 2019, consolidated sales Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to 12 months 2018 Russia 44 244 32% 17% Latvia 32 658 24% 13% Belarus 21 418 16% 10% Central Asia 11 324 8% 17% Ukraine 10 716 8% -4% EU countries 10 328 7% 12% Other countries 4 883 4% 11% Caucasian countries 2 147 2% -8% Total 137 718 100% 12% Unconsolidated sales - December and 12 months According to the preliminary unconsolidated figures, JSC Olainfarm sales reached EUR 3.7 million in December, which represents a decrease by 55% compared to December, 2018. Sales of products in December improved only in Latvia and Belarus by 2% and 80%, respectively. Sales in December declined in Central Asia by 6%, in the EU countries by 23%, in the Ukraine by 65% and in the Caucasian countries by 55%. There were no deliveries to Russia due to the above mentioned reasons. The unconsolidated sales results for the twelve months of 2019 show that JSC Olainfarm sales reached EUR 105.1 million, which represents an increase by 13% compared to the same period last year. During 2019, sales increased in Russia (+23%), Belarus (+9%), Latvia (+5%), Central Asia (+15%), the EU countries (+13%) and in other countries (+10%). Revenues declined by 4% in the Ukraine and by 3% in the Caucasian countries. December 2019, unconsolidated sales Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to December 2018 Latvia 1 442 39% 2% Central Asia 780 21% -6% EU countries 574 15% -23% Belarus 543 15% 80% Other countries 197 5% -65% Ukraine 166 4% -65% Caucasian countries 99 3% -55% Russia 0 0% NA Total 3 721 100% -55% 12 months 2019 unconsolidated sales Sales, thous. EUR Share in total sales Changes to 12 months 2018 Russia 40 638 39% 23% Belarus 18 255 17% 9% Latvia 11 671 11% 5% Ukraine 10 442 10% -4% Central Asia 9 457 9% 15% EU countries 8 844 8% 13% Other countries 4 343 4% 10% Caucasian countries 1 461 1% -3% Total 105 110 100% 13% Results of subsidiaries - December and twelve months of 2019 The pharmacy chain Latvijas aptieka sales reached EUR 2.3 million in December, 2019, which represents an 8% increase compared to December, 2018. 68 pharmacies were operating during this period. Silvanols sales reached EUR 0.7 million in December, 2019, representing an increase by 27% vs. December, 2018. The combined sales of Tonus Elast and Elast Medical in December, 2019 were EUR 0.8 million, which is 2% less than this time last year. Olainmed and Diamed Medical Center sales reached EUR 0.2 million, while the Belarusian subsidiary NPK Biotest reached EUR 0.28 million in sales in December, which is 21% higher than in December of last year. During the entire 2019, Latvijas aptieka sales amounted to EUR 26.1 million, demonstrating an 8% increase in comparison to 2018. Sales of Silvanols reached EUR 5.4 million,which is 1% less than last year. The combined sales of Tonus Elast and Elast Medical during the twelve months of this year totaled up to EUR 9.6 million, which is a 4% drop. Medical Centers Diamed and Olainmed revenues exceeded EUR 3 million during the first twelve months of this year and the Belarusian company NPK Biotest sales were worth EUR 3.1 million, improving the result of last year by 33%. December 2019 12 months 2019 Sales markets of Olainfarm 35 52 Sales markets of the Group 43 59 Number of pharmacies 68 Sales of Latvijas aptieka, thous. EUR 2 291 26 138 Sales of Medical centers, thous. EUR 200 3 074 Sales of NPK Biotest, thous. EUR 278 3 142 Sales of Tonus Elast and Elast Medikl, thous. EUR 801 9 642 Sales of Silvanols, thous. EUR 710 5 431 According to the JSC Olainfarm plans, the unconsolidated sales were set to reach EUR 99 million in 2019, while the consolidated sales were expected at EUR 133 million. According to these preliminary sales figures, in the entire 2019, 107% of last year's target for the unconsolidated sales and 103% of last year's target for consolidated sales have been reached. JSC Olainfarm is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Latvia with more than 45 years of experience in production of medication and chemical and pharmaceutical products. A basic principle of the company's operations is to produce reliable and effective top -quality products for Latvia and the rest of the world. Products made by the Group are being exported to more than 60 countries of the world, including the Baltics, Russia, other CIS, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. The Ukrainian leader has reportedly cancelled his visit to the forum. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Jerusalem on Thursday, January 23. "No. There was no [meeting]. Unfortunately, Zelensky canceled his visit to the forum [held to commemorate Holocaust victims]," said Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian news agency TASS. Read alsoZelensky: I think Putin understands Ukraine is big, independent country As UNIAN reported, Zelensky began his working visit to Israel on Thursday morning. He was expected to take part in a forum in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. In addition, the agenda of his visit includes meetings with the Israeli leaders and representatives of Israeli business circles. Favorable Structures and Stratigraphy Confirmed; Drilling to Continue in 2020 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - Seabridge Gold's (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) first drill program at its 100%-owned Snowstorm Project in Northern Nevada has confirmed the presence of structures and stratigraphy similar to Turquoise Ridge and Twin Creeks, two successful gold mines located just a few kilometers southwest of Snowstorm on the Getchell Trend. The wealth of geochemical, geophysical and geological data collected in the 2019 program is being carefully evaluated for information to help refine this year's drilling. The 2019 drilling was designed to test for an extension of the Getchell Trend and the distinctive structural and stratigraphic features found at Twin Creeks and Turquoise Ridge respectively located about 6 and 15 kilometers southwest of Snowstorm. Twin Creeks reports remaining reserves of 3.2 million ounces grading 1.9 g/T gold while Turquoise Ridge reports 9.1 million ounces grading 13.0 g/T gold. A total of 3,806.6 meters were completed in four drill holes last season including 1,836.1 meters of reverse circulation drilling and 1,970.5 meters of core. Drilling efficiency was poor due to difficult ground conditions and the program therefore fell short of its meters-drilled target before being terminated due to seasonal weather changes. Rudi Fronk, Chairman and CEO of Seabridge Gold commented: "We acquired Snowstorm in 2017 because we think it has an excellent chance to host a Getchell-style deposit. Nothing we have learned to date has downgraded this opportunity. We have identified the favorable stratigraphic host for a Getchell style deposit as well as similar structures which fed the deposits to the south. These occurrences are challenging to find because they are not very large and they are hidden under younger volcanic cover. However, all the data suggests to us that we're in the right neighborhood. We think a detailed interpretation of last year's data now in progress will help us vector towards a discovery." Seabridge encountered the host Ordovician carbonate stratigraphy as predicted. Carbonate stratigraphy is intercalated with basaltic tuff and sills characteristic of Getchell-style deposits. Locally, the carbonate stratigraphy shows weak carbonate dissolution and organic-carbon impregnation. These features, along with the appropriate clay mineralogy, indicate our first holes pierced the host stratigraphy on the margin of a potentially productive hydrothermal system. Initial drilling was concentrated along a major north-trending structure which is now believed to have postdated the peak mineralizing episode. Focus is shifting to other structural orientations. Additional magnetotelluric (MT) surveys have been scheduled by Seabridge to help refine the recognized structural targets. These surveys will improve resolution and extend exploration to the east into a previously unexplored area. Work continues on evaluating the regional deformation style at Snowstorm. Our drill data will enable us to build a preliminary fold pattern for the Snowstorm property. Folding plays a key role in gold deposition on the Trend. New geochemical data is also enabling us to tease out more information from historical drill holes. Exploration activities by Seabridge at the Snowstorm are conducted under the supervision of William E. Threlkeld, Registered Professional Geologist, Senior Vice President of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Threlkeld has reviewed and approved this news release. Seabridge Gold holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects. The Company's principal assets are the KSM and Iskut properties located near Stewart, British Columbia, Canada and the Courageous Lake gold project located in Canada's Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge's mineral reserves and resources by project and category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.net/resources.php All reserve and resource estimates reported by the Corporation were calculated in accordance with the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Classification system. These standards differ significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding: (i) the data gathered suggesting there is excellent potential for a Getchell style gold deposit; (ii) that the data suggests the drilling is in the right area for a discovery, and (ii) thedate of structures encountered in relation to the time of the peak mineralizing episode, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include regulatory issues, discontinuity or otherwise unexpected geology at the Project, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Rudi P. Fronk" Chairman & CEO For further information, please contact: Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and CEO Tel: (416) 367-9292 Fax: (416) 367-2711 Email: info@seabridgegold.net Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, nor their Regulation Services Providers 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/51741 As President Donald Trump was leaving the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Wednesday his eye caught a familiar face in the crowd. When the president spied Gov. Greg Abbott, who's been in Davos, Switzerland, since Saturday, Trump immediately rushed over with a handshake, a big hug and asked the Texas governor if he wanted a seat on Air Force One. Ill give you a ride, Trump said in a warm exchange caught on Twitter. Abbott said he was grateful for the offer but had two more days of work in Switzerland before heading back home. Weve got more deals to do, Abbott said with a smile. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Abbott is on an 11-day economic development mission that started in Israel on Jan. 14. In Davos, he participated in the World Economic Forum, where he talked up the states booming economy and was trying to strike deals to get more businesses to move to Texas. Abbott had no shortage of praise for Trump during an interview on FOX Business from Davos, where he said Trump delivered one of his best speeches ever. He said Trump was able to explain American exceptionalism and did not apologize for the nations strong economy. Host Stuart Varney also asked Abbott about the changing politics of Texas and if people moving to the state are beginning to turn the state blue. First, my job every single day is to wake up and make sure that does not happen, Abbott said. They need to remember exactly why theyre fleeing California; why theyre fleeing Illinois; Why theyre fleeing New Jersey and New York and these other states. Do not bring with you the thing thats causing you to flee those states. Come to the land of freedom. Texas is the last bastion of opportunity. Dont blow it when you come here. New Delhi [India], Jan 23 (ANI): Delhi High Court is set to hear on Friday the plea of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) challenging the decision to amend the Hostel Manual contending that it is "mala fide, arbitrary, illegal and adversely affect the student community". The matter is listed to be heard by Justice Rajiv Shakdhar. JNUSU had on Tuesday filed a petition, challenging the Inter Hostel Administration's decision to amend the Hostel Manual. The plea sought directions of the court to restrain the JNU administration from imposing late fees on students for registrations in Winter Semester-2020 and restrain them from taking any actions which would give effect to the draft hostel manual. The petition was moved by advocates Abhik Chimni, Aman Shukla, Mayank Goyal and Aarti on behalf of JNUSU members including its president Aishe Ghose and vice president Saket Moon among others. It challenged the amendments including an increase in hostel fee, affecting the rights of those in reserved categories like allocation of hostel rooms, and reduced representation of JNUSU in the IHA amongst other changes. The petition further stated that no clarity has been provided in the amended IHA on how this categorisation is to work in the University. "That the financial category of this scholarship is laid down clearly as applicable to students whose income does not exceed INR 2,50,000. That student in the University who fall under the category of merit cum means scholarship benefited from a reduced rate in terms of Hostel room rent," the petition said. The JNUSU, in the pea, also alleged that the hostel presidents, who are all members of the IHA and are democratically elected representatives, were sent an email dated October 28, 2019, at 2:50 pm stating that the reconvened meeting is to take place at 3 pm. "This action of the Chairperson of the IHA insured that the IHA was held with no student representation, defeating the mandate of the Hostel Manual of including the views of the stakeholders when changing the provisions of the Hostel Manual," the plea added. It said that JNUSU and hostel presidents wrote to the JNU administration on several occasions in the matter but the university refused to take any action and "in fact allowed the ratification of this illegal meeting". The students of JNU have been protesting for over two months against the new hostel manual, which hikes hostel and service charges and imposes several restrictions. (ANI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed that he met with a "brick wall" when he approached his counterpart Narendra Modi with a peace proposal soon after assuming office. In an interview to Foreign Policy magazine on the sidelines of WEF 2020 here, Khan also said he had told Modi that Pakistan will act firmly if it was given evidence of any Pakistani involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, but India instead "bombed" Pakistan. Tensions have escalated between the two neighbours following India withdrawing special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. Since then, Khan has been trying to seek global intervention to de-escalate the tensions. On Thursday, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar categorically ruled out any third party role on the Kashmir issue, asserting that any issue between the two countries should be resolved bilaterally. In the interview, Khan said that he is a firm believer that military means are not a solution to ending conflicts. "... after taking office I immediately reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I was amazed by the reaction I got, which was quite weird. "The subcontinent hosts the greatest number of poor people in the world, and the best way to fight poverty is to have a trading relationship between the two countries rather than spending money on arms. This is what I said to the Indian prime minister. But I was met by brick wall," Khan said. Khan took over the prime ministership in August 2018. Referring to the suicide attack in Pulwama, Khan said he had immediately told Modi that "if you can give us any actionable intelligence (that Pakistanis were involved), we will act on it. But rather than do so, they bombed us." While noting that both countries are not close to conflict right now, Khan said that it is important that the UN and the US act. When asked about US President Donald Trump having a very close relationship with Modi, the Pakistan Prime Minister the relationship is understandable because India is a huge market, and of course every country would like the benefits of that market. "My concern is not about the US-India relationship. My concern is the direction in which India is going," Khan said. Khan also sought to compare the events in India to what happened in Nazi Germany. "Between 1930 and 1934, Germany went from a liberal democracy to a fascist, totalitarian, racist state. If you look at what is happening in India under the BJP in the last five years, look where it's heading, you'll see the danger. And you're talking about a huge country of 1.3 billion people that is nuclear-armed," he said. About US-Iran tensions, Khan, in another interview to television channel CNBC, said he told Trump that war is not the solution. "A conflict right now with Iran would be a disaster for developing countries," Khan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Boeing's new CEO said Wednesday that production of the 737 Max will resume this spring, months before the company expects federal regulators to certify the grounded plane to fly again. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2011 file photo, Nielsen Company CEO David Calhoun, center, watches progress as he waits for the company's IPO to begin trading, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Calhoun, Boeing's new CEO, said Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, that production of the 737 Max will resume this spring, months before the company expects federal regulators to certify the grounded plane to fly again. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) Boeing's new CEO said Wednesday that production of the 737 Max will resume this spring, months before the company expects federal regulators to certify the grounded plane to fly again. David Calhoun also said he believes passengers will fly on the Max when federal regulators say it is safe and they see airline pilots getting on the plane. Calhoun dismissed the idea that Boeing's bestselling jet might never fly again or that the company should change the plane's name. I'm all in on it, the company is all in on it, and I believe the FAA is all in on it, he said, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing changes that Boeing is making to the Max after two crashes that killed 346 people. An FAA spokesman said in a statement that the agency is being thorough and deliberate as it checks Boeing's proposed changes to the Max, and the agency has no timetable for finishing that review. Calhoun, who replaced fired CEO Dennis Muilenburg this month, spoke to reporters on a conference call after meeting with Boeing employees in Seattle. Calhoun defended the company's culture and denied that it had placed profit above safety. He did not defend internal Boeing communications in which employees involved in developing the Max ridiculed the plane and regulators and tried to convince airlines not to use flight simulators to train pilots for the Max. It is totally appalling, he said of the messages. Calhoun's comments came one day after Boeing announced that it doesn't expect the FAA to certify the Max until this summer Calhoun repeatedly referred to June. Boeing forecasts about the plane's return have proven too optimistic several times since the plane was grounded last March. The president of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, said Wednesday that his airline doesn't expect to use the Max this summer. Calhoun said the new timetable was driven by recognition that the FAA was conducting a more rigorous review and by Boeing's decision this month to recommend pilot training on flight simulators instead of quicker computer-based training. Calhoun also said the company will reconsider long-held assumptions about how quickly pilots react in certain situations. The company temporarily shut down the Max assembly line near Seattle in the last few days. Calhoun told reporters that production will resume a few months before" June. Pressed on the timing, he suggested that the assembly line could reopen in about two months. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The decision to resume production even before FAA re-certifies the Max indicates that Boeing does not expect major surprises from the FAA review. Boeing will have to update software and make other changes to the planes before shipping them to airlines, but that work is expected to take just a few hours per plane. Boeing has reassigned its 3,000 employees who work on Max assembly, and Calhoun repeated Wednesday that they will not be laid off or furloughed. However, some suppliers have announced layoffs. Spirit AeroSystems, which makes fuselages for the Max, has said it will cut 2,800 jobs. Boeing is a huge exporter, and the pause in production of its bestselling plane is expected to ripple through the nation's economy. Analysts at IHS Markit said Wednesday that a shutdown through June would shave one-tenth of a percentage point off U.S. economic growth, and the damage will double if the Max is shuttered through December. IHS said the estimates didn't account for the indirect effects of lower employment, income and spending related to the Max. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made an even more dire prediction this month. He said the Max's travails would reduce U.S. gross domestic product by one-half a percentage point. Shares of Chicago-based Boeing Co. fell $4.37 to close at $309, hours after hitting a 52-week low. Mishap averted as two planes come close at Delhi airport Major Republic Day attack averted in Jammu and Kashmir India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 23: A major terror attack ahead of Republic Day has been foiled by the security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Intelligence Bureau sources tell OneIndia that the Hizbul Mujahideen had planned on carrying out a Pulwama type attack ahead of Republic Day. The official said that the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, Naved Babu who was arrested along with a suspended cop, Davinder Singh was supposed to deliver explosives to his associates at Zadoora. They had planned to plant the explosives near Pulwama on a highway. Meanwhile, the NIA after conducting raids has shifted Singh to Jammu. The NIA has also taken the other suspects involved in the case to Jammu. The NIA also conducted raids at the residence of Singh located at Indira Nagar in Srinagar and recovered two rifles. Earlier the J&K administration on Monday forfeited Singh's commendation medal and certificate. Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Republic Day 2020: Traffic advisory issued for full rehearsal Davinder Singh was arrested for helping terrorists travel out of J&K, five days after he lost his Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry. An order issued by the Director-General of Police Dilbag Singh announced the forfeiture of DGP's commendation medal and certificate which was awarded the now-disgraced officer on December 31, 1998. "Consequent upon the arrest of Davinder Singh, Dy SP on January 11, while trying to assist terrorists to travel outside J&K and recovery of arms and ammunition, which amounts to disloyalty and conduct that has brought the force into disrepute, the DGP commendation medal along with certificate awarded to him on December 31, 1998, is hereby forfeited," the order read. On January 15, the Jammu and Kashmir administration forfeited the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Davinder Singh in 2018. JeM module in J&K was planning suicide attack: Sources Police had arrested Singh at Mir Bazar in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Baba and Altaf, besides a lawyer who was operating as an overground worker for terror outfits. Searches were carried out at Singh''s residence in Srinagar, right next to the Army's XV Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment, where he had sheltered Naveed, Altaf and a new joinee in the banned terror outfit, leading to the recovery of two pistols, an AK rifle and a large quantity of ammunition. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, whose known for badgering tech executives to be more civic-minded, said Thursday that over 300 companies have joined his latest initiative to plant one trillion trees by the end of the decade. "Nobody's against trees," he said in an interview with "Squawk on the Street" co-host Sara Eisen from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The tree is also a bipartisan issue." It remains unclear what responsibilities, if any, the initiative will hold members to. 1t.org launched at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday to provide governmental and corporate support to the Trillion Trees Campaign, which hopes to plant, restore, or conserve one trillion trees by 2050. The World Economic Forum initiative hopes to accomplish that goal by the end of the decade. "I think everybody realizes we're in a planetary emergency and we need to make changes, and business is the greatest platform for change," Benioff said. "If you ask what the narrative has been here at Davos, there has been a tremendous narrative around what can we do to improve the state of the world." Benioff and his wife, Lynne, will provide the platform with initial financial backing, though the amount of the investment was not disclosed. Benioff, who is a trustee of the WEF, said that the additional trees will sequester substantial amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, mitigating the effects of climate change. President Donald Trump announced U.S. government support for the initiative on Tuesday. "The Chinese government also is supporting it. The European government is supporting it," Benioff added on Thursday. "The president of Colombia, President Duque, announced that he is supporting it and over 300 companies have come forward here in Davos to say they're going to participate." Environmental activist Greta Thunberg criticized the initiative in her keynote speech at the WEF on Tuesday for not doing enough to counter climate change. "Planting trees is very good of course, but it is nowhere near enough," she said. Iranian Basij forces commander Abdolhossein Mojaddami was shot and killed in front of his home on Wednesday, according to state-run news outlet IRNA. Two men who were riding on a motorcycle shot and killed Mojaddami, the report said. A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Khuzestan Province, Mohammad Reza Nemati, said the unknown assailants fired four shots at him. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the killing, which IRNA described as an assassination. An earlier variant of the report described the incident as a terrorist attack. An investigation is underway. The Associated Press reported that the two men were armed with a hunting rifle and an assault rifle before ambushing Mojaddami. Some Iranian media said their faces were covered with masks. The Jerusalem Post noted that the Basij forces, which are under the IRGC, are used to suppress protests in Iran. The killing could suggest that Tehran might be unable to contain growing discontent among the Iranian populace, who have protested en mass in recent months. Provincial Basij cmdr assassinated in terrorist attack https://t.co/AVgnjG4vVY pic.twitter.com/Zr4MQOXtQx IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) January 22, 2020 Mojaddamis death comes after another IRGC leader, Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this month. Mojaddami was described by IRNA as an associate of Soleimani. Amnesty International said last month that more than 300 people have been killed in the unrest across the country. Iran has not officially announced a death toll. The UK-based human rights organization said that there were protests in Mojaddamis home province of Khuzestan. One source said that intelligence officials forced managers of a hospital in Khuzestan province to provide them with a list of names of newly admitted patients, the group wrote. A new round of protests was initiated several weeks ago after Iranian officials denied and later admitted it was responsible for shooting down a Ukrainian plane that left 176 people dead, many of them Iranian nationals. Those protests drew the attention of President Donald Trump, who called on Tehran to refrain from killing any more protesters. Iran said this week the plane was downed by mistake by Russian-made TOR missiles. The missiles were launched after Tehran fired a barrage of rockets at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in retaliation for Soleimanis death. Among those who died in the crash were 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, 4 Afghans, 3 Germans, and 3 Britons. From The Epoch Times A brilliant red bird the sort you'd expect to find in a tropical forest has made an unusual appearance in San Francisco's Glen Canyon Park. The summer tanager is what birders call a "vagrant," a bird that ends up far from its usual migratory destination. The medium-size song bird typically breeds in southern portions of the United States and migrates to Central America and northern South America for the winter. Dylan Hayes, who has worked in the canyon as a San Francisco Recreation and Parks naturalist for more than 15 years, said he has never seen this species in the city. "What happens is these birds can get lost during migration due to regional storms or weather patterns," said Hayes, who works for Rec and Park's Natural Resource Division. "Often a bird will get caught up in that and get off course and they have to land to rest. Migration is a trying and hard process. To get to the right place at the right time of year, you dont always hit your mark." The Glen Park bird is actually one of three summer tanagers spotted in the Bay Area this winter. Volunteers with the Golden Gate Audubon Society have also observed a bird in Golden Gate Park and another in Alameda. "Usually once every couple years a tanager sticks around in the Bay Area," David Assmann, a volunteer with Audubon, said. "This year theres more than usual. We dont know why that is. The one in Glen Canyon is unusual because its a full adult male and a very bright bird. It's more common to see a young bird." Audubon volunteer Dominik Mosur added that this same bird wintered at this location last winter. "This kind of site fidelity is not unusual and has been documented in the past with different species," Mosur said. "This bird is feeding almost exclusively on honey bees which have established a hive in the hollow of a Blue Gum Eucalyptus tree next to the Glen Park Rec center." ALSO: This San Francisco neighborhood had an actual castle: Glen Park then and now Hayes first saw the bird in Glen Park on Wednesday when working with a group in the park on a restoration project. "All the birders were lined up with their cameras," he said. "Any time you see a very serious group of people lined up with expensive cameras pointed in the same direction, you know theres an important bird." While Hayes is concerned about the bird finding its way back home, he said it's not entirely out of the ordinary for birds to get lost. The summer tanager prefers what's known as a riparian environment with a creek or stream, and in the canyon, Islais Creek offers this. Hayes has worked the Friends of Glen Canyon Park for years to restore the canyon's riparian habitat, removing the non-native Eucalyptus trees that suck up water and planting native species such as alder and buckeye trees. "Its always neat to see vagrants move through and recognize productive habitat and shelter," he said. "Thats a signal its a wonderful habitat and a great place to be." Hayes says the bird will probably stick around for the winter and head south when temperatures warm. Glen Canyon Park stretches across 70 acres of wilderness and is home to hundreds of birds. Year-round winged residents include great-horned owls, red-tailed hawks and a menagerie of songbirds such as white crown sparrows and nuthatches. There's also an array of birds that winter in the canyon like yellow-rumped warblers and Townsend's warblers. "We're lucky to have this in such an intense urban area," Hayes said. The Glen Park Association was the first to report on the summer tanager. This story was updated at 5:30 p.m., Jan. 23, 2019. Amy Graff is a digital editor. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. They might not yet speak in complete sentences, but 18-month-olds are savvy when it comes to deciding when and how to try. According to a study from Arizona State University, the University of Washington and University of Toronto that has implications for how people learn, infants do not try things at random or simply mimic what they see adults doing. Instead, they combine information from their own firsthand experience and the experiences of other people to decide whether to persist in trying to solve a problem. The study will be published in Nature Human Behaviour on January 20. "Persistence is important and plays a role in learning and life outcomes like school performance and emotional well-being," said Kelsey Lucca, assistant professor of psychology at ASU and first author on the paper. "But, it's not always a good idea to persist because effort is a limited resource, and deploying effort is metabolically costly, requiring time and energy. What truly drives learning is knowing when to try and what the best way to try is." Nevertheless, the infant persisted The research team devised an experiment that provided 18-month-old infants with social information and first-hand experience when solving a problem. Each of the 96 infants who participated in the experiment sat on their parent's lap at a table. Just out of reach on the table was a clear box with a toy inside. The box had a rope attached to it, and an experimenter seated at the table showed the infant how the rope could be pulled to bring the box, and the toy inside, within reach. The infants saw one of three scenarios: the experimenter easily move the box, the experimenter struggle but ultimately succeed in moving the box, or the experimenter fail to move the box. In the first scenario, the experimenter pulled the rope and easily moved the box across the table on the first try. In the second scenario, the experimenter tried pulling on the rope five times and succeeded on the fifth try. The final scenario was the same as the second, except the experimenter was unsuccessful at moving the box and gave up after the fifth attempt. advertisement Then it was the infants turn to try. Unbeknownst to the them, the experimenter had switched the box for one that was affixed to the table and impossible to move. The infants had three chances to move the box, and on each attempt the research team measured how much time they spent pulling the rope and how hard they pulled. The infants who saw the experimenter fail to move the box or easily succeed at moving it spent progressively less time trying to move the box with each attempt. Only the infants who watched the experimenter struggle but then succeed persisted in trying to move the box. These infants spent about the same amount of time on each attempt. "This finding suggests that the toddlers engaged in a sophisticated decision-making process, similar to how adults might create a list of pros and cons and use it to influence their choice," said Jessica Sommerville, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and senior author on the paper. "The toddlers computed the utility, or usefulness, of trying to move the box by weighting the potential costs of what they had to lose -- whether it was worth it keep pulling the rope -- against what they had to gain in terms of the likelihood they could access the toy." How hard the infants pulled on the rope was also related to what they watched the experimenter demonstrate. The infants who saw the experimenter fail to move the box did not pull the rope as hard as the two other groups who saw the experimenter succeed in moving the box. The infants who saw the experimenter easily move the box pulled the rope the hardest, and the infants who saw the experimenter struggle and succeed ramped up how hard they pulled on the rope with each attempt, suggesting both these two groups were confident they would be able to move the box by increasing their effort. Infant inferences After the three impossible trials, the research team again switched the box, this time for one that could move. On these trials, all three groups of infants successfully moved the box and accessed the toy inside. advertisement The research team examined whether the infants showed help-seeking behaviors like pointing or reaching towards the box. The infants only sought help when they actually needed it, on the attempts when the box was affixed to the table and impossible to move. They did not ask for help on the trials when the box was moveable. The infants who saw the experimenter easily move the box requested help more than the other two groups, which indicates that the infants also only sought help when they knew it would be useful. "The infants who saw the experimenter easily move the box traded off trying for help seeking, suggesting that they realized the most adaptive strategy in that context was to get help from someone who can solve the problem," Lucca said. "The infants who saw the experimenter struggle but succeed needed the least amount of support to solve the task -- suggesting that demonstrations of hard work and effort have carry over effects that impact infants' motivation in future tasks." The team also assessed whether the infants' facial expressions showed positive or negative emotions while they tried to move the box. The infants who saw the experimenter easily move the box showed the most frustration, because their expectations for what was supposed to happen did not match their experience. These infants also required the most prompting to try and move the box on the trials when it was moveable. "It seems intuitive that the experience of kids facing a challenge is inherently frustrating, but we found that the mismatch between expectations and experience is actually what is frustrating," Sommerville said. "Setting appropriate expectations for kids about difficulty and effort doesn't dissuade them, it lets them scale their expectations so when something is hard, they can choose to keep trying." Rachel Horton from the University of Washington also contributed to the study, which was supported by the Society of Research on Child Development and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Earlier that day, Colliander was locking her bicycle outside Northgate Shopping Center in Aurora when a stranger asked her to help him start his car, she told police. She refused at first but agreed to help when the man she later identified as Lindahl asked if she would step on the gas pedal while he worked on the engine. When she got in the car, the man pulled out a sharp object, held it to her neck and drove off with Colliander. R ollercoasters are part and parcel of Accesso Technology, the company behind the oh-so clever devices used at theme parks to help keep your place in the queue for Nemesis Inferno. On Thursday investors rode the biggest of big dippers when the company kiboshed a proposed sale of the firm and the chief executive headed for the exits, sending its shares swooning. Accesso licenses software and electronic wristbands to make punters dip into their pockets and spend more at places like Legoland, Alton Towers, cruise ships and ski resorts. Accesso said in the summer buyers were flocking to its door to snap up the company. Now they say they cant get enough money from them and it wont be sold. Chief executive Paul Nolands ride is over and he will be replaced by founder Steve Brown. The shares fell 22%, losing nearly a quid to settle at 345p. The FTSE 100 missed a beat also, losing 18.84 points, or 0.25%, to 7553.08 on fears in China about the coronavirus. Signs that President Donald Trump may be gearing up for a trade war with dear old Blighty over UK plans to slap a digital tax on US online firms also dampened the mood. Cybersecurity firm NCC was on the rise after boosting sales due to strong demand for consulting services in the US and UK. The company is halfway through a three-year turnaround plan, snappily titled Securing Growth Together, to boost its cashflows and it said everything is on track. The shares rose 2.3%, or 4.9p, to 212.9p. Anglo American, which bought Yorkshire potash miner Sirius Minerals for 400 million recently, hit targets but its shares fell after weak diamond production figures at De Beers. Output of palladium and platinum, two of the most in-demand mentals on earth now due to the green investment boom, rose 10%. The price of palladium, a key input for catalytic converters, has soared to the extent that the exhaust systems of old Priuses might now be worth more than the car itself, said Fidelitys Tom Stevenson. Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk was the top riser on the market after a surge in production, sending its shares to a five-year high. President of France Emmanuel Macron will be attending the banquet organized by the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France and has confirmed his participation. This is what Armenian National Committee France Director Hratch Varjabedian told Armenian News-NEWS.am. The banquet will be held on January 29 and will be attended by not only the President of France, but also the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, several ministers, MPs, Armenias ambassador and several renowned French and Armenian figures. Turkish historian Taner Akcam is also invited to the banquet during which he will be awarded for his contributions to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This is the fourth year that the President of France is attending the banquet, he stated. According to Varjabedian, this banquet is important from the perspective of advancement of Armenian lobbying and in terms of the unity of the Armenian community. We will also raise the issue of selling products and weapons to Azerbaijan, just like we raised it last year, he said. Photo: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images Though Trumps trade war with China proves he doesnt have a firm grip on macroeconomic strategy, a comment the president made at Davos reveals he doesnt have a strong understanding of the fields terms either. Complaining about the World Trade Organizations policy of favoring developing nations over fully industrialized economies, Trump berated the very unfair practice: Ive had a dispute running with them for quite a while, because our country hasnt been treated fairly. China is viewed as a developing nation. India is viewed as a developing nation. Were not viewed as a developing nation. As far as Im concerned, were a developing nation too. But they got tremendous advantages by the fact that they were considered developing and we werent. And they shouldnt be. But if they are, we are. And were talking about a whole new structure for the deal, or well have to do something. By any definition, the United States is not a developing country. Though the WTO does not specifically offer parameters for the classification, a good working definition includes nations which are not fully industrialized that have a low GDP per capita and a low Human Development Index a composite ranking that includes factors like per-capita income, life expectancy, and education. (To pick one qualifier, the International Monetary Fund reports that the United States has the seventh-highest GDP per capita; the top six countries all have populations of less than 10 million.) And to provide context for Trumps frustration with not getting preferred treatment, the special provisions are not great levelers, but rather help seat developing countries at the table. According to Bloomberg, special provisions in WTO agreements give developing countries more time to implement tariff reductions, increased asymmetrical access to foreign markets, protections that safeguard their trading interests, and technical support to help them implement WTO rules. The aim of these preferences is to help poorer countries to reduce poverty, generate employment, and integrate themselves into the global trading system. The complaint over WTO treatment isnt a new one for Trump: In August 2018, Trump threatened to leave the organization if they dont shape up, while last year the White House proposed a new tier structure to prevent nations with powerhouse economies but middle-of-the-road GDP per capita read: China from claiming developing-country benefits. In all likelihood, the presidents description of the United States as a developing nation was a disingenuous call for fair treatment, not a critique of the gross inequality built into the worlds largest economy, which despite a $20 trillion-plus nominal GDP cannot ensure food security for 18 million children, indoor plumbing for 2 million Americans, or a living wage for tens of millions of workers. New Delhi, Jan 23 : Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that the Indian economy is well-poised to take off and the government is committed to ensure economic growth. Speaking at the annual summit of World Economic Forum in Davos, he also said that the India has had to suffer the consequences of the uncertainties that the world economy has been through in the last couple of years. He, however, noted that the slowdown has largely plateued out. "I believe the economy is well-poised to take off from here and the government is committed to ensure that all of us work together to make that happen," Goyal said. He also noted that there is enthusiasm among investors regarding the prospects in India. Goyal also said that the government would have discussions with the European Union and Birtain regarding Free Trade Agreements (FTA). Regarding the the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), he said that it is an "unbalanced" trade agreement. UN human rights expert Yanghee Lee has welcomed the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling that Myanmar must protect the Rohingya minority but emphasised that allegations of crimes against the community remain to be addressed, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the ICJ ruled that Myanmar must take all necessary steps to prevent acts of genocide against the Rohingyas and ensure the preservation of evidence related to the claim of genocide against them. "The UN expert observed that significant steps have been taken toward international justice and accountability in the last three years, but more needs to be done in order to realize it for all the people of Myanmar," the release said. "She welcomed the decision today of the International Court of Justice that ordered preliminary measures in relation to Myanmar's alleged violation of the Genocide Convention," it added. Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said that she is hopeful the Myanmar government will proceed with transition to democracy and face up to its responsibilities, obligations and duties. Lee also called on the international community to keep the evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity in Myanmar and not proceed with business as usual. In August, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar found that the country's military used domestic and international businesses to carry out human rights violations against ethnic groups. According to the UN, about 745,000 Rohingyas fled into Bangladesh since the beginning of Myanmar's large-scale security forces campaign in 2017 in Rakhine state. In 2018, the fact-finding mission on issued a report, accusing the Myanmar's leadership of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anthony Scaramucci, former director of communications for the White House and founder of SkyBridge Capital LLC, speaks during the Skybridge Alternatives (SALT) conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 8, 2019. Joe Buglewicz | Bloomberg | Getty Images Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as President Donald Trump's White House communications chief, accused his former boss of "bullying," "gaslighting" and "nonsensical inanity" and predicted he'll lose the election. With U.S. income inequality at a 50-year high and the gap widening, the managing partner of the Skybridge hedge fund told CNBC on Thursday that Trump "hasn't done enough." In his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Trump promoted his "America First" economic agenda and boasted about the health of the U.S. economy, which he claimed was down to a "whole new approach centered entirely on the well-being of the American worker." Stock markets have repeatedly hit record highs over the past year, and the president has been keen to credit the sweeping corporate tax cuts his administration introduced in 2017. "If you look at where the stock market is, economic growth, a lot of the data, if he was just halfway normal, and didn't do the tweeting, and all the bullying, and all the nonsensical inanity, he would have a much higher approval rating [than about 42%], it would've been easier for him to win reelection," Scaramucci told CNBC's Karen Tso in Davos. "But he's missile-locked at a certain position, and he's now a known entity. Before he ran, there was a lot of speculation of what he could be. Now we know what he is. And so I firmly think he's going to lose, because 85% of the delegates here in Davos think he's going to win." Scaramucci noted that prior to Trump's election victory in 2016, Davos delegates were certain he would fail to gain the Republican nomination and that Hillary Clinton would be president. Checks and balances With Trump's impeachment trial underway, Scaramucci said he believes around 5% of GOP voters think Trump is endangering the "checks and balances" and "sacredness" of the Constitution. Scaramucci also accused Republicans in Congress of lacking "the will or the courage to speak up to protect that document." The Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 lead, is seen as unlikely to get the 67 votes needed to convict and remove Trump from office. A spokesperson for the White House wasn't immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC. Regarding Democratic challengers, Scaramucci said he expects a moderate candidate such as Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg or Mike Bloomberg would likely win the presidency. However, he suggested that Trump would "destroy" Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. In terms of stock market reaction, Scaramucci predicted a slight rise in the event of a Bloomberg presidency, a "not overly negative" impact for Biden, and a 25% market correction should Warren or Sanders win in November. 'Gaslighting' and 'hyper-normalizing' The premier of Canada thanked Erdogan for assistance in the response of Canada to the tragedy, including the transit of the members of the families of victims through Turkey Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau The Canadian Press Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the tragedy of Ukrainian Boeing 737 in Iran, the situation in the Near East and the fight against ISIS, as the press service of the Canadian PM reported. President Erdogan expressed sincere condolences due to the death of Canadians in the crash of PS752 in Teheran. The premier of Canada thanked Erdogan for assistance in the response of Canada to the tragedy, including the transit of the members of the families of victims through Turkey. Two leaders agreed that the complete, credible and transparent investigation of this tragic event should continue to provide justice and answer the questions of the families of the deceased. Trudeau and Erdogan exchanged opinions on the recent events in the Near East and agreed on the necessity of de-escalation and dialogue to decrease the tension and promote peace and stability in the region. They also discussed the importance of the fight against ISIS. January 8, Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines, flight PS752 with 176 passengers aboard crashed in Tehran, not far from Imam Khomeini airport. 11 citizens of Ukraine died in the crash of Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines (PS 752 flight). President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the passenger plane crash in the Iranian capital left no survivors. On January 19, the bodies of the Ukrainians, who died in a plane crash in Iran, were delivered to Ukraine. The farewell ceremony took place at Boryspil Airport from 13.00 to 19.00. As of January 21, Irans Civil Aviation Organization stated in the second preliminary investigation report that PS752 was downed by two short-range surface-to-air missiles. No talks with Iraq yet on removing US troops: official Washington, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 The United States has not yet entered into talks with Iraq on the removal of US troops from the country, as demanded by the Iraqi parliament, a senior US official said Thursday. "There has not been any real engagement," said ambassador James Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria and the coalition against the Islamic State. "Our position, as you know -- we've said it several times -- is that we're prepared to discuss with the Iraqi government our overall strategic relationship," Jeffrey told reporters. "We have a Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq since 2008," he said. "It covers economic, security, and diplomatic engagement across the board. "We see this as a package," Jeffrey said. "And when we do sit down and talk with them, that's where we'll be aiming to direct the conversation." Jeffrey said that operations against IS fighters have been on hold since a January 3 US drone strike near Baghdad airport killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The killing of Soleimani prompted retaliatory strikes from Tehran on an Iraqi base hosting US troops and a vote in Iraq's parliament for the removal of foreign forces. "Coalition operations have been primarily on pause in Iraq as we focus on force protection and looking into the way forward with the Iraqi government after the non-binding vote by the Council of Representatives on the withdrawal of US and thus coalition forces," Jeffrey said. The special envoy said there had been no notable surge in IS activities in Iraq since Soleimani's killing. "We have not seen an uptick in violence in Iraq," he said. "They haven't taken advantage of it, as far as we can see." Jeffrey said US operations against IS would not remain on hold forever. "There is a possibility of a degradation of the effort against Daesh if we're not able to do the things that we were doing so effectively up until a few weeks ago," he said. "We're not keeping thousands of Americans and thousands of other coalition country troops in Iraq without doing something," he said. "We have a mission, it's an important mission." Matt Hunter, Lanin Volcano, Chile, during our 3-day Villarrica Traverse in 2017 Ethiopia, 2015 2010: Nepal, Instagram and an Icelandic volcano Camera: Leica M8. Bike: Yeti 575. Gears: 3x9. Handlebars: 670mm Rob Story and Seb Liljeberg, Upper Mustang 2011: England, Arab Spring and Snapchat Camera: Leica M8. Bike: Yeti 575. Gears: 3x10. Handlebars: 700mm James Richards and James Brickell embracing a very British challenge Street food, UK style 2012: Morocco, Italy and Tinder Camera: Leica M8. Bike: Yeti 575. Gears: 2x10. Handlebars: 720mm Holger Meyer gets to grip with a little exposure on the Alta Via Mike Foster and Greg Watts, out there, Morocco 2013: Afghanistan, Gran Canaria and BlackLivesMatter Camera: Leica M9 & Nikon D600. Bike: Yeti 575. Gears: 2x10. Handlebars: 700mm Crossing a line, into Afghanistan Mid summer, Wakhan Corridor James Brickell and James Riichards, Gran Canaria 2014: Argentina and Selfie Sticks Camera: Nikon D650. Bike: Yeti 575. Gears: 2x10. Handlebars: 720mm Hans Rey near the start of the mountain-to-jungle ride Hans Rey and Tibor Simai in jaguar country 2015: Ethiopia, Menorca and Star Wars VII Cameras: Nikon D600 and D750. Bike: Yeti SB5c. Gears: 2x11. Handlebars: 720mm Dain Zaffke, Ethiopian magic, pre crash Dain Zaffke, Ethiopian hospital, post crash Karen Eller and Julia Roberts, Menorca 2016: Lebanon, Italy and Brexit Camera: Nikon D750. Bike: Yeti SB5. Gears: 1x11. Handlebars: 750mm Kamil Tatarkovic and audience appreciation, Lebanon Massimo Ferro, James Brickell and our very cosy tin bivouac 2017: Lesotho, Chile and Trump Cameras: Nikon D750, Fuji X-Pro2. Bike: Yeti SB5. Gears: 1x11. Handlebars: 760mm. Kevin Landry and onlooker, Lesotho Rene Wildhaber, Torres del Paine Ricky Westphal, Kerala 2018: North Korea, Sub Polar islands and Greta Thunberg Camera: Lumix G9. Bike: Yeti SB5. Gears: 1x11. Handlebars: 760mm. Max Schumann, Mt Myohyang Dennis Beare and Daniel Franco earning it on the most southern trail in the world 2019: Iraq, Russia and an impeached President Camera: Lumix G9. Bikes: Yeti SB5 & SB140. Gears: 1x12. Handlebars: 760mm. Fred Horny and Dennis Beare, Mount Elbrus Eric Porter, Iraqi Kurdistan Lets get this straight: adventure shoots are not the same as photoshoots. In one you can ask the rider to ride it again and then again, and oh, just once more. You have the luxury of planning timings and playing with the light, to recon the locations, deliver gold and send an invoice in afterwards. In the other, you have little idea what is ahead or how much time you can afford to spend on one shot, no idea even if youre going to reach camp before nightfall or sometimes even if youll reach camp. There are no luxuries in adventure photography. You get one chance to make it work, whatever the sun or rain or snow is doing, however the rider feels, however your guts feel. There's no going back, just instant decisions to tell the story of how, what and why the heck you are there, trying to ride a trail through the back end of nowhere, and whether you can make a living from the outcome.So, I'm sure you agree, they are not the same. But they are both equal parts of the photography career Im lucky enough to have carved out for myself, and each hail different glories, bless em.Looking back over the last decade about a third of the years Ive spent adventuring in different corners of the world its a hard ask to pull out the key images that, in just 1/1000th of a second, will define those adventures and so define my most recent decade of mountain biking. Im driven by the idea that travel broadens the mind and that the stories I return with have the potential to do good, whether thats by challenging popular misconceptions of a country or its people, or by just encouraging others to go learn about themselves through embracing their own adventure. Certainly looking back, a decade can seem a long time, especially in politics, geography, and technology: cameras evolve, handlebars widen, politicians come and go, previously safe destinations become no-go zones... and sometimes previously no-go zones return to being safe destinations.Of course, itd be a lot easier to simply post ten years of my most head-turning nugs, but many would come from commercial shoots or backyard rides and while they would make fine eye-candy, they just dont have the same depth of story. Unless you want to hear how rider X was late, or how we stopped for a cappuccino again, or that time the product samples were three sizes too small. Okay, so maybe Im making that 'other' part of my work sound a lot easier than it is and doing an injustice to photographers out there, who know how equally demanding any photoshoot can be, especially with the commercial hand that feeds you hovering overhead and the pressure to deliver bang for the clients buck.But its adventure that defines me it always will. I return to it every year, drawn by its unknowns, its challenges and the opportunities it brings to learn about myself in situations that have drifted way beyond control.So I've dipped into past adventures to share a snapshot of a decade of riding, pushing and carrying bikes into wild (and often previously un-ridden) corners of a world that is constantly changing. Of course, sentimental attachment to an image can get in the way of objective editing, but I hope the following pictures tell a little more about the real, honest, beautiful world thats out there if you throw a little caution to the wind and have a taste for an adventurous ride. Heres to the next decade.When Apple launched the iPad and new 4G networks meant we could use them anywhere, I took a trip to Nepals Upper Mustang Kingdom, one place where both iPads and 4G would still be inconsequential.A year earlier Id been in the Annapurna region and looked north from Kagbeni into the restricted access zone of Upper Mustang. Learning that a road was planned through the region and the likely loss of much of the one trail to Upper Mustangs ancient walled capital Lo Manthang (population 300), I returned in 2010 to shoot a story on riding that trail before it disappeared. The 10-day ride took us to Lo Manthang and on the Tibet border and back. Shooting these kind of rides at 4000 metres altitude meant being drawn towards the smallest, lightest camera set up I could find a quest that is ongoing.Exotic travel and alien culture underpins many ideas of adventure, but the reality is you can find adventures buzz close to home too.Pressing pause on the final episode of Game of Thrones, we embraced an ambitious plan, spearheaded by Tracy Moseleys bloke, James Richards, to ride a 4-day traverse of the north of England. Starting in the Lakes and crossing the Yorkshire moors to Bradford would be no walk in the park, and it wasnt. We battled the British weather most of the way. This ride shot was from a very windy first day; we were blown off our bikes several times.While the world was getting jiggy with Gangnam style, Facebook bought Instagram and boffins found the Higgs boson particle, I returned to both Morocco and Finale Ligure in 2012, with the idea that you dont have to venture too far off the tourist circuit to find genuine adventure.A 4-day hut-to-hut ride along the Alta Via dei Monti trail from the hills above Finale to Ventimiglia gave us a taste of another, empty side of Liguria, a world away from the beaches and bike shuttles.Meanwhile, in Morocco I found that merely venturing a single valley over from the tourist gites of the Ourika valley led us through villages that oozed authentic Morocco where traditional mud houses sport satellite dishes, and handicrafts are noticeably absent.While the final episode of Breaking Bad was screening and Snowden was leaking, I embraced two of the most spectrally diverse trips Ive ever done.In June, Matt Hunter joined me on a pioneering 12-day bike traverse of Afghanistans Wakhan Corridor a remote and peaceful panhandle of Afghan soil that is as wild and unspoiled a place Ive ever been. Scaling altitudes up to 5000 metres, and dealing with blizzards, 30C+ heat and raging rivers to ford, the Secret Compass organised expedition was tougher than any of us had expected. It took me a month post-trip to really start appreciating what we had done, and what we had accomplished.Meanwhile in the other corner of 2013 was a 4-day traverse of the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. It was the yin to the yang of Afghanistan, delivering amazing trails that were 95% ride-able and comfortable beds overnight. Of course, the two trips had overlap, notably amazing scenery and a deep sense of fulfillment. I based this trip on trying to ride the route of the Gran Canaria Ultra Trail race.Im a sucker for South America, a place with such diversity of landscapes and culture it has lured me to return 6 times since 1989. Each time it has delivered completely fresh adventures.At about the same time that online streaming dispatched the last Blockbuster video rental store and an ISIS blot appeared on the Middle Eastern radar, I headed back to Argentina with Hans Rey and Tibor Simai to shoot a couple of stories. We rode a disused 100-year old railway line for 3 days, entertaining a whimsical notion I had had the this would make a great adventure (it did), and then spent another 3 days descending a single 85-kilometre long trail from the high desert mountains to lush, green jungle.2015 was another year of contrasting adventures, each equally as rewarding in their own rights and both a lot better than The Force Awakens.Many people of my maturity will picture Ethiopia as the famine-ravaged subject of Geldofs Feed The World anthem. Luckily, today its a different place. In the year the USA embraced same-sex marriages and liquid water was found on Mars, I headed to Ethiopia to ride a 9-day loop through its visually gob-smacking Simien Mountains National Park. Our route, leading us to the top of its highest peak, Ras Deshan, produced photo-gold at every turn, but the many rubble-littered trails and bruising altitude meant it was all hard-earned.In contrast to Ethiopias exoticism, a 4-day circumnavigation of the Mediterranean island of Menorca produced the kind of achievable-not-aspirational closer to home story many editors look for. The Cami de Cavalls trail way exceeded expectations, becoming one the best all-mountain rides Ive done. The trail packs in over 4500 metres of climbs and descents along its 186 km length of singletrack no mean feat for a flat island.A day is a long time in politics and equally long if you have a bike on your back. But the art of adventure is the art of embracing unknowns or at least knowing that however hard the going gets, there will be an end to it. 2016 was the year of the endgame.After a year of planning, I made it to Lebanon, a country that had emerged into peaceful co-existence after three decades of layered conflict and war. My idea was to ride select sections of its long-distance Lebanon Mountain Trail, a trekking path constructed to unite villages once divided by religions and politics. While the UK realised its partisan Brexit decision, we rode and carried our bikes for 6 days through a beautiful Middle Eastern country that offered only warm, friendly welcomes.Meanwhile, in a stunning corner of Europe near Aosta, Italy, the art of bike carrying took a new turn to reach a 3127m high alpine bivouac. A tiny tin hut reached by 1600 metres of steep ascent and suspended above a sea of ice, became our home for a night and the focus for the story about cost and reward.The idea of exploring new places drives adventure, but for me, this privilege is often a chance to tell a deeper story too.In the same year that turned the tide on ISIS and the MeToo movement turned the tide on silence, I shot a story in Lesotho that looked at what mountain bike tourism can do to help turn the tide on rural poverty in one of the poorest countries in Africa. Our 6-day traverse of Lesothos southern mountains, led by the young traditional horseman Lephuthing Isaac Molapo, threw us amazing trail riding as well as a glimpse of the positives of sharing our wealth. Meanwhile one of the richest men in America took the Presidential office.On another continent, I returned to Chiles Torres del Paine National park to explore if and how this busy Patagonian hotspot could meet the expectations of us mountain bikers. Since 1996, when I cycle toured and camped freely through Torres del Paine, Ive watched tourism and regulations here grow. But we found empty, permitted trails to ride on the fringes of the park, and a couple of nugs right in the heart of the action too.And finally back in Asia, I veered away from the usual Himalayan focus of Indian mountain biking to see what the tea plantations and steep Ghat mountains around the southern state of Kerala have to offer instead. Its possibly the greenest place Ive ever been to. And the best food Ive ever eaten.Hot is always subjective, and that can apply to travel advice too I've learned.Following Trumps historic meet with Kim Jong-Un, we pioneered our own trip to North Korea, using bikes as our excuse to see inside this little-known country. Some people would argue that we didnt see the real NK, and thats an understandable opinion. But the logistical challenges for our guides of having bikes at the heart of our trip, and the reach a bike has, both in terms of going farther and connecting with strangers, opened up dozens of unexpected moments and unplanned encounters. The result is that we got a glimpse of a system few outsiders can comprehend or understand, and delivered perhaps the most uniquely rewarding bike trip I have done in three decades. The riding was more challenging.Meanwhile as Space X began its dash to escape our planet and Greta Thunberg reminded everyone else of the importance of our planet, I decided to try to ride the most southern trail in the world.Perched on Navarino Island, off the tip of South America, this trail is one of the wildest and most rudimentary trails Ive ever explored. Bathed in unspoiled beauty, shrouded in schizophrenic sub-polar weather and devoid of people, the trail struck a real contrast to the almost sacrificial anode of tourism that is Torres del Paine a few hundred Kilometres to the North. The riding on Navarino is challenging for sure, but it is impossible to leave here without a very real appreciation of how very beautiful our planet is.'Ramping up' is perhaps a good way to describe the end of the twenty-tens, a decade that seems to be running towards, who knows what?Despite the advent of 5G networks, fortunately, there are still plenty of places left that dont even have a cell-signal, and that added isolation just adds to the adventure. One of them is the wild, rugged and empty sprawl of mountains that surround Mount Elbrus in Russia. This 6-day circumnavigation of Europes highest peak threw myriad challenges at our team left to conquer 4200 metre high passes. Of course that lack of cell-signal meant wondering how we could liaise with our support team who would meet us each night. Sputnik phones, as our fixer calls satellite phones, not work here.Amidst mention of a presidents impeachment we ventured to northern Iraq to explore the peaceful trails of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. Having shared a student house with an Iraqi Kurd in 1986, listened to his stories and learned from him how to cook rice properly, I have always been keen to see Kurdistan for myself. While trusted logistics on such trips means its rare to feel unsafe on such trips to seemingly risky places, rising frictions between Iran and the USA did raise anxieties in the group during this trip. The reality though, is that the Kurdish welcome we experienced was as warm as youd find amidst your own family. The fact that we found and rode a few choice trails was, as always a bonus.Adventure, after all, is always unpredictable, but it is always rewarding.Thanks to Yeti Cycles, Shimano, Fox, Mavic, Crank Brothers, WTB, SilverFish UK, Giro, Alpkit and Lumix for their support. ELKHORN Dave Gerber was sworn in Jan. 6 as the new undersheirff for Walworth County. Gerber has 24 years of law enforcement experience, starting with the Village of East Troy Police Department and joined the sheriffs office in 1997. He has served in many positions, including patrol deputy, detective, lieutenant, captain of support services and most recently, captain of the patrol division. The Walworth County Sheriffs Office has 181 years of history which includes dedicated service of numerous sheriffs and undersheriffs, said Gerber. I look forward to honoring this history and working with all members of our team to continue providing the most efficient and effective law enforcement services to Walworth County. Undersheriff Kevin Williams retired Jan. 6, with 29 years at the Sheriff Office and 34 years total in law enforcement. Sheriff Kurt Picknell thanked Williams for his public safety service and wished him success in the next stage of his life. Undersheriff Dave Gerber is prepared professionally for his new duties to guide and deliver public safety services to the citizens of Walworth County, said Picknell. Gerber has served on the SWAT and dive teams, Honor Guard and bike patrol, plus background investigations and as field training officer. He served as the chair of the Walworth County Traffic Safety Commission and administered the Crash Investigation Team, Fugitive Task Force, Gang Unit, Motor Carrier Enforcement, Boat Patrol, Town Liaison Program, Sex Offender Registry Unit, and many other specialty teams. Gerber is certified by the Wisconsin Department of Justice as a Unified Tactical Instructor. Instructor certifications include firearms, defense and arrest tactics, emergency vehicle operations, vehicle contacts, tactical skills, professional communication skills and Taser. He also served as range master where he oversaw all aspects of the Walworth County Range. Gerber holds a bachelor of science degree from UW-Platteville in criminal justice/sociology. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the FBI LEEDA Command Institute and the FBI National Academy. Gerber served as an instructor at Gateway Technical College for many years where he instructed both in-service and police academy courses. He is a past state director for the Special Olympics State Law Enforcement Torch Run Council and recipient of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Torch Run Dale Brunner Hall of Fame Award. He is also a past director for the Wisconsin Field Training Officers Association. In his spare time, Gerber enjoys being active and with his family. He is an avid bicyclist and has participated as one of the Wisconsin Riders for the Police Unity Tour. She recently enjoyed a sun-soaked trip to Thailand with her Love Island girl gang. And Francesca Allen looked sensational as she donned a blonde wig for her 514K Instagram followers after being asked if she'd ever consider changing her dark locks. The beauty, 24, shared several short clips of her chatting about trying out a new hair do on Wednesday night, but wrote on one of her posts: 'I'm a really ugly blonde'. Mixing it up: Francesca Allen, 24, looked sensational as she donned a blonde wig during an Instagram question and answer session on Wednesday During a question and answer session on her Instagram Stories Francesca was asked if she had ever thought about changing up her look and going blonde. She explained: 'I thought I could do blonde because I've got light eyes but it doesn't work ... omg I've got a blonde wig.' Clearly excited, Francesca quickly jumped up and the next Story showed her with a light blonde wig on her head. In her finest American accent, the beauty said: 'When I've got this wig on I feel like a Kardashian, like I'm American ... I don't think it suits me to be honest, it's fun though.' New look? The Love Island star said she made a 'really ugly blonde' (left) but joked that she did find it fun wearing a wig (right) and felt like a Kardashian During the videos Francesca appeared to be relaxing on a cream bed while wearing a chic mustard yellow blazer. The stunner had perfectly curled her brunette locks and wore a slick of makeup including a touch of nude lipstick to accentuate her pretty features. Since Love Island wrapped several months ago, Francesca has become recognised for her love of vintage fashion, with the star landing her very own collection. Who's that girl? The beauty looked completely different in the wig and also added a filter As well as owning her own Essex boutique and online store Bonnie & Clyde with her sister Claudia Allen, Francesca has launched multiple collections with In The Style alongside her Anna, Amy Hart, Yewande Biala and Joanna Chimonides. However, Francesca claims that while going on the ITV2 dating show has boosted her profile on the fashion front, it's actually hindered her chances of getting a boyfriend, despite her initially signing up to the series to find love. She told MailOnline some men are too intimidated to approach her at parties but after years of being in relationships she's learned to be content on her own. Sizzling: Francesca sent temperatures soaring when she uploaded a bikini-clad snap from her beach Miss Pap photoshoot in Phuket, Thailand, last Thursday Francesca said: 'You go out and you'll see guys and they look at you because maybe they recognise you but then they're shyer. I'm not going to meet anyone at an event! 'I'm still single but I was always in a relationship prior to going on Love Island. 'I feel like now after being on the show that I've got much more confidence and I feel it is OK for me to be myself. I'm quite content with being on my own.' WESTLAND, Michigan When it comes to good deeds, Michigan folks are putting together a nice run. A man who stumbled upon a plastic box containing $27,000 for an ATM machine outside a credit union Tuesday didnt hesitate on what to do next, WDIV Channel 4 reports. He took the money inside the Westland Credit Union office and placed it on the counter. I picked it up and noticed a tag that said it was $40,000, George Condash tells WDIV. I said, Is there a reward for $40,000? And I put it on their counter and they just looked dumbfounded." Although the tag said $40,000, the box contained $27,000. The credit union was able to give Condash a small reward for returning the money, CNN reports. That was a lot of money that could have resulted in a significant loss, and we just wanted to give him a token of our appreciation, Alicia Steward, the banks cash manager, tells CNN. Its the second report of a Michigan returning a large amount of found cash in less than a week. Howard Kirby of Ovid, Michigan, returned more than $43,000 he discovered in the cushion of a used couch he purchased at a thrift store. According to mlive.com, Kirbys good deed has resulted in a local company donating materials for a new roof on his home, and a contractor has volunteered to install the roof. In addition, a A GoFundMe page for Kirby had raised nearly $4,500 as of Thursday morning. T wo police stations were closed after fears an arrested Chinese national had come in contact with the deadly coronavirus. The Patchway Police Centre and the Trinity Road Police Station in Bristol were temporarily shut on Wednesday evening following precautionary advice from the NHS when the detainee was displaying "flu-like symptoms". It was later confirmed that the detainee - who officers feared had come into contact with people from the Wuhan area of China, where the virus originated - was not carrying the virus. Police said there was no risk to the public. Avon and Somerset Police said on Thursday that staff at the custody unit at Patchway Police Centre became aware of a detainee displaying flu-like symptoms just before 7pm on Wednesday. Following advice the station was closed and the decision was made to also close Trinity Road Police Station as officers involved in the arrest had travelled there. The officers, members of police staff and one member of the public were asked to remain in the building as a precaution. Following expert advice from Public Health England, it was established the man was not carrying the virus and both stations were re-opened just after midnight. Consolidation continued on D-Street on Wednesday with Nifty registering a negative close for the fourth day while the S&P BSE Sensex closed lower for the third day. Asian markets traded weak on January 23 as investors remained anxious about the spread of a new flu-like virus in China just as millions prepared to travel for the Lunar New Year. The Chinese yuan fell toward a two-week low, while safe-havens such as the Japanese yen, gold, and US Treasuries rose before a travel blockade of the Chinese city, Wuhan, at the centre of the outbreak starts later on Thursday, said a Reuters report. Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a flat opening for the index in India, with a 8 points, or 0.07 percent, gain. The Nifty futures were trading around 12,148-level on the Singaporean Exchange. Back home, lets look at the final tally on D-Street for January 22 the S&P BSE Sensex was down 208 points to 41,115 while the Nifty50 was down 62 points to 12,106. Nifty continued to consolidate in the range of 11,800-12,500. Market experts said since the index was trading near the upper band of the range, selling pressure has pushed the index towards 12,100 level. But, Nifty has strong support near 12000 levels. Considering the oversold nature of the markets traders are advised not to indulge in fresh shorting but will be better off by creating fresh shots on a pullback attempt with a stop above 12225 levels on a closing basis, Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist Technical Research, Trading Advisory, Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol. Most sectoral indices remained under pressure, with BSE Metal, Oil & Gas, Power and Utilities falling over a percent each. On the other hand, BSE Information Technology and Teck bucked the trend, logging gains of over a percent each. The rupee strengthened by 2 paise to settle at 71.19 against the US dollar on Wednesday amid easing crude oil prices. On the institutional front, FPIs were net sellers in Indian markets for Rs 176 cr while the DIIs were net sellers to the tune of Rs 326 cr, provisional data showed. Big News: As many as 44 stocks on the BSE are scheduled to report their results for the December quarter that include names like Biocon, Canara Bank, DB Corp, HDFC Life Insurance, HT Media, PVR, Radico Khaitan, and ZEE Media Corp. Biocon: PAT likely to grow by nearly 6% YoY PVR: PAT likely to grow by 53% YoY HDFC Life Insurance: PAT likely to grow by 15% YoY (All estimates are from Motilal Oswal) Technical View: Nifty formed a bearish candle on the daily charts and bounced back from 50-DMA placed at 12,106 The index has strong support near 12000 levels, but given the fact that Nifty50 witnessed fierce selling in the last 3-4 sessions, some technical bounce back cannot be ruled out The correction or profit booking in Indian markets started after IMF lowered the GDP growth forecast for India which dampened the market sentiments along with some muted results from India Inc. On the global front, the mood was further affected due to a breakout of coronavirus in China which concerned the global markets. In terms of technical, Nifty closed near the trend line support of 12100 If it managed to hold above-said levels we may see a good bounce in Nifty towards 12165-12200 zone which is immediate resistance on the higher side On the downside support for Nifty is placed at 12050-12000 zone, suggest experts. If bulls have to reclaim lost glory then a close above 12200 levels is required Three levels: 12050-12087, 12225, 12300 Max Call OI: 12500, 12300 Max Put OI: 12000, 11500 Stocks in the news: Private sector lender Axis Bank was in the black in the December quarter reporting a 4.5 percent year-on-year gain in net profit at Rs 1,757 crore. RBL Bank on January 22 reported a 69 percent fall in its Q3 net profit following an increase in the provisions of the company. Infrastructure and engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) reported profit growth of 15.15 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 2,352 crore in the quarter ended December 2019, driven by lower tax cost (down 37 percent YoY) and operating income. Technical Recommendations: We spoke to Bonanza Portfolio and heres what they have to recommend: Ramco Cements | Buy | LTP: Rs 830 | Target: Rs 890 | Stop Loss: Rs 797 | upside: 7% CreditAccess Grameen | Buy | LTP: Rs 795 | Target: Rs 890 | Stop loss: Rs 736 | Return: 12% Bajaj Finserv | Sell | LTP: Rs 9,545 | Target: Rs 9,100 | Stop loss: Rs 9,800 | Downside: 5% Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Charlotte Durand (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Wed, January 22, 2020 20:07 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206090533 2 Environment Britain,Brazil,Zimbabwe,Ireland,conservation,animals Free Jeffrey Lendrum spent three decades living as the so-called "Pablo Escobar of eggs", smuggling the fragile shells from the nests of falcons and other birds of prey to wealthy international clients. His racket was smashed in 2018 when customs officers at London's Heathrow Airport found him in possession of 19 birds of prey eggs worth a total of 100,000 pounds ($130,000, 118,000 euros). During a full search, he was found to be wearing a body belt made out of bandages concealing 19 eggs from vultures, falcons and kites as well as two newly-hatched African fish eagle chicks. His body belt was designed to "brood" his stash so the chicks would not die before he sold them. A British court sentenced the 58-year-old Irish-Zimbabwean to more than three years in prison in January last year. But he now faces another court appearance on Wednesday, which could see him spend up to three more years in jail in South America, if Britain accepts an extradition request. He is wanted for skipping bail in 2016 after a Brazilian judge sentenced him to four and a half years for attempting to smuggle peregrine falcons out of the country. Read also: Boosting Papua's ecotourism through bird-watching camp Middle East buyers Stealing bird eggs runs in the family: the veteran thief received his first conviction aged 22, when he and his father were found guilty of petty theft in Zimbabwe. He has since served time in Canada, Brazil and Britain. The main drivers of egg poaching are wealthy clients in the Middle East, where peregrine falcons are in great demand for traditional falconry and can sell for thousands of dollars, according to the wildlife trade specialists Traffic. Illegal trade in animals is worth nearly $20 billion each year, according to Interpol. But Traffic spokesman Richard Thomas said there are "fewer than half a dozen" reported cases of egg thefts around the world each year. However, the thefts are "not insignificant" and still constitute "serious crimes", he told AFP. "Some of the species involved are extremely rare and even small numbers (of eggs) illegally taken from the wild can have a significant impact on threatened populations," he added. Read also: Parrot world's endangered heavyweight faces new threat Anti-hero? The smuggler's 35-year notoriety is such that "Lendrum is a well-known name to conservation charities working on illegal bird trade issues", said Thomas. In 2010, he was stopped at Birmingham International Airport in central England with egg boxes strapped to his chest. Nicknamed "the Pablo Escobar of eggs" by the British press after the Colombian drug lord, Lendrum has amazed readers with the audacity of his crimes. He has been arrested five times on three different continents. Details of his crimes contrast with the grey-haired, potbellied man, half-naked and wrapped in strips of cloth, after his arrest. Lendrum, once a member of the Rhodesian army's special forces, even used a helicopter during a theft in northern Quebec, hanging from a rope to get close to the nest, according to Joshua Hammer, in The Falcon Thief, the book he wrote about Lendrum's exploits. The Financial Times called Lendrum "the world's greatest bird of prey thief" but Thomas warned against turning him into "an anti-hero". "Rather, I think the publicity around his regular convictions helps demonstrate that persistent offenders will be caught and receive increasingly more severe punishments," he said. Topics : Britain Brazil Zimbabwe Ireland conservation animals Two persons, including a Chinese national, were killed and two others injured after the roof of a tunnel inside the mine of Manganese Ore India Ltd (MOIL) in Khapa area near Nagpur, collapsed on them, police said on Thursday. Two others, including a Chinese man, suffered in the incident that took place on Wednesday night, police said. As per the complaint lodged by an employee, he and 12 other workers, including four Chinese nationals, were carrying out welding work inside the mine when the incident took place. One of the workers, Pankaj Chouriwar (25), was fitting nut bolts to an iron angleinside the mine, while Chinese national Chen Geg (31) was supervising the work, when the roof collapsed on them, police said as per the complaint. Both of them were trapped under the debris and succumbed to their injuries, Nagpur rural police said in a press release. Police have registered a case of negligence against assistant manager Prashant Gerewar and others under IPC sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, has been giving advice to the White House on how to defend President Donald J. Trump during his Senate impeachment trial. With the trial underway, she returned to Washington, D.C., this week to field press questions and help promote a message through the halls of the U.S. Capitol and on national airwaves: Trump has not committed any impeachable offenses, she said. That message, and its dissemination, is carefully curated each day on morning conference calls with the eight House Republican members of Trump's impeachment team, which Stefanik is a part of. "This is the weakest case for impeachment in the history of this country, Stefanik told reporters at the Capitol Wednesday. Certainly in my district, theyre tuning this out. They want to us to get back to, on behalf of the American people, to get back to work. And they want to work this out in the election. The American people have a right to decide at the ballot box. The House GOP impeachment team is in close contact with Trump's lawyers leading his defense in the White House, as well as the White House communications team that fields press inquiries and issues public statements, Stefanik said. At least one member of the team, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. has spoken to the president this week, he confirmed. As the trial unfolds in the Senate, the impeachment team is often gathered in a room just off the chambers, said U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Shirley. "[White House counsel] Pat Cippolone and his main team, theyre on the Senate floor," Zeldin said. "They do, during breaks, come off the floor, and we have a couple offices where throughout the day, today, yesterday, the day before, as well see going forward everyone is in constant communication sharing ideas. Republican Reps. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Debbie Lesko of Arizona, and John Ratcliffe of Texas are also on the team. Many of those members, including Stefanik, served on the House Intelligence or Judiciary committees, which spearheaded the impeachment inquiry in the House. "Many of us were deeply involved in the process of the House, having either sat in most of the depositions, which every individual here did sit in those, or participating in the House Intelligence Committee or the House Judiciary Committee," Stefanik said. "Were deeply familiar and if we can be helpful to make sure that the counsels office knows all that, thats what were here for. The members are also giving national television interviews to publicly defend Trump. Stefanik appeared on Fox News' conservative talk show Fox and Friends on Wednesday. She and other members of the team have also been tweeting out their views on the trial. Across all her platforms, Stefanik, like many Republicans, is hammering the point that the House impeachment process was unfair and rushed and that the Democrats' case against the president is "flimsy." Zeldin added Wednesday that a future Republican-majority House of Representatives should "absolutely" vote to expunge Trump's impeachment. Democrats say they have "overwhelming" evidence that Trump used his office to pressure Ukraine for investigations to benefit him in the 2020 election and then sought to cover it up. House managers, lead by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., presented their case in favor of Trump's removal in opening arguments Wednesday and Thursday. "Should the Congress just get over it?" Schiff asked. "Should the American people just come to expect that our presidents will corruptly abuse their office ... is that what we've come to? I hope and pray that the answer is no." Democrats are also seeking more evidence against the president by trying to convince the Senate to subpoena Trump administration documents and more witness testimony that so far has been blocked by the White House. The Republican-led Senate, in party-line votes, dismissed several motions to obtain this evidence on Tuesday. Senators have said they will return to the question of witnesses and documents at a later point in the trial. As the trial continues, members of the House GOP defense team will remain in Washington to assist, even when the House is not in session, Meadows said. "Were trying to make sure three to four of the defense team House members are here at all times," he said. "So were going to rotate. Although the position is taking Stefanik away from her district, she said she is feeling the support of her constituents over her defense of Trump. She noted many constituents came to a recent event of hers and her record-breaking fundraising from the end of 2019 has been continuing. Stefanik's opponent also fundraised millions off Stefanik's defense of Trump over recent months. It was very difficult also holding down a full-time job and family. With the support of my family and some very encouraging instructors, I graduated five years later. My plan now is to open a shared kitchen where I can prepare my product and allow other small food-service businesses to grow. When Im asked to contribute time or an encouraging word about my school, it is always a pleasure to tell someone about my experience at Ivy Tech. The proposed investment is expected to increase production capacities with creation of new manufacturing blocks, warehouse expansion and utility augmentation. Hyderabad: Major business conglomerate Piramal Group will invest Rs 500 crore to expand its operations in Telangana over the next three years, the company announced on Wednesday. This was announced on the sidelines of World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after Telangana Minister for Industry K. T. Rama Rao held series of deliberations with Piramal officials. According to an official release here on Wednesday, Rama Rao welcomed the decision of Piramal Pharma to expand their operations in the state and assured that the government will provide necessary assistance to the group. Piramal Pharma is also keen on adding capacities through acquisitions in and around Hyderabad with an aim to support Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing and run Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR activities) in the areas of primary healthcare (Piramal Swasthya) and safe drinking water (Piramal Sarvajal) in and around Digwal village. In addition, the Piramal Group plans to shift their plant from other states to new location in Hyderabad in order to take advantage of the ease of business offered by the Telangana. The proposed expansion in the healthcare sector in Hyderabad will employ over 500 people. It is expected to be amongst the best facilities globally engaged in manufacturing life saving medicines. Piramal Pharma presently has a manufacturing facility in Telangana, cGMP API manufacturing facility approved by various regulatory agencies across the globe including USFDA and EU. The international conference on the Libyan crisis hosted in Berlin Sunday was the latest in a series of such high level conferences that convene when that crisis escalates but fall short of producing the types of solutions that can truly help the Libyan people overcome a conflict that has reached a stage that threatens their countrys unity. The conference concluded with a loosely worded document that reiterated several previously reiterated principles: the need to abide by the UN Security Councils arms embargo on Libya, the need to cease outside support for the combatant parties, and the need to promote a lasting ceasefire and to support UN efforts to seek a comprehensive solution to the Libyan crisis. The UN-sponsored political process towards this end is due to restart in Geneva 27 January. The document did not mention any penalties or other measures intended to guarantee an enduring ceasefire and a halt to outside support for the warring parties. The Berlin document was the product of an agreement reached in the course of five preparatory meetings held since 2019 October. It was hoped that the draft ceasefire agreement, which had been the subject of Russian and Turkish brokered talks between Fayez Al-Sarraj, the head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), that were held in Moscow earlier this month, could be added to the outcomes. Haftar had not signed the agreement in Moscow and still refused to sign it in Berlin. The differences between the two sides were still too deep, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a press conference at the airport before leaving Berlin Sunday night. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters, in a joint press conference with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres after the Berlin summit, that Egypt, the UAE, Turkey and Russia had agreed to work to consolidate the ceasefire in Libya and that the state parties that attended the conference vowed not to send more support to the combatants in Libya. There is only a non-military way to a solution, Merkel said. Now that the participants in the conference agreed to this, we can move to the next step, she added. When asked whether Al-Sarraj and Haftar took part in the discussions in the summit, she said: We spoke with them individually because the differences between them are so great that they arent speaking with each other at the moment. Nevertheless, she concluded on an upbeat note, saying that the conference had generated a new spirit that would help the UN-sponsored peace drive move forward. Guterres, for his part, noted that the participants at the conference had committed not to intervene in the Libyan conflict and that all of them agreed there can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis despite the fact that some of them may have been part of the conflict. He urged all parties to commit to UN Security Council resolutions banning arms transfers to Libya and stressed the need to maintain the truce and then move into an enduring ceasefire. We cannot monitor something that doesnt exist, he said as he urged participants to put pressure on the parties for a full ceasefire to be reached. The Berlin conference, which was jointly organised by Germany and the UN, gave the green light to UN special envoy and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Ghassan Salame and UNSMIL deputy for political affairs Stephanie Williams to move forward on the new comprehensive peace plan. In this regard, the UN secretary general noted that the UN had begun to work together with Libyans to carry out the three tracks of this process. One track deals with economic issues, especially those related to the Central Bank and the National Oil Company. Guterres took the opportunity to express his concerns regarding the recent closure of Libyan oil fields and the halt to production. According to a number of sources, Washington oversaw the drafting of the new plan, called 3MP, which, they say, aims to dismantle the militias, redistribute the sources of wealth, and sideline Islamist groups. On 27 January, the UN headquarters in Geneva is to host the first round of Libyan-Libyan talks, as occurred in 2015, after which the dialogue moved to Skhirat. The UN-sponsored talks in the Moroccan resort town culminated in the Libyan political agreement that still serves as the roadmap for the current transitional phase. Despite regional and international reservations on its substance and failed attempts to introduce some limited amendments, the Skhirat agreement still has US support. The US has been working on two tracks of the UN peace plan for Libya in collaboration with the GNA and a number of other Libyan parties. Over a year ago, it initiated the Libyan-American economic dialogue, the tenth round of which concluded in December 2019. In late November 2019, it began a security dialogue with the GNA in the hope of solving the problem of the militias by either reclassifying their members and attaching them to official security agencies or re-assimilating them in civilian life after convincing them to turn in their weapons. Talks were held in Washington last month with security officials from the GNAs ministries of interior and defence with an eye to creating an official police force for the capital, Tripoli. In November last year, Haftar turned down UNSMILs invitation to nominate five officers to take part in the dialogue. However, Merkel, in her press conference after the conference, spoke of a 10-member military committee to which Al-Sarraj and Haftar would each nominate five members. She said that this committee would hold its first meeting next week. The participants in Berlin also agreed to form a committee to follow-through on the points they agreed to in the summit. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that its members will convene in early February with the purpose of monitoring the state parties adherence to the commitments they made in Berlin. According to the document posted on the German foreign ministry website, the follow-through committee will convene at two levels, the first comprising high-level monthly meetings chaired by the UNSMIL head while the venue would rotate between the state parties. The committee will be responsible for drawing up periodic progress reports. At another level, working groups consisting of technical experts will be created to deal with obstacles that arise in the course of implementation. During the conference, Al-Sarraj called for an international peacekeeping force to be created by the Security Council to keep the combatants apart. While some of the European participants appeared willing to discuss the proposal, Russia expressed strong reservations, arguing that it was Western intervention that had caused the severe deterioration in Libya to begin with. The European response to the proposal to bring in an international peacekeeping force may in large measure be motivated by a desire to reassert a European role in the Libyan crisis after its management became almost totally monopolised by Turkey and Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alluded to this in Berlin when he cautioned that the situation in Libya was on the verge of becoming another Syria. Also wary of growing Turkish and Russian influence in Libya at Europes expense, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell urged EU members to discuss reviving the Sofia process for monitoring the Libyan coasts as a means to ensure commitment to the UN arms embargo on Libya. Arab powers are equally if not more concerned at attempts by Moscow and Ankara to sideline their influence on the management of the Libyan crisis, as occurred in Syria. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The mortal remains of eight Indian tourists, including four minors who died of possible asphyxiation in their room at a mountainous resort in Nepal, were flown back to their hometowns in Kerala on Thursday, senior officials said. All formalities, including the postmortem, were completed on Wednesday night and the bodies were flown on two separate Air India flights from Kathmandu to New Delhi, according to sources at the Indian Embassy here. The mortal remains of Praveen Krishnan Nair, his wife Saranya Sasi and their three children will be taken to Thiruvananthapuram from Delhi, and of Ranjith Kumar Adatholath Punathil, his wife Indu Lakshmi Peethambaran Ragalatha and their son to Kozhikode from Delhi. "This was a very tragic incident," a senior Indian Embassy official told PTI here. The victims were among a group of 15 tourists from Kerala who had checked into a resort in Daman, a popular tourist spot in Makawanpur district, some 70-km south of Kathmandu. The group, after travelling to Pokhara -- a popular mountainous tourist destination -- was on their way back home and stayed at Everest Panorama Resort in Daman on Monday night. According to the manager at the resort, Shiva KC, the families arrived in a reserved vehicle and were supposed to stay in the resort for only one night. Although they had booked a total of four rooms, eight of them stayed in a room and turned on a gas heater for warmth, the manager said, adding that all the windows and the door of the room were bolted from inside. All eight of them were found unconscious the next day morning when hotel staff went to deliver morning bed coffee. Doctors declared them brought dead when they were rushed to a hospital in Kathmandu on a helicopter. Their postmortem was conducted at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital here on Wednesday. The tragedy occurred as the two-decade old resort does not have air conditioners, said Labsher Bista, the mayor of Thaha Municipality in the district. Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has condoled the death and said he was deeply shocked to learn about the incident. He offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, government and people of India. Meanwhile, Nepal's Department of Tourism has formed a five-member committee to investigate whether there were any lapses in the safety of tourists by the resort administration. The committee is required to submit the report within 15 days. An official said that out of the seven who survived, two stayed back to accompany the bodies while others left. Nair and Ranjit, both IT professionals, were engineering college classmates and the tour was arranged after a get-together with old friends in Delhi, a family member said. Nair, who hails from Chempazhanthi in Thiruvananthapuram, was an engineer in Dubai, while his wife, Saranya, staying in Kochi along with 3 children and was a nursing student. Ranjit was working in an IT firm at Thiruvananthapuram, while his wife, Indu, was an accountant in a cooperative bank at Kozhikode, a family member said. Ranjit's elder son Madhav had a lucky escape as he was sleeping in another room. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) boom Twitter/IDF The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted about their new Tik Tok with a bomb joke. Some social media users praised the tweet while others criticized it as tone-deaf. The IDF is known for its inflammatory social media presence, which regularly prompts outrage. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The Israeli military is facing blowback on Twitter after introducing its new Tik Tok account with the tweet, "Tik Tok Tik Tok Tik Tok BOOM". Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 21, 2020 Some users praised the tweet, which was paired with a Tik Tok video of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier firing his rifle at a gun range. One reply approved of the tweet and the military's social media presence generally, saying it was a lure for "antisemites [who] need blocking". Another posted a meme with Israeli fighter jets and a caption saying, "JEWS: Not so easy to f--- with anymore." But the majority of replies were critical of the IDF's choice. One user, who described themselves as Jewish in their Twitter bio, decried the bomb-joke tweet. "Did you hit the journalist you were aiming at?" asked one user, referring to recent United Nations findings that the IDF fatally shot two Palestinian journalists in 2018. Another said, "Gonna post an epic war crime," refering to a recently launched investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged crimes committed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Story continues This is not the first time the Israeli military's social media presence has prompted negative reactions or criticism from users. In 2019, the account posted a tweet implying that all Iranian children are terrorists, prompting widespread criticism and calls for Twitter administrators to remove the tweet. Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 7, 2019 The IDF's social media office had previously been criticized for what the Jerusalem Post referred to as "social media misfires." The newspaper cited a 2019 tweet employing the hashtag #JiHadEnough to mark the assassination of Baha Abu Al Ata. Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 12, 2019 The team seems to be aware of its reputation for snark. In March 2019, the social media office dressed up as "trolls" for Purim. In a 2019 interview, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told the Jewish Telegraph Agency that its social media team welcomed debate, and said its goal was to "be active and engaging," acknowledging "sometimes you do that through controversy." When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the IDF said, "The purpose of the tweet was to update the IDF's followers on social media that the IDF is opening an account on TikTok. The tweet fulfilled that purpose." Read the original article on Insider Were all thinking through three areas of intervention: working with other groups in regards to vaccinations, trying to understand our own primary care system here in Chicago and how it facilitates or is a barrier to accessing the right care for cervical cancer, and thinking through the treatment side in regards to ensuring women get the highest quality by todays guidelines of care, Murphy said. Theres going to be a whole variety of cancers that this will be a model for. Were going to learn a lot through this, in addition to hopefully eliminating cervical cancer. Writing to Christians in Rome about the spiritual condition of the pagan world, Paul diagnosed it in this way: Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct (Rom. 1:21, 22, 28). Not only the thinking but often the laws of men, and even the decisions of religious councils, can conflict with the laws of God. That is why Peter and John, called before the Sanhedrin, declared that they must obey God rather than men (Acts 4:19). In a sweeping decision January 22, the United States Supreme Court overthrew the abortion statutes of Texas, indeed, of all the states that protect the right of an unborn infant to life before, at the earliest, the seventh month of pregnancy. The Court explicitly allows states to create some safeguards for unborn infants regarded as viable, but in view of the present decision, it appears doubtful that unborn infants now enjoy any protection prior to the instant of birth anywhere in the United States. Until new state laws acceptable to the Court are passedat best a long-drawn-out processit would appear impossible to punish abortions performed at any stage. This decision runs counter not merely to the moral teachings of Christianity through the ages but also to the moral sense of the American people, as expressed in the now vacated abortion laws of almost all states, including 1972 laws in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania, and recently clearly reaffirmed by state-wide referendums in two states (Michigan ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. American television presenter Wendy Williams' and producer Kevin Hunter's divorce is official. Wendy Williams who is an American television and radio host has finally finalized her divorce with producer Kevin Hunter. According to the documents obtained by E! News, this week a judge signed off on the finalization of the couple's divorce. As a part of their legal settlement agreement, neither of them will receive alimony. The documents stated that Wendy will remain the sole owner of their previous shared production company, Wendy Inc., and Kevin's remaining business shares will go to her. The two have even agreed to evenly split the profits from their New Jersey home once that sells. In addition, they will each be responsible for paying their own legal fees. The 55-year-old television host filed for divorce in April 2019, citing irreconcilable differences. Williams and Hunter share a son named Kevin Jr. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Impeachment trial continues House Democrats charged with prosecuting the impeachment case against President Trump on Wednesday scaled back their fiery language following a rare scolding from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., as they began laying out their case for Trumps removal from office for pressuring Ukraine to help him win reelection. But as Democrats softened their tone if not their message, Trump and his fellow Republicans dialed up their partisan rhetoric, with GOP senators largely ignoring Robertss admonition and leveling scathing attacks against the trials prosecutors. Democrats also appeared to shut down talk of a deal to secure testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton by offering to trade testimony from the son of former vice president Joe Biden, who was the focus of Trumps alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine. Biden himself said he would refuse such an arrangement. (Washington Post) Featured stories House impeachment manager Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., pauses as he speaks Wednesday during the impeachment trial against President Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. AP Two legal teams with contrasting strategies face off in the Capitol (New York Times) New documents show Trump officials laid the groundwork for Ukraines aid freeze the night before his call to Zelensky (Business Insider) Fact-checking Trumps defense: They got their money (NBC News) 3 Americans killed in crash of water tanker plane fighting Australian wildfires (ABC News) Trump to become first president to speak in person at anti-abortion rally March for Life (CBS News) U.S. drinking water widely contaminated with forever chemicals: environment watchdog (Reuters) National news New Trump administration rule could make it more difficult for some pregnant women to get U.S. visas (Washington Post) DC attorney generals office sues Trump inaugural committee for alleged abuse of nonprofit status (ABC News) Trump suggests he may be open to Social Security, Medicare cuts in future (Associated Press) Waterboarding of detainees at Guantanamo Bay was so gruesome even CIA officials wept (Los Angeles Times) Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton over Russia comment (USA Today) 1 dead and 7 injured, including 9-year-old boy, in mass shooting on downtown Seattle sidewalk (Seattle Times) Virginia Senate votes in favor of red flag law bill (The Hill) Grantsville teenager charged with killing his mother and siblings (Salt Lake Tribune) Its been 3 months since the New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel collapse. The bodies of those killed are still there (CNN) Tenth Mississippi inmate dies in past month (The Hill) Black Texas teen told to cut his dreadlocks to walk at graduation (NBC News) World news A customer walks out of a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan, China, on Wednesday. Pharmacies in Wuhan are restricting customers to buying one mask at a time amid high demand and worries over an outbreak of a new coronavirus. (Dake Kang, Associated Press)AP Coronavirus: WHO steps back from declaring public health emergency (The Guardian) Brexit: UK has crossed Brexit finish line, says Boris Johnson (BBC) Iran will never seek nuclear arms, with or without nuclear deal: Rouhani (Reuters) Masked gunmen kill local commander of Irans security forces (Al Jazeera) Protester says she was paid to appear at Huawei hearing (BBC) UN calls for investigation after Saudi crown prince implicated in hack of Jeff Bezos phone (CNN) Mexico doesnt want us: migrants get stuck at Mexico-Guatemala border (Reuters) Australians warned of possible deadly spider bonanza (CBS News) Go outside: Frances Macron berates Israeli police at Jerusalem church (BBC) Africas richest woman now a formal suspect in graft probe (Associated Press) Half of Americans dont know 6m Jews were killed in Holocaust, survey says (The Guardian) Thomson Mpinganjira is accused of attempting to bribe judges presiding over the presidential election vote-rigging case. A prominent Malawian banker has been arrested in connection with a suspected attempt to bribe a panel of five judges presiding over the countrys presidential election vote-rigging case. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said it arrested Thomson Mpinganjira on Wednesday after receiving a complaint on December 8 alleging that some people were attempting to bribe the judges of the Constitutional Court. Dr Mpinganjira will be taken to court after the ACB has recorded a statement from him, said ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala. Malawian opposition parties are challenging the state electoral commissions May 27 declaration of President Peter Mutharika as the victor despite complaints of irregularities, including result sheets with sections blotted out or altered with correction fluid. The small, landlocked country has since been plagued by protests and demands for Mutharika to resign. Mutharika beat opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera by 159,00 votes a lead of just over three percentage points. Mpinganjira spent the afternoon at the ACB offices in Blantyre. Hundreds of people gathered and chanted Thief! Thief! as he was being whisked away by tight security to a police station. Mpinganjira, an accountant, is the former founding chief executive of the Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE). He left to open private First Discount House (FDH) which later evolved into a bank and has a nationwide branch network. He is also a board chairman of state-run power utility Escom. Many people in Malawi have said he is connected to the governing party, but he has always denied any links. His lawyer Patrice Nkhono told Reuters news agency by telephone that his client has no comment to offer. The Constitution Court is expected to announce its ruling between January 27 and February 3, the High Courts Registrar, Agnes Patemba, was quoted as saying by Malawis Zodiak Radio on Wednesday. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-23 14:33:29 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 535 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 23, 2020 / MPX International Corporation ("MPX International", "MPXI" or the "Company") (CSE:MPXI; OTC PINK:MPXOF) today announced the Company will issue its fiscal 2019 full-year results release on January 28, 2020 after the markets close.The Company will host a conference call on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 8:30 AM EST to discuss the results.Participant Dial-In Numbers:Toll-Free: 1-855-327-6837Toll / International: 1-631-891-4304Confirmation code: 10008462.Investors are invited to listen via webcast available on the MPXI investor section of the Company's website at https://ir.mpxinternationalcorp.com/ Please visit the website 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. For interested individuals unable to join the conference call, a replay of the call will be available through February 12, 2020, at 1-844-512-2921 (U.S. Toll Free) or 1-412-317-6671 (International). Participants must use the following code to access the replay of the call: 10008462. The online archive of the webcast will be available on the investor section of the Company's website for 30 days following the call.W. Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MPXI, and David McLaren, Chief Financial Officer, will be answering shareholder questions at the conclusion of the call.About MPX International CorporationMPX International Corporation is focused on developing and operating assets across the global cannabis industry with an emphasis on cultivating, manufacturing and marketing products which include cannabinoids as their primary active ingredient.Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking InformationThis 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, MPX International's objectives and intentions. 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 MPX International's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although MPX International 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, MPX International disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.For further information, please contact:MPX International CorporationW. Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and CEOT: +1-416-840-3725info@ mpxinternationalcorp.com SOURCE: MPX International Corporation President urges China to share Wuhan virus information ROC Central News Agency 01/22/2020 06:27 PM Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () called on China Wednesday to inform Taiwan about the spread of a deadly new coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan and said the World Health Organization (WHO) should not exclude Taiwan from the global efforts to contain the virus. Tsai made the call at a news conference after Taiwan on Tuesday reported its first imported case of the new SARS-like coronavirus, dubbed the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which broke out in the eastern China city of Wuhan last year. The Taiwanese patient is a 55-year-old businesswoman, who lives in Wuhan and returned to Taiwan on Monday with a fever, sore throat and other symptoms of the infectious disease. Since Taiwan on Jan. 15 began mandatory screenings at airports of arrivals from high-risk areas of China, 26 people have been tested for the 2019-nCoV and there has been one confirmed case, Tsai said. She said she had convened a national security meeting of senior government officials Wednesday morning to discuss how best to monitor the 2019-nCoV situation. Meanwhile, the transportation ministry has raised its travel alert for Wuhan to the highest level in its three-tier system, advising travel agencies to cancel all tours to Wuhan and all trips from the Chinese city to Taiwan, Tsai said. She said, however, that there is no reason for the public to panic during the Jan. 23-29 Lunar New Year holiday. People can safeguard themselves by keeping abreast of the latest government information about the viral outbreak and following the prevention guidelines, Tsai said. She advised people to wear a mask if they are visiting a hospital or have a cough or chronic illness. The president called on China, as a member of the international community, to take its international responsibility seriously by being transparent about the outbreak and sharing information about the virus with Taiwan in the interests of the people on both sides. Political considerations should not be prioritized over people's health, she said, calling on the WHO not to exclude Taiwan from the global efforts to deal with the new virus. Taiwan is part of the global community, and its 23 million people have the same rights as those in the rest of the world, Tsai said. Taiwan has been on the frontlines of global epidemic prevention and has experience in that area, she said. For example, Tsai said, she and several members of her administration, including Premier Su Tseng-chang () and Vice President Chen Chien-jen (), a former health minister, accumulated a lot of experience in the fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. In China, the death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus had risen to nine as of Tuesday, with 440 confirmed cases, according to the country's health officials. Control efforts in Asia have generally been tightened, particularly in light of the Lunar New Year holiday, which typically sees the largest human migration on Earth as families reunite for the holiday. On Tuesday, the United States reported its first case of the new coronavirus and said it was planning to begin health screenings at airports. Thailand, Japan and South Korea have also reported cases of coronavirus over the past week, according to Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control. (By Justine Su, Chen Chun-hua and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on January 23 advised climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has been bitterly critical of US policy at the World Economic Forum, to study economics before giving out lessons. Asked about the Swedish 17-year-old's demand for an immediate halt to investment in fossil fuels, he told reporters: "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us." The Trump administration and Greta Thunberg have sparred indirectly since Tuesday on panels in Davos but organisers have carefully averted any direct confrontation. In a speech on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump castigated the "prophets of doom" and those that predicted a climate "apocalypse", while Thunberg sat in the audience. Shortly before leaving the Swiss ski resort, Trump said he would have "loved" to have met the activist, Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thunberg repeated her climate warnings, hammering home in her speech that it was time to "panic" because "the house is burning", as she did the previous year in Davos. Myanmars military announced Wednesday that it will take legal action against servicemen accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 crackdown on Rohingya Muslim communities in northern Rakhine state following the issuance of a report by a government-appointment commission that conducted an investigation into the accusations. The announcement came a day before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.s highest court, issues a decision on a request by Gambia for provisional measures to prevent further violence against Myanmar's Rohingya, more than 740,000 of whom were driven into exile in Bangladesh during the violence The small West African nation filed a lawsuit at the ICJ in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during the alleged expulsion of Rohingya to Bangladesh. The announcement by the office of military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that the armed forces will investigate soldiers among its ranks who are said to have committed atrocities during the 2017 violence and during a smaller crackdown in northern Rakhine in 2016. The trials will be held in military courts, it said. The Office of the Judge Advocate General will take action in conformity with military justice procedures if there is credible evidence of any commission of offense by members of the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military], the statement said. The government and the military have largely defended the actions of soldiers, saying that they were conducting clearance operations during the two clampdowns in response to deadly attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim militant group. The Tatmadaw in carrying out its duty to defend the sovereignty of the state and protect the life and property of the local people from terrorist attacks launched by ARSA and its collaborators did so spontaneously, the statement said. The action was not premeditated. It also said that the armed forces would review military-related recommendation in a final report issued Monday by the countrys Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE), which investigated the accusations. Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told RFAs Myanmar Service that those accused of rights abuses and atrocities in the ICOE report will have the right to defend themselves. Formed in 2018 to probe the violent clampdown, the ICOE in its final report concluded that security forces committed war crimes and serious human rights violations, but did not act with genocidal intent, despite extensive documentation of atrocities by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar and human rights groups. The report prompted Myanmar President Win Myint on Tuesday to call on the military to investigate and punish soldiers and other security personnel who committed rights violations. If the court-martial finds firm evidence, it will take action against them according to the military justice system with responsibility and accountability, Zaw Min Tun said. We will announce or speak out to the media about any investigation, he said, adding that the military will consider granting the media access to the court-martial process depending on the security situation. Cases must go to civil courts Thar Aye, a Yangon-based Rohingya activist and politician, said accused soldiers should be tried in civil courts as well to ensure an independent ruling. It will not be enough to have only military tribunals because the court-martial handles military-related issues, he told RFA. It will be hard to get the truth for all people only from military tribunals. The cases need to be heard at civil courts that can protect civilians. The military has conducted only two rare courts-martial of officers and other soldiers accused of committing grave rights abuses in 2017. In March 2018, four officers and three soldiers were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a group of Rohingya men and boys in a village in Rakhines Maungdaw township, but were pardoned and freed about eight months later by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The military has held hearings since late November 2019 in a court-martial of soldiers accused of killing hundreds of Rohingya civilians and dumping their bodies in five mass graves in Rakhines Buthidaung township. The military has disputed the number killed, giving a much lower figure and saying that they died during fighting between government forces and ARSA. In response to Thar Ayes comment, Zaw Min Tun said that trials of soldiers cannot be held in civil courts. In which country do civilians get involved in the military justice system, or in which country does the military get involved in cases in civil courts? he asked. Military courts cannot work on murder or rape cases and then transfer these cases to civil courts, because cases that occur when a person is on military duty would fall under [the jurisdiction] of a military court. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday said that Myanmar authorities must allow independent international investigations probes into the role of the military chain of command if they want to address global skepticism about the governments response to the atrocities. The [ICOE] commission appears to admit just enough to try to placate international opinion, which has overwhelmingly concluded that crimes against humanity and even genocide occurred, while shielding senior military commanders who planned and ordered atrocities, Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director, said in a statement. Scapegoating a few low-ranking soldiers will fool no one, he said. The commissions report is only meaningful if the military acknowledges responsibility and agrees to an independent international justice process. Myanmar leaders and top commanders also face legal action at the International Criminal Court at The Hague and in an Argentine court. Myanmars Attorney Generals Office, at the behest of the president, said Wednesday that it will work with related departments to investigate and prosecute cases involving crimes committed in northern Rakhine state in late 2017, the online journal the Irrawaddy reported. Reported by Kyaw Lwin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. UPDATE: Police ID 13-year-old who died after falling into icy East Brunswick pond. Friends say he had a great smile MORE: 14-year-old who fell through ice into Carteret Park pond has died A teen died Wednesday night from injuries suffered from falling through the ice in a pond near the East Brunswick Public Library, authorities said. The 13-year-old, identified Thursday as Yousef Khela, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital and was later pronounced dead, the East Brunswick Police Department said in a statement. Later Wednesday, at about 8 p.m., a teen was also rescued from a pond in Carteret, and rushed to a hospital in Newark. That 15-year-old, identified as David Tillburg, later died, officials said. Police were called to the East Brunswick pond at 4:55 p.m., located on Civic Center Drive in the towns municipal complex, for a report of three juveniles who fell through the ice. Two were able to escape the ice but the 13-year-old was still in the water when officers arrived, East Brunswick police said. Officers formed a chain and entered the pond to try to rescue the teen but he slipped under the ice before they could reach him, police said. Firefighters were eventually able to pull the boy from the pond and he was rushed to the hospital, police said. East Brunswick School District Superintendent Victor Valeski said the teen was an eighth grade student at Churchill Junior High School, according to a message on the school web site. Six officers and two firefighters involved in the rescue were treated for hypothermia and another officer was taken to the hospital after getting into accident while responding to the scene. The pond near the East Brunswick Public Library where a boy fell into the water on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Hello from Hazard! Ben Strohmeyer, of Carrollton, Ohio, and Dennis Graham confirmed Item No. 1149 is a butter worker. Dennis says he was picking up product at Raytec Manufacturing in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, last Tuesday and there was one in the lobby larger and with four legs. David White and Philip Grimm, both of Malvern, Ohio, say the item looks to be a sifter tray. Jeff and Becky Wuthrick, of Alliance, Ohio, submitted the item. Charlie Wilson, of North Canton, Ohio, sent us Item No. 1150. The item has a KD Tool part number. Its about 3 1/2 inches across, has four legs, each with a different end. Know what it is or how it was used? Email us at editorial@farmanddairy.com; or by mail to: Hazard a Guess, c/o Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460. At least four types of coronaviruses cause very mild infections every year, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of these viruses at some point in their lives. Another coronavirus that circulated in China in 2003 caused a more dangerous condition known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. The virus was contained after it had sickened 8,098 people and killed 774. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, is also caused by a coronavirus. The new virus has been named SARS-CoV-2. The disease it causes is called Covid-19. How dangerous is it? It is hard to accurately assess the lethality of a new virus. It appears to be less often fatal than the coronaviruses that caused SARS or MERS, but significantly more so than the seasonal flu. The fatality rate was over 2 percent, in one study. But government scientists have estimated that the real figure could be below 1 percent, roughly the rate occurring in a severe flu season. About 5 percent of the patients who were hospitalized in China had critical illnesses. Children seem less likely to be infected with the new coronavirus, while middle-aged and older adults are disproportionately infected. Amritsar, Jan 23 : Bollywood actor Amit Sadh will join a group of 30 bikers from Delhi to Attari Border for a biking event in association with BSF where the riders will pay homage to BSF Soldiers. Amit will join the RPM India riders on January 24 from Palam Air Force Station at 5 o' clock in the morning. The actor along with ther bikers from RPM India will cover a 500 km journey from New Delhi to Attari Border. "I'm very proud and honoured to be a part of Biker Salute 3.0. It is very rare for people to get a chance like this and express their solidarity towards our soldiers and I'm glad that I'm a part of this noble initiative," Amit said. Pushpendra Singh Rathod, DIG - BSF will flag off this journey. "I, on the behalf of BSF, am very proud of our beloved bikers to see such an appreciable initiative to respect our soldiers. By taking the time off their busy schedules for this milestone, RPM India has already earned our respect. Our servicemen look forward to welcoming the bikers at the Atari Border," Singh Rathod said. Kanika Chhabra, Head Communications, RPM India added: "We are very privileged to see our super bikers with an opportunity to honour our troops at the Attari Border. This initiative is going to be an inspiration for youngsters, but it is nothing compared to the sacrifices our soldiers do for our country throughout the year." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Thales encryption key management will provide data security innovator Secure Channels with secure quantum-resilient cybersecurity technology. Sentinel EMS, Thales software licensing platform aims to ensure solid protection to all of Secure Channels customers IoT devices, particularly within the transmission of sensitive data. This licensing platform will also give customers an easier access to Secure Channels XOTIC cryptosystem. Thales has announced its encryption key management and software licencing platforms have been chosen by Secure Channels to protect its quantum-resilient encryption keys for its IoT-enabled devices. By using Thales key management platform, both companies customers will benefit from increased data protection no matter the connected device, even if there is no current security protection in place. In addition, Thales software licensing platform will enable easy access to Secure Channels cybersecurity software technology for customers and manufacturers, thus ensuring all IoT devices can be protected easily either at source or retrospectively. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200121005189/en/ (Photo: Thales) Thaless Sentinel Entitlement Management Software has enabled the first generation of truly secure connected devices, said Secure Channels Chief Executive Officer Richard Blech. With the vast increase in the number of connected devices hitting the market recently, many are landing in the hands of users without any real protection. The Sentinel EMS tool has enabled our encryption to be launched, managed and distributed within very secure offline environments in addition to cloud-based connected devices protecting the multitude of data flowing within them. Thaless enterprise key management platform provides secure storage for the larger-than-average encryption keys required for long-term data protection. Secure Channels XOTIC strong cryptosystem ranges in encryption strengths from 512-bit to more than 8,000-bit protection. XOTICs bottom floor is twice as strong as the prevalent 256-bit encryption that will have questionable efficacy against post-quantum attacks. The combined key management and evolved-encryption solution gives customers highly secure, archive-level data protection across each IoT-enabled device they develop and own. Manufacturers are challenged with protecting user data transmitted and stored in devices with power, bandwidth and CPU constraints that preclude the use of adequate encryption. As the demand for the rate of connected devices has increased, this has resulted in a sub-optimal security that leaves the data vulnerable to malicious third parties. XOTICs ultralight-weight footprint and high-speed performance provide manufacturers a strong encryption solution that fits in their devices while preserving responsiveness. The collaboration gives manufacturers and customers improved access to Secure Channels XOTIC via Thales software licensing platform, Sentinel EMS. This platform provides security benefits to manufacturers of devices that transmit sensitive user data, as increasing data privacy regulations assign liability and penalties for a failure to provide reasonable security protection. The threat of quantum computing is something that could dominate the business world for years to come as the fear of its computing power is likely to grow, said Sebastien Cano, senior vice president for cloud protection and licensing activities at Thales. Were delighted to partner with Secure Channels to put these fears to bed from now on by protecting any connected device no matter the level of protection they already have or dont have, and enable companies to focus on innovating and progressing without a lingering doubt over the long-term futures of their sensitive data. Its also vital that security is seen as easy to use and easily accessible, as provided by our licensing platform. About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 80,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of 19 billion in 2018 (on a pro forma basis including Gem alto). Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments PLEASE VISIT Thales Group Security Download HD photos View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200121005189/en/ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued their highest travel warning for Wuhan, China due to concerns over the new, mysterious coronavirus. On Thursday, the agency updated its warning from a level 2 alert which means 'practice enhanced precautions' to level 3, which urges Americans to 'avoid unessential travel.' So far, the virus, known as 2019-nCoV, has sickened more than 640 people around the world, with cases reaching as far as the US and leaving 18 dead. It comes on the heels of the Chinese government announcing that it was locking down Wuhan, the city of 11 million people and the epicenter of the outbreak. The CDC issues its highest travel warning on Thursday, urging Americans to 'avoid unessential travel' to Wuhan as the new coronavirus has left 644 sickened and 17 dead. Pictured: Travelers in face masks walk past a display board showing a canceled flight from Wuhan at Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday Meanwhile, the State Department had advised Americans planning to visit China to exercise increased caution. US health officials started screening passengers arriving from China at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport after the first case was confirmed in Washington state on Tuesday. Screening has now been expanded to two more airports: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Chicago O'Hare. According to the CDC, the first patient - a man who lives in Snohomish County and is in his 30s - arrived in the US on January 15 after visiting Wuhan. He reportedly had no symptoms of the virus upon arrival but, after reading about the outbreak online and developing symptoms, he contacted his doctor. The man is currently quarantined in a hospital outside of Seattle. Meanwhile, in China, officials have taken unprecedented measures in an attempt to stop the spread of this rapidly-developing outbreak. On Thursday, authorities announced that planes, trains and buses leaving Wuhan were cancelled. Tollways on roads out of the city were also shut down. Additionally, all public transportation within the city would be suspended, including buses, subways and ferries. China has also closed several tourism attractions and cultural sites including Beijing's Forbidden City, which saw 19 million visitors last year. City authorities also cancelled Lunar New Year events in the nation's capital as well as temple fairs 'to strengthen prevention and support'. The Wuhan coronavirus is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market, with experts suggesting the virus was passed to humans from snakes or wolf cubs. Most of the 644 cases are in China, but patients have been confirmed in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the US. Almost all of the 17 deaths have occurred among older males who had pre-existing conditions. According to the Centers for Disease of Control and Prevention, signs may appear as quickly as two days or as far as 14 days after exposure. The agency says this is based on what was seen in the incubation period for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a cousin of the new virus that originated in Saudi Arabia in 2012. There is no cure for the new virus or vaccine to prevent it, and the National Institutes of Health says research to develop a vaccine is in 'very preliminary stages.' The hack of Amazon.com Inc. billionaire Jeff Bezoss phone, allegedly via a WhatsApp message, brings to light potential security weaknesses in smartphone operating systems, Facebook Inc. vice president Nicola Mendelsohn said. One of the things that it highlights is actually some of the potential underlying vulnerabilities that exist on the actual operating systems on phones, Mendelsohn said in a Bloomberg Television interview with Francine Lacqua at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. Bezoss iPhone may have been hacked after he received a message via Facebooks WhatsApp messaging platform, from Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, according to a November 2019 report by FTI Consulting Inc., a business advisory firm, which was published by Vice. The message included a 4.22 MB video. Within hours of receiving it, a massive and unauthorized exfiltration of data from Bezoss phone began, according to the report. The Saudi Embassy has denied involvement in the hack, calling the allegations absurd. Apple Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mendelsohn, who helps run Facebooks Europe, Middle East and Africa business, said that the company would take any allegations that its service was used in a hack very seriously and would look into it, but said the company couldnt comment on any individual story. Its not the first time WhatsApps been drawn into a hacking controversy. WhatsApp in November sued Israeli spyware maker NSO Group, accusing it of infecting phones of some users through the messaging app. The lawsuit said that NSO Group used a vulnerability in WhatsApp, since patched, to secretly deliver its surveillance software to users. NSO denied the claims in the lawsuit and said it would vigorously fight them. The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 7, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) States, Immigration Groups Urge Supreme Court to Not Intervene in Public Charge Rule Appeal Three states and a group of immigration organizations have asked the Supreme Court to not intervene in cases regarding the implementation of a new public charge rule and instead let the cases play out in the courts. The public charge rule, which was issued in 2019, provides clarification about what factors would be considered when determining whether someone is likely at any time in the future to become a public charge. A public charge refers to an individual who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence through assistance such as food stamps or Medicaid. The rule will consider a person a public charge if they receive at least one government benefit for more than 12 months in a three-year period. The rule was challenged in several states, leading to injunctions that prevented the rule from going into effect on Oct. 15, 2019. Two federal appeals courtsthe 4th Circuit and the 9th Circuitlifted similar injunctions last month. But the 2nd Circuit has refused to set aside a pair of injunctions issued by a New York District Court judge, prompting the Trump administration to file an emergency request (pdf) to the top court last week to lift those blocks. In the New York cases, three statesNew York, Connecticut, and Vermontand a group of immigration organizations such as Make the Road New York sued the Trump administration, in separate cases, to stop the rule from taking effect. The state officials and immigration groups argued in separate filings on Jan. 22 that the top court should not lift the injunctions because the Trump administration has not identified any reasons for the need to let the rule take effect immediately. Defendants have not claimed that a stay is needed for public safety, national security, or military effectiveness, let alone an emergency touching on any of these areas of concern, the state officials argued in their filing (pdf). They said that four circuit courts are currently expeditiously considering the appeals on their merits and will issue decisions in the next few months. They also said that the current immigration framework dealing with decisions surrounding public charges is lawful, and the courts should not disrupt the status quo. Granting a stay here would inject confusion and uncertainty into immigration decisions and plaintiffs administration of their public-benefits programs, and deter potentially millions of noncitizens residing in plaintiffs jurisdictions from accessing public benefits that they are legally entitled to obtain, the state officials said. They also said the expansion of the definition of public charge is unlawful because it vastly exceeds the long-established understanding of that term, contrary to Congresss intent to incorporate this consensus understanding into federal immigration law. The immigration groups made similar arguments in their own filing (pdf). Meanwhile, the Trump administration stated in its filing on Jan. 13 that its request for a stay on the injunctions is appropriate because the Supreme Court is likely to take up the appeals from the 2nd Circuit, as two other appeals courts have already concluded that the rule will likely be upheld. The administration said the decisions by multiple courts of appeals have been rendered effectively meaningless within their own territorial jurisdictions because of a single district courts nationwide injunctions, starkly illustrat[ing] the problems that such injunctions pose. The administration also said the injunctions would result in effectively irreparable harm to the government. The U.S. House of Representatives has filed a motion (pdf) to submit a friend-of-the-court brief on Jan. 22 in support of the states and immigration groups. The House lawyers said in their accompanying brief that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may not substitute its own policy judgment for Congresss with the new rule. The brief stated, When Congress reenacted the public-charge provision without material change in 1996, it legislated against the backdrop of a long-settled understanding of public charge as limited to noncitizens who primarily depend on the government over the long term. Courts must presume that Congress intended to ratify that long-established meaning when it reenacted the provision without changing it. In a statement on Jan. 22, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the DHS rule leaves the door open for discrimination and uncertainty. The Administrations rule opens the door to unfettered and arbitrary discrimination, vast uncertainty and heightened confusion in our immigration and public assistance systems and therefore would be impossible to apply rationally or fairly, she said. Under the Administrations rule, an immigrant could conceivably be denied critical, life-saving benefits, based simply on language skills or perceived likelihood to one day participate in any assistance initiatives. The White House didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. OTTERBEIN, Ind. (WLFI) Several schools across the News 18 viewing area are closed Thursday and Friday due to a large flu outbreak in their buildings. In the Benton Community School Corporation, students were dismissed early Thursday from Otterbein Elementary. Superintendent Gregg Hoover says more than 20% of the school has come down with the flu. A deep cleaning will happen this weekend, according to Hoover. The school will re-open Monday, if health officials give the clearance. The rest of the corporation still will attend school. The entire Rensselaer Central School Corporation is also closed Thursday and Friday due to a large outbreak. On its Facebook page, the corporation said the high school had more than 17% of students sick. The middle school had a 22% absence. The corporation will operate under an e-learning day. St. Augustine Catholic School in Rensselaer is also closed Thursday and Friday and will have an e-learning day. Indiana law requires schools to report absences over 20% to the state health department. Administrators are encouraging parents to keep children home until they are fever-free for 24 hours. Purdue Associate Professor of Nursing Libby Richards says when flu shots aren't effective, it's important to fall back on good old fashioned preventative measures. "Proper handwashing is very important, in addition to avoiding crowds when you suspect someone might be sick, not touching your eyes, nose, mouth," listed Richards. Even when the flu vaccine isn't totally effective, health experts still say it's your best chance of staving off the flu. They say it's not to late in the season to get it. https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Does_the_Holocaust_Still_Matter.html Crucial lessons for humanity to remember always. One rule of thumb by which to measure the significance of the Holocaust is that it clearly matters to the enemies of the Jewish people so much so that many would like to blot out its memory entirely. They are impatient with us: Why do you Jews dwell on the Holocaust? Why not forget it and go forward? The very same mindset that was not disturbed while six million were butchered now resents our remembering those same six million. Forget about it, they say, and move on. What good does it do to keep remembering it? There are a number of reasons for these attempts to blot out and even to deny the Holocaust: Its memory gives spiritual strength to the Jewish people. It undergirds the existence of the State of Israel. It creates sympathy for the Jewish people. It makes heroes of the Jewish people who were able to live through such tragedy and not only survive but flourish. Because the deniers refuse to face the dark potential that lies within mankind and within themselves. And, perhaps primarily, because once the Holocaust is forgotten, their own complicity in it at the very least by their silent acquiescence will also be forgotten, and they will feel exonerated. But the Holocaust matters very much because of the many lessons that are derived from this black period in history. Man is not born good. He becomes good by learning there is another beside him and an Other above him. Among these lessons is the fact that evil and unwarranted hatred are a reality that exists in our world. The human being has an infinite capacity for evil that, left unchecked, can destroy the world. The view that goodness is a built-in and natural quality in mankind is not only Pollyannaish, it is dangerous and untrue. The Torah itself tells us that the "impulse of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21). Man is not born good. He has to become good by forging his character, by bending his baser instincts, by learning that there is another beside him and an Other above him. The Holocaust shows what can become of human beings when they permit the beast within them to control them. It teaches us that we must be alert to the existence of evil, both in others and in our own selves. Once we are aware of its reality, we can work to uproot it. The mitzvot of the Torah are designed to help the spiritual qualities within us dominate the beast within. Further, we learn from this tragedy that to be silent in the face of evil is to acquiesce in it, encourage it, and help it grow strong. History teaches us that evil triumphs when good people remain silent. But when good people rise up against evil, evil will ultimately perish and the good will prevail. Never doubt the evil intentions of tyrants. By appeasing Nazi Germany in the 1930's, by turning a blind eye toward its policies of discrimination, hatred, and ultimately the wholesale murder of Jews, the so-called free world encouraged the Nazis to continue their evil ways with the result that not only were six million Jews brutally killed, but countless others destroyed, and untold human suffering engendered. We made the mistake of not believing what they were saying. Early on, they stated precisely what their plans were. The world should not have been surprised. One should never doubt the evil intentions of tyrants. Today, when we hear talk about destroying Israel and driving her people into the sea, it would be folly to discount it. From the Holocaust we also learn that evil, hatred, and anti-Semitism are not always the result of ignorance, but that even a highly educated, cultured, and sophisticated society can fall under the sway of evil. Germany was a leader in science, art, education, literature, philosophy, music but none of this cultural superiority was a guarantee against the cruelty and bestiality that marked its behavior. The guards at Auschwitz listened to Bach while their victims were gassed to death. The Holocaust underscores a curious fact: whenever we find great evil in the world, it is invariably directed against the Jewish people. The worst tyrants in history have one goal in common: to destroy the Jews. Stalin and Hitler of the last century are only the most recent entries in the endless exhibition of virulent anti-Jewishness. Somehow, the enemies of freedom, peace, love, goodness, and morality have also been the enemies of the Jews. Why do tyrants unleash their fury against the Jews? Because there is within Judaism a certain sense of sanctity and Godliness whose very existence is a challenge to the very essence of tyranny. Hatred of the Jew is actually hatred of God and the morality, ethics and self-discipline that He through the Torah has tried to introduce into the world. A people is judged not by its friends but by its enemies. Though it is most painful, the Jews bear the enmity of the world's tyrants with pride and courage. For this enmity only demonstrates that the Jew represents a different scale of values in the universe, and constitutes a formidable challenge to the dominion of evil. Thus the Holocaust matters very much. Remembering it not only honors the martyrs who fell in the cause of the Jewish people, it also underscores the awareness that despite its ravages, we still flourish as a dynamic people. And this fortifies us and strengthens our faith in God's promises about the eternity of the Jewish people. Memory is an integral aspect of being alive, the glue of one's self-identity. Memory is also an integral element in the life of a people, for a people that forgets its past has no future. How much more so is this true of the Jews, who for most of history had no land, no flag, no armies, no protection. We had only our Torah, our God and our national memory. Because the Jews are a people that remembers, we never forgot our origins. "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand fail..." says King David (Psalms 137:5). We never forgot Jerusalem, we never forgot our history. Had we forgotten, we would long ago have ceased to exist as a people. Wherever we wandered in our exile, our prayers have been directed towards Jerusalem. We do not forget, and even at the moments of our greatest joy at our weddings we shatter a glass to remind ourselves that as long as our Temple is not rebuilt and restored, our happiness is incomplete. Even today, when we approach the remaining vestige of our ancient Temple, we rend our garments like those in mourning. And we have special days of fasting to mark the various stages of Jerusalem's destruction not because we wish to dwell on our past sadness, but because we know what happens when a people forgets its past. It is the Jewish national memory that partially explains the mysterious survival of our people despite all odds against it. That memory is an integral part of Jewish existence is seen by the frequency of its use in the Bible. The term zikaron, "remembrance", appears over 20 times in the Five Books of Moses, and there are over 300 variations of the term zachor, "remember," in the Bible. The Holocaust reminds us of certain truths that, if forgotten, can destroy civilization. So vital is it not to forget evil, that of the many commandments dealing with remembering, one of the most emphatic is the requirement to remember the tribe of Amalek who tried to destroy Israel in its wanderings in the Wilderness. Why is it so crucial not to forget Amalek and to blot out its memory? Because Amalek represents the epitome of evil, the force that seeks to destroy every vestige of God in the universe, including the carriers of God's teachings, the Jewish people. We are bidden never to forget this and to battle against it in every generation (Exod. 17: 14-16; Deut. 25:17). The spirit of Amalek still lives, and it was certainly its spirit that gave strength to the perpetrators of the Holocaust. The Holocaust reminds us of certain truths that, if forgotten, can destroy civilization. And it reminds Jews that the purpose of the Torah is to change man from a beast and transform him into a human being, and that only in connecting with God can evil be pre-empted in the world. We forget it at our peril. For more articles, visit Aish.com's Holocaust Studies section. DEPUTY Speaker Pablo John Garcia (Cebu, 3rd) has asked for a review of the Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education program of the Department of Education which refers to the form of schooling that begins with the language that is most familiar to the children. I think it should be revisited, reviewed and if necessary, a bill should be filed to amend that portion of the law, Garcia said on the sidelines of the House committee on Visayas Development meeting held at the Provincial Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. If necessary, we will file a bill to amend the law because it does say there in the law that the first stage of education should be in the mother tongue. The same law also says that education should be globally competitive, Garcia added. Last December 2019, the lawmakers eldest sister Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, announced that the Provincial School Board approved a resolution implementing a moratorium on the use of Cebuano and Filipino in teaching the core subjects beginning June 2020. The move came after the Philippines ranked poorly in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa). Conducted every three years since 2000, Pisa is a worldwide study intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring the scholastic performance on mathematics, science and reading of 15-year-old students. The Philippines scored the lowest in reading comprehension, the main subject assessed, out of 79 participating countries. It also placed second lowest in Math and Science. Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 was meant to strengthen the Philippine education system and its curriculum. The law also increased the number of years for basic education. Section 2(c) provides that the State shall make education learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive and cultural capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and communities through the appropriate languages of teaching and learning, including mother tongue as a learning resource. Story continues Section 2(a), on the other hand, provides that the State shall give every student an opportunity to receive quality education that is globally competitive based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with international standards. I dont know how to balance those two purposes, said the younger Garcia. I believe that a lot of the decline, especially in our comprehension, has to do with these frequent changes in the educational system, he added. (RTF) France confirmed a truce over its digital tax laws with the United States at the World Economics Forum on Wednesday. France is ready to delay [the United Statess] payment of its down payment of its digital tax to December 2020, said Finance Minister of France Bruno Le Maire. European countries say that companies, like Google and Facebook, arent paying their fair share in taxes, as they profit online, but arent taxed like brick and mortar shops. As part of the truce, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin agreed to suspend retaliatory tariffs on French goods, but Le Maire said that France would not scrap the digital tax law until an international solution was reached. The United States made it clear that its against the European digital tax, which it says is unfair to American businesses. Earlier Wednesday, Mnuchin said, if people want to just arbitrarily put taxes on our digital companies, well consider arbitrarily putting taxes on car companies. The UK, however, says its plans are good to go. We plan to go ahead with our digital services tax in April, said Finance Minister of the Sajid Javid at the forum. It is a proportionate tax and it is a tax that is deliberately designed as a temporary tax. So it will fall away once there is an international solution. Neither Le Maire nor Javid said what an international solution could look like, however, Le Maire will reconvene with the United States on Thursday to discuss the issue. Newark, NJ, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Personal Protective Equipment market is expected to grow from USD 45.27 Billion in 2017 to USD 73.80 Billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period 2019-2026, according to the new report published by Fior Markets. Adoption of stringent regulatory framework for workers protection is driving the market for personal protective equipment. Personal protective equipment is used to protect against health risks in hazardous work environment which is boosting the market growth over the forecast period. Personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as "PPE," is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards causing serious injury and illness in the workplace. Such injuries and illness may result from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical or other hazards in the workplace. Personal protective equipment may include items such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, etc. Rising demand for respiratory protective equipment to ensure the safety of employees working in oil and gas, petrochemicals and mining sectors is expected to drive the growth. However, complex manufacturing methods and high raw material costs may hamper the market growth. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/407132/request-sample Key players operating in the global Personal Protective Equipment market include 3M Co., Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd., Ansell Limited, Avon Rubber PLC, Cordova Safety Products, Delta Plus Group, Dynamic Safety Europe B.V., E I Dupont De Nemours and Co., Honeywell International Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Lakeland Industries, Inc., Lindstrom Group, Mcr Safety Inc., Moldex-Metric AG & Co. Kg., National Safety Apparel, Pan Taiwan Enterprise Co., Ltd. , Radians, Inc., Saf-T-Gard International, Inc., Sioen Industries NV and W.W. Grainger, Inc. among others. To enhance their market position in the global bakery premixes market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint venture, collaborations, and partnership. For instance in May 2016, Honeywell International Inc. launched a range of single use, moulded masks. The product is used in general industrial and construction industries. For instance, in October 2015, 3M doubled its safety gloves portfolio with the addition of three new gloves. The products are used in construction and electrical industries. Also, in September 2014, Kimberly-Clark Health Care, a subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark, launched innovative AERO BLUE performance surgical gown. AERO BLUE features a proprietary fabric with innovative core technology that helps to deliver the highest fluid protection. For instance, in November 2019, Ansell Limited announced a partnership with ProGlove, a provider of industrial wearables, to develop hand protection solutions utilizing technology to ensure the right personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance in the workplace. This cooperation highlights industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) innovation in scaling Ansell PPE and striving to create a safer work environment. Ansell and ProGlove are working for a breakthrough in enterprise safety management by combining smart PPE to address customer frustrations. This is intended to provide millions of workers the digital assistance for choosing the right protective equipment while providing assurance for managers that tasks are being properly executed using proper safety equipment. For instance, in August, 2019 Avon Rubber announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 3M's ballistic-protection business (the "Business") and the rights to the Ceradyne brand. The acquisition of 3M's ballistic-protection business is an important strategic step for Avon. The Business is a high-quality business, backed by proprietary technology, established contract platforms and well invested manufacturing operations. The combination of the Business and Avon will significantly strengthen their technology and their personal protection product offering to an enlarged customer base, thereby accelerating the long-term growth prospects for the Group. The hands & arm protection segment had a market value of around USD 9.73 billion in 2018 The type segment is divided into hands & arm protection, protective clothing, foot & leg protection, respiratory protection, eye & face protection, head protection and others. The hands & arm protection segment emerged as the leader in the global personal protective equipment market with a revenue of USD 9.73 billion in 2018. Risks associated with corrosive chemicals, heavy-duty equipment and handling warm objects are likely to propel the demand for protective gloves in construction, healthcare, food processing, oil and gas, and metal fabrication industries. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/personal-protective-equipment-market-by-type-hands-407132.html The manufacturing segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 6.6% in 2019-2026 The end-use industry segment includes manufacturing, construction, oil & gas, healthcare, transportation, firefighting, food and others. The manufacturing segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of around 6.6% over the forecast period because strong growth in manufacturing activities mainly in developing economies from Asia Pacific and Central and South America is anticipated to boost the demand for employee protection products, thereby driving the demand for personal protective equipment in the manufacturing segment. Regional Segment Analysis of the Personal Protective Equipment Market North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) North America region led the global personal protective equipment market with a revenue of USD 14.12 billion in 2018. The region is characterized by increasing workplace fatalities and stringent regulations imposed by regulatory bodies such as OSHA, thereby boosting the product demand. The Asia Pacific market is predicted to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. This rise has resulted due to the expansion of transportation sector, increase in production and a rapid growth in the construction sector. About the report: The global personal protective equipment market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (Units), consumption (Units), imports (Units) and exports (Units). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=407132&type=single Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. 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Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://marketandresearch.biz Related Reports Silicon on Insulator Market https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/silicon-on-insulator-market-by-wafer-size-200-mm-386067.html Transaction Monitoring Market https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/transaction-monitoring-market-by-component-solution-services-function-deployment-386068.html Projection Mapping Market https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/projection-mapping-market-by-offering-hardware-software-throw-distance-386063.html Radar Level Transmitters Market https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/radar-level-transmitter-market-by-type-capacitance-ultrasonic-386064.html For two years running, Californias wildfires have sent plumes of smoke across Silicon Valley. So far, that hasnt spurred much tech innovation aimed at addressing extreme-weather disasters associated with climate change.Its true that tech companies from enterprise software-maker Salesforce to financial-technology firm Stripe have pushed to dramatically reduce their climate impact. Individual investors and small investment firms have stepped in to fund emerging efforts around cleantech a term used broadly to describe technology designed to manage human impact on the environment. And the catastrophic Australian wildfires have spurred additional interest.But among startups that provide much of tech innovation, things are still moving slowly. Thats partly a lingering hangover from a cleantech investment bust almost a decade ago. But the technology itself can also take years to prove and even longer to persuade traditional utilities and government agencies to adopt.Thats a big bottleneck, said Bilal Zuberi , a venture capitalist with Lux Capital who focuses on emerging tech investments.Zuberi said a recent uptick in funding and activity is encouraging, but he also cautioned that new companies have to find ways to effectively work with slow-moving potential customers.Cleantech companies focused specifically on addressing climate change issues are facing similar trends.It is a massive gap, Matt Rogers , co-founder of venture capital firm Incite Ventures , said of the tech industrys involvement in climate tech funding. Folks dont work in this space.But he added that this seems to be changing, with the most promising movement in the past year.Before getting into venture capital, Rogers co-founded the smart-thermostat company Nest, which was later acquired by Google . He left and started Incite, which focuses on investing mostly in climate tech, as well as health and medical tech startups.One of the firms portfolio companies, Pittsburgh-based Pearl Street Technologies, is working on software to help utilities better manage an increasingly smart electric grid the web of power generators, substations and transmission lines that brings power to homes and business.Founders David Bromberg and Larry Pileggi are developing software intended to help utilities cope with the changes presented by solar installations, more widely distributed wind farms, and the increased complexity of managing grids that increasingly arent centrally planned around large power stations.The tools that are used for the grid were designed for how the grid operated in the 80s or 90s, Pileggi said. The characteristics of the grid have changed, but the software tools havent really evolved with them.The idea is that greater visibility into the way their grid functions can help utilities fix certain problems faster and better prevent others. But the power industry is fairly cautious about adopting new technologies, Bromberg said. PG&E , Californias largest utility, has been the embattled center of Californias wildfires, given its massive planned power outages and findings that its old transmission lines have sparked some huge fires. It also has a significant problem with aged and sometimes failing infrastructure.The utility said in a 2019 smart grid report that it is using several programs to expand wildfire safety, including testing various technologies that could reduce the number of people affected by power outages.Other startups are attempting to tackle wildfires head-on. Chooch AI , an artificial intelligence company based in San Francisco, is using a system that analyzes satellite images every 10 minutes to identify where new wildfires may have broken out and then emails photos to firefighting agencies, who can then verify whether a fire has broken out.At the moment, firefighters largely rely on traditional methods to spot fires typically people who call in after seeing smoke. That can lead to false alarms and fires that go unnoticed for too long, said Chooch CEO Emrah Gultekin Chooch says its talking with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire) as it adapts its system to look for wildfires, although its early in the process. The company hopes to have the system live by next years wildfire season.Another startup hoping to prevent fires from spreading is Ladera Tech , a company founded by a former forestry manager and a Stanford University professor. The pair developed a material that allows environmentally friendly fire retardant to be sprayed on brush and grasses near roadways, where fires are likely to break out often as a result of small sparks from cars. The material, which Palo Alto- and Colorado-based Ladera says it has been testing with California state agencies, allows the fire retardant to stick to the plants to prevent fires from spreading.Fighting roadside fires costs time and money, said co-founder Jesse Acosta , a former fire prevention forester in Hawaii. So lets treat the roadside, and lets bank that money for vegetation management in the hillsides." One of the key safeguards in a controversial Australian law that is intended to help facilitate police access to encrypted communications is almost meaningless, according to a human rights lawyer. Lizzie OShea, a board member of Digital Rights Watch and a 2019 recipient of Access Nows Human Rights Hero award, says that the legislations prohibition on forcing tech companies to introduce a systemic weakness into their systems is almost meaningless. The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 (TOLA Act) allows law enforcement agencies to issue Technical Assistance Requests (formal requests for assistance) and Technical Assistance Notices (orders to carry out a certain act), and also allow the government to issue a Technical Capability Notice (a direction to implement a new capability in a product or service). However, the TOLA Act bars police and national security agencies from requesting or ordering a service provider to implement a systemic weakness or systemic vulnerability. The act defines the term systemic weakness as a weakness that affects a whole class of technology, but does not include a weakness that is selectively introduced to one or more target technologies that are connected with a particular person (the act doesnt require that the particular person can be identified). The original version of the bill did not include any definition of systemic weakness, with the government only drafting one after concerns were raised about the ambiguity of the term. The definition eventually included in the act has continued to be a source of controversy, however. Last year, a collection of major industry groups including Communications Alliance, Digital Industry Group Inc. (DIGI) and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) told a parliamentary inquiry that the definition was difficult to understand, ambiguous and significantly too narrow. One example advanced by the industry coalition was that it was unclear whether a class of technology would cover all mobile handsets, or Android phones, but not iPhones, or the mobile handsets offered by one service provider but not another or some other combination of factors. It's very difficult to identify systemic weakness in advance except to say that almost any of these things that you can imagine a law enforcement agency would like the company to do probably do risk creating a systemic weakness, OShea told the Linux.conf.au conference, which was held earlier this month on the Gold Coast. A systemic weakness is really that you can only define in retrospect, I think, OShea said during her LCA keynote. This safeguard, I think, is almost meaningless. It's window dressing more than anything else. The Department of Home Affairs has argued that the legislation expressly prohibits the creation of so-called exceptional access systems, and that persistent capabilities deployed to a network to create new access points would fall afoul of the acts ban on carrying out or implementing any act or thing that will, or is likely to, jeopardise the security of any information held by any other person. However, in a 2018 submission to an inquiry into the bill which at the time included the systemic weakness prohibition but not any definition Home Affairs argued that, for example, the creation of a custom firmware for a device, such as a smartphone, to service a single request and then used as the basis to respond to future requests does not constitute a systemic weakness or vulnerability. Custom firmware built to address one notice or request is not a systemic weakness unless it is deployed to users other than the targeted user, Home Affairs argued. So long as the capability is held in reserve it does not jeopardise the security of other users and is not a systemic weakness. In her address OShea argued that systemic weaknesses were difficult to define in advance and to stop before they happen. It's like hiding a nuclear bomb in an unlocked garage or shed, because you're not offering any protection on it and if it goes missing, then you have no control over what happens to it after that, she said. The TOLA Act is currently being examined by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Its also being scrutinised by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. According to the park district, funds will be used for trail improvements, park amenities, signage and landscaping. An earlier grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also will be used to stabilize more than 2,200 feet of pond shoreline. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 22:07:17|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close LAGOS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 119 illegal gas outlets have been shut down in Kaduna, northern Nigeria following a gas explosion early this month which claimed lives, an official said Thursday. The closure was in line with the state governor's directive, following a gas explosion on Jan. 4 in which eight persons died and four were injured in the state, Jibrin Lawal, head of the Kaduna Environmental Protection Authority (KEPA) said. Governor of Kaduna state Nasir El-Rufai on Jan. 7 ordered the closure of all illegal gas retail outlets located in residential areas across the state with immediate effect. The directive came three days after an explosion occurred at an illegal gas retail shop in Sabon Tasha area of Chikun local government. Lawal said gas refilling was a high risk-activity that should not be allowed to operate in residential areas. According to him, a total of 77 licensed gas re-fill station operators were sealed until safety measures are met while 42 unlicensed were sealed as regulatory measures to avert danger. He said the agency would continue to inspect gas facilities to ensure that they comply with Standard Operating Procedures(SOP). According to him, the agency was working on providing industrial sites across the state to relocate gas refiling outlets from residential areas. The doctors at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) will perform the Kingdoms first ever liver transplant surgery, it was revealed. This came as Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh responded to a query by MP Falah Hashe. Ms Al Saleh told the session that Bahrain expects to make great strides in its organ transplant plans this year. The minister also revealed that, on an average, 10 kidney transplant surgeries take place in Bahrain every year. She added that Bahraini doctors are being continuously trained to perform such surgeries. Around 700 patients visit Salmaniya Medical Complex and the government dialysis facility in Busaiteen to undergo dialysis three times a week. According to Consultant Nephrologist at Salmaniya Medical Complex, Dr Ali Hassan Al Aradi, a large number of people have also been receiving the dialysis treatment in the Bahrain Royal Medical Service, the Kingdoms military hospital. He said that there are others who receive treatment from home. Meanwhile, the Parliament and the Shura Council have made several proposals to improve kidney care in the Kingdom. Chairman of Bahrain Kidney Patients Friendship Society and Shura Council member Dr Ahmed Salim Al Arrayedh revealed that the Shura Council received a parliamentary proposal on the establishment of a dialysis centre in Hidd. The Parliament put forward the proposal stating that Bahrain urgently requires such a centre, suggesting that Hidd is an ideal location. Climate change is the cause of Australia's devastating bushfires, according to an ex-fire chief who correctly forecast the severity of the blazes. New South Wales Fire and Rescue Service ex-deputy commissioner Ken Thompson warned last September this summer could bring 'very similar results' as the 2019 Amazon fires. The Amazon had the worst season for fire numbers since 2010 - but Australia's latest total of 18.6million hectares burned has far outstripped that of the South American rainforest. A bushfire burns on December 19 at Bilpin during Australia's unprecedented bushfire crisis, which an ex-fire chief who correctly predicted the blazes said is a direct result of climate change As the country's unprecedented bushfire season continues, which has claimed 29 lives nationally, Mr Thompson said Prime Minister Scott Morrison needed to act now on climate change. 'The scientists can see it but we still have a political situation where the government's prevention of bushfires is reactive all the way through,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'If we are getting serious about the fires we need a proper climate change policy.' Since leaving his position as second in command of the state's fire service, Mr Thompson has been pushing for a more decisive CO2 emissions policy from the Australian government. But he said Mr Morrison refused to meet with his group Emergency Leaders for Climate Action when they wrote to him April asking for a meeting. 'We read all the signs and forecasts saying we're going to have hotter than average temperatures and lower than average rainfall,' he said. NSW Fire and Rescue Service ex-deputy commissioner Ken Thompson had warned the 2019 Amazon forest fire season (pictured last September in Rondonia State) and 2019-20 Australian bushfire season could have similar results 'We felt we had a moral obligation to meet with the prime minister. We wanted people to see human-induced climate change. 'Climate change is like walking through a minefield. You don't know when it is going to blow up in your face.' The prime minister's office said in response Mr Morrison was being proactive in response to this year's bushfire season. 'The prime minister is in regular contact with the state and territory Premiers and Chief Ministers, who manage the response to bushfires, and they get every resource they ask for from the federal government,' a government spokesperson said. 'We have also moved past just responding to requests - well be proactively locking in extra support even before were asked by states and territories.' Mr Thompson said Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured addressing media on January 20) needed to act now on climate change in the midst of the national bushfire crisis The spokesperson added the government had listened to expert advice and committed an extra $11 million for this and the past summer for water bombing aircraft on top of the annual budget. The former deputy fire chief admitted global warming was not the only cause of the fires - citing increased fuel loads and even a hot police car for sparking blazes. 'But the driving force behind the fires is climate change,' Mr Thompson said. 'The amount of fuel is higher because climate change has exacerbated the drought.' He also noted dry lightning strikes as a cause of fires this season, which scientists said last month they fear are increasing because of changes to the climate. It follows NSW Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd saying earlier this month 'the majority of larger fires' in the state were caused by dry lightning storms. Mr Thompson said hotter than average temperatures (BoM forecast for spring 2019 pictured) were expected for the bushfire season, yet he said Mr Morrison refused to meet with his group Emergency Leaders for Climate Action when they asked for a meeting Mr Thompson had told Daily Mail Australia in early September 'the causes in the Amazon may be different but the results are very similar'. 'People are losing their houses and their properties over there in Brazil and it could be the same here,' he said. Mr Thompson said he saw the increasing year-on-year bush fire threat as a direct result of climate change, and called on the government to change its environmental policy. 'I understand coal is important but there's no transition plan,' he said. 'The alarm bells have been ringing for a long time - our fire services aren't getting smaller but the magnitude of bush fire events are getting bigger.' A gunman surrendered to the Armenian police after reportedly bursting into an office building in Yerevan and opening fire there on Thursday. Police officers rushed to the Erebuni Plaza Business Center and cordoned it off shortly after the gunfire. The situation is under control, a police spokesman told reporters outside the building. In an ensuing written statement, the national police service said that its acting chief, Arman Sargsian, personally negotiated with the gunman and that the latter handed his weapon and surrendered as a result. The unidentified man was then taken to a police station in Sargsians car, according to the statement, No citizens were injured, added the statement. All circumstances of the incident are being clarified. The police said nothing about the mans demands or motives. Erebuni Plaza houses the offices of the United Nations, several private companies as well as the jailed former President Robert Kocharian and two media outlets sympathetic to him. Their employees were not allowed to leave the building during the two-hour standoff. A journalist working for the Yerevan.Today news website said she saw an armed man and heard gunshots on the ground floor and immediately fled the scene. She said she and her colleagues were told leave the building after the standoff. The head of Kocharians office, Victor Soghomonian, told reporters that it was empty during the incident. He said he does not know whether the gunfire had anything to do with the ex-president, who is standing trial on coup charges strongly denied by him. I have no information now, said Soghomonian. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian was quick to react to the incident. Any manifestation of violence, whatever the motive or justification, is unacceptable, Pashinian wrote on Facebook. No to violence! Armenia without violence. The digital world isnt just exhausting for adults. More than half of the middle and high school students who participated in a recent survey say they sometimes turn off their phones just to get some relief from all the activity, even though they then feel disconnected. And more than half of U.S. students surveyed56 percentsay technology and social media are tearing us apart more than they are bringing people together. Thats according to results from a series of polls spearheaded by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit in San Francisco that studies the impact of technology on young people, and Kahoot!, a learning games platform. The surveys were hosted by teachers in 219,754 sessions, engaging 457,330 middle and high school students from around the world. The questions were intended to get class discussion going, and give teachers insights on how their students view social media. But some of the results are striking. For instance: About a quarter of U.S. students who took the survey agreed with the statement, When youre hanging out with friends, its okay for everyone to be on their phones, while about 60 percent disagreed. And a third of students said that if you dont want to text someone anymore, its okay to just ghost them, compared with more than half who disagreed with that statement. More than half of U.S. students surveyednearly 54 percentsaid social media is a good place to stay up-to-date on the worlds news, while about a quarter disagreed. Nearly a third of U.S. students31 percentsaid it was okay to share something on social media, even if its not true, if it is funny and you like what it says. Just under 43 percent of students surveyed in the U.S. said that when you find mean, hateful, or abusive content online, its best to ignore it. Roughly the same percentage disagreed. And more than a third agreed with the idea that people should accept that seeing offensive or threatening content is just a part of being online, while half of students disagreed with that idea. About 80 percent of U.S. students in the survey said that some people think too much about their social media posts, and are always trying to be perfect, while just over 10 percent disagreed with that idea. And about a third said that it was okay to post a version of yourself on social media thats not 100 percent real. The findings on the surveys were intended to spark conversation on digital citizenship. Jason Gay, a media specialist at Highland High School in Fort Thomas, Ky., said it allowed him to meet kids on their terms. And he was able to learn a bit more about the stresses social media bring on his students. There is a whole side of meme culture and joke culture that as adults is a really tough thing for us to understand, he said. Students are so used to that world where everything is all the time being pumped out online, and they rarely catch a break from it, the way that many now-adults did when they were in high school and social interactions were largely confined to the school day. Ruben Valenzuela, eighth grade social studies teacher at Sanchez Middle School in El Paso, Texas, also used the quizzes, and accompanying lessons from Common Sense, to talk to his students about how social media is impacting their interactions with peers. They agreed that when they are hanging out with a group of friends, pretty much everyone is on their phone, he said, even if they are just interacting with other people in the room. A lot of them said theyll talk to one hundred of their classmates on social media, but in real life as they are passing in the hallway, they wont talk to each other. The reason? Sometimes it just feels easier to talk to someone through the safety of a screen. It gives them time to think about their responses, he said. Students say its easier to cope with rejection. They all agree they cant live without their phone. Image: Getty SPRINGFIELD Like many new mothers, Margaret Dynak wanted to stay at home with her baby for as long as possible, to soak up what she calls all those precious moments," no matter how small, like the infants first smile. Had Dynak, a teacher in suburban Chicago, given birth at almost any other time of the year, she might have been able to do that while also collecting paid sick time from her employer, Wood Dale School District 7. But since Dynaks baby arrived just before summer break, district officials didnt allow her to use up to 30 days of paid leave when work resumed in August, according to a lawsuit filed on Dynaks behalf by her union, the Illinois Education Association. As a result, Dynak lost about $8,000 in wages when she took 12 weeks off during the next school year, all unpaid, through the Family and Medical Leave Act, court records in the case state. Dynaks case, which has the potential to affect parental leave policies for thousands of school employees across Illinois, reached the state Supreme Court on Wednesday, with both sides making oral arguments about whether the 30 days of paid sick leave must begin right after a birth or whether it starts on the soonest subsequent work day. A state law entitling school employees to 30 days of paid sick leave for the birth or adoption of a child does not say whether the benefit must be used within a specific amount of time, but the Wood Dale school district has argued it does not apply after the lengthy summer break. The question, in this case, is whether paid sick leave is available for use four months after the birth of the child when neither the teacher, spouse, or child presents a medical issue that requires the teacher be absent," Superintendent John Corbett said in an emailed statement. "While the legislature is free to change the law, and the union is free to bargain for such a benefit, the present law does not support Ms. Dynaks claim to paid parental leave, as the lower courts have held. Dynak, who teaches at Westview Elementary School in Wood Dale, did not attend the arguments in Springfield, reporting to her classroom instead. But on the eve of the hearing, she said she felt both nervous and hopeful the justices could help end the dispute, which started with the birth of her daughter in June 2016, and provide more clarity for the future. Justices are expected to issue a ruling in the coming months. I just want to see that its resolved, Dynak, 35 of Palatine, said by phone Tuesday night. I want all teachers or anyone to be treated fairly with being able to get to use your time, your earned time that you have, so that you can spend it with your child. The situation that led to the lawsuit began in March 2016 when Dynak alerted her employer that she was scheduled to have a C-section on June 6 and that she wanted to apply her paid sick time for the following school year. School ended with a half day on June 7, and Dynak had accumulated 71 paid sick days over her years working at the district, according to the lawsuit. Corbett told Dynak she could use 1.5 days of sick time for the birth to make up for the days in June but that she wouldnt be allowed to transfer the paid sick time to the next school year, the lawsuit states. When Dynak took 12 weeks of unpaid leave using FMLA at the start of the new school year, she was docked 58 days of pay, the lawsuit said. Had she been able to apply her paid sick time, she would only have lost out on 29.5 days of pay. Teachers typically receive paychecks during the summer, if they choose to have their wages divided evenly among the calendar months, though are not considered to be working. Before Dynaks case reached the Illinois Supreme Court, judges in DuPage County and the appellate court ruled against her. In a majority opinion issued this summer, Second District Appellate Justice Joseph Birkett wrote it was unreasonable for Dynak to be eligible for paid sick leave after having ample time to recover and bond with her child during the 10-week summer break. Birkett wrote that the triggering event for the benefit is the arrival of a child. In its wisdom, the legislature decreed that an employee is entitled to a 30-work-day leave for the event of a birth, and, as with illness-related leave, divorcing the leave from the triggering event would render the provision absurd," Birkett wrote. But in a dissenting opinion, Appellate Judge Donald Hudson wrote that his colleagues misinterpreted the statute and in doing so imposed additional restrictions on the language. The law, he wrote, does not mention any exception to the 30-day rule for summer break and should not prevent an employee from utilizing the paid sick time during work days, even if the days are not consecutive. At the Supreme Court on Wednesday, IEA attorney Ryan Thoma presented his case first, underscoring the fact that the paid sick leave provision of the Illinois School Code does not require employees to take the leave within a specified time period. The law, he said, entitles Dynak to use paid leave at any reasonable time, as long as it relates to the birth of her child. She did not lose that right based on the happenstance of when her child was born, and she does not lose that right by any intervening period of non-work days, whether that be summer break in this case or whether that be spring break, winter break or another holiday period, Thoma said Wednesday. Adam Dauksas, an attorney representing the school district, rejected that notion and warned that school districts could be inundated with absurd requests to take paid sick leave weeks, months or years after childbirth if the statute is interpreted too broadly. The school districts argument ... is that sick leave must be used at a time when an employee is unable to attend work because of the birth, or illness or other qualifying event, Dauksas said. That is, sick leave use must be tethered to the event causing the need to be absent from work. It cant be delayed 10 weeks or 10 months later down the road. Even when this case is over, Dynaks fight might not be. Dynak has since given birth to another child who was born over the summer break. That led to another lawsuit against District 7, which is pending in circuit court, according to an IEA spokeswoman. 15 new Illinois laws for 2020 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The UN International Court of Justice recognized the right of the Rohingya people for genocide protection. The Government of Myanmar is obliged to take all possible measures to protect the Rohingya. Thus, the judges rejected the arguments of the leader of Myanmar, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Four months later, the country's authorities will have to report to the UN on the measures taken, and after that - report on them every six months until the court makes a final decision on the case. The current decision was unanimously supported by all 17 judges. It is formally legally binding and not appealable. However, the court essentially has no mechanisms for its implementation, BBC reported. In announcing the decision, President of the Court Abdulqawi Yusuf said that the court took note of the evidence of the disproportionate use of force against the Rohingya by the military of Myanmar in 2017 in violation of international law. The court also referred to evidence that the military did not prevent the looting of Rohingya settlements by civilians after they conducted cleansing operations in these settlements. The pending lawsuit filed by the Gambia refers to ethnic cleansing conducted by the Myanmar military in Rakhine State from October 2016 to December 2017. The decision does not mean that the court recognized the events in Rakhine State as genocide. Nevertheless, it was adopted in accordance with the second article of the International Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, which refers to harm to an ethnic group, intentional deterioration of the living conditions of this group and measures to reduce the birth rate within the group. By Trend The signing of documents on the opening of an affiliate regional center of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Azerbaijan is a very significant achievement that brings the country to a completely different level, Provost and Academic Vice President, Associate Professor of Political Science at Assumption College, Ph.D. Greg Weiner told Trend. Weiner stressed that Azerbaijan is one of the most stable and politically predictable countries in the region and the opening of the WEF regional center in Azerbaijan will strengthen the country's leadership. "Moreover, this will give Azerbaijan an additional impetus in the process of attracting investments, Weiner added. Of course, this is a very big breakthrough for Azerbaijan in the field of integration into the international economic system. The signing of such documents demonstrates a high level of confidence in Baku and as a result, the international investment community will be much more benevolent towards Azerbaijan and will invest money in the country more confidently, the political analyst added. Azerbaijan, being a leader in the region, may assume responsibility to help other countries to develop, Weiner said. The opening of the WEF regional center in Azerbaijan will give a big impetus to the development of the non-oil sector. "The WEF will attract investments in Azerbaijan, which will have a beneficial effect in almost all spheres of the non-oil sector, and especially in tourism sector, Weiner said. In short, the WEF will open up great opportunities for Azerbaijan." The WEF affiliated regional center will open in Azerbaijan. The corresponding protocol of intent was signed during a meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and WEF President Borge Brende. Azerbaijan is one of the first countries which signed this important document with the Davos Forum. During the meeting, the sides emphasized that such centers are created in few countries. Their main goal is to realize the opportunities which stipulated the Fourth Industrial Revolution. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 01:44:39|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei delivers remarks during a concert celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Jan. 22, 2020. Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei hosted a concert Wednesday night at his residence to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year. (Photo by Lao Chengyue/Xinhua) HOUSTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei hosted a concert Wednesday night at his residence to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year. Named "Greetings of Spring," presented by the Chinese Consulate General in Houston together with the Houston Symphony, the concert featured both Western and traditional Chinese music. Four artists from the Houston Symphony performed a string quartet while four local artists played traditional music using unique Chinese instruments, such as guqin, guzheng, erhu and bamboo flute. Nearly 100 guests, including U.S. politicians, businessmen and leaders of social organizations, marveled at the performances. Cai said that by mixing Western music and traditional Chinese music together, people can enjoy and celebrate Chinese and American cultures at the same time. John Mangum, executive director and CEO of the Houston Symphony, told Xinhua that this kind of collaboration shows that music is a universal language. "I was really struck in the performance by that quality. It's a universal language that we can all understand, whether it's Chinese traditional music or Western classical music," he said. Mark Winchester, deputy district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and his wife were invited to the concert. He said that the Chinese Lunar New Year is a good opportunity for people with all backgrounds to celebrate together. "My birthday is in January so I always feel I'm associated with Chinese New Year. It's wonderful to celebrate with our Chinese friends together," he said. French and Dutch police have arrested 23 suspected members of a criminal network that has smuggled as many as 10,000 migrants from France to Britain, according to the European police agency Europol. The network was suspected of earning 70 million euros (USD 77.6 million) in profits by organising illegal passages for migrants from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Iran, Europol said Thursday. The migrants traveled to Britain from around the western French cities of Le Mans and Poitiers. Many of them faced life-threatening conditions, hidden in refrigerator trucks crossing the English Channel by ferry or undersea train. As many as 20 migrants were held in each truck and each paid as much as 7,000 euros (USD 7,760) for the crossing, Europol said. A suspect in the Netherlands collected those payments via an underground banking system, Europol said. Police seized firearms and vehicles in five searches, and the migrants found during the operation were taken to safety. Ton van Lierop, a spokesman for Eurojust, said most of the arrests were Tuesday in France. The operation came amid renewed attention to migrants risking their lives in trucks trying to cross the Channel after 39 Vietnamese trying to enter Britain died in October in a refrigerated truck container. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Southern Resident orca community is one of the most endangered populations of whales in the world. Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) is dedicated to their protection and ensuring the Southern Residents share our coast for generations to come. In this presentation, Colleen Weiler will discuss how these orcas are connected to Oregon and explain ways in which Oregonians can help. The 7 p.m. presentation takes place March 12 at the Fort George Lovell Showroom, 1483 Duane Street, Astoria. This free event is open to the public. Doors open at 6 p.m. to purchase dinner or beverages at the Fort George Brewery before the event. Colleen Weiler has been the Jessica Rekos Fellow for WDC since 2014. Her work focuses on identifying effective conservation strategies and protective measures for orca populations off the west coast of the U.S. and Canada, especially the endangered Southern Resident orca community. After completing an MS in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University, Weiler opted to stay on the west coast and gave up on ever seeing a whale in the Great Lakes of her home state of Michigan. WDC works globally through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation and field projects, educational outreach, legal advocacy, and more to develop science-based, ecosystem-wide solutions for protection and recovery of orcas. Nature Matters, a lively conversation about the intersection of nature and culture, takes place on the second Thursday of each month from October through May. Nature Matters is hosted by Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in partnership with the North Coast Watershed Association, the Lewis & Clark National Park Association, and the Fort George Brewery + Public House. For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471, check out http://www.nps.gov/lewi or Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on Facebook. Pixabay License Its a true thing. Sometimes the entity collectively called a newspaper makes an error. Thats because, besides soy ink and recycled paper, its made by human beings. As much as journalists fancy themselves heroes or muckrakers or protectors of the eternal flame, theyre really just servants. Servants to the truth. And thats a good deal for everyone involved. Listen: Even Rod Carew had a few career errors, and Im sure he wanted to tell his fans all about them after he missed this or that line drive when the sun was in his eyes. Wed like to do that too, but mostlyin this casebecause the unforced errors in our first legislative update led to a good story. That story is about the people in this state who are working hard to make Michelle Lujan Grishams vision of a progressive state that takes care of its peoplein particular its teachersinto a real, sustainable deal. Errors Last week we told you a little bit about HB46, a legislative initiative that has to do with the states educational retirement board. That board is headed by Jan Goodwin. Shes been at the helm of the organization that manages our teachers pensions and post-career health care since 2008. Goodwin called us last week to point out some errors in our first legislative update for the year 2020. And its a true thing. Besides an awkward error in the headlinea typo, as it werewe also misstated the intent of the bill pre-filed by state representative Tomas Salazar. The board is in fact asking for funding to preclude a rise in member contributions and not the other way around. Under this legislation, money would be appropriated to accommodate a small increase in contributions by employers, not employees. Of course the arcane wording of the bill didnt help with our inaccurate interpretation and subsequent reporting. But thats no excuse. Goodwin was concerned about teachers in this state reading what we wrote. Long story short, we told Goodwin wed like chat on the phone this week and then let her tell the story of the New Mexico ERB and the legislative session that started on Tuesday afternoon. And thats the truth. Background According to Goodwin, there are 60,000 active members in the program that manages educational employee pensions in The Land of Enchantment as of June 30, 2019. She told Weekly Alibi, We cover all of the educational employees in the state of New Mexicocollege professors, public school teachers, community college employees, all of the public educational employees in the statewe also have 50,000 retirees. The amount we pay our retirees over the course of a year is $1.1 billion dollars. Of course that money has a significant impact on employees and the communities they live in, Goodwin acknowledged. But where does that money come from? The ERB director explained that, ERB is a pension plan, and to a certain extent its been prefunded. The way a defined benefit pension plan works is while the members are working, they make contributions and their employers pay contributions [too]. Right now we have a total of $13.6 billion dollars in investments. That money in the pension plan, Goodwin continued, is fungible, the way its set up, the employee, during their working years, between their contributions and their employers contributions, that all earns investment income. So when its time for them to retire and not pay contributions anymore, theres money for them to retire. ERB manages that entire process. HB46 This years bill changes that system to benefit members of pension plan. Goodwin said the bill is part of this years budgetary process. Schools and universities get funding to pay their employees and their part of employer contributions into the retirement system. Typically, when theres an employer contribution increase for the K-12 people, its funded by the legislature at 100 percent. Last year, we had a one-quarter of one percent increase in employer contributions that was completely funded. But for the higher ed portion, it was only funded at about 60 percent. That means that higher ed has to take money from elsewhere to fund employer contributions. ERB is not 100 percent funded, Goodwin reminded readers, but it is solvent and this years legislation will help improve sustainability, a long term shared goal of the legislature and the educational retirement board. But last year, the call for an increase in employer contributions didnt get the governors signature. Thats why were back this year asking for this increase, Goodwin stated. Instead of raising the employer contribution and having the concern that the higher ed portion wont be fully funded-it would be a huge strain for higher ed to pay that employer contributionthats why were asking for the money in such an unusual way. This year, the money to fund some employer contributions to ERB would come directly from state coffers. For fiscal year 2021, beginning July 1, 2020, were asking for an appropriation from the general fund. Were asking for $50 million plus the equivalent of a 1 percent increase in the employer contribution. If so fundedwith a mind to the future of higher education in New Mexicothe states retirement fund will continue to be a valid marker of New Mexicos overall economic health. And although the teacher pension plan in this state is solid and being captained by economists and accountants with deep respect for the importance of education in these parts, relieving the burden placed on underfunded universities and colleges by asking for money from the general fund a fund that is now neck-deep in petro dollarsseems like a very reasonable request. DENVER, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With 37 countries served and 25 years of collective wisdom, Gateway Proven Strategies ("GPS") is a world-class cannabusiness consulting firm, positioned to accelerate the growth of the greatest industrial revolution of the 21st century. Founded by two of the top cannabis industry leaders, Bob Hoban and Charles Feldmann, GPS is paving the way for the global cannabis supply chain, navigating Fortune 500 companies and world leaders through the nascent winds of the global cannabis marketplace. Leveraging its vast global network, GPS has attracted a diverse team, boasting some of the brightest minds in the world, with unique backgrounds that range from global pharmaceutical executives and cannabis industry pioneers to attorneys and former leaders in elite government organizations, including the FBI and DEA. "I am thrilled to bring a breadth of knowledge and discipline to the business needs of this emerging industry," said Ceci Zak, Chief Operating Officer of Gateway Proven Strategies. "GPS is helping clients understand the global cannabis marketplace with respect to regulatory frameworks, economics, and social impact. GPS works with clients to bring awareness to the ecological opportunities inherent in hemp, which has the ability to transform corporate sustainability metrics." The GPS team delivers proven strategies and facilitates key partnerships that drive real revenues and actual profits for its clients. "When the Fortune 500 companies of the world are ready to turn to sustainable hemp-based products and Wall Street looks for real and profitable industry leaders to invest in, we are well-equipped to educate and guide them through that transition," said Charles Feldmann, Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Proven Strategies. GPS is uniquely founded on proven strategies, providing top-tier analytics, operational and M&A consulting services for companies, investors and entities looking to globally scale their existing businesses. "Built to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of the international cannabis market, GPS in partnership with Hoban Law Group and International Hemp Solutions, can provide clients immediate access to the top players in the industry, in any jurisdiction that supports a regulatory framework for commercial cannabis," said Bob Hoban, President and co-founder of Gateway Proven Strategies. With many exciting opportunities on the horizon, this new firm is positioned to transform the global cannabis market and the world as we know it. For more information, visit www.GPS.Global | For interviews with any of the mentioned companies, contact Deanna Callahan at [email protected]. Contact: Deanna Callahan | Email: [email protected] | Phone: (310) 867-9911 Related Files Slide6.JPG Slide9.JPG Related Images gateway-proven-strategies.jpg Gateway Proven Strategies Logo Related Links Gateway Proven Strategies SOURCE Gateway Proven Strategies Related Links http://www.GPS.Global Front, a San Francisco, CA-based software company redefining the email inbox for work, raised $59m in Series C financing. Backers included Atlassian co-CEO and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes; Atlassian President Jay Simons; Okta executive vice chairman, COO and co-founder Frederic Kerrest; Qualtrics co-founder and CEO Ryan Smith and Qualtrics co-founder and CTO Jared Smith; and Zoom CEO Eric Yuan. Sequoia Capital, Initialized Capital, Anthos Capital and other existing investors are also participating in the round. The company intends to use the funds to continue driving product innovation and scale go-to-market functions. Founded in 2013 by co-founder and CEO Mathilde Collin, Front transforms the inbox into a flexible platform where knowledge workers can organize communication, get context for decisions, and take action faster with their teams. In Front, all work communication emails, texts, direct messages, etc. is centralized in one place. With mentions, assignments, shared inboxes, and visibility into who is working on what, teams get a shared perspective for handling conversations together. The platform is used by more than 5,500 businesses including MailChimp, Shopify and Stripe, and others in many industry verticals including professional and financial services, logistics, customer success, or startup companies. FinSMEs 22/01/2020 The new virus emerged in China at the end of December and spread to other countries in Asia. The outbreak, which has sickened more than 540 people and left at least 17 dead, has triggered extensive protections around the globe, including extra screening and protocols for travelers coming from the Wuhan region in China. In the United States, passengers from Wuhan are being funneled to airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago and New York, where screening stations have been set up. Chinese authorities escalated their own actions, announcing plans to close off the city of Wuhan by canceling planes and trains scheduled to leave the area of more than 11 million people. The World Health Organization has been considering whether to declare an international emergency. In Washington State, officials declined to discuss additional details about the patient or the specifics of his travel, saying they would publicly disclose them only if they had trouble making contact with people who might be at risk. While public health leaders said they saw minimal risk to the public, they also said the case in Snohomish County may not end up being the only one. We have our first case in the U.S., Mr. Wiesman said. I would expect that at some point were going to have more cases in the U.S. After the first American patient visited a clinic on Sunday, a few days after returning from China, doctors asked him to stay home and isolated as they worked with the C.D.C. to test whether he had been infected by the new coronavirus. After confirming the illness, officials later coordinated with emergency medical technicians to bring the man to Providence Regional Medical Center in the city of Everett, where a containment unit had been built during the most recent Ebola outbreaks, said Dr. Jay Cook, the hospitals chief medical officer. The unit has a negative airflow to filter any air coming out of the room, and an adjacent room for workers to put on protective equipment if needed. BEIRUT - Iran has long sought the withdrawal of American forces from neighbouring Iraq, but the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and an Iraqi militia commander in Baghdad has added new impetus to the effort, stoking anti-American feelings that Tehran hopes to exploit to help realize the goal. The Jan. 3 killing has led Iraqs parliament to call for the ouster of U.S. troops, but there are many lingering questions over whether Iran will be able to capitalize on the sentiment. An early test will be a million-man demonstration against the American presence, called for by influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and scheduled for Friday. It is not clear whether the protesters will try to recreate a New Years Eve attack on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iran-supported militias in the wake of U.S. airstrikes that killed 25 militiamen along the border with Syria. Iran might simply try to use the march to telegraph its intention to keep up the pressure on U.S. troops in Iraq. But experts say Iran can be counted on to try to seize what it sees as an opportunity to push its agenda in Iraq, despite an ongoing mass uprising that is targeting government corruption as well as Iranian influence in the country. Iran is unconstrained by considerations of Iraqi sovereignty, domestic public opinion, or legality when compared to the Western democracies, said David Des Roches, an expert with The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. This is Irans strategic advantage; they should be expected to press it. A withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would be a victory for Iran, and Tehran has long pursued a two-pronged strategy of supporting anti-U.S. militias that carry out attacks, as well as exerting political pressure on Iraqi lawmakers sympathetic to its cause. Despite usually trying to keep attacks at a level below what might provoke an American response, Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at a military base in Kirkuk in December, killing a U.S. contractor and wounding several U.S. and Iraqi troops. The U.S. responded first with deadly airstrikes on Iran-affiliated militia bases in western Iraq and Syria, then followed with the Jan. 3 drone attack that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Irans most powerful military officer, along with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as they left Baghdads airport. The severity of the U.S. response surprised Iran and others, and it had the unanticipated result of bolstering Tehrans political approach by prompting the Iraqi parliament to pass the nonbinding resolution pushed by pro-Iran political factions calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from the country. In response, President Donald Trump has threatened sanctions on Iraq. What they want to do is get rid of U.S. troops in what they see as a legitimate political manner, said Dina Esfandiary, a London-based expert with The Century Foundation think-tank . If Iraqis themselves are voting out U.S. troops, it looks a lot better for Iran than if Iran is a puppet master in Iraq trying to get rid of them and on top of that it would be a more lasting decision. The legitimacy of the resolution is a matter of dispute. Not only was the session boycotted by Kurdish lawmakers and many Sunnis, but there also are questions of whether Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has the ability to carry it out. Abdul-Mahdi resigned in November amid mass anti-government protests but remains in a caretaker role. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bluntly rejected the call for the troops removal, instead saying Washington would continue the conversation with the Iraqis about what the right structure is. Abdul-Mahdi strongly supported the resolution, but since then has said it will be up to the next government to deal with the issue, and there are indications he has been working behind the scenes to help keep foreign troops in the country. After closed-door meetings with German diplomats last week, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the prime minister had assured them that he had great interest in keeping the Bundeswehr military contingent and others part of the anti-Islamic State coalition in Iraq. The U.S., meantime, said it had resumed joint operations with Iraqi forces, albeit on a more limited basis than before. Trump met Iraqi President Barham Saleh on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, and said Washington and Baghdad have had a very good relationship and that the two countries had a host of very difficult things to discuss. Saleh said they have shared common interests including the fight against extremism, regional stability and an independent Iraq. Asked about the plan for U.S. troops in Iraq, Trump said, Well see what happens. In a sign that bodes well for NATOs continuing mission in the country, Iraqs deputy foreign minister went to Brussels last week for talks with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the alliances presence in Iraq. The mixed message of publicly calling for the troops to go but privately wanting them to stay is an indication of Irans strong influence, particularly among its fellow Shiite Muslims, Des Roches said. For any Iraqi politician in Baghdad particularly a Shia politician to defy Iran openly is to risk political as well as physical death, he said. So we shouldnt be surprised if the public and the private lines espoused by Iraqi politicians differ. American forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the government to help battle the Islamic State after the extremist group seized vast areas in the north and west of the country. A U.S.-led coalition provided crucial air support as Iraqi forces, including Iran-backed militias, regrouped and drove IS out in a costly three-year campaign. There are currently some 5,200 American troops in the country. Even before the drone strike, there were growing calls in nationwide protests across sectarian lines, which started in October centred in Baghdads Tahrir Square, for the end of all foreign influence in the country. The demonstrations also targeted government corruption and poor public services. The rejection of Iranian influence over Iraqi state affairs has been a core component of the movement, and pro-Iranian militias have targeted those demonstrations along with Iraqi security forces, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. Protesters fear that with the focus on the push for the U.S. troop withdrawal in response to the attack that killed Soleimani, they may be even easier targets for those forces and that their message will be lost. I think Iraq has had enough of having to deal with the Americans and the Iranians alike, Esfandiary said. But the assassination of al-Muhandis, almost more so than Solemani, was such a glaring oversight of sovereignty and of all agreements they had signed on to with the U.S. in terms of the U.S. presence in Iraq, that it has kind of taken some of the attention away from Iran, to Tehrans delight. Fridays march called for by al-Sadr is expected to redirect the focus onto the U.S. troops. The cleric, who also leads the Sairoon bloc in parliament, derives much of his political capital through grassroots mobilization. The Tahrir Square protesters initially rejected that call, saying they want the escalating conflict between Iran and the U.S. off of Iraqi soil. Since then, al-Sadr has reached out to them directly, saying the demonstrations against the government and against the American troops are two lights from a single lamp, and it is not yet clear whether that might convince them to participate in the march. ___ Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Davos, Switzerland, and Samya Kullab in Baghdad contributed to this story. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the first name of teh Iraqi prime minister is Adel, not Abdel. By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - A foreign tour operator said on Tuesday that North Korea is to temporarily ban foreign tourists due to the spread of a deadly new coronavirus in China. The vast majority of tourists to North Korea come from China, Pyongyang's main supporter. Young Pioneer Tours, an adventure travel company based in China, said in a statemnt that from Wednesday North Korea will temporarily close its borders to all foreign tourists as a precaution against the virus, which has rapidly spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan. By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - A foreign tour operator said on Tuesday that North Korea is to temporarily ban foreign tourists due to the spread of a deadly new coronavirus in China. The vast majority of tourists to North Korea come from China, Pyongyang's main supporter. Young Pioneer Tours, an adventure travel company based in China, said in a statemnt that from Wednesday North Korea will temporarily close its borders to all foreign tourists as a precaution against the virus, which has rapidly spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan. "I have confirmed the DPRK will temporarily suspend all foreign tourists from entering North Korea until they feel the coronavirus is well under control," Rowan Beard of Young Pioneer Tours told Reuters, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Further details are yet to be confirmed by the company's travel partners in North Korea, the Young Pioneer Tours statement said. A manager at another foreign tour company contacted by Reuters said they too had been told of such a move, but that it was not yet clear who would be affected by such a policy, with more details expected on Wednesday. Fears are growing over the virus, which could be spread through human contact, with millions of Asians travelling for the Lunar New Year holiday this week. In China, the number of confirmed cases rose to 291 on Monday. Tourism is one of the last major ways that North Korea can legally earn foreign cash, as international sanctions restrict many other forms of business with the politically isolated country. North Korea come from China, and North Korea is estimated to earn millions of dollars from the steady flow of Chinese tourists. South Korean budget airline T'way Air said on Tuesday it has postponed the scheduled launch of a new route to Wuhan because of concern over the spread of the new coronavirus. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Angus MacSwan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Brazil produced more than 1 billion barrels last year, the first time it has breached the 1-billion-barrel mark, Reuters reports, citing the countrys oil regulator, ANP. The daily average stood at 3.106 million bpd, up 7.78 percent on 2018, ANP also said. More than half of the total oil production Brazil recorded in 2019 came from the prolific presalt zone off its coast. The contribution of the presalt zone stood at 633.98 million barrels, which was an annual improvement of 21.56 percent. Brazils crude oil production topped 3 million barrels per day for the first time ever in November 2019, the ANP reported lat month, adding that total oil and gas production rose to 3.95 million barrels of oil equivalent daily - also a record-breaking figure. The strong output result came on the back of ongoing ramp-up of production at eight new floating production, storage, and offloading facilities. The ramp-up added more than 100,000 bpd to the countrys total production between October and November. The presalt zone has become the center of attention of the Brazilian oil industry now that the government settled its dispute with Petrobras regarding the handling of an area that falls within the zone. The area could hold up to 15 billion barrels of untapped crude, which would double Brazils total reserves to 30 billion barrels and make it the worlds fifth-largest oil producer. Meanwhile, it emerged that Brazil may join OPEC soon, with talks likely to begin in July this year. Brazils president is on board with the ideaJair Bolsonaro said last October that Saudi Arabia had invited Brazil to join the cartelbut the industry is not so enthusiastic. If the country becomes an OPEC member it would have to comply with production control agreements at a time of rising oil production, and Petrobras plans to further the rise. This could be precisely why OPEC wants Brazil to become a member: according to the groups production forecasts, Brazil will be the second-largest contributor of non-OPEC production growth this year, after the United States. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Tyrrell's Wines has announced they will be slashing their output over the next year by 80 per cent after smoke from bushfires devastated their crop. The vineyards in the Hunter Valley region, about 200km north of Sydney, have spent the last three months surrounded by blazes. Tyrrell's Wines' managing director Bruce Tyrrell said that while the vineyards hadn't been directly impacted by bushfires, the smoke had ruined the quality of its grapes for the 2020 season. Tyrrell's Wines have announced they will be slashing their output over the next year by 80 per cent after smoke from bushfires tainted their crop 'This decision has been our own and reinforces our premium quality standing in the world of fine wine,' Mr Tyrrell said in a statement, The Newcastle Herald reported. 'We have also been conducting micro-ferments in our own laboratory which has led us to the decision that most of our vineyards will not be harvested for wine production.' He said the grapes that would not be harvested would instead be used as feed for cattle. 'The Hunter Valley is a large geographical area and there were many factors to consider when making this decision including proximity to the fires, elevation of vineyards, and days in contact with fresh smoke,' he said. The wineries in the Hunter Valley region spent three months surrounded by smoke due to violent bushfires Grapes that are exposed to bushfires produce a smoky, burnt, ashy or medicinal taste, according to the The Australian Wine Institute Research. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tyrrell's Wines for further comment. There are also fears for other wineries in New South Wales and South Australia. Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills could take years to fully recover in the wake of bushfires that tore through around 1000 hectares of vines last month. Chief executive of the South Australian Wine Industry Association Brian Smedley said the long-term impact of the blazes would depend on the condition of individual vineyards. Bruce Tyrrell (centre left) announced the winery was left with no other choice but to not harvest 80 per cent of their crop He said some vines may be able to regenerate, while a full replanting could be necessary in other situations, but the fires were certain to effect the availability of wine. 'There will be less Adelaide Hills wine, simply by the nature of what happened,' he said. 'It will take a number of vintages before production returns to what it was.' Mr Smedley said winemakers might have to look elsewhere for fruit, which could drive prices up, though in some cases there can be no substitute. 'If you have a claim on the bottle that you're going to be producing Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, that might not be possible,' he said. Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills (pictured) could take years to fully recover from last week's destructive bushfires after more than 1000 hectares were razed by bushfire 'You might have to make a more generic wine into the future until the vines have recovered.' James Tilbrook for Tilbrook Estate Wines said his vineyard and winery had been destroyed as well as wine stock, barrels, equipment and multiple sheds, but he would push ahead to this year's vintage. 'I am sure with all the offers of support we'll be able to make some wine,' he said. 'The next target is to get the wine in bottle. 'Once we have wine again we are back in business.' A spokesperson for The Australian Wine Institute Research told Daily Mail Australia it was 'too early' to predict if damaged crops in the Hunter region would drive the cost of wine up. They said the dry season would likely have a larger impact on prices than fires. SEATTLE, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines is rolling out its new Luly Yang custom-designed uniform collection certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, the highest industry standard for safety, making Alaska and Horizon Air the first U.S. airlines to achieve this certification. "This is a major milestone that was years in the making. Before the designs, before the first stitch, before the first button sewn, we took steps to ensure that employee uniforms were safe and of the best quality," said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines' senior vice president of marketing and guest experience. "It was important to take our time and to collaborate with our union partners to create a uniform that was safe, stylish, high quality and functional for all aspects of our business." STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX ensures that garments meet or exceed global safety standards with regards to harmful substances. The finished garment and each of its components are certified, down to the material, thread and dyes. Since the collection first debuted in 2018, the design has been refined and adjusted with input from more than 175 employees who put the uniform through the paces with on-the-job wear tests. The new uniforms are being rolled out to employees through early 2020, with Horizon Air and Alaska Lounge concierges already donning the new uniforms. On the blog: The formula to looking fly: Incorporating safety, employee feedback into custom uniforms (PHOTOS) Alaska started the process almost four years ago by surveying thousands of uniformed employees and followed up with focus groups and work-site visits to understand the features different workgroups wanted to see in their new uniforms. Overwhelmingly, the top requests from employees were more pockets and designs that look great on all body shapes and sizes, and were suited for a wide range of climates. Additionally, more than 1,200 safety tests were conducted on the uniforms for over 165 unique color combinations. In total, Alaska's custom uniforms incorporate more than 100,000 zippers, 1 million buttons, 500,000 yards of fabric and use well over 30 million yards of thread. Using this employee research, Yang spent two years designing and creating a signature silhouette for the Alaska collection. Her focus on fit and function enabled additional touches including water-resistant materials, active wear fabrics, longer shirt tails that don't untuck from skirts and trousers, and flexible textiles that move with the body. "The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX certification is a first for our uniforms," Jeff Peterson, Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council president of the Association of Flight Attendants. "The association is very pleased that our partnership with management has resulted in a high standard of safety that will help flight attendants feel confident in wearing their uniform." In order to achieve this standard, Alaska worked in partnership with Unisync Group Limited of Toronto, one of the largest uniform suppliers in North America. Together, Alaska, Yang and Unisync produced custom fabrics, buttons and signature accessories for the new program, ensuring the garments provide optimal on-the-job performance and earned the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX certification. "Alaska Airlines created a strong partnership with us from the beginning that's the biggest reason for their success in earning the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX label," said Ben Mead, OEKO-TEX representative. "Achieving certification is incredibly challenging, and their commitment to leading with safety has been unwavering." STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX was developed in 1992 by an international consortium of textile research and testing institutes. OEKO-TEX now includes 18 institutes in Europe and Japan with offices in more than 60 countries. STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX testing is known for ensuring that textiles are tested for potentially harmful substances and allergens. This standard is used by many retailers including Pottery Barn, Calvin Klein, Target, Macy's and children's-wear company Hanna Andersson. Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 47 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,300 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 800 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). SOURCE Alaska Airlines Related Links http://www.alaskaair.com Scientists have developed the world's first fully coupled AI chip that can solve the traveling salesman problem for 22 cities instantly, something that would take about 1,200 years for a high-performance von Neumann CPU How would you go about returning books to the correct shelves in a large library with the least amount of walking? How would you determine the shortest route for a truck that has to deliver many packages to multiple cities? These are some examples of the "traveling salesman problem", a type of "combinatorial optimization" problem, which frequently arises in everyday situations. Solving the traveling salesman problem involves searching for the most efficient of all possible routes. To do this easily, we require the help of low-power, high-performance artificial intelligence. To solve this conundrum, scientists are actively exploring the use of integrated circuits. In this method, each state in a traveling salesman problem (for example, each possible route in the delivery truck) is represented by "spin cells", each having one of two states. Using a circuit which can store the strength of one spin cell state over another, the relationship between these states (or to use our analogy, the distance between two cities for the delivery truck) can be obtained. Using a large system containing the same number of spin cells and circuits as the components (or the cities and routes for the delivery truck) in the problem, we can identify the state requiring the least energy, or the route covering the least distance, thus solving the traveling salesman problem, or any other type of combinatorial optimization problem. However, a major drawback of the conventional way of using integrated circuits is that it requires pre-processing, and the number of components and time required to input the data increase as the scale of the problem increases. For this reason, this technology has only been able to solve the traveling salesman problem involving a maximum of 16 states, or cities. A group of researchers led by Professor Takayuki Kawahara of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tokyo University of Science aimed to overcome this issue. They observed that the interactions between each spin cell is linear, which ensured that the spin cells could only interact with the cells near them, prolonging the processing time. "We decided to arrange the cells slightly differently to ensure that all spin cells could be connected," Prof Kawahara explains. To do this, they first arranged the circuits in a two-dimensional array, and the spin cells separately in a one-dimensional arrangement. The circuits would then read the data and an aggregate of this data was used to switch the states of the spin cells. This would mean that the number of spin cells required and the time needed for processing were drastically reduced. The authors have presented their findings at the IEEE 18th World Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics (SAMI 2020). "Our new technique thus represents a fully coupled method," remarks Prof Kawahara, "and has the potential to solve a traveling salesman problem involving up to 22 cities." The authors are hopeful that this technology will have future applications as a high-performance system with low power requirements for office equipment and tablet terminals for finding easily find optimal solutions from large numbers of combinations. ### About The Tokyo University of Science Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators. With a mission of "Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society", TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field. Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/ About Professor Kawahara from Tokyo University of Science Prof Takayuki Kawahara obtained his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from Kyushu University, Japan. With his MS degree, he joined Hitachi Central Research Laboratory as a research staff member. After leaving the laboratory as a Chief Researcher, he joined Tokyo University of Science in 2014 to work on developing sustainable electronics. His research group carries out cutting-edge research in the field of ultra-low-power AI devices, circuits, and systems. He is also the corresponding author of this review article. With more than 115 publications to his credit, Prof Kawahara has won numerous international awards, including the prizes for Science and Technology, Development Category, by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Part of this article is based on results obtained from a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), METI, Japan. HARRISBURG Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai, the most prominent fiscal and social conservative in state government, will hold a news conference Thursday amid speculation in the Capitol this week that he will leave the office after five years. Turzai, a Republican, had repeatedly declined to comment this week on questions about his future, and rank-and-file House Republicans say they have no information from Turzai about what he will announce. The House Republican caucus issued a news release Wednesday afternoon announcing the news conference in Turzai's suburban Pittsburgh district, just after he ended the day's uneventful voting session. Three people who say they have spoken with Turzai in recent days, however, say he is expected to announce that he is leaving office or not running again for his House seat, with a private-sector job offer waiting in the wings. The three people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations with Turzai, 60, who has served in the House since 2001 and rose to become speaker in 2015 after four years as majority leader. The company said to be making the offer, Bryn Mawr-based water utility Aqua America Inc., which is closing on its $4.3 billion purchase of Pittsburgh-based natural gas utility Peoples on Feb. 3, declined comment Wednesday through a spokesman. The deadline for a decision for Turzai to run again is approaching. Tuesday is the first day that candidates can circulate petitions to get on the April 28 primary ballot. Feb. 18 is the deadline to file the petitions. Turzai has been an effective fundraiser for the House Republican majority, and his departure could open a vacuum for conservative leadership in the Capitol. As speaker for all five years during Gov. Tom Wolf's time in office, Turzai has been the strongest counterweight to the Democrat, often driving a harder line against spending and tax increases in budget-making when other Republicans in leadership were ready to compromise. He pushed abortion legislation to certain veto on Wolf's desk, played a key role in increasing taxpayer support of private-school scholarships and was a critical ally for the natural gas industry against Wolf's bid to impose a severance tax on it. He also often insisted on muscling through major legislation with or without support from Democrats. However, his power wasn't absolute. In recent days, the House rejected his legislation to funnel state aid into private school grants in the Harrisburg School District, which is under a state-appointed receiver. He also worked to block medical marijuana legislation, but supporters including some conservatives overcame his opposition to send it to Wolf's desk in 2016. He led the fight for years to privatize the state's control over wine and liquor sales, and ultimately accepted a compromise that entailed the limited sale of wine in grocery stores and other private licensees, but otherwise kept the state's control intact. Turzai has a history of seeking higher office and changing his mind. He aborted a run for lieutenant governor in 2006 and flirted with another run for Congress in 2012, even telling confidantes that he would run before deciding against it. In 2017, he announced a run for governor, but dropped out when the Republican State Committee voted to endorse a Republican rival in the primary. In recent weeks, he expressed an interest in running for governor again in 2022, when Wolf will be barred by term limits from seeking another four-year term. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Netanyahu condemns 'tyrants of Tehran' in Holocaust speech Jerusalem, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged action against "the tyrants of Tehran" in a Holocaust memorial speech Thursday, comparing what he considers the Iranian threat to that once posed by Nazi Germany. "There will not be another Holocaust," Netanyahu told world leaders in Jerusalem. He lamented that "we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. "I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran." Israel fiercely opposed a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Netanyahu applauded when US President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord and has pushed European powers to follow Washington's lead. He said Thursday that Israel "salutes President Trump and Vice President (Mike) Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world. "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend our state, defend our people, and defend the Jewish future," said Netanyahu. House Democrats began on Wednesday to lay out their case against President Donald Trump, arguing to the Senate why he should be convicted and removed from office. Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff, D-Calif., kicked off the trial proceedings around 1 p.m. ET, delivering a sweeping overview of Trump's alleged abuses of power and attempts to obstruct Congress. The House managers' opening statements in Trump's impeachment trial followed a contentious day of debate inside and outside the Senate chamber. Trump's defense team and the Democrats grappled for more than 12 hours over the rules of the trial, each throwing punches so intense that Chief Justice John Roberts was compelled to interject. Trump, meanwhile, spared no opportunity to attack Democrats over the impeachment "hoax," slamming House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., as a "sleazeball" before departing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Here are highlights of the impeachment trial: Schiff's case Schiff, who led the House in its efforts to pass two articles of impeachment against Trump in December, spoke on the Senate floor for more than two hours. He made lofty arguments about historical precedent, warning that if Trump is not removed, future presidents will feel free to seek foreign help with elections. Trump was impeached over his efforts to pressure Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch investigations into his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, along with a debunked conspiracy theory alleging Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election. While Trump sought those investigations, his administration was withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine without providing a clear explanation. Democrats also impeached Trump for blocking the House's investigation into the matter, by refusing to hand over any documents and directing key witnesses not to comply with Congress. Schiff began his remarks by tying the founding fathers' "prescient" views about impeachment to Trump through a quote from Alexander Hamilton: "When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits despotic in his ordinary demeanour known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity to join in the cry of danger to liberty to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may 'ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.'" Schiff quickly moved to establish that Trump's dealings with Ukraine constituted abuses of the presidency a preemptive strike against Trump's attorneys, who maintain that the president has done nothing wrong. Trump, Schiff said, "does not, under our laws and under our constitution, have a right to use the powers of his office to corruptly solicit foreign aid, prohibited foreign aid, in his re-election." "He does not have the right to withhold official presidential acts to secure that assistance, and he certainly does not have the right to undermine our elections and place our security at risk for his own personal benefit," Schiff said. "No president, Republican or Democrat, can be permitted to do that." Schiff also employed the words of acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who in October admitted then tried to walk back that the Ukraine aid was tied to investigations. If this was allowed to stand, Schiff argued, there was no limit to the presidential malfeasance Americans would be told to just "get over it" in the future. "Are we to accept, 'Well, the president says there was no quid pro quo, I guess that closes the case!'" Schiff asked rhetorically. Trump defense: No crime in impeachment charges One of Trump's lead defense lawyers, Jay Sekulow, told reporters Wednesday that his team would "rebut" much of what Schiff alleged in his opening statement. Their argument will be based on both "challenging the case that they made" and then making "an affirmative case" in Trump's defense, Sekulow said. Sekulow singled out Democrats' implicit charge that Trump's decision to freeze the aid to Ukraine was directly tied to his request that Ukraine launch investigations into the Bidens. "You noticed that Adam Schiff today talked about quid pro quo," said Sekulow, using the Latin term phrase meaning 'this for that' in reference to Schiff's remarks about Mulvaney. "Notice what's not in the articles of impeachment allegations or accusations of quid pro quo. That's because they didn't exist," Sekulow said. The president's lawyers are expected to argue that Trump's decision first to withhold, and then abruptly release, nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine last summer was unrelated to his request that Ukraine "do us a favor" by investigating the Bidens. They are also expected to argue that the articles of impeachment against Trump themselves do not accuse the president of committing a crime under federal law. Schumer rejects deal to swap Bolton testimony for Hunter Biden's Democrats fought for more than 12 hours Tuesday to ensure that the Republican-majority Senate would issue subpoenas for documents and witnesses, including Mulvaney and former national security advisor John Bolton. But Schumer's 11 amendments to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's proposed rules were shot down, nearly all along party lines. Over the next several hours, speculation grew on Capitol Hill that a possible deal could be struck whereby Bolton who vowed that he would appear in the Senate if he was subpoenaed could be allowed to testify if Hunter Biden was also brought in as a witness. Democrats see Bolton as a key fact witness who was close to the president and the associates who were involved in the efforts toward Ukraine. Many Republicans have adopted Trump's suspicions about Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a Ukraine natural gas company while his father was vice president. Schumer, however, poured cold water on the idea while speaking to reporters during a recess in proceedings Wednesday afternoon. "No, I think that's off the table," Schumer said when asked about the possibility of a witness trade. "That trade is not on the table." Trump boasts he has 'all the material' Wrapping up a trip to Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, Trump spoke to reporters about the impeachment, where he seemed to inadvertently admit that the White House refusal to turn over documents to Congress was helping his case. "I got to watch enough I thought our team did a very good job. But honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material," he said. House manager Val Demings, D-Fla., quickly seized upon Trump's remarks as an admission of guilt on the article of obstructing Congress. Demings TWEET House managers' plan The #WarrenIsASnake hashtag is a good example. It brought back memories of how long it took Sanders in 2016 to disavow the toxic contingent of his supporters whom Clinton recalled this month. Serpent imagery is particularly tied to age-old perceptions of power and gender. The Bibles association of Eve with the Devil in the form of a snake was a deliberate renunciation of powerful female divinities whose wisdom was symbolized by serpents, such as the Egyptian goddess Hathor, the Minoan snake goddess and Astarte, the consort of the Canaanite god Baal. The story, connecting women with a dangerous and cunning knowledge, demonized the serpent and the woman in tandem to rationalize a distribution of power that favored men. Online mobs may not be immersed in biblical hermeneutics, but because of such deep cultural legacies, a snake emoji is a cheap and easy sexist code. None of the current Democratic candidates would call a woman a serpent, but male candidates chances improve when others do, demonstrating the sexism and bias that studies have found to hurt female candidates. Is it sexist to tolerate other peoples sexism when it benefits you? We live in a world of sexism, diffuse and subtle, without sexists. Ukraine is holding talks to release of citizens, who now are detained on the temporarily occupied territory and in Russia, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported. "Two tracks, two lists. We agreed on the list in Minsk, we will supplement the list of the established persons. We will prepare this track: an exchange with temporarily occupied territories. And a separate track: we have already started a conversation with the Russian Federation on the exchange of Ukrainians: everybody,, including Crimean Tatars, other Ukrainians in Russia," the presidential press service quotes the head of state as saying in a media commentary in Jerusalem on Thursday. SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation is warning people to avoid investing with Robert Lee Adams, also known as Bob Adams, and his business, SimTradePro Inc. The division issued a cease-and-desist order against Adams and his business for operating as a state investment adviser without a license, and he may still be soliciting Oregon consumers. Adams, a Bandon resident, formed a related company, Winning Investments, LLC, in 2017 allegedly to pool investor funds and invest them in the foreign currency exchange market. Four investors who participated lost more than $279,000 in less than a year. An elderly victim lost most of her retirement savings. Adams charged each investor a $3,000 origination fee, offered the group investment strategies he selected, and pooled the investors funds in a local bank account. Adams then allegedly invested their funds in foreign currency trading programs that operated offshore. Adams and SimTradePro have never been licensed with the division as an investment adviser or investment adviser representative. Investments in foreign currency trading programs are extremely risky, and they are not for everyone, said Andrew Stolfi, division administrator. Before investing money you cannot afford to lose, and certainly before parting with your life savings, learn as much as you can about the firms and individuals you are considering. Make sure your investment adviser is licensed by the division and works with registered, reputable industry professionals. The division encourages everyone to protect their money. Ask questions to learn about your advisers registration status, disciplinary record, and complaint history. The first step before making an investment is to carefully choose a financial professional by checking their licensing status and background. Oregonians are also encouraged to contact the divisions advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free) with questions or concerns about a financial adviser or product. If you have information or questions specifically regarding Robert Lee Adams and his business activities, contact Investigator Rachel Royston at 503-947-7093. Joe Biden wiped away tears while remembering his late son Beau, the former attorney general of Delaware who died in 2015 following a brain cancer diagnosis, a battle and loss that the 2020 Democratic presidential primary nominee has shared in emotional moments with voters. The former vice president told host Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's Morning Joe that "Beau should be the one running for president, not me". Mr Biden recalled Beau grabbing him by the lapel after vice presidential debates in 2008 and 2012, when Mr Biden was the running mate alongside Barack Obama. He remembered how Beau would embrace him and say, "'Look at me, dad. Remember: home base. Just remember who you are.' ... He'd grab me by the lapel. He still grabs me by the lapel. Sorry, I'm getting emotional." Asked whether Beau remains with him and offers guidance and inspiration, Mr Biden said: "Every morning I get up, Joe, not a joke, I think to myself, 'Is he proud of me?' because he's the one who wanted me to stay engaged ... He walks with me. I know that sounds to some people kind of silly but he really honest to God does. I know he's in me." Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Show all 15 1 /15 Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden watch Barack Obama's farewell speech on 11 January. Obama called Biden his 'brother' Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years US President Barack Obama speaks alongside US Vice President Joe Biden about the Affordable Care Act AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Obama listens to Joe Biden speak of his work on defeating cancer on 18 October in the White House Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama is applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden while delivering his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. Vice President Joe Biden interjects as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception for the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the White House in Washington REUTERS Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react after a heckler was removed for their extended interruption (Reuters) Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack and Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden observing a moment of silence outside the White House to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack Obama and Joe Biden putt on the White House putting green Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama and Joe Biden in April 2013 AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years January 1, 2013: U.S. President Barack Obama winks as he arrives with Vice President Joe Biden (L) in the briefing room Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice-President Joe Biden, right, confirmed that the US was looking at ways of taking legal action against Julian Assange - back in December 2010 GETTY IMAGES Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden, left, and retired military officers watch President Barack Obama sign orders to close down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009 GETTY IMAGES The former vice president has spoken at length about his mourning and grief after the deaths of his family members, including his wife Neilia and one-year-old daughter Naomi, who both died in a car accident in 1972. His public losses and recovery from traumatic events have significantly shaped Mr Biden's political career, from his views on health care to his approach to connecting with crowds over shared grief. He said that "hundreds of people ... throw their arms over me" to tell him about the loss of their sons, daughters and spouses, and "all they want to know is that they can make it". "The way you make it is you find purpose and you realise they're inside you", he said. "They're part of you. It's impossible to separate." Beau Biden shares a joke with then-president Barack Obama as his father is sworn in for a second term as vice-president at the US Capitol in January 2013 Mr Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are nearly neck and neck as the Iowa caucus approaches on 3 February, when the first votes in the US will be cast for a presidential nominee in the 2020 election. The latest CNN poll has Mr Sanders polling at 27 per cent and Mr Biden at 24 per cent, both in double digits ahead of forecasted front-runners Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg. From Dog Lover to Activist: 5 Things You Should Know About Jesse Metcalfe's Ex-Fiancee Cara Santana Jesse Metcalfe and Cara Santana have called it quits. On Wednesday, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that the couple who had been together for over 10 years separated three weeks ago. The news about their split comes after Metcalfe, 41, was spotted with his arms around a blonde woman at a bar in Sherman Oaks, California on Monday. The Desperate Housewives actor and Santana, 35, have yet to speak publicly about the separation. A rep for Santana tells PEOPLE Cara is not going to comment and asks that everyone please respect her privacy at this time. Here are five things to know about Santana: Shes an actress and fashion blogger Along with serving as the global engagement officer of Glamsquad, an on-demand salon app, Santana runs her own fashion blog CaraDisclothed on her website and Instagram. Cara Santana | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Through her online presence, Santana launched her own line with Apt. 9 for Kohls where she promotes diversity by featuring models of all backgrounds. Growing up there werent a lot of women that look like me in magazines or in advertising campaigns, she told Forbes in October. The older Ive become the more I hear that from other women that I am friends with and so I wanted to create a campaign that represented the country in a more inclusive and diverse way. She fosters adorable bulldogs Santana loves dogs! Working with Road Dogs & Rescue, she kicked off the new year fostering an adorable bulldog nicknamed Lola. After living 6 years in a confined crate for over breeding, atrophied hind legs leaving her immobile and skin issues she was dumped at a shelter and discarded, she wrote on Instagram. After 5 days shes playing, walking and cuddling and ready to be loved and love her forever family. Later that week, Santana shared a photo with the dogs new family and forever home. Story continues The look on all 3 of the dogs faces tell me we made an impact, she wrote. In May 2019, she and her brother Sammy said goodbye to their dog Peroni. Not many dogs have the power to change the minds of those they meet, she captioned a tribute to her dog. This did. He was special. And the sadness I feel right now is only soothed by the immense joy in my heart that this beautiful boy gave to all of those around him. Some say I found him, but I know he found us. Shes an activist for immigrant rights Hailing from bordertown El Paso, Texas, Santana is a fierce advocate for immigrant rights. In a deeply personal essay posted on her blog, Santana opened up about visiting the border in her hometown during the immigration crisis in Summer 2018. In the two days I spent in El Paso, I made it my mission to speak with anyone and everyone I could, from a concerned group of mothers, to politicians, nonprofit organizers, immigration lawyers, ICE and Border Patrol employees, federal probation officers, migrant workers and asylum seekers so I could justify my beliefs, rationalize my anger and better understand this immigration policy, she wrote. Its interesting what you learn if youre open to it. Not everything or everyone is what it seems. Cara Santana | Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock During that time, many migrant parents from Mexico and Central America were being separated from their children. Coast to coast, border to border marches are being held today because #FamiliesBelongTogether, she captioned a photo on Instagram. There can and should be humanity and dignity within the immigration process. I stand with every single family fighting to be reunited and every American that believes in the humane and ethical treatment of all people. Shes going to join the cast of Vida Santana will tap into her acting skills as Zoe on Starz show Vida. Santana was previously a guest star on the shows second season, but will return as a recurring character for Vidas third season. It is such an honor to be apart [sic] of compelling and poignant story telling [sic] and I feel so lucky to be apart [sic] of this show that is pushing the boundaries and telling stories of those who need to be told, she wrote on Instagram last October. Vida was renewed for a third season less than a week after the debut of its second season. In 2019, the show earned a GLAAD award for outstanding comedy series. The show follows two Latina sisters who move back to East Los Angeles after the death of their mother. Santana said she felt a sense of calm after Jesse Metcalfe proposed Shortly after getting engaged in 2016, Santana told PEOPLE that she was already starting to think about what kind of wedding she wanted. Small, intimate, 80 people, Marthas Vineyard call it a day, she said. Cara Santana and Jesse Metcalfe | Michael Kovac/Getty Along with praising Metcalfes great taste, she also told PEOPLE that theres a sense of unspoken security that when youre not engaged maybe theres like an underlying uncertainty. Now that were engaged I feel this total sense of calmness, she added. Like well get to the wedding. Weve got the rest of our lives. One of the dire questions people in education will have to answer soon is whether a mostly white teaching force can effectively educate an increasingly diverse student body, and, if not, how to change the demographics of Americas teachers. Since 2015, white students have made up less than half of the student body nationally at public schools, but 80% of public school teachers were white, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Only 7% of teachers were Black. Leaders from Marian Universitys Klipsch Educators College and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) are collaborating to try to mitigate this problem in Central Indiana. The educators college began an initiative to increase diversity in 2016, when 7.5% of students were non-white. The goal is to get to 40% by 2025, according to Dean Ken Britt, and the program was already at 34% in the fall of 2019. About a year and a half ago, the focus expanded to include specifically Black males, who make up about 2% of teachers nationally. A private Catholic college isnt going to have the necessary influence and credibility with the students its trying to attract, which is why collaborating with UNCF is important. When you have an organization thats able to advocate for the work were doing, Britt said, it makes the conversations we have with these students a little easier because theres more credibility for us. Those students can then also take advantage of UNCF scholarships. The two sides have hosted a panel discussion targeted at non-white students to let them know what opportunities there are for future educators or at least those who might be interested in education. Theyll join Teach Plus Indiana for an event Feb. 27 to discuss the challenges of retaining non-white teachers. The free forum is 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the WFYI Public Media Community Room, 1630 N. Meridian St. Register online. Andrea Neely, Indianapolis regional development director for UNCF, worries students are being discouraged from pursuing a career in education because of concerns about teacher pay and political fights that play out in the arena of education, which she considers bureaucracy that stands in the way of progress. Neely, who remembers her son asking why the only Black people he saw at his school were janitors, said a big part of why students dont consider going into education is because they see so few Black teachers in their classrooms growing up. Thats why its so important to build a pipeline of having teachers of color in the classroom, she said, because students arent seeing teachers who look like them. Jo Burnside, a third grade teacher at Rhoades Elementary School in Wayne Township, remembers having only one Black teacher when she was in high school during her K-12 education. She knew other Black teachers, though, because there were three on her fathers side of the family, and she formed a friendship with a Black elementary teacher while volunteering in high school. I feel like its very, very powerful when you can see someone that looks like you doing something that you aspire to do, Burnside said. Research suggests, if nothing else, Black students achieve greater academic heights and have an increased likelihood of considering college when they grow up with at least some Black teachers in their classrooms. In 2004, Stanford University professor Tom Dee analyzed participants in a study about class sizes in Tennessee and found Black students who were assigned to a Black teacher for at least one year between kindergarten and third grade had their math scores increase by 3 to 5 percentage points and their reading scores increase by 3 to 6 percentage points. A 2017 study co-authored by John Hopkins University economist Nicholas Papageorge found low-income Black male students with a Black teacher in third to fifth grade had a 29% increased interest in going to college and 39% less chance of dropping out of high school. Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick. Traveling with a large sum of cash is probably a bad idea from a safety standpoint, but it shouldnt mean you risk having that money taken away by law enforcement because someone labels it suspicious activity. A woman from Massachusetts claims thats exactly what happened to her when she tried to board a plane in Pittsburgh last summer while carrying $82,373 in her purse, money that was her fathers life savings and entrusted to her for deposit in a joint account. Terry Rolin, 79, a retired railroad worker from South Fayette, Pa., and his daughter, Rebecca Brown of Lowell, Mass., filed suit in federal court against the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration claiming the money was illegally seized and should be returned to them. Thats exactly what should happen. The incident amounts to legal theft by the government and the trampling of an individuals Fourth Amendment right against illegal search and seizure. John Antwi Boasiako 22.01.2020 LISTEN Denis M'Passou's literary piece, 'Murder in the interest of the church' details the principal character going to great lengths to reach the summit of his hopes and that would lead him to commit murder in order to have his dreams materialized. The principal character's traits are portrayed in John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress. He exhibits features that are seen in the villain of that book. The NDC flagbearer is on a murderous expedition to come back to power and if that would require endangering the lives of his own party members, he cares very little about it. To get thousands to fill the streets of Kumasi for the cameras, John Mahama and his people conveyed their party members in articulated trucks. These trucks are mostly used to ferry goods including cattle. To see human beings in such trucks is the most inhumane sight to behold! The sight sends one's mind to how goats and sheep are carried from one place to the other. Human beings were treated like sheep, cattle and goats in Mahama's quest to win political power. Interestingly enough, the leadership of the party and their family members rode in expensive cars to Kumasi for the demonstration. The apostles of human face have treated their own party members with animal face. Desperation may lead one to walk on a path that may appear undulating, but when it leads one to commit mass murders, it becomes more than worrisome. The NDC should stop treating their own party members as animals. SELF-RIGHTEOUS AND PHARISAIC SMILES With their self-righteous and pharisaic smiles, the NDC have asked the Akufo-Addo administration to allow the Auditor General to work. They held a press conference in which they came heavily on the Akufo-Addo administration for putting impediments in the way of Daniel Yao Domelevo. They cited the legal brawl between the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo as an example of the Akufo-Addo administration preventing the Auditor General from doing its job. "The independence of state institutions must be respected. The Auditor General falls under this category and has to be given the free room to operate without fear or favour" they said at the event. The Electoral Commission is another independent state organization. Is it not incongruous with logical reasoning to subject them to these hellish conditions when they also find themselves in the same category as the Auditor General? These people make politics some farcical drama to be showcased to an audience that does not see anything amusing in the plot of the play. With a posturing that appears more benign than combative, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo has sent the signal out there that the NDC and its allies would no longer demonstrate until the Emile Short-led Eminent Committee members bring closure to their engagements with the EC and the other stakeholders. From a distance, one would be tempted to believe that the committee just notified the general public about its engagements with the political parties as well as the EC when in actuality that was done a week or so ago. We can sufficiently make the case that the NDC is not putting its demonstrations on hold because of the work of the committee. It would not be far from hitting the nail right on the head to opine that the NDC is not achieving the core objective of their demonstrations. The Electoral Commission is not relenting on pushing ahead with the compilation of a new register and that makes nonsense of their street agitations. It has been a fruitless adventure from day one. Nothing advantageous can come out of their demonstrations. The Kumasi demonstration retires the others they intended to embark upon. The reason is simple, blood may ooze out of their eyes, that cannot guarantee them their wish. DISHONESTY IS THE BANE OF THESE NDC GUYS. They say those who have died but have their names in the voters' register cannot come back to vote. That's a fallacy. In Ghana, the dead vote. They vote in a way that is not so strange to us. This phenomenon, it is worth noting, is not peculiar to only one political party. The manual verification is the system the dead use to cast their votes. In the strongholds of the political parties, the manual verification system is used to stuff ballot papers in boxes, creating the impression that those people went to the polling stations but could not be verified biometrically and had to be allowed to vote manually. This is the kind of danger the EC is trying to cure with a more robust system which does not allow this kind of abuse to continue plaguing us. The dead should not vote and that's the more reason the Electoral Commission should be left alone to do its job. NIA'S DATA Quite recently, we have had some people preaching to us about the need to rely on the NIA's data to procure the voters' register. The 18 CSOs who jumped on the bandwagon also made a stronger case for the adoption of NIA's yet-to-be-finished data as the source for the EC to generate a register for purposes of elections. They contended that the EC is superfluously spending monies to compile a whole new voters' register when same can be generated from the NIA's database. The opposition NDC which has been at the forefront of the campaign against the new register has waded into the issue with a position that would shock many Ghanaians. At a press soiree held on Saturday by the NDC, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said that the NDC rejects any attempt to make the NIA's database the source from which the EC can procure the register. This is what the NDC through Ablakwa is saying to the apostles of the 'EC should use the NIA Data' "Related to the NIA registration is the attempt to use the NIA registration as a voter's registration card. We want to serve notice that we in the Volta Region will not accept that and that the NIA card will not serve as a voter registration card. We've seen top government officials make that point. We heard Dr. Bawumia, recently we heard Senior Minister Osafo Maafo say that that is the agenda, that cannot be the agenda. That is not what we passed in Parliament, that's not what the Constitution says. The Constitution is very very clear about the role of the Electoral Commission. It is their duty to compile a voter's register. It is our considered opinion, very respectfully, that the NIA has no business venturing into matters of elections" The register will be compiled for the next elections and beyond. BY John Antwi Boasiako Email: [email protected] Kumasi CCTV should be made compulsory in Welsh slaughterhouses according to an influential national assembly committee. A report on a petition submitted by Animal Aid, which collected 1,066 signatures, has been published by the National Assemblys Petitions Committee. The petition read: We call on the National Assembly to urge the Welsh government to introduce mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses to help vets with better regulation and monitoring, to provide footage for training and retraining, to deter some of the animal welfare abuses filmed by Animal Aid, and to provide evidence for prosecutions should they be necessary. Following scrutiny of the issue, the committee disagreed with the Welsh governments position that compulsory CCTV should be considered only if a purely voluntary approach fell short. According to the Welsh government, there are 24 slaughterhouses in Wales, but 14 do not currently have CCTV installed. The Welsh government has made funding for the installation of CCTV equipment available, but the committee believes that making such arrangements mandatory would be significantly more effective in ensuring that animal welfare standards are upheld in all premises. Moves have already taken place towards making CCTV mandatory in England and Scotland. The Welsh government provides the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with funding to support them to deliver animal welfare inspections and enforcement. However, evidence received by the committee showed that the Welsh government only allocated 32,000 of funding in 2019/20, and as little as 7,400 in one previous year (2016/17). The committee has recommended that the Welsh government provide a sufficient level of funding to carry out effective animal welfare checks at slaughterhouses, including for the monitoring and enforcement of CCTV footage. It is of utmost importance that animals are treated with respect and dignity at all times, including at the end of their lives, said Janet Finch-Saunders AM, chair of the committee. The committee does not believe that the purely voluntary approach currently being taken forward by the Welsh Government is sufficient to ensure that correct welfare standards will be upheld in all cases. One way we can ensure standards are not left to chance is by making CCTV compulsory in critical areas of slaughterhouses, including where animals are kept and where they are killed, she added. We consider that it is time that the Welsh government acted to help reassure everybody in Wales that the suffering of animals is minimised at these extremely sensitive moments. It is also imperative that adequate funding is provided by the Welsh government to reinforce these standards and to take appropriate action when required. The report will now be considered by the Welsh government. Amid the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), former President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said that it was "heartening" to see the belief of the country's youth in the Constitution. "Indian democracy has been tested time and again, the last few months have witnessed people come out on the streets in large numbers particularly the young voice and put out their views on issues which in their eyes are important. Their assertion and belief in the Constitution of India is particularly heartening to see," Mukherjee said at an event of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to mark its 70th year of inception. The ECI organised the first Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture instituted as a tribute to the first Chief Election Commissioner of India. Terming consensus as the backbone of democracy, Mukherjee added, "Consensus is the livelihood of democracy. Democracy thrives on listening deliberating, discussing, arguing and even dissent. I believe the present wave of largely peaceful protest that has gripped the country shall once again enable the further deepening of our democratic roots." About the role of Election Commission, Sh Pranab Mukherjee said, " The role of the Election Commission in the practical play of democracy in India has been simply outstanding. The challenges it has had to face have been daunting. The management of an electorate of over 900 million in 2019 that is nearly the combined population of third, fourth and fifth largest nations in the world, and ensuring fair polling is not an easy job. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) by Kamran Chaudhry Puran Ram suffered discrimination since childhood, which made him feel dirty from birth. In Sanskrit, his name means "ancient legends and popular lore", but his classmates mocked him for it sounding like porn. One schoolmate left school "because he refused to study with me. Others brought their own glasses to avoid drinking with him. Lahore (AsiaNews) Puran Ram, 21, is a young Hindu man in Pakistan. For him, living with his identity in a Muslim-majority country has been struggle, starting with his name. "When I was in grade 7, my classmates associated my name with 'porn'. Eventually I stopped explaining that it is a Sanskrit word that stands for 'ancient legends and popular lore, he told AsiaNews. Ram and 60 other Hindus lived in 118 DB, a Muslim-majority village near Bahawalpur. In 2016 he moved to Lahore in search of a better future. Yesterday he shared his story at a seminar dedicated to Interfaith Policy. The Punjab government organised the meeting as part of its Harmonious, Tolerant and Safe Punjab" campaign, which was launched on 11 January by Ejaz Alam Augustine, Punjab Minister of Human Rights and Minorities Affairs and Interfaith Harmon, in cooperation with the Lahore Youth Development Foundation (YDF). "We invited religious leaders, representatives of civil society, students, academics, who were asked to present proposals and suggestions to be incorporated into the policy, said YDF executive director Shahid Rehmat. In his address, Puran Ram noted that "when he was in grade 9, he switched schools after classmates accused him of using a steel chain of a water tank. My mother forbade me to study the Islamic religion, a compulsory subject. She was worried that I would convert to Islam. "I was skipping the hour of religion and studying ethics in the library. This was tough because there were no teachers of alternative subjects for non-Muslims. The challenges continued in college. I simply introduced myself as a non-Muslim. My religious identity raised problems. Many associated me with India, a rival nation. Others invited me to embrace Islam. A fellow classmate told me that his elders usually burnt burn utensils stained by the shadow of a passing Hindu. So I cut short all talk about religion. Silence was my best protection. Eventually that classmate left college because he refused to study with me. Others carried their own glasses for drinking. According to Ram, a new policy could improve the situation of minorities". In fact, Christians too constantly report discriminatory treatment in access to education and jobs. The problem of girls and young women abducted and forcibly converted to Islam is particularly acute. According to the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, at least a thousand young Christian and Hindu women suffered this fate in Sindh Province alone in 2018. What is more, Hindu families are forced to celebrate religious holidays at home. We are afraid of spraying the coloured paint on others during Holi, the festival of colours. Sometimes I feel like we haven't been clean from birth, no matter how good we try to be. Even the police ask us for a bribe of up to 35,000 rupees (US$ 225) to be allowed to celebrate the annual festival of Rama Pir (a Hindu holy man) in our village. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received on January 23 the delegations led by Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Stef Blok, who is in Armenia on an official visit. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the visit of Stef Blok to Armenia and expressed confidence that it will give a new impetus to the development and expansion of the relations between the two countries. Highlighting the organization of high-level visits, the PM added that this year he also plans an official visit to the Netherlands, which will be the 1st visit of the leader of Armenia to that country since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to Nikol Pashinyan, the Government of Armenia highlights bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, as well as the humanitarian sphere. PM Pashinyan talked about the development of democracy in Armenia, struggle against corruption and reforms in the judicial and other spheres and emphasized that the Government of Armenia has set an ambitious agenda in the mentioned directions and makes consistent steps to bring it to life. Nikol Pashinyan saluted the ratification of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU by the parliament of the Netherlands. Thanking for the warm reception, Stef Blok noted that the democratic developments and reforms in Armenia are obvious and emphasized that the Government of his country is ready to cooperate with Armenia for bringing them to life. The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands noted that there are opportunities for economic cooperation, particularly in the spheres of agriculture and IT. Stef Blok expressed confidence that Pashinyans visit to the Netherlands will promote the bilateral agenda between the two countries. The sides also exchanged views on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process and other regional issues. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) complained that his country has not been 'treated fairly' by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), stating that the United States is not considered a 'developing nation' while China and India are, by the global trade body. Davos: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) complained that his country has not been "treated fairly" by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), stating that the United States is not considered a "developing nation" while China and India are, by the global trade body. "But the World Trade Organisation as you know, I've had a dispute running with them for quite a while, because our country hasn't been treated fairly. China is viewed as a developing nation. India is viewed as a developing nation. We've not viewed a developing nation," the US President said while speaking at a press conference, according to a transcript by the White House. "As far as I'm concerned, we're a developing nation, too. But they got tremendous advantages by the fact that they were considered "developing" and we weren't. And they shouldn't be. But if they are, we are. And we're talking about a whole new structure for the deal, or we'll have to do something," said Trump. The US President stressed that the WTO has been "very unfair to the United States for many, many years". "But the World Trade Organisation has been very unfair to the United States for many, many years. And without it, China wouldn't be China, and China wouldn't be where they are right now. I mean, China that was the vehicle that they used. And I give them great credit. And I also don't give the people that were in my position great credit, because, frankly, they let that all happen. But the vehicle was the World Trade Organization," Trump said. The US President also chose to highlight the achievements saying that since his election, his country has gained over 7 million new jobs. "The unemployment rate is now the lowest in over half a century. The average unemployment rate for my administration is the lowest of any US President in recorded history, which is very nice; we have some good ones. We have some bad ones too, by the way," said Trump. Talladega County Jail A teenage boy allegedly stabbed his mother and 13-year-old twin brothers to death before going to school as if it were a normal day. Landon Durham, 16, is accused of killing his mother, Holli Christina Durham, 36, and brothers Branson and Baron Durham, at their home in Munford, Alabama. Police believe the killings happened early on Tuesday morning, after which Landon attended classes at Munford High School. The bodies were discovered late on Tuesday and a call went out to law enforcement agencies statewide to be on the lookout for the 16-year-old brother and son of the victims who was thought to have been armed with knives or a sword. Durham was apprehended without incident at 7.40am on Wednesday morning at a grocery store approximately seven miles outside Gadsden, Alabama. Related Video: Teenager in Utah Accused of Fatally Shooting Four of His Relatives Under Alabama state law he is automatically charged as an adult for capital murder. As yet there is no indication of a motive. If convicted, Durham faces a life sentence without parole. Alabama has the death penalty but only for those over the age of 18. Speaking at a press conference, Steve Giddens, Talledega County District Attorney, said: This is the kind of crime that you see on TV or the media or the Internet that happens in other places. To have it here, really hits home. Munford, like all communities in this county, is pretty close-knit, and I know they are hurting and we are too. Its just hard to believe these kinds of things can happen. Read more Manhunt launched after 10-year-old boy stabbed in front of his mother Man arrested over Christmas Eve murder in front of wife and child Two charged with murder after body found in drain Five arrested after man stabbed to death confronting group A former middle school custodian in New Jersey who says he was fired for mistakenly taking a $20 box of candy he thought was a Christmas gift is suing the school district for emotional distress. Peter Marro, 58, filed the lawsuit against Readington Township Public Schools in Hunterdon County Superior Court in December, two years after he was dismissed in 2017. In addition to emotional distress, Marro is also alleging defamation of character, workplace harassment and past, present and future loss of income. 'After working in a hostile work environment for some time, I made a mistake when I thought Christmas gifts in the maintenance area were for our crew as a thank you from staff,' Marro said in the lawsuit, My Central Jersey reports. 'I picked one and put it in my car. It was a box of candy worth $20.' Peter Marro (pictured), 58, filed a lawsuit against Readington Township Public Schools in December 2019 for emotional distress, defamation of character, workplace harassment and past, present and future loss of income The firing, and subsequent arrest, have apparently hindered his ability to get new jobs. 'Every time I apply for a new job, the arrest overshadows all my relevant experience. The arrest interferes with all aspects of my life, personal and professional,' he said The 'misunderstanding' began on December 19, 2017, when Marro saw a wrapped boxes of Christmas candy inside the maintenance room in Readington Middle School. He believed the candy boxes were 'a year-end thank you' to the maintenance crew from staff, and proceeded to take one. 'I chose one and put it in my car. I was happy to be thought of by the staff,' Marro told NBC News. About 20 minutes later, while working inside the cafeteria, Marro was called to the main office for a meeting with the principal, vice principal, maintenance supervisor and two police officers. 'They said, "Did you take a gift?"' Marro said, recalling the situation. 'I said, "Yeah, there was one for everybody." They said, "No, you stole it".' Marro worked as a custodian at Readington Middle School (pictured) for three years until he was accused of theft by school officials and fired in 2017 Marro reportedly told them that it was a mistake, but he was informed that they captured him on camera putting the gift inside his car. He maintains that he would never risk his job, which paid a salary of $35,220, over a box of candy and he had never stolen items from school premises despite having keys to every area. 'I opened the school at 6 a.m. before anyone was even there. Kids leave cell phones and computers laying in the hall, wallets and purses, and I would just return them to the front office because that's just what you do,' said Marro. Marro says the box was still wrapped at the time of his arrest and he doesn't even know what kind of candy was inside. 'They just had it in for me. It was just bizarre,' he said. Marro (pictured) says the incident was a 'misunderstanding' and he never stole any items from Readington Middle School, despite having access to every area of the premises Marro was then escorted by authorities through the school in what he calls a 'humiliating' experience. He said: 'Two police officers walked me through the school, everyone was looking as they brought me through the cafeteria. People were stopping, they were literally stopping and looking.' Officers placed Marro was handcuffed and into a patrol car at the school's front entrance, which allowed children to see the arrest from through school windows. Marro was charged with theft by unlawful taking, but the charge was dismissed in February 2018 after prosecutors chose not to pursue it. Marro (pictured) says he thought the candy boxes in the maintenance room were Christmas gifts from staff to the custodial crew He says because of his position at the school, many people in the small community of Flemington, know him. Although he hoped people would forget about the incident, it has reportedly stuck with him two years later. He says people who once interacted with now avoid him. He initially filed a $2million lawsuit against the school in April, but it was dismissed after he missed the deadline to file a tort claim. This latest lawsuit will seek punitive damages, general damages and aggravated damages for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. The UN's top court will announce Thursday if it will allow a case accusing Myanmar of genocide against Rohingya Muslims to go ahead and if it will impose emergency measures to stop further violence. The ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) comes days after a Myanmar commission concluded that some soldiers likely committed war crimes against the minority group but that the military was not guilty of genocide. Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi travelled to The Hague in December to personally defend her Buddhist-majority country against the allegations over the bloody 2017 crackdown against the Rohingya. The mainly Muslim African nation of The Gambia brought the case against Myanmar after 740,000 Rohingya fled over the border into Bangladesh, carrying accounts of widespread rape, arson and mass killings. "The first question is whether or not the Court will declare to have jurisdiction. My guess is that that will be the case, although you never know," Willem van Genugten, professor emeritus of international law at Tilburg University, told AFP. If the court approves so-called "provisional measures" sought by Gambia those "might, next to that, entail a lot of things, from very general to very specific. That remains to be seen as well." The ruling on Thursday is just the first step in a legal battle that is likely to take years at the ICJ, which was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between nations. The Gambia brought the case with the backing of the 57-nation Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. Canada and the Netherlands have since also lent their support. At the December hearing, The Gambia alleged Myanmar had breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, asking for special steps to prevent the "serious and imminent risk of genocide recurring" and to stop Myanmar destroying any evidence. While the UN's top judicial organ has no power to enforce orders for provisional measures, the "significance... shouldn't be written off", said Cecily Rose, assistant professor in international law at Leiden University. "The court's orders and judgments tend to carry relatively great authority or legitimacy. Even though the situation in Myanmar is highly political and fragile, international law still plays a role by informing decision-making among international actors," she told AFP. Myanmar might for example be asked to report back regularly to the court on its compliance with the order, Rose added. Suu Kyi is not expected to attend Wednesday's ruling. In The Hague in December, she argued her country was capable of investigating any allegations of abuse and warned that the case could reignite the crisis. On Monday a Myanmar-appointed "Independent Commission Of Enquiry" went the furthest that any investigation by the country has gone so far in accepting atrocities occurred. The panel said some security personnel had used disproportionate force and committed war crimes and serious human rights violations, including the "killing of innocent villagers and destruction of their homes". But it ruled out genocide, saying: "There is insufficient evidence to argue, much less conclude, that the crimes committed were undertaken with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical (sic), racial or religious group." Myanmar has always maintained the crackdown by the armed forces, or Tatmadaw, was justified to root out Rohingya insurgents after a series of attacks left a dozen security personnel dead. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (TNS) The Stutsman County Commission learned the county is part of a newly declared Presidential Disaster Declaration just before it convened for its regular meeting Tuesday."Just heard about it," said Mark Klose, chairman of the commission. "Happy as heck, it is a godsend for the townships and the county."Stutsman County and the townships and cities within the county had submitted an estimate of $4.2 million in damage to roads and other public infrastructure caused by an October blizzard and flooding events that followed. Of that $4.2 million, $3.2 million was reported to township roads, according to Jerry Bergquist, Stutsman County emergency manager and 911 coordinator.Bergquist said very few details had been released concerning how the Presidential Disaster Declaration would work as part of the initial announcement."It is extremely good news," he said. "We don't know what the rules will be. We know it only applies to government-owned infrastructure but how and when the work will be done is not known. It is not like we go out and fix roads now."The declaration announcement also does not include information on the reimbursement rates. Bergquist said in previous declarations, the federal government had covered 75% of costs with the state of North Dakota paying 10% and local governments covering 15%."Right now, we have zero detail," Bergquist said. "That will change over the next several days."During the Stutsman County Commission meeting, commissioners approved a bridge inspection and load rating service agreement with the North Dakota Department of Transportation.Previously, the NDDOT performed all bridge inspections but has now made local governments responsible for the inspections. The service agreement allows Stutsman County to contract through the state to have the inspections done by contractors.The County Commission also approved the reappraisal of eight parcels of land owned by the county and for sale. The parcels were acquired by the county when taxes were not paid on the parcels. The county had received an offer on one parcel but it was below the current sale price listed.2020 The Jamestown Sun (Jamestown, N.D.)Visit The Jamestown Sun (Jamestown, N.D.) at www.jamestownsun.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Home Minister Amit Shah dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhis criticism of the government on India-China tensions, saying his party and he had no right to point fingers on the issue. Shah said the Congress leader should first give an account to the nation on how much territory his party ceded to China when it was in power. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday paid homage to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary and described him as a brilliant intellect of his time who never compromised with his ideals. The Shiv Sena in November broke its decades old alliance with the BJP and formed a government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and the Congress. "Remembering Balasaheb Thackeray Ji on his Jayanti. Balasaheb Ji was a brilliant intellect of his time, always mesmerised the masses with his oratory skills. He always stood firm and never compromised with his ideals, Balasaheb Ji's life and his values will continue to inspire us," Shah tweeted. Thackeray was born in 1926 in Pune and passed away in 2012 in Mumbai. The Union home minister also paid tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "I offer my heartfelt tributes to legendary Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on his Birth anniversary. Netaji founded Azad Hind Fauj and dedicated his entire life for India's freedom. His passion and devotion towards the motherland will always be a source of inspiration for all," he said in another tweet. Bose was born in 1897 in Cuttack in Odisha. We have launched the calendar for the early polls, and after the draft law on the election of mayors in two rounds passes through the rejection of the censure motion, the Liberals intend to assume responsibility on other projects too, so that the PSD (Social Democratic Party) will file new censure motions that will lead to early polls, the Deputy PM Raluca Turcan told RFI Romania on Thursday. "We have launched the calendar for early polls and after this law passes through the rejection of the censure motion we intend to assume responsibility for other laws that will surely create so much frustration and dissatisfaction in the PSD that they will submit another censure motion, which will lead to snap polls, as we wish," said Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan on Thursday.According to her, the measures taken by the Orban Government that are currently being blocked by the PSD MPs need to have legislative grounds.She added that, while considering the "absurd" scenario that there will be no early polls in the end, the Orban Government will have a governing programme "obtained through the Government assuming responsibility," which it couldn't carry out with the current Parliament, but she added that the organisation the parliamentary elections simultaneously with the local ones fall within the calendar initiated by the PNL.Turcan added that, if the Liberal Government were to be rejected by a censure motion, then they would invoke the laws on early polls, so that the organisation of early polls would become possible, after all. AGERPRES Hundreds of Central American migrants crossed the river into Mexico from Guatemala Thursday after a dayslong standoff with security forces. Carrying US and Honduran flags at the head of the procession, they walked along a highway toward a waiting contingent of dozens of national guardsmen with riot shields and body armor and vans from the National Immigration Institute. Jose Luis Morales, a Salvadoran leader of the caravan, said the migrants want to negotiate to be allowed to pass peacefully. But Mexico has cracked down on the large caravans seen previously following intense pressure from Washington last year. Thursday's movement was a resurgence of a migrant caravan that had been diminishing since its last concerted attempt to cross the border Monday was turned back by Mexican National Guardsmen posted along Suchiate river, which forms the border here. The national guardsmen awaited the caravan outside the community of Frontera Hidalgo, near Ciudad Hidalgo where the migrants crossed the Suchiate river at dawn. Mexico began flying and busing members of the caravan back to Honduras on Tuesday. Seven more buses left Mexico for Honduras on Wednesday, carrying 240 migrants back home, and two flights left with an additional 220 Hondurans, Mexico's National Immigration Institute said. By Wednesday, the number of people outside the Casa del Migrante in Tecun Uman was perhaps half of what it was at its peak Sunday night. In previous caravans, Mexican authorities have allowed caravans to walk for awhile, seemingly to tire them out, and then closed their path. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 2019 marks $70M series C funding and 49 new customers demonstrating the momentum of Mirakl and the Platform Revolution PARIS, BOSTON, LONDON, and MUNICH, Jan. 23, 2020, the leading global marketplace solutions provider, today announced 77% year-over-year revenue growth and over $1.5B GMV achieved by Mirakl-powered Marketplaces. In 2019, Mirakl added 49 new customers and closed $70M in series C funding led by Bain Capital Ventures. The success of Mirakl and its customers showcases the transformative power of the marketplace model. Major highlights for Mirakl in 2019 included: The launch of Mirakl Connect (http://miraklconnect.com/) , The Global Marketplace Ecosystem, which is the first platform connecting marketplace operators with sellers and partners to accelerate the growth of new platform strategies. , The Global Marketplace Ecosystem, which is the first platform connecting marketplace operators with sellers and partners to accelerate the growth of new platform strategies. The release of the Mirakl Connector for Magento Marketplace Sellers, which allows brands, retailers, and distributors using Magento Commerce to easily sell products across Mirakl-powered Marketplaces and manage operations from one central place. Passing the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type I audit, in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Trust Services Criteria (TSC). The acquisition of 49 leading industry incumbents who are leveraging the platform model to establish themselves as digital leaders, including Airbus Helicopters, Changi Airport, NBC Universal, Thales, and Shufersal. Continued investments in Mirakl's technology platform and AI, making it easier for operators and sellers to handle marketplace product data quality at scale and grow their marketplace opportunity with advanced catalog management capabilities. A comprehensive commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting (https://www.mirakl.com/total-economic-impact-study-finds-mirakl-marketplace-platform-can-deliver-162-roi/) on behalf of Mirakl, which found that Mirakl-powered Marketplaces can deliver a significant 162% return on investment within three years and drive revenue up by $412 million over three years. on behalf of Mirakl, which found that Mirakl-powered Marketplaces can deliver a significant 162% return on investment within three years and drive revenue up by $412 million over three years. Being included in Gartner's Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, 2019 1 as a Sample Vendor for marketplace operation applications within the Enterprise Marketplace. Gartner gave the Enterprise Marketplace business model a "high" benefit rating in the 2019 Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, stating, "When done right, there are many benefits. It helps enterprises enrich product offerings, reduce selling or procurement costs, test new items or categories before adding them to the product catalog, and improve the customer experience by making the process more transparent and efficient." as a Sample Vendor for marketplace operation applications within the Enterprise Marketplace. Gartner gave the Enterprise Marketplace business model a "high" benefit rating in the 2019 Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, stating, "When done right, there are many benefits. It helps enterprises enrich product offerings, reduce selling or procurement costs, test new items or categories before adding them to the product catalog, and improve the customer experience by making the process more transparent and efficient." New partnerships with leading organizations including Accenture, Avensia, BORN, Deloitte Digital, Gorilla Group, Optaros by MRM//McCann, Salesforce, ShipStation and Xplore Group to help organizations implement a winning platform strategy. Additionally, our strategic Solution Extension partnership with SAP yielded great results in its first year, helping Mirakl grow in core markets including Germany and Brazil, and new markets such as the Middle East. Being named to the Next40 list of France's 40 most promising startups, in recognition of Mirakl's status as the leading global marketplace solutions provider and a tech industry leader. Next40 is part of a broader initiative by the President of France to grow the number of French "unicorns" - privately-owned startups valued at more than $1 billion USD - and boost digital technology and innovation in France. Welcoming four veteran sales and marketplace strategy experts to Mirakl's senior team. Brian Callahan joined Mirakl as Executive Vice President of Sales - Americas/APAC and Brendan Walsh joined as Executive Vice President of Sales - EMEA. Retail digital commerce and data analytics expert Tzipi Avioz also joined Mirakl as Executive Vice President of Customer Success - Americas and APAC. And, former Amazon Marketplace executive Luca Cassina was named Executive Vice President of Customer Success EMEA. Additionally, Mirakl's customers' performance was outstanding in 2019, showing just how quickly the marketplace model is gaining traction: Over $1.5B GMV was achieved by Mirakl-powered Marketplaces, with 1 million orders processed during Black Friday 2019 alone. 41 new Mirakl-powered Marketplaces were launched in 2019 with the majority of launches being completed within four months of becoming Mirakl clients. New marketplaces in 2019 include ABB Electrification, Brico Prive, Coperama, Joules, Maisonette, Metro Cash and Carry, Premier, Simon Properties, Thoughtfull by Indigo Books & Music, and Toyota Material Handling. There were 26,000 active pro-sellers on Mirakl-powered Marketplaces in 2019, representing more than 73 million active offers. "We are happy with our decision to add a marketplace. We're in our fourth year, and I even think that we were too slow. Marketplace is a part of our corporate DNA, and [marketplace] sales are a critical component of our growth strategy overall," said Brendan Toupin, Director, eCommerce Retail, Best Buy Canada. The impact of marketplaces extend far beyond B2C retail brands. Nick Ostergaard, Manager of eCommerce Sales & Operations and Marketing Systems at Toyota Material Handling, said, "It was critical for our authorized dealers to join us online in an effort to upgrade the customer experience in the material handling industry. The marketplace model provides the perfect solution." To help organizations take advantage of the significant platform opportunity, Mirakl hosted its annual Marketplace & Platform Summit in Paris and the inaugural Marketplace & Platform Summit in Boston in 2019. These exclusive events brought together more than 600 market-leading organizations, innovative technology partners and top industry analysts from across the globe to celebrate the power and potential of the marketplace model. Adrien Nussenbaum, Mirakl co-founder and U.S. CEO, spoke about how platforms are forever changing how people and businesses interact. His message to attendees was, "Today, your strength is your relationship with your customers. Tomorrow, your strength is the ecosystem you build between your customers and partners." Gartner projects that more than 60% of online sellers will adopt marketplaces or include third-party sales in their eCommerce ecosystems by 2020. To meet the growing marketplace demand, Mirakl grew its team to 258 employees in 2019. "We are proud to see our Platform Pioneers leveraging Mirakl solutions to reinvent commerce as we know it, and reap the benefits of a platform business model," said Mirakl co-founder and CEO Philippe Corrot. "There's no doubt that the digital revolution will continue to drive massive disruption in the years to come." For more information about Mirakl and the Mirakl Marketplace Platform, please visit www.mirakl.com . About Mirakl Mirakl is powering the platform economy by providing the technology, expertise and partner ecosystem needed to launch an eCommerce marketplace. With the Mirakl Marketplace Platform, both B2B and B2C businesses can offer more, learn more and sell more: increase the number of products available for buyers, grow the lifetime value of customers, and anticipate buyer needs and preferences. Committed to ease of use, the Mirakl Marketplace Platform is a turn-key solution that's easy to integrate into any eCommerce platform and Mirakl Catalog Manager makes managing product data quality simple at marketplace scale. Mirakl's unmatched marketplace expertise is key to customers' success. Mirakl employs a team of 60+ marketplace experts who help clients adopt best practices and client success provides critical long-term strategic guidance. Over 200 customers in 40 countries trust Mirakl's proven technology and expertise including Urban Outfitters, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Best Buy Canada, Carrefour, Siemens, Toyota Material Handling USA, Inc. and Walmart Mexico. For more information: www.mirakl.com . Media Contacts: Maya Pattison Senior Director Marketing, Americas maya.pattison@mirakl.com +1-844-264-7255 JTHS-MIAMI President David Abernathy Palm Beach County mid-market and luxury transactions continue rising as an increased number of buyers from tax-burdened states consider our real estate" Palm Beach County total home sales, dollar volume and luxury ($1-million-and-up) transactions surged double digits year-over-year in December 2019, according to the MIAMI Association of Realtors (MIAMI) and the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system. Palm Beach continues in a sellers market (inventory below 6 months of supply) with months of supply trending downward, a sign of the high demand for Palm Beach real estate. Palm Beach County mid-market and luxury transactions continue rising as an increased number of buyers from tax-burdened states consider our real estate, JTHS-MIAMI President David Abernathy said. Palm Beach real estate remains in high demand as inventory decreases and home sales, including pending transactions, rise. Palm Beach County Total Home Sales Rise 19.6% Total Palm Beach County home sales increased 19.6%, from 2,209 to 2,642. Palm Beach single-family home sales increased 15.5%, from 1,229 to 1,420. Palm Beach condo sales increased 24.7%, from 980 to 1,222. A rise in mid-market and luxury transactions fueled the rise in total home sales. In the mid-market, Palm Beach County single-family homes priced between $300K to $400K saw a rise of 31% in transactions to 401 sales. Palm Beach condos priced between $250K to $300K registered a 68.8% rise in sales to 108 transactions. In the luxury market, Palm Beach single-family homes priced above $1 million rose 17.3% to 88 transactions. Palm Beach condos priced above $1 million increased 50% to 48 transactions. With consumer confidence rising, unemployment low, job creation high and increased migration to Florida, Palm Beach real estate should enjoy steady growth. Single-family home dollar volume increased 18.4%, from $593.5 million to $702.5 million. Condo dollar volume increased 63.4%, from $268.2 million to $438.2 million. According to Freddie Mac, the average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage increased to 3.72% in December, up from 3.70% in November. The average commitment rate across all of 2019 was 3.94%. A new condo approval process could increase sales in the future. The new guidance, which goes into effect in October 2019, extends certifications from two years to three, allows for single-unit mortgage approvals, provides more flexibility with owner/occupancy ratios, and increases the allowable number of FHA loans in a single project. The changes, many of which MIAMI and NAR has championed, should yield thousands of new homeownership opportunities. Another Month of Price Appreciation in Palm Beach Palm Beach County single-family home prices increased 5.6% in December 2019, increasing from $344,700 to $364,000. Existing condo prices increased 5.6%, from $179,750 to $189,900. Palm Beach Distressed Sales Stay Low, Reflecting Healthy Market Only 3.3% of all closed residential sales in Palm Beach were distressed last month, including REO (bank-owned properties) and short sales, compared to 3.5% in December 2019. Total Palm Beach distressed sales increased 14.3%, from 77 to 88. Short sales and REOs accounted for 0.5% and 2.8%, respectively, of total Palm Beach sales in December 2019. Short sale transactions increased 44.4% year-over-year while REOs increased 10.3%. Nationally, distressed sales represented 2% of sales in December, unchanged from both November 2019 and December 2018. Palm Beach Real Estate Selling Close to List Price The median number of days between listing and contract dates for Palm Beach single-family home sales was 43 days, a 18.9% decrease from 53 days last year. The median number of days between the listing date and closing date for single-family homes was 81 days, a 11% decrease from 91 days. The median time to contract for condos was 45 days, a 6.3% decrease from 48 days last year. The median number of days between listing date and closing date decreased 2.3% to 85 days. The median percent of original list price received for single-family homes was 95.3%. The median percent of original list price received for existing condominiums was 94.3%. National and State Statistics Nationally, total existing-home sales transactions increased 3.6% from November to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.54 million in December. Additionally, overall sales took a significant bounce, up 10.8% from a year ago (5.00 million in December 2019). Statewide closed sales of existing single-family homes totaled 25,557 last month, up 23.8% from December 2018, according to Florida Realtors. Floridas condo-townhouse market totaled 9,605, up 17.7% from the level a year ago. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written. The national median existing-home price for all housing types in in December was $274,500, up 7.8% from December 2018 ($254,700), as prices rose in every region. Novembers price increase marks 94 straight months of year-over-year gains. Statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and condo-townhouse properties in December rose year-over-year for 96 months in a row. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $270,000, up 5.9% from the previous year. Last months statewide median price for condo-townhouse units was $200,000, up 8.1% over the year-ago figure. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less. Palm Beach Cash Buyers Represent More than Double the National Figure Palm Beach cash transactions comprised 42.6% of December 2019 total closed sales, compared to 44.5% last year. Palm Beach cash transactions are more than double the national figure (20%). Condominiums comprise a large portion of Palm Beach cash purchases as 54.1% of condo closings were made in cash in December compared to 32.7% of single-family home sales. Sellers Market for Palm Beach Real Estate Inventory of single-family homes decreased 16.1% in December from 7,347 active listings last year to 6,163 last month. Condominium inventory decreased 5.2% to 5,891 from 6,215 listings during the same period in 2018. Months supply of inventory for single-family homes decreased 17.6% to 4.2 months, which indicates a sellers market. Existing condominiums have a 5.3-month supply, which also indicates a sellers market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six- and nine-months supply. Total active listings at the end of December decreased 11.1% year-over-year, from 13,562 to 12,054. New listings of Palm Beach single-family homes decreased 5.9% to 1,395 from 1,483. New listings of condominiums increased 7.5%, from 1,285 to 1,382. Nationally, total housing inventory at the end of December totaled 1.40 million units, down 14.6% from November and 8.5% from one year ago (1.53 million). Unsold inventory sits at a 3.0-month supply at the current sales pace, down from the 3.7-month figure recorded in both November and December 2018. Unsold inventory totals have dropped for seven consecutive months from year-ago levels, taking a toll on home sales. To access December 2019 Palm Beach Statistical Reports, visit http://www.SFMarketIntel.com Note: Statistics in this news release may vary depending on reporting dates. MIAMI reports exact statistics directly from its MLS system. About the MIAMI Association of Realtors The MIAMI Association of Realtors was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 100 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, the Realtors Commercial Alliance, the Broward-MIAMI Association of Realtors, the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound (JTHS-MIAMI) Council, the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Council and the award-winning International Council, it represents 52,000 total real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S. and has official partnerships with 222 international organizations worldwide. MIAMIs official website is http://www.MiamiRealtors.com The president is facing trial in the Senate after the House impeached him last month, accusing Trump of abusing his office by asking Ukraine for the investigations while withholding the aid from a U.S. ally at war with bordering Russia. The second article of impeachment accuses him of obstructing Congress by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House probe. PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Infrastructure company John Laing Group plc. (JLG.L) announced Thursday that Chief Executive Officer Olivier Brousse has tendered his resignation in order to take up a senior position at Veolia Group. The company noted that Brousse will remain as CEO while he assists the company to effect an orderly transition. John Laing is in the process of identifying a new CEO and will provide updates, as appropriate, in due course. John Laing's Chairman, Will Samuel, said, 'On behalf of the Board, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Olivier for his valuable contribution to the Board and the Company, particularly in delivering the successful IPO and his leadership in evolving the Group's geographic footprint and the diversification of the portfolio. Olivier will leave behind a strong management team and a Company that is in good shape.' 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. Daniil Medvedev insisted a mid-match nosebleed was not a serious problem as he overcame an underarm serve and stiff resistance from Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez Thursday to book his Australian Open third-round ticket. The Russian fourth seed was pressed hard in a competitive first set before grinding down the 22-year-old 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 with the roof closed on Margaret Court Arena. He plays Australia's Alexei Popyrin next in Melbourne. "It was not easy, especially the first set, but I managed to stay there the whole match and came through because he has less experience," said Medvedev, who won four titles last year and was runner-up at the US Open. He was up 5-0 in the second set when he required a medical timeout with blood dripping from his nose, something that also interrupted his Australian Open last year. "Well, I was bleeding from the nose, which can happen to me sometimes. Doesn't usually happen during the match so I had to stop it," said the 23-year-old. "Usually takes like four minutes, three, four minutes. I called the physio so he could help me to stop it. But it's nothing." While nosebleeds are a recurring issue, he said they did not happen often enough to be a major problem. "Let's say it happens maybe two times a year or maybe once. I remember it actually happened at last year's Australian Open in the first round." Asked if it was related to tension, he replied: "No, not at all. If it would be, I would be bleeding every match I play." The highest seed behind the Big Three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Medvedev struggled to get going against a tenacious player making his Australian Open debut. But his strength and big serve ultimately counted, with 19 aces. So frustrated was the Spaniard that he resorted to an underarm serve. "I don't know actually why he did it, but it surprised me a lot," said Medvedev. "But if he would make a good one, I think I would be in trouble. But it was really a bad one, so I had the ball easy." The pair stayed on serve until the Russian's pressure paid dividends in the first set, working break points in game four and getting the edge when Martinez, ranked 168, sent a backhand into the net. But poor technique on a volley handed the Spaniard a break back for 3-4 and Martinez's confidence grew. They went game for game until Medvedev stepped up a gear to break again for the set when Martinez put a simple forehand into the net. With the Spaniard sapped of energy, Medvedev twisted the knife, racing into a 5-0 second-set lead before his nosebleed. Medvedev is aiming to better his best performance at Melbourne Park, which came last year when he made the round of 16 before falling to eventual champion Djokovic. Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev had to deal with a nosebleed before winning his Australian Open second round clash Cara Santana Said She and Jesse Metcalfe Were Focused on 'Creating Memories' Right Before Split Weeks before Jesse Metcalfe and Cara Santana split, the formerly engaged couple was focused on creating lasting memories together. Over the holidays, the Desperate Housewives actor and the actress-fashion blogger traveled to Europe, including London and Belgium, where they celebrated their last Christmas together. In an Instagram post shared Dec. 26, 2019, Santana explained that she and her fiance decided to give each other an experience instead of exchanging tangible presents for Christmas. This year @realjessemetcalfe and I decided instead of getting each other gifts, we would give each other an experience, Santana captioned two photos of the pair in Brugge, Belgium. She explained that the idea was to create memories, see a new culture and focus on the most important but often most intangible gift that life has to offer: time well spent. He picked the place, I handled the travel and we invited my family. And man, were we NOT disappointed! said Santana. We couldnt have thought of a better way to spend the winter holiday together in #Brugge. . RELATED: Jesse Metcalfe and Fiancee Cara Santana Split After More Than 10 Years Together: Source After more than a decade together, a source told PEOPLE on Wednesday that the John Tucker Must Die actor, 41, and Santana, 35, had split three weeks ago. Story continues However, a source close to Santana also told PEOPLE that the couple didnt breakup until Wednesday. She was wearing her ring yesterday, the source close to Santana said. She had no idea things werent fine until she saw the photos online today. I promise they never broke up until today. The source believes the actor is a cheater. News of their split comes days after Metcalfe was photographed getting cozy with a woman at a bar in Sherman Oaks, California. A rep for Santana tells PEOPLE Cara is not going to comment and asks that everyone please respect her privacy at this time. In photos obtained by Daily Mail, Metcalfe was captured with his arms wrapped around a blonde woman and appeared to kiss her cheek. Earlier that same day, Metcalfe was photographed leaving a lunch hand-in-hand with Hungarian model Livia Pillmann, the outlet reported. Metcalfe and Santana got engaged in August 2016. In September of that year, Santana told PEOPLE that she and Metcalfe were planning on getting married in 2018. RELATED: Inside Jesse Metcalfe and Cara Santanas Cozy California Home Cara Santana and Jesse Metcalfe | Cara Santana/Instagram Were going to get married in September 2018, so Im going to start planning this time next year, Santana told PEOPLE at the WEI Beauty Detoxifying Skincare Line luncheon hosted by Jaime King and Jamie Chung in Hollywood. She also spoke about feeling at peace after getting engaged. I think theres a sense of calm, she shared. Jesse Metcalfe and Cara Santana | Donato Sardella/Getty Theres a sense of unspoken security that when youre not engaged maybe theres like an underlying uncertainty, she continued. Now that were engaged I feel this total sense of calmness, she shared. Like well get to the wedding. Weve got the rest of our lives. They last appeared on a red carpet together at The Art Of Elysium Presents We Are Hears Heaven 2020 event in Los Angeles on Jan. 4. Groundwater flow from land to sea could have important coastal impacts but it is usually unrecognized. Delicate reefs may be particularly sensitive to groundwater inputs. Yet few studies have made connections between groundwater and reefs. Now, a team of researchers has investigated submarine groundwater in the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines, a volcanic coastal area that hosts the worlds most biodiverse reefs, and discovered hydrothermal springs which they call Soda Springs emitting acidic waters and venting volcanic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The Soda Springs are linked to a nearby volcano that vents out the gases through cracks in the ocean floor and has probably been doing so for decades or even millennia. However, the high CO 2 levels could make the springs an ideal spot for studying how coral reefs may cope with climate change. The site also offers a fascinating setting to study corals and marine life that are making a home among high levels of CO 2 . These high CO 2 environments that are actually close to thriving reefs, how does it work? Life is still thriving there, but perhaps not the kind that we are used to. They need to be studied, said Professor Bayani Cardenas, a researcher in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Cardenas and colleagues measured CO 2 concentrations as high as 95,000 parts per million (ppm), more than 200 times the concentration of CO 2 found in the atmosphere. The readings range from 60,000 to 95,000 and are potentially the highest ever recorded in nature. The CO 2 levels fall quickly away from the seeps as the gas is diluted in the ocean, but the gas still creates an elevated CO 2 environment along the rest of the coastline of the Calumpan Peninsula, with levels in the 400 to 600 ppm range. The team discovered the Soda Springs while researching whether groundwater from the nearby land could be discharging into the submarine ocean environment, which is a phenomenon that is generally ignored by scientists looking at the water cycle. Its an unseen flux of water from land to the ocean. And its hard to quantify. Its not like a river where you have a delta and you can measure it, Professor Cardenas said. The scientists tracked groundwater by testing for radon-222, a naturally occurring radioactive isotope that is found in local groundwater but not in open ocean water. Along with CO 2 bubbles, they also found hotspots in the sea floor where groundwater was being discharged into the ocean. This is significant because the connection between the groundwater and ocean means that there is a pathway for pollutants from the island to make it to the reef system, Professor Cardenas said. This is particularly important for a place like the Philippines, where coastal development is booming largely because of ecotourism driven by the nearby reefs, but the communities almost always depend on septic tanks instead of modern sewage systems. This means the development could drive pollution to the same reefs the economy relies on. The findings are published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. _____ M. Bayani Cardenas et al. Submarine Groundwater and Vent Discharge in a Volcanic Area Associated with Coastal Acidification. Geophysical Research Letters, published online January 3, 2020; doi: 10.1029/2019GL085730 India on Thursday handed over 30,000 doses of measles and rubella vaccine to the Maldives to contain a measles outbreak in the Indian Ocean archipelago, where four people tested positive for the disease in the past one week. Though measles has been eliminated in the Maldives, the government in Male suspected an outbreak after the detection of the case and made an emergency request for vaccine to India. The vaccines were supplied within three days of the request being made, the external affairs ministry said. People familiar with developments said Denmark had responded to a request from the Maldives by saying the vaccines could be supplied within a months time. The Unicef informed the Maldives supplies would take four weeks, the people said. The Maldives government then approached the Indian embassy for help on January 20. The ministries of external affairs and health procured the vaccines from a firm in Pune and the consignment was handed over to authorities in Male on Thursday. At a ceremony held at the health ministry in Male, health minister Abdulla Ameen presented a certificate of appreciation to the Indian ambassador, Sunjay Sudhir, to convey thanks for the gesture of goodwill and solidarity. Health remains one of the strongest pillars of bilateral cooperation between India and the Maldives and the gesture emphasises the mutually supportive roles of Indias neighbourhood first policy and the Maldives India First policy, the external affairs ministry said. The two sides signed a MoU on health cooperation in June 2019 and delegations met in Male during January 5-6 to frame a roadmap for cooperation in capacity building and training of doctors and medical and mental health professionals, disease surveillance and setting up digital health capacities. Michael Palin has paid tribute to "one of my closest, most valued friends" following the death of fellow Monty Python star Terry Jones. The actor and comedian, who directed some of the comedy troupe's best-loved works, "gently slipped away" at the age of 77, a statement on behalf of his family said. Palin said Jones, who had dementia and died on Tuesday evening, was "kind, generous, supportive and passionate about living life to the full". "He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation," he added. "He was the complete Renaissance comedian - writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children's author, and the warmest, most wonderful company you could wish to have," he said. Enthusiasm "I feel very fortunate to have shared so much of my life with him." Fellow Python star John Cleese also paid tribute to Jones, tweeting: "It feels strange that a man of so many talents and such endless enthusiasm, should have faded so gently away." He added: "Two down, four to go." Jones appeared in the Monty Python's Flying Circus TV series in a variety of characters, and was known for his performances in drag. A statement on behalf of his family said they were "deeply saddened" to announce the death of a "beloved husband and father", who had "given pleasure to countless millions across six decades". They hailed an "extraordinarily talented, playful and happy man living a truly authentic life, in his words 'lovingly frosted with glucose'". Jones died "with his wife Anna Soderstrom by his side after a long, extremely brave but always good-humoured battle with a rare form of dementia, FTD", the statement said. "Over the past few days, his wife, children, extended family and many close friends have been constantly with Terry as he gently slipped away at his home in north London. "We have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative and truly loving man whose uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humour has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades." The statement said his work "will live on forever, a fitting legacy to a true polymath". The family thanked "wonderful medical professionals and carers for making the past few years not only bearable but often joyful. We hope that this disease will one day be eradicated entirely." The Welsh-born star suffered from a form of dementia which affects the ability to communicate. Jones directed the film Monty Python And The Holy Grail in 1975 with Terry Gilliam. The group's Life Of Brian film in 1979, about a hapless man mistaken for Jesus, was attacked as blasphemous at the time but has since been voted the funniest classic comedy of all time. The Pythons' film work followed hot on the heels of the TV programme, which began in 1969 and is often considered as having changed the face of TV comedy. It ran for five ground-breaking years until, following the departure of Cleese, it ended in 1974. On screen, Jones's much-loved characters included Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson, Cardinal Biggles of the Spanish Inquisition, and Mr Creosote, the monstrously obese restaurant patron. Stephen Fry, David Walliams and Charlie Brooker were among those paying tribute to the star, with Fry praising Jones as a "wonderful talent, heart and mind". Walliams wrote: "Thank you Terry for a lifetime of laughter." Shane Allen, BBC controller of comedy commissioning, wrote that it was a "sad day to lose an absolute Titan of British comedy". He added that Jones was "one of the founding fathers of the most influential and pioneering comedy ensembles of all time". reunion Jones also directed The Meaning Of Life in 1983, the Pythons' last film together. His other credits include The Wind In The Willows in 1996, with performances from Idle, Palin and Cleese, 2015 comedy Absolutely Anything and Personal Services (1987). Jones took part in a reunion of remaining Monty Python members in 2014 - Graham Chapman had died of cancer in 1989. He had two children with Alison Telfer, whom he married in 1970. He then became a father again, at the age of 67, with his second wife Ms Soderstrom. 'Women like her give birth to such monsters': Kangana Ranaut slams Indira Jaising India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 23: Actress Kangana Ranaut, who has been making headlines with her statements, lashed out at senior lawyer Indira Jiasing for her 'follow Sonia Gandhi's example, forgive convicts' remark in Nirbhaya case. The 'Manikarnika' actress, reportedly said women like her bear rapists. Ranaut said, "That lady should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days. She needs to know what it's like. Women like them give birth to these kinds of monsters and murderers. Only they can feel sorry for them!" Advocate Indira Jaising on January 17 had urged Nirbhaya's mother to pardon the men on death row who were convicted for the 2012 gang rape, evoking strong reaction from the convict's parents. Who gives you the right to burn buses? asks Kangana Ranaut on CAA stir Kangana Ranaut says pro-mercy Indira Jaising raises sons like the rapists| OneIndia News Asha Devi, mother of the 23-year-old medical student who was raped on a bus by four men in Delhi in 2012 lashed out at senior lawyer Indira Jaising for requesting her to "forgive" the convicts and stop their execution. "Can't believe how Indira Jaising even dared to suggest such this. I met her many times over the years in Supreme Court, not once did she ask for my wellbeing and today she is speaking for convicts. Such people make a living by supporting rapists, hence rape incidents don't stop," she said. "Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion? The whole country wants the convicts to be executed. Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims," she added. New Delhi : The Maharashtra government has ordered an inquiry into the alleged phone tapping of Opposition leaders during the previous Devendra Fadnavis regime. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the Devendra Fadnavis government had misused government machinery to tap the phones of opposition leaders. He said that the police have been instructed to look into the complaints of snooping during the previous government. "The cyber cell of Maharashtra police has been asked to look into the various complaints of snooping/phone tapping that came in during the previous government. The inquiry is being done following complaints of snooping on opposition leaders, especially during the formation of (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) government," Deshmukh said. "There is no doubt that the previous dispensation has misused the government machinery to tap of phones of leaders from opposition parties," he said. The Maharashtra home minister also said that the Devendra Fadnavis government had sent some officials to Israel to study the snooping software. "There were reports that some officers were sent to Israel to study the snooping software. We are finding out who had gone to Israel and whether there was any official engagement," Deshmukh said. When asked about the police deployment for the 'Mumbai 24 hours' policy allowing malls, multiplexes and shops to remain open round-the-clock in the city from January 27, he said the city police commissioner is preparing a proposal for additional deployment required. "The decision will be taken accordingly. Locations in nine residential areas are being identified, where shops and eateries in malls and mill compounds are likely to be open. If private establishments require police security, they will have to pay for it," he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's exports fell for a 13th straight month in December, hurt by U.S.-bound shipments of cars, construction and mining machinery, suggesting weak external demand is likely to remain a drag on the trade-reliant economy for a while longer. The 6.3% year-on-year fall in exports was worse than a 4.2% decrease expected by economists in a Reuters poll. It followed a revised 7.9% year-on-year decline in the previous month, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) data showed on Thursday. Analysts and policymakers say a preliminary trade deal agreed between the United States and China last week and progress on Britain's exit from the European Union would help ease worries over global trade, a key driver of Japan's economy. Yet, the latest data showed only a modest slowing in the pace of contraction and suggests a sure-footed recovery may be months away. "Exports are likely to bottom out around this spring," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute, citing a pick-up in global semiconductor demand. A rush in shipments ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays may have helped ease the export slowdown last month, he added, suggesting there may be a further contraction in January. "Shipments are unlikely to serve as a main engine of growth this year due to the economic slowdown in the United States and China," Minami said. Bank of Japan policymakers have argued that solid domestic demand should help offset weak shipments and manufacturing activity. On Tuesday, the BOJ nudged up its economic growth forecasts and sounded cautiously optimistic about the global outlook, though it said ongoing risks meant it was way too early to consider scaling down its massive stimulus. By region, exports to China, Japan's largest trading partner, grew 0.8% in the year to December, led by demand for chip-making equipment, cars and plastic. It was the first annual increase in 10 months. Story continues Shipments to the United States, the country's No. 2 trading partner, fell 14.9% year-on-year in December - a fifth straight month of falls - dragged down by cars, car parts and airplane motor engines, the MOF data showed. Exports to Asia, which accounts for more than half of Japan's overall shipments, decreased 3.6% in the year to December, it showed. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Thursday the progress in U.S.-China trade talks and Brexit helped ease risk sentiment, but added that uncertainty remains on the trade relations between Washington and Beijing. "While risks surrounding global growth have subsided somewhat, they remain large," he told a news conference, signaling the BOJ's resolve to keep its powerful easing. The International Monetary Fund on Monday trimmed its 2020 global growth forecasts on sharper-than-expected slowdowns in emerging markets, but said the U.S.-China deal was another sign that manufacturing activity may soon bottom out. Many economists expect the world's third largest economy to have shrunk in the final quarter of last year as the U.S.-China trade war hit exports and the Oct. 1 sales tax hike weighed on private consumption. A moderate rebound is seen in the current quarter. (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy on Thursday accused Liuetenant Governor Kiran Bedi of intimidating and pressuring officers of the government-owned AFT Mill here and giving directions to them to close the century-old mill. Addressing a meeting of the ruling Congressmen to celebrate the 123rd birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Chief Minister said the cabinet, headed by him, had taken a decision that the AFT Mill should never be closed. "Workers opting for the voluntary retirement scheme should be given it and at no cost should the mill be closed," he said. The Lieutenant Governor, however, had allegedly taken a unilateral decision directing the officers to close the mill. "The Lt Governor is also pressuring and intimidating the officers and the AFT Mill management directing them to close the undertaking of the territorial government," he said. Narayanasamy recalled that he, along with his cabinet colleagues and leaders of the allies, had held a dharna in front of the Raj Nivas, the office of the Lt Governor, in February last for six days pressing for as many as 38 demands. "The first demand in the schedule placed before the Lt Governor during the dharna related to the decision of the government to ensure that the mill continued to operate and the workers intending to go for VRS be granted it," he said. Narayanasamy further said the Lt Governor was relentless in her stand that the mill be closed. "The difference of opinion on the mill issue between the Lt Governor and the government has been referred to the Centre for its decision," he said. "Even before the Centre's decision is known the Lt Governor had taken upon herself the authority to direct the officers of the mill to go in for its closure," he said. This is a clear case of Kiran Bedi acting in an utterly unjustified manner inflicting hardship on the workers, he said and added that "there is, therefore, an immediate need for the Centre to recall Kiran Bedi as Lt Governor as she functions in an 'arbitrary manner affecting the welfare of the people and also industrial workers.' PCC president and PWD Minister A Namassivayam, Revenue and Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan and leaders of different wings of the ruling Congress were among those present. The managing director of AFT Mill had proposed through a notification recently under the provisions of Industrial Disputes Act 1947 that the mill be closed with effect from April 30 and cited the various reasons for the proposal for the closure of the mill. The mill was set up during the French regime here in a private sector. With the mill facing critical situation in 1980s the territorial government intervened and took it over through a specially floated Textiles Corporation in 1985. Over the last few years, the mill has run into rough weather necessitating continued heavy investments by the administration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A medical expert has said it is only a matter of time before a case of coronavirus is confirmed in the UK. Four people are currently being tested for the deadly virus in Scotland after contracting respiratory symptoms after travelling from China. More than 440 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in China's Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and officials said at least 17 people have died there. North Korea has placed a ban on foreign tourists but there have now been cases in the US, Japan and South Korea. Dr Andrew Freedman, a reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, believes it is now likely Britain will be dealing with the infection in the upcoming days and weeks. He said: "This first case to be identified outside of Asia is a worrying but not unexpected development. Medical staff wear protection suits and fight with the coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan (PA) It is likely that further cases will be seen in other countries around the world, including the UK and Europe, in the days and weeks to come. Although person to person spread of the virus has occurred, including from patients to healthcare workers, it is not clear just how contagious it is. This is important in determining the risk of a much larger outbreak developing with spread to people who have not travelled to Wuhan. Health secretary Matt Hancock has also said there is an "increased likelihood" of cases of the new coronavirus in the UK, but insisted the risk to the public remains low and the country is "well prepared". Read more from Yahoo News UK: As a virologist, I can tell you all you need to know about the coronavirus and why you can stop panicking European shares dip as Chinese coronavirus concerns deepen China coronavirus: What are the symptoms, where has it spread and is there treatment? In a Commons statement, he told MPs: "The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from 'very low' to 'low' and has concluded that while there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them." Story continues Professor Neil Ferguson, director of the Medical Research Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, said the estimated number of people infected with coronavirus in Wuhan is about 4,000, with a range between 1,000 and 9,700. Asked whether it was possible the virus had already reached the UK, Professor Ferguson said he could not rule it out. He said: "We can't rule out that possibility. Confirmed cases of coronavirus so far (PA) "Border screening, and in this case, in the UK, alerting the health system is not 100% foolproof there could be a mild case. "The UK is not a major destination of visitors travelling out of Wuhan around the world though. "So I would say it was unlikely, but can't be completely sure." Prof Ferguson added that the UK would not be able to implement some of the measures China has deployed against outbreaks in the past, including isolating tens of thousands of people. Experts are set to meet again later to decide whether to declare an international public health emergency over the coronavirus. Public Health England (PHE) has already upgraded the risk to the UK population from coronavirus from "very low" to low". Pedestrians cover their faces with sanitary masks after the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Hong Kong (AP) A health official scans the body temperature of a passenger as she arrives at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia (AP) What other measures could be taken? Cases would have to be diagnosed and isolated as quickly as possible in order to prevent onward transmission, and to ensure what is called contact tracing follow-up, according to Prof Ferguson. This would involve identifying who those individuals have come into contact with. And if not isolating them, tracking them through time - daily or more frequently - to see if they develop symptoms and testing them. What has been done so far? The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued clinical guidance for the detection and diagnosis of Wuhan novel coronavirus and PHE has developed a diagnostic test. The UK is also one of the first countries outside China to have a prototype specific laboratory test for this novel disease. Airport operational officers are seen using a face mask to prevent coronavirus at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru, Indonesia (Getty) PHE says clinicians in primary and secondary care have already received advice, covering initial detection and investigation of possible cases, infection prevention and control, and clinical diagnostics. What is the situation at present? There are no known cases but enhanced monitoring will be put in place for all direct flights from Wuhan to the UK, the DHSC has said. This includes providing advice to travellers if they feel unwell and what symptoms to look out for. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Table of Contents i. Honorable Mentions ii. Pixar iii. Dreamworks iv. Stuff no one cares about (ft. WAG, Paramount) V. Stuff that may be outstanding (Ft. Sony Pictures Animation, Disney) vi. other Ian & Barleys quest to spend one more day with their dad beginneth March 6 in theatres. Watch the brand-new trailer for Disney & @Pixars Onward now. pic.twitter.com/2xVKjT4O6b Disney (@Disney) December 17, 2019 ONWARD SOUL A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back. Well, this year looks a lot better than last year for feature length animation. Well, kind of 50/50.Let's get to it.Honorable Mentions:Sony'sand Paramount'sThey're animation in the real world, so I don't think it counts. I did really like the first PR film, but this one looks too stupid to deal with.Moving onward....: Pixar: Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Ali Wong, someone named Chris PrattMarch 6th, 2020For a Pixar movie, this has been remarkably ... un-cared about. I constantly forget this is coming until Disney drops a tenth trailer. It certainly looks nice, but wow. Disney has been fridging mothers for ages, and the (second) time they fridge a father, the story is allll about him.On the plus side, this is...remember, his actions came to light shortly before Coco came out in 2017, and yet he still produced 2018's Ralph Breaks the Internet and Incredibles 2.I didn't know that until right now. Hm. Next summer, Joe Gardner will discover his brilliant, passionate self. Watch the new trailer for Disney & Pixars Soul. #PixarSoul pic.twitter.com/N1D1qICUff Soul (@PixarSoul) November 7, 2019 Pixar: Jaime Foxx, Phylicia Rashad, Tina Fey: June 19th, 2020Allow me to rant.Disney. Pixar.What will it take for you to make a movie with black people that A) Doesn't involve Jazz and B) Doesn't turn us into something that strips away our blackness?Is Damien Chazelle holding everyone hostage? Can you really not stretch your imagination further? You couldn't even get your one black character right in CGI (Tiana, again, Ralph Breaks the Internet) without going back to the drawing board.Again, I am sure the movie will be perfectly capable, but when you have two movies that, so far, hit the exact same beats as one another 11 years apart, just say you're creatively bankrupt when it comes to black people and be done with it.Sony Pictures Animation can do it, and they've been around way, way shorter than you. Get good.Also, Trent Renzor is doing the music for this. Which is apparently extremely ironic. I don't know him.On the plus side, Rashad seems to be voicing Foxx's wife, and she's about 19 years older than him. Way to turn those tables (kinda), Pixar! I was genuinely about to submit this without any Dreamworks films because they've become something of a non-entity as of late, due to their purchase by Universal. (AKA: I kind of forgot about them.) TROLLS WORLD TOUR When rock tries to roll over other music genres, Troll Queen Poppy goes on a quest to stop them. Featuring a variety of musical genres. The trolls are back and are about to be taken over by rock and roll. @AnnaKendrick47 and @jtimberlake return in 'Trolls World Tour'. pic.twitter.com/jTA7jRhOcb Fandango (@Fandango) June 20, 2019 : Dreamworks: Anna Kendrick, The McElroy Brothers, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson: April 17th, 2020The first Trolls was a fair success, one of Dreamworks' rare successes this past decade. It came out shortly after the debacle that was the 2016 Presidential Election in the United States, and I kind of wonder if that contributed to it.It is genuinely delightful, the first one, and this looks like more of the 'seriously sugary sweet' same.Also: K-Pop Group Red Velvet will be featured in the film. Unfortunately, Timberlake will have another song on the soundtrack, as well as major role in the film. Can't win 'em all. Here are two films I see no one caring at all about presently: THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN Gary has been kidnapped by Poseidon, so Spongebob and Patrick go get him. Also an origin story for Gary, bc why the hell not. Noted: Not the film. Studio: Paramount Starring: The cast of the show. Release Date: May 22nd, 2020 Remember the last Spongebob movie? It's actually pretty cool, with a stylized, CGI segmentfor the characters that takes place on land. Well, that seems to be the style throughout the entire thing. The first was wholly hand drawn, the second 75/25, and now this. I guess 2D animation has finally died on the big screen, as Paramount's Loud House movie has been moved to Netflix. Also, this may or may not be a backdoor pilot of the like to Kamp Koral, a show about Spongebob as a young child. You know, something Hillenburg didn't want. SCOOB! Let's stop Cerberus! And Scooby is the chosen one. Ok. src Studio: Warner Animation Group Starring: Gina Rodriguez, Mark Whalberg, Will Forte, Zac Efron Release Date: 15th May, 2020 So there have been many, many rebooted and remade shows aout Scoob and the Gang, but to my knowledge, most of them were 2D. The style on this actually looks super good. Soft and cartoony without being outright horrendous. The CGI is reminicent of Sponge up there. It's still not something I care about or expect to do really well in the long term. At least it looks a hell of a lot less tryhard than their recent output. But there are 2 movies I'm really looking forward to: The composer of Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton, posted a photo inside Sony Pictures Animation that had a poster that showed what The Mitchells Vs. the Machines will look like. Given how it's gonna be a hand-drawn/CG combo film, this looks really exciting pic.twitter.com/gzT1LFu6xp Animated Antic (@Animated_Antic) December 12, 2019 THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES : Sony: Who knows!About that...So, this has flopped between two release dates - it's current one of September 18th, 2020....and Jan. 24th, 2020. Clearly, it's not making that last one. And with no visuals except the above, I don't know if it's making the Fall one either.But for now, let's pretend it is.(Also, somehow I thought Junkie XL was composing for this, but I guess not).Don't tell me you thought Disney would give up that sweet, sweet Thanksgiving release spot to someone else. RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON In a realm known as Lumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon. Just Announced: Disneys Raya and the Last Dragon, starring @cassandrasteele (Raya) and @Awkwafina (Sisu, the Last Dragon). Check out all-new concept art, and see the film in theaters November 2020. #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/VPqCroDkeH Disney (@Disney) August 24, 2019 : Disney: Cassie Steele, Awkwafina: Nov. 25th, 2020What we thought might be a Zootopia sequel turns out to be...a SouthEast Asian inspired tale, which sounds wholly more exciting. Announced at D23 in 2019.It's directed by Paul Briggs, the guy who did a few voices in "Frozen", "The Princess and The Frog", and "Big Hero 6", though most of his work is in Animation and Art. So it's (slightly) less of a white man getting a blockbuster after doing 5 small things.My bet is you can expect a trailer with Soul, just like we saw the initial Moana trailer with Finding Dory in June of 2016. Other movies allegedly coming out but with no promo materials are "The Croods 2", "Minions 2", "Clifford the Big Red Dog", "Tom and Jerry", "Wish Dragon", "Bob's Burgers: The Movie", apparently another "Animal Crossing" movie starring JonTron? something called "The Embryo Who Came in From The Cold", and it sounds too prolife for me.What are you looking forward to?srcs: in the post BOSTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies are rapidly realizing that the best way to grow sustainably requires a holistic view of their employees. Zeal Technology and Ontuitive have merged to provide such a solution. Zeal provides cutting-edge real-time employee feedback and analytics while Ontuitive offers contextual employee support. By having a clear understanding of your corporate culture and a sound means to maximize employee efficiency, enterprises of all sizes have a path to a stronger bottom-line. CEO Mark Somol will be taking Zeal to new heights and changing the world of work! When asked for comments on the new marriage CEO of Zeal Technology, Mark Somol, claimed "we are thrilled to be bringing these powerful technologies together. The crux of this merger centralizes around keeping your employees productive and engaged in their work. By providing employees real-time guidance in their workflow, when and where they need help, you can enhance productivity, reduce errors and ultimately increase your bottom line." In addition to the product synergies, Zeal Technology will benefit from a greatly expanded technical and sales teams. Dan Frydelund, Chairman of the Board, stated "when my firm, Stage Fund, acquired Ontuitive, we had a strong belief in the product and the future of work. Bringing together Mark's leadership and the Zeal team gives us a strong foundation to further our growth." Rounding out the senior leadership team is Matt Ernewein as CTO and Jeremy Becker as the VP of Product. The combined team is already working as a single unit focused on uniting the product to bolster its customers' workforce and grow their profits. The companies will operate as Zeal Technology and consolidate offices into Boston, MA. For more information head to zeal.technology or reach out to [email protected]. Media Contact: Jeremy Becker 847-414-5740 [email protected] SOURCE Zeal Technology The Supreme Court on Thursday will continue hearing today various pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. A five-Judge Constitution Bench of Justices NV Ramana, SK Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant on Wednesday heard petitions which were filed after the central government scrapped Article 370 in August last year and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Social care workers and other low-skilled migrants in key sectors will not be exempt from tough post-Brexit immigration rules even if there are shortages, Priti Patel reportedly told Cabinet. The Home Secretary apparently set out on Tuesday that there will be no so-called 'carve outs' under Boris Johnson's Australian-style points-based immigration system as the government tries to simplify British border control. Migrants who want to work in occupations in which the UK has a shortage could be awarded more points under the new regime to boost their chances of being allowed in. But with no 'carve outs' there would effectively be no guarantees that such workers would be able to come and work in the UK in a development likely to spark business concern. Priti Patel, pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday, reportedly told Cabinet that there would not be any 'carve outs' in the UK's post-Brexit immigration system A Cabinet source told The Times that the aim was to make the new system much clearer than the current one. They said: 'The immigration rules have become a real spaghetti mess. Even the judges think that's the case. 'Priti was arguing that we need a much clearer rules-based system. She doesn't want a system with carve-outs all over the place.' It came after it emerged that Mr Johnson is planning to scrap a minimum earnings threshold for migrants who want to move to the UK. The PM is expected to ditch a proposal put forward by Theresa May's government which would have required people to earn at least 30,000 to come to Britain. Instead, the new system is likely to take into account earnings but it will be just one of a myriad of factors considered. Boris Johnson, pictured in the House of Commons yesterday, is set to ditch plans to impose a minimum earnings threshold on migrants who want to move to the UK after Brexit However, the prospect of dropping the 30,000 threshold has prompted Tory concerns amid worries it will make it much harder to deliver on a pledge to cut overall migration. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a leading Brexiteer and a former leader of the Conservative Party, said other measures would be needed to fulfill the Tory promise to 'take back control' of the UK's borders after it has left the European Union. He said: 'They should be cautious about ditching the 30,000 threshold. 'They will need to have very strong checks in place to ensure that they deliver on their pledge to control immigration.' P rince Charles has denied claims he snubbed US Vice President Mike Pence by avoiding a handshake with him. The pair met at the World Holocaust Forum, which marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, at Yad Vashem - the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem. Footage from the event shows the Prince of Wales talking to one dignitary before moving straight past Mr Pence and his wife Karen. He appears to blank the couple as he stops to talk to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing on their other side. Social media users were quick to comment on the footage with some applauding Prince Charles for snubbing Mr Pence and others branding it "disgraceful". However, both Prince Charles and Mr Pence's teams were quick to deny that the future king was displaying animosity towards the vice president. Clarence House said Charles did not ignore President Donald Trump's deputy but had a "warm and friendly" chat earlier. It said: "Shortly before the Yad Vashem memorial event began the prince and Vice President Pence and his wife had a warm and friendly chat, which is why they did not greet each other again in the room." Mr Pence's press secretary Katie Waldman shared a photo and a video of the two meeting earlier. She wrote: "This is not true. VP and Prince Charles spoke prior to entering the event floor and after his remarks as well." During his speech at the event, the Prince of Wales urged nations to learn the "lessons" of the Holocaust as he joined world leaders in condemning the scourge of anti-Semitism. Charles described the extermination of six million Jewish people during the Second World War as a "universal human tragedy" affecting all, not just the families of those killed by the Nazi regime. The heir to the throne told guests, who included Russian President Vladimir Putin and France's President Emmanuel Macron, the story of "incomprehensible humanity" must not be forgotten. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 04:51:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The International Finance Corporation (IFC) on Thursday granted Morocco 100 million U.S. dollars for building transport infrastructure, including two tramway lines in Casablanca, Morocco's economic hub. The loan will contribute to the construction of the third and fourth tramway lines in Casablanca as well as building rural roads in the region of Casablanca-Settat, according to a statement by the region's administration. The loan agreement was signed by the president of the Casablanca-Settat region Mustapha Bakkoury and IFC Vice President for the Middle East and Africa region Sergio Pimonta. Earlier this month the World Bank had offered Morocco a loan of 275 million U.S. dollars to support the country's disaster management. Enditem By PTI UNITED NATIONS: India has slammed Pakistan for "spewing venom and false narratives" of monumental proportions in the United Nations, saying it takes to hate speech like fish takes to water and "obfuscates" the international community from the truth as Islamabad yet again raked up the Kashmir issue at the world body. Pakistan consistently rakes up the Kashmir issue at various UN platforms in a bid to internationalise it but has repeatedly failed to get any support. Last week, Islamabad failed in its efforts to get any traction from the membership of the UN Security Council when its 'all-weather ally' China made another pitch to raise the issue in the 15-nation Council. There was consensus among the rest of the Council members that Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan. India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, speaking at a session of the General Assembly on 'Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization' on Wednesday, said Pakistan "indulges in confabulations and obfuscates the international community from the truth" instead of putting an end to the "bellicose and vitriolic diatribe" and taking steps to restore normal ties. ALSO READ | World will realise Pakistan's strategic potential once relations with India normalise: Imran Khan "Just like a fish takes to water, one delegation has again taken to hate speech. Every time this delegation speaks, it spews venom and false narratives of monumental proportions." "It's extremely surprising that a country that has completely decimated its minority population talks about protecting minorities. Pakistan's practice of using false pretenses to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course. Pakistan needs to reflect that there are no takers for its false rhetoric and should get down to the normal business of diplomacy," Naidu said. The Indian diplomat's strong response came after Saad Ahmed Warraich, Counsellor at Pakistan mission to the UN, raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks during the session, saying no other situation reflects the "abdication" of the UN's responsibility to discharge its responsibilities more than the decades-old Jammu and Kashmir issue. China's latest attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council on Pakistan's behalf failed last week, with an overwhelming majority of the body expressing the view that it was not the right forum to discuss the bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. ALSO READ | Qureshi says Trump to visit Pakistan "soon"; US President skirts question It was China's third such attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UNSC since August last when the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped by the government, and the state was bifurcated into two union territories. "We once again saw an effort made by one member state of the UN, fail in plain view of all others. We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today," India's Permenent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said last week. "We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India," Akbaruddin said after the January 15 Council meeting. In the fourth special open market operation (OMO) auctions, the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday bought Rs 10,000 crore worth of long-term securities and sold Rs 2,950 crore worth of short-term government bonds Mumbai: In the fourth special open market operation (OMO) auctions, the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday bought Rs 10,000 crore worth of long-term securities and sold Rs 2,950 crore worth of short-term government bonds. Last week, the RBI had said it will simultaneously purchase and sell government securities under open market operations (OMO) of Rs 10,000 crore each. In the OMO purchase auction, the RBI received bids worth Rs 26,887 crore for two types of securities -- 7.32 percent-2024 and 6.45 percent-2029 -- but accepted only Rs 10,000 crore of bids. For 7.32 percent-2024, it got 157 bids and accepted 40 bids. The RBI got 147 bids for 6.45 percent-2029 bonds but accepted 105 bids. The cut-off yield for 7.32 percent-2024 was 6.408 percent, while for 6.45 percent-2029, it was 6.5780 percent. The RBI offered to sell two government securities -- 7.80 percent-2021 and 7.94 percent-2021 -- through the OMO. It received Rs 35,375 crore of bids but accepted Rs 2,950 crore of bids. In terms of a number of bids, the central bank received 85 bids for 7.80 percent-2021 and 70 bids for 7.94 percent-2021 but accepted 3 and 7 bids, respectively. The cut-off yield for 7.80 percent-2021 was 5.6714 percent and for 7.94 percent-2021 was 5.7192 percent. These special OMO auctions are similar to the US Federal Reserves' Operation Twist aimed at the faster transmission of policy rates, an analyst said. The Reserve Bank of India has reduced repo rate by 135 basis points between February and October 2019 but there has been a delay in passing on the cut in the repo rate by lenders. The Election Commission of India will host the 10th annual meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) here and take over as chair of the organisation for 2020. An international conference on the theme 'Strengthening Institutional Capacity' will also be organised. An ECI release said that FEMBoSA was established at the conference of heads of election management bodies (EMBs) of SAARC countries held at New Delhi in 2012 through a unanimously adopted resolution. The annual FEMBoSA meeting is held by rotation among the members. The last annual meeting was held in Dhaka in September 2018. Besides ECI, the other members are EMBs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The conference on 'Strengthening Institutional Capacity' would include delegates from members of FEMBoSA, participants from EMBs of Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgystan Mauritius, Tunisia and three international organisations - the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) based in Seoul, the US-based International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) and International IDEA. On the sidelines of the Conference, ECI will also renew Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation in election management with the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An elderly Laois man has luckily escaped unharmed from a housefire even going back to rescue his dog. Now the Portarlington pensioner has a repair bill that he cannot afford. A fundraiser has been started to cover the 11,500 cost, with thousands already pledged. Paddy Devlin, 78, lives on Foxcroft Street with his beloved King Charles dog Louis. The retired steel worker is a bachelor and has no family living near him. Every day he goes to Mass and does the Stations of the Cross. He woke to his bedroom in flames last December 9 2019. His friend Stephanie McEvoy who regularly visits Mr Devlin to check on him and help out, explained what happened. He left a tea candle lighting at the altar in his room and had gone to bed with his dog. The bedroom caught fire. It even burnt the plaster off the walls, she said. Mr Devlin managed to get out to safety. He even went back in to rescue Louis the dog. The ambulance and Gardai attended as well as the fire service but Mr Devlin didnt need hospitalisation. It's a miracle he got out. He was very lucky, Stephanie said. Stephanie brought the pensioner out to stay in her house but she said he was always anxious to get back home. He was not happy out of his familiar environment, she said. Because of this Stephanie said that they agreed to get the bedroom repaired as quickly as possible. It is all fixed now and he is back home. However he has no house insurance to pay for it and they did not expect the cost to be so high. I thought Laois County Council would help but unfortunately my mistake is I didnt get quotes before the works, she said. Last week Stephanie began a Gofundme online called 'Elderly man in need after home fire'. A local Portarlington pensioner who has spent years helping out in our community, now needs our community's help. On Sunday, December 9th Paddy Devlin woke up to find his house in flames. Thankfully he managed to escape unharmed, but is now facing a costly repair bill and has no home insurance, she wrote. All donations, no matter how big or small would be greatly appreciated in helping this wonderful man in his time of need, she said. Portarlington former army doc to contest Kildare South election Portarlington Lions Club has offered a big donation. They are giving us 2,000, we are thrilled, its a great boost, said Stephanie. She also thanks Nuala McMahon who has offered to hold a coffee morning. The Love Port social media page is asking for donations. Can you show support to a local man in the community whose house burned down in December. He thought he was getting financial assistance from local councillors but he has a large bill to pay the contractor now and no way of paying it, they said. By January 23 the fundraiser stood at 380. See the gofundme fundraiser here. Airlines are an "easy target" for environmental activists and the industry needs to work together to address concerns, according to the chief financial officer of Aer Lingus owner IAG, Steve Gunning. Stock Image Airlines are an "easy target" for environmental activists and the industry needs to work together to address concerns, according to the chief financial officer of Aer Lingus owner IAG, Steve Gunning. Sustainability and tackling carbon emissions are hot topics at two major international aviation conferences being held in Dublin this week. The airline industry accounts for about 2pc of global carbon emissions. But the figure is expected to rise to around 3.5pc in the next decade, as more people take to the air, many for the first time, as those in countries such as China and India become wealthier. IAG also owns British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Level, and is in the process of acquiring Spain's Air Europa. "The harsh reality is that we seem to be the bad-boy industry across the world, particularly in Europe," said Mr Gunning. "We really need to get on the front foot with this." Mr Gunning said 2019 was a "tipping point" for the sustainability issue. He told the 'Airfinance Journal' conference in Dublin that how the topic plays out is still largely up to the aviation industry, in how it reacts to it. "We've really got to take this front-on, rather than being in denial and pretend this isn't coming," he added. He said a number of avenues are open to airlines to address carbon footprints, such as the introduction of new, more fuel-efficient aircraft. IAG last year committed to having net zero carbon emissions by 2050. "I think there's a risk that there will be some false starts," he warned. "Forums such as A4E [an airline lobby group whose members include IAG, Ryanair and Lufthansa] and others have got work to do to make sure that, as an industry, we are coordinated, where it's legally permissible for us to coordinate." Mr Gunning said the UK's air passenger duty, first billed as an environmental levy when it was introduced in 1994, now costs IAG about 800m a year. The levy goes to central treasury funds. "If we don't have a good narrative then one of the consequences of that is taxation," he said. "Taxation won't fix this. If you have a genuine desire to improve the environmental situation, then taxes won't be the solution to that." ESG - or environment, social and governance - is increasingly becoming an issue for airlines and lessors, with investors now frequently tackling them regarding their credentials during bond road shows, for instance. Speakers at this week's conferences in Dublin, including the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers event, pointed to continuing inefficiencies and strike action in Europe's air traffic control system for exacerbating carbon emissions from the industry. Mr Gunning also said that IAG, whose CEO Willie Walsh will soon retire from the role, is "always re-evaluating" its relationship with airlines in the group. "If you're too suffocating, if you're too controlling, you don't allow nimble movement, you don't allow innovation. But at the same time, you want to make the most of the scale of the group," he said. "Getting that balance right is always a challenge. We're always re-evaluating it and considering whether certain functions should or shouldn't be centralised." More conference coverage - page 3 LANSDOWNE, Va., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced today the semifinalists for its highly selective Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Through this award, the Foundation supports high-achieving community college students as they transfer to some of the best four-year institutions in the country to complete their bachelor's degrees. This year's 456 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of nearly 1,500 applicants attending 311 community colleges in 45 states and the District of Columbia. "Year after year, we are impressed by the incredible talent and resolve of community college students," said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. "We are proud to recognize this outstanding group of semifinalists for their academic achievement." The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship recipients will be announced in April. Selected scholars will receive financial support for up to three years, comprehensive educational advising, and the chance to connect with fellow Cooke Scholars. Cooke Transfer Scholars are selected based on their exceptional academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, service to others, and leadership. Students must be currently enrolled community college students or recent graduates residing in the United States. Learn more about the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship here. A list of this year's Cooke Transfer Scholar Semifinalists, their community colleges, and the states they represent can be found here. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded over $200 million in scholarships to over 2,700 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $110 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Related Links http://www.jkcf.org Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff called dramatically for the Senate to remove President Donald Trump from office Thursday, saying the US leader cannot be trusted to put the country's interests ahead of his own. "The American people deserve a president they can count on, to put their interest first," said Schiff. His impassioned words capped a long day in which Democrats detailed Trump's illicit scheme to pressure Ukraine to help his 2020 reelection campaign. "You know, you can't trust this president to do what is right for this country. You can trust he will do what's right for Donald Trump," Schiff added. "He'll do it now. He's done it before. He'll do it for the next several months. He'll do it in the election if he's allowed to. This is why, if you find him guilty, you must find that he should be removed." "Because right matters. And truth matters. Otherwise we are lost." - 'It is illegal' - As the 100 senators sat as jurors and millions of Americans watched on television, House impeachment managers mustered scores of videos, internal documents and extensive witness testimony to lay out a strong case that the US leader abused his powers. Schiff's prosecution team detailed how Trump flagrantly undertook last year to force Kiev to help him tarnish his possible 2020 reelection rival, former vice president Joe Biden. "President Trump used the powers of his office to solicit a foreign nation to interfere in our elections for his own personal benefit," House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler told the chamber. "Since President George Washington took office in 1789, no president has abused his power in this way," Nadler said. "The president has repeatedly, flagrantly, violated his oath... The president's conduct is wrong. It is illegal. And it is dangerous." - 'Unfair and corrupt' - Over nine hours the Democrats methodically dismantled Republican claims that Trump did nothing wrong. They left few doubts that Trump's sole motivation in secretly freezing aid to Ukraine last July was to force Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce one investigation into Biden and a second into an unsupported story that Kiev helped Democrats in the 2016 election. To puncture a key White House argument that the US constitution requires a specific crime to remove a president, they played old videos in which two of Trump's closest defenders, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and storied criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, said that abuse of power itself is a clear impeachable offense. And they detailed the extensive role of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in the scheme to pressure Zelensky, even while US intelligence and diplomatic chiefs disagreed with it. "Donald Trump chose Rudy Giuliani over his own intelligence agencies. He chose Rudy Giuliani over his own national security advisors... That makes him dangerous to our country," said Schiff, who leads the House Intelligence Committee. - Uphill battle - Yet, three days into arguments into the historic trial, there were few signs that any of the Republican majority that Trump commands in the Senate would buy into the evidence and turn against him. "What we heard from the managers yesterday, the day before, it is the same thing, day after day after day," said Republican Senator John Barrasso. "We're hearing the same things over and over," said Trump attorney Jay Sekulow. "We will be putting on vigorous defense of both facts and rebutting what they've said." At the White House, Trump unleashed a barrage of tweets attacking the process as "loaded with lies and misrepresentations." "Most unfair & corrupt hearing in Congressional history!" he tweeted - Witness issue - Democratic prosecutors will complete their arguments Friday with a focus on the second impeachment charge, obstruction of Congress, before Trump's legal team holds the floor in his defense for three days. Democrats are hoping their arguments will at least persuade some Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, to support their call to issue subpoenas next week for four top current and former Trump aides to testify, and for internal White House records about the Ukraine affair. But all indications were that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in coordination with the White House, will seek to stifle witness requests and bring the trial to a close with a vote to acquit Trump by the end of next week. Both Trump and McConnell said early this week that the White House could claim executive privilege to refuse the subpoenas, forcing a court challenge that could prolong the case well into February. House Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff calls for President Donald Trump's removal on the third day of Trump's trial for abuse of power in the US Senate US President Donald Trump fired off a volley of tweets criticizing his Senate impeachment trial Jay Sekulow, a member of the legal team defending President Donald Trump in his Senate impeachment trial, promises a "vigorous defense" Members of the Democratic prosecution and Trump's defense teams in the impeachment trial in the US Senate. Members of civic groups hold a news conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, to oppose the government's decision to send the Cheonghae unit to the Strait of Hormuz. Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo The government's decision to send a naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz still remains a contentious issue in political circles as critics claim it requires fresh approval. The defense ministry announced, Tuesday, it will temporarily expand the anti-piracy Cheonghae unit's area of operations from the Gulf of Aden to the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to ensure the safety of Korean ships there although it will not join the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC). According to the law, in order to send a military unit overseas, the government needs to submit a bill for approval to the National Assembly, and if the bill is passed, it should be endorsed at a Cabinet meeting again and finally receive approval from the president. Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) believes the decision does not require parliamentary consent because it is not a "new dispatch." "The Cheonghae unit had been already dispatched, so as far as we understand, an additional approval from the Assembly is unnecessary," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, Wednesday. DPK Rep. Ahn Gyu-back, who heads the Assembly's National Defense Committee, also said Tuesday, "The dispatch is based on legal grounds." The Assembly passed a motion to extend the naval unit's mission until the end of 2020 last December, and it stipulates that the unit shall carry out missions in the Gulf of Aden and expand operational areas in case of emergency. "It is an expansion of the unit's missions, not a fresh dispatch," the lawmaker said. However, conservative opposition parties said the decision needs to get the nod from the Assembly although they are not opposed to the dispatch. "According to documents of the defense ministry, changes in the number of personnel and mission of the Cheonghae unit need to be approved by the Assembly," Rep. Baek Seung-joo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said. New Conservative Party Spokesman Kwon Sung-joo also said, "The dispatch has thorny aspects, so it should have received approval from lawmakers." The progressive Justice Party made clear its firm opposition to the government's decision. "The deployment of the Cheonghae unit to the Strait of Hormuz can lead to hostile relations with Iran, so I cannot agree with it. In addition, the decision means the unit's mission has changed, so the National Assembly has to decide whether to approve the plan," Justice Party Chairwoman Sim Sang-jeung said. Party for Democracy and Peace Spokeswoman Rep. Park Joo-hyun also said, "The dispatch means Korea will join a war between the United States and Iran without any justification and it will eventually end up with hostile ties with traditional ally, Iran. The Cheonghae unit is engaged in an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, but now it will assume a different task, which means a parliamentary authorization is required." As the world's most important oil passageway and a choke point between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the strait is the route to the open ocean for more than one-sixth of global oil production and 70 percent of Korea's oil imports. Tensions in the region have mounted since the U.S. killed a top Iranian general through airstrikes and Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation earlier this month. Billionaire George Soros said he will commit $1 billion to start a global university to fight authoritarian governments and climate change, calling them twin challenges that threaten the survival of our civilization. The Open Society University Network will offer an international platform for teaching and research, the 89-year-old said Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The university will be launched through a partnership of the Soros-backed Central European University and Bard College. As a long-term strategy our best hope lies in access to quality education, specifically an education that reinforces the autonomy of the individual by cultivating critical thinking and emphasizing academic freedom, Soros said. In his speech and a follow-up question and answer session, Soros covered a wide-range of issues, including the overheated U.S. economy, the dominance of Facebook Inc. and the autocratic rule of Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump, who he called a con man and the ultimate narcissist. Taking into account the climate emergency and worldwide unrest, its not an exaggeration to say that 2020 and the next few years will determine not only the fate of Xi and Trump, but also the fate of the world, he said. Soros also once again criticized Facebook for its failure to police the social media network. Theres nothing to stop them, and I think there is a kind of informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook, Soros said. Facebook will work together to re-elect Trump and Trump will work to protect Facebook. Trump, he said, is responsible for overheating the economy. An overheated economy cant be kept boiling for too long, he said. Soros has hit on these themes in previous Davos speeches. Last year, the philanthropist warned of the mortal danger of Chinas use of artificial intelligence to repress its citizens under the leadership of Xi, whom he called the most dangerous opponent of democracies. He has also lashed out at social-media giants including Facebook and Google, saying they need to be regulated. Last year he compared them to gambling companies that foster addiction among users and said that they exploit the data they control. Soros has become a lightning rod for his political views and philanthropic efforts. A longtime supporter and financial backer of progressive causes and Democratic politicians, hes become a target of right-wing activists. Soros closed his hedge fund and converted his firm into a family office. The $25 billion Soros Fund Management now mostly manages money for the Open Society Foundations, a worldwide network of philanthropies. - New York Times published a report stating Kenyan soldiers hid in the grass while their American counterparts engaged the militia during Manda Bay attack - KDF said the narration by the US publication was far from the truth since Kenyan fighters were the first to respond to the attack since the American troops delayed - Senior officials in the military intimated Camp Simba was an American facility on Kenyan soil and the US did not disclose how many personnel they had in the day of attack - On Sunday, January 5, al-Shabaab militia launched attack on Kenya-US army base in Manda Bay, Lamu county The Kenya Defence Forces ( KDF) has rubbished a report published in an American newspaper alleging the Kenyan soldiers hid in the grass when al-Shabaab militia attacked Manda Bay Airbase on Sunday, January 5. KDF said the report by New York Times was far from the truth with some senior officials in the military saying the United States military was slow to respond to the attack. READ ALSO: Man United 0-2 Burnley: Relegation-threatened Clarets stun Solskjaer at Old Trafford Al-Shabaab militia launched an attack in the Kenya-US army base in Manda Bay, Lamu. Photo: Daily Nation. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kiatu cha zamani zaidi ulimwenguni kilichowahi kugunduliwa Speaking to Daily Nation, an official from Kenya Department of Defence said the American response was poor in their response as they could not even detect the entry of the militia to the camp. "American soldiers were not swift. KDF soldiers were the first responders in the attack and they managed to kill 5 terrorists," the official said. READ ALSO: EACC now seeks to bar politicians facing corruption charges from seeking re-election in 2022 American troops in Manda Bay. US media said Kenyan soldiers hid in the grass during the al-Shabaab attack. Photo: New York Times. Source: UGC Further, a senior military leader said Camp Simba in Manda Bay is an American facility on Kenya soil and the Americans were very discreet on how many personnel they had in the camp. "To date, Americans are tight-lipped on the number of personnel present at the camp during the attack," the military leader told the publication. Being a US facility, the protection of the camp was primarily US troops' responsibility. A report of a Joint Board of Inquiry is being carried out by Kenyans and Americans concerning the attack. KDF said Americans were not swift in their response. Photo: KDF. Source: UGC Military spokesperson Paul Njuguna said it is only the report which will show what exactly transpired on that fateful Sunday. "Right now we are waiting for investigations to be completed. We can only have a correct and factual account of the happenings once the report is finalised," Njuguna said. In Tuesday, January 23, New York Times newspaper reported Kenyan soldiers hid in the grass while American counterparts engaged the al-Shabaab militia. KDF soldiers. The Kenyan soldiers said they killed five terrorists. Source: UGC When the militia launched the attack, they first destroyed an American surveillance plane as it was taking off. What followed later were bullets flying all over the base which caught many Kenyan soldiers who were guarding the base unaware and instead of fighting they hid in the nearby bushes, the US newspaper reports. The US publication also said KDF did not arrest any terror suspect since the ones they had claimed they arrested were bystanders who were later released. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My husband left me after I made him a millionaire - Mary Miriti | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke WASHINGTON A growing movement by foreign governments to tax American tech giants that supply internet search, online shopping and social media to their citizens has quickly emerged as the largest global economic battle of 2020. The fight pits traditional allies against each other, with European countries like France, Italy and Britain clashing with the United States over their plans to impose new taxes on digital services provided by companies like Amazon and Google. At the core of the debate are fundamental questions about where economic activity in the digital age is generated, where it should be taxed and who should collect that revenue. The potential for large tax dollars has spurred governments across the world to consider new digital taxes and has even inspired lawmakers in some American states, like Maryland and New York, to propose their own levies on digital trade. This week, national leaders meeting in Davos, Switzerland, brokered a truce between the United States and France, which had planned to move ahead with a digital services tax. Officials in both countries said they would pause what had been an escalating dispute in order to give international negotiators a chance to reach a global tax agreement that could halt a proliferation of digital taxes. Some senior TDs can still retire from politics in their 50s and claim gold-plated packages, while workers are being told they will have to wait until 67 to receive the State pension. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin (59) and Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin (63) could both quit politics and be entitled to substantial annual pensions and severance payments. Tanaiste Simon Coveney (47) could retire and claim a reduced pension and lump sum before he draws down his full package when he is 50. Meanwhile, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were yesterday still struggling to clarify their positions on the pension age. Fine Gael could not confirm its policy after Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty contradicted Taoiseach Leo Varadkars commitment Fianna Fail also struggled to set out its plans to review next year's increase in the pension age to 67. However, it has committed to introducing a transitional payment for people aged 65 and over who will be forced to leave their jobs. The party's finance spokesperson, Michael McGrath, said the review of the pension age was "not about kicking it down the road" and added that "it's about getting it right" and "being fair to people". Both parties are waiting on official costings on their pension commitments from the Department of Finance before they publish their election manifestos, which are expected to be unveiled before the end of the week. Expand Close Call: Siptus Ethel Buckley wants parties to repeal pensions act. Picture: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Call: Siptus Ethel Buckley wants parties to repeal pensions act. Picture: Tony Gavin They are also set to come under increasing pressure today when a Siptu-led coalition launches its campaign calling on the next government to abandon plans to increase the State pension age. The coalition also includes the National Women's Council of Ireland, Age Action and Active Retirement Ireland. Siptu deputy general secretary Ethel Buckley said the parties must introduce legislation preventing the age increase once the new Dail was elected. "Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are deliberately obfuscating the issue," Ms Buckley said. "What the public needs to hear and our union needs to hear before February 8 is that the parties that will form the next government are going to repeal the section of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act that will introduce 67 as the new pension age," she added. Ms Buckley also called on Fine Gael to clarify whether its payment for people waiting for the State pension would be means-tested. While the pension age is set to increase, some politicians can still retire at 50. Those elected before April 1, 2004, can qualify for a full pension and lump sum from the age of 50. They can retire on a reduced pension lump sum and pension at any time between the age of 45 and 49. Those elected after April 1, 2004, must be 65 to qualify for a full pension and lump sum. But they can retire on a reduced pension at any time between 55 and 65 years old. Mr Coveney, who was first elected in 1998, could retire in three years and be entitled to an estimated 78,287 annual pension, along with a 119,339 lump sum. To buy Mr Coveney's pension from a private pension company would cost an estimated 1,687,064. His spokesperson said he had "no intention" of retiring and hoped to remain in public life for the "foreseeable future". Mr Howlin, who was first elected in 1987, would be entitled to an estimated 140,399 lump sum and a 88,527 annual pension if he were to retire from politics. To buy Mr Howlin's pension from a private pension company would cost an estimated 2,792,634. "These are notional figures and I've no intention of drawing down a pension anytime soon," Mr Howlin said. "I'm asking the people of Wexford to re-elect me on the 8th of February and I've a record of abolishing ministerial severance payments and cutting their pay by 35pc." Mr Martin, who is a TD of 31 years, would be entitled to an estimated 140,399 lump sum and a 88,527 annual pension if he were to retire. To buy Mr Martin's pension from a private pension company would cost an estimated 2,792,634. A Fianna Fail spokesperson said Mr Martin was not retiring and was campaigning to lead the next government. "He has the same pension entitlements as all other members of the Oireachtas with the same length of service and other current and former ministers. These are all matters of public record," he added. The estimated pension payments for the three TDs includes top-ups they are entitled to from holding ministerial offices. A full TDs pension is 46,800. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Thu, January 23, 2020 09:07 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20609ccca 2 News Dubai,travel,travel-destinations,tourism,tourism-industry Free Dubai welcomed a record 16.73 million tourists in 2019, an improvement over the previous two years driven by soaring Chinese, Russian and Omani visitor numbers. The number of international visitors grew by 5.1 percent last year but is still short of its 2020 target of 20 million tourists. "While the global economy remains in a state of flux, we can clearly see an exciting opportunity to further grow Dubai's dominance in the tourism industry in 2020," said Dubai Tourism chief Saeed al-Marri, according to the Dubai Media Office. By country, Indian tourists topped arrivals with nearly two million visiting Dubai, a slight drop from 2018. They were followed by 1.6 million Saudi visitors to the city-state, one of seven sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates. Like last year, Britons came in third with 1.2 million tourists. Visitors from Oman increased 24 percent to over one million, putting the neighboring country in fourth place. Chinese tourists rose by 15.5 percent to 989,000 and Russian visitors increased by 7.4 percent to 728,000. Read also: What makes Dubai, Dubai Earlier this month, the UAE introduced a multiple-entry visa scheme valid for five years for all nationalities. Dubai has the most diversified economy in the region and forecasts record spending this year, with its 2020 budget increasing 17 percent to $18.1 million as it seeks to boost its sagging economy. The emirate has high hopes that the six-month global trade fair Expo 2020 starting in October will revive its fortunes. But it still foresees a deficit for the fourth year in a row of $700 million. The government is hoping Expo will attract 25 million visits, most of them from abroad, and is projecting a 25 percent increase in revenues to $17.4 billion. Dubai is the only government in the Gulf not dependent on hydrocarbon revenues, and projects around 94 percent of income to come from non-oil sources. The desert city has large numbers of opulent shopping malls, luxury resorts and even an indoor ski slope. Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said the countrys investigation into the accidental shooting down of a passenger plane will be made public. By the strict orders of the commander in chief [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] and the other heads of the government the dimensions of this bitter incident will be presented to the people, Hatami said Jan. 23 at a ceremony commemorating the armed forces. On Jan. 8, after Iran had launched missiles at the US Ain Al-Assad base in Iraq, surface-to-air missiles were launched at the Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 people on board. The Civil Aviation Organization of Iran later said that Russian-made Tor-M1 surface-to-air missiles were used in the accidental downing of the plane; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the plane had been mistaken for a US cruise missile. The investigation should examine the reason the passenger plane was downed and why flights were not grounded after the Iranian missile strikes, which took place in retaliation for the US killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Hatami said, The hard slap the [Iranian] armed forces gave American forces was conducted at the highest standards as far as timing, quality and precision of missiles. At the ceremony, Hatami said Soleimani had brought national cohesion, unity, and strength to the international scene. Kayhan newspaper editor Hossein Shariatmadari, who was named to his post by the supreme leaders office, also recently addressed Soleimanis legacy during a speech at a Basij base. With his martyrdom, Soleimani became alive again, Shariatmadari said. He called Soleimanis death a turn in history. Shariatmadri said the large turnout for Soleimanis funeral had a number of messages for the world, with the main one being that the Islamic Revolution is alive. But many of those in attendance at the funeral likely would disagree with this particular assessment, seeing the general as a nationalist figure rather than a religious one. Shariatmadari, whose conservative newspaper also opposed the nuclear deal between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, which was pursued by President Hassan Rouhani and his administration, also used Soleimanis death to score partisan points. Through fighting, Soleimani was able to lift the shadow of war from over our heads, not through negotiations, Shariatmadari said. Soleimani never spoke about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) but video has surfaced of him warning against a JCPOA 2, in which the United States and Western countries would seek to negotiate with Iran on its missile programs and regional policies. Soleimani was one of the more well-known Iranian generals in Western media, due to the number of articles written about him in Western press and also an Iranian campaign to highlight his efforts in the fight against the Islamic State. His successor, Ismail Ghaani, was hardly known or heard of even in Iranian media before being appointed by Khamenei to take Soleimanis position. Similar to Soleimani, since his appointment Ghaani has made a few comments, but was shown standing behind Khamenei at Soleimanis funeral. Ghaanis name recently popped up in Iranian media after Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, said Ghaani could meet the same fate as Soleimani. The World's First Mattress Designed For Couples 30 years and 7 million mattresses later, I wanted to design a bed that truly can satisfy couples who have different comfort needs, so you no longer need to compromise as an individual while you live as a couple Founded and led by mattress industry veteran Paul Longman, isense has introduced the worlds first adjustable mattress designed for couples, eliminating the need to compromise sleep quality and comfort while sharing a bed. isense, a subsidiary of Advanced Sleep Technologies, offers consumers the first and only fully adjustable bed that leverages both proprietary Energex foam and innerspring materials. This groundbreaking mattress, the Revive Hybrid Premier, as well as its adjustable all-foam counterpart, Refresh, features patented Comfort Control technology that allows both partners to adjust their side of the mattress independently and as often as their sleep needs change. To support this innovative launch, isense has opened a manufacturing facility in Springfield, Missouri, where the brand is headquartered. The isense Comfort Control mattress is no ordinary bed. Unlike air beds, we incorporated miniature air chambers to vary the firmness of the surrounding foam comfort and support system to deliver an extensive firmness range available for each sleeper, which delivers a better sleep experience than anything on the market, says Longman. Differentiating itself further from other adjustable mattress makers, isense seeks to solve sleep-related problems with a mission to improve sleep quality and foster happier long-term relationships. Over the course of his career, Longman has encountered a common pain point that needs to be resolved for real-life couples. To reinforce this commitment, Longman is challenging the industry by offering a significant 180-night comfort promise, allowing consumers to send back their mattress risk free if theyre not satisfied. 30 years and 7 million mattresses later, I wanted to design a bed that truly can satisfy couples who have different comfort needs, so you no longer need to compromise as an individual while you live as a couple, he explains. To educate consumers, isense has developed a new direct-to-consumer platform that provides a deeper understanding of good sleep habits and the benefits of isenses proprietary sleep technology. The mattress brand is also set to demonstrate its new adjustable sleep products and their latest developments at the 2020 Las Vegas Market, Jan. 26-30 - Showroom # A938. About isense On a mission to give couples their best nights sleep without compromise, isense makes the worlds first adjustable mattress designed for couples. For the first time, couples can purchase an adjustable mattress with either innerspring or all-foam support. Patented Comfort Control technology gives each partner the power to adjust their side of the mattress independently to reach their ideal level of plush to firm support. Discover the benefits of adjustable comfort with the full isense sleep system, including fully adjustable mattresses, pillows and bed bases that provide real-life solutions to some of lifes most common sleep-related problems, such as joint pain, snoring, insomnia and discomfort during pregnancy. isense invites couples to fall in love with sleep again. For more information, please contact Melissa.Makatchie@myisense.com, or visit the isense website at http://www.myisense.com. March 6, 1979: Bruce Lindahl lures 20-year-old Annette Lazer to his Aurora home, where he points a gun at her head and sexually assaults her, she tells police. He allows her to leave after she promises to date him, she says. Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Chicago-headquartered Wynnchurch Capital closed its fifth private equity fund, Wynnchurch Capital Partners V, reaching its hard cap of $2.3 billion in capital commitments. The Wynnchurch Capital Partners V was oversubscribed, exceeding its $1.6 billion target. Wynnchurch raised $1.2 billion for its fourth fund in 2014. Founded in 1999 and based on the outskirts of Chicago, Wynnchurch is a middle-market firm that invests in North American companies with up to $1 billion in annual revenue. The firm closed its fourth flagship fund on $1.2 billion in 2014. John Hatherly, Managing Partner at Wynnchurch, said, "We are appreciative and humbled by the interest from both existing and new investors, and are grateful for their support and partnership." Fund V investors include: state pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, insurance companies, corporate pension plans, investment advisors and family offices from around the globe. Investors in the current fund include the $32.1 billion Texas County & District Retirement System, Austin; $28.7 billion Nebraska Investment Council, Lincoln; $15.1 billion Maine Public Employees Retirement System, Augusta; and $8.5 billion Rhode Island Employees' Retirement System, Providence. Chris O'Brien, Managing Partner at Wynnchurch, said, "We are excited about Fund V and how our team is positioned today to invest with the same value-oriented/operationally focused strategy we have develope...................... To view our full article Click here Less than a year after it became fully operational, Istanbuls posh new airport is already vindicating critics who had argued that the project is irrational and would create a financial black hole and major environmental damage. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, which paid little heed to the concerns, is now openly bestowing favors to the airport to prop up its performance. To channel travelers to the new airport on Istanbuls European side, the authorities have shut down the citys iconic Ataturk Airport and are now raising barriers to restrict traffic at the Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the citys Asian side. The new Istanbul Airport has already seen its reputation suffer amid delays and diversions due to strong winds in the area, a problem that was exacerbated in early January. Yet passengers are increasingly being stripped of alternatives. The directorate-general of civil aviation, which is attached to the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, announced last week that it would no longer accept applications to add new flights at Sabiha Gokcen Airport to head off problems stemming from [the airports] inadequate capacity. The statement also cited ongoing maintenance work and heavy traffic. Earlier, Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier, terminated some of its domestic flights to and from Sabiha Gokcen, and handed international flights over to its subsidiary AnadoluJet. As a result, many Turkish Airlines flights were moved to the Istanbul Airport. Now, with authorities citing inadequate capacity at the Sabiha Gokcen, applications for new flights are being diverted to the Istanbul Airport in what is clearly favoritism. Indeed, Sabiha Gokcen is said to still have spare capacity. According to a Jan. 17 report by the daily Cumhuriyet, sectoral sources familiar with the matter say Sabiha Gokcen operated on a 78% runway capacity and 80% terminal capacity last year. There is no capacity problem. Clearly, the aim is to channel passengers and airliners to the Istanbul Airport instead of the Sabiha Gokcen Airport, the daily wrote. Sabiha Gokcen, operated by Malaysia Airports, handled 35.5 million passengers in 2019, well below its capacity of 41 million capacity, the sources said, noting there was no technical capacity problem to justify the denial of fresh flight applications. The construction of a new runway at the airport, meanwhile, has been dragging on for four years. This delay, too, is widely believed to be linked to efforts to channel flights to the Istanbul Airport. In 2019, Turkish Airlines saw a decline in its passenger numbers and profits, owing mainly to Turkeys economic downturn, but also to losing passengers to Pegasus, its main domestic competitor, which uses Sabiha Gokcen. Hence, limiting traffic at the airport is aimed also at curbing such shifts in passenger preferences. How Malaysia Airports will react to the restrictions remains to be seen. The main reason why the Istanbul Airport is in need of favors is that the project was ill-conceived from the very beginning. The location of the facility, the layout of its runways, financing risks and overambitious targets and expectations have all had negative effects on the project. This strategic mistake amounts to squandering a major potential, given that Turkeys location at the crossroads of continents constitutes an important advantage in civil aviation. Istanbul, for instance, offers flight capability without refueling on 40% of worldwide international routes, including to more than 60 capitals and all of Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and North and East Africa. To make the best of this big geographical advantage, the civil aviation sector needed financing and viable investments. But years ago, when external loans were relatively easy to secure, Turkish Airlines expansion was poorly managed, and the subsequent decisions on the construction of a new airport turned out to be unsound, too. Now the government is scrambling to rectify those mistakes by stretching the means of the state. The location chosen for the new airport is seen as the biggest blunder. The area is not flight-friendly. The airport is now exposed to strong winds, lies on a major bird migration path and has a poor runway layout. As such, it poses a high flight risk, which seems to be discouraging passengers. Other complaints are that the airport is too big and tiresome, difficult to navigate and lacks adequate transport links to the city center. The airport handled 52 million passengers in the nine months after it became fully operational in early April last year. The Ataturk Airport, meanwhile, handled 16 million passengers in the first three months of 2019 before its closure. If those passengers, too, had used the Istanbul Airport, the total figure for the year would have been 68 million, the number of passengers that the Ataturk Airport handled in 2018. So there has been no change in the number of passengers thus far, though the Ataturk Airport was shut down on the grounds that its capacity was no longer sufficient. The figure also could be said to mean that the Istanbul Airport fell 22 million passengers short of its 90-million capacity. The larger target, however, is to expand its capacity to 200 million by 2028. How such demand will be generated is anyones guess. The airport was constructed on the build-operate-transfer model, with the project awarded to a consortium close to the AKP. Its construction and operation appear bound to produce burdens on public finances in the future, if not immediately. The contract involves guarantees for the consortium, meaning that the government would pay the difference if the number of departing passengers falls below the figure guaranteed in the contract. Kadir Samsunlu, the CEO of the contractor company, IGA, said last week that the airport had surpassed the guaranteed number in its first year and the company would pay the government $22.4 million euros ($24.9 million) in fees for the number of passengers. Under the contract, however, IGA is supposed to also pay rent to the state more than $22 billion euros ($24.5 billion) over 25 years. It remains unknown whether the company paid any rent last year. While the CEO said nothing on the issue, no one has denied rumors that the government granted the company a postponement on the rent. In any case, the airport is already enjoying government favors and is likely to continue to do so as the government seeks to make the facility sustainable and avoid guarantee liabilities. Should the airport flop, the financing problems of the project will further grow. IGAs debt burden of nearly $6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) has grown to an unknown extent due to the big slump of the Turkish lira since last year. Missing the targets would mean grave financing troubles for the company. Moreover, the facility is supposed to be completed with an airport city, for which more than 4,000 hectares (15 square miles) of land have been allocated in surrounding areas. This project, too, will come under risk if the airport underperforms. Under the strain of accumulating problems, one of the consortium partners, Kolin, has already quit, with others rumored to be considering following suit. Kolin has transferred its stake to another shareholder, the Kalyon group, which also owns the staunchly pro-government Sabah-ATV media group. The outlook suggests that a significant burden could be gradually foisted on Turkish Airlines, a public company. According to media reports, Turkish Airlines supposed to use 70% of the airports capacity could acquire a stake of up to 40% in the company operating the airport. Since the transfer of stakes involves also the transfer of debt, Turkish Airlines would assume responsibility for repaying part of the $6.7 billion loan. In the worst-case scenario, all debt might end up in the public lap, given that the State Airports Administration is the guarantor of the entire loan. Meanwhile, the completion of construction at the airport requires a new investment of 4.5 billion euros ($5 billion), which could also be assumed by Turkish Airlines that is, the state. Twitter erupted with hilarious memes today after Princes Charles avoided shaking hands with US Vice President Mike Pence at an Auschwitz memorial event in Jerusalem. A video clip of the Prince of Wales greeting officials in Israel shows him walking along the front row of seats, shaking hands with several world and Jewish leaders but completely missing the US vice president. In one side-splitting meme, a user called @snarkgrapefruit posted a picture of the Prince of Wales side-stepping Pence and the caption 'Hello, hello, hello, not you, hello'. Twitter users rapidly picked up on the apparent snub, uploading a selection of hilarious memes During the clip, Prince Charles greets all of the attendees, only missing out on Pence. Another Twitter user, @SaintHoax, jumped on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from the Royal Family and skillfully crafted it into the Pence rejection. A selection of tweets mock Mike Pence after the apparent snub today at the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem Another user, Chrissy Stu, asked: 'How come #PrinceCharles didn't shake that #MikePence hand? Have they got beef?' The tweet was accompanied with a GIF of Will Ferrell's Anchorman character beckoning the viewer for a fight. In a similar fashion, other users used GIFs to illustrate the awkwardness of the apparent snub. How come #PrinceCharles didnt shake that #MikePence hand ? Have they got beef ?? pic.twitter.com/j86fvdN4hx Chrissy (@BennyBlanco22) January 23, 2020 A user named TAXO opted for Tina Fey's character in 30 Rock giving herself a high-five to portray the rejection. Others used the opportunity to take a dig at US President Donald Trump and his vice president. Terae Raymond said: 'All Mike Pence ever does is stand behind his crooked boss Donald Trump like a wooden statue. Cant blame Prince Charles for overlooking an empty suit. #princecharles' Not a fan of Prince Charles but this deserves respect. pic.twitter.com/hOmTT38aYD ECMkat (@ECMKat1) January 23, 2020 While many mocked Pence, others spoke of a new found respect for the Prince of Wales. ECMKat said 'Not a fan of Prince Charles but this deserves respect', accompanied by a GIF of a youngster tipping his cap. Earlier today, Prince Charles walked past a selection of dignitaries, greeting them at an Auschwitz memorial event in Jerusalem. All Mike Pence ever does is stand behind his crooked boss Donald Trump like a wooden statue. Cant blame Prince Charles for overlooking an empty suit. #princecharles pic.twitter.com/5yCSktQkdv terae.raymond (@RaymondTerae) January 23, 2020 #PrinceCharles snubs old Pence. Just walks right by him and does not even acknowledge his presence. pic.twitter.com/c3l5iGr44d Carol (@CarolPierce347) January 23, 2020 But when he came to Pence, the heir to the throne merely looked him in the eye before moving on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Twitter users jumped on the clip, sharing memes of famous pop-culture snubs. Both the White House and Buckingham Palace denied it was a snub and said the pair had met before entering the hall, exchanging smiles and joking with each other, and shaken hands after the event. Katie Waldman, the Vice President's press secretary, tweeted a video and picture of Pence and Charles together before the event. In the clip the Prince first speaks to the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, then shaking hands with Moshe Kantor, founder of the World Holocaust Forum which held the event. He is then seen walking past Pence to shake hands with Netanyahu and the Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin. The Prince did not appear to make an effort to approach Pence and his wife, Karen, as the VP then patted the Queen's first son on the back as he spoke to Netanyahu. Strictly speaking, Prince Charles followed protocol, shaking hands with a head of state - the German president - then his hosts, Kantor, Netanyahu and Rivlin; Pence is not not a head of state or a host. But the optics of the apparent snub were impossible to miss - as was Pence's expression. Once Charles walked past Pence, he then took his seat next to French President Emmanuel Macron and warmly shook hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After a friendly discussion with Netanyahu, Prince Charles then shook hands with Macron. The Prince greeted Putin with a handshake and a smile in a separate clip posted online. Charles had been meeting including world leaders at the event to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. A Buckingham Palace official denied this was a snub, telling the BBC the prince and Mr Pence had a 'long and warm conversation' before the ceremony began. Katie Waldman, the Vice President's press secretary, also denied the prince had blacked Pence, saying the pair had spoken prior to the event and were pictured smiles and sharing a joke. She tweeted alongside the photograph: 'This is not true. VP and Prince Charles spoke prior to entering the event floor and after his remarks as well.' The Prince of Wales approached Mike Pence at the event in Israel as he greeted dignitaries, but did not shake his had after looking him in the eye A video clip of the Prince of Wales greeting officials in Israel shows him walking along the front row of seats, shaking hands with several dignitaries. But when he came to Pence, the heir to the throne merely looked him in the eye before moving on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Mike Pence patted Prince Charles on the back after he walked past without shaking his hand and greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Auschwitz event today Waldman added in a statement: 'Vice President Pence and the Second Lady spoke with Prince Charles for five minutes in the pre-program before they entered the hall. Also they shook hands at the end of his remarks.' Earlier at the memorial, Prince Charles told invited guests that the stories of the Holocaust belonged to many of those in the hall and Jewish people across the globe. He added: 'But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. Charles reached across Emmanuel Macron to warmly greet Russian President Vladimir Putin just moments after walking past Mike Pence and not greeting him Vice President's press secretary, Katie Waldman, tweeted a photo she said was taken before guests entered the hall at the Auschwitz memorial event today, showing Prince Charles and Mike Pence sharing a joke 'For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood does not mean that it cannot be overcome.' When Pence spoke he urged the international community to 'stand strong' against Iran, calling it the only country where Holocaust denial is 'state policy'. Putin used his platform at the event to take political aim at Poland. Polish politicians have been infuriated by the central role given to Putin at the historic commemoration. From left: US Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's prince Charles during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem After walking past Mike Pence, Prince Charles went on to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) The Russian leader has tried to blame the country for the outbreak of WWII to detract from the Soviet-Nazi pact made in 1939 that carved up Eastern Europe. The Prince of Wales has urged nations to learn the 'lessons' of the Holocaust as he joined world leaders in condemning the scourge of anti-Semitism, during an event marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. Charles described the extermination of six million Jewish people during the Second World War as a 'universal human tragedy' affecting all, not just the families of those killed by the Nazi regime. The heir to the throne spoke during the World Holocaust Forum in Israel and told guests, who included Russian President Vladimir Putin and France's President Emmanuel Macron, the story of 'incomprehensible humanity' must not be forgotten. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum today in Jerusalem, Israel Charles, Prince of Wales shakes hands with Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv Yisrael Meir Lau during the World Holocaust Forum The unloading ramp and the main gate called the 'Gate of Death' at the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Brzezinka, Poland, February or March 1945 US Vice President Mike Pence touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, during his visit to Jerusalem's Old City earlier today Pence touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, during his visit to Jerusalem's Old City earlier today And he warned that 'hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart' but society must remain 'resolute in resisting words and acts of violence'. Speaking at the gathering, the largest international event in Israel's history, staged at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, Charles said: 'The Holocaust was an appalling Jewish tragedy, but it was also a universal human tragedy, and one which we compound if we do not heed its lessons.' He told the guests, who featured the Kings of Spain and the Netherlands, the stories of the Holocaust belonged to many of those in the hall and Jewish people across the globe. Charles added: 'But we must never forget that they are also our story: a story of incomprehensible inhumanity, from which all humanity can and must learn. 'For that an evil cannot be described does not mean that it cannot be defeated. That it cannot be fully understood, does not mean that it cannot be overcome.' Vice President of the United States Mike Pence (right) and his wife Karen Pence (left) during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum today World leaders pose for a family photo during the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria were among the more than 40 dignitaries attending Warning that intolerance was never far away, he said: 'We must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence.' During his speech Charles also paid tribute to the 'selfless actions' of his grandmother, Princess Alice, who in 1943 while living in Nazi-occupied Greece sheltered a Jewish family in her own home. In 1993 Yad Vashem bestowed the title of Righteous Among The Nations on her and she is buried at the nearby Mount of Olives. Charles described the title as 'a fact which gives me and my family immense pride.' The presidents of France, Germany and Russia were among those to deliver speeches to the forum, held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz being liberated by Soviet troops on January 27 1945. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier acknowledged during his speech that 'the worst crime in the history of humanity was committed by my countrymen'. He added: 'Seventy five years later after the liberation of Auschwitz I stand before you all as president of Germany and laden with the heavy historical burden of guilt.' (TNS) On Wednesday, voters across King County will, for the first time, be able to cast their ballots online, via mobile phone or touch-screen device.There is a catch.Online voting will be available for the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors election, a contest so obscure that voters have typically had to specifically request a ballot to vote. King Conservation District elections have typically drawn voter turnout of 1% to 3%.Still, it will be the first election anywhere in the country in which every registered voter is eligible to vote online, according to Tusk Philanthropies, the nonprofit partnering with the county to implement the system. And county officials are viewing the online election as a pilot project that could, if successful, be a step toward expanding electronic access in all elections.This election could be a key step in moving toward electronic access and return for voters across the region, King County Director of Elections Julie Wise said. My role here is to remove barriers to voting.Wise acknowledged that, in a world where everything online is theoretically vulnerable to hacking, many may be leery about voting online.Theres a lot of things we do online, banking, health records, that are also of concern for people that are secure, Wise said. Ive vetted this, technology experts in the region have vetted this to ensure that this is a safe, secure voting opportunity.She also stressed that its not something theyre about to roll out for all King County elections.The King Conservation District covers all of King County except for Enumclaw, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific and Skykomish, and has been around since 1949. It works with landowners to help them implement conservation practices things like habitat restoration, forest management and shoreline protection on private property. It has no regulatory powers, and landowners have no obligation to work with it.It has 35 employees, an annual budget of $7.8 million and a five-person volunteer board of supervisors, three of whom are elected. Candidates in this years election are Chris Porter, a beekeeper and pharmaceutical salesman; and Stephen Dutch Deutschman, a retired air-cargo worker . Through a quirk of state law, the conservation district runs its own elections and those elections must be held in the first quarter of the year (i.e., not in August or November when the county holds countywide elections).Sending ballots to all 1.2 million voters in the conservation district would eat up somewhere between 10% and 25% of the agencys budget. So, in the past few years, theyve asked voters to go online and request a ballot, which then is mailed to the voter, who must then fill it out and mail it back to complete the process. About 3,500 people voted in last years election, less than 1% of registered voters.We have been looking for ways to increase awareness and increase voter participation for a number of years, said Bea Covington, executive director of the conservation district. Were providing a really large beta test of this kind of ballot access.Registered voters will log into an online portal using their name and date of birth to get access to their ballot. Once theyve voted on their online device, voters will sign their name on the devices touch-screen and submit their ballot. After the ballot has been submitted, King County Elections downloads and prints a paper ballot, matches the submitted signature with the signature on file and tabulates the votes, county officials said.Were going to do verification the same way we do for all of our elections, and thats signature verification, Wise said.Voting begins Wednesday, when ballots are typically mailed for February elections, and ends on Election Day, Feb. 11.Tusk Philanthropies, a nonprofit founded by an early investor in Uber, has been pushing to expand mobile voting across the United States for several years. In 2018, it partnered with the city of Denver to offer mobile voting to overseas and military voters.This will be the ninth election across the country to offer mobile voting, Tusk said.The online portal is operated by Democracy Live, a Seattle-based firm that King County Elections has previously used to help administer online voting for overseas, military and disabled voters. Those voters have been able to use the portal to download a ballot, that they then had to mail or email back.Bryan Finney, CEO and founder of Democracy Live, said that in most states, overseas and military voters usually email or fax their ballots, which he said may be the least secure method of sending ballots.Voters with disabilities often cannot vote independently at home because they cannot see, mark or hold the ballot, Finney said. This pilot is an effort to show how all voters, including voters with disabilities and remote voters, can securely access and return their ballots in a more secure and accessible method. C ity fears that the China flu crisis could spread to the UK, hitting the stock market and the nascent economic recovery were rising on Thursday. Asian shares tumbled after it was confirmed that the coronavirus snake flu has taken 17 lives. The Shanghai Composite suffered its worst day for eight months, falling 3% as the city of Wuhan was put in lockdown. In London, the FTSE 100 fell below 7550 for the first time in two weeks, before rallying slightly to be off 18.84 points to 7553.08. The panic, coming just days after China reported its slowest GDP growth for 30 years, increases concern that UK businesses could be hit. The Sars crisis of 2003 took 1% off Chinas GDP and cost the global travel industry around 40 billion. UK analysts say the cruise ships sector, luxury goods companies such as Burberry and Aston Martin and the hotels sector would all be biffed if this virus is as bad as Sars. The outbreak could dent international travel, said Morgan Stanley. Shares in hotels giant InterContinental Hotels Group fell 3% to 4857p. Mining shares, particularly exposed to China, were also weak. UK banks with a big Asian presence HSBC and Standard Chartered are clearly in the line of fire. Goldman Sachs says that if coronavirus is a Sars-level event it would scrub $3 a barrel from oil, hurting BP and Shell. Neil Wilson at Markets.com, describing City sentiment, said: Dont believe what the authorities tell you and never believe what the Chinese authorities tell you. This will get worse before it gets better. It could not be worse timing and I dont see how they can stop the spread. Stephen Innes, chief Asian strategist for AxiCorp, said: The cost to the global economy can be quite staggering in negative GDP terms if this outbreak reaches epidemic proportions. Capital Economics senior economist Gareth Leather was more sanguine. He said: If the virus does spread, the worst-affected countries are likely to be those most dependent on Chinese tourist spending. Hong Kong stands as the most exposed. Thailand and Vietnam are also vulnerable. While recent UK economic data has been good, analysts note that other clouds are forming. Mumbai, Jan 23 : Actress Nora Fatehi has set the mercury soaring with her moves in the "Garmi" song of "Street Dancer 3D". What's hair-raising is the fact that her hairdo in the film cost Rs 2.5 lakh! "I got the ponytail custom made in Dubai while we were shooting (for the film)," Nora told IANS. "Me and Marcelo (the hair and make-up expert) found a manufacturer who made the ponytail as per my request. We wanted the ponytail to be long and thick to give a fierce vibe during the face-off battle with Shraddha (Kapoor)," she added. Five hundred gram of actual human hair went into the making of Nora's ponytail for the screen. "It was a very heavy ponytail to be wearing while dancing. However, I pulled it off because I felt the look added a dynamic vibe to the sequence, and I wanted to make sure I had diverse looks throughout the film. So, I went out of my way to do so," she said. Directed by Remo D'souza, "Street Dancer 3D" stars Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudheva along with Nora. The film is set to release on January 24. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Tulsi Gabbard said she is suing Hillary Clinton for at least $100 million in damages to hold the former secretary of state accountable after she indicated she thinks the Hawaii congresswoman is a Russian plant in the 2020 presidential race. I will not stand quietly by as Hillary Clinton or anyone else tries to smear my character and my loyalty and dedication to serving our country. And I've filed a lawsuit against her for that defamation to hold her accountable,' Gabbard told voters during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Wednesday night. She received a round of applause at her remarks. Gabbard's lawsuit argues the congresswoman has proven her loyalty to America through her military service in the Army National Guard, charges Clinton with hurting Gabbard's presidential bid, and outlines Gabbard's belief Clinton made the comments in retaliation for Gabbard endorsing Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary. Tulsi Gabbard said she is suing Hillary Clinton for at least $100 million in damages to hold the former secretary of state accountable 'In February 2016, Tulsi believed the best Democratic presidential candidate for our country was Senator Bernie Sanders. She also knew that Clinton had a stranglehold over the Democratic party and that crossing Clinton (who considered herself the inevitable nominee) could mean the end of her own political career. Yet Tulsi put the country before herself, and she publicly endorsed Senator Sanders, becoming the most prominent politician to do so at the time,' the complaint reads. 'Clinton - a cutthroat politician by any account - has never forgotten this perceived slight. And in October 2019, she sought retribution by lying, publicly and loudly, about Tulsi Gabbard,' it adds. Gabbard is suing the former secretary of state for monetary damage and for legal fees - a total of at least $100 million. The suit notes Gabbard has lost more than $50 million in damages. 'The Defamatory Statements have caused Tulsi to lose potential donors and potential voters who heard the Defamatory Statements. Tulsi has suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed $50 million,' the complaint reads. The complaint also argues Gabbard should be awarded at least another $50 million in special damages - bringing the total to at least $100 million. 'Tulsi is entitled to appropriate special and punitive damages of in view of Clintons malicious and unrepentant conduct. The amount of these damages will be proven at trial, but in no event should they be less than the amount of Tulsis actual damages,' it reads. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Forbes estimated Bill and Hillary Clinton were worth $240 million - an amount that has likely risen in the past four years. Tulsi Gabbard is suing Hillary Clinton for defamation Gabbard's complaint accuses Hillary Clinton of retaliating against Gabbard endorsing Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told CNN the lawsuit is 'ridiculous.' Gabbard, in her lawsuit that she filed in Clinton's home state of New York, charges Clinton with unable to get over the 2016 election and having a 'special hatred and animosity' for the congresswoman. 'Clinton has not gotten over her loss in that election and still dwells on what happened. Clinton blames many persons for her loss,' the complaint reads, adding: 'Clinton reserves a special hatred and animosity for Tulsi - who never endorsed Clinton, did not campaign for her, and to top it off, gave the nomination speech for Senator Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.' The complaint also accuses Clinton for having no basis for making her charge against Gabbard. 'Clinton had no basis for making her false assertions about Tulsi - and indeed, there is no factual basis for Clintons conspiracy theory. Clintons peddling of this theory has harmed Tulsi, has harmed American voters, and has harmed American democracy. Tulsi brings this lawsuit to ensure that the truth prevails and to ensure this countrys political elites are held accountable for intentionally trying to distort the truth in the midst of a critical Presidential election,' the complaint reads. 'Tulsi has suffered anguish and damage to her reputation, with direct and substantial injury to her positions as United States Congresswoman; Presidential candidate; and officer in the Army National Guard,' it adds. Gabbard's presidential campaign has struggled to gain traction and she did not meet the qualifications for the last two presidential primary debates. She has 1.3 per cent in the RealClearPolitics polling average on the race for the Democratic nomination and is second from the bottom in rankings. Gabbard also has said she won't see re-election to her congressional district in Hawaii so she can focus on her presidential bid. Clinton made her accusation against Gabbard in an October 2019 interview. Clinton, who lost the 2016 election in part because of Russian interference that helped Donald Trump, claimed Moscow was at it again. 'I'm not making any predictions, but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate,' Clinton said in an interview. 'She's the favorite of the Russians.' Clinton did not mention Gabbard by name in the interview with former Obama adviser David Plouffe for his podcast but her accusation appeared directed at the congresswoman from Hawaii, who's been accused in the past of being cozy with Moscow. 'They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far,' Clinton added. Gabbard points out in her lawsuit that no American intelligence agency has said she is a Russian asset and adds she has never lost a security clearance, which she has held both as a member of the military and through her committee assignments in Congress. 'No United States law enforcement or intelligence agencies have claimed, much less presented any evidence, that Congresswoman Gabbard is a Russian asset. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Homeland Security Committee; and as a Major in the United States Army National Guard, with access to highly sensitive and classified information, Tulsi has never had her security clearances challenged or revoked,' it reads. Gabbard's lawyer called the Hawaii congresswoman a 'loyal American civil servant.' 'Tulsi Gabbard is a loyal American civil servant who has also dedicated her life to protecting the safety of all Americans. Rep. Gabbards presidential campaign continues to gain momentum but she has seen her political and personal reputation smeared and her candidacy intentionally damaged by Clintons malicious and demonstrably false remarks,' Brian Dunne, counsel to Gabbard and partner at Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, said in a statement. One would expect someone of Mrs. Clintons political background to act with a greater level of maturity and dignity, but her personal hostility toward Rep. Gabbard apparently clouded Mrs. Clintons reason and blinded her to U.S. defamation laws. She resorted to a damaging whisper campaign founded on lies and when presented with the opportunity to retract her damaging remarks, she refused. Rep. Gabbard must defend her good name and hold Mrs. Clinton responsible. This lawsuit intends to do just that,' he added. Tulsi Gabbard in Syria in January 2017 Gabbard is suing Clinton for monetary damages Clinton's spokesman Nick Merrill doubled down on the former secretary of state's comments at the time. 'If the nesting doll fits,' he told reporters when asked if Clinton meant Gabbard in her interview. Clinton was not the first person to raise questions about Gabbard's ties to Russia and the congresswoman has faced questions about a January 2017 trip to Syria that she made in an unofficial capacity. In the Democratic primary debate in Ohio preceding Clinton's interview last year, Gabbard defended herself from claims she is a 'Russian asset,' calling them 'completely despicable.' She also defended her trip to Syria where she met with its dictator Bashar al-Assad, who is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Just two days ago the New York Times put out an article saying that I'm a Russian asset and an Assad apologist and all these different smears,' she said during the debate. 'This morning a CNN commentator said on national television that I'm an asset of Russia.' 'Completely despicable,' she said of the comments and then promised: 'As president I will end these regime change wars.' In October 2019, The New York Times' published an article entitled 'What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?' and noted her candidacy is supported by alt-right internet stars, white nationalists and Russians. On Tuesday morning, the morning of the debate, CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers had said: 'There is no question, there is no question that Tulsi Gabbard, of all the 12, is a puppet for the Russian government.' Gabbard earns frequently mentions in Russian propaganda and media. She is a regular subject on RT, the news agency backed by the Kremlin. Some Democrats have feared Gabbard could make an independent third-party presidential bid, which would draw votes away from the Democratic nominee and result in Donald Trump's re-election. Clinton referenced those fears in her interview, when she accused Russia of meddling again in American politics. U.S. intelligence agencies also have warned about foreign interference in this November's contest but have not mentioned Gabbard. Trump has defended Gabbard from the charge, saying she is not a Russian agent. Gabbard has defended herself from meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin In her interview with Plouffe, Clinton also accused Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate in both the 2012 and 2016 elections, of being a 'Russian asset.' 'That's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she's also a Russian asset,' Clinton said. 'Yes, she's a Russian asset, I mean, totally. They know they can't win without a third-party candidate.' Congressional reports on the 2016 election found that Stein was part of Russia's meddling effort into that year's presidential contest. NBC News reported Russian operatives boosted Stein's candidacy by targeting voters from key Democratic demographics - a move that would have hurt Clinton in the election. Stein earned nearly 1.5 million votes in the 2016 election and came in fourth. Trump has defended both women against Clinton's charges and did so again on Wednesday. 'And then what happened to Jill Stein of the Green Party, gets called a Russian agent by Crooked Hillary. And then Tulsi Gabbard - I dont know either of them, but I know theyre not Russian agents. Gets called a Russian agent. This is what these people do. They demean and the press play in because the press is largely their partner,' the president said Wednesday at a press conference in Davos, Switzerland, where he's attending the World Economic Forum. The world may be flat or round, but it is a shrinking space for democrats and democracies. The recent prominence of the far-right in Western and Eastern Europe, the Islamist hold in long-secular Turkey; the spike in English chauvinist nationalism now making Brexit a near certainty; in India the demonstrated indifference to the spirit of democracy 70 years after the adoption of a democratic Constitution; and the election as President in the US of Donald John Trump who appears to cock-a-snook at the fundamentals of democracy with every tweet he sends out, may well boost anti-democracy sentiments around the world. This is where lies the importance of the proceedings underway in the United States to impeach President Trump, regardless of whether the move succeeds or fails. But make no mistake. The powerful case made out in the US Senate on Wednesday for the Presidents impeachment serves as a reassurance that it is possible to speak truth to power in the face of the severest constraints. It would have been heard with great care by democrats and their opponents in all nations. President Trump made the almost boastful remark at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) that it is his government, which had all the documents (while its opponents had none), meaning the data to nail him would be denied to those who sought his ouster from office. This is the typical high-handed approach of anti-democrats. In all countries where democracy is being sought to be eclipsed, variants of this theme are being dished out by populists who fooled the people and won office by promising to remove corruption, raise standards of living and serve the people selflessly. India is no exception to this phenomenon, and India is no exception either to the decline in every metric of prosperity, probity and public satisfaction. Ideologies filled with nativist passion generate hate in society as we can now amply see in this country; they are bankrupt on ideas about raising output, productivity, employment and societal security. Is it any surprise that this year we have invited to be the chief guest for the Republic Day, Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro, who is seen as a Trump for the Tropics. That is the sort of friendship our leaders like. Such is the present climate in the country that the chief minister of UP, supposedly a Hindu monk, can declare that any protester against the CAA who speaks of azadi or freedom a cry now frequently heard in the context of azadi from hunger or communal politics will be booked for sedition. It is this climate which recently emboldened the West Bengal president of BJP to gloat that CAA protesters were shot like dogs in UP, Delhi and Karnataka all states in which his party calls the shots or directs the police. Mini-dictators might not have dared if it werent for the atmosphere created nationally. The impeachment proceedings in the US raise the hope that anti-democrats can be challenged with vigour. When Business Today was launched 28 years ago, India was just beginning to discard its stifling 'Licence Raj' and was at the cusp of opening its economy to the world. With four decades of socialism, during which the commanding heights of the economy were nationalised, the $278.4 billion-Indian economy, then the 16th largest, was a pygmy despite its size and population. The advent of globalisation and rapid technological advances changed all that forever. It now counts as the seventh largest economy in the world. Nothing is more important in an economy than the question of jobs. It is employment and the income it generates for individuals that power an economy. That is why the biggest worry for any government is the state of employment in the country. In the high-tech world of today, the internet has impacted every aspect of our lives, from the social to the economic. Many industries have vanished or are in decline and new ones have cropped up. The Fortune 500 has five technology companies in the top 10 today compared to none ten years ago. This has had the maximum impact on the workplace, affecting the kind of work we do and how we do it. Technological, demographic, social, geo-strategic, and even geo-economic changes are influencing how work will be done in the near and far future. We can no longer limit ourselves to crystal ball-gazing over the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs; we have to worry if there will be jobs at all. It is not just about working with robots. That is a given. Or, about the need to upgrade skills. That's the universal truth. The future of work encompasses all these and more. Is the gig economy for real? What skills do we need for the future? Are eight-hour workdays passe? Can open offices survive? What's privacy at the workplace in the age of millennials? Will bite-sized learning take over? Is mental health the biggest risk at the workplace? How relevant is it to come to office for work? Can one not work from home in this world of hyperconnectivity? Technology aside, a host of other factors are driving disruption. The global economic slowdown and the stagnation of incomes in most of the past decade, especially in developed and developing economies, have raised income inequality and redefined how the workforce functions and operates. Skill gaps have widened as labour markets have become polarised between high-skill and low-skill jobs. And constant migration of the workforce from low-paying areas to high-paying geographies has raised tensions between the natives and the migrants. All of these are unsettling the workforce and workplaces alike. Meanwhile, the onset of the downturn has hurt the middle- and low-income households the most, overturning the notion that economic progress guarantees that every generation enjoys higher wages and higher standards of living than the previous one. Employers' profits stand squeezed, while the need for capital to invest in new technologies has risen drastically. Fierce economic nationalism is raising tariff walls around domestic economies, threatening the free flow of commerce and human capital. The idea of one-world, one-economy, therefore, has never been under greater threat than today. All this has created unprecedented uncertainties, with a direct bearing on jobs, workplaces, wages, emotional and mental well-being, even governments and regulators. As part of its anniversary special, BT invited a galaxy of 19 business leaders - across industries and age groups - for their wisdom on how we will work in the future. Uday Kotak of Kotak Mahindra Bank elaborates on 'Phygital' - the interplay of the physical and the digital; R.C. Bhargava of Maruti on working with robots; AZB Partner's Zia Mody weighs in on privacy at the workplace; National Skills Development Corporation's S. Ramadorai on the future of skills; Tech Mahindra's C.P. Gurnani on the changing people pyramid; Clix Capital's Pramod Bhasin on eight-hour workdays; PM-EAC's Bibek Debroy on the future of governance; Diageo India's Anand Kripalu on learning at work; Nestle's Suresh Narayanan on corporate purpose; Axis Bank's Amitabh Chaudhry on building an organisation's start-up culture; Accenture India's Rekha Menon on training; TeamLease's Manish Sabharwal on the future of wages; Mpower's Neerja Birla on mental health at work; Azim Premji Foundation's Anurag Behar on five skills you cannot do without; and Sheroes's Sairee Chahal on being a gig worker, among others. Our gratitude to these experts for their time and effort. Indeed, their insight will provide fuel for thought to policy makers, regulators, companies and think-tanks for a better Future of Work. This is a vital subject that impacts you as well as your family. I do hope you enjoy reading it and benefiting from it. The ongoing polarising battle of grand narratives in the country and detention of many people has brought to the fore an important but hugely neglected issue Indias jail healthcare crisis. The Supreme Court has upheld the right to healthcare as an essential ingredient under Article 21 of the Constitution in its judgement Pt. Parmanand Katara vs Union of India & Ors (1989) 4 SCC 286. But it is no secret that this right is routinely violated in our overcrowded jails. The recent public protests against the citizenship law and related matters bring to the fore the issue of a prisoners right to adequate medical care. Should prisoners, including political prisoners, be forced to go to court or seek the medias assistance to get the medical treatment they need? A case in point is that of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, arrested in a case relating to alleged incitement of violence during anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) protests at Jama Masjid. A Delhi court has finally waived off conditions from an earlier bail order directing Azad to not visit Delhi. The latest court order says that Azad should provide the schedule of his visit to the city to the concerned DCP whenever he visits for medical treatment. But none of this happened automatically. It took a huge effort by his lawyer Mehmood Pracha, and his personal physician, Harjit Singh Bhatti, to make Azads medical condition a public issue. Bhatti, Azads personal physician, says the Bhim Army chief suffers from polycythaemia, a blood-related disease, has been under treatment at the Haematology Department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and requires regular monitoring including a procedure called phlebotomy. Bhatti says Azad was not allowed to access the necessary follow-up treatment and investigations initially when he was held in custody. Azad had to wait for more than two weeks in Tihar Jail and finally was taken for a medical check-up after Bhatti requested concerned authorities multiple times on Twitter. Strangely, he was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in West Delhi, and not AIIMS, where he was undergoing treatment. The permission to go to AIIMS was given only after a court order. I was in Tihar Jail. Inmates are treated like worms. I was told no permission can be given to me to go out for medical treatment though I told several doctors in the jail about my medical condition, my specific needs, and that I am being treated by doctors at AIIMS. There was no real treatment at Tihar. Once, when I was late to see a jail doctor because I had fever, I was ticked off. The doctors treated me very casually. I did not see any real interest in my medical condition Azad told this columnist at a recent press conference in New Delhi just before leaving the city. Another case in point is cancer patient Ahmad Nabi, who suffered multiple fractures in alleged police action during the December 20 anti-CAA stir violence. Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh) police has booked Nabi and several others under the Arms Act. But even after 10 days, reports in the national media suggest that he had been lying in Firozabad Jails medical ward with a fracture in his left arm and one each in both his legs, unattended. Nabi has been undergoing treatment for throat cancer at Jaipurs Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital for several years. It is only after media reports persistently highlighted his medical condition that Nabi got some medical attention. This week, his family told this columnist that Nabi is being treated for his broken limbs in Agra but he is yet to receive chemotherapy, which he desperately needs. Over the years, several court rulings have repeatedly drawn attention to issues of overcrowding, poor sanitation, nutrition, as well as shortage of prison staff in Indias jails. According to India Justice Report 2019, an initiative of Tata Trusts, the nationwide prison occupancy rate stood at 114 per cent as of 2016. Indias prisons are understaffed by at least 33 per cent; this massively increases the workload of existing staff and leads to total apathy. Uttar Pradesh has the highest prisoner population. A few years ago, inmates in the Fatehgarh Jail in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh, came out of their barracks and protested for better healthcare facilities in the jail. A 2015 report by prisons researcher Smita Chakraburtty for Bihar State Legal Services Authority is revealing: The medical conditions prevailing in all the prisons of the state of Bihar need immediate attention. The prisons do not have proper facility of storing medicine, medical stores in the prison are ill-equipped, medical equipments such as X-Ray machines are dysfunctional, the refrigerators for storing medicines are not operational. Medical clinics are usually run by compounders who keep only basic medicines such as Paracetamol and some B-Complex vitamins There is a severe shortage of medical staff in prison. The procedure of sending inmates for medical check-ups or treatment to a district hospital is extremely lengthy. The lengthy procedure coupled with severe understaffing causes unusual delays leading to loss of the golden period of treatment for an inmate, noted Chakraburtty in her report. She also pointed out that often, medical procedures are delayed due to non-availability of guards, that prisons often have no ambulance, and these too cause delays. By the time the inmate reaches the hospital, there is little or no chance of recovery some inmates those who can afford it get treated in private, i.e. family members get medicines for the inmate, the report noted. This means that proper medical care can be availed only by a few inmates in each prison those who have the resources. The lengthy procedure involved in sending inmates to a district hospital for the required treatment, the severe understaffing in prisons lead to prison staff ignoring medical complaints of prisoners and also avoiding the mechanism of transfer of the inmate to a district hospital to avoid the burden of official paperwork, Chakraburtty points out in her report. This is serious medical negligence and does not make a country that talks about health for all look good. The writer focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies. She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com Vulnerable populations in particular are not getting the help they need to stop smoking, it said, and recommended that doctors and public health officials devote more attention to offering smoking cessation assistance to gay and transgender people, Native Americans, people with mental illness diagnoses and several other groups with high smoking rates. The biggest take-home from this report is that far too many people who want to quit arent getting access to the cessation treatments that we know work, Dr. Adams added. Antismoking groups welcomed the new report. Chris Bostic, deputy director for policy at the Action on Smoking & Health, said, I believe society has withheld or restricted access to cessation because smokers did it to themselves, but nearly all smokers became addicted as children, when they could not have consented to the risk. More than 55 years after the first surgeon generals report warned that smoking causes cancer, it remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of smoking in the United States has declined to an all-time low of 14 percent. More than 3 of every 5 adult Americans who have smoked have quit, the report said. Still, 34 million Americans currently smoke, and an estimated 480,000 die from smoking-related illnesses each year, the agency said. About 16 million people in the United States now suffer from cancer, heart disease and smoking-related disorders, according to the C.D.C. The financial toll is enormous too, with annual health care spending attributed to smoking exceeding $170 billion, the agency said. A child wears mask to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus at the Hong Kong West Kowloon High Speed Train Station, in Hong Kong, China January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Chinas coronavirus is spreading fast, with cases rising by the minute. The death toll stands at 18, with all fatalities occurring at the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. READ MORE: How did China's coronavirus outbreak start? The previously unknown strain has reached major cities like Shanghai and Beijing, as well as crossing international borders. The US, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan have all confirmed cases, while four suspected sufferers are being tested in Scotland. Chinese authorities state 630 people are battling the virus, however, one expert claims numbers could be as high as 9,700 in Wuhan alone. Who is most likely to catch the new coronavirus? The new strain, 2019-nCoV, has the potential to infect anyone. Novel viruses spread much faster because we have no immunity, Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, said. China's National Health Commission announced the youngest victim to date was 48 and the eldest 89. READ MORE: China's coronavirus could have same death rate as Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50m people Most were elderly and suffering other health issues, like Parkinsons or diabetes, it added. 2019-nCoV is thought to be the seventh strain within the coronavirus class that can infect people. Others include the mild common cold and the life-threatening severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars). These tend to only trigger serious complications - like pneumonia or bronchitis - in the elderly, young or those with pre-existing medical conditions. READ MORE: Billions of journeys to celebrate Chinese New Year raise fears coronavirus will spread worldwide Sars made headlines in the early 2000s after 774 people died across dozens of countries. Another strain is Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), which kills around three or four in every 10 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When it comes to coronaviruses in general, young children are most likely to get infected. Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Worldwide has asked governors of south east forum led by David Umahi of Ebonyi state to bring back BAKASSI BOYS as the region security outfit. The group made the call on Thursday following the launch of Amotekun, a regional security outfit by governors of South West. This appeal was contained in a statement issued and signed by the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths Worldwide, Okechukwu Isiguzoro and the Secretary, Okwu Nnabuike and was made available to newsmen. The statement reads thus: Ohanaeze Youth Council Worldwide want to use this medium to appeal to governors of the South East forum to reinstate the proscribed BAKASSI BOYS vigilant group as our own security outfit. Read Also: Nigerians Knock Tinubu Over Comment On Amotekun This is as a result of the ongoing formation of community policing in other regions of the country, of recent was Amotekun by governors of the South West. Again, in the North, the Civilian JTF and Hisbah Police are already there, so ours should not be different. Beside, the return of BAKASSI BOYS will make south east the most secure region in Nigeria, he explained. The statement however noted that the BAKASSI BOYS failed because of influence of some politicians and rich individuals, but this challenge can be overcome if operational guidelines, adequate funding are made available in partnership with the federal government and Nigerian security operatives supervising their activities. The funding should not come from southeast governors alone but the federal government as well. Also, security operatives should always monitor and supervise their activities, he noted. On Thursday, by all accounts, conditions were dangerous. It was blowing a gale, mate, said Ken Bowerman, a volunteer firefighter in Bredbo, a small town not far from where the plane crashed. Were in extraordinary times. Rain in recent days a torrent in some areas, a few drops in others had offered a small reprieve. But on Thursday, with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees in previously fire-stricken states like New South Wales, including a high of 110 at Sydneys airport, fire officials once again issued emergency warnings. Earlier in the day, fires approached the suburbs of Canberra, forcing the closing of its airport to flights. Residents in the affected areas around the capital were told that driving could be deadly and that they should seek immediate shelter. In other parts of the country, which has been gripped by drought and has just ended its hottest and driest year on record, dust storms covered towns. Brown rain fell in Melbourne, discoloring the Yarra River. But the worst impacts of the day were felt in the rural mountain towns south of Canberra, where the fires in Peak View were among more than 80 that were burning, half of them out of control. From the mountains to the coast, firefighters reported homes burning, even as the police and emergency service personnel clustered near the crash site. In Numeralla, where ash-faced firefighters gathered at the local fire station late on Thursday after a 12-hour shift, appreciation mixed with sadness and fatigue. Some of the volunteers, pointing to a map on a plastic table, said they believed the plane had been trying to protect a group of houses lining a gravel road through the area. A small circle of ink showed the location between the flames and a dry riverbed named Good Creek. The United States has the cleanest air. The Green New Deal will cost a 15-figure fortune. And Paris has been suffering for the climate agreement that bears its name. Those are just some of the many dubious - or just plain wrong - statements Donald Trump has made during his first three years as president. On his third anniversary in office this week, Trump has racked up more than 16,200 false or misleading claims, according to a running tally kept by The Washington Post's Fact Checker team. Of those statements, ranging from half-truths to outright whoppers, 492 concerned energy and environmental issues. "We started this project as part of our coverage of the president's first 100 days, largely because we could not possibly keep up with the pace and volume of the president's misstatements," The Post's Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly wrote this week. "We recorded 492 claims - an average of just under five a day - and readers demanded that we keep it going for the rest of Trump's presidency." Here are the false or misleading statements on the environment that Trump has repeated most often, according to The Post's count: Trump's claim: His administration has ushered in the boom of oil and natural gas production in the United States. Number of times repeated: At least 60. A recent example: "We ended the war on American energy," Trump said at a campaign rally in Milwaukee on Jan. 14. "The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere on Earth." What's really going on: The United States is indeed pumping a lot more oil and natural gas than it used to, but Trump shouldn't be taking the credit. The decade-long boom in domestic oil and gas production is mainly the result of new drilling techniques - most notably, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The rate of U.S. oil production has increased rapidly since 2010, and the country has actually led the world in natural gas production since 2009. That's 10 years before Trump took office. Trump's claim: The Paris climate agreement would have cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. Number of times repeated: At least 31. A recent example: "We withdrew from the one-sided, horrible, horrible, economically unfair, 'close your businesses down within three years,' 'don't frack, don't drill, we don't want any energy' - the horrible Paris Climate Accord that killed American jobs and shielded foreign polluters," Trump said during remarks at the Economic Club of New York in November. "You're talking about trillions and trillions of dollars of destruction would have been done to our country with the Paris Climate Accord." What's really going on: Under the 2015 Paris accord, each country set its own goals for cutting climate-warming emissions. So if Trump wanted to alter the commitments offered by his predecessor, Barack Obama, he could have done so while staying in the agreement. The Paris agreement also doesn't have any requirements about how nations reduce emissions - meaning there is no rule against fracking or other forms of oil and gas extraction, as Trump suggested. Trump's claim: The United States became an energy-exporting powerhouse under his watch. A recent example: "We're the largest energy producer now in the world, and we're an exporter of energy for the first in our history, really," Trump said at a public White House meeting in December. Number of times repeated: At least 31. What's really going on: The United States has been the world's leading energy producer . . . since at least 2014. And the country has also exported some of the fuel it has produced . . . since around the time of the Civil War. What the United States is not - at least, not yet - is a net energy export, meaning that it sells more energy to other countries than it buys abroad. But that's a threshold the country could cross before Trump leaves office, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Trump's claim: The United States has the cleanest air and water in the world. A recent example: "Who's got the world's cleanest and safest air and water? AMERICA!" the president tweeted in September. Number of times repeated: At least 24. What's really going on: According to one independent arbiter, this claim isn't just misleading, it's downright wrong. The United States ranks 10th for air quality and 29th for water and sanitation, according to the Environmental Performance Index. But let's give credit where credit is due: The index, which is a project by Yale and Columbia universities, gave the United States the top rank for drinking-water quality. Trump's claim: The Green New Deal would cost $100 trillion and prevent people from flying. Number of times repeated: At least 22. A recent example: "Now, under the Green New Deal that all goes away, that all goes away," Trump said during a rally in New Mexico in September. "No more cows, no more airplanes, no more trips. A single car, make it electric, single car, you're not allowed to travel more than 162 miles. They'll call us the hermit nation, we'll never leave our house. Now it's crazy, but that's OK." What's really going on: The Green New Deal, introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., last year, is a nonbinding resolution that would not have force of law if passed. Rather, it is a call for a major restructuring of the economy to drastically cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and expand access to health care and high-quality jobs. Not included is any demand for a ban on flying or eating beef. Neither does it come with a cost estimate. A conservative think tank, American Action Forum, estimated it would cost $93 trillion, but that figure includes programs that are not in the resolution. A Melbourne mother accused of leaving her 14-month-old son in a hot car will be allowed to visit the critically ill baby in hospital. Kaija Millar, 32, was charged after her son Easton was found unresponsive in a car parked outside The Brook hotel in Point Cook last Wednesday. Easton is still fighting for his life in the Royal Children's Hospital. Kaija Millar outside Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday. Credit:Nine News Ms Millar is facing charges of negligently causing serious injury and reckless conduct endangering life. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) speaks as Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), left, and Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) listen during a news conference on the Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on 22, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Graham: Democrats Didnt Wait for Courts Because They Wanted to Impeach Trump Before Election Democrats declined to wait for courts to weigh in on the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump because they wanted to impeach him before the 2020 election, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Wednesday. They would have the United States Senate create an impeachment process where the president would not be allowed to go to Article III courts to argue privileges that have been argued in every other impeachment trial and have been argued by presidents since George Washington. That would destroy the institution of the presidency as we know it, Graham said at a press conference in Washington. What would it do? It would allow a handful in a 300-plus million country, people, along partisan lines to impeach a president without independent judicial review. Graham dismissed Senate Democrat calls to subpoena witnesses, echoing other GOP members who say House Democrats should have subpoenaed the witnesses and built a stronger case for impeachment instead of pushing it off to the Senate. They did not pursue these witnesses, because they knew the president would seek judicial redress, and it would literally stop them from impeaching him before the election, he said. The House withdrew a subpoena for Charles Kupperman, a former aide to ex-National Security Adviser John Bolton, before voting to impeach Trump, arguing they actually didnt need him to testify. Kupperman had filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge whether he should comply with the White Houses instruction to ignore the subpoena, or comply with the House and testify. Trumps lawyer Jay Sekulow made similar arguments to Graham on Tuesday, telling senators, Were acting as if the courts are an improper venue to determine constitutional issues of this magnitude. That is why we have the courts, that is why we have a federal judiciary. In this screengrab taken from a Senate Television webcast, House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks during impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 22, 2020. (Senate Television via Getty Images) House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the lead House impeachment manager, said the House couldnt wait for judges to make decisions before moving forward. If the House were compelled to exhaust all legal remedies before impeaching the president, it would interpose the courts or the decision of a single judge between the House and the power to impeach, Schiff said Tuesday. Moreover, it would invite the president to prevent his own impeachment by endlessly litigating the matter in court. Graham referred to Schiffs comments at the press conference, saying the remarks struck him as essentially saying we couldnt impeach him before the election if the courts were involved. He also said proposals by Democrats on the opening day of the trial would destroy the institution of the presidency as we know it, make it naked when it comes to the partisan impeachment, not have a venue to go to court and litigate privileges that have been exercised by prior presidents. When it comes to Donald Trump, theyre willing to destroy the institution of the office in the name of getting him. Other Republicans also said the House impeachment case wasnt well done. When I went to high school in Bozeman, Montana, if I turned in a term paper thats half-complete, my teacher would toss it back to me, say, You didnt get it done,' Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) added. Thats how I felt last night. They have not done the complete homework. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) in a file photograph in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Should the United States Senate decide the 2020 election, and overturn the 2016 election, by removing him from office? I put the trust in the voters of this country: they should have that say, not the United States Senate, Daines said. Trump was impeached by House Democrats last month on charges of abuse of office and obstruction of Congress. Zero Republicans voted in favor of the articles and a handful of Democrats broke with their party on the vote. An impeachment inquiry was triggered by a complaint filed against the president over a July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the call, Trump asked his counterpart to look into corruption allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden and Bidens son Hunter Biden. Democrats say Trump was asking a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 election because Joe Biden is running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Trump has denied wrongdoing, as have the Bidens, who are under investigation by multiple Senate committees. Senate Democrats are pushing to call at least four witnesses: Bolton, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Mulvaney aide Robert Blair, and White House Office of Management and Budget official Michael Duffey. A supermajority of 67 votes is required to convict Trump, or remove him from office, in the Senate, which the GOP holds with a 53-47 majority after gaining two seats in the 2018 election. Fashion and textile retailer Raymond Ltd has reported 12 per cent year-on-year growth in its consolidated revenue for the third quarter of current fiscal (Q3 FY20) at Rs 1,903 crore. The figure stood at Rs 1,706 crore in Q3 FY19. However, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for Q3 FY20 were down by 2 per cent to Rs 182 crore. The reported net profit was Rs 196 crore with underlying net profit at Rs 36 crore. The debt reduction during the quarter by Rs 415 crore was led by Rs 350 crore infusion from net proceeds of the land sale. "Domestic consumption continued to be sluggish coupled with a liquidity crunch in the trade channels, impacting profitable growth during the quarter. However, the company continued to consolidate its market share with topline growth," said Chairman and Managing Director Gautam Hari Singhania. The branded textile segment sales were at Rs 866 crore, up by 2 per cent over the previous year, driven by 10 per cent growth in the B2C shirting The branded apparel segment sales totalled Rs 488 crore, up by 23 per cent over previous year. On the other hand, garmenting segment sales were at Rs 239 crore, higher by 29 per cent over previous year led by exports growth in the United States and Japan. Luxury cotton shirting fabric segment sales moved up by 5 per cent at Rs 168 crore due to higher domestic fabric sales and yarn sales. The quarter also witnessed the deleveraging of balance sheet with over Rs 400 crore primarily driven by the net proceeds of land sale. With a focus on value creation during the quarter, the company also announced demerger of lifestyle as a separate entity. "This move will enable us to have a focused strategy and specialisation for sustained growth across our businesses," said Singhania. Raymond is India's largest integrated worsted suiting manufacturer that offers end-to-end solutions for fabrics and garmenting. It also has business interests in men's accessories, personal grooming and toiletries, prophylactics, engineering and auto components across national and international markets. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) Two inmates detained at the state penitentiary were the brains behind the gruesome killing of former Batangas Rep. Edgar Mendoza and his two aides, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Thursday. PNP-CIDG Chief Joel Coronel said mastermind Sherwin Sanchez, who has been detained in the New Bilibid Prison since 2015 for murder charges, ordered the killing of the former solon. When the murder happened, Mendoza was the lawyer of Sanchez on matters concerning financial transactions and properties. He said Sanchez conspired with his fellow detainee Arthur Fajardo to take down Mendoza. He said Fajardo, a member of a kidnap-for-ransom group, hired the gunmen so Sanchez can avoid paying legal fees. The bodies of the Mendoza and his aides were found charred inside a burning vehicle in Tiaong, Quezon on January 9. The day before they were found, Mendoza and his men went to the home of Jael Fajardo, the wife of Arthur Fajardo, in Calamba, Laguna to claim money from Sanchez. But it was all a ruse. "I understand there was a disagreement on the amount to be collected. Based on the revelations made by the witnesses and some of the suspects' confession, there was really no intention on the part of the suspects to pay the amount agreed. Instead of paying the amount amounting to millions of pesos, they just contracted killers for the killing of Congressman Mendoza for the sum of P100,000," Coronel said in a media briefing. The police official said that arrested killer Erickson Balbastro confessed that Mendoza and his aides were drugged with coffee laced with sleeping pills in the Sanchez home. When they were unconscious, they were stabbed and struck in the head. He said the two aides were "collateral damage." Coronel added that the three men were already dead when their remains were burned in Tiaong, based on Balbastero's confession. The police have arrested five suspects tagged in Mendoza's murder. They are also hunting down a certain Rodel Mercado and two other cohorts, whom the police refused to identify. PNP Chief Archie Gamboa said three counts of murder against the suspects have been forwarded to the Justice Department. CONCORD, N.H. - A leading white nationalist has been indicted and arrested on federal charges that he threatened to rape the wife of a person with whom he was having a dispute. Christopher Cantwell, a New Hampshire resident who rose to prominence in 2017 after a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, is accused of using the Telegram messaging app to make the threat on June 16, 2019. The person with whom he was messaging hasnt been identified. The FBI tweeted that it arrested Cantwell, of Keene, on Thursday morning without incident. He faces charges of extortion and sending interstate threats and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in Concord. Cantwells public defender, Eric Wolpin, did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Cantwell pleaded guilty in 2018 to assault after he was accused of using pepper spray against two counterprotesters during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Cantwell, who has hosted self-produced radio shows, also has history of posting threatening messages over social media. In March, he wrote that he thought the Gab social media platform had banned him for a post after the deadly New Zealand mosque shootings in which he wrote, Im pretty sure it would be against the rules for me to say that would be mass shooters should find left wing activists and gun them down instead of random people in mosques and synagogues. So I wont do that. Last year, attorneys who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in connection with the Charlottesville rally asked a judge to order Cantwell to stop making unlawful threats against the plaintiffs and their lead attorney. In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville, lawyers for 10 people who were hurt during the two days of violence in August 2017 said Cantwell had recently focused his hateful rhetoric on attorney Roberta Kaplan. They allege that Cantwell, responding to an article about Kaplan in a Jewish publication, used an anti-Semitic slur on a social media website when referring to Kaplan and wrote that after she loses this fraudulent lawsuit, were going to have a lot of (expletive) fun with her. Cantwell, responding to an email seeking comment on the motion to order him to stop making threats, used an anti-Semitic slur when referring to Kaplan and called the lawsuit a (expletive) fraud. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Going into the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, I wondered how serious the defense would be. The answer at least during the first hours of Day 1 was that Trumps lawyers might as well have used random sound bites from a third-tier radio talk show host. Harsh? Yes, and deservedly so. How can anyone be less than harsh about an opening presentation in the Senate debate over trial procedures, from experienced attorneys like Jay Sekulow and Pat A. Cipollone, that repeatedly made basic factual errors? They told senators that Republican members of the House of Representatives were not allowed to attend House depositions taken during evidence-gathering leading up to the impeachment vote, but thats simply not true. Republican members of three committees were allowed to attend, did attend, and fully participated. It would have been correct to say that Trumps lawyers were not allowed to attend those sessions and preliminary hearings, but instead the Senate was told that Trumps lawyers were not allowed to participate at all in the House. Again, untrue; they were invited to the Judiciary Committees hearings and deliberations. Trumps lawyers also claimed that the House tried to unilaterally override claims of executive privilege by pressing for documents and witnesses. The truth is that the White House hasnt still invoked any privilege, but simply refused to cooperate. Thats not all. I wrote Tuesday morning that a good test of the seriousness of the defense was whether it rested on whether the lead impeachment manager, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, paraphrased rather than quoted the notorious Trump phone call of July 25, 2019 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and guess what: That showed up right away. Indeed, Trumps lawyers told the Senate falsely that Schiff claimed to be reading the call record, when in fact Schiff clearly said at the time that he wasnt reading it word for word. It was in that call that Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, a request that is now at the heart of the first of the two articles of impeachment. Story continues All of that was beside the point, which was whether to adopt procedures offered up by the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell. The presidents lawyers didnt talk about that much. But they did claim, twice, on the question of calling witnesses, that any lawyer who showed up in a normal court proceeding and asked for more information would be thrown out of court and sanctioned by the judge. That was hardly a convincing argument; nor was the claim that the House managers wanted more information only because they werent ready. Schiff found that easy to knock down: He called for the testimony of two key Trump aides, former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and said that the House was ready to question them right away. Moreover, as Schiff said, any court that prohibited witnesses from being called and documents produced would itself be sanctioned. And on and on. The crazy thing is that this was all in the context of adopting procedural rules for which the presidents team had perfectly reasonable arguments available. After all, while McConnell didnt entirely follow the rules put in place in 1999 for the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, the basic structure is similar, and Trumps lawyers could have simply argued that what was good enough for Clinton was good enough for Trump. (The House response is that the circumstances are sufficiently different that the same rules would create a different situation. That, too, is a reasonable argument. The House did spend plenty of time making that case. Trumps lawyers at best mentioned their strong argument in passing). Only a few hours into the trial, it appears that the presidents team is mainly focused on appealing to its client, rather than making arguments that might sway senators. Or its thinking of the opening arguments as an audition for slots on Fox News, rather than as a serious constitutional matter. Or even worse: Its possible that these lawyers dont know the difference. As Greg Sargent of the Washington Post suggests: Trump's team has spent so many months giving fake, Fox-News-friendly defenses of Trump that they forgot that in the real world, the facts and evidence arrayed against Trump are incredibly damning. To be sure, nobody knows whether any argument or evidence will have any effect on Republican senators. Nobody knows whether it will have any effect on public opinion. But its unlikely that its helping Trump, at least compared to what a strong defense might do. One significant advantage the president has in a Senate impeachment trial is that the prosecution team is limited in personnel to members of the House, while the president can put together an all-star team of any lawyers in the nation. During Clintons trial, the general sense of most observers was that Clintons team was significantly superior to the House managers. I dont think anyone other than solid Republican partisans are going to think that this time. To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonathan Landman at jlandman4@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Two cheetahs born in Britain will be released into the wild in South Africa next month in a world first for wildlife conservation. Brothers Saba and Nairo were born at Port Lympne in Kent and have spent the first two and a half years of their life in the county's Howletts Wild Animal Park. It will be the first time cheetahs raised in captivity have left the UK for re-wilding in Africa, according to The Daily Telegraph. The cheetahs will leave the UK on 6 February and will be flown to a sanctuary in Western Cape before moving to Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve, a 35,000 acre site in Great Karoo. They will undergo a re-wilding programme developed by the Ashia Cheetah Sanctuary, which has seen nine captive-born cheetahs successfully released into the wild since beginning in 2018. World's most endangered animals Show all 17 1 /17 World's most endangered animals World's most endangered animals Amur Leopard Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered. Getty World's most endangered animals Sumatran Elephant The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800 Getty World's most endangered animals Yangtze Finless Porpoise Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800 Kenichi Nobusue World's most endangered animals South China Tiger When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be "functionally extinct" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years World's most endangered animals Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613 Getty World's most endangered animals Western Lowland Gorilla Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century Getty World's most endangered animals Sumatran Rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019 Willem V Strien World's most endangered animals Sumatran Tiger There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching Getty World's most endangered animals Eastern Lowland Gorilla Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then Getty World's most endangered animals Vaquita The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California Paula Olson / NOAA World's most endangered animals Javan Rhino The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhinos left Reuters World's most endangered animals Saola The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered World's most endangered animals Malayan Tiger The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300 Getty World's most endangered animals Hawksbill Turtle The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell Getty World's most endangered animals Black Rhino The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000 Getty World's most endangered animals Cross River Gorilla The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300 Julie Langford World's most endangered animals Bornean Orangutan The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century Getty Cheetahs are classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with fewer than 7000 remaining in the wild. Additional reporting by Press Association Supermarkets Coles and Woolworths are stocking spotty tomatoes and slightly deformed apples as part of a push to support drought and fire-affected growers as concerns mount over the deteriorating east coast fruit and vegetable supply. Coles chief executive Steven Cain said in a statement this week the company had adjusted its product specifications and no longer required picture-perfect produce. Australia's supermarkets will start stocking less visually appealing fruit to help struggling farmers. Credit:Carla Gottgens "Our customers are very keen to support Australian farmers, so were hoping they join us in looking beyond a few surface imperfections the beauty of Australian produce is certainly more than skin-deep," Mr Cain said. This means the supermarket will pay higher wholesale prices to farmers for smaller, marked or misshapen produce, taking pressure off growers whose crops may have suffered from the dry conditions or bushfires. The new chief of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, Ranjit Singh Deol, sounded non-committal on the future of the controversial car-shed in the green lung of the megapolis, but is resolute in getting the ambitious Colaba-Seepz line completed on time. The largest metro line the 33-km fully underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz -- has run into a controversy after the then BJP-led government pushed ahead with the plan to have the car-shed built in the heart of Aarey Colony, one of the few green lungs of the city, against stiff opposition from the public and also from the then ruling ally Shiv Sena. On his first day in office, Deol told PTI that his priority is to ensure timely completion of the ambitious line-3 but said he will thoroughly review the entire project first. "The project faces many challenges but I don't have an in-depth knowledge about it as I have taken charge just today. I will have to first review the project. But my priority is to get the project completed on time," Deol said. When specifically asked about the future of the controversial car-shed project in Aarey, Deol sounded non-committal saying, I have to review the entire project. But the priority is timely completion. It can be noted that the project ran into controversy after the Shiv Sena leaders led by Aditya Thackeray had opposed the construction of the car-shed in the run-up to the Assembly polls as there was huge public opposition to the felling of trees. Deol's predecessor Ashwini Bhide came under flak for her defence of felling the trees in Aarey for the metro carshed. As public opposition mounted the then Devendra Fadnavis government rushed to the Bombay High Court which allowed the project. But the greens challenged it in the Supreme Court, which also let the same but with riders as the colony is home to tens of hundreds of flora and fauna. The project had already cost close to 2,141 trees. The 33-km long fully underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro-3 is among the most ambitious of the 13 metro lines coming up in the megapolis. Prior to the new job, Deol was the vice-chairman and managing director of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. It can be noted that the junior Thackeray, who is also the present tourism and minister, had last year sought Bhide's transfer for felling the trees at the Aarey Colony. Last December, MMRC had claimed that the entire tunneling for the 33-km corridor will be over by September. Apart from this, the corporation hopes to complete 70 percent of civil works and get the first rolling stock by this December, MMRC said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) tech2 News Staff UN experts have demanded an immediate investigation by US and other authorities into allegations that Saudi Arabia's crown prince was involved in a plot to hack the phone of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. The UN special rapporteurs, Agnes Callamard and David Kaye said on Wednesday that they had information pointing to the "possible involvement" of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the alleged 2018 cyberattack. Saudi officials dismissed the allegations as absurd. Callamard, the special rapporteur for extra-judicial killings, and Kaye, special rapporteur for free expression, said the allegation of Saudi involvement "demands an immediate investigation by the US and other relevant authorities". They said a forensic analysis of the alleged hacking, which a person familiar with the matter said had been commissioned by Bezos, concluded his phone was probably hijacked by a malicious video file sent from a WhatsApp account purportedly belonging to the crown prince in April or May of 2018. The rapporteurs said the analysis, which they deemed credible, found that within hours of receiving the video there was "an anomalous and extreme change" in the device's behaviour, with the level of outgoing data from the phone jumping nearly 300-fold. Khashoggi killing The allegations could further damage relations between billionaire tech tycoon Bezos and Riyadh, and risk harming the kingdom's reputation with foreign powers and investors. The alleged cyberattack is said to have taken place months before the October 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for the Bezos-owned Washington Post and a critic of the crown prince. The CIA believed that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing of Khashoggi, sources told Reuters weeks later. He was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by Saudi agents and his body dismembered. Prince Mohammed, or MbS, said last year that the killing was carried out by rogue operatives and that he did not order it. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud dismissed the allegations of the prince's involvement in any phone hack of Bezos. "I think 'absurd' is exactly the right word," he told Reuters in an interview in Davos. "The idea that the crown prince would hack Jeff Bezos phone is absolutely silly." Spyware suspects The special rapporteurs, who released their findings in a statement, report to the UN Human Rights Council but they are independent watchdogs and not UN officials. Their recommendations are not binding on countries, though are widely seen as carrying moral weight. They stopped short of identifying which specific technology might have been used in the alleged hack, but said software like that made by Israeli company NSO Group or Italian spyware maker Hacking Team could potentially have been deployed. NSO denied its technology was used in the alleged hack. "We know this because of how our software works and our technology cannot be used on US phone numbers," it said. "Our products are only used to investigate terror and serious crime." After a merger last year, Hacking Team is now part of Swiss-Italian cyber intelligence firm Memento Labs. Memento Labs' head, Paolo Lezzi, was not immediately available to comment but has previously said he has no knowledge of Hacking Team's former operations. tech2 also reached out to the Head of Products Vulnerabilities at Check Point, Oded Vanunu, about social media platforms being used for hacking. He said: The use of popular Social apps to infect people with malware is a trend we foresaw and alerted about for more than a year. As we proved ourselves in our WhatsApp research of last December and our research on the app from August 2018 - malicious links could have been sent through some vulnerabilities which existed on the platform (until they were fixed following our cooperation with Facebook) and manipulation of content was optional to a certain extent. We believe that this mean of operation is extremely likely to take place with targeted attacks against individuals which use these apps. The prices bad actors are willing to pay for vulnerabilities In such popular platforms (which hold data of billions of people worldwide) are in the rise, and the exploits of these bugs can serve as a very effective cyber weapon. Comprehensive cyber security requires designated solutions for all current and upcoming digital platforms, and the more common and widespread they become- the more sophisticated and challenging this task is. National Enquirer In another previous flashpoint between the Amazon founder and Riyadh, Bezos' security chief said last year that the Saudi government had gained access to his phone and leaked messages to U.S. tabloid the National Enquirer between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, an ex-TV anchor who the newspaper said he was dating. A month before, Bezos had accused the newspaper's owner of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to Sanchez. The Saudi government has denied having anything to do with the National Enquirer reporting. The Guardian first reported the crown prince's alleged involvement in a phone-hacking plot on Bezos. Saudi Arabia's US embassy also dismissed the allegations. "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out," it said in a message posted on Twitter. Amazon declined to comment. With inputs from Reuters Taal volcano is seen as it is spewing fume in Batangas, Philippines on January 15, 2020. Some people refuse to be evacuated from the danger zone because of Taal volcano eruption, while around 53,000 people in the area have found shelter in public evacuation centers after four days of volcano activity. (Photo by Alejandro Ernesto/NurPhoto via Getty Images) By Adam Minter Smoke and ash erupted Sunday from the Taal volcano in the Philippines, with the plume rising almost 9 miles into the atmosphere and threatening hundreds of thousands of people. The Philippine government mobilized quickly. By Wednesday, more than 38,000 people were staying in evacuation centers, and many thousands more had dispersed to family throughout the country. Meanwhile, the government began to distribute supplies, including 100,000 protective face masks, in and around the eruption zone. Theres little time to waste: Volcanologists are warning that a hazardous eruption could come at any time. Thanks to their planning, leaders in the Philippines hope that that eruption, if and when it comes, wont be nearly as catastrophic as it would have been 10 years ago. Back then, the Philippines, like most emerging-market countries, mostly responded to disasters by cleaning up afterward. Today, preparedness is a national priority, and the Philippines is a model for how emerging-market governments in the worlds most disaster-prone region can be ready for the worst. Residents affected by the erupting Taal Volcano stay in an evacuation center in Batangas, Philippines, January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez Since 1970, 59% of the global death toll from disasters about 2 million people occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a United Nations report. Economic losses have also been profound, totaling about $675 billion annually. The regions disaster outlook is growing worse because of urbanization in vulnerable areas, degradation of the environment and the influence of a warming climate on extreme weather. In 2018, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for almost half of the worlds 281 natural disasters, and eight of the 10 deadliest. Already in 2020, at least 60 people died as a result of flooding in Jakarta, and tens of thousands remain in temporary shelters. Thanks to its location, the Philippines is more vulnerable to disaster than its neighbors. On average, eight or nine tropical cyclones make landfall on its coasts annually, bringing storm surges, flooding and landslides phenomena that are likely to become more frequent and intensify as the climate warms. The country is perched atop the Ring of Fire a geologically active path along the Pacific Ocean and is home to 53 active volcanos and fault lines capable of major earthquakes near the countrys biggest cities. Further raising the risk profile is the countrys drive to urbanize: Half the population currently lives in cities, with roughly a quarter of its residents (25 million people) in the Manila metro area. Story continues Officials in the Philippines historically didnt view disasters as recurrent problems worth mitigating or preventing. Rather, their focus was almost entirely concentrated on rapid response after the disaster. Thats neither new nor uncommon in emerging Asian countries. In Jakarta, for example, the Indonesian government has struggled to manage regular, catastrophic floods, much less fund systems to control them. The situation has grown so bad that victims of this months floods are filing a class-action lawsuit against the government for failing to plan for them. What changed the disaster calculus in the Philippines was the scale of the catastrophes. In 2009, metro Manilla was hit by Typhoon Ketsana, which dumped more than a months worth of rain in 12 hours, killed more than 700 people and paralyzed the citys economy. The governments tepid response precipitated a political crisis and the passage of legislation that prioritized proactive disaster management and risk reduction. Among other reforms, local governments are now required to prepare maps of areas prone to disasters like landslides, and make them public for planning and zoning purposes. A logo of a McDonald's store is splattered with mud from volcanic ash in Tagaytay City, Philippines, January 14, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez To finance the shift, the countrys main disaster fund is mandated to spend 70% on prevention, preparedness and mitigation, with 30% allocated to quick response operations. Among other benefits, the funding enables local governments to invest in hazard monitoring and forecasting equipment, including tsunami detection stations and volcano observatories (including those watching the Taal volcano). This spending is mostly administered by local governments, but since 2010 their disaster responses are monitored, integrated and supervised by a high-level agency. This framework not only provides accountability, but also ensures that planning and response to large-scale disasters can be coordinated nationally. Civil society and religious organizations also play a grass-roots role in disaster planning and response. Of course, no system is perfect. In the Philippines, its fair to question whether a disaster preparedness system that depends on forging consensus within and among communities can be effective in the event of a major crisis. Likewise, there are legitimate concerns that the government will not fund the systems needs adequately. So far, at least, investments in detection and preparation have clearly left the Philippines in a better place to manage the disastrous impacts of an eruption at the Taal volcano than it was a decade ago. Thats a lesson that Indonesia and other disaster-prone Asian countries can afford to emulate. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. [January 23, 2020] Vic Keller Becomes New Optym CEO Optym, a privately-held world leader in new-generation optimization software solutions, has appointed Dallas-based Vic Keller as chief executive officer. Ravi Ahuja, Ph.D., founder of Optym has been appointed to chief science officer. These changes were effective Nov. 4, 2019. For over 20 years, Keller has established, grown and operationally optimized national and international companies. Keller was appointed to the Optym board of directors in July 2019. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005692/en/ Vic Keller, CEO of Optym (Photo: Business Wire) Since 2000, Optym has created the most innovative global optimization software in the market. By using its novel optimization intelligence solutions for planning, scheduling and real-time execution, companies have reduced operational costs, increased profitability and improved service quality. Optym's advanced algorithm-based technology has applications in numerous sectors, including automotive, defense, energy, finance and health care. "Vic is the right person to lead Optym given his strong leadership and breadth of business experience," said Ravi Ahuja, Ph.D., founder and chief science officer of Optym. "Under Vic's leadership, Optym will augment its superior software development capabilities with leading sales and marketing strategies and enter into new industry verticals. Together, we will grow Optym exponentially. While I will focus on science, Vic will focus on the business, and this marriage of science and business will create extraordinary products." "It is an honor to take on the leadership of one of the most innovative global technology companies," said Vic Keller, CEO and shareholder of Optym. "The opportunity to work alongside Dr. Ahuja, one of the foremost algorithm scientists in the world, is exciting and is a tremendous privilege. Dr. Ahuja and our talented team of scientists continue to build powerful and complex algorithms that drive our software, delivering transformative solutions for Fortune 500 companies across the globe." Keller continued, "We are on our way to building Optym into a multibillion-dollar enterprise. With world population growing and consumption per capita increasing every year, our assets and resources are more constrained than ever. It is our social responsibility to use our precious assets and resources most eficiently - this is also Optym's mission and we do that through the use of leading-edge optimization intelligence. As we engineer our future, we look forward to delivering even more useful optimization intelligence to the world. The potential positive impact on business is tremendous." Most recently, Keller founded KLV Capital, a Dallas based private equity firm. Previously, he founded the ZAK Automotive Companies, which included ZAK products, a professional-use automotive chemical company that was an official partner of NASCAR; ZAKTEK, an insurance services company; and NEXEMO, a business to business e-commerce purchasing platform for the automotive industry. In 2015, after Berkshire Hathaway Inc. acquired the ZAK Automotive Companies, Keller continued as CEO. In addition, he formally assumed senior executive responsibilities for Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, where he oversaw several operating departments in the multibillion-dollar organization, including the parts and service business. Keller also developed and led the Berkshire Hathaway Automotive professional development department, which provided training, talent acquisition, sales strategy, customer experience and dealer academy services to more than 10,000 associates. Dr. Ahuja, an academician turned entrepreneur, founded Optym in 2000 and served as its CEO until recently. In an academic career spanning over 35 years, he has taught at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and the Sloan School of Management at MIT (News - Alert); He is currently a professor emeritus at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He is the coauthor of three textbooks including "Network Flows: Theory, Algorithms and Applications," and over 100 research papers in optimization, mathematical modeling and algorithms. He has contributed significantly to the theory and application of network optimization, and his research papers and books are widely cited. He has received several prestigious awards for his books and research papers. While doing research for transportation and logistics companies, Dr. Ahuja discovered a big disconnect between academics and industry practice. He observed that advances taking place in optimization and computer science weren't benefitting the transportation and logistics industry, which continued to use rudimentary techniques. Determined to change that, he founded Optym to bring the latest advances from theory to business. He continues to play a key role in Optym's evolution from a local start-up to a global provider for decision automation and optimization solutions. Optym has developed software solutions for some of the most complex problems in transportation, including determining airlines' most profitable flight schedules, calculating railroads' train schedules that increase network capacity, and optimizing the routing plans for less-than-truckload companies to reduce their drivers' cost. Optym's clients include customers such as Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), easyJet (NYSE: ESYJY), YRC Worldwide (NYSE: YRCW), BHP Group (NYSE: BHP), CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) and BNSF Railway. Optym's software has created value in tens to hundreds of millions of dollars annually for its clients. Optym's global headquarters is located on a 10-acre campus in Gainesville, Fla., with additional offices in Yerevan, Armenia; Bangalore, India; and Perth, Australia. For more information on Optym, please visit www.optym.com. About Optym Founded in 2000, Optym is making the world more efficient through optimization. Optym's software solutions determine the best decisions for complex optimization problems encountered in different industry verticals. Optym builds mathematical models for solving complex business problems that enumerate and score millions of feasible solutions and find the optimal solution. For more information about Optym, go to www.Optym.com. About Vic Keller Vic Keller is a visionary leader and investor with more than 20 years of experience in establishing, growing and operationally optimizing national and international companies. Keller's entrepreneurial spirit has helped businesses transform and grow by converting strategic plans into tactical realities and creating strong cultural foundations. Many of Keller's companies were acquired by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in 2015, when Keller assumed senior executive responsibilities for Berkshire Hathaway Automotive. There, he oversaw several operating departments in the multibillion-dollar organization. In December 2017, he ventured into the private equity industry, eventually founding KLV Capital, where he currently serves as the founding partner. For more information on Vic Keller, go to https://vickeller.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005692/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Three people have died after a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while fighting wildfires in Australia, authorities said. The Rural Fire Service (RFS) said it had lost contact with a "Large Air Tanker" while it was above the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales. "Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed," the RFS said in a statement when the incident was first reported. "A number of helicopters are in the area carrying out a search." No further details on the incident were provided. More to follow NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank, a leading intellectual property advisory firm specializing in the valuation and sale of intangible assets, is marketing for sale the Four Seasons restaurant brand and related intellectual property. Offers are due on February 25, 2020, although the seller will entertain offers received prior to that date. The assets available for sale include the Four Seasons restaurant trademark, the Spa Cuisine trademark for prepared foods, and related intellectual property and social media assets. Originally opened in 1959 as America's first seasonal fine-dining restaurant, the Four Seasons restaurant paved the way for an era of elegant dining. The brand was pronounced "One of the Ten Restaurants that Changed America" in a book written by Yale historian Paul Freedman. "Rarely does a restaurant brand evoking such sophistication and elegance as the Four Seasons restaurant come to market," stated Hilco Streambank CEO, Gabe Fried. "Those who know New York City know the rich heritage of the Four Seasons restaurant brand and its impact on the culinary landscape in New York City and beyond. There are endless opportunities for a buyer to build upon the success of this iconic restaurant brand, including reopening restaurants in New York and in major markets throughout the United States." Parties interested in acquiring the Four Seasons restaurant intellectual property assets or learning more about the sale process should CLICK HERE or contact Hilco Streambank directly using the contact information provided below. Jack Hazan Executive Vice President [email protected] 212.610.5663 Richelle Kalnit Senior Vice President [email protected] 212.993.7214 Ben Kaplan Associate [email protected] 646.651.1978 About Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank is a market leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property disposition and valuation. Having completed numerous transactions including sales in publicly reported Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, private transactions, and online sales through IPv4.Global, Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate and strategic capital equity investments. For media and press: Gary C. Epstein EVP Chief Marketing Officer Hilco Global [email protected] 847.418.2712 SOURCE Hilco Streambank Related Links https://www.hilcostreambank.com Outgoing Eurovision boss Jon Ola Sand will attend Eurovision: Australia Decides on the Gold Coast next month. SBS has also announced 2015 winner Mans Zelmerlow will perform and be one of the Jury members. He won for Sweden with his song Heroes. Mans Zelmerlow said: Im so excited to come back to my favourite country to perform, and to be a guest judge on the National Eurovision selection show! Australia has sent great songs ever since they joined the Eurovision Song Contest and I think 2020 could be THE year. I might sing a line or two from my winning song from 2015 and from my newest single, Walk with Me, featuring the wonderful Dami Im. Cant wait to see you all! Jon Ola Sand said: Im very happy to be down under and a part of Australia Decides this year. Since first taking part in 2015, SBS has made a huge contribution to the success of the Eurovision Song Contest. Their excellent national selection show, which showcases the countrys best singing talent, underscores SBS and Australias place as valued members of the Eurovision family. Saturday 8 February on SBS. The Prisoner of War/Missing In Action Connecticut Forget-Me-Nots group based in New Milford will host the 35th annual bell-ringing ceremony Jan. 26 at noon. The ceremony, which will take place at St. Francis Xavier parish center on Elm Street near the top of the Green in New Milford, will mark the 47th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement, a document to end active involvement in Vietnam at which time all prisoners of war would be returned within 90 days. London: Four Australian MPs and chairs of parliamentary committees have launched an unprecedented combined intervention into Britain's Huawei debate, urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to follow Australia's ban. But their calls came amid further signs Johnson is likely to rebuff pleas from Australia and the United States and allow the Chinese telecommunications manufacturer to supply some parts of the country's 5G network. Reuters, citing two sources, reported British officials had given the green light to Huawei involvement - the same position taken when Theresa May was prime minister but failed to resolve the issue after it split her National Security Council (NSC). The NSC is expected to back Chinese involvement when it meets next week. The council's decision will be announced in Parliament, prompting the last-ditch intervention from the quartet of Australian MPs. SUMMIT TWP., MI A Jackson College student was allegedly sexually assaulted on Tuesday, police said. The assault was reported to campus housing staff the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 22, Cindy Allen, the colleges vice president of administration, human resources and talent development, said. It was reported by a second student who was not assaulted, Allen said. The assault allegedly happened Jan. 21, in housing on central campus, 2111 Emmons Road, Allen said. The student who reported the assault declined the name the victim or the alleged perpetrator, she said. The victim is believed to be a student who lives in the on-campus housing, and the alleged perpetrator is believed to be a visitor to campus, Allen said. Information about mental health services and the health center were given to the student who reported the assault to pass along to the victim, Allen said. The Jackson County Sheriffs Office was contacted and documented the incident, Undersheriff Chris Kuhl said. Contact information was left for the victim if she decides she wants law enforcement to investigate, he said. There are 500 cameras and 24/7 armed security on campus, Allen said, and the college prides itself on maintaining a safe campus. READ MORE JACKSON NEWS: You cannot have our guns: Group urges Jackson to be 2nd Amendment sanctuary county Man sentenced for sexual assault, strangulation, kidnapping in Jackson Emails not allowed as evidence in Nikki Joly arson case, appeals court says 2 calls of shots fired in 2 days leaves Jackson house with bullet hole Gun, hundreds of fraudulent credit and gift cards seized on I-94, police say Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday heard a bunch of petitions against the state government's decision to set up three capitals and directed that the government offices should not be shifted before the completion of the hearing. Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice JK Maheswari said that the government should take up responsibility if the offices are shifted and slated the matter for hearing on February 26. Advocate General Sriram Subrahmanyam informed the court that the Decentralisation Bill and Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Bill has been passed in the assembly. However, the state legislative council has sent the Decentralisation Bill to a select committee council, he informed the court after Justice Maheswari asked the status of the bill. Andhra Pradesh legislative council had on Wednesday sent the Decentralisation Bill, which proposes to set up three capitals in the state, to a select committee. The 'Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020' was passed in the state legislative assembly on Monday. The Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool. The state government's move is facing opposition and protests by the opposition parties and locals of Amaravati, who are demanding to keep the city as the sole capital of the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As a resident of Iowa, every four years I get bombarded with presidential campaign ads: TV ads, radio ads, YouTube video ads, sponsored social media posts, billboardspolitical campaigns leave no surface of this state untouched. Iowans often feel ambivalent about our strange and mostly undeserved role in hosting the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses; sure, on some level its an honor and a noble responsibility, but it also gets to be exhausting. The nonstop campaign ads are a big reason why. This sort of campaign fatigue is especially evident in my mailbox, where seemingly dozens of pieces of campaign junk mail have collected during the past few months. In the interest of democracy, I decided to finally empty my mailbox and sort the campaign mail into orderly piles. Which campaigns messages are resonating with this (left-leaning but officially undecided) Iowa caucus-goer?? Lets take a look at the latest Iowa Caucus Campaign Junk Mail Power Rankings (ranked from lowest to highest): This campaigns direct mail is ranked lowest on the list, because, while I was working on this article, Cory Booker dropped out of the race. I dont know why Cory Booker didnt get more traction in 2020. I wonder if he would have run in 2016 instead, if he would have been an exciting fresh face and a more mainstream alternative to Hillary. I know lots of people in Iowa who attended his campaign events and said he was an inspiring speaker and seemed really sincere; maybe hes one of those politicians who are better when experienced in person. I wasnt planning to caucus for Booker, but isnt it too bad that so much of the youth and diversity of the Democratic presidential field (Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Kamala Harris) couldnt sustain enough fundraising and polling momentum to make it to the Iowa Caucuses? Pete Buttigiegs campaign sent me an actual letter, in a white envelope. It was a form letter, two-sided, on plain white paper with no photos. He describes his plan for Medicare for All Who Want It. I didnt make it through the whole letter, but I did skim it. (Who still reads entire letters nowadays? Im a busy guy!) According to the latest Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, Mayor Pete was polling in 3rd place in the Iowa Caucus race. Fairly or not, he seems to be carving out a niche as a younger, energetic moderate/mainstream alternative to Biden. A lot of people in Iowa seem to like Mayor Pete because hes smart and talented and, for lack of a better word, Midwestern. Hes pitching himself as being in touch with the real-world concerns of local people in small towns far from Washington, D.C., and offering a more inclusive tone of leadership, not divisive my way or the highway rhetoric. Buttigieg needs better campaign mail, though! Cmon, Mayor Pete! Im not young anymore, I cant be squinting at form letters! Next time, send me something with pictures and vivid headlines, so I can quickly get the gist of it and get on with my life. I got only one piece of mail from the Biden campaign, and it had a dark, ominous tone. The front cover of the mailer showed the oval office in grey hues, with a headline: We Live in the Most Dangerous Moment in a Generation. Who is Ready to Lead Us? The inside of the mailer answered the question with: Joe Biden. Strong, Steady Leadership. It showed pictures of the former Vice President shaking hands with troops and promised On Day One, Joe Biden is Ready to Restore Americas Standing in the World. This messaging is pretty straightforward and low-risk. Its presenting Bidens argument that he would be a steady hand and an experienced leader. Hes been in the Situation Room before, hes been in on all those high-stakes foreign policy conversations at the White House for eight years. My objection to the messaging in the Biden campaign mailer is: do voters actually care about foreign policy? Also: calling 2020 the most dangerous moment in a generation is too pessimistic and not accurate. Most of Americas foreign policy crises at the moment are being caused by Americas horrible president. If America could just get the stupidest person on Earth out of the White House, we would automatically have a better chance of making progress on the worlds shared challenges. Most Iowa Democrats arent preoccupied with foreign policy. Theyre mad as hell at Donald Trump, and worried about their jobs, their health care costs, and their childrens disintegrating future under Late Capitalism and Climate Change. Is this Biden mailer, ever so slightly, trying to capitalize on the same Im qualified, theyre not fears as Hillary Clintons much-maligned 3 a.m. phone call ad in 2008 (Spoiler alert: that ad didnt work either.) Or John Kerrys 2004 campaign theme to make America Stronger At Home, Respected in the World? (John Kerry lost too.) Tom Steyer is a billionaire, and I wont be caucusing for him. (And apparently most other people wont caucus for him either hes polling at 2% in the latest Iowa Poll.) Because I dont want billionaires to exist, let alone have a billionaire president. However: Steyer is saying some interesting stuff in the seven (7!!) pieces of direct mail that I received. Hes in favor of declaring climate change a national emergency. He wants a 10% tax cut for low-and-middle-class taxpayers. And hes pushing an anti-corporation message, saying our democracy has been purchased by corporations who put profits over Iowans. Does that message sound less credible coming from a billionaire? Maybe! Would America be better off if Tom Steyer would drop out of the presidential race and use his fortune to elect Democrats in competitive state legislature races? Most definitely! If Tom Steyers campaign has taught us anything, it is this: if youve got a billion dollars, you can buy a lot of direct mail. Andrew Yang is another long-shot candidate whos currently polling at 5% in the Iowa Poll, but his messaging in the 2 pieces of direct mail that I received is unique. Hes saying things like Humans are more important than money and that we need a new kind of economy that puts people first with human-centered capitalism. His mailers mention his career background as an entrepreneur who helped create thousands of jobs, and a nonprofit leader who is concerned about the human future under AI and automation. From my own informal surveys of friends, a lot of people in Iowa are intrigued by Yangs ideas and policy proposals, like his advocacy for universal basic income (the give everyone $1,000 a month plan). He seems to appeal to people who are business owners/self-employed. Most presidential candidates dont have Yangs entrepreneurial background. Yang wont win the Iowa Caucus; hes kind of a novelty candidate and hes struggled to gain traction against better-known names like Biden, Bernie and Warren. But for people who are more interested in reform than revolution, Yangs message of innovative public policy and humane capitalism might resonate. I got two pieces of direct mail from the Warren campaign. One was focused on eliminating student loan debt, and one was more of a biographical piece, talking about how Elizabeth Warren grew up in Oklahoma on the ragged edge of the middle class. Elizabeth Warren is putting that sense of middle-class precariousness at the center of her campaign, talking about how Iowa students graduate with an average student debt of $30,045 and how shes got a plan to fix it, promising to pay for universal free technical school and 2 and 4-year public universities with a small wealth tax on the wealthiest 75,000 Americans. Elizabeth Warren could win the Iowa Caucus, unless the recent Sanders-Warren feud has hurt her prospects. She has a strong field presence in Iowa, shes spent a lot of time here, and her messages are well-aligned with the mood of the Democratic party base. Im giving Bernies campaign the highest rating because their direct mail (and I got 4 mailings from them, all big and glossy and well designed) did the best job, in keeping with the campaigns Not Me, Us theme, of featuring real stories from people in Iowa. (I actually am friends with one of the people whose stories were featured in Bernies campaign mailings.) One story on the campaign mailings was from Rebecca Hovde, who lives in Wellman, IA. She has a rare autoimmune condition called Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome that she controls with medication. A pharmaceutical company bought the rights to market a similar drug, and was going to jack up the price of her pills (which she used to get for free) to $375,000 per year. Senator Sanders learned about Rebeccas situation and urged the FDA to allow older versions of the drug so that people like Rebecca wouldnt be bankrupted by medical bills. In May 2019, the FDA agreed, and Rebecca is now able to keep getting her prescriptions without fear of financial ruin. The Sanders campaign has a knack for conveying the real human stories and injustices behind complex public policy issues, showing the possibilities of how we can save people from corporate greed and build a better system that works for everyone. Ive never understood the idea of making fun of people who care about public policy as being wonks and geeks. Public policy matters. Its about peoples lives. It makes a difference to have smart, thoughtful, empathetic people in charge of our policymaking systems, instead of the demons running amok in the White House. This article is not an endorsement of Bernie Sanders, but he wins the honor of First Place in my highly unscientific 2020 Campaign Junk Mail Power Rankings. Congratulations? If theres one lesson we can all take away from this experience, it is: living in Iowa gets kind of stressful sometimes, and I really need to empty my mailbox more often. Canada and New Zealand enjoy a close defence and bilateral relationship, based on common values and a commitment to upholding the rules-based international order. Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan and Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay today met with New Zealands Defence Minister Ron Mark in a series of bilateral meetings in Ottawa. As a Pacific nation, Canada recognizes the importance of the Asia-Pacific region to global peace and security. During his meeting with Minister Mark, Minister Sajjan highlighted the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) sustained presence and collaboration with partners and allies in the region. The two ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East and the importance of the international rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific. The Ministers also recognized the impact climate change is having on international peace and security, and committed to a continued partnership between Canada and New Zealand on preventing and responding to these challenges, both at home and abroad. In a separate meeting, Minister MacAulay and Minister Mark discussed the importance of supporting still-serving members and Veterans through the transition into life after service. As outlined in Canadas defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is making the changes necessary to ensure a smooth and effective transition into the CAF, and back out at the conclusion of military service, to support the well-being of CAF personnel and the effectiveness of the operational force. The three ministers reiterated their commitment to strengthening their bilateral and military cooperation and reaffirmed their dedication to working together to help ensure peace and security across the Asia-Pacific region. The ministers also pledged to share knowledge and best practices related to the transition process for still-serving members and Veterans, focusing on how this impacts overall well-being. SPRINGFIELD Work to convert the former Granite City YMCA into affodable housing, commercial space, art studioes and a gallery has been chosen as one of three projects to receive historic preservation income tax credits. On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced the second round of recipients for a new statewide historic preservation income tax credit program encouraging private investment in historic properties in Illinois. The two other projects were Arsenal Courts, a housing project in Rock Island, and Garfield School, a housing project in Moline. Priority is given to buildings that are in low-income census tracts, federally-declared disaster areas, and counties that border a state with a competitive statewide historic tax credit. Buildings once owned by a government entity, and whose development partnership includes a Community Development Entity, a low-profit organization, or a not-for-profit organization also are given priority. During the first year of the Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, complete applications were received for 25 historic properties in 12 different communities. The total private investment of all projects applying to the program is estimated to be more than $600 million. The total amount of credits requested were approximately $54 million. Due to program caps, only $15 million in credits were allocated to seven projects in 2019. However, that $15 million is leveraging more than $152 million in private expenditures. The Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program is available to owners of historic structures who undertake certified rehabilitations, making them eligible for a tax credit of up to $3 million per project based on a percentage of their rehabilitation costs. Credits are limited to a total of $15 million in allocations per year, with a total of $75 million in tax credits available over the five years that the program is to be in effect. In Granite City, Rise Community Development is rehabilitating and converting the former Tri-City YMCA at the intersection of Edison and East 20th streets into 37 1- and 2-bedroom apartments. Additiionally, 5,658 square feet of commercial space and 6,290 square feet of common area and amenities is planned for use by residents. The development is focused on serving artists and veterans who live in the Granite City area interested in living downtown, where proximity to amenities such as city hall, restaurants, coffee shops, movie theater and parks are within walking distance. Vacant for more than 14 years, the former YMCA building is the last major vacant building in the downtown Granite City area. Amenities planned as part of the development include a formal lobby and gallery, a computer lab, storage, on-site management and maintenance, a laundry room and a large studio area that will be made available to all residents. Funding for the project will come from a variety of sources. Altman Charter Company is the general contractor. The architect is Rosemann & Associates. For more on the Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, contact Carol Dyson, 217-524-0276, carol.dyson@illinois.gov or Darius Bryjka, 217-558-8918, darius.bryjka@illinois.gov. The next month, according to prosecutors, Mr. Maldonado-Passage who is known as Joe Exotic and ran for president as an Independent in 2016 and for governor of Oklahoma in 2018 met another man and arranged to have him kill Ms. Baskin. That man turned out to be an undercover F.B.I. agent, the Justice Department said. Image Joseph Maldonado-Passage tried several times to hire someone to murder an animal-rights activist. On his final attempt he hired an undercover F.B.I. agent. Credit... Santa Rosa County Jail, via Associated Press Ms. Baskin, who had earlier won a million-dollar civil judgment against Mr. Maldonado-Passage and runs Big Cat Rescue, a nonprofit, 69-acre, big cat sanctuary in Florida, said Wednesday that she had lived in fear because of Mr. Maldonado-Passage. The evidence showed that over the course of many years, he has tried to coerce others into killing me, and in the end, resorted to hiring others to kill me, Ms. Baskin said in a video posted on the Big Cat Rescue website. Because of his constant threats to kill me, I have found myself seeing every bystander as a potential threat, Ms. Baskin said. My daughter, my husband, my mother, my staff and volunteers have all been in peril because of his obsession with seeing me dead. Mr. Maldonado-Passage, whose lawyers declined to comment on the sentence, said in a Facebook post that he maintained his innocence and planned to appeal. PG&E Corp. has struck a deal with financial firms that tried to take control of the company, but the outcome of its bankruptcy case still hinges on one key figure: Gov. Gavin Newsom. The parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Wednesday that it reached a settlement agreement with a group of bondholders, led by the hedge fund Elliott Management, to resolve a persistent and highly contentious bankruptcy dispute. In exchange for new debt thats cheaper for PG&E, among other terms, bondholders have agreed to scrap a proposal that would give them a controlling stake in the company. PG&E said the deal would if approved in court save its customers about $1 billion. PG&E Corp. CEO Bill Johnson in a statement called the agreement a positive development that will allow the company to advance its bankruptcy exit plan and emerge as the utility of the future that our customers and communities expect and deserve. Its a major milestone for PG&E, which is trying to maintain control over how its nearly yearlong bankruptcy case concludes. Yet further hurdles remain. Chief among them is Newsom, who on Wednesday renewed his threat to have the state take over PG&E. In court papers objecting to the financing PG&E wants to use to exit bankruptcy, Newsoms attorneys said the company had yet to make a single modification that would address the many deficiencies with its plan to resolve the case. Attorneys accused PG&E of trying to leverage the Chapter 11 process to force the state to accept a suboptimal exit plan. Because PG&E was not embracing changes that would transform the company and satisfy a new state wildfire law, Newsoms lawyers said he was pursuing strategies to protect Californias interests through further intervention, including a state takeover of the utility. Speaking to reporters Wednesday after a National Governors Association event at the Transbay Transit Center, Newsom said that in the next 10 days he would put out a detailed vision for what a 21st century utility should look like. He also made it clear this was a direct challenge to PG&E. It will be more than just words, the governor said. If (PG&E) cant get it together, well do it for them. Period. Full stop, Newsom said. Its not our preferred strategy, but well do it. PG&E is aware Newsom thinks the companys plan needs additional changes to comply with state standards, PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said in an email. While PG&E has made substantial progress in resolving victim claims and restructuring our finances, additional changes to the plan are forthcoming, Paulo said. We will continue to engage with the governors office to address his concerns. Newsom last month blasted PG&Es plan to emerge from bankruptcy, saying it fell woefully short of the states requirements. Last week, PG&E told its state regulators that it was engaged in ongoing discussions with Newsoms office and expected the talks would result in governance changes at the company. But the governors court filing on Wednesday suggests he continues to seek financial changes. His attorneys said PG&Es plan would still saddle the parent company with too much debt and leave it with insufficient financial flexibility to make billions of dollars in critically needed safety investments. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali plans to consider the exit financing matter at a hearing next Wednesday. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Montali also needs to consider the deal with bondholders at a later date. At least two-thirds of bondholders whose debt would be refinanced also need to sign the agreement by Tuesday, according to PG&E. Under terms of the deal, bondholders would be issued new, lower-cost debt to replace some of the debt they currently hold in PG&E, the company said. All other senior notes will be reinstated, and the bondholders will also get customary debt placement fees and reimbursements, according to PG&E. UC Hastings law Professor Jared Ellias said the bondholders were taking a knee in agreeing to the deal. Though they once had support from the committee of fire victims involved in the bankruptcy case, bondholders took a big hit when the committee switched to support PG&Es plan instead, Ellias said. This is kind of like an honorable exit for them, Ellias said of the bondholder deal. PG&E previously reached a $13.5 billion settlement agreement with attorneys for individual victims of wildfires started by the companys power lines. Montali approved that deal, along with a separate $11 billion agreement to settle insurance company claims, last month. The wildfire law of utmost concern to Newsom, AB1054, would provide funding for PG&E to pay for any future fire costs if the company resolves its bankruptcy case by June 30. Montali and the California Public Utilities Commission must both approve an exit plan by that date. Chronicle staff writer John Wildermuth contributed to this report. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris They recently enjoyed a sun-soaked trip to Thailand to celebrate her new collection with Miss Pap. And Amber Gill was clearly still in the holiday spirit as she put on a leggy display while leaving a radio station with pal Anna Vakili in London on Thursday. The Love Island winner, 22, cut a chic figure in a black leather mini skirt and a khaki shirt as she joined her BFF, 29, for a walk in the capital. Looking good: Amber Gill was clearly still in the holiday spirit as she put on a leggy display while leaving a radio station with pal Anna Vakili in London on Thursday Amber teamed her outfit with black ankle boots and carried her essentials in a black, gold-chained handbag. Her curly tresses were pinned back with a hair grip, while she added a subtle palette of make-up. Meanwhile, Anna upped the style stakes in brown trousers and a beige top, which she wore with a cropped white denim jacket. The former pharmacist added a pair of chunky white trainers to her look and wore a designer bag across her body. BFFs: The Love Island winner, 22, cut a chic figure in a black leather mini skirt and a khaki shirt as she joined her BFF, 29, for a walk in the capital She wore her raven tresses in sleek waves for the ocassion, while she added a glam palette of make-up to her face. The duo appeared in a good mood as they coyly smiled while strutting down the street. Just days ago during her luxury getaway to Phuket, Amber set tongues wagging as she cosied up to a new mystery man during a boat trip. Amber sat alongside a male friend who looked in high spirits as he placed his hand on the Love Island winner's thigh while they sat alongside each other. Style Queen: Amber teamed her outfit with black ankle boots and carried her essentials in a black, gold-chained handbag Fabulous: Her curly tresses were pinned back with a hair grip, while she added a subtle palette of make-up The pair looked intimate as Amber also rested her leg over his as they enjoyed a day trip with the Hype Boat Club. Styling her brunette locks into an updo, Amber looked radiant as ever as she showed off her sun-kissed glow on the trip. It comes after she shared a snap of herself soaking up the warm weather on the beach on Sunday. Bootylicious: Meanwhile, Anna upped the style stakes in brown trousers and a beige top, which she wore with a cropped white denim jacket Finishing touches: The former pharmacist added a pair of chunky white trainers to her look and wore a designer bag across her body The Newcastle native later enjoyed a speed boat ride and a night at CircoLoco with fellow Islanders Francesca Allen and Anna. She posted the racy snaps on social media, captioning one: 'Im following the sun this year'. Meanwhile, Love Island's Amy Hart was spotted out and about after leaving Heat radio studios. The former air hostesss, 26, wrapped up warm in a light brown teddy bear wrap jacket, which she paired with blue skinny jeans and matallic heels. Glam: Meanwhile, Love Island's Amy Hart was spotted out and about after leaving Heat radio studios Fashionista: The former air hostesss, 26, wrapped up warm in a light brown teddy bear wrap jacket, which she paired with blue skinny jeans and matallic heels Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested a 38-year-old man for starting a fire at a neighbors house that killed five family members at their home earlier this week. Nguyen Huu Phuoc, born in 1982, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon for setting ablaze the 30-square-meter house of Le Thi Hue, who was his neighbor in alley 567 on Do Xuan Hop Street in District 9, police said on Thursday. The fire erupted in the wee hours of Tuesday and killed five people in Hues house when it was finally extinguished after three fire engines and 22 firemen had struggled for 40 minutes. The victims included Hue, 70, her three children Le Thi Tuyet Mai, 44, Le Hoang Thanh, 40, and Le Hoang Tam, 37, and Thanhs wife Tran My Tuyen, 30. Two of Hues grandchildren who live in the same house had previously returned to their hometown in another province for the Lunar New Year holiday and were not inside the building when it was consumed by the flames, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Police in District 9, in collaboration with the municipal police, then launched an investigation into the incident as preliminary findings at the scene and footage extracted from security cameras showed that it was a criminal case. Through professional measures, authorities determined Nguyen Huu Phuoc, who lives next to the victims house, as the suspect and started gathering the evidence of his crime, while a secret agent was tasked with tracking Phuoc. Nguyen Huu Phuoc is arrested in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City, January 22, 2020. Photo: S.B. / Tuoi Tre Police officers in District 9 deployed a functional force to arrest Phuoc while he was at his home at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, just one day after the fire struck. At the police station, Phuoc initially denied the crime, saying he was not involved. It was not until 10:00 pm on Tuesday that the 38-year-old suspect could no longer argue against the evidence gathered by police and admitted he burned Hues house. According to Phuoc, he had been annoyed by Hues family members as they had always occupied the two families shared path to park their motorbikes despite his repeated complaints. On Tuesday morning, Phuoc soaked rags with gasoline, burned and threw them over the four motorbikes of Hues family members, which were parked in front of their house, out of an attempt to scare the victims. Unfortunately, the fire did engulf not only the four vehicles but also the five family members. After the crime, Phuoc remained calm at his home, spending daily life as usual, before he was arrested. The case is currently under investigation by police in District 9. Police officers are stationed near the site of a house fire that killed five family members on Do Xuan Hop Street in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City on January 21, 2020. Photo: Son Binh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Whatever the force, when it comes to watchdogs foreign breeds are usually preferred over indies. However, more and more NGOs are encouraging Indians to adopt strays and desis, and gradually more strays are being accepted into homes. Another place that has opened its doors for strays is the police stations in Bengaluru. Bengaluru South Division has launched a new initiative wherein police stations will now have strays as watchdogs. What's hot/Express Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Rohini Katoch Sepat the man behind the idea has ordered police personnel of South Division to feed and look after the strays loitering around police stations so that they can then be trained by the police dog squad experts for their new roles. The strays will guard police stations and during police patrols on night rounds. All 17 police stations in the South Division have been asked to take care of the strays and train them. There are at least about 50-60 dogs in total who are mostly outside the police stations wandering around. Many residents come and feed them and take care of them. Now, we want to do our bit by doing the same. I have asked my officials to feed the strays and we are also going to give them basic training -- like obeying commands -- so that we can even use them as guard dogs, TNIE quoted Rohini as saying. Twitter Police has already started training puppies with simple commands like sit, stand, stay, jump. One of the many advantages with the strays is that they are low maintenance because they are already used to the temperatures here. Stray dogs are of low-maintenance and we can easily take care of them, unlike the exotic high breed. Some of the dogs we train will even be chosen for the dog squad teams. We have roped in two veterinary doctors who are carrying out the vaccination process. Some animal rescuers are also visiting the stations and taking care of the dogs, she told TNIE. Uttarakhand Police Recruits Street Indie Dogs As Part Of Dog Squad Bengaluru is not actually the first state to enroll strays in the police force. In a first of its kind experiment in India, Uttarakhand police trained street dogs to become a part of the police force and the dogs performed well, in November 2019. Tweeting about it, Uttarakhand Police wrote, A dog that used to roam around in the streets is the pride of Uttarakhand Police dog squad. This experiment has been carried out for the first time in the country, by the Uttarakhand police. When police trained this street dog, it turned out to be better than the foreign breed dogs that cost lakhs of rupees. Other states should take notice of these initiatives and start enrolling street dogs in police squads. It would solve more than one problem, it would reduce the number of strays on the streets, give them proper living conditions, cut costs of keeping foreign dogs for the police too. Lima, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lima, PERU, January 23rd, 2020 Credicorp Ltd. announces to its shareholders and the market that its 4Q19 Earnings Release Report will be released on Wednesday February 5th, 2020 after market close. Credicorps Conference Call to discuss such results will be held on Thursday February 6th, 2020 at 9:30 am EST (9:30 am Lima, Peru Time). The call will be host by: Walter Bayly, CEO, Alvaro Correa, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Gianfranco Ferrari, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Reynaldo Llosa, Chief Risk Officer, Cesar Rios, Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations Team. To access the call, please dial: 1 800 933 4955 within the U.S. 1 334 323 7224 from outside the U.S. Passcode: 643525 The conference call will also be webcast live, to accessed please visit our website: www.credicorpnet.com An accompanying presentation will be posted prior to the call / webcast, in section: Financials, Conference Call: Q4 2019. To replay the call, a webcast replay audio file will be posted on the companys website approximately in the afternoon on the same day of the conference call. Credicorp reminds you that we filed our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 2018 (2018 Form 20-F) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30th, 2019. The 2018 Form 20-F includes audited consolidated financial statements of Credicorp and its subsidiaries as of December 31st, 2017 and 2018 and for the years ended December 31st, 2016, 2017 and 2018 under IFRS. Our 2018 Form 20-F can be downloaded from Credicorps website: www.credicorpnet.com. Holders of Credicorps securities and any other interested parties may request a hard copy of our 2018 Form 20-F, free of charge, by filling out the form located on the link mail request on Credicorps website. About Credicorp Credicorp Ltd. (NYSE: BAP) is the leading financial services holding company in Peru with presence in Chile, Colombia and Bolivia. Credicorp has a diversified business portfolio organized into four lines of business: Universal Banking, through Banco de Credito del Peru - BCP and Banco de Credito de Bolivia; Microfinance, through Mibanco and Encumbra; Insurance & Pension Funds, through Grupo Pacifico and Prima AFP; and Investment Banking & Wealth Management, through Credicorp Capital, Wealth Management at BCP and Atlantic Security Bank. For further information please contact the IR team: investorrelations@credicorpperu.com Investor Relations Credicorp Ltd. Attachment Swedish teen Greta Thunberg returned to the economic powwow in Switzerland after an advocacy tour across the pond. Los Angeles, United States Like Greta Thunberg, University of Southern California activist Kayla Soren has been spreading global awareness about climate concerns. She admires the young Swede, but she also thinks Thunberg who spoke at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland this week doesnt go far enough. Soren founded the International Student Environmental Coalition, which has 500 active members in 30 countries. She describes herself as even more critical of the entire premise of the World Economic Forum than Thunberg. While Greta pleads for these businesses and politicians to stop emissions, she isnt specific on the relationship between capitalism and the climate crisis, Soren told Al Jazeera. The climate crisis, a problem created by capitalism, cannot be fixed with more capitalism, she added. Real climate solutions wont come out of Davos. Soren believes the youth climate movement is better off advocating more concrete actions, yet she acknowledges that Thunbergs speech in Davos on Tuesday moved in that direction. Greta Thunberg demanded that countries halt investment in fossil fuels, end fossil fuel subsidies, and completely divest, Soren said. We need radical action now. Justice over everything. People over profit. Gretas tactics The WEFs shifting stance on climate change is in no small part due to outsized activism embodied by Greta Thunberg, the young Swede who travelled from Davos to Los Angeles in 2019, and then back to the elite gathering once again this year. In its annual report about the top risks facing the globe during the next decade, the WEF candidly states that climate change is the biggest single threat. Extreme weather, maladaptation, environmental damage, loss of biodiversity and natural disasters are listed as the five largest looming challenges facing an embroiled planet. In California, we can see the wildfires happening just around the corner, wildfires that are being intensified by the climate crisis, the Scandinavian 17-year-old said when she headlined the Los Angeles climate strike in November. Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a session at the 50th World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland this week [Denis Balibouse/Reuters] Thunberg has helped create a mass movement of environmental advocates, taken the cause mainstream, and sounded alarms that echo through the international business community. What will you tell your children was the reason to fail and leave them facing the climate chaos you knowingly brought upon them? she asked on Tuesday in the Swiss resort town. But by upbraiding WEF, Thunberg also wants to remind the world that the opinions of Davos patrons do not represent her or her fellow activists. On the West Coast of the United States, where Thunberg has demonstrated her staying power, climate protesters continue to strike every Friday and are calling for even bolder stances. Bolder than Greta Kevin Patel started One Up Action to train the next generation of climate activists. He experienced the impact of pollution in his Los Angeles neighbourhood and was diagnosed with heart palpitations that resulted from bad air quality. Patel has attended Fire Drill Fridays in Washington, DC with actress-cum-activist Jane Fonda. And during a Los Angeles march in November 2019, he served as personal security for Thunberg, whose movement inspired him to become the sustainability liaison for the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. Patel told Al Jazeera that Los Angeles has done a fairly good job dealing with climate challenges but to say the least, we still have a lot of work to do. Isha Clarke, an Oakland activist with the San Francisco Bay Area-based Youth Vs Apocalypse, first generated attention when pressuring US Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, to support the federal Green New Deal. Greta has sparked a really powerful movement that has a lot of solidarity between countries, Clarke told Al Jazeera. People are doing the same thing, at the same time, on the same day, across the world. Thats incredible. However, she also said that the movement was not just a reflection of any one individual, but a mass of people who put blood, sweat, and tears into organising. Environmental justice and climate justice has always been a thing, fighting against the destruction of the planet, Clarke added, cautioning not to be distracted by [Gretas] presence. Profiting from climate breakdown. Cemre Gonen, another activist with Youth Vs Apocalypse, said that Thunberg only represents a specific demographic of [European and relatively privileged] youth. Highlighting the other climate activists [at Davos] is key, she told Al Jazeera. These teen activists include Autumn Peltier, Ayakha Melithafa, Mohammad Al Jounde, Melati Wijsen and others. Many labour groups and other adult allies have tremendously supported youth activism, Gonen added. However, a lot of adults seem to lack the maturity and courage needed to win the battle against the climate crisis. Youth Vs. Apocalypse has campaigned locally against coal power, fracking and deforestation. The group was formerly part of nonprofit group 350.org. The message of these teenagers is at Davos because it is everywhere, said May Boeve, executive director of 350.org. Everywhere we are done with empty promises, doubt, and denial from those who profit from climate breakdown. The financiers and industry leaders would be wise to see the writing on the wall and get out of this toxic industry in their own self-interest, if not in the interest of the planet as a whole, she added. Burning fires and horrific floods should have moved governments to act but these wealthy people [at Davos] have acted like a wall, said Boeve. Greta, and the movement around her, is breaching that wall. It is because of the power of these young activists that took to the streets in their millions that these few billionaires are now feeling the urgency. S opranos actress Annabella Sciorra gave evidence against Harvey Weinstein in court after keeping her rape accusation against the former Hollywood honcho largely hidden for decades. For more than a quarter-century, she told only few friends that the once-revered producer had pinned her to a bed and violated her, until she came forward publicly in 2017. Now, Ms Sciorra has become the first of Weinstein's accusers to give evidence at his New York City rape trial. Ms Sciorra, best known for her work in The Sopranos, is set to be a key witness in the trial. Actress Annabella Sciorra, center, arrives as a witness in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, with Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi, right, in New York / AP Her voice quivered as she told the court that she tried to fight the movie mogul off after he pushed his way into her apartment and pinned her on a bed in the early 1990s. Ms Sciorra said: "I was punching him. I was kicking him. I was just trying to get him off of me" Actor Annabella Sciorra is questioned by prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon on the stand as film producer Harvey Weinstein sits during his sexual assault trial / Reuters She said he overpowered her, seizing her hands and holding them over her head, and raped her. "I didn't have very much fight left inside me," Ms Sciorra testified. "My body shut down. It was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual. I didn't even know what was happening. It was like a seizure or something." Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives at New York Criminal Court for his sexual assault trial in Manhattan (Reuters) / REUTERS When she ran into him about a month later and confronted him about what had happened, he parried, "That's what all the nice Catholic girls say," she testified. Then, she said, he leaned towards her and said menacingly: "This remains between you and I." "I thought he was going to hit me right there," Ms Sciorra said. Ms Sciorra, 59, started acting in the late 1980s and soon drew acclaim for her leading part in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever and her role as a pregnant woman molested by her doctor in 1992's The Hand That Rocks The Cradle the next year. The New York trial involves just a pair of the dozens of allegations that surfaced against Weinstein in recent years. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of Allied unity and the transatlantic bond at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday (23 January 2020). The Secretary General took part in a panel discussion on The Future of NATO, together with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Italian Minister of European Affairs Vincenzo Amendola. The Secretary General pointed to a paradox: while questions are being asked about the strength and unity of NATO, Europe and North America are doing more together than in many decades. He noted that US troops will cross the Atlantic this year to participate in exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 with European Allies. The Secretary General underlined that despite differences, Allies have always been able to unite around NATOs core task: protecting and defending each other. During his visit to Davos, the Secretary General also held bilateral talks with NATO Allies and partners. In a meeting with President Duda, the Secretary General thanked Poland for its key contributions to NATO. The Secretary General and Iraqi President Barham Salih addressed developments in the Middle East and NATO-Iraq cooperation. The Secretary General underscored NATOs commitment to working closely with the Iraqi government to sustain the gains in the joint fight against Daesh. The Middle East was also high on the agenda in the Secretary Generals meeting with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday (22 January). They discussed the security situation in the region and Turkeys strong contributions to NATO. Biden is clearly the right choice for the Democrats. He unites in himself the two wings that have defined the Democrats: the Obama wing and the Clinton wing. First, there is Obama's foreign policy legacy. Biden was aligned with the main element of Obama's foreign policy even before the advent of Obama. Obama's foreign policy was defined by his unwavering support for Iran. Obama consistently supported the mullahs throughout his time in office during the uprising in Iran in 2009; by sending Iran billions, including an airlift of vast quantities of cash; and by lifting sanctions when sanctions were threatening the mullahs' grip on power. This helps us understand Obama's selection of Biden for V.P. Many people considered to be in the know struggled to explain Obama's choice of Biden in 2008. As it happens, I was at a dinner party right after Obama made his announcement. The guest of honor was a very senior person in Washington politics, and everyone at the table, except for me, was an acknowledged expert. "Why Biden?" was the topic of the evening. Obama was still very much a mystery then, and the reasons offered for the Biden choice, for the most part, reflected each person's take on how to understand Obama. Mine, too. I chimed in last. When I said, "I think I know why," I suddenly had everyone's attention. When I said, "Obama chose Biden because he is the most pro-Iranian person in Congress," I was met with looks that asked what the heck I was talking about. We all found out soon enough. Personnel is policy. Choosing Biden meant that Obama was going to follow a pro-Iranian policy. I am no insider. I don't know why Biden favors Iran, though the fact that he does has been mentioned from time to time in the news over the years. My favorite is The New Republic on Biden's response to 9/11: "It's exactly three Tuesdays since the September attacks, and Biden is presiding over a morning meeting of his committee staffers. It's a formidable group a collection of super-earnest twentysomethings and grave committee veterans, all wearing dark suits and grim faces. Biden, with his pearly smile and sugar-white hair, seems almost to glow in contrast[.] ... Biden launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about what his committee should be doing, before he finally admits the obvious: "I'm groping here." Then he hits on an idea: America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face. The staffers sit in silence. Finally somebody ventures a response: "I think they'd send it back." Then another aide speaks up delicately: "The thing I would worry about is that it would almost look like a publicity stunt." Still another reminds Biden that an Iranian delegation is in Moscow that very day to discuss a $300 million arms deal with Vladimir Putin that the United States has strongly condemned. But Joe Biden is barely listening anymore. He's already moved on to something else. Of course, $200 million is chicken feed compared to the actual amounts Obama managed to send, but his bright idea did demonstrate that Biden's heart was in the right place. Then there is the Clinton legacy. The Clintons made it clear early on that they were dedicated to using public office to scoop up the loot within reach, but the Clinton Foundation was an important breakthrough in political corruption. By means of their foundation, the ex-president, the certain-to-be-future president, and their daughter raked in billions, earning for themselves the richly deserved sobriquet "the Clinton crime family." The foundation was a pay-to-play racket operated so boldly and brazenly that the propaganda directorate of the Democrats, the so-called mainstream media, could not keep it hidden from the American people. The Hunter Biden and Biden family dirty money story evidently does not involve the astronomical amounts achieved by the Clinton Foundation just as Biden's impulse to use 9/11 as an opportunity to send money to Iran does not measure up to the vast sums Obama directly and indirectly bestowed upon Iran but the Biden story is not over. Given time and the seat behind the desk in the Oval Office, Biden may yet show us how much he can add to the Clinton and the Obama legacies. By PTI BENGALURU: Citing delay in the state cabinet expansion, JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the BJP leadership of degrading the post of Karnataka Chief Minister. Kumaraswamy also claimed that the Special Protection Group did not let chief minister B S Yediyurappa inside the Raj Bhavan the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was staying there during his Karnataka visit early this month. "this is the plight of the chief minister of our state. Does he need the post of chief minister for this?. This is the situation here," Kumaraswamy said. BJP spokesperson Go Madhusudan rejected the claims made by Kumaraswamy terming it false and baseless. Addressing the JD(S) convention here, Kumaraswamy said: "Is this the dignity shown to the Chief Minister? He is not even getting an interview (with party leadership). He is being pestered on the issue of cabinet expansion," the former chief minister said. Hitting out at Kumaraswamy, Madhusudan said: "The claims are false and concocted. The fact is Prime Minister Modi was instrumental in bringing Yediyurappa back to the party fold. The two leaders have devoted five decades in building the party. We deny these statements outright." Yediyurappa is currently at Davos for the World Economic Forum Meet. He was awaiting the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by aspirants but was asked to visit Delhi after returning from Davos, according to party sources. Kumaraswamy asked the Veerashaiva community not to expect much from Yediyurappa. "If you think that Yediyurappa is going to do a big favour to the Veerashaiva community, then it is for sure that he will make you repent in future. " On the issue of illegal foreign immigrants in the state, Kumaraswamy said many shanties were razed in Bellandur area in the city a few days ago but none of the illegal Bangladeshis were found there. "Those who were found were the flood victims from North Karnataka who were residing in the shanties here," he claimed. Natural Gas (NG) Breaking Weekly Chart Downchannel Resistance Tradable Patterns - 23 minutes ago Natural Gas (NGG22) is gaining for a 2nd straight day, extending the upchannel (on the 4hr chart). Significantly, NG has halted its slide since October by breaking above downchannel resistance (on the... NGG22 : 4.405 (+3.67%) UGAZF : 6.1950 (+5.00%) NATO, Russia in high-level talks as Ukraine tensions simmer AP - 1 hour ago BRUSSELS (AP) Senior NATO and Russian officials are meeting Wednesday to try to bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences over the future of Ukraine, amid deep skepticism that Russian President Vladimir... $SPX : 4,713.07 (+0.92%) $DOWI : 36,252.02 (+0.51%) $IUXX : 15,844.12 (+1.47%) Universal health care bill advances in California Assembly AP - Tue Jan 11, 10:55PM CST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California Democrats on Tuesday took their first step toward abolishing the private health insurance market in the nations most populous state and replacing it with a government-run... $SPX : 4,713.07 (+0.92%) $DOWI : 36,252.02 (+0.51%) $IUXX : 15,844.12 (+1.47%) Bean Market Mixed on Tuesday Barchart - Tue Jan 11, 4:45PM CST Nearby soybean futures closed the Tuesday session with 1 3/4 to 2 cent gains. New crop prices closed fractionally weaker on Tuesday. Soymeal futures ended the day $2.70 to $3.20 in the red, while BO prices... RSH22 : 1,029.20 (+0.11%) ZSF22 : 1376-6s (+0.15%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.4499 (+0.11%) ZSH22 : 1385-4 (-0.07%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.3270 (+1.90%) Corn Prices Firm on Tuesday Barchart - Tue Jan 11, 4:45PM CST Tuesdays action in the corn market saw prices pull back from early session gains and close a penny to 1 1/2 cents higher. Old crop ended the day back above the $6/bu mark. New crop futures were fractionally... ZCH22 : 601-6 (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.8794 (+0.21%) ZCK22 : 603-0 (unch) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%) Bloomfield Hills in Oakland County has Michigans biggest concentration of affluent senior citizens, according to an MLive analysis of data from the Internal Revenue Services. About 58% of 2017 federal tax returns filed by Bloomfield Hills seniors reported an adjusted gross income of at least $100,000, and 31% had an income of at least $200,000. Thats based on tax returns in which the primary filer was 60 or older. That Bloomfield Hills has so many affluent senior citizens is not surprising: Its wealthiest community in Michigan, according to the IRS data, which shows the average AGI in Bloomfield Hills was $311,740 in 2017. Taxpayers age 60 and older comprised about 38% of tax returns from the three Bloomfield Hills ZIP Codes. Living on $738 a month: As Boomers hit retirement age, Social Security more important than ever Below is a list of the 62 Michigan ZIP Codes in which at least 30% of 2017 tax returns filed by seniors showed an AGI of at least $100,000. But first, heres a map that shows median income for households headed by someone age 65 and older. This is based on 2014-18 five-year estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. This is an interactive map, which means readers can put their cursor over a county to see the underlying data. Next is an online database that allows readers to look at IRS numbers for any Michigan ZIP Code. (This data for tax returns filed in 2018 for the 2017 tax year.) Readers can click on a county to see ZIP Codes ranked by the percentage of senior citizen households reporting an adjusted gross income of at least $100,000. Readers also can type in the name of a community or type in a specific ZIP Code. For basis of comparison, here are some statewide numbers: 28% of 2017 Michigan federal tax returns had a primary taxpayer who was 60 or older; 19.5% of tax returns filed by senior citizen households reported an AGI of $100,000 or more; Average adjusted gross income was $63,707 for all Michigan individual tax returns. Heres the list of Michigan ZIP Codes with the highest concentrations of affluent senior citizen households. Its based on the percentage of senior citizen households with an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or more. 1. 48302 Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County: 62% In 2017, 62% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,140 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 38% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $354,821. 2. 48301 Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County: 58% In 2017, 58% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,640 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 37% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $256,001. 3. 48304 Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County: 54% In 2017, 54% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,530 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 41% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $317,001. 4. 48374 Novi, Oakland County: 54% In 2017, 54% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,510 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 20% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $153,305. 5. 48025 Franklin, Oakland County: 53% In 2017, 53% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,590 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 34% of all returns. The average AGI for all returnsin this ZIP Code was $244,642. 6. 48323 West Bloomfield, Oakland County: 53% In 2017, 53% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,200 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 36% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $184,726. 7. 48306 Rochester, Oakland County: 52% In 2017, 52% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,870 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 29% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $172,213. 8. 48105 Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County: 51% In 2017, 51% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 4,070 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 27% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $126,232. 9. 48168 Northville, Wayne County: 51% In 2017, 51% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,620 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 32% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $179,109. 10. 48098 Troy, Oakland: 50% In 2017, 50% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,430 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 34% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $186,292. 11. 48009 Birmingham, Oakland County: 50% In 2017, 50% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,140 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 30% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $268,492. 12. 48070 Huntington Woods, Oakland County: 50% In 2017, 50% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,000 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $177,099. 13. 48864 Okemos, Ingham County: 50% In 2017, 50% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,880 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 29% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $117,293. 14. 48230 Grosse Pointe, Wayne County: 49% In 2017, 49% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,560 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 30% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $145,454. 15. 48104 Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County: 48% In 2017, 48% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,310 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 24% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $121,120. 16. 48236 Grosse Pointe, Wayne County: 48% In 2017, 48% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 5,579 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 35% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $158,062. 17. 49654 Leland, Leelanau County: 48% In 2017, 48% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 250 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 54% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $171,580. 18. 49636 Glen Arbor, Leelanau County: 48% In 2017, 48% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 230 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 59% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $203,608. 19. 48331 Farmington, Oakland County: 47% In 2017, 47% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,840 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 32% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $120,365. 20. 49301 Ada, Kent County: 44% In 2017, 44% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,480 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 26% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $185,247. 21. 48324 West Bloomfield, Oakland County: 44% In 2017, 44% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,619 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 30% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $139,589. 22. 48138 Grosse Ile, Wayne County: 44% In 2017, 44% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,180 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 39% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $128,625. 23. 48069 Pleasant Ridge, Oakland County: 43% In 2017, 43% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 400 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 28% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $133,048. 24. 48103 Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County: 41% In 2017, 41% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 7,750 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 28% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $112,182. 25. 48823 East Lansing, Ingham County: 41% In 2017, 41% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 4,760 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 27% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $83,951. 26. 48363 Oakland, Oakland County: 41% In 2017, 41% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 800 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 26% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $172,111. 27. 48348 Clarkston, Oakland County: 41% In 2017, 41% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,170 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 26% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $118,896. 28. 48370 Oxford, Oakland County: 41% In 2017, 41% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 270 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $105,683. 29. 48322 West Bloomfield, Oakland County: 39% In 2017, 39% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 5,810 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 36% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $111,183. 30. 48130 Dexter, Washtenaw County: 38% In 2017, 38% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,330 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 30% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $110,616. 31. 49740 Harbor Springs, Emmet County: 37% In 2017, 37% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,690 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 43% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $89,962. 32. 48084 Troy, Oakland County: 37% In 2017, 37% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,960 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 25% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $109,309. 33. 48085 Troy, Oakland County: 37% In 2017, 37% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,780 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 30% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $96,479. 34. 49546 Grand Rapids, Kent: 36% In 2017, 36% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 4,960 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 32% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $112,874. 35. 49648 Kewadin, Antrim County: 36% In 2017, 36% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 550 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 47% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $90,358. 36. 48380 Milford, Oakland County: 36% In 2017, 36% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,160 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $140,937. 37. 48309 Rochester, Oakland County: 36% In 2017, 36% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 4,870 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 35% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $111,821. 38. 48095 Washington, Macomb County: 36% In 2017, 36% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 860 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 32% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $106,666. 39. 48167 Northville, Wayne County: 36% In 2017, 36% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,890 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $126,841. 40. 48382 Commerce Township, Oakland County: 35% In 2017, 35% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,060 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 26% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $104,143. 41. 48176 Saline, Washtenaw County: 35% In 2017, 35% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,330 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 29% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $100,784. 42. 48170 Plymouth, Wayne County: 34% In 2017, 34% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 7,110 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 32% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $108,665. 43. 48360 Lake Orion, Oakland County: 34% In 2017, 34% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,460 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 24% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $94,520. 44. 48094 Washington, Macomb County: 34% In 2017, 34% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,190 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $101,196. 45. 49453 Saugatuck, Allegan County: 33% In 2017, 33% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 630 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 38% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $108,956. 46. 48108 Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County: 33% In 2017, 33% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,090 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 23% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $91,617. 47. 48116 Brighton, Livingston County: 33% In 2017, 33% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 4,490 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $98,742. 48. 48895 Williamston, Ingham County: 33% In 2017, 33% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,810 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 32% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $89,841. 49. 48114 Brighton, Livingston County: 32% In 2017, 32% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,340 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $98,884. 50. 49670 Northport, Leelanau County: 32% In 2017, 32% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 530 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 55% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $82,830. 51. 49690 Williamsburg, Grand Traverse County: 32% In 2017, 32% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,230 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 38% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $104,935. 52. 49506 Grand Rapids, Kent County: 32% In 2017, 32% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 3,580 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 23% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $104,508. 53. 49234 Clarklake, Jackson County: 31% In 2017, 31% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 540 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 39% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $83,373. 54. 49060 Hickory Corners, Barry County: 31% In 2017, 31% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 320 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 36% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $123,780. 55. 48375 Novi, Oakland County: 31% In 2017, 31% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,750 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 25% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $94,494. 56. 49083 Richland, Kalamazoo County: 31% In 2017, 31% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,310 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 34% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $113,339. 57. 48381 Milford, Oakland County: 30% In 2017, 30% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,220 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $108,785. 58. 49008 Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County: 30% In 2017, 30% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,160 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 28% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $74,035. 59. 49460 West Olive, Ottawa County: 30% In 2017, 30% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 1,000 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 24% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $86,150. 60. 49117 New Buffalo, Berrien County: 30% In 2017, 30% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 770 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 42% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $90,302. 61. 48367 Leonard, Oakland County: 30% In 2017, 30% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 670 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 31% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $90,453. 62. 48377 Novi, Oakland County: 30% In 2017, 30% of federal tax returns filed by taxpayers age 60 and older had an AGI of $100,000 or more. The ZIP Code had 2,630 tax returns filed by senior citizens, or 29% of all returns. The average AGI for all returns in this ZIP Code was $83,299. MEA said saying "there is no role for any third party on the issue" (Photo Credit: PTI File) New Delhi: India snubbed US President Donald Trump's fresh offer to "help" in resolving the Kashmir dispute on Thursday saying 'there was no role for any third party in the issue'. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that the Kashmir issue has to be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan adding that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment for engagement. "There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said when asked about offer made by Donald Trump, "Our position on the Kashmir issue and third party mediation has been very clear and consistent. Let me reiterate that there is no role for any third party in this matter." Addressing the media with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos on Tuesday, Trump said that the US was watching the developments related to Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the matter. Raveesh Kumar said issues have to be resolved bilaterally and the onus was on Pakistan to create an environment for engagement. "If there are any bilateral issues between India and Pakistan that needs to be discussed, it should be done between the two countries under provisions of Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration. But onus is on Pakistan to create such conducive conditions - free from terror, hostility & violence," he said. ALSO READ: Imran Khan At His Side In Davos, Donald Trump Again Offers To 'Help' On Kashmir Pakistan's attempt to create an alarmist situation in Kashmir failed and the global community understands its double standards, he said in response to another question. When asked the comments made by Imran Khan on India and the relations between the two countries, MEA responded saying 'we are hardly surprised by the content and tone of his remarks'. "We have seen reports about certain remarks on India and India-Pakistan relations made by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at Davos," MEA said. "We are hardly surprised by the content and tone of his remarks. They are not only factually inaccurate and contradictory, but also demonstrate a growing sense of frustration. Pakistan has to realise that the global community has seen through this double-standard of playing the victim card in their fight against terror on the one hand, and supporting terror groups targeting India and other countries on the other." "If Pakistan is indeed serious for a peaceful and normal relationship with India as he claims, the onus is on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere. They have to take credible, irreversible and verifiable action against terror groups operating from its soil rather than making misleading and alarmist statements to divert the attention of international community," the statement added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. File image Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he has told US President Donald Trump that a war with Iran would have disastrous consequences. Asked whether Trump agreed with him, Khan said the US President did not say anything but he probably understood what he meant. "Afghanistan is yet to be resolved and Iran would be much bigger (if war starts)," Khan said. Khan met Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit here on Tuesday. Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in the wake of the killing of powerful Iranian commander General Qasem Soleimani by America on January 3. "If there is conflict between Iran and the Western world it will be a disaster - it will cause poverty in the world - and who knows how long it may go on. In my opinion it would be insanity," Khan said. "I spoke to President Trump yesterday and I told him it would be a disaster," Khan said. The Pakistan Prime Minister also said he does not understand why countries try to resolve their differences through military conflicts. "The moment you start a military conflict, you don't know where it will finish. It has unintended consequences," he said. After meeting Khan, Trump on Tuesday had said the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the longstanding dispute between the two neighbours. Trump told Khan, whom he referred to as "my friend", that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ongoing Kashmir issue. Trump is expected to visit India in the coming weeks, marking his first visit after assuming office. "What's going on between Pakistan and India if we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely and it's an honour to be here with my friend," Trump had said. "The Pakistan-India conflict is a very big issue for us in Pakistan and we expect the US to always play its part in deescalating the tensions, because no other country can," Khan had said. Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate following India's August 5 decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue. However, New Delhi has told Washington that it is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan and there is no scope for any third-party mediation. The authorities in Wuhan city in China where the coronavirus originated, have imposed a complete travel ban on local residents, in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus. South China Morning Post, citing state media reported that officials in Wuhan announced a complete travel ban amid a Coronavirus outbreak. At least 17 people have been killed due to the deadly virus while more than 550 others throughout China have been infected with it. The ban issued by command authority in the city said that from 10:00 am on Thursday, urban buses, subways, ferries and long-distance passenger transport would be suspended in the city. Aside from this, flights and trains departing from Wuhan will also be suspended. So far, the cases of the virus have been detected in the US, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. The municipal government in the city also issued notices mandating that everyone should wear masks in public places. The US had on Tuesday announced that the first case of the coronavirus has been detected in the country. The virus can spread person to person, though not nearly as easily as viruses such as measles or influenza. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered resolute efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus (nCoV) that causes pneumonia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CLEVELAND, Ohio Three of five men arrested Monday after agents seized 33 pounds of cocaine made a brief escape by hailing a Lyft and paying the driver $1,000 to drive them to Arizona, according to court filings. The men were in Cleveland to either deliver or oversee the delivery of the cocaine from Chicago, according to charging documents filed in federal court. Brothers Delmar, Cesar and Ulises Perpuly, Leonardo Bustamante and Paul Ayala were part of an operation that brought large amounts of cocaine to the Cleveland area from the southwest border of the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration said. All five face a cocaine conspiracy charge. Defendants were arrested in three locations, according to an affidavit written by Lake County Narcotics Agency agent and DEA task force officer Daniel Lajack. As authorities tried to open the door of a room at a TownePlace Suites in Streetsboro to arrest Cesar and Ulises Perpuly and Bustamante, they heard window blinds crash, the affidavit says. Guests later saw the men jump out the second-story window, and investigators figured out that the men fled across State Route 14 toward a shopping plaza, Lajack wrote. The men went into a Walmart and then to a Wendys. From there, the trio called a Lyft and got in the car. The DEA and Ohio State Highway Patrol stopped the Lyft driver in the Columbus area, and the driver told agents that the men paid him to drive them to Tucson, Arizona, the affidavit says. The trio, as well as Delmar Perpuly and Ayala, made their initial appearances Tuesday in front of a U.S. magistrate judge. They are in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The DEA office in Cleveland received information from its counterparts in Tucson in July regarding the Perpuly familys efforts to move large amounts of cocaine to Cleveland. They made regular trips to Northeast Ohio to oversee the delivery of cocaine and receive payments, court documents say. DEA agents in Tuscon told investigators in Cleveland on Jan. 13 that the Perpulys and Bustamante were again in Cleveland. They later found out that they were awaiting the delivery of 44 pounds of cocaine from a driver, later identified as Ayala, headed to Cleveland from Chicago, Lajack said. Investigators tracked the group, with the help of a source, as they stayed in two hotels in Beachwood and then the one in Streetsboro, according to the affidavit. The source told agents that Delmar Perpuly and his travel partners consistently checked whether they were being watched by law enforcement, the affidavit says. The source gave the group a place to meet up with Ayala, and authorities also equipped a vacant house on East 337th Street in Eastlake with recording equipment after the Perpulys asked the source to find a place to unload the drugs, the affidavit states. The source picked up Delmar Perpuly Monday and drove him to El Palenque, a Mexican restaurant in Eastlake where Ayala was set to meet with them. When Ayala arrived, he parked and went in the restaurant. Delmar Perpuly also went inside, left and drove the car with the drugs to the house, with the source driving in front of him, according to investigators. Delmar Perpuly drove into the garage and closed the door. The cocaine was hidden in a compartment in the dashboard, and he retrieved it while agents watched, the affidavit says. Once the source texted Lajack that the cocaine was out of the hidden compartment, investigators opened the garage door, saw 33 pounds of cocaine on a front seat in the car and arrested Perpuly, court documents state. In addition to the arrests of Cesar and Ulises Perpuly and Bustamante in the Columbus area, Ayala was arrested at the restaurant, according to the affidavit. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursdays crime and courts comments section. New York, Jan 24 American voters reacting in real-time to the historic impeachment trial of US president Donald Trump are saying only something "dramatic" and "crazy" could tip the balance against Trump and that he is on course to win re-election by a "razor thin" margin this November. Nikhila Natarajan, New York, Jan 24 American voters reacting in real-time to the historic impeachment trial of US president Donald Trump are saying only something "dramatic" and "crazy" could tip the balance against Trump and that he is on course to win re-election by a "razor thin" margin this November. Barely days into Trump's impeachment trial, US voters who spoke with IANS are already dug in on how the trial currently on in Washington DC might affect outcomes in the US presidential elections this November. Anni Lundy, a self described "moderate" and "vegan gun owner" from Houston calls the impeachment process that's getting wall to wall prime time coverage "a ship of fools" and a "circus". "I don't think this is going to move the needle but I know what will," she says. Hearing from former White House national security adviser John Bolton tops Lundy's list. "At the end of the day, if John Bolton doesn't testify, and it's not looking like he will, we'll never ever know for sure. That's a shame," says Lundy. If Bolton does testify, he could provide a first-hand account of events at the heart of the impeachment case against Trump. Bolton was present at key moments in meetings with Ukrainian officials. The impeachment case against Trump revolves around a pressure campaign against Ukraine, a vulnerable ally of the US. Nearly $400 million of taxpayer-funded and Congress-approved military aid was held back on Trump's orders, as he pressed Ukraine to announce an investigation of his opponents. The aid was released only after a whistleblower's complaint and after Democrats in Congress opened the investigation. For Lundy, the takeaway from a Bolton testimony is straightforward: the closure of "speculation". "If Bolton testifies, he can tell us what is on that server where the transcript of that phone call Trump made to Ukraine are kept." For others like Patrick Lee, a stay at home dad who lives close to New York City, i''s less about the fine print, more about social anxiety. " "White people feel they are losing their way of life and they will vote Trum"," says Lee, speaking to the potent tribalism that political research scholars found to be a key ingredient of Tru'p's stunning 2016 triumph. " "Republicans on the fence about Trump will not vote. They will never throw him under the b"s," Lee said. Lee thinks Trump will get re-elected with"a "razor-thin mar"in". The l'on's share of impeachment and removal polling trackers show an absence of broad public support for Tr'mp's exit. Forty seven percent of Americans support Tr'mp's impeachment and removal from office while 47.9 percent are against it, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average of eight latest polls in January alone from Economist, Monmouth, Politico, CNN, Gallup, NPR-PBS, Quinnipiac and IBD. Throughout the last three years of his presidency, including after the impeachment inquiry began, Tr'mp's approval rating has remained doggedly within a slim range in the 40s. Two thirds of the Senate - or 67 votes - would be needed to convict Trump of an impeachment charge and remove him from office. Republicans control the Senate 53-47. Beyond the numbers, though, vot'rs' reactions swiftly go beyond merely partisanship and demographic stereotypes. Lucia, a Maryland voter, thinks it will be hard to out Trump based entirely on the impeachment storyboard. She says it will take"a "dramatic piece of information to challenge an amazing econ"my"." "It depends who the Democratic nominee is as "ell", she says, pointing to the crowded opposition field from which a challenger to Trump will eventually emerge. Other voters we spoke to answer with questions that transcend who wins and who loses the next election. " "Can the US still call itself a democracy if it has a president that is allowed to put national security at risk and isn't held accountable to the constitution? Thank goodness for Adam S"hiff", said a mom from northern New Jersey." "I think no one has any expectation that any GOP members of the Senate will break with their party and vote in favour of removing T"ump." Alan Brown, who will be voting in New York this November, believes that US election for"unes'"aren't about logic an"more."" "I thin' it's all crazy. If the economy tanks or something extraordinary happens, maybe Trump will go. But that level of insanity has to be such that even those who'don't operate from a place of logic'won't have any ground to stand"on." The Alabama Department of Corrections is requesting a $42 million increase in its budget for next year, partly to continue its efforts to overcome a severe shortage of correctional officers, Commissioner Jeff Dunn told legislators this morning. Dunn said the ADOC had a net gain of 255 correctional officers last year. Thats still a long way from a federal court mandate to add 2,200 officers by February 2022. A lack of staffing is one of the reasons the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report in April 2019 alleging that Alabamas mens prisons are rife with violence and danger to the extent that conditions violate the Constitution. But Dunn said he believes the ADOC is making progress toward that goal. Dunn spoke to lawmakers on the second day of budget hearings at the Alabama State House. The Legislature is preparing for the legislative session that starts Feb. 4. The ADOC requested $563 million from the General Fund for next fiscal year, up from $521 million it is receiving this year. It would be the second straight year of an increase in the range of $40 million. The ADOC received $477 million in 2019. Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Director Charlie Graddick spoke to legislators before Dunn. Graddick said the bureau is asking for an $11 million increase to the $48 million Pardons and Paroles received last year. Graddick said the agency also has about $25 million carried over from previous budgets that was not spent. Graddick said the bureau has many needs, with the most important being to add more probation and parole officers. He said the agency has 308 but needs about 450 to reduce the number of parolees and probationers each officer has to supervise. He said about half now have caseloads that exceed 100. He said caseloads should be 75 or less. They just cant adequately and efficiently supervise somebody with that huge caseload, Graddick said. Lawmakers asked Graddick about the decline in paroles granted since he became bureau director. The Alabama Medicaid Agency, which gets the largest appropriation from the General Fund every year, requested $805 million, up from $703 million this year. Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar said the agency expects to carry forward $37 million from this years budget. Medicaid provides services to about one million Alabamians, slightly more than one-fifth of the states population. Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Hal Taylor requested a $14 million increase for next year. ALEA is receiving $60 million from the General Fund this year. The additional money would be to hire, train and equip 50 new sworn personnel ($6 million), enhance the five-year vehicle replacement plan ($3.5 million), pay merit raises ($3 million), and fund program increases for the State Bureau of Investigation ($2 million). Updated at 7:53 a.m. on January 24 to add information about budget requests from Medicaid and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Any appearance of a person mentoring the head of state might cause diarchy and that would be a disaster for the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with university students on Wednesday, TASS reports. A MGIMO student, who took part in the meeting, asked Putin about prospects after 2024, the year when his presidential term expires. She proposed using the experience of, for example, Singapore, which introduced the position of Minister Mentor (taken on by Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew). For his part, Putin pointed out that Lee Kuan Yew was a mentor in the government of his son, Lee Hsien Loon. "He was father of the incumbent [prime minister], so the succession was direct," the president said praising Lee Kuan Yew as a prominent politician who "created the country." "Do you want me to be a mentor?" Putin asked and then remarked that it would undermine the institution of presidency. "Once any institution emerges above president, it will mean nothing else but diarchy. It is an absolutely disastrous situation for a country like Russia," the president concluded. Speaking about the possibility of a parliamentary form of government in Russia, when the winning party will appoint prime minister whose terms in office will not be limited, Putin said that "it is inappropriate for Russia." "We do not have political parties which have existed for more than a hundred years, like in European countries. However, it is a mandatory condition [for a parliamentary republic]," the president said underscoring that problems crop up even in Europe, as "they are unable to form government for more than six months," Putin said referring to Belgium as an example. Putin stated that Russia "unconditionally must be a strong presidential republic." "We have so many ethnic groups and so many different ways of life. It is next to impossible to integrate them all within the framework of a parliamentary republic," the president said. NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Corinne Snow, an environmental attorney who recently served as Counsel and Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, has returned to Vinson & Elkins. Snow's practice is focused on environmental law, with an emphasis on litigation, regulatory compliance, and defense against government investigations and enforcement actions. Snow counsels clients across a variety of industries, including energy, chemical, manufacturing, and mining sectors. In the transactional context, she assists in the drafting and negotiating of the environmental terms in purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, credit agreements, and disclosures for debt and equity offerings and public filings. Her experience also includes drafting comments on behalf of clients to agencies on proposed rules with significant implications for the oil and gas industry. Snow started her legal career as an associate at V&E in 2012, leaving the firm a year later to serve as a judicial clerk for Hon. Jennifer Walker Elrod at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Upon the completion of her clerkship in 2013, Snow returned to V&E and was an associate in the firm's Environmental and Natural Resources group until 2017, when she left to join the DOJ. As Counsel and Chief of Staff in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Snow assisted in managing a 600-person division that included 400 lawyers. In this role she oversaw civil and criminal litigation arising under more than 150 environmental and natural resources laws. She also worked closely with the general counsel's offices for multiple federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior, Defense, Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture, as well as the White House and Counsel on Environmental Quality to advise high-ranking officials on policy and litigation risks associated with the environmental and natural resource laws. "We are pleased to welcome back Corinne," said Larry Nettles, head of V&E's Environmental and Natural Resources practice. "She is an outstanding lawyer with a comprehensive understanding of the complex and dynamic federal environmental laws and enforcement priorities affecting our clients." In addition to her oversight role at DOJ, some of Snow's notable representations in litigation include: Defending decisions to remove regulatory burdens on energy production, including as co-lead counsel to defend the repeal of a 2015 federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing on federal land; Defending federal approvals for oil and gas operations and coal mining in several cases where outside groups tried to stop energy projects by claiming that the federal government's environmental analysis was insufficient; Bringing an Oil Pollution Act enforcement case against an oil and gas owner and operator; and Arguing four cases on behalf of the United States in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Snow is the latest addition to V&E's nationally recognized Environmental and Natural Resources practice. In Washington, D.C., the firm recently added partners Patrick D. Traylor, former Deputy Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and Ron Tenpas, who previously served as Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division and as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. "I'm excited to return to V&E where my career began, and to practice with so many of the incredible attorneys and staff that I worked with before. I'm also looking forward to working with Ron Tenpas and Patrick Traylor. Patrick and I had a chance to work together while we were both in government. He's an effective and thoughtful lawyer. I know Ron by reputation. He's well respected and remembered fondly by the attorneys in the Environment and Natural Resources Division from his time as the head of the Division. They are both amazing additions to the group and I look forward to contributing to the firm's growing environmental practice," said Snow. V&E's Environmental and Natural Resources practice is among the best in the United States, receiving national recognition in Chambers USA (2019) and Legal 500 U.S. (2019). The firm counsels a wide array of clients on state and federal environmental laws and represents them in complex environmental litigation as well as administrative, civil and criminal enforcement matters in state and federal courts and regulatory agencies. Vinson & Elkins LLP is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers across 13 offices worldwide. For more information, please contact Jeremy Heallen at +1.713.758.2079. SOURCE Vinson & Elkins LLP Related Links http://www.velaw.com Bhubaneswar, Jan 23 : Odisha on Thursday paid rich tribute to freedom fighters Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 123rd birth anniversary and Veer Surendra Sai on his 211th birth anniversary. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik offered floral tributes to Netaji at his statue in Cuttack, the birthplace of the legendary leader. Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal also paid floral tribute to Bose. "Tributes to brave son of Odisha, great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary. He is remembered for his indomitable courage, bravery and patriotism," tweeted the Chief Minister. Paying tribute to Veer Surendra Sai, the Chief Minister said his fight in the freedom struggle and to safeguard the rights of tribals will continue to inspire the people. Netaji was born in Cuttack on this day in 1897. Surendra Sai was born at Khinda village in Sambalpur in 1809. As the nation remembers Netaji on his birth anniversary, sand sculptor Sudarsan Pattnaik shared an art created by his students at Puri sea beach to pay tributes to the legendary freedom fighter. New coronavirus linked to wildlife: Chinese official ROC Central News Agency 01/22/2020 07:25 PM Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) A new type of coronavirus that has killed nine people and infected more than 440, mainly in China, is believed to have jumped to humans from wild animals sold at a market in Wuhan City, a Chinese health official said Wednesday in Beijing. Gao Fu (), the director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news briefing that the virus, now known as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), has already mutated and most likely will continue to do so as it spreads. The transmission to humans is believed to have started with wildlife sold at Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan, eastern China, Gao said. However, a number of cluster infections in Wuhan indicated that the 2019-nCoV has adapted, mutated and is now being spread by humans, he said. On the question of super-spreaders -- highly contagious virus carriers -- Gao said there were no indications of such hosts. At the press conference, Li Bin (), deputy head of China's National Health Commission, said that there was evidence of "respiratory transmission" of the virus, meaning it was being spread indirectly from person to person via respiratory droplets propelled into the air by sneezing and coughing. As of Tuesday, China had confirmed 440 cases of 2019-nCoV and nine deaths, while a few cases have also been reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Taiwan. In Taiwan, the single case was a Taiwanese woman who recently returned from Wuhan, where she works. On arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Tuesday, she told quarantine officers that she had a cough and fever, and she was immediately taken to hospital, where she tested positive for the 2019-nCoV. The Taiwan government has since stepped up its epidemic prevention efforts, raising its travel alert for Wuhan to the highest level and advising travel agencies to cancel all trips between Taiwan and Wuhan. (By Joseph Yeh) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jayshawn Bailey has been arrested and is due to appear in court today. He is facing a charge of murder in relation to the death of Tamyah Trotter, 17, who was reported missing on December 14 A 23-year-old Las Vegas man has confessed to the killing of a 17-year-old girl whose body he hid in a sewer. Jayshawn Bailey alerted officers to the teenager's body more than a month after she is believed to have died on December 12. The man, who has since been charged with murder in the death of Tamyah Trotter, initially tried to claim he had just uncovered her body after he saw two people put something into a sewer near his house. However, after being questioned by homicide detectives, Bailey gave in, and confessed to having killed her. Las Vegas Police had identified the body as that of Tamyah Trotter who was reported missing on December 14, having last been seen on December 12 at a local McDonald's branch. She was not seen, or heard from again, till Bailey alerted police to the body, which they identified as being that of the 17-year-old teen. Local media reported Bailey said the weight on his conscience compelled him to call 911 on January 19 and report there was 'something in the sewer' near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue. The 17-year-old's body was found in a sewer near the Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue in Las Vegas During the call the 23-year-old, who lived in the area, said he had witnessed two people place 'something in the sewer' a month previously. He went on to say that he had entered the sewer and found the body of a black female inside, but did not call police as he was 'scared of repercussions from the neighborhood'. However, the Las Vegas man broke down after being presented with the results of a polygraph test and said he 'would be honest about what occurred'. The arrest record obtained by KVVU-TV detailed how Bailey met Tamyah Trotter at the McDonald's on December 12. He said she was upset, and had told him she had been kicked out of the house, so he offered her his place to stay and made up a bed for her on his floor. The 17-year-old teen met Jayshawn Bailey at a McDonald's in Las Vegas. He said she appeared upset and so he offered her a place to stay. However, he claims the teen got agitated and she died after he held her in a headlock in an effort to restrain her Bailey said he was high on Xanax at the time and drinking wine when the teenager came to stay. However, he said after she started drinking she became aggressive and began confronting him with a taser. In an effort to restrain her Bailey said he put her into a headlock, but she became limp after about ten seconds. The 23-year-old told officers he had tried to revive her and performed CPR for two hours, but did not call for help as he was afraid of going to jail. He subsequently hid her body inside his bedroom until the following day, before dumping it in the sewer. Bailey is in custody and due to appear in court this morning. JERUSALEM Speaker by speaker, world leaders on Thursday denounced the rising threat of anti-Semitism and vowed never to forget the lessons of the Holocaust at a solemn ceremony in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Auschwitz death camp. But the high-powered dignitaries also tinged their speeches with competing interpretations of World War II and its relevance today, giving a politically charged feeling to the gathering. The World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem, the largest-ever summit of its kind, drew more than 45 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britains Prince Charles, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The three-hour event at Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial sought to project a united front in commemorating the destruction of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence. But from the start, it was clouded by rival national narratives of World War IIs major players. Polands president, who has been criticized for his own wartime revisionism, boycotted the gathering even before it began since he was not invited to speak. The president of Lithuania, a country seeking to diminish its own culpability while making heroes out of anti-Soviet nationalists involved in the mass killing of Jews, abruptly canceled his participation days before the event. And the president of Ukraine, another country with a dubious reckoning of its role in the genocide, mysteriously backed out while in Israel shortly before the ceremony began. Putin was granted a central role even as he leads a campaign to play down the Soviet Unions prewar pact with the Nazis and shift responsibility for the wars outbreak on Poland, which was invaded in 1939. In his address, Putin highlighted the role of the Red Army in liberating Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945, while singling out the collaboration by regional foes Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia. He called them bandits who often surpassed their masters in cruelty. In a nod toward Poland and others, he said the Holocaust would only serve as a warning to future generations if told in full, without exemptions and omissions. Regrettably, the memory of the war today often becomes the subject of current political interests, he said. Putin himself has been accused of the same, shaping a narrative around his countrys Great Patriotic War that began in 1941 after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and ignoring the nonaggression accord the Soviets had signed two years earlier. On the eve of the gathering, host Israeli President Reuven Rivlin implored visiting dignitaries to leave history for the historians, saying it was the role of political leaders to shape the future. But Putin quickly ventured into the sensitive terrain shortly after his arrival Thursday, claiming that 40% of Jewish Holocaust victims were Soviet. Of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, historians say about 1 million were Soviet. Putins figure appeared to include an additional 1.5 million Jewish victims from eastern European areas occupied by the Soviets under their pact with the Nazis. Netanyahu, who seeks Putins support in holding off Iranian forces in neighboring Syria and in securing the release of a young Israeli woman imprisoned on drug charges in Russia, gave the Russian leader a fawning welcome. He hosted Putin for the dedication of an imposing monument honoring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St. Petersburg, is Putins hometown. We mustnt for even one second blur the sacrifice and the contribution of the former Soviet Union, Netanyahu said. In his own address to the forum, Netanyahu reiterated his long-held conviction that the primary lesson of the Holocaust is that Jews had to defend themselves in the face of annihilation, pointing toward his current standoff with Iran as an example. I am concerned that we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state, he said. For the Jewish people, Auschwitz is more than the ultimate symbol of evil. It is also the ultimate symbol of Jewish powerlessness Today we have a voice. We have a land, and we have a shield. Pence also invoked Iran, calling on the world to stand strong against the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. For historians, the main message was one of education amid growing signs of ignorance and indifference to the Holocaust. A survey released this week by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organization responsible for negotiating compensation for victims of Nazi persecution, found that most people in France did not know that 6 million Jews were killed during World War II. Among millennials, 45% said they were unaware of French collaboration with the Nazi regime. Frances wartime government deported 76,000 Jews to death camps. Macron decried the rising anti-Semitism in Europe. A recent survey reported that 80% of European Jews felt unsafe on the continent. But in contrast to more hawkish speakers, Macron said another lesson of the Holocaust was that Europe must be unified in the face of hatred and never devolve into conflict again. The Holocaust is not some history you can play with or distort or revisit, he said. No one has the right to use the memory of the dead to justify some kind of contemporary hatred. Tel Aviv University researchers reported last year that attacks against Jews grew significantly in 2018, with the largest reported number of Jews killed in anti-Semitic acts in decades. They recorded 400 attacks, with the spike most dramatic in western Europe. The research also noted increased anti-Semitic vitriol online and in newspapers, as extremist political parties grew in power in several countries. Among the final speakers was Steinmeier, who bemoaned that the atrocity originated in his country. He said he stood before the audience laden with the heavy, historical burden of guilt. Germans deported them. Germans burned numbers on their forearms. Germans tried to dehumanize them, to reduce them to numbers, to erase all memory of them in the extermination camps. They did not succeed, he said. I wish I could say that we Germans have learnt from history once and for all. But I cannot say that when hatred is spreading. ____ Follow Aron Heller at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap. ____ See all of APs coverage of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at https://apnews.com/Auschwitz. Timothy Rub, the director and chief executive officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, on Wednesday apologized to hundreds of employees, saying the institution had made mistakes in the way it dealt with a former manager several female staff members have accused of sexual harassment. Mr. Rubs remarks, made at a closed-door, all-staff morning meeting before the museum opened to the public, addressed the allegations that have surfaced against Joshua Helmer, the former assistant director for interpretation at the museum. In 2018, he left and went on to become director of the art museum in Erie, Pa., where an intern made a similar complaint. On Jan. 10, The New York Times reported that several women had accused Mr. Helmer of making advances toward them in the workplace during his time at the Philadelphia museum. On Jan. 12, the Erie Art Museum forced Mr. Helmer to resign. Mr. Helmer, who did not respond to a request for comment, has denied any misconduct but declined to discuss his relationships with female employees. Donald Trump will become the first U.S. president to appear in person at the March for Life Friday when he addresses the annual event that draws tens of thousands annually and seeks an end to abortion. Although past presidents have spoken to the March for Life via telephone Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush did that none have ever appeared live at the rally. Trump delivered a video address to the crowd in 2019. It is held every January in Washington, D.C. We are deeply honored to welcome President Trump to the 47th annual March for Life, Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, said in a statement on the organizations website. He will be the first president in history to attend and we are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn. From the appointment of pro-life judges and federal workers, to cutting taxpayer funding for abortions here and abroad, to calling for an end to late-term abortions, President Trump and his Administration have been consistent champions for life and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering. We are grateful for all these pro-life accomplishments and look forward to gaining more victories for life in the future. The March for Life is honored to announce @realDonaldTrump will be the first U.S. President to speak at the March for Life Rally. Thank you, President Trump, for being a voice for the unborn and continuously working to build a culture of life. https://t.co/lojZssLeim March for Life (@March_for_Life) January 22, 2020 The announcement briefly took down March for Lifes website due to a surge in traffic. President Trump, in his own Tweet about the event, posted a link to a March for Life Tweet with the message, See you on Friday ... Big Crowd! See you on Friday...Big Crowd! https://t.co/MFyWLG4HFZ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2020 The march brings together women and men of every background to march for the unborn. The March for Life website says, We promote the beauty and dignity of every human life by working to end abortion uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square. The announcement came the same week Trump proclaimed Jan. 22 (the anniversary of Roe v. Wade) as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The 650-word proclamation says every person the born and unborn, the poor, the downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly has inherent value. As a Nation, we must remain steadfastly dedicated to the profound truth that all life is a gift from God, who endows every person with immeasurable worth and potential, the proclamation says. ... Today, I call on the Congress to join me in protecting and defending the dignity of every human life, including those not yet born. I call on the American people to continue to care for women in unexpected pregnancies and to support adoption and foster care in a more meaningful way, so every child can have a loving home. And finally, I ask every citizen of this great Nation to listen to the sound of silence caused by a generation lost to us, and then to raise their voices for all affected by abortion, both seen and unseen. Related: Most Americans Want Politicians Who Support 'Substantial Abortion Restrictions,' New Poll Finds Pro-Life Group Pledges $52 Million to Re-Elect Trump, the Most Pro-Life President in History Im Pro-Life -- Iowas Female Gov. Supports Amendment Protecting the Unborn Neb. Gov. Declares Day of Prayer to End Abortion on Roe Anniversary Planned Parenthood Reports Record 345,672 Abortions -- Abortion Is its Mission Abby Johnson Launches New Pro-Life Pregnancy Resource Helpline Trump Admin. Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Pro-Life Law, Citing Gosnell Atrocities Democrats Medicare for All Bills Would Legalize Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Despite Popular Belief, Women Are More Pro-Life than Men, Gallup Poll Says Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Win McNamee/Staff Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. OTTAWAThe Supreme Court of Canada has effectively upheld the acquittal of three people who were charged with human smuggling after a rickety ship arrived off the coast of British Columbia carrying hundreds of Tamil migrants. In a decision Thursday, the high court turned down the Crowns application for an appeal hearing in the case. In August 2010, the Canadian navy intercepted the cargo ship MV Sun Sea carrying 492 people from strife-torn Sri Lanka and escorted it to CFB Esquimalt, near Victoria. Lesly Emmanuel, Nadarajah Mahendran and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam were charged with violating the Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act by organizing, inducing, aiding or abetting the illegal entry of people into Canada. The Crown alleged the men were part of a human-smuggling operation linked to organized crime. Emmanuel, who captained the ship, testified that he boarded as a passenger, then reluctantly took the helm to avert disaster for the vessel. The Crown accused Canadian citizens Mahendran and Rajaratnam, who were not aboard the ship, of helping organize the voyage. Both argued the evidence that led to their identification was seriously flawed. The three men were acquitted in early 2017 by a jury in B.C. Supreme Court. Last June, the B.C. Court of Appeal upheld the verdicts, saying the Crown had not demonstrated a reasonable possibility that any errors committed by the trial judge affected the outcome. The Supreme Court gave no reasons for refusing to hear the case. Girl Scout uses YouTube cover of Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' to sell cookies originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Girl Scouts aren't just knocking on doors any longer to sell cookies -- they are getting more creative. Amory Vargo is well on her way to meeting her goal of selling 2,020 boxes of cookies and earning a free week at Girl Scout camp thanks to her video cover of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" to help sell her cookies. The 9-year-old from Westerville, Ohio, is about halfway to her goal her mom, Samantha Vargo, told "Good Morning America." Amory makes a video to sell cookies each year, she said, but this year's has been the most successful. It has over 100,000 views on YouTube so far. "She's a really creative kid," Vargo said. "The video allows her to showcase that while selling cookies. More: Little girl channels favorite Chiefs player and the Super Bowl has never been this cute Amory got her start in Girl Scouts as a Daisy and made her way up to being a Brownie. Now, she's a junior. Her mom said Girl Scouts has been a wonderful experience. "She's built friendships with wonderful kids and has had great experiences, like zip lining, she might not have otherwise had. And the service projects, she just can't get enough." More: Mom blogger's hilarious holiday mishap cracks up millions in viral video Her "Truth Hurts" cover took about two weeks to create, her mom said. Originally. Amory was going to go with "Old Town Road" but couldn't quite get the lyrics to work. The Lizzo choice, her mom said, "is really fun and playful. She loved putting her spin on it." Amory loves all the positive comments on her video., her mom said. You can track her progress here. She should appear happier, go to the movies and go to college before she opens her mouth. Thats the advice the Trump administration apparently wants to send 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a news conference at the World Economic Forum Thursday condescendingly dismissed Thunbergs push for governments and companies to drastically cut down on fossil fuels, the Associated Press reported. When asked how such a drop in reliance on fossil fuels would impact the U.S. economy, Mnuchin replied, Is she the chief economist? Who is she? Im confused. After a brief pause, he said the comment was a joke, before adding, after she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us. Thunberg plans to hold a press briefing Friday at a climate strike with other young people in Davos, Switzerland, on the final day of the World Economic Forum. As she did last month when President Donald Trump said she should work on her anger management problem, Thunberg responded to Mnuchin in kind on Twitter Thursday morning. My gap year ends in August, but it doesnt take a college degree in economics to realize that our remaining 1,5 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments dont add up, she tweeted, sharing a graph that shows greenhouse gas emissions and temperatures rising. So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments. TIME magazine in December named Thunberg, who helped ignite a worldwide youth climate movement, its Person of the Year," which Trump blasted as ridiculous. Mnuchin argued the Trump administration desires a clean environment, but said the Paris climate agreement was unfair for the U.S. The administration has also advocated for rolling back regulations and red tape it argues holds up development and stifled job growth. Earlier this year, Trump proposed changes to the National Environmental Protection Act to streamline environmental reviews for pipelines, highways, bridges and other major infrastructure projects. The New York Times reported on Thursday that the Trump administration planned to finalize a rule removing environmental protections for streams, wetlands and other water bodies after farmers, fossil fuel producers and developers complained that Obama-era regulations were burdensome. The Times reported that while in office, Trump has tried to repeal or weaken almost 100 environmental regulations related to climate change, clean air, chemical pollution, coal and oil and endangered species. RENO, Nev. - A 51-year-old Nevada man who admitted illegally trafficking endangered African lion and leopard parts has been ordered to serve a total of 60 days in federal custody and complete 100 hours of community service for a wildlife conservation group. U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones sentenced Robert Barkman of Reno on Wednesday immediately after he pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to one count of wildlife trafficking in violation of the Endangered Species Act. Federal prosecutors say Barkman admitted selling and shipping a lion skull and leopard claws in 2016 to a New York City man who was sentenced in August 2018 to nine months in prison for exporting scores of protected animal parts to Thailand. This investigation involved the international trafficking of the skulls, teeth and claws from protected African lions and tigers and depicts just how appalling and widespread wildlife trafficking can be, said Edward Grace, assistant director of law enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The service conducted the investigation along with the U.S. attorneys office in Nevada and the U.S. Justice Departments Environmental Crimes Section. Barkman admitted he was paid $1,400 for the sale that led to the charges filed against him in October 2019. He acknowledged he received a total of about $6,000 in 2016 for the interstate sale of threatened or endangered wildlife, including a spotted cat pelt and a tooth pendant, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Reno. In exchange for his guilty plea to a lone misdemeanour count, the government agreed to drop a felony count of aiding and abetting that would have carried much stiffer punishment. Jones sentenced Barkman to a years probation in addition to 60 days of intermittent confinement that he can serve on nights or weekends or under other intervals agreed to by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Barkman also agreed to forfeit all guns, traps, nets, vehicles and other equipment used to aid in his violation of the law. Hes prohibited from performing the public service with a conservation organization that handles threatened or endangered species. The New York man, Arongkron Paul Malasukum, earlier admitted exporting 68 packages to Thailand with skulls, claws and other parts of endangered and protected species in 2015 and 2016. That included more than $150,000 worth of parts from lions and tigers. Malasukum acknowledged buying a tiger skull from undercover agents working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prosecutors said. He also acknowledged purchasing lion skulls from an auction house in Texas. * European shares open higher; DAX hits new record peak * Worries over spreading Coronavirus ease * Asian shares up, investors welcome China virus response Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Danilo Masoni. Reach him on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net TESLA VROOMS PAST VW TO BECOME NO. 2 (1038 GMT) One hundred billion dollars (purposely spelled out) -- that's what Tesla is expected to be worth when U.S. markets open later today, dethroning car behemoth Volkswagen to become the world's second-biggest automaker by market cap. Those figures dwarf carmakers such as GM, Ford and Volkswagen, which have been around since well before the World War II. Tesla shares have skyrocketed in the last few months, rising a whopping 210% since June last year, despite being one of the most shorted stocks in the world. "The rise in the value of Tesla tells us little about the health of the car market (modest in the U.S., weaker in Germany and China), but a lot about investor behaviour and the state of banking," says Mike O'Sullivan, author and ex-CIO at Credit Suisse IWM. "Anyone who thinks the sharply rising price is an indicator of Teslas future is mistaken." Tesla's meteoric rise in stock markets comes even as the brain child of Elon Musk is yet to show a profit on an annual basis. With the Fed flooding markets with liquidity, fundamental attributes of a good stock such as earnings, corporate strategy and good governance have taken a back seat. "By October of last year there was a sizeable community of investors sceptical that Tesla would ever become a profitable business. This set of investors had established large short positions in Tesla stock. However, as markets rose, they were forced to cover or buy back these short positions, pushing the price ever higher." By 12-month forward sales estimates, Tesla is not even among the top 20 in the world. Here's a quick look at where Tesla stands versus the world's top five by market value (source: Refinitiv): Company 12-month forward sales estimate Toyota $276 billion Tesla $31 billion VW $283 billion Daimler $191 billion BMW $115 billion (Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Danilo Masoni) ***** DID YOU SPOT THE STEALTH STOXX 600 RECORD HIGH? (0959 GMT) Did you spot it? The STOXX 600 very briefly crossed its record of 424.90 points in early trading and reached a new high of... 424.94 points at 0823 GMT. It lasted less than 5 minutes and was only 0.04 points but hey, it's still a new milestone. Talking about new record highs, the DAX has just retreated below the 13,597 milestone as the broader market eased back slightly. Anyhow, have a look: (Julien Ponthus and Danilo Masoni) ***** OPENING SNAPSHOT: NEW PEAK FOR THE DAX - CONFIRMED (0842 GMT) Spreadbetters and early indications from index futures all pointed in the direction of the DAX hitting a new record high at the open. And here you go here's the trade-sensitive index's new all-time peak: The easing fears over the Chinese virus are indeed helping with all major European benchmarks trading up around 0.2-0.5%. Expectations tech could get support from IBM results and the update from ASML didn't prove fully true however. The index is up just 0.2%, weighed down by a 2% slide in Prosus after e-commerce group Naspers sold a stake in its subsidiary, while ASML is also down as its Q1 2020 sales guidance disappointed. Autos have staged a big turnaround in the first minutes of trading. The export heavy sector is now up 1.5% to lead sectoral gainers, completely reversing opening losses that took it to its lowest level since mid-October. Burberry which was indicated up sharply after it edged up its forecast for full-year sales is now down 3%, as opening gains quickly fizzled out. (Danilo Masoni) ***** ON OUR RADAR: DAX RECORD, EARNINGS, TRADE, ITALY (0750 GMT) Easing fears over the new Chinese virus are set to lift European shares at the open with DAX futures pointing to a new record high for the trade-sensitive index as the focus turns towards the earnings season. Tech stocks such as DAX-listed Infineon and SAP could find support after IBM beat expectations and semiconductor equipment maker ASML forecast double digit sales and earnings growth for 2020. A conciliatory tone on trade from Trump could also help. The U.S. President said at Davos he had "very good" talks with the European Union, but added if a deal was not struck, Washington would strongly consider auto tariffs Back to earnings, luxury label Burberry edged up its forecast for full-year sales with traders expecting a jump of as much of 5% at the open while elsewhere updates look more mixed. A big slide in store for Ted Baker after the fashion retailer said its inventory on its balance sheet was overstated by 58 million pounds, more than double its preliminary estimates. Traders see its shares down 20-25%. In M&A, Alstom is seen opening up 2% after a report said Bombardier is in talks to combine rail unit with the French group. Political turbulence in Italy that has widened the country's government bond yield spread versus Germany could put pressure on Italian banks, which have large holdings of sovereign bonds. (Danilo Masoni) ***** QUICK RECOVERY (0634 GMT) Markets have quickly recovered from the scare of possible economic damage from the spreading Coronavirus. It looks that China's response has eased some fears about a global pandemic and after gains in Asian stocks overnight, Europe too is seen on the up this morning. "Given the similarity of the Wuhan pneumonia and SARS in 2003, China and the rest of the world have learned a lesson from SARS," notes Stephen Innes chief market strategist at AxiCorp. "Health agencies are now working much more proactively and transparently to contain the Wuhan pneumonia than SARS," he adds. Financial spreadbetters expect London's FTSE to open 19 points higher at 7,630, Frankfurt's DAX to open 57 points higher at 13,613 and Paris' CAC to open 24 points higher at 6,070. (Danilo Masoni) ***** (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) DUBLIN, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Research Report on China's Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report estimates that the ship equipment industry in China would generally keep stable in the next few years. The ship equipment industry is a major part of the comprehensive strength of the shipping industry. The ship equipment manufacturing industry mainly concentrates in coastal areas including Jiangsu, Shanghai, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Shandong and Fujian. Problems of the backward ship equipment industry become increasingly serious and prevailing with the rapid development of the shipping industry in China. The shipbuilding industry is later in starting and inferior in development than that of developed shipbuilding countries like Japan and South Korea. The total volume of the shipbuilding ranks the highest in the world for ten consecutive years while the technology and the ship equipment loading rate are low. The local matching rate of developed countries reaches over 70% while that of China is less than 50%. At present, the bottleneck of the ship equipment industry is the largest barrier of China to become a shipbuilding power with the direct influence of the matching rate on the shipbuilding profit margin, which needs researches. The total export value of the ship equipment was USD 974.68 million while the total import value of that was USD 1.45 billion in China in 2017. According to the report, the ship equipment is mainly manufactured through the introduction of licenses and the cooperation with foreign enterprises due to the lack of core technologies in China. The equipment R&D mainly depends on government investment while the independent one is insufficient. Ship equipment manufacturers are committed to the expansion of production capacity instead of the independent R&D for rapid development. The innovation ability of them in China is inferior to that in Japan and South Korea. According to this research, the number of ship equipment manufacturers was 420 by the end of 2018. Meanwhile, the total market share of top 8 enterprises including Wuhan Marine Machinery Plant Co. Ltd., Hudong Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd., and Hudong Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd. was about 7.66%, leading to a fully competitive status of the industry. Numerous ship equipment manufacturers are large in product homogeneity which leads to the overcapacity and cutthroat competition. Meanwhile, redundant building projects also exist in partial fields of advantage products. According to the research, the sales revenue of the ship equipment industry decreased from CNY 160.6 billion in 2015 to CNY 55.33 billion in 2018. The ship equipment industry was slump from 2015 to 2018 with a decrease for four consecutive years, which was a great influence on the development of this industry. New orders in the shipbuilding industry declined due to the decreasing BDI. Key Topics Covered 1. Relevant Concepts of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 1.1. Definition of Ship Accessory Equipment 1.2. Classification of Ship Accessory Equipment 1.3. Analysis on Ship Accessory Equipment Industry Chain 1.4. Research Methods of the Report 1.4.1. Parameters and Assumptions 1.4.2. Data Sources 2. Operation Status of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China, 2014-2018 2.1. Development Environment of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 2.1.1. Economic Environment of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 2.1.2. Policy Environment of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 2.2. Analysis on Supply of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 2.3. Analysis on Demand of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 2.4. Import and Export of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 3. Competition Status of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China, 2016-2019 3.1. Barriers to Entry in Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 3.1.1. Policy Barriers 3.1.2. Capital Barriers 3.1.3. Technical Barriers 3.2. Competition Structure of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 3.2.1. Bargaining Ability of Raw Material Suppliers of Ship Accessory Equipment 3.2.2. Bargaining Ability of Ship Accessory Equipment Clients 3.2.3. Internal Competition of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 3.2.4. Potential Entrants of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry 3.2.5. Substitutes of Ship Accessory Equipment 4. Top 8 Ship Accessory Equipment Manufacturers in China, 2018 4.1. Wuhan Marine Machinery Plant Co. Ltd. 4.1.1. Profile of Wuhan Marine Machinery Plant Co. Ltd. 4.1.2. Analysis on Ship Accessory Equipment Business of Wuhan Marine Machinery Plant Co. Ltd. 4.2. Hudong Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd. 4.3. China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Diesel Engine Co. Ltd. 4.4. Ningbo C.S.I. Power & Machinery Group Co. Ltd. 4.5. Shaanxi Diesel Engine Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. 4.6. CSSC Marine Power Co. Ltd. 4.7. Weichai Holding Group Co. Ltd. 4.8. Asian Star Anchor Chain Co. Ltd. Jiangsu 5. Costs and Prices of Ship Accessory Equipment in China, 2017-2019 5.1. Analysis on Costs of Ship Accessory Equipment in China, 2017-2019 5.1.1. Analysis on Prices of Raw Materials 5.2. Price Trend of Ship Accessory Equipment in China, 2020-2024 6. Prediction on Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China, 2020-2024 6.1. Factors Influencing the Development of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 6.1.1. Major Driving Forces and Market Opportunities of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 6.1.2. Risks and Challenges in Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 6.3. Forecast on Supply of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China 6.4. Forecast on Demand of Ship Accessory Equipment Industry in China For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vfidud Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com As many as 500 taxis are expected to take part in a protest in Dublin city centre this evening. A demonstration is being organised for outside the offices of Free Now on Mount Street. Drivers are angry with the taxi-hailing app for increasing the cut of each fare it takes to 15%. James, a driver who recently quit the app, does not believe Free Now deserves their custom. "They seem to have this thing in their heads that we're their employees," he said. "We are certainly not their employees. If anything we are their employers because the money that we pay them in commission keeps their business going. "They have raised their commission to us three times since they have come into the business after promising us that they wouldn't." Despite the commission being raised 3% from 12%, another driver says that the app helps him to make more money. "I'm only taxi driving a little over a year myself and I only work during the day, I don't want to work nights and there is no way I would survive without using the app during the day. "Basically, that is where the customer base is so that's why I use it. "Obviously I'm not happy about the rise in the commission but at the end of the day that's where the customers are." Empty shelf in Guardian which has run of face masks (Photo: Wan Ting Koh/Yahoo News Singapore) UPDATE: The story has been updated to include a reply from FairPrice. SINGAPORE Surgical face masks and N95 masks are flying off pharmacy shelves, following the increasing spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. On Thursday (23 January), Yahoo News Singapore visited five Unity, Guardian and Watsons stores and found that all of them had run out of masks. The flurry to stock up comes even though no confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in Singapore. Three more suspected cases were identified yesterday, while seven previously reported cases had tested negative. At Serangoons Nex, a Watsons staff member said that the stores masks had ran out since yesterday. She added that N95 masks may be restocked in the afternoon. Only two packs of childrens masks could be seen. Sales assistant Kamisah Haribin, 53, said that she had customers approaching her for masks every two to three minutes. Yesterday, a customer told me that she went to Yishun and managed to get within the same day, but it ran out by the end of the day, she recalled. The suppliers only produce a bit each day and they get snapped up. Within half an hour, more than five customers, mostly middle-aged women, had been turned away after asking about masks. One of them, homemaker Jenny Gng, visited the outlet with her grandson, who sported a surgical mask. Said Gng, 68, in Mandarin, It is better to buy for safety because when we take the bus and the train, we keep seeing people coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths. She added that she would be returning in the afternoon to find out if the masks had been replenished, as her daughter was anxious about the issue. Another customer, Steven Lee, said that he had tried Watsons in the hopes of buying masks for his familys travel to Beijing over Chinese New Year. Asked about the situation in China, the 44-year-old, who works in finance, said, It should be fine. At Unity Pharmacy, which is under NTUC FairPrice, only a single box of two-ply surgical masks were left, with stocks selling out as early as Tuesday, according to staff. Staff did not know when the masks would be restocked. Story continues Only a box of two-ply disposable face masks remains at Unity Pharmacy. (Photo:Wan Ting Koh/Yahoo News Singapore) Guardian assistant manager at 100AM Patrick Eng said that demand had spiked this week. We will see people buying four or five boxes at a time, especially foreigners. We hope to restock today, we usually get a few hundred at a time. We have sufficient stock in the warehouse. This week, we have sold more than 1,000 pieces in a few days. Including last week, we have sold more than 2,000 pieces, said Eng. Other items in-demand Hand sanitisers and anti-bacterial wet wipes have not been spared, with Dettol brand hand sanitisers sold out within half an hour of Watsons opening at Nex on Thursday. Kamisah said that sales for these products have tripled in the past week, with two customers buying all the the bottles in bulk this morning. Dettol brand hand sanitisers ran out within half an hour at Watsons on Thursday morning. (Photo: Wan Ting Koh/Yahoo News Singapore) Asked about the sale of its masks, a Guardian spokesman confirmed that there had been an increase in sales of masks, with sales quadrupling in the last two weeks. Sales of thermometers and hand sanitisers have also tripled in the same period, according to the spokesman. A Watsons spokesman said its outlets have seen an increase in sales of masks (surgical and N95), thermometers, Vitamin C (supplements) and sanitisers recently on both physical stores and e-stores. We are proactively taking steps to ensure constant replenishment to meet the demand from consumers. A check of both the Guardian and Watsons online stores revealed that masks were sold out, with only childrens masks left at Watsons. Responding to queries, a FairPrice spokesperson said that demand for thermometers and hand sanitisers have increased, whereas mask sales have surged by more than five times in the past few days. Stocks for these items at Unity and FairPrice outlets are subject to availability. We are working with suppliers to ramp up supply to meet the surge in demand, said the spokesperson, who urged customers to only buy what they need so that others may purchase supplies too. Which mask is better? Experts have said that surgical masks are more appropriate in the case of the Wuhan virus, compared to the N95 masks. Comparing the two, surgical masks help reduce exposure to the saliva of others, while N95 masks are designed to filter airborne particles and are commonly used during haze situations. The coronavirus, which belongs to the same family of viruses as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has claimed 17 lives in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is its capital. At least 571 people in China have been infected while at least 12 cases have been confirmed beyond mainland China, including the US, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. Additional reporting by Nicholas Yong Related stories Wuhan virus outbreak: SIA takes measures to protect passengers and crew Wuhan virus outbreak: Scoot still operating flights to China Wuhan virus: MOH sets up taskforce and issues travel advisory; 3 more suspected cases isolated in S'pore Wuhan virus outbreak: Singapore female resident, 44, is 7th suspected case here Wuhan virus outbreak: MOH to expand temperature screening at Changi Airport to all flights from China Persons with pneumonia and have travelled to China to be isolated in S'pore The nine-page text can be staged numerous ways and is considered a foundational text of German post-dramatic theater, a mostly non-narrative approach to the stage that reflects on the theatrical experience and the possibilities of theater. In 1990, Muller, a leading East German playwright and intellectual, staged Die Hamletmaschine as the play within the play in a Berlin production of Hamlet that ran seven and a half hours. Frljics production is a comparatively brisk 75 minutes and stars five actors from the Burgs ensemble. Like the Croatian directors recent production of Anna Karenina at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin, this Hamletmaschine has an engaging intensity that owes much to the actorss quick-witted performances, but it goes off the rails toward the end. With little in the way of props beyond a red armchair and a coffin, the actors energetically perform a revised version of the text that includes quotes from Vladimir Putin, Victor Orban and Marine Le Pen, as well as multiple addresses to the audience. But such additions to the dialogue are, on balance, less successful than many of Frljics wittier staging ideas, such as a magic trick in which an Austrian flag locked in the coffin transforms into an endless ream of various European flags sewn together. The production is also less effective when stating its political messages in more explicit ways. At one point, the actors introduce themselves as Gastarbeiter (guest workers) from other European nations, including Hungary, Ukraine and Luxembourg, and try to make a sincere point about diversity among Europeans within a parody of white nationalist rhetoric. Looking out into the audience, the all-white cast praise the audience for being so white and so diverse and quip that only white people can afford a ticket to the Burg. When the actors start talking about how racist and xenophobic Austrians are, the audience I was part of smiled back, as if comfortable in the knowledge that they were not that kind of Austrian. If those stage gestures feel somewhat morally superior and banal, they are harmless next to the productions nauseating grand finale: a breathless run-through of a sizable portion of the text we have already heard, this time performed by Marcel Heuperman, who is naked as he simulates defecation and sex acts on a large silicon pig. Is the pig Austria? Europe? Hamlet? By this point, the only question that had any urgency to this audience member: To flee or not to flee? GHD Advisory, part of global professional services company GHD, has welcomed Amani ONeill and Noor Badri as senior advisor and advisor, respectively, in its Abu Dhabi office. Operating across GHDs network of offices in the region in the UK, UAE and Qatar GHD Advisory offers an integrated package of services beyond the design and delivery of assets, including business case development, logistics planning, transaction advisory, asset management, as well as risk, assurance and regulation. ONeill has more than seven years of experience in the field of program and relationship management and strong academic and professional background in public policy and leadership - engaging the emerging and current leaders from the UAE and Middle East. Badri is an experienced consultant in change management and business process reviews. She has provided advice to clients in a range of industries, such as oil and gas, finance, construction, oil and gas and government. - TradeArabia News Service Its a promising premise. In the Age of Botox, the cosmetics industry presents rich pickings for the satirist and the script is determined to exploit them, aided by the films Puerto Rican-born director, Miguel Arteta. He directed Hayek in Beatriz at Dinner, about a Mexican-American massage therapist who finds herself at a dinner party full of rich and condescending right-wingers out to impress a billionaire property developer whose idea of a happy holiday is to go out slaughtering rhinos. While it incorporated a few explosions, it was basically a verbal duel. This time, he brings out the heavy artillery. You will laugh. If not, why not? Byrnes Mel Paige is supposed to be the practical half of MM, the company she runs with Haddishs Mia Carter. She looks after MMs financial wellbeing while Mia concentrates on coming up with new additions to their array of blushers, brighteners, liners, shadow-makers, colours and non-colours. But they have gone over budget by opening a shop to augment their online sales and Mel hasnt been able to bring herself to confront Mia with the bad news. For one thing, she can hardly get a word in. When Mia isnt giving her personality yet another workout, the companys employees, Billy Porter and Jennifer Coolidge, are rolling out their own comedy routines. Its like watching a weeks worth of Saturday Night sketches back-to-back. Hayeks Claire Luna makes her move after coming across MMs bestseller, the One Night Stand kit, which comprises everything you need to put on a brave face after spending the night in a strangers bed. Hayek has chosen to have a makeover for the role. Not only does she wear a henna wig and a set of blinding caps on her teeth, she looks as if shes been dipped bodily into a compound of pancake make-up and tanning lotion. Coolidge gets it right when she remarks at one point that she resembles an angry carrot. She wastes no time in offering to pay off MMs debt in exchange for a controlling interest in it. Mel, who is proving not to be so practical after all, says yes straightaway but Mia holds out. At least she holds out long enough for the script to announce its main theme the importance of sisterhood. After boycotting the event, Singh tweeted from his official Twitter handle: "There is no anger. Just that I don't think the festival is aligned with our marketing strategy for Jaipur or Rajasthan for that matter. The synergy was not enough for me to spare the marketing revenue they wanted." However, the absence of Vishwendra Singh became a hot topic of discussion. The minister had replied to a tweet from a news channel which had flashed the news saying: "Tourism minister upset with JLF. He did not attend the inaugural ceremony and also directed the tourism department to avoid giving any kind of sponsorship to the festival. He has directed that if the orders are passed, they should be revoked, Hence, JLF shall not get Rs 30 lakh. A special letter was sent to department directing not to give any kind of financial aid." Later, the tourism department officials confirmed that the release of Rs 30 lakh meant for the JLF was stopped. Meanwhile, the minister's tweet has been retweeted many times. A Twitter user replied: "Rightly so; kudos, it requires courage to take such a decision! Jaipur Lit Fest just a place for socialites and page 3 types to mark their attendance for photo ops; does not project either Jaipur or Rajasthan as a tourist destination or reflect her glorious culture and traditions." Another user said: "I second that. These days JLF has become a hub of taking pictures and posting on social media. The genuine listeners stay away from the venue as it's very crowded and hardly has space to sit and listen to Authors and become part of discussion. Which is missing. A Change of venue YES." Meanwhile, another Twitter user also posted his picture with Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, writing: "Kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishana." Singh has been garnering eyeballs since the last few months due to his growing closeness to Pilot. Also, he was seen flying kites with BJP MP Diya Kumari in Jaipur and attended an event with Kumari in Sawai Madhopur which, according to political pundits, can change political equations in coming times. Singh is also not getting along well with the bureaucracy and has complained many times that the officials are not listening to him but the government is not paying heed to his complaints. Pilot, a few days ago, supported Singh saying that if the minister is saying something, the government should try to break the deadlock. (Archana Sharma can be contacted at archana.g@gmail.com) Two men were taken to hospital yesterday after falling from a height at a meat processing plant in Co Armagh Two men were taken to hospital yesterday after falling from a height at a meat processing plant in Co Armagh. An air ambulance was called to the scene at ABP Food Group on the Annesborough Road, Lurgan, yesterday afternoon. It is believed that one of the men suffered broken bones and the other received a head injury. Both men, who were contractors working on the site, were taken to Craigavon Area Hospital by ambulance. One of the men was discharged from hospital and the other was still receiving treatment last night. The Lurgan Mail reported that the manager of the site, Seamus Kenny, said the two men were working with contractors on a new amenity being built. He added that the Health and Safety Executive had been informed of the incident and an investigation would take place. A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it received a 999 call at 1.17pm. Rapid response paramedics, emergency crews and a hazardous area response team were all dispatched. Following initial treatment at the scene, both patients were taken to hospital. JERUSALEM - The presidents of France and Germany warned of rising anti-Semitism. Israeli and American leaders lashed out at Iran. Russias president took a swipe at eastern European members of NATO. The leaders who addressed the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem were united in condemning the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II, and in vowing to learn from the past. But their diverging views of what that entails reveal a world at odds about the legacy of the genocide, 75 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Here are some of the key statements made at the forum, which was held at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem and attended by dozens of world leaders. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU Has the world learned the lessons of the Holocaust?... I am concerned that we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state. Israel salutes President (Donald) Trump and Vice-President (Mike) Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people, and threaten the peace and security of the entire world... I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran. ___ U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE We must be prepared to confront and expose the vile tide of anti-Semitism that is fueling hate and violence all across the world. And we must stand together. In that same spirit, we must also stand strong against the leading state purveyor of anti-Semitism, against the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The world must stand strong against the Islamic Republic of Iran. ___ RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN We must remember that there were collaborators for that terrible crime who often surpassed their masters in cruelty... On the occupied territories of the Soviet Union, where those bandits were active, the largest number of Jews were killed. He said 1.4 million Jews were killed in Ukraine, and that the pre-war Jewish populations of Lithuania and Latvia were almost completely wiped out. All three are former Soviet republics that are now Western allies. The memory of the Holocaust will serve as a lesson and a warning for the future only if its full, without exemptions and omissions... Regrettably, the memory of the war today often becomes the subject of current political interests. ___ GERMAN PRESIDENT FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER The spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise, presenting their anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian thinking as an answer for the future, a new solution to the problems of our age. And I wish I could say that we Germans have learnt from history once and for all. But I cannot say that when hatred is spreading. I cannot say that when Jewish children are spat on in the schoolyard, I cannot say that when crude anti-Semitism is cloaked in supposed criticism of Israeli policy. And I cannot say that when only a thick wooden door prevents a right wing terrorist from causing a massacre, a bloodbath in a synagogue in the city of Halle on Yom Kippur. ___ FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON We need this unity, of Europe, of the international community, because today, in our democracy, anti-Semitism is resurging violent, brutal, it is here. And with it, its parade of hate and intolerance. With it, racism. Anti-Semitism, I say it here clearly, is not only the problem of Jews. No. It is first and foremost the problem of others. Because each time in our history, anti-Semitism always preceded the weakening of democracy, it translated our inability to accept others. It is always the first form of rejection of the other. And when anti-Semitism appears, all racism spreads. All divisions propagate. Nobody comes out of this winning. ___ BRITAINS PRINCE CHARLES The lessons of the Holocaust are searingly relevant to this day. Seventy-five years after the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, adopt new disguises, and still seek new victims. LISBON, Portugal (AP) Portuguese bank EuroBic said it will stop doing business with companies and people linked to its main shareholder Isabel dos Santos after an investigation accused the billionaire daughter of Angolas former ruler of murky dealings. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists this week accused Dos Santos, who is reputed to be Africa's richest woman, of using unscrupulous deals to build her fortune, estimated at $2 billion. She has denied any wrongdoing. The allegations were based on more than 715,000 confidential financial and business records provided by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa, an advocacy group based in Paris, as well as hundreds of interviews. The cache of documents is known as Luanda Leaks, named for Angola's capital, Luanda. Dos Santos owns a 42.5% share of EuroBic, based in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, and is believed to have used it to move funds internationally. The bank has assets of around 7.8 billion euros ($8.6 billion). EuroBic's board said in a statement late Monday it is cutting ties with Dos Santos' companies and people close to her and is undertaking an immediate audit. It said the moves are due to the public perception that this bank might not be complying with the rules because Isabel dos Santos is one of its principal shareholders. Portugals central bank said it wants to review EuroBics financial operations, including its procedures to prevent money-laundering. The Bank of Portugal said it had been closely monitoring EuroBic's operations in recent years. Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Isabel's father, ruled oil- and diamond-rich Angola for 38 years until 2017. Human rights groups have long accused the former president of stealing vast amounts of state money during his rule. Before stepping down, he appointed his daughter head of the state oil company, Sonangol. Last December, a Luanda court froze Isabel dos Santos' major assets, which include banks and a telecom company. The government says it is trying to recover $1.1 billion it says the country is owed by Dos Santos, her husband and a close associate of the couple. Story continues Angola's minister for economic coordination, Manuel Jose Nunes Junior, said in a speech at Chatham House in London on Tuesday that his country is trying to crack down on corruption. After a six-month grace period, when assets taken illegally from (Angola) could have been brought back without any penalties, the state is now (taking) all judicial, legal and diplomatic and other measures available to ensure the repatriation of those resources and ensure the recovery of assets to national soil, he said. Dos Santos says the legal action against her is a witch hunt launched by officials who replaced her father. ___ Associated Press journalist Andrew Drake contributed to this report from London. The Centre is considering to establish a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to help the struggling telecom sector, Business Standard reported. The report cited a communication sent by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) to its member companies. Telecom players will be asked to pay their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, estimated at over Rs 1 lakh crore, to the SPV in annual instalments, the report said. These payments will be treated as a contribution towards equity. The SPV might also finance the roll out common 5G network which can be used by all telecom service providers. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story. Under the proposal, the government will no longer affect annual licence fee (LF) and spectrum usage charge (SUC) from service providers. Operators will pay LF and SUC to the SPV for the next 15 years in exchange for equity. The government itself will contribute Rs 2.5 lakh crore to the SPV to obtain equity, the report added. The industry has been asked to provide inputs for a proposal to reduce the financial stress for telecom sector, COAI said in its message to its members. The industry lobby sent this communication after an interaction with senior government officials. KYODO NEWS - Jan 23, 2020 - 15:50 | World, All The official death toll from a volcanic eruption in New Zealand in December rose to 20 on Thursday after police there announced that the last two missing victims have been officially declared dead. The bodies of New Zealand tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman and Australian tourist Winona Langford were never recovered, following the eruption the volcano off North Island on Dec. 9. (White Island Volcano)[Getty/Kyodo] According to a statement by Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims, the chief coroner has ruled that both people died on White Island, also known by its indigenous Maori name Whakaari. A total of 47 mostly tourists -- 24 Australians, nine Americans, five New Zealanders, four Germans, two Chinese, two Britons and one Malaysian -- were there when it suddenly erupted. Of those who died, 14 were from Australia, four from the United States and two from New Zealand. The others were injured, some with severe burns. White Island, roughly 50 kilometers off the coast of North Island, is New Zealand's most active cone volcano and was a popular tourist destination, with over 10,000 people visiting each year through daily tours operated by a private company. Phish performs during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., Sunday, June 10, 2012. Read more The rock band Phish has announced plans to perform three shows on Atlantic City Beach in August as part of the citys summer beach-concert series. Tickets to the psychedelic-style bands shows, which are on Aug. 14, 15, and 16, go on sale to the public Feb. 7. Eager fans may request tickets on tickets.phish.com before Feb. 3. Prices have not been announced. The Vermont-originated band formed in 1983, and though its four male members are over 50, it has an immensely dedicated fan base who follow the group across the country to enjoy its funky, Grateful Dead-esque jams. Recently, the band played a concert in Philadelphias The Met on Dec. 3, its most intimate concerts in two decades. Phish last performed in Atlantic City in 2013 at Boardwalk Hall, which is where the band recorded the title track on its Fuego album. The citys beach concerts are produced by Live Nation in association with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the City of Atlantic City. Phish is one of the biggest touring bands in the world. They have a tremendously loyal following who will travel across North America and beyond to see their favorite band, Geoff Gordon, Live Nation Philadelphia Regional president, said in a press release. The beautiful scenery that the Atlantic Ocean and the AC beach offer will truly complement the experience for Phish and their fans. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: A bid to emulate Shaheen bagh and Lucknow Ghantaghar protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was foiled in Varanasi on Thursday. As per the police sources, 10 people, all men, were taken into custody while women who had gathered at Beniabagh ground to protest fled the venue. Sources claimed that at noon, around a dozen Muslim women assembled at Gandhi Chauraha inside Beniabagh ground to initiate a sit-in protest against CAA. In no time, they were joined people from adjoining localities. On receiving a tip-off, Varanasi DM Kaushal Raj Sharma and SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary reached the venue along with a heavy contingent of police, PAC and Rapid Action Force. As the DM and SSP asked the protestors to show the letter of prior permission sought for protest, they denied having one. As a result, police started taking the protestors into custody leading to their scuffle with cops. To thwart the police's efforts, some people indulged in stone-pelting from outside the site of protests. Consequently, the women fled the spot and the 10 persons taken into custody were sent to police lines. Later, while interacting with media persons, Varanasi DM said that he had already made it clear that no protest would be allowed in the city without prior permission from district administration as Section 144 of CrPC was in force in the district in the wake of upcoming Republic Day. Clean energy legislation pending before the General Assembly stands as the only viable alternative to an explosive increase in electricity costs believed to be the largest in state history for millions of Illinois consumers, following a recent regulatory ruling by appointees of President Trump, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Tuesday. The coalition of consumer, business, environmental, and faith-based organizations, including CUB, joined with state Rep. Ann Williams, state Sen. Cristina Castro and numerous other lawmakers to urge Gov. Pritzker and state legislators to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA). The bill contains a provision that would negate an estimated $864 million increase in power bills that threatens to hit northern Illinois consumers in the wake of the Dec. 19 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling. In fact, CEJA contains consumer protections that would not only prevent the Trump administration's cost increase from taking effect, but would also lower northern Illinois power bills below their current levels. The controversial FERC ruling, adopted by a 2-1 majority comprised of Trump-appointed regulators, would force Illinois consumers to pay extra for electricity generated by coal and other dirty sources of power that aren't needed to serve local demand. Consumer advocates said it reflects two recurring themes of the Trump Presidency his distaste for clean energy and a mission to bail out the coal industry that should signal to Illinois lawmakers that the White House could be using the state's energy policy as a political weapon. The ruling impacts a dozen states, but northern Illinois faces one of the most damaging increases, according to an analysis by the consulting firm Grid Strategies, which estimated that power bills here could skyrocket by $864 million a year. "The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) policy doesn't make sense for our economy or our environment," U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said. "Working families will see increased energy bills and jobs will be lost in the growing clean energy industry. States like Illinois have been leading the way in taking advantage of clean energy sources such as wind and solar power and the FERC should not be stunting such growth for the benefit of energy company executives." "This is a clear example of the Trump administration interfering with Illinois' energy policy to make us pay more for expensive and dirty power," said state Rep. Ann Williams, CEJA's House sponsor. "The General Assembly has an excellent opportunity to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act and protect northern Illinois residents from nearly a billion dollars in higher electric bills every year. But we must act now, before these higher bills are locked in." "The Clean Energy Jobs Act will make the state a national leader in securing clean, affordable energy for all consumers in the state," said state Sen. Cristina Castro, CEJA's Senate sponsor. "Climate change is an emergency we can't ignore, and the Trump administration is doing everything it can to bail out fossil fuel power plants and force Illinois to take a giant step backwards from achieving 100 percent renewable energy. Illinois has to act immediately our power bills and our planet demand it." "The FERC ruling was structured specifically to penalize states such as Illinois that have made cost-saving investments in energy efficiency and renewable sources of power," said David Kolata, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a coalition member. "But if we act now, we can take the power back from Washington. Not only will the Clean Energy Jobs Act stop a devastating, record-high hit to our electric bills, but it can also lock in savings for consumers. CUB supports CEJA because it's the only energy bill in Springfield that offers a blueprint for protecting our pocketbooks while helping Illinois achieve 100 percent clean energy to protect our planet." FERC's ruling applies to PJM, an organization that manages the power grid and plans for long-term electricity needs especially when demand is highest. The nation's largest grid operator, PJM covers a vast territory that includes northern Illinois and all or parts of a dozen other states. It assembles this long-term power supply known as "capacity" from electricity generators that participate in an auction that it conducts. Illinois customers pay for these capacity costs through the supply charge on their electric bills. The new rules approved by FERC will change these auctions in a way that rewards dangerous fossil fuels that generate power from coal- and gas-fired plants, giving them the license to charge inflated prices and then impose the added costs on customers in northern Illinois and throughout PJM's territory. As a result of the FERC decision, electric customers across the Chicago region and most of northern Illinois are facing an imminent increase in the amount they pay to reserve enough power known as the "capacity price" to meet projected future demand for electricity. FERC's action directly undermines the state's 2016 passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act. The law promotes clean energy goals and consumer savings through increased investments in energy efficiency and zero-carbon emissions sources, such as wind, solar, and nuclear power. "The impact of the federal decision will be particularly harmful for the many small businesses that are providing new job opportunities in the clean energy industry in disadvantaged communities across the state," said Pattilyn Beals, interim executive director for the Chatham Business Association. "Our lawmakers should do everything possible to grow and attract new and small businesses in our communities, encourage large-renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and help entrepreneurs understand opportunities in renewable energy and energy efficiency." "The FERC order places the costs of subsidizing inefficient fossil fuels indirectly, through polluting the environment, and directly, through increasing electric bills, on residents throughout the U.S. and particularly in Illinois, effectively hampering the progress Illinois has made through the Future Energy Jobs Act," said Edgar Sandoval, volunteer for Clean Power Lake County. "This comes at the expense of the environment and at the cost of residents who desire a shift in how we produce electricity for the state." The FERC decision comes amid an ongoing campaign by the Trump administration to prop up coal-fired power plants. In recent years, fossil fuel generators have been pushing for such a move as it becomes more difficult for their outdated plants to compete in the face of more modern technology, like solar and wind farms, and state policies that promote cleaner forms of energy. Last year, the CEO of Vistra Energy, a major coal-fired power generator, said coal "is on its way out." More recently, the president of the Illinois Coal Association called coal "a lost cause in Illinois." To protect consumers from the higher bills, the Clean Energy Jobs Act would authorize the state to assume the responsibility for managing its capacity needs. Instead of Illinois relying on PJM's capacity auction, a state agency, the Illinois Power Agency (IPA), would be tasked with running Illinois' own capacity auction. The IPA already manages the power purchases of the state's biggest electric utilities, and part of its mission is to protect consumers from unnecessary increases in their supply costs. The state agency is better positioned to run Illinois' capacity auction and ensure that northern Illinois consumers save money while the state's clean energy goals are advanced. In addition to protecting customers from the FERC increase, CEJA's capacity market provisions include a "consumer protection adjustment," which locks in a 5 percent reduction on northern Illinois electric bills for the next five years. Capacity market reform is one part of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, the most comprehensive and consumer-friendly energy bill to address climate in Springfield. The legislation also: Aims for a carbon-free power sector by 2030, and provides financial and other assistance to environmental justice communities as well as communities and workers impacted by coal plant retirements; Moves Illinois towards 100% renewable energy by 2050, attracting $39 billion in clean energy development; towards 100% renewable energy by 2050, attracting in clean energy development; Develops transportation electrification to give Illinoisans access to cleaner and more affordable forms of transportation; Expands energy efficiency programs that have already cut utility bills by billions of dollars; Sparks business development, workforce training and jobs so all Illinois residents can benefit from the clean energy economy. The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC) is a group of more than 200 organizations, businesses, and community leaders working together to advance clean energy jobs, lower energy bills, and healthier air and water. Visit ilcleanjobs.org and citizensutilityboard.org to learn more. MI AG's Office Issues Statement on Tesla Lawsuit MI AG's Office Issues Statement on Tesla Lawsuit January 22, 2020 LANSING Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office today released the following statement from Spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney: Today the state of Michigan defendants Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a stipulation to dismiss with Tesla that recognizes that any Michigan resident may lawfully buy a Tesla and have it serviced in Michigan. The stipulation acknowledges that Tesla may: operate under existing Michigan law; sell cars to Michigan customers as long as the sales contract indicates the sale took place in a state other than Michigan; and, indirectly own service and repair facilities in Michigan through a subsidiary, Tesla Michigan. ### Loading The missing plane was a re-purposed C-130 Hercules, built in 1981 in America by Lockheed Martin. It took off from Richmond RAAF base at 1pm, and disappeared from the flight radar just after 2pm. The Commissioner said that the addition of large air tankers had given the RFS capability and capacity that they "simply haven't had before". He said that the cause of the crash was not yet known. He would not publicly identify the victims, who are all American, until families have been notified. The owners of Coulson will be on the first available flight out of Canada and are expected to be here within 24 hours, Mr Fitzsimmons said. He and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott will brief crews from the United States and Canada who have been recently deployed to NSW on Friday morning. "As the Premier indicated, it is a confronting and sobering reminder of the inherent risks associated with firefighting and we've seen all too often this season, unfortunately, the tragic consequences that can come as a result of these significant bushfires that we've seen burning across NSW," Mr Fitzsimmons said. People are seen embracing at Numeralla Rural Fire Brigade near the scene of a water tanker plane crash. Credit: Getty Images He praised the trio as "absolute professionals" and valued members of the firefighting fraternity. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is deploying a team of transport safety investigators with experience in aircraft operations, maintenance and data recovery to the accident site, to begin the evidence collection phase of the investigation. A preliminary report will be released in about 30 days. "The crew on board were well known, not just to their colleagues here in Australia, but we're also reminded that a number of our US colleagues that are embedded in some of the incident management teams right now, including down in the high country, actually had personal relationships with them," Mr Fitzsimmons said. "Our hearts are out with all those that are suffering what is the loss of three remarkable well-respected crew that have invested, you know, so many decades of their life into firefighting and fire management, and are professionals in the aviation firefighting sector." Coulson Aviation is a privately owned family company based in Canada. The Coulson family released a statement saying that "thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three crew members onboard". The US Ambassador to Australia, Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr, issued a statement on Thursday evening. "I am deeply saddened by the tragic news we received today. The brave Americans who died near Snowy Monaro died helping Australia in its time of need," he wrote on Twitter. "The families and friends of those who we have lost are in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you Australia for your sympathy and solidarity." Helicopters and an air force plane circled the Snowy Monaro region after contact was lost with the large air tanker which was working on bushfires in the area. A Boeing P-8 air force plane, which according to the Australian Defence Force is "a cutting-edge maritime surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft," had been circling an area near Cooma, north-east of the Snowy Mountains. The Adaminaby Complex fire was burning at emergency level in the region before being downgraded to "watch and act", while visibility remains low due to bushfire smoke. Rebecca Long-Bailey has extended an olive branch to moderate Labour MPs who have been sidelined under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership as she said she would want them to serve in her shadow cabinet. The leadership candidate said there are 'really experienced, amazing people' in the parliamentary Labour party and that 'we've got to have that good mix of talent in there'. Her comments will be seen as an attempt to cast off her label as the 'continuity Corbyn' candidate and to prove she would strive to end the factional infighting which has rocked the party in recent years. Meanwhile, in a further attempt to seemingly distance herself from Mr Corbyn, Ms Long-Bailey suggested many voters believed Labour had become the party of 'handouts'. She used an interview with the Guardian to argue that Labour had lost its connection with many working class voters who 'don't need saving' but do want their lives to be a 'little bit better'. It came after Ms Long-Bailey told the BBC she had no Conservative friends in politics and that she would be 'angry' if her mates ever voted for Boris Johnson. Rebecca Long-Bailey, pictured at a campaign event in London on January 21, has said she would bring back moderate Labour MPs to her shadow cabinet Ms Long-Bailey is one of four candidates left in the race to replace Mr Corbyn. Sir Keir Starmer, who is viewed as the favourite, has already made it onto the ballot paper after winning the support of major unions while Lisa Nandy has also now secured a spot in the final stage. Ms Long-Bailey is likely to punch her ticket tomorrow when the Unite union is expected to give her its endorsement. But Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, is facing an uphill battle to progress as she has failed to win any major union support. Ms Long-Bailey has the support of the current Labour leadership in the contest and previously described Mr Corbyn as a ten out of ten leader. But she is increasingly trying to argue that Labour would be very different than it is now if she is put in charge. A wave of prominent moderate Labour MPs quit the shadow cabinet in the wake of the EU referendum in 2016 in protest at Mr Corbyn's leadership and relations have been frosty between his supporters and those MPs ever since. But Ms Long-Bailey said she would invite them back into the fold if she becomes leader. She said: 'I think we do need to have that diversity, because we've got some really experienced, amazing people right across the PLP, as well as those who've been in the shadow cabinet up to now - and we've got to have that good mix of talent in there.' She also said Labour must work hard to reconnect with aspirational working class voters who have ditched the party in recent years. Talking about a couple she met while knocking on doors, she said: 'They were working class, but they'd bought their own house, they'd worked hard, they felt they should be rewarded for working hard, they didn't want to think that other people were getting handouts.' The shadow business secretary said 'whatever people's incomes are, a lot of the time people don't see themselves as destitute and struggling' and they don't want someone to vow to come and 'save you from yourself'. She said those people do not need 'saving' but just want some help to 'do a little bit better'. Sir Keir Starmer is already on the final ballot paper after winning major union support. He is the favourite to win the contest Her comments came after Ms Long-Bailey said she does not consider any Tory MPs to be her friend, telling the BBC: 'Not really, no... but I'm friendly to everyone.' She said she was 'sure' some of her friends outside of politics may have voted Tory in the past but added: 'I don't know is the question (sic). They wouldnt tell me if they did because Id be angry.' Her remarks are markedly different to Sir Keir's who was asked a similar set of questions earlier this week. He rejected the tribal Labour loyalty of some of his more hardline colleagues as he said he does have friends who are Tories. 'Yes, of course I do,' he said. 'I have friends and colleagues I've done a lot of cross-party working [with]. To make it onto the final ballot candidates must win the nominations of 33 local constituency Labour parties or three Labour affiliates, including at least two trade unions. That means without the backing of one of the major unions, a candidate will likely have to go the much more arduous route of sewing up a raft of endorsements from local parties in order to stand a chance. Candidates who do secure the required support will be put to a ballot of party members between February 21 and April 2. The winner of the contest is due to be announced at a special event on April 4. Terry Jones was a director, screenwriter, co-founder of Monty Python, and most of all, a comedy legend. He will forever be remembered as the Welsh actor who played iconic roles in comedy. Unfortunately, he died on Tuesday at the age of 77, according to his agent. After four years of battling with a rare kind of dementia referred to as FTD, the actor has succumbed to the illness that left him unable to speak in his last few years. "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of beloved husband and father, Terry Jones," his family said through a statement. He died peacefully in his home in London with his wife Anna Soderstrom beside him "after a long, extremely brave, but always good-humored battle against a rare form of dementia, FTD." Terry Jones was born in North Wales. He went to Oxford where he met Michael Palin, a fellow comedian. Along with Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, and Palin, Terry Jones went on to start a comedy troupe named Monty Python. Chapman died of cancer at 48. In Memory Of Terry Fellow Monty Python star Sir Michael Palin remembered Jones and described him as one of the funniest writers and performers of his generation. In a tweet, John Cleese said that Jones was a man of many talents with such endless enthusiasm. Eric Idle, one of the co-founders of the highly influential comedy troupe, recalled the many moments of total hilarity with Jones. He went on to say that the people who knew him would be saddened by his passing. Meanwhile, those who did not would simply smile at the many wonderfully funny moments that he gave the crowd. Terry Gilliam, with whom Jones worked in the direction of the group's film in 1975, described his good friend and fellow Python founder as brilliant, iconoclastic, righteously argumentative, but outrageously funny and generous. In his words, Terry Jones was "a kind human being." "One could not hope for a better friend than Terry Jones," Gilliam said. Other comedy figures =also paid tribute to the late comedian through various social media posts. Screenwriter Charlie Brooker wrote, "RIP the actual genius, Terry Jones." He added in his post that there were too many brilliant moments with Jones to pick just one to remember him by. David Walliams expressed his sincerest gratitude to Jones he referred to as a "comedy hero" for a lifetime of laughter and wonderful memories. Monty Python Memories Monty Python's Flying Circus was a groundbreaking comedy series that paved the way for Jones and his other cast members to become international stars. Its first episode aired on BBC One in October of 1969. The show had a different kind of blend of live-action sketches and animated interludes that mocked societal norms and broadcasting conventions. It was anarchic, bawdily irreverent yet surreal in its own comedic timing. Terry Jones, along with the other founders of Monty Python, will always be remembered for the laughter they shared with the audience. At some point, Jones became a familiar name in the household for all the amazingly fun comedic moments he shared with everyone. For that alone, Jones will always be remembered with a smile. Bangkok, Jan 23 : The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday will rule on the imposition of provisional measures against Myanmar. The case was brought to the ICJ by the Gambia accusing the Southeast Asian nation of committing genocide against the Rohingya Muslims. There is great expectation in Myanmar, where the Rohingyas are widely reviled as "illegal immigrants from Bangladesh" despite their presence in the country for centuries. Many in Myanmar feel that the case at the ICJ is targeting them as a population, rather than the government and the military, a perception actively encouraged by public officials, Efe news reported. A group of several Civil Society Organisations, mostly from ethnic minorities that have suffered years of war in the country's peripheral areas against a military infamous for its human rights violations, on Wednesday issued a statement supporting the case at the ICJ. "We understand very clearly that the ICJ case against Myanmar is directed toward those responsible for using political power and military might, and not the people of Myanmar," read the statement. The charge of genocide refers to the military operations, carried out in the Rakhine state by the Myanmar army in 2016 and 2017 as a response to armed attacks by rebels belonging to the insurgent group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), that led to the fleeing of some 800,000 Rohingyas to neighbouring Bangladesh. The first hearing took place in the Hague in December, and The Gambia's legal team requested a set of six provisional measures to ensure that Myanmar complies with the 1948 Genocide Convention, which it signed in 1956. Among those provisional measures figure the obligations to preserve any evidence related to the military operations in Rakhine and to grant access to Myanmar to investigators from the UN. The Myanmar government has denied entry into the country to a Fact-Finding Mission, set up by the UN in the aftermath of the military operations, that accused the military in 2018 of carrying out a campaign of killings, tortures, burning of houses, and rapes with "genocidal intent". For its part, the Myanmar legal team, headed by the de facto leader of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi, denied the allegations of genocide, and asserted that the counter-insurgency operations were just part of an internal conflict triggered by ARSA. The Myanmar military on Thursday issued a statement, in which it asserted that "it will not only give full consideration to the recommendations relating to the armed forces in the report of the ICOE but the office of the Judge Advocate General will study the report in detail as well." Although only released in 2019, both songs were written two years ago. The band has since then been hard at work on new material, which they hope to release within the next year. It might take awhile, as every member of the group (which also includes Tim Green and Liam Burns) is also in another musical project. But fans new and old can only hope that their work comes soon, so they may add to their pitch-perfect collection of beautiful, brooding, relatable tracks. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW PRESS RELEASE REGULATED INFORMATION INSIDE INFORMATION 22 January 2020, 21:30 CET Ghent, Belgium, 22 January 2020 Sequana Medical NV (Euronext Brussels: SEQUA) (the "Company" or "Sequana Medical"), an innovator in the management of fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure, announces today that it successfully raised an amount of EUR 19.0 million in gross proceeds by means of a private placement via an accelerated bookbuild offering of 3,166,666 new shares (being approximately 25.11% of the Company's outstanding shares) at an issue price of EUR 6.00 per share (the "Offering"). Ian Crosbie, Chief Executive Officer of Sequana Medical, commented: "Todays private placement demonstrates the strength of Sequana Medical and the appeal of our investment case, bringing our alfapump platform to address clear unmet medical needs of liver disease and heart failure patients. The continued support of our existing investors, as well as new experienced life sciences investors and industry experts, is an endorsement of the strong progress we have made over the last year. The proceeds of the transaction will enable us to continue to progress towards launching alfapump for the treatment of recurrent or refractory liver ascites in the U.S., which we expect in H1 2022, as well as driving forward the clinical development of alfapump DSR as a potential chronic therapy for heart failure patients who are not well controlled on diuretics." Sequana Medical currently envisages using the net proceeds to continue to advance its North American pivotal study (POSEIDON) of the alfapump for the treatment of recurrent and refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis (interim results are expected in H2 2020, and the primary endpoint results are expected in mid-2021) and its first-in-human repeated dose study of alfapump DSR (Direct Sodium Removal) for the treatment of diuretic-resistant heart failure patients (RED DESERT) (results are expected in Q2 and Q3 2020), as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The net proceeds from the Offering are expected to extend the current cash runway of the Company from Q2 2020 into H1 2021. Story continues The payment and delivery of the new shares is expected to take place on 27 January 2020, and an application will be made to admit the new shares to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels. In relation to the number of new shares that is greater than 20% of the currently outstanding shares of the Company already admitted to trading on Euronext Brussels, the Company and Underwriters will have the ability to allocate to certain investors new shares that shall not be immediately admitted to listing upon their issuance. The Company will use reasonable best efforts to obtain the listing of those unlisted new shares within ninety (90) days following their issuance. The new shares to be issued will have the same rights and benefits as, and rank pari passu in all respects with, the existing and outstanding shares of Sequana Medical at the moment of their issuance and will be entitled to distributions in respect of which the relevant record date or due date falls on or after the date of issue of the new shares. As a result of the issuance of new shares, the Company's share capital will increase from EUR 1,306,939.52 to EUR 1,635,006.12 and its issued and outstanding shares will increase from 12,611,900 to 15,778,566 shares, representing an increase of the share capital and number of shares of 25.11%. In relation to the Offering, the Company and the members of the executive management have agreed with the Underwriters to a market customary 180-days standstill period on future share issuances, waivable by the Joint Global Coordinators on behalf of the Underwriters and subject to customary exceptions. KBC Securities NV ("KBC Securities") and Van Lanschot Kempen Wealth Management N.V. ("Kempen & Co") are acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners of the Offering, with Belfius Bank NV/SA, together with its subcontractor Kepler Cheuvreux S.A. ("Belfius"), acting as Joint Bookrunner of the Offering (jointly, the "Underwriters"). For more information, please contact: Sequana Medical Lies Vanneste, Director IR Tel: +32 498 05 35 79 Email: IR@sequanamedical.com Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell, Marieke Vermeersch, Sukaina Virji, Melissa Gardiner Tel: +44 203 709 5000 Email: sequanamedical@consilium-comms.com LifeSci Advisors Chris Maggos Tel: +41 79 367 6254 Email: chris@lifesciadvisors.com About Sequana Medical Sequana Medical is a commercial stage medical device company developing the alfapump platform for the management of fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure. Fluid overload is a fastgrowing complication of advanced liver disease driven by NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) related cirrhosis and a common complication in heart failure. The U.S. market for the alfapump resulting from NASH-related cirrhosis is forecast to exceed 3 billion within the next 10-20 years. The heart failure market for the alfapump DSR (Direct Sodium Removal) is estimated to be over 5 billion in the U.S. and EU5 by 2026. Both indications leverage Sequana Medical's alfapump, a unique, fully implanted wireless device that automatically pumps fluid from the abdomen into the bladder, where it is naturally eliminated through urination. In the U.S., the company's key growth market, the alfapump has been granted breakthrough device designation by the FDA. The North American pivotal study (POSEIDON) in recurrent and refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis is underway, with interim results expected in H2 2020, and a commercial launch in the U.S. is planned for H1 2022. In Europe, the alfapump is CE-marked for the management of refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis and malignant ascites and is included in key clinical practice guidelines. Over 750 alfapump systems have been implanted to date. Building on its proven alfapump platform, Sequana Medical is developing alfapump DSR, a breakthrough, proprietary approach to fluid overload due to heart failure. Clinical proof-of-concept was achieved in a first-in-human single dose DSR study and a repeated dose alfapump DSR study in heart failure patients is underway with results expected in Q2 and Q3 2020. Sequana Medical is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium. For further information, please visit www.sequanamedical.com . Important Regulatory Disclaimers The alfapump has not yet received regulatory approval in the U.S. and Canada. Any statement in this press release about safety and efficacy of the alfapump does not apply to the U.S. and Canada because the device is currently undergoing clinical investigation in these territories. DSR therapy and alfapump DSR are still in development and it should be noted that any statements in this press release regarding safety and efficacy arise from pre-clinical studies and ongoing clinical investigations which have yet to be completed. There is no link between DSR therapy, alfapump DSR and ongoing investigations with the alfapump system in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. Important information: The information contained in this announcement is for general information only and does not purport to be full or complete. This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell or issue, or any solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for shares, and any purchase of, subscription for or application for, shares. This announcement and the information contained herein are not for publication, distribution or release in, or into, directly or indirectly, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa or any other jurisdiction where to do so would be prohibited by applicable law or require registration thereof in, such jurisdiction. Any persons reading this announcement should inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions. This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States. It does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time (the "U.S. Securities Act"), and the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless these securities are registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act is available. The Company and its affiliates have not registered, and do not intend to register, any portion of the offering of the securities concerned in the United States, and do not intend to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. Any offer of securities to which this announcement relates is only addressed to and directed at persons in member states of the European Economic Area ("EEA") who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, and repealing Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended from time to time, to the extent implemented in the relevant Member State of the EEA) and any implementing measure in each relevant Member State of the EEA (the "Prospectus Regulation") ("Qualified Investors"), or such other investors as shall not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of Article 3.1 of the Prospectus Regulation. In addition, any offer of securities to which this announcement relates is in the United Kingdom, being distributed only to, and is directed only at, (i) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended from time to time (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities etc. falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, and (iii) any other person to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as 'relevant persons'). The offering of securities to which this announcement relates will only be available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe for, purchase, or otherwise acquire securities will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this announcement or any of its contents. This communication is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. This communication cannot be used as basis for any investment agreement or decision. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering making such investments should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the securities referred to herein. No announcement or information regarding the offering, listing or securities of the Company referred to above may be disseminated to the public in jurisdictions where a prior registration or approval is required for such purpose. No steps have been taken, or will be taken, for the offering or listing of securities of the Company in any jurisdiction where such steps would be required, except for the admission of the offered shares on Euronext Brussels. The issue, exercise, or sale of, and the subscription for or purchase of, securities of the Company are subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person. Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this announcement are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company directors' current expectations and projections concerning future events such as the Company's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement regarding past trends or activities are not guarantees of future performance and should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. In addition, even if actual results or developments are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in future periods. No representations and warranties are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this announcement as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. Information to Distributors: Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended from time to time ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the offered shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the offered shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the offered shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the offered shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the offered shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Offering. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the Underwriters will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the offered shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the offered shares and determining appropriate distribution channels. KBC Securities, Kempen & Co and Belfius are acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the capital increase. In connection with such matters, they, their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for providing advice in relation to the capital increase or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Dallas Examiner Publisher Mollie Belt to Receive NNPA Lifetime Achievement Award A tragedy initially brought Mollie Belt into the world of newspaper publishing. Now, 34 years after the tragic murder of her parents Dallas Examiner Publisher and Civil Rights leader Fred Finch, Jr., and Mildred Finch Belts foray into the news business is nothing short of a triumph. A former longtime government employee, Belt is set to receive the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) 2020 Publisher Lifetime Achievement Award during the trade organizations Annual Mid-Winter Training Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Friday, January 24. ADVERTISEMENT The NNPAs Executive Committee unanimously selected Belt for the honor. With the theme, Publishing Industry: Innovation & Sustainability of the Black Press of America, the three-day conference which begins on Jan. 23 includes training workshops, panel discussions, and presentations. It is with great pleasure that the NNPA Executive Committee has selected Mollie Belt for the honor of the Publishers Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the NNPA for so many years, stated NNPA National Chair and Houston Forward Times Publisher Karen Carter Richards. Mollie has demonstrated great leadership and guidance to uplift the publishers and the entire organization, Richards stated. NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., stated that the NNPA resolutely congratulates Mollie Finch Belt for being selected to receive the 2020 NNPA Lifetime Achievement Award. Mollies local, statewide, regional, and national leadership as the distinguished publisher of the Dallas Examiner exemplifies the best of the Black Press of America, Chavis stated. ADVERTISEMENT For Belt, the conference isnt just about accepting such distinguished honor from her peers, but its a reminder of how important the Black Press remains to its readers, sponsors, and advertisers. Its imperative that we publish the news and remember at all times that we are the voice of the black community, Belt stated. We have to remember that we are here to print the news. I always think of what someone told me years ago, which was to not worry about getting more advertising, to just print the news, and if your editorial content is good, the advertising dollars will come, she added. In Dallas, Belt observed that when The Dallas Examiner was founded it was the only Black-owned newspaper in which the community could receive hard news. Black newspapers are the only real voice of the community that I know of in Dallas. We dont have a black-owned television station or a Black-owned radio station, Belt stated. Born in 1943 in Dallas, Belts mother was a mathematics instructor while her father was an attorney and civil rights leader who, in 1986, founded the Dallas Examiner. Tragically, after publishing just four issues of the newspaper, Belts parents were murdered in their home. Belt attended Spelman college for one year then transferred to the University of Denver where she graduated with a major in sociology and psychology, she was forced to take over the paper. She did so without any experience. Belt spent her career working as an employment counselor for the Texas Employment Commission, and she also held several positions for the city of Dallas and the federal government. I was the only child, I inherited the newspaper, Belt stated. I did not know the newspaper industry, and it was something that I had to learn on the job. My father wasnt a newspaperman either and when I look back, there are a lot of things that we do differently today, she noted. We have a niche market, and we have to continuously stress that, Belt added. Even though we know that we now live in a digital world and we have to have a digital presence we also have to remember the print edition and that our community still enjoys reading the print edition and our community loves pictures. After taking over the paper, Belt decided to pour much of her resources into making the Examiner a success, in part, to carry out her parents legacy. In a 2013 HistoryMakers interview, Belt noted that she successfully applied for a grant from AT&T to start, Future Speak, a publication aimed at developing young minority journalists. She also used the Dallas Examiner to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention by publishing numerous articles and special supplements, including her award-winning pieces titled, PROBE, Battling AIDS in Our Community and Innocence Lost. Under Belts guidance, the Dallas Examiner has won a host of local, state, and national awards. In 2002, the newspaper earned honors as Best Weekly Newspaper by the Texas Publishers Association. The Dallas Examiner also has captured at least twelve awards from the regional chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, including Best Newspaper and Best Practices. For Belt, the NNPA Publishers Lifetime Achievement Award will forever stand out as most special. When you receive an honor from your peers, its all the more meaningful, Belt stated. I get a lot of awards and honors from various organizations, some of which are related to the community. But, this one is very special, and Im really touched, she stated. Photograph: Benjamin Krain/AP The day before Ledell Lee was executed on 20 April 2017, he talked to the BBC from death row. He said that while he could not prevent the state of Arkansas from killing him, he had a message for his executioners: My dying words will always be, as it has been: I am an innocent man. Almost two years after Lee was strapped to a gurney and injected with a lethal cocktail of drugs, it looks increasingly likely he was telling the truth: he went to his death an innocent man. New evidence has emerged that suggests Lee was not guilty of the brutal murder of a woman in 1993 for which his life was taken. The deceased inmates sister Patricia Young lodged a lawsuit on Thursday with the circuit court of Pulaski county, Arkansas, petitioning city authorities and the local police department in Jacksonville to release crime scene materials to her family. Related: 'Finally going home': Detroit man cleared of crimes after 30 years in prison The ACLU and the Innocence Project, who are investigating the case on the familys behalf, believe state-of-the-art forensic examination of the materials, including DNA testing and fingerprint analysis, could definitively prove Arkansas did indeed execute an innocent man. An 81-page filing in the lawsuit provides damning new evidence that key aspects of the prosecution case against Lee were deeply flawed. The complaint includes expert opinion from a number of world-leading specialists who find glaring errors in the way forensic science and other evidence was interpreted. The lawsuit also includes a bombshell affidavit from Lees post-conviction attorney who admits to having struggled with substance abuse and addiction throughout the years in which he represented him. Lawyers who prepared the filing, led by Cassandra Stubbs of the ACLU and the Innocence Projects Nina Morrison, conclude: It is now clear that the states forensic experts from trial misinterpreted the evidence in plain sight, and their flawed opinions were further distorted by the state in its zeal to convict [Lee] of the crime. The new evidence raises deeply troubling questions about the shaky evidentiary pillars on which the state executed Ledell Lee. Story continues Innocence has always been the achilles heel of Americas death penalty: how to justify judicially killing prisoners who may have been wrongfully convicted. The question is far from academic: since 1973 no fewer than 167 death row inmates have been exonerated. The most harrowing question is whether innocent prisoners have been executed before the flawed nature of their convictions emerged. In recent years, there have been several cases that, with near certainty, suggest that innocent men have been put to death. In this picture from April 2017 Ledell Lee, second top right, is shown with other Arkansas inmates scheduled for execution. Photograph: Arkansas department of corrections/EPA They include Cameron Todd Willingham executed in Texas in 2004 for allegedly having caused a fire that killed his three young daughters. After the execution, further evidence emerged that conclusively showed that he could not have set the fire. The Columbia Human Rights Law Review carried out a groundbreaking investigation in which it concluded Carlos DeLuna was innocent when he was executed also by Texas in 1989. The six-year study discovered that the convicted prisoner had almost certainly been confused with another man, a violent criminal who shared the name Carlos. Now Ledell Lee looks as though he may be added to the grim rollcall of the wrongly executed. He relentlessly insisted he was not guilty from the moment he was arrested less than two hours after the brutally beaten body of Debra Reese was discovered in her home in Jacksonville on 9 February 1993. The difficulties with the case against Lee began almost immediately. He was picked up nowhere near the crime scene and was not in possession of any possessions that could be linked to the break-in at Reeses home. The only evidence against him was inconclusive at best. There were two eyewitnesses, but they gave conflicting reports of the suspects identification. In recent years, there have been several cases that, with near certainty, suggest innocent men have been put to death The crime scene was shocking, with blood splattered over the walls and floor. Yet when Lee was arrested on the same day detectives could find no blood on his clothes or body including under his fingernails and nothing was found in a forensic search of his house. Given the paucity of evidence, it is not surprising that it took two trials to find Lee guilty and sentence him to death. The first trial collapsed after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. The ACLU and Innocence Project took up Lees case very late in the day having been asked to get involved shortly before his scheduled execution date. What they discovered when they opened the case records astounded even these experienced death penalty lawyers. Very quickly they established there were major problems with the prosecution case against Lee. One area that especially concerned them was the inadequacy of Lees legal representation, both during the second trial in which defense attorneys inexplicably failed to call alibi witnesses that could have placed Lee elsewhere at the time of the murder, and in terms of the help he received at the appeal stage of his case. At one post-conviction hearing, a lawyer working for the state of Arkansas approached the judge and raised concerns about Lees attorney, Craig Lambert. Your honor, I dont do this lightly, but Im going to ask that the court require him to submit to a drug test, the counsel said. Hes just not with us His speech is slurred. In an affidavit obtained since Lees execution, signed by Lambert in October, the lawyer admits: I was struggling with substance abuse and addiction in those years. I attended inpatient rehab. Ledells case was massive and I wasnt in the best place personally to do what was necessary. Partly as a result of poor legal representation, terrible errors were made in Lees defense both at trial and for years afterwards during the appeals process. The complaint goes into detail about these deeply troubling shortcomings. One of the key examples relates to the marks found on the victims cheek. The states experts mistakenly interpreted the marks as having come from a pattern on a rug in Reeses bedroom where she had been beaten to death with a wooden tire club. In fact, the filing says, the pattern on the bodys cheek did not match that on the rug. Instead it was consistent with the murderer stomping on Reeses face directly with his shoe. That is critically significant because the shoes that Lee was wearing that day, which the state used during the trial as evidence against him, were incompatible in the composition of their soles with the injury pattern on Reeses face. To establish this point, an affidavit is provided by Michael Baden, former chief pathologist for New York who is recognized internationally as a leading forensic pathologist. He concludes: The soles of Mr Lees sneakers have a much more closely spaced pattern than was transferred in the cheek imprint. That inconsistency is just one of many that were uncovered when Baden and four other specialists were invited to review the case. Lee was executed in a flurry. When the state of Arkansas realized its supply of one of its three lethal drugs, the sedative midazolam, was about to expire at the end of 2017 with no hope of replacing it due to a global ban on medicines being sent to the US for use in executions, it went into overdrive. Protesters outside the state capitol in Little Rock in April 2017 voice their opposition to the executions. Photograph: Kelly P. Kissel/AP It announced plans to kill eight prisoners in 11 days. The declaration prompted revulsion from around the US and the world and accusations that the state was engaging in conveyor-belt executions. It was in that climate that attempts by the ACLU and the Innocence Project to have materials gathered at the crime scene of Reeses murder released for DNA testing fell on deaf ears. Though the lawyers presented a strong argument that DNA testing could be crucial in casting doubt on Lees conviction and pointing towards the real killer, a federal district court denied the request on grounds that Lee had simply delayed too long in asking for the materials. Related: US chemistry professors accused of making meth in university lab It is too late now for Lee. But his lawyers hope that it is not too late to get to the bottom of the case posthumously. The city of Jacksonville is in possession of a rich array of crime scene materials including Negroid hairs collected from Reeses bedroom and fingernail scrapings likely to contain DNA from the actual killer Lee or otherwise. This evidence can now be tested with state-of-the-art methods unavailable at trial, and compared to Mr Lees unique DNA profile, the filing says. After a welter of legal challenges, Arkansas succeeded in killing four prisoners in one week, including the first double execution held in the US in a single day since 2001. The first of the four to die was Ledell Lee. Should Arkansas now agree belatedly to hand over the crime scene materials for testing, he may yet be proven to have been, just as he always said he was, an innocent man. Afghan Government Demands Full Cease-Fire, Taliban Commit to Reduction in Violence By By Hasib Danish Alikozai, Mohammad Habibzada January 22, 2020 After the Afghan Taliban announced they will observe a seven- to 10-day cease-fire with U.S troops and commit to reduction in violence against Afghan security forces, Afghan officials call the Taliban offer "ambiguous," and push for a complete cease-fire as a way forward for peace talks. Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, told reporters in Kabul that the Taliban's commitment to anything short of a full cease-fire would not produce the desired outcome. "If the Taliban do not agree to a cease-fire, which is the demand of the Afghan people, we cannot put an end to war in Afghanistan, and we would not achieve the desired results," Sediqqi said. He specifically took issue with the "reduction of violence" term used by the Taliban, charging the Afghan government has not changed its demand of a complete cease-fire, which is "the most important and fundamental demand of the people of Afghanistan." "Does it mean that not 10 but five people will lose their lives? Or it means that there won't be 10 attacks but five daily?" Sediqqi said. He said Presidents Donald Trump and Ghani are on the same page regarding a cease-fire, and the issue was broadly discussed during Trump's visit to Afghanistan in November. Afghan Government Says Full Cease-fire Key to Peace Talks Abdul Subhan Misbah, deputy head of Afghanistan Lawyers Union, told VOA the term "reduction in violence" has no place in Afghanistan's constitution, and it is rather a political term. "According to the constitution of Afghanistan, violence or any other criminal activity is a crime, and whoever commits a crime must be prosecuted. And the reduction in violence is not a legal but a political term," he said. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, is in Qatar's capital, Doha, holding direct talks with Taliban representatives aimed at reaching an agreement with the insurgent group to end the U.S. war in Afghanistan, which has claimed the lives of more than 2,400 U.S. service members and cost Washington nearly $1 trillion. By the fall 2019, the U.S. and Taliban had held nine rounds of direct talks in Doha, with both sides appearing closer than at any time in the past 18 years to striking a deal that would have brought an end to the conflict in Afghanistan. President Trump, however, called off the talks in September after the Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a U.S. soldier in the country. The deal at the time revolved around four key issues negotiated by both sides for almost a year, including a guarantee by the Taliban insurgents that foreign militants would not be allowed to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to launch terror attacks outside the country, the complete withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan, the beginning of an intra-Afghan dialogue, and a permanent cease-fire in the country. Trump's visit Direct talks between the U.S. and the Taliban resumed following Trump's surprise visit to Afghanistan in November, where, alongside Afghan President Ghani, Trump said the Taliban were ready for a "cease-fire." "The Taliban wants to make a deal and we're meeting with them and we're saying it has to be a cease-fire, and they didn't want to do a cease-fire, and now they do want to do a cease-fire," Trump said during a meeting with Ghani at Bagram Airfield, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. "I believe it probably will work out that way, and we'll see what happens," Trump added. After the deal Taliban sources with ties to the Taliban leadership told Reuters last week that the insurgent group would implement a 10-day cease-fire with the U.S., and reduce violence against the Afghan government once a deal is signed by both sides in Doha. This marked the first time the insurgent group said it would commit to a cease-fire. "The U.S. wanted us to announce a cease-fire during the peace talks, which we had rejected. Our shura (council) has agreed to a cease-fire the day the peace accord is signed," a senior Taliban commander told Reuters. The commander added that following the agreement with the U.S., the militant group could meet with the Afghan government in Germany. The group has so far refused to talk to the Afghan government, calling it a U.S. puppet regime. Concerns Afghan officials fear a U.S.-Taliban peace deal may not bring peace to the country if the Afghan government is not driving the talks with the insurgent group. "As long as there is no consensus on how to begin and proceed intra-Afghan talks, we cannot get into the second phase and reach peace," Abdul Qayyum Sajjadi, a member of the Afghan Parliament, told VOA. Abdulzaher Salangi, another member of the Afghan parliament, said more pressure is needed on the insurgent group. "It is important that countries involved in the military and politics of Afghanistan, particularly the U.S., to cut the resources of Taliban," Salangi told VOA. The Taliban insist it would talk to the Afghan government as one of the groups among other factions in the country not as a government. The Afghan government, however, insists that it would enter the so-called intra-Afghan dialogue with the insurgents as the legitimate government elected by the Afghan people. The Afghan government, however, insists that it would enter the so-called intra-Afghan dialogue with the insurgents as the legitimate government elected by the Afghan people. Political fighting The news of a potential cease-fire with the Taliban and subsequent intra-Afghan dialogue comes amid an ongoing political struggle between Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who both shared power in the contested presidential elections of 2014 and established the National Unity Government (NUG) following months of political crisis that took the country almost to the brink of a civil war. The two rivals are again fighting over who won the country's presidential elections held in September 2019 after being postponed several times amid security threats and lack of preparedness by the country's election commission. A preliminary result announced in December, after months of delay, declared Ghani the winner. His rival, Abdullah, claims fraud in the counting process. The final results have yet to be announced by the country's election commission. Why no cease-fire? Some former Taliban officials charge the group cannot take the risk of announcing a complete cease-fire, as it would lead to divisions in its ranks. They said reorganizing fighters afterwards, in the event the talks do not achieve the desired objective, would become difficult as well. "The desired goals gravitated within the resistance core against Americans would be eradicated by cease-fire, and the existing leverage would be eliminated,"Jalaluddin Shinwari, former deputy minister of justice during Taliban regime, told VOA. Malawi Jalaluddin Haqqani, the regime's former attorney general, echoed Shinwari's concerns and charged that a cease-fire would disperse the Taliban fighters and undermine the political goals of the group. "The desired goals that are there to stand and fight against American military would be lost," Haqqani said. VOA's Haseeb Maudoodi from Kabul and Mehdi Jedinia from Washington contributed to this story. Some materials used in this story came from Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kendra Espinoza and her daughters in front of the US Supreme Court. Few topics arouse the passions of Americans like god and government and whether the twain shall meet. This was demonstrated by the many friend of the court briefs filed ahead of tomorrows hearing at the US Supreme Court, where the justices will consider arguments on a major case that could have implications for the separation of church and state. A flurry of 44 filingsa number rivaled only by similarly contentious cases on inflammatory issues like gun rights, abortion, or immigrationurged the court to consider the cultural consequences of the matter. The justices decision will either hamper religious freedom or erode the precious barrier between church and state, depending on which side the brief writers support. The case, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, arises from a 2015 state tax credit program for private education and a dispute about applying the awards to religious schooling. After the program was enacted, Montana announced a rule barring the credits for use at nonsecular schools, an action that was challenged on constitutional grounds by three struggling mothers who benefited from the credits. The named petitioner, Kendra Espinoza, is a single mother working two janitorial jobs. She sends her daughters to private religious schools because she likes the emphasis on Christian values, her Supreme Court brief explains. Last year Montanas Supreme Court invalidated the student aid program as a result of her suit, finding the tax-credit scheme illegally allowed funds to be used at religious schools. So now theres no disparity to speak of, not between parents seeking tax-credits for private religious schools or for secular institutions. Because theres no program. Before the court Espinozas lawyers will argue before the nations highest court that terminating the program doesnt solve the problem of Montanas discriminatory law, specifically the problem of a no aid clause that bars the state from using tax dollars to fund religious schooling. Story continues This no aid rule, they say, violates three federal constitutional guaranteesthe free exercise clauses right to religious practice; the establishment clauses promise that the government will favor no religion; and the equal protection clauses pledge of similar treatment for all under the law. They say the state of Montana must show neutralitynot hostilitytoward religion in student-aid programs. Espinozas attorneys note, too, that the no aid provision has controversial roots. In the mid-19th century, about 10 states passed laws banning the use of public funds to support sectarian private schools. Known as Blaine amendments, the dictates stemmed from anti-Catholic bias and were designed to prevent state funding of the sects educational efforts. But Montana tells the Supreme Court that the disputed state provision, on the contrary, creates a structural barrier between religious schools and government that benefits spiritual groups and supports the Constitution. It claims the no aid clause promotes religious freedom rather than inhibits it. And holy smokes have folks chimed in! Matters of debate Dozens of amicus briefs filed by a slew of groups urged the justices to handle this case with care. Educators of public and private schools, legal scholars, parents, religious organizations, the federal government, think tanks, states, and politicians are among those who have opined. Interestingly, spiritual leaders are not all in agreement about how the case should shake out. For example, the Catholic Association Foundation in its high court brief says Montanas law is unconstitutional. The Association of Montana Rabbis, meanwhile, supports the state, arguing that the only way to protect all religions is to bar government funding of any religious schools because demographics dictate that benefits will disproportionately reach the dominant Christian institutions, disadvantaging minority faiths. The federal government supports Espinoza and the religious freedom fighters. It tells the high court in its filing that Montana is deflecting from serious constitutional questions by claiming that there is no violation to consider because there is no program left to violate anyones rights, writing: Montana emphasizes that the state court has now terminated the named the tax-credit program in its entirety as a remedy for the violation of the no-aid provision, and it claims that the remedy means that it has not discriminated on the basis of religious status at all. Montana focuses on the wrong link in the chain. Regardless of whether the remedy discriminates on account of religion, the no-aid provision certainly does, by subjecting religious schools alone to a special disability. Theres some reason to believe the high court will agree with Espinoza and her high-powered allies, at least based on a 2017 ruling in a separation of church and state case that shows even childs play can get serious when god and government are involved. Scratches and bruises Chief justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion in that case, siding with a religious institution in Trinity Luther Church v. Missouri Department of Natural Resources (pdf). That case stemmed from a church playground application for state program funds to repave the location for safety reasons. Monies were denied because of the locations religious affiliation and the high court chided Missouri. Roberts, on behalf of six other justices, wrote: The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has not subjected anyone to chains or torture on account of religionThe consequence is, in all likelihood, a few extra scraped knees. But the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution all the same, and cannot stand. Only justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented, arguing that the playground paving case was part of a very serious larger crusade by some American religious organizations to erode the separation of church and state. The two dissenting justices may also find themselves the lone holdouts in Espinozas case, in view of the recent legal history and what with all the clamor surrounding the upcoming matter. Eighteen other states have tax-credit programs resembling Montanas, so they will be watching closely, in addition to all the religious, legal, cultural, and educational groups eyeing the case for its broader implications. The justices are expected to issue opinions by late June. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Starts with One is funded by a federal grant to combat the opioid epidemic. Opioids are one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths in Washington State. In fact, according to the Washington State Department of Health, more people die from overdose than from car crashes. "Seventy-five percent of opioid misuse starts with people using medication that wasn't prescribed for them, usually from a friend or family member," said Dr. Charissa Fotinos, deputy chief medical officer. "Simple steps, like locking up your medications and safely disposing of them, can stop them from being misused." The third year of Starts with One will continue to inform young adults, their parents, and older adults about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe storage, use, and disposal. The campaign encourages people to play a role in prevention through positive behaviors. The goal of this prevention-focused campaign is to decrease the rate of opioid use disorder (OUD) in Washington State. "Opioid use disorder continues to harm families and communities across our state," said Dr. Fotinos. "We want people to know that they can play a part in helping prevent OUD. We can all take one action, whether it is having a conversation, storing prescription medications safely and disposing of them when they are no longer needed, or never sharing prescriptions. These are all concrete ways individuals can play their part in keeping our state safe." Starts with One will feature video ads with young adults having conversations about the risks of misusing opioids. For parents, videos will show how to have a conversation with their young adult children about the issue. Older adults will receive information on safe storage and disposal, as well as how to safely store medications in the home. The Starts with One website, GetTheFactsRx.com, will house new materials, including tools, videos, and articles. A Spanish version of the website is also in development. "Starts with One focuses on simple steps to help prevent opioid misuse," said Kennedy Soileau, HCA's Deputy chief communications officer. By modeling behaviors like having a conversation, locking up and taking back unused opioids, and never sharing medications, people can take ownership of helping to minimize opioid use disorder." To learn more about the Starts with One campaign, go to GetTheFactsRX.com. To connect with HCA visit: Facebook, Twitter, www.hca.wa.gov SOURCE Washington State Health Care Authority Related Links http://www.getthefactsrx.com Holi Colors Can Harm Your Skin Beautiful vibrant colors, the splash of cold water and playful pelting of colors on each other in the all possible hues is what makes Holi fun for all of us. But what comes afterward, isnt all that pretty. Colors can get in your skin and cause irritation. With all the colors that might not be coming off, it can embarrass you at work or show a strange colorful you when you face a mirror. Though Holi began as an important Hindu festival celebrated in India, it is now more of a cultural fun event celebrated globally where people get to splash colors on each other in a spirit of camaraderie. Holi is a time to mend broken relationships, bury a bitter past and celebrate life. For most patients, melanoma begins with a small, pigmented spot on their skin that they notice starts to change. Many primary melanomas can be cured by having this lesion removed, but melanoma can also recur and spread; an analysis of the removed lesion can offer some information on the likelihood that the cancer will come back. Today, lesions are analyzed in much the same way that they were 100 years ago. Despite advances in molecular diagnostics for other forms of cancer, analysis of a skin cancer lesion is surprisingly simplistic. The lesion's thickness -- patients with thinner melanomas tend to do better -- and microscopic features, such as ulcerations, are considered, and a T stage of 1 through 4 is assigned. In a paper published in Nature Cancer, investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital, in collaboration with international colleagues, present a new, quantitative technique that leverages DNA sequencing to make more sophisticated and accurate predictions about which primary melanomas are likely to recur and spread. "As recently as 10 years ago the outlook for metastatic melanoma was dismal, but we now have treatments to offer patients with metastatic disease and may also be able to apply these treatments when primary disease hasn't metastasized," said corresponding author Thomas Kupper, MD, chair of the Department of Dermatology at the Brigham. "Because of the advent of these new immunotherapy treatments, it's important to have a clear idea of which patients are likely to progress so that we can tailor treatment accordingly." Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which can reawaken T cells to mount an immune response against cancer cells, have radically changed outcomes and options available to patients whose skin cancer has spread. In some patients, they can elicit dramatic responses, including long-term remission, essentially curing a patient. But identifying patients at greatest risk for disease progression has remained an unmet need. To address this, Kupper and colleagues sought to determine if certain measurable features of T cells could predict recurrence in patients whose primary melanoma had been removed and were free of disease. T1 melanomas (<1mm) rarely metastasize, so they studied T2 (1-2mm), T3 (2-4mm) and T4 (>4mm) primary melanomas. The research team faced a unique hurdle in acquiring enough samples to conduct a robust study. Unlike most tumors, which are removed by a surgeon at a hospital, skin lesions can be removed in private practices and ambulatory clinics, which means that specimens are not concentrated in hospital settings. In addition, specimens must be kept for several years after removal, delaying their availability for research studies. To collect enough samples, investigators from the Brigham collaborated with colleagues at the Melanoma Institute of Australia and the Zealand University Hospital in Denmark to share resources. The current analysis includes more than 300 samples from patients across these sites. The team compared samples from patients whose primary melanoma progressed to metastatic disease to patients whose primary melanoma did not. They used high-throughput DNA sequencing, performed by Adaptive Biotechnologies, to analyze the T cell repertoire of the tumors. The investigators found that of all variables identified, the T-cell fraction (TCFr; or proportion of cells in the lesion that were T cells) was a powerful, independent predictor of which patients would progress. Even for patients whose lesion thickness (T) was the same, TCFr was able to predict which patients were more likely to have metastatic disease. Patients with a TCFr of lower than 20 percent were more at risk of disease progression than patients with a TCFr of higher than 20 percent. For example, for patients with T3 melanoma (2-4mm thickness), five years after having their primary lesion removed, 51 percent of those with lower TCFr experienced recurrence, compared to 24 percent with higher TCFr. The test used in this work is commercially available for research use only and is not currently yet available in the clinic. The authors also note that the current study is retrospective, looking at samples from patients whose outcomes are already known. Prospective studies of patients whose outcomes are not yet known will be needed to further validate the test. If brought to the clinic, Kupper and colleagues envision that the test could strengthen current prediction models and improve patient care. "This is a simple, elegant test. It's quantitative rather than subjective, and it may be able to add value to predictions about disease progression," said Kupper. "In the future, such a test could help us tailor treatment; patients with high TCFr may further benefit from checkpoint inhibitor therapy, while low TCFr patients may need additional intervention." A mother has been arrested after kidnapping her four-month-old son and going on the run in Tennessee. Erika Barksdale, 29, the non-custodial mother of Raymond Lyons, Jr, ran off with the child from Lebanon, Tennessee, yesterday morning. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an amber alert later in the day and asked locals to help in the rescue efforts. Erika Barksdale, 29, (pictured) has been arrested for kidnap and aggravated assault Within two hours Raymond had been found safe and sound with his custodial father in Nashville. Barksdale has now been arrested for kidnap and aggravated assault in relation to the kidnap. Police suspect that she assaulted the child's caretaker before running off with him, according to the Tennessean. Baby Raymond Lyons, Jr, (pictured) was found safe with his custodial father in Nashville within two hours Officers said they were in touch with the baby's father when he was reported missing. Investigations are ongoing as to how the father was found in possession of the missing child. Barksdale remains in police custody. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 07:58 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206095139 1 Editorial #Editorial,state-owned-enterprises,Airlines,airways,Garuda-Indonesia-Airways,aviation-industry,SOEs Free We have high expectations of the new board of directors of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. The board was appointed by the reform-oriented state-owned enterprises minister, Erick Thohir, to correct the airlines course from the massive turbulence caused by extremely bad publicity in December 2019 and head toward bluer skies. Led by newly installed Garuda president director Irfan Setiaputra, who has a wealth of experience in the information technology (IT) and mining industries, and chief commissioner Triawan Munaf, a businessman and former head of the now-dissolved Creative Economy Agency, the new team will map out a new route to good corporate governance. To be blunt, Garuda has long failed in basic governance. Irfans predecessor, Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra, was dismissed for allegedly smuggling a 1972 Harley-Davidson classic motorcycle and several Brompton bicycles in a newly purchased Airbus 330-900 aircraft flown from France to Jakarta in December. Four other directors aboard the new jetliner were also dismissed. In April 2019, Garudas reputation as a flag carrier and a publicly listed company suffered a devastating blow after its management was discovered to have committed the egregious sin of colluding with auditors to cook its 2018 financial report by artificially inflating its earnings to US$800,000 from losses of $175 million. Airlines need highly competent management, as the business is complex, capital- and labor-intensive and extremely competitive with a very thin margin, and therefore difficult to run. They encounter plenty of unpredictability in major factors that are simply beyond management control and impact results, such as fuel prices, the weather and macroeconomic changes. But most transportation analysts forecast a bright future for the airline industry in Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelagic nation containing more than 17,000 islands that stretch around 5,100 kilometers east to west and 1,800 km north to south. With a population of over 265 million and a steadily growing middle class, the country certainly needs air transportation. Moreover, its untapped tourism potential and its strategic location amid the trade flow between Europe and Australia presents Garuda with a huge opportunity for expansion. In an industry that offers largely similar services passenger travel and a choice in technology mostly between Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the only clear competitive advantage is in price, routes and value-added in ground and in-flight services. Passenger load factor is the most critical element because it is the airlines primary revenue generator. When a plane takes off with unfilled seats, the airliner makes no money because its high fixed expenses means that the cost of adding passengers on a partially filled flight is virtually negligible. Garuda should therefore focus on investing more in better passenger comfort by steadily improving its safety and on-time performance to meet international standards, expediting its check-in services and adopting IT systems that support 24-hour communication with its customers. Louise Lawford has been at the centre of a missing dogs row (SWNS) A dog-sitter has been banned from keeping the animals for five years after she found herself at the centre of a row over pets which allegedly went missing while in her care. Louise Lawford, who ran Pawford Paws in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, admitted an animal welfare offence and three business licensing breaches connected to her now defunct dog-boarding firm. Mrs Lawford, of Flackwood Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to four charges in total after a prosecution brought by Birmingham City Council. Its investigation was triggered after an incident in June last year, when Mrs Lawford claimed to have "lost" five dogs left in her care, while walking in Hopwas Woods, near Tamworth, Staffordshire. Missing pets Pablo, Maggie, Charlie, Ralph and Jack became known as the "Tamworth Five", as their owners appealed for information. Their fate remains unknown. Ralph and Charlie were left in Lawford's care while owner April Lock went to Spain (SWNS) Lawford, left, pleaded guilty to boarding more than the maximum number of three small dogs allowed at her kennels (SWNS) However, the court heard a further five charges relating to that alleged incident had been withdrawn. Explaining in court why, Jonathan Barker, prosecuting, said they had been "predicated on the defendant's own explanation that the dogs were lost as she took them for a walk. "That's an explanation is not accepted by the prosecution," he added. However, a police investigation resulted in no charges being brought against her and unfortunately we are unable to say with any degree of certainty what has happened to the dogs. It would be artificial to mount a case against her based on an explanation we do not accept. He added: There was a search and, despite being chipped, the dogs were never recovered. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Security guard denies charges after nine cats killed in spate of night-time attacks MP calls for Brexit night fireworks which 'can be seen from France' John Bercow has bullying complaint filed against him by former official Mrs Lawford sat, with her head bowed, in the dock at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday, for what district judge Joanna Dickens called "a very strange case. Story continues Behind her, the owners of the five dogs Mrs Lawford has accepted she lost, packed in to the public gallery, listening intently to the proceedings. Dog owners (left to right) April Lock, Rebecca Parsons, and Liz and Jim Egan outside Birmingham Magistrates' Court after Lawford was banned from keeping the animals for five years (PA) The 48-year-old, who owns a rescue labrador, pleaded guilty to boarding more than the maximum number of three small dogs allowed at her kennels between 18-23 June last year. She also admitted boarding dogs from different households without written consent from their owners, and without ensuring dogs were vaccinated, flea-treated and wormed, over the same period. Mrs Lawford further pleaded guilty to failing to seek veterinary treatment for a West Highland Terrier, named Charlie, after he developed a skin infection on his muzzle, while under her care. The court was told that her council licence was revoked last year. Tom Walkling, in mitigation, said "life-long animal-lover" Mrs Lawford was under "extreme pressure and stress" after the breakdown of her marriage to Richard Lawford. The dog owners had appealed for information as to the whereabouts of their pets (PA) He said: "Can I start by expressing her extreme and continuing remorse for what happened to those dogs and for her conduct in June last year She does want to offer her apologies and sincere remorse for the pain she knows those dog owners suffered, as she is herself a life-long dog owner and lover. In court, Mr Walkling told the judge that someone in the public gallery had muttered "dog killer" at Mrs Lawford as she walked past. Sentencing and banning Mrs Lawford from keeping dogs, the judge said: "I consider that, in deciding this issue, I have to take account of lost dogs. "It would be wrong not to. Mrs Lawford was also fined 800 for the offences and ordered to pay 2,616 costs. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK 23.01.2020 LISTEN Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency in the Oti Region, Hon Daniel Kwasi Ashiamah has urged the government to be truthful to Ghanaians and admit that the country has returned to the days of erratic power outages popularly known as dumsor. According to him, the recent power outages are a reflection of the financial troubles facing the energy sector due to the governments mismanagement of the sector. He reckons that in the situation we find ourselves, the least expected from the Akufo-Addo government is candour and truthfulness to the facts. The managers of the power sub-sector must be sincere and transparent with Ghanaians, Daniel Kwasi Ashiamah told Kwame Tutu on Anopa Nkomo on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 He said Akufo-Addo governments ineptitude and its mismanagement of the energy sector has led the country back to dumsor. He calls for the government to release a load shedding timetable following the recent power outages across the country. Hon Daniel Kwasi Ashiamah said in the not too distant future load shedding will return to Ghanaian homes due to some bad policy decisions by the Akufo-Addo government. ---KingdomfmOnline AMSTERDAM, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) has purchased two rare, royally commissioned tapestries designed by Willem van de Velde the Elder (1611-1693) in England. The tapestries mark the significance of shared Anglo-Dutch heritage. The acquisition is the largest in the history of the museum. The artworks arrived at the museum earlier this week and will be on public display from 2 October 2020. "The Van de Velde Tapestries remind us of our shared cultural heritage. The acquisition is not only welcomed, but highly appropriate and a symbol of the strong and continuing relationship between our two museums." - Sue Prichard, Senior Curator of Arts, Royal Museums Greenwich Wide support The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam considered purchasing just one tapestry. An additional contribution from a Dutch art fund and close consultation with colleagues from several museums in the UK, enabled the museum to keep both tapestries together. The biggest acquisition ever was made possible with the support of several Dutch sponsors. World-class artworks The tapestries are part of a series of six which depict various scenes from the Battle of Solebay in 1672. A first set was commissioned by King Charles II shortly after the battle. It is still in the Royal Collections. One tapestry is on permanent loan to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Thirteen years later Charles's brother, King James II, commissioned a second set depicting the battle which was broken up for sale in 1914. Four tapestries from this set are currently in American museum collections, but not on public display. The two tapestries acquired by the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, were the last ones that will ever appear on the market. They have been restored with great care in the UK. Van de Velde exhibition in Amsterdam The tapestries will go on display for the first time during a large Van de Velde exhibition in the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam from 2 October 2020 to 5 April 2021. Given its size and scope, this retrospective exhibition will be a world first. After the exhibition the tapestries will remain on public display in the museum permanently. About the retrospective exhibition: www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com/vandevelde About Willem Van de Velde the Elder and the Battle of Solebay: www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com/about-us/press/2074/national-maritime-museum-amsterdam-makes-spectacular-art-acquisition-in-the-UK www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1080686/Willem_van_de_Velde.jpg What was once a hotel in northeast Denver will now be a haven for the homeless. Fusion Studios, formerly a Quality Inn & Suites, will this month begin filling 139 microapartments for individuals and couples who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The newly renovated property on Quebec Street in Park Hill was unveiled during a news conference this week. The project was really born out of desperation, said John Parvensky, who has headed the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless since 1985. We were scratching our heads trying to figure out how we can shorten the time period so that the people who are on the streets tonight have a place to call their home as quickly as possible. The development could provide a source of relief for some of Denvers unhoused population, who are caught in a fallout from the citys urban camping ban. The ban was recently ruled unconstitutional by a Denver County judge but is still being enforced by the city, pending an appeal. The repurposed building was developed by the Renaissance Housing Development, an arm of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. The move-in ready apartments will provide transitional and long-term housing and require residents to pay no more than 30% of their monthly income in rent. This really shows what we can do when we get creative about problem solving and affordable housing, Gov. Jared Polis said after touring the facility, which he called an example of cutting through the red tape at a teeny fraction of the cost of building something new and a teeny fraction of the time. Normally, it takes two to three years to create a housing unit, start to finish, Parvensky said. But Fusion Studios only took six months to revamp, marking the quickest affordable housing option he said has ever been established in Denver. Each room of the former hotel starts at 300 square feet and includes a private bathroom and kitchenette. All units are furnished with a bed, dresser, desk and chair, television, microwave and minirefrigerator. A food pantry also is available for residents. Twenty-five of the units will be designated for temporary, or bridge, housing for people needing stability prior to moving into permanent housing. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is working with partners, such as Denver Health and the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, to identify residents to fill the rooms over the next month. Units will be filled on a rolling basis, said coalition spokeswoman Cathy Alderman, as some residents come and go. She also said that case managers will work onsite to provide support to residents, including connecting them with health and behavioral health services. The property has 24-hour security staff and front desk attendants, as well as a full-time property manager, an assistant property manager, housekeeping and maintenance staff. Fusion Studios received a bridge loan from Northern Trust to acquire the former hotel by $8.4 million. The Denver Housing Authoritys D3 Bond Program Funds provided nearly $5 million in permanent funding, as well as more than $4 million from the Colorado Division of Housing and $3 million from the Colorado Department of Human Services. Project-based vouchers were awarded by the Division of Housing and DHA, and bridge vouchers were awarded by the Denver Department of Economic Development and Opportunity. The Wells Fargo Foundation also provided $150,000 for supportive services to new residents. I truly hope we can replicate this model and these partnerships at other sites in Denver and get more of our people housed affordably, said Britta Fisher, executive director of Denvers Department of Housing Stability (HOST). Pending City Council approval, Denvers housing department will provide additional funding for supportive services for future residents of the building. Fusion Studios is the latest city-funded affordable housing development to open in Denver. Winning a Pulitzer Prize is a fantasy that most writers dream about especially in the early years of their writing careers. Then there's Jhumpa Lahiri who did just that, winning the Pulitzer for fiction in 2000 at the age of 32 with her first short story collection, "Interpreter of Maladies." She went on to write two bestselling novels, "The Namesake" (2003) and "The Lowland" (2013), and another story collection, "Unaccustomed Earth" (2008). A decade ago she was living what looked like the perfect life in Brooklyn, a critically acclaimed and popular writer, teaching at Princeton University. But she was still looking for happiness, and during a visit to Rome in 2011 she finally found it in the language and the culture of Italy. Lahiri now lives half the year in Rome with her husband and two children, and she currently is only reading and writing in Italian. On Thursday she will have a conversation with WAMC's Joe Donahue, as part of the University at Albany's The Creative Life series, about the benefits of immersing yourself in a foreign language as a way to improve your creativity. In an emailed conversation Lahiri mentioned that her early success as a writer had begun to create a heavy burden. "I began to feel caged in to write about similar characters and themes, and it was taking away my appetite for writing." More Information If you go A conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri and WAMC's Joe Donahue. Lahiri will discuss how she fell in love with the Italian language and literature. Book signing to follow. When: Thursday at 7 p.m., Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center, UAlbany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany Admission: Free More information: 518-442-5620, albany.edu/arts/creative-life See More Collapse Many of her characters and stories were about first-generation Indian-Americans navigating their way in America with parents who often lived in the traditional ways of India. It's a life Lahiri experienced herself growing up in Rhode Island. She was born in London to Indian parents and raised in the United States. She spoke Bengali, the language of her parents' native region, at home and English everywhere else, but she never felt like either language was truly hers. Moving to Rome in 2012 and immersing herself in everything Italian has brought her much happiness, she said. "My relationship with Italian continues to grow and to complicate my creative and personal life in a series of unexpected ways. It is more of a marriage at this point, something essential and trusted that accompanies me every day." She believes that all writers need to find their own voice. Diving into the Italian language helped her forge her own path. "Over time, learning Italian was essential to that process for me. Language is synonymous with culture. Given that Italian was a language I chose for myself, it was a way to distance myself from other influences and to mark my own territory." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. She believes that learning Italian and living in Italy have given her another life and a new way of interpreting life. "Learning another language is an infinite, open-ended journey," she emailed. "Ideally one needs to know at least two languages to even begin to understand what any one language is capable of doing." When she decided to no longer write in English and to only read and write in Italian, she said, in other interviews, many of her American friends, writers and professors, discouraged her, saying it was an experiment and shouldn't be pursued. She has already written her first book in Italian "Dove mi trovo" (2018), about a nameless woman living in a nameless Italian city who writes about the joys of being alone in a tranquil setting. It is classified as fiction, but one can easily assume there is much in the novel that is autobiographical. Lahiri recently edited "The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories," a collection of stories by various Italian authors, many of them appearing in English for the first time. The book is designed to introduce to American readers some writers she has recently enjoyed reading. She continues to teach at Princeton University, and she has begun teaching a course on translation, but her real joy is when she returns to Rome. "It is hard to explain why one feels happy in one place as opposed to another," she wrote. "All I can say is that I feel at home in Rome as I have felt in no other place while at the same time accepting my perennial condition, which is that of the outsider wherever I go. It is here though where I have discovered something that was missing." We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. It's a leading research strategy for eliminating HIV from the body: "shock and kill." The idea is to activate the dormant virus from within the immune cells where it hides, then eliminate it. One obstacle has been finding a safe way to wake up the virus. In two complementary Nature papers, researchers now report that they have come closer to that goal. The papers are from researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, funded by the National Institutes of Health. The papers rely on studies involving two animal models of HIV infection. Each study took a different approach. But both yielded promising results, disrupting viral latency at levels not seen before. That means that the virus came out of its hiding places, even in the presence of antiretroviral drugs that had stopped it from replicating for months. The findings do not represent a cure and follow-up studies in animals, as well as clinical studies in humans, are needed and planned. But the results represent an advance because they could potentially be combined with other approaches directed against the virus, the scientists say. "If our goal is to cure HIV/AIDS, then we have to disrupt viral latency," says Guido Silvestri, MD, senior author of one of the Nature papers. "What we're doing now is a new combination approach that provides unprecedented levels of virus reactivation." Silvestri is interim chair of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, chief of microbiology and immunology at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and a Georgia Eminent Research Scholar. Past results of latency reversal experiments were not as sustained and extensive, says co-senior author J. Victor Garcia, PhD, director of the International Center for the Advancement of Translational Science and professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. "Previously, no one had successfully demonstrated systemic HIV induction in humans or an animal model with human cells, and then replicated this success in a completely different species infected with a different virus," Garcia says. Ann Chahroudi, MD, PhD, co-senior author on both papers, says the studies described in the two papers take different approaches. She is associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for Childhood Infections & Vaccines at Emory and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Both approaches were tested at Yerkes in monkeys infected with SIV, a close relative of HIV, and treated with antiretroviral drugs. At UNC, tests were also conducted in mice transplanted with human immune cells. One paper describes a drug called AZD5582, which activates an intracellular pathway that leads to HIV and SIV reactivation. AZD5582 appears to be safe and relatively non-toxic in non-human primates. In 12 monkeys treated with the drug, just one experienced a temporary fever and loss of appetite. With the aim of beginning clinical trials, researchers at UNC and Qura Therapeutics -- a partnership between UNC and ViiV Healthcare -- are investigating compounds related to AZD5582. "AZD5582 was remarkable in its ability to reactivate latent SIV from resting CD4+ T cells, and to induce continued virus production in the blood when monkeys were still receiving daily antiretroviral therapy," says Chahroudi. In the study described in the second paper, researchers stimulated the cells that are the main viral hosts (CD4+ T cells) while also depleting another kind of immune cell (CD8+ T cells), which normally keeps the virus in check. The combination of immune interventions was especially potent; both the stimulation and depletion components were necessary to see SIV re-emerge, Silvestri says. His lab had previously observed a similar but smaller effect with CD8 depletion alone. That means that CD8 T cells must have a role in keeping the virus inactive, which needs to be understood better, he says. "The old paradigm is that you need CD8 cells to clear other infected cells," Silvestri says. "We're showing that CD8 cells are also involved in repressing latency reversal." The main obstacle to a cure for HIV infection is the reservoir: immune cells that harbor the inactive virus when someone is being treated with antiretroviral drugs. Neither intervention - drug or immune stimulation/depletions - reduced the size of the reservoir, because once the animals were taken off antiretroviral drugs, viral levels did rebound. The scientists think the initial viral reactivation needs to be combined with other modes of treatment, such as antibodies directed against the virus itself. "The exciting thing about these papers being published together are the concordance of the results in two animal models with both approaches, and the opening up of new avenues for research towards the goal of an HIV cure," says Chahroudi. ### Julia McBrien, first author on the immune intervention paper, was an Emory Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis graduate student. Maud Mavigner, PhD, co-first author on the AZD5582 paper, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Her counterpart, Christopher Nixon, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina. Funding support came through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - to the Emory Consortium for Innovative AIDS Research in Nonhuman Primates (UM1AI124436) and other grants (R01AI125064, R01AI143414, AI123010, AI096113, AI111899, AI117851, P30AI050409); from amfAR - the Foundation for AIDS Research, Qura Therapeutics, and NIH's Martin Delaney CARE Collaboration at UNC and the NIH Director's Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (P51OD011132, P51OD011092). Morocco has awarded two contracts worth 400 million to two French defense companies, French media La Tribune reported, adding that the official announcement will be made during President Emmanuel Macrons planned visit to the kingdom in February. Nexter, a state-owned weapon manufacturer will, under a first deal valued at 200 million, supply an artillery systems set up on Caesar truck (170 million) and ammunition for a price tag put at 30 million. The second deal involves MBDA, a European missile manufacturer which according to the French media, sold to the kingdom in 2019 VL-Mica ground missiles for a value of 200 million. The two contracts have been kept secret but are set to be announced during 12-13 Feb visit of President Macron to Rabat. Also in the pipeline, Naval Group, a major French defense contractor, will set up a vessel maintenance workshop at Casablanca port. Morocco is reportedly mulling plans to acquire submarines and has begun consultations with KTMS, Navantia, Naval Group, all naval vessels constructors. France used to be one of the North African countrys main defense equipment supplier but Rabat recently developed a taste for US defense knowhow and hardware. Military deals between the kingdom and France between 2008 and 2018 amount to 1.8 billion. The biggest contracts were signed in 2003 (874.3 million) and 2013 (584.9 million). Jim Donegan was shot dead in Belfast in December Detectives investigating the murder of Jim Donegan outside a west Belfast school arrested a man under the Terrorism Act on Thursday. Mr Donegan, 43, was shot dead as he waited to pick up his 13-year-old son outside St Mary's Grammar School on the Glen Road on December 4 2018. The murder, which police have previously attributed to the INLA, was witnessed by hundreds of children and their parents. Police have also said another republican group, Oglaigh na hEireann, was also involved in the murder. Expand Close Police at the scene where Jim Donegan was shot dead (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police at the scene where Jim Donegan was shot dead (Niall Carson/PA) On Thursday detectives from the PSNI's Major Investigation Team arrested a 42-year-old man. After being taken to the Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning the man was released unconditionally. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Thu, January 23, 2020 22:03 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060beed0 2 Lifestyle Kaia-Gerber,supermodel,model,fashion,Cindy-Crawford,France,Hyeres,Jonathan-Anderson,Viktor-and-Rolf,Anthony-Vaccarello Free Teenage supermodel Kaia Gerber is to sit on the jury of one of fashion's most prestigious prizes, its organizers said Wednesday. The 18-year-old American, the daughter of former catwalk queen Cindy Crawford, has been one of the stars of Paris fashion fortnight, which ends late Thursday. Gerber will sit on the jury of the Hyeres fashion festival on the French Riviera at the end of April to decide one of the top prizes for rising young designers. The model sparked fevered comment on social media when she wore a spectacular wedding dress that closed the Givenchy haute couture show late Tuesday. The gown with a showstopping structured veil -- that was somewhere between a halo and its own grotto -- made headlines after the reported break-up of Gerber's romance with US stand-up comedian Pete Davidson. Critics raved about Clare Waight Keller's embroidered creation. The British designer also made the wedding dress the Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle wore for her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. Gerber said the dress had left her "speechless". "Closing Givenchy haute couture", she wrote on Instagram. "@clarewaightkeller you have left me completely speechless. Words will never begin to express my gratitude and appreciation for this moment. "Thank you to the incredible atelier and everyone who worked so hard to make this so special." The show, in a former convent in the French capital, was accompanied by musicians who were suspended from poles. The Hyeres jury will be presided over by the Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson. As well as his own JW Anderson brand, he is also artistic director of the Spanish house Loewe. The prize they will decide is the oldest in the world for young fashion designers and was won in 2018 by the Dutch couple Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, who were later snapped up to lead the French label Nina Ricci. Their own brand, Botter, made its Paris debut during men's fashion week. Other past winners include the Belgian Anthony Vaccarello, now at the head of Saint Laurent, and the Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf. The festival runs from April 25 to 29. [January 22, 2020] YiduCloud founder, Gong Rujing addresses on shaping the future of health and healthcare at Davos 2020 DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "We focus so much on 'sickcare', and we do not focus enough on 'healthcare'. Our mission is to provide more accessible and affordable personal care to the public by using artificial intelligence and data technologies," said Gong Rujing, founder and chairwoman of YiduCloud, a leading medical AI company in China. She was invited to attend the World Economic Forum's 50th Annual Meeting in Davos from January 21-24. Nearly 3,000 of the world's top leaders from politics, business, civil society and academia gathered in the Swiss mountain village of Davos and discussed the theme of "Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World". Rujing joined in a panel discussion on "Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare Systems" together with Winnie Byanyima, United Nations Undersecretary-General and Executive Director of UNAIDS, Christophe Weber, President and CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical, and Shobana Kamineni,Executive Vice-Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise. The panel session was moderated by Helen E. Clark, Former Prime Ministe of New Zealand. The world is facing a rapidly aging population. In China, according to previous forecasts from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the elderly population is expected to reach 400 million by the end of 2035. How to provide them with quality and affordable healthcare services is becoming one of the top concerns for countries across the world. "A lot of infrastructure work needs to be done to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to the greater population," said Rujing, who was entitled the Young Global Leader for 2019 by the WEF. "By using artificial intelligence and medical data technology, we have seen very positive results over the past few years in terms of drug development and clinical practice, significantly increasing the efficiency of clinical trials and patient management, "she said. Being a pioneer in medical AI, YiduCloud believes in the vision of "Data Intelligence, Green Healthcare" empowered by its Data Processing & Application Platform. YiduCloud provides solutions to medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies to enhance the quality and efficiency of their operations, with the ultimate aim of building a high-quality and sustainable healthcare system. YiduCloud has so far partnered with academic institutions, such as Tsinghua University and Nanjing Medical University, to build medical AI research centers. Also, by working with top-level experts in China, YiduCloud has published more than 50 high-quality papers, some of which in leading medical journals such as the Lancet Oncology and the Nature Medicine. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yiducloud-founder-gong-rujing-addresses-on-shaping-the-future-of-health-and-healthcare-at-davos-2020-300991856.html SOURCE YiduCloud [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Boris Johnson revealed some hair-raising facts as he tackled the People's Prime Ministers Questions. Mr Johnson's live broadcast was streamed from Number 10 Downing Street directly to Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday evening. More than 110,000 viewers tuned in to what was the first People's PMQs to be held this year - but many were left underwhelmed by the question-and-answer session. One of the questions submitted was about the Prime Minster's choice of shampoo, which seemed to leave him bamboozled. Speaking directly to the camera, Mr Johnson says: 'Mark Dukes asks "what kind of shampoo do I use?"' The Prime Minister stutters briefly before saying: 'Well, Mark honestly I don't know what shampoo I use. 'It's the same stuff that I use for all sorts of cleaning purposes and it's blue, that's all I know - it's blue. Boris Johnson's live broadcast was streamed from Number 10 Downing Street directly to Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday evening More than 110,000 viewers tuned in to what was the first People's PMQs to be held this year - but many were left underwhelmed by the question-and-answer session One of the questions submitted was about the Prime Minster's choice of shampoo, which seemed to leave him bamboozled The Prime Minister points at the screen before looking down and contemplating the question further. He adds: 'But it comes in a sort of tube - it is plastic, we've got to get down on that, got to reduce the plastic consumption of this country and we've other plans to do that.' Mr Johnson swiftly moves on to tackle queries about the control of UK fishing waters after Brexit, a Scottish Independence Referendum and NHS funding. Mr Johnson said that he did not know the type of shampoo but that it is blue, is used for 'all sorts of cleaning purposes' and comes in a plastic tube Mr Johnson swiftly moved on to tackle queries about the control of UK fishing waters after Brexit, a Scottish Independence Referendum and NHS funding But social media users were quick to comment on the baffling content of the session. One user, @MissZealSee1, wrote: 'Is this some kind of joke??? What type of stupid question is this. 'This man has to deal with serious issues in this world and this is [supposed] to be the most important question someone asked. What nonsense.' Another, @JamieJones77, added: 'Is this what passes as democratic scrutiny now?' A third, @snb19692, said: 'Can anybody think of a more important issue affecting the UK right now?' But others rushed to Mr Johnson's defence. Social media user, @KerriKellett, said: 'He's got bigger things to focus on... surely that's not a bad thing?' Another commented: 'I like his guy. I don't know what shampoo I use either and I don't care...' Others simply said that they 'adore him'. People's PMQs was a recently introduced initiative designed to semi-replicate the Prime Minister's Questions session usually held on Wednesdays in the House of Commons. Mr Johnson said that the platform allowed him to take questions from the public 'unpasteurised and unmediated'. Its launch marks a change in interaction between the occupant of Number 10 and the public. After being lured to New York two years ago to help revive the citys subway, Andy Byford earned praise from riders and mass transit advocates for bringing about improvements on an antiquated system that had been undermined by breakdowns, delays and mismanagement. But as Mr. Byford rose in stature, even earning the nickname Train Daddy among rail enthusiasts, he increasingly clashed with the one official who has the final say over the subways: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who considers himself something of a modern-day master builder. On Thursday, Mr. Byford resigned, sowing doubt about the future of extensive plans that are intended to modernize the nations largest subway system. Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, responded with one word on Twitter: DEVASTATED. Mr. Byford suggested in his resignation letter that he had chafed over a plan supported by the governor to scale back his duties as part of a reorganization for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the subways and is controlled by Mr. Cuomo. A South African wedding venue with Christian owners declined to host the marriage ceremony of a same-sex couple leaving the newly-engaged 'overwhelmed with anger'. Megan Watling and Shasha-Lee Heekes contacted the owners of Beloftebos, which is reportedly a popular event place in Cape Town and inquired about the potential dates for their wedding. However, they later received an email saying that the venue does not want to accommodate weddings between couples of the same gender. Watling took on Facebook to post the screenshot of the response and explained how it made her 'cry'. Watling wrote on Facebook, "At first I cried, but then I was overwhelmed with anger. How, in 2020, is this still a reality? Same-sex marriage has been legal in South Africa since 2006.." Netizens call it 'disgusting' Since Watling narrated the incident on Facebook, the post not only went viral on the internet but also left netizens outraged. The post has received nearly a thousand comments and five thousand shares supporting the LGBTQ community. One of the internet users also called the wedding venue owners as 'homophobic', while someone else also narrated a similar experience of her own where priests refused their marriage.Some internet users also called it 'disgusting' that in such a day and age some people can be so 'narrow-minded'. However, their were a section of the people who sided with the venue for having their 'own beliefs'. One of the Facebook user not only slammed the lesbian couple for making the issue public instead of dealing with it in private 'for fame' but also told them to 'get over with it'. The post also fueled discussions among people who supported Watling and Heekes with the people who believe it was right for the venue to deny a lesbian wedding. The Facebook user wrote, We had the same issue, we had priests put the phone down on us multiple times, I then came across a church that supports gay marriages in Waterkloof which is where we got married.. if you would like some help, let me know.. Read - Exclusive: Zareen Khan On Playing A Lesbian In LGBTQ Film, 'Akele Hum, Akele Tum' Another user wrote, "I just wonder seen that they believe in their believes....... Do they refuse to do weddings for people that have been divorced as well seen that that is part of the 10 sins? Being gay is not even part of the 10 sins. And I still want someone to show me where in the Bible does it say a woman vs woman is wrong as it only states a man vs a man is a sin". Read - Netizens Slam Hallmark After It Pulls Out Ad Featuring Lesbian Couple Facebook user sided with the wedding venue and wrote on Facebook, " Everyone has a right to their own beliefs. You want to force yours on the venue. They have the right to practice their belief..or am I missing something. Just get a venue that allows for LGBTQ.. can't be that difficult" Read - Ellen DeGeneres Surprises A Lesbian Couple After Their Parents Disapprove Of Their Wedding Read - Same-Sex Couple Wedding: Lesbian Couple Ties The Knot In Jaisalmer Old Main on the Penn State campus in State College. Read more STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Penn State University has suspended a fraternity while a third-party report of an allegation of sexual assault is investigated. University police said Tuesday that an online submission said an unidentified person, reportedly a student, had alleged to a third party having been sexually assaulted by four unidentified fraternity brothers almost a week earlier at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity in State College. Penn State said Wednesday that its office of student contact has placed the fraternity's Phi Sigma Delta Sigma chapter on interim suspension while the university and State College police investigate. During the suspension, the fraternity will be barred from recruiting members, hosting social events and participating in university functions. Penn State said Alpha Epsilon Pis national organization has been notified and is cooperating with the investigation. Jonathan Pierce, former national fraternity president and current International Fraternity spokesman, confirmed Wednesday that the organization is cooperating fully with the investigation. Obviously, the alleged incident is absolutely antithetical to our fraternitys ideals and values," he said. We will provide more comment upon the conclusion of the investigations. A message was also sent to the fraternitys local chapter seeking comment. The world's first rail-cum-road bridge with a single span measuring over one km between China's eastern Nantong city and Shanghai is expected to be made operational by the middle of this year, officials said. The 11,072-metre long cable-stayed Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, which cuts travel time between the two cities to one hour, will emerge as a civil engineering icon. Jiangsu province's Nantong, a prefecture-level city, is located about 120 km from Shanghai. It is a thriving city with thousands of years of history and modern infrastructure. "This mega bridge project began in November 2013, and civil work started on March 1, 2014. The height of its tallest column is 325 metres and nearly 4,80,000 tonne of steel and 2,300,000 cubic meter concrete has been used in it," a senior official said. The double-use bridge will have a six-lane expressway on the upper deck and four railway tracks on the lower deck. Huge volume of construction was required so that the bridge can withstand violent typhoons, high-intensity earthquakes and impacts from collision of a heavy ship, he said. The bridge will have a special place in the hearts of the Chinese people as it was closed in September last year ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on October 1. "We had a grand ceremony in Beijing on October 1, it being the National Day and marking 70th anniversary of the PRC. The Shanghai-Nantong bridge was closed in September, ahead of the anniversary day," a senior official of China Daily told PTI. "Closure of a bridge means the two sides connecting. In China, we call it 'He Long', It is like two dragons meeting each other," the official said. The state-run English daily in partnership with the Jiangsu local government recently organised a visit to the province for 15 journalists from several countries, who also visited the under-construction bridge, the second across the mighty Yangtze river. "The new bridge connecting Nantong and Suzhou is expected to be finished on March 20, 2020 and begin operating on July 1" the China Daily official said, quoting local administration officials. Locals also refer to the new bridge as HuTong Bridge, Hu and Tong being Chinese (Pinyin) names for Shanghai and Nantong respectively. Nantong is to the north of Suzhou in Jiangsu, and Shanghai is located to the east of Suzhou. There is already a Suzhou-Nantong bridge, and this is the second bridge across Yangtze River, and for some reason, people living in Nantong want to name it as 'Nantong-Shanghai' bridge rather than Nantong-Suzhou bridge, the official said. The official said that the bridge will cut the travel time between the two cities from two hours by road at present to one. Sharing the challenges faced by the construction team, the official said, "There were two ways to build the main tower, one is pile foundation, the other is large caisson construction. Due to high-speed winds and water reason, they choose the second one, more complicated, but more safe option". Nantong administration has also planned the second airport for the city. The first airport Nantong Xingdong international airport was built in 1993, the official said. "Nantong is going to emerge as the veritable northern gateway to Shanghai, with the new bridge and the airport," a senior official of Nantong administration said. "We want our Nantong to be a world-class city. Work going on expanding the urban infrastructure and a new bridge being built to connect faster to Shanghai. A new airport will also come up and people can visit Shanghai by flying to Nantong directly," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Public Health Officer, Juba, South Sudan Organization: World Health Organization (WHO) Country: South Sudan City: Juba Office: WHO South Sudan Closing date: Monday, 3 February 2020 Public Health Officer ( 1905850 ) Grade : No grade Contractual Arrangement : Special Services Agreement (SSA) Contract duration : Six Months Job Posting: Jan 20, 2020, 4:35:38 PM BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF THE FUNCTION The mission of WHOs Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. In the context of the WHO Health Emergencies System, at the country level, the incumbent will provide technical advice for Health cluster strategic categories and related public health programmes, including: i) Strengthening emergency response/resilience and preparedness activities to reduce mortality, morbidity especially due to the impact of outbreaks and or public health emergencies. ii) Advising national and international actors on public health issues related to emergency response. iii) Strengthening the health system, enhancing health equity, tackling the social determinants of health and envisioning the achievement of universal health coverage. iv) Underpin the response to the major communicable and non communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors among affected population. v) Advocate the utilization of reliable information, evidence, innovation and knowledge for improving population health outcomes, throughout the full cycle of the emergency response. vi) Liaising with other sectors in providing a public health response in emergencies and outbreak vii) Providing technical public health input for strategic planning, project management and reporting Reporting to the Health Cluster Coordinator, under the overall guidance of the Head of the WHO Country Office, the Public Health Officer will be accountable for the effective technical management, guidance and provision of expert advice for the application and adaptation of health cluster policies and strategies; to achieve programme goals and expansion of Health cluster-assisted public health interventions. S/he will have responsibility for coordinating Health cluster operations to ensure the timely delivery, effective and efficient implementation of the activities, to achieve the best attainable health status for the populations that the health cluster and its partner serve. The incumbent will work with technical Health cluster programmes in a challenging environment, in which there are multiple players including the national health authorities, other public sector ministries, emergency and development partners, UN Agencies, civil society organizations and academic institutions. The incumbent will oversee quality assurance of health services and programmes delivered by implementing and operational partners to health cluster. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday that the Minister of Public Finance will go in Parliament "whenever possible" to give explanations about the foreign loans contracted by Romania, after the Social Democrats criticized Florin Citu on this topic. "We are expecting this opportunity, so that the Minister of Finance be able to present the significantly higher quality of the procedures and of the presentation manner that has led to taking loans more favorable to Romania than the loans contracted by the former governments," the head of the Executive said. He added that, for the Government at whose helm he is, the relationship with the Legislature is "natural", and the ministers will respond to the summonses. "Parliament has a control role over the Government and the ministers of the Government I lead will answer any call," Orban said. Finance Minister Florin Citu is invited next Tuesday, from 11:00 hrs, to a hearing in the Economic Committee of the Senate to provide explanations regarding the relevant ministry's loans of the last period. The Ministry in an official communique to the chiefs of all security agencies, including paramilitary forces and Special Protection Group (SPG), has warned of taking extra measures to keep an eye on each suspicious activity. New Delhi: Ahead of Republic Day, the Ministry of Home Affairs, after considering an intelligence alert, has issued a warning to all security agencies to be on alert, saying "derogatory contents" posted on social media against Prime Minister Narendra Modi may pose threat, sources said. It is learnt that the Ministry letter, issued last week, refers to the spurt in posting of "derogatory contents and visuals" on various social media platforms against the Prime Minister and other high-risk dignitaries. The Ministry's concern is based on the intelligence report shared with it in the beginning of this month regarding the possibility of "desperate individuals resorting to some extreme measures". Officials in the know of things, requesting anonymity, said that the government has been taking more precautionary measures to avert any untoward incident as intelligence inputs suspect terror attacks ahead of Republic Day. "We are extras cautious this time. Each and every input is being taken care of," an official said. The government's recent decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act and conduct the National Population Register (NPR) as well as talks about a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) are among the reasons for high alert mentioned in the report as various violent protests have broken out across the country over the issues. "Social media has been abuzz with activity since these decisions were taken by the government. As protests are still going on at several places, the possibility of threat cannot be ruled out," another security official said. The intelligence report has also warned of terror plots backed by Pakistan-based terror groups to avenge the government's last year's decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one. It has been learnt that the deployment of paramilitary forces and police personnel on Republic Day will be much more than what was done in previous years to avoid and deal with any type of attacks. "Aerial to ground level security will be covered by over 3,000 snipers in the periphery of 3 km on Rajpath where the Republic Day function will be held. Around 70,000 force deployment is expected during the celebrations this time. All borders have already been put on high alert," an official said. Tihar jail authorities have asked the four convicts of the December 16 gang rape case to list their last wish before they are hanged to death on February 1. Senior officials said the request was made by the Tihar administration last week and none of the four have responded yet. Additional inspector general, Rajkumar confirmed that they have asked the four men in writing to list out their last wish before they are hanged to death. We are awaiting a reply from them. None of them have responded so far, he said. ALSO WATCH | 2012 gang-rape victims mother thanks Kangana for condemning Jasings pardon urge Rajkumar said, only once they tell us what their last wish is, Tihar authorities will take a decision if the wish can be fulfilled. Not every wish can be completed. The administration will take a decision once they revert to us in writing, the AIG said. Officials said, the four convicts have also been asked to name anyone they wish to meet one last time and transfer any property or belongings they own to anyone they wish. Their hanging has been delayed due to filing of review, curative and mercy petitions over a period of several months. Fresh death warrants were issued by a Delhi court on January 17 for the hanging of Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31), Mukesh Kumar Singh (32) and Pawan (26) on February 1 at 6 am. Sydney, Jan 23 : Three people were killed on Thursday when a water-bombing plane fighting bushfires crashed into a large fireball in the Snowy Monaro area, south of the Australian capital, amid rising temperatures that have further fuelled the fires in the country. The New South Wales (NSW) authorities said the C-130 Hercules tanker aircraft went down in the afternoon, Efe news reported. "Three people have lost their lives after a large tanker crashed. Our thoughts and prayers and heartfelt condolences go to their families," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. She said the disaster was a "stark and horrible" indication that the fire season in Australia was far from over and highlights the "dangerous work" being undertaken to control the fires. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said contact with the aircraft was lost shortly before 1.30 p.m. "Tragically, there appear to be no survivors as a result of the crash in the Snowy Monaro area. It has impacted heavily with the ground. "Initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground," he said. Fitzsimmons said there was "no indication at this stage on what caused the accident". The victims in the plane crash were not immediately identified but the commissioner said all three aboard were residents of the US. Canberra Airport was closed on Thursday after the Australian authorities once again activated the fire alert over rising temperatures, which in some places exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. The flights arriving in and departing from the country's ninth busiest airport in terms of the number of passengers were suspended around midday due to a fire raging nearby, the airport said in a statement on social media. In the Sydney region, where the mercury reached 41 degrees, it is feared that severe heat conditions, strong winds and potential storms could aggravate the situation. Strong winds in the mountains posed an increased risk of fires, said the meteorology bureau of New South Wales, whose capital is Sydney. Some 84 fires, 40 of them uncontrolled, are raging in the region. "There's every potential for flare-ups and new ignitions to come out of some of these fire grounds," Fitzsimmons said. The authorities in the Australian Capital Territory, which includes Canberra, were also on alert against the danger of fires before temperatures begin to fall again on Friday. Bushfires, which have been raging since September and which worsened on New Year's Eve, have claimed 32 lives and affected more than 1 billion animals. The fires have razed more than 2,500 homes and 180,000 square kilometres (some 69,500 square miles) of land, an area equivalent to the size of Syria. These fires, which experts say have been more intense this year due to global warming, have so far emitted 400 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, an amount equivalent to the country's average annual emissions, according to the global environment monitoring programme Copernicus. A survey by the Australia Institute published on Thursday found that 57 percent of the people surveyed across the country of 24.6 million inhabitants felt the impact of fires and smoke, while 26 percent experienced health problems as a result. The report also underlined that about 1.8 million people were unable to work because of the fires, and the loss in productivity was estimated at AU$1.3 billion (US $894 million). "Australia is in the grip of a national climate disaster. The social, economic and medical impacts are vast and only just starting to become clear," said Tom Swann, a senior researcher at the Australia Institute. Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: The Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh government has repealed the Act framed by the earlier BJP government led by Raman Singh on the monthly pension scheme to people jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the 1975-77 Emergency period. After the government took charge in Chattisgarh in January 2019, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel placed instructions for physical verification of all beneficiaries of MISA pensions. Subsequently, all commissioners and the district collectors had stopped the pension from February 1, 2019. Justifying his governments decision Baghel had asserted that such people cannot be called 'freedom fighters'. MISA detainees are not freedom fighters so why should they be entitled for such pensions, Baghel had then said after putting the disbursement of the pension on hold. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh BJP has been strongly protesting against discontinuation of the pension and many MISA beneficiaries approached the high court against the move of the state government. Nullifying of the rules is an admission by the state government on the existence of such regulations on pension which is denied to the beneficiaries who were not only from BJP and RSS. Even the High Court requested releasing pension to those who approached it for judicial remedy. The court didnt pass any adverse remark on the Act. "After the official gazette notification, out legal option remains open and we are consulting the lawyers, BJP leader Sachchidanand Upasane who is the national vice president of the Loktantra Sewani Sangh told the Express. The previous BJP government offered a monthly pension of Rs 25,000 to detainees under the MISA. In Chhattisgarh, over 200 persons are cited as MISA beneficiaries. We heartily welcome the governments decision on accepting our demand to annul the MISA-2008, launched for political reasons only to benefit the BJP and the RSS leaders as Samman Nidhi at the cost of the state exchequer. "The huge pension amount was gross misuse of the state funds which can now be used in the welfare of the masses. The leaders benefitted under MISA neither played any role in freedom struggle or did anything revolutionary, said Vikas Tiwari Congress spokesperson who was campaigning against MISA. New York City has voted to ban cashless businesses because it is 'elitist' and 12 per cent of the city's residents don't have bank accounts. The City Council passed a bill Thursday afternoon that will make cashless-only policies illegal across the city and hit businesses with hefty fines of $1,000 to $1,500 if they fail to accept cash payments from customers. Lawmakers approved the legislation, first introduced by Council member Ritchie Torres in November 2018, by a 43-3 margin. Cashless restaurants and stores have been springing up of late across the city, with supporters saying it helps prevent theft, speeds up the checkout process and is more innovative. New York City Council passed a bill, first introduced by Council member Ritchie Torres (above), that will make cashless-only policies illegal across the city Dos Toros Taqueria restaurant chain currently does not accept cash payments. Its founder Leo Kremer said in City Council testimony last year that cashless payments are more 'seamless' and that since moving to cashless transactions, the business had cut down on firing or punishing workers over cash discrepancies. However, critics slammed the move to cashless stores as 'elitist' and said that it marginalizes many residents. Torres told The Times ahead of the vote that New York people should have a right to choose. 'Consumers should have the right to choose if they want to pay in cash or not,' he said. 'We are reining in the excesses of the digital economy.' In the introduction for the motion Thursday morning, Rafael L Espinal, chair of the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing, said he wanted to 'draw attention to some unintended consequences of cashless technologies'. 'In a modern financial hub like New York City it might be easy to assume everyone has easy access to banking facilities and technologies that allow cashless transactions - unfortunately this is not the case,' he said. Espinal said that cashless-only stores are marginalizing disadvantaged groups, because many residents in New York don't have access to a bank account. In the introduction for the motion Thursday morning, Rafael L Espinal, chair of the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing (pictured in the middle), said he wanted to 'draw attention to some unintended consequences of cashless technologies' 'In 2013 close to 12% of the city's population were completely unbanked,' said Espinal (pictured). Not having a bank account is linked to poverty WHO'S GONE CASHLESS? New York restaurant chain Dos Toros Taqueria restaurant chain is currently a cash-free zone. Founder Leo Kremer said in New York City Council testimony last year that cashless payments are more 'seamless' and that, since moving to cashless transactions, the business had cut down on firing or punishing workers over cash discrepancies. Sweetgreen, the salad restaurant chain, went cashless in 2017 but found that this 'had the unintended consequence of excluding those who prefer to pay, or can only pay, with cash'. By the end of 2019 it had reintroduced cash payments to all of its restaurants. Amazon's first 11 Amazon Go stores were all set up as cashless sites. But, in 2019 the tech giant bucked its own trend with the opening of its 12th store in New York which welcomes cash payments. Salad store Chopt is one of the NYC eateries that dropped cash transactions Advertisement 'Across the city there are large populations who are disconnected from formal banking institutions. In 2013 close to 12% of the city's population were completely unbanked,' he said. Not having a bank account is linked to poverty, Espinal added. Bronx and Brooklyn are the areas with the highest proportion of people who don't have access to a bank account - areas that Espinal said poverty is also high. Immigrant communities and survivors of domestic violence also fall foul to 'unintended harm' from business's cashless rules, because they 'face barriers to opening bank accounts'. Under the New York City bill, businesses that refuse cash payments will be fined $1,000 the first time and $1,500 for each time after. There will be some exceptions. Stores will be able to refuse to take notes larger than $20 and they will be allowed to have a machine on site that can load cash onto prepaid cards that are then used for payment. Some stores had already started backtracking on their no-cash rules before the law change. Sweetgreen, the salad restaurant chain that went cashless in 2017, said its move to not accepting hard currency 'had the unintended consequence of excluding those who prefer to pay, or can only pay, with cash'. By the end of 2019 it had reintroduced cash payments to all of its restaurants. Cashless restaurants and stores have been springing up of late across the city, with supporters saying it helps prevent theft, speeds up the checkout process and is more innovative. Dos Toros Taqueria restaurant chain (above) currently does not accept cash payments In 2019 Amazon bucked its own trend when it opened its 12th Amazon Go store, in New York. Unlike all its other stores that were cashless from the get-go, this branch was the first to allow customers to pay by cash. It came as little surprise that the bill was passed by New York Council members Thursday - as 23 of the chamber's 51 members had already signed on as sponsors. The final bill will now go before New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has 30 days to either sign the bill into law, veto the bill or take no action. The mayor has previously said he supports the bill's intent, but plans to put it through a review process. Once passed, it will then take 90 days to come into effect. New York City is following in the footsteps of Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Jersey which all passed similar laws last year. Massachusetts has had a law requiring retailers to accept cash since 1978. Chicago is also considering a similar move. Feature Fostering Peace Foreign exchange students champion cultural understanding She never fails to look impeccably stylish no matter the occasion. And Alexa Chung nailed it once again, as she put on a typically stylish display while arriving at the Global Radio Studios in London on Thursday morning. The model, 36, rocked a chic black fluffy cardigan underneath a double-breasted grey hounds tooth blazer with oversized lapels and gold button detailing. Style queen: Alexa Chung nailed it once again, as she put on a typically stylish display while arriving at the Global Radio Studios in London on Thursday morning She teamed her ensemble with a pair of stone wash blue denim jeans, while opting for a quirky edge with a pair of black clogs complete with studded edge. Alexa chose to forgo any accessories and kept her look simple, while accentuating her pretty features with light touches of make-up in a neutral pallet. The TV presenter styled her glossy brunette tresses in loose curs, allowing her locks to cascade over her shoulders as she strutted into the studio. Chic: The model, 36, rocked a chic black fluffy cardigan underneath a double-breasted grey hounds tooth blazer with oversized lapels and gold button detailing In the romance department, Alexa has been dating toyboy Orson Fry, 23, since last Summer. Alexa and her boyfriend are said to be so besotted that Orson has as good as moved into her swanky apartment in Dalston. The fashion designer was previously in a high-profile relationship with screen star Alexander Skarsgard from 2015 until 2017. Fashion sensations: Alexa later appeared on This Morning alongside Queer Eye's Tan France Looking fantastic: The pair posed for a snap backstage and showed off their incredible fashion looks Orson, whose father is thrice married Cosmo Fry, 60 a descendant of the Fry's chocolate dynasty graduated from the private liberal arts college Bard in New York two years ago, and juggles singing in his band with working as a waiter. His mother was Amanda Aspinall daughter of gambling tycoon and animal park owner John Aspinall. Brunette beauty Alexa boasts a successful career in the modelling career, serving as the face of DKNY Jeans and Lacoste, and even has her own fashion range labelled Alexa Chung. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official wedding souvenirs no longer feature in the Royal Collection's online shop in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to quit royal life. Commemorative pieces including a fine bone china coffee mug, a tankard and a plate were released ahead of Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, nuptials in Windsor in May 2018. Some pieces were still available to purchase as recently as a few days ago, but now searches for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring up no results on royalcollectionshop.co.uk. It comes after it emerged Prince Harry and Meghan trademarked their Sussex Royal brand on more than 100 items including pencils, socks and bookmarks more than six months ago, before declaring they wanted to quit the royal family and work toward 'financial independence.' Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, official wedding souvenirs are no longer for sale on the Royal Collection's online shop, after the couple quit royal life just 20 months on from their wedding A spokeswoman for the Royal Collection Trust said the chinaware items had sold out. 'Many of Royal Collection Trust's china ranges are produced to celebrate a specific occasion and are sold for a limited time,' the spokeswoman said. 'The china range to celebrate the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has sold out.' The majority of items celebrating Princess Eugenie's wedding, including a tea towel and a china tankard, have also sold out but still appear listed as such on the site. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had an official commemorative china range which was released through the Royal Collection (pictured, a plate to mark the couple's wedding) However the pieces, which include bone china mugs and tankards, are no longer available for sale through the Royal Collection online shop Chinaware marking the Queen becoming the longest reigning monarch in 2015 - three years before the Sussexes' wedding - is still available to buy. The change comes after Harry and Meghan walked away from the monarchy, choosing financial and personal freedom over royal duty. The couple will no longer use their HRH titles as they carve out a new life with their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, spending the majority of their time in Canada. Tens of thousands of well-wishers flocked to Windsor to catch a glimpse of the couple on their wedding day on May 19 2018, with more than 11 million tuning in to watch the televised coverage. A pillbox released to mark the couple's wedding was available on the site until days ago - but is no longer featured Newspaper headlines declared 'Harry Ever After!' and 'Harry & Glorious - Joy at the wedding that rewrote royal rulebook'. But just 20 months on, the Queen's grandson and the American former actress are setting up home in Canada, after telling of their struggles, and now their hopes for a more peaceful future, amid plans to earn their own money. Cornflower blue with white detailing, the official memorabilia featured a gold monogram of the couple's initials side by side, tied together with a white ribbon and surmounted by Harry's coronet. Harry and Meghan would have approved the memorabilia, which included a miniature coffee mug costing 19.95, a standard coffee mug for 25, a pillbox at 35, a tankard for 39 and a plate at 49, before it was launched ahead of their high-profile wedding ceremony. The memorabilia, which was released for the royal couple's wedding just 20 months ago, was for sale through the Royal Collection site (pictured, Prince Harry and Meghan at their wedding in May 2018) Pieces available up just a few days ago included a pillbox reduced from 35 to 10 and a miniature mug reduced from 19.95 to 10. The items, along with souvenirs marking Prince Louis of Cambridge's birth and Eugenie's wedding, helped towards a record 21.7 million in retail income for the Royal Collection Trust in 2018. The decorative border on each piece was inspired by the couple's wedding venue. It was based on the stylised tree ironwork of the 13th century Gilebertus door of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The move comes after it emerged the couple had trademarked their 'Sussex Royal' brand on more than 100 items before quitting the royal family for 'financial independence' (pictured, Prince Harry and Meghan in London earlier this month) Earlier this month, it emerged the couple had trademarked their 'Sussex Royal brand' in order to stamp their name on dozens of products including T-shirts, hoodies, journals and gloves. Retail expert Andy Barr said he would expect Prince Harry and Meghan's new Sussex Royal product empire to generate revenues of 400million. Experts said Harry and Meghan were actively preparing to quit the Royal Family months ago by filing trade mark applications to commercially protect their brand. Deborah Dugan, the suspended chief of the Recording Academy, the organisation behind the Grammy Awards, said in a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday that she had been removed as retaliation for uncovering a range of misconduct at the academy, including sexual harassment, improper voting procedures and conflicts of interest among academy board members. Deborah Dugan has lodged a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Credit:Invision Dugan's 44-page complaint details her clash with a number of powerful men at the academy during her tenure of just five months. But her accusations also represent an indictment of the academy itself, which has struggled to reform its reputation after coming under harsh criticism for its poor record recognising women and people of colour in the major categories. The document, filed with the EEOC's Los Angeles office and technically called a charge of discrimination, alleges that Dugan's predecessor, Neil Portnow, had been accused of rape by an artist, and that the academy's board had been asked to approve a bonus for him even though all its members had not been told about the accusation. The complaint has little detail about the accusation, but said that a psychiatrist had said that the encounter was "likely not consensual". It also says that Dugan herself had received unwanted sexual advances from Joel Katz, a powerful industry lawyer who represents the Grammys. Prev 1 of 2 Next Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan said the Mexican government should ask the United Nations to provide humanitarian aid for refugees staying in a border camp in Matamoros, a city across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. People staying at the camp are seeking asylum in the U.S., but are staying there because of the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico policy, he said. The New Mexico Democrat who represents the 3rd Congressional District toured the camp in Matamoros and tent court facilities in Brownsville last week as a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is investigating the impact of the policy. Some of my colleagues have visited refugee camps in other parts of the world, Lujan told the Journal in a phone interview. They said this was the worst theyve seen. The Matamoros camp is the largest on the border where people are waiting for their asylum cases to be heard, the congressmans office said. His office said about 60,000 migrants have been turned away from the U.S. border because of the Remain in Mexico policy. Lujan said there were more than 3,000 people staying at the camp on the day of the tour. He described the camp as being on the edge of the Rio Grande like a berm, or a levee in an area prone to flooding during heavy rains or a hurricane. Even though it was dry, there were still areas of thick clay mud, the congressman said. He said the migrants used plastic sheets and garbage bags tied to branches for tents. Lujan said that nonprofit groups and churches provided tents but that there were not enough for the whole camp. He described drainage problems in the area where the refugees had to use the bathroom. He said the air in the camp was filled with thick smoke because migrants had to gather wood for fires to keep warm and to cook. Asylum-seekers and migrants in the tent camp lack access to adequate, safe drinking water and are forced to bathe and wash clothes in the Rio Grande, which is contaminated with bacteria, his office said. Lujan said migrants were concerned about security. He said Mexican police officers were present during the tour, but Lujan was under the impression the officers were there only because of the tour. Some of the women said people have come into the camp and shouted obscenities at them, he said. They call them horrible names. Theyve called them prostitutes. He said there were many single mothers in the camp with children who fear kidnappings. They reported that some have disappeared, he said. Lujan and Lauren French, a spokeswoman in his office, cited a human rights group report that there have been at least 660 publicly reported cases of murder, rape, torture, kidnapping and other violent assaults against asylum-seekers since the policy was put into place. Lujan said members of the delegation voiced concerns about the conditions of the camp with Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. Although he suggested that Mexico seek assistance from the United Nations, he said they had not had a chance to speak to Mexican officials about the camps condition. He said the delegation would prefer the Trump administration reconsider its Remain in Mexico policy. Most of the families that are seeking asylum are from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala countries with some of the highest rates for rape and homicide in the world, Lujan said. They want to protect their children from violence. We just want the administration to follow the law and let their cases be heard. In an interview with the Russian media outlet Moscow Speaks, Duma Deputy Aleksey Zhuravlyov suggested that American climate weapons could explain Moscows unusually mild winter weather, said to be the warmest the Russian capital has experienced since 1886. Zhuravlyov opined that such weapons could not be used solely against Russia without affecting the rest of the world. But he said Russia would suffer the most because of it. He further asserted that the goal of U.S. climate weapons was to melt Russias permafrost, something he said would be a disaster for Russia. The lawmaker gave no evidence for the existence of such weapons, but claimed the U.S. previously used them in Vietnam. It is possible Zhuravlyov was referring to cloud seeding (via aircraft) over the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War, a tactic to flood the terrain and making it impassable to North Vietnamese forces. Disclosure of the program led to a backlash in the U.S., where Congress passed resolutions condemning and prohibiting the use of weather modification for military purposes. Later, the U.S. and the Soviet Union became parties to the 1977 Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD), an international treaty prohibiting environmental modification for military purposes. Zhuravlyov is a repeat purveyor of the climate weapon falsehood. Last summer, Zhuravlyov blamed American climate weapons for wildfires in Siberia and severe rains and unseasonably cold weather in Moscow. Huge amounts are on tables on the winning chances of the TRS, BJP and the Congress candidates who have contested in the urban local bodies (ULBs), particularly in Medchal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad. Hyderabad: The districts of Medchal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad have turned into hotbeds for betting. With the completion of polling, punters and bookies have swung into action to encash on the curiosity of followers and friends of contesting candidates. Huge amounts are on tables on the winning chances of the TRS, BJP and the Congress candidates who have contested in the urban local bodies (ULBs), particularly in Medchal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad. According to sources close to bookies, majority of punters are showing interest on betting of the winning mayor candidates in Karimnagar and Nizamabad. However, sadly for professional bookies, people are not involving them in betting, with followers of rival party candidates and majority of punters preferring a straight 1:1 ratio betting between themselves. Sources in TRS disclosed that one of their party leader had betted Rs 50 lakh on the pink party winning 25 divisions in Nizamabad corporation, while a former MPTC betted Rs 30 lakh on BJP winning the corporation. Sources revealed that in Karimnagar betting was taking place between BJP and TRS leaders over the mayor seat. Interestingly, the TRS cadre also betting among themselves over the mayor candidate, as some of them expect that a three-time corporator may get the mayor post, while others are expecting a new face, backed by minister G. Kamlakar. The chairman and CEO of global tank storage company Royal Vopak has emphasized the need for a long-term outlook when deciding how to position the business going forward. Speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Eelco Hoekstra explained that the firm, which stores everything from oil and gas to chemicals, "continuously try to assess the long term trends on which commodities are vital to economies to prosper." "It's our view that Vopak needs to tilt, or move, towards a higher volume of chemicals and gas," he added. On the issue of whether the company's strategy was because of the business risk in being so focused on oil with the climate agenda now a topic of discussion and debate, Hoekstra adopted a measured approach. "Well, what we see is that if you look even at all the IEA (International Energy Agency) scenarios, there is still dependency on oil in the long run, but the real growth will be predominantly in gas, and most likely to replace coal." "I think that's a very sensible thing to do, because in the short term it's an opportunity to abate CO2 (carbon dioxide) and infrastructure is required to do that." The company followed the industry trends, he added, and tried to find opportunities to invest in gas, citing recent examples of investments in Pakistan and Colombia, and equally in chemicals in places like China. In a previous version of this article, it was reported that Sen. Hawley went on Fox News to do an interview during the impeachment trial. Mike Berg of Sen. Hawleys office told PoliticusUSA, You just published an article inaccurately claiming Senator Hawley broke Senate rules to go on Fox News. Senator Hawley prerecorded the hit during the dinner break, which is why the tweet you cite in your article has been taken down. We correct our previous article to reflect this new information, and thank Sen. Hawleys office for reaching out. Airplane manufacturer Boeing has secured at least $6 billion in loans from major banks, including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, and is seeking a further $4 billion, according a report citing internal sources by the financial news channel CNBC. The company is looking to offset losses estimated at $1 billion a month from two crashes and the resulting grounding of its flagship 737 Max 8 aircraft. The combined death toll from the October 2018 crash of Lion Air Flight 610 and the March 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was 346. Boeing logo [Credit: Flickr.com, sota] Boeing, which posted revenues of $100 billion in 2018, has suffered a sharp fall in income and share value since the grounding of the Max 8 last March. Its stock price has fallen from $440.62 per share on March 1, 2019 to a closing price of $307.15 on Tuesday, wiping out more than $64 billion of the companys value. The aerospace giants sales plummeted from 893 airplanes in 2018 to just 54 in 2019. Its final earnings report for 2019 is expected to be posted on January 29. It is unclear when or even if the Max 8 will ever fly again. In the 10 months since its grounding, a steady stream of internal leaks, news reports, interviews with former employees and congressional hearings have provided a mountain of evidence pointing to criminal negligence, deadly safety short cuts and concealment of known dangers on the part of Boeing management, facilitated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and top government officials. Yet not a single company executive or regulatory head has been criminally charged, let alone prosecuted and convicted. These figures have instead been richly rewarded. Ex-CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who was forced from his position in December, walked away from the company with $80.7 million in compensation for overseeing the final development, production and certification of one of the deadliest commercial aircraft ever to fly. Michael Luttig, who until recently was Boeings chief legal counsel, last year sold shares worth $6.5 million and was gifted shares currently worth $3.6 million. Even the loan that is being extended to Boeing is constructed to maximize the companys profits. It will likely be what is known as a delayed-draw loan, designed to have no immediate impact on the companys credit rating, unlike loans provided to workers. This will provide Boeing extra capital to pay its investors, including firms such as Vanguard and T. Rowe Price, which have continued to receive dividends on their shares throughout the Max 8 grounding. Investors are also expecting Boeing to use the funds to help complete its $4 billion acquisition of Embraer, which has plans to develop new propeller planes for shorter, regional flights. In contrast, a pittance has been provided to the 346 families that lost loved ones in the two crashes. The total allocated for them is $50 million, amounting to $144,500 per crash victim. This is less than what Muilenburg averaged in a month. At the same time, Boeing has agreed to pay airline corporations $5.6 billion in compensation for lost profits, more than 10 times its compensation to grieving families. Nor has any relief been provided to the thousands of workers whose livelihoods are being destroyed as a result of the grounding and production halt of the Max 8. Earlier this month, Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, based in Witchita, Kansas, indefinitely laid off 2,800 employees. The parts manufacturer generates nearly 50 percent of its income from producing the fuselage for the 737 Max. General Electric has announced it is laying off 70 temporary employees at its jet engine factory in Quebec as a result of the grounding. While the company was planning these layoffs, it paid its chairman and CEO Larry Culp more than $15 million to oversee job cuts. Boeing has been further hit by an expose published Monday in the New York Times concerning a crash of a Boeing 737-NG that occurred in February of 2009. A fresh review of the evidence in that crash, which occurred outside of Amsterdam and killed nine people, shows that a faulty sensor triggered a computer command that could not be overridden by the pilots, causing the Turkish Airlines flight to plummet to the ground. This is essentially the same malfunction that caused both Max 8 crashes. While the findings from that time by the Dutch Safety Board primarily blamed the pilots, it has come to light that a contemporaneous study by Dr. Sidney Dekker, an aviation safety expert, was suppressed at the behest of Boeing because it made clear that the crash was primarily Boeings fault. The airplane manufacturer used only a single sensor to trigger the computer command, rather than following normal safety protocol and requiring a second sensor to set off the command. In the aftermath, it was revealed that Boeing had upgraded its software to take inputs from two sensors in order to avoid this very problem, but had made the second sensor an optional feature on its NG aircraft, installed at an additional cost to the airline. This upgrade, moreover, was incompatible with many older models of the plane, including the one that crashed. In the case of both the Max 8 and the earlier 737 model, Boeing knew that its software had potentially deadly consequences but kept hidden from airlines, pilots and the flying public knowledge of the problem and the fact that it was working on a fix. It also meant that Chase, as presiding judge, sought the same powers any court judge would have; he wanted to decide legal disputes and rule on admissibility of evidence. The members of the House of Representatives prosecuting the president protested. You are a law unto yourselves, one of the managers addressed the senators, bound only by the natural principles of equality and justice. Chase said, then, in the case of a tie, he wanted to be able to cast a vote, exercising the same power that a vice president, as presiding officer of the Senate, would have. The surest way to fix gerrymandering would be for Pritzker to back an amendment to the states constitution. And even if he doesnt, the fair maps issue will land on the governors desk next year anyway, after the 2020 census is complete and new maps are drawn. A strong stand now on ethics reform would help the governor when it comes time to deliver on his campaign promise never to approve a gerrymandered map. The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 7, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Supreme Court Considers Parents Using Public Money for Religious Schools WASHINGTONA tax-credit program for needy students in Montana shouldnt be shut down merely because some of the money may end up in the coffers of private religious schools, the Supreme Court heard Jan. 22. What were saying here is that the state cant discriminate on the basis of religion [and] that is what they are doing in this case, said the lawyer for the parents in the case, Richard Komer of the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm. Chief Justice John Roberts officiated at oral arguments in the case, cited as Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, just eight hours after he finished presiding over the first day of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump across the street in the U.S. Senate. The petitioners are three low-income mothers who needed the scholarship funds to keep their children in Stillwater Christian School, a nondenominational school in Kalispell, Montana. The program gave individuals and corporations a tax credit for giving as much as $150 annually to a nonprofit student scholarship organization helping poor students attend private schools. Parents sued after the states Department of Revenue ruled that those scholarship funds could not be used for religious schools. A trial judge enjoined the rule and then the Montana Supreme Court struck down the program on Dec. 12, 2018, declaring it unconstitutional on a 52 vote. The program, according to the state court, allowed the state legislature to indirectly pay tuition at private, religiously affiliated schools, contrary to Montana law. Because the families may use the scholarships at religious schools, the program provided aid to religious institutions and thereby entangled government with religion, contrary to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, along with provisions in the Montana state constitution barring state aid to sectarian schools. The Trump administration supported the petitioners at the hearing. The Montana Supreme Court had no power under federal law to invalidate anything, Jeffrey B. Wall, principal deputy U.S. solicitor general, said. It relied on a state constitutional provision that is inconsistent with and preempted by the federal free-exercise clause. Komer told the Supreme Court the program was not aiding the schools, but, in fact, was aiding the parents. You have a choice to make about the parents here. You can either view them as mere inconsequential conduits through which public funds flow to the religious schools they choose or you can regard them as free and independent decision-makers who are being given the power to choose a religious education or a secular education in private schools. Komer said he wasnt arguing that the state wasnt allowed to fund public schools. We are saying that when the legislature, when the state makes the decision to empower parents to exercise their right to choose and direct their childrens education, that the state cannot distinguish between parents who want a religious education for their children and parents who want a secular private education for their children. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg seemed to defend the Montana Supreme Court ruling, which, to borrow expressions used throughout the hearing, leveled down the program, or got rid of it, rather than leveled up the program, meaning made it available for use at all schools. Ginsburg suggested that the parents had no standing to bring the case because the treatment they received was no different from what other parents received who sent their children to secular private schools. Where is the harm? she said. Justice Elena Kagan added, Because of the [Montana] Supreme Courts ruling, whether you go to a religious school or you go to a secular private school, youre in the same boat at this point, she said. There is no discrimination at this point going on, is there? Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh spoke of the anti-religious, and particularly anti-Roman Catholic, bias of the so-called Blaine Amendment, a failed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would have prohibited direct government aid to educational institutions with religious affiliations. Despite the failure of the amendment at the federal level, three-quarters of the 50 states later adopted similar amendments in their state constitutions. Laws banning funding of religious schools are certainly rooted in grotesque religious bigotry against Catholics, Kavanaugh said. Alito challenged Adam G. Unikowsky, the lawyer for Montana. Do you really want to argue that the reason why a lot of this popped up beginning, coincidentally, in the 1840s, at the time of the Irish potato faminethat had nothing to do with discrimination based on religion? Unikowsky dodged the question, saying, Its a complex history, and theres good reasons and theres bad reasons, and it depends on the state. Newly elected MPs at Westminster used to be given a sound piece of advice by the party whips: Dont do anything you wouldnt want to see reported on the front page of your local newspaper. That should long since have been updated. Never put anything on your mobile phone you wouldnt want to share with billions of people on the internet. Lets hope Boris Johnson has been paying attention. Its reported that when he was Foreign Secretary, Boris was in the habit of handing out details of his WhatsApp account and smartphone number to world leaders. According to UN intelligence investigators, the Saudis and the Chinese, in particular, are dab hands at hacking. Mohammed Bin Salman is pictured above. Should Boris have any colourful indiscretions tucked away on his iPhone, its a dead cert that they are already stored for future use on a Saudi computer server One of them was MBS, who may sound like BBC presenter Steph McGoverns acute bowel disorder, but is actually Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Reports now claim Saudi intelligence has been hacking into the social media accounts of wealthy, famous and otherwise prominent figures, acquiring what the Russians call kompromat compromising material which can be used to influence, blackmail or discredit foreign rivals. During a trip to the U.S. in 2018, MBS swapped numbers with Jeff Bezos, billionaire founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post. They subsequently exchanged messages on WhatsApp. Its alleged that the Saudis sent Bezos a corrupt file, called spyware, which allowed them to steal thousands of pieces of information from his phone. This came back to bite Bezos in spectacular fashion when a Washington Post columnist who had been critical of MBS was murdered by a Saudi hit squad in Istanbul. Lets hope that Boris Johnson, a columnist-turned-politician, is as wary of new technology as I am. Sources say its 99 per cent certain he has exchanged messages with MBS After the Post ran a series of articles linking Bin Salman to the killing, nude photographs Bezos sent to a woman other than his wife and which had been obtained from his phone were leaked to a sleazy supermarket tabloid, the National Enquirer. These were proof that Bezos was having an extra-marital affair, a revelation that saddled him with the biggest divorce settlement in history. The Amazon boss was forced to admit that he had sent some below-the-belt selfies to his mistress. Its a pity he didnt heed the advice given to freshman British MPs. Never mind the local rag, Jeff, dont do anything you wouldnt want to see on the front page of the National Enquirer. What madness possesses anyone to take pictures of their private parts and then share them on social media? How many times have we heard about people pressing the wrong button and committing professional suicide by Twitter or Instagram, whatever that is? Youd have thought Bezos, of all people, would have known better. He must have been more aware than most that everything on your mobile is vulnerable to hacking. If the boss of one of the worlds largest tech companies is not safe, what hope for the rest of us? Its alleged that the Saudis sent Bezos (above) a corrupt file, called spyware, which allowed them to steal thousands of pieces of information from his phone. This came back to bite Bezos in spectacular fashion when a Washington Post columnist who had been critical of MBS was murdered by a Saudi hit squad in Istanbul By now, we should all be conscious of the fact that every time we turn on our phone or laptop, we are not alone. If youve been daft enough to install one of those voice-activated devices, like Alexa, youve probably found out already that your digital assistant is never off duty shes listening in, even when you think she isnt. People are quickly discovering that within minutes of discussing whether to buy a new sofa, or where to go on holiday, their internet browsers, email inboxes and Facebook pages are bombarded with adverts from furniture companies and travel agencies. Most of this information is handed over voluntarily. How many of us ever bother to read those thousand-page terms and conditions agreements which come with the latest app and immediately surrender access to our every swipe and keystroke? Far simpler just to click on agree. There is no hiding place on the world wide web. Our lives are an open book, whether we intend to share them or not. We are so reliant upon technology that we really have no alternative other than to use our credit cards for online purchases. You cant avoid the digital economy, unless you move to a remote island and live on what you can grow. Should Boris have any colourful indiscretions tucked away on his iPhone, its a dead cert that they are already stored for future use on a Saudi computer server. Of more immediate concern, is whether the Chinese have managed to gain access to Boriss social media accounts Some of us try to limit our exposure by having nothing to do with social media, installing anti-virus software and ad-blockers, using programs to shield our identities and refusing to sign up for loyalty cards. But none of it provides much protection. Im writing this on an Apple Mac with a Bluetooth keyboard. Weve always been led to believe that Apple products provide more security and privacy than other operating systems. Yet while I was researching the Bezos story yesterday, I stumbled across another report exposing flaws in Apples browser, Safari. Apparently, a new tool designed to stop companies tracking you online actually makes it easier not more difficult. The Times carried a Twenty Things Not To Do With Your Smartphone guide. Some of them seemed obvious, but others were baffling. How do you turn off stuff you didnt know you had in the first place? Basically, it confirmed that nothing on your mobile is safe not your emails, your passwords, your contacts, your cloud back-up, nor your WhatsApp account. And dont get me started on the dangers inherent in filing your bank account details to use contactless payment systems. But how long before we have no option? These days when I try to pay cash in a pub, the young bar staff look at me in bewilderment. One thing I did learn from Twenty Things is that by using a wireless Bluetooth keyboard, Im more vulnerable to attack by hackers. One chap even reported being able to listen in to other peoples phone calls, by accident, simply by turning on Bluetooth in his car. What am I supposed to do revert to using a sit-up and beg typewriter and employ a native runner to carry my copy to the Mail features desk in a cleft stick, like Boot of The Beast, rather than send it by email? We can only pray that the Chinese havent discovered a cache of below-the-belt selfies Boris unwisely sent to Carrie or any of his other lady friends. Thats something none of us would want to see on the front page of his local paper Lets hope that Boris Johnson, a columnist-turned-politician, is as wary of new technology as I am. If he did give his WhatsApp account details to Bin Salman and sources say its 99 per cent certain he has exchanged messages with MBS he should have made certain he didnt have any compromising material of his own lurking in the darkest recesses of his mobile. According to UN intelligence investigators, the Saudis and the Chinese, in particular, are dab hands at hacking. Should Boris have any colourful indiscretions tucked away on his iPhone, its a dead cert that they are already stored for future use on a Saudi computer server. Of more immediate concern, is whether the Chinese have managed to gain access to Boriss social media accounts. It might explain why he appears so determined to let Huawei install part of Britains 5G network despite warnings from our closest allies that it will make our communications vulnerable to infiltration by the Communist regime in Beijing. We can only pray that the Chinese havent discovered a cache of below-the-belt selfies Boris unwisely sent to Carrie or any of his other lady friends. Thats something none of us would want to see on the front page of his local paper. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Britain's Brexit bill now only needs royal assent after lawmakers in the U.K.'s parliament ratified the legislation on Wednesday. Why it matters: The ratification of the bill effectively ensures the U.K. will leave the European Union on Jan. 31. At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it." Boris Johnson statement The big picture: Johnson's withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU was rejected by the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament, on Monday. The Lords sent the legislation back to the House of Commons with five amendments on protections for child refugees, "EU citizens' rights, the power of UK courts to diverge from EU law and the independence of the judiciary after Brexit," the BBC reports. The Lords amendments were all defeated by members of parliament Wednesday owing to the huge majority Johnson's Conservative Party secured in the September general election, the BBC notes. What's next: In the next few days, Queen Elizabeth II is expected to sign the royal assent and the presidents of the European Council and European Commission are expected to sign the document, per the BBC. A new SARS-like virus has killed 17 people in China, infected hundreds and reached as far as the United States, with fears mounting about its spread as hundreds of millions travel for Lunar New Year celebrations, which start Friday. Many countries have stepped up screening of passengers from Wuhan, the Chinese city identified as the epicentre, and the World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting. Here's what we know so far about the virus: - It's entirely new - The pathogen appears to be a never-before-seen strain of coronavirus -- a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2003. Arnaud Fontanet, head of the department of epidemiology at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, told AFP the current virus strain was 80 percent genetically identical to SARS. China has already shared the genome sequencing of this novel coronavirus with the international scientific community. It has been named "2019-nCoV". It's being passed between humans - The WHO said Monday it believed an animal source was the "primary source" of the outbreak, and Wuhan authorities identified a seafood market as the centre of the epidemic. But China has since confirmed that there was evidence the virus is now passing from person to person, without any contact with the now-closed market. The virus has infected more than 400 people across the country, with most cases in Wuhan, according to officials. Li Bin of China's National Health Commission on Wednesday said 1,394 people were still under medical observation. Doctor Nathalie MacDermott of King's College London said it seems likely that the virus is spread through droplets in the air from sneezing or coughing. Doctors at the University of Hong Kong published an initial paper on Tuesday modelling the spread of the virus which estimated that there have been some 1,343 cases in Wuhan -- similar to a projection of 1,700 last week by scientists at Imperial College, London. Both are much higher than official figures. - It is milder than SARS - Compared with SARS, the symptoms appear to be less aggressive, and experts say the death toll is still relatively low. However, the milder nature of the virus can also cause alarm. The outbreak comes as China prepares for the Lunar New Year holiday, with hundreds of millions travelling across the country to see family. Professor Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, told AFP that the fact that the virus seems milder in the majority of people is "paradoxically more worrying" as it allows people to travel further before their symptoms are detected. - International public health emergency? - The WHO will hold a meeting on Wednesday to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern" and if so, what should be done to manage it. Cases have so far been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Macau and the United States. The WHO has only used the rare label a handful of times, including during the H1N1 -- or swine flu -- pandemic of 2009 and the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016. The Chinese government announced Tuesday it was classifying the outbreak in the same category as the SARS outbreak, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the disease and the potential to implement quarantine measures on travel. - Global precautions - As the number of confirmed deaths and infections has risen, so has concern worldwide about the disease spreading to other countries. In Thailand, authorities have introduced mandatory thermal scans of passengers arriving at airports in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi from high-risk areas in China. In Hong Kong, where hundreds died during the SARS outbreak, authorities have said they are on high alert, carrying out scans at the city's airport -- one of the world's busiest -- and at other international land and sea crossing points. The United States also ordered the screening of passengers arriving on direct or connecting flights from Wuhan, including at airports in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Taiwan has issued travel advisories, and went to its second-highest alert level for those travelling to or from Wuhan. Vietnam has also ordered more border checks on its border with China. In Europe, Britain and Italy have said they will introduce enhanced monitoring of flights from Wuhan, while Romania and Russia are also strengthening checks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DAVOS, Switzerland - President Donald Trump lashed out at congressional Democrats and the news media during a wide-ranging news conference before he left the World Economic Forum in Davos to return to Washington on Wednesday. The solo news conference, which had not been on his original schedule, has become a staple of the president's overseas trips, a coda to numerous bilateral meetings that offers him - and him alone - a final opportunity to shape the news cycle, although his remarks often distract from the central themes of the conference. Trump blasted the impeachment case and claimed that national security concerns were preventing administration officials from testifying. "It's a total hoax, it's a disgrace," he said. "They had no case, it's a con job." Trump has repeatedly directed administration officials to defy subpoenas for documents and testimony, but he said Wednesday that he would "love to have" them appear before Congress. ADVERTISEMENT However, Trump said, "it's a national security problem." People such as John Bolton, the former national security adviser, know too much about sensitive issues involving foreign policy to let them speak freely on Capitol Hill, he said. Trump described Democrats including Reps. Adam B. Schiff of California and Jerrold Nadler of New York as "corrupt" and "sleazebags," and he said his economic success had made them lose their minds. "You know what's driven them crazy? All of these record numbers." After boasting about economic gains and how "beautifully" he had been treated in Davos, Trump joked about another World Economic Forum attendee, 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, who he noted had earned an honor he covets: Time magazine's "Person of the Year" recognition. "She beat me out on Time magazine," Trump said. A day after decrying climate change activists as "perennial prophets of doom" in a speech, Trump said he "would have loved to have seen her speak." And when asked if he thought climate change was a hoax, Trump responded: "No, not at all." But he recommended that Thunberg "start working on those other countries," asserting that the United States, which withdrew from the Paris climate accord in 2017, is doing its part to combat climate change. "Our water numbers, our numbers on air, are tremendous," he said. "You have another continent where the fumes are rising at levels that you can't believe ... I think Greta ought to focus on those places." ADVERTISEMENT Trump was also asked why he has claimed that no Americans were affected by Iran's retaliatory missile strikes following the U.S. operation that killed former Gen. Qassem Soleimani, given that 11 U.S. servicemen were airlifted with injuries. "I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say and I can report it is not very serious," Trump said. "I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen." During an interview with CNBC on Wednesday morning, Trump also suggested that he might be willing to make cuts to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare to reduce the deficit, which has grown during his presidency as a result of the GOP tax reform package and additional government spending. "At the right time, we will take a look at that," Trump said. Those comments, however opaque, marked a sharp reversal from Trump's position as a candidate in 2016, when he vowed to protect such programs. --- (c)2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. [January 23, 2020] Canadian Commerce Startup, Bonsai, Secures $4M In Financing Fueled By Private Investors On the heels of a massive partnership with U.S.-based media company, Complex, Toronto-based startup, Bonsai continues its growth with a new funding round led by Michael La Brier, Chairman of Supreme Cannabis TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Canadian commerce startup, Bonsai , announces the completion of a $4 million (CAN) funding round led by the private investment of Michael La Brier, Chairman of Supreme Cannabis (TSE: FIRE) and a board member of Bonsai, as well as from other Toronto-based private family offices, bringing Bonsai's total capitalization to just under $11 million. Bonsai launched in 2016 as a streetwear shopping and news app blending content and commerce for a seamless native shopping experience. Bonsai now works with 35 publishers and has integrated 70 merchants, providing the ability to sell 1,200+ brands. The company announced in December, 2019 that its native checkout technology was licensed by U.S. media giant, Complex, to power a new online store for the publisher's online audience of 120 million people. The new online store called Complex Shop allows the audience to discover and purchase exclusive products without having to leave the content. This allows Complex to keep customers within their ecosystem and own customer data without holding any inventory, marking a first for the digital media industry. "There is an undeniable shift in how content is driving commerce, and many publishers are still missing out on providing a truly native shopping experience," says Saad Siddiqui, Founder and CEO of Bonsai. "By integrating with Bonsai, emerging and established brands benefit from being where consumers are, rather than trying to get consumers to come to them. It's curated commerce for a new generation of urban-centric shoppers who need more than targeted advertising to be persuaded to buy." In Canada's technology ecosystem, which is dominated by B2B and SaaS startups across fintech and insurtech categories, the rapid growth of Bonsai a commerce startup in the media space represents diversification among Canadian startups. The company's unique position in the market has helped them gain the attention of private investors and family offices, resulting in a funding model that's allowed Bonsai to access a range of operational and strategic benefits unique to private capital. "Bonsai's technology allows you to buy products directly from digital media publishers talking about products, reducing time and friction for consumers," says Michael La Brier, Chairman of Supreme Cannabis. "I believe it improves upon traditional e-commerce and is the way that younger, savvier consumers will shop going forward. Private investors are in a unique position to provide founding teams decades worth of operational experience and when founders use that experience well, it makes for a safer proposition for investors." The $4 million in funding follows the more than $6 million the company had raised by this time last year, bringing Bonsai's total funding to-date to just under $11 million. Bonsai will use the new funding to integrate more merchants and grow its product offering, acquire more publishers, and expand the company's presence in Toronto. This funding coincides with Bonsai's appointment of J. Bernard "Bernie" Boudreau to its Advisory Board. Bernie was former Minister of Finance for Nova Scotia and was later appointed as Government Leader of the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and federal Minister responsible for Nova Scotia. Bernie brings a wealth of public and private-sector experience on large, cross-border enterprise transactions and will be working closely to support management through the company's high-growth period. Bonsai's advisory board currently includes: Barbara Atkin (former SVP, Fashion Direction at Holt Renfrew), Benjamin Smith (former business development executive at Google), Michael Caruso (Partner, Miller Thomson), and Dean DiSimone (former founding partner at Tender Creative). About Bonsai Founded in 2016, Bonsai is an e-commerce platform trusted by elite publishers and retailers across North America and Europe. Bonsai's discovery commerce technology allows users to purchase a product within the content they love, without leaving the page. For publishers, Bonsai provides a better revenue alternative to intrusive ads and the chance to own the customer from inspiration to gratification. For merchants, Bonsai puts their natively shoppable products in front of an audience at the moment purchasing intent is being formed, achieving more sales with less friction. The company employs 35 people and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. SOURCE Bonsai [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Times identified six operatives from Unit 29155 who appear to have been involved in the operation to kill Mr. Gebrev and the others. The three charged on Thursday arrived in Bulgaria shortly before Mr. Gebrev fell ill at a dinner with business partners in late April 2015. Though the men were not named by prosecutors, using travel information, The Times was able to identify them by their aliases: Sergei Fedotov, Sergei Pavlov and Georgi Gorshkov. (The operatives using the names Fedotov and Pavlov were also involved in overseeing and planning the Skripal poisoning, according to European security officials.) In Sofia, the operatives checked into a hotel near Mr. Gebrevs offices and insisted on rooms with windows facing the entrance of an underground parking garage, investigators said. One of the men then slipped into the garage, and, according to grainy surveillance video, appears to smear a substance on the door handles of cars belonging to the victims. That was just the first poisoning. Investigators say that after failing to kill Mr. Gebrev and the others, Mr. Fedotov and another operative returned a month later and poisoned him and his son again while they were convalescing at their home on the Black Sea. Again, they failed to kill their victims, though Mr. Gebrev says his business continues to suffer. In the statement on Thursday, the Prosecutor Generals office said European arrest warrants and Interpol red notices requests that other countries arrest suspects had been filed for the three men involved in the first poisoning. It is not clear whether investigators plan to charge the other men involved in the operation. The Kremlin is unlikely to hand over its operatives to face prosecution. After Britain announced charges against the two officers accused of involvement in the Skripal case, the men went on Russian state television to explain that they were merely sports nutritionists who had visited Salisbury to tour its famous cathedral. Dmitri S. Peskov, a spokesman for Russias president, Vladimir V. Putin, did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request for comment, though in the past he has dismissed reporting on Unit 29155 as pulp fiction. (Bloomberg) -- Researchers still arent sure exactly what infected the billionaires handheld. Tasked with diagnosing a suspected cyberattack on an iPhone owned by Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, forensics experts detected a massive spike in data being siphoned from the device hours after he received a WhatsApp message from a Saudi royal. Yet the malware behind the hack remains a mystery. Whats clear, though, is that Bezos was hit by a potent combination: advanced code, capable of grabbing gobs of information quickly, along with an encrypted delivery system that helped it evade detection. Over the last decade, spyware has gained wider acceptance, become more lucrative and, when transmitted via encryption, increasingly effective. It has evolved from a surveillance tool available for download on the dark web, often by consumers seeking to pry into a partners private life, into a pricey product passed off as a way for law enforcement to root out illegal behavior. The market for mobile surveillance technology is valued at about $12 billion and remains less than 10% penetrated, according to Moodys. The alleged attack on Bezos would be one of the most high-profile examples of spyware being used by government officials against an individual, and it has elicited calls for greater regulation of the industry. The two United Nations experts -- Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and David Kaye, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression -- said they want a moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance technology from private companies. They also called the allegations involving Bezoss phone a concrete example of the harms that result from the unconstrained marketing, sale and use of spyware. Surveillance through digital means must be subjected to the most rigorous control, including by judicial authorities and national and international export control regimes, to protect against the ease of its abuse, they wrote in a report released Wednesday. Story continues The UN experts and the forensic analysis of Bezoss mobile phone, which was published by Vice, identified two electronic surveillance companies that could have developed the technology used to execute the hack. Israels NSO Group and Italys Hacking Team both sold products to Saudi officials before the 2018 attack, according to FTI Consulting Inc., which did the analysis. Saudi Arabia spent $55 million in 2017 for NSOs Pegasus software, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in November. Hacking Team didnt respond to requests for comment, and NSO denied involvement in the attack. Our technology was not used in this instance; we know this because of how our software works and our technology cannot be used on U.S. phone numbers, the company said in a statement, while declining to say whether it has done business with Saudi Arabia. Our products are only used to investigate terror and serious crime. As the industry has grown in profitability, so has its reputation as a clean and credible business, said Jack Cable, an independent security researcher and a student at Stanford University. Even so, software makers cant guarantee that their products wont be used for ill intent, he said. We need look no further than the advertising of companies like NSO Group to see that they sell themselves as protecting human rights for their exploit services, Cable said. At the same time their products have been employed by authoritarian governments accused of human rights abuses. Spyware is essentially a type of malware that is unwittingly loaded on the device and then takes over. Once its installed, spyware like NSOs Pegasus can begin sending back the phone users private data, including passwords, contact lists, calendar events, text messages and live voice calls from mobile messaging apps, according to the Pegasus manual. In some cases, the operator of the spyware can use the phones camera or microphone to take photographs or record audio without the targets knowledge. On its website, NSO Group notes that terrorists, drug traffickers, pedophiles and other criminals have access to advanced technology that makes them harder to monitor and track. NSO Group develops best-in-class technology to help government agencies detect and prevent a wide-range of local and global threats. Milan-based Hacking Team, founded in 2003, has sold surveillance technology to law enforcement and intelligence agencies in dozens of countries, according to company documents. Hacking Team promotional materials describe how the companys technology -- its flagship system is called Galileo -- was designed to gain access to peoples Skype calls, social media messages, mobile phone locations, text messages and other data. The company said in a video posted online that the technology could be deployed all over your country and could hack devices belonging to hundreds of thousands of targets. There is a constant cat-and-mouse game played between spyware developers and the companies responsible for mobile operating systems and applications. When a new spyware tool is discovered, developers from companies like Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. work to release a software patch that blocks the tool from working. Then the surveillance manufacturers will work to upgrade their tools to bypass the latest security updates. In recent years, however, there have been a number of cases in which spyware has been used to hack the phones or computers of journalists, activists, politicians and ordinary civilians. Activists and researchers say they have identified over 100 cases where NSO Groups technology has been abused to target dissidents, lawyers and enemies of oppressive regimes. WhatsApp and its parent company, Facebook, sued NSO Group in October alleging that the Israeli company used malware to hack into the mobile phones of 1,400 people and conduct surveillance. NSO group disputed the allegations and vowed to fight them vigorously. Amnesty International is supporting a lawsuit in Tel Aviv court against the Israeli Ministry of Defense seeking revocation of NSOs export license. The lawsuit was filed in May 2019 by a group of non-profit groups claiming NSOs technology prioritizes profit over human rights. From 2017 to 2019, NSO Groups technology was linked to hacks on a British lawyer, a Canada-based Saudi dissident, and multiple U.S. citizens. In 2012, Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights advocate in the United Arab Emirates was targeted with spyware produced by Italys Hacking Team. Since then, similar cases have been reported in countries including Morocco, Egypt and Bahrain. Meanwhile, in Italy, prosecutors are currently probing a company named eSurv, whose employees developed spyware for law enforcement agencies, but then allegedly used the technology to hack the phones of hundreds of innocent Italians. And the work on Bezoss phone aimed at getting to the bottom of the hack, FTI says, is still under way. To contact the reporters on this story: William Turton in New York at wturton1@bloomberg.net;Ryan Gallagher in Edinburgh at rgallagher76@bloomberg.net;Kartikay Mehrotra in San Francisco at kmehrotra2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Martin at amartin146@bloomberg.net, Tom Giles For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. National Geographic WILD showcases the strangest, freakiest and weirdest animals - from incredible marine mammals and out of this world fish to the bizarre world of creepy crawlers. Fridays from 8:30pm AEDT. Click here to read the full article. Eliza Hittmans Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows Autumn, a 17-year-old girl in rural Pennsylvania, who is pregnant and desperate to get an abortion. A minor in a state that requires parental consent, she embarks on a dangerous journey into New York City, accompanied by her cousin, to find a clinic where she can have the procedure done. Never Rarely Sometimes Always will debut at this years Sundance fest on Jan. 24 with a fierce sense of urgency, arriving in a presidential election year that could determine the makeup of the Supreme Court and with it a womans right to choose. Focus Features will release the film theatrically on March 13, at the height of primary season. Despite that backdrop, Hittman says she doesnt expect to change many attitudes around a polarizing issue. She was more interested in capturing the human drama the fear and anguish of a young woman facing a monumental decision without a strong network of support. She wanted to immerse viewers in blue-collar communities, several freeway stops from major urban areas, which arent always depicted on film. She also wanted to avoid making a polemic. Hittman sees the movie as forming part of a loose trilogy with her previous works, Beach Rats and It Felt Like Love, which also examine teenagers grappling with emotional traumas. More from Variety Can you explain the title? While I was doing research, I met with social workers. They told me a little bit about how they would interact with a minor who came from out of town and what their concerns would be. They would want to make sure they were safe and to determine whether consent was involved in the pregnancy. They found that asking yes or no was not successful, because it didnt give people an opportunity to talk about what was going on. So instead, they do this interpersonal violence test where they ask questions that can be answered with the words in the title. It made me think about how complicated it is to decide under what circumstances women should be permitted to have access to abortions. So, for me, it spoke to the larger issue, but it also spoke to this character and her crisis. Story continues When I watched this movie, I kept getting irritated by how many questions Autumn gets asked by social workers and doctors about her decision. It felt needlessly invasive. Theyre questions that men never get asked in the course of their lives, and theyre questions that women are asked every gynecological appointment from the age of 15. How did you come up with the idea for the movie? I first started thinking about the film in October of 2012 as I was editing It Felt Like Love. I was reading the news, and a woman in Galway, Ireland, died after being denied a lifesaving abortion. She had a septic miscarriage. Her death stunned me. I went out and bought a book called Irelands Hidden Diaspora: The Abortion Trail, and started reading all about the journey that Irish women would take to London in one day. I thought about how far these women had to travel and the burden of that. It seemed like a movie I hadnt seen. I wrote two treatments. One was set in Ireland and the second was about people coming to New York. I followed them as they were grappling with all of these issues while they were navigating a city that theyd never been to. Several years passed since you started mulling the project. What made you come back to this story? I was at Sundance, where Beach Rats was premiering, and I was standing in the Womens March over the inauguration of Trump and I just was inspired. It felt like the right moment to come back to the idea. Your movies deal with tough subject matter homophobia, teenage sexuality, abortion. Theyre not very commercial. Is it hard to get funding? Theyre not commercial. Every movie has its own challenges. I was very clear on this one that I wanted to cast non-actors. That filters into what the market value of a movie is. Were very lucky to have a distributor in Focus who knew that and was still willing to give us a theatrical release. Would you ever make a big studio movie? I would consider it. I dont know what that is. It has to be the right movie for me. Its a new decade, and I want to try new things. Sidney Flanigan is a revelation in this film as Autumn. Has she acted before? Her first day acting was her first day filming. But I wrote it with her in mind. I met her when she was 14 in South Buffalo. My partner, Scott Cummings, who is also an experimental filmmaker, was making a film about Juggalos [a subculture built around a love of hardcore hip-hop]. Sidney was at this very debaucherous backyard wedding. She was dating a guy there, and I felt immediately she was in over her head. She was an aspiring musician, and I followed her Facebook page, and she posted videos for years. I thought they were compelling because they captured a teenage point of view. Sidney just seemed like a real person. It was a massive risk. But when I met her, I knew there was a real story inside her that would leak out in the production, and it did. Its a meaty role. There must have been more experienced actors who were interested in the project. Everybody auditioned for it. I thought Sidney would bring something that no one else could. There were a lot of really talented young actresses who came in and read for the role, but I felt like if I made a very polished version of this movie with some actress you recognized, it would be a different movie. It would maybe push into the propaganda zone where its a glossy movie with some Hollywood starlets. I didnt think it would work. What would the glossy version of this story be? Would it have been more of an issue movie? It is an issue movie, but its also a character study. Its about a womans journey. The glossy version of the movie wasnt telling that story. I wanted to push the audience into an unfamiliar world, and sometimes casting can work against that. Theres not a lot of dialogue in the movie. Was that a conscious choice to strip that away? Yes, always. Part of the writing process for me is to pare down and push things to be told through behavior and images rather than dialogue. When I saw this movie, I couldnt help thinking about Obvious Child, which premiered at Sundance in 2014 in a much different political atmosphere and presented a comic take. Six years later, with the potential for Roe v. Wade to be overturned, the climate feels so different. The intention of that film is different. Its to show a low-key, destigmatized abortion. Its not about barriers. For me, the movies that I like are all about the barriers and obstacles that human beings face. Do you hope this movie will change minds about whether or not abortion should be legal? I dont know if the film will have that impact. People around this issue tend to be stuck in their perspective. I dont know if theyll even watch it. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sasol (NYSE:SSL) has been hurt by cost overruns and other problems at its massive Lake Charles, Louisiana chemical project, resulting in a management shakeup last year. But when it resumes operations, the project may be part of an improving story for the company. It's time for a look into the project's problems -- and whether it's a safe time for investors to buy. What the company is building Sasol has been building large chemicals facilities since the company launched operations in 1950, and has grown to include mining, oil, and gas operations in 32 countries. The company saw a major opportunity to utilize cheap U.S. natural gas, and in 2014 decided to proceed with building the Lake Charles Chemical Project, known as LCCP. The project includes a 1.5 million ton per year ethane cracker and six downstream chemical units next to Sasol's existing chemical operations in the state. Sasol said in an investor fact sheet that it continues to be viewed as an attractive investment for the company despite its challenges, because of plans to turn the existing Lake Charles site into a multi-asset operation that will allow fixed and infrastructure costs to be spread over multiple product lines. It is also expected to provide opportunities for investment in additional downstream chemical facilities in the future. What's gone wrong LCCP was projected to cost $8.9 billion at the time of Sasol's final investment decision, but the most recent estimates had costs swelling to between $12.6 billion and $12.9 billion. The project has faced some challenges beyond its control -- damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and a fire in recent weeks for instance -- on top of others, such as defective parts. But the company took responsibility for LCCP's biggest problem last year when it said an internal review concluded its own control over financial reporting was "ineffective." In its full-year results presented in October, Sasol disclosed "a material weakness with respect to the capital cost estimation process implemented in connection with the LCCP, which resulted from the aggregation of a series of individual control and project-related control environment deficiencies, the remediation of which had not been fully implemented and validated as of year-end." "The softer chemical price outlook, combined with the increased capital cost on the LCCP, has placed additional pressure on our financial position," CEO Fleetwood Grobler said on the year-end earnings conference call. Grobler took over as CEO in October, as former co-chief executives Stephen Cornell and Bongani Nqwababa left the company because of the problems at Lake Charles. Sasol has historically paid a nice dividend, most recently at more than 5%, but decided to skip its most recent distribution based on LCCP's problems. The company said it may also forgo the 2020 interim dividend based on the health of balance sheet credit metrics. What it all means for investors Sasol is an experienced builder that has struggled with a huge project. The scale of the project will increase the company's volume of product offerings, and may pay off for investors once it is successfully operating. But while the success of the company's LCCP investment is important, it is only a small piece of the overall picture for Sasol. The company's share price has dropped 50% over the past ten years as it was hit hard by low gas prices as and also experienced periods of diminished chemical margins and lower-than expected production from certain assets. However, with a diverse portfolio of more than $33 billion in chemical, oil and gas, mining, and other assets, the problems at LCCP are not a make-or-break factor for Sasol and should not be the sole factor influencing a would-be investor. For the past two fiscal years Sasol has missed estimates on earnings per share but surprised analysts with higher-than-expected revenue, so it is worth watching to see if this trend continues. But the company's management upheaval and dividend suspension are not far enough in the rearview mirror for investors to buy at this time. The company has not provided a Lake Charles cost estimate update or revised timeline in months, so investors would also be wise to keep an eye out for that information before making a decision. An elementary school in California was placed on lockdown after a 10-year-old student was struck by a stray bullet fired from a car. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with a non-life threatening injury, as police launched an investigation into what they described as a car-to-car shooting. Officers said the victim's parents had been notified, and all other students at Oxnard's Christa McAuliffe Elementary School have been accounted for and are safe. In a statement issued shortly before 11.30am, a spokesperson for the Oxnard Police Department said the agency was in the initial stages of an investigation. A school district spokesman said a reunification centre had been set up near the school and parents were asked to meet up with their children in that area. Once we have identified any affected patients, we will notify each individual and follow HIPAA breach notification protocols, the company said in a statement. Bloom Medicinals serves tens of thousands of patients in multiple states and we take patient privacy very seriously. Rest assured we will implement any corrective action necessary to both remedy, and ensure, this does not happen again. Two other businesses AmediCanna Dispensary in Maryland and Colorado Grow Company were identified in the breach but more could be affected. If you're at all familiar with Tropico Photo, the creative advertising studio helmed by Michelle Norris and Forrest Aguar, you will walk into their Atlanta home (lovingly dubbed Tropicondo) and think, Ah, yes. This makes sense. It feels so natural and appropriate to the two of them that you might just think they simply threw together all the stuff they loved as theyd done in previous homes. But youd be wrong. The couple had been living together for a few years in an Inman Park rental, and they saw their move, says Michelle, as a chance to take our taste and kind of hone it in a little bit more. Since theyre both freelancers, they wanted to take advantage of their slow season to get their living situation together without having to juggle jobs at the same time. Dreaded scooters had descended upon the Inman Park streets, and as soon as they did their taxes in June and realized they could afford to buy a home, it was go time. They viewed 15 places in three weeks and settled on a condo not far from their old place but in Kirkwood, a quieter and more diverse part of town. Now, theyre near a dog park where they take their canine companion Taco, and theyre a 15-minute bike ride from every major neighborhood. Our old neighborhood was cool, but it was definitely very gentrified and catering to certain people, says Michelle. Kirkwood feels a little bit more down to earth. You can see a lot of diversity in the community thats there and that owns businesses, and thats really nice. There are no scooters. Michelle is extremely anti-living-in-transitional-spaces, so the couple accelerated the whole move-in process. It was all done in a few months and the painting in the course of a week. Since timing was tight, the painting process started as soon as they had the listing. We took the photos from the listing and colored everything in, says Michelle. The mock-up helped them decide how to set up each room, and made the painting process go faster. Once the paint was in, it really changed a lot of our ideas and reshaped what we were thinking, says Michelle. A lot of our art and furniture placement definitely plays off of the painting. Story continues They got rid of a lot in the process of moving out, with the goal of living a little bit more minimally. But Michelle is a maximalist at heart, so they created a sort of meeting of the two: a space that feels inviting and bright and just slightly chaotic, in the best waybut is also smart and careful and extremely well-planned. I love when it just feels unique, unlike any other space you've been in, says Michelle. We're taking a space that could be really downplayed and simple; when we came and looked, it was beautiful, understated, and full of white. But we wanted to take it somewhere a lot more eccentric and playful. I feel like the tone of the space is optimistic. Colorful Advice Plan ahead. If theres only one lesson youll learn from Michelle and Forrest, let it be this one: Take a photo of the room you want to switch up, and just draw on it. This allows you to play with color combinations and get a better idea of how the end result will actually look. If you spend the time to do a mock-up, where you can see everything together, and work on pre-visualizing it, then it's a lot less scary, says Michelle. Be intentional with your color choices. The Tropicondo is alluringly colorful without ever feeling loud or uncoordinated, and thats because Michelle and Forrest chose a color palette and stuck with it. We have only six paint colors in the whole house, says Michelle. It feels really eclectic and kind of wild, but you also realize that theres strength to dialing it back and making sure that you repeat colors. Pair complementary colors together to make them pop, and remember that choosing the first color is the hardest. Once you have that, you have a starting point to work off of. Emphasize whats already there. Michelle and Forest used features like windows and drop ceilings as anchors to highlight and paint around, the way a good makeup artist contours to emphasize your faces natural features, defining and highlighting rather than trying to blur or hide with optical illusions. Choose funky furniture. Who decided you have to have one statement piece per room? In the Tropicondo, every single furniture item could pass for a statement piece, which in your head might sound overwhelming but in their carefully curated space works beautifully. Shop It Out Rocks Percale Bedding by Dusen Dusen, $96, dusendusen.com Decorative Flamingo Head by Fiona Walker, $65.49, trouva.com Poolside Bathmat by Cold Picnic, $60.00, coldpicnic.com Point Kelly Encaustic Cement Tile by Cle, $6.89/pc, cletile.com The Floyd Platform Bed by Floyd, $495-$1,755, floydhome.com Andi Sofa by Anthropologie via Final Cut Georgia Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Gus, a 4-year-old tri Pembroke Welsh Corgi, has been going to school since he was a puppy in an unofficial capacity. He's well known to the students who attend Winona ISD's elementary campus. On Thursday, the Winona ISD Board of Trustees officially approved Gus to be employed at the school as its emotional support animal. An FBI agent who was one of the leads on the initial 9/11 investigation believes the evidence of possible Saudi links is significant and should be publicly released. A team of FBI agents spent more than a decade secretly investigating the possible Saudi links - even after they were told to give up and high-level officials disregarded any connections. The details regarding the FBI investigation - dubbed Operation Encore - has mostly been shrouded in secrecy since the terror attacks occurred in 2001. A joint investigation by New York Times Magazine and ProPublica - that included interviews with over 50 current of ex-FBI agents - has uncovered several missed investigative opportunities. As a result, the agents say they were ultimately unable to fully pursue potential links that may have provided smoking gun evidence that Saudi Arabia was involved somehow. Richard Lambert, who was the San Diego lead on the FBI's initial 9/11 investigation, believes the evidence of possible Saudi links is significant enough and should be publicly released - even though it's not conclusive. 'The circumstantial evidence has mounted,' he said. 'Given the lapse of time, I don't know any reason why the truth should be kept from the American people.' Among the missed opportunities to follow up with included Saudi men Omar al-Bayoumi (left) and Mohdar Abdullah (right) who both had contact with the hijackers prior to the 9/11 attacks The Justice Department last year refused to hand over investigative files to the families of 9/11 victims despite a promise from President Trump (pictured at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon last year) The Justice Department last year refused to hand over investigative files to the families of 9/11 victims despite a promise from President Trump. He had vowed to help the families after they visited him at the White House last year during a 9/11 memorial service and begged him for help so they could get closure. The families, who were told Trump had ordered the Justice Department to release the name of a Saudi diplomat linked to the attacks, planned to use the files in a lawsuit accusing Saudi of being involved. Attorney General William Barr later informed that families in court that all other files had to be protected as state secrets. Among the links uncovered in the investigation included Saudi men Omar al-Bayoumi and Mohdar Abdullah who both had contact with the hijackers prior to the 9/11 attacks. Bayoumi - a Saudi student living in Southern California at the time - may have had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, agents revealed. The FBI found Bayoumi had connections to two of the plane hijackers - Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi - who crashed Flight 77 into the Pentagon. He was a co-signer on the hijacker's apartment in San Diego when they arrived in the U.S. prior to the 9/11 attacks. Bayoumi was also paid a stipend by the Saudi government while in the U.S., which came from a Saudi contracting company. That stipend increased at the time he was helping the hijackers but agents found no evidence he was financially helping them. Investigators also found that a friend of Bayoumi's wife, who was a Saudi woman living in San Diego, also received $70,000 from the wife of Prince Bandar - a Saudi ambassador to the U.S. They later determined that the Bandars regularly gave month to Saudi expats. Bayoumi was living in the UK with his wife and children when the FBI went to question him in the wake of 9/11. The agents had to question him via British detectives and he was eventually freed without the FBI ever having a chance to ask him if he had a relationship with Saudi intelligence. Among the evidence seized from his UK home was a spiral notebook that included a drawing of a plane striking the ground. Investigators found the plane's descent was like the one that Flight 77 did when it hit the Pentagon. Some agents argued the diagram proved he knew about the attacks prior, while others argued the document's significance was unclear. Joseph Foelsch, a former investigation supervisor, said it may have had more weight if it had been discovered right after 9/11. 'That would have been harder evidence,' he said. 'If not a smoking gun, a warm gun.' Bayoumi moved back to Saudi Arabia in 2002 and the U.S. revoked his visa for 'quasi-terrorist activities'. Khalid al-Mihdhar (left) and Nawaf al-Hazmi (right) were the two hijackers who took control of Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon in the 9/11 terror attacks The details regarding the FBI investigation - dubbed Operation Encore - has mostly been shrouded in secrecy since the terror attacks occurred in 2001 When he was questioned again in 2004 in Saudi, Bayoumi said he met the hijackers by chance and argued he was a hospitable Muslim by helping them find accommodation. The FBI officially ruled Bayoumi's help to the hijackers was unwitting and put it down to a 'random encounter'. Mohdar Abdullah, a Saudi man living in San Diego, was also among those embroiled in the post 9/11 FBI investigation. Agents received a tip that they should speak to Abdullah after the attacks and they tracked him down about two weeks later at San Diego State University. 'What took you so long?' Abdullah is said to have asked the FBI agent. 'I thought you'd be all over me sooner.' He told the FBI that he was introduced to the hijackers by Bayoumi who had asked him to help the two men settle into life in San Diego. Abdullah went on to give the FBI agent information about the hijackers' lives in San Diego in the lead up to the attacks. He told the agent he'd tried to organize them flying lessons in May 2000, drove them on errands and enrolled them in English lessons. When Abdullah refused to take a polygraph test, authorities arrested him and he was flown to New York to be put before a grand jury. He never ended up being charged in connection to the attacks. He was, however, charged with immigration fraud for lying on his initial visa application about his birth country. Abdullah was jailed for two years in a federal prison and risked being deported when he was released. FBI agents had by then received tips that Abdullah may have had advanced knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, including from two former prisoners who said he admitted to knowing about the attacks. The Justice Department refused to delay his deportation and he was sent back to Yemen in May 2004. When the FBI learned Abdullah had applied for a Canadian visa in 2006, the U.S. agents tried to speak with him again and hatched a plan to convince him to speak. In the years since they first questioned him, the FBI had learned that Abdullah had married a 16-year-old Puerto Rican girl the night before the 9/11 attacks in a Denny's carpark because he believed it would grant him U.S. citizenship. The pair consumated the marriage before he was arrested 11 days after the attacks. In a bid to gain his trust, the FBI agent doctored a photo of a child and told Abdullah that it was his five-year-old child. 'I knew I had a kid!' he said. Abdullah went on to give the agent more information about the hijackers that led authorities to identify two more people who had contact with the hijackers in the weeks before the attacks. He later moved to Sweden and refused to be a cooperating witness for the FBI. New Delhi, Jan 23 : The Supreme Court on Thursday said the finality of death sentence is extremely important and a convict should not be under the impression, as recent events indicate, that it remains open-ended, which leads to its questioning. "Sentence must be proportionate to the crime," the court held. This observation from the top court is bound to have significance on cases where convicts have been sentenced to death, including the four death row convicts in Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case. It came as the SC heard the review petitions by Shabnam and Salim, who have been sentenced to death for murdering her father and six other family members, including a 10-month-old infant, for opposing the couple's relationship. The top court had upheld their death sentence in 2015. A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices S.A. Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna, said it is believed that every criminal is said to have an innocent heart, however, the court has to look into the crime also as they heard the pleas of the convicts' counsel for a relook at the sentence, as they have reformed positively after their conviction. The bench queried senior advocates Anand Grover and Meenakshi Arora whether the courts could consider the good behavior of convicts after the sentencing. The Chief Justice said it is difficult to accept the degree of reform introduced in their behaviour should be considered as a mitigating factor in this case. "This argument will have consequences beyond this case," he said. "We are doing justice on behalf of the society and the victims. We cannot forgive a convict who has been convicted because there is a law, which deals with a criminal." The court observed that if such an argument -- on taking into consideration the reformation of the convicts after conviction -- is accepted, then no death penalty can be carried out. "The convicts will say we have reformed and we can come out," it said. The Chief Justice also made a strong observation on protecting victims' rights. "We don't want to focus or emphasize only on the rights of accused in a case where seven people including a 10-month-old baby was murdered," he said. "Can a death row convict, once he mends his ways and reforms after conviction be spared the execution of the sentence," said the court reserving the order on the review petition filed by two convicts. On April 15, 2008, Shabnam's entire family was murdered and she pretended that some unidentified assailants had attacked them. The investigation found that Shabnam, in collusion with Salim, made her family members drink milk laced with sedatives before the attack and thereafter, she strangulated her ten-month old nephew. A trial court had sentenced them to death and the Allahabad High Court had confirmed the death sentence in 2010. Nigerian rapper, Yung6ix has received a hot blow from Nigerians following his negative comment about M.I Abaga. Recall that it was only few hours ago when the rapper hinted that he has lost all the respect for MI for some things he has done. According to Yung6ix, MI had been sending his proteges to come after him. READ ALSO I Have Lost Respect For You: Yung6ix Tells M.I Reacting to that, Nigerians have accused him of doing the same things to other rappers. See Reactions Here: (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2020) The global community should be ready for the potential evolution of the coronavirus epidemic, Didier Houssin, the chair of the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee, said on Thursday, as the panel convened to discuss the new virus. "Advice to the global community [is] to be ready for a potential evolution of this epidemic which may require in some time the declaration of a PHEIC [Public Health Emergency of International Concern]," Houssin said. In addition, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the same meeting that though there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, that did not mean it would not happen. "This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one," he added. JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohen Veterans Network (CVN), a not-for-profit philanthropic organization that serves post-9/11 veterans and their families through a nationwide system of mental health clinics, and Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral healthcare, today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Sherr as Clinic Director of the new Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone scheduled to open in Jacksonville, Florida, in March. Sherr, a retired Army combat veteran and current military spouse, spent the last two years serving veterans and military families at the Cohen Clinic at Centerstone in Clarksville, Tennessee. As a Licensed Professional Counselor her main areas of focus have been military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress, combat trauma, and female veteran group therapy. "I understand the challenges that service members, veterans, and family members are faced with and that they don't have to face these challenges alone," said Sherr. "The Cohen Clinic at Centerstone will offer therapy, groups, and activities to treat all post-9/11 veterans and their families. Jacksonville has the highest population of female veterans in the United States, and they have unique needs, and in response, we tailor our care to meet those needs." The Cohen Clinic at Centerstone in Jacksonville, Florida, will be the 15th of its kind across the nation and focuses on evidence-based, outpatient therapies for a variety of mental health issues. Clients are given an intake screening upon their first contact with the clinic. In cases where clients live outside of Duval County or are unable to make it into the clinic, CVN Telehealth options are available through a computer, smartphone, or tablet. The 7,500-square foot Cohen Clinic at Centerstone, Jacksonville is set to open in March 2020 and is located at 7001 A.C. Skinner Parkway, Jacksonville, 32256. Visit Cohen Clinic at Centerstone for more. The Cohen Clinic at Centerstone, Jacksonville, complements Centerstone's continuum of mental health care and substance use treatment throughout Florida. The organization also has an inpatient Behavioral Hospital and Addiction Center located in Bradenton, outpatient clinics in Bradenton and Sarasota, plus community treatment teams in Bradenton, Fort Myers, LaBelle, and Sarasota. Cohen Veterans Network was unveiled publicly in April 2016 with an unprecedented $275M commitment from Connecticut philanthropist Steven A. Cohen to build 25 clinics over five years. SOURCE Cohen Veterans Network Related Links https://centerstone.org/cohen-military-family-clinic/ Jerry Falwell calls for civil disobedience if Virginia passes stricter gun laws Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. advocated for civil disobedience if the Democratic-controlled Commonwealth of Virginia government passes stricter gun control laws. In an interview with conservative writer and radio host Todd Starnes earlier this month, Virginia resident Falwell said that he had never seen the populace more energized on any other issue than the gun control bills being considered by the state legislature. One of them, a bill by Del. Dan Helmer seeking to ban indoor shooting ranges at office buildings, would impact the National Rifle Association, as their headquarters is in Fairfax. There are millions of people who work in office buildings in the Commonwealth of Virginia," argued Helmer, as reported by the Associated Press. It doesn't make sense for us to be establishing businesses in those buildings that have people bringing lots of firearms and ammunition. Falwell told Starnes that he was pretty sure Im going to call for civil disobedience if the Democrats go through with this. And the hundred municipalities and jurisdictions who have passed resolutions to protect the Second Amendment, I think the police officers and the populace would not be opposed to just disobeying, he continued. Just like sanctuary cities in liberal states refused to obey the federal law when it comes to immigration, I think its time for conservatives. Falwell referenced the Civil Rights Act, which he credited civil disobedience as a key factor in its passage, adding that there comes a time when theres no other choice. When Starnes asked Falwell what this civil disobedience would look like, the Liberty president said that he saw it as including police not enforcing state laws and the population not obeying them. You dont mess with peoples guns in this part of the state, said Falwell, who lives in a region of Virginia he labeled very conservative. Falwells comments come in advance of tens of thousands of gun rights activists going to Richmond to protest against stricter firearms control. In a large-scale demonstration widely recognized as peaceful, the activists organized Monday, which was not only Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but also a state lobby day. Democrat Governor Ralph Northam, who had previously called a state of emergency in response to the rally, said in a statement that he was glad that the event went without serious incident. Thousands of people came to Richmond to make their voices heard. Today showed that when people disagree, they can do so peacefully, stated Northam. The issues before us evoke strong emotions, and progress is often difficult. I will continue to listen to the voices of Virginians, and I will continue to do everything in my power to keep our Commonwealth safe. An American national, who planned to travel overseas to join Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and become an "executioner" for the terrorist organisation, on Thursday pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the terror outfit. Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, 30, of New York, who also went by the name 'Jihadistsoldgier' and 'Jihadinheart' pleaded guilty before US District Judge Ronnie Abrams to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced in April. Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said Encarnacion plotted to travel abroad to join and train with the terrorist organization Lashkar e-Taiba, "infamous worldwide for their brutal jihadist murder of innocent civilians", and to carry out shootings, bombings, and beheadings on their behalf. Federal prosecutors noted that LeT was responsible for multiple high-profile attacks, "including the infamous Mumbai attacks in November 2008." According to the criminal complaint, indictment, and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceeding, in November 2018, Encarnacion expressed his desire to join a terrorist group in an online group chat, where he met another individual, who introduced him to an individual who was in fact an undercover FBI employee. Encarnacion repeatedly expressed, in the course of recorded communications through a social media service with the individual and through an encrypted messaging service with the undercover agent, his allegiance to and support for LeT, which, since approximately 2001, has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by both the US Secretary of State and the Immigration and Nationality Act. Over several months, Encarnacion discussed his desire and plans to join LeT overseas so that he could receive training and participate in violent acts of terrorism. He told the undercover agent that he was "ready to kill and die" and sought his assistance to help him travel abroad to serve as an "executioner for LeT, stating, "I want to execute. I want to behead. Shoot." Encarnacion further stated that he aspired to commit terrorist attacks (a bombing and shooting) in the United States, but lacked guidance and guns to do so. By early 2019, Encarnacion and the undercover agent agreed on a plan that he believed would allow him to join LeT in Pakistan. He said he had made arrangements to travel to a particular city in Europe as the first step in travelling to Pakistan to join the terror group. Encarnacion purchased an airline ticket for a flight scheduled to depart on February 7, 2019, from John F. Kennedy International Airport here to a European City. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after he attempted to board that flight. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prague, Czech Republic, Jan. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDG Communications, Inc. the worlds leading tech media, data, and marketing services company announces the sale of IDG Czech Republic to Internet Info as of January 1, 2020. This agreement encompasses the licensing of several IDG brands, including Computerworld, CIO Business World, Security World and Channel World as well as retaining IDG Czech Republic employees. IDG Czech Republic was founded in 1993 and was always one of the cornerstones of IDGs Eastern European strategy. Jana Pelikanova, the country manager of IDG Czech since 2006, will retire in February this year. Jana was a tremendous asset to the success of IDG Czech. She started in 1999 as editor in chief of PC World. In her job as country manager Jana developed lucrative new areas of business and built a broader range of products. Internet Info is well suited to maintain the quality content of these brands as they are one of the oldest purely internet companies on the Czech Internet. The company already provides professional services and events in the region and connects key audiences in the IT (both B2B and consumer insights), finance and e-commerce fields. Internet Info publishes professional Internet magazines, including Lupa.cz, Mesec.cz, Podnikatel.cz, and organizes dozens of conferences, including Czech Internet Forum, E-Business Forum, WebTop100. Additionally, IDG and the founder of Internet Info, Marek Antos, have a long history together as he has previously written articles for PC World Czech in the 1990s and has had the opportunity to work with many of IDG Czech Republics employees. We are happy to have found a great partner who is highly committed to IDG and our strong brands as well as the media industry overall, shared York von Heimburg, President of International, IDG Communications, Inc. We are sure that Internet Info will continue to advance our existing business into a new exciting phase. Readers and advertisers of the IDG Czech Republic brands will see no changes to the content and customer service they have come to expect, as this agreement includes the retention of IDG Czechs employees, as well as intellectual property for continuing successful advertising programs. I have respected IDG Czech Republic for a long time and strongly believe that uniting will allow all brands to grow as we navigate the transforming media landscape, said Marek Antos, CEO, Internet Info. We are excited to embrace the marketing services that they offer across our brands, providing more opportunities for advertiser to reach their customers. About IDG Communications, Inc. IDG Communications connects the world of tech buyers with insights, intent and engagement. We are the worlds largest media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. Our premium brands, including CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PCWorld engage a quality audience of the most powerful audience of technology buyers providing essential guidance on the evolving technology landscape. Our global data intelligence platform activates purchasing intent, powering our clients success. IDG Marketing Services creates custom content with marketing impact across video, mobile, social and digital. We execute complex campaigns that fulfill marketers global ambitions seamlessly with consistency that delivers quality results. About Internet Info, s.r.o. Internet Info provides content with added value. We offer expertise through the internet, conferences, seminars and training. We introduce unique topics and provide context, basing our content on the individuality of personalities and objectivity of information with a precise impact. This is precisely why more than 3.5 million people in the Czech Republic read the news servers of Internet Info every month. Internet Info publishes specialized servers about IT, the internet, telecommunications, new technologies, business, finance, taxes, digital broadcasting and lifestyle. We organize dozens of educational events and operate the TUESDAY Business Network, a social network in the real world for companies and professionals. ### Chennai: The acquisition of power management company Eaton's Hydraulics business for $3.3 billion augurs well for Danish major Danfoss A/S not only globally but also for its Indian operations, said Danfoss officials. On Tuesday Danfoss and Eaton announced a deal, whereby the former has agreed to buy the latter's global Hydraulics business for $3.3 billion. Interestingly, the hydraulics divisions of both Danfoss and Eaton are present in Pune in India. "Eaton's hydraulics business is similar to that of Danfoss Power Solutions. Eaton is present in industrial hydraulics while Danfoss Power Solutions-India is not. So, it will be an add on in terms of Indian operations," Upinder Razdan, Managing Director, Danfoss Power Solutions-India told IANS. According to Razdan, the acquisition will provide Danfoss greater in-roads into the US market while the Danish company is already a major player in the European markets. "Eaton has a strong brand appeal and presence in India. They also have a big engineering centre in India. The global hydraulics market is majorly shared by handful of players," Ravichandran Purushothaman, President, Danfoss India Region told IANS. According to Eaton India, it manufactures and markets a wide range of products for the power and motion control industry. In addition, Eaton also imports and trades a variety of hydraulic and fluid conveyance products. Eaton has competitive offerings in practically all segments, ranging from mobile to industrial applications, positioned as a hydraulic systems solution provider with a full product range. The Hydraulics manufacturing facility at Pimpri in Pune is an Eaton Center of Excellence (COE) for gear pumps and has been expanded to also manufacturing of steering control units and hitch valves. The other key products manufactured at this facility include Gear Pumps, Vane Pumps, Piston Pumps, Valves, Power Units, and Cylinders, states Eaton India. On the other hand the Power Solutions division of Danfoss is a provider of mobile hydraulics for the construction, agriculture and other off-highway vehicle markets. The product portfolio includes electronic controls, pumps, steering, mobile electrification, pumps and valves, motors, sensors and transmitters and others. "The main sectors we serve are construction/farm/material handling and Danfoss Power Solutions contribute about one third of Danfoss' global revenues," Domenico Traverso, President-Work Function Division and also Danfoss India Board Member told IANS over phone from Pune. Traverso said the division is involved in electrification and supply solutions for buses and trucks which is relative a new segment for the company. Eaton Hydraulics provides products for customers in markets such as agriculture, construction, and in industrial market segments. Eaton's hydraulincs business will be transferred into Danfoss Power Solutions, adding approximately 11,000 employees and 2019 sales of $ 2.2 billion (2.0 billion euros) to the business segment, which will double the hydraulics business. "Today, we take a significant and transformational step in creating a global leader in mobile and industrial hydraulics. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine our largely complementary portfolios and geographic footprints,a Kim Fausing, Danfoss President and CEO was quoted as saying in a statement. "With this agreement, we continue to invest in our core hydraulics business and digital solutions to stay a strong technology partner," he added. "We believe Eaton's Hydraulics business will benefit greatly from being part of a company that has hydraulics at its core," Craig Arnold, Eaton Chairman and CEO was quoted as saying in the statement. "When complete, this deal will bring together two talented teams with deep hydraulics knowledge and expertise.a-And Eaton's hydraulics team will be part of a company that is committed to becoming a global leader in mobile and industrial hydraulics.a-The combined business will also benefit customers and distributors by offering industry-leading technology and a much broader portfolio of hydraulic solutions," Arnold added. On January 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Israel. Bilateral and international agenda will be discussed during meetings with the Israeli leadership. In addition, on the eve of the next anniversary of the siege of Leningrad and Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), Putin will take part in the opening of the memorial dedicated to defenders of the hero-city Candle of Remembrance and in events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau camp by the Red Army in Poland. First Deputy Head of the International Committee of the Federation Council Vladimir Dzhabarov called Putins regular meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a good tradition. Of course, a series of other issues will be raised during this trip, but the main issue that will be discussed during this visit is preparation for the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. We have some disagreements, but they naturally exist in our relations, so we have complete solidarity with Israel in this matter," Dzhabarov said. He said that several years ago, Vladimir Putin opened a memorial complex in the Israeli city of Netanya dedicated to the feat of the Red Army soldiers who defeated Nazism: "This was the only foreign country that built and unveiled the Red Army monument in the post-war period. That is, not to the victims of the war, but to soldiers of the Red Army, who liberated the world from fascism. Netanya Municipality allocated a great place in the city - on top of a small mountain above the Mediterranean Sea. Hotels, business and trade centers are usually built in places like that. When the delegation of the Federation Council, headed by Valentina Matvienko, paid a visit to this country, in violation of the international protocol, delegation didn't held the first meeting with the head of Knesset Joel Edelstein at the Knesset, but near this very monument. Former Soviet citizens who once immigrated to Israel gathered there, and they were amazed by how great Israel treats soldiers of the Red Army and everything related to the victory over Nazi Germany in general." Vladimir Dzhabarov also said: At all meetings, our Israeli partners emphasize: while we exist, we are always with you to prevent a review of the results of World War II. This is worth a lot against the background of what the world is trying to revise the results of World War II, to make the Soviet Union also the culprit of this terrible event ... It is difficult to argue with open documents, facts, to make sure who eventually started the war and who contributed to the war being unleashed primarily against the Soviet Union. our president said: Let them say that they want, but the truth is true. I think this visit, which will take place on January 23, is very important, because it will once again give a signal to the whole world that no one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten, and rewrite history will not succeed. " Higgins music career took off after he gained support from freestyling on his high schools radio show, according to a 2018 Tribune profile. He racked up millions of streams on SoundCloud for music that blended elements of meandering, mumble-rap singing against drill-lite percussion and pop-punk melodies bridging the gap between urban and suburban youth experiences; an angst-riddled adolescence that feels just as romantically rejected and isolated as it wants to turn-up. NEW YORK - The first night of arguments in favour of President Donald Trumps impeachment before the U.S. Senate was judged not ready for prime time by many of the nations television executives. ABC, CBS and NBC all stuck with regularly scheduled programs like Chicago Med, Criminal Minds and Modern Family Wednesday evening instead of showing the House managers evening session at the impeachment trial. That lasted about two hours, 15 minutes. CNN and MSNBC carried the trial in full. Fox News Channel, after showing Rep. Adam Schiff speak for about a half hour, interrupted for a story about a child support case involving former Vice-President Joe Bidens son Hunter, and never returned. Even two PBS stations in the New York area showed science programming and Antiques Roadshow instead of the trial Wednesday evening. PBS said it gave its local stations the option to show the trial or not. The calls Wednesday night are significant because if the top networks decided not to pre-empt programming on the first full night the case against Trump was laid out, chances are they wont reverse course later unless the unexpected happens. Daytime was an intriguing contrast, since the top three broadcasters and cable news outlets all carried Schiffs initial stand at the podium, which lasted more than two hours. It was rare for anyone in todays media world to command full television attention to that extent. The Senates rules for the trial, which required using a single camera on the speaker and didnt allow reaction shots of senators, only served to accentuate Schiffs message. Meanwhile, Trump was setting a record for sending out the most tweets in a single day since hes been president. For the television networks, however, prime time is a different animal altogether, with more viewers and advertising revenue available. After pulling away from House managers Wednesday evening, Fox News personalities spent much of their time ridiculing the proceedings. Fox mostly kept a postage stamp-size picture of the speaker soundlessly mouthing words in a corner of the screen, with an invitation for viewers to go online if they wanted to hear the arguments. Foxs Tucker Carlson ran clips of TV commentators on other network personalities who praised Schiffs afternoon speech, calling the comments pornographic. He said Trump wasnt the only victim of the impeachment trial suggesting viewers were, too. He brought on a former Republican congressman to talk about alleged crimes in the Obama administration and Texas Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe to assess the trial. Today was really boring and the presidents defence team is very happy, Ratcliffe said. Carlson also interviewed Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, with the host saying Hawley had stepped out of the trial to talk on television and criticize House managers. The interview was taped during the trials dinner break, a Hawley aide said. Similarly, Foxs Sean Hannity labeled the impeachment trial the Schumer Schiff Sham Show and attacked Schiff for his afternoon speech. He is a lunatic, Hannity said. If you watched him talk he was totally unhinged. He looked like a lunatic who has lost his mind. Wrapping up his evening argument a half-hour later, Schiff also used the word sham, but in a much different context, as a description for Trumps attempts to get the Ukraine to investigate the activities of Hunter Biden. It wasnt heard on Fox, however. At the time Hannity was interviewing lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a member of Trumps impeachment defence team. Those of us who have had family members struggling with or dying from drug addiction are especially sad to read Deaths from fentanyl, heroin soar (Jan. 22). Its beyond tragic that almost 300 people overdosed from these drugs in 2019 just in San Francisco. The scourge of fentanyl and heroin use is a nationwide problem. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction to these or other substances, please call the National Drug Helpline at 1-844-289-0879. Tanesha Bainbridge, Oakland Fool of the Year award Concerning Trump, teen activist spar over climate (Jan. 22): A sorry spectacle is playing out at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where President Trump has chided individuals like teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg as the perennial prophets of doom who predict the apocalypse. Our Bully in Chief previously remarked that 17-year-old Thunberg, named Times 2019 Person of the Year, had anger management problems. Not only has the 73-year-old Trump managed to again make himself look unstatesmanlike on the worlds stage, but he has also put himself into the running for an award that Time should create for the 2020s: Fool of the Year. Eileen Fitzgerald, Pacifica A national disgrace Regarding Arguments over rules extend late into the night (Page 1, Jan. 22): If President Trump truly believes that he is not guilty of having abused his power and obstructed Congress, then he wouldnt be having his lawyers and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doing everything in their power to prevent witnesses from testifying or documents from being presented. Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank is 100% correct when he says that the rules package proposed by Republicans in Trumps Senate impeachment trial is a process for a rigged trial and a cover-up. I would also add the term national disgrace to his statement. Jennifer Erickson-James, San Francisco Watch your surroundings Im not surprised to read Phil Matiers Phones and laptops safe on BART? Not in S.F. (Page 1, Jan. 22). The increasing amount of thefts of electronic devices being used by BART passengers is likely to continue because, first, cell phone and laptop users riding on trains dont pay enough attention to their surroundings. Second, many juveniles who steal are growing up in homes where morals arent being taught and third, personal property crimes are a reflection of the widening income inequality gap in San Francisco and across the U.S. My advice to smartphone users is to be smart about when, where and how you use them. Didier Dubois, San Francisco Tips for drivers I have two suggestions for making San Francisco streets safer for all (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists). First, adopt the best driving advice I ever heard on the public radio series, Car Talk: be as predictable as possible. The more others know about your intentions, the less likely the chance of an accident. Second, and this is aimed at The Chronicle and other local media outlets: publish daily quizzes based on the Department of Motor Vehicles motorist handbooks rules of the road (cars arriving simultaneously at a four-way stop should yield to the car on the right, for example). Most people only read those rules once and forget them over time; being continually reminded of them would help normalize vehicular interactions. Ben Bayol, San Francisco In need of balance Regarding Confessions of a San Francisco car owner (Marshall Kilduff, Last Word, Jan. 18): Kudos to Marshall Kilduff for his reasoned editorial on car ownership. I agree there needs to be a place for everyone, but motorists seem to have been shoved to the very bottom of the heap. If San Francisco were a densely populated metropolis like NYC with an efficient and far-reaching transit system, I agree that a car would be a luxury. But, as long as the Bay Area (which is essentially a large metropolis itself) lacks any kind of comprehensive integrated public transportation, some people just need cars for work, for family errands, for travel, etc. Kilduff summed it up eloquently when he wrote ...cars have a claim, too and that his comments are ...an appeal for a touch of reality and balance. San Franciscans need and deserve much more of that. Ed Rose, San Francisco Lack of conscience I was reading Trial tests limits of partisanship (Editorial, Jan. 22) when I came across your raising the possibility of Republicans having a similar outbreak of conscience. Hahahaha! As this sham trial is clearly showing us, the Republican conscience died with the late Sen. John McCain. Robert Plantz, Santa Rosa Sen. Sanders policies Regarding State would change dramatically under Sanders (Page 1, Jan. 21): Thank you for your perhaps inadvertent, but ringing endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders for president. Leading with a front page headline State would change dramatically under Sanders, the article presents the many ways that Sanders policies would benefit the state and the planet. Right off, we learn that Sanders would cancel student and medical debt. Under the Finances, taxes section, we learn that his plan would spend $2.5 trillion to build affordable housing directly addressing Californias housing crisis. Sanders would institute a single-payer health care system the system that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the majority of California legislators support but, somehow, are unable to deliver. Sanders would aggressively attack climate change with a program that goes far beyond Californias well-meaning but inadequate response. As anyone who is paying attention realizes, we need to act fast and decisively to prevent the environmental and social collapse: we need dramatic change. As you so well show, Sanders is the man for the job. Boeing officially recommended pilots train on one of 34 737 MAX simulators worldwide before flying the aircraft. Airlines are scrambling to book time in 737 MAX training facilities as far afield as Fiji, Iceland and Panama, operators said, after US planemaker Boeing Co recommended pilots be trained in one of the few simulators replicating the latest model. That means thousands of pilots from more than 54 airlines need to squeeze into fewer than 40 737 MAX simulators around the world before they can fly the plane. Boeing is recommending that all 737 MAX pilots undergo training in a 737 MAX simulator prior to flying the aircraft in commercial service, the company told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday evening, the first confirmation of its new policy. On January 7, the company had recommended using a simulator but did not specify what type. The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes and cannot return to service until regulators approve software changes and training plans. There are an estimated 34 simulators for the 737 MAX globally, produced separately by civil aviation training firm CAE Inc and Textron Incs simulator and training division TRU. The number is less than a quarter of older 737 NG simulators certified by US and European regulators. I think that what a shortage of simulators will mean is the fleet of MAXes will start flying more slowly than what the airlines would like, said Gudmundur Orn Gunnarsson, managing director of TRU Flight Training Iceland, a joint venture between Icelandair and Textrons simulator and training division. In the beginning, it was said that simulator training would not be needed, he said. This changes it totally. Scarce simulators Gunnarsson said TRU Flight Training Iceland had more inquiries than usual from potential airline customers about the use of its 737 MAX simulator since Boeings January 7 announcement. Boeing said on Tuesday it did not expect to receive approval for returning the 737 MAX to service until mid-year, longer than previous estimates, in part because regulators are working on new pilot training requirements. Many airlines did not order 737 MAX simulators, assuming they could rely on the older 737 NG simulators because the types were so similar. Simulators can cost 10 to 20 million Canadian dollars ($7.64m to $15.29m) each, with the 737 MAX at the upper end, CAE said. Hourly rates for simulator training can run from $500 to $1,000, it said. High demand for 737 MAX simulators has led the Montreal company and its rival TRU to produce simulators for customers they have yet to line up. Customers are making increasing inquiries from all over the globe, a TRU spokeswoman said. South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet, which does not have a 737 MAX simulator, said it had already contacted Boeing, other airlines and training centres. With limited MAX simulators available, we expect carriers will likely face challenges to book slots for MAX simulators, said an Eastar official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Selling time Fiji Airways spent more than $10m to buy a 737 MAX simulator to help save on the costs and lost productivity of sending pilots to Singapore, Australia and the US for training, said its chief operating officer, Paul Doherty. The carrier uses 35 to 42 percent of the available hours on its simulator to train its 70 pilots who fly the 737 MAX, and had plans to sell the additional time. Now, it is getting calls from airlines thousands of miles away. We have got interest particularly from Asia, Doherty said. We are expecting some from the US. Our focus is to really develop our own pilots and to provide the best for Fiji Airways, but we are also very happy to help other airlines that need some time. That could be a real choke point, I think, for a lot of airlines. Panamanian carrier Copa Holdings SA, the only Latin American airline with a 737 MAX simulator, said it was seeing a lot of demand, although it was not authorized to disclose the interested carriers. Copa said it its top priority was to train its own 245 pilots. US airlines have more simulators than many of their counterparts abroad, but they also have more 737 pilots to train, which could be done in stages. Before Boeings recommendations for simulator training, Southwest Airlines Co, the worlds largest 737 operator, had estimated it would take about 30 days to train all of its roughly 10,000 pilots on the 737 MAX. On Tuesday, the Dallas-based carrier said it would be premature to make cost and timing estimates before regulators approved a training package. The airline said it has three simulators in various stages of FAA certification and expects to receive an additional three in late 2020. A robotic heart could see an end to the need for transplants within eight years, scientists believe. Experts in the Netherlands, Cambridge and London are developing a 'soft robot' heart which could keep blood pumping around the body. They aim to implant the first working prototype in animals within three years and in humans by 2028. The device is one of four projects shortlisted for a major 30million prize to transform the treatment of heart disease. The very best cardiovascular researchers from around the world - including experts from Oxford, Imperial College London, Harvard and Sheffield - are among the teams bidding to win the prize. As well as the robotic heart, the shortlisted projects include a vaccine for heart disease, a genetic cure for heart defects, and the very best in next generation 'wearable' technology that could spot heart attacks and strokes before they happen. The British Heart Foundation - which is running and funding the 30million 'Big Beat Challenge' - received 75 applications from teams in 40 countries. The four finalists have received 50,000 in seed funding to develop their ideas in the next six months, before a final winner will be selected for the main prize this summer. Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the BHF, said: 'Heart and circulatory diseases remain the number one cause of death worldwide. 'We're taking small steps forward every year but what's needed is a giant leap, which won't be achieved by a business-as-usual approach. 'This represents the single biggest investment in pioneering science in the BHF's 60-year history.' The 'hybrid heart' project - led by the University of Amsterdam - uses synthetic robotic material that replicates the contractions of a heart, combined with layers of human cells made in the lab to make sure the device accepted by the body's immune system. Powered by a wireless battery, charged from a device worn in a jacket or vest, it could save hundreds of lives. The scientists behind the project hope in time it will replace heart transplants - which are in huge demand. Professor Jolanda Kluin (left) with fellow medics from the Hybrid Heart Consortium Every year 200 heart transplants are conducted in the UK, but many people die before they can get one because there is such a long waiting list. Donor hearts are in particularly short supply for babies born with congenital defects - because in order to get a donor heart another baby must have died. The first robotic heart will be implanted at Papworth in Cambridgeshire or Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, the scientists say. Professor Jolanda Kluin, of the University of Amsterdam, said: 'While radical our ambition is not science fiction. 'Based on our preliminary results we know we can make it happen.' Also in the running is a team led by Oxford and Harvard, who hope to develop a way of curing genetic heart defects when someone is in their teens, well before they are struck down by potentially fatal disease. A third team, led by Cambridge and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, are creating a cell-by-cell 'map' of the fatty plaques that cause heart attacks and strokes. They aim to use this information to decode the influence of the immune system on heart disease - and believe they can go on to create a new wave of drugs and vaccines that prevent attacks years before they occur. A final team, led by the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and the University of Sheffield, are creating new 'wearable' technology that can diagnose, monitor and even treat heart problems. They aim to use smartwatches, heart monitors and mobile phones to create a 'digital twin' for each patient - enabling doctors to spot and predict problems. Professor Samani said: 'The Big Beat Challenge embodies our ambition to turbo-charge progress and could lead to its own 'man on the moon' moment. I have absolutely no doubt the winning idea will define the decade in their area.' Rocket fire targeted the Libyan capital's sole functioning airport on Wednesday, dealing another setback to peace efforts a day before regional foreign ministers meet in Algeria to discuss the crisis. Tripoli's Mitiga airport was forced to suspend all flights for several hours after it was targeted by six Grad rockets, just nine days after it reopened following a truce. The airport has been hit multiple times since the start of an offensive by forces led by eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar to seize the capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). World powers have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to find a political solution to the grinding conflict, with neighbouring Algeria to become the latest country to host a meeting Thursday to discuss ways forward. The Algerian foreign ministry said chief diplomats from Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Mali would meet in Algiers to advance "a political settlement to the crisis through an inclusive dialogue between all parties". Algeria, which has stayed neutral in the Libyan conflict, shares a border of almost 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) with its neighbour, rocked by violence since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi by NATO-backed insurgents. It did not say whether Libyan delegations had been invited to the meeting, but the GNA Foreign Minister Mohamad Tahar Siala, issued a statement saying he was "refusing" to take part due to the presence of his counterpart in the rival administration backed by Haftar. The meeting comes after a summit last Sunday in Berlin, which saw world leaders commit to ending all foreign meddling in Libya and to upholding a weapons embargo as part of a broader plan to end the conflict. The summit also saw the formation of a military commission comprising five GNA loyalists and five Haftar delegates who will seek to define ways of consolidating the ceasefire. On Tuesday, the UN Security Council urged the parties to reach a long-term ceasefire deal paving the way for a political process aimed at ending the conflict. Despite repeated appeals from the UN's envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, Tripoli's GNA-held airport has been the target of several air raids and rocket strikes since Haftar's forces launched their offensive in April. Located east of the capital, Mitiga is a former military airbase used by civilian traffic since Tripoli international airport was heavily damaged in fighting in 2014. GNA forces spokesman Mohammed Gnunu branded the strikes as a "flagrant threat" to the safety of air traffic and a "new violation" of the most recent ceasefire. Haftar's forces accuse the GNA of using Mitiga to attack their troops in southern Tripoli, something the GNA denies. They did not immediately respond to Wednesday's accusations from the GNA, but did announce they had shot down a Turkish drone after it took off from the airport. Turkey has backed the GNA, deploying troops to Libya since early January under a controversional November deal with the Tripoli-based administration. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected in the Algerian capital on Sunday at the start of a two-day visit also tied to the Libyan conflict. Turkey's top diplomat said Wednesday that Haftar was the only obstacle to a peace deal. "Together with Russia... we spent some efforts and there has been a ceasefire," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the World Economic Forum in Davos. "Then we got together in Berlin and we committed there to a sustainable truce and ceasefire. Sarraj did. But Haftar did not make any announcement, as he did not sign the joint statement in Moscow" prior to the Berlin conference. Germany's top diplomat Heiko Maas is also expected in Algiers Thursday, the Algerian foreign ministry said. Algiers has hosted a string of foreign leaders and envoys for talks on the crisis, including Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the top diplomats of Egypt, Italy, Turkey and former colonial power France. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra Thu, January 23, 2020 08:03 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20609588e 1 National batak,Batak-people,pig,swine-flu,North-Sumatra,pig-farms Free Hundreds of Batak people in North Sumatra have kick started a campaign to protest a proposed plan to cull domesticated pigs across the province following the sudden deaths of thousands of pigs from the recent African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in the region. The campaign, dubbed "Save Babi" or Save Pigs, was spearheaded by pig breeders, owners of restaurants that serve pork-based dishes and various other parties, as well as members of the public in the region. They all urged North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi not to go forward with the plan. Save Pigs campaign secretary Toman Purba said many Batak people at home and abroad had expressed concern over the administrations plan. Batak people living in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong and England support the Save Pigs movement. Theyre all opposed to the culling of pigs, Toman said on the sidelines of an event in Medan on Tuesday. He said Batak people would stage a massive rally in front of the governors office to protest the plan sometime in February. In response, Edy said the administration would not go forward with the plan because of the negative impact it would have on the livelihoods of pig breeders. If we actually slaughtered the pigs, what would become of pig breeders in North Sumatra? There are over 2 million pigs across the province, each worth around Rp 2 million [US$146.41], he said. He added that the administration was considering several alternative plans to address the ASF outbreak, such as centralizing pig breeding in an area that had not been exposed to the ASF virus. Pig breeding will take place exclusively in a specific region that has no history of infection, Edy said. RS Parhusip, a professor at the University of North Sumatra, said he had proposed an alternative plan for curing infections caused by the ASF virus to the veterinarians tasked with stemming the outbreak. However, his plan had not been considered, he said. I explained to them that the cure was very simple its sold at community health centers and various drug stores. But they never listened to me, Parhusip told scores of Batak people during a meeting organized by the Save Pigs movement. He recommended that the pigs be treated with the antibiotics levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. North Sumatra Food Security and Animal Husbandry Agency head Azhar Harahap said the administration would not go forward with the planned cull as it would violate Government Regulation No. 29/2012 on the welfare of animals and animal breeders, as well as the principles upheld by the World Organization for Animal Health. Above all, such a plan would certainly harm the livelihoods of pig breeders. This is the most crucial point to consider, Azhar said. He said the administration had taken steps to prevent any future outbreaks, such as stepping up biosecurity measures by making it mandatory for pig breeders to clean pig enclosures with standardized disinfectants. Other measures entail stricter supervision of the transportation of pigs between villages, districts, regencies, cities and provinces, as well as the enforcement of quarantine procedures to prevent pigs being brought into our out of North Sumatra, he said. According to our records, 302 pigs succumb to the virus in North Sumatra each day, which is relatively low compared to the death toll in other countries that are also dealing with an ASF outbreak, Azhar said. The first ASF outbreak occurred in China in 2018, he explained. The virus later spread to Hong Kong, the Philippines and Timor Leste, he added. The outbreak in North Sumatra began in October of last year, Azhar said. The virus arrived in North Sumatra from other countries. It did not originate domestically and the only outbreak in Indonesia has occurred in North Sumatra, he said. Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo announced in a statement on Dec. 12 last year that cases of ASF had been recorded in 16 regions across North Sumatra. (rfa) Pakistans Lahore has some of the most toxic air on the planet, but not all of its residents suffer its effects equally. Lahore, Pakistan Walking through the streets of Lahores old city, once home to Mughal royalty but now overtaken by a maze of ramshackle shops and commercial buildings built seemingly on top of one another, you can see a thin layer of translucent brown air hang just above street level. We have been getting sore throats, colds and fevers, says Khurram Shehzad, 35, a salesman at a hardware store, covering his mouth with a scarf. Our eyes burn, and our throats become dry. Ive been coughing a lot [this year]. It has been like this for months, says Shehzad, throughout what has come to be known in Pakistans eastern city of Lahore, home to more than 10 million people, as smog season. Come October, changing weather patterns, high levels of environmental pollution and seasonal crop burning combine to make the air in Lahore some of the most toxic in the world, with the citys air quality index (AQI) reading regularly topping 500 (the upper limit on most meters), according to AirVisual, an international air quality monitoring service. The AQI is a measure formulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure how healthy or polluted air is, and takes into account levels of five major air pollutants. Any reading higher than 100 is considered unhealthy, with readings higher than 300 considered hazardous, according to international standards. Pakistans classification system for AQI considers levels up to 200 to be satisfactory. Khurram Shehzad, 35, a worker at a hardware store, says several members of his family fell sick this smog season with respiratory problems [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] In 2015, an estimated 135,000 Pakistanis died due to air pollution, a study published in the medical journal The Lancet found. Perhaps more crucially, the study found that air pollution cost Pakistanis more than 42.3 million disability-adjusted life years averaged out over Pakistans cities, where air pollution is concentrated, that amounts to more than a year off every single urban citizens life. In Lahore, a growing metropolis that is a hub of commercial activity in Pakistans Punjab province, the AQI during the four months between October and January rarely dips below hazardous levels. This year, for the first time ever, the provincial government shut down schools for three days due to hazardous air quality, asking citizens to remain indoors as much as possible. For many in Pakistan, where the average per capita income is less than $1,600 a year, staying indoors, however, is simply not an option. We dont eat that day My whole family can eat [only] because I am running this pushcart, says Jalal Hazrat Syed, a 24-year-old migrant to Lahore who sells household electrical equipment off a wooden cart in the old city. If I shut it down, what will they do? Its easier for those who work in offices. If I dont work for a day, we dont eat that day. This year, the government and activists have been encouraging citizens to wear filter face masks to protect themselves while outdoors in the smog, as well as to install air purifiers at home to filter the air. The main danger from the smog is high levels of particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter, known as PM2.5. Such particles can be absorbed directly into the blood and organs after being breathed in, and have been linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and other diseases. Jalal Hazrat Syed, 24, sells electrical equipment from a push cart, and says he cannot afford to abide by government advisories to stay indoors during the smog crisis [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Pakistans standard for safe levels of PM2.5 in the air is 35 microns per cubic metre. At the peak of smog season, the level was regularly more than 15 times that amount. For many in Pakistan, however, buying air purifiers for their homes or workspaces is out of the question, given their high cost. We would see the smog descend in the evenings, mostly, said Faiz-ul-Islam, 30, a tea seller in the citys congested Shah Alami market. It is unlikely, given I earn 15,000 rupees a month [$96], that I would be able to buy an air purifier. Most air purifiers in Pakistani stores are imported, with prices starting at about 30,000 rupees ($194), or roughly double the monthly minimum wage. Prices for face masks certified to filter out PM2.5 particles are more affordable, however, with most masks retailing for roughly 200 rupees (about $1.30). Faiz-ul-Islam, 30, a tea seller in the citys busy Shah Alami market, says even the cheapest air purifier costs more than he makes in a month [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Islam says he has no choice but to go to work, no matter what the air quality, because he needs to earn a living. I cannot survive for a single day without going outside and working, he says. [If we are forced to stay home], I will be forced into debt, and it will take months to work it off. A new generation of Pakistani activists, however, is working to change all that. We work together, or die together Young Pakistanis have taken on a leadership role in demanding that the government apply more sustainable environmental policies and take climate change more seriously. In September, thousands of young people marched in 26 cities across the country to register their protest against unsustainable climate policies, joining a global movement dubbed the Global Climate Strike. Nida Afzal, a student at Lahores Punjab University, was among those marching. [If] I am living under a system that is oppressing me and doesnt allow me to speak the truth, then I should leave that system, right? she says. That seems to be anarchist, but it is really not anarchist. It is about communicating your opinion to power. Afzal, 20, has been working on environmental issues for more than five years, ever since her mother died from liver disease linked to the quality of water in her middle-class Lahore neighbourhood. Students are now [engaging in this activism] because they know their rights, she says. [Authorities] dont argue with us the same way, because they know that we really shut them up. Thats the pride of this movement. How Greta [Thunberg] speaks, you know? Nida Afzal, 20, a student at Lahores Punjab University and a climate change activist [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Afzal says the time for governments to act is fast running out, and that for her, it is do or die now. We have known about climate breakdown for 30 years, and we have been warned by scientists [] We have now taken that stand, that we have to do something, because if we dont work together, we die together. Other young activists say that they target other students and younger people, because they find it difficult to convince those who are middle-aged or older. [Young people] are easier to convince. It is more probable that a young person is more aware of this issue than someone in their mid-30s, says Raza Goraya, 25, a lawyer who co-founded the Clean Air Campaign in Lahore. Goraya warns, however, that opposition to sustainable policies appears to be based in a paradigm that pits development against environmentally friendly policies. It is ingrained that [pollution] is necessary. That development with sustainability being brought into the equation is not possible, not on a fast pace. There are, however, hurdles to climate activism especially adapting global models of protest to Pakistan, some young activists explain. Raza Goraya, 25, a lawyer and climate change activist who co-founded the Clean Air Campaign [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Afzal works with the UK-based eXtinction Rebellion (XR), a climate activism group that conducts civil disobedience protests where activists court arrest in order to force authorities to take notice of climate change. In Pakistan, however, Afzal says it is more difficult to conduct those kinds of protests. They couldnt happen here, because people are scared. Over there, people are educated and very privileged. Their protests are flooded with middle-class white people, who are privileged, she says. As elsewhere, however, she believes privileged Pakistanis will have to use their social power to agitate for change. The people will have to come forward and say, us educated people. A labourer cannot come forward to put his life and his wages in danger to say that they dont accept corporations. We should not expect that, either. We need to work with them and work for their rights, but we should not expect them to be revolutionaries. The biggest gap Pakistans government dismisses criticism of its policies, saying it is taking effective steps to take on the smog crisis. According to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) report commissioned by the Punjab government, roughly 43 percent of the provinces air pollution is attributable to vehicle emissions. A further 24 percent is from industrial emissions, 20 percent from the burning of crops in the winter season, and 12 percent from the countrys mainly coal- and furnace oil-fired power plants. We have identified that it relates to petroleum and oils that we import or manufacture in our refineries, says Tanveer Ahmed Warraich, director general of the provincial Environmental Protection Agency. The government wants that whatever fuel we import, it must be of better quality. Currently, Pakistan uses Euro-II standards for the quality of fuels used in vehicles, which allows for higher levels of pollutants. For example, the sulphur content in Euro-II grade diesel fuel is roughly 50 times higher than current global standards. Vehicle inspection standards, however, remain lax, and many inefficient or higher polluting vehicles continue to ply Pakistans roads. Warraich said his agency aims to impound 20 vehicles a day after spot checks on Lahores roads. Employees at the workshop for Indoor Forest, a brand of air purifier that retails for 16,000 rupees (roughly $105), are struggling to meet the spike in demand in Lahore [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] According to a 2017 Smog Policy, the government is also working on reducing industrial emissions, especially from the more than 10,000 brick kilns scattered across Punjab province. The government is incentivising brick kiln owners to switch to more efficient zigzag technology at their kilns. On crop burning, Warraich said more than 400 farmers were arrested this year for burning the stubble from the rice harvest to clear their fields for the upcoming wheat season. Others, however, say the action is simply not fast enough to take on what is a crisis. A lot of the measures that were supposed to be immediately implemented, I am yet to see evidence of that, said Attiya Noon, an environmental activist who sits on the governments anti-smog committee. Thats the biggest gap, that you see political will, you see action even in terms of these meetings however, it remains to be seen when and how it will be implemented. For those working on the streets of Lahore, action cannot come too soon. When the smog was bad [this year], wed tell our kids to stay indoors, in their own rooms, says Shehzad, the electrical store worker. But if I stay at home, how will we eat? The government wont help me. Whether we are sick, or whatever happens, we have to work. Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim. On Wednesday Spains human rights record was examined by means of a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. The three-hour long session kicked off with an address by the Spanish representative, followed by the intervention of all the member states that wished to take the floor. Spain received several red flags, namely about the excessive use of police force and curtailing freedom. The session even touched upon the situation in Catalonia. The representative of Venezuela spoke briefly to ask Spains new government, led by PM Pedro Sanchez, to start a constructive dialogue with the people of Catalonia and their institutions. The Catalan issue was not raised specifically in other turns, but some of the warnings that were sent out seemed to hint at it. Such was the case of the representatives who spoke about the role of Spains police forces. Italys spokesperson asked the Spanish delegation to investigate all the reports of excessive use of force by police. Iraq, Switzerland, Mexico and Russia spoke along similar lines. The Swiss delegate asked for a code of good practice for security forces and advised Spain to deal with its Francoist past. The Russian representative demanded an effective, independent probe into unlawful actions by security forces. Another salient issue was the freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration. Italy spoke again to encourage the Spanish authorities to fully guarantee the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, while Belgium urged Spain to abide by Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which asserts the right to peaceful assembly. Also worthy of mention was the US delegates demand for Madrid to hold to account those responsible for crimes against journalists and efforts to undermine the freedom of expression. Germany, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico and Canada also raised this same point. The Canadian representative added an important element: a request that laws pertaining to criminal offences of insulting the crown be reviewed. A total of fifteen countries mentioned a regression in freedom in those areas. Criticism, but also praise The session was conducted in a diplomatic tone throughout. In other words, besides criticism Spain also received some praise. An aspect that kept coming up was gender parity in Pedro Sanchezs new government. The Spanish delegation was headed by Fernando Valenzuela, Spains deputy foreign minister, who spoke at the start of the session to state that Spain meets the highest international standards in terms of civil liberties, freedom of demonstration and expression and he concluded that Spain had passed the test with flying colours. Catalan pro-independence leaders who followed the session were of the exact opposite opinion. Catalonias foreign minister, Alfred Bosch, spoke to say that today Geneva has seen the most stinging rebuke the Kingdom of Spain has ever received on the subject of human rights. The Catalan News Agency reported that ERC Secretary General Marta Rovira who remains exiled in Switzerland also stated that several of the reprimands that Spain was issued had a connection with the rights that have been trampled over in Catalonia. Olivier Peter, Jordi Cuixarts lawyer and Omnium Culturals international spokesperson, stated that todays session showed that the UN is concerned about the violation of human rights in Spain. Jaume Bardolet, who heads the Catalan National Assemblys foreign policy, said he was pleased with how the session had panned out and played down the fact that Catalonia hadnt come up more by arguing that the UN uses highly diplomatic language. We werent expecting a more specific analysis of the Catalan issue. We are pleased, he added. A report will be published with all the observations made today by the member states and Spain will be encouraged to take them onboard. While it wont be legally binding, in the future there will be a review to determine whether any measures have been adopted along those lines. WHO Praises China's Anti-Virus Efforts, May Declare Global Emergency By RFE/RL January 22, 2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised the commitment of authorities in China to "minimize" risks of the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a day ahead of a decision by the UN agency on whether to declare a rare global emergency over the outbreak. "What they are doing is a very, very strong measure and with full commitment. So based on the situation they are taking the action they deem is appropriate, is very important," WHO Director-General Tedros Ahanom Ghebreyesus said on January 22. "We stressed to them that by having a strong action not only they will control the outbreak in their country but they will also minimize the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally. So they recognize that," he said. Among the measures China has taken was a decision to prevent people from leaving the city of Wuhan, considered the center of the outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people and killed at least 17. Authorities have said residents will not be able to leave the city of some 11 million people, with outbound flights, trains, buses, and ferries all being halted. WHO on January 22 said it will decide on January 23 whether to declare a global emergency. If it does, it would be only the sixth international public health emergency called over the past decade. Previous emergencies have been declared for epidemics such as the Ebola outbreak in Congo and the Zika virus in the Americas in 2016. The coronavirus outbreak has shaken global stock markets, raising concerns about the economy. The 2003 SARS crisis caused an estimated $50 billion in losses from reduced travel and spending. "The decision is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence," WHO chief Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "This is an evolving and complex situation. Our team in China is working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak." Countries around the world have taken precautions to limit the spread of the virus that has already reached Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States. President Donald Trump on January 22 said the United States has a plan in place to contain the outbreak, after a first case was confirmed the previous day in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said, "We do have a plan and we think it is going to be handled very well. We've already handled it very well. The CDC [Center for Disease Control] is terrific. Very professional..." The Washington state resident who returned on January 15 from Wuhan was hospitalized near Seattle after seeking medical treatment. Testing from the CDC on January 20 confirmed that he was infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, which can cause pneumonia-like symptoms. He is reported to be in good condition and in isolation at a medical clinic. Russia on January 21 said it was stepping up checks at borders and airports to prevent the spread of the virus from China, with which it shares a border of more than 4,200 kilometers. Some 1.5 million Chinese tourists visit Russia each year. Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport told AFP that additional sanitation-control measures would be used to screen passengers on flights from China, with heat scanners used to measure passengers' body temperature while they are still on the arriving plane. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/who-hails- china-virus-fight-may-declare- global-emergency/30392358.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Officials say ridership on Birminghams on-demand ridesharing service is growing and residents are anxious to see the service expand. The service, Birmingham On-Demand, is different from traditional fixed-route transit, which uses large buses and moves a large group of riders. The service is on-demand, meaning riders dont have to wait for the bus or follow a bus schedule. Birmingham On-Demand uses Mercedes Metris vans to take riders inside a 7 square-mile zone. Each ride is $1.50. Riders request a ride through the Via app or by calling 205-236-0768. Since the service launched on Dec. 3, weekly ridership has doubled, according to data provided by the Birmingham Department of Transportation. The data shows 3,072 rides have been taken. The most rides taken in a single day was recorded on Tuesday, with 143 rides. Were pleased we didnt lose gains and actually saw growth (after the holidays), said Lakey Boyd, deputy director for strategy and innovation for the city transportation department. While ridership has doubled since the service launched, pickup wait times have stayed consistent, with an average wait time of 7.3 minutes. Some of the most popular pickup and drop off spots include the Crossplex, Publix in downtown, UAB Highlands, the bus-train station and Marinos Market. While officials expected grocery stores and the hospital to be popular, Boyd said shes surprised Publix has remained among the most popular points. The data suggests riders in west Birmingham are using the Crossplex as a hub for rides into downtown. Riders are also giving the service positive reviews, with the average rating of each ride 4.88 out of 5 stars. The biggest complaint is that the service doesnt cover the whole city. Residents are excited about it. I get calls and emails from them wanting to know when it will come to their area, said District 9 councilor John Hilliard, who also serves on the transportation committee. He said he hopes the services will expand to the neighborhoods of Dolomite and Sherman Heightstwo neighborhoods that arent served by a bus. Its important for residents to have transportation options, he said. The cost of weekly and monthly passes will soon decrease. Boyd said she hopes dropping the price will show residents Birmingham On-Demand can be used as part of their daily transportation, not just a one-time service. The cost of weekly passes will be dropped to $10 from the current $14. The cost of monthly passes will be dropped to $35 from the current $54. Each weekly or monthly pass covers up to four rides per day. City officials havent determined the future of the service. Boyd said theyre working to determine that. If the service continues growing, Boyd said the city may have to consider adding additional vans. Currently there are five. READ MORE: Birmingham launches on-demand transit service Birmingham to consider microtransit pilot program Updated at 1:02 p.m. to add an image of the updated pilot service area map. Flash Zhang Yan, whose family resides in Beijing, joined the crowds returning home at the Beijing Capital International Airport three days ahead of the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year. This was the fifth time he and his wife have gone on vacation to celebrate the festival, traditionally an occasion for a family reunion. This time, their destination is Madrid, Spain. "This is a new celebration ritual for us," the 50-year-old Beijing resident told Xinhua. This year's Spring Festival falls on Jan. 25. Like Zhang and his wife, millions of Chinese are now opting to celebrate by taking vacations rather than returning to their hometowns as they grow more affluent and have better access to faster and more convenient transportation. According to a recent report by China's largest online travel agency Trip.com Group, formerly known as Ctrip, the week-long Spring Festival holiday is expected to witness 450 million domestic trips made by Chinese tourists, compared with 415 million over the same period in 2019. "I'm tired of partying through the holiday. We owe ourselves a treat after a busy year," Zhang said. Before leaving, the couple booked a plush hotel in the suburb of Beijing for their parents and asked their only daughter to arrange a holiday on her own. More Chinese are following the trend. Over 30 percent of tourists having placed orders on Trip.com as of Dec. 31, 2019, will set off before the Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve, which falls on Jan. 24, the online travel agency said, adding that two thirds will travel with their children or parents. Apart from popular islands, suburban tourist spots and those featuring immersive traditional culture and ice and ski destinations are gaining wider popularity. Zhangjiakou in north China's Hebei Province is increasingly favored by tourists after the high-speed railway connecting Beijing and the city went into operation on Dec. 30, 2019. Shortening the travel time from over three hours to 47 minutes, the high-speed rail service is transporting more tourists to the co-host city for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. "We are welcoming 30 percent more visitors thanks to the railway line," said Li Yongtai, a manager of a ski resort in Chongli of Zhangjiakou. The resort receives around 6,000 tourists on the weekends, said Li, confident about a further surge during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday. Tantalized by the spending potential of Chinese tourists, many countries rolled out visa facilitation policies and tailored tour packages in a bid to attract more of them. Starting from Jan. 1, 2020, Uzbekistan implemented a new scheme allowing Chinese citizens to have a seven-day visa free stay in the country. Thailand extended the on-arrival free visa policy to Chinese citizens till April 30, 2020. The list goes on. Statistics by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed that as of last November, China had signed agreements with 147 countries on mutual exemption of visas for short stays. Trip.com also said orders of overseas tours for the upcoming holiday made on the platform covered more than 1,000 destinations in 102 countries and regions, which will bring a boost to local consumption. Donald Trump will release his long awaited Middle Peace plan by Tuesday of next week - the same day he invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main election rival Benny Gantz to the White House. The president said Thursday he will release the plan, which has been spear-headed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, before that meeting. 'Sometime prior to that,' he told reporters traveling with him to Florida on Air Force One. 'Probably we'll release it a little bit prior to that.' Donald Trump will release his long awaited Middle Peace plan by Tuesday of next week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left0 and his main election rival Benny Gantz (right) will be at the White House next Tuesday He noted he was glad Netanyahu and Gantz were coming - despite the fierce election battle going on between them. Vice President Mike Pence extended the invitation to the Israeli leaders when he was in Jerusalem for the Fifth World Holocaust Forum. 'I was surprised that both of them came off the campaign trail,' Trump said. 'We have both candidates coming unheard of.' He was optimistic he could get the Middle East deal done. 'I'd love to be able to do that deal. They say that's the hardest of all deals,' he said. 'I love doing deals.' 'It's a great plan. It's a plan that really would work,' he added. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner worked on the Middle East plan Trump spoke positively of the plan - the details of which have been shrouded in secrecy - and said he believed it could work. He also had spoken to the Palestinians 'briefly.' Palestinian leaders have objected tot he plan. 'We've spoken to them briefly. But we will speak to them in a period of time,' he said. 'And they have a lot of incentive to do it. I'm sure they maybe will react negatively at first but it's actually very positive for them.' Netanyahu and Gantz will be at the White House Tuesday, as Trump's Senate impeachment trial is ongoing. 'President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues, as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land', Pence said. Vice President Mike Pence (left) visited Israel Thursday and invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) to Washington next week Netanyahu told Pence: 'I think that the president is seeking to give Israel the peace and security it deserves,' adding that he 'gladly' accepted the invitation. 'Thank you for what your administration does every day... We have no better friend than President Trump,' he said at the meeting at the US embassy in Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders have however dismissed the U.S. peace initiative as one-sided. They say it fails to address their wish to end Israeli occupation and the expansion, encouraged by Netanyahu, of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. On Thursday the Palestinian Authority reiterated its rejection of the US peace plan. 'We stress once again our categorical rejection of the American decisions,' a spokesman for Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas said in a statement. Trump has slashed aid to the Palestinians, while making big concessions to the Israelis, including formalising U.S. recognition of the divided city of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. His concept for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is believed to revolve around encouraging massive economic investment. As caretaker premier Netanyahu faces new elections on March 2 against Gantz, of the centrist Blue and White party. Trump, whose team has long been working on the outlines of such a plan, has repeatedly boasted that he is the most pro-Israeli U.S. president in history. After many postponements, Trump's peace initiative to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was expected in the autumn, after inconclusive elections were held in September. Netanyahu said: 'With such friends in the White House ... we should get as broad a consensus as possible around the efforts to achieve security and peace for the state of Israel.' [January 23, 2020] Workforce Management Platform Ubeya Raises $3.5m to Simplify the Process of Finding, Connecting and Managing Hourly Staff TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ubeya announced its $3.5M financing round led by ICV VC and joined by Cornerstone. They join existing investor Magma VC, bringing the total amount of venture capital raised to date to $5M. Ubeya was launched in 2017, and is currently used by businesses including event venues, catering companies, hospitality organizations, staffing agencies, stadiums, promotional businesses and retailers - to source, schedule, manage and pay gig workers. Ubeya's workforce management platform is designed for companies that rely on hourly staff at the core of their operation. For this type of business, it can be extremely challenging to manage or oversee the performance of a disperse event-based workforce. The Ubeya platform connects all parties, helping businesses book, track, monitor and reward their hourly staff. Ubeya's technology is designed to serve the entire ecosystem with transparency and visibility from every angle: For businesses: the platform helps companies find and manage their hourly staff. Ubeya's algorithm will match staffing needs to workers' profiles who have the right skills and availability. The machine learning leverages individuals' track records and experiences to connect the right opportunity to th right team. For employees: Ubeya gives hourly workers the ability to stay connected with employers and agencies, and stay looped in about new jobs that match their skills. The platform helps individual workers with a fair, easy and convenient way to interact with companies. For agencies: recruitment and staffing agencies use Ubeya to streamline how they manage, pay and communicate with their pool of available staff. The platform helps agencies digitize processes such as booking, scheduling and updating staff helping them optimize operational speed and performance, and connects them to relevant jobs in their area. Omri Dekalo , CEO of Ubeya said: "Ubeya connects the dots for an ecosystem which is full of challenges such as seasonality, high turnover or lack of information about staff skills. It is amazing to see our clients smoothly running the entire staffing operation on our platform, but what makes us most excited is helping thousands of people find great work opportunities." "Cornerstone is committed to staying on the forefront of how the modern workforce is evolving," says Heidi Spirgi, Cornerstone's Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer. "Gig workers are increasingly important to every business and Ubeya has built an innovative and simple platform to manage, communicate with, and ultimately engage this growing part of the labor market." Glen Schwaber, Partner at ICV added: "ICV invests in things that matter. And few things matter more than putting people to work. Ubeya's platform is built for the future of work enabling gig employers the opportunity to recruit, manage, and scale their businesses while offering employees an unmatched experience managing engagements and building their careers." Learn more about Ubeya at ubeya.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/workforce-management-platform-ubeya-raises-3-5m-to-simplify-the-process-of-finding-connecting-and-managing-hourly-staff-300992085.html SOURCE Ubeya [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The amended citizenship law and the situation in Kashmir are internal issues of India and the country with its dynamic democracy will find solutions to these "challenges", Brazilian envoy Andre Aranha Correa do Lago said on Thursday. His comments on the two issues comes a day ahead of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's maiden visit to India after he assumed power in January last year following a sweeping electoral victory. Lago told PTI in an interview that over 15 agreements will be signed during the Brazilian president's visit, including one on the investment protection and facilitation treaty. "These (Citizenship (Amendment) Act and Kashmir situation) are two internal issues of India that obviously we are following with great interest. Naturally, in the conversations probably the Indian government will bring elements about this but we see this very clearly as internal questions of India," he said. "India being such a dynamic democracy with such fantastic institutions and civil society, we know that with this very open society, you will discuss and you (will) go ahead with solutions for these challenges," the Brazilian envoy said. He made the remarks when asked if the CAA and the Kashmir issue could be discussed during talks. Brazilian President Bolsonaro will on Friday begin a four-day visit to India, primarily as the chief guest on Republic Day and also to explore ways to boost trade ties at a time both the large economies are hit by slowdowns. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind separately on Saturday. Bolsonaro will be accompanied by seven ministers, top officials and a large business delegation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TORONTO - Despite potential political opposition, it would make more sense for Bombardier Inc. to sell its business jet division than its railway operations to address its staggering debt, an industry analyst said Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 22/1/2020 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Despite potential political opposition, it would make more sense for Bombardier Inc. to sell its business jet division than its railway operations to address its staggering debt, an industry analyst said Wednesday. "Given the historic cyclicality of the business jet segment, Transportation is the better stand alone business," wrote Cameron Doerksen of National Bank Financial in a report. Flags fly outside a Bombardier plant in Montreal, on May 14, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz The railway operations are a steadier generator of cash flows, its backlog is very strong at nearly US$36 billion and the trends of urbanization and greener transportation are more supportive of long-term growth, he said. The sale of aviation could face opposition from political leaders and employees because it is a major employer in Quebec and Canada, he said. However, with a refreshed lineup of jets, decent margins and a good backlog of orders, it would be attractive for a competitor without larger size planes such as Textron, a large aerospace OEM or private equity, said Doerksen. He said a deal could be announced within six months after the Montreal-based company said last week that it was actively considering alternatives to reduce its US$9.3-billion debt. Doerksen estimates that a sale of its remaining plane operations could generate US$6.6 billion. That would result in Bombardier shares having an equity value of $3.90 per share after repurchasing the Caisse's 30 per cent stake in transportation and earning US$949 million from the sale of its 34 per cent stake in the A220 commercial jet program. The company's value would be cut to $1.72 per share under a more conservative scenario with aviation generating US$5.3 billion in proceed and A220 not generating any money. That's still more than the $1.28 they closed at Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Kevin Chiang of CIBC World Markets pegged Bombardier's equity value as between $2 and $4 per share. "We do not view Bombardier as a distressed seller given its current liquidity position provides it with a buffer," he wrote after the company's warning raised concerns about its future. Selling the transportation division may be easier but it could take longer. Potential strategic buyers include Alstom, Siemens and China's CRRC. In fact, Bombardier previously explored a combination with Siemens before Alstom sought a deal to merge with Siemens that was ultimately blocked by European regulators. A tie-up between Bombardier and Alstom would have fewer competitive issues because Bombardier is not as big a player in high speed trains or signalling as the German firm, so there's less overlap and fewer job losses, said Doerksen. Berlin-based Bombardier Transportation and France's Alstom also co-operate on many contracts, including metro cars in Montreal and Paris. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Our biggest concern around the sale of Bombardier to another rolling stock OEM is that a regulatory review could take a long time," he wrote, noting that it took the European Commission 17 months to reject the Alstom-Siemens venture. "Given what we see as a tight liquidity position and a desire to deal with its debt as soon as possible, we do not believe Bombardier can afford to wait more than a year for a potential transaction to be completed." Benoit Poirier of Desjardins Securities said a sale of Bombardier Transportation to Alstom makes strategic sense by adding scale to compete against larger rivals. The combined company would generate about US$18 billion in annual revenues, compared with about US$34 billion for the China competitor and US$10 billion for Siemens. "However, we would expect such a combination to face antitrust scrutiny." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:BBD.B) The Camphill Hudson Players, an inclusive theater group, will perform two vignettes from their original production, "Portraits of Us," at Camphill Foundation's 2020 Gala. This year's Annual Gala celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Camphill movement, founded by Austrian refugees who established a safe place for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in 1940 at the Camphill estate in Aberdeen, Scotland. On March 26th, Camphill supporters from throughout North America will convene at New Yorks Edison Ballroom to celebrate a legacy 80 years in the making. The cause for celebration dates to 1940, when a group of Austrian refugees led by Dr. Karl Konig, purchased the Camphill estate in Aberdeen, Scotland. Theirs was a humanitarian mission. Having fled their homeland under Nazi occupation, the founders of the first Camphill community sought to establish a place where they would care for, live with, and educate children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as autism and Down syndrome. In a world where institutionalization or segregation were the norm, the work of these disability rights pioneers was groundbreaking. Following the teachings of philosopher Rudolf Steiner, they sowed the seeds for a global community-building movement. Today, there are 15 Camphill communities and affiliates in North America, and more than 100 in 22 countries worldwide. Thousands of people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities have lived and worked as part of Camphill, their lives shaped by its unique approach to inclusion. Camphill Foundation will celebrate this impactand the people who make it possibleat its Annual Gala at New Yorks Edison Ballroom on March 26, 2020. Launched in 1986, the Annual Gala gathers community members and patrons in support of the Camphill movement. The event benefits Camphill Foundations grantmaking program. All funds raised go to grants awarded annually to Camphill communities and organizations. At this years Annual Gala, Camphill Foundation will present Daniel McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, with the prestigious Camphill Elizabeth Boggs Leadership Award. McKanan studies religious and spiritual movements for social transformation, and has authored six books, including "Eco-Alchemy: Anthroposophy and the History and Future of Environmentalism" (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2017) and "Camphill and the Future: Spirituality and Disability in an Evolving Communal Movement" (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2020). He has also served as board chair of the International Communal Studies Association. Past recipients of the Camphill Elizabeth Boggs Leadership Award include author and activist Andrew Solomon; philosopher, theologian, and LArche founder Jean Vanier; and author, professor, autism education expert, and animal husbandry pioneer Dr. Temple Grandin. From his days as a Camphill volunteer coworker to his ongoing work raising consciousness of Camphills vital contributions to humanity and environmentalism, Professor McKanan has done much to advance communities where people of all abilities are embraced and empowered, said Karen Murphy, Executive Director of Camphill Foundation. We are thrilled to recognize his achievements during this momentous 80th anniversary celebration. Camphill Foundations 2020 Annual Gala will be held at the Edison Ballroom, located at 240 West 47th Street, New York. It will feature a silent auction, as well as a performance by The Camphill Hudson Players, an inclusive theater group based at Camphill Hudson in Hudson, New York. The event is open to all ticket holders. Individual tickets to the Camphill Foundation Annual Gala are available for $380. Sponsorships are available at eight levels: Camphill Pioneer ($80,000), Camphill Builder ($25,800), Camphill Benefactor ($15,800), Camphill Sustainer ($10,800), Camphill Sponsor ($8,000), Camphill Partner ($5,800), Camphill Supporter ($2,580), and Camphill Friend ($1,080). Visit bidpal.net/CamphillGALA2020 to purchase tickets or a sponsorship package. About Camphill Foundation Founded in 1966 to support two fledgling Camphill communities in New York and Pennsylvania, Camphill Foundation has grown dramatically over the past six decades. Today, its mission is to grow, strengthen, and safeguard the Camphill movement at 15 Camphill communities and affiliates in the United States and Canada. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Camphill Foundation primarily accomplishes this mission by providing strategic grants and low-interest loans that help grow and sustain the Camphill movement. Visit http://www.camphillfoundation.org for details. About the Camphill Movement Camphill is a worldwide movement of vibrant lifesharing communities that provide a unique model of care for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Camphill movement draws inspiration from the principles of anthroposophy. In valuing the profound significance of each human being, practicing the art of daily living, and emphasizing mindfulness of our responsibility to the earth, the Camphill movement offers a model for social renewal. Please e-mail amy@camphillfoundation.org with photo requests. The participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem demonstrates how important it is for Moscow to preserve the memory of World War II, as well as that Russian-Israeli relations are at a high level, the member of the twenty-second Knesset, a member of the Yisrael Beiteinu party Mark Ifraimov told Vestik Kavkaza. First of all, he emphasized that now it is vital to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, when most of the survivors in this universal catastrophe have already passed away. "If we do not remember the Holocaust, just as if we do not celebrate Victory Day on May 9, the day will soon come when this tragedy may repeat," Mark Ifraimov said. In this regard, the Knesset member welcomed Vladimir Putin's participation in the World Holocaust Forum. "Israel really looked forward to President Putin's visit. The visit of the President of Russia as a tribute to the deseased is very important and significant for our country, it indicates that the Holocaust memory has not yet faded in the world," he said. Mark Ifraimov added that 46 distinguished guests arrived in Israel, which indicates how important the topic of the Holocaust is. The politician said that the Leningrad Siege heroes monument is unveiled today in central Jerusalem, adding that the monument was personally opened by Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Famous people, philanthropists living in Russia and Israel, including Viktor Vekselberg, Berl Lazar and Yuri Kanner, allocated money to build this monument. Such events allow us to strengthen ties between our states, which is beneficial of all our citizens, because communication with the homeland is very important," Mark Ifraimov concluded. [January 23, 2020] University of North Texas Announces Fully Online Bachelor's Degree Completion Program on Coursera The University of North Texas (UNT), a Carnegie Tier-One research university, will offer the first bachelor's degree from a U.S. university on Coursera, the world's leading online learning platform. The university has partnered with Coursera to bring its Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.) program to the highly accessible online platform beginning in fall 2020. Ranked among the nation's top 100 for ethnic diversity and social mobility, UNT initially developed the unique degree program to help students with diverse backgrounds, including those who have prior college or military credit, earn an accredited bachelor's degree in the most streamlined way possible. Those students who successfully complete the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, hosted on Coursera, can also earn credit toward the information technology concentration of the online B.A.A.S. An estimated 35% of jobs in the U.S. require at least a bachelor's degree, yet 36 million Americans have attended some college, but never completed their degree. The B.A.A.S. is one of the fastest, most affordable ways for transfer students from community colleges and technical institutions, veterans or active-duty military personnel, and other non-traditional students with college credit to earn their bachelor's degree. International students with a three-year bachelor's degree can also apply their previous credits to this program o earn a four-year bachelor's degree - fulfilling an eligibility requirement for many U.S.-based master's programs. As part of their broader commitment to increasing access to top-quality education, UNT also plans to offer a limited number of full scholarships to the online B.A.A.S. "By bringing our B.A.A.S. program to Coursera, we're offering non-traditional students everywhere the opportunity to thrive in a high quality academic environment," said Dr. Jennifer Cowley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UNT. "The program will offer students the same engaging support, personal interaction, and career services as our on-campus B.A.A.S. program to ensure they are set up for success post-graduation." At $330 per credit hour* the B.A.A.S. has one of the most affordable tuition rates among comparable programs. UNT will provide each applicant with a pre-advisor to help create a customized degree plan based on their goals and previously earned credits. Once admitted to the program, the advising team will provide continuous guidance throughout the student's degree journey. "At UNT, we recognize that not everyone can take the traditional path to a bachelor's degree and strive to help students of all backgrounds and experiences succeed," said Dr. Adam Fein, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation at UNT. "We're excited to bring our successful B.A.A.S. program to Coursera and offer students around the world the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree and take advantage of the vast career opportunities this credential offers." The rigorous, multidisciplinary degree offers seven focused concentrations: administration, organizational supervision, social services, hospitality, media innovation, consumer behavior, and information technology. Graduates will be prepared to tackle new challenges as leaders in business, non-profit organizations, and community engagement. Students who complete the Google IT Support Professional Certificate on Coursera can receive credit toward the information technology concentration of the B.A.A.S. Developed by Google (News - Alert), the program is designed to prepare learners for an entry-level job in IT support in under six months. With this new pathway from UNT, learners can pursue a career in IT while working toward a full bachelor's degree. "A four-year degree is one of the most transformative credentials in today's job market, but so many students aren't able to complete their degree due to work, family, or other commitments," said Dil Sidhu, Chief Content Officer at Coursera. "The online B.A.A.S. from UNT recognizes students who've earned some college credit, but may not have had the time or flexibility to complete their bachelor's degree. We're proud to host this degree on the Coursera platform and help even more students reach their career goals." Applications for the B.A.A.S. will open in February 2020 and the first cohort is expected to begin this fall. To learn more about the B.A.A.S. from UNT, please visit https://www.coursera.org/degrees/unt-online-bachelor-completion. * For illustrative purposes, students who complete 45 credit hours through the online B.A.A.S. from UNT will see a total tuition cost of less than $15,000. About University of North Texas Established in 1890, UNT is one of the nation's largest public research universities with 39,000 students. Ranked a Tier One research university by the Carnegie Classification, UNT is a catalyst for creativity, fueling progress, innovation and entrepreneurship for the North Texas region, the state and beyond. As the university has grown, so has its reach and impact. UNT students earned 9,600 degrees last year from its 14 colleges and schools and the university offers 106 bachelor's, 88 master's, 36 doctoral degree programs, and more than 80 online programs of study - many nationally and internationally recognized. UNT's world-class faculty are making breakthroughs every day, and its students and alumni are changing the world around them. About Coursera Coursera was founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng with a vision of providing life-transforming learning experiences to anyone, anywhere. It is now a leading online learning platform for higher education, where more than 47 million learners from around the world come to learn skills of the future. 200 of the world's top universities and industry educators partner with Coursera to offer courses, Specializations, certificates, and degree programs. 2,100 companies trust the company's enterprise platform Coursera for Business to transform their talent. Coursera for Government equips government employees and citizens with in-demand skills to build a competitive workforce. Coursera is backed by leading investors that include Kleiner Perkins, New Enterprise Associates, GSV Capital, Learn Capital, and SEEK Group. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005124/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Economy failing on climate and equality: NGOs Paris, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2020 The world economy is a direct cause of social breakdown and a key driver of climate change, a green coalition said Thursday launching the first assessment of how governments are regearing their economies towards sustainable growth. The Green Economy Tracker assessed how countries are performing in five key policy areas, including tackling inequality and prioritising nature in the face of the systemic risk posed by warming temperatures and rising seas. "Our global economy is not fit for purpose," said Oliver Greenfield from the Green Economy Coalition, speaking on the occasion of the initiative's launch in Davos. "Inequality, poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss are not just connected. They arise from the same cause: how economies are organised, ruled and managed." The global business elite are gathered in the Swiss alpine resort for the 50th edition of the World Economic Forum, and discussions so far have focused on the climate. In its annual Global Risks Report surveying the main preoccupations of business leaders on the eve of Davos, the WEF said the top five global risks to the economy were all environmental. Oxfam on Monday highlighted the growing gulf in wealth, saying that the number of billionaires had doubled globally and were now richer than 60 percent of the global population combined. The GEC said governments needed to realise that climate and the economy were intricately linked, and that action to shore up one would have tangible benefits on the other. "Within a generation we need to move to a green and fair economy that respect's natures limits and prioritises wellbeing," said Greenfield. The tracker put Sweden at the top of countries surveyed for its national green economy plans, with France coming second. But it highlighted that "few countries" had yet taken steps to ensure a fair transition away from fossil fuels for millions of workers whose jobs may be affected. "People must see their lives improve -- so a just transition is not just an aspiration," said Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Labour Organization. "It is a prerequisite to ensure societal and worker support and therefore success." An Orangeburg woman is facing a conspiracy charge in the theft of a $75,000 concert grand piano from a home. Kayla Marie Irick, 28, of 3487 Neeses Highway, is charged with one count of conspiracy. Orangeburg Municipal Judge Chasity Avinger set her bond at $10,000 cash or surety. An arrest warrant alleges Irick, Austin Brannon Hicks and possibly others conspired to steal and sell a Steinway concert grand piano Model D from a Broughton Street home sometime between September 2019 and November 2019. The warrant alleges Irick and Hicks were communicating via text message and email with an Indiana piano company. A Broughton Street homeowner reported on Dec. 27 that the piano was stolen. She said the vintage piano had to be built within the home because of its size, according to an Orangeburg Department of Public Safety incident report. Hicks, 33, of 412 Deerbrook Lane, Orangeburg, remains at the Orangeburg County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond on charges of second-degree burglary, grand larceny valued at $10,000 or more and conspiracy. He is also held at the detention center on charges of second-degree burglary and receiving stolen goods. A magistrate set Hicks bond at $80,000 on those charges. If convicted on the conspiracy charge, Irick faces up to a $5,000 fine and five years in prison. Hicks faces up to 10 years in prison if hes convicted. Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD. Love 0 Funny 3 Wow 4 Sad 1 Angry 4 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced two new properties in Saudi Arabia. Further strengthening its foothold in the luxury segment in Saudi Arabia, IHG has signed a management agreement for InterContinental Dammam in partnership with Salem Mohammed Al Qahtani. To cater to the need for more branded midscale accommodation in Riyadh, IHG has also signed a management agreement for Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz in partnership with Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies. The agreements were announced at Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC) 2020 in Riyadh. Opening in 2024, InterContinental Dammam will be IHGs first hotel in the city and will strengthen the companys presence in Saudi Arabias eastern region. Strategically located in the heart of the new city centre, the hotel will be situated across the street from King Abdullah's Cultural Complex and will be a short drive to the Coral Island. Dammam's most popular shopping malls will be within a few minutes drive as well. Catering to a range of travellers, InterContinental Dammam will feature 289 thoughtfully designed rooms and will feature world-class amenities including three restaurants, an outdoor pool and deck, an indoor pool, a gym and six well-equipped meeting rooms. Opening later this year, the 121-rooms Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz will be located in the city centre of Riyadh, near government institutions and several ministries. The property will be well positioned to cater to government, corporate and domestic leisure guests. The hotel will be the fifth Holiday Inn branded hotel in Riyadh and will cater to the growing numbers of visitors to the capital city. To further enhance the guest experience, Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz will introduce the concept of an Open Lobby, a revolutionary approach which has transformed the traditional hotel lobby format by combining the front desk, lobby, F&B, lounge area and business centre into one open, cohesive space. The hotel will also offer an array of amenities including a pool, a gym, a business centre, meeting rooms and two restaurants. Commenting on the announcements, Pascal Gauvin, managing director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said: Continuing our growth momentum in Saudi Arabia, we are pleased to add two new properties, InterContinental Dammam and Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz to our portfolio. Both brands are well established in the kingdom and in demand for existing guest segments visiting the country. Furthermore, we are rapidly expanding our presence in Saudi Arabia to cater to an increasing number of guests coming to the country, as a result of vision 2030 and ensuing initiatives by the government. He added: In the last 12 months, we have signed 10 hotels, across our portfolio of brands in the kingdom. We will also be opening an office in Riyadh to further drive our growth and performance in the country. These developments are testament to our commitment to the market and to respond to the needs of the travellers coming to the country. Salem Mohammed Al Qahtani, Owner, Salem Mohammed Al Qahtani said: "We are excited to partner with a leading global hospitality player such as IHG, to bring their international luxury brand, InterContinental, to the city of Dammam. IHG has a strong legacy in Saudi Arabia, and with their market understanding and expertise, we are confident that InterContinental Dammam will be a great success and a hotel of choice for our discerning guests visiting the city. Sheikh Saleh Hossain Al-Salamah, chairman of the Board, Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies, said: With the increasing number of travellers coming to the kingdom, as a result of Saudi Vision 2030, there is need for more quality branded accommodation. Holiday Inn is a well-known brand internationally, as well as in the kingdom, and we are pleased to partner with IHG to open Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz. We look forward to welcoming our guests and offer them a great stay experience when we open our doors later this year. Saudi Arabia is a priority market for IHG in the Middle East, with a current portfolio of 33 hotels (15,388 rooms) across six brands including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites and voco, and 20 hotels (10,028 rooms) in the pipeline, set to open in the next three-five years. The company recently announced plans to open an office in Riyadh in March and appointed new management dedicated to Saudi Arabia. - TradeArabia News Service Former Vice President Joe Biden at a Democratic primary campaign event in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Tuesday. (Photo: Matt Rourke/AP) Welcome to 2020 Vision, the Yahoo News column covering the presidential race with one key takeaway every weekday and a wrap-up each weekend. Reminder: There are 12 days until the Iowa caucuses and 286 days until the 2020 election. The odds that President Trumps impeachment trial will lead to his undoing are microscopic, as any observer of the lockstep Republican-controlled Senate can see. But the fallout could complicate life for Trumps leading Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, in the days and weeks ahead which is exactly what Trump was trying to do when he first launched his Ukraine scheme last summer. As the all-important Iowa caucuses approach, the former vice president appears, at first glance, to be in better shape than his main rivals for the Democratic nomination. Though a new CNN poll shows Bernie Sanders narrowly pulling ahead of Biden for the first time, every other poll released so far this year shows Biden maintaining his longtime national lead by anywhere from 5 to 11 percentage points. His average level of support 28 percent is identical to what it was a year ago. In Iowa, Biden now leads Sanders by nearly 4 points, on average, after polling in fourth place as recently as December. In New Hampshire, where Biden was also polling in fourth last month, he now trails Sanders by 1 point and leads Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg by more than 4. In Nevada, he is ahead by nearly 6 points; in South Carolina, he is trouncing his closest competitor by 17 points. A detailed forecast by the data journalists at FiveThirtyEight currently gives Biden a 44 percent chance of winning the nomination. Sanders (20 percent), Warren (13 percent) and Buttigieg (8 percent) all trail by wide margins. Sen. Bernie Sanders at a town hall in Anamosa, Iowa, on Jan. 3. (Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Whats more, Warren, Sanders and moderate dark horse Amy Klobuchar are all senators, which means theyll be stuck at their desks unable to talk, tweet or take to the trail in key states eight hours a day, six days a week for the duration of Trumps impeachment trial. Apart from Buttigieg and other, unlikelier candidates, Biden will basically have Iowa and New Hampshire to himself for the next few weeks. Story continues So why should he worry about whats happening in Washington, D.C.? The problem is that whats happening in Washington, D.C. is all about him. Amid the procedural debates over admitting evidence and allowing witnesses, its easy to forget what triggered this whole ordeal: Trumps attempt last summer to tarnish Biden, his most formidable rival at the time, by coercing Ukrainian officials into announcing an investigation into Biden and his son Hunter, who was a member of the board of directors of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. To be clear: as vice president, Biden pursued Obama administration policy and pushed to remove a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor an effort that made it more likely, not less, that Ukraine would investigate corruption at Burisma. Independent fact checkers have repeatedly and unanimously debunked Trumps false claims about Biden and Ukraine. But that doesnt mean the Biden campaign wants the media and the public to devote the next week and a half to obsessing over the story. Trump, on the other hand, almost certainly does. The truth is, Hunter Biden has struggled with a number of personal and professional problems and, lacking any relevant energy industry experience, he undoubtedly got the lucrative board post on the strength of his name. At the time, top State Department official George Kent raised concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest, only to be ignored, and both Hunter and Joe Biden later acknowledged that the arrangement represented poor judgment, in Hunters words, even if it wasnt improper. Then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter at a basketball game in 2010. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Bidens team is clearly concerned about the national narrative. On Monday, they issued a memo warning media outlets that if they fail to make clear that the conspiracy theory and false accusations about Joe Biden have been comprehensively disproven, they will be enabler[s] of misinformation. On Tuesday, the campaign released a YouTube video in which Andrew Bates, Bidens rapid-response director, insists that the clinical term for Trumps allegations is horses***. Right now, Biden is fending off attacks from Sanderss campaign over his willingness in the past to consider cuts to Social Security benefits. Two top Sanders surrogates have penned op-eds in recent days accusing Biden of corruption and having repeatedly betrayed black voters (Sanders apologized for the former). The last thing Biden needs as he attempts to deliver his closing argument is for Americas entire media apparatus to be amplifying Trumps misinformation as well which the presidents super-PAC is already doing a fine job of amplifying on Facebook. Its also possible that Biden himself and perhaps even Hunter will play a starring role in the trial. Though top House Democrats have repeatedly dismissed the idea, the Washington Post reported Tuesday that several Senate Democrats are privately discussing the possibility of calling Republicans bluff on witnesses, weighing an unusual trade in President Trumps impeachment trial: the testimony of Hunter Biden for the testimony of a key administration official that is, former national security adviser John Bolton. The former vice president has already said he would obey any subpoena that was sent to me and travel to Capitol Hill to testify. Whether or not Democrats cut a deal others waved off the Posts report Wednesday its likely that if witnesses do get called, Republicans will try to get both Bidens on the stand. The ensuing circus would represent a massive distraction for the Biden campaign, and given Joes gaffe machine reputation and Hunters troubled past, it could easily go sideways. Former Vice President Joe Biden at a campaign event in Mason City, Iowa, on Wednesday. (Photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters) The elder Biden, for one, plainly despises the notion. I just asked Joe Biden about Senate Democrats considering swapping testimony of him or his son in exchange for John Bolton, Washington Post political reporter Matt Viser tweeted Wednesday. No, theyre not, Biden said. Some of them are, Viser countered. No, theyre not, Biden said again. Would he consider testifying? Viser asked. No, theyre not, Biden said a third time. Ultimately, the real danger of the drama in D.C. is that it may look to wavering Democrats like a last-minute preview of precisely the sort of general-election battle they dont want to wage. Bidens argument is that he will beat Trump like a drum by appealing to working-class defectors who want to restore the soul of America. Trumps implicit argument is that everyone is corrupt Biden included so you might as well stick with the guy whos been occupying the Oval Office while the economy has been on a tear. The impeachment trial gives Trumps team an opportunity to drag Biden unfairly and inaccurately down into the mud. Its possible that after weeks of exhausting Senate fights, undecided Iowans and New Hampshirites may ask whether thats really where they want to spend the next nine months. To be sure, all of these causes for concern are also chances for Biden to solidify his frontrunner status. Trumps attacks could elevate him and make him look even more electable, and testifying in the Senate could give him a platform to strike back and prove his power as a candidate. Yet, as predictable as the eventual outcome of Trumps impeachment trial may be, its impact on Bidens campaign is anything but clear. Read more from Yahoo News: Austrian workers can get up to three months of paid leave a year to care for elderly relatives, while Japanese carers can take the same for each family member and Italians get 36 days a year. But in Australia, employees are only entitled to 10 days of carer's leave for each year of employment. Research commissioned by the aged care royal commission says boosting leave provisions and financial support for family and friends who provide informal care is a "key area" for improvement, amid a push to keep more Australians out of nursing homes. A report prepared for the royal commission into aged care says increasing support for informal carers is a key area for improvement. Credit:Think Stock The Flinders University report found Australia has a relatively high number of informal carers when compared with other OECD countries, with about 28 per cent of Australians over 65 receiving care from family and friends. In Germany, about 17.5 per cent of older people receive informal care, compared with 18.4 per cent in England, 13.4 per cent in Sweden and 1.1 per cent in Denmark. "We believe that Australia could provide higher levels of support for informal carers, which is important in helping older people to remain living in the community, in their own homes," Flinders University senior research fellow Dr Suzanne Dyer said. The YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga in partnership with St. Pauls Episcopal Church celebrated the ribbon-cutting of a new expanded preschool The YMCA Early Learning Center at St. Pauls on Thursday. The site will enable the Y to serve an additional 45 preschoolers, in addition to its current Downtown Family YMCA Preschool location. In 2018, the Downtown Preschool served 189 total preschoolers. Fostering the potential of our youth is at the heart of what we do, said Janet Dunn, president and CEO for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga. This expansion is, in part, in response to Chatt 2.0. "Research shows that 80 percent of brain development happens before the age of three. The YMCA Early Learning Center at St. Pauls will specifically serve these younger preschoolers," officials said. Today, we celebrate the continued use of this space in a new and exciting partnership with the YMCA, said Rev. Brad Whitaker, rector at St. Pauls Episcopal Church. St. Pauls and the YMCA both are coming together with a common concern for the care and education of children and the support of their families. The YMCA Preschool Program is Christian-based, and includes healthy meals, swim lessons, challenging and fun learning experiences, daily physical activities, open door policy for parents, scholarships and daily schedules with free play. The YMCA thanks the following supporters who made the grand opening a success: Scenic City Venture Fund; St. Pauls Episcopal Church; Lyndhurst; The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee; Osborne Foundation; and The Maclellan Foundation. Tens of thousands of people have been fleeing from Idlib in northern Syria as clashes continue Ferocious clashes continued this week between Syrian forces and rebel fighters in Idlib. Response coordinators in northern Syria said on Monday that Syrian and Russian warplanes had carried out 321 air raids on the city of Idlib and its surrounding area in one week, including 232 strikes by the Russian Air Force. Syria Civil Defence personnel (White Helmets) warned that continuing to target Idlib would lead to a grave humanitarian crisis in the region. According to response coordinators, in one week more than 31,000 people have fled the area, 73 per cent of them women. Armed opposition factions allied with Turkey, as well as Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) forces, launched a counterattack on regime troops causing serious losses, as Syrian forces attempted to take control of the surrounding countryside. They also foiled an attempt by regime forces and militias to surge forward. Raed Saleh, director of the White Helmets, said the ceasefire agreement signed by Turkey and Russia that began in the de-escalation zone in Idlib on 10 January now appears to have collapsed. The ceasefire went relatively well amid assurances in the area that people could begin to return, Saleh said. However, this reassurance ended with the new air strikes. He said that 60 per cent of the victims of the conflict in the area over the past eight months had been women and children. More than one million people have fled Idlib, the last main rebel stronghold in Syria, since April. The Syrian army backed by Russia wants to take control of the Aleppo-Damascus Road and the Aleppo-Latakia Road in the region. Opposition activists and media said that armed opposition factions in Idlib had dealt serious blows to Russian forces in Idlib, including by attacking a Russian military operations complex near the city and killing at least six Russian military personnel including four officers and injuring several more. One of these was identified as a war correspondent, but Moscow did not confirm the losses. The Russian Defence Ministry said that rebels had carried out several concentrated attacks, but that these had been repulsed by government forces. Moscow reported that Russian forces had dealt a blow to rebels, killing 50. Some 12 Syrian regime troops were also killed and 24 injured. According to Syrian activists, the rebels are using drones to launch attacks, while fighters affiliated with the opposition Free Syrian Army told the Italian news agency AKI that they had new supplies of more advanced weapons and anti-tank and anti-armour missiles and could block advances by regime forces. According to monitors on the ground, the armed opposition has carried out 70 airstrikes in Idlib and its suburbs against regime troops that are trying to take control of the area. The Russian media reported that the Russian operations centre on the outskirts of Idlib was heavily targeted in a surprise attack that resulted in serious losses. Moscow said that since its direct military intervention in Syria began at the end of September 2015, it has lost 120 personnel. The national army of the interim Syrian government affiliated with the rebels is present in the Idlib province, and this announced at the end of 2019 that all armed opposition factions in northwest Syria had joined it, including forces in Dar Al-Furat and Ghosn Al-Zaytoun where Turkey is militarily active. They were joined by the Syria Liberation Front composed of Free Syrian Army factions including the Jabha Shamiya, Faylaq Al-Sham, Ahrar Al-Sham, and others. Areas under the national armys control overlap with those controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (formerly the Al-Nusra Front), which is listed as a terrorist group by the international community because it is connected to Al-Qaeda. Saeed Moqbel, a Syrian political analyst, said that Russia insists on cleansing the area from armed factions labeled as terrorists, which includes all opposition groups across the spectrum. Turkey rejects this Russian strategy and argues that extremism is very limited, making the blanket attacks on Idlib by the regime and Russia unacceptable. In what appeared as a challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Putin had stated that cooperation between the two countries on Idlib must continue. They say the moderate opposition are terrorists and that these groups hurt Russia, Erdogan said But I told Putin that if you see these groups as terrorists, look at Al-Assad who has terrorised the entire country. They are fleeing for their lives. The picture of a mother with her six children seeking refuge chills our blood. How can you call these groups terrorists, he demanded. The fate of Idlib now lies in the hands of Turkey and Russia, with one supporting the Syrian regime and the other opposing it. Both parties have interests in this area of Syria, and at the same time enjoy a strategic, albeit transient, relationship. This will be difficult to leapfrog and bring the dispute to a head. It is likely that Turkey will agree to the armed opposition redeploying, and in return Russia will accept a middle-ground solution as it moves closer to opening and securing the Aleppo-Damascus Road, a main thoroughfare that connects northern and southern Syria. The problem is that Idlib has become a battleground for settling scores, or more accurately a stage for gaining influence. The fuel for this battleground are civilians, with more than one million feeling to areas that are safer than Syria, Moqbel said. The refugee influx is certain to be followed by demographic changes, which is when Iran will step in to take advantage of the chaos to benefit its sectarian schemes. More than three million people currently live in Idlib, many of them refugees and most of them women and children. They are sleeping outside in the bitter winter cold without shelter or basic necessities. They face the threat of unending displacement as the victims of the failure to reach a political solution to the conflict in Syria and end the military operations in the country. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Boston Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Mark Volpe, 62, announced Wednesday that he retire as head of the 139-year-old institution in February 2021. Volpe, who has led the BSO for 22 years, is responsible for all the activities of the orchestra, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood, as well as real estate holdings in Boston and the Berkshires. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Volpe said in a statement. Twenty-three years ago, the first people to call me about the BSO position were Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern. Of course, I had no idea of the adventure I was about to undertake. I will be forever grateful to the Trustees for their wisdom and support, to the incredible staff who made everything possible, but most of all to Andris and the BSO musicians, who grace the stages of Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, and many of the worlds finest concert halls, and make magic happen virtually every time they play. Throughout the next year, I will remain dedicated to the institutions mission and tradition of excellence, and look forward to working with the board, Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, the orchestra, and staff as we continue to contemplate the future of the BSO. Nelsons, music director of the BSO, said he indebted to Volpe for the opportunity to lead the BSO. For me, Mark quite simply personifies the truly special family spirit we are so privileged to enjoy at the BSO. His absolute unique combination of qualities deep knowledge of the repertoire, passion for new ideas and initiatives, keen intelligence and insights into every aspect of the industry, strong relationships with the musicians, and tireless supportive presencehave continually played a major role in my feeling at home with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and in the wonderful city of Boston, Nelsons said. Susan W. Paine, chair of the BSO Board of Trustees, said the organization was thankful to Volpe for his "leadership, and his generous commitment to stay on for the next year and continue the BSOs important work. All of us at the BSO share deep gratitude for Marks unceasing commitment to the organization as our leader for the past two decades, she said Word of Volpes departure coincides with additional leadership changes to take shape concurrently at the BSO. The organization announced the election of Barbara W. Hostetter as the next Chair of the Board of Trustees. Hostetter will begin a three-year term on March 1, 2021. As chair-elect, Hostetter, who has served on the Board of Trustees since 2014, will lead the search for the institutions next top executive. With Barbaras elevation to board chair next year, along with the addition of a new generation of board members, the BSO board has reached an exciting inflection point, said Paine. The global arts community is entering a new decade, keenly aware of a future that promises significant change for every organization among us. The BSO is no exception. While we are supported by a strong institutional foundation, we remain deeply committed to extending our reach and relationships in an evolving context. Hostetter said he was honored that the board has entrusted her "to take up the mantle beginning next year. Until then, I look forward to working with Andris, Mark, Susan, board leadership, our extraordinary musicians, staff and supporters in the weeks and months ahead and guiding a thoughtful, transparent, and inclusive search process. I join my colleagues in expressing admiration for Mark and thank him for his tireless service. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haitao Guo, Guangxiang George Luo, and Shou-Jiang Gao (The Jakarta Post) - Thu, January 23, 2020 08:48 720 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20609ac5b 3 Health cobra,cobra-outbreak,coronavirus,naja-atra,chinese-cobra Free Snakes the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra may be the original source of the newly discovered coronavirus that has triggered an outbreak of a deadly infectious respiratory illness in China this winter. The illness was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan, a major city in central China, and has been rapidly spreading. Since then, sick travelers from Wuhan have infected people in China and other countries, including the United States. Using samples of the virus isolated from patients, scientists in China have determined the genetic code of the virus and used microscopes to photograph it. The pathogen responsible for this pandemic is a new coronavirus. Its in the same family of viruses as the well-known severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which have killed hundreds of people in the past 17 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV. We are virologists and journal editors and are closely following this outbreak because there are many questions that need to be answered to curb the spread of this public health threat. What is a coronavirus? The name of coronavirus comes from its shape, which resembles a crown or solar corona when imaged using an electron microscope. Coronavirus is transmitted through the air and primarily infects the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tract of mammals and birds. Though most of the members of the coronavirus family only cause mild flu-like symptoms during infection, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV can infect both upper and lower airways and cause severe respiratory illness and other complications in humans. This new 2019-nCoV causes similar symptoms to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. People infected with these coronaviruses suffer a severe inflammatory response. Unfortunately, there is no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment available for coronavirus infection. A better understanding of the life cycle of 2019-nCoV, including the source of the virus, how it is transmitted and how it replicates are needed to both prevent and treat the disease. Zoonotic transmission Both SARS and MERS are classified as zoonotic viral diseases, meaning the first patients who were infected acquired these viruses directly from animals. This was possible because while in the animal host, the virus had acquired a series of genetic mutations that allowed it to infect and multiply inside humans. Now these viruses can be transmitted from person to person. Field studies have revealed that the original source of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV is the bat, and that the masked palm civets (a mammal native to Asia and Africa) and camels, respectively, served as intermediate hosts between bats and humans. In the case of this 2019 coronavirus outbreak, reports state that most of the first group of patients hospitalized were workers or customers at a local seafood wholesale market which also sold processed meats and live consumable animals including poultry, donkeys, sheep, pigs, camels, foxes, badgers, bamboo rats, hedgehogs and reptiles. However, since no one has ever reported finding a coronavirus infecting aquatic animals, it is plausible that the coronavirus may have originated from other animals sold in that market. The hypothesis that the 2019-nCoV jumped from an animal at the market is strongly supported by a new publication in the Journal of Medical Virology. The scientists conducted an analysis and compared the genetic sequences of 2019-nCoV and all other known coronaviruses. The study of the genetic code of 2019-nCoV reveals that the new virus is most closely related to two bat SARS-like coronavirus samples from China, initially suggesting that, like SARS and MERS, the bat might also be the origin of 2019-nCoV. The authors further found that the viral RNA coding sequence of 2019-nCoV spike protein, which forms the crown of the virus particle that recognizes the receptor on a host cell, indicates that the bat virus might have mutated before infecting people. But when the researchers performed a more detailed bioinformatics analysis of the sequence of 2019-nCoV, it suggests that this coronavirus might come from snakes. From bats to snakes The researchers used an analysis of the protein codes favored by the new coronavirus and compared it to the protein codes from coronaviruses found in different animal hosts, like birds, snakes, marmots, hedgehogs, manis, bats and humans. Surprisingly, they found that the protein codes in the 2019-nCoV are most similar to those used in snakes. Snakes often hunt for bats in wild. Reports indicate that snakes were sold in the local seafood market in Wuhan, raising the possibility that the 2019-nCoV might have jumped from the host species bats to snakes and then to humans at the beginning of this coronavirus outbreak. However, how the virus could adapt to both the cold-blooded and warm-blooded hosts remains a mystery. The authors of the report and other researchers must verify the origin of the virus through laboratory experiments. Searching for the 2019-nCoV sequence in snakes would be the first thing to do. However, since the outbreak, the seafood market has been disinfected and shut down, which makes it challenging to trace the new virus source animal. Sampling viral RNA from animals sold at the market and from wild snakes and bats is needed to confirm the origin of the virus. Nonetheless, the reported findings will also provide insights for developing prevention and treatment protocols. The 2019-nCoV outbreak is another reminder that people should limit the consumption of wild animals to prevent zoonotic infections. This article has been updated to clarify that the genetic material from the virus was RNA, not DNA. --- Haitao Guo, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh; Guangxiang George Luo, Professor of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Shou-Jiang Gao, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son wears a protective suit before going into a quarantine room in Saigon's Cho Ray Hospital where two Chinese infected with acute pneumonia stay, January 23, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/D.H. Two Chinese nationals were quarantined at a Saigon hospital Thursday after they tested positive for the pneumonia virus originating in Wuhan, China. Li Ding, 66, and his son Li Zichao, 28, must have passed on the infection among themselves, a representative of the Cho Ray Hospital said Thursday. This is Vietnam's first confirmed cases of individuals infected with the new coronavirus (nCoV) after it was first detected in Wuhan City last December. Ding arrived in Hanoi from Wuhan on January 13, before proceeding to Nha Trang in the central province of Khanh Hoa, said doctor Nguyen Ngoc Sang of the Department of Tropical Diseases. His son Zichao, who had resided in Long An Province for the previous four months, went to visit him in Nha Trang. Both of them traveled to Saigon and the neighboring Long An later, said Sang. Ding developed a fever on January 17, and Zichao followed suit on January 20. Both were admitted to the Cho Ray Hospital Wednesday night. "This infection is a serious matter," said Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son. The patients fever has subsided and they are now able to consume food and drinks. As both patients have traveled through different places in the country by plane, train, taxi, they could have contacted with many people and there's a chance they have spread the disease, doctors said. A pneumonia outbreak, caused by a new strain of the coronavirus family that caused SARS and MERS, first surfaced in Wuhan City, China last December. By January, the disease has spread to other countries and territories: Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, the United States and Singapore. Chinas National Health Commission has confirmed 571 cases and 17 deaths as of Wednesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that an animal appears most likely to be the primary source of the virus. China says the virus could have come from a market in Wuhan where wildlife was traded illegally. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has warned people to keep their distance from people with acute respiratory infections and wear a mask when talking to them. Equipment to monitor arriving passengers body temperature have been installed at airports in Hanoi, Saigon, Da Nang and Cam Ranh in central Vietnam LAGOS, Nigeria Services at the Tribe Lagos church in Nigeria are held in a chic, urbane cafe resembling many others like it in the area: a long, fairly spacious room with stark white walls and light casings made from woven raffia palms. On a recent Sunday morning, around 80 congregants in their 20s and 30s began trickling in for the 9 oclock meeting, per usual. Their fashion choices were hip, personalized and elaborately conceived bright vintage tees paired with baggy, gently rolled-up jeans; colorfully patterned dresses flowing above high-rise sneakers. There was an undeniable metropolitan vibe suggesting an uncontested comfort in their skins. It was my first visit to the Tribe, having learned of it through friends who are regular attendees and speak highly of its impact on their lives for its nontraditional approaches. I was curious to see if it might have the same effect on me, a queer millennial in search of fellowship in a country where homophobia has been written into law. I observed an opening prayer, followed by musical performances by the church band. Everyone seemed to know each other, and the service moved freely from one form to the next at times it could have passed for an open-mic session or karaoke among friends. The casual and collaborative atmosphere stands in stark contrast to the Nigerian churches I grew up in, where authority is concentrated at the altar. Here at the Tribe, everyone seemed to be equal in their participation; even the pastors could easily be mistaken for congregants. A major new exhibition at the British Museum aims to explode the commonly held perception that Tantra is just about sex. The ancient Indian belief system, which is rooted in Hindu and Buddhist texts dating back thousands of years, is influential throughout Asia and has inspired Indian revolutionaries and western hippies alike. But it is best known in the UK for its association with Tantric sex which hit the headlines when former Police frontman Sting made a remark about his hours-long lovemaking sessions. Hollywood star Heather Graham is also a devotee, telling a journalist she discovered it while making the 2002 comedy The Guru. The shows curator Dr Imma Ramos said visitors will see a more rounded picture of a broader philosophy. She added: The most important thing about Tantra and what the philosophy is saying is all aspects of existence are charged with divine power. We wanted to challenge the stereotypes that exist that it is just a hedonistic guide to sex. Dr Ramos said that Tantras central idea challenged accepted patterns of power that divided men from women, and mortals from gods. She said: It was very transgressive for its time and it was quite subversive. It was often expressed as a feminine power and in the shape of a ferocious goddess and this had real consequences for women who played powerful roles in the philosophy. The show features more than 100 exhibits from around the world as well as from the stores of the museum which has one of the largest collections of Tantric material. Among the exhibits are some of the earliest surviving Tantras documents which set out its guiding principles from 12th-century Nepal and a 9th-century sandstone temple relief showing a goddess dancing on a corpse as well as statues, paintings and prints. Contemporary art is included with a 1985 work, Housewives With Steak-Knives, which evokes the Tantric goddess Kali as a modern feminist. The exhibition will also examine how goddesses such as Kali became symbols of the Indian independence movement and were used in the Sixties and Seventies by the Western counterculture in support of its ideals of peace and free love. Dr Ramos said the stereotype about Tantra being all about sex goes back to colonial times and the 19th century when the British discovered some of the texts and misunderstood the context. Vicky L. Hinerwadel, 61, of Cicero, died Monday at Crouse Hospital. She was the owner of Hinerwadels, a Central New York institution that hosted clambakes for 104 years before closing in 2018. At the time, she said closing was very heart wrenching and emotional decision. She said she had been battling cancer for over two years and decided it is time to put my health first. Hinerwadels great-grandfather, John Hinerwadel Sr., a postal carrier, started Hinerwadels Grove when he bought 34 acres on West Taft Road, near Route 11, in North Syracuse in 1914. He farmed part of it and used the rest of it to host clambakes. Hinerwadels began serving salt potatoes in the early 1960s. According to her obituary, she was born in Syracuse and graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School. If you have a suggestion for a feature obituary, please email the link and any other information youd like to share to bduncan@syracuse.com More recent feature obituaries: Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. A 57-year-old woman, identified as the wife of Atlas Cycles co-owner and -promoter Sanjay Kapur, allegedly killed herself at her Aurangzeb Lane home in Lutyens Delhi on Tuesday, the police said Wednesday. Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Eish Singhal said Natasha Kapur was found hanging from a ceiling fan in the bathroom of her bedroom. A half-page suicide note was also found there. In the note, purportedly written by her, Natasha asked her husband and children to take care of themselves. The exact reason behind her extreme step is not known and we are yet to speak to the family about it, the DCP said. DCP Singhal said that around 3.32pm Tuesday, the police received a call informing that Natasha Kapur had hanged herself. The room was not locked from inside. By the time the police reached, the occupants of the house had already brought her body down, Singhal said. An officer from the area police station said Natasha was rushed to Sir Gangaram Hospital where she was declared brought dead. The body was later moved to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospitals mortuary, where the autopsy was conducted Wednesday. Police said an inquest proceeding under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been initiated since Natashas death was unnatural but prima facie, they do not suspect foul play. Whether she was suffering from depression is being probed. The handwritten note is being sent to the forensic lab to match the handwriting with that of Natashas, the officer added. Atlas Cycles is one of Indias leading cycle manufacturing companies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The SARS disaster was supposed to drag China into a new era of openness and responsibility. The deadly disease rippled across the world 17 years ago, abetted by a Chinese government that covered up its spread. As the scope of it became clear, Chinas journalists, intellectuals and other critics helped shame Beijing into opening up about the problem. SARS has been our countrys 9/11, said Xu Zhiyuan, then a young newspaper columnist and a fierce critic of the governments handling of SARS, in a 2003 interview with The New York Times. It has forced us to pay attention to the real meaning of globalization. Today, China faces the spread of another mysterious disease, a coronavirus, which so far has killed 17 people and infected more than 570. And while Beijings response has improved in some ways, it has regressed in others. It is censoring criticism. It is detaining people for spreading what it calls rumors. It is suppressing information it deems alarming. Though Chinas censors are busily scrubbing the Chinese internet, the countrys online community is registering its disappointment and alarm over Beijings handling of the new virus that has spread since December from the city of Wuhan to other countries, even the United States. In 2006 a landmark article, the British Medical Journal claimed that abortions without fetal anesthetic were okay before 26 weeks of gestation, because fetuses at five and a half months can't feel pain. That was the 2006 opinion of Dr. Stuart W.G. Derbyshire, in discussions with American literary agent John Brockman, and that article came to be a basis for many abortions. Maybe a lot of M.D.s secretly wondered if that was really true, because the history of medicine is full of bad guesses that turned out to be wrong. But we know what happens if skeptics pipe up in that world in the Age of P.C. They are like dissidents in Stalin's Moscow, who had a habit of disappearing. Skeptics these days are not banished to the Gulag, exactly, but there is some much nicer way to end their careers. Today, dissidents are silenced in a really nice way in Britain and America. This week, the medical establishment over there flipped on fetal pain, as published in the British Medical Journal of Ethics. Sonograms and other new instruments show more about the fetal brain and pain perception. They finally admitted to being wrong in 2006. There was probably a lot of argument behind the scenes, but the BMJ of Ethics just published a retraction by Dr. Derbyshire, joined by John Brockman and others, saying that at 20 weeks babies might feel pain maybe agonizing pain. The question is whether the Big Media around the world will now tell women and men AKA "fathers" two things: First, that the best medical science of 2006 was plainly wrong. ...and second, that pregnancy prevention is infinitely better than gambling on whatever official medicine thinks it knows today, based on the memory of young people who think they might be in love forever, when they can't remember the last time they did it anyway. If you don't want to gamble on current medical opinion, try abstention. It always works, and most of our ancestors had enough self-discipline to practice it often enough for you to be born. Because...medical orthodoxy keeps changing, but they may not tell you that. The Big Media certainly won't tell you. Uncertainty is built into life. When the ill and elderly seem to go into coma, medical science has found that some people are still conscious because a stroke or injury hit a part of the brainstem instead of the brain itself. Not many people expected that, but paralytic coma is real enough. Such patients can sometimes communicate with eye movements to focus on an alphabetical keyboard on a large screen. This used to be called "coma" but now it's "waking coma" or something like that. Real medicine is usually more complicated than what you learn in med school, which is why Hippocrates swore an oath that lasted until recent years: First, Do No Harm. This week's news looks like a change in the science of pain, and that seems to be a good thing. The people involved are also showing a lot of courage, because you know that the left will start screaming at every M.D. it can find, regardless of evidence. Leftists don't do evidence. They do mad accusations without evidence, as Donald J. Trump knows so well. But in 2006, Dr. Derbyshire concluded in the British Medical Journal, in a flurry of double negatives, that "evidence for pain perception before 26 weeks is lacking." This placed the burden of proof on the baby to show that he felt agonizing pain when doctors operated on the mother and her fetus. In the absence of evidence for pain, fetuses who were about to die had nothing to complain about, according to the BMJ in 2006. Their brains could not feel pain. Medical people are rarely evil, although there are some horrific exceptions to that rule. They usually want to err on the side of safety. In surgery, anesthesiologists are trained to minimize pain to the patient, as long as their vital signs look normal. If the patient has trouble breathing, the surgical team goes into action to save life. Do fetuses deserve the same benefit of the doubt as other patients? But our Left-ocrats like to flip the burden of proof, so they get to win all the time. At expensive law schools, ambitious students presumably learn how to flip the burden of proof since all the Democrats keep doing it, to the wild cheers of their mob. Even our biggest swamp crooks have learned to accuse President Trump of treason without bothering with evidence. Soon we will have to dunk The Donald in the village pond to see if he floats. This is called "trial by ordeal," and we've been seeing it in D.C .just about every day since the last election or maybe, since Justice Clarence Thomas went through his trial by ordeal in 1991. So let's ask the Democrats their own kind of question and put the burden of proof on them. Are Hollywood celebrities really sure when a fetus feels pain? Is there a single Congress member who knows anything about fetal pain? How about the state legislatures? Your local Bar Association? Can they prove beyond reasonable doubt that the latest story in the British Medical Journal is truly true? None of the Hollywood left will get even another Botox injection if they think it might hurt. Hollywood hates pain as much as it hates aging. Raging narcissists don't care much about dead babies. Can infants in the womb experiencing agonizing pain around 20 or 26 weeks? Or maybe we just don't know for sure? That's the question we are forbidden to ask. The whole P.C. reign of terror on campus is set up to stop college students from even asking the moral question about life in the womb. That's why they drown a brand-new witch every now and then, just to make sure we don't ask the wrong questions. Here is a better possibility. First, do no harm. Second, focus on pregnancy prevention. If you never get pregnant, you don't have to face that do-or-die choice for your baby. Let future mothers and fathers talk about pregnancy and its consequences before they do it. Now that the experts seem to see a danger they denied before, let all the readers of the New York Times wonder if they were also wrong before. If the British medical establishment can 'fess up, why not the New York Times? Why not the Washington Post? Maybe the time has come to expect couples to think ahead? Working for more than a decade, sometimes, I tend to take things (without getting into much details) for granted. To some, they might be doing it a lot more often that they already learned a valuable lesson or have become used to the concept of being a man for others, but after joining the AC Motors Relief Operations to Taal, the what-should-be-a-normal-drive turned out to be a productive and a fulfilling immersion that reminded this author to be thankful. Last Monday (January 20) Volunteer associates of AC Motors and motoring media also distributed relief goods to six evacuation centers in the province. I joined as part of the relief operations pool made organized by AC Motors, following the eruption of Taal volcano last January 12. Aside from providing relief goods, AC Motors, the automotive and motorcycle arm of AC Industrials, an Ayala subsidiary, in cooperation and coordination with Ayala Foundation Inc, donated 10 brand new Kia 2500 Kargo and Karga utility vans to the provincial government of Batangas. Prior to the drive to the evacuation sites, reports told that there was an earthquake within the province. Truth be told, I had very little sleep the night before as I have read about it and was anxious if I would still join the operations. Though it was more of tectonic and not the volcanic kind of earthquake, there is still that little fear that the Taal might suprise us (and luckily, the volcano didnt). But my heart was telling me to go as I am far more lucky to have not suffered the same fate than our brethren in Batangas. To note, around hundreds of thousand were displaced from their homes and have been residing to temporary shelters. Before the drive, Arthur Tan, Group President and CEO of AC Industrials, was elated with the concerted effort of Ayala Corporation to AC Motors to Ayala Foundation and motoring media. Moving forward, I hope this is the beginning of how we have to work together in order to help our country in being able to be prepared for natural disasters, he said. Story continues After that, we got to our vehicle assignments and I drove one of the vehicles (Maxus V80) filled with relief items, before going out on a 30-vehicle convoy all the way to Batangas Provincial Capitol to deliver first the vehicles for proper turnover, and to meet the point persons to each evacuation site in the towns of Alitagtag, Santa Teresita, San Jose, San Luis, Padre Garcia, and Mataas na Kahoy. Back story AC Motors was supposed to hold an appreciation night this February for media partners. When Taal volcano erupted, the company decided to conduct relief operations instead. When the motoring media learned of the change in plans, they themselves volunteered to drive the participating 30 vehicles with the relief goods inside. Kia Philippines, one of the six brand companies under AC Motors, would be celebrating its first anniversary on January 30. The donation of the 10 vehicles has become part of the efforts to help the province of Batangas rebuild the areas affected by the Taal eruption. At the sites the volunteers worked hand in hand to give out hygiene kits, towels and blankets, sleeping mats, mattresses, clothes, and underwear for men and women to at least 1,200 families from different disaster-affected areas. At the site, I saw the Batanguenos resilience. In spite of the disaster that has fallen to them, they still managed to smile and remain thankful. I asked one of the leaders in the evacuation site on why they remain cheerful, I got a proud reply of, Malalampasan namin ito, sigurado! (We will surely get through this!) That, for me, is worth the drive to that area, and was slapped with the hard truth that I have nothing to complain about. After the distribution, the volunteers regrouped at the Batangas Provincial Capitol, where the 10 Kia Karga K2500 units were turned over. Currently, the donated vehicles are being used to carry relief items from the Provincial Evacuation Center to hard-to-reach areas in the province. The vehicles will later be assigned to affected municipalities that need them most. Ayala Foundation President Ruel Maranan, who addressed the local groups at the provincial capitol, said, relief operations are just the beginning of helping the evacuees and the province. We have a long way to go in the recovery and rehabilitation of the affected areas. Keep the heart. Keep the faith. We are here to help you all the way, as long as you need us, Maranan said. The drive was far from the usual media drives and reviews that we do, but definitely, I am not complaining, and will be reminded that no amount of trials that we should back down nor blind us from giving thanks. The post AC Motors Taal Relief Ops Reminded Me About Gratitude appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. Anna Firth: We need a plan to regain the university seats, and win over the students who flocked to Corbyn Anna Firth is a Barrister, and a Councillor on Sevenoaks District Council. She contested Canterbury in the 2019 General Election. Queues of students in pyjamas waiting to vote before 9am at the university polling station in Canterbury last month were not encouraging. The hope that students might have packed up and taken their vote home for Christmas turned out to be way off the mark. Thankfully, media speculation that another youthquake might deny the Conservative a majority proved false. It did, however, cost us a number of university seats, particularly in the south. Since first getting the vote in 1970, undergraduate student numbers have ballooned from 400,000 in 1970 to 1.8 million in 2017/2018. Together with half a million postgraduates and 400,000 staff, university students and staff now comprise nearly three million voters. That is one of the largest, single voting blocks in the UK over six per cent of the total UK electorate, almost twice the size of the NHS workforce and vastly more potent being so geographically concentrated. Historically a low-turnout group, the last two elections have seen the university vote morph into a highly motivated Labour block vote. Some 64 per cent of registered voters in this age group voted in the 2017 UK General Election according to Ipsos MORI, and YouGov estimate a continued significant turnout last month. The remaining red dots across various parts of the country increasingly resemble a map of our university towns and cities. Canterbury is an obvious case in point but arguably the same could be said for seats such as Warwick and Leamington, Reading East, Portsmouth South, Plymouth, Sutton & Devonport and Bristol North West, to name but a few. All these seats swung to Labour in 2017 on the back Corbyns offer to scrap tuition fees, a disastrous Liberal Democrat campaign and Momentum-led student activism. All looked set to comfortably return to the fold last October when the election was called. So what went wrong? Firstly, not surprisingly, the national Brexit message was toxic in university seats, many of which voted strongly Remain. Secondly, despite the Liberal Democrats recovering to 18.2 per cent across the South East, in a number of university towns and cities the Lib Dem vote either failed to recover sufficiently or dropped. Finally, Labour and Momentum ran a far more effective social media campaign targeted at students. On the positive side, in Canterbury we polled 45.3 per cent of the vote, the highest Conservative vote share for nearly 30 years. Indeed, 27,182 votes would have been enough to win the constituency at every other election in the last 150 years bar this one! The seismic transformation in Canterbury was continued high student turnout. On a cold, wet December day, 74 per cent of students turned out to vote at the main campus polling station, up from 55 per cent in 2017, only 17 per cent in 2015 and compared with 67 per cent nationally. Not surprisingly, we estimated some 85 per cent of these votes were for Labour. So what is driving such a seismic shift in student turnout and what should be our response as a Party? Causes of increased student engagement The EU referendum, austerity, generation rent and student debt are the common explanations for the recent surge in millennial voting. However, a recent student focus group suggested social media remains the big game-changer. As one student put it: Of course, you are going to vote. You are not going to risk being shamed by your friends on social media. Students in Canterbury were swamped by Labour- and Momentum-led Facebook adverts every day in the run up to polling day. And whilst our own Facebook social media campaign was a quantum improvement on 2017, we are still communicating at not with young people. We also had nothing to counter the tsumami of news videos on inhumane Tory cuts to the NHS, austerity cuts to help the rich, Bullingdon Club toffs, etc, etc. Party response One response is to say Who cares they will never vote for us anyway. Why not focus on winning more seats in the North or on the more resolvable 30 39s? The problem with this approach is that it allows millions of young people to spend three or four of their formative years in hard left/liberal-leaning institutions, risking a generation that will take years to switch away from Labour. Electoral reform A practical response would be to ensure that all General Elections take place outside term-time, preferably in September. Elections, however, are rarely entirely within our control even without the Fixed Term Parliament Act, so a fairer solution would be for students to vote only at their permanent home and not at their university address. This would be very popular with local residents. Over the last few weeks I have received numerous emails from incensed permanent residents furious that their choice of MP has been made by part-time residents who will be gone by the next election, and who have little interest in long-term issues such better roads, schools and healthcare. With postal votes so easily and freely available, fortunately, there is no risk of disenfranchising students studying in far-flung universities. Aspirational polices focused on the environment, opportunity and home ownership More importantly, however, we need to welcome the next generation of voters with an aspirational message of freedom, opportunity and progressive social change. Ideas might include:- The environment this is the key issue with young people, and potential policies could include Greater use of tax incentives to tackle plastic pollution, wildlife and ocean conservation. Reduced university fees on all degrees that include significant environmental elements; Cosmetics tested on animals being labelled in a similar manner to cigarette labelling; Clothes and other retail items not manufactured with exploited labour being labelled as such and vice-versa. Tuition fees given that 60 per cent of student debts are unlikely to be repaid, tuition fees continue to disenfranchise millions of young people for no reason. This and the punitive rate of interest on student loans, currently 5.4 per cent, needs to be looked at again. Target profession programme University loans should be waived for students going into the caring professions. This would send a powerful message that Conservatives care and would be largely costless given many earnings fall beneath the repayment threshold. Internship programmes This is now the main hurdle to high level employment, particularly for those from less advantaged backgrounds. Better access to internship/work experience for post-graduate students would be very popular. Home ownership The manifesto proposal for long-term, fixed rate mortgages which slashes the cost of deposits was popular on the doorstep but not real enough to cut through. With three million people in the UK estimated to be trapped in rental accommodation as they cant save for a deposit this proposal needs to become a reality. Building on last months historic victory depends on winning back university seats. Momentum and Labour have persuaded students that a tired rehash of 1970s socialism is the solution to all our problems. It is not. For the sake of future generations, we need to make the case more powerfully, especially on social media. The prize will not come easily but is huge and available if we are brave enough to take it. There were 5,720 cases of foreign investors contributing capital or buying into Vietnamese enterprises in HCM City in 2019, which was 4.3 times higher than the number of FDI projects, according to the HCM City Planning and Investment Department. Portfolio investment up HCM City was the locality with the highest number of enterprises receiving foreign portfolio investment. The investment mode accounted for 60 percent of total indirect investment of the whole country in 2019. A report from the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that foreign investors made 9,842 transactions under the indirect investment mode. FIA noted that the number of foreign indirect investment deals in HCM City was on the rise, while the number of foreign direct investment (FDI) decreased. This means that a lot of well-known HCM City-based Vietnamese brands have fallen into foreign hands. HCM City was the locality with the highest number of enterprises receiving foreign portfolio investment. The investment mode accounted for 60 percent of total indirect investment of the whole country in 2019. The total number of foreign invested projects licensed in 2019 was 1,320 with the total registered capital of $1.84 billion. If counting the $859 million capital from 309 projects which expanded business and increased investment capita, the total FDI capital in the city in 2019 would be $2.7 billion. Meanwhile, foreign investors made 5,720 transactions contributing capital or buying into Vietnamese enterprises in the city, with the total contributed capital of $5.59 billion, nearly double the FDI capital. The number of foreign indirect investment projects in 2019 was higher by 2,437 transactions than that of the year before. The figures showed that the foreign capital flowing to Vietnam through M&A deals has been increasingly dominant over FDI. The HCM City Planning and Investment Department did not show which business fields foreign investors wanted the most, but observers noted that they mostly targeted real estate, retail, food and FMCG production, and finance. Worries Analysts noted that foreign investors are now rushing to make investment in HCM City via M&As, attributing this to the legal framework favorable for foreign investors to implement M&A transactions. Besides, the Vietnamese large market with 95 million consumers and increasingly high number of middle-income earners proves to be attractive to investors. M&A is the fastest way for them to penetrate the Vietnamese market. Buying into Vietnamese enterprises will help foreign investors save time and investment cost. Meanwhile, consultancy experts believe that more and more Vietnamese enterprises want to sell shares to foreign investors as they need more capital to run expansion strategies. Of these enterprises, many have to sell to foreign investors as they find it impossible to exist in the market with stiff competition, where foreign companies are superior in capital and technology. In addition, taking over Vietnamese enterprises is believed to be the way for foreign manufacturers to quickly set up their production to supply goods to the US market in the context of the US-China trade war. Thanh Lich Real estate retains second position in FDI attraction Real estate remained the second biggest magnet for FDI in 2019, following processing manufacturing, as it attracted $3.88 billion FDI, equivalent to 10.2 percent of the total registered. The recently posted offer document by 30billion mining giant Anglo-American for the purchase of Sirius Minerals reads like any other. The buyer underlines the generosity of its bid noting the big 34.1 per cent premium to the price on the day of the announced deal, and an even bigger uplift of 61.7 per cent if the average share price of the previous three months is measured. There follows a paean of praise to Sirius' polyhalite fertiliser for organic use. Sirius is not any old mine, it is a community project embraced by ordinary citizens many of whom embraced the chance to bring industry back to the region by sinking in their life savings Anglo notes Sirius has potential to become 'a world-class, low-cost and lifelong asset.' Aussie chief executive Mark Cutifani has presented Sirius investors with a get-out-of-jail card with Anglo's 409.9million bid. Having failed to find new equity or loan support, Sirius was almost certainly staring administration in the face. Anglo and advisers to the offer, Merrill Lynch and Centerview Partners, should have recognised another reality. Sirius is not any old mine. It is a community project at Whitby in North Yorkshire embraced by ordinary citizens from every walk of life, many of whom, out of loyalty and ambition, embraced the chance to bring industry back to the region by sinking in their life savings. More than 50 per cent of the stock is held by 85,000 small investors, many of whom are sitting on hefty losses. It goes without saying that private investors are angry and confused. With imagination, Anglo-American and its advisers could avoid some of the opprobrium heaped upon them and more easily win the moral support of the community, politicians and the future workforce. At the very least, investors should be offered an alternative Anglo paper offer for the stock, or combination of cash and shares. But with some creativity they could do much more. They could design a new class of fractional Anglo-American shares for the Sirius investors, which could accrue value as the project is developed and income starts to flow, giving small investors an ongoing interest. Or they could offer bonus/scrip shares, with no intrinsic value, which would offer a special dividend at some point in the future when the production dream has been realised. There should be no confusion. Anglo-American is doing a good thing in saving a great project with 'green' aspirations. But sprawling corporations with well-heeled advisers are not used to dealing with ordinary, aspirational citizens. Cutifani should order the City slickers back to the drawing board. Independence day The chairman of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility doesn't quite enjoy the same status as the governor of the Bank of England. Nevertheless, a mad scramble can be expected now that the founder-incumbent Robert Chote is to move on after a decade. The creation of the OBR was the idea of former chancellor George Osborne. He thought that Britain needed an independent scrutineer of fiscal policy which could not be manipulated for political purposes. The OBR is not that popular inside the Treasury because of the difficulty it creates in writing a budget when the Chancellor doesn't learn, until quite late in the day, the exact state of the public finances. It also has a mixed record on forecasting, and doubtless has critics in Boris Johnson's circle for taking too negative a view of Brexit. In the same way that openly Remain supporters ruled themselves out for the governor's job, one imagines that the Chancellor would prefer a like-minded economic optimist at the OBR. Former Treasury economist Paul Johnson, currently at the Institute of Fiscal Studies, ought to be hot favourite with his encyclopaedic knowledge of public finances. His perceived Remain leanings, however, might not go down well with Dominic Cummings and company. Among women candidates might be Gemma Tetlow, currently at the Institute for Government, or Ruth Gregory at Capital Economics, who recently joined KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank. The most qualified person might have been Chote's spouse, Ofcom boss Sharon White. But she is shortly to take charge at John Lewis. Pity. Fast fashion The Retail Consortium has been full of gloom about the holiday season. The greater reality is that younger fashion shoppers increasingly have switched online. Asos, after an earlier profit warning, had a terrific 'peak' season with a 20 per cent lift in sales in the final four months to 1.1billion. This hard on the heels of a thumping performance from Boohoo. Give consumers what they want at the right price and the 'digifall' outpaces footfall. ELKHORN A former general manager of a Walworth County newspaper company has pleaded guilty to stealing from the business. Cynthia R. Jensen, 56, is a former general manager of Southern Lakes Newspapers LLC, which publishes newspapers in Lake Geneva and elsewhere. Jensen also was general manager of affiliate Rock Valley Publishing LLC, which publishes other newspapers in northern Illinois. Both companies are based in Delavan. Neither company has any connection to the Kenosha News or its parent company, Lee Enterprises, which also owns the Lake Geneva Regional News and Racine Journal Times. Jensen pleaded guilty Jan. 10 to identity theft-obtain money, a felony, in connection with thefts that were reported to exceed $200,000 between 2015 and 2018. In exchange for her guilty plea, the Walworth County district attorney dropped eight other counts. A judge sentenced Jensen to two years of probation and ordered her to complete restitution totaling $24,500, in addition to $250,000 in restitution that she has paid already. Jensen, who lives in Kingston, Ill., was charged in September 2018 after co-workers at Southern Lakes Newspapers reported finding suspicious checks made out to Jensen and her husband. She originally pleaded not guilty, but court records indicate she agreed to a plea deal shortly before the case was scheduled for a jury trial in Walworth County Circuit Court. The plea deal allowed her to avoid a possible prison term that could have exceeded 60 years based on the original charges. Southern Lakes Newspapers publishes the Lake Geneva Times, as well as similar newspapers distributed in Walworth, Delavan, Elkhorn, and areas of Racine County and Kenosha County. Rock Valley Publishing publishes newspapers in Belvidere, Ill., and other communities in northern Illinois. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday claimed that during the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year Muslims did not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sharad Pawar, along with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, addressed a meeting of the party's minority cell on Thursday at their party office. Speaking at the NCP minority cell meeting, Sharad Pawar said, "During Maharashtra elections, Muslims didn't vote for BJP. They vote for parties which can defeat BJP. During elections, the minorities decide whom to defeat. In the state, the change of guard which we are seeing is due to that." The Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP was formed in November last year after the BJP failed to prove its majority in the State assembly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 17-year-old girl killed in a drive-by shooting was shot by a gun for hire used in another murder, Scotland Yard has said. Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was socialising with friends when she was shot dead from a vehicle in Tottenham, north London, in April 2018. A month earlier, 20-year-old Joseph Williams-Torres was killed in a case of mistaken identity in Walthamstow, east London. Although the Metropolitan Police say there is no suggestion that the two murders are linked, forensic tests on the bullet recovered from Taneshas body found that the same handgun was used. Detectives are releasing details about the weapon, which was also used in three other shootings, in efforts to find Taneshas killers. Joseph Williams-Torres, 20, who was shot dead by mistake during a bloody turf war / PA A Czech-made Browning handgun, with its serial number removed, was discovered wrapped in a towel inside a bag by a member of the public on Tudor Close in Highgate, north London, on May 19 2018. It is believed it was a gun for hire that had been circulating in the local area for at least a year, according to the Met. Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from the specialist crime unit, said: I strongly believe there are people in the local community who know who killed Tanesha and I would urge them to come forward. The killers of Joseph are now serving life in prison thanks to a strong body of evidence against them. Please help us build the case against Taneshas killers and bring justice to her family who naturally are still very much struggling with their overwhelming grief and loss. The gun used to kill Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was also used in the murder of Mr Williams-Torres, police say / PA Ul Haq, of Manor Park, was jailed for a minimum term of 28 years, while Nengese, from Walthamstow, was locked up for a minimum of 21 years and the 16-year-old youth was locked up for at least 18 years. Joseph was shot dead by the members of the Mali Boys gang as he sat with a friend in a van on Essex Close in Walthamstow on March 14 2018. The trio were with a group of other males when the same gun was fired at a rival gang member at Hoe Street, Walthamstow, on May 9 2017. On September 29 2017, a 27-year-old man was shot in the leg in Leyton, east London, and a 39-year-old man was shot in Forest Gate, east London, on December 30 2017, both with the same gun. Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, 17, was killed in north London / PA Detectives believe that following Josephs murder, the weapon was then passed to another gang. Tanesha was shot dead on Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, at about 9.35pm on April 2 by a gunman in a silver Vauxhall Meriva people carrier. The mentor to younger teenagers, who had seven siblings and half-siblings, died at the scene and the car, with the registration KS56 NKG, was found torched in Barnet five days later. Detectives believe that there were at least two people inside the vehicle and at least two more shots were fired into the street. The suspect who fired the shots is described as a black male with a slit in his eyebrow, and wore black clothing, including black gloves. Tanesha was not somebody who got herself into problems. She had friends all over, she was always a peacemaker, Taneshas mother said. Its disgusting how youngsters are able to put their hands on guns like this. They really should be into doing something better with their lives rather than taking other peoples lives. Scotland Yard said there have been five arrests made as part of the investigation into Taneshas death. A 30-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a 22-year-old man all arrested on suspicion of murder have been released under investigation pending further inquiries. A 50-year-old man and 26-year-old man were arrested and subsequently released with no further action. Scripting history, Armit Singh, an Indian-American law enforcement officer recently became the first-ever turban-wearing Sikh to be sworn in as Deputy Constable in Harris County in the US state of Texas. The 21-year-old will be the first in his profession to wear his articles of faith--a turban, beard, and uncut hair--in the line of duty. Twitter Singhs swearing-in ceremony coincided with the adoption of a new policy that allows law enforcement officers in nearly every single Harris County Constable's Office to wear articles of their faith while in uniform. This means Sikhs can wear a turban and sport a beard while they are on duty. Twitter "Growing up, I always wanted to be a deputy and my Sikh faith was also very important to me," he said. "Constable Alan Rosen was the first one to give me a callback. He opened this agency with open arms for me," he further said. Sikhs have been joining the police forces in different provinces of Canada for some time now. Jasdeep Singh Bajwa- First Sikh police officer to wear Turban in Ottawa, Canada In 2016, then 25-year-old Jasdeep Singh Bajwa became the first Sikh to wear a turban as part of his uniform on the Ottawa police force. YouTube He wanted to be a cop since he was a child. Amrik Singh Ahluwalia unanimously elected as the head of Canada's Peel Police In 2016, an Indian-Canadian Sikh was unanimously elected as the head of Canada's Peel Police. Amrik Singh Ahluwalia was voted as the chair of the Ontario's Peel Police Services Board. Back then he said, "My first thoughts are, what a wonderful country we live in. I am honoured. This is a great responsibility, I take with humility and with a sense of purpose that I want to my very best." YouTube Cases like these show countries like Canada and the U.S. are becoming more accepting of people of different faiths and communities. Anethole is the essential volatile oil that lends this spice its characteristic sweet flavor. Star anise is a small, star shaped fruit growing on an evergreen plant, Illicium verumwith. A native from southern China, star anise has a licorice like taste and lends a soft, exotic taste to a meal, predominantly Asian dishes. This plant is quite popular for its distinctive culinary and medicinal values. The Chinese and Japanese are the two variants of star anise. The Chinese star anise possesses medicinal properties with a host of health benefits and considered safe for consumption, whereas the Japanese star anise contains sikimitoxin making it toxic in nature. Once dried, it is difficult to distinguish between the two variants of star anise. Hence, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory warning against the drinking of teas brewed from star anise since consumption of Japanese star anise may result in seizures, vomiting, jitteriness and rapid eye movement. Star anise contains a blend of compounds possessing anti-oxidant, disease preventing, and health boosting properties. The essential oil of star spice provides relief from rheumatism and lower back pain. Linalool, a compound present in star anise contains anti-oxidants properties which keep aging, cancer and age-related disorders at bay. Star anise also works as an excellent breath freshener. It is an excellent source of Shikimic acid, which is used for preparing drugs for treating influenza or the flu virus and boosting the immune system. Good for Digestive Problems It is a commonly used remedy for treating digestive ailments, such as bloating, abdominal cramps, gas, indigestion and constipation. Treats Respiratory Disorders Many commercially available cough syrups contain star anise extract. The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of this wondrous spice are effective in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and dry cough. Fights Fungal Infections Star anise combats a common skin problem called candidiasis, caused by a fungus, Candida albicans which affects mouth, throat and genital areas due to its anti-fungal properties. Solves Sleep Problems Star anise possesses sedative properties and may be an effective remedy for people suffering from sleep disorders. Benefits Womens Health Star anise tea promotes overall good health of female reproductive organs. In traditional Chinese medicine, star anise was given to women during pregnancy and lactating periods, since it boosted the immunity of the mother and increased milk secretion. Amla and Star Anise Shot Ingredients: 4 deseeded and chopped amlas 1 tsp amla crush 1/2 tsp powdered star anise 1 tbsp honey 4 tbsp crushed ice For Garnishing: 4 star anise Method: Combine amla, amla crush, star anise powder and 1 cups of water in a mixer and blend till it becomes smooth. Strain the liquid and keep it aside. Combine the strained liquid and honey. Mix well. Before serving, place 1 tbsp of crushed ice and pour equal quantity of the juice in each glass. Serve chilled with a star anise on the rim of every glass. Veggies and Star Anise Noodle Soup Ingredients: 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tbsp minced ginger 2 tbsp minced garlic 4 whole dried Thai chili 4 star anise 2 tbsp vegetable oil 3 cups vegetable broth Freshly ground black pepper Salt 2 cups boiled noodles Method: While some rights activists were arrested in the Koregaon Bhima case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh met senior police officials in Mumbai on Thursday to review the case of violence at Koregaon Bhima in Pune on 1 January, 2018. The meeting is currently underway at the state secretariat in Mumbai, an official said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar in December demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the Koregaon Bhima case. NCP leader Deshmukh, after taking charge as Home minister, earlier in January had said that he would seek a status report on the case and then take a decision. The term "urban Naxal" was used by the Pune Police probing the alleged links between the Elgar Parishad conclave of 31 December, 2017, and the caste clashes around Koregaon Bhima in Pune district the next day. While some rights activists were arrested in the case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. Ekbote was granted bail by the Supreme Court, while Bhide was never arrested. The Pune Police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The parishad, they alleged, instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on 1 January, 2018. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. The world stood still when the horrific incident on 16th December 2012 broke out. A girl who was heading back home after a movie was brutally raped several times on a moving bus. She soon passed away leaving the nation scarred. Yes, we are talking about the Nirbhaya rape case that left the country shocked beyond belief. Since that year, Nirbhaya's parents have been battling for justice against the rapist. After several years on Jan 7, 2020, a death warrant was finally issued for the Nirbhaya rapists by a Delhi court. After many candlelight marches and peaceful protests, we all sighed in relief. However, in the midst of this, senior advocate Indira Jaising urged Nirbhaya's mother to pardon the men on death row who have been convicted for the rape of her daughter. During the promotion of her film Panga, Kangana was asked about her views on Indira Jaising's remark. One more reason why I hate death penalty , the hangman when asked why he is coming to Delhi says he needs money for his daughters marriage. Tragic. This is India.#Nribhya Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 14, 2020 Lashing out, Kangana said, "That lady (Jaising) should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days...Women like them give birth to these kind of monsters and murderers." #WATCH Kangana Ranaut on senior lawyer Indira Jaising's statement,'Nirbhaya's mother should forgive the convicts': That lady (Jaising) should be kept in jail with those convicts for four days...Women like them give birth to these kind of monsters and murderers. (22.1) pic.twitter.com/MtNcAca1QG ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020 Supporting Kangana's statement on this, Nirbhaya's mother said, "I agree with Kangana Ranaut's statement. I am glad she has reacted to this disgusting remark by Indira Jaising. I am a mother and all I want is justice for my daughter who passed away 7 years back. People like Indira Jaising run 'human rights' business and only support the culprits." Nirbhaya died on December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman encourages 500.com Limited (NYSE: WBAI) investors who have suffered significant losses to submit their losses now to learn if they qualify to recover their investment losses. A securities class action was recently filed against the company and senior executives, and certain investors may have valuable claims. Class Period: Apr. 27, 2018 Dec. 31, 2019 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Mar. 16, 2020 Sign Up: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/WBAI Contact An Attorney Now: WBAI@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 500.com Limited (WBAI) Securities Class Action: The complaint alleges that Chinese online gambling operator 500.com concealed that its executives were bribing Japanese lawmakers to influence Japanese gaming policy and secure the development of a casino resort project in Japan. The market began to learn the truth on Dec. 27, 2019, when media outlets reported that a Japanese elected official was arrested by Tokyo prosecutors and charged with receiving 3 million yen ($27,400) in cash from 500.com. Then, on Dec. 31, 2019, 500.com announced the initiation of an internal investigation into alleged illegal money transfers, the concurrent resignation of its Chairman of the Board, and the temporary departure of its Chief Executive Officer pending the outcome of the internal investigation. News of 500.com illegal money transfers caused the price of WBAI ADRs to decline sharply. Were focused on investors losses and proving 500.com concealed its involvement in an illicit lobby scheme, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation. If you purchased shares of 500.com and suffered significant losses, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman . Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding 500.com 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 WBAI@hbsslaw.com . About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national law firm with nine offices in eight cities around the country and 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 . Press Release January 23, 2020 UNILEVER PARTNERS WITH PH RED CROSS, CONSIDERS IT AS MOST RELIABLE Senator Richard J. Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), met today with Unilever Philippines Vice President for Sustainable Business and Communications Ed Sunico, and Senior Manager for Sustainable Business Rondell Torres to discuss the PRC's partnership with Unilever in disaster response. Unilever donated 1,000 hygiene kits containing body wash, shampoo and conditioner, deo-lotion sachets and fabric conditioner for the affected individuals of the Taal volcano eruption. According to Sunico, Unilever is eyeing to have more partnerships with the PRC as it considers the Red Cross the most reliable among non-government organizations in the country. "Sa mga ganitong panahon, of course, we want to partner with the most reliable at maganda ang track record. We really need partners to get communities back on their feet and back to becoming more productive. Of course, Red Cross has been known as an organization that helps a lot of communities and we're happy that we're now making this partnership even bigger. We're looking for a long-term engagement with the Red Cross," he said. Gordon continuously monitors the situation in Taal and is constantly coordinating with the PRC chapters in Batangas, Laguna and Cavite to know what kind of assistance are still needed by more than 40,000 individuals in the evacuation centers. The donations that the organization has been receiving to help the victims of the eruption are immediately brought to the evacuation centers to cater to the needs of the evacuees. Tim Cook is just off an overnight flight but manages his traditional, southern-tinted greeting on a crisp, cold Dublin day. "Hiiiii," he says, beaming. As he walks around the small Dublin office of an app developer before this newspaper interview, he has questions. A lot of questions. "Can you prototype this?" "Where did you get this idea from?" "Is this a normal Sunday for everyone here?" As usual, he lingers a little longer than is scheduled, soaking up the studio's work and art. Later, he will refer back to why Apple still thinks about the intersection of art and technology, a combination that can help tech "see around the corner". (Whereas, by contrast, for "people that only focus on technology, those technologies have produced really unfortunate results that are distracting from society".) But he will also try to balance his remarks on this occasion between the company's "unshakeable" commitment to Ireland, his view on the future of taxation, where technology is broadly going, and the ongoing live issue of Apple's tensions with authorities over privacy. As the CEO of the world's most valuable company (Apple is currently trading at an all-time-high market capitalisation of 1.26trn), Cook carries a responsibility on an almost unique scale. But whatever his other motivations, he insists that Apple's valuation is not one of them. "We don't think about our market cap, or our share price, even though I know a lot of other people do. We think that the share price in the company is a result of doing other things well," he says. One of the relatively under-reported things that Apple is "doing well", and which is arguably responsible for its premium valuation even as iPhone sales peak or decline, is its accessories and services. The company's relatively new AirPods and Apple Watch would, as stand-alone products, be bigger than the vast majority of other large tech companies, even though both were lukewarmly greeted by analysts at launch. Cook thinks that augmented reality (AR) - a technology used by the Dublin app developer he's visiting (WarDucks) - should be thought of in similar terms. Apple is reportedly working on a special pair of AR glasses for release some time in the next year or two. "My view is that it's the next big thing. It will pervade our entire lives. And I think it's something that doesn't isolate people; we can use it to enhance our discussions, not use it as a substitute for human connection which, you know, I'm always deeply worried about with some of the other technologies." Within the industry, differences between AR and virtual reality (VR) are widely understood. But among ordinary people, familiarity isn't as strong. Whereas VR usually involves a headset that cuts you off from the outside world and places your eyes and ears entirely inside a digital one, AR tries to mix them by letting you see digital artefacts in the world you're actually standing in. At present, you can do this in a basic way with a smartphone (or a tablet) by holding it up in front of you and letting the AR app use the phone's camera to 'place' a digital character 'on' the actual table sitting in front of you. 'Pokemon Go' is probably the most well-known mass-market example of the technology's early promise. But Cook sees more uses for augmented reality. "Maybe you're under a car and you're changing the oil and you're not sure exactly how to do it. You could use AR for this. Or you and I might be talking about an article. "Using AR, we could both be looking at the same thing at the same time. There are many, many different applications." One of Cook's other big concerns at present is privacy. Apple has positioned itself as a defender of privacy, despite a few hiccups by way of security or data breaches. Cook has repeatedly eviscerated tech rivals such as Google and Facebook for "selling" customers' personal data as core commercial practice. Cynics say that this goes to Apple's own commercial strategy, where hardware is its core financial strength, while web business is a relative soft touch. But Cook says that there are stronger motives underlying the company's increasingly vocal objections to online exposure. "We worry about a world where people think every moment of the day that they're under surveillance," he said. "Just consider that for a minute. If you believe that somebody is watching what you're doing and what you're looking at, you begin to look less. "Maybe you don't want people to know that you look a certain subject up or that you're researching this other thing or that you're trying to get an answer to a certain question." Cook's fear, he says, is that "expression just begins to shrink and shrink and shrink. It should not be acceptable for any of us to live in that kind of environment". This view has pitted Apple against some tough ideological opponents. Authorities in the UK and the US have repeatedly tried to get the company to provide a back door through its iPhones' encrypted security features to help criminal or terrorist investigations. Each time, Apple says no, even when US president Donald Trump tweets his displeasure about the company's stance, as he did last week. But Cook rejects the argument that if you're not with the security forces, you're aiding the terrorist. "They say that privacy and security are a trade-off, but we see that as a false choice," he said. "Because if you look at what people are doing on their phones today, people are operating power grids on their phones, where a system administrator uses a phone as their device. So you can imagine the damage that can be done to national security if somebody hacks through and affects the power grid. So in a sense, privacy and security come together. "They don't oppose one another. It's not a see-saw of having more of one is having less of the other." Such comments are unlikely to sway bodies such as the FBI, which comes back to Apple regularly with requests on cases it's working on. But Cook has form here. When the then UK prime minister David Cameron ramped up the political rhetoric against Apple's iPhone encryption, painting a you're-with-us-or-against-us narrative, Apple held firm. Cameron eventually backed down, as did Theresa May. It's hard to see why Cook or Apple would capitulate to president Trump now. One topic which is trickier to present as a black-and-white one is the issue of tax. On stage at the National Concert Hall, the IDA's Martin Shanahan asked Cook about "the elephant in the room": Apple's 13bn tax ruling handed down by the European Commission in 2016. The case, which is being appealed both by Apple and Irish revenue authorities, will probably continue for years to come. But Cook offered some wider thoughts on the issue of tax and large international companies. "It's very complex to know how to tax a multinational," he said. "It's not like a small business that does all of their stuff generally in one country. "A multinational might manufacture in one country, service in another, sell in another, and do research and development in another. And so somebody has to decide how to apportion the profits and, therefore, the tax payments." He said that it was a "really reasonable subject for people to debate" as a policy issue. "I think reasonable people can have different points of view," he said. "I think the place for that to happen is at a worldwide level, because you can bet that each country is going to have a different point of view. Companies shouldn't have anything to do with this; they should just follow the law. And so the OECD, I think, is the place for this." Apple, he said, "desperately wants" it to be fair. "This is where the issue comes in the commission. We believe that law should not be retrofitted, that the law is the law, and the law can change going forward but it shouldn't change going backwards. "That is at the heart of the case if you just make it very simple. It is before the court now and we have great faith in the justice system." He went on to say that he was "optimistic" that the OECD could create a clearer tax code. "I think they have to. This is never going to be one that everybody is going to say 'yeah, great' because everybody would like a little bit more. "But I think that they [the OECD] are the place for it to happen. And I think that, logically, everybody knows it needs to be re-hauled." He added: "I would be the last person that would say that the current system is a perfect system." Cook repeated Apple's assertion that it is the "largest taxpayer in the world". "We do so willingly, not grudgingly," he said. "The [European] Commission has a different perspective on who we should pay. And the way that we look at it, and I believe it's the way Ireland looks at it as well, is that we have paid them per the law." Cook didn't let the occasion go without making a prediction about the company's operations in Cork. "We've been here now 40 years," he said. "And like every good relationship, there's been some ups and downs for both parties. But we came here at a time of very high unemployment in Cork. Now, we've grown to a 6,000-plus employee base that has 100 nationalities in it. I look forward to being here the next 40 years." Protestors outside a Canadian courtroom pressing for the release of a senior Chinese telecommunications executive fighting extradition to the US were paid actors, they told local media. It was not clear, however, who footed the bill. A dozen men and women on Monday, at the start of the hearing considering whether or not to hand over Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou to US authorities to face fraud charges, held up red and white hand-written signs that read "Free Meng" and "Trump stop bullying us." They declined to speak to an AFP journalist at the scene. But later a handful were tracked down and spoke to Canadian media, saying they were paid Can$100 ($76) to Can$150 for two hours work that they had understood to be as extras in a movie shoot. The offer, they said, came through Facebook or acquaintances. "A CBS reporter approached me and my friend and she started interviewing us. And it was in those moments and questions where I started realizing, OK, if this was background work, they wouldn't need detail on background people," Julia Hackstaff told public broadcaster CBC. After more journalists approached seeking comments, she said she realized that the movie she thought she was appearing in was in fact a very real event. "I started realizing, wait, no one called 'action,'" Hackstaff said. Another protestor, Ken Bonson, gave an identical account to the Toronto Star, saying she "had no idea what I was going into." "I'm honestly pretty ashamed and embarrassed," she said, explaining that she had not known about Meng or her legal saga. Meng is wanted by US authorities for alleged fraud related to sanctions against Iran. The US alleges she lied to HSBC about Huawei's relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Tehran. Meng has denied the allegations. Her extradition hearing is scheduled to last until Friday, then adjourn until a second phase scheduled for June. China's embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the protests. Huawei said in a statement that it "had no involvement with the protestors" and "is unaware of any plans by those responsible." By Carla Hall The message from Buckingham Palace to Queen Elizabeth's grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, was clear: You're in or you're out. There is no part-time work for royals. Harry and Meghan chose out. That's kind of sad. And surprising. What _ they couldn't all work this out? I get it that, barely two years into a marriage that was supposed to signal a breathtaking infusion of modernity into the British royal family, the couple was sick of the tabloid coverage. But not all the news coverage of them has been bad. Otherwise, they wouldn't be the international celebrities that they are. I would have advised Meghan to return to England after her and Harry's extravagantly long Christmas break in Vancouver and give it another go, for a year. Then reassess. Instead, they came back, dropped the bombshell that they wanted to work part-time as royals and spend half the year outside Britain. And Meghan immediately returned to Canada _ which she obviously knew she was going to do, because she left their baby, Archie, there (with a nanny and a close friend). But once they did announce they wanted to be royals on their own schedule (what my colleague, Patt Morrison, called having their "royal gateau" and eating it too), why couldn't the palace figure out a way to do that? It can't be that they just don't want someone doing the job of opening hospitals and visiting community centers part-time. It's not like the palace is going to hire someone else to replace them. The queen's statement was like a heartbreaking farewell: "Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family," she said. She concluded, "It is my whole family's hope that today's agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life." However, the palace has made it clear that they can't represent the queen and keep their status and titles while they promote or advocate for whatever they choose. So they are giving up the use of their titles as royal highnesses (something they, reportedly, did want to keep), but they still get to call themselves the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And Harry will give up his honorary military appointments. His work in the military and on behalf of the military has meant a lot to him, so that's got to feel like a big loss. They will no longer be supported by public funds. That makes sense. And the couple is paying back the $3 million in public funds they spent to refurbish Frogmore Cottage, the house on the grounds of Windsor Castle that the queen gave them. They get to keep the crib, by the way. So how will they make a living? That's been the multimillion-dollar question from the start of all this. They will continue to be supported by Harry's father, Prince Charles, possibly through his Duchy of Cornwall hereditary estate. Considering however many millions they have on their own (from Meghan's career or, perhaps, from whatever inheritance Harry got from his late mother, Diana) and the millions that Charles has given them, these kids are not going to live paycheck to paycheck. But if they do want to make money on their own _ as they have said they do _ they are going to have to find something more profitable than licensing their pictures on mugs (although I would certainly buy a bunch) or something classier than sitting on the board of some controversial drug company. Where on that spectrum Meghan returning to acting or doing voice-over work fits remains to be seen. According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, the Sussexes "have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty." They will still advocate for the charities and the nonprofit groups they have been involved in. Believe it or not, all this would be easier if Harry and Meghan truly renounced all the privileges and royal connections and said to his folks, "We want to work for nonprofits in Canada and Africa and live in a townhouse in Toronto, and we'll see you at Christmas." But that's not what they seem to want. Ideally, they want to leverage the royal family brand and prestige for only the causes they choose on their own schedule _ and live really well while they're doing it. Who could blame them? That sounds good to me too. But doing that is inextricably tied to being a working member of a publicly financed high-profile organization that owes the public something in return _ high-visibility public appearances, in particular. It will be fascinating to see how Harry and Meghan chart this new course. And here is one thing that neither the royal family nor the couple can escape: Harry is still a member of the royal family, sixth in line to the throne. He's not disowning his family. No matter what they do, we are all still interested in them. My guess is they're counting on that. Carla Hall is a member of the Los Angeles Times editorial board. Her commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency. A new coronavirus that has killed at least 17 people in China and spread to several other countries is already putting global measures designed to fend off epidemics to the test. The looming question is whether the international community will try to stem its spread by implementing what it learned during the deadly outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, between 2002 and 2004, which also began in China. At the time, China denied the existence of the SARS virus, even as it spread across the country and abroad, eventually killing more than 770 people worldwide. This time, Chinese authorities were initially praised for what some observers called a relatively fast response. China first reported a pattern of unknown pneumonia-like cases in the city of Wuhan in late December. It shared details about the virus - including its genetic sequencing - with other countries and revised its initial assessment that the virus is unlikely to spread between humans. Authorities have offered daily updates and have said the number of infected people in China has passed 470. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it is clear that Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to avoid a disaster that will implicate Chinese authorities in a coverup reminiscent of the SARS outbreak. Their response this time "has been far superior and fundamentally different" compared with 2002 and 2003, Morrison said. But some analysts have already raised doubts over whether the Chinese figures are accurate. Imperial College London researchers estimated Wednesday that the number of cases in Wuhan had probably risen to around 4,000 by Saturday - vastly exceeding the number of cases China had confirmed. The researchers did not accuse Chinese authorities of a deliberate coverup, suggesting instead that "further refinements to case definitions and testing and further expansion of surveillance" could lessen the "differences between our estimates and official case numbers." Still, these discrepancies reflect lingering skepticism over whether recent efforts to foster global cooperation on health epidemics have been sufficient and whether the world has learned its lessons from SARS. In the fallout of the outbreak that began in 2002, the World Health Organization criticized a range of countries - including China, the United States and Canada - for not sharing sufficient information. But the lack of cooperation, researchers said, reflected deeper organizational flaws at the WHO as well. By the time that outbreak hit, the WHO had not significantly changed its regulations for three decades. SARS was a wake-up call, speeding up revisions. "Over time, the shortcomings of the 1969 version of the [International Health Regulations] became increasingly apparent," a WHO review committee acknowledged in 2011. Overall, the committee argued, the regulations were ill-equipped for the increasingly globalized world of 2003, when the SARS outbreak reached its peak. The world has become more interconnected since then, raising concerns that high rates of movement in and out of China could raise the risk of the spread of this coronavirus as hundreds of millions of people prepare to travel for the Lunar New Year. In 2003, the World Health Assembly also voted to grant the WHO more authority to get involved in individual countries' responses to health crises. While the effort appeared largely directed against China, it was the United States that unsuccessfully attempted to delay the measures amid concerns that the changes might diminish the role of its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two years on, in 2005, the International Health Regulations - which outline the organization's authority and the rules it is bound by - were radically overhauled to reflect the WHO's expanded role. Whereas the rules previously required the reporting only of cases of yellow fever, the plague and cholera, they were revised to cover "any event that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern," or PHEIC. Some experts have raised doubts over the extent to which some of those revisions were implemented. Kelley Lee, author of a book about the WHO, said in an email that many countries still lag behind on their 2005 commitments to expand their capacity to respond to health emergencies. The WHO has not yet declared this latest outbreak a PHEIC, but Morrison said he expects it will, because it has spread so quickly to other countries, with one case diagnosed in the United States. Countries do not always welcome such moves, because they "do not want to be seen as losing control," Morrison said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In Congo, it took around a year for the WHO to give a deadly, ongoing Ebola outbreak that designation, even after it infected more than 2,500 people and killed nearly 1,700. The delay drew criticism from many public health experts. Even after the declaration, Robert Steffen, chairman of the WHO emergency committee, said the Congo outbreak "is still a regional emergency and by no way a global threat." The emergency declaration came amid concerns Ebola had the potential to spread rapidly into neighboring countries, especially after a patient died in Goma, a city of 2 million on the border with Rwanda. Still, efforts to control the outbreak, largely confined to Congo's North Kivu province, have proved difficult. The region has experienced decades of conflict, sowing deep distrust in the government. Armed groups have attacked clinics and killed several medical workers, increasing fears among people who might have already been reluctant to seek treatment. But officials there also knew that the threat of a major international outbreak was less likely, Morrison said, because they were dealing with communities that are less likely to travel internationally by plane or have foreign visitors. In Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, the numbers of people traveling in and out was "staggering," he said. And officials did not suspend travel until Wednesday, weeks after the outbreak was first documented. People were beginning to ask questions, and rightfully so, and we wanted to correct the record as soon as possible with the information that we had, school system spokesman Derek Turner said. We take concerns about cheating very seriously. US-led international operations in Iraq against the so-called Islamic State (IS) have been put on pause, as some 5,000 US forces in Iraq are primarily focused on protecting themselves in the wake of escalating violence between the US military and Iranian-backed groups that culminated in the Jan. 3 US drone strike on Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia leader at Baghdad airport, a top US envoy said today. But any discussions with the Iraqi government about a possible future withdrawal of US forces in Iraq would need to be broadened to encompass the entire scope of US-Iraq relations, including diplomatic and financial support, said James Jeffrey, the special envoy to the global coalition to defeat IS. We have said that were not interested in talking about withdrawal because we dont think we should withdraw, Jeffrey, who also is the US special representative for Syria, told journalists at the State Department today. However, at the end of the day, this is obviously an Iraqi decision on the future of the American and the coalition presence. We acknowledge that. Were not interested in sitting down and talking only about withdrawal, Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq, continued. Any conversations that the Iraqis want to have with us about the United States in Iraq we believe should and must cover the entire gamut of our relationship, which goes way beyond our forces, goes way beyond security. Its the long-term re-equipping of the Iraqi military forces. Its the regional agenda. Its our diplomatic support of Iraq, our financial, our monetary [support]. Jeffrey spoke a day after US President Donald Trump met with Iraqi President Barham Salih in Davos, Switzerland. Salih said he urged restraint to cool escalating US-Iran tensions, to avoid a new confrontation. We have had a very good conversation with the president [Trump], and we had a very candid conversation [about] the need for basically restraint, calming things down, Salih said after addressing the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. This is not time for another conflict. In my conversations with many actors in the region, everybody is saying, This is getting out of hand. Please cool it down. Restraint. Jeffrey said while US-led coalition counter-IS operations in Iraq have been on pause over force protection concerns, the Iraqi military has conducted military operations against IS, including a half dozen in the previous 24 hours. The coalition does not yet see a resurgence of IS amid the limbo of international coalition operations, but remains concerned about the prospect that it could do so. The United States has been involved in the mission against IS since 2014. Coalition operations have been primarily on pause in Iraq as we focus on force protection and looking into the way forward with the Iraqi government after the nonbinding vote by the Council of Representatives on the withdrawal of US and thus coalition forces, Jeffrey said. The Iraqi Armed Forces are continuing to conduct operations. Asked how long US forces would stay in Iraq while they are focused on force protection rather than the mission of countering IS, Jeffrey stressed the US-led coalition remains deeply committed to the mission. Obviously, were not keeping thousands of Americans and thousands of other coalition country troops in Iraq without doing something, he said. We have a mission, its an important mission. The mission is much wanted by the Iraqi military and by, we believe, most Iraqis. But he conceded that a resurgence of IS which he referred to by its Arabic acronym, Daesh could erupt if the force protection concerns keep coalition operations sidelined. Over time, obviously, there is a possibility of a degradation of the effort against Daesh if were not able to do the things that we were doing so effectively up until a few weeks ago, he said. NATO has conducted preliminary discussions with Iraqi officials about possibly expanding its role in Iraq, but the discussions are in the early stages, Jeffrey said. He said it is in theory possible that some international forces might, for instance, eventually be put under the NATO rubric that were previously under the coalition rubric although it was unclear if doing so would solve Iraqi political pressures that led the Iraqi parliament to vote this month to recommend the Iraqi government ask foreign forces to leave the country. The Iraqi government has been asking the United States for negotiations on reaching a new understanding that regulates the presence of US troops in Iraq, rather than for a full-fledged withdrawal, said Farhad Alaaldin, who was an adviser to Iraqi President Fuad Masum (2014-2018). I would say, outside of the extremes, the majority of Iraqi officials dont want the US to leave, Alaaldin, now the chairman of the Iraq Advisory Council, told Al-Monitor by phone from Iraq Wednesday. And the Iraqi government has been asking for negotiations as to reregulate the presence of the US troops, rather than take them out. So basically it is a matter of reaching common ground of how to have the US troops there and under what conditions and what framework, Alaaldin, a contributor to Al-Monitor said. I would say this is what they are aiming at. Munich Re is considering whether to set itself a long-term net income target of 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) a year as the company seeks to match levels it regularly achieved until 2015. The reinsurer may announce such a plan by the end of the year, said a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because the information isnt public. Munich Res most recent forecast is for 2020 earnings of 2.8 billion euros [$3.1 billion]. The reinsurance industry is trying to recover from huge natural disasters after the combined insured losses for such events rose to a record during the two years through 2018. Munich Res profit fell to about 400 million euros [$443.4 million] in 2017 after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria weighed on the company. Chief Executive Officer Joachim Wenning has identified increasing profits, digital transformation and reducing complexity as priorities for the company. Munich Re declined to comment on its earnings goals. Munich Re was up almost 1% at 273 euros at 11:35 a.m. [on Jan. 22] in Frankfurt. The shares have gained 22% in the past six months. German newspaper Handelsblatt wrote about Munich Res profit target earlier. Topics Profit Loss RUSSELL PETERS: DEPORTED Stream on Amazon. The Canadian comic Russell Peters discusses topics like mean internet comments and the experience of getting an endoscopy in this new stand-up special, filmed at a stadium in Mumbai. Peters takes advantage of having such a large audience to banter with several of the audience members including a man who offers an endoscopy story of his own. SAINT LAURENT (2015) Rent on Amazon, Google Play and iTunes. The French director Bertrand Bonello is back in theaters this weekend with Zombi Child, a drama that flits between Haiti and France. In this biopic, Bonello flits from one decade to another to explore the life of the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. The movie casts multiple different actors as Laurent, painting a portrait of an over-the-top perfectionist both in his prime and toward the end of his life. The film is a compulsively detailed swirl of moods and impressions, intent on capturing the contradictions of the man and his times, A.O. Scott wrote in his review for The Times. Observations of Saint Laurent at work and in love give way to panoramic, intricate surveys of the world of commerce and culture in which he suffered and flourished. [January 23, 2020] Spectrio CEO Dax Brady-Sheehan Added to the Company's Board of Directors Spectrio, one of the nation's leading providers of in-store marketing solutions powered by content and technology, announced today that CEO Dax Brady-Sheehan was added as an official member of the Company's Board of Directors. Brady-Sheehan joins Bertram Capital partners and advisors as the board's fifth member. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005517/en/ Spectrio (News - Alert) CEO, Dax Brady-Sheehan (Photo: Business Wire) "Q4 of 2019 marked a powerful inflection point for Spectrio in terms of accelerated growth," said Jared Ruger, Bertram Capital partner and Spectrio board member. "We are thrilled to welcome Dax Brady-Sheehan as a member of Spectrio's Board of Directors and excited to continue to build on our momentum in 2020." Brady-Sheehan was appointed s CEO of Spectrio in January 2018 and since that time the Company has completed acquisitions of nine businesses - 10 Foot Wave, On Hold Company, Voice Solutions, Codigo, Commercials On Hold, Media Distribution Solutions, LifeShare Technologies, VS Networks, and Profit On-Hold. Through acquisition and growth, Spectrio has added over 150 team members over two years. In 2019, the Company's sales and marketing team in Charlotte, N.C. moved to an 11,000 square foot office space at Whitehall Corporate Center, its Tampa Bay Corporate office expanded into an additional suite in the Cardinal Point at 580 Corporate Center, and the Company added an office location in Chicago. Spectrio currently provides service to more than 100,000 client locations and powers over 55,000 digital screens worldwide. The Company was also named to Inc. Magazine's 2019 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. The award marked the eighth time Spectrio has appeared on the annual Inc. 5000 list. "Spectrio has experienced so much change throughout the years, and I am proud of our team for taking on new challenges," said Spectrio CEO, Dax Brady-Sheehan. "As Spectrio CEO and board member, I expect to continue to accelerate our growth while driving value for our clients." Spectrio's high-velocity growth is fueled by its consistent track record of creating new technology applications and solutions that allow clients to engage their customers along the shopper journey. Over the past two years, Spectrio has launched four new products, helping drive the focus from traditional passive marketing content to multi-sensory brand experiences that are interactive, engaging, and powered by software. The Company has also introduced several third-party API integrations for its digital solutions, increasing flexibility and functionality and boosting the resiliency of its technology for clients. About Spectrio Spectrio is one of the nation's leading providers of in-store marketing solutions powered by content and technology. Known for cultivating highly engaging consumer experiences through powerful, professionally produced content, Spectrio's major technology solutions include Digital Signage, Interactive Kiosks, Wi-Fi Marketing, In-Store Music and Marketing, On-Hold Marketing, and Scent Marketing. Spectrio serves more than 100,000 locations, ranging from individually owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit www.Spectrio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005517/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh met senior police officials on Thursday to review the case of violence at Koregaon Bhima in Pune on January 1, 2018. The meeting is currently underway at the state secretariat in Mumbai, an official said. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar last month demand that a Special Investigation Team be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the Koregaon Bhima case. NCP leader Deshmukh, after taking charge as home minister, said earlier this month that he would seek a status report on the case and then take a decision. The term "urban Naxal" was used by the Pune Police probing the alleged links between the Elgar Parishad conclave of December 31, 2017 and the caste clashes around Koregaon Bhima in Pune district the next day. While some rights activists were arrested in the case by the Pune city police, their rural counterparts had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly inciting violence. Ekbote was granted bail by the Supreme Court, while Bhide was never arrested. The Pune Police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The parishad, they alleged, instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on January 1, 2018. Police at the scene where Jim Donegan was shot dead on the Glen Road (Niall Carson/PA) An arrest has been made by detectives investigating the murder of a man outside a school in west Belfast. Jim Donegan, 43, was shot dead as he waited outside St Marys Grammar School on the Glen Road to pick up his 13-year-old son on December 4, 2018. Detectives investigating the murder of Jim Donegan on the Glen Road, Belfast on the 4th December 2018 have arrested a 42 year old man under section 41 of the Terrorism Act. He is currently in custody at Musgrave Serious Crime Suite where he is being questioned by detectives. Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) January 23, 2020 Detectives from PSNIs Major Investigation Team investigating the murder arrested a 42-year-old man under section 41 of the Terrorism Act on Thursday. The man is being questioned by officers at Musgrave Serious Crime Suite. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 18:27:52|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close WINDHOEK, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese companies, including China Gezhouba Group Company Limited, has been awarded tenders to upgrade the railway line between Walvis Bay and Kranzberg, according to Works and Transport Ministry Executive Director Willem Goeiemann. Xinhua had been briefed that a joint venture between two Chinese companies Qingjian Group and Unik Construnction Engineering won the tender for the section between Arandis and Kranzberg. The Walvis Bay to Kranzberg rail project is being funded through part of a loan secured by the Namibian government from the African Development Bank. Work on the project is expected to start at the beginning of March this year. Chinese companies have actively participated in infrastructure and industrial development of the southwest African country, which aspires to become a logistic hub in the southern African region. Chinese-built projects in the country including a container terminal, oil storage facilities and several road upgrading and construction projects. The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has said that state governors are working towards ensuring precautional measures are taken in their various states to tackle the current Lassa fever epidemic. Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti State governor and chairman of the forum, said this on Wednesday while addressing journalists after a meeting of the 36 state governors, at the NGF secretariat in Abuja. He said the state governors are partnering with other health stakeholders and agencies to tackle the disease. On the epidemic that has happened in one or two states Ondo State in the southwest and Kano in the north this is the period when we have an upsurge particularly in Lassa fever and I believe all our states are taking precautionary measures to address this. We are working in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control to ensure this does not spread any further than it has at the moment, Mr Fayemi said. Lassa fever is a major public health challenge in West Africa, with Nigeria bearing the highest burden of affected persons. At least 16 people have so far died in a fresh outbreak of the disease in Ondo State, and about 84 cases have also been recorded since the beginning of the year. In Kano State, the outbreak has killed three victims, including a pregnant woman and two medical doctors, after they were diagnosed with the virus at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. The Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control, (NCDC) said at least 82 cases of the disease has been detected across Nigeria in 2020 with at least 14 deaths. In total for 2020, eight states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 13 Local Government Areas; 89 percent of all confirmed cases are from Edo (38 percent), Ondo (38 per cent) and Ebonyi (11 per cent) States. The predominant age-group affected is 11-40 years (Range: >11 to 60 years, Median Age: 33 years). The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1. The number of suspected cases has increased but is lower than the numbers reported in 2019. One Health Care Worker infection was identified in the reporting week 02. For the prevention of the disease, medical experts have advised people to avoid direct contact with urine, faeces, saliva and blood of infected rodents. By Bill Hughes Jan. 22, 2020 | 07:31 PM | PADUCAH According to Craig Newbern with the McCracken County Attorney's office, Harold and Jennifer Campbell appeared before Judge Todd Jones in McCracken District Court, where they each face 51 counts of 2nd degree cruelty to animals and two counts of contempt of court. They had failed to appear in court twice before, but were eventually arrested in Illinois and extradited to McCracken County. Newbern said the plea deal offered to the Campbells would probate their sentence for 24 months after they serve 45 days in jail. Newbern said, "They would be on probation for a period of two years, and that's because this is a misdemeanor. By law, you cannot be on probation for a misdemeanor more than two years." If they accept the deal, Harold and Jennifer Campbell would agree to have no pets or criminal problems during the probation period, and would forfeit ownership of all animals seized at their home in October. They were charged after a search of the home led to discovery of more than 50 Chihuahuas in poor living conditions. Some of the animals died. The Campbells have not responded to the offer, but have a continued first appearance scheduled for February 11. They are still lodged in McCracken County Jail. A father and daughter facing multiple counts of animal cruelty were in court on Tuesday and have been offered a deal by prosecutors. On the Net: KAMPALA The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Hon Gabriela Cuevas Barron has planted a tree in Uganda to mark the 130 years of the IPU before she toured the exhibition by various departments of Parliament. Ms. Cuevas Barron also praised the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga for championing womens inclusion and supporting marginalised groups. President Cuevas said this while meeting the Speaker as she visits Uganda as part of the commemoration of 130 years of the IPU. The meeting was held on Thursday, 23 January 2020 in the Speakers chambers at Parliament. She commended the Speaker for her unwavering efforts in championing womens recognition in the IPU. Cuevas also applauded Kadaga for making sure international commitments are realised and translated to the local level for the ordinary people. Thank you for being an advocate for the inclusion of the marginalised groups; we share the same values of wanting democracy, human rights observation, and inclusion of women and children to make the planet a better place, she said. Kadaga said that Parliament took a decision to hold an annual Parliament Week in order to heed to the resolution of the IPU on bridging the gap between the parliaments and the people during the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference held in Kampala in 2012. The Speaker told IPU president that during Parliament Week, there is a fundraising walk which is meant to collect funds for a rehabilitation centre for people with albinism; a stakeholders debate involving the civil society; Public Parliament which attracts an open public debate and; guided tours of Parliament. Related A hurricane of emotions rushed over me as I sat in a dark theater watching Just Mercy, the movie based on the efforts of a young attorney to free an innocent man from death row. (Actually, I have watched the movie twice.) The film, which stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, is adapted from the book of the same name, the latter of which was written by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson, who is Black, is a Harvard-trained attorney who has dedicated much of his life to fighting for people who have been wrongfully accused, unfairly sentenced or poorly represented during their court trials. Eschewing lucrative job offers after graduating from law school, Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) to address the systemic inequities frequently based on race that plague Americas criminal law system. (Note: I tend to use the phrase criminal law system as opposed to criminal justice system because our system is not just.) We have all heard the cliche that justice means just us. Of course, as with many cliches, there is more than a grain of truth to that lamentation. Lady Justice has been depicted with a blindfold since the 16th century. The blindfold is intended to connote impartiality. (Ancient Roman coins pictured Justitia holding a scale in one and a sword in the other.) However, American history as well as contemporary society unequivocally demonstrates race and class frequently play a major role in determining the manner in which sentences are meted out. This state of affairs compelled Stevenson to become an attorney even though he would not even meet anyone who practiced that profession until he entered law school. Stevenson was born in Delaware, which was technically a slave state. While Delaware is not known for the same racial violence and strict caste system as seen in Mississippi, Alabama or Georgia, it has its own sordid history of Jim Crow and domestic terrorism against African Americans. (Indeed, Stevenson attended an elementary school for colored children though it was desegregated while he was still quite young.) His mothers family was from Philadelphia, which is where his grandfather was tragically stabbed to death when Stevenson was 16. This was a pivotal event in his life. He agreed with the life sentences that the murderers received. But, as Stevenson said, I came from a world where we valued redemption over revenge. After founding the EJI in Alabama, Stevenson came across a man named Walter Johnny D McMillian. McMillian was sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of a young white woman named Ronda Morrison. Based upon his discussions with Johnny D and his family, as well as reviewing his case, Stevenson became convinced that his sentence was a gross miscarriage of justice. Without giving away too many details of the case, it is fair to say that attempting to get a Black man exonerated from death row in Alabama in the 1980s was a fools errand. Fortunately, Stevenson is no fool. In addition to his law practice and prison reform advocacy, Stevenson founded the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama the cradle of the Confederacy. The memorial sits on six acres of land formerly used for public housing. Known colloquially as the lynching museum, the memorial contains the remains of roughly 4,000 African Americans who were murdered by white mobs from 1877-1950. With good reason, Stevenson sees a link between those extra-judicial killings and the judicial system of today. As we have just finished commemorating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is important to recognize the fight for justice was not assassinated on April 4, 1968. Names like Stevenson, Alexander, DuVernay, Barber and Coates carry on this work. May legions of others follow in their footsteps. Larry Smith is a community leader. Contact him at larry@leaf-llc.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Samir Ali - Trend: Azerbaijans State Migration Service has begun issuing a travel document to foreigners residing in Azerbaijan with refugee status, Head of the service Vusal Huseynov said, Trend reports Jan. 23. Huseynov noted that with a travel document, foreign refugees residing in Azerbaijan will be able to travel abroad. Last year, 3.1 million foreigners arrived in Azerbaijan, the service head added. Prior to this, foreigners who received refugee status in Azerbaijan, found it difficult to travel outside the country. From now on, according to this document, they can travel to any country. The travel document is valid for five years. If during these five years a refugee has no problems, he or she can reapply for it. Ten people will receive this document today, on Jan. 23. Other refugees will receive the document later. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 19:31:58|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close by Marwa Yahya CAIRO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- At one of Egypt's renowned Opera House's theatres in Cairo, Heilongjiang Orchestra Symphony performed impressive melodies on Wednesday night, winning applause of the audiences. The orchestra, which was conducted by Jiao Feihu, played Spring Festival Overture, Jasmine, and Puzzle Tune, as well as an Egyptian song "three heart beats" with the participation of an Egyptian drummer. "We performed the best show for the Egyptian audiences," said Xu Xinhao, vice president of Heilongjiang Song and Dance Theater and deputy regimental commander of the symphony orchestra. "I was overwhelmed by the audiences' happiness and enthusiasm. We traveled for a long way to reach here, and as messengers of art and culture, we hope to pass the friendship of the Chinese people to every Egyptian audience through music," said Xu. Wang Shengping, a Chinese student at Cairo University, expressed her happiness for listening to the musical pieces that have been performed by the orchestra, especially it came amid the celebrations of the Spring Festival. "The songs that were played are very popular in China. Some of them are also known worldwide, and I liked the atmosphere of the concert that remind me of my motherland," Wang said. I was not intended to return to China this year, therefore, attending this ceremony is of great significance to me, she told Xinhua. "The concert is very beautiful, and the music is cheerful, as it expresses the Chinese Spring Festival," said Ahmad al-Husseini, an Egyptian translator of Chinese language. "It is very important to see such festivals in Egypt, because through music and culture, the relations between the Egyptian and Chinese people will be further promoted," said al-Husseini who travels to China more than five times per year spending two weeks each time. He explained that the Belt and Road initiative does not only focus on financial and commercial exchanges, but also on cultural cooperation. He also expressed his interest in the Chinese culture, saying that both Chinese civilization and Egyptian culture are the oldest civilizations in the world. The two countries have many common points at the cultural level which made the harmony between the two people easy and spontaneous, he explained. The Egyptian translator said that he is keen to attend similar artistic concerts in China, most dazzling of which he saw was a great musical show in Tibet that tells a story of the Chinese history, in which more than a thousand of actors and hundreds of animals participated. Meanwhile, Bahgat Rashad, a 50-year-old physician, described the performance of the Chinese Heilongjiang Orchestra as "unique." Rashad, who was accompanied by his wife, said "this is the first time that I have seen a performance of a Chinese orchestra. The musicians played beautiful compositions that made us live in the Chinese atmosphere." He pointed out that such concerts are a good opportunity to introduce the Chinese culture and art. Babur Muhammad from Afghanistan, also expressed his admiration for the Chinese music show. "I am very happy to attend this party. It was a very beautiful performance and a beautiful Chinese night," Muhammad said. A general view of BBC headquarters. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA via Getty Images The BBC partnered with Google (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), Facebook (FB), and other news outlets to stymie the spread of fake news during Decembers UK general election, its director-general Tony Hall said on Thursday. Hall said that the BBC had been working collaboratively with the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Indias Hindu newspaper on a partnership with Microsoft and Google to identify misinformation, as part of a previously announced initiative. But Hall said on Thursday for the first time that it had been used prior to last months UK vote. The BBC in September announced that it was working with the technology companies to develop an early warning system to use during elections or when lives may be at risk, calling the move a crucial step to fight disinformation. The plan also includes media education, voter information plans, and shared learning initiatives. The initiative works to de-emphasise stories that are just plain wrong, Hall said, speaking during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Weve tried this out on paper exercises, but we tried it for real ... in the UK election, and it worked. That combination and contact between media that people trust and Google, Facebook, and whatever. It worked. And we took down some stuff which was just plain wrong in copyright terms, but just wrong. By the way, we havent talked about this anywhere yet, but why not here? Neither the BBC nor Google immediately responded to a request for more information about how the initiative was used in the general election. Earlier in the talk, Hall noted that the BBC was still the most trusted source of news in the UK. For us, for the BBC, people still trust us more than any other form of media in the UK. Globally, trust is very very high. And why do people use us? They may use three, four, five sources of news each day, but they come to us because they want to check whether [a story] is right," he said. BANGKOK Rejecting arguments made by Myanmars civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled on Thursday that Myanmar must take action to protect Rohingya Muslims, who have been killed and driven from their homes in what the countrys accusers call a campaign of genocide. The court said Myanmar must take all measures within its power to prevent its military or others from carrying out genocidal acts against the Rohingya, who it said faced real and imminent risk. It also essentially put Myanmar under court oversight, telling it to submit regular reports to the tribunal explaining what steps it had taken. The decision is the first international court ruling against Myanmar over its militarys brutal treatment of the Rohingya. While the court has no enforcement power, any member of the United Nations can request action from the Security Council based on its rulings. The chances of Aung San Suu Kyi implementing this ruling will be zero unless significant international pressure is applied, said Anna Roberts, executive director of the rights group Burma Campaign UK. In one of the largest surrender of militants in Assam, a total of 644 cadres of eight insurgent groups formally laid down arms on Thursday. IMAGE: Surrendered militants from eight banned insurgent outfits are seen during the arms laying down ceremony at GMCH auditorium, in Guwahati. Photograph: PTI Photo The members of the insurgent groups -- United Liberation Front of Assam, National Democratic Front of Boroland, Rabha National Liberation Front, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, Communist Party of India-Maoist, National Santhal Liberation Army, Adivasi Dragon Fighters and National Liberation Front of Bengali -- joined the mainstream in front of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said, "People are happy that you have returned to the mainstream for the development of Assam. You have inspired all those who believe in democracy. "I appeal to people still outside (the mainstream) to come forward and work for making India a strong country. Without peace, progress is not possible. In all the countries excelling in different fields, peace prevails and we have to do the same." The government will carry out its constitutional duty for the rehabilitation of the surrendered extremists, who can avail the benefits of existing government schemes for their sustenance, Sonowal said. The highest number of 301 militants who surrendered belonged to the NLFB, followed by 178 from ADF and 87 from the NSLA. The others who surrendered included 50 cadres of the United Liberation Front of Assam -Independence (ULFA(I), 8 militants of the NDFB, 6 insurgents of the KLO, 13 members of the Rava National Liberation Front and one Communist Party of India (Maoist) militant. Besides 177 arms, the militants also laid down 58 magazines, 1.93 kg explosives, 52 grenades, 71 bombs, three rocket launchers, 306 detonators, two RT sets and 17 khukris. "This is an important day for the state and the Assam Police. Altogether 644 cadres and leaders of eight militant groups laid down their arms. This is one of the largest surrender of militants in recent history," Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told reporters. Addressing the former militants, Mahanta said, "Many forces keep trying to hamper peace in Assam, but you overcame that. You may have had anguish over different issues, but you realised that by giving life instead of taking away life is more important for the development of the state." Inspector General of Police (Special Branch) Hiren Chandra Nath said, the surrendered militants came to a unilateral ceasefire between 2015 and 2019. "Today they formally laid down arms in an official function in front of the chief minister. These groups are not related to NDFB(S) militants, who declared ceasefire earlier this month," he said. This special edition of the Power Line Show offers a panel discussion on impeachment that I hosted and moderated yesterday before a packed house at Berkeley Law School. Its purpose was not to rehash or thrash out the specific issues of the Trump impeachment as much as to illuminate what the founders had in mind when they wrote impeachment into the Constitution, and what we have learned from the two rare instances of presidential impeachment in our history. There are a lot of gray areas in the issue. The three panelists are: Gary J. Schmitt, resident scholar in strategic studies and American institutions at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies national security and longer-term strategic issues affecting Americas security at home and abroad. In addition, Dr. Schmitt writes on issues pertaining to American political institutions, the Constitution, and civic life. He is co-author, with Joseph Bessette, of an excellent paper on what the founders regarded as a high crime and misdemeanor, which you can find here. Dr. John C. Eastman is the Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service at Chapman University Fowler School of Law, and also served as the Schools Dean from June 2007 to January 2010, when he stepped down to pursue a bid for California Attorney General. Professor Eastman is also affiliated with the Claremont Institute as a Senior Fellow and Director of the Institutes Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, which sponsors Chapmans constitutional jurisprudence clinic. Burt Neuborne is a visiting professor and the Norman Dorsen Professor of Civil Liberties and founding Legal Director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. For more than 50 years, he has been one of the nations foremost civil liberties lawyers, serving as National Legal Director of the ACLU from 1981-86, Special Counsel to the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1990-1996, and as a member of the New York City Human Rights Commission from 1988-1992. Please settle in with a cup of coffee or your favorite whiskey (unless you are driving) for this sparklingly great conversation, which offers some sharp and at times entertaining disputes among the panelists. Plus I threaten John Eastman with a milk carton (which is a joke so inside that only about 10 people will get it). You know what do to now: listen here, or download the episode from our hosts at Ricochet. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 22) Everyone on the flight reportedly boarded by the family of the first Wuhan coronavirus case in Hong Kong was screened by the Bureau of Quarantine in Manila but none of them were flagged, according to airline Cebu Pacific. Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post first reported that four family members of the 39-year-old man from Wuhan a Chinese city which is at the center of a new strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) flew to Manila from Hong Kong onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J111 on Wednesday. They arrived at 1:32 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Charo Lagamon, Cebu Pacific's corporate communications director, said all passengers and crew on board that flight "were screened by the Bureau of Quarantine upon arrival in Manila but none of them were held for further observation." "Nonetheless, we are trying to coordinate with Hong Kong authorities to verify information in media reports," she added. In a separate statement, the airline assured that they are closely monitoring the spread of the Wuhan virus, and have precautionary measures in place for our flights to and from China. The Bureau of Quarantine has been ordered to be stricter in monitoring travelers coming to the Philippines amid the outbreak of the infection caused by new, novel or Wuhan coronavirus. SCMP said the man was found to have a runny nose and a fever upon his arrival to West Kowloon, where he was intercepted. Dr. Constance Chan Hon-yee, Hong Kong's director of health said in an interview Wednesday that the man from Wuhan tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was confined at the Princess Margaret hospital. Hon-yee also said that her colleagues notified the airline and the Philippine government of the matter. His other family members, whom he had stayed with at Empire Hotel Kowloon in Tsim Sha Tsui, were allowed through because they were not showing any symptoms, SCMP reported. His relatives are actually not cases. They are close contact of this now preliminary-positive result patient, said Constance Chan, director of Hong Kongs Department of Health said in a press briefing Wednesday night. So what we are doing, we are following international practice, we will inform the Philippines authority so that they will do the necessary control measures on their side, Chan added. The Philippines Department of Health is still waiting for results from Australia for tests ran on a blood sample and a throat swab from a five-year-old boy from Wuhan who also exhibited flu-like symptoms symptoms upon arrival in Cebu City. The boy, who tested positive for a type of coronavirus which is not SARS or MERS, is still currently under observation, along with his mother, who has not exhibited symptoms of infection. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said, however, that it is possible that the boy may not have contracted 2019-nCoV. Officials in China are racing to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that has left at least 17 people dead and sickened nearly 500, CNN reported. To stop the virus from spreading, Wuhan's airport and railway stations will be temporarily closed for departing passengers, CNN said Wednesday, citing an announcement from the city's coronavirus command center. They take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday, it added. The World Health Organization said there are confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, Health authorities in the United States also reported Tuesday the country's first confirmed novel coronavirus case. CNN reported cases were also confirmed in the Chinese territory of Macao and the self-governing island of Taiwan. The W.H.O. said confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV have also been reported in Thailand, Japan and South Korea. Common symptoms of the 2019-nCoV include fever, cough and colds, breathing difficulties, shortness of breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases such as such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), according to the World Health Organization. They can be transmitted from animal to person or infected human to others, according to the WHO. Health experts also urged people to practice good hygiene, as it could help them stay healthy and free from sickness. -wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds -avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands -avoid close contact with people who show respiratory illness symptoms (ex. coughing and sneezing) -thoroughly cook meat and eggs -cover your mouth and nose with tissue when you cough or sneeze, then wash your hands -clean and disinfect objects and surfaces -seek medical attention if you have flu-like symptoms (especially if you have travelled from Wuhan, China) CNN Philippines Xave Gregorio and Currie Cator contributed to this report. Footage purporting to show a Chinese woman eating a whole bat at a fancy restaurant has gone viral as the country is ravaged by a new deadly virus believed to have come from the flying mammals. A separate trending video purports to show Cantonese-speaking diners preparing to eat soup made with the nocturnal animal. The new strain of coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month, has killed at least 25 people, caused illness in more than 800 and caused the city of 11million to be in lockdown. The virus, which can cause pneumonia, is poorly understood. Scientists now fear it may have spread to humans from snakes or bats. Viral footage purports to show a fashionable Chinese young woman biting one of the wings of a cooked bat at a fancy restaurant. The deadly coronavirus could come from the animal Pictures emerging on Twitter shows soup cooked with a bat. Bats are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a series of illness, including coughing, Malaria and Gonorrhea A leading Chinese virologist who helped tackle the SARS epidemic in Asia in 2003 has warned that a new strain of deadly coronavirus from China could lead to an outbreak at least 10 times worse than the health crisis 17 years ago. Bats are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a series of illnesses, including coughing, malaria and gonorrhea. The animal's faeces is also believed to be able to cure eye diseases, according to ancient Chinese medical masterpiece Ben Cao Gang Mu. A separate clip shows Cantonese-speaking diners preparing to eat soup made with the nocturnal animal. The new strain of coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month, has killed at least 25 people and sickened more than 800 The first trending video, said to be trending on Weibo and shared by Hong Kong-based Apple Daily, shows a fashionably dressed young woman holding a bat with chopsticks as she nibbled on one of the mammal's wings. One man can be heard telling the woman in Mandarin: 'Eat the meat! [Don't] eat the skin.' He added: '[You] should eat the meat on its back.' The bat was thought to be from a large pot of soup placed in the middle of the table. The second viral video, posted by influential Chinese blogger Chen Qiushi on Twitter, shows a cooked, grinning bat placed in a large bowl of broth. '[After] experiencing this matter, can Chinese people give up eating wildlife?' the blogger asked in a post. Both videos remain unverified. MailOnline has reached out to both bloggers for comments. In one video, a man can be seen 'disinfecting' eerily quiet streets of Wuhan, with billowing fumes filling the air outside an apartment block Medical staff at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan wear protective suits. Wuhan yesterday banned residents from leaving the city Passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport Authority are scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures against deadly SARS-like virus Passengers yesterday wore protective masks to protect against the spread of the Chinese coronavirus as they arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport THE KILLER VIRUS MAY HAVE COME FROM BATS, SCIENTISTS SAY The killer coronavirus sweeping across the world may have come from bats, scientists have said. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People's Liberation Army and Institut Pasteur of Shanghai came to the conclusion. In a statement, the team said: 'The Wuhan coronavirus' natural host could be bats but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate. Tests of the virus, which has yet to be named, have revealed it targets a protein called ACE2 just like its cousin SARS, the South China Morning Post reported. Tracing the evolution of the virus, the team of experts found it belonged to betacoronavirus, making it structurally similar to SARS. Authorities have pointed the blame on food markets in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak that scientists are scrambling to contain. Rodents and bats among other animals are slaughtered and sold in traditional 'wet markets', which tourists flock to see the 'real' side of the country. Advertisement A third city in China is going into lockdown as officials battle to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed 25, left hundreds seriously ill and potentially infected thousands. Major Lunar New Year events in Beijing have been cancelled, authorities in Ezhou have shut down train stations, and Huanggang has announced it will suspend public buses and trains as well as ordering cinemas and internet cafes to close their doors. The development comes as Wuhan the city at the centre of the outbreak remains in lockdown, with all flights in and outbound cancelled, residents banned from leaving and scenes of chaos as desperate families fight for food supplies. Official figures show almost 600 patients have been struck down by the disease - but scientists yesterday warned as many as 10,000 people could have been infected in Wuhan alone. Experts said they couldn't rule out the SARS-like virus already being in the UK. Others have said no virus has spread this far this quickly since SARS in 2003. Chinese officials are disinfecting whole streets and parks with clouds of gas and chilling footage has emerged of roadside quarantine tents, hastily erected to isolate suspected cases. One resident told the BBC the atmosphere in the city felt like 'the end of the world'. Travellers have spread the coronavirus to seven countries already, including the US. European health officials fear the never-before-seen virus will reach the continent, with the UK and other nations already on high alert. Shoppers are pictured in a supermarket in Wuhan, where people are complaining that food prices have risen and videos showed people scrapping over groceries (Picture taken today, January 23) Medical workers in Hong Kong are dressed in protective gear which they have to wear while dealing with suspected coronavirus patients (Pictured today, January 23) People covering their mouths with masks are pictured having their temperatures checked at Hangzhou railway station in the east of China today, January 23 It was revealed on Tuesday that an American man infected with the deadly virus which Chinese officials have warned will mutate and become deadlier came into close contact with at least 16 people before he was put in isolation. According to health officials, the unnamed man from Washington state, who is in his 30s, wasn't diagnosed until Monday, January 20 - five days after he returned from China. The World Health Organisation is facing increasing pressure to declare the crisis a public health emergency, like it has done for Ebola and Zika in the past. Health chiefs will meet again later today to make a final verdict. Residents in Wuhan are pictured wearing masks to buy vegetables in the market this morning Pictured, Wuhan residents wear masks to buy vegetables in the market today Italian Health Ministry officials get ready to screen passengers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport for the virus Wuhan's Health Commission said the city is 'witnessing a fast growing trend of fever patients' and hospitals are facing bed shortages because of the virus, which has still yet to be named. Last night British government ministers ordered a clampdown on flights from Wuhan, and took the extraordinary measure of effectively quarantining passengers from China. The virus, which can cause pneumonia, is poorly understood. Scientists now fear it may have spread to humans from snakes or bats. One professor yesterday warned the outbreak has a death rate similar to the global Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, which went on to kill more than 50million people. Data suggests two in 100 people who catch the virus will die. Israels prime minister has urged world powers to confront Iran, comparing it to Nazi Germany in a speech before the World Holocaust Forum, Jewish News reported. Benjamin Netanyahu said he was concerned that we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most antisemitic regime on the planet. He went on to thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who was in attendance, for confronting the tyrants of Tehran. He called on other governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran. Budapest is a fast developing city. Not a month seems to go by without new building springing up or a busy city square getting a much needed renovation. Also gaining speed is the gentrification of certain neighborhoods in the city particularly the Jewish Quarter in the centre. But, if youre looking to immerse yourself in a little retro Budapest, then dont lose heart, because there is still plenty to find if you go looking. Heres where to start: Bambi Eszpresszo Photo courtesy of the venue Budapest is very much in the midst of a third wave coffee renaissance, with artisan places dotted all over the city. However, if you want to enjoy coffee the way Hungarian used to usually black and with a nice cake alongside then head over to Bambi Eszpresszo, one of the oldest and most charming coffee houses still going strong in the city. Known as a popular haunt for Buda-side intellectuals considered the nicer side of the river it still has the same interior design and atmosphere its had for decades making it a great place for local people watching. Oh and their tasty breakfast is basically available all day. Address: Bambi Eszpresszo, 1027 Budapest, Frankel Leo ut 2-4. Pantlika Bistro Photo courtesy of the venue In the 1960s Budapest hosted an international faire, which involved building a whole load of new structures, many of them in the City Park. One such building needed was an information pavilion, and so Istvan Vadasz was commissioned to draw something up that would pay homage to the great leaders of the era Lenin and Stalin. With this in mind, a five-pointed star design was submitted and built. Pantlika Bistro is what became of the pavilion, and one of the few remaining structures from the time thats been kept as it was, complete with old Hungarian style furnishings and fixtures and now serving great world-themed burgers, craft beers, wines and palinka. Much is its popularity, the place is often packed all summer long. Since it is an outside venue, it is only open from spring (over 15 degress). Address: Pantlika Bisztro, 1146 Budapest, Hermina street 47. Retro Tours In Budapest Photo courtesy of Retro Adventures Go back in time, 30-40 years ago to a time when Budapest was still behind the iron curtain, in the grips of communism and under the watchful eye of the Soviet overlords. But this isnt just any old sightseeing tour. This tour is not about all the generic sights that everyone knows about, the ones that you can simply jump on a bus and discover for themselves. This is a unique, immersive and thought provoking tour, off the beaten track. A tour designed to get under the skin of the real Budapest and transport you forward to the past. During a 2.5 3 hour joyride in one of the perfectly preserved classic cars of the era, a specially chosen selection of Budapests hidden gems are going to be discovered, giving you an insight in to what life was really like in the Budapest of the 70s and 80s in the process. Amongst our destinations is a trip to a communist urban dwelling where Hungarians lived (and still live), that retains the atmosphere of the bygone eras, even now. You will also visit the historic Statue park, a memento of a socialist time gone by. Csepel Works, the former world-famous Industrial town that played such a large role during the Hungarian revolution is also on our hit list. Or how about a trip to the Zwack factory and museum where you can learn about and sample unicum, one of the national drinks of Hungary. Have a stop off at a retro exhibition at the picturesque town of Szentendre, and last, but not least, and come to a period restaurant/pub where you can indulge yourselves with an authentic gastronomic, Hungarian experience. Retro Tours In Budapest: www.retroadventures.hu Cover picture: Retro Adventures PARIS On the first night of the couture shows and the high jewelry presentations scheduled to coincide with them, about 90 jewelry, art and party lovers swept up the broad stone steps of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. They came Monday evening to see the latest addition to the museums 4,000-piece permanent jewelry collection: a small butterfly brooch by the Taiwanese jeweler Cindy Chao, displayed in a glass vitrine in its Galerie des Bijoux. Ms. Chao had invited the black-tie crowd, which included Francois Curiel of Christies and the French shoe designer Bruno Frisoni, to sip Deutz Champagne and nibble on caviar and foie gras while viewing her creation. However, he added, we wrongly missed the overall implications of the alteration. Our action made it appear as if we did not understand the importance of our unique charge: as an archives, we must present materials whether they are ours or not without alteration; as a museum proudly celebrating the accomplishments of women, we should accurately present not silence the voices of women; and as a Federal agency serving the American public, we must incorporate non-partisanship into everything we do. Meaning 'dream' in Turkish, Ruya in Mayfair is certainly a place to head to for some culinary dreams to come true. This tucked away luxe lair is a delight for the senses, from the sultry interiors to a salivating meze of scents wafting over from the open kitchen. Settle in for a feast that will turn your vision of Turkish food on its head. The menu features a wide selection and the staff will be more than happy to recommend a mix of dishes. Dont leave without trying the moreish truffle cheese pide, the melt in the mouth 24-hour slow cooked short rib and the traditional Kekek risotto dish punctuated with wild mushrooms. To wash it all down, there is a sommelier on hand to recommend regional and international wines, while the cocktails go down a treat with the Turkish coffee infused negroni being a standout mix. To finish, theres a tempting tipple of desserts, with the bergamot ice cream and hazelnut baklava scoring the thumbs up. A top date spot or restaurant for group dining. The House Republicans have manufactured a crisis to justify protecting the coal industry from less expensive and cleaner forms of energy, and they are doing it at the expense of every Hoosier who pays an electric bill, Pierce said. Rather than embracing a clean energy future, they have chosen to reward a special interest by clinging to the past. For a party that professes to support free markets, it is very curious that they would want to interfere with the marketplace at the expense of more competitive forms of energy. Train services operated by South Western Railway (SWR) could be taken into public ownership due to losses made by the franchise, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced. Poor punctuality and reliability combined with slower revenue growth has led to the operator's financial performance being 'significantly below expectation' since the franchise began in August 2017, he said. The franchise, owned by FirstGroup and MTR, made a pre-tax loss of 139 million in the year to March 2019. SWR have 'not yet failed to meet their financial commitments' but the Department for Transport 'must prepare suitable contingency measures', Mr Shapps explained in a written ministerial statement. Potential options include issuing a new short-term contract to SWR's owners - FirstGroup and MTR - or transferring the operation of trains to public-sector body the Operator of Last Resort. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on SWR have staged a series of strikes stretching back more than two years in a dispute over guards on trains, which has caused travel misery for passengers (pictured, strikes in December) The latest strikes lasted throughout December and into New Year's Day, leading to cancellations and delays (pictured, commuters caught up in the strikes) One commuter claimed the South Western Railway service was reduced to two trains per hour and then both were cancelled from Worcester Park near Sutton in South London during the strikes The OLR took over services on the east coast route in June 2018 under the London North Eastern Railway brand, following the failure of the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise. Mr Shapps said SWR will 'continue to operate as usual with no material impact on SWR services or staff'. He added: 'Across the country, a number of franchises are failing to provide the reliable services that passengers require and there are legitimate questions on whether the current franchising model is viable. 'Keith Williams - who is leading an independent review into the railways - has already stated that franchising cannot continue in its current form. 'His review will propose sector-wide reforms which aim to put passengers at the heart of the railway.' On January 9, the Transport Secretary revealed the Northern franchise will only be able to continue 'for a number of months' due to its finances. Industry figures show that, between December 8 and January 4, the proportion of scheduled train stops made within one minute of the timetable by SWR was 55 per cent, compared with the average across Britain of 62 per cent. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on SWR have staged a series of strikes stretching back more than two years in a dispute over guards on trains, which has caused travel misery for passengers. The latest strikes lasted throughout December and into New Year's Day, leading to cancellations and delays. The RMT has recently launched a fresh ballot of its members on continuing with industrial action. Mr Shapps claimed the strikes are 'not about safety, accessibility or helping passengers' and insisted that 'driver-controlled trains are perfectly safe'. He added: 'These trains allow the guards to devote much more time to looking after passengers.' South Western Railway's recent financial statements indicate 'the franchise is not sustainable in the long term', Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said today (Mr Schapps is pictured outside Downing Street yesterday) One passenger had to go into work with only one shoe after losing the other one in a stampede to get on a train at Richmond station in South West London South Western Railway reveals the extent of the strikes and how they are affecting commuters RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: 'This Government is acting like a puppet for the rail companies, throwing good public money after bad and trying to breathe life into the rotting corpse of privatised rail. 'Instead of dreaming up new ways to subsidise private sector profits by attacking civil liberties, he (Grant Shapps) should stop pushing cost-cutting driver-only operation and bring SWR into public ownership, running it in the interests of passengers and workers, not his mates in the City.' The news comes after SWR workers staged 28 days of strikes during December, affecting millions of passengers at London Waterloo, the UK's busiest station. The strike ended early this month but services were still disrupted for days afterwards due to staff who walked out needing 'refresher training'. The continuing rail chaos sparked fresh anger among weary SWR passengers who labelled the latest disruption a 'joke'. SWR said many guards had missed their training sessions during the 28-day industrial action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT). 'We are required to undertake safety assessments with our guards returning from the 28-day RMT strike,' an SWR spokesman said in response to one passenger on Twitter. South Western Railway passengers (some of whom are pictured at Clapham Junction during the 28-day strike) faced fresh misery because staff needed to be re-trained after the long strike There were 1.4 million claims for late trains between July 21 and October 12, according to figures (pictured, passengers aboard a South Western train from Clapham Junction to Waterloo during strikes in December) During the strikes, rail passengers fainted amid 'dangerous' overcrowding as hundreds of thousands faced severe disruption. One passenger had to go into work with only one shoe after losing the other one in a stampede to get on a train at Richmond station in South West London. Her brightly-coloured trainer fell onto the track at platform two, leading her husband, data analyst Paul Nockolds, to appeal to SWR on Twitter for someone to get it back. The unprecedented action was part of the Labour-backed Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union's long-running dispute over the role of guards on driver-only trains. Fed-up passengers demanded a refund from SWR bosses, claiming the strike-hit service this month is 'not fit for a modern country' and is making them late for work. Commuter Chris Spencer, of Farnham, Surrey, tweeted to RMT bosses during the strikes: 'As a result of your strike today a person fainted on an overcrowded train. 'There were concerns that the person may have had a seizure, hopefully this wasn't the case. Your strike is leading to overcrowded trains and putting people's health at risk. Please end the strike.' RMT members on South Western Railway working as Commercial Guards, Guards and Train Drivers have been instructed to not to book on for any shifts from the 22nd of December The strike by 900 guards wrecked the travel plans of an estimated 600,000 passengers, costing businesses in the capital up to 400million in total. Rail passengers made almost 17,000 compensation claims every day over the summer because of late-running trains. The official figures lay bare the chaos facing the railways. The Office of Rail and Road said there were 1.4million claims from disgruntled passengers for trains which were at least 15 minutes late between July 21 and October 12 last year. Of those, almost 85 per cent were settled in passengers' favour around 1.1million, or 13,000 a day. This is up two per cent on the same period the year before. A total of 1.4million claims were lodged over the summer, up 13 per cent in a year. The rise is due to recent changes which mean more passengers are eligible for compensation. Previously, many operators would only pay out if a train was delayed by 30 minutes or more. Many have now switched so that passengers can claim a 25 per cent refund on the cost of a single ticket if there train is delayed between 15 and 29 minutes. Much of the compensation bill will have to be settled by taxpayers, because the state-funded Network Rail is liable when delays are caused by faulty infrastructure, including signal failures, broken tracks and overhead lines. Private train companies are responsible only if the delay was caused by a fault with the train or a member of staff for example, a driver not turning up. Crisis-hit South Western Railway and West Midlands Trains were among the operators who received the largest number of claims. Both are facing the prospect of having their contracts torn up by the Government. BEREA, Ohio - It was in Clevelands Public Auditorium 40 years ago that Ronald Reagan famously asked of voters toward the end of his televised debate with President Jimmy Carter, Are you better off than you were four years ago? Reagan broke down the political campaign in the simplest of terms, before going on to defeat Carter in the election one week later. Not much has changed in politics since. For a lot of people, their vote comes down to how they are faring economically. Voters in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania list economic issues as their No. 1 concern in the 2020 election, according to new polling released Wednesday by Baldwin Wallace Universitys Community Research Institute. In the fourth state surveyed as part of BWs Great Lakes Poll, Wisconsin, economic issues were No. 2 behind only health care. Wisconsin is the lone Midwest or Northeast state that did not expand Medicaid under Obamacare. Given six choices, plus an opportunity to select other, 31.4% of Ohios voters said economic issues (taxes, wages, jobs, unemployment and spending) were the top set of issues in this years presidential campaign. In Pennsylvania, economic issues were the choice of 29.2% of the registered voters polled; in Michigan it was 26.7%. And even in Wisconsin, where the economy ran No. 2, it was chosen by 25.2% of the voters polled. In a state like Ohio, the economy is a mixed bag. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the state has gained 78,500 jobs since Donald Trump took office in January, up 1.4% through November. But most states have done better (up 4.5% nationally), continuing a trend that tracks back decades. And in 2019, from January through the last state jobs report for November, Ohio lost 4,400 jobs, counting both part- and full-time work. Ohios unemployment rate dipped to 4% in June and July, the lowest level for the state since early 2001. But it has ticked up a little since then to 4.2% for September, October and November, and remains above the national rate of 3.5%. With so many voters undecided, the direction of the economy could play a role in the November election, the polling suggests. By state, here were the top priorities of those surveyed among the choices given: Ohio: Economic (31.4%), security (22.6%), health care (22.5%), energy (7.1%), womens (6.3%) and education (4.5%). Michigan: Economic (26.7%), health care (26.1%), security (21.7%), energy (8.1%), womens (6.9%) and education (5%). Pennsylvania: Economic (29.2%), health care (25.6%), security (21.4%), energy (7.9%), womens (5.2%) and education (%). Wisconsin: Health care (30.6%), economic (25.2%), security (18.9%), energy (9.2%), education (5.1%) and womens (4.7%). Baldwin Wallace Universitys Community Research Institute, in partnership with Ohio Northern and Oakland universities, polled more than 1,000 registered voters in each state from Jan. 8-20. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 to 3.3 percentage points for the statewide results in each state. Throughout Wednesday, cleveland.com will publish a series of stories focusing on these key issues and others. You can find links to all of the stories here. Read more: See cleveland.coms comprehensive coverage of the 2020 Great Lakes Poll Poll: Donald Trump has ground to make up in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Women breaking away from President Trump, could be deciding factor in 2020 presidential race Poll of Great Lakes voters shows good news for Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders Should popular vote replace electoral college? Voters solidly in favor of move Immigration was a key issue in 2016: What do voters think about it today? Voters distrust social media as source of campaign news, worry about foreign interference Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2020) - The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) (FSE: YG3) subsidiary Urban Juve's marketing and sales alliance with beauty commerce giant IPSY put Urban Juve's hemp infused lip balm in hundreds of thousands of IPSY Glam Bags delivered to targeted consumers in the U.S. this month. The campaign aims to inspire those who receive products to review, recommend and re-purchase. IPSY.com now shows over 15,000 consumer reviews for Urban Juve's Ultra-Hydrating lip balm, with an overall consumer rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. Urban Juve Ultry Hydrating lip balm garners 4.5 out of 5 stars on IPSY. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6377/51754_urbjuve.jpg Urban Juve's plant based lip balm contains hemp root oil manufactured using the company's proprietary extraction technology. Urban Juve's skincare collection has 12 individual products plus customized multi-product kits for key skin types and has completed stability tests to establish a 2 year shelf life on over 50 all-natural, proprietary formulas, including sunscreen, deodorant, creams, face and body oils, cleansers, exfoliants, fragrances, essential oil wellness blends, lubricant and serums. Founded in 2011, IPSY describes itself as the world's largest beauty community of 3 million+ monthly members. On a foundation of more than half a billion content views every month and relationships with more than 8,000 digital content creators, IPSY has built a highly personalized subscription service and ecommerce marketplace. "Our products in the hands of this engaged IPSY base of beauty, wellness and skincare shoppers strengthens our U.S. launch efforts by raising awareness of the quality of our products," says Yield Growth CEO Penny White. "We are very pleased to get our products into the hands of hundreds of thousands of targeted U.S. consumers this month and to receive so many positive consumer reviews." Urban Juve's next step is its U.S.launch: Urban Juve products will soon be available on Beauty Bridge, an online beauty and skincare marketplace for premium brands with a devoted following of thousands of customers and shipping millions of products. Based out of Nutley, New Jersey, Beauty Bridge will help to grow Urban Juve's brand awareness and sales to an eastern U.S. audience. About The Yield Growth Corp. The Yield Growth Corp. develops and manufactures plant-based products and conducts research for plant-based therapeutics in what the Global Wellness Institute reports is a $4.2 trillion-dollar global wellness market. It owns the cannabis wellness brands Urban Juve, Wright & Well and Jack n Jane. The Yield Growth management team has deep experience with global brands including Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Skechers and Aritzia. Its all natural hemp skincare brand, Urban Juve, has signed agreements for distribution in Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. Yield Growth's Wright & Well brands have manufactured a THC/CBD line of topical and edible products in Oregon. Yield Growth has over 200 proprietary beauty, wellness, edibles and beverage formulas for commercialization. It has filed 13 patents to protect its extraction method and other intellectual property. Yield Growth earns revenue through multiple streams including licensing, services and product sales. About Flourish Mushroom Labs Inc. Flourish Mushroom Labs aims to be a leader in the fast-growing medicinal mushrooms market-and improve life by offering high-quality mushroom-infused products. Flourish Mushroom Labs is planning to build a psilocybin mushroom laboratory in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is conducting research into potentially therapeutic benefits of compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms. It has filed a U.S. patent application for the use of psilocybin to aid in weight loss and treat obesity, diabetes and to help prevent heart disease. Flourish Mushroom Labs is a majority owned subsidiary of The Yield Growth Corp. For more information about Yield Growth, visit www.yieldgrowth.com or follow @yieldgrowth on Instagram. Visit www.urbanjuve.com and findyourjuve across social platforms to learn, engage and shop. Investor Relations Contacts: Penny White, President & CEO Kristina Pillon, Investor Relations invest@yieldgrowth.com 1-833-514-BOSS 1-833-514-2677 1-833-515-BOSS 1-833-515-2677 The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward looking statements") under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates, forecasts, beliefs 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 risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to: risks related to the development, testing, licensing, intellectual property protection, the potential for not acquiring any rights as a result of the patent application and any products making use of the intellectual property may be ineffective or the company may be unsuccessful in commercializing them; and other approvals will be required before commercial exploitation of the intellectual property can happen. The laws around cultivating, selling and using psychedelic mushrooms would need to change in most jurisdictions in order for the use of psychedelic products to be legal and sale of, and demand for, Urban Juve, Wright & Well, Flourish Mushroom Labs, Jack n Jane and UJ Beverages products, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals where applicable, and the state of the capital markets. Yield Growth cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements provided by Yield Growth, as such forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future results or performance and actual results may differ materially. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Yield Growth expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51754 MNS chief Raj Thackeray indicated on Thursday that he was set to appropriate his late uncle Bal Thackeray's Hindutva cause, unveiling his party's new saffron flag and declaring support to the NDA government for evicting Pakistani and Bangladeshi "infiltrators". Thackeray, who ran a vigorous campaign against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha polls last year, also defended the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also announced that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena would take out a protest march on February 9 seeking eviction of illegal migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Earlier in the day, the MNS chief unveiled his party's new flag which is completely saffron and bears King Shivaji's 'rajmudra' (royal seal). "I am a Marathi and a Hindu too. I have not changed my religion....If you try to mess with the Marathi in me, I will go after that person as a Marathi, and I will go after him as a Hindu if one messes with the Hindu in me," Raj said at the valedictory session of the party's plenary meeting here. Downplaying speculation about his ideological shift towards Hindutva from his earlier 'Marathi manoos' and son- of-the-soil agenda, he said he had this flag design in mind since the launch of the MNS. Its unveiling amid the current political situation was a "pure coincidence", he said. The Shiv Sena, from which Raj carved out his own party, is known for its Hindutva ideology. But the Uddhav Thackeray-led party did a radical about-turn last year when it ditched the BJP and formed government in Maharashtra with the Congress and the NCP. In a veiled dig at Uddhav, his estranged cousin, Raj said, "I don't change the colour of my party to form the government." Raj also said in his speech that the Muslims who are "honest" towards the country "are ours". The country cannot "reject" personalities like former President APJ Abdul Kalam, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan and lyricist Javed Akhtar, he said. His party -- which had launched a strident anti-North Indians agitation in its early years -- never forsake Hindutva, Raj claimed. "We are facing such a great internal threat (from illegal migrants) that Indian soldiers may have to fight them instead of (the enemy) on the border," the MNS chief said. He noted that Muslims have hit the streets to march against the CAA in large numbers. "Some people told me the reason behind the protests: they are angry that Article 370 was scrapped, there is anger against the (Supreme Court's) Ram Temple verdict. And that pent-up anger is being expressed," Raj said. He questioned how many of the Muslims taking part in the protests were Indian. "And if the Indian Muslims are going to support them (foreigners), why should we support you?" he asked. Seeking to drive out "infiltrators", Thackeray also called for stopping the 'Samjhauta Express' that runs between India and Pakistan. Softening his stance towards Modi, Thackeray said he criticised the prime minister when the latter was "wrong" and "congratulated" him when he took right decisions. He will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to share some information about Muslim clerics "infiltrating parts of the state and hatching conspiracy against the country", the MNS chief said. The information came from the police, he claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A male model has admitted to impersonating a police officer when he wore a police uniform he purchased from eBay to boost his ego. Jordan David Hans Gill, 29, who also goes by the name Jordan Fristad, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he also admitted to sending threatening emails to a police officer. Gill, who often flaunts his extensive collection of guns of social media, was told by the magistrate he will likely have to serve jail time for his actions. Jordan David Hans Gill (pictured), 29, who also goes by the name Jordan Fristad, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he also admitted to sending threatening emails to a police officer Defence lawyer Todd Trotter argued his client did not misuse the Australian Federal Police uniform as he did not perform any duties, the Daily Telegraph reported. He said he was posing in the uniform and posting pictures to social media. 'At the very worst it can be seen as an ego boost.' He said Gill was being threatened, and posted the images to make people think he was a police officer. 'He was dressing as an AFP officer and putting those images on social media as a very poor form of protection. Defence lawyer Todd Trotter argued his client did not misuse the Australian Federal Police uniform as he did not perform any duties 'It was a call for help, it was an incredibly, incredibly poor call for help.' Magistrate James Stewart said a prison sentence was justified as Gill had threatened the police officer. Gill will be sentenced on January 31. Students of several universities - including Kolkata's Jadavpur University - raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata Se Azaadi', Kashmir Maange Azaadi, Assam Maange Azaadi during a protest in Kolkata on Wednesday (January 22). The agitators, who were all students, carried a long banner that read, Hindurashtra is Rapist. Students of several universities gathered outside Victoria Memorial to protest against BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta and Visva Bharati University vice chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty. The students were protesting against the discussion on 'Awakening Bharat Mata'. The students claimed that the BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta and Visva Bharati University VC Chakraborty were behind the attack on students of the varsity. When they tried to enter the Victoria Memorial premises, they were prevented from entering by cops. The students stood outside the entrance of Victorial Memorial premises for around two hours and staged a protest outside the gates. Live TV Another bunch of students who had earlier entered tried to protest when they were removed by the security men and kicked outside the venue of the debate. The students started dispering from the spot at around 9 pm. DAVOS, Switzerland This time last year, Juan Guaido would have been the toast of Davos. Mr. Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, had just led a wave of popular unrest to win the presidency of Venezuelas National Assembly and declared himself the true leader of his crisis-ridden country. But as Mr. Guaido made the rounds at this years gathering of political and business figures having come to Europe in defiance of a travel ban at home he seemed like a man whose moment had passed. With Venezuelas repressive president, Nicolas Maduro, still firmly entrenched in power, and with Mr. Guaidos most prominent backer, President Trump, distracted by his Senate trial and his re-election campaign, the embattled Venezuelan spent most of his time answering questions about why he had not succeeded in toppling Mr. Maduro. We underestimated the ability of the regime to do bad, Mr. Guaido told a half-filled hall where, two days earlier, Mr. Trump had spoken to a standing-room-only crowd. We are really climbing a mountain at the moment. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan commented on the question relating to the nervous reactions of Azerbaijani authorities to the events held in Armenia on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku. Armenpress presents the MFA spokespersons comment: Question: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku and the commemorative events held in Armenia caused nervous reactions of the Azerbaijani authorities, particularly voiced by the Foreign Ministry and Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan. How would you comment on that? Answer: First of all, I would like to emphasize that a number of important commemorative events were held on the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku, numerous articles about the barbaric annihilation of the Armenian community in Baku have been and continue to be published in the international media on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku. Unfortunately, this year as well the authorities of Azerbaijan, explicitly or implicitly continued the policy of justifying the actions of the masterminders of the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku 30 years ago and the perpetrators of those massacres. Moreover, the perpetrators of the massacres against defenseless people were glorified as shahids by Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President, while the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan accused Armenians themselves of perpetrating the anti-Armenian massacres in Sumgait. The Azerbaijani side employs a behavior which is common among perpetrators: that is blaming victims for their crimes and denying any responsibility for public and systematic extermination of unarmed people in peacetime. This vividly illustrates once again that under no circumstances Azerbaijani authorities can be entrusted with the responsibility of providing security to any part of the Armenian people. Apparently, under no circumstances Artsakh can become a part of Azerbaijan, and the people of Artsakh cannot be left without secure lines of defense. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-24 06:16:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ROME, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Rome's Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport marked the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism with a public conference and a Tai-chi performance at its Terminal 3 departure area on Thursday. Organized by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), the company that runs the airport, the conference focused on Italy-China tourism's prospects and opportunities in 2020 and was attended by entrepreneurs and officials from both countries. "We are celebrating the Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism working both for the incoming flow as well as the outgoing flow. As for Rome, we have a package of initiatives created for the visitors from China," said Carlo Cafarotti, an official from City of Rome during the conference. Among the new initiatives, Cafarotti cited the launch of a channel completely devoted to Chinese tourists who want to visit the Italian capital on China's popular social platform WeChat, training courses for hoteliers and a digital manual in Chinese language providing all the information on Rome's safety, hospitals, transports and tourism offers. The consular official from Chinese Embassy in Italy Zhang Aishan said that tourist flow between the two countries is expected to further increase in 2020 as China and Italy strengthen relations in institutions, culture, art and tourism sectors. According to ADR, the sound development of ties between the two countries is also testified by the increased Italy-China air traffic handled by the airport. "This event opens ADR's celebrations for the Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism, in addition to celebrating the Spring Festival with all the Chinese passengers that pass through Rome's airport everyday," said Fausto Palombelli, ADR's Chief Commercial Officer. Boasting connections to 12 Chinese cities, the airport handled around 900,000 trips from and to China in 2019, posting a 17-percent growth from the previous year and expecting to surpass the threshold of one million passengers in 2020, according to Palombelli. Aside the lion share kept by Rome's airport, other Italian airports are also doing very well in terms of incoming tourism from China, posting an average 16-percent growth year-on-year, according to Maria Elena Rossi, marketing director of ENIT, Italy's national authority for tourism. TORONTO - Scores of criminal cases heard in Ontario in recent months could require new trials after the province's highest court ruled Thursday that recent changes to the jury selection process had been improperly applied. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/1/2020 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Scores of criminal cases heard in Ontario in recent months could require new trials after the province's highest court ruled Thursday that recent changes to the jury selection process had been improperly applied. The Court of Appeal for Ontario unanimously upheld the constitutionality of sweeping legal reforms brought in through Bill C-75, which took effect on Sept. 19. These changes include eliminating "peremptory challenges," a mechanism that allowed lawyers for either side to dismiss a certain number of prospective jurors without explanation. But the three-judge appeal panel said anyone who chose to be tried by a jury before the new rules kicked in is entitled to proceed with peremptory challenges, even if the trial itself begins after that date. "For the purposes of determining the temporal scope of the legislation, this loss of one aspect of the accused's right to participate in the selection of the jury affects in a negative way the accused's right to trial by jury as it existed before the amendment," the panel said in its ruling. "Therefore, the amendment is presumptively prospective. Nothing in the language of the amendment or in the material placed before this court rebuts that presumption." The court said, however, that another new rule tasking judges with making the final decision regarding the impartiality of prospective jurors should be applied to all new and pending trials, because that change is purely procedural. The federal Liberal government modified the jury selection process following the controversial acquittal of Gerald Stanley, who was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old Indigenous man. The jury weighing Stanley's fate had no Indigenous members, and the federal goverment said the changes in Bill C-75 aimed to make juries more representative. The new rules were challenged by Pardeep Singh Chouhan, whose first-degree murder trial had reached the jury selection phase on the same day the changes laid out in the legislation came into force. Chouhan's lawyers had argued before his trial that scrapping peremptory challenges infringed on his constitutional right to be tried by an independent and impartial jury, and would in fact lead to less representative juries. That argument was rejected by the presiding judge, who found that while those accused of a crime are entitled to be tried by a representative jury panel, they are not entitled to a jury that "reflects the proportionality of the population" or is composed of members of their same demographic group. Ontario Superior Court Justice John McMahon also ruled the changes should be applied to every jury selected after they came into force, even for cases already in the system where the accused had opted for a jury trial. The appeal court agreed that the new rules did not contravene constitutional rights but overruled the lower court on how to apply them. Defence lawyer Daniel Brown, vice-president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, said the ruling will have significant repercussions. The association intervened in the case, siding with Chouhan. "It is clear from this ruling that a failure to permit a jury to be selected under the old rules will result in a new trial and all those cases in the court system over the last 4 1/2 months are impacted by this decision," he said. Brown said it's unfortunate the legislation didn't provide more guidance on how it should be applied. "It's also a shame that the government didn't ... seek a reference to the court of appeal at the outset, meaning they could've had an answer to this question before they started doing new jury trials if they thought the law was unclear, instead of waiting for all the cases to be in the court system and have them potentially overturned." A spokeswoman for Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said the Crown is reviewing the ruling, and would provide no further comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 23, 2020. The first symptoms of a head injury such as confusion, memory loss and changes in speech and vision can resemble those seen in dementia. Image Credit: Rocketclips,Inc/Shutterstock.com Depending on how severe the injury is, such symptoms may resolve quickly, last a long time or never completely go away. The symptoms that arise immediately after a head injury do not generally worsen like they do in cases of Alzheimers disease. However, certain types of head injuries can increase the risk of Alzheimers or other forms of dementia developing later in life. Factors that appear to influence this risk include age at the time of the brain injury and injury severity. Severe head injuries may increase the risk for Alzheimers more than mild ones do and sustaining an injury at an older age may also add to the risk. Also, repeated mild injuries can affect cognitive ability in the future. The younger the person is, the greater the dementia risk A study published in The Lancet in April 2018 was one of the largest of its kind to look at the link between dementia risk and traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI is defined as any head injury that disrupts brain function brain, with leading examples including motor vehicle accidents, assaults, and falls. A concussion is classified as a mild TBI. After studying the link between TBI and cognitive decline, the Danish and US researchers concluded that the younger a person is at the time of the injury, the greater their risk of developing Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. Their analysis of health records available for 2.8 million people aged over 36 years, revealed that individuals who had a TBI in their 20s were at a 63% greater risk of developing dementia over the next thirty years, compared with people who had no such injury. However, if the injury was sustained when they were in their thirties, this risk only increased by 37%. Study author and behavioral scientists Jesse Fann (University of Washington School of Medicine) says the study raises some important questions, particularly whether efforts to prevent TBI, especially among young people, are adequate, given the huge and growing burden of dementia and the prevalence of TBI worldwide. In total, 5.3% of participants with a history of TBI had dementia, compared with 4.7% among those with no TBI history. The dementia risk increased the greater the number and severity of the TBIs sustained and even just one mild TBI (concussion) was linked with a 17% greater risk of dementia. Although 85% of the TBIs were classified as mild, the researchers said they were still likely to have been fairly serious concussions, since the symptoms were severe or persistent enough to require a hospital visit. The study also looked at the effect that sustaining multiple separate TBIs had on dementia risk. They found that a person who had sustained one TBI was at a 22% greater risk of developing dementia after the age of 50, compared with someone who had never sustained a TBI. For someone who had sustained two injuries, this risk increased by 33% and for five or more TBIs, the risk rose by 200%. Commenting on the study, researchers Mahmoud Maina from the University of Sussex said the findings are truly novel due to the large sample size employed, in-depth history collected and follow-ups. Jonathan Schott from University College Londons Institute of Neurology said the research perhaps provides the best evidence yet that traumatic brain injury is a risk factor for dementia. However, further research is required to differentiate the types of injuries (e.g. sports-related concussion) and how they affect the brain, he added. These uncertainties notwithstanding, this study reinforces the importance of trying to prevent injury to the brain. A concussion can raise dementia risk even if there is no loss of consciousness Another study published in May 2018 in JAMA Neurology suggested that concussion can increase dementia risk, even if has not caused a loss of consciousness. Led by a team at the University of California (UCSF), the study, which included more than 350,000 US war veterans, showed that concussion without loss of consciousness was associated with a 2.4-fold increased risk for dementia. Among those who did lose consciousness, the risk was 2.5 times higher and for those who had sustained more serious moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries, the risk was 3.8 times higher. Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimers Society, Doug Brown, said that for some time dementia researchers have been fascinated by the potential link between head injuries such as concussion and the risk of developing dementia. He points out that although JAMA Neurology study was one of the largest studies of its kind, it did only focus on US war veterans, so it is not yet clear how applicable the findings are to the public, so we do not know how relevant it is to the general public yet. more detailed studies of a wider population group would be needed to investigate and confirm the possibility that concussion doubles a persons dementia risk. BLOOMINGTON While the number of drug-related deaths in McLean County in 2019 was comparable to 2018's, the "scary" part is the increasing number of people who die not knowing they've ingested fentanyl. "They think they're buying heroin but it's heroin with fentanyl or cocaine with fentanyl or straight fentanyl," McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder said Wednesday, referring to when the synthetic opioid pain reliever is made and sold illegally. "To me, that's scary, because it's 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin," Yoder said. Yoder on Wednesday discussed county death statistics for 2019. Overall, 1,306 deaths were reported to the coroner's office in 2019, comparable to the 1,340 deaths reported in 2018, Yoder said. Deaths reported to the coroner's office fall into several categories, including apparent homicides and suicides, drug-related deaths, home deaths, hospice deaths and deaths within 24 hours of a hospital stay. Some 1,105 of the deaths were of "natural causes," including cardiovascular disease and cancer, she said. The remaining 201 deaths were investigated by the coroner's office. They include 29 drug-related deaths, compared with 30 in 2018. But Yoder said another death is pending toxicology test results and that probably will be drug-related, so 2019's final number likely will be 30. Of the 29, 26 were accidental and three were suicide and the average age was 43. Fourteen of the people ingested a substance that included fentanyl. Yoder's office and Bloomington police issued a public warning earlier this month about the increase in fentanyl-related deaths. While pharmaceutical fentanyl is approved for advanced cancer pain, fentanyl is more available illegally. "People are really wanting to buy heroin," Yoder said. "They end up getting something worse." Illegal drug users are "terrified," so some are returning to using methamphetamine (meth), a chemical that is manufactured illegally, Yoder said. "Meth (use) is back up," she said. "You can see it from the arrests." Sheriff Jon Sandage agreed, saying meth is affordable and available. While the potential for death is not as high as it is for heroin, "for law enforcement, people on meth are more dangerous to deal with than people on heroin because they tend to be more violent and more unpredictable." Sandage said the Safe Passage program which encourages addicts to turn themselves and their drugs into law enforcement in exchange for the addicts being taken for treatment rather than to jail "has had some success. We'll continue that." Yoder also reported that homicides in McLean County dropped from 11 in 2018 to four in 2019. "I think that's great for our community," she said. But Sandage said "2018 was a particularly bad year. A lot of that was gang- and drug-related." He said the decrease last year was partly because of the work of law enforcement, including arrests. Suicides increased to 18 last year compared with 16 in 2018 but Yoder said numbers are trending downward because there were 19 suicides in 2017, 25 in 2016 and 23 in 2015. She said increased mental health awareness in McLean County shares some credit for the numbers trending downward. Thirteen of the 18 people who died by suicide last year were males and the average age was 47, Yoder said. "I want people to know that there is help available," Sandage said. "You are not alone," said Tammy Brooks, interim administrator of the county health department. "Reach out for help." While fall-related deaths increased from 33 in 2018 to 45 in 2019, that's comparable to the 46 deaths in 2017, Yoder said. The average age last year was 79. "The coroner's office is looking at fall deaths to determine the underlying causes and whether they are preventable," Yoder said. Contact Paul Swiech at 309-820-3275. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_swiech. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LAS VEGAS All-natural Latina Carmela Clutch headlines FreakMob Medias new backdoor scene, now in digital release at the companys official website. If you haven't heard about Carmela Clutch yet, you'll become a fan after watching this video, said company owner FreakMob. Seeing her big round Latina booty drenched in oil is going to drive you crazy. Working with FreakMob is always a thrilling and amazing experience, said Clutch. He really goes above and beyond to make each scene unique by listening to his fans and integrating their ideas and desires into his content. Whats more, FreakMob takes his time with each talent discussing their dos and donts to collaborate and help them feel at more ease. Having barely experienced anal in my personal life, doing it on camera for the world to see seemed a daunting task, she continued, but FreakMob was patient and really supportive of whatever course of action made me most comfortable, cracking jokes occasionally to bring some levity to an admittedly awkward situation. FreakMob added, This scene with Carmela Clutch is by far the best anal scene I have on my site right now. Carmela did great, her booty looks incredible, and shes gorgeous. Im looking forward to releasing more updates with Carmela Clutch this year. The 58-minute FreakMobMedia.com scene, Deep In Carmela Clutchs Butt, is now available for streaming and download. Check out the scenes NSFW trailer here. Follow FreakMob Media on Twitter @FreakMobMedia. Follow Carmela Clutch on Twitter @Carmela_Clutch. Gilbert + Tobin (G+T) has played a key role in the minting of Australias latest unicorn. The top firm advised SiteMinder in its latest capital raise, which the company said boosted its valuation to about $1.1bn. Although the maker of hotel guest acquisition software did not disclose how large the raising was, reports pegged the latest raising to be more than $100m. The Australia-founded SiteMinder said that the raise was led by equity funds managed by BlackRock, with AustralianSuper, Ellerston, and Pendal Group also participating. The raise follows a strong year for the privately-held company, having processed 105 million bookings for more than 35,000 hotels. The company also surpassed $100m in annual recurring revenue in 2019. Jimmy Heath, the influential Philadelphia jazz saxophone player, composer, and bandleader who played with John Coltrane and Miles Davis and whose prolific career spanned seven decades, died Sunday at age 93. Heath died in Loganville, Ga., of natural causes, according to his grandson, Fa Mtume. He was surrounded by his family, including his wife, Mona, whom he met in 1959 at a party celebrating his release from prison; his jazz and R&B musician son, James Mtume; and his brother, drummer Albert Tootie Heath, with whom he performed in the Heath Brothers along with the late bassist Percy Heath. When Jimmy Heaths autobiography was published by Temple University Press in 2010, he called it I Walked With Giants a title with a double meaning. In his long and storied career, he collaborated with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, and Gil Evans. But Heath was also small in physical stature, standing just 5-foot-3. He told NPR in 2017 that when he was growing up in South Philadelphia first on Gerritt Street, then on Federal Street he was too small to be an athlete. I got on a horse once, and I got frightened when he started galloping, so I couldnt be a jockey, either. His musical education came from the Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and Marian Anderson records that his father, Percy, an auto mechanic who also played the clarinet, and his mother, Arlethia, who sang in a church choir, played on a windup Victrola. At 13, he got his first sax. I said, This is for me, Heath recalled. And Ive been with the saxophone ever since. Heath wasnt drafted into World War II because he was under the minimum weight. He toured with the Nate Towles Band and in 1946 formed his own group, including fellow sax players Benny Golson and Coltrane. In those years, Heath was often called Lil Bird, a reference to both his stature and his ability to play in a high-speed style similar to bebop sax player Charlie Parker. In 1949, Heath broke up the group to join Gillespies band. Like many of his peers, Heath was a heroin user in the 1950s. In I Walked With Giants, he recalled helping to revive Coltrane after his fellow sax man slumped to the floor at a Los Angeles gig. If we hadnt, Heath wrote, the Coltrane that people know would never have existed. Starting in 1955, Heath served 4 1/2 years in the penitentiary at Lewisburg, Pa., for selling drugs. He made good use of his time there kicking his addiction, learning to play the flute, and focusing on composing and arranging. Playboys, a 1956 album by Art Pepper and Chet Baker, contained five songs Heath wrote in prison. He released his first album as a leader, The Thumper, in 1959. He briefly played with Miles Davis, who had recorded his song CTA in 1953, but his probation kept him from touring. (Davis once called Heath one of the thoroughbreds" of jazz.) Heath followed The Thumper with five more LPs for Riverside Records and worked as an arranger for the label. Producer Orrin Keepnews helped him get a cabaret card so he could perform in New York clubs, a license often denied ex-convicts, and he settled in Queens with his wife. The sax player arranged for both small combos and larger ensembles, such as 2006s stellar big band album Turn Up The Heath. They are both desirable to me, he told the Inquirer in 2009. The big band is our symphony orchestra." In 1976, he formed the Heath Brothers with Tootie and Percy the latter a longtime member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and the pianist Stanley Cowell. That year, his long-form The Afro-American Suite of Evolution premiered in New York. The Heath Brothers 1980 album Live at the Public Theater was nominated for a Grammy. Starting in 1986, he taught for 11 years at Queens College in New York. In 2013, Heath, whose frequently recorded songs include Gingerbread Boy and Gemini, spoke to NPR about the importance of writing. You know, you got to compose. I want to be someone who can compose and leave something here for posterity. Heath released his last album, Togetherness, in 2014. In 2016, just before his 90th birthday, he was honored with a Jazz at Lincoln Center program called Life of a Legend. I loved his consistency, said Bob Perkins, longtime jazz deejay on Temple University radio station WRTI-FM (90.1), who grew up on the same Gerritt Street block as the Heaths. The whole family was miraculous. You had three kids in that family making a hell of a lot of noise. Perkins played Heaths Big P, a tribute to Percy, after hearing the news Sunday. Oh Lord, he said, contemplating the loss. Jimmy was a great technician, a composer, an arranger, an educator. He was perpetually going on. He did not let time stop him." Heath is survived by his wife, daughter Roslyn, son James, brother Albert, and seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Thursday issued an emotional plea to political and business leaders at Davos, saying he needed their international help as he could not achieve change alone. Guaido is recognised as Venezuela's interim president by the United States and 50 other countries but has so far failed to shift President Nicolas Maduro from power despite months of struggle and ongoing economic crisis. "We are facing an international criminal conglomerate and we need your help," he told the World Economic Forum (WEF), adding that Venezuela was experiencing an "unprecedented tragedy". "Alone, we are not going to get there," he added. Guaido has defied a travel ban issued by Maduro's administration to go on an international charm offensive aimed at ensuring continued diplomatic support for his bid to oust Maduro. The parliament speaker first headed to his chief ally and arch Maduro foe Colombia, then Britain and EU headquarters in Brussels, before travelling to Davos. It was in Davos last year that several heads of state recognised Guaido as interim Venezuela president. But despite presiding over the economic collapse of his oil rich nation, Maduro is still in charge, defying a growing list of US and EU sanctions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian fire-lighters come in six colors yellow, black, white, blood red, dark green, and light green. All are relevant to bushfires and forest management. "Yellow" is the fire-lighter that has been with us forever. It is the yellow flash of lightning, which has always ignited the Australian bush. We're dreaming to think we can lock yellow fire out of parks, forests, and heritage areas. But good forest management can reduce the ferocity and destruction of lightning-strike fires. "Black" fire-lighters came with the first Australians. Without matches or tinder boxes, they probably captured the fire genie from a lightning fire. Or they carried it here on clay hearths on the floor of their canoes. They valued this magic tool for warmth, cooking, insect control, vegetation clearing, animal-trapping, and fighting enemies. Some also learned how to light fires using heat generated by friction, but this was a slow, laborious process, and it was far easier to preserve and carry fire in a burning fire-stick. To keep these sticks alight or to light a new one as they traveled, nomadic parties on the plains and deserts renewed them periodically by setting fire to a clump of dry vegetation. Then they moved on. They lit fires for many reasons, anywhere at any time. They tried to keep out of the way of fires and were known to redirect mild grassland fires but never tried to put them out. This continual mosaic of small fires created the magnificent grasslands and open forests that Europeans admired when they first arrived. Aboriginal fire management followed no central plan, but it worked, making most lives and forests safer. "White" fire-lighters were introduced by the next wave of settlers the British, bringing matches, flints, and tinder boxes. They marveled at the grasslands and open forests they found. Soon the sheep and cattle of the squatters were flourishing on the fresh nutritious pastures of frequently burned land. They soon learned about bushfires as the "Yellow" and "Black" Fire-lighters were still operating. The squatters soon learned two new skills to protect their pastures, flocks, herds, stock-yards, wool sheds and homesteads. Firstly, reduce fire loads and encourage new grass using cool season burning. And secondly, when faced with invading fires, fight fire with fire back burn from station tracks, freshly burned bush or creeks towards the invading fire. We need to relearn these valuable lessons. "Blood red" fire-lighters are carried by the fire vandals the arsonists. And the greater the fire danger, and the more headlines it creates, the more active are these pyromaniacs. "Light green" fire-lighters were developed in the 1960s and 1970s for professional foresters to protect forests with prescribed burning. These marvelous tools were banned by political fools and are hard to procure today. Finally, Australia was infected with the "dark green" Fire-lighter an imported tool that almost never works. Deep greens keep their lighters permanently in their pockets and never light anything except for token fires in small areas and to light tofu-burger barbecues or their pretentious Earth Day candles. Their attempt to lock out all fire creates a huge load of forest fuel, with dead wood, leaves, bark, and weeds on the ground and vines and suckers between the trees and neighbors living in fear of the inevitable fire-storm. What should we do? First, ban the defective dark green fire-lighters, jail arsonists caught using blood red fire-lighters for thrills or malevolence, and learn to live with yellow lightning strike fires. Second, mandate the use of the light green fire-lighter an improved version of the black and white models used by aboriginals and squatters. Use them to remove fuel load with cool season burning. And when fire comes, use them to fight fire with fire. Give light green lighters to all practical foresters, landowners, fire wardens, and local bushfire managers. They will safely abolish the dark green nightmare of massive wildfires. With so much land burnt, now is the perfect time to make sure it does not happen again in those areas. Kick out the bureaucrats and the deep greens and put rangers, foresters, property-owners, and local fire wardens in charge. Have a burn plan, and stick to it. This is the view from the deck of a resident of Dalmeny on the far south coast of NSW showing the extent of forest within, and on the edge of this subdivision. It was spared this fire season, but helpless residents live in fear, "waiting for the Red Steer to arrive." For more information on this planned disaster, see https://saltbushclub.com/2020/01/21/nsw-fires-in-review. Viv Forbes has been an explorer, pastoralist and weather-watcher in Queensland and NT for most of his life. He has lit fires (accidentally and deliberately), and he and his wife have fought fires and had their camps, fences, and pastures wiped out by fires. They were both members of a local bush fire brigade for over 25 years. (Judy even had formal training and her own uniform.) For most of that time they have watched grasslands being invaded by eucalypt weeds. In their misguided youth, they were infected with the green bug, never allowed grass fires on their property, and encouraged eucalypt tree suckers and seedlings to spread (even foolishly put tree guards around some of them). They learned that this greatly increased the risk of a major fire and degraded the grasslands. They were suddenly alarmed when the green state government introduced vegetation protection orders on parts of their property that grassland was lost to the invading eucalypts. From that moment on, no seedling or sucker of eucalypt was allowed to reach adulthood. Stick to exotic trees that can be removed if they becomes a nuisance. Reading: Using Climate Change as an excuse for forest mismanagement: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/01/18/regional-forest-manager-politicians-are-using-climate-change-to-deflect-blame-for-bushfires/| The Real Reason Australia is Burning: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2019/12/the-real-reason-australia-is-burning/ MBABANE The first pioneer for the legalisation of cannabis in the country, Dr Ben Dlamini, has passed on. Dlamini passed away yesterday morning at the Mbabane Government Hospital. Dlamini was also the former Director of the then Examinations Council of Swaziland, which is now the Examinations Council of Eswatini. His daughter, Nonhlanhla Dlamini, in an interview, confirmed that Dr Ben had passed on at around 7am yesterday. Dr Ben, as he was passionately known, passed on at the age of 84 as he was born around 1936 according to his daughter. She said he had taken ill just before 6am yesterday morning and he was rushed to the Mbabane Government Hospital where doctors declared him dead at around 7am. She said the cause of death was not yet clear, but an erupted ulcer was suspected to have been the cause. Advocating Dr Ben started advocating for the legalisation of dagga in the early 80s with his primary goal being able to use it for the development of the country. However, Dr Ben made his intentions known in 2010 when he applied to the High Court for the legalisation and trading of dagga. Unfortunately, Dr Ben has not lived to see his wish being realised as government and Parliament are still working on the regulations for the legalisation of dagga. In his application, the deceased had wanted the High Court to help him get an order that would make government not only legalise cannabis but also allow him to operate a cannabis processing factory in the country. He had stated that he wanted to set up a national cannabis processing and marketing company, with all growers in the country supplying his factory. He had submitted that his factory would then solicit orders from local and international pharmacies, adding that he would also involve international research institutions to conduct research on processed and raw cannabis. Dagga is also referred to as cannabis. The deceased had also wanted government to amend all laws that criminalised cannabis, but only render illegal the extracts of the plant that contain tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the active ingredient that makes a user high. Doctorate Dlamini held a Doctorate in Education, Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Chemistry, which was obtained from the University of Massachusetts. He argued that cannabis was not a drug and was not addictive, adding that it was neither intoxicating nor poisonous. In his then application, he had referred to a number of researches done in the United States of America and in Asia. Dlamini was challenging Section 151 (1) of the Opium and Habit Forming Drugs Act of 1922. Dr Ben had further wanted the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade to grant him a 10-year exclusive licence to grow dagga. Meanwhile, the Exams Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) administration is in shock about the demise of its former Director, Dr Ben. Registrar of ECESWA Dr Edmund Mazibuko, when called, said he was in a meeting, but had heard the news. He said, however, he was not in a position to comment further as the news were still fresh and they were in shock. Occupied Interestingly, the house which Dr Ben had occupied until he met his death in Dalriach East belongs to ECESWA or is registered under the council. Dlamini retired from the Exams Council around 2001. His daughter, Nonhlanhla, alleged, however, that her father had not received any pension since he retired. She said this was a matter which had been discussed over the years as there was no clear explanation why the deceased was not pensionable. If there was ever any doubt whether religious conservatives will stick with President Trump and there really wasnt it went away this week when the president announced he would be the first president to attend the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. For nearly half a century, huge crowds of anti-abortion activists have thronged to Washington each January to march from the White House Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol often in freezing temperatures and even in snowstorms to protest Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. President Trump; the March for Life in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Jose Luis Magana/AP) Every year, the anti-abortion crowd and its advocates have complained that the news media ignored their efforts. And every year, until now, that sense of being overlooked, ignored and minimized a psychology that is inherent to many strands of white evangelicalism was reinforced by the fact that even conservative Republican presidents who supported their cause wouldnt show up at their event in person. Republican presidents who did anything sent video messages of support. Even Trump did that the past two years, though he did show more support than normal by sending Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian. The marchers gathered on the National Mall or the Ellipse watching the presidents message on a video screen could turn their head and see the White House and wonder why the president didnt come out and speak in person. During many of the marches, the president was traveling, perhaps intentionally so the press couldnt ask that very same question. But marchers didnt necessarily know the presidents itinerary; they knew only that he wasnt there. Vice President Mike Pence addresses the 2019 March for Life Rose Dinner in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019. (Photo: Cliff Owen/AP) Trumps announcement provoked both excitement and latent resentment at past pro-life presidents. Its great that Trump is speaking at the March For Life. Its amazing that the Republican presidents before him hid in the White House and refused to come out and acknowledge the thousands of pro-lifers right outside their door. Shameful cowardice, tweeted Matt Walsh, a conservative author and speaker. Story continues It is likely true that past Republican presidents took support from religious conservatives for granted to some degree. But one former adviser to President George W. Bush told Yahoo News that he did not attend because the White House wanted the focus on the marchers themselves and their impressive show of numbers. Who wants pictures of politicians as your story rather than pictures of hundreds of thousands of people peacefully, prayerfully marching? the former Bush adviser said. Presidential security also added logistical headaches that would have complicated the march for its participants, the Bush official added. Nevertheless, Trumps presence at the 47th March for Life on Friday is another marker of how the president, whose past politics and personal behavior may have been antithetical to conservative Christianity, has claimed the religious right as his most hard-core political constituency. As Trump promised all the way back during the 2016 campaign, we are going to protect Christianity. Anti-abortion activists attend the 2019 March for Life . (Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP) Already some pro-life activists had elevated Trump to the top of the pantheon of all presidents. Prolifers, there has NEVER been a president in US history that has done more to break down the abortion industry more than @realDonaldTrump. Not Bush, not Reagan...no one, tweeted Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee who is now an antiabortion activist. Not every conservative evangelical was thrilled. The pro-life movement is strongest when it speaks clearly to all about sanctity of human life from faith, moral, ethical, & science perspectives, tweeted Alan Cross, a Southern Baptist writer. Long-term result of Trump becoming spokesman for ProLife Mvmnt could be its weakening. But Ralph Reed, a veteran of the religious right and Republican politics, told Yahoo News that the fact that Trump is appearing in person is of massive historical significance. It is a game changer. It lends the prestige and the bully pulpit of the presidency to the pro-life cause, Reed said. And Reed, who now runs the Faith and Freedom Coalition, predicted that conservative politicians in the future would very likely pay a political price if they did not follow Trumps newly established precedent. If future GOP presidents do not appear, it could be problematic for them, Reed said. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 23, 2020 19:33 719 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2060baa63 1 Politics Jokowi,Prabowo-Subianto,defense-ministry Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has defended Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto against scathing criticism of the ministers frequent overseas trips. During the Defense Ministrys leaders meeting on Wednesday, Jokowi said that Prabowos diplomatic forays to a number of foreign countries recently were forms of diplomacy in relation to bolstering Indonesias defense sector. Should there be any question regarding the purpose of the ministers overseas trips, the answer is for no other purpose than to bolster our diplomacy in the defense sphere, Jokowi said on Thursday The President noted that Prabowo had also been inspecting alutsista (primary weapons defense systems) the government intended to purchase from other countries. He said that during the visits, Prabowo who was Jokowis erstwhile rival in last years presidential election had checked whether the weaponry systems were any good or appropriate for Indonesias needs. Hes been checking every little detail, Jokowi said, the people who question [the purpose of Prabowos overseas trips] are those who have yet to understand the concept of defense diplomacy. Prabowo has visited seven countries in his official capacity since he was inaugurated as the countrys defense minister in October, the first being China late last year. The ministers overseas trips have drawn skepticism and outright criticism from a number of parties, including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which supported Prabowos presidential candidacy in both the 2014 and 2019 elections. Read also: Prabowo plays down report suggesting Jakarta wants to buy Rafale jets from France PKS general commissioner Mardani Ali Sera brought up Jokowis comment that diplomatic relations could be strengthened simply through mobile phones. Jokowi remarked on Aug. 16 of last year that his administration would minimize the frequency of overseas trips. He even pointed out that such visits could be substituted with phone conversations in this interconnected world, he said as quoted by kompas.com. He went on to say that such visits must be planned with concrete goals in mind. Overseas trips are fine, but please make sure that their return-on-investment is better. Everything has to be disclosed to the public, Mardani said. Prabowo has previously responded to such criticism by saying that overseas trips are required for weapons inspections. We do need to shop around, taking every factor into consideration. We have to study the available weaponry, Prabowo said on Monday. (rfa) Stephen Willeford, the man who helped take down a gunman at a Texas church shooting in 2017, said that Virginias gun control measures are about controlnot safety. I think its more about control than it is about the safety of the citizens. I mean, thats obviously an issue that has nothing to do with safety. They want to control, Willeford told Fox and Friends ahead of the gun rights rally at Virginias capitol on Monday. Why would you want to close down [shooting] ranges? If youre going to have people with guns, dont you think that they should be trained to shoot properly and be safe? Why would you want to close down ranges?, he said, referring to a proposed law in the Virginia legislature that would outlaw private indoor gun ranges that employ at least 50 people. Willeford, a former National Rifle Association instructor who lives next door to the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, spoke at the gun rights rally, also known as Lobby Day, on Monday. The rally is organized annually by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a nonprofit grassroots organization whose goal is to advance the right to keep and bear arms. I think they all need to go away, Willeford told The Epoch Times, referring to the gun control proposals. You cant have a police officer everywhere all the time. Earlier that day on Fox, Willeford recalled how he shot an armed man who opened fire inside a church he lives next door to on Nov. 5, 2017. The shooter killed 24 and wounded 20 others before Willeford grabbed his AR-15 after hearing gunshots and headed to the church. He came out, he had a tactical bulletproof helmet and class III body armor and if I had not had an AR-15, I would probably have not made it, Willeford told Fox of the shooter. Willeford shot the man in his leg and chest, prompting him to flee the scene in his SUV. All the police departments that were around my church, all of them are great people, they were coming just as fast as they could, but they say that they were five to seven minutes estimated behind me and my community didnt have five to seven minutes to wait, he added. Willeford said its important to show up to the rally in Richmond, Virginia. Its important because the people of Virginia need to know that they cant stand for these kinds of bans. Our Constitution stands against it. It shall not be infringed. I think its more about control than it is about the safety of the citizens. I mean, thats obviously an issue that has nothing to do with safety. They want to control, he continued. At least 22,000 Second Amendment advocates hailing from across the country assembled at Virginias State Capitol building to rally against a slew of gun control proposals that are in the process of passing through the Democrat-controlled state legislature on Monday. The rally concluded peacefully around noon. Epoch Times reporters Bowen Xiao and Jack Phillips contributed to this report. PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten Academy PSVE was awarded 1st prize in the Regional Skills Talent Competition in the area of business and economy on Friday 17th, 2020 on St. Maarten. The school participated in one category, its sector of specialization-Business and Economy, and won the first prize and third prize, respectively. The first prize winners were Joshua Roberts, Charlita Mesidor and Tania Merien from the PBL (B-stream). After the announcement of the results, the students said they were ecstatic when they were declared winners in the business and economy category. The students were prepared by the schools head of the Business Department Mrs. Sneha Rajani and Business Teacher Ms. Petromella Layne. Mrs. Lavern Nelson, principal of St. Maarten Academy PSVE, congratulated the students and teachers for a job well done, not only at the regional competitions but also for their performance during the competitions held at the school on January 10th. On January 10th, the school held its internal skills competition, where a total of 23 teams comprising examination students completed assignments that were directly related to real-world scenarios and aligned with the end terms for administration and commerce sector program. The school commends the organizers of this historic venture, as it aligns with our mission of the St. Maarten Academy PSVE, to empower and equip students with a foundation in academic, technical and life skills necessary to become a productive, contributing member of society. By PTI DAVOS: Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday took a jibe at Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for denying the existence of the Haqqani network in Pakistan, saying it was like claiming the Earth does not revolve around the sun. Ghani said he is yet to see a breakthrough in his talks with Pakistan on this issue, and has only seen some "good statements" coming out from Islamabad so far. During an International Media Council (IMC) interaction here at WEF 2020 on Wednesday, Khan had said the Haqqani network militant group was not operating in his country anymore. Asked to comment on this claim during his own IMC interaction on Thursday, Ghani said, "One can also very well say that Earth doesn't revolve around sun." He added that it was good to see Khan presenting a very good reform agenda here in Davos, but such denials were not good. "I have not seen a breakthrough. I have seen good statements but the jury is out on the outcome. If Haqqani didn't exist there, then why did Prime Minister Khan take credit for the release of hostages," Ghani asked. "This is a denial which is not for good. We need to engage in a dialogue and that would be good for Afghanistan and for Pakistan and the entire region," he said. Ghani further said Afghanistan is dealing with a great deal of uncertainty and it is important to deal with each and every issue one by one. He said a big majority of Afghan people believe the country is going in the right direction. On any ceasefire in Afghanistan, he said any peace deal involves tradeoffs but one needs to convince the people about that. Regarding withdrawal of US troops, he said, "We will be discussing it in more detail in coming weeks about quantum of the US troop withdrawal but at the time the idea is about 4,000 troops. The timing and other final details need to be discussed." On whether these troops can be used in Iran, he said there is a bilateral understanding that these cannot be used on any third party. Their ground base will have to be changed if at all any such need arises, he said. Mary Contreras walked up to the spot where her son was killed at the Ventura club three days ago and fell to her hands and knees. My Robert, she cried. I want my Robert. My baby was right here. Contreras, 36, was immediately embraced by family and friends who were at the Museum Reach club Wednesday night to remember her son, Robert Martinez III, 20, the young artist who was fatally shot after an argument there Sunday. Alejandro Robles, 25, also was killed, and five other people, including Martinezs younger brother, were injured in the gunfire that erupted that night. On ExpressNews.com: Club owners release statement; TABC launches expected investigation Contreras and other family members had been at the hip club at 1011 Avenue B with Martinez to support him in his first performance. At Wednesdays vigil, friends and family recalled the show. Martinez took the stage at 7 p.m. and introduced himself as Lil tazz to the crowd. He was just having fun with it, his mother recalled, smiling sadly, tears in her eyes. After he finished his rap and came off the stage, she said, he ran up to her, excited and laughing, asking, Mom, did you record it? He was eager to watch himself in his first performance, she said, and she remembered that she kidded him, telling him, Aw, you dont want to see it. Less than an hour later, he was standing at the back of the small club when another young man walked up to him and purposely bumped into him, she said. She didnt think it would be anything more than a brief confrontation. It probably wont go that far because theres families in here, she recalled thinking. I was wrong. The next day, Kiernan Christopher Williams, 19, was arrested and charged with capital murder. According to Williams arrest affidavit, a witness stated he saw Williams shoot Martinez in the chest and then keep shooting into the crowded venue. On ExpressNews.com: Police arrest 19-year-old in shooting that left two dead, five injured As people were running out of the club in a panic, Contreras was hurrying to her sons side. By the time I got back to my son, he was already taking his last breaths, Contreras said. I put him in my arms and said Robert, fight! I just wanted him to fight. But he was already gone, she said. Williams, who goes by the rap alias 32Baby K9, was scheduled to go onstage at 10 p.m. Sunday. He remained in Bexar County jail Wednesday under $1.5 million bail. At Wednesdays vigil, Pastor Jimmy Robles (no relation to the deceased) of Last Chance Ministries talked about the importance of finding a way to get through the grief. You can stay down and get depressed, you can go to drugs, you can go to alcohol, you can just lose your mind or you can continue to fight back, he said. Something good will come out of this. You might not see it now, but something good will come out of this. About 100 people showed up for Martinezs vigil Wednesday, many of them milling around outside where candles were lit and red balloons were released after the pastor spoke. Three security officers helped control the crowd. Later, Martinezs father, Carlos Contreras, 40, said his son was playful and always joking with people around him. He was someone who would light up the room with his smile and dimples, Contreras said. Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA Opposition leader Kem Sokha said the United States government did not recommend he start a Yugoslavia style revolution in Cambodia and that the Cambodian Center for Human Rights was not used as a platform to instigate a grassroots uprising against Prime Minister Hun Sen. The fourth day of Kem Sokhas treason trial resumed in Phnom Penh on Thursday, focusing again on his work as a politician and head of human rights NGO CCHR, between 1993 and 2007, frequently looping back to the alleged treason video. The alleged treason video of Kem Sokha is a speech he gave in Australia in 2013, following the national elections, when the opposition and ruling party were in a political stalemate over electoral results. The government and prosecution have said in court that his speech confirms his guilt. The court admitted into evidence a 1-hour segment of the video on Wednesday, after the defense took objection to a 2-minute edited clip of the same speech, used by the prosecution last week, because it was misleading. In the video, Kem Sokha refers to a study trip he took to the U.S. as a parliamentarian in 1993. Thereafter, in the rest of the speech, Kem Sokha uses the pronoun they while referring to advice he got to quit politics, work with grassroots groups, start an NGO or recommendations he was given to use the Yugoslavia model, referring to the ousting of former Yugoslavian and Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Deputy prosecutor Vong Bunvisoth asked Kem Sokha who he was referring to when he used the pronoun they, later alleging that the opposition leader was talking about the U.S. government. Kem Sokha said that his use of the word they in the 2013 speech was at times for the U.S. government, but also for the Cambodian diaspora in the U.S. When I said Americans, it means Cambodian-American who live there, he said. Sometimes I meant the people, sometimes I meant the government. He added that references in his speech to the suggestion that he use the Yugoslavia model in Cambodia, was made by his supporters in the Cambodian-American diaspora, and not the U.S. government. That is what Khmer Americans said, he said, responding to queries from government lawyer Ly Chantola. They brought up this model. In a heated exchange, Ly Chantola questioned Kem Sokha for around five minutes about his physical ailments, and then took umbrage to why Kem Sokha was allowed to sit on a chair while being cross-examined. Usually, witnesses or the accused stand up in court when being questioned. Presiding Judge Kuy Sao intervened to say that he had allowed Kem Sokha to sit or stand, as per his preference, during the questioning, but Ly Chantola insisted that the opposition leader stand during questioning. Pointing back to the treason speech, Ly Chantola asked what Kem Sokha meant when he talked about studying strategies. And why had he asked his audience during the Australia speech whether they wanted change. The reference is to the CNRPs popular slogan of change or no change, to which supporters would respond change. Kem Sokha answered that his strategy had been to educate the ignorant, feed the hungry and empower the fearful, a strategy he had developed through his research as a politician and human rights activist. He said that his asking the people if they wanted change did not mean he was suggesting the use of violent tactics, but that he was advocating for non-violent change through democratic means. Then, he took umbrage to Ly Chantola asking the same questions multiple times, at one point accusing the government lawyer of putting words in his mouth. You dont have to lecture me, he said. You just do your work to accuse me. The government lawyers, during their questioning of Kem Sokha on Thursday, looked to draw a link between Kem Sokhas grassroots work at CCHR and the post-election protests in 2013. They claimed the aim of his human rights advocacy was to instigate the 2013 protests. While the morning session was meant to focus on his activities between 1993 and 2007, a lot of the questioning did not fall within that timeframe. However, the prosecution did ask about the formation of CCHR, then-deputy director Pa Nguon Teangs role in the registration of the NGO, the drafting of its internal policies, the NGOs finances and its recruitment policies. More specifically, deputy prosecutor Bunvisoth asked about a conflict at CCHR involving Chhim Phal Virun, a former staffer at the NGO and now-CPP spokesperson. Chhim Phal Virun had sued Kem Sokha in 2006 for alleged breach of trust and alleged that the opposition leader had embezzled money from the NGO, but details of this controversy or why it was relevant to a treason trial were not provided in court. Kem Sokha refused to answer any questions about Chhim Phal Viruns testimony, adding that his former colleague had a conflict of interest. He has a conflict of interest, Kem Sokha said. He is the member of the ruling party and they have made this [treason] complaint against me. This line of questioning then introduced multiple individuals, but again little reasoning was provided by the prosecution for naming these people. This included Lazar Antonic, then resident program officer for the International Republican Institute (IRI), which was funding CCHR with a USAID grant, the prosecution said. The prosecution claimed that Antonic was responsible for solving the conflict with Chhim Phal Virun. Other individuals mentioned in the cross-examining were Cheu Anna, Kim Thon and Kry Song, but the prosecution did not clarify why Kem Sokha was asked about these people or their links to the trial. Thursdays hearing had some heated moments when the defense and prosecution accused each other of not following court procedures or being disrespectful. The prosecutors often chided the defense and Kem Sokha for their conduct in court, with little intervention from the presiding judge. The council of judges announced at the end of the morning session that the trial will resume next Wednesday, January 29, again canceling the afternoon session. Last Thursday, the afternoon session was canceled to give the defense a chance to submit evidence it planned to present in court. A former special agent will speak next week at Midland University to raise awareness on human trafficking. Anna Brewer will speak from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday in Private Dining Room 1 of the Midland Dining Hall. The talk is sponsored by the Midland University Criminal Justice Club. Brewer was employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 24 years. She established several task forces to combat child sex trafficking in Omaha and Reno, Nevada. Currently, Brewer is a human trafficking training consultant wit the Womens Fund of Omaha. She has trained more than 28,000 people throughout her career and has received national recognition, as well as the state of Nebraska. Sidney Hirsch, director of student development and Warrior Skills, said Brewer has not only spoken at Midland in 2016, but has also taught a class at the university in the past. Anna will be talking about what she has experienced being a former FBI agent and what shes doing now with her job, she said. Its really to bring awareness to the fact that it is going on and sometimes we dont think its happening where we live. Hirsch said Midland tries to bring in guest speakers to talk about a variety of topics that students may not hear about in their classes. These topics have ranged from overcoming adversity to preparing for a career. We just try to do a wide range of guest speakers, and since it is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we thought it would be cool to bring in a guest speaker that can talk about that, she said. So we try to do it based off of different things going on nationally, too. With Brewer, Hirsch said her years of experience made her the perfect fit to discuss the topic of human trafficking with the school. I think if anyone wants to even know anything more about the subject, Annas the perfect person to learn it from, she said. Shes very knowledgeable, so everyone that is going to go it is going to leave learning something. Attendees can RSVP by emailing Hirsch at warriorskills@midlandu.edu. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Weathering With You Not currently playing (PG-13) Grade: A- Torrential rain pours over Tokyo. The streets are flooded from the endless deluge. Next to a railing overlooking the devastation, stands Hina. Her head is bowed and she is praying. As she lifts her head, the clouds being to part and the sun breaks through for the first time in weeks. Hina smiles. In Makoto Shinkais Weathering with You, we eventually learn that Hina is the mythical Weather Maiden who can stop the rain and bring sunshine. Hodaka, a young boy, watches the miracle and is twice-transfixed by Hinas beauty, and by her powers. Both of them are poor, and so they hatch a plan: They will market Hinas sunshine. Sure enough, people are eager to clear the skies for weddings, for parades, for community events or just for happiness. So far, all is sweet. Vintage Disney, Pixar, Laika. We can almost predict whats next: Perhaps some evil corporate creep will kidnap Hina and she will have to be rescued by Hodaka or some such perilous escape. Ho hum, home we go. But Weathering with You is the creation of a Japanese director who will let this story go where Disney would never take us. We learn that Hinas powers are sacrificial. She can part the clouds, because she brought the rain. And, to release her beloved country from endless floods, she must return home through the gates to heaven, giving her friends and family relief. By staying, she has to use her power to bring short-term end to the waters. But by dissolving into the sky really, into the spirit she can bring more permanent relief. Hina is frightened, but sometimes big courage can be found in little people. Wow. What a beautiful and powerful spiritual theme for a childrens film. Alas, Shinkais third act in this mythical film softens the sacrifice and celebrates teen love. Those narrative decisions have thrown the film into a controversy involving climate change and happy endings. Truth be known, the ending is not happy not for Tokyo. And I'm not sure its happy for Hina and Hodaka, either. Rather, the story becomes a thought-provoking reflection on individualism and collectivism. The Asian collective culture, putting community before the individual, drives Act One and Act Two. But the capitalistic individualism roars through the script in Act Three like the waters that flood the city. Perhaps thats Shinkais point? Japan is changing. The traditional values are eroding. In a thoughtful, scholarly paper, Yugi Ogihara, who has taught at the Tokyo University of Science, concludes that Japan may be transitioning from a collectivistic culture to an individualistic culture, but he adds, but that this does not necessarily mean that all aspects of Japanese culture have shifted toward greater individualism. In other words, Japanese culture is in transition, with forces pulling both towards Western individualism and Eastern collectivism. Weathering with You captures that tension artfully, dramatically and leaves us to ponder the short-term and long-term implications of this cultural evolution in Japan. Personally, I would have preferred the pure sacrificial ending. I would also have preferred to hear the dialogue in Japanese with subtitles. Both those choices seemed like unwelcome commercial compromises. Still, I was mesmerized by the beauty and the depth of Weathering with You. We dont go home pondering collectivism after watching Shrek. Im now eager to stream Shinkais Your Name, praised as his 2016 masterpiece, and, at the time, the highest grossing anime film of all-time. Its a tale of a Japanese girl and boy who trade bodies. In fact, I may have to binge watch as many Shinkai films as I can find. Im hooked. Postnote: Curiously, the Cinemark played Weathering With You for two days, Jan. 15-16, and then replaced it. Myrna, maybe? Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 STAMFORD, Conn. - The estranged husband of a missing Connecticut mother of five who is presumed dead pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and kidnapping charges as a judge warned him to not violate his house arrest conditions again. Fotis Dulos appeared in a state court in Stamford, Connecticut, a day after a prosecutor alleged Dulos violated the terms of his $6 million bond last week by removing items from a memorial for his wife set up near his Farmington home. What he did was stupid, Judge Gary White said. Dont do it again. Dulos, 52, was arrested Jan. 7 on the murder and kidnapping charges in connection with what authorities say was the killing of Jennifer Dulos, who hasnt been seen since she dropped her five children off at their New Canaan school May 24. He denies any involvement in her disappearance or death. Prosecutors asked the judge to review Dulos bail and pushed to get rid of his ability to leave house arrest for work. The judge threatened to double Dulos bail to $12 million if he violates his release terms and took away his ability to leave his home to go to work. Dulos, who is under GPS monitoring and had to surrender his passport, is still allowed to leave his home to go to church, attend to medical appointments and meet with his lawyers. Norman Pattis, Dulos lawyer, argued that Dulos has financial problems and needs to work. Pattis also said Dulos should not have removed items from the memorial, but added, This was no ordinary memorial. It was a means of taunting him. Stamford-Norwalk States Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. said Dulos was seen stopping at the end of his private street, leaving his vehicle and removing items from the memorial honouring Jennifer Dulos. Fotis Dulos former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, and his friend, attorney Kent Mawhinney, are both charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Police said they helped Fotis Dulos try to cover up the killing, including by creating bogus alibis. Police allege Fotis Dulos lay in wait at Jennifer Dulos home in New Canaan for her to return after dropping the children of at school. Authorities say Fotis Dulos attacked Jennifer Dulos in her garage, leaving behind a bloody crime scene, and drove off with her body, which has not been found. Officials say surveillance video cameras recorded Fotis Dulos disposing of items containing Jennifer Dulos blood in Hartford. The five children, who ranged in age from 8 to 13 when their mother vanished, have been staying with their maternal grandmother in New York City. 23.01.2020 LISTEN Security Analyst, Adam Bonaa has said the incident that occured at the Airforce base involving a military aircraft is a strong indication that Ghana's military infrastructure is obsolete and must be replaced during a routine engine run. As part of a routine exercise, the aircraft, CASA C295 with registration number GHF552 on Wednesday overrun the apron at the base. No casualty was recorded. It is on the back of this that, Mr. Bonaa wants an urgent retooling of the country's military. This is telling us that the hardware of our military is very old. So, the military needs retooling -the times we find ourselves surrounded by Islamist groups, terrorists who are around the Sahel region. So we need our military to be well prepared to go in and defend us and move troops to places where there is chaos. An aircraft belonging to the Ghana Air Force has reportedly overrun the apron of the Air Force base in Accra Shortly after the accident, Director of Public Affairs of the Armed Forces, Col. Eggrey Quarshie, said there were no passengers on the aircraft adding that crew members were also safe. Preliminary investigations team has been constituted to come up with an initial report within 48 hours. The manufacturers of the aircraft, Airbus have been notified of the accident. They are expected to fly in a team to join their Ghanaian counterparts for a thorough assessment of the aircraft damage, a statement from the Armed Forces said. The aircraft in question was manufactured in November 2015 and was delivered in February 2016. It was due for routine checks in November 2019 but had been non-operational since October 2019. The Ghana Armed Forces assured the public and especially its clientele that the Ghana Air Force is still operational and its activities have not been affected by this incident. ---citinewsroom Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 22:21:19|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TOKYO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday refuted claims that he offered false statements and tried to withhold facts over a controversial state-backed cherry blossom viewing party, that opposition parties are seeking clarity over. The Japanese leader has come under fire from the opposition camp for allegedly using government funds to finance the annual party, a claim he has consistently denied, along with those that he had used the event to cajole political support. "It's not true that I have been hiding something and making false statements to parliament," Abe told a parliamentary session in response to an opposition party member calling for the prime minister to step down over the scandal. "The event has been carried out in line with the government's long-held practice. But as I know there has been growing criticism from the Japanese people, I will sincerely reflect on this and conduct a thorough review as part of my responsibility," Abe said at a plenary session in the upper house of parliament. The Japanese premier, amid increasing pressure from the opposition camp and the public and against a backdrop of a string of scandals implicating Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and members, has since scrapped the party. In light of the opposition camp pointing out that state spending on the party had swelled under the Abe administration since 2012 and intimating that the event was surreptitiously being used by the prime minister for personal gain by inviting hundreds of his own supporters, Abe, on Thursday, vowed an all-out "comprehensive" review of the event. N o US president has abused power the way Donald Trump did towards Ukraine, impeachment trial prosecutors have said. In the second day of arguments at Mr Trump's trial in the Senate, Democrats focused on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power. Mr Trump is accused of seeking a political investigation into 2020-presidential candidate Joe Biden from Ukraine for his own gain to sway the election in his favour. The House of Representatives impeached him last month, arguing that he abused his office by pressuring Ukraine by withholding crucial military aid. Adam Schiff speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump / AP He is also facing another article of obstruction of Congress for refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House probe. "No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections," said Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Mr Nadler added that the nation's founders would be shocked. Donald Trump walks to Air Force One to depart for travel to Florida / REUTERS "The president's conduct is wrong. It is illegal. It is dangerous," he said. Democrats also slammed Mr Tump's claims that he had good reasons for pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political foes. Texas representative Sylvia Garcia said it was Mr Trump who engaged in a shocking abuse of power, not former Vice President Joe Biden or other Trump foes. People demonstrate outside of the US Capitol on the third day of the Senate impeachment trial / REUTERS There is "no evidence, nothing, nada"' to suggest that Mr Biden did anything improper in dealings with Ukraine, said the former judge. "There was no basis for the investigation the president was pursuing and pushing. None. He was doing it only for his own political benefit," she said. The Democrats' challenge is clear as they try to convince not just the Republican majority Senate but an American public divided over the Republican president in an election year. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters about progress in the impeachment trial / AP Ahead of the day's proceedings, Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said the Democrats were putting forward "admirable presentations." But he said: "They've basically got about one hour of presentation, and they gave it six times on Tuesday and eight times yesterday. There's just not much new here." Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, stood before restless senators forced to sit silently for another long day there would be "some repetition of information" from the overview heard on day one. But he promised a stitching together of the facts to an inevitable conclusion. Senators were accused of falling asleep, playing games during the trial, with crossword puzzles, fidget spinners and a paper airplane being spotted during proceedings. Senator Richard Burr handed out fidget spinners - small toys designed to be spun between the fingers, relieving stress or boredom - to his colleagues before Thursday's trial proceedings began. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, acknowledged on Thursday that many senators "really don't want to be here." But Mr Schumer said Mr Schiff has been outlining a compelling case about Mr Trump's pressure on Ukraine and the scheme to cover up the charges. Many Republicans are hearing it for only the first time. Once reluctant to take on impeachment during an election year, Democrats are now marching towards a decision by the Senate that the American public also will judge. They are one-third of the way through 24 hours of opening arguments. Mr Trump blasted the proceedings in a Thursday morning tweet, declaring them the "Most unfair & corrupt hearing in Congressional history!" Democrats are expected to wrap up their arguments Friday, with Mr Trump's legal team set to make its case for up to three days beginning Saturday. J ay Sekulow, a lawyer for the president, deflected rumours that the defense may wrap up in a single day. "We're going to use a sufficient amount of time to defend our case and point out the inconsistencies of their case. We're not going to run out the clock," he said. The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But if you buy shares in a really great company, you can more than double your money. To wit, the Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (TSE:PNC.B) share price has flown 190% in the last three years. How nice for those who held the stock! And in the last week the share price has popped 62%. View our latest analysis for Postmedia Network Canada Postmedia Network Canada isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit. Postmedia Network Canada actually saw its revenue drop by 9.9% per year over three years. So we wouldn't have expected the share price to gain 43% per year, but it has. It's a good reminder that expectations about the future, not the past history, always impact share prices. The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). TSX:PNC.B Income Statement, January 23rd 2020 This free interactive report on Postmedia Network Canada's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. A Different Perspective It's good to see that Postmedia Network Canada has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 93% in the last twelve months. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 64% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Postmedia Network Canada you should know about. Story continues But note: Postmedia Network Canada may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. These defendants did more than talk, Hur said, reading from a statement. They took steps to act and act violently on their racist views. They acquired long guns, including a machine gun, and ammunition. They participated in tactical and firearms training with fellow members of their organization . . . at training camps. They packed food and supplies, including a gas mask, intending to load their truck for the war in Virginia. Russias State Duma adopted in the first reading Russian President Vladimir Putins bill on amendments to the Constitution Parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the lower house would hold its next reading of the legislation on February 11 and that parliament might manage to complete the overall approval process by the end of February. Among other things, the amendments envisage an expansion of the rights of parliament and the Constitutional Court, a ban prohibiting top officials from having other countries residence permits, a restriction on the number of presidential terms, priority of national legislation over international agreements and greater social responsibilities of the state, TASS reported. Once approved in three readings in the Duma, the bill will go to the upper house Federation Council before a final signature by Putin. Hundreds of Australians who used a Central American bank over recent years face being caught up in an unprecedented international investigation over suspected tax evasion and efforts to hide taxable wealth. Australian individuals are expected to face criminal and civil action in the wake of a special "day of action" by the J5 group of tax institutions, made up of agencies from the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands. The ATO has been involved in an unprecedented international "day of action" by tax agencies targeting a Central American bank. Credit:Louie Douvis The J5 was formed 18 months ago after growing concern about the amount of tax evasion by companies and individuals and the threat this posed to domestic tax bases. It is also looking at the use of cryptocurrencies and financial cyber crimes. Its first co-ordinated action focused on an unnamed Central America bank, which the agencies believe is being used for money-laundering and tax-evasion purposes. It followed information obtained by Dutch tax authorities. Whakaari, also known as White Island volcano, in New Zealand on Dec. 12, 2019. (Jorge Silva/Reuters) Toll Rises to 20 From New Zealand Volcano Eruption as Two Declared Dead WELLINGTON (Reuters) The death toll rose to 20 on Thursday from a volcanic eruption on New Zealands White Island last month, as two people still missing were officially confirmed dead. The two individuals were Hayden Marshall-Inman of New Zealand and Winona Langford of Australia, police said. Locals sing during sunrise as they wait for the return of the victims after the White Island eruption to be returned to Whakatane, New Zealand, on Dec. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) The chief coroner has ruled that both Winona and Hayden died on White Island, John Tims, a deputy police commissioner, said in a statement. From the official tally of 20 deaths, 18 people have died in New Zealand and two in hospitals in Australia. Survivors of the 47 people, mostly tourists, who were on or near the volcano when it erupted on Dec. 9., are still being treated in hospitals in both countries for severe burns. Official inquiries into the eruption and New Zealands response will take up to a year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said. By Praveen Menon This is the amazing moment an Indonesian digger driver was rescued from a barge by fishermen just minutes before it broke in half and sunk into the sea. Footage shows three fishermen standing on the stern of their boat parked next to the dredger in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. They wave and repeatedly make swimming gestures as though they need urgent help. Fishermen stood on the stern of their boat as they tried to help guide a digger driver to safety in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. He was working on the barge which had become flooded Seconds later, the camera moves away from the group and reveals a flooded dredger. It appears to have been snapped as both ends are upturned, making it tower above the sea. The surrounding water has turned ochre as the sand has seeped into the sea, in the clip shared on January 21. On the barge, a Komatsu truck is spotted half-submerged in water. A male figure, who is believed to be a digger driver, is then seen frantically running down mounds of sand piled on the barge. It becomes clear the fishermen are trying to help him. They try to guide him to safety as they point towards the dry area at the top of the barge. They threw a life ring to the man who then proceeded to wade through the red-stained sea. He paddled to the fishermen's boat where he was helped up the ladder The camera spins around to the cargo in the sea as it begins to fold up on itself and slams shut As the cargo slams shut a plume of sand dramatically rises into the air and spectators are heard screaming Seconds later, the helpless driver takes the plunge and is seen wading through the red-stained sea towards them. One of workers hands him a life ring as he paddles to the ladder on the side of their boat. Water gently laps up against a neighbouring ship where passengers try to get in on the action by watching from the corridor. Moments later, the clip jumps to a wide shot which reveals the cargo clearly folding up on itself. It slams shut before a plume of sand dramatically falls from inside. Spectators count down before screaming as the barge plummets into the sea. It remains unclear when the incident occurred. It comes less than a year after an earthquake struck deep under the Molucca Sea in the nearby area. The quake triggered waves of nearly 2ft for parts of North Sulawesi and North Maluku, experts said. Russian lawmakers have unanimously approved in its first reading a sweeping constitutional reform bill put forward by President Vladimir Putin. All 432 lawmakers present in the State Duma voted in favor of the bill on January 23, just three days after the amendments were presented to parliament. "This was a powerful show of unity," Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said after the vote. Volodin said the second reading was expected on February 11. The bill will then face a third reading, but with parliament dominated by Kremlin-loyal lawmakers it is unlikely to face much pushback. Once approved in three readings in the Duma, the bill will go to the Federation Council -- the upper house of parliament -- before being signed into law by Putin. Putin's announcement of the reforms during his state-of-the-nation address on January 15 was quickly followed by the resignation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's government and the appointment of a new premier and cabinet. The rapid sequence of changes has prompted observers to say that Putin may be laying the groundwork to hold on to power after his current term expires in 2024. The Russian leader says that under the plan, more responsibilities will be given to parliament and other state bodies, while also maintaining a strong presidency. The president has promised a referendum on the reforms, with some officials suggesting it could take place within weeks. Putin suggested altering the constitution because "things have changed dramatically" since it was adopted in 1993. He outlined some proposals, including strengthening the State Council, currently an advisory body and giving more authority to parliament. Some analysts have suggested Putin could head the Council after 2024 to maintain his grip on power. The text of the bill on the parliament's website provides for lawmakers confirming the prime minister rather than the president, although the president can still reject any candidate. Putin formed a "working group" of 75 people that includes athletes and celebrities to work on the amendments. Based on reporting by AFP, Interfax, and TASS An 84-year-old woman from Shirley pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Boston to stealing Social Security benefits, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced. Shirley Daley pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds after using one name and a social security number to receive spouse/widow benefits and another name and social security number to receive retirement benefits. Authorities said the scheme began in June 2005 and continued through December of 2017. When Daley applied for retirement benefits, she told the Social Security Administration that she had never been married and that she had never filed for benefits, the U.S. Attorney said. Daley, though, had been married and receiving spouse/widow benefits for four years. From June 2005 through December 2017, Daley stole approximately $319,076 in Social Security benefits, the U.S. Attorneys Offices said. The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 6. Daley was charged in April 2019. Impeachment trial: Democrats detail Trump-Ukraine timeline in opening arguments Today, Democrats work towards convincing 20 republicans to remove President Trump from office. House managers are leaning heavily on prior witness testimony to prove that President Trump withheld foreign aid for political favor. President Trump's legal team will begin their side of the case this weekend. Three Americans dead after firefighting water bomber crashes in rural Australia New overnight, three Americans are dead after their aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in Australia. Coulson Aviation, based out of Oregon said in a statement that it lost one of its C-130 large air tankers, it happened during firefighting mission. The statement said the accident was "extensive" but had few other details. Action News Now is working to learn more information on the crash and the identities of the firefighters killed. The deadly new coronavirus has reached the US. Here's how to protect yourself The U.S. Department of State has placed a level two travel advisory for people visiting China over the threat of the coronavirus. The virus is being blamed for at least 17 deaths in China, with that country making the decision to put three cities on an unprecedented lock-down. Health experts from the centers for disease control are closely monitoring 16 people in the U.S. who could have possibly contracted the deadly coronavirus. California could make utilities pay for some blackout costs A bill in the state Legislature would require electric companies to reimburse customers when they turn off the power to prevent wildfires. A bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener would require them to reimburse customers and local governments for some costs. It would also let state regulators fine electric utilities if they determine the shutoffs were not reasonable and prudent. A letter from PG&E to state lawmakers says the bill would put customers and communities in a dangerous position. California governor aims to block PG&E's bankruptcy plan A report from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters news agency says PG&E has reached a deal with its creditors. Those reports say PG&E claims its creditors will drop their proposed plans to reorganize PG&E, and instead support the utilities' plans. The plan has yet to be approved by a bankruptcy court. Newsom is urging a federal judge to reject PG&E's blueprint for getting out of bankruptcy. Trump set to gut water protections New this morning, the Trump Administration is set to announce new rules removing federal protections for millions of miles of the country's streams and wetlands. The changes, first launched by the president when he took office, scale back which waterways qualify for protections under the 1972 clean water act. President Trump says his focus is to ease the regulatory burden on businesses for development and infrastructure. California asks for surplus federal land to house homeless Governor Gavin Newsom is asking for federal help to fight homelessness in the golden state. Governor Newsom sent a letter to housing and urban development secretary, Ben Carson. In the letter, he requested help in solving the issue of homelessness in the state. Also in the letter, Newsom said he wants to continue conversations about various initiatives. Leaders of Iran's reformist parties say the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections will come as no surprise as nearly all of the well-known reformist candidates have been disqualified by the hardliner-dominated Guardian Council. They said at the end of a meeting on Wednesday January 22 that unless there is a meaningful revision in the results of the vetting, reformists have no one to represent them in many constituencies, semi-official news agency ISNA reported on Thursday. From among around 15,000 candidates only 60 low-key reformist figures have been qualified to run for the February 21 election. This is a dramatic change compared with the previous round of parliamentary election in 2016 when all of the 30 MPs from Tehran were on the reformists lists and reform minded candidates also won the in other major cities such as Mashad and Isfahan. This will be a major change in the configuration of political forces in and out of the Iranian parliament which will not only affect political developments in the short-run but can also shape the dynamics surrounding Khamenei's succession particularly if hardliners also win the presidential election in 2021. The Guardian Council has rejected appeals by President Hassan Rouhani and Majles Speaker Ali Larijani to reconsider the vetting. The Guardian Council has accused both leaders of "not being well-informed" about the affairs of the state. Last week, Rouhani criticized the Guardian Council for disqualifying reformist and moderate candidates saying that "All of those whose qualifications are endorsed by the Guardian Council come from the same faction: the hardliners." Likewise, at the open session of the Majles on January 20 Larijani questioned the validity of vetting by the Guardian Council saying that he was surprised to see current and former MPs being disqualified by the Guardian Council on charges of financial and ethical corruption. Reformist party leaders charged in their meeting on Wednesday that the Guardian Council's discrimination against reformist candidates violates its impartiality and will lead to a lacklustre election in February. Guardian Council Spokesperson Abbas Ali Kadkhodai, however, insists that some 90 out of the 290 current MPs cannot run for the Majles as they are implicated in financial corruption cases. In the meantime, Alireza Rahimi, a member of the Majles Presidium wrote in a tweet that the Guardian Council has asked some candidates to present proof of paying one fifth of their income to clerics as the Islamic tax "Khoms". Few people pay this tax and if they do, they are not likely to get a receipt as proof of payment. However, Rahimi wrote in a later tweet that the Guardian Council has rejected his accusation. Other candidates said that the Guardian Council has disqualified all the MPs that had supported the nuclear deal with the West; the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). According to ISNA, Guardian Council Spokesperson Kadkhodai said on Thursday that "This is not true. If we wanted to disqualify people for supporting the JCPOA or the administration, we would have done this in the previous round of the Majles elections in 2016. The claim about supporting the Rouhani administration or the JCPOA leading to candidates' disqualifications was made by President Rouhani's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi on the side-line of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Meanwhile, social media reports on Wednesday said that President Rouhani was going to have a meeting at his office in Sadabad palace Thursday morning with former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson Hassan, and several other figures close to Iran's reform camp to discuss the widespread disqualification of reform-minded candidates. Thursday Morning, Alireza Moezzi, an official in charge of news dissemination at Rouhani's office refuted the reports characterizing them as fake news, ISNA reported. However, he insisted that Rouhani will do everything to ensure there will be rigorous participation in the elections. So far, the 2020 parliamentary vote has been overshadowed by several major events in recent weeks including the protests in November during which around 1,500 protesters are said to have been killed by security forces. Other major events were the killing of Qods Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad, Iran's missile attack on a coalition base in Iraq and the Iranian missile attack on a civilian airliner that left 176 dead. That cool, probably expensive restaurant youve been wanting to try? Next week might be the time. The annual Chicago Restaurant Week has fallen upon the city (and the suburbs) once again, and a ridiculous 400-plus restaurants will participate in 2020. The term week is generous herethe event actually spans 17 days, and thats all the better for diners. Each participant will offer two- and three-course lunches, weekend brunches and three- and four-course dinners, or all of the above, for the duration of the event. Reservations are strongly recommended. Daily through Feb. 9, locations vary, see Choose Chicago website for details, lunches and brunches $24, three-to-four-course dinners $36-$48; choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week Greg Kelly, the former deputy of ousted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, is seen in the car, as he leaves after being released from a detention centre in Tokyo TOKYO (Reuters) - A lieutenant to Carlos Ghosn who is facing charges in Japan for underreporting his salary at Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> stands a very high chance of being acquitted, as would Ghosn had he remained in Japan to face trial, a former prosecutor said. Lawyer Nobuo Gohara, a vocal critic of what he describes as Japan's "hostage" justice system, met Ghosn in Japan on a number of occasions late last year before the former Nissan chairman's dramatic escape to Lebanon last month. Ghosn, whose escape to his childhood homeland breached his strict bail terms, has criticized the Japanese justice system and vowed to clear his name following the downfall one of the world's most powerful automobile industry executives. Both Ghosn and former Nissan director Greg Kelly face charges of financial misconduct over allegedly failing to report more than $109 million in salary, while Ghosn has also been charged with aggravated breach of trust for using company funds for personal purposes. Both deny wrongdoing. Kelly remains in Japan awaiting trial. It was not obvious that the additional salary due to Ghosn after retirement constituted a crime under Japanese law as it had yet to be paid out, said Gohara, who does not represent Ghosn or Kelly, who is accused of arranging the payments. "Personally I believe that there was a very high chance for Mr Ghosn to be acquitted based on the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act," he told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday. "Likewise for Mr Kelly, there is a high likelihood that he will be acquitted as well." The trial of the two men and Nissan, which is also facing the same charge, is due to begin in 2021 or 2022. It was unclear whether the schedule would be updated after Ghosn's escape. Japan's Ministry of Justice has said it will try to find a way to bring Ghosn back from Lebanon, even though the two countries do not have an extradition treaty. Gohara said a separate trial over aggravated breach of trust would likely drag on for years as prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to prove Ghosn was guilty of crimes including temporarily shifting a personal loss-making currency transaction onto Nissan's books. The lawyer said he had conducted about 10 hours of interviews with Ghosn in November and December for a book he had written about the case. The project has since been placed on hold, for reasons Gohara said were unrelated to his subject's escape. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Robert Birsel) NEW HAVEN A city man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and violating conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction, federal officials said in a release. John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Jayren Jakar Wynn, 30, of New Haven, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to a total of 92 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, the release from the office of Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham said. Wynn previously was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 14 months in prison in 2015, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine in The Hill neighborhood in New Haven. He was released from federal prison in July 2016, the release said, attributing the information to court documents and statements made in court. Then, on July 12, 2018, New Haven Police detectives performed a traffic stop of a vehicle that Wynn was operating. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Hi-Point CF380 handgun and a quantity of marijuana, the release said. In addition to his prior federal conviction, Wynns criminal history includes state felony convictions for assault and firearm offenses, and according to federal law, a person previously convicted of a felony offense cant possess a gun or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Wynn has been detained since July 2018 and on Aug. 29, 2019, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and admitted that he violated the conditions of his federal supervised release. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and the New Haven Police Department; it was was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The trade-economic ties between Armenia and the Netherlands are rising, Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said during a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok in Yerevan. Mnatsakanyan said the foreign minister of the Netherlands is visiting Armenia ahead of the upcoming opening of the Dutch embassy in Yerevan and a planned upcoming visit of PM Nikol Pashinyan to the Netherlands. I am happy to note that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this is the first visit of a foreign minister of the Netherlands to Armenia. These developments are a testament that the Armenian-Dutch relations, the mutually beneficial cooperation have been boosted after the democratic changes that took place in Armenia. This fact is stipulated in history with an unprecedented reality, when the Dutch parliament almost unanimously decided to apply to the government for opening an embassy in Armenia, Mnatsakanyan said. He said the opening of the Embassy of Netherlands in Yerevan will open a new chapter in bilateral relations. He also presented the positive trends of economic indicators. According to FM Mnatsakanyan, exports from Armenia to the Netherlands grew nearly 26% in one year. Overall, trade grew 9,2% in 2019, he said. Inbound tourism from the Netherlands to Armenia grew 23% in one year, and the Armenian FM expressed certainty that tourism can further be boosted if direct flights are opened. Speaking about parliamentary diplomacy, the FM recalled Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyans 2019 official visit to the Netherlands where the Armenia-Netherlands Friendship Circle was created. The Armenian FM noted that Armenia and the Netherlands have great potential for cooperation in the economic sectors, particularly in agriculture, waste reprocessing, management of water resources, high technologies and healthcare. Mnatsakanyan found it noteworthy that the Armenian-Netherlands cooperation in fighting illegal migration is exemplary. Our bilateral relations are also highlighted in terms of the Armenia-European Union partnership. In yearend 2019 both chambers of the Dutch parliament unanimously ratified the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. This is a testament to the important support of the Netherlands, one of the founding countries of the EU, to the deepening of our partnership with the EU. We are happy to note the deepening of cultural ties between our countries, he said, noting that Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyans stories that were translated in the Netherlands have caused significant interest among Dutch readers. Mnatsakanyan then gifted a copy of the book to Blok. We discussed also the prevention agenda and the importance of advancing it. Our two countries also have rich experience in cooperating in international arenas, and we are ready to make practical steps to further develop it. We have great potential for cooperation in the spheres of justice, science and education. Joint projects are already being implemented in this direction. We are planning to expand cooperation and include new sectors, for example environmental protection, the Armenian FM said. Mnatsakanyan and Blok also discussed pressing issues of the international agenda. We concur that all parties involved must make maximum efforts for de-escalating the situation and stabilizing it. He said that Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyans visit to the Netherlands is planned to take place in spring. Reported by Anna Gziryan Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan New swap lists are being shared via the OSCE and ICRC, awaiting confirmation by the other side. Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group's political subgroup Oleksiy Reznikov has said Ukraine intends to ensure the return of all its citizens held in the occupied Donbas, Crimea, as well as in the Russian Federation. "Ukraine has a position to take back all of our people who are being held in prisons both in Crimea, the Russian Federation, and territories that are today beyond Ukraine's control in certain areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. [...] We have a clear confirmation of which Ukrainians are being held, and where, including our Crimean Tatar citizens of Ukraine," the official told the Novoye Vremya news outlet. Read alsoWomen held in occupied Donbas prisons describe "inhumane conditions" media According to Reznikov, the relevant lists are being transmitted through the OSCE and the International Committee of the Red Cross and are currently awaiting confirmation by the other side. 966 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard If Donald Trump cared about any American citizen being corrupt, he would have gone to our law enforcement agencies and the State Department to have them look into it. He would not have gone to the newly-elected president of Ukraine, a young, inexperienced former reality show star who campaigned on solving the corruption problems that came with being a satellite of the Soviet Union. As a Republican witness, EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified, Trump wanted the announcement. He had to announce the investigations, Sondland said during the House impeachment inquiry, referring to Zelensky. He didnt actually have to do them, as I understood it. As we know, Trumps plan failed. The Republican effort to have Hunter Biden testify before the Senate is Trumps plan B. A day of Trumps lawyers sucker-punching Hunter Biden wouldnt have the same effect as a bona fide announcement that Biden was being investigated in Ukraine, but it would be enough to breitbart an ad for the campaign. If Mitch McConnell cared about holding a fair impeachment trial, he would have allowed the two ingredients that make a case in an American trial: witnesses and documentary evidence. He and 52 Republican sheep did what Trump wanted allow him to brag about how he had all the evidence and House managers had nothing. It was the sort of taunt one expects of a schoolyard bully not of an American president. No House Manager in the history of this country had the challenges that todays House Managers have. And they all rose to the challenge. Lead manager Adam Schiff rose to the challenge of advocating for America, beginning with an introduction to why the impeachment power makes us an extraordinary experiment in democracy and how that distinguishes us from the tyrannies that seek to drag us down in the mud with them. As each House Manager presented their portion of the case, we saw what a commitment to justice can produce. We saw women and men present the facts they knew based on the information they could pry loose solely because career civil servants were more committed to America than to Donald Trump. Im not saying that America is perfect. We have problems many of them more pronounced because of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Weve always been about striving to be better and do better. Trump wants us to settle for being just like the criminal states his heroes rule. This is not who any of us are, regardless of our political leanings. The ideas of serving the people and being accountable to them are what Adam Schiff and the House Managers are fighting for. That, and our national security. Adam Schiff explained it all in part one of the House Managers opening statement. He said why impeachment is the lynchpin to democracy and why it applied in Donald Trumps case. He gave it his all, as did each House Manager who followed. Trump is just Vladimir Putins instrument seeking to destroy the things that made America a great country even to those of us who strove to make it even better for more people by noting and commenting on the things that need improvement. Trump, McConnell and Trumps lawyers did all they could to hide the information that is usually available in a trial but its not only about covering up what Trump did. Its also about covering up the consequences to our national security. Schiff did an excellent job of explaining why we should care about Ukraine. Truthfully, its because decent people dont turn on their friends. There are also some reasons that have as much to do with our national security as with whether we are as good an ally as we want of our allies to be to us. Ukraine isnt just some blip on the European continent. Its a country that gave up nukes following the Soviet Unions collapse because we told them that wed protect their territorial integrity and that benefitted us because it was part of a Russia containment strategy. It matters because we are less likely to see war fought on our soil. It also matters because our allies are watching and if we can turn on one, it begs the question: whos next? If anyone had doubts about how serious this is, one need only look at what took place on Tuesday. Trumps lawyers lied, over and over again. They lied about the House Managers, about the Houses impeachment process, about the presidents rights in that process, and about the rights that the Republican minority had. Republican Senators dutifully voted in support of those lies, and to top it all off, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court admonished both sides for inappropriate language for such a deliberative body. With respect to the Chief Justice, McConnells Senate was anything but the reputed deliberative body it once was. This solemn process was turned into a mockery of American justice as every Republican voted to oppose witnesses and documents because they didnt want Donald Trump to get mad and find a Roy Moore to primary challenge them. I say this with the utmost respect for the position of Chief Justice. John Roberts let America down because he let Trumps lawyers lie to the Senate and get away with it. The House Managers will continue to present their case, facts and using video of previous testimony to tell the Senate about Trumps effort to cheat his way back into the White House in 2020 using a virtually identical playbook to the one that he and Putin used in 2016. Since Trump approved of the frat boy performance provided by Pat Cipollone and friends; theyll probably avoid the facts and the law, since neither are on Trumps side. Its likely Alan Dershowitz will be there, intending to drive a dagger through the Constitutions heart while trying to claim hes the Constitutions advocate. We may see some alternative facts and alternative law. Well probably see Republican Senators abandon their roles as jurors for longer periods because sitting quietly and listening to someone who isnt a Fox commentator is really, really hard. Of course, in a real court room, this would be unacceptable. If a juror just got up and walked out in the middle of any part of a trial, theyd be dismissed. We all know that the odds are stacked against the Senate voting to remove Trump. It looks like the people will have to do the Senates work for it. We have to take note of Melanie Zanonas illuminating Politico article Schiff may have mischaracterized Parnas evidence, documents show. Subhead (understated): Unredacted material shows he may have referred [Ed.: strongly suggests he referred would be more like it] to the wrong Mr. Z.' One thing we know about House Intelligence Committee Chairman and impeachment manager Adam Schiff: the man has a strained relationship with the truth, but it doesnt bother him. It doesnt bother him at all. Nor does it bother his media enablers. They freely disseminate his line and never call him to account. Mark Hemingway pauses over the Politico story and the larger media context in the RCP column Media Keep Giving Adam Schiff the Benefit of a Doubt. Hemingway asks: How many times does the California congressman who spearheaded the Democrats impeachment effort and is prosecuting the case in the Senate have to mislead the public before the press stops cutting him so much slack? As Hemingways column makes clear, the press is on Schiffs team. The press is his public relations arm. Hemingway doesnt put it that way, but that is the moral of the story. Hemingway puts it this way: Trump does seem like a special case when it comes to policing honesty. However, the media have long portrayed Washington as a place where Democrats never screw up and Republicans always pounce and these double standards were on display well before Trump descended down that golden Trump Tower escalator. Police in Massachusetts have arrested a woman accused of repeatedly defecating in front of a sporting goods store. Andrea Grocer, 51, was caught in the act early Wednesday morning, after officers spotted her using the parking lot in front of Natick Outdoor Store on North Avenue as a bathroom. Grocer, from Ashland, was arraigned later that day on eight counts of wanton destruction of property. Caught with her pants down: Andrea Grocer, 51, is pictured left sobbing in her mugshot after being arrested for allegedly defecating in a Massachusetts parking lot multiple times The owner of Natick Outdoor Store on North Avenue complained to the police earlier this month that someone has been pooping in the parking lot and leaving piles of feces behind The stomach-turning case began unfolding in December, when Henry Kanner, the owner of the store, reported finding piles of feces in the parking lot on multiple occasions. At first, the waste was thought to have come from an animal, but toilet papers and wipes were located nearby, suggesting that the culprit was human. Police increased patrols in the area hoping to apprehend the suspect, and just before 7am on Wednesday they busted Grocer with her pants down. An officer who had been staking out the parking lot wrote in an arrest report that he saw Grocer defecating out of the driver's side door of her 2018 Lincoln MKX SUV, reported NBC10. The woman drove off after a few seconds but was quickly pulled over by the cop, who told her he had seen what she had done. A cop was staking out the area on Wednesday when he allegedly caught Grocer pooping out of her car. When he pulled her over, Grocer claimed she suffers from irritable bowel syndrome According to the report, Grocer claimed she suffers from irritable bowel syndrome - a chronic intestinal disorder - and was on her way to a home where she works as a nanny. The officer pointed out to Grocer that the area is dotted with public restrooms, to which the woman reportedly apologized and promised to never use the parking lot as a bathroom again. Grocer's employer later confirmed to the police that the nanny has access to the bathroom at the house. In her booking photo, the suspected vandal appears to be sobbing. Grocer's lawyer described the woman as a a 'pillar of her community' during her arraignment on Wednesday 'Im so happy they arrested her,' Kanner, the sporting goods store owner, told MetroWest Daily News. 'I have no idea who she is.' During her arraignment on Wednesday, Grocer's lawyer described the woman as a a 'pillar of her community' but offered no explanation for her alleged conduct. The 51-year-old was released from jail without bail. She is due back in court on March 2. There have been other cases in the past involving people answering the call of nature outdoors. Former New Jersey school superintendent Thomas Tramaglini, 42, in October 2018 pleaded guilty to repeatedly pooping on the Holmdel High School property. His attorney said his client suffers from a medical condition that affects his bowel movements when he runs called 'Runners Diarrhea.' One of Grocer's photos available online depict her in running gear with a racing bib attached to her shorts. The Oberstown Childrens Detention Campus was facing legal claims from third parties with a potential liability of 4.79m at the end of 2018. That is according to newly released financial statements for Oberstown based at Lusk, Co Dublin which confirm that the amount paid out in legal fees to lawyers soared more than 20-fold to 540,736 in 2018. The legal fees concerned the costs of dealing with third party claims and an additional 16,300 was paid out in settlements during the year. Oberstown is the countrys national facility for the detention of children remanded or sentenced by the criminal courts and currently houses the teen killers, Boy A and Boy B serving sentences for the murder of 14 year old Ana Kriegel on May 14th 2018. On the contingent liabilities facing Oberstown, the accounts state that there are a number of legal cases ongoing against the detention campus. The note in the 2018 financial statements states that the largest liability facing Oberstown relates to the provision of 4.79m for legal claims. The note states that on an annual basis the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) through the Dept of Children and Youth Affairs on behalf of Oberstown allocate funds to cover the legal claims when they are settled. The operational and administrative costs associated with running Oberstown in 2018 totalled 21.7m - or an average cost of 162,820 for the 132 children made up of 125 male and seven female that were detained at the centre throughout 2018. The operational and administrative average cost per the authorised 54 places was significantly higher at 402,894 for the year. The total number of staff employed totalled 239 and staff costs made up the bulk of the operational costs at 16.4m. One staff member received between 100,000 and 110,000 in pay. The total costs for Oberstown came to 26.9m for 2018 when retirement benefits and non-cash depreciation are taken into account During 2018, nine external recruitment campaigns were held resulting in the hiring of 21 new staff. The staff costs include agency costs and they increased by 40% from 1.12m to 1.57m. The amount paid out in professional fees increased by 46% from 761,023 to 1.13m. The professional fees relates to several services including all medical services comprising GP, dental, optician, physiotherapist, occupational healthcare, chiropodist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and counselling. It also covers legal fees, accountancy fees, and training and tuition fees. "We lost a lot of people, and we're trying to rebuild," said Daniel Hellerstein, an economist who researches the economic impact of soil conservation. Hellerstein was one of the retiring employees who was temporarily hired back but remains in Washington. "It's going to be difficult because the slots we need are fairly skilled, and there's a lot of competition out there for qualified people." Showman Nick Kyrgios blasted Frenchman Gilles Simon off court at the Australian Open Thursday, with his raw talent shining through in front of an adoring home crowd. The 24-year-old had the measure of the veteran early on then lost concentration and became agitated before refocusing to win 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on his favoured Melbourne Arena. It set up a third-round clash with either Russian 16th seed Karen Khachanov or Sweden's Mikael Ymer, with the winner of that match on course to meet world number one Rafael Nadal in round four. "I definitely lost my way a little bit... but I decided to refocus," Kyrgios said of his mini-meltdown in the third set. "I could have gone to a very dark place in the fourth set but I put it away." A seemingly more mature Kyrgios has spoken of how the bushfire crisis in his homeland has given him perspective and focus, and that he felt he was playing for the nation rather than just himself. And with the roars of the crowd ringing in his ears, he broke the Frenchman in the first game and consolidated by holding serve. Kyrgios looked sharp and broke again for 5-2 then served out the set, sending down five aces and, crucially, making only two unforced errors. Simon was struggling with his serve and the Australian broke again for a 1-0 lead in the second set, making some big shots when it counted. It went with serve before Kyrgios, watched again by his ATP Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, won the set with another rocket serve. He broke Simon again early in the third set, letting out a huge "C'mon!" But the Frenchman broke back as Kyrgios started to lose concentration in game eight, berating himself and gesturing to his box as frustrations kicked in. He lost the set as his focus drifted and he yelled at his box: "Of all the things you could say, 'Stay tough'. Thanks man, thanks. That's what I get, every break point, 'Stay tough'. Wow." But the Australian conquered his mental demons to regroup, getting a crucial break to go 6-5 up in the fourth and completing victory with a big ace, his 28th of the match. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This winter, Rabbi Mendel Blecher of Chabad of The Woodlands will offer Judaisms Gifts to the World, a new six-session course by the acclaimed Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), unearthing the Jewish roots of some of the most cherished values of Western civilization. At a moment in which we are witnessing a rise in antisemitism, it is important to explore what has been the true impact of Jews and Judaism on civilization, Rabbi Blecher, the local JLI instructor says, Understanding Judaisms historical contribution gives us a deeper appreciation for its continuing relevance, and a better understanding of how the moral and ethical institutions we take for granted, came into being. Judaisms Gifts to the World explores tensions between social and individual responsibility, the implications of monotheism, the sacredness of human life, the meaning of social equality, how Sabbath observance laid the groundwork for the modern weekend, and the underpinnings of our morality. It is widely known that Judaism gifted monotheism to the world, but for many, thats where the Jewish contribution ends, explained Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman, the director of curriculum at JLIs New York headquarters, who is also the courses editor. Even this contribution is often viewed rather narrowly, as a religions contribution, which is only meaningful to those interested in religion. But as this course demonstrates, the universal change effected by the Torah is much broader. Dr. Darrin M. McMahon, the Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor of History at Dartmouth College, has praised Judaisms Gifts to the World as timely and important: There can be no doubt that the Jewish contribution to the civilizations of the West and the world is immense. At a time when noxious critics would doubt that contribution, or deny it altogether, the Jewish Learning Institute has offered a timely reminder of the many gifts the Jewish tradition has bestowed. Judaisms Gifts to the World is a gift of its own, providing a scintillating course in the history of ideas and culture by leading experts from around the globe. The course has two attendance options; Tuesday evenings starting on Jan. 28 at 7:15pm, and Wednesday mornings starting on Jan. 29 at 11am. As with all JLI programs, Judaisms Gifts to the World is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship. Interested students may call 281-719-5213 or visit www.myJLI.com for registration and for other course-related information. Dr Irwin Gill, consultant paediatrician with special interest in neurodisability, Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) at Temple Street. 8am I arrive at CHI at Temple Street where I work as a consultant paediatrician, having recently returned home from Australia. I attend a hospital meeting to hear about new patients, or any overnight events. 9.15am I chair the Rehabilitation Huddle, a meeting for the team providing rehabilitation to children with acquired brain injury. These injuries are most commonly caused by road traffic accidents or falls, but there are many other causes. After the neurosurgical team has managed the initial injury, rehabilitation begins. Involving a team of experts, rehabilitation is about helping people overcome barriers to participating in activities which are important to them. With many professions involved, rehab plans for young people can quickly become complex. We meet regularly to keep things coordinated and to discuss plans for each child. 10am I do a ward round with the medical team. We discharge children well enough to go home and plan further treatment for those who arent quite ready. Most patients admitted with acute illnesses get home quickly; those in hospital following brain injuries can be with us for months. The period following injury is an important time where recovery can happen with the right rehabilitation support. This is an under-resourced area for children in Ireland. Children often dont look any different after a brain injury (its sometimes referred to as an invisible disability) so it can be hard for friends and teachers to understand when there are problems such as tiredness, learning problems, low mood, headache, and difficulty controlling impulses. 1pm We break for lunch Temple Streets canteen is great! 1.30pm The multidisciplinary Spina Bifida Team meets for our clinic. Ireland has a higher rate of spina bifida than almost any other country, and Temple Street is the national centre for their care. Children with spina bifida have many different doctors and therapists involved in their care, who all come together to one clinic to improve care and reduce separate appointments. 6pm When the clinic finishes I head for my bike or the Dart. I try to get to the gym, but the couch and a good book sometimes get the better of me. www.cuh.ie SEATTLE One person was killed and seven others were wounded in a shooting in downtown Seattle on Wednesday, just as the streets were teeming with people during the evening rush hour, officials said. Investigators were still searching for more than one suspect, Carmen Best, Seattles police chief, said during a news conference nearly three hours after the 5 p.m. shooting. She said the attack stemmed from a dispute in front of a McDonalds and that it was not a random shooting. The police were reviewing security camera footage and other forensic evidence to try to get answers, said the chief, who described the sequence of events as murky. It was not immediately clear how many people opened fire. I dont see any future danger to the public, Chief Best said. Among the survivors, the most serious injuries were suffered by a 55-year-old woman, who was listed in critical condition, and a 9-year-old boy, who was initially listed in serious condition but improved to satisfactory condition later in the night, authorities said. Global Molecular Diagnostics Market Can Grow at 8.57 CAGR Between 2016 and 2025 With Molecular Diagnostics Industry Research Report: Information by Product (Reagents & Kits, Instruments and Services & Software), by Technique (Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Isothermal Amplification, Hybridization, Sequencing, Microarray and others), by Application (Infectious Diseases, Oncology, Genetic Tests and others), by End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Diagnostic Laboratories and others) and by Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa) Molecular Diagnostics Market Highlights Molecular diagnostics are defined as a range of techniques that are used to analyze biological markers in the genome and proteome. A new report on the global molecular diagnostics market, published by Market Research Future (MRFR), states that this market can register growth at 8.57% CAGR during the forecast period (2016-2025). Regarding monetary value, the worth of this market can be USD 16,319.09 Mn by the end of the forecast period. Latest Free Sample PDF Available @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1171 The big market drivers for the global molecular diagnostics market growth are advancements in molecular techniques, rising prevalence of infectious diseases, and the rising incidence of different types of cancer. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology can also boost market growth. Molecular diagnostics includes automated as well as easy-to-handle techniques. Hence, doctors prefer to use them, and patients find them helpful. Other factors enabling the global molecular diagnostics market growth include cost-effectiveness, easy portability, greater accuracy, and increasing funding from the government for research & development (R&D). However, stringent regulatory policies and the high price of diagnostics kits can constrain market growth. Market Segmentation The global Molecular Diagnostics Market segmentation encompasses application, end-user, product, and technique. MRFRs research on the market highlights many factors of the market in-depth. The application-based segmentation of this market can cover infectious diseases, genetic tests, oncology, and others. Regarding product, the market has been segmented into instruments, reagents & kits, and services & software. In the context of technique, the market has been segmented into polymerase chain reaction (PCR), hybridization, isothermal amplification, microarray, sequencing, and others. Based on end-user, the market has been segmented into diagnostic laboratories, hospitals & clinics, and others. In 2018, the hospitals & clinics segment was worth USD 4,078.09 Mn in 2018. Regional Segmentation A geographical outlining of the global molecular diagnostics market covers the Americas (North America & Latin America), Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The Americas segment is the most important regional market as North America is the most advanced region in the world (including Latin America) due to continuous technological breakthroughs and better medical facilities. The market is strong due to the increasing geriatric population, high healthcare spending, increasing number of patients with bone disorders, increasing government support for R&D, well-developed technology, and availability of advanced healthcare facilities in the region. The economies holding the potential to generate maximum revenue for the North American market are the USA and Canada. For the Latin American market, the same can be said for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. The market in Europe can be second-largest due to the availability of funds for R&D, increasing number of private diagnostic centers, rising support from the government for the life science sector, and increasing prevalence of lifestyle as well as chronic ailments during the forecast period. Due to reasons similar to the Americas, Western Europe is a bigger market compared to Eastern Europe. The strongest economies that can generate maximum revenue in this region are France, Germany, and the UK. During the forecast period, the Asia Pacific region can be the fastest growing regional market as developing economies like South Korea, India and China are emerging as major destinations for the outsourcing of clinical trials, drug manufacturing, and pathology testing. Maximum cancer deaths happen in China. Hence, it is an important market. Other vital markets in this region are Australia and Japan. An examination of the remaining countries in the Asia Pacific region featured in this report outlines the trends which can generate market revenue. In the MEA region, the market can grow steadily due to a lack of awareness of healthcare facilities, limited awareness about heart ailments, and poor access to medical treatment. Key Players Big players in the global molecular diagnostics market are Abbott Laboratories (USA), Agilent Technologies(California), Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD) (USA), Cepheid (USA), CLONIT SRL (Italy), Entwicklung, Konstruktion und Fertigung (EKF) Diagnostics (Germany), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), Hologic Inc. (USA), Illumina (USA), Novartis (Switzerland), QIAGEN N.V. (the Netherlands), Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany), and Thermo Fisher Scientific (USA). Latest Industry News Swedish incubator Colibri Ventures has launched as a new life sciences business incubator to support genomics tools, molecular diagnostics, and drug discovery startups. OBTAIN RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/molecular-diagnostics-market-1171 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Yemen Ports Authority Information Director Abdullah Al-Sharafi confirmed an increase of 14% in offloaded cargo over 2018 volumes, in addition to a 17% increase in the number of containers handled. Al-Sharafi said that the port had unloaded more than five million tons of cargo at its container terminal over the course of last year. Aden port also achieved an increase of 14% in dry cargo handling, registering 637,042.5 tons. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has provided the port with two cranes, each with a capacity of 60 tons, as part of the support extended to Yemen under the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY). This support includes ports in a number of different Yemeni governorates. Saudi Arabia has also provided one 60-ton-capacity crane each to Mocha and Mukalla ports, and one 30-ton crane each to Nishtun and Socotra ports. The importance of Saudi support lies in its power to raise the capacity and efficiency of Yemeni ports in general, thus improving flows of humanitarian aid, medical materials and commercial shipments into the country. The port of Aden resumed work in 2016 after a standstill of nearly 5 months. Located on the Gulf of Aden on the south coast of Yemen, it is one of the largest natural ports in the world. In 1950, Aden was the second busiest harbor in the world after New York in terms of the number of vessels entering the port. SOURCE Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen Puskhar Mukewar For the past few years, much has been said about the diminishing importance of the Union Budget. This is largely because the Budget is seen as a macroeconomic policy statement rather than a practical resource-allocation exercise. The positive side is that it shows that the industry is maturing and can stand on its own without government assistance. Also, steps like the goods and services tax (GST) have meant that there is no annual announcement of tax tweaks for the corporate sector. However, at times like now, when the economy is floundering, the Budget assumes greater importance. It shows the government's path out of the gloom. At this point, all eyes are on the government to resolve at least some of these issues and create some optimism in industry sectors, especially among small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SME exporters are looking for steps that will help them in a tough global environment. So, what can the Budget do to boost SME exports? Rationalise duty structure One of the key instruments to promote exports while ensuring that the imports are restricted is the duty drawback scheme. Successive governments have used the scheme to ensure that exporters do not lose out when buying input components. The duty drawback scheme offers a rebate on duties and tax on the materials used in manufacturing export goods. The idea is to ensure that exporters are able to offer competitive rates in the global market. However, while the duty drawback is a percentage of the export price of the product, it comes with a cap. So, for instance, the duty drawback on ballpoint pens and fountain pens is 4.2 percent, subject to a cap of Rs 270.7 per 1,000 pieces. What this means is that regardless of the value of the raw materials used in pens made for export, the exporter will only get Rs 270.7 as duty drawback. This acts as a disincentive to the exporter using high-quality input materials that will fetch a higher price. The other scheme intended to help exporters is the EPCG (Export Promotion Capital Goods), which allows duty-free import of capital goods on the condition that the importer ensures a certain quantum of exports in a specified time period. The EPCG scheme seems to be running out of steam, judging by the numbers. While the revenue foregone due to the EPCG scheme was at Rs 11,218 crore in FY2013, provisional figures suggest it dropped to Rs 3,220 crore in FY2019. What this means is that manufacturers are spending less on procuring capital goods to manufacture export products. To encourage exporters to look at more high value-added exports, the government will need to look at rationalising the duty structure. WTO-compliant export policies For the export-driven SME sector, the big event to look forward to in 2020 is the introduction of the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). The existing FTP is likely to end on March 31, 2020, and a new policy is expected soon after. Before the new FTP is announced, exporters believe that the government will allocate resources and make appropriate provisions for spending in the Budget. The World Trade Organization (WTO) frowns upon heavy government subsidies to exporters. So, while a certain degree of tax benefits can be offered to exporters, this may not be sufficient. The government needs to find a way around this and support exporters. Here are some ways to do that: Access to credit: It is important for small exporters to have access to credit. While there are some government schemes in place for this, the Budget could spell out what large banks and financial institutions can do to encourage small and medium exporters. Making credit access easy could be a big step in boosting exports. Plus, over the past few years, the Budget has dwelt upon the importance of fintech in making credit easily available. This year too, the industry hopes that fintech will receive a Raise awareness: The government can expand its existing schemes to educate exporters on international laws and standards, so that they know where they can sell their goods and services. A focus on market assistance and trade intelligence will help exporters identify and tap potential markets. When MSME exporters become part of the global value chain, they grow stronger, which, in turn, is good news for the country. Skills development: India has long had a manufacturing advantage over other countries through the easy availability of labour. However, this has largely been unskilled labour. To boost productivity and improve quality, it is essential to train the labour force. The government has recognised this need, and the Skill India mission is intended to provide industry with a large pool of skilled workers. This mission needs a further impetus. Export promotion councils sporadically offer upskilling and reskilling programmes. With greater budgetary allocation, these programmes can be beefed up to reach a larger number of workers. Technology upgrade: This has been a focus area for successive governments. MSME exporters need to be able to compete in digitally driven markets. They also need to be able to keep up with the rapidly changing dynamics of the world trade. But getting access to cutting-edge technology or even upgrading their existing technology requires funds. This is where the government can step in. There are technology upgradation funds already available for specific sectors such as textiles; these now need to be replicated in other sectors like plastics, marine, etc. The Budget is expected to increase funding to aid technology infusion that will help MSMEs modernise operations. Improve infrastructure: Industrial corridors, the Sagarmala network of water transport systems, the Bharatmala network of roads, dedicated freight corridors, and other projects were spoken about last year. However, budgetary allocation was far lower than expected, as the government pushed for public-private partnerships in infrastructure development. Towards the end of 2019, the government announced it would invest $1.4 trillion in infrastructure projects over the next five years. Such spending is imperative to boost the economy. While the government is likely to identify employment-creating infrastructure projects, it is also important that it looks at boosting trade-specific infrastructure such as warehousing and cold chain networks. Focus on intellectual property: Indian exporters have long been aware of the importance of intellectual property, thanks to the WTOs agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS). The National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy lays out the governments framework to bring all aspects of intellectual property rights under one umbrella. An important section of IPR is Geographical Indication (GI) tag. The GI tag is used on goods having a specific geographical origin and possessing qualities that can be attributed only to that geography; classic examples are Kolhapuri chappals and Tirupati laddus. GI has been given the status of intellectual property since the product gets more value commercially by its association with a place. When it comes to exports, the GI tag assumes greater value than generic goods. The government has been actively encouraging GI tagging, and a greater budgetary support will help exporters. The Budget is not a silver bullet that can kill negative sentiment and magically change economic fortunes overnight. However, it is a key indicator of the government's spending intentions, and industry hopes that it will show some positive steps in the coming year. By allocating resources towards education and skills development, the government can show that it is serious about sustainable, long-term economic growth, and boost Indias outbound trade in the process. (The author is Co-Founder and Co-CEO Drip Capital.) : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. The Myanmar military launched a ferocious crackdown against the countrys Rohingya Muslim population in 2017, driving around 740,000 into neighbouring Bangladesh. On Thursday the UNs International Court of Justice (ICJ) told Myanmar to take all measures within its power to prevent alleged genocide against the Rohingya. Here are key dates in the crisis. Army operations On August 25, 2017, Rohingya militants stage coordinated attacks on police posts in Myanmars Rakhine state, killing at least a dozen officers. The army retaliates with operations in Rohingya villages ostensibly to flush out insurgents. It says it killed 400 rebels but opponents say most of the dead were civilians. The United Nations says at least 1,000 people lost their lives in the first two weeks of the military operations. Refugee exodus By September 5 more than 120,000 Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh, overwhelming its ill-equipped refugee camps. There are already at least 200,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh from previous waves of violence. Suu Kyi breaks silence International anger mounts against Myanmar. Soldiers are accused of razing Rohingya homes and some world leaders allege ethnic cleansing. In her first statement on the crisis, Myanmars civilian leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi pledges on September 19 to hold rights violators to account but refuses to blame the army. Possible genocide Bangladesh and Myanmar on November 23 agree to start repatriating refugees. But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says conditions are not in place for their safe return and the process halts. UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein on December 5 warns of possible elements of genocide and calls for an international investigation. Courts and sanctions On August 25, 2018, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees stage protests to mark the first anniversary of their exodus. UN investigators call for the prosecution of Myanmars army chief and five other top military commanders for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. In November an attempt to repatriate 2,260 Rohingya fails as they refuse to leave without guarantees for their safety. Reporters jailed On September 3, two Reuters journalists who are accused of breaching Myanmars state secrets law while reporting on a Rohingya massacre are jailed for seven years. They will spend more than 500 days behind bars before being released on a presidential pardon. US sanctions On July 16, 2019, Washington announces sanctions against Myanmars army chief and three other top officers. About 3,500 Rohingya refugees are cleared to return home but none turn up to make the journey on August 22. Legal challenges mount On November 11 The Gambia files a lawsuit at the ICJ accusing Myanmar of genocide for its treatment of the Rohingya. Three days later the separate Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) green lights a full investigation into the persecution of the Rohingya. In the same week, a third case is filed by rights groups in Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Suu Kyi in court On December 10 The Gambia lays out its case at the ICJ with Suu Kyi personally leading Myanmars defence. She refutes accusations of genocide, denying misleading and incomplete claims and insisting Myanmar is dealing with an internal armed conflict. She admits though the army may have used excessive force. Court ruling Delivering its ruling on January 23, 2020, the ICJ orders Myanmar to take urgent steps to prevent alleged genocide and to report back within four months. Against the backdrop of a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Beijing that assessed Islamabads efforts to counter terror financing, China on Thursday said its close ally Pakistan has made visible progress and should be backed by the world community. Indias external affairs ministry declined to comment on the working of the multilateral watchdog, citing the confidentiality of its working, though spokesperson Raveesh Kumar noted that the FATFs last plenary meeting in October had expressed very serious concern at Pakistans overall lack of progress in implementing an action plan. Reports from Islamabad said a Pakistani delegation led by economic affairs minister Hammad Azhar had defended the countrys efforts to comply with the action plan at the meeting of FATFs Asia Pacific Joint Group in Beijing even as the country sought to gain more time to fully implement the plan. ALSO WATCH | No role for third party: India rejects Trumps 7th mediation offer on J&K Pakistan was placed in FATFs grey list in 2018 for not doing enough to counter the raising of funds by al-Qaeda, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Since then, it has missed several deadlines to implement the action plan. FATFs next plenary meeting, to be held in Paris from February 16, will decide whether to retain Pakistan in the grey list or move it to the black list, which will entail harsher sanctions. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a news briefing on Thursday he wasnt aware of the details of the FATF meeting but added: Pakistan has made all-out efforts to strengthen the domestic counter-terror financing regime with visible progress. Its political will and active efforts should be recognised and encouraged by the international community. We hope FATF will offer Pakistan constructive support and assistance in its continued efforts to improve its counter-terrorism financing system and effectively fight terrorist financing. China is the current president of FATF and co-chair of the Asia Pacific Joint Group. Geng added China will continue to uphold an impartial and constructive attitude in discussions. In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Kumar said India presumes that FATF will evaluate Pakistans progress on the basis of set criteria. You may recall that at the last plenary meeting in Paris in October, the body had expressed very serious concerns with the overall lack of progress by Pakistan to address its terror financing risks, he said. People familiar with developments said Pakistan is backing on support from China, Malaysia and Turkey to stymie any possible move to put it in the black list. The most likely outcome of the upcoming Paris meeting will be that Pakistan will remain in the grey list for at least another six months, they said. Facebook: Bexar County Sheriff's Office Texas Governor Greg Abbott thanked deputies from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office for arresting "one of Texas' most wanted gang members" in San Antonio. The BCSO announced the arrest on its Facebook page Sunday, stating the Sheriffs Habitual Offenders Team and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force worked together to arrest aggravated robbery suspect Xavier Johnson, 25, in the 500 block of Sunrise Canyon. A day after a Delhi court modified his bail conditions, Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad said on Wednesday that there will be 5,000 more protest sites like Shaheen Bagh across the country in the next 10 days. The Dalit leaders comment came while addressing a huge gathering at Deljis Shaheen Bagh to lend support to the women who have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for over a month. He appeared at the protest site holding a copy of the constitution. I promise you that in next days there will be at least 5,000 Shaheen Baghs across the country, he said according to PTI. He congratulated the women saying, This is not just a political agitation. We have to save the Constitution and unity of the nation. Azad hailed the women for staying put through the coldest winter in a century. On Tuesday, a Delhi court modified Azads bail conditions, allowing him to visit the national capital for medical treatment or election purposes. Earlier this month, the court had directed 33-year-old Azad, accused of giving inflammatory speeches during a protest against the CAA at Delhis Jama Masjid in December, not to visit Delhi for four weeks or hold any dharna till the assembly elections slated for February. Azad also has to register his presence before the station house officer (SHO), Fatehpur, every Saturday till February 16 in Saharanpur. The women of Shaheen Bagh have inspired copycat protests in several other places such as Kolkata, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Ranchi among others. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court gave the Centre four weeks to reply to the 144-odd petitions challenging the controversial law which its opponents say is unconstitutional because it makes religion a test of citizenship. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Airbus Helicopters Romania (AHRO), part of the Airbus group, has recently signed a five-year framework agreement with the Ministry of Defence of Bulgaria for the provision of integrated logistical support services to ensure the airworthiness of the Airbus helicopter Dauphin and Panther, the company announced in a press release issued for AGERPRES on Thursday. "This contract continues the excellent collaboration of Airbus Helicopters in Romania with the Government in Sofia. Last year, I handed over to the Bulgarian Naval Forces a N3 + Dauphin helicopter which we reconditioned in Brasov. We now continue with this extended contract for the Panther and Dauphin fleets. Bulgaria is an important country for Airbus, being one of the largest Airbus helicopter operators in the region. I assure our partners of the full involvement so that the Naval and Air Force can rely, under the best conditions and at all times, on the helicopter fleet," states Georges Durdilly, General Manager of Airbus Helicopters in Romania. According to the contract, the services provided to the customer by AHRO include the replacement of equipment in case of malfunction, the delivery of equipment and machinery, major equipment repairs and inspections. In addition, Airbus is expected to organize theoretical and practical courses for the Bulgarian Naval Forces personnel, technical assistance in the territory and remediation of defects, provision of equipment for temporary use and free technical consultancy on the operation and maintenance of helicopters. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 20:00:01|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TEHRAN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Regional developments are indicative of thaw of cold in the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, official IRNA news agency wrote in an analytical note on Thursday. The recent "positive" gestures could be a prelude to the end of decades-long "diplomatic upset" between the two countries, it said. Over the past days, Saudi Arabian and Iranian foreign ministers made statements about their readiness for dialogue over reducing strain in the ties and de-escalation of tensions in the region. On Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud announced that Riyadh will be "conditional" ready for talks with Iran. In a reaction, his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed dialogue with the regional states aimed at alleviating conflicts. "Iran remains open to dialogue with its neighbors and we announce our readiness to participate in any work which benefits the region," Zarif tweeted in Arabic language on Thursday. In the meantime, Head of Iran's Presidential Office Mahmoud Vaezi on Wednesday said that "maintaining amicable ties with the neighbors, particularly with Saudi Arabia, tops Iran's policy." "We had good relations with them in the past. Over the past years, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump took the office (in 2016), Saudi Arabia has avoided diplomatic interaction with Iran and has adopted aggressive positions against the Islamic republic," he added. For decades, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been involved in power struggle and expansion of their sway across the Middle East, extending from Lebanon through Syria and Iraq to Yemen. They have shut down their diplomatic missions in the capitals of both states and continued war of words and proxies. However, efforts of mediation in the region are underway and with the "possible face-to-face dialogue of the two neighbors, the region would (re)experience peace and stability," IRNA added. Enditem BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23 By Samir Ali Trend: Some 83 foreigners received refugee status in Azerbaijan, head of the Azerbaijani State Migration Service Vusal Huseynov said. Some 2,101 people live in the country in accordance with the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani State Migration Service. "Despite there are citizens of various countries who have received refugee status, most of them are citizens of Afghanistan, Huseynov said. Among the refugees there are also citizens of Iran, Syria, Russia and Egypt." A poll conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) ahead of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, saw 36 percent of French respondents say something like a Holocaust could happen again in the U.S today, compared to 34 percent who believe it could happen in France. Newsweek reports in its article A THIRD OF FRENCH PEOPLE THINK NEW HOLOCAUST COULD HAPPEN IN U.S.: POLL that some 52 percent of French people believe a Holocaust-like event could happen in another European country. The poll also revealed 43 percent of French people believe there are a "great deal" of neo-Nazis currently living in the U.S., compared to less than a third (31 percent) saying only a few Nazis currently live there. The poll suggests that French people believe neo-Nazism is more prevalent in the U.S. than in their own country, with 30 percent saying there are many neo-Nazis in France. Gregory Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, said the results also showed how some French people still have an "appalling" lack of knowledge about the Holocaust. The survey shows that around one in five French people (19 percent) think that less than one million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, with 6 percent believing the death toll was less than 100,000. A majority of French people (57 percent) said they did not know that the actual number of Jews that were killed was six million. When the data is broken down to answers from Millennials and Generation Z, the figure rises to 69 percent. The survey also reveals that 10 percent of all French respondents and nearly one quarter (23 percent) of Millenials and Generation Z believe that either the Holocaust is a myth or the reported number of deaths is greatly exaggerated. "The good news is that a majority stated the importance of teaching the Holocaust in schools in order to ensure it doesn't happen again," Schneider told Newsweek. The survey showed that 82 percent of all French respondents agreed it is important to teach the Holocaust in school, with 75 percent saying it should be compulsory. Schneider said it is more "complicated" to teach about lessons of the Holocaust in countries like France because they could be talking to pupils "about their grandparents" as well as raising moral questions such as what did they did the French people do during this time. "It is devastating to learn that younger generations do not understand the impact of the Holocaust. It was an attempted extermination of an entire people," added Matthew Bronfman, Claims Conference Task Force Chair for the Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey. "Without knowledge, how can we ensure that prejudice and unchecked hatred are confronted?" Schneider also raised the "concerning" issue that one quarter (25 percent) of all French people in the Millennial and Generation Z demographics have never heard of the term "shoah"a Hebrew term often used in France instead of "Holocaust"compared to 16 percent for all French respondents. "Once again, we are seeing a significant lapse in understanding about the Holocaust, a history that is critically important," Julius Berman, President of Claims Conference, added. "Our current education is not ample; it is failing us and the disturbing trend of Holocaust ignorance we are seeing globally demands increased education." A previous survey of American respondents conducted by Claims Conference in 2018 revealed that 58 percent of Americans said they believe something like the Holocaust could happen again in this country. DAVOS, Switzerland Venezuela's Juan Guaido pleaded for international support at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, saying the deepening crisis in Caracas was "comparative to Syria." His arrival in Davos comes exactly one year after the National Assembly leader took to the streets to declare himself the South American country's rightful interim president. At the time, it marked the boldest challenge to President Nicolas Maduro's leadership in years. But Maduro with the broad support of the military has refused to cede power. In an emotional address to world leaders at the forum, Guaido said the oil-rich but cash-poor country is facing an "international criminal conglomerate, and we need your help." Venezuela is in the midst of one of the Western Hemisphere's worst humanitarian crises in recent memory, with approximately 4.5 million people having fled the country since 2015 amid an economic meltdown. The extradition hearing for Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, got underway in Vancouver, Canada this week. Canadian authorities detained Meng in December 2018 at the behest of the US government, which is seeking her transfer on the basis of trumped-up fraud charges that carry a thirty-year prison sentence. Mengs seizure was bound up with the deepening economic and geo-strategic conflicts between US imperialism and China. Washington is determined to bully states around the world into banning the use of Huawei technology in the construction of their 5G mobile phone networks, and more generally to thwart Chinas emergence as a competitor in high-tech industries. This, in turn, is inseparable from Washingtons drive to block Chinas economic and geopolitical rise at all costs, including through preparations for military conflict. The Meng case has roiled relations between Ottawa and Beijing and also adversely impacted Canada-US relations, which have been strained by Trumps America First policies. Nevertheless, the Canadian ruling elites three-quarters of a century-old military-strategic partnership with Washington remains essential to the pursuit of its predatory imperialist ambitions across the globe. [Credit: Flickr.com, A4-Nieuws] The weeks hearing is to determine whether Mengs alleged actions would constitute a crime if they had been committed in Canada, a test known as double criminality. Should Canadas attorney-general, arguing on behalf of the US government, fail to prove double criminality, the US bid to extradite her will be null and void. The Crown, based on the US extradition request, has accused Meng of committing fraud by lying to senior HSBC executives about Huaweis relationship with an Iranian telecommunications company. This resulted, or so it claims, in HSBC clearing up to $100 million in transfers between 2010 and 2014 that violated Washingtons economic sanctions on Iran. In arguments presented Monday and Tuesday, Mengs defence team countered that the fraud accusation is a facade for US authorities to prosecute her for violating its punitive economic sanctions on Iran. Canada doesnt enforce foreign criminal law, stated Mengs lawyer Eric Gottardi. We simply cannot import that law and have it operate in Canada domestically. Its contrary to our values. Mengs legal team further argued that her alleged lies, even if proven, would not constitute fraud in Canada. They also pointed out that the alleged incident of fraud occurred at a meeting in a coffee shop in Hong Kong, making them beyond the reach of Canadian law, and only subject to US law because the US has asserted an expansive right to extra-territoriality rejected by most states. Meng, for her part, has denied any wrongdoing. Should British Columbia Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes rule that the double criminality requirement has been met, Mengs extradition hearing will advance to a second stage. Scheduled for June, this second stage is to hear arguments that Mengs detention at Vancouver International Airport on December 1, 2018 was unlawful. Mengs legal counsel contends that her rights were violated when Canada Border Services (CBSA) agents questioned her for three hours without ever informing her of the Canadian states intention to arrest her. In the process, the CBSA agents gained access to her personal telephone and other belongings, which they promptly handed over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), while denying Meng access to a lawyer. Mengs defence team accuses the Canada Border Security Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) of conspiring to conduct a covert criminal investigation. Mengs arrest, which came the same day US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting to try to bully Beijing into submitting to US trade demands, has severely strained Canadas relations with China. The Chinese government responded by detaining two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and later moved to block hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Canadian agricultural exports. Many of these trade restrictions are ongoing, When Justin Trudeau came to power in November 2015 one of the top items on his economic and diplomatic agenda was to open negotiations with Beijing on a free trade pact. This has now been effectively trashed. The politically motivated seizure of Meng was approved at the highest level of the Canadian state, although whether Trudeau was informed days or only hours in advance remains a matter of dispute. Canadas role as henchman for the US in its campaign against Meng and Huawei is yet more proof that it stands squarely behind Washington in its aggressive campaign to economically, diplomatically, and strategically isolate China. Canada is deeply involved in the Pentagons military operations and war preparations in the Asia-Pacific, including through its participation in provocative so-called freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea. The Trudeau government has agreed to a revised North American Free Trade Agreement, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, that is aimed at consolidating a US-dominated trade bloc against China and other rivals. It has also pledged to work with Washington to modernize the joint Canada-US North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) against purported Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic. Washington is nonetheless demanding Ottawa take an even more aggressive stance against China, especially on the issue of excluding Huawei from Canadas 5G network. In November, at the Halifax International Security Forum, US National Security Adviser Robert OBrien said that Canada-US security cooperation would be jeopardized if the Trudeau government allows Huawei to supply technology for Canada 5G network. Intelligence sharing between the two countries would be impacted if our close allies let the Trojan Horse into the city, declared OBrien. Since Mengs detention, and particularly in the lead-up to last falls federal election, the corporate media has waged a vicious anti-China campaign, with the aim of whipping up animosity toward China and justifying Canadas participation in US war preparations against Beijing. Countless articles have portrayed China as a bully and aggressor in the Meng affair, determined to compel Canada to capitulate to its demands through intimidation and lawlessness. However, a minority faction of the ruling elite is eager to see a reset and revival of Canada-China relations, above all because of the economic opportunities on offer. Last June, former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien proposed dropping the extradition case against Meng in exchange for the release of the two Canadians detained in China. Last month John Manley, the Deputy Prime Minister in the latter years of Chretiens government and the recently retired head of the Business Council of Canada, tried to revive the prisoner exchange proposal. Writing last week in the Globe and Mail, Eddie Goldenberg, Chretiens principal advisor throughout his decade-long ministry, argued that Trump had politicized the extradition case by suggesting Meng could be a bargaining chip in trade talks with China, and said that this left Canada with no other option but to let Meng go free. Advocates of dropping Mengs extradition note that Attorney General David Lametti has the legal authority to stop the proceedings at any time and has ultimate authority over all extradition requests. Lametti has indicated he will not get involved in the case until the extradition hearings conclude and Justice Heather Holmes rules on Mengs extradition. At a press conference Tuesday, Trudeau rejected the idea of a prisoner swap out of hand. We are a country of the rule of law, he asserted, and we will abide by the rule of law. This from the same prime minister who earlier this month voiced Canadas support for Washingtons illegal assassination of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani on Iraqi soila war crime that brought the Middle East to the brink of all-out war. The corporate media has used the occasion of Mengs hearing to renew its attacks on China, while expressing dissatisfaction, even exasperation, with the US for not doing more to limit the fallout from Beijings retaliation. The Globe and Mail, the traditional mouthpiece piece of Canadas financial elite, has repeatedly proclaimed Mengs arrest and the ensuing confrontation between Ottawa and Beijing a good thing, because they have dashed the Liberal governments delusions about China, and demonstrated Bejings true face to Canadians. In an editorial published last Saturday, it condemned any suggestion the Trudeau government defuse the crisis in Ottawa-Beijing relations by exercising its legal power to end Mengs extradition, saying that would be tantamount to giving in to extortion. But as indicated by the editorials title, Canada is facing Chinas brutal might and our main allythe USis AWOL, it went on to complain bitterly about Washingtons indifference to the economic and diplomatic costs Canada has incurred for serving as Washingtons accomplice. Canada needs Washingtons help and its heft, to take on Beijing, declared the Globe, but help hasnt been exactly forthcoming. The editorial went on to complain that after placing this case in Canadas lap the Trump administration went on to cut its own trade deal with China. It forgot all about the cost its Meng request imposed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 21:53:15|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close MADRID, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Nine people have been confirmed dead in storm Gloria which has affected eastern and northern parts of Spain for the past five days, Spanish State TV network RTVE reported on Thursday morning. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has confirmed that he would visit the affected areas after the number of victims rose. There are also four people reportedly missing as a result of the storm, with three in the Balearic Islands and one in the Catalan town of Palamos. Thursday morning saw flood waters cut the AVE high-speed railway link between northeast Spain and France while 45 roads remain closed in the region. Amid the storm, Balearic Islands have received the average rainfall for the entire month of January in just three days, while satellite photos show that the delta of the River Ebro, which is an important sight for wildlife and biodiversity, is almost entirely under water. Residents of the city of Malaga woke up to see their city covered in a blanket of white after a ferocious hailstorm, which has blocked the city streets. Photo: Twitter UPDATE: 11:10 a.m. B.C.'s Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Doug Donaldson, says no Canadians were on board a firefighting water tanker that crashed in Australia, killing three people. The C-130 Hercules aircraft was owned by Coulson Aviation of Port Alberni. The aircraft was assisting with wildfire response in the Snowy Monaro area of New South Wales. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of everyone involved in this incident. On behalf of all British Columbians, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the flight crew and to the staff of Coulson Aviation," said Donaldson. "The international firefighting community has rallied this year to help Australia during its catastrophic fire season. So far, 45 BC Wildfire Service staff have been deployed to Australia as part of the contingent of 172 Canadian firefighting personnel. "We will continue to respond to requests for assistance from our Australian friends during their extremely challenging fire season." Coulson issued a statement saying the aircraft had departed Richmond, NSW, with a load of fire retardant and that the company will be sending a team to the site. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three crew members on board." ORIGINAL: 6:45 a.m. Three American crew members were killed Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Coulson Aviation in Oregon said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the accident was extensive" but had few other details. The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, it's crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash, said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she had conveyed Australia's condolences to U.S. Ambassador Arthur Culvahouse Jr. Our hearts go out to their loved ones. They were helping Australia, far from their own homes, an embodiment of the deep friendship between our two countries, she said in a statement. Thank you to these three, and to all the brave firefighters from Australia and around the world. Your service and contribution are extraordinary. We are ever grateful, she added. The tragedy brings the death toll from the blazes to at least 31 since September. The fires have also destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 10.4 million hectares. Coulson grounded other firefighting aircraft as a precaution pending investigation, reducing planes available to firefighters in New South Wales and neighbouring Victoria state. Also Thursday, Canberra Airport closed temporarily because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of the city were told to seek shelter. The airport reopened after several hours with Qantas operating limited services, but Virgin and Singapore Airlines cancelled flights for the rest of the day. Plans for a fish farm were rejected after campaigners warned that fisherman could be lured to their deaths by fairies if the development went ahead. Ancient folklore was cited as a reason for planners to turn down an application to build a 12-cage salmon farm at a magical site off the coast of the Isle of Skye. Objections to the Organic Sea Harvest salmon farm were also lodged by the Scottish Fishermen Federation in conjunction with other industry lobby groups, and residents raised concerns about the impact on Skye's 1.8 million tourist industry. But a bizarre objection letter was sent to Highland Council planners by a group called Friends of the Eilean Fhlodaigearraidh Faeries, which signed the missive 'on behalf of the Flodigarry Fairies'. Picture of the fish farm off the North Coast of the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands The letter raised concerns about the fate of the mystical 'ashrai' - a sea fairy similar to a mermaid - which it was claimed have lived off the coast of Skye for 1,000 years. Once a century, the mystical creatures are said to be drawn to the surface of the water to bathe in moonlight. But campaigners claim the sea sprites 'fear for their lives', and that the cages would draw the fairies to the surface of the sea, causing them to melt. And a stark warning was issued that workers' lives could be put at risk by the creatures, who could 'lure them with promises of gold and jewels into the deepest part of the ocean'. The letter said: 'Ashrai live for hundreds of years and will come up to the surface of the water once each century to bathe in the moonlight which they use to help them grow. A view of Fairy Glen in Isle of Skye, Scotland. The island has a long history and association with fairies Objections to the Organic Sea Harvest salmon farm, pictured, were also lodged by the Scottish Fishermen Federation 'It is proven that the steel of the fish farm cages draws many ashrai to the surface, with only one result: they melt.' It warned that male fishermen would be in danger as the fairies 'will attempt to lure him with promises of gold and jewels into the deepest part of the ocean to drown or simply to trick him'. What are the ashrai? The ashrai are mythical creatures that are said to live in lakes or the sea. The aquatic figure, as per English folklore, is similar to a mermaid. The creature is said to be timid and is not able to stay out and survive in sunlight. They are thought to live for hundreds of years and in terms of their personalities are thought to be shy. They are usually depicted as female. Some locals have claimed the ashrai have been living off the the coast of of Skye for 1,000 years. Advertisement The eccentric letter also claimed seals living on the island are actually roanes - water elementals or mermen who take the form of seals. Famous 'magical misty' Skye landmarks were also mentioned, including its Fairy Pools, Dunvegan Castle's Fairy Flag and the Fairy Bridge. And it was warned that water spirits - called the 'Blue Men of the Minch' - and water birds called 'broobries' may also be in danger. The proposals were rejected after a six-hour meeting. A joint objection from the Scottish Fishermen Federation, Scottish White Fish Producers Association and the Mallaig and North West Fishermen's Association said the worry remains for the 'safety' of local fishermen. Concerns were raised about chemicals used in the salmon farming industry. Scottish National Heritage said that the farm would have an impact on the coast nearby but it was for the council to decide whether any environmental effect would impact on local policies. A spokesman for Highland Council said: 'They are not mentioned in the motion. Not mentioned as part of the debate. Not listed as an objector or mentioned in the report.' by Paul Wang More than 7,000 people are being held in various centres in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Many of them are very young. A former detainee testifies to unhygienic conditions and poor food quality. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Thousands of people rallied Wednesday evening in front of the Li Chi Kok Reception Centre to show solidarity with those detained inside. The vigil was organised ahead of the Lunar New Year by social worker sector lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun. Since the first protests broke out against extradition last June, the police have arrested over 7,000 people, many of them very young, some under the age of 18, held in various centres across the city, as well as Shenzhen, mainland China. One of the participants in last night's protest was a young man who was held at Lai Chi Kok and is now out on bail. He said that a Lennon Wall message board inside in support of the pro-democracy movement was removed. He explained that the centres hygiene conditions were poor, with rats and cockroaches inside the kitchen, and that detainees food was often undercooked. They could have cooked it well, but they chose to give us raw food, he said. They can try to kill us all. But as long as there is one of us left, we will keep fighting. Crowds also chanted Happy birthday after the organisers said it was the birthday of one of the detainees inside the centre on Tuesday. At 10 pm, when the prison lights were turned off, protesters sang Glory to Hong Kong, which has become the anthem of the protests. WATERLOO MercyOne Grand Crossing Family Medicine will open in March alongside existing tenants in the Grand Crossing complex in downtown Waterloo at 21 W. Jefferson St. The location will become the new site of the current Franklin Street clinic. The transition will take place in March. Our current MercyOne clinic on Franklin Street was forced to find a new home after an unexpected change in our lease, said Jeff Halverson, Vice President of MercyOne Medical Group-Northeast Iowa, in a release. We were able to take advantage of a great opportunity to join this new development and continue to provide care downtown. The new family medicine clinic will be located in the commercial space on the first floor of the Grand Crossing residential development in Suite 103, neighboring Jimmy Johns and Sidecar Coffee. Hawkeye Community Colleges new Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center is just across the street. We are very excited to remain part of downtown Waterloo, said Nicole Miller, a nurse practitioner who has seen patients at the Franklin Street site for the past year and a half. With the many new residential properties nearby, visitors to downtown and easy access from Highway 218 and 63, were in a perfect spot to provide access to care. Millers current patients can continue to schedule their appointments by calling (319) 272-6100. She also is accepting new patients. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The head of the World Health Organisation on Thursday said there was "no evidence" at the moment of a deadly new virus in China spreading between humans outside of China. "Until this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesn't mean it won't happen," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 400 Foundation is a Not for profit, faith based foundation working to advance economic equality in New York Citys development and construction Industry. Faith Leaders are stepping up to address 400 years of economic injustice by promoting Jobs and opportunities for men and women of color in New York City development and construction industry. 400 Foundation has initiated a dialogue with city, state elected officials to remove burdensome, prohibitive regulations and provide technical assistance that would give entrepreneurs a path to success and give minority owned development and construction firms in New York City, greater access to capital. Schelton Assoumou, the Managing Director of Brownstone NYC fully supports all activities initiated or sponsored by 400 Foundation. He was one of the invitees at the Nov.15,2019 Moving the Dream Forward Luncheon that was sponsored by Citigroup and held at Citi Groups Global Headquarters in New York City. This Luncheon was seeking to raise $3 Million for several foundation Programs such as: A 400 Foundation Think Tank/Task Force The 400 Skills Pipeline The 400 Business Accelerator The Faith based Development REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) Supporting the 400 Forward Legislative Push The event was supported by Citigroups Crystal Mc Gary and Raymond J. McGuire and Real Estate Board of New York Jacqui Williams In 2020. Based on his personal story, Schelton intends to launch ASK Second Chance Foundation(ASK) in the Spring 2020. ASK will be a platform to execute recent criminal justice reform initiatives and create an execution vehicle to outreach programs such as the 400 Foundation, Marshall Project, STRIVE, etc. For example, ASK will provide job training, professional certificates and licenses for a new career, financial literacy, affordable housing for individuals dealing with the criminal justice. My only instruction has been to arrive at the scene of the death of former director of the National Security Service Georgi Kutoyan as operatively as possible and protect the site of the incident. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during a question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament today. When I was reported on the alarm about the death of Georgi Kutoyan, after which the police left for the scene of the incident, my only instruction was to arrive at the scene of the incident as operatively as possible and protect the site. The investigation will show the extent to which the scene of the incident was as the police recorded, Pashinyan stated. The Prime Minister said the Investigative Committees official version is suicide which leads to very delicate situations (the action that led to death is suicide). On January 17, former director of the National Security Service of Armenia Georgi Kutoyan was found dead in a Yerevan apartment, and with a gunshot wound. A criminal case has been instituted under the elements of inciting suicide. Patna (Bihar) [India], Jan 23 : "They should go wherever they want," Bihar Chief Minister and JDU supremo Nitish Kumar said on Thursday when asked of Prashant Kishor and Pavan Verma's repeated questions about the party's stand's on the newly enacted Citizenship Act. "It is their personal decision. They should go wherever they want. We don't have an objection. Don't look at JDU in the context of statements by some people. JDU works with determination. We have a clear stand and don't have any confusion," the Chief Minister told reporters here. "If they have something to tell, they should come and discuss it within the party. They should go wherever they want. They have my good wishes," he said. JDU spokesperson and national general secretary Pavan Verma has questioned his party's alliance with the BJP in Delhi Assembly polls while Kishor has more than once made his differences with the party known on the issue of the amended Citizenship Act, and National Register of Citizens. Art fairs are for looking, looking and more looking. They offer the concentrated absorption of the visual, cultural and historical, compressed into one location. A manageable size helps, along with a high degree of quality and kaleidoscopic diversity. The 66th Winter Show, located in the Park Avenue Armory, has size on its side the large but not too large Wade Thompson Drill Hall along with a goodly amount of quality from 72 exhibitors. And the fair signaled its intent to diversify by changing its name from the Winter Antiques Show last year. The present incarnation needs to mix things up much more, especially where non-Western art is concerned. A pair of newcomers, the dealers Patrick & Ondine Mestdagh, are doing their bit with a display of art and artifacts from Australia, Indonesia, Africa, India and Japan that resembles a kind of global kunstkabinett. Dealers were also encouraged to combine older and contemporary material wherever possible. At Tambaran, for example, ritual objects including a buffalo beaded helmet mask from the Bamun people of present-day Cameroon are paired with recent confetti-like paintings involving hanji Korean rice paper by the artist Sung Hee Cho. Sticking to Japan, Erik Thomsen has done a stellar job, contrasting groups of lacquer tea caddies or baskets by pre-war bamboo masters with large screens and scrolls, often from other periods. Veteran journalist Priya Ramani, whose allegations of sexual misconduct against a Union minister had triggered a storm, on Thursday said the #MeToo campaign has resulted in women speaking out everywhere about the sexual harassments they face. Since the launch of the #MeToo campaign three years back, there were 35 million tweets the world over till 2019 on this issue, she said quoting a UN data. Addressing a session of the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet, Ramani said this is only the 'tip' of the overall situation. Around 200 women had spoken out as part of the #MeToo campaign in India, the scribe said. "We have reached such a stage where women are not afraid to speak out." Ramani has been fighting a defamation case for her charges against the minister who denied the charge and later resigned from the cabinet. After the scandal involving Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein hit the headlines in the US in 2017, the #Me Too campaign began in that country in which celebrities spoke about their travails in the hands of influential people. The campaign soon spread to India especially in the arena of Bollywood and the Media. Speaking on the topic "2020 Vision: Being Woman", the editor and commentator said women were mostly seen in flights as attendants in the past, now one-third of the pilots of a particular private airline are women. "Women are also flying fighter jets," she pointed out. The journalist complimented West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for fielding 17 women candidates in last Lok Sabha elections, many of whom had won. Writer Githa Hariharan, whose 'The Thousand Faces of Night' had won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for the best first novel in 1993, said "You need to teach your son equality and respect. Textbooks will help in educating a young boy." To a question, women's rights activist Anuradha Kapur said, "I wonder if hanging Nirbhaya murder convicts will change society. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 22:31:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MANILA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened on Thursday to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States if the U.S. "will not correct" the cancellation of visa of his former aide and now senator Ronald Dela Rosa. "I'm warning you. This is the first time. (If you do not correct that) one: I will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement," Duterte said in a speech in Leyte province. Duterte made the threat after the U.S. cancelled the U.S. visa of Dela Rosa, Duterte's former police chief who implemented Duterte's war on drugs. Dela Rosa told reporters that he believed his visa was cancelled because of his role in the war on drugs. Dela Rosa confirmed on Wednesday that his visa was cancelled without explanation. Duterte said he will cancel the VFA if the U.S. will not reverse its decision to cancel Dela Rosa's visa. Duterte said he is giving the U.S. government a month to reverse its cancellation of Dela Rosa's visa. The VFA, which took effect in 1999, allows U.S. military forces to conduct joint military exercises with Philippines troops on Philippine soil. The 2020 federal budget of the U.S. contains a provision banning the entry into the U.S. of personalities involved in the detention of Senator Leila De Lima, who has been detained over drug-related charges since February 2017. Duterte said he wants to bar the U.S. lawmakers involved in the crafting of the provision from entering the Philippines. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexicos two largest permanent funds will pump an all-time high of nearly $1.1 billion into state schools, hospitals and other programs in the coming budget year. The record distributions from the Land Grant Permanent Fund and Severance Tax Permanent Fund stem from investment gains and gushing inflows via taxes and royalties from oil production in southeast New Mexico. These funds are not only an engine to fund schools and government today, but also represent our states nest egg for the inevitable day when oil and gas revenues are less plentiful, State Investment Officer Steve Moise said in a statement. The combined distribution amount from the two permanent funds for the budget year that starts in July will be roughly $60 million higher than in the current fiscal year, when it broke the $1 billion mark for the first time in state history. In addition, the distributions represent $535 in tax savings for every New Mexico resident, according to the State Investment Council. That figure is calculated by looking at current state spending and determining how much would have to be made up through tax collections if there were no permanent fund distributions, SIC spokesman Charles Wollmann said. The record distributions come as lawmakers are prepared to consider a renewed attempt to divert more money from the $19.7 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund, the larger of the two funds, for home visiting and other early childhood programs. Past attempts to increase the funds annual distribution rate from 5% to 6% based on a rolling, five-year average of the funds total value for such programs have been stymied in the Senate, where critics say it would diminish the permanent fund for future generations. But backers describe the proposal, House Joint Resolution 1, as a worthwhile investment that could eventually lower high poverty rates in New Mexico. The more people learn about the fund, the more obvious it becomes, Rep. Antonio Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, one of the measures sponsors, said in a recent interview. However, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has proposed an alternative approach for funding early childhood programs, although at a somewhat lower level. It calls for $320 million of the states budget surplus to be funneled into a new early childhood endowment fund. That fund would also be administered by the SIC and would generate tens of millions annually, backers say. Overall, New Mexicos two largest permanent funds, combined, are the nations third-largest sovereign wealth fund, behind only the funds run by Alaska and Texas. At a glance The distributions from New Mexicos two largest permanent funds have steadily increased in recent years. Heres a breakdown by fiscal year: 2017 $838.5 million 2018 $899.6 million 2019 $968.2 million 2020 $1 billion 2021 $1.1 billion Source: State Investment Council The Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin went toe to toe last night in the first of two head-to-head debates ahead of the February 8 general election. The debate, moderated on Virgin Media One by veteran broadcaster Pat Kenny turned into a best-of of both parties main themes to date - for Mr Varadkar, that what has been done thus far under his Government isnt enough but with a plea for the electorate to back his party to build on what it has achieved, while for Mr Martin, the aim was to showcase that change is needed with a new Government that is as adept at meeting targets as it is at setting them. The Taoiseach threw out an early curve ball by suggesting that his party would always behave like grown ups and would go into power with Fianna Fail in order to maintain stability, despite it not being his preference. Weve been behaving like grown ups, Mr Martin replied, while you have been attacking me constantly. Both party leaders made it clear that their willingness to consider all coalition partners stopped short with Sinn Fein. Mr Varadkar said he had nothing other than respect for Mary Lou McDonald, but added that it is not a normal political party, citing Sinn Feins historic opposition to the Special Criminal Court. Ive a fundamental problem with how that party is governed, said Mr Martin, meanwhile. The Fianna Fail leader denied that he had been propping up Fine Gael in Government via confidence and supply for three years. Nothing inhibited the Government from delivering on its targets in health and housing, he said, adding that Mr Kenny could not be seriously suggesting that Fianna Fail should have collapsed the Government in the middle of the Brexit negotiations. The Taoiseach said that yes weve been in for nine years. They were in for 14, and we know what happens every time they get in - boom and bust, he said. He added that every time his party is in coalition it ends amicably, while any Fianna Fail variant always ends in scandal and acrimony. In truth, it was hard to say that either leader had landed a knockout blow, with both spending as much time dealing with Mr Kennys questions as sniping at each other, though the Taoiseach may feel slightly the happier with his performance, having come across as sincere while still making his points without resorting (too often) to the snide attacks he has garnered something of a reputation for. Mr Martin accused his opposite number of coming along every five years and making promises, about free this and free that. Have you any shame at all? he said. The Taoiseach countered that the deputy made lots of promises that he didnt keep in Government, but Im not going to go down that route. He said he wanted to express his deep regret for anyone who has spent a night on a trolley in his time as Taoiseach adding that he understands the problem. Ive been to every emergency department in this country, he said, before saying that the genesis of the issue began with a previous Fianna Fail government cutting 1,400 beds. Meanwhile, both men acknowledged that they have private health insurance. In a battle of excuses with regard to the various issues besetting their respective parties, Mr Varadkar acknowledged that a number of Fine Gael members have brought embarrassment to the party but added none of them are candidates in this election. You facilitated Dara Murphy, Mr Martin said in pressing the point about the Cork TD who recently resigned his seat for a job with the European Commission, before failing himself, again, to say whether or not his own TDs on the bold step, Timmy Dooley and Niall Collins, would be in his Cabinet after a successful election campaign. In terms of crime, Mr Martin said that the country is awash with drugs when asked what needs to be done about casual use among the middle classes. Mr Kenny then asked a question that has been asked of both men before: have you ever done drugs? Never, ever, Mr Martin said. Ive answered that question 10 years ago, and gave a truthful answer at the time, said Mr Varadkar. Which was? was Mr Martins retort to the Fine Gael leader, who has stated in the past that he smoked cannabis while in college. Both leaders denied that when it came to Government it was a plain choice for them - either letting down the greens or the farmers. They are not mutually exclusive, said Mr Martin, before adding, oddly, that he regrets the statement made by John Paul Phelan, a Fine Gael junior minister who described some members of the Green Party as being nutters". Both also said they would hope to continue in their positions as party leader should they fail to win the election, which would render Mr Martin the first Fianna Fail leader in history not to be ordained Taoiseach. My intention is to win, said Mr Varadkar. In summing up, Mr Martin said he wants to start treating more people, to build more houses, and to tackle the scandal with homelessness. We want to show that Government can and will help them, he said. The Taoiseach meanwhile said it comes down to choice between the party that caused the bust versus the party that healed the economy and got you a good deal on Brexit. Fianna Fail isnt offering you change that you can trust, he said. Whether either man has done enough to materially affect the opinion polls remains to be seen. Two more weeks to go. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday accused the Congress of engaging in politics of "Muslim appeasement" by spreading lies on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and said their leaders "speak the language" of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. The Supreme Court declining to grant a stay on the operation of the CAA is a "tight slap" on the face of the Congress by the people of the country, he said. The BJP leader said the Congress is spreading "falsehood" over the CAA for political gains. "The Congress and other opposition parties have been engaging in false propaganda over the CAA out of sheer frustration as several complex issues were successfully solved by the the PM Modi government," Mr Maurya said. "..in the Chhattisgarh assembly election (in 2018), the Congress made false promises to get elected to power. Now, they have failed to fulfill their promises. Similarly, they are speaking lies (over CAA) and doing worst politics of Muslim appeasement for political gains," he said. However, lies of the Congress and other opposition parties have now been exposed before people, the Deputy Chief Minister added. He said Congress leaders "speak the language" of Pakistan PM. "After the top court ruling, the Congress and its allies do not have moral right to speak over it (CAA)," Mr Maurya added. He said if Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is talking about passing a resolution in the Legislative Assembly blocking the implementation of CAA in the state, then it seems he is not aware of his limits. "Parliament and state Assemblies have separate responsibilities and works. He (Baghel) is just trying to divert attention of the people of the state from local issues," the BJP leader said. On the implementation of the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), the BJP leader said as of now there is no such plan, but "what will happen in the future is not known". -PTI Also Read: SC on CAA: No stay on Citizenship Law, Modi govt gets four weeks to respond Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 22:21:19|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum speaks at a press conference in Algiers, Algeria, on Jan. 23, 2020. Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum on Thursday urged the Libyan parties to respect the truce and arms embargo, as well as to resume the political process. Boukadoum made the remarks during a meeting with foreign ministers of Libya's neighbors over developments in the war-torn country. (Xinhua) ALGIERS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum on Thursday urged the Libyan parties to respect the truce and arms embargo, as well as to resume the political process. Boukadoum made the remarks during a meeting with foreign ministers of Libya's neighbors over developments in the war-torn country. At a press conference on Thursday, he said the meeting aims to strengthen coordination and consultation between the neighboring countries of Libya and international countries to support Libyans. "International parties should allow the Libyans to take charge of the process of settling the crisis in their country, far from any foreign interference," the Algerian minister noted. The meeting comes after the recent Berlin conference that agreed on limiting foreign interference in Libya. Libya has been mired in a civil war since the fall of the former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. The House has a new demand before President Trump's impeachment proceedings get under way. The House has deemed White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, one of Trump's top impeachment defenders, a "material witness" to the charges against Trump, a letter to Cipollone sent Tuesday reads. Cipollone now faces a possible "disqualification" from defending Trump, and must "disclose" any evidence he has as the trial begins, the House's impeachment managers continued. The first impeachment article against Trump alleges he pressured Ukraine to get investigations opened into the Bidens and the 2016 election, and the second says he obstructed Congress' attempt to investigate that campaign. "Evidence indicates that" Cipollone has "detailed knowledge of the facts regarding the first article and played an instrumental role in the conduct charged in the second," the letter from the House reads. "Ethical rules" would therefore "generally preclude" Cipollone from being a lawyer in this case, given that he's also a "necessary witness," the impeachment managers continue. "At a minimum, [Cipollone] must disclose all facts and information" he has "firsthand knowledge" of that may come into play during the Senate's impeachment trial into Trump, the letter concludes. Whether Cipollone actually does that is doubtful. Find the whole letter here. More stories from theweek.com Cory Booker used his cubby at the impeachment trial for an incredibly corny joke Trump says he'd 'love' to show up at his Senate impeachment trial and 'stare in their corrupt faces' U.S. officials were reportedly frustrated by Kenyan security forces after clash with al-Shabab that killed 3 Americans Given the global turmoil -- US's attack on Iran, Brexit and other uncertainties -- the yellow metal may turn out to be a haven this year, suggests Sarbajeet K Sen. Photograph: Sucheta Das/Reuters With returns of over 20 per cent, gold gave the best returns in 2019 to Indian investors. And given the global turmoil -- US's attack on Iran, Brexit and other uncertainties -- the yellow metal may turn out to be a haven even in this year. No wonder, this asset class is finding favour with both analysts and investors. Today, there are many options to invest in gold -- physical or digital, exchange-traded funds (ETF), fund-of-funds or sovereign gold bonds (SGB). As physical gold does not give any interest or dividend, fans of the regular income usually prefer SGB over bullion and gold ETF. However, SGB issuances are not available round the year. Either you have to wait for a new issue or buy it from the secondary market. If you are keen to take exposure to gold via SGBs, is it wise to buy from the secondary market? SGB in a nutshell SGBs are issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the Government of India, and each bond is expected to track the price of one gram of gold. The bonds are issued for eight years. However, they can be encashed or redeemed on the interest payment dates after five years from the date of issuance. The bonds pay interest at the rate of 2.5 per cent on the initial amount of investment -- payable semi-annually. SGBs come with a sovereign guarantee and are listed at the stock exchanges. The bonds are tradable if held in Demat form and transferable to other eligible investors. Is it an attractive investment? Like any other instrument, it is the function of market performance. SGBs will do well if gold prices remain stable. Going by the past decade's performance (2010-2019), gold has returned 8.7 per cent compound annual growth rate, significantly less than 13.9 per cent CAGR in the previous decade (2000-2009). Commodity experts feel there are multiple drivers which will lead to firm gold prices. "Geo-political tensions, precarious recovery in global growth, dovish stance by major central banks, rise in negative-yielding assets, a perceptible de-dollarisation in economies like China and Russia are positives for gold. With deflation lurking around the corner, the US Federal Reserve may go for more rate cuts which are expected to sustain the momentum in gold prices. Hence, investing in SGBs can be a wise decision for a conservative investor," Alok Agarwala, head, research & advisory, Bajaj Capital, says. If you believe gold prices will go up, then you should have exposure to the yellow metal as an asset class. Anyway, most experts would recommend some gold from a portfolio hygiene perspective because it provides the much-needed diversification from equities and debt. And experts seem bullish about it in the coming year as well. "There is room for a 10 per cent increase from current levels in 2020. With a host of uncertainties like macro-economic shifts in global markets, low global growth followed by easy monetary policy of central banks, US-China trade war, geopolitical risks and uncertainties, Brexit plaguing the global economy, gold as an asset class will be favoured by investors in 2020," Prathamesh Mallya, chief analyst, non-agri commodities and currencies, Angel Broking adds. Buying from the secondary market SGBs are listed both on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange platforms. Since they were issued from time to time over the past few years, there are many series of SGBs. The problem: They are not liquid, and only a few get traded on most days. Most series are dry for want of volumes. SGBs are long-term instruments. One has to be mentally prepared to hold on to them until maturity. If you have a trading mindset, then avoid investing in SGB as you may not get an exit at fair value on the exchange. "Although SGB's are traded in the secondary market, one has to be careful as price and liquidity risk exists in this market. There may not be enough buyers for the quantity offered, and even the price might be lower," Mallya warns. Currently, SGB trade on the exchanges at discounts ranging from 3-10 per cent to the gold prices in the spot market. If the situation does not change then you too may have to sell the SGB at such a discount if you decide to exit before maturity. "Investors need to be wary of the abysmally low liquidity associated with SGBs. In fact, liquidity-induced price discount is like a double-edged sword. While attractive valuations can entice you into enter, finding a profitable exit can be a difficult proposition. What's more, if the bonds are sold before maturity, capital gains tax will apply. It is, recommended to stay invested till maturity," Agarwala said. SGB versus gold ETF If you are keen to buy gold for a year or two and want to trade in it, then gold ETF is a better option. If you are eager to purchase large quantities and worried about liquidity in gold ETF units, then you can also buy a fund of funds investing in gold ETF units. They guarantee exit at net asset value, though at slightly higher expenses. "For investors who always want liquidity, gold ETFs are a better bet. For those who can afford to hold till maturity, SGBs are surely a better option," Agarwala said. Investment features of SGB, gold ETF and physical gold Particulars SGB Gold ETF Physical gold Scope for capital appreciation Yes Yes Yes Interest Yes @ 2.5% p.a. No No Sovereign guarantee Yes No N/A Liquidity Tradable on exchanges; Redemption permitted after 5 years Highly liquid Good liquidity Storage/ Insurance charges/ Quality check No No Yes Source: Angel Broking Sarbajeet K Sen is a journalist with Business Standard. He can be contacted at money@rediff.co.in The Irish Heart Foundation has launched its Go Red for Women campaign, in support of women in Leitrim and across Ireland one-quarter of whom will die from cardiovascular disease. The campaign was launched by two women who live with heart conditions and are ambassadors for the campaign Karen Ward from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, and Lizzy Honan from Dublin and Today FM radio presenter Ed Smith, who suffered a heart attack last year. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in Ireland; women are almost six times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than breast cancer. However, 80% of premature death from cardiovascular disease is preventable. By Going Red for Women, you can support the Irish Heart Foundations work in communities across Ireland, raising awareness of and helping to prevent deaths from cardiovascular disease. Lizzy Honan from Dublin was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy, a very rare form of heart failure, shortly after giving birth to twins in 2016. Speaking at the launch, she said: I was told at the time of my diagnosis not to have any more children. I was also told you might get better or you might not, you might need a heart transplant, you might get to a certain level and not get any better or you might continue to recover. That was a lot to get your head around particularly as a brand-new mum to twins. Karen Ward from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan had open-heart surgery last November because of a congenital heart condition. She spoke at the launch about her experience of living with a visible scar: It is very visible; I dont hide it. I have had a few funny comments about it. I overheard someone say I had to wear a necklace to cover it and one man told me You are a good-looking girl it shouldnt take away from you. For me it is important to show it off, it doesnt bother me one little bit. In fact, I am very proud of my scar. It is because of my scar that I am still here. Speaking at the launch, Judith Gilsenan, Commercial Director, Irish Heart Foundation said: Our Go Red for Women campaign is championed by five women from around Ireland, each of whom has been affected by cardiovascular disease: from heart attack to open-heart surgery and from heart failure to Long QT syndrome. Through their stories and support from the public, we can continue to empower women to live longer, healthier lives. This February we are calling on the people of Leitrim to show their support for the women they love by Going Red for Women. There are lots of ways to get involved hold a walk in your local community or a coffee morning at home or work, or try your hand at volunteering at our national bag pack collection. Each year, almost 9,000 people in Ireland die from heart disease and stroke, leaving behind devastated families and communities. Support the Go Red for Women campaign today by organising a red event in February, volunteering on February 14th or donating to the Irish Heart Foundation. For more information and to sign up, visit www.GoRed.ie. VALPARAISO Mayor Matt Murphy has announced another appointment to his administrative team, naming Michael Jabo engineering director. Jabo, who spent the last 25 years as manager of the Northwest Indiana Division of DLZ, is replacing Adam McAlpine, who resigned to take a job with Porter County. Jabo and DLZ have served as consultants on many projects for the city over the years, specializing in public infrastructure projects, including the roundabouts. He also worked as a consultant with the Indiana Transportation Department. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in civil engineering, Jabo and his wife Cathy live in Liberty Township. "We're so pleased to have Mike join the city's leadership team," Murphy said. "Adding his experience and camaraderie to our team will be invaluable." Jabo said, "I'm excited to be a part of the new leadership team Valparaiso is putting together. Valparaiso has done wonderful things for its community, and I'm looking forward to contributing." Jabo and his wife have three grown children and four grandchildren. He will start his new position Feb. 17. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 Lobbyists are running things in Lansing, Progress Michigan Executive Director Lonnie Scott said Thursday, and his group is backing a new ballot initiative to change that by putting guardrails around how lawmakers and lobbyists interact. A ballot initiative would ban gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers, mandate lawmakers take a two-year cooling-off period before becoming lobbyists, loop anybody spending more than $1,000 to influence legislation into the definition of a lobbyist, require communications attempting to influence public officials to contain a disclaimer about where they came from and require lobbyist-legislator interactions to be reported. All of this could be done legislatively, Scott said, but the ballot initiative would put it in the constitution. Were introducing this ballot measure to send a message to the Republican majority in both chambers: if you wont do your job, we will, Scott said. He said its not hard to see why lawmakers wouldnt act on proposals like these, because lobbyists bought lawmakers more than $540,000 in food last year, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. The measures would put Michigan in line with other states in some respects, Scott said, and ahead of other states in requiring interactions between lawmakers and lobbyists be disclosed. Some other states, for instance, already ban lawmakers from accepting gifts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Michigan, lawmakers can accept gifts of $25.00 or less and lobbyists are allowed to pay for meals, as well. A new group called the Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes, which includes Progress Michigan, is backing the initiative. Also supporting it is a group of volunteers called Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections. Ken Schwartz, vice president of that group, said the proposed ballot measure will bring much greater transparency to Michigans lobbying industry. Scott said additional partners will be announced in the future. Asked if the group would pay signature-gatherers for this effort, Scott said those details are still being worked out. He said the group expected to spend more than $1 million on the campaign because he anticipates a lot of opposition. A lot of the initial money will come from Progress Michigan, he said. Like other 501(c)4 groups, Progress Michigan does not disclose its donors. Asked if he saw any irony in undisclosed donors backing a transparency initiative, Scott said, No. Because the proposal will apply to us as well." Progress Michigan would welcome a change to the law requiring all 501(c)4 groups to disclose donors, Scott said. The group filed its language with the Bureau of Elections on Thursday. The next step is to go before the Board of State Canvassers, which approves the form of ballot initiatives before they start collecting signatures. To get on the ballot in 2020, a petition needs to gather 425,059 signatures. The Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes joins other groups trying to get various measures on the ballot in 2020, including two abortion-related ballot initiatives and one to expand the states civil rights act to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. A sex worker's suspected killer remains on the run - as pictures show the neat and tidy beachside unit where her body was found. Kimberley McRae, 69, was found dead at her Coogee apartment, about 10am on Tuesday last week. Homicide detectives are yet to confirm Ms McRae's cause of death, pending further testing, but sources said she may have died by strangulation. Pictures of the Mount St unit showed fingerprint dust plastered over the kitchen cupboards and walls, pots and pans stacked on the stove and medication atop a small fridge. A portable air conditioning unit sat in the middle of the lounge room. The unit has since been cleared out by police, neighbours said this week. Kim McRae was found dead inside her Coogee unit (above). Pots and pans sat on the kitchen bench, medication atop the fridge and a portable aircon unit had been set up Ms McRae was a well-known identity in the beachside suburb, and recently wrote a book about her struggles with gender identity Crime scene fingerprint dust on the front door to Ms McRae's apartment where she had lived for the past six months before she was found dead Ms McRae's worried sister contacted the real estate agent when she couldn't raise her. The agent and police then made the horrific discovery of her murdered body inside the Coogee unit New South Wales Police said the last known sighting of Ms McRae - a well-known identity in the area - was on Tuesday, January 7. But unit block residents claimed they had seen her more recently than that. 'I'm positive I saw her on Friday, just before we went away to the Central Coast for the weekend,' one resident said. 'We returned on Monday and then on Tuesday the real estate agent found her body. 'Her sister apparently tried to call her but she wasn't answering so she contacted the real estate agent, but they couldn't get onto her either. 'It's so sad, she was always really lovely and would say hello to me and my kids each time we saw her.' Ms McRae had lived at the current apartment block for the past six months, and prior to that in another building on the same street for almost 12 years. Police said she lived alone and did not own a vehicle, but was known to walk and exercise in the area and had 'distinct personal style with recognisable features'. New South Wales Homicide Squad boss Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the seven days following her last official sighting on Tuesday remain a mystery. 'Investigators are aware Kim worked in the sex industry and may be known to some of her associates as Isabella, Samantha and Sabrina,' Det Supt Doherty said. 'Of course, we'd be keen to speak to anyone who has information or knowledge of Kim's social activities.' Ms McRae, who also uses the first name Sabrina, was a well-known identity in Coogee, in Sydney's east A friend Presley Hunter (right) described Ms McRae (left) as 'an icon of Coogee for over a decade' Under the name Isabella Lawson, Ms McRae wrote a book last year titled 'Hey Boys, She's Got a Gash and other Tales of Gods - A Memoir' - which detailed the struggles of being transgender. 'Isabella Lawson lays her soul bare in this intense and beautiful memoir. Lawsons life is rich in experience, shes pretty much tried everything and built an anthology that she articulates with bold poetic prose,' a description of the book read. 'Maintaining a hopeful outlook without blame or regret she shines a spotlight on conservative Australia in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the harsh values and gender repression and expectation.' A resident who lived near Ms McRae said police had canvassed several apartment blocks on Mount Street in the early part of this week. 'They knocked on our door and told my wife of a suspicious death in a neighbouring apartment building,' the man said. 'I wasn't home at the time but they asked my wife if she'd heard any shouting of screaming on the Friday before.' Ms McRae wrote a book last year under the name Isabella Lawson, which detailed the struggles of a transgender person living in Sydney's east Another man said he regularly saw Ms McRae out walking, describing her as 'the best known person in Coogee'. 'She was always out walking around town and with big hair and glasses, it was very hard to miss,' he said. A friend Presley Hunter paid tribute to Ms McRae and described her as one of the kindest people. 'She was certainly an icon of Coogee for over a decade. She was 'out there' but she's the kindest person I've known,' she said. Daily Mail Australia understands Ms McRae's body had been inside her apartment on Mount Street (pictured), Coogee, for several days before neighbours raised the alarm Police said a post mortem examination had been conducted, but further tests are required to determine exactly how Ms McRae died. An autopsy is currently being performed by the state coroner which detectives hope will provide a clearer idea of how she died. Anyone with information about Ms McRae's death is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. (Alliance News) - Democrats Wednesday accused President Donald Trump at his historic Senate impeachment trial of seeking to "cheat" to ensure re-election in November, as they began laying out their detailed case for removing him from office.A Adam Schiff, head of the House of Representatives' prosecution team, took to the Senate floor to deliver hours of methodical arguments to a hushed chamber that was hearing only the third-ever impeachment trial of a US president. The Democratic lawmaker described how Trump solicited foreign interference in US elections, "abusing the powers of his office to seek help from abroad to improve his re-election prospects at home." "And when he was caught, he used the powers of that office to obstruct the investigation into his own misconduct," said Schiff, who headed the probe that led to Trump's December 18 impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House. Schiff shrugged off Republican arguments that American voters a and not the Senate a should decide whether Trump should remain in the White House. "The president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won," Schiff said. Trump stands accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to announce an investigation into Democrat Joe Biden, his potential election rival in November. "President Trump withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to a strategic partner at war with Russia to secure foreignA help with his re-election," Schiff said at the nationally televised proceedings. "In other words, to cheat. If this conduct is not impeachable, then nothing is." Interspersing his remarks with video testimony from the House inquiry, graphics and references to the Constitution, Schiff appealed to the Senate's 100 members to put aside partisanship in deciding Trump's fate. "These are politically charged times," he acknowledged. "Tempers can run high, particularly where this president is concerned." Fellow House manager Hakeem Jeffries made the argument that a US president must distinguish himself from non-democratic world leaders. "Vladimir Putin is above the law in Russia. (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan is above the law in Turkey," Jeffries said. "But in the US of America no one is above the law, not even the president," he added. "That is what this moment is all about." Republicans, who hold a 53-47 edge, have shown little inclination, however, to break ranks with a president who has a history of lashing out ferociously at his perceived enemies. "I didn't hear anything new at all," Republican Senator John Barrasso said during a trial break. Sixty-seven senators, a two-thirds majority, are needed to remove Trump from office and a series of votes Tuesday on the trial's ground rules followed strict party lines. Republicans shot down repeated efforts by Democrats to introduce White House witnesses and documents at the start of the trial. Trump blasted the proceedings as a "witchhunt" and a "hoax" and said he expected the Senate to clear him "fairly quickly."A The president defended the Republicans' rejection of Democratic efforts to force former national security advisor John Bolton and others to testify at his trial saying of Bolton, for example, that it would present a "national security problem." Trump then went on a Twitter tear, firing off a record number of tweets and retweets in a single day of his presidency a 150 as of 8:30 pm. With reports swirling that some Democrats were mulling pushing for BidenA or his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company when his father was vice president, to testify in exchange for key administration officials being called as witnesses, the top Democrat waived it off. A witness trade is "off the table," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. House impeachment managers have 24 hours over three days to make their case that Trump is guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. White House lawyers then have 24 hours to present their defense. Senators will then have an opportunity to ask written questions to be read out aloud by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial. Roberts' role is mostly ceremonial but he did warn both sides during heated exchanges Tuesday to watch their decorum. "Those addressing the Senate should remember where they are," Roberts said. Trump's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, said the White House will "challenge aggressively the case that they're putting forward." "There's a lot of things to rebut and we'll do it in an orderly and systematic fashion," he told CNN. The next few days are likely to be an endurance test for senators, 14 of whom are 75 or older. Senators are barred from having electronics at their desks and they have been spending their time chatting quietly or scribbling on notepads when not listening intently. Lawmakers did perk up when a protester made the first interruption of the trial, yelling from the Senate's public gallery before he was removed by police. The four Democratic senators seeking to challenge Trump for the White House have been forced to take time off from campaigning ahead of the first state vote to choose their party's nominee in Iowa on February 3. By Chris Lefkow source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. With all the high-tech ways of stealing other peoples money, some thieves still pilfer it the old-fashioned way. Thats apparently what happened at Kings Forest Apartments, 19370 Fort St., after several tenants told management that they paid their rent, even though the apartment complex never received it. Police became involved on the afternoon of Jan. 14, when officers took a larceny complaint. The office manager told police some rent payments were stolen out of the mail slot on the office front door. The manager said she emptied the mail slot at 1 p.m. Jan. 3 during lunch. She also collected payment checks from the slot at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 6. She stated the mail slot was very full. After sorting out all the mail, she noticed six tenants had failed to pay their rent for the month. She notified those tenants, informing them they had outstanding balances on their accounts because they didnt pay. All six tenants responded back, stating they did pay their rent between Jan. 3 and Jan. 6. After contacting the tenants, the manager found that four tenants had paid with checks and since that time contacted their banks to cancel the checks. Two other tenants paid their rent via Western Union money order. Police were told that Western Union staff stated that one of the money orders for $500 was cashed on Jan. 13, and another one for $400 was cashed on Jan. 9. The company did not give any information about who cashed the orders or where they were cashed. Two money orders, one in the amount of $235 and the other for $265, had not been cashed. The manager contacted the apartment complex owner who said the tenants would not be evicted because of late payment, due to the theft. The tenants were told they would have pending balances on their accounts until the issue is investigated further by police and Western Union. By Laman Ismayilova An exhibition "Echo of Soviet Azerbaijan. Carpet. Embroidery. Poster" will open at the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow on February 5. The exhibition will display about 40 art pieces, including the carpets 1920-1970s from the collection of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum (Baku), posters, courtesy of the Mardjani Foundation (Moscow), as well as revolutionary embroidery and sketches for 1920-1930s from the collection of the Museum of the East. The latter will be shown for the first time. The project aims to reveal how significant historical events influenced the decorative arts. The exhibition will last until March 1, 2020. Unique Azerbaijani carpets are well-known all over the world for their quality and high artistic value. Besides, amazing and fantastic carpets of Azerbaijan represent a real mystery, leading one inside the fairy tales full of majestic feelings. The Land of Fire has seven carpet producing regions including Baku, Shirvan, Guba, Tabriz, Karabakh, Ganja and Gazakh and each of them had its own technology, typical patterns and colors. Colorful Karabakh carpets, which are classified in four groups, represent a fabulous symphony of the most delicate shades of the amazing Karabakh nature. Karabakh carpets still retain their glory, featuring in many prestigious international auctions, estimated at tens of thousands of dollars. Samples of the Karabakh carpet weaving as cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, kept in major museums, including the Louvre, Hermitage, and adorn the Vatican and the White House. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Dividend paying stocks like Southern Cross Media Group Limited (ASX:SXL) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a stock for its dividend and lose money because the share price falls by more than they earned in dividend payments. With Southern Cross Media Group yielding 8.4% and having paid a dividend for over 10 years, many investors likely find the company quite interesting. It would not be a surprise to discover that many investors buy it for the dividends. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Southern Cross Media Group for its dividend - read on to learn more. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Southern Cross Media Group! ASX:SXL Historical Dividend Yield, January 23rd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. While Southern Cross Media Group pays a dividend, it reported a loss over the last year. When a company recently reported a loss, we should investigate if its cash flows covered the dividend. Southern Cross Media Group paid out 72% of its cash flow as dividends last year, which is within a reasonable range for the average corporation. Is Southern Cross Media Group's Balance Sheet Risky? Given Southern Cross Media Group is paying a dividend but reported a loss over the past year, we need to check its balance sheet for signs of financial distress. A rough way to check this is with these two simple ratios: a) net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and b) net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA measures total debt load relative to company earnings (lower = less debt), while net interest cover measures the ability to pay interest on the debt (higher = greater ability to pay interest costs). Southern Cross Media Group has net debt of 1.93 times its EBITDA, which is generally an okay level of debt for most companies. Story continues We calculated its interest cover by measuring its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), and dividing this by the company's net interest expense. Southern Cross Media Group has EBIT of 6.42 times its interest expense, which we think is adequate. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Southern Cross Media Group's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Southern Cross Media Group's dividend payments. This dividend has been unstable, which we define as having been cut one or more times over this time. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was AU$0.09 in 2010, compared to AU$0.077 last year. The dividend has shrunk at around 1.5% a year during that period. Southern Cross Media Group's dividend hasn't shrunk linearly at 1.5% per annum, but the CAGR is a useful estimate of the historical rate of change. When a company's per-share dividend falls we question if this reflects poorly on either external business conditions, or the company's capital allocation decisions. Either way, we find it hard to get excited about a company with a declining dividend. Dividend Growth Potential Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see Southern Cross Media Group has grown its earnings per share at 41% per annum over the past five years. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. We're a bit uncomfortable with the company paying a dividend while being loss-making, although at least the dividend was covered by free cash flow. We were also glad to see it growing earnings, but it was concerning to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. In sum, we find it hard to get excited about Southern Cross Media Group from a dividend perspective. It's not that we think it's a bad business; just that there are other companies that perform better on these criteria. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 5 analysts we track are forecasting for Southern Cross Media Group for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The international nonprofit Global Dignity announced the launch of its new Dignity in the Workplace initiative at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. By 2025, Millennials will make up approximately 75 per cent of the global workforce. They - more than any other generation - are seeking greater purpose, inclusivity, authenticity and trust in the places they work. Global Dignity's Dignity in the Workplace trainings support individuals, teams and leadership to understand and implement the concept of dignity - every person's inherent value - to build inclusive workplaces. Research by Dr. Brad Shuck, Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership & Learning at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, shows that when employees are treated with dignity, they are almost twice as likely to be engaged, work hard, stay at their workplace and experience greater overall wellbeing. According to the recently-released World Economic Forum's Global Shapers' Shaping the Future of Work report, 76 per cent of respondents (young people) believe their career is part of their entire lifestyle. 53 per cent of respondents believe diversity fosters economic growth. Finding purpose and inclusion at work are clear priorities. Giovanna Mingarelli, CEO of MC2 and member of Global Dignity's Board of Directors, said: "Treating employees with dignity goes far beyond ethics. It has become a business imperative for organizations that want to attract and retain top talent. We designed Global Dignity's Dignity in the Workplace initiative to align with what we know Millennials want from their workplaces and to help broaden organizations' and employees' thinking to go beyond respecting individual identities and differences, to thinking about the inherent worthiness of every single person." Jacek Olechowski, Founder and CEO of MEDIACAP SA and Global Dignity Board Chair, said: "With this initiative, Global Dignity builds on our organization's existing open source dignity learning experiences - which empower 1 million young people each year to see the inherent value within themselves and every other person - to engage companies wanting to include dignity in their existing diversity and inclusion efforts." Global Dignity is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to uniting everyone with the belief that we all deserve to live a life of dignity. Through its annual Global Dignity Day in October and year-round Dignity Workshops, Global Dignity engages 1 million young people in 80 countries each year. For information about Dignity in the Workplace contact [email protected]. For more information: Alanna O'Donnell, Home Office Director, Global Dignity [email protected] | +1 609.356.2316 SOURCE Global Dignity Waldorf area, Jan. 15. Police announced a 42-year-old Alexandria man was charged with theft and theft scheme after detectives uncovered a large-scale fencing operation during the fall of 2019. The owner of Waldorf RC & Hobbies, a 42-year-old Alexandria man, took in stolen merchandise such as ink printer cartridges, lawn equipment, televisions, jewelry, fragrances, electronics, tools, breast pumps, clothing, Fitbits, cellphones and childrens games and paid cash to the shoplifters. More than $100,000 in stolen property was recovered from searches of his business, a storage unit and residence. He was indicted in late December by a grand jury on several counts of theft and theft scheme. Rishi Kapoor, who often shares film trivia with fans online, hosted a picture quiz on Twitter. He posted a picture with a person seen in a sari and asked Twitter users, Need you to tell me who this person is? If someone already knows the answer through a different source, please refrain from disclosing. Lets not spoil the suspense for others. Thank you. I give you 10/20/50 guesses. Answer coming soon!! Also read: Bigg Boss 13 day 115 written update episode 115 January 22: Shehnaaz calls Sidharth Shukla fake, he says he wont meet her outside the show Need you to tell me who this person is? If someone already knows the answer through a different source, please refrain from disclosing. Lets not spoil the suspense for others. Thank you. I give you 10/20/50 guesses. Answer coming soon!! pic.twitter.com/L1ilXZFmxc Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) January 22, 2020 While the picture is quite old, it did not take much time for movie buffs to guess the right answer Pran. One fan even gave the entire context and detailing for his answer. This is legendary actor Pran. He was unmarried at that time. In his elder brothers marriage, he surprised his newly married Bhabhi posing as his brothers lover. This year is his birth centenary and his son Sunil Sikand released this snap from their family album. Pran also played role of Sita in local Ramlila in Shimla in which Ram was played by Madan Puri. If you observe carefully, you will find Kumari Pran written, the fan wrote. This is legendary actor Pran. He was unmarried at that time. In his elder brother's marriage, he surprised his newly married Bhabhi posing as his brother's lover. This year is his birth centenary and his son Sunil Sikand released this snap from their family album. Amit (@amitjuvekar) January 22, 2020 Revealing the answer late Thursday, Rishi tweeted, The Legend Pran sahab himself Many of you got it right. Congratulations. Pran Uncle was the master of disguise. This was not for a film but a personal family joke. The Legend Pran sahab himself Many of you got it right. Congratulations. Pran Uncle was the master of disguise. This was not for a film but a personal family joke. Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) January 22, 2020 Earlier this week, Rishi took his fans on yet another nostalgia trip when he tweeted a picture of his grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor and the cast and crew of Mughal-e-Azam with Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini. For the film Mughal-e-Azam aficionados. A rare off the shoot picture with the acclaimed Italian director Roberto Rossellini with Mr. K. Asif and his actors, he wrote alongside the image. After being treated in the US for cancer for 11 months, Rishi returned to India last September. After his return, he was seen in The Body alongside Emraan Hashmi and Sobhita Dhulipala. Follow @htshowbiz for more Iran rules out handing over recorders of downed plane to other countries Iran Press TV Wednesday, 22 January 2020 7:35 PM Iran's minister of transportation has resisted calls for handing over to other countries the recorders of a plane that crashed near the capital Tehran earlier this month, saying the so-called black boxes should remain with an Iranian team that is investigating the incident. Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday that the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recovered from the Boeing 737-800 that was mistakenly shot down by the Iranian air defenses on January 8 when it was on its way to the Ukrainian capital had to be solely analyzed by the accident investigation team at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization. "The black box(es) that include the CVR and FDR are an integral part of the accident investigation and the accident has taken place in Iran," said Mohammad Eslami on Wednesday after returning from Ukraine, where he submitted Iran's official condolences to the government and people of the country over the plane crash. All 176 people on board the plane operated by Ukraine International Airlines died in the incident which came hours after Iran launched missile attacks on American military bases in neighboring Iraq. Most of the passengers on the plane were Iranians returning to Canada for either work or study after spending winter holidays in Iran. Eslami's comments about the black boxes come as Canada and Ukraine have demanded the recorders be sent abroad for analysis. The Iranian minister told reporters that the Iranian accident investigation team would ask for technical assistance in reading the boxes if any such need arises at any stage of the investigation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-23 08:34:51|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's Union Santa Fe said Wednesday they reached a deal for the transfer of Colombian defender Yeimar Gomez to the Seattle Sounders. The U.S. Major League club secured the 27-year-old on a permanent contract after triggering his release clause, Union said in a social media post. No further details were given about the length of the contract or the value of the transfer fee. "Good luck and thanks for wearing our colors with pride," the Santa Fe-based club said. Gomez made 74 appearances for Union across all competitions after joining the club in August 2017 from Independiente Rivadavia. The Sounders will play their next competitive fixture against Honduran outfit Olimpia on February 20 in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16. A mother accused of leaving her child to die in a hot car while she gambled at the pub will be allowed to see her critically ill child for the first time in a week. Kaija Miller, 32, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday a week after police alleged she locked 14-month-old Easton in the car on a 33C day. Miller was flanked by supporters, including her father, as the court heard she had been forbidden from going anywhere near her son, who remains in Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital in a critical but stable condition. Kaija Miller makes a dash from Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday under hot pursuit by a media pack. She made no comment and refused to answer questions Baby Easton (pictured, left) was found unresponsive and in a critical condition. Police allege his mother Kaija Millar (right) left him in the car Steve Millar has revealed his son Easton has just a 50 per cent chance of survival after he was allegedly left in the car outside a pub in Point Cook, Victoria In amending the conditions of her bail, Magistrate Sue Cameron agreed to allow Millar to visit her child as long as she was accompanied either by her own mother or a Department of Health and Human Service case worker. The court heard Millar remains estranged from baby Easton's father Steve, who continues his vigil at hospital and was absent from court. Last week, Mr Millar said Easton had only a 50 percent chance of survival. Today, the court heard it remained unclea if he would recover at all. Police had forbid Easton's mum approaching within a 200 metre radius of the hospital or five metres from her son as part of her bail conditions. Millar has been charged with negligently causing serious injury and reckless conduct endangering life. In agreeing to allow the mother to reunite with her son, Ms Cameron said police had failed to provide any evidence that alleged Millar had intended to cause harm to Easton 'or worse'. 'I need an allegation the act was in someway deliberate,' she said. 'The charge alleges recklessness.' Police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Higginbotham hit out at Millar, accusing her of having 'a disregard for the welfare' of her child. He further asserted she posed an 'unidentified risk' to her son. Millar remains free in the community on bail at a now secret address after the court imposed a gag order on her location. The young mum has been forced to remove herself from social media amid a tidal wave of abuse from across the nation and abroad. Kaija Miller or her lawyerr Cameron Allen (right) refused to comment on the tragedy that has seen Millar's baby hospitalised Kaija Miller makes a dash from Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday under hot pursuit by a media pack. She made no comment and refused to answer questions Kaija Millar, 32, (pictured, left) is accused of leaving 14-month-old Easton (right) in her car and abandoning him while she went to play bingo Millar appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday to face charges that she left her baby in a hot vehicle. She was welcomed by a huge media pack What happens to children left in hot cars? Children's bodies heat up three-to-five times faster than adults do The younger the child, the more vulnerable they are On a 29C day, temperatures inside a car can reach 44C in just ten minutes This can cause 'serious injury' and brain damage After 20 minutes, the temperature reaches a fatal 60.2C, which could kill Winding down the windows or parking in the shade will do little as it doesn't affect the car's core temperature Advertisement Millar's face went viral upon being outed as Easton's mum on Friday and has been shared across the globe. She was confronted by a huge media pack outside the courthouse, with reporters chasing her along William Street in Melbourne's CBD. Millar made no comment as she was whisked away from the chaotic scenes. She had shown little emotion during Thursday's hearing. Police claim Easton was left to swelter in his mum's Holden Barina as temperatures reached 33C outside. He was found unresponsive about 3pm on Wednesday last week in the locked car, which was parked outside the Brook Hotel in Point Cook, west of Melbourne. Speaking to the Herald Sun newspaper last week, Mr Millar said he was 'heartbroken and devastated'. 'It's still touch and go at the moment it's 50-50 whether he'll pull through,' he said. 'He has shown a few signs to me, when I'm talking to him you can see his mouth trying to move.' He said his parents and both his brothers had been accompanying him to the hospital daily as he holds a bedside vigil for the youngster. Kaija Millar covers her face as reporters ask her questions as she leaves Melbourne Magistrates' Court Kaija Millar (pictured) has been charged. Her baby, Easton, is fighting for his life in hospital Kaija Millar (pictured) appeared in court on January 23. Easton is being cared for by his father, who remains by his bedside at hospital The 14-month-old was fighting for life after being was found unconscious in a car parked outside a pub (pictured) Mr Millar said he had cut himself off from the child's mother as she prepared to face court over the shocking allegations. The revelations follow claims Millar had been struggling with a gambling addiction, which she had kept secret from those closest to her, including the child's father. Experts said the temperature in a car on a 29C day or hotter can hit 44C within just 10 minutes, with the child likely to suffer heatstroke. It is understood a bystander performed CPR on the child until paramedics arrived. Witnesses said the mother was inconsolable as efforts were made to save her son. The incident comes less than a month after the state government launched its Never Leave Kids in Cars campaign. Last month, paramedics revealed they were called eight times to children being left locked in hot cars across Victoria as temperatures hit a scorching 40C. Upon launching the campaign, Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos said more than 30 Victorians a week mainly babies and toddlers were having to be rescued from vehicles. Last week, Ms Mikakos said almost 1,500 children were left in vehicles in Victoria in the first 11 months of last year. DUBLIN, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Research Report of Import of Pork in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to the report, China's annual pork consumption is around 55 million tons, and is growing slowly in recent years. In 2018, the pork imports were less than 3% of the pork consumption. Rising pig breeding costs and stricter environmental policies have forced many small and medium-sized pig farms to close down, and swine fever occurs frequently. These factors discourage the growth of pork output in China. It is expected that from 2020 to 2024, the import volume of pork and pig offal in China will continue to rise, and China's pork market will receive attention from the pig farmers and pork traders all over the world. According to this research, with the development of China's economy and the improvement of living standards, the pork consumption in China is rising. China is the largest pork producer in the world. But pig breeding is costly in China because it is vulnerable to swine fever and the fluctuations in feed prices, which makes it difficult for the pork output to grow steadily. Meanwhile, the residents in some parts of the country like eating pig offal. Therefore, the overall import volume of pork and pig offal show an upward trend. According to this analysis, the Chinese government has strict inspection and quarantine policies on the import of pork products. By Dec 2019, only 17 countries or regions including the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Chile and Mexico were allowed to export pork products to China. The Chinese government has set no import quota for the pork products from these countries, which means that import companies only need to pay the tariffs and value-added taxes. Thanks to the Sino-Chilean free trade agreement, China gives special privilege to the import of Chilean pork. When importing Chilean pork products such as bone-in pork and deboned pork, a Chinese enterprise only needs to pay 11% value-added tax on the import value. On the pork imports from the other countries, China levies tariffs and value-added taxes according to product type. Relatively speaking, the taxes on bone-in pork and deboned pork are lighter while the taxes on deboned pickled pork are heavier. In 2018, the import volume of pork in China was about 1,192,830 tons, lower than that in 2017. From 2013 to 2018, the annual import value of pork in China all exceeded USD 1 billion. In 2018, it was USD 2.07 billion, lower than that in 2017. The decline was mainly caused by the shrinking import volume. As the major sources of China's pork imports, in 2018, Spain, Germany, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands exported 1000,97 tons of pork in total to China, contributing about 84% to China's pork imports. According to the report, as the residents in some parts of China like eating pig offal, China also imports a large quantity of pig offal every year. In 2018, the import volume of pig offal in China was about 946,260 tons. As the major sources of China's pig offal imports, in 2018, the U.S., Denmark, Germany, Spain, Canada and the Netherlands exported 785,650 tons of pig offal in total to China, contributing more than 80% to China's pig offal imports. In 2018, as the fifth largest source of China's pork imports, the U.S. exported about 85,650 tons of pork to China, accounting for 7% of China's pork imports; as the largest source of China's pig offal imports, the U.S. exported about 177,040 tons of pig offal to China, accounting for about one-fifth of China's pig offal imports. In 2018, with the escalation of the Sino-U.S. trade war, U.S. exports of pork and pig offal to China dropped significantly from 2017. Key Topics Covered 1 Analysis on Import of Pork in China 1.1 Chinese Government's Policies on Pork Import 1.2 Scale of Pork Import in China 1.2.1 Analysis on Import Volume of Pork in China 1.2.2 Analysis on Import Value of Pork in China 1.2.3 Analysis on Average Import Prices of Pork in China 1.2.4 China's Reliance on Pork Imports 1.3 Analysis on Sources of China's Pork Imports 1.4 Analysis on Pork Smuggling to China 1.5 Research Methods of the Report 1.5.1 Parameters and Assumptions 1.5.2 Data Sources 2 Analysis on Import of Pig Offal in China 2.1 Scale of Pig Offal Import in China 2.1.1 Analysis on Import Volume of Pig Offal in China 2.1.2 Analysis on Import Value of Pig Offal in China 2.1.3 Analysis on Average Import Prices of Pig Offal in China 2.2 Analysis on Sources of China's Pig Offal Imports 2.2.1 Analysis on Sino-U.S. Pig Offal Trade 2.2.2 Analysis on Sino-Danish Pig Offal Trade 2.2.3 Analysis on Sino-German Pig Offal Trade 2.2.4 Analysis on Sino-Spanish Pig Offal Trade 2.2.5 Analysis on Sino-Canadian Pig Offal Trade 2.2.6 Analysis on Sino-Dutch Pig Offal Trade 3 Prospect of Pork and Pig Offal Imports in China, 2020-2024 3.1 Factors Influencing Pork and Pig Offal Imports in China 3.1.1 Favorable Factors 3.1.2 Unfavorable Factors 3.1.3 The Impact of Sino-U.S. Trade War 3.2 Forecast on Import Volume of Pork and Pig Offal, 2020-2024 3.2.1 Forecast on Import Volume of Pork 3.2.2 Forecast on Import Volume of Pig Offal 3.3 Forecast on Import Sources of Pork and Pig Offal in China, 2020-2024 List of Charts Chart Import Tariffs on Pork and Pig Offal in China in 2019 Chart Countries or Regions Eligible to Export Pork and Pig Offal to China Chart Import Volume of Pork in China, 2013-2018 Chart Import Value of Pork in China, 2013-2018 Chart Average Import Prices of Pork in China, 2013-2018 Chart Output Volume of Pork in China, 2013-2018 Chart Apparent Consumption of Pork in China, 2013-2018 Chart China's Reliance on Pork Imports, 2013-2018 Chart Sources of China's Pork Imports in 2018 Chart Sources of China's Pork Imports in Jan. - Oct. 2019 Chart Sources of China's Pig Offal Imports in 2018 Chart Sources of China's Pig Offal Imports in Jan. - Oct. 2019 Chart Apparent Consumption of Pork in China, 2013-2018 Chart Increasing Rate of Pork and Pig Offal Import in China, 2018-Oct. 2019 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/aq1d7u Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com They met at a party in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. She was an up-and-coming actress. He was a young producer. As they got to know each other over the next few years, there were, she said, some inappropriate gestures: a care package of popcorn and Valium, a box of chocolate penises. Then, Annabella Sciorra said on the witness stand on Thursday, Harvey Weinstein raped her. Fighting back tears, Ms. Sciorra testified in excruciating detail to a hushed courtroom about the night she said she was attacked. After shoving his way into her Manhattan apartment, she said, Mr. Weinstein took her to a bedroom, forced her onto the bed and, as she sought to fight him off, sexually assaulted her. I was trying to get him off me, Ms. Sciorra told the jury, her voice cracking with emotion. I was punching him, kicking him. But Mr. Weinstein held her down, she said, adding: He got on top of me and he raped me. The testimony in State Supreme Court in Manhattan marked the first time that one of Mr. Weinsteins numerous accusers took the stand at a long-awaited criminal trial that has come to symbolize the #MeToo movement. An animal rescue has created a hilariously honest adoption ad in hopes that someone would take the worlds worst cat off their hands. The Mitchell County Animal Rescue in Spruce Pine, North Carolina captured pet lovers attention on Wednesday when they posted a cheeky adoption notice for Perdita, a domestic short hair mix that they say is not for the faint of heart. Perdita, we thought she was sick, turns out shes just a jerk, the organization captioned photos of the feline shared on Facebook. In the posting, the rescue wrote that Perdita likes staring into your soul until you feel as if you may never be cheerful again, lurking in dark corners and fooling shelter staff into thinking shes sick. Perdita the cat | Mitchell County Animal Shelter RELATED: Sassy Cat Returns Home After Owner Posts Missing Signs Calling Her a Jerk They also shared that Perdita does not like interacting with kittens, dogs and children and hates being hugged by humans. Shes single and ready to be socially awkward with a socially awkward human who understands personal space, the shelter wrote in the post, adding that theyve waived her adoption fee. Though she may not have the sunniest attitude, Perdita is house-trained, spayed and up to date on her vaccinations, according to her Pet Finder listing. Perdita arrived at their facilities after her previous owner died, the shelter said. The rescue is hoping to find her a forever home that does not have children, cats, dogs, or other animals. RELATED VIDEO: Man Attacked by Jerk Cat While Opening his Christmas Present A spokesperson for Mitchell County Animal Rescue could not be immediately reached by PEOPLE, though a shelter staffer told ABC News that Perdita earned the title of Worlds Worst Cat because she likes to troll people for attention. She pretends like she wants you to pet her and love on her, Brittany Taylor, the rescues office manager, said. As soon as you pick her up, she starts growling. She will swat you. Shes just all-out awful. For those interested in Perdita, the Mitchell County Animal Rescue is urging potential adopters to fill out an application on their website. The organization is also asking for donations for housing costs. So far, they have raised $343 from 12 donors. The Obamas will be leaving Washington next year for a five-city tour. Their portraits, that is. The paintings of former president Barack Obama - by Kehinde Wiley - and first lady Michelle Obama - by Amy Sherald - have attracted record crowds to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Starting in June 2021, the portraits will travel to five cities, giving new audiences a chance to experience them. "We're a history museum and an art museum, and they are really great representations of both. This tour is an opportunity for audiences in different parts of the country to witness how portraiture can engage people," said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery, the museum that commissioned the works. "You can use these portraits as a portal to all sorts of conversations." The tour will begin at the Art Institute of Chicago (June 18-Aug. 15, 2021) before moving to the Brooklyn Museum (Aug. 27-Oct. 24, 2021), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Nov. 5-Jan. 2, 2022), the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (Jan. 14-March 13, 2022) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (March 25-May 30, 2022). The cities were selected by the gallery for personal and geographical reasons. The Obamas have deep connections to Chicago, for example, and the works will be there when the former president celebrates his 60th birthday. Sherald grew up in Georgia, and Wiley was born in Los Angeles, so those stops made sense, Sajet said. Wiley's studio is based in Brooklyn, and its museum has several of his works in its collection. Thursday's tour announcement coincides with the publication of "The Obama Portraits," an illustrated book from the Smithsonian Institution and the Princeton University Press that celebrates the portraits and their influence. Wiley and Sherald are the first African American artists to be selected for the gallery's portraits of a president or first lady, and their paintings have drawn millions to the gallery since their splashy unveiling in February 2018. The NPG decided it was time to share them with the country, Sajet said, because Washington is too far for many Americans to make what she described as a "secular pilgrimage" to see them. "We handpicked (the museums)," she said. "They were the easiest calls I've made in my life." No conditions are being placed on their display, Sajet added, and she predicted that each exhibit will differ. James Rondeau, director of the Art Institute of Chicago, said the portraits will be displayed in a way that spotlights that museum's holdings. "We are an institution that contains a history of portraits, from the Bronze Age to the present, of kings and queens, popes and rulers, but also everyday people," he said. "We will embed (the Obama portraits) within the DNA of the institution." Rondeau described the exhibit coming in summer 2021 as historic and expressed gratitude to the Portrait Gallery for the privilege of the first stop outside Washington. "The Obamas have a very special relationship to Chicago and our museum in particular," he said. The pairing of artists and sitters is extraordinary, he added. The Obamas' "authority, charisma, humanity, charm, accessibility, it seems to be resting inside these paintings. It's a perfect storm. Talent and magic and subject come together to have this almost electrifying effect." The NPG has a history of touring its temporary exhibits, but loans of the popular presidential portraits are more unusual. "Theodore Roosevelt: Icon of the American Century" went on tour between 1998 and 2000. A larger show - "Portraits of the Presidents From the National Portrait Gallery" - toured the nation from 2000-2005, when the museum was closed for a renovation. Likewise, the treasured Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington, known as the "Lansdowne" portrait, visited seven venues between 2002-04, also during the renovation. The National Portrait Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian and doesn't charge admission. Sajet said the five museums on the tour have been asked to provide some free access, even if that means only "a number of free days" during each stop, she said. Rondeau said his museum is planning to "radically expand free hours for Chicagoans. We want to make sure everyone who wants to see these iconic portraits will be able to. I very much hope and expect we will be in the happy business of managing long lines." Another painting of Obama will anchor the popular "America's Presidents" exhibition at the Portrait Gallery while the Wiley portrait is on tour. Still, Sajet said, visitors will miss the Wiley and Sherald paintings. "We know people book their trips to Washington, and one of the stops now is to come and see the portraits," she said. But, Sajet promised, "there will be a big party when they get back." [January 23, 2020] Anthem Completes Acquisition of Medicaid Plans in Missouri and Nebraska Anthem, Inc. (NYSE:ANTM) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Medicaid plans in Missouri and Nebraska following the recent regulatory approval of WellCare's merger with Centene Corporation. "We are excited for the opportunity to provide our Medicaid expertise and support services to more than 300,000 new consumers in Missouri and Nebraska," said Gail K. Boudreaux, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anthem, Inc. "Anthem's focus on innovative, compassionate and comprehensive care is having a positive impact on the people we serve, as well as our local communities and the broader health system overall." This acquisition expands Anthem's footprint t serve Medicaid beneficiaries in 23 states and the District of Columbia. The Missouri and Nebraska health plans will become wholly owned subsidiaries under the Government Business Division of Anthem, Inc. About Anthem, Inc. Anthem is a leading health benefits company dedicated to improving lives and communities, and making healthcare simpler. Through its affiliated companies, Anthem serves more than 77 million people, including over 40 million within its family of health plans. We aim to be the most innovative, valuable and inclusive partner. For more information, please visit www.antheminc.com or follow @AnthemInc on Twitter (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200123005590/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] KYIV -- Pious and patriotic. For Viktoria, going to church in the Ukrainian capital is more than just soothing for the soul. On Sundays she can be found worshiping in Kyiv's St. Nicholas Church at Tatarka. The boxy, white, single-domed parish is now part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which gained autocephaly, or ecclesiastical independence, just over a year ago. "I like it here," Viktoria, who declined to give her last name, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. "I like the priests; I like how they conduct services.... I'm Ukrainian and a patriot. I support all that is Ukraine." The move to establish the OCU heralded a historic break with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), ending more than three centuries of Russian spiritual and temporal control of the dominant faith in Ukraine. It also sparked one of the biggest rifts within Christianity over the last millennium. After Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople -- the spiritual head of Orthodox Christianity's 300 million-strong worldwide community -- issued the Tomos, or decree, that granted the OCU independence from the Moscow Patriarchate on January 5, 2019, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) responded by severing its ties with Constantinople. Then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the creation of the new church would "go down in history" as the day Ukraine "finally received [its] independence from Russia." Bartholomew issued the Tomos when ties between Kyiv and Moscow were already extremely strained. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and shortly thereafter began providing military, economic, and political support to separatist formations in parts of eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that the new church's main objective was to "divide the people of Russia and Ukraine, to sow national and religious divisions." Amid hostilities from the Kremlin and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, the OCU has faced church closures in Russian-occupied Crimea and other harassment. Even closer to home, the OCU has its detractors, not least Patriarch Filaret, who headed the Kyiv Patriarchate before it was superseded by the new OCU. Nonetheless, more than 500 parishes have switched from the UOC-MP to the OCU in the past year. The mere fact the OCU exists is reason to celebrate, argued the OCU head, 40-year-old Metropolitan Epifaniy. "Despite the many challenges and opposition from ill-wishers, the past year witnessed the birth of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," Epifaniy said on December 14, 2019, at Kyiv's St. Sophia Cathedral. "As such, a centuries-long struggle for autocephaly, establishing historical justice by freeing Ukraine from the unsanctioned control of the Russian Church over Ukraine, was accomplished." New Church The new church was established by a synod at St. Sophia on December 15, 2018. That church council brought together senior clergy from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). Those two churches would melt away to form the new OCU. Except for two renegade bishops, the UOC-MP boycotted the synod. Less than a month later, on January 6, 2019, Bartholomew issued the Tomos, making the OCU the 15th local Orthodox Church recognized by the church's hierarchy. For many Ukrainians, it was a seismic, spiritual event, explained Viktor Yelenskiy, a religious-affairs expert and former Ukrainian parliamentary deputy of the Narodniy Front party. "The question of autocephaly was never a purely religious question, with politics always trumping ideology," Yelenskiy told RFE/RL's Russian Service in a recent interview. "Nevertheless, it is a very significant event for millions of Ukrainians, who ceased to be heretics, schismatics, and so forth, as they had been called by the Moscow Patriarchate." Over the past year, 520 UOC-MP churches have switched to the OCU, which now registers 7,000 parishes, 77 monasteries, and 47 dioceses, or ecclesiastical districts. In addition to Bartholomew, the OCU has been recognized by the Greek Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Alexandria. The UOC-KP and UOAC officially ceased to exist on December 14, 2019, when their deregistration was announced by the Ukrainian Justice Ministry. Moscow-Backed Church Still Strong? The UOC-MP, which does not recognize the OCU as an autocephalous church, continues to function and, in fact, continues to predominate among Ukraine's Orthodox believers, if numbers are to be believed. Not only does it have some 12,300 parishes, but many of the country's most revered Orthodox religious sites remain under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate. Moreover, the UOC-MP, led by Patriarch Onufriy, is backed by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has denounced the OCU as an effort by Ukraine in collaboration with the United States to "tear apart the last connection between our people [Russians and Ukrainians]," echoing what Putin has said. The ROC has created a special webpage, In Defense Of The Unity Of The Russian Orthodox Church, to criticize the new church and highlight Patriarch Onufriy's efforts. Patriarch Kirill has also severed the Russian church's ties with Bartholomew, as well as the Greek Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which is based in Egypt. The three are the only Orthodox churches to recognize the OCU. The Serbian Orthodox Church has backed Moscow in opposing the new Ukrainian church. Despite those efforts, the UOC-MP is losing the spiritual wars, albeit slowly, argues Anatolii Babynski, an Orthodox Church historian at the Metropolitan Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at the University of Toronto. He says the UOC-MP has between 9,000 and 10,000 parishes, not the 12,300 cited by the church itself. "You need only 10 persons to register for a new religious organization," Babynski tells RFE/RL. "It is also hard to grasp the actual number of individuals that switched the jurisdiction. Because in the cities and towns where there are parishes of different churches, people can easily change their church affiliation -- 'to vote by their feet.'" Metropolitan Epifaniy has responded to the criticism from Kirill by branding the ROC as "the last advance post of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine," and predicting the gradual loss of Russian influence as a result of Ukraine's Orthodoxy independence. Whither The Property? While the number of UOC-MP parishes may be debated, its control over key Orthodox assets in Ukraine is not. The most prized possession perhaps is the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a hallowed monastery where mummified monks rest in labyrinthine underground caves in the Ukrainian capital. UOC-MP clergy ominously predicted that Ukrainian ultranationalists would resort to violence to seize control of Orthodox property, especially Pechersk Lavra. Those dire warnings never came to fruition, but the issue of ownership of key Orthodox sites remains acute. Overall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has kept a low profile on the matter, calling on representatives of both churches to engage in dialogue and saying, "faith should unite, and not divide." According to Babynski untying the Gordian knot that is church property will take time. "As for significant Ukrainian Orthodox monasteries, or lavras, the property belongs to the Ukrainian state because they are part of Ukraine's national heritage. On the other hand, they are rented by the Moscow Patriarchate," he explains, adding that much will depend on the OCU gaining wider acceptance in the Orthodox world. The Detractor, Patriarch Filaret Perhaps the biggest threat to the new church could come from within its own ranks. Patriarch Filaret, who was excommunicated by the Moscow Patriarchate after he broke his Kyiv Patriarchate away from Moscow in 1992, has been a vocal backer of an independent Ukrainian church. However, the 90-year-old Filaret was not satisfied with his new title of "honorary patriarch" and feels he was promised the job that went to Epifaniy. He has become a vocal critic of the new church. Many analysts see something of a generational conflict between Filaret and Epifaniy. "I've spoken often with the Honorary Patriarch Filaret about his views on how to achieve Orthodox unity," religious-affairs expert Yelenskiy says. "Of course, he demonstrates traits he learned at the Moscow theological academy, traits from the church which formed him." "There were no doubts that bishops with Soviet educations were raised and prepared more or less the same way," adds Sergei Chapnin, a Russian religious scholar. Filaret "was a man who was first among those openly and consistently -- in fact from his youth -- who agreed to cooperate with the Soviet government, with the [Soviet-era] Council for Religious Affairs and with the KGB. And such people, unfortunately, don't change." Repression Of OCU In Crimea With Russia in de facto control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, it is perhaps no surprise the OCU and its clergy have faced harassment there. In early 2014, there were 46 parishes affiliated with the Kyiv Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church. One year later, only eight such parishes remained. The last major OCU congregation was evicted from its church in September by court order in the peninsula's capital of Simferopol. The same month, the Russian Justice Ministry in Crimea for the third time since 2014 denied registration to the OCU on the peninsula. In November, a court in Crimea ordered the OCU to demolish its chapel in Yevpatoria. In March 2019, Father Kliment, the head of the OCU in Crimea, was briefly detained by local police. Epifaniy compared Russia's treatment of believers in Crimea to "Stalin-era" repressions. "This is reminiscent of the Stalin era of the U.S.S.R., when churches were destroyed," he told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. Halya Coynash of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group says the OCU remains one of the few remaining symbols in Crimea of "Ukrainian identity," making it a target for the local Russian-installed leaders. "The church -- then under the Kyiv Patriarchate -- has been under attack since Russia's invasion," Coynash explained in e-mail comments to RFE/RL. "Most faiths have been in one way or another, but the 'Ukrainian Church' most, i) because it reflects Ukrainian identity in occupied Crimea, and ii) because the Church came out in public condemnation of annexation." Hopes For New Post-Soviet Church Despite the hardships, Chapnin says, the OCU has a unique chance to become the first Orthodox church in the former Soviet empire to truly shed its communist-era legacy. "The key question now is that there is a chance for the Orthodox Church to break with its Soviet past," he says. "And if I have a hope regarding the future of the autocephalous church in Ukraine, then it is the hope of creating a vibrant, young, dynamic church that is not a Soviet, or a post-Soviet one." Back in Kyiv at the St. Nicholas Church, Tetyana, a worshipper, suggests the OCU is largely getting things right. "I feel very comfortable here," Tetyana, who also declined to provide her surname, tells RFE/RL. "The clergy here are wonderful. As for the Moscow Patriarchate, I always felt uncomfortable there. Here, everything is in Ukrainian. I feel more comfortable with that." With reporting by Olha Katsan of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service SOUTH HADLEY A new chamber music concert series is happening in South Hadley, and a recent concert goer said the quality of the music is amazing! As a part of the existing Norwottuck Chamber Concert series hosted by All Saints Episcopal Church on 7 Woodbridge St., this new series within a series is called Cultivate. It is just in its first year, and features emerging artists. In addition to the music, each concert provides a sampling of local food and wine from the areas farms, along with intimate conversation with the performers. As the website promises 'Cultivate' brings an arts and culture experience for all the senses to the Pioneer Valley. Three performances were on Cultivates schedule this season, the first of which took place in November. The next concert, entitled Americana, is Feb. 1 and bridges the gap between folk, jazz, blues and classical music and features works by Harbison, Barber, Dvorak and a new composition by Longmeadow native, Anthony Ferreira. The third and final concert, on May 9, will present Mozart and Opera. All concerts are performed in the beautiful sanctuary of All Saints Church. The series was founded by East Longmeadow native Kristen Flanagan, who not only plays piano in the concerts, but also makes all the artistic and administrative decisions for the group. Flanagan is a former student of piano teacher Abby Thomsen of Longmeadow, and holds a BA in music and piano performance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In addition, she is currently pursuing a masters degree in Collaborative Piano. She explained how the series came about. Since graduating from the undergraduate program, she said, I've had a couple of house concerts in my parent's living room where I've asked my good friends to perform with me, and have invited family friends to come for dessert and a concert. It was upon receiving such an enthusiastic response to these concerts that I decided to branch out and take this to a more public place. Flanagan performs with other young musicians she has met at school or in the area and enjoys playing with. One of the reasons she named her series Cultivate was to symbolize the fact that many of the performers are young in their careers. Sometimes, she said, I'll choose the repertoire first and then decide on the players. Other times, if I want to incorporate certain musicians, I will look for pieces with specific instrumentation. In addition to highlighting the music and the musicians, Flanagan's goal is to bring the community together to experience beauty and art in other forms, as well. All Saints is a stunning venue and there are so many local artisans that I hope to partner with, she said, adding, I think we're presenting real chamber music while taking down some of the barriers that get in the way in more traditional classical music settings. People can feel the authenticity in what we present. Our guests enjoy that experience. Speaking of how she, herself, feels about it all, Flanagan said, I get to perform some of the most incredible music ever written with some of my closest friends. It is an honor to have the opportunity to present these concerts. For more information about the series, the music and the musicians, visit www.cultivatechambermusic.com The Associated Press A U.N. human rights panel has ruled for the first time that people fleeing the effects of climate change may be entitled to claim asylum, even as it dismissed an individual plaintiffs case against his deportation from New Zealand. The U.N. Human Rights Committee published its ruling Tuesday in the case of a man from Kiribati who was sent back to the Pacific island nation after being denied asylum by New Zealand in 2015. The Geneva-based panel, which monitors states compliance with the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, concluded that although the deportation was legal, similar cases might in future justify asylum claims. The ruling has no immediate legal impact, but it is likely to be cited by people who say their rights are endangered by the impacts of climate change such as violent storms and sea level rise. The plaintiff in the case, Ioane Teitiota, had argued that he and his family were threatened by the lack of fresh water and violent land disputes as the ocean encroaches on Kiribati. The panel concluded that he had failed to provide sufficient evidence for his claims and that while Kiribati is likely to become uninhabitable, there is still a chance the islands government might avert this. Still, the committees 18 independent experts acknowledged that environmental degradation, climate change and unsustainable development constitute some of the most pressing and serious threats to the ability of present and future generations to enjoy the right to life. This ruling sets forth new standards that could facilitate the success of future climate change-related asylum claims, committee member Yuval Shany said. Swedish Finnish English Solidium Oys half-year report for July-December 2019: Solidiums return on equity holdings was -1.4% for the six-month period and 15.0% for the full calendar year 2019 Solidiums net asset value decreased by EUR 0.4 billion mainly due to a profit distribution of EUR 338 million to the owner, and was EUR 6.9 billion at the end of the period. Solidiums CEO Antti Makinens comments: Solidiums return on equity was good (15.0%) in the full calendar year 2019. Metso and Outotec contributed especially well. However, the return of Nokia turned to negative due to the cut of the guidance and due to the halting of the dividend payments. During the reporting period 1 July 31 December 2019 Solidium reduced its stake in Kemira from 14.0% to 10.2% with a sale price of EUR 84 million and sold its Nordea shares, which were received as a dividend from Sampo, with a sale price of EUR 36 million. Due to the purchase of shares, the ownership in Konecranes was increased from 7.4% to 8.4% (purchase price of EUR 23 million), and Nokia from 3.7% to 3.8% (purchase price of EUR 36 million). The merger of Tieto and EVRY was completed in October 2019. After the agreed purchase of TietoEVRY shares for EUR 123 million in the end of the year, Solidiums ownership of the merged TietoEVRY increases to 10.0%. We estimate that our dividend income during the current financial year will be lower compared to the previous year due to the halt of dividend payments by Nokia and the indication to cut the dividend by Sampo. SOLIDIUMS HOLDINGS Development of holdings and key indicators The value of Solidiums all holdings (equity holdings and money market investments) was EUR 7,701 million on 31 December 2019 (EUR 8,193 million on 30 June 2019 and EUR 6,995 million on 31 December 2018). The return on all holdings was -1.3 per cent over the review period of six months, and 14.9 per cent for the last twelve months. More detailed information on the investment key indicators are attached. Equity holdings The value of Solidiums equity holdings was EUR 7,541 million on 31 December 2019 (EUR 7,742 million on 30 June 2019 and EUR 6,842 million on 31 December 2018). The total return of Solidiums equity holdings was -1.4 per cent during the review period and 15.0 per cent for the last twelve months. During the six-month period the best returns were generated by Metso and Outotec whereas the return of Nokia was the weakest. Money market investments Solidiums money market investments amounted to EUR 160 million on 31 December 2019 (EUR 452 million on 30 June 2019 and EUR 152 million on 31 December 2018). The return of money market investments was 0.1 per cent during the review period and 0.4 per cent for the past twelve months. Solidiums financial debt was EUR 205 in the end of the period. During the review period Solidium paid a profit distribution of EUR 338 million to the owner. Participation in nomination boards A central aspect of Solidiums corporate governance model is to actively influence the composition of the boards of directors of the portfolio companies. Solidium actively participated in the work of the nomination boards responsible for preparing board elections. Solidium pursues board compositions which best serve the needs of the companies and the goal of shareholder value creation. Solidiums representatives have served as the chairman of the shareholders nomination boards of Elisa, Metso, Outokumpu, Outotec and Valmet, and as members of the shareholders nomination boards of Kemira, Konecranes, SSAB, Stora Enso and TietoEVRY. The nomination boards prepare the proposals related to the selection and remuneration of the board members for the 2020 Annual General Meetings. According to Solidiums strategy the objective for Solidium is to have a representative in the board of each portfolio company. Currently Solidiums CEO Antti Makinen is board member of Metso, Sampo and Stora Enso boards. In addition, Solidiums Board member Aaro Cantell is a member of the board of Valmet, Timo Ahopelto is a member of the board of TietoEVRY, and Jannica Fagerholm is a member of the board of Sampo. Share transactions During the review period Solidium acquired shares in Konecranes for EUR 23 million, in Nokia for EUR 36 million, and in TietoEVRY for EUR 123 million. Following the the arrangements, Solidiums holding in Konecranes increased from 7.4 per cent to 8.4 per cent, in Nokia from 3.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent, and in TietoEVRY from 6.3 per cent to 10.0 per cent. During the review period Solidium sold shares in Kemira for EUR 84 million and in Nordea for EUR 36 million. Following the transactions, Solidiums holding in Kemira decreased from 14.0 per cent to 10.2 per cent and in Nordea to 0.0 per cent. SOLIDIUM OY'S EVENTS Annual General Meeting Solidiums Annual General Meeting was held in Helsinki on 6 November 2019. The Annual General Meeting adopted the companys financial statements for the financial year 1 July 201830 June 2019 and discharged the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO from liability. In accordance with the Boards proposal, the Annual General Meeting decided on a profit distribution of EUR 338 million to the owner, which corresponds to the amount of dividends received by Solidium, taking the taxes payable on the dividends into consideration. For a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting, the following persons were elected to the Board of Directors: Harri Sailas was elected as the Chairman, Aaro Cantell as the Vice Chairman, and Timo Ahopelto, Jannica Fagerholm, Marjo Miettinen, Laura Raitio and Kimmo Viertola as Board members. Financial key indicators Solidiums operating expenses were EUR 1.7 million for the review period, resulting in a management cost ratio of operations of 0.05% at an annual level. Solidiums net asset value was by the end of the review period EUR 6.9 billion. This half-year report is available at https://www.solidium.fi/en/publications-and-media/half-year-report/ Attachment: Solidiums holdings as of 31 December 2019 Solidium Oy Further information: Antti Makinen, CEO, tel. +358 (0)10 830 8905 Solidium is a limited company wholly owned by the State of Finland. Its mission is to strengthen and stabilise Finnish ownership in nationally important companies and increase the value of its holdings in the long term. Through its stakes, Solidium is a minority owner in thirteen listed companies: Elisa, Kemira, Konecranes, Metso, Nokia, Nokian Renkaat, Outokumpu, Outotec, Sampo, SSAB, Stora Enso, TietoEVRY and Valmet. The market value of Solidiums investments is approximately 8.2 billion euros. Further information: www.solidium.fi Attachment Harris County voters face doing homework when it comes to some congressional and local races in the March 3 primary because of the large field of candidates seeking office. For example, the contest for District 7 U.S. representative, which represents west Harris County, has drawn six Republican candidates. They are Wesley Hunt, Cindy Siegel, Maria Espinoza, Laique Rehman, Kyle Preston and Jim Noteware. The longtime Republican stronghold changed parties in the Nov. 6, 2018 election when Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, beat out U.S. Rep. John Culberson, who had first been elected to the seat in 2000. While Fletcher has no opponent in the Democratic Primary, theres a different story for the race for the District 22 U.S. representative seat now held by retiring Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land. Five Democrats are running for the position: Derrick A. Reed, Carmine Petricco III, Sri Preston Kulkarni, Chris Fernandez and Nyanza Davis Moore. Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox In the Republican primary, 15 candidates want to represent District 22,which covers a large part of Fort Bend County and smaller portions of Brazoria and Harris counties. They are Pierce Bush, Jon Camarillo, Douglas Haggard, Aaron Hermes, Greg Hill, Matt Hinton, Dan Mathews, Diana Miller, Troy Nehls, Brandon Penko, Shandon Phan, Bangar Reddy, Howard Lynn Steele Jr., Kathaleen Wall and Joe Walz Olson narrowly beat Kulkarni in the Nov. 6, 2018, election. Olson succeeded Democrat Nick Lampson who won the seat in 2006, interrupting what had been a long Republican tenure by Tom DeLay who served as District 22 U.S. representative from 1984 to 2006. The large field of candidates shows the energy on the Republican side, said Paul Simpson, Harris County Republican Party chairman. We have so many people interested in running on the Republican banner. He thinks the intraparty competition is a good experience for candidates. They get on the campaign trail early, hone their messages and sharpen their skills. In addition to the training the campaigning provides, the candidates also are getting their message out to more voters earlier. It reflects the energy and enthusiasm on our Republican side. Breaking News: Get email alerts from Chron.com sent directly to your inbox But theres excitement at the Harris Count Democratic Party as well, according to Nisha Randle, the partys communications director. Harris County is the biggest Democratic stronghold in Texas, according to Randle. We want to protect that, increase our voter share and were really confident about our chances in November. Simpson said misconceptions surround the last election cycle that saw longtime County Judge Ed Emmett lose his bid to a third term by a narrow margin. He received 48.16 percent of the total vote compared to 49.78 percent for his Democratic opponent Lina Hidalgo. Looking at the state and nation as a whole, Simpson said the Harris County Republican Party candidate outperformed much of the ticket. When 77 percent of the voters voted straight ticket, it was too much negative to overcome, he added. Neither Simpson nor Randle think that the governors elimination of straight party ticket voting will be a problem in November. Randle said, We are actually focused on every race up down the ballot from presidential to judicial races. Theyre all important to us. The party has been registering voters and reaching out to people to get them to vote. Its going to be really competitive and thats good, said Randle. Focus groups have concentrated on the general election after the primary and Randle said that will be one of the big communication issues. Its important to vote from the top of the ticket all the way down, she said. Simpson said the Republican Party is doing a lot of true and tried stuff in Harris County, but added, Were always refocusing campaign strategy. The party has focused on training candidates and reaching out to voters through advertising, door-to-door campaigns, phone calls and every tool available to us, he said. Not everyone gets the same message the same way, he continued noting differences between 25-year-old and 65-year-old voters. The Harris County Republican Party is informing voters of the importance of voting in judicial races and all the way down the ballot, Simpson said. Im optimistic voters will be able to vote down the ballot. Theyll vote Republican. They will want to and will do so. Simpson and Randle disagree on the possible impact President Donald Trump could have on local elections. I think Republican voters are happy with Trumps policies, said Simpson, on foreign and domestic policy and with the performance the country has had since his election. An increasing number of Independents are happy with the way the country is performing under the Trump economy, his appointment of judges and protecting Americans overseas by not appeasing thugs in Iran. I think a lot of Republicans came home and Independent voters are being won over, said Simpson. He credits national Democratic politics as providing a local boost. He said the nondiverse national Democratic Party ticket is running too hard to the left. Its embracing socialism and upending every tradition in this country, continued Simpson. Its turning off Independents and Republicans. But Randle sees Trump as a driver encouraging Democrats to get out and vote. At the end of the day, people want a good education for their kids, healthcare and a planet that will be around, she said. You cant move on any of those issues if you still have Trump as president. Voters are talking healthcare, education and climate, she said. Voters are aligned with what they see throughout the country. Healthcare is a big driver to a lot of people. A lot of younger people are worried on how were working to combat climate change and save the planet. The national platform is the same as ours in Harris County. Here are some of the primary races in Harris County: Republicans Harris County District Attorney: Lloyd Wayne Oliver, Mary Nan Huffman, Lori DeAngelo Harris County Sheriff: Joe Danna, Paul Day, Randy Rush Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner: Brenda Stardig, Tom Ramsey, Susan Sample Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 1: Russ Ridgway (incumbent), Adrianna Higginbotham, Mike Wolfe Democrats Harris County District Attorney: Todd Overstreet, Audia Jones, Carvana Cloud, Kim Ogg (incumbent) Harris County Attorney: Ben Rose, Christian Dashaun Menefee, Vince Ryan Harris County Sheriff: Ed Gonzalez (incumbent), Harry Zamora, Jerome Moore Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector: Jolanda Jo Jones, Ann Harris Bennett (incumbent), Jack Terence Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner: Kristi Thibaut, Erik Beto Hassan, Morris Overstreet, Michael Moore, Diana Martinez Alexander, Zaher Eisa Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 1: Roel Garcia, Israel Garcia, Eman Afshar Harris County Constable Precinct 5: Randy Newman, Mark Alan Harrison, Mark Miller karen.zurawski@chron.com Whether it's celebrating an anniversary, taking the family for a holiday or simply a staycation to unwind and relax, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts offers guests a bespoke experience for whatever moment, milestone and occasion in their lives across its participating brands: Banyan Tree - A sanctuary for the senses for a real pampering treat A sanctuary for the senses for a real pampering treat Angsana - An amazing destination playground for fun and adventure An amazing destination playground for fun and adventure Cassia - A personalised and dynamic stay for the independent traveller Regardless of the experience guests are looking for, they can be assured of the warm hospitality signature to the Banyan Tree brand, with attentive yet discreet service from the service staff of more than 50 nationalities. 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List of participating hotels Banyan Tree Angsana Cassia Bintan Mayakoba Balaclava Mauritius Laguna Phuket Bintan Ungasan, Bali Tamouday Bay Bangalore Villas Resort Phuket Phuket Club & Spa Seoul Seychelles Bintan Lang Co Kuala Lumpur Bangkok Maison-Souvannaphoum Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur Managed by Banyan Tree Phuket Ihuru (Maldives) Vabbinfaru (Maldives) Samui Velavaru (Maldives) Cabo Marques Lang Co Riads Collection, Morocco *Given the reported development of the Novel Coronavirus and our concerted effort to ensure the safety of our guests and employees, Banyan Tree Group has updated our cancellation policy. We will extend a waiver on cancellation and amendment fees for all guests who are staying in our hotels under the Banyan Tree Group in China between 24 January and 29 February 2020. Each individual hotel may make necessary adjustments as advised by local authorities from time to time. Terms and Conditions Book from now until 5 February 2020 Valid for stays from now until 30 April 2020 A minimum stay of one night is required for this offer Offer cannot be combined with other promotions and/or gift certificate Individual properties will extend property specific value adds Individual property's general terms and conditions apply Cancellation Policy Reservation is non-cancellable A full non-refundable prepayment is required upon confirmation of the booking Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081140/Banyan_Tree_Phuket.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081139/Angsana_Velavaru_Maldives.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1081138/Cassia_Phuket.jpg Related Links https://www.banyantree.com SOURCE Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has withdrawn his representatives from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and other assemblies in the Ashanti region. According to the Bantamahene, Baffour Owusu Amankwatia, the traditional council feels eliminated in local governance representation in the various assemblies. He revealed that the assembly formerly had 5 representatives on the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and other assemblies. However, he said, the number has been reduced to 1 by the Central government. The traditional council believes it is no more relevant in the local governance structure hence the decision by the Otumfuo to withdraw all traditional representation in the various assemblies. The Bantamahene who is representing the Asantehene at the inauguration of and swearing in the of 8th Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly stressed a formal letter has been sent to the Ashanti regional minister Simon Osei Mensah. ---Starrfm.com.gh Robert Eugene Koehler is under arrest. Authorities say Koehler is the 'pillowcase rapist', suspected of assaulting numerous women in the Miami area during the 1980's. A DNA match has led to a Florida man prosecutors suspect is the 'pillowcase rapist' responsible for numerous sexual assaults of women in the Miami area during the 1980s. Robert Koehler, 60, was arrested over the weekend in Brevard County and was being held without bond Thursday after his transfer to a Miami jail. He faces charges in one assault though authorities say as many as 25 victims could be involved. According to an arrest warrant, investigators obtained a DNA sample from Koehler's son following an unrelated arrest. That sample was linked to one of the assaults, leading detectives to Brevard County where they followed Koehler to obtain DNA samples from objects he touched. They had a match. Koehler made his first bond appearance in Miami on Thursday. Koehler, clad in a red jumpsuit, blinked in disbelief when he was read the charges of sexual battery for a case in 1983 Koehler was moved to Miami on Wednesday, where a judge issued a search warrant to collect DNA from him. It produced a 100 percent match to the DNA found on at least 25 women Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said it will take time to locate victims and determine if there is enough evidence to prosecute all of these cases. The rapes occurred between 1981 and 1986. She said the arrest of Koehler will 'hopefully bring some justice and some measure of peace' to the victims. Rundle also said quick work by lab technicians coupled with improvements in DNA technology led to the arrest. 'They did a phenomenal job,' she said. 'Its going to take some time. But we feel confident that there are a number of sufficient cases that we can prosecute. We want to ensure that his man is never, ever free again.' Rundle said the break in the case came after Koehlers son, Robert J. Koehler, 29, was arrested in September and charged with attempted burglary, domestic violence assault and criminal mischief in Melbourne, Florida. The younger Koehlers DNA was taken and entered into a national database. It turned up a hit to a 1983 rape case in Miami - but the son had not even been born yet, so investigators looked further afield and at other family members. Prosecutors on Thursday revealed that Koehler's DNA has been matched to at least 25 rape victims that date to the 1980s and believe there will be more matches in the days to come. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is pictured at the podium Robert Eugene Koehler is pictured in court at his first appearance before Judge David Silverman via closed circuit Tuesday Authorities in Brevard County found a pit of sorts had been dug under Koehler's house, according to a search warrant. They also found several safes containing women's jewelry and other items, including a nail file, that might be linked some some of his crimes. The 'pillowcase rapist' was so named because he used a pillowcase or other fabric to cover the faces of his victims, usually after he broke into an apartment or townhouse. The assaults were often committed at knifepoint, authorities said and occurred between May 1981 and February 1986. He hid his identity with pillowcases, towels or shirts before sexually assaulting at least 44 women, but police failed to get any further with the investigation and it was shelved in 1987. One woman did see his face, it was reported at the time of his attack. She convinced him she couldn't see his face without her glasses and studied him during the rape, a knife at her throat. From the description given by the 36-year-old victim, a police artist created a drawing that was circulated throughout Coconut Grove, South Miami and Hollywood. Police at the time also commissioned sculptor Tony Lopez to fashion a detailed clay bust of one of the most hunted men in south Florida history. From the description given by one 36-year-old victim, a police artist created a drawing that was circulated throughout Coconut Grove, South Miami and Hollywood. Police at the time also commissioned sculptor Tony Lopez to fashion a detailed clay bust, seen left Alfredo Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said the investigation was a massive one encompassing much of South Florida. The series of assaults terrorized South Florida for the early 1980s. 'A lot of sweat and tears was put into this case,' Ramirez said. 'We're going to make sure he stays in jail.' When he appeared in Brevard County court before his transfer to Miami, Koehler blurted out that he was 'not guilty' of the assaults. He was convicted in a 1990 rape in Palm Beach County and sentenced to probation, which he later violated and served 120 days in jail. Robert Eugene Koehler in court at his first appearance. Several law enforcement agencies believe the 60-year-old Palm Bay, Fla. man to be the infamous Pillow Case Rapist, who is thought to have attacked over 40 victims when in South Florida in the early 1980s That case, however, was never linked to the series of assaults in Miami and elsewhere in South Florida. Rundle said that was mainly because DNA samples were not yet mandatory. A task force launched in the 1980s to search for the attacker was disbanded in 1987, but was recently revived by the Miami-Dade Police Department's cold case squad. 'No matter how long ago it happened, we will never forget,' Ramirez said. Authorities say Koehler had worked as an electrician while living in Palm Bay, Florida. Investigators obtained a DNA sample from Koehler's son following an unrelated arrest and the sample was linked to one of the assaults It led detectives to Brevard County where they followed Koehler to obtain DNA samples from objects he touched Since the first reported attack on a 24-year-old secretary in May 1981, the rapist attacked women, usually entering houses or apartments through unlocked doors or windows and using a knife to terrify them into submission. In each case the attacker sought to dominate his victims, tying them up, and sometimes using a pillowcase to blindfold them. In one incident the rapist attacked a frail, half-blind 82-year-old widow after breaking into her home. She awoke to see the rapist standing next to her bed, a pillowcase wrapped around his head with only his eyes showing. Following the rape, the outraged woman chased him out of the house. 'She literally tore a dish towel rack from the wall of her kitchen,' Simmons said at the time of the 1986 break in. 'She chased him out the back door, swinging the metal fixture at him and shouting at him to get out of her house.' The rapist took the woman's wedding band in the attack and left a bizarre set of clues - a pair of women's red, bikini-style underwear, a cream-colored women's sleeveless undershirt, a navy blue leather purse with two crumpled department store bags inside, and an unidentified item of men's clothing. The U.S. is warning it will send furlough notices within weeks to almost 9,000 South Korean workers at U.S. bases if the two countries don't reach agreement on President Donald Trump's demand for Seoul to increase dramatically what it pays for American troops. Trump's push for South Korea to contribute much more has put the alliance under strain at a time when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime has said it would no longer be bound by its previous promise to halt testing of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. The two sides remained deadlocked, though U.S. officials have indicated they've backed off Trump's initial demand that President Moon Jae-in's administration pay about $5 billion a year for U.S. forces stationed there, more than five times the $900 million in a stopgap one-year agreement that expired on Dec. 31. The Special Measures Agreement pays for about 28,000 American troops stationed in South Korea -- and also for the South Korean civilians who work at the bases. U.S. officials say they are required to give those workers 60 days' advance notice that their pay might be cut off because the last of the funds under the previous deal is running out. "Cost-sharing negotiations with allies are tough, whether it's Korea, Japan or others," said Rexon Ryu, a partner at the Asia Group and a former White House official and Pentagon chief of staff. "But a penny-pinching approach that is informed by a transactional strategy risks weakening fundamental strength of the alliance." Trump has repeatedly insisted that the U.S. gets a raw deal from partners that host American troops around the world, and he's focused particular ire on the South Korean agreement. In August, he tweeted that South Korea "is a very wealthy nation that now feels an obligation to contribute to the military defense provided by the United States of America." People familiar with the discussions say American negotiators have shifted their position as they seek to offer a justification for a far bigger price tag. After initially suggesting South Korea could make more purchases of U.S. defense equipment, the Trump administration is now focused on other elements, such as asking the country to pay more for temporary troop rotations. Another demand is for South Korea to spend more on capabilities that would allow it to take full operational control of joint forces in wartime. Last week, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal calling on Seoul to pay more in a tone that one person familiar with its publication said reflected rising frustration in Washington over the impasse. The U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris, told reporters last week that U.S. law would soon require the furlough notifications. About 6,000 workers would be immediately affected, with furloughs extended later to additional "core personnel," according to Son Gi-o, a representative of the U.S. Forces Korea Korean Employees Union. "If we do go into furlough, the bases will be completely paralyzed," Son said, adding that a total of 8,700 employees could be affected. In October, the chief of staff for U.S. Forces Korea, Maj. Gen. Stephen Williams, told the union in a letter that furloughs were possible from April 1 if a deal was not reached, adding that the first notices to impacted employees would be issued by Jan. 31. The negotiations in South Korea could affect other U.S. allies hosting troops, such as Japan, with Esper saying the Trump administration wants them to pay more too. Japanese officials are watching the South Korea negotiations closely with the approach of talks set to begin later this year for a U.S-Japan cost-sharing deal. Moon is facing parliamentary elections in April and is wary of the political fallout if he agrees to a hefty increase, which has little support in his camp and among the general public. South Korea decided Tuesday to send a naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz, answering a U.S. call for greater international security commitments in the region. But American officials say that while the gesture is appreciated, it won't count as credit toward South Korean payment. One of the challenges, according to those familiar with the discussions, is that South Korean officials refused to engage on the initial demand for $5 billion, which they considered too much to ask and an exaggeration of the cost of stationing U.S. troops there. "The president came up with it, and U.S. officials have no idea how and now they're scrambling to come up with justifications," said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "It's seen as insulting. It transforms alliances based on shared values and objectives into a transactional relationship, it degrades the alliance into a business relationship." In an interview with South Korean media on Dec. 18, James DeHart, the top American negotiator, said his government wants an agreement that lasts longer than one year. "We have listened in these negotiations probably more than we have spoken, we have adjusted and we have compromised," DeHart said. "That is what happens in discussions between close allies, and when both sides are trying to get to an agreement." - - - Bloomberg's Jon Herskovitz contributed to this report. The Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, a novel coronavirus, is spreading from China to other countries, with the United States confirming its first case of the potentially fatal disease. The virus has killed 17 people in China, sickening more than 500 people across six countries, and leaving thousands of people in quarantine. Wuhan skyline and Yangtze river with supertall skyscraper under construction in Wuhan Hubei China. Image Credit: Sleepingpanda / Shutterstock The virus, marked by pneumonia-like symptoms and fever, first appeared in Wuhan, an 11-million-person city in Hubei province in China. The Wuhan coronavirus timeline The once mysterious virus causing severe pneumonia-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and difficulty of breathing has been confirmed to be a coronavirus. Its like two already existing coronavirus diseases, both of which are deadly the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which originated in China in 2003, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-Cov), which first appeared in the Middle East in 2012. Series of mysterious lung disease The day before New Year, on December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities have reported a series of a mysterious lung disease, likened to pneumonia, appearing in Wuhan City to the World Health Organization (WHO). The patients were isolated and quarantined while health officials try to determine where the disease started. On New Years day, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the source of the infection, which was a seafood market in the city. Health officials immediately shut down the market to prevent the further spread of the virus. The next day, on Jan. 2, Singapores Ministry of Health (MOH) was alerted of the new pneumonia outbreak in China and initiated screenings in the airport for all travelers arriving from China. Patients with symptoms such as fever and cough were immediately referred to hospitals for evaluation. First death linked to the virus On Jan. 9, the WHO has identified the culprit behind the outbreak, which is a new strain of coronavirus, which is a viral family of viruses causing diseases such as common colds, to more serious diseases, such as SARS and MERS-Cov. In a matter of days, the virus has spread, infecting more than 50 people. The outbreak came to a point where health officials were alarmed as one person has died of the virus on Jan. 11 and a couple of days after, the virus has spread beyond China. On Jan. 13, Thailand has confirmed its first case of the 2019-NCov infection. The female patient returned to Thailand from a trip to Wuhan and presented with symptoms of pneumonia. On Jan, 16, Japan has confirmed its first case of the virus, who was a patient who came back from Wuhan. Possible human-to-human transmission The health officials at this time said that there have been no cases of human transmission of the virus, but it cant be excluded. On Jan. 17, another patient has succumbed to the effects of the virus in China and on the same day, CDC alerted that patients from Wuhan will be screened upon arrival in United States airports. On the 20th of January, more than 100 new cases were confirmed by Chinese officials, and South Korea reports its first case, which is also a traveler coming from Wuhan City. By this time, health officials said that human-to-human transmission is possible, according to Zhong Nanshan, a renowned scientist at the National Health Commission, who studied the scale of the SARS outbreak more than a decade ago. He added that the patients can contract the virus without visiting the seafood market. On Jan. 21, another patient has died from the infection, raising the death toll to four. On the same day, the CDC confirms the first case of the Wuhan coronavirus infection in the United States, who returned from Wuhan, China. The patient is currently in isolation and health officials have ramped up efforts to screen patients in major airports in the country. My friends apartment complex getting disinfected in Wuhan yesterday #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/6jH3shTkOb mxmbt2 (@mxmbt2) 22 January 2020 Virus spreading with more cases and deaths Taiwan has reported its first case on Jan. 21, and the people infected in Thailand increased to two. On January 22, an official from Chinas national health commission reports that the death toll has increased to nine on Jan. 21 and there are 440 confirmed cases across 13 Chinese provinces and more than 2,000 cases of close contact. INCREDIBLE! THE ENTIRE CITY OF WUHAN HAS BEEN QUARANTED AND COMPLETELY ISOLATED. NO ONE CAN ENTER AND EXIT FROM THE CITY! #coronavirus #Wuhan #WuhanQuaranted pic.twitter.com/kwqj3RiJqx Earthquakes World (@Terremoti7) 22 January 2020 On Jan. 22, Thailand reports two additional cases, and Macau confirms its first case. As of reporting, the death toll has risen to 17, with the number of confirmed cases rose to more than 500. BREAKING: The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China has risen to at least 17. Eight new deaths were confirmed in the province of Hubei, according to the health authority in Wuhan, the provincial capital. https://t.co/ZheimIz8Bt pic.twitter.com/rG5U8q0ddq CNN International (@cnni) 22 January 2020 What health officials are doing Local disease-control authorities issued an order to quarantine the city, which includes stopping all public transportation operations, including ferries, trains, and buses. Travel into and out of the city, including airplanes will be stopped to prevent the further spread of the virus, which is now believed to possibly spread via human transmission. The United States has imposed strict screening in five major U.S. airports John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Chicago OHare International Airport, and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Other countries have also imposed screening passengers for fever and other symptoms, including Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a meeting on IHR Committee on the novel coronavirus. The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. Our team in China working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHOs Director General, said in a statement.